One other plea: If ever there were a time to think beyond oneself, its now. I feel like dusting off my pompoms and shouting, We can do this! But I really wish someone else would do it  like the president or maybe, maybe, that guy running against him, please? He could speak in the spirit of longed-for bipartisanship about how theres nothing we cant do, including doing two things at once: managing the virus and safely rebuilding the economy by sending younger, healthy and covid-recovered Americans back to work, encouraging the elderly and compromised to stay home, and getting children back to school, as Fauci prescribed.
Tom Friedrich, professor in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, explains a consent form and the process of volunteers spitting in a small vial as part of a trial of a new COVID-19 saliva test. Credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Volunteers at four sites in Madison are being tested for the virus that causes COVID-19 by spitting in a vial, which may prove faster, cheaper and less complicated than other common tests, according to University of WisconsinMadison researchers.

Scientists from UWMadison's AIDS Vaccine Research Laboratory, a team that in recent years has also turned its attention to COVID-19 and Zika virus outbreaks as need arose, have tuned a relatively simple genetic testing process to find evidence of the novel coronavirus in saliva.

With support from a National Institutes of Health grant program that hopes to expand testing in the United States by fall, the researchers have collected hundreds of samples from volunteers at three UWMadison sites and a local elementary school. The tests were completed in hours, a stark contrast to common wait times of several days or even weeks for results from other kinds of COVID-19 tests.

"This sort of testing, if it is successful and can be expanded, offers hope that schools and workplaces could receive rapid turnaround testing to assist in the complex decision of managing education during the outbreak with a test that is still sensitive enough to catch the people who are contagious, but exceptional in terms of accessibility, cost, and turnaround time" says David O'Connor, professor at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

They made their early findings available in late July in a brief study posted on medRxiv, a website for health sciences research that has not yet been peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal. The test has not been approved for clinical diagnosis. The UWMadison researchers are studying whether this type of test can be administered frequently and efficiently.

"Recent studies show that frequent, repeated testing is key to detecting infected people quickly," says Tom Friedrich, professor in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. "Because people can be contagious before they show symptoms of COVID-19, rapid testing can allow them to isolate and protect others before they even realize they are infected."

The project started in Februaryeven before the first COVID-19 cases appeared in Madisonwhen O'Connor and Friedrich were working with UW Hospital and Clinics to see if recent flu-like illnesses were actually the new virus.

"We were interested in knowing whether there was silent spread of the virus in Madison," says O'Connor. "Fortunately, diagnostic testing became available very quickly. We shifted gears to adapting an alternative type of nucleic acid testing."

Most testing for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, uses a chemical process called polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, to make copies of the genetic material in a small sample so they are easier to identify. The Madison group employs a different method, called reverse-transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) to amplify the identifiable parts of virus available in saliva samples.

"The advantage of RT-LAMP is that it is easier to set up than PCR, and doesn't require specialized instrumentation," O'Connor says. "We realized that this sort of testing might be more appropriate for places like workplaces, schools and nursing homes that might require on-site, frequent, repeated testing."

Scientists Roger Wiseman and Miranda Stauss process small vials of spit collected from volunteers. Credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison

RT-LAMP also uses different chemicals than the PCR process, which has become so vital to pandemic testing that supply chains and manufacturing capacity have been stretched thin. And RT-LAMP requires fewer steps, using simpler and less expensive instrumentation than PCR.

"I set up an (RT-LAMP kit) one Saturday afternoon and confirmed that indeed we could do the assay," says AVRL scientist Dawn Dudley. "However, it soon became clear that this technique was not as sensitive as PCRespecially in its easiest form."

Both PCR and RT-LAMP processes work better if the genetic materialthe nucleic acids that make up DNA and RNAare separated from the rest of the stuff in saliva, but the simplest version of RT-LAMP skipped that step. David Beebe, a UWMadison pathology professor with experience in putting lab tests on small, reproducible chips, and Salus, the Madison-based spinoff company he helped create in 2013, joined the group to design and produce an extraction process that would work outside lab settings and make the RT-LAMP test much more accurate with a small saliva sample.

Dudley and scientist Christina Newman spent months adapting the test for saliva, because the group expected people would get pretty tired of the common sampling method, a swab (now also in short supply) run sometimes deep into the nose.

"Collection is more comfortable, which is especially important if you are getting tested twice a week and important for children," Dudley says. "Swabs can be quite invasive and somewhat damaging over time. Spitting into a tube? Not so bad."

Newman also set up the testing sitesincluding AVRL and the Wisconsin National Primate Research Centerwhere the researchers unload their gear from a minivan twice a week and collect samples across a folding table from as many as 60 people on some days.

"Basically, people come, sign the consent, and spit into a tube that is left in a cooler," Dudley says. "It takes less than five minutes."

With small groups, processing can be finished, results read via a color change in the test tube and delivered in a matter of hoursand probably without a team of lab-trained scientists.

Other groups are also testing the effectiveness of the new test. Chris Mason, a UWMadison alum who is now a professor at Cornell University, is running a trial of his lab's LAMP-based test with city workers in Racine, Wisconsin, where the collecting and processing is done mostly by firefighters. Salus is working on a commercial version of the test that can be deployed in small, mobile labs that Newman says could be straightforward enough to be operated by people without lengthy lab science training.

The researchers have run more than 400 tests, finding two positive cases and one that may be a false positive. Each resultpositive and negative, save the potential false positivehas been confirmed later by checking the saliva sample with the clinical-lab-standard PCR testing. Because the RT-LAMP test is not yet approved for clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, the researchers have UW Hospital and Clinics doctors contact volunteers who tested positive and advise them to get a PCR test as soon as possible.
New rules ban auctioning animals off.

Three lions and six bears confiscated by orders of Ukrainian courts have been donated to nature parks and charities.

That's according to a statement by the Justice Ministry.

A Commission in Vasylivsky office of Ukraine's executive service has handed over:

Malvina, the Himalayan bear - to the International Charitable Foundation "Save the Wild" Charity;

Brown bears Balu and Timosha  to the Synevyr National Nature Reserve;

Lions Ricci, Witold and Bagheera  to the Naton Charitable Foundation; and

Brown bears Potap, Anna and Masha  to Bear Shelter Domazhir Ltd [a rehabilitation center located in the Roztochia nature reserve].

"The free transfer of confiscated animals to new owners is a result of joint efforts by the Ministry of Justice and civic activists. The old order, according to which confiscated animals were sold at open auctions by a court ruling, has sparked controversy," said Deputy Minister of Justice for Executive Service Andriy Haichenko.

Read alsoMeme turning into reality: Debtors' pet dogs put up for auction sale

From now on the sale of animals at the OpenMarket - CETAM auction is prohibited, the press service quotes the official as saying.

As UNIAN reported earlier, in late June the Cabinet adopted a resolution of the Ministry of Justice on amending the Procedure for disposing of property confiscated by a court ruling and transferred to the state executive service.

The procedure is supplemented by provisions governing the sale of animals confiscated by court.

Cats, dogs, and other pets shall be transferred free of charge to animal shelters or other pet care facilities.

Wild animals shall not be put up for sale either. They shall be transferred free of charge to animal shelters, zoos, or other relevant animal care facilities.

Unsold farm animals shall be transferred free of charge to individuals or legal entities in line with the current legislation.
In a show of support for local law enforcement, the Columbus Fraternal Order of Eagles Post 1834 held a ceremony to present plaques to Platte County Sheriff Ed Wemhoff, Columbus Police Chief Charles Sherer and numerous state troopers on Wednesday evening.

The Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE) is a national organization with local chapters, including Post 1834, 3205 12th St. in Columbus.

According to the groups website, the FOE was founded in 1888 by a group of Seattle theatre owners. People pay an initiation fee and annual membership dues.

In Columbus, the FOE functions as a social community group and often raises money to support charitable causes.

It was brought up in our regular meeting that we support the police. The aerie and the auxiliary across the nation support the police, said Bob Runquist, president of the Mens Platte Aerie 1834.

Runquist said the group approved the resolution to show support for law enforcement at its July 28 meeting.

Karen Penington, president of the Womens Platte Auxiliary 1834, said the FOE has always supported law enforcement.

But right now it seems like it needs to be done and brought to the attention of the public, Penington noted.

FOE 1834 Trustee Mike Landkamer said the group decided to pass a resolution supporting law enforcement in response to current events.

Some little towns are trying to defund the police departments, they want to reduce their police departments, Landkamer said. Police are being shot and theyre being abused.

Ongoing nationwide protests against police violence began in May following the murder of black Minneapolis resident George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.

Most protests have been peaceful but some have devolved into rioting and looting. In some areas, peaceful protesters have been met with significant police brutality. Protesters and journalists have been tear-gassed, beaten and arrested.

Police have also been on the receiving end of some of the violence. Some police officers have been shot and hit by cars and thrown projectiles, including rocks and Molotov cocktails.

In some areas, people have called for a defunding of the police. Many of those people wish to see some portion of law enforcement funding redirected to community and social assistance programs.

After FOE 1834 passed the resolution, Landkamer said the group had it inscribed on metal plates and attached to walnut plaques. The plaques were given to local law enforcement officers at the Wednesday evening ceremony.

Nebraska State Patrol Field Services Division Troop B in Norfolk sent Troopers Kayla Reicks and Madison Reynoldson to accept a plaque. Wemhoff also accepted a plaque on behalf of his office.

Sherer represented the Columbus Police Department at the event and accepted a plaque on behalf of the department.

Were blessed to be in the community that we are, to have the following that we do and the support of the community in all the endeavors that weve had over the last couple of years," he said. "I cant say enough about this community. We appreciate this a great deal."

Molly Hunter is a reporter for The Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at molly.hunter@lee.net.

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Vodafone Idea, which had recently launched its eSIM services in India will now support the service on Motorola razr.

The service is active for Vodafone Ideas postpaid users in select circles at the moment. This includes postpaid users in Mumbai, Delhi, and Gujarat circles which cover the following cities:

Mumbai circle  Mumbai city, Navi Mumbai and Kalyan

Gujarat circle  State of Gujarat and Union Territory of Daman and Diu, Silvassa (Dadra & Nagar Haveli). Delhi circle  Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Noida, and Gurgaon

To activate the Vodafone Idea eSIM services on the Motorola razr, customers simply need to walk in to their nearest Vodafone Idea store along with the device.

Steps for activation and troubleshooting

Visit your nearest Vodafone Store to get the E-sim QR code. Follow the below steps for activating:

Go to Settings > Select Networks & Internet > Select Mobile Network > Connect to Wi-Fi > Scan the QR code

Availability

The Motorola razr is available in two colours  Blush Gold and Black Noir on Flipkart and leading retail stores across India.

The complete list of retail stores where Motorola razr is available can be found at:https://www.moto-razr.in/retail-stores/

Consumers can also Whatsapp Store List at +91 806791 6686 to receive this link over whatsapp.
Shortly after the Edenville and Sanford dams failed and the region experienced catastrophic flooding, the Historical Society of Michigan went to work raising money and securing volunteers to help with the restoration of the Midland County Historical Society and the Sanford Historical Society.

Historical Society of Michigan Executive Director and CEO Larry J. Wagenaar on Thursday presented a check for $5,000 to the Midland County Historical Society in front of the historic Bradley Home Museum. A second $5,000 check was given to the Sanford Area Centennial Museum later that day. The money will be used to help with flooring, which buckled in the flood waters, said Sanford Historical Society President Chuck Dinsmore.

Wagenaar said money was raised via a GoFundMe account as well as people sending in money directly to the historical society. He said donations ranged from $10 to $1,000 and are still coming in. Wagenaar said he hopes to cut another check within the next two months.

History tells the stories of our lives, Wagenaar said. Those stories are important to our present time. It tells us where weve been.

He said many of the people who made donations are those who want to see our history preserved.

These are how the stories of our lives are told, Wagenaar said. The story is important."

Things can go off the rails if we dont preserve history, Wagenaar added.

All three buildings on the Bradley Home Museum campus were damaged in the flood and renovations are still underway. Once the water receded, all the flooring in the Bradley Home had to be removed due to large amounts of mold.

Three buildings at the Sanford Area Centennial Museum were also severely damaged, including the town hall, school and church. Dinsmore said an estimated 10% of the artifacts were lost. He said it would have been more and the damage to the buildings more severe if not for the estimated 200 volunteers who emerged on Sanford to help, donating 2,500 volunteer hours. This included people who donated nearly 40 fans to help dry the buildings out.

The community really supported us, Dinsmore said.

Dinsmore, who spends about 60 hours a week or more helping restore the museum, says he hopes to see it come back better than before. He said the outside of the buildings look good. The inside of the above three mentioned remain a bit rough. The flood buckled the floors in all the three buildings and tipped over all the pews in the church. However, the money granted from the Historical Society of Michigan will greatly help.

Lifetime Sanford resident Laura Sian was walking by the museum on her daily walk when she saw the event taking place. She is thankful for the support the museum is getting, saying it is a vital part of the city.

I love this town and what people are doing to help us is amazing, Sian said.
By Yi Whan-woo



The United States has urged Korea to retain its bilateral intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, after Seoul hinted at not extending it amid worsening diplomatic ties with Tokyo.



The Korean-language service of Voice of America (VOA) reported Friday that a U.S Department of State official said defense and security issues "should remain separate" from other areas of Korea-Japan relations.



The comments came after Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Kim In-chul said Tuesday the government could end the pact  the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)  "at any time regardless of the date."



The GSOMIA is automatically renewed every year unless one country notifies the other of its decision to terminate the deal 90 days in advance. It will expire Nov. 22.



The bilateral pact became a tool for a cycle of retaliation between the two American allies last year.






Rating Action: Moody's downgrades ratings on notes issued by HarbourView CLO VII-R, Ltd.; actions conclude review

Global Credit Research - 06 Aug 2020

New York, August 06, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has downgraded the ratings on the following notes issued by HarbourView CLO VII-R, Ltd. (the "CLO" or "Issuer"):

U.S.$21,920,000 Class C Secured Deferrable Floating Rate Notes due 2031, Downgraded to A3 (sf); previously on September 21, 2018 Affirmed A2 (sf)

U.S.$24,020,000 Class D Secured Deferrable Floating Rate Notes due 2031, Downgraded to Ba2 (sf); previously on April 17, 2020 Baa3 (sf) Placed Under Review for Possible Downgrade

U.S.$17,910,000 Class E Secured Deferrable Floating Rate Notes due 2031 (current outstanding balance of $18,237,558), Downgraded to Caa1 (sf); previously on April 17, 2020 Ba3 (sf) Placed Under Review for Possible Downgrade U.S.$8,000,000 Class F Secured Deferrable Floating Rate Notes due 2031 (current outstanding balance of $8,396,775), Downgraded to Caa3 (sf); previously on April 17, 2020 B3 (sf) Placed Under Review for Possible Downgrade

The Class C Notes, the Class D Notes, Class E Notes, and the Class F Notes are referred to herein, collectively, as the "Downgraded Notes."

These actions conclude the reviews for downgrade initiated on April 17, 2020 on the Class D, E, and F Notes. The CLO, issued in June 2018 is a managed cashflow CLO. The notes are collateralized primarily by a portfolio of broadly syndicated senior secured corporate loans. The transaction's reinvestment period will end in July 2023.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The downgrades on the Downgraded Notes reflect the risks posed by credit deterioration and loss of collateral coverage observed in the underlying CLO portfolio, which have been primarily prompted by economic shocks stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Since the outbreak widened in March 2020, the decline in corporate credit has resulted in a significant number of downgrades, other negative rating actions, or defaults on the assets collateralizing the CLO. Consequently, the default risk of the CLO portfolio has increased, the credit enhancement available to the CLO notes has declined, and expected losses (ELs) on certain notes have increased. According to the July 2020 trustee report[1], the weighted average rating factor (WARF) was reported at 2985, compared to 2731 reported in the March 2020 trustee report[2]. Moody's calculation also showed the WARF was failing the test level of 2694 reported in the July 2020 trustee report [1]. Based on Moody's calculation, the proportion of obligors in the portfolio with Moody's corporate family or other equivalent ratings of Caa1 or lower (adjusted for negative outlook or watchlist for downgrade) was approximately 11.1% as of July 2020. Furthermore, Moody's calculated the total collateral par balance, including principal proceeds and recoveries from defaulted securities, at $369.0 million, or $28.1 million less than the deal's ramp-up target par balance. Moody's noted that the OC tests for the Class C, D, and E Notes, as well as the interest diversion test was recently reported in the July 2020 trustee report[1] as failing, which could result in repayment of senior notes at the next payment date should the failures continue.

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Moody's modeled the transaction using a cash flow model based on the Binomial Expansion Technique, as described in "Moody's Global Approach to Rating Collateralized Loan Obligations."

For modeling purposes, Moody's used the following base-case assumptions:

Par amount and principal proceeds balance: $361,854,147

Defaulted Securities: $23,785,197

Diversity Score: 75

Weighted Average Rating Factor (WARF): 2848

Weighted Average Life (WAL): 5.84 years

Weighted Average Spread (WAS): 3.28%

Weighted Average Recovery Rate (WARR): 48.02%

In consideration of the current high uncertainties around the global economy and the ultimate performance of the CLO portfolio, Moody's conducted a number of additional sensitivity analyses representing a range of outcomes that could diverge, both to the downside and the upside, from our base case. Some of the additional scenarios that Moody's considered in its analysis of the transaction include, among others: additional near-term defaults of companies facing liquidity pressure; additional OC par haircuts to account for potential future downgrades and defaults resulting in an increased likelihood of cash flow diversion to senior notes; and some improvement in WARF as the US economy gradually recovers in the second half of the year and corporate credit conditions generally stabilize. The rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the government measures put in place to contain it and the deteriorating global economic outlook, have created a severe and extensive credit shock across sectors, regions and markets. Our analysis has considered the effect on the performance of corporate assets from the collapse in the US economic activity in the second quarter and a gradual recovery in the second half of the year. However, that outcome depends on whether governments can reopen their economies while also safeguarding public health and avoiding a further surge in infections. As a result, the degree of uncertainty around our forecasts is unusually high. We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety.

Factors that Would Lead to an Upgrade or Downgrade of the Ratings:

The performance of the rated notes is subject to uncertainty in the performance of the related CLO's underlying portfolio, which in turn depends on economic and credit conditions that may change. In particular, the length and severity of the economic and credit shock precipitated by the global coronavirus pandemic will have a significant impact on the performance of the securities. The CLO manager's investment decisions and management of the transaction will also affect the performance of the rated securities.

The principal methodology used in these ratings was "Moody's Global Approach to Rating Collateralized Loan Obligations" published in March 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-Global-Approach-to-Rating-Collateralized-Loan-Obligations--PBS_1111156. 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. The analysis relies on an assessment of collateral characteristics to determine the collateral loss distribution, that is, the function that correlates to an assumption about the likelihood of occurrence to each level of possible losses in the collateral. As a second step, Moody's evaluates each possible collateral loss scenario using a model that replicates the relevant structural features to derive payments and therefore the ultimate potential losses for each rated instrument. The loss a rated instrument incurs in each collateral loss scenario, weighted by assumptions about the likelihood of events in that scenario occurring, results in the expected loss of the rated instrument. Moody's quantitative analysis entails an evaluation of scenarios that stress factors contributing to sensitivity of ratings and take into account the likelihood of severe collateral losses or impaired cash flows. Moody's weights the impact on the rated instruments based on its assumptions of the likelihood of the events in such scenarios occurring. For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com. For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

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.

REFERENCES/CITATIONS

[1] Trustee report 08-Jul-2020

[2] Trustee report 10-Mar-2020

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Diana Situ Associate Analyst 1 Structured 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 David H. Burger VP - Senior Credit Officer Structured Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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GANGHWA, SOUTH KOREA - JUNE 10: In this handout photo provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry, Illegal Chinese fishing bosts are seen in neutral waters on June 10, 2016 in Ganghwa island, South Korea. South Korea sent military vessels on Friday to chase away about 10 illegal Chinese fishing boats in neutral water around South Korea's Ganghwa island, based on reports. (Photo : South Korean Defense Ministry / Getty Images)

The Ecuadorian navy encountered nearly 260 fishing vessels with Chinese flags sailing on the coast of Galapagos Islands.

According to the Island's Governor Norman Wray, the Chinese fleet is within international waters outside the maritime border around the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador's coastal waters.

Every year, Chinese fishing vessels come to the seas near Galapagos. This fleet, however, is the largest in recent years. In an analysis, NGO, C4ADS said that based on their research, 243 vessels out of the 248 boats identified with China, 243 are from companies with suspected records of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU).

Fishing boats and refrigerated containers or reefer to store enormous catches are in the fleet.

Wray said some fleets do not even abide by regulations.

READ: Fukushima Wastewater Contaminants at Risk of Being Released into the Ocean



Indiscriminate Fishing Practices

A captain of an Ecuadorian tuna boat said that the Chinese fishing boats pull up everything. He said that they are required to take a biologist aboard to check the catch. When sharks are caught, they have to throw it back to the sea. But for the Chinese fleet, nobody controls them.

The captain said he was navigating through the fleet at night and said that several boats were illuminating the sea to attract the squid. The place looked like a city at night.

The fishing boats had up to 500 lines, each with thousands of hooks. Some vessels turn off their tracking systems when in protected areas to avoid detection.

In 2017, the Ecuador navy seized the Chinese reefer Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. They found 6,000 frozen sharks, including the endangered hammerhead shark and whale sharks.

Ecuador filed a formal complaint, imposed a $6m fine on the vessel. The 20 Chinese crew members were jailed for four years for illegal fishing.

In Quito, the Chinese embassy asserts that China is a "responsible fishing nation" and does not tolerate illegal fishing. It also said that all the vessel spotted at Galapagos recently were legally operating and is not a threat to anyone.

However, the former mayor of Quito, Roque Sevilla, maintains that the fleet is doing "indiscriminate fishing as it hauls marine life regardless of species or age, which causes severe damage to the quality of fauna in Galapagos.

READ ALSO: Beirut Explosion: How Does Ammonium Nitrate Affect the Environment?



Actions to Protect Marine Diversity

Sevilla said that Ecuador called for a diplomatic meeting with Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Panama to file a formal protest against China.

The Galapagos Islands' representative for Ecuador's human rights ombudsman's office, Milton Castillo, asked the prosecutor's office to inspect the Chinese ships' cargo citing the legal principle of the universal and extraterritorial protection of endangered species.

Ecuador plans to establish a corridor of marine reserves with Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia to protect vital marine diversity areas, Sevilla disclosed. The passage would ensure Cocos Ridge and Carnegie Ridge's protection, which links Ecuador archipelago to continental South America. Sevilla said that doing such decisive action would protect more than 200,000 square nautical miles of ocean from industrial fishing.

READ NEXT: Saving Giant Panda at the Expense of Leopards, Snow Leopards, Wolves, and Asian Wild Dog
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Similarly, the disparities between U.S. states  both red and blue  make it difficult to correlate the U.S. experience with any broad stereotype about American political culture. The mask ban imposed by Georgias Republican governor has been held up as the quintessential example of American right-wing misrule, yet many states run by progressive, science-minded Democrats, including New York, California and New Jersey, have faced considerably higher death tolls. Its difficult to come up with a clear theory of what talents are lacked by New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) but possessed in Canada by British Columbias premier, John Horgan. Yet British Columbia has among the fewest per-capita coronavirus deaths in the entire world. Experts have hazy theories as to why this might be, but they often just descend into vague praise for the communication skills of provincial health officer Bonnie Henry  as though the idea of having a stern authority figure go on television and tell people to socially distance hadnt occurred anywhere else.
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Britain-based blogger, Shar Dube, explains to VOA Zimbabwe Service's Mike Hove her compulsion to rally behind the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter movement. The 22-year-old said she was surprised by the massive response to her Instagram post, "What is happening in Zimbabwe."
A New Jersey appeals courts decision to revive two lawsuits accusing Johnson & Johnsons iconic Baby Powder of causing cancer may lead to the reinstatement of about 1,000 suits targeting the talc-based product.

A three-judge panel of the New Jersey Superior Court said Wednesday a trial judge erroneously threw out expert testimony backing up claims by two women that talc caused their ovarian cancers, clearing the cases for trial. The ruling could also affect other talc cases on hold before the same judge.

There are approximately 1,000 ovarian cancer cases currently filed in New Jersey state court, with more to come, Ted Meadows, one of the lawyers representing women bringing the baby powder cases, said in a statement. This ruling paves the way for those cases to proceed to trial.

Thats unwelcome news to J&J, which is headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and previously tried to transfer most talc litigation to the state in the belief that it might have a home-court advantage. Wednesdays ruling and a New Jersey jurys February award of $750 million in a talc case may help dispel that notion.

We respect the courts decision and are fully prepared to defend the safety of our product in court, J&J spokeswoman Kim Montagnino said in an emailed statement. We remain confident that our talc is safe, asbestos free, and does not cause cancer.

Mounting Cases

J&J pulled Baby Powder off the market in the U.S. and Canada in May. The number of cases alleging it causes cancer continues to mount, though, increasing 15% over the last eight months, according to J&J securities filings. The company now faces more than 20,000 talc lawsuits, some claiming talc itself causes cancer and others pointing to alleged asbestos contamination in talc.

Holly Froum, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, said the growing number of cases may force J&J to pay as much as $10 billion to resolve the suits.

In Wednesdays decision, the appellate panel found Atlantic County Judge Nelson Johnson was wrong to assess the credibility of plaintiffs experts Graham Colditz and Daniel Cramer in excluding their testimony, rather than scrutinizing the methodologies behind their conclusions that talc can cause ovarian cancer. Deciding credibility is an issue for the jury, not the judge, they said.

Imerys Talc America, a unit of Paris-based Imerys SA that mined talc used in J&Js baby powder, also was named as a defendant in the cases. But it sought bankruptcy protection from creditors last year. The company is offering to settle more than 14,000 talc lawsuits by selling itself and other Imerys units as part of the bankruptcy and putting the proceeds into a trust for claimants.

Top Photo: SAN FRANCISCO, CA  JULY 13: In this photo illustration, a container of Johnsons baby powder made by Johnson and Johnson sits on a table on July 13, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits New Jersey
Cambodian police on Aug. 6 freed two of four opposition party activists detained on Tuesday as protests continue in the capital Phnom Penh calling for the release of arrested union leader Rong Chhun, Cambodian sources say.



Released on Thursday night were Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) officials Chhin Sovanna and Ouk Sam Onn, with party officials Chum Puthy and Chuop Pheng still held by the National Police Commission, sources said.



Chhin Sovannas son Chum Phuto told RFAs Khmer Service on Thursday that his mother had arrived safely at home following her release, but that his father, Chum Phuty, was still in police custody.



I was able to speak with him briefly on the phone just before he was arrested while monitoring police actions against a group of Buddhists who were planning to stage a protest for the release of Rong Chhun the next day, the young man said.



I am asking for my father to be released, because he has done nothing wrong, he added.



Scores of Cambodian civil society groups have condemned the arrest of Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions (CCU), demanding that the government release him and drop charges of incitement he faces over his criticism of the countrys handling of a border dispute with Vietnam.



He was jailed at Prey Sar Prison in Phnom Penh on Saturday, a day after his arrest for claiming the government has allowed Vietnam to encroach on farmland along their shared border. He faces two years in prison if convicted.



Repeated calls seeking comment from the National Police and Phnom Penh police rang unanswered on Thursday.



'Border issue not for activists'



Government spokesman Phai Siphan, speaking to RFA, said however that only government officials have the legal authority to address questions concerning the countrys border.



People can use their rights under the constitution to petition the government, the National Assembly, and the courts. NGOs have to do things in a civilized way, and not hold strikes or protests or conduct activities at the border.



The border issue is not for activists, but for the government to handle, he said.



Unresolved border issues between Cambodia and Vietnam, former French colonies from the 1860s to 1954, have sparked incidents in the past, with the construction by Vietnam of military posts in contested areas quickly challenged by Cambodian authorities in Phnom Penh.



A joint communique signed by Cambodia and Vietnam in 1995 stipulates that neither side can make any changes to border markers or allow cross-border cultivation or settlement pending the resolution of outstanding border issues.



The CNRP was disbanded by Cambodia's Supreme Court in November 2017 for its alleged role in a plot to overthrow the government.



The move to ban the CNRP was part of a wider crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sen on the political opposition, NGOs, and the independent media that paved the way for his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) to win all 125 seats in parliament in the countrys July 2018 general election.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum and Tin Zakariya. Written in English by Richard Finney.
When you are a nurse, there are many different routes and directions you can take to enhance your career and achieve your goals. One of the ways this can be done is to study online and gain a DNP (a Doctorate of Nursing Practice) which essentially enables you to become a nurse leader, and be in control of an entire area of a hospital or clinic. It is a difficult degree to work towards, but don't let that put you off doing it; many things in life are difficult but they are still worth doing. Plus there are many other types of degrees and qualifications that nurses can take in order to build their careers.

If you are serious about making changes in your life and moving forward with your career, a DNP or other degree could be the ideal solution. Not only will it make you more confident in your abilities, but it will open up a new world of career choices, and you will be able to apply for jobs in many different hospitals across the country should you wish to - perhaps even across the world. If you want to get ahead in nursing, a degree has to be a good way to start.

Yet finding the time to study when you are already working hard as a nurse isn't always easy, and this can be a reason why some people choose not to. Luckily, there are online courses which mean that it is possible to move forward even when you thought you couldn't. The question is, should you? Here are some answers to that all-important question to help you make the change and build your nursing career:

Is Nursing The Right Choice?

To begin with, it's important to say that nursing is not a career that appeals to everyone, and even if you do think it might suit you, it may be that you don't enjoy it; it involves a lot of hard work and it is emotionally draining as well as physically demanding. That said, it is an immensely rewarding career, and many of those who choose to study and work as a nurse will do so for their entire careers.

If you are a caring person who wants to help others, nursing might be ideal for you. It's true that you will have to have certain qualifications in place (at least a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, if not more) in order to work in this career, but studying is certainly worth every minute if it gives you the kind of job that you enjoy and that you want to go to each day.

There is nothing wrong in discovering that, even after you have studied, you want to change careers. A nursing degree can still help you - you will learn so much more than how to be a nurse and take care of patients, and no matter which direction you want to go in (whether you want to do something completely different or you want to move forward in your nursing career) these extra skills will certainly be an advantage. They will include:

Time management

Stress control

Leadership

Teamwork

Research

Debating

Listening

Organization

All of these skills, known as 'soft' or 'transferable' skills will give you a great advantage in your nursing career, or anything else you would like to do.

Why Take On Additional Studying?

As a nurse, you are extremely busy. It's hard work, physically and mentally, and you work long shifts. If you choose to take on overtime, or if you have family commitments to think about, the idea of adding studying and examinations to your workload might seem crazy, and even impossible.

Yet when you look at the reasons behind the degree and what you would get out of it, it might start to appeal more. One great reason for taking an online DNP or similar course is that you will be able to earn a good deal more money. If this is important to you and your family, if it will make life easier, if you see it as a reward for your hard work, then it could be the impetus you need to study. Nursing is not a career many people will go into simply for the money aspect - in most cases this isn't even a consideration. The reason they want to be nurses is to help people and work in an interesting environment. Extra money, however, is always going to be useful, and if you can build your career and achieve that, you can be much more happy and secure.

Another reason for additional studying, even if it does leave little time for other things, is that you will be able to pick and choose where you work. For those without extra nursing qualifications, there will be many people looking for the same jobs, and although hospitals are always going to be in need of nurses in general, the hospital you want to work in might not be hiring when you are searching for work. If you have a DNP or another nursing degree that shows you have qualifications, knowledge, experience, and dedication to your career, you should find it much easier to choose exactly where you want to work. There will be fewer people applying for the same jobs since fewer nurses have these degrees and that makes finding work much easier.

How To Choose The Right College

If you feel that studying for a degree in nursing is a good idea, there are a number of different colleges you can attend. Yet some will be better for you than others, and the choice may seem vast and overwhelming. The key is to take your time when choosing which college to study at; although the degree might be the same, the way it is taught won't necessarily be. Plus, you need to think about the cost and location too. There are lots of considerations to take into account when choosing the best college.

One of the most important elements of choosing the right college is whether or not you can study online. If you have to attend physical classes, you might find it much harder to fit in around your work, especially since these classes will be held at specific times due to the number of people attending. It might be that you are able to get special dispensation to attend these classes, but even if you can do so, would you want to? They would interrupt your work and you might be tired which means concentrating would be difficult. You could miss out on a lot.

Working online, however, means that you can study when you are able to, and when you feel up to learning. This might mean it takes longer to gain your degree, but if it also means you are able to be more confident, learn better, and not have to miss any work, then there is definitely an advantage in working in this way.

You must also check out the admissions procedure. It might be that the degree you want to work towards requires you to have obtained other qualifications first. If this is the case then it is, of course, of huge importance that you understand this and look at how you need to plan out your study and your career. A DNP, for example, is a big step, therefore you will need to have gained other qualifications before you can achieve it. Making sure you know what a college needs you to have done before applying will help to reduce disappointment and will also ensure you are working in the right way.

Network Where You Can

Networking isn't just for those in business; it is something that everyone in every field can take advantage of, and nurses are no different. This may not be obvious to many people, even those who are studying to be nurses or who are looking at going back to school for additional qualifications. However, if you want to get ahead in your career and really build your nursing abilities, networking could be exactly the right direction to go in.

Networking isn't as hard as it sounds. In the case of nursing, it's a question of looking out for opportunities that might help you to advance your career. The more people you know who understand what you want to do and what your goals are, the more these opportunities will come to you - they will think of you when a job becomes available, for example, or when they receive information about a new course opening up. This kind of information could be exactly what you need to hear, and it would be a shame to miss out. This is why it pays to be as open and honest as possible when networking and making new acquaintances.

Look At Your Strengths and Weaknesses

When you know it is time to make a change and build your nursing career, making it more rewarding and interesting, you should always look at your own strengths and weaknesses. Whether you are already studying or you think this is a good idea and want to know more about it, understanding where you excel, and where you can benefit from additional help, is always going to be useful. You will, if you are objective and honest with yourself, be able to determine exactly what needs more work in terms of your career, and that will help you choose what to do next and how to build your nursing career even further.

By working hard on the areas you are not as strong in, you will be able to have a much more well-rounded set of skills which is going to appeal to employers and give you an edge over others who might be applying for the same jobs.

Alternatively, by looking at what you are good at and what you enjoy the most, you might see a different path to the one you had initially envisaged. Perhaps there is a specific area of nursing that appeals more than others, and your strengths mean that this is the area that you will be most successful in. If this is the case, it is always worth checking out other options and seeing what the qualifications and experience needed might be. The beauty of a career in nursing is that there are always different options and places to work, so you can ensure you are as happy as possible throughout your career by always doing what you want to do.

Make Sure You Have A Goal

There is no hard and fast rule that says you have to have a goal. There is nothing that means you have to be working towards something. In fact, if you are perfectly happy where you are doing what you are doing and intend to do that for your entire career, that's wonderful (and it is a goal of its own). However, some people want more; they want to build their nursing careers and this will mean setting goals in place to achieve and surpass in order to build the career they ultimately want.

There are many ways to determine what your goal should be. You might be extremely ambitious and you could, therefore, be heading towards a management job. You might want to work in a specialist department which will mean looking at ways to gain extra qualifications. Whatever it is, make sure you understand what reaching your goal is going to entail.

In order to start working towards any goal, you need to understand what it is you are aiming for. How big is the goal and how long will it take to achieve? It could be that it makes more sense to break your ultimate dream down into smaller, more achievable goals, and therefore the idea becomes much less overwhelming and more exciting - as you reach each goal you can put the next one in place and start working towards that and so on. This means there will always be something you are aiming for, and you will literally be building your dream nursing career, step by step, dream by dream, and goal by goal.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Union minister of textiles and women and child development Smriti Irani on Friday said Sharan village in Kullu will be developed into a craft handloom village.

On the occasion of the sixth Nation Handloom Day, Irani addressed handloom clusters across the country and designers at different institutes and craft handloom villages over video conferencing.

Sharan village near Heritage Village, Naggar, is among the 10 villages selected as craft handloom villages. This will not only promote the handloom industry but also boost rural tourism, she said.

The Union minister said National Institutes of Fashion Technology (NIFTs) will help promote handloom products in the country.

She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also stressed on boosting the handloom industry to strengthen the handloom sector.

She said the mobile application for the handloom mark scheme launched by the ministry on Friday will not only facilitate weavers but also provide consumers with genuine handloom products.

The My Handloom Portal will also help the consumers get information about the best handloom products, said Irani.

The Union government will provide all possible assistance to the handloom sector, said the Union minister, adding, We all must encourage local products so that the rural economy is strengthened.

A virtual exhibition was also held to link handloom exporters with buyers. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, who joined the conference from Dehra in Kangra,said at present around 20,000 people were dependent on handloom for earning their livelihood.

He said the Himachali shawl and cap, especially the Kullu and Kinnauri shawls, had earned worldwide fame and both the products have been patented and reserved under the Handloom Protection Act by the government of India.

Thakur said the Union government had sanctioned 118.63 lakh and the state will contribute 13.40 lakh for the development of Sharan village.The CM said that during the lockdown, the cottage industry kept the rural economy afloat.

The state government is considering the one district, one product scheme to popularise traditional products, he said.

Thakur said a grant of 10% was being provided to handloom entrepreneurs for the purchase of thread through the National Handloom Development Corporation.

He said that training was also being provided to around 450 handloom weavers of the nine districts through HP State Handicraft and Handloom Corporation. The sale of handloom products is being done through 12 sale centres in the state and one in Delhi, the CM said.
The Australian sharemarket limped home on Friday in the shadow of several economic and geopolitical risks, though the benchmark index still managed to finish ahead for the week.

The ASX 200 lost 37.4 points, or 0.6 per cent, to close at 6004.8 as investors ignored a strong overseas lead to sit and watch from the sidelines.

The ASX ended the week lower. Credit:Louie Douvis

US markets provided a strong platform for local stocks as investors remained hopeful Congress would reach a new stimulus deal.

But with tensions rising between Washington and Beijing, and key US jobs figures on the horizon, fresh money again proved hesitant. An uncertain earnings season outlook also heightened nerves.

"The market feels a little fatigued ahead of the profit season (next week)," Tribeca portfolio manager JunBei Liu said."People want to see how bad things are, and what companies see going forwards."

Ms Liu said the trickle of local corporate results so far had painted a mixed picture. Diversified financials such as AMP and IOOF had suffered, she said, as had medical device maker ResMed. However, investors were impressed with the likes of News Corp and REA Group.

"People are really waiting for the bank results," Ms Liu said. "Thats a really good barometer for what the economy will look like."

Further weighing on sentiment on Friday was a reminder from the Reserve Bank - via its Statement on Monetary Policy - that the economic recovery from the coronavirus will be a much slower, longer and fragile journey than previously hoped.

Elsewhere, Asian markets were rocked as tensions between Beijing and Washington escalated, with US President Donald Trump ordering sweeping bans on China's ByteDance, owner of TikTok, and Tencent, operator of WeChat.

Nonetheless, the ASX still managed to finish ahead for the week, adding 1.3 per cent over the five sessions.

It was the first weekly gain in three.

Despite a further rise in gold and iron ore prices, the local materials sector gave up a sizeable chunk of its gains from Thursdays session. BHP, Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals were all heavy losers as the sector plunged by 1.5 per cent.

Financials shed 0.4 per cent, with ANZ the only of the big four banks to add to its tally. It rose 0.2 per cent to $17.68. Westpac was flat at $16.76.

Health stocks were weighed down by the aforementioned ResMed, which dropped another 3.2 per cent to $25.06, and CSL, which fell by 1.3 per cent to $274.19.

Consumer discretionaries and property stocks were the only sectors to finish ahead.
SURREY, B.C.Sending British Columbias students back to class in September will be an unprecedented challenge during a pandemic, but Premier John Horgan said hes confident children will be safe.

Some parents and teachers have expressed concern about the resumption of school next month, but Horgan said Thursday the government would not endanger students.

I want parents to know that we would not be putting their children at risk if we thought there was an overwhelming risk.

Horgan said this is the biggest challenge the provinces education system has had since the last global pandemic 100 years ago.

He said he understands its a very stressful time for parents, educators and children.

But Im as confident as I can be, based on the information I have today, that every effort to get this right is being made.

Everyone is prepared to be flexible to ensure students, staff and school employees are protected from the risk of COVID-19, he said.

If there is new information as the summer progresses (or) as we get into the first days or weeks of the school year, we will amend and adapt.

He said every community and every classroom is different and decisions on how specific schools will operate will be left to those jurisdictions.

Most students from kindergarten to Grade 12 are expected to return to full-time classes Sept. 8, with increased safety measures, including cleaning and hand-hygiene stations and masks.

Children will be separated into learning groups of no more than 60 in elementary and middle school and 120 in secondary schools.

The BC Teachers Federation has said the restart plan needs more time and a lot more work if its going to be successful.

When the full reopening was announced last week, the federation said bringing all students back on the first day after the Labour Day long weekend was too soon.

The BC Principals and Vice-Principals Association has also asked the government to consider a flexible classroom start date, depending on the readiness of each school.

The adjustments to timetables and the possible move to alternate calendar models will require meticulous attention to ensure that the experience of students, educators and families is consistent, the association said in a statement Tuesday.

It said the learning groups would also need more explanation to help students, staff, families and school communities understand the health and safety implications.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during her COVID-19 update Thursday that its necessary to get children back to school.

Its essential for their emotional and social growth and well-being, as well as for their education needs.

The costs of keeping our schools closed is too high, she said.

We know the downside impact on some children, particularly those children who are falling behind is never made up is if schools are closed for an extended period.

Horgan said he knows theres anxiety about the future, but schools needs to start so officials can make changes to keep people safe and reduce anxiety over time.

Its August, were a month away and what happens over the next 30 days is going to be critical. What happens 30 days after we open is critical as well, but we have to take that first step to get this journey started.

The province has done very well slowing the spread of COVID-19 by following scientific advice and Horgan said hes confident about the time frame put in place by the education minister.

The premier made the comments in Surrey, where he announced a new regional cancer centre for the city to be included in the construction of a new Surrey hospital.

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The Bihar government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, stating that the petition filed by Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty to transfer the FIR filed by Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's father in connection with his death is "misconceived and not maintainable". As per them, Rhea's transfer plea is liable to be rejected by the provisions under section 179 of CrPC.

ANI tweeted, "Bihar Government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that the transfer petition filed by Rhea Chakraborty is "misconceived and not maintainable".

The Bihar Government, in its affidavit before SC, stated that the state government has the jurisdiction to investigate the matter.

The affidavit also stated, "The submission of the petitioner (Rhea Chakraborty) that the entire cause of action arose in Mumbai & the State of Bihar has no jurisdiction to register FIR is liable to be rejected in view of the provisions under section 179 of CrPC."

Sushant Singh Rajput's father KK Singh had registered an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and five other people in Patna. They were booked under IPC Section 306 (abetment to suicide), Section 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), Section 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), Section 380 (theft in dwelling house), Section 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), and Section 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property).

Later, Rhea filed a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking the transfer of FIR from Patna to Mumbai, alleging that she has been falsely implicated in Sushant's death case.

Rhea's transfer petition is likely to be heard next week. The Supreme Court has asked Maharashtra government, Bihar government and Sushant Singh Rajput's father to submit their replies within three days.

Meanwhile, the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) has stepped in to investigate Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. The actor was found hanging in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14, 2020. While the post-mortem report confirmed his death by suicide, the Mumbai and Bihar police are probing the other angles in the death case.

ALSO READ: Sushant's Death Case: ED Rejects Rhea Chakraborty's Plea To Postpone Recording Of Her Statement

ALSO READ: Sushant's Death Case: DIG Gagandeep Gambhir And Manoj Shashidhar To Supervise CBI Probe Team

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
Cellular companies scrambled to ensure customers dont lose service while they wait for power to be restored, installing hundreds of generators at cell towers and switch facilities where power is down and backup batteries are fading.

The two biggest service providers, AT&T and Verizon, reported 96 percent and 98 percent, respectively, of impacted areas were fully operational as of Thursday afternoon.

Our teams are working hard to keep our network up and running for our customers in the aftermath of the storm, said Kyle Malady, chief technology officer at Verizon, in a written statement. Our network is performing very well, despite the significant loss of commercial power.

Gov. Ned Lamont wrote that cell towers are losing capabilities, in a letter Wednesday to President Donald Trump and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, requesting additional storm response aid.

On Thursday, following a meeting with the heads of every major service provider in the region, Lamont said he was confident that customers would not lose cell service despite earlier concerns.

He said the state has worked with the telecom companies to help make sure roadways are cleared leading to cell towers and switch facilities so that generators and backup batteries can be checked and maintained. As a result, he said he does not predict any major cell service outages as a result of the delays in restoring power, though customers may see some service degradation.

It was not immediately clear whether some people were experiencing slower service due to high data usage resulting from power outages and more people working from home due to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

AT&T had deployed 300 generators across the state on Wednesday, and was set to install hundreds more on Thursday, according to Megan Daly, a spokeswoman for the company.

We have made significant progress restoring wireless service over the past few days but some wireless customers may be experiencing service disruptions caused by storm damage and power outages, she said. With extensive commercial power outages, back-up batteries and generators continue to provide power to many of our facilities. Our teams continue work around the clock to restore service as quickly and safely as conditions allow.

As of Wednesday, Verizon crews were staffing virtual wireless command centers and completing repairs where needed. The company has deployed temporary, satellite-connected cell sites and portable generators in the areas hardest hit by the storm.

We know in a crisis situation, communication is essential, Malady said. While we still have work to do to fully return to pre-storm levels, I have every confidence our teams will complete restoration efforts quickly and efficiently as they always do.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
After coronavirus aid talks between Democratic leaders and the Trump administration came to a halt Friday, President Donald Trump threatened to take executive action if the sides fail to reach a deal. Negotiators emerged from a 90-minute meeting in the Capitol on Friday appearing to have made minimal progress toward bridging a gulf over spending to combat a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Both Democrats and White House officials pointed to fundamental disagreements over how to address the crisis, making it unclear when they could agree on legislation that could pass both chambers of Congress. Speaking to a ballroom packed with members of his New Jersey country club on Friday evening, Trump said he would "act under [his] authority as president to get Americans the relief they need" if Congress fails to strike an agreement with his administration. He said his pending executive orders would extend lapsed enhanced unemployment benefits through the end of the year at an unspecified level, continue an expired eviction moratorium and indefinitely suspend federal student loan payments. They would also suspend the payroll tax through December. Because Congress controls federal spending, it is unclear what power Trump has to extend those programs. Trump said he was "not at all" worried about the legality of the moves. Earlier Friday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said it would "take us a little bit of time to finalize [the executive orders] and process them." Negotiators House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows made minimal progress toward a relief deal over more than a week and a half of talks. It is unclear now when they will restart discussions on legislation. Leaving Friday's meeting, Schumer called the huddle "disappointing." He and Pelosi said the White House again rejected their offer for Democrats to cut the asking price for their legislation by $1 trillion and for the Trump administration to increase its proposed spending by the same amount. "I've told them, 'Come back when you are ready to give us a higher number,'" Pelosi, a California Democrat, told reporters.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), speaks next to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, August 7, 2020. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

Mnuchin indicated he would not come to the table again unless Democrats changed their tune on pandemic relief. He said he and Meadows "will be back here any time to listen to new proposals." House Democrats passed a roughly $3 trillion relief package in May, and Republicans last week proposed a bill that costs about $1 trillion. Schumer has said Democrats would not accept legislation that puts less than $2 trillion into the pandemic response. Pelosi has indicated that she could cut back spending by making some programs expire earlier than originally proposed. Democrats and Republicans appear to have come closer to an accord on issues including direct payments of up to $1,200 to Americans and extending a moratorium on evictions from federally backed housing. They have failed to bridge a gulf on how to continue enhanced federal unemployment benefits, help schools reopen safely during the pandemic, and aid state and local governments facing budget shortfalls during the outbreak. In a tweet Friday, Trump said he had "no interest" in Democrats' request for nearly $1 trillion in state and local relief. "We are going a different way!" he wrote. Donald Trump tweet In a letter to colleagues Friday, Pelosi outlined several areas of disagreement. It notably did not mention jobless benefits. She said Democrats aim to put $75 billion into Covid-19 testing and treatment, while the GOP bill includes $15 billion.

Pelosi wrote that the GOP has offered $150 billion for states and municipalities, far below the $915 billion Democrats proposed.

The speaker said the sides are "a couple hundred billion dollars apart" on money to help schools reopen. Republicans included $105 billion for schools in their legislation.

Pelosi called for more money for food, water and utility assistance than the GOP has proposed.

She said Democrats wanted to secure more concessions on ensuring a complete Census and safe voting during the pandemic. It would take a massive effort for Democrats and the White House to even reach the outline of a deal soon. But the clock is ticking: the expiration of both the $600 per week enhanced federal unemployment benefit and the eviction moratorium late last month have left millions of Americans scrambling to cover bills and remain in their homes. The U.S. added 1.76 million jobs in July despite a resurgence in coronavirus cases that forced many states to pause or reverse their economic reopening plans. The unemployment rate fell to 10.2%, but was still higher than at any point during the 2008 financial crisis. In a joint statement after the jobs report release Friday, Pelosi and Schumer said the data shows "that the economic recovery spurred by the investments Congress has passed is losing steam and more investments are still urgently needed to protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people."

Democrats have insisted on extending the jobless benefit long term at $600 per week. The White House has made several counteroffers, reportedly proposing extra payments of $400 per week into December. On Friday, Mnuchin said the Trump administration has not received compromise offers on either unemployment insurance or state and municipal relief. With no agreement on Capitol Hill, Trump  who has not participated in face-to-face talks  has plotted how to act on his own. Pelosi told CNBC on Thursday that she thinks the president has the power to extend the eviction moratorium, and urged him to do so. Schumer, though, cautioned Trump on Thursday against taking executive action. He indicated an order could get held up in court. "An executive order will leave millions of people out. It will be litigated. It won't be effective, and things will get worse," the New York Democrat said Thursday. Speaking to reporters Friday, Schumer added that an executive order would be inadequate because it would not include money for schools and Covid-19 testing and treatment.
New Delhi, Aug 8 : The Congress has sought to downplay the party feud in Punjab where Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is at loggerheads with two Rajya Sabha MPs in connection with the recent spurious liquor tragedy in the state.

"Some of our MPs have asked questions and I don't know why people are misreading or reading too much into it. It's a simple exchange of words within the party. In our case it happens transparently, while in some parties it's not allowed," said Congress leader Pawan Khera, while rejecting the assumption that Punjab could see a rebellion like the ones seen in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The entire Punjab Cabinet on Thursday pitched in for the expulsion of party MPs Pratap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo for alleged "anti-party and anti-government activities", which they termed as "gross indiscipline".

The ministers, in a joint statement, called for cracking the whip on the two MPs without any delay.

Indiscipline cannot be tolerated at any time, least of all when Assembly elections are less than two years away, the ministers said, pointing to the MPs' repeated attacks on the state government, including on Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

The two MPs had attacked their own government over the hooch tragedy and had approached the Governor to demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Department (ED) into the liquor deaths.

The hooch tragedy has claimed 111 lives -- 83 in Tarn Taran, 15 in Amritsar and 13 in Batala.

Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar has also sought strict action against the two MPs.

Pratap Singh Bajwa and Chief Minister Amrinder Singh do not share a cordial relation as Bajwa was removed from the state President's post ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls and Amrinder Singh was appointed as the state chief.
PANAMA CITY - A judge in Panama ordered 12 Haitian migrants held for trial Thursday on charges related to an Aug. 1 protest in which rocks were thrown at Panamanian border service officers and tents holding supplies were burned.

The migrants face charges of injuring officers, theft and arson. Migrants are demanding they be allowed to continue their journey toward the U.S. border, and have protested conditions at the remote camps where they have been stuck due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Panama said last week it has proposed giving some Haitian migrants flights back to their homeland.

The camps in Panamas southern Darien province also house some Cuban and African migrants, but about 80% of the 2,000 migrants there are from Haiti.

Many migrants hike up through the jungles of Darien from South America, hoping to travel through Central American and Mexico. Many Haitians were already in South America after taking refuge there following Haitis 2010 earthquake. Economic downturns have motivated them to try to reach the United States.

But some Central American countries have imposed border restrictions to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Department of Justice filed civil forfeiture complaints this week in Miami federal court accusing two Ukrainian oligarchs and their Miami-based associates of stealing money abroad and laundering it in the United States by moving it through a Ukrainian-owned bank and into Miami companies operating as slush funds for real estate investment.

In two separate complaints filed Thursday, the DOJ said Ukrainian oligarchs Ihor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Boholiubov, along with Mordechai Korf and Uriel Laber in Miami, created a web of Miami-based companies that laundered money from 2008 to 2018. The oligarchs controlled PrivatBank, one of Ukraines largest banks, until the Ukrainian government nationalized it in 2016.

Two days before the complaints were filed, the FBI conducted raids in Cleveland and Miami on Korf and Labers offices, home to a group of companies referred to as the Optima Family.

Korf and Laber used the Optima Familys funds as one large pool of money, the government said in its complaint, which sought to seize two office buildings, one in Dallas and another in Louisville, worth $70 million. They transferred funds back and forth between the different entities, both to launder the money and to try to make money. Korf discussed those transfers with Kolomoisky and Boholiubov, and they approved the use of the money.

Korf and Laber invested in and managed metal companies and real estate holdings in Ohio, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia on behalf of Kolomoisky and Boholiubov, according to the Justice Department. It does not specify locations of the companies or real estate in Florida.

An attorney for Korf and Laber, Marc Kasowitz, said the men deny the allegations and called the governments claims false and completely without merit.

Miami businessman Mordechai Motti Korf and his associate Uriel Laber were accused of money laundering by the Department of Justice. Both men deny the allegations.

The accusations from the government mirror an ongoing civil suit filed last year in Delaware Chancery Court brought by representatives from PrivatBank that accuses Korf and Laber of participating in a multinational money-laundering operation from 2006 until 2016 in association with Kolomoisky and Boholiubov. Kolomoisky also faces a criminal probe by the U.S. attorneys office in Cleveland for possible money laundering.

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Kolomoisky, who has ties to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has maintained that all allegations against him are politically motivated.

During the time Korf and Labers companies were accused of laundering money on behalf of Kolomoisky by the Justice Department and representatives for PrivatBank, Robert Powell  husband of Miami Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell  worked as the chief legal officer and general counsel for four companies named in the DOJ filings this week.

He worked for the companies  Georgian American Alloys, Warren Steel Holdings LLC, Steel Rolling Holdings Inc and Optima Specialty Steel  from 2008 to 2017. The DOJ complaints say the Ukrainian money entered the U.S. from 2008 to 2016, though money laundering in the U.S. continued after PrivatBank was nationalized. Five of Optima Specialty Steels wholly owned subsidiaries are also named in the DOJ complaint, and Powell also represented them, according to Georgian American Alloys website.

Powell is not named in the Justice Departments complaints and has not been accused of wrongdoing. He left Georgian American Alloys in 2017 and now works for Fiesta Restaurant Group, which owns Pollo Tropical. He began work at Fiesta in August 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Robert has nothing to do with  and theres never been any evidence that he had anything to do with  the allegations made in this suit, Mucarsel-Powell campaign manager Andrew Markoff said in a statement. He has never worked for, answered to, or represented Igor Kolomoisky and is shocked by these allegations. Robert Powell was the lawyer for an American company and steel mills that employed hundreds of American workers. In this role, he handled routine legal matters to support the day-to-day operations and received a regular monthly salary. Any insinuation he had anything to do with this matter is completely false.

Robert Powell, husband of U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Powells work for Korf and Laber was the subject of Republican attacks during his wifes first congressional campaign two years ago. Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat, is currently running for reelection to Congress in Floridas 26th district. Shell face Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez or firefighter Omar Blanco in the general election on Nov. 3.

In the Justice Department filings this week, the government accused companies where Powell worked as general counsel of operating as a slush fund.

There are many examples of this slush fund approach to related business entities, the government wrote of the Miami-based firms.

The document outlined one example, an approximately $19 million loan from Optima Acquisitions to Warren Steel  another Optima company  that was repaid through loans from yet another related company. Moving the money was an attempt to cover its source, according to the DOJ complaints.

Powell listed at least $695,000 of income in 2016 and 2017 from two Optima subsidiaries, Felman Trading and Felman Trading Americas, on Mucarsel-Powells 2018 federal financial disclosure form. Mucarsel-Powell later amended her disclosure to list Powells income as N/A. Her net worth in 2018 according to Open Secrets is estimated to be $272,000.

Felman Trading and Felman Trading Americas, among the five wholly owned subsidiaries named in the Justice Department complaints, are ferroalloys trading corporations that were owned jointly by Kolomoisky, Boholiubov, Korf and Laber, according to the Justice Department.

Kasowitz, the attorney for Korf and Laber, said in a statement to the Miami Herald that he is unaware of any misconduct by any company employees.

The DOJ actions were filed two days after the FBI conducted a raid on Korf and Labers offices in Cleveland and Miami, according to FBI spokesperson Vicki Anderson.

Kolomoisky also denied the allegations against him through his lawyer.

Mr. Kolomoisky emphatically denies the allegations in the complaints filed by the Department of Justice, Michael J. Sullivan, a lawyer for Kolomoisky, said in an email to the Washington Post.

Kolomoisky has been accused of bribery, murder and embezzlement in recent years by business partners and government authorities. The Telegraph of London reported in 2016 that a former partner accused Kolomoisky during a heated lawsuit of threatening him and attempting to have him killed through a murder-for-hire plot in which the hitmen were later themselves killed  a claim Kolomoisky strenuously denied.

Laber, one of the two Miami businessman named in the federal complaint, donated $2,500 to Mucarsel-Powells 2018 campaign. Korf donated $50 in June 2020 to WinRed, the Republican Partys online fundraising tool.

Miami Herald reporters Jay Weaver and Erin Doherty contributed to this report.
Maybe you are an altruist looking for a way to help fight the coronavirus. Maybe you are hoping to be among the first to try an experimental vaccine. Or maybe you are just bored or could use a few hundred dollars.

Whatever your reasons, scientists, bioethicists and current volunteers say participating in a vaccine trial can be meaningful. And without hundreds of thousands of volunteers, there will be no vaccine for anyone.

But you may be surprised by the commitment and risks that a trial entails. Heres what you need to know.

How do I find a trial?

A number of sites maintain lists of coronavirus vaccine trials. The Covid-19 Prevention Network site, created by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, helps connect volunteers to phase three studies.

Right now, for example, Moderna is looking to enroll around 30,000 volunteers. ClinicalTrials.gov also lists Covid-19 vaccine studies at different phases.

What do these different phases mean?

There are three primary phases of a vaccine trial. A phase one trial is focused on safety. If you participate, you are likely to be among the first humans to try the vaccine. Researchers will want to track whether it affects you negatively, such as making you feverish or dizzy. Typically they will monitor you and a few dozen other subjects closely after each dose, and then check in periodically for about a year.

At the time you receive the vaccine, the developer wont know if it prevents Covid-19. And even if it does, theres little chance youll get the right amount. Still, phase one trials are appealing to some volunteers because clinicians can sometimes assure all subjects that theyll get the experimental vaccine, not an inactive placebo.

Phase two is bigger and typically involves a few hundred people. At this point, researchers are still watching for side effects, but they are also examining whether their vaccine is generating an immune response, said Dr. Larry Corey, a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the leader of the Covid-19 Prevention Network.

If you think about a vaccine developers desired immune response like a bar that a pole-vaulter needs to clear to move to the next round, you want to see that you got over the bar, he said. To extend the metaphor, the pole-vaulter wont know if clearing that bar was enough to win, he said. Just because a vaccine has generated an immune response doesnt mean it was sufficient to protect anyone, he said.

Only a phase three trial allows researchers to study if their vaccine works. They do this by enrolling tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of volunteers, giving one-half of the group to two-thirds of them the vaccine and giving the rest a placebo or an alternative treatment. They do not expose anyone to the coronavirus, but they try to enroll a large enough group in locations with enough cases that they can bank on some people getting infected in the normal course of their lives. They then evaluate whether the vaccine reduced the frequency of acquiring the infection and lessened the severity of the disease in the test group, Corey said.

How do I increase my chance of early access to an experimental vaccine?

Theres no guarantee that youll actually be protected from the coronavirus at any phase of a vaccine trial, no matter how hyped the product has been. By a phase three trial, of course, theres more to suggest that it works than a phase one trial. But you might not get the vaccine at all. It might be an inactive placebo or an alternative intervention.

Researchers have to give these to some subjects to create a control group, said Nir Eyal, director of the Center for Population-Level Bioethics at the Rutgers School of Public Health.

Otherwise what do you compare the results to? Eyal asked.

During the Ebola outbreak, there was a push to try to run efficacy trials without a control group, he said. But eventually most researchers came around to the idea that, without a control group, a study would tell them basically nothing because  as with the coronavirus  its spread is mercurial and very different in different areas at different times.

How much will I get paid?

It could be a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. It varies by the trial.

What you are doing is providing compensation for time and trouble, said Dr. Daniel Hoft, director of the Saint Louis University Center for Vaccine Development.

Organizers try to avoid creating a financial incentive. So even if they could pay much more, they dont.

If the money seems extraordinarily attractive to you, think again, said Arthur Caplan, a bioethicist. You dont want to let compensation blind you to the need to pay attention to the risks.

If my health is harmed because of a trial, who pays for my care?

Lets say that you are adversely affected by an experimental vaccine. You might assume that the vaccine developer will cover your health care costs. But typically the developer only commits to reimbursing your insurance company, Caplan said.

Insurance companies will rarely pay anything if you are hurt in an experiment, he said. So ask a lot of questions first. If I get injured, what happens? is among those he recommends.

Corey added that in some cases, the institute running the trials or the US governments pandemic relief fund, known as the Public Readiness and Preparedness Act, might cover those costs.

What if Im willing to be infected with the coronavirus to speed up the science?

Across the world, a lively debate is underway about that.

This type of vaccine research is called a challenge trial, which entails giving volunteers a vaccine, then deliberately exposing them to the virus to see if they end up infected.

The approach is controversial because Covid-19 has no cure and can be fatal. But it is also tantalizing because it promises to dramatically speed up research.

In mid-July, scientists at Oxford University announced that they would soon begin recruiting volunteers for such a trial. In the United States, a handful of vaccine developers have cautiously signaled they are open to a similar path eventually.

Eyal believes that the most ethical way to conduct these trials is to focus on young, healthy volunteers who meet criteria that suggest theyd be unlikely to develop a severe case of Covid-19. There are no guarantees, however, which is why some experts are adamantly opposed to challenge trials.

But if you are not deterred and want to help advance the science, the site 1 Day Sooner invites people to sign up for future challenge trials. As of last week, the site ticker showed that more than 32,000 people from 140 countries were ready to volunteer.
JobKeeper is getting an overhaul with the federal government adding another $15billion to the payment scheme as a response to Victoria's extended lockdowns.

The program was originally designed to wind down at the end of September but has been extended - with the new changes meaning businesses will find it easier to access the wage subsidies.

Scott Morrison has said the government expects there will be additional applicants from across the country but primarily in Victoria where they are predicting another 530,000 people will sign up by the end of the year.

By 2021 the government estimates about 60 per cent of those people on JobKeeper will be Victorians with business representatives applauding the new changes.

'The changes to the eligibility test reflect the upheaval and uncertainty in the jobs market and the changes to the turnover test reflect that businesses are struggling,' Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott said on Friday.

Daily Mail Australia guides you through everything you need to know about the changes to the JobKeeper scheme below:

The program was originally designed to wind down at the end of September but has been extended (pictured: Mas Azemi of Mas Barber Shop closes his shop on August 05, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia)

Employers, sole traders, and not-for-profits can apply for the scheme now. Businesses must apply for JobKeeper and name their employees by August 31 to receive payments for August

How long does JobKeeper last?

The scheme was originally put in place at the end of March and was scheduled to last for six months until September 27 2020.

This has now been revised with the scheme scheduled to complete on March 28 2021.

Who can apply?

Business, including sole traders, can apply for the wage subsides but they will have to show a significant fall in turnover for the September quarter.

This fall needs to be 30 per cent compared to the same quarter last year.

Under the existing rules, businesses and not-for-profits had to show a significant fall in turnover for both the June and September quarters.

Employers will have to qualify again in January but it will then also be based off the one December quarter rather than the two previous quarters.

Another big change is that staff who were employed as of July 1 will now be able to access the program, whereas previously they had to have been working at the business since March 1.

These new employees will be eligible to receive payments dating back to August 3.

By 2021 the government estimates about 60 per cent of those people on JobKeeper will be Victorians (pictured: An empty shopping mall is seen void of customers during lockdown in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020)

A view of Collins Street in Melbourne on August 6 as Stage 4 restrictions were brought into effect in the Victorian capital

The scheme was originally put in place at the end of March and was scheduled to last for six months until September 27 2020

When are applications open?

Employers, sole traders, and not-for-profits can apply for the scheme now.

Businesses must apply for JobKeeper and name their eligible employees by August 31 to receive payments for August.

How to apply?

Applications can be made by visiting the Australian Taxation Office website.

The website also features a turnover test to determined if your business financially qualifies for the wage subsidies.

Business owners and managers will need to send a JobKeeper employee nomination form to each eligible employee, which can be downloaded from the ATO website.

Employers will then need to log onto the Business Portal using their MyGovID and enrol.

Finally, business will need to fill out a monthly declaration form by logging into the Business Portal - confirming their turnover and that they are paying at least $1,500 to every nominated employee each fortnight.

How much is the JobKeeper payment?

The payment is currently $1500 a fortnight but will be cut to $1200 for full-time employees from September 28 to December.

The wage subsidy will then fall to $1000 on January 4 2021 until March.

Scott Morrison has said the government expects there will be additional applicants from across the country but primarily in Victoria

Cinemas are one of the businesses hard-hit by strict coronavirus lockdowns (pictured: Cinema Nova in Melbourne)

How much money is the government putting into the scheme?

The JobKeeper program was originally estimated to cost about $130billion, however, this was revealed as a miscalculation by the government and revised down to $70billion.

With extra funding, however, the cost has ballooned to $100billion.

How many Australians are on JobKeeper?

There are about 3.5million Australians on the wage subsidy program currently.

The government forecasts this to drop to 1.4million in the three months to December and then again to 1million in the three months to March.

Gyms are also another business that has seen the revenue drop amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns
Amidst the chaos that ensued on Friday at the Kozhikode airport in Kerala after the Air India Express plane crash, authorities found an unaccompanied child within the premises. The minor girl found near the crash site didn't have anyone with her.

The authorities posted a video, saying that they took the girl to the Kondutty hospital. They have asked people to try and share the picture of the child extensively. If anyone can identify her, they should contact the authorities on--948769169.

"At the Karipur airport, the flight skid and we found this kid there. She is not accompanied by anybody. Pls try and share the picture of this child as much as possible. We are taking the child to Kondutty hospital. If there is anybody who can identify her can contact us on 948769169," said an official.

In a tragic incident, at least 14 people, including a pilot, were killed and many injured when an Air India Express plane with 190 people on board skid off the runway of the Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday evening. The injured have been taken to multiple hospitals and the dead to Kondotti hospital.

A total of 190 people--184 passengers, including ten infants, two pilots, and four cabin crew were onboard the aircraft. The flight, IX-1344, bound for Kozhikode from Dubai skidded during landing at the Karipur Airport at around 7.45 pm, said the Kondotty Police. The authorities have issued helpline numbers-0543090572, 0543090573, 0543090575 and 0565463903.

The Indian embassy in Dubai tweeted, "Air India Express Flight No IX 1344 from Dubai to Calicut skidded off the runway. We pray for well being of passengers and crew and will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates.Our helplines 056 546 3903, 0543090572, 0543090572, 0543090575."

"Air India Express has also established helpline number in Sharjah at 00971 6 5970303. People can call them as well for updates. Full details of injured and casualties are awaited," it further tweeted.

Karipur Airport control room opens helpline number 04832719493 for more information on Air India Express plane accident.

"There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and six crew members, including two pilots, onboard Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) that skidded during landing at Karipur Airport today," said the Air India Express. The plane has broken into two parts.

The plane fell around 35 feet down and apparently the front half took the damage but people in the rear half have survived. The Kozhikode International Airport, also known, as Karipur Airport is a tabletop airport. The flight was flying the Centre's Vande Bharat Mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pain over Air India Express plane accident and spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about the plane crash. PM Modi took to Twitter saying, "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri said, "Deeply anguished and distressed at the air accident in Kozhikode. The Air India Express flight number AXB-1344 on its way from Dubai to Kozhikode with 191 persons on board, overshot the runway in rainy conditions & went down 35 ft. into a slope before breaking up into two pieces. We are in touch with local authorities...Relief teams from Air India & AAI are being immediately dispatched from Delhi & Mumbai. All efforts being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by AAIB."

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, "A Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight fell down into the valley after landing at Runway 10 of Karipur Airport & broke down in two pieces. There were 191 people on board. Visibility was 2000 meter and heavy rain at the time of landing." The DGCA has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General SN Pradhan said, "Teams of NDRF are being rushed to Karipur Airport where the Dubai-Kozhikode flight skidded off the runway, for search and rescue."

Expressing shock over the tragic mishap, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities. The Kerala CM has directed immediate rescue measures in the plane crash. The CM has deputed AC Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations. Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrissur. The CM also has deputed an IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two districts also have been engaged.

Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save lives of victims. The Police warm-up led by IG and fire and rescue team from two districts has started rescue operations. It is also proposed to set up the necessary health system and all the mechanisms of the state government should be used for disaster relief.

Vijayan also said, "Have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur. Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support."

PM Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM on phone about Karipur plane crash. The CM informed PM Modi that a team of officials including Kozhikode and Malappuram District Collectors and IG Ashok Yadav have arrived at the airport to participate in the rescue operation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation Additional DG Media Rajeev Jain said, "Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode at 1941 hrs tonight. No fire reported at the time of landing. There are 174 passengers, 10 Infants, 2 Pilots and 5 cabin crew onboard the aircraft. Total 191. As per the initial reports, rescue operations are on and Passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care. We will soon share the update in this regard."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed shock over the tragic incident and tweeted, "Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations."

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed his anguish over the loss of lives and tweeted, "Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight." "In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," Rajnath Singh added.

Former Union minister KJ Alphons, who belongs to Kerala, termed the accident as the second tragedy of the day in Kerala and tweeted, "Second tragedy of the day in Kerala: Air India Express skids off the runway at Kozhikode, front portion splits, the pilot dies and lots of passengers injured. All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didnt catch fire."
Ziegler, a specialty investment bank is pleased to announce the publication of its new white paper, "Home Based Primary Care  Key Themes And Sector Developments," authored by Chris Hendrickson, Ziegler's resident healthcare services specialist and a managing director in Zieglers Healthcare Corporate Finance Practice, as well as Ken Benton, a vice president and Frank Ugboh, a senior analyst both with Zieglers Healthcare Corporate Finance Practice.

The white paper addresses the market demand characteristics that create the need for Home Based Primary Care (HBPC). The authors consider the changing demographics that have led to the largest elderly homebound population in U.S. history as well as the push to the lowest cost of care settings that has already resulted in favorable conditions for Home and Community Based Services, including home health, hospice and personal care. Rapidly developing technology, including the pending ascent of telemedicine, and the consumerization of healthcare are additional factors setting the stage for Home Based Primary Care.

In addition, the authors examined the successes and use cases of HBPC to date. Key demonstration projects, such as the Independence at Home project, have shown the usefulness of HBPC and Assisted Living has emerged as an early adopter.

Finally, the paper reviews some of the key payment initiatives, from increased reimbursement potential under Medicares Fee for Service codes to recent demonstration projects such as Primary Care First. HBPC operators have pursued unique paths to profitability, with most recognizing the longer-term future is within value-based arrangements to create alignment among key constituents and garner additional financial upside through improved care.

Zieglers Healthcare Corporate Finance team is focused on delivering best-in-class advisory and financing solutions for companies and organizations across the healthcare industry. In our core practice areas of healthcare services, information technology, hospitals and senior living, Ziegler is one of the most active M&A firms offering innovative sell-side, buy-side, recapitalization/restructuring, equity private placement and strategic partnering services.

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Ziegler is a privately held, national boutique investment bank, capital markets and proprietary investments firm. It has a unique focus on healthcare, senior living and education sectors, as well as general municipal and structured finance. Headquartered in Chicago with regional and branch offices throughout the U.S., Ziegler provides its clients with capital raising, strategic advisory services, fixed income sales, underwriting and trading as well as Ziegler credit analytics. To learn more, visit http://www.ziegler.com.

Certain comments in this news release represent forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This clients experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients, nor is it indicative of future performance or success. The forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, in particular, the overall financial health of the securities industry, the strength of the healthcare sector of the U.S. economy and the municipal securities marketplace, the ability of the Company to underwrite and distribute securities, the outcome of pending litigation and the ability to attract and retain qualified employees.

# # #
Reading, PA (19601)

Today

Turning out mostly cloudy and not as cold. There might be a rain or snow shower late..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with some rain and snow showers. Any rain will be early in the night.
Wainfleet politicians and staff continue to look for solutions to problems of overcrowding and bad behaviour at waterfronts in the township, but concede theres no single answer to the puzzle.

Wainfleet has been wrestling with how to deal with crowds and unruly behaviour since Niagara started its economic reopening.

Chief administrative officer William Kolasa and Mayor Kevin Gibson, who in July expressed hope the provinces move to Stage 3 of reopening might lessen crowds at local beaches, said the township has been inundated with complaints.

Issues include overcrowding and unsafe physical distancing, littering, people drinking alcohol and lighting fires and barbecues, unsafe and illegal parking, trespassing by beachgoers on private property, and people urinating and defecating on properties adjacent to beaches.

The scope and magnitude of the problems being encountered extend beyond existing municipal bylaw controls and are overwhelming the capacity of the township to address (them), Kolasa said in a report to council Aug. 4.

Theres no silver bullets, unfortunately.

The township isnt giving up: at the same meeting, councillors set in motion new steps they hope will curtail some of the problems.

At their July 14 meeting, politicians met behind closed doors to discuss a temporary closing of township beaches. After legal advice, that option was discarded.

They have plugged away at possible solutions, such as more than tripling fines for illegal parking near the lakeshore and retaining additional seasonal enforcement staff, as well as hiring paid-duty Niagara Regional Police officers to patrol some Wainfleet beaches, the beach operated by the township on behalf of the Region and the Wainfleet Quarry.

Police patrols cost the township about $1,710 for two officers for each eight-hour shift, said Kolasa.

But the problems of overcrowding and unruly behaviour continue. Kolasa brought a new draft bylaw to council Aug. 4 to better regulate beaches by targeting problematic behaviour.

Unanimously supported but still needing final approval by council, it covers Reebs Bay Beach, the Harbourview Beach access, Side Road 18 Beach access, Augustine Beach access (Long Beach) and Daley Ditch Beach access.

Lakeshore Road resident Hugh Goodwillie urged politicians to do something, saying beachgoers spill far beyond the narrow township-owned Augustine Road access (Long Beach) where his cottage is and onto privately owned beach.

This past (Saturday), we had the largest crowd at our beach that I can recall, and Ive been coming there for 77 years, he said.

Goodwillie suggested the township consider closing the beach, and said he didnt see police officers aggressively targeting problematic behaviour. (Were) tempting a COVID outbreak and antagonizing the cottage owners in the area, he said.

Gibson noted Long Beach seems to be the most troublesome spot, but said police were instructed to carry out aggressive enforcement. He said the township erected snow fencing to keep beachgoers off private property but about 100 feet of it was burned.

I sympathize deeply with the residents of the lakeshore  who have to deal with disrespectful people, he said.

Police have begun their own patrols of beaches in Port Colborne and Wainfleet due to the problems, but Wainfleet could explore options such as hiring security firms for beach patrols, said Kolasa.

Council agreed to a call from Coun. John MacLellan to enforce a bylaw to stop private property owners from renting out parking spots in the lakeshore area to beachgoers, and to tweak a parking bylaw to ban some north-south road access to vehicles.

MacLellan said the township can also explore giving windshield stickers to Wainfleet residents allowing them to park where non-residents wont be allowed to, so they can access beaches.

He said people living in the area of beaches are putting up with things they shouldnt have to. If I was living there, Id be livid, he said.

Coun. Sherri Van Vliet said residents near beaches cant wait until next year for solutions, noting short-term answers are needed now: Theyre still going to be living through chaos, she said. They need to have some kind of solution so they can live in peace.

The new draft bylaw targeting bad behaviour can be finalized by council Sept. 1, or earlier if a special meeting is called.

Gibson cautioned against any steps to ban non-Wainfleet residents from beaches, saying that may be unconstitutional.

In Canada, you cannot exclude a group of people from attending a public area, he said. Just (because) you dont live here, (it) doesnt allow us to stop you from coming.
An aerial view after demolition of Housheng village in Shandong province on July 2. Photo: Liang Yingfei/Caixin

In October last year, the 280 or so households of Liumiao village each received a slip of paper ordering them to leave their homes.

Officials in Yanzhou, the city of half a million people that administers Liumiao, were moving ahead with plans to rehouse rural residents in new, semi-urban apartment complexes as part of so-called village mergers, a move they claimed would make their lives more convenient and economically productive. Their former homes are slated for demolition.

Such relocations are common in China, where in recent decades the government has uprooted millions of people in the name of economic development, rural revitalization or environmental protection. Although many people see the measures as a rapid path to new property, wealth and urbanity, some have decried what they see as low compensation, coercive official tactics and the destruction of rural communities.

In Shandong, the eastern province where Liumiao is located, authorities claim large numbers of small villages have hindered the development of the countryside. Unlike other provinces, which have tended to string out large-scale relocations over a decade or more, Shandong plans to hurriedly merge more than 250 communities by the end of the year.

The speed and scale of the plan is prompting heavy-handed official action and disrupting lives, as cities across the province frantically bulldoze villages and force residents into unfamiliar accommodation at short notice.

Yanzhou initially planned to transfer people from Liumiao and five other villages into transitional housing ahead of a further move into multistory apartments in a nearby township early next year.

But with just a few months to go, work has yet to start on the permanent homes. Meanwhile, some Liumiao residents are crying foul at a government compensation policy they see as unfair, while others wax nostalgic for a hometown theyre reluctant to leave behind.

We have strong ties to our hometown and dont want our houses to be demolished, said Zhu Wei, a middle-aged grain farmer from the village.

Demolished homes adjacent to the houses of villagers who have refused to move, in Liumiao village of Shandong province. Photo: Caixin

A once-thriving community

Liumiaos recent history could easily apply to thousands of Chinese villages. Once a thriving rural community, its seen an exodus of young people amid the countrys rapid economic development over the last four decades. The 180 or so people who now live there year-round are mostly seniors and young children, according to village secretary Liu Xiyan.

Population decline isnt the only problem. Liumiao lacks an adequate natural water source, suffers from poor transportation infrastructure and lies at the edge of the jurisdiction of Daan township, in a location officials describe as undesirable.

In contrast, the planned site for the villagers not-yet-built new homes lies opposite the Daan government headquarters, providing easy access to the townships amenities.

Many villagers have long wanted to live in new apartments that lie close to town, making life and work more convenient, said Huang Tong, Daans deputy Communist Party committee secretary.

Liu agreed. Other villages in the township have already moved out, and people here are jealous, he said, adding that the village merger will make it easier for children to go to school and for parents to go out and work, and will improve the villagers quality of life.

Several Liumiao residents interviewed by Caixin backed the merger. With fewer and fewer people in the village now, theres nobody to talk to, said 58-year-old Wang Shilan, who has lived in Liumiao for 33 years.

Some families had already bought apartments in Daan to enroll their children in local schools, said 42-year-old farmer Zhou Guangjun, adding: We should move as soon as possible.

But others were less supportive. Zhu, the grain farmer, estimated that 30% to 40% of villagers in Liumiao are too old or weak to live comfortably in the planned walk-up multistory apartment blocks, but have accepted the move in a gesture of support to their younger relatives.

Others went along with the plans because officials promised to pay over the odds for their village homes, Zhu added. When you offer 100,000 yuan for houses that normally sell for 20,000 or 30,000 yuan  of course theyll take it.

One-way negotiations

Despite promises of bumper payouts, many Liumiao residents are unhappy with the governments compensation scheme.

Under the terms of the October notice, village households that accepted the governments reparation package before Nov. 30 would receive a demolition fee of 10,000 yuan, a bonus of 5,000 yuan, a one-off relocation payment of 1,000 yuan and a monthly stipend of 600 yuan during the 18-month transition period  a total of 26,800 yuan.

Those who reached an agreement after Nov. 30 would not receive the bonus and would only receive the stipend from the date they left the village, the notice said. Residents had little room to negotiate the settlement.

Some Liumiao residents told Caixin the governments one-size-fits-all standards for reimbursement ignored differences in living conditions. How is the compensation defined? said villager Zhou Lin. Are the falling-down mud-brick houses worth as much as the larger, newer bungalows?

Additionally, the notice does not make clear how much villagers will have to pay for the permanent apartments or where they will live if the homes have not been built by the end of the transition period  something that now looks increasingly likely.

If the construction project falls through, several residents said the reparations would leave them struggling to buy apartments in Daan, where large, roomy homes sell for around 1,200 yuan per meter, far more than the Liumiao average, according to villager Zhu Guangshun.

The compensation is too low. Regular folks cant get their moneys worth, said Zhu Guangshun. If theyve got to then cough up 100,000 yuan or so for a house, theyre just going to end up poorer.

Unless they give us new houses of exactly the same size as the old ones, or about 200,000 yuan [extra], Ill struggle to pay back the mortgage on a house in the city, said villager Zhou Qiang.

Huang, the Daan Party committee secretary, said the government has already drawn up plans and a budget for the project, and is currently opening it for tender.

He added it was impossible for the government to offer all villagers new accommodation on the terms they requested.

This project is paid for out of the townships finances. The cost [of the new apartments] is more than 2,000 yuan per square meter, he said. The geographical conditions differ between the village and the town, so its not possible to offer compensation in return for new housing of an equivalent size.

Systemic risks

Shandongs village merger program gained national attention last month following the publication of a viral article co-authored by He Xuefeng, a professor at Wuhan University in charge of a research center on Chinas rural governance, detailing examples of poor planning and government overreach.

The key thing is how to guarantee the rights and interests of those who dont want to move, He said in an interview with Caixin.

He added that he worried some rural residents would move into new accommodation without fully understanding the policy, potentially exposing them to financial uncertainty farther down the line.

Arguing that Shandongs village mergers carried systemic risks, Hes article said the scheme risked passively dispossessing rural residents by destroying their former homes while forcing them to commute from Daan to the fields they still tend.

The piece also contended that the mergers are destroying farmers private interests and state-built rural infrastructure, wasting vast sums of money and contradicting the governments own targets for green development.

Other scholars have also studied the senses of dispossession and dislocation felt by many of Chinas relocated rural villagers.

Hu Jing, the director of a research institute studying agricultural policy and urbanization at South China Normal University, previously described how Chinese villagers who move with their families to the cities for work often try to return to the countryside if they feel unsupported by urban systems of employment and social security.

The behavior reflects the feeling of being pulled toward both the city and the countryside without fully belonging in either  a sense of planting each foot on a separate boat as the vessels drift apart, Hu wrote.

Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com) and editor Joshua Dummer (joshuadummer@caixin.com)

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Crisis-stricken, authoritarian-minded leaders sometimes resort to delaying elections as a tactic for ensuring a smoother ride. As Eurasianet reports, things in Tajikistan are unfolding differently. And so, the upper and lower house of parliament convened on August 6 to vote in favor of holding the next presidential election on October 11  one month before the traditional November date for polls. With only two months to go, there is only one sliver of intrigue remaining. Will it be the incumbent President Emomali Rahmon, 67, seeking another seven-year term, or will the reins be handed over to his son, Rustam Emomali?

The uncertainty arises because of a 2016 constitutional referendum that effected two important changes. One lowered the age threshold for candidate eligibility from 35 to 30 years. Emomali turned 32 in December. Another change granted Rahmon the right to run for office an indefinite number of times.

Even if Rahmon were to step aside for his son, or anybody else for that matter, he will retain strong and irrevocable decision-making powers by virtue of his bespoke status as Leader of the Nation, which was created for him in 2015 in a legal fix reminiscent of Kazakhstan, where former President Nursultan Nazarbayev retains considerable behind-the-scenes sway.

Emomali has been eyed as a strong contender for succession, however, especially since April, when he was made speaker of the upper house of parliament. In his role as chair of the Majlisi Milli, he is already formally positioned to take over from Rahmon in the event of the president dying or otherwise being unable to fulfill his duties. Emomali additionally still serves as mayor of the capital, Dushanbe.

Still in his late sixties as he is, Rahmons thoughts should not in principle be focused too strongly on his mortality, although there is little reliable information about his state of health. The president is on the obese side by Tajik standards and his brother, Nuriddin Rahmon, died from heart failure in 2017. The older Rahmon was 67 when he died  the same age the president is now.

Another detail turning minds to succession was the frequency with which Rustam Emomali had been seen pictured alongside his father at public events in recent years  a fact that suggested he was being groomed for the top job. This has occurred less frequently of late, though. At the end of July, Rahmon broke off his intermittent bout of coronavirus pandemic-induced isolation to visit the homes of citizens in the towns of Hisor and Rudaki, both just outside Dushanbe. Political observers have read these kinds of expeditions as early pre-electoral gestures. The absence of Emomali did not go unnoticed.

The last time Rahmon ran in the presidential election, in 2013, he won easily with 84 percent of the vote in a choreographed procedure devoid of value as an exercise in democracy.

Other candidates will run in the October vote, but they will serve a purely decorative function. With all viable opposition groups hounded out of existence, no forces remain that will be technically able to muster support for an alternative.

Tajikistan is, like the rest of the world, still grappling with a COVID-19 outbreak, although the scale of the crisis can only be guessed at through an accumulation of anecdotal evidence and guesswork. Through to the end of April, the authorities had for weeks dissembled about the outbreak, insisting that they had detected no cases. Despite few preventative measures, such as lockdowns, being adopted, the authorities have more recently sought to convey the impression that the situation has been brought under control.

In making their decision to hold the presidential election in October, the legislature did not acknowledge either the ongoing crisis or any possibility of a resurgence later in the year.
Kansas City Survivor Stories

More than a Number: Stories from locals who fought COVID-19 and won Kansas City skyline // Illustration by Celia Searles We have all opened our phones, turned on the news, or listened to the radio and felt our heart sink as more and more COVID-19 cases were reported in the Kansas City area the past five months.

Rock Chalk Big C Redux

New cancer diagnoses climb after plummeting early during COVID-19 pandemic The number of newly diagnosed cancer patients at the University of Kansas Cancer Center fell more than 30% for several weeks during the first three months of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, the number of new patients is increasing again at a rate above pre-pandemic weekly averages.

Clay County Winning

Jon Carpenter Prevails In Clay County Election Recount Jon Carpenter has prevailed over Cathy Rinehart in the Democratic primary for Clay County Western Commissioner, following a recount Thursday by the Clay County Election Board. The recount showed Carpenter with 55% of the vote to Rinehart's 45%. The recount was ordered after the Election Board discovered discrepancies from Tuesday's unofficial primary results.

Nation Of Watchmen

Turns out Pornhub gets more visitors per month than Netflix, and I'm looking at you In news that may or may not surprise, a new report suggests that Pornhub gets even more visitors than everyone's favourite binge go-to Netflix, and that's saying something . . .

Prez Trump Debate Team Confident Amid Close Campaign

Eric Trump calls Biden's African American comments 'disgusting,' says debates will be 'absolute bloodbath' Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's recent comments about African Americans were "disgusting," Trump Organization Executive Vice President Eric Trump told " Hannity" Thursday night. "It's an absolute travesty when he says that the Black community is not diverse, is one- dimensional, when he comes out with this nonsense," Trump said.

Higher Calling???

Donald Trump claims Joe Biden is 'against God;' Biden calls attack 'shameful' WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump unleashed another strident attack on Joe Biden over religion on Thursday, saying his Democratic opponent, a devout Catholic, is "against God" and even religion itself - comments Biden denounced as "shameful." "No religion, no anything," Trump told supporters at a brief airport rally in Cleveland as he visited Ohio for an economic speech.

Identity Politics Snafu

Biden criticized for comparing Latino and African American diversity President Trump Joe Biden Joe Biden Biden says his faith is 'bedrock foundation of my life' after Trump claim Biden clarifies comments comparing African American and Latino communities Kanye West may have missed deadline to get on Wisconsin ballot by minutes: report MORE on Thursday, targeting comments that the former vice president made the day before on the country's Black and Latino communities.

Blazing Against Guns

New York sues to dissolve NRA over "brazen" corruption At an online press conference this morning, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced legal action to dissolve the National Rifle Association, which she said has defrauded tens of millions of dollars from its donors, corruptly enriched leaders including longtime president Wayne LaPierre, and is riven by fraud and "brazen illegality."

Rolling With COVID

Sturgis motorcycle rally expected to draw 250,000 to South Dakota amid pandemic A massive 10-day motorcycle rally in South Dakota begins Friday and is expected to draw up to 250,000 tourists, pitting local businesses who rely on the event to stay afloat against citizens concerned about a coronavirus outbreak.

KC Sign Of Pride

'World's Largest' Chiefs logo on Kansas farm will turn red and gold this fall You've gotta be a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan to plot out what may be the world's largest Chiefs logo. This one is even more special - it's out in a field in southwestern Kansas.

Kansas City Still Makes Time For Summer Reason Other Than Social Media

What Kansas City Book Lovers Are Reading During The Pandemic Find out what books our guests are recommending for leisure, education and social consciousness this summer. Adib Khorram's picks: " The Summer of Everything," by Julian Winters" Vampires Never Get Old," edited by Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C.

Another Stay At Home Weekend

Weekend Possibilities | Celebrating Charlie Parker, an Outdoor Movie & More Socially distanced concerts, virtual events and volunteer opportunities mark August's first full weekend in and around Kansas City. For anyone with plans to get out and about, be sure to wear a mask. Friday, Aug.

Because pr0n is pop culture and pop culture is pr0n . . . We check thisthat inspires a quick peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines.is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . .
Michel Aoun said on Friday that he ordered action be taken about it at the time.

But he said he had no authority over the facility.

Do you know how many problems have been accumulating? Mr Aoun replied when a reporter pressed whether he should have followed up on his order.

His comments are the most senior confirmation that Lebanons leaders and security officials were aware of the 2,750 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port for years.

The chemicals exploded on Tuesday after apparently being set off by a fire.

The huge blast killed nearly 150 people, wounded thousands and caused billions of pounds of damage across the city.

Bodies were still being recovered from the rubble on Friday.

Investigators probing the blast have focused on personnel at the Port of Beirut.



The material had been there for seven years, since 2013

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Mr Aoun, who has been in his post since 2016, said previous governments had known about the danger of the stockpile since it was confiscated from a ship impounded in 2013.

The material had been there for seven years, since 2013, he told a news conference.

It has been there and they said it is dangerous and I am not responsible.

I dont know where it was placed. I dont even know the level of danger.

He said when he was told of the stockpile June 20, he immediately ordered military and security officials to do what is needed.

Mr Aoun said the explosion may have been caused by negligence but the investigation will also look at the possibility that it could have been caused by a bomb or other external intervention.

He said he has asked France for satellite imagery from the time of the blast to see if they showed any planes or missiles.





So far, 16 port employees have been detained and others questioned.

Official letters circulating online showed the head of the customs department had warned repeatedly over the years that the ammonium nitrate in the port was a danger and had asked judicial officials for a ruling on how to remove it.

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Three days after the explosion, it is still not clear what exactly ignited the chemicals.

Meanwhile, rescue teams found four more bodies in the wrecked port in the last 24 hours.

The explosion has also devastated nearby residential neighbourhoods, blowing out windows and wrecking facades for miles around.

French and Russian rescue teams with dogs searched the port area Friday, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the site, promising aid while demanding reform from Lebanons long-entrenched political leaders.

An initial government assessment said 300,000 people  more than 12% of Beiruts population  had to leave homes damaged or left uninhabitable by the explosion.

Mr Macron said France will lead international efforts to provide aid but will not give blank cheques to a system that no longer has the trust of its people.

France, which has close ties to its former colony, has also sent a team of 22 investigators to help probe the cause of the blast.

Based on information from Lebanon so far, French forensic police official Dominique Abbenanti said the explosion appears to be an accident but it is too early to say for sure.

French investigators are involved at the request of Lebanon and also because one French citizen was killed and at least 40 were injured in the blast.

French police could later question witnesses or suspects, Eric Berot, chief of a unit involved in the investigation, said.

For now, the French team is dividing up zones to cover with their Lebanese counterparts and will use drones to study the area.

The UN human rights office has called for an independent investigation, insisting victims calls for accountability must be heard.
Friday, August 7th, 2020 (1:45 am) - Score 1,279

The latest annual Digging Up Britain 2020 report by LSBUD, which provides a free online asset search facility to UK civil engineering firms, has claimed that telecoms companies (broadband and mobile network operators etc.) are top of the list when it comes to safe digging (i.e. accounting for 32% of total searches).

Overall LSBUD (Line Search Before U Dig) found that 71% of all the digging that took place in 2019 was preceded by a LSBUD search and some 2.83 million of those took place in 2019, which represents a 10% increase on the previous year.

The biggest users of this database were telecoms operators, which accounted for 911,455 (32%) of all searches, and theyre followed by water companies (21% of total requests). All of this is handy because it enables such companies to see what other utility assets (e.g. pipelines and cables) may exist where theyre due to dig, which helps to reduce the chances of accidentally damaging somebody elses infrastructure.

Naturally telecoms operators top the list because theyre currently involved in several major projects, such as the deployment of new gigabit-capable fixed broadband and 5G mobile infrastructure.

Richard Broome, Managing Director of LSBUD, said: We have reached a tipping point in terms of safe digging  both for the UKs underground pipes and cables, and those who dig near them. Our data suggests asset searching on the LSBUD portal has rapidly become second nature for people. Its now a standard step in the vast majority of excavation projects. This is clearly very good news for asset owners such as telecoms companies as the last thing they need is a spade or digger hitting their networks.

Given that a lot of the new telecoms deployments stem, in part, from ambitions at Government-level (e.g. gigabit broadband for all by the end of 2025), then its probably fair to say that the industry will continue to top the charts  in terms of searches  for a while to come.

The catch here is that LSBUD doesnt provide any solid information to show whether or not the increase in searches is actually having an downward impact on the number of recorded incidents against telecoms networks that occur during street works each year (e.g. were there fewer occasions where a third-party accidentally cuts through an existing telecoms duct or cable?).
Bengaluru, Aug 7 : The results of the Karnataka Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) board exams would be declared on Monday, over a month after they were held across the state amid the coronavirus pandemic, an official said on Friday.

"Primary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar will declare the Class 10 board exams results in the city on August 10 and they will be available on the board website," the official told reporters here.

Around 8.5 lakh students appeared for the exams in 3,179 centres across the state from June 25 to July 3, complying with the lockdown guidelines such as wearing of masks, washing hands with sanitiser and keeping physical distance.

"Karnataka was among the few states across the country that held the Class 10 board exams by ensuring the health safety of the students, teachers, invigilators and others involved in the massive exercise," the official said.

Apart from the main 2,879 centres, 300 additional centres were set up to accommodate students spilling over from other centres to ensure social distancing.

About 200-250 students were accommodated at each centre, with about 200 in the centres located in the containment zones.

A whopping 86,000 people, including 63,000 state school teachers and 23,000 from other departments like Health, Police and Social Welfare were on duty for the smooth conduct of the exams in six subjects - English, Kannada, third language, natural science, social science and mathematics.

The exams were earlier scheduled from March 27 to April 9, but were put off as the lockdown was extended thrice up to May 31.
Mayors are criticizing power company JCP&L for what they say is poor communication and prolonged waits two days after Tropical Storm Isaias knocked down trees and power lines across the state.

Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried laid into JCP&L, which serves more than a million New Jerseyans, comparing the utility company to , PSE&G, which serves roughly double the amount of customers in the state.

It is such a difference in the way the two utility companies operate, Fried told NJ Advance Media. Frankly, its like watching the little league team playing the Yankees. [PSEG] tells me where theyre going to be, they tell me what theyre doing, they coordinate with my police department JCP&L we dont hear from them until we start yelling.

As of 4 p.m. on Thursday, JCP&L reports more than 290,000 residents, or a quarter of its customers, are still affected by outages. In counties like Passaic, nearly 90% of customers are in the dark.

As an engineer, I understand that its not magic, theres some mechanical limitations as to how fast certain things can move, West Windsor Mayor Hemant Marathe, whose township has more than 95% of JCP&L customers without power, told NJ Advance Media. But at least communicate.

When asked for a response to the complaints, JCP&L shared a media advisory about efforts to restore power.

Downed trees, broken branches and road closures continue to hamper crews efforts to access areas with damage to make repairs to broken poles and downed wires, the advisory reads. Nearly 6,000 utility personnel from JCP&L, other FirstEnergy companies, and partner utilities from electric industry mutual assistance organizations are working to restore power in the hardest hit areas in JCP&L. FirstEnergy continues to work closely with these organizations to secure additional resources to assist with storm restoration efforts should they be needed.

The advisory also stated that the company expects to restore power for 85% of customers by the end of the day Friday, though nearly every entry on JCP&Ls outage tracker lists August 11 as the estimated time of restoration, a full week after the storm.

Please know we are doing all we can on our end to communicate with JCP&L to try and resolve the power issues in town, read a post on Manalapan Townships Facebook page. We know that the constant loss of power is an issue, and we expect to see improvements made by JCP&L in the future, both with preventative measures, and better communication regarding power restoration times.

Mayors said they were hoping for more information than what was being provided to customers, so they could coordinate their response. For example, if a specific tree needed to be removed before a power line could be repaired, the town could have the department of public works begin the process, so electricity can come back on sooner.

Unfortunately, and to our dissatisfaction, we are being provided with the same information as you are, which is what JCP&L is posting on their website, read a message from the mayor and township manager of Montville on Facebook.

Though the company holds conference calls for mayors to learn more about outages, Fried and Marathe said a recent call provided little information.

I dont need a half hour meeting to know we had a storm, Fried said.

Because he said Robbinsville is used to dealing with long wait times with power outages, the town set up a generator exchange for those in the dark. If a resident owns a generator but has power, the town will come pick it up and bring it to a household that needs power.

The town provides about 75 generators along with a few hundred from residents, according to Fried.

Monroe Mayor Gerald Tamburro wrote a letter on Wednesday to Charles E. Jones, the Chief Executive Officer of JCP&Ls parent company FirstEnergy Corp., imploring him to send more resources to the township.

We all know storms will happen and my residents and I want to be patient, read the letter, which was cced to Gov. Phil Murphy, Joseph L. Fiordaliso, the President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, and several others. We have been patient in the past. But with COVID-19, and temperatures in the high 80s, we are dealing with the perfect storm JCP&L must do better in this unique emergency.

Fried is urging his residents to write letters to the Board of Public Utilities, complaining about their JCP&L service.

We know how frustrating it is to be without power, the Board of Public Utilities tweeted on Wednesday. We are in constant communication with the utilities and they are working around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.

Fried also said he raised the possibility with his township attorney of using the power of condemnation to take over the power lines from JCP&L.

Its a public safety issue  Im not doing my job if I continue to allow someone who has an effective monopoly to not provide a reasonable service to our residents, Fried said.

Requests for comment to the governors office and BPU were not immediately answered Thursday night. In a tweet, the BPU said its in constant communication with the utilities.

We know how frustrating it is to be without power. We are in constant communication with the utilities and they are working around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. We will keep you updated as new information becomes available.  NJ Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) (@NJBPU) August 5, 2020

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Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
August 6, 2020

News

By C. Todd Lopez , DOD News

Defense.gov

CIO Says Top-Level Leadership Helped DOD Navigate COVID Crisis

Clear guidance early on from Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper ensured the Defense Department would be able to continue operating through the COVID-19 crisis, the department's chief information officer said.

"Our secretary of defense did a great job of making it perfectly clear what his expectations were," Dana Deasy said yesterday during a discussion with Martin Giles of the Forbes media company. "Very early on, he said, 'Protect our employees.' I took that to mean from an IT standpoint that anybody and everybody who needed to work outside their normal environment could do that without any failure. Failure was never going to be an option for us."

Esper also emphasized that the mission must be protected as well and that the department could not fail in its responsibility to protect the United States, Deasy said.

"That means Protect our country,"' Deasy said. "That means anywhere around the world, any mission that needed to be done, there could be no interruption. From a technology standpoint, that simply meant [that] while we were driving a lot of people outside the Pentagon and to home, we need to somehow to make sure those same people that were now working from home were going to be able to support the mission."

Protecting the workforce and keeping the mission on track involved significant involvement from the CIO workforce  in particular, with implementing telework capability to a large number of employees, Deasy said.

Before COVID-19, he said, about 80,000 to 90,000 people per day were teleworking across the department. The numbers of people who would need to be able to work from home once COVID restrictions were put in place weren't known at the time, the CIO noted. "We now know it was a 10 times growth," he said. "We are supporting somewhere between 1 and 1.2 million people concurrently, all working from home at the same time."

A big part of making that happen, Deasy said, was the department's implementation of the "Commercial Virtual Remote" tool, which allows teleworking employees to form teams and collaborate online. Within two weeks, he said, about a quarter million employees were connected with the CVR. Within 90 days, he said, that was up to a million.

The defense secretary also emphasized the department's commitment to contribute to the whole-of-government effort to combat COVID-19, Deasy said. From the CIO's perspective, that involved providing IT and networking support to a variety of missions, including the Army Corps of Engineers setting up field hospitals in convention centers, National Guard efforts in local communities, and Navy hospital ships in New York and Los Angeles.

Deasy also discussed efforts to evaluate how the department's digital modernization strategy might be accepted by the DOD workforce  in particular, the service members at the tactical edge who might be affected by changes.

The department's digital modernization strategy touches on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. All are common factors in similar modernization plans for private-sector companies, but Deasy pointed out that a unique focus of DOD's strategy is command, control and communications, or C3.

"What I think was quite fascinating was how we went about actually testing whether that strategy was going to make sense to the warfighter," he said.

In his first six months as the CIO, Deasy said, he traveled to Afghanistan to meet with warfighters and commanders who might be most affected by DOD's digital modernization strategy.

"I [talked with] the warfighters that were going out every night on a mission  whether that was to a village, whether it was in caves, the side of the mountain  and actually have them show me how they were using the stuff we were putting into our digital modernization strategy," he said.

Service members are not shy about sharing their opinions, Deasy said, and they made it clear the strategy was good.

"They're very clear to tell you how they feel about your digital monetization," he said. "They were in environments where they were constantly getting degraded, they were getting denied by the adversary. So the C3 strategy was actually validated by looking about what you could and could not do."

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An investigation by the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office was underway Thursday after a man was found dead in his Galloway home by a SWAT team that had just entered it, authorities said.

The Atlantic County Emergency Response Team executed a search warrant at the Oakbourne Avenue home at 5:30 a.m. after a multi-agency law enforcement investigation and found the 27-year-old resident in the bedroom of the home dead from gunshot wound to head, according to a statement from the attorney generals office.

A handgun was found near the unidentified mans body, the office said.

According to the offices preliminary investigation, there was no use of force used against the man by the officers involved, the statement said.

The attorney generals office said it was investigating because the man was discovered dead by the officers and his death may have occurred while law enforcement officers were at the residence executing a search warrant.

No other details were released Thursday night.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
The Central government has expressed concern over the high number of Covid-19 cases and deaths in 10 districts of the state. Lav Agrawal, joint secretary, Union health ministry, in a review meeting along with chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray, said that Maharashtra needs to do more in the battle against Covid-19 to contain the spread, especially in the districts where the case count is high. He pointed out that 10 districts have contributed 79% of the total cases detected in the last week. Their case fatality rate (CFR) is also higher than the states average and needs to be brought under control.

The 10 districts include Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Sangli and Nagpur.

Agrawal emphasized that the state needs to bring down the number of infections among healthcare staff as it is above the national average. Infection among a high number of healthcare personnel also means more strain on the health care system, he said.

As much as 21% of healthcare personnel in the state have tested positive for Covid-19. The countrys average is 7%.

Agrawal was speaking at a review meeting called by the CM along with divisional commissioners, municipal commissioners, district collectors and other senior officials from the health department. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and health minister Rajesh Tope were also present. Agrawal was invited by the CM to share his views, and he also made a presentation.

He said that the state needs to focus more on areas where the rate of fresh cases, as well as case fatality rate is high. He pointed out that the 10 districts need more attention as their death rate is higher than the states average.

Maharashtras CFR at 3.49% is higher than the countrys 2.07%.

The joint secretary also called increased efforts to provide infected senior citizens with hospitals bed in time.

In the meeting, Agrawal stated that senior citizens do not like to get admitted to hospitals, and only go when their condition worsens. This can be avoided with timely intervention and surveys. He asked government officials to focus more on containment zones and house-to-house surveys and said that if a patient tests positive, then 80% of his contacts need to be traced within 72 hours, and tested.

Agarwal said that even if the antigen test result came negative, the person should be observed closely for symptoms, and a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test should be conducted. Government officials should also ensure test reports are released within 24 to 36 hours after the test is conducted.

Meanwhile, the CM directed officials to ensure that the state does not undergo a second wave of infection.

We will have to ensure that a second wave will not come in the state as there are some projections. It is also the case in a few countries. We cannot afford negligence, and focus should be on the timely treatment of patients, Thackeray said.

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Laos is tightening controls along its eastern border to prevent COVID-19 from entering with visitors from neighboring Vietnam, where cases of new infection have surged in recent days, Lao sources say.



Authorities have put new restrictions in place at all points of entry from Vietnam, an official from the Lao Security Ministrys Immigration Department told RFAs Lao Service on Aug. 7.



Whoever comes in has to have a medical certificate issued within the last 72 hours from the COVID Center in Vietnam, and they then have to be quarantined for 14 days in Laos, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Vietnamese construction workers and technical experts entering Laos to work on dams or help build the new Lao National Assembly Building in the capital, Vientiane, must strictly comply with all new preventive measures, the official added.



Residents of Sekong province in southern Laos meanwhile voiced fears that people from Vietnams coastal city of Danang, where the numbers of infections continued to climb this week, might sneak unnoticed across the border into Laos.



Im afraid because our Dak Jung district is only 100 kilometers from Danang, one Sekong resident said, adding, Three or four of our villages near the border will be on lockdown until Aug. 31.



Another Dak Jung villager said that many Vietnamese are already present in the district.



Some of them have been here for a long time, though others are newcomers. But were worried about those who avoid the border gates and enter through the forest. Our health-care system isnt good, and we dont have modern hospitals.



Lao border guards should now strengthen their patrols along the border, because Vietnamese often cross illegally into the district to look for work, he added.



Around 3,000 Vietnamese truck drivers entered Laos through checkpoints on the border during the first six days of August, but had to transfer their cargo to Lao trucks at the border gates and then return home, the Lao Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Control and Prevention announced on Aug. 6.



Workers return from Thailand



Fifty Lao workers who had been held for more than two weeks on the Thai border with Laos were meanwhile allowed to return home this week, a Lao health worker from Vientiane confirmed to RFA on Aug. 7, saying the workers had crossed into Laos from the Thai town of Nongkhai.



We took in 50 of them from Nongkhai. They tested negative for COVID-19 but we still kept them in quarantine for 14 days, the health worker said.



They had to wait [in Nongkhai] because our center was full, said a police officer at the Km 27 Quarantine Center in Vientiane, explaining the cause of the delay. We always have to release one group before accepting another.



I was stuck in Nongkhai for more than half a month, one Lao worker told RFA on Aug. 7, saying he had just arrived at the center. Now Im happy, and Im going home as soon as the quarantine is lifted.



Around 250 Lao workers are now living under quarantine at the Km 27 Center, a center official told RFA, adding, The center is financially supported by aid, but what we get is never quite enough for what we need.



Vietnams Health Ministry meanwhile announced on Aug. 7 that three more cases of COVID-19 infection have been linked to the pandemics new epicenter in Danang, including two new cases in Quang Tri province and in Thanh Hoa.



A total of 784 cases of infection and 10 deaths have now been recorded in the country as of Aug. 7, state sources said.



Vietnam must now prepare for a long-term battle against the pandemic, with local authorities working to ensure sufficient supplies of food and medicine in their areas, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told cabinet members, ministry heads, and local leaders in a virtual meeting on Friday.



Reported by RFAs Lao and Vietnamese Services. Translated by Max Avary and Huy Le. Written in English by Richard Finney.
CA Cannabis Control Image View Photo

Fresno, CA  Cities including Sonora and Angels Camp that sued to overturn the states rule allowing home marijuana deliveries, even where commercial sales are banned, had a day in court.

The tentative ruling on Thursday by Fresno Superior Court Judge Rosemary McGuire took the states side. She questioned whether some of the jurisdictions have the standing to bring legal action because they do not have local ordinances in conflict with the state regulation. Without that, she wrote, there is no dispute. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for mid-November.

Along with the two Mother Lode cities two dozen others filed last April to invalidate the states home-delivery rule that permits legal commercial cannabis deliveries to any physical address as long as it is done by employees of a state-licensed company, of which there are currently about 400.

The League of California Cities and police chiefs argue that such unrestricted home deliveries would unleash waves of hidden pot transactions in conflict with local control that was guaranteed under the 2016 law that broadly legalized marijuana sales throughout the state.

Marijuana companies and consumers who support home deliveries complain of large geographical areas where commercial pot is banned or there are no rules to allow legal sales. So residents living there have to travel to purchase their pot. Because it remains federally illegal, it cannot be delivered through the U.S. Postal Service.

Among the other plaintiffs are the cities of Agoura Hills, Angels Camp, Arcadia, Atwater, Beverly Hills, Ceres, Clovis, Covina, Dixon, Downey, McFarland, Newman, Oakdale, Palmdale, Patterson, Riverbank, Riverside, San Pablo, Santa Cruz (County), Tehachapi, Temecula, Tracy, Turlock, and Vacaville.
Pfizer Inc said on Friday it signed a multi-year agreement with Gilead Sciences Inc to manufacture and supply the company's antiviral drug remdesivir for COVID-19 patients.

The US drugmaker would provide contract manufacturing services at its facility in Kansas to produce the drug.
For the fifth consecutive day on Friday, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) in J&K's Poonch district.

Defence ministry spokesman Colonel Devender Anand said at about 6.30 am on Friday, Pakistan again initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along the LoC in Balakote sector of Poonch district.

The spokesman said Indian Army is retaliating befittingly.

On Thursday, Pakistan had violated the ceasefire in Mendhar and Balakote sectors. Friday's ceasefire violation is the fifth consecutive violation during the last five days.

This year Pakistan has violated the ceasefire on the LoC over 2,720 times during which 21 civilians have been killed and 94 others injured.

On August 1, an Army soldier, Sepoy Rohin Kumar, was killed in Pakistani firing on the LoC in Rajouri district.
New Delhi: Bhojpuri hot cake Anjana Singh, also known as the lady Rajinikanth of the industry turned a year older on August 7. On her birthday eve, she celebrated with family and shared a video on Instagram.

Anjana Singh wrote: Happy Birthday to me #Best Birthday Ever love my family

She received birthday wishes from her friends, industry celebs and fans on her timeline.

She has several hit songs and movies to her credit. Anjana Singh is known for her acting chops and impeccable dance moves.

In 2019, she was seen in as many as three movies, namely Bitiya Chhati Mai Ke, Maine Unko Sajan Chun Liya and Saiyaan Ji Dagabaaz.

In 2018, she won Best Actress at the International Bhojpuri Film Awards held in Malaysia for the film 'Jigar'.

She has worked with almost all the top stars and filmmakers. With over a decade of experience, Anjana Singh is one of the highest-paid actresses in the business.

Here's wishing Anjana Singh a very happy birthday!
Napoleon Bonapartes 1798 invasion of Egypt represented the first modern attempt to incorporate an Islamic society into the European fold. Although the expedition was a military fiasco, it left a lasting legacy in the region. "In the beginning was Napoleon". So commences the late Thomas Nipperdeys acclaimed history of nineteenth-century Germany, Germany from Napoleon to Bismarck. But although Nipperdey was referring to Napoleon Bonapartes central role in creating modern Europe, in many respects his statement also applies to todays Middle East, Alexander Mikaberidze writes in the article Casting a long shadow  Napoleon's intervention in Egypt.

America finds itself in the grips of two epidemics, each of which has exposed deep inequalities across races and levels of educational attainment. Between rising "deaths of despair" among working-class whites and higher coronavirus mortality rates among African-Americans, the stunning secular decline in U.S. life expectancy will continue. Napoleons 1798 invasion of Egypt marked the first instance of liberal imperialism and highlighted the speed with which the French Revolution had transcended Frances borders  and Europes. Although the expedition was a military fiasco, it left a lasting legacy in the region.

Instruments of Western domination

For starters, the invasion represented the first modern attempt to incorporate an Islamic society into the European fold. It also constituted the formative moment for the discourse of Orientalism, when all of its ideological components converged and a full arsenal of instruments of Western domination was employed to protect it. The occupation itself did little to modernise Egyptian society, because the revolutionary principles that the French tried to introduce were too radical and foreign, and met determined local resistance. But Napoleon created a political vacuum in Egypt that was soon filled by Kavalali Mehmet Ali Pasha, who, within a decade of the French departure, began laying the foundation for the reformed and modernised Egypt that later would play such an important role in the Middle East.

Napoleons Egyptian campaign also upended traditional European policies toward the region. Instead of striking its intended blow at Britains imperial power, the French invasion drove the Ottoman Empire, Frances traditional ally, into an alliance with its former adversaries, Russia and Britain, and transformed the nature of Franco-British rivalry in the East. Up to that point, France traditionally had launched forays into India from island bases in the Indian Ocean, relying on naval power that the British could counter with their own fleet. But Napoleons attempt to conquer Egypt by land profoundly altered this equation by forcing Britain also to consider the possibility that other powers might approach India through territories adjacent to the Indian subcontinent.

This imperative drew Britain into a lasting endeavour to secure additional dominions to protect its Indian possessions against an overland attack. "We have won an empire by armed might," observed British East India Company officials in 1798, "and it must continue to rest on armed might, otherwise it will fall by the same means to a superior power. " This reliance on force underpinned the British Raj until 1947 and sustained British interventions in Egypt, Yemen, Oman, Iran, and Afghanistan.

The "Eastern Question"

The wider Napoleonic Wars cast a long shadow over the Islamic heartland. Although fundamentally European in nature, they shaped Europes relationship with the Islamic world for the next century. The Ottoman Empire found itself the target not only of Russian imperial ambitions, but also of French, Austrian, and British designs that contributed to its continued territorial losses and the emergence of the "Eastern Question". Moreover, the similarities between Napoleons rhetoric and methods and those used in twentieth-century Western interventions in the Middle East underscore the long-term impact of his legacy.

In 1810-1812, a century before "Lawrence of Arabia", Napoleons agents were seeking to encourage Arab tribes in Syria and Iraq to unite in revolt against the Ottomans. And later French governments realised Napoleons vision of a French colonial empire. In 1830, French troops, some of them veterans of the Egyptian campaign, invaded Algiers on the basis of contingency plans developed under Napoleon two decades earlier, and laid the foundation for a period of French colonial rule that lasted until 1962.

Iran, its own empire a thing of the past, endured an equally painful fate, becoming a pawn in the hands of European powers. Double-crossed by both France and Britain, Iran suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of Russia, which acquired Georgia and south eastern Caucasia by 1813 and all but supplanted Iranian influence in the region.

The Napoleonic Wars revealed glaring inefficiencies in the Ottoman and Iranian states, and highlighted the growing military and economic imbalance between them and the leading European powers. The wars thus ushered in an era of state-sponsored reforms, as Ottoman, Egyptian, and Iranian political leaders sought to remake their administrations and militaries in a European image.

Herein lies one of the most enduring Napoleonic legacies in the Middle East. Reform-minded rulers such as the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, Mehmet Ali of Egypt, and Irans Crown Prince Abbas Mirza did not question the cultural norms or social structures on which traditional order rested. Instead, they believed that European-style military and administrative reforms would enable them to consolidate their domestic power and protect their states more effectively from outside threats.

But these reforms entailed the introduction of Western practices into Islamic societies and posed challenges to existing power structures, because they inserted the central government into the daily lives of its subjects more directly and pervasively than ever before. That is why many groups  including the ulema (religious leaders), the Saudis in central Arabia, Ottoman janissaries, and Irans traditional elites  reacted so negatively, rejecting even those modernising changes that could have better protected their respective states.

This confrontation increasingly came to be seen as a struggle for the very essence of the Islamic way of life. And its profound effects, along with other aspects of Napoleons legacy, continue to reverberate in the Middle East today.
Yathindra Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Congress MLA and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Friday said he has tested positive for Covid-19.

A medical doctor himself, Yathindra requested all those who had come in contact with him recently to quarantine themselves.

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Yathindra and Siddaramaiah

"My corona test reports have come positive. I request all those who had come in contact with me over the last few days to quarantine and take precautions," Yathindra tweeted.

His father Siddaramaiah had on Tuesday tested positive for Covid and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital here.

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SiddaramaiahOn Siddaramaiah's health, Manipal Hospital said in a statement on Friday that he is clinically stable and is responding to treatment.

"He is comfortable and his appetite has improved. Our team of experts will continue to monitor him closely," it said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 21:03:23|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- More than 23,960 Ethiopian migrants have been repatriated home since April this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed on Friday.

The UN migration agency, in its latest COVID-19 response update for Ethiopia, revealed that between April 1 and August 6, the East African country had received over 23,960 migrant returnees from different countries.

According to IOM, some 5,789 of the Ethiopian migrants were returned from Djibouti, 5,639 from Somalia, 5,049 from Sudan, 3,162 from Saudi Arabia, 1,024 from Kuwait, 995 from Kenya, 650 from Lebanon, among others.

The IOM also noted that it has registered some 712 new migrant returnees in the last week in Ethiopia.

As the designated lead agency for supporting the Ethiopian government in the management of migrant returnees, the IOM stressed that it has continued to support the government in coordinating support for quarantine facilities in Addis Ababa and the regions, 35 in total.

In coordination with Ethiopia's Disaster Prevention and Food Security Program Coordination Office, the IOM has also provided orientation on COVID-19 preventative measures and provided personal protective equipment to volunteers working in arrival areas for migrant returnees.

Amid the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the East African country and the eventual preventive measures to contain the spread of the virus, the UN migration agency provides direct assistance to returnee migrants in quarantine facilities, including registration, food, water and onward transportation assistance, it was noted.

The IOM, among other things, provides personal protective equipment such as face masks, gloves and sanitizers to quarantine facility staff in major migrant-receiving areas in Ethiopia, it was noted.

It also distributes non-food items in quarantine facilities in the capital, Addis Ababa and across various regional states, including soaps, dignity kits, medications, kitchen sets, clothes, bed sheets and mattresses.

As of Friday morning, Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 20,900 as the death toll due to illnesses related to the COVID-19 pandemic rose to 365, according to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health.

According to the ministry, the number of recoveries is also increasing as some 9,027 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had so far recovered, including 429 in the last 24 hours period. Enditem
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While I never thought I'd say this, here goes: A hot tub has ruined my summer.

Back in May, with the coronavirus pandemic annihilating the odds of our family of five spending our weekends cooling off in New Jersey's community swimming poolsor of me booking the occasional weekend at a spaI started mooning over the many inflatable hot tubs I saw on Amazon.

Many promised an "easy" setup: Just inflate, fill with water, pop the champagne, and enjoy!

But the model I ended up purchasing, from Amazon.com for nearly $700, turned out to be anything but relaxing. (The price range has since increased, perhaps due to demand, starting now at $1,200.)

On the contrary, it's been emotionally, physically, and financially draining, and has even deflated any warm-and-fuzzy goodwill in my marriage. I should note that purchasing this hot tub was my idea, something my husband never lets me forget.

And I'm quite sure I'm not the only homeowner whose hopes of some quarantine relief have been dashed by an inflatable hot tub or some other supposedly "easy setup" backyard water feature.

"A lot of people, especially now, go out and buy an inflatable pool or hot tub without understanding the significant amount of care needed, along with additional costs," says Jen Stark, a home improvement expert and founder of Happy DIY Home.

In case you're pondering purchasing an inflatable pool or hot tub for your own yard, allow me to explain what the whole experience is like, just so you can weigh whether you're getting in over your head.

Setup may be easy, but...

Inflating our hot tub was the easy part. Ensuring that the water stayed crystal clear and safe for soaking? Not so much.

An inflatable pool will come with a pump and a filter, but you'll need to be sure to treat the water with chlorine tablets or liquid to keep microbes in check.

My 18-year-old son is a lifeguard, so he's familiar with testing pool water, balancing chemicals, and cleaning filters. He volunteered to take the lead on making sure it didn't devolve into a cesspool. Easier said than done.

In the beginning, my "pool boy" alerted me almost daily to yet another product we needed. He seemed to be requesting more chemicals than Walter White before whipping up an epic batch of blue meth.

Soon, Amazon deliveries were arriving at our home with a holiday-season-like frequency, which leads to my next complaint...

Maintaining an inflatable hot tub is expensive

Here's a quick rundown of the items I purchased in an attempt to keep this hot tub afloat (bear in mind, this doesn't include my electric bill, which also spiked, thanks to the filter running eight hours a day):

Pool and spa shock ($5)

Hot tub test strips ($16)

Maintenance accessory kit with brush, skimmer, and scrubber ($33)

Chlorinating concentrate ($21)

Brominating tablets ($27)

Alkalinity ($29)

Baking soda ($3)

Chemical for adjusting pH ($29)

That's a lot of chemicals, which then made me wonder...

Is it clean? Is it safe?

My lifeguard son is prone to saying our hot tub is about 3 degrees less toxic than Chernobyl.

Sometimes when I think about going in, I hear the voice of Jerry Seinfeld telling his neighbor Kramer, who'd purchased a hot tub from a pal: "I'm not taking a soak in that human bacteria frappe you've got going in there."

How can I be certain it's clean?

My hot tub looks less than inviting. Liz Alterman

"It's very important to keep in mind that pool water should be clear, and anything other than that might point to some chemical imbalances," says Michael Dean, co-founder of Pool Research.

"When you think 'inflatable pool,' the first thing that comes to mind is probably 'Easy breezy,'" says Glen Wilde, who runs a healthy living coaching company and often recommends long soaks in hot tubs to his clients.

"What most people don't realize is that an inflatable pool requires all the same maintenance as an in-ground pool."

It may be on a smaller scale, but the process is the same.

"The CDC has several different regulations and guidelines that encourage safe pool water, which should be followed as closely as possible for inflatable pools," agrees Dean.

"For example, the CDC recommends alkalinity to be around 125 parts per million. For chlorine, it's recommended to be at least 1 part per million. And don't forget about the pH levels, which are recommended to be at around 7.5."

And these chemical levels should be checked dailyfor good reason.

"If the pH is off, the chlorine won't be able to do its job properly, potentially making you sick," Wilde explains.

Stark recommends draining your pool or hot tub every few weeks (or more frequently if it appears dirty) and washing it with sanitizer.

"Once clean, it needs to be rinsed until there are no bubbles," she says.

"Then you are ready to start the process over again and fill it up. To keep the pool clean, remember to keep it covered when not in use, do not miss a chemical dose, shower before using, and make sure the kids go to the bathroom before getting in."

Once it's been treated, it does look appealing. Liz Alterman

It's a tight squeeze

While the product description indicated that this hot tub could comfortably fit four adults, it's more like a glorified soup tureen. My three teen boys feel as if they're marinating in a tea cup. See below just how thrilled they are in there (not very).

The bubbles are loud. Liz Alterman

It's slow to heat

No one finds warm water refreshing on a sizzling summer day. Still, icy H2O isn't all that appealing, either. Once we've filled the tub, the water temperature is typically a chilly 72 degrees. Reaching the ideal rangebetween 78 and 82 degrees, according to Swim Universitycan take about six to eight hours, even on a blazing afternoon.

Plus, the manufacturer notes that the ambient temperature needs to be above 50 degrees if the tub is to reach its full 104-degree potential. I don't think I'll be keeping this hot tub out all winter.

It could take a day to reach that peak temp. amazon.com

Where am I going to store this thing?

If we don't keep this hot tub out year round, though, there's the issue of where to store it. Even when deflated, without a single drop of water, it weighs 87 pounds.

While it's around 2 feet flat when fully compressed, it still measures in at almost 7 by 7 feet. Plus, it's important to clean and drain your hot tub ahead of the winter months, to avoid potential damage from freezing temperatures.

My husband is lobbying to sell this hot tub ASAP. But I feel like I've invested so much already. So while its fate remains to be seen, let's just say it isn't as amazing as I thought it would be.

The post How an Inflatable Hot Tub Ruined My COVID-19 Summer (and Marriage) appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
'Please don't think that Kashmiris have accepted the abrogation of Article 370.'

'Please don't misconstrue silence as acceptance.'

IMAGE: Security personnel in Srinagar.

"The Covid lockdown is just an excuse for the government to deploy more armed forces and checkpoints to humiliate people in Kashmir."

Iltija Mufti, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, speaks to Rediff.com's Archana Masih in the concluding segment of a two-part interview.

All Photographs: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: A sample being collected for a COVID-19 test in Srinagar.

Do you feel people have come to terms with this new altered situation post the annulment of Article 370? And that at this moment they are more concerned about Covid than what happened a year ago?

If that was so, we would have had 3G by now.

The government is worried about restoring it because they know that people are going to start collecting in huge numbers to protest.

This political dispensation doesn't have the ability to accept any kind of criticism.

No, please don't think that Kashmiris have accepted this.

Please don't misconstrue silence as acceptance.

This has always happened in Kashmir. Whenever we have been pushed, the situation seems calm on the surface for some time, but then something has happened which has triggered all of that anger that's brewing inside to come out.

Sometimes, reactions take time. I can assure you if the government hadn't put severe restrictions, people would have come out on the streets already.

The problem is that since last year they've created this atmosphere of uncertainty.

They detained a five-time chief minister in his 80s and kept him under house arrest.

They have arrested so many political leaders and even people from civil society, then how do you expect people to come out and protest?

Were there any high points in this year?

There have been no high points, but you shouldn't be a pessimist and take everything negatively.

At the end of the day, I feel that I learned a lot. I have become wiser.

When you're thrown into the deep end, you have to sink or swim.

I have to fight for my mother (Mehbooba Mufti continues to be under house arrest). It has only strengthened my feeling as a daughter to speak up for her.

I'll do it again. I don't regret any of it.

IMAGE: A worker cleans the COVID-19 centre set up by the government in Srinagar.

How do you see the rest of the year panning out in Kashmir, especially when we are in this health crisis which has resulted in a lockdown for the people?

Throughout the world, people are more anxious because of Covid. There has been an increase in cases of suicide and mental health is being discussed even in our country.

The world and India have been subjected to a lockdown since March and you can tell that it's taking a toll on everybody mentally.

But the people of Kashmir have been under a severe State-sponsored lockdown for a year.

The Covid lockdown, I would say is kinder to the citizens in the rest of the country than for the Kashmiris.

It's just an excuse for the government to deploy more armed forces and checkpoints to humiliate people.

Mentally, it has left us very distraught. The anxiety is exacerbated by the fact that financially their backs have been completely broken.

So for Kashmiris, it's a double tragedy.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Actress Rhea Chakraborty,accused of abetting Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, appeared in the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday. The actress is under investigation after Sushant's father KK Singh filed an FIR against her accusing her of cheating and criminal conspiracy apart from abetment of suicide.

ED is expected to question the actress about her friendship with the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, possible business dealings and the developments that took place over the last few years between them and record her statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It is expected that the ED's line of questioning would revolve around Chakraborty's income, investments, business deals and professional deals and links. A property located in the Khar area of the city, linked to Chakraborty, is also being probed by the ED for the source of its purchase and ownership.

According to CNN News18, the actress refused to give her property documents to the ED. She reportedly told ED that her property documents were with her Chartered Accountant (CA) Ritesh Shah, who denied the statement. However, Rhea later said that she had forgotten where she kept the documents.

Apart from Rhea Chakraborty, the Enforcement Directorate is also questioning her brother Showik Chakraboty, her CA Ritesh Shah and Sushant Singh Rajput's former manager Shruti Modi in connection to a money laundering case related to the deceased actor.

Rhea, via her lawyer Satish Maneshinde, had requested for the postponement of the ED summon until the Supreme Court hearing, which was denied. She had filed a petition in the apex court, seeking the transfer of an FIR filed, by Sushant's father against her, from Patna to Mumbai.

The CBI on Thursday took over the investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput death case and re-registered the Patna police FIR related to alleged criminal conspiracy and abetment to suicide against his rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members, officials said Thursday. The case will be probed by a special investigation team under Superintendent of Police Nupur Prasad and will be supervised by DIG Gagandeep Gambhir and Joint Director Manoj Shashidhar, both senior IPS officers from the Gujarat cadre, they said.

While the Mumbai Police had registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) into the death of Sushant, the Patna police had registered a case on a complaint from Sushant's father KK Singh against Chakraborty, her parents Indrajit Chakraborty and Sandhya Chakraborty, brother Showik Chakraborty, and common friends Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi.
The Central Florida Jewish community knew and loved Talia Osteen as one of the three members of the singing group Visions, which began under the guidance of Cantor Allan Robuck of Congregation Ohev Shalom. Each of the girls eventually went their own way and Osteen moved to New York, then to California, to pursue her career in the film industry. She successfully starred in five national TV series, and also formed the band The Wellspring, which released five albums and composed scores for several TV series. Turning her attention to working behind the camera as a writer, director, and producer, she has co-produced and co-created a feature comedy film and a TV series with her wife, Sara Hess, a producer and writer on "Orange is the New Black."

Osteen has now brought her love of Judaism and storytelling together through a comedic and cinematic lens in "The Shabbos Goy," which she wrote and directed, and was produced through the highly competitive Powderkeg: Fuse incubator program, launched by comedy filmmaker Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids," "Ghostbusters") to help amplify the voices of women filmmakers.

Osteen said she was prompted by the Powderkeg: Fuse incubator program to make a comedy about a micro community in Los Angeles, and Osteen seized the opportunity to do what she says she loves best in her storytelling - subvert expectations. Particularly in a time where anti-Semitism is on the rise, it felt to her like a prescient time to show a different, more joyful side of Orthodox Judaism than the oppressive and grave picture that's more often portrayed in the media.

Surprisingly, one of the co-stars has relatives here in Central Florida. Yisrael Dubov (sound familiar?) plays the fiance of Chana, the main character of the film. Dubov was cast in the role before Osteen realized his father is Rabbi Sholom Dubov. The film is featured in the Florida Film Festival at the Enzian on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 3:30 p.m. (socially distanced & masked with limited seating), followed by a Q & A with the filmmakers. This year, virtual attendance is also an option.

What makes "The Shabbos Goy" different from other movies involving Orthodox women is that Osteen decided she needed to make the Shabbos goy do something funnier than flipping a light switch. (You have to see the film to find out what's so shockingly funny.)

"The Shabbos Goy" is a seven-minute snapshot of the silliness that can ensue when tradition and modernity live side by side and bump up against each other in awkward ways," said writer Shira Hanau of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Osteen meant to have a comedic approach to Orthodoxy and wanted to show a different side that normally isn't seen.

"The darker sides of the Orthodox world deserve to be highlighted," she told JTA, "as they have been in the 2017 film 'Disobedience,' which starred Rachel McAdams as a closeted Orthodox lesbian, or 'Unorthodox,' the story of a woman who leaves Hasidic Williamsburg behind for Berlin."

Where the movie most directly subverts Hollywood stereotypes of Orthodoxy is in the way it depicts women's sexuality.

"I want to invert the expectation that frum or Orthodox Jews are not as sexual as everybody else," Osteen told JTA. "It is supposed to be a nod to the fact that there's more to Orthodox women than what we might think of."

Osteen isn't Orthodox, she and Hess send their son to a Jewish preschool and go to Ikar, a nondenominational synagogue in West Los Angeles.

According to JTA, it was Osteen's Orthodox friends who helped inspire the idea for the short.

In 2009, Osteen met Dov Rosenblatt, a Modern Orthodox musician who was looking to get his music into film and television scores. The two began writing songs, and in 2010, they started a band, The Wellspring, and went on tour together.

Osteen learned from Rosenblatt the importance of a Shabbos goy, and it intrigued her.

In the JTA review, the film is described as "a fast-paced tour of the Jewish neighborhood of Pico Robertson, where Chana (played by Milana Vayntrub) struggles to find someone who isn't Jewish who can help."

Eventually she finds a Black man who agrees to be the Shabbos goy but questions her assumption that he is not Jewish. Another bit of a twist to the plot. "It turns out, but it reminds us of the timely reflection and soul searching many are undertaking in regards to diversity within and allyship between the Jewish community and other minority communities," Osteen told Heritage.

Orlando native Yisrael Dubov on the left plays Chana's fiance in Talia Osteen's short film "The Shabbos Goy."

The film makes a clear effort to get the details accurate and was helped by having people on set who had a strong familiarity with Orthodoxy. Even the music, composed by Osteen and Rosenblatt, is based on a traditional niggun, a wordless melody, adapted to suit the arc of the script.

Osteen is currently developing a feature film and possible TV series based on "The Shabbos Goy," with Feig and his production company producing.

However the story continues, Osteen is gratified by the positive feedback from Jews and non-Jews alike, but especially from Orthodox viewers.

"I wasn't sure which way it would go," she said of the response from Orthodox viewers. "But that makes me very happy."

The Enzian is located at 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland. For information, call 407-629-1088.

Portions of a JTA article written by Shira Hanau are included in this article.
NOIDA The Gautam Budh Nagar police have banned the use of drone cameras for two days from Friday, in view of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanaths visit to the district.

The CM, who arrived in Greater Noida on Friday evening, is expected to inaugurate the Covid-dedicated hospital in Noida Sector 39 on Saturday.

GB Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY said that apart from inauguration of the hospital, the CM will also make an inspection of integrated control room in Sector 128. Adequate number of doctors and paramedics have already been deployed in the new hospital. He (the CM) will also chair a review meeting with the officials of all the districts of western Uttar Pradesh about the Covid-19 situation in their areas, Suhas said.

The 400-bed hospital has been developed jointly by Tata group and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the officials said.

According to sources in the district administration, the CM will meet with peoples representatives and his party workers late Friday.

Meanwhile, the security has been beefed up across the district. The GB Nagar police have already imposed section 144 of CrPC in the district, which restricts assembly of more than four people at a place. In view of the chief ministers tour to the district and using powers under section 144 of the CrPC, I order that operation of drone cameras would be totally prohibited in GB Nagar on August 7 and 8, said an order issued by Ashutosh Dwivedi, deputy commissioner of police (law and order).

The CM will spend the Friday night at the Gautam Budh University guest house in Greater Noida, the officials said.
Washington: David Adrian posted passionately about American politics, sharing adulatory memes on Facebook about US President Donald Trump and recirculating material from his reelection campaign.

The user even invoked the Obama family, suggesting the nation's first black president and his wife had endorsed Trump in an apparent bid to drum up support for the Republican incumbent among African American voters. An associated Twitter account indicated that Adrian lived in "Montana, USA".

US President Donald Trump this week. Credit:AP

Facebook on Thursday said Adrian's accounts were part of a coordinated network of accounts and pages originating in Romania and posing as conservative Americans supportive of the President's reelection. In addition to African American support for Trump, the material focused on members of the President's inner circle, conservative media and Christianity. It also invoked themes associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory, whose adherents believe Trump is battling a cabal of deep-state saboteurs who worship Satan and traffic children for sex.

The network was relatively small, composed of 35 accounts and three pages, as well as 88 accounts on Instagram. The pages had racked up about 1600 followers, while about 7200 users were following the accounts on Instagram.
(JNS)  In a move that bodes well for Israel, the Democratic National Committees platform committee voted on Monday to reject additional language that would make the partys stance on the Jewish state more critical.

The committee voted 117-34 to reject adding the word occupation and a condition of U.S. assistance to Israel on the Jewish state not going ahead with its plans to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, also known as Judea and Samaria.

The platform includes language that expresses support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, a pledge to maintain security funding...
Ellen DeGeneres tried to get a server suspended for having chipped nail polish, the former waitress claims.

Chris Farah, now a comedian and actress, said she was working as a server at Los Angeles vegan restaurant Real Food Daily in 2014 when she waited on Ellen and her wife at brunch.

Farah, 35, said the meal went off without a hitch. But one week later, the chat show star emailed the restaurant owner complaining that Farah's nail polish was chipped, resulting in her bosses trying to suspend her for two weeks, the actress claimed.

She really went out of her way to try to hurt someone who was beneath her and serving her, Farah told DailyMail.com.

Youre going to try to take money away from me for two weeks because you dont like the way my nails looked? Its sh***y.

'Its not anything akin to her image of ''be kind''. Its unnecessarily cruel and out of touch, and doesnt understand the repercussions. Its a crazy thing to do.

Ellen DeGeneres tried to get former server Chris Farah (pictured) suspended for having chipped nail polish, the former waitress claims. Farah, now a comedian and actress, said she was working as a server at Los Angeles vegan restaurant Real Food Daily in 2014 when she waited on Ellen and her partner at brunch

Farah, 35, said the meal went off without a hitch. But one week later, the chat show star emailed the restaurant owner complaining that Farah's nail polish was chipped, resulting in her bosses trying to suspend her for two weeks, the actress claimed

Farah is one of many who joined a deluge of criticism for the multi-millionaire comedian after dozens of staff on The Ellen DeGeneres Show claimed that racism, bullying and sexual harassment was rife at its Hollywood studio.

The scandal prompted DeGeneres to email an apology to her staff  which some of them have labelled as complete bull, claiming she was power-hungry and part of the toxic environment on set.

Farah told DailyMail.com that at first she believed the 2014 brunch she served DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi went well, but was stunned when she got scathing feedback.

First of all I thought her demeanor was a little weird. It was like she was taken aback by me in some way, the comedian said.

I just remember her being like ''Whats Christina Applegate having?'' She was also in my section. She ordered that. Everything went down the way it should, and Im really nice and warm, I was a really lovely server.

A week later my managers were like ''Chris did you happen to serve Ellen when she came in a week ago?''

'I 100 percent thought it was a good thing. She was friends with the owner, and in my mind I was like ''oh this is going to be a really good thing for me. She wants me to come on her show and serve mini cashew cheeses to the audience in some adorable way.''

My bosses looked at each other and kind of smirked. They said ''she emailed Anne [the owner] and complained about your chipped nail polish''. I was like ''what?''

It had chipped the night before and I didnt have time to get a fresh manicure after I closed the restaurant at 11pm and reopened at 8.30am the next morning.

I probably shouldnt have had chipped nail polish. But it wasnt on her food or plate.

Farah told DailyMail.com that at first she believed the 2014 brunch she served DeGeneres and her wife Portia went well, but was stunned when she got scathing feedback. Pictured: Ellen and Portia in 2014

The owner at the time of the incident, Ann Gentry, sold the restaurant to current owner Adaline Bettcher around 2017. Farah said her managers tried to suspend her for two weeks over DeGeneres complaint, but she had already told them she was quitting to pursue her stand-up career. Pictured: The outside of the vegan restaurant where Farah was working when the alleged incident occurred

Farah said her managers tried to suspend her for two weeks over DeGeneres complaint, but she had already told them she was quitting to pursue her stand-up career.

The owner at the time, Ann Gentry, sold the restaurant to current owner Adaline Bettcher around 2017.

I am the new owner of Real Food Daily, not the one who suspended the waitress over [the] Ellen controversy, Bettcher told DailyMail.com. It is under new ownership and we did not do this. It was the old owner, Ann Gentry.

The 35-year-old told DailyMail.com she was astounded a fellow female comedian would allegedly try to abuse her power in a sadistic way.

Shes obviously a very rich, famous, television person. She has to assume the person serving her is not as rich or famous as her  and most of us are struggling artists,' Farah said.

'Im a younger, female person of color, Im Lebanese-Syrian and she knows the power she has over this particular restaurant and owner because she has a relationship with them.

Some celebrities have come to DeGeneres defense amid the onslaught of criticisms and allegations, including music manager Scooter Braun who tweeted @TheEllenShow is a kind, thoughtful, courageous human being who stands for what is right and highlights on her show the best of us.

But Farah said the chat show star should be judged on how she treats those with little power, not her famous peers.

Some celebrities have come out on her side but yeah she probably wasnt mean to you because youre a freakin privileged celebrity, the actress said.

Thats not the point. The point is that she somewhat gets off on perpetrating misery on others.

Theres an underlying sadistic-ness to her sometimes, under the veil of this whole be kind to others thing.

The 35-year-old told DailyMail.com she was astounded a fellow female comedian would allegedly try to abuse her power in a sadistic way. Shes obviously a very rich, famous, television person. She has to assume the person serving her is not as rich or famous as her  and most of us are struggling artists,' Farah said

After allegations of a toxic culture on her chat show set emerged, DeGeneres sent a memo to her staff, apologizing for the alleged misconduct on her watch, but accusing her colleagues of misrepresenting who I am

After allegations of a toxic culture on her chat show set emerged, DeGeneres sent a memo to her staff, apologizing for the alleged misconduct on her watch, but accusing her colleagues of misrepresenting who I am.

On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness  no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect, she wrote.

Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows its the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.

Im also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop.

As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or  worse  disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.

After DeGeneres sent the memo, two former members of staff told the Sun the 62-year-old host's 'apology and denial that she knew anything was going on' regarding misconduct was 'complete bull'.

The pair told the paper: 'For over a decade Ellen has treated her staff poorly, which is ironic because of her persona when she is on camera.

The show's parent company WarnerMedia launched an investigation after the employees went public with their grievances.

Warner Bros., the studio that runs the show, has declined to comment on the sexual harassment allegations, citing an ongoing internal investigation.
As classes are moved online, Montgomery County schools are investing in technology for students in need.

After schools were closed in March, Lone Star College decided to move as many classes online as possible. This coming semester, about half of its classes will be completely online, about 25 percent will be a mix of online and in-class, and another 25 percent will be in-class only starting Sept. 8.

To make sure that students have access to their online classes the college system is using funding from the federal CARES Act to purchase 6,000 laptops that will be given to students who need them.

A lot of students may have technology but not exactly what they need, said Link Alander, LSC vice chancellor of College Services for LSC. So, as we see the demand coming in well adjust and try our best to keep up with it.

Reliable access

The college system is working on helping students get reliable access to the internet with WiFi hotspots as well, and are making sure the laptops going out will have the necessary software for the students needs.

Students can apply for a laptop on the LSC website. Since turning on the application last week, Alander said the college system has already received 1,000 applicants. In order to receive a laptop, a student will need to be enrolled for at least six hours and have a completed federal or state financial aid form, and they will need to maintain a 2.0 GPA. Students could be keeping the laptop for multiple semesters.

The intent of this program is, as long as theyre enrolled they keep that laptop in their possession, Alander said.

Digital divide

The reason LSC chose this response, Alander said, is because the chancellors recognized how lack of access to technology, also known as the digital divide, could be a major hindrance for students.

The COVID impact is really deepening that divide, Alander said. Those students that dont have access to technology now they cant even go to school, they cant complete their degrees. So, as the board and the chancellor and the presidents discussed this it really became evident that we had to be active, we had to do something proactive to help our students.

The divide starts long before college. Local districts are also in the process of trying to get technology into the hands of students who need them, at nearly all age levels.

With help from the Texas Education Agency and the Operation Connectivity Grant, Splendora ISD is in the process of ordering around 2,200 Chromebooks for students in the district, and 100 additional hot spot devices to help offer WiFi.

We were able to get devices to people that needed them when we did this in the Spring but we wanted to make sure that we had enough for on-campus support as well, said Splendora ISD superintendent Jeff Burke.

Conroe ISD has spent $2 million on remote learning/technology/ and communication in response to COVID-19, including purchasing thousands of Chromebooks. The district is not at a one-to-one ratio when it comes to supplying technology to each student, it just doesnt have the money or resources, at least not now.

The reality is that while the district has ordered a lot of new technology to help bridge the gap, so has every other district in the nation, Superintendent Curtis Null said. CISD is still waiting for some of its orders but did manage to get some new technology by ordering early, back in March.

Avenue to learning

But Null, like all educators, recognizes the digital divide and knows that this crisis is likely to only increase it. The lack of internet infrastructure in parts of Montgomery County is a motivator for many families to send their students back to in-class instruction. For the first three weeks of school, Null said there will be lots of flexibility for families facing challenges to the online instruction model.

Whats not flexible is we want students learning, school starts on August 12 and our expectation is that students will be learning every single day, Null said.

But he sees the opportunity for technology to be a bridge as well, connecting students to worlds and knowledge beyond their own. Part of the ramp-up process for the first three weeks will include trying to address the many divides that exist in schools. This year will not only have to address exacerbated gaps that have always existed but also address gaps from the March to May distance learning model.

We know that that was not a perfect system, Null said. Were thankful for our teachers who did the best they could in a very difficult situation to immediately shift to an online platform, and yet we couldnt give them access to our buildings and all of our resources to really do that. Now they have access to buildings and all their resources and theyll be using all of those resources to fill in those gaps that may have formed in the spring.

jamie.swinnerton@chron.com
SINGAPORE, Aug 7 (Reuters) - The Monetary Authority of Singapore said on Friday it had urged finance companies incorporated in the city-state to cap their dividends in order to improve their ability to support the credit needs of businesses and consumers.

The central bank urged finance companies to cap their total dividends per share for the fiscal year 2020 at 60% of the previous year's level. Finance companies are also encouraged to offer shareholders the option of receiving the dividends to be paid for 2020 in scrip in lieu of cash, it added.

The move follows similar advice from the MAS last week for local banks.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore Editing by Gareth Jones)
By ANI

NEW DELHI: Almost a week after joining hands with actor Ayushmann Khurrana for an upcoming untitled romantic flick, filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor has signed in 'Befikre' actor Vaani Kapoor as Khurrana's love interest in the film.

"I thought Vaani was fabulous in Befikre. She's beautiful and a very committed actor. I am looking forward to having her and Ayushmann on set. I believe their combo will be electrifying," said Abhishek.

The 'Befikre' actor further said that she has always been inspired by Abhishek and wanted to work with him for a long time.

"It's a lovely heart-rendering film. I have always wanted to work with Abhishek Kapoor, being so inspired by his films this feels like an amazing opportunity to be part of his vision," said Vaani.

"Ayushman is one of the most talented actors of our generation and I'm only thrilled about our first film together to be this beautiful love story," she added.

Abhishek had earlier maintained that his progressive love story will be a total entertainer. He had also said that audiences, who would naturally expect something unique and new from Ayushmann and him, will be satiated watching this soul-stirring romance.

The 'Vicky Donor' actor will don the hat of a cross-functional athlete in the film and he will have to go through a big physical transformation for the same.

The untitled flick is set in North India and will go on the floors in October this year. It will hit the theatres in 2021.
A "state of environmental emergency" has been declared in Mauritius after a ship that ran aground off the shores of the Indian Ocean island began spilling tonnes of oil.

Satellite images showed a dark slick spreading in the turquoise waters near vulnerable environmental areas.

The ship was reportedly carrying nearly 4,000 tons of fuel when its hull cracked.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said the spill "represents a danger" for the country of some 1.3 million people already suffering from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Jugnauth asked France to help the small island nation that relies on its waters for fishing and tourism.

"Our country doesn't have the skills and expertise to re-float stranded ships, so I asked for help from the France and (its president) Emmanuel Macron," he said.

"Bad weather has made it impossible to act, and I worry what could happen Sunday when the weather deteriorates."

Video posted online showed oily waters lapping at the shore. Online ship trackers showed the Panama-flagged bulk carrier had been heading from China to Brazil.

The French island of Reunion is Mauritius' closest neighbour. France's foreign ministry says it is Mauritius's "leading foreign investor" and one of its largest trading partners.

Mauritius' environment minister, Kavy Ramano, said the state was in an "environmental crisis," calling the Blue Bay Marine Park and other areas near the leaking ship "very sensitive".

After the cracks in the hull were found, a salvage team that had been working on the ship was evacuated, Mr Ramano said.

Some 400 sea booms have been deployed in an effort to contain the spill.

The ship ran aground on 25 July and the National Coast Guard received no distress call, a government statement said, adding that police are investigating possible negligence.

Greenpeace Africa's climate and energy manager, Happy Khambule, said in a statement that tonnes of diesel and oil are now leaking into the water.

Story continues

"Thousands of species around the pristine lagoons of Blue Bay, Pointe d'Esny and Mahebourg are at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for Mauritius' economy, food security and health," Mr Khambule said.

A government environmental outlook released nearly a decade ago said Mauritius had a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, but equipment on hand was only "adequate to deal with oil spills of less than 10 metric tonnes".

In case of major spills, it said, help could be sought from other Indian Ocean countries or from international oil spill response organisations.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler speaks to the media while surrounded by press and protesters in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center on 22 July 2020 in Portland, Oregon: (2020 Getty Images)

The mayor of Portland has claimed that protesters were attempting to commit murder after some demonstrators started a fire outside the Police Bureaus East Precinct building.

On Wednesday, during another night of Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, Oregon, some demonstrators started a fire outside the police building while officers were still inside, but it was quickly put out.

Speaking at a virtual press conference on Thursday, mayor Ted Wheeler criticised the protesters who started the fire and said he will not tolerate similar actions during future demonstrations.

When you commit arson with an accelerant in an attempt to burn down a building that is occupied by people who you have intentionally trapped inside, you are not demonstrating, you are attempting to commit murder, Mr Wheeler said.

I believe that city staff could have died last night. I cannot and I will not tolerate that. This is not peaceful protests. This is not advocacy to advance reforms, the mayor added.

Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place in Portland for the last two months, following the death of unarmed African American George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Mr Floyds death sparked protests in every state in the US in opposition to police brutality against African Americans, and Mr Wheeler took part in some demonstrations in Portland last month.

Chuck Lovell, the chief of police of the Portland Police Bureau, added during the mayors press conference that violent actions are not forwarding the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement.

He said the violence is not going to lead to better outcomes for people of colour, and added that this movement is very powerful and I feel like the violence has taken away from it in a really kind of concerning way.

I think its really dependent on Portland as a community to really say were not going to tolerate this.

Protesters and police have clashed at numerous demonstrations in Portland since Mr Floyds death, as residents are calling for reform of the police department, and tensions were exacerbated when president Donald Trump deployed federal officers in the city last month.

Story continues

The clashes with federal agents have been amplified by some Republicans, including ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan, in an attempt to delegitimise the purpose of the movement.

In reference to the fire that was started outside the precinct on Wednesday, Mr Wheeler said: Dont think for a moment that if you are participating in this activity, you are not being a prop for the reelection campaign of Donald Trump  because you absolutely are.

He added: If you dont want to be part of that, then dont show up.

Mr Wheeler joined the protest late last month after the federal agents were deployed, and he told crowds that he was there to stand with you no matter what.

The mayor told the demonstrators: We dont want them here, and added: Theyre not properly trained to be here. And were asking them right at this moment, were demanding that they leave.

We demand that the federal government stop occupying our city.

Read more

Trump provoked Portland violence for campaign, senator says
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday (August 7) refused to entertain a PIL seeking NIA probe into the alleged 2008 agreement between the Congress party and the Communist Party of China, but observed that how can a political party enter into an agreement with China.

In the hearing conducted through video conferencing, the SC bench, comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde observed, "We find that there is something which appears to be, what might be called, unheard of and absurd in law. You are saying that China has entered into an agreement with a political party and not the government. How can a political party enter into an agreement with China."

The top court asked senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for PIL petitioners Shashank Shekhar Jha and journalist Savio Rodrigues, to withdraw the plea and approach the high court.

The SC bench further said, "Every relief which you are seeking, can be granted by the high court. Secondly, high court is a proper court. Thirdly, we will have the advantage of high court order also."

At the outset, senior lawyer Jethmalani alleged that it was an "agreement between a political party of this country with the only political party in that country (China)" and the issue pertained to national security.

On being stressed by the lawyer that this was the case, the bench said, "we will allow you to withdraw this and file a fresh petition. We will examine what you say in the petition and if we find any false statement, we may prosecute you".

"Within our limited experience, we have unheard of it that a political party is making an agreement with other country," said the court.

Jethmalani argued that the alleged offences, if any disclosed, will be under the NIA Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and it will be better if the Supreme Court examines this as it relates to national security.

The PIL was filed in the top court seeking NIA probe into the 2008 agreement between the Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of China amid India-China face-off on Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The PIL alleged, "Despite having a hostile relation with China, Respondent No.1 (Congress) had signed an agreement when it was running a coalition government and hidden the facts and details of the agreement from the country."

The said agreement was signed between Congress and the Communist Party of China in Beijing for exchanging high-level information and co-operation.

(With PTI Inputs)
I wrote here and here about the program that Heather Mac Donald did for Center of the American Experiment a week ago today, and our battle with YouTube to keep the video of her presentation alive. If you havent seen the video of her speech, you should. She definitively rebuts the Black Lives Matter narrative of systemic racism in policing. You can watch the event here.

If you follow that link, however, this is what you will see:

Previously, YouTube had age-restricted the livestream version of Heathers presentation. This goes beyond that sanction; everyone who tries to watch the video on YouTube sees the above warning screen. Last night, Heather was on the Tucker Carlson show:

Watch: My interview with @TuckerCarlson last night on YouTubes removal of a recent livestreamed lecture I gave. Apologies for the brief audio issue! pic.twitter.com/OwXGOt53rg  Heather Mac Donald (@HMDatMI) August 6, 2020



Amazingly, it was just after this appearance aired that YouTube condemned our video with the warning screen you see above.

So according to YouTube, our video has been identified by the YouTube community What does that mean? They got a complaint from a lefty? Two lefties? It is noteworthy that currently, the video has 3,400 likes and 50 dislikes. So it appears that the YouTube community overwhelmingly approves of the video. Unless YouTube takes the position that conservatives are not part of its community.

as inappropriate or offensive to some audiences. What audiences are those? Leftists? Democrats? People who are afraid of the truth? People who cant do math? YouTube winds up with the warning, Viewer discretion is advised. Because Heathers speech is too hot to handle. Of course, it has been viewed more than 78,000 times with an overwhelmingly positive response. Are left-wing videos on YouTubeBLM videos, for example deemed inappropriate or offensive to some audiences and slapped with a similar warning label?

Just kidding. At the moment, YouTube is desperately trying to help elect Joe Biden president. That explains its efforts to censor conservative content, especially persuasive content on a critically important election issue. I am considering suing YouTube, although the courts treatment of Prager Us lawsuits dont inspire a lot of hope. Still, there could be a way. Stay tuned.

And in the meantime, if you havent already viewed Heathers talk, please go here and do so. And recommend it to your friends.
Christian author admits pandemic has triggered panic attacks, shares how church can respond

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Christian author Craig Denison, who pens the popular devotional First15 reaching 1.4 million millennials daily, opened up about how the global COVID-19 pandemic has heightened his own struggle with anxiety and offered practical advice on what believers and churches can do to help those suffering from panic attacks.

In a recent blog post, "Im a Christian author, and I keep having panic attacks, the author admitted that hes has had five panic attacks since March. Although he said he felt like a phony as a leader because of his struggles, Denison decided to be transparent because he knew he was not alone.

According to a 2020 study released by Anxiety and Depression Association of America, an estimated 31% of all adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their life.

Denison, son of a pastor, releases a daily devotional which guides over a million believers into a new experience with Gods presence every day. He and his wife, Rachel, are also worship leaders at Denison Ministries. He is now using his influence to help others suffering from the surge of worry and concern in todays world.

The following is an edited transcript of The Christian Posts interview with Denison where the author candidly shares of his battles, reveals why he believes panic attacks are so prevalent today and offers tips for Christians and leaders on how to navigate anxiety.

Christian Post: What inspired you to be so transparent and write "Im a Christian author, and I keep having panic attacks?

Denison: One of the most powerful ways I grow as a human and as a child of God is having an opportunity to hear the lived-experience of others. With so many believers struggling with anxiety, stress, and even panic attacks in these uncommon days, I was hoping to simply bring peace and edification to other believers like me. You can love God wholeheartedly, be pursuing Him, even leading other believers in a pursuit of God, and still struggle. None of us are perfect. All of us are in need. And it's in the declaration of that need that God meets us most powerfully with His unconditional love and peaceful presence.

CP: Why do you think there is such a stigma against the thought of being a Christian and having a panic attack?

Denison: As believers, I think we wrongly carry an expectation of perfection. With all of God's promises, and lengths He's gone to for us, I think we wrongly expect our lives and the lives of our fellow believers to always be thriving. But the practice of our faith, even something like the receiving and embodying of peace isn't a practice of perfection, but a willingness to keep showing up in the good and bad with faith, hope, and love.

CP: Is a panic attack a lack of faith? Why or why not?

Denison: For me, nothing about my experience with panic attacks seem related to a lack or abundance of faith. Life gets tough sometimes. This year has been hard on all of us. For me specifically, I've learned through panic attacks that I belong to about 15% of the population that have a slightly different brain chemistry than the other 85%. My mind is simply highly sensitive to stimulation and reaches a level of overwhelm sooner than the majority of people. It's through an abundance of faith that I can experience God's grace and love even in moments that don't align with what I believe to be God's perfect hope for us in eternity.

CP: Why do you think the younger generations are suffering so much from anxiety?

Denison: Every day our technology brings us face to face with the suffering and depravity of our world. From social unrest to the pandemic, to an economic downfall, to political and faith division, we're consuming more stressful content than we could have imagined possible. When polled, even working adults stretched across six continents said that they were stressed more often than not. As a society, stress really has become our new normal. We live as if peace is for the best of moments, not something to be hoped for or expected.

As younger generations consume more and more media, and make space for less and less of those practices that produce peace, an epidemic of anxiety will be the result.

CP: What are some things people should do when experiencing that form of intense anxiety?

Denison: When I'm experiencing a panic attack, I try first to allow my emotions and feelings to come as opposed to suppressing them. I try to choose not to be overwhelmed additionally by the fact that I'm having an attack, but to acknowledge that my experience is valid and real and that it will subside. From there I like to find a dark, quiet place, where I can lay down and close my eyes until I regain some sense of normalcy. I've had times wherein about 15 minutes I feel like I can function normally, all the way to a sense of being on edge for the better part of a day. But validating my experience and choosing to think of myself gently and kindly, the way I believe my heavenly Father sees me, has been incredibly helpful.

CP: How can family members, the church and others support someone that experiences panic attacks?

Denison: With my wife, Rachel, and my two young boys, they know to simply allow me to have some space when a panic attack comes. Rachel treating me gently and kindly during this season has been such a sweet response that has sincerely brought us closer as a couple.

For the church, I would recommend some teaching around the current societal experience with stress and anxiety combined with some grace. Allow for the sharing of some lived experience before jumping to applications and answers. As vital and important as spiritual disciplines are, don't simply put at odds your congregation's tough experiences with biblical answers. Allow for time to process, to journey towards peace. Normalize the daily work of practicing peace, with bumps in that road from time to time. Encourage therapy and counseling. And see anxiety and stress as a major societal problem that deserves an ongoing and concerted effort from the church staff.

The last thing I would say is that the work in churches needs to begin with leaders self-assessing, and helping their staff assess their own stress levels. Church leadership is often documented as one of the most stressful jobs someone can have. We have to change the level of inner abundance within church work if we're going to be able to meaningfully engage in helping our congregants find inner abundance for themselves.

CP: What steps can someone take to help avoid getting overwhelmed in these trying times?

Denison: I now begin almost every day with a journal, simply checking in with myself. Processing through questions like "How am I feeling today?" "What is my body telling me?" And then inviting God into the answers to those questions has been incredibly helpful. I would also sincerely encourage someone struggling with feeling overwhelmed to find a counselor or therapist and to also find safe relationships you can be open and vulnerable with.

CP: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Denison: Every day we release free guides to God's presence with a time of worship, reading, self-reflection, and prayer. If you're wrestling with feeling overwhelmed and stressed in these uncommon days and would like to have a guide to a daily experience with God, you can go to First15.org to sign up for free.
The Australian share market finished session lower on Friday, 07 August 2020, as profit taking triggered amid fears of fears of further unemployment and financial damage after strict COVID-19-driven lockdown in the country's second-largest city Melbourne. Meanwhile, the central bank downgrade of its outlook for the national economy and rising tensions between the US & China after U. S. ban on transactions with China's ByteDance's TikTok and Tencent-owned WeChat also dented sentiments.

At closing bell, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index declined 37.35 points, or 0.62%, to 6,004.84. The broader All Ordinaries was down 35.35 points, or 0.57%, to 6,144.92.

The state of Victoria has recorded a sharp resurgence in coronavirus cases, prompting harsh movement restrictions even as policymakers attempt to support the economy through stimulus and wage subsidies.

The Reserve Bank of Australia said in its monetary policy statement released Friday that the pace of recovery of the Australian economy is expected to be slower than previously forecast. Generalised uncertainty and deficiency in demand have turned out to be more of a drag on growth than previously thought, the Australian central bank said, acknowledging that recent measures taken to address the coronavirus spread in the state of Victoria will further delay the recovery.

The Trump administration unveiled bans on U. S. transactions with ByteDance's TikTok and Tencent-owned WeChat, stoking fears that a "silicon curtain" is emerging between the two superpowers.

Although most sectors were lower, leading declines were the materials and healthcare sectors.

Miners weighed most even as commodity prices remain at elevated levels. Gold prices continued to hit all-time highs, holding around US$2,070 /oz overnight while iron ore was at 12-month highs. BHP Group (BHP) fell 1.3% while Rio Tinto (RIO) lost 2.9%. Gold miners also eased with Northern Star (NST) down 2.4% and Silver Lake (SLR) eased 3.1%.

The big four banks ended mixed. National Bank (NAB) underperformed its peers, ending lower by 0.4% while ANZ Bank (ANZ) lifted 0.25%. One of the financials with the largest percentage change was Australian Ethical Fund (AEF), which dropped 15% after IOOF Holdings (IFL) sold 72% of its 19.7 million shares in the company for a total consideration of A$74.5 million.

Insurance Australia Group (IAG) declined 0.8% with the insurer releasing FY20 profit results today. Insurance premiums rose slightly to $12.1 billion but net profit after tax (NPAT) slumped 59.6% to A$435 million, mostly on higher natural peril claims and COVID-19 claim costs.

CURRENCY NEWS: The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7211 following the RBA's monetary policy statement release, having seen an earlier high of $0.7243.

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As residents of Deir ez-Zor protest the presence of the SDF and the US forces, their homes have been raided and a number of people have been kidnapped writes SANA.

US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stormed properties and kidnapped a number of civilians in the city of al-Shuhail in Deir ez-Zors southeastern countryside, as protests demanded the expulsion of the group and that of the US occupation forces in the area.

Local sources told SANA that the SDF stormed the houses of the citizens in al-Shuhail city, kidnapped a number of civilians and set up several checkpoints inside the city in an attempt to control the protests that many villages and towns in Deir ez-Zors countryside are witnessing.

The sources pointed out that the SDF burnt a number of the citizens houses in al-Shuhail city in retaliation against those who demonstrated in protests against its criminal practices.

Over the last two days, the SDF imposed a siege on al-Shuhail, al-Busayrah, al-Hawaij and Dhiban towns in Deir ez-Zors countryside, and brought military convoys to al-Shuhail city, imposed a curfew and kidnapped a number of civilians.

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.
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Business owners and consumers are rethinking their finances and insurance needs due to the current economic uncertainty. However, new research suggests insurance customers and their agents are not always on the same page; there are gaps between what agents and their customers think and agents may not be giving customers everything they want.

Thus insurance agents face some challenges when helping customers, according to a report from Nationwide Insurance. At the same time as they face these new obstacles, agents have a compelling opportunity to serve as a knowledgeable resource for current and prospective customers to strengthen and grow their portfolio or business, the report says.

Nationwide identifies four themes in its study:

A perception gap: There are gaps between agents and customers when it comes to perception of service levels.

Customers want more than just property and casualty support from agents.

Understanding policy coverage and price are shared challenges across all audiences.

The economy is a concern, and customers are looking to agents for guidance.

Our latest research shows some emerging opportunities in the agent-customer relationship particularly when navigating this current environment and economy, said Jeff Rommel, senior vice president of Property and Casualty sales at Nationwide. But while the data pinpointed gaps, agile agents will see ways to address their clients concerns, enhance retention and grow their business.

A Few Tips for Agents: Set up regular calendar reminders to check in with top commercial lines clients every six months to understand the challenges their business is facing and evaluate evolving insurance needs. Reach out to all personal lines customers at least once a year. Ask your carrier partners for tools to talk to clients about employee benefits, loss control, retirement planning. Nationwides My Loss Control Services and the Nationwide Retirement Institute are two resources. When you touch base with clients, brainstorm insurance scenarios together to identify potential gaps and where business continuity and disaster planning may help. Help your clients understand that price is only one of several important considerations when evaluating insurance. Look to your carrier partners to share technical expertise and resources to help you advocate for your clients and provide safety resources that mitigate their risks. Explore telematics products with both commercial and personal lines clients. Share your knowledge and research on the state and future of the economy with customers.

A Perception Gap

There is a perception gap in the value agents believe they are bringing to their customers. Agents are confident they are meeting the needs of their customers, yet some business owners and consumers have a different perspective on the services agents should provide, indicating gaps that can be closed:

95% of insurance agents believe they are always there when their clients need them but only 79% of customers felt the same.

While 91% of agents said they can offer the best prices, only 74% of customers agreed.

94% of agents reported they are regularly checking in with their customers to make sure their policy fits their needs. However, only 69% of customers reported sufficient check-ins from their agent.

What Customers Want

The research identified areas where agents can go above and beyond traditional insurance guidance. While most customers seek counsel on conventional insurance, some business owners are looking for help on succession planning, disaster recovery and employee benefits. Additionally, general property/casualty customers are asking agents about retirement and banking advice.

57% of mid-market business owners are asking about employee benefits.

45% of mid-market business owners and 35% of small business owners are asking about safety and loss control.

26% of consumer customers want guidance on retirement planning.

Physical location is something customers value. While there is a desire for digital platforms, small business owners (68%), and consumers (51%) still prefer to have an insurance agent where they are physically located.

Shared Challenge

The research identified two consistent challenges across all audiences surveyed  understanding policy coverage and finding the best price.

46% of small business owners, 71% of mid-market business owners and 47% of consumers said it is a challenge to understand what is and what is not covered in their policy.

44% of small business owners, 69% of mid-market business owners and 45% of consumers said it is a challenge to find the best price for protection needs.

Similarly, 55% of agents say they struggle educating clients on the coverage they need and 46% of agents say providing the level of service customers demand is a challenge.

Many customers also wrestle with understanding different types of coverage, the time it takes to settle a claim, insurance terminology and understanding how much coverage they need.



Nationwide Research Methodology:

Nationwide commissioned Edelman Intelligence to conduct a 20-minute quantitative online survey among a sample of 2,600 U.S. independent insurance agents, small business owners, mid-market business owners, mid-market business owners with fleet vehicles, African American business owners, Hispanic business owners and general consumers between June 9  June 25. Nationwide commissioned Edelman Intelligence to conduct a 20-minute quantitative online survey among a sample of 2,600 U.S. independent insurance agents, small business owners, mid-market business owners, mid-market business owners with fleet vehicles, African American business owners, Hispanic business owners and general consumers between June 9  June 25.

Agents reported it particularly challenging to:

Adopt new technology to keep up with the industry (55%)

Understand the nuances between different industries (53%)

Help clients with disaster prep or mitigation practices (51%)

An Economic Outlook

Over half of agents think their clients feel uncomfortable talking about economic uncertainty. However, more than half of business owners and consumers feel like their agent was prepared to have these discussions.

47% of agents are optimistic the economy will recover in the next year but 66% are concerned about making it through this economic climate.

81% of agents say their customers are unsure how the current economy will impact their business and their insurance needs.

Topics Agencies Property Casualty
However, there is no guarantee such an exception will be made for schools that dont give families the option of in-person instruction in a school building, Bray wrote. Therefore, schools that dont offer in-person instruction should plan on operating under the current funding policy.
A Dublin criminal has appeared in a Belfast court charged with making threats to kill after shots were fired at a family's home.

A court heard that gun attaches were fired on a Tyrone home linked to a 250,000 drug debt owed to criminals in the capital.

Police claimed the house in Coalisland was targeted twice amid phone warnings to "cause damage" to a family living there if the money was not paid.

Details emerged as Robert 'Roo' Redmond (32), who is centrally linked to gangland feuding in Dublin, appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with threats to kill on dates between February 1 and July 2, 2019.

Redmond, of Woodview Close in the Donaghmede area, was arrested at a hotel on Tuesday after apparently travelling north for a night out.

A detective said the case is connected to separate gun attacks on the Coalisland property in March and July last year.

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In the first incident a number of shots were fired through the windows of the house.

Police believe the attack was carried out because a member of the family living there was under threat from Dublin criminals.

Damage

The alleged victim claims he had developed a friendship with Redmond after they met in Lanzarote, the court heard.

But according to the detective their relationship deteriorated when Redmond held him responsible for a 250,000 drug debt.

Threats to kill were allegedly made in WhatsApp messages, with one telling the man he had two weeks to pay and signed off "tick tock, tick tock".

It was claimed that another message warned: "I'm going to cause damage to your family."

After shots were fired at the house for a second time, the man allegedly received further telephone communication informing him he would be getting "five or six in the face".

Defence solicitor Hamill Clawson insisted Redmond is only charged with threats to kill, which are denied.

"He was released unconditionally in relation to the alleged shooting that occurred a year ago at the home address of the complainant," the lawyer said.

Asked why his client was in the North this week, Mr Clawson explained: "There's still a lockdown in the south, he came up to Belfast for a night out."

Redmond was refused bail due to concerns he may not comply with any release conditions. District Judge Mark Hamill remanded him in custody to appear again next month.

Last month The Herald revealed how 'Roo' is heavily involved in the deadly Coolock feud when he lost 136,000 in assets after a High Court judgment.

The convicted drug dealer has survived an attempted hit and was also twice arrested for possession of firearms in relation to the feud which has claimed five lives.

He was released without charge on both occasions but is understood to have come under increasing pressure in recent days - because his 32-year-old right-hand man is now in custody on separate firearms charges.

Redmond has been the focus of multiple investigations by specialist garda units, including the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB).

He was also closely monitored by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), who made two significant seizures from him in August 2018 and January 2019.

Watches

In the High Court last month, Mr Justice Alex Owens gave permission to the CAB to sell Redmond's seized assets and put the proceeds into State coffers.

The assets included a 151 Audi A6 car, high-end watches and handbags, designer clothing and more than 36,000 in cash. The total value of the assets is estimated at 136,000.

Redmond was not present in court to hear that the State will seize the items, which include a diamond-encrusted Audemars Piguet watch worth over 22,000, a Rolex watch valued at over 16,000, and a ladies Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch valued at over 21,000.

Designer goods worth 10,000 were also seized.

Redmond, who has 77 criminal convictions, including four for possession of drugs, was jailed for five years in Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in 2013 when he pleaded guilty to possession of drugs for sale or supply at Burnell Square, Northern Cross, Malahide Road, on September 29, 2010.
India reported more than 62,000 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), for the first time in a single day, and over 880 deaths across the country, Union health ministrys data showed on Friday.

The country, which had been recording over 50,000 fresh cases every day since July 30, saw 62,538 Covid-19 cases and 886 fatalities between Thursday and Friday morning, pushing its infection tally to 2,027,074 and death toll to 41,585, according to the health ministrys dashboard at 8am.

India crossed two million Covid-19 cases on Thursday, three weeks after it crossed a million cases on July 16. According to an HT analysis, nearly 38% of new cases since the day Indias tally crossed a million Covid-19 infections have come from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar. These five states together were responsible for less than 19% of cases before July 16 when India hit the million-mark.

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, which accounted for less than 19% of the first million, have reported nearly 42% of new Covid-19 cases since July 16.

For latest updates on Covid-19 pandemic, click on this link

Data shows the spread of the Sars-CoV-2, the virus which causes the coronavirus disease, has shifted geographies in the last three weeks, targeting the hinterland and the southern peninsula instead of just Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.

According to the health ministrys dashboard on Friday, there are 607,384 active cases and 1,378,105 patients of the viral disease have been cured, taking the recovery rate to 67.98%. In the last 24 hours, 49,769 people were sent home from hospitals across the country. The ministry data shows Indias case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 2.07%.

The gap between the active and recovered cases has widened to 770,721 and according to the health ministry focused and coordinated containment, widespread testing combined with supervised isolation and effective treatment have resulted in increasing recovery rates and steadily falling case mortality. These have ensured declining percentage active cases, it said on Thursday.

India is behind the United States, which is the worst-hit country in the world with nearly 5 million cases, and Brazil with more than 2.8 million cases. According to experts, Indias next million cases may take just a little over two weeks if the Covid-19 cases in the country continue to grow at the same rate they have till now.

They said Indias focus of the battle against Sars-Cov-2 now needs to shift to the hinterland and the peninsula, both high population density regions with, in the case of the former, significant rural populations and relatively inadequate health care systems.

There are now more than 19 million people who have been infected by Sars-Cov-2 and 713,845 have succumbed to the coronavirus disease, according to the tracker by Johns Hopkins University.

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If businesses plan on weathering the pandemics economic storm, experts suggest they move beyond reinventing the wheel.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

New figures from Statistics Canadas Survey on Business Conditions indicate revenue increases have stalled, business optimism has come to a standstill and independent firms are worried they wont last the year. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press files)

If businesses plan on weathering the pandemics economic storm, experts suggest they move beyond reinventing the wheel.

After months of uphill COVID-19 recovery, new figures from Statistics Canadas Survey on Business Conditions indicate revenue increases have stalled, business optimism has come to a standstill and independent firms are worried they wont last the year.

But while provinces like Ontario and British Columbia are shown to be more likely to create innovative solutions to "pandemic-proof" their businesses, Manitoba appears hesitant to reinvent.

About 29 per cent of all surveyed firms in both B.C. and Ontario said theyre modifying their workspaces as a result of COVID-19, with 22 per cent in B.C. adding they would increase online sales capacity and 12 per cent in Ontario saying they would diversify their supply chains.

Thats compared to Manitoba  nine points behind both provinces and six points behind the national average  where 20 per cent businesses said theyd be willing to modify operations.

"For a while now," says Loren Remillard, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, "the thinking was actually getting through the pandemic before looking outward to innovative solutions."

"Its definitely changing," he said. "Only time will tell though whether these changes  seen through e-commerce, in deliveries and other such measures  will remain momentary, temporary or become permanent."

Polling data, however, shows a propensity for online sales in the province remains downhill.

Seven points behind the national average, 11 per cent of Manitoban firms polled in July said they would increase capacity for online operations and only six per cent said theyd diversify supply chains.

"We were definitely already at a bit of a disadvantage compared to other provinces," says Bram Strain, CEO and president of the Business Council of Manitoba. "Governments like Albertas were much quicker to act  providing tax breaks, incentive measures and such programs faster than we did. That definitely helped them more than us."

"What I think businesses are struggling with most now is the moving target around what normal in the future is actually going to look like," he said. "They still dont know how exactly they can innovate when what theyre currently doing can quickly change again."

A firms individual industry and size will also impact the desire to innovate, suggest Statistic Canadas sector-to-sector comparisons. Health care and manufacturing, in contrast to retail or food services, for example, polled more likely to diversify their reliance on single-supplier solutions.

Part of this is that consumer confidence remains "a tenuous factor," says Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

Theres a difference between regaining customers trust and rebuilding it altogether, he said, "And I think its a bit of both."

"The reality is, if youre still unwilling to find new solutions or move online, youre going against what people are used to now," he said. "Inevitably, then, you will be left behind."

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Meantime, findings also revealed that minority-owned businesses appear disproportionately less confident about their future.

Just under half of all LGBTTQ+ respondents said they will not be able to maintain business operations for up to 12 months, should conditions remain unchanged. About 40 per cent of First Nations, Metis and Inuit-owned firms, 35 per cent of immigrant-operated and 18 per cent of those owned by people with a disability, said the same.

"At the end of the day," said Remillard, "businesses arent monoliths. Theyre people.

"And if people are slow to adapt or simply dont want to change, one persons decision to wait for normal to come back is different from anothers  and thats OK."

Twitter: @TemurDur

TemurDurrani@freepress.mb.ca
EDMONTONStudents in Alberta will see a new curriculum going forward that focuses on literacy, numeracy and Canadian history  while keeping out political bias, the provinces education minister said.

Adriana LaGrange signed a ministerial order to finalize the new curriculum, which is to be implemented in phases and fully in place by the 2022-23 school year.

She called the plan a return to proven teaching methods that will set up Alberta students for rich personal and work lives.

It will include a social studies curriculum that is taught without political bias, offering objective understanding of Albertan, Canadian and world history, geography and civic literacy, said LaGrange at an Edmonton news conference Thursday.

She declined to give an example of political bias in the current program.

I had several parents send me evidence of bias that was being taught to their children, sometimes within an exam, she said.

The social studies, the way its presented in certain classrooms, by certain individual teachers  there have been actual examples of bias shown.

An extensive review of the curriculum began in 2016 under the former NDP government. That review was to be completed in stages, with the results for kindergarten to Grade 4 rolling out last year.

After the NDP lost the provincial election last year, the United Conservative government put the plan on hold to do its own review.

NDP education critic Sarah Hoffman said the kindergarten to Grade 4 changes should have been implemented a year ago. She added that the timing of Thursdays announcement, while children will be put at risk returning to school this fall during a pandemic, is wrong.

There is no more obvious an attempt to distract from the issue at hand than what the minister just did, she said.

This is an attempt to pretend that everythings fine in regard to school safety. And I hate to say it, but its not.

The province announced earlier this week that masks will be mandatory for students in Grades 4 to 12, and all staff, when schools reopen in September. The NDP has said it also wants a cap on class sizes and more staff to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in schools.

Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers Association, said hes relieved implementation of the new curriculum will be delayed.

Its unfortunate but were in the middle of a pandemic, which is not the time to do that, and we need to remain focused on ensuring a return to school is safe.

He said the new curriculum is long overdue but hopes the government will consult with teachers before making anything final.

We have to make sure we dont confuse what the ministerial order says about curriculum with pedagogy and how we teach, he said.

Curriculum is what we teach. How we teach it should be left up to teachers.

The chair of the Curriculum Advisory Panel said the curriculum changes are necessary to keep Alberta students competitive with the rest of the world.

You cant do so many subjects if you cant read, think, compute or comprehend well. Those are the essentials that we want for all Alberta students, said Angus McBeath, a former superintendent of Edmonton Public Schools.

We dont want any kids in Alberta left behind. Many Albertans feel that in life, theyre being shortchanged in this province. We want that to end.

LaGrange said the K-4 curriculum that was already completed will be reviewed and enhanced before being offered next year. Work on the curriculum for other age groups is continuing.

Read more about:
A mass murderer who shot dead seven people more than three decades ago is seriously ill in hospital after going on hunger strike.

Julian Knight, then 19, gunned down his victims in Clifton Hill in Melbourne's inner-east on August 9, 1987 in what became known as the Hoddle Street massacre.

The bespectacled killer - whose release from prison after a 27-year minimum sentence in 2014 was blocked by the Victorian government - has reportedly been admitted to the city's St Vincent's Hospital for treatment.

Pictured: Hoddle Street killer Julian Knight arriving at the Supreme Court in Melbourne in February 2012. The mass murderer who killed seven people in 1987 is seriously ill in hospital after going on hunger strike

Knight, now 52, stopped eating and drinking at the maximum security prison in Port Phillip in protest after he was caught with contraband, The Herald Sun reported.

The murderer has suffered a long battle with Chron's disease - an inflammatory bowel condition.

Donna Wood, a police officer who had raced to the scene of the shooting, said she hoped Knight would keep up with his hunger strike.

'Keep up the good work,' Mrs Wood said. 'It's the kind of self-centredness he's always shown in his life.'

'Let him shuffle off if thats what his wish is. Its always been about him. Let this be about him.'

A Department of Justice and Community would not comment on individual cases.

Mrs Wood had held the hand of one of Knight's victims Gina Papaioannou, who died 11 days after the shooting, and rode with her in the ambulance to hospital.

Last year it emerged Knight penned a startling confession to forensic psychologist Tim Watson Monroe just weeks after the devastating 1987 murders.

Julian Knight shot dead Gina Papaioannou, 21, (pictured), along with Kenneth Stanton, 21, Tracey Skinner, 23, Vesna Markovska, 24, Johnny Muscat, 26, Robert Mitchell, 27 and Dusan Flajnik, 53

Monroe was publishing Knight's graphic poem in his new memoirs, Shrink in the Clink, despite acknowledging it may open fresh wounds for survivors and victims.

'On that fateful night in August, the avenging angel executed it's final order. Gutters ran with blood and bodies lay amongst the carnage strewn across that field of death,' Knight wrote of the heinous attack.

'The sirens of authority and sounds of gunfire drowned out the screams of the dying.'

Knight pictured in 2012. Last year it emerged Knight penned a startling confession to forensic psychologist Tim Watson Monroe just weeks after the devastating 1987 murders

Christos Papaioannou holds a photo of his daughter Gina Papaioannou (second row, second from left)

'The angel of mercy had been swayed and in the evil clutches of insanity it carried out death's morbid tasks'.

Mr Knight claimed, in his poem, that he was carrying out tasks beyond his control, and that he was not consciously enacting the crime.

Former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina believes the poem is further proof Knight should never be released.
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Iraq's Militias Threaten the Future of Assyrians

The defeat of ISIS in Iraq came at the cost of strengthening militias. The pandemic has given many regional governments an opportunity to centralize authority. But Iraq's militias have resisted similar attempts by Baghdad. For those observing this dynamic, it brings memories of a past filled with hardship and history of increased persecution.

During the early 2000s, these militias were at the forefront of Christian persecution, prompting the first immigration wave. "Christian immigration passed through three main stages," explained a former resident of Baghdad to ICC. "The first was from 2005-2007, [the] second was in 2010 when some extremists attacked [a] church during Sunday mass and the third stage was in 2014 when ISIS attacked [the] Nineveh Plain."

Will there be a fourth stage? Many hope not, but recent militia tension brings memories of the early 2000s.

Recently, Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Services conducted an unprecedented raid on a militia in Baghdad. The next day, the militia threatened retaliation. One militia member threatened Prime Minister al-Khadami, who ordered the raid, reportedly saying "you are smaller than attacking an office of our militia."

The prime minister remains new to his office, after militia interference in the political system delayed the process for months. Untangling the web of militia control is a struggle and dangerous endeavor, but the prime minister's early policies seem to indicate this is a priority. This has left Christians unsettled and skeptical of the prime minister's ability to actually break down militia control.

"I can't believe what al-Khadami is pretending to do. If you look back at previous prime ministers, al-Abadi or Abdul Mahdi, you will find similarity on the decisions, but none turn to actions," said Ehab, a Christian from Baghdad.

He continued, "both Abadi and Abdul Mahdi took strict decision about militias having weapons, but again [nothing] came to reality. Having that history tells me not to believe al-Khadami and that all he is doing [will] not exceed a show."

It is well-known across Iraq that the federal government has no power, and that the militias actually control the country with the support of neighboring Iran, a Shia country.

Ali, a militia member, told ICC. "Now the people of Iraq are exhausted under the Shi'a Islamic control. All who are in control somehow belong to some sort of militia. Over the past 17 years, they worked on weakening the government and [taking] its power. They are controlling the country by militias."

The militias are often well-funded through an elaborate trade network. Weapons and other supplies are smuggled across borders. This is significant concern for Nineveh Governorate residents, as this area is the last distinctly Christian area in Iraq. It shares a border with Syria and is geographically close to Turkey. Iranian trucks frequently pass through.

"Militias will never allow the government to take control on borders, it is a huge income for them to support their employees, weapons, and to support Iran," explains Fadi, a displaced from Nineveh. "According to my knowledge, border income [is] considered the 2nd income for Iraq after exporting oil. It is supposed to take 12% of the total income if it goes to the Central Iraq Ministry of Finance. But it goes to the militias. That explain how these militias are having all these cars, influence, weapons, and support in general."

Many Christians lament the misdirection of border income, as funds delivered to the government could help them. Instead, militias use it to perpetuate violence and human rights abuses.

"If the borders' income goes to the government it will be for good of Iraqis. But now the income been used to buy weapons and to employ someone who killed Iraqis; it is exactly the opposite," said a local woman named Romina. Speaking of Christians, she says "we are part of the community and whatever happened to Iraq in general have a direct impact on our lives."

"I see al-Khadami as a hero who needs support to achieve something good for all Iraqis by maintaining fair partnerships with the international community on political and economic sides. But that's against what Iran wants because it will decrease Iranian trading and political influence in Iraq," continued Romina.

Tensions only continue to rise as recently news broke that Hisham al-Hashimi was assassinated in Baghdad. A leading expert on Iraq's militias who had an advisory role with the government and frequently appeared in the media, many believe his death was a warning. Do not speak ill of the militias. Do not try to control them.

For Christians, it is a warning felt with worry and concern. The militias cause them so many hardships. But will constraining the militias increase these challenges?
DUBLIN, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "US Acne & Rosacea Market: Insights, Trends & Forecast (2020-2024)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The US acne market is expected to reach US$4.49 billion in 2024, recording growth at a CAGR of 4.12% during the period spanning 2019-2024. The US rosacea market is expected to reach US$1.8 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 5.92% during the period spanning 2019-2024.

Growth in the acne and rosacea market has accrued due to the rising youth population, the increasing purchasing power of consumers and escalating healthcare expenditure. The market is anticipated to experience certain trends like growing awareness about acne & rosacea and their treatments and the increasing importance of personal appearance. The US acne & rosacea market would face challenges regarding entry of generic drugs and side effects of therapies.

Scope of the Report

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the US acne & rosacea market.

The market dynamics such as growth drivers, market trends and challenges are analyzed in-depth.

The competitive landscape of the market, along with the company profiles of leading players (Allergan, Bausch Health Companies, Leo Pharma, Sol Gel Technologies, Foamix Pharmaceuticals & Galderma) are also presented in detail.

Market Segmentation and Insights



The US acne market by drug type can be segmented as follows: topical drugs and oral antibiotics. In 2019, the higher share of the market was held by topical drugs, followed by oral antibiotics.

The US acne topical drugs by brand can be segmented into the following: Epiduo Franchise, Aczone Franchise, Retin-A-Franchise, Onextin/Acanya and Veltin. In 2019, the dominant share was held by Epiduo Franchise, followed by Aczone Franchise.

The US acne oral antibiotics by brand can be segmented as follows: Solodyn, Acticlate, Doryx Franchise and Targadox. The highest share of the market was held by Solodyn, followed by Acticlate and Doryx Franchise.

The US acne addressable population by severity can be segmented as follows: moderate patients, mild patients and severe patients. The largest share of the market was held by moderate patients.

The US rosacea market by drug type can be segmented as follows: topical drugs and oral antibiotics. The dominant share of the market was held by topical drugs segment in 2019.

The US rosacea drug revenue by brand can be segmented into the following: Metrogel, Oracea, Soolantra, Finacea, Vasoconstrictors and Minocycline. In 2019, the dominant share of the revenue was generated by Metrogel, followed by Oracea.

Key Topics Covered



1. Market Overview

1.1 Acne

1.1.1 Acne Overview

1.1.2 Causes & Symptoms of Acne

1.1.3 Classification of Severity

1.1.4 Treatment for Acne

1.1.5 Acne Treatment Continuum

1.1.6 Limitations of Acne Treatments

1.2 Rosacea

1.2.1 Rosacea Overview

1.2.2 Symptoms and Causes of Rosacea

1.2.3 Treatment for Rosacea

2. The US Acne Market

2.1 The US Acne Market Forecast by Value

2.2 The US Acne Market by Drug Type

2.3 The US Acne Topical Drugs by Brand

2.4 The US Acne Oral Antibiotics by Brand

2.5 The US Acne Market Forecast by Product

2.5.1 The US Minocycline Revenue Forecast

2.5.2 The US Retin-A Generics Revenue Forecast

2.5.3 The US Epiduo/Epiduo Forte Revenue Forecast

2.5.4 The US Aczone Revenue Forecast

2.5.5 The US Onexton Revenue Forecast

2.5.6 The US Solodyne Revenue Forecast

2.5.7 The US Oracea Revenue Forecast

2.5.8 The US Ziana Revenue Forecast

2.6 The US Acne Prevalence Forecast

2.7 The US Acne Addressable Population

2.7.1 The US Acne Addressable Population Forecast

2.7.2 The US Acne Addressable Population by Severity

2.7.3 The US Moderate Acne Population Forecast

2.7.4 The US Mild Acne Population Forecast

2.7.5 The US Severe Acne Population Forecast

2.8 The US Acne Topical Treatment Population

2.8.1 The US Acne Topical Treatment Population Forecast

2.8.2 The US Acne Topical Treatment Population by Severity

2.8.3 The US Acne Topical Treatment Moderate Population Forecast

2.8.4 The US Acne Topical Treatment Moderate Population Forecast

2.8.5 The US Severe Acne Topical Treatment Population Forecast

2.9 FMX101

2.9.1 The US FMX-101 Drug Market Share Forecast

2.9.2 The US FMX-101 Drug Cost Forecast

2.9.3 The US FMX-101 Drug Revenue Forecast

2.10 TWIN

2.10.1 The US TWIN Drug Patient Population Forecast

2.10.2 The US TWIN Drug Market Share Forecast

2.10.3 The US TWIN Drug Cost Forecast

2.10.4 The US TWIN Drug Revenue Forecast

2.11 SIRS-T

2.11.1 The US SIRS-T Drug Patient Population Forecast

2.11.2 The US SIRS-T Drug Market Share Forecast

2.11.3 The US SIRS-T Drug Cost Forecast

2.11.4 The US SIRS-T Drug Revenue Forecast

3. The US Rosacea Market

3.1 The US Rosacea Market Forecast by Value

3.2 The US Rosacea Total Cases Forecast

3.3 The US Rosacea Market by Drug Type

3.3.1 The US Rosacea Market Revenue and Prescription by Brand

3.4 The US Rosacea Prevalence Forecast

3.5 The US Rosacea Addressable Population

3.5.1 The US Rosacea Addressable Population Forecast

3.5.2 The US Rosacea Addressable Population by Severity

3.5.3 The US Mild Rosacea Population Forecast

3.5.4 The US Moderate Rosacea Population Forecast

3.5.5 The US Severe Rosacea Population Forecast

3.6 The US Rosacea Topical Treatment Population

3.6.1 The US Rosacea Topical Treatment Population Forecast

3.6.2 The US Rosacea Topical Treatment Population by Severity

3.6.3 The US Moderate Rosacea Topical Treatment Population Forecast

3.6.4 The US Mild Rosacea Topical Treatment Population Forecast

3.6.5 The US Severe Rosacea Topical Treatment Population Forecast

3.7 FMX103

3.7.1 The US FMX-103 Drug Market Share Forecast

3.7.2 The US FMX-103 Drug Revenue Forecast

3.8 VERED

3.8.1 The US VERED Drug Patient Population Forecast

3.8.2 The US VERED Drug Market Share Forecast

3.8.3 The US VERED Drug Cost Forecast

3.8.4 The US VERED Drug Revenue Forecast

4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Growth Drivers

4.1.1 Increasing Youth Population

4.1.2 Rising Purchasing Power

4.1.3 Escalating Healthcare Expenditure

4.1.4 Vast Market Opportunity

4.1.5 Sedentary Lifestyle and Unhealthy Eating Habits

4.2 Key Trends & Developments

4.2.1 Growing Awareness

4.2.2 Increasing Medical Tourism

4.2.3 Preference for Minimally Invasive Procedures

4.2.4 Importance of Personal Appearance

4.3 Challenges

4.3.1 Entry of Generic Drugs

4.3.2 Side Effects of Acne and Rosacea Therapies

4.3.3 Tough Regulations

5. Competitive Landscape

5.1 Global Market

5.1.1 Revenue Comparison - Key Players

5.1.2 Market Capitalization Comparison - Key Players

5.1.3 Research & Development Comparison - Key Players

5.1.4 Global Acne Market- Drug Comparison by Company

5.1.5 Global Late Stage Acne Market- Drug Comparison by Company

5.1.6 Global Mid Stage Acne Market- Drug Comparison by Company

5.1.7 Global Rosacea Market- Drug Comparison by Company

6. Company Profiles

6.1 Bausch Health Companies, Inc.

6.1.1 Business Overview

6.1.2 Financial Overview

6.1.3 Business Strategies

6.2 Foamix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

6.3 Allergan PLC

6.4 Sol Gel Technologies Ltd.

6.5 Galderma

6.6 Leo Pharma

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5kf6le

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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Trump has since said he would speak at the convention in Charlotte, though he did not explicitly say he would attend the convention in person. On Wednesday, Trump told Fox News he would probably give his acceptance speech live from the White House, raising concerns he could run afoul of a 1939 law barring some executive branch workers from participating in certain forms of political activity. While Trump and Pence are exempt from the Hatch Act, others involved in event planning could be at risk of violating the law.
The industrial relations watchdog will investigate claims Perth shipbuilder Austal paid 30 Filipino workers as little as $9 an hour.

The company has been accused of exploiting the workers just months after being awarded a $350 million defence contract by the Morrison government.

A Cape-class vessel built by Austal for the Australian Border Force. Credit:

Federal Attorney-General and Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter said he had referred the Electrical Trades Union's allegations to the Fair Work Ombudsman for investigation.

"While these specific matters should be thoroughly investigated before commenting, any exploitation of a worker, especially a vulnerable worker, is abhorrent and significant penalties can apply," Mr Porter said.
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (left) and other ships from the U.S. Navys 7th Fleet sail in formation in the South China Sea, Oct. 6, 2019.

Malaysia is being courted by both China and the United States this week in a diplomatic tug-of-war over the South China Sea, highlighting the Southeast Asian states desire to maintain tight relations with both great powers as they notch up their rivalry.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told his countrys parliament he would bring up the subject of the South China Sea in calls with his Chinese and American counterparts, but accounts of his talk with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not mention the waterway.

Instead, the two diplomats reportedly discussed cooperation in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Corridor (APEC) summit, opening speedier diplomatic channels, and supply chain stability. Malaysia has yet to release a statement beyond a social media post from Foreign Minister Hishammuddin.

On Thursday, Hishammuddin and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stressed our two countries shared respect for international law and the rules-based maritime order in the South China Sea, according to a statement issued by the American side.

Hishammuddin went a bit further, saying on his social media accounts that matters relating to the South China Sea must be resolved peacefully based on universally recognized principles of international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

The United States in early July began calling Chinas claims in the South China Sea illegal on the basis of international law. Since that time, the U.S. conducted dual aircraft carrier maneuvers in the South China Sea and a trilateral exercise with Japan and Australia, which angered Beijing.

Spurred by the Cold War mentality and selfish gains, Pompeo and his likes attempt to bind the international community to the anti-China, anti-CPC chariot, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a daily press conference on July 31.

However, they are doomed to fail because the world wont buy what they are selling; peace-loving people wont allow it; and the Chinese people wont be intimidated.

China has conducted its own drills in the South China Sea in recent weeks, flying fighter jets to Subi Reef and reportedly planning an exercise simulating a takeover of Pratas Island, a South China Sea feature occupied by Taiwan and classified as a national park.

More pressingly for Malaysia, Chinas coastguard has maintained a constant presence over the past year at Luconia Shoals, a series of features in Malaysian waters off Sarawak state on Borneo Island. China has also reportedly sent ships to James Shoal, a completely submerged feature southwest of Luconia, deep within Malaysias maritime territory.

Azmi Hassan, a political analyst with University Kebangsaan Malaysia, said longer official statements were likely coming soon, and emphasized that no matter what was discussed, the Malaysian foreign minister had likely strayed from confrontation.

I am confident that talks with China and the U.S. were done in a non-confrontational way because Malaysia needs both superpowers to balance out power in the South China Sea, Azmi said. If we get it right, Malaysia will benefit from the presence of both in the South China Sea.

ASEAN outreach

The back-and-forth between China, the U.S. and Malaysia is happening as the U.S. seeks to shore up support for its confrontational new approach to China in the South China Sea and Southeast Asia more broadly, with an unusual flurry of calls this week.

In addition to Hishammuddin, Pompeo also spoke with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Thursday. Earlier in the week, he placed calls to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, and Bruneian Foreign Minister II Erywan Yusof.

The exchanges all stressed the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific or called attention to the South China Sea specifically. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper called his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday; the two reportedly talked about maritime security cooperation as well.

In related developments on Wednesday, Pompeo announced his new Clean Network plan to cut Chinese technology companies, infrastructure, and smartphone applications out of the U.S. market, calling on other countries to pursue the same.

Malaysia has rebuffed both Chinese and U.S. activity in the South China Sea recently. After the Malaysias Auditor-General in July noted that Chinese ships had entered Malaysian waters 89 times between 2016 and 2019, Hishammuddin insisted that no Chinese ships had entered Malaysian waters since he took office in early March.

[M]y stand is very clear: we will not compromise on our sovereignty, he said at a news conference the next day.

But when the U.S. Navy sent warships near where Chinese vessels were harrying a Malaysian oil exploration effort in April, while urging China to stop bullying Southeast Asian nations over their resources, Hishammuddin responded with displeasure, signaling in a statement that such deployments could increase tensions and lead to destabilizing miscalculations.

At the same time, Malaysia has made a number of diplomatic statements that suggest it is increasingly concerned about Chinas behavior.

A note verbale Malaysia submitted to the United Nations on July 29 states, the Government of Malaysia rejects China's claims to historic rights, or other sovereign rights or jurisdiction, with respect to the maritime areas of the South China Sea encompassed by the relevant part of the 'ninedash line' as they are contrary to the [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] and without lawful effect.

The so-called nine-dash line outlines an area in the South China Sea to which China insists it has "historic rights." Neither the nine-dash line nor the historic rights argument is supported under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), according to a landmark 2016 arbitral tribunal that assessed whether they were in accordance with international law.

Meanwhile, the 33rd U.S.-ASEAN Dialogue wrapped up Wednesday with attendees, including Malaysia, reaffirming the need for peaceful dispute resolution in the South China Sea in accordance with international law as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling.

Mention of the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling between China and the Philippines, which China does not recognize, was absent from last years U.S.-ASEAN Dialogue statement.

To resolve the South China Sea issue with China, we must ensure that ASEAN's solidarity is strong and we remain united as one bloc, Hishammuddin told parliament Wednesday.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
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NEWS.am daily digest: 18.01.22

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Armenian Investigative Committee: Six soldiers captured in November arrested

Turkish government to discuss Rubinyan-Kilic meeting results

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Armenian MFA senior staff meets with ambassadors to European countries

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She recently revealed that she's spent 30,000 on a bum augmentation.

And Jessica Alves was proudly displaying the results of her recent transformation as she posed poolside for an eye-popping social media snap on Friday.

The transgender TV star, 36, set pulses racing in a plunging red one-piece as she shared snaps from her sun-soaked getaway to Marbella.

WOW! Jessica Alves was proudly displaying the results of her transformation as she posed poolside in Marbella for an eye-popping social media snap on Friday

Jessica showcased her amazing physique in the revealing swimsuit, which barely concealed her ample cleavage.

She made sure to work all her angles as she turned around for another picture, flaunting her surgically enhanced assets in the thong swimwear.

The Celebrity Big Brother star also posed up a storm in an Instagram post which promoted a food supplement range.

Appropriately it seemed the elements were perfectly aligned for Jessica's sexy snap, as a beautiful rainbow could be seen above her head.

Work it: The transgender star made sure to work all her angles as she soaked up the Spanish sunshine

All made up: Jessica styled her sleek blonde locks straight and added a slick of red lipstick for her photoshoot

In July Jessica, who was previously known as Rodrigo, revealed she jetted to Brazil to undergo a Bioplasty buttock augmentation that involved her having nine litres of filler injected into her bottom at a cost of 30,000.

The star said she doesn't care that she still has a 'male voice' and 'male genitals' for the time being as she feels 'sexy for the first time in [her] life' with her new curves.

Speaking to MailOnline about the transformation, Jessica said: 'I had a life changing aesthetic procedure as part of my transition which left me with a J-Lo butt and Kim Kardashian hips.'

'I had high amounts of Methacrylate over the period of a week [and] my body was transformed into an hourglass figure.

'I want to be a voluptuous woman with curves and now I am and I feel sexy for the first time in my life!'

Poser: In an Instagram snap, Jessica flaunted her curves while posing by the pool and in front of a rainbow

Sizzling: The transgender reality star also sported a plunging red dress as she headed to the hair salon in the warm Spanish sunshine

Incredible: In July Jessica, who was previously known as Rodrigo, revealed she jetted to Brazil to undergo a Bioplasty buttock augmentation

Jessica added that she never felt 'sexy' before her gender transition and had low confidence but now feels 'fierce' in her body.

She said: 'As a man I never felt sexy at all and I had very low confidence but now as a woman I feel fierce and sexy and it is such an overwhelming feeling.

'My life has changed a lot. I am not the same person from last year. My mind, body and soul is 100 per cent female.'

Jessica also explained that due to the coronavirus pandemic, her voice feminisation surgery and sex reassignment surgery have been delayed.

The former Human Ken Doll also revealed in July that she would now like to be called Jessica and has plans to formally changing her name.

Speaking on This Morning, Jessica added that she is dreaming of becoming a mother.

Glowing: Jessica has been showing off her figure on her new Instagram account, and previously donned a striking red dress and hoop earrings

She told hosts Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes 'I have been developing as a person and as a human being. I was born a transgender woman.

'Throughout the years you have known me, I was fighting the fact that I have always been a woman inside myself.'

Later on, Ruth asked: 'What about love in your life?'

Jessica said: 'First, is to love yourself. My priority is myself and my transition. I would like to have a child and like to have a baby.

'I visualise myself taking care of my baby and being with someone who loves me and accepts for me for who I am.'
Former Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston has been appointed as chairman of the Murray Darling Basin Authority.

The Authority is a Commonwealth agency that administers the Murray Darling Basin Plan - an agreement between state and federal governments to recover water from consumptive use, particularly irrigation farming, and return it to the river system to boost its environmental health.

Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston has been appointed to chairman of the Murray Darling Basin Authority. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Air Chief Marshal Houston served 41 years in the Australian Defence Force including six years as Chief of the Defence Force and four years as Chief of Air Force, before retiring in 2011. Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt said Air Chief Marshal Houstons experience would be "exceptionally useful" in developing a sense of shared purpose between the often warring factions in the Murray Darling Basin.

Rural communities and irrigators frequently butt heads with environment groups and First Nations peoples over water rights, and states compete with each other and the Commonwealth for shares of the valuable resource.
Police in Berlin made dozens of arrests, local reports said, during protests on August 6-7 against the enforcement of an eviction order against a bar in the south of the city.

The Syndikat bar in Neukoelln has been a focal point for Berlins growing anti-gentrification movement since its lease was not renewed in 2018.

The bars management and the Tagesspiegel newspaper traced the buildings ownership via a Luxembourg shell company to the London-based William Pears Group, which owns thousands of Berlin properties through a network of companies, they said.

Leander Jones shot this footage of police knocking one person to the ground, and wrestling another. Jones told Storyful that the police responded very aggressively. He decried what he said was police violence against peaceful demonstrators.

The Berlin Police on Twitter said officers were attacked in Neukoelln overnight.

Berlin Police spokesman Thilo Cablitz told Berlin Spectator that there had been 40 arrests since the protests began on Thursday night.

Local reports and people at the scene said protesters planned to reassemble outside the pub on the evening of August 7. Credit: Leander Jones via Storyful
Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and Anganwadi workers, who have been at the forefront in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, took to the streets on Friday demanding regularisation of their wages and payment of dues accrued over the last few months.

The workers, who went on a two-day strike from Friday, have been conducting door-to-door surveys and were enlisted by the Centre for the fight against the pandemic. They were also involved in the screening of the migrant labourers, who were forced to return to their homes after they were left jobless by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many of Bihars nearly 90,000 ASHA workers have been on a strike since August 6. Sarita Roy, 37, who has been staging a sit-in protest along with 30 other ASHA workers in Bihars Begusarai, said they have also not been provided proper personal protective equipment (PPE) kits. We go to areas where there are hundreds of cases but have not even been provided with personal protective equipment kits, said Roy, who has been an ASHA worker since 2007.

Roy said they have not been paid for the last four months. She added two of her fellow workers, Kiran and Sarita Devi, have tested Covid-19 positive and lost two others to the disease. We are not provided with the equipment even as we carry out all immunization tasks and even document maternity rates. She said they are paid just 5,000 a month and that too they have not received for the last four months.

Also read: Centre releases 890 crore as 2nd tranche of package for Covid-19 health system preparedness

The ASHA workers have been credited with helping India eradicate polio and reducing the number of women dying during childbirth. They have been involved in ensuring maternal health and immunization in rural areas with limited medical facilities.

Jyoti Sahare, a 45-year-old Aanganwadi worker in Maharashtra, said that the government must provide safety equipment to them. We have families too. If we contract the virus, they will be at direct risk, she said. We need protective equipment.

HT reached out to the women and child development ministry, which oversees the Anganwadi programme, for comments but received no reply.

Jeet Kaur, 48, who has been ASHA worker in Punjab for 12 years, said people are not forthcoming when they go for door-to-door surveys. She added they have also been attacked. We have been slapped, chased and abused, said Kaur, who visits nearly 50 houses daily.

The Initiative of Health Equity and Society director Mira Shiva said the workers would not have needed to go on strike if they were given their due. If ASHA workers, who are basically women, were given due remuneration for their work, measures for the protection and treated with dignity after their many appeals, they would not have needed to go on strike.
Bunty Bajaj, the jewellery designer mother of actor Rana Daggubatis fiancee Miheeka Bajaj, could not stop crying at one of their pre-wedding functions. It was an emotional moment for Bunty as her daughter wore her wedding lehenga for the bhaat ceremony.

Sharing a picture of Miheeka in the said lehenga on her Instagram page, Bunty wrote, Baht function wearing my wedding outfit , could not stop crying my baby is all grown up.#BAJaoeD. One Instagram user commented, What a lovely moment. Another wrote, Congrats!! Meehekuu looks gorgeous!

Earlier this week, pictures from Rana and Miheekas haldi ceremony went viral online. While the actor looked handsome in a white shirt and dhoti, his fiancee chose a yellow and gold lehenga-choli for the function. Sharing a picture from the ceremony, he wrote on Instagram, And life moves fwd in smiles :) Thank you.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput had a habit of tearing diary pages himself, says friend Siddharth Pithani

Rana and Miheeka will tie the knot on August 8 in Hyderabad. In a recent interview, the grooms father and producer Daggubati Suresh Babu said that it will be an intimate affair with just 30 guests in attendance. He added that precautions would be taken, keeping the coronavirus pandemic in mind.

There will not be more than 30 people present at the wedding. We want to limit the guest list to just family and we havent invited even some of our closest friends, within and outside the film industry. The reality is that Covid-19 cases continue to rise and we dont want our celebrations to risk anybodys health, so I want to set the right example. The ceremony will be small but beautiful. Everybody who will attend the wedding will get tested for Covid-19. We will also keep sanitisers across the venue and maintain social distancing. Its a happy occasion and we want to make it a safe one too, he said.

Rana will be seen next in Prabhu Solomons trilingual, which will be released as Haathi Mere Saathi in Hindi, Kaadan in Tamil and Aaranya in Telugu. The film is inspired by the life of environmental activist and forestry worker Jadav Payeng, who was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2015.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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Perry Homes is so proud to be partnering for the first time with Building Homes for Heroes to give back to this brave, selfless hero who sacrificed greatly for our country.

Perry Homes, Building Homes for Heroes, and Hillwood Communities today announced their first-ever partnership to construct a specialized home in Wolf Ranch, a master-planned development by Hillwood Communities, for an Army veteran who was severely injured while serving overseas. Army Sgt. Kristopher Biggs lost his left leg and suffered a traumatic brain injury during an attack in Iraq in 2007, and will receive one of 40 mortgage-free homes donated to injured soldiers this year through the Building Homes for Heroes organization. Sgt. Biggs was awarded the Purple Heart, among many other prestigious honors, for his dedication and service.

Located in Georgetown along the banks of the San Gabriel River and less than a mile from the intersection of Hwy 29 and I-35, the Wolf Ranch community offers beautiful first-class amenities. Wolf Ranch residents have exclusive access to a state-of-the-art amenity center, a resort-style infinity edge pool, pocket green spaces & parks, miles of scenic hiking trails, a playground, a large indoor lounge and kitchen area, an impressive outdoor patio and grilling area, and an onsite lifestyle program with scheduled activities for its residents year-round.

Perry Homes is so proud to be partnering for the first time with Building Homes for Heroes to give back to this brave, selfless hero who sacrificed greatly for our country, said Chris Little, Perry Homes City President, Austin/San Antonio. Perry Homes has long supported veterans in need through the construction of beautifully-designed homes, modified to enable these former servicemen and women to thrive on their own. To date weve built and donated eleven homes to well-deserving military families through other organizations who also provide homes for veterans. We are honored to offer Sgt. Biggs with a new home that will be carefully designed and specifically crafted for his individual needs.

Perry Homes will be working closely with Building Homes for Heroes to design a handicap-accessible 1,800 sq. ft. home featuring three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a home office, and an extended covered patio. Some adaptations include wider hallways, custom kitchen cabinetry, a modified primary bathroom shower, and other safety features designed specifically for Sgt. Biggs.

Having a brand-new home fitted to my specific needs is a dream come true, and I could not be more appreciative of the great work Perry Homes and Building Homes for Heroes are doing for wounded veterans in this country, said Sgt. Biggs. Theyre not just building new homes for veterans  they are building futures. Im grateful beyond words for the opportunity to rebuild my life and my future after losing my leg, and this new home will allow me to do that as independently as possible. This kind of compassion touches your soul, and it motivates you to keep moving forward beyond every obstacle.

The local Perry Homes construction management team holds a personal stake in building this new home for Sgt. Biggs. Project Manager Artie Ellis, an Army veteran himself, will be the lead supervisor on the construction of the home and will oversee every special modification needed for Sgt. Biggs. The official groundbreaking of the new home is slated for August, with a final completion date expected later this year.

I have a deep sense of pride for this country. While in the Army, I discovered my passion for effective leadership in high-pressure situations, said Ellis. My time with Perry Homes has provided me the opportunity to expand my leadership skills to support my team, allowing us to accomplish something that we can all be proud of each day. Being able to build this home for a fellow soldier gives me a unique opportunity to put my patriotism into action yet again and create a place where Sgt. Biggs and his family can make great memories for years to come.

Hillwood Communities has a strong history and commitment to the veteran community, said Duke Kerrigan, Hillwood Communities Austin General Manager. Since 2017, Hillwood Communities has worked with Building Homes for Heroes to deliver three homes for selected veterans in several of our master-planned communities throughout the State of Texas. We are proud to participate in this opportunity and will contribute by donating the homesite so that the benefits are passed along to Sgt. Biggs.

Another large contributor to this new home project is American radio and television personality Bobby Bones, who has also partnered with Building Homes for Heroes to provide Sgt. Biggs with this specially modified 1800S Perry Homes design. The nationally syndicated Bobby Bones Show has already raised more than $110,000 through the shows #PIMPINJOY movement, dedicated to helping those in need. Funds raised via the movements merchandise page, The Shop Forward, will be donated to help adapt and outfit the home for Sgt. Biggs.

For more information on Building Homes for Heroes, visit http://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.
People in Spain still did not have confirmation of the whereabouts of their former head of state on Thursday evening. Despite fervent speculation in the media as to where Juan Carlos de Borbon, King of Spain until his abdication in 2014, had gone, the government and the Royal household of his son, Felipe VI, were not giving away any details.

In a statement on Monday, King Juan Carlos said that he had taken a "measured decision" to leave the country due to the repercussions of "certain past events" in his private life and to help his son carry out his role as Head of State without distraction.

"I'm bound [to leave] by my legacy and my personal dignity," he said in the letter made public by the Royal Family.

The emeritus king's decision comes after information was revealed regarding a multimillion-euro fortune in Switzerland and tax havens The King was said to have left a yacht club in Galicia on Monday where he was staying, before crossing the nearby border to Portugal

In response, Felipe VI offered his father his "heartfelt respect and gratitude for his decision" and stressed "the historical importance" of his father's 39-year reign, "as the legacy and political and institutional work at the service of Spain and democracy".

The emeritus king's decision comes after information was revealed regarding a multimillion-euro fortune in Switzerland and tax havens, allegedly part due to the receipt of commissions and illicit financial activity. The main investigation is centring on possible commissions from Saudi Arabia to the King linked to Spanish companies winning a contract to build a high-speed railway to Mecca while he was still King. Juan Carlos had been immune for prosecution while still ruler of Spain.

Rumours had Juan Carlos at this gated estate in the Dominican Republic. / EFE

The possibility of undeclared money came to light after a former lover of Juan Carlos was secretly taped discussing his financial affairs. Amid claims and counter claims, complex legal moves are now under way in Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

The lawyer of the former head of state said that despite Juan Carlos' departure from Spain, his client was at the disposal of the Public Prosecution Department "for any formality or action it deems necessary".

During the coronavirus lockdown, King Felipe announced that he was giving up all inheritance from his father, due to the growing allegations of corrupt practice involving funds of which the current king had been put down as a hereditary beneficiary.

Juan Carlos's wife, Queen Sofia, continues living in Spain and will carry out Royal duties. This week she was on her usual holiday at the Marivent palace in Mallorca.

The King was said to have left a yacht club in Galicia on Monday where he was staying before crossing the nearby border to Portugal. According to press speculation, he was either still in Portugal, staying at a friend's estate, or had flown to the Dominican Republic to a secluded luxury development hat he has visited in the past.

Friends were reported as saying that he had no plans to have a fixed address outside Spain and would travel around.
What began as a shout-out to personal support workers at his mother-in-laws nursing home ended up as a promise from Premier Doug Ford to give PSWs a raise.

I know I might open a can of worms but they are grossly underpaid in my opinion, Ford said Thursday, one week after a report on staffing levels in long-term care recommended his government urgently hire new nurses and front-line workers to give nursing-home residents four hours of care daily.

The report said a staff shortage was made worse by poor working conditions during COVID-19, with almost 2,600 nursing home workers contracting the virus, leaving remaining colleagues to pick up the slack. About 5,900 residents caught the illness and more than 1,800 died in addition to eight people who cared for them, mostly PSWs.

Ford was mum on how big a raise personal support workers will get, telling reporters I cant put a figure on thatjust stay tuned. The workers typically earn about $20 hourly, depending on whether theyre in home care, a nursing home or hospital.

I know the next question from the media is what are you going to do about it? Well, well sit down, were going to come up with a solution to support these people, the premier added, naming about two dozen PSWs at the west-end nursing home where his mother-in-law tested positive for COVID-19 at the peak of the pandemic.

Theyre underpaid, as far as Im concerned theyre overworked, and I just want to tell you how grateful I amits personal.

The New Democrats accused Ford of feigning surprise over how hard PSWs work given that concerns about their plight have been well documented.

Staff are paid barely above minimum wage and theyre often stuck trying to put together part-time jobs without benefits at several homes just to make ends meet, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

Ford has acknowledged the shortage of workers in long-term care but not committed to the four-hour standard, which would cost an extra $1.6 billion a year to increase hands-on care such as bathing, toileting, diaper changes, dressing, and grooming done by PSWs.

Care levels now average about 2.7 hours daily and the staffing report said new hiring is needed before a second wave of COVID-19 hits. At the height of the rapid spread of the virus through nursing homes, some were down to 20 per cent of typical staffing levels and required help from military medical teams.

A union representing personal support workers said Fords promise of a raise is welcome news but more than bigger paycheques are needed.

What we need now are historic investments in human resources with more front-line staff, more full-time employment, and increased universal wages, benefits and pensions for all PSWs, said Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Healthcare.

Many nursing-home workers can only get part-time hours and have to work at more than one home to make a living  but the practice was eventually limited by emergency order over concerns workers were spreading the virus from one facility to another.

The staffing report noted turnover and attrition of personal support workers is high, with the pipeline of future PSWs in training getting smaller and industry sources pointing to pay and working conditions. PSWs account for 58 per cent of nursing-home staff.

Just this week we saw costs jump the most in 46 years, Stewart added. While PSWs fight COVID-19, they shouldnt also expect to be fighting to put food on the table and a roof over their head. Its not right, especially when for-profit long-term-care operators continue to pay shareholders millions of dollars in dividends.

Home Care Ontario said PSWs in providing care for people in their own homes are paid considerably less than counterparts in nursing homes and this disparity must also be addressed, or else personal support workers will flee home care for higher wages in long-term care and hospitals.

The consequences of supporting PSWs in one sector and not the other could be dire for our seniors, said Sue VanderBent, chief executive of the organization. Ontarios home-care system delivers more care to seniors than any other part of the health-care system.

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The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre has been welcoming a steady stream of visitors since it opened its doors to history and shipping buffs last week for the first time since March.

While the numbers arent like they were pre-COVID-19 when tour buses would pull in and capacity limits were higher, curator Kathleen Powell said its been going great so far.

We had people booked from nine oclock (the first day), she said. It was awesome to see people were self-confident in coming to the museum and felt it could be a safe place to be.

The facility has new limited capacity of only 50 people due to COVID-19 precautions, and has introduced timed entries four times a day. Visitors can phone ahead to 905-984-8880 to book one of the entry times, which are 90 minutes each.

Visitors are allowed access to exhibits and the outdoor viewing platform on the Welland Canal.

While people can take their chance and show up, they will have to wait if the facility is already at capacity. Powell said it hasnt reached the limit yet, but it has been close.

The museum closes for a half-hour in between the time slots so it can be re-cleaned. Staff also sanitize touch points, like door handles, through the opening hours.

Other changes due to COVID-19 include taped-off spaces on the viewing platforms so individuals or groups can be separated and indoor social distancing signs.

We have a lot of markers and directional arrows and signage to keep people distanced and remind people to be distanced, Powell said.

We just want to be safe and make sure that everyone is safe when they come here, because who wants to be worried about that when they are visiting a facility in the community?

Since the building was closed March 13, museum staff have offered virtual programming online and Powell said that will continue for people who arent ready to come to a public facility yet.

Weve been doing tons of programming for people while theyve been at home and thats been keeping us incredibly busy, but were also really happy to be open again and to welcome visitors back in the facility, she said.

Those who visit the museum can check out the Outbreak exhibit marking the 100th anniversary of the Spanish influenza epidemic, which proved more timely than expected when COVID-19 hit.

There is also a new photo exhibit, Coming Home, commemorating local soldiers and women in the armed forces who returned after the Second World War.

That exhibit was supposed to open the day we closed, Powell said. It actually wasnt seen by anyone in the public.

Admission is by donation and Powell is encouraging people to consider the value they get from the museum in person or through its social media programming during the lockdown.

If its provided them any, we really encourage people to make donation to the museum, because were in the same boat as everybody else. Our revenues are down substantially and we appreciate all of the support we get from everyone who comes, she said.

And you dont have to come here to make a donation.
Mauritius faces environmental disaster as shipwrecked tanker leaks oil

The Government of Mauritius announced on August 6 that an oil tanker which had run ashore on the island nations southeast coast in July had started to leak oil, sparking fears of an environmental disaster.

Pointe d'Esny - Image: Wikimedia

The MV Wakashio, which is Panamanian-flagged but owned by a Japanese company, ran aground on July 25 at Pointe dEsny. Its crew was evacuated safely but the ship began to break up in rough seas and oil started to leak from the vessel.



In a statement, the environment ministry said, The ministry has been informed  that there is a breach in the vessel MV Wakashio and there is a leakage of oil. The public in general, including boat operators and fishers, are requested not to venture on the beach and in the lagoons of Blue Bay, Pointe dEsny and Mahebourg.



Government ministers were quoted by local media as saying the Indian Ocean island nation is facing an environmental crisis and that the country is not adequately prepared for such a incident.



Images posted on social media show the tanker with slicks of oil spreading way from it into the ocean. Fortunately, the ship was not carrying a payload when it ran aground in July, however it was carrying around 200 tonnes of diesel and 3,800 tonnes of bunker fuel. There are fears that if rough seas continue to break the ship apart, then all the diesel and bunker fuel could leak into the Indian Ocean.



Local media have reported that the ship is grounded at Pointe dEsny which is near the marine park of Blue Ray. The environment ministry said that anti-pollution systems had been sent to two locations. Mauritius has asked the French island of La Reunion for assistance in tackling the spill. The island nation is heavily dependent on the surrounding Indian Ocean for food and tourism.



Nagashiki Shipping, the owner of the MV Wakashio, said in a statement that it was monitoring the situation. Nagashiki Shipping takes its environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and with partner agencies and contractors will make every effort to protect the marine environment and prevent further pollution. The cause of the incident will be fully investigated, and the owner and manager will continue to work closely with the authorities to determine cause, it said.


The headquarters of scandal-hit German payments provider Wirecard in Aschheim, near Munich

A company director has been charged in Singapore with falsifying letters linked to scandal-hit German payments giant Wirecard, according to court documents, as the fallout from the firm's collapse spreads further around the world.

The fintech company filed for insolvency in June after admitting that 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) missing from its accounts did not exist, revelations that stunned Germany and drew comparisons with the Enron accounting scandal.

R. Shanmugaratnam, director of a business administration firm in Singapore at the centre of investigations into the case, has been charged with falsifying letters showing it held money in escrow for Wirecard.

The 54-year-old of Citadelle Corporate Services claimed in the letters in 2016 and 2017 the firm held amounts ranging from 30 million euros to around 177 million euros in accounts on behalf of Wirecard, according to court documents seen by AFP Friday.

But the accounts did not hold such amounts and the letters were produced with the "intent to defraud", according to the charges, filed last month.

Shanmugaratnam could not immediately be reached for comment.

Authorities in the city state last month launched an investigation into Citadelle and another company over suspicions they falsified accounts, and Shanmugaratnam is the first person to face charges.

Wirecard's woes began in January 2019 with a series of Financial Times articles alleging accounting irregularities in its Asian division, headed by chief operating officer Jan Marsalek.

German and Philippine authorities want to question Marsalek as part of separate investigations into Wirecard, but his whereabouts are unclear.

Last month, the Philippines justice minister said immigration officers falsified records to show he briefly visited the country after being sacked.

Entries in the Bureau of Immigration database show Marsalek arrived in the Philippines on June 23the day after he was firedand left for China on June 24.

But CCTV footage, airline manifests and other records prove Marsalek was not in the country on those dates, minister Menardo Guevarra said in a statement.

The firm's troubles exploded in June when long-time auditors Ernst & Young said they were unable to find the 1.9 billion euros, and that they had been fed false statements.

Explore further Philippines probes possible ploy to 'mislead' Wirecard investigation

 2020 AFP
Billionaire Bill Gates says the majority of coronavirus tests being administered in the United States are 'completely garbage'.

The philanthropist and former Microsoft founder said most of the diagnostic testing in the US was a waste of time because the tests take too long to provide results.

In a lengthy interview with Wired, Gates said it was 'just stupidity' that Americans weren't getting their results back quickly enough.

'The majority of all US tests are completely garbage, wasted,' Gates said.

His frustration appeared to stem from the delays in getting results rather than the quality or number of tests.

Current delays in testing mean some people are waiting weeks to learn if they have tested positive or negative for COVID-19.

Billionaire Bill Gates said most of the diagnostic coronavirus testing in the United States were a waste of time because the tests take too long to provide results

Gates suggested that the companies creating the tests should be reimbursed based on how long it takes for results to be returned.

'If you don't care how late the date is and you reimburse at the same level, of course they're going to take every customer,' he said of the companies. 'Because they are making ridiculous money, and it's mostly rich people that are getting access to that.

'You have to have the reimbursement system pay a little bit extra for 24 hours, pay the normal fee for 48 hours, and pay nothing (if it isn't done by then). And they will fix it overnight.'

He went on to say that it couldn't change because the federal government sets the reimbursement system and, so far, calls to change it had been ignored.

'When we tell them to change it they say, "As far as we can tell, we're just doing a great job, it's amazing!" Here we are, this is August,' he said.

'We are the only country in the world where we waste the most money on tests. Fix the reimbursement.'

An at-home test project backed, in part, by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was put on hold by the FDA in June.

The Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN) had been offering at-home testing kits to residents in the region but was ordered to discontinue indefinitely until it got additional FDA-approval.

SCAN was sharing test results with patients but had only been approved by the FDA for surveillance testing, which does not allow researchers to return test results to patients or doctors.

The US is currently carrying out, on average, about 739,000 tests each day, according to data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project

The philanthropist and former Microsoft founder says the majority of coronavirus tests being administered in the United States are 'completely garbage'

Gates claimed those tests got quicker results and were less intrusive because swabs didn't have to reach to the back of a person's nose.

'We showed that the quality of the results can be equivalent if you just put a self-test in the tip of your nose with a cotton swab. The FDA made us jump through some hoops to prove that you didn't need to refrigerate the result, that it could go back in a dry plastic bag, and so on,' he said.

'So the delay there was just normal double checking, maybe overly careful but not based on some political angle. Because of what we have done at FDA, you can buy these cheaper swabs that are available by the billions.

'So anybody who's using the deep turbinate now is just out of date. It's a mistake, because it slows things down.'

The US is currently carrying out, on average, about 739,000 tests each day, according to data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project.

There have been nearly 4.9 million positive tests recorded across the country and more than 160,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

President Trump has repeatedly boasted of the country's success when it comes to testing.

In an interview with Axios that aired on Monday, Trump said the US should get credit for increased testing.

It comes as deaths in the US exceeded the grim 160,000 mark on Friday, which is nearly a quarter of the global COVID-19 death toll. The number of positive cases across the US is now at nearly 4.9 million.

Coronavirus deaths are still rising in 23 states, while cases are increasing in 20 states, according to a Reuters analysis comparing data from the past two weeks to the previous two.

Many of the new deaths have come from the hotspot states of California, Florida and Texas, which are also the top three states for total cases.

While infections appear to be declining in those states, new outbreaks are emerging coast-to-coast.

White House coronavirus task force coordinator, Dr Deborah Birx, warned this week that the cities of Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Washington could face outbreaks due to an uptick in the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive.

Following her warning, fellow task force member Dr Anthony Fauci said on Thursday: 'This is a predictor of trouble ahead.'

Fauci was asked on CNN about Birx's comments identifying new areas of concern in major cities, even as authorities see encouraging signs across the South.

Even in cities and states where most people are doing things right, Fauci said, a segment of people not wearing masks or following social distancing remains vulnerable to infection and can keep the virus smoldering in US communities.

'Unless everybody pulls together, and gets the level way down over baseline, we're going to continue to see these kind of increases that Dr Birx was talking about in several of those cities,' Fauci said.

Public health experts have in recent days sent regular warnings to cities and states not to relax anti-coronavirus measures too much before the virus is under sufficient control.

On average, 1,000 American are dying each day from COVID-19.

President Donald Trump, in contrast, has played down the staying power of the virus, saying on Wednesday 'it will go away like things go away' as he urged US schools to reopen on time for face-to-face lessons.
An Air India Express flight overshot the runway in Keralas Kozhikode at around 7:40 pm this evening, splitting into two but it reported catching no fire at the time of landing, said the airline in a statement.

The landing took place amid very heavy rainfall in the area. There were 191 passengers on board. A pilot has been reported killed, tweeted former union minister KJ Alphons.

There is no official word on the casualties, however a number of people have been injured, reports said.

The first images from the accident site showed the aircraft split into two pieces with debris strewn all around it.

Here is the complete statement of the airline:

Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode at 1941 hrs tonight. No fire reported at the time of landing.

There are 174 passengers, 10 Infants , 2 Pilots and 5 cabin Crew on board the aircraft.

As per the initial reports rescue operations are on and Passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care.

We will soon share the update in this regard.
Man detained for rumor that poor quality military vehicles caused casualties in border clash with India

Global Times

Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/6 12:56:33

A netizen has been detained for spreading rumors on social media that poor quality military vehicles supplied by Dongfeng sport utility vehicle company, a subsidiary of Dongfeng Motor Corporation and corruption among personnel in the company's special equipment division resulted in casualties among soldiers in the frontline of the border with India, according to a notification that the company published on Wednesday.

The netizen, surnamed Zhou, confessed that he (or she) fabricated the rumor and posted it in a family message group on Wechat on Sunday, which was then forwarded and spread further on the platform.

Dongfeng company later reported the widely circulating post to the police on Monday and asked for an investigation into the case due to the adverse effect it had on the company.

After being detained, Zhou apologized for his (or her) behavior in a hand-written letter to the public.

Dongfeng company published Zhou's letter on its official account on Wechat and noted that production and operation work of the special equipment division is normal, and the division has been working hard to ensure the high quality of its military vehicles and has zero tolerance for any corruption.

The company has branded itself as China's No.1 builder of military vehicles in the service of national defense.

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Finding paradise in California this summer isnt a given like it usually is. You have to earn it.

Campsites are booked solid everywhere. Yosemite requires online reservations in advance to enter the park. Planning a trip is more complicated during the coronavirus pandemic.

To prove its possible to find a gorgeous lakeside campsite  on a Friday evening, with no reservation, in peak summer  we ventured deep in the north state and into the Trinity Divide last weekend.

The trip in was long, rocky and hard, but we saw only two tents at our first stop, pretty Toad Lake, and two more nearby at pristine Porcupine Lake, on a spur off the Pacific Crest Trail. On weekdays at Toad, Porcupine and hundreds of other lakes at distant, challenging-to-reach areas, you can still find your own slice of paradise and salvage a summer vacation.

The lesson: Avoid the 95% of vacationers who crowd easier-to-reach destinations. Instead join what I call The 5 Percent Club.

The 5-Percenter is willing to drive farther and venture deeper into the wild, hike into wildlands, perhaps even off the trail, and make camp at small mountain lakes. One goal, for instance, is to find places where cell phones dont work. That is often what it takes to find paradise this summer.

Due to the pandemic, many rural areas have never seen so many vacationers as they are this summer. People are packing parks, campgrounds and easily accessible lakes  just about any recreation site that can be reached with your typical 2-wheel-drive vehicle. Many drive too fast and seem to look for some kind of short cut at well-known parks.

On a recent weekend, outside the entrance to McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park in Shasta County, dozens of travelers parked cars illegally on the shoulder of Highway 89 despite a series of No Parking signs on both sides of the road, and then walked into the park to see Burney Falls. After being stuck on the soft shoulder, many cars had to be towed, park rangers said.

McArthur-Burney Memorial Falls State Park is experiencing record visitation this summer, said Adeline Yee, information officer for state parks. Camping has been recently temporarily closed until further notice in an effort to reduce visitation and travel from outside the local area.

The park has been reaching full capacity by midmorning on most days of the week, causing the need to turn visitors away, Yee said. Illegal parking outside the park is creating a hazardous traffic situation on Highway 89 and vehicles are being cited for illegal parking. The number of citations is appearing to be triple of what was issued last year. Vehicles are also parking in areas away from the roadway with heavy vegetation, creating a fire risk.

With that many people, a 5-Percenter wouldnt go near the place.

Rachid Dahnoun / Trust for Public Land

Where to look

There are nearly 20 million acres of national forests, with hundreds of lakes near trailheads in remote wildlands, across the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and Klamath-Siskiyou ranges.

The Trinity Divide, located west of I-5 north of Redding, is one of five major regions with dozens of lakes that can be reached with adventure-style driving in deep forest, where you then extend your trip with a hike into wildlands. The others are the Lakes Basin Recreation Area in Plumas National Forest, Bowman Lakes Recreation Area in Tahoe National Forest and Crystal Basin and Carson Pass regions in Eldorado National Forest.

These places are far from cities, and for this summer, thats a big plus. The Trinity Divide  named for its ridge that divides watersheds, the Trinity River to the west and Sacramento River to the east  has 49 lakes and is roughly 300 miles from San Francisco.

To get started, you have a long drive, 5 hours, mind-bending for some, up I-5 past Redding. From Lake Siskiyou, drive up South Fork Road past a bridge called first crossing in Shasta-Trinity National Forest, then turn right at an Forest Road 41N53 (signed only on a post up the road). The next 200 yards are rough and rocky, passable only for 4-wheel-drives with clearance, and they provide an idea of whats ahead the next 10 miles. You then turn left on Forest Road 40N64 and in the next hour will find out what your vehicle can handle. The average car has no chance.

Tom Stienstra / Tom Stienstra / The Chronicle

Setting up camp

If you make it, you eventually arrive at the Toad Lake Trailhead. From here, you strap on your boots and backpack and venture about 20 minutes up a short ridge to pretty Toad Lake, nestled at 6,400 feet. The lake is 23 acres, 40 feet deep and ringed by forest with campsites sprinkled around the lake. The swimming is euphoric by day with occasional decent trout fishing at dusk.

As you arrive to Toad, a trail breaks off to your right and routes around the lake counterclockwise. Near the lakes feeder creek (now dry), the trail bears right on a signed route that climbs about 500 feet in 0.7 of a mile to a junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. You turn left on the PCT, rise over a ridge and then sail about a half mile to a spur to Porcupine Lake. A new metal sign, posted on a boulder, now signals the turn.

Its then less than 10 minutes to Porcupine, set at 7,250 feet in a rock basin. The lake is only 8  acres yet 50 feet deep with high peaks and a ridge towering overhead. While much of the shore is rocky, several gorgeous campsites are available, including a flat perch on a terrace overlooking the lake on the far side.

At places like this, you learn to depend only on yourself. Cell phones dont work. You carry everything you need in a backpack. Pack out all your trash. Bring a water purifier for drinking, of course.

Check in with the local district office of the U.S. Forest Service, and if campfires at designated rings are allowed, get a campfire permit; plan to cook on a portable backpacking stove.

Your reward is a campsite nestled along a pristine lake, often with other lakes nearby for day hikes.

The challenge to reach these sites  with hundreds available across national forests  is a key to their appeal. They are the answer for those who wonder if paradise is still out there.

Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @StienstraTom.
Evan Woodward is grateful for the surprises.

The songwriter makes up half of the alt-pop rock group The Light Workers.

The groups new single, Peppermint, came out of the blue.

Woodward says he was focused on writing and recording earlier this year. In late January, his group partner Anne Luna sent him the demo.

It surprised her that it resonated so much, Woodward says. We have egos and vulnerabilities and this one just blew me away.

So the pair worked together on the song, which is now available. It can be found on the groups self-titled album.

Luna plays the upright bass on the track and co-wrote it with her bandmate from the Hard Road Trio.

This song was crafted surrounded by a tea party set and dress-up wardrobe, she says in a statement. The Hard Road Trio was on tour in March  just as COVID-19 was making headlines across the country  and Id asked Steve Smith from that band to help me out with the song. We set up in his great-nieces play room, and worked on giving it a different groove and adding more interest in the chorus and bridge.

Meanwhile Woodward has found success solo with his 2017 album, Ramblin on the Coast Highway.

The pair joined up in 2018 and havent looked back.

As The Light Workers, our goal is to be a positive force in the universe through music, storytelling, and conveying the complexities of life through song, Woodward says. We were only able to rehearse together just once in 2020 before we cut the release, but we were determined to write and record beautiful music even in the face of the pandemic.

The self-titled album is produced by engineer Ken Riley of Rio Grande Studios. It is currently gaining buzz online being featured on tinnitist.com.

Woodword wrote The Tiny Blue Mountains and memory-laden tribute to a friend gone too soon in Free Ride (For Jerry). Luna wrote Jeremy, a moody ode to her man.

I want the band to be a positive force in music, Woodward says. Sure our themes can be heavy, but were focusing on the positive feelings. There are a million things we can complain about, we want the music to speak on its own terms.

The album closes with a cover of Neil Youngs cult classic, Albuquerque  which, when played in the New Mexico town, often surprises audiences as theyre unfamiliar with it, something The Light Workers aim to remedy.

We play this to end every show, Woodward says. This is a great song and its so fun to perform.

Woodward is also heading into the studio in October to record his sophomore release.

Online

The Light Workers is available on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music and Soundcloud.
Lucknow, Aug 7 : Nearly a month after Kanpur's notorious gangster Vikas Dubey was put down in an encounter, an audio clip of a conversation between slain circle officer Devendra Mishra and Kanpur SP (Rural) Brijesh Srivastava has gone viral on the social media. They were part of the team that was ambushed and butchered by Dubey's men a week before his death.

The audio clip could spell trouble for the then Station Officer (SO) of Chaubeypur police station Vinay Tiwari and former Kanpur SSP Anant Deo Tiwari. Questions have been raised over the nexus between police officers and Dubey's gang ever since the July 2 massacre in Bikru village.

Vinay Tiwari has been arrested for his complicity with the slain gangster while Anant Deo Tiwari has been shifted to another district after the Bikru massacre.

In the phone conversation, that apparently took place just before the police raided Dubey's premises on the night of July 2 that led to the death of eight policemen, including slain circle officer, Devendra Mishra, himself, can be heard telling Srivastava that the SO (Vinay Tiwari) is saying the raid will start only after the CO (Mishra) reaches the spot.

Mishra is also heard making allegations against "former SSP Tiwari" (in an apparent reference to Anant Deo Tiwari) -- saying that he took Rs 5 lakh from the SO after a gambling racket was busted by Mishra and dropped all inquiries against the SO.

At the start of the five-minute clip, the SP can be heard saying that a large deployment of police would be required in the village and Mishra says that the deployment should not be a problem.

"The SO is saying that he would go for the raid only after I reach there. So, I am going," Mishra says.

SP Rural tells Mishra that "You should not worry. I will take care of these people very soon and am preparing a list of all that he is doing. The SSP might have asked him to make the arrest. Use your mind and take the force of two-three police stations as we have a great chance of catching him (Vikas Dubey)." The circle officer who lost his life in the encounter, then says, "I will tell you about him. When he (Vinay Tiwari) touches his (Vikas Dubey) feet, what else we can expect. Once I told him that if he will keep his relations with him (Dubey) then it might lead to 2-4 murders, but he said that only a criminal can tell about other criminals." Meanwhile ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said the "audio needs to be looked into and a lot of things, including audio match and forensic analysis, are needed".

He said there is already a SIT probe and a judicial commission inquiring into the case and if found genuine, the audio could be made part of the investigation.

"It is too early to say anything about the audio and the allegations made in it. However, a Deputy SP died and his family has lost him. If you listen you will find in the audio that the Additional SP is saying that everything will be alright. We will ask him when the audio comes to us formally. It has to be taken into account with all seriousness," said the ADG.
Durham police are investigating after the body of a newborn baby boy was found on the shoreline of Lake Ontario near a waterfront trail in Pickering on Thursday.

Police say a woman out on a walk called police when she saw what she thought were the remains of a child in the water around 3:30 p.m. in the area of Frisco Road and Montgomery Park Road.

The infant is believed to be between birth and four-weeks old. He was found without clothing and no items were found nearby, Cst. George Tudos told reporters at the scene Friday morning.

Police say they are concerned for the health and well-being of the infants mother and are urging her to seek medical assistance and contact police.

A post mortem is set to be conducted by forensic investigators, police say. They dont yet know whether the baby was alive at birth.

Some of the trail is closed off as police investigate.

Durham police are urging witnesses to call them.
The family of George Floyd witnessed the unveiling of a hologram in Virginia on Tuesday night, where flickering lights came together to create an image of Floyd's head and shoulders transposed over the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee statue.

The event in Richmond on historic Monument Avenue was the first public unveiling of the George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project. A press release says the project aims to transform spaces that were formerly occupied by racist symbols of Americas dark Confederate past into a message of hope, solidarity and forward-thinking change."
University leaders acknowledged that many undergraduates had already committed to off-campus housing for the fall but urged them not to let that dissuade them from staying home to protect their own health and that of the community. And they offered help, pledging to continue giving need-based aid to students who qualify for assistance with housing, even if the students stay at home. The university also offered financial help to students who didnt qualify for that aid but are now confronted with additional costs to live at home. They announced the Office of Financial Aid was preparing a substantial increase in student aid.
As many as one in three Americans say they would not get a vaccine for the coronavirus even if it were approved by the FDA and available for free.

About 35 percent of Americans say they would not receive such a vaccine to guard against the coronavirus, while 65 percent say they would plan to get the shot, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

Democrats were much more likely than Republicans to say they would get the vaccine, with 81 percent of Democrats saying they would do so compared to less than half, 47 percent, of Republicans who said the same.

Between men and women the results were equal to those of the general population, 65 percent of each sex saying they would receive the preventative shot.

The very young as well as the elderly were more likely to say they would get the vaccine, while middle age groups were less enthusiastic. Only 59 percent of people between the ages of 50 and 64 said they would be willing to be vaccinated.

Meanwhile, white Americans were slightly more likely to get the vaccine, 67 percent saying they would receive it while only 59 percent of non-white Americans said they would do so.

In June, Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor for the Trump administrations coronavirus task force, said he is cautiously optimistic that a vaccine for the coronavirus will be available to the American public by the end of the year or early 2021.

The hallmark of all really defining responses that we have to virus diseases, if you look at the history of viral diseases, it is generally vaccines that put the nail in the coffin of these types, Fauci said during testimony to House lawmakers.

The administrations top infectious disease expert added that he believes it is a question of when and not if the vaccine trials currently underway produce favorable candidates with good results.

The previous week, President Trump suggested that the virus could simply fade away without a vaccine, although he added that, were very close to a vaccine.

Story continues

The Gallup survey was conducted from July 20 to August 2.

More from National Review
Zachary Latham and the Durham family were South Jersey neighbors who did not get along. Ultimately, their conflict turned fatal.

The dispute centered on Lathams driving. The Durhams  William Sr., his wife, Catherine, and their two sons  thought he was reckless at the wheel, and they confronted him about it more than once, according to the familys lawyers.

Their encounters, which Latham filmed in videos that he posted online, became especially charged in April. In one, he taunted Catherine Durham as Karen after she complained about his driving. A TikTok video of the episode that Latham posted has been viewed more than 3 million times.

The tensions erupted in a bloody clash on May 4, the authorities said. When it was over, William Durham, a 51-year-old corrections officer, was dead, and Latham, an 18-year-old National Guard private, had been charged with killing him.

Now, William Durhams family is accusing Latham of committing the slaying to become TikTok famous, even as they also face charges for their roles in the deadly altercation.

In addition to charging Latham with manslaughter and other crimes, the Cumberland County prosecutor charged Catherine Durham and her sons with assault and trespass. In a news release announcing the charges, the prosecutor, Jennifer Webb-McRae, did not say who started the fight or why, but each side blames the other in a tangle of conflicting accounts.

At a court hearing in May, Nathan Perry, Lathams public defender, called the killing a horrific tragedy, nj.com reported. Still, Perry said, his client had acted in self-defense and to a very, very fair extent, the Durhams visited this great sadness upon themselves.

At the same hearing, according to a court filing, Perry said the Durhams viewed Latham as the James Dean of the neighborhood.

He drives too fast, and his cars too loud, Perry told the court. And they resolved in their mind that theyre going to fix his wagon, theyre going to straighten him out.

The Durhams lawyers, who want the charges against their clients dropped and Latham charged with first-degree murder, have a provocative theory for what happened: Latham, they say, deliberately drew William Durham to his death in a bid for social media celebrity.

In a June letter to Webb-McRae, the lawyers, Diane M. Ruberton and Robert R. Simons, noted that Lathams wife, Sarah Latham, recorded the brawl on her phone and said she did so because it was her and Lathams intent to post these videos to TikTok and become TikTok famous.

For that reason, the lawyers argued, the self-defense claim does not hold up.

If Latham was in fear for his or Sarahs safety, they both would have retreated inside, called police and stayed there, they wrote. They did not because their intent was to lure the Durhams there, attack them and record it for TikTok.

In the letter, which was first reported by nj.com, the lawyers recounted what they said were the results of their inquiry into the events preceding, and surrounding, William Durhams killing.

The interactions began two years ago, when William Durham approached Latham not long after the teenager moved into his grandparents house on Thornhill Road in Vineland, about 40 miles south of Philadelphia, to complain that he was driving recklessly.

More for you With TikTok's future in limbo, creators turn to Instagram and YouTube

Latham, who was 16 at the time, came to the Durhams home later to apologize, the letter said, but he continued to drive erratically.

After receding for a time, the tensions resumed around April, when, prosecutors said in a court filing, Latham and the Durhams became embroiled in a powder keg of an escalating feud.

Among the incidents that occurred then was the confrontation between Latham and Catherine Durham that earned 3 million TikTok views. Users who commented on the video, the Durhams lawyers wrote, suggested he should cut her tires, egg her house and go after her.

Several days later, the lawyers wrote, William and Catherine Durham were outside their house doing yardwork when Latham pulled up and yelled, Hey Karen, we went viral!

The Durhams, their lawyers wrote, sought help from the Vineland police several times but were repeatedly told they could not sign a complaint against Latham since the courts were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Vineland Police Department did not respond to a call seeking comment.

On May 4, their lawyers wrote, the Durhams confronted Latham after he swerved his pickup truck at their 17-year-old son, who was riding his bike. (Latham says he honked his horn at the boy but did not swerve in his direction.)

Later in the day, the lawyers wrote, William Durham pulled his truck into the street to block Lathams truck. Catherine Durham, recording the exchange on her phone, challenged Latham over the incident involving her son.

Video footage shows Latham throwing an elbow at Catherine Durham, pushing her back, knocking the phone from her hand and speeding off toward home, the prosecution filing says. Two friends were in the bed of Lathams truck at the time.

When Latham got to his house, his wife, who was recording the scene with her phone, walked down the driveway to confront the Durhams sons as they came onto the property, the prosecution filing says.

Sarah Latham told the Durhams sons, the filing says, that they had better back up because they were not going to like whats coming out of the house. William Durham soon arrived in his truck.

Lathams public defenders say in their filing that he and his wife can be heard on video footage clearly telling the Durhams several times to get off the property  they are not welcome. The prosecution filing also says Latham issued such a warning.

The Durhams, their hands visibly empty, continued to approach, the prosecution filing says, and Latham fired a stun gun and swung a knife at one of the Durhams sons.

William Durham then grabbed at Latham, who slashed him in the right arm with his knife before retreating into his garage, followed by his friends and William Durham, the prosecution filing says.

A brief but violent melee then ensued, during which the stun gun was fired repeatedly and Lathams wife urged him to drop the knife, the prosecution filing says. William Durham was stabbed under the armpit, puncturing his lung, in what was thought to be the fatal wound. the filing says.

Perry, Lathams lawyer, did not respond to requests for comment on the suggestion that his client had lured William Durham to his death in hopes of gaining social media notoriety.

Webb-McRae declined via email to comment on the claim. In a letter responding to the Durhams lawyers, she wrote that the information they had shared with her office would be taken into consideration.

As to advising you as to what additional charges will be pursued against Mr. Latham, Webb-McRae wrote, that will not happen at this time. Latham is out of jail until his trial begins, which could be some time next year.

As for whether the charges against the Durhams would be dropped at this time, she added, That will not happen.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Basing their research on an unexpected interspecies difference between rats and mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University have mapped a system in the brain that controls paternal behavior towards offspring. A key component in this behavior is the hormone prolactin, which prepares females for motherhood and has now been shown to control paternal behavior as well. The study has been published in the journal Cell.

Parenting practices affect the young generation throughout life. Much is known about what happens in the mother's brain during pregnancy and after childbirth. However, almost nothing is known about the mechanisms behind male parenting.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University decided to address this issue by capitalizing on a curious discrepancy between rat and mouse parenting strategies. These species are similar in many aspects but differ in an important way. In rats, the female cares for offspring alone, while in mice, both males and females express pup care behaviors.

"We were able to trace this interspecies difference to the electrical activity in a small group of nerve cells in the hypothalamus, an ancient part of the brain that controls hormone secretion, among other things," says Christian Broberger, researcher at the Department of Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet and Professor in Neurochemistry at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, who led the research.

These so-called TIDA cells fluctuate rhythmicallyoscillatebut that the oscillation frequency is twice as fast in male mice than in rats. The meaning of this discrepancy has been a mystery to the researchers. Now, they show that the faster rhythm in mice causes their cells to release less of the signaling substance, dopamine.

This in turn leads to the TIDA cells in male mice releasing lower amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which in turn leads to high levels of the hormone prolactin. This relationship was the opposite in male rats.

New findings on prolactin

Prolactin triggers changes in maternal physiology and behavior in many species, including humans. However, until now, the role of the hormone in males has been unclear. The researchers found that in mice, high levels of prolactin activate the regions in the brain that control parental behavior.

This in turn caused male mice to exhibit paternal care behaviors in the care of their offspring: the male picks up his offspring when they stray, carries them back to the nest and makes sure they are warm. None of these paternal behaviors were seen in male ratsuntil they were treated with prolactin.

According to Christian Broberger, prolactin is a crucial factor in this chain of events, but not sufficient on its own.

"When we give prolactin to male rats who have not had offspring themselves, the hormone had no effect on their behavior. It is only in the experience of becoming a father, and the emergence of some as yet unidentified factor, that prolactin can exert this 'paternity effect.'"

Thermostat for parental behavior

The discovery that oscillation frequency was the determinant in the father's behavior surprised the researchers. It also suggests that frequency (high or low) can act as a "thermostat" for parental behavior.

In this study, the researchers were able to show that artificially slowing down the TIDA cells in mice to match the frequency in rats causes male mice to lose interest in their offspring.

It remains to be determined if similar mechanisms are at work in humans, but the components that were identified in this system, both in the brain and endocrine system, are also found in man. These new results identify new targets to study to understand what drives fathers to engage in parental behaviors.

More information: Stefanos Stagkourakis et al. A Neuro-hormonal Circuit for Paternal Behavior Controlled by a Hypothalamic Network Oscillation, Cell (2020). Journal information: Cell Stefanos Stagkourakis et al. A Neuro-hormonal Circuit for Paternal Behavior Controlled by a Hypothalamic Network Oscillation,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.07.007
Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Aug 7, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - Software AG today announced that it is forming a strategic partnership with Universitas Gajah Mada (UGM), Indonesia's leading public University, to drive digitalization in the Indonesian Government Sector and upskill students.There are two initial and concrete steps that are to be realized with this cooperation:The first step is an educational webinar, open to all government officials on August 14. Both Software AG and UGM will share thought leadership on Digital Transformation in the Indonesian Government Sector. In the session, UGM will present their most recent findings including challenges in the digitalization efforts of the government bodies in Indonesia and recommend strategies for a fast start into a truly digitalized government. Meanwhile, Software AG will showcase highly relevant use cases from various government bodies in the US, UK, Germany, Singapore and Australia.The second step is an Academic Partnership. Software AG through UGM will provide Market-oriented education, giving UGM graduates entering the job market an excellent head start, forming an integral and critical part of the digital transformation of the nation."A close collaboration between the private sector and academia is essential," said the Rector of UGM Prof Ir Panut Mulyono. "This is very much in line with our Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim's Independent Campus Policy where universities are encouraged to develop partnerships with world class companies.With the upcoming webinar, we provide thought leadership, views and ideas for the government sector to digitally transform in a safe and sustainable way; and with the academic partnership we are upskilling our students to support this transformation with highly qualified workforce in the future," he continued.Meanwhile, Anneliese Schulz, President of Software AG Asia Pacific Japan said, "This is an important partnership. What excites me the most is the opportunity to support upskilling local talent into world class tech professionals that will contribute to the development of the nation. And when we look into government digitalization efforts in Indonesia and elsewhere, integration is a key enabler to modernize and innovate. As the world leading integration technology provider, we can share proven use cases from various sectors as well as the key learnings from other government bodies worldwide that will benefit Indonesia greatly."The Ministry of Administrative Reform measured the e-government maturity level over 616 government institutions in 2018 and concluded that majority of government institutions have been implementing e-services, particularly for its internal work. However, these e-services have a common problem: they are unintegrated, unsustainable, and have low use. An absence of integrated and holistic policy is the main cause of those problems which generated partial planning and strategies in implementing e-government. Before 2018, there was no guidance and standard to develop e-service. As a result, many government institutions in Indonesia developed e-services in partial way, even in the sake of innovation. *(quote from GovAsia https://tinyurl.com/yyvsn3k6)About UGMGadjah Mada University is a public research university located in Yogyakarta, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Officially founded on 19 December 1949, Gadjah Mada University is one of the oldest and largest institutions of higher education in the country.About Software AGWe reimagine integration, spark business transformation and enable fast innovation on the Internet of Things so you can pioneer differentiating business models. We give you the freedom to connect and integrate any technology - from app to edge. We help you free data from silos so it's shareable, usable and powerful - enabling you to make the best decisions and unlock entirely new possibilities for growth. Learn more about Software AG and Freedom as a Service at www.softwareag.com.Source: Software AGCopyright 2020 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
The Proprietor of Bright Senior High School at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region has denied claims that he ordered his students to stop writing the WASSCE examination on Thursday over strict invigilation.



Bright Amponsah in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie said he knows absolutely nothing about a video circulating with a narrator alleging that he has ordered his students to stop writing the exams.



He told host Kwesi Aboagye that he will officially issue a statement to clarify the brouhaha surrounding his school.



The video is not from my school. As head of the school, I am not even allowed to go near the examination hall, he said.



Bright SHS students beat WASSCE invigilators, journalist over strict supervision



Officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) supervising the ongoing WASSCE examination were attacked by students of Bright Senior High School on Thursday over strict invigilation.



Class FM reported that a journalist with Daily Graphic was also beaten by the students during the melee - his phone and bag were taken away by the students who chased him on a motorbike and pummelled him even as he jumped onto a moving commercial bus to save his life.



The marauding students trashed phones belonging to the invigilators.



They were angry about strict supervision and social-distancing protocols in the exam hall.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Police arrested a 24-year-old man they say fatally shot another man in June in Harrisburg during a dispute that started over comments made to a woman.

Police charged Jan A. Vecchioli-Matos with criminal homicide and carrying a concealed gun without a license in connection with the June 22 death of Diogene Peguero Jr., 34, who was known as June.

Police had been looking for Vecchioli-Matos since at least June 26. Police found him and arrested him Thursday night. Police did not provide any information about how or where they found Vecchioli-Matos.

Diogene Peguero Jr. uploaded this photo to his Facebook page last year.

Court records gave this account of the shooting:

The girlfriend of Vecchioli-Matos reportedly found him at 16th and Market streets and told him that a man had made remarks to her about grabbing her vagina.

Vecchioli-Matos and a friend then went looking for the man and found him a short distance away on the front porch of 20 S. 16th Street, near 16th and Zarker streets.

Vecchioli-Matos allegedly argued with the man, who was later identified as Peguero. Vecchioli-Matos allegedly hit Peguero twice and Peguero allegedly pulled a knife and swung it at Vecchioli-Matos, striking his arm.

The fight continued and moved from the porch into the street. Thats when police allege Vecchioli-Matos pulled a gun from his waistband and a witness heard gunshots.

Police were called to the scene shortly after 7 p.m., where they found Peguero unconscious and bleeding on the sidewalk in front of 15 S. 16th Street. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Peguero lived in the area where he was killed. He previously lived in New Jersey. He is survived by two young daughters.

READ: Harrisburg residents want review board over police, but state law doesnt allow it

READ: Harrisburg legislator wants citizen oversight of Dauphin County prison
New Delhi: Despite significant improvement in the COVID-19 situation in Delhi, 1,192 new cases of coronavirus infection were recorded in the national capital on Friday (August 7, 2020). With this, the COVID-19 tally in the national capital crossed over 1.42 lakh while the death toll from the disease mounted to 4,082, the Health Department bulletin said.

Twenty-three fatalities have been recorded in the last 24 hours, the latest health bulletin released on Friday said.

According to the health bulletin, the number of cured patients in Delhi is 12,8232, meanwhile, total deaths due to COVID-19 is 4082. There are 10409 active COVID-19 cases in Delhi as of now.

Significantly, the coronavirus infection rate in Delhi is 5.09 per cent while the recovery rate has gone up to 89.84 per cent, the health bulletin figures showed.

There has been a significant reduction in the death rate due to COVID-19 disease, which is currently at 2.86 per cent, while there are 5367 COVID-19 patients in home isolation in Delhi at present.

In the past 24 hours, total 23,385 tests (RT PCR - 5612, Antigen - 17,773) were conducted to detect the coronavirus infection. A total of 11,43,703 tests have been conducted in Delhi so far.

On Thursday, the daily cases count was 1,299 while 15 deaths were reported. The tally of active cases on Friday rose to 10,409, from 10,348 the previous day.

On June 23, the national capital had reported the highest single-day spike of 3,947 till today. The death toll from COVID-19 in Delhi stood at 4,059 on Thursday.

The bulletin on Friday said the death toll from coronavirus has risen to 4,082 and the total number of cases has climbed to 1,42,723.

Coronavirus cases in India crossed 20 lakh mark on Friday (August 7) with more than 62,000 cases recorded in a single day, making it the highest number of cases recorded in 24 hours till today.

As per the Ministry of Health data, 62538 coronavirus cases and 886 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. The coronavirus data in India now stands at 2027074 which includes 1378105 recovered cases and 41585 deaths.

The active cases in India stand at 607384. The recovery rate in India surged to 67.98 percent and the positivity rate is at 10.88 percent.

The country became the third nation to record more than 2 million cases of the novel coronavirus, behind the United States and Brazil, as infections spread further to smaller towns and rural areas.

The COVID-19 tally had crossed 19 lakh just two days back. It took 110 days for COVID-19 cases in the country to reach one lakh and 59 days more to cross the 10-lakh mark. Thereafter it took just 21 days more to go past 20 lakh.
Too Hot To Handle's Francesca Farago and Harry Jowsey split back in June after becoming engaged on the show's Zoom reunion special in May.

Their tumultuous break up is continuing as Farago threatened that she 'could ruin' Jowsey's career 'with everything' she knows.

The 26-year-old fashion designer made the revelation while speaking to Violet Benson on the Too Tired To Be Crazy podcast, out Thursday.

Spilling tea: Francesca Farago threatened that she 'could ruin' her ex Harry Jowsey's career 'with everything' she knows, while speaking on the Too Tired To Be Crazy

'I think that every single girl knows that when a guy calls a girl crazy its just a reflection of their actions I think because Harry knows Im not crazy,' she said dishing on animosity between the two.

'If I was crazy I would be pulling some whack s**t right now to ruin his career because I literally could if I wanted to so,' the reality TV star added. 'With everything that I know and Ive been so respectful considering everything he put me through.'

Continuing: 'Even after everything hes done to me, Im still I have no desire to even snap. Im just like, youre disgusting at this point.'

Despite their split in June, after an engagement, she also dished that there was plenty of trouble in paradise before hand, even the day his proposal aired.

If I Was: 'If I was crazy I would be pulling some whack s**t right now to ruin his career because I literally could if I wanted to so,' the reality TV star added. 'With everything that I know and Ive been so respectful considering everything he put me through'

'He started breaking up with me basically the day that the reunion came out, the day he proposed, he was like I cant do this anymore,' she said. 'But then he would say that and then two days later he would post a photo on his Instagram and caption it where should we have the wedding?'

The hot and cold behavior clearly threw Farago off and conflicted her.

She said at the time she though 'Im in love with this person, Im so confused, I dont know what he wants, what does that post mean? I didnt know what to do.''

'He would say to me, "I love you so much, I wanna be with you, I wanna marry you, but I cant do long distance anymore," thats how it started,' she said of their final split.

Trouble: 'He started breaking up with me basically the day that the reunion came out, the day he proposed, he was like I cant do this anymore,' she said. 'But then he would say that and then two days later he would post a photo on his Instagram and caption it where should we have the wedding'

Excuse: For Farago she felt his intentions were clear. 'I just think he wanted to be single,' she said. 'And he wanted to be famous, and he wanted attention. And having me in his life wasnt important enough to sacrifice fking bitches'?

Though she felt it was a 'cop out.'

'The distance was just a big cop out for him,' she said. 'But then he said that, and then he did a video saying he fell out of love in February. But if he fell out of love before the show even came out, then he shouldnt have stayed with me, and he shouldnt have proposed to me, and he shouldnt have done all of that.'

For Farago she felt his intentions were clear. 'I just think he wanted to be single,' she said. 'And he wanted to be famous, and he wanted attention. And having me in his life wasnt important enough to sacrifice fking bitches.'

Though, despite everything she still has love for him, 'I think its gonna take a while to not love him. I think the feelings that I had for him, the love that I had for him was so real that its gonna take like a long time for me to fully move on from that.'

Jowsey recently revealed that he is considering legal action against Farago.

Claims: Harry Jowsey (left) has revealed that he is considering legal action against her ex-girlfriend Francesca Farago (right). The pair split in June, and the Too Hot to Handle star believes the fallout from their break-up has damaged his 'brand'

The 22-year-old claims he has lost 200,000 Instagram followers in the weeks since their relationship ended.

'I can't believe it, it's damaging my brand. I've been nothing but nice to her and regarding the reason why we broke up, because of stuff she did,' he told The Courier Mail on Tuesday.

In particular, Harry takes issue with Francesca's various social media posts addressing their relationship and break-up.

'She made a big YouTube video and has been doing a whole bunch of TikToks and crazy stuff and I haven't done anything,' the Australian hunk said.

'I can't believe it, it's damaging my brand': In particular, Harry takes issue with Francesca's various social media posts addressing their relationship and break-up

'We've been broken up for months, a long time before we announced it, and we were on good terms and I don't know what happened,' he added.

Harry claims that his family has also been affected by Francesca's allegations.

'My mum has been getting hate and all my friends and I'm like, "Why are you doing this? You are ruining our great memories." So yeah, now it has to go to the courts,' he said.

The exes announced their split in June, when Harry posted an emotional YouTube video titled 'I broke up with her' explaining their decision to part ways.
Lauren CortezBY: NICOLE PELLETIERE, ABC News



(LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas) -- A doctor who delivered a baby girl 25 years ago has now delivered her newborn son.



Dr. Bryan Cox of Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, delivered Lauren Cortez on March 23, 1995. Cortez's mom, Isabel Luna, has been his patient for over two decades.



"Lauren came to me as a pregnant lady and she was all excited because her mom loves me, so it was a great situation," Cox, a 33-year practicing OB/GYN told "Good Morning America." "It was fun the whole pregnancy."



Cortez told "GMA" she wanted Cox to be her doctor after her mother spoke so highly of him. All came full-circle when Cox delivered Cortez's son, Logan James, who was born July 26, weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce.



"Dr. Cox, right when the baby is born, he sings 'Happy Birthday,'" Cortez told "GMA." "The fact that he takes that little time to personalize the birth experience meant a lot to me."



"My mom said he sang 'Happy Birthday' to me, and to my brother who was born in '97," she added.



Cortez posted her story onto Twitter where it was shared over 82,000 times.





25 years later, the doctor who delivered me also delivered our son!!  pic.twitter.com/RMgskxGiU2  Lauren Cortez (@_vivalaluna) July 28, 2020

Many of Cox's patients commented on the thread, and others had something in common with Cortez -- their OB/GYNs delivered them, and their children too.Cortez said she and her husband Peter hope Dr. Cox stays in practice until Logan has children of his own.Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Delhi sexual assault case: 12-year-old remains critical, may need Neurosurgery, says AIIMS

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Aug 07: The 12-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted and has suffered severe head injuries, will need another surgery and her condition continues to remain critical, sources at AIIMS, where she is undergoing treatment, said on Friday.

Sources said her platelet count is low and she is admitted at the neurosurgery ICU of the hospital. "She is in the neurosurgery ICU currently and has to be operated, but then her platelet count is very low. Her condition is being closely monitored. She has a severe head injury," sources told PTI.

Delhi CM visits AIIMS to enquire about condition of 12-year-old victim of 'sexual assault'

On Tuesday, the girl was sexually assaulted at her west Delhi home by 33-year-old Krishan, who also hit her on the face and head with a sharp object. Her rectum and intestines were injured severely by some kind of impalement for which she needed immediate intervention and that is why she was operated upon as soon as she reached the hospital, a senior doctor at the AIIMS had said on Thursday.

Covid vaccine: SII to manufacture 100 million doses for India & others | Oneindia News

The brutality involved in the crime has led to an outrage with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal describing the incident as 'barbaric'. On Thursday, the Delhi Police arrested Krishan. He told the police that he had entered the girl's house on Tuesday with the intention of burgling.

The gate of the house was partially open and he had entered the premises. He took a suitcase and was leaving the house when the the girl saw him and raised an alarm. The accused took a sewing matching and threw it on the victim.

The girl still tried to fight, following which the accused caught her and stabbed her with a scissor several times and fled the spot, a senior police officer said. However, police said they are verifying Krishan's version. A case has already been registered under section 307 (attempt to murder) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Paschim Vihar West police station.

13-year-old girl brutally raped, stabbed in Delhi's Peera Garhi area, battling for life at AIIMS

Krishan was involved in a similar violent incident in the past. He had attacked a woman in 2006 in Sultanpuri while committing a burglary, in which the woman had died. Krishan had entered the house to commit burglary and when the woman resisted, he attacked her in which the she had lost her life, police said. The accused told police that he was released from jail after completing his term, a claim being verified by the police. Police said they were investigating the Paschim Vihar case from all angles. More than 20 teams have been formed.

The teams were checking all the possible angles, including that of a family dispute. They have scanned hundreds of CCTV footage and interrogated over 100 people. Later, one suspect, who was seen in one of the CCTV footage, was found missing. Police checked the criminal records and called five to six people with similar appearance. During interrogation, Krishan, was arrested, the officer added.

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Story first published: Friday, August 7, 2020, 17:58 [IST]
They say revenge is a dish best served cold, and Michelle Bridges has offered it up in spades.

On Friday, the 49-year-old posted a sultry picture to Instagram just 20 minutes after her ex, Steve 'Commando' Willis shared a selfie with his girlfriend, Harika Vancuylenberg.

Michelle was glowing as she posed in her office after filming new workouts for her 12 Week Body Challenge.

Revenge picture: On Friday Michelle Bridges (pictured) posted a sultry picture to Instagram just 20 minutes after her ex, Steve 'Commando Willis shared a selfie with his new girlfriend, Harika Vancuylenberg

She showed off her youthful visage with minimal makeup and her hair slicked back into an up-do.

The mum-of-one flaunted her amazing physique in a white singlet and fitted navy exercise leggings.

'As I'm typing this we're about 5 workouts in.... and oh boy, do I no longer look as sweat and pain free,' she jokingly captioned the picture.

Lovebirds: Commando (left) looked more loved up than ever with Harika (right) in the sweet selfie. The couple were snuggled up to each other and wearing promotional clothing for Commando's workout program, Get Commando Fit

Meanwhile Commando looked more loved up than ever with Harika in the sweet selfie.

The couple were snuggled up to each other and wearing promotional clothing for Commando's workout program, Get Commando Fit.

'GCF Caps & Beanies have arrived,' he captioned the photo.

The way they were: Michelle and Commando (pictured) began dating in 2015, after splitting from their respective partners, and welcomed son, Axel in December that year. The couple announced their shock split in January

It follows a tumultuous year for the former Biggest Loser trainer who split from Commando in January.

The couple began dating in 2015, after splitting from their respective partners, and welcomed son, Axel in December that year.

The couple announced their shock split in January and following the breakup, Michelle blew 0.086 when she was pulled over in her Range Rover with son Axel in the car, about 11.25am on Australia Day.

'These actions will haunt me': Following the breakup, Michelle blew 0.086 when she was pulled over in her Range Rover with son Axel (pictured) in the car, about 11.25am on Australia Day

The star was fined $750 and had her licence disqualified for three months, after pleading guilty to mid-range drink driving.

Outside court, a tearful Michelle said: 'I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep remorse, shame and humiliation [over] this incident and extreme lack of judgment.

'I would like to apologise to my family, friends and community for this gross error in judgment and the consequences of these actions will haunt me forever.'
"Questscope has deep roots in Beirut that go back to the early 1980s. We've seen the Lebanese people overcome the most difficult circumstances over the years. And now they will rebuild, brick by brick, as they always do," says Curt Rhodes, Founder and International Director of Questscope. "We stand beside them as they begin to restore their homes, their city, and their futures for themselves and for their children."

"Hundreds of thousands of people were made instantly homeless as a result of the explosion in the Beirut harbor, and likely four times that number will have homes that are now in unstable buildings or without doors and windows," adds Dr. Mowafak Yafi, a Questscope board member that lives in Beirut.

Through the support of Questscope and Alight, Dr. Yafi will be organizing channels for implementing assistance to people to restore their homes. Questscope has a robust and extended history with planning and construction partners throughout Lebanon that provide services such as housing and building repairs, and basic infrastructure restoration. These longstanding relationships ensure accountability in project delivery and fiscal integrity.

"Crisis is yet again bringing people together," says Daniel Wordsworth, CEO of Alight. "From this terrible tragedy, people are already rallying and supporting one another. Neighbors to neighbors, strangers to strangers. I know this abundance of the human spirit and expressions of support from thousands of miles away will help Beirut communities rebuild and regain their strength and vibrance."

To learn more about the work Questscope and Alight are doing please visit www.questscope.org and www.wearealight.org, and visit here to donate.

ABOUT QUESTSCOPE

For 30 years, Questscope has walked alongside young people whose lives are ravaged by war and poverty. We provide emergency assistance, alternative education, and mentorship. And places to bloom again where hope is possible.

ABOUT ALIGHT

Established in 1978 by founder Neal Ball, Alight , formerly known as American Refugee Committee, provides health care, clean water, shelter, protection and economic opportunities to more than 3.5 million people in 19 countries each year. Alight believes in the incredible creativity, potential, and ingenuity of the displaced and works to shine a light on their humanity, the tremendous amount of good that's already happening and the possibilities to do more. The organization exists to see and help every person make meaningful change in the world  from displaced and marginalized communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas to...anyone, anywhere. Learn more about Alight at www.wearealight.org.

SOURCE Alight; Questscope

Related Links

http://www.wearealight.org


Concerns for Chambers Joy Chambers Grundy and her late husband, television pioneer Reg Grundy. Credit:Douglas Kirkland Friends of Joy Chambers-Grundy say they have grave concerns for the well being of the 73-year-old five months after she settled a bitter legal battle over the $900 million fortune left by her late husband, television pioneer Reg Grundy. Some of those who have known Chambers-Grundy since she was a barrel girl on regional television in Queensland during the 1960s say she has not responded to phone calls, emails or letters in months. When PS asked Chambers-Grundy's spokeswoman about her whereabouts, a firm "no comment" was all that was offered.

While it is understood Chambers-Grundy had been unwell with "stomach problems" in recent times amid claims she had sought treatment in Los Angeles, it was thought those health issues had been resolved and she had returned to the expansive estate she once shared with her husband in Bermuda. Chambers-Grundy and her estranged step-daughter Viola La Valette had been trading blows over the Grundy estate since he died aged 92 in 2016. His daughter claimed Grundy had suffered Alzheimer's during his final years, which caused him to reduce how much money he left her in the will. The two hadn't seen each other for 22 years before Grundy's death. Chambers-Grundy and La Valette have reached a confidential settlement, however the very public ordeal left deep emotional wounds for Chambers-Grundy, wounds that have made her friends fearful for her wellbeing. "It's just not like her to not respond at all, she has been through so much but she was always a formidable woman ... we are worried about her and we just can not find any answers," one of her oldest friends, who asked not to be named, told PS.

Reddy biopic gets thumbs up Helen Reddy in 2014. Credit:Steven Siewert The ravages of old age and memory loss were not going to stop Helen Reddy from taking a walk down memory lane on the eve of her life being immortalised on film. During the final editing stages of the new biopic I Am Woman, which premieres on Stan on August 28, director Unjoo Moon and producer Rosemary Blight took a copy of the film to show Reddy and her immediate family at the Californian nursing facility where she has been living for several years. (Stan, is owned by Nine - also the owner of this masthead.) Moon revealed Reddy's reaction to the film to the Herald's Garry Maddox, who visited the set during production when the Enmore Theatre was transformed into New York's fabled Carnegie Hall.

While nervous about how it would be received, Moon was happy to report Reddy, her two children Traci Donat and Jordan and granddaughter Lily, gave the film the thumbs up, along with a few tears. Donat told PS from California: Thank you for your concern. Helen is 78 years old and living in assisted living as she has some health and memory issues. She has seen the film and is thrilled to know this celebration of her life will soon be seen by audiences. Moon recalled her nervousness during the screening for Reddy: It suddenly hit me. I thought 'my god, Helen is watching her story through my eyes. Helen will say what she thinks so I thought what's she going to think about it? Tilda Cobham-Hervey who plays Helen Reddy in "I Am Woman". Credit: Lisa Tomasetti/Stan It's a drama. It's a work of fiction inspired by her life story. It's very true to a lot of the journey that she went on but some characters have been amalgamated together and things may be a little out of order to how she remembered them," she told Maddox.

So I started to have a panic attack in the theatre. I thought 'what am I going to do if she actually doesn't like the film'. Moon says she began to relax when she realised Reddy was singing along to her songs and laughing. Helen Reddy with journalist and activist Gloria Steinem on the "Helen Reddy Show" in 1973. Then one moment, she was really upset about something, she says. I thought 'oh my god, she doesn't like that' but I realised she was so in the movie that she was just upset about what had happened [on screen]. The end of the film features cards setting out the impact of Reddy, former manager and husband Jeff Wald and journalist Lillian Roxon, and noting that the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the United States constitution that early feminists, inspired by Reddy's song I Am Woman, were fighting for in the 1970s, was yet to be passed.

Reddy, in the theatre, read out the title cards aloud. We were all in tears as she was reading them, Moon revealed. She read the last one about the Equal Rights Amendment then she started to cry. It was truly emotional. It wasn't because she was sad about the movie. I think she just felt the impact of the story. And I think she also felt it was very cathartic, this experience of watching it." A 'set-up' Alan Jones' protege, tennis buddy and aspiring media commentator Jake Thrupp has been telling friends he suspects he was "set up" last Saturday after photos were splashed across the racy Daily Mail website featuring the 23-year-old ignoring social distancing conventions by cosying up with pretty blonde law graduate Britt Dietrich. There were several guests at the group lunch, and Thrupp didn't let slip who might have been responsible. Interestingly the paparazzo was able to get shots of smiling Thrupp, who is employed as Jones' social media manager, and Dietrich sashaying down the Woolloomooloo promenade en-route to lunch, then more images of Dietrich sitting on Thrupp's lap and the pair locking lips.
'Shameful': Joe Biden rejects Trump's claim that he's 'against God'

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Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has denounced recent comments by President Donald Trump claiming that the former vice president is against God.

In a statement released to campaign supporters on Thursday, Biden labeled the remarks shameful and as showing that Trump was willing to stoop to any low for political gain.

Like so many people, my faith has been the bedrock foundation of my life: its provided me comfort in moments of loss and tragedy, its kept me grounded and humbled in times of triumph and joy, stated Biden, who is Catholic.

And in this moment of darkness for our country  of pain, of division, and of sickness for so many Americans  my faith has been a guiding light for me and a constant reminder of the fundamental dignity and humanity that God has bestowed upon all of us.

Biden contrasted his beliefs and the actions of President Trump, arguing that the election was a battle for the soul of our nation.

My faith teaches me to love my neighbor as I would myself, while President Trump only seeks to divide us. My faith teaches me to care for the least among us, while President Trump seems to only be concerned about his gilded friends, he continued.

My faith teaches me to welcome the stranger, while President Trump tears families apart. My faith teaches me to walk humbly, while President Trump teargassed peaceful protestors so he could walk over to a church for a photo op.

At a campaign stop in Ohio originally meant to focus on economic recovery, Trump argued that Biden was anti-religious.

Hes following the radical left agenda, take away your guns, destroy your 2nd Amendment, no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God. Hes against God, declared Trump, as reported by the Associated Press.

Hes against guns. Hes against energy, our kind of energy. I dont think hes going to do too well in Ohio.

During the campaign season, Trump and his supporters have sought to portray his Democratic opposition as being anti-religious, especially due to their socially liberal stances.

Texas megachurch Pastor Robert Jeffress, a staunch supporter of Trump, recently argued that evangelicals who support Biden have sold their soul to the devil.

The only evangelicals who are going to vote for Joe Biden are those who have sold their soul to the devil and accepted the Democrats barbaric position on abortion, said Jeffress in an interview with Lou Dobbs of Fox Business.

I mean, its so barbaric, Joe Biden believes in unrestricted abortion. He cant even get his own church, the Catholic Church, to stomach it. They have denied him communion because of that.

Biden campaign National Faith Engagement Director and evangelical Josh Dickson rejected the idea that the former vice president is anti-faith.

In an earlier interview with The Christian Post, Dickson explained that Biden is an authentic man of faith whose faith and values inform his political participation, his long history of fighting for civil rights and fighting for the least of these.

I know that not everyone is going to agree with him on everything. We're a big tent party as Democrats. Joe Biden is someone who is putting forward a vision that is inclusive, said Dickson.

I see the values that Joe Biden lives by. I see the values that have been reflected in the history of his involvement in public life. And I see the ways in which he's going to lean into this moment right now where our country is hurting.
New Delhi:

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening. She is being treated and carefully monitored by experts, said a statement released from Apollo hospital, Chennai. Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao also visited Apollo hospital in Chennai at midnight today.



Live Updates - A

Barricading, Police deployment as huge crowd gathered outside Apollo hospital in Chennai where #Jayalalithaa is admitted. pic.twitter.com/xAQMTEtTY4 a ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

With all blessings she (#jayalalithaa ) will come out of this situation, being treated by the medical team: Tamil actor Sarathkumar pic.twitter.com/jdAngIb4zL a ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

Morning visuals: Scene outside Apollo hospital in Chennai where CM #jayalalithaa is admitted, she suffered a cardiac arrest last evening pic.twitter.com/RnuIrwUxED a ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

All police officers asked by the DGP to report by morning in view of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister #Jayalalithaa suffering cardiac arrest. a ANI (@ANI_news) December 4, 2016

Doctors closely monitoring condition of #Jayalalithaa and trying their 'very best', says #ApolloHospital. a Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 4, 2016

Tamil Nadu ministers present inside Apollo Hospital in Chennai where CM #jayalalithaa is admitted who suffered a cardiac arrest today. a ANI (@ANI_news) December 4, 2016

#WATCH: Scene outside Apollo Hospital in Chennai where CM #jayalalithaa is admitted who suffered a cardiac arrest today, huge crowd gathered pic.twitter.com/rGrBXMCm1C a ANI (@ANI_news) December 4, 2016

A

Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao has now left from Apollo Hospital in Chennai after enquiring about CM #jayalalithaa 's health a ANI (@ANI_news) December 4, 2016

# The statement issued by Apollo hospital said thatA Jayalalithaa is being treated and monitored by a team of experts including Cardiologists, Pulmonologist and Critical care specialists.A

"TN CM Jayalalithaa is on extracorporeal membrane heart assist device, being treated by expert doctors and critical care specialists.A Dr Richard Beale from London also been consulted, he has concurred with line of treatment by our cardiologists & pulmonologists," wrote Apollo hospital on Twitter.

# After hearing the news, supporters gathered outside Apollo hospital in Chennai. Huge crowd seen outside Apollo hospital in Chennai where CM Jayalalithaa is admitted.A Heavy police force deployment seen outside Apollo hospital as huge crowd gathers after hearing about TN CM's cardiac arrest.

"Distressed to hear about CM Jayalalithaa suffering a cardiac arrest, my prayers for her speedy recovery," said President Pranab Mukherjee.A

"Praying for Jayalalithaa ji's quick recovery. I hope she gets better very soon," wrote Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Twitter.A

# Home Minister Rajnath Singh has also spoken to Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao after CM Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest. Also,A Union Health Minister JP Nadda spoke to Apollo Chairman and enquired about Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa's health.

# Doctor from AIIMS to leave for Tamil Nadu on Monday to assist in treatment of TN CM Jayalalithaa after she suffered a cardiac arrest.

A

Tamil Nadu Governor Vidyasagar Rao has reached Apollo Hospital in Chennai to enquire about CM #jayalalithaa 's health, huge crowd gathered pic.twitter.com/RzAcg7L45b a ANI (@ANI_news) December 4, 2016

Heavy police force deployment seen outside Apollo hospital in Chennai as huge crowd gathers after hearing about TN CM's cardiac arrest. pic.twitter.com/K2H7KiPssu a ANI (@ANI_news) December 4, 2016

Huge crowd seen outside Apollo hospital in Chennai where CM Jayalalithaa is admitted. TN CM suffered a cardiac arrest this evening pic.twitter.com/1ibjRBN5o3 a ANI (@ANI_news) December 4, 2016

Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest this evening, says Apollo Hospital. She is being treated, monitored by experts pic.twitter.com/dUceqoCpW7 a ANI (@ANI_news) December 4, 2016

Earlier in the day, Jayalalithaa wasA againA admittedA to intensive critical care unit. Reportedly, Jayalalithaa has been struggling with her health in last few months.

Prevailing to ailing health conditions, Jayalalithaa was hospitalised on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. The hospital, which had been issuing bulletins on her health status, has said she was being treated for infection.

Earlier, on Saturday, AIIMS expert team had confirmed that she has completely recovered after over two months of hospitalisation.

"The AIIMS doctors visited the hospital on Saturday and after examining her (Jayalalithaa's) health, they shared the good news with us that Amma (meaning mother as Jayalalithaa is fondly called by AIADMK cadres) has completely recovered," AIADMK spokesperson C Ponnaiyan had told reporters.

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Artko Capital recently released its Q2 2020 Investor Letter, a copy of which you can download here. The fund posted a return of -11.4% for the quarter, underperforming its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index which returned 20.5% in the same quarter. You should check out Artko Capitals top 5 stock picks for investors to buy right now, which could be the biggest winners of the stock market crash.

In the said letter, Artko Capital highlighted a few stocks and Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) is one of them. Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) is one of the world's largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes and related products. Year-to-date, Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) stock lost 16.8% and on August 6th it had a closing price of $41.55. Here is what Artko Capital said:

"Altria Group (MO)  We made an 9% Core Portfolio investment in Altria group at sub $40.00 in 2019 with the view that it was a good place to park cash at an 8%+ dividend yield with liquidity and a 15- 25% annual IRR upside. When the stock reached $50+ in early 2020 we took half of our position off the table and took the rest off back at $40 in the spring 2020 as we are positioning our portfolio to have significantly higher upside in the nanocap space as the economy and the small cap markets recover over the next few years. We may come back to MO in the future as it is a solid dividend yielding investment, but as we mentioned earlier, our strategy does involve off-the-beaten-path companies with an opportunity to get repriced on growth of revenues and earnings and Altria Groups low growth was not going to get us the returns we seek given the repricing of the value segment of the small cap markets."

Feel Photo Art/Shutterstock.com

Last month, we published an article revealing that Brown Advisory is bearish about Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) stock. The investment management firm believes that the company's Marlboro cigarette brand will lose market share to its rivals amid the pandemic.

Story continues

In Q1 2020, the number of bullish hedge fund positions on Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) stock decreased by about 15% from the previous quarter (see the chart here), so a number of other hedge fund managers seem to agree with Altria's downside potential. Our calculations showed that Altria Group Inc. (NYSE:MO) isn't ranked among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.

The top 10 stocks among hedge funds returned 185% since the end of 2014 and outperformed the S&P 500 Index ETFs by more than 109 percentage points. We know it sounds unbelievable. You have been dismissing our articles about top hedge fund stocks mostly because you were fed biased information by other media outlets about hedge funds' poor performance. You could have doubled the size of your nest egg by investing in the top hedge fund stocks instead of dumb S&P 500 ETFs. Below you can watch our video about the top 5 hedge fund stocks right now. All of these stocks had positive returns in 2020.

Video: Top 5 Stocks Among Hedge Funds

At Insider Monkey we scour multiple sources to uncover the next great investment idea. With Federal Reserve creating trillions of dollars out of thin air, we believe gold prices will keep increasing. So, we are checking out gold stocks like this small gold mining company. We go through lists like the 10 most profitable companies in America to pick the best large-cap stocks to buy. Even though we recommend positions in only a tiny fraction of the companies we analyze, we check out as many stocks as we can. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. If you want to find out the best healthcare stock to buy right now, you can watch our latest hedge fund manager interview here. You can subscribe to our free enewsletter below to receive our stories in your inbox:

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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President Donald Trump will be holding a press conference from Bedminster, New Jersey Friday evening after another "disappointing" meeting between Democrats and the White House on coronavirus aid yielded little progress.

The president, in a tweet, said: "I will be doing a news conference on the ChinaVirus, the just announced very good economic numbers, and the improving economy, at 7pm from Bedminster, New Jersey. Also, the subject of the Beirut, Lebanon catastrophe will be discussed."

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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 12:47 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c49314 1 National Most-Wanted-List,djoko-tjandra,civil-registry-database,fugitive,Home-Ministry,AGO Free

The Home Ministry will provide information about the nations most-wanted criminals  a list maintained by the Attorney's Generals Office (AGO)  on the governments civil registry to prevent further failures of enforcement and stop exploitation of the system by fugitives.

Home Ministry population and civil registration director general Zudan Arif Fakhrulloh said that the ministry had received the most-wanted list from the AGO.

The most-wanted list will be sent to population and civil registration offices throughout the country so that officers receive alerts about the legal status of fugitives if they request civil registration services.

"With the integrated data, the fugitives' records will spread quickly, and [this will] minimize their room for [escape]," Zudan said in a statement on Thursday.

Zudan said that one of the reasons behind the data integration was the recent clandestine return of graft convict and fugitive Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra to the country.

Djoko, who was convicted in the high-profile Bank Bali graft case, had been on the run for more than a decade since he fled the country in 2009. After entering the country undetected in early June, he managed to obtain a new electronic-ID and file a request for a court review of his conviction without being apprehended.

The e-ID was allegedly issued with the authorization and personal involvement of former South Grogol subdistrict head Asep Subahan in South Jakarta. The Jakarta administration has dismissed Asep for abuse of authority and violations of the e-ID card issuance procedure.

In late July, the police managed to track down and arrest Djoko in Malaysia with the help of the neighboring country's police force.

The integration of the data was also part of an agreement between the ministry and the AGO to use civil registry data in law enforcement. On Thursday, both agencies signed a letter of agreement to extend the cooperation that they had begun three years before.

Zudan said the agreement had been made to give assistance to the AGO in law enforcement through the use of population data.

According to agreement, the Population and Civil Registration Directorate General is allowed to give investigators access to 268 million personal data entries in the civil registry database, which include citizenship identification numbers (NIK), names and addresses.

The investigators are also allowed to access the Directorate General's database of 192 million citizen fingerprints and photographs for biometric recognition purposes. Zudan estimated that it would take a maximum of 20 seconds to match the fingerprint and face of an individual to an entry in the database, if the data had been recorded.

Home Minister Tito Karnavian, a former National Police chief who was assigned to his current role in late 2019, said that access to the civil registry database had been beneficial for the police.

"This is also true of the Attorney General's Office [most-wanted list]. Especially for corruption cases, in terms of interrogation, examination and other techniques, population and civil registry data is very useful in accelerating our work," said Tito.

However, Tito warned that the data should be protected to prevent abuse and breaches.

Attorney General ST Burhanuddin said in the statement that he appreciated the technological advancements and asked that prosecutors use the data selectively and only for investigation purposes.
When I met Christopher Senegal, a developer who bought a group of Fifth Ward homes with the promise not to raise rents, his approach struck me as unusual. In an effort to keep tenants in place in a low-income area where he expects property values to rise, he found a property that included both rental shotgun homes, which generated enough income to cover monthly costs, and vacant commercial space, which could be developed to increase profits.

Anntrunette Wallace, a customer service representative who lives in one of the homes, called Senegals approach a relief.

Your income doesnt increase just because the property value increased, she said. So just having someone to be able to say, I understand that need. And were not here to just make money, but were here to help you as a community  thats a big thing.

But as I spoke to longtime tenants, the property manager and a previous landlord, I found the details of Senegals plan  including his public promise not to raise rents for existing tenants and his technique of crowdfunding the money to purchase the site  were new, but the spirit was not.

In fact, Senegals promise to do right by longtime residents was a big part of why Birdie and Albert Stevens decided to sell the property to him in the first place. The history of the property, called Dittman Court and located on Lyons Avenue just east of I-69, shows why Senegals mission may appeal to some landlords as he tries to replicate the model elsewhere.

Birdie Stevens said her family first took over Dittman Court in the summer of 1976, when Dr. Samuel Dittman, after whom the property is named, asked Stevens father, Frank Adams, for a private meeting. Adams was a former sharecropper who at that time worked as a barber in the commercial space Dittman owned in front of 18 rental homes. He often helped the families who lived behind his shop make repairs to their homes.

He would also help in other ways  giving out free haircuts before the first day of school and saving up money to cover the poll taxes of neighbors who otherwise would not be able to afford to vote. (Federal courts declared the states poll tax unconstitutional in 1966.)

Frank Adams, his wife Hester, and Birdie and Albert Stevens traveled to Dittmans home to hear what he had to say.

The doctor was very candid about the matter, Stevens recalled. He said the property had been in his family for several years, and he had used the property to put his daughters through college. He went on to say it had served its purpose as far as his family was concerned. And he knew that the tenants  the people, as he called them  he knew that the people loved my father. They had a lot of respect for him.

Dittman offered to sell the property to the Adamses. When Hester Adams protested they did not have the money, he said hed already thought that through.

He said, We will finance this loan, if you agree to take it on. All we want you to do is take it and run with it, Stevens said.

While many landlords in Houston offered Black families unfavorable financial arrangements with terms meant to prevent them from ever taking full possession of the their deeds, according to government reports, Dittman was as good as his word. The Adamses closed on the Dittman Court in 1976.

And the Adamses did run with it, and managed the property until Frank Adams became ill. Then the couple turned the property over to Birdie and Albert Stevens to look after. For Birdie Stevens, that meant working with some families she had known since she was young.

We grew up knowing the peoples names, Stevens said. And when we took over the property, some of the people were still there. Like Miss Taylor  her little boy was just a small boy when she moved there.

Stevens said she sent out letters with a small gift every Christmas, to thank them for being good tenants.

You cant tell the story of Dittman without telling the story of the people. Because they make it. they made it what it is, she said. Weve been to funerals. We go to weddings. We bring baby gifts.

In Fifth Ward, as in other low-income neighborhoods close to downtown, many property owners are used to robocalls from investors trying to buy at low prices. So when Senegals team reached out to the Stevenses, Birdie Stevens was surprised to hear Senegals vision for the community.

He said, Im not here to buy property and jack up rents. Were here to build the community up, not tear it down, she recalled. We hung up and said, Dang. That sounds like us.

For landlords like the Stevenses, and the Adamses before them and Dittman before them, its important for properties to go to someone with a commitment to the people who live there.

I can make a dollar no matter what, Birdie Stevens said. But what we cant make is a good community.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz
The former White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said that Trump talked about nondisclosure statements all the time. He would talk about the power of these NDAs in the civilian world. He never could quite adjust to the fact that he couldnt terrorize people with these NDAs. The official said he never signed one and did not know anyone who did.
When COVID-19 first rippled through Houston, Julia C. Hester House was forced to shut down many of its programs. For the past 76 years, the non-profit community center has provided health, wellness and social resources in Fifth Ward, though the coronavirus pandemic created a unique challenge: How to feed the neighborhoods most vulnerable residents, including the elderly?

Hester House organizers prioritized its senior beneficiaries early on. Before coronavirus, they had access to daily, nutritious meals at the center. With safety restrictions in place, Hester Houses food distribution efforts could only serve 50 people at a time.

Then in April, the Houston Food Bank and Harris County Precinct 1 stepped in. The two entities joined forces with Crowd Rescue to distribute 1,000 food boxes that are assembled at Hester House three times a week. Meal packages are delivered to Harris County senior citizens and residents who live in food deserts or are at an increased risk of suffering complications from COVID-19.

Hadley Chittum, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

For families who are struggling, COVID-19 is creating hardship on top of hardship, said Andrea Sankey, Director of Development. So were wanting to create some level of support, and access to wholesome and healthy foods.

Still, several households fell through the cracks. To meet additional needs within Fifth Ward, Precinct 1 and the Houston Food Bank went back to the drawing board. On Tuesdays since mid-June, Hester House has also distributed fresh food boxes to individuals and families in the neighborhood.

They get a plethora of things: fresh meat, produce, dry goods, pet food and toiletries. The box looks different each week, Sankey said. With the increase of grocery prices, we provide as many wholesome, balanced meals to families as possible.

When that program first began, Hester House handed out 300 food boxes in under two hours. Now, theyre up to 500.

Cars line up at the center well before the 9 a.m. start time. Some recipients arrive on foot. Precinct 1 donated bicycles for volunteers to hand-deliver boxes to residents with limited mobility.

Sankey notes that Hester House has always focused on the neighborhoods nutrition and wellness. Through no-contact food distribution, its just taken on a different form.

The non-profits core mission has always been influenced by its late namesake, Julia C. Hester, who opened the home she shared with husband A.Z. Hester to local youth. Over the years, senior and social service initiatives were added.

The original Hester home was built in 1943; the organization moved into its current location in 1949. Most summers, the facility is a popular destination for swimming lessons and indoor sports.

We typically host a very robust summer camp and STEM programs, Sankey said. Now parents can pick up a box every Friday for the following week filled with science project materials and ingredients for healthy snacks.

HEster Houses pivot to virtual activities aims to help parents who dont always have access to childcare. Kids can even log-on and practice yoga with a remote instructor. Were trying to make sure that students stay engaged at home so that parents can do what they need to. Students have some sort of supervision, even if its virtual.

Mental health is another top concern. Sankey and her colleagues recently added a social component to existing food distribution efforts to keep the community connected: Sunday supper.

In African-American culture, Sunday supper is a little bit nicer  it has a little more feeling. So were starting to offer special meal boxes and Zoom over Sunday supper together, she said. Its much needed for mental health.

amber.elliott@chron.com
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

The state's COVID-19 positive test rate on Thursday reached the second-highest rate since the pandemic began, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data. For the second day in a row, the rate jumped and is now at 17.05 percent.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said earlier this week that the city's positive test rate is still hovering at around 15 percent. Local health authorities and public officials have repeatedly said that they want Houston's positive test rate to decrease to about 5 percent before reopening schools or scaling back any stay-home measures.

As of Thursday evening, the number of COVID-19 cases in Texas increased by 7,377 to 483,224 cases total. The state reported 261 new deaths and is now 8,264 deaths in total. Thursday marks the 28th highest day for new cases and the fourth highest day for newly reported deaths.

ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: So, how bad is COVID-19 in Houston? A guide to reading the data

The Houston region added 1,621 new cases yesterday and is now at 115,823 cases total. Sixty new deaths were reported in the region, bringing the death count up to 1,926. Harris County reported 1,005 new cases and is now at 81,919 cases total.

8:30 a.m.: 10th Annual Mayors Back 2 School Fest underway in Houston

City officials and the Houston Food Bank are hosting a school supplies drive-thru event for elementary school students from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the NRG Yellow Parking Lot.

Students who register on the city's website can receive free food, masks, backpacks and school supplies. Health protocols will be in place.

NOTE: The numbers included in this report represent a one-day change in data from Wednesday, August 5 through Thursday, August 6. 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
In response to the killing of George Floyd, the massive Black Lives Matter protests and pressure from students, dozens of colleges and universities have made public commitments to new anti-racism initiatives.

The University of Florida will require all students, faculty and staff to undergo training on racism, inclusion and bias. And Northeastern University will institute cultural competency and anti-racism training for every member of the campus community.

Given the vital importance of confronting past and present racism, we believe it is imperative that colleges and universities address racial disparities and discrimination in higher education head-on. However, as scholars who study race and social inequality, we know that diversity training suffers from chronically disappointing results. Recent research in psychology even suggests that diversity training may cause more problems than it solves.

Called into a typical diversity training session, you may be told to complete a privilege walk: step forward if you are a white male, backward if your ancestors were forced to come to the United States, forward if either of your parents graduated from college, backward if you grew up in an urban setting, and so on.

You will most definitely be encouraged to internalize an ever-expanding diversity lexicon. This vocabulary includes terms such as Latinx, microaggressions and white privilege.

In terms of reducing bias and promoting equal opportunity, diversity training has failed spectacularly, according to the expert assessment of sociologists Frank Dobbin and Alexandra Kalev. When Dobbin and Kalev evaluated the impact of diversity training at more than 800 companies over three decades, they found that the positive effects are short-lived and that compulsory training generates resistance and resentment.

A company is better off doing nothing than mandatory diversity training, Kalev concluded.

There is evidence, for example, that introducing people to the most commonly used readings about white privilege can reduce sympathy for poor whites, especially among social liberals.

There is also evidence that emphasizing cultural differences across racial groups can lead to an increased belief in fundamental biological differences among races. This means that well-intentioned efforts to celebrate diversity may in fact reinforce racial stereotyping.

With its emphasis on dos and donts, diversity training tends to be little more than a form of etiquette. It spells out rules that are just as rigid as those that govern the placement of salad forks and soup spoons. The fear of saying the wrong thing often leads to unproductive, highly scripted conversations.

This is the exact opposite of the kinds of debates and discussions that you would hope to find on a college campus.

The main beneficiaries of the forthcoming explosion in diversity programming will be the swelling ranks of diversity and inclusion consultants who stand to make a pretty penny. Robin DiAngelo, the best-selling author of White Fragility, charges up to $15,000 per event.

In this belt-tightening era of COVID-19, should colleges and universities really be spending precious dollars on measures that have been proven to fail?

In our view, instead of pouring money into diversity training, colleges and universities would be better off using their limited resources to provide increased financial aid and better academic support systems for underrepresented students. The increasing number of scholarships and fellowships that have been established in George Floyds name are a welcome step in this direction.

We also recommend that schools invest more in expanding the full range of educational opportunities at their disposal to better understand and disrupt systemic racism.

This includes coursework, lecture series, discussion panels, student speak-outs, college-wide teach-ins, exhibitions, performances and common readings. Such an approach would enable universities to use the extensive knowledge and expertise that their faculty, students and staff already have on issues of race and inequality.

Campus communities dont need diversity consultants to lead workshops about terms such as microaggressions, micro-invalidations and micro-insults. Instead they should discuss thought-provoking works such as poet Claudia Rankines book Citizen, a personal account that strips bare the everyday realities of racism.

Rather than simply declaring that illegal immigrant is an unacceptable derogatory term, analyze Jason De Leons The Land of Open Graves, a vivid portrait that pushes our understanding of how lives are lived and lost on the U.S.-Mexican border to a new level.

To explain the concept of intersectionality, replace social identity wheel exercises with an examination of the 1977 Combahee River Collective Statement, whose Black feminist authors insisted that it was not possible to separate race from class from sex oppression.

Facing urgent calls for action, colleges and universities have embraced diversity training to try to prove that they really are doing something to advance racial justice. But the relevant evidence suggests that in offering ineffective, superficial remedies to the complex problems of prejudice and exclusion, diversity training will shortchange campus communities and short-circuit critical thinking.

If colleges and universities want to effect meaningful social change, they will soon discover that diversity training is no substitute for education.

Khalid is an associate professor of history at Carleton College. Snyder is an associate professor of educational studies at Carleton College. This piece was edited and previously published in The Conversation.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Rajya Sabha member Naresh Gujral is the latest to test COVID positive on Friday, a day after he attended a parliamentary standing committee meeting along with several other leaders.

The SAD leader attended the parliamentary standing committee meeting on personnel, public grievances, law and justice on Thursday. He, however, claimed that the meeting was held following social distancing norms and the attendees wore face masks during the meeting.

Meanwhile, without naming Gujral, All India Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien took a pot shot at the government.

He tweeted, "An MP who attended a Parliament Standing committee meeting on Thursday, tested positive today. We wish him a speedy recovery. Trinamool MPs are not attending. For 4 months we have been urging that these meetings happen virtually. Enough scope to tweak rules. Anyone listening!"
US President Donald Trump has issued two executive orders prohibiting transactions in the country with the Chinese companies that own WeChat and TikTok.

The prohibition on doing transactions with these two companies by any person in the US will come into effect 45 days following the order which was issued on Thursday.

WeChat is a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd.

Following the executive order, shares in Tencent tanked 9 per cent in Hong Kong.

TikTok, a video-sharing mobile application owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd., has reportedly been downloaded over 175 million times in the US and over one billion times globally.

In the executive order "addressing threat posed by TikTok", Trump said the spread in the US of mobile applications developed and owned by Chinese companies "continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States."

"At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok," said the order.

The order said that data collected by TikTok threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party to access personal and proprietary information of US citizens.

China could potentially use these data to the disadvantage of the US, suggested the order.

Similar allegations were made against WeChat in the executive order addressing "the Threat Posed by WeChat."

Even before the executive orders were issued, the Trump administration raised fears that TikTok could use data of US citizens with the Chinese government.

Both Beijing and TikTok denied the allegations.

The orders were issued amid discussion by Microsoft to purchase the US business of TikTok.

Microsoft revealed its intention to purchase TikTok's US business by September 15, following a discussion between the company's CEO and the US President.

In a discussion with US tech workers earlier this week, Trump said that the country should get a large percentage of the proceeds if part of the short video-sharing platform TikTok's business is bought by an American firm.

Trump said he does not mind if Microsoft, or any other "secure" American company, buys TikTok's business in the US and he also shared the observation with the Microsoft CEO that that it is "probably easier to buy the whole thing than to buy 30 per cent of it."

Meanwhile, reacting to the development surrounding TikTok, state-run China Daily newspaper on Tuesday said that "theft" of a Chinese tech firm would not be accepted by Beijing.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Tuesdays catastrophic explosion could have been the result of foreign interference.

On Aug. 4, a massive explosion ripped through Beirut, killing more than 150 and injuring thousands. The blast destroyed much of Beirut's port and the surrounding neighborhoods. It was so big that it damaged buildings several miles outside of the city. Investigations so far have concluded that 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer, caught fire and then exploded. Many in Lebanon are livid at the government for its apparent negligence in storing the highly explosive material so close to the countrys major population center.

Aoun said that the government would determine who was responsible and that no one is immune to investigation in remarks reported by Lebanese media outlets on Friday.

The president stated that the explosion was the result of negligence or foreign interference through a missile or bomb, indicating his belief that the explosion may not have been accidental.

Lebanon has requested satellite images from France to help with its investigation, according to Aoun. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut yesterday and locals chanted anti-Lebanese government slogans at him.

Tuesdays devastating blast has prompted numerous conspiracy theories. Prominent Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Mansour shared a video on Twitter that showed an apparent flying object in the vicinity of the explosion, although some on twitter claimed it could be a fake.

Some social media users quickly attributed the incident to an Israeli attack, which Israel immediately denied. Israel is often the culprit in conspiracies theories in the Arab world. Israel has also offered to assist Lebanon, a notable development considering the two countries lack formal relations. Israel is in a state of conflict with the Lebanese military and political organization Hezbollah.

Some critics of Hezbollah have claimed the explosive material belonged to the Iran-backed group.

Aoun is not the only leader to suggest the incident may have been an attack. US President Donald Trump made a similar claim but was subsequently contradicted by Pentagon officials.
(The Center Square)  Joe Biden may not be coming to Milwaukee for the Democratic National Convention, but thousands of protesters are.

The Coalition to March on the DNC on Thursday said it will march through the streets of Milwaukee, regardless of what happens inside the convention hall.

"While Joe Biden shelters himself from COVID-19 and the movement for Black lives in Milwaukee, the Coalition to March on the Democratic National Convention will be in the streets," the group said in a statement. "Regardless of whether Biden comes to Milwaukee or not, the Democrats will hear from the people on the front lines fighting police crimes, especially the families who have lost loved ones to killer cops."

Ryan Hamann, one of the co-chairs of the Coalition, said protesters have been planning to rally and March on the last day of the convention for months. Biden's announcement on Wednesday that he will skip the convention isn't changing that.

Our main goal as a group is to defeat Donald Trump," Hamann said. But we need to also be clear in demanding that Joe Biden and the Democrats stop these killer cops who operate in Democrat-controlled cities like right here in Milwaukee. This is why were organizing. We must continue to build the peoples movements, especially against police crimes and for community control of the police.

The focus on the police represents a shift for the protesters. They had planned to address a long list of other policy grievances.

Lauryn Cross, a leader with the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression, said they want to bring national attention to three Milwaukee-area officer-involved shooting deaths; specifically the deaths of Alvin Cole, Jay Anderson, and Antonio Gonzales.

Cole died after police in Wauwatosa said he fired his pistol at officers in February of this year. Anderson died in 2016 after he went for a gun during a traffic stop. Gonzalez died in 2015 after he charged an officer while holding a sword. The same Wauwatosa police officer, Joseph Mensah, shot all three men. He was cleared in Anderson and Gonzalez's deaths. The review into Cole's death is still pending.

What were hoping to do during the DNC is shine a spotlight on the fact that killer cops exist everywhere, whether its a big city like Milwaukee or a small town like Oshkosh. We want to bring together as many families as possible from across Wisconsin, Cross said.

Milwaukee Police have struggled to get the backing to handle crowds in the lead-up to the DNC. Milwaukee leaders have banned the use of tear gas on what they call "peaceful protesters." Many Milwaukee-area police departments say they will not send officers to Milwaukee to help with crowd control because of that decision.

The DNC will open in Milwaukee on August 17.
When the monster Godzilla, or Gojira, appeared before Japanese movie audiences in 1954, many left the theaters in tears.

The fictional creature, a giant dinosaur once undisturbed in the ocean, was depicted in the original film as having been aggravated by a hydrogen bomb. Its heavily furrowed skin or scales were imagined to resemble the keloid scars of survivors of the two atomic bombs that the U.S. dropped on Japan nine years earlier to end World War II.

American audiences, however, had the opposite reaction, finding comedic value in what many interpreted as a cheesy monster movie.

Most Americans think if you left the movie in tears, it was just because you laughed so hard, William Tsutsui, author of Godzilla on My Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters, told NBC Asian America.

The stark contrast reflects how Hollywood took the Japanese concept and scrubbed it of its political message before presenting it to American audiences to deflect from the U.S. decision to drop the bombs, critics say.

This month is the 75th anniversary of the U.S. bombings in Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki three days later, and while many Americans today think of the film as an almost campy relic of its time, it was intended in Japan to be a metaphor for the ills of atomic testing and the use of nuclear weapons, considering what Japan endured after the bombings. The movie served as a strong political statement, representative of the traumas and anxieties of the Japanese people in an era when censorship was extensive in Japan because of the American occupation of the country after the war ended, Tsutsui said. The screen depicted what many could not explicitly say.

Japanese creative artists, filmmakers, novelists and so forth really couldn't talk about the atomic bombings. It was a topic that could not be discussed. And Japanese people, as well, were very reticent about discussing this tragedy, because it was so horrible, and because they felt a sense of guilt and shame about those events, Tsutsui said. But when the Japanese had their independence back, and as filmmakers were thinking about giant monsters, people began to think about that connection between monstrosity and the atomic bombing.

Story continues

In the original Japanese film, the creature was portrayed as a surviving dinosaur from the Jurassic Period, swimming around the South Pacific. Tsutsui describes the monster as innocent as the kids on their playgrounds in Hiroshima. After an American H-bomb test in the South Pacific, the creature became radiated, hurt and angry.

The reality is just this sort of rage that comes from someone, essentially innocent, who is so victimized and scarred by this experience, the scholar said.

For many Japanese viewers, seeing the movie was a cathartic, validating experience, the scholar said. People were able to witness Tokyo being destroyed once more while seeing radiation given the physical form of a monster. The ending, while bittersweet, is a hopeful one in which humanity triumphs over evil.

However, American audiences saw a different film when it was brought stateside as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! roughly two years later, Tsutsui said. The movie was heavily edited, placing the white actor Raymond Burr at the center of the adaptation. The scholar noted that an estimated 20 minutes of the original Japanese film, predominantly the politically charged portions, were cut out of the American version.

Image: Godzilla, king of the monsters. (Universal History Archive / via Getty Images)

Among the axed scenes was one where commuters on a train make the link between the Hiroshima bombing and Godzillas attack, as well as the poignant final line in the original where biology professor Dr. Yamane warns that if nuclear testing does not cease, another Godzilla could appear. Tsutsui pointed out that the U.S. version ended on a sunny note, that the world was safe again and could return to normal.

Little of the original movies intended message has been restored in later adaptations. In the 1998 Godzilla film starring Matthew Broderick, for example, the creature was created from an atomic H-bomb test by the French, rather than Americans, in Polynesia. In the Godzilla films released by the production company Legendary, the monster is portrayed as a prehistoric dinosaur that has emerged from the Earth and must be destroyed by nuclear bombs, making it an almost humanitarian gesture to save the world from monsters, Tsutsui said.

The dynamic of the U.S. wanting to deny its traumatic history in Japan, he said, persists.

It still is the case that they cannot get their minds around the nuclear issue and American culpability in the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Tsutsui noted of the more recent American adaptations.

When outlets like The New York Times reviewed the film in 1956, it was described as in the category of cheap cinematic horror-stuff and it is too bad that a respectable theatre has to lure children and gullible grown-ups with such fare. The deliberate aesthetic choices that the original filmmakers made on the creatures keloid-like scars were even interpreted as low-budget Japanese filmmaking with critics at the time likening the monster to a miniature of a dinosaur made of gum-shoes and about $20 worth of toy buildings and electric trains.

Hollywood ultimately sought to sanitize the movie and deflect blame from the U.S. bombings, Tsutsui said.

Certainly all the pieces that were in any way, could in any way be construed as critical of the United States or atomic testing, were really stricken from the film, Tsutsui said. So the deep political meaning and a lot of the heart of the original 'Godzilla' was cut out for American audiences.

Kazu Watanabe, head of film at the Japan Society, had similar thoughts, saying that the U.S. adaptation contributed to the distorted, skewed views that Americans had of Japan at the time.

These 'Godzilla' films were not received in the same way in general  in Japan the early films were big budget, major studio films featuring some recognizable stars, while in the U.S. they were more like lowbrow B-movie Japanese monster movie genre fare with funny dubbing that fed into an Orientalist understanding of Japanese culture in America at large, he said.

The way in which the movie went through another layer of censorship before it was presented to American audiences, Tsutsui explained, shows just how sensitive people were to the inherent inhumanity of the atomic bombings.

They worked hard to protect the American public from the truth that really the Americans who watched the film never had a chance to respond to it in a meaningful way.

Image: Godzilla (United Archives / via Getty Images)

The original film was essentially a product of the eras popular monster movies and heavily influenced by the events in Japan at the time, Tsutsui said. A producer at Tomo Studios, Tanaka Tomoyuki, was inspired by the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in addition to what was known as the Lucky Dragon No. 5 Incident of March 1954, in which a Japanese fishing boat strayed into the U.S. H-bomb testing range of the Bikini Atoll. The crew aboard were subsequently irradiated, with one dying of radiation poisoning.

The producer pitched the concept of a radiated monster who rises from the ocean to attack men. The idea resonated with his superiors and they connected him to a highly respected Japanese filmmaker, Ishiro Honda, who was a pacifist and had a vested interest in making the movie. Honda himself had fought in the war in China and upon returning to his homeland passed through Hiroshima, leaving with a chilling memory of the area.

As the Americans did with many Japanese soldiers coming back to the homeland, they had them land in Hiroshima so the Japanese soldiers would see how thoroughly defeated Japan had been, Tsutsui said. It had a lifetime impact on him the horrors of what he saw, and he decided that he had an opportunity with this movie to set an important political message.

Image: Godzilla (LMPC via Getty Images)

Watanabe said that although Godzilla as a character hasnt retained the symbolism for nuclear warfare in the American publics collective mind, the monster has evolved to represent Japanese pop culture as a whole, not too dissimilar from Hello Kitty or Pikachu, he said. He added that he still sees a significant fandom show up to screenings and showings of the old Godzilla movies.

But that doesnt mean the creatures original, intended message is irrelevant. Watanabe said its still powerful imagery, three quarters of century after two Japanese cities were devastated by the bombings.

As long as nuclear weapons or nuclear power exists, Godzilla will never not be relevant, Watanabe said. Godzilla reminds us that we have the terrible power to create our own monsters and contribute to our own destruction.
In two separate Executive Orders signed by the US President Donald Trump, Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat will be prohibited from operating in the US in 45 days since the order issue date. The order would prohibit any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd and Tencent Holdings, for TikTok and WeChat, respectively.

The executive order said the two apps, developed and owned by companies in China, threatens the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and additional steps must be taken to deal with the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain.

Also read: Donald Trump signs executive orders banning Tiktok, WeChat over security concerns

The order alleges that video sharing platform TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.

On August 2, 2020, Microsoft issued a statement on the company continuing discussions on potential purchase of TikTok in the United States. ByteDance and Microsoft were exploring a preliminary proposal that would involve a purchase of TikTok service in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Microsoft owning and operating TikTok in these markets. However, recent developments suggest Microsoft is considering taking over TikTok's entire global business. This includes TikTok's India operations, which was banned by the government of India along with 58 more Chinese apps on June 29, 2020

The order also alleges that WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information. In addition, the application captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives.

Also read: TikTok might return to India if Microsoft buys global business of video sharing app
China has noted that Australia welcomes China's development and hopes that Australia can turn its words into concrete actions, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a routine press briefing after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivered a speech at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday, saying that Australia welcomes China's rise, and expects China to play a role in regional and global stability. He also said Australia has found no evidence showing it should restrict the popular short-video app TikTok.

China is committed to peaceful development and will never seek hegemony or engage in confrontation. China always believes that peace, cooperation, development, and mutual benefit are the irresistible trend of the times and the common aspiration of people around the world, Wang said.

Any idea for regional cooperation should be in line with the general trend, and conform to the people's will. Otherwise, it will not win the support of regional countries, the spokesperson added.

"We have noted that Australia said it welcomes China's development and hope that Australia will turn its words into concrete actions, act in line with the spirit of the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership and contribute to regional peace and stability," Wang said.
The German economy shrank 10.1 percent from April through June compared to the previous quarter, the biggest decline since the government starting keeping the data in 1970.

But the figure, which covers the peak period of pandemic lockdowns, may already be old news. Surveys of business managers indicate that Europes largest economy is rebounding quickly, though it will probably be months or years before growth returns to normal, and the risk of further setbacks is high.

The German labor market stabilized in July, according to data published Thursday by the nations labor office. The number of unemployed people fell by 18,000 after rising sharply from April through June. But joblessness could rise later in the year if many businesses founder, and workers who are now on furlough become unemployed.

Germany is in a better position than other European Union countries like Italy or Spain, in part because the government was effective in containing the spread. At the same time, new infections of the coronavirus are rising again as Germans return from holidays abroad, and there is fear of a second wave.
Since invading the island of Puerto Rico on July 25, 1898, to end the four centuries of colonial dominance by Spain on the American continent, the United States has confronted a dilemma: What to do with this territory and its people?

The revelation by the former head of Homeland Security that President Donald Trump considered putting the island up for sale as an option for dealing with Hurricane Marias devastation of the U.S. territory almost three years ago is another indication of the apparent irritant Puerto Rican issues represent for the U.S. government.

In fact, the president made that clear while visiting in the aftermath of the hurricane when he said of Puerto Rico, You threw our budget a little out of whack. That such a tiny island  100 miles long by 35 miles wide  is the source of such frustration and scorn puts in perspective the ambivalent relationship Puerto Rico and the United States have maintained for 122 years.

The annexation of Puerto Rico sparked an era of U.S. territorial expansionism for military and economic gains around the world. For Puerto Rico, imperial masters simply switched. Adding insult to injury, subsequent legislation and U.S. Supreme Court rulings declared the island an unincorporated territory  not meant to become a state  and treated Puerto Rico as a foreign country in matters of taxes, duties, imports and excises to the detriment of the local economy. In essence, Congress has treated Puerto Rico as a separate and unequal territory since its inception.

The U.S. citizenship granted by Congress to Puerto Ricans in 1917 is statutory, rather than constitutional. This means what Congress giveth, Congress can taketh away, this being not much different from what the U.S. owns, the U.S. can sell  or give away.

So much was implied in 2005 by the White House task force on the status of Puerto Rico appointed by President George W. Bush. It concluded, among other things, the Federal Government may relinquish United States sovereignty (over the island) by granting independence or ceding the territory to another nation. It also asserted as the Constitution provides, admit (the) territory as a State.

In 1950, under pressure from the United Nations, Congress passed the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act, which enabled islanders to form a local government under their own constitutional framework, much like any other state of the union. The act is still the basis for Puerto Ricos relationship with the United States, proclaimed as a commonwealth but better expressed in its Spanish translation: Estado Libre Asociado. This translates as free associated state. A number of recent Supreme Court and other federal judicial decisions, as well as congressional and executive determinations on Puerto Rico, have put into question the validity of these three pillars. The elephant in the middle of the room is Puerto Ricos lack of representation in Congress.

Now, back to the perennial dilemma: What exactly is it that the American people want for Puerto Rico? Do they want to sell it, cede it, liberate it, own it or embrace it as a state? None of these options is a cakewalk. Right now, the U.S. owns it. And, pursuant to the territory clause of the Constitution, Congress is the source of power over the island. So, an act of Congress is required to modify its status. But Congress is strictly a representation of the American people. Only the American people can empower Congress to make such a consequential determination.

To make an intelligent decision, the American people need to become better informed. Only half of the American population knows that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Very few are aware of the gallantry Puerto Ricans have exhibited in combat  nine Medal of Honor recipients  or how many have distinguished themselves as U.S. ambassadors, a U.S. Supreme Court justice, members of Congress representing other states, general officers and an astronaut.

The American people need to know Puerto Rico has a population larger than 20 states. This is not a trivial statistic. It determines representation in Congress. These are well-educated people. The literacy rate is 93 percent, with 18 percent of its population holding a bachelors degree or higher. The island lacks natural resources but is rich in human assets capable of self-governing.

Again, what should the U.S do with Puerto Rico? Only the American people can provide the answer.

Jaime Vazquez is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and a proud Puerto Rican.
Russia intercepts 2 US spy planes over Black Sea

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 06 August 2020 6:22 AM

Russia has intercepted a pair of US spy planes as they were heading toward Russian airspace over the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry says.

The two American aircraft were picked up on radar over the neutral waters of the Black Sea and approaching the Russian border, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. An Su-27 fighter jet of the Southern Military District was scrambled to intercept them.

The Russian jet identified the American aircraft as a US Air Force RC-135 strategic reconnaissance plane and a US Navy R-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft.

"No violation of the Russian state border by US reconnaissance aircraft was allowed," the statement said.

For the past several weeks, Russian airspace control systems have been detecting numerous aircraft heading toward the Russian border over the neutral waters of the Black Sea, according to Russia's Sputnik news agency.

The last encounter between Russian and US aircraft occurred on July 30, when a Su-27 jet fighter intercepted two US reconnaissance planes approaching the country's border over the sea.

American bombers and spy planes, as well as NATO aircraft, have frequently been detected near Russia's borders.

The provocative flights have particularly increased in frequency since 2014, when the then-Ukrainian territory of Crimea joined Russia following a referendum and when a military conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about the increasing activities of the US-led NATO forces near its western borders.

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As laid-off Canadians receive their last payments from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), many are wondering whether the governments promised changes to the Employment Insurance (EI) program will be enough to keep them afloat.

Those who have been continuously getting payments since March will see their benefits end as of August 29. Here are the answers to a few questions Canadians may be asking about the switch from CERB to EI, and where it leaves them.

Will I get less money on EI than on CERB?

Under the current structure of the EI program, most Canadians will get less than the $2,000 a month provided by CERB, said David Macdonald, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

In a virtual press conference Thursday hosted by the Labour advocacy group Workers Action Centre, Macdonald said a handful of people will get more than CERB, but most will get significantly less if changes arent made to the percentage of lost income EI provides.

Currently, EI provides 55 per cent of a workers average insurable earnings, to a maximum of $573 per week.

Will everyone be able to get EI?

Toronto labour lawyer John Hyde said while the government has promised to add an EI program for gig workers and contract workers, and relax the eligibility rules for EI, some Canadians will likely still be left behind.

I suspect that it wont cover everybody. And I suspect they wont get it right the first time, he said, adding that he foresees a multitude of changes to the EI program before it covers everyone as promised.

Macdonald said many workers who were able to get CERB will not be eligible for the current EI program if they havent worked enough hours. As well, he said workers who havent technically been laid off but who have had their hours cut could fall through the cracks because the EI program requires a record of employment to prove a person has lost their job.

How can I prepare for whats coming?

Hyde said weathering the switch from CERB to EI will be problematic for those who dont have savings, or who may not qualify for EI. All they can do right now is manage their budgets as best they can and pay attention as more information comes out from the government.

The government has promised some changes to the EI program, with more details to come at the end of August, such as relaxed eligibility rules.

They havent given us enough information at this point in time to know the mechanics of this process, and Im hoping that their statement as to the increased simplicity and the inflexibility will come to fruition, because its certainly necessary, Hyde said. The majority of people who are in receipt of CERB actually need it, and they need it quickly.
PM Modi on Tuesday is reported to have spoken to Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa to extend his felicitations on his re-election and the massive electoral victory of his party, the SLPP. The two leaders also discussed counter-measures to combat Covid-19, invoked strong India-Sri Lanka ties as relations with other countries remain destabilised amid growing threats from China.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa and congratulated him as early results of recently held parliamentary elections indicate an impressive electoral performance by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party.

The leaders agreed to remain in close touch as both countries address the challenges posed by COVID 19 pandemic and resolved to take bilateral relations to newer heights in the coming days.

A PMO release said that the Prime Minister commended the government and the electoral institutions of Sri Lanka for effectively organising elections despite the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also appreciated Sri Lankan people for their enthusiastic participation in the elections and said that this reflected the strong democratic values shared by both countries.

Also read: Trump cracks down on Chinese apps, signs order to ban Tiktok, WeChat in 45 days

Also read: US Teen mastermind behind controversial Twitter hack of Elon Musk, Barack Obama

Prime Minister Modi noted that the incoming results of the elections indicate an impressive electoral performance by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party and conveyed his congratulations and best wishes to Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa in this regard, the release said.

The preliminary results of Wednesdays parliamentary election show that the SLPP appeared to be heading for a landslide win in the country.

Recalling their cordial and fruitful previous interactions, the two leaders reiterated their shared commitment to strengthen the age-old and multi-dimensional India-Sri Lanka relationship.

They stressed the significance of early progress in all spheres of bilateral cooperation.

Prime Minister Modi informed Rajapaksa about the establishment of an international airport in the Buddhist pilgrimage city of Kushinagar in India and said that the city looked forward to welcoming visitors from Sri Lanka at an early date.

The leaders agreed to remain in close touch as both countries address the challenges posed by COVID 19 pandemic and resolved to take bilateral relations to newer heights in the coming days, the release said.

Also read: Dont interfere says India after UNSC rejects China-Pak attempt to raise Kashmir issue
After largely getting a handle on contact tracing for traditional coronavirus tests, the Jasper Newton County Public Health District has now also started taking on responsibility for positive cases that come from rapid tests.

Jasper County Judge Mark Allen said he was made aware of the change within the past few days. He acknowledged that the state of Texas doesnt count these tests as true positives. But hes glad the local district is doing everything it can to stop the virus spread, even if a few false positives also are thrown in there.

We keep them separate in our numbers because the state doesnt recognize those, he said. But we are actively contact tracing because weve found residents that were rapid tested that have the virus, were hospitalized or have died from the virus. Were trying to use every avenue we have to get ahead of this virus.

While numbers reported to the state show 316 total positive cases from the county, 100 rapid-test positives brings that number to 416.

Allen encouraged residents who have imminent concerns  someone who had a possible exposure but needs to get back to work, for example, or someone who is elderly or has a compromised immune system  to use the rapid test as a tool.

Related: States form coronavirus testing pact

Im told about 80% of the positive cases are correct, Allen said. I want to err on the side of caution. I dont want to discount it, and I dont want to take a chance. I encourage individuals that if theyre in a hurry, take that test.

At this point, most, if not all, of the rapid tests diagnosing Jasper and Newton county residents with coronavirus come from the surrounding urban areas such as Livingston or Beaumont.

More Information Coronavirus testing site When: 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday Where: Central High School girls' gym, 88 Jaguar Drive, Beaumont See More Collapse

Allen said he expects that, as the test becomes more widely available, other counties will have a conversation similar on whether to count those positive cases as well.

The additional data also gives nearby Newton County a better idea of case growth, which is particularly important as the county looks ahead to potentially pursuing another mask waiver.

Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Olen Bean said the county has gone about a week with fewer than 20 active cases of COVID-19. Once it hits 30 days, it will apply for that waiver.

Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox

As of Tuesday, Newton County had reported 92 total positive cases. Only 16 of those were active.

Even with all the contact tracing, its unclear at this time how much the reopening of schools in the next several days will impact case growth.

Allen said he hopes parents will take responsibility for educating students on the importance of related health precautions and keeping their kids home if theyre sick.

However, Jasper County has test kits and contact tracing capacity ready should there be an outbreak.

I believe the schools are prepared, and I know we need to provide education to our kids, he said. But we need to be real cautious. Well probably be doing a lot of contact tracing here soon. Were anticipating that.

Kaitlin Bain is the Government Reporter for the Beaumont Enterprise. Contact her at Kaitlin.Bain@BeaumontEnterprise.com or on Twitter by clicking here.

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The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the officials and generally bar Americans from doing business with them.

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the territory's current and former police chiefs and eight other top officials for what Washington says is their role in curtailing political freedoms in the territory.

The sanctions were imposed under an executive order President Donald Trump signed last month to punish China for its moves against dissent in Hong Kong and are the latest dramatic action by his administration against Beijing in the run-up to his November re-election bid, Reuters said.

Read alsoEU imposes sanctions on four Russians, GRU military intel unit over cyberattacks

As well as Lam, the sanctions target Hong Kong Police commissioner Chris Tang and his predecessor Stephen Lo; John Lee Ka-chiu, Hong Kong's secretary of security, and Teresa Cheng, the justice secretary.

Among six other officials targeted were Luo Huining, mainland China's top official in Hong Kong, and Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office in Beijing.

The Treasury Department said Beijing's imposition of "draconian" national security legislation had undermined Hong Kong's autonomy and set "the groundwork for censorship of any individuals or outlets that are deemed unfriendly to China.""Carrie Lam is the chief executive directly responsible for implementing Beijing's policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes," it said.

In a separate statement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the moves "send a clear message that the Hong Kong authorities' actions are unacceptable" and in contravention of China's "one country, two systems" commitments.

"We will not stand by while the people of Hong Kong suffer brutal oppression at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party or its enablers," he added in a tweet.

The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the officials and generally bar Americans from doing business with them.
In keeping with the new progressive strategy for arguments with conservatives, Stanley Harrold's Unsuited to be Published diatribe was the supreme example of the new "Cancel Culture" of silencing conservatives.

Instead of honoring the value of substantive debate about critical issues, he chose to lump my article about the recent attacks on Christianity with two other conservative authors writing about different subjects. Harrold's attack used the implied charge of racism against all three writers (Ironically, one writer was of Chinese descent writing about the connection of current events with his knowledge of China).

Harrold went so far as to actually allege the newspaper was irresponsible for publication of the conservative side. According to Harrold, the articles raise questions about fairness and human rights. Three far-right columns go beyond anything close to reasonable journalism. I would normally let this kind of unfounded hyperbole and defamation go unanswered, but feel compelled to reply.

First, as the readers know I have been a conservative voice in the newspapers opinion section among a substantial majority of liberal columnists. Almost two decades ago, when I started offering opinion pieces for The Times and Democrat, voices from the far left, like Eugene Robinson, predominated the opinion page. This imbalance appeared biased to the left, but I never questioned The Times and Democrat publishing liberal voices.

My challenge was to provide the conservative voice, debate the ideas and provide evidence to back up my assertions. I never lumped together multiple liberal writers. Lumping writers together is absolutely disingenuous, in that all can be discredited by the assertions of one and unfair unless they are writing in coordination. In my writings, I have attempted to find credible evidence in both quotations and citations. Though I find Ann Coulters article an insightful and important counter to the far left, she makes assertions I do not.

Prior to my article about the attacks on Christianity by those involved in the current rioting, I wrote about Karl Marx and quote him extensively. In that earlier article, I made the same allegation as I did with the recent article about rising attacks on Christianity: That Marxism was connected to many of the actions we were seeing with the rioters, and that the relationship between the two should not be ignored. In both articles, I give preeminence to the actions and ideology of antifa, though in the second article I also mention the connection of Marxism to the Black Lives Matter organization. As I made clear, I did not believe many of those protesting after the Floyd killing understood the Marxist connection.

Harrold either failed to read my first article about Marxism or failed to do any of his own research about Marx. Marx was vehemently and openly anti-Christian and claimed his primary goal in life was to dethrone God, and destroy capitalism." Marx wrote of his hatred of the nuclear family and alleged that in primitive society, families were communal. This obviously contradicted the biblical accounts of family. Marx also wrote that the present must control the past and exhorted his followers to destroy reminders of the past.

In deciding to throw down the trump card of racism," Harrold fails to even mention the prominence of the role I allege of antifa in furthering Marxist ideals. Additionally, Harrold turns my mention of the BLM organization into an attack against all African Americans, going so far as to assert Black people are among the most Christian Americans."

Whether or not one racial group is considered the most Christian is not the point, and frankly the BLM protests are noted for involving overwhelmingly white progressives. The BLM organization was founded by (and still led by) those who admitted to being trained Marxists." Anyone can read the BLM website, in which BLM claims it must disrupt the nuclear family," among other values unrelated to black lives mattering.

Interestingly, the Black nuclear family is suffering the greatest crisis in history, with over 75% of Black babies born and raised outside wedlock (in 1965, under 25% were born/raised outside wedlock). If Black lives mattered, surely having a father and mother raising children would be a prime goal. BLM instead promotes children being raised the communal way Marx recommended. Additionally, the BLM goals include the end of police, prisons, borders, ICE, etc. and redistributing wealth.

Shockingly, Harrold claims the Chinese Communist Party to be some kind of benign democracy with solely a window-dressing of Marxism/communism. The reality most have come to accept is exactly opposite. CPP handling of COVID-19, including the coverups and death/disappearing of whistleblowers and decision to curtail travel from Wuhan within China while allowing international flights from Wuhan, has torn the veil on any benign perceptions. It is a ruthless and deceptive autocracy. It is every bit as bad as the USSR, and not much better than the CCP under Maos Cultural Revolution killing tens of millions.

The readers are free to disregard the evidence I have presented in the Marxist connections to the rioting by antifa and BLM. They are free to disregard the claims of BLM founders to being trained Marxists, or that BLM publishes its goal to disrupt the biblical nuclear family. They are free to disregard members of antifa and BLM (primarily white) destroying Christian monuments and symbols and burning churches. They are free to disregard the recent Bible-burning episode in Portland. They are free to believe the Chinese Communist Party is just like a free parliamentary system of government.

Mr. Harrold is free to disagree and present his evidence. What he should not do is attempt to silence voices with which he disagrees by attempts to shame newspapers for publishing both sides. Too many have suffered and died to curtail that freedom.

Bill Connor, an Army Infantry colonel, author and Orangeburg attorney, has deployed multiple times to the Middle East. Connor was the senior U.S. military adviser to Afghan forces in Helmand Province, where he received the Bronze Star. A Citadel graduate with a JD from USC, he is also a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army War College, earning his master of strategic studies. He is the author of the book "Articles from War.

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ALBANY, N.Y., Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On Monday, Aug. 1, Dr. Joshua Eisen accepted the nomination of the independent 'Education. Community. Law.' line, and will appear on the ballot in the race to represent New York's 17th congressional district. Dr. Eisen submitted over 5,200 signatures on his petitions to qualify for the November ballot, more than double the 2,450 required. Dr. Eisen collected more than all other independent candidates for any office in New York State.

Dr. Eisen filed a suit in federal court against Governor Cuomo challenging the collection of in-person handwritten signatures, at a time people are asked to handle business virtually. The suit also challenged the governor's COVID-19-related executive orders reducing signature requirements by 70% for party-affiliated candidates but only by 30% for independent candidates. The federal suit exposed the hypocrisy of other executive orders allowing virtual notaries, eliminating signature requirements for school board elections and other accommodations while making none for the independent petitioning process.

"This is a win for democracy," Dr. Eisen stated. "This enables us to continue the fight against the establishment to better serve our constituents."

Media Contact:

Joshua Smus

[email protected]

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SOURCE Eisen For Congress, Inc.
Bynum and his wife, Susan Bynum, were among the largest individual contributors. Each gave $2,800 to the campaign.

Robinson, who did not announce his candidacy until mid-June, raised $78,487 during the filing period and spent $2,033.

Among his largest contributors were former state legislator Judy Eason McIntyre, who gave $1,000; Suzanne Schreiber, a Tulsa Public Schools board member and program officer for the Tulsa Community Foundation, who contributed $500; and Robert Hughes, director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, who also gave $500.

Former Mayor Kathy Taylor has contributed $2,700 to each of the two campaigns. She served as Bynums chief of economic development for about the first year and a half of his term.

Both campaigns are pushing forward with their fundraising efforts in the lead-up to the Aug. 25 election.

Robinson has raised $88,303 since June 30, for a total of $166,790, his campaign said Thursday.

The Bynum campaign declined to say how much it has raised since the last filing period ended.
About $67 mln seized from ex-managers of Bank Yugra

 flickr.com/Moscow-Live.ru

11:54 07/08/2020

MOSCOW, August 7 (RAPSI)  The Moscow Commercial Court has granted a Deposit Insurance Agencys (DIA) application seeking to seize assets worth over 4.9 billion rubles (about $67 million) from ex-owner of Bank Yugra Alexey Khotin, ex-board chairman Dmitry Shilyayev and several other individuals and legal entities, according to court records.

The request for injunctive remedies has been lodged as part of the DIAs claim for the collection of this sum from the defendants.

In July, the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) filed two more claims seeking to collect over 6.5 billion rubles ($90.5 million) in damages from Khotin, Shilyayev and several other individuals and legal entities.

Earlier, the court seized over 21.5 billion rubles (about $300 million) belonging to Khotin, Shilyayev and others. A relevant injunctive remedies petition has been filed by the DIA as part of its claim to collect this amount from the former bank managers.

In June, the court attached their assets in the total amount of more than 77 billion rubles (over $1 billion).

Previously, the same court ruled in favor of the DIA as to attachment of cash assets and other properties of former Bank Yugra managers worth several dozens of billions.

At that time, DIA petitioned the court to grant it interim relief by seizing the aforesaid property in the framework of a claim by which it sought to hold the defendants civilly liable and recover from them the damages.

In the period from April 9 through April 16, the court ruled in favor of DIA as to the recovery of about 8 billion rubles (about $113 million at the current exchange rate) from the defendants, holding them civilly liable, and the seizure of their assets.

This February, the court dismissed a request of Yugra bank acting on behalf of Shilyayev to review the ruling, by which the banks license had been revoked in 2017, basing upon new evidence.

An earlier petition to review the order of Russias Central Bank of 2017 revoking Yugra license was dismissed in cassation in September 2019.

In July 2017, Russia's Central Bank said withdrew the license of Yugra bank, one of the top 30 banks. It imposed temporary administration represented by the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA) in the bank. The DIA was ordered to conduct Yugras status inquiry.

In October 2018, the Moscow Commercial Court declared Yugra bankrupt.

This April, the Moscow City Court extended house arrest of the majority stockholder of Yugra bank Alexey Khotin charged with embezzling 7.5 billion rubles from the credit organization until July 18. Other defendants in the embezzlement case, ex-bank board chairman Dmitry Shilyayev and ex-president of the bank Alexey Nefedov, will also stay under house arrest until mid-July.

Investigators believe that banker Khotin and his alleged accomplices have been involved in stealing the money from Yugra. The fact of the embezzlement is confirmed by the documents of Russias Central Bank, Deposit Insurance Agency and other evidence, according to the investigation.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health is rethinking its two-decades-long relationship with the Sheriffs Department guarding its medical facilities, leading to a drop in the number of deputies at city-run sites by three within the past month.

The change comes as movements for Black Lives Matter and defunding the police grow in the city. At San Francisco General Hospital, where 29 sworn deputies are assigned, an internal debate has been brewing between some staff who protest deputies treatment of people of color and want them out of the hospital and other nurses who say they depend on deputies for their safety. Within the past two weeks, health department Director Dr. Grant Colfax and San Francisco General CEO Dr. Susan Ehrlich sent letters to employees saying they were reconsidering their existing security model.

Many of us (at San Francisco General) are deeply concerned and even traumatized by the Sheriffs Department presence on campus and have been for some time, Ehrlich wrote in a letter sent to staff Monday. This concern takes on new urgency as we all have become more aware of structural racism and racial injustice in the U.S. and are taking a hard look at how policing is done, especially its disproportionate impact on Black people.

In his July 29 letter, Colfax said it is time to seriously review the relationship with the Sheriffs Department in light of employee concerns and recent efforts by Mayor London Breed to redirect police funds to the Black community. He also cited data showing racially disproportionate use of force by deputies in San Francisco Generals emergency room. In the just-completed fiscal year, 70% of use-of-force incidents were against Black patients, but 24% of emergency room visitors were Black.

The letters follow escalating internal debate. A Black midwife, supported by some co-workers, has been on strike for a month to protest the deputies use of force against people of color and the trauma she said she has experienced because of them. Other staff have objected to removing deputies, while some Black staff members expressed mixed feelings, saying they are grateful for deputies protecting them from assaults but are concerned by incidents including one in which deputies used a stun gun on a Black psychotic patient.

Nurses of multiple races in the emergency and psychiatric departments say they need deputies to subdue mentally ill or violent patients who have punched other patients, thrown computers or flipped gurneys. The states workplace safety watchdog cited the hospital this year for failing to provide violence-prevention training and for other issues after a patient assaulted a nurse. A deputy helped stop the patient in that case, staff said. Some nurses threatened to quit if deputies left.

Sheriffs Department spokeswoman Nancy Crowley said there are no plans to cancel our contract. Within the past month, four deputies were removed from clinics and one officer added at a Health Services Agency service center. The department remains committed to developing a model that balances the concerns of the clinic communities while protecting public safety, she said.

Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said deputies use force to prevent people from harming others or themselves.

We support (the health department) and the hospitals efforts to redirect calls for service that are not law-enforcement-related to other identified resources, Miyamoto said. We are working closely with (the health department) to help their staff identify these situations and are collaborating with them on our role to provide safety through our presence and de-escalation training when patients are in crisis.

Sarahbeth Maney/The Chronicle

Ken Lomba, president of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs Association, said deputies trained in de-escalation are vital.

This type of cut could be a very big safety concern, not only for the employees of the hospital, but also the patients and the visitors, he said.

Less than 1% of hospitals nationwide depend on law enforcement as their primary security provider, San Francisco officials said. Other Bay Area sheriffs departments also guard public hospitals. Private hospitals generally use contracted security.

At San Francisco General, deputies or cadets screen people entering the emergency room for weapons and are stationed inside, staff said. Others guard patients who have been arrested or jailed. Most patrol campus on regular rounds and respond to calls from an on-site command center.

Hospital staff and providers call upon the Sheriffs Department about 1,000 times a month, hospital CEO Ehrlich said. Roughly half are service requests responding to criminal activity, and the other half are calls to assist with patient restraints and provide standby for patient medication.

Of all calls made last fiscal year, 111 resulted in use of force, according to hospital data. Force was used most often in the emergency room and psychiatric emergency services, according to details provided from 109 incidents.

Deputies used physical force more than 200 times last fiscal year (more than one deputy can be involved in a single incident). They deployed a Taser eight times, pointed a firearm seven times, and discharged a Taser four times. A deputy once held a firearm at low-ready, pointed downward. Another used an impact weapon once.

The most common reason for using force was assisting staff in restraining patients. Deputies also used force to respond to crimes, defend employees, and for patients who either refused to leave or who tried to leave while at risk, defined by the hospital as mentally impaired.

Ehrlich, in her letter, said deputies sometimes dont use force when requested against patients who are at risk or have legal holds. Psychiatric treatment can be mandated by law for patients considered a danger to themselves or others.

Other times, deputies used force that went badly, Ehrlich said, which is happening more frequently. The hospital documented six uses of excessive force since 2014, two most recently in 2018. Incidents included a deputy using a Taser on a patient and another who used force against a patient who spat on the deputy.

Trauma and de-escalation training has improved security and reduced reliance on deputies, Ehrlich said, but still we need to do better. Official calls for reform follow protests from hospital staff of color.

Asmara Gebre, a certified nurse midwife and UCSF assistant clinical professor, who said she is the only Black midwifery faculty member, went on strike on July 8 to protest deputies treatment of people of color that she said has traumatized her. In a statement posted online, she described witnessing deputies following, headlocking and arresting Black people, and running into the birthing unit holding their holsters in response to a reported threat.

I do not feel safe with the sheriffs presence, their presence is negatively impacting my mental wellbeing and extremely triggering given the history of events Ive been forced to witness or participate in, she said in the statement. If I feel this way as a privileged provider coming off work, imagine our community who is accessing care during some of their most vulnerable times in life.

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.

Gebre pledged to call in sick every day she was scheduled to work at the hospital as long as sheriffs are employed to harm us, by us I mean Black & Brown humans.

The statement and an accompanying petition in support ignited debate. Emergency room nurse Rob Alvernaz started a public petition to keep deputies in the hospital, with more than 3,500 signatures by Friday. He said staff rely heavily on deputies to restrain and sedate patients who dont respond to de-escalation.

Its such a safety issue for us, and its putting our lives at risk, said Alvernaz, who is white.

He said there is a need for equity and room for improvement in every department and wants to know whether any of the deputies in the health departments data on racially disproportionate use of force were repeat offenders.

Sarahbeth Maney / The Chronicle

Ive never seen them use any derogatory terms for patients, and theyre usually the first ones who are able to de-escalate the patients, he said of deputies.

Other nurses had mixed experiences. Jennifer Esteen, a psychiatric nurse and vice president of organizing for SEIU 1021 who is Black, described an instance where she was grateful for three deputies who responded immediately after she screamed when a patient physically assaulted her in an empty hallway.

But another time in the psychiatric emergency unit, she witnessed eight deputies deploy a Taser on a young man three times when he took a combative stance after 20 minutes of negotiations. The man had refused to sleep or take medication for 36 hours, she said. Esteen wondered how it would have been different if a psychiatric expert instead of law enforcement responded.

We have to imagine what it looks like for the (Department of Public Health) to seriously provide crisis-intervention training and make this a part of the culture, Esteen said.

The controversy about deputies was more nuanced than just yes or no, but removing them outright was a safety issue, she said.

Colfax, the public health director, instructed the departments security director in his letter to develop a proposal that will significantly change our security model, making it more appropriate for a healing environment. That could mean alternatives to deputies or more hospital staff on rounds, he said.

San Francisco General spokesman Brent Andrew said discussions about security changes are still in the very early phases.

Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench
The building Foreign Exchange intends to go into is the former Yetee building. Yetee has moved to Broadway and Galena Boulevard in downtown Aurora. Patel is working with the city to get the necessary permits and licenses, and said the brewpub would like to open in December, although he said if it takes more time, February 2021 is a fallback.
Press Release

August 7, 2020 Tax cuts to Filipino makers of PPEs, test kits, other med supplies for COVID response: Pangilinan TO ENSURE the adequate supply of surgical masks, personal protective equipment (PPEs), test kits, ventilators, and other medical products during and after the COVID pandemic, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan seeks to encourage their local manufacture by giving Filipino companies tax exemptions. "Isiniwalat ng pandemya na wala dito sa Pilipinas ang gumagawa ng mga critical na mga medical supplies na ito. At the onset of the pandemic, the supply of these critical products and its raw materials became scarce, inaccessible, and expensive. Kulang, di-abot, at di abot-kaya," he said explaining his Senate Bill 1759. "Kinumbinsi pa ng Board of Investments ang mga existing manufacturing firms na mag-repurpose ng kanilang operations. Kaya lang, nakikipagkumpetensya pa rin itong mga manufacturing firms sa mga substandard imported product, pekeng imported PPEs, at mas pinapaborang imported PPEs kaysa sa gawang Pinoy," he added. About two weeks ago, Pangilinan, together with Senators Frank Drilon and Risa Hontiveros, exposed the delay in the approval of cheaper, more effective Filipino-made COVID test kits. Within a span of several hours, the Department of Health approved its use and the price of imported test kits dropped by 26 percent. "In order to avoid a similar dilemma in the future, this measure seeks to give incentives to local manufacturers and producers of these critical products and suppliers of critical services," Pangilinan said. "Inuutos din ng panukalang batas na ito na unahin ang mga produktong ito na gawang-Pilipino. At dahil ayon sa mga eksperto, matagal-tagal pa bago magkaroon ng bakuna kontra-COVID, kailangang masiguro na merong mga gumagawa ng mga surgical masks, PPEs, test kits, mga gamot dito sa Pilipinas para sa mga Pilipino," he added. In SB 1759 or the Pandemic Protection Act of 2020, importation of capital equipment, spare parts and accessories, raw materials, and other needed articles is exempt from custom duties, VAT, other taxes and fees such as import processing fees and fees imposed by the Bureau of Customs, the Food and Drug Administration, and other relevant agencies. When it becomes law, the bill shall also exempt the local sales of critical products and services from value-added tax (VAT); this VAT-exempted list shall be posted on the website of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) through a Revenue Memorandum Circular. Manufacturers relocating or expanding operations in the country are also qualified to avail themselves of this exemption as long as they meet the requirements. Moreover, the bill requires businesses that produce and export critical products or services to supply up to 80 percent of their daily production to government institutions, hospitals, and private establishments for local and domestic use. "Magagawa nating pasiglahin ulit ang ating ekonomiya sa pagtuon ng ating manufacturing sektor sa mga pangangailangang medikal ngayong pandemya. Gagaling na ang mga maysakit, gagaling pa ang ating ekonomiya," Pangilinan said.
'At this time, the order takes action to address one mobile application in particular, TikTok,' he said.

The TikTok mobile application has been downloaded some 175 million times in the US and more than a billion times around the world, according to the order. (AFP)

Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders banning popular Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat, terming them a threat to the national security and to the country's economy.

The ban comes into effect in 45 days, Trump said in his two separate executive orders signed on Thursday.

India was the first country to ban TikTok and WeChat, citing national security concerns. India has banned as many as 106 Chinese apps, a move welcomed by both the Trump administration and the US lawmakers.

In a communique to the Congress, Trump said the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by the companies in China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the country.

"At this time, the order takes action to address one mobile application in particular, TikTok," he said.

TikTok, a video-sharing mobile application owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd, automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, Trump said.

"This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage," he alleged.

"TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party," the president said.

"To deal with this threat, the order prohibits, beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd. (a.k.a. Zijie Tiaodong), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in which any such company has any interest, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary)," Trump said.

He delegated power to the Commerce Secretary to take such actions, including adopting appropriate rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by International Emergency Economic Powers Act as may be necessary to implement the order.

The order also directs all department and agencies to take all appropriate measures within their authority to implement the order, Trump said.

In a separate executive order, Trump said WeChat, a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd., reportedly has over one billion users worldwide, including users in the United States.

"Like TikTok, WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users - threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information," he said.

WeChat also captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives, he alleged.

"WeChat, like TikTok, also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party," Trump said.

In recent weeks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused TikTok of collecting personal information of Americans.

TikTok has previously stressed that its US user data is already stored on US-based servers and backed up in Singapore, and is therefore not subject to Chinese law as some US officials have feared.
Artistes and crew members, who are senior citizens, are free to resume shootings for films, television serials, and over-the-top (OTT) media, after the Bombay high court (HC) on Friday struck down a temporary prohibition imposed by the Maharashtra government because of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

A two-member HC division bench, comprising Justices SJ Kathawalla and Riyaz Chagla, struck down the temporary prohibition on the grounds that it was discriminatory and unreasonable.

In our view, there is discrimination in the disparate treatment of persons, who are 65 years of age or above in the film or TV industry and in other permitted sectors and permitted activities, said the bench while striking down the temporary prohibition.

The temporary prohibition was a part of a Maharastra government resolution (GR) issued on May 30, the day on which it had allowed the resumption of shootings for films, TV serials, and OTT series, and pre-and post-production work since the lockdown restrictions were imposed in end-March to contain the spread of the contagion.

The bench said that if there were no general prohibition on persons above 65 years from working or practising their trades and businesses that were allowed to operate, which is an age-based prohibition in only one industry, namely the film industry/television/ OTT would constitute an unreasonable restriction.

HC said it would be a different matter, if for policy and health considerations, the film industry would not be allowed to operate or open for filming and other allied activities.

However, having permitted the film industry to operate and open, introduction of the condition that places an absolute restriction on persons above 65 years from carrying out their occupation and trade, would amount to an unreasonable restriction and hence a violation of their right under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution (right to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade, or business).

Pramod Pandey, an actor by profession, who has been earning his livelihood by performing small roles in films and TV serials over the last four decades, and the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA), the oldest association of the film industry, had challenged the validity of the temporary prohibition before HC, primarily on the ground that it was discriminatory and imposes an unreasonable restriction on their right to carry on their trade and occupation.

HC accepted their contentions.

The bench also held that the absolute prohibition on cast and crew above 65 years, who earn their livelihood from the film industry, was a measure that violated the right of the petitioners to live with dignity under Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty) of the Constitution.
Brisbane residents have been duped by a cruel letter scam that claims to offer a massive reduction on their power bills.

The fake Brisbane City Council letters tell north Brisbane residents they will receive a one-off $1,860 coronavirus grant to help with electricity bills.

'It is with joy that we inform you of your successful qualifications for the newly-introduced Council COVID-19 grant,' the letter read.

An urgent warning has been issued over a fake Brisbane City Council letter (pictured above) which offers north Brisbane residents a $1,860 electricity bill grant during coronavirus

The letter was written with Brisbane City Council colours and encouraged residents to call a mobile number to check their eligibility for the grant.

It was addressed to residents in the north Brisbane postcodes 4017 and 4034, which include suburbs like Aspley, Brighton, Carseldine and Geebung.

The letter said the grant allowed residents 'who have lost income due to the COVID-19 outbreak to receive a one-off grant of up to $1,860 off your electricity bill.'

'In response to concerns regarding the community and funding not being sufficient enough for the region, the Brisbane City Council have been working closely with your local councillor to provide this funding to the broader community.

'If you have concerns, questions or queries regarding this grant and your household's eligibility, please contact the 24-hour Brisbane City Council call service,' the letter read.

Councillor Angela Owen, from south Brisbane, warned all residents to be wary of the false letter on Thursday.

'If you receive this fake letter please immediately contact the Brisbane City Council Contact Centre,' she wrote in a Facebook post.

Councillor Angela Owen issued a Facebook warning on Thursday (pictured) and urged residents to avoid contacting the fake number and report the letters to Brisbane City Council

'Please do not call the mobile number in this letter - it is a scam.

'Brisbane City Council does not offer grants or rebates for electricity bills nor would you be directed to a mobile number for our 24 hour Contact Centre.'

'There may be other versions circulating for other postcodes.

'Please share on Facebook and pass on to older residents who may not be on Facebook,' she said.

Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner told Daily Mail Australia he was 'extremely concerned' about the scam letter.

'Queensland Police has been informed.

'Whoever is responsible for circulating this fake letter has intentionally been extremely heartless when there are so many Brisbane residents who are doing it tough right now,' he said.

Queensland Police told Daily Mail Australia they had been made aware of the scam.
The Police at Ajumako-Beseasi in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Region have mounted an intensive search for eight hooligans suspected to have assaulted three registration officials and one resident in the area.



The dreaded hoodlums, wielding cutlasses, guns and other offensive weapons, physically assaulted the three people at the Christ Apostolic Church Voters Registration Centre at Ajumako-Beseasi, creating fear and panic among the applicants.



Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Irene Serwaah Oppong, the Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the attack on Thursday, gave the assurance that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to book to deter others.



She said on Wednesday, August 5, at the said Registration Centre, Mr Kwabena Seidu, a registrant, reported to the police at about 1400 hours of physical assault on him by a group of men numbering about 15.



Seidu alleged that he was attacked together with seven others.



He said in the course of the unprovoked attack, the thugs caused severe damage to the tent hosting the EC registration officials among other things.



They also threatened to cause mayhem if the exercise was not discontinued.



Thereafter, the registration officials proceeded to the police station to make an official complaint and police reinforcement was sent to the centre to maintain law and order.



DSP Oppong said all the eight persons assaulted were given police medical forms to seek treatment and assured that the police had mounted a search and investigations into the matter to arrest the perpetrators.

Source: GNA









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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Grand Rapids voters this November will decide whether local elections, including races for city commission, will take place during even years as opposed to the current odd-year cycle.

City voters will additionally decide if they want the two candidates for a single city office that get the most votes in an August primary to face off in the November general election.

Currently, candidates for elected city positions that score more than 50 percent of the vote in the August primary automatically get the seat without going through a November challenge. Seats on the city commission are nonpartisan.

If the election year flip is voted through, city commissioners with terms set to expire in 2021 would have their terms extended until 2022 to account for the new election cycle.

A group advocating for the changes to city elections gathered the required amount of signatures to force the city commission to put it on the ballot.

Residents have an opportunity to comment on the proposals during a special meeting of the city commission at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11. At that meeting, commissioners will approve any captions, or explanatory language, they deem necessary to supplement the ballot proposals language.

The two proposals on the Nov. 3 ballot stem from a citizen-led signature drive by Rina Baker and Bonnie Burke and their group Empower the Citizens.

Baker and Burke arent newcomers to shaking up the way the city does business.

In 2014, they successfully spearheaded and saw passed by voters a city charter amendment requiring term limits for the mayor and city commissioners. Because of that, city commissioners and the mayor can serve no more than two four-year terms.

Baker called the two new proposals a win for democracy.

Very, very few people vote in odd years, she said. Candidates end up getting elected with 50 percent of the very small amount of people who vote.

Even-year elections not only draw far more voters but also greater representation of the citys population. Baker said research she presented to the city commission in 2018 showed that Black voters and Hispanic voters are more likely to vote in even years rather than odd.

A secondary benefit of the election year flip, she said, is the city would save money by not running off-year elections.

Those opposed say the even-year switch would lead to longer ballots and potentially more partisanship in local elections.

The total number of signatures required to place a city charter amendment on the ballot is 5 percent of registered voters in the city at the time the signatures are turned in.

With the signatures for both proposals turned in on June 19, the number of required signatures for each proposal was just over 7,000.

City Clerk Joel Hondorp said it took a little under a month to verify all the signatures. Although staff only counts and verifies the required amount of signatures, Hondorp estimated the group turned in about 10,000 signatures for each proposal.

Baker confirmed these numbers, saying her group fielded about 9,800 signatures for the even-year proposal and about 9,400 for the primary proposal.

Members of Empower the Citizens have pushed city leaders since at least fall 2018 for the even-year election reform.

The city in July 2019 formed a task force of 12 residents to study the above proposals, as well two more that called for special elections, rather than appointments, for commissioner vacancies and potentially expanding the city commission and ward structure.

Related: Expansion from 3 wards to 8 to be proposed in Grand Rapids

The appointment process change-up and ward expansion proposals were spearheaded by another community group, GR Democracy Initiative.

Though invited to join the task force, Baker and Burke declined, saying enough research on even-year elections and required general elections had been done. They called the task force a stall tactic by city leaders.

Instead of waiting for the city to move, Baker and Burke moved forward with their signature collection drive.

The task force presented its recommendations in February. It recommended going forward with even-year elections, required general elections and special elections to fill vacated election positions.

There was also general but not unanimous consensus on adding a fourth ward with two representatives to the commission.

Related: Grand Rapids officials question charter, election proposals

After the approval Tuesday morning by city commissioners of captions to the ballot language, the proposals will be sent to the Michigan attorney general and governor for approval.

Read more:

Its about jealousy, family of Grand Rapids double-homicide victims say after man charged

Stagehands rally for $600 federal unemployment benefit extension in Grand Rapids

Longtime Grand Rapids economic development official to retire

Kent, Ottawa counties record massive turnouts in 2020 primary election
Mark Rylance, left, and Johnny Depp in "Waiting for the Barbarians." (Fabrizio Di Giulio)

Mark Rylance is one of the great chameleons of the stage; his recent film work, remarkable in its own right, has hewed to a narrower path. That may be an odd thing to say about an actor whose characters include a jaded Soviet spy, a Steve Jobsian tech visionary and the BFG, but its true nonetheless: In each of these roles, whether wearing motion-capture markers or a shaggy blond wig, Rylance distills the essence of a man fascinatingly out of step with his moment. Hes brilliant at conveying disorientation and disillusionment while still retaining a core of unwavering decency  a quality suited to the humanist inclinations of his most frequent director of late, Steven Spielberg.

There is nothing especially Spielbergian about Rylances latest, Waiting for the Barbarians, a dramatically stolid, sun-blasted epic from the Colombian director Ciro Guerra (Birds of Passage). But the film, meticulously adapted by the South African writer J.M. Coetzee from his own 1980 novel, takes similarly expert advantage of its stars world-weary humanity. Rylance plays a man known simply as the Magistrate, a civil servant of what is known simply as the Empire. As in the book, the indeterminate time and place encourage an allegorical reading: Although partly inspired by the apartheid regime under which Coetzee grew up, the Empire could be any sprawling Western civilization bent on domination and conquest.

But the Magistrate, stationed for years at an isolated frontier outpost, is clearly a gentler breed of colonizer. He knows that he and his fellow fortress dwellers are interlopers here, and he maintains a peaceful coexistence with the indigenous nomads who roam the surrounding deserts and mountains. (The nomads are played by Mongolian actors; the film was shot primarily in Morocco.) Crucial to that peace are the Magistrates deep knowledge of their language and traditions and his general abhorrence of violence. That puts him almost immediately at odds with a high-ranking Empire official, Col. Joll (Johnny Depp), who arrives at this remote settlement convinced that these barbarians pose a threat to the Empires supremacy and determines to crush them by any means necessary.

Story continues

Robert Pattinson in "Waiting for the Barbarians." (Fabrizio Di Giulio)

That means brutally interrogating and torturing a few nomads in prison, then sending out a garrison to round up more of their kin and jailing them for crimes unknown. Depp, emitting a death-ray glare from behind dark spectacles, brings a nice chill to the proceedings; so does an unusually vicious Robert Pattinson in the role of Jolls attack dog. But while both actors are awfully good at playing bad (check out Pattinsons louche comic swagger in the recent medieval drama The King), their presence here feels thin and secondhand; theyre basically there to embody an oppressive authoritarian menace, rather than to prove a more distinctive brand of villainy.

Rylance fares better as the star of the show; naturally gifted at filling silences with meaningful ambiguity, he teases out the Magistrates inner conflict and at times finds an emotional equivalent to the book's introspective first-person narration. Coetzee has lifted a fair amount of the dialogue directly from the page, including a memorably contemptuous line in which the colonel explains how he is able to suss out liars: A certain tone enters the voice of a man who is telling the truth. That the colonel is himself a cold-blooded liar is scarcely the least of the storys ironies. Another is that the Magistrates honesty, his own transparent lack of guile, will ultimately prove to be his undoing. Well, that and his instinctive sympathy for the persecuted nomads, one of whom (played by Gana Bayarsaikhan) he takes in after she is grievously abused by the colonels men.

Gana Bayarsaikhan in "Waiting for the Barbarians." (Fabrizio Di Giulio)

The Girl, as she is credited in the movies definite-article-heavy parlance, is not the first indigenous woman weve seen the Magistrate invite into his quarters. Still, the overly polite depiction of their relationship, despite some faintly amorous foot washing by firelight, feels like a tasteful snooze and even a failure of nerve. While Waiting for the Barbarians doesnt sanitize the Magistrate or shy away from his own role in exploiting the locals, the character, already the beneficiary of Rylances naturally empathetic screen presence, could have withstood some tougher moral scrutiny. And the movie as a whole might have benefited from some of the scalding comic fury of a film like Zama, another recent adaptation of an anti-colonialist novel.

The ravages of imperialism are not a new subject for Guerra: His two most recent epics, Birds of Passage (co-directed with Cristina Gallego) and the Oscar-nominated Embrace of the Serpent, brilliantly charted the destruction and corruption of indigenous Colombian cultures at the hands of capitalist conquerors. The more allegorically inclined Waiting for the Barbarians cant hope to match those earlier films in all their trenchant specificity  or their hallucinatory visual power, despite the artful cinematography here by the veteran Chris Menges. This is proficient, measured filmmaking from a director who has already peered more deeply, and persuasively, into colonialisms heart of darkness.
AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "bbb" of Ingosstrakh Insurance Company PJSC (Ingosstrakh) (Russia). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect Ingosstrakh's balance sheet strength, which AM Best categorises as strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

Ingosstrakh's balance sheet strength is underpinned by its consolidated risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). AM Best expects the group to maintain a buffer over the minimum requirements for the strongest BCAR assessment over the medium term, supported by strong internal capital generation. Ingosstrakh has taken steps to improve the credit quality of its investment portfolio over the past two years, partially in preparation for the implementation of risk-based solvency regulations in Russia. Nonetheless, the group's asset base remains exposed to high financial system risk in Russia, which is an offsetting rating factor. The balance sheet strength assessment also is negatively affected by the risk that the group's banking subsidiary, Bank Soyuz JSC, may require further capital injections due to its vulnerable (although improving) credit profile.

Ingosstrakh reported strong operating results over the period of 2015-2019, with a five-year weighted average return on equity of 16.6% and a combined ratio of 89.8%, as calculated by AM Best. In 2019, technical profitability weakened, demonstrated by a non-life combined ratio of 97.9% (2018: 89.7%), largely due to increased competition in Ingosstrakh's core motor third-party liability (MTPL) segment where rates were liberalised partially by the regulator early in the year. AM Best expects the company's operating performance to remain strong in the intermediate term, supported by good investment returns and the group's efforts to improve MTPL performance through the application of flexible tariffication and the increased use of risk-based pricing. At the same time, there is a potential for the motor loss ratio to be affected negatively by the recent depreciation of the Russian rouble, which has increased the cost of motor spare parts.

Ingosstrakh is one of the leading insurance groups in Russia, with a strong competitive position and a wide distribution network, particularly in the motor and corporate property insurance segments. Its strategy is to focus on investment into data analytics and online services to support profitable business growth amid high competition and regulatory changes in its domestic market.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best press releases, please view Guide for Media Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and AM Best Rating Action Press Releases.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright 2020 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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At least two North Paulding High School students who shared images of their jam-packed hallway full of their mostly maskless peers have been suspended, and the principal has warned other students about what could happen if they do the same.

North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., about an hour's drive from Atlanta, was thrust into the national spotlight earlier this week when pictures and videos surfaced of its crowded interior on day one and two of its first week back. The images, which showed a sea of teens clustered close together with no face coverings, raised concerns over how the district is handling reopening schools during a global pandemic.

Facing a fierce online backlash, Paulding County Schools Superintendent Brian Otott told parents and guardian in a letter that the images "didn't look good." But he argued that they lacked context about the 2,000-plus student school, where masks are a "personal choice."

Hannah Watters, 15, wore a mask as she captured the inside of her school. On Wednesday, she ended up with a five-day suspension for violating the district's student code of conduct, BuzzFeed News reported. The rules bar students from using social media during the day or using recording devices without permission from an administrator.

"Not only did they open, but they have not been safe," Watters told BuzzFeed News. "Many people are not following CDC guidelines because the county did not make these precautions mandatory."

The teen, who said she'd never before run afoul of the code of conduct, told the news outlet that she understood she broke the rules. But she also viewed her punishment as overly harsh.

Another anonymous student told BuzzFeed News that he too faced disciplinary action for the same reasons.

On Wednesday, Principal Gabe Carmona warned students about "consequences" if they copied Watters and the other student, according to audio obtained by CBS 46.

"Anything that's going on social media that's negative or alike without permission, photography, that's video or anything, there will be consequences," he told students over an intercom announcement.

Carmona and Otott didn't respond to requests for comment.

Watters told BuzzFeed that she and her family intend to fight the suspension. Paulding County's school code of conduct says the penalty for using social media or recording device can range from in-school suspension to expulsion, based on the degree of the offense.

Watters's speech probably would have been better protected had she been off school grounds and posted a social media message about what happened based on the district's policy, said Fred Smith Jr., associate professor of law at Emory University.

"From a rights perspective, the question I would have is whether or not the school has exercised similar discipline for other students who have posted anything during the school day, especially instances of people posting favorable things," he told The Washington Post on Thursday.

A lack of equal enforcement of the rule could pose a potential First Amendment issue because it could show the school applies rules to preferred speech, he said.

"Schools have a compelling interest in ensuring that there are not substantial disruptions on school grounds," he said. "As long as that's what going on, the school's within its rights."

Superintendent Otott emailed a letter to parents on Thursday that stated the district will be providing all staff with cloth masks and face shields and attempting to reduce crowding in high school hallways during class changes.

Social distancing and masks are "strongly encouraged," but the district has not required either and notified parents earlier this month that both would be nearly impossible to enforce on school buses and in classrooms.

Otott said that he and his staff will be "reviewing student discipline matters" that happened this week, likely referring to Watters and the other student.

"This is a new environment for all of us, but I want to reassure our community that we are addressing the issues that have come to light," he wrote.

The school district is also gaining more unwanted attention after a video shared on Snapchat allegedly showed a student in a virtual classroom using a racial slur, WXIA-TV reported.

One parent told The Washington Post her daughter wanted to return to North Paulding High School because she missed the social aspect. Michelle Salas said her daughter, Chelsea, has been horrified by how the school has handled reopening and how her fellow students have dismissed safety concerns.

Salas said her daughter has been bullied by fellow classmates for being vocal about her disappointment in the school's response to the virus and to Watters. But, she said, that won't stop her from speaking out about what she sees wrong in the school - even though consequences are possible.

"It feels like she has her middle finger up but in the right way," Salas said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Chelsea Janes and Haisten Willis contributed to this report.
Lady Amelia Windsor has been showing off her summer tan as she joined her sister Lady Marina for a sun-soaked Scottish staycation.

The royal, 24, who is 39th in line to the British throne, was joined by her elder sister Marina, 26, for the getaway amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The heiress and model, who is the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent, shared a host of pictures from her holiday to the Highlands with her Instagram followers, including a snap as she lapped up the rays.

The getaway comes after a busy few weeks for the royal, who only recently returned to London having fled to her parents' house in Cambridge in late March for the coronavirus lockdown,

Amelia Windsor, 24, who is 39th in line to the throne, has been showing off snaps from her Scottish staycation amid the coronavirus pandemic

The socialite, who spent lockdown at her parent's house in Cambridgeshire, appeared relaxed as she enjoyed the getaway with friends

Amelia, who has been dubbed Britain's most beautiful royal by Tatler, has been sharing a number of holiday snaps on her Instagram account, where she has 84,000 followers.

In one, she showed off her tan as she posed outside a small cottage while in another, she cuddled up with another holidaymaker, Minna Kerr.

Lady Amelia's elder sister Marina, who attends Cambridge university, also joined her on the holiday, and could be seen beaming as she posed for a snap with a friend.

Meanwhile the royal also showed off an incredible dining table covered in colourful decorations and candles.

Lady Amelia went on to share snaps from a dinner party with her sister Lady Marina, 26, (left) revealing a beautifully decorated table covered in candles (right)

Meanwhile after the sun went down last night, the sisters appeared to snuggle up by a roaring fire with their friends

And after the sun went down last night, it appeared the sisters snuggled down next to a roaring fire.

Sharing a snap on Instagram of a white sandy beach and blue sky, Lady Amelia tagged her location as Black Island, a peninsula in the Highlands of Scotland, and wrote: 'What a bonnie beach.'

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.

The royal went on to share further snaps of the stunning scenery on her Instagram page, calling the beach 'bonnie'

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.

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.

Despite backlash over Londoners escaping to visit their second homes at the start of the UK's coronavirus-related lockdown, Lady Amelia fled to her parents' home in Cambridge in late March. Pictured: A snap of the area, shared by the royal to her Instagram in April

She has previously suggested that her Instagram account is just a snapshot of her life, with the eco-friendly royal revealing she tries to live as sustainably as possible and often borrows clothes from brands for events.

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.
At a time when the Union and state governments are making unlock announcements, the unprecedented lockdown continues to adversely prevail upon the livelihoods of personal security officers (PSO) working in security agencies.

With marriage palaces shut and no events being organised in the city, PSOs have been forced to change their vocation for run families. With most of them struggling to make ends meet, some have turned towards farming.

Inderjit Singh Grewal of Rattan village, Pakhowal, who has been working as a PSO for around 12 years, has turned to farming. Everything was going well, but the lockdown affected businesses drastically and a large number of PSOs lost their jobs in one go. We had two acre land in the village, which is not enough, so I took 14 acres more on lease for sowing paddy.

The incomes have shrunk but the expenses have not. It has become difficult to meet fixed expenses including electricity bills, fee of children and household expenses. I have two children, a wife and a mother to look after and the income in the farming sector has also shrunk. But the government is not paying heed to the problem, added Grewal.

The PSOs are seeking relief from the government and have also demanded that restrictions on gathering in marriages/events be eased so they can get back to work.

Another PSO, Balihar Singh, said, I have been working in the sector for over a decade and have worked in different locations including Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, but I have never witnessed such conditions. I am now back home in Amritsar and have started a low budget dairy farm for earning a livelihood. The income has reduced from 35,000 to just 15,000 and we are struggling to make ends meet. The government should at least provide some monetary relief as every other business has reopened, but lockdown blues continue to affect security agencies and PSOs.

Secretary, Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) and owner of Black Ace Security, Mohinder Pal Singh Bhatia, said, The pandemic has affected the business badly. The owners of security agencies have been supporting the PSOs, but with no demand in the market, the PSOs are forced to do odd jobs, While some have gotten into farming, a few are working as guards or drivers. The government should pay heed to their problems as hundreds of families face a dark future.
By Anna J. Park







NH Investment & Securities seems to be in a quandary over how to compensate scandal-ridden Optimus fund investors.







CEO Chung Young-chae and other officials at the company held hours-long talks with representatives of the fund investors at the firm's headquarters Thursday, but could not reach a deal.









An official of the firm explained that as key decisions must be approved by the company board, Thursday's meeting was aimed at fully listening to investors' opinions on compensation. An extra board meeting is slated to be held Aug. 27.









"There have been weekly meetings between investors and company officials since Optimus Asset Management failed to redeem the funds," the official said.









"The firm is trying its best to minimize the damage to affected investors. As it could take a few more months to completely confirm the size of the funds' losses, the firm is considering ways to provide emergency liquidity to investors," the official added.







The brokerage attracted an aggregate investment of 432 billion won ($364 million) into the mutual funds from 881 retail investors and 168 institutional or corporate investors. This makes up the largest portion of the funds entire 515 billion won.







After Optimus Asset Management asked the funds' "sellers" to extend its maturity period and ended up suspending funds redemptions in mid-June, the affected investors formed an emergency committee, urging the brokerage firm to come up with an appropriate compensation plan.









Korea Investment & Securities  another "seller" of the fund  already completed payments 70 percent of the principal to Optimus fund investors. That's why some investors at NH Investment asked the firm to pay back at least 70 percent of their money immediately, in accordance with this precedent.


The Union home ministry on Friday issued a notification allowing Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders from the US, the UK, France, and Germany, with whom India has signed bilateral air travel arrangements, to enter the country. Other citizens of these countries can apply for Indian visas for business, medical and employment purposes while Indians can also travel there on any visa type.

India has signed so-called air bubble arrangements with the US, UK, Germany, and France for bilateral air travel amid international travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

A bilateral air bubble refers to a travel corridor between two countries that wish to reopen their borders and re-establish connections with each other.

International flights to and from India were suspended since March 23 as the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world.

The notification said for Indians travelling to these four countries, it would be the responsibility of airlines concerned to ensure that there is no travel restriction on their travel with a particular visa category before the issue of tickets, and boarding passes. It added the existing restrictions on incoming passenger traffic into India through the immigration check posts will not apply to any movement of cargo or goods and supplies in any vehicle, aircraft, ship, train, etc along with their crew.

The government in June allowed certain categories of foreign nationals, including OCI cardholders to enter India. They included foreign nationals married to Indian citizens.
On August 5, faculty at the University of Akron voted down a sellout contract that included layoffs of 96 full-time professors, pay cuts and increased health care premiums. The contract was part of a plan passed in July by the universitys Board of Trustees to eliminate 178 positions at the northeast Ohio-based public research university.

Out of the 364 members of the Akron chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), 184 voted against ratification of the contract and 159 voted for ratification, a 5446 margin. In the run-up to the vote the Akron-AAUP Executive Committee and Department Liaison Council recommended a no vote, despite its decision to bring the agreement to a ratification vote.

Following the vote, Akron-AAUP chapter president Pamela Schulze in a statement described the contract as divisive. She then called on the members to work together to strengthen the union for future negotiations. She also added, I call on the Administration to return to the negotiating table with us to work out an agreement we can all live with, before or after arbitration.

Schulze had previously made statements that the rejection of the agreement would likely result in binding arbitration.

The University of Akron President Gary Miller responded to the rejection of the agreement by issuing a statement reiterating his claims that the financial stability of the university requires mass layoffs. He stated, The vote does not change the financial outlook of the University.

He further emphasized, No solutions to our challenges can be accomplished without a significant reduction in force. What the vote does is create uncertainty about what type of reduction in force we will have and how much of our limited and precious reserves we will have to spend to accomplish it.

The administration and AAUP have publicly put forward conflicting claims about what the two parties agreed to during their discussions on the contract.

According to statements from the AAUP, the Akron-AAUP and university negotiation teams met in March 2020 and agreed to a tentative agreement that was different than the one approved by the Board of Trustees in July. According to the union, one major difference was that the original contract did not include the layoffs of nearly a hundred professors.

In late May the administration invoked two clauses in the current contractwhich is set to expire December 31which govern unforeseen, uncontrolled and catastrophic circumstances and exigent circumstances. The administration asserted that they were invoking these clauses due to a $65 million budgetary shortfall from the COVID-19 pandemic. They specified that these clauses allowed the university to immediately fire faculty regardless of tenure, cut pay, raise health care premiums and eliminate health care benefits for dependents of retirees and furloughs.

After the University of Akron Board of Trustees voted in favor of the tentative agreement, the administration began notifying the professors that were slated to be fired in the event that the contract passed. As a result many faculty that voted on the tentative agreement did so with knowledge that the contract being ratified would immediately result in the loss of their individual jobs.

The universitys doctoral program in counseling psychology has been put in jeopardy as professor Margo Gregor, one of only five professors in the program, is among the 96 faculty members slated to be laid off. The American Psychological Association (APA), which accredits programs at universities, had previously stated that the programs low number of faculty was a major issue. It is unclear what the long-term impact of losing 20 percent of the programs faculty will have on its accreditation.

Prior to the agreement being voted down, the AAUP also filed two charges of unfair labor practices (ULP) against the university. The ULPs concern the faculty being slated for layoffs. The AAUP has claimed that they never agreed that faculty being fired are required to sign a general releasea legal document that would prevent the former faculty from filing claims against the universitybefore receiving benefits. The union has stated that they only agreed that laid-off faculty have to sign a release in order to get a $12,000 severance package. In the end, however, this is a minor technicality which obscures the more important fact that the union agreed to such economic blackmail at all.

The other grievance was filed on behalf of the faculty given layoff notices by the Board of Trustees on July 15 as well as faculty on an earlier list who chose to retire to avoid being fired on July 15. The AAUP claims the faculty slated for layoffs had not been given adequate notice or reason for being selected; that those slated for layoffs had previously filed grievances against the University; that the layoffs had a disparate impact on older faculty members, those with disabilities, women and minority groups. The grievance also points out that some faculty members were hired at the same time as the layoffs, undercutting the administrations argument that the firing were economically motivated.

Faculty that were selected for layoffs as part of the Board of Trustees decision will be unemployed after August 22, pending the arbitration ruling.

Despite filing the ULPs, the AAUP throughout the negotiations with the administration has completely accepted that faculty must take concessions in order to resolve the universitys budgetary shortfall. The AAUP, however, has raised concerns that the demands of the administration to rapidly lay off faculty has made the contracts impossible to ratify and could damage the universitys reputation.

AAUP specified in a statement from July 27 that they warned the University Negotiating Team that the administrations demands included provisions that would jeopardize ratification. Instead the AAUP proposed temporary pay cuts in exchange for fewer layoffs this year and the possibility of another smaller layoff next year. They also claimed that the pay cuts can serve the University as a bridge to permanent expenditure reductions, caused by faculty resigning and retiring.

For decades now the various union bureaucracies have played a key role in subverting workers struggles and imposing concessions. Under the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic these same organizations are redoubling their efforts to impose austerity, and in many cases force workers back on the job under unsafe conditions. The Socialist Equality Party and International Youth and Students for Social Equality call on educators and students to break from these bankrupt organizations to organize against deteriorating living conditions.
In a sweep designed to target misinformation, Facebook has deleted a number of fake Trump supporters accounts. As reported by NBC, Facebook deleted hundreds of fake accounts spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

Facebook has long been under pressure to better target misinformation and hate speech. Most recently U.S. Attorneys called on the company to offer live responses to hate speech. In their report, it claimed Facebook prioritized freedom of expression over hate speech.

Facebook has also been under pressure from advertisers. Many of which boycotted the company in July and some of them for good. This, therefore, looks to be a step in the right direction for the company. Having deleted a number of fake Trump supporters accounts Facebook will receive backlash but at least the company is taking meaningful action.

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Facebook sweep results in deletion of fake accounts

The accounts in question relate to a foreign troll farm. This group is posing as African-American supports of Donald Trump and QAnon. The sweep also deleted hundreds of fake accounts linked to conservative media outlet The Epoch Times.

This outlet pushed pro-Trump conspiracy theories about coronavirus and protests in the U.S. Facebook was able to take down the accounts as it violated inauthentic behavior guidelines.

Some wish the company went further with sanctions against the troll farms. However, Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebooks head of security policy, said the troll farms motivations were unclear.

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He noted that the company was unable to determine clear evidence of financial motivation or clear links to known commercial actors in this space. Thus they were unable to bring further sanctions.

Therefore, Facebook has stressed that the accounts were taken down for their behavior, not their content. The accounts were deleted because they were fake, not because of the content they were posting.

Researchers at the Atlantic Council found the troll farm originated with a persona called David Adrian. This persona claimed to be both living in Montana and Romania and has since had multiple Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts linked to him removed.

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Facebook delete accounts linked to Epoch Media Group

Separate to the David Adrian person is the troll operation of the Epoch Media Group. Facebook was able to tie 303 Facebook accounts, 181 pages, 44 Facebook groups and 31 Instagram accounts to the group. These accounts were followed by over 2 million people worldwide.

Gleicher said the accounts posted about ongoing U.S. protests and conspiracy theories about who is behind them. Many of them pushed conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19. The outlet was previously banned from Facebook and this takedown has ceased much of its operations.

Reports suggest the group is still very active on social media through other means. Experts have linked a petition to start calling the novel coronavirus the CCP virus, to this outlet.

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Facebook does not allow the Epoch Times to advertise on its site. This came about after the media outlet purchased ads under accounts like Honest Paper and Pure Honest Journalism. This was to get around Facebooks ad review systems.

It is good to see Facebook finally taking some meaningful and firm action against misinformation. Clearly, there is a long way to got but this is one of the first steps by the looks of it.
An American Pickle (In cinemas, 12A)

Rating:

Verdict: Sweet and sour

Young Ahmed (Curzon Home Cinema)

Rating:

Verdict: Powerful and timely

Papicha (VOD platforms)

Rating:

Verdict: An auspicious debut

The comic premise of the innocent abroad has a long cinematic heritage and comes in many forms: Woody Allen in Sleeper, Peter Sellers in Being There, Paul Hogan in Crocodile Dundee . . . all found themselves plunged into an unfamiliar society in which, whether by accident or design, their otherness helped them to thrive.

In An American Pickle its the turn of Seth Rogens Herschel Greenbaum, a pious Jew from the fictional Eastern European town of Schlupsk, who in 1920, with his wife Sarah (Sarah Snook), emigrates to America to escape the twin horrors of extreme poverty and violent anti-Semitism.

For Herschel, the American dream is a menial job in a Brooklyn pickle factory, where one day he has a terrible accident, toppling unseen into an enormous vat of pickles.

Unlikely but charming tale: Seth Rogen plays the perfectly preserved purveyor of pickles

Soon afterwards, the factory is shut down and falls into disuse. But Herschel is perfectly preserved by the pickle juice and emerges, alive and un-aged, exactly a century later.

After the media interest dies down (when I pointed out that the news frenzy was improbably brief, my wife rightly noted that this is not exactly a plot worth picking holes in), Herschel goes to live with his only surviving relative, great-grandson Ben Greenbaum (also played by Rogen).

Naturally, he is bemused by the myriad mysteries of 21st-century New York City, but also upset by the lapse of Bens faith and his failure, as Herschel sees it, to honour the memory of his forebears.

The two fall out, but not before Herschel has set up his own pickle business, wheeling a barrow converted from a supermarket trolley through Brooklyn and becoming an Instagram sensation.

Eventually, after several misadventures, including a deportation by the U.S. authorities back to Schlupsk, the story reaches a resolution that, its no spoiler to reveal, is more sweet than sour.

Some of this is very funny, as long as youre happy to see Rogen jerking  or perhaps in this case gherkin  around.

When Simon Richs screenplay, adapted from his own 2013 short story, eventually runs out of comedic puff, he, director Brandon Trost and Rogen do their collective best to give us a poignant meditation on faith and family that, at times, feels a teeny bit strained.

Its disappointing, too, to see so little of Snook, such a beguiling actress and so brilliant as the conniving Siobhan Roy in the TV drama Succession.

Ahmed (Idir Ben Addi) is heartbreakingly impressionable and vulnerable and, with lots of hormones pinging around, just the wrong age to be radicalised. His nice mother is beside herself; just a month earlier he was playing video games, now hes raging about heretics

Nevertheless, An American Pickle has charm, zest and a running time of under 90 minutes  a solid trio of virtues.

Religion looms just as large, but in a strikingly different way, in two foreign-language films I first saw last year in Cannes, which are now being released on video-on-demand platforms.

Young Ahmed is a low-key but timely and powerful Belgian film about a 13-year-old Muslim boy from a decent family who is converted into a potentially deadly jihadist by an imam, who persuades him that his kindly Arabic teacher is an apostate, an infidel.

When Ahmed duly attacks her, he is carted off to a juvenile detention centre and given psychiatric treatment.

Ahmed (Idir Ben Addi) is heartbreakingly impressionable and vulnerable and, with lots of hormones pinging around, just the wrong age to be radicalised.

His nice mother is beside herself; just a month earlier he was playing video games, now hes raging about heretics.

Yet when he is packed off to work at a farm, he must balance his new fundamentalism with the inconvenient fact that he really fancies a girl he meets there.

Written and directed by brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Young Ahmed is a compassionate study not just of a problem in Western Europe but of a child as he reaches adolescence. Its a coming-of-age story with a difference and well worth seeing.

Papicha, a French and Arabic-language film set in Algeria during the civil war there in the 1990s, covers broadly similar ground.

The terrific Lyna Khoudri (soon to be seen in Wes Andersons The French Dispatch) plays Nedjma, a fashion student with no time for the strictures of orthodox Islam.

She likes to wear jeans and lipstick but this throws her into conflict even with some of her friends.

Then she has an idea: she will stage a fashion show with the traditional North African womens garment, the haik, as its centrepiece.

Really, this is a story about spirited female camaraderie in a country where men make the laws.

Its a highly impressive first feature for writer-director Mounia Meddour. I admired it greatly.

After so much great cinema, all reels lead to Rome

For the past three weeks I have been listing my 20 favourite foreign-language films in reverse order. Here are the top five. Feel free to endorse my choices  or disagree wildly, either by post or at filmclassics@dailymail.co.uk.

5) The Vanishing (1988)

Sometimes, decades after the event, you can remember exactly where and with whom you first saw a particular film.

This brilliantly constructed, deeply disturbing Dutch thriller about a young man searching for his missing girlfriend has left that mark on me. And Stanley Kubrick, no less, thought it was the scariest, most troubling movie he had ever seen.

4) Downfall (2004)

Many great actors have played Adolf Hitler but none more compellingly than the late Bruno Ganz in this extraordinary account of the death throes of the Third Reich.

Oliver Hirschbiegels film ignited plenty of controversy for humanising the monster. But its a simply spellbinding study of a failed despot, kept company in his Berlin bunker by two other Nazi ogres, Goebbels and Himmler.

3) La Dolce Vita (1960)

Federico Fellinis masterpiece goes on a bit (its three hours long, give or take) but that just makes it a bigger treat, as it chronicles the shallow hedonism of Rome at its black-and- white sexiest through the adventures of a cynical journalist (Marcello Mastroianni).

Funny, melancholy, at times bizarre, impossibly stylish and full of unforgettable images, not least of Anita Ekberg.

La Dolce Vita (1960)- Federico Fellinis masterpiece goes on a bit (its three hours long, give or take) but that just makes it a bigger treat

2) The Lives Of Others (2006)

Very few directorial debuts are as assured as Florian Henckel von Donnersmarcks absorbing (and Oscar-winning) tale of a mid-1980s surveillance operation by the Stasi, the East German secret police. Its a great thriller but more than that, it also shows how totalitarianism warps humanity, and how humanity can fight back. Truly brilliant.

1) Rome, Open City (1945)

There is so much about this incredible film, a classic of Italian neorealism, that I adore, not least the fact that it was filmed by Roberto Rossellini in a war-ravaged Rome (unrecognisable from the city depicted in La Dolce Vita) so soon after the events it lightly fictionalises.

It was inspired by the true story of a priest who helped Italian resistance fighters. Unmissable and unmatchable.
Ive been running my content agency, Express Writers, for nine years, and the part that still amazes me today is that weve never had a brick-and-mortar office. While other agencies eventually open concrete workplaces, Ive kept my own brand with a staff of more than 90 workers thriving completely on a remote basis.

So far, Ive loved the advantages of working remotely with my team. Im able to hire from all around the world, quite literally  I currently work with experts from different parts of America, Africa, Asia and Europe. I love the flexible schedule, the diversity and the complete absence of office-related overhead costs.

But heres a question many people ask me: how do you manage your customer representatives while working remotely? Isnt it difficult when you cant look over your employees shoulders to see if theyre doing things right?

The short answer is yes, it can be difficult. Unfortunately, I did experience embezzlement by my top agency players back in the day. But throughout the years, Ive developed a system that allows me to lead my customer representatives in a way that complements my brands content marketing efforts.

Heres the five-step system I use.

1. Hire people who are humble, hungry, and smart.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, A great man is always willing to be little.

I agree with this 100 percent, which is why humility is the first thing I look for during the hiring process. Humble people are a dream to work with because they receive criticism as an opportunity for growth instead of a hit to their ego. Experience has taught me that the hardest people to work with arent the total newbies, but the proud, inflexible 40-year-olds with decades of experience and numerous accolades to their name.

Another characteristic to look for when hiring is passion. Hire workers who are hungry for growth. These individuals are always stretching their limits, stepping out of their comfort zones, and reaching out for new opportunities, no matter how uncomfortable. To me, theyre the real geniuses  remember what Michelangelo said at age 87? Ancora Imparo. Im still learning.

Along with humility and passion, my other must-have is smarts. This doesnt necessarily mean they graduated cum laude or earned multiple doctorate degrees. It simply means quick, clever, witty individuals. These people are flexible enough to think outside the box, empathetic enough to step into someone elses shoes, and determined enough to keep looking for solutions in difficult situations.

2. Let workers be autonomous and focus on results.

Its important to note that this step only works once youve found the right people to work with. Its impossible to give workers autonomy if they arent completely in your corner and willing to expend themselves for your companys goals.

But once youve found the right people, focus on the results they bring instead of exactly how they spent their workday. Ditch the apps that take random screenshots of their computer screens. Stop requiring them to log in and out at pre-set times. Dont ask for reports detailing what they were doing during each hour of their day.

Instead, let them breathe. Give them the flexibility to choose their own schedule. Let them be creative about how they get work done.

According to the Harvard Business Review, A sense of freedom  the ability to choose what you work on, as well as how, when, and where you perform your work  is a growing priority for talented professionals across sectors and industries, and one of the core elements of a fulfilling career.

Another study revealed at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting shows that companies offering their employees flexibility and freedom have up to 20 times the potential to outperform companies that dont.

You can take my word this works. In fact, I can hardly believe the massive amount of loyalty and trust Ive been able to gain through not requiring strict daily logs and reports. When your workers know you trust them, theyll quit working like robots and take your brands best interest to heart.

3. Create channels where your representatives can share their lives.

Numerous studies show that family-owned businesses outperform non-family owned businesses in employment and revenue growth. One reason could be the workplace culture of camaraderie and support without judgment.

Creating a family feel between your key members is critical to your brands success. When one of my client team members suggested we create a chat channel called #offtopic, I jumped on it. In this space, we talk about our day, share interesting news or facts and talk about life. This is important to building a sense of human connection, especially for remote teams.

4. Make customers feel like they are No. 1.

Poor customer service is costing businesses $75 billion a year. 86 percent of people say they will gladly pay more for better customer services. The bottom line? Your customer services can either make or break your business.

To make our customers feel like theyre No. 1, I try to create a deeply personal feeling between them and my brand. I've set up our chatbot to send automated messages only during off hours, but during business hours, I make sure theres a real representative standing by to serve them. We work on response times to be as fast as humanly possible, and we ask questions about what they need and get to know them before requesting a single bit of info from them. This creates security and assures visitors were not simply after their contact information.

5. Encourage self-growth.

My aim at Express Writers is to give customers that wow experience where they feel they are valued and cared for. One way I do this is to ask my representatives to step into my shoes and understand the reason why my agency exists in the first place: to help people grow their brand through outstanding content. From there, I encourage self-growth. I give them free access to my courses, prepare lists of blogs to follow and books to read and curate content for them so theyre always updated on current trends, statistics and stories in our industry.

Related:

Trader Joe's is Renaming International Products After Petition Calls Out Racist Branding

Why Hiring an Expert Is Smart When Undertaking a Rebrand

Free Webinar | July 30: Is It Time To Rebrand Your Company?



Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Infinix Hot 10 Stops By Google Play Console; Might Come With MediaTek Helio G70 SoC News oi-Sandeep Sarkar

Infinix might have started working on a new budget smartphone lineup dubbed Hot 10. Earlier, the Infinix Hot 10 Lite was spotted at Google Play Console. Now, the standard Hot 10 has paid a visit to the same website. Some of its features have also been tipped. Additionally, the device has also been spotted at the TUV Rheinland certification website.

Infinix Hot 10 Features Leaked

The Infinix Hot 10 is listed with the Infinix-X682C model number on Google Play Console website. The smartphone is mentioned with an HD+ display that will offer 720 x 1640 pixels resolution. It is expected to feature a punch-hole design and come with a pixel density of 320 ppi.

According to the Google Play Console database, the Infinix Hot 10 will be powered by the MediaTek MT6769 processor. This chipset is otherwise known as the Helio G70 processor. The processor will be aided by Mali G52 GPU with the clock speed of 820MHz. The device is further listed with 4GB RAM and Android 10 OS.

On the other hand, the device has also shown up on TUV Rheinland Website where it is listed with two different model numbers. The smartphone has been listed with the Infinix-X682C and X682B model number.

It is unknown what hardware differences both variants will offer. However, the listing indicates the presence of a 5,100 mAh battery. It is not revealed of the device will ship with fast charging support as well.

Just to recap, the Inifinix Hot 10 Lite also made it to the Google Play Console recently. The device was listed with the MediaTek Helio A20 processor. It is expected to come with 2GB RAM and Android 10 OS. This model is also said to feature an HD+ display with 720 x 1600 pixels resolution. It is not known when Infinix plans to bring the Hot 10 lineup in the market. We expect the company to reveal some information in the coming weeks.

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Forecasters expect heat to ramp back up in the Northeast early this week, posing more difficulties for Americans still without power in the wake of Isaias's rampaging winds.

Isaias left 3.5 million in the dark from North Carolina to Maine last week after it pummeled the East Coast. As of early Monday morning, more than 175,000 customers were still without power, according to poweroutage.us.

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), a utility company serving New Jersey, reported Thursday that Isaias caused the biggest weather-related outage since Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and was its fifth most severe storm in history.

Utility crews have been working around the clock in some neighborhoods to get power restored as quickly as possible. According to PSEG, crews have been working 16-hour shifts -- and utility crews have been dispatched from areas not affected by Isaias to assist in restoring power.

As cleanup continues, it will turn much warmer, if not hotter, into Tuesday. The uptick in temperatures will be noticeable following cloudy and wet conditions that have held daytime temperatures back to near- to- slightly-below-average levels in some cases this past week.

"Highs are forecast to trend back to being five to 10 degrees Fahrenheit above average in much of the Northeast early this week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

During the middle of August, high temperatures typically range from the upper 70s in northern New England to near 90 in southeastern Virginia.

High temperatures will be back into the 90-degree-Fahrenheit ballpark early this week along much of the Interstate 95 corridor.

With a lack of any strong weather systems around, winds will generally be light outside of highly-localized thunderstorms. Typical of August, the lack of a substantial breeze will add to how hot it feels.

"While record highs are not foreseen in the pattern and are not likely to top the high marks achieved in July, AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures will be at levels that make cleanup operations difficult," Sojda said.

Story continues

The nights will be warm and muggy and can cause difficulty for those trying to rest up without an air conditioner or fan for the next day's activities ahead, Sojda added.

People are urged to remain hydrated and avoid strenuous activity during the peak of the heat during the afternoon hours. The coolest part of the day will generally be the first few hours of daylight.

The resurgence of heat will likely keep temperatures above average for the month of August, following one of the hottest July's on record in the region. NOAA reported that people across seven states endured the hottest July on record, including Connecticut (which tied the previous record), Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania (which tied the previous record) and Virginia (which tied the previous record). Many more states, 14 in total, across the South and East experienced one of the top-10 hottest July's in recorded history.

As summer heat intensifies once again, AccuWeather meteorologists are also reminding people to remain vigilant of additional threats from the tropics. AccuWeather tropical forecasters, led by Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski, expect the heart of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season to be "hyperactive." The basin is likely to spawn more threats to the United States, according to the most recent prediction issued by the company, which also cautioned that additional impacts will be possible along the Eastern Seaboard.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Mrs Barbara Boafo, the Women's Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the United States of America, has called on Ghanaians, especially women and the youth, to register to vote in the December 7, elections.



She said those who were yet to register to do so during the two days mop-up registration exercise by the Electoral Commission (EC).



She also called on the party stalwarts and executives to encourage and ensure that nobody was left out so that they could vote massively for Nana Akufo-Addo on December 7.



"We are encouraged by the number of citizens who have registered so far and call on many others who have not yet registered to join the process," she stated.



Mrs Boafo, who made the call in a telephone interview with the Ghana News Agency, said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has through the prudent management of the Ghanaian economy fulfilled the expectations of the citizenry.



She called for the vigilance of stakeholders in the electoral process and throughout the registration process in order not to allow themselves to be influenced to foment trouble in during this all-important exercise.



She pointed out that the government had reduced the suffering of teachers through the prompt payment of salaries and arrears, and the research and book allowances to university lecturers.



She said the President had also reduced the plight of teacher and nursing trainees by restoring their allowances and providing employment to more than 54,000 nurses.



There is also the distribution of 275 Ambulances to constituencies, the payment of arrears of the National Health Insurance Service Providers, digitization the economy and stabilization the cedi among other sustainable policy initiatives.



"Today, pensioners have benefited through the payment of GH 3.1 billion Tier-2 pensions fund into the custodial accounts of labour unions pension schemes, funds that have been outstanding for six years and improved services at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority," she said.



She said social interventions like the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the provision of free water and electricity, and free food to the vulnerable in areas affected by the partial lockdown from the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic fight are commendable.



She, therefore, urged all members of the NPP and Ghanaians to participate massively and to encourage others in the ongoing exercise to sustain what had been achieved within the past three years.



"It is against this backdrop that the NPP-USA Womens Wing is calling on Ghanaians to add four more years to the Presidents term so he can continue with the good works", she stressed.

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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Facebook has agreed to buy about 170 megawatts of power from a Morgan County wind project for the social media giants Dekalb location, should the wind project receive final approval from the county.

The agreement marks the third between Apex Clean Energy and Facebook in the past year, making Facebook Apexs largest corporate customer by megawatt.

Apex President Mark Goodwin said the companies have a long-standing relationship.

In its early commitment to utilizing 100 percent renewable energy and now its continuing work to fulfill that pledge, Facebook has led from the front of the pack, Goodwin said. Apex has a strong track record in enabling corporate clean energy procurement and were excited that the Lincoln Land Wind PPA results in Facebook becoming our largest partner to date.

The Lincoln Land Wind Project in Morgan County is expected to generate 300 megawatts. If approved by the county Plans Commission, it then would be sent to county commissioners for final approval.

Apex wants to place up to 107 wind turbines on about 36,000 acres of land in the eastern portion of Morgan County, mostly in the Franklin and Alexander areas. The turbines would produce roughly 303.6 megawatts of energy that would be transferred to existing electricity lines.

The project is expected to generate approximately $65 million in local tax revenue, $90 million in payments to landowners, nearly 400 full-time local jobs during construction, and nine long-term local operations positions. Lincoln Land Wind is expected to begin operations in 2021, according to an Apex news release.

Urvi Parekh, head of renewable energy at Facebook, said the social media organization is excited to partner with Apex to buy more renewable energy.

At Facebook, we are committed to not only supporting our operations with 100 percent renewable energy, but to helping accelerate the transition to renewable energy, Parekh said. With our recent announcement of our new data center in DeKalb, we are excited to bring renewable energy to Illinois.

A public hearing on the project is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Morgan County Courthouse.
TRENTON  The capital city has a new clerk.

Matthew Conlon, who served as acting clerk in Longport, was unanimously approved by the capital city legislative body at Thursdays virtual meeting to serve as the next clerk.

Hes replacing Eric Berry, who was tapped earlier this year as interim clerk succeeding Dwayne Harris.

Harris left for an administrator post in Berlin Borough but was rehired by the capital city  after some council members suggested he was run off  as a consultant to train Berry, a former Tony Mack appointee hired in May who struggled in his new role.

Some council members opposed hiring Berry in the interim post, pointing to his lack of qualifications. Berry conceded he didnt have experience working as a clerk but supervised some in smaller municipalities in other government posts.

Not much is known about Conlon as the city had not provided a resume, with a list of his professional and educational experience.

Conlon, an attorney, has certificates as a registered municipal clerk and certified municipal registrar, according to an email sent by council president Kathy McBride.

Hes reportedly agreed to relocate to the capital city, foregoing reimbursements for moving expenses.

Conlon was previously appointed acting municipal clerk of Longport in October 2017, according to news reports.
The Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), a premier 'Miniratna' company of Government of India, has called for online applications from eligible and interested candidates for filling 471 Workman posts 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 started on August 5, 2020 and closes on August 20, 2020.

CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Workman Organisation Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) Educational Qualification Class 8; Class 10/Matriculation or equivalent; ITI in relevant trade Experience Freshers can apply Job Responsibilities null Skills Required Desirable Job Location Kochi Salary Scale As per the CSL norms Industry Shipping Application Start Date August 5, 2020 Application End Date August 20, 2020

Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment: Age Criteria And Fees

Candidates interested in applying for Workman 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 Workman posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment.

DME Assam Staff Nurse Recruitment 2020, Apply Online For 150 Vacancies Starting Tomorrow

Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment Vacancy Details

Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment: Educational Criteria And Eligibility

Desirous candidates applying for Workman posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment must have passed Class 8; Class 10/Matriculation or equivalent; ITI in relevant trade from a recognised Board/Institute as detailed in the advertisement.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment: Selection And Pay Scale

The selection of candidates for Workman posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment will be done through Shortlisting, Academic Performance and Certificate Verification.

Candidates selected for Workman posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment will be paid emolument as per the CSL norms.

NIA Recruitment 2020 For Data Entry Operators (DEO) Posts, Earn Up To Rs. 92,300 Per Month

Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment: How To Apply

Candidates applying for Workman posts through Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment must register online on the official CSL website https://cochinshipyard.com/Career on or before August 20, 2020.

Read the detailed notification about Cochin Shipyard Ltd Recruitment for Workman posts here
A major protest is taking place outside a north London police station hours after a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of possessing 13 bags of cannabis.

The youngster was arrested by police in Grahame Park, near RAF Hendon at 2.40pm and taken to Colindale Police Station.

According to Scotland Yard, as they tried to arrest the teenager, the officers were confronted by a group of men who 'obstructed a police vehicle from leaving the scene'.

A group of 30 or 40 demonstrators congregated outside Colindale police station after a 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis

Two men were arrested on suspicion of obstructing officers while constables attempted to load the boy into the back of a police van

A Section 35 dispersal order has been placed over the entire area, according to Scotland Yard

Backup units arrived at the scene and arrested two men, aged 23 and 25.

The teenager was released from custody under investigation shortly before 9pm with his mother present.

Police said officers on patrol in The Concourse, NW9 stopped and searched the teenager under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Following the arrests, a group of 30-40 people marched down to Colindale police station to demand the release of the boy and the two men.

Officers were deployed outside the police station and a Section 35 dispersal order was authorised.

A 19-year-old man was arrested outside the police station on suspicion of assaulting an officer.

According to police, 'a number of officers' received minor injuries in skirmishes, but nobody has required hospital treatment.

The arrests happened less than 24 hours ahead of a major Black Lives Matter protest outside Tottenham police station in memorial of Mark Duggan.

According to Black Lives Matter UK: 'A police unit have just raided the @4FrontProject office in North West London, and started making arrests. Team members and the Graeme Park Estate community are at Colindale Police Station demanding immediate release. Huge police line. If you can, head over there now.'

Chief Superintendent Roy Smith said: 'We have lots of mechanisms to listen, learn and be challenged in a calm way and I will personally meet with those involved if they wish'

On Twitter, BLM UK added: '4Front do vital work in the community advocating for young people being harassed by police daily. This is one day before a commemorative protest for Mark Duggan which 4Front co-organised.'

Speaking outside Colindale Police Station, Temi Mwale of the 4Front Project said: 'Today started calmly, it started peacefully with us as community workers asking why a 14-year-old was being arrested? What has he done so we can inform his mum? That is all we wanted to do.

'But they [police] said they did not want to engage with us and did not want to tell us and they arent able to tell us anything.

'We had his mum on the phone and we want to be able to tell her what they are doing.

'I cant go into too much detail, but this is several times this month this same young person has been harassed and been arrested.

'We had to sit down in front of the van and say until you tell us so we can inform his mum, you are not going anywhere.'

The 14-year-old boy was later released from custody under investigation

In a statement, Chief Superintendent Roy Smith said: 'Whilst I understand that people may feel strongly about some police activity and arrests, interfering or obstructing officers at the scene only serves to inflame an already tense situation.

'Instead, I would ask people to use one of our many mechanisms for engaging and listening when the situation is calmer. This enables both sides to review things with a cool and steady head and in possession of the full range of facts.

'Even when well-intentioned interfering, or obstructing officers carrying out their lawful duties, can cause far more problems than it solves. I am committed to listening, learning and improving but my officers must also have the ability to carry out their duties safely and without fear or favour.

'I am also aware of a number of rumours circulating on social media that specifically relate to injuries sustained by those arrested and the nature of this arrest. I want to clarify that no-one who was arrested required medical treatment. Likewise, this arrest was not as a result of a raid or anything of that nature, this was part of a routine patrol in the area.'

The Met tonight warned protesters planning to demonstrate in London tomorrow against wearing 'political uniforms', as they could be committing an offence.

In a statement, Scotland Yard said: 'We want to remind anyone who is taking part in a demonstration in a public place or at a public meeting, not to wear a uniform which is associated with a political purpose, as to do so may be committing an offence under Section 1 of the Public Order Act, 1936.'

The warning follows BLM demonstrations last weekend which saw some protesters wearing paramilitary-style uniforms with berets an anti-stab vests.
Protests continue daily across the US as teachers, school workers and parents rally against the bipartisan demand for a return to classrooms, as coronavirus cases hit five million and deaths top 162,000. The Socialist Equality Partys statement calling for a nationwide general strike and elaborating a political perspective to mobilize the working class against the homicidal return to work and school is being widely discussed and shared across dozens of Facebook groups and other social media. Educators and workers everywhere will not, and cannot, accept this implicit death sentence.

As schools reopen, COVID-19 spreads immediately. Schools in Corinth, Mississippi, opened last week, but had one case by Friday. As of yesterday, 116 students have been sent home to quarantine. Corinth held daily temperature and symptoms checks, as per the CDC guidelines, yet could not prevent wide exposure. Similar spread has been recorded as schools opened in Gwinnett, Georgia, southwest Kansas, and Greenfield, Indiana.

A coalition of teachers, students, and families protest during a rally called National Day of Resistance Against Unsafe School Reopening Opening, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

The depth and breadth of opposition to Wall Streets lethal edict to return to work and school, however, has mostly been ignored by the national mainstream media. It briefly covered a few of the union-backed National Day of Resistance rallies but has deliberately downplayed the growing social opposition. The latest polling numbers show only 16 percent of parents support Donald Trumps demand for five-day-a-week face-to-face instruction, with 56 percent saying it would not be safe to send children back to school in their communities for in-person learning.

This article can only give a snapshot of some current developments in this developing movement. Not mentioned below are many other rallies this week, including in central Ohio; south Salt Lake City, Utah; Long Beach and Stockton, California; Columbia, Missouri; and Orland Park, Illinois.

On Thursday, hundreds of teachers, staff, parents, and students protested at a meeting of the Jefferson Parish School Board (Metairie), representing the largest school district in Louisiana with some 50,000 students. One teacher, David Fields, had his hands painted red to symbolize the lives that would be lost due to the reckless reopening. He carried a sign drawn like a bullseye, which read, Dead custodians. Dead students. Dead Principals. Dead Teacher Aides. Dead Parents. Dead Bus Drivers. Written in the center was Blood on your hands, indicting the school board.

The meeting, ostensibly to gather public testimony, was abruptly shut down in the face of public anger. The board had confirmed that a handful of employees in the district tested positive for COVID-19 after teachers and staff returned to campuses August 3. One teacher spoke bluntly: Let me explain something. I contracted the virus at the same time as my students mother. I am here. She is not. You do not understand the guilt that sits on my heart and on my mind every single day I go to work. What if I did something wrong? Responding to community pressure, Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee-Sheng said that she has requested the board consider postponing the start by three weeks.

On Thursday, hundreds of Reno, Nevada teachers were expected at a rally against plans to reopen Washoe County schools on August 17. English teacher M.J. Ubando said, Someone needed to do this. I'm not thrilled that it's me, but I had to really ask myself who I wanted to be in this moment, reported the Reno Gazette. She had COVID-19 in April and spent weeks recovering, barely able to do simple chores. People are going to die and I guess they are OK with that? she emphasized, stating that if she lost her job for speaking out, it was worth it. Her husband added, Many of us are the working class, and with opening schools, it is just going to get worse.

On Thursday, teachers marched in Lansing, Michigan to demand Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer suspend all in-person education. Whitmer, who has been fully vetted as a possible vice-presidential pick by Joe Biden, is fully implicated in the big business drive to return to work. At the behest of the Detroit Three, she allowed auto plants to resume manufacturing in mid-May. Rachel Cain, a Grand Rapids teacher, attended the rally at the state capitol, bringing a black, tombstone-shaped sign, inscribed, "Here lies Ms. Cain. Last year she bought school supplies with her paycheck. This year she bought the economy with her life."

On Wednesday, hundreds of Georgia teachers parked outside Gwinnett County School's headquarters and blasted their horns for hours to protest the return to school buildings. Gwinnett is the states largest school district and was the site where nearly 300 school employees either tested positive or had direct exposure to COVID-19 and were forced to quarantine, just one day after in-person pre-planning. There are 17,781 positive cases in Gwinnett County, with 1,996 hospitalizations and 240 deaths, as of last Sunday.

Yesterday in Florida, a hearing was held in the Florida Education Association lawsuit against Republican Governor Ron DeSantis order requiring schools to reopen for face-to-face instruction. The July 6 order required all brick and mortar schools to provide five-day-a-week schooling and open in August unless state and local health officials direct otherwise.

Florida now has had more than 510,000 COVID-19 cases, the highest per capita infection rate in the US, and more than 7,745 deaths. Teachers have been staging protests around the state for weeks, including in Pasco County, Duval County (Jacksonville), Hillsborough County (Tampa), and Escambia County (Pensacola). With some schools slated to open next Monday, the union hearing authorized a change in venue, a delaying tactic.

My husband and I are both teachers, and we have three children, two with severe asthma, and the oldest also has immune issues, a Florida educator wrote on Facebook. This is not right. My district isnt even allowing me to choose between being a mom and a teacher. The choice is, do you want a job or not. Like living on one teachers salary for a family of five is even possible... Im not even allowed to struggle financially to keep my family safe with the comfort that I have a position to come back to after 16 years of loyal service.

DeSantis, an outspoken Trump supporter and school privatizer, has long aligned himself with the governments attempt to destroy public education. Florida has seen possibly the most aggressive drive in the nation for virtual charter schools and privatization. No doubt, the states demand for a return to school aims to both force workers back onto the job and continue to bleed public schools of resources through declining enrollment.

In Missouri, Republican Governor Mike Parson has issued no overarching state policy regarding reopening, but infamously stated last month, These kids have got to get back to school And if they do get COVID-19, which they willand they will when they go to schooltheyre not going to the hospitals. His bald admission that children will inevitably be infected, together with the claim that none will be seriously ill, has sparked great anger. It flies in the face of the well-documented and growing number of serious illnesses and deaths among young people, not to mention the long-term health implications of the virus which are still being investigated. On Monday, two Florida teenagers died from the coronavirus.

On Saturday, teachers protested in Kansas City, Missouri, after forming the Facebook group Missourians for Educational Change. Kansas City teacher Andrew Rexroat told local media channel KCUR, We talk about the potential trauma of kids missing about three months of school. Were not talking about the trauma of a kid potentially losing a loved one because of COVID. Teachers waved signs that read, Science, not politics, and Online until decline.

St. Louis Public Schools teacher Grace Hogan drove four hours to attend the rally, noted KCUR. She told the crowd that teachers have to speak up because there is no number of acceptable deaths. She added, For decades now, we have taught teachers that it is their job to put themselves between students and a bullet. So here we are. Its a little bit slower, it looks a little bit different than all the drills they made us run. But this is where we are, and we will stand here and persist and insist on a better plan.

Nevertheless, on Monday, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft doubled-down on the return to school, stating, At some point, we need to just put our heads down and say were gonna get through it, and we definitely need to send our kids back to school.

Provocatively emphasizing the homicidal character of the demand to reopen schools, he added that he didn't know a father alive that wouldnt risk getting COVID, even risk dying, to make sure that his children had the greatest foundation for success for their life they could have.

Missouri has seen 1,266 deaths from COVID-19, with 1,193 new cases reported Tuesday, bringing the total to 54,080 since the outbreak began.

Missouri resident Joanna Martinez wrote to the World Socialist Web Site Educators Newsletter to express her outrage. I am a parent of two students, and they plan to reopen schools in the area on August 24. I'm seriously concerned about my childrens well-being and that of the staff.

There is no requirement for the staff or the students to wear a mask. The rooms are not big enough to practice social distancing. There are not enough safety precautions in place to assure my children will be safe while attending school.

They are not offering homeschooling online, half days. There are no precautions, no plan, nothing at all. Its got a bunch of parents here just freaked out. Theyre looking into parents signing a death waiver. I talked to my mom, who is a nurse. She told me she would not sign that paper and wouldnt blame me if I didnt want to send my kids back. Its very dangerous.

My frustrations are beyond limits, and my fear is indescribable. Our children need an education, but their safety is number one. The county and district seem to be selfishly putting that last. They say not many children have been affected, but thats just because they closed the schools. Once they open, its going to be a disaster.

I think that a nationwide strike is what needs to be done. I do not believe that its safe for schools to open right now. If they do reopen, we will see a significant jump in positive cases and possible death increase with young children. I feel they are completely neglecting the well-being of the students, staff and parents for their own personal gain and its disgusting.

I just hope more people will put their foot down and stand up for the children and teachers.

The SEPs statement urges educators and all workers to form rank-and-file safety committees, to contact us for assistance in organizing your struggle, and to sign up for the World Socialist Web Site Educators Newsletter to follow nationwide and international developments in education.
KALAMAZOO, MI  The woman charged in the death of 46-year-old Kalamazoo woman Anita McClendon in an April hit-and-run had all charges against her dismissed Thursday in Kalamazoo County District Court.

A 19-year-old Kalamazoo woman was previously charged with operating a vehicle without a license causing death, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious impairment or death in connection with the incident.

Related: Woman, 46, killed in Kalamazoo hit-and-run remembered as charismatic

Kalamazoo County District Judge Kathleen Hemingway dismissed both charges without prejudice at a Thursday, Aug. 6 preliminary hearing.

I do not believe that there has been any evidence provided this afternoon to indicate that Ms. McClendon died because of the injuries from the vehicle, Hemingway said when making her determination Thursday.

One of three Kalamazoo Public Safety officers to testify at Thursdays hearing, Ronald Maynard testified that the vehicle  which drove over McClendon in the 500 block of Ada Street at around 9:40 p.m. April 27  had a lack of damage to its front end.

The vehicle, he said, was found to have damaged, broken and bent pieces of metal, as well as human tissue including blood underneath. McClendons injuries, he testified, were consistent with the damage found underneath the vehicle.

Another officer, Joseph Daly, said he responded to the 500 block of Ada Street twice on April 27. At around 9 p.m., he told the court, McClendon was hanging out in the roadway and he asked her to get out of the road and had her follow him to the sidewalk.

Daly again responded to the scene, near the North Pole Party Store, about 40 minutes later to the report of an injury accident.

Upon arrival that time, he said, he noted McClendon unresponsive and motionless in the road, surrounded by a crowd of people.

The driver of the vehicle suspected to have struck McClendon was not on the scene when officers arrived.

According to testimony from detective Timothy Knight, he spoke with the driver, her mother and attorney four days after the incident.

The driver, the detective testified, told him she had struck an object white in color (later identified to be the color of McClendons clothing) near the North Pole and that she pulled off to inspect her vehicle after driving down the road a short distance.

At that point, he said, she told him she saw first responders arrive and was not sure if she had struck the victim and was scared and wanted her mothers help.

The drivers attorney, Donald Sappanos, told MLive that his client and her mother contacted him for representation and they immediately requested a meeting with the police, after which the driver gave her statement.

My client is just shook up over this, Sappanos said. This isnt something that was drunk driving or speeding or anything. She wishes it was something that never happened, obviously.

Its just a tragic situation.

In court, Sappanos argued that witnesses told police McClendon was known to lay in the roadway and that the same officer who responded to her laying unresponsive had asked her to get out of the road earlier.

Sappanos cited surveillance video from the North Pole that was not viewed in court that the officer testified showed McClendon was laying in the roadway prior to being run over.

You heard the detective himself, who was the only one in this room thats viewed the video that was made, that Anita was laying in the roadway, he said. Anita was warned moments before, as the police officer said, to get out of the roadway. Shes known to lay in the roadway, the detective said it was not well lit. Its a narrow roadway. And had she not been in the roadway, we wouldnt be here today.

Kalamazoo County Assistant Prosecutor Aubrey Koches did not introduce a pathology report as evidence. That, in part, led to the dismissal decision, Hemingway said.

Without a pathology report, there was no established relationship between McClendons death and the vehicle, the judge said.

We dont know what caused this poor ladys death, Sappanos said. Somebody else could have hit her beforehand or something else could have occurred. We didnt even see an autopsy.

Also on MLive:

Kalamazoo pauses installation of bump outs in streets after complaints

Southwest Michigan among regions with declining coronavirus cases

Marijuana recalled across Michigan after worker accused of licking joint in Bay City processing plant
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A young girl who made headlines when her surrogate mother refused $10,000 from her biological family to have an abortion has died aged eight.

Seraphina Nayleigh Harrell died on July 15 at Boston Children's Hospital from complications related to an infection and needed surgery. She and her family who had adopted her had celebrated her eight birthday just two weeks earlier on June 25.

'Still can't believe I have to talk about my baby in the past tense,' wrote Rene Harrell, the Seraphina's adoptive mother, on Facebook.

'Still trying to figure out how daily life is supposed to work without her in it.'

Thomas Harrell, her adoptive father, said: 'For the eight years she lived, she had a full life.'

'She had a lot of joy in her life and gave a lot of other people joy in ways that sometimes weren't expected.'

In 2011, a couple, whose identity has not been revealed, hired Crystal Kelley, then 29, to be a surrogate after they had trouble conceiving children.

Seraphina Nayleigh Harrell (pictured) died at Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts on July 15. She was eight years old

Crystal Kelley (right) agreed to be a surrogate for baby Seraphina (left) in 2011 after meeting with the child's biological family

A playground meeting in Vernon, Connecticut, saw Kelley agree to carry their fourth child for next nine months.

Doctor's thawed out two frozen embryos left over from the couple's past in-vitro fertilization procedures and put them in Kelley's uterus in October 8, 2011.

But in 2012 when Kelley underwent a routine ultrasound when she was five months pregnant, it showed that Seraphina suffered from a cleft lip and palate, a cyst in her brain and severe heart defects.

Serpahina had holoprosencephaly, a birth defect where the brain does not fully divide into separate hemispheres.

She also had heteotaxy, which meant several of her internal organs were in the wrong place. She had at least two spleens.

Surrogate Crystal Kelley is seen above during her pregnancy with Serpahina

An ultra sound taken during Kelley's pregnancy showed Seraphina in the womb with a cleft lip

Doctors explained that little Seraphina would likely survive the pregnancy, but would only have a 25 percent chance at a 'normal life'

Amid an ongoing legal battle between Kelley and the biological family, Seraphina was born in Michigan

Previous ultrasound technicians had noted that Seraphina's stomach or spleen were hard to see.

A panicked phone call from the the couple then sparked a landmark abortion case that captivated America.

Holoprosencephaly and Heteotaxy Holoprosencephaly (HPE) is a somewhat common birth defect that happens when the brain does not completely divide into the two lobes of the cerebral hemisphere. As a result, there is a single-lobed brain structure that is coupled with skull and facial defects. [HPE]often can also affect facial features, including closely spaced eyes, small head size, and sometimes clefts of the lip and roof of the mouth, as well as other birth defects. In most instances, the malformation is so severe that babies die before birth. In less severe cases, babies are born with normal or near-normal brain development and facial deformities that may affect the eyes, nose and upper lip. This birth defect occurs soon after conception. It has a prevelance of 1 in 250 during early embryo development, and 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 20,000 at term. The best way to diagnose HPE Is with a CT or MRI brain scan. Molecular testing for a number of HPE genes. Treatment for children is individualized. Heterotaxy occurs when a persons internal organs are not arranged correctly in the chest or abdomen. Subsequently, the most common complications affect the lungs, heart, liver, spleen and intestines. Specific symptoms include not getting enough oxygen throughout the body, breathing difficulties, increased risk for infection, and problems digesting food. It may be caused by genetic changes, exposure to toxins when a woman in pregnant or the condition can happen sporadically. Heterotaxy is estimated to affect one in 10,000 people across the globe, but scientists believe the condition is under diagnosed. Diagnosis are typically done with images taken during a CT scan or an MRI. Other tests, including blood tests, can check the organs function levels. Treatment depends on the specific organs affected. Sources: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and National Human Genome Research Institute Advertisement

'She kept saying, 'There's something wrong with the baby. There's something wrong with the baby. What are we going to do?'' Kelley told CNN in March 2013. 'She was frantic. She was panicking.'

Doctors explained that little Seraphina would likely survive the pregnancy, but would only have a 25 percent chance at a 'normal life' and would need to undergo several heart surgeries. The biological couple wanted Kelley to terminate the pregnancy.

But Kelley disagreed and wanted to keep the child alive. Kelley did not want to raise a child, but was morally and religiously against abortions.

A letter written by Kelley's midwife and a genetic counselor read: 'Given the ultrasound findings, (the parents) feel that the interventions required to manage (the baby's medical problems) are overwhelming for an infant, and that it is a more humane option to consider pregnancy termination.

'Ms. Kelley feels that all efforts should be made to 'give the baby a chance' and seems adamantly opposed to termination.'

The couple's first three children were all born prematurely, with two of them spending months in the hospital.

The two sides were caught in a standoff that ended with Kelley moving states after the couple offered to pay her $10,000 to have an abortion.

Both sides lawyered up and argued over what was the best course of action for Seraphina.

Eventually the couple changed their minds about the abortion and instead wanted to exercise their legal right to take custody of the child - but would enter her into Connecticut's foster care system immediately afterwards.

But Kelley moved to Michigan, where state laws allowed her to be the legal parent and not the couple who hired her.

'Once I realized that I was going to be the only person really fighting for her, that Mama bear instinct kicked in, and there was no way I was giving up without a fight,' said Kelley at the time.

On June 25, Seraphina was born at full-term at 6lbs and 9 ozs.

Kelley gave Serpahina up for adoption and she was taken in by the Harrell family in Massachusetts.

The impasse between the couple and Kelley helped surrogacy agencies change the protocols they follow when making such arrangements.

'People heard about this case, and they got scared about skipping steps. That's good for the industry,' attorney Melissa Brisman told CNN this week.

Now, couples and surrogates take much more precautions and make sure they're on the same page about important issues.

Kelley (center): 'Once I realized that I was going to be the only person really fighting for her, that Mama bear instinct kicked in, and there was no way I was giving up without a fight'

A memorial service for Seraphina was held on Sunday afternoon in Andover, Massachusetts, at a field adjacent to Chapel at West Parish.

Rene asked that guests to wear face masks in honor of the young girl.

'COVID-19 has interrupted a lot over the past few months, and it wouldn't be very honoring of Seraphina's memory to put people at risk of contracting it,' wrote Rene on Facebook.

'Because the Commonwealth considers this a large 'unenclosed outdoor area' with enough space to practice social distancing, there are no regulations limiting attendance or requiring mask usage, but we are requesting that everyone planning to come wear a mask and will provide them for anyone who doesn't have one.'

In Massachusetts, there are more than 120,000 confirmed cases and nearly 9,000 deaths.

A memorial service was held for Seraphina (pictured) on Sunday in Andover, Massachusetts, and guests were asked to abide by CDC health guidelines

Seraphina will be remembered for living a full and joyous life in spite of her medical conditions.

'What I heard over and over from so many of her doctors was they could never imagine that someone with Seraphina's level of need could do as well as she did or be as joyful as she was,' Rene told CNN.

Rene added that the life Seraphina led in Massachusetts, surrounded by friends and loved ones, proved she was worth saving.

'What drove the conflict when Crystal was pregnant with her, was whether or not she'd have a meaningful life,' said Rene.

'And I think without hesitation, the answer to that question is yes, she did. Seraphina had a very, very meaningful and happy life.'

Seraphina could only speak a few words, but learned American Sign Language to communicate. She also could not walk, but was constantly moving around in her wheelchair.

Seraphina grew up in a loving Massachusetts home with seven other siblings, some of which also had medical issues and disabilities

'She could get herself around in a power wheelchair like nobody's business,' said Rene.

Seraphina's favorite words, according to Rene, was 'I love you.'

'She'd sign it and always add a little kissing sound. She was so loving. If you looked sad, she would comfort you,' said Rene.

'If you got even the slightest little poke, she would sign 'sorry' and then kiss your boo-boo.

'When her baby cousin cried, she would sign 'Baby, cry, Mama, milk.'

During Halloween 2018, Seraphina's seven older siblings masqueraded as the seven dwarves and gave her a special name: Bossy Dwarf.

'She had the most confident, self-assured personality, and she told everyone what to do,' said Rene.

For Halloween 2018, the Harrell children dressed up as the seven dwarves and called Seraphina (far left) Bossy Dwarf

Serpahina shared a remarkable bond with her siblings and enjoyed doing different activities with each.

'Nora and Nathan read to her. Laney painted her nails. Derecc played Darth Vader wars. She fought with the nine-year-old twins. Clare was her true playmate, because even though she is 18, in practice she and Seraphina were both around three, so they liked the same things,' said Rene.

It wasn't unusual for Seraphina to order Nathan, her 10-year old brother, to read Little Critter books to her.

Nathan would say he was the big brother character and Seraphina was the little sister.

After Seraphina died, Nathan requested a Little Critters book be placed insider her casket.

'They all miss her terribly. She was the centering part of our family. She was our heart and soul,' said Rene.

Loved ones who knew Seraphina said her life wasn't defined by her illnesses - it was love.

'There is just no getting around acknowledging the heartache of those who love her the most, who truly weren't ready to see her go.' read the obituary.

'But truth is, sadness is not the defining sum of Seraphina's story...love is. Seraphina's larger than life personality only grew throughout her life, and you never had to guess what she was thinking or feeling.

'At least once a day, someone would snuggle up to her and repeat the Seraphina family motto: 'For a girl who can't talk, you sure are never quiet!'

She leaves behind four older brothers and three older sisters.
Use your data

Sales data and website analytics can tell you exactly what is resonating with your customers today. Pay very close attention to changing trends since March (when COVID-19 stay-at-home orders gained traction), reviewing campaign performance to see what themes you could tailor and reuse for the holidays; product category sales to create promotions around your most popular categories; website metrics, including traffic to specific pages, most searched keywords, abandoned carts, and orders. This data informs you on the types of products your audience is seeking, and can determine what holiday themes and merchandising to promote sitewide. Next, review the most popular channels driving traffic and conversions to determine where to promote your sales, said Michael Mathias, CEO, Whereoware.

Invest in your e-commerce website and digital marketing strategy

If you dont have an effective e-commerce website, now is the time to get one, and if you have one, make it better. Add higher-quality product photography and videography, update your product catalogs, and improve product descriptions and details to drive search engine optimization (SEO), said Mathias. Add product recommendations to drive upsells and cross sells and increase average order value. Use email and digital advertising to drive traffic to your website, widen your audience base, and nurture customer engagement. Invest in the digital shopping experience B2B buyers now expect. COVID-19 was a stark reminder that vendors need a multi-channel strategy, supported by a strong digital presence.

Optimize the journey, not the sale

The best online experience is unexceptional. Sounds ridiculous, but think of the brands your most loyal to. I bet that in addition to liking their products, they made it easy for you to browse, buy, ask questions, track orders, or get updates on delivery. The best experiences are easy and simple  they dont make you think and never frustrate you, said Mathias. This holiday season, when so many things could be in flux, stand out for how easy and effortless it is to do business with you. Optimize the journey from your website navigation, product search, product detail, through the seamless shopping cart. Dont stop there either, but make sure youre delivering a great post-purchase experience  providing order updates, delivery transparency, direct lines to customer service, or personal follow up by a rep.

Be open to trying something new

Buyer and consumer shopping behavior is changing all the time, but has shifted dramatically since COVID. Embrace the change and look across industries and business types to generate creative ideas. Maybe back to school is your annual best-selling line, but you also sell Home Essential products. Realize that you cant put your eggs in the back-to-school basket this year, and double down on Home Essentials. Well see B2B campaign mimicking B2C, with surprising results. For example, last year, we strategized a B2B Black Friday marketing campaign for a client (typically Black Friday is strictly a B2C shopping holiday)  and drove 170% more revenue than the year prior. Get out of your box and stop following the rules, said Mathias.
A police officer attached to Kosele Police Post in Rachuonyo South, Homa Bay County drowned in a river Wednesday.

Constable Godfrey Odhiambo Juma had reportedly gone to take a bath in River Awach near Riwo area in North Kamagak location at around 1 p.m.

Confirming the incident, nominated MCA Nereah Amondi said the 30-year-old officer was inebriated and in the company of several other police officers.

The incident is indeed true, I am told that he was drunk when he had gone for the bath in the company of other officers, Amondi said.

According to reports, after taking the bath, the officer decided to take a swim but was overpowered by strong currents and drowned deep into the waters. His colleagues who were waiting for him became suspicious when they realised that he had taken long to resurface.

The officer is reported to have died on the spot.

Members of the public with the help of officers from Kosele police station helped retrieve the officers body. It was moved to Rachuonyo sub-county hospital awaiting postmortem.

Homa Bay county police commander Esther Seroney said officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) have taken up the case.
At the start of all this, people used to ask me if I would still go to New York, and I would tell them I have a business to run over there, New said. Since we havent been able to travel there, its more about adapting and doing what needs to be done. If you want the business to grow and get your product out there, you have to adapt and work very quickly with the change. With challenges brings a lot of opportunity.
Two members of Iran's Chamber of Commerce have said that the "good news" Rouhani on Wednesday said should be expected "if approved" by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is a hint at the possible approval of the bills that allow Iran to join the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

"There are rumors that the economic breakthrough that the President hinted may be [the final] ratification of FATF [-related laws] and the release of blocked currency reserves in foreign banks," Hossein Selahvarzi, Deputy Chairman of Iran's Chamber of Commerce, wrote in a tweet on Friday.

In a cabinet meeting on Wednesday Rouhani said important decisions had been made in the latest meeting of the heads of the three branches of government which would be announced "after the approval of the Supreme Leader" and bring about an "economic breakthrough".

Selahvarzi added in a sarcastic tone: "Even full acceptance of FATF doesn't automatically cancel Iran's inclusion in the [organization's] blacklist. But can we call it a breakthrough when we undo a knot by teeth when it could have been undone by hand?"

Selahvarzi was the second official of the Chamber of Commerce that has speculated about the possible approval of the FATF laws. Immediately after Rouhani made his remarks, Ali Shariati, another member of the Chamber, had said the same thing.

The Communications Deputy of Rouhani's office, Alireza Moezi, however, in a tweet on Monday refuted any connection between Rouhani's "good news" and FATF laws.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf who is a member of the Heads of Government Powers Council on August 6 also said "good news" were to be expected but attributed them to "the approval of economic plans in the past few weeks".

Some Iranian media have interpreted the "good news" in connection with the stock exchange market and said it may refer to more shares of government-owned companies becoming available on the stock exchange market.

Whether the "good news" is related to the FATF or not, being on the organization's blacklist is currently causing serious issues for Iran's international banking and consequently its trade.

Being black-listed has stopped all of Iran's international banking relations and most of its trade forcing businesses into limited transactions with higher costs.

On August 1 the Chairman of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce said being black-listed by FATF has even stopped banking relations with countries such as Russia and China, Iran's closest allies.

FATF, a multilateral organization overseeing compliance with anti-money laundering and transparency banking rules and regulations, asked Iran in 2017 to adopt legislation in support of financial transparency and against money-laundering and financing of terrorism. Iran's parliament passed a series of laws, but a constitutional body tasked with approving legislation refused to endorse two particular laws.

The organization penalized Iran on February 21, by authorizing member states to take up strict counter-measures against Tehran for not passing appropriate financial safeguarding laws.

Iran's economy is already under severe pressure by U.S. economic sanctions, which have stopped its oil exports and most other trade relations. On Friday Vice President and Head of the Planning Budget Organization Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht said in the first four months of the current fiscal year (started March 21) only 6 percent of predicted revenues from the sale of oil have materialized.
Appeals Court Rules House Can Sue to Enforce Don McGahn Subpoena for Testimony

A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a congressional subpoena seeking former White House counsel Don McGahns testimony before Congress, ruling that the House has the right to bring suits to enforce its subpoenas.

Judges of the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 72 to overturn a divided panel opinion from February that found that the House lacked standing to seek judicial enforcement of the McGahn subpoena.

The Committee, acting on behalf of the full House of Representatives, has shown that it suffers a concrete and particularized injury when denied the opportunity to obtain information necessary to the legislative, oversight, and impeachment functions of the House, and that its injury would be redressed by the order it seeks from the court. The separation of powers and historical practice objections presented here require no different result, Judge Judith Rogers wrote in the majority opinion (pdf).

The ruling is a victory for Congress, who has been underscoring the importance of being able to enforce its subpoenas in order to carry out its legislative and oversight responsibilities. But the court also allowed McGahn to continue challenging the subpoena on other grounds. This effectively means McGahn would not have to testify while his case plays out in court.

The Justice Department (DOJ), who is representing McGahn in the case, said in a statement to The Epoch Times that they intend to vigorously challenge the subpoena on those other grounds.

While we strongly disagree with the standing ruling in McGahn, the en banc court properly recognized that we have additional threshold grounds for dismissal of both cases, and we intend to vigorously press those arguments before the panels hearing those cases, DOJ spokesperson Kerri Kupec said.

McGahn, who was viewed as a key witness in then-special counsels Robert Muellers Russia investigation, was subpoenaed by the committee in April 2019 to provide documents and appear before lawmakers as part of the investigation into alleged obstruction of justice by President Donald Trumpsomething that Mueller failed to establish in his investigation. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

House Democrats have launched a slew of investigations, which included the subpoena of McGahn, in an effort to find information that could lead to the impeachment of the president.

The White House blocked his appearance in May, asserting executive privilege over the documents. This prompted House Democrats to subsequently sue McGahn in August 2019 in an attempt to enforce the subpoena.

In November that year, a district court judge ruled that McGahn must testify before the House, saying that executive branch officials are not absolutely immune from the compulsory congressional process, even if the president expressly directs the officials non-compliance. That judge clarified that the injunction required McGahn to only appear before the committee, and not necessarily answer questions on the basis of recognized privileges. This prompted the Justice Department (DOJ) to appeal the decision to the circuit court.

The appeals court ruled 2-1 on Feb. 28 that McGahn was not required to testify, agreeing with the DOJs argument that the Constitution bars federal courts from resolving disputes between the legislative and executive branches. In March, the appeals court agreed to rehear the case before the full panel of the court and vacate the February ruling.

In the majority opinion, Rogers recognized the importance of Congresss subpoena power, saying that the possession of relevant information is a necessary precondition for lawmakers to effectively discharge their duty.

The power of each House of Congress to compel witnesses to appear before it to testify and to produce documentary evidence has a pedigree predating the Founding and has long been employed in Congresss discharge of its primary constitutional responsibilities: legislating, conducting oversight of the federal government, and, when necessary, checking the President through the power of impeachment, Rogers wrote.

She found that McGahns disregard of the subpoena had deprived the committee of specific information sought in the exercise of its constitutional responsibilities.

Rogers also rejected the DOJs argument that the federal court should not referee the dispute between Congress and the Trump administration.

McGahn maintains that in exercising jurisdiction over the present lawsuit and resolving whether he is required to testify, the court takes sides in an interbranch dispute, aggrandizes Congress at the expense of the Executive, or otherwise disrupts the balance of powers between the Branches, she wrote. To the contrary, the judiciary, in exercising jurisdiction over the present lawsuit, does not arrogate any new power to itself at the expense of either of the other branches but rather plays its appropriate constitutional role.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) called the ruling a profound victory for the rule of law and our constitutional system of government.

The court rejected President Trumps sweeping claim that Committees of the House have no standing before the courts to seek redress of the institutional injury caused when lawfully issued subpoenas are ignored. Todays decision confirms the Judiciarys ability to resolve these disputes, Nadler wrote in a statement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also release a statement welcoming the appeal court decision. Todays en banc ruling is a victory for the rule of law and Congressional oversight. The Court reaffirmed our Constitutions system of checks and balances and rejected the Presidents outrageous claim that Congress cannot enforce its subpoenas, Pelosi said.

The House will continue to pursue justice until Don McGahn and all Administration officials comply with our rightfully-issued subpoenas, she added.

All seven judges in the majority were appointed by Democratic presidents, meanwhile, Judges Gregory G. Katsas and Neomi Rao, both appointed by Trump, did not participate in the case.

Judges Karen Henderson and Thomas B. Griffith, both appointed by former President George H. W. Bush, dissented in the case. Both judges argued in separate opinions that federal courts should not referee in disputes between Congress and the executive branch due to the issue of separation of powers.

The court severs the standing analysis from its separation-of-powers roots and treats a direct dispute between the Legislative and Executive Branches as if it were any old case, Griffith wrote in his dissent. The result is an anemic Article III jurisprudence that flouts a long line of Supreme Court precedent, ignores the basic structure of the Constitution, and resuscitates long-discredited case law from this circuit.

The majoritys ruling will supplant negotiation with litigation, making it harder for Congress to secure the information it needs. And the Committee likely wont even get what it wants in this case.

He added that because the en banc court only ruled on a narrow issue of whether Congress had the right to sue, the other issues are left to be resolved by lower courts.

Because the majority declines to decide whether the Committee has a cause of action and whether it should prevail on the merits, the chances that the Committee hears McGahns testimony anytime soon are vanishingly slim, he wrote.

Story updated to include responses to ruling.
GREENBELT, Md., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Montgomery County Health Officer today rescinded his order prohibiting religious and private schools from conducting in-person classes. The order was the only one of its kind in the country. Plaintiffs were represented in this case by Timothy F. Maloney and Alyse Prawde of Joseph, Greenwald and Laake, P.A.

The Health officer's order was the subject of an emergency injunction hearing in Federal Court scheduled for Friday, August 14, 2020. Counsel will be reviewing the Health Officer's new order before decisions are made about the status of the hearing and the Federal lawsuit.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan had issued a revised emergency order on Monday concerning clarifying local authority concerning religious and private schools. In issuing the order, Governor Hogan stated that religious and private schools should be free to make their own to make their own reopening decisions, consistent with CDC and State Health guidelines. Maryland Secretary of Health Robert Neall directed all county health officers to follow the governor's order as established State health policy.

"Wisdom is always welcome, no matter how late it arrives," said Timothy F. Maloney, counsel for the plaintiffs who challenged the Health Officer's order. "This is a victory for the more than 22,000 students in Montgomery County and their families who are committed to their religious and private education. Their schools are now prepared to make safe reopening decisions based upon CDC and State guidelines."

Timothy F. Maloney

Attorney at Law

Office in Greenbelt, MD

Direct Dial: (240) 553-1107

Direct Fax: (240) 553-1737

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Joseph Greenwald and Laake

Related Links

http://jgllaw.com/


Syracuse, N.Y. -- Upstate New York lakes largely won a reprieve from toxic algae blooms over the past week as temperatures cooled and rains fell, but that might not last.

Algae blooms thrive in hot weather, and Central New York is already having its third-hottest summer on record. Hot, sunny weather -- perfect for both beach-goers and algae -- is expected to start Sunday and last for a week. The heavy recent rains, including Tuesdays drenching from Tropical Storm Isaias, might have washed in phosphorous from farms and other sources, creating ideal conditions for blooms.

Last year the first bloom was Sept. 3, said Frank Moses, executive director of the Skaneateles Lake Association. I would not be surprised if it happened sooner this year because of the temperatures."

Skaneateles Lake is closely monitored because its the unfiltered source of the city of Syracuses drinking water. Toxins from a large algae bloom in September 2017 infiltrated the citys pair of intake pipes on the lake, prompting the addition of extra chlorine. City and state officials said none of the toxins, called microcystins, found their way into anyones tap water.

Microcystins can, in high enough doses, sicken people and kill dogs.

The blue-green algae, which is actually a form of bacteria, grows best in hot, dry, calm weather.

Rain temporarily scatters the blooms by stirring up the water, but heavy rains can sweep in phosphorous, a chief food for the algae that contributes to later blooms. Skaneateles Lakes watershed is more than 59 square miles, drained by over 150 creeks. Heavy early July rains were partly to blame for the 2017 algae outbreak.

Temperatures in the next week are expected to stay in the mid-80s and higher, and August overall is expected to be warmer than normal. Blooms tend to peak in September as the lakes continue to absorb more heat from the sun than they lose in the cooler nights.

So far this summer, 142 blooms have been reported to the Department of Environmental Conservation. Some lakes and rivers have multiple blooms. Cayuga Lake, for example, had 28 separate reported blooms.

Some beaches have had to close because of the algae, including the YMCA beach on Owasco Lake and Jamesville Beach in Onondaga County.

READ MORE

After a brief cool-down, Central NYs hot summer revs up again

Syracuse said Skaneateles Lake pipes were too deep for algae. They werent

Toxic algae control plans released for 12 Upstate NY lakes
In his last column for the New York Times, John Lewis was upbeat.

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. Following George Floyds murder, our countrys greatest civil rights leader had lived to see the worldwide protests demanding justice. He continued, Now it is your turn to let freedom ring. OK! But...how?

Women of Michigan Action Network (W.O.M.A.N.) has been working on the issue of racial justice for several years. We have held workshops on racism. Several in our group traveled to Selma, Alabama, to visit the site of the Bloody Sunday March. They continued to Montgomery to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (a memorial for those killed by lynching in the U.S.) We created two book groups to study racism. Several of these columns were written last year addressing racial injustice. Most recently, we helped organize the June 2020 Rally for Racial Justice, which began at the circle in Midland. Upwards of 2,000 people attended that rally, expressing in solidarity the belief that police violence and racism is wrong.

Where do we go from here? This was the question addressed to a panel of our Black community members during our July Zoom meeting. Panelists Erin Walker, Brandon Lewis, Leah Coicou and Michelle McCoy expressed surprise at the number of people who attended the rally. I was flabbergasted. I was really proud and surprised. My heart was warmed by the turnout, were a few of their comments. Because the Black community can sometimes feel secluded here in Midland, they were extremely touched by the showing of support. They continued with suggested steps for inclusion.

The Black community must operate in both white spaces and black spaces. For white people to seek out Black spaces and spend time there would encourage Black community members. To be the only white person in a room would help white people understand the frequent Black experience of being the only person of color in the room. As we are all part of the same community, this would go a long way to help to bridge the gap between races.

The panel encouraged, Come to us. Black organizations hold public events. It is simple to Google directories for these organizations. Some include Jack and Jill of America and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Or you can begin with a place that is familiar, such as the library or Midland Center for the Arts. Ask them about programs on Black History. Also ask which Black organizations they work with. It is easy to branch out from there.

How do white community members start a conversation with our Black colleagues and friends? Some ways to begin are by reading a book on racism (Like Waking Up White), watch a documentary, or a movie like Just Mercy. These can become prompts for questions and discussions with people of color. It is not up to Black people to educate white people on racism, as there are many avenues for white folks to do that on their own. But likely a genuine interest in bridging the gap will be well received.

Last year, my plane sat on the tarmac for repairs. After a brief political discussion, I turned again to the Black woman next to me, a New York City college professor. So, it looks like we have some time. Can I ask you some questions about racism? Im writing a series of columns on the topic. She laughed warmly, presumably at my unexpected boldness. We then proceeded to have a long, productive dialogue which continued during the flight. My biggest take-away from this conversation? Her kindness, openness and willingness to educate me. And the stunning fact that she would never, ever call the police for any kind of help. As I pondered the reality of that, it was time to disembark. We left the plane, feeling that brief kind of kinship that must abruptly end. I felt gratitude for new understandings.

These are only a few of the steps we can take. John Lewis wrote, Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Necessary trouble is simply what can be done to effect change  the steps we can take to change the trajectory in our country away from racial injustice. Stay tuned next month for more ideas from our panel.

Cherie Marks is a member of the Midland chapter of the Women of Michigan Action Network.
Beirut port officials detained as death toll rises to 157 Protests, Nasrallah to speak and court verdict on Hariri killing

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, AUGUST 7 - The death toll of Tuesday's massive explosions in the port of the Lebanese capital has risen to 157 with over 5,000 injured, the authorities said Friday. The explosions devastated several areas of the city. Late Thursday evening clashes broke out between anti-government protestors and security forces near the parliament and in the central Martyrs square, with protestors throwing rocks from the rubble caused by the disaster. Much of the public believes the government and the ruling political class should be held responsible for the explosions. Beirut port director Hassan Koraytem was one of the 16 people put under house arrest as part of the investigation into the explosions. The bank accounts of seven people including the port director and the head of Lebanese customs, Badri Daher, have also been frozen. The authorities questioned over 18 port and customs officials involved in the maintenance of the warehouse that exploded. On Wednesday the port director and the customs chief had on Wednesday tol broadcasters that several letters had been sent to the judiciary over the years asking for teh removal of the highly combustible material kept in the port. The authorities say that almost 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, used for both fertilizers and bombs, had been kept for six years in thhe port without any proper safety measures taken. Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah is meanwhile expected to give a televised speech from an undisclosed location on Friday. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon are due to a verdict on Friday in the trial of four men accused over the 2005 Beirut bombing, which killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and 21 others. Four of the suspects are members of Hezbollah, while a fifth was killed in Damascus in 2016. (ANSA).




The Phase Two restrictions, which Cooper has called a "safer-at-home" approach, began May 22. The extension continues to prohibit the partial openings of businesses that include private bars, fitness centers, bowling alleys and gyms.

On Thursday, the University of Washington's School of Medicine released its latest COVID-19 forecast that said there could be 295,000 COVID-19 related deaths in the U.S. by Dec. 1.

There were nearly 161,000 U.S. deaths as of Friday.

The medical school's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said 70,000 deaths may be preventable with more consistent mask wearing by at least 95% of Americans.

"We're seeing a roller coaster in the United States," said Dr. Christopher Murray, the institute's director.

"It appears that people are wearing masks and socially distancing more frequently as infections increase, then after a while as infections drop, people let their guard down and stop taking these measures to protect themselves and others  which, of course, leads to more infections. And the potentially deadly cycle starts over again."
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images 2017

As of Thursday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now worth $100 billion after Facebook shares surged, CNN Business reported. Now, the only people in the world with larger personal fortunes are Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Microsoft's Bill Gates.

Facebook's stock increased by 6.5% on Thursday after launching Reels, the company's TikTok clone, on Instagram. This is the second time the company has tried to launch a competitor to TikTok  Facebook shut down Lasso, its first attempt at a new video app, in July, according to NPR. The launch of Reels comes as Chinese-owned TikTok is under extreme pressure from President Trump to sell to a U.S. business by September 15 or shut down entirely. Microsoft is one of the potential buyers for TikTok's U.S. operations.
The Air Force has reached a deal to fund the development of a hypersonic plane that could one day be used to carry top government officials in the executive branch.

The contract, announced by aerospace firm Hermeus on Thursday, will fund the development of a small passenger jet that could replace the Gulfstream-based planes currently in the presidential fleet.

Though the current aircraft under consideration would be too small to replace Air Force One, it could conceivably someday be used to transport Cabinet members, Congressional delegations, and other officials whose transport is overseen by the Special Air Mission.

The Air Force investment, awarded through AFWERX, is worth $1.5 million and will be used to evaluate potential hypersonic military transports for an aircraft seating nine to 19 people, according to Aviation Week Defense Editor Steve Trimble.

Concept art from aerospace firm Hermeus shows a planned Mach 5 passenger jet. The Air Force is working with the firm to develop technology for the presidential fleet

The defense contract comes after Hermeus successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype (Above) in February 2020

At Mach 5, which is over 3000mph, flight times from New York to London would be 90 minutes rather than seven hours.

'Leaps in capability are vital as we work to complicate the calculus of our adversaries,' said Brigadier General Ryan Britton, Program Executive Officer for Presidential and Executive Airlift in a statement on the program.

'By leveraging commercial investment to drive new technologies into the Air Force, we are able to maximize our payback on Department of Defense investments,' he continued.

'The Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate is proud to support Hermeus in making this game-changing capability a reality as we look to recapitalize the fleet in the future.'

The defense contract comes after Hermeus successfully tested a Mach 5 engine prototype in February 2020.

The hypersonic plane could eventually replace the Gulfstream-based planes in the Special Air Mission that are used to ferry Cabinet members and Congressional delegations

Hermeus' engine (above) uses a turbine-based combined cycle propulsion that can take off and land like a normal plane, but then be switched into ramjet mode

The engine uses a turbine-based combined cycle propulsion that can take off and land like a normal plane, but then be switched into ramjet mode for the middle portion of flight to achieve hypersonic speed.

'Using our pre-cooler technology, we've taken an off-the-shelf gas turbine engine and operated it at flight speed conditions faster than the famed SR-71,' said Glenn Case, Hermeus' CTO.

'In addition, we've pushed the ramjet mode to Mach 4-5 conditions, demonstrating full-range hypersonic air-breathing propulsion capability,' he said.

The current Air Force One fleet used for presidential transport consists of two heavily modified Boeing 747s, using the military designation VC-25.

Two new aircraft, designated VC-25B and based on the Boeing 747-8, have been ordered by the Air Force and are due to be delivered by 2024.
On the occasion of Handloom Day, Prime Minister on Friday lauded the efforts made by local artisans who have preserved the indigenous crafts of India.

"On Handloom Day, we salute all those associated with our vibrant handloom and handicrafts sector. They have made commendable efforts to preserve the indigenous crafts of our nation. Let us all be #Vocal4Handmade and strengthen efforts towards an Aatmanirbhar Bharat," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

In a recorded message, the Prime Minister said, "India's handloom and handicraft sector carries the history of hundreds of years. It should be our effort that Indian handloom and handicrafts should be used by all of us."

He further urged the people to spread information about these handlooms and handicrafts around the world to benefit the local artisans.

"It is also our duty to spread information about it to people around the world. The more the world knows about our handlooms and handicrafts, the more our local artisans will benefit," he added.

Handloom Day is observed every year on August 7 to recognise the contributions of the handloom weavers of the country.

August 7 was chosen as National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on this day in 1905 in the Calcutta Town hall to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government.

(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.)
Vice President Mike Pence has called out Chief Justice John Roberts as a disappointment to conservatives in a rare criticism of a US Supreme Court judge.

Mr Pence made the remarks during an interview with told Christian Broadcast Networks David Brody, who asked if Mr Pence was scratching his head over Chief Justice Roberts as a reliable vote.

Look, we have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives, Mr Pence said.

Chief Justice Roberts has sided with liberal justices and consequently against the administration on several cases throughout this term such as rights for LGBT+ workers, immigration, and abortion.

The judge also voted against Nevada churchs request to block the states cap on attendees for religious services amid the coronavirus pandemic.

I think several cases out of the Supreme Court are a reminder of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court, Mr Pence continued.

Mr Pence criticised Chief Justice Roberts decision to shoot down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law, joining the four liberal judges as the crucial deciding vote.

If the law had passed, it wouldve required for abortion clinic doctors to get privileges at a local hospital  a requirement that wouldve strictly limited the number of abortion clinics available in the state.

I think its been a wakeup call for pro-life voters around the country who understand in a very real sense the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020, Mr Pence said.

Recommended Supreme Court blocks controversial Louisiana abortion law

Mixed views emerged on social media following the vice presidents comments with many pointing out that judges should not serve a political agenda.

Mike Pences open criticism of Chief Justice John Roberts merely reflects the wider conservative stance: they dont want a fair, nuanced Supreme Court, Charlotte Clymer, a writer and LGBT+ advocate tweeted.

They want a sledgehammer of conservative ideology that bludgeons out all opposition. Anything less is a betrayal.

Some conservatives echoed the same sentiments as Mr Pence, insisting that judges should work to confirm constitutionalist judges.

If Chief Justice Roberts wants to legislate so badly, he should step off the bench and run for office. When I get to the Senate, I will work to confirm constitutionalist judges who will uphold the rule of law, Bill Hagerty, conservative US Senate candidate tweeted.

Mr Pence concluded that the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020 and that Mr Trump will keep his word and appoint more principled conservatives to our court if elected to a second term.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gives his daily, morning press conference in front of the former presidential plane at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Monday, July 27, 2020. The president, who only flies commercial as one measure in his austerity government, has been trying to sell the plane since he took office. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

MEXICO CITY (AP)  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 Mexico's federal government for mismanagement of water resources.

Story continues

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 storm's 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.
The United States has imposed sanctions on a militia leader in the Central African Republic (CAR) for human rights abuses, the US Department of the Treasury said in a press release on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) The United States has imposed sanctions on a militia leader in the Central African Republic (CAR) for human rights abuses, the US Department of the Treasury said in a press release on Friday.

"Today, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), corresponding with an action by the United Nations Security Council, took action against Bi Sidi Souleymane, also known as Sidiki Abbas," the release said.

The Treasury Department noted in the release that the UN Security Council's car Sanctions Committee has also implemented an asset freeze and travel ban on Souleymane.

"Souleymane leads the CAR-based militia group Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation (3R), which has killed, tortured, raped, or displaced thousands of people since 2015. Souleymane himself has also directly participated in torture," the release said.

The 3R group is one of numerous militias and armed groups currently operating in the CAR and it uses murder, kidnapping, and illicit taxation to achieve its goals, as well as clashes with other militias. On September 27, 2016, 3R raided the village of De Gaulle, killing at least 17 villagers and raping women and girls, the Treasury Department said.
SRINAGAR: Manoj Sinha, former union minister and senior BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh, will on Friday (August 7) take oath as the new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He is the first political leader to take charge as the LG of the union territory.

Sinha is likely to be administered the oath of office and secrecy by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Gita Mittal at the Raj Bhavan, located on the foothills of the Zaberwan range.

The 61-year-old is known for his massive connect with the people of rural areas. He comes in place of former IAS officer Girish Chandra Murmu who hurriedly tendered his resignation on Wednesday night.

The former Union minister, who arrived in a state plane in Srinagar, was received by Advisors to the previous LG including Farooq Khan, Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam and top brass of the police and civil administration. A guard of honour was accorded to him at the airport. Later, he held an informal meeting with the four advisors, the Chief Secretary and senior police officials.

Among the priorities in hand for Sinha would be to end factionalism within the bureaucracy in the union territory, with some senior IAS officers recently found to be publicly indulging in verbal spats. The other aspect would be to revisit the state intelligence department which has been failing in anticipating the situation off late. In the last three days there have been two attacks on Panchs and Sarpanchs in South Kashmir's Kulgam district.

Known as 'vikas purush' (man involved in developmental work), Sinha is a three-time Lok Sabha MP who held charge of the Communication Ministry as a Minister of State in 2016 when the telecom industry was engaged in the sale of spectrum.

A B.Tech in civil engineering from the Institute of Technology (now known as IIT-BHU), Sinha has been credited with overcoming the menace of call dropping by holding widespread consultations with telecom operators.

Elected to Lok Sabha in 1996 for the first time, Sinha, an agriculturist, is the first politician to be elected as LG of the union territory.

Earlier, the Centre had appointed Satya Pal Malik, a politician, as governor of the erstwhile state before it was bifurcated into two union territories -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir -- on August 5, 2019.
PIL in SC challenges Centre's ordinances on powers to extend tenure of Directors of CBI, ED

Meet the two CBI officers who would probe the Sushant Singh Rajput case

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: The Sushant Singh Rajput case will be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Bihar's Gangandeep Gambhir and Manoj Shashidhar will supervise the case.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The case was handed over to the CBI after the Bihar government made the recommendation. The Bihar police was initially probing the case, following a complaint filed by Sushant's father, K K Singh.

Gambhir is an IPS officer of the 2004 batch, while Shashidhar is a 1994 batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre. Shashidhar is a joint director of the CBI.

Sushant Singh Rajput death case: IPS Vinay Tiwari released from quarantine

Gagandeep has been a senior superintendent of police in several districts, including Rajkot. She has been with the CBI for the past year and a half and has been part of several high profile probes.

She had supervised the investigation into the alleged role of former Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav in the illegal mining case. She was then shifted to the unit that was probing the Srijan scam and the case against journalist, Upendra Rai. She also held the additional charge of DIG in the SIT that was headed by joint director Sai Manohar.

Shashidhar held important assignments including Police Commissioner of Vadodara. He was also deputy commissioner of police, Ahmedabad crime branch, joint commissioner of police, Ahmedabad and superintendent of police in five districts in Gujarat.
Australian Associated Press

All the homes on one of Tonga's small outer islands were destroyed in the massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, with three people so far confirmed dead, the government says in its first update since the disaster hit.With communications severely hampered by an undersea cable being severed, information on the scale of the devastation after Saturday's eruption - causing waves up to 15 metres high - has so far mostly come from reconnaissance aircraft.
Mumbai-based payments company Mswipe has launched a new payment solution for small businesses aimed at addressing challenges like recurring cost on PoS terminals, rentals and merchant discount rate or cost borne for every digital transaction by the merchant.

The company intends to encourage the adoption of this solution among businesses affected by the pandemic that are constrained in their cash flows. It will enable small businesses to enter into the digital payments ecosystem at the lowest sign up costs, said Manish Patel, the founder of Mswipe.

Mswipe is offering two solutions, one with a hardware PoS and other with a QR code. It has added multiple features like cashback for the merchants, no rental and others to make it cost effective for merchants to accept payments digitally. Additionally, Mswipe will also provide merchants with a moneyback card, where all the cashback will get loaded.

Mswipe currently has a network of 6.75 lakh PoS terminals and 11 lakh QR code merchants. With this product, Mswipe is targeting merchants with an average daily digital collection of Rs. 2,000 - Rs.2,500 in tier 3-4 markets and Rs. 8,000 - Rs. 10,000 in Metro and semi-urban areas.

With Bank Box we have democratized the digital acceptance and payments ecosystem for the smallest of businesses by giving them a choice, with Mswipe now both an acquirer and issuer, we have provided an end-to-end digital enablement of MSMEs and merchants, said Sameer Hoda, President - Strategy and Operations, Mswipe.
New Delhi: Russia President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India in October, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday (August 6, 2020). Several high-level exchanges between India and Russia are set to take place, including the annual bilateral summit.

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that recently the two sides discussed regional and international issues.

"There is a full calendar of forthcoming high-level exchanges between the two sides. The SCO and BRICS foreign ministers meetings, the NSAs' meeting, the Defence ministers' meeting are scheduled. Of course, we have the annual bilateral summit coming up in October when President Putin is expected to visit India," said Srivastava.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to President Putin on July 2 and congratulated the latter on the successful national vote on constitutional amendments in Russia.

"Then in the last week of June, Defence Minister (Rajnath Singh) had visited Moscow. The Indian military contingent had participated in the 75th anniversary of the victory in the second world war," he said.

Srivastava informed that foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Russian deputy foreign minister spoke with each other on all India-Russia recent exchanges.

"Yesterday when India's foreign secretary and the Russian deputy foreign minister spoke, they took stock of all these recent exchanges and the idea is to keep the momentum of these regular exchanges going on because due to the COVID situation, we have not been able to have visits," he said.

The SCO and BRICS meetings were scheduled to take place in Russia in July but were postponed due to the COVID situation.

"The new dates will be decided depending on the Covid situation in the participating countries," Srivastava said.
Software company Atlassian isn't getting rid of its offices. It's just telling employees they don't have to return to them.

It's a bold choice, even among technology companies that can operate virtually as the coronavirus pandemic rolls on. Square, Twitter and Zillow have announced similar plans for many of their employees. Facebook and Google have been less drastic. Both told workers they would be able to keep working from home through the summer of 2021.

Besides freeing up current employees, the new approach could help with hiring outside major areas where the company would ordinarily have to pay generously while competing with other major companies.

"We will seek out amazing, diverse talent unbounded by the physical footprint of our offices," the company said in an internal blog post published on Wednesday. "We will continue to compete for talent in the global hubs, and we will be able to create opportunities for those in places we would have previously not been able to reach."

Atlassian's products help software developers and others keep track of code, projects, issues and other work. One of Atlassian's competitors, privately held GitLab, has never had an office despite having grown past 1,000 people.
By ANI

KATHMANDU: Amid the continuous surge in coronavirus cases in Nepal, the Chief District Officers of Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur) has decided to close operations of government offices for 15 days.

"In view of the increasing rate of COVID-19 cases in the valley, we have decided to close the offices for 15 days. Only issues which have emergency situations will be dealt," Janakraj Dahal, Chief District Officer of Kathmandu said.

Cases of COVID-19 has continued to surge along with fatalities in the Himalayan Nation, thus resulting in the major hospitals running in full capacity. This has forced infected ones to stay in home isolation.

On August 5, the Nepal government enforced a partial lockdown in various parts of the country.

The Home Ministry released a list of 14 districts, which will be kept under partial to full lockdown as cases of coronavirus infection and fatalities continued to soar.

As per the issued list, a total of six districts will be facing a complete restriction in movement while eight would remain under partial lockdown.

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"This decision has been made on the basis of reported cases in particular districts. It will be eased on the basis of the number of cases recorded in the coming days. Likewise, it can be extended in some depending on the situation in the coming days, both would be decided on by local bodies on the basis of necessity," Chakra Bahadur Budha, spokesperson at the Ministry said.

As per the list issued by ministry -- Saptari, Sarlahi, Syangja, Parsa, Bara and Banke districts -- would remain under complete lockdown. Sarlahi, Parsa and Bara have been kept under restriction for an indefinite period while Banke will remain under restriction till August 8, Saptari till August 10 and Syangja till August 7.

Dhanusha Districts Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan and Chhireshwornath Municipality will remain under restriction till August 9. The local body of five localities of Nuwakot District has decided onto imposing restrictions for an indefinite period as cases were detected in the area.

ALSO READ:

Likewise, the Morang's Biratnagar Metropolitan City has imposed restriction till August 14, Mahottari's Jaleshwor Municipality and Mahottari Village Council will remain under complete lockdown till mid-night of August 5.

Darchula's Marma Village Council will remain under complete restriction until further notice. Jhapa's Birtamod Municipality will remain under lockdown for an indefinite period while Arjundhara Municipality will remain under restriction till August 6.

Sunsari's Barah Kshetra Municipality's Ward number 6, 7 and 8 will remain under lockdown until further notice while Bajhang's Thalara Village Council's Ward no. 5 and Kedarshiun Village Council Ward number 6 and 7 will remain under complete restriction till August 16.
Experts from the Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine have developed a platform for self-testing services which is based on artificial intelligence and designed for medical tasks, such as for analyzing diagnostic images. The first working prototype of the platform is hosted on the popular GitHub service, and developers from all over the world can take part in its improvement by adding verification criteria depending on the purpose of the services. Sergey Morozov, CEO of the Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine, spoke about this at the thematic week dedicated to artificial intelligence which was part of the program of the European Congress of Radiology (ECR 2020).

Before implementing a service based on artificial intelligence (AI) into routine clinical practice, it is necessary to test it for technical readiness, as well as to verify whether it meets the stated characteristics. It is called analytical validation of the algorithm. The services that have passed it are allowed to be integrated into medical systems, including city healthcare.

Integration is a complex and expensive process, so it becomes a barrier for many teams that cannot guarantee the required accuracy and speed of the algorithm processing data of the system into which they are integrated. Currently analytical validation is performed manually. Manual validation allows accidental or deliberate deviations from the approved test program, as well as manipulation of datasets, and also can potentially put different test participants in unequal conditions.

To solve these problems and automate the verification process, ensuring trust of users, specialists of the Center for Diagnostic and Telemedicine have developed a platform that allows developers of AI-based services to independently conduct preliminary tests (analytical validation) of their algorithms. A prototype of the platform has been hosted on the GitHub, and the first version of the service for exchanging datasets and data analysis results has already been uploaded.

The platform provides an opportunity for the unlimited number of accesses to single samples of data instances from the test set in order to fine-tune algorithms. It has uniform rules of use, and it is possible to test several services simultaneously. At the same time, the platform records the time that the software spends on data processing (time-study), and the developers receive an automatic report on the results of testing, - explains Sergey Morozov, CEO of the Center for Diagnostic and Telemedicine.

By automating the entire process on the self-testing platform, the human factor is minimized, which makes data manipulation (to improve results) impossible. In addition, the comparison of the service's verification results with the reference data is absolutely transparent - the developer can see what metrics were used, and how the final result reflected in the report was calculated.

Anyone can take part in improving the platform and add necessary metrics to it, which will be used to evaluate the algorithm's performance for certain medical purposes (for example, for analyzing radiographs or mammograms). However, the addition of the platform will be monitored - the only metrics that have scientific justification will be included in the platform operating on the basis of the Center, - notes Nikolai Pavlov, the developer of the platform, Head of Dataset Labeling Conveyor of the Medical Informatics, Radiomics and Radiogenomics Sector, Center for Diagnostics and Telemedicine.

The creators of the platform invite developers of AI algorithms, programmers and researchers to take part in updating and improving the platform in order to develop a uniform, universal, and user-friendly tool for self-testing of artificial intelligence algorithms intended for medical purposes in the international community. At the moment, there is no such tool aimed specifically at the clinical implementation of services based on AI technologies.

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They recently moved back to New York City after fleeing to her parents' home in Los Angeles at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

But Emily Ratajkowski, 29, and her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard have temporarily left the city again, this time for a relaxing getaway in the Hamptons.

The model was seen on Thursday in a simple white crop top while going for a walk with her film producer spouse and their dog Colombo after having lunch together in Sag Harbor.

Relaxing walk: Emily Ratajkowski, 29, and her husband Sebastian Bear-McClard enjoyed a stroll with their dog Colombo through Long Island's Sag Harbor on Thursday after lunch

Emily paired the low-cut white crop top with a baggy pair of olive green slacks and gray New Balance trainers with scarlet accents.

The 5ft7in beauty wore her recently darkened locks down and accessorized with gold hoop earrings and tortoiseshell sunglasses

Sebastian had on a grayblue T-shirt with colorful floral shorts, sandals and a white 7-Eleven cap.

Both did their part to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus by wearing black masks, with her favoring a minimalist design while he wore a black and purple Nike design.

Casual: Emily paired alow-cut white crop top with baggy olive pants and gray New Balance trainers with scarlet accents. Sebastian wore a grayblue T-shirt with floral shorts and sandals

Emily and Sebastian strolled with their HuskyGerman Shepherd mix Colombo around the seaside village, which is split between East Hampton and Southampton and is a popular spot for wealthy families to summer.

The two paused during a loving moment for a tender hug as Emily gazed out on the water.

Although the two skipped the beach on the overcast afternoon, they've spent plenty of time in the sun in recent days.

Loved up: The two paused during a loving moment for a tender hug as Emily gazed out on the water. Both wore masks to slow the spread of COVID-19

On Wednesday, Emily put on a busty display in a stunning cyan string bikini while working on her tan at the beach.

The two-piece bathing suit was one of her own designs from her Inamorata Woman brand, which she launched in late 2017.

Emily explained to Vogue in 2017 that she handles most of the day-to-day work for her swim line.

'It is self-funded. I have basically a consultant and an assistant and then it's all me. It's been really, really fun,' she said.

'I've been doing different things with different people, but to have complete control is really special and exciting.'

Stunner: On Wednesday, Emily put on a busty display in a stunning cyan string bikini while working on her tan at the beach

The Gone Girl actress and her husband have been back in New York City recently after traveling to LA when New York was being overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases.

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.'

Despite the public health warning, the two fled the Big Apple when it was still the American epicenter of coronavirus cases in April, but returned once cases began to spike in California.

A model moment: And the leggy lady also shared this image this week where she was in one of her own designs

Later on Thursday, Emily changed into a more casual outfit for a bike ride in the Hamptons with a female friends.

She changed out of her crop top into an oversize orange shirt with an abstract design on the front that nearly swallowed up her slender physique.

She wore a navy baseball cap for the film production company Elara, which was started by her husband with his regular collaborators the Safdie brothers, who directed Robert Pattinson in Good Time and Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems.

She pedaled on a green bike with a basket, while her friend rode a similar model and wore a red tank top with black shorts and a white shirt left open.

Catching some air: Later on Thursday, Emily changed into a more casual outfit for a bike ride in the Hamptons with a female friends

Big fit: She changed out of her crop top into an oversize orange shirt with an abstract design on the front that nearly swallowed up her slender physique
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue Universitys Board of Trustees on Friday (Aug. 7) approved 2021 health plans, aligning with the universitys strategic approach to health care and the Healthy Boiler Program initiative. The changes for 2021 were approved as part of a multiyear strategy and the ongoing pursuit of improving population health and controlling overall costs for employees and the university.

As announced in 2019, the Purdue Health Plan PPO will no longer be an option for 2021; however, three consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs) will be available, all with health savings account (HSA) options. The Healthy Boiler Program with incentive options also returns. Specific plan and premium rate details will be shared with faculty and staff on Aug. 13.

Changes for the 2021 plan year will be:

Introduction of a third CDHP.

Purdues full contribution to HSAs in 2021 to be made in January as a one-time effort to support the transition to the offering of CHDPs to all employees.

Separation of vision coverage and medical plan. Vision coverage will continue to be offered, but without its dependency on the medical plan, allowing employees more flexibility and ensuring that those who need vision coverage have the option. For 2021, the university will fund 100% of the stand-alone vision premiums.

Enhancement of the voluntary dental plan to match benchmarks based on recent review of other universities and companies.

Transition from MetLife to Voya as the administrator of three voluntary benefit programs.

Reduction in life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) rates.

Aligning with the smarter approach to health care, geared toward the employee and their families, many of these changes will provide savings directly to the employees, including the January deposit of Purdue contributions into employee HSAs.

Employees have begun to receive information related to open enrollment 2021 and will continue to receive information about enrollment, benefit changes, and more throughout the next few months via mailings to their homes, email, virtual newsletters from Purdue benefits and Purdue Today.

Again this year, a dedicated open enrollment webpage will be available beginning Aug. 24 to serve as the online resource for open enrollment 2021. Open enrollment for 2021 will take place beginning Oct. 28 and continuing through 6 p.m. (ET) Nov. 10. Employees are encouraged to evaluate all medical plan options and other benefits to ensure that they are selecting the best option for themselves and their family.

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.

Source: Candace Shaffer, 765-496-8621, shaffe14@purdue.edu

Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines:
Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) in association with Mygov.in and NCERT is organising an essay competition for the school students as part of the Independence Day celebrations under the theme Aatma Nirbhar Bharat- Swatantra Bharat. The competition will be held online. The deadline to submit the essay is August 14 (till 11:59 pm)

School students at the secondary and senior secondary stages (classes 9 to 12) can participate. The theme Aatma Nirbhar Bharat- Swatantra Bharat envisions the emergence of a robust and strong nation committed to the welfare of all.

Topics for Essay:

Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Indian Constitution and Democracy are the biggest enablers

India at 75: A Nation Marching towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat

Aatmanirbhar Bharat through Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat: Innovation thrives when there is Unity in Diversity

Digital India for Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Opportunities on COVID-19 and Beyond

Aatmanirbhar Bharat - How can school children contribute to National Development?

Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Overcoming Gender, Caste and Ethnic biases

Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Making of a New India through Bio-diversity and Agricultural Prosperity

While I exercise my rights, I must not forget to undertake my duties to usher in an Aatmanirbhar Bharat

My physical fitness is my wealth that will build the Human Capital for Aatmanirbhar Bharat

Conserve Blue to Go Green for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat

Students from classes IX to XII, it is time to wear your creative hats!@mygovindia and @ncert bring you an Online Essay Writing Competition themed 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat-Swatantra Bharat.'

Participate now! Entries valid till 14th Aug

For more details: https://t.co/69H7Q1HnUw pic.twitter.com/0AI1RzkWyy  Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) August 6, 2020

Word Limits:

For the Secondary Stage (Classes 9-10) the essay should be within 500 word limits while for the Higher Secondary Stage (Class 11 and 12) the essay should be within 800 word limit.

How to submit essay:

The participant should submit the write-up in PDF file format only. Visit the website www.mygov.in to submit the essay.

Click here to login

Format

Write-up text should be submitted in readable Font of Hindi/English. Font size should be 12 for English and 14 for Hindi. Line spacing should be 1.15 only. Entries must be in either in English or Hindi

The author tweets @ NandiniJourno

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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 27F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 27F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
WASHINGTON U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar said Friday he wants to learn about Taiwans incredibly effective response to the cornavirus even though the island did things that the U.S. has fumbled, such as having a unified strategy and citizens willing to war masks.

Azar leads a U.S. delegation departing this weekend for a three-day visit to Taiwan, where they will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and health system leaders, and Azar will give a speech to public health graduates. The trip is a geopolitical chess move in the Trump administrations contentious relationship with China, which considers Taiwan part of its national territory and has already registered its displeasure.

The message of this trip is about Taiwan, Azar said in an interview, deflecting a question about China. Its about public health, its about our partnership with Taiwan, but also the model that Taiwan offers to the world community of a transparent and open health care system. It is a model others can learn from.

He called Taiwans coronavirus response incredibly effective and said hes willing to learn from them about their responses.

Its not too late, says a leading expert on Taiwans health care system, Princeton Universitys Tsung-Mei Cheng.

It will be good if our health chief can learn from Taiwan, how exactly they did it, said Cheng. Its really a treasure trove of very useful information as to how you could effectively control and contain the spread of the virus.

Taiwan had direct experience with an earlier respiratory virus known as SARS, so it did not take the new coronavirus lightly. A government-run health care system broadly similar to what Sen. Bernie Sanders advocates allowed public health authorities to mobilize resources to track and contain cases. Citizens were willing to follow public health advice.

As a result Taiwan has had fewer than 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19, despite its close proximity to China, where the virus originated. Florida, which has roughly the same number of residents as Taiwan, has had more than 500,000 cases and is struggling to contain this summers surge.

Taiwan set the policy right and they had the infrastructure and the leadership, said Cheng. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of leadership.

In the U.S., President Donald Trump minimized the potential impact of the coronavirus at the outset, and has continued to do so from time to time. The federal government deferred to the states on key issues such as testing, even as public health experts and Democrats in Congress have called for a national plan.

Azar, while praising Taiwan, said the U.S. is dealing with very different circumstances.

They are an island with 23 million people that also experienced SARS quite directly,he said. The U.S. is one of the worlds largest land mass countries, he added, with a federal system that gives states great leeway, and traditions of individual liberty.

Like other administration officials, Azar says Trump acted quickly to try to contain the virus by imposing restrictions on travel from China, and he points to the governments drive to facilitate development and eventual distribution vaccines as direct evidence of the U.S. presidents commitment.

Also on the agenda for the trip is trade as the U.S. tries to broaden its sources for medical products, many of which have been produced in China.

American Cabinet-rank officials have traveled to Taiwan in previous administrations, but Azars trip is billed as the highest-level visit since Washington and Taipei broke formal diplomatic relations in 1979 as a consequence of U.S. rapprochement with China. The U.S. is represented in Taiwan by an institute that acts as an embassy in all but name.

Members of the U.S. delegation will wear masks and observe social distancing precautions. Theyll be tested for the coronavirus before they depart, once they land in Taiwan, and before they return.

This is a visit to reinforce the U.S.-Taiwan partnership in global health and health security, said Azar. Taiwan is a leader in global health and I believe it deserves to be recognized as such.

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
By SA Commercial Prop News

Murray & Roberts CEO Henry Laas says his group may have to try a second time to fix the leaking tunnels at Gautrain but has no idea how much the work will cost.



The costs of repairing water ingress at Gautrain tunnel will be split between the partners in the Bombela Civil Joint Venture in which the lead contractor Murray & Roberts (M&R) has a largest shareholding.

The JSE-listed construction and engineering group, Murray & Roberts may have to try a second time to fix the leaking tunnels but has no idea how much the work will cost, group CEO Henry Laas said last week on Thursday.

He was speaking at a hastily convened conference call for company "stakeholders" after Wednesdays news that the arbitration process over water seepage on two sections of the tunnel had gone against the company.



Mr Laas said it was the "objective of Bombela and the province to not interrupt the service if possible" but he could not rule out the possibility. But he stressed the tunnels safety was not compromised, repeating that the tunnel was "fit for purpose".



The problem of "water ingress" has haunted the Gautrain project since the tunnels were completed four years ago. This weeks ruling by the Arbitration Federation of South Africa ended the fight between the Gautrain Management Agency, which manages the train on behalf of Gauteng, and Bombela. The federation agreed with the province that water seeping into the train tunnels does not meet the contractual specifications. The affected parts are between Park Station and E2, the emergency exit near the Wilds and between Marlboro and Rosebank.



Mr Laas said "there is no obvious technical solution and for that reason our experts will now engage with government experts to see what can be done".



Bombela must also cover the legal costs of the 15-month long arbitration battle over the interpretation of contractual requirements regarding "water ingress". Mr Laas said he did not know how much this would cost. The last time Murray & Roberts and its partners in the Bombela civil joint venture (which includes Bouygues and SPG) tried to halt the rate at which water was pouring into the tunnel, it cost R200m.



The tunnel has been designed to allow for water to drain through it but it is doing this at a higher rate than the 10 litres per 10m a minute allowed for in the contract.



Mr Laas said Murray & Roberts had not made any provision for the potential liability that could come from "water ingress" but the company was hoping to have greater clarity on the scope of the provision it would need to carry by February, or possibly June, depending on how quickly the work began with the province on finding a solution.



The arbitration tribunal ruling had suggested that a financial settlement may be appropriate for the water ingress problems in the section of tunnel between Rosebank and Marlboro, he said.



Murray & Robert hosted a separate call for analysts and investors earlier in the day. Avior Research analyst Dirk Noeth said it sounded as if the group would try to reach a financial settlement for both sections of tunnel that were identified as problematic. He said the risk of attempting to repair the tunnel was that it could have the same outcome as before, making a financial settlement more attractive.



"If you listen to (Mr) Laas, he seems of the opinion they are going to go for a settlement rather than try to work through it  even if they go and try to fix it, they might still not be able to. If you go and try to regrout it you are not guaranteed you will be able to manage the water ingress to the contracted level," he said.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have expressed their shock over the Air India Express mishap on Friday night.

An Air India Express flight from Dubai to Calicut skid off the runway after landing and plunged deep into the valley below. The aircraft had 191 passengers onboard, including six crew members. Two deaths have been reported so far while several others have been injured.

Shah tweeted: "Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala." The Home Minister added that he has instructed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to reach the accident site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted a message on Facebook saying: "While information is awaited from the authorities on casualties and injuries to the passengers, I pray that all the passengers have survived this terrible ordeal. My thoughts are with the crew, the passengers and their families and friends at this time." BJP President J.P. Nadda has also expressed his sadness over the tragic incident.

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash
Longwood resident Patricia R. Sigman is a Democratic candidate on the primary ballot for state Senate, District 9. There is one opponent running against her for the seat and she is hopeful voters will turn out for the Aug. 18 primary elections to get her name on the ballot for the elections on Nov. 3.

Sigman is a long-standing member of this community. She and her husband, Phil, have been affiliated with Temple Israel and also Congregation of Reform Judaism.

"Seminole County is our home and our roots here run deep," she told Heritage. "The Sigman family has been here since the early 1960s....
New Delhi: At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured when an Air India Express passenger plane overshot the runway and broke into two after landing in the southern city of Calicut in heavy rain on Friday, officials said.

The Boeing-737 flight from Dubai was flying home Indians who had been stranded overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic. There were 190 passengers and crew on board, the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. Among them were 10 infants.

A passenger is treated after an Air India Express flight skidded off the runway while landing. Credit:AP

Television footage showed rescue workers moving around the wreckage in pouring rain. The aircraft lay split into at least two chunks after the plane's fuselage sheared apart as it fell into a valley below, authorities said.

The office of the chief minister of Kerala state, where the airport is located and which is home to a large number of Indians working in the Middle East, said that in addition to the 17 dead, 173 others had been hospitalised.
Under pressure from doctors the ministry stopped raids by police and RAB without warrant

Editorial Desk :

A report in a national daily on Friday said the Health Ministry has asked the Home Ministry to keep law enforcement agencies away from raiding private hospitals and clinics and has also asked health officials at all levels not to speak with the media. The Health Ministry on Monday made the request arguing such raids are interrupting routine work at private hospitals and spreading panic. It said raids can only be carried out with prior permission.

It is too late to realise that the police and RAB are not meant for running the government. The ministers have to prove their competence to run the ministries.

As it appears the Health Ministry has taken the unusual decision on pressure from the powerful Bangladesh Private Medical College Association following the arrest of two medical staff by RAB at Sahabuddin Medical College and Hospital in the city last week for issuing false Covid-19 test reports.



Earlier RAB arrested owners of Regent Hospital and JKG Health Care Clinic - who were known darlings of many ruling party leaders - for issuing several thousand false Covid-19 test reports in each case. They realized inflated bills from patients while presenting bills to the government for reimbursement on the grounds that they were providing treatment free of cost. The exposure was highly embarrassing to the government.

The Health Ministry has apparently decided now not to pursue crimes in private hospitals, because they are owned by the government's own people. Its leaders fear every such action would expose its corrupt face and the failure to create enough treatment facilities for corona patients while their cronies made illegal fortunes.

The government is sitting on a pyramid of corruption and the health sector which is thriving on illegal tenders and commission business can hardly be expected to ensure untainted treatment to people. So the health officials from upazila to the top have been asked not to talk to media to keep secret health service related failures. Such a situation can't continue any longer.




Washington, Aug 7 : US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to ban transactions between American firms and Bytedance, the parent company of the Chinese app TikTok, media reports said on Friday.

Signed on Thursday night, the executive order stated that "the spread in the US of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People's Republic of China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy", reports The Hill news website.

"At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok." Trump, citing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, declared that any transaction with ByteDance would be prohibited beginning in 45 days, which would be September 20.

Any company violating the order could face sanctions.

The order further states that TikTok's data collection could allow China to track US government employees and gather personal information for blackmail, or to carry out corporate espionage, the BBC reported.

Trump added that the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration (which oversees US airport screening) and the US Armed Forces have already banned TikTok on government phones.

Also on Thursday night, the President issued another executive order applying the same ban on transactions with China-based tech giant Tencent which owns the messaging app WeChat.

The two developments come after Trump had said that TikTok must end its US operations on September 15 if a deal with Microsoft to buy the company from ByteDance does not go through.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was expanding a crackdown on Chinese technology to personal apps, naming TikTok and WeChat.

The US government took action last year against two Chinese communications companies, Huawei and ZTE, including locking them out of government contracts.

Administration officials have for weeks floated taking action against TikTok due its connections to China.

Trump's decision came nearly a month after India on June 29 banned 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok, over national security concerns.

Pompeo had welcomed India's move, saying the "clean app" policy will promote New Delhi's national security against the CCP spying on the country.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Locked down, hot and desperate for a dip? If you live in the northern hemisphere and fancy putting a pool in your backyard there's a three-week wait - but that's just for an appointment to order one for next year.

Across the United States and Europe, manufacturers and distributors of swimming pools and hot tubs are scrambling to meet a wave of demand as consumers cocoon at home to escape the coronavirus pandemic.

Splendid isolation: Demand for backyard pools is soaring in the coronavirus pandemic. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Frustrated by the long lead times and worried about a second wave of infections, some US consumers have even resorted to fashioning home-made pools out of metal livestock tanks despite the health and safety concerns.

"I've been in this industry for 35 years and I've never seen anything like this," said Thomas Epple, chief executive of Only Alpha Pool Products in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The country has the third-highest caseload in the world after the United States and Brazil, but its fatality rate of about 2% is far lower than the other hardest-hit countries.

The rate in the US is 3.3% and 3.4% in Brazil, Johns Hopkins University figures showed.

The health ministry said 62,585 cases were reported in the past 24 hours on Friday, raising the nations total to 2,027,074. The number of deaths with those suffering from Covid-19 stood at 41,585.

The caseload in the worlds second-most populous country has quickly expanded since the government began lifting a lockdown hoping to jumpstart a moribund economy.

The Indian government is projecting negative economic growth in 2020.

As life cautiously returned to the streets of the capital of New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai, which appear to have passed their peaks, state and local governments elsewhere in India were reimposing lockdowns after sharp spikes in growth.

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India had launched two of the worlds dozen and a half prospective vaccines into human trials, with vaccine-maker Zydus Cadila announcing it had completed phase one trials of its DNA-based vaccine on Thursday.

The country will be vital to global vaccination efforts, regardless of whether its own attempts work.

The worlds largest vaccine-maker, the Serum Institute in the central city of Pune, has ramped up capacity to manufacture as many as a billion doses of a vaccine in development by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, which is in phase two trials in India and the UK, and phase three trials in Brazil and South Africa.

Researchers are hoping to launch the Oxford vaccine for emergency use by October.
A tornado that spun across parts of Ocean County as Tropical Storm Isaias was lashing New Jersey on Tuesday packed winds estimated at 110 mph, the National Weather Service has determined.

A storm survey team from the weather services Mount Holly forecast office found the twister started as a waterspout near Brant Beach on Long Beach Island, then touched down at about 10:50 a.m. Tuesday near Ship Bottom and traveled 3 miles before lifting up in the Mud City section of Stafford Township at about 10:54 a.m.

Based on its estimated wind speed, the tornado has been classified as an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale of tornado intensity. Thats the second lowest level on the scale, but EF1 tornadoes can still cause significant damage to trees and buildings.

In a preliminary report issued at 4 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service offered these additional details about the Ocean County twister:

A waterspout developed in Manahawkin Bay between Ship Bottom and Brant Beach. It tracked northwestward and video footage showed the circulation with light debris in the air crossing the Route 72 bridge over the bay. The waterspout then continued tracking to the northwest and passed east of Mud City before moving ashore into a marshy area of the Manahawkin Wildlife Management area.

Other than some light debris reported in the air as it crossed the Route 72 bridge, no other damage reports have been received as of this report. However, the circulation tracked right over the Long Beach Island WeatherFlow weather station located north of Egg Island and west of Flat Island in Manahawkin Bay which measured a 109 mph wind gust at 10:53 AM EDT.

This measurement was used to rate this waterspout/tornado given the lack of actual damage. Doppler radar data showed no evidence of a tornado debris signature. Doppler radar data however did indicate velocities to 112 mph at about 1,600 feet above the ground very near the aforementioned weather station.

Here are the wind speeds and expected damage caused by tornadoes on each level of the intensity scale.National Weather Service

A waterspout is essentially a tornado that swirls over water, but once it touches down on land it is classified as a tornado.

Another EF1 tornado in South Jersey

The Ocean County tornado was one of two twisters that touched down in New Jersey during Tropical Storm Isaias. The other was also an EF1 tornado, packing top winds of 100 mph, which started out as a waterspout and traveled more than 5 miles across a marshy area and into a residential and commercial area of Upper Township in Cape May County.

That twister caused significant damage to homes and businesses on a stretch of Route 9, where it tossed containers around at a Coca-Cola facility, flipped a truck trailer onto its side, upended a large residential storage shed and pushed some parked vehicles away from their original spots.

Several homes in Upper Township had parts of their roofs blown off, some homes had significant wall damage, a mobile home was shifted off its foundation, and downed trees crushed several cars.

Strong tornado in Philadelphia

The weather service office in Mount Holly also confirmed a stronger tornado, classified as an EF2, touched down Tuesday near the Philadelphia Mills Mall in Northeast Philadelphia in Philadelphia County and traveled 20 miles to Doylestown in Bucks County. Before reaching Doylestown, the twister briefly touched down in the Southampton area of Bucks County.

The tornados strength was estimated at 115 mph, and six people suffered minor injuries, the weather service said.

Live weather radar

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.
Suspect surrenders over fatal gunfight

BANGKOK: A man who allegedly killed a person during the shootout at an illegal gambling den in Bangkoks Yannawa district on Monday night surrendered to police yesterday, according to a source at the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

Friday 7 August 2020, 09:15AM

Police investigators and forensic experts arrive to collect evidence at a gambling den where four people, including a police major, were killed in a shooting in Yannawa district of the capital on Monday night. Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul / Bangkok Post

A police officer was killed, along with three others, in the shootings at the illegal casino on Rama III Road.

The surrender came after national police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda ordered city police commissioner Pol Lt Gen Pakapong Pongpetra to catch the suspect before Sept 10 or face a transfer to an inactive post, reports the Bangkok Post.

The order was announced by Pol Col Kissana Phathanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police.

Pol Lt Gen Pakapong was also ordered to explain why the den had been allowed to operate.

The source identified the suspect by his alias, Boy Bankrua.

Boy contacted Bangkok police and gave himself up yesterday, telling police he shot dead Thaworn Seesod, 51, in self-defence.

Thaworn allegedly shot dead Pol Maj Watthanaset Samniangprasert, a 32-year-old interrogation inspector with Samae Dam police station, who was reported to have been gambling at the casino on the night of the killings.

According to the source, Boy, a den staff member, said Thaworn appeared agitated and was waving a gun. Boy said that although the gun was not pointed at him, he feared getting hit by a stray bullet, so he decided to shoot Thaworn first, the source said.

The source said the shooting of Thaworn occurred after he allegedly killed Pol Maj Watthanaset and two casino attendants, Peeraya Noomlamoon and Mao Salaepao, a Cambodian.

Police suspect a gambling feud drove Thaworn to kill Pol Maj Watthanaset. CCTV cameras were removed from the venue, prompting speculation about who was involved. It was reported that local police arrived at the scene before forensic experts were sent in the following morning.

Pol Maj Saharat Saksilpachai, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said yesterday the investigation team handling the case was instructed to find out who removed the cameras, and insisted he was not concerned about reports saying a police official ran the casino. A video of men seemingly removing cameras at the illegal casino surfaced on social media yesterday.

Remove all [cameras], a man says in the video. Use pliers to cut all electrical wires, another says.

The footage, apparently captured by a hidden camera, shows men clearing equipment and a bloodstained Baccarat table being dumped behind the den.
A co-owner of the Skagway News denied entry to Canada at the Beaver Creek, Yukon, border post says she's frustrated with rule-breakers who have made travel through Canada harder.

Gretchen Wehmhoff and business partner Melinda Munson took over the local newspaper in Skagway, Alaska, in March, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was quickly gaining ground in North America.

Munson stayed in Skagway while Wehmhoff headed back to Anchorage, Alaska, where she lives, with plans to return for the summer.

But those plans were upended when she was turned back from the Yukon border July 22 on her way from Anchorage to Skagway.

Wehmhoff said she thought having documents showing she owned a business in Skagway would be enough to let her drive through the territory.

But after showing her documents and explaining her purpose for travelling to the Canadian border officials, she said they got right to the point.

"Their first question ... was, '[the business] has been doing fine without you so far  why do you need to go now?'" Wehmhoff said.

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Wehmhoff said she explained that she needed to do some training with her co-owner, but that was not sufficient for the officials. She said they weren't satisfied she had to drive through Canada to get to Skagway.

Wehmhoff the high cost of the car ferry from the Anchorage area to Skagway  about $1,600 U.S. each way, she said  and her desire to bring both her car and her dog with her failed to convince the officials, she said.

Wehmhoff said the officials were nice to her. She says it was frustrating, but she blames Americans who didn't follow the rules when travelling through Canada.

There have been complaints in Canada about a so-called Alaska Loophole that many said allowed Americans to enter Canada without much scrutiny. The Canadian government responded by tightening the rules in July.

"I'm not frustrated with the Canadians. I'm frustrated with people getting into their country and not respecting their rules and the privileges they're granting, by letting people go through," Wehmhoff said.

Story continues

Wehmhoff was warned when she was turned back not to attempt to cross the border again without a good reason, she said. But she said it's hard to clear a crossing ahead of time because the Beaver Creek border post does not accept telephone calls from the public.

Wehmhoff said if she was a permanent resident of Skagway, she would have been allowed to travel there.

She wonders how this level of enforcement this might affect the many Alaskans who drive south each fall to spend their winter in the lower 48 states.
California has suffered more data breaches since 2005 since any other state, according to a new analysis by Comparitech.

Comparitech analyzed both the number of data breaches and the total number of records exposed from 2005 to the present. Key findings of the analysis included:
A man has been ordered to pay 350 to a farmer after he caused damage to crops by driving a 4x4 off-road.

The 24-year-old man was arrested by police on Friday 10 July after he caused damage to a farm in Bardfield Sailing, Essex.

The incident took place at around 8.30pm on a field off Long Green Lane.

Essex Police arrested the man on suspicion of criminal damage and drug driving.

The force's Rural Engagement Team (RET) ordered the man to pay for the damage caused.

A community resolution was agreed between RET and the farmer, and the man was ordered to pay 350.

PC Matt Harkness, of Essex Polices RET said: We received reports that a 4x4 was driving off road and had caused damage to farmers crops.

The matter of criminal damage was resolved through a community resolution, with agreement and support from the owner of the land.

This demonstrates how we use a wide range of powers to catch criminals and we will always keep the victim at the centre of what we do.

It comes as NFU Mutual figures show that rural crime cost the UK 54m in 2019, an increase of almost 9 percent on the previous year.
NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) is urging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to consider withdrawing the nomination of Col. Douglas Macgregor as the next U.S. ambassador to Germany.

"It is because of our intensive engagement with Germany that we were so troubled by the reports of recent days regarding Col. Macgregor's many incendiary comments over the years about the German government, Germany's confrontation with its Nazi past, the NATO alliance, immigration policy, and other topics," AJC CEO David Harris wrote in a letter to Secretary Pompeo, who addressed the AJC Virtual Global Forum in June.

Those comments, if Macgregor is confirmed, "would establish as America's representative, in what many regard as the most important capital in Europe, a relentless critic, presumably handicapped from the start as an effective envoy."

Harris added that AJC is "similarly disturbed by Col. Macgregor's remarks on 'neocons' and their supposed 'unconditional support for whatever the Israeli government wants to do'," as well as his shocking assertion that Germany's decades-long efforts to grapple with its Nazi past reflects "a sick mentality."

AJC has been uniquely involved with Germany since the end of World War II and the Holocaust. For more than 70 years, AJC's pioneering efforts have strengthened understanding and cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States. In 1998, AJC opened a permanent office in Berlin, the first by a Jewish advocacy organization. Throughout, AJC has worked closely with American ambassadors and other U.S. diplomats based in Germany.

"If it is the President's wish to affect German policy  on defense spending, energy sources, trade imbalances, or other matters  we would urge the nomination, instead, of a skilled diplomat who will serve our nation with the distinction and honor of his or her predecessors in that critical post," wrote Harris.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


Noam Galai/Getty Images

Bikini-packed pool parties. Insane backyard blowouts. Unhinged prom bashes.

Spectacular scenes of COVID-19 recklessness have emerged from New Jersey in recent weeks, alarming state leaders into implementing new restrictions to curb the tide of rising coronavirus cases and prompting plenty of snickering about the Jersey Shore. But a looming question has plagued experts as similar signs of non-compliance have been witnessed across the Hudson River in New Yorkwithout the same upticks.

New Jersey and New York have had similar regulations, travel restrictions, and contact tracing efforts. Giant, raucous boat parties in New York are making headlines, too. So why arent infection rates following suit the same way? Why are two states that were both early coronavirus hot spots on seemingly divergent courses all these months later?

As of Thursday, New Jerseys case rate per 100,000 people was 30 over the past seven days, according to The New York Times. The state had a positivity rate of 1.77 percent on its tests over the past week, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. For the past month, that number was 1.52 percent. The state was testing 2.3 people per 1,000, a rate that was trending downward according to Johns Hopkins.

Those figures might seem perfectly fine in the abstract, but they amounted to an ominous trend.

The numbers are setting off alarms, New Jersey Gov. Philip Murphy said last Friday. We are standing in a very dangerous place.

Meanwhile, New Yorks case rate per 100,000 was 24 over the past seven days, according to the Times. This week, the state had a positivity rate of 0.97 percent on its tests, according to Johns Hopkins. For the past month, that number was 1.06 percent. The state was testing 3.5 people per 1,000, a rate that was trending upward according to Johns Hopkins.

Conversations with a wide array of public health experts, local health officials, and disease modelers suggested the reasons for the split were still very much out of focus. But hypotheses ranged from subtle differences in pandemic restrictions to the perception of New York as being more inclined toward aggressive enforcement, deterring non-compliance and would-be spreaders from traveling there.

Story continues

Worse Than New York: How Coronavirus Exploded in South Carolina

Up until this week the restrictions on indoor gatherings were way too high in New Jersey, said Dr. David Rubin, the director of PolicyLab at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, which has modeled the pandemic in collaboration with the White House Coronavirus Task Force. That was really problematic, particularly with people gathering on the Jersey Shore, which also has a long coastline and is a big vacation destination.

Of course, New Jerseys cases and test positivity rates were nowhere near as concerning as those in hot zones like Texas or Florida. And New York is still finding more COVID-19-positive people on any given day than its neighbor, thanks to its much larger population.

But the trendlines in Jersey have concerned state authorities, and last Friday, Murphy squarely placed the blame for new cases on residents not following the rules.

Everyone who walks around refusing to wear a mask, or who hosts an indoor house party, or who overstuffs a boat, is directly contributing to these increases, Murphy told reporters. This has to stop.

It didnt.

Just one day later, about 300 bikini-clad and maskless guests spilled out of a massive pool party in Alpine, New Jersey, when police showed up to break up the crowd, NBC New York reported. The party was advertised on social media and by DJs as The Lavish Experience Pool Party, and the unidentified host told local reporters that it got out of control.

Promoters had posted about the party, and party buses pulled up outside.

Its been happening all summer, one neighbor told The New York Post. The owner of the house doesnt care, the mayor doesnt care. Theres cursing, loud music, drugs.

Alpine Mayor Paul Tomasko, for what its worth, told the local NBC station that such parties were under investigation by local police, state officials, and the county prosecutors office.

A few weeks earlier, a BikiniPalooza event was held at the same mansion, with some neighbors calling it a night club. It received the same promotional treatment, according to posts on Instagram.

Murphy has said the event involved close congregation and not a lot of face covering, if any.

In the aftermath, the governor announced on Monday that he would reduce the limit on indoor gatherings to 25 percent capacity, capped at 25 people total. Until this week, it had been capped at 100. By contrast, Gov. Andrew Cuomos executive order on COVID-19 has for some time prohibited crowds of non-essential workers over 50 people indoors.

The rate of transmission in New Jersey jumped from 0.87 a month ago to 1.48 on Monday, Murphy said, meaning that people were spreading the virus more readily.

This is no time for complacency, for selfishness, or for thinking that someone else can wear a mask but not you, Murphy tweeted on Wednesday. Do your part.

Carrie Nawrocki, executive director at the Hudson Regional Health Commission, which oversees a population of about 675,000 and includes Jersey City, said her area has seen extensive delays with testing turnaround time, making it difficult to get an accurate picture of the daily cases we have.

Nawrocki said that there has not been a significant increase in case numbers among the 18-29 age group, but that she doesnt think thats necessarily the age group thats going to get tested as often, especially if they are not adhering to social distancing.

We have enough contact tracers and disease investigators for every new case that comes in, so we are reaching out to everyone and we havent identified one specific reason why people are getting COVID, said Nawrocki. My guess would be that they have to do with travel.

That being said, NJ.com reported that state officials warned in recent weeks that the 18-29 age group was the fastest-growing in the state to test positive for COVID-19, and Murphy has certainly pointed the finger at large indoor parties hosted by younger people. Dozens of new cases have been traced to house parties in towns like Westfield and Middletown.

Still, the same recklessnessyelling, cheering, drinking and singing without maskshas been reported in New York City. On bistro patios, on crowded boats, and in the middle of crowded streets.

Were drinking to everyones health, a 31-year-old consultant who was drinking a beer with running buddies at a sports bar told Bloomberg News last month. We couldve stopped the virus a long time ago if they gave us clear directions. Now, they want to blame it on us.

Last weekend, officials in New York City broke up an alleged sex party of about 30 people in Midtown on Friday and then, a day later, busted a party boat filled with 170 revelers. Authorities arrested the owners of the ship, the Liberty Belle, for allegedly violating the state's ban on large crowds and for running a bar without a license.

On Sunday, the New York State Liquor Authority issued violations for 24 city establishments that violated social distancing guidelines, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomos office. The state has also reportedly opened an investigation into a July 25 outdoor charity concert in the Hamptons that was attended by more than 2,000 people. As of this weekend, the total number of pandemic-related charges in the state had hit 503, according to ABC News.

Its disrespectful, Cuomo said Monday. Its illegal. It violates public health. It violates public decency. What if one of the people on that cruise gets sick and dies?

Rubin posited that the main difference between both states could be a matter of enforcement. Or, just as important when it comes to deterrence in the context of disease containment, the perception of enforcement.

My impression of Gov. Cuomo is that kind of tough stance with anyone who might try to defy the rules, said Rubin.

At the very least, the two states travel advisory websites show a tonal difference on that score. That matters because, according to Dr. Brittany Kmush, an assistant professor at Syracuse University and expert on epidemiology and infectious diseases, the biggest risk in both states is importation from higher risk areas.

The self-quarantine is voluntary, but compliance is expected, according to the New Jersey public health department websites travel advisory page. The New York health department meanwhile, expects all travelers to comply and protect public health by adhering to the quarantine. But, significantly, it also stipulates that it reserves the right to issue a mandatory quarantine order on any given individual, for which a violation is subject to a penalty of up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to 15 days, according to the states website. New York City also made a show of announcing checkpoints to enforce a quarantine on out-of-state travelers this week.

If people dont believe theres any penalty, theyre just going to defy orders, said Rubin. These are very important differences.

Even though both states have the same travel restrictions, the perception of the consequences differ by the states, Kmush added.

New Jersey has made its own show of enforcement, tooor, at least, it did in the past.

N.J. Gym Owners Drop F-Bombs in Off the Rails CNN Interview

From April through June, State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal and State Police Superintendent Patrick Callahan released regular round-ups of enforcement actions against violators of Murphy's executive orders. Just in the first weekend, they reported that officers had issued more than 200 summonses in Newark alone, each carrying a sentence of up to six months and a fine as large as $1,000.

Local police also famously busted a party of 30 people at a house in the town of Rumson and arrested the homeowner and an allegedly unruly guest. Cops cuffed a Toms River man after crashing another party of 20 at his abode. Authorities in West Windsor took a 16-year-old year into custody who they accused of hacking on a 52-year-old in a Wegmans supermarket. And 13 people were charged with second-degree terroristic threats during an emergency in as many incidents in just the first half the month, after they reportedly coughed or spit on police and claimed to be carrying the virus. The round-ups went from daily to weekly in May, to ending entirely after June 5 as the state moved forward with reopening.

Asked for comment, Murphys office deferred to Grewals team, who did not provide a response by press time. The New Jersey Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

I got the sense that New Jersey was not enforcing things as strongly as New York is, where Cuomo has cracked down on bars and is wielding more penalties than other governors are, and thats keeping people in line, said Rubin. For guidelines and restrictions in other states, what will matter in case counts, he said, is: Are these just empty threats? Or is there just more teeth to them?

In any case, Rubin said, Our models are seeing sea levels rise everywhere around New York, but we dont know exactly why New York has been insulated from the resurgences were seeing in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Or, as Kmush put it: I really dont think well know the answer to this for years.

With additional reporting by William Bredderman

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A House ethics investigation concluded U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, violated federal campaign finance rules but did not find evidence ill intent.

The House Committee on Ethics ordered Tlaib to repay a $10,800 salary she drew from campaign funds after the 2018 election, closing an investigation that began more than a year ago. The committee determined no sanction was necessary, concluding that Tlaib engaged in good faith efforts to comply with federal regulations and did not seek to enrich herself with campaign donations.

Candidates are permitted to draw a salary from their campaign committee until the date of the general election. Tlaib legally paid herself $45,500 from campaign donations during her first bid for Congress in 2018, a report released Friday found she violated finance regulations by collecting payments after the election.

These payments allowed her to forego her salary from her full-time employment so that she could fully participate in campaign activities, the report read. However, because she received some of those funds, totaling $10,800, for time periods in which she was no longer a congressional candidate, those funds were inconsistent with FECAs personal use restrictions.

Tlaibs campaign independently researched whether she could be paid with campaign funds and consulted former Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer on the issue. Documents included in the report found staff noted that payments needed to stop after the general election, and ultimately the committee found Tlaibs violation was one of bad timing.

The investigation was closed just three days after Tlaib won the 13th District Democratic primary. Tlaib is seeking a second two-year term representing the predominantly Democratic district.

Denzel McCampbell, a spokesperson for Tlaibs office, said the congresswoman is pleased to see the matter resolved without any sanction or penalty ordered.

As the Committee found, Representative Tlaib received a salary well below the amount she was able to receive, Denzel said in a statement. The Committee noted that the FEC regulation was intended to ease the financial burden on candidates of limited personal resources like Representative Tlaib who wish to seek Federal office. In her effort to comply with the regulation, as the Committee noted, she regularly sought advice from counsel.

The Office of Congressional Ethics opened its review of Tlaib in April 2019 and forwarded the matter to the House Committee on Ethics last August.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Ethics committee investigates Tlaib for alleged misuse of campaign funds

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Ethics committee reviews campaign finance allegations against Tlaib, Huizenga
A Superior Court judge has extended an injunction that bars the city from forcing people from homeless encampments in Hamilton until early September.

Fridays decision follows a July 30 ruling that prevented the city from moving homeless people from tents involuntarily amid the pandemic.

A coalition of lawyers, doctors and street outreach workers has spearheaded the legal action arguing the encampments shouldnt be cleared unless acceptable housing alternatives are offered to residents.

For human rights reasons, for health reasons, we didnt want people to be told to move along when they dont have a place to go, said Dr. Jill Wiwcharuk, whose patients experience homelessness and addictions.

People have pitched dozens of tents outside FirstOntario Centre, which is a temporary mens shelter during the COVID-19 pandemic, on York Boulevard, and near the Wesley Day Centre on Ferguson Avenue North.

The city says its outreach team tries to find shelter, hotels or housing for people at encampments but eventually sets deadlines to enforce bylaws that prohibit tents.

Outreach efforts continue to help individuals experiencing homelessness and make sure they are aware of what their options are to find shelter and housing alternatives on voluntary basis, and which is dependent on individual circumstances and the available options, Paul Johnson, general manager of healthy and safe communities, said in an email.

The tent clusters have sparked complaints from constituents, said Coun. Jason Farr, who has criticized the advocates for distributing donated tents that end up in his downtown ward.

In this case, Im an elected official. Im here to work with the bylaws that we have, he told The Spectator last month.

Farr also emphasized the citys outreach team has found people housing and shelter 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 securing the injunction.

On Friday, Wiwcharuk said encampments are far from an ideal solution, but absent affordable housing with adequate support services, theyre better than dispersing people.

Theres no question that having people in one place is allowing outreach workers and health-care workers to connect with them in a way that is making real change happen.

For some with mental-health and addiction issues, shelters, hotel rooms and apartments without support arent viable.

Wiwcharuk noted a greater effort on the citys part to find people appropriate solutions. Now people are finally really looking at what can change to fill the gaps, she added.
RICHMOND  Having received upward of 23,500 complaints about businesses failing to comply with Gov. Ralph Northams coronavirus regulations, the Virginia Department of Health wants 100 temporary workers to help respond.

The agency is submitting a $6 million request to Northams administration for the positions and travel and equipment costs, said Julie Henderson, director of the departments Office of Environmental Health Services.

The 445-person environmental health team, which includes managers, supervisors and field staff, traditionally performs a broad range of public health enforcement and regulatory duties. Since the pandemics onset, however, the majority of the staff has shifted to virus-related work, said Henderson, who wants her staff to be able to resume duties ranging from issuing permits for private wells to inspecting migrant labor camps.

The barrage of complaints and confusion over enforcement  one Mechanicsville restaurant that had its permit revoked over noncompliance has operated nearly two weeks without one  has overwhelmed the staff.

If we get this new staff  [they] will be solely tasked with enforcing the executive orders and educating the public and businesses on executive orders, said Henderson, who hopes to submit the proposal to the governors office by the end of the week.

The $3.1 billion that Virginia received through the CARES Act, which is being used to hire contact tracers, workers who trace the spread of the virus and alert those who may have been infected, is referenced in the proposal as one possible source of funds. Northams office did not reply to a question asking where funding for these positions could come from.

The new staff are planned to be full-time workers whose contracts will last at least a year, with the possibility of an extension. They would be employed by VDH and assigned to a specific health district. Each of the states 35 districts would receive at least one dedicated specialist; some will get more depending on factors such as the concentration of cases in the district, Henderson said.

Since late May, VDH has been fielding complaints via an online survey and a hotline, and aggregating the complaints into a centralized database. People can report any business that violates the restrictions outlined in Northams Executive Orders 63, which requires the use of face masks inside all businesses, and 67 and 68, which lay out standards for social distancing within different types of establishments. Most complaints VDH has received have related to facial coverings not being worn by employees or patrons, said Dr. Danny Avula, director of the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Departments.

Some of the complaints the health department has received are clearly jokes, while others misunderstand Northams regulations, which require only people in customer-facing roles, not kitchen staff, to wear masks, Avula said. For every complaint that is deemed legitimate, health workers call the establishment and detail the complaint and next steps to the business owner.

The agency can suspend a restaurants health permit, which establishments need to operate. Noncompliance with any of Northams three orders also can result in a misdemeanor or an injunction, in which case the health department would seek assistance from a local commonwealths attorney.

Three complaints typically is the minimum number required to prompt an in-person visit to a restaurant, Avula said, but if an establishment seemed resistant to complying with COVID-19 regulations communicated during a phone call, enforcement activities could escalate. Theres no statewide standard for when in-person visits are required.
Sweden's Lund University has been subjected to a number of memes and crass, suggestive jokes owing to its name, so much so that the university, established back in 1666, had to issue a statement recently, aimed specifically at Indians, to refrain from passing lewd comments.

"We have had this Facebook page for ten years now and every now and then it is 'rediscovered' by students in certain countries who spread it to their friends. We are well aware that our name is entertaining to you and with thousands of languages in the world, there will of course always be words that sound funny in another language," the statement said.

The university also had to explain in its statement that the word Lund in Swiss means "green area" or "green pastures". However, in India, the word is a commonly used expletive.

"Every year, we receive applications from 170 countries around the world from students who would like to receive a degree from a top-ranked university. If you are not a prospective student, we would appreciate if you could write your comments directly to your friends and not on our page," the statement issued by the university said while referring to comments on social media site Facebook.

"As admins of the page, we need to spend hours deleting hundreds of comments to keep the page manageable, relevant and available for serious student questions. Thank you," the statement said.

The university is located in the city of Lund, in Scania province. It is consistently ranked among world's top 100 universities.
Sky News

The former leader of the Scottish Conservatives has revealed she almost did not run for the position in case her mental health history became known. The Tory peer told the Desperately Seeking Wisdom with Craig Oliver podcast she was concerned her medical history would come out when she considered standing for the role in 2011. Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links said she wanted to be able to talk about her mental health "on my own terms" so she could "own the way in which it was presented".
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 6/8/2020 (530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It only takes one.

Thats the phrase that should linger in everyones minds as Manitoba and many other parts of the world move further along into their reopening phases amid the COVID-19 pandemic which, despite our provinces low test-positivity rate and case numbers, is not over.

It only takes one infected person to create a super-spreader event. In Ohio, a man with COVID-19 went to a church service in June and 91 people ended up getting sick. Of that number, 53 people were at the church service.

On this side of the border, an outbreak of the virus in communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba was linked to a funeral for three teenage girls in Alberta.

Thats why, as people begin to gather in public in larger numbers, it is imperative that basic public-health guidelines remain front and centre  chiefly, physical distancing. And that includes on Winnipegs restaurant patios.

Over the August long weekend, photos of what appeared to be a packed patio at Chaise Corydon, a business that has twice been ticketed for failing to enforce physical distancing protocol, stirred up a bit of controversy.

Facebook A passerby suggested on social media Chaise Corydon wasnt socially distancing guests, but owner Shea Ritchie said each group was together and separated from other groups.

In an interview with the Free Press, its owner stated he was allowing patrons to get up and socialize with other tables, and that the onus isnt on restaurant staff to prevent intermingling.

Except, of course, that it is.

Restaurants have always had rules. Management can declare "no shirt, no shoes, no service," or refuse to serve someone who is being abusive to staff. Bartenders can and should cut off an intoxicated patron.

Of course, its also up to patrons to uphold their side of it: dont let their small children run around and scream; politely point out something wrong with a meal; be mindful of other diners.

But when it comes to matters of health and safety, it is a business owners obligation  moral, even if not strictly legal  to safeguard customers. After all, no kitchen allows random people to walk in and stick their fingers in the soup; asking people to keep their distance during a pandemic isnt unreasonable. And patrons should be respectful in return.

When it comes to matters of health and safety, it is a business owners obligation  moral, even if not strictly legal  to safeguard customers.

Remember: it only takes one infected person. Even if you arent carrying the virus, flouting the rules means youre helping to set the stage for that persons arrival.

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.

Concerned restaurateurs worry that if some eateries continue to take a lax approach to public health  whether motivated by greed, ignorance or a false sense of security because of Manitobas low case counts  the province will be forced to re-apply more stringent restrictions.

That would be bad for business. Whats even worse for business  and for the community at large  is having customers contract COVID-19. And one way to prevent that is to apply the sort of common sense that seems shockingly absent on restaurant patios packed with shoulder-to-shoulder customers.

The reality of the pandemic is that, until theres a widely distributed vaccine, it isnt going away. And that means learning to live with new guidelines, new habits, new routines.

Are some of them annoying and inconvenient? Undoubtedly. But practices such as hand-washing, social distancing, wearing a mask and staying home if you feel sick are necessary to keep everyone safe  including restaurant workers and patrons.

Now is the time, for restaurant owners and customers alike, to exercise good judgment. Flu season awaits. Kids are going back to school. We dont need to be afraid, but we must be mindful.

It only takes one.
Not for Distribution to U.S. Newswire Servicers or For Dissemination in the United States

All figures in USD unless stated otherwise

Bophelo Bio Science Wellness Pty Ltd ("Bophelo"), a company registered in the Kingdom of Lesotho, and a wholly-owned subisidary of Halo Labs Inc. ("Halo") (NEO: HALO; OTCQX: AGEEF, Germany: A9KN), has entered into an offtake agreement (the "Agreement") with Medcan Ltd ("Medcan"), a company incorporated in the Republic of Malta, for the sale of bulk cannabis biomass, primarily into the European market. The term of the Agreement is for a period commencing on August 3, 2020 and ending on the earlier of (i) the date on which Medcan has purchased the full specified volume biomass from Bophelo, or (ii) the 7th anniversary of the effective date.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200807005498/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

The contract specifies initial deliveries of up to 10,000 kilograms. Initial shipments are expected to commence in the 4th quarter of 2020. Based on current European demand, Medcan anticipates taking delivery of the initial 10,000 kilograms by the end of 2021. Medcan will pay Bophelo within 15 days of receipt and acceptance of the product.

Bophelo has been working with Pharmaconsulta Limited, a Good Agricultural and Collection ("GACP") accreditation specialist consulting firm, based in Malta, to obtain Maltese GACP certification, that Bophelo anticipates achieving prior to the end of 2020.

Bophelo will procure the transport of the biomass by a licensed cannabis transport operator. and deliver the biomass to Medcan in containers, complying with the applicable Agricultural Practice Standards, or as otherwise agreed to by the parties. All the biomass is subject to Medcan's inspection and acceptance or rejection at Bophelo's facility in Lesotho. Such inspections shall be conducted by a compliant laboratory.

Bophelo shall ensure that all bulk extract delivered to Medcan complies with the specifications agreed, insofar as each batch must provide a total THC concentration of at least 2%. This shall be verified by ensuring that each one gram of bulk extract yields a combined total of at least 120 milligrams of THC and THCA, using a pre-determined formula as contained in the Agreement. Bophelo currently has approximately 186 kilograms of clean, tested material, already packaged and stored in a secure vault. All material produced to date at Bophelo has tested completely clean with not a trace of pesticide, mold, fungus or heavy metals.

Pursuant to the Agreement, Medcan will pay Bophelo prevailing market rates, calculated on the basis of a price per gram, based on the delivery weight. The price will be determined on the basis that Medcan shall seek to sell the batch at the highest value achievable in the market, currently estimated to be $3.00 per gram. The bulk cannabis to be delivered includes A and B grade trimmed flower buds, as well as bulk material, consisting of trimmings and sugar leaves for processing into distillate.

Halo's founders have known Medcan's partner Kase Manufacturing located in California who played an instrumental role in setting up this contract.

About Medcan

Medcan is a closely-held private company, incorporated in the Republic of Malta, and led by an experienced management team with a proven track record of operating successfully in highly- regulated industries.

Medcan has successfully obtained a Letter of Intent issued by the government of Malta, that provides approval for the setting up of a business and industrial factory in Malta to carry out the production of medical cannabis in finished format.

Furthermore, Medcan is currently in the process of obtaining Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification and fulfilling licensing requirements, following which it will be issued with a license to produce medical cannabis by the Malta Medicines Authority. This license will allow for the processing, manufacturing and distribution of marijuana for medicinal use by patients in Malta, as well as exportation of finished products to other countries worldwide, where its use is legal.

Medcan is setting up a state-of-the-art industrial facility and laboratory in Malta, that will be initially used for the trimming and repackaging of biomass and, in later stages, for the production of cannabis oil-based products. Medcan has partnered with Kase Manufacturing (https://www.kasemfg.com) to provide technology, expertise and management.

About Halo

Halo is a leading cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution company that grows, extracts and processes quality cannabis flower, oils, and concentrates, and has sold over five million grams of oils and concentrates since inception. Additionally, Halo has continued to evolve its business through delivering value with its products, and now, via verticalization in key markets in the United States and Africa, with planned expansion into European and Canadian markets. With a consumer-centric focus, Halo markets innovative, branded, and private-label products across multiple product categories.

Recently, the Company acquired a dispensary permit in Los Angeles, and has entered into binding agreements to acquire UVI in California, three KushBar branded dispensaries, five development permits in Alberta Canada, and Canmart Limited, which holds wholesale distribution and special licenses allowing the import and distribution of cannabis-based products for medicinal use (CBPM's) in the United Kingdom. Halo is led by a strong, diverse management team, with deep industry knowledge and blue-chip experience. The Company is currently operating in the United States in California, Oregon, and Nevada, while having an international presence in Lesotho within a planned 200-hectare cultivation zone via Bophelo Bioscience Wellness (Pty) Ltd., as well as planned importation and distribution in the United Kingdom via Canmart.

For further information regarding Halo, see Halo's disclosure documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Halo's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Halo's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein may include, but are not limited to, statements about the Agreement, the sale and distribution of cannabis pursuant to the Agreement, the reciept of licenses, approval and designations and Bophelo's operations.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Halo is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Halo believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: unexpected costs or delays in the completion of the Company's proposed dispensaries and other operation; negative results experienced by the Company as a result of general economic conditions or the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; delays in the ability of the Company to obtain certain regulatory approvals; unforeseen delays or costs in the completion of the Company's construction projects; adverse changes to demand for cannabis products; ongoing projects by competitors that may impact the relative size of the Company's growing operation; adverse changes in applicable laws; adverse changes in the application or enforcement of current laws, including those related to taxation; increasing costs of compliance with extensive government regulation; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; risks related to licensing, including the ability to obtain the requisite licenses or renew existing licenses for the Company's proposed operations; dependence upon third party service providers, skilled labor and other key inputs; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's annual information form dated April 16, 2020 and available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Halo does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Halo or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200807005498/en/

Contacts:

Halo Labs

Investor Relations

info@halocanna.com
China is soliciting ideas for payloads aboard its proposed missions to the moon, an asteroid and a comet, according to the China National Space Administration.

It is asking for primary, middle school and university students across the country to provide ideas for payloads that would fly aboard the Chang'e-7 probe to the moon, and on another spacecraft to the asteroid 2016HO3 and the comet 133P.

The solicitation aims to arouse students' interest in science and inspire them to explore the universe, said the administration.

The space administration, together with six organizations including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, issued a notice about the solicitation in late July.

The solicitation remains open until Oct. 31. Students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are also welcome to offer ideas.

Winners will be awarded with prize money and invited to witness on-site spacecraft launches, according to the notice.

In 2019, administration officials announced the Chang'e-7 mission plan, which will carry out surveys around the South Pole of the moon, including studying terrain and landform, physical composition, as well as the space environment in the region.

The asteroid mission was also unveiled last year. According to previous reports, China will send a probe to fly around the asteroid 2016HO3 and then land on it to collect samples. The probe will then fly back to the proximity of Earth, and release a capsule to return the samples. After that, the probe will continue its journey. With the assistance of the gravity of Earth and Mars, it will finally arrive at the main asteroid belt and orbit comet 133P.
The Union government approached the Supreme Court on Friday to be made a party in the transfer petition filed by actor Rhea Chakraborty challenging the case against her in Bihar in the death of her boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajput.

The impleadment is in the interest of justice and would not cause prejudice to any of the parties in the present transfer petition, the Centre told the top court.

The actor wants the FIR filed against her quashed on the ground that the Bihar Police lacks jurisdiction to probe the case.

The FIR accuses Rhea and her family of abetting the 34-year-old actors suicide. The case is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The apex court had recently sought responses from Bihar, Maharashtra and Krishna Kishore Singh, father of the late actor, on Rheas plea.

The probe into Sushants death at his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14 has been a bone of contention between Bihar and Maharashtra.

Before the CBI stepped in, the two states  Maharashtra and Bihar - were locked in a battle over who has the right to investigate the case. While the Mumbai police has claimed it had the exclusive right since the incident occurred under its jurisdiction, the Bihar police filed an affidavit on Friday claiming that Section 179 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) says offence may be inquired into or tried by a court where the consequence of an offence has ensued. In this case, the consequence of the unnatural death was in Patna, where the late actors family resides.

The Bihar government, in an affidavit filed through advocate Keshav Mohan, said that the non-cooperation casts a serious aspersion on the role of Mumbai police, who is apparently siding with the petitioner for the reasons best known to them.

Crucial case evidence such as inquest, post-mortem and FSL (forensic science laboratory) reports, CCTV (closed-circuit TV) footage etc have not been provided to Bihar Police despite several requests, the affidavit stated.

In their probe so far, the Bihar Police claimed to have recorded statements of 10 persons linked to Rajput. The Bihar SIT even verified bank account details of Rajput based on his fathers complaint that close to Rs 15 crore were transferred from his account to unknown persons not linked to him. The father had even complained that his sons finances, including bank account and credit cards, were being looked after by Chakraborty.

Given the sensitivity of the matter and the inter-state ramification and presence of most of the accused in Mumbai, the Bihar top cop recommended the investigation of the case to be handed over to the CBI.

With the case now firmly resting in CBIs hands, Bihars jurisdiction is out and it is the Centre which Maharashtra has to contest against in continuing with its probe. A fresh petition came up before the Supreme Court on Friday which demanded that the entire case has not yet gone to CBI as the agency is only examining the FIR filed by Bihar Police.

The petition, filed by a law student, Dwivendra Dubey, failed to impress a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde.

You are a total stranger who is unnecessarily interfering in the case. The victims father is pursuing the case, the court said dismissing the petition.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared in the matter to inform that the CBI has taken over the probe from Patna police.

Rheas transfer petition remains the focus as the apex court had clarified on Wednesday that it would determine which investigation agency has jurisdiction to probe the case.

The Mumbai police is yet to respond while the Bihar police has dismissed Rheas petition to be misconceived, premature and not maintainable.

The possibility of the Rhea Chakraborty case being argued out on the next date in the Supreme Court can only be possible if the Maharashtra government defends its jurisdiction.

The CBI cannot operate without express consent of Maharashtra. I also see the possibility of Mumbai Police completing its probe and putting it before the Court on the next date and saying we have nothing more to investigate. Only a thin chance remains that Maharashtra will accept the situation as fait accompli and concede ground to CBI, which I doubt will happen, Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde told Hindustan Times.
Day 4: Ouray to Telluride (50 miles)

Wake up with a pour-over coffee and avocado toast at Mojo's Coffee, then lace up your hiking boots and hit the 6.5-mile Ouray Perimeter Trail, which encircles the mountains that tower above town. Pick up the trailhead at the Ouray Visitor Center. Riddled with attractions, including four waterfalls and old miner caves, you'll want to allow at least five hours to complete the hike. The trail doesn't go much above 8,500 feet, so it's a good option for those still adjusting to the altitude, although some steep sections can prove challenging for the out of shape, so listen to your body  and pack plenty of water.

Leave town heading north on Highway 550 and stop for lunch in Colorado's tiniest foodie town, Ridgway. Head to Eatery 66, a vintage Airstream where Per Se restaurant alum Spencer Graves serves creative dishes such as Korean BBQ pork belly BLTs and truffle Parmesan fries.

Continue west on Highway 62 then south on Highway 145 to reach Telluride, an old mining town nestled in a box canyon. Its main drag  Colorado Avenue  could still double as the set of an old western film. Take time to visit downtown's indie shops and art galleries, such as Between the Covers bookstore, Mixx Projects + Atelier boutique and gallery, and Slate Gray Gallery. The free Telluride Gondola shuttles people between the historic town and the mountain area. Time your ride to catch sunset. The National, downtown's newest restaurant, wows locals and visitors with an ambitious menu of dishes such as braised lamb shank and mustard spaetzle and blackberry and buttermilk panna cotta, as well as big-city worthy cocktails. For social distancing, tables and bar seats are now spaced six feet apart. With limited seating, it's best to book a reservation in advance for dinner, or order takeout.

Where to stay: The historic New Sheridan Hotel has five restaurants and bars and a prime location in the middle of town. Madeline, an Auberge Resorts Collection property located in nearby Mountain Village, boasts a top spa and fitness center plus an outdoor heated pool.
Guests in hotel quarantine have been slammed by police after they were caught spitting out of windows and off balconies.

South Australian police were called to the Peppers Hotel in Adelaide on Tuesday where more than 200 repatriated Australians are in quarantine after claims someone had been spitting from the building.

A South Australia Police spokesman confirmed to Daily Mail Australia officers were called to the hotel.

'There was one incident and they were spoken to and given an official warning and that was the end of the matter,' the spokesman said.

Guests who are in quarantine at the Peppers Hotel in Adelaide (pictured) have been warned by police after reports some were spitting out of windows and off balconies

While they weren't charged all guests in the hotel were warned further spitting incidents would result in a fine or prosecution.

The 272 passengers had arrived on two separate flights with Air India and Singapore Airlines at 12.30pm on Tuesday, The Advertiser reported.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Peppers Hotel for comment.

Reports of the spitting came as South Australia took drastic action to contain a 'worrying' coronavirus cluster.

Five cases are currently linked to the cluster which has closed the Thebarton Senior College, forcing 94 close contacts into supervised hotel quarantine.

More than 1100 other people, including fellow students and staff at the college and the family members of the close contacts, have been asked to isolate at home for 14 days.

Reports of the spitting came as South Australia took drastic action to contain a 'worrying' coronavirus cluster linked to the closure of Thebarton Senior College (health offiials pictured in Adeliade)

Additionally, South Australian Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas and his deputy Susan Close are also in home isolation after visiting the college last week.

SA reported two new COVID-19 cases on Friday, but both involved people who returned from overseas this week on repatriation flights.

A woman in her 20s and a man in his 50s are in hotel quarantine and are only displaying mild symptoms.

Despite the new cases, the state's transition committee left current virus restrictions unchanged after reducing family gatherings to 10 earlier this week and wedding and funerals to 100.
A Niagara Regional Police investigation into the sale of fentanyl in St. Catharines that began in July yielded three more arrests Friday.

Detectives with the street crime unit and members of the emergency task unit executed a search warrant and seized fentanyl, crystal methamphetamine, cash and property allegedly obtained by proceeds of crime.

Fridays haul included 21.2 grams of fentanyl with an estimated street value of $1,800, eight grams of crystal methamphetamine, $3,530 worth of property obtained by crime, and $5,620 of Canadian currency in addition to working digital scales and indicators of trafficking.

Police made three initial arrests Thursday, bringing the total to six, as part of an investigation into the sale of fentanyl from a residence in the McDonald Street and Rebecca Street area of St. Catharines near Thorold.

On Friday, police charged Donald Blake, 24, St. Catharines with possession for the purpose of trafficking a Schedule I Substance (fentanyl), possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000, possession for the purpose of trafficking a schedule 1 substance (crystal methamphetamine), failure to comply with probation.

Jessica A. Fackrell, 30, of St. Catharines was arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking a schedule I substance (fentanyl), possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and possession for the purpose of trafficking a schedule 1 substance (crystal methamphetamine).

Eric R. Benson, 34, of St. Catharines was arrested and charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking a schedule I substance (fentanyl), possession of proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

All three were released on an undertaking with a court date of Oct. 15 at Robert S.K Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines.
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The CNG vehicles market is likely to witness propulsion in growth owing to the rising awareness towards the hazardous effects of the use of conventional energy sources to the environment. This is fueling the demand for clean energy-based vehicles for environment-friendly transit options, driving exponential growth to the CNG vehicles market. The global CNG vehicles market is anticipated to expand at a 5.96% CAGR during the review period, as stated in the latest MRFR report. Further, rising prices of conventional fuels such as petrol and diesel are pivoting the consumers to adopt CNG vehicles. Additionally, supportive government initiatives are pushing the general public to opt for CNG-based vehicles, instead of vehicles operating on petrol or diesel. Tough regulations laid out by the government towards the emission of pollutants from automobiles is also expected to drive the CNG vehicles market as CNG-based vehicles have the lowest carbon emissions among all types of vehicles.

Segmental Analysis

The global CNG vehicles market is segmented by product type, application, and region. Based on product type, the market is segmented into OEM and car modification. The car modification market segment held for the largest CNG vehicles market share in 2017 and is likely to retain the same during the forecast period. The car modifications segment is also expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period.

On the basis of application, the CNG vehicles market is segmented into personal use and commercial use. Both personal and commercial segments are witnessing proliferated demand due to the extensive range of products in the CNG conversion kit for cars, trucks, as well as buses. The personal use segment is assessed to be the fastest to grow during the forecast period. Additionally, the personal use segment is also projected to hold the largest share in the CNG vehicles market. A rise in the affordability of CNG vehicles and an increasing number of refueling CNG stations are also contributing majorly to the augmentation of the personal use segment.

Detailed Regional Analysis

Europe, North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), and the Rest of the World (RoW) are the regional segments based on which the MRFR report has been prepared. Rest of the World (RoW) is anticipated to account for 46% of the global CNG vehicles market. The government authorities of many economies comprised in the RoW have introduced policies such as tax reduction, affordable pricing, subsidies, and stringent emission regulations, hence, promoting growth in the CNG vehicles market. South Africa, Thailand, Egypt, Iraq, Columbia, Brazil, Iran, Pakistan, and Argentina are significant contributors in the CNG market in the RoW. Iran has made a dual fuel capacity in all cars compulsory, promoting the usage of CNG vehicles over conventional vehicles. Whereas, Dubai and Saudi Arabia are also witnessing numerous activities creating awareness of the advantages of CNG vehicles, hence, propelling the growth in the CNG vehicles market.

China is projected to witness substantial growth during the assessment period and holds 18% of the global CNG vehicles market share. Also, Japan is anticipated to showcase potential growth opportunities for CNG vehicles owing to the presence of many prominent CNG automobile manufacturers such as Honda, Suzuki, Toyota, and Nissan.

Market Players

The noteworthy players in the CNG vehicle market as profiled by MRFR include Daimler AG, General Motors, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Renault, Ford Motor Company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Toyota Motor Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company, Groupe PSA, Volvo Group, Suzuki Motor Corporation, and Volkswagen Group.

Industry Updates

February 27, 2019: Kwik Trip is likely to be a primary dispenser of renewable natural gas (RNG) which was produced at the Wisconsin countys landfill biogas project once it is completed during 2019.

February 12, 2019: ECO-GATE introduced the ECO-G brand, which is designed to rename the natural gas used for CNG vehicles. ECO-GATE is a European consortium led by NEDGIA (Naturgy groups gas distributor) and co-financed by the European Union.
Iran has ridiculed the resignation of the U.S. government's point man on Iran policy under President Donald Trump, accusing the White House of "biting off more than they can chew."

The mocking tweet, posted on August 7 by Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi, came a day after the State Department announced that Brian Hook was departing.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Elliott Abrams, another diplomat who has led the Trump administration's push to topple Venezuela's leadership, would temporarily take Hook's place.

No reason for Hook's departure was given.

In a post to Twitter, Musavi mocked the move, saying there was no difference between Hook and Abrams, and John Bolton, Trumps hawkish former national-security adviser.

When U.S. policy concerns Iran, American officials have been biting off more than they can chew," he wrote.

Hooks surprise departure came ahead of a planned UN Security Council vote next week to extend an arms embargo against Iran.

Hook became the U.S. special envoy in August 2018, not long after the Trump administration announced it would withdraw from the 2015 international nuclear accord that lifted crippling sanctions on Iran in exchange for Tehran agreeing to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Since then, the Trump administration has steadily ramped up its pressure and rhetoric against Tehran.

Despite severe economic problems, Iran's leadership has so far refused to budge or give in to U.S. pressure.

Abrams, who will be taking over from Hook, was a key figure in the 2003 Iraq War. He will take on the Iran portfolio as he continues his work seeking to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Pompeo said.
Diaz, explaining the genesis of Avaline to Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show on July 22, said she and Power frequently found themselves feeling ill after a second glass of wine. So we asked ourselves, maybe theres a way to make wine better for us. In that interview, and on an Instagram post with Power, Diaz spoke of how she learned that wineries are allowed to use more than 70 additives when making wine and how she and Power struggled to find wines made with organic grapes and without the use of pesticides or additives.
LONDON, Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OKYO (LSE:OKYO), the life sciences and biotechnology company, focused on the discovery and development of novel molecules to treat inflammatory dry eye diseases and chronic pain, is pleased to announce that it is establishing a Scientific Advisory Board which will be led by Dr A. James Khodabakhsh MD. His appointment is effectively immediately, with the remit to bring together a small group of leaders-in-the-field to review and inform the Company's plans to progress its lead product candidate, Chemerin, to an IND in the indication of dry-eye disease.



Dr. James Khodabakhsh specializes in complex surgeries of the eye and is one of the most sought after surgeons in Los Angeles and is the Medical Director at the Beverly Hills Institute of Ophthalmology.

He finished his undergraduate degree at New York University and graduated with the highest honors. He was the recipient of the prestigious Presidents Service Award, the highest award an undergraduate can receive.

Dr. Khodabakhsh attended medical school at the State University of New York in Brooklyn. His internship year was done at the Mount Sinai medical centre in NYC in general Surgery. He then completed his residency and was the Chief resident at the prestigious New York eye and ear Infirmary at New York Medical College. He then completed his fellowship in anterior segment surgery at New York Medical college where he is presently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Khodabakhsh has performed over 40,000 eye surgical procedures including LASIK, Glaucoma and cataract surgeries. He has performed live surgery and lectured in multiple countries. He is one of the most sought after Key Opinion Leaders in the United States and is a consultant to all major ophthalmic companies. Dr. Khodabakhsh is also presently the Chief and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Cedars Sinai Medical Centre where he is involved in multiple Clinical trials.

Dr Khodabakhsh is also managing partner of Specialty Surgical Centre which is the largest centre dedicated to eye surgery in the western US. He is a consultant and speaker for Johnson and Johnson, Bausch and Lomb, Shire, Novartis, sun pharmaceuticals, Omeros.

"I'm honored to lead the SAB board of Okyo pharmaceuticals. I'm looking forward to building a first class team and accelerate the clinical development of our compounds for the treatment of dry eyes and inflammation. This space has tremendous potential for growth and I truly feel we can add to it with our molecules," said Dr. Khodabakhsh.

Willy Simon, Chairman of OKYO said: "It gives me great pleasure to have Dr. Khodabakhsh leading and chairing the new Scientific Advisory Board and I am honoured that he considers the Company's clinical pipeline to be of clinical interest in the context of his treating patients in the field. We look forward to fully utilising his deep experience and clinical knowledge to assist in driving the development of Chemerin to its nest stages of development."

About OKYO

OKYO Pharma Limited (LSE: OKYO) is a life sciences and biotechnology company admitted to listing on the standard segment of the Official List of the UK Financial Conduct Authority and to trading on the Main Market for listed securities of the London Stock Exchange plc. OKYO is focusing on the discovery and development of novel molecules to treat inflammatory dry eye diseases and chronic pain.

Enquiries:

OKYO Pharma Limited Willy Simon +44 (0)20 7495 2379 Optiva Securities Limited

Robert Emmet + 44 (0)20 3981 4173 Investors: Dave Gentry

dave@redchip.com (mailto:dave@redchip.com)

RedChip Companies Inc.

+1 407-491-4498

For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.okyopharma.com.
WAUKESHA, WIWisconsin clerks are at least 900 poll workers short statewide for the August 11 Fall Partisan Primary, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Below is the number of poll workers needed in the following communities:

City of Wauwatosa (2)

Town of Delafield (2)

Town of Lisbon (4)

Town of Merton (5)

Village of Menomonee Falls (3)

Village of Nashota (5)

Village of Pewaukee (4)

City of Brookfield (8)

City of Muskego (20)

City of Pewaukee (57)

City of Waukesha (15)

We know there are Wisconsinites looking for ways to serve their communities through this difficult time, Meagan Wolfe, Wisconsins chief elections official, said in a press release. If you are a state, county or municipal employee, a teacher, a student or someone who is looking for temporary work, municipal clerks need you to step up and help right now.

Wolfe said the commission is working closely with Wisconsin National Guard leadership on a request for soldiers and airmen to serve as poll workers in municipalities where critical shortages have been identified. The governors office has not yet officially activated the National Guard to serve as poll workers.

We know and appreciate that the National Guard is working on our request, but there is no guarantee they will be able to provide all or even some the personnel clerks need, Wolfe said. We understand the Guard is needed for other critical missions as our state deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wisconsin municipal clerks typically need between 25,000 and 30,000 poll workers to serve at polling places for an August primary. Because significant numbers of existing poll workers are in their 60s, 70s and 80s and have health conditions, there are experiencing shortages, Wolfe said.

The election commission has been surveying municipal clerks for the past month about their poll worker needs. Currently, clerks have identified serious or critical shortages of 938 poll workers in 153 municipalities.

Story continues

Wolfe said the WEC staff has been working with clerks to refine and justify their requests for National Guard personnel.

Last week, the National Guard assisted the commission by distributing sanitary supplies, personal protective equipment and other polling place supplies to all 72 Wisconsin County Clerks, who are distributing them to the 1,850 municipal clerks. Enough surface disinfectant, hand sanitizer, and masks for poll workers have already been distributed to each polling place for both the August primary and the November General Election.

This article originally appeared on the Waukesha Patch
National Handloom Day is observed every year on August 7 to recognise the contributions of the handloom weavers to India. From Prime Minister Modi to Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani, the biggest names urged people to value handmade products, to appreciate the culture behind handloom and to support local artisans.

Smriti Iranis Instagram post, urging people to share pictures with their favourite handloom and handmade products on Instagram with the hashtag #Vocal4Handmade seemingly inspired the likes of Bollywood divas including Kangana Ranaut, Janhvi Kapoor and Vidya Balan, who took to social media to share pictures of their favourite handloom clothing.

The three actors took to social media to urge people to be vocal for local and use more clothing made by local Indian brands. Manikarnika actor Kangana Ranauts team took to their Instagram handle and posted several pictures of the actor donning Indian handloom fabrics, including Kanjeevaram sarees alongside sister Rangoli Chandel. In another picture Kangana can be seen spinning the spinning wheel.

Kanganas team captioned the post, Today is #NationalHandloomDay. Lets promote handloom, handmade, artisanal, and everything our nation should be proud of. When you choose handloom you choose weavers who are struggling for their survival, you choose to be #vocalforlocal, you choose mother earth, and love for every single being on this planet. #vocalforhandloom.

The Queen actors team also tweeted, Most of us have more than we can consume, Fashion industry has become one of the most damaging industries for our environment, new challenges call for new resolves, lets promote our own Indian organic fabric industries and preserve the planet #NationalHandloomDay.

Vidya Balan, who has the strongest saree game in Bollywood and has been out and about promoting her latest Shakuntala Devi is some beautiful locally bought sarees by Indian brands also shared her thoughts on National Handloom Day. Posting photos of herself in a Kanjeevaram silk saree, looking like an absolute stunner, the Dirty Picture actor wrote, On #NationalHandloomDay let us all resolve to support our weavers across the country in these difficult times by buying and wearing their beautiful creations in our everyday life and also help keep #IndiasHandloomLegacy alive. Appreciate the labour of love. #IWearHandloom.

From the fresh talent in Bollywood, Janhvi Kapoor had some thoughts to share on Handloom Day. The Dhadak actor posted a photo of herself in a handloom saree as she attended an event. She captioned the post, Today is National Handloom Day! This is my most favourite and most special handloom saree. The weavers and artisans in our country are truly unmatched in skill and creativity- the best in the world! #vocal4handmade.

This year, India is observing its sixth Handloom Day, August 7 was chosen as the date for this occasion to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement that was launched back in 1905 to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government.

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Several states of the country are battling grim flood situations that have affected lakhs of people and have also resulted in loss of life and property.

IMAGE: An aerial view of the flood-affected Darbhanga district of Bihar on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI Photo

While flood waters are receding in Assam, over 1.43 lakh people are still reeling under the deluge across 15 districts of the state.

IMAGE: A parking area is flooded due to overflowing Tunga river following incessant rainfall, at Sringeri near Chikmagalur, on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo

At present, 270 villages are under water and 21,476.19 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across Assam. The total number of people losing their lives in this year's flood and landslides stood at 136.

IMAGE: Villagers wade through a flooded area following incessant rain, in Saharsa district, Bihar. Photograph: PTI Photo

In Bihar, the flood situation has deteriorated as waters from overflowing rivers originating in Nepal inundated fresh areas and the number of affected people rose to 66.60 lakh across 16 districts.

IMAGE: Villagers make a temporary crossing with bamboo above a river after the bridge over it washed away in floodwater following incessant rain, at Jartaluk in Baksa district, in Assam. Photograph: PTI Photo

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made an aerial survey of the affected areas of north Bihar and visited a village in Darbhanga district, which has been hit by the calamity.

IMAGE: Villagers walk on a road damaged due to floodwater, at Goalbil in Baksa district, in Assam. Photograph: PTI Photo

According to the disaster management departments bulletin, the death toll in flood related incidents remained at 19 as no fresh casualty was reported.

IMAGE: Villagers from flood-affected areas stage a protest demanding compensation, in Gopalganj district, Bihar. Photograph: PTI Photo

Major rivers in Uttar Pradesh continue to flow above the danger mark at some places of the state where 536 villages in 16 districts have been hit by floods.

IMAGE: Doctors distribute medicines among flood-affected villagers, in Gopalganj district, Bihar. Photograph: PTI Photo

The Sharda river in Lakhimpur Kheri's Palia Kalan, the Saryu river at Barabanki's Elgin Bridge, Ayodhya and Ballia's Turtipar, and the Rapti at Gorakhpur's Bird Ghat were flowing above the red mark.

IMAGE: A partially submerged government building is seen in a flooded area in Bhagalpur district in Bihar. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters

Five people -- three children and two women -- drowned when the boat in which they were crossing the overflowing Saryu (Ghaghra) river in Mau district capsised.

IMAGE: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar takes an aerial survey of the flood-affected Darbhanga district. Photograph: PTI Photo

In Kerala, water from Muthirapuzha river in Munnar entered low lying areas, following heavy rainfall in the area.

Three fishermen, who ventured into a river near Kochi, were reported missing after their country boats capsised in the early hours of Wednesday.

Battered by torrential rains, several parts of Karnataka are facing a flood-like situation for the third consecutive year, putting lives and property at risk.

IMAGE: A woman with two children rows a small boat in a flooded field in Bhagalpur district of Bihar. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters

Several districts of the state's coastal, Malnad and north interior regions are receiving heavy rains and the showers are expected to continue, while there are reports of landslides in hilly areas of Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts.

With flood-like situation in several parts of the state, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who is currently undergoing treatment for COVID-19 infection at a private hospital in Bengaluru, has ordered immediate release of Rs 50 crore for emergency relief.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany will give a welcome break to the coronavirus lovelorn from Monday - easing its border controls to allow unmarried couples to reunite after what has been months of separation for some.

The exemption will apply to the partners of Germans from countries that Germany considers high-risk - currently most of the world outside the EU - and couples will have to provide some proof that they were in a relationship before the pandemic, the interior ministry said on Friday.

Most European Union borders have been closed to non-EU travellers since March, unless they are essential workers or married to an EU resident.

On social media, separated couples have been lobbying under the hashtags #LoveIsEssential and #LoveIsNotTourism for governments to allow them to reunite.

A few European countries including Austria, Norway and Denmark, have heeded the call, introducing "sweetheart visas" that exempt couples from the travel ban.

In Germany, couples will have to present an invitation by the partner who lives in Germany and sign a statement confirming that they are in a relationship.

They must also provide proof, such as stamps in passports or plane tickets, that they have met in person in Germany at least once or that they have lived abroad together.

The European Commission on Friday renewed a call for the remaining EU member states to exempt the unmarried partners of European citizens from travel restrictions into their countries.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Frances Kerry)
By PTI

DUBAI: The Indian consulates in Dubai and Sharjah have activated five helpline numbers to provide information to the family members of the Air India Express flight that skidded off the runway at Karipur airport in Kerala and fell into a 50 feet valley, killing at least 16 people on Friday evening.

The IX 1344 Dubai-Calicut flight was carrying 191 passengers and crew, including 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew members.

After landing at Runway 10, the Boeing 737 aircraft continued running to the end of the runway and fell down in the valley and broke into two portions, an official statement said.

"We pray for the wellbeing of passengers and crew and will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates. Our helplines +97156 5463903, +971543090572, +971543090571, +971543090575," Dr. Aman Puri, Consul General of India, told PTI.

The helpline number to call in Sharjah for updates is +97165970303. He also said the Indian consulate will be available for any assistance it may be able to render at this time of grief.

"We convey our deepest condolences to the family members of those who have been injured in this tragic incident, and we are obtaining more information from the relevant authorities on the ground at Calicut International Airport," Puri said.

"The Airport authorities are providing medical assistance to all those injured in this tragedy," he said.
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 7th August 2020, swore into office six (6) Justices of the Court of Appeal, at a ceremony at Jubilee House, the seat of the nations presidency.



The newly appointed Justices, comprising four men and two women, are Justice George Koomson, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, Justice Novisi Afua Aryene, Justice Eric Baah, Justice Richard Adjei-Frimpong and Justice Cynthia Pamela Akotoaa Addo.



At the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo stated that the new Justices are eminently fit and qualified for the position of Justice of the Court of Appeal, and have the impartiality of mind and independence of spirit to hold this high office.



With the Constitution affirming final judicial power in the State, the President explained that the Judiciary has exclusive jurisdiction in all matters of the breach of the law, civil and criminal, including matters relating to the interpretation and enforcement of the Constitution.



It has, thus, onerous responsibilities to protect the individual liberties and fundamental human rights of citizens, to act as the arbiter in disputes between the State and the citizen, to act as the arbiter in disputes between citizens, and to serve as the bulwark for the promotion of the orderly development of our nation, and for the defence of the liberties and rights of our people, he said.



President Akufo-Addo continued, So, to our new Justices of the Court of Appeal, it is important to bear in mind that the growth of our nation demands that we have a Judiciary that commands the respect of the people by the quality of its delivery of justice, as well as by the comportment of its judges. It is vitally important that we have judges who are honest, possess integrity and a sound knowledge of the law.



The situation, where judges proffer judgments on the basis of decisions from lower courts and cite them as law, according to the President, is not acceptable, and even less so, when judges cite no authority at all for their rulings, and give orders without reasons.



You must be learned, know your case law and ensure your decisions and judgments are properly motivated in accordance with the principle of stare decisis, the doctrine of precedent, which has been the bedrock for the evolution of the common law, he stressed.



The President also stated that Government, since his assumption of office, has introduced a number of policy measures to help bridge the technology-gap, insisting that harnessing the power of technology to advance the rule of law is critical in the modern era, if we are to maintain the confidence of the Ghanaian people, and shore up our nations reputation as a country governed in accordance with the rule of law.



Following the launch of the e-justice system, which is designed to leverage technology in the delivery of justice, the President encouraged all of them to take full advantage of the e-justice system, to expedite the conduct of cases that come before them, and in the management of the Court.



The transparent and efficient delivery of justice, he explained, builds confidence in citizens, businesses and the investor community.



So, to you, newly sworn-in Justices, you should so conduct yourselves that, even though our judicial system comports a two-tier appellate system, the great majority of appeals terminate at the Court of Appeal. The apex Court, the Supreme Court, the Court of last resort, should be seized of its appellate jurisdiction rarely if the Court of Appeal does its work satisfactorily, he added.



With the newly appointed Justices of Appeal taking high judicial office in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, President Akufo-Addo noted that it has become evident that the institutions of state  Executive, Legislature, Judiciary  must provide the requisite leadership to steer the population through the crisis.



I applaud the statesmanlike efforts of Speaker Oquaye and Chief Justice Anin Yeboah for ensuring that their respective arms of government, Parliament and the Courts, continue to function vigorously with due respect to the COVID-19 protocols. It is a reassuring development for the Ghanaian people. But we must, nevertheless, the pandemic notwithstanding, not overlook the age-old adage that Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied, he added .

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
Nguyen Quoc Dung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Like the wider world, the whole region is still scrambling to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. How has Vietnam carried out its role as ASEAN chair to join with member states in this fight?

To cope with COVID-19, ASEAN members need to share common awareness about the danger of the pandemic, and intensify commitments in acting in concert with proper policies, and strengthening international cooperation.

Vietnam is undertaking the role as ASEAN chair during a difficult time. Fully aware of its responsibilities, it has taken the initiative in cooperating with regional member states to take drastic measures against the pandemic. The country has quickly and temporarily shifted the cooperation focus into responding to COVID-19, and this has been considered a prime priority of the ASEAN now.

Accordingly, in early February we released a statement of the ASEAN chair and soon formulated an anti-COVID-19 mechanism, defining that the ASEAN Coordinating Council would play a central role in coordinating all activities within the community and with partners. We also established an inter-sector taskforce at the deputy-ministerial level to directly propose and implement specific initiatives and solutions for the situation.

Vietnam has also organised a series of online conferences at all levels and the ASEAN Summit on coping with the pandemic. Some specific measures have been adopted, including the formulation of the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund and a regional stockpile of medical supplies.

Vietnams accession to the ASEAN has turned out to be an essential policy for both the country and the bloc. What is your assessment of the 25-year membership of Vietnam in this organisation?

The past 25 years have witnessed a strong transformation of both the ASEAN and Vietnam. The ASEAN has become a dynamic and creative regional organisation with great economic potential, ranking fifth globally and attracting enormous interest of the international community.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has developed from a subsidised and struggling economy into a middle-income nation with a dynamic market-based economy, integrating deeply into the region and the wider world.

Vietnam today is now an active and responsible member of the ASEAN, with its major contributions to the blocs efforts in responding to emerging challenges and in furthering regional prosperity and development.

This has helped boost the prestige of both the ASEAN as a whole and Vietnam internationally.

What major benefits has Vietnam reaped from the membership over the past quarter of a century?

Vietnam has harvested massive important benefits. Firstly, the ASEAN has facilitated Vietnam to develop quickly and firmly. The bloc offers a peaceful and stable climate for development and helps Vietnam expand its ties with nations and territories. Moreover, the ASEAN has enabled Vietnam to expand markets and attract more resources from outside for national development, and to further its regional and international integration.

Secondly, the ASEAN has helped Vietnam in improving its capacity and competitiveness. To boost its regional and international integration, Vietnam has conducted its economic restructuring and improved its institution in line with regional and international standards.

Thirdly, the ASEAN has helped Vietnam enhance its prestige and status in the international arena, and also facilitate us to be more confident in joining international forums and organisations.

On the other hand, what has Vietnam contributed to the ASEAN?

Over the last 25 years, Vietnam has made important contributions to the ASEAN. Specifically, it has helped the bloc grow in strength and organisation, and solidarity as well.

Vietnam has actively engaged in developing the blocs major policies, including the ASEAN Charter, the ASEAN Economic Community, and related master plans.

Vietnam has also made active and responsible contributions to the implementation of ASEAN policies. It is among the nations with a high rate of implementing the blocs economic-linking solutions.

Only three years after joining the ASEAN, Vietnam succeeded in organising the sixth ASEAN Summit in Hanoi in 1998, and then brilliantly accomplished the role as ASEAN chair in 2010. Furthermore, Vietnam has also made contributions in the ASEANs decision to expand the East Asia Summit (EAS) in order to admit the US and Russia into the EAS, and organise the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus.
Washington, Aug 7 : US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to ban transactions with TikTok's parent company ByteDance, it was reported on Thursday.

The executive order signed on Thursday night says the US "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security", the BBC reported.

Under the order, beginning in 45 days, any US transaction with ByteDance will be prohibited.
WASHINGTON - Russia is "using a range of measures" to interfere in the 2020 election and has enlisted a pro-Russian lawmaker from Ukraine - who has met with President Donald Trump's personal lawyer - "to undermine former vice president [Joe] Biden's candidacy and the Democratic Party," a top U.S. intelligence official said in a statement Friday.

The remarks by William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, were some of the most detailed to date about foreign interference in the presidential race and come after earlier criticism from Democratic lawmakers that he had not shared with the public some of the alarming intelligence he gave them in classified briefings.

Evanina also said that the government of China does not want Trump to win reelection in November, seeing the incumbent as "unpredictable." Evanina described China's efforts to date as largely rhetorical and aimed at shaping policy and criticizing the Trump administration for actions Beijing sees as harmful to its long-term strategic interests.

By contrast, Evanina described Russia as actively engaged in efforts that are reminiscent of the Kremlin's attempts to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

"We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former vice president Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia 'establishment,' " Evanina said.

He noted that a Ukrainian lawmaker who has been in contact with Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, is part of a Russian disinformation effort.

"[P]ro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruption - including through publicizing leaked phone calls - to undermine" Biden and Democrats, Evanina said.

Derkach met in December with Giuliani as part of an effort by Trump's allies to obtain damaging information about Biden in Ukraine, The Washington Post has reported. Giuliani also hosted Derkach on his podcast in February and has said the two have spoken repeatedly about Ukraine and Biden, terming the Ukrainian lawmaker "very helpful."

Giuliani has said that he was aware there were recordings of Biden speaking to Ukrainians and that he sought to obtain them in 2019, while he was working to locate information helpful to Trump. "We would have loved to get the recordings, but we never did," Giuliani previously told The Post.

Giuliani has noted that Derkach gave him other information that Giuliani thought could connect Biden to "corruption in Ukraine." Giuliani did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Russia's current efforts against Biden can be traced back to his time in the White House, Evanina said, noting that the desire to wound his candidacy was "consistent with Moscow's public criticism of him when he was Vice President for his role in the Obama administration's policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia."

In addition to the disinformation campaign by Derkach, Evanina said, "Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media and Russian television."

Some U.S. officials criticized Evanina for appearing to equate the efforts of China and Russia when the Kremlin was interfering much more directly. In his statement, China is listed first, followed by Russia and then Iran, which he described as motivated to interfere in the election but not yet taking any actions.

"Between China and Russia, only one of those two is trying to actively influence the outcome of the 2020 election, full stop," said a senior U.S. official, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information.

Another U.S. official said China sees the United States as an adversary but takes a longer-term approach that, so far, doesn't include the kinds of short-term efforts Russia is using to damage Biden.

Evanina also portrayed China as taking a longer view of its relationship with the United States but angered by recent Trump administration actions that have elevated tensions to historic levels, including the president's decision to ban the popular social media app TikTok and efforts to counter China's presence in the global market for 5G data networks.

"Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current Administration's covid-19 response, closure of China's Houston Consulate, and actions on other issues," Evanina said.

The Trump and Biden campaigns embraced Evanina's statement as a vindication of their own positions and an indictment of the other's misdeeds.

"Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly invited, emboldened, and even tried to coerce foreign interference in American elections," Tony Blinken, a senior Biden campaign adviser, said in a statement. "Joe Biden, on the other hand, has led the fight against foreign interference for years, and has refused to accept any foreign materials intended to help him in this election - something that Donald Trump and his campaign have repeatedly failed to do."

Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign communications manager, said, "If anyone should face questions about foreign interference in 2020, it's Joe Biden's campaign. We don't need or want foreign interference, and President Trump will beat Joe Biden fair and square."

Democrats had criticized Evanina's previous statements for not distinguishing Russian, Chinese and Iranian efforts. In a joint statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, praised Evanina for sharing more details, but repeated their concern that he was treating very different threats equally.

"Unfortunately, today's statement still treats three actors of differing intent and capability as equal threats to our Democratic elections," the lawmakers said.

The top Republican and Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee refrained from criticizing Evanina on that score. In a generally complimentary statement, Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and MarkWarner, D-Va., said Evanina had highlighted "some of the serious and ongoing threats to our election from China, Russia, and Iran. Everyone - from the voting public, local officials, and members of Congress - needs to be aware of these threats."

An official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that the public should read Evanina's statement as "the most current, accurate and objective election threat information the intelligence community has to offer the public at this time."

"There is no particular rank or order by which the threat actors are listed in the statement. Each of these adversaries poses a threat to our election and it's imperative that we all work together as a nation to combat them," the official said.

Evanina privately gave Republican Party officials a briefing earlier this summer in which he also said that China did not want Trump to be reelected, that Russia preferred Trump, and that Iran wanted to interfere in the election, according to a person with knowledge of the briefing.

The statement also indicated there may be other countries besides the three named that are seeking to influence the election.

Evanina's use of the word "influence" also needs context, former intelligence officials said. Traditionally, it connotes legal, traditional efforts more akin to propaganda.

"Interference is illegal, influence is not," said one former senior official. "Basically it's lobbying."

Some intelligence veterans said the statement appeared designed, in part, to satisfy both campaigns.

"At the CIA, we called this 'dancing through the raindrops,' " said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former agency officer who oversaw operations in Europe and Russia.

The former senior official suggested Evanina worded the statement so as to not incur the wrath of the White House while "sticking to analytical language."

Evanina's quandary, the official said, is "how do you get the truth out there in a way that doesn't get you fired."

- - -

The Washington Post's Rosalind S. Helderman, Karoun Demirjian and Matt Viser contributed to this report.
Xiaomi is turning 10 this year and will celebrate with special editions of two of its best phones at the moment  the company is expected to announce commemorative editions of the Mi 10 Pro and Redmi K30 Pro on August 11.

Previously, rumors dubbed them Pro Plus, but CEO Lei Jun posted on Weibo that in English the phones will bear the Ultra name and Extreme Commemorative Edition in China (or maybe Supreme).

Leaked info suggests that there will be two versions of the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra  one with a ceramic back and one with a transparent back. The ceramic model will come in 8/256 GB and 12/256 GB configurations, the transparent one will go higher with 12/256 GB and 16/512 GB options.

Improved vapor chamber cooling, HiRes audio with custom algorithm, next-gen FP reader

Theres more  heres a speculative rendering of what the phone will look like. As youll notice a periscope is set to replace the standard tele lens of the original Mi 10 Pro. Digital zoom will allegedly reach 100x or even 120x.



55 W wireless charger and cases for the Mi 10 Ultra

As for the rest of the phone, it is expected that the Mi 10 Ultra will have a 120 Hz 1080p+ AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 865+ chipset with a customizable GPU and a 4,500 mAh battery with 100 or 120 W fast wired charging and 55 W wireless charging. Above are supposed images of the wireless charger plus some cases for the phone.



Bespoke box celebrating Xiaomi's 10th birthday

The CEO also posted this image of the box that the anniversary phone will be packaged in. He says that there should be plenty of units available, but still advises die-hard fans to put their pre-orders in early.

Source 1 | Source 2 (in Chinese) | Via
Yangtze River cruises resume as epidemic wanes - Xinhua | English.news.cn

Yangtze River cruises at the scenic section of the Three Gorges in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality resumed service Friday, marking a recovery of the sector affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

River cruises between Chongqing and Yichang City in central Hubei Province are hugely popular with travelers.

Cruises on the country's longest waterway had been suspended since Jan. 22 due to the epidemic outbreak. Under the coordination of the Ministry of Transport, seven cruise ships on the Yangtze River were even enlisted as "water hotels" for medical staff battling COVID-19 in Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, from February.

The Chongqing municipal bureau of transport said it has ensured that cruise vessels and ports are thoroughly disinfected. All crew of the cruise ships must test negative for COVID-19, while service vessels should prepare necessary disinfection materials for passengers.

Meanwhile, only individuals from low-risk areas are permitted to purchase tickets. When boarding their vessels, passengers must have their body temperature and "health QR code" displayed for check.
The Countess of Wessex has sent her 'thoughts and prayers' to the victims and their families of the huge blast which killed at least 154 people in Beirut.

Sophie, 55, who is lives in Bagshot Park, Surrey, with her husband, the Queen's youngest son, Prince Edward, became the first royal to ever officially visit Lebanon last year.

In an official statement, she expressed her 'shock' at the scenes of devastation in the Lebanese capital and shared a message detailing her 'fond memories' of the country.

The annihilation of Beirut's port in Tuesday's explosion injured more than 5,000 people, left 300,000 others homeless and sparked panic over wheat shortages after 15,000 tonnes of grains were blasted out of silos.

The Countess of Wessex, pictured at a refugee camp in Lebanon last year, has sent her 'thoughts and prayers' to the victims and their families of the devastating explosion which killed at least 154 people in Beirut

In an official statement, she expressed her 'shock' at the scenes of devastation (pictured) in the Lebanese capital and shared a message detailing her 'fond memories' of the country

In her message of condolence to the President of the Republic of Lebanon, which was shared on the Royal Family's website, Sophie wrote: 'I was shocked to hear of the explosion at the port in Beirut and the surrounding area.

'I have fond memories of the people of Lebanon after visiting your country last year in June.

'My thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic incident, as well as everyone supporting them. My prayers go out to the victims and their families.'

Sophie toured Lebanon in June 2019, becoming the first member of the royal family to undertake an official trip to the country.

Sophie's statement comes after the Queen sent a message (above) of condolence to the President on Wednesday

The Countess visited refugee camps and met with women's organisations during her solo engagements.

Sophie's statement comes after the Queen sent a message of condolence to the President on Wednesday.

In a show of solidarity, the monarch released a statement saying: 'Prince Phillip and I were deeply saddened by news of the explosion at the Port of Beirut yesterday.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who have been injured or lost their lives, and all those whose homes and livelihoods have been affected.'

The annihilation of Beirut's port in Tuesday's explosion (pictured) injured more than 5,000 people, left 300,000 others homeless and sparked panic over wheat shortages after 15,000 tonnes of grains were blasted out of silos

The British embassy is just two kilometres away from the scene of incident, in the densely-packed city centre.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Office spokesperson said a small number of staff sustained non-life threatening injuries in the explosion and are receiving medical attention where necessary.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: 'The pictures and videos from Beirut tonight are shocking. All of my thoughts and prayers are with those caught up in this terrible incident.

'The UK is ready to provide support in any way we can, including to those British nationals affected.'
As the state faces a possible tsunami of evictions in the coming months, some landlords and renters in New Jersey struggling financially because of the coronavirus pandemic are about to get a lifeline.

Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday introduced a new emergency aid program Friday that will allow owners of small rental apartment buildings to tap into a pool of $25 million in grant money to make up for rent that tenants affected by the crisis couldnt pay from April to July.

The landlords who receive the federal funds will then be required to cancel the back rent and late fees those tenants werent able to pay in that time.

The states Small Landlord Emergency Grant program is open to landlords of residential properties with three to 10 units  buildings that are found across the state but are largely inhabited by low- and moderate-income residents in urban areas.

About 1 in every 3 New Jersey renters live in buildings that size, as do nearly 1 in 3 low- to moderate-income renters in the state.

The money comes from the states share of federal CARES Act funding, passed by Congress to help the U.S. recover from the pandemic.

Many of these smaller buildings arent just personal investments for their owners, theyre also investments in neighborhoods and communities, Murphy said during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton. Ensuring that responsible landlords are able to protect these investments and provide quality housing is of great importance.

In addition, Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said forgiving back rent will help working families and retirees who should not be burdened with debilitating levels of debt for trying to keep a roof over their heads.

Murphy said that will also reduce the risks for evictions once his statewide moratorium on eviction expires  two months after whenever the governor lifts his public-heath emergency.

New Jersey, one of the states hit hardest by the pandemic, has seen its economy suffer greatly over the last five months. Nearly 1.5 million residents people have filed for unemployment benefits and many businesses have lost untold revenue in the wake of restrictions and business closings Murphy ordered in March.

Many thousands of people have also struggled during the crisis to pay their mortgage and rent in New Jersey, a state where about 35% of residents are renters. The number of renters who didnt pay their rent rose from 12% in April to 25% in June, according to the New Jersey Mortgage and Housing Finance Agency, which is administering the new program.

That, officials said, has also hurt landlords who have less money coming in to pay for mortgages and upkeep of their properties.

Murphy had already froze rent for 36,000 renters  mostly low- and moderate-income families  and put a moratorium landlords evicting residents during the pandemic.

But that does not stop landlords from filing evictions notices in court, and statistics show there have been more than 15,000 filed during the crisis  a number advocates say is expected to grow in the next four months. Once the moratorium is lifted, those renters face possible eviction.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

The new grant program is designed to help. Oliver said small residential property owners are often the most vulnerable in an economic crisis because they are less likely to qualify for federal housing assistance and mortgage aid programs.

Our data shows that many of New Jerseys small property owners are not companies or corporations, said the lieutenant governor, who is also commissioner of the state Department of Community Affairs. Rather, they are families and individuals. And like the families they rent to, they are struggling.

Even if only one or two units fail to pay, it could could cost some landlords a third of their income, and thus hurt all the tenants in the buildings because its more difficult for landlords to keep up the properties, the agency said.

Landlords can apply for a lump sum of aid from Aug. 19-26. Recipients will be chosen at random via computer.

Theres an eight-day period in which you have an equal chance, Richman said.

There is no cap on the amount of aid the landlords can receive from the program. But properties cannot be seasonal or vacation rentals.

Landlords will not have to pay the money back unless the state determines information on applications has been falsified, Oliver said.

In recent weeks, Murphys administration has been gradually doling out funding from the $2.4 billion in aid it received from the federal CARES Act approved by Congress.

Thats as the administration has faced some criticism for allocating the funds too slowly as residents and businesses continue to struggle.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Sophie Nieto-Munoz contributed to this report.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com.
A-1 Auto Transport, Inc. has once again opened eligibility for its annual scholarship to Illinois students.

The Illinois-based auto transport company strives to assist students cover part of their tuition with the scholarship. Students may be enrolled full or part time in an accredited college, university, truck driving or logistics training program.
The United States recorded its lowest seven-day average since March 31 on May 28, when it was 21,000 cases, or 6.4 new cases per 100,000 people per day. This rate was seven to 10 times higher than the rates in countries that successfully contained their new infections. While many countries are now experiencing modest flare-ups of the virus, their case loads are in the hundreds or low thousands of infections per day, not tens of thousands, and small enough that public health officials can largely control the spread.

In contrast, the United States reopened too quickly and is now experiencing around 50,000 or more new cases per day.

While cases are falling in the hard-hit areas of Arizona, California, Florida and Texas because of the imposition of some physical-distancing measures, they are rapidly increasing in a few of Midwestern states. In Minnesota, we just documented the most new cases in a one-week period since the pandemic began.

At this level of national cases  17 new cases per 100,000 people per day  we simply dont have the public health tools to bring the pandemic under control. Our testing capacity is overwhelmed in many areas, resulting in delays that make contact tracing and other measures to control the virus virtually impossible.

Dont confuse short-term case reductions in some states as permanent. We made that mistake before. Some have claimed that the widespread use of masks is enough to control the pandemic, but let us face reality: Gov. Gavin Newsom of California issued a public masking mandate on June 18, a day when 3,700 cases were reported in the state. On July 25, the seven-day daily case average was 10,231. We support the wearing of masks by all Americans, but masking mandates and soft limitations on indoor crowds in places such as bars and restaurants are not enough to control this pandemic.

To successfully drive down our case rate to less than one per 100,000 people per day, we should mandate sheltering in place for everyone but the truly essential workers. By that, we mean people must stay at home and leave only for essential reasons: food shopping and visits to doctors and pharmacies while wearing masks and washing hands frequently. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 39 percent of workers in the United States are in essential categories. The problem with the March-to-May lockdown was that it was not uniformly stringent across the country. For example, Minnesota deemed 78 percent of its workers essential. To be effective, the lockdown has to be as comprehensive and strict as possible.

If we arent willing to take this action, millions more cases with many more deaths are likely before a vaccine might be available. In addition, the economic recovery will be much slower, with far more business failures and high unemployment for the next year or two. The path of the virus will determine the path of the economy. There wont be a robust economic recovery until we get control of the virus.
Our street is complete once again.

I feel blessed and fortunate to pass along this fabulous news;

The Ranchers Daughter at 14387 Liberty St. has now officially reopened as of Friday. This has been a long-awaited announcement for me.

Covid-19 closure is in the past and the destruction preformed by a horned devil on four legs has been repaired. The Purveyor of Fabulous and Funky in Montgomery has reopened the doors to the adoring fans.

If you did not know, The Ranchers Daughter began in Montgomery in 2009. It was the premier boutique and wine bar in town. A long time provider of those Texas wines we love with unmatched boutique style. The Ranchers Daughter has been highly recommended and respected from the beginning. Pre-Covid 19 it was the place to sit a spell and shop till your hearts content. As soon as the crazy restrictions are lifted it will be that place again. We will all be completely back to business as usual soon.

As always at TRD you will find one of a kind home decor, exceptional gift items and beautiful boutique clothing. Now they have an expanded wine menu encompassing the entire United States not just Texas. Although you will find a few new Texas flavors thrown in, Big Buck Red to name just one. The deer will not have the last word in this story.

The owner, Rendy Kerr and her incredibly dedicated team of ladies have done an outstanding job with The Ranchers Daughter Revival. The team all worked tirelessly day after day overcoming many obstacles.

Hard work, dedication and faith in the lord saw them through the very rough, trying days they faced. You can only imagine the destruction one wild deer can cause.

One of the new additions to the shop menu that this writer is extremely excited about is the, create your own charcuterie boards. You can pick your choice of cheese and meat then sit back and enjoy a tasting, a glass of incredible wine or a beer for those that prefer. If you would rather you can take your choices with you and enjoy them at home. What a great gift for that friend that has everything. We all have one of those.

The atmosphere at TRD is relaxing and inviting, bright and airy and just waiting for your next girls day shopping adventure. The racks are stocked full and just waiting for you to find that perfect piece. If you need to unwind, the patio is still the perfect place to have a seat and watch the world rush around you.

You have waited long enough, get yourself together and get to The Ranchers Daughter just as fast as you can. I can promise you that you will NOT be disappointed.

As always shop small not the mall. Buy local buy small.

Come out for Sip n Stroll on Thursdays and enjoy the best house made sangria in town.

Coming soon; Wings Over Montgomery

- Kambra Drummond

Kambra Drummond is the owner of Rustic Cashmere. See more on Downtown Historic Montgomery at historicmontgomerytx.com.
Rome: Six weeks shy of his 97th birthday, Giuseppe Paterno fulfilled the dream of a lifetime: a university degree.

"Don't get lost because you find obstacles  because there will always be obstacles," Paterno told reporters after he graduated with honours from the University of Palermo, where he received a degree in history and philosophy. "You have to be strong."

Giuseppe Paterno, 96, right, graduated from University of Palermo with a degree in history and philosophy, becoming the oldest person in Italy to do so.

Paterno's graduation has inspired news coverage around the world, partly because of his age. But he has also drawn attention because his life story speaks of commitment, a theme that has resonated as millions of schoolchildren in Italy and elsewhere face extraordinary uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Paterno "transmits faith in the future," said Rossella Cancila, his thesis adviser and a professor of history at the university. "He's a model to follow."
Eliana Barbel at the protest in Tel Aviv holding a sign that reads: "Arabs, haredim, Ethiopians, lefties. Ohana, who is next in line?"

TEL AVIV (JTA) - Noam Ofer might have been an unlikely candidate to join Israel's burgeoning protest movement. At 76, he is older than most of the people who have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. He also doesn't share the political views of many of the protesters.

But Ofer was there anyway on Tuesday evening marching outside the Tel Aviv home of Israel's internal security minister in charge of law enforcement, Amir Ohana, who was caught on tape pressuring a senior police official to ban demonstrations against Prime Minister...
US ArmyBy LUIS MARTINEZ, ABC News



(FORT HOOD, Texas) -- After a two-day visit to Fort Hood, Texas, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy said the murder of Spc. Vanessa Guillen will lead to changes to prevent cases like hers from happening again. McCarthy said the Army's broad review of the culture at Fort Hood will help identify and fix the "root causes" that have led to the high number of violent acts at the base.



"I'm angry, I'm frustrated, I'm disappointed, we're heartbroken," McCarthy said candidly in describing his thoughts about Guillen's murder at a press conference wrapping up his visit to the sprawling base.



"Vanessa was our teammate; we let her down, we let her family down, and it hurts," said McCarthy.



"We're going to do everything we can to prevent these types of things from happening again, to learn from this, and to move on," said McCarthy. "We will do everything we can to protect her legacy by making enduring changes."



During a visit to Fort Hood, McCarthy held what he called "incredibly candid" meetings with soldiers of all ranks to discuss issues of concern at the base.



McCarthy has ordered a broad independent review of the command culture and climate at Fort Hood that was prompted by concerns from Guillen's family that the 20-year-old soldier was too intimidated to step forward with claims of sexual harassment.



The recently named panel carrying out that review will visit Fort Hood in late August. McCarthy said the review will look at "the root causes associated with the rise of felonies and violent acts, to better understand why this is happening at this installation" so that they can be fixed.



"The numbers are high here; they are the highest and some [of the] most cases for sexual assault and harassment and murders, for our entire formation in the U.S. Army," he said.



"We're going to put every resource, and all of the energy we can in this entire institution, behind fixing these problems," he said.



On Wednesday, Fort Hood announced the death of Pfc. Francisco Gilberto Hernandezvargas in a boating accident, marking the eighth non-training death at the base since March 1.



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. She pleaded not guilty last month.



McCarthy said Guillen's death had left him "markedly disappointed and saddened," because it was "a shot at the system and it rattles the system of the trust that you have to have in this profession."



"The only thing we can do is come together and have very hard conversations and invest in each other and learn about each other so that we know who our teammates are," he said.



He said a focus will be on improving the quality of the people coming into the Army, noting that the Army reflects the nation and that sometimes some bad apples make into uniform.



"At times, some people infiltrate our ranks; we got to find them, we got to root them out," said McCarthy.



Various investigations continue into the case, including an Army investigation that looked at the family's claims that Guillen was sexually harassed.



McCarthy described Guillen's murder as "an inflection point" for service members and victims who have stepped forward with their own stories of sexual harassment and sexual assault with the "IAmVanessa" hashtag.



Noting how Guillen's death had resonated throughout the Army, McCarthy said that during a recent trip to Poland and Italy soldiers there asked him about the case.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
ROME, Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The world-leading consumer electronics brand Baseus is excited to announce its upcoming AliExpress Super Brand Day campaign, which is set to start at 9:00 am on August 10th, (GMT +2). For three days, consumers can enjoy a variety of deals, gifts, and coupons on the company's most loved GaN (gallium nitride) chargers and other flagship products.



Founded by He Shiyou in 2011, Baseus manufactures phone accessories, laptop docking stations, small household appliances, and car accessories. The company is a leading Chinese brand with a growing international presence.

GaN chargers have recently become increasingly popular for ensuring a 5-time faster charging speed with a smaller size than traditional chargers. They also offer high thermal conductivity, high temperature resistance, and strong resistance to radiation, acid, and alkali.

Baseus is known for releasing some of the most innovative products in the charging industry, including the world's smallest 120W GaN charger , the world's first 65W three-port 2C1A GaN charger , the world's first 45W 2-in-1 GaN charger , and the world's smallest 45W dual-port GaN charger . By employing the most advanced GaN components, Baseus can offer smaller and more lightweight chargers with incomparable benefits in terms of efficiency and speed.

This year, Baseus is ready to indulge its customers with the AliExpress Brand Day campaign organized in collaboration with AliExpress. With the theme "Charge Fast, Baseus First!", this event is ready to start on August 10th but its warm up will take place on July 20th with unprecedented discounts and special gifts. Baseus will also release large-scale limited-time coupons for users signing in continuously and joining their live broadcast. Many more surprises will be coming up soon.

Below is a more detailed timeline of the Baseus Brand Day event:

From July 20th to August 9th: pre-selling activity, exclusive gifts, and special time-limited coupons for continuous sign-in and for sharing the link to the Baseus AliExpress store (https://bit.ly/3jrFLJu) ; On August 10th: Brand Day event broadcast with even more appealing discounts; From August 10th to August 12th: Brand Day event special discounts;

About Baseus

Baseus is a consumer electronics brand that mainly manufactures mobile phone accessories, laptop docking stations, small household appliances, and car accessories.

Media Contact

Company Name: Shenzhen Besing Technology Co.

Address: Baseus Intelligent Park, No. 2008 Xuegang Road, Bantian, Longgang District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Email: service@baseus.com

Website: http://www.baseus.com/
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

Trend:

La Vanguardia newspaper, one of the oldest Spanish editions, published an interview with the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev to the Agencia EFE, S.A., Spanish international news agency, titled "Azerbaijan's patience is not endless", Trend reports.

While commenting on the situation on the border with Armenia, Hajiyev said that official Baku is a supporter of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, which envisions mandatory withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Nagorno Karabakh and seven surrounding districts of Azerbaijan, as enshrined in the resolutions of the UN Security Council.

"Otherwise, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, Azerbaijan reserves the right to protect its territorial integrity and ensure the inviolability of its borders," he noted.

He also warned that the illegal military presence of the Armenian armed forces in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is a source of risk of unpredictable potential consequences.

"Armenia is not interested in the conflicts settlement, trying to consolidate and prolong the status quo, the assistant to president said. Azerbaijan supports peaceful settlement of the conflict. We have been participating in the negotiation process for about thirty years. This fact, which can be called 'strategic restraint', clearly testifies to our country's constructive approach to this issue. However, we are for constructive negotiations that are aimed at achieving results.

Baku will not negotiate for the sake of the negotiations themselves; negotiations cannot go on forever, because the current status quo is unacceptable and must be changed. The patience of Azerbaijan is not endless. The occupation was accompanied by war crimes and crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing. As a result of the conflict, over a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons, he stressed.

According to Hajiyev, Armenia must realize that in the 21st century, international relations cannot be regulated by the "law of the jungle".

Touching upon the regular ceasefire violation in Azerbaijans Tovuz district direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border since July 12, during which Azerbaijani servicemen and one civilian were killed, he named these events "a deliberately committed provocation", and "aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."

The assistant to president emphasized that by committing such actions, Yerevan has been pursuing several goals. One of its goals is to damage the strategic infrastructure of global oil and gas and transport projects located in the Tovuz district, northwest Azerbaijan.

Hajiyev said that another goal of the Armenian leadership was to divert public attention in Armenia from internal problems, an unfavorable socio-economic situation, persecution of the opposition and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In conclusion, he stressed that Armenia also tried to involve the Collective Security Treaty Organization in this conflict.

"The Azerbaijani army repulsed all attacks, and Yerevan did not achieve any of its goals," Hajiyev summed up.
JACKSON COUNTY, MI -- The celebration was nearly scrapped because of the novel coronavirus, but not even a pandemic can halt the music, the magic and the memories of the Goose Lake Music Festival.

The original festival began 50 years ago today, Aug. 7, 1970, in a field along the shores of Goose Lake in the middle of nowhere in eastern Jackson County. It drew some big-name rock bands and 200,000 members of the youth counterculture from all over the country to Leoni Township.
The government on Thursday approved a US$10 million aid package for North Korea through the UN World Food Programme as the crackpot country teeters on the brink of famine.

In a meeting chaired by Unification Minister Lee In-young, the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council also greenlit a "peace park" in the demilitarized zone that will cost some W20 billion over the next three years (US$1=W1,186).

The decision comes less than two months after the North Korean regime blew up the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong, ostensibly in a fit of fury over a leaflet campaign by South Korean activists.

The $10 million-donation to the WFP will be used to provide 90 million tons of nutritional supplements for small children and pregnant women in North Korea as well as 3,600 tons of corn, beans and cooking oil.

The donation was supposed to be made in June but put off as cross-border relations deteriorated. The Unification Ministry said the WFP asked for the donation and claimed it made sure that it breaches no international sanctions against the North.

Lee added it "will serve as a starting point for the government to consistently provide humanitarian aid to the North regardless of the political and military situation."


The Bombay High Court revoked Maharashtra Governments order imposing an age limit on film and television sets. The court, setting aside the order today has bought much relief and joy to actors and technicians who were unable to resume work and earn their livelihoods. And now, a number of prominent faces such as Kanwaljit Singh and Ghanshyam Nayak have shared their reactions with SpotBoyE.

Surekha Sikri of Balika Vadhu fame said, "I am feeling extremely relieved with this decision. I think it's a very positive move and I am waiting to get back to the action".

Ghanshyam Nayak aka Nattu kaka of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah added, "Of course I am very happy that Bombay HC has lifted the previous decision but I am sure it will come with a clause like having a medical or life insurance, limited hours and we have to see if the producers agree to all this''.

Kanwaljit Singh too expressed his happiness but revealed that he had to let go by his show because of the delay. "I am really happy that finally, they have permitted us to start shooting. But some of the actors like me have already been replaced. I have been chasing CINTAA and other people since June 5 to get a conclusion. Every time I asked them they said it will happen in two days. After a time I just gave up and asked my producers to go ahead with another artist. They were extremely cooperative and waited for me for a long time. But then their set and everything was ready. In fact, I had rented a flat in Mira road near the set as I don't have to go up down from Juhu to Mira road in this corona crisis. But it all got wasted. I would like to work with the producers in future," he said.

ALSO READ: Bombay High Court Revokes Maharashtra Government Order On Age Limit On Film Sets
We can all agree that we should support our students, teachers, schools and families, but it is important to keep in mind that the funding law predates COVID-19 and that all of the funding issues we are discussing now will ultimately require legislative action, Bray said. Schools are making significant reopening decisions, and I feel the clarification I provided in my letter is important for school leaders to know so they can make fully informed decisions that will work best for their districts. I believe it is better to communicate this now rather than to wait until the next time the legislature is in session after schools have already been operating under the reopening decisions they make for the fall.
Dont cancel exams  give us more support I am a year 12 student who is attempting to complete my VCE. However, it has been brought to my attention that some students have launched a petition, calling on the government to cancel the VCE exams. I speak for most of my cohort when I say we are majorly unsupported in terms of resourcing and services. Removing exams will not fix this. My school was presented with the challenge of several positive COVID-19 cases. It was closed for deep cleaning and contact tracing, and VCE students have not been able to access their textbooks or any of their locker resources for more than three weeks now. We do not know when we will be able to access them and this is potentially putting us three weeks behind our year 12 counterparts in other schools. Additionally, due to the fact that my school is situated in a low socio-economic area, many students are reliant on school resources such as borrowed laptops and do not have stable internet connections at home. The sad reality is that a large majority of students who attend my school do not speak English as a first language and rely on EAL (English as an additional language) or they do not have parents who are able to assist them with their learning. We, as a year level, are resilient and hardworking and most of us do not want the exams cancelled as we have worked too hard towards them. We also have wonderfully supportive teachers. However, we want more resources, funding and help given to students who are at a disadvantage. We genuinely do not feel supported enough and would like more to be done.

Nadine Medina, Endeavour Hills

THE FORUM Answer the questions I am at a loss to understand our Premiers statements on Thursday about the hotel lockup debacle. If he were in the private sector, he would have been dismissed months ago. For him to say that he now accepts responsibility for the hotel virus spread but he has no knowledge of who, when and how his government made decisions, is ridiculous at best and appalling at worst. He has tried for a month to tell us he cannot comment due to the inquiry. Now that he has been told there is no reason for this stance, he tells us that he does not have any details or information. Does he think we are that gullible or stupid? Please, Premier, treat us with more respect.

Graeme Abram, Malvern All credit to Andrews I could not agree more with John Theks comments (Letters, 7/8) regarding the medias increasingly aggressive stance at Dan Andrews daily briefings. After I have listened to what he has to say, I now turn off the television as I am sick and tired of the same questions being asked day after day.

It angers me that he has to waste valuable time on what can only be seen as provocation. It is to his credit that he holds his frustration in check. As for the leader of the opposition (sorry, I cant remember his name), could he please start to show that he is actually doing something to be helpful, rather than carping at the efforts made by others.

Jan Jolley, Airport West The art of deflection What does taking responsibility actually mean? What consequences are there when a mistake has been made? The Premier is deflecting questions of his subordinates and it is an exercise in obfuscation, the same as establishing an inquiry was to deflect direct questions. The chair of that inquiry certainly has pricked that balloon.

Mike Pantzopoulos, Ashburton Treat media like children Joh Bjelke-Petersen used to say he would feed the chooks. For our embattled Premier, it is more like Daniel in the lions den. Is there any chance of an outdoor press conference next to, say, a sandpit with a handy shovel (a la Jeff Kennett)?

Liz Harvey, Mount Eliza

Lets all work together Enough of the whingeing, the point scoring, the hypocrisy of the politics and the gotcha journalists. Enough of the How come they can do that and I cant?, the What about if I want to travel 5.2kilometres from home?, the This wont work (before it has been tried), and the Who can I blame for my inconvenience?. Enough of Dans too soft, Dans too strict and Its all his fault anyway. Just harden up, kids, and get on with it. How will this pandemic be beaten unless we all pull together and look after each other?

Michael Canaway, St Leonards Enough with negativity The medias emphasis on the negative impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on people is intolerable and, I imagine, depressing for everyone. Why isnt the emphasis on the consequences of catching the virus and the impact it has on the lives of healthcare workers? Many people are more concerned about stirring up trouble than playing their part in reducing the spread of the virus. Why are we giving these people the publicity they crave?

Diane Maddison, Parkdale

When age is relative We need to face COVID-19 facts. Our oldies have had their turn; we should let nature run its course. On the other hand, no effort and expense should be spared saving the lives of younger people up to the age of, say, 72.

Michael Challinger (aged 71), Nunawading The next care crisis? Spare a thought for the staff working in our childcare centres. They are amongst the most lowly paid members of our workforce and mainly women. Not only have they had the JobKeeper support removed, but now they are expected to work at the beck and call of obtuse government regulations and those with permitted worker status. What checks and balances are in place to ensure the health and safety of these workers? It is not good enough to say children are less likely to catch COVID-19. Where are the cries for support for this essential industry before we have a situation similar to the aged care crisis?

Gerardine Christou, Ballarat

A very important game They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I do not begrudge someone being rich and having a good time but to refer to aged care as a game, as chief executive of Heritage Care Greg Reeve does (The Age, 5/8), speaks volumes .

Vicki Jordan, Lower Plenty Support aged care staff Whilst very few people would disagree with Sinclair Davidsons assertion that job creation has to be the number one priority for the next generation (Comment, 7/7), he then says that cutting more taxes, and red, green and beige tape will be a priority. Surely the lack of regulation in privately-run aged care facilities  including casual and poorly paid staff  is one of the reasons we are in the current (and in many cases tragic) situation. It is not a binary choice between regulation and a free for all, but rather appropriate and enforceable government regulation. That must include decent pay and conditions for aged care workers, plus generous sick leave entitlements so that they can afford to stay home if they are unwell.

Peter Bainbridge, Altona

Rebuilding the economy Instead of sounding like an economist thinking imaginatively and constructively to assist Victoria out of the COVID-19 hole, Sinclair Davidson sounds like he is singing the tunes of the Institute of Public Affairs.

Matthew Kelly, Upwey High cost of disposables The disposal and pollution problems caused by millions (billions, worldwide) of masks ending up in landfill or just thrown away surely is cause for governments to mandate the sole use of washable, reusable masks by the public.

Greg Lawes, Dingley Valley Keep bottle shops open

Zoe Milano (Letters, 7/8), closing bottle shops would see sly grog operators return to Melbourne. This was before the civilised liquor licensing reforms of the late 1960s. Drinkers with an unslaked thirst after the six oclock swill would buy alcohol at grossly inflated prices from sly grog shops. The black market dealers were preyed on by violent standover men and, in some cases, corrupt police, and paid protection money to them. The introduction of 10pm closing ceased those widespread criminal activities. Thirsty drinkers today would find their way to illegal supplies of grog if bottle shops were closed.

Des Files, Brunswick Move to renewables Orica is licensed to produce up to 385,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate a year, the bulk of which is used to produce explosives for the Hunter Valleys coal mining industry.

The tragic ammonium nitrate explosion in Beirut involved a store of 2700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, but Orica is storing 12,000 tonnes about 800metres from residents and 3km from the Newcastle CBD. Yet another reason to get out of coal and into renewables.

John Merory, Ivanhoe The dangerous waste Beirut should be a warning to those who fill abandoned warehouses with waste matter. Should we wait for a big explosion or should a fire that takes a month to extinguish be enough before we do something?

Laurie Vaughan, Bairnsdale Set the family free Our government plans to house foreign criminals in a detention centre on Christmas Island. In another detention centre on the island is a family of Tamil asylum seekers, including their two Australian-born children. This is criminal.

Rosita Vila, Aireys Inlet

Such a busy president It was reassuring to learn from Jonathan Swans interview with Donald Trump that the leader of the free world reads a lot and attends two to three meetings a week. Wow, what a workload.

Andrew Dods, Ascot Vale AND ANOTHER THING Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: Coronavirus

OK, heres the plan for next week. Tuesday: put the bins out.

John Bye, Elwood I had a coveffe break yesterday. Its when you pop out for a coffee during a COVID-19 lockdown.

David Gordon, St Kilda Regardless of the inquirys findings, Andrews good-tempered equanimity under torrid questioning at press conferences is to be admired.

Joe Wilder, Caulfield North Andrews says he is accountable. This means nothing unless he accepts blame and resigns, or sacks a minister.

Stephen Minns, South Yarra Why use hotels? Army bases could have been used and the quarantine would have been better controlled.

Jane Spier, Seaford

Lets use hindsight for education and prevention, not for blaming.

Barbara Fraser, Burwood Zoe Milano (7/8) opposes bottle shops being open. Red wine is the answer. Err, I cant remember the question.

Geoff Warren, Anglesea So much for were all in this together. With border closures and restrictions, it seems to be every state for itself.

Janet Moore, Portarlington Border tensions screamed the TV news. I only hope, and pray, it doesnt lead to internecine warfare.

Donald Hirst, Prahran East If Michael OBrien had been to war, he would have been a sniper.

Geoff Wigg, Surrey Hills
VALLETTA, Malta, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OKEx (www.okex.com), a world-leading cryptocurrency spot and derivatives exchange, is providing Bitcoin futures traders with more reasons to trade on its platform in the form of competitive funding rates on its popular BTC perpetual swap market. According to data from skew, of the nine major cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges, OKEx offers the second-lowest swaps funding rates - at an average of 0.0052%.

Low funding rates allow traders to realize significant savings when taking out a position on OKEx compared to competing exchanges. This competitive rate is partially due to the exchange's low-fee policy but also because OKEx does not skew its funding rate in favor of market makers. This is especially appealing to traders during a bull market, as they can maximize their profits by moving their long positions to OKEx.

OKEx CEO Jay Hao commented:

"Thanks to the way we construct our swap funding rates, we have been able to offer retail traders a much cheaper rate over the last month of the bull market. Opening the same long position on another exchange would have resulted in much higher funding fees. Most retail positions are still long at the moment, signaling bullish momentum for Bitcoin. And since we don't favor market makers, OKEx even saw some negative funding rates during the week of July 20 to July 27."

Reduced funding rates can be a major pull for retail traders looking to enhance their profit strategies and, beyond low fees, OKEx provides a secure and robust platform with a comprehensive risk-management system. During Sunday's wipeout, for example, when Bitcoin dropped $1,500 from $12,000 within a matter of minutes, OKEx's risk-management measures - including a proprietary liquidation engine, position limits and a tiered margin system - meant that, unlike other exchanges, the unexpected volatility led to zero clawbacks and zero ADL.

"With swaps funding rates substantially cheaper than on other competing exchanges, and a robust environment for trading in volatile markets, we aim to provide traders with the safest and most appealing platform for trading perpetual swaps," Mr. Hao added.

About OKEx

A world-leading cryptocurrency spot and derivatives exchange, OKEx offers the most diverse marketplace where global crypto traders, miners and institutional investors come to manage crypto assets, enhance investment opportunities and hedge risks. We provide spot and derivatives trading - including futures, perpetual swap and options - of major cryptocurrencies, offering investors flexibility in formulating their strategies to maximize gains and mitigate risks.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1225001/OKEx.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/751455/20180925182721_Logo.jpg
By Trend

Armenias recent actions and statements clearly damage the established negotiation format and undermine any realistic prospects for the peace process over Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijani Ambassador to the US Elin Suleymanov wrote in his article published by the authoritative US media outlet Newsmax, Trend reports on August 6.

The ambassador stressed that the latest flare of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan in July came at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the region with health and safety of citizens at the top of most governments agenda.

However, Armenias own COVID-19 crisis did not prevent its military from launching an attack against Azerbaijan in the direction of Tovuz district across the international border between the two nations, the article said.

The ambassador points to the fact that Armenias attack took place hundreds of miles north from the line of contact in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and that it clearly speaks about the intentions behind this latest act of aggression,

"The protracted Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict remains a major threat to peace and security in greater Eurasia. Armenias illegal occupation and ethnic cleansing campaign of about 20 percent of Azerbaijans internationally-recognized territory has caused a significant humanitarian challenge by displacing a million people," said the article. "Now, 30 years later, the internally displaced persons still live in exile unable to return to their homes."

Suleymanov noted that in spite of the four UN Security Council resolutions and numerous other international documents calling for immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops, Armenia continues to defy basic principles of international law and negotiation efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by France, Russia and the US.

"Although formally independent, Armenia has never really acquired full sovereignty due to its constant conflicts with neighbors and external dependencies," the ambassador said adding that its borders are guarded by Russian border guards, it has a foreign military base on its territory and it has minimal control over its own economy.

"Today, Armenia remains one of the last relics of the Soviet past in the region offering little strategic value and unable to move forward towards integration and growth," Suleymanov stated. "Similarly, Armenian society continues to be plagued by its poor record on anti-Semitism and its uneasy relationship with Nazi collaborators and Middle Eastern terrorist groups. With a high ratio of emigration, Armenia was recently ranked as the angriest nation globally. Some of this anger spills outside Armenias borders."

Touching upon recent violent attack of Armenian radicals on small group of Azerbaijanis during a protest in front of the Azerbaijani Consulate General in the US Los Angeles, he noted that the local police department has launched its investigation.

"A quick look at the map would reveal that Armenias reckless militarism has much wider ramifications." he wrote. "The South Caucasus region includes Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and is a key strategic area of the world. For instance, Azerbaijan, which is the only nation in the world that borders both Russia and Iran, is also an important partner and friend of Israel."

"Moreover, Azerbaijan provides the unique connection between Europe and Asia across the energy-rich Caspian Sea and its capital city of Baku is the origination point of the strategic Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which provides some 40 percent of Israels annual oil supply and was once featured in the James Bond film, "The World is Not Enough," said the ambassador.

Suleymanov also reminded that the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline, beginning in Azerbaijan, spans such countries as Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania and Italy.

"These pipelines along with the railways connecting Asia to Europe and the critical overflight corridor for NATO aircraft transiting to and from Afghanistan all pass in the vicinity of the area attacked by Armenia."

"Unable to add any value to development and cooperation, Armenia chose to reassert its relevance by threatening regional security and energy infrastructure of global significance," the article reads. "Just months before the Southern Gas Corridor is fully operational, Armenian military attacks some 15 miles from its route."

As the ambassador pointed out, Armenia attacked the area along the border, where Azerbaijan has been de-escalating by replacing its Army units with lighter armed border guards, and shelled residential houses causing casualties and damage.

"By striking across the international border far away from the line of contact of the two militaries, Armenia hoped to trigger support from its treaty allies under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)," he wrote.

However, this attempt to enlarge the scope of the conflict failed and the CSTO rejected Armenias request for support since it was obvious who initiated the hostilities, the ambassador stressed.

"Armenias leaders could have heeded Secretary Pompeos call for substantive peace talks and engage in meaningful negotiations with Azerbaijan to ensure a brighter future for the Armenian people and a lasting peace for the entire South Caucasus. Instead, Armenia once again acted as a rogue player and a proxy by attacking the key elements of prosperity and security architecture for the region and beyond," Suleymanov emphasized.

"The international community should help people of Armenia by explaining to their leaders that the dividends of peace are abundant and the costs of aggression continue to rise," the ambassador concluded.

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
A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Madhav Jamdar was hearing a petition filed by social worker Medha Patkar

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Wednesday said the high-powered committee set up by the Maharashtra government had the discretion to decide which prisoners were entitled to be released on temporary bail or parole amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The high court also made it clear that no prisoner can claim right or entitlement to seek temporary release during the pandemic.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Madhav Jamdar was hearing a petition filed by social worker Medha Patkar through her NGO National Alliance for Peoples Movements challenging an order passed by the high powered committee.

As per the order dated March 25, 2020, the committee had said those prisoners who have been convicted or are facing charges under special Acts or in serious offences, wherein the punishment is above seven years, are not entitled to be released on temporary bail or parole amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The petitioners advocate SB Talekar had argued that the committee had exceeded its jurisdiction by classifying prisoners and it was infringing upon a person's fundamental right to equality. The bench, in its order, however, noted that the principle of equality does not take away from the state the power of classifying persons for legitimate purposes.

Equality before law does not mean that things which are different shall be treated as though they were the same, the court said.

The bench further noted that the committee had a discretion to determine the category of prisoners who would be entitled to be released on temporary bail or parole. It is clear that the HPC (high-powered committee) balanced the rights of the prisoners to maintain maximum possible distancing to contain the spread of COVID-19 as well as the rights of the society, the court said.

It is fallacious to contend that inmates can claim an absolute right for release in a situation like the prevailing pandemic as if it were flowing either from the Constitution or any other statute, the court said.
- A 69-year-old woman named Mojisola Odegbami has represented Nigeria well after featuring in Beyonce's Black Is King visual album

- The Nigerian earlier travelled to the US for medical treatment and never thought that her fate would change for good

- Mojisola's encounter with a 7-year-old child actor, FJ, linked her up with Beyonce's staff and contributed to how she landed the role

A 69-year-old woman named Mojisola Odegbami never thought she would appear in a music video by one of the world's top artistes, Beyonce.

CNN reports that when she travelled to America, a thing like featuring in Beyonces Black Is King album was not in her mind.

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The elderly lady appeared in one of the tracks called Bigger, portraying the character of an African queen. In another called Mood, she was elegant in African traditional print as she tied gele.

In an interview with CNN, the woman said that her journey to America was for a medical purpose. It was during that trip that she met one Folajomu FJ Akinmurele who is an actor.

"I was staying with my daughter's friend, and this friend of hers has a 7-year-old son. The son, FJ, is the main character in Black Is King," she said.

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Mojisola at Beyonce's set. Photo: Variety/Instagram

Source: UGC

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She added that she was the one that was always driving the actor to practice because his mom was not around.

Odegbami said that she became known by Beyonces staff as grandma Moji. Despite her frequent presence during rehearsals, she was never cast until FJs mom signed her up with a talent agency.

"I was out shopping one day and she called me, and asked that I come home immediately. I was scared, you know. That was how I found myself on the way to L.A .that same day for a part in the album," the granny said.

READ ALSO: Mshukiwa azimia nje ya mahakama ya Makadara

In other news, a mum from Somalia gave birth to five kids at once.

The lucky mother delivered her healthy quintuplets at a Turkish-owned health facility based in Mogadishu.

Medics who helped her give birth were over the moon and celebrated the milestone on Twitter.

According to them, that was one of the world's rarest births and they were happy to be part of it.

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Experts have revealed the more than 300 different types of jobs that will be in-demand over the next five years, as Australians battle to get back into work after the pandemic.

Industries including cybersecurity, manufacturing, education and aged care were identified as key areas of growth, with 19 in total likely to need staff.

In a year-long study by the South Australian Training and Skills commission, employers were asked what roles they were looking to recruit to help run and expand their business in the near future.

Agribusiness was found to have the most demand for jobs overall, with the industry desperate for everything from IT professionals to microbiologists.

Experts have revealed the 19 booming industries and the over 300 roles employers are searching for in the next give years (stock image)

The industry employs more than 62,000 people in South Australia alone and is looking to hire staff for 150 different roles.

The aged care sector was also looking to recruit from 30 different roles, including traditional positions such as nurses along with nutritionists and accountants.

Manufacturing is looking for 16 positions, including special class electricians, pressure welders and occupational health and safety advisors.

Agribusiness and wine making were identified as booming industries that were desperately searching for staff over the next five years (stock image)_

Despite lower enrolment numbers due to the pandemic, universities said they would need an additional 26,600 full-time teaching staff by 2030 in South Australia alone

The 19 booming industries in Australia Accommodation and food services Aged care Agribusiness Community services Construction, mining and energy Corrections Creative industries Cybersecurity Disability services Education Finance and insurance Health Information and Communications Technology Local Government Manufacturing Retail and service sector Tourism Transport Wine industry Advertisement

Education is also expected to employ a mass of staff in the near future with preschools in particular unable to meet demand.

Despite a recent drop in enrolment numbers due to the pandemic, universities are also looking for an additional 26,600 full-time teaching staff in South Australia by 2030.

While wine nets South Australia $2.82billion annually, employers say they are constantly struggling to find staff to help run their operations.

Employers are looking for talented viticulturalists along with local vineyard workers to support the industry.

The SA state government has released individual reports on each sector to help school-leavers and those who are looking to transition into new positions after the pandemic left reconsidering their career options.

The economy has been devastated by the pandemic, with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg warning last month that unemployment would reach 9.25 per cent by the end of December - a level unseen since September 1994 during the long aftermath of Australia's last recession.

With most businesses forced to closure during strict and lengthy lockdowns businesses have struggled to pay staff or even keep them on at all.

The number of Australians on JobSeeker or Youth Allowance payments has doubled in recent months from 800,000 in March to 1.6 million on June 30, according to the Australian Unemployed Workers' Union.

There are about 3.5 million Australians on JobKeeper currently.

The government forecasts this to drop to 1.4 million in the three months to December and then again to 1 million in the three months to March.
These are the schools that have canceled classes for Jan. 18

Some school districts across the county are virtual today. Others will make up the snow day.
Museums have been closed since mid-March.

Though there are no in-person visitors, the staff at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum has continued to create content for online consumption.

Elena Baca, educator and program coordinator, has realized the massive reach of the museum over the past four months.

Prior to the pandemic, one of the most popular programs was her monthly Happy Arte Hour!, which happens on the first Thursday of the month.

In March, the last one had 100 people participate.

This left Baca wondering what could be done virtually to keep visitors engaged.

Then an idea pushed itself forward.

I had been asked to participate in an artist trading card project, she says. Then I thought, what if I opened it up to everyone following our social media accounts.

The project includes artists making a trading card with their own original work.

Baca put the call out and had artists register.

The thing I was so amazed and surprised about is that we actually had national reach with the idea, she says. There are plenty of people following us from outside the state and they are paying attention. This is a positive side of COVID. Were able to offer things for people to do at their own pace.

Baca also runs the Saturday program Vamos al Museo.

During this program, she picked five wall labels and took them to groups of people and asked them to imagine what the art is like.

Then it turned into an Instagram project, she says. I posted the wall label and I asked people to create something based on the title. This woman sent me her painting and it was so cool. It was based on Afternoon Rain by Frank McCulloch.

Then Jocelyn Salas, a teacher from Rio Rancho Public Schools, presented the project to her fourth and fifth graders.

She said it was so great in the classroom because it was providing a skill set for them, Baca says. It turned out to be a classroom activity for all ages. It made me rethink what a social media post should be.

Baca says taking the time to develop online content is important to keep the mission of the museum moving forward.

Its important that we keep providing this content because its proving to have a wider reach than just in New Mexico, she says. People are looking for things to keep them busy and their mind off the pandemic.
The data analytics company StreetLight Data has announced $15 million in new funding, which it will use to continue building out its mobility data platform at a time when a global pandemic has made mass transit and citizen movements difficult to predict.According to a news release today, the lead investors were the Australian investment banking firm Macquarie Capital and the industrial-focused Activate Capital, along with prior investors Osage University Partners and Ajax Investment Strategies.StreetLight Vice President of Marketing Martin Morzynski toldthat the new funding will go toward building out StreetLights products and features, which expanded in October 2019 to include the measurement of bike and pedestrian travel patterns. Morzynski said several factors have made the need for mobility data  measuring where people are going, so departments of transportation and other public agencies can plan accordingly  increasingly urgent in the past three to five years. Before COVID-19, he said, StreetLight saw accelerated congestion in urban areas, a lack of adequate funding for new infrastructure, and the popularization of Uber, Lyft, bike-sharing and other mobility options that affected peoples commute routes and schedules.It was a confluence of variables that gave mobility platforms such as StreetLight InSight their value proposition. And since COVID-19 dramatically cut traffic in April, traffic patterns havent been the same since, Morzynski said, making the future hard to predict  and up-to-date mobility data more valuable.With COVID, you have people working remotely, fewer people working, with DOTs having to conserve cash to meet tightening budgets  and you have significant mode-switching, where people are not taking mobile transportation and instead are looking to bicycles and buying more cars, he said. All the stuff thats happening already is putting strain on this notion that we need to be informed sufficiently to spend money to support these changing patterns. With COVID  we think that moving forward, its difficult for anybody to predict how fast people get back to transit, for example; and to what extent limited schedules for the New York City subway and San Franciscos BART system will come back to normal. Because you cant predict it, you have to measure it.Morzynski added that, while COVID-19 has made some people averse to mass transit, health care workers and other essential employees still count on it.The thing thats even more counterintuitive is that (mass transit use) is going up in some places and going down in other places, and the only way to get at that is to have granular data, he said. Otherwise youre only working with averages.With new funding, the kinds of citizen movements that StreetLight measures will continue to evolve with trends. Where the company used to focus on commercial and private vehicle data, Morzynski said, the new availability of multimodal data  bikes, pedestrians, ride-hailing  has brought DOTs closer to seeing movements of citizens across an entire city. Another trend has been the growing availability of metrics other than volume that are critical to the transportation industry but difficult to calculate, such as origin destination or number of mode switches. Morzynski said StreetLights handle on those things is why the company has seen, in his words, so much success over the last 12 months as weve been focused on multimodal measurement.According to the news release, StreetLights algorithms have processed more than 4 trillion spatial data points to date and power more than 6,000 projects per month worldwide.
Russia's Soyuz for many years made it the only country able to ferry astronauts

The head of Russia's space agency said Friday that Roscosmos wants to return to Venus and bring back soil samples and build spacecraft that will surpass Elon Musk's rockets.

Last week America's first crewed spaceship to fly to the International Space Station in nearly a decade returned safely to Earth, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.

The mission was carried out jointly by NASA and Musk's SpaceX. Its Falcon 9 rocket is semi-reusable.

"We are making a methane rocket to replace the Soyuz-2," Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with state news agency RIA Novosti.

He said it will be a reusable space complex, noting that it will be possible to use its first stage at least 100 times.

"Of course we are looking at what our American colleagues are doing," said Rogozin. "But our engineers are trying to take a shortcutnot to repeat what our SpaceX colleagues are doing but surpass them."

Rogozin said he was not impressed with the SpaceX spacecraft, saying its landing was "rather rough."

"It's not designed for ground landingthat's exactly why American colleagues chose to land on the water the way it was done 45 years ago," Rogozin said.

Russia had for many years enjoyed a monopoly as the only country able to ferry astronauts, and the SpaceX launch meant the loss of a sizeable income. A seat in the Soyuz costs NASA around $80 million.

'Return to Venus'

Rogozin said he also wanted Russia to return to Venus.

"It was always a 'Russian planet,'" he said.

The Soviet Union was the only nation to have landed probes on the surface of Venus.

"I believe that Venus is more interesting than Mars," Rogozin said, adding that studying Venus could help scientists understand how to deal with climate change on Earth.

Venus, whose atmosphere is made up nearly completely of carbon dioxide, is considered to be the hottest planet in the solar system.

"If we don't study what is happening on Venus then we won't understand how to prevent a similar scenario from happening on our planet."

He said he wanted Russiansin cooperation with Americans or by themselvesto bring back the surface materials of Venus.

"It would indeed a breakthrough," Rogozin said.

"We know how to do it," he added, saying Russian scientists were currently studying relevant Soviet-era documents.

But Roscosmos lamented that repeated budget cuts risked threatening many of the programmes.

"I don't quite understand how to work in these conditions," he said. "We are seeing that leading foreign space agencies are increasing their budgets."

Explore further Russia space chief spars with Elon Musk over launch pricing

 2020 AFP
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Let Italy compensate fishermens families: Top Court's condition to close marines case

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 07: The Supreme Court on Friday said the case against two Italian marines who shot dead two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012 will be closed only when Italy compensates the families of the victims.

"Let Italy pay them compensation. Only then will we allow the withdrawal of prosecution," Chief Justice SA Bobde said.

The SC, which was hearing a plea filed by the Centre to let it withdraw the case against Italian marines, said it will only allow Centre's plea to close cases against two Italian Marines after it hears fishermen's families.

Italian Marines case: Build international pressure for fair trial in Italy, Kerala CM writes to PM

The bench allowed the Centre to file fresh plea making the victims' family members parties to its application for seeking closure of Italian Marines case.

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When the bench insisted that adequate compensation should be paid to the family members of the victims, Mehta said the Centre will ensure that maximum compensation is given to them.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, that Italy has assured the Indian government that it would prosecute the Marines.

On July 3, the Centre moved the top court seeking closure of judicial proceedings here against the two Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen, off the Kerala coast.

The Centre said it has accepted the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at the Hague which held that India is entitled to get compensation in the case but can't prosecute the marines due to official immunity enjoyed by them.
Subtle change, consistent stance in FM Wang's message to US

Global Times

By Cao Siqi and Fan Anqi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/6 22:48:40 Last Updated: 2020/8/6 23:58:58

Unexpected turn of ties may not be ruled out before the US election

As the US is trapped in political turmoil and its diplomacy seemingly has entered an anarchic state manifested by its wanton and crazy assaults against China, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi vowed to cool off tensions and set out a clear framework for bilateral relations, showing that China will always maintain rational and strategic willpower in discourse while preparing for any bumps in the road ahead.

"Avoid confrontation, keep the channels open for candid dialogue, reject decoupling and stand up to shared responsibilities," Wang said in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday, drawing a clear-cut framework needed for the China-US relationship.

"China is ready to restart the dialogue mechanisms with the US side at any level, in any area and at any time. All issues can be put on the table for discussion," he noted.

Compared with previous conversations with foreign officials in recent months in which Wang showed a hard line approach toward the US and called on countries to "resist" unilateral and hegemonic acts, the subtle change in rhetoric highlighted China's consistent stance: It has no intention of escalating tensions with the US and is willing to cool down the situation.

China would not forgo a stable, mutually beneficial relationship even amid the recent destructive moves by the Trump administration, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The framework has provided a guideline and set a positive tone for the long-term development of China-US relations, proposing a Chinese plan to resolve the setbacks in the relationship, he said.

China refuses to decouple with the US and will not only establish closer ties with the US, but also with the world. Those who follow the global trend toward development and progress will take the upper hand and gain more support, he added.

Wang's conciliatory tone was interpreted by some people as a kind of compromise in intensifying disputes as they believed China is more concerned about the deteriorating trend. However, Chinese observers stressed that on the contrary, it demonstrated that China has recognized the true face of the Trump administration, which has been provoking anger and fear among Americans by portraying China as an external threat to cover up their incompetence.

"China does not want to become 'crazy' like the US. No matter how many 'bricks' the US has and plans to throw at China, China will remain rational and restrained," said Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. "But China has prepared for the worst of the worst."

The current China-US frictions have been described by many Western media outlets as a downward spiral toward the lowest point, while Wang said it is "the most complicated situation" since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Diao Daming, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, said it implies a potential turning point between the two countries as long as China and the US are willing to engage in peaceful dialogue.

China has shown a clear attitude toward the world. While the US unilaterally shut its door for dialogue, China insists on solving issues with an open, honest mentality. It sent a message to US politicians: China is not interested nor will it interfere in US internal affairs. China's attitude toward the US will never change despite the rotation of ruling parties, Diao stressed.

Facts have proven that China-US cooperation has never been a case of one giving favor to the other, or one taking advantage of the other. Both countries have benefited much from this cooperation as statistics show that China-US business ties support 2.6 million jobs in the US. Trade with China helps each American family save $850 every year. Over 70,000 American businesses have made investments in China with a total sales volume of $700 billion. Among them, 97% are making a profit.

Even with the trade friction and COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of US companies in China still want to stay and are doubling down on investment in China.

Unexpected moves

Given that Trump's only goal in the next three months is to win the election, observers pointed out that he is expected to use all possible means, be it to exert extreme pressure on China or to create unexpected opportunities to ease tensions with China's top leaders.

But no matter what path he chooses, "he only aims to portray an image to his supporters, that is, only he in the US, can manage relations with China," Lu noted.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of International Relations and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the School of International Studies, suggested that China could negotiate with the US on certain major issues such as the South China Sea and the Taiwan question, because a comprehensive improvement in bilateral ties is unlikely in the near future.

In the interview, Wang Yi said that China is willing to conduct various forms of communication and dialogue with the US at all levels.

The upcoming review of the progress of the phase one trade deal has been widely considered as a valuable communication channel for both sides.

Analysts believed that meetings or communication between high-level military and diplomatic officials from both sides may be under consideration. Speculation is also surfacing over whether the top leaders of the two sides will have a phone call that has occurred several times before at critical moments.

But Shi said such communication should not be overly anticipated. "It is impossible for Trump to make any sincere commitment," Shi warned. "If the US does not show enough sincerity, telephone diplomacy may be able to solve certain partial problems within a period of time, but in the long run, bilateral relations will still suffer more damage due to the US' breach of trust."

It is commonly recognized that current relationship between China and the US is extremely abnormal and the two sides need to create more opportunities to communicate. In fact, there has always been a lot of deft diplomacy between China and the US since 1970s. Even in the worst of times, both sides have been able to make such contact and release information.

Under such special circumstance, the meeting between Shanghai mayor Gong Zheng and the US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad on Thursday, is believed to release such information.

In the meeting, Gong reaffirmed the city's ambition to continue open up. As China's largest economic center and front window to opening-up policies, Shanghai remains a significant bridge toward China-US economic and trade ties and holds frequent exchanges with San Francisco and other sister cities, Gong said.

Chinese analysts urged the Trump administration, or the next administration, to abandon its fantasy of remodeling China to US needs and resume dialogue mechanisms at all levels in all fields.

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Remains of 286 Jewish Holocaust victims uncovered in 2 basements in Ukraine

By Marcy Oster

(JTA)  The remains of 286 Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust were found in two basements in a town in southwest Ukraine.

The remains, mostly women and children, will be buried in a mass grave in the ancient Jewish cemetery in Sataniv, Ynet reported.

The town had an organized Jewish community for about 500 years before the Nazis captured it in 1941 and began systematically killing its Jews, according to the Yad Vashem website.

On May 15, 1942, Nazi troops and Ukrainian military police locke...
Googles Pixel 4a isnt an expensive device at right around $350 but UAG wants to help you protect it with a new case anyway. More directly, thats with a new UAG Scout Series Google Pixel 4a Case. Thats available in just one color, a crisp black to match the tones of the Pixel 4a itself.

Of course, that includes screen protection via raised edges and easy access to the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. But this UAG case brings a lot to the table for what is arguably the best Pixel handset to-date.

This Google Pixel 4a case offers the protection you want

The UAG Scout Series case for Google Pixel 4a is a minimalist case in terms of aesthetics. It isnt going to add a ton of bulk and its got a grippy in-hand feel to help prevent users from dropping the phone, to begin with.

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Simultaneously, this case has a smooth, lightweight design thats meant to really protect the phone from drops. In fact, it meets or exceeds Military standards via MIL-STD 810G  516.6 for drops. That means it can survive repeated drops from above pocket-height onto surfaces like concrete. And so will the phone thats housed inside. And thats all thanks to UAGs use of a soft, impact-resistant inner core for this TPU case.

UAG also backs that up with a 1-Year Warranty, just in case.

Other features that make this phone case are its support for secondary wireless technologies and its grooved tactile buttons. The latter feature ensures users can easily find and recognize the buttons. Although the former feature will be most impactful. While the new budget-minded Pixel gadget doesnt support wireless charging, it does support NFC tap-and-pay features. And those will work through this particular UAG case without issue, the company says.

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So there wont be any need to take the case off and put it back on when those types of transactions are needed.

Pricing is on-point here

Now, the cost of this case is decidedly on-point too, given how budget-friendly the freshly-announced phone itself is. UAG is only charging $29.95 for the Scout Series case for the Pixel 4a. And shipping is, of course, free for most buyers around the world.
Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria

Chandigarh: Tightening noose around the illegal miners in the state, Punjab Mining and Geology Department has registered as many as 201 cases against 189 persons involved in illegal mining activities in the last three months- May to July, 2020.

A total 299 vehicles and machines being used for illegal mining have also been seized across the state in the past three months.

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Sukhbinder Singh SarkariaDivulging the details Punjab Mining and Geology Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria said that Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has already ordered stringent action against those indulging in illegal mining in the state.

Sarkaria said that vehicles used for mining material must have a slip of mining department. All those vehicles that did not have the mining department slip to carry mining material were being seized and legal action was being taken against them.

Notably, Mining department issues slip for vehicles to carry mining material from approved sites.

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Instructing Mining department officials to deal strictly with miners and vehicle owners indulging in the illegal practice, Sarkaria said that illegal mining had led to heavy losses to the state exchequer and needed to be checked on priority.

Punjab governmentThe minister also warned that strict action would also be taken against those owners on whose land the illegal practice was being done. He directed that the vehicles used for illegal mining must also be confiscated.

Sarkaria categorically said no political interference would be tolerated at all. Punjab Government was fully committed to provide sand-gravels to the people of state at reasonable prices and for this purpose, the mining sites have been allocated through e-auction, he added.

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Besides, confiscating tractor-trolleys, tippers or other vehicles carrying mining material illegally, Chief Engineer Mining S.K. Gupta said that a legal action has also been initiated against the land owner, whose land was being used for the illegal practice. Miners and the landowners are equally responsible for the illegal practice.

Giving breakups about the action taken by the department, he said that a total of 201 cases of illegal mining were registered against 189 persons in the past three months- May to July in this year.

Sukhbinder Singh SarkariaIn the last three months, the highest number of illegal mining cases had been registered from Ludhiana, SBS Nagar, Hoshiarpur and Ropar.

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He said that 37 cases were registered in Ludhiana district, 29 in Hoshiarpur, 37 in SBS Nagar and 25 in Ropar.

Similarly, 22 tractor-trolleys, 6 tippers and 2 JCB machines were seized in Ludhiana district, 29 tractor-trolleys, 40 tippers and 2 JCB machines were seized in SBS Nagar and 30 tractor-trolleys, 7 tippers/trucks and 2 JCB machines were seized in Hoshiarpur district.
PhD Doctor Le Quoc Phuong, former deputy director for the Information Centre for Industry and Trade, under the Ministry of Trade, talks on key requirements in trade development in mountainous areas and islands.

Le Quoc Phuong.

What are the achievements of the Governments programme on trade development in mountainous and islands from 2015-2020 in accordance with the Prime Ministers Decision No. 964/Q/TTg?

The Party and Government have adopted quite many policies on socio-economic development in mountainous and remote regions, including islands, aiming to improve the livelihoods of people living there.

One of the policies is the programme to improve commercial infrastructure for people living in mountainous regions and islands in accordance with the Prime Ministers Decision N.964.

The life cycle of the decision is five years, from 2015- 2020 with a total investment budget of VND446 billion (US$19.4 million). That investment budget comes from both private and public funding, including from the State and the local budget.

The project has been implemented in 287 districts from 48 provinces in mountainous and remote regions, including islands.

One of the key objectives of the project is to increase the circulation of goods and services in the mountainous regions and islands to 10-12 per cent.

Another important objective of the project is to improve local traditional markets while opening more markets to facilitate goods circulation for people living in mountainous areas and islands. Last, but not least, the programme will help mountainous regions and islands to circulate their local products to people nationwide.

What are the challenges in developing infrastructure in remote and mountainous regions as well as islands?

The infrastructure in these regions is still very poor.

Investment in the commercial infrastructure in mountainous or in remote areas has mainly focused on electricity, roads, schools, primary healthcare stations and others. One of the reasons is that investment comes mainly from the State budget. So, in my opinion, the Government should adopt a special mechanism and policies for mountainous regions and islands, with policies on taxes, land, credit and more.

Recently, e-commerce has developed very fast and has changed the shopping behaviour. Do you think such a change will have positive impacts on the development of traditional markets?

No doubt about that. In the context of COVID-19, e-commerce has developed in many countries. Yet in Vietnam, due to its culture and economic history, traditional markets have remained important in many rural and remote areas and regions now and will remain so in the future.

Not only in Vietnam, but traditional markets have also existed and developed in many Asian countries.

In quite a few localities, new markets have been built, yet some of them are deserted. Why is this?

A key reason leading to such a problem is their investors have not paid due attention to an overall assessment report on the site of the market.

The other reason is that the living conditions of people living in the areas are still poor so no doubt, traders will not go to such a market to sell their goods.

Last but not least, some localities have built big markets, yet the goods sold in the market are not to the taste of locals.

Do you have any comments on market development in mountainous areas and islands?

A very important objective of a market development plan is that it will facilitate goods exchange among people living next to the market and it is in line with the future development of that locality.

To have good planning, the first thing we need is to improve goods exchange among people living in that locality. Of course, for the planning of commercial infrastructure and the market, we need to think carefully about the high or low demand of local people. Market planning must be in conformity with the future development of the region.

And finally, in the course of developing the plan, it is a must to consult with both public and private enterprises and have a sufficient land area to build the supporting infrastructure and the market itself. VNS

National Assembly approves nearly $6bn in funding to aid development of ethnic minority groups The National Assembly has approved $5.97 billion in funding for the implementation of the first phase of the national target programme on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas from 2021-2030.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 10:34:28|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Australian scientists said on Friday that they had made a breakthrough that could lead to the development of treatments for drug-resistant malaria.

In a study published on Friday, researchers from Australian National University (ANU) found that PfCRT, a protein that is largely responsible for drug resistance in Plasmodium parasites which cause malaria, can be inhibited.

Rowena Martin and Sarah Shafik, the lead authors of the study, said that the evolution of drug-resistant Plasmodium parasites was a major threat to the control and elimination of malaria.

"For 20 years, researchers around the world have been trying to understand the function of PfCRT and why it is essential for parasite survival. We have succeeded in answering these long-standing questions," Martin said in a media release.

"Knowing how PfCRT functions will help develop drugs that block it."

"In addition to killing the parasite outright, these drugs could be used in combination therapies to nullify the multidrug resistance caused by PfCRT and thereby restore the activities of existing drugs."

"We are now also in a position to understand the causes and constraints that are dictating the evolution of PfCRT in different parts of the world where malaria is of concern," Martin said.

According to the latest world malaria report, which was published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in December 2019, there were estimated 228 million cases of malaria around the world and 405,000 deaths in 2018. Approximately 93 percent of the cases and 94 percent of the deaths were in Africa.

"There is a real need to identify new drug targets for malaria, as well as to learn more about the parasite's biology and the proteins responsible for multidrug resistance," Shafik said. Enditem
TekLink International Inc., a respected leader in Cloud Platforms, Business and Financial Planning Solutions, and Data Analytics, was recently recognized by Microsoft as one of the few industry solution partners to achieve Gold Status in Microsofts partner program for both Microsoft Azure and Data Analytics platform.

More and more companies are seeking ways to leverage their massive data sets for better insights and to assist in making quicker and effective decisions. To do this, they need a cost-effective platform and modern data visualization tools. The Microsoft Azure platform including Microsofts Power BI allows our clients to structure large amounts of data in a self-service reporting environment. Regular employees can now access data and create visualizations of their results quicker without IT and in a cost-effective manner. TekLink has invested in this important BI space due to the significant demands from the CIOs we communicate with on a regular basis, said Douglas Heck, Senior Vice President of TekLink International Inc.

TekLink is headquartered just outside of Chicago in Warrenville, Illinois with other locations across the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

TekLink was also recognized as a Silver partner for its efforts in Application Development and Data Center. TekLinks Cloud practice also includes a technical service for on-premise to cloud migration or cloud to cloud migrations. TekLink is also equipped to handle the design and support of a companys cloud infra-structure, security and data integration.

Our membership as a Microsoft Gold Partner in the Partner Network is very important as a growing number of companies select an affordable option to create data lakes and self-service options for their ERP data such as SAP Analytics on Azure or NetSuite Analytics on Azure, said Sandeep Khare, TekLinks Cloud Analytics and Big Data Practice Director. Additionally, we are observing our clients and prospects are leveraging Microsofts Azure technology for its strong machine learning, data science and ability to host massive IoT data sets cost effectively. The uniqueness of Microsoft Azure allows corporations to analyze and host their large data sets at a significant savings over current on-premise options.

TekLink will showcase a variety of Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI use cases and client solutions at TekLinks upcoming TekLink Innovation Day Event (TIDE) to be held on October 6th, 2020.

For additional details and registration to the TIDE event, please contact TekLink at cloudanalytics@teklink.com. You can also reach out to TekLink by calling Seth Rudin at 512-672-9713.

About TekLink:

TekLink International, Inc. headquartered in Warrenville, Illinois, is a leading implementer and thought leader offering services in support of Microsoft, Anaplan and SAP solutions to many Fortune 500 companies, public agencies, and universities. Founded in 2003, TekLink specializes in services in support of business intelligence, planning, analytics, and data warehousing. TekLink has international offices in Asia, Europe, and North America. TekLinks implementation services enable enterprises to harness the power of Business Intelligence, Cloud Analytics, and Business Planning and Forecasting across an organization providing invaluable insights in order to drive critical business decisions across many lines of business. TekLinks track record of over 1,400+ projects underscores its commitment to excellence in technology and consulting services

To learn more, visit us at: http://www.teklink.com/

Microsoft and other Microsoft products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft, Inc. Please visit http://www.microsoft.com.

All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.
Hundreds of thousands of bikers were expected to descend on the small town of Sturgis, South Dakota, for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, beginning on Friday, August 7, local media reported.

The rally draws motorcyclists from across the nation, usually averaging an attendance of 450,000 visitors. The coronavirus pandemic was expected to lessen attendance this year, with city officials expecting about 250,000 people, local media reported.

The festival runs from August 7 until August 16. City officials told local media that attendees were recommended to wear masks and sanitation measures have been heightened.

Gov Kristi Noem said on Thursday that South Dakota is in a good spot in our fight against COVID-19, adding that she is excited for visitors to come to the state for the rally.

This footage, provided by the City of Sturgis, shows bikers gathering in Sturgis on Friday. Credit: City of Sturgis via Storyful
A Chinese court on Friday sentenced a Canadian citizen to death on drug-related charges, the second Canadian to receive the death penalty in as many days, and the fourth from the country to be given capital punishment since Ottawa detained a top executive of the Chinese company, Huawei, in 2018.

The Foshan Intermediate Peoples Court in South Chinas Guangdong province handed out the death sentence to Ye Jianhui, a Canadian citizen, for manufacturing and transporting drugs, state media reported.

The case goes back to 2016 when Ye was found to have worked with others to produce and transport drugs including MDMA.

Yes accomplice, Lu Hanchang, was sentenced to death on the same charge, the state-run Global Times reported, adding that four other members of the gang received sentences of up to life imprisonment.

On Thursday, a court in the southern city of Guangzhou sentenced a Canadian citizen, Xu Weihong, to death for producing drugs.

Xu was sentenced to death for manufacturing ketamine, a tranquilizing drug for humans and animals on Thursday

Asked on Friday about Yes sentencing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China is a country under the rule of law and relevant judicial organs handle the case independently in strict accordance with the law.

The new convictions come at a time when ties between China and Canada are strained over the case of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies, who was arrested in the Canadian city of Vancouver in late 2018, on a warrant from the US.

Commenting on Mengs arrest, spokesperson Wang said on Friday that her detention was a serious political incident and again called for her release.

Regarding China-Canada relations, China is not responsible for the difficulties that the current China-Canada relationship is facing, Wang said.

The Canadian side knows very well the crux of the problem.

Beijing has said that the US and Canada have abused their bilateral extradition treaty to arbitrarily take compulsory measures against a Chinese citizen without cause.

In January 2019, a Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was given the death sentence in the north-eastern city of Dalian after the judge had changed his original 15-year jail sentence.

Schellenberg, then 36, was detained in 2014 on suspicion of smuggling crystal meth from China to Australia.

Three months later, in April 2019, Fan Wei, another Canadian was sentenced to death in the southern city of Jiangmen.

Beijing has also formally charged two Canadians, ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, with spying since bilateral diplomatic hostilities began.

China has denied that their arrests were linked to Mengs case.
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 07, 2020 | 04:13 PM | CALVERT CITY

On Thursday, Beshear announced the approval of five project loans from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) totaling $7,230,900 for wastewater and sewer system improvements in Bardstown, Dawson Springs, Lewisburg, Whitesburg, and Calvert City.







Calvert City will be receiving a $2,908,500 loan for the wastewater treatment plant, influent lift station, and plant improvements project. City leaders plan to use the loan to rehabilitate their existing system, improving disinfection, aeration, and mixing systems.



"Every city and county in Kentucky should have reliable wastewater and sewer systems," said Gov. Beshear. "I'm glad these five cities can make necessary updates and provide more reliable service to their communities."







Once the project is completed, they will be able to provide a better, more reliable service for approximately 1,700 homes.





Governor Andy Beshear has announced that Calvert City will be receiving funds for their wastewater treatment plant.
Zelensky during his latest phone talks Putin had initiated a discussion on the release of 22 Crimean Tatars.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak says Russia received a list for the swap of Crimean Tatars illegally held in the temporarily occupied peninsula.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his latest conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin had initiated a discussion on the release of 22 Crimean Tatars, who were being illegally held in occupied Crimea, the President's Office reports.

"The list has already been transferred to the Russian side. And we expect this issue will also be resolved," Yermak said as he traveled along with the president on a working trip to Donbas.

Read alsoUkraine reaffirms readiness for 'all-for-all' swap of detainees in Donbas

In addition, the official reiterated Zelensky had requested the release of Crimean Tatar Ruslan Suleimanov, whose toddler son had tragically died recently.

Background

On July 26, 2020, Zelensky held a phone conversation with Putin.

During the phone call, the two leaders discussed the implementation of the agreements reached during the Normandy summit in Paris on December 9, 2019.
Cory Watson Attorneys is proud to announce that firm co-founder and principal attorney Leila H. Watson was recognized as one of the Birmingham Business Journals 2020 Whos Who in Law. The annual list features key leaders in Birminghams legal world.

The Whos Who in Law list recognizes the work of accomplished Birmingham-area lawyers across a wide range of practice areas and firms. The annual list features key leaders in Birminghams legal world.

Leila Watson has dedicated her life to helping people through the law. As a co-founder and principal of Cory Watson Attorneys, she has practiced with Ernest Cory for more than 38 years. She has provided unparalleled counsel to her clients and great servant leadership to the firm.

As an attorney, Ms. Watson is truly dedicated to her profession. While she has led precedent-setting cases and is known for her legal skills and passion for studying the law, she has also dedicated her time to bring lasting change through community service here in Birmingham, Alabama.

She is widely recognized among the legal community, serving as President of the Bar Association in 2017 and earning nationwide recognition from Best Lawyers as a 2018 Birmingham Lawyer of the Year.

On behalf of our thousands of clients in Alabama, Tennessee, and nationwide, the attorneys and staff at Cory Watson Attorneys congratulate Leila H. Watson for this well-deserved recognition.

About Cory Watson Attorneys

Cory Watson Attorneys is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm with offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis, and Nashville, Tennessee. The firm has recovered more than $3 Billion for clients across the country. Cory Watson Attorneys are frequently at the forefront of major class actions and multidistrict litigations involving dangerous pharmaceuticals and product liability, and are often appointed to leadership positions in national cases. Firm practice areas include Personal Injury, Product Liability, Class Action, Asbestos, Business & Commercial Litigation, Dangerous Pharmaceuticals, Defective Medical Devices, and Environmental/Toxic Torts.
Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week?
The International Monetary Fund is considering ways to assist Lebanon, but also calling for the heavily indebted country to enact sweeping economic reforms, the lenders managing director said.

The IMF is exploring all possible ways to support the people of Lebanon, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement. It is essential to overcome the impasse in the discussions on critical reforms and put in place a meaningful program to turn around the economy and build accountability and trust in the future of the country.

The small Mediterranean country defaulted on its sovereign debt for the first time in its history in March, and in May entered into talks with the IMF on a government recovery plan. But to unlock the initial billions in aid, lenders have demanded a series of painful economic and anti-corruption reforms.

The United States and some other foreign donors have accused Hezbollah of obstructing attempts at government reform. The Shiite political faction holds sway in Lebanons government and parliament, but is also deemed a terrorist organization by Washington for its militant activities.

The Beirut explosion, which left hundreds of thousands homeless and caused billions of dollars in damage, came as Lebanon was already dealing with its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Amid soaring inflation and widespread unemployment, the Lebanese pound has lost nearly 80% of its value since October. The World Bank predicted in November that 50% of people could slip below the poverty line if the situation worsened.
A woman stands in front of a crowd of protesters after they allegedly threw white paint on her: (Portland Police - Twitter)

Protesters in Portland allegedly threw white paint over a woman, as demonstrators clashed with police for a third consecutive day.

On Friday, following two days of protests marred by vandalism, more than 200 people clashed with police, as two other Black Lives Matter protests marched peacefully through the city.

As the peaceful demonstrations took place, a separate group gathered at a park in east Portland and marched to the local precinct.

Authorities said that when they arrived the protesters had spray painted the building, popped the tyres of police cars, thrown paint on the wall and started a fire in a barrel outside the precinct.

The Portland Bureau of Police said that a woman who was attempting to stop the violence was then confronted by the group and had white paint thrown over her.

While the woman was surrounded by demonstrators, one protester then apparently attempted to wrap her in yellow police tape as she argued with others in the crowd.

This unknown woman using a walker was confronted by the group currently outside East Precinct and paint was strewn all over her. pic.twitter.com/k1cCVMbNht  Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) August 7, 2020

Another woman, who was using a walker, was also captured on video confronting protesters and was seen attempting to put out the fire, as a demonstrator stood in her way.

Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place in Portland for the last two months, following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.

Mr Floyds death sparked protests in every state in the US in opposition to police brutality against African Americans, and protesters in Portland have called for reform of the citys police department.

Last month, the Trump administration deployed federal agents to the city, after the federal courthouse had become a target of nightly violence.

Story continues

The move was criticised by mayor Ted Wheeler, who told the demonstrators: We dont want them here, and added: We demand that the federal government stop occupying our city.

Mr Wheeler called for violence to stop on Thursday after after some demonstrators started a fire outside the Police Bureaus East Precinct building.

Speaking at a virtual press conference, the mayor criticised the protesters who started the fire and said he will not tolerate similar actions during future demonstrations.

When you commit arson with an accelerant in an attempt to burn down a building that is occupied by people who you have intentionally trapped inside, you are not demonstrating, you are attempting to commit murder, Mr Wheeler said.

The mayor added: I believe that city staff could have died last night. I cannot and I will not tolerate that. This is not peaceful protests. This is not advocacy to advance reforms.

Portland police have arrested more than 400 people at protests since late May, while the federal agents arrested an additional 94 people during protests at the courthouse last month.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.

Read more

Portland mayor accuses protesters of attempting to commit murder
For Turkey's Christians, the country's decision to reconvert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque represents yet another blow to their already marginalized community, according to Politico.

The move didn't come as a surprise to Minas Vasiliadis, the owner of Istanbul's only Greek-language newspaper, Apoyevmatini. "The issue of Hagia Sophia is not something new," he noted. "It was brought up often by officials as well as with articles in the newspapers. But at the end, it always disappeared."

Turkey's Christians took a more cautious approach, with few speaking out. The Armenian patriarch of Istanbul, for example, in June backed the reopening of the Hagia Sophia for worshipthough he suggested giving both Christians and Muslims a space to pray.

Vasiliadis, too, chose his words with care. There is a vibe [among] the majority of the people who applaud this decision [to reconvert the Hagia Sophia] that makes the Christians who live in the city be extra careful on what they say, so they won't be misunderstood," he said.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, warned ahead of Turkey's decision that the conversion would "turn millions of Christians from around the world against Islam."

Yet Christians in Turkey fear the opposite is more likely.

There is an Islamist and nationalist atmosphere that makes it uncomfortable for Christians in Turkey. I fear this [conversion] might cause tensions, although today is not harder than it was a hundred years ago," said Yetvart Danzikyan, the editor-in-chief of Istanbul's Armenian newspaper Agos.

The Hagia Sophia decision, he said, was only the latest "step of nationalism" by Turkey's conservative government.

In 1914, Christians still made up some 20 percent of the population of what today is Turkey, but a series of massacres, deportations and pogroms in the first half of the 20th centuryincluding the 1915 Armenian genocide, in which as many as 1.5 million are thought to have died, and the 1923 Greek-Turkish population exchangesaw their numbers decline sharply. (Ankara denies that a genocide took place, Politico recalls.

Today, there are believed to be just around 100,000 left in the country of 82 million, among them Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Syriac Christians, as well as Catholic and Protestant communities.

"I think that the Orthodox community are the only ones who disagree," said Emre Celik, a 34-year-old activist who has organized protests in favor of reopening the Hagia Sophia as a mosque for the past few years, "but generally the other Christians dont pay much attention on this issue and see it as an internal issue of Turkey. It is not possible to make everybody happy with a decision."

Danzikyan, the editor, disagreed.

I always [saw] Hagia Sophia as world heritage; I always thought that this belongs to all the world, not only Christians or Muslims, he said. I feel pain that we lost this world heritage."
Bhopal, Aug 7 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan suspended an assistant sub-inspector and a head constable for assaulting Sikh who ran a small shop near a police post at Rajapur in Barwani district.

The state government woke up to the incident after the Union Minister for Food Processing and Industries Harsimrat Kaur tweeted the video of the incident.

A viral video of the incident shows Prem Singh being dragged by policemen in full public view and a cop pulling him by his hair. It also shows another policeman pushing a turbaned man, who comes to save Singh.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath also tweeted on the matter, "In MP's Barwani, police beat up a Sikh man, Prem Singh Granthi, who runs a small shop close to police chowki and also removed his turban. Police also beat him up mercilessly pulling him by hair." Chouhan said in a tweet that assistant sub-inspector Sitaram Yadav and head constable Mohan Jamre have been suspended with immediate effect.

Chouhan said, "Such barbarism and erratic behaviour won't be tolerated at any cost. The guilty will be punished for the misdeeds." Chouhan has also ordered a probe into the matter.

The incident threatened to turn into an inter-state dispute with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal taking to Twitter to condemn the incident.

"Too shocking for words! The barbaric and humiliating attack on Giani Prem Singh Granthi & other Sikhs in Madhya Pradesh is utterly inhuman and unacceptable. I urge CM@ChouhanShivraj to set an example of punitive action against those who treat the sword of the nation with such contempt," Badal tweeted.

Barwani district Superintendent of Police Nimish Agrawal said a probe by a sub-divisional police officer has been ordered into the incident, which took place on Thursday.

Prem Singh said he runs a small shop close to the police 'chowki' and deals in old locks and keys. But Agrawal claimed Prem Singh was inebriated and created ruckus when he was asked to show his driving licence during a checking drive.
Credit: Ben Yexley

Painting eyes on the rumps of livestock can protect them from attacks by lions in landscapes where they coexist, a joint study from UNSW Sydney, Taronga Conservation Society Australia and Botswana Predator Conservation shows.

In a paper published today in the journal Communications Biology, scientists present their method, which they suggest as a more humane alternative to using lethal control, and a more ecologically sound alternative to using fencing to separate livestock from carnivores.

They describe how they painted eyes on the backsides of a select number of cattle in the Okavango delta region in Botswana where livestock rub shoulders with lions, leopards, spotted hyaenas, cheetahs and African wild dogs. They theorized that because predators rely on being undetected by their prey for a successful attack, they could perhaps trick lions into thinking they had lost this advantage and ultimately to give up on the hunt.

"Lions are ambush predators that rely on stalking, and therefore the element of surprise, so being seen by their prey can lead to them abandoning the hunt," says joint UNSW Science and Taronga Western Plains Zoo researcher Dr. Neil Jordan.

"We tested whether we could hack into this response to reduce livestock losses, potentially protecting lions and livelihoods at the same time."

UNSW Ph.D. student Cameron Radford worked with farmers in the Okavango delta region to paint cattle in 14 herds that had recently suffered lion attacks. They painted one-third of each herd with an artificial eyespot design on the rump, one-third with simple cross-marks and left the rest of the herd unmarked.

Normally cattle herds (ranging from about six to 110 individual cattle) are kept in predator-proof enclosures overnight, but generally graze unattended for most of the day, when the vast majority of attacks from lions and other predators occur.

The researchers found that cattle painted with artificial eyespots were significantly more likely to survive than unpainted or cross-painted control cattle within the same herd. In fact, no painted 'eye-cows' at all were killed by ambush predators during the four-year study, while 15 unpainted and four cross-painted cattle were killed.

"While these results do support our initial hunch that creating the perception that the predator had been seen by the prey would lead it to abandon the huntthe detection hypothesisthere were also some surprises," Dr. Jordan says.

"Cattle marked with simple crosses were significantly more likely to survive than were un-marked cattle from the same herd. Although eye-marked cattle were more likely to survive than the other groups, this general 'conspicuousness' effect suggests that novel cross-marks were better than no marks at all, which was unexpected."

From a theoretical perspective, these results interested the researchers. Although eye patterns are common in many animal groups, notably butterflies, fishes, molluscs, amphibians, and birds, no mammals are known to have natural eye-shaped patterns that deter predation.

"To our knowledge, our research is the first-time eyespots have been shown to deter large mammalian predators," Cameron Radford says. "Previous work on mammal responses to eye patterns has generally supported the detection hypothesis. We think this may suggest the presence of an inherent response to eyes that could be exploited to modify behavior in practical situationssuch as to prevent human-wildlife conflicts, and reduce criminal activity in humans."

In addition to the science, the researchers have also produced practical guides to the "eye-cow" technique in both English and Setswana. While they are hopeful that farmers will take up this simple tool, they stress that it is important for potential users to understand the potential limitations in its use, and choose for themselves.

As Dr. Jordan explains, "First, in our experimental design, there were always unmarked cattle in the herd. So it is unclear whether painting would still be effective if these proverbial 'sacrificial lambs' were not still on the menu. Further research could uncover this, but in the meantime applying artificial marks to the highest-value individuals within the herd may be most pragmatic."

Another consideration is habituation, meaning that predators may get used to, and eventually ignore, the deterrent.

"This is a fundamental issue for nearly all non-lethal approaches, and whether the technique remains effective in the longer-term is not yet known in this case. Habituation may be a key issue where resident carnivores frequently encounter 'eye-cows', but in many areas, carnivores may be simply passing through, and habituation is less of a concern there."

Dr. Jordan adds that in these cases, incorporating this technique into existing practices may contribute to providing carnivores with safe passage during dispersal or during occasional forays from adjacent protected areas.

"Protecting livestock from wild carnivoresand carnivores themselvesis an important and complex issue that likely requires the application of a suite of tools, including practical and social interventions. The eye-cow technique is one of a number of tools that can prevent carnivore-livestock conflictno single tool is likely to be a silver bullet. Indeed we need to do much better than a silver bullet if we are to ensure the successful coexistence of livestock and large carnivores. But we're hoping this simple, low-cost, non-lethal approach could reduce the costs of coexistence for those farmers bearing the brunt," Dr. Jordan says.

Explore further Tracking lions and protecting cattle from attack

More information: Cameron Radford et al. Artificial eyespots on cattle reduce predation by large carnivores, Communications Biology (2020). Journal information: Communications Biology Cameron Radford et al. Artificial eyespots on cattle reduce predation by large carnivores,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01156-0
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, has been accused of sending a hit squad to Canada to hunt down and kill a former top-ranking Saudi intelligence official.

Saad al-Jabri, a veteran figure in the Saudi government, was the alleged target of the assassination plot, according to a lawsuit filed in a US court on Thursday.

Mr Jabri was a long-time aide to Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was ousted as heir to the throne in a 2017 palace coup.

He fled to Canada at the time, via Turkey, and has been under private security protection in Toronto ever since.

In the 107-page lawsuit filed against Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, Mr Jabri said the crown prince dispatched a hit squad to Canada in October 2018.

Recommended UK selling spyware and wiretaps to 17 repressive regimes

(A) team of Saudi nationals travelled across the Atlantic Ocean from Saudi Arabia ... with the intention of killing Dr Saad, said the lawsuit, which seeks punitive damages in an amount to be determined at trial.

Mr Jabri says he was targeted due to damning information he possesses, including details on alleged corruption and a group of mercenaries, called the Tiger Squad, who have been linked to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Few places hold more sensitive, humiliating and damning information about defendant bin Salman than the mind and memory of Dr Saad  except perhaps the recordings Dr Saad made in anticipation of his killing, the lawsuit says.

That is why defendant bin Salman wants him dead, and why defendant bin Salman has worked to achieve that objective over the last three years.

The hit squad sent to kill Mr Jabri comprised of members of the Tiger Squad, and were carrying two bags of forensic tools when they were stopped by Canadian border agents, the lawsuit added.

It says the men attempted to enter Canada covertly, travelling on tourist visas and pretending not to know each other. Suspicious border agents found a photo showing several of the men together, revealing their lie and thwarting their mission.

The alleged incident took place less than two weeks after Mr Khashoggis murder in Saudi Arabias Istanbul consulate.

MBS allegedly made repeated efforts to return Mr Jabri to Saudi Arabia (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Jabri claims MBS has made repeated efforts to return him to Saudi Arabia, even sending private messages, including one that read: We shall certainly reach you.

His family say that the Crown Prince has detained two of his adult children and his brother to try to force his return.

Mr Jabri, who served as a key go-between for MI6 and other western spy agencies in Saudi Arabia, said he filed the lawsuit in the US in part because the alleged plot against him involved substantial conduct inside the United States.

Canadas federal minister of public safety Bill Blair said he could not comment on the case but said the government was aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada.

It is completely unacceptable, he added.

The Saudi government could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
After Mumbai, water cuts will also be imposed in some areas in Thane, as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which supplied water to Thane city has imposed 20% cuts on Thane as well. BMC supplies 65MLD (million litre per day) water to Thane city, and will get 13MLD less water once the water cut is implemented. This will lead to low pressure water supply in some of the areas.

The corporation said that a complete shutdown will be imposed once or twice a week depending on the water levels in the dams in the coming few weeks. BMC imposed 20% water cut in Mumbai after the water level in the seven lakes was not on par with the levels every year.

An official from the water department of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) said, We will receive 13MLD less water supply from BMC as per their letter. As of now, we are not imposing a complete shutdown. The available water will be distributed evenly. There will be water cuts only if water levels in the lakes do not increase and there is further water cut. Areas such as Naupada and Old Market will receive low pressure supply for some days of the week.

The low pressure supply will also affect residents of Kopri, Panchpakhadi, Gaondevi, Jambli Naka, Kharkar Ali, Station Road, Louis Wadi, Ambika Nagar and Hajuri.

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Sold: The properties on 30-33 Molesworth Street house Savills Ireland, Maples Group and the Clerkin Lynch law firm

PROPERTY investor Henderson Park has sold a second high-end Dublin office it acquired as part of last year's takeover of stock market listed Green Reit.

It is understood that the buyer, Frankfurt-based real estate fund KanAm Grund, paid 60m to acquire 30-33 Molesworth Street - the German firm's biggest purchase yet in the Irish capital.

The Georgian-era property close to Leinster House has tenants including the real estate advisors Savills Ireland, financial advisors Maples Group and Elkstone, and the Clerkin Lynch law firm. It neighbours Buswells Hotel.

The deal follows last week's 94m sale of 2 Burlington Road by Henderson Park to another German fund, KGAL Investment Management. That property houses the headquarters of EBS Building Society.

The 30-33 Molesworth Street property comprises 5,300 square metres of space spread across two Georgian buildings and two buildings redeveloped and refurbished by Green Reit in 2018.

The sale leaves three Dublin properties still for sale from Henderson Park's 2019 takeover of Green Reit, known as the Capital Collection: 5 Harcourt Road, Fitzwilliam Hall and One Molesworth Street, home to the Banking Payments Federation of Ireland.

Henderson Park CEO Nick Weber said the sale to KanAm "underscores international confidence in the Irish commercial property market and in Ireland's long-term economic prospects".

"Ireland remains a key investment market for Henderson Park and we now have a proven and experienced team and a permanent operating presence in Dublin," he said. "We expect to generate further liquidity from the remaining assets within the Capital Collection and to use proceeds to invest in our Irish development pipeline."

London-based Henderson Park entered the Irish property market in July 2019 by acquiring Heuston South Quarter in Dublin. It bought Green Reit five months later for 1.34bn.

KanAm manages property worldwide worth more than 8bn and likewise entered the Irish market only in the past year.

In October it paid more than 20m for the newly built Wythe Building, a six-storey office block in Dublin 2 that already was fully leased.

In February, KanAm paid 35m for an eight-storey office block on Upper Hatch Street in Dublin city centre occupied by Deloitte and tax advisers firm H&R Block.

KanAm previously advised South Korean investors on their 106.5m purchase of No 2 Dublin Landings on North Wall Quay in 2018 from Sean Mulryan's Ballymore Group. That building's principal tenant is WeWork.

German real estate investment funds also have become increasingly prominent players in the 'build to rent' space for high-end apartment developments here.

Last month, German fund Real IS paid 46m to buy Ropemaker Place, a 56-unit boutique apartment complex in Dublin 2 being built by Pat Crean's Marlet Group.

In November, Real IS paid 55m to Glenveagh Properties for an 87-unit apartment development, Herbert Hill, near Dundrum Shopping Centre. As part of that deal, Real IS agreed to lease those units for social housing to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council at rates averaging 2,000 to 3,000 per unit.

Stock market listed Green Reit was sold for 1.34bn.
Egypts first Senate election will be held next week. Polls for Egyptians abroad will be held on 8 and 9 August, and at home on 11 and 12 August.



The National Elections Authority (NEA) announced on Sunday that 787 candidates will contest the election.



This is the final number once appeals filed by rejected candidates were settled by courts on Sunday, said NEAs head Lasheen Ibrahim.



One hundred of these will contest the party list seats, and the remaining 687 will run the individual seats, said NEA.



Campaigning began on 26 July and continues to 8 August.



Candidates are prohibited from raising religious slogans or using mosques and churches for campaigning.



Campaigning will be limited to posters of candidates in streets and public squares, but will otherwise take place mainly online, said Ibrahim.



Candidates can use caravan cars and loudspeakers to promote themselves in their districts, and hold personal meetings with voters and canvass door-to-door, but due to the coronavirus pandemic no public rallies are allowed.



Sixty-three million voters are eligible to vote in the Senate poll.



There will be 17,000 polling stations, said Ibrahim. Each polling station will have a ballot box for the party list seats and another for individual seats, and each station will be supervised by a judge.



Minister of Local Administration Mahmoud Shaarawi announced that thousands of local council employees will help judges supervise polling stations and ensure that voters observe social distancing measures.



Political analysts expect the Mostaqbal Watan Party (Nations Future Party) to triumph in the Senate elections.



The final list of the Senate election candidates released by the NEA on 26 July revealed that the National Unified List, led by the Mostaqbal Watan Party, will run unopposed for the 100 seats reserved for party lists in the 300-member chamber.



With 59 candidates, Mostaqbal Watan dominates the 11 parties running under the National Unified List umbrella. The other 10 political parties on the Unified List will field just 41 candidates between them. Two other party coalitions, Ittihad and Long Live Egypt, were expected to vie for the 100 party list seats but their candidacy papers were rejected by the NEA.



Mostaqbal Watan also dominates in individual seats. The party, which has a majority in the House of Representatives, is fielding the largest number of individual candidates, with 95 members contesting 100 individual seats. Coming a distant second is the Wafd Party, with 20 candidates.



The Senate will comprise 300 seats, one-third elected via the individual candidacy system, a third through closed party lists, and a final third to be named by the president. The Senate law stipulates that at least 10 per cent of seats be reserved for women. Members sit for a five-year term.



Al-Ahram political analyst Amr Hashem Rabie told Al-Ahram Weekly that the final list of candidates released by the NEA guarantees Mostaqbal Watan will win 59 out of the 100 seats allocated to party lists unopposed.



Article 25 of the Senate law, however, stipulates that if a party list runs unopposed, it is required to win at least five per cent of the vote in order to be declared the winner, says Rabie. If it fails to meet the threshold a re-election will be held.



Founded in 2014, Mostaqbal Watan quickly became the majority party in the House of Representatives. Funded by businessmen who support President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisis economic and security policies, the party gained 53 seats (nine per cent) in the House of Representatives elections in 2015, but by 2019 its ranks in parliament had been swollen by 200 defectors from other political parties.



Mohamed Shawki, the legal representative of Mostaqbal Watan, told reporters this week that the Mostaqbal Watan-led National Unified List should have little difficulty garnering five per cent of the vote.



The number of registered voters in Egypt is estimated at 63 million, which means we need around three million votes to win unopposed, he said.



We will not hold public rallies due to the coronavirus, but we will use loudspeakers and caravan cars to promote the list, said Shawki.



The National Unified List is comprised of 11 parties: the Mostaqbal Watan (59 candidates), the Peoples Republican (10 candidates), the Guardians of the Nation (10 candidates), the Wafd (eight candidates), the National Movement (two candidates), the Reform and Development (three candidates), the Tagammu (two candidates), the Conference (one candidate), Egyptian Freedom (one candidate), Egyptian Social Democratic (three candidates), and Modern Egypt (one candidate).



The list includes the Mostaqbal Watan Partys leader, former chairman of the Supreme Constitutional Court Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek, who is expected to become chairman of the Senate; the deputy chairman of the party Hossam Al-Khouli; Wafd Party Deputy Chairman Yasser Al-Hodeibi; Wafd Assistant Secretary-General Tarek Al-Tohami; editor of the Tagammu Partys mouthpiece Al-Ahali Amina Al-Naqash; Deputy Editor of the weekly Al-Osbou Mahmoud Bakri; Chairman of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party Farid Zahran, and steel tycoon Ahmed Abu Hashima.



The competition for the 100 party list seats will take place in four districts, two with 15 seats each and two with 30 seats each. The four districts are: Cairo and Middle Delta (35 seats); East Delta (15 seats); Alexandria and the West Delta (15 seats); and North, Middle and South Upper Egypt (35 seats).



Competition in next weeks Senate election will be confined to the 100 individual seats up for grabs of which 95 will be contested by Mostaqbal Watan candidates.



Without any significant competition, Mostaqbal Watan is set to dominate the poll. The Senate election is a one-horse race, says Rabie.



I expect Mostaqbal Watan to win 80 or 85 per cent of the Senates contested seats. It will win 60 per cent of the party list seats and at least 20 per cent of the individual seats.



Rabie warned voter turnout next week could be very low. When people know that there is no significant competition, that the results are a foregone conclusion, they may well choose to stay at home.



Mostaqbal Watan Deputy Chairman Hossam Al-Khouli has a different take on the poll. I expect the next Senate to include representatives from a diversity of political forces, he says. With 24 political parties fielding 687 candidates for the 100 individual seats there will be stiff competition.



It is now very clear that Mostaqbal Watan is extremely well-resourced, says Rabie, which has allowed it to turn in a short period of time into a kind of a ruling party.



Rabie notes the partys candidates include many businessmen working in banking, the stock market, and contracting.



These are wealthy individuals seeking Senate seats to gain political prestige and acquire parliamentary immunity, says Rabie.



Rabie hopes that the 100 Senate members named by President Al-Sisi will include high-profile figures in different fields so the chamber at least contributes to revivifying political life.



We also hope that in time the Senate will acquire greater supervisory and legislative powers, he says.



Al-Khouli argues the Senate election will move political life forward.



The Mostaqbal Watan-led list includes candidates from across the political spectrum in Egypt, says Al-Khouli. There are candidates from the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, moderate leftist parties like the Tagammu, radical liberal parties like the Guardians of the Nation, and moderate liberal ones like the Wafd.



This will ensure that the Senate includes representatives from political parties with diverse platforms and ideologies, and this is good for democracy.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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As school districts ponder the risks and rewards of having kids returns to the classroom in the middle of a pandemic, St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal School in Nassau Bay hopes to find its own answer by keeping things small.

The private, nonprofit school, which has students in prekindergarten through fifth grade, began welcoming staff on campus Aug. 3 in preparation for students to begin in-person classes on Aug. 18.

In pre-COVID 19 days, St. Thomas, 18300 Upper Bay Road, accommodated fewer than 100 people in the building at one time; so it already has a size advantage of being able to better control its environment.

As head of the school, Colin ONeal believes St. Thomas can function with its own customized precautions and curriculum, even as the pandemic continues to spread in Houston and surrounding communities.

Our size is one of the main reasons our community feels comfortable coming back, ONeal said. We will have fewer humans in the building than a much larger school, private or public.

The school, which as a 16-member teaching staff, is preparing with the basic Centers for Disease Control recommendations in place, such as face mask requirements for students in grades 1-5 and face shields for all teachers.

Parents wont be allowed in building

More Information St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal School What: Founded in 1966, St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal School is a nonprofit private school for Pre-K through fifth grade. The school accepts applications for enrollment throughout the year. Where: 18300 Upper Bay Road, Nassau Bay More information: https://stesnb.org/; 281-333-1340 See More Collapse

Parents will drop off students at the start of class and pick them up after school and will not be allowed into the building.

About 10 percent of the schools students have chosen to study virtually and will not come to the campus, ONeal said.

A massive, customized hand-washing station installed on the playground, where hoses will be used to wash equipment every 30 minutes, and children will be given socially distanced recess breaks where they can temporarily remove face masks.

The school plans to install ultraviolet light filters for its temperature-control units.

Pre-K children will not be required to wear face masks, ONeal said. However, pre-K classrooms will be divided into two connecting spaces to allow for greater social distancing.

There will be personnel assigned to meet the needs of those students with underlying health conditions.Rather than modeling St. Thomas on other schools, ONeal said he and a committee of parents with backgrounds in health and science used other examples as a template, like the YMCA, which has continued to hold summer programs throughout the pandemic without significant outbreaks, or childcare facilities that cater to children of essential workers.

Under normal circumstances, the school has 12 students in each classroom but is usually able to accommodate additional ones. Starting Aug. 18, the number of students per classroom will be capped at 12. The schools fifth grade, which rarely exceeds a dozen students during an ordinary school year, will be limited to the six who are currently enrolled.

Teachers will teach one group of students throughout the day, minimizing student interaction.

St. Thomas is also implementing the novel coronavirus into its curriculum.

Were going to teach them about the science of how things spread, like how the microparticles circulate in a room and how much of that particulate leaves your mouth when you cough, when you talk loudly or sing, ONeal said. When kids know why theyre having to do something, and understand that rationale, theyre going to make that commitment to do it. Its not an abstract concept, its about keeping each other safe. Were going to lead with that to make them mindful that this is real.

The students will rise to the challenge, I have faith in the kids, ONeal said. I think a lot of people underestimate kids and their ingenuity in adapting.

According to ONeal, the small St. Thomas community of parents and staff hasnt experienced the partisan, politicized debate over face masks, which will make it easier to give students to embrace that new reality.

When I look at international models that have had a culture of mask-wearing, it means that this is something that kids can learn, and thats exactly what my teachers do best  they teach kids how to do things they havent done before or that is challenging for them, he said.

Some teachers have retired

As the head of school, Im trying to do everything I can to make sure that my teachers feel comfortable returning to the classroom because I know thats a really big source of anxiety for educators, ONeal said.

The risks were too great for some.

According to ONeal, several members of the St. Thomas teaching staff chose early retirement over coming back to school during the pandemic.

COVID 19 remains an unpredictable variable, with health and science experts still in the learning stages of how it is transmitted or how it can be contained; and questions reman on its effects on young children.

A teachers worries

The schools music and art teacher, Michaela Ingram, has seen her own role shift. Singing in class will no longer be an option, and Ingram wont have her own space for art lessons as the school makes room for social distancing. Students wont be sharing art supplies, so the school will have to provide students with their own equipment.

But while the school works around those challenges, Ingram, who is also a parent, is torn between the need to work and the risks involved in going to back to class.

I have children with disabilities and with allergies and asthma, she said. I'm concerned about bringing things home to them, and I'm concerned about them going to school and picking up the virus. But they have to go to school so I can go to work. And I have to go to work to support my family.

Obligation to each other to make this work

ONeal admits he would feel less confident to start an in-person classroom if he was an administrator or educator at a public school with larger enrollment and more confined space.

It would be a different set of challenges, he said. Youre dealing with more human beings in a building, and I feel their challenge.

As a smaller school with private funds, ONeal said St. Thomas can make investments for extra, possible safeguards against COVID 19 such as the UV lights or the oversized hand washing station.

ONeal said he also listens to his staff.

I hear their concerns, ONeal said.

ONeal admits that he is placing a lot of faith in the St. Thomas community.

I think at the end of the day, I have to trust parents  this is a time we can choose to draw our lines in the sand, or where we come together, he said. Its blessing to have this small building, but we all have an obligation to each other to make this work.

yorozco@hcnonline.com
Juan Tang. (U.S. Department of Justice)

A federal grand jury in Sacramento has charged that a cancer researcher at UC Davis committed visa fraud when she concealed her alleged membership in the Chinese military in seeking permission to live and study in the United States.

The indictment returned Thursday also alleges that the researcher, Juan Tang, lied to the FBI.

Tang is among several Chinese nationals charged in U.S. courts in recent months, accused of concealing their alleged affiliations with the Chinese military and other government institutions in seeking research positions at several of the United States eminent universities, including Stanford and UC San Francisco.

Tangs attorney, Alexandra Negin, said in an email that her client would enter a not-guilty plea Monday. She raised concern that Tang, who remains in custody, cannot exercise her right to a speedy trial because jury trials have been postponed during the coronavirus pandemic.

This is truly a situation where a person who is presumed innocent is being punished before she even has a chance to have her case heard by a jury, Negin said.

Federal prosecutors in Sacramento persuaded a judge to order Tang detained, citing her lack of ties to the United States and alleged links to the Chinese government, whose consulate and intelligence officials could spirit her out of the country and beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement.

Tang, 37, applied for a J-1 visa in October 2019 to conduct cancer treatment-method research at UC Davis, Heiko P. Coppola, an assistant U.S. attorney, wrote in court papers. On the application, she said no to a series of questions asking if she had ever served in the military, if she belonged to any communist parties and if she had any special chemical or biological experience.

The FBIs investigation determined Tangs answers to these questions was false, Coppola wrote. When agents searched her apartment in Davis in June, they found pictures of her wearing a military uniform, a video of her giving a salute in uniform, and Chinese military documents that showed she was researching antidotes for biological agents, he wrote.

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After the agents left, taking with them Tangs passport and other items, she went to the Chinese consulate in San Francisco to seek help, Negin, her attorney, wrote in a memo.

Tang remained in the building for a month, prompting a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutors office in Sacramento to declare that the consulate was harboring a fugitive from justice.

When Tang learned of the charges, she was in hysterics and taken to a hospital, her attorney wrote in court papers. Agents tailed Tang to the hospital and arrested her after she was treated and discharged. She has been detained ever since.

Negin contended that much of the evidence federal authorities have cited as proof of Tang's clandestine military affiliation, including photographs of her in uniform, lend themselves to many innocent explanations.

Tang may have attended a prestigious medical school that is run by the military in China, Negin wrote, but that does not mean that she was in the military.

Negin added: Tang may have given certain responses because she didnt understand how the questions were phrased, or other potential cultural misunderstandings."
British Airways said on Friday it was making progress with its plan to cut 12,000 jobs to help it shrink as a result of the pandemic, with more than 6,000 employees deciding to take voluntary redundancy. The airline, which is owned by IAG, will send out letters to its remaining staff on Friday to tell them whether they still have a job or not, and if they do, whether they will be required to accept a new contract or stay on their old one.

The pandemic has hit air travel hard and British Airways says demand won't recover for years. It is currently only flying about 20% of its schedule and burning through 20 million pounds per day. "We are having to make difficult decisions and take every possible action now to protect as many jobs as possible," a spokesman for BA said.

But trade union Unite, which represents cabin crew, argues that the airline has gone too far with the cuts it is proposing. It has accused BA of trying to bring in big pay reductions for staff that it will keep on and has organised protests against the airline, tried to drum up political support for its cause and threatened strike action.

While Unite says the pay cuts are as much as 70%, British Airways says some cabin crew would receive a pay rise, while others would see a 20% reduction in basic pay. British Airways, which had 42,000 staff at the beginning of the pandemic, has already agreed a jobs deal with pilots union BALPA for a pay cut of about 20% and some compulsory job cuts estimated around 270.

The letters being sent out by the airline on Friday to its cabin crew, engineers, airports staff and others follow a selection process.

Also read: COVID-19 pandemic: Lufthansa reports loss of $1.77 billion in Q2, foresees no recovery till 2024
WASHINGTON - The U.S. on Friday imposed sanctions on Hong Kong officials, including the pro-China leader of the government, accusing them of co-operating with Beijings effort to undermine autonomy and crack down on freedom in the former British colony.

The sanctions are the latest in a string of actions the Trump administration has taken targeting China as tensions between the two nations rise over trade, COVID-19 and other issues. President Donald Trumps offensive against China comes as he assigns full blame to Beijing for the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., deflecting criticism of his own handling of the pandemic that threatens his re-election.

The Treasury Department announced sanctions on Carrie Lam, the leader of the government in Hong Kong, and 10 other officials. The sanctions were authorized by an executive order that Trump signed recently to levy penalties against China for its efforts to curtail anti-government protesters in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong has long enjoyed civil liberties not seen in mainland China because it is governed under a one country, two systems principle in place since it reverted to Chinese rule in 1997.

However, Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong earlier this year, raising widespread concerns about the Chinese government cracking down on the anti-government protests.

The recent imposition of draconian national security legislation on Hong Kong has not only undermined Hong Kongs autonomy, it has also infringed on the rights of people in Hong Kong, the Treasury Department said in a statement.

Treasury said the new law has allowed authorities in mainland China to operate with impunity in Hong Kong, has mandated national security education in Hong Kong schools, undermined the rule of law and laid the groundwork to censor individuals and outlets deemed unfriendly to China.

The U.S. said Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, is directly responsible for implementing Beijings policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes. Last year, Lam pushed to allow citizens to be extradited to the mainland, setting off massive opposition demonstrations in Hong Kong, according to Treasury.

Hong Kong Commerce Secretary Edward Yau called the sanctions unreasonable and barbarous and said they would harm U.S. interests in the city, an Asian financial and shipping hub.

One of the sanctioned officials, the head of the central governments liaison office in Hong Kong, said being included on the list shows that he has done what he should for his country.

I dont have a penny of assets abroad. Isnt it in vain to impose sanctions? Of course, I can also send 100 U.S. dollars to Mr. Trump for freezing, Luo Huining said in a statement on the offices website.

Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., a member of the Senate intelligence committee, called Lam Beijings hatchet woman.

He said she has worked with the Chinese Communist Party to kill Hong Kongs autonomy and gut the rule of law. These cowards betrayed the freedom-loving people of Hong Kong and deserve to pay a steep price, he said.

Also sanctioned was Chris Tang, the commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force, for allegedly coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning individuals under the new security law, and the former police commissioner, Stephen Lo.

Fridays action blocks all property or other assets that the individuals have within U.S. jurisdiction.

The remaining officials sanctioned were:

John Lee Ka-chiu, secretary for security in Hong Kong who has introduced a new police unit that will have intelligence gathering and investigative abilities, to enforce the new security law.

Teresa Cheng, secretary of justice.

Erick Tsang, secretary of constitutional and mainland affairs.

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao affairs office; and deputy director Zhang Xiaoming.

Zheng Yanxiong, director of a new office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong

Eric Chan, secretary general of the committee for safeguarding national security

The Chinese Communist Party has made clear that Hong Kong will never again enjoy the high degree of autonomy that Beijing itself promised to the Hong Kong people and the United Kingdom for 50 years, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. President Trump has made clear that the United States will therefore treat Hong Kong as one country, one system, and take action against individuals who have crushed the Hong Kong peoples freedoms.

On Thursday, Trump ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of the consumer apps TikTok and WeChat. The Trump administration has expressed concern that Chinese social media services could provide American users personal information to Chinese Communist authorities.

TikTok, a company owned by Beijing-headquartered ByteDance Ltd. that has 100 million users in the United States and hundreds of millions worldwide, said it doesnt store American user data in China, has not given information to Beijing or censored content at the Chinese governments request. WeChat denied comment.

The Trump administration already was embroiled in a tariff war with Beijing over Chinas technology ambitions. Washington has blocked acquisitions of some U.S. assets by Chinese buyers and, due to security concerns, has cut off most access to American components and other technology for Huawei Technologies Ltd., a maker of smartphones and network equipment that is Chinas first global tech brand.
GoFundMe

A 29-year-old man died after attempting to rescue three children from a California river, and a GoFundMe is hoping to raise funds to send his body back to his family in India.

Manjeet Singh was with his brother-in-law at Kings River in Reedley on Wednesday evening when he noticed three children being overtaken by the river's current, according to KFSN.

Singh  who had just completed his first day of truck driving school hours earlier  rushed into the water to help them, and drowned during his efforts.

"He went in to try to help them," Reedley Police Commander Marc Ediger told the news station. "[He] unfortunately went under pretty quickly and never came back up."

Two of the children eventually made it back to shore, while an 8-year-old girl spent 15 minutes underwater before being rescued. She is currently on life support at a local hospital, KFSN reported.

"I think the kids waded out too far and started being carried by the current under the bridge," Ediger told the station.

A witness to the incident told CBS affiliate KGPE that he helped pull one of the three children to safety.

RELATED: Two Teens Die While Trying to Save 5-Year-Old Girl From Texas River: 'True Heroes'

"I [saw] the girls yelling, and I know they were playing, but they were going under the bridge already, so I came running down the bridge, and I [saw] them get one girl out, and I was trying to catch up to the other little girl," said the witness, who did not provide his name.

It took rescue personnel more than half an hour to locate Singh and retrieve him from Kings River, KFSN reported. His body was found next to brush a short distance from shore.

A GoFundMe was set up on Friday morning to raise money to send Singh's body to India, where his family lives and from where he reportedly moved to the U.S. two years ago.

It has since raised over $11,000 toward its $31,000 goal.

RELATED: 3 Americans from 2 Families Drown While Their Daughters Reportedly Survive in Turks and Caicos

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"[Singh] saw the children being [pulled] by the current and jumped in to save them... [and] lost his life trying to save the children," a description on the donation page reads.

"He was the breadwinner of his family. His family lives in India," the description continues. "His parents are elders and he came to the United States to help them financially and live the American Dream. May Waheguru Ji Bless you All! Together, let's pray for MR. SINGH of Fresno....OUR HERO."

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Husband Helplessly Watched Wife Drown in Hurricane Dorian Floodwaters

Howard Armstrong escaped his home in the Bahamas with only the clothes on his back as Hurricane Dorian battered the area

According to KFSN, the parents of the hospitalized 8-year-old girl are trying to fly her siblings from Mexico to California to say their goodbyes.

The tragic accident comes just days after 18-year-old Jaerson Alvarez and 17-year-old Wilmer Alexi Rodriguez were killed while trying to rescue a 5-year-old girl from Trinity River in Texas. The girl was eventually rescued, but her 25-year-old father suffered injuries and was airlifted to a Houston trauma center.
A vengeful ex who helped mastermind an 'horrific' home invasion on her former boyfriend which saw him tied up, beaten and stabbed has been jailed for eight years.

Marie Thompson, 46, organised a visit to her last partner on the pretence of having a drink but during her stay opened the door and let in two armed and masked attackers, one of whom was her current love interest.

Newcastle Crown Court heard heard during the savage violence, Thompson was 'simply standing watching', as the victim was threatened with 'torture', doused in alcohol so attempts could be made to set him on fire and was left unconscious in a pool of blood.

Over 7,000 in jewellery, including high value watches and chains, and cash was taken during the raid, as well as a cheque for 19,400, which was never cashed.

Marie Thompson, 46, from Rugby, Warks, who helped mastermind an attack on her ex

In text messages she sent before the attack, Thompson told a pal she 'hoped he still had something to rob', 'I dread to think what they are going to do to him' and 'he deserves what was coming to him'.

Thompson, of St. Mark's Court, Rugby, Warwickshire, admitted conspiracy to rob on the basis she participated in the plan to rob, that would inevitably involve some violence being inflicted but the 'extreme' nature of what happened went beyond what she had foreseen.

Mr Recorder Anthony Kenrick has now sentenced her to eight years behind bars and said the attack was 'horrific'.

The judge told her: 'When he left the room you unlocked the door and let in the two men.

'What followed was a horrific and very prolonged robbery where weapons were produced and used.

'Significant injuries were caused to him.'

The court heard an initial attempt to carry out the attack plot a week before the violence in July 2017 had to be abandoned as the victim had visitors, including children, at his house.

Marie Thompson, 46, was jailed for eight years at Newcastle Crown Court today

On July 26 Thompson arranged to go to the victim's house in Newcastle for a drink.

Prosecutor Lee Fish told the court: 'She arrived about 9.30pm and at the time there was a mutual friend at the house.

'After the friend left, he locked the front door and went to the toilet.

'It appears at this stage the defendant opened the door and allowed in the men.

'He came downstairs and was attacked by both men.

'The defendant was in the living room. Both of the men had knives and he sustained cuts to his hands as he used his arms to try and defend himself.

'He was stabbed in the leg and stomach, they threatened to kill him if he didn't co-operate.

Newcastle Crown Court, where the case was heard and Thompson pleaded guilty

'They tied his hands behind his back and asked him where the money was and the jewellery.

'They threatened to torture him. He described they seemed to know about a gold chain he previously owned.

'They started looking around. He told them he had 230 in his wallet.

'The defendant was in the living room throughout, he describes her simply standing watching.

'He was losing a lot of blood and pretended to pass out.'

The court heard it was at that point Thompson started to tell the attackers to leave him alone.

But Mr Fish said: 'Despite the fact he was completely still, one of the men was standing on his hands and they tied his feet and linked it to a rope around his hands.

'He was kicked as one of the men shouted 'speak'.'

The court heard the victim told the attackers to 'take whatever they liked' and they snatched two chains from around his neck and took his wallet, containing 230, which he gave them.

Mr Fish added: 'He was covered in blood and the men poured whiskey and vodka onto him and said 'light him up before we go'.

'He recalls one of the men trying to set him on fire.

'The lighter they were trying to use didn't work, or they didn't manage, despite their best efforts.'

The court heard Thompson wrote down the victim's pin number, which he gave them before they left.

On their way out, the attackers said they were going to kidnap Thompson and left the house.

The victim then managed to get outside and summon help.

Police found him 'unconscious in a pool of blood' when they arrived. The victim was taken to hospital for surgery to the knife wounds and still suffers the effects of the attack three years later.

In a victim statement, he said he needed over 60 stitches and has been left with post traumatic stress.

He added: 'It is still affecting me.'

Tony Hawks, defending, said Thompson had a terrible childhood, has mental health problems, poor physical health and has been 'manipulated' by the men in her life.

Mr Hawks added: 'She never anticipated the degree of violence that the men dished out.

'She is credited with saying to leave him alone.'

The court heard one of the alleged attackers, who was Thompson's current partner, is believed to have fled to Jamaica and a warrant has been issued for his arrest
The stickers contain a SIM card with details of the vehicles data, allowing authorities to track violations and monitor traffic

Related Egypt instructs vehicle owners to get new electronic registration stickers Egypt introduces electronic sticker system to monitor traffic violations Egypt's interior ministry has called on owners of all vehicles with number plates to go to traffic administration bureaus nationwide to obtain the required electronic registration stickers before the deadline on 20 October.

The stickers, which are fixed to windshields, include a SIM card that holds the vehicle's data, allowing authorities to track violations, licence expiration and traffic congestion. The data can be read by special infrared devices at traffic lights and by traffic officers on the streets.

The sticker system was launched by the General Directorate of Traffic in June last year with the aim of making it easier to register all vehicles in a single database. The stickers cost up to EGP 50 and will have to be replaced if lost.

The stickers will also allow car owners to make electronic payments for tolls, parking fees or fines, after receiving messages on their mobile phones.

Legal measures will be taken against those who fail to get their stickers by the deadline, the interior ministry said.

The move is part of a broader drive to tighten traffic regulations and adjust traffic services in Egypt, a country notorious for frequent deadly car accidents that are partially attributed to lax traffic laws.

Egypt has allocated billions of pounds to developing and expanding road networks in recent years.

In 2017, the government passed a new comprehensive traffic law to crack down on violators and enhance safety and security through introducing jail terms and hefty fines for traffic offenses. The draft law is being discussed in the House of Representatives.

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On March 20, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered California residents to shelter in place to control the spread of COVID-19. That same week, Katie Lowes, who played a brash, fearless security operative known as the Molotov Mistress on ABCs Scandal, found out she was pregnant with her second kid. Talk about what one could euphemistically call unfortunate timing. I didnt announce earlier because I was so petrified, says Lowes, who shared her news on Instagram and is in her second trimester. The first week of quarantine my nanny tested positive for COVID and I tested positive for pregnancy.

Lowes, who hosts the parenting podcast Katies Crib, and actor husband Adam Shapiro are already the parents of Albee Lowes, whos 2. And Lowes, whos been candid about her struggles after giving birth the first time  it took her nearly three months to truly connect with her newborn, something that goes against societys relentless fetishization of pregnancy and maternal bonding  is better prepared this time around should she experience the same levels of PPD. Shes not thrilled about going into a hospital as cases surge, but shes also clinging to the positives: Its also an amazing reminder that life moves forward. My job has been to stay as calm and chill as possible. I have more than myself to think about.

Lowes takes to Fatherly about being pregnant during a global pandemic, how her husband is stepping up whenever he can, and how they worked together to build a post-birth plan.

Welp, Katie, thats some news there.

Were very excited. Its been a crazy quarantine. We got pregnant I think probably March 8. That week everything changed within a 48 hour period. We count our blessings. The whole world had shut down. If we had waited I dont know what we would have done it. I feel very lucky that its my second. The first time around would be so scary. When I go to the doctor, its the best day of the week. I get to talk to another adult thats not my husband. Could we sit here for two hours and order in food? The world keeps spinning because of this epic change.

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First things first. Does Albee know?

He does know. Hes thrilled. He really likes the attention. He goes around to anyone on socially distant walks screaming, Im going to be an older brother. We told him last week. Im almost six months.

We got pregnant about a week before quarantine started. Had I known that this was what the world was going to look like, Im not sure we would have. Im really glad we did now. The beginning was super scary.

This is an understatement, to say the least, but it must be pretty scary to be pregnant right now.

Its been so stressful to be pregnant because youre so worried about getting sick. The legit concerns about being pregnant during COVID are real and they know very little. Until I got the 20 week scan, which is a very intense scan, I was holding the pregnancy close to my chest. Now were out. Im due end of November.

Couple that with the fact that the first time, it took you a long time to bond with Albee. Your husband joked that youd escape and fly to Europe, back when things like flying to Europe were an actual option. What are you doing differently this time around?

Instead of saying, I got it this time around  I checked all that and said, Lets get the village. You can always change it. Lets hire someone for the first two weeks and Im thankfully in a position of privilege where I can do that. And lets figure out how to get my mom out here safely. Part of you feels like Ive done it before. The other part of me worries that I could react worse than the first time. Its completely unknown. I dont know how I will feel when I bring this baby home. I could fall in love at first sight and feel elated. But theres also the chance that postpartum depression could be worse the second time around.

Everyone makes a birth plan. Nobody makes a post-birth plan. The post birth-plan is how you take care of yourself and your relationship. Im making sure I have the support I need.

And hes much more attuned to whats going on this time.

For sure. We talk very openly how shitty it was for me with my hormones and my chemistry the first time around. Hes very well aware and knows the signs to look for. If, after the first three weeks after birth, if I dont look like the woman you recognize, its time to go into go mode.

How do you and Adam support each other as parents?

We had heard very early on how important it is to always be a united front in front of our toddler. Whoever feels stronger about something in the moment will take the lead. If we dont agree on it  were always a united front in front of our kid. Were really good at telling the other one when one of us needs a break. Ive hit my limit. Your turn.

Because were both actors, weve been home, and weve been together for 14 years  quarantine isnt a huge adjustment for us. Were both emotional, over-dramatic actors. Communication, were good at that. We overly communicate.

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The post Scandal Badass Katie Lowes Talks About Getting Pregnant During the Pandemic appeared first on Fatherly.
MIAMI (AP)  United States prosecutors charged a former Guatemala economy minister Wednesday in a purported money laundering conspiracy that allegedly took drug proceeds and converted them into bribes for corrupt politicians.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida alleges that Acisclo Valladares Urruela helped to launder nearly $10 million in ill-gotten money between 2014 and 2018. His alleged co-conspirators included a drug trafficker, a corrupt politician and a back employee.

Valladares Urruela regularly received backpacks, duffel bags, and brief cases full of dirty, untraceable cash that he knew came from drug trafficking and corruption and used it to bribe Guatemalan politicians, according to the complaint affidavit.

At least two Miami companies helped move the money to South America, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a statement.

Valladares is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Valladares served in the administration of former President Jimmy Morales. He is considered a fugitive in Guatemala, where prosecutors have accused him of money laundering and illegal association. He lost his immunity Jan. 14 when Morales left office.

His father, Acisclo Valladares Molina, is Guatemalas ambassador to the United Kingdom. He said via Twitter on Wednesday that the accusations have nothing to do with his son's performance as economy minister or any state funds. He dismissed the claims as a subtle revenge by drug traffickers against the elder Valladares.
Democrats, who had earlier said they would be willing to lower their spending demands to $2 trillion from $3.4 trillion, said the White House needed to return with a higher overall price tag, after Mr. Trumps negotiators declined to accept that offer. Republicans have proposed a $1 trillion plan.

The House is Democratic, they need a majority of Democratic votes in the Senate, said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, emerging with Speaker Nancy Pelosi after the meeting. Meet us in the middle  for Gods sake, please  for the sake of America, meet us in the middle.

Mr. Mnuchin and Mr. Meadows demanded that Democrats agree to lower the amount of aid for state and local governments, and provide more specifics about how they were proposing to revive lapsed unemployment benefits.

Theres both a top-line issue but also policy issues, Mr. Mnuchin said after the meeting, which lasted more than an hour in Ms. Pelosis office. I dont want to speculate as to whether there is an agreement or not. We will continue to try to get an agreement thats in the best interest of the people, and thats why were here.

While the executive orders have not yet been finalized, Mr. Meadows said it was likely that action would come over the weekend.

This is not a perfect answer  well be the first ones to say that, he said. But it is all that we can do and all the president can do within the confines of his executive power, and were going to encourage him to do it.

The American economy gained 1.8 million jobs last month, even as the coronavirus surged in many parts of the country and renewed restrictions caused some businesses to close for a second time.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County must rehire a jail supervisor fired in 2016 after he used excessive force twice in two days, an appeals court has ruled.

A three-judge panel of 8th District Court of Appeals judges overturned a Common Pleas Court judges ruling that the county was right to fire Brendan Johnson after the two incidents in May 2016. The county also suspended Johnson in 2015 for using excessive force on an inmate.

Administrative Judge Eileen T. Gallagher, Judge Mary Boyle and Judge Sean Gallagher held that an arbitrators 2018 decision finding the firing was excessive did not explicitly contradict any Ohio policies or laws.

The court reinstated the arbitrators decision, which required the county to hire Johnson back at his rank of corporal, restore his seniority rank and accrued sick days and give him an extra 80 hours of paid vacation that he would have earned had he been working. The arbitrator did not grant Johnson any back pay and ordered him to undergo extensive use-of-force training before being reinstated.

The county could ask the full court to review the decision or appeal the decision to the Ohio Supreme Court. Spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan said officials are still considering their next steps.

The decision is the latest step in the years-long legal battle over Johnsons employment that also included an Ohio Court of Claims judge ordering the county to release body camera videos of both incidents after cleveland.com sued to force their release.

The videos show in the May 8, 2016 incident, Johnson responded to a cell after an inmate flooded her toilet. She refused to tell Johnson why she did it and told him she didnt want to talk to him, the video showed.

Johnson then immediately sprayed pepper foam into her face twice, and said I told you Id get you, the videos showed.

He then forced the inmate to the ground in her flooded cell and handcuffed her. The inmate never physically resisted Johnson during the 90-second interaction.

Two days later, a female corrections officer called for backup after a woman in the jails mental health unit passively resisted orders to remove her street clothes and put on a jail uniform, according to court records.

Johnson responded and ordered the woman back into her cell. Video of the incident shows he put his hand on her back and pushed her into the cell, then told her to take off her clothes. The woman asked Johnson if he wanted to see her naked and began taunting him, the video shows. She called him a pedophile and danced as she took her clothes off, the video shows.

The woman bent over to remove her pants and Johnson kicked her legs out from underneath her. She fell to the ground, and Johnson sprayed her with the pepper foam as she lay on the floor, the video shows.

The woman continued singing, saying "abuse of power."

Johnson and five other jail guards put the woman in a wheeled restraint chair, removed the rest of her clothes, threw a blanket over her and wheeled her to a sink to rinse the toxins from her eyes. The woman started crying.

The county fired Johnson in June 2017, finding he used excessive force in both incidents. The United Autoworkers Union, which represents corporals in the jail, took the decision to arbitration.

The union argued that Johnsons firing was an excessive leap from the three-day suspension he received in 2015 after an inmate accused Johnson of dragging him across a room, jerking him up by the arm and pinning him against a wall.

The arbitrator, Robert Stein, found that Johnson used excessive force in both instances, but excused Johnsons actions in the first incident because the woman had a history of resisting orders. Stein wrote that Johnsons claim in the second incident that the woman bumped him before he took her to the ground lacked credibility and was contradicted by the body camera video.

The union argued that Johnsons firing was an excessive leap from the three-day suspension he received in 2015 for the same type of infraction.

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NEW DELHI - At least 17 people were killed and 123 injured when a special return flight for Indians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus skidded off a hilltop runway and cracked in two while landing Friday in heavy rain in the southern state of Kerala, police said.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW DELHI - At least 17 people were killed and 123 injured when a special return flight for Indians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus skidded off a hilltop runway and cracked in two while landing Friday in heavy rain in the southern state of Kerala, police said.

Among the injured, at least 15 were in critical condition, said Abdul Karim, a senior Kerala state police officer. Rescue operations were over, he said.

The dead included both pilots of the Air India Express flight, the airline said in a statement, adding that the four cabin crew members were safe.

The 2-year-old Boeing 737-800 flew from Dubai to Kozhikode, also called Calicut, in Kerala, Indias southernmost state, the airline said. There were 174 adult passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew on board.

Kozhikode's 2,850-meter (9,350-foot) runway is on a flat hilltop with deep gorges on either side ending in a 34-meter (112-foot) drop.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri said in a statement that the flight overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down the slope, breaking into two pieces upon impact.

A similar tragedy was narrowly avoided at the same airport a year ago, when an Air India Express flight suffered a tail strike upon landing. None of the 180 passengers of that flight was injured.

An inquiry will be conducted by the ministrys Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

One of the persons injured after an Air India Express flight skidded off a runway while landing at the Kozhikode airport is brought for treatment to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo)

The airport's runway end safety area was expanded in 2018 to accommodate wide-body aircraft.

The runway end safety area meets United Nations international civil aviation requirements, but the U.N. agency recommends a buffer that is 150 metres (492 feet) longer than what exists at Kozhikode airport, according to Harro Ranter, chief executive of the Aviation Safety Network online database.

Dubai-based aviation consultant Mark Martin said that while it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, annual monsoon conditions appeared to be a factor.

One of the persons injured after an Air India Express flight skidded off a runway while landing at the Kozhikode airport is brought for treatment to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo)

Low visibility, wet runway, low cloud base, all leading to very poor braking action is what looks like led to where we are at the moment with this crash, Martin said, calling for the European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to assist with the Indian government's investigation.

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The Air India Express flight was part of the Indian government's special repatriation mission to bring Indian citizens back to the country, officials said. All of the passengers were returning from the Gulf region, authorities said. Regular commercial flights have been halted in India because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode, and that he had spoken to Keralas top elected official.

A part of the Air India Express flight is seen through a broken wall after it skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP Photo)

Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India.

The worst air disaster in India was on Nov. 12, 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight collided midair with a Kazakhastan Airlines Flight near Charki Dadri in Haryana state, killing all 349 on board the two planes.

___

Associated Press writers Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi and Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, contributed to this report.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam chairs the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Local authorities must be held responsible for transmissions in hospitals, members of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said at a meeting in Hanoi on August 6.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, head of the committee, presided over the function to implement preventive measures in the changing circumstances.Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said the ministry is exerting every effort to deal with the outbreak in the central city of Da Nang.Patients and their family members as well as medical staff are in the highest-risk group, he said, adding that those returning from Da Nang since July 1 need to remain vigilant.Some localities, in fact, lowered their guard and relaxed preventive measures, Long pointed out, adding that health facilities and hospitals nationwide must seriously implement preventive and containment measures such as wearing face masks and following social distancing measures.The ministry is also intensifying testing capacity to quickly detect any new infections.Members of the committee spoke highly of the active engagement and close coordination of the public security, military, and health forces in the fight against COVID-19 right from the beginning of the outbreak.The committee urged Da Nang and certain districts and towns in neighbouring Quang Nam province to implement strict social distancing measures.According to the Ministry of Health, as of the morning of August 6, Vietnam had recorded 717 COVID-19 cases, including 381 recoveries and nine deaths. More than 320 of all infections nationwide were imported.
Im waiting. Every morning I wake, sometimes ridiculously early, with a sense of anticipation tinged with anxiety. Im waiting  but I dont know what for.

COVID-19 has brought closer big questions about death and lifes meaning for those like me, usually too busy to ponder them. Credit:iStock

I was waiting last year too. But that was different. In January this year I would retire from my university lecturing role and begin a new life chapter. Travel, downsizing, different work. New adventures. Now, with so much on ice, there are specific waits: with dread for Victorias COVID-19 case numbers, for the end of our hard lockdown, for vaccine progress, for the next episode of the Norwegian crime series Im glued to. Friends make tentative plans for when this is over  whatever that means. A Google search for "waiting + pandemic" brings 294 million results, waiting for a vaccine atop the list. But this feeling is more than just a sense of a life on hold.

Of course Im not alone in this. New York journalist Katherine Miller, reading quarantine novels during lockdown, trawled to discover what they said about living through a pandemic, including the waiting. Albert Camus, in The Plague, wrote: The whole town seemed like a railway waiting room. In Marlen Haushofers The Wall, Miller notes a sense of time getting lost.

She wrote of specific waits: for the peak, reopening, a vaccine, for things to go back to normal, or for things to never be normal again. Im waiting for those, too, of course, as are people all over Victoria, Melbourne in particular, with their lives on hold, the very survival of their businesses under threat. But this waiting feels about more than the pandemic.
Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Harjit Singh Arora on Friday visited a number of airbases along the Line of Actual Control in eastern and took stock of the IAF's operational preparedness to deal with any eventualities in the region, officials said.

They said Air Marshal Singh visited the strategically crucial air base in Daulat Beg Oldie, known as one of the world's highest airstrip where the IAF has deployed a number of its key platforms in view of the tense border row with China. The airbase is situated at an altitude of 16,600 feet.

In his interaction with senior air warriors, the IAF Vice Chief asked them ensure a high state of combat readiness at all times, an IAF spokesperson said.

During the visit, Air Marshal Singh also flew Chinook chopper and a light combat helicopter, they said.

The IAF Vice Chief also held talks with Lt Gen Harinder Singh, the commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps of the Indian Army. Lt Gen Singh has held five rounds of high-level military talks with Chinese army's Major General Liu Lin, the commander of the South Xinjiang military region, in an attempt to resolve the border row.

"Besides reviewing the operational preparedness at these bases, the Vice Chief of Air Staff interacted with air warriors of the combat units currently operating at these locations. He was briefed about the operational readiness of IAF assets deployed in the area," the spokesperson said.

In the last two months, the IAF deployed almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in the key frontier air bases in eastern and elsewhere along the LAC.

The IAF has been carrying out night time combat air patrols over the eastern region in an apparent message to China that it was ready to deal with any eventualities in the mountainous region.

The IAF has also deployed Apache attack choppers as well as Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to transport troops to various forward locations in eastern Ladakh.

Sources said the IAF will continue to maintain its high state of readiness in all the bases along the Line of Actual Control till the border row is resolved to India's satisfaction.

India and China have held several rounds of diplomatic and military talks aimed at disengagement of troops from friction points in eastern Ladakh.

On August 2, the two armies held the fifth round of Corps commander-level talks in an effort to expedite the disengagement process.

At the talks, the Indian side insisted on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to May 5 when the standoff began following a clash between the two armies in Pangong Tso.

The Chinese military has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward from the Finger areas in Pangong Tso since mid-July, according to sources.

India has been insisting that China must withdraw its forces from areas between Finger Four and Eight. The mountain spurs in the area are referred to as Fingers.

The formal process of disengagement of troops began on July 6, a day after a nearly two-hour telephonic conversation between Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on ways to bring down tensions in the area.

(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.)
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is under increasing pressure to explain why troubled insurance agency icare was paying the salaries of two of his ministerial staffers.

The opposition and the Greens are calling on Mr Perrottet to stand aside on Friday, after The Sydney Morning Herald revealed his policy adviser Edward Yap and an administrative assistant were on icare's payroll.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet is under pressure to explain how it came to be that two of his staff members' salaries were paid for by the state-owned insurer icare. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

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Mr Perrottet's chief-of-staff Nigel Freitas resigned over the issue on Thursday, which his office has blamed on an administrative error. Before resigning, Mr Freitas terminated the secondment of the two staff, who will continue to be employed by icare.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to provide food and shelter for hundreds of families who lost their homes in floods, the KCNA state news agency reported on Friday.

Heavy rain across the Korean peninsula has brought flooding to both North and South Korea in recent days, and concern is growing about damage to North Korean crops.

It is of priority importance to quickly supply sleeping materials, daily commodities, medicines and other necessities to the flood-affected people to stabilize their living, Kim said in comments carried by KCNA.

Kim made the remarks while inspecting a flood-hit part of North Hwanghae Province, on the border of South Korea, as he clarified tasks for recovery work with officials there.

Torrential rain for several days has inundated more than 730 single-story houses, destroying 179 of them, and flooded rice-growing land, KCNA said.

There were no reports of casualties.

Kim would also mobilise the army for rehabilitation, in particular work on homes and roads, and he called on architects to build 800 model houses in a badly hit farming village in Unpha County, KCNA said.

The rain during the harvest season in the rice-growing area is raising concern about North Koreas food security.

North Koreas ruling party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, cited a study that said rice and corn would suffer if the crops were under water for just two or three days.

The fate of this years farming depends on how to protect farmland and crops from the flood, the newspaper said.

South Korea on Thursday donated $10 million to the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) for its efforts to help North Korean children and women.

Parts of South Korea have seen more than 40 consecutive days of rain, the longest monsoon since 2013, and more is expected across the peninsula.

(Reporting by Sangmi Cha; Editing by Tom Brown, Robert Birsel)

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Thousands of Australians will soon pocket extra cash after being wrongly classed as smokers by superannuation funds.

Nine superannuation funds were found to be charging new customers extra premiums on life insurance by listing them as smokers by default, despite a low number of Australians smoking.

More than $3.6 million will now be paid out after the Australian Securities and Investments Commission found the businesses were relying on customers to take active steps to opt out of the categorisation.

The super funds involved are AMP, Colonial First State, Equity Trustees, IOOF (including OnePath), Intrust, Netwealth, and Suncorp.

Thousands of Australians will soon pocket extra cash after being wrongly classed as smokers by superannuation funds (pictured: A woman smoking in Brisbane)

According to government figures smoking has dropped in popularity over the past decade with just 14 per cent of Australians identifying as daily smokers in 2018.

ASIC Commissioner Danielle Press said the opt-out practice was contrary to community expectations.

'Insurance in super is complex. Many Australians may not realise that default classifications can impact the price of their cover and therefore, reduce their retirement benefits,' she said.

'In light of the low smoking rate, merely providing disclosure and putting the onus on members to act is not enough to support good member outcomes.'

She said all businesses they spoke to have ended practice and many had decided to refund affected members, in part or in full, for the higher insurance costs.

More than 5,000 members will have receive more than $3.6 million in compensation once the remediation is complete.

ASIC Commissioner Danielle Press said more than 5,000 members will have receive more than $3.6 million in compensation once the remediation is complete

AMP Superannuation, one of the largest super funds, has refused to provide refunds to 3,506 members who were charged the higher 'smoker rates'.

A spokesman told the Courier Mail the company has 'always communicated to members their option to change the terms of their insurance arrangements into non-smoker status'.

'We found no breaches or need to remediate.'

Ms Press has urged super funds to ensure their members are not disadvantaged due to disengagement or inertia.

'For many Australians, insurance in superannuation offers quality coverage at a competitive price. Choosing appropriate default settings for insurance coverage is an important part of a trustees responsibilities in relation to group insurance.

'I strongly encourage trustees to take into account the composition and needs of their membership and check whether their default settings for insurance coverage are reasonable,' she said.
A major row that broke out between a leading consultant and the Chief Executive Officer of the Beacon Hospital during the Covid-19 lockdown has led to the High Court being asked to restrain the hospital from an alleged suspension of the specialist's access to theatre facilities.

Mark Cahill, consultant ophthalmologist and surgeon, told Mr Justice Robert Eagar that the suspension of his theatre facilities had prevented him from providing his patients with essential cataract surgery and time-dependent eye injections which needed to be administered under sedation or general anaesthetic.

Michael Cullen, the Beacon's CEO, claimed Mr Cahill had been able to carry out essential surgical treatments at the Blackrock Clinic and at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital where he also practises.

He alleged Mr Cahill had refused to engage with hospital management regarding patient complaints.

Colm O hOisin SC, who appeared with barrister Eamon Marray for Mr Cahill, said the summary suspension had been imposed by Mr Cullen on June 23 last.

The Beacon was where most of his client's cataract surgeries were carried out and, because of the restrictions in all hospitals, theatre allocation was at a premium.

Mr Cahill was challenging the hospital's withdrawal of theatre facilities on the grounds it was a breach of the Beacon Hospital's bye-laws which constituted the contractual and regulatory framework between the hospital and its medical staff.

He was also seeking to restrain the participation in a hospital investigation of anyone who had been involved in the decision to suspend his facilities.

Mr Cullen, the hospital's chief executive officer, said it was not the case that Mr Cahill's facilities had been suspended but the doctor had been told that from June 23 last all requests for theatre bookings were to be directed through the CEO.

He believed this direction had been necessary because of the recent history of the hospital's interactions with Mr Cahill and, more particularly, the significant difficulties encountered by management in securing Mr Cahill's co-operation and engagement in respect of a number of patient complaints.

Judge Eagar has reserved judgment on the application for injunctions.
Vietnam is among the top textile producing countries and apparel exporters in the world, emerging as an ideal alternative to China.

Major factors driving industry growth are growing textile exports derived from multilateral free trade agreements and low labor costs.

Despite rising challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry is fast evolving to address its haunted growth, raising optimistic prospects for recovery.

The garment and textile industry is one of the key industries in Vietnam with the second-largest export turnover in the country. In 2019, the industrys export value contributed to 16 percent of total GDP. In the past five years, the textile industry has continuously grown at an average rate of 17 percent annually.

In 2019, Vietnams garment and textile industry earned US$39 billion from exports, a year-on-year increase of over 8.3 percent, according to the Vietnam General Statistics Office. Garment manufacturing accounts for the majority of businesses, at 70 percent. Major factors driving the growth of the market are low labor costs and growing textile exports to the EU, the US, Japan, and South Korea.

Industry overview: 3 sub-sectors

Vietnams garment and textile industry consist of 3 sub-sectors: upstream sector (fiber production), midstream sector (fabric production and dyeing), and downstream sector (garment manufacturing).

Sub-sectors that produce fibers or fabric are mainly used for domestic consumption because of the low quality. Downstream sector of garment manufacturing accounts for around 70 percent of the total apparel and textile sector in Vietnam with Cut-Make-Trim (CMT) models being the main activities. In 2019, CMT accounted for about 65 percent of total exports, while the more advanced business models, like Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) accounted for only 35 percent.

The US, Europe, Japan, and South Korea are the main export destinations of Vietnams textile and garments products. Although Vietnam has a huge potential for cotton cultivation and production, the textile industry imports most of the cotton inputs. In 2019, Vietnam imported up to 89 percent of fabrics, of which, 55 percent were from China, 16 percent from South Korea, 12 percent from Taiwan, and 6 percent from Japan.

Growth factors  increased market access and low labor costs

Increased market access through free trade agreements (FTAs_ and technology are major growth drivers for the garment and textile industry. Vietnams bilateral and multilateral FTAs continue to provide Vietnamese manufacturers access to new markets, minimizing the effect of growing trade protectionism. With new FTAs in effect such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Vietnam-EU FTA (EVFTA), new markets will lead to higher exports and push manufacturers to develop the industrys supply chain so that they can take full advantage of the preferential tariffs and increase the competitiveness of their products.

Further, manufacturing shifts from China to Vietnam due to their labor cost advantage and skilled workers will also help expand the textile and garment industry.

Going forward, market access alone will not be enough to generate growth and Vietnamese manufacturers would also need to invest in technology  especially Industry 4.0 technologies  to increase productivity, and quality to remain competitive.

Foreign direct investment

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in the first 11 months of 2019, Vietnam attracted FDI capital to the garment and textile industry with a value up to US$1.55 billion for 184 projects. Investments were led by Hong Kong (US$447 million), Singapore (US$370 million), China (US$270 million), and South Korea (US$165 million).

Tay Ninh, (US$464 million, 16 projects), Quang Nam (US$107 million, 10 projects), Nghe An (US$210 million, 3 projects), and Thua Thien Hue (213 million, 2 projects) are localities that attracted most FDI in 2019 due to government incentives and their proximity to major economic hubs in the Southern and Central parts of Vietnam.

FDI firms made up 70 percent of total garment and textile exports in 2019. In recent years, foreign investment has shifted from mainly CMT activities to more upstream sectors such as fabric productions and dyeing. In 2019, more than 80 percent of FDI in the industry consisted of manufacturing fabrics and raw materials projects.

Besides capital, these FDI firms have provided competition pressure and spill-over benefits that stimulate innovation and growth of domestic producers, as well as help scale-up the industry s capacity in the past three decades.

COVID-19 and Vietnams garment and textile industry

With a supply chain that heavily relies on a few key partners, Vietnams garment and textile industry is among the countrys hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since January, the suspension of the industrys input production in China has resulted in a raw material shortage in Vietnam. Meanwhile, a crash in demand from the US and European markets has led to order cancellations as well as revenue and job losses for domestic manufacturers.

According to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), garment and textile exports in the first four months fell 6.6 percent year-on-year to US$10.64 billion. Meanwhile, the total import value was US$6.39 billion, down 8.76 percent compared to the same period last year. Exports of fibers, clothes, and garments fell between 6 to 22 percent in the first four months of this year as compared to the same period of 2019.

As per VITAS, 80 percent of garment manufacturers started reducing shifts and rotating workers since March. By June 2020, the estimated loss to the industry was about US$508 million.

Despite this severe, yet temporary setback, Vietnams garment and textile industrys fast response and government policy support are reasons for investors to be optimistic about the industrys future post-pandemic.

Optimistic prospects for the industrys post-pandemic recovery

Industry response: Shifting production from conventional clothing to personal protective equipment (PPE)

Many garment producers in the country have shifted to producing face masks as a solution to cope with suspended orders and take the opportunities from surging demand in both domestic and international markets.

By the end of April, Vietnam had exported over 415 million face masks. According to the (MoIT), local manufacturers have a total production capacity of 40 million face masks per day, or about 1.2 billion a month. With full capacity, the entire garment and textile sector can produce 100 million face masks per day, or about 3 billion a month.

Government support policies

Prior to the pandemic, the government had already centered its support for the textile industry by expanding industrial parks for textiles and stimulating the domestic supporting industries. The plan is to increase the supporting industries contribution to 18 percent of production in the local manufacturing and processing sector by the end of 2020. Local governments are also encouraged to assist firms in research and development activities, technology transfer, and innovation.

To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on businesses, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has also proposed to extend the list of import tax exemptions for raw materials, supplies, and components for processing and manufacturing export products.

Looking ahead

Although the garment and textile industry is significantly affected by the pandemic, optimistic prospects for fast and strong recovery is possible, given the industrys response and governments support policies.

Post-pandemic, Vietnam will focus on moving up the value chain and building a national brand image that is competitive and quality driven, according to a MoIT promotion program. In addition, it also needs to diversify its trading partners and reduce raw input import reliance in order to take full advantage of FTAs, such as the EVFTA, with strict rule of origin conditions.

Note: This article was first published in May 2018, and has been updated to include the latest developments.
Dr. Skorton said the exam rooms are a low-risk, not a zero-risk environment. If youre going to go into medicine, youre going to go into a profession where there is no way to eliminate risk, he said.

There is no way to put people at zero risk  that is the nature of the beast. Its different than other professions. What we do is take care of patients.

The estimated 100,000 people who will take the MCAT are years away from becoming physicians, and many will never make it: Just over 40 percent of the 53,371 applicants to American medical schools last year secured a spot.

The MCAT tests applicants knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, psychology and sociology, as well as critical analysis and reasoning skills. The college canceled testing in mid-March, when much of the country was under lockdown, and resumed on May 29 with a shortened version of the seven-and-a-half-hour test. It is now five hours and 45 minutes, with no lunch break.

Many students were relieved the exams started up again, Dr. Skorton said, including some who were retaking it to boost their scores and others who had scheduled exam dates scuttled earlier this year.

To protect the health and safety of test takers, testing centers are positioning applicants at work stations six feet apart and requiring everyone to wear masks. They also are adopting protocols that call for rigorous cleaning and disinfection between testing sessions of every work station, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, headphone set, check-in station, chair arm, locker and doorknob.

The new testing schedule  with exams given three times a day, at 6:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 6 p.m.  appears to leave little time for cleaning. But Scott Overland, a spokesman for Pearson VUE, which administers the MCAT at 290 centers in the United States, said that start times were staggered to prevent crowding and to allow for the cleaning of work stations, and that many test takers finished the exam early.
Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has admitted that his country's ties with India strained due to his remarks on Kashmir, but said other than that the relationship between the two countries was very good, under his leadership.

Mahathir, who was once world's longest-serving elected leader and now eyeing to make a comeback, said he has been making comments about affairs from all over the world. "Well, it did because of my remarks on Kashmir. But, other than that the relationship was very good, even under my leadership, Mahathir was quoted as saying by ...
New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Centre has moved an impleadment application in the Supreme Court, seeking to be made a party to the plea, filed by Bollywood actor Rhea Chakraborty, for transfer of investigation in the case connected with death of Sushant Singh Rajput from Bihar to Mumbai.

The Centre said the impleadment is in the interest of justice and would not cause prejudice to any of the parties in the transfer petition, filed by Rhea, and urged the apex court to make it a party in this case. The Department of Personnel and Training, which issued the notification for the CBI probe, said it is a necessary party in the case.

On August 5, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court that the Centre has, in principle, accepted the recommendation by the Bihar government to order a CBI inquiry into the case. He had submitted before Justice Hrishikesh Roy that the notification for the Central Bureau of Investigation probe will be issued soon, preferably by the end of the day.

In the last hearing on the matter, the top court, in its order, gave three days to all parties to put on record their respective stand. It also noted that the Mumbai Police must submit its records of investigations done so far. "We want to know what Mumbai police have done so far," said Justice Roy.

The counsel for the Maharashtra government opposed the CBI probe and argued that it is the Mumbai Police that is authorised to investigate under the CrPC. Counsel also said that the Bihar Police's actions are "politically motivated" and insisted that under the CrPC, it is only the Mumbai Police that has "duty, power and function to register the case".

Hearing on the matter is now scheduled for next week.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
The fragile U.S. economic recovery lost steam in July, with some jobs added back, but an increasing number of Americans grappling with long-term unemployment.

The national unemployment rate fell to 10.2% in July, down from the 11.1% reported in June, according to Department of Labor figures released Friday. Thats slightly more than the 10% peak during the Great Recession, reached in October 2009.

Employers added 1.8 million jobs in the month, far short of the 4.8 million boost in payroll positions in June and 2.7 million in May. The country now has 12.9 million fewer jobs than in February, before the wrenching impact of the pandemic and shelter-in-place orders.

John Blanchard

Most indicators for July suggest that the reopening rebound is over and the path forward will be a lot more treacherous, said Scott Anderson, chief economist for Bank of the West. That highlights the profound hold the coronavirus pandemic is having on our economy. Until we get (the) pandemic under control, we will continue to struggle.

Moreover, the current picture is actually worse, said Anderson and other economists. Thats because the government data were collected in mid-July  before weekly unemployment filings rose for two consecutive weeks, the first increase since they peaked in late March.

The report also predates a major change that could cripple consumer spending. Enhanced unemployment benefits that put an extra $600 a week in laid-off peoples pockets expired at the end of July.

Millions of people are on the verge of serious economic collapse if we dont provide more support, said Pavlina Tcherneva, associate professor of economics at Bard College and author of The Case for a Job Guarantee. We are teetering on the brink of an avalanche of evictions, foreclosures and bankruptcies.

Anderson pointed to data showing that almost a third of households already are having trouble making full payments to keep a roof over their heads. About 20% are lagging on rent, according to the Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey and about 10% are behind on mortgage payments, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Congress is stalemated on what, if anything, will replace the $600 per week supplement, but it is bound to be less. Meanwhile, the more than 31 million people who depend on the benefits saw their incomes slashed.

Losing the supplement is going to destroy us, said Nancy Martinez of San Francisco. She and her husband, Matt Titman, were both laid off from restaurant jobs in March, hers as a server at Zuni Cafe and his as an expediter at Gary Denko. Im getting really worried.

Along with their 17-month-old son, Mylo, and goldendoodle, Benny, theyre subsisting on Titmans unemployment benefits. Martinez has not yet received benefits because of a typo in her employers paperwork.

The couple went on food stamps  without those wed be in much bigger trouble, she said  but they dont cover expenses such as diapers and dog food.

Ive been using my credit cards; oh my goodness gracious, they are getting maxed out, Martinez said. It is tough, I tell you.

She has high hopes to eventually get her back-owed benefits, but they will have to pay off the credit cards and loans from friends.

Neither of them is likely to be rehired anytime soon. Their restaurants dont have space to offer outdoor seating. While Zuni is open for takeout, it needs only a skeleton staff.

As long as were healthy, thats beautiful, but we still need to make our payments or well lose things, such as their car and cell phone, Martinez said. While their small Tenderloin studio is rent-controlled, its in a dicey neighborhood, and theyd love to be somewhere safer with more space. We can barely afford living here, she said.

Brian Feulner / Special to The Chronicle

Most of the jobs added were in lower-wage service sectors, which were hardest hit when the virus struck  but also are most vulnerable to renewed cuts.

Leisure and hospitality gained 592,000 jobs, about a third of all new jobs. Adding that to the gains in May and June means it has recovered about half of the 8.3 million positions lost in March and April. Many of the gains were in businesses that would be affected by new shutdowns such as restaurants and bars.

Retail added 258,000 jobs, but still has 913,000 fewer positions than in February. Its gains were in areas that will be hit if consumer spending is reined in, such as clothing stores.

While professional and business services added 170,000 jobs, the vast majority (144,000) were in temporary help services.

Some added jobs were fueled by the Paycheck Protection Program, forgiveable government loans to support companies keeping workers employed. But aid is drying up unless Congress extends it. Many businesses have already run through their PPP loans, and the deadline for new applications is Saturday.

Tcherneva said she thinks the country squandered a chance to keep the economy  and millions of Americans  afloat by offering more-generous support to workers.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

The deliberate discontinuation of work did not have to translate into mass unemployment, she said. We could have done something similar to our European counterparts.

For instance, Germany provided federal funds to protect payrolls, so its unemployment rate rose only modestly, from 5% in March to 5.9% in April, she said. The U.S. rate soared from 4.4% to 14.7% during the same period.

Its hard to find optimistic forecasts about the rest of the year.

I think August will be a worse month, because it will include two weeks of people not getting the extra $600, Tcherneva said. We will see some of the domino effect of not providing that income.

Anderson had a similar view.

The longer the negotiations and haggling go on in Washington (without a replacement for the supplement), the bigger chance of a hit to income growth and retail sales, he said. Every week that we dont see that $600 a week of expanded unemployment benefits could cost the economy about $10 billion in income.

There are other headwinds in store. If Congress doesnt step in to help states, there will be major government layoffs. With many schools staying closed, parents who cant work from home may be forced to leave their jobs.

The government could rally to create jobs as happened with the New Deal and other programs during the Great Depression  but theres no talk of such sweeping measures, Tcherneva said.

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on Tuesday said the recovery in employment has slowed down and slightly reverted due to the increase in coronavirus cases.

We dont expect much progress on unemployment going forward, Anderson said. We expect that double-digit unemployment will be here at least toward the end of the year. Given the resurgence were seeing in the virus, it could be even higher if we dont get things under control pretty quickly and expand government support.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
South Africa: Sisulu awaits report on Tzaneen temporary housing units

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu has expressed dissatisfaction over reports surrounding the recent handing over of temporary housing units in Limpopo.

Sisulu said Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha should not have been invited to hand over the units in Tzaneen without the provincial Human Settlements team first ensuring that the units were of acceptable quality. Pictures of the units, made of tin, have been widely circulated on social media.

Quality checks must be done during and after projects are undertaken to ensure that they meet acceptable standards, in line with the Housing Code, Sisulu said.

The Minister said she is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the review of the Talana Project to determine whether it was compliant with the building industry standards.

She said the review is being done by the National Home Builders Registration Council, an agency of the department that oversees quality assurance of all human settlements projects.

The report is expected to be presented to the Minister within 14 days.

Once the review is done, I will brief Cabinet on the outcome and inform the people of South Africa, as they are our main beneficiaries, who we are here to serve. I do not wish to be associated with unbecoming conduct or have my name mentioned alongside suspicions of corruption, said Sisulu.

The department has also confirmed that the programme in Limpopo is part of a long-standing Human Settlements programme of informal settlements upgrade, accelerated as part of efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring people do not live in overcrowded places.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A small local lawyers group connected to a long history of civil rights activism took aim Friday at the Confederate monument at the Floyd County Courthouse, calling it a symbol of unfair treatment for Black and other defendants of color  and urging defense attorneys to try to move their cases out of the county.

The Southwest Virginia Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild released a statement saying that the statue of a Confederate soldier outside the courthouses front entrance sends a message that equal justice under the law will not be administered.

It said it expects defense attorneys to file motions asking for a change of venue for all cases involving people of color. Also, the guild chapter said it anticipates attorneys will attempt to block grand jury testimony and findings in Floyd County as tainted by the prejudice of a symbol of racism placed at the front door of the Courthouse.

Floyd County Commonwealths Attorney Eric Branscom said Friday that he had discussed the guilds concerns with chapter President Alan Graf.

We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that people get a fair trial, Branscom said  but added that it is up to the county board of supervisors, not him, to decide if the Confederate monument is removed from the Courthouse lawn.

As for the possible effect on court calendars, already greatly delayed by the pandemic, if attorneys began filing motions to take cases out of Floyd County or to block grand jury proceedings, Branscom said that would have to be handled as it arose.

I appreciate that they have their point of view, Branscom said. But the most we can do is wait for the motions to be filed and deal with them in court.

Graf, a lawyer who practices in Floyd, wrote in an email that his newly formed group includes five attorneys and nine legal workers and observers. He noted that the National Lawyers Guild, founded in 1937, traces its roots to a time when the American Bar Association would not allow Blacks or women to join.

The guild chapters statement echoed recent historical reviews of Confederate monuments, saying their placement at courthouses was a means of emphasizing and supporting Jim-Crow-era laws restricting African-Americans civil rights.

Bringing the monuments message into the present, the chapter said that Floyd County sheriffs deputies posed for pictures at the statue with state Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, a vocal opponent of removing Confederate memorials.

The guild chapter presents these events and issues to support the Guilds concerns about whether people of color will receive equal treatment under the law at the Floyd County Courthouse, the statement said.

Sheriff Brian Craig did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the guild chapters statement.

The guild chapter said that in spotlighting the Floyd monument, it was joining Christiansburg attorney Dennis Nagel, who is not a member of the group. Last month in a Giles County court filing, Nagel invoked a Confederate memorial outside the courthouse there in questioning if a Black defendant was receiving unfair treatment in a drug case.

On Friday, Nagel wrote in an email that though he had not yet reviewed the details of the guilds statement, it should now be self-evident that Confederate statues on courthouse grounds are a direct repudiation of the concept of Equal Justice For All.

The guild chapters statement specifically noted the Floyd statue but Graf wrote that the guild opposes Confederate monuments at any courthouse in Virginia.

In the months of increased national attention to matters of race and the legal system, Floyd Countys Confederate monument has been the center of rallies and the topic of long public discussion sessions at town council and supervisor meetings.

Floyds Town Council last month declined to take a position on whether to remove it from the Courthouse lawn, saying it was up to county supervisors to decide the monuments fate. There has been talk of letting voters decide the matter in November, and supervisors have one more regularly scheduled meeting  set for Tuesday  before the deadline to add a local referendum to the ballot.

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The Bachelorette stars Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen have split after a two-year relationship, calling off their engagement.

'Their lifestyles don't mesh anymore,' a source confirms to E! News.

'Becca is still very upset with Garett's comments and the controversy surrounding it,' the insider adds to the outlet. 'Their lifestyles don't mesh anymore. Garrett wants different things and they came to a realization that they aren't compatible anymore.'

It's over: The Bachelorette's Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen SPLIT after two years together: 'Their lifestyles don't mesh anymore'

The confirmation comes after after eagle-eyed fans noticed something was missing from Garrett's Instagram account on Wednesday.

Followers of Garrett, 31, noticed he had removed a highlight reel of Becca, 30, entitled 'Becca Spills,' which contained clips of his fiancee.

Interestingly, today also marks the two year anniversary of Becca's season finale on The Bachelorette, which saw Garrett propose to her in the Maldives.

'It's something we are trying to work through': On her podcast, Becca admitted she did not agree with Garrett's post supporting the police on Black Out Tuesday

Neither Becca or Garrett have said anything about the episode anniversary on their accounts, however they did not mark the occasion last year either.

While Garrett may have deleted his Becca reel, photos of his fiancee still remain on his account, with the last photo being from their actual two-year anniversary.

Becca also still has highlight reels featuring her fiance on her Instagram account, including one titled 'G-Cam.'

She has also left up photos from their relationship.

She said yes! Kufrin accepted Garrett's proposal on The Bachelorette

Fans have been wondering for weeks now if the couple had split after Garrett sparked controversy yet again for his political views.

On Black Out Tuesday, which saw countless Instagram users post a single black square in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, Garrett posted both a black square and a black square with a thin blue line, demonstrating his support for the police force.

'The Thin Blue Line represents each officer protecting protestors, properties, and businesses while being threatened, attacked, shot, shot at, hit with vehicles, and other forms of brutality,' he wrote in the lengthy caption.

Not built to last: The couple have gone their separate ways

'There have been over 300 injured, shot, or killed in just one week. They are suffering the consequences over an act they didn't commit. They continue to put in overtime away from their families, stay silent while being threatened, hated, and assaulted. We can't judge an entire group of people by the actions of a few.'

The posts did not sit well with fans, who had not forgotten how Garrett had 'liked' various homophobic and racist Instagram posts on Instagram back in 2018.

The couple were able to move past the controversy at the time, but the thin blue line post may have been the last straw.

On her podcast, Becca admitted she did not agree with Garrett's post, and acknowledged they were trying to 'work through' their problems.

'For those who are curious about my relationship with Garrett at this point, all I can say right now is that I don't know,' she said on Bachelor Happy Hour podcast in June.

Trouble in paradise: Becca Kufrin and Garrett Yrigoyen had fueled even more speculation they were done for good on Wednesday after eagle-eyed fans noticed something was missing from Garrett's Instagram account

'I can't give anything more than that. It's something that we are trying to work through and discuss and do work on at home at this time and that's where the work will remain and that's really the best I can give you at this point.'

After the controversy, Becca left the home they share in Carlsbad to quarantine with her family in Minnesota, and did not join Garrett at his friend's wedding in July.

Garrett has been spending time with his friends in the woods as of late, based on his Instagram posts.
Timms said they have also opened a space called the Warehouse two days a week, which is large enough for 20 people to work out at once, social distancing. She said it is almost 1000 square feet of ventilated space. There is an overhead door that allows for good ventilation, she said.

Elder said she likes that they are offering a space for people to come together to breathe and to be who they are.

Elder said she is proud of what they have to offer and to be a part of the community. She said it is rewarding to watch others in their journey.

We are so blessed to be a part of something that brings peace to the community, she said.

Both women are excited to be a part of the chamber of commerce and look forward to the opportunities it will bring to their business and their lives.

We really want to be a part of the larger network of business in the community and support other businesses, Timms said. We want to be connected, tied into the grand plan for Florence. We are very much looking forward to being a part of the community.

Soulift is located at 2213 D W. Palmetto St. in Florence. Anyone wanting to sign up can visit their website at souliftflo.com.

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The Birmingham Park and Recreation Board on Friday morning voted unanimously in favor of renaming Linn Park for U.S. Rep. John Lewis and the Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth.

Linn Park now holds the name of Charles Linn, a Confederate naval officer, and former Birmingham businessman.

2020 has been a tough year with cutbacks and trying to maintain these parks. This was an opportunity for us to do something good. We felt like we were doing something good, said park board Chair Montal Morton.

Morton said he became emotional during the special called meeting this morning thinking about the sacrifices made by both Lewis and Shuttlesworth.

Think how many people told (Shuttlesworth) not to sit at the Woolworth lunch counter, he said. In this spirit, were trying to do the right thing. Lewis is a brother from Alabama. Shuttleworth did a lot for Alabama.

Next, the city council and the city legal department will review the decision to determine next steps in renaming the park. Morton said there could be some legal hurdles to renaming the park.

Last week, activist Frank Matthews sent a letter to the park board asking for Linn Park to be renamed for Lewis and Shuttlesworth.

Lewis was a native of Pike County, Alabama and best known for leading hundreds of marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965 -- a day now known as Bloody Sunday. Lewis met King when Lewis was seeking support to become the first Black student at Alabamas segregated Troy State University. He began organized sit-in demonstrations at whites-only lunch counters and volunteering as a Freedom Rider, enduring beatings and arrests. He also helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Lewis was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 1981 and elected to Congress in 1986, where he served 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgias 5th District. President Barack Obama awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. He died July 17.

Shuttlesworth was a minister and activist from Birmingham. He petitioned the Birmingham police department to hire black officers, challenged the citys segregated buses and train stations, challenged the segregation of city parks, led marches with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and survived multiple bombings of his church, Bethel Baptist Church. Shuttlesworth was also on Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday.

In 1988 he founded the Shuttlesworth Housing Foundation, an organization that helps low-income families to buy their own homes. He also helped build the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The BCRI in 2002 created the Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, honoring him as the first recipient.

In 2008, Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford proposed renaming the airport for the civil right leader and the airport authority approved, yielding todays Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Shutlesworth died after an extended illness on Oct. 5, 2011.

Matthews also sent a letter to the Birmingham Public Library Board asking for the Linn-Henley Research Librarys name be changed to the Obama-Armstrong Library in honor of Americas first African-American president and James Armstrong, a veteran and barber who led in the integration of Birmingham City Schools. John Henley was Linns son-in-law and also a confederate captain. He was also an early business leader in Birmingham.

Matthews said the library board has not yet responded to his letter.

On May 31, protestors tried to remove the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Linn Park. After unsuccessful attempts, the city removed it with heavy machinery June 1.

Updated at 8:32 p.m. to correct the spelling of Montal Morton, Birmingham Park and Recreation Board Chair.
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After Thane civic body, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has decided to increase the number of immersion sites. The artificial ponds will now be constructed in many areas so that the residents can immerse the Ganesh idols closer to their homes, and avoid overcrowding at existing spots.

The decision was taken by municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar during a meeting with top civic and police officers, including deputy commissioner of police Pankaj Dahane, to discuss the preparations for the festival.

Bangar said, This year we will set up more artificial ponds for immersions. Every locality will have these ponds so that residents can immerse the idols near their homes. This will help in reducing the crowd at natural ponds while making the celebrations eco-friendly. The ponds, equipped with water facility, tables for puja and arti, volunteers for immersion, will be ready before the ten-day festival sets in.

The executive engineers of every ward are instructed to survey their wards along with the local police officers to identify the locations for the artificial ponds. NMMC at present has 23 existing immersion sites.

Bangar added, Apart from ward-level artificial ponds, artificial ponds will also be constructed next to these 23 main immersion ponds in the NMMC jurisdiction. They too will be equipped with all facilities. The floral and other waste generated will be segregated at the spot and disposed of as per the norms. Strict instructions have been issued to ensure that no waste is thrown in the water.

The corporation will seek help from NGOs and Ganpati mandals to construct and maintain such ponds in their areas.

People will have to maintain social distancing and follow lockdown norms while installing and immersion of the idols. The state government has issued orders that the height of the idols for sarvajanik Ganeshotsavs will be four-feet and those at homes will be two-feet. We will spread awareness on it and appeal the residents to celebrate the festival while abiding by social distancing norms, Bangar said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, her chartered accountant Ritesh Shah and her former manager Shruti Modi for over eight hours in connection with the money laundering probe involving the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Rhea was the first to arrive at the ED office in Mumbai along with her brother. They were followed by her former manager and chartered accountant later. An ED official wishing to remain anonymous said that Rhea remained evasive on most of the questions and claimed to be innocent.

According to top ED officials, the probe agency asked over 20 questions related to the financial transactions from the bank account of the late actor, Sushant Singh Rajput who was found dead on June 14 in his Bandra flat. The ED officials said that she was asked about the details of movable and immovable properties, businesses, and companies in which she and her family members are stakeholders.

The official requesting anonymity said that the ED also asked Rhea to furnish the details of her address, profession, family members, mode of income, details of bank accounts, and credit cards.

She was also asked to give details about how she knew Sushant Singh Rajput, and for how long.

The ED also asked Rhea to share the details of the financial transactions with Sushant, or if she had any contract with the late actor for her finances and the Income Tax Return (ITR) details.

In a reply about the ITR, Rhea told the financial probe agency that currently she does not have the record of ITR and that she would submit the ITR of last five years through her legal team soon.

The ED also questioned Rhea about her investment in properties including movable and immovable assets and asked about how these properties were bought in Mumbai and from where the money was arranged to buy them.

The ED officials meanwhile submitted the property papers brought to the agency office by her brother.

The ED also sought details if there was any will of inheritance left behind by Sushant, and whether she was also in touch with the family members of the late actor.

The official said that the ED also sought the details of income of her family members and if any of the members are dependent on her.

Rhea will be asked to submit the details of her bank statements and amount of money received from other bank accounts and if any transactions were made from Sushant's Kotak Mahindra bank account as alleged by his father K.K. Singh in his complaint to the Patna Police on July 25.

Sushant's father in his complaint to Bihar Police has alleged that Rs 15 crore was withdrawn or transferred from the Kotak Mahindra Bank account of his son which had Rs 17 crore.

The ED has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Rhea and her family members on the basis of the complaint of Singh submitted at the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna.

The ED is also seeking the details of the financial transactions of the two companies in which she and her brother were directors along with Sushant.

According to ED, Rhea is a director in the firm Vividrage Rhealityx while her brother Showik is a director in Front India For World. The ED has sought details about the nature of business of the two companies and their financial health and transactions.

Meanwhile, her brother was questioned about his profession and his income details and how he managed his expenses.

The ED also gave a set of questions to Rhea's CA about the financial condition of the actor and how she was managing her expenses and what were the investments made by her and family members.

The ED also sought details of the properties mentioned by the actor and her family members in the ITRs and if any of the family members invested in foreign countries.

On Thursday evening, the CBI also took over the probe against Rhea and her family members and others on the recommendation from the central government after the Bihar government requested for the central agency probe.

Sushant and Rhea were in a relationship before the actor's death. Sushant's father has levelled various allegations against Rhea which include taking money from his son and also threatening to disclose his medical reports to the media. Sushant's family has also accused her of keeping him away from his family.
Jaguar Land Rover India today announced the appointment of JSV Motors as its new Retailer Partner in Lucknow, with Jatin Varma as its Director. JSV Motors has started operating from the fully integrated 3S facility at Amar Shaheed Path, near the airport area of Lucknow.

This Retailer facility is spread over 3 500 m2 and is designed to provide the highest quality of sales and after-sales experience for its customers. The premium 3S facility displays a wide range of products from the Jaguar and Land Rover portfolio. The facility also displays Approved Pre-owned cars, and showcases a whole range of Jaguar Land Rover branded accessories and merchandise. It has a fully equipped service workshop and state-of-the-art tools and equipment to handle all service needs. The service facility is manned by a team of highly trained staff, including technicians and other service personnel to offer unmatched customer delight.

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said: We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with JSV Motors to service our customers in Lucknow and adjoining areas. With its convenient location and an ultra-modern facility with sales, service and spares under one roof, our customers can now enjoy a world class experience of owning a Jaguar Land Rover product in this region.

Customers can even book their cars by visiting the online booking platform at www.findmeacar.in for Jaguar and www.findmeasuv.in for Land Rover.

For more information on Jaguar and Land Rover product range in India, please visit www.jaguar.in and www.landrover.in

Jaguar Product Portfolio in India

The Jaguar range in India includes XE (starting at  46.64 Lakh), XF (priced at  55.67 Lakh), F-PACE (priced at  66.07 Lakh) and F-TYPE (starting at  95.12 Lakh). All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.

Land Rover Product Portfolio in India

The Land Rover range in India includes the Range Rover Evoque (starting at  58.67 Lakh), Discovery Sport (starting at  59.99 Lakh), the New Defender (starting at  69.99 Lakh) the Range Rover Velar (priced at  73.30 Lakh), Discovery (starting at  75.60 Lakh), Range Rover Sport (starting at  87.02 Lakh) and Range Rover (starting at  196.74 Lakh). All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.

Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Network in India

Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are available in India in 24 cities, through 27 authorized outlets in Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bengaluru (2), Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi (2), Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kochi, Karnal, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mumbai (2), Noida, Pune, Raipur, Surat and Vijayawada.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2020 - 15:12 | All, Japan

Japan will ban from next month drone flights over 15 U.S. military facilities in the country including its major bases without prior permission from authorities, as a measure against potential terrorist acts, the Defense Ministry said Friday.

The 15 sites include Yokota Air Base in the suburbs of Tokyo and the U.S. Marines' Camp Schwab on the southern island of Okinawa.

The restrictions based on a law enacted last year will be implemented on Sept. 6 following a notice period, but they have triggered concerns from media organizations over potential disruption to news-gathering activities.

Pilots will be barred from flying drones within 300 meters of the boundary of the designated sites including the Henoko coastal district in Nago, Okinawa, near Camp Schwab where landfill work is under way to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in the prefecture despite local opposition.

Police and the Self-Defense Forces are permitted to seize or destroy drones if they are flown near designated zones without permission, and violators face up to a year in prison or a maximum fine of 500,000 yen ($4,700).

The U.S. military sites also include the Misawa Air Base in Aomori Prefecture, the naval bases in Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, and Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture, and the Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

The Defense Ministry also said Friday unauthorized drone flights above 14 SDF facilities including those in Asahikawa and Obihiro in Hokkaido as well as Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture will be banned from Aug. 17.

The Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association, an independent organization run by Japanese mass media, said in a statement when the law restricting drone flights was enacted last year that it would "greatly limit news-gathering activities and infringe upon the right of the people to be informed."

Related coverage:

Famous Osaka cherry-blossom lane shut, but drone images available

Japan to require drone registration to find owners following accidents
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Waves of protests over the killing of George Floyd have highlighted the systemic racism against people of African descent in the U.S. and globally. They have led to a growing movement calling for a reckoning with the historical legacies of racism, and with how past exploitation contributed to building industrialized economies. There are calls for financial reparations, and for commissions through which Black people can share their experiences so that those in power might listen, learn, acknowledge and put in place institutional reforms to ensure that such injustices arent repeated.

In short, there is global demand for what has come to be called transitional justice, this time centered around the Black experience worldwide. African states have largely been observers in this, although they did initiate a significant debate on racism at the United Nations Human Rights Council. Building on that, they should lead the charge in facilitating a global commission on historical injustice for Black people, for three reasons.

First, African countries have unparalleled experience. While transitional justice has a longer history in Latin America, for example, its South African variant in the form of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission captured the global imagination.

Variants of the South African approach have been undertaken or attempted in more than 20 countries on the African continent, including Burundi, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Uganda. Other African countries have experimented with national conferences, some of which were similar to truth commissions through opening political dialogue and proposing guidelines for more inclusive political institutions. These have included Benin and Niger.

With varying degrees of success, these states have grappled with many issues likely to be relevant in the global process: racial and ethnic exploitation leading to catastrophic economic exclusion, present-day perpetrators being historical victims, the private sector enabling human-rights abuses, large sections of the population being complicit observers in injustices, and the like. Yes, some of these commissions were examples of what not to do. But given the scope and variety of all these efforts, there are very few wheels left to invent.

Story continues

Second, the place that Africa occupies in the global imagination is inextricably linked to the place of people of African descent the world over. It is reasonable to believe that an African diaspora that can meet its potential without being hamstrung by centuries of racism can improve economic growth on the continent, just as a thriving continent should change global views of African immigrants. While there is not a single African experience, helping uncover the various ways in which racism has eroded the dignity of African descendants everywhere would be valuable.

Third, there is a window of opportunity for African leadership. South Africa is on the UN Security Council until December. Other current and incoming African countries on the council have something to offer: Kenya and Tunisia have both examined violations of human rights under previous regimes, and Niger had a national conference. Among non-African states, Germany and Indonesia have had transitional justice measures in their past, the former over World War II atrocities, and the latter in relation to East Timor. Norway might be interested in the history of its own slave forts in Ghana when it was in a union with Denmark. Belgium might want a review of the legacy of King Leopold.

How it would work? One plan would be for African states on the Security Council to call for a special report from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on transitional justice, to be delivered in partnership with the African Union. They can sponsor a resolution calling for the appointment of a special representative or a high-level panel, or mandating an actual global commission.

To be sure, there are many pitfalls to getting this done. It is hard to point to unqualified successes in transitional-justice efforts  some simply perpetuated power structures. Politically, an effort to place responsibility for longstanding injustices can be hard to accomplish. At the Security Council, it could be blocked or substantially weakened by the five permanent members, all of whom have histories of atrocity they may not want surfaced.

Even if the commission is more talk than action, it will still yield facts which, once in the public sphere, cannot be un-heard. At minimum, information gathered will provide fodder for the next generation of social activists to advance calls for justice. The question is whether the current momentum can generate the political will needed to create a world hospitable to people of African descent.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Lydiah Kemunto Bosire is the founder and chief executive officer of 8B Education Investments, a financial technology company specializing in financing, connecting and mentoring African students in leading global universities. She was formerly at the World Bank and the Department of Political Affairs at the United Nations Secretariat.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
With theatres locked down, streaming platforms like BroadwayHD, Digital Theatre or Marquee.TV have come into their own  offering audiences a chance to witness old productions with high quality streams and excellent back catalogues. And if you want to do a hardcore theatre binge, there're are also free trials  BroadwayHD offers a week (tip: a calendar notification can mean you don't forget to cancel after seven days) while Marquee TV has a 30-day option.

There are oodles more than just simply musicals on BroadwayHD (we've rounded up some of our favourite Shakespeare productions here) but below are some of our favourite showtune-laden productions. Thankfully, all of the shows are also captioned.

While it's great to watch shows, also think about ways to help the community during the pandemic.









Les Miserables

The 2010 concert show, staged at the O2 arena, was truly a historic moment for musical theatre. Relive the glory days back when you could fill a stadium safely.





42nd Street

Clare Halse in 42nd Street

 Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

The iconic show was the last to be staged at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane before its refurbishment and it is a magnificent watch  a huge cast serenading audiences with exquisite number after exquisite number. Clare Halse and Bonnie Langford star in this dance masterclass of a meta-musical.





Miss Saigon

The award-winning revival (which at the time broke WhatsOnStage Award records when it was on at the Prince Edward Theatre, is now available on BroadwayHD.





Love Never Dies

The epic Australian production with Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne picks up where the original left off to describe what happens to the Phantom after Phantom. Some rather lush tunes.





Fame

The current UK tour production of Fame

 Tristram Kenton

They were on stage at the Peacock Theatre in 2019, but they're gonna live forever online  the hit production (which wrapped up its run recently) was captured for streaming during its London run. A chance to revel in some pumping tunes and energetic choreography.





Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

The legend that is Audra McDonald brings Billie Holiday to life in this special production that wowed West End audiences when it first ran.





Kinky Boots

Matt Henry (Lola) and Killian Donnelly (Charlie)

 Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

What else can we say about Kinky Boots  the beloved cult classic won our hearts when it was at the Adelphi, and seeing two leads Matt Henry and Killian Donnelly back for the recorded production is a nice touch. Shoe manufacture has never been the same since this show landed.





From Here To Eternity

Tim Rice's wartime musical ran in the West End for half a year and amassed a large following during that time  you can catch it here on BroadwayHD.





The King and I

Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara in The King and I

 Matthew Murphy

Bartlett Sher's enormous, vibrant production was a sell-out hit at The London Palladium, with leads Ken Watanabe, Kelli O'Hara and Ruthie Ann Miles receiving heaps of praise for their performances.





The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall

The epic spectacular with Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess is now available to watch online  Phantom as you've never seen it before!





An American in Paris

The cast of An American in Paris

 Johan Persson

Another dance-tacular show that lived on one of London's biggest stages, An American in Paris had a brilliant run at the Dominion Theatre, wowing with its 20-minute ballet sequence. Now that it's been recorded, they can't take that away from us!





Cats

The stage production of the show, with Elaine Paige, John Partridge and more, has made its way online.





Hetty Feather

Matt Costain as Jem and Phoebe Thomas as Hetty in Hetty Feather

 Donald Cooper

Jacqueline Wilson's novel was adapted for the stage by Emma Reeves and Sally Cookson, and went on a massive tour after its original run at the Rose Theatre Kingston. One to keep the whole family entertained, the show features acrobatics, aerial skills and whimsical tales.





Oklahoma!

Hugh Jackman

 David Gordon

We're going to rewind back to 1999 for this one  the Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle-led Oklahoma! is presented in all its glory on BroadwayHD. A chance to see Jackman just before he shot to stardom as Wolverine.





Ruthless the Musical

Tracie Bennett and Kim Maresca in Ruthless

 Alastair Muir

The new musical was a rip-roaring fun fest at the Arts Theatre, with a cast including the award-winning great Tracie Bennett, Harriet Thorpe and Jason Gardiner. Bennett and Thorpe would go on to repeat the same trick in Mame on tour last year.





The Toxic Avenger

The Toxic Avenger

 Claire Bilyard

The B-movie bonanza is borderline batty but also oodles of fun  it ran at the Arts Theatre after a UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse. A great show for kicking back and wallowing in stupendous fun, featuring a great big slime hero monster.





Into the Woods

The award-winning Open Air Theatre revival was recently added to the platform for anyone who's missed it, with Jenna Russell, Hannah Waddingham and more bringing Sondheim's extravagant show to life.





Funny Girl

Sheridan Smith leads the rollicking revival of the iconic musical in what is a side-splitting ride for all involved. You'll rarely find a show this fun! (Not available in the UK)





Billy Elliot Live

The Ruthie-Henshall-starring stage production has been immortalised in digital format  you only need a bit of Electricity (and a Wi-Fi connection) to watch it.





The Wind in the WIllows

Rufus Hound in The Wind in the Willows

 Helen Maybanks

The London Palladium production was being streamed for free earlier in the lockdown and while it's now pay-to-play, you can still catch the wonderful version of Kenneth Grahame's whimsical tales on BroadwayHD.





Jesus Christ Superstar

The epic 2012 stadium production, which veritably launched the career of Ben Forster, is now available to stream online.





Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Maria Friedman guides us through the glorious panoply of colours in Andrew Lloyd Webber's first real hit, which is still a firm family favourite.
Dir: Brandon Trost. Starring: Seth Rogen, Sarah Snook, Jorma Taccone and Maya Erskine. 12A cert, 90 mins

There is a smallness to An American Pickle. The stakes are low, the colours muted. And its pretty much a one-man show  or, to be more precise, one man playing two men. In the film adaptation of Simon Richs four-part novella Sell Out, published in the New Yorker in 2013, Seth Rogen plays Herschel Greenbaum, a Jewish ditch-digger hailing from the fictional Eastern European village of Schlupsk in the early 20th century, who emigrates to the United States, falls into a pickle vat, and wakes up a century later. Rogen also plays Herschels last living descendant, Ben Greenbaum, an app developer in Brooklyn who wears shoes without socks and has a fridge stocked full of kombucha.

Its premise may sound quaint, but the whimsy of An American Pickle helps nurture all kinds of delicate emotions  grief after its been dulled by time, the fear of disappointing ones parents, and an existential kind of weightlessness. Herschels village, all Gothic awnings and slate-grey timber, looks like its tumbled out of a fairytale book. Brandon Trost, the cinematographer on a number of Rogens films (including This Is the End, The Interview, and The Disaster Artist), here makes his solo directorial debut  he uses a square, 1:1 aspect ratio for these early scenes, the edges of the frame gently blurred like a tintype photograph.

Misery is at the heart of Schlupsk-ian life; Herschel first bonds with his great love, Sarah (Successions Sarah Snook), because both their favourite colours are black and their parents were murdered by Cossacks. After tragedy strikes again, the couple travel to Ellis Island  so bewitched are they by the American Dream that Herschel is happy to spend his days clubbing rats in a pickle factory, in a country rife with antisemitism. Anything is better than the Cossacks.

When Herschel awakens from his pickle-induced coma, he hopes to discover that his progeny have become powerful, successful, the strongest in the land. Then he meets his great-grandson Ben. This man possesses all manner of wondrous, modern comforts  seven pairs of shoes! A seltzer machine!  but why doesnt he know the Mourners Kaddish, the prayer for the dead? How then is he supposed to work through the untimely loss of his parents in a car crash? And how can he build his legacy when hes spent the last five years living off their inheritance, tinkering away on his app (called Boop Bop, of all things), coiled up in his own perfectionism?

An American Pickle gently prods at the absurdity of modern life  Herschel crosses paths with influencers, interns, and right-wing punditry. But Rich, who here adapts his own story, doesnt have any sweeping point to make. Its simply amusing to be reminded of the strange things weve accepted as everyday normality. This is a more subdued, introspective Rogen than audiences might be used to seeing, though its a mode hes gifted in, as already seen in 50/50 (2011) and Take This Waltz (2011). While Herschel and Ben both serve as parodies of their respective eras, theyre also fully fleshed characters, burdened by the painful memories of lost loved ones  at times, Rogens smile will droop suddenly, as if the mask of contentment has momentarily slipped.

Trosts film illuminates a past where daily hardships are soothed through ritual and routine, and a present where the illusion of total freedom gives way to disconnect and uncertainty. Grief has its place in both worlds. An American Pickle is finely attuned to both the Jewish and wider immigrant experience, but its interested also in how were all bound by one commonality  we are all vessels for the memories of those long gone.
Pennsylvania had 1,252 fewer coronavirus cases this week than last, a sign that the statewide case rate may once again be slowing.

But the virus has not been eliminated: 758 new cases and 15 more deaths were reported in Fridays daily report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, pushing the statewide case total to 117,279 and the COVID-19 death toll to 7,297.

(Cant see the map? Click here.)

Meanwhile, a state database shows 17 counties with concerning high rates of positive tests.

Locally, the Lehigh Valley has seen week-to-week improvements in both confirmed cases and positivity rates. One nearby county reached 10,000 total cases in Fridays state report, the only county so far to do so outside of Philadelphia.

Also on Friday, the health department issued guidance for mothers who are breastfeeding during COVID-19.

Here are your Pennsylvania coronavirus updates for Aug. 7, 2020.

(Cant see the table? Click here.)

Coronavirus in Pa.

The seven-day rate of Pa. coronavirus cases declined for the ninth-straight day on Friday. The state is averaging 747 new cases a day over the last seven days, down from 925 a week ago.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

The rate of COVID-19 deaths rose this week: An average of 15 Pennsylvanians a day died over the last seven days, up from last weeks 13 deaths a day average.

The health department estimates that 77% of Pennsylvanias coronavirus patients have so far recovered.

Masks are still required when leaving home.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

17 counties with concerning positivity rate

Each week, the health department updates its online early warning monitoring system and identifies counties with a concerning percentage of positive cases, above the World Health Organizations recommended threshold of 5%.

(The state calculates percent positivity based on total tests, including duplicates. This method puts the Pennsylvanias percent-positivity at 4.1% over the last week. Another way, used by lehighvalleylive.com and Johns Hopkins University, calculates percent positivity based on individuals tested, eliminating duplicate tests  that method shows statewide positivity at 5.2% over the last seven days.)

This week, 17 counties, many in rural central and western Pennsylvania, were above 5% positivity, by the states calculation. They are:

Union County (11.8%)

Indiana County (7.9%)

Fayette County (7.7%)

Fulton County (7.4%)

Huntingdon County (6.7%)

Erie County (6.2%)

Mercer County (6/2%)

Lawrence County (6%)

Northumberland County (6%)

York County (5.8%)

Clearfield County (5.7%)

Luzerne County (5.4%)

Juniata County (5.3%)

Lancaster County (5.3%)

Beaver County (5.2%)

Delaware County (5.2%)

Mifflin County (5%)

(MORE: How to understand Pa. COVID-19 data with interactive charts)

Last week, there were 12 counties above 5% positivity, including Berks to the Lehigh Valleys immediate west.

The lower the positivity rate, the more likely that testing is capturing the full spread of the virus in a community. On the other hand, high positivity rates show that only the sickest people are being tested  which means that people with few or no symptoms may be unknowingly spreading the virus.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley

The Lehigh Valley totals 8,831 cases of COVID-19 and 628 deaths. Fridays state report showed 28 new cases for the region, and no new deaths. That breaks down to:

4,918 cases and 336 deaths in Lehigh County , an increase of 17 cases from the prior day.

3,913 cases and 292 deaths in Northampton County , an increase of 11 cases from the prior day.

(Cant see the chart? Click here.)

Lehigh County had 104 confirmed cases over the last week, down from 177 the previous week. The countys positivity rate dropped to 3.1% this week, from 4% a week ago.

Northampton County had 85 cases in the last week, down from 123 the previous week. The countys positivity rate dropped to 2.9% this week, down from 3.4% last week.

Counties that are adjacent to the Lehigh Valley range widely in total cases and deaths. One has reached 10,000 cases, per Fridays state data report:

Berks County had 5,321 total cases and 368 deaths, with 19 new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.

Bucks County had 7,147 total cases and 582 deaths, with 29 new cases and one death reported in the last day.

Carbon County had 368 total cases and 28 deaths, with one case and no deaths reported in the last day.

Monroe County had 1,618 total cases and 124 deaths, with four cases and no deaths reported in the last day.

Montgomery County had 10,015 total cases and 855 deaths, with 32 new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.

Schuylkill County had 908 total cases and 50 deaths, with one case and no deaths reported in the last day.

(Cant see the table? Click here.)

Breastfeeding during COVID-19

The Pa. health department said that moms who are breastfeeding should continue doing so even if the mother or child becomes sick.

The milk provides human antibodies that can help the childs developing immune system, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said in a news release.

But if a mother tests positive for COVID-19, there are precautions that can be taken while continuing to feed or express milk. The health department, citing the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends wearing a face covering; washing hands before each feeding; using a dedicated breast pump, not sharing one; properly cleaning the pump after use; and, if possible, having expressed milk fed to the baby by a healthy caregiver living in the same home.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com.
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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.
Ghislaine Maxwell wanted to recruit Paris Hilton for Jeffrey Epstein after seeing her for the first time, a former friend of the British socialite has claimed.

Christopher Mason said Maxwell stopped in her tracks and said oh my god when she saw a young Hilton at a party.

Maxwell said she would be perfect for Jeffrey and told a friend: Can you introduce us?

Mason, a British journalist based in New York who has known Maxwell since the 1980s, did not give a date for the encounter.

But it appears to have been around the year 2000 when Hilton signed up to Donald Trumps modeling agency, T management, and began her ascent to celebrity.

At that point she would have been 19 years old and on the cusp of becoming a star.

Ghislaine Maxwell wanted to recruit Paris Hilton for Jeffrey Epstein after seeing her for the first time, a former friend of the British socialite has claimed. Hilton, Maxwell and Trump have been pictured together around the same time in September of 2000 at a fashion show in New York (above)

The encounter appears to have happened around the year 2000 when Hilton signed up to Donald Trumps modeling agency, T management, and began her ascent to celebrity. At that point she would have been 19 years old and on the cusp of becoming a star. Pictured: Hilton in December of 2000

Christopher Mason said Maxwell stopped in her tracks and said oh my god when she saw a young Hilton at a party. Maxwell said she would be perfect for Jeffrey and told a friend: Can you introduce us? Mason, a British journalist based in New York who has known Maxwell since the 1980s, did not give a date for the encounter

Mason recounted the episode for a new docuseries called Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, which is due to air on Lifetime on Sunday night.

Mason said: A friend of mine was at a party and Ghislaine said: ''Oh my god, who is that?'' and was looking at this pretty, younger teenage girl.

She said: ''Do you know her?''

My friend said: ''Yeah, shes called Paris Hilton'' and Ghislaine said: ''Ohhhh shed be perfect for Jeffrey. Can you introduce us?''

In the documentary, a photograph is flashed on the screen from the Anand Jon Fashion Show in New York on September 18, 2000.

On the left is Trump, Hilton is in the middle and on her left is Maxwell wearing sunglasses and smiling broadly.

Maxwell, 58, is accused of being Epsteins chief recruiter and procuring teenage girls for his sex trafficking operation.

She met Epstein in the early 1990s when she moved to New York after the death of her father, the disgraced newspaper baron Robert Maxwell.

Mason tells the documentary that people were puzzled by the relationship between Maxwell and Epstein, who dated for a time in the 1990s.

Mason said: The rumours were Ghislaine was scouring New York finding younger girls to go on dates with Jeffrey. At the time it seemed a bit naughty.

Mason said: A friend of mine was at a party and Ghislaine said: ''Oh my god, who is that?'' and was looking at this pretty, younger teenage girl. She said: ''Do you know her?'' My friend said: ''Yeah, shes called Paris Hilton'' and Ghislaine said: ''Ohhhh shed be perfect for Jeffrey. Can you introduce us?''. Pictured: Maxwell with Trump at the same 2000 fashion show where she's pictured with a young Hilton

Maxwell, 58, is accused of being Epsteins chief recruiter and procuring teenage girls for his sex trafficking operation. She met Epstein in the early 1990s when she moved to New York after the death of her father, the disgraced newspaper baron Robert Maxwell. Pictured: Trump, Melania, Epstein and Maxwell in February 2000

Another time Mason said he ran into Maxwell and Prince Andrew walking up Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

Mason, who did not say when it happened, said: She introduced me to him. He told me he was staying at Jeffreys townhouse.

That fascinated me. It seems like a perfect instance of the kind of people Jeffrey was hanging out with.

Also appearing in the documentary is Barbara Ziv, a forensic psychiatrist and expert in sexual assault who gave evidence for the prosecutions of Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein.

She says Maxwell and Epstein may have been a mutually parasitic relationship.

Dr Ziv says: I dont think there's any evidence Jeffrey Epstein was capable of having any deep feelings for anyone but that doesnt mean he doesnt know a good exchange relationship where he finds one.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the woman who claims Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17, describes how being around Maxwell and Epstein was a really effed up family.

Another time Mason said he ran into Maxwell and Prince Andrew (pictured together in June 2000) walking up Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Mason, who did not say when it happened, said: She introduced me to him. He told me he was staying at Jeffreys townhouse'

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the woman who claims Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17, describes how being around Maxwell and Epstein was a really effed up family. Pictured: Prince Andrew with Virginia and Maxwell at her London home in 2001

The Duke of York has strongly denied her claims.

Roberts says: One minute were watching Sex & The City and the next minute Ghislaine is telling us to strip down and perform sexual acts on Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine or both.

She was just as exhausting as he was.

Chauntaue Davies, an Epstein victim who flew with former US President Bill Clinton on Epsteins jet on a trip to Africa, harshly criticizes Maxwell for her alleged role in the operation.

In tears she says: The only thing I would ask is why? As a woman and as a sister why you could allow this to happen? Some of these girls were 14 years old, its disgusting. Theres no punishment thats going to make this right.

Being a woman and being betrayed by another woman so deeply, theres an element of cruelty.

Was she more cruel than he was? I dont know.

Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to all six counts against her.

In the UK Surviving Jeffrey Epstein premieres on CRIME+INVESTIGATION with a double episode airing on Tuesday 25th August at 9pm.
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Kabul, Aug 7 : Afghanistan's Loya Jirga, a grand assembly of the country's elders, gathered in Kabul on Friday to decide the fate of the remaining 400 Taliban inmates in government prisons.

The gathering comprises more than 3,000 elders, chieftains and delegates from across the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Afghan government has declared Saturday a public holiday in Kabul and it could be extended if the Jirga continues, TOLO News reported.

The Afghan government has deployed thousands of troops for the security of the Jirga.

According to officials, the 400 prisoners are involved in major crimes and terrorist activities including deadly bombings, kidnapping and killing of government employees and civilians.

As per the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha in February, the Afghan government has so far released 4,917 inmates of the militant group.

The government has said that the "release will continue until the total reaches 5,100", which is the number quoted in the agreement to facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue and the pullout of US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan to end the prolonged war in the country.

The Taliban group has however, refused to talk with the Afghan government unless all the detainees were released, including the remaining 400.

The group has so far released 1,005 government inmates.
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Two-year-old trotters were in the spotlight Thursday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park as they did battle in round two of the Millard Farms Series and the Pure Ivory Series, but those youngsters werent the only ones making headlines.

Driver Jody Jamieson put on a clinic in the racebike thanks to the five-win performance he manufactured during the 11-race card.

Wins with Metallica (1:53.2), Angry Eyes (1:54.3), Saratoga Blue Chip (1:53.1), Mustang Beach (1:53.2) and Aneto (1:51) helped push Jamieson to 101 wins so far this season while racking up earnings of close to $2 million. The career winner of 8,111 races and purses in excess of $132 million currently sits fourth overall in the drivers standings at Woodbine Mohawk Park. His 93 wins at the oval is fourth best behind Doug McNair (119), Bob McClure (102) and Sylvain Filion (100).

Thursdays card also treated fans to second round action of the Millard Farms Series, and Logan Park offered some back for the buck in his $20,000 assignment.

In rein to Louis Philippe Roy, Logan Park got away fifth and held that position through first half fractions of :28 and :57.4. Roy brushed his charge to the top on the way to the three-quarter pole - which flashed up in 1:27.1  and then used a :28-second closing panel to win by a pair of lengths over Warrawee Whisper in 1:55.1. Black Tie Bash took home third prize in the eight-horse affair.

Logan Park, who was sent off at odds of 7-1, celebrated the maiden-breaking win for trainer Rob Fellows. Outofthepark Stable, Reg Higgs and Arpad Szabo share ownership on the son of Archangel-Rite Outa The Park.

The second leg of the Pure Ivory Series needed a set of divisions, and those splits went to Donna Soprano and Spruce Creek.

Donna Soprano got away third in her $20,000 tilt, but she brushed first-over on the way to the half before clearing to the position of command for driver Bob McClure. She opened up a two-length lead on the pocket-sitter at the three-quarter pole and then used a :27.4 final frame to win by 3-3/4 lengths over race favourite Rubys Are Nice in 1:57.2. Magic Beauty took home the show dough.

Luc Blais trains the daughter of Donato Hanover-Windsong Soprano for Determination of Montreal, QC. The filly was a $190,000 purchase from last years Harrisburg Yearling Sale.

The duo of driver Louis Philippe Roy and trainer Rob Fellows struck again thanks to a second division score with Spruce Creek in 1:58.1.

The daughter of Muscle Hill-Sahalee powered to the lead from Post 3 and had the field chasing her through first-half fractions of :29 and 1:00.3. Amazone Duharas charged to the lead as the field head into the final turn, and she marched the group to the three-quarter pole in 1:29.2. She got slopped-gaited in the lane, however, and jumped it off. That allowed Spruce Creek to rally to the win by three-quarters of a length over race favourite Ad Astra. Amazone Duharas had to settle for third prize in the $20,000 tilt.

Yolanda Fellows, Erna Corbeil and Edward Wilson share ownership on the youngster who was third in last weeks opening leg of the series.

To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results  Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Natural News) Crime continues to rise in New York City following the disbanding of the NYPDs plainclothes anti-crime unit. Weve already seen gun violence and murders spike, and now the crime spree is hitting the citys ultra-rich in the Upper East Side.

The 19th Precinct, which covers the area from East 59th Street to East 96th Street in the Upper East Side, is one of Manhattans most densely populated residential areas, and its the home to many billionaire and multi-millionaire residents.

During the past month, robberies in the precinct have risen by 286 percent compared to the same period of time last year. Five of the 27 reported incidents were gunpoint robberies, according to the police department, who added that there have already been 14 gunpoint robberies there so far this year; there were a total of four in all of 2019.

Three of the gunpoint robberies took place in a one-hour period last weekend, when a group of four people robbed a 45-year-old man, an 18-year-old man, and a couple in their 20s in separate incidents. Three teenagers  two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old  have been arrested and charged with first-degree robbery; a loaded gun was recovered.

One of the robberies was within a block or two of the homes of billionaires John Paulson and Glenn Dubin, worth $4.2 billion and $2 billion respectively. Another robbery was just a block away from the residence of financier Henry Kravis, who is worth $6.5 billion. It was also close to the worlds richest apartment building at 740 Park Avenue.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo acknowledged the rise in crime when speaking at a press conference about the possibility of a millionaires tax, saying: We used to be worried, millionaires tax, people might leave. No, no, the burden shifted  were trying to get people to come back.

According to the governor, a single percent of the states population pays half of its taxes, and these also happen to be highly mobile people who can easily pick up and leave for anywhere they want.

He warned: But if the city does not tamp down on the violence wealthy residents wont return from their second homes, companies wont put people back to work, and commuters wont ride public transit.

Last week, Cuomo said the devastating crime wave in the city was very concerning. The week before that press conference saw 47 shootings in the Big Apple in a 176 percent rise over the same period the year before. He cited the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, the release of inmates from Rikers Island, and anti-police sentiment as reasons behind the spike.

He said: The situation with the NYPD and the tension with the protests groups and community groups is a factor. How that is playing out? Im not sure exactly that anybody knows, but I know the NYPD feel they are under significant pressure, which they are. And that tension is in the mix.

Crime has been rising since NYPD anti-crime unit disbanded

On June 15, the NYPD disbanded its anti-crime unit that was made up of plainclothes police officers. In the two weeks that followed, the city saw three times the number of shootings that were registered during the same period in 2019 as gunfire climbed 205 percent from 38 incidents to 216 incidents. It was a decision that many people saw as being politically motivated, and many experts warned that crime would rise as a result. Unfortunately, the statistics seen in the city in recent months have proved them correct.

This is exactly what happens when police lose support and funding, and it wont be surprising to see more cities follow suit as police defunding efforts get underway around the nation. In the case of New York City, the loss of wealthy residents could leave the state with a lot less tax money, which will hurt the very social programs so many BLM protesters say are needed.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NYPost.com

FoxNews.com
07.08.2020 LISTEN

The ongoing voters registration exercise and the controversial discussion of the appropriateness of a birth certificate (BC) in getting a voters card has brought into sharp focus the issue of who REALLY is a Ghanaian. The question is not as easy to answer as it appears.

It has been widely discussed in the media in the lead up to the registration exercise and continues even though the exercise is in its final stage and has been conducted without the use of a BC. It is not my purpose to delve into the finer legal points of the controversy. Many experts have discussed it, especially after the Supreme Court ruling. What I intend here is to consider the issue of citizenship in a wider perspective than that of constitutionalism and how other countries handle the problem.

The five articles of Chapter Three of the 1992 constitution define who a Ghanaian is. It is detailed and anybody can take the constitution and look at it. But that does not end the discussion. There are matters of interpretation of those articles and these are not simple. The Supreme Court, the body vested with interpreting this constitution, may make a ruling on it but even that will not resolve the issue  at least not in the popular imagination.

Quite apart from the provisions of the constitution, the issue has a wider philosophical dimension. Who is really a Ghanaian? Our nation, Ghana, is an artificial concoction of disparate entities forced on us by colonialism. The problem we are facing today with deciding who is a citizen is just one of those faced by the post-colonial state. Not even a written constitution can adequately capture the citizen in a situation where the state is not a natural entity.

Ghana was made up, on independence, of four separate units: the Gold Coast colony proper, the Ashanti Kingdom, the Northern protectorate and Trans-Volta Togoland. Each of these could have been a state on its own. Each came under British influence at different times but came together, as equal partners, to constitute the state of Ghana on March 6th, 1957. Without colonialism, we would have had other entities that are more homogeneous than the sum of the four units that make up present Ghana. The Independence Constitution ensured that citizens of all the entities became equally Ghanaian. No citizen of any of the erstwhile entities can, therefore, claim to be more Ghanaian than a citizen from another erstwhile entity.

The artificial state we have now is a fait accompli. Nobody is going to divide Ghana. But the effects of the colonial order are still being felt by us today. All along the borders of Ghana are people who belong to tribes or communities that stride these borders. These people have interacted among themselves long before the white man came to divide us leaving us with the amorphous entity called Ghana.

The constitution defines citizenship but the reality on the ground can never be adequately captured by constitutional provisions. What do we do? We try to draw the line of citizenship somewhere and interpret the constitution to accommodate it.

Jean Mensa, the all-powerful chair of the Electoral Commission, has chosen to draw that line, for the purposes of the next elections, at a place that excludes the use of a BC as proof of citizenship. And the Supreme Court agreed with her. We do not, as yet, know the full consequences of this action.

I wish to argue that even agreeing on where to draw the line of citizenship will not solve our problems. This is because our problem is basically a logistical one. We simply do not have the means to make a proper count of our citizenry no matter how we define that citizenship. The Ghana Card is supposed to solve this problem once and for all but it is, itself, beset with the same intractable problems we are facing now. A proper count of our citizens, well documented, will solve all our problems forever. But can we do that?

This brings me to a consideration of the issue as dealt with in other countries. In his article recounting the problems he faced in trying to register as a senior citizen, Brig Gen Dan Frimpong (Rtd) writes:

In other jurisdictions where many big Ghanaians now at the helm of affairs have studied, new born babies are given a social security number before they are discharged from the hospital. This is updated as they grow and is what they use for all electoral processes when they attain age eighteen and become eligible to vote. (Daily Graphic online, July 7th, 2020)

The retired general is right. I have lived in both Sweden and Finland for the past 35 years and I will here narrate how these jurisdictions handle the problem. I came here as a student and for all these years I have never registered to be able to vote. Yet I have voted in every single election that has been held in these countries during my stay. These two countries, and others like them, do not conduct censuses or voter registrations because, at every moment in time, the vital statistics that these two exercises provide, are already known by the relevant authorities.

Everyone born in these countries is given a 10-digit personal number at birth (social security number based on date of birth?) which follows him till he dies (and even after). All foreigners in the country are also issued this number on the day they become legal residents. With this number, the authorities know EVERYTHING about you, including your status as a voter. At election time, they just dig into this database of citizens and residents and send letters to all eligible voters inviting them to vote. This letter indicates the votes you are entitled to, where to vote and at what times. You do not have to travel to your home village in order to vote for the candidate in that area since postal voting is allowed from two weeks to the Election Day.

With such a system, there is no way anybody can sneak into the country to try to register to vote. There is also no need to send soldiers to some border areas to prevent people from registering. Since you vote against your personal number in the voters registry which is checked by the returning officer against your photo ID (like bank card or drivers licence), it is almost impossible to vote twice. The database cannot contain two identical personal numbers. There is no need for any indelible ink either. I should add that the system is buttressed by a high level of candour on the part of the citizen who, implicitly, trusts the authorities!

It all looks so simple and so easy. But it was long in coming. These countries have been counting themselves since 300 years back. It started with the parish priests keeping an account of all the residents in their parish. From these beginnings, the registration became more and more sophisticated and is, today, a national exercise that is fully digitized.

It is very difficult to do anything in these countries without a personal number. It may look like an Orwellian state where Big Brother is watching your every move. But it does not at all feel that way in reality. It rather facilitates things for the citizen. For instance, if you wish to get a passport, you do not need to fill in any forms at all. The issuing authority already has all the details on you and only needs your current picture and signature. If you are male and hit 60, this is known automatically by the hospital authorities who invite you for a prostate cancer test. And so, those who attain the voting age of 18 do not need to inform the Electoral Commission of the fact. The commission knows this on its own and will invite you to vote in the next elections.

How far are we from this idyll? This is what the electronic Ghana Card is supposed to lead us to. But can we get to that stage? Your guess is as good as mine

Columnist: Stephen Atta Owusu

Author: Dark Faces at Crossroads

Email: [email protected]
With the government having banned Chinese apps, including Xiaomi's Mi Community, the Chinese technology company has announced its plan to work on a new version of MIUI. In an open letter, the company clarified that none of the apps blocked by the Indian government are available for access on any Xiaomi phones launched in India. Also, the company is developing a new version of MIUI, which will be rolled out in a phased manner over the next few weeks. This new version will be built without pre-installed blocked apps.

"We wanted to take this opportunity to update our community on a couple of important things regarding our data privacy and security. Xiaomi India has always upheld user privacy and security as the top priority for all our devices. The love and support from Mi Fans and customers over the last 6 years is a testament to their trust in our brand," said Manu Kumar Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi, and Managing Director, Xiaomi India in an open letter.

In addition, the company highlighted that it continues to comply and adhere to all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law. And since 2018, even before it was mandated, 100 per cent of data from Indian users is being stored on servers located in India. The company stated that none of this data is shared with anyone outside of India.

Regarding the Clean Master issue, Xiaomi clarified that 'Clean Master' is a common industry name, used by multiple app developers. MIUI has its own Cleaner app and is not using the Clean Master app that has been blocked by the Indian government. MIUI cleaner app was only using industry definitions that are vital to the functioning of cleaner app. Since this might be confusing for consumers, they are removing these definitions from the updated MIUI Cleaner App. Users can also manually update the Cleaner app in Settings by going to System apps updater on their smartphones.

Also, going forward, all new and upcoming smartphones from Xiaomi India will have the updated software.

On June 29, 2020, the government of India invoked power under section 69A of IT Act to ban apps that were believed to engage in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order. The Ministry of Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India.Also Read: Emami Q1 results: Profit remains flat at Rs 39 crore, revenue falls 26%

Also Read: M&M Q1 result: Net profit declines 97% YoY to Rs 68 cr; revenue down 56%
BRISTOL, Va.  Bristol Virginia officials will host an open house and two public hearings this month to receive feedback on proposed changes to its zoning regulations.

The open house and Planning Commission public hearing are both scheduled Aug. 17 and the City Council is scheduled to host a public hearing on the topic Aug. 25. All are scheduled to occur in the council chambers of City Hall, but the numbers of people allowed in the room will be limited due to public health concerns.

The 136-page plan was finalized during the winter, but action has been postponed until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted the closing of City Hall and the cancellation of two Planning Commission meetings, City Planner Sally Morgan said.

Very little change to the zoning map from January, she wrote in an email. Two of the flex zone properties are proposed to not be rezoned. One is the Bristol Mall  the current B-3 zoning covers the proposed uses for the property so no need to rezone to flexible redevelopment. The former BrisBlock property on East Mary Street is proposed to stay manufacturing, and not flex.

Lots on Bonham Road at the entrance to the Robin Circle subdivision would remain R-1, after some residents expressed concern about a proposed rezoning.

Another change would limit the historic overlay zone to three of the citys five historic districts  Solar Hill, downtown commercial and warehouse commercial, Morgan wrote.

We did not include Virginia Hill or Euclid Avenue historic districts but they could be added later. I was concerned about the amount of mailings that would be required to include those two large districts, she wrote.

The zoning ordinance also has some minor revisions.

Public input is still welcome, she said.

Citizens can make comments either by telephone, email, or written letter if they do not want to come to the open house or public hearings. We are encouraging that and welcome phone calls with questions or comments about the proposed ordinance or map changes, Morgan wrote.

The city mailed out hundreds of letters to all property owners whose properties are proposed to be rezoned, including those that are split zoned, with different zonings for different parts of a parcel.

We have even put maps in the letters in those cases to show what we are proposing and then for those in which the zone is proposed to change, we have put in the letter a copy of the permitted and special uses in the current zone and the proposed zone, Morgan wrote.

The zoning overhaul is the culmination of some three years of work by the staff, commission and the council.

In three years, there were about 11 Planning Commission work sessions [special meetings] in addition to about 20 regular commission meetings in which work was done on the proposed changes; a lot of time and energy, Morgan wrote, in addition to briefing the City Council.

The revised ordinance and maps are all available on the citys website, www.bristolva.org/, along with information about the specific proposed changes.

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The Instant Pot is a single appliance said to do the job of seven kitchen devices and experts have just added one more use  sanitizing N95 masks.

Researchers found respirator masks can be decontaminate in just 50 minutes of dry heat produced by an electric cooker, allowing wearers to safely reuse the face cover.

One cooking cycle at 212 degrees Fahrenheit can disinfect the mask, inside and out, from four different classes of viruses, including the deadly coronavirus that is still plaguing much of the world.

The masks used in the experiment kept their fit and maintained filtration capacity of more than 95 percent, deeming it more effective than ultraviolet light.

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The Instant Pot is a single appliance said to do the job of seven kitchen devices and experts have just added one more use  sanitizing N95 masks. Researchers found respirator masks can be decontaminate in just 50 minutes of dry heat produced by an electric cooker, allowing wearers to safely reuse the face cover

The study was conducted by a team at the University of Illinois that set out to address the severe shortages of N95 masks.

This specific mask protects the wearer against airborne droplets and particles and has become the gold standard for healthcare and essential workers who are risking their lives to save others amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Civil and environmental engineering professor Thanh 'Helen' Nguyen said: 'A cloth mask or surgical mask protects others from droplets the wearer might expel, but a respirator mask protects the wearer by filtering out smaller particles that might carry the virus.'

There are a number of ways to sterilize an N95 mask, but as Vishal Verma, who was involved in the study, noted many of the current methods will 'destroy the filtration or the fit of an N95 respirator.'

The team notes to safely carry out the method, a towel needs to be placed on the bottom of the cooker and the mask on top to avoid burning the N95. However, multiple masks can be stacked to fit inside the cooker at the same time

'Any sanitation method would need to decontaminate all surfaces of the respirator, but equally important is maintaining the filtration efficacy and the fit of the respirator to the face of the wearer,' continued Verma.

'Otherwise, it will not offer the right protection.'

The two researchers began this study with the idea that dry heat may solve the issue and meet all three criteria: decontamination, filtration and fit.

They also searched for a method that is widely accessible to the public, which turned them to an electric cooker.

They verified that one cooking cycle, which maintains the contents of the cooker at around 212 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes, decontaminated the masks, inside and out, from four different classes of virus, including a coronavirus.

And the team said it was more effective than ultraviolet light.

The next step was testing the filtration and fit.

'We built a chamber in my aerosol-testing lab specifically to look at the filtration of the N95 respirators, and measured particles going through it,' Verma said.

'The respirators maintained their filtration capacity of more than 95 percent and kept their fit, still properly seated on the wearer's face, even after 20 cycles of decontamination in the electric cooker.'

The team notes to safely carry out the method, a towel needs to be placed on the bottom of the cooker and the mask on top to avoid burning the N95.

However, multiple masks can be stacked to fit inside the cooker at the same time, Nguyen said.
Sri Lanka's ruling Rajapaksa brothers secured a two-thirds majority in a parliamentary election that allowed them to rewrite the constitution and increase their power, final results showed Friday.

The United States, which had been highly critical of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's previous administration, immediately called on the new government to respect human rights and the rule of law.

Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) won 145 seats in Wednesday's election and can count on at least five allies in the new 225-member legislature, according to Election Commission results.

SLPP ideologue Gamini Lakshman Peiris said they would move to restore the president's prerogative to sack parliament, a power that was taken away by the outgoing government in 2015.

He said new president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Mahinda's younger brother, wanted to dissolve parliament no sooner he won elections in November, but the 19th amendment to the constitution prevented him.

"That is highly unacceptable," Peiris said. He did not specify what other statute changes were contemplated, but the SLPP had promised to scrap the 2015 reforms that sought to depoliticise the police, the public service, the judiciary and the election commission.

Officials said Mahinda, 74, will be sworn in as premier by his 71-year-old brother Gotabaya at a Buddhist temple near the capital on Sunday.

The new government faces huge economic challenges, with the Asian Development Bank forecasting a 6.1 percent contraction of the economy this year.

The Rajapakas marked a dramatic return to power seeking a super majority to carry out the promised roll-back of constitutional reforms.

Observers say the siblings -- renowned for their ruthless crushing of Tamil separatists to end a decades-old conflict in 2009 -- can now overturn the reforms made by a previous administration.

"We hope the government will renew its commitments to building an inclusive economic recovery, upholding human rights and the rule of law," the US embassy said in a statement.

Story continues

The United States moved a resolution against Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council in 2013 accusing the then Rajapaksa government of failing to investigate alleged war crimes while crushing the Tamil rebels in 2009.

Despite the international concerns, the no-holds-barred military campaign made the Rajapaksas, hugely popular among the country's Sinhalese-Buddhist majority.

And Sri Lanka's strategic position in the Indian Ocean has made it a target of renewed Indian overtures.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Mahinda to congratulate him even before the final results were announced. Rajapaksa said in a tweet that he looked forward to working closely with Modi.

India watched anxiously when Mahinda leaned heavily on China for political and financial support when he was president for a decade till 2015.

- Reforms roll-back -

Official sources said the unveiling of the new cabinet could be delayed till later next week.

Much focus will be on Mahinda's son, Namal, and his elder brother Chamal, 77, who were also elected along with two nephews to the new parliament, which will have its first session on August 20.

Mahinda was ousted in January 2015 after a revolt within his party and a public backlash against alleged nepotism, corruption and suppression of dissent.

Gotabaya -- a former army officer dubbed "The Terminator" by his own family -- won comfortably in November's presidential election, running on a law-and-order ticket while capitalising on government infighting.

He swiftly appointed Mahinda as his prime minister.

Since then, Sri Lankans have largely embraced their populist platform, with the brothers riding a nationalist wave that followed Easter 2019 suicide bombings by Muslim radicals in which 279 people died.

- Decimated -

Wednesday's vote was twice postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Turnout was still more than 75 percent of the 16 million electorate despite strict social distancing measures.

The election has left the splintered opposition decimated. Former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe lost his constituency. His party, which had 106 seats, was reduced to just one.

A breakaway faction from Wickremesinghe's party was a distant second with 54 seats.

The moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) saw its seats reduced from 16 to 10.

Former cricket World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, an opposition legislator, also lost.

aj/je
Oaklands Souley Vegan restaurant  one of the Bay Areas first vegan soul food restaurants  is gearing up for its first big expansion since it opened a decade ago. Soon, popular dishes like fried seitan and waffles will be available across the state with new delivery- and takeout-only locations in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles.

The San Francisco spot will open in late August at 475 Sixth St., followed quickly by the Oakland restaurants debut in September at 2353 E. 12th St. The Souley Vegan in Los Angeles opens Saturday at 615 N. Western Ave. All of the locations will occupy startup CloudKitchens ghost kitchens, facilities that host virtual restaurants without a storefront and where service is limited to takeout and delivery orders.

Eventually, the restaurants red beans and rice, hot links and collard greens will be available on delivery apps in the area. CloudKitchens is backed by former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

Its unexpected growth for a restaurant that, like many others, teetered on the brink of closures during the early days of the pandemic. Owner Tamearra Dyson said she could have called it quits three months ago when business dipped by 70%, but decided to wait it out and see whether the market for vegan soul food would come roaring back. Eventually, it did, she said.

Souley Vegan, since the beginning, has been about trying when there hasnt been any logical way that I was going to make it, she said.

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle

Dysons shift to ghost kitchens fits the dining climate in the Bay Area. Restaurants are currently not allowed to offer dine-in service, due to coronavirus cases spiking across the state. And in this void, restaurants are growing their presence on delivery apps and websites, including DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats and Grubhub.

Most Bay Area restaurants are struggling to turn a profit, not spending to grow their footprint. Dysons situation is distinct from most rapidly expanding restaurant chains: She does not have investors for Souley Vegan, which she opened in 2009. Dyson is personally funding the growth for business, and she signed leases for the new spaces in April.

Dyson said surviving the early days of the pandemic reminded her of when she first decided to open Souley Vegan, which was on the heels of a recession. It was then that Dyson figured out what it was like to be a first-time restaurant owner. Over time, her popularity grew.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Quitting, for me, has never been an option, she said. If you look now, I went from nothing to three (restaurants) almost overnight. People might say thats a stupid move, too. I know its the right thing for me right now.

Souley Vegans recent growth is also emblematic of how people have embraced vegan soul food in the region. Though there were few options when it debuted, the genre has become far more popular with locals. Another shop looking to expand is Vegan Mob, a restaurant also based in Oakland that drew thousands to its opening in 2019. Since the pandemic, the support seems to have also increased as local diners look to support Black-owned businesses; Dyson, who is Black, has had her restaurant featured in guides and lists.

When I opened, there was a lot of teaching that had to be done to get people to see vegan soul food as something that was cool, Dyson said. I just know I didnt come this far just to lose. The new locations are our next chapter.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
Tampa: The online bond hearing for a Florida teen accused of hacking prominent Twitter accounts was interrupted Wednesday by rap music and pornographic videos from users who apparently disguised their names.

The interruptions including one by a user who shared a screen and took over the hearing with a porn video forced Hillsborough County Judge Christopher C. Nash to temporarily halt the session for Graham Ivan Clark, 17.

Nash reopened the hearing, but the users continued their disruptions. He ultimately declined to lower Clark's bail, which was set at $725,000 when he was arrested on Friday.

Prosecutors allege that Clark was the mastermind of the scheme that hacked accounts of celebrities and politicians, and sent tweets from their accounts seeking payments of Bitcoin, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Clark's attorney, David Weisbrok, argued it wasn't reasonable to set bail at six times the amount his client is accused of stealing. Lawyers have said he has $3 million in Bitcoin under his control, the newspaper reported.

Prosecutors had sought to have Clark held on $30 million, which is $1 million for each charge Clark faces ? 17 counts of communications fraud, 11 counts of fraudulent use of personal information, and one count each of organized fraud of more than $5,000 and accessing computers or electronic devices without authority.

Officials said Clark poses a threat to society if he has access to a computer. The state attorney's office is prosecuting him as an adult. They want Clark to prove the money he puts up for bail was obtained legitimately rather than through criminal activity.

Two other men also were charged in the case. Mason Sheppard, 19, of Bognor Regis, United Kingdom, and Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando, were charged separately last week in California federal court.

Fazeli's father told The Associated Press on Friday that he's absolutely certain his son is innocent. "He's a very good person, very honest, very smart and loyal," Mohamad Fazeli said. "We are as shocked as everybody else. I'm sure this is a mix up," he said.

Federal court records didn't list attorneys for Sheppard or Fazeli.

During the high-profile security breach on July 15, authorities say, tweets were sent from the accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Celebrities Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, also were hacked.
(Reuters) - Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to announce his running mate ahead of his partys national convention that kicks off on Aug. 17.

Biden has vowed to choose a woman as his potential vice president. Here are the contenders likely under consideration, according to people familiar with the process.

Senator Kamala Harris

Following widespread protests over racial injustice and police brutality, pressure increased on Biden to choose a woman of color. Harris, the daughter of Jamaican and Indian parents, fits the bill.

Harris, 55, is widely viewed as a favorite. She is a battle-tested former presidential candidate and ex-prosecutor who has shown an ability to go on the attack - a valued asset for a running mate. A first-term senator from California, she has already been heavily vetted by the media and rival campaigns.

Harris endorsed Biden after dropping out of the race. But her criticism during a Democratic primary debate of his opposition to school busing rankled some people close to Biden, who worry about her ambition and loyalty - and mounted a late-minute campaign to deny her the nomination.

Former national security adviser Susan Rice

Rice, 55, served as President Barack Obamas national security adviser during his second term, where she worked hand in hand on foreign policy matters with Biden, who was Obamas vice president.

Prior to that, Rice served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Obama and has advised several other Democratic presidential candidates on national security.

A Black woman, Rice could help drive the African-American vote, the Democratic Partys most loyal constituency. But she has never run for public office, which means she would be untested on the campaign trail.

Her involvement in the controversy over the 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, likely would make that incident a campaign issue. Trump aides also have signaled that they would accuse Rice of being part of a deep state conspiracy to surveil Trump campaign officials during the 2016 presidential election - allegations Rice has denied.

Representative Karen Bass

A late addition to Bidens shortlist, Bass, a congresswoman from Southern California and chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, would add a progressive voice to the ticket.

Bass, 66, has an extensive background in police reform efforts and has spearheaded the legislative response in the House of Representatives to the killing of George Floyd by police in May.

But concerns have been raised among Democrats about past remarks by Bass seemingly honoring Cuban dictator Fidel Castro - statements she has now disavowed - and her membership as a young activist in a group that supported the Cuban revolution. That could make a Biden-Bass ticket vulnerable in the key swing state of Florida, which has a large Cuban-American electorate.

Representative Val Demings

Biden has said Demings, 63, an African-American congresswoman from battleground Florida, is on the shortlist for running mate.

The former Orlando police chief served as one of the managers of the House impeachment proceedings against Republican President Donald Trump but has a lower profile among voters nationally.

Demings background in law enforcement and her relatively unvetted past as police chief could be viewed as risk factors to a Biden campaign that wants to appeal to progressive voters.

Senator Tammy Duckworth

Duckworth, 52, has a compelling personal story and would help bolster the campaigns national security credentials.

The senator from Illinois is a combat veteran who lost her legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq in 2004. She went on to become the first woman with a disability and the first Thai-American elected to Congress. Duckworth, however, has not been on the forefront of civil justice issues like Harris, Bass and others on Bidens list.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

Bottoms, 50, is the first-term mayor of a city that has been riven by protests over Floyds death and the shooting of another Black man, Rayshard Brooks, by Atlanta police in June. Atlanta also has been a hot spot in the coronavirus pandemic, putting Bottoms on the front lines of the countrys two largest challenges of the moment.

While Bottoms was an early supporter of Biden, her lack of experience on the federal level may doom her chances. Biden, who would be the oldest U.S. president, has insisted his No. 2 be ready to assume the presidency at any time.

Senator Elizabeth Warren

Warren, 71, has spoken with Biden regularly since dropping out of the Democratic nominating race and endorsing him. The senator from Massachusetts is seen by Biden advisers as a bridge between the former vice president and people skeptical of his commitment to progressive policy priorities.

The selection of Warren, however, could fuel allegations by the Trump campaign that Biden favors an overly leftist agenda, while potentially alienating moderate voters in battleground states that Biden is cultivating.

Former Georgia state representative Stacey Abrams

Considered a political rock star in progressive circles, Abrams, 46, is best known for nearly defeating Republican Brian Kemp in the 2018 race for governor of Georgia, traditionally a Republican-leaning state. She was the first African-American woman in U.S. history to be a major party gubernatorial nominee. She also served as the top Democratic leader in the state House of Representatives.

Since her loss to Kemp, Abrams has become a national advocate for fair elections, establishing a group, Fair Fight, that combats voter-suppression efforts.

Because of her relative lack of experience on the executive and federal levels, Abrams has not been considered a top contender for the No. 2 slot.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham

Lujan Grisham, 60, became the first Latina Democratic governor of a state in 2018, after serving six years in Congress. Bidens campaign has been pushed by allies to consider a running mate who could boost his support among Latino voters, potentially the largest minority voting bloc in the November election.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Whitmer, 48, raised her profile as the governor of a battleground state hit hard by the coronavirus. But she came under fire earlier this year from some Michigan residents for a stay-at-home order that they viewed as too onerous.
MILAN, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Artemest, the Milan and New York-based e-commerce platform selling Italian luxury design, home decor and lifestyle, raises a new round of financing with the French private equity OLMA Luxury Holdings and the Swiss holding Brahma joining the Milan-based investment firm NUO Capital (sponsored by Hong Kong's PAO family office) in supporting financially and strategically the growth of the company.

Artemest

Artemest's mission is to support small luxury brands, artisans, designers and artists to gain international visibility and bring their businesses abroad by providing them not only with a curated marketplace but also with best-in-class services, such as concierge, logistic support and marketing activities to reach customers in over 70 countries in the world.

Artemest recently reached more than 1,000 artisans and luxury brands on its platform, the majority of which have exclusive distribution agreements with the marketplace. The company will use the proceeds from the funding to further develop digital tools both for interior designers, architects, and final consumers globally, and for its suppliers to further enhance their online visibility and digital sales strategy.

Despite the lockdown due to COVID-19 and the subsequent decrease of orders from hospitality groups, both final consumers and trade business lines have registered triple-digit year-over-year growth. The US, Canada, and UK represent the main markets for Artemest, with APAC countries following North America as the second region for revenue and traffic.

"Artemest is constantly growing to become the leading luxury marketplace for contemporary design and the main point of reference for thousands of worldwide clients looking for handmade artistic pieces," says Artemest CEO Marco Credendino. "Tech development and assortment growth will allow our clients to easily find solutions to their needs."

Following the success of the special collections launched together with Richard Ginori and the fashion brand Luisa Beccaria, Artemest will continue to develop collaborations with luxury brands and artists.

"OLMA is delighted to join Artemest. With its dynamic management team, this marketplace embodies tomorrow's luxury and embraces the changes currently transforming the sector," commented Pierre Laine of OLMA Luxury Holdings, board member of Artemest.

"We are honored to continue to support Artemest's management team in this amazing venture and welcome the new investors which can boast strong international footprint and specific know-how," says Tommaso Paoli, CEO of NUO Capital.

OLMA Luxury Holding and NUO Capital led the round alongside Brahma and current shareholders of the company. Bonelli Erede was the legal advisor of the capital increase for Artemest while Chiomenti was the advisor for the investors.

PR

Christina Juarez

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OAKLAND COUNTY, MI  A drunken driver abruptly drove into the path of a patrol vehicle in Oakland County on Thursday morning, Aug. 6.

The Oakland County Sheriffs Office vehicle was heavily damaged and not drivable after the collision, but the deputy inside sustained only minor injuries, WDIV Local 4 reports. The driver of a red Chevy SUV, who also had minor injuries, is now in police custody.

The SUV appeared to be waiting to turn into a gas station while heading southbound on Dixie Highway when it abruptly entered the deputys lane, police said. The deputy, traveling northbound, avoided a head-on crash. The police vehicle was struck in the front drivers side.

After the crash, the driver of the Chevy was determined to be intoxicated, police said. He was arrested and lodged at Oakland County Jail.

READ MORE:

Coast Guard rescues 3 who fell off pool floaty far from shore

Woman dies after disappearing in Lake Superior for 5 minutes

Road Commission asks member to resign for using slur to blame masks on Black Detroiters

Friday, August 7: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan
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.
(Newser)  For the second time in a decade, a New Hampshire woman has a new face. Carmen Blandin Tarleton, whose face was disfigured in an attack by her ex-husband, became the first American and the second person globally to undergo the procedure after her first transplant began to fail after six years. The transplant from an anonymous donor took place at Boston's Brigham and Womens Hospital in July, the AP reports. The 52-year-old former nurse is expected to resume her normal routine, which all but ended when the first transplant failed a year ago. "I'm elated," Tarleton said from her home in Manchester. "The pain I had is gone," she said. "It's a new chapter in my life. I've been waiting for almost a year. I'm really happy."

story continues below

More than 40 patients have received face transplants, including 16 in the US, none of whom had lost their donor faces until Tarleton. In 2018, a Frenchman whose immune system rejected his donor face after eight years received a second transplant; his surgeon said he's doing well. Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, who performed Tarleton's first transplant, favored reconstruction surgery instead of another transplant. But then Tarleton described how much the first transplant improved her life. "She really wanted to try one more time," Pomahac said. A team of around 45 clinicians removed the failing transplant and prepared sensory nerves and blood vessels in the neck for the surgical connection. The face was then transplanted. Tarleton should gain sensory and motor function in the coming months. (Read more face transplant stories.)
A young Melbourne nurse has blasted young people for refusing to take the pandemic seriously, after he caught COVID-19 while working on the frontline.

Dan Collins, 24, is haunted by the death of an elderly man he sat with when he worked with aged care residents and at the North Melbourne residential towers, following a massive outbreak there last month.

The brave health worker told the moving story of how held the man's hand as he drew his final breath.

Now Mr Collins finds himself alone in hotel quarantine battling the debilitating illness as he warns young Victorians, 'it's not just an old person's disease'.

Scroll down for video.

Nurse Dan Collins, 24, (pictured) is calling for young Victorians to take coronavirus seriously

Police are seen enforcing a lockdown at public housing towers on Racecourse Road in Flemington (pictured, where Mr Collins worked) in Melbourne on July 4

'I just told him everything was going to be okay... there was not much more I could say,' he told 7News.

'I told him people loved him, because he had so many phone calls just calling to say goodbye.'

Mr Collins took aim at Australians who are not taking the pandemic seriously.

'COVID is not a conspiracy, it is a global health emergency. I've seen first hand what it does,' he said.

'Trust me, I've got COVID. I'm young and it sucks.

'I've got a cough, intermittent fever, sore throat. I've lost my smell, I've lost my taste... and then there's the worry of chronic health conditions.

'Clots can form as part of COVID and it can go to my heart, it could go to my lungs, I could have a heart attack or a stroke.'

Mr Collins had also been taking care of infected aged care residents at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

There are now more 1,500 health workers across Australia who have contracted COVID-19, with 900 coming from Victoria.

Mr Collins (pictured) is now in a quarantine hotel after contracting coronavirus while working on the front lines as a nurse

There are now more 1500 health workers across Australia who have contracted COVID-19, with 900 coming from Victoria. Pictured: Mr Collins

The State's Premier Daniel Andrews has warned that doctors and nurses are the 'not the frontline of defence, but the last'.

'I would just ask all Victorians to follow the rules to protect themselves but also to protect our dedicated healthcare team,' he said.

Mr Collins urged all Australians to take precautions and help each other.

'It might suck that we have to stay inside or wear masks  but we have to beat it together,' he said.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation analysed six million confirmed coronavirus cases to find the infection rate had skyrocketed among younger generations.

On February 24, infections among 15 to 24 year-olds represented 4.5 per cent of all cases globally.

That figure more than tripled to 15 per cent by July 12.

Premier Andrews said on Tuesday, there were 20 young people being treated for coronavirus in Victorian hospitals and three of them were in intensive care.

On Friday, Victoria recorded another 450 cases of COVID-19 over all, and 11 more deaths related to the virus.

The government declared a State of Disaster on Sunday, plunging Melbourne into Stage 4 lockdown and rest of the state into Stage 3.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation analysed six million confirmed coronavirus cases to find the infection rate had skyrocketed among younger generations
A Monroe County man required to register as a sex offender following a 2017 arrest in Northampton County faces new charges.

Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday announced charges of stalking and invasion of privacy, two counts each, against 36-year-old Rocky C. Sokolowski.

The Polk Township man from June through this month is accused of following women and minors through various stores and shopping areas in Monroe County, police said in a news release.

He would then use a cellphone camera to film the groin and buttocks of women, "along with positioning himself directly below women, on his knees in an attempt to smell these same intimate areas," according to the release.

Police listed the locations as Dollar Tree stores on Route 611 in Hamilton Township and Route 209 in Chestnuthill Township, and Weis Market on Route 209 in Chestnuthill Township.

Sokolowski allegedly also was found to have provided false address information, in violation of Megan's Law registration requirements.

Sokolowski was ordered in December 2017 to register for 15 years as a Megans Law offender following his arrest by Colonial Regional police for invasion of privacy the prior June in Lower Nazareth Township. He admitted taking an up-skirt photo of a woman inside Kohls and was also sentenced to one years probation.

After an investigation, Sokolowski was taken into custody Thursday by Troopers Justin Leri, Brian Noll, Milagros Holguin and Garrett Lare, according to the release.

Police ask anyone with information on similar incidents that may involve Sokolowski to contact Trooper Justin Leri at JLeri@pa.gov or via the criminal investigation unit of state police at Stroudsburg at 570-619-6800, or Trooper Milagros Holguin with state police at Fern Ridge at 570-646-2271.

Following is Sokolowskis Megans Law Public Report, also available by search at pameganslaw.state.pa.us.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the Centre on Friday over the rising coronavirus cases in India, saying the country's COVID-19 tally has crossed the 20 lakh-mark and the Narendra Modi government is "missing".

India's COVID-19 tally breached the 20-lakh mark late on Thursday evening, while the number of recoveries surged to 13.70 lakh, according to data provided by the states and union territories.

"The 20 lakh-mark has been crossed, the Modi government is missing," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, which was in a rhyme.

He also tagged a July 17 tweet of his urging the government to take concrete steps to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He had said that if the viral infection keeps spreading at the current pace then there would be more than 20 lakh cases by August 10.

Gandhi has been critical of the government's handling of the pandemic and has questioned the Centre's claims on battling coronavirus.

India is third in the world in terms of the COVID-19 cases after the US and Brazil. The death toll in the country due to the disease has climbed to over 40,000.
New Delhi, April 20 (IANS) Condemning the Palghar incident where 3 persons were killed by a mob, the Congress, here on Monday, criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for attempting to politicise and communalise it and asked the Maharashtra Chief Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Congress has slammed BJP President J.P. Nadda for dragging the opposition party and the Supreme Court into the controversy over the Congress' alleged links with the Communist Party of China.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted, "Dear Nadda ji, absurdity is your speciality. Misrepresentation is your style. Canards are your habit." The Congress said Nadda should read the observations of the Chief Justice of India.

The BJP President had tweeted after the apex court's observation on the Congress' links with the Communist Party of China, saying "Even the SC is surprised at the MoU signed by the Congress party with the Chinese Govt." "Mrs (Sonia) Gandhi & her son, who led the signing, must explain. Does this explain donations to RGF and opening the Indian market for the Chinese in return, which affected Indian businesses?" Nadda had tweeted.

The Supreme Court on Friday expressed surprise at a PIL seeking directions to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and CBI to investigate the 2008 agreement between the Congress and the Communist Party of China (CPC) for exchanging high-level information and cooperation, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said they had never heard of a government signing an agreement with a political party of another country. The apex court declined to entertain the PIL and asked the petitioners, advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha and Editor-in-Chief of Goa Chronicle Savio Rodrigues, to withdraw the plea and move it before an appropriate High Court.
In Belarus, Tsikhanouskaya Rally Canceled After Campaign Chief Detained, 'Warned'

By RFE/RL's Belarus Service August 06, 2020

MINSK -- A Minsk rally for Belarusian opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been canceled, just hours after the candidate's campaign chief was detained and "warned" by authorities not to stage what they called "unsanctioned" gatherings.

The rally had been scheduled for the evening of August 6 at the People's Friendship Park in Minsk.

But the candidate's press secretary, Hanna Krasulina, announced shortly before the rally was due to begin that the campaign was informed by e-mail that an event celebrating Belarusian railroad workers had been scheduled at the same location.

"They're not allowing us to hold a rally at a single venue in Minsk, same as in Slutsk and Soligorsk," Krasulina said.

"These actions by the authorities are completely unlawful," Krasulina said. "We have appealed this decision with the Prosecutor-General's Office, the Central Election Commission, and the Minsk City Executive Committee. But we won't provoke people."

Earlier on August 6, Tsikhanouskaya's campaign chief Maryya Maroz was briefly detained by authorities in Minsk and "warned" of possible repercussions for staging "unsanctioned" rallies.

Krasulina told RFE/RL that Maroz was stopped and detained by several men near the entrance of the Lithuanian Embassy in Minsk.

Maroz said the men were officers from the Interior Ministry's Directorate on the Fight Against Organized Crime and Extremism.

She said the men transported her to the Interior Ministry's directorate where they "warned" her about "responsibility" for organizing "unsanctioned public events" before they released her.

Meanwhile, Belarusian authorities on August 6 continued to detain other members of Tsikhanouskaya's campaign team and her supporters in towns and cities across Belarus.

They include campaign event coordinator Andrey Khilchyk, who was arrested by police in the southeastern city of Homel, and Dzmitry Tsit, a campaign representative in the western city of Hrodna.Khilchyk was coordinating Tsikhanouskaya rallies scheduled for August 7 and August 8.

Tsikhanouskaya has managed to gather tens of thousands of supporters at rallies in Minsk and in other towns and cities across Belarus in recent weeks.

Incumbent President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's 26 years of authoritarian rule in Belarus look increasingly vulnerable ahead of the August 9 election.

But many analysts say he is likely win through a combination of fraud and the repression of an energized opposition.

Early voting started on August 4.

Opposition politicians, rights activists, and critics of Lukashenka have called on citizens to refrain from early voting, charging that it gives Lukashenka loyalists more opportunities to rig the election results.

The Belarusian Central Election Commission said on August 5 that turnout during the first two days of early voting was 12.75 percent of the country's 6.8 million eligible voters.

With reporting by tut.by

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/in-belarus- tsikhanouskaya-s-campaign-chief-detained-warned -ahead-of-election/30769425.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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LAPEER, MI  A Lapeer County judge may be removed from the bench for misconduct due to a recommendation from an oversight commission.

On Wednesday, Aug. 5, the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission (JTC) recommended to the Michigan Supreme Court that Judge Byron J. Konschuh of the 40th Circuit Court in Lapeer County be removed from the bench for judicial misconduct. The nine-member commissions decision was unanimous.

The JTC also recommended Konschuh be ordered to pay $74,631.86 in costs, fees, and expenses, because he engaged in conduct involving fraud, deceit, and intentional misrepresentation, and based on his intentional misrepresentations and misleading statements made to the Commission.

The JTC alleges Konschuh engaged in various types of misconduct.

This misconduct included a pattern of deception and dishonesty, embezzlement, misrepresentations and false statements, lying under oath, and failure to disclose relevant facts regarding his relationships with certain attorneys appearing before him, as well as failure to disqualify himself or receive a written or on-the-record waiver of any possible conflict, the decision reads.

The judge should have disqualified himself in more than 100 cases he presided over, the decision states.

The JTCs 46-page decision is available on its website and can be read in full here.

Konschuh was Lapeer County prosecutor from 2000 until 2013, when he was appointed to a circuit court judge seat by Gov. Rick Snyder to replace retiring Judge Michael Higgins.

Konschuh spent 20 months on administrative leave after being charged in 2014 with five felony counts of embezzlement following an investigation by the Michigan State Police. He was able to return to the bench in 2016 after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor count of failing to account for county money.

The misdemeanor was later dismissed after Konschuh stayed out of trouble for 90 days. The criminal allegations focused on funds Konschuh was accused of using inappropriately from 2009-2013 while serving as Lapeer County prosecutor.

In early 2019, the JTC filed a 96-page formal complaint against Konschuh listing 21 complaints.

Konschuhs term expires Jan. 1, 2021.

MLive was unable to reach the judge for comment.

Related:

Judge reinstated to bench following embezzlement case

Commission alleges judge lied about past crimes, made woman cry over yard signs

Witness testifies Lapeer County judge operated slush fund during term as prosecutor
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh met families of the hooch tragedy victims in Tarn Taran district on Friday, saying it was not an accident, but "murder" and the culprits would be given strict punishment.

Singh said the death toll in the tragedy rose to 121 with eight more people succumbing in Tarn Taran, taking the toll in the district to 92, while 15 had died in Amritsar and 14 in Gurdaspur.

"No one involved will be spared. Whoever is involved will be given strict punishment as per law," he said while addressing the families of the victims in Tarn Taran.

Singh also spoke to the families and took ground assessment of the action taken against the culprits.

The chief minister, who was accompanied by state Congress president Sunil Jakhar, announced increase in the compensation from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. He also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to those who survived the tragedy, but lost their eyesight.

Addressing the victims' families, Singh said the hooch tragedy was "man-made".

"This is not an accident, but murder. Because when someone makes such thing (illicit liquor), he knows well that it can be fatal and people will die. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, he is a murderer," Singh said.

"Those who have made this and who know people will die should be tried for murder. Those who do such things should be behind bars." he said.

Many families have lost their sole breadwinner in the tragedy, the chief minister said.

"It's hard to believe how people can even think of making such things (illicit liquor) and not even have fear of God," he said.

Earlier, Singh told reporters that the opposition parties were playing politics over the incident.

"Politics is being played even when investigations have just started," he said when asked about the Opposition taking names of some members from the ruling Congress in connection with the tragedy.

(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.)
Hours after provincial officials said the Fire Weather Index had reached extreme or very high levels across Prince Edward Island, a forest fire broke out near Murray River Friday afternoon.

Provincial Deputy Fire Marshal Robert Arsenault said there were still "a lot of smouldering stumps and fine tinder on the forest floor" as of about 7 p.m. Friday evening.

Arsenault said his team had yet to be able to go into the woods to survey the full extent of the damage but they have been able to evaluate the fire with a drone.

He said crews were bulldozing a road through the trees to contain the fire further and push it back "to the area of origin."

"It will be a case of applying water to hot spots once we get access, but at the same time maintaining the safety of the men and women that are in there fighting the fire," Arsenault said of the evening ahead.

RCMP posted a tweet telling drivers "to use alternate routes while a forest fire is being contained" along Route 17 about one kilometre east of Route 4.

The road is being blocked off now between Point Pleasant and Murray River to let crews deal with the fire, the RCMP tweet said.

Arsenault said the hope is to get it cleared and reopened before dark.

Call comes in

RCMP Const. Robert Honkoop said the call came in around 3:30 p.m Friday.

He said the Murray River fire department and several others responded to the fire and there were no injuries to report.

Submitted by Jada Graham

Honkoop told CBC News that no evacuations were happening as of 6 p.m. AT, but that could change.

The wind was blowing the smoke away from nearby homes at that point, but Honkoop said the wind direction had changed twice since the blaze started and could shift again.

"It is somewhat contained right now. The wind is co-operating at the moment," he said.

Crews had extinguished a big portion of the fire, he said, but local residents were being asked to stay away from the scene.

"When we first arrived on scene the smoke was pretty dense and intense. At this moment it is not as intense as it was. There is no active flames currently within the trees," he said.

Story continues

I think it is going to be pretty much a sleepless night.  Virginia Winter, local resident

Virginia Winter has a home on Point Pleasant Road near the fire. She was headed home around 4 p.m. when she heard fire trucks.

"I could see they were collected right up the street from me," she said.

"As I was approaching you could hear the roar of the fire, you could feel it right on your face. It was so intense."

Winter said she saw a lot of smoke in the air.

"Our biggest fear is that the wind is going to carry it through the woods. We are all back here in the woods," she said.

"The lady whose house is right next to the woods where it is burning, they've got water on her place."

Submitted by Virginia Winter

Winter said she went to check if she would have to evacuate and at that point she said the fire had crossed the road.

"I think it is going to be pretty much a sleepless night," Winter said.

Honkoop said the fire did cross Route 17 southbound.

"It created some concern with approximately 12 to 20 houses," he said.

Index reaches extreme level

Word of the fire came just hours after officials suspended all domestic and industrial burning permits, saying the Fire Weather Index had reached extreme or very high levels across Prince Edward Island.

"We've had significant periods of drought, we haven't had a lot of rain and combine that with, sort of, the heat we are getting and the wind," said Mike Montigny, fire services manager with the province's forests, fish and wildlife division.

"The wind is playing a big factor in pushing our fire weather index up."

Google Map

He said permits have been suspended because wind speeds must be low and the fire index needs to be moderate or lower for them to be valid.

Gusty winds can contribute to the intensity of a fire and cause the potential for serious wildfires across the province, Montigny said.

Small campfires are still being permitted, said Montigny, but people starting such campfires on their own land will be responsible for "any and all suppression and damage costs."

"I would encourage everyone if they do light up recreation fire, make sure the fire is out," he said. "If you are not willing to touch it and if it still hot when you touch, it is still not out."

Cottage renters and people in campgrounds should have the property owners' permission before starting small fires, a provincial government release says.

Province seeing drought conditions

Agriculture Canada's drought monitoring map, last updated for June 2020, was listing the eastern third of the Island at "abnormally dry" and the rest of the province with "moderate drought" conditions.

Agriculture Canada

What rain has fallen since the end of June has been heavy in some places while completely missing other regions of P.E.I.

Montigny said because of that, the fire index is likely to stay high throughout the weekend.

He said he has worked in fire services on the Island for a decade.

"The drought code we have is higher than I have ever seen it on Prince Edward Island this year a situation that I haven't seen since I started working in fire in Prince Edward Island here. It is very, very dry this year."

More from CBC P.E.I.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has signed a preliminary agreement with two companies over a dispute about foreign firms exporting Nigerian oil from some offshore fields, which could pave the way to resolving all disputes with international oil majors about oil exports.

NNPC signed the agreement with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Nigerian South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO), signifying a major milestone towards the resolution of all disputes related to Oil Mining Lease (OML) 130 Production Sharing Contract, the Nigerian state oil company said on Twitter.

OML 130 consists of producing fields such as Akpo and the giant ultra-deepwater Egina oilfield. Frances Total, via its Nigerian subsidiary, operates OML 130 with a 24-percent interest, in partnership with NNPC, SAPETRO, CNOOC E&P Nigeria Limited, and Petrobras Oil and Gas BV.

Nigeria has been in dispute with Big Oil over the production sharing revenues from the fields the international oil majors operate in partnership with NNPC. The African OPEC member has also claimed that some of the worlds biggest oil firms operating in the country had illegally exported crude oil from Nigeria as they have failed to properly declare the quantities of their exports.

In 2016, Nigeria sued the oil majors, including Chevron, Shell, Eni, and Total, claiming that the foreign oil firms failed to declare US$12.7 billion worth of Nigerian oil exports to the United States in the period between 2011 and 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time.

Big Oil, which collectively produce around 80 percent of Nigerias crude oil, have always denied the claim that they have failed to properly declare their exports, Bloomberg notes.

Last year, Nigeria also began talks with Big Oil over the dispute about the production-sharing revenues. Nigeria claims that international oil majors owe it US$62 billion in oil revenues because they havent complied with a 1993 law that entitles Nigeria to reap a higher share of revenues if oil prices are above $20 a barrel. The majors are challenging this claim, too.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A convicted child molester was arrested as he tried to enter the country illegally, according to federal authorities.

U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Laredo West Station arrested Jose Luis Moreno-Carranza, a 27-year-old Mexican national who had crossed the border illegally.
Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) disclosed weakening financials and a surge in bad loans, hit by high exposure to stressed sectors such as real estate, the growing inability of borrowers to repay loans and downgrades of certain investments amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

This may pose a challenge to the governments plan to divest its stake in the insurer through a mega share sale.

The government is likely to divest up to 10% stake in LIC to meet its divestment target and compensate for the widening fiscal deficit.

According to the latest data issued by LIC, the state-run insurers gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio in its debt portfolio jumped to 8.17% at the end of March 2020 from 6.15% in fiscal 2019. On a net basis, the NPA ratio has risen to 0.79% during fiscal 2020, from 0.27% during fiscal 2019.

LICs balance sheet grew to 31.24 lakh crore at the end of fiscal 2020 from 30.56 lakh crore in March 2019. A closer look at the latest financials showed LICs total real estate exposure plus loans as a percentage of cash and invested assets rose to 4.22% in FY20 from 4.09% a year earlier.
San Francisco, Aug 7 : Amid uncertainties surrounding its business in the US, TikTok has launched an app on Amazon Fire TV devices, the media reported.

Called "More on TikTok," it is the first TV app from ByteDance-owned short video-sharing app, Business Insider reported on Thursday.

The app will give users access to curated video playlists, compilations from TikTok mobile app and interviews with creators, among other content, an Amazon spokesperson Delaney Simmons told The Verge.

The "More on TikTok" app will be free to use, but it will not include advertisements initially.

It will also not ask for login or account information as it is a view-only channel.

So users will not be able to upload videos or exchange coins on the channel.

The app is now available via all Amazon Fire TV devices in the US, The Verge report said.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order prohibiting it from doing business with US firms after a month and a half.
The Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Kwame Baffoe Abronye, popularly known as Abronye DC has called for the immediate arrest of the opposition NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia.

According to Abronye DC, the NDC General Secretary is behind the alleged Ivorians who were denied of registering for the Voter ID card at Banda in the Bono Region.

In a press release sighted by this portal, Abronye DC alleged that Asiedu Nketia housed the alleged Ivorians in his private residence at Seikwa and released them to go for the Voter Registration in bits in order to confuse security personnel.

The loudmouthed Bono Regional Chairman continued that Ewes who lived in Banda registered for the Voter ID card without any form of intimidations as they are legitimate Ghanaians.

Below is the full press release;

---
Delhi Employment Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday that 8.64 lakh job aspirants have registered with the governments Rozgar Bazaar job portal which has set up a new model of employment in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference, Rai said there were currently nine lakh vacancies available on the portal, where 6,271 companies, including Flipkart, Amazon and HDFC Bank have made registrations.

The minister said around 22 lakh vacancies had been posted by employers at the job portal so far, out of which 3.5 lakh were cancelled by the department during scrutiny due to doubling or other reasons.

So far, around 10 lakh vacancies have been closed by companies after they initiated or completed the process of hiring candidates, he said. The Delhi governments job portal has set up a new model of employment in Delhi. Rai, who is also the labour minister, said the AAP dispensation would soon launch a poster campaign to inform more job aspirants about Rozgar Bazaar. He underlined that the government was providing a common platform where job seekers and employers could meet their requirements.

The minister said there was no charge for this service and appealed to job aspirants to not pay money to those who promised to get them registered at the portal and jobs.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had launched the job portal on July 27 and appealed to the traders, industrialists and people to join hands to revive Delhis economy.

Kejriwal had highlighted that many people had lost their jobs and businesses were affected due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday met families of the hooch tragedy victims in Tarn Taran district and said it was not an accident but murder, for which the culprits will be given strict punishment.

The chief minister said properties of those responsible for the unpardonable act will also be confiscated.

Singh said the death toll in the tragedy has risen to 121 with eight more people succumbing to spurious liquor in Tarn Taran, taking the fatality count in the district to 92, while 15 have died in Amritsar and 14 in Gurdaspur.

No one involved will be spared. Whoever is involved will be given strict punishment as per law, he said while addressing families of the victims.

The chief minister, who was accompanied by state Congress president Sunil Jakhar, announced an increase in the compensation from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased. He announced a relief of Rs 5 lakh to those who survived the tragedy, but lost their eyesight.

Singh also assessed the action taken in the case so far.

Addressing the families, Singh said the hooch tragedy was man-made.

This is not an accident, but murder. Because when someone makes such a thing (illicit liquor), he knows well that it can be fatal and people will die. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, he is a murderer, Singh said.

Those who have made this and who know people will die should be tried for murder. Those who do such things should be behind bars he said, adding that many families have lost their sole breadwinner in the tragedy.

Its hard to believe how people can even think of making such things (illicit liquor) and not even have fear of God, he said. Handing over a cheque of Rs 2.92 crore for 92 victim families of Tarn Taran to the deputy commissioner, Amarinder Singh said anyone responsible, however affluent he might be, will not be spared at any cost. The chief minister said the investigation into the case is already underway and Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta has been directed to expedite it.

The chief minister said to ensure that the culprits get exemplary punishment, special prosecution teams will be deputed to vigorously pursue these cases.

He reiterated his governments commitment to stand by the victim families in this hour of grief by providing jobs, education and other social security benefits to them.

Earlier, Singh told reporters that the opposition parties were playing politics over the tragedy.

Politics is being played even when investigations have just started, he said when asked about the Opposition taking names of some members from the ruling Congress in connection with the tragedy.

Earlier in his address, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar hit out at the SAD-BJP alliance for allegedly nurturing the liquor mafia which ultimately led to the tragedy of such a magnitude.

Jakhar said the tragedy was an outcome of criminal negligence and merits exemplary punishment to the perpetrators of this crime.
By Express News Service

CHIKKAMAGALURU: Former adviser to the Ministry of Overseas Indians, Arathi Krishna, helped a medical student from Chikkamagaluru, who was stuck in Cebu in the Philippines, return home. So far, she has helped around 40,000 stranded expatriates from coastal regions and Chikkamagaluru working in Gulf countries reach home.

Ishwarya, daughter of Satyapal, a coffee planter, was pursuing MBBS at a college in Cebu. She landed at Chennai airport on August 1 and, after three days of quarantine, she finally reached home in Chikkamagaluru.

When the Covid-19 pandemic started spreading in the Philippines in June, Ishwaryas parents were worried about their daughters condition. Satyapal made various attempts and contacted national leaders from Karanataka to help his daughter, but in vain. Finally, he was able to contact Arathi Krishna, daughter of former Congress minister Begane Ramaiah, with the help of former ZP president B L Ramdas.

Arathi Krishna, who has been helping expatriates return home, contacted the Indian ambassador and arranged for a seat for Ishwrya on a Chennai-bound flight. Satyapal told TNIE, My daughters return journey would not have been possible without Arathis help. We went to Chennai to receive her and she was quarantined in a hotel for three days as per rules. She later tested negative for Covid.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has relocated the centre for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) at the Bright Senior High School (SHS) in Kukurantumi to Ofari Panin Senior High School, following a recent attack on its officials by students.

The students of Bright SHS launched the attack after allegedly being incited by their proprietor, Bright Amponsah who was reportedly upset WAEC officials had tightened security during the examination.

The attack left some of the officers and a journalist wounded and hospitalised.

WAEC in a statement said it had decided to relocate the examination centre to ensure the integrity of the examination and safeguard the lives of examination officials.

It also promised to take legal action against any person involved in compromising the integrity of the examination in any manner in future incidents.

WAEC wishes to use this opportunity to encourage all supervisors and invigilators to continue to be vigilant and carry out their duties diligently and without fear.

The proprietor of the school has been picked up by Police from the Eastern Regional command.

How the incident occurred

Nii Djan Mensah, the WAEC official supervising the Kukurantumi and Tafo Zones recounted that on Monday when the integrated science paper was being written, he discovered some evidence of cheating in a urinal in the school.

Then in one of the exam halls, he says he also found foreign materials under the desk of one of the candidates, though the invigilator, one of the teachers in the school, pretended not to see it.

Mr. Mensah said he then tried to retrieve the material but the teacher hurriedly took it and before I realize, he had put it in his mouth and he started chewing it.

Because of what happened on Monday, WAEC decided not to allow any of the school's teachers near the examination centres.

The heightened security during the subsequent days of the exams reportedly infuriated the proprietor of the school who charged the students to leave the examination hall and beat up the invigilators.

A reporter with the Daily Graphic in Koforidua, Damalie Emmanuel Pacome, was also later attacked by the students wielding knives, cutlasses, sticks, and stones.

Apart from this incident, there have been other riots at Juaben Senior High School and Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School.

---citinewsroom
South Africa: Local production key to boost COVID-19 battered economy

Deputy President David Mabuza has underscored the importance of the local production of personal protective equipment and the manufacturing of medical equipment as the key to reviving the countrys economy, which is adversely affected by COVID-19.

It is a reality that trade globally has been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is upon us to strategically use this challenge to grow our domestic economy and prepare citizens to be able to take up opportunities that may arise as global conditions for trade and investment are eased, including investing in the expansion of the countrys e-commerce capacity, said Mabuza.

The Deputy President assured the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday that government, working with the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) constituencies, is leveraging on partnerships and turning challenges that arise from the pandemic into opportunities to grow domestic manufacturing.

The Deputy President said this in his written reply to questions from the NCOP submitted on 5 August 2020.

Questions from political parties represented in the NCOP ranged from issues of service delivery hotspots, initiatives to revive the economy and programmes to curb farm attacks.

In response to a question on governments plan to accelerate agricultural support and curb farm attacks, the Deputy President said through the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Land Reform and Agriculture, there is a concerted effort by government to ensure the sustainability of the sector as the lifeblood of the economy.

The Deputy President said agriculture continues to show resilience in the face of economic contraction and remains a pivotal part of South Africas economy.

Mabuza said the most important resource in the agricultural sector, including rural farming communities, are the people who live on and work the land.

Farm murders

On the scourge of farm murders, the Deputy President said it was reassuring that courts have been thorough in the prosecution of the perpetrators of heinous crimes.

While crime prevention is the priority of our police service, we draw comfort from the fact that where perpetrators are brought to book, our courts have shown their independence and capability to dispense justice to the victims of violent crimes such as murder.

They are thorough and show no mercy to those who inflict physical, psychological and economic damage on the communities who put food on our tables and on the tables around the world. The South African Police Service will continue to improve relationships with all constituencies in farming communities, said Mabuza.

The Deputy President highlighted the case of Zaahida Shakur, a pregnant mother and wife, who was murdered at her farm in Weenen recently.

Even in the observance of Womens Month, we continue to be confronted with violence against women and children. Such crimes are a cause for moral concern and societal outrage, said Mabuza.

Service delivery hotspots

On service delivery hotspots and rapid response interventions proposed for the affected municipalities, the Deputy President assured members of the NCOP that service delivery remains a key instrument in governments social contract with the people of South Africa.

Even through the current period of the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, government continues to strengthen its efforts of supporting municipalities to ensure that people continue to receive uninterrupted and reliable access to basic services such as healthcare, electricity, water and sanitation, he said.

Mabuza said municipalities experiencing severe electricity challenges, often as a result of excess usage of the notified maximum demand and failure to honour debt repayments to Eskom, are the foremost contributors to service delivery challenges.

In this regard, the Political Task Team on Eskom, chaired by the Deputy President, is looking into all the municipalities that are exceeding the contracted demand with a view to resolving the negative impact on communities.

The Deputy President is also convening the Political Task Team on Eskom, scheduled for Friday, 7 August 2020, which will focus on progress made in the stabilisation of electricity supply and on the joint response to issues of corruption impacting the utility.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Market Highlights

The Global Surgical Retractors Market held a market value of USD 1,103 Million in 2017 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast period.

Increasing number of surgical procedures leading to increase demand of surgical retractors. Surgical retractors are one of the important surgical instruments which is used to separate the edges of the wound or surgical incision.

Due to increasing prevalence of obesity across the globe many of the companies are in the race to introduce better treatment for obesity. Companies are using a trend of strategic alliance and acquisition to gain the market and minimize the competition in the market.

Additionally, the growing research and development expenditure by the government as well as private sector is likely to contribute to the market growth. As per the data by the Office for National Statistics, in 2016, the gross domestic expenditure on research and development (R&D) was Euro 33.1 billion (USD 35.2 billion) in the UK. However, the cost of surgery and surgical products may hamper the market growth during the assessment period.

Regional Analysis

On regional basis, the Americas is anticipated to dominate the global Surgical Retractors Market share owing to the growing R&D budgets by both government as well as commercial pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies and increasing adoption of advanced technologies in the region.

Europe is expected to hold the second largest position in the global surgical retractors market owing to the presence of strong academic & research base and availability of funding for research in the European countries. Asia Pacific has served an opportunity for developing surgical retractors market in this region due to increasing demand for the better treatment and devices and increasing prevalence of disease like diabetes and obesity.

The Middle East & Africa has the least share of the global surgical retractors market. Moreover, the major market share of the region is expected to be held by the Middle East region owing to the increasing government initiatives for the healthcare sector.

Intended Audience

 Surgical Retractors Manufacturers and Distributors

 Contract Research Organizations

 Academic and Research Institutes

 Government Associations

Segmentation

The Global Surgical Retractors Market has been segmented into product type, design, product usage, application, and end user.

 By product type, the market has been segmented into hand retractors, self-retaining retractors, table-mounted retractors, wire retractors, and accessories.

 Based on design, the market has been segmented into fixed or flat frame retractors, angled or curved frame retractors, and blade or elevated-tipped retractors.

 Based on product usage, the market has been segmented into tissue handling and dissection and fluid swabbing.

 Based on application, the market has been segmented into obstetric & gynecological, urological, abdominal, cardiothoracic, orthopaedic, head, neck, and spinal, aesthetic surgical, and others.

 The market, by end user, has been segmented into hospitals and surgical centres, ambulatory care centres, and others.

Key Players

 Terumo Corporation

 Henry Schein, INC.

 Johnson & Johnson

 Medtronic

 Becton

 Dickinson and Company

 Stryker Corporation

 Globus Medical, INC.,

 B. Braun Melsungen AG,

 Teleflex Incorporated,

 Integra Lifesciences Holdings Corporation,

 The Cooper Companies, INC.,

 RTI Surgical, INC.,

 Arthrex, Inc.,

 Invuity, Inc.,

 Medline Industries, Inc.

Browse Complete Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/surgical-retractors-market-7019

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.
<! Another virus on the rage in China >

China, where the coronavirus was detected last December, is now facing a new health threat from another virus, that is tick-borne.

The virus causes a disease called Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS).

According to reports, it has already killed seven people and infected at least 60, setting off alarm bells among health officials in the country.

Many of the cases reported were concentrated in East Chinas Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, local media reported.

While more than 37 people were diagnosed with SFTS in Jiangsu in the early months of 2020, 23 were later found to be infected in Anhui.

While the disease is transferred to humans through tick bites, Chinese virologists have warned that human-to-human transmission of the virus cannot be ruled out.

Unlike SARS-CoV-2 however, this is not the first time the SFTS virus has infected people.

The recent spate of cases merely marks a re-emergence of the disease, IndianExpresss.com reports.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) belongs to the Bunyavirus family and is transmitted to humans through tick bites. The virus was first identified by a team of researchers in China over a decade ago. The first few cases were reported in rural areas of Hubei and Henan provinces in 2009.

The team of researchers identified the virus by examining blood samples obtained from a cluster of people exhibiting similar symptoms. According to a report by Nature, the virus killed at least 30 per cent of those infected.

The current case fatality rate rests between approximately 16 and 30 per cent, according to the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention.

Due to the rate at which it spreads and its high fatality rate, SFTS has been listed among the top 10 priority diseases blue print by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Virologists believe an Asian tick called Haemaphysalis longicornis is the primary vector, or carrier, of the virus. The disease is known to spread between March and November.

Researchers have found that the total number of infections generally peaks between April and July.

Farmers, hunters and pet owners are particularly vulnerable to the disease as they regularly come in contact with animals that may carry the Haemaphysalis longicornis tick.

Scientists have found that the virus is often transmitted to humans from animals like goats, cattle, deer and sheep.

Despite being infected by the virus, animals generally do not show any symptoms associated with SFTSV.

What are the symptoms of the SFTFS virus?

According to a study conducted by a team of Chinese researchers in 2011, the incubation period is anywhere between seven and 13 days after the onset of the illness.

Patients suffering from the disease usually experience a whole range of symptoms, including, fever, fatigue, chill, headache, lymphadenopathy, anorexia, nausea, myalgia, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, gingival hemorrhage, conjunctival congestion, and so on.

Some of the early warning signs of the disease include severe fever, thrombocytopenia or low platelet count and leukocytopenia, which is low white blood cell count.

The risk factors observed in more serious cases include multi-organ failure, hemorrhagic manifestation and the appearance of central nervous system (CNS) symptoms.

Reported by Indian Express

Related
China: We don't agree with US in pushing for extension of Iran arms embargo

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 06 August 2020 6:03 PM

China expresses its unequivocal opposition to the United States' illegal underway bid to prevent removal of an anti-Iran arms embargo that is slated to expire in October in line with a UN Security Council resolution.

"We don't agree with the US in pushing for the extension of the arms embargo against Iran in the Security Council," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told Russia's Ria Novosti news agency on Thursday.

"All the provisions of Resolution 2231, including the relevant arrangements with regard to arms embargo, should be implemented in earnest," he added.

The US started violating the resolution in 2018 by leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers-- including China -- that the resolution has endorsed.

It then aggravated its assault on the Security Council ratification by returning the sanctions that the JCPOA had lifted, and threatening other countries against upholding their duties under the historic accord.

Now, Washington is trying to take yet another step against the resolution by forcing the Council to extend the embargo on sales of conventional weapons to Iran that will expire on October 18 under the JCPOA.

The Chinese official was reminded of recent remarks by Mike Pompeo, in which the US secretary of state had said Washington would present a resolution on potential extension of the arms ban to the Security Council next week.

Wang was also sounded out about a threat issued by Washington that it would try and force a "snapback" of all UN sanctions against Tehran if its attempts at prolonging the arms ban failed to produce result.

The spokesperson said in response that "China firmly upholds the authority of the Security Council resolution and the efficacy of the JCPOA."

"China will continue to work with relevant parties and the international community to maintain the JCPOA and [the] Security Council resolution, uphold multilateralism and promote the political and diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue," he added.

His remarks came amid strong indications that China and Russia, another JCPOA party, which likewise roundly rejects the US' attempts to undermine the deal, will veto Washington's resolution targeting the arms embargo.

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A sickle cell crisis is a pain that can begin suddenly and last several hours to several days. It happens when sickled red blood cells block small blood vessels that carry blood to your bones. You might have pain in your back, knees, legs, arms, chest, or stomach.



The pain can be throbbing, sharp, dull, or stabbing.



The President of ANAQ Foundation and a victim, Mrs. Ama Nyarko Attafuah Quainoo, has therefore appealed to the school authorities to put measures in place to periodically check on schoolchildren with such non-communicable diseases especially during this period where the weather is not favorable to them.



Some children with sickle cell conditions who are writing their senior high school final examination may have a crisis, therefore school heads and teachers should put measures in place to able a situation should anyone experience such.



Speaking in an interview on Hello FM's NEWS, she also advised children with SCD conditions to avoid exposing their bodies during this season where the weather is predominantly cold and COVID-19 is still on the rise.



According to experts, underlying non-communicable conditions including sickle cell are contributing factors to Coronavirus related deaths in Ghana.



Even though you are in school, make sure you take your drugs, eat well, build your immune system because according to experts, strong immunity also fights against the deadly Coronavirus. If you have any complaints, contact your school heads immediately.



Support groups for children with sickle cell disease can be helpful to enable appreciate and cope with these situations. These support groups enable them to share their worries with peers who have similar concerns and feelings, she added.



"In as much as children with sickle cell anemia do not have learning difficulties, fatigue and recurrent pain can influence their ability

to concentrate in school".



ANAQ Foundation, a member of the Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance is a sickle cell non-governmental organization and over the years the foundation has been embarking on community and school health tours to educate and screen people on diseases.



We wish all final year students especially children with SCD conditions well in their examination.





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
VANCOUVER - Western Forest Products Inc. beat expectations as the company earned $8.5 million in its latest quarter on a 17-per-cent drop in revenues over uncertainty related to COVID-19.

The Vancouver-based company says it earned two cents per share in the second quarter, compared with zero cents per share or a loss of $700,000 a year earlier.

Revenues for the three months ended June 30 were $256.3 million, down from $310.3 million in the prior year.

Western Forest Products was expected to report no profits on $153.5 million of revenues, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

Lumber and log sales fell 19 per cent to $188.8 million on market uncertainty and delayed shipments due to COVID-19 with volumes decreasing 28 per cent to 152 million board feet. Prices increased 12 per cent as a result of higher specialty product mix and a weaker Canadian dollar.

Western Forest Products says $10.7 million of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy funding prevented curtailments and layoffs in the quarter.

We successfully re-established our business after the lengthy strike and despite considerable uncertainty caused by COVID-19, said CEO Don Demens, referring to a strike by the United Steelworkers union that ended in the first quarter with restarting of its Cowichan Bay sawmill.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:WEF)

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We also saw WhatsApp testing picture-in-picture mode for ShareChat videos in its beta app among other news. Here's a quick recap.

What made headlines today in the world of technology was Toshiba exiting the laptop market, Chingari app winning the AtmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation challenge, Microsoft to invest in ShareChat and more. We also saw WhatsApp testing picture-in-picture mode for ShareChat videos in its beta app.

So, heres a quick recap.

Toshiba exits laptop business, sells remaining shares to Sharp

Toshiba has confirmed that it is exiting the laptop business. On June 30th, Sharp acquired the remaining 19.9% share of Dynabook (Toshiba). The company that started making laptops back in 1985 (35 years ago) ruled the laptop market until brands like Asus, Dell, Apple, Lenovo and HP entered the scene.

WhatsApp beta app spotted with picture-in-picture support for ShareChat videos

You can now watch ShareChat videos as a floating video in WhatsApp, something that has been there for YouTube and Facebook videos. As per WABeta Info, this was spotted in WhatsApp v2.20.81.3 beta for iOS and v2.20.197.7 beta for Android.

Chingari wins AtmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenges social category

Social app Chingari, which rose to fame in the past couple of months won the title in the Social category. There was a tie in the second position between Koo and YouQuote apps. There were other apps in the social category as well including Mitron, Sharechat and Roposo but none of them were able to make it to the final three.

Netflix adds support for Hindi interface as it looks to expand footprints in India

Netflix on Friday announced the availability of Hindi user interface for users. The new language support will be available on mobile, TV, and web versions of the popular streaming platform. The Hindi user interface will also be available for Netflix users outside India.

Mark Zuckerbergs fortune surpasses $100 billion for the first time

Mark Zuckerbergs net worth passed $100 billion for the first time Thursday after Facebook hit a record high on optimism about the release of its TikTok competitor Reels.

Microsoft is in talks to invest in Indias ShareChat

Microsoft is in talks with Indian social media platform ShareChat for an investment of around $100 million, according to reports. However, it is likely that Sharechat will raise funds from existing investors before closing deals with new ones, reports stated.

Apple says services like Project xCloud, Google Stadia violate its app store policies

Apple said that such cloud-based services are in violations of its App Store guidelines and cannot approve in their existing setup. Microsoft announced the availability of cloud-based Project xCloud on September 15 for Googles Android platform.

Intel hacked, 20GB of confidential, intellectual data leaked by anonymous hacker

A report states that the hacker has shared a link to a 20GB file-sharing folder that contains Intels files that were apparently stolen earlier this year. The hacker has shared the link on Twitter and the folder that it leads to is named - Intel exconfidential Lake Platform Release ;). The link was originally shared on Telegram.
By Ayya Lmahamad

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have launched a new project on agriculture, the ministry reported on August 6.

The project will help create value chains for six selected food products and organize market access for them, the project manager Yusif Akhundov said while addressing the meeting on the project Development of Sustainable and Inclusive Agri-Food Systems in North- West Region of Azerbaijan.

Akhundov added that contacts with a number of public and private organizations will be established to find a market for products.

Deputy Representative of FAO in Azerbaijan Bariz Mehdiyev stated that the project will increase the productivity of small and medium enterprises engaged in food and agricultural production in Zagatala, Gakh and Balakan regions and facilitate market access.

Moreover, Program Manager at the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan Rainer Freund emphasized that Azerbaijan has incredibly rich agro-ecological regions, different types of climate and agricultural products. He stated that the tradition of producing local food from these products continues, and this is used as an advantage, a means of increasing market access for local products and strengthening the competitive environment.

In turn, Director of the Center for Agricultural Research Firdovsi Fikretzade spoke about the impact of the new project on the welfare of farmers in the affected areas, adding that the project will allow to create a value chain system.

Furthermore, project manager Yusif Akhundov emphasized that value chains will be created for six selected food products and market access for them will be organized. He added that contacts with a number of public and private organizations will be established to find a market for products.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, European Union, World Bank, Ministry of Agriculture, a number of international projects, non-governmental organizations, farmers' associations and private organizations.

The project "Development of Sustainable and Inclusive Agri-Food Systems in the North-West Region of Azerbaijan" is implemented with the financial support of the European Union and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

---

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Sharekhan's research repor on Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries

Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries (Sun Pharma) reported a healthy performance for Q1FY2021. Revenues declined 9.4% yoy While operating margins were almost flat, though were ahead of estimates. The adj PAT after minority interest grew 43% YoY. The domestic business is expected to grow at a healthy pace, backed by new launches and growth in the chronic portfolio. The US business continues to witness competitive pressures leading to sustained price erosion. Also ramp up in US specialty business is slow. USFDA approval on Halol plant is a key monitorable as management has submitted it sresponses to the regulator.

Outlook

Uncertainties persisting around the US business and India business (acute therapy) could impact the growth prospects. Consequently, we hold back from taking a constructive view on the company and retain our Hold recommendation.

For all recommendations report, click here

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies 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.

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Photojournalist Bilal Jawich was at home on the outskirts of Beirut when an explosion, which has left at least 100 dead and thousands injured, rocked the Lebanese capital.

I followed the smoke until I reached the port of Beirut, he told CNN Arabic, explaining that professional intuition took him to Al Roum hospital, in the Ashrafieh district. The area has been left devastated by the blast.

What he saw there was remarkable. I was amazed when I saw the nurse holding three newborns, Jawich said. I noticed the nurses calm, which contrasted the surrounding atmosphere just one meter away. Several dead and injured people lay nearby, he said.

However, the nurse looked like she possessed a hidden force that gave her self-control and the ability to save those children. People stand out amidst these violent and dark and evil circumstances and this nurse was up to the task, he said.

A nurse takes care of three babies in a damaged hospital after the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2020. Two huge explosions rocked Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, leaving at least 50 people killed and 2,500 others injured. The number of casualties were expected to rise as the counting continued. (Bilal Jawich/Xinhua via Getty)

Jawich said the nurse told him later that evening that she was in the maternity ward when the blast hit. She said she had been knocked unconscious, and when she came around, she found herself carrying these three children, he told the Arabic news outlet.

Not everyone in the hospital was so lucky. George Saad, emergency preparedness and disaster manager for the hospital, said that 12 patients, 2 visitors, and 4 nurses died in the incident yesterday, while 2 remain in critical condition. Some 80 percent of the hospital had been damaged, along with 50 percent of its equipment, he said.

(ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Saad told CNN that the babies and their mothers have been transferred to other hospitals.

Its still not exactly clear what led to the explosion that wiped out entire streets across the seaside capital. The blast has been linked to a large supply of confiscated and potentially unsecured explosive material, stored in a warehouse at the citys port, close to populated areas.

As world leaders and international organizations offer assistance, local officials are also launching an investigation into the blast.

Beiruts hospitals were quickly inundated, with doctors conducting triage as dozens flooded into emergency rooms. The emergency section of one major hospital, the American University of Beirut Medical Center, reached capacity. Four other hospitals are out of service after sustaining damage in the explosion, according to Lebanons health minister.

CNN contributed to this report.
There were 10 infants on board the Air India Express flight that skidded off the Karipur runway while landing on Friday evening, Air India said in its first statement on the accident at Kozhikode international airport.

There are 174 passengers, 10 Infants , 2 Pilots and 5 cabin Crew on board the aircraft, the airline said.

Also read: Air India Express plane with 191 from Dubai skids off Kozhikode runway, pilot killed

The Air India Express flight from Dubai to Calicut was attempting to land at Karipurs table top runway in heavy rain when the accident took place. The 737 Boeing plane continued running to the end of the runway and fell down in the valley. It broke into two pieces, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement.

Watch | Plane skids off runway at Kozhikode, pilot suspected dead, several injured

Malayalam-language news outlet Manorma news said the plane fell 35 feet into the valley before breaking into two pieces.

There are reports of two deaths including the pilot. The casualties would have been higher if the plane had caught fire. Luckily this didnt happen, an official said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered teams of the National Disaster Response Force to rush to the accident site to assist with the rescue operations. Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala, Shah, who is down with coronavirus and is recuperating at a Gurugram hospital near Delhi, tweeted.
More than 160,000 people have died from the coronavirus pandemic in the US, nearly a quarter of the global total, according to a new tally.

The country recorded 160,003 deaths and 4.91 million cases, the highest caseload in the world.

Public health experts have voiced concern for weeks that Americans in some quarters were resisting wearing masks and maintaining safe social distances.

Coronavirus deaths are rising in 23 states and cases are rising in 20 states, according to a Reuters analysis of data the past two weeks compared with the prior two weeks.

On a per-capita basis, the United States ranks 10th highest in the world for both cases and deaths.

Yesterday's grim milestone marks an increase of 10,000 deaths in nine days in the US.

Many of those died in California, Florida and Texas, the top three US states for total cases. While new infections appear to be declining in those states, new outbreaks are emerging coast to coast.

Dr Deborah Birx, the lead co-ordinator for the White House coronavirus response, warned of worrying upticks in the rate of tests coming back positive in several cities, including Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Washington.

In Massachusetts, which has been praised for having one of the most effective containment strategies in the country, Governor Charlie Baker reduced the maximum number allowed at outdoor gatherings from 100 to 50.

Nearly 300,000 US residents could be dead from Covid-19 by December 1, University of Washington health experts said, although they said 70,000 lives could be saved if Americans were scrupulous about wearing masks.

Throughout the country, US officials, teachers' unions, parents and students are now debating how to reopen schools safely.

President Donald Trump has urged states to resume in-person classes, saying the virus "will go away like things go away", but health officials have told states with rising counts to be on guard.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that about 700 school districts in the state could reopen classrooms, but insisted schools should do extensive consultation with teachers, students and parents beforehand.

New York school districts are free to opt for only remote learning, in-class learning or some hybrid of the two.

Safety plans for reopened classrooms must first be approved by the state's Department of Health, Mr Cuomo said at a press conference.
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Linkedin Poppy McPherson (Reuters)  Fri, August 7, 2020 09:12 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3b22d 2 SE Asia Facebook,Myanmar,genocide,data,data-access Free

Facebook has objected to a request from Gambia, which has accused Myanmar at the World Court of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority, to release posts and communications by members of Myanmar's military and police.

The social media giant urged the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday to reject the demand, which it said would violate a US law that bars electronic communication services from disclosing users' communications.

Facebook said the request, made in June, for the release of "all documents and communications" by key military officials and police forces was "extraordinarily broad" and would constitute "special and unbounded access" to accounts.

Gambia Attorney General Dawda Jallow told Reuters he was being briefed on the issue but could not yet comment.

The case before the United Nations' International Court of Justice in The Hague accuses Myanmar of violating the 1948 U.N. Convention on Genocide. Myanmar authorities say they were battling an insurgency and deny carrying out systematic atrocities.

More than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmars Rakhine state in August 2017 after a military crackdown that refugees said including mass killings and rape. Rights groups documented killings of civilians and burning of villages.

In 2018, U.N. human rights investigators said Facebook had played a key role in spreading hate speech that had fuelled the violence. Facebook has said it is working to block hate speech.

On Thursday, a spokesperson said Facebook stands against hate and violence, including in Myanmar.

We support action against international crimes and are working with the appropriate authorities as they investigate these issues, the spokesperson said.

The company said it was working with the U.N. Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, an investigative body that will support any future prosecution in international courts.

The ICJ, commonly known as the World Court, accepts cases between states. The suit was brought by Gambia with the backing of a group of Muslim countries.
Authorities in a city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have quarantined a village after a resident there who had caught an intestinal type of plague died, the health commission of the city said.



Cases of plague are not uncommon in China, although outbreaks have become increasingly rare. From 2009 to 2018, China reported 26 cases and 11 deaths.



Baotou city has sealed off the village where the dead patient lived and quarantined the patients close contacts, who have tested negative for the disease so far and taken preventive medicines, the health commission said in a statement on its website.



The city has also put the district where the village is located on the second-lowest alert level on its four-level system for plague response until the end of the year, Reuters reported.



The Baotou city health commission said the patient, who died of circulatory system failure, was confirmed to have intestinal-type plague, referring to a category diagnosed from symptoms including diarrhoea, severe abdominal pain and high fever, according to guidelines issued by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has urged UN members not to support Cuba's bid to join the organization's Human Rights Council.

"It's outrageous that the Human Rights Council would offer to seat Cuba, a brutal dictatorship that traffic its own doctors under the guise of humanitarian missions," the top US diplomat said on Wednesday.

Pompeo has described Cuba's sale of medical services, Havana's main source of foreign exchange, as a form of human trafficking.

"No country should vote Cuba onto the council," he said.

Under President Donald Trump, Washington has reversed an opening with Cuba initiated by former president Barack Obama, hardening a trade embargo in effect since 1962.

Cuba, which sat on the UN Human Rights Council in 2014-2016 and 2017-2019, has applied to fill one of the regional vacancies for 2021-2023.

The Geneva-based Council was created in 2006 to replace the Commission on Human Rights and is made up of 47 member states chosen by direct and secret ballot.

The seats are distributed geographically and are awarded for a period of three years. Members are not eligible for immediate reelection after serving two consecutive terms.

Washington withdrew from the council in 2018, with ambassador Nikki Haley calling it a "cesspool of political bias" and a "hypocritical and self-serving organization that makes a mockery of human rights."

In particular, Haley had slammed the council for adopting resolutions condemning Israel, which has come under scrutiny by the council for its treatment of Palestinians.

Venezuela in 2019 won a seat on the council for 2020-2022 despite criticism of its human rights record, with Washington criticizing the move as "a farce that further undermines the council's already frail credibility."
Beirut residents began trying to rebuild their shattered lives on Friday after the biggest blast in the Lebanese capitals history tore into the city, killing at least 154 and leaving the heavily indebted nation with another huge reconstruction bill.

The search for those missing since Tuesdays blast intensified overnight, as rescuers sifted rubble in a frantic race to find anyone still alive after the explosion smashed a swathe of the city and sent shockwaves around the region.

Security forces fired teargas at a furious crowd late on Thursday, as anger boiled over at the government and a political elite, who have presided over a nation that was facing economic collapse even before the deadly port blast injured 5,000 people.

The small crowd, some hurling stones, marked a return to the kind of protests that had become a feature of life in Beirut, as Lebanese watched their savings evaporate and currency disintegrate, while government decision-making floundered.

There is no way we can rebuild this house. Where is the state? Tony Abdou, an unemployed 60-year-old, sitting in the family home in Gemmayze, a district that lies a few hundred metres from the port warehouses where highly explosive material was stored for years, a ticking time bomb next to a densely populated area.

As Abdou spoke, a domestic water boiler fell through the ceiling of his cracked home, while volunteers from the neighbourhood turned out on the street to sweep up debris.

Do we actually have a government here? said taxi driver Nassim Abiaad, 66, whose cab was crushed by falling building wreckage just as he was about to get into the vehicle.

There is no way to make money anymore, he said.

The government has promised a full investigation and put several port employees under house arrest. State news agency NNA said 16 people were taken into custody. But for many Lebanese, the explosion was symptomatic of the years of neglect by the authorities while state corruption thrived.

SHOCKWAVES

Officials have said the blast, whose seismic impact was recorded hundreds of miles (kilometres) away, might have caused losses amounting to $15 billion - a bill the country cannot pay when it has already defaulted on its mountain of national debt, exceeding 150% of economic output, and talks about a lifeline from the International Monetary Fund have stalled.

Hospitals, many heavily damaged as shockwaves ripped out windows and pulled down ceilings, have been overwhelmed by the number of casualties. Many were struggling to find enough foreign exchange to buy supplies before the explosion.

In the port area, rescue teams set up arc lights to work through the night in a dash to find those still missing, as families waited tensely, slowly losing hope of ever seeing loved ones again. Some victims were hurled into the sea because of the explosive force.

The weeping mother of one of the missing called a prime time TV programme on Thursday night to plead with the authorities to find her son, Joe. He was found - dead - hours later.

Lebanese Red Cross Secretary General George Kettaneh told local radio VDL that three more bodies had been found in the search, while the health minister said on Friday the death toll had climbed to 154. Dozens are still unaccounted for.

Charbel Abreeni, who trained port employees, showed Reuters pictures on his phone of killed colleagues. He was sitting in a church where the head from the statue of the Virgin Mary had been blown off.

I know 30 port employees who died, two of them are my close friends and a third is missing, said the 62-year-old, whose home was wrecked in the blast. His shin was bandaged.

I have nowhere to go except my wifes family, he said. How can you survive here, the economy is zero?

Offers of immediate medical and food aid have poured in from Arab states, Western nations and beyond. But none, so far, address the bigger challenges facing a bankrupt nation.

French President Emmanuel Macron came to the city on Thursday with a cargo from France. He promised to explain some home truths to the government, telling them they needed to root out corruption and deliver economic reforms.

He was greeted on the street by many Lebanese who asked for help in ensuring regime change, so a new set of politicians could rebuild Beirut and set the nation on a new course.

Beirut still bore scars from heavy shelling in the 1975-1990 civil war before the blast. After the explosion, chunks of the city once again look like a war zone.
Governor Whitmer Signs Executive Directive Recognizing and Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis, Creates the Black Leadership Advisory Council

Governor Whitmer Signs Executive Directive Recognizing and Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis, Creates the Black Leadership Advisory Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 5, 2020

Contact: Press@Michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Signs Executive Directive Recognizing and Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis, Creates the Black Leadership Advisory Council

MDHHS also announced their Equity Impact Assessment Process

LANSING, Mich. -- Today Governor Gretchen took action to elevate Black voices in state government, signing Executive Order 2020-163, which creates the Black Leadership Advisory Council. The governor also signed Executive Directive 2020-9, recognizing racism as a public health crisis and taking initial steps to address it within state government. Under the Executive Directive, the governor asked MDHHS to make health equity a major goal, as well as required implicit bias training for all state employees.

Since I was sworn in as governor, I have made it a top priority to include more people of color, more women, and more members of the LGBTQ+ community at the table. Weve been able to build a more inclusive state government, but there is more work to do. Thats why today, I am proud to create the Black Leadership Advisory Council of Michigan, said Governor Whitmer. We must confront systemic racism head on so we can create a more equitable and just Michigan. This is not about one party or person. I hope we can continue to work towards building a more inclusive and unbiased state that works for everyone.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed, confirmed, and highlighted the deadly nature of pre-existing inequities caused by systemic racism. For example, in cases where race and ethnicity is known, the rate of reported COVID-19 cases for Black/African American Michigan residents is 14,703 per 1,000,000, compared with 4,160 per 1,000,000 for white residents, more than three times higher. And the rate of reported COVID-19 deaths for Black/African American Michigan residents is 1,624 per 1,000,000 compared with 399 per 1,000,000 for White residents, more than four times higher.

These past several months have been difficult for all of us, but they have been especially tough for Black and Brown people who for generations have battled the harms caused by a system steeped in persistent inequalities. These are the same inequities that have motivated so many Americans of every background to confront the legacy of systemic racism that has been a stain on our state and nation from the beginning, said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. That is why, today, we take the much-needed and long-overdue step of recognizing racism as a public health crisis. It is only after we have fully defined the injustice that we can begin to take steps to replace it with a greater system of justice that enables all Michiganders to pursue their fullest dreams and potential.

The Black Leadership Advisory Council will be included among a set of diverse ethnic commissions within the state of Michigan. Although African Americans are the largest racial minority in the state, this Council is the first of its kind in Michigan to elevate Black leaders and representatives.

The Council will act in an advisory capacity to the governor and develop, review, and recommend policies and actions designed to eradicate and prevent discrimination and racial inequity in Michigan. To accomplish this goal, the Council is charged with:

Identifying state laws, or gaps in state law, that create or perpetuate inequities, with the goal of promoting economic growth and wealth equity for the Black community.

Collaborating with the governors office and the Black community to promote legislation and regulation that ensures equitable treatment of all Michiganders, and seeks to remedy structural inequities in this state.

Serving as a resource for community groups on issues, programs, sources of funding, and compliance requirements within state government in order to benefit and advance the interests of the Black community.

Promoting the cultural arts within the Black community through coordinated efforts, advocacy, and collaboration with state government .

Providing other information or advice or tak ing other actions as requested by the governor.

During my time as a state legislator, it has struck me as odd that no ethnic commission existed for Michigans largest minority population in our state  the Black community. Working with a diverse group of people from across our diaspora, my colleagues and I last month introduced Senate Bill 1034 to create such a commission housed within the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, but it was sadly sent to the Senate Committee on Government Operations to languish, Senator Erika Geiss said. Governor Whitmer recognizes the importance of this issue as well and has taken executive action to create the Black Leadership Advisory Council, which I am proud to support. I look forward to seeing this commission come to fruition and ensuring its statutory status as with other ethnic commissions, so that our state can continue to tackle the issues that impact our Black brothers and sisters long into the future.

Housed within the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, the Black Leadership Advisory Council will consist of 16 voting members representing Black leadership in economics, public policy, health and wellness, technology, the environment, agriculture, arts and culture, and more. It will also product an annual report on its activities.

"These actions outlined today by Governor Whitmer will have a transformative impact on our state. We are blessed to have a governor who is willing to hear us, march with us, and use her office to build a better, more equal world." Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley.

The negative impacts of racism have put the lives of countless people of color at risk. To this day, racism perpetuates inequitable outcomes in the criminal justice system, achievement gaps in education, disproportionate results in health and infant mortality, and job and housing discrimination. Governor Whitmer joined the American Public Health Association, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Emergency Physicians in declaring institutional racism an urgent public health issue.

Executive Directive 2020-9 directs MDHHS to work with other state departments to examine data, develop and plan policies, and engage, communicate and advocate for communities of color. The governor has directed that all state employees be required to take implicit bias training to understand the unconscious preferences we experience without intentional control and how it can impact others. The training is required for existing employees and must be completed within 60 days for newly hired employees.

Implicit, unconscious bias exists within each of us, and as public servants we have a duty to understand how our bias can impact the lives of others, said Governor Whitmer. I am committed to leading by example and making sure state government is a model for equality, understanding, and fairness.

Under Executive Directive 2020-9, data documenting differences in health outcomes among racial and ethnic groups in Michigan must be collected, analyzed, and made publicly available to help leaders implement equitable policies. Additionally, departments must understand how racial disparities in societal, environmental, and behavioral factors intersect to affect access to resources like good jobs, access to healthy and affordable food and housing, equitable transportation options, and quality public education.

The Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities will work in partnership with departments to develop a plan that details how Michigan will eliminate the root causes of the inequities that cause disparities in health outcomes for our residents.

MDHHS has introduced an Equity Impact Assessment (EIA) tool to help prevent implicit bias from affecting the policies and practices the department develops to serve the community. The EIA guides leaders to think through the full implications of their decisions on minority populations and is proven to decrease systematic disparities and inequities in marginalized populations.

To apply to the Black Leadership Advisory Council visit Michigan.gov/appointments and click Black Leaders Advisory Council from the drop menu of the application. Applications are due by Wednesday, August 19th.

Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

To view Executive Order 2020-163 and Executive Directive 2020-9, click the link below:

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The governing party in Guinea has asked President Alpha Conde to seek a controversial third term in office and after weeks of speculation, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced that he too is seeking a third term.

The governing party in Guinea has asked President Alpha Conde to seek a controversial third term in office.

It follows months of protests against extending the 82-year-olds rule time in office at elections due this year.

And after weeks of speculation, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has announced that he too is seeking a third term.

Ouattara in his independence anniversary broadcast said the global COVID-19 pandemic and the socioeconomic crisis it generated require an experienced leader to steer the country to prosperity.

But his opponents said he lacks the constitutional backing to run for a third term.

Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris reports from Abuja, Nigeria.
Man, dog pronounced dead after early morning explosion, structure fire near Harbor Springs

A man and a dog have both died as the result of an explosion and structure fire early Tuesday morning in West Traverse Township near Harbor Springs.
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Viking Pale Cookie Malt is produced by roasting high quality pilsner malt. The amylolytic activity of Cookie Malt is negligible. As its name stands Pale Cookie Malt contributes very mild and pleasant toasted cookie flavor and aromas with maltiness in it. Sweetness in this malt is rather low.

Viking Pale Cookie Malt can be included in grist for any beer where nice golden color and typical mild toasted flavors are favored. Already with rather low dosage portions the effect on flavor can be noted. Typical dosage rate of Pale Cookie Malt is normally under 25%.

In 2016 Viking Malt and Danish Malting Group joined forces to better serve their customers. Now the new Viking Malt is the leading malting company in Northern Europe and supply raw materials and services to the global brewing, distilling and food industries. Viking Malt has 6 malthouses in areas where our distinctive Nordic barley is sourced: in Halmstad, Sweden; Vordingborg, Denmark; Lahti, Finland; Panevezys, Lithuania and in Sierpc and Strzegom, Poland. The annual malting capacity is close to 600 kilotons.

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Anxious working parents worried about what to do with their children when school starts now have another option. The YMCA of Greater Houston announced the Y Learning Center at the D. Bradley McWilliams YMCA at Cypress Creek, a new safe and structured environment that will allow students to attend virtual classes, benefit from peer interaction and participate in engaging enrichment activities, while parents return to work. The Y Learning Center hours are 8 a.m.  3 p.m., similar to normal school hours with aftercare available until 6 p.m.

$1 million renovation: Langham Creek Family YMCA ushers in new era with renovation

We understand these are uncertain times and many families are worried how they are going to balance work and follow the vital school curriculum at home, said Stephen Ives, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Houston. We have been helping parents since the start of the pandemic by providing child care for essential workers so they could return to work. As a helping hand and community partner, we want to continue assisting families in their virtual learning to help keep students on track for the school year and provide some relief to parents. We believe it is important for all children to have access to necessary resources and aid during this time.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'This is dangerous': Faculty at Houston-area colleges worried by return to campus

Students will participate in a structured schedule with a certified teacher to ensure students can focus while engaging in virtual learning.

We will have our traditional certified child care educators who have six months of experience as a counselor and at least 60 hours of onsite training in health and safety per child care licensing, said Larry Taylor, senior director of youth development for the Houston YMCA.

With this specific program we will also have a certified teacher onsite at each location for every 18 kids to assist with those questions that they might have that our traditional staff members wouldnt be able to, he said.

More Information LEARNING CENTER ENROLLMENT Parents will have the option of selecting a half-day academic session, a half-day enrichment session or an all-day program, based on the family's needs. Each three-hour session will be separated by a lunch break. Lunch and afternoon snack will be provided by the Houston Food Bank, or kids may bring their own lunch with snacks. Aftercare will also be available for an additional cost until 6 p.m. Participants can register for as many or as few days as needed. Registration is now open. See More Collapse

Taylor said resources will be available to students that would be similar to a traditional school day.

Staff will be trained to work with students on learning platforms by individual school districts such as Schoology, Teams, SeeSaw, Canvas, Google Classrooms and more.

Students are encouraged to bring their own technology since computers at the Y would be limited.

They would also need their own headset for listening purposes so as not to disturb students in the classroom, he said.

The Y will provide snacks, but they encourage parents to pack a lunch for their student(s) as well as a water bottle so that theyre not sharing with other students.

Well have disposable ones available too, he said.

The setting will be similar to most schools as both will follow CDC guidelines for classrooms. Each classroom will be restricted to 10 people, including the teacher.

As far as safety measures, we will be screening for fever for each student as they come in, and students are expected to mask up.

There will be scheduled hand washing and access to hand sanitizer with increased cleaning and disinfecting processes throughout the day.

The Learning Centers are an expansion of a summer camp program offered by the Y during spring break.

We continued offering child care but specifically for essential child care workers, Taylor said.

The students in the program needed the opportunity and space to do their schoolwork to finish out the school year.

When taking the opportunity to reimagine what our programming could look like to meet the needs of the community, we realized that there was a need for families going through the school year to continue that type of service, said Taylor, so they expanded on the idea and turned the space into a place where families could leave their kids and got to work and have a safe place for virtual learning.

Cost for the program if a parent enrolls the child for the 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. all day class would be $60 per day or as much as $300 per week and could get pricey for more than one child.

We definitely understand that and one of the things that the Y is big on is making sure we provide care to anyone regardless of financial circumstances which is why we offer financial assistance to all of our families, he said.

At our licensed facilities, they also have the opportunity to take advantage of Workforce Solutions which is where they have funding to help subsidize their traditional child care payment, Taylor said.

Since the announcement of the Learning Centers, theres been an uptick in registrations particularly now that schools have announced their virtual learning plans.

We noticed that next day that enrollment began to pick up, he said.

Each learning center pod can take up to 30  40 students including the teacher and more depending on the facility and available space.

At the D. Bradley McWilliams YMCA at Cypress Creek, space has been reserved for up to 40 students and enrollment continues there. Taylor said for now the classes at McWilliams are for elementary level students with the possibility of adding middle school students.

Well look for space to expand if we need to. We can use gym or office space as necessary, he said.

When students are allowed to return to in-person classes he realizes the the Learning Centers might not be needed.

Taylor said they would continue the classes as needed for students and parents who are not ready to send their children back to the public school platform.

Well definitely continue to offer it. We dont want the price to discourage parents from trying out the service and we encourage them to reach out to us, he said.

For more information about Y Learning Center, visit www.ymcahouston.org/ymca-learning-center or follow the organization on Facebook @YMCAHouston and Instagram @YMCAHouston or call the 281-469-1481.

dtaylor@hcnonline.com
At least 33 people are thought to have died in attacks on five communities in the Atyap Chiefdom in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area (LGA), southern Kaduna State, on 5 and 6 August. The attacks occurred despite the existence of a 24-hour curfew.

In the first attack, which occurred at around 11pm on 5 August, armed men of Fulani ethnicity who were reportedly travelling in trucks attacked Apiashyim and Kibori villages. Six people died and 20 homes were burnt down in Apiashyim, and seven people were killed in Kibori. A survivor of the attack on Apiashyim informed Nigerian media that security operatives were made aware of the attack while it was underway, but only arrived after it was over: The security agencies are not here to protect us but to serve the interest of those attacking us.

The militia went on to attack the Atakmawei community at around 12am on 6 August, killing 12 people and burning down 10 homes. Subsequent simultaneous assaults on Apyiako and Magamiya villages claimed three and five lives respectively, and several houses were burned down in both locations.

According to survivors from Apyiako who hid amongst maize crops during the attack on their village, a truck resembling an armoured military vehicle and military motorcycles drove into the village square while the attack was underway, but no attempt was made to stop the destruction. Survivors also informed the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) that Fulani youth who were born and raised in the affected villages were among the militia that attacked them: They would come to a compound and shout out the name of the occupants challenging them to come out and face them.

The attacks are the latest in a sustained campaign of violence targeting farming communities in southern Kaduna which has been ongoing since January 2020, and which surged during July. They continue to occur despite government assertions that the area enjoys comprehensive security coverage, and the existence of a 24-hour curfew, which has been in effect in Zangon Kataf and Kauru LGAs since 11 June, and which was recently extended to cover Jemaa and Kaura LGAs, also in southern Kaduna.

So far, no attackers have been intercepted or apprehended. However, four local youths from Majuju and Kibori villages who breached the curfew to tend to farmlands were arrested, detained in Kaduna Metropolis, and have reportedly denied bail since 26 June. Additionally, according to SOKAPU, during the curfew Fulani herders have been wandering freely and grazing over large swathes of maize farms of [] locked up farmers.

The lengthy lockdown has engendered shortages of finance, food and medicines. In a statement issued on 6 August SOKAPU described how parents cannot go out and look for food for their starving children. The sick are trapped at home. No one wants to risk the brutality of the military that are enforcing the curfew. Even if the curfew is lifted, freely grazing cattle herded by armed Fulani men have eaten up and trampled over thousands of hectares of grain farms, yam farms, [and] sugar cane crops among others.

CSWs Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: We extend our deepest condolences to the victim communities and particularly to families who have lost loved ones in appalling violence which ought to have been prevented. The fact that these attacks continue is a damning indictment of Governor el Rufais decision to extend the duration and scope of a 24-hour curfew that had manifestly failed. Instead of protecting villagers the curfew not only subjects them to privations, but also makes them sitting targets for militia who continue to attack at will. CSW urges the European Union and the governments of the UK and US to ensure that humanitarian assistance is allocated towards assisting and rehabilitating these and other victims, and to press for release of the four Atyap youth whose detention increasingly appears to be arbitrary. Finally, the disturbing allegations of survivors regarding the failure of security personnel to intervene in ongoing violence and apprehend the perpetrators require swift, transparent and independent verification. We therefore reiterate our call for urgent international interventions, including the convening of a special session on the human rights situation in central Nigeria by the UN Human Rights Council, with particular focus on current violations in southern Kaduna and Plateau State.
Washington, Aug 7 : US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Brian Hook, Washington's special envoy for Iran, has decided to step down from the post.

"Brian Hook has decided to step down from his role as the US Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary," Pompeo said in a statement on Thursday, without giving a reason for Hook's departure.

Pompeo added that Elliott Abrams, US special envoy for Venezuela, will also take on Hook's position following a transition period, reports Xinhua news agency.

Hook has served as the special envoy for Iran and senior policy advisor since August 2018, and before that he was director of the policy planning staff in the State Department.

In a report, the New York Times said that the resignation of Hook "appears to bury any remaining chance of a diplomatic initiative with Iran before the end of Trump's term".

Hook's departure also came as President Donald Trump's administration was seeking to extend an international arms embargo on Iran despite a lukewarm support for the bid.

Pompeo said on Wednesday that the US would present a resolution in the UN Security Council next week to extend the arms embargo, and he also threatened to trigger the snapback mechanism in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to reimpose UN sanctions against Tehran.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the arms embargo will be lifted this October.

Tehran said it would not accept a renewal of the embargo.
The China-owned app has come under fire from US lawmakers and the Trump administration over national security concerns.

The United States Senate on Thursday unanimously voted to approve a bill from Senator Josh Hawley banning federal employees from using video-sharing app TikTok on government-issued devices, amid threats from the White House to ban the company.

The app has come under fire from US lawmakers and the Trump administration over national security concerns because Chinas ByteDance owns the technology. The company currently faces a deadline of September 15 to either sell its US operations to Microsoft Corp or face an outright ban.

Sources have previously told Reuters news agency that ByteDance executives value all of TikTok at more than $50bn.

Under a Chinese law introduced in 2017, companies have an obligation to support and cooperate in that countrys national intelligence work.

Im encouraged by the bipartisan support we have seen in this body to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable and that includes  holding accountable those corporations who would just do Chinas bidding, Hawley said in a statement.

And, if I have anything to say about it, we wont be stopping here, the Republican senator added.

Last month, the House of Representatives voted to bar federal employees from downloading the app on government-issued devices as part of a proposal offered by Representative Ken Buck.

With passage in the House and approval by the Senate, the prohibition is expected to soon become law in the US.

A TikTok spokeswoman said its growing US team has no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects users privacy.

On Wednesday, TikTok said it was working with experts from the US Department of Homeland Security to protect against foreign influence and fact-check potential misinformation about the election.

The company has increasingly emerged as a platform for political discourse and activism. Users recently said they helped inflate attendance expectations at US President Donald Trumps June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Last year, the company said about 60 percent of its 26.5 million monthly active US users are aged 16 to 24.
TikTok has issued a statement on the White Houses plan to ban its popular app, saying it was shocked by the executive order and that it will respond in court, if necessary. The order, issued yesterday by President Trump, means that TikTok could disappear in the US in 45 days if nothing changes.

We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process, the company said in the statement. We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly  if not by the Administration, then by the US courts.

The justification for the ban given by the White House was a national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain. The administration is also concerned that TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories.

We have made clear that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government, nor censored content at its request. In fact, we make our moderation guidelines and algorithm source code available in our Transparency Center, which is a level of accountability no peer company has committed to. We even expressed our willingness to pursue a full sale of the US business to an American company.

However, TikTok countered that its attempts to address those concerns were stymied by the government. What we encountered instead was that the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses, it wrote. The latter part likely refers to Trumps comments about Microsofts potential purchase of TikTok and that a chunk of the proceeds should go to the US treasury.

TikTok gave what could be a preview of its legal case, saying that the order relies on unnamed reports with no specific citations. It also noted that the administration said the app may be used for misinformation with no proof to back that up.

The company restated that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government, nor censored content at its request. It added that its one of the few social media companies to make its moderation guidelines and algorithm source code available to the public, and noted that it even offered to sell its US business to an American company.

TikToks response was widely expected, as is a possible protracted court fight. The White House has also threatened to ban the Chinese app WeChat, which is run by TenCent. However, it said that it wouldnt take action against other Tencent properties, most notably gaming companies and games like the popular battle royale title PUBG.
Somer summer camps fear they may have to close their doors permanently after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented them from having campers, educational programs and bonding experiences for the children this summer.

Summer camp executive directors and camping organizations, such as the Ontario Camp Association, across the province are looking to the federal and provincial governments for help through emergency funding.

Mark Diamond, vice-president of the Ontario Camp Association, said he has been talking to both levels of government and said the Ontario government has confirmed it will help summer camps, but only if the federal government is willing.

No one in the federal government has taken the responsibility for the file for camps, Diamond said. We have spoken to many ministers who acknowledge the need for funds, but unfortunately there is not a ministry willing to currently step up and say we are the ones that are going to.

Without help from both levels of government there could be a million Ontario children who might not enjoy a camp experience next summer or ever again, he warned.

By next summer, you could have a million kids never going to camp again, Diamond said. Because once these camps close, they will never reopen, and the problem is there are many camps that phone me all the time and say when is this money coming.

The impact is being felt at the camps in the Kawarthas.

We run year-round, we run outdoor education programs, we have an environment centre, said Jacob Rodenburg, executive director of Camp Kawartha on Clear Lake at 1010 Birchview Rd. in Douro-Dummer Township.

The revenue for the camp is heavily dependent on summer campers and other programs that deal with schools, such as nature educational programs running during the fall, he said.

So, not 100 per cent of our revenue comes from summer camp, but a good chunk of it does, probably 70 per cent, Rodenburg said.

We are just looking to deliver a wonderful service, which is going to help kids get in touch with nature and the outdoors, outdoor skills, the environment, for us it has been very difficult.

Camp Kawartha had been impacted earlier because of the work action by teachers during the school year, which cancelled school trips that would normally help the camps bottom line.

Kim Smith, executive director of Camp Maple Leaf, on Pigeon Lake at 378 Fothergill Rd. in Ennismore, said her camp specializes in serving children with unique life challenges, such as those grieving the loss of a parent or who have physical differences.

Camp for such children is important, she said, and is something they look forward to each year.

Camp for those children is a very cementing annual event when those children meet with other children and make friends with other children who are dealing with similar unique life challenges, there is importance in that, Smith said.

Thats aside from all the great things that go with our camp which include the friendships, the fun and the life experiences and the role modelling they get from their counsellors.

Diamond said without government financial support, the camps will pile on debt.

Camps are usually a small business, not-for-profits and other entities, they just dont have the ability to borrow to the extent required to allow them to open for summer 2021, he said.

Many of the government financing programs that are out there dont work for camps because they just dont qualify, nor are they in a position to start to pay interest on debt, when they have already been placed in debt to such a high level.

Rodenburg said it would also help if parents could donate to local summer camps during this time.

If parents are able to give a donation if would be much appreciated, he said.

To donate to Camp Kawartha visit campkawartha.ca/support-us/thrive-100-fundraising-campaign/ or campmapleleaf.net/donate.php

To support the camp industry with their requests for funding from both levels of government visit campkawartha.ca/canadian-camp-industry-needs-your-help/
YEREVAN.  The court session on the case of Armen Tavadyan, the owner of 5th Channel television of Armenia, and Varuzhan Mkrtchyan, a supporter of second President of Robert Kocharyan, has resumed Friday.

At the previous hearing, it was decided to examine three criminal cases in one proceeding.

In one criminal case, Tavadyan is accused of bribing a victim of the March 2008 case in order to give false testimony in court.

Armen Tavadyan and Varuzhan Mkrtchyan were charged with committing the aforesaid act by an organized group.

On March 12, the Criminal Court of Appeal had made a decision to release Tavadyan. Speaking to reporters, his attorney Hovhannes Khudoyan had said that the reason for granting the respective appeal was the lack of reasonable doubt.

The two other criminal cases refer to the incident that took place outside the court in May 2019, in parallel with the discussion of the pretrial measure of ex-president Robert Kocharyan, with the participation of civic activist Vartges Gaspari. An incident had occurred between him and Armen Tavadyan.

A criminal case was initiated in connection with the incident, and on charges of hooliganism committed by a group of people. Charges were brought against Armen Tavadyan and Robert Kocharyan's supporters Sergey Sazhumyan and Gevorg Bakaryan.

The cases of Armen Tavadyan and the other two persons were sent to court separately.
PEPPER PIKE, Ohio

Simple assault, unforced burglary: Pepper Ridge Road

A woman in her 80s escaped serious injury Aug. 1 after being knocked to the floor by a man dressed in black who entered her house through an apparently unlocked door.

She told police that she had gone from her living room into the kitchen around midnight and was turning back around when she was taken to the floor and held down briefly by the intruder, who remained inside the house for possibly 15 minutes.

It did not appear that anything was stolen. When she called police, she was unsure whether he might still be inside the house.

Hunting Valley police were called in to assist with the investigation, and no one else was found inside the residence at that time. A detective was called to the scene as well.

Police are looking for possible connections to other recent crimes in surrounding communities, including on Clevelands west side.

Distraction burglary (no forced entry): Edgedale Road

A resident, 84, reported on the afternoon of July 31 that a suspicious man had come to her door, professionally dressed as a utility worker with a reflective vest, although he would not give her an answer about what company he worked for.

She would not let him in the house, but then he asked her to take a look at the back yard with him, showing her an area where he said they may need to work on some underground electrical wires.

A short time later, he got a phone call that he said was a co-worker he had to go meet, and that he would be back later. He then left in a gray or black pickup truck.

He did not return, and she later noticed that a locked briefcase inside her house had been pried open and $2,500 in cash was missing. A lock box in another room was broken open, but nothing appeared to be missing from it.

Police surmised that the person the suspect was on the phone with had been going through the house while they were out in the back yard.

Police noted that Middleburg Heights has had at least one similar incident, as have other west side communities, along with Hunting Valley the day before. Investigations continue.

Animals at large: Cedarwood Road

The owner of two Rottweilers was cited on the afternoon of Aug. 6 after the dogs left their property and got into a neighbors fenced-in back yard, where they killed four chickens, while at least one member of that household was present.

Suspicion: South Woodland Road

A resident reported receiving a package in the mail on July 30 addressed to her sister and labeled as stud earrings from Shenzhen, China. But when she opened the outer wrapping, she realized that the inner package contained seeds, which she did not open.

Mayor Richard Bain in a website release cautioned residents against opening unsolicited packets of seeds, as they might contain invasive plant species.

Attempted telecommunications fraud: Glengary Lane

A resident, 72, reported July 30 that someone posing as an Apple Care technician called her saying that her accounts had been compromised. He said he could restore her accounts to safety by mirroring her computer.

She did not allow this and after he started rattling off random accounts, she realized it was a scam, then hung up, turned off her computer and called police.

Read more from the Chagrin Solon Sun.
Her career in music and acting spans two decades.

And on Tuesday, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, 44, shared a throwback photo of herself with a friend, artist agent Todd O'Mara from their younger years.

In the picture, the former Rouge Traders frontwoman's curly blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders and black top.

'Oh my how time flies': Natalie Bassingthwaighte showed off her luscious curly blonde locks with her friend, artist agent Todd O'Mara, in a throwback photo she shared on Tuesday

She beamed as she hugged her pal who looked dapper in his navy suit and tie ensemble.

Natalie wrote in the caption: 'LOOK WHAT I FOUND! Oh my how time flies.'

'I feel so very blessed to have had you in my life for practically my entire life! Let's not tell anyone how many years that actually is.'

Tribute: Natalie wrote in the caption to her pal, 'I feel so very blessed to have had you in my life for practically my entire life! Let's not tell anyone how many years that actually is'

Best pals: She added, 'But I love you with all my heart. I am so very proud of all your achievements and I MISS YOUR FACE!'. Natalie pictured with her friend Todd O'Mara

She added: 'But I love you with all my heart. I am so very proud of all your achievements and I MISS YOUR FACE!'

Natalie is married to Rogue Traders drummer Cameron McGlinchey, also 44, and the couple share two children - daughter Harper, 10, and son Hendrix, seven.

The actress, who played Isabelle 'Izzy' Hoyland on Neighbours from 2003 to 2007, moved to Byron Bay from Melbourne in February, a month before NSW went into COVID-19 lockdown.

In an Instagram video in April, Natalie explained why she had been 'offline in recent weeks'.

Big move: Natalie is married to Rogue Traders drummer Cameron McGlinchey, also 44, and the couple share two children - daughter Harper, 10, and son Hendrix, seven. The family moved Byron Bay from Melbourne in February, a month before NSW went into COVID-19 lockdown

The mother-of-two said that self-isolation, homeschooling her children and general introspection about her life and career had been behind her social media detox.

Before lockdown began, there had been rumours The Rouge Traders would reunite.

In December, she addressed those rumours, saying: 'I may be going back into the studio next year, but you will just have to wait and see what that means.'

'We still have as much energy as we always have, I just feel like it is slicker in a way.'
Charles Leclerc has lashed out at media reports and members of the public accusing him of racism.

It comes after his latest interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, in which he said he does not kneel before races because of the Black Lives Matter movement's links to violence and politics.

"It is very sad to see how some people manipulate my words to make headlines making me sound like a racist," Leclerc declared on Twitter.

"I've always been respectful to everyone and that should be the standard in today's world. I am not racist and I absolutely hate racism," he added.

Then the Ferrari driver told reporters at Silverstone: "I just don't want to be judged anymore.

"I do not accept being called the way I have been called in the last few weeks, just because of not kneeling," Leclerc, 22, added.

The kneeling issue, championed by Lewis Hamilton who openly wears Black Lives Matter Branding whilst doing so, has become a hot topic in Formula 1.

Like Leclerc, Spaniard Carlos Sainz also refuses to kneel before the races in 2020.

"What does kneeling have to do with being racist or not?" he was quoted as saying by El Mundo Deportivo at Silverstone. "It's a mere gesture that changes nothing.

"It has become more about who kneels and who doesn't kneel than who is for or against racism," said the McLaren driver.

As for Leclerc, and the Monegasque's claim that he has been branded a racist, Sainz responded: "Honestly I have not had many comments like that.

"I have had some but I have not felt offended or pressured and that's why I haven't felt the need to say anything on social media as Leclerc did feel.

"But it just shows the pressure that F1 drivers are under in the media, and the way in which people are confused about what is racist and what is not.

"For me, I think we should stop talking about it and turn the page," he said.

(GMM)
The Earth's surface is composed of more than 56 tectonic plates that are constantly in motion. They fit together like puzzle pieces to form a hard shell around the Earth's interior. After billions of years of slowly moving, the interactions between tectonic plates created the geologic formations we see today, such as volcanoes, mountain ranges, valleys, and faults.

D. Sarah Stamps, an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences in the College of Science, has received a five-year Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant worth $625,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate the role of volcanism in early phase continental rifting -- the process in which two plates move apart and stretch the continental crust -- at the Natron Rift in Tanzania.

"The Natron Rift is the best place in the world to study volcano-tectonic interactions during early phase rifting. You can't find another place on Earth where you have early phase rifting and a volcano right next to a border fault," Stamps said. "The main reason we haven't understood the role of volcanism in early phase rifting is because the Natron Rift has yet to be studied with the techniques that we're going to use."

Due to a lack of observations specific to volcano-tectonic interactions, the role of volcanoes in early phase continental rifting remains unclear. Stamps and Elifuraha Saria, a collaborator at Ardhi University in Tanzania, hope to fill in these knowledge gaps.

The CAREER award is the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.

Next summer, Stamps and her team of researchers will travel to the Natron Rift in the East African Rift System in Tanzania to collect GPS field data. By using GPS to measure surface motions, they will quantify how the Earth's surface is moving both vertically and horizontally on the volcano and on the surrounding areas within the rift valley.

In addition to taking measurements, Stamps will employ a suite of datasets comprising geochemical data, seismic data, and gas measurements. She will also use open access data from a network of GPS stations she deployed between 2016 to 2018 to observe the volcano and develop computational models to better understand how a deformation of the volcano influences movement along the border fault. These models will also further the understanding of volcanic eruptive processes.

This grant will partially fund Joshua R. Jones, a current Ph.D. student in Stamps' lab at Virginia Tech, as well as a new Ph.D. student beginning in the spring of 2021. Jones will create some of the geodynamic models of the volcano-tectonic interactions.

"Part of the broader impacts will be using real-time GPS data that comes from the volcano," Stamps said. "Scientifically, we expect these results to inform volcanic eruptive processes and early phase continental rifting processes. We'll be using independent data to compare with model predictions of volcanic eruptions."

The grant will also fund an outreach component designed to engage students, especially underrepresented groups, in geosciences. Stamps will reach K-12 students by working with existing summer camps at Virginia Tech, such as the Black College Institute, to teach students about volcanic hazards and how to use GPS measurements to study earth sciences.

Stamps will also provide training and research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Part of the outreach components involves training undergraduate students from Hampton University in data analysis.

"I'm thrilled about the entire project. It builds upon a project I started in 2015 to develop a volcano observatory in Tanzania, so I'm excited about continuing that project and really expanding it to encompass more scientific investigations and education," said Stamps.

###
07.08.2020 LISTEN

President Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 7th August 2020, swore into office six (6) Justices of the Court of Appeal, at a ceremony at Jubilee House, the seat of the nation's presidency.

The newly appointed Justices, comprising four men and two women, are Justice George Koomson, Justice Edward Amoako Asante, Justice Novisi Afua Aryene, Justice Eric Baah, Justice Richard Adjei-Frimpong and Justice Cynthia Pamela Akotoaa Addo.

At the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo stated that the new Justices are eminently fit and qualified for the position of Justice of the Court of Appeal, and have the impartiality of mind and independence of spirit to hold this high office.

With the Constitution affirming final judicial power in the State, the President explained that the Judiciary has exclusive jurisdiction in all matters of the breach of the law, civil and criminal, including matters relating to the interpretation and enforcement of the Constitution.

It has, thus, onerous responsibilities to protect the individual liberties and fundamental human rights of citizens, to act as the arbiter in disputes between the State and the citizen, to act as the arbiter in disputes between citizens, and to serve as the bulwark for the promotion of the orderly development of our nation, and for the defence of the liberties and rights of our people, he said.

President Akufo-Addo continued, So, to our new Justices of the Court of Appeal, it is important to bear in mind that the growth of our nation demands that we have a Judiciary that commands the respect of the people by the quality of its delivery of justice, as well as by the comportment of its judges. It is vitally important that we have judges who are honest, possess integrity and sound knowledge of the law.

The situation, where judges proffer judgments on the basis of decisions from lower courts and cite them as law, according to the President, is not acceptable, and even less so, when judges cite no authority at all for their rulings and give orders without reasons.

You must be learned, know your case law and ensure your decisions and judgments are properly motivated in accordance with the principle of stare decisis, the doctrine of precedent, which has been the bedrock for the evolution of the common law, he stressed.

The President also stated that Government, since his assumption of office, has introduced a number of policy measures to help bridge the technology-gap, insisting that harnessing the power of technology to advance the rule of law is critical in the modern era, if we are to maintain the confidence of the Ghanaian people, and shore up our nation's reputation as a country governed in accordance with the rule of law.

Following the launch of the e-justice system, which is designed to leverage technology in the delivery of justice, the President encouraged all of them to take full advantage of the e-justice system, to expedite the conduct of cases that come before them, and in the management of the Court.

The transparent and efficient delivery of justice, he explained, builds confidence in citizens, businesses and the investor community.

So, to you, newly sworn-in Justices, you should so conduct yourselves that, even though our judicial system comports a two-tier appellate system, the great majority of appeals terminate at the Court of Appeal. The apex court, the Supreme Court, the Court of last resort, should be seized of its appellate jurisdiction rarely if the Court of Appeal does its work satisfactorily, he added.

With the newly appointed Justices of Appeal taking high judicial office in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, President Akufo-Addo noted that it has become evident that the institutions of the state Executive, Legislature, Judiciary  must provide the requisite leadership to steer the population through the crisis.

I applaud the statesmanlike efforts of Speaker Oquaye and Chief Justice Anin Yeboah for ensuring that their respective arms of government, Parliament and the Courts, continue to function vigorously with due respect to the COVID-19 protocols. It is a reassuring development for the Ghanaian people. But we must, nevertheless, the pandemic notwithstanding, not overlook the age-old adage that 'Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied', he added
Pakistani Army Claims Cross-Border Firing From Afghanistan Killed Soldier

By RFE/RL August 06, 2020

The Pakistani military said one of its soldiers was killed and two others wounded by cross-border shelling from Afghanistan.

In a statement on August 6, the Pakistani military said members of its Frontier Corps came under heavy mortar shelling and firing from Afghanistan a day earlier.

The military said the incident occurred in the Lower Dir district of the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Afghan officials have yet to comment on Pakistan's claim.

It comes after cross-border shelling by Pakistan killed at least 15 civilians in Afghanistan on July 31, prompting Kabul to put its ground and air forces on alert.

The shelling came after clashes between Pakistani and Afghan security forces at the closed Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing.

The two countries share a 2,500-kilometer border known as the Durand Line, which Pakistan considers to be an international border. Afghanistan rejects the colonial-era border that was created in 1893.

In 2017, Pakistan started building a fence along the border to improve security, a move that sparked condemnations in Kabul.

Pakistani forces have continued to build border fortifications, sparking numerous clashes along the border.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-army-claims -cross-border-firing-from-afghanistan -killed-soldier/30769908.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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A day after its deal with American vaccine developer Novavax, Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has tied up with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the manufacture and delivery of up to 10 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines for India and other low income countries by 2021.

For this, the Gates Foundation will provide an at-risk funding of $150 million to GAVI, which will then be used to support the Serum Institute of India to manufacture potential vaccine candidates, and for future procurement of vaccines for low- and middle-income countries via Gavi's COVAX AMC. SII has set a ceiling price of $3 (approximately Rs 225) per dose.

"Too many times we have seen the most vulnerable countries left at the back of the queue when it comes to new treatments, diagnostics and vaccines," said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

"In an attempt to make our fight against COVID-19 stronger and all-embracing; SII has partnered with Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the manufacturing and delivery of up to 100 million doses of future COVID vaccines for low and middle income countries in 2021," said Adar Poonawalla, CEO of SII.

Poonawalla's SII has also entered a licence and supply agreement for the development and commercialisation of Novavax COVID19 vaccine candidate in India and other low- and middle-income countries. The deal was signed on July 30, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing by Novavax.

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

This comes at a time when the Indian drug maker is already gearing up to undertake late stage human trials on the Oxford-AstaZeneca vaccine candidate. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has already given a go-ahead to SII for conducting Phase II and III human clinical trials of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine candidate.
COVID-19 case clusters break out in US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Japan.

By Zheng He

The US military has witnessed frequent internal accidents and continuous negative news since the beginning of this year. Despite this, it has been frequently engaged in activities in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait in recent times. It seems to be a high-profile display of strength, but in fact, it indicates the contradictory behavior of the US military, that is, stirring up trouble when it is already problematic, continuously marching forward when it is already weak.

The US military has long-standing problems in military training and personnel management, which have affected the level of its combat readiness. For example, the duty rate is overloaded. After the Cold War, many US aircraft carriers had an overdue duty. The duty time in a year could be up to eight or nine months, exceeding the official duty of no more than six months per year, and the crew is often exhausted both physically and mentally.

Another example is the worrying style of the troops. According to a report by The Hill on July 2, the female soldier at the Fort Hood base of the US military who went missing in April this year was brutally killed by her superior. According to the Russian Sputnik, a shooting incident occurred at Herbert Field Air Force Base in Florida on July 24, causing one death and one injury. In recent years, incidents of collective drug use in the US military have repeatedly occurred.

Another example is the frequent occurrence of some unexpected accidents. According to a report on the US Defense Blog website, an M1A2 Abrams main battle tank of the US Army accidentally shot a friendly tank during training, injuring a crew member. A fire broke out at the US Kadena Air Base in Okinawa on June 22. Japanese media suspected that the move was intentional by the US military and was related to Japan's desire to restart investigations into the carcinogenic issue of biological pollution at the base.

If loose management and lax discipline are the old problems of the US military, then the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly made it worse. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the US Navy has been very eye-catching. About a quarter of the crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was infected, and they were forced to quarantine in Guam for more than two months. After the ship just recovered from severe illness, they were anxious to go to sea for training, and then an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet lost control and fell into the sea.

The Wasp-class amphibious assault ship Goodman Richard was nearly scrapped due to multiple days of fire. The repair work of the USS Kearsarge amphibious assault ship was also interrupted by the fire. Fires also broke out in the second ship of Ford-class aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy under construction. Such fires have had a significant impact on the forward deployment plan of the US Navy.

Compared with the Navy, the US Air Force's performance during the pandemic was not much better. The US Futenma Base and Camp Hansen in Japan, and the US Al-Jaber Air Force Base in Kuwait have become blind spots in the fight against the pandemic. US soldiers lack discipline and there are many problems in the barracks. In the past two months, the F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, C-130 transport aircraft, F-15, and F-16 fighter jets of the US Air Force have experienced accidents successively. In the short term, the main battleships and fighters have been continuously damaged, and the current level of the US military's combat readiness has been questioned.

Faced with the dual tests of the decline in combat readiness and the spread of the pandemic, the US military has recognized that to showcase the muscle while it is sick is far more important than to cure the disease. In recent times, the US military has frequently made waves in the waters surrounding China. Since July, two dual aircraft carriers have been dispatched to conduct exercises in the waters surrounding China. As of July 28, US military planes have arrived in the South China Sea for reconnaissance for 12 consecutive days. The US military dispatched 67 sorties of large reconnaissance aircraft to carry out reconnaissance operations in the South China Sea throughout July. In the first half of this year, US military aircraft carried out more than 2,000 operations in the South China Sea, severely disrupting stability and order in the South China Sea.

The US is not satisfied to perform a one-man show. It has also actively wooed its allies into the water, instigating regional hot spots and disputes, and intensifying regional tensions. On the one hand, the US is obsessed with expanding its military alliance and has taken a series of actions to strengthen its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The US deployed multiple B-1B bombers to Guam, obtained a garrison permit in Sri Lanka by signing a status of forces agreement (SOFA) and signed a strategic vision statement with Thailand to strengthen cooperation between the two militaries.

The US also held joint military drills with Japan and Australia in the Western Pacific, conducted joint military exercises with India in the Indian Ocean, and will also hold the biennial Exercise RIMPAC in August. The Chief of Staff of the US Army recently visited Singapore and Thailand in an attempt to strengthen military deployment in Southeast Asia.

On the other hand, the US has tried its best to further arm its allies in the Asia-Pacific countries. The US approved the sale of 105 F-35 fighter jets to Japan, accelerated the delivery of arms to India and provided intelligence support, and sold eight V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor military aircraft to Indonesia.

The frequent mobilization of the US military under the pandemic is unreasonable. Many voices in the US advocate that the US military should prioritize pandemic control and prevention at this time, and should self-examine and organize internal affairs, rather than showing muscles and creating tensions everywhere. However, some conservative hard-liners and war hawks just want to use the pandemic to make trouble, stir up foreign-related issues to divert domestic conflicts, and force American soldiers to go to work during the pandemic. All those have exposed hegemonic mentality and double standards of the US and harmed regional peace and security situation.
AN IRISH designer making waves in the world of fashion has turned the key in the door of her studio/shop - in one of the famous thatched cottages in Adare.

Designer Aoife McNamara from Mungret who has been steadily building her profile online made the announcement on Instagram this Thursday.

Here she is, she posted, our first @aoife_ireland studio/shop, an Irish cottage located in the magical Adare village.....cant believe I am actually typing this - feels like a dream!!!!

The former student of Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD), added: We are so ready and excited for this.

Aoife founded her luxury fashion brand Aoife Ireland in 2019 with a mission To empower women with clothes that matter.

We are striving to ensure that each piece is made sustainably and ethically. We promise to be accountable and transparent so that you can trace your garment from my imagination through to its materialisation, says Aoife whose designs have been seen on the likes of Niamh Cullen, Suzanne Jackson, Louise Cooney, Erika Fox (Retro Flame) and Niamh de Brun who've all sang the talented designer's praises for her stunning creations.

Aoife got a unique insight into the fashion world when she interned in New York with Marc Jacobs and then went to Paris.

Fashion brings me joy. It is a form of artistic expression and makes me feel like I can take on the world, she says.

For more Limerick news click here
Amritsar:

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accused Pakistan of launching an "undeclared war" against his country by covertly supporting terror networks including the Taliban.A

Ghani asked Pakistan to use its 500 million dollar aid to check extremism on its soil.A

In his address at the 6th annual conference of Heart of Asia, Ghani praised India's assistance in his country's reconstruction and noted that there were "no hidden deals" in New Delhi's growing engagement in the war-ravaged country.

Slamming Pakistan's habit of denying cross-border terror attacks, he said an Asian or international mechanism must be put in place, without "playing games", to find out who was benefiting from terror, extremism and other illicit activities.

He said time has come for concrete action against terror infrastructure and those support it, and quoted a top Taliban commander saying unless terror sanctuaries were allowed in Pakistan, the outfit will not last even a month.

Snubbing Islamabad, he said, "We thank Pakistan for their pledges of 500 million dollar for reconstruction of Afghanistan.

"This fund Mr Aziz could very well be used to contain extremists because without peace any amount of assistance will not meet the needs of our people."

Pakistan Prime Minister's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz was among representatives of 30 countries who attended the conference inaugurated jointly by Ghani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

6/7 Thirdly, there's need for a fund to combat extremism. Pakistan has generously pledged $500million for reconstruction of AFG. This fund a Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) December 4, 2016

7/7 could very well be used for containing extremism because without peace any amount of assistance will not meet the needs of our people. a Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) December 4, 2016

Ghani said despite Afghanistan's bilateral and multilateral ties with Pakistan, the "undeclared war" that started in winter of 2014, has intensified after the recent Brussels conference on Afghanistan's transition.

The Afghan President called for setting up of international mechanism to verify reality of such attacks which have increased in the last few months.

He also sought setting up of a global fund to contain terrorism. "There should be an Asian or international regime, whatever is acceptable to Pakistan, should be put in place to verify frontier activities and terrorist operations. "We do not want blame game, we want verification," he said, without mincing words. "We need to set up a fund to combat extremism," Ghani said.

Hailing India's role in Afghanistan's transition, he said "India's assistance is transparent and with no strings attached", adding "there are no hidden deals between India and Afghanistan."

Asserting that no amount of money can assist Afghanistan if there is support to terrorists by Pakistan, he said military operations in Pakistan have brought about selective displacement of terrorists.

Referring to Modi's visit to Afghanistan, he said there were spontaneous celebrations all over Afghanistan following the inauguration of Salma Dam.

He also thanked India for further assistance of one billion dollar apart from two billion. "India's assistance is transparent and with no strings attached, " Ghani said, adding an air corridor between India and Afghanistan will be soon launched to deepen trade ties.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 16:41:44|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The free trade agreement (FTA) between Cambodia and China will undoubtedly promote stronger trade and investment ties between the two countries, Cambodia's Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak said in a recent interview with Chinese media.

The two sides wrapped up their negotiations on the bilateral FTA on July 20.

Sorasak said the agreement means a lot to Cambodia's economy as it gives greater market access to the country's products.

"This very huge market access enables Cambodia to diversify its products and markets and reduce over-reliance on a few trading partners, i.e., Europe, U.S., and Canada, who traditionally trade with Cambodia on a concessional basis such as Everything But Arms (EBA), Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)," he said.

The bilateral FTA also impeccably responds to Cambodia's policy directions sketched in the Industrial Development Policy and the "Rectangular Strategy," the minister added.

"Cambodia is highly confident that China, a hub of global business and investment, will not only open its market access for Cambodia's products in this current state, but also consider further liberalization for the kingdom's export," Sorasak said.

He added that as the world's economic powerhouse, China has a number of advantages ranging from raw materials, productivity, labor, infrastructure, economic diversification to education, among others.

"These have been the sources of China's economic boom and Cambodia is using China as a role model in our economic development as well," he said.

The minister said the upcoming signing of the bilateral FTA will undeniably stimulate the speed of Cambodia's infrastructure development projects, including those under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Speaking of the BRI, Cambodia has greatly benefited from the cooperation with China under this framework, Sorasak said, adding that from physical infrastructure, connectivity development to trade and tourism, the BRI has brought about significant contributions to its economy.

"Projects linked to the BRI such as the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) and the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway are two ideal examples to show how BRI helps Cambodia in strengthening industrial sector and diversifying exports through transport and logistics enhancement," he said.

He said the BRI is vital for Cambodia's economy which relies on the inflows of foreign direct investments that are conditional to the capability of sufficient physical infrastructures.

PROTECTIONISM, UNILATERALISM UNDERMINING GLOBAL TRADING SYSTEM

Sorasak said the recent rising tendency in protectionism and unilateralism poses a severe hindrance to the global effort undertaken at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and beyond.

While such actions undermine the multilateral trading system at large, they also diminish the level of trusts, he said.

These actions will by far create trade unpredictability and render the domino effect through the introduction of such policy by other members as retaliations, he added.

"China's role in opening up to global economy through many initiatives, including its BRI, contributes a lot to the trend of global trade flows given its very potential production and consumption hubs," Sorasak said.

The minister added that Cambodia often acknowledged its advocacy to regional and global integration, especially in trade.

"Cambodia's commitment to liberalization is reflected in its efforts in entering into many regional FTAs, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, ASEAN-China FTA, and others," he said.

JOINT COVID-19 FIGHT SHOWS TRUE FRIENDSHIP

Sorasak said during the COVID-19 outbreaks, Cambodia and China had shown solidarity to alleviate the pandemic and to navigate economic recovery.

He said when China was severely hit by the pandemic in early 2020, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen made a special visit to Beijing to show support in fighting the virus, and showed his confidence and trust on China's ability to cope with crisis.

He added that Cambodia, in its existing capacity, managed to dispatch face masks to China in late February.

He also recalled that while the world was clamoring travel restrictions to and from China during the outbreak, Cambodia had maintained its commercial and tourist flights to and from China to ensure China's economy vis-a-vis regional supply chain remain less impacted.

In return, China sent 12 vessels containing more than 1,000 containers of raw materials to supply the struggling garment factories in Cambodia in mid-March. Moreover, China also sent medical experts and COVID-19-testing devices to help support Cambodia's combat against the virus, he said.

"These gestures show the true friendship that we always support each other in every difficult situation," Sorasak said.

He said although China had been hit hard by the pandemic, her efforts in stabilizing industrial and supply chains in the region shall be praised.

"With effective policies and timely responses, China has managed to curb the spread of the virus and at the same time kept industrial chain stable and smooth," he said. "These efforts have helped ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), especially Cambodia, mitigate the impacts from the virus on our economy." Enditem
Some nursing homes keeping residents' stimulus money, federal officials warn KANSAS CITY, Mo. - If you have loved ones in a longterm care facility, be sure to find out whether they've received their stimulus check. State and federal officials warn that some nursing homes are keeping the money. That's illegal. Monica Bush was worried that had happened to her when she called FOX4 Problem Solvers.

For those of us with people doing time in one of these institutions . . . Here's another IMPORTANT heartbreaking not-so-fun fact and just a bit more insight onvote:
Purchasing the Riverbluff tract is a tremendous opportunity for the right buyer. This is a very special piece of property. A solid timber investment and exceptional hunting tract, says Chad Shivers of Shivers Real Estate Investments, Inc.

The Riverbluff tract is an undeveloped timber and hunting property, totaling 1,039 acres in East Burke County, GA. It has been recently listed with Shivers Real Estate Investments, Inc. for $2,399,575 ($2,300/acre). This exceptional tract of land is unique in size, diversity and hunting opportunities. The majority of it is mature timber on high ground with planted pines and hardwood/pine mix. This hunter's paradise offers a vast array of wildlife with bruiser bucks hiding out in the Savannah River swamp, ducks in the beaver pond, turkeys, hogs and open space for dove fields. This property has the benefit of easy paved road access and is conveniently located near Augusta and Waynesboro. Also available is an undivided interest in the adjoining 2,700 acre Old River Road Hunting Club property, which fronts on the Savannah River. Below is the direct link to the Riverbluff tract property listing.

http://www.georgialand.com/listings/1039-acre-riverbluff-timber-and-hunting-tract-east-burke-county-georgia

Purchasing the Riverbluff tract is a tremendous opportunity for the right buyer. This is a very special piece of property. A solid timber investment and exceptional hunting tract, says Chad Shivers of Shivers Real Estate Investments, Inc.

More about Shivers Real Estate Investments, Inc.:

This well-respected company has brokered Georgia's real estate transactions since 1982. Properties include timberland, farms, ranches and land for various recreational uses. Whether buying or selling land in Georgia, this experienced team offers the knowledge, experience and contacts necessary to ensure a successful experience. As members of the Greater Augusta Board of Realtors and the Multiple Listing Service, they are also connected to the residential business in the Augusta metropolitan area and the agents working that vicinity. Shivers Real Estate Investments, Inc. specializes in this region of Georgia, which is primarily rural farmland and timberland with accompanying natural creeks, man-made ponds, lakes and an abundance of wildlife. These knowledgeable Georgia land brokers assist clients in finding properties that meet their specific criteria. With backgrounds in engineering and agriculture, this teams long experience in Georgia real estate sales has resulted in extensive business contacts and strong relationships with area landowners. They are able to provide excellent service to Georgia land buyers and sellers.

If you are interested in finding out more information about the Riverbluff tract or other listings from Shivers Real Estate Investments, Inc., please visit http://www.georgialand.com or contact them at 706-833-9114.
Nigerias ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), has dismissed the claim by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of uncovering a plot to rig the September 19 Edo State governorship election as evidence that the opposition party is panicking ahead of the election.

The PDP, in an earlier statement on Friday, said the APC and its former national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, were seeking to obtain extra INEC result sheets to rig the election.

Our campaign has also been made aware of how Adams Oshiomhole and certain corrupt APC leaders have been threatening and mounting pressure on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Yakubu Mahmood and other officials of the Commission, to secretly provide them with ballot papers and form EC8 election results sheet to facilitate their plans for ballot stuffing and writing of election results.

We have further information that the APC and its candidate have marked Edo North senatorial district, as where the extra ballot papers and result sheets would be pushed to APC thugs, including those to be brought in from neighboring Kogi state, to doctor election results for Ize-Iyamu, the PDP had alleged.

But in a swift reaction, APCs spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, said the allegation was triggered by growing acceptance of APCs governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, by the Edo electorate.

Describing the allegation as childish and comical conspiracies, Mr Nabena said election irregularities are the PDPs techniques of winning elections in its 16 years of political dominance in Nigeria.

READ ALSO:

Procurement of result sheets, cloning of PVCs, stealing card readers, vote buying, voter intimidation and other election fraud is the PDPs stock-in-trade. For us in the APC, it is one person, one vote.

Our people-focused development records is visible to all and the good people of Edo state are poised to make the right and progressive choice, come September 19.

Come September 19, votes will count and the will of the Edo electorate will prevail, he said as he called on the countrys security operatives to stop the PDPs plan to unleash violence, intimidate voters and buy votes during the election.
Hamilton police handed out nearly half the number of public drinking tickets this spring and summer compared to the same period last year.

Its not clear why  though police say, anecdotally, fewer people were out and about during the pandemic. Meanwhile, as the pandemic stretches well into summer, one local physician is making the case for eliminating fines for drinking in public  mainly in parks  as a means of limiting the spread of COVID-19.

The ticket data, provided by the City of Hamilton, shows Hamilton police handed out 369 public drinking-related tickets between March 12 and July 31 this year  roughly the same period as the pandemic  compared with 716 tickets filed over the same period last year.

The charges are specifically relating to violations of Section 31 (2) of the Liquor Licence Act, which include having liquor in an open container or consuming it anywhere other than a licensed premises, home or private location.

The tickets come with a $100 fine.

Dr. Zain Chagla, an associate professor in the department of medicine at McMaster University and an infectious disease physician, thinks we should scrap those tickets, at least in parks.

We should accept people are going to gather and perhaps drink, Chagla said. Why not give them the space to do so?

He said making it legal for people to drink in parks could cut down on the risk of spreading the virus, especially if the alternative is to, say, throw a house party.

Its not going to make it a zero-transmission (scenario) but its going to make it a much safer event than doing it indoors with a bunch of people, he said. Its meeting people where theyre at and focusing on harm reduction, instead of expecting people to perfectly comply with public health guidelines, he said.

Chagla compares the strategy to positive sexual-health messaging: dont expect abstinence, encourage safe sex.

Relaxing drinking laws could also serve as great equalizer, allowing drinkers without backyards the same pleasure of cracking a cold one in the outdoors, he said.

People are indeed passionate about the issue.

Twitter erupted in outrage last month after the City of Toronto put out a tweet warning people to leave the beer, wine and spirits at home if youre planning a trip to a beach or park or face a $300 fine.

Or, you could unclutch your pearls and draft new bylaws to support people who arent going to plague-infested patios or throwing COVID parties, one Twitter user responded.

Out west, officials are looking to do just that.

Vancouver city council approved a pilot project this summer allowing people to imbibe in four city plazas, and park commissioners voted in favour of allowing drinking in 22 parks.

Could Hamilton follow suit? Not likely, the city says.

At this time, the city has no plans to set up a perimeter in a park (or allow drinking in parks in general), said city spokesperson Allison Jones. If we were to consider it, it would ultimately have to go through council for approval to amend our bylaw at the local level.

Meanwhile, people aged 20 to 29 account for more than 50 per cent of Hamiltons recent COVID cases. Its a trend seen across the province and one that prompted the premier last month to warn young people against going hog wild at parties.

Letting people quaff a pint in a public park isnt a silver bullet, but it might stop drinkers from going underground, Chagla said.

Theres certainly a need, in times of COVID, to be novel and think outside of the box, Chagla said.
'Rich Indian celebs' usually go all out, especially when it comes to spending their hard-earned cash, on super expensive things. While in some cases they hoard sneakers, there are also a few who have a fetish for exquisite watches. Several brands including Rolex, Patek Philippe etc are the ones that are usually bought and these watches never fall in the 'budget-friendly' range.

 Instagram/Emraan Hashmi

Recently, the very talented Emraan Hashmi took to Instagram and posted a picture of while reading The Endgame novel. The surprising element here though is the watch that he is sporting in the picture. We have seen quite a few celebrities, wearing super expensive watches while chilling at home, amidst the pandemic and we have to say they are killing it and so did Emraan, with this impressive watch.

 A blog to watch

Coming to the details of his watch, the stellar actor is seen wearing Rolex GMT Master II. What makes it rare, is the 'Pepsi bezel of this watch, which is half red and half blue that resembles the logo of the American Soft Drinks Company. The watch looks aesthetically pleasing and combines functionality with robustness. It has quite a wider audience too, besides celebrities.

 A blog to watch

The watch has a Jubilee bracelet along with five solid steel links and polished centre links. Even the case lugs and the side of this watch have been subtly redesigned, with the same 18K gold with blue Chromalight luminescence and the red GMT hand. The watch is water-resistant and comes in 'Pepsi' colours, which is what makes it a unique timepiece. This watch also shows two different time zones. The brand has time and again worked on its calibre and has consistently improved on longevity, sturdiness and also accuracy, which are the core identities of Rolex.

 A blog to watch

Speaking of its price, the watch retails at Rs 6,33,200 in India currently. However, considering that this watch was launched a little while ago, this piece, could be a difficult find today, and if you look at the figure, yes, it can burn a big hole in anyone's pocket.

 iStock

Emraan Hashmi calls himself a watch collector and he even mentioned that in one of the interviews saying "I have a penchant for watches. Im freakishly obsessed with buying them. While travelling, I usually hit a watch store first and get dragged out. Ive lately had to put a lid on it because my wife said its gotten too much and well have to sell the house if my watch shopping continues.



To name a few, the actor owns watches from brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Rado, Cartier, Girard Perregaux etc.

We can't wait for Hashmi to flaunt more watches from his collection.
Air quality has normalized in Beirut following Tuesdays horrific explosion, according to a top Lebanese university.

Indicators of air quality have returned to normal in the Lebanese capital, a research lab at the American University of Beirut said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a massive explosion rocked Beirut when 2,700 tons of the fertilizer ammonium nitrate blew up. The blast caused damage throughout the country, killing more than 150 and injuring thousands. More than 300,000 people are now homeless due to the explosion.

The chemical nature of the explosion led to concerns that air quality could be affected, adding more pain to Lebanon in the wake of the tragedy. Air quality reduced sharply in the two hours following the explosion, but on Wednesday, the American University of Beirut said it does not present a public health threat.

An explosion of ammonium nitrate produces dangerous nitrogen oxide pollutants, a Cypriot official told the Cyprus Mail news outlet. Cyprus, an island west of Lebanon, was concerned the fumes could reach there.

The American University of Beirut measures air pollution levels daily in the country. Lebanon has suffered from high levels of air pollution in recent years.
The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board on Friday denied reports that Dr Kafeel Khan has been named Director of the hospital proposed to be built on the five-acre plot of land allotted by the Supreme Court for construction of a mosque in Ayodhya.

The Board also clarified that the medical facility will not be named 'Babri Hospital'.

WhatsApp forwards and rumours on the social media suggested that the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board would build the 'Babri Hospital' with Kafeel Khan as Director.

Khan, a suspended paediatrician of the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, is currently lodged in jail for alleged involvement in protests against the Citizenship Amedment Act.

The Board issued a statement reiterating that it has constituted a trust called the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation, which purposes to build a mosque, and a cultural and research centre. It will also house public utility facilities including a community kitchen, a hospital and a library at Dhannipur village in Ayodhya district, where the allotted five-acre plot is situated.

The Waqf Board's statement said that the fake news surrounding the name of the hospital and Khan's appointment as Director was "mischievous and malafide". It also stated that news about the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation coming from any other source than the Trusts's spokesperson Athar Husain had no official sanction.

The Waqf Board had recently announced the constitution of the Trust, which will comprise of 15 members. The Chief Trustee will be the Chairman of UP Sunni Waqf Board, Zufar Ahmad Farooqui.

Members of the newly constituted trust recently visited the piece of land in Dhannipur village for formalities of taking possession.

The five-acre plot for construction of the mosque in Ayodhya was allotted by the Uttar Pradesh government nearly 25 kilometers away from the Ram Temple Complex at Dhannipur village in Sohawal Tehsil of Ayodhya.
Rating Action: Moody's assigns initial Aa3 to Sand Springs Municipal Authority, OK's Series 2020 Utility Revenue Bonds

Global Credit Research - 06 Aug 2020

Aa3 issuer rating assigned to City of Sand Springs, OK

New York, August 06, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned an initial Aa3 rating to Sand Springs Municipal Authority, OK's $26 million Utility System Revenue Bonds, Refunding Series 2020. Moody's has also assigned a Aa3 issuer rating to the City of Sand Springs, OK.

RATINGS RATIONALE

The initial Aa3 utility revenue rating is based on the authority's ample liquidity and the strong senior lien debt service coverage provided by the pledged revenues (net utility and sales tax revenue), though there is a significant amount of subordinate lien debt also supported by the pledged revenues. The rating also considers the water and sewer system's strong asset condition, though the small size of the system is a negative factor. The authority has covenanted to maintain utility rates at a level that will sustain 1.25x debt service coverage, however there is no requirement for a debt service reserve fund. Governance was a key rating driver of this initial rating considering management's proactive budgetary management resulting in healthy liquidity and financial performance.

The Aa3 issuer rating assigned to the City of Sand Springs is based on the city's moderately sized and gradually growing tax base located immediately to the west of Tulsa, with income levels just slightly below the national median. The city's healthy finances that have remained stable relative to revenues in recent years are a supporting factor for the rating. The city's debt burden is slightly elevated compared to national peers, though it should remain manageable due to a lack of additional debt plans. The city's manageable unfunded pension liability is also a positive factor. The issuer rating is equivalent to a rating that we would assign to a typical General Obligation Unlimited Tax (GOULT) debt issue and is used as a reference rating for the authority's municipal utility rating. Governance was a key rating driver of this initial rating considering management's proactive budgetary management resulting in maintenance of stable financial performance.

Story continues

We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. Sand Springs Municipal Authority and the City of Sand Springs are not susceptible to immediate material credit risks related to coronavirus due to the stable nature of utility revenues, the city's rising sales tax collections despite the crisis, and minimal costs incurred. The longer term impact will depend on both the severity and duration of the crisis. The situation surrounding coronavirus is rapidly evolving. If our view of the credit quality of the authority or city changes, we will update the rating and/or outlook at that time.

RATING OUTLOOK

Moody's does not generally assign outlooks to local government issuers with this amount of debt outstanding.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATINGS

- Growth in system size as assessed by operational expenditure (revenue rating)

- Improved resident income levels (revenue rating)

- Significant increase in the tax base (issuer rating)

- Reduction in the debt burden (issuer rating)

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

- Increased senior lien indebtedness that reduced coverage and boosted leverage (revenue rating)

- Sustained reduction in liquidity (revenue rating)

- Substantial draws on reserves, especially if caused by an operational imbalance (issuer rating)

- Declines in the tax base or other signs of economic distress (issuer rating)

LEGAL SECURITY

The bonds are secured by the net revenues of the authority's water and wastewater system, inclusive of a 1% sales tax levied within the City of Sand Springs for the exclusive benefit of the authority's water and wastewater system. The Oklahoma Constitution requires any funds of the city such as the sales tax revenues to be appropriated on an annual basis, however the tax revenues are only legally authorized to be levied for the benefit of the authority.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Bond proceeds will be used to refund previously issued debt to achieve a projected $4.7 million net present value savings on debt service.

PROFILE

Sand Springs Municipal Authority is a public trust created in 1966 for the benefit of the City of Sand Springs, OK. The authority operates and constructs the city's utility system and various other enterprises. Sand Springs is a suburb of Tulsa with a growing population estimated at 20,527 as of 2019.

METHODOLOGY

The principal methodology used in the issuer rating was US Local Government General Obligation Debt published in July 2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1230443. The principal methodology used in the revenue rating was US Municipal Utility Revenue Debt published in October 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1095545. 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.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating action(s) announced and described above.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Alexander Rawlings Lead Analyst Regional PFG Dallas Moody's Investors Service, Inc. Plaza Of The Americas 600 North Pearl St. Suite 2165 Dallas 75201 US JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Adebola Kushimo Additional Contact Regional PFG Dallas JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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The Syrian army has launched an attack against jihadist near the Turkish border, striking them with artillery and missiles reports Al-Masdar.

On Thursday, the Syrian army launched a heavy bombardment of the jihadist positions near the Latatkia-Turkish border, hitting a number of sites belonging to the militant groups in the area.

According to a field report from Lattakia Governorate, the Syrian army utilized heavy artillery and missiles to strike the jihadist posts near al-Haddadeh on Thursday.

The Syrian army continued their attack by launching several missiles towards the jihadist positions in the Jabal Turkmen and Jabal al-Akrad regions of northern Lattakia.

The jihadist rebels and Turkish-backed militants responded by firing a barrage of artillery shells towards the Syrian armys positions, hitting some sites near the town of Kinsibba.

Lattakia Governorate has recently witnessed an increase in violence, following an attempt by the jihadist rebels to attack the Hemeimeem Airbase along the coast.

Since this attempted attack on the Hemeimeem Airbase, which hosts the Russian military, the jihadist rebels have found themselves to be the recipients of daily attacks by the Syrian army, who have refused to let up.

In a related issue, the army has been rapidly increasing its presence along the southern Idleb frontlines this month, amid reports of a new offensive in the Jabal al-Zawiya region.

According to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian army has moved several units to the southern Idleb frontlines, with a large number of these troops concentrated near the town of Kafr Nabl.

The source said the new offensive will focus on the remaining territory still under the control of the jihadist rebels and Turkish-backed militants in the Jabal al-Zawiya region.

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.
The League of Minnesota Cities thanks the Legislature and the governor for their work to pass the Police Accountability Act.

This legislation is a good beginning and goes a long way toward addressing law enforcement systemic reform. There is, however, more work to do, and we stand ready to provide additional support and assistance.

As it stands, the Minnesota Public Employment Labor Relations Act arbitration system undermines the ability of elected officials and police chiefs to make lasting departmental disciplinary and termination decisions to protect residents and ensure a responsible public safety environment.

As a result, police officers who are removed from duty for misconduct are often returned to their department and assignments based solely on the opinion of an independent arbitrator.

The League believes that the legislation that was passed did not go far enough because it does not include a new, reduced standard of review in police discipline matters.

A standard of reasonableness would focus the arbitrators role on simply determining whether the facts presented show that the employers actions were reasonable and consistent with city and departmental policies.

This reasonable standard is necessary in order to truly increase accountability and foster cultural change in our police departments.

The League also supports the use of administrative law judges for grievances involving terminations and discipline for severe instances of police misconduct, including excessive use of force. This ALJ model provides an appeals process when terminations or disciplinary actions are overturned, which the current arbitration process does not.

As state lawmakers continue the important work of pursuing law enforcement reform in the coming weeks and months, the League urges all legislators and the governor to ensure these additional police accountability measures become law.

David Unmacht, St. Paul

David Unmacht is executive director, League of Minnesota Cities.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 17:30:11|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam earned nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars from exporting fruits and vegetables in the first seven months of this year, posting a year-on-year decline of 12.3 percent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Friday.

Major export markets of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables included China, South Korea, the United States and Thailand.

Vietnam is striving to gain 5 billion U.S. dollars from selling fruits and veggies offshore this year, said the ministry.

In the seven-month period, Vietnam spent 708 million U.S. dollars importing fruits and vegetables, down 37.7 percent against the same period last year, with China and the United States among the largest suppliers, according to the ministry.

Vietnam reaped a total of 3.8 billion U.S. dollars from exporting vegetables and fruits in 2019, down 1.1 percent year-on-year, according to the country's General Statistics Office. Enditem
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Tragic news rained down Canada as its massive last intact ice shelf named Milne crumbled into the Arctic ocean, losing 40% of its mass in less than 48 hours, Reuters reported.

Canada's Milne ice shelf worth 79 square kilometers or 30 square miles in size cascaded in less than two days into the Arctic Ocean. This happened not long ago at the end of July, with Canada's arctic losing a massive percentage in its recorded ice mass.

The ice shelf that sank is more massive than New York's Manhattan Area sizing at 59.1 square kilometers. This particular occurrence is a big hit in Canada's ice caps as that particular ice shelf is as big as populated and inhabited cities.

The Milne Ice Shelf is located in the vicinity of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada. The island is known to have a low density with regards to population and inhabitants.

"Entire cities are that size. These are big pieces of ice," Luke Copeland, a glaciologist from the University of Ottawa that studies the Milne Ice Shelf, said.

"This was the largest remaining intact ice shelf." Copland shares his dismay with the ice's abrupt collapsing, saying that it "basically disintegrated."

The ECCC Canadian Ice Service shared on their Twitter account that many elements like above average air temperatures, offshore winds, and open water just in front of the Milne Ice Shelf contributed to the collapse of the ice caps.

Is Arctic Amplification the cause?

The Arctic is reported to have been warming up in recent news, and studies confirm that this is true for the last 30 years. This phenomenon is called the 'Arctic Amplification' and is said to be apparent in all Arctic regions and ice bodies.

This summer recorded an increase of 5 degrees Celcius (41 degrees in Fahrenheit) in the Canadian Arctic Regions. This is in comparison to the expected and supposed 30-year average, which 2020 surpassed by 5 degrees.

Copland and the research group warns that smaller ice caps are more subject to melting and disappearing as they do not have what the massive glaciers have. Smaller ice caps are more prone because they have no 'support' that keeps them cold underneath or around them, unlike the far bigger ones. This occurrence endangers the ice mass in the Arctic regions and in the whole world.

What is Arctic Amplification?

Arctic Amplification is a phenomenon that occurs in the Arctic's ice region. The Arctic, as we know it, is heating up faster than the rate unlike anywhere else in the world.

"The loss of sea ice is one of the most cited reasons. When bright and reflective ice melts, it gives way to a darker ocean; this amplifies the warming trend because the ocean surface absorbs more heat from the Sun than the surface of snow and ice." NASA's Earth observatory states.

Heatwaves and cold waves are not proportionate anymore. More heatwaves tend to warm the world's ice more than what's expected.

"But that heat has really just not stopped. It is just getting too warm," Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center said in an interview with CNN regarding another ice cap disappearing in Canada's St. Patrick's Bay just a few days ago. The data came from NASA's satellite imagery.

ALSO READ: Scientists Discovered The Biggest Hole In Arctic's Ozone Layer





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'Dirty dossier' author and former M16 officer Christopher Steele has criticised the UK for its 'inadequate' response to Russian political interference designed to push political parties to 'extremes'.

In an interview with Conservative MP Damian Collins on the Infotagion podcast, Mr Steele said Britain had been too slow and 'wholly inadequate' in deterring and responding to Russian activity, while calling for a unified effort in preventing further attempts at disruption.

Mr Steele, whose intelligence consultancy was behind the infamous 2016 Donald Trump 'golden shower' report, pointed to lax regulation of Russian money coming into UK politics as an area of particular concern.

Mr Steele, who set up an intelligence consultancy after leaving MI6, pointed to lax regulation of Russian money coming into UK politics as an area of particular concern. He is seen arriving at the High Court for a hearing about his Trump dossier on July 24

'We are on the defensive,' Mr Steele told the podcast.

'There are huge vulnerabilities that are created by democracy and by modern technology and we are not catching up quickly enough with how our adversaries are able to, and willing to, exploit those things without really strong retaliation and deterrence existing.

'It needs to be an organised counter-effort to make sure that this doesn't distort and disrupt our political life.'

Mr Steele said that Russian interference is 'designed' to push political debate to the extremes in order to undermine people's 'faith and trust' in democracy, adding Brexit was a clear example of how divided the country has become on what used to be consensus issues.

'The other thing I think it's designed to do in its modern form is create great polarity, great partisanship and divisions within political life, the likes of which we've not seen in democracies before.

'It's not just elections. I think its the way in which the political discourse and the political parties are kind of pushed out to the extremes and the consensus view on things like national security and the integrity of the United Kingdom and its defence which, in general in recent times have been pretty much consensus issues, there is now a definite attempt to shatter those and Brexit in a way ... was a classic case of that.

'I'm very concerned (in ensuring) national security issues can be bipartisan, and that we can keep our politics moderate and mainstream, for the most part, despite Russia and other foreign actors' attempts to polarise us.'

Mr Steele said that Russian interference is 'designed' to push political debate to the extremes in order to undermine people's 'faith and trust' in democracy (Pictured: President Putin)

Mr Steele rose to prominence in 2016 when he wrote a dossier about alleged links between Donald Trump and Russia.

He was then sued by Russian businessman Aleksej Gubarev after BuzzFeed published the so-called Steele Dossier in January 2017.

Mr Gubarev said part of the dossier made 'seriously defamatory allegations', while Mr Steele disputed his claims.

A ruling on the trial is yet to be delivered.
Rishi Sunak has that rare quality among politicians of sounding as though he means what he says.

Using the jargon, he comes across as authentic and his enthusiasm makes him immensely likable.

Even his nickname, Dishi Rishi, is complimentary rather than derogatory. Again, rare for a politician.

Tough call: Chancellor Rishi Sunak admits there is hardship ahead for many people when the furlough scheme is unwound

So when the Chancellor said yesterday that taking the decision to wind down the furlough scheme at the end of October was 'one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make in this job', you believed him.

He's known to be a bit of a geek, has a 'mind that works in Excel', according to one City friend, and sits up late at night scrutinising his screens.

You can easily imagine he will have agonised over the numbers, and fretted over whether he should end the scheme.

Nor is the Chancellor pretending that bringing well over 9m people off life support is going to be easy.

He admits there is hardship ahead for many people when the scheme is unwound but as he argues, it is neither fair to keep people hanging or pretend that many will not lose their jobs. Or spend even more billions of taxpayers' money.

Sunak might well have said: ' Now is the winter of our discontent.' But is he right to end the scheme with a bang in October?

Will the hit not be too heavy a burden, falling as it will on the poorer workers who have no savings?

Although Sunak also said that most other countries are also coming off their versions of furlough, not all of them are. Indeed, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Australia are looking to continue schemes into the new year.

It's a huge bet for him to take. However you look at the months ahead, they will be bloody. Around 130,000 jobs have already been lost that we know about, and probably thousands more have gone from SMEs below the radar.

And the danger is there will be sharp-elbowed finance directors who will seize this opportunity to cut costs and jobs.

Yet there are some scraps of hope, which is perhaps what Sunak is banking on. First, the Bank of England has downgraded its forecast for unemployment to 7.5 per cent from 9 per cent in May when we were still in deep lockdown.

That's still 1.2m unemployed, and it's bound to hurt school-leavers and the young first.

Although the BofE is being criticised for being too optimistic, it is unlikely that its boffins are making such forecasts without serious evidence from the grassroots.

Second, the Government is working on several job schemes such as the Kickstart programme.

The aim is to offer companies grants to take on 300,000 youngsters on Universal Credit. In theory, it's a great idea and one can only pray it does not get bogged down in bureaucracy.

Finally, relations between the Government and the unions look to be relatively healthy.

Frances O'Grady, General Secretary of the TUC, was one of the first to congratulate Sunak on March 20 when he announced the massive 350billion rescue bazooka, tweeting he had shown 'real leadership'.

Keeping those good relations between bosses, unions and the Government going will be vital this autumn.

Hopefully, the old-fashioned bust-up which looks to be blowing up between BA and the unions over the airline's 10,000 job losses is particular to the airline industry, which is known for its fractious relations.

Working well together is going to be more essential than ever. A paper from Warwick Business School analysed the British Workplace Employment Relations Survey, which took place in 2004 and 2011, either side of the financial crash.

The research shows that companies with strong human resources and trade union relationships survived far better than those which did not. It sounds obvious, but it is not always easy to achieve in practice.

But as companies and unions discovered during the crash, there are always innovative solutions to be found  whether it's flexitime or part-time working if there are proper discussions. Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war.

Saving jobs is important. Helping to create new ones is even more so. Arguably, this is Sunak's biggest challenge.

His Future Fund was an instant hit, helping 320 early-stage, high-growth firms which have so far benefited from 320million of support.

Still more needs to be done. For starters, those who do have money to spare should be encouraged to invest in start-ups and SMEs with more generous tax incentives.

Taxes paid on equity should also be reduced to help companies convert debt to equity.

The Chancellor has had a great honeymoon. Now comes the hard bit if he wants to avoid putting the country back onto life support. No pressure, then.
Donald Trumps decision to slap tariffs on aluminum from Canada didnt make any economic sense when he did it the first time in 2018. It makes even less sense the second time around.

Start with the timing. Trumps slap at Canada comes barely a month after the new, updated version of NAFTA officially came into effect. At a minimum, the tariffs violate the spirit of cross-border cooperation that was supposed to come with whats now known (in Canada, at least) as CUSMA.

To make things even worse, it all comes as both countries are trying to rev up their economies after the COVID-19 shutdown. Turning on your neighbour and leading trade partner at such a delicate moment makes no sense.

But it was never about economics. Back in 2018, Trump used tariffs on aluminum and steel to put pressure on Canada and Mexico during the NAFTA negotiations.

This time, the new tariff is a transparently political move to buff up Trumps claim to be the protector of American manufacturing. No coincidence that it was announced in rust-belt Ohio, the most critical swing state in Novembers presidential election. Trumps ludicrous claim that the tariff is justified by a threat to U.S. national security just adds insult to injury.

The 10-per-cent levy on aluminum, as many pointed out two years ago and again this week, will only penalize American consumers and workers. Theyll pay more for everything made from aluminum, from beer cans to cars.

Even most of the U.S. aluminum industry is against the move. They know they cant meet American demand and they dont buy Trumps claim that Canada is flooding their market.

Two years ago, the Trudeau government made the best of a bad situation. It imposed dollar-for-dollar tariffs of its own on American goods and focused on getting the North American trade deal renewed with as little damage as possible along the way.

This time around, the government again has no choice but to impose retaliatory tariffs if the Trump administration doesnt change its tune. But the real game now is to wait out Trump. His erratic and destructive behaviour on the trade front is just one more reason to wish fervently for his defeat in November.

In the meantime, its tempting to respond with the kind of emotion that Premier Doug Ford showed on Friday when asked about Trumps move. Were up against a real battle right now, said the premier. Its us against them.

Ford said Canadians should hit them where it hurts. He called on Ontario companies to label their products Made in Canada or Made in Ontario so consumers can use their spending power to buy local rather than supporting American producers.

In the heat of the moment, that sounds good. But is this really the road we want to go down? If the United States is intent on shooting itself in the foot by raising prices for its own consumers (which is what tariffs do), does it make sense for us to get even by lopping off some of our own toes?

Buy Ontario has a nice ring to it, but if its followed by Buy Quebec, Buy Manitoba and Buy Michigan, will that leave anyone better off in the long run?

Securing guaranteed local access to key strategic goods like personal protective equipment is one thing. Buying Ontario-made potato chips on principle, rather than perfectly decent snacks from Manitoba or Ohio, is another. Presumably we want people in Manitoba, Ohio and everywhere else to buy our excellent chips and not snub them out of a misplaced sense of local pride.

But this is the road Trump wants to send us down  a self-destructive downward spiral of protectionism that will leave everyone worse off.

In the short run, simple self-respect demands that Ottawa stand up to Trumps unjustified tariff. But lets not lose sight of the real goal: defending a rules-based system of free and truly fair trade that benefits everyone.

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Waste generated by India's drug manufacturing industry could be damaging environmental bacteria and creating 'superbugs' that are resistant to antibioticsprompting a UK-India scientific intervention.

British and Indian researchers are joining forces to investigate the impact of waste release on microbial ecosystemsdetermining how much active antibiotic is released and which other potentially toxic chemicals are contained in the waste that may affect bacteria.

Led by scientists at the University of Birmingham, the SELECTAR project includes experts from the University of Leeds, Aligarh Muslim University, Panjab University, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, in Lucknow, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Jamia Millia Islamia University, in Delhi.

Most of the world's antibiotics are produced in Indian pharmaceutical factorieseither by chemical synthesis or growing vast numbers of the micro-organisms which naturally produce them.

Either method generates large quantities of waste, potentially containing active antibiotics and chemicals which may be toxic to bacteria and other cell types. This waste goes through treatment plants before being released into the environment.

An estimated 58,000 babies die in India every year from superbug infections passed on from their mothers, whilst drug resistant pathogens cause between 28,000 to 38,000 extra deaths in the European Union every year.

Project lead Professor Alan McNally, from the University of Birmingham, said, "Without antibiotics we are unable to treat the majority of infectious diseases and chronic infections. Antibiotics prevent the deaths of patients suffering from respiratory diseases such as CF and COPD, and are the corner stone of treatments for cancer and leukemia. However, manufacturing these wonder drugs generates waste which is treated before being released into the environment, creating an enormous potential issue. Put simply, the more we expose bacteria to antibiotics the more likely they may be to evolve resistance to the drugs meaning they can't be used to treat infections. We desperately need to know exactly how much the release of antibiotic production waste leads to increasing antimicrobial resistance, which could ultimately plunge medicine back into the dark ages."

Supported by over 790,000 of funding from UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Fund for International Collaboration, the UK-Indian team of scientists will sample environments into which antibiotic production waste is released, and compare them to pristine environments.

The experts will carefully examine the waste to determine exactly how much active antibiotic is released but also which other potentially toxic chemicals it contains that may affect bacteria. They will also test the ability of these chemicals to create resistant bacteria, as a consequence of them trying to avoid chemical killing.

Professor Iqbal Ahmed, of Aligarh Muslim University said, "Release of waste from the manufacturing process creates an enormous potential issue in India and beyond, as the more we expose bacteria to antibiotics the faster they evolve resistance to the drugs meaning they can't be used to treat infections. Our approach will allow us to determine exactly what effect the waste has on the microbial ecosystem; does it kill all beneficial bacteria to only leave harmful resistant bacteria alive."

Explore further Burying or burning garbage boosts airborne bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes
New Delhi:

Bank branches across the country reopened after a day's break on with a heavy footfall at cash counters. It was when people were left disappointed again due to inoperational ATMs that wore 'no cash' boards.



Even on , the banks faced tough time managing customers who made serpentine queues to withdraw money.



CH Venkatachalam, chief of the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA), at a recent press conference in Chennai had said the staff will protest in the next 10 days to bring their plight to the notice of the government.



On 2 December, AIBEA and the All India Bank Officers' Association wrote a letter detailing the hardships faced by banks employees.

The acute shortage of currency notes is forcing branches to step up cash disbursal and is resulting in quarrel, abuses, insinuations on bank staff, the letter said.



The letter further talked about cash crunch at banks. "While RBI is repeatedly making statements that ample currency is being given to banks, the reality is otherwise. The public feels that RBI is supplying cash to Banks and bank employees are deliberately not extending payments," it read.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
HOUSTON, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI), ("Group 1" or the "Company"), an international, Fortune 500 automotive retailer, today announced that senior management will present at the virtual 2020 J.P. Morgan Auto Conference on Tuesday, August 11, 2020. The presentation is scheduled to begin at 2:20 p.m. E.T.

A softcopy of the Company's presentation material provided at the conference will also be available within http://www.group1corp.com/events and within the Investor Relations section of Group 1's website at http://group1corp.com/company-presentations.

ABOUT GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE, INC.

Group 1 owns and operates 186 automotive dealerships, 242 franchises, and 49 collision centers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil that offer 31 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships, the Company sells new and used cars and light trucks; arranges related vehicle financing; sells service contracts; provides automotive maintenance and repair services; and sells vehicle parts.

Investors please visit www.group1corp.com, www.group1auto.com, www.group1collision.com, www.facebook.com/group1auto, and www.twitter.com/group1auto, where Group 1 discloses additional information about the Company, its business, and its results of operations.

Investor contacts:

Sheila Roth

Manager, Investor Relations

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

713-647-5741 | [email protected]

Media contacts:

Pete DeLongchamps

Senior V.P. Manufacturer Relations, Financial Services and Public Affairs

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

713-647-5770 | [email protected]

or

Clint Woods

Pierpont Communications, Inc.

713-627-2223 | [email protected]

SOURCE Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.group1auto.com


Fascist death squads are actively preparing to carry out mass murder of political opponents in Germany on Day X, according to a front page New York Times article published Sunday. Headlined Body bags and enemy lists: How far-right police officers and ex-soldiers prepare for Day X, the article documents a vast conspiracy to hoard large quantities of munitions and weaponry, establish safe houses, identify political opponents and procure the necessary materials to secretly dispose of dead bodies.

The main focus of the piece is the far-right Northern Cross (Nordkreuz) group, which developed under the leadership of a former soldier and current police officer, Marko Gross, in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Nordkreuz emerged out of a larger far-right chat group established by German special forces (KSK) soldier Andre Schmidt, who is nicknamed Hannibal. Motivated by hatred of immigrants and opposition to the current social order, Gross, who is a member of the neo-fascist Alternative for Germany (AfD), and other members drew on fascistic networks in the police and military to obtain over 50,000 rounds of ammunition, 30 body bags and dozens of weapons, including an Uzi submachine gun. They drew up death lists of opponents, which included private information accessed through police computers. Plans also existed to purchase more body bags and quicklime, which can be used to conceal the smell of decomposing bodies.

The Times report on these chilling details, which recall nothing so much as the fascist death squads that operated in Latin American military dictatorships during the 1970s and 1980s to exterminate thousands of left-wing activists and workers, is the second in less than a month on the fascist infiltration of the German state apparatus. In a wide-ranging July 3 piece, the newspaper documented the far-right infiltration of the police and military, the effective takeover of the KSK by fascists, and the plans of far-right forces to launch a violent uprising on Day X. Recalling political conditions during the Weimar Republic following the First World War, the Times article detailed how a nominally democratic state confronts far-right conspiracies on all sides, above all from within. (See: Massive neo-Nazi penetration of German military and police)

The latest article shows how the chat network established by Hannibal served as a springboard for plots to exterminate political opponents and prepare for civil war-like conditions. Gross and about 30 colleagues joined the group in late 2015 at the height of the European refugee crisis. In their eyes, Germany faced a potential invasion from terrorists, a possible breakdown of its welfare system, maybe even unrest, wrote the Times. By January 2016, Gross established a parallel group and called it Nordkreuz.

Later in 2016, Gross and other Nordkreuz members travelled to an arms fair in Nuremberg where they met Hannibal face to face. They began hoarding enough supplies to survive for 100 days, including food, gasoline, toiletries, walkie-talkies, medicine and ammunition, the Times adds. Mr. Gross collected 600 euros from each member of the group to pay for it. In all, he amassed more than 55,000 rounds of ammunition Members of the group learned how to rappel down the tower of a disused fire station. Two pickup points were designated as Day X meeting spots. Two fully functioning operating theaters were built as makeshift field hospitals, in a basement and a mobile home.

Gross improbably claimed that he could not remember how he accessed the ammunition and weapons. But he acknowledged having a network of up to 2,000 like-minded individuals in the German military and other state agencies. The weapons found in Gross home were traced to a dozen police and military depots across Germany.

Gross left no doubt about the purpose of these sinister preparations. The scenario was that something bad would happen, he told the Times. We asked ourselves, what did we want to prepare for? And we decided that if we were going to do this, we would go all the way.

In police testimony from 2017 seen by the Times, Horst Schelski, a former air force officer and Nordkreuz member, described how the group intended to put its preparations into practice. People were to be gathered and murdered, he commented. Schelski reported on a meeting with Jan Henrik H., a Nordkreuz member now under investigation for terrorism offences. According to Schelski, H. kept a thick binder in his garage with the names, addresses and photos of local politicians and activists. Some of the information was in the form of hand-written notes with information obtained from a police computer. H. also asked Schelski for advice on how to transport captives past checkpoints that may be set up during a crisis.

No less astounding than the revelations exposing a death squad in waiting is the fact that the police and judicial authorities have left their structures virtually intact. Gross is the only member to date to have been charged at all. He was merely convicted of being in possession of illegal weapons and handed a 21-month suspended sentence. In the ongoing terrorism investigation against the other two Nordkreuz members, Gross is a witness. Gross boasted to the Times that Nordkreuzs safe house remains ready for use. The network is still there, he declared.

As disturbing as the Nordkreuz revelations are, they merely represent the tip of the iceberg. New information comes to light on virtually a daily basis of new far-right networks within the police, military or intelligence services. Over recent weeks, a growing number of left-wing artists, politicians, activists and journalists have received death threats signed NSU 2.0, a reference to the neo-Nazi terrorist organisation National Socialist Underground that committed ten murders over the course of a decade. Private information on several recipients of these letters, including the lawyer Seda Basay-Yldz, who represented NSU victims at trial, was obtained from police computers in the state of Hesse. The police officer whose computer was used to obtain Basay-Yldzs information was part of a far-right chat group consisting of dozens of police officers in Hesse. The states police chief resigned over the ensuing scandal.

This demonstrates that far-right networks are not merely widespread in Germany, but have increasingly extended their control over the very state institutions nominally tasked with investigating right-wing extremist criminal activity. As Dirk Friedriszik, a state politician in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, told the Times, It isnt just the KSK. The real worry is these cells are everywhere. In the army, in the police, in reservist units.

The resurgence of fascist forces within Germanys state apparatus exposes the fraud of the post-war propaganda portraying the Federal Republic as a bastion of democracy at the centre of an ever-closer united Europe. The reality is that the same objective contradictions of capitalism that encouraged the German bourgeoisie to throw its lot in with Hitlerite fascism in the 1930s are propelling its descendants to cultivate far-right shock troops. German imperialism requires such forces to prosecute its interests more aggressively around the world under conditions in which the rivalries between the major powers for markets, raw materials and geostrategic influence are intensifying. At the same time, the ruling elite confronts growing social inequality and mounting popular opposition at home, which will only be accelerated by the ruling class homicidal back-to-work drive amid a raging pandemic.

The revival of German militarism was prepared in a political conspiracy behind the backs of the population during late 2013 and into 2014 involving all political parties, journalists and academia. At the Munich Security Conference in February 2014, then Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier declared that Germany was too large to comment on world affairs from the sidelines and declared the era of German military restraint to be over. That same month, professor Jorg Baberowski told Der Spiegel, Hitler was not a psychopath, he wasnt vicious. He did not want to talk about the extermination of the Jews at his table.

At an emergency party congress held in September 2014, the German Trotskyists of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (SGP) identified the close connection between the revival of German great power ambitions and the resurgence of far-right and pro-Nazi views. History is returning with a vengeance, declared the resolution. Almost 70 years after the crimes of the Nazis and its defeat in World War II, the German ruling class is once again adopting the imperialist great power politics of the Kaisers Empire and Hitler.

Acting on the basis of this analysis, the SGP initiated a struggle against militarism and war, and the rise of the far-right, including an exposure of the efforts of Baberowski and other academics to rewrite German history to trivialise the crimes of the Nazis.

Baberowskis rewriting of history was embraced by a supportive media and political establishment, which saw it as an essential component of its ideological struggle to break widespread popular opposition to the revival of German militarism. Baberowski even received generous support from international academic institutions, with a $300,000 research grant given to him by Princeton University to study dictatorships as an alternative political order to democracy.

The Times revelations make clear that at the very point where Baberowski was being defended against all criticism, fascists and other far-right activists were infiltrating the police, army and security forces, and making concrete preparations to establish death squads to eliminate political opponents. At the same time, the German army was being deployed to an ever growing number of foreign imperialist interventions, above all in Africa and the Middle East.

Underscoring that the main source of support for the fascists was provided by the conspiracy within the political establishment and state apparatus, the ruling class launched a vicious persecution of those political forces waging a struggle against militarism and warning of the fascist threat. In 2018, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germanys domestic intelligence agency, included the SGP as a left-wing extremist organisation in its annual report and declared it an object of surveillance. The agency justified this flagrant attack on democratic rights by stating that the struggle for a democratic, egalitarian, socialist society and agitation against alleged imperialism and militarism are anti-constitutional, i.e., illegal. The intelligence agency was headed at the time by Hans-Georg Maassen, who after being forced out of his job for declaring his support for a fascist rampage through the city of Chemnitz emerged as an open supporter of the AfD.

The political establishment also encouraged the growth of the AfD during this period and integrated it fully into the structures of the state. This reached a high point earlier this year when the Christian Democrats and Free Democrats relied on AfD votes in the state of Thuringia to elect FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich as Minister President. Kemmerich thus became the first Minister President in postwar Germany to have been elected with the support of a fascist party. (See: Sound the alarm! Political conspiracy and the resurgence of fascism in Germany)

The coronavirus pandemic has further accelerated the adoption of far-right and fascistic policies by the ruling elite. As the grand coalition unleashed its criminal back-to-work drive, which is endangering the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers, Federal Parliament President Wolfgang Schauble advanced the fascistic thesis that Germanys Basic Law does not protect the right to life. Triggering a discussion on worthless lives on the 75th anniversary of Hitlers suicide in the Fuhrer bunker, Schauble declared, If there is one absolute value in our Basic Law, then it is the dignity of the person  But that does not exclude us from having to die.

To help impose the deeply unpopular policies of reopening businesses and schools, the authorities facilitated far-right coronavirus demonstrations that included right-wing extremist and explicitly pro-Nazi forces. At a demonstration of about 20,000 in Berlin last weekend organised primarily by far-right forces with ties to the police, intelligence agencies and the AfD, participants waved the flag of the German Reich and other anti-constitutional insignia as the police looked on. These orchestrated protests are then presented as a legitimate expression of the popular opinion of concerned citizens that politicians must respond to.

The symbiosis between German foreign policy and neo-fascist forces is also becoming increasingly difficult to conceal. At a recent event in Budapest, high-ranking officials of the German Defence Ministry celebrated with their Hungarian counterparts the delivery of around 50 German-manufactured Leopard 2 tanks to the authoritarian Orban regime. The tanks arrival was accompanied by the song Tank March by the fascistic band Karpatia. According to Der Spiegel, Karpatias music glorifies the authoritarian, anti-Semitic Horthy period of the interwar years, and the struggle of the Hungarian soldiers allied with Hitler in the Soviet Union. Der Spiegel continues, In its lyrics, the band calls for an ethnically pure Greater Hungary from western Ukraine to the Croatian Adriatic coast.

The German ruling elites embrace of the far right is part of an international process driven by the deepening global crisis of capitalism. in the United States, the Trump administration, which sought to launch a military coup in response to mass protests over police brutality in June, has dispatched federal agents clad in military gear from the fascistic Customs and Border Protection to intimidate peaceful protesters and detain them without probable cause. (See: Stop Trumps coup detat! Mobilize the working class against authoritarianism and dictatorship)

The resurgence of right-wing extremism in Germany, which is now taking on the most disturbing forms as shown by the activities of terror cells and death squads, does not enjoy mass support. On the contrary, it is the product of a political conspiracy from above involving the major parties, the media, leading academics and journalists. As SGP deputy national secretary Christoph Vandreier explained in his book Why are They Back?: Historical Falsification, Political Conspiracy and the Return of Fascism in Germany, which documents the SGPs struggle against the rise of the far right, While the ruling elite based its conspiracy in 1933 on an existing fascist movement, today it is the opposite. The AfDs rise is the product of a similar conspiracy. It cannot be understood without investigating the roles of the government, state apparatus, political parties, the media, and the ideologists at the universities, which have paved the way for the AfD.

The only party that consistently fights against the growth of the AfD and the return of fascism and militarism in Germany is the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei. Its warnings have been confirmed. The urgent task now posed is to build the SGP as a mass party of the German and international working class to provide the mounting opposition among working people to militarism, war and the rise of the far right with a conscious political leadership guided by a socialist and internationalist programme.
Gas projects will gain federal support to drive down energy costs for industry and households in what Prime Minister Scott Morrison calls a broader plan to lift the economy through the pandemic.

Mr Morrison backed the use of gas to help Australian industry solve its energy challenges, signalling he would act "in the months ahead" to tackle the problems caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has flagged a push to get more gas available for domestic manufacturing. Credit:Brendan Esposito

Three cabinet ministers are working on ways to cut gas prices, raising the prospect of measures in the October budget to address years of industry calls to boost domestic gas supplies.

The next test is a NSW regulatory decision due on September 4 on whether Santos can develop the Pilliga gas field in the states north on the condition all the gas goes to the domestic market.
Hu Xiaowu, who was once a university student volunteer serving in China's western region, is currently a rural teacher at a primary school in southwest China's Yunnan province, and wants to have a positive impact on more children in the mountains.

Hu Xiaowu teaches in classroom. (People's Daily/Zhang Fan)

The primary school where Hu Xiaowu works is located in Gengma Dai and Va Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan province.

As a graduate from Nanjing Xiaozhuang University in east China's Jiangsu province, Hu Xiaowu pointed out that the man who has had the greatest influence on her life goal is Tao Xingzhi, a modern educationist and the founder of Nanjing Xiaozhuang University.

"When I was in college, it became my dream to be a rural teacher," said Hu Xiaowu, adding that she turned down an offer of a job at a township education office and wanted instead to teach in schools in poor mountainous areas.

"The life of a rural teacher is so different from what I expected. I also wanted to pour out my woes to my family, but I was afraid that they would worry about me. At that time, I also wondered if I had been a little impulsive," Hu Xiaowu said, slightly embarrassed at the mention of her decision to work in the rural school.

At first, Hu Xiaowu found it difficult to adapt to the impoverished conditions at the rural school. However, with the help of local villagers, she gradually overcame the difficulties.

Thanks to Hu Xiaowu, students from the rural primary school learned about "models" in math class, and began to study sketches, lines, proportion, light and shade in an art class.

In early 2005, Hu Xiaowu volunteered to continue teaching at the school after her period of service expired. "The reason for my application this time is that Im more determined to become a rural teacher."

"The conditions of the primary school where I am working are better. I want to go to the mountainous areas where teachers are needed more, and I want to have a positive impact on more children in the mountains," Hu Xiaowu said, outlining her future plans.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : India's only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra will be participating in the Sunfeast India Run As One initiative, it was announced on Friday.

Bindra expressed that through this initiative the people of the country have an opportunity to stand in solidarity with those who have lost their livelihoods due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Many of us have been lucky to have a phone or a laptop as we sit comfortably at home. Others across the country have not been so lucky," Bindra said.

"With the 'Sunfeast India Run As One' campaign, we have an opportunity to stand and run in solidarity with those who have lost their livelihoods or are in danger of losing their livelihoods. So, register for 'Sunfeast India Run As One' and be a part of this initiative," he added.

The movement was initiated by Procam International in collaboration with GiveIndia dedicated in support of livelihoods through a digital media conference on July 30.

The registrations for the event began on August 1 and the movement will commence on August 15.
Vallejo police have released new documents and video footage related to the killing of Willie McCoy, who was fatally shot by police in 2019 after falling asleep in his car outside a Taco Bell.

The documents reveal that the Vallejo police chief in March recommended the firing of the officer at the center of an internal investigation into McCoys death. That officer was kept on the force after shooting and killing another man, Ronell Foster, in 2018. The release also includes additional body camera footage of McCoys killing.

Vallejo, a small city north of San Francisco, has faced national scrutiny in the wake of several high-profile police killings and allegations of officer misconduct. The city has one of the highest rates of police killings in the state.

On Thursday, the family of Sean Monterrosa, an unarmed 22-year-old who was shot and killed by Vallejo police in a Walgreens parking lot in June, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.

Related: 19 dead in a decade: the small American city where violent police thrive

The newly released documentation in the McCoy case includes a March 2020 memo following an internal investigation. In the memo Shawny Williams, the Vallejo police chief, said that the way officer Ryan McMahon used his firearm put other officers on the scene at risk and violated department policy.

McCoy was killed on the night of 9 February 2019 when police responded to a welfare check called in by a Taco Bell employee. About 11 minutes later police found McCoy asleep in the drivers seat of his car.

Body cam footage released in 2019 after the shooting revealed McCoy did not appear to have fully woken up when officers began firing. The new 30 minute video released Thursday is longer than the previously released footage, and contains body camera video from all six officers involved in the shooting. The footage also shows that police fired 55 rounds  38 of which hit McCoy  within less than four seconds as McCoy began to stir.

Story continues

Shawny Williams, the Vallejo police chief, in March recommended the firing of the officer at the center of an internal investigation into Willie McCoys death. Photograph: Chris Riley/AP

The renewed scrutiny on Vallejo comes amid local and national upheaval over racialized police violence following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans. The department has also come under fire after an investigation by Open Vallejo, a local non-profit news site, alleged that several officers bent the tips of their badges to commemorate their involvement in on-duty fatal shootings. Since the revelation Vallejo police have initiated an independent probe into the claims.

These revelations have not been surprising. I think the department is rotten to the core, said John Burris, a longtime civil rights attorney. The union runs that department, officers are not held accountable and the command staff is just as bad.

Burris office filed a wrongful death lawsuit in McCoys case that is still ongoing, and was behind the suit filed on behalf of Monterrosas family on Thursday. The federal lawsuit alleges the Vallejo police officer who shot Monterrosa, Jarrett Tonn, was trigger-happy. The officer was also involved in three other shootings prior to Monterrosa within the past five years

This boy should not have been killed, and its my job to address it, Burris said of the basis of the lawsuit.

In a statement, spokesperson Brittany Jackson said the Vallejo police department is releasing the new materials in accordance with SB 1421, a 2019 law that gives the public access to police misconduct records. Jackson added that the department respects the Monterrosa familys decision to pursue litigation and hopes that the process will guide the family and our community toward healing.

At a press conference on Thursday, Monterrosas sister, Michelle Monterrosa, called for a bill that would allow victims of police violence to receive financial support. They shot my brother without hesitation. He was a hardworking provider and we depended on each other to get by, she said.

Speaking of the toll his death had taken on the Monterrosa family, she said: No matter what the police report says: there were five victims when my brother was murdered.
Former COVID-19 patient Radames Plaza (front left) and his wife Judy pose on the front stoop of their Lumberton, NJ home with children (L to R, back) Yasmeen, Jocelyn, and Radames, August 6, 2020. Avi Steinhardt / For the Inquirer Read more

Four days after he tested positive for COVID-19, Radames Plaza reluctantly told his wife to call 911 because he couldnt catch his breath.

As he was loaded into the ambulance, gasping for air, Plaza was struck by how familiar  and how foreign  the situation felt. He had spent 22 years as an emergency medical technician, but never wore the kind of head-to-toe protective gear these paramedics used. He realized that he was hazardous material.

It was April 9, and the pandemic was roaring through New Jersey. Plaza, 53, was promptly admitted to the intensive-care unit at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly and placed on oxygen therapy. All 30 beds in the ICU and an annex were full of COVID-19 patients on that Thursday night, weeks before case numbers would peak at the hospital.

Plaza now remembers only pieces of his 15-day ordeal, most of it spent on life support. His wife, Judy, frantic at home in Lumberton, couldnt see her husband because of the pandemic. For almost a week, she couldnt even speak to him because he was sedated on a ventilator. She got daily phone calls from the health team, often Emilio Mazza, the pulmonologist and critical-care specialist who led her husbands care. The updates sometimes relieved  or sometimes reinforced  her sense of helplessness, as her husband of 23 years seesawed between healing and being on the brink of death.

Today, their story illustrates one of the few heartening aspects of the pandemic. Around the world, health-care professionals have been learning, and sharing right away  even on social media  their discoveries in managing a ferocious, brand-new disease with no proven therapies and no predictable course.

Plaza got sick early in that learning curve.

We had no science at that point, Mazza said. It was  I dont want to say guesses  but educated thought processes.

You dont want mayhem'

Plazas blood oxygen was so low when he got to Virtua that Mazza and his team set the oxygen therapy tank to release the gas at nine liters a minute  three times more than usual for respiratory distress.

In COVID-19 hot spots around the world, doctors had been putting patients on mechanical ventilators as soon as they needed six liters of oxygen a minute. The reasoning was sound: Dont wait for a dire emergency that will leave the medical team without enough time to don protective gear before placing a tube down the patients throat, a procedure that releases virus-laden droplets into the air.

You dont want mayhem with these patients, Mazza said.

 READ MORE: Coronavirus has exposed deep race inequity in health care. Can Philly change the trend?

But ventilation is dicey. It requires carefully monitored sedation and painkillers so the unconscious patient can tolerate intubation. It increases the risk of pneumonia, collapsed lung, long-term neurological problems. Data were emerging that suggested ventilating COVID-19 patients too soon increased the chance of death.

Thats why Mazza first considered bilevel positive airway pressure (BIPAP), a more sophisticated version of the CPAP machine used at home for sleep apnea. The drawback, he said, is that BIPAP feels like sticking your face out the window of a car going 60 miles per hour.

Instead, Mazza ordered a heated, humidified, high-flow oxygen machine that is more comfortable and helps patients expel mucus in their lungs.

After five hours, Plazas blood oxygen level was no better, and he was exhausted by the struggle for breath.

There was no choice but to try a ventilator.

Another mystery

As they listened to news about the rampant spread of the coronavirus in the community, the Plazas knew that they had to be careful, because his health problems could make him especially vulnerable.

In 2015, asthma, diabetes, and neuropathy  numbness in his feet  ended Plazas EMT career. He qualified for disability and mostly enjoyed early retirement, spending time with his wife, five kids and grandson. The only setbacks were a few hospitalizations, during which his wife was always at his side.

Then came the symptoms  fatigue, fever, coughing, congestion  that sent him to a doctor, who ordered a coronavirus test.

How did Plaza contract COVID-19, and how was his wife spared even though she took care of him? Chalk it up to another coronavirus mystery. Their son lives with them, but they barely saw him as he worked nights at Amazon and slept all day. He never had symptoms, but tested positive  after his father did, making it unclear whether the son brought the virus home.

 READ MORE: COVID-19 is more likely to hospitalize and even kill people with these preexisting conditions

All Judy Plaza knows is that, as her husband left in the ambulance, she feared she would never again see him alive.

This was the first time we were split up, she said, tearing up. I had to wait until they called me or told me a time I can call to talk to someone that I dont know.

As the days passed, she grew to trust those strangers, especially Mazza.

That doctor, he was a god, she said.

The storm within

Many of the sickest patients die not because of their coronavirus infection, but because it triggers an immune system catastrophe, called a cytokine storm. The blood gets overrun with disease-fighting proteins called cytokines  muckety muck, as Mazza explains to patients and families  that begin to attack the bodys own tissue.

 READ MORE: Doctors are learning how to calm the storm of inflammation in some COVID-19 patients

Plaza had signs of this storm when he was admitted. C-reactive protein in his blood, a marker of inflammation, was almost double the normal level. Ferritin, a blood protein that stores iron and helps ferry oxygen, was sky high, a hallmark of the invisible cellular destruction.

Coincidentally, Mazza had just attended a lecture on the cytokine storm in cancer patients who are treated with new, genetically engineered immune-boosting therapies. A rheumatoid arthritis drug called Actemra had been shown  initially at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia  to save cancer patients who develop the complication. It is now being studied to treat severe COVID-19.

Still, Mazza and his colleagues worried that using Actemra to suppress Plazas immune response could backfire. They were already giving him antibiotics to prevent a secondary bacterial infection  a complication seen in many critically ill COVID-19 patients. If they tamped down his immune system too much, he might not be able to fight the coronavirus, never mind a secondary infection.

They debated using a steroid, a standard immune-suppressing drug that would be less powerful than Actemra. Two months later, a rigorous study would find that a cheap steroid called dexamethasone reduced deaths in severe COVID-19 patients. But in April, the Virtua team was flying blind. They knew that steroids actually worsened outcomes in patients with SARS or MERS, two previous novel coronavirus diseases. They also knew that COVID-19 was unlike anything ever seen before.

Mazza decided to try methylprednisolone.

He was our first [COVID-19] patient on steroids, Mazza said.

Plaza also got a high dose of a potent blood thinner because he had dangerously high levels of D-Dimer, a protein fragment that is usually undetectable unless the body is breaking down blood clots.

About a week later, a study published in the journal Lancet described how the coronavirus can infect cells lining the inside of blood vessels in the lungs, heart, kidneys, liver and intestines, causing clots to form. Doctors began linking COVID-19 to mysterious strokes, heart attacks, and clots that led to limb amputations, even in young people. At Virtua, it explained why dialysis machines were clogging up while filtering the blood of kidney failure patients who had COVID-19.

All these crazy ways the virus was changing the physiology, Mazza marveled.

Touch and go

Critical illness is, by definition, touch and go, but the craziness of the coronavirus heightens the unpredictability.

After Plaza spent just 24 hours on the ventilator and the cocktail of drugs, his blood oxygen was nearly normal. Over the next five days, he was gradually weaned from the ventilator and the sedating drugs, then moved to an intermediate-care unit.

 READ MORE: Another COVID inequity: Low-income and rural communities lack access to ICU beds, Penn study finds

He was rushed back to the ICU two days later because he had excruciating pain in his stomach and, with little warning, his blood pressure crashed, sending him into kidney failure.

Scans revealed a pool of blood in his pelvic area, where his too-thin blood was oozing through leaky vessels. The anticoagulant drug was immediately stopped and he was transfused with four units of healthy blood.

It felt like we were going back in time, to the 1918 pandemic, Mazza recalled, and, like, what do we do?

Voice of hope'

Plaza went home on April 24, as weak as a newborn. He had lost 40 pounds in 15 days, going from 317 to 277.

Losing weight was great, in a way, but it took a lot of my muscle mass, he said.

 READ MORE: Cancer diagnoses plummet during COVID-19, and that could mean worse disease later, experts fear

Although physical therapy is helping him get stronger, he and his wife are struggling to adapt. He can no longer be the family cook, play catch with his grandson, or fix his daughters cars. He speaks more slowly than he used to.

But they are grateful he survived.

I hope to meet Dr. Mazza someday, Judy Plaza said. He was the voice of hope.
Families and political leaders have made fresh demands for the Health Minister to commit to a full public inquiry into leadership failings at Muckamore Abbey Hospital.

Police are investigating multiple claims of physical abuse and mental cruelty at the Co Antrim facility, while an independent review published this week gave a damning indictment on how senior staff had failed to properly escalate concerns.

Yesterday, Belfast Health Trust's chief executive Dr Cathy Jack accepted the findings and said she felt "a deep sense of shame".

"Some of the most vulnerable people who were entrusted to our care were harmed and maltreated and I am truly sorry," she told the BBC.

The Health Minister Robin Swann has said he intends to consider the report in full before consulting with families, patients and former patients on the most appropriate format for an inquiry.

He also apologised publicly to Glynn Brown, who campaigned to see CCTV footage after his son was allegedly assaulted in August 2017.

Solicitor Claire McKeegan of Phoenix Law represents the Action for Muckamore group.

"This damning report, whilst positive, is a public acknowledgement of the families' deepest fears," she said.

"Vulnerable adults were physically and emotionally abused. They were neglected and there is one allegation of sexual abuse.

"Institutional abuse was investigated back in 2012 but steps were not taken and this resulted in further harm to other vulnerable patients.

"The leaders of all of the political parties have committed to their support for a Public Inquiry.

"The need for this is reinforced by the revelation last night that three of the lead managers refused to cooperate with the internal governance review."

She added: "Only an Inquiry with all of the necessary powers of compulsion of witnesses and documents will get to the truth. That is the least that these families are entitled to."

The DUP's MP for East Belfast, Gavin Robinson, said he understood the minister's "caution" in not wishing to undermine a criminal investigation, but said it was still possible to launch a full inquiry.

"This is the largest adult safeguarding case in the entire UK. The PSNI have identified some 1,500 separate criminal cases for investigation with a timeline of around five years for that process to conclude," he said.

He added the refusal of some Trust employees to participate in the review showed the need for an inquiry that can compel witnesses.

Sinn Fein's health spokesperson Colm Gildernew said: "The reviews finding that 'the Belfast Trust had appropriate governance structures in place' but they just weren't implemented effectively, is absurd.

"It is also deeply hurtful for family members of those harmed in Muckamore. If governance structures aren't implemented properly they are clearly not appropriate, and we know this was the case in Muckamore.

"A lack of recognition of these failings further emphasises the need for an independent public inquiry as called for by the Muckamore families."
A follow-up to hit film Dirty Dancing is officially in the works.

Thirty-three years on from the original film, the brand new sequel will star Jennifer Grey with direction by Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies).

Featuring the iconic tune "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", the film will be a full narrative successor to the cult classic, rather than a "prequel/reimagining" in a similar vein to 2004's Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

Other musical hits in the film include "Hungry Eyes", "Hey! Baby" and "Do You Love Me?", with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis (Five Feet Apart) providing a screenplay. Casting beyond Grey and a release date are to be revealed.

Grey's co-star Patrick Swayze, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance as dance instructor Johnny Castle, passed away in 2009 at the age of 57.

The stage version of Dirty Dancing received its West End premiere at the Aldwych Theatre in 2006, where it ran for five years. It has since gone on to tour the world and returned to the West End in 2013, playing at the Piccadilly Theatre. It then returned again to the Phoenix Theatre in 2016.

The show had a record-breaking advance of 15 million, making it, at the time, the fastest ever selling show in West End theatre history.
Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused of



abetting Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide, on Friday sought the (ED) to postpone recording of her statement in the money laundering case lodged by it till her plea in the Supreme Court is heard.

Chakrabortys advocate Satish Maneshinde said the actor would not appear before the ED, which has summoned her on Friday, till the Supreme Court hears her plea.

Chakraborty had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking for the case lodged by the against her to be transferred to the

Rajputs father K K Singh had on July 25 filed a complaint with the Patna police against Chakraborty and a few of her relatives, accusing them of cheating and abetting his sons suicide.

Singh had also alleged financial irregularities in bank accounts of the Patna-born Rajput (34), who was found hanging in his suburban Bandra residence on June 14.

Based on the complaint, the Patna police had filed an FIR against Chakraborty, Rajputs girlfriend, and others.

The ED had on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Chakraborty and her family, and directed her to appear before the central agency's Mumbai office on Friday (August 7).

Maneshinde said the actor would not appear before the ED on Friday.

She has requested for a postponement of recording her statement till the Supreme Court hearing (on her plea), he said.

Maneshinde said the ED has not yet responded to the request.

(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.)
Chunky Pandey has the ability to laugh at himself. With a career trajectory that involves 33 years in Hindi cinema  including a quick detour in Bangladeshi cinema  and over 80 films, the actor happily says that he has never faced any ostracisation or the brunt of what being an outsider in the industry entails as per current debate.

I have been around for 33 years and I dont have a filmy background. I dont know if I am an insider or an outsider but I have never felt any discrimination. Our industry works on talent, it works on saleability, jo chalta hai wo bikta hai. That is what this industry or any other industry works on, Chunky says.

Chunky has seen quite a few highs and drastic lows in his career. While he started off as a solo hero made in the mould of 80s and 90s, he was soon playing the second lead. The actor famously delivered a blockbuster Aankhen in 1993 with Govinda, hoping that he would be swamped with work and realised that on the contrary, work just dried up.

Chunky, however, sees no point in blaming anyone else for his disappearance from the cinema screens in mid-90s. Failure is quite easy to handle because no one is looking at you. Success is difficult to keep and not everyone could handle it. I could not keep my success. I had such a great run. By 93-94, it all came to an end and I had to go to Bangladesh and work there. Talent will always want to work, says Chunky.

Mid-90s was an era of change with new faces coming on the screen every year. It is the choices you make, all actor go through highs and lows. Even God cannot tell which film will work. In showbiz, so much success and fame comes your way and then it passes on to someone else. I remember Govinda made his debut in 1986 and I started my career in 1987. There was Aamir Khan in 1988, Salman in 1989, Shah Rukh in 1990 and Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar in the next two years. It just didnt stop, there was a new hero every year. Your attention gets taken away, but this is how the world works, people want variety.

Bangladeshi cinema welcomed the Indian actor with open arms, but it was wife Bhavna who told him to return to India because that was his identity. When I came back, I learnt the value of success and learnt to cherish it. I had a game plan in mind, which was not there in the beginning. Maybe I was too young. There is a tendency to blame people, but you shouldnt. You are the creator of your success and failure, he firmly says.

He remembers the time when children didnt even recognise him. There were two generations who had forgotten me. There was this little kid who came to me and asked my name. I was quite disturbed and I decided consciously that whatever film I do I will win over those children, he said. The result was films like Housefull series with the character of Akhri Pasta, clearly leaning towards hamming.

After Begum Jaan, Chunky took a turn towards negative roles. Zee5 web series Abhay 2 will see him as a serial killer. Audience has been kind and welcoming with characters like Aakhri Pasta. For comedy, you need good writers, but villainy comes naturally to me, he jokes.

Directed by Ken Ghosh, the show also stars Kunal Kemmu. It is a three-dimensional character a lovable uncle by day and a killer by night. I have modelled him on my school teacher who was an affable man, kind and timid, but with a terrible temper. I had a love-hate relationship with him. I have moulded him around that, the same hairstyle, a slight stoop and the walk with a faint hint of a limp. He is the kind of character at whom kids will laugh but when he transforms, you dont want to be anywhere near him, Chunky says.

Harkening back to the insider-outsider debate, Chunky may have been outsider once but he is part of the machinery today with daughter Ananya Pandeys launch by Karan Johar coming under a fair amount of scrutiny. Siddhant Chaturvedis response to Ananyas comments that her father also never went on Koffee With Karan or acted in a Dharma film on Rajeev Masands show became meme material.

You live by the sword and you die by the sword, is Chunkys response to this. If you are in the limelight, you will get brickbats and you have to learn to live with it.

However, he refuses to believe that a producer will spend crores on a star kid not related by blood unless they know that it is a profitable venture. If you are investing crores in your own child and making a film for them that is one thing but if you are spending 30-40 crores to make a film with someone elses child then it is a business decision.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:28:07|Editor: huaxia

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Troops of India and Pakistan exchanged heavy fire and targeted each other's positions Friday on Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir, officials said.

The two sides exchanged fire in Nowgam sector of frontier Kupwara district, about 165 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation early this morning along the LoC in Naugam Sector, Kupwara by firing mortars and other weapons. A befitting response is being given," Indian army spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said.

According to officials, the exchange was still going on.

Separately a similar exchange took place in the morning in Balakote sector of district Poonch, about 180 km southwest of Srinagar.

The troops of India and Pakistan intermittently exchange fire on LoC and International Border (IB) in Kashmir, despite an agreement in 2003 to observe a ceasefire. New Delhi and Islamabad accuse each other of resorting to unprovoked firings and violating cease-fire agreements.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into India and Pakistan controlled parts. Enditem
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Sniffing fumes of spray paint that had wafted inside her apartment last Sunday, Khinn "Kim" Ung walked outside her building on the edge of Chinatown and was shocked by what she saw.

From top to bottom, the six-unit apartment complex at 920 Everett Street had been tagged with giant pink hearts and the money bag-carrying mascot of the Monopoly game, the face obscured by a hot pink face mask.

There was an American flag, and the words "For Rent" and "Welcome."

"The whole apartment looked so ugly," Ung said. "Oh my God, it looked like a ghost house."

No one saw who tagged the complex. A cleaning crew has left little trace of the graffiti.

But the incident raised plenty of questions for the tenants, mostly immigrants from Southeast Asia. Ung said she saw the landlord, Victoria Vu of VF Developments, on the premises that day. Vu has been trying to force the tenants out during the pandemic. According to Ung and activists helping the tenants, that's the first time Vu's been spotted at the building.

It's the latest chapter in the tenants' quest to stay in their apartments. With three owners in the last year, few renters have been caught up in the churn of L.A. gentrification as dramatically as the people at 920 Everett Street.

We first reported on them in the fall of 2019. Their building had been sold by their long-time mom 'n pop landlord to a new owner, American Collateral, which had given them 60 days to leave. The tenants, who include 71-year-old Vietnamese grandmother Dieu Pham, traveled to Brentwood looking for the landlord's home, protesting along tree-lined, monied streets.

American Collateral then sold the building to VF Developments this past January.

The tenants' joy of escaping eviction was short-lived. In February, Vu gave the tenants 60 days to leave so she could renovate the building. (Her Instagram bio reads: "I Enjoy Collecting Properties & Transforming Dirt to Diamonds.")

Pham, who has diabetes and high blood pressure, worried about having nowhere affordable to go during the pandemic.

"I'm scared of getting sick," said Pham, who shares a $1,250/month, 2-bedroom apartment with her daughter and two grandchildren. "I just want to live peacefully."

Khinn "Kim" Ung (l) and Dieu Pham (r) at a protest in front of their complex in Aug. 2019. (Josie Huang/LAist)

At the moment, the tenants can't be forced to move. That's because the state's Judicial Council -- which sets policy for the courts -- has suspended all eviction proceedings during the pandemic.

But the possibility of eviction still looms large. The Judicial Council's order freezing eviction proceedings expires on Aug. 14 -- and the panel hasn't yet said whether it will extend it.

Meanwhile, Vu refuses to accept rent checks from Ung and the other tenants; doing so would void her order that they leave.

The tenants have not given up and, month after month, have tried to pay the rent.

Last Saturday, the day before the tagging episode, Ung joined other tenants who tried unsuccessfully to personally deliver the rent to Vu at her house in Costa Mesa. The tenants were joined by activists with the Chinatown Community for Equitable Development.

As heavy metal blared from Vu's house, Bryan Sih, a volunteer with CCED, spoke through a megaphone.

"She wants to flip a house," Sih said of Vu. "Six affordable housing units for people who already faced the worst displacement, through war, through American imperialism."

Another volunteer, Isabella McShane, blasted Vu for her role in displacing other Vietnamese people.

"I'm ashamed to know you are Vietnamese," McShane said. "This is not why we came to this country, to evict our own people!"

An older woman Vu referred to as her mother verbally sparred with the group and called the police to complain that the group was taking video of their interactions. The police, as shown on the video taken by CCED, said the group was within its right to assemble.

The next afternoon, the graffiti appeared on the apartment complex.

Ung said she recognized the blonde Vu at the Everett Street property from seeing her at her house in Costa Mesa the day before. A passerby told a CCED volunteer that he saw two blonde women and a Tesla.

Asked about the graffiti incident, Vu's lawyer Linda Hollenbeck said, "I am not going to confirm anything about her or the properties."

In an Instagram post, CCED accused Vu of being behind the vandalism.

A couple living at another property managed by Vu say she has a history of harassing tenants she wants to leave so she can rent out units at higher rates.

Amanda Lyons lives with her boyfriend Brian Shaw in one of five rent-stabilized units at a Silver Lake building Vu has managed for several years. They claim there have been a number of attempts to worsen their living situation. Water and gas, they said, are regularly shut off, often without notice. At times their rent checks have been returned for no apparent reason, they added.

Lyons said in April, Vu gave them about one day's notice before crews were to enter their apartment for two days. The notice said updates were needed -- including replacing floors that Vu's attorney described as reeking of animal feces and urine. She said Vu backed off after they complained to the city about being made to leave their home in a pandemic.

Vu sent a notice to the couple in 2018 threatening to evict them under the state's Ellis Act, which allows landlords to withdraw rent-stabilized units if they're being taken off the rental market or if the building is being demolished. Months later, Vu informed the couple that she had cancelled the Ellis Act filing, they said.

Hollenbeck declined to comment on the Silver Lake property.

Because Lyons' and Shaw's unit is rent-stabilized, they cannot be ordered to move out like the tenants at Everett Street, which was built in 2000 -- too late to be covered by the city's tenant protection law.

"I feel terrible for them," Lyons said. "I've been there. They just need to keep their heads up, stay strong."

Over on Everett Street, Ung said all she wants is to know she has a safe place to stay as COVID-19 continues to stalk L.A.

She has been out of work since the pandemic shut down Hollywood Park Casino, where she dealt cards. But Ung, who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Cambodia, has saved up money to keep paying the rent on the 2-bedroom apartment she shares with her 20-year-old son.

"We work every day so hard," Ung said, growing tearful. "But no -- they push you. It looks like a nightmare."

CCED volunteer Craig Wong says the tenants have demonstrated strength by banding together to fight for a stable place to live.

"It doesn't guarantee they're going to win," he said. "But what it does do is it positions them so they have a real shot at it."
Netflix users can now use the application in Hindi. The new language support is also available for browser and desktop versions.

Netflix on Friday announced the availability of Hindi user interface for users. The new language support will be available on mobile, TV, and web versions of the popular streaming platform. The Hindi user interface will also be available for Netflix users outside India.

As it implies, Netflix users can now sign up, search, make payments, look up collections in the Hindi language. To enable Hindi support, users need to go to the Language option under the Manage Profiles section on the desktop, mobile browser, and TV. On Netflix, subscribers can create up to five profiles in each account, and each profile can have its own language setting.

"Delivering a great Netflix experience is as important to us as creating great content. We believe the new user interface will make Netflix even more accessible and better suit members who prefer Hindi," said Monika Shergill, VP-Content, Netflix India in a release.

Netflix Hindi interface (Netflix)

The latest feature comes as part of Netflixs ongoing efforts to expand its user base in India. The company in its release pointed out that it has been investing heavily in Indian films and series across all genres. It has already announced a lineup of 17 new titles such as including Ludo, A Suitable Boy and Mismatched and the upcoming film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.

Just like other internet giants, Netflix has been customising its services for Indian users. Apart from the latest Hindi interface and support for local creators, Netflix also offers affordable mobile-only plans in India. The company is also said to be testing a new Mobile+ plan which will allow users to stream in HD on mobile as well as on laptops.
Indiana Mehta, who had a small role in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, is excited for her Hollywood debut, Work It. The 29-year-old has shared the frame with Sabrina Carpenter and Liza Koshy in this dance-comedy film. The choreographer-turned-actor had initially auditioned for a non-Indian character but after she showed her jazz, bhangra and garba moves during the audition, the role was changed to that of an Indian girl.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Indiana opened up about how she grabbed the chance to feature in the film which releases on Netflix on August 7 and her journey from being a choreographer in Mumbai to living her dream of being a part of Hollywood. Excerpts:

Tell us about your role in Work It.

My character Priya is a high school student who is good at studies, skating, hip hop, Bollywood and Indian dancing. She is going through the whole millennial phase and loves being on her phone and capturing all moments. She has a very blunt and sassy humour. I am grateful that I got to represent my culture and dance in its true form in the film.

Indiana Mehta (second from right) on Work It poster.

How did you land the role in Work It?

Initially at the audition, I submitted a dance video for an ensemble in a dance team. Post video round, I was invited for an in- person choreography round under choreographer Aakomon Jones, director Laura Terruso and the producer. I was extremely nervous as I had researched the choreographer and his work (Pitch Perfect, Black Panther, Oscars) and thought to myself that he certainly expects a really good standard of hip hop. I told myself to just go in and dance your best.

When it came down to performing in front of the panel, I was in a group with two really tall, incredibly talented male hip hop dancers. Again, that sparked nervousness. But I gave my 100%. Post choreography round we were given an option to showcase any freestyle, or flips/tricks/acro. I was like meh... I dont stand a chance in front of these dancers. So I backed out. The whole time I kept telling myself, What are you afraid of, since when do you care about what other people have to say. So I was like maybe I should go and do Bollywood as no one will attempt that style. The Chris Brown song was on repeat and I said this will be pure embarrassment to dance Bollywood to a Chris Brown song. Then I thought maybe thats the reason theyll hire you because you can do different styles! So I ran to the audition room, took my shoes off and broke out into jazz funk, bhangra and finished with garba followed by a standing ovation from the entire panel and fellow auditioners. From there I was called in to read for a role, which at the time was a non-Indian character. Then from one round to next, I got closer and closer to the last round when I received a new script with my character name Priya.

How has your family reacted to your Hollywood debut?

My family is extremely thrilled and over the moon. My parents and my brother have supported me in every possible way to choose dance as a profession. Theyve seen me training and trying out at auditions for the last 11 years. Signing this film was literally a dream come true. When I called them at 2 am (IST) on May 27, 2019 to share the news of the film, they couldnt stop crying. Emotions and pride cant be described in words.

You had a small role of a dance teacher in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. How did you land that role?

Funny story.... I was in my 3rd year of dance training at Laine Theatre Arts when my agent sent me to audition for a small role in a Bollywood film. I was excited not only because it was for a Bollywood film but also because it was my first ever audition for film and TV. I went into the audition room with no expectations, there was a camera and two British women from casting. I started to teach a dance class although I went a little overboard by going  Areeyy aunty idhar bhi thumka, uncle thoda aur kamar hilao... arey naagin dance shuru ho jao. I could see the two women cracking up even though they didnt speak a word of Hindi. Few days later, I got a call from Dharma productions to say how much theyd loved my audition tape and soon theyll reach out with shooting details.

Indiana Mehta (extreme left) and Ranbir Kapoor in a still from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Have you faced racism for your ethnicity?

Fortunately I havent. Maybe to some extent in England, when my agent would bracket me into a certain stereotype. To be honest, everyone from the choreographer, to the director to Sabrina Carpenter to Liza Koshy, were all very supportive of my culture and appreciated my skills and were always up to learning more about India and our dance forms.

Also read: Priyanka Chopra on staying connected with family during pandemic: There have been lot of Zoom calls, Zoom brunches

What difficulties did you face during your journey from being an assistant choreographer to Hollywood?

I enjoyed learning about the process of choreography and how it was more about the whole look of the act over just the dancing. The set, costumes, entries, exits, the whole package. But at the same time I missed being on stage. With my training in jazz/contemporary and other western styles of dance, it felt like I had limited opportunities in India. I knew I needed to explore more, hustle more, audition more. Therefore, I chose to leave India and moved to Toronto in 2018. Since being here, Ill say Ive had at least 50 rejections. But I was fortunate enough to get auditions, which apparently is a big deal in itself. I seem to be on the right track, I just got to keep at it. And thats what I did. I picked up odd teaching jobs, worked at a shoe store, did Uber eats etc. until I was at the right place at the right time.

Tell us something about your choreography work in India.

It wasnt easy getting choreography work in India. Ive done a lot of projects for free or was extremely underpaid. I would be called to be a body in the room to choreograph on. But you do it because connections are important. No matter how big or small the choreography job, No one will ever have the budget for that. But I was fortunate I got to assist on Nach Baliye, Colors TV awards and other smaller international school shows.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Sharing some positive news on Thursday, Minister for Medical Education Dr K Sudhakar said that Bengalurus recovery rate jumped from 29.59% on July 30 to 50.34% on August 6 -- an increase of 20.75%. As per the graph shared, Karnatakas recovery rate was 39.36% on July 30, an increase of 11.37% in seven days.

On July 30, the number of total recovered cases was 46,694, which nearly doubled to 80,290 in just seven days. The death rate per 10 lakh population is least in Karnataka, compared to other places. Our state has 42 deaths per 10 lakh population, while Delhi has 204, Maharashtra has 134, Tamil Nadu has 58 and Puducherry has 42, Sudhakar said.

Comparing the same data city wise, he said Bengaluru recorded 121 deaths per 10 lakh population, the least compared to other metros  Mumbai recorded 529 deaths per 10 lakh population, Chennai 313, Pune 258, Ahmedabad 224, Delhi 204 and Kolkata 191.

BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said that a week ago, only 3,000 antigen tests were being done a day, but now the number has touched 16,000. We have decided to test 10 times the number of positive cases. We have limitation of manpower, so we have daily walk-in interviews calling for final-year Science students, civil defence volunteers etc. We are adding mobile testing units to all 141 Primary Health Centres, Prasad said, adding that there are 700 ambulances.

With top health officials in talks with hospitals with more than 100 beds, the number of beds will go up from 3,300 to 5,000 soon, he added. Zonal Commissioners are in talks with hospitals having between 50 to 100 beds. In hospitals with fewer than 50 beds, it may not be feasible to set up Covid treatment wards immediately as they may lack staff. However, they should not take us for granted, and we are filing cases against owners under the Disaster Management and KPME Act, Prasad explained.

On Thursday, 48,421 tests were conducted, taking the total tests to 15,81,075. Senior surgeon Dr Anjanappa said in a press meet that the state was a little late in acquiring herd immunity. I request my colleagues in hospitals not to turn away patients at the gates and at least give them a place to sit, if one doesnt have beds. The bed situation was bad earlier but has improved in the past 3 to 4 days, he said.
Portland police are searching for a suspect who slashed someone in the throat with a box cutter, then fled the scene of the assault Thursday.

Around 3:45 p.m., Portland police say, they responded to reports that someone had been cut by someone else on Northwest Broadway near Glisan Street.

They arrived and found a man who had been slashed in the neck. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, and police have not provided an update on his status.

The suspect left before police arrived. Police did not offer any identifying information about the suspect, nor anything about the circumstances of the assault

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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The State Department said it would instead resume considering each country on a case-by-case basis

The United States on Thursday lifted a warning to its citizens to avoid all foreign travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, pointing to improvements.

The State Department said it would instead resume considering each country on a case-by-case basis.

"With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system," it said in a statement.

"We continue to recommend US citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic."

The announcement comes as President Donald Trump seeks a quick return to normal in the United States, which has suffered by far the highest number of deaths from COVID-19.

But US borders remain closed to most travelers from the European Union, which also bans most Americans due to the risk of contagion.

Under the new ratings, the United States is still advising precautions for most countries.

Among the few recipients of the "Level 1" ranking -- which means no special concerns for travel -- were Taiwan, which has won wide acclaim for its handling of the pandemic, and Australia.

The United States gave a Level 3 status -- which means to reconsider travel -- to many allies including Britain, France and Germany.

It kept the Level 4 warning to avoid all travel for India, which has seen growing cases of COVID-19.

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The Foreign Office's chief mouser, Palmerston, is heading for retirement after four years stalking the corridors of power.

The departmental cat, who has his own popular Twitter feed, is leaving to spend more time 'away from the limelight'.

A letter sent to the Foreign Office's top mandarin, Sir Simon McDonald - who is himself standing down from his job - said Palmerston had enjoyed 'working from home' in the countryside during lockdown.

'I have found life away from the front line relaxed, quieter, and easier,' the letter on the @DiploMog Twitter feed read.

Palmerston, a rescue cat from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, was brought to the Foreign Office in 2016, prompting a rivalry with Downing Street cat Larry.

'My 105,000 twitter followers show that even those with four legs and fur have an important part to play in the UK's global effort,' Palmerston's letter said.

Palmerston, who has his own popular Twitter feed, is leaving to spend more time 'away from the limelight'

A letter sent to the Foreign Office's top mandarin, Sir Simon McDonald - who is himself standing down from his job - said Palmerston had enjoyed 'working from home' in the countryside during lockdown

'I have championed our work, built our relationships, and celebrated the diversity of our staff.'

Palmerston will not be completely retreating from public life, however, with the letter stating that he will 'always be an ambassador for the UK and the new Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office'.

Sir McDonald replied to the letter on Twitter, stating that everyone at the Foreign office will 'miss him'.

'In 2016 Palmerston arrived from Battersea, mouser and social media phenomenon,' he said.

'After four-and-a-half happy years, he retires at end of August: he's enjoyed lockdown life in countryside so much, he's decided to stay.'

Foreign Office staff paid tribute to the outgoing mouser, with Jon Benjamin, director of the department's Diplomatic Academy, wishing him a 'very happy retirement'.

'He left us a slightly chewed dead mouse next to my desk in @UKDipAcademy once, and we were of course not very grateful,' he added.

Caron Rohsler, British high commissioner to the Maldives, tweeted a goodbye message from her embassy's own diplomatic feline, Miska.

It read: 'Congratulations on your exemplary service to British foreign affairs, & for fur-thering the cause of diversity in our noble institution. I'm sure an elevation to the pawrage cannot be far off.'

Palmerston and Larry the Downing Street cat (pictured left) regularly squared off over their respective territories

Palmerston, a rescue cat from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, was brought to the Foreign Office in 2016, prompting reports of a rivalry with Downing Street cat Larry (pictured having a standoff in 2018)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned actor Rhea Chakraborty for over eight hours on Friday in a money-laundering case it has registered in connection with Bollywood celebrity Sushant Singh Raputs suspected suicide on June 14.

The 28-year-old Chakraborty, Rajputs girlfriend at the time of his death, arrived at the agencys office in Balard Estate area around 11:50am after her request to defer the questioning was turned down. She left the ED office around 8:45pm.

The agency, which investigates money laundering and foreign exchange violations, questioned Chakrabortys brother, Showik, and her business manager, Shruti Modi, who also worked for Rajput.

Their statements were recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Requesting anonymity, ED officials privy to the details said the agency was looking into Chakrabortys income tax returns and investments. The officials said Chakraborty responded to most of the questions. ED is expected to focus on Chakrabortys income, business deals and professional deals.

A property located in the Khar area of Mumbai is also being probed by ED for the source of its purchase and ownership. Chakraborty told interrogators that she took around Rs 60 lakh home loan for the property worth Rs 84 lakh, according to the officials.

When ED officials asked her about the remaining amount, she said she managed to arrange the rest on her own and made the payment through cheques, the officials said.

Investigators also tried to get more information into the formation of four companies by Rajput, Chakraborty and her family. While two of these companies were registered, the rest of the two were under the process of getting registered.

She said she did not siphon of anyones money, the officials said.

She has been examined and her statement... (has been) recorded... Shes always cooperated with investigations with police and ED. Shes nothing to hide. In the event shes called again, she will appear at the appointed time, Satish Maneshinde, her lawyer and senior counsel, said.

ED filed a case on July 31 on the basis of a first information report (FIR) by the Bihar Police. The FIR was registered following a complaint by Rajputs father KK Singh who accused Chakraborty and her family of abetting the Bollywood actors suicide and siphoning of his money.

Singh accused that close to Rs 15 crore were transferred from Rajputs account to unknown persons not linked to him. He said that his sons credit cards were with Chakraborty.

Alongside ED, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), too, has launched a probe on the request of the Bihar government and has named Chakraborty, her brother and four other family members, apart from unknown persons, as accused.

The Bihar Police have handed over their case files to CBI in the midst of a jurisdictional dispute with the Maharashtra Police, who have filed an accidental death report (ADR).

Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen. In view of the fact that ED has informed the media that the request to postpone the attendance is rejected, she appeared before the ED at the appointed time and date, Maneshinde, said in a statement earlier in the day.

Chakraborty initially refused to appear before the agency, citing her appeal pending before the Supreme Court. She has requested that the FIR filed in Patna be transferred to Mumbai, arguing that Bihar Police have no jurisdiction. Bihar rejected the claim.

Rajputs roommate, Siddharth Pithani, too has been called by ED to appear on Saturday, PTI reported.

Pithani, an IT professional stated to be living with Rajput for about a year, is stated to be out of Mumbai and he has said in news channel interviews that he was present in the Bandra flat on June 14, when the 34-year-old actor hanged himself.

The agency has already questioned Rajputs chartered accountant (CA), Sandeep Shridhar, and his house manager and staffer, Samuel Miranda, twice in the case.
Toby Antony By

Express News Service

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is probing the links of African cartels with K T Rameez who had allegedly masterminded the smuggling of gold via the diplomatic channel. The NIA is also planning to sent its team to the UAE to probe the international links in the case.

The agency on Thursday told the court that it suspects that Rameez has links with African drug and arms cartels.We suspect that gold smuggled from the UAE came through these cartels. Rameez had travelled to Tanzania on numerous occasions. He also imported wood from West African countries. Whether any smuggling bid was made through these imports is being probed. We have heard of African cartels being involved in supplying gold in exchange of drug and arms earlier, but a further probe is required, NIA prosecutor Arjun Ambalapatta told the court.

The NIA also submitted that Rameez had advised Swapna Suresh to shift to Tanzania. Once, fifth accused (Rameez) had contacted Swapna and advised her to move to Tanzania leaving her family in Kerala. He had asked her to go to Mumbai first and then travel to Tanzania, Assistant Solicitor-General P Vijaya Kumar told the court when Swapnas bail petition was considered by the NIA Court.

Agency sources said they are looking to send its team to the UAE to probe the links of gold smuggling abroad. It is clear that an organised group is behind the smuggling of gold from Gulf countries, especially Dubai. We will send a team to Dubai to probe the involvement of the group abroad. We have asked the Ministry of Home Affairs permission for it. Two accused persons -- Faisal Fareed and Rabins Hameed -- are also in the UAE. We will get information about the people supplying gold to the racket, a NIA source said.

Three accused file bail pleas in HC

Kochi: Three accused persons in the gold smuggling case registered by the Customs approached the Kerala High Court on Thursday seeking bail. Jafsal, the 14th accused, submitted he has no direct or indirect connection with the gold smuggling case. Ninth accused T M Muhammed Anwar submitted before the court that he is doing interior designing business at Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. According to the plea, he came to India after the Covid-19 outbreak. Muhammed Abdul Shameem, the 13th accused, submitted he is running a cafeteria business in Dubai and the ninth accused is his friend.

State seeks time to hand over CCTV footage to NIA

TPuram: The state government has reportedly sought time to hand over the CCTV footage of the Secretariat to the National Investigation Agency. The general administration department has told the NIA to provide a 400 TB hard drive to facilitate the transfer of footage of the past one year or the agency can check the servers in the Secretariat. Meanwhile, the Customs has reportedly grilled a Customs liaison officer in Thiruvananthapuram who had allegedly advised accused Swapna Suresh to file a case against Customs officials. However, the Customs declined to comment on it.
The Indian government has told the Supreme Court that Rome has assured New Delhi that the Italian marines responsible for killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 will be prosecuted there after an international court held that they could not be tried in Indian courts due to immunity cover enjoyed by them.

The government made the above statement during hearing of its petition in the Supreme Court to close the case against two Italian Marines guilty of shooting Indian fishermen but the court said that it would first hear victim fishermens families before allowing Centres plea for closure and asked it to file a fresh plea making victims family members as parties to its application.

The court has also asked the Centre to ensure that adequate compensation is paid to families of fishermen killed by Italian marines.

The case against Italian marines was being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The agency officials had indicated earlier this month that the Centre will move SC for closure of the case in the aftermath of the judgement by the UN Tribunal that said India couldnt prosecute the marines.

Also Read: India to follow UN court order in Italian Marines case, Supreme Court told

The five-member arbitral tribunal, under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, said India is entitled to compensation in the case but said the marines deserve immunity and that India is precluded from exercising its jurisdiction in the case.

The UN tribunal said the marines enjoyed immunity since they were exercising official functions in their capacity as Italian state officials and ordered India to stop criminal proceedings against them.

Kerala High Court had earlier in a May 2012 judgment held that India had the jurisdiction to try the Italian marines since their act of shooting fishermen was neither in the defence of the vessel nor the state.

The Italian marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, moved the Supreme Court against the judgement following which the Supreme Court later granted them conditional bail allowing them to return to Italy in 2016.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has opposed the withdrawal of the case against the marines and asked the Centre to explore the possibility of a review petition.

Also Read: Italian Marines case ruling wont affect Indias rights in exclusive economic zone

The two fishermen were killed after the marines fired upon them, in Indian waters off the shore of Kerala, from an oil tanker they were deployed to protect from pirates. The ship was intercepted and brought to Kochi, where the marines were arrested and charged with murder.

NIA finalised a charge sheet against the marines in November 2013 when the probe report was submitted to the home ministry.

The ministry, in January 2014, had initially given a sanction to prosecute the marines under the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf Act and for murder and attempt to murder. The act provides for a death penalty. The sanction was withdrawn a month later after a review of charges held that the case did not warrant applying this act.

NIA was then asked to press charges related to murder, attempt to murder and causing damage to the boat of the fishermen.

India had accused Italy of attempting to delay the process of prosecution at every step.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 04:41:24|Editor: huaxia

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Migrants wave as they board an airplane bound for Iraq at the Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece, on Aug. 6, 2020. A total of 134 Iraqis migrants departed from Athens' airport to Iraq on Thursday, which marked the first-ever voluntary repatriation program for a large group of migrants in Greece and in Europe, Greek authorities said. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 134 Iraqis migrants departed from Athens' airport to Iraq on Thursday, which marked the first-ever voluntary repatriation program for a large group of migrants in Greece and in Europe, Greek authorities said.

"We work systematically to put an end to the migration crisis by implementing a strict but fair policy. It is important that the program of voluntary returns was launched. Migrants return to their country of origin with dignity and security," Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi said.

The Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) program plans to cover up to 5,000 migrants located in reception and identification centers on the Greek islands.

The program is co-funded 75 percent by European Funds (Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund) and 25 percent by national funds.

More than one million people reached Greece and continued the trip to other European countries until the closure of the borders along the Balkan Route and the launch of the March 2016 agreement between EU-Turkey aimed to curb the influx.

Over 40,000 people are currently hosted in overflowing reception centers on Greek islands, out of a total of 100,000 stranded in Greece, according to figures from the Greek authorities.

"Greece is satisfied as the program helps to decongest the islands. The migrants who return to their home country feel happy as they start a new life with dignity. Their country of origin, Iraq, knows that these people can now support local societies and economies," Greek Alternate Migration and Asylum Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos said.

Greece's program for the voluntary return of migrants to their country of origin was supposed to initiate last spring but was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the plan, the 5,000 migrants will each receive an allowance of 2,000 euros (2,375 U.S dollars).

"I am happy to go back to my country. I wanted to return to my wife and my children," Salad Ahmad said to local reporters at the airport before the departure of his flight.

The Ambassador of Iraq to Greece Shorsh Khalid Said explained that last year approximately 4,000 Iraqis returned to their country as the safety conditions have improved. Enditem
WASHINGTON  Vice President Mike Pence said in an interview airing Thursday that Chief Justice John Roberts has let down conservatives by siding with the Supreme Court's liberal justices in several recent decisions.

"We have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but Chief Justice John Roberts has been a disappointment to conservatives whether it be the Obamacare decision or whether it be a spate of recent decisions," Pence said in an interview with Christian Broadcasting Networks David Brody, who released a clip of this portion of the interview Wednesday night.

Pence said that Roberts' rulings are a reminder "of just how important this election is for the future of the Supreme Court."

The vice president specifically criticized Roberts for siding with the high court's liberals in striking down a restrictive abortion law in Louisiana. Pence noted that the law required doctors working in abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at local hospitals."

"That's a very modest restriction on abortion providers, but a narrow majority in the Supreme Court still said it was unacceptable," he said. "I think it's been a wake-up call for pro-life voters around the country who understand, in a very real sense, the destiny of the Supreme Court is on the ballot in 2020."

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Roberts also cast the deciding vote by joining liberal justices in a 5-4 decision that blocked the Trump administration from shutting down DACA, which allows young people known as Dreamers to remain in the U.S. In a 6-3 decision, Roberts also joined the majority in ruling that federal law does not allow job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status.

Pence reiterated in the interview that President Donald Trump plans to release a list of candidates that he could draw from for future appointments to the Supreme Court.
You cant socially distance from reality.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Illinois in early March, and cases started to exponentially rise, the entire state eventually was ordered to stay at home by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Outside of Chicago and Cook County, and especially outside of the collar counties, novel coronavirus cases were sparse  and because of the lack of testing, difficult to find. A majority of the cases were in the city and suburban Cook at that time, so why should the rest of the state be punished, the argument went.

The governor and the Illinois Department of Public Health grouped the state into four healthcare regions, lumping in the collar counties with Chicago, again to much griping from the suburbs.

But the state pushed through, and COVID-19 active cases went from a high of 4,014 on May 12 to just 473 on June 15.

Now, it appears the state is in a second wave of this virus. We are averaging about 1,500 cases a day now.

The difference, this time, is the virus is much more spread out across the state.

The positivity rate in all of the now-11 healthcare regions in Illinois went up.

Chicagos positivity rate is the fourth lowest among the 11 regions at 4%. Meanwhile, Region 4, near St. Louis, and Region 5, the southern part of the state, are at 6.9% and 5.9% positivity, respectively. The southern part of the state has seen eight days of positivity increases in the past 10.

LaSalle, Adams, Peoria and Randolph counties have been warned by the Illinois Department of Public Health for COVID-19 risk indicators. Among the problems cited in the county: large family and social gatherings, increase in cases among people younger than 29 years, younger people visiting bars and attending larger social events, and inconsistencies with masking requirements.

None of these counties is Cook. This second wave is not a big-city problem.

This is all a problem, for all of us, the present and the future.

Although medical professionals know more about how to treat this virus than they did in March  turning patients on their stomachs and the availability of proven drugs like remdesivir and dexamethasone have reduced deaths  its a problem for the future because this disease carries several lags. It can take up to two weeks from infection to symptoms, another week from symptoms to diagnosis, and a week after that to hospitalization. All the while that person can infect others.

Well say it again. You cant socially distance yourself from reality.

The good news is there are steps that are proven to reduce transmission. Weve been through them. Maintaining social distance and wearing a mask or a face covering when out in public are steps you can take. We owe that sense of not just personal responsibility, but the basic social contract of a community in this fight together.

 Daily Herald, Morris
An Upper Darby police officer has been fired after posting a racially inflammatory remark on Facebook using a fake name.

Officer Jonathan Resinski made the comment, Animals. How much to send them back to Africa? Not asking for a friend, in response to a video of African Americans being pulled over by police, according to a statement of charges.

The statement of charges found the post was beyond offensive and racist, that Resinski had failed to conform to the standards required of a township officer, and that further insubordination following an investigation warranted immediate dismissal.

Resinski has shown, by his unapologetic racism, that he is unfit to serve as an Upper Darby Police Officer, the statement said. Resinski can never be trusted again to provide fair and colorblind service to the residents of Upper Darby Township.

An investigation followed after a Twitter user alerted the police department and Mayor Barbarann Keffer to the post on June 25, according to the charges. During a June 30 investigatory interview, Resinski admitted to making the post using the fictitious name Randall Raines, according to the charges.

Resinski indicated in a written statement that he created the Raines account using his best efforts to remain anonymous as a police officer and that he posted as a private citizen in response to a traffic stop video he watched on an Illinois police department Facebook page. The post was somehow linked to his wifes Facebook account, which allowed one Twitter user to identify him and bring it the townships attention.

Daily Times archives indicate Resinski had been employed with the department since October 2009. Court records indicate he is currently the plaintiff in a civil rights action against the township alleging discrimination and retaliation related to injuries he sustained from a motorcycle accident in 2015.

Resinski said in his statement that the Raines account had not been deactivated on the advice of Fraternal Order of Police representative Daniel Oliveri and FOP attorney Stanton Skip Miller. He declined to allow the department to search other posts under the Raines identity, however, unless there was a specific allegation to address.

Miller did not respond to requests for comment.

At the conclusion of the June 30 interview, the department believed Resinskis actions had violated the code of discipline for conduct unbecoming. Resinski was afforded a Loudermill hearing, part of the discipline process, on July 8, according to the statement of charges.

The township had additional questions following that hearing and scheduled a second interview for July 27. During that interview, Miller did not allow Resinski to answer any questions and demanded the township provide him with an order authorizing attorney Patrick J. Harvey to conduct an investigation, the charges say.

Upper Darby Police Captain Michael Kehrle then directly ordered Resinski to answer the townships questions, but Resinski refused. Additional insubordination charges were brought and another Loudermill hearing set, but Miller informed the township Resinski was waiving that hearing, according to the statement of charges.

In his Aug. 4 dismissal letter, Keffer laid into Resinski for what she described as his fully ingrained racism and obstruction of an investigation to determine if he had made similar posts in the past.

She rendered the decision that Resinski not only could no longer serve as an Upper Darby officer, but that he should not serve as an officer anywhere because his credibility would be rightly challenged were he ever to provide testimony in court.
Governor Babagama Umara Zulum of Borno state yesterday, Thursday commissioned N200 million water project facilities at Gwaidangari Community and Shehuri North Community all in Maiduguri city, drilled and donated by Jack Rich Foundation.

He also pledged to construct a new road from Baga road to link the Gwaidangari Community and a new borehole while reassuring of his determination to continue to provide basic infrastructural facilities and amenities to the people across the 27 LGAs of the state.

Gov. Zulum stated this Thursday at the official commissioning ceremony of the water project Facility constructed by a philanthropist and River State born citizen based in USA as part of the Foundation's intervention and support to the Vulnerables in the society, charged the Community leaders of Gwaidangari to ensure proper maintenance of the water Project.

He also directed the State Ministry of Water Resources to produce a comprehensive list of water resources in all the 27 LGAs for proper execution of water Facilities across the state which is part of the 10 point agenda of his Government .

The govenror thanked the donor Engineer Jack Rich for his support and Intervention to the people of Borno state and other states of the federation in the areas of education, health, roads , water supply and others.

He also thanked an Elder Statesman and former Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria (SFGN), Ambassador Babagama Kingibe for his concern and efforts in facilitating the drilling of the boreholes by the foundation while expressing his profound gratitude to Engineer Jack Rich for his Intervention and support.

" We shall continue to provide basic Facilities and amenities to the peoole like water resources as part of my 10 point agenda.

"Government is working tirelessly to improve water supply within the state capital . I thank Engineer Jack Rich for his Intervention. I charge the Community leaders of Gwaidangari to maintain the facility.

"I call on the State Commissioner of Water Resources to produce a comprehensive list of water needs across the 27 LGAs. I Commend Engineer Jack Rich for his support and intervention to the Borno people and thank our own son and elder, His Excellency, Ambassador Babagama Kingibe for his concern. Our people will remain grateful to you all.

"Engineer Jack Rich is a Nigerian from River State and a petroleum chemistry graduate of University of Wales and a businessman, married with two children who has been supporting youths, sending them abroad to study and supporting communities across the country in health, education and water resources among others..

In his welcome address, the Borno State Commissioner of Water Resources, Alhaji Tijani Goni' said the water facility has one middle aquifer borehole with 280 meters deep and 15 HP Submersible pump powered by 15000 watts solar panels that has 200,000 liters overhead tank.

He said the water facility comprises of filtration room, filtering machines, perimeter fencing, generating set room with 28 batteries, mosque, 11 KVA electric transformer, offices and chemical control room which is of WHO standard for human consumption.

The Commissiiner further assured that the State Ministry of Water Resources will do everything possible to maintain the facility while thanking the donor for his Intervention and Govenror Zulum for commissioning the water facility for the people of Gwaidangari Community.

Earlier, Ambassador Babagama Kingibe disclosed that similar water Facility was drilled and donated to Nigerian Army University Biu at the cost of N100 million while same water project will be constructed in Gubio town by the Foundation as secuirty Situation Improves.

He added that so far the Gwaidangari Community water project cost N100 million and Shehuri North Community water facility cost same N100 million with a capacity to serve 300,000 people.

Kingibe noted also that the water project was also reticulated through the old blocked water pipes of former State Govenror, Late Mohammed Goni' Mother Cat boreholes in the area, pointing out that, Engineer Jack Rich had drilled and donated water Facilities in some states of the federation including Sokoto, Katsina, Kano and others apart from carrying educational support projects as a philanthropist among other Interventions across the country to complement governement efforts through his foundation to serve the people

The Contractor of the Water Facility, Engineer Babangida Zango said that the water project has main building comprising of offices, over head tank, solar panels, reticulation room, treatment plant, , generating set room, mosque ,others with 20 workers engaged to man the facility which he appealed to the state government to employ them to maintain the facility.

He said the water facility has Sustainability span of 25 years with reticulation of 2 kilometers and 24000 liters per day per 50 households while urging the state government to maintain the water Facility.

The Founder/President of Jack Rich Foundation, Engineer Jack Rich said he is an Indigene of River State based in USA and has passion and determination as a businessman to serve the poor and empower the youths to become good leaders of tomorrow back home in Nigeria

He added that he was glad today to touch the lives of the poor and orphans like him wiho came from a poor background of fish Community and was even sleeping in classrooms that had no roof but today he is being celebrated.

Engineer Jack Rich further called on the children and youths to respect their parents and leaders, stressing that, they should always have vision and believe in their vision and dreams.

He commended Govenror Zulum for his hardwork, commitment and determination to serve his people, noting that, he has been hearing and reading about him in the media both home and abroad while urging Borno people to rally round the govenror to serve them better as well as pray for the governor.

Engineer Jack Rich thanked Ambassador Babagama Kingibe for inspiring him to come to Borno to support the people of Borno state while calling on wealthy individuals from the state to come home and empower their children and youths to have indigenous capacity to develop the state.

Highlights of the ceremony include cutting of tapes by th Governor in company of Engineer Jack Rich, Ambassador Babagama Kingibe and other top government officials and dignitaries at Gwaidangari and Shehuri North Communities in Maiduguri.
It allows local officials to prohibit carrying firearms into city-owned or -operated parks and buildings and permitted events. As a community, we have an obligation to do all we can to protect our friends and neighbors from gun violence. Parents should not have to worry about guns being carried in the local park where they bring their children to play. People should not fear for their lives simply for going to a parade. Local officials must have the ability to keep guns out of the places in their communities where they pose a risk, and this law is a first step in granting local governments that authority.
TORRINGTON  Two days after Tropical Storm Isaias tore through Connecticut, residents across the state Thursday continued to grapple with widespread power outages, fallen trees and other damage. Locally, thousands of residents were still in the dark, and some officials estimated it could take days to get the lights back on.

Eversources outage report showed Thursday that 5,286 Torrington customers were still without power at 4 p.m.  just over 28 percent of the utilitys customers in the city  while in Winsted, the number was down to 4,854, just over 79 percent of customers.

In a statement on that towns website, Town Manager Robert Geiger said he was working closely with Eversource to continue assessing damange and restoring power.

The Town of Winchester extends their appreciation for everyones efforts during this storm as neighbors are helping neighbors, Geiger wrote. Town staff is in touch with Eversource and emergency crews. The downed trees (affecting) wires are waiting for Eversources response. Our Department of Public Works have addressed as much as they could, but cannot touch trees in the wires.

Please be advised up to 42 roads are affected, Geiger said in the statement. Eversource has reported it may take up to four days to get everyone back on line. Please note town hall is in the part of town without power or internet. Some work has shifted over to the DPW office on Rowley Street for Thursday.

Geiger advised residents concerned with medical issues to call 911. They will respond if someone has medical device that is in need due to loss of electricity, he said.

Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone posted a similar message on her Facebook page, saying Eversource restoration work has begun, adding that members of the Torrington Fire Department were assisting two Eversource crews with cleanup,.

In a message to residents Thursday, Emergency Management Director and Torrington Fire Chief Peter Towey said the cleanup would continue while power is restored.

Torrington has a charging station available in front of City Hall. Residents wishing to use it should bring their own charging device, Towey said, and limit their charging time to one hour. Social distancing and masks must be worn while utilizing the charging stations, he said.

A water filling station also was to be provided at Charlene Besse Park at 755 Riverside Park, where residents would be able to obtain potable water. Residents should bring an appropriate container to fill, wear a mask and maintain social distancing, officials said.

As for cleanup, the city is not removing residential yard debris, Towey said.

Residents that have storm debris may bring clean wood and green waste to Alvord Park Debris Management Site at 391 Kennedy Drive starting Aug. 10, he said. This site will be open for disposal between the hours of 8 am and 2 pm until further notice. No building or non-natural storm debris will be accepted. All loads will inspected prior to offloading as required by State Statues.

Residents are encouraged to continue to take appropriate precautions while the power restoration efforts continue, he said. Any lines that are down should be considered energized and be avoided. Many downed trees have power lines tangled in them and may be energized and dangerous. Areas and streets that have been closed or cordoned off by emergency services should not be accessed. Do not remove cones or tape to get around these hazards.

Towey reminded residents that proper precautions should continue to be taken amid the coronavirus pandemic, including social distancing and wearing a mask. He also advised people to make sure they have an emergency plan in place.

Residents are encouraged to evaluate and implement their emergency preparedness plan, he said. Additional information on actions to take after a power outage can located at www.redcross.org/prepare and or www.ready.gov.
Natural Gas (NG) Bouncing Off Daily Chart Triangle Support Tradable Patterns - Tue Jan 18, 9:03PM CST Natural Gas (NGG22) is trying to bounce off uptrend support (on the 4hr chart) in todays Asia morning, making progress in recovering after Thursdays strong profittaking. Significantly, NG is extending... NGG22 : 4.277 (-0.14%) UGAZF : 6.5990 (+1.52%)

Chart of the Day: Philip Morris - Maybe the Best Large Cap Barchart - Tue Jan 18, 7:32PM CST Philip Morris (PM) may not be ESG but Revenue and Earnings are hard to ignore. That's why Philip Morris is my Chart of the Day. I wanted to find a large cap that was having solid upward price momentum... PM : 101.73 (-1.60%)

Under-fire Boris Johnson denies lying about lockdown parties AP - Tue Jan 18, 4:35PM CST LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday denied misleading Parliament about lockdown-breaching parties, and confirmed he has given an account of events to an inquiry probing alleged... $SPX : 4,577.11 (-1.84%) $DOWI : 35,368.47 (-1.51%) $IUXX : 15,210.76 (-2.57%)

Triple Digit Gains for Cotton Barchart - Tue Jan 18, 4:20PM CST Cotton futures continued posting fresh contract highs on Tuesday, as the front months rallied triple digits out of the 3-day weekend. March prices went home 138 points higher with $1.2137/lb as the current... CTH22 : 121.34 (+0.21%) CTK22 : 118.00 (+0.25%) CTZ21 : 111.55s (+0.25%)

Corn Markets Mixed at Bell Barchart - Tue Jan 18, 4:20PM CST After weakness to start the short week, corn futures bounced into the close with 1 1/2 to 3 1/4 cent gains. New crop prices were fractionally red at the closing bell. FASs weekly Export Inspections... ZCH22 : 603-6 (+0.71%) ZCPAUS.CM : 5.8599 (+0.53%) ZCK22 : 604-0 (+0.67%) ZCZ21 : 588-6s (+0.77%) ZCPZ21US.CM : 5.7930 (-0.49%)
Even for a president known for his blunt criticism, President Trumps remarks stood out and they signalled how contentious the campaign may get over the coming months.

Hes against God. Hes against guns. Hes against energy, our kind of energy. I dont think hes going to do too well in Ohio, President Trump said on a visit to the state.





President Trump was expected to promote the economic prosperity that much of the nation enjoyed before the coronavirus pandemic and to make the case that he is best suited to rebuild a crippled economy.

But his handling of the outbreak has weakened his bid for a second term, causing the president to spend time and resources in a state he won easily in 2016 but now could be in danger of slipping away.

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The virus already altered the trip even before President Trump landed, with word that Republican governor Mike DeWine had tested positive for coronavirus.

Mr DeWine had planned to meet with President Trump and join him on a visit to the Whirlpool factory in north-west Ohio.

Mr DeWines office said the 73-year-old governor had no symptoms and was returning to Columbus.

Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates responded to President Trumps comments by saying: Joe Bidens faith is at the core of who he is; hes lived it with dignity his entire life, and its been a source of strength and comfort in times of extreme hardship.

Mr Bates also accused President Trump of using a Bible for his own cynical optics as he sought to tear our nation apart at a moment of crisis and pain, a reference to when federal law enforcement officers drove protesters out of Lafayette Square shortly before a photo opportunity in which the president held a Bible.
KABUL -- Several thousand Afghan politicians and community leaders are meeting in a traditional grand assembly in Afghanistan's capital to decide whether the government should release 400 Taliban prisoners that have been convicted of involvement in deadly, high-profile attacks in the country.

The release of the prisoners is the last hurdle to opening peace talks between the internationally backed government in Kabul and the Taliban under a peace deal between the militants and the United States.

Kabul said it has released 4,600 Taliban inmates out of the 5,000 pledged in the landmark agreement signed in February by the United States and the Taliban, but authorities have balked at freeing the remaining prisoners demanded by the Taliban.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that according to the Afghan Constitution, "the release of these 400 prisoners is not within the authority of the president of Afghanistan...these 400 people have serious cases.

Ghani, addressing the 3,200 delegates who gathered in a massive tent in Kabul on August 7, stressed that he would "strongly endorse and support any decision."

The three-day Loya Jirga is a traditional gathering of ethnic, religious, and political leaders who decide on matters of national importance.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged attendees "to take advantage of this historic opportunity for a peace that benefits all Afghans and contributes to regional stability and global security" and promised to hold the Taliban to the commitments it made to enter peace talks.

"We acknowledge that the release of these prisoners is unpopular," Pompeo said in a statement on August 6. "But this difficult action will lead to an important result long sought by Afghans and Afghanistan's friends: reduction of violence and direct talks resulting in a peace agreement and an end to the war."

Lawmaker Belquis Roshan, a women's rights activist attending the gathering, protested against the potential release of the prisoners.

As Ghani spoke, she stood in the hall and unfurled a banner that read: "Redeeming the Taliban is national treason."

Roshan was escorted out of the tent by security guards.

Last week, Ghani ordered the release of 500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture amid a three-day cease-fire proposed by the Taliban and agreed to by the Afghan government that ended on August 2. But those prisoners were not on the Talibans list.

Ghani then announced that the Loya Jirga delegates would decide whether to release the remaining 400 prisoners on the Taliban's list.

The Loya Jirga is headed by Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, who took over the leadership of the Loya Jirga from its previous head, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a former warlord and close ally of Ghani's.

Abdullah, Ghani's bitter rival in a disputed presidential election last year, was appointed to lead the council to end political infighting in Kabul.

Critics have accused Ghani of delaying peace talks with the Taliban to retain power because it is widely speculated that negotiations could seek a neutral interim government.

Ghani has insisted he will complete his five-year term.

Abdullah said on August 7 that Afghanistan was at a critical juncture.

Our decisions are linked to the fate of the country. It was not an easy decision on the 4,600 detainees.... It was a big decision. But what does it show? The determination of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in removing obstacles to achieving intra-Afghan talks and ultimately peace and stability in this country, Abdullah said.

The Taliban, meanwhile, has denied that the 400 inmates are especially dangerous.

The accusations [the Afghan government is] now making are not true. In fact, these accusations were made by the Kabul administration for delaying the process and taking advantage of it. Other than that, those [accusations] have no basis, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told RFE/RL from Qatar, where the militants have a political office.

But Afghan officials have described the remaining prisoners as dangerous.

Of the 400 Taliban prisoners left, around 200 are accused by the Afghan government of masterminding attacks on embassies, public squares, and government offices, killing thousands of civilians in recent years.

They include militants linked to the 2018 attack against the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul that killed 40 people, including 14 foreigners.

Another Taliban prisoner is linked to the massive May 2017 truck bombing near the German Embassy in Kabul that killed over 100 people.

Also on the list is a former Afghan Army officer who killed five French troops and wounded 13 in 2012 in an insider attack.

The Taliban says it has freed all 1,000 prisoners it had pledged to in the agreement with the United States and insists on its demand for the release of the remaining 400 prisoners on its list.

The U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, the architect of the deal that potentially allows the United States to withdraw its forces and end its longest-ever war, warned against the Loya Jirga throwing up any complications.

"We wish the jirga participants success...and urge them not to allow those who prefer the status quo and seek to complicate the path to peace to manipulate the process," Khalilzad said on Twitter.

The United States has reportedly proposed the Taliban prisoners be transferred from Afghan jails to a location where they would be under both Taliban and Afghan government surveillance.

The Loya Jirga is a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among Afghanistan's rival tribes, factions, and ethnic groups.

Such a meeting is traditionally convened under extraordinary circumstances.

Since the U.S.-Taliban agreement in February, 3,560 Afghan security personnel have been killed in attacks by militants, Ghani said last week. He said thousands more have been wounded.

In the same week, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report that more than 1,280 Afghan civilians had been killed during the first half of 2020 -- mainly as a result of fighting between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
Watching Mark Rylance play a man of basic decency getting swallowed up by an evil world  and a sadistic Johnny Depp  in Waiting for the Barbarians," I absent-mindedly jotted down in my notes: Nobody does basic decency like Mark Rylance.

Then I remembered: Nobody quite does INdecency like Rylance, either. Watch him play a villain, a creep, or maybe a scheming Shakespearean king, and you'll be chilled to the bone.

Comedy or tragedy, prose or verse, stage or screen: This is simply an actor who couldn't strike a false note if he tried. And if he seems perfectly cast as the purposely nondescript Magistrate in Barbarians, a visually striking but frustratingly slow-moving film based on the award-winning novel by J.M. Coetzee, its perhaps because, well, he's well cast in pretty much everything he does.

And it's no easy task, playing a nameless man, neither hero nor villain, serving a nameless Empire in a nameless time in the border region of a nameless land. Its tricky precisely because, as you may have guessed, there's so much that's necessarily left unspecified in this adaptation from Colombian director Ciro Guerra, with a screenplay by the Nobel-winning South African author himself.
DUBLIN, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "China Medical Robot Industry Report, 2020-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The report highlights the following:

Development environment for China medical robot industry (global market, economic environment and policy climate);

medical robot industry (global market, economic environment and policy climate); Development of China medical robot industry (status quo, market size, market structure, competitive landscape, market segments and development trends);

medical robot industry (status quo, market size, market structure, competitive landscape, market segments and development trends); Global and Chinese companies (operation and medical robot business).

Medical robot is the most promising segment of service robot market. By one estimate, globally 7,200 units of medical robots were sold and valued at $2.58 billion in 2019, compared with 5,100 units (up by 50% YoY) in 2018.



Medical robot grows fastest in the US. As of March 31, 2020, Intuitive Surgical has installed 5,669 units of Da Vinci surgical system in all worldwide, including 3,581 units in the US, or 63.2% of the total.



China's intelligent medical robot industry started later than its foreign peers. In current stage, the whole industry is in a transitional phase from research and development and clinical trials to commercialization and mass production. In 2019, China's medical robot market was worth $620 million.



Rehabilitation robot has been the largest segment in China's medical robot market thanks to a combination of positive factors such as broad application and favorable policies, sweeping 42.9% of the market in 2019. Surgical robot makes slow progress in promotion and holds a small share due to high application cost, albeit an upsurge at the early stage.



Of the nearly 100 medical robot companies in China, most are still in infancy. The rosy prospect of medical robot fuels investment enthusiasm. From the financing cases in recent years, it can be seen that companies with clear timetable of product launch or certified by the CFDA, are favored by capital. Players such as Remebot, HOZ Medical, Scream Intelligent Technology, Taimi Robotics Technology, Borns Medical Robotics, Ankon Technologies and Tinavi Medical Technologies even raised more than RMB100 million in their funding rounds.



In the Chinese medical robot market, the ever deeper university-industry-research cooperation stimulates the industry. Companies of industrial robots and medical devices branch out to the intelligent medical robot field progressively with many years of technical expertise, and has collaborations with domestic research institutes at multiple levels; research institutes otherwise market their research results by incubating companies.



Furthermore, COVID-19 pandemic props up demand for medical robots. During the time, hospitals as the battlefront used intelligent medical robots for guide, disinfection and sterilization.



In future, population aging and other factors will animate China's medical robot market which will be worth $2.49 billion in 2026.



Key Topics Covered



1. Medical Robotics

1.1 Definition

1.1.1 Robotics

1.1.2 Medical Robot

1.2 Industry Chain



2. Operation Environment of Medical Robot in China

2.1 Global Market

2.1.1 Status Quo

2.1.2 Competition Pattern

2.2 Economic Environment

2.3 Policies



3. Medical Robot in China

3.1 Overview

3.2 Market Size

3.3 Market Structure

3.4 Competition Pattern

3.5 Market Segments

3.5.1 Rehabilitation Medical Robot

3.5.2 Surgical Robotics

3.5.3 Orthopedic Surgery Robotics

3.5.4 Pharmacy Robotics

3.6 Development Trends

3.6.1 Industry-University-Research Collaboration Brings Life to Development

3.6.2 The Demand for Medical Robot Soars amid COVID-19 Pandemic

3.6.3 VC Investments Facilitates the Medical Robot Industry

3.6.4 Medical Robot Finds Ever More Clinical Application

3.6.5 Novel Robotics Springs up like Single Port Access Surgery Robot, Nanostructure Target Robot, and Flexible Robot

3.6.6 Regulation on Products Gets Tightened



4. Major Medical Robot Companies Worldwide

4.1 Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

4.1.1 Profile

4.1.2 Operation

4.1.3 Revenue Structure

4.1.4 Gross Margin

4.1.5 R&D Cost

4.1.6 Development in China

4.2 Stryker Corporation

4.3 Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc.

4.4 ReWalk Robotics Ltd.

4.5 Rex Bionics PLC

4.6 Mazor Robotics Ltd.

4.7 Johnson & Johnson

4.8 Avatera Medical

4.9 CMR Surgical

4.10 MedRobotics Corp.

4.11 Medtronic

4.12 Meerecompany

4.13 Titan Medical

4.14 TransEnterix



5. Major Medical Robot Enterprises in China

5.1 Shenyang SIASUN Robot & Automation Co. Ltd.

5.1.1 Profile

5.1.2 Operation

5.1.3 Revenue Structure

5.1.4 Gross Margin

5.1.5 Medical Robot Business

5.1.6 Development Prospect & Forecast

5.2 Guangdong Jinming Machinery Co. Ltd.

5.3 Midea Group Co. Ltd.

5.4 Truking Technology Limited

5.5 Chongqing Dima Industry Co. Ltd.

5.6 Jinho Robot (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.

5.7 Shenzhen Mai Kangxin Medical Co. Ltd.

5.8 Henan Huibo Shenfang Intelligent Rehabilitation Equipment Co. Ltd.

5.9 TINAVI Medical Technologies Co. Ltd.

5.10 Harbin Boshi Automation Co. Ltd.

5.11 Remebot

5.12 Smart Robot Technology Group Co. Ltd.

5.13 Jinshan Science & Technology (Group) Co. Ltd

5.14 Taimi Robotics Technology Co. Ltd.

5.15 ANKON Technologies Co. Ltd.

5.16 Shenzhen Weibond Technology Co. Ltd.

5.17 Shenzhen Sanggu Medical Robot Co. Ltd.

5.18 Wuxi Anzhizhuo Medical Robot Co. Ltd.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1jzbkv

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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A local politician has revealed there is a 'heightened concern' in Kildare town over recent Covid-19 clusters including in the local Kildare Chilling Company factory.

Kildare GPs have also said they're worried - but not panicked - by a recent local spike in the number of cases in the county.

Kildare has always been in the top three counties with the most Covid-19 cases behind Dublin and alongside Cork.

However a recent increase linked to outbreaks in some meat processing plants and direct provision centres has caused fresh fears among the local population.

Naas General Hospital, whose catchment area covers Kildare town and Newbridge had four suspected Covid-19 cases in Naas Hospital up to 8pm yesterday evening. One patient had been discharged since the previous day.

Cllr Suzanne Doyle, based in Kildare town, said 'fear may be our friend' because it can promote vigilance and that it's more important than ever for local people to wear face coverings and to follow HSE guidelines.

The Fianna Fail politician, whose family runs The Five Jockeys pub on Claregate Street, said: "You can sense the heightened concerns since we heard of the outbreak at Kildare Chilling.

"But in a way, fear may be our friend as it will keep us on our toes because complacency is the biggest danger with this virus.

"We have a local Facebook group called 'Together Kildare Will Be Better' and that really sums it up that we have to stick with each other on this.

"I'd like to see more people wearing face coverings. I sometimes jump out of the car and forget my mask so now I just hang it around my neck so it's there when I go into a shop or indoor setting.

"Our local community is all our extended family at times like now because we all live close together and go to the same shops, cafes and restaurants so we all have to support each other against this virus."

Kildare Chilling Co re-issued a statement yesterday stating it is working closely with the HSE following confirmation of a number of Covid-19 cases and that full contact tracing has been undertaken, affected staff are isolating and further testing is being undertaken in line with HSE recommendations.

Dr Brendan O Shea, a Newbridge GP and a spokesperson for The Kildare Faculty of The Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), believes there is now an efficient system in place to manage clusters.

Speaking before confirmation of 80 confirmed cases at O'Brien Fine Foods in Timahoe, said: "Kildare GPs are concerned, not surprised or panicked regarding the spike in Covid 19 Cases.

"Clearly the rise in cases is a concern, but we are now in quite a different position than we were in March 2020.

"We now have a responsive and well deployed rapid testing and contact tracing system in place for fast effective cluster management.

"Most and a still increasing number of people are being careful and effective regarding their personal behaviours, around use of face coverings, cough etiquette and care in choosing which activities they participate in."

Local TD Dr Cathal Berry, whose constituency office is close to the Eyre Powell direct provision centre in Newbridge, said clusters linked to such centres highlights their poor standard of facilities.

He said: "There is this almost invisible cohort of workers in our society, mostly in low paid and unskilled jobs, who may also be foreign nationals, who are living with others often in cramped accommodation due to the cost or renting or buying property.

"It really demonstrates the 'we're all in this together' idea because their health is so closely connected to the health to the rest of the population.

"We're lucky we have isolation facilities in Citywest and I'd hate to think what we could have done before March when we didn't have those structures in place."

Dr Berry said that the increase in cases among Direct Provision Centres has highlighted the lack of proper facilities within that system.

Dr Berry said a recent reassuring trend has been that the average age of cases has been falling.

He added: "These younger people will be more resilient to the virus compared to the older generation and more likely not to require hospitalisation which is good news."
Airline stocks have taken off again with fresh hopes of additional relief for the beaten-down group.

United Airlines, Southwest, Delta, American Airlines and JetBlue moved higher this week as several Republican senators called for another $25 billion in stimulus. They joined President Donald Trump and more than 200 House lawmakers in support for more funds for the industry to offset plummeting demand tied to the pandemic.

Travel stocks also got a boost after the State Department lifted a global health advisory for U.S. citizens traveling internationally.

"The airlines are of strategic importance to the nation, and I think you're seeing policymakers reflect that," Federated Hermes portfolio manager Steve Chiavarone said Thursday on CNBC's "Trading Nation."

He said improved air traffic in recent months is a plus but noted that it is far lower than normal.

More than 20 million travelers passed through TSA checkpoints in July, according to agency data. However, that was roughly a quarter of traffic from a year earlier.

"You don't want to have such permanent damage [to the companies] ... that when you do get back to normal you can't operate the airlines and then that further restricts your recovery. So I think it makes sense [to provide stimulus]. Is $25 billion enough? Who knows? You may have to come back for another round," said Chiavarone.

Airlines had already been allocated $25 billion in stimulus through previously passed relief funds. That round restricted layoffs through the end of next month.

Matt Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak, said the charts highlight a wild ride for the group over the past few months.

"Look at the XAL which is a broad index of the airline stocks," Maley said during the same "Trading Nation" segment. "The group got hit obviously a lot more than everything else, and so when it bounced back  for instance, Delta rallied 90%  everybody thought, 'Oh my God, what a great opportunity,' but then it settled back into kind of a sideways range."

The same pattern repeated in early June when the group broke higher but has since settled into another sideways range, he said.
Bunnings has vowed to pay all of its full-time employees in full during Melbourne's Stage 4 lockdown.

The hardware store is currently open only for tradies, to slow the spread of COVID-19 as Victoria battles through a second wave. People can also click and collect from stores.

Bunnings announced its full-time employees will be paid in full, while casual team members who work 12 hours a week will be paid the equivalent of their hours for the duration of the six-week lockdown.

Bunnings is currently open only for tradespeople to slow the spread of COVID-19 as Victoria battles through a second wave

Bunnings announced their full-time employees will be paid in full, while casual team members who work 12 hours a week will be paid the equivalent of their hours for the duration of the six-week lockdown (stock)

Bunnings Managing Director, Mike Schneider, said the company will continue to support all employees, who are doing a 'phenomenal job' during Stage 4 restrictions.

'We have a history of doing the right thing by our team, and I'm really pleased to confirm we will support our Melbourne team members through this six week period irrespective of whether there is work available in our stores,' he said in a statement.

'They are doing a phenomenal job looking after each other and our customers and keeping everyone safe -- it's only right for us to look after them and provide certainty during this time.'

Mr Schneider explained that there is still a lot of 'important work for our teams' who will look after tradespeople as well as online orders.

'Many of our team will also help prepare orders for customers purchasing items through our Click & Deliver and Drive & Collect services.

'They're doing a great job adapting to this method of getting customers the products they need while people in Melbourne spend more time at home.'

All customers entering a Bunnings store in Victoria are required to wear a face mask, unless exempted.

Employees are also required to wear face masks following the state government's restrictions to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Victoria recorded a further 450 COVID-19 cases on Friday and 11 deaths.
President Donald Trump ordered a sweeping but vague ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, a move Chinese officials said was political manipulation.

The twin executive orders issued Thursday  one for each app  take effect in 45 days and could bar the popular apps from the Apple and Google app stores, effectively removing them from distribution in the U.S.

China's foreign ministry accused Washington of misusing national security as an excuse to "unreasonably suppress" foreign companies and expressed opposition to the latest move but gave no indication whether it might retaliate.

"The United States is using taking national security as an excuse, frequently abuses national power and unreasonably suppress companies of other countries," said a ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, at a briefing Friday. "This is an outright hegemonic act. China is firmly opposed to it."

Wang, who didn't mention TikTok or any other company by name, called on the Trump administration to "correct its wrongdoing" but gave no indication how Beijing might respond.

Earlier in the week, Trump threatened a deadline of Sept. 15 to "close down" TikTok in the U.S. unless Microsoft or another company acquires it, a threat the new executive order appears to formalize.

TikTok did not reply to queries. Tencent and Microsoft declined to comment on the executive orders.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an expansion of the U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology to include barring Chinese apps from U.S. app stores, citing alleged security threats and calling out TikTok and WeChat by name.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Washington of "political manipulation" and said the moves will hurt American companies and consumers.

As president, Trump has often opted for provoking confrontations, often of a personal nature, with specific companies, both American and foreign. Trump's orders cited legal authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act.

The executive orders say the actions are needed because the China-owned apps "threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States." They call on the Commerce Secretary to define the banned dealings by the Sept. 15 deadline.

TikTok, known for its short, catchy videos, is widely popular among young people in the U.S. and elsewhere. It is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which operates a separate version for the Chinese market. TikTok insists it does not store U.S. user information in China, instead caching it in the U.S. and Singapore, and says it would not share it with the Chinese government.

TikTok says it has 100 million U.S. users and hundreds of millions globally. According to research firm App Annie, TikTok saw 50 million weekly active users in the U.S. during the week of July 19, the latest available figure. That's up 75% from the first week of the year.

WeChat and its sister app Weixin in China are hugely popular apps that incorporate messaging, financial transfers and an array of other services, and claim more than one billion users. Around the world, many people of Chinese descent use WeChat to stay in touch with friends and family and to conduct business in mainland China.

Within China, WeChat is censored and expected to adhere to content restrictions set by authorities. The Toronto-based Citizen Lab internet watchdog group has said WeChat monitors files and images shared abroad to aid its censorship in China.

The order against Tencent could have ramifications for users beyond WeChat, which is crucial for personal communications and organizations that do business with China. Tencent also owns parts or all of major game companies like Epic Games, publisher of Fortnite, a major video game hit, and Riot Games, which is behind League of Legends.

Over the past several years, the Trump administration has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment. China-backed hackers, meanwhile, have been blamed for data breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax, and the Chinese government strictly limits what U.S. tech companies can do in China.

Such actions seem to be gaining pace.

"This is an unprecedented use of presidential authority," Eurasia Group analyst Paul Triolo said in an email. At a minimum, he said, the orders appear to "constitute a ban on the ability of U.S. app stores run by Apple and Google to include either mobile app after 45 days."

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers share concerns about TikTok running from its vulnerability to censorship and misinformation campaigns to the safety of user data and children's privacy. But the administration has provided no specific evidence that TikTok has made U.S. users' data available to the Chinese government. Instead, officials point to the hypothetical threat that lies in the Chinese government's ability to demand cooperation from Chinese companies.

"The U.S. thinking is that anything that is Chinese is suspect," said Andy Mok, a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. "They're being targeted not because of what they've done, but who they are."

Leading mobile security experts say TikTok is no more intrusive in its harvesting of user data and monitoring of user activity than U.S. apps owned by Facebook and Google.

"I am the first to yell from the rooftops when there is a glaring privacy issue somewhere. But we just have not found anything we could call a smoking gun in TikTok," mobile security expert Will Strafach told The Associated Press last month after examining the app. Strafach is CEO of Guardian, which provides a firewall for Apple devices.

The order doesn't seem to ban Americans from using TikTok, said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame. She added that such an order would be nearly impossible to enforce in the first place.

"If goal is to get teenagers to stop using TikTok, I'm not sure an executive order will stop them," she said. "Every teenager knows how to use a VPN (a virtual private network). They will just pretend they are in Canada."

And it would be difficult to prohibit people from using the apps if they already have them, even if an app-store ban went into effect, said Vanderbilt University law professor Timothy Meyer.

"This is a pretty broad and pretty quick expansion of the technology Cold War between the U.S. and China," said Steven Weber, faculty director for the Berkeley Center for Long Term Cybersecurity. Weber added that "there is a plausible national security rationale" for the orders.

___

AP reporters Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, Calif., Mae Anderson in New York, Frank Bajak in Boston, Joe McDonald in Beijing and Zen Soo in Hong Kong contributed to this article.

-

This story has been updated to clarify that Toronto-based Citizen Lab is a watchdog group unrelated to the Chinese government.
Reporting rape is traumatic for anyone, but having to pay two months' wages to complete the medical form prevents many in Ghana from seeking justice, said a leading actor whose campaign to waive fees has reached the presidential palace.

British-Ghanaian actor Ama K. Abebrese  who starred with Idris Elba in the award-winning 2015 drama Beasts of No Nation  started a petition after hearing about the prohibitive charges in the West African nation where rape convictions are rare.

The minimum doctor's fee for filling out a police medical form is 300 cedi (40)  twice the average monthly earnings of informal workers, said Ms Abebrese, one of Ghana's most influential TV hosts who started out as a teenager presenter in London.

If you can't afford it, it is almost like you are denied justice on the basis of money, said Ms Abebrese, whose petition has attracted more than 14,000 signatures in a month.

If you don't get that medical report, essentially, the case to prosecute dies right there and then.

Rape, sexual assault and domestic violence are significantly underreported in Ghana and the police lack capacity to effectively investigate cases, which can take years to reach court, according to women's rights groups.

Community leaders sometimes negotiate for rapists to pay compensation to victims' families but they have come under fire in recent years for not taking the crime seriously enough.

Ms Abebrese said she was hopeful that the government would scrap the medical fees after she met with Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who said the president had been made aware of the situation, and with gender minister Cynthia Morrison.

A gender ministry spokesperson told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that they were working on it.

Police spokesperson Sheilla Abayie-Buckman said many people could not afford to complete the medical form.

It is quite expensive for an ordinary person. I guess not more than 50 per cent are able to afford (it) said Ms Abayie-Buckman, who was unable to provide statistics on rape reports.

Doctors charge 300 to 800 cedi (40 to 106) to fill out police medical forms and 1,000 to 2,000 cedi (133 to 266) for giving a medical opinion for legal purposes, according to a Ghana Medical Association (GMA) document seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Frank Ankobea, president of the GMA, which represents medics and sets the fees, said they were necessary to cover doctors' transport and expenses if called to court.

Professionals charge that and it is so with all other professions, he said, adding, the government can absorb (the cost) and make sure all these provisions are made.

Since starting the campaign, Ms Abebrese said she has received dozens of calls from victims of sexual assault who were unable to seek justice because of the cost.

(For) so many people, their cases were never prosecuted, it has really opened my eyes, she said.

You think you have an idea but you have no idea the magnitude, said Ms Abebrese, who recently called for a relationship expert who said in an interview that every rape victim enjoys the act to be banned from Ghanaian television.

Most Ghanaians believe that women are to blame for rape if they wear revealing clothes, according to a government survey.

Rape victims also struggle to access justice in other African countries, said Jean-Paul Murunga, a Nairobi-based programme officer for the women's rights group Equality Now.

He said that rape survivors in Kenya have to pay $10 (7.6) to $15 (11.5) for a medical report and free post-rape care is only available in centres run by charities in many countries.

Mr Murunga called on African governments to live up to legally binding promises, made in a pan-African women's rights pact known as the Maputo Protocol, to ensure access to justice.

The protocol ... obliges African states to provide budgetary and other resources for preventing and eradicating violence against women, he said. This is yet to be realised.

Thompson Reuters Foundation
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More than 25,000 businesses in Northern Ireland have benefited from over 1billion in government support to help them bounce back from the impact of the coronavirus emergency, according to figures released by the Treasury yesterday.

In addition, almost a third of employees in Northern Ireland (30.4%) benefited from the furlough scheme, a part of special measures put in place by the government to support people and businesses across the UK.

Loan schemes supported businesses across all sectors, but the retail, construction and hospitality industries, including hotels and restaurants, benefited most, the Treasury said.

The furlough and self-employed income support scheme helped firms across all sectors, with 76,000 people in Northern Ireland receiving help.

The government said last week that the Northern Ireland Executive would receive a minimum of 600million in additional funding this year.

That is on top of the 1.8billion confirmed since March to support business following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the local companies helped by the support packages was Suitor Brothers of Belfast, a men's outfitter.

Partner and co-owner Chris Suitor said: "Thanks to the financial support from the government, our family business was able to remain solvent throughout the pandemic.

"It also enabled us to retain all our staff.

"From accessing both the job retention scheme for our three staff, as well as the self-employment income support scheme, it left us in a much stronger position to reopen, restart and concentrate on getting back to business."

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government was committed to helping businesses thrive.

"We have set out an unprecedented package of funding for Northern Ireland, providing support to more than 25,000 businesses, as well as more than 1.8billion through (the) Barnett (formula)."

The Chancellor set out his Plan for Jobs last month. It will support companies with a job retention bonus to help businesses keep on furloughed workers, and expand Worksearch Support, including a flexible support fund and a 2billion kick-start scheme to subsidise jobs for young people.

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis welcomed the news.

"I'm proud of how we've backed thousands of local companies. We will continue to build on this support to boost opportunities and level up across Northern Ireland," he said.
More than 10,000 British Airways staff are being made redundant as the airline scrambles to cut costs to survive the

In a sign of the brutal cuts workers were facing at Britain's flag carrier, more than 6,000 employees across the business applied for voluntary redundancy.

A further 4,000 were due to be told yesterday that they were being laid off.

In a sign of the brutal cuts workers were facing at British Airways, more than 6,000 employees across the business applied for voluntary redundancy

Many of the remaining staff will suffer steep pay cuts and will see significant changes to their contracts.

Long-serving cabin crew claim they could lose up to 50 per cent or 60 per cent of their income from the shake-up  which caps the amount cut from their basic pay at 20 per cent but will strip out a number of take-home allowances.

Unions branded the day 'Black Friday' and accused BA of 'industrial thuggery'. BA has been at loggerheads with cabin crew unions Unite and GMB over the job-cutting plans, which it insists are crucial to its long-term survival.

BA's owner IAG plunged to a 3.8billion loss during the first six months of the year after the number of passengers on its flights fell by 98 per cent in the second quarter.

The company is planning to raise 2.5billion of emergency funding, backed by its largest shareholder Qatar Airways, to shore up its finances as it fears it could take until at least 2023 for business to recover.

Rivals including Virgin, Ryanair and Easyjet are all planning to cull jobs and slash spending to survive the crisis as they face months of lower passenger numbers.

IAG boss Willie Walsh has said Covid-19 is the biggest crisis the airline has ever faced.

A British Airways spokesman said: 'We are having to make difficult decisions and take every possible action now to protect as many jobs as possible.'

The airline said back in April it could axe as many as 12,000 jobs to help it stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis. This is around 17 per cent of its 42,000-strong workforce.

The company has several different crew divisions  which it calls 'fleets'  that operate as separate units with their own contracts.

It wants to put all crew on the same terms and conditions that will see staff who have joined in the last decade potentially get a small salary increase.

Those who the company chooses to make redundant will have the option of entering the airline's priority return pool of workers and will be fast-tracked into any roles that become available.

But unions have blasted the move as a 'fire and rehire' strategy.

The tussle with cabin crew unions comes after pilots voted to accept a deal hashed out between BA and pilot union Balpa.

The airline had originally planned to axe around 1,250 of its 4,300 pilots  but this has been cut to 270 because remaining staff will take pay cuts for three years.
Marty Jannetty (right) during his time in The Rockers with Shawn Michaels: John McKeon/CC BY-SA 2.0

Former WWE star Marty Jannetty reportedly confessed to killing a man in Georgia, leading police launch an investigation.

The former tag team champ, 60, said in a now-deleted Facebook post that he made a man disappear in his youth, according to TMZ.

I was 13, working at Victory Lanes bowling alley buying weed from a f*g that worked there .. and he put his hands on me, Jannetty wrote in the post.

He dragged me around to the back of the building .. you already know what he was gonna try to do.

Mr Jannetty, who according to his Facebook profile lives is from Columbus, said the man who allegedly attempted to assault him was never found.

He appeared to suggest that authorities should have checked a local river for the body. They shoulda looked in the Chattahoocie River...[sic] he said.

According to TMZ, Columbus detectives have launched a probe to look into Jannettys alleged murder confession.

We are going to look into this, a spokesperson told the publication.

The first step will be seeing if we have any missing persons or unidentified remains cases that match the limited information in the post.

The Independent has contacted Mr Jannetty and Columbus Police Department for comment.

Marty Jannetty woke up today and decided to casually confess to a murder. pic.twitter.com/l8yGSq17oO  Mikey (@BLPMikey) August 5, 2020

Mr Jannetty is widely known for his tenure as half of tag team The Rockers, in which he partnered with Shawn Michaels.

The duo originally found success during the mid-to-late 1980s under the moniker of The Midnight Rockers, becoming two-time AWA World Tag Team Champions and winning various regional titles.

The two mens careers diverged in later years, with Mr Michaels becoming the more successful and renowned performer.

Mr Janetty has a history of posting concerning messages to Facebook and has previously said he might be suffering from brain damage.

Story continues

In 2019, he claimed to have been seeing a counsellor for alcohol and sex addiction.

Read more

Wrestler Guevara suspended for saying he wanted to rape WWE star
Hong Kong will offer free voluntary coronavirus testing for residents, leader Carrie Lam said on Friday, as the global financial hub races to contain a resurgence of the virus over the past month.

The plan, which will enable citywide testing for the first time, is likely to be implemented in two weeks at the earliest, Chief Executive Lam said.

The announcement comes less than a week after China sent a team of health officials to Hong Kong to carry out widespread testing for COVID-19. It is the first time mainland health officials have assisted Hong Kong in its battle to control the coronavirus.

"The situation in Hong Kong is still critical, with the number of cases remaining high," Lam told reporters as she sat in front of a largescreen digital backdrop which read 'Fight the virus with the central government's full support'.

Lam said she had asked Beijing in late July to help increase Hong Kong's virus testing capabilities and facilities.

The Chinese territory saw a surge in locally transmitted coronavirus cases at the start of July and introduced a raft of tightening measures including restricting gatherings to two people and making wearing masks mandatory in all outdoor public spaces.

Since January around 3,900 people have been infected in Hong Kong, 46 of whom have died.
Seasoned current affairs producer Mark Llewellyn is returning to Seven as executive producer of 7News Spotlight.

The Australian reports Llewellyn, who departed from Nine earlier this year, will oversee the specials which are not locked down to a specific timeslot.

The Spotlight brand is deliberately designed to be flexible, with both longform investigative reporting

and swiftly-produced specials on current news. Last month it aired In The Blink Of An Eye presented by Michael Usher.

Llewellyn has worked at both Seven and Nine at various stages, including as executive producer on Sunday Night, Murder Uncovered, Michael Hutchence: The Last Rockstar, Murder Lies & Alibis amongst others and as Nines Creative Director for News and Current Affairs. He departed Seven in 2018 but recently produced the Ben Cousins special hosted by Basil Zempilas.

Earlier this year Programming exec Angus Ross told TV Tonight We very often bust into the schedule with a Seven News special as event programming, and run specials from time to time. The Seven News brand is incredibly powerful, and we wield it at will. 

The next Spotlight investigation, The Lindy Tapes by reporter Denham Hitchcock looks into the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain and will air on August 16.
LIAT workers in Antigua, pictured here in a meeting with their Union earlier this year, can now breathe a temporary sigh of relief. (Photo Credit Antigua News Room)

LIAT workers in Antigua who have not been paid their July salaries, and who had been scratching their heads worrying about how to meet the months expenses, need not worry anymore.

The Gaston Browne administration has come to the rescue of the estimated 100 or so workers, by agreeing to make available between Wednesday and Thursday this week,$2.8 million to cover certain LIAT expenses.

(Close to 100 workers were kept on the airlines payroll even as LIAT suspended its scheduled passenger service following the adverse impact by the COVID-19 pandemic, on regional and international air travel.)

"[Of this amount] $1.4 million will go to the [Administrator] and $1.4 million will go towards paying the staff who have been working for the past month and have not received a red cent, Prime Minister Browne said onPointe FMs Browne and Browne Show.

"Antigua and Barbuda has agreed to step up and make those payments in full. And inasmuch as we are only responsible for about 36 per cent of the $1.4 million, there was a previous payment that we did not participate in earlier in the year, so on that basis we have opted to pay $1.4 million.

The Prime Minister said this does not stop the other countries "to include Barbados, paying their share of the monies owed to the workers.

"But we are not waiting on them to make their payment, we have decided to cover 100 per cent of the payment for the last month, he said.

Meanwhile, the court appointed Administrator for LIAT, Guyana-born Cleveland Seaforth of BDO, who, according to Prime Minister Browne, has begun to meet with various stakeholders, but one of his major objectives is to meet with creditors. (Sources: Antigua Media, Barbados Today)
Four days of programming streams including panel discussions, live performances, and dynamic community-building activities await. Together we will lift our voices, have brave conversations, face the pain and beauty of the last few years while planning and organizing for the upcoming election.

For those who aren't registered to vote, they can do so in less than two minutes via March For Our Lives

INTO ACTION consists of four events which are centered around key social justice moments in August:

TAKE BLACK THE VOTE ( August 6, 2020 )

( ) August 6th marks the 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. We will kick off the INTO ACTION with a broadcast from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Atlanta , Milwaukee , Miami , New Orleans , Los Angeles , Washington DC and other locations focused building black political power, mobilizing the vote and honoring the legacy and the ongoing work to address issues of voter suppression and the ongoing battle for voting rights, particularly for the BIPOC community.



In the legacy of the great cultural movement that drove the Voting Rights Act, we will celebrate this day with high profile speakers, thought-provoking panel discussions, intimate interviews, musical performances, spoken word and visual art - mixing the wisdom of our elder organizers with the next generation of leaders taking the reins to fight for justice.

marks the 55th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. We will kick off the INTO ACTION with a broadcast from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, , , , , , and other locations focused building black political power, mobilizing the vote and honoring the legacy and the ongoing work to address issues of voter suppression and the ongoing battle for voting rights, particularly for the BIPOC community. In the legacy of the great cultural movement that drove the Voting Rights Act, we will celebrate this day with high profile speakers, thought-provoking panel discussions, intimate interviews, musical performances, spoken word and visual art - mixing the wisdom of our elder organizers with the next generation of leaders taking the reins to fight for justice.

Featuring: John Legend, Stacey Abrams , Common, Philip Agnew , Chuck D, Billy Porter , Christian McBride , Usher, Kendrick Sampson , The Wide Awakes featuring the Blacksmiths, Sweet Honey in the Rock , Mumu Fresh , Ashlee Marie Preston , Leah Daughtry and more.

, Common, , Chuck D, , , Usher, , The Wide Awakes featuring the Blacksmiths, Sweet Honey in , , , and more. ART + ACTIVISM ( August 7, 2020 )

( ) Artists are the tip of the spear of social change. In collaboration with the Kennedy Center, join artists + activists using their talents to build momentum towards lasting change.

OUR VOICE OUR POWER ( August 12, 2020 )

( ) From climate justice to ending mass incarceration, from gun violence to rising student debt, young people are showing up to face these challenges, showing up to vote and taking the future into our own hands. We will continue to push everyone to be better, to take seriously our legacy and to take on problems you wrote off as insurmountable. On International Youth Day, we bring together young leaders from across the intersecting movements they lead and celebrate the young people who are stepping into power and using their voice to demand justice.

RATIFIED ( August 18, 2020 )

( ) Black Lives Matter was created by three black women. The climate justice movement is being driven by women. The fight to end mass incarceration and deportation is being driven by women. In fact, women drive social and cultural change - period. Yet, inequity persists. From pay to power, from self-determination to protecting the air we all breathe, we will celebrate the women who continue to drive change in and out of government. We will explore the beautiful struggle of political, organizing, and emotional work that women leaders carry, look back at how much we have achieved, and recommit to changing all that still must evolve.

For complete details, including full list of participants/performers, streaming information, daily schedules, and to register to vote, visit www.into-action.us .

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Presenting Partners:

March For Our Lives, Sankofa.org

Movement Partners:

Color of Change, MOVEON.org, League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, And I Still Vote, For Freedoms, African Pride, TaskForce

Community Partners:

A Little Piece of Light, All Voting is Local, American's Black Holocaust Museum, American Friends Service Committee, Black Church Action Fund, Blacksmiths, BLD PWR, Equal Justice Initiative, Faith in Action, GENVOTE, Hank Willis Thomas Studios, Hip Hop Caucus, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAN Youth Huddle, New Georgia Project, People for the American Way, REVOLT TV, Right Now, Street Dance Activism, Vote Riders, Wide Awakes, Women's March Foundation.

About March For Our Lives

March For Our Lives is a national student-led movement to end gun violence in America. Its mission is to harness the power of young people across the country to fight for sensible gun violence prevention policies that save lives. Since the historic march in the nation's capital and 800+ sibling marches in 2018, March For Our Lives registered thousands of new voters, helped to pass more than 50 gun safety laws around the country, held the 2020 Presidential Gun Safety Forum, and released the bold gun safety plan Peace Plan For A Safer America. Concurrently March For Our Lives has established nearly 300 youth-led chapters across the country, continuously growing this chapter network to give young people a local forum to exercise their activism. For more information visit www.marchforourlives.com

About Sankofa.org

Founded by Harry Belafonte, Sankofa.org educates, motivates, and activates artists and allies in service of grassroots movements and equitable change. Through art, culture, and media Sankofa.org addresses injustice and creates change at multiple levels. In support of our grassroots partners, we enlist artists, performers, and prominent individuals to deliver messages of moral and political consequence. We stage a wide range of events to further amplify our message and elevate the voices of those already doing this critical work. Additionally, we employ online and offline media to increase the awareness and spirit of activism. Money raised by Sankofa.org is re-granted to our coalition partners working on the ground for lasting change and towards building a self-sustaining endowment to continue our work.

https://www.sankofa.org

About Taskforce

TaskForce is a creative agency that collaborates with the most influential non-profits, brands, and people taking on the most pressing challenges facing our state, our nation, and our world. We build capacity and community for those shaping a more empathetic society through public opinion and policy. We understand the role that creative culture plays in shaping public opinion and policy and invest heavily in creating lasting relationships with the communities and partners we engage in. We work primarily at the intersection of Arts/Culture and Social Impact, and our work has resulted in some of the most highly acclaimed and influential earned media campaigns on behalf of clients that include The United Nations Foundation, The White House, The California Endowment, The Nature Conservancy, The MacArthur Foundation, Rock The Vote and Amnesty International.

http://taskforce.pr

Media Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE For Freedoms
Fears about TikTok seem overblown. The user data on it  names, email addresses, phone numbers, location data  are easy enough to get through other mechanisms. Other apps collect the same information and sell it to anyone who is willing to pay. Meanwhile, the fear that the Chinese Communist Party could spread its values through videos is silly  does anyone believe that Soviet propaganda films from the 1950s and 1960s brainwashed Americans? And to the extent that the app could be used for espionage, the United States and its allies need to defend against those kinds of intrusions from all quarters. The Russians, for example, have used foreign countries and apps as gateways to enter the networks of other countries. Banning one Chinese app will not meaningfully reduce that threat.
Aleppo Governorate has witnessed the arrival of militia forces from Iraq, who have been sent to bolster the western countryside of Aleppo reports SY 24.

According to reports from Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, Iranian militias have sent fresh Iraqi forces to the western countryside of the city, to be deployed on the demarcation lines with the opposition factions.

Private sources spoke to SY 24. They said that, the Iranian militias have sent about 200 Iraqi fighters to their sites in the western countryside of Aleppo. The fighters are now stationed in military bases in the Urum al-Kubra and Kafarna area, and near the 46th regiment.

The militias transported their forces in helicopters that left Damascus and Deir ez-Zor, and arrived at Aleppo International Airport and the defense laboratories in Safirah, according to the sources.

The latter also confirmed that, the forces belong to the militia Zulfiqar and will be deployed to the southwestern fighting hubs of the city of Aleppo.

A few days ago, Persian-language website, War Reports in Syria and Iraq, published a picture of Abu Shahad al-Jabouri, commander of the Zulfiqar militia of the Revolutionary Guards.

The picture shows that Jabouri was awarded a medal from the Russian Ministry of Defense, due to his role in the attacks on eastern Aleppo, where Iraqi militias were among the most prominent militias that participated in the attack on the eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo and taking over the city, leaving thousands of residents displaced and killed.

SY 24 sources pointed out that, the new forces include about 100 fighters, who are equipped with many heavy machine guns. The fighters were deployed in the Anjara area and to Qubtan al-Jabal, near the opposition-controlled Sheikh Suleiman area in the countryside of Aleppo.

Iranian militias control the entire western and northern countryside of Aleppo. They have security and military camps and headquarters in the region, and have been spreading, for years, in the entire southern countryside of Aleppo. They recently turned the city of Anadan and its mountain into a military zone and prevented the regimes army and its militias from entering.

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.
As a teenager fearing for his life, Jafar Yawari, 39, fled Afghanistan, making a terrifying journey to Australia alone. When yoga teacher Natalie Le Sueur, 49, read of his plight, she welcomed him into her home and family.

Jafar Yawari and Natalie Le Sueur: "He has taught me to see life as sacred and to enjoy the simple things." Credit:Simon Schluter

NATALIE: I was heavily pregnant with my first child, Bella, when I saw an article in The Age in late 2001. My husband, Ross, tossed the paper over and said, Were throwing kids like this out of the country. There was this image of Jafar, about 19, sitting on mattresses in the Fitzroy housing commission flats in Melbourne. He looked so sad. All he wanted was to be educated. I thought, We have to help him.

When we met Jafar, Bella was a week old. He came to her and held her. It was beautiful. Hes very soft but he had a bit of mongrel in him: you have to have some fighting spirit to leave your family and country, not knowing where youre going. His mother put him in a truck one night because the Taliban were coming to rural areas, collecting young men to use as mine detectors.

Jafar moved in a week after we met. It was a healing time for both of us. I had an intense childhood  my adopted mother was schizophrenic, there was a lot of drugs  and with my life coming together I felt I could support him. I had no concerns about bringing an Afghan into our lives, but some friends stopped talking to us. I had somebody say to me, You could be harbouring a terrorist. I was like, Are you f---ing kidding me? It was just after the September 11 attacks in the US; he copped a lot of racism.
The buzz in Alley No. 59 of Da Nangs Tran Van On Street grows loud each morning as throngs of students lined up two meters apart in front of the local Zero-VND Market.'

For many, the markets opening was a lifesaver since a fresh COVID-19 outbreak that hit the central Vietnamese city last month has left them out of job and short on money.

The Zero-VND Market is exactly what it sounds like  a minimart where customers pay with a smile instead of cash.

Dao Van Vinh, 28, the same man known for his restaurant where low-income Da Nang residents can pay just VND2,000 (US$0.086) for a filling meal, launched the market as a way to help those struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For students and tourists trapped in the city due to travel bans, it has been a crucial part of survival.

Unprecedented community spirit

Nguyen Duy Nhat, a customer at the market and junior mechanical engineering student at the Da Nang University of Technology, shared that he and his dormmates have been living on instant noodles since the new outbreak hit on July 25, trying to cut down on spending wherever they could.

A total of 298 local infections have been traced to Da Nang since July 25, when Vietnam confirmed the first local transmission after having gone 99 days with no documented community spread.

Da Nang [banned all means of transport in and out of the city] on July 26. I wasnt able to book a ticket home so I had to stay in the dorm. These should last me at least a week, Nhat said as he excitedly showed off his free groceries.

Many of the students who rely on the Zero-VND Market are self-sufficient, relying on part-time jobs to pay for their tuition as well as room and board.

When the city entered 15 days of enhanced social distancing on July 28 to slow the spread of the virus, many found themselves out of work as non-essential businesses had to close.

My landlord has invited me to eat with him during the past few days, but I was still so happy to hear that this market exists because it shows that others want to help, Nguyen Thuan Thanh, a student at Duy Tan University, said.

By mid-mornings, the line for the makeshift market snakes further and further down the alley, but local residents happily volunteer their time to help manage the crowd, stock the store, and organize stalls.

One of these volunteers is Nguyen Xuan Hung, a resident of Alley No. 49 who has stepped up to lend a hand.

Seeing these students queueing [at the market] reduced me to tears. This pandemic is unprecedented, but so is this amount of charity and leave-no-one-behind spirit, Hung said.

The man behind the scenes

Thousands of students have chosen to stay in Da Nang to help ensure the safety of their families and those in their hometowns. Under normal circumstances, theyd be able to work part-time jobs but because of the pandemic theyve been put in a tricky situation. Weve been doing our best to help them through online crowdfunding, Dao Van Vinh said.

The Zero-VND Market was designed to help not only students but also the citys elderly, lottery-ticket sellers, and low-income workers who have been struggling since the virus first hit Vietnam in January.

Already a well-known name amongst local vendors, Vinh hit the road on July 29 with a team of volunteers to place bulk orders for groceries and essential items at a local wholesale market.

The team then cleaned out an apartment owned by his sister to store, sort, and divide the goods.

Vinh then announced the markets opening through a simple Facebook post.

I will launch a zero-VND market for stranded students on July 30. Anyone in need can visit 49/16 Tran Van No Street, it read.

The post spread like wildfire throughout the night and dozens of students began lining up in front of the market early the next morning.

For Vinh, the markets success is not just represented by the number of people it has supported, but by the overwhelming support from local vendors and residents who have helped make it possible.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
His city's economy in ruins, New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio can think of nothing better than to tell wealthy already-fleeing New Yorkers to get the heck out out. There will always be more like them.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has dismissed rich New Yorkers who fled the city as 'fairweather friends' and said their taxes should be raised - days after Governor Cuomo begged the city's top 1 percent to return to prop up its ailing finances. Swarms of wealthy residents fled New York when the city went into lockdown in March and became the coronavirus epicenter of the world. Despite the city reopening and bringing the outbreak under control, New York has failed to lure back its richest residents with many upping sticks altogether for areas where they can enjoy lower rent and taxes.

And here's why:

'I was troubled to hear this concept that because wealthy people have a set of concerns about the city that we should accommodate them, that we should build our policies and approaches around them,' he said. 'That's not how things work round here anymore.' He continued: 'This city is for New Yorkers, this is for people who live here, work here, fight to make this place better, fight through this crisis. 'There's a lot of New Yorkers who are wealthy, who are true believers in New York City, who will stand and fight with us and there are some who may be fair weather friends but they will be replaced by others.'

Which is an astonishing thing to hear from a leader whose city's coffers are bare, and who relies on rich New Yorkers for more than 50% of his city's budget to finance his government. The last time that was seen was a couple decades ago, when Venezuela's Hugo Chavez told wealthy fleeing ex-pats (flights from socialism always starts with wealthy, but never end with the wealthy) to "go to Miami!" We all know how well that worked out for the Venezuelans. And curiously, many of the fleeing New Yorkers from Bill de Blasio's socialist hellhole in Neew York are also going to Miami.

Here's what the Caracas clown commanded in 2006:

"Petroleos de Venezuela workers are with this revolution, and those who aren't should go somewhere else. Go to Miami." Chavez accused opponents of coup-plotting and said the military - like PDVSA - must be totally committed. "Venezuelan soldiers are in this revolution, and I have told them: anyone who isn't had better leave here," he said.

And de Blasio's own brand of socialism comes from the same branch, rooted as it is in his days as a Nicaraguan Sandalista, leaning his party line at the feet of Fidel Castro's own, same as Chavez. Like Chavez, he governs through chaos - the more chaotic and crime-ridden the streets of New York can become, the more passive and powerless the people will be and the more power will centralize to himself. People fleeing is a good thing to him.

Cuomo is a different story, a socialist as well, and perfectly capable of remorselessly issuing lethal orders, such as he did when he ordered the state's nursing homes to be seeded with COVID patients, likely in a bid to save the state money for the elderly's care. He's very much focused on money issues as he begs New Yorkers to come back to the city, promising to cook for them. Like de Blasio, he's also an amasser of socialist power, but with more in common with, say, Stalin, than Chavez. He governs with an iron fist and has stated he favors tax hikes on the rich to be national tax hikes on the rich, so that the incentive will flee will end. In a different context, Stalin called that "socialism on one country."

Bottom line, though, is that socialists fight. For every Stalin there's a Trotsky, for every Maurice Bishop, there's a Bernard Coard. Socialism itself is a litany of patriots and traitors, and with propaganda the only communication, to win is to rewrite history.

On a sorry state level, we can see it in Cuomo and de Blasio. Socialists always get into fights with each other and New York's got a lot of them. What a wretched mess.

Image credit: Embassy of Venezuela in Minsk, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0
Premier Doug Ford is urging consumers to look closely at labels and buy Canadian after U.S. President Donald Trumps move to backstab this country by reimposing tariffs on aluminum produced here.

As individuals, we cant put tariffs on. But what we can do, we can hit them where it hurts, Ford said Friday, calling retailers to help the cause by putting made in Ontario or made in Canada labels on food and other products.

This is what I want from corporate Canada, step up and say proudly made in Canada.

Following up on a threat made a month ago as warning signs of more U.S. tariffs emerged, Ford blasted Trump over an unacceptable 10 per cent levy that will hurt sales by Canadian aluminum manufacturers and new tariffs expected on Canadian steel with the presidential election approaching in November.

We buy more goods off the United States than China, Japan, (and the) U.K. combined. And who does this in times like this, who tries to go after your closest ally, your closest trading partner, your number one customer in the entire world? Ford said, encouraging the federal government to retaliate with tariffs on U.S. goods.

Consumers have more power than they think, added the premier, who in November 2016 told Toronto Life magazine he would have voted for Trump in the election that brought the controversial New York businessman to power.

Were up against a real battle right now, its us versus them, he added.

So folks, please, this weekend when youre going into the grocery store, until all the packaging gets changed, look on the back, see where its manufactured. If its manufactured in Canada, buy it. And thats how we can support our neighbours, our family and our friends.

Ford singled out retailers by name, including Metro, Sobeys, Loblaws, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, Home Hardware, Costco and Walmart.

We need you to start buying more made in Ontario, made in Canada goods and requiring the packaging that has Ontario made until we give the consumers a choice to protect our economy, he said.

After heading the Ford familys printing company, Deco Labels and Tags, for years, including at its Chicago operations, the premier said he is aghast at the tariff move by Trump, who is in a tough fight for re-election amid dismal COVID-19 statistics across the United States.

Im a businessman and I would never go after my number one customer and slap them in the face like President Trump did to the Canadian public, and Ontario. We will come back swinging like theyve never seen before. I said those exact words to Ambassador Lighthizer too when I spoke to him, Ford told a news conference, referring to U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer.

We will kick their butts all over the place.

Ford thanked manufacturers such as Lays potato chips and the makers of Coffee Krisp and KitKat for already putting made in Canada labels on their products.

As you can tell I support them one too many times, the premier quipped.

Read more about:
Any New South Wales residents returning from Victoria will now have to undergo a two-week stay in hotel quarantine.

As of Friday, any returning travellers from the coronavirus-hit state will be required to go through Sydney Airport unless they live in NSW border towns.

Residents will then isolate in a government approved hotel for 14 days and will cover the cost themselves with fees starting at $3,000 for one adult.

All NSW residents returning from Victoria will have to undergo a two week stay in hotel quarantine (passengers carry luggage at Sydney Airport after arriving from Melbourne on Wednesday)

The Travelodge (pictured) in Sydney is one of the hotels returning travellers quarantine in for the two weeks

Any Victorians hoping to enter into NSW will need to be granted an exemption.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said hotel quarantine had saved countless lives amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

'The professional management of this operation has dramatically reduced the risk of COVID-19 spread within the community, and our officers will continue to do everything in their power to ensure that record is maintained going forward,' he said on Friday.

'Our officers have been working hard over the past few days to facilitate the expansion of this operation, and I want to assure the community of NSW these additional measures are now well and truly in place.

'Make no mistake - mandatory hotel quarantine has undoubtedly saved many lives, particularly among our vulnerable community members, and will continue to do so as we navigate this public health threat.'

All arrivals landing in NSW will be assessed and anyone who shows symptoms will be taken to a hotel managed by NSW Health.

All other travellers who aren't showing symptoms will be taken to hotels managed by NSW Police.

Two women wearing face masks are seen at Sydney Airport after arriving from Melbourne on Wednesday

It was announced on Wednesday travellers from Victoria would need to undergo the two-week stay in hotel quarantine in NSW.

Passengers arriving domestically were previously only required to spend 14 days in self-isolation at their own home, rather than locked inside a hotel.

The move comes as an alarming number of travellers from Melbourne continue to flock to Sydney.

Between 100 and 200 people have arrived in the Harbour City from Australia's coronavirus capital every day over the past week.

Victoria recorded 450 new cases and 11 deaths overnight on Friday.

The figure announced by Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday marks a dramatic decrease from the record 725 cases on Wednesday.

Mr Andrews said seven of the 11 deaths are linked to aged care.
Almost 4,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK so far this year, according to analysis of Border Force figures.

This is thought to be more than double the total for the whole of 2019 where fewer than 2,000 are believed to have arrived in the country.

On current trends, around 7,500 migrants will cross the Channel by the end of the year, according to an analysis of official figures by Migrationwatch.

This would be nearly four times the 1,892 that entered the UK via the crossing in the whole of 2019, the campaign group projected.

More than 130 migrants , many young children, aboard 13 boats landed in Dover today as ministers threatened to send in the Royal Navy to help turn back the 'tide' of boats.

Border Force continues to deal with "a number of ongoing incidents", the Home Office said.

A full breakdown of crossings and numbers is not yet available, their spokesman added.

Almost 4,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK so far this year. Pictured: Children are picked up by the Border Force vessel Hunter after being brought into Dover, Kent on small boats crossing the English Channel

A tiny baby was spotted yesterday morning arriving in Dover with its family after crossing the Channel in a dinghy - carried in what appears to be a gym bag

The Home Secretary's spokesman said the 'fantastic weather' was behind the surge despite ongoing efforts to prevent them while Immigration Minister Chris Philp said he shares 'the anger and frustration of the public' at the 'appalling number' of crossings.

Mr Philp is to visit France next week to speak with counterparts following a 'constructive' meeting with the country's deputy ambassador earlier this week.

The fleet of dinghies included a girl aged around eight, another about 10, as well as at least five large groups of adults in the Kent town.

The children, some too young to walk, were picked up by the Border Force vessel Hunter and taken into a white tent at the marina at 12.15pm.

Some of the adults - who appeared mainly to be men - carried their possessions in plastic bags before they were processed.

Rishi Sunak today promised swift action to turn back the 'tide' of migrant boats heading for the UK from France as he refused to rule out using the Royal Navy.

The Chancellor said people were right to be 'frustrated' the day after 235 migrants in 17 vessels made the perilous crossing  the highest daily total since the crisis began.

The fleet of dinghies included a a girl aged around eight, another around 10 as well as at least five large groups of adults in the Kent town

The figure, which surpasses the previous record of 202 set last Thursday, prompted officials to draw up plans where for the first time the Navy could turn back boats.

The number who have reached Britain so far this year is now already double the total who arrived in the whole of 2019.

Dover Tory MP Natalie Elphicke said it was 'absolutely essential' to stop the continued migrant crossings and said 'all options need to be on the table' to keep them from arriving from France, including the Navy.

'Putting an end to the small boats crossings crisis will only happen when migrants and traffickers alike know that they won't succeed in breaking Britain in this way,' she said.

'For me that has three parts: firstly making sure that the boats don't leave France in the first place, if they do leave French shores that they're picked up early, and returned immediately to France and if people do break into our country and arrive on our shores that they are turned back to France.'

Asked about speculation that Home Secretary Priti Patel was considering drafting in the Navy, Ms Elphicke said: 'There's some discussion about the Navy, and what I'd say is that as we've gone into this record number of people crossing over this year all options need to be on the table.

The Chancellor said people were right to be 'frustrated', the day after 235 migrants in 17 vessels made the perilous crossing  the highest daily total since the crisis began

'But whoever it is that's involved what we must make sure is that boats are deployed not to bring people into this country but to return them to France and for the French to do more to make sure that those boats don't leave in the first place.'

Among today's illegal arrivals there was a group of 12 men in their 20s, who were on a small vessel intercepted by Border Force officers.

They were given face masks and were seen being bundled into a bus at around 10.30am.

Two dinghies carrying a total of around 20 migrants were also picked up off the coast shortly before 12pm.

Meanwhile Border Force workers had to rush to save a group of 17 migrants whose boat broke down in front of the White Cliffs of Dover.

A further nine men were seen leaving Hunter at 12.50pm wearing life jackets as authorities wore white masks to escort them to a coach.

And seven more male refugees were brought into the harbour on the vessel Speedwell at 1.30pm.

A Coastguard spokesman said: 'HM Coastguard is today coordinating search and rescue responses to a number of incidents off Kent, working with Border Force and other partners.

'We are committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of this country.

'HM Coastguard is only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities.'

Dover Tory MP Natalie Elphicke said it was 'absolutely essential' to stop the continued migrant crossings and said 'all options need to be on the table' to keep them from arriving from France, including the Navy

Among today's illegal arrivals there was a group of 12 men in their 20s, who were on a small vessel that was intercepted by Border Force officers

Two dinghies carrying a total of around 20 migrants were also picked up off the coast shortly before 12pm

The number who have reached Britain so far this year is now already double the total who arrived in the whole of 2019

A Border Force officers escort a group of men thought to be migrants to a waiting bus after they were brought into Dover this morning

Speaking on a visit to Scotland earlier today, Mr Sunak said: 'I think people are absolutely right to be frustrated at the scenes they're seeing.

'I'm frustrated, everyone is, which is why we've been working much more closely with the French government in recent time to improve our co-operation and intelligence-sharing to police crossings.

'The immigration minister will be visiting France again, I believe next week, to discuss how we can step up that co-operation and take further action, further measures and stronger measures as required to stop and reduce the tide of boats coming.'

Asked about reports the Navy will be used, he said: 'I wouldn't want to speculate on exactly what measures will be put in place.

'It's important that we work closely with our French allies on this situation.

'Obviously France is a safe country for migrants to be. We all want to see these crossings reduced and, pending the outcomes of those conversations, we can decide on the best next steps to take.'

Ms Elphicke, whose husband Charlie was convicted of sex attacks last month, said the UK has an 'incredibly important' role in humanitarian and asylum issues.

She added: 'What I don't agree with is that we should be encouraging or allowing illegal people trafficking that actually preys on some of the most vulnerable people and puts them at risk of their very lives.

'What we've seen here in Kent, here in Dover and Deal, is we've seen an unacceptable situation of small boats actually arriving at the beaches, of people getting off those boats and roaming round the area and that's very, very worrying and concerning for local residents.'

A 'furious' Home Secretary last night backed plans for the Senior Service to patrol the English Channel.

Nearly 3,950 migrants made the crossing in small boats in the first 219 days of 2020  compared with 1,850 last year.

The crisis is a personal blow for Ms Patel, who made a pledge last October that crossings would be virtually eliminated by now.

A Home Office source said: 'The final straw was this record number, which led the Home Secretary to demand this new initiative. The real solution must come from the French  we want the French to take them back.'

On Thursday up to 235 migrants crossed the channel  the highest daily total since the crisis began, surpassing the previous record of 202 set on Thursday last week

A 'furious' Priti Patel backed sending Royal Navy patrols into the English Channel on Thursday night after the record number of migrants reached Britain

The number who have reached Britain so far this year is now already double the total who arrived in the whole of 2019

Last night sources said Navy vessels could now begin turning migrant boats back to France in a major escalation of tactics.

Mrs Patel has told MPs she has obtained legal advice that such a move would be legal under international maritime law.

But the tactic would be highly controversial and risk alienating the French government, which has told Britain it believes it to be illegal.

Immigration still too high  poll More than half of Britons think immigration is still too high despite years of Tory promises to bring it down, a study said yesterday. It warned Boris Johnson that if his points-based immigration system allows a wave of mass immigration, then voters will turn against him. The study from the Migration Watch UK think-tank said most recent polling found that 54 per cent think immigration has been too high over the past decade. Only 5 per cent think it has been too low. And more than six in ten said they believe the Government has been mishandling immigration policies. The analysis found that fears over the effects of large-scale immigration became a major concern after Tony Blair opened the doors to millions from both inside and outside the European Union. Worries declined after David Cameron came to power in 2010 promising to cut immigration back to 1990s levels and subsided further after the 2016 Brexit referendum. The report said: 'Most continue to have strong views about a perceived lack of effective immigration control.' Advertisement

Other emergency measures being considered by the Home Office include using Navy vessels to block the path of migrant boats.

It is understood smaller military craft would be used, rather than larger vessels such as frigates or destroyers. The Royal Marines could play a key role, sources said.

British forces could also use nets to entangle propellers or floating 'booms' to block the way for migrants dinghies.

Both methods were tested in secret trials in May and June involving Navy ships and Border Force boats.

A Government source said: 'These are all options that are being considered. The Home Secretary is furious about this daily total, which we think is as high as 250.'

It is now understood the figure is 235, according to the BBC.

The source added: 'She has instructed her officials to speak to the Ministry of Defence about how we can proceed. She has also requested a discussion with the French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin.'

Civil servants from both departments have conducted initial talks and the Home Secretary may follow these up with a formal request for assistance from the Ministry of Defence.

Yesterday's arrivals included at least ten young children and a heavily-pregnant woman, who were aboard a boat which landed on Dungeness beach in Kent.

One of the children, a boy aged around four, looked exhausted as he lay back on the pebble beach with his arms spread out. The heavily-pregnant woman was wearing a black dress and face mask as she held the hand of a child.

She looked weary and had her head in her hand at one point, after being picked up by a lifeboat.

Amateur photographer Susan Pilcher, who saw the group on the beach, said: 'I could hear the Border Force workers asking the woman how many months pregnant she was, and she replied 'eight'.

Mrs Pilcher added: 'When you think she's doing such a risky crossing over the Channel when she's heavily pregnant, that says how much they've been through.'

A British patrol boat also towed a kayak into the Port of Dover yesterday.

A group of around 16 migrants including 10 kids and an eight-month pregnant woman landed on Dungeness beach, Kent, today

Nigel Farage took to his Twitter feed to share an exclusive video of migrants arriving in the UK, including several children

The Home Secretary has said she wants 'stronger enforcement' on the other side of the Channel and has been trying to persuade the French government to allow migrant boats to be turned back.

She said last year that a previous deal with the French would make crossings an 'infrequent phenomenon' by this spring.

It came as an inquiry was launched into the crisis by the Commons all-party home affairs committee.

MPs will begin their investigation when Parliament returns at the start of September.

A committee spokesman said: 'The inquiry will look at the role of criminal gangs in facilitating the growth of this form of illegal immigration and the response of UK and French authorities to combat illegal migration and support legal routes to asylum.'

Three migrants are rescued from sinking 300 inflatable kayak by builder on his way back to Britain after he swam from Dover to Calais for charity

Three migrants were rescued from their sinking inflatable kayak by a builder on his way home to Britain after swimming from Dover to Calais for charity today.

Justin Legge, 49, started the 21-mile journey at 1.30am, raising almost 24,000 in memory of a friend who died of leukaemia.

He was on his way back across the Channel in a small passenger boat when he spotted three young men stuffed on to a tiny inflatable blue and white two-person Sevylor Wabash canoe-kayak which was sinking around 3.30pm.

The migrants' inflatable kayak, which sells for 299.99 on Decathlon's website, was brought in by the Border Force vessel Hunter.

It comes after it was reported authorities were involved in the rescue of more than 120 migrants in small boats that took the dangerous crossing this morning.

Justin Legge, 49, was on his way back across the Channel in a small passenger boat when he spotted three young men stuffed on to a tiny inflatable blue and white two-person Sevylor Wabash canoe-kayak which was sinking around 3.30pm

The boys were taken on board the small passenger vessel after their inflatable kayak started sinking in the English Channel

A baby, a heavily-pregnant woman and young children were among the migrants to land on Kent beach earlier today as smugglers tell them to make dangerous Channel crossing before Brexit 'closes the door'.

The migrants spotted by Justin were using their T-shirts to wave for help and were rapidly sinking around 10 miles off Dover.

The pilot of Justin's boat gave them water and face masks before taking them in.

A crowd of family and friends waving Union Jack flags were eagerly waiting for the boat, but it was first diverted to hand the three men over to Border Force officials at the marina shortly before 4pm.

Father-of-two Justin, from the village of Bridge near Canterbury, Kent, said: 'I've just swam the Channel and I'm absolutely knackered.

'Then we saw this dodgy cheap-looking little kayak and they were really sinking.

'We approached them and the pilot was really good. He gave them some water and decided to take them on board because if he left them, they would have drowned.

A crowd of family and friends waving Union Jack flags were eagerly waiting for the boat, but it was first diverted to hand the three men over to Border Force officials at the marina shortly before 4pm

The pilot of Justin's boat gave them water and face masks before taking them in to save them from drowning

The migrants spotted by Justin were using their T-shirts to wave for help and were rapidly sinking around 10 miles off Dover

It comes after it was reported authorities were involved in the rescue of more than 120 migrants in small boats that took the dangerous crossing this morning

The migrants' inflatable kayak, which sells for 299.99 on Decathlon's website, was brought in by the Border Force vessel Hunter

'They were a really long way out - around 10 miles. So he phoned the authorities and brought them back in. They're lucky to still be alive.

'The three of them sat on the edge of the boat for the rest of the ride back.

'One of the guys was watching them but they just sat there quietly and looked a bit embarrassed.

'It was very strange. I know these sorts of crossings are a daily occurrence now but I never thought I'd see something like that first hand.'

His wedding planner wife Charlotte, 35, was also on the boat.

She said: 'We were halfway across the Channel and our pilot spotted them.

'They're constantly looking for migrants and he noticed they were waving the flag of distress.

Father-of-two Justin, says: 'We saw this dodgy cheap-looking little kayak and they were really sinking. We approached them and the pilot was really good. He gave them some water and decided to take them on board because if he left them, they would have drowned'

The migrants used their T-shirts to wave for help and were rapidly sinking around 10 miles off Dover

'He rang the Coastguard and they said he had a duty of care to stay by them until they were rescued.

'But while we were giving them water, we noticed they were going down.

'The Coastguard were nowhere to be seen so the pilot put them on the end of the boat, gave them masks and gloves, and towed their boat back to shore.

'The pilot was quite concerned because they kept trying to get back into their boat but they had what looked like brand new trainers in there so maybe they just wanted to save them.

'All three of them just sat there quietly and looked quite tired. They all looked really young. Probably aged between 18 and 21.'

Justin said: 'It was very strange. I know these sorts of crossings are a daily occurrence now but I never thought I'd see something like that first hand'

A crowd of family and friends waving Union Jack flags were eagerly waiting for Justin's boat (pictured), but it was first diverted to hand the three men over to Border Force officials at the marina shortly before 4pm

The pilot of Justin's boat gave the migrants (pictured) water and face masks before taking them in

A newborn baby is brought into Dover harbour amid the rush of migrants crossing the Channel today

A different groups of migrants, also including young children, was picked up by officials today at Dover

Earlier today, a group of around 16 refugees including 10 young children landed on Dungeness beach in Kent at around 8.30am, and a further cluster of migrants were pictured being rescued at nearby Dover.

A further three were later brought into the town's marina by a small white passenger boat carrying a charity swimmer at 4pm.

In total, 3,643 migrants have made the life-risking Channel crossing this year, nearly double the 1,850-odd who arrived in the whole of last year.

Last Thursday, a single-day record of 202 people in 20 boats landed.

For 20 years she's seen the tragedy unfold - now SUE REID shares... the only way to end the trade in misery

BySue Reid for the Daily Mail

Standing on a hill above Calais, with Dovers White Cliffs sparkling in the sun 21 miles away was the moment it finally dawned on me that Britain was losing control of its borders.

In the French ferry port below, 1,100 migrants were waiting to cross the Channel to the UK. Mingling among them were shadowy trafficking gangsters, many from British cities, eagerly taking their cash in return for a journey to a new life.

That was nearly two decades ago, and I was in the French port to show how easy it was to slip undercover by truck into this country.

The same evening, a driver from my home county of Lancashire agreed to put me in the back of his lorry. We passed unquestioned through customs and security checks on to a ferry and four hours later reached Dover.

The only startling moment came when I emerged on to English soil and heard a desperate banging from back inside the lorry.

Standing on a hill above Calais, with Dovers White Cliffs sparkling in the sun 21 miles away was the moment it finally dawned on me that Britain was losing control of its borders

Unbeknown to the driver, Adel, from Iraq, was already secretly stowed inside the vehicle when I climbed in. Hed crept in as the driver was parked up having a tea break in Calais and had lain flat on top of a pallet of lawn mowers high above me.

Now, the vehicle had stopped and he wanted to get out. When the driver opened the back doors, Adel told me his name and where he was from. His English was poor but he did say politely I am so sorry to us before disappearing into the darkness.

In those days, only a few dozen migrants were getting through to the UK each week as lorry stowaways.

A crackdown by the then Home Secretary David Blunkett  he had recently closed a Red Cross refuge centre giving food, clothing and a bed to migrants near the port  had certainly had the desired effect.

Numbers arriving from faraway countries, dreaming of reaching the El Dorado of England, fell sharply along with the people smugglers who suddenly had fewer customers.

In the French ferry port below, 1,100 migrants were waiting to cross the Channel to the UK. Mingling among them were shadowy trafficking gangsters, many from British cities, eagerly taking their cash in return for a journey to a new life

Today, the smugglers are still in business, transporting migrants with near impunity across the Channel for a fee of 4,000 a head on a daily basis.

Indeed, since my undercover lorry journey, Ive crossed from France  without passport or security checks on arrival in the UK  many times to demonstrate how dangerously porous our borders are.

Ive come in by hired private plane, under a blanket in a private car, and, in September 2016, across the Channel in a small rigid inflatable boat with an outboard motor.

On Thursday this week, 235 migrants made it to the Kent coast, the highest daily total of boat arrivals to date.

Thousands more will come by sea this year as ministers struggle to address a problem that has been ignored since Blunketts intervention. The truth is that successive governments have allowed traffickers to gain the upper hand.

Today they operate in the knowledge that little vessels, once pushed out to sea from a Calais beach, have a near 100 per cent chance of reaching the UK.

Of course the French are only too happy to see them go. Recent TV clips have revealed the French Navy escorting boats to the middle of the Channel where the British Border Force and even our RNLI lifeboat services  take over the job. They take migrants on board and bring them into Dover. Such a farce leaves the traffickers rubbing their hands with glee.

Today, the smugglers are still in business, transporting migrants with near impunity across the Channel for a fee of 4,000 a head on a daily basis. Pictured: Four men, some using shovels as paddles, use a small dinghy to cross the English Channel

They have networks reaching back to south of the Equator. Their agents go to the tea houses, to the little villages of impoverished families in Iraq, Iran, Africa, Pakistan, even the still troubled Balkan states, drumming up business with the sales pitch: Your son deserves a better life in England. Let us help him on his journey.

Falling for their promises of a better life, loving family members beggar themselves raising the money for the fee or agree to pay it off later. They know that if the debt is not repaid they can expect a knock on the door one dark night from a local trafficking agent with links to a greedy British gang.

Ultimately these are treacherous criminals who are peddling false hopes of British largesse, huge benefits, a house, free education, medical care...

All over Britain today, there are thousands of their victims in pitiful accommodation, receiving a Home Office stipend of only a few pounds a day as pocket money. Many speak no English and have few skills for a decent job. They grow disappointed and angry when they cant join British society.

And so they turn to immigration lawyers to fight their endless asylum claims lasting years and financed by legal aid. Even those refused sanctuary rarely leave the country, but evaporate into the black market of sweat shops, human slavery, or worse.

It may sound harsh, but the bitter truth is that to bring this to an end we must convince these young men, as most of them are, to stop journeying across the world for a pointless life with no hope or work in one of our troubled inner cities.

Thousands more will come by sea this year as ministers struggle to address a problem that has been ignored since Blunketts intervention. Pictured: A swimmer crosses the English Channel as, in the background, a dinghy carrying migrants is escorted by French border police

We must launch our own propaganda drive faraway, particularly among village elders, community leaders, in places of worship, that Britain has nothing to offer. As one Iranian migrant in the Midlands told me recently: I have been welcomed in to hell.

Meanwhile theres nothing to alleviate the lingering fear that among this summer migration there could be those who want to harm us: returning IS fighters, spies from hostile nations hoping to embed themselves here, would-be terrorists and criminals escaping justice abroad.

Looking at Thursdays images of the traffickers latest cohort  including small children and a pregnant woman  I hope the penny will drop in high places as it did for me so many years ago. By yesterday evening another 17 boats carrying 150 migrants reached Britain from France.

By the time you read this, there may be even more still.
Im a feminist. Mostly. Im an asshole. Mostly, Mikki Kendall writes in her book Hood Feminism. She is not a nice person, she says, and shes best known for her anger, the way she wields it and the way its been framed as too dangerous.

Some white feminists complain she hurts their feelings and ask her and her fellow black feminists to be nice and reasonable. I ask them what we should be reasonable about, she says. Human rights? Bodily autonomy? Refugees not being accepted? Being under attack? Is it the murders or the missing? Im not sure what there is in the context of feminism to be super-nice about.

Kendall is perfectly nice in our Zoom conversation, friendly and funny and eager to reach out to her audience at her forthcoming Melbourne Writers Festival appearance. Shed been looking forward to travelling to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, having a second honeymoon with her husband. The pandemic has put paid to that. But she can still join us virtually from her home just outside Chicago.

Mikki Kendall says its amazing what happens when people no longer think their guns scare you. Credit:

She fires up when we get onto the theme of her book, as expressed in its subtitle: Notes from the Women White Feminists Forgot. Its a series of wide-ranging essays in a passionate and sometimes wittily ironic voice, tackling such subjects as gun violence, hunger, poverty, education, housing, parenting and how to write about black women (You must be sure to make it clear that they arent like other women. They are failing to perform in some way that affects the whole of society.)
August 07, 2020 / 11:32 PM IST / 11:32 PM IST

Air India Express Crash LIVE Updates | Here's what we know so far:

>> An Air India Express Vande Bharat flight with 191 passengers from Dubai and crew skidded off the tabletop runway and fell into a 50 feet valley breaking into two portions while landing.

>> Rescue operations have now concluded.

>> 16 people, including 2 pilots and 14 passengers, have died in the crash.

>> Over 125 people have been rushed to the nearby hospitals,the condition of some of them is said to be serious.

>> After landing at Runway 10, the flight continued running to end of the runway and fell down in the valley and broke into two portions, a statement by DGCA said.

>> The passengers include 174 were adults, 10 children, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew.

>> Sources told Moneycontrol that the flight had landed in second attempt after aborting the first.

>> An urgent meeting called by Civil Aviation Ministry is underway at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan. DGCA Director-General & officials of the ministry, Airport Authority of India & Air India Express are in the meeting.
Over 21,000 citizens brought home from 50 countries, territories

More than 80 flights have been operated so far, bringing home safely more than 21,000 Vietnamese citizens from some 50 countries and territories, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said.









Illustrative photo



She unveiled the figures while answering questions regarding Vietnams plan to fly home its citizens abroad in the context of new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases in the country, during the ministrys regular press conference on August 6.



The flights were arranged under the Prime Ministers instructions, and with the highest determination of competent agencies at home, as well as Vietnams representative offices abroad, the spokesperson said.



Hang emphasised that the repatriation of Vietnamese citizens in extremely difficult circumstances will be conducted in accordance with their wish and domestic quarantine capacity.



Citing sources of the Overseas Labour Management under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the spokesperson said 226 Vietnamese are working in Uzbekistan under a labour provision contract between a domestic company and the China Petroleum Jili Chemical Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd (JCC).



Due to COVID-19, the workers have stopped working and are self-quarantined at their accommodations, Hang said, adding that local authorities confirmed some of them had tested positive for the coronavirus.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, which also is in charge of Uzbekistan, to contact the workers to get updated on their conditions, and talk to concerned companies and local authorities to ask for necessary measures to take care of the health of the workers.



Vietnamese competent agencies and the embassy are coordinating closely with local authorities to build a plan to bring home the citizens as soon as possible, scheduled for this month.
The president says the peace is key to Ukraine's economic growth.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has outlined ways to achieve peace in Donbas, saying that the Armed Forces of Ukraine should be constantly and persistently strengthened while peace talks are held in the Normandy and Minsk formats.

"The president stressed that one of the ways to peace is the constant and persistent strengthening of our Armed Forces in parallel with talks in the Normandy and Minsk formats," the press service of the President's Office said, reporting on Zelensky's working trip to the Joint Forces Operation zone.

Read alsoOnly random shots recorded in Donbas amid truce, General Staff chief says

The Ukrainian government will continue seeking the peace, the return of Ukrainian hostages and recovery of the occupied territories, because this is what the Ukrainian nation wants, he said.

According to him, achieving peace in Donbas is key to economic growth of the state and an improvement in the quality of life of every Ukrainian.

Andriy Ordynovych, a representative of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of issues related to the ceasefire regime and stabilization of the situation along the contact line in Donbas, confirmed that, despite random acts of provocation by Russia-controlled forces, the Ukrainian military's morale is high. "They are ready to continue to carry out the tasks set by the country's military and political leadership," he said. "When communicating with them, I would say this: everyone is determined to protect the state and achieve peace as soon as possible."

Zelensky also visited the front-line town of Maryinka in Donetsk region and talked with local residents. They said that in the absence of hostilities, the city is gradually reviving: people with children are returning home, many local residents are beginning to repair their homes. At the same time, people complained about the lack of natural gas and water supply.

Chairman of Donetsk Regional State Administration and head of the region's Military-Civil Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko, in turn, said that amid the ceasefire, it would be possible to safely begin repairing infrastructure to solve this problem. He said that under such conditions, natural gas and water would be available within six months.

In addition, the president asked the local authorities to start rebuilding Maryinka's infrastructure, namely roads, as soon as possible.
AT LEAST 1,200 people will be laid off due to a needless, irresponsible and knee jerk Government reaction, Kildare Chamber of Commerce has said in reaction to the local lockdown.

Allan Shine, CEO of County Kildare Chamber, said this evenings announcement by the Government will cause an economic meltdown for the region.

Read More

Mr Shine said the Government have failed business in the region.

The chambers membership of 400 members employs over 38,000 people.

They had all been attempting to restart their businesses, re-employing people along with upskilling and reskilling the workforce to react to the economic environment we all face, Mr Shine.

Read More

Mr Shine added, There has been absolutely no engagement or consultation from NPHET, the HSE or anyone in Government.

This announcement whilst mentioned throughout the day still comes as a complete and utter shock to businesses.

We are at pains to understand why NPHET and the Government could not take the stance to order a comprehensive sweep of community testing in the areas affected in Kildare, Laois and Offaly.

Its incredible there is no testing area in the county with a population of over 220,000 people with suspect cases having to travel to Dublin for testing, some by public transport.

Community Testing would inform the government very quickly if Covid 19 is indeed in the community. Then and only then should the discussions of lockdown be taking place.

What is very frustrating is the lack of engagement by the Government with the key stakeholders in the region.

Mr Shine said the communities now needed daily government dialogue to ensure an exit from lockdown as quickly as possible.

Public health is and will always be the number one focus, he added.

The economy must be a key focus also. Businesses are on a cliff edge and this imposed lockdown will close many permanently.

Kildare TD and co-leader of the Social Democrats, Catherine Murphy, also hit out at the localised lockdown of the county.

Deputy Murphy took to Twitter to vent her annoyance.

Lot of anger about this. Would u lock down all of Cork if there was an outbreak in Mizen or all of Dublin if there was an outbreak in The Naul. Surely its distance that matters.
Dr. Mark Mendenhall has been called to serve as branch president, or ecclesiastical leader, for the Signal Mountain branch (congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dr. Mendenhall holds the J. Burton Frierson Chair of Excellence in Business Leadership at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga (UTC). He received his B.S. in psychology and Ph.D. in social pathology  both from Brigham Young University. He has been on the faculty of UTC since 1989.We moved to Signal Mountain in 1989 fully expecting to stay here for five years or so before moving on to another university, Dr. Mendenhall said. We soon realized we loved it here, and that it was a perfect place to raise our four children. Three of our four children graduated from Red Bank High School, and our youngest graduated from SMMSHS. At UTC, my colleagues are and always have been fantastic. They are teachers who truly care about their students. Although we have had multiple opportunities to move, the greater Chattanooga community, including Signal Mountain, is one of the best places to live in the United States  perhaps even the best. We feel so blessed to live here and I look forward to ministering to the good people of our congregation in my new responsibility.A branch president presides over a congregation in a specific geographic location. A branch president is called to serve without pay. He is assisted by two counselors. Radge Harrison and Chad Mcghie have been called to serve as first and second counselors, respectively, in the Signal Mountain branch presidency. The purpose of any congregation of the Church is to invite everyone to come unto Christ. A branch president is also called to watch over the poor and needy in the boundaries of the congregation. Congregations are organized after the way Christ set up His Church on the earth, officials said.Dr.Mendenhall, who is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of global leadership and international human resource management, will continue his work at UTC. He has coauthored numerous books and published numerous journal articles and scholarly book chapters. He consults with international and local organizations such as Volkswagen, IBM-Asia Pacific, General Motors, IBM-Japan, Japan Airlines Corporate Group, TVA, Blue-Cross Blue-Shield of Tennessee and so forth. He has traveled widely and lived in New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland and Germany.President Mendenhall looks forward to sharing what is in his heart about Jesus Christ.The Signal Mountain branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meets at 9 a.m. on Sundays, and is located at 1160 Ridgeway Avenue. All are welcome.
Trump signs executive order to boost U.S. drug manufacturing U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a Whirlpool Corporation washing machine factory in Clyde, Ohio

By Jeff Mason and Andrea Shalal

CLYDE, Ohio/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at boosting U.S. production of medicines and medical equipment, lowering drug prices and protecting the United States against shortfalls in a future pandemic.

Trump said the order would also support advanced manufacturing processes that would benefit U.S. pharmaceutical companies.

The long-awaited measure includes a "Buy America" provision mandating federal purchases of certain medical supplies and equipment deemed essential and moves to remove regulatory hurdles to approval of new U.S. drugs, the Republican president told workers at a Whirlpool <WHR.N> washing machine factory in Clyde, Ohio.

The order had been expected for months as part of a drive by the Trump administration to pull back supply chains from China.

"As we've seen in this pandemic, the United States must produce essential equipment, supplies and pharmaceuticals for ourselves. We cannot rely on China and other nations across the globe, that could one day deny us products in a time of need," Trump said. "We have to be smart."

In wide-ranging remarks, Trump took aim at China's trade policies and blasted presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama for failing to recognize the threat posed by China to U.S. manufacturing.

"During the course of the next four years, we will bring our pharmaceutical and medical supply chains home," he said. "And we'll end reliance on China just like we did with the washers and dryers ... we'll be making our product here."

U.S. companies were skeptical about the order as it evolved, warning that it could trigger potential backlash from China and other suppliers at a time when more than 1,000 people a day are dying of COVID-19 in the United States.

Senior White House adviser Peter Navarro said it was critical to act now to prevent future crises and ensure sufficient demand so U.S. companies could affordably manufacture pharmaceuticals at home, ending their reliance on key ingredients and supplies from China.

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Navarro said the order would also crack down on internet sales of counterfeit medicines, many of which he said came from China.

The Buy America provisions would require the Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. military and the Veterans Administration to procure only U.S.-made goods to meet certain essential needs, Navarro said.

The order also directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to give priority status to U.S. drug ingredient manufacturers during their regulatory review process.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Jeff Mason; additional reporting by Susan Heavey; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot)
Soldiers of People's Liberation Army (PLA) are seen before a giant screen as Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of People's Republic of China, on its National Day in Beijing, China Oct. 1, 2019. Reuters/Jason Lee

Australias Robust Democratic Institutions an Antidote Against Beijings Infiltration: Expert

Australias democratic institutions have proven to be an antidote to Beijings extensive infiltration operations and a case study for countries on how to expose and repel the communist regimes United Front Work Department.

In 2014, Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared the influence activities of the United Front one of the regimes magic weapons.

A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found Australias free press, intelligence services, political will, along with lively public debate, worked in concert to expose and negate Xis magic weapons.

Amy Searight, author of the report, says Australia is targeted as part of a grander scheme to undermine the United States regional dominance in the Pacific.

As one of the United States closest allies, driving a wedge in the U.S.-Australia alliance would sharply undercut American regional leadership.

As a result, Australia soon became a canary in the coalmine for Beijings influence activities.

Over the last decade, Australia has been exposed to the full spectrum of Beijings United Front activities aimed at influencing politicians, business elites, the Chinese-speaking diaspora, and universities.

In recent times, Australia has been entrenched in a Beijing-instigated trade dispute, which has seen the regime slap tariffs on barley imports and ban beef imports from four major abattoirs.

The combined effect of these actions has instead hardened Australias resistance to political interference and cultivated a government willing to take active steps to counteract Beijing.

Watchful Intelligence Agencies Raise the Alarm

The report pointed to the early efforts by Australias intelligence services who sounded the alarm bells around foreign interference.

In 2015, the director of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Duncan Lewis, personally warned the heads of three major political parties about accepting donations from Chinese businessmen with links to Beijing.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director-General Duncan Lewis speaks at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 4, 2019. (Courtesy of the Lowy Institute/Facebook)

Media were made privy to updates on their investigations with intelligence officers leaking information at opportune moments. This helped trigger a national debate that gradually intensified.

By 2016, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull commissioned a year-long investigation into Chinese influence activities which revealed a decade long campaign by Beijing to compromise major political parties.

Lewis continued to be vocal on the issue, warning the public in 2018 that the level of foreign interference in the country was unprecedented. In 2019, Lewis again warned that Australia faced an existential threat.

After his retirement, the former spy boss revealed Beijing was the issue that overwhelmingly kept the nations intelligence agencies preoccupied.

Journalists Join the Fray Exposing Dark Underbelly of Interference

Perhaps the most critical role in shaping the Australian response was played by Australias independent and boisterous free press, wrote Searight.

The CSIS report said aggressive investigations by key journalists into the murky networks of Chinese influence helped paint a picture of Beijings efforts to distort and manipulate Australias internal debate and foreign policy decisions.

The downfall of up-and-coming Labor Party Senator Sam Dastyari can be attributed to a 2017 joint investigation by Fairfax Media and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation into his relationship with controversial businessman and United Front figure Huang Xiangmo.

Australian Labor Partys Senator Sam Dastyari speaks to the media in Sydney on Sept. 6, 2016. (William West/AFP/Getty Images)

The story was arguably the scandal that broke the issue of CCP influence and placed it front and centre of national debate. The program revealed a litany of interactions between Dastyari and Huang, eventually leading to the senators resignation.

Huang arrived in Australia in 2011 in near-total obscurity until big spending and relentless networking behind closed doors saw him build a network of political friends and allies.

The investigation revealed Huang donated more than $1 million (US$724,000) to the two major political parties apiece, and donated $1.8 million (US$1.3 million) to the University of Technology Sydney which established an Australia-China research centre. Huang also paid several of Dastyaris legal and travel expenses to the tune of $5,000.

Australian Opposition Leader Bill Shorten holds a photograph of Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop with Chinese businessman Huang Xiangmo during House of Representatives Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, June 14, 2017. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

In 2016, Huang withdrew a $400,000 (US$288,000) donation to the Labor Party in response to then-Opposition Defence Minister Stephen Conroys comments that Beijings island-building activities in the South China Sea were absurd.

Just a day later, Dastyari addressed a press conference comprised of Chinese-language media outlets saying Beijings claim to the South China Sea was Chinas own affair. His comments directly contradicted his partys stance on the issue.

Dastyari also made four approaches to the immigration department inquiring about Huangs citizenship application. The final nail in the coffin came when it was revealed the senator had warned Huang that his phone was being tapped by Australian intelligence services.

Australian Labor Partys Senator Sam Dastyari speaks to the media in Sydney on Sept. 6, 2016, to make a public apology after asking a company with links to the Chinese Government to pay a $1,273 bill incurred by his office. (William West/AFP/Getty Images)

Under a firestorm of criticism, Dastyari resigned from Parliament. Huangs Australian citizenship application was subsequently denied, and his permanent residency stripped.

Despite the damning revelations surrounding the Dastyari affair and other Beijing-connected interference activities, the report found:

What perhaps is more unusual in the case of Australia is the strikingly large number of former political leaders, and [business leaders] who have become exceedingly friendly to Beijing and have become fixtures in the public debate 

Former Prime Minister Paul Keating criticised security agencies in 2019 calling them nutters for their attitude towards the CCP. Keating was an international advisor to China Development Bank when he made those comments.

L: Andrew Forrest addresses the media in Perth, Australia on Oct. 25, 2019. (Paul Kane/Getty Images) R: Executive chairman of Australias Seven Group Holdings, Kerry Stokes, in Sydney, Australia on Aug, 5, 2014. (WIlliam West/AFP via Getty Images)

More recently, West Australian business leaders Andrew Forrest and Kerry Stokes criticised the federal governments calls for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Forrest and Stokes have extensive business relationships in China.

Political Willingness Emerges from Public Debate

Although pro-Beijing viewpoints were aired by prominent individuals, it was not able to stem the growing mistrust in the communist regime by the Australian public.

The CSIS report commended the Liberal government for introducing a series of new laws to counter foreign interference, many of which were passed with bipartisan support.

In 2018, the Turnbull government passed legislation banning political donations from foreign entities and requiring individuals to disclose if they are acting on behalf of a foreign country.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to dignitaries and members of the Invictus Team Australia Squad at the official launch at Admiralty House in Sydney, Australia on June 7, 2017. (Toby Zerna/Pool/Getty Images)

The succeeding Morrison government established a new taskforce in 2019 to ensure compliance. While another taskforce was set up to oversee and protect the university sector.

On June 26, the foreign interference laws were deployed by the Australian Federal Police in a dramatic morning raid on the home of state-level Member of Parliament Shaoquett Moselmane in Sydney. No charges have been laid yet.

Australia took the lead and became the first nation in the world to ban Huawei from participating in its 5G network. In 2020, it was the first to call for an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 outbreakenraging Beijing.

Ultimately, Australias strong democratic culture, political will, and a healthy shot of transparency proved to be an antidote to Chinese meddling in Australian domestic politics, the report stated.

Other noteworthy factors contributing to Australias stance on Beijing stem from its geographic isolation (far from major allies) and the values bestowed by the ANZAC spirit which honours the contributions of fallen soldiers in past wars.

Subsequent efforts by Beijing to pressure Australia  failed to dislodge strong public and bipartisan support for the governments tougher stance on countering foreign influence and demanding transparency.
Countries dispatched emergency medical aid, field hospitals, rescue experts and tracking dogs to Lebanon Wednesday as the world reacts swiftly to a vast Beirut explosion in a nation already close to economic collapse.

The blast centred on the city's port caused massive destruction and killed at least 113 people, heaping misery on a country in crisis.

Gulf states were among the first to respond, with Qatar sending mobile hospitals to ease pressure on Lebanon's medical system, strained by the coronavirus pandemic.

A Qatari air force plane delivered hundreds of collapsible beds, generators and burn sheets in the first of a convoy of flights to Beirut.

Kuwait also sent medical supplies as the Lebanese Red Cross said more than 4,000 people were being treated for injuries after the explosion, which sent glass shards and debris flying.

A Greek C-130 army transport plane bearing a dozen rescuers landed at Beirut's airport, itself damaged in the catastrophic blast.

Algeria said it would send four planes and a ship with humanitarian aid, medical teams, firefighters, supplies and construction materials.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab has called on "friendly countries" to support a nation reeling from its worst economic crisis in decades as well as a coronavirus outbreak that has infected over 5,000 people and killed 68.

As emergency crews hauled survivors from the rubble of demolished buildings, France said it was sending search and rescue experts aboard three military planes loaded with a mobile clinic and tonnes of medical and sanitary supplies.

President Emmanuel Macron is to travel to Lebanon on Thursday, the first world leader to do so after the disaster, as France seeks to swiftly push reconstruction in its former colony.

"France is at the side of Lebanon. Always," Macron tweeted in Arabic.

Prosecutors in France also opened an investigation into the blast, which wounded 21 French citizens.

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- Queen 'deeply saddened' -

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II sent a message to the president of Lebanon, saying she was "deeply saddened" by the blast.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a phone call with Diab, offered Washington's assistance and stressed "our solidarity with and support for the Lebanese people as they strive for the dignity, prosperity and security they deserve".

Cyprus, parts of which felt the blast roughly 240 kilometres (150 miles), said it was sending eight police tracking dogs and their handlers aboard two helicopters.

From Europe, authorities in the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Poland offered an array of assistance including doctors, police and firefighters, together with rescue experts and sniffer dogs.

Italy said it had sent 14 firefighters specialised in assessing chemical risks and damaged structures to provide technical support.

President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, itself battling the Middle East's deadliest coronavirus outbreak, said Tehran stood "ready to offer medical and medicinal aid and help treat the injured".

- 'Stay strong, Lebanon' -

The World Health Organization said it was sending trauma and surgical kits from its Dubai base after the "shocking event" that comes at a "particularly difficult time in Lebanon".

"Many hospitals are overwhelmed with casualties and people are still looking for the injured and the dead, so it's a very sad day," said the UN agency's emergencies director Michael Ryan.

In a statement, the World Bank Group said it "stands ready to deploy its expertise to undertake a rapid damage and needs assessment and to develop a reconstruction plan as per international standards."

Unusually, neighbouring Israel offered humanitarian aid -- to a country with which it is still technically at war -- via international intermediaries.

In the coastal city of Tel Aviv, Lebanon's flag was projected onto the city hall on Wednesday evening.

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Armenia will organize three flights to Lebanon with humanitarian aid. Zareh Sinanyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia, on Friday stated this during the online discussion of Tuesdays powerful and deadly explosion in Beirut.

The first of these flights will take place on Saturday, and Sinanyan will travel to Beirut on that flight to assess the scale of devastation on the spot. Representatives of the Hayastan (Armenia) All Armenian Fund and a parliamentary group will also be part of this delegation.

"It is natural that the government and people of the Republic of Armenia extended a helping hand to brotherly Lebanon. Once, Lebanon received Armenians who had fled the Genocide," Sinanyan said.

He added that Armenia does not want to give the impression that it is leaving for Lebanon to help only the local Armenians. According to him, the aforesaid delegation will get acquainted with the situation on the spot in order to be able to be useful to the Lebanese people in the long run.

The commissioner for the Armenian diaspora noted that media representatives will also travel to Beirut with this delegation to cover the events on the spot.

And following the visit, Zareh Sinanyan will prepare a report to present to the prime minister of Armenia.
Californias new Homekey program, which will dish out $100 million to convert Bay Area hotels and motels into permanent homeless housing, has attracted about 20 applicants in its first three weeks as cities and counties race to beat Thursdays tight filing deadline. And though there has been just one solid bite in San Francisco, there may soon be more.

As the coronavirus crisis stretches on and many hotels remain shuttered, some antsy owners are becoming more open to the idea of selling rather than hanging on to see how long they can survive the crippled economy. In hyper-expensive San Francisco, where plummeting tourism has led to 40% of the hotels temporarily closing, some owners might feel more confident than those in other regions in recovering financially once the pandemic eases.

But it doesnt mean theyre not thinking about selling, officials said. San Francisco homeless policy leaders have said since early summer that they are hoping to buy two or more hotels for conversion, and some leading players in the citys Homekey process say several properties are in play  including one that sent in an application to the state Friday.

The challenge, they say, is finding buildings that dont need prohibitively expensive updating  in-unit bathrooms, disabled access and the like  whose owners are willing to sell at a fair price. All of that is no small ask, considering that while rents have dipped significantly during the pandemic, real estate prices have not.

Then theres the follow-up cost. Overseeing a supportive housing operation costs about $30,000 a year  per person  so a modest, 50-unit complex alone would require $1.5 million a year. Most Bay Area counties say this doesnt counteract the benefit of getting help buying real estate, particularly in San Francisco, where Mayor London Breeds office sees the program fitting neatly into her plan to add 1,000 supportive housing units in the city over the next 12 months.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Breed has several divisions, including the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, scouting for prospective properties, and Supervisor Aaron Peskin played a leading role in persuading the owner of a 237-room residential hotel in his northeastern district to submit an application Friday.

Every once in a while, things line up right, he said. This is great news.

He said another building in his district is also in the running, and he hopes others in the city will send in Homekey applications.

Before and during the pandemic, people have been buying and selling stuff for affordable housing and supportive housing, and Im not seeing marketplace desperation, Peskin said. Its very promising.

Rebecca Foster, head of one of the key funding organizations helping arrange Homekey deals in the city, said she was optimistic about finding projects with this opportunity to bring tens of millions of dollars to San Francisco. The pressure is on, though: The first deadline for applications is Thursday. And though subsequent bids will be taken up to the end of September, everyone is encouraged to get in before the money runs out.

There are definitely a few possibilities in San Francisco, said Foster, CEO of the San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund, a public-private fund that raises money to build affordable housing. When there are state funds like this available and you have a huge need like we do, you have to work really hard to get that application in. This is a sprint.

The states Homekey fund consists of $550 million in federal coronavirus aid and $50 million in state general funds. The federal money must be spent by the end of December, and properties accepted into the program must be occupied within 90 days. Those deadlines, tight by housing industry standards, have created a near frenzy as cities, counties and nonprofit agencies race to assemble their prospects.

Of that money, $100 million is aimed at the Bay Areas nine counties.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Throughout the state, about 100 applications  actually pre-applications, with further paperwork to follow  have been received, according to Gov. Gavin Newsoms office. The program builds on Newsoms Project Roomkey, which has rented hotel and motel rooms for more than 14,000 vulnerable or coronavirus-stricken homeless people statewide. Homekey will accept not just hotels and motels, but vacant apartment complexes and other buildings as well.

Homekeys money could buy more than 3,000 or more units of housing around the state  hundreds of those in the Bay Area  and the aim is to make them permanent supportive housing, though interim housing can also be allowed. Considering there are 151,000 homeless people in California, the biggest such population in the nation, several thousand rooms of new housing seems small. But in the perpetual struggle to house street people amid funding shortages, homeless policy leaders say the program is a big plus.

I am confident we will use this as a great resource, said Vivian Wan, chief operating officer of Adobe Services, a homeless aid nonprofit that oversees programs, including Roomkey complexes throughout the Bay Area. Its a crazy tight deadline, but if COVID-19 has taught us anything in California, its taught us that we can move quickly when we have to.

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.

She said she is helping agencies in Santa Clara and Alameda counties with several Homekey applications, and county officials in Contra Costa and Marin counties are vigorously pursuing several properties as well. Calls to several hotels for comment went unanswered.

Tomiquia Moss, CEO of the All Home nonprofit, which works on Bay Area-wide strategies for ending homelessness, pointed out that converting existing buildings can cost half or less that of new construction, depending on the area  which is quite a savings, considering it can cost about $700,000 a unit to build new in San Francisco.

Moss advised state planners as they crafted the Homekey program, and her organization is helping counties with applications. Theres an incredible appetite for this, she said, and not just for the money but for the prospect of housing people within 90 days.

You cant keep telling homeless people to wait five years for a unit to be built new, she said. We have to be creative.

San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen, who with other supervisors has been urging the mayor to lease more hotel rooms to temporarily shelter homeless people, said there should be few holds barred in the hunt for properties.

If we cant find willing sellers, we should consider addressing this major problem by eminent domain, she said. Homekey is a solution, but we need much more like it. We have to do everything we can.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron
Orange County Awards $1,000 Grants to COVID-Safe Restaurants

The Orange County Business Council (OCBC) announced Aug. 6 the launch of SafeDineOC, a restaurant reimbursement program designed to encourage COVID-19 safety in the California county.

SafeDineOC will allocate $10 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to help county eateries keep their customers and employees safe by providing cash grants to cover the cost of cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), according to Andrew Do, vice chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Qualified restaurants will receive $1,000 each.

Many restaurants throughout the county are having challenges, understanding how to navigate the states guidelines, Do said at an Aug. 6 press conference. We understand the openings and closures have taken its toll on the restaurant industry and the dining experience alike, and we want to address both problems.

Do said the county will be conducting a media awareness campaign to recruit more restaurants to participate in the program. As part of a concerted effort to encourage proper safety protocols in eateries during the COVID-19 pandemic, those that qualify for the grant will be featured on an OCBC safe restaurants website.

These grants reward restaurants trying to do the right thing, said Lucy Dunn, president and CEO of OCBC. Rewarding good behavior is what its all about these days.

In order to qualify for the grant, a restaurant must meet all criteria listed on the OCBC website, including providing CARES Act-qualified purchase receipts for masks, site reconfiguration, cleaning supplies, and employee training related to COVID-19.

Restaurants can submit receipts from March 1 through Sept. 30, and apply until the end of the program, which is set to expire in 60 days or whenever the funds have been allocated.



The reason we know this is helpful is because were asking restaurants to upload receipts for their supplies and masks that theyve already spent, Dunn said.



Once a restaurant applies, the approval process may take up to five days. If the business is approved, they can expect to receive the $1,000 check within 45 days.

We are hoping that these measures will help chip away at COVID-19 and help to get us as a county, to the point where we have the numbers to justify the reopening, said Do.

The Orange County Health Care Agency on Aug. 6 reported 580 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 32 deaths, bringing the totals to 38,711 cases and 697 fatalities.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Osagie Ize-Iyamu

Mai Malla Buni, The chairman of the caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress on Friday, said the President Muhammadu Buhari has officially endorsed Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the partys candidate in the Edo State governorship election.

Buni told State House correspondents that the President presented the partys flag to Ize-Iyamu during a meeting they had with him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Ize-Iyamu also told reporters that there is no truth in the claim that the members of the state House of Assembly, who met on Thursday and elected a factional Speaker, did so inside his house.



Let me debunk the statement that 17 members of the State House of Assembly sat in my sitting room, it is not true, he said.

On his part, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State described his Edo State counterpart and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the September elections, Godwin Obaseki, as a liability to the PDP.



I can assure you that Governor Obaseki is a liability to the PDP. I can assure you that we are contesting against a governor who has failed most woefully, he said.
Retired IAS officer Rajiv Mehrishi, who demitted the office of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on Friday, said that there has been a radical shift in the way the governments auditor now works with its reports being more substantive and focused, and there being no roving or fishing enquiries.

We are a large ship and it takes time to turn. But some steps have been taken. If you look at CAG reports now, they are extremely meaningful, Mehrishi, who headed the constitutional body for almost three years (from September 2017 till Friday), said.

G C Murmu, who was Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, will take over as the new CAG on Saturday.

Detailing how CAG now focuses on specific audits rather than going into policy issues or coming up with headline-making figures, Mehrishi said : Take the example of performance audits (examining performance of government departments in accordance with principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness), which makes for the most interesting reading. What we were doing was in a dissipated and non-focused manner. The idea (now) is to get them to focus on issues and try to answer those issues. His reference is to outcome-based audits .

Mehrishi cited the example of CAGs audit of Uttar Pradeshs hospitals in December, in which it focused on specific issues such as the infant mortality data and the nurse to bed ratio.

The audit body has also initiated the practice of engaging domain experts from various institutions,such as the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management, so that there is quality control in writing the reports. Mehrishi said that CAG took help of a doctor while finalizing the audit report on UP hospitals. Similarly, IIT Delhis help was taken by CAG for a report on Delhi Metro.

CAG is also working on making its audit reports shorter and more accessible so that the general public can read and understand them. The long reports are difficult to read.

Mehrishi also confirmed that CAG plans to conduct an audit of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme of the government with a focus on coverage (establishing correspondence between beneficiaries and benefits), efficiency, and design of payment process. The audit will also look at the outcomes. DBT is a scheme of government to transfer the benefits and subsidies of various social welfare schemes directly to the bank account of the beneficiary.

Other officials in CAG, who didnt wish to be named, said that a team of CAG visited Geneva last month to audit the World Health Organization (WHO). Mehrishi was elected as the external auditor of WHO in June 2019 for four years. Murmu will now take over the proceedings.

CAG also plans to conduct an audit on the availability of drugs, medicines and equipment in all government medical institutions throughout the country, in which it will include procurement of Covid-19 equipments/medicines as well.
The headquarters of scandal-hit German payments provider Wirecard in Aschheim, near Munich

A company director has been charged in Singapore with falsifying letters linked to scandal-hit German payments giant Wirecard, according to court documents, as the fallout from the firm's collapse spreads further around the world.

The fintech company filed for insolvency in June after admitting that 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) missing from its accounts did not exist, revelations that stunned Germany and drew comparisons with the Enron accounting scandal.

R. Shanmugaratnam, director of a business administration firm in Singapore at the centre of investigations into the case, has been charged with falsifying letters showing it held money in escrow for Wirecard.

The 54-year-old of Citadelle Corporate Services claimed in the letters in 2016 and 2017 the firm held amounts ranging from 30 million euros to around 177 million euros in accounts on behalf of Wirecard, according to court documents seen by AFP Friday.

But the accounts did not hold such amounts and the letters were produced with the "intent to defraud", according to the charges, filed last month.

Shanmugaratnam could not immediately be reached for comment.

Authorities in the city state last month launched an investigation into Citadelle and another company over suspicions they falsified accounts, and Shanmugaratnam is the first person to face charges.

Wirecard's woes began in January 2019 with a series of Financial Times articles alleging accounting irregularities in its Asian division, headed by chief operating officer Jan Marsalek.

German and Philippine authorities want to question Marsalek as part of separate investigations into Wirecard, but his whereabouts are unclear.

Last month, the Philippines justice minister said immigration officers falsified records to show he briefly visited the country after being sacked.

Entries in the Bureau of Immigration database show Marsalek arrived in the Philippines on June 23 -- the day after he was fired -- and left for China on June 24.

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But CCTV footage, airline manifests and other records prove Marsalek was not in the country on those dates, minister Menardo Guevarra said in a statement.

The firm's troubles exploded in June when long-time auditors Ernst & Young said they were unable to find the 1.9 billion euros, and that they had been fed false statements.

mba/sr/leg
'Jesus Politics': Phil Robertson says we dont need a political fix' for a spiritual war

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"Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson tackles the problems facing America in his new book,Jesus Politics: How to Win Back the Soul of America, and says the solution is a spiritual one, not a political one.

In the book, the New York Times bestselling author bluntly expresses his beliefs about the destructive nature of American politics. As an outspoken Christian, he charges other believers to do everything they can in these times to advance the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

Robertson encourages Christians to invite Jesus into the issues facing the nation. He details, from Scripture, how he believes Jesus would respond to the issues of our day by offering a manifesto of how to do good by King Jesus, bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to homes, neighborhoods, churches, communities, and the nation.

The following is an edited transcript of The Christian Post's interview with Robertson, where he journeys through Scripture to share what he believes the problems in America are and how Christians can work to overcome those issues.

CP: What message are you trying to get across through your new book, Jesus Politics?

Robertson: You got to remember, when Jesus got here roughly, by my count, 5,300 years ago, the prediction was made way back in Genesis: "Someone born of a woman would crush the evil one."

So everyone waited, and in the Old Testament from Genesis all the way through Malachi up to Matthew, it says: "Jesus is coming!" All the prophecies, hundreds. "We've got Jesus coming. This is where He'll be born." All these prophecies.

Well, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus is here and John the Baptist was hollering, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near." And then Jesus went out and He preached, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near." He sent out the disciples, and they all said, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near."

It came, and in Acts Chapter 2, He gave these Apostles the ability to speak in any language worldwide. He sent them out and it reached worldwide, and now there's about 3 billion of us.

What we're trying to do through this book is just to get the human race to put their faith in Jesus. He'll remove their sin and He'll guarantee them they can be raised from the dead, for crying out loud! All they have to do is love Him and love each other. I just don't see the downside.

Thats the best deal we're ever going to get. Someone says, "I think I'll take my chances without Jesus." I'm like, "And what chance is that? Cause physical death, as we all know, it's all around us. It's coming at some point." At least with this, I've never heard a story that said, "Every wrong thing you ever did won't be counted against you. Nothing in the future will be counted against you. He'll be interceding for you back in Heaven. And on top of that, don't fear death, if you believe in me," Jesus said. "Even if you die, yet shall you live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" [John 11].

Your body goes into the cemetery and your soul, your spirit goes to live with God. And when Jesus returns, He's going to raise your dead cold body, and it'll be an immortal body that'll live forever. I'm like, this is about the best rescue I've ever heard of.

So that's the message we're getting out there. We're still trying to get people to just love God, love your neighbor. I'm not asking for the moon here. There's a lot of people who come down here all the time. So we are making an impact. We can't stop because God has afforded us to do whatever we do in the Kingdom. I happen to be a proclaimer.

CP: Are you like a voice crying out in the wilderness in these times?

Robertson: In the book of 1 Peter, the Apostle  he's the one that ran out on Jesus at one time  listen to this, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood." So think about it. When I'm walking down the road and somebody drives by and looks at me, he may say something like, "I wonder where that homeless guy is going? Cause I look a little scruffy." He would never think I was a member of a royal priesthood and I'm actually a priest in the Kingdom of God.

"We are a chosen people, a holy nation of people belonging to God" [1 Peter 2]. Here's my point: We're a Kingdom, a spiritual Kingdom, with Jesus being the King. We bow to Him. He's a good King because He's our brother, our friend, our Savior. He's a great King! He's never going to desert us. He'll always be there. He's removed our sin. He's going to raise us from the dead, and so we go forth and share that with others because I don't think it's a political fix. I call it (the book) Jesus Politics because I wanted them to see it's a spiritual war we're in. Not so much a political fix. It's a spiritual fix.

So we need to get back to God. They ran Him out of our schools, out of Hollywood, out of the news media, and out of the education. I have two degrees. I know I don't look like I do, but I actually do. Not one of my college professors ever said the word Jesus or God or the Holy Spirit. Not one word in any history class. Nothing!

[In college,] I was just out there getting high, getting drunk, running around  it was the '60s  until I was 28. I sat down with [someone] and I thought, "He What? God became flesh." We're counting time by it. This calendar says 2020. Last year was 2019, 2018, walk it back, you're going to get to year one. Well, it just so happens that's when Jesus showed up. Well, I would at least investigate Him.

CP: Jesus Politics exposes the destructive nature of American politics. What inspired the book? Was this some kind of a divine deposit?

Robertson: It wasn't like I heard an audible voice that said, "Phil, write a book, no." I'm just watching what Lot observed, way back in Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible says he was tormented in his righteous soul. "If God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment. If He did not spare the ancient world when He broke the flood on its ungodly people" [2 Peter 2:4]. There was a period in history before now, way back in the days of Noah, what was the problem? God said, "Their every thought was evil. Except for eight" [Genesis 6]. Noah and his family.

Well, he drowned them all. "But He protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness and others. If He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah ..." They were wicked, kind of like we are. "For burning them to ashes and He made them an example of what's going to happen to the ungodly. He rescued Lot, a righteous man who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men. For that righteous man being among them day after day was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds, he saw and heard" [2 Peter 2].

If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly man from trials and hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment or continuing their punishment. That's what motivated [me] to say, "Please read this; please think about what you're doing."

The fruit of the Spirit. We're trying to get America to understand. Because if I look at them in the streets of New York and I'm thinking, wait a minute, spray cans, the F-word follows them everywhere they go. They're grown. They're adults. ... They're full of hate. And I'm thinking, the fruit of the Spirit  "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" [Galatians 5:22-23].

It's a spiritual war! That's why I don't think it's a political fix. I think it's a spiritual fix from bottom to top.

CP: Some Christians confuse their spiritual identity with their political ideologies. Can you talk about that, and why as Christians, we have to be careful not to do that?

Robertson: The source of love is the God of Heaven. God, the Apostle John said, "is love." Listen to this: "If I had the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains ..." this answers your question ... "but have not love. I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor, and surrender my body to the plains, but have not loved, I gained nothing. Love is patient" [1 Corinthians 13].

So even Christians get tangled up in these local events and these evil things that they see. "Love is patient." Think about a person being patient, the people in your streets in New York and all across the country. They are on the other side of patient.

"Love is kind. It does not envy." You've got it and I need it, and it's not fair because you've mistreated my ancestors. They're envious. "Your white privilege."

[The Bible says,] "Love does not boast. Love, it's not proud, it's not rude." How about that for the streets of America? Love is not rude. "It is not self-seeking. It's not easily angered." They form these groups under the banner.

Oh you say, "It seems we may have a problem in the country." The Bible says, "Love keeps no record of wrongs." We weren't even here. I didn't do it. I wasn't there. You're going back 100, 200 years.

1 Corinthians 13 continues: "Love does not delight in evil. Love rejoices with the truth." Check this one, "Love always protects"  shields, defends  "Love always trusts. Always hopes, always perseveres and Love never fails."

Do you realize how difficult it is to get human beings to do that?

So for everyone I see who drives down here, flies out here, I take them to the river and they start over again, they give their life to Jesus. They're members of the Kingdom of God. They are guaranteed to be raised from the dead. For everyone that does it, I'm like, "it's worth it." Even if just one turned, it would be worth it.

CP: So how would Jesus Politics deal with the current climate of racism and social injustice?

Robertson: You know what the saddest thing in the world is to see people not realizing? The Apostle Paul was speaking to the smartest individuals that the Greek Empire had.

Check this out: "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. He's not served by human hands as if he needed anything. Because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man He made every nation of men" [Acts 17].

You say, "We all came from Adam? Well, how come that one is a different color than I am?" God did it. God made him that way. He Himself gives all men life, everything else. He determines the time set for them, the exact places where they should live. God did this so men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him. So He's not far from each one of us.

My college professors said there were three races. But the bottom line is, God said,[theres] just one race on the planet Earth, it's called the human race. We all came from the same two: Adam and Eve. They've traced that DNA all the way back and then it just stops. Therefore, if we all come from one man, there's only one race on planet Earth, the human race.

Where we meet up [together], it's a pretty rough part of town, as they would say, but Miss Kay and I, we go up on Sunday mornings. Now, since the pandemic, there's about 100. But before that, there was a couple hundred. About 60% of them are African American, and 40% of them are white. I told them one day, I said, "this is pretty cool. There's no black churches with us, no white churches. It's just the Kingdom of God worldwide." This is the way it ought to be.

We have a meal, some of the homeless people come in. They've been sleeping under a bridge, we help them out, try to get them out from under the bridge if they want to. But the homeless are there, we're all eating a meal together. We stop and we remember the blood that was shed for us, the Lord's supper  the bread, the body that was nailed to cross. We just stop in the middle of the meal. So let's remember Jesus here with the Lord's Supper.

When I go down there I'm baptizing some of these dudes that live on the street and they haven't had a bath probably, some of them six months. But I don't care. I love them. They're my brother and they're in the audience. So it is a pretty cool thing to be a part of. Blacks, whites altogether. Brothers, sisters in the Lord. So that's what we're trying to show America. We're reaching a lot of them but we could always reach more, so that's why I wrote a book.

CP: The subtitle of the book reads, "How to win back the soul of America." Would you say that America has sold its soul?

Robertson: Here's the Apostle Paul, he's talking to the young evangelist named Timothy. Check this out, because you ask who stolen their soul, it's the evil one.

"The Lord's servant must not quarrel." That's me. "Instead He must be kind to everyone." I'm the Lord's servant. I don't bad mouth the people that are tearing up and shooting up the streets and the spray cans.

You say, "You don't hate them?" Not at all. I would love to sit down with them and have a little Bible study. "The Lord's servant must be able to teach, not resent those who oppose him."  I have plenty  "He must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance and leading them to a knowledge of the truth." The truth in the Bible is Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. "Hoping they'll come to a knowledge of the truth that they'll come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil who has taken them captive to do His will" [2 Timothy 2].

So every time I [answer] a question [I] read a Bible verse to let [you] know [I] didn't write this, [I] just read it. That's why when you become a faithful soldier, for God, and you realize that "You'll know the truth and the truth does set you free" [John 8]. Set you free from what? Set you free from Satan! He's taken you captive to do His will.

[Jesus will] set free from sin  take your sins away. Set free from guilt. "My life's in shambles, I'm on drugs." Set you free from law, having to be perfect. He'll remove your mistakes. He'll intercede for you not counting your future sins against you.

Also the final thing, He sets you free from is the grave. That's what I call game, set, match! Set free from Satan, sin, guilt, law, and the grave.

CP: In the book, you provide a manifesto that shows us how to do right by King Jesus. Any last words?

Robertson: Vote for people who are godly and love them all. Forgive and be quick to forgive. It's God who granted us repentance  you and me. He gave us repentance. I never dreamed I'd be following Jesus. But I am, and now that I am I'm like, "What was I thinking [before]?"
China doesn't want diplomatic war with US: Foreign minister

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 06 August 2020 9:47 AM

China says it has no intention of ratcheting up tensions with the United States and engaging in a diplomatic war with Washington.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remark in an interview with the official Xinhua news agency late on Wednesday, putting forward four principles to advance Sino-US ties.

"Avoid confrontation, keep the channels open for candid dialog, reject decoupling, stand up to shared responsibilities," he said.

The administration of US President Donald Trump took a stern anti-China posture soon after it took office in 2017. It has clashed with Beijing over trade, the South China Sea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Recently, and as the presidential election draws near in the US, the Trump administration has been ramping up the tensions noticeably.

Wang said a diplomatic war would be wrong.

"Anyone who tries to start a new Cold War in the 21st century will be on the wrong side of history and will only be remembered as the one who has upended international cooperation," China's top diplomat added.

Last month, the US abruptly ordered the closure of China's consulate in Houston, Texas. China reciprocated by ordering that the US consulate in Chengdu shut down.

"China has no intention to fight a 'diplomatic war' with the US as it will only hurt the interests of the two peoples even more," Wang further said, adding, however, that, "If the US is bent on going down the wrong path, China is ready to make due response."

This week, the US said it was sending a cabinet secretary to Taiwan in a snub of the Chinese government, which is opposed to official exchanges between foreign governments and the self-ruled island.

Beijing has sovereignty over Taiwan, and under the "One China" policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty. The US, too, recognizes Chinese sovereignty over the island but has long courted Taipei in an attempt to counter Beijing.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Chinese foreign minister urged Washington to "reject decoupling and uphold cooperation," stressing that the interests of both countries were deeply entwined.

"Forced decoupling will inflict a lasting impact on bilateral relations, and endanger the security of international industrial chains and interests of all countries," Wang said.

The White House has been persistently pushing to banish Chinese technology from the American computer and smartphone industries, accusing Chinese firms of spying. Beijing strongly denies the allegation.

Trump has previously suggested that a complete break could take place in his administration's relations with China.

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US Republican President Donald Trump asserted on Thursday that his Democratic opponent in Novembers election, Joe Biden, is against God, even though Biden frequently discusses how his Catholic faith has guided his actions as a public official.

With Trump trailing Biden in four recent polls in Ohio, the president is fighting to win voters in the traditional swing state as the coronavirus pandemic threatens his chances of a second term. After addressing a small crowd at a Cleveland airport on Thursday, Trump went on to deliver a campaign-style speech at a Whirlpool plant in Clyde, Ohio.

Hes following the radical-left agenda: take away your guns, destroy your Second Amendment, no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God, Trump said about Biden in his Cleveland speech. Hes against God.

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution gives Americans the right to keep and bear arms.

Trump did not explain what he meant. His accusation, though, could solidify support from his partys sizable conservative Christian bloc and also damage voters view of Biden, the first Catholic Vice President in US history.

John Kennedy was the first and only Catholic elected President when he won in 1960.In a statement on Thursday night, Biden said Trumps attack was shameful and that faith had been the bedrock foundation of his life.

President Trump's comments reveal more about him than they do about anyone else. They show us a man willing to stoop to any low for political gain, and someone whose actions are completely at odds with the values and teachings that he professes to believe in, Biden said.

More than three-fourths of Americans practice Christianity or another religion, according to the Pew Research Center. Trump has been hurt politically by his response to the coronavirus pandemic that has recently killed on average more than 1,000 Americans each day.

While he speaks very little about his own Presbyterian faith and rarely attends church, Trump works closely with evangelical Christians and puts their causes of restricting abortion and preserving gun ownership at the top of his policy agenda.

After a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, killed 20 children in 2012, Biden pushed for some restrictions on gun ownership, but he has not called for confiscating firearms.

He has said he would seek to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, let people who own assault weapons sell them back voluntarily, and expand background checks.
David Kent / MCT

The number of operating U.S. rigs fell during the past week as oil and gas companies continue to halt drilling activity amid low crude prices.

Energy companies are operating 247 oil and gas rigs nationally, four fewer than last week and a record low for the industry, according to Baker Hughes, a Houston oil-field services company that has been tracking the rig count since the 1940s. There are 176 oil rigs and 69 gas rigs and two maintenance rigs.
Murugappa Group firm Tube Investments of India Ltd (TIIL) has agreed to invest Rs 700 crore in CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd for a 51 percent stake, the scam-hit company said on Friday.

Tube Investments of India Ltd will be issued 64.25 crore shares at Rs 8.56 apiece aggregating to Rs 550 crore, CG Power said in a regulatory filing.

Also, TIIL will also invest Rs 150 crore in the company over the next 18 months in the form of buying warrants that can be converted into equity shares.

The Rs 36,900-crore Murugappa Group, which also had an engineering arm, had made a non-binding offer to invest in CG Power.

The board of CG Power at its meeting on Friday approved the investment, the filing said.

The investment is, however, subject to TIIL being declared the winner of the Swiss challenge process to be undertaken by the lenders of CG Power by August 28.

Under the Swiss challenge, other potential investors can make a counteroffer subject to the first investor (TIIL) have the right to match the counter offer.

The investment is also subject to lenders accepting one-time settlement and restructuring of debt, the filing said.

The Rs 550 crore investment will give TIIL about 51 percent equity stake in CG Power and this will rise as and when warrants are converted into equity.

PTI had first reported the deal on July 1. Murugappa Group will be issued fresh equity shares and the money that it brings in would be used to meet operating and working capital expenditure.

CG Power and Industrial Solutions, erstwhile known as Crompton Greaves, has an excellent order book as well as human and technical capital.

It got derailed in August last year after a board-instituted investigation found major governance and financial lapses, including some assets being provided as collateral and money from loans siphoned off by "identified company personnel, both current and past, including certain non-executive directors".

After the scam came to light, the company sacked founder Gautam Thapar as chairman, and a new board thereafter undertook cleaning up of the accounts and to fix governance issues.

Processes have been overhauled and money siphoned off from the company is being sought to be recovered.

The company is also talking to lenders led by SBI for the restructuring of Rs 2,200 crore of debt.

In the regulatory filing, CG Power said TIIL will be issued "64,25,23,365 equity shares of the company of face value of Rs 2 each at a price of Rs 8.56 (including premium) per equity share aggregating to Rs 550 crore." Also, "175,233,645 warrants, each carrying a right exercisable by the warrant holder to subscribe to one equity share per warrant within 18 months from allotment. The aggregate consideration for subscribing to equity shares upon exercise of the warrants is Rs 150 crore, of which Rs 37.50 crore constituting 25 percent of the aggregate consideration will be paid on warrant subscription by the prospective investor," it said.

Post allotment of securities, "Tube Investments will acquire control over the company and will have the right to appoint a majority of the directors on the board of the company," it said.

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) as well as SEBI are probing former management of CG Power for lapses and fraud.

Sources said the business performance of CG Power has been affected due to a severe crunch in working capital and bringing in an investor like Murugappa Group would help tide over that.

Capital restructuring of the business and the company is critical as the working capital gap is wide and while the businesses are intrinsically strong, this starvation has led to lower revenue, they said adding the company has a robust order book of Rs 3,000 crore.

The Murugappa Group has an engineering division which may hold synergies with CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd that designs, manufactures, and markets products related to power generation, transmission, and distribution.

Chennai-based Murugappa Group is the holding company for a group of businesses. The Group holds diversified interests in abrasives, engineering, farm inputs, sugar, confectionery, plantations, bio-products, chemicals, nutraceuticals, insurance, and financial services.

Tube Investments of India is one of the country's leading manufacturers of a wide range of products for major industries such as automotive, railway, construction, mining and agriculture.

The company's three main verticals are engineering, metal formed products and bicycles, according to the company website. It has also forayed into TMT bars and truck body building business and is additionally exploring opportunities in optic lens and other vision systems for the auto industry, it said.
Actress Mouni Roy recently shared a picture from her visit to Harry Potter Station's 9 3/4 Platform in London. She shared pictures of her in which the actress can be seen dressed in a white dress, posing with a luggage cart. The photos also show Mouni carrying a red bag.

Posting the pictures on Instagram, she wrote in French, Au revoir Adios Farewell. Au revoir means goodbye. Mounis caption indicates she was leaving London for somewhere else.

The actress got stuck in Abu Dhabi for almost four months, from March to July, because of restrictions on international flights. The actress had gone to the UAE in March for a magazine photo shoot. She decided to stay in Abu Dhabi for two weeks after the shoot as her next project was scheduled for April 15, Mouni told Mid-Day. The actress also revealed that she got stuck with four days clothes as she had not expected that the world will shut down. Mouni, in July, left for London from Abu Dhabi after the travel restrictions were eased. She shared a video in which she was seen sitting in a flight. The video showed her wearing a face shield, mask and gloves. She also posted pictures after landing in London on her Instagram stories. The actress also shared a black-and-white picture of hers from her room in London. The caption of the photo read, @yangkathie said,there are two kind of problems, one that cannot be resolved no matter what & the other would sort itself out eventually; in both cases its useless you worry... & thats how we became friends! 

She will be next seen in Ayan Mukerji's Brahmastra alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.
Amid heightened tensions with Lebanons Hezbollah, Israels military says it shot down a small drone that crossed into Israeli airspace overnight in the Golan Heights.

Last night, [Israel Defense Forces] troops identified, monitored, & downed a drone which infiltrated into northern Israel along the Blue Line. We are searching the area, the IDF said on Twitter today, referring to the United Nations-recognized border between Israel and Lebanon.

The IDF continues to maintain a high level of readiness to defend Israel's northern border from any threat.

Earlier in the day Thursday, a false alarm prompted air raid sirens near the border with Lebanon in northern Israel.

The Israeli military is bracing for reprisals from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which said it would avenge an airstrike near Damascus that killed one of its senior operatives July 20. Following the strike, which has been widely attributed to Israel, the IDF sent additional firepower to its northern border

On July 26, Israel says a Hezbollah cell attempted to cross into its territory, but fled back across the border when the Israeli military fired on the group. The Iran-backed Shiite organization denied the ambush took place.

On Sunday, the military said it thwarted a plot to place bombs along Israels border with Syria. Grainy video released by the IDF appears to show an airstrike taking out four militants near the steel security barricade in the Golan Heights.

The following night, Israel fired on a number of targets belonging to the Syrian military, including observation posts, anti-aircraft artillery facilities and command and control systems, the IDF said. Israel said it holds the Syrian government, which has recruited Hezbollah and Iranian militias to fight in its civil war, responsible for any attacks aimed at Israel from its soil.

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said the Israeli army would stay on high alert along the Israel-Lebanon border, The Times of Israel reported, despite suggestions that Hezbollah might hold off on cross-border attacks in light of the deadly blast in Beirut.

Thousands are injured and at least 154 dead following the explosion in Lebanons capital earlier this week. Israel, which is still technically at war with its neighbor to the north, offered humanitarian assistance through diplomatic channels.
A board of inquiry commissioned by Victorias state Labor Party government on July 2 has yet to begin hearings on Melbournes COVID-19 quarantine hotels, which will focus on the failed use of private security contractors to maintain the isolation of returned international travellers.

Former Family Court judge Jennifer Coate, who is heading the inquiry, announced this week that her report would be delayed by six weeks because of the lockdown imposed by the government as part of its state of disaster declaration last weekend.

In the meantime, Premier Daniel Andrews and his ministers are refusing to answer questions about the quarantine breakdown at the state capitals hotels, falsely claiming it would be inappropriate to do so while the inquiry was afoot.

The surge in coronavirus infections in Victoria has seen the state rapidly shift from an average of around 8 cases per day between mid-April and mid-June to now averaging more than 500 per day. The states death toll has risen since early June from less than 30 to above 170.

The escape of infections from the quarantine hotels in late May was disastrous. It combined with a lack of widespread testing that disguised the prevalence of carriers with mild or no symptoms. This created the conditions for an inevitable increase with the premature reopening of the states schools and workplaces from that month.

On May 27, Victorian health authorities reported that a worker at Rydges on Swanston, one of 12 quarantine hotels in Melbourne, had tested positive for COVID-19.

Since then, at least 60 quarantine hotel workers and their close contacts have contracted the coronavirus. Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton stated in mid-July that many, possibly all, the subsequent cases in Victoria had initially stemmed from the hotel outbreaks.

Genomic testing has since shown a link between the Victorian cases and a major New South Wales outbreak, at the Crossroads Hotel in the Sydney suburb of Casula.

With more than 150 COVID-19 deaths recorded in Victoria since the beginning of June, the hotel quarantine affair has overtaken the Ruby Princess cruise ship as the most deadly example of the Australian ruling elites catastrophic profit-driven handling of the pandemic.

Returned travellers have voiced concerns over conditions in the hotels. Ricky Singh and Kate Hislop told the Nine Networks 60 Minutes they were not tested for COVID-19 at any point during their two-week quarantine.

Others reported that after they complained of dirty carpets, they were provided with a vacuum cleaner that was passed from room to room without being disinfected, and that bed linens were not fully changed between guests.

Hotel guests did not receive the promised mental health counselling to assist with the stress of confinement, anxiety about the pandemic, and trauma from their difficult journeys home. Security guards and hotel staff were unqualified and ill-prepared to cope with the fragile mental state of those desperate to get outside for fresh air, a taste of freedom, or a cigarette.

The Victorian government entrusted the confinement of returned travellers in quarantine hotels to three private security firms, MSS, Unified Security and Wilson Security. While these companies received around $70 per hour per guard under the contracts, the guards themselves were paid as little as $18 per hour, less than the award rate of around $28 for casual workers.

The three companies engaged subcontractors to provide additional guards, and these businesses then turned to recruitment consultants who trawled online classifieds and social media to find the cheapest available labour.

This multi-tiered subcontracting has become a common practice in the security industry, and many other sectors, over the past four decades. It is frequently linked to underpayment of workers and contravention of regulations.

A 2018 Fair Work Ombudsman report into local government security contracting found that 63 percent of subcontractors failed to comply with federal workplace laws, higher than the already alarming 42 percent of principal contractors. Most breaches were for underpayment, either through sub-minimum hourly rates or failure to pay overtime and penalty rates.

As result of the poor pay, availability of work at all hours, and minimal training requirements, the industry is dominated by students, recent migrants or workers forced to seek a second job to make ends meet. Around 47 percent of security guards are employed as casuals. The poor conditions of these workers likely contributed to the spread of the virus, as many live in close quarters with large intergenerational families or in share houses.

An anonymous student, John, who worked as a hotel quarantine guard, told 60 Minutes that on his first day of work, he was told to ask another security worker what his duties were. The other guard, who had also started work that day, told him: If someone comes out of the room, we just have to tell them dont come out of the room.

Not only were security officers not provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), they were explicitly advised not to use it. John said: Everyone was sitting there without PPE because they told us not to wear any masks.

This was in accordance with guidance from the Victorian government that it was not necessary for guards to wear masks unless it was impossible to maintain 1.5-metre social distancing.

Another young hotel quarantine worker, Shayla Shakshi, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporations 7:30 program that while she was provided with a mask and gloves on her first day, she was instructed to bring her own in future.

Shakshi continued: We didnt get any training when I got there. We just had to put a mask on, put gloves on and thats it.

Alarmed by the lax safety measures, Shakshi decided after a single day not to return to the Stamford Plaza hotel, where at least 43 workers and close contacts would later test positive for COVID-19.

John, however, continued in the role, eventually working at six quarantine hotels, including the Rydges on Swanston, where more than 20 workers and close contacts became infected with the coronavirus.

Many guards worked at multiple hotels, significantly increasing the risk that they would contract and spread the virus. Some worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, probably causing fatigue and poor judgment. These dangers were compounded by a campaign by governments and the corporate media to downplay the severity of the pandemic in order to minimise the impact on business profits.

As has been the case throughout the pandemic, the same governments and media have blamed individuals for the spread of the coronavirus. The news coverage has fixated on salacious, and probably baseless, allegations of sexual activity between guards and hotel guests.

Premier Andrews claimed: There are a number of staff who, despite knowing about infection control protocols, have decided to make a number of errors.

As well as demonising poorly-paid workers, these slanders fed into media-promoted demands for the military to be mobilised to enforce quarantine and movement restrictions, as well as hundreds of police.

The reality is that the security and hotel workers were untrained and ill-equipped to handle one of the most important and challenging jobs of the pandemic.

The public health crisis demands a response carried out by trained health professionals with the best available medical and protective equipment. The failure of Australias governments, state and federal, Liberal-National and Labor, to implement such a response will result in hundreds, if not thousands, of needless infections and deaths.

The author also recommends:

Victorias COVID-19 catastrophe: An indictment of Australian governments and capitalism

[5 August 2020]
Community leaders in the Creggan area of Derry have have called for a 'community-led review of policing tactics' after violence in the area this week.

A delivery van was hijacked at Rathlin Drive in the estate on Tuesday afternoon before being set on fire.

It was one of three vehicles hijacked in Derry on Tuesday.

Local politicians condemned the hijackings and said they had destroyed the livelihoods of the workers involved.

Community workers today said there were 'widespread concerns' about the attacks in Creggan this week.

In a joint statement, Conal McFeely, Tony ODoherty, Shauna Deery and Gerry Quinn of Creggan Neighbourhood Partnership (CNP) said there were also concerns about police activity in Creggan which included, they said, 'house raids, stop and search tactics and other disruption activity by the TSG (Tactical Support Group)/ TIU (Terrorism Investigation Unit)'.

We, as the community, need to listen and to speak out, to ensure that everyone fully understands the negative consequences of such events and the social, economic and reputational damage to individuals, families and the wider community, the statement said.

Creggan has been fully compliant to public health guidance, and extremely resilient and considerate during the Covid lockdown  an exemplar in how a community should respond to a crisis.

According to current statistics, this area has among the lowest reported crime figures in the city and, contrary to the widely-reported, albeit ill-informed, perception, Creggan is in fact a very safe and caring community.

The last number of weeks, however, have seen a number of serious incidents which we believe require further investigation.

CNP believe there is an underlying context to this weeks disturbances, which has gone largely unreported and hence has, again, led to a very one-sided picture of this area being portrayed.

The community workers said young people and families had told them that they are being 'deliberately targeted by highly aggressive, frightening and quasi-legal policing procedures/tactics'.

And it is incumbent on us, as a socially-just community, to take account of all available evidence, to establish a full and fair perspective of the situation.

CNP in no way condone or excuse the activities leading to the physical, mental and reputational damage done by, or to, any person or property in this community.

We are aware, however, that there is a specific context to recent events  this response did not happen out of nowhere.

And we also believe that there is a responsibility on all of us to examine that context and engage with young people and local residents  both to listen to their concerns and to ensure that they understand the extremely negative consequences of the destruction of community or private property, and the knock-on affects in relation to the traumatic impacts on affected individuals and the denial of public services to the area.

There is a growing concern about the cause and effect nature of ongoing police activity in the area and recent community disturbances.

Many within this community believe that current police actions only serve to undermine public confidence in policing and indeed the independence and effectiveness of the local and regional police oversight bodies which are supposed to hold police to account.

Our public representatives and church leaders should be concerned, and not be afraid to speak out, about how our area is being policed and is being impacted by the resulting destruction of community or private property.

The Creggan community workers said that following a 'process of mediation with relevant groupings, it has been established that there is no impediment to the resumption of all delivery and maintenance services in the area'.

Tensions are high in the area at the moment  there is a great deal of hurt and frustration which needs to be acknowledged and the specific reasons for these sentiments need to be explored.

CNP believe there is a critical need for an independent review of the recent disturbances  and their context  and will engage inclusively with the entire community to ensure that any such process will be as fair and transparent as possible.
The cartoon depicts what the "Justice for Black Lives" petition reads: "the knee-to-neck choke-hold that [Derek] Chauvin used to murder George Floyd has been used and perfected to torture Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces through 72 years of ethnic cleansing and dispossession."

(JCPA via JNS) - The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis triggered the most widespread racially charged protests in the United States and Europe since the 1960s. International protests over Floyd's death, led by the Black Lives Matter movement, have generated expressions of sympathy and support from Western prime ministers, legislators, law-enforcement officials and local government. Prominent members of the U.S. House of Representatives "took a knee" in a historically unprecedented public display of solidarity for any civil- or human-rights protest movement.

Jewish leaders have similarly...
SOUTH HADLEY  As coronavirus cases climb in Massachusetts and surge elsewhere, Mount Holyoke College became the third local institution to reverse course on bringing students back to campus.

Mount Holyoke trustees and adiminstrators decided not to bring back students this fall. Initially, a reduced population on campus had been planned at the South Hadley campus, as it had been at most other colleges and universities in the region.

In the past few days, those plans were changed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Smith College in Northampton. Now, Mount Holyoke has joined the shift with a decision college president Sonya Stephens called very difficult.

We know this news will bring deep disappointment to the many who are making their plans to travel to campus, and we share that disappointment,' Stephens said.

Since March, the Mount Holyoke community has met the challenges forced upon us by the coronavirus, and, with dedication and focus, we have planned for the much desired and long awaited reopening of our campus, and for the arrival of some of our students. Our every effort has been devoted to delivering an outstanding academic experience and to protecting the health and safety of everyone on campus and in the surrounding communities.

It was with great sadness, then, that we concluded that the current path of COVID-19 in the United States, and its devastating consequences, present too great a risk to our reopening plan,' Stephens wrote in a message to the college community.

Students currently living on campus will have the option to remain if Mount Holyoke is their permanent residence and/or if traveling home is impossible. Students unable to meet academic outcomes in their home environments will have an opportunity to apply for fall housing.
Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has explained why the government decided to redirect public spending following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the launch of the Ghana Priorities Project in Accra yesterday, the Senior Advisor and Secretary and Member of Ghana's Economic Management Team, Dr. Joe Amoako Tuffuor, who represented the Vice-President, said government had to take that decision because 'trade-offs are consequential in human lives.'

With strained resources, he noted that medical practitioners have been compelled to 'choice-making' knowing all too well that some of their choices could potentially have 'tragic outcomes.'

It is in response to some of these choices that we face as a country that government is embarking on the largest investment by any government in our healthcare infrastructure by the commitment to construct 88 standard design 100-bed hospitals in districts without hospitals, seven new regional hospitals in the six new regions, two new psychiatric hospitals, infectious disease centres for each of the three ecological zones, the Vice-President's representative emphasized.

He said some of the public choices have been made easier not because of the abundance of resources, but because the pandemic has also uncovered a rare patriotic response in recent memory.

That, he said, was part of reasons the President's famous 'fellow Ghanaians' would become the national call for cohesion, igniting patriotism, and rallying consensus in public choices and the need to increase the country's collective preparedness in dealing with public health crisis.

The Vice-President's representative said Covid-19 puts all of us at risk, and it is our collective responsibility to do all we can to fight this pandemic with everyone still unsure what the new norms of social interactions, work and play will be.

At the basic human level, he noted there is nothing to be gained to unpack government's efforts in this direction for any short-term gains hence the need to find answers together.

That notwithstanding, Dr. Tuffuor indicated that government was under no illusion that even these rapid measures would be enough because of the rapidly changing nature of the problem in front of us and that with hindsight, we can unpack the cost-benefit analysis of each of these initiatives.

He was, however, quick to admit that Covid-19 has uncovered some of the structural challenges in our healthcare delivery system in terms of access and in our capabilities, and in terms of the reach and robustness of social equity instruments, altering our priorities in the allocation of public spending (sic).

Yes, we have had to ramp up our human capital training from nurses to medical technicians and post graduate medical training of doctors and recruited 65,000 new healthcare personnel, he stated.

He, therefore, noted that the Ghana's Priorities Project could not have come at a better time.

The Ghana Priorities Project is a research and advocacy project that analyzes and promotes investments to establish how to achieve the most social, environmental and economic good for Ghana with cedis spent.

It uses the Copenhagen Consensus Centre approach, a project that seeks to establish priorities for advancing global welfare using methodologies based on the theory of welfare economics, using costbenefit analysis refined over the past 10 years to improve global and national spending priorities.

This project involves hundreds of sector experts, many months of research, and engagement with decision-makers on the most incisive development approaches for Ghana.

---Daily Guide
UP assembly polls will be about '80 per cent vs 20 per cent'; BJP will win: Yogi Adityanath

As a Yogi, I will not go for Ayodhya Mosque inauguration says UP CM Adityanath

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath said that if invited for the inauguration of the Mosque in Ayodhya, he will not go there are a Yogi and as a Hindu. He also said that he knows that no one will invite him.

As a Chief Minister, I have no problem will any religion, and political leaders who attend roza and iftaar wearing skull caps are only posturing as secular. That is not secularism and the public knows that, Yogi also said.

In an interview with ABP news channel after he attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he said that if you ask him as a CM, then I will not maintain a distance from any religion or group. But, if asked to attend, as a Yogi, then I will definitely not go, he also said.

Golden chapter in Indian history says Amit Shah on Bhumi Pujan at Ayodhya

Ayodhya Ram Mandir | Finished temple will look like this...| Oneindia News

I will not go because I am a Yogi. As a Hindu, I have a right to live according to my method of worship, he also said. That is why no one will call me there and I do not want to go. I know that I will not get an invitation, he also added.
Kottayam: A Kerala court on Friday granted bail to former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal on a fresh bail bond in connection with the nun rape case after he appeared before the court on Friday.

Kottayam additional district court judge G Gopakumar granted Mulakkal bail on fresh sureties.

The court also recalled the non-bailable warrants against him and cancelled the proceedings against the old sureties and listed the matter for further hearing on August 13.

Mulakkal was directed to remain in the state till the next date of hearing and was also asked to participate in the trial of the case without fail.

Earlier, the court had cancelled the bail granted to Mulakkal and issued a non-bailable warrant against him after he repeatedly failed to appear before the trial court.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Mulakkals plea seeking to discharge him from the case without a trial.

The Kerala high court and a Kottayam trial court had earlier refused to discharge him in the case.

Mulakkal, a former head of the Latin Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar, had sought from the trial court to quash charges against him claiming that the rape survivor had implicated him after he took action against her for financial irregularities in the convent.

In June 2018, the nun, who is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation based in Punjab, had complained to the police in Kottayam that Mulakkal had raped her several times between 2014 and 2016.

After several rounds of questioning, the special investigation team (SIT) of Kerala Police arrested him in September 2018.

The SIT had filed the chargesheet against him last year.
A test designed by UCLA researchers can pinpoint which people with gonorrhea will respond successfully to the inexpensive oral antibiotic ciprofloxacin, which had previously been sidelined over concerns the bacterium that causes the infection was becoming resistant to it.

In research published in the peer-reviewed journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, a UCLA-led team found that of 106 subjects the test identified as having a strain of gonorrhea called wild-type gyrA serine, all were cured with a single dose of oral ciprofloxacin. Though the test has been available for three years, this is the first time it has been systematically studied in humans.

The new test gives doctors more choices to treat the sexually transmitted infection and could help slow down the spread of drug-resistant gonorrhea, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, the study's lead author and a professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

"Gonorrhea is one of the most common drug-resistant infections worldwide and is becoming harder to treat. Current treatment methods require an antibiotic injection, which is expensive and painful," said Klausner, who is also an adjunct professor of epidemiology at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. "This new test could make it easier and safer to treat gonorrhea with different antibiotics, including one pill given by mouth.

"Using a pill instead of a shot would also make it easier and faster to treat sex partners of patients with gonorrhea," he added.

The ability of bacteria to change over time in ways that limit or eliminate the effectiveness of drugs designed to kill them has created a global problem. Gonorrhea is particularly skilled in this regard and has developed increasing resistance to all current antibiotics. Due to the spread of multidrug-resistant gonorrhea, public health authorities have declared it one of the top five urgent threats to public health.

Ciprofloxacin was used to treat gonorrhea until 2007, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped recommending its use after gonococcal infections developed resistance to the drug.

Nevertheless, about 70% to 80% percent of gonorrhea infections in the United States could still be treated with ciprofloxacin. Scientists have been trying to determine how to better identify cases for targeted use of ciprofloxacin therapy, reducing the need to use the injectable antibiotic ceftriaxone and decreasing the risk of resistance to that drug. Gonorrhea's resistance rate to ceftriaxone is currently less than 1%.

The DNA test the researchers developed detects a particular genetic mutation in the gonorrhea bacterium that makes it resistant to ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin is highly effective against infections without that mutation.

The researchers note that the findings are limited by the relatively small number of people studied and the fact that participation was limited to asymptomatic individuals. In addition, several people who were initially diagnosed with the wild-type strain through the test were subsequently found to be infected with other strain types.

###

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the National Institutes of Health funded this study.

Co-authors of the study are Claire Bristow and Dr. Sheldon Morris of UC San Diego; Olusegun Soge of the University of Washington; Akbar Shahkolahi and Toni Waymer of Social Scientific Systems in Silver Spring, Maryland; Dr. Robert Bolan of the Los Angeles LGBT Center; Dr. Susan Philip of the San Francisco Department of Public Health; Dr. Lenore Asbel of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health; Dr. Stephanie Taylor of Louisiana State University; Dr. Leandro Mena of the University of Mississippi; Dr. Deborah Goldstein of Whitman-Walker Health in Washington D.C.; and Jonathan Powell and Michael Wierzbicki of The Emmes Company in Rockville, Maryland.
Gender reveal parties might be an American tradition but theyre fast becoming popular on this side of the Atlantic.

David Camerons brother-in-law Robert Sheffield  the 35-year-old son and heir of Sam Cams baronet father, Sir Reginald Sheffield hosted a baby shower in West London this week where his girlfriend, Ellen Francis Gibbons, announced shes expecting a girl.

The 28-year-old model wore a pink dress for the occasion and presented a picnic on a similarly coloured gingham rug.

I cant wait to bring a feisty little lady into the world this Christmas, she said.

David Camerons brother-in-law Robert Sheffield  the 35-year-old son and heir of Sam Cams baronet father, Sir Reginald Sheffield hosted a baby shower in West London this week where his girlfriend, Ellen Francis Gibbons, announced shes expecting a girl

The smart set's talking about... Raine Spencer's smoking granddaughter Chiara

Her great-grandmother, Dame Barbara Cartland, squeezed out 700 romance novels in seven decades, and her grandmother, Raine Spencer, was a society darling and renowned public servant.

But Italian aristocrat Chiara di Carcaci is hoping her legacy will have even more spark.

The 25-year-old, who was born in London to Old Etonian antiques dealer, Alexander di Carcaci, and Raine Spencers daughter, Charlotte, is on a mission to make smoking cool again with her stylish cigarette case brand, Smoking Jacket.

Italian aristocrat Chiara di Carcaci is hoping her legacy will have even more spark than her great-grandmother, Dame Barbara Cartland, and grandmother, Raine Spencer

Its a great way to bring back old-school glamour. We had cigarette cases in the 1920s and 1930s but theres no modern equivalent, Chiara, who makes each case herself, tells me.

They are sold at the top floor bar at Mayfair club, 5 Hertford Street, and fans include trend-setter Alexa Chung and fashion stylist Sophia Hesketh.

Former Question Time host David Dimbleby anchored the BBC U.S. election coverage for decades  and now his son, Fred, is poised to follow in his footsteps.

The 22-year-old graduate trainee at ITV News will feature on a weekly podcast called Will Trump Win?
Sparkling winemaker Black Chalk secures distribution in Japan

English sparkling wine producer Black Chalk has taken a major step in its expansion journey after securing distribution in Japan.

The move was driven by Black Chalk director and investor Kenya Matsumoto, who owns two London-based Japanese restaurants and is behind Frontive Holdings, the agency which will be responsible for securing distribution for Black Chalk.

The winemaker says it will invest significantly in the Japanese market - the second largest market for sparkling wine - and will put a dedicated team in place in Tokyo. In the long term, it hopes that Frontive Holdings will become a gateway to other key Asian markets including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

Black Chalk has already secured listings in Michelin-starred restaurants in Japan including Kikunoi and Gion Kawakami in Kyoto, Sushi Sho in Tokyo, and Nakashima in Hiroshima, as well as in luxury department stores Mitsukoshi-Isetan in Tokyo and Hankyu in Osaka.

The first shipment of Black Chalk, including its 2015 Classic and the soon-to-be-released 2017 Wild Rose, will arrive in Japan in August in time for the Autumn UK trade fairs in Tokyo and Osaka.

The Japanese distribution follows a series of expansions for Black Chalk in the past year, including opening a tasting room and shop, the acquisition of four vineyard sites in Hampshire's Test Valley, and starting to build a new winery.

Black Chalk winemaker and chief executive Jacob Leadley said: "We have prioritised Japan as our target export market from the outset. There is such a strong synergy between English sparkling wine and Japanese cuisine, and Japan is a market where quality, boutique brands are very highly rated."

7 August 2020 - Bethany Whymark
The Thailand Genomics Sequencing Center is a key part of the Thai government's 4.5 billion baht five-year plan

Thailand, already famed for its world class hospitals and success combating coronavirus, aims to enhance its role as a global medical hub by establishing a Thailand Genomics Sequencing Center in the country's high-tech Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC),

Thailand is developing genomics medicine through cooperation between the Eastern Economic Corridor Office, the Health Systems Research Institute, the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.

The Thailand Genomics Sequencing Center is a key part of the Thai government's 4.5 billion baht (about US$150 million) five-year plan known as Genomics Thailand which was approved last year. Soon after, the committee that runs the EEC and the Health Systems Research Institute Thailand gave the go-ahead for a human whole genome sequencing center to be established within the EEC.

The EEC is a coastal strip southeast of Bangkok that is at the heart of Thailand 4.0 -- a strategy to transform Southeast Asia's second largest economy into a fully developed nation and the region's innovation hub.
Former President John Dramani Mahama is appearing to be urging the electorate to vote for President Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in the December general election after saying they have been in power for eight years.

The '4 More 4 Nana' campaign mantra for President Akufo-Addo thus received an unexpected impetus from the NPP's main opponent, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the December polls.

The NDC flagbearer, who is staging a comeback after being defeated heavily in 2016 as incumbent by the then NPP candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, on Wednesday committed the high-profile gaffe when he appeared to call for four more years for his opponent in this year's presidential race.

The former President, shortly after registering in his hometown of Bole in the Savannah Region, spoke to the media, during which he inadvertently ascribed eight years to the man he is willing to unseat.

Minutes after registering as a voter, Mr. Mahama urged people to get onto the register and vote in the general election on December 7 against the NPP.

He was even sitting in the chair used by the Electoral Commission (EC) to take photographs of registrants when he started campaigning, calling on the electorate to reject the NPP administration.

Using the opportunity to take issues with the flagship projects of President Akufo-Addo as he displayed his voter ID card, an irony anyway, having kicked against the compilation of a new register, Mr. Mahama said the incumbent administration was a non-performer.

Let us register and kick out this non-performing government. It has been eight years of abandoned projects; eight years of failed promises. One-village one-dam has not materialized, he told reporters as the audience laughed after noticing the gaffe and later cheered him on.

Voting Elephant

Mr. Mahama's gaffe is similar to when his Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, in the latter stages of the 2016 campaign, said at an NDC rally that Ghanaians should look for the elephant symbol of the NDC's opponents, the NPP, and vote for them.

Dr. Boamah is one of the young NDC appointees that Professor Kwamena Ahwoi has admitted in his book that they were groomed as Babies with sharp teeth to attack NDC founder, ex-President Rawlings.

Several Ghanaians have questioned whether it was just a slip of the tongue by ex-President Mahama or a preview of the outcome of the next presidential election told accidentally in what was considered the biggest political gaffe over the years.

Even though the NDC leader and flagbearer has handlers, no one interrupted him to tell the audience he had misspoken.

The statement, which is captured in a video that has gone viral on social media, has made some people chuckle and others cringe.

Expectedly, the eight years he gave President Akufo-Addo has attracted a spiritual interpretation, with some NPP members regarding it as a premonition for another defeat of the NDC flagbearer.

Shortly after the verbal goof, social media went agog with the faux pas.

It was unsurprising that owing to the negative fallouts from the blunder, the flagbearer's social media handlers sought to reverse it but to no avail.

They repackaged the remarks, editing out the positive prediction for the President, but the removal of that segment was obvious, triggering derision of followers of the political conversation in the country.

Political watchers believe the NDC leader's gaffe-plagued presidential bid will see his popularity plummet again after it suffered a fatal blow from Professor Kwamena Ahwoi's book entitled: Working with Rawlings, which was launched recently.

Watch the video:

---Daily Guide
The current Sino-Indian military stand-off was discussed during a phone call between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Friday. (PTI)

New Delhi: The current Sino-Indian military stand-off as part of recent destabilising actions in the region by China is understood to have been discussed during a phone call between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Friday.

During the conversation, both nations also decided to hold a meeting in the four-nation Quadrilateral format---involving India, the US, Japan and Australia---in what appears to be a clear intent to increase cooperation amid increasing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.

The US State Departments Principal Deputy Spokesperson Cale Brown said, in a statement, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar to discuss ongoing bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of international concern, including efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, support the peace process in Afghanistan, and address recent destabilizing actions in the region.

The US added, Secretary Pompeo and Minister Jaishankar reiterated the strength of the United States-India relationship to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe. Both leaders agreed to continue close cooperation on a full range of regional and international issues and look forward to Quadrilateral consultations and the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year.

Meanwhile, EAM Jaishankar tweeted on Friday, A wide-ranging conversation yesterday night with @SecPompeo. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation including working of relevant mechanisms. Shared assessments on regional and global issues including South Asia, Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific & beyond. Exchanged views on responding to the Coronavirus challenge. Discussed meeting in the Quad format in the near future.
HyperQube Technologies, an Arlington, Virginia-based company that brings the power of copy and paste to complex cloud networks, raised $2.5m in seed funding.

The round was led by Leawood Venture Capital.

The company intends to use the funds to expand the sales, marketing, and engineering teams.

Led by Craig Stevenson, founder and CEO, HyperQube provides a platform which gives IT teams the ability to replicate entire cloud networks with the click of a button. The no-code platform helps organizations rapidly review, comment, and iterate on infrastructure as code. It is cloud-agnostic, with current API support for both VMWare and AWS.

The company is a 2018 graduate of the cybersecurity accelerator program Mach37 which included other innovative technology startups including NS8, Huntress Labs, and RunSafe Security.

FinSMEs

07/08/2020
Campus hiring by IT firms in engineering colleges this year may see a 5-10 percent dip in the wake of COVID-19. The recruitment process will be delayed by a few months and it is likely to be more stringent, say experts.

Already, on-boarding of freshers this year is delayed. A 5-10 percent dip will be small. I dont see IT firms reducing fresher hiring significantly, Aditya Narayan Mishra, CEO, CIEL HR Services, said.

If it were a normal year, FY21 hiring would typically start from July 2020 and will go on till May or June 2021. Now as campuses are shut and the academic year is yet to start, it will be impossible, he said.

This delay, Pawan Goel, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com, a job search portal, explained is the impact of deferred on-boarding IT firms saw due to the pandemic.

On-boarding, which begins in April, was deferred to July, and some firms are yet to complete hiring due to the pandemic.

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

VV Apparao, chief human resources officer, HCL Tech, said that the companys hiring, which usually ends by May, was interrupted by COVID-19.

As for hiring 2021 pass-outs, Apparao said that the company is yet to take a call on the numbers as the hiring season starts only in January.

IT is the largest recruiter

IT firms, big and small, are, by far, the largest recruiters in engineering colleges, accounting for 70-80 percent job offers. The industry employs about 50 lakh people.

If you look at hiring last year, TCS recruited 40,000 freshers and Infosys close to 20,000 graduates. The on-boarding of these graduates started in July. HCL Tech is still hiring the 15,000 recruit target it set for FY20.

The company could not finish recruiting FY20 passouts due to COVID-19. So the hiring is still ongoing. Wipro did not disclose last years campus hiring numbers.

Going by the numbers, these three companies alone accounted for around 75,000 in fresher hiring. Any impact in IT hiring will directly hit students, even if the drop is about 5-10 percent.

This means that the competition is high and the selection process is more stringent for the limited sets of jobs available.

"No gut feeling"

Krishnan Venkatachary, CFO, Cigniti Technologies, an IT firm, said that their recruitment process, which has gone completely virtual, is more stringent. Unlike in physical interviews, it is difficult to go with the gut feeling here, he pointed out.

Lack of physical presence also means that firms have to rely more on how much the candidate fits into the role through additional rounds of interviews and tough aptitude tests.

An IT recruitment head from Bengaluru said that during interviews, the company chooses only candidates who meet all criteria. Earlier, we would be alright with a 70 percent match. Now we are looking at least for 90 percent, the head explained.

In addition, the attitude of freshers becomes all the more important. We are also checking how self-motivated the candidate is, the executive pointed out. In the remote working environment, he said, it would be a lot harder to train them unless they are willing to learn on their own.

Tougher entry criteria

That is not all. The entry criteria itself might become more stringent.

Subash*, who will graduate in 2021 from a Tier-II engineering college, said that the entry criteria in his college for placements has increased to a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 8-8.5, without arrears, for bigger companies. Earlier, this was 6.5 or maximum 7 with arrears, which should be cleared before joining the company.

Subash and a majority of his classmates will not be able to attend the placement interviews. Well, only 10 of my 75 classmates were qualified, he added.

It is not clear if this criteria would extend across colleges in India or restricted to smaller colleges to assess students merit. But it is not surprising that the entry criteria have been made more stringent. Amidst the pandemic, companies would look for higher quality, added the Bengaluru hiring executive.

*names changed to protect identity
In a tragic incident, at least 16 people, including both the pilots, were killed and many injured when an Air India Express plane with 190 people onboard skid off the runway of the Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday (August 7) evening. The injured were taken to multiple hospitals and the dead to Kondotti hospital. The co-pilot/First Officer who was admitted to the hospital in a critical state later succumbed.

READ | Centre orders inquiry into Air India Express plane crash at Kerala's Kozhikode airport

Kerala CM said, "Evacuation completed. Malappuram collector has informed that the rescue operations at the site have been completed. Air India flight AXB1344 (@DXB to CCJ) had 190 passengers. They all have been transferred to hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode."

READ HELPLINE NUMBERS | PM Modi speaks to Kerala CM | PM expresses pain over Air India Express accident

A total of 190 people--184 passengers, including ten infants, two pilots, and four cabin crew were onboard the aircraft. The flight, IX-1344, bound for Kozhikode from Dubai skidded during landing at the Karipur Airport at around 7.45 pm, said the Kondotty Police. The authorities have issued helpline numbers-0543090572, 0543090573, 0543090575 and 0565463903.

READ | Former IAF pilot Deepak Vasant Sathe flying Air India Express plane killed in Kozhikode crash | Unaccompanied child found at Kozhikode airport after Air India Express plane crash, authorities ask for identification

The Indian embassy in Dubai tweeted, "Air India Express Flight No IX 1344 from Dubai to Calicut skidded off the runway. We pray for well being of passengers and crew and will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates.Our helplines 056 546 3903, 0543090572, 0543090572, 0543090575."

"Air India Express has also established helpline number in Sharjah at 00971 6 5970303. People can call them as well for updates. Full details of injured and casualties are awaited," it further tweeted.

Karipur Airport control room opens helpline number 04832719493 for more information on Air India Express plane accident.

"There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and six crew members, including two pilots, onboard Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) that skidded during landing at Karipur Airport today," said the Air India Express. The plane has broken into two parts.

Helplines are open. #CCJaccident These numbers will assist you in providing information about passengers who were on the Air india Express AXB1344 from @DXB to CCJ. Airport Control Room - 0483 2719493

Malappuram Collectorate - 0483 2736320

Kozhikode Collectorate - 0495 2376901 pic.twitter.com/aPjh8ujav4  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 7, 2020

The plane fell around 35 feet down and apparently the front half took the damage but people in the rear half have survived. The Kozhikode International Airport, also known, as Karipur Airport is a tabletop airport. The flight was flying the Centre's Vande Bharat Mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pain over Air India Express plane accident and spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about the plane crash. PM Modi took to Twitter saying, "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri said, "Deeply anguished and distressed at the air accident in Kozhikode. The Air India Express flight number AXB-1344 on its way from Dubai to Kozhikode with 191 persons on board, overshot the runway in rainy conditions & went down 35 ft. into a slope before breaking up into two pieces. We are in touch with local authorities...Relief teams from Air India & AAI are being immediately dispatched from Delhi & Mumbai. All efforts being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by AAIB."

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, "A Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight fell down into the valley after landing at Runway 10 of Karipur Airport & broke down in two pieces. There were 191 people on board. Visibility was 2000 meter and heavy rain at the time of landing." The DGCA has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General SN Pradhan said, "Teams of NDRF are being rushed to Karipur Airport where the Dubai-Kozhikode flight skidded off the runway, for search and rescue."

Expressing shock over the tragic mishap, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities. The Kerala CM has directed immediate rescue measures in the plane crash. The CM has deputed AC Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations. Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrissur. The CM also has deputed an IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two districts also have been engaged.

Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save the lives of victims. The Police warm-up led by IG and fire and rescue team from two districts has started rescue operations. It is also proposed to set up the necessary health system and all the mechanisms of the state government should be used for disaster relief.

Vijayan also said, "Have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur. Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support."

PM Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM on phone about Karipur plane crash. The CM informed PM Modi that a team of officials including Kozhikode and Malappuram District Collectors and IG Ashok Yadav have arrived at the airport to participate in the rescue operation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation Additional DG Media Rajeev Jain said, "Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode at 1941 hrs tonight. No fire reported at the time of landing. There are 174 passengers, 10 Infants, 2 Pilots and 5 cabin crew onboard the aircraft. Total 191. As per the initial reports, rescue operations are on and Passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care. We will soon share the update in this regard."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed shock over the tragic incident and tweeted, "Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations."

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed his anguish over the loss of lives and tweeted, "Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight." "In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," Rajnath Singh added.

Former Union minister KJ Alphons, who belongs to Kerala, termed the accident as the second tragedy of the day in Kerala and tweeted, "Second tragedy of the day in Kerala: Air India Express skids off the runway at Kozhikode, front portion splits, the pilot dies and lots of passengers injured. All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didnt catch fire."
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 Close Trump's top economic adviser appears extremely confused over new unemployment executive orders

Donald Trump was whisked out of his daily weekday press briefing by a Secret Service officer following a shooting outside the White House on Monday.

The US Secret Service confirmed that law enforcement had shot a person blocks away from the White House, prompting the president to abruptly end a press briefing as he was escorted to the Oval Office.

He returned several minutes later announcing that a person had been shot and sent to a nearby hospital

The president continued to falsely claim that children are nearly immune from coronavirus, despite a new report that found nearly 100,000 young people were infected within the last two weeks of July alone, as schools prepare to open across the US.

Last week, Facebook and Twitter removed videos shared by the president in which he claimed that children are "virtually immune" from Covid-19, though Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reports show that children are as vulnerable to being able to transmit the virus as adults.

As lawmakers debate additional emergency relief legislation for millions of Americans during a looming eviction crisis and mass unemployment, the president has faced intense scrutiny from Democrats challenging the constitutionality of a series of executive orders that undermine congressional efforts.

Treasury Secretary told reporters that states can access extended unemployment relief "in the next week or two" despite governors signalling that the federal government, not the states, should be responsible for the additional funds.

Secretary Mnuchin also said he has not met with Democrats to repair the stalled emergency relief funding talks, despite House Democrats authoring and passing legislation to do so and meeting Republican resistance, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's accusation that Democrats are "obstructing" relief efforts.

"If they want to meet and want to negotiate and have a new proposal, we'll be happy to meet," Mr Mnuchin said.

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(JTA)  Israeli poetry scholar Rachel Korazim had been thinking about cutting back on travel when the coronavirus pandemic made the decision for her.

I said I really want to shift my teaching to distance learning because, you know, Im not getting any younger. Travel is tiring, she said she had told her husband.

But Korazim soon realized that her regular appointments at two leading destinations for adult learning, the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies and the Shalom Hartman Institute, would not happen and felt disappointed.

Then one morning in March, a viral video popped up on h...
After tensions erupted over a staff member wearing a protective face shield last week, the Ontario Ministry of Labour has ordered the Rainforest Cafe in Niagara Falls to provide eye protection for its workers serving unmasked customers.

The written order, following the ministrys recent visit to the Clifton Hill restaurant, states if there are no protections and a worker is required to work within two metres of an unmasked person, the PPE (personal protective equipment) is required in the form of droplet precautions, and a mask and eye protection is a minimum.

The order gives the restaurant until Aug. 11 to comply.

Last week, Rainforest Cafe employee Camille Sneddon said she was told by a supervisor she could not wear a face shield in addition to her mask while serving customers. When she refused to take it off, she was sent home on at least two occasions.

Her concern was that while customers wear their masks into the restaurant, they take them off while ordering and eating. It is impossible to physically distance from the guests in the restaurant, she said.

Servers at the Rainforest Cafe are represented by the Workers United Canada Council union, which stresses employees have the right to feel comfortable and safe on the job.

As there is no universal masking at the workplace, employers need to provide droplet protection to the workers, said Inderdeep Sidhu, the unions health and safety specialist.

It is worth noting that MOL (Ministry of Labour) inspectors do not write orders in situations where the worker does not have a valid complaint, and where the employer is in compliance with the Act. The point is that the employer said current conditions are safe and that is not what the ministry said.

The inspector ordered that the employer must now come up with proper eye protection for staff who are working within two metres of unmasked guests, which is most staff.

The Niagara Falls Rainforest Cafe is among several hotels and restaurants owned by Canadian Niagara Hotels in the Clifton Hill area. Contacted Friday, spokeswoman Sarah Vazquez said the order has already been complied with and that the notice of compliance has been sent to the labour ministry.

But while the company has relented on Sneddon wearing a face shield while working, it said it does not interpret the ministrys order to mean face shields are now to be required.

A letter posted for staff at the restaurant said Sneddon is now allowed to wear the face shield, since it provides her increased emotional comfort at this time.

Union representative Mike Ward said the letter, posted in the employees lunchroom, was humiliating for Sneddon, and called it just one more form of harassment.
Dame Barbara Woodward, the British Ambassador to China has been appointed as the UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. The Foreign Secretary on August 6 announced that Woodward will take charge as the United Kingdom's permanent representative to the UN, replacing Karen Pierce, who was earlier this year appointed as the first female British Ambassador to the United States. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in a statement on Thursday said that he is delighted to announce Woodward's appointment adding that she will bring "formidable intellect and dynamic diplomatic skills" to deliver for Britain.

Read: US Ambassador Says Iran Is World No. 1 Sponsor Of Terrorism

"I am honoured and delighted to be asked to lead the UKs mission at the United Nations at a time when the rules-based international system faces pressing global challenges and a significant reform agenda. The UK has a vital role to play as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the UNs third-largest donor, Woodward said in a statement published on the website of the United Kingdom's government.

Read: India's Strategic Partnership With US Will Be Central To Times Ahead: Says Ambassador Sandhu

Woodward's time in foreign office

Barbara Woodward joined the UK's Foreign Office in 1994 having worked in DfID (then ODA) and the Cabinet Office. Woodwards first posting outside the UK was to the country's embassy in Moscow in 1994 before serving as Head of the EU Enlargement Section from 1999-2001 and Deputy Head of the Human Rights Policy Department between 2001 and 2003. Woodward was first posted to China in 2003, rising to Deputy Head of Mission before moving to the UK Border Force to serve as the International Director from 2009 to 2011. Barbara was appointed Director General (Economic & Consular) in 2011 before returning to China as Ambassador in 2015.

Read: US Ambassador Shaves Mustache Under Seouls Summer Heat

Read: UK Ambassador Defends Reputation Amid Racist Remark Claims

(Image Credit: UK government/Website)


People struggling amid the pandemic wait in line in Koreatown on Wednesday to receive bags of food prepared by Homies Unidos. (Los Angeles Times)

The U.S. unemployment figures for July send a muddled message to lawmakers struggling to reach a deal on a new coronavirus relief package. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, non-farm employers added 1.8 million jobs  an enormous number in normal times  and the unemployment rate dropped again by nearly a full percentage point. Yet that rate is still higher than it ever was during the last recession, and more than 16 million Americans remain jobless.

The jobs rebound in July was also muted in comparison with the gains in June, reflecting how the surge in COVID-19 infections prompted some states to pull back on their reopening plans. That surge continued through July, portending ill for the August jobs numbers that will come out in a month.

In other words, the news is both encouraging and sobering. But buried in the numbers is a clear signal that lawmakers have to stop thinking in terms of a quick trip back to normal and start preparing for a long slog out of the economic wilderness.

The most troubling data point comes from an analysis by the Peterson Institute for International Economics, which noted that even if all 8.4 million people who classified themselves as temporarily laid off in July were recalled to work immediately  "a very optimistic scenario," as the authors put it dryly  the U.S. unemployment rate would still be 7%, or twice its pre-pandemic level. "These data suggest the temporary labor market problems are very deep," the institute writes, "and that even if individuals on temporary layoff returned to work very quickly, the United States would still have a recessionary level of unemployment for some time to come."

It wasn't all that long ago when Congress thought a 90-day increase in unemployment benefits, two months of aid for small businesses and a round of $1,200 stimulus checks would get us over the hump. The $2.2-trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act certainly helped keep things from getting worse, but the assumption behind its enactment  that the country would bounce back quickly from the pandemic and the recession it caused  has proved to be quixotic.

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So what now? It seems equally quixotic to think that a second big shot of stimulus will finish the job of righting the economy. At the same time, though, it seems like precisely the wrong time to sharply reduce or eliminate entirely the increased unemployment benefits (a point that the L.A. Times editorial board has made more than once). That's one of the main points of contention between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats as they wrangle over a sequel to the CARES Act.

Again, lawmakers and the Trump administration need to think about the economic doldrums lasting for more than a year, not just a few more weeks or months. The higher unemployment benefits can't continue indefinitely, but phasing them down as the number of available jobs grows makes a lot more sense than suddenly slashing them. Policymakers also need to start thinking about whether the pandemic will trigger or accelerate a shift away from certain kinds of jobs, which would present long-term problems for the workers in those fields.

The conservative Heritage Foundation think tank put out a statement Friday that, like many congressional Republicans, simply asserts as fact that the higher unemployment benefits deter people from taking jobs. A recent Yale study disputes that notion (although that study has critics too). But a second point made by Heritage fellow Rachel Greszler is much closer to the mark.

"While there is still a ways to go in getting Americans safely back to work, continued signs of recovery demonstrate why public health  not more 'stimulus'  should be the focus," Greszler wrote. "Congress cant force people to spend money at restaurants, hotels, or on airlines if they dont yet feel comfortable doing so, and the enormous increase in household savings along with a $1.5 trillion rise in personal disposable income between April and June suggests that what Americans need most is not more government spending but rather the ability to safely return to work and schools."

Unfortunately for Greszler, improving public health will require considerably more government spending in support of testing, contact tracing and isolating people exposed to the virus. Federal dollars also will be needed to support families who can't safely work or go to school, and to keep vital state and local services (think: public safety, schools, public health) intact despite the sharp drop in revenue.

It's hard to find an economist who wouldn't tell you that the government's first job should be to bring COVID-19 under control. What we're seeing, though, is that it's harder than anybody thought in the run-up to the CARES Act. And despite the sparks of hope in reports like the one Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the damage the pandemic has wrought to the economy appears to be deeper and more enduring than we'd expected.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA  The thief coronavirus has robbed Americans of many of their summer pleasures, but it cant steal the annual Perseid meteor shower as it builds to its peak, when 50 to 75 shooting stars an hour may be seen in the skies over Watsonville.

Whether youll be able to see this dazzling show in Earths celestial canopy depends on the weather during the showers Aug. 11-13 peak. The National Weather Service says night skies over the next week will have patchy fog in Watsonville.

The hours between midnight and sunrise are the best time to scan the sky for the summertime classic, which is known to produce fireballs. The moon is in its last quarter phase, and that will mar the sky show a bit. But the Perseids tend to be bright, so you should be able to see a fair number of them.

The brightest of meteors are known as fireballs, and theyre at least as bright as the planets Jupiter or Venus. NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke says the Perseids produce more fireballs than any other meteor shower  to the extent that hes nicknamed them the fireball champion. During the Perseids, its not unusual to see a fireball every few hours, Cooke says.

NASAs research suggests the Perseids are rich in fireballs because of the size of Swift/Tuttles nucleus  about 16 miles (or 26 kilometers) in diameter.

Most other comets are much smaller, with nuclei only a few kilometers across. As a result, Comet Swift-Tuttle produces a large number of meteoroids, many of which are large enough to produce fireballs, he wrote for NASA.

Though viewing is best after midnight from anywhere in the sky, the evening hours may offer a special treat known as an earthgrazer. Theyre rare, but a sight to behold  a long, slow and colorful meteor that streaks horizontally across the sky.

The peak dates arent the only time to see the Perseids, which have been streaking across the sky since mid-July and will continue through Aug. 24. So consider watching past the peak dates, and especially after Aug. 17, when moonless skies prevail, according to Earthsky.org.

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The rambling Delta Aquarid meteor shower continues through mid-month, so you may see a few of those, too. The Delta Aquarids are not as prolific as the Perseids, but up to 10 percent of them leave persistent trains  that is, glowing ionized gas trails that can last for a second or two after the meteor passes.

Dark skies are the best for meteor shower viewing.

Either shower can be seen from anywhere in the sky, though Earthsky.org advises placing yourself in the moons shadow near a barn or other structure. The meteors will be more visible.

The other thing required for successful meteor watching is patience. NASAs Cooke told Space.com meteor shower watching requires an investment in preparation and time, but is the simplest form of astronomy there is.

Theres no need for a telescope or binoculars, which actually are a disadvantage because the more sky youre able to see, the greater the chance of seeing a meteor. Give yourself half an hour to 45 minutes to adjust to the dark skies. And, Cooke advises, avoid looking at your phone while youre waiting to see a shooting star.

You know, that's something about meteor observing: You let your eyes adapt to the dark, and what kills [meteor viewing for] most people nowadays is that they'll look at their phones, and that bright screen just totally trashes your night vision," Cooke said.

Each meteor shower has a radiant point where the meteors appear to originate; with the Perseids, its the constellation Perseus. But the farther you get away from it, the better the chances of seeing longer streaks and fireballs.

Meteors are produced when the Earth passes through debris left behind by comets as it orbits the sun. The Perseids are produced from dust from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which last entered our solar system in 1992 and wont return again until July 2126.

There are no meteor showers in September, but the fall offers plenty of opportunity to see shooting stars, especially during those from the Geminid meteor shower. The only thing the Perseids have over the Geminids is that they occur in the summer, when its comfortable outside, but the Dec. 7-17 shower is known to produce up to 120 multicolored meteors at their peak.

This article originally appeared on the Watsonville Patch
Tik Tok logo seen displayed on a smartphone. (Omar Marques/SOPA Images/Sipa USA/PA Images)

TikTok will spend 420m (378m, $497.5m) opening its first European data centre in Ireland, it has announced.

The centre, which will store videos, messages and other data generated by European users, is expected to be operational by 2022.

Currently, all TikTok data is stored at centres in the US and Singapore. This includes users' ages, passwords, email addresses, phone numbers, stored contacts, GPS coordinates, IP addresses, device information, web browsing and search histories, anything posted online, payment information, keystroke patterns and screen tap rhythms, among other things.

TikTok has vowed to improve the safeguarding and protection of TikTok data at this base, following evaluation of security practices that were implemented when the platform was smaller but may no longer work at its current scale.

READ MORE: TikTok's UK headquarters in doubt as US considers ban

Companies get into trouble when they assume that systems, technologies, policies, and practices that were sufficient at one point in time will work forever, chief information security officer Roland Cloutier said in April.

TikTok previously launched its EMEA Trust & Safety Hub in Dublin at the start of the year, making the country a key player in its European expansion, and solidifying its long-term commitment to Ireland, the company said.

IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said: TikToks decision to establish its first European data centre in Ireland, representing a substantial investment here by the company, is very welcome and, following on from the establishment of its EMEA Trust & Safety Hub in Dublin earlier in the year, positions Ireland as an important location in the companys global operations.

Meanwhile, ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the video-sharing app, is set to move its headquarters from Beijing to London, after talks with the UK government, several media outlets reported earlier this week.

READ MORE: Highest earning TikTok influencers 2020

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This comes as US president Donald Trump considers banning the app in the US unless it is bought by an American firm and gives the government a sizable portion of the purchase price.

Trump has accused TikTok and other Chinese companies of providing data to the Chinese government.

While ByteDance denies this, it is in talks to sell its US, Canada, New Zealand and Australian business to Microsoft.
Combine Harvesters Market Research Report by Type (PTO-powered Combine, Self-propelled, and Tractor-pulled Combine), by Horse Power (268-322 HP, 323-374 HP, 375-410 HP, More than 462 HP, and Up to 267 HP), by Movement - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Combine Harvesters Market Research Report by Type, by Horse Power, by Movement - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913896/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Combine Harvesters Market is expected to grow from USD 10,395.17 Million in 2019 to USD 20,662.79 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12.13%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Combine Harvesters to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Type, the Combine Harvesters Market studied across PTO-powered Combine, Self-propelled, and Tractor-pulled Combine.



Based on Horse Power, the Combine Harvesters Market studied across 268-322 HP, 323-374 HP, 375-410 HP, More than 462 HP, and Up to 267 HP.



Based on Movement, the Combine Harvesters Market studied across Crawler Type and Wheel Type.



Based on Geography, the Combine Harvesters 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 Combine Harvesters Market including Agco Corporation, Claas Kgaa Mbh, Deere & Company, Kartar Agro Industries Private Limited, KS GROUP, Kubota Agricultural Machinery, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd (M&M Ltd.), Preet Group, Sdf S.P.A. and Iseki & Co., Ltd., and Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Combine Harvesters 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 Combine Harvesters Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Combine Harvesters Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Combine Harvesters Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Combine Harvesters Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Combine Harvesters Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Combine Harvesters Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913896/?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.



__________________________

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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




After a spiraling coronavirus outbreak that pushed California to the most infections in the U.S., the trends appear to be brightening: Daily reported cases have plunged, as has the rate of tests that come back positive.

The trouble is, it's unclear if those figures are accurate.

California officials have uncovered a bug in their virus reporting effort -- the nation's largest, with more than 120,000 people tested each day. On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom touted a 21% drop in the average daily rate of new cases from the prior week as a sign of stabilization. The next day, his top public health official warned the numbers were likely too low -- by how much he couldn't say -- and the state didn't know when the problem would be fixed.

"We don't know if our cases are plateauing, rising or decreasing," Sara Cody, public health director for Silicon Valley's Santa Clara County, said at a press briefing. "I would say that right now, we're back to feeling blind."

Months into fighting the pandemic, officials across the country are still struggling with some of the most basic, necessary steps: spotting infections, counting cases and reporting deaths. Testing is so chaotic that a coalition of seven governors on Tuesday announced they would try to create a nationwide program from the ground up, roping in every state willing to join.

Florida -- home to the second-most U.S. cases -- briefly paused its own testing program due to Hurricane Isaias, a disruption that could happen again in storm-prone states as the heart of the hurricane season nears. Texas, meanwhile, has adjusted its data-collection methods several times for both new cases and death counts, at one point sending its reported fatalities surging 13% in one day.

Tracking the trajectory of the outbreak is key: States trying to restart their economies need accurate, up-to-date numbers to monitor their progress against the pandemic. So do school districts debating when to allow students back on campus. And "contact tracing," calling people who may have come into contact with an infected person, is impossible without fast results.

"We're trying to walk this tightrope of keeping as much business open as possible without letting this thing explode," said Carl Bergstrom, a biology professor at the University of Washington in Seattle. "We need data that's both accurate and timely."

That said, such problems may be inevitable in a pandemic of this scale. "Coming up with timely, high-quality aggregate statistics is just plain hard," Bergstrom said.

California officials have not yet described in detail what has gone wrong with their case reporting system. Mark Ghaly, the state's Health and Human Services secretary, reported the problem during a Tuesday briefing, saying it appeared that data sent from testing labs to the state was "getting stuck." Officials have been working "around the clock" to fix the issue, he said in an emailed statement Thursday.

"We will not rest until this problem is resolved," Ghaly said. "All Californians and local public health officials must have accurate data, and we pledge to share a full accounting of when these problems began and their magnitude as soon as we have a clear understanding -- and the solutions to address them."

County health officers don't even know how far back the undercounting began. Cody said the bad data may reach back to mid-July.

California has seen its daily case count decline from a peak of more than 12,000 two weeks ago to just 5,258 on Wednesday. Fatalities hit a daily record last week and are poised to surpass 10,000 in total, following the surge in infections weeks earlier.

Ghaly said Tuesday that while the new case numbers are affected, statistics on the number of Californians hospitalized with Covid-19 are not. And they do show a decline, from a high of 7,170 on July 21 to 6,069 on Wednesday.

"We feel confident that they are beginning to stabilize," Ghaly said.

In Florida, all state-run drive-through and walk-up testing sites were closed last week in anticipation of Hurricane Isaias, cutting overall testing capacity dramatically and artificially slashing new reported cases on Monday to the lowest in more than a month.

With the case data muddied, analysts were left to scrutinize positivity rates and hospitalizations, measures that appear to signal improving trends but have issues of their own. Speaking Tuesday in Jacksonville, Governor Ron DeSantis raised questions about his own state's positivity rate, a data point he had previously promoted but that's recently been at stubbornly high levels, undermining his case for restarting schools.

"Some labs don't report the negatives religiously; sometimes they do data dumps," he said. "I'd be very cautious of tying a child's future to the efficacy of some private lab dumping the results into a system."

His concerns about unreported negatives -- which would shrink the denominator in the ratio and theoretically inflate the rates -- appeared to echo a Fox 35 Orlando report last month. In a response at the time, his own Department of Health confirmed that some "smaller, private labs" were wrongly failing to report negatives, but that the state had immediately contacted them to rectify the problem. To be sure, Florida's cumulative positivity rate appears broadly similar even if you exclude all smaller labs.

Texas has made data revisions rippling back through March that make historical comparisons difficult. At the end of July, the state decided to change its data source for fatalities, relying on the cause of death listed on death certificates instead of local government reports.

But since coroners and hospitals are given 10 days to file those certificates to the state, that's resulted in a two-track death count: a daily measure of how many virus deaths are reported on the certificates received by the state each day, and a count based on the actual date of death that is in constant flux for every rolling 10-day period, making it difficult to gauge the true toll.
It might feel like summer has only just begun, but retailers are already planning for Christmas - with Argos releasing its annual list of predictions for this year's top toys.

With less than 200 days to go until December 25th, the British store says LEGO Lamborghini, Baby Yoda and a pooping flamingo will feature heavily in letters to Santa this winter.

Time spent at home during lockdown has generated a strong sense of nostalgia for our own favourite toys, which is also likely to influence parents' buying habits, according to the brand's research.

More than one fifth plan to gift their child something that conjures memories of their own childhood this Christmas.

It might feel like summer's only just begun, but retailers are already planning for Christmas - with Argos releasing its annual list of predictions for this year's top toys. Pictured, Baby Yoda, seen right, and a pooping flamingo, seen left, were mentioned by the brand

With less than 200 days to go until December 25th, the British store says LEGO Lamborghini (pictured), Baby Yoda and a pooping flamingo will feature heavily in letters to Santa this winter

As such, franchises that have stood the test of time make several appearances on the Argos top toy rundown, combining classic choices with something fresh and modern.

An animatronic doll of The Child from The Mandalorian  affectionately known as Baby Yoda, one of the stars of the popular Star Wars spin-off that came to the Disney+ streaming service during lockdown  is expected to be one of this year's biggest hits.

The 12 toys that will be top of childrens Christmas lists this year, according to Argos Design A Friend Sienna Doll - 25

Fisher-Price Rollin Rovee - 60

Hatchimals Pixies Crystal Flyers - 35

Kidizoom Studio - 60

Laser Battle Hunters - 60

LEGO Adventures with Mario Starter Course - 50

LEGO Technic Lamborghini - 350

Little Live Pets Gotta Go Flamingo - 33

L.O.L Surprise! OMG Fashion Dolls Series 3 - 32

PAW Patrol Dino Rescue Dino Patroller - 65

Poopsie Dancing Unicorn - 50

The Child Animatronic Edition - 45 Advertisement

The doll, priced at 45, moves, gurgles and even 'summons the Force' and is ideal for parents wanting to live out their childhood Star Wars memories with their youngsters.

Elsewhere, Nintendo and LEGO, both of which have maintained their popularity for several generations, have collaborated to release the LEGO Adventures with Mario Starter Course.

Costing 50, it offers children  and indeed adults  the chance to recreate the iconic platform games in physical form, collecting coins and squashing enemies.

Playtimes beyond a screen are high on parents' priorities list, with 40 per cent set to purchase more toys that encourage active and imaginative play than they did last year.

The 33 Little Live Pets Gotta Go Flamingo is an interactive animal that tells kids when it has to sit on its potty, while Poopsie launches the Dancing Unicorn.

Priced at 50, it's a new version of Poopsie Slime Surprise Unicorn  the pooping mythical creature that was one of the biggest hits of 2018.

There are also familiar faces and creatures on this year's predictions, with Toys from L.O.L. Surprise! and Paw Patrol making the list for a third and fourth year in a row respectively.

And when it comes to the way toys are purchased, 63 per cent of parents plan to tackle their Christmas shopping online or through a click-and-collect service, a notable increase on last year's 47 per cent.

Meanwhile, rather than presenting children with vast sacks of presents on Christmas morning, parents appear to be more selective with their choices, opting for quality, long-lasting items.

Elsewhere, Nintendo and LEGO, both of which have maintained their popularity for several generations, have collaborated to release the LEGO Adventures with Mario Starter Course (above)

There are also familiar faces and creatures on this year's predictions, with Toys from L.O.L. Surprise! and Paw Patrol (pictured) making the list for a third and fourth year in a row respectively

A quarter of Brits surveyed expect to spend more than 200 on their most expensive purchase this year, with the 350 LEGO Technic Lamborghini likely to make wish lists across the country.

Elsewhere on the list, the unstoppable rise of TikTok and YouTube has made its presence known with the 60 KidiZoom Studio entering the top 12.

The high-definition camera kit, perfect for budding influencers wanting to film their very own videos, cemented its position after a 12 per cent increase in orders for kids vlogging equipment on the Argos website this year.

The unstoppable rise of TikTok and YouTube made its presence known with the 60.00 KidiZoom Studio entering the top 12, while the Poopsie Dancing Unicorn (seen right) also features

And when it comes to the way toys (pictured) are purchased, 63 per cent of parents plan to tackle their Christmas shopping online or through a click-and-collect service, an increase on last year's 47 per cent

Juliet Ward, Head of Toy Buying at Argos, said: 'With so much time spent inside during lockdown, the nation has rekindled its love for toys, turning to them now more than ever to keep themselves entertained during what has been a difficult time for many.

'This year's top toys list offers a huge variety of new products, ranging from toys inspired by the biggest TV and gaming franchises to bizarre  but crucially, fun  pooping animals.

'When we craft the list of our top toy predictions for the year, we always try to accurately gauge the "toy crazes" that are set to make thousands of wish lists.

'This year it's heartening to see so many toys that will encourage families to spend time together, whether that's putting together a LEGO Lamborghini or reminiscing over the Mario games of the 80s and 90s.'
By 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 $59.1 million, Trend reports citing CBA.

According to CBA, demand from the banks at the auction decreased by 2.3 percent or by $1.4 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 Central Bank of Azerbaijan 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 Aug.7)

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
City health inspectors found dead insects and an overflowing trash can at an East Side restaurant Monday.

The establishment had no hot water when inspectors arrived. While the hot water was restored after 30 minutes, the eatery still earned the lowest score on this week's list.

READ ALSO: Who is getting COVID-19 in San Antonio? Here's a breakdown.

Elsewhere, inspectors found numerous flies and slippery floors due to leaking sinks at a Northeast Side fast food joint.

They also noticed a Windex spray bottle near food in a East Side meat market's bakery.

A total of 10 eateries failed to score an "A" during inspections by the city's Metropolitan Health District.

Continue scrolling for a look at the violations spotted by inspectors this week.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system where "100" is a perfect score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each is assigned a demerit score between 1 and 3 points, according to the health division.

If you have questions about inspections or complaints about a food establishment, contact the Metropolitan Health District office by calling 3-1-1 or 210-207-6000. Be prepared to provide the name, location, date of incident and details of the incident.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Viajay has instructed the state police and fire department to take urgent action for rescue and relief operations after the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur that killed at least two people including the pilot of the aircraft.

The Kerala chief minister tweeted to say that he has also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support, reported ANI

Home minister Amit Shah tweeted that he had instructed National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) to reach the site immediately and carry out rescue operations.

Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. I have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations,Shah tweeted.

NDRF director general SN Pradhan confirmed that teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were being rushed to Karipur Airport for search and rescue.

Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode Airport around 7:41 pm on Friday and fell into a gorge. There were 174 passengers, 10 Infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft, said ministry of civil aviation.

As per the initial reports rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care.

At least 40 passengers have received injuries in the mishap which took place after the plane overshot the runway while landing during rainy conditions at the airport and broke into two parts. The front portion of the aircraft was also damaged completely. The plane had landed on Runway 10 and continued running to the end of the runway and fell into a valley.

Civil aviation regulator DGCA said the visibility at the airport was around 2000 meters at the time of the incident and the airport was witnessing heavy rains and the plane fell into a 30 feet deep gorge in the valley.

Kozhikode airport is a tabletop airport just like the one at Mangaluru, which had witnessed a horrific air crash in 2010
Actor Rhea Chakraborty appeared before the Enforcement directorate on Friday after the central agency rejected her request to defer questioning in the Sushant Singh Rajputs death case.

The ED had filed a money laundering case in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput based on the basis of a First Information Report filed by the Bihar police.

Sushants father, KK Singh, had alleged that there were unexplained transfers from his sons bank account involving actor Rhea Chakraborty and others.

The late actors father had accused Chakraborty of having befriended his son in May 2019 with the intention of furthering her own career, said officials.

Watch : Sushant death case: Rhea Chakraborty appears before ED l Key details

The ED will probe allegations of alleged mishandling of Rajputs money and his bank accounts. The agency will probe if anyone used Rajputs income for money laundering and creating illegal assets, the officials said.

Legal experts said that an ED probe is different from the one conducted by the local police as according to normal criminal law, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but under PMLA (prevention of money laundering act), a person is presumed guilty until he proves his innocence.

The 34-year-old actor, who had starred in films such as Chichhore, Kai Po Che and Kedarnath, was found dead at his Mumbai home on June 14.
California is looking at releasing 17,600 inmates early to ease overcrowding in prisons during the coronavirus pandemic.

In April 3,500 inmates were released followed by another 6,900 in July. Currently 700 offenders who have less than one year to serve and 6,500 people who have been classified as high risk by the Federal Receiver are being considered.

The numbers and the estimated total of 17,600 came in a filing last week when officials raised the estimated total from 10,400 with a federal judge.

An estimated 17,600 inmates could be released from prison in California with 10,400 already freed. Pictured: Stock photo of general population inmates at at San Quentin State Prison in California

A protestor group calling for mass inmate releases outside of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's mansion in Fair Oaks

'This is not a blanket release, the point-in-time numbers are just a step in the review process as the department works tirelessly to conduct these releases in a way that aligns public health and public safety,' a CDRC spokesperson told Fox News.

But Corrections Secretary Ralph Diaz is expected to block about 5,500 of the potential releases for reasons including the fact that some are serving life sentences.

One of the 10,400 prisoners already released was Terebea Williams, 44, who served 19 years of an 84 years-to-life sentence for first-degree murder.

She murdered a man, Kevin 'John' Ruska, who was driving her to work in 1998 when they argued about something and she forced him into the trunk.

He tried to escape and she shot him, drove him over 700 miles from Tacoma, Washington, to a motel in Davis, California, where he died from the gunshot wound getting infected.

Across the US over 100,000 people have been released from state and federal prisons between March and June.

The California Police Chiefs Association said they recognise the need to reduce the prison population but warns against releasing violent criminals.

Pressure to release prisoners has mounted after a transfer of prisoners to California's San Quentin Prison led to over 2,000 inmates becoming infected with coronavirus. Pictured: Emergency care facility for coronavirus patients at San Quentin

Out of the 100,000 releases two people have been shot and killed by released inmates in Denver and Tampa in Florida.

A study led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that the number of people in prison who tested positive for coronavirus was 505 times higher than the general US population.

Likewise, the death rate for prisoners that contracted coronavirus was three times higher than the general US population.

Releases are also putting strain on probation officers and community organisations who have to rush to set up housing and transport for people who are released.

The advocacy group Crime Victims Alliance said victims and prosecutors are given no notice about releases and have way to object.

Activists have campaigned to release inmates from prison, especially after a transfer of infected prisoners into San Quentin Prison led to a catastrophic outbreak.

Over 2,000 people were thought to have been infected have now recovered or released while infected.

About 170 inmates are still infected with coronavirus and 23 people in the prison died.

The prison is notoriously overcrowded and its population dropped to below 100,000 people for the first time in 30 years, following the releases.

Additionally, just under 2,000 state prison employees have also been infected with coronavirus and eight of them have died.
AESs strategic investment in solar innovator 5B enables deployment of solar energy generation facilities three times faster and generates twice the energy from the same land plot.

U.S. energy corporation AES has invested in 5B, a solar technology company based in Sydney, Australia. 5B's revolutionary Maverick design enables customers to add solar resources at a pace that is three times faster than usual while providing up to two times more energy within the same footprint of traditional solar facilities.

Together, AES and 5B will help clients accelerate the production of solar energy.

The total global investment in the solar energy market between 2021 and 2025 is projected to reach $613 billion as companies transition to greener energy. 5B's Maverick design enables companies to make that transition more quickly and with less land. The design is a pre-wired, prefabricated solar solution that is folded up, shipped to site and rolled out.

The 5B approach streamlines engineering, procurement and construction for ground-mounted solar facilities.

Maverick also removes common barriers to deploying solar resources, including availability of land and ground penetration, making solar possible in more places while providing the flexibility to easily relocate the resources in some applications.

"Solar is the most abundant clean energy source in the world, and 5B's innovative design produces twice the energy for any given area," Andres Gluski, president and CEO of AES, said.

"In addition, a project using 5B's technology can be built in a third of the time when compared with conventional solar. These significant advantages will help us meet our customers growing needs in today's ever-changing environment."
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Thursday commended the first five beneficiaries of the Accelerated Oil and Gas Capacity (AOGC) programme for successfully completing a 10-month sponsored training in welding in Canada.



The five, who were chosen after a rigorous selection process in 2019 through the AOGC programme, underwent advanced training in offshore (undersea) stainless steel welding at the North Alberta Institute of Technology in Canada.



They now wield international certificates from the American Welding Society and the Canadian Welding Bureau, giving them the capacity to work anywhere in the world in oil and gas and affiliated platforms and installations.



The programme, which cost $250,000, was sponsored by Baker Hughes, an international oil fields service company.



At a short ceremony at the Jubilee House in Accra, President Akufo-Addo welcomed them back to the country and applauded them for attaining the feat.



He reminded them, however, that though academic competence was necessary it would not be sufficient for their success.



They should apply what has been learnt and do so with integrity and train other Ghanaians in order to boost local participation in the Oil and Gas sector.



You've gone, you've conquered and come back, but academic prowess is necessary but not sufficient for success...it is now that you are going to learn on the job, the full dynamics of the class room.



"You have to continue to work and work with integrityhe admonished.



Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic had made many economies to adjust, particularly in the petroleum sector, the President was optimistic that the five will find a lot of demand for what they went to learn in Canada.



"I wish you success and I hope to hear more stories on the ongoing training....the resources are here in our country, our responsibility is to make sure we are the principal beneficiary of those resources, both in terms of their exploitation and also in terms of the human resource that is responsible for developing it," he added.



He commended Baker Hughes for partnering government to build local capacity in the oil and gas sector of the country.



Oghogho Dixon, Country Director of Baker Hughes, praise the five beneficiaries for successfully completing the training programme.



"I must say that the feedback and report we got from the University on the performance of these students are excellent and we are proud of them. Ghana has a bright future in stainless steel welding space."



Mr Egbert Faibille Jnr, Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, which is implementing the AOGC programme, said the Commission had plans to train a lot more Ghanaians to acquire skills that would afford them the opportunity to work in the upstream oil industry.



"We want to move beyond the current phase where a lot of jobs in the upstream space are given to expatriates to do because our people do not have the necessary international certification to do the work."



Mr Faibille said the aim of the AOGC was to develop the capacity of Ghanaians in core technical areas such as welding and metal fabrication, pipe fitting, Non-Destructive test and drilling.



He pointed out that the AOGC beneficiaries would train and build the capacity of other young people to participate effectively in the upstream oil sector.



The AOGC beneficiaries are Messrs James Bewiekah, Micheal Atobah, Abdul Rahman Dagankrah, Bright Oduro and Joseph Ghunney.

Source: GNA









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Zencity, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based provider of AI-based insights for local governments, closed a $13.5m funding round.

The round was led by TLV Partners and joined by strategic investor Salesforce Ventures, in addition to the companys existing investors  Canaan Partners Israel (CPI), Vertex Ventures, M12  Microsofts Venture Fund, and i3 Equity Partners.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its products ability to serve state and local government agencies, build out new strategic partnerships and further expand its market presence.

Founded in 2015 and led by Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO, Zencity uses advanced AI to provide local government agencies with actionable insights about their communities needs and priorities based on discourse in digital channels. The platform collects millions of resident-generated data points from a multitude of sources and using AI algorithms, transforms this mass of unstructured data into real-time and ongoing insights for local government leaders. These capabilities allow local governments to understand wide-scale community feedback and ensure they can hear the range of their residents voices. The company today supports over 150 cities and counties of all sizes across four countries and 28 US states  including major cities like Los Angeles, Houston and Chicago, mid-size communities like Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Dayton, OH; and even small communities like State College, PA.

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07/08/2020
Pushed into quarantine by Mumbai's civic agency, Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari  who came to the city to supervise the Sushant Singh Rajput death case probe  has spent the last five days sharing self-composed poetry through his social media accounts.

According to an Indian Express report, the officer shared his musings on Facebook and Twitter, which then garnered considerable attention. However, his present location, a police accommodation in Goregaon, has stopped him from composing more.

The location is very important for me to think, write and record my poetry, said Tiwari, SP, Patna City (Central)," Tiwari was quoted as saying by the publication.

Tiwari, who hails from Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur, has recorded three poems this week at the Ranchod Dham Temple. Tiwari, a 2015-batch IPS officer, has been constricted to his room ever since he came to Mumbai on Sunday to lead the Bihar Polices Special Investigation Team looking into Sushant Singh Rajput's death.

He first received recognition for his Hindi poem which he released on Labour Day. He was also called by Zee News Bihar on May 1 to recite it on-air. Another composition on the coronavirus crisis, which he shared online on July 26, also brought him widespread appreciation.

After the news of Rajput's death broke out, Tiwari shared a poem titled Gloomy Sunday on June 15.

I have been writing poetry since 2017 and recording videos since 2019. I only get time once every two to three months to record these videos, Tiwari told IE.

Notably, the first of the three poems he shared on August 4 has been viewed by over 11,400 individuals.

Out of the 25 poems Tiwari has written so far, he has recorded 12 compositions. Interestingly, the poems he shared online, are accompanied by a request: All of you are requested to please not comment on the facts related to the investigation. It is not fair or in the public interest to do so.

As PM Modiconducted the 'bhumi pujan' ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Wednesday, the IPS officer shared a poem about the many lessons he had learnt from the deity.

In a recent development, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allowed Tiwari to be released from quarantine. The BMC allowed Tiwari to leave the quarantine Centre on a condition that he would leave the city before the seventh day of his arrival, i.e. August 8, stating that "a quarantine is not mandatory for a short stay." The move comes two days after the Sushant Singh Rajput death case was handed over to CBI.
Yves here. One of my mothers friends had polio and was lucky enough to get a form of water therapy that enabled her to walk with only a brace on one ankle. Her age, and the fact that there were no polio victims among the older siblings of children I knew led me to regard polio, and of course other epidemic/pandemic level diseases, as things we learned about, but happened only to people who were remote: much older, institutionalized, or at worst, in the unfortunate position still to be at risk in a developing country. The idea that someone like Cockburn, was afflicted the year before I was born is yet another reminder how privileged Americans once were.

By Patrick Cockburn, a Middle East correspondent for the Independent of London and the author of six books on the Middle East, the latest of which is War in the Age of Trump: The Defeat of Isis, the Fall of the Kurds, the Confrontation with Iran (Verso). Originally published at TomDispatch

The struggle against Covid-19 has often been compared to fighting a war. Much of this rhetoric is bombast, but the similarities between the struggle against the virus and against human enemies are real enough. War reporting and pandemic reporting likewise have much in common because, in both cases, journalists are dealing with and describing matters of life and death. Public interest is fueled by deep fears, often more intense during an epidemic because the whole population is at risk. In a war, aside from military occupation and area bombing, terror is at its height among those closest to the battlefield.

The nature of the dangers stemming from military violence and the outbreak of a deadly disease may appear very different. But looked at from the point of view of a government, they both pose an existential threat because failure in either crisis may provoke some version of regime change. People seldom forgive governments that get them involved in losing wars or that fail to cope adequately with a natural disaster like the coronavirus. The powers-that-be know that they must fight for their political lives, perhaps even their physical existence, claiming any success as their own and doing their best to escape blame for what has gone wrong.

My First Pandemic

I first experienced a pandemic in the summer of 1956 when, at the age of six, I caught polio in Cork, Ireland. The epidemic there began soon after virologist Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for it in the United States, but before it was available in Europe. Polio epidemics were at their height in the first half of the twentieth century and, in a number of respects, closely resembled the Covid-19 experience: many people caught the disease but only a minority were permanently disabled by or died of it. In contrast with Covid-19, however, it was young children, not the old, who were most at risk. The terror caused by poliomyelitis, to use its full name, was even higher than during the present epidemic exactly because it targeted the very young and its victims did not generally disappear into the cemetery but were highly visible on crutches and in wheelchairs, or prone in iron lungs.

Parents were mystified by the source of the illness because it was spread by great numbers of asymptomatic carriers who did not know they had it. The worst outbreaks were in the better-off parts of modern cities like Boston, Chicago, Copenhagen, Melbourne, New York, and Stockholm. People living there enjoyed a good supply of clean water and had effective sewage disposal, but did not realize that all of this robbed them of their natural immunity to the polio virus. The pattern in Cork was the same: most of the sick came from the more affluent parts of the city, while people living in the slums were largely unaffected. Everywhere, there was a frantic search to identify those, like foreign immigrants, who might be responsible for spreading the disease. In the New York epidemic of 1916, even animals were suspected of doing so and 72,000 cats and 8,000 dogs were hunted down and killed.

The illness weakened my legs permanently and I have a severe limp so, even reporting in dangerous circumstances in the Middle East, I could only walk, not run. I was very conscious of my disabilities from the first, but did not think much about how I had acquired them or the epidemic itself until perhaps four decades later. It was the 1990s and I was then visiting ill-supplied hospitals in Iraq as that countrys health system was collapsing under the weight of U.N. sanctions. As a child, I had once been a patient in an almost equally grim hospital in Ireland and it occurred to me then, as I saw children in those desperate circumstances in Iraq, that I ought to know more about what had happened to me. At that time, my ignorance was remarkably complete. I did not even know the year when the polio epidemic had happened in Ireland, nor could I say if it was caused by a virus or a bacterium.

So I read up on the outbreak in newspapers of the time and Irish Health Ministry files, while interviewing surviving doctors, nurses, and patients. Kathleen OCallaghan, a doctor at St. Finbarrs hospital, where I had been brought from my home when first diagnosed, said that people in the city were so frightened they would cross the road rather than walk past the walls of the fever hospital. My father recalled that the police had to deliver food to infected homes because no one else would go near them. A Red Cross nurse, Maureen OSullivan, who drove an ambulance at the time, told me that, even after the epidemic was over, people would quail at the sight of her ambulance, claiming the polio is back again and dragging their children into their houses or they might even fall to their knees to pray.

The local authorities in a poor little city like Cork where I grew up understood better than national governments today that fear is a main feature of epidemics. They tried then to steer public opinion between panic and complacency by keeping control of the news of the outbreak. When British newspapers like the Times reported that polio was rampant in Cork, they called this typical British slander and exaggeration. But their efforts to suppress the news never worked as well as they hoped. Instead, they dented their own credibility by trying to play down what was happening. In that pre-television era, the main source of information in my hometown was the Cork Examiner, which, after the first polio infections were announced at the beginning of July 1956, accurately reported on the number of cases, but systematically underrated their seriousness.

Headlines about polio like Panic Reaction Without Justification and Outbreak Not Yet Dangerous regularly ran below the fold on its front page. Above it were the screaming ones about the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian uprising of that year. In the end, this treatment only served to spread alarm in Cork where many people were convinced that the death toll was much higher than the officially announced one and that bodies were being secretly carried out of the hospitals at night.

My father said that, in the end, a delegation of local businessmen, the owners of the biggest shops, approached the owners of the Cork Examiner, threatening to withdraw their advertising unless it stopped reporting the epidemic. I was dubious about this story, but when I checked the newspaper files many years later, I found that he was correct and the paper had almost entirely stopped reporting on the epidemic just as sick children were pouring into St. Finbarrs hospital.

The Misreporting of Wars and Epidemics

By the time I started to research a book about the Cork polio epidemic that would be titled Broken Boy, I had been reporting wars for 25 years, starting with the Northern Irish Troubles in the 1970s, then the Lebanese civil war, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the war that followed Washingtons post-9/11 takeover of Afghanistan, and the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. After publication of the book, I went on covering these endless conflicts for the British paper the Independent as well as new conflicts sparked in 2011 by the Arab Spring in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

As the coronavirus pandemic began this January, I was finishing a book (just published), War in the Age of Trump: The Defeat of Isis, the Fall of the Kurds, the Confrontation with Iran. Almost immediately, I noticed strong parallels between the Covid-19 pandemic and the polio epidemic 64 years earlier. Pervasive fear was perhaps the common factor, though little grasped by governments of this moment. Boris Johnsons in Great Britain, where I was living, was typical in believing that people had to be frightened into lockdown, when, in fact, so many were already terrified and needed to be reassured.

I also noticed ominous similarities between the ways in which epidemics and wars are misreported. Those in positions of responsibility  Donald Trump represents an extreme version of this  invariably claim victories and successes even as they fail and suffer defeats. The words of the Confederate general Stonewall Jackson came to mind. On surveying ground that had only recently been a battlefield, he asked an aide: Did you ever think, sir, what an opportunity a battlefield affords liars?

This has certainly been true of wars, but no less so, it seemed to me, of epidemics, as President Trump was indeed soon to demonstrate (over and over and over again). At least in retrospect, disinformation campaigns in wars tend to get bad press and be the subject of much finger wagging. But think about it a moment: it stands to reason that people trying to kill each other will not hesitate to lie about each other as well. While the glib saying that truth is the first casualty of war has often proven a dangerous escape hatch for poor reporting or unthinking acceptance of a self-serving version of battlefield realities (spoon-fed by the powers-that-be to a credulous media), it could equally be said that truth is the first casualty of pandemics. The inevitable chaos that follows in the wake of the swift spread of a deadly disease and the desperation of those in power to avoid being held responsible for the soaring loss of life lead in the same direction.

There is, of course, nothing inevitable about the suppression of truth when it comes to wars, epidemics, or anything else for that matter. Journalists, individually and collectively, will always be engaged in a struggle with propagandists and PR men, one in which victory for either side is never inevitable.

Unfortunately, wars and epidemics are melodramatic events and melodrama militates against real understanding. If it bleeds, it leads is true of news priorities when it comes to an intensive care unit in Texas or a missile strike in Afghanistan. Such scenes are shocking but do not necessarily tell us much about what is actually going on.

The recent history of war reporting is not encouraging. Journalists will always have to fight propagandists working for the powers-that-be. Sadly, I have had the depressing feeling since Washingtons first Gulf War against Saddam Husseins Iraq in 1991 that the propagandists are increasingly winning the news battle and that accurate journalism, actual eyewitness reporting, is in retreat.

Disappearing News

By its nature, reporting wars is always going to be difficult and dangerous work, but it has become more so in these years. Coverage of Washingtons Afghan and Iraqi wars was often inadequate, but not as bad as the more recent reporting from war-torn Libya and Syria or its near total absence from the disaster that is Yemen. This lack fostered misconceptions even when it came to fundamental questions like who is actually fighting whom, for what reasons, and just who are the real prospective winners and losers.

Of course, there is little new about propaganda, controlling the news, or spreading false facts. Ancient Egyptian pharaohs inscribed self-glorifying and mendacious accounts of their battles on monuments, now thousands of years old, in which their defeats are lauded as heroic victories. What is new about war reporting in recent decades is the far greater sophistication and resources that governments can deploy in shaping the news. With opponents like longtime Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein, demonization was never too difficult a task because he was a genuinely demonic autocrat.

Yet the most influential news story about the Iraqi invasion of neighboring Kuwait in 1990 and the U.S.-led counter-invasion proved to be a fake. This was a report that, in August 1990, invading Iraqi soldiers had tipped babies out of incubators in a Kuwaiti hospital and left them to die on the floor. A Kuwaiti girl reported to have been working as a volunteer in the hospital swore before a U.S. congressional committee that she had witnessed that very atrocity. Her story was hugely influential in mobilizing international support for the war effort of the administration of President George H.W. Bush and the U.S. allies he teamed up with.

In reality it proved purely fictional. The supposed hospital volunteer turned out to be the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador in Washington. Several journalists and human rights specialists expressed skepticism at the time, but their voices were drowned out by the outrage the tale provoked. It was a classic example of a successful propaganda coup: instantly newsworthy, not easy to disprove, and when it was  long after the war  it had already had the necessary impact, creating support for the U.S.-led coalition going to war with Iraq.

In a similar fashion, I reported on the American war in Afghanistan in 2001-2002 at a time when coverage in the international media had left the impression that the Taliban had been decisively defeated by the U.S. military and its Afghan allies. Television showed dramatic shots of bombs and missiles exploding on the Taliban front lines and Northern Alliance opposition forces advancing unopposed to liberate the Afghan capital, Kabul.

When, however, I followed the Taliban retreating south to Kandahar Province, it became clear to me that they were not by any normal definition a beaten force, that their units were simply under orders to disperse and go home. Their leaders had clearly grasped that they were over-matched and that it would be better to wait until conditions changed in their favor, something that had distinctly happened by 2006, when they went back to war in a big way. They then continued to fight in a determined fashion to the present day. By 2009, it was already dangerous to drive beyond the southernmost police station in Kabul due to the risk that Taliban patrols might create pop-up checkpoints anywhere along the road.

None of the wars I covered then have ever really ended. What has happened, however, is that they have largely ended up receding, if not disappearing, from the news agenda. I suspect that, if a successful vaccine for Covid-19 isnt found and used globally, something of the same sort could happen with the coronavirus pandemic as well. Given the way news about it now dominates, even overwhelms, the present news agenda, this may seem unlikely, but there are precedents. In 1918, with World War I in progress, governments dealt with what came to be called the Spanish Flu by simply suppressing information about it. Spain, as a non-combatant in that war, did not censor the news of the outbreak in the same fashion and so the disease was most unfairly named the Spanish Flu, though it probably began in the United States.

The polio epidemic in Cork supposedly ended abruptly in mid-September 1956 when the local press stopped reporting on it, but that was at least two weeks before many children like me caught it. In a similar fashion, right now, wars in the Middle East and north Africa like the ongoing disasters in Libya and Syria that once got significant coverage now barely get a mention much of the time.

In the years to come, the same thing could happen to the coronavirus.
There are more than a few signs that the people of Ontario are not bursting with pride when it comes to their governments plan for school reopening in September.

For example, nearly 170,000 of them and counting recently signed a petition demanding that the provincial government amend its back to school plan to include reduced class sizes. The hashtag Unsafe September continues to trend on Twitter. Many teachers in the province are contemplating leaving the profession or in some cases (if they are returning to the classroom) writing or revising their wills.

Meanwhile, parents of means are investing in their own home school startups by posting ads to social media for private tutors to oversee a pod of select students. Conversely, kids whose parents dont have the resources to establish mini private schools in their living rooms will go to public school, where the risk of transmission is obviously higher, further cementing the reality that COVID-19 is not an equalizer. As always, those who can afford to will pay to stay safe and those who cant will take their chances.

But no matter where you stand on the governments school reopening plan  whether you think its dangerous or ingenious  its flat out incorrect to suggest its without controversy, let alone popular. Yet the administration at its helm would like us to believe it is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Though heralded early in the pandemic for his calm compassion, at a press conference on Thursday, Premier Doug Ford was the picture of bravado and bluster. After excoriating the thugs of organized crime, and suggesting that some Ontarians are taking advantage of CERB, he proceeded to insist that despite a growing backlash, when it comes to the provinces plan for school in September, everything is fantastic.

In his own words, on Thursday, in response to a question about parental concern: I hear the parents. I hear you loud and clear. But keep in mind, we have the best plan in the country bar none.

(In translation: I understand you dont think this plan is the best. Let me address your concerns by reasserting that this plan is the best.)

The premier continued: Do we all want smaller classes? One-hundred per cent. But I think the plan is phenomenal. Its the best plan in the entire country bar none. People are touting our plan in every single province. I think Stephen Lecce has done an incredible job with the support of the advice of some of the best pediatricians in the world. Were throwing everything and the kitchen sink at this.

Speaking of Lecce, the premier was extremely complimentary of the education minister throughout his remarks to a point at which I began to wonder if I was watching a press conference or a speech at a retirement party. I gotta compliment the minister of education, Ford said. Ive been in this game a long time. Theres never been a better education minister than Stephen Lecce.

Theres also never been (in recent memory at least) a more infuriating time to live in Ontario. It seems as though the Ford government is under the impression that the more it touts its plan for school reopening, the less likely Ontarians are to object to it. And that the more frequently the premier uses the phrase bar none the less likely Ontarians are to challenge him.

But boasting is not the same thing as listening, and if this government wants people on board with its vision, it has to listen to them. And ultimately, it has to adjust that vision.

It doesnt even matter if, as Lecce asserts, Ontario has a more comprehensive masking strategy than other provinces. (Were the only province in Canada that has imposed a masking requirement on students from Grade 4 and up, he said.)

Because I suspect that parents and teachers in Ontario dont particularly care if the province wins a national contest for best masking strategy. They dont care how prepared we are in comparison to Manitoba, Quebec, or B.C. They care that we are prepared period. They care that the provinces schools are as safe as they can be in September. They care that the classes and the risks are small. Bar none.

Emma Teitel is a columnist based in Toronto covering current affairs for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @emmaroseteitel

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Whats remarkable is that most of the conversation is about Trumps political or psychological needs and not his obligations as president. Its been made clear to him that moving the election is a non-starter. His response? To preemptively discredit the election results. Even his complaints about the problems with mail-in voting are couched not in his obligations as chief executive to see that the integrity of our elections be preserved but in partisan grievance. Hes tweeted about a CORRUPT ELECTION that will LEAD TO THE END OF OUR GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY.

If Trump is so concerned about the legitimacy of the election, why not, you know, do something to assure the election is conducted properly?

Theres nothing stopping Trump from pushing a massive effort to, say, gear up the U.S. Postal Service to handle an increased volume of mail during the election period. Instead, the donor he appointed to run the USPS has eliminated overtime for postal workers, virtually ensuring delivery delays. Trump could also use the same emergency powers hes used to acquire ventilators to buy secure ballot drop boxes for the states. Instead, on Monday, he raised the possibility of issuing an executive order to force states not to use vote-by-mail. As with moving Election Day, he has no such power.
This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times. This latest installment is one of many ways The New York Times is examining the centennial of the 19th Amendment.

When the Texas Rangers showed up outside the office of the newspaper El Progreso in 1914 with the intent of shutting it down, Jovita Idar, a writer and editor, was waiting at the front door to block them from entering. And she was not about to back down.

The officers, who by then had gained a reputation for their violence against Mexicans, were furious over an editorial that criticized President Woodrow Wilsons order to send military troops to the Texas-Mexico border amid the Mexican Revolution. Idar argued that silencing the newspaper would violate its constitutional right to freedom of the press under the First Amendment.

The Rangers eventually turned back. But the next day, when Idar was gone, they returned to ransack the office, smashing and destroying the printing presses.
After facing a massive breach last month, Twitter announced on Wednesday that the company has discovered a new security bug that may expose the DMs of users who use the Twitter app on Android smartphones. The vulnerability which was patched in Oct of the year 2018 has also been fixed, and it affected versions 8 and 9 of the Android operating system, Twitter said. The micro-blogging app also explained that there were no evidences that the security bug was ever exploited by hackers.Twitter stated in a blog post that the security vulnerability could allow a bad actor to access Android users private Twitter data through a malicious application that was installed on the device of the victim.A companys spokesman told media outlets that a security researcher reported this security vulnerability through HackerOne platform. It was reported a few weeks ago, and the company has been working to keep Twitter accounts secure since then. The spokesperson also added that now that the bug has been fixed, the company is letting people know about this Android security bug.The company explained that it did not disclose the vulnerability to prevent hackers from learning about the bug and taking advantage of the situation before the company could fix the security vulnerability.Twitter said that 96% of people who use the app on Android have updated the application and are protected from the vulnerability. On the other hand, Twitter also said that nearly 4% of users have not still updated the app and are vulnerable. The company said Twitter will notify those users to update the Twitter application as soon as possible.Although the company could not find any evidence that the security vulnerability was ever exploited by hackers, Twitter said that the company cannot be entirely sure so the company fixed the vulnerability to ensure that third-party applications could not access the in-app data. Twitter has now added more safety precautions beyond standard protections. The security bug also did not affect the Twitter application for iOS or the web version of the app.The news comes just weeks after the platform was hit by a massive crypto scam in July of this year . The massive Twitter hack spread a Bitcoin giveaway scam by hacking high-profile Twitter accounts of celebrities and politicians. The hacker gained access to internal tools and systems of Twitter. The United States Department of Justice has now charged three persons including one juvenile allegedly responsible for the Twitter breach.Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesRead next: Twitter Tests Much Needed Feature to DM Requests
The owners of a Korean restaurant in Sterling Heights are accused of failing to pay about $165,000 in sales tax by deploying certain software on the companys computers.

Ki Yon Ahn, 73, and his wife, Seo Jong Yoo, 62, owners of Chung Ki Wa, were arraigned last month in front of Judge Stephen Sierawski 41A District Court in Sterling Heights on six counts of filing a false sales-tax return, punishable by up to five years in prison, and one count of possession of an automated sales suppression device, also a five-year felony, according to the Michigan Attorney Generals Office.

The couple is accused of using zapper software that retailers can use to manipulate and suppress their point-of-sale software database, allowing them to under-report business tax liability, state officials said in a news release.

The state Department of Treasury analyzed the business reported sales and determined the company, registered as Ki Wa Jip, had allegedly been under-reporting its sales by over $165,000 since 2013, officials said.

The restaurant is located near 15 Mile and Dequindre roads at the Troy border.

Committing fraud against our state will not be tolerated and my office will continue to hold those who believe they are above the law accountable for their actions, Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Individuals or business owners intentionally committing fraud do so out of personal greed and must face the consequences.

Ahn and Yoo, who are not in custody, appeared for an Aug. 3 probable cause conference. No further court dates have been scheduled.

 Macomb Daily staff report
Rajesh Kumar Thakur By

Express News Service

PATNA: Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi motivated his Bihar party unit workers to gear up ahead of the October elections and asked them to highlight the voices of people affected by floods and the ongoing coronavirus crisis, in a virtual interaction on Thursday.

He told party leaders that good planning ahead of the assembly polls would increase their chances of forming a government in the state.

"The country is passing through an alarming phase of crisis due to imprudent politics of PM Narendra Modi. In such a situation, we have to stand with the people and for their rights. Educate them about the failures of governments both in centre and the state. Develop an innate trustworthy bond in times of crisis, he said.

During the virtual interaction, the matter of actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death probe also came up, in which Bihar in-charge of Congress Shakti Singh Gohil said that the party had always been demanding CBI investigation in the case.

Gandhi further told party cadre leaders to make the people aware of how BJP was politicising Rajput's demise ahead of the assembly elections.

Attacking PM Modi on the LAC standoff crisis, Gandhi accused him of lying on the incursion by the Chinese army and said: Why is the PM lying must be told to the people in the larger interest of nation.

Tariq Anwar, a senior Congress leader said that Gandhi asked the party men to be fully geared up for the upcoming polls.

He said that a long list of failures of the central and state governments on all fronts is ought to be taken to the court of people.


Twenty-six billboards, one for every year of her life, will go up across Louisville demanding officers arrest.

First, Oprah Winfrey put Breonna Taylor on the cover of O, The Oprah Magazine. Now the media mogul is spreading her message with billboards demanding justice for the Kentucky woman shot dead during a police raid.

Twenty-six billboards displaying a portrait of Taylor are going up across Louisville, Kentucky, demanding that the police officers involved in her death be arrested and charged, according to social justice organisation Until Freedom. That is one billboard for every year of the Black womans life.

The billboards, funded by the magazine, showcase the magazine cover dedicated to Taylor, the Courier-Journal reported. Also displayed is a quote from Winfrey: If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it.

Until Freedom thanked The Oprah Magazine for its work on the billboards.

The billboards demand that the police officers involved in Breonna Taylors death be arrested and charged [Dylan T Lovan/AP Photo]

Together, we will make sure no one forgets #BreonnaTaylors name and recommit to the fight for justice for her and her family, the group said in a tweet.

Taylor, an emergency medical tech studying to become a nurse, was shot multiple times on March 13 when police officers burst into her Louisville apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. The warrant to search her home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there and no drugs were found.

Kenneth Walker, Taylors boyfriend, was originally charged with attempted murder after he fired a shot at one of the officers who came into the home. Walker has said he did not know who was entering the apartment and was firing a warning shot. The charge was later dropped.

Global protests on behalf of Taylor, George Floyd in Minnesota and others have been part of a national reckoning over racism and police brutality. Tensions have swelled in Taylors hometown and beyond as activists, professional athletes and social media celebrities push for action while investigators pleaded for more patience.

The decision whether to bring state-level criminal charges against the Louisville officers rests with Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. He took the Taylor case after a local prosecutor recused himself from reviewing the matter. One of the officers has been terminated and two other officers are on administrative reassignment.

Cameron, the first Black American elected to the attorney generals job in Kentucky, has declined to put a timetable on his decision since taking over the case in May.

Cameron told the Courier-Journal in a Thursday interview that his office is waiting for information on ballistics tests the FBI has been conducting.

A protester raises her fist while holding a placard reading Justice for Breonna during a rally to observe the birth anniversary of Breonna Taylor in Los Angeles, California, US [Etienne Laurent/EPA]

An integral part of this investigation is: what will those ballistics tests show. And so we are in the process of trying to get that information back from the FBI, he told the Louisville newspaper.

The FBI field office in Louisville said on Friday that a significant amount of ballistic evidence was collected when investigators returned to Taylors apartment in June.

This evidence is being tested and analyzed at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, the FBIs Louisville office said in a statement. Once the FBI Laboratory has completed its findings, FBI Louisville will promptly share our results with the attorney generals office.

Christopher 2X, an anti-violence activist in Louisville, told reporters this week that he is encouraged by the commitment that FBI officials locally and nationally have shown to the case. He commented after participating in a meeting at the FBIs Louisville office.
NOTE: The Press Council has not upheld a complaint about this article. Read the full adjudication here.

A former US Republican political operative and senior policy adviser to the NSW Treasurer was part of a $50,000 government trade delegation to America while he was on the payroll of troubled workers compensation insurer icare.

Edward Yap had not worked a day for icare, the state-owned but independent insurance agency, when Dominic Perrottet's office arranged for him to be "seconded" from the organisation so he could remain as a senior policy adviser to the Treasurer.

Under pressure: NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet. Credit:Peter Braig

The revelation comes after a torrid week for Mr Perrottet and icare, in which the agency's chief executive John Nagle was forced to resign after admitting he was stripped of his bonus by the board for failing to disclose a conflict of interest involving his wife's employment.
S hortly before 11am, a queue of parents and pupils formed outside Hambrough Primary School in Southall. The families were waiting to pick up their weekly Felix Project food parcels  including fresh smoothies, rice puddings, vegetables and snacks.

Within three minutes of the gates opening, all 30-plus parcels had gone. Headteacher Louise Singleton had to turn desperate parents away, telling them: Im sorry, were all out, come back next Thursday.

Afterwards, she said: There is such a need for basic supplies amongst this community. It is heartbreaking to turn people away.

Mrs Singleton, who has led the school since 2009, is one of 30 London headteachers keeping their gates open to host a Felix Project Summer School Programme.

The holidays often put financial strain on Londons poorest families, many of whom rely on a daily free school meal to feed their children.

This year, for many, the financial situation is worse because of the pandemic. The Felix Project is also delivering to 49 charities or holiday programmes, meaning that at least 17,500 meals a week will be given out this summer.

The food and meals are often  but not always  in addition to the Governments Covid Summer Food Fund where children eligible for benefits-related free school meals can claim food vouchers for the six-week holiday period.

At Hambrough Primary, which has about 420 pupils, Mrs Singleton said parents were very appreciative of the parcels. It has been tough for a lot of families around here. Many work cash- in-hand jobs or lost their jobs, and many dont qualify for government support.

Hemina Dis, 41, who has a son and daughter at the school, said living through the pandemic has been difficult. My husband is a chef and so work has been on and off. We appreciate these packages. My kids love the smoothies.

Mrs Singleton said she opted to stay open to support the community both with food and pastoral care. Families come in every week and we make sure they are okay. If it wasnt for this scheme, we wouldnt know if families were struggling. We help with counselling services or emergency funds. It goes way beyond coming in for a bag of food.

Another family benefiting from a summer school programme is that of Victoria Kweidhusa, 46, who has two children, Seamus, 12, and Siobhan, five.

The law student from Edmonton receives twice-weekly food parcels and ready-prepared meals from the Felix-supported charity Cooking Champions.

She said: I didnt know how I would cope. I am on benefits as I am studying full-time. I dont have much money and the relief to know we will get food to get us through the week is huge. I am so grateful.

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Anne Elkins, schools programme manager at The Felix Project, said the holidays were a time when families can come under strain. With the added pressure that Covid-19 has put on families whose parents are not earning, there is concern that children will struggle to access nutritional foods.
Updated 12:45pm. Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke.

Former HSE chief Tony OBrien has said there is a clear-cut case for face masks to be mandatory for secondary school students when schools reopen.

The Department of Education is dithering on the issue, he told Newstalk Breakfast.

Mr O'Brien said he believes masks in secondary schools will become necessary very quickly if the mandatory rule is not introduced ahead of the reopening of schools.

Many of those students are going to have vulnerable other members of their families at home, some of the teachers might have vulnerabilities, some of the students will have vulnerabilities.

It's going to be a slightly odd situation where they're going to have to wear masks to travel to school on public transport, then when they're in situations which are likely to be equally crowded they will not be required to wear them.

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Many of those students are going to have vulnerable other members of their families at home, some of the teachers might have vulnerabilities, some of the students will have vulnerabilities."

Mr O'Brien said there were important exceptions for people who could not wear masks and he warned that outbreaks in schools would mean serious consequences for students who had already lost months of education.

Mandatory

It comes as public health officials are considering whether face masks should be mandatory in secondary schools.

The current advice from NPHET is that face coverings are not required in school settings.

Masks are already mandatory on public transport, with the measure being extended to shops and shopping centres from Monday.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly says NPHET are awaiting a report from the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) on the matter: "There is emerging evidence that younger children are far less contagious and far less susceptible than older children. So NPHET is waiting to what the ECDC says.

"They may come back and recommend that in secondary schools for example or over a particular age group that face masks should be worn."

Younger people

It comes as younger people are to be targeted with specific Covid-19 messages by the Government.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) has recommended more communication with younger people about the virus, due to the number of recent cases in people under 45 years old.

The chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn says more needs to be done to get the message across to young people:

"No age group is immune from this virus and NPHET has recommended that more is done to reach out and communicate with young people.

This is not about blame, we will all slip up on occasion but the priority now must be on continuing to encourage each other to build on and sustain the great efforts we have all made to date.

The deputy director of Spunout.ie added that the message to young people from government should not be a blame game.

"We've all made mistakes so far and we are all learning how we can live safely with the virus. It's best if we try and encourage everyone around us and find ways of coping and managing that are positive and that we can work towards together.

"This is all still really new and we are all still learning how we can best live with this virus."
As many as 251 incidents have been recorded since July 27, the day when a new ceasefire began.

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine on August 5 recorded no ceasefire violations in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, for the first time since its monitors started collecting data there.

"For the first time since the Mission began systematic data collection, it recorded no ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions," the OSCE SMM said in its August 6 report based on information as of 19:30 Eastern European Summer Time on August 5.

Read alsoZelensky: If everything depended on Ukraine alone, Donbas would see real ceasefire

According to the report, it recorded three ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and two in Luhansk region in the previous reporting period.

Following agreement reached at the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on July 22 regarding additional measures to strengthen the ceasefire, from 00:01 on July 27 until the end of the reporting period, the SMM recorded a total of 251 ceasefire violations, both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions (including 45 explosions, two projectiles in flight, three illumination flares and 201 bursts and shots of small-arms fire).

The OSCE SMM began its work on March 21, 2014, based on a request from the Ukrainian government to the OSCE and a consensus decision of all 57 OSCE participating states.
Mathew Atanga, Kintampo South Constituency NDC Communication Officer

07.08.2020 LISTEN

Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Kintampo South Constituency, Mathew Atanga has issued a warning to Assin North Member of Parliament, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong following his alleged death threats against Sammy Gyamfi.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP in an interview with Asempa FM on the Eko Si Sen program on Wednesday allegedly made life-threatening comments against the National Communications Officer of the main opposition party.

Hon. Kennedy Agyapong ranted over how he could in a matter of seconds send thugs to switch off Sammy Gyamfi.

Reacting to the threats, Mathew Atanga has issued a warning of his own to the Assin North MP. According to him, Kennedy Agyapong and his entire generation will not live to see the burial of Sammy Gyamfi if anything happens to Sammy Gyamfi.

If anything should happen to the precious life of Comrade Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi, be rest assured that you and your entire generation will not live to witness his burial. A word to the wise is enough!, the NDC Communication Officer in the Kintampo South Constituency has said.

While noting that Kennedy Agyapong has become a nuisance to society following his unguarded comments against people of high repute, Mathew Atanga further stresses that the MP will likely go into history books as the most reckless legislature that Ghana has ever had.

Read the full statement below:

Mathew Atanga writes...

KILL SAMMY GYAMFI AND YOU WILL NOT LIVE TO WITNESS HIS BURIAL, WARNING TO KENNEDY AGYAPONG

Kennedy Agyapong has become a nuisance to society following his unguarded comments against people of high repute. Not only is his cacophony causing sleepless nights for many decent people, but he will likely go into history books as the most reckless legislature that Ghana has ever had. Having gained notoriety for ruining people's reputation, he has also become a dirty rag in his own party. The party as and when dust(in many forms) gathers, he is used to tidy up and clear way for the decent members to operate with ease.

I woke up on the early hours of Wednesday to see a video circulating on social media. In the said video, the visibly raged Kennedy Agyapong was heard issuing death threats among others to My boss Comrade Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi. He indicated he could finish Sammy just in a 3 seconds phone call. His threats I believe came as a result of the fact that Sammy Gyamfi's distinctive communication prowess is unmatched and has since posed serious challenge to Ken and his cohort of jokers who pose as party communicators. It is established fact that the emergence of Sammy Gyamfi and his team of young vibrant communicators is giving the NPP their worse nightmares.

Let's refresh our memories on how it all began; even before Sammy Gyamfi became NDC NCO, the NPP initiated a grand agenda aimed at attacking the guy's personality with the sole aim of demoralizing and discouraging him from the office he contested. In those days, you would often hear the NPP described Sammy as "small boy" who cannot match up the likes of Malik Kwaku Jnr on panel discussion. However the guy trashed this ill agenda and emerged victorious in the elections.

Since they were burnt on destroying the guy's image, they continued with their vitriolic attacks hoping they would cow him into submission despite he being the mouthpiece of NDC. In fact their attacks at a point became physical with Nana B NPP national youth organizer launching the first attack in the studios of Asempa FM. But for the timely intervention of Sammy's personal assistant, the attack could have been fatal. But praise be to God, their attacks have rather fortified and reinvigorated him for the task ahead!

Now back to Kennedy Agyapong a supposed honourable member of parliament for Assin Central constituency. I and many well-meaning Ghanaians would ordinarily disregard the perils and tantrums of this man who could best be described as a stooge! It is usual of every chagrin of his kind to indulge in spontaneous outburst ostensibly for self-aggrandizement. Unfortunately, Kennedy Agyapong has overstepped the permitted boundary. He now seeks to crown up his nefarious activities by attacking the anointed one which he thinks by so doing will attract the loudest applause from his likeminded. Maybe, he feels his rib cage is now matured to bear the consequences of daring Sammy Gyamfi to a fight! That I laugh.

Though his threats on the life of Sammy I understand has been reported to the CID for investigation, I deem it appropriate to send a strong signal to him to be wary of his evil plans against my boss. He must limit his needless spitting of venom to his age mates who share common interest with him. I'm actually aware you recently lost a defamation case to Malik Kwaku Baako Jnr and battling similar case in court with the ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Indeed you issued similar threats to Ahmed Suale a member of Tiger Eye PI investigation team and that probably has led to his untimely demise. This is a pleasant precedence and we will not treat your words with kids gloves.

Hon Kennedy Agyapong, if the Christian Council of Ghana, the National Peace Council, Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Office of the National Chief Imam, the outspoken men of God have all failed to speak against your threats to Sammy I and my fellow communicators in NDC will do that. If they fear to tell you; enough is enough! I will tell you that without any fear of your sword. Leave Sammy alone for "he who jah bless no man curse". If anything should happen to the precious life of Comrade Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi, be rest assured that you and your entire generation will not live to witness his burial. A word to the wise is enough!

Long live NDC!

Long live Ghana!

Mathew Atanga

Communication Officer Kintampo South constituency.

Email: [email protected]
File image

Sri Lanka's all-powerful Rajapaksa family has completed its bounce back to power by winning a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections, final results showed Friday.

The powerful clan has held sway over the island nation's politics for decades, as well as having a major influence in key state institutions such as the national airline and state corporations.

Close relatives have also been appointed to top diplomatic posts abroad.

Here are the key members of the dynasty:

The Patriach

Mahinda Rajapaksa, 74, is the patriarch of the family and served as prime minister in 2004 and then president from 2005 until January 2015.

He was appointed prime minister a second time by his brother Gotabaya in November.

Mahinda is adored by the Sinhala-Buddhist majority for crushing separatist Tamil rebels in May 2009 following a highly controversial military offensive that ended a decades-long civil war.

During his rule Sri Lanka also moved closer to China, borrowing almost $7 billion for infrastructure projects -- many of which turned into white elephants mired in corruption.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 71, was the main lieutenant of Mahinda during his reign, holding the influential post of secretary to the ministry of defence with responsibility for day-to-day control of the armed forces and police.

Dubbed "The Terminator" by his own family, he is feared by foes for his short temper.

He has faced several corruption allegations, but his court cases have been frozen or withdrawn as he enjoys immunity after winning the presidency in 2019.

Mr. Ten Percent

Basil Rajapaksa, 69, is a political strategist who managed the economy under Mahinda.

He was called "Mr. Ten Percent" in a BBC interview in reference to commissions he allegedly took from government contracts.

Subsequent administrations failed to prove any charges he syphoned off millions of dollars from state coffers, but he still faces several prosecutions for corruption and unexplained wealth.

As a dual US-Sri Lankan citizen he was prohibited from standing for elected office but is currently a senior adviser to the government.

The Bodyguard

Chamal Rajapaksa, 77, was speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament when brother Mahinda was president and is also a former minister of shipping and aviation.

Formerly a police officer, he once served as a personal bodyguard to Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world's first woman prime minister.

He is expected to continue to serve in the prime minister's cabinet in the new government to be formed after the polls.

The Scion

Namal Rajapaksa, 34, a lawyer, is the scion of the family dynasty and the eldest son of Mahinda.

He entered parliament in 2010 aged just 24.

During his father's decade in power, Namal was highly influential although he did not hold any portfolio.

The former administration accused him of money laundering and other corruption charges, for which he still faces trial.
CALGARY - An international trade expert says Canada can expect more U.S. moves like the imposition of aluminum import tariffs as protectionism gains popularity in the United States ahead of the November presidential election.

Jack Mintz, presidents fellow in the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, says President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden are both promoting U.S.-first policies as they try to enlist voter support.

Trump announced in Ohio on Thursday he intends to reimpose 10 per cent tariffs on aluminum imported from Canada, saying that United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has advised him the step was necessary to defend the U.S. aluminum industry.

Mintz said Canada has the option to retaliate with its own tariffs, adding that while that option is politically attractive, such moves may wind up hurting this country as much as they do the United States.

He said the tariffs are opposed by some members of the aluminum industry in the U.S. and Canada should work with those allies to try to head off such anti-free-trade moves.

The tariffs come about one month after the new North America trade agreement went into effect and illustrate how important it was for that agreement to be established, Mintz said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that Canada was taking advantage of us, as usual.





I think were into a world where theres going to be increased protectionism by countries, said Mintz.

I think this aluminum (tariff) is a good example of that kind of minefield ... Canadas going to have to work very hard to make sure it maintains its access to the U.S.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2020.

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(TNS)  Allegany County, Md., has awarded Aeon Technologies a contract to perform COVID-19 testing at Frostburg State University.The Allegany County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to accept Aeons bid to process up to 1,400 coronavirus tests. The vote took place at regular public meeting of the board at the county office complex on Kelly Road.The contract calls for up to 200 tests per week for seven weeks at $86 per test. The cost will be covered by federal CARES Act funding.The Aeon Technologies lab is located on the campus of Frostburg State University and is operated by Dr. Kimberly Brown.The testing will commence the week of Aug. 10 with the universitys fall semester starting Aug. 17. Classes will be a hybrid of online and in-person instruction.The COVID tests at FSU will be for staff and students who are asymptomatic but wish to be tested. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms, or feels they may have been directly exposed, is to report to the Brady Health Center on campus or see their medical provider.It was announced on March 31 that Brown would be opening a lab at the Allegany Business Center at FSU. The lab was outfitted and began operating in June.Brown spoke to the Times-News by phone on Thursday.We are very excited about supporting Frostburg State University, Brown said. We see this as important to the community to prevent the spread of COVID. We see our company as being able to help students, as well as staff, to safely go back to school.Brown said the lab will process nasal and oral tests.We want to protect the community from cases of COVID that can be potentially brought in by students and staff, she said. The students come in from places more widely spread than Allegany County, so it is really important.In a time where lab tests can take up to 14 days to get results, Brown said the Aeon lab can work in quicker fashion.The other uniqueness of our lab is we are focused on rapid turnaround, she said. Right now, turnaround in the state is taking up to two weeks. It doesnt give you time to really have any intervention to prevent the spread of the disease.Currently, the two largest testing labs, LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics, are working to process millions of tests that may have to be driven or flown to a testing site.There are primarily two labs, said Brown. The challenges all labs have are supplies. So all the labs are vying for the same supplies pretty much from the same vendors. So you really have to plan appropriately. With our lab, what we do is, we only bring in a certain number of samples where many labs will bring in as many samples as they can and they will end up in a queue.But that is not how our business model works. We bring in a certain number of samples a day and bring them in and we turn them around in 24 to 48 hours. For example, we had a client a fews days ago, they got their results on the same day.Jake Shade, Allegany County Commission president, spoke the Times-News after the meeting.It was a competitive bid, said Shade. We wanted to make sure using taxpayer dollars with the CARES Act funding, that we go through the proper bidding channels. They were the low bid at $86; we had bids up to $136 per test. Aeon was the lowest. Theyre local and theyre right there at the campus. Its really a win-win for everyone.Brown is an internationally recognized Maryland health sciences professional. She founded Amethyst Technologies LLC in 2006 with offices at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.Amethyst has 13 years of experience successfully developing laboratories to international standards for the U.S. government in North America, Africa and Asia. Her lab has studied multiple pathogens, including malaria, Ebola and HIV-AIDS, as well as the coronavirus.Brown said she hopes to expand the Aeon lab at Frostburg and work with other clients in the tri-state area, including nursing homes, to offer testing services.
All things considered, the latest tropical storm to lash the Carolina coast almost seems a minor concern  especially when compared to the pandemic that has cost North Carolina thousands of lives.

But Tropical Storm Isaias, which made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach as a hurricane late Monday night with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, left a path of destruction that will take considerable time and resources to address.

The storm crushed homes and businesses, piled boats against the docks, caused floods and fires that displaced dozens of people and left a foot of sand covering streets, The Associated Press reported. More than 650,000 residents in North Carolina lost electricity.

On top of that, at least seven people in the U.S. have died, including two near Windsor in Bertie County who were killed by a tornado generated by the storm. A dozen more were sent to the hospital, according to a report from Gov. Roy Coopers office. That was after the storm had killed two people in the Caribbean.

Not content to cause destruction in the South, Isaias made its way up the East Coast. Trees were toppled in Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Neighborhoods in Philadelphia were flooded.
Michael Kevin Jones (London, 1969) has lived and worked around the world, but Spain is the country that he's always come back to. He talks to SUR in English about how his musical career brought him to Gibraltar, Cadiz and Madrid after a truly international early life.

How did you first find music?

I first discovered a piano at the age of about three in a hotel lounge in Lourenco Marques [now Maputo] in Mozambique. I was born in London but in my early years my family moved to Johannesburg as my father worked on the radar space tracking station outside the city. He had a lucky win on the Grand National and took me, my mother and baby sister Carol for the weekend to a lush colonial-style hotel. There I remember my mother teaching me to swim in the hotel pool and discovering an old upright piano with ivory keys in the usually empty lounge in which I played and I was fascinated with it; it seemed familiar and magical, I remember. A few years later we returned to England and my parents arranged for me to have piano lessons and bought a piano.

So, in early childhood you changed countries...

My 'expat' childhood was multicultural and happy. My great-grandfather Fumasoli, on my mother's side, moved to England from Lugano. Together with his brother he started a guest house and tea shop in London in 1908. Actually, due to his successful business he was able to pay for music lessons for my grandmother who played piano and her brother who played cello and later went to live in Nigeria. My father loved classical music, read gramophone magazines and had a fine collection of records. He knew every recording and version of all the great classical repertoire. But he hated David Bowie, whom I loved at 14, so I never appreciated certain things until later.

So, you have musical roots. How was your talent developed?

I was amazingly lucky to be educated within the UK comprehensive system at a very musical school. I'm happy that I had fantastic teachers for the cello which I started at 13. Three years after taking up cello, I went to study at Dartington College of Arts. To live and study music in college I received grants from the county. When I was 18, I entered the Royal College of Music in London where I studied for four years.

Michael with Agustin Maruri. / SUR

I know you speak German like a native. Why?

Germany came when I was about 10. My father had a contract for Telefunken in Ulm. We lived close to the Danube with a permanent smell of apple juice and Bavarian sausages. Both for me and my sister it was a challenge. We were sent to the local primary school without knowing a word of German. Later I realised that it had been a very wise choice of my mother. As a result we learnt German and mum taught us our other classes at home in the afternoons. Then we went back to UK and later I won a German government scholarship which gave me the chance to continue my studies in Cologne and Dusseldorf and from there start my professional experience playing in my teacher's chamber orchestra.

It seems you didn't have to work to pay for your studies...

At 17 and as a music student I was always auditioning for grants and loans to buy bows, etc. and I was lucky enough to meet the multimillionaire music lover Sam Alper, who owned what was then called the Both Worlds hotel on the rock of Gibraltar. He gave me a loan to buy a bow and my first paid job as a musician outside England playing string quartets in the hotel during the evenings and in the restaurant. We used to come over the border on jet skis to drink in Estepona after finishing; those are the things you do at 18 and fall in love for life with certain places.

So, then it was when you had your first encounter with the Mediterranean coast, was it?

Almost. I would say with my Italian origin the Mediterranean has always appealed to me. Actually, my professional career as a musician took me to Catalonia. I think at 24 my Latin roots were stronger than my head and I took a job in Barcelona playing in the famous Gran Teatre del Liceu. At that moment Spain became my home. Later, when I visited Madrid I immediately got that special connection with the city. In Madrid I feel comfortable. It's a city I love.

But your life in Spain was interrupted...

New York has always been a dream. From my childhood I remember my father talking a lot about New York and telling stories of when he was there in the Royal Navy in the 1950s. I liked to listen to his fantastic descriptions about the Broadway shows he saw and how the skyscrapers were so tall you couldn't see the sky. I can't forget his phrase "you could find anything and everything there". And I always dreamed of going there to find something, and maybe myself. I was lucky to visit New York several times before moving to live there for three years between 1999 and 2003. While there I recorded the Bach suites at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on a Strad and did some things you can only do at a certain point of your life, and in NY! Thank God I had that chance and was able to get that particular obsession out of my system.

For most people home is synonymous with "house"...

I understand what you mean. I know, home and "a house" can be confused and I did have that experience, or "learn that lesson" with a house in the wonderful village of Jimena de la Frontera which has a thriving musical and expat life. I was introduced to the village one Christmas by American classical music entrepreneur Jane Carhart and I fell in love and continued to visit until I had the opportunity to buy a small house, which unfortunately was, and had been, rat-infested for generations. I had to renovate and sell but I made many lasting friendships and ties in that village and also in Gibraltar and on the Costa de Sol, where I still play and teach.

Why, do you think, Andalucia entered your heart?

Definitely there is something in the air in this part of Andalucia where the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz merge and from which you can see the magnificent rock of Gibraltar and the African coast, which maybe somehow brings me back to my childhood in Africa. Frankly, I love Spanish music but didn't know how to play it until I was fortunate enough to meet and get to play with Spanish classical guitarist Agustin Maruri. He helped me learn how to blend playing my cello with the guitar sound. We formed the only established cello-guitar duo and had several CD hits in Hong Kong early on in our adventure, which helped us organise concerts in many countries.

Recording Bach's last notes for solo cello in the San Miguel basilica in March. / SUR

Did you manage to "cover" countries you had not been to before?

Yes. We gave cello-guitar concerts all over the world. We had the chance to go to the US, to Florida, to play in the historic San Augustin. We combined that with concerts in New York and returned many times to play all over the USA, Canada and throughout South America and later Asia, Japan, China, Korea etc. It seems amazing now that we travelled so much and did so many concerts because every little trip now is a major affair, but I am happy to be able to have had this experience of touring the world with my best friend and a wonderful duo partner.

How did you spend the lockdown?

I lost my teaching job at the Madrid Dance School where I had been teaching children piano for the last year. Also, with no private pupils or concerts, for musicians like me who do not work for the state it is suddenly zero income. However many people are much worse hit so I try and use these things as challenges. By the way, I was very lucky to have the use of the iconic basilica San Miguel in Madrid the day before the shutdown on 13 March, and together with talented director Ramon Gullon and Sean Murray, we recorded Bach's last notes for solo cello and edited the video together online during the quarantine.
The Indian Army will continue to sit it out along the 1,597 km Line of Actual Control in East Ladakh till China restores status quo ante, people familiar with the development told Hindustan Times after Chinas Peoples Liberation Army made an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate a new normal at the border.

India has told China on more than one occasion that restoration of the pre-April 20 position at the friction points in east Ladakh is a prerequisite for normalisation of bilateral ties. But China hasnt given up.

The PLA has made it out to be a staring match and wants India to blink. We are also prepared to wait it out and take other steps to make Beijing realise the adverse impact the boundary dispute has on the bilateral relationship, a top government official familiar with discussions within the government on the standoff said.

India has already banned over 100 Chinese mobile applications and its clones, changed the rules to bar Chinese firms from getting government contracts and is next taking a hard look at tie-ups with Chinese universities to ascertain if they comply with existing norms.

The message, even if not explicitly spelt out, has been that the longer the PLA led by commander-in-chief Xi Jinping takes to disengage at the border and restore status quo, the more damage it will cause to the India-China relations.

China, however, hasnt given up and appears to have rested its hopes on the Indian government coming under pressure from its domestic constituents to end the standoff.

Also Watch l India-China border faceoff: What led to escalation of tensions

Like the political row that erupted on Thursday after a defence ministry note that spelt out Indias position on the continuing standoff made its way to the government website. It transpires that an official, tasked to compile the ministrys activities to be placed on the website, adopted a shortcut and put out the Defence Secretarys monthly report to the Cabinet Secretary without removing operational details of the standoff.

Also Read: How the cold will alter the India-China power equation next month in Ladakh

China has been betting on India taking the easier way out, even putting out statements that told the world that the standoff was over and the disengagement completed at Ladakh. The Indian government didnt take the bait, prompting Beijing to shift its stand and speak about the positive progress being made.

On the ground, the Indian army has told the government, Chinas PLA is dragging its feet both at patrolling point 17 and 17A (General Area Gogra) and on the finger features on the banks of the Pangong Tso.

At the meeting of the military commanders from the two sides, the PLA has been attempting to persuade the Indian Army to yield to a new normal. The PLA wants a military reward from the Indian army despite being the aggressor that triggered the border tension and plunged ties between the two countries to their lowest point in decades, an army commander said.

Also Read: At UNSC, Chinas diplomatic two-front war | Analysis

The PLA, the senior army officer said, wants India to move back from its traditional points where it has had an advantage before it vacates locations where it had moved in April-May.

For instance, the PLA wants to hold its new positions on the first ridge-line next to the Kugrang River near Gogra so that the Indian domination on the ridgeline gets reduced comparatively.

At Pangong Tso, the PLA is still sitting on the upper heights of finger 4 relief in lesser numbers and wants Indian troops to withdraw behind its established old base at Dhan Singh Thapa post around Finger 3. The PLA also wants Indian Army to yield to new normal on general area Gogra and has linked its withdrawal from finger feature 4 to 8 in depth at the Pangong Tso.

The Chinese proposal, the army officer said, reflected that it had not been able to accurately assess New Delhis determination not to cede ground. Militarily, Chinas effort is clearly an attempt to position the PLA on dominating heights to add more depth to their bases in the Aksai Chin area.

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A single noise complaint from a neighbour has led to the threat of fines of up to $700,000 for a West Leederville wine store and cafe.

The Town of Cambridge hit Damian and Nicola Clement, owners of The Wine Thief, with a show cause letter giving them a week to rectify several compliance issues or face the big financial penalty.

The Wine Thief in West Leederville had issues with the Town of Cambridge for its coffee arm, The Coffee Thief. Credit:David Prestipino

The shock forced the couple to close the popular neighbourhood store on Wednesday and ponder their future before a change of heart after overwhelming support from locals, as well as Cambridge Mayor Keri Shannon, who confirmed on Wednesday the business would get 60 days to work with council on issues.

Problems with the McCourt Street site, which has also housed The Coffee Thief for 14 months, began when a neighbour next to the small cafe space made a noise complaint to council.
The Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) is calling for proper investigations into the violent incident that occurred at the Bright Senior High School in the Eastern Region yesterday.

Final year students of the school assaulted officers of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) allegedly because of the strict invigilation in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The General Secretary of CHOPSS, Joseph Dzamesi, in a Citi News interview condemned the incident and stressed on the need for sanctions to deter others.

We need to isolate these issues, we need to name and shame school administrators and schools that actually compromise the standard of examinations in this country and when we do that, it serves as a deterrent for all others to do that.

I do hope that WAEC officials will actually investigate and apply the appropriate sanctions in its appropriate measure and penalties on the schools that are found to be engaging in this shameful exercise.

Joseph Dzamesi also stressed that examination practices cut across both private and public schools.

Across the country, the way examinations are conducted both private and public leaves much to be desired. We all need to step up in the way we examine our students across the board not only private because as much as incidence that may happen in private schools equally serious infractions happen in public schools in the country.

So when things like this happen, it is important that we don't isolate only private schools and pretend that they are the only schools that get involved in examination malpractices.

GES to clamp down on student disturbances

On the same issue, the Ghana Education Service assured that it would adopt a zero-tolerance approach in its handling of the disturbances in schools taking part in the ongoing WASSCE.

In a statement, it said it was appalled by the videos showing crass indiscipline from students, including the instances of students insulting against the President.

The Director-General of GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, also in a Citi News interview, said students implicated in vandalism would also deboardinized and made to sign an undertaking.

We have set up investigative committees to ensure we get to the end of it, he assured.

---citinewsroom
STAMFORD  A man last living in the city pleaded guilty this week to a federal fentanyl distribution charge, authorities announced Thursday.

Luis Miguel Rosario-Peralta, 29, a citizen of the Dominican Republic who last had an address in Stamford, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham.

Law enforcement identified Rosario-Peralta as a large-scale fentanyl trafficker and intercepted him negotiating the sale of kilogram quantities of narcotics through a wiretap in July 2019, federal authorities said.

He was arrested July 5, 2019, in Yonkers, N.Y., as he traveled to a drug stash spot there and picked up about three kilograms of fentanyl, officials said. He has been detained since his arrest.

Rosario-Peralta faces a maximum term of life in prison on the offense, according to federal authorities. His sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
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On September 1, a new documentary about beloved Bay Area actor Robin Williams will be released to VOD.

Directed by Tylor Norwood ("The United States of Detroit"), "Robin's Wish" aims to unpack the media speculation regarding the decline in his final years. A trailer released today shows family and colleagues reflecting on his final days, speaking in detail about the effects of the brain disease Lewy Body Dementia which played a factor in his suicide on August 11, 2014. Based on a quote from his wife featured in the trailer, it appears that Williams was unaware of the disease which was attacking "nearly every region of his brain."
Just earlier this week, we reported that Microsoft was in talks with ByteDance to acquire TikToks operations in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Now, Microsoft is looking to expanding its acquisition to TikToks operations in India and Europe too, according to a new report.

TikTok has had a rough time in India as the app got banned from the country due to issues of security and increased hostility from border issues between India and China. Recently, the government of USA also revealed plans to ban TikTok in their country, citing security reasons.

At the same time, news broke that Microsoft was interested in buying TikTok, and that if the acquisition goes through, all operations of TikTok in the USA, including data collected and servers, would be moved from China to the USA. Microsoft has also involved the US government in these talks and the US government has reportedly given a deadline of September 15th, 2020 for the deal of finish.

If Microsoft does acquire the rights to TikToks India and Europe operations, there is a chance that India will remove the ban since the app would shift from Chinese operations to American operations.

Source
LONDON  After a 400-year wait, sharp teeth are once again gnawing through trees and building dams on English waterways.

Hunted to extinction in the 16th century, wild beavers are making a comeback after a five-year study demonstrated their positive impact on the environment.

Local landowners had expressed concern that they could spread disease  but the U.K. government announced Thursday that the trial had been deemed a success and the beavers can stay.

The rodents are believed to have been living on the River Otter in Devon, southwest England, since 2008 although who released them and why remains a mystery. The name of the river is a coincidence  no otters are known to live there.

The River Otter beavers reintroduction trial has proved highly successful  improving biodiversity and water quality, mitigating flooding and making the local landscape more resilient to change, said Rebecca Pow, U.K. environment minister.

After a video emerged in 2014 showing that the beavers had successfully bred, the U.K. government planned to remove them, but an alternative plan to study their impact was devised instead.

The research from the University of Exeter  published in February this year  showed that beavers act as natural "engineers," improving the environment in ways that far outweigh the cost to a small number of landowners who opposed them.

By building dams and lodges, the beavers reduced the flooding risk to a village downstream  a heightened concern in western England after a spate of severe floods in recent years, which have been linked to climate change.

The beavers also helped improve water quality and created new wetlands that could lead to a biodiversity boom along the river.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

Paving the way for the possibility of further colonies of beavers across the country, Pow added that the government is firmly committed to providing opportunities to reintroduce formerly native species, such as beavers, where the benefits for the environment, people and the economy are clear.

Story continues

Peter Burgess, Director of Conservation at Devon Wildlife Trust  one of the organizations involved in the trial  called the decision ground-breaking.

Beavers are natures engineers and have the unrivaled ability to breath new life into our rivers. Their benefits will be felt throughout our countryside, by wildlife and people, he said.

Image: Britain wild beavers (Mike Symes Devon / Wildlife Trust)

Some landowners opposed the trial over fears that farming could be harmed by beavers altering the watercourse. The U.K. government pledged to reward rural landowners with a new rural subsidy scheme that will replace its European Union equivalent after the Brexit transition period concludes in January.

Eurasian Beavers are Europes largest native rodents but were hunted to extinction in the U.K. 400 years ago after being prized for their fur and castoreum, an oil secreted from their tail that is used in perfumes and was thought to contain medicinal properties.

Beavers were also successfully reintroduced to Scotland in 2016 after a successful trial there marking the first time a previously extinct native species had been reintroduced to the country.
A Perth woman is in hospital after being injured by a humpback whale during a snorkelling tour in Exmouth on Western Australia's north-west coast on Thursday.

The woman is the third person to be injured by the giant mammals in the popular tourist spot in less than a week.

Alicia Ramsay is recovering at Royal Perth Hospital. Credit:Nine News Perth

Alicia Ramsay was snorkelling near a coral reef as part of her whale shark tour when she was approached by a humpback whale and her calf.

"The calf decided to come check us out ended up being between us and the mum so mum went into protective mode and swung back," Ms Ramsay told Nine News Perth.
External Affairs Minister on Friday said that a discussion was held with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on meeting in the 'Quad' format in the near future.

is an alliance comprising four countries -- Australia, US, India and Japan.

During a telephonic conversation, Jaishankar and Pompeo also reiterated their cooperation to advance peace in Afghanistan and their commitment to fighting COVID-19.

Jaishankar tweeted, "A wide-ranging conversation yesterday night with @SecPompeo. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation including working of relevant mechanisms. Shared assessments on regional and global issues including South Asia, Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific and beyond."

"Exchanged views on responding to the Coronavirus challenge. Discussed meeting in the format in the near future," he said.

Reiterating India-US relationship, Pompeo said, "Great speaking with Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr about the US-India relationship and our work to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We remain united to advance peace in Afghanistan, and to a secure and sovereign Indo-Pacific in which all countries can prosper."

Principal Deputy Spokesperson, US State Department Cale Brown, in a statement, said that both leaders agreed to continue close cooperation on a full range of regional and international issues and look forward to Quadrilateral consultations and the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year.

Pompeo had recently said that US, Australia, India and Japan had reinvigorated the grouping.

"We are proud to have stepped up maritime manoeuvres in that body of water alongside friends like Australia, India, Japan and the UK," he said.

He said that the ASEAN member countries have insisted that the South China Sea disputes must be settled on the basis of international law, including UNCLOS.

Pompeo has been urging countries to push back against China, whose Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is "bullying" its neighbours and "militarising" features in the South China Sea, rather than helping the world in mitigating the COVID-19 crisis.

(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.)
Police in Assams Cachar district have arrested three persons on charges of allegedly kidnapping and murdering a five-month-old boy, officials said on Friday.

According to the police, the incident took place in the wee hours of Wednesday when the baby, who was sleeping with his parents, was kidnapped from his house in Sonai Kajidahar area after the abducters s gained entry by breaking the window panes.

As soon as we got information we started the investigation and were able to nab all the three accused on Wednesday evening itself. On sustained interrogation they admitted to murdering the child soon after the kidnapping, said Cachar superintendent of police Bhanwar Lal Meena.

Based on the information provided by the accused, the body of the infant was dug out from a forest area on Thursday night.

Though the kidnappers made ransom calls in order to divert probe or maybe try and extract some money, the ransom doesnt seem to be the main motive. We are trying to ascertain the motive, which could be something personal as one of the accused is the maternal uncle of the dead child, said Meena.

The body has been sent for post mortem and a case has been lodged under various section of IPC for kidnapping for murder, theft and trespass.

Following detection of the infants body, dozens of local residents blocked a road in the area demanding stringent punishment for the accused. According to the police, the situation is under control and vehicular movement has been restored.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Utpal Parashar Utpal is an assistant editor based in Guwahati. He covers all eight states of North-East and was previously based in Kathmandu, Dehradun and Delhi with Hindustan Times . ...view detail
Chief Justice of India SA Bobde told solicitor general Tushar Mehta to let Italy pay compensation to the victims' families, after which the court (may or will?) allow the withdrawal of case against the marines

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined an Indian government plea to end the prosecution of two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 until it has heard from the victims' families on the issue of Italian compensation.

Government attorney Tushar Mehta sought the court's permission following a ruling by an international arbitration court in July that Italy, not India, has jurisdiction in prosecuting the marines.

The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ordered Italy to pay compensation to India for the loss of life, material damage and moral harm suffered by the surviving crew of the fishing ship. It invited the two countries to enter into negotiations to reach a final financial settlement.

Italy had argued that the men were Italian government employees acting in their official capacities when the fishermen were shot.

On Friday, Chief Justice SA Bobde told the government attorney to let Italy pay compensation to the victims' families and the court will allow the withdrawal of prosecution of the marines.

India had accused Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre of killing the two fishermen in Indian waters while they were assigned to anti-piracy duties aboard an Italian commercial ship. The shooting, and Indias claim of jurisdiction in the case, strained relations between the two countries.

Italy said the marines thought the fishermen were pirates, that they fired warning shots, and that the shooting occurred in international waters. Italy took the case to international arbitration after India arrested the men and detained them without charge for years.

After the ruling by the arbitration court in July, the Italian Foreign Ministry said it was ready to fulfill what the arbitration tribunal had established.
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Catherine Linda Headland was just 14 at the time of her death. Credit:Artwork by Cinta Veal Miller-Reid still wants answers, which is why she has had the old, grainy images of the victims remastered and digitalised in the hope it will spark someones memory  or someones conscience. She says her mother remembers Catherine Headland as charismatic, strong and a great friend. Miller-Reid says she is drawn to the crime because as a mother of three girls, the eldest the same age as Catherine, she knows this could happen to anyone. Someone knows what happened, she adds. On December 6, 1980, two local men dumping stumbled on the bodies of Headland and Miller in scrub at the old sand quarry off Brew Road. A police search found a third victim, 18-year-old Ann-Marie Sargent.

It would take a further two years to find a fourth body on the other side of Brew Road: Narumol Stephenson, who was abducted from Northcote in November 1980. Miller, the aunt of then chief commissioner Mick Miller, left for church on Sunday, August 10, 1980, intending to take a tram along High Street, Glen Iris. Eighteen days later, Headland, 14, was heading to catch the bus at Princes Street, Berwick, to the Fountain Gate shopping complex. Sargent disappeared, probably on the Princes Highway, after intending to catch a bus to the Dandenong office of the Commonwealth Employment Service on October 6, 1980. Around the same time, there were two more murders. Allison Rooke, 59, left her Frankston home to go shopping on May 30, 1980, walking to the nearby Frankston-Dandenong Road to catch a bus. Her body was found on July 5, 1980, hidden in scrub near Skye Road, Frankston.

Joy Carmel Summers, 55, was to have caught a bus on the Frankston-Dandenong Road on October 9, 1981. On November 22, 1981, her body was found in scrub beside Skye Road. The unsolved Tynong North and Frankston murder victims (clockwise from top left) Allison Rooke, Bertha Miller, Catherine Headland, Joy Summers, Narumol Stephenson and Ann-Marie Sargent. Credit:Artwork by Cinta Veal Generations of investigators have grappled with the murders. They agree the three victims found near the Tynong North sand quarry were killed by one offender. They also agree the two found at Skye Road were also taken by one killer. Then there is Stephenson. Was it a fluke she was left so close to the Tynong North site or was it the same killer? If it was the same offender, why didnt he go to the same quarry spot? Was he disturbed and panicked? Unlike the other three, there was little attempt to conceal her body. A 1985 Bureau of Criminal Intelligence review concluded there were probably three killers abducting women around the same period.

The only conclusion I can draw is that the person(s) responsible for the deaths of Rooke and Summer at Frankston is/are not the same person(s) responsible for the deaths of Miller, Headland and Sargent and it is most likely that a third person or persons was responsible for the death of Narumol Stephenson. Yet that conclusion was revoked in a second BCI review five years later that found on the balance of probabilities the same person or persons were responsible for the murders of Allison Rooke, Bertha Miller, Catherine Linda Headland, Ann-Marie Sargent and Joy Carmel Summers. The review said there was insufficient information to draw a conclusion on Stephenson. So who are the suspects? The serial offender

Raymond Edmunds murdered Shepparton teenagers Abina Madill and Garry Heywood in 1966 but was not arrested for the murders until 1985. Police believe he was responsible for at least 32 rapes and a series of unsolved murders in the 19 years before he was caught. Edmunds knew the murder areas well, having worked and lived on farms at Nar Nar Goon and Officer near Tynong, and one in Chelsea Heights, not far from Frankston. But he moved to NSW in April 1980 and would have had to return to Melbourne regularly to have committed the crimes. Effectively eliminated. The relative Garry Miller knows some people suspect he is a killer. He was a friend of Headland, and Bertha Miller was his great-aunt. He lived near the killing zone and his alibi was questioned. He worked at a nearby factory but the clock-on system was easy to beat.

He was just 17 at the time and it seems highly unlikely he could cruise around in daylight hours looking for victims. He was cleared by the initial investigators, then re-interviewed and cleared again by cold-case detectives. The cold killer Bandali Debs is a four-time killer, a violent, vicious, callous man with no compassion and no conscience. A prodigious armed robber, he was convicted of the 1998 murders of Sergeant Gary Silk and Senior Constable Rod Miller.

He was also an opportunistic and homicidal sex offender. In 1995, he killed Sydney sex worker Donna Hicks, dumping her body near a sand quarry in Minchinbury, and two years later killed Melbourne prostitute Kristy Harty, also concealing her body in bushland. October 2017: Cheryl Goldsworthy (Catherine Headland's best friend) and Peter Sargent (brother of Ann-Marie Sargent) in a renewed plea for information on the murders. Credit:Paul Jeffers During the Silk-Miller investigation, he was bugged bragging about how to kill a woman. If you put the rod in the mouth and blew her brains away, when you put the rod in their mouth and close their mouth theres no noise ... Ive seen it. Ive done it. There are geographic reasons to put Debs on the suspect list. He lived in Narre Warren, not far from the Princes Highway where Headland and Sargent were last seen. Even Bertha Miller was likely to have been taken from a tram stop that was a few hundred metres from the same road.

Debs' two known victims were taken from highways and dumped just off main roads. The two Frankston women were taken from the busy Frankston-Dandenong Road. However there is no direct evidence to link him to the cases. He remains on the list but not at the top. The religious man Harold Janman, now 88, presents as a quiet family man devoted to his church who more than once was caught soliciting for prostitution. This certainly doesnt mean he is a killer. He told police he offered women lifts on the Frankston-Dandenong Road, where Rooke and Summers disappeared in 1980 and 1981. He did this, he said, because he was a friendly guy and just wanted to help people. Locally, he was seen as a serial pest. Again, that is far from being a killer.

Police looking for clues from the Tynong North site where the bodies of three women were found. Credit:The Age He drove with the police along the road and pointed to nine bus stops where he offered women lifts. Two of the stops were where Rooke and Summers were waiting when they disappeared. Asked if he knew the location of Skye Road, he became coy, claiming: Ive never heard of it. This was rather strange, as he previously worked as a projectionist at the local drive-in  in Skye Road. Taken to the area where the two women were dumped, he seemed to deliberately avoid the spot where their bodies were found. [He] became nervous and sweated a lot. He walked around the sites as asked, but at no time did he walk in the immediate vicinity of where the bodies had been lying, a confidential report reveals.

Janman was interviewed on December 3, 1981, and the murders stopped. He had opportunity, knew the area and was notorious for offering lifts. That is enough to make him a suspect for the Frankston murders, but what about Tynong North? For years, Janman lived in Garfield, near the Tynong North murder ground, and he continued to visit friends there. He worked as a part-time barman at the Tynong Hotel and drove a truck along the Brew Road route. And for a time, he worked at the sand quarry where three of the bodies were dumped. Janman has declared his innocence to police and to the media when he is occasionally pinned down for a comment, and there has never been any hard evidence linking him to any of the murders.
He says water will not be supplied to "the occupation forces, for the military bases' needs."

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal does not rule out the possibility of supplying drinking water from the mainland of Ukraine to Russia-occupied Crimea in the event of, as he put it, a "humanitarian disaster" on the peninsula.

"If necessary to provide people with water, if there is a humanitarian disaster, of course, Ukraine will provide Ukrainians  somewhere in Crimea or elsewhere  with water and with everything they need, medicines, food and so on," Shmyhal said in an interview for Radio Svoboda's Ukrainian service.

Read alsoSwitzerland allocates 1.4 mln francs for water purification in Donbas

Yet, he added, Ukraine will not supply water to "the occupation forces, for the needs of military bases." "It's impossible," he said.

According to him, it is technically impossible at the moment to supply water from the Dnipro River to Russia-occupied Crimea.

"The Crimean Canal is closed, and journalists have conducted more than one investigation that it is impossible today to supply water to Crimea using the existing infrastructure. It is necessary to invest funds, to repair this infrastructure," he said.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on June 11, Shmyhal said that the issue of resuming the supply of fresh water to Crimea was not on the Ukrainian agenda. Prior to that, on March 5, Shmyhal claimed that his Cabinet "would not cut off the water for Ukrainians in Crimea" and said that the failure to supply water "would lead to a humanitarian disaster."

Later, he wrote on Facebook that the Ukrainian authorities could not supply water to Crimea until the end of the peninsula's occupation, because "it is technically impossible to split water for households and for [Russia's] military bases."
Next week Xiaomi will celebrate its first decade in the smartphone business by announcing two new phones - previously believed to be named the Mi 10 Pro Plus and the Redmi K30 Extreme Commemorative Edition.

Today Lei Jun, co-founder and chairman of the company, slightly lifted the curtain on the first phone, revealing that it will actually be called Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra outside of China, while the working (machine-translated) name for the home market is Mi 10 Supreme Edition.

The executive also revealed more details about the incoming phone like availability and versions. From what we can make out given our poor knowledge of the Chinese language, there will be two versions of the Mi 10 Ultra, with the second one being a collectors edition.

Source (in Chinese) | Via
Senior Tories have condemned the Government for their unfair lack of clarity over the possible implementation of further quarantine restrictions.

Chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs Sir Graham Brady and former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith have called for a proper testing regime for air travellers to be implemented as quickly as possible, and for regional air corridors to be considered.

It comes as Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned holidaymakers of the risk of travelling abroad during the coronavirus crisis amid concerns France may be the next nation to be added to the quarantine list.

He said on Friday that ministers will not hesitate in ordering travellers coming back from countries with high Covid-19 rates to isolate for 14 days, as Belgium, Andorra and The Bahamas lose their exempted status.

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Travellers returning to the UK from those three nations from Saturday must enter quarantine, and there are fears those coming back from France could be next with cases there increasing.

Sir Graham told The Telegraph leaving the public in the dark on the matter is grossly unfair.

We should move to a proper testing regime for air travellers as quickly as possible, but in the meantime it is essential that the Government is as transparent as possible about the criteria which are being used judging which countries require quarantine and which do not.

Leaving the travelling public in the dark is grossly unfair and is causing further damage to the holiday and leisure sector, he said.

Sir Iain added that holidaymakers needed more information and for it to be clearer so they could make better informed decisions about whether to travel abroad.

He also called on the Government to reconsider regional travel corridors and testing to replace the blunt approach of quarantine.

People are travelling to countries at the moment and they have no idea whether they will or will not have quarantine reimposed, he told the paper.

My only question is can the Government not look at regional quarantine so that people could travel to low-risk areas like Majorca but not Barcelona?

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The comments come as Eurostar said it recorded an increase in passengers travelling on its trains from Brussels to London on Friday, beating the deadline.

Mr Sunak told Sky News: Its a tricky situation. What I can say to people is were in the midst of a global pandemic and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans and people need to bear that in mind.

Its the right thing for us to do to keep everything under review on a constant basis talking with our scientists, our medical advisers, and if we need to take action as youve seen overnight we will of course not hesitate to do that and were doing that to protect peoples health.

Frances coronavirus rate has increased steadily in the past month to 13.2 new infections per 100,000 people, suggesting the spread is worse than in the UK, which has a rate of 8.4.

However, France still appears to be faring better than Belgium, which has seen its rate soar to 27.8. It also has a rate lower than Spains when it was added to the restriction list at around 27.4.

On Thursday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said rising Covid-19 infection levels in Belgium, Andorra and The Bahamas meant they would be added to the quarantine list.

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The measures come into force in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 4am on Saturday after they were introduced in Wales from Friday.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also updated its travel advice to warn against all but essential trips to the three countries.

The Department for Transport clarified that people driving to the UK from Germany or the Netherlands via Belgium will need to self-isolate for 14 days unless, while in Belgium, all passengers remain in their car and no-one joins them.

Anyone who travels on a train which passengers get on or off in Belgium will also need to quarantine.

This means Eurostar passengers travelling from Amsterdam to London will need to self-isolate, as the journey involves changing trains in Brussels.

Our phone lines and live chat are extremely busy at the moment. We have brought in extra staff to help our customers with their queries. Don't forget that you can make and amend most bookings online using My Eurotunnel. pic.twitter.com/VQZUqJH0ez  Eurotunnel Le Shuttle (@LeShuttle) August 7, 2020

Elsewhere, Brunei and Malaysia have been added to the Governments travel corridor list, following a decrease in confirmed cases of coronavirus, meaning arrivals from these countries no longer need to quarantine.

In Andorra, new cases per week have increased five-fold since mid-July, while in The Bahamas the weekly case rate peaked at 78.6 last week, up from 3.1 in the middle of last month.
But de Blasio added that no more than 20 officers might be enforcing the checkpoints at any given time. The city sheriff said stops would be random, every six to eight cars, and would not specifically target cars with Florida or any other states tags.
Taiwans newly appointed representative to its trade and economic office in the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim, has said she will go to bat for the democratic island as a battle cat to counter Chinas aggressive, wolf warrior style of diplomacy.



Hsiao, who started her career as an intern in the same office three decades ago, told journalists shortly after her appointment that she wants to promote ever-closer ties between Washington and Taipei.



A former member of Taiwan's parliament for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Hsiao told RFA she hopes her approach will serve as a counterweight to China's aggressive form of "wolf warrior diplomacy" in Washington.



"China has been using its philosophy of 'wolf warrior diplomacy' against Taiwan for decades," Hsiao said. "They have excluded Taiwan from every area and limited Taiwans international presence."



"They have been very cruel and unfair to the people of Taiwan, and now they are using the same methods in countries all over the world," Hsiao said. "Everyone should update their understanding of the nature of this regime."



But she said Taiwan's strong democracy and track record of governance would show that the island has far more resilience and flexibility than an authoritarian regime.



"Cats are more likeable than wolves," Hsiao said. "And warrior cats are flexible."



Promoting trade



One of Hsiao's goals is to work towards the Taiwan-U.S. Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), or the Taiwan-US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), as well as working towards a U.S. visit for President Tsai Ing-wen.



"This is a common expectation for many Taiwanese people," she said. "Whether or not it can be met depends on whether the strategic environment is right."



"We will be looking for opportunities in all of the upheaval," she added.



Hsiao stepped down from the Legislative Yuan upon the end of her term in 2020, and was named an adviser to the National Security Council in March 2020.



She was appointed Taiwan's representative to the United States in June, the first woman to hold the position. She was sworn into office on July 20.



Like President Tsai, Hsiao is a cat-lover who is relocating four felines to live with her during her tour of duty in Washington.



Tsai once adopted a cat found by Hsiao in a field after Typhoon Saola, naming it Think Think.



Reported by Zheng Chongsheng and Chen Nanxi for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Its sad to see the Smurfit-Stone mill in Frenchtown sit vacant year after year.

Ten years have passed since Smurfit closed the paper mill. Missoula County lost hundreds of jobs and a big chunk of tax base. I watched it unfold when I worked for Missoula County. We were in shock when the mill closed, but had high hopes that new owners would revitalize the area. Sadly, the site remains empty; no new jobs created. Instead, the mills past owners left us a big mess, and our state government and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have done little to help.

People are right to be upset. Smurfit sold the mill to the Green Investment Group, which promised jobs manufacturing windmills. Smurfit was acquired by Rock-Tenn Corp., then merged with Westrock. With every step, they distanced themselves from environmental liability.

Turns out there never was a serious plan to redevelop this property. Unlike Bonner, where local investors partnered with the county to revitalize the mill, Smurfit sits abandoned. Buildings and equipment have been sold or demolished. Property taxes plummeted and went unpaid.

Smurfit made sure the mill could never be reopened, and its successors consolidated profitable operations in Georgia and Tennessee. Stock prices soared; CEOs and investors made millions. Frenchtown School and Rural Fire cut their budgets.

Meanwhile, Green Investment Group never delivered on its promises. All we have to show is a proposed gravel pit. They came to Montana promising jobs, but asked for handouts. In Ohio, they convinced the state to clean up a former Smurfit mill at taxpayer expense. Their real purpose was to shield Smurfit from liability.

Ten years later, the prospect of cleanup and redevelopment appear distant and uncertain. Sampling of the dumps has been sparse compared to other sites like White Pine Sash, Bonner Mill or Milltown. PCBs were found in two places in limited initial sampling. But only small areas where the samples were found were dug up, with no further sampling of similar areas nearby. If PCBs remain, they will be left for unwitting future property owners when they dig foundations for new buildings.

While the mill was open, state regulators turned a blind eye to the dumps. They failed to regulate the dumps, contrary to the law. These dumps were never constructed, permitted, operated or monitored as landfills. Maybe the bureaucrats were trying to protect the mill and save jobs. But now the jobs, mill and tax base are gone. Yet the dumps remain.

The dumps span 140 acres  big enough to cover the University of Montana campus. They are buried in groundwater, and contain everything the mill disposed from 1957 to 1992: sludge, fly ash, industrial waste, and drums with unknown contents. Arsenic, manganese, dioxins and metals are leaching into the groundwater that flows to the river. The only thing separating the dumps from the force of the Clark Fork are flimsy gravel berms. A big flood will happen someday, and it wont be pretty.

If these dumps were at the state capitol, they would have been cleaned up long ago. Rural Frenchtown doesnt seem to have enough political sway. But our state government helped create this problem, and should be working hard to fix it. Those who tore down the mill took our jobs and tax base, left us a big mess, and a mill site too contaminated to redevelop. They can well afford to come back now and clean up their mess.

We dont need 10 more years of study to clean up these dumps. Lets get started now, put people back to work and protect the river.

Peter Nielsen worked for 32 years protecting water resources in Missoula with the Water Quality District and Clark Fork Coalition before retiring in 2018.

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The Trump administrations nominee for a top special operations post at the Pentagon is facing questions about whether a company he helps oversee trained members of the Saudi team who killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In May, President Donald Trump nominated Louis Bremer  a former Navy SEAL turned investment banker  to serve as assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. In that role, Bremer would be the top civilian in the Defense Department overseeing the special operations community.

Bremer is currently a managing director at Cerberus Capital Management  a private equity company whose founder, Stephen Feinberg, has close ties to the Trump administration and was once considered for a high-up job in the intelligence community. Bremer also sits on the board of directors of Tier 1 Group, an Arkansas-based special operations training company that is owned by Cerberus.

In March 2019, the Washington Post  where Khashoggi was also a columnist  published a column by David Ignatius, which, citing Saudi and American sources, claimed that members of the Saudi rapid response team that killed Khashoggi in October 2018 had been trained in the United States. The column said that the CIA had warned other government agencies that some of this special-operations training might have been conducted by Tier 1 Group under a State Department license.

A U.S. government source confirmed the account at the time to The Intercept, saying that the CIA warning was intended to stop members of the Saudi team from being granted U.S. visas again for further training as part of defense liaison programs with the U.S. (The official asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.) The CIA did not respond to an email requesting comment.

At a nominations hearing on Thursday, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., asked Bremer about the allegations, and whether Tier 1 Group or Cerberus ever investigated them. In response, Bremer said that he was unfamiliar with the article, and said neither company had investigated the allegation to my knowledge or recollection.

I do know that we train Saudi nationals as part of our engagements with the Kingdom as an allied nation, Bremer said. We train other nations as well. But I have no knowledge of that.

So until today, Kaine asked, you were not aware that an allegation had been made that a company on which you sit as a director, with a small board of directors, had potentially been involved in training Saudis who were participants in the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi?

I find it incredibly hard to believe that a five-person board of this company would not have had a fire drill when this allegation arose.

Bremer said he would check his records and follow up with Kaine.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, responded to Bremers account with skepticism.

Having served on a number of corporate boards myself, its hard for me to believe that a mention of your company by name in a column by David Ignatius  one of the leading foreign affairs commentators in the country  would not come to your attention nor to the attention of the board, King said. I find it incredibly hard to believe that a five-person board of this company would not have had a fire drill when this allegation arose.

We have a culture of compliance at Cerberus, Bremer said. That culture is pushed down into our portfolio companies. So as I sit here and think about it in real time, I think its probably likely that we did do some sort of investigation, I just dont recall the specifics of that.

Cerberus did not respond to a request for comment, and calls to Tier 1 Groups office went unanswered.

Bremers nomination was first reported by Politico, which noted that in a now-deleted Instagram account, he described himself as a Harley riding, tequila-drinking Navy SEAL and White House Fellow who buys companies on occasion. His nomination was criticized by former officials who questioned his ability to reset the culture of the special operations community, which has come under fire after a number of high-profile scandals, including a Green Beret being strangled to death, sexual assault charges, drug abuse, and the war crimes trial of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher.

When the Presidents nominee to be the chief civilian Pentagon leader over U.S. special forces operations is a director of a company that may have trained those who assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it is critical that the Senate understand all the facts about the claim and whether Mr. Bremer or his colleagues took any steps in response to such a shocking allegation, Kaine said in a statement after the hearing.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday rejected actress Rhea Chakraborty's request seeking postponement of her recording the statement till her Supreme Court plea hearing.

According to sources, "the ED has asked Rhea Chakraborty to join the probe. Her request has been denied and no exemption given by ED."

In an email sent to the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday night, Rhea had urged the financial probe agency to defer its inquiry in the case since the matter is still pending in the court. In a statement, Rhea's counsel Satish Manshinde said: "Rhea Chakraborty has requested that the recording of her statement be postponed till Supreme Court hearing."

Also, it has been learnt from sources that ED will now quiz Sushant's friend Siddharth Pithani in Hyderabad on Saturday (August 8, 2020).

The ED is likely to register Rhea Chakraborty's absence as non-compliance of summons.

The Enforcement Directorate had registered a money laundering case against Rhea under Personal Money Laundering Act (PMLA) involving the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, a team of the financial probe agency reached the residence of Chartered Accountant Sandeep Sridhar and quizzed him a few days back.

Rhea's associate Samuel Miranda and her CA Ritesh Shah were also probed in relation to the death of the actor. The ED came into action after the case was registered by the ED against Rhea and her family members. It was over Rs 15 crore amount which was allegedly spent by Rhea. The sum was withdrawn from Sushant's account, reportedly. It was after Sushant's father KK Singh had filed an FIR against Rhea in Patna. The ED has named Rhea and her family members in the case on the basis of the Bihar Police FIR.

However, sources close to Rhea inform that the Khar property in question was purchased in 2018 way before she met Sushant Singh Rajput. The flat was purchased from her remuneration from her film Jalebi. The payment was made through her bank account to the builder.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Facebook-owned WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature to allow ShareChat users to play videos within its main app in the picture-in-picture mode.

Spotted by WABetaInfo that tracks WhatsApp in Beta, the support for the ShareChat video service is available in the latest WhatsApp Beta for iOS and Android.

"Latest updates officially support the possibility to play videos shared on ShareChat within WhatsApp," the website said on Thursday.

Once you tap the play icon on a ShareChat video, WhatsApp will begin to reproduce the video in the picture-in-picture mode.

The functionality will be available on both WhatsApp for iOS and Android.

"To be sure to be on a compatible version, you should install the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS 2.20.81.3 and WhatsApp beta for Android 2.20.197.7".

The home-grown regional language social media app ShareChat has a user base of over 60 million monthly active users spread across the country and available in 15 languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Odia, Kannada, Assamese, Haryanvi, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri and Urdu.

The Bengaluru-based regional language social platform has become so popular that even Twitter came onboard when the four-year-old company raised $100 million in its Series D round of funding last year.

ShareChat said last month that its short video sharing platform Moj has crossed five million downloads from Google Play Store in just about a week since the beta version of the TikTok rival was released.
By Express News Service

IDUKKI: A major landslide swept down a portion of the Pettimudi hills at Rajamala in Munnar, in Idukki district, trapping scores of estate workers under heaps of debris.

According to rescue workers, four lanes of quarters and a church are buried under mud and more than 75 people are feared trapped.

As many as 17 bodies have been recovered and rescue workers are fighting inclement weather to remove the debris.

Flood water has inundated Munnar (Photo | EPS)

Ten people have been rescued so far and shifted to the hospital.

Sources said a portion of Pettimudi came crashing down on the workers colony with a deafening roar in the wee hours of Friday.

Visuals from Pettimudi settlement of KDHP's Nyayamakad estate in Rajamala near #Munnar, where a massive #landslide was triggered in which five have been killed and about 80 are feared trapped. #Keralarains @xpresskerala @MSKiranPrakash pic.twitter.com/OoLQG2Fw95  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) August 7, 2020

As people were sleeping in the quarters, there was little time to escape.

Further, with the Periyavara bridge being washed away, it became all the more difficult for rescue workers to reach the spot.

ALSO READ | Munnar landslide: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan seeks Air Force choppers for rescue operations

The construction of a new temporary Periyavara bridge however, is underway.

The bridge was previously destructed during the deluge of August 2018. Later during the north west monsoons and the south west monsoon of 2019, it suffered damage again.

The present bridge, which got damaged on Thursday after Kannimala river levels rose, was constructed under the leadership of Coir fed.

Although a new concrete bridge has been constructed near the temporary bridge in Periyavara, vehicle movement has not been possible because the authorities are yet to build its approach via road.

The new bridge is to be constructed at a cost of Rs 4.75 crore from Devikulam MLA S Rajendran's fund.

ALSO WATCH:

The entire area has been cut off from outside world and communication networks have also crashed.

Teams of Fire and Rescue personnel, NDRF, revenue officials, estate workers and police are struggling to conduct rescue operations.

"Have spoken to DG NDRF, their team has reached the spot to provide all possible assistance to the administration with the rescue work. May injured recover soon," Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted.

Condolences to the bereaved families of those who have lost their lives in Rajamalai, Idukki(Kerala) due to landslide.



Have spoken to DG NDRF, their team has reached the spot to provide all possible assistance to the administration with the rescue work. May injured recover soon.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 7, 2020

Meanwhile, District collector H Dhineshan said a team of rescue personnel was sent to Pettymudy after he was briefed about the mishap and search operations to locate and rescue people are underway.

ALSO READ | Kerala landslide a terrible tragedy: Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi

Facilities have been arranged at the hospitals nearby to provide necessary treatment facilities to the people being rescued.

Special mobile medical team rushed to Idukki

The state health department has rushed a special mobile medical team and around 15 ambulances to landslide-hit areas of Idukki.

Health Minister KK Shailaja said more medical teams have been kept on standby. She has directed hospitals in Idukki to arrange adequate facilities to treat the injured.

PM Narendra Modi announces ex gratia for the next of kin

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi expressed his anguish over the deaths due to the natural calamity. "Pained by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. NDRF and the administration are working on the ground, providing assistance to the affected," PM tweeted.

He further announced a monetary compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50000 for the injured.

Ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. Rs. 50,000 each would be given to those injured due to the landslide.  PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 7, 2020

Kerala governor lauds rescue teams at landslide site

Expressing grief at those who have died in the landslide, Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan said that the NDRF, police, fire forest revenue department and locals are working hard to save lives.
NHS bosses have been urged not to axe non-covid treatments even if there is a second wave, it was reported last night.

Doctors have warned that cancelling non-urgent operations will inflict pain and misery on tens of thousands of patients.

Many were axed in March to ensure hospitals could cope with a flood of seriously ill virus sufferers.

The lockdown has been linked to thousands of avoidable deaths among non-coronavirus patients.

NHS bosses have been urged not to axe non-covid treatments even if there is a second wave, it was reported last night

Leading surgeons said the decision had turned the NHS into a Covid-only service.

Professor Neil Mortensen, the president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: There is a duty to the thousands of patients waiting in need and in pain to make sure they can be treated.

The NHS had to stop almost all planned surgery at the beginning of the Covid crisis, and we just cannot let that happen again.

'Things will need to be done differently in the face of any further spike.

British Medical Association chairman Dr Chaand Nagpaul told the Guardian: We cannot have a situation in which patients are unable to access diagnostic tests, clinic appointments and treatment which they urgently need and are left stranded.

If someone needs care  for example for cancer, heart trouble, a breathing condition or a neurological problem  they must get it when they need it.

More than a million fewer patients in England had surgery across April, May and June while up to 40,000 could not start cancer treatments.

At the same time, 12,000 more people have died of non-Covid illnesses than would usually be expected in recent months.

It is thought to be linked to unavailability of care, as well as fear of going into hospital. The NHS denied being a Covid-only service at the height of the pandemic.
Elissa Leach planned to be Mrs. Nonmacher by now. But COVID-19 forced her to postpone her wedding, moving the occasion from July to next January.

Leach, 21, and her fiance, Luke Nonmacher, 23, met while students at Texas A&M University at Galveston. She had just joined the rowing team and couldnt help but notice the groups handsome vice president.

He taught me how to row, Leach recalled. We met in August, starting dating in two months, and now its been about three years.

Nonmacher proposed a week after graduation, last May. Leach said Yes.

Of course, I did, she laughed. He just makes me feel like I was at home. It just felt natural.

When she moved to College Station to finish her studies, they committed to long-distance dating. Now, he stays in Galveston while she is living with her parents in Tomball until their wedding day.

They picked out a chapel in The Woodlands and waited.

Then, the coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench in their plans.

Leach took 17 credit hours this past semester to graduate in May. Her last portion of college, however, moved online. Her graduation ceremony was placed on hold. Still, she held out hope that the virus would be contained in time for her wedding.

Its going to be gone by July, she told herself. Well get through this. Were going to get married.

Before long, she realized wedding bells would have to ring later. The delay would also require finding a new chapel for their 2021 date.

Leach was relieved to discover, however, that at least one aspect of her marriage could continue as planned: preparing for the big day with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

In the Catholic tradition, marriage is recognized as a sacrament, one of seven that include baptism, confirmation and the eucharist.

Matrimony is considered a fundamental part of the religion  and is a contract that is made with God, explained Teresita Johnson, who served as the associate director of marriage preparation for the archdiocese for 10 years. She said that marriage preparation in the church generally begins a year before the wedding.

The goal in all of this, before and after the wedding day, is to train our minds and hearts that were going to unite, that were transforming the I mentality to the we mentality, she said. We are no longer on our own.

Because of the importance of the sacrament, a lengthy engagement is best, Johnson said.

Ultimately, marriage is difficult, she said. Preparing is part of it. This gives us an opportunity to slow down a little bit.

Couples start by completing an intake form, which identifies couples strengths as well as what they need to work on.

Then they begin an educational program. A lot of that takes place in group sessions with the engaged couple and a sponsored couple, she said.

In addition to meeting with mentor couples, the archdiocese offers special weekend retreats, in which engaged couples attend a variety of presentations given by married couples.

These are couples who have been there and done that, Johnson said. They talk about their experiences. We also spend time skill-building.

Retreat organizers ask that couples disconnect from technology and spend the time focusing on their relationship, without interruption.

When Johnson started hearing news about the coronavirus, she worried how it would affect marriage preparation.

There was a dread in my head, she said. It was very stressful for both the couples that are involved and for their ministers. The transition was tough. So much of our activities are live and in-person.

Some couples could still meet with mentor couples, who were comfortable with video conferencing or over the phone.

That was the easiest thing to pivot online, Johnson said.

Churches that held in-person marriage-prep classes had to cancel. Fortunately, Johnson already had researched online classes, mainly for couples dating over a distance, separated by military service, work or school.

There are some good programs I vetted, she said. When we had to cancel some programs, I put the word out to our engaged couples.

Retreats were pushed until May and heavily modified.

Ricardo Medina, director of family-life ministry for the archdiocese, said that retreats could proceed only with extreme caution.

Leaders ask that individuals with symptoms or who have been exposed to COVID-19 refrain from attending. Extra time is spent sanitizing the space before anyone arrives. Social distancing has also been key. Couples are placed at banquet tables normally reserved for 10.

We set spaces that are five times larger than normal, Medina said. The size of the tables helps us to create the physical barriers between couples.

Wearing masks is essential. There is no sharing of materials, and meals are packed individually. The retreats are no longer overnight. Instead, couples go home at the end of the day.

We made major adjustments in the way we are doing those events to make sure that we are complying with regulations, Medina said.

The events are mostly led by volunteers, he added. Theyre willing to share and do something for others, he said. They are our driving force.

Couples who opted not to attend the retreats could move online, Medina added.

Thats what Leach and Nonmacher elected to do.

They were looking forward to the retreat but ultimately unable to go. It was at the very beginning of COVID-19, when we couldnt even have a group of 10, Leach said. We had the opportunity to do a home study, and we did it together.

The couple enjoyed being able to stop the videos and delve into deep discussions on various topics.

We were able to sit and talk  without a time limit, Leach said. We were able to discuss our goals personally.

The at-home course also asked them to list potential challenges in their marriage and to look at how they could align with the teaching of the church. At the end of the course, they earned a certificate, which they can present at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, where they now plan to be married in January.

Still, Leach hopes to find a mentor couple before the big day.

Medina explained that the online program does not offer the connection that many couples find beneficial.

At this moment, were reassessing and having conversations with people who are doing online programs to evaluate and foster a greater sense of community, he said.

Finding new ways to better use technology will allow couples to continue to prepare for marriage, Medina added.

Our job is helping them with all the resources available, given the time we live in, he said.

Medina said that couples may have to postpone their weddings, but they still want to forge forward as much as possible.

Love doesnt stop, he said. This is the most powerful and beautiful force anywhere. Regardless of social distancing or of the pandemic. Love continues.

Cypress residents Kenneth and Janet Berntsen were able to complete their marriage preparation in person.

We lucked out and got to go to the retreat weekend, Janet said. It was probably one of the last ones scheduled.

Their actual wedding, however, was threatened by COVID-19.

It was kind of a roller coaster, Kenneth said. We wanted to still get married. We didnt want to push this off.

At first, Janet explained, they shortened their invitation list to 80 people. But just because that was allowed did not mean that everyone felt comfortable with that many people in the room, she said.

The couple narrowed the list down to 20. I had to send several text messages and uninvite people, Janet said. The good thing was that everyone understood.

The Bernstens decided to livestream their wedding  so their friends and family could still attend virtually.

Since the church was already livestreaming services, the congregation had the technology in place. Church members sat in the parking lot and watched outside on their cellphones. Friends and family tuned in and sent the couple photos of them watching online.

The Bernstens planned to take a cruise for their honeymoon. That, too, was canceled, and they opted for a couple of nights at a hotel.

You just have to roll with it, Kenneth said. Ive heard of people canceling or postponing their weddings until this is over. But we didnt want to wait. We wanted to get married.

He explained that the sacrament was important to them.

Its not what we thought wed do, but in the end, it was just as special, just as rewarding, he said.

Everyone worked together to make it happen, Janet added.

You cant focus on the things you have no control over, she said. It can still be an awesome and blessed day. We have no regrets.

Lindsay Peyton is a Houston-based freelance writer.
By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijani and Turkish Armed Forces continue to hold joint large-scale live-fire tactical and flight exercises in Nakhchivan, the Ministry of Defense said on August 6.

According to the training scenario, measures are taken with the headquarters of formations and battalions to clarify the task in accordance with the military decision-making process, to assess the situation, to clarify the tasks in the area, and to develop joint negotiation schedules.

Thus, decisions and tasks related to the preparation of joint combat operations plans of the headquarters to achieve the coordination of the interaction of units are performed on computers in the Simulation Center of the Nakhchivan Garrison.

During the joint actions with the units of the Turkish Armed Forces, activities are carried out on the implementation of management and communication.

The Land and Air forces of the two countries are participating in the military exercises 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 were 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
As seen on Netflixs docuseries, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, Ghislaine Maxwell was in a relationship with convicted pedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein for years. She has been accused of grooming his young victims and participating in his sexual assaults.

With Maxwells recent arrest, previously unknown details about her life with Epstein are beginning to emerge. A recent report suggests that she commissioned a song about schoolgirl crushes as a gift for Epstein at his 40th birthday celebration.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell | Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Ghislaine Maxwell grew up wealthy

Before her relationship with Epstein, Maxwell was a well-known French socialite who grew up in the lap of luxury. Her father, late British publishing mogul, Robert Maxwell, was a Minister of Parliament who was exposed for fraud after stealing millions from his companys pension fund.

In 1991, Roberts body was found in the sea near the Canary Islands. His death was ruled as an accidental drowning, but Ghislaine has said she believes he was murdered.

After Roberts mysterious death, and the subsequent demise of his publishing empire, Ghislaine moved to New York City where she met Epstein. The two started dating and often attended high-profile events and parties together.

Donald and Melania Trump, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell | Davidoff Studios/Getty Images

RELATED: Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich: What Happened to Epsteins Florida House Shown on the Netflix Docuseries?

Epsteins victims claim Maxwell is as much to blame as Epstein

On Netflixs Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, multiple Epstein victims detail how they were groomed by Maxwell. In the docuseries, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, now 36, details how Maxwell recruited her and emotionally manipulated her into having sex with her and Epstein. She also claims that Maxwell took her to London at the age of 17, and coerced her into having a sexual relationship with Prince Andrew at her London home.

Ghislaine tells me, Youre going to have to do for him what you do for Jeffrey, and it hit me, Giuffre says in the docuseries. Right after that photo was taken, I was sexually abused by Prince Andrew for the first time.

RELATED: Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich Survivor Virginia Roberts Giuffre Claims Naomi Campbell was Ghislaine Maxwells BFF

Maxwell was arrested in July 2020

In July 2019, Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking. He died by suicide a month later, while being held in a cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. Authorities searched for Maxwell following Epsteins arrest for months. And on July 2, 2020, federal agents finally found her hiding out at her rural New Hampshire home.

Maxwell was arrested and charged with six criminal counts, which include conspiring to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts and transporting a minors for the purposes of criminal sexual activity. Maxwell, who faces a sentence of 35 years, had denied any wrongdoing.

Orange is the new black- #GhislaineMaxwellArrested Thank you to @FBI @SDNYnews and anyone involved in the arrest of this insidious creature. Hope the judge throws the book at her. So so so happy- shes finally where she belongs. #LOCKEDUP #ChildTrafficking #FightingBack pic.twitter.com/CuZd4W0Cli  Virginia Giuffre (@VRSVirginia) July 2, 2020

She reportedly commissioned a song about schoolgirls as a gift for Epstein

In an interview with Vanity Fair, British journalist Christopher Mason detailed how Maxwell hired him to perform a song for Epsteins 40th birthday bash. She asked him to write the song using details she provided about Epstein. And she insisted he add a part about Epsteins interest in schoolgirls.

She wanted me to mention that when Epstein was teaching at the Dalton School, he was the subject of many school girl crushes, Mason revealed. [It was] kind of an odd thing to want in a song about a man who appears to be your boyfriend. But she clearly thought that that was something that was going to amuse him. Another odd thing that she wanted me to say was that he had 24-hour erections.

Mason noted that he was asked to perform the song in front of Maxwell and Epsteins guests, which included billionaire entrepreneur Leslie Wexler. The song she commissioned included lyrics like, Ghislaine is lavishing him with her affections, she claims he has 24-hour erections, and, He taught at Dalton, the naughty boy blushes, to think of schoolgirls and all of their crushes.

Mason said that the song was met with laughter and applause, and he felt as if the guests clearly understood the references. The journalist will be seen telling his story on Lifetimes upcoming four-part docuseries, Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, which premieres Aug. 9.
Moesha, Girlfriends, Sister, Sister, More Classic Black Comedies are Headed to Netflix

Netflix is ready to transport its audience to an era that was COVID-19 free and laughs were much easier to find.

Netflix's latest original film, Work It, is a coming-of-age dance comedy that will bring joy to your life when you need it most (admit you, you know you do). Starring Sabrina Carpenter as Quinn, a bookish high school senior who must start her own dance team to clinch an acceptance to her dream college (thanks to a little white lie she tells during an admissions interview), the movie is pure fun. The dancing is, of course, breathtaking. But there's so much more to it than that.

Here, EW rounds up (five-six-seven-)eight reasons why you need to watch Work It, whether you're a dance movie aficionado or you've never even heard the words Step and Up or Center and Stage in the same sentence.

1. It's so much fun

Yeah, we said that already. But it bears repeating: Work It is a straight-up good time! All director Laura Terruso wanted while making this movie was for people to have fun while watching it. "I want you to want to get up and dance along with it, and as soon as it ends, you want to watch it again," she tells EW.

Carpenter had a blast filming the movie with costars Liza Koshy, Jordan Fisher, Keiynan Lonsdale, and the rest of the ensemble, and that translates on screen. "It doesn't take itself too seriously," she says. "We're very aware of how silly and crazy it all is. It's definitely lighthearted in a lot of ways. I hope this movie can bring people a little sense of joy right now."

"I just want people to feel good," Fisher says. "It's supposed to make you laugh, shed a tear, and then just get up and dance."

2. It has an inspiring message

Work It is deeper than you may expect. On the surface it's easy fun, but the way the movie uses dance is surprisingly sweet. "Dance is a universal language," Terruso says. "It connects us all and it really brings people together in an incredible way. It's a way to express your identity, your culture, your individuality in this way that's really unifying. Right now more than ever, we need unifying messages and something that's going to bring us together when we're all so separate and quarantined."

Story continues

Carpenter was surprised by the story's real-world parallels. "It's just the fact that nothing is certain and change, although it seems really scary, a lot of the times is what brings you some of the most beautiful accidents you'll ever experience in your life," she says. "It's a bit of a wake-up call to take from this movie that it's never too late and you're never too old to start something new and to do something you really love. Life is a long time, and life is about trying things that scare you."

Fisher adds that everyone can learn something from what these characters go through, like his character, Jake, a former champion dancer reeling from a career-ending injury. "It's about dealing with things, it's about coming of age in all sorts of different ways and growing," he says. "We all need something like that, especially right now."

3. It's a dance comedy, which is a little different

Everyone loves a good dance movie. Even if you haven't seen that many, you can still list a few off the top of your head. But what about dance comedies? "That comedy element sets this apart from other dance movies," Terruso says. "We tried to be really playful and and have fun with it." Along with iconic dance films like Dirty Dancing, a big inspiration for Work It was Sister Act 2. "It's one of my favorite competition movies of all time," the director says. "In that film I felt like I really knew the kids, and it was fun and funny, and they were the underdogs and they win at the end. And it's all about being yourself and expressing yourself, so that was a big inspiration for this."

4. It's a dance movie about someone who can't dance

You don't have to know anything about dance to enjoy Work It. It's literally about a girl who can't dance to save her life but ultimately finds the joy in dancing by expressing herself and learning how to have fun with it.

"Playing a character that can't dance is something that I've never done before," Carpenter says with a laugh. "I had to learn to get out of my body by watching videos of Napoleon Dynamite and things like that to look like the most awkward I could possibly look." Quinn's journey is actually pretty close to what the director experienced in her own life. "I had a similar experience in high school where I had to learn to dance for a part in a musical, and it really changed my life," Terruso says. "It changed the way I related to my body. And that connection is what drove me throughout to tell the story."

When it came to choreographing someone who can't dance along with top-tier dance champions, choreographer Aakomon Jones really had his work cut out for him. But he says he enjoyed that challenge more than anything. "We'll give you high-end, high-skill-level dance, and we'll give you funny, not-taking-ourselves-seriously-style dancing," he says. "And we'll meet you somewhere in the middle so that you're both impressed, you don't feel alienated, and you have a good time."

5. It's the most inclusive dance movie you'll ever see

"When I got the key art for Work It, it almost brought tears to my eyes," Fisher says. "It's so nice to look at the poster for a film and see all different shapes and sizes and colors and orientations and all of that. The diversity of this is so great. It's really about the people. And it's all celebrated."

That was important to the director from the very start. "When I pitched to get the job, one of the things I pitched was featuring differently abled dancers," Terruso says. "That was something that was really important to me because I want this to be a film where every young person watching sees themselves reflected on screen, and the message being that dance is for everyone. You don't have to be any specific way to be a dancer."

That culminated in a powerful scene in which Quinn and Jake watch a dance crew of differently abled teens perform on the street. "We cast dancers from this crew called ILL-Abilities," Terruso says. "There is a scene of where Jake is watching these differently abled dancers and realizing he quit dance for the wrong reasons. The day those guys came to set, I was so happy and so moved. It just felt like, yes, this is this is why we're making this movie."

6. The chemistry between Quinn and Jake is off the charts

While Quinn and Jake start off with a professional relationship as he teaches her to dance, we've all seen this song-and-dance before. You know it's going to become something more from the very first scene they share, and their chemistry is undeniable.

"Quinn isn't quite comfortable in her body, and that's Jake's expertise," Carpenter says. "My favorite dance scene in the movie, besides the finale because everyone loves a grand finale, is Quinn and Jake's first date. The cinematography of that scene and where it was shot, this beautiful underpass with the most beautiful colors, and the song, I remember how magical it felt shooting that scene that night on set. We wrapped at like 1 or 2 in the morning, and everyone was in such a state of bliss because we had captured something really special."

7. The soundtrack, duh

What's a dance movie without music? If you need a new playlist for a solo dance party in your apartment or something to get your adrenaline pumping for a run outside or an in-home workout, look no further. This soundtrack is the perfect thing to help switch things up during quarantine. It also features an original song from one of the stars: Carpenter wrote "Let Me Move You" only "a week after I saw the movie for the first time," she says. "We really needed a song for the end credits, but we needed it in a week. I wrote a couple songs, but 'Let Me Move You' ended up being the one that hit the energy of the film."

8. The cast is ridiculously talented

Watching Carpenter's character learn to dance (both on her own and with Fisher) or seeing Koshy and Lonsdale kick and flip their way all over the stage, you'll be blown away by how talented they are. But Jones still can't get over how they can all dance, act, and sing.

"You'll be shocked at how many triple-threats are in this movie, quite honestly," he says. "I didn't realize Sabrina was that. I didn't realize Liza was that. You look at her videos and you can see that she can dance, but it's the context of laughter. Here, she can dance with the laughter stripped away, and she can go with the best of them. I didn't realize Keiynan was as big a talent. I didn't realize that they were triple-threats, and I fully anticipate seeing more of them in the future."

Work It is now streaming on Netflix.

Related content:
President Donald Trump crowed on Friday that Joe Biden 'lost the Black vote' with his Democratic rival's statement suggesting the Latino American community is more diverse than African Americans.

'Sleepy Joe Biden just lost the Black Vote. This statement is a disaster from which their is no recovery!,' he tweeted with a clip of Biden's comments.

Trump has sought support from African Americans as polls show they prefer Biden.

The former vice president was on clean up duty Thursday after his remarks and attempted to walk back the issue when he clarified what he said about the two minority communities, both of whom are huge voting blocs for Democrats.

President Donald Trump crowed that Joe Biden 'lost the Black vote' with his comments on the Latino and African American communities

Biden wrote on Twitter: 'Earlier today, I made some comments about diversity in the African American and Latino communities that I want to clarify. In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolithnot by identity, not on issues, not at all.'

In an interview on Thursday, NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked Biden if he would stop Cubans from being deported if he became president. Biden replied with a confusing comment about race in America.

'And by the way, what you all know, but most people don't know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things,' he said.

His wording resulted in a slew of backlash and criticism.

By Thursday evening Biden had responded to the outrage. He did not use the word 'sorry' but added: 'Throughout my career I've witnessed the diversity of thought, background, and sentiment within the African American community. It's this diversity that makes our workplaces, communities, and country a better place.

'My commitment to you is this: I will always listen, I will never stop fighting for the African American community and I will never stop fighting for a more equitable future.'

'What you all know, but most people don't know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things,' Biden said during an interview

His response came after he was asked by NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro if Biden would put a stop to deporting Cubans from America if he became president

By Thursday evening Biden had responded to the criticism on Twitter

Trump also criticized his rival on Thursday for 'totally disparaging' black people in the slip-up.

'Wow! Joe Biden just lost the entire African American community. What a 'dumb' thing to say!' Trump tweeted along with a link to a right-wing news website with coverage of the gaffe.

The president has sought support from black voters and often touts a criminal justice reform package he signed into law. Biden enjoys strong support from the community and several African American women - Senator Kamala Harris, Rep. Karen Bass, and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice - are on the short list to be his running mate.

Polls also show Biden leading Trump by several dozen percentage points among black voters

Before departing from the White House for a trip to Ohio Thursday, Trump ripped into Biden for the comments, which were aired Thursday during a pre-recorded interview with the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

'I just watched the clip, and Joe Biden, this morning, totally disparaged and insulted the black community,' Trump told reporters gathered on the South Lawn.

'What he said is incredible,' the president continued. 'And I don't know what's going on with him, but it's a very insulting statement he made.'

President Donald Trump said before departing the White House Thursday that Joe Biden 'totally disparaged and insulted the black community' with his comments that aired earlier

In a follow-up tweet to his White House remarks, Trump claimed Biden 'just lost the entire African American community' with those comments

The interview, which aired in full on Thursday, was conducted by different journalists part of the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists

During that same interview, Biden stunned Garcia-Navarro's co-interviewer CBS News' Errol Barnett when he made the comment 'Are you a junkie?'

The remarks came after the former vice president said he would not take a cognitive test despite goading from Trump that his Democratic rival wouldn't be able to beat his score.

'Mr. Vice President, your opponent in this election, President Trump, has made your mental state a campaign topic,' Barnett posed. 'Have you taken a cognitive test?'

'No, I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test?' Biden said to Barnett during the interview, which aired in full Thursday, but clips were released Wednesday.

'Come on man. That's like saying, before you got in this program, did you take a test where you're taking cocaine or not. What do you think? Huh? Are you a junkie?,' the presumed Democratic nominee added with a laugh.

Barnett appeared confused by the response.

'What do you say to President Trump, who brags about his test and makes your mental state an issue for voters?' Barnett asked.

'Well, if he can't figure out the difference between an elephant and a lion, I don't know what the hell he's talking about,' Biden said.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the test in question, is a ten-minute test of cognitive abilities, which includes a question where it has the taker identify an animal such as an elephant, lion or camel.

Trump bragged he has 'aced' the cognitive test and has challenged Biden to take it, claiming he wouldn't pass.

'Joe should take that test, because something's going on. And, and, I say this with respect. I mean  going to probably happen to all of us, right? You know? It's going to happen,' he told Fox News last month.The president also said the tests gets harder as it goes on.

The president's test was given at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in early 2018 by Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, who was then a White House physician but is not running for a Texas House seat as a Republican, The Washington Post reported.

Biden said he is looking forward to meeting the president in their three debates, where voters would be able to judge both candidates' mental fitness for themselves.

His confirmation that he will participate comes as some Democrats have suggested Biden should set them out.

'I'm so forward looking [sic] to sit with or stand with the president in debates. There's going to be plenty of times,' Biden said. 'I am very willing to let the public to judge my physical as well as my mental fitness and, well, you know, to make a judgement about who I am.'

In an interview with 'Fox News Sunday' last month, host Chris Wallace told the president he also took the test and it wasn't the 'hardest.'

'Well, it's not the hardest test,' Wallace said. 'They have a picture and it says, 'What's that?' And it's an elephant.'

Trump shot back: 'Yes, the first few questions are easy, but I'll bet you couldn't even answer the last five questions.'

'I'll bet you couldn't,' Trump challenged. 'They get very hard, the last five questions.'

President Trump defended his score on a cognitive test last month in an interview with Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday'

Trump often brags about his mental prowess and has called himself a 'very stable genius.'

Medical experts said the test does not measure a person's IQ or intellectual abilities but is designed to flag the beginning of cognitive decline that could come with age or a medical condition such as Alzheimer's or a stroke.

And the White House has not said why the president needed to take a test of his cognitive abilities.

Trump and his campaign have pushed for questions of Biden's mental abilities - at age 77 Biden is three years old than Trump - but it's the president who has faced health questions, particularly after his commencement speech at West Point in June where he had difficulty walking down a ramp and had to use two hands to lift a glass of water.
A grad student in McMaster Universitys department of psychology, neuroscience and behaviour has been suspended and barred from campus following new allegations that relate to the universitys sexual violence, and discrimination and harassment policies.

Announced in a statement on Thursday, the latest suspension comes just a week after two other faculty members of the department were removed and banned from campus on allegations of sexual misconduct.

That development led university president David Farrar to widen the scope of the schools initial investigation, which began in February with associate professor Scott Watter, who runs the cognitive science lab at McMaster and was suspended by the school.

At that time, McMaster also told police about complaints against Watter. In June, Hamilton police charged Watter with sexual assault and sexual assault causing bodily harm. The Spectator reached out to Watters lawyer for reaction to Farrars letter, but did not get a reply.

Hamilton police are also reviewing information in relation to the allegations against the two other faculty members.

In an email to The Spectator on Thursday, police spokesperson Jackie Penman said they have no additional information to share regarding the new allegations.

In a July 28 letter, Farrar said the school had encouraged anyone with concerns or information to reach out for assistance and to help McMaster better understand any incidents that may have occurred.

The allegations announced Thursday have also been added to the scope of the schools ongoing investigation, which an investigator from Toronto-based law firm Rubin Thomlinson LLP is leading.

That inquiry will also work to identify any potential systemic or cultural issues within the department that need to be surfaced and addressed, said Farrar, in the letter.

The faculty members are not named in the letter; the grad student has also not been named.

University officials advise anyone who needs assistance to consult its sexual violence protocols at svpro.mcmaster.ca and the student wellness centre via wellness.mcmaster.ca.

They can also contact the Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton Area (SACHA), which has a 24-hour support line at 905-525-4162.
The Duke of Sussex has said that social media companies need to reform how they work with advertisers, explaining that the platforms are stoking a "crisis of hate".

Writing in the American business publication Fast Company, Prince Harry explained that he and the Duchess of Sussex have been speaking with business leaders in recent weeks to prompt change.

"The digital landscape is unwell and companies like yours have the chance to reconsider your role in funding and supporting online platforms that have contributed to, stoked, and created the conditions for a crisis of hate, a crisis of health, and a crisis of truth," he wrote, addressing business leaders.

Prince Harry continued his opinion essay but calling on social media platforms to be "defined more by compassion than hate; by truth instead of misinformation; by equity and inclusiveness instead of injustice and fearmongering; by free, rather than weaponised, speech".

The 35-year-old also questioned how social media platforms use data, writing: "Every time you click they learn more about you. Our information, private data, and unknown habits are traded on for advertising space and dollars,' he wrote.

"The price were all paying is much higher than it appears. Whereas normally were the consumer buying a product, in this ever-changing digital world, we are the product."

The Prince went on to say that companies who purchase online advertising must recognise the impact it has on how we process information and interact with one another.

"Because, if we are susceptible to the coercive forces in digital spaces, then we have to ask ourselves - what does this mean for our children? As a father, this is especially concerning to me," he added.

"We have an opportunity to do better and remake the digital world, to look at the past and use it to inform the future," Prince Harry concluded.

The Royal's essay comes after he and Meghan Markle publicly backed a campaign calling for businesses to pause advertising on Facebook due to the platforms failure to combat online hate speech.

The Stop Hate for Profit campaign states on its website that it is asking companies to boycott Facebook throughout July as a show of solidarity with our most deeply held American values of freedom, equality and justice.

The initiative states that the platform allowed incitement to violence against protesters fighting for racial justice in America, in addition to naming one outlet as a trusted news source and another as a fact checker despite both having records of working with known white nationalists.

A spokesperson for Facebook stated that the company invests billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and continuously work with outside experts to review and update our policies.

Weve opened ourselves up to a civil rights audit and we have banned 250 white supremacist organisations from Facebook and Instagram, they said.

The investments we have made in AI mean that we find nearly 90 per cent of hate speech we action before users report it to us, while a recent EU report found Facebook assessed more hate speech reports in 24 hours than Twitter and YouTube.

The spokesperson added that Facebook is aware that it has more work to do, and it will continue to work with civil rights groups, GARM [Global Alliance for Responsible Media], and other experts to develop even more tools, technology and policies to continue this fight.
The Home Office has said Border Force officials have intercepted 13 boats carrying more than 130 migrants arriving in the UK on Friday.

A spokesperson for the department said Border Force was continuing to deal with a number of ongoing incidents as small boat crossings across the English Channel continued this afternoon, with young children wearing lifejackets seen arriving in Dover.

The statement came after it was suggested Priti Patel, the home secretary, was considering sending the Royal Navy to tackle a surge in Channel migrant crossings.

At least 235 migrants made the highly dangerous journey across the world's busiest shipping lane on Thursday in 17 boats, setting a new single day record.

Kent County Council, which is responsible for lone children arriving on its shores, said 60 unaccompanied migrant children had arrived in the UK after the crossings in the last eight days, with 23 under-18s being taken into care on Friday alone.

Recommended MoD sources attack Patel idea to use navy to combat migrant crossings

The Times reported on Friday that ministers were considering blocking migrant boats in the Channel before they can enter British waters in a desperate attempt to stem rising numbers of crossing.

The approach under consideration is thought to be modelled on tactics used by Australia against migrants, the newspaper said.



Damian Collins, the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, said the numbers of migrants crossing the Channel in recent days were shamefully high.

It's clearly unacceptable for my constituents and for other people on the south-east coast to think that our borders are open, that anyone can get in a small boat, whoever they are, and make their way to the UK illegally, Mr Collins told Channel 4 News.

Having the Navy in the Channel is great, but it won't solve the problem unless they can patrol French waters and at the moment there is no agreement that they can.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) source described the suggestion of sending in the Royal Navy as inappropriate and unnecessary, arguing military resources should not be used to address political failings.

It's beyond absurd to think that we should be deploying multi-million pound ships and elite soldiers to deal with desperate people barely staying afloat on rubber dinghies in the Channel, the source told PA news agency.

It could potentially put people's lives at even greater risk."

They added: Border Force is effectively the Home Office's own navy fleet, so it begs the question what are they doing.

Almost 4,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK so far this year, according to analysis by PA - more than double the total of people which were thought to have arrived in the country in the whole of 2019.

Chris Philp, the immigration minister, will visit France next week to speak with counterparts following a constructive meeting with the countrys deputy ambassador.

The Commons Home Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into the rising number of incidents and said it will look into criminal gangs which run crossings and the dangers faced by passengers.

Yvette Cooper, the chairman of the committee, said it was particularly troubling to see children being put at risk.

Additional reporting by agencies
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to have clashed with the official - REUTERS

A former senior Saudi intelligence official has claimed that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman sent a hit squad to Canada in an attempt to kill him.

In a 107-page complaint, filed in a Washington DC court, Saad Aljabri claimed the assassins were intercepted by Canadian authorities. The incident was alleged to have happened less than two weeks after Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident, was killed in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul.

Mr Aljabri, who was living in self-imposed exile in Toronto, was said to have clashed with the crown prince over issues including the decision to go to war in Yemen, and was dismissed from his cabinet role in 2015.

He is suing the crown prince and 24 others for an unset amount of damages

In his complaint Mr Aljabri claimed the crown prince "dispatched a hit squad" to Canada in October 2018. The complaint said: "(A) team of Saudi nationals travelled across the Atlantic Ocean from Saudi Arabia ... with the intention of killing Dr Saad."

The murder of Jamal Khashoggi caused outrage across the world - GETTY IMAGES

The "hit squad" was said to have been comprised of members of a group close to the crown prince called the Tiger Squad.

It was alleged they carried two bags of forensic tools, and included someone who knew how to clean up crime scenes.

The men "attempted to enter Canada covertly, travelling on tourist visas" and pretending not to know each other.

Suspicious border agents found a photograph showing several of the men together, "revealing their lie and thwarting their mission", it was alleged.

Mr Aljabri's family has previously accused the crown prince of detaining two of his adult children and his brother in an attempt to force his return to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Aljabri is believed to have played a key role in fostering security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and western powers. He described himself as a long-time ally of US intelligence services.

He said he was suing in the US because the alleged plot against him "involved substantial conduct inside the United States". Saudi Arabia's government media office did not immediately comment, nor did the Saudi embassy in Canada.

Story continues

Mr Khashoggi was kidnapped, killed and dismembered by Saudi agents after visiting the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork.

The crown prince faced widespread international criticism over the journalist's killing.

He vehemently denied ordering the assassination, saying it was carried out by rogue agents without his knowledge, but that he ultimately bore "full responsibility" as Saudi Arabia's de facto leader. Last year Mr Khashoggi's fiancee told The Telegraph she believed the crown prince's accepting "responsibility" was an attempt to make the world look away from the killing.

Canada's relations with Saudi Arabia have been poor since August 2018, when Ottawa criticised Riyadh over human rights.

Bill Blair, Canada's public safety minister, said he could not comment on allegations before the courts.

In a statement he added: "We are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada. It is completely unacceptable."
(Natural News) The executive leadership over at Moderna is abandoning ship in terms of what the future holds for its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.

Both Stephane Bancel, its CEO, and Tal Zaks, its CMO (chief medical officer) have cashed out their company shares as the companys plandemic jab is right on the verge of entering late-stage trials.

According to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, Zaks recently offloaded nearly all of his shares, while Bancel has tossed many of his over the past several months. Zaks, however, still holds tens of thousands of dollars worth of options in the company.

If Modernas vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) was on a solid track, both of these guys probably would have kept their shares, and possibly purchased even more of them. The fact that they cashed out, however, bodes ominous, especially for other shareholders still holding the bag.

Zaks also works on the scientific side of the company, it is important to note, suggesting that he knows something that the rest of the world does not. Is Modernas vaccine on the verge of being exposed as a total failure, we wonder?

It was already obvious before this that Modernas jab was just a pump-and-dump scheme anyway. And now it would seem that the scam is on the verge of unraveling.

In general, when stakeholders believe in their product, they increase their shares in order to increase confidence in the market, reports The Jerusalem Post.

The move by Moderna officials to do the opposite raised concerns about the company, especially considering that Zaks, who sold almost all of his shares, is on the scientific side of the company, according to Globes.

Dont be fooled: Moderna has probably got nothing

While Moderna would never publicly admit to it, chances are that its Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is a total dud. And yet the company has continued to increase share sales ever since the results of successful early trials were reported back in early July.

Though these results appear to be questionable at best, Moderna has continued to sell shares to eager investors that are being hoodwinked into believing that the companys Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) jab holds promise.

Meanwhile, Bancel, his childrens trust, as well as other companies that Bancel owns all offloaded about $21 million worth of shares between January 1 and June 26.

Reuters reportedly spoke with seven different executive compensation experts about these mysterious share liquidations, which they explained highlight how companies will hype up development milestones for their products, even if said products never actually make it to market.

In other words, Modernas Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine may never be released, despite the company receiving gobs of American taxpayer cash to develop one. At the same time, its executives are getting filthy rich off of the mere idea of a future vaccine being released.

This may be their one shot at making a boatload of money if the vaccine doesnt work out, says Jesse Fried, a Harvard Law School professor who wrote an entire book about executive compensation. According to Fried, Modernas chiefs have a strong incentive to keep the stock price up.

Investors, however, may not fully understand this, despite considering themselves savvy. Many are right this moment buying up what appear to be overpriced shares in Moderna, which may never end up releasing this promising vaccine at all.

The trial is one of the first late-stage studies supported by the Trump administrations effort to speed development of measures against the novel coronavirus, adding to hope that an effective vaccine will help end the pandemic, the Post further reports about Modernas progress.

More of the latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is available at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

JPost.com

NaturalNews.com
According to the captain, the ship sank several years after they left. It had a hole in the hull, and the crew, while on it, had to regularly pump water out to keep it afloat. But Charalambos Manoli, the Cypriot businessman who owned the ship before Grechushkin bought it, claims the vessel remained docked in Beirut and was destroyed in the blast on Tuesday; he says he saw the wreckage in the photos of the destroyed port.
Mark Rylance is one of the great chameleons of the stage; his recent film work, remarkable in its own right, has hewed to a narrower path. That may be an odd thing to say about an actor whose characters include a jaded Soviet spy, a Steve Jobsian tech visionary and the BFG, but its true nonetheless: In each of these roles, whether wearing motion-capture markers or a shaggy blond wig, Rylance distills the essence of a man fascinatingly out of step with his moment. Hes brilliant at conveying disorientation and disillusionment while still retaining a core of unwavering decency a quality suited to the humanist inclinations of his most frequent director of late, Steven Spielberg.

There is nothing especially Spielbergian about Rylances latest, Waiting for the Barbarians, a dramatically stolid, sun-blasted epic from the Colombian director Ciro Guerra (Birds of Passage). But the film, meticulously adapted by the South African writer J.M. Coetzee from his own 1980 novel, takes similarly expert advantage of its stars world-weary humanity. Rylance plays a man known simply as the Magistrate, a civil servant of what is known simply as the Empire. As in the book, the indeterminate time and place encourage an allegorical reading: Although partly inspired by the apartheid regime under which Coetzee grew up, the Empire could be any sprawling Western civilization bent on domination and conquest.

But the Magistrate, stationed for years at an isolated frontier outpost, is clearly a gentler breed of colonizer. He knows that he and his fellow fortress dwellers are interlopers here, and he maintains a peaceful coexistence with the indigenous nomads who roam the surrounding deserts and mountains. (The nomads are played by Mongolian actors; the film was shot primarily in Morocco.) Crucial to that peace are the Magistrates deep knowledge of their language and traditions and his general abhorrence of violence. That puts him almost immediately at odds with a high-ranking Empire official, Col. Joll (Johnny Depp), who arrives at this remote settlement convinced that these barbarians pose a threat to the Empires supremacy and determines to crush them by any means necessary.

That means brutally interrogating and torturing a few nomads in prison, then sending out a garrison to round up more of their kin and jailing them for crimes unknown. Depp, emitting a death-ray glare from behind dark spectacles, brings a nice chill to the proceedings; so does an unusually vicious Robert Pattinson in the role of Jolls attack dog. But while both actors are awfully good at playing bad (check out Pattinsons louche comic swagger in the recent medieval drama The King), their presence here feels thin and secondhand; theyre basically there to embody an oppressive authoritarian menace, rather than to prove a more distinctive brand of villainy.

Rylance fares better as the star of the show; naturally gifted at filling silences with meaningful ambiguity, he teases out the Magistrates inner conflict and at times finds an emotional equivalent to the books introspective first-person narration. Coetzee has lifted a fair amount of the dialogue directly from the page, including a memorably contemptuous line in which the colonel explains how he is able to suss out liars: A certain tone enters the voice of a man who is telling the truth. That the colonel is himself a cold-blooded liar is scarcely the least of the storys ironies. Another is that the Magistrates honesty, his own transparent lack of guile, will ultimately prove to be his undoing. Well, that and his instinctive sympathy for the persecuted nomads, one of whom (played by Gana Bayarsaikhan) he takes in after she is grievously abused by the colonels men.

The Girl, as she is credited in the movies definite-article-heavy parlance, is not the first indigenous woman weve seen the Magistrate invite into his quarters. Still, the overly polite depiction of their relationship, despite some faintly amorous foot washing by firelight, feels like a tasteful snooze and even a failure of nerve. While Waiting for the Barbarians doesnt sanitize the Magistrate or shy away from his own role in exploiting the locals, the character, already the beneficiary of Rylances naturally empathetic screen presence, could have withstood some tougher moral scrutiny. And the movie as a whole might have benefited from some of the scalding comic fury of a film like Zama, another recent adaptation of an anti-colonialist novel.

The ravages of imperialism are not a new subject for Guerra: His two most recent epics, Birds of Passage (co-directed with Cristina Gallego) and the Oscar-nominated Embrace of the Serpent, brilliantly charted the destruction and corruption of indigenous Colombian cultures at the hands of capitalist conquerors. The more allegorically inclined Waiting for the Barbarians cant hope to match those earlier films in all their trenchant specificity or their hallucinatory visual power, despite the artful cinematography here by the veteran Chris Menges. This is proficient, measured filmmaking from a director who has already peered more deeply, and persuasively, into colonialisms heart of darkness.

WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS

Not rated

In English and Mongolian with English subtitles

Running time: 1 hour, 54 minutes

Playing: Now available on VOD platforms
Negotiations on a new coronavirus relief bill edged toward the brink of collapse after a meeting Thursday between White House officials and top congressional Democrats ended with each side accusing the other of being unwilling to compromise and the biggest issues far from resolved.

The four negotiators, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, emerged from a more than three-hour meeting with little to show and with no guarantee they would resume talks on Friday.

Mnuchin and Meadows said that while talks made progress on a few areas of possible compromise, there still are disagreements on the topline numbers for a stimulus bill and on the biggest individual provisions, including aid to state and local governments that Democrats want.

"The differences are still significant," Meadows said.

Pelosi said Republicans are not facing up to the gravity of the economic calamity confronting the U.S. Schumer said the meeting was "disappointing" because the White House wasn't willing to meet them in the middle.

"We are very far apart," Pelosi said. "It's most unfortunate."

The talks began under the pressure of expectations from financial markets and the threat from President Donald Trump that he'll act unilaterally to restore some of the stimulus measures that ran out during a stalemate in Congress.

Meadows and Mnuchin said they will consult with Trump and call Pelosi and Schumer Friday to determine if it makes sense to meet. Schumer made clear Democrats are willing to keep talking.

A bigger-than-expected gain in American jobs in July, shown in a government release Friday morning, may influence the direction of any further talks. While high-frequency data have indicated a slowdown in economic activity in recent weeks, the report showed a 1.76 million jump in payrolls, beating most estimates. The unemployment rate fell to 10.2%, though that's still higher than at the peak of the Great Recession in 2009.

In the meantime, the $600 a week supplemental unemployment insurance payment from the last stimulus has run out for millions of jobless Americans and remains one of the biggest sticking points in the talks. Republicans want to cut the benefit, while Democrats are demanding it be extended. Other provisions of the March stimulus also have run dry or are about to.

Wall Street is hoping for a deal. U.S. stocks climbed Thursday on optimism that the two sides will come to terms on a stimulus deal. But any hint that negotiators won't be able to resolve differences over a new U.S. relief package will spark jitters."Anything that we can do to continue to provide a bridge to people as we get through this crisis is going to be really important," said Chuck Cumello, president and chief executive officer of Essex Financial Services. "The U.S. consumer is driving two-thirds of the economy."

Both parties continued to send brickbats each other's way all week, and that continued Thursday night with both sides assigning blame for the failure to make progress.

"They were unwilling to meet in the middle, they said it mostly has to be their way and they admitted that," said Schumer.

Meadows said Trump may go through with taking executive action after "coming to the realization that perhaps some of our Democrats both in the House and Senate are not serious about compromise and are not serious about trying to meet the needs of the American people."

Democrats have proposed a $3.5 trillion dollar package that passed the House in May, while Republicans countered last week with a $1 trillion proposal.

Aid for state and local governments was a major source of the antagonism Thursday night.

Mnuchin said Trump won't agree to a "bailout" of state and local governments with existing budget difficulties, though he is open to some aid related to Covid-19 and to help firefighters and police. Democrats are demanding nearly $1 trillion in aid and warn of massive public sector layoffs in revenue starved areas.

The rest of Congress is in a period of suspended animation waiting for a resolution. Senators jetted home Thursday afternoon, joining House members who departed Washington last week. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is leaving the negotiating to the White House and Democrats, who control the House.

He said senators would subject to recall for any votes. House leaders have also said members would return with 24 hours notice once there's a deal to vote on.
After planning for a September reopening, Philadelphias childrens museum now says it will stay closed at least through Jan. 1, 2021.

With no earned revenue coming in, the Please Touch Museum has also slashed staff through another round of layoffs  its third such cut in six months.

This latest reduction of 24 workers means the museum has gone from having 71 employees in mid-March to a skeleton staff of 18, the museum announced Friday.

As recently as mid-July, the Please Touch, housed in Fairmount Parks Memorial Hall, had been planning for a fall reopening. Then the city placed a moratorium on large gatherings to help stem the spread of COVID-19, and the School District began shifting its plans for in-person and remote learning for students this fall.

 READ MORE: The $4.1 billion question: Whats to become of Philadelphias world-class arts and culture, post-coronavirus?

Please Touch officials thought they could reopen safely but were unsure  given uncertainties over public health  whether patrons would return in numbers large enough to cover the operating costs of a reopened museum, said president and CEO Patricia D. Wellenbach.

I felt I had a responsibility to go to the board and say we should look at the wisdom of opening this soon, said Wellenbach. Even though we are ready, were not sure the public is ready.

A number of Philadelphia museums and cultural institutions have begun showing signs of life following an abrupt forced shutdown in the middle of March as the coronavirus pandemic took hold. But its a mixed bag across Philadelphias vast cultural sector, which in normal years is a $4.1 billion economic engine for the city.

The Franklin Institute and the Barnes Foundation have reopened at limited capacity and with new rules, and others are preparing to do so. Performing arts groups have had a tougher time developing safety protocols that would allow them to open, and are looking wistfully toward early 2021 or beyond. Opera Philadelphia has canceled its annual fall festival, and the Kimmel Center  highly dependent on a lucrative pipeline of Broadway shows now gone dry  has closed its doors for at least the remainder of 2020.

The Please Touch has relied on a budget covered overwhelmingly  88%  by earned revenue like membership and ticket income and facilities rentals for events like weddings and corporate gatherings. The rest of the budget for the museum, which normally has about 500,000 visitors a year, is covered by philanthropy.

 READ MORE: Kimmel Center, seeing no earned revenue, cuts most of its staff

In addition to the layoffs, remaining staff will be working just four days a week and will continue with a 20% reduction in pay put into place several months ago, Wellenbach said. Her own salary has been cut by 20% and, pending discussions with the board, may be further reduced.

With the closure, the Please Touchs operating budget is shrinking dramatically. For now, the museum is planning budgets on a quarterly basis, and for the period from October to December the museum is forecasting an operating budget of about $200,000 per month, substantially down from its normal $700,000 per month.

Remaining staff will stay on to maintain the building, work on educational projects already underway, and hammer out designs for new exhibitions for the museums eventual reopening.

When will that be? Wellenbach doesnt know, though she thinks it will be sometime in early 2021.

We dont want to prolong this far into 2021. If we see a chance in January, we are ready to go. We would rehire in a way that is fiscally responsible.

What she does know, she says, is that nothing has fundamentally changed the viability of the museums mission or place in the city. The Please Touch Museum will be back, she said.

If I didnt know it, I would have recommended to the board that we close now permanently, she said. This museum has weathered tremendous headwinds in the past and we have worked with many people to figure this out. We are not going down now.
Figure 1

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On Tuesday August 11, 2020 at 4:15 pm EDT, Taat CEO Setti Coscarella will be hosting a live teleconference session in which he will provide high-level commentary on the tobacco industry, in addition to insights about initial and long-term plans for the Company and its products. Subsequently, a question-and-answer session will be held in which participants can submit questions via the GoToWebinar platform. Advance submissions of questions can also be made by email to Taats investor relations department. Additionally, the Company has released a professionally-produced video showcasing the production process of Beyond Tobacco cigarettes in detail with narration by Taat founder Joe Deighan.



LAS VEGAS and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TAAT LIFESTYLE & WELLNESS LTD. (CSE: TAAT) (OTC: TOBAF) (FRANKFURT: 2TP2) (the Company or TAAT) is pleased to announce that following the appointment of ex-Philip Morris strategist Setti Coscarella as Taats Chief Executive Officer, the Company will be hosting a public teleconference in which Mr. Coscarella will discuss his initial and long-term plans for the Company and its products. Following this discussion, a live question-and-answer session will be held in which members of the public may submit questions for Mr. Coscarella. The teleconference, which will be hosted on GoToWebinar, is scheduled to begin at 4:15 pm EDT on Tuesday August 11, 2020. Advance questions for Mr. Coscarella may be submitted by email to investor@taatusa.com .

On July 31, 2020, the Company announced that it had appointed Setti Coscarella as its Chief Executive Officer to provide expert leadership for the planned launch of Beyond Tobacco tobacco-free and nicotine-free cigarettes, which is set to occur in Q4 2020. Mr. Coscarella had recently resigned from a lead strategist position at Philip Morris, the worlds largest tobacco company. In this capacity, Mr. Coscarella created a dedicated business unit for Reduced Risk Products (RRP), which is one of Philip Morris fastest-growing categories globally. Additionally, Coscarella launched several initiatives that revolutionized how RRP is marketed in Canada. Along with his general business acumen from a career consisting of management consulting, investment banking, and entrepreneurship, Mr. Coscarella intends to leverage his leading knowledge of the RRP category to optimally execute the planned launch of Beyond Tobacco cigarettes.

Story continues

The provisional agenda of Tuesdays teleconference with Setti Coscarella is outlined below:

Macro-level commentary on the tobacco industry and RRP category

Discussion of Mr. Coscarellas objectives for the planned launch of Beyond Tobacco cigarettes

Updates regarding the state of research and development for Beyond Tobacco cigarettes

Overview of contemplated early-stage markets and sales channels for Beyond Tobacco cigarettes

Question-and-answer session

Individuals who are interested in participating in the teleconference may register using the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4383548759526193165

The Company has also released a comprehensive video overview of the manufacturing process for Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, featuring commentary from Taat founder Joe Deighan. This video, which was professionally produced with an emphasis on capturing intricate details of each manufacturing step, is intended to provide greater insight into how Beyond Tobacco cigarettes are made. Interested parties may view the video by clicking below, or by accessing the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_ydboQNnHg&feature=youtu.be

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ced0101c-ee3a-47cf-b92c-8fa256badb40

Setti Coscarella, CEO of Taat commented, As we get closer to the planned launch of Beyond Tobacco cigarettes, I know that there are many questions from investors and the general public alike. Having been part of the Company for a week now, I have come to discover many exciting things about the product and what kind of opportunities it has in todays market. Many companies have had no problem getting smokers to try various alternatives to smoking cigarettes but the common struggle they have faced is getting smokers to continue using those alternatives. Delivering a far superior molecule to nicotine using a combustible stick format that we expect to be familiar for cigarette smokers are two key things that I believe can cultivate long-term popularity of Beyond Tobacco cigarettes. I look forward to answering questions from the public on Tuesdays teleconference as we lead up to the planned Q4 2020 product launch.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company,

TAAT LIFESTYLE & WELLNESS LTD.

Setti Coscarella

Setti Coscarella, CEO

For further information, please contact:

Jamie Frawley

1-833-TAAT-USA (1-833-822-8872)

investor@taatusa.com

About Taat Lifestyle & Wellness Ltd.

Taat Herb Co., the flagship brand of Taat Lifestyle & Wellness, is an early-stage life sciences company based in Las Vegas, Nevada innovating nicotine-free and tobacco-free alternatives to traditional cigarettes. With a unique proprietary blend of all-natural ingredients and meticulous engineering of the user experience, Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes are designed to emulate every aspect of legacy tobacco products with no significant difference to the user. Taat Beyond Tobacco cigarettes provide benefits that include mitigation of tobacco withdrawals, and reduction of tobacco dependency. With an expert-led go-to-market strategy, the Company's objective is to position itself in the US $814 billion (2018)1 global tobacco industry to capitalize on the growing worldwide demand for better-for-you alternatives to traditional cigarettes.

For more information, please visit http://taatusa.com .

References

1 British American Tobacco - The Global Market

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 U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (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 (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, estimates, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur, or be achieved. Forward-looking information in this news release includes statements regarding the potential launch of Taat hemp cigarettes, in addition to the following: The occurrence of the teleconference with Setti Coscarella as described in this release. The forward-looking information reflects managements current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; (ii) changes to the growth and size of the tobacco and CBD markets; and (iii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Companys management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Companys business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The statements in this news release have not been evaluated by Health Canada or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As each individual is different, the benefits, if any, of taking the Companys products will vary from person to person. No claims or guarantees can be made as to the effects of the Companys products on an individuals health and well-being. The Companys products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This news release may contain trademarked names of third-party entities (or their respective offerings with trademarked names) typically in reference to (i) relationships had by the Company with such third-party entities as referred to in this release and/or (ii) client/vendor/service provider parties whose relationship with the Company is/are referred to in this release. All rights to such trademarks are reserved by their respective owners or licensees.

Statement Regarding Third-Party Investor Relations Firms

Disclosures relating to investor relations firms retained by Taat Lifestyle & Wellness Ltd. can be found under the Company's profile on http://sedar.com .




Iraq's Assyrians Can't Face Another Conflict

Elishwa never thought she would return to Bartella. She fled the village in northern Iraq four hours before an Islamic State attack in August 2014, and she never thought she would see its sand-washed masonry again. But after three and a half years in exile, she returned in January 2018 from Duhok in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She does not regret coming back but considers the future of her community to be precarious. "We fear a conflict is coming," Elishwa, who requested the use of a pseudonym out of safety concerns, told Foreign Policy in May, referring to the presence of Iran-backed militias.

Elishwa, like most of Bartella's population before the 2014 Islamic State offensive, is Assyrian--part of an ethnic community indigenous to northern Iraq that is predominantly Christian and the last Aramaic-speaking group in the world. Over the last two decades, punctuated by the Iraq War and rise of the Islamic State, the population of Assyrians in Iraq has declined by a staggering 90 percent: from an estimated 1.5 million in 2003 to just over 150,000 today.

The U.S. government's current focus on the coronavirus pandemic and reports of troop withdrawals could augur an era of disengagement with Iraq. Yet this drawdown could not come at a more critical juncture for Assyrians, who face increasing persecution from both Iran-backed militias and Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) security forces seeking control of the last region in Iraq where Assyrians are a plurality: the Nineveh Plains.

The Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq have been the linchpin of Assyrian life for centuries. While it has always been a diverse area--many Yazidis live in the region--it was the last major concentration of Assyrians in Iraq before 2014. In the period immediately following the defeat of the Islamic State, Iraq's central government could have prioritized the return of its Indigenous peoples. Instead, it returned to the same security arrangement that led to an Assyrian exodus from the plains in 2014: a U.S.-supported balance of Arab and Kurdish forces claiming the plains as their own.

Iran's territorial influence extends to part of the western and southern Nineveh Plains.Iran's territorial influence extends to part of the western and southern Nineveh Plains. Two Iran-backed paramilitaries are actively obstructing the return of Assyrians: the 30th Brigade, a militia comprising primarily members of the Shabak ethnoreligious group, and the 50th Brigade, a nominally Christian but predominantly Shiite Arab militia. Both are closely associated with the Badr Organization, an Iran-backed Shiite faction, and Iran. The brigades' leaders were sanctioned by the United States last year for corruption and human rights violations.

Iran's militias have adopted a strategy utilized by the Iraqi state since the 1930s: forced demographic change through the settlement of Shabaks from outside villages, leading to a surge in their population in the Nineveh Plains. "All we know is that they are building housing complexes in which they bring in people from outside the region," Elishwa said. This policy appears to be enshrined in law. On June 3, the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces Commission--which oversees Iran-backed militias--issued a statement containing a purposefully ambiguous yet dangerous provision that would possibly lead to housing militia members in combat areas where they served, potentially exacerbating the demographic shift in the plains.

Over the last year, Assyrians living under these militias in the Nineveh Plains have experienced significant intimidation and violence, from a priest having a pistol pointed to his head to two elderly women being stabbed by Shabaks with unknown affiliations in May 2019. Last fall, the Iran-backed militias even imposed a curfew on Christians on a Shiite holiday.

Admond, an Assyrian from Bartella, which is primarily controlled by the 30th Brigade, said the Assyrian community feels increasingly threatened and he thinks the curfews will become more frequent. "You feel [the fear] through their behavior," he said of the 30th Brigade. "They force you to feel that they are the masters of the area now, or they remind you that they are the ones that liberated the region, when, in fact, the anti-terrorism forces liberated it," he added, referring to a division of the Iraqi Army. (Admond also requested the use of a pseudonym out of safety concerns.)

While Iran seeks to carve out a Shiite buffer zone and facilitate arms exports to Syria, the KDP's presence in the plains serves as pretext for its eventual annexation of the territory into the Kurdistan Region. The role the KDP has played in destabilizing the Nineveh Plains has largely evaded censure from its Western allies. It can be traced to 2006, when, in its draft constitution, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) suddenly claimed the plains as one of many "disputed territories," meaning it should be administered by Erbil. From the KRG's perspective, the status of the plains as part of the Kurdistan Region was a fait accompli. In the decade leading up to the Islamic State invasion, the KRG created the appearance of security in the plains through the harassment of locals and a system of political and financial patronage.

Throughout 2017 and 2018, the mayor of Alqosh, Faiz Jahwareh, was detained, beaten, and harassed by Kurdish security forces in politically motivated attacks. He was removed from office on spurious corruption charges twice dismissed by an Iraqi federal court and was barred from returning to office by the KDP. Kurdish officials replaced him with an Assyrian member of the KDP, Lara Yousif Zara. Alqosh residents who protested Zara's installation were threatened with their lives by Kurdish security forces. Last year, Zara was dispatched as an emissary to Washington to burnish the KRG's reputation, meeting with State Department officials, including Sam Brownback, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, to discuss religious freedom in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Kurdish security forces have stifled opposition to KDP rule in towns such as Alqosh, detaining and torturing protesters and creating an environment where even social media is monitored, said Athra Kado, an Assyrian advocate from Alqosh. Kado said there has been a gradual reduction in anyone speaking out against the mayor or Kurdish forces. Kado is familiar with the intimidation: He says he has been threatened by Kurdish forces on three occasions over the last six years and was beaten by Zara's husband's relatives last year for opposing her appointment as mayor.

That U.S. officials continue to legitimize Zara and the KDP's rule in the Nineveh Plains despite popular opposition has undermined the idea of a democratic Iraq. "In Saddam's time we'd say, 'Don't speak. The walls have ears!' It's the same now," Kado said. "Maybe they're not killing, but it's bad--not just for Assyrians but also for Kurds who stand against [the KDP]. There's no future for us if the KDP isn't removed from Alqosh. They want everybody to be controlled by them, either by force or money."

If Washington and Baghdad want to ensure the continued existence of Iraq's Indigenous peoples, they must give immediate support to the only force proven to promote the return of Assyrians to their villages: the Nineveh Plain Protection Units (NPU), an Assyrian-led force. Reporting to Iraq's National Security Council, the NPU was formed in response to the disarmament and abandonment of the Assyrians of the plains by the Kurdish Peshmerga when the Islamic State invaded in 2014. The force received training from U.S.-led coalition forces and fought alongside them. Today, it controls a sizable portion of the southern Nineveh Plains.

Internally displaced Assyrians cite mistrust of security forces as the primary impediment to their return, so it is no surprise that the NPU--the only force made up of locals from the plains--has return rates in areas it controls significantly higher than in areas secured by Kurdish forces or Iran-backed militias alone and higher return rates than all areas controlled by other forces in the plains combined, according to a June assessment by the Assyrian Policy Institute (API).

The NPU is not backed by the United States and currently receives only tepid support from the Iraqi central government. Washington and Baghdad should make their support for the NPU explicit. It would address mistrust held by minority communities due to the Peshmerga's 2014 retreat, shift a burden from Baghdad to a trustworthy force without a record of human rights abuses, and could alleviate the region's refugee crisis.

Tens of thousands of Assyrians from the plains remain displaced in Jordan and Lebanon, and the API's fieldwork suggests that a significant proportion would consider returning home under security conditions like those facilitated by the NPU. Finally, Baghdad should work toward implementing federalism by revisiting the Iraqi Council of Ministers' January 2014 decision to establish a Nineveh Plains province for minorities like Assyrians and Yazidis.

Iraq's Assyrians cannot endure another conflict. If Iraq's Indigenous peoples are to have a future, there must be a reckoning with both Iran-backed militias and the KDP's role in undermining the only option that has yielded results: empowering local Assyrians to defend themselves within proper legal authority, providing them a chance at survival in a land devoid of equality for generations.

R.S. Zaya is a writer whose work has been featured in the Telegraph and Hyperallergic, among other publications. He is a researcher at the Assyrian Policy Institute.
The state's dangerous goods regulator has issued oil and gas giant Chevron a notice to inspect heat exchangers on trains one and three at its Gorgon LNG plant by August 21, which could see all trains switched off.

Chevron was still assessing whether it would need to shut down the trains at the Barrow Island LNG facility to conduct the required inspections of the heat exchangers, which carry highly explosive propane.

Chevron's Gorgon LNG plant on Barrow Island off Western Australia

With train two already in the middle of a planned switch off for maintenance, the shut down of trains one and three could see export operations at the US$54 billion facility ground to a halt for at least a few days.

Last month, cracks up to one metre long and 30 millimetres deep were found in between eight and 11 kettle heat exchangers on train two of the plant during a routine inspection, prompting the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union to call for an immediate shutdown of the whole facility over safety fears for workers.
KOLKATA: The West Bengal unit of the BJP on Friday launched a massive membership drive ahead of the 2021 assembly elections in the state.

West Bengal BJP chief and MP Dilip Ghosh said, ''Our dream came true in Kashmir. Thousands are joining BJP not just in West Bengal but across the country. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee upheld the flag and protected Bengal. Unfortunately, this is not happening in Bengal now.''

Accusing the West Bengal government led by Mamata Banerjee of indulging in vendetta politics, Ghosh said, ''Our supporters are not safe. Either BJP workers are homeless or in jails in false cases. They are ruining Bengali traditions, culture and education system.''

''Bengalis have been maligned everywhere. Now they say, Bengalis resort to fights. We are referred to as a non-Bengali party. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was from Bengal itself, he asked Rabindranath Tagore to give a lecture in Bengali because of him,'' the BJP leader said.

Hitting out hard at the state's ruling party, Ghosh said, ''Constantly people are being targeted, attacked in West Bengal.''

''We have started the membership drive now in the state. We welcome all. You can take great pride in saying that you are part of the biggest party. Be a part of parivartan - change in the state. Those in TMC who worked for 'parivartan', we are opening our doors for you, come join us. There is no 'parivar vaad' in BJP as it is in TMC as well as the Congress.''

He informed that one can give a missed call on the party's number, log onto the website and register as a member.
DUP leader Arlene Foster has criticised Taoiseach Micheal Martin for what she called his dubious theories about England becoming less committed to Northern Ireland.

Mr Martin yesterday said he was preparing the possibility of England becoming turned off Northern Ireland a future date.

Ms Foster said a good North/South relationship requires consistency and added that Taoiseachs comments were disappointing after they held a positive meeting last week.

Writing on Twitter, she said Northern Ireland will keep moving forward by respecting our diverse identities not dubious theories.

A good neighbourly N/S relationship requires consistency.

After a positive NSMC, the Taoiseachs comments are disappointing.

The principle of consent determines NIs place in the U.K.

NI will keep moving forward by respecting our diverse identities not dubious theories. https://t.co/v8pP8HwJzn  Arlene Foster #WellMeetAgain (@DUPleader) August 7, 2020

In an interview with the Irish Independent, the Taoiseach said he plans to "beef up" the new unit so it can address a range of north-south issues and prepare for different eventualities.

"There are two distinct political jurisdictions born out of the Good Friday Agreement, we have to acknowledge the reality of that," Mr Martin said.

Read More

However, the Taoiseach said what happens in Britain impacts Ireland.

He noted that English nationalism was the driving force behind the successful Brexit vote and added that Scotland may some day break away from the UK.

"What happens if England gets turned off Northern Ireland? We've got to be thinking all this through," he said.

"They may just say 'we're not as committed to it as we were in the past'. That may not happen for quite some time, but we have to be prepared for all sorts of eventualities."

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the UK Government insisted Northern Ireland will always remain part of the United Kingdom.

"The UK Government's commitment to Northern Ireland is steadfast - it is an important and valued part of the United Kingdom and that will always remain the case," The Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said.

Mr Martin also quoted the late former SDLP leader John Hume who "made the point that our common membership of the European Union in many ways made the physical border almost an irrelevancy".

However, he said the Brexit referendum result had posed new challenges for the island, even though certain protections were set out in the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

The Taoiseach's comments come as negotiations between the EU and UK have intensified ahead of the December 31 Brexit deadline.

Mr Martin is also due to hold his first face-to-face meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the coming weeks. Last week, he organised the first North-South Ministerial Council meeting in more than three years.

Expand Close British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to local people at a heritage centre in Beeston near Nottingham, England, July 28, 2020. Rui Vieira/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo / Facebook

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Whatsapp British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks to local people at a heritage centre in Beeston near Nottingham, England, July 28, 2020. Rui Vieira/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Yesterday, he said he was completely opposed to holding a border poll as it would be "too divisive and too threatening".

"I think we can evolve better if we talk about sharing the island and that relates to health, it relates to a whole range of service," he said.

He said the purpose of the Shared Island Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach was to "develop fresh and detailed thinking" on how the North and the Republic can work more collaboratively on a range of projects.

Last week, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster said she did not feel threatened by Mr Martin's Shared Island Unit. "It does not threaten our constitutional position or what we believe in, so I don't feel threatened at all by the Shared Island Unit," Ms Foster said.

Mr Martin said interest has "waned" in the north-south bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement and insisted that he intended to bring a more "enthusiastic" approach to cross-border relationships.

Mr Martin said he specifically earmarked funding for a Sligo to Enniskillen Green Way and for an Ulster Canal project. He also said there should be one dedicated centre for cardiac surgery for children on the island.

"It makes sense that we do those kind of things in a pragmatic way but with no political agenda attached," he said.

"I think originally when north-south started, unionists were suspicious and I remember when I was minister for enterprise, InterTrade Ireland was meant to be the devil and all," the Taoiseach said.

"They relaxed after a while because they saw InterTrade Ireland can benefit Northern businesses."

Mr Martin also said he would like to do more to help people living in marginalised communities in Northern Ireland and said there was a low level of second-level education among young people from loyalist communities.

He said there are also issues with people living in nationalist areas completing their education, and added that 5,000 people from Northern Ireland leave to go to third-level colleges in Britain every year.

"I think we need to change that story and I think there should be a significant investment by both governments," he said.
China Uses 'Friendship Associations' to Extend Influence Among Overseas Elites: Report

2020-08-06 -- The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is "co-opting" foreign nationals via friendship associations to expand its overseas influence in Europe, amid growing concerns over Beijing's intensive lobbying and propaganda campaigns far beyond its borders, according to a recent report.

An Aug. 4 report published by the Washington-based think-tank, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), said Beijing uses foreign nationals in a number of ways to promote its views in the corridors of power overseas.

"This study finds that the coopted foreigners, who enjoy influence, convening power, and connections, serve the CCP's aims in several ways, subtle and otherwise," the report said.

Such people "parrot the party's talking points, deflect narratives harmful to Beijing's image, host public events that showcase the party's virtues, promote trade and investment, encourage technology transfers, and voice support for changes in European policies favorable to China," it said, citing case studies of the EU-China Friendship Group, the ItalyChina Friendship Association, and the Czech-China Chamber of Collaboration.

While the organizations concerned have no obvious formal connection to the Chinese government, they are a part of the "united front" system through which the CCP maintains its grip on power at home and seeks to further its agenda abroad, the report said.

"United front work seeks to ... coopt and neutralize its targets to obtain support or to reduce resistance to the CCP's domestic and foreign goals," it said.

According to the report, friendship groups are associations comprising political, business, and other elites within a defined foreign territory that seek to promote closer bilateral relations with China.

"This report contends that friendship associations are front organizations [that] rely on co-opted elites drawn from Europe's political class and business community to lead and to fill their ranks," it said, adding that the groups claim to be "homegrown organizations."

'China Bridge'

The report, which called for greater cooperation across Europe to measure and research such groups, came after concerns were raised over "China Bridge," an association set up earlier this year to promote "understanding" between China, Germany and the EU.

"We are very concerned that the network is not acting transparently," Ulrich Delius, director of the Society for Threatened Peoples, wrote in a June 22 letter to Barbel Kofler, the German Federal Government's Human Rights Commissioner, according to the Handelsblatt newspaper.

Delius asks Kofler to encourage "well-known members of the network to be more transparent," adding that a refusal to do so would draw criticism that they were connected to Beijing's ruling party and security services, the paper said in a June 25 report.

One of China Bridge's board members is vice-president of the German Bundestag.

Friedrich has denied any secret agenda, telling the Handelsblatt: "There are no secret actions, we have nothing to hide. Nevertheless, we are constantly suspected of doing something disreputable."

He said the organization was intended as a way to "open up communication channels to the Chinese leadership ... given that China is an essential factor shaping the global situation."

German legal scholar Qian Yuejun told RFA that there is evidence linking the group to the CCP, however.

Friedrich was recently lauded as a "friend welcomed by the Chinese government" in an interview published by the CCP's official newspaper, the People's Daily.

Vested interested

He and other China Bridge members were also praised for their public cheerleading of China's efforts in fighting the coronavirus.

"The CCP will pay any price to exert its influence on European and American society and politics," Qian told RFA. "There are still politicians who are inextricably linked with the CCP regime, and once there are vested interests, many people give the CCP a platform."

He said claims that China Bridge had received no funding from the Chinese government were dubious.

"There is a difference between direct and indirect money, and there are many ways to fund something indirectly," Qian said. "It is not easy to use Western concepts to understand how the CCP invests money in these political circles."

He said CCP support can often take the form of traded favors to individuals in unrelated areas, making it hard to track.

Andreas Fulda, a sociologist who teaches at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, said there is no evidence that China Bridge and organizations like it have any connections with civil society in the countries in which they operate, and remain mute on controversial topics like China's human rights abuses in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

"The CCP doesn't want to see such exchanges," Fulda said. "Those in charge at China Bridge say they are neutral and they just want to establish partnerships, but this is impossible."

He said any level of cooperation with China involves cooperating with the ruling party in some way.

"The moment they claimed to be neutral, they [made it clear that they have] chosen the Chinese Communist Party," he said.

Reported by Chen Pinjie for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.

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Pakistan on Wednesday had strongly condemned the bhumi pujan' ceremony for the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya.

New Delhi/Islamabad, Aug 6 (IANS) The government on Thursday asked Pakistan to desist from inciting communal tensions in India with its provocative statements on its internal matters.

In response to media queries on the issue, the official spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry, Anurag Srivastava, said on Thursday, "We have seen the press statement by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on a matter internal to India."

Issuing a warning to Pakistan, the spokesperson said that it should "desist from interfering in India's affairs and refrain from communal incitement."

"While this is not a surprising stance from a nation that practices cross-border terrorism and denies its own minorities their religious rights, such comments are nevertheless deeply regrettable," he added.

The Pakistan government led by Imran Khan had claimed in an official statement on Wednesday that the Ram temple was being constructed "on the site where the historic Babri Masjid stood for around five centuries.

Calling the Indian Supreme Court judgement, which paved the way the for construction of the temple, "flawed", Islamabad said that "it not only reflected the preponderance of faith over justice but also the growing majoritarianism in today's India, where minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship, are increasingly under attack."

The Imran Khan government said, "The temple built on the site of a historic mosque will remain a blot on the face of the so-called Indian democracy for the times to come. The painful scenes of the demolition of Babri Masjid by the BJP and its extremist Hindu affiliates in 1992 remain fresh in the minds of Muslims across the globe."

The statement said that since then, the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) has passed numerous resolutions condemning the heinous act of demolishing the centuries-old mosque.

"Future generations of Muslims would continue to be cognizant of the new illegitimate structure which the Hindutva-driven BJP has campaigned for, and is bent upon constructing as part of its agenda of converting India into a Hindu Rashtra'. Todaya's event in Ayodhya reflected an unrelenting drive in this direction," Islamabad said.

Pakistan in its statement had urged the Indian government to ensure safety, security and protection of minorities, particularly Muslims and their places of worship and other Islamic sites on which the Hindu extremists and zealots have laid claims.

The international community, the United Nations and relevant international organisations should play their part in saving the Islamic heritage sites in India from the Hindutva' regime and ensure protection and religious rights of minorities in India, the Imran Khan government said.

--IANS

aat/arm
President Nana Akufo-Addo has dismissed three local government chief executives and replaced them with new appointees, a statement from the sector minister, Hajia Alima Mahama has announced.



They are Metropolitan Chief Executive of Secondi-Takoradi in the Western Region, Anthony Kobina Kurentsir Sam, District Chief Executive (DCE) for the Amansie South District in the Ashanti Region, William Asante Bediako and Akwapim North Municipal Chief Executive, Dennis Aboagye.



They have been replaced by Abdul Mumin-Issah for the Secondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Barima Awuah Sarpong Asiedu-Larbi for and Akwapim North Municipal Assembly and Clement Opoku Gyamfi for the Amansie South District Assembly.



In view of the above, the Hon. Regional Ministers for Western, Eastern and Ashanti regions are requested to liaise with the Regional Electoral Commission to conduct the confirmation process of the nominated Chief Executives, the statement signed by Hajia Mahama indicated.



It is not clear what has triggered the dismissals, however, in the case of William Asante Bediako, he grabbed headlines recently for defending persons engaged in illegal mining activities in the Amansie South District.



Mr Bediako was captured in a viral video stating his disagreement with the state-sponsored clampdown on illegal mining.



Why would I not support galamsey? Had it not been for galamsey, we would not have had a storey building at Manso; had it not been galamsey and hardworking nature of the people of Manso, a young person from Manso would not have been able to purchase a car worth one billion Cedis, he is heard saying on the tape.



According to reports, the video was shot at a ceremony to commission a toilet facility at Manso Tontokrom, a town within the district.



President Akufo-Addo launched the Operation Vanguard to quell illegal mining activities have wreaked havoc to Ghana's freshwater bodies and vegetation across the country.

Source: ghanaweb.com









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An Air India Express flight with 190 on board overshot and fell 50 metres off the end of the runway at the Kozhikode airport in treacherous conditions on Friday, breaking into two and killing at least 20 people -- including both the pilot and the co-pilot -- in what is the deadliest commercial aviation disaster in the country in nearly 10 years.

The Boeing 737 jet, on a Vande Bharat mission as flight AIX 1344 from Dubai, was bringing in Indians who were stranded abroad due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The crash occurred around 7.40pm, when it was raining, and the incident bore striking similarity to the 2010 Mangalore airport crash when a plane, also an Air India Express Boeing 737, overshot a tabletop runway and crashed nose-first into the ground  the last time there were as many or more people killed in a plane crash.

Also read| Kerala plane crash: All passengers evacuated from crash site, urgent meeting called in Delhi

It was a Dubai to Kozhikode Air India Express flight. It made an over-speeding landing, overshot the runway, and fell into a valley. The aircraft has broken into two parts but it is being reported that it has not caught fire, which increases chances of rescue. Rescue teams are on spot and we are yet to get final figures on casualties, said Arun Kumar, chief of directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).

In all there were 174 adult passengers on board, 10 infants, two pilots, and four crew members. Flight records reviewed by HT showed that several of the passengers cited job loss as the reason for returning to the country.

It was raining heavily. The pilot had given a warning before landing saying the weather was really bad. He tried for safe landing twice but lost control. The aircraft shot off the runway and skidded off and it broke into two pieces. It was a miraculous escape for many, said V Ibrahim, among the passengers who survived with minor injuries.

Among the 20 casualties were four children, officials said.

We are in touch with local authorities... Relief teams from Air India and AAI are being immediately dispatched from Delhi and Mumbai. All efforts being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB), civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Also read: Govt orders probe into Air India crash, first team leaves for Kozhikode at 2 am

I have asked minister for local self government AC Moideen to rush to the airport and coordinate rescue efforts. It is another shocking incident, said chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on a day when the state was also hit by a landslide that killed 15 people.

The fatalities include the flights commander Deepak V Sathe, a former Air Force Pilot, and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar. Rescue personnel were on the scene and more than 150 people were taken to the hospital.

We regret that there has been an incident regarding our aircraft, Air India Express said in a statement. Help centers were being set up in Sharjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

According to a playback on flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane circled the airport twice before attempting to land. In its second instance, it aborted the attempt with 2,000 feet to go before the crash landing.

The so-called tabletop airport has limited space at the ends of the runway, and several international airlines had stopped flying bigger aircraft into Kozhikode due to safety issues over the length of the runway.

Both Mangalore and Calicut airport do not have the required space on either side of the runway for safe landing. The Calicut runway does not have mandatory 155m side strip and there is a 70m drop at either end. We at the Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council had warned the authorities ten years back that the runway is very risky for landing during rains, said aviation safety consultant Mohan Ranganathan, a former instructor pilot of Boeing 737 who specialised in wet runway operations training.

The visibility was 2,000 metres (which is not considered to be bad) along with heavy rains. Calicut is a table top airport like Mangalore but at a lower height. The gorge at the end is not very deep and has a road going through it. Landing an aircraft is all about managing the energy of aircraft. The atmospherics play a major part, said a senior air traffic controller in Mumbai, asking not to be named.

Watch| Kozhikode crash: Pilots among 19 dead; PM Modi speaks to Kerala CM; NDRF rushed

Head winds and good runway friction conditions help a pilot in managing the energy so that the aircraft is brought to a stop from landing speeds of 250 km per hour. When atmospherics are not in favour then a mishap can happen, as it has in this case. But it means the pilot would sight the runway only about a minute before landing so its quite challenging as well, this person added.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and several other opposition leaders offered their condolences over the incident.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on Aug. 1, 2020. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

Stimulus Package Negotiations on the Verge of Collapse as Talks Break Down

After nearly two weeks of discussions, an agreement on COVID-19 relief funding is on the brink of collapse after little progress was made on several outstanding issues like expanded unemployment benefits, $1 trillion in aid to state and local governments, and liability protections.

Theres a handful of very big issues that we are still very far apart on a deal, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the lead White House negotiator, told reporters on Thursday. He cited disagreements on aid to state and local governments, as well as the extra additional unemployment benefits of $600 per week.

My frustration is that we couldve passed a very skinny deal that dealt with some of the most pressing issues, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNN Thursday evening.

President Donald Trump recently announced that his administration is considering issuing executive orders to address unemployment benefits, evictions, and student loans.

If the talks fail, it would put at risk $1,200 stimulus payments to most Americans, billions of dollars to help reopen schools, and billions in dollars in aid to state and local governments to help them avoid furloughing workers and cutting some services.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in an interview with PBS, placed the blame on the Republican side.

The point is we have a bill that meets the needs of the American people. Its called the HEROES Act. They [Republicans] dont even want to do state and local and when they do, its very meager and they want to revert money from before, she said, referring to a $3 trillion package that was passed by House Democrats in May, according to The Associated Press.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, right, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, arrive at the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Capitol to resume talks on a COVID-19 relief bill, in Washington, on Aug. 1, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Democrats again asserted that the relief package needs to be significant to deal with outstanding economic issues.

We believe the patient needs a major operation while Republicans want to apply just a Band-Aid, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters. We wont let them just pass the Band-Aid, go home and leave America bleeding.

Previously, Pelosi said that she will not budge on the expanded unemployment insurance benefits, saying that the joblessness rate needs to decline first in order for them to expire. But Mnuchin said the two sides also still differ on providing aid to state and local governments.

On things like state and local, this is obviously a big issue, were still very far apart on that. The President is not going to do a deal that has a massive amount of money to bail out state and local, Mnuchin told CNN.

If no deal is met, according to Mnuchin, the president may act as soon as Friday.

If we conclude tomorrow that there is not a compromise position on the major issues, the President has alternatives and executive orders, he told the network.
The United Statesbased nonprofit organization Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has sent a letter to Tyga, asking the rapper to cancel an apparent performance in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, as The Hollywood Reporter points out.

The Hip Hop Fireworks concert, which also lists Saint JHN on the bill, is currently scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 8, the day before the country is set to hold an election that could result in the unseating of current president Alexander G. Lukashenko.

This performance, scheduled for the day before Belarus elections, is no coincidence, HRF president and founder Thor Halvorssen wrote in his letter to Tyga. It is an excuse to cancel the oppositions final electoral rally, and prevent ordinary Belarusians from showing their support for freedom and democracy. It is also a deliberate attempt to turn attention away from the massive electoral fraud that is already taking place across the country.

Halvorssen continued:

Tyga has been an outspoken advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement. He has urged followers to vote in local elections and take to the streets in protest. His support for Lukashenkos regime will greatly undermine the activism he has encouraged in the United States, and provide the Belarusian dictator a useful propaganda stunt. We hope he will stand on the side of the people of Belarus as opposed to their oppressor. He must decline the invitation to perform for the dictator.

Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Tyga and Saint JHN for comment and more information.

Alexander Lukashenko is considered an authoritarian and has held power in Belarus since 1994. U.S. Senators Dick Durbin, Marco Rubio, and Ben Cardin recently introduced a resolution calling for a free, fair, and transparent presidential election in Belarus taking place on August 9, 2020, including the unimpeded participation of all presidential candidates. They write that in the most recent 2010 and 2015 presidential elections, Lukashenko arbitrarily disqualified or jailed key opponents ahead of and after the elections.

According to The Washington Post, Lukashenko jailed two of his political rivals ahead of the August 9 election and denied anothers candidacy registration. His most notable challenger is now Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the wife of would-be candidate Sergei Tikhanovsky, who was arrested in May.

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
The DGCA said that the Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight (IX-1344) overshot the runway at the Karipur Interational Airport and fell into a gorge, breaking into two parts

A repatriation flight Air India Express IX-1344 bringing 184 passengers, including 10 infants from Dubai to India, broke into two while landing at Karipur International Airport in Kerala's Kozhikode on Friday evening, killing at least 17 people, including the pilot and the copilot besides injuring several passengers.

The flight was operated under the Central government's Vande Bharat Mission and was being operated by Air India Express.

The DGCA said the flight  IX 1344  continued running to the end of the runway amid heavy rain and fell down in a gorge and "broke down in two pieces".

"No fire reported at the time of landing," it noted.

The mishap occurred at 1941 hrs. No fire was reported at the time of landing, an AIE statement said.

Malappuram Collector K Gopalakrishnan told PTI that 17 people have died in the mishap.

The identities of the dead has not been confirmed yet, however, former Union tourism minister KJ Alphons initially claimed that the pilot of the plane died in the accident.

Second tragedy of the day in Kerala : Air India Express skids off the run way at Kozhikode, front portion splits , pilot dies and lots of passengers injured . All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didnt catch fire @narendramodi @JPNadda  Alphons KJ (@alphonstourism) August 7, 2020

An Air India Express spokesperson told PTI that the aircraft apparently overshot the runway. Air India Express has only Boeing 737 planes in its fleet. "As per the initial reports rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care. We will soon share the update in this regard," the civil aviation ministry stated. An earlier report from ANI quoted Mallappuram SP as saying that of the 123 passengers injured in the crash, 15 have received serious injuries.

14 dead, 123 injured and 15 seriously injured in Kozhikode plane crash incident at Karipur Airport: Malappuram SP to ANI. #Kerala pic.twitter.com/QfFZxHDkVx  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

Air India Express said that there were six crew members on board including two pilots.

The flight crew included Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe, co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar, and cabin crew members Shilpa Dashra Katare, Akshay Pal Singh, Lalit kumar and Abhik Biswas.

Twenty-four ambulances rushed to the airport.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed shock over the accident and asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities.

The Chief Minister has deputed state minister AC Moideen to coordinate the rescue operations.

An IG of police has been deputed to oversee the rescue operations.

Rescue operation by NDRF at the crash site in Kozhikode. pic.twitter.com/QIZrrnEbBY  Prasar Bharati News Services (@PBNS_India) August 7, 2020

Fire and Rescue teams of two districts  Kozhikode and Malappuram  have been engaged.

According to information from Kozhikode medical college, seriously injured people have been admitted there. The condition of a mother and child injured in the accident was very serious, Health Minister KK Shailaja said.

"The weather conditions are what they are... Visibilty was low... The aircraft would not (be) brought to halt..," said Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

He also said that the rescue operation is still ongoing and that about 140 plus passengers have been admitted to hospital.

As per the flight manifest there were 190 people on flight AXB-1344 including 174 adult passengers,10 infants, 4 cabin crew & 2 pilots. Unfortunately, 16 people have lost their lives. I offer my heartfelt condolences to their next of kin & pray for speedy recovery of the injured.  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 7, 2020

Help centres setup in Sharjah, Dubai and India

Help centres are being set up in Sharjah and Dubai, the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Consulate General of India in Dubai tweeted four helpline numbers: 0565463903, 0543090572, 0543090572, 0543090575.

The Kozhikode collector said that relatives of passengers onboard Air India Express Flight IX 1344 can contact the helpline number 04952376901 for enquiries.

CMO sources said Chief Minister spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the latter assured him all help and assistance from the Centre.

Vijayan informed him that rescue operations were in full swing, the sources said.

Modi as well as several leaders from the Opposition expressed shock over the incident. Modi tweeted:

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

Former Congerss president Rahul Gandhi said that he was shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode and offered his condolences to friends and family of those who died in the accident.

Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 7, 2020

The US Ambassador to India Ken Juster also expressed his condolences.

On behalf of the U.S. Mission, we are deeply saddened by the news of the Air India accident in Kozhikode. The victims and their loved ones are in our thoughts and prayers.  Ken Juster (@USAmbIndia) August 7, 2020

In a show of solidarity, IndiGo Airlines tweeted out its grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

DGCA had warned Kozhikode airport last year

The DGCA had last year issued a show-cause notice to Karipur International Airport (also known as Calicut International Airport) after an audit revealed some significant safety concerns, according to a Times of India report.

Some of the safety concerns cited in the report included excessive rubber deposits, which it said "can be dangerous for safe landings in the heavy rains" as they can reduce the friction of the runway strip.

The report had also found cracks and stagnant water on parts of the runway.

The DGCA has ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident.

With inputs from agencies
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents in Mount Aire, on the Eastern outskirts of Salt Lake City, as a fire there grew to 200 acres, local media said on August 6.

Utah Highway Patrol said the I-80 highway would be closed from early on August 7 to make way for firefighting efforts. Credit: Utah Fire Info via Storyful
San Francisco, Aug 7 : TikTok on Friday threatened legal action against an executive order that US President Donald Trump issued, prohibiting the China-based company from doing business with the US firms after 45 days.

TikTok said it was "shocked" by the recent executive order, which it said "was issued without any due process." "We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly -- if not by the Administration, then by the US courts," TikTok said in a statement.

Trump issued the order on Thursday night prohibiting any person in the US from doing transactions with the short video-sharing platform's Chinese owner, ByteDance.

In the executive order "addressing threat posed by TikTok", Trump said the spread in the US of mobile applications developed and owned by Chinese companies "continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States." "At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok," said the order.

Officials of the Trump administration earlier alleged that the Chinese government could have access to TikTok's user data.

"We have made clear that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government, nor censored content at its request," TikTok said in its statement to the executive order.

"In fact, we make our moderation guidelines and algorithm source code available in our Transparency Center, which is a level of accountability no peer company has committed to. We even expressed our willingness to pursue a full sale of the US business to an American company." The orders were issued amid discussion by Microsoft to purchase the US business of TikTok by September 15.

Microsoft revealed its intention to purchase TikTok's US business following a discussion between the company's CEO and the US President.

"This Executive Order risks undermining global businesses' trust in the United States' commitment to the rule of law, which has served as a magnet for investment and spurred decades of American economic growth," TikTok said.

"And it sets a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets," it added.

Trump on Thursday issued another similarly-worded executive order against WeChat, a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd.

Tencent said it is "reviewing the executive order to get a full understanding."
(Photo : Pixabay)

The multi-billion-dollar tech company, Google, will pay users about $12 each after agreeing to a lawsuit settlement of $7.5 million after being sued for a bug that might compromise user data.

A class-action lawsuit that began in 2018 finally made it to its conclusion with Google LLC agreeing to settle $7.5 million worth of damages to users who have registered into the app living in the United States.

Metro U.K. stated that even though $7.5 million is a lot, users would only receive a fraction of around $12 each, upon making a claim. Once receiving Google's payout settlement, said users would forfeit their rights to sue the company for damages in the following years.

Users who received an e-mail from January 2015 - April 2019 regarding the lawsuit are eligible to make a claim and redeem the settlement from Google. You can make a claim through this link here. Users are only given until October 8, 2020, to make a claim on said website.

The website also contains a summary of litigation that transpired in the lawsuit filed against the internet company's failed social media network.

ALSO READ: Intel Hacked: 20GB of Data Including Secret Files Accessble Using Password 'Intel123' Leak Online

Google Plus' Trial and Lawsuit

Google announced in 2018 that its social media platform "Google Plus" (also known as Google+) experienced software bugs throughout 2015 until 2018. The internet company admitted that these software bugs gave the app developers certain access to Google+ "profile field information."

To which Google said that it was unintended and assured users that no data was taken whatsoever. Three former app users, Matthew Matic, Zak Harris, Charles Olson, and Eileen M. Pinkowski, filed a lawsuit against Google claiming that these bugs allegedly harmed a certain number of people who used it.

Google denied these allegations and was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Last June 10, 2020, Hon. Edward J. Davila granted the trial's preliminary approval of the class action settlement that, in turn, asked Google to provide notice of the said settlement.

Several users who received an e-mail from google-noreply@google.com found the message sketchy and questioned its legitimacy. Twitter user @normamacedos questioned the e-mail and feared that she was being sued.

so I just got the google settlement email thing and I read "you are not being sued" and my first thought was holy shit I'm being sued pic.twitter.com/TCZKsyDKJI  norma  (@normamacedos) August 5, 2020



Google confirms its legitimacy through its interview with Fast Company.

What is Google Plus exactly?

Google+ is a tech company, Google's attempt in the social media networking platform way back in its launch in 2011. The app was supposed to rival Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook.

The app confused new users as to whether or not they have an account. Google+ automatically makes an account for existing Google users. This confusion led to the application's low usage. The application was shut down by Google, explaining that its decision was brought by 'low usage and challenges involved in maintaining a successful product that meets consumers' expectations' as stated by Metro U.K.

Google ended the application's stint in August 2019 following the lawsuit. Its software bugs affected a number of 500,000 users of the app. Google said that each user's settlement would vary to the total number of people who signed up and filed for a claim.

ALSO READ: Out of Stock! Google Says Pixel 4 and 4 XL Are Sold Out, Just in Time for Pixel 4A's Launch on August 20

This article is owned by Tech Times





Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Attorney General Bill Barr sent a political signal Thursday by pulling over to greet protesters at a 'Back the Blue' event near a police precinct in Virginia Thursday.

The gathering included people holding flags associated with 'Blue Lives Matter,' which supports police on a variety of issues and highlights those killed in the line of duty, and which gained prominence after 'Black Lives Matter' protesters swarmed the streets after the killing of George Floyd.

Justice Department press secretary Kerri Kupec posted video of the drop-by, and the Fairfax County Republican Party tweeted out an image from it.

Attorney General Bill Barr made an impromptu stop at a 'Back the Blue' protest in Virginia. A county Republican party tweeted out a picture from the drop-by

'That time you're driving in Virginia and the Attorney General spots a group of people in front of a police precinct showing their support for the police ...' wrote Justice Kupec.

'Can we make a quick U-turn? I want to jump out and thank these people,' she says Barr told his government security detail.

In the video, a bespectacled Barr, wearing a dark suit, can be seen greeting demonstrators holding signs that said 'Law and Order,' 'Back the Blue,' 'Defend the Police,' and 'Love the Blue - They Give their Lives for You.'

Another sign said 'Immigrants love Law and Order.' President Donald Trump has made 'law and order' a centerpiece of his reelection campaign.

Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec posted video from Barr's meeting with demonstrators

Barr posed for a selfie during the visit, where video posted by the Justice Department includes few words form the nation's top law enforcement officer

Barr got a warm welcome from sign-waving demonstrators

One sign said 'Back the Blue' in reference to police

A protester in American flag shorts holds a sign saying 'Immigrants Love Law & Order

The Fairfax County Republican Party tweeted about the drop-by Thursday night

Former Democratic DOJ spokesman Matthew Miller said AGs are not supposed to attend events 'affiliated with or promoted by' political parties

Many who were there were holding U.S. flags, although some also had the 'Blue Lives Matter' flag, which features a 'thin blue line' over one of the stripes. The group was formed following the death of police officers in the line of duty.

'This is awesome!' one man can be heard exclaiming. 'You did wonderful on your testimony. Spectacular I thought,' said one woman.'

'They were terrible!' yelled out another woman, possibly referring to Barr's congressional interlocutors.

'Come on everybody, let's take a picture,' says a man in a yellow shirt, who proceeds to stand next to Barr, who was unmasked for the impromptu encounter but being guarded by masked agents.

Barr joined in President Donald Trump's infamous photo-op across from Lafayette Park. He was also pictured with law enforcement before police cleared the park of protesters following the death of George Floyd

Following the death of George Floyd, New York authorized a painted street sign on Fifth Avenue outside Trump Tower that says 'Black Lives Matter'

Not everyone celebrated the visit at a time of deep societal divisions and angry protests over police violence against Floyd and other black unarmed suspects.

'This used to go without saying, but attorneys general are not supposed to attend events affiliated with and promoted by political parties. And what is up with that sign over his head?' wrote former Democratic Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Twitter.

A sign behind Barr in a group photo says 'Minorities Back Police' and 'Immigrants Love Law & Order.'

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for additional information about the visit.


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Critics are the worst kind of humans, says Jemaine Clement in the role of David Kirkpatrick, a horndog college professor trying to comfort Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs), a former student whose first novel has just been savaged in The New York Times as an amateurish beach read. But the critic isnt saying anything worse than what the author is thinking about herself. She knows her publisher hasnt cancelled her book tour because they smell a bestseller. Thats why Kate, 35 and feeling a major squeeze on her options, accepts Davids invite to return to her alma mater in Carbondale, Illinois, and speak to his class. Maybe, in the students hopeful eyes, shell find the eager artist she once was.

Kris Rey, the sharply observant writer and director of I Used to Go Here  she used to go to Southern Illinois University herself  is not at all interested in making the cinematic equivalent of an amateurish beach read. Reys reputation precedes her as an actress, filmmaker, and documentarian who collaborated with her former husband, mumblecore guru Joe Swanberg, under her married name. In her own films  It Was Great, But I Was Ready to Come Home (2009), Empire Builder (2012), and Unexpected (2015)  Rey showed a unique gift for exploding expectations. For those who anticipate a campus romp filled with parties and bawdy sex, prepare for a shock.

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Thanks to a brightly frazzled and emotionally nuanced performance from Jacobs (Life Partners, TVs Community), were with Kate from the get-go. Showing a confident face to the world, Chicago success-story Kate is secretly imploding. Her three closest friends are all visibly pregnant and seemingly overjoyed  only her former SIU roommate Laura (Zoe Chao) phones in with qualms about impending motherhood. Besides that, Kates career is stalled and shes been dumped by her fiance (filmmaker Alex Ross Perry does the dudes hilariously dickish voicemails, with Rey herself playing his new arm candy on Instagram). Capping off the humiliation, when Kate visits her old college house, the students now living in the hallowed space she dubbed the Writers Retreat 15 years ago remind her that 15 years ago, they were in kindergarten.

Story continues

While a lesser filmmaker would have reduced the new occupants of the Writers Retreat to Animal House types  one resident is even named Animal  Rey and her up-for-anything cast are hunting bigger game. Star-in-the-making Josh Wiggins goes the extra mile as Hugo, the student who intuits what Kate is going through. Though almost no one in this movie has read Kates book, Hugo has deeply admired a short story she once wrote about her dead brother. Kates wince at her brothers name indicates how avoidance of what hurts is restricting her writing and her life. Rey doesnt run from the emotions that shadow the movies laughs. Take Hugos screwball plan to involve Kate and his friends in a scheme to blackmail Kirkpatrick with photos of the prof sleeping with a student, April (Hannah Marks, all kinds of wonderful ). It turns out that shes Hugos girlfriend and the student Kate most dislikes, out of envy of her talent and self-possession. To add to the films generational dynamic, Marks, like the older Rey, is also an actress, writer, and director.

The art-imitates-life parallels are subtextual, not meant to define I Used to Go Here but to deepen it. Its not that Rey is above dumb jokes. Jorma Taccone pops up as a former classmate named Bradley Cooper (Its just Brad now) who offers Kate his idea of a compliment: I used to jerk off to you in college. Its the touching gravity of the film that sneaks up on you. Kate makes mistakes, like (spoiler alert) sleeping with Hugo and having to confront her own hypocrisy for nailing David as a sexual predator. So dont be fooled by Reys easygoing style  her characters walk the same moral minefields as the rest of us. Early reviewers took shots at I Used to Go Here for not digging deeper into the thorny questions it introduces. But Rey deserves credit for comic observations that sting. And besides, critics are the worst kind of humans.

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By Stephen Lendman

August 06, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - - On Tuesday, a massive explosion rocked Beirut, Lebanons port area.

Scores were killed, thousands wounded, dozens of people missing, along with widespread destruction and damage.

According to Lebanese authorities, around 2,700 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate were stored in a port area warehouse for six years without proper safety precautions  an unacceptable ticking time bomb.

The material is used in agricultural fertilizers and dynamite. Its detonation is believed to have caused what happened, perhaps by a negligent spark.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun convened the countrys High Defense Council to discuss how to deal with the disaster.

Lebanons Daily Star reported that rescue workers dug through rubble overnight searching for bodies and survivors, adding:

The high death and injury toll is expected to rise. A two-week state of emergency was declared.

The port of Lebanon and surrounding areas resembled the aftermath of a powerful bomb blast.

At least three Beirut hospitals were destroyed, two others damaged, a devastating blow to the citys hard-pressed healthcare system when thousands injured from the blast need treatment, including surgery.

According to the Red Cross, dozens of wounded people are in critical condition. The organization is providing treatment for non-critical injuries.

President of Beiruts Order of Nurses Mirna Doumit said what happened was a catastrophe to Lebanons already bleeding healthcare system, adding:

I dont find words to describe what happened. Its like we are in a horror film.

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American University of Beiruts Nasser Yassin said Lebanon needs international help to cope with what happened, adding:

Like many issues for the last few months, weve seen the Lebanese government not taking the right decisions when it comes to the economy, or finances or social issues.

And I can imagine that this disaster, this catastrophe, will be dealt by the way Lebanese people do  relying on themselves and the support of their communities.

According to Germanys GFZ geosciences center, Tuesdays blast was the equivalent of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake.

A personal note: I experienced an earthquake of this magnitude over half a century ago in San Diego, CA.

I was in my 10th floors office at the time. Everything shook violently for what seemed like an eternity.

It was only around a minute or two. On the phone at the time, my initial reaction was to get under my desk to avoid falling ceiling debris that didnt happen.

Damage reported in the city was minor. I, others in my office, and family feared something serious was happening, fortunately not so.

Major destruction and damage in Beirut affected around a four-square-mile area. It was heard and felt scores of miles distant from the port of Beirut.

An investigation was initiated to determine the cause and who bears responsibility.

Import traffic was diverted to the port of Tripoli. Most likely what happened was caused by negligence, not terrorism or another form of attack. The fullness of time will tell more.

Ammonium nitrate was responsible for deadly explosions in Tianjin, China (2015), North Koreas Ryongchon rail station (2004) Toulouse, France (2001), Galveston Bay in the port of Texas City (1947), Oppau, Germany (1921), and Faversham, UK (1916).

The port of Lebanon is the countrys import/export hub. Vitally needed wheat supplies stored there were destroyed.

Massive destruction and damage, along with the loss of essential food supplies dealt a major blow to already dire economic conditions in the country.

While negligence most likely was responsible for what happened, possible sabotage or something as sinister cant be ruled out.

Lebanon has the misfortune of bordering Israel. According to the Netanyahu regime, Hezbollah controls the port of Beirut.

While no obvious Israeli fingerprints are on what happened, Tuesdays blast was reminiscent on February 14, 2005.

At the time, a powerful car bomb blast killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 20 others, scores injured.

The blast left a 30-foot-wide/six-foot-deep crater. Syria, then Hezbollah, were falsely blamed for what happened, four Hezbollah members wrongfully indicted by a Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in the Netherlands.

Israel was responsible for what happened, targeted killings one of its specialties.

At the time, Hezbollah-intercepted Israeli aerial surveillance footage and audio evidence showed Hariris route on the day of his assassination.

Criminal law expert Hasan Jouni called its evidence compelling.

North Lebanon Bar Association head Antoine Airout said revelations by Hezbollah (were) very serious and objective.

Syria and Hezbollah had nothing to gain from what happened. Israel clearly benefitted, including by false accusations against its enemies.

At the time, Middle East journalist Patrick Seale said (i)f Syria (or Hezbollah) killed (Hariri), it must be judged an act of political suicidehand(ing) (their) enemies a weapon with which to deliver (a destabilizing) blow.

Israels fingerprints were all over what happened, Hezbollah falsely blamed.

While vast destruction and damage in Beirut on Tuesday most likely was caused by negligence, possible Israeli (or US) involvement cant be ruled out.

Stephen Lendman was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. In 1956, he received a BA from Harvard University. Two years of US Army service followed, then an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960. After working seven years as a marketing research analyst, he joined the Lendman Group family business in 1967. He remained there until retiring at year end 1999. Writing on major world and national issues began in summer 2005. In early 2007, radio hosting followed. Lendman now hosts the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network three times weekly. Distinguished guests are featured. Listen live or archived. Major world and national issues are discussed. Lendman is a 2008 Project Censored winner and 2011 Mexican Journalists Club international journalism award recipient. https://stephenlendman.org

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

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The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
Pakenhams stone arch bridge: North Americas longest

Ontario boasts many distinctive bridges. One of the most beautiful of Ontarios bridges is Pakenhams bridge, the only five-span stone arch bridge in North America.

Built in 1901, it replaced a rickety wooden structure. Designed by the firm of OToole and Keating, the new 85-metre bridge is made up of five 25-metre stone arches on piers that are three metres thick. The huge stones for the bridge were dragged from a nearby quarry.

The largest stone is three metres long and weighs five tonnes. In 1984, Ontarios Ministry of Transportation, along with the Ontario Heritage Foundation and Ottawas National Capital Commission, restored the bridge, inserting reinforced concrete into the deck and parapet walls in the stone work. Framed by its wooded limestone shoreline, the bridge is a popular subject for photographers and artists.

Pakenham village itself is also worth a visit. By 1831 it had become the site of a sawmill, store and post office and was named Little Falls. In 1840 Andrew Dickson sold the first village lots and just 20 years later the village claimed a population of 800. Despite getting the railway in the 1880s, Pakenham failed to grow and the population is about the same today, which has helped preserve its rich heritage.

On the main street, only a short distance from the bridge, are businesses such as Byrne House Hardware, housed in a mid-1800s Classical Revival building; Paddye Mann Studio in an 1830s stone building; and Pakenhams General Store. Built in 1840, it contains crafts, memorabilia and freshly baked breads, as well as the usual range of grocery items.

Pakenham is on Highway 15 about halfway between Almonte and Arnprior, and about 60 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa. Caution should be used if crossing the bridge on foot; there is no sidewalk, the roadway is narrow and County Road 20 can be busy.

A city for the birds: Pictons Birdhouse City

In the shadow of a cliff near Picton, Ont., lies a city that is strictly for the birds. Started in 1980 by the Prince Edward Region Conservation Authority, Birdhouse City is a collection of more than 100 birdhouses designed to copy many of the areas actual buildings. The city is the legacy of former authority superintendent Doug Harnes, whose skill in woodworking led to the creation of this bird citys first structures.

The first to be built was a recreation of the Massasauga Park Hotel. Measuring more than 1.5 metres square, it was supported by two poles and boasted 3,000 miniature shingles. Pretty soon everyone got into the act and birdhouses of all descriptions began to show up. Participants in Experience 80 contributed a paddle wheeler, a police car and a fly-in theatre, while the local McDonalds donated, naturally, a McDonalds with a fly-through. Visitors arrive, often by the busload, to see a Greek temple, a Pennsylvania Dutch barn and Pictons historic Crystal Palace, while the departed can find comfort in the Nest In Peace Funeral Home. Nor was city planning overlooked. The architectural drafting class of Prince Edward Collegiate planned the city with streets like Finch Avenue and Swallow Drive.

Sadly, due to financial constraints, many of the structures have seen maintenance slip, and several need repair and repainting. Still, birds love it. When winter comes, however, most of the residents become snow birds. Birdhouse City is in the Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area on County Road 8.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Delhi High Court on Friday gave its nod for the conduct of online Open Book Examinations (OBE) for final-year students of Delhi University.

Justice Prathiba M Singh, while giving the go-ahead, passed certain directions to be followed by the DU and the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The court directed that the questions should be posted on online portal as well as emailed to all the candidates.

"Students are to be given two hours for attempting the question papers. One extra hour shall be granted for uploading of the answer sheets on the portal," the court said.

It directed that an auto-generated email shall be sent to the students to acknowledge that their answer sheets have been accepted.

The bench also directed the CSC Academy -- whose Common Service Centres will be used by the students lacking in requisite infrastructure to sit in the exams -- to notify all its centres to be used for the conduct of OBE.

"DU Grievances Officer shall redress the emailed complaints of students regarding the process within 48 hours. If not, the matter shall automatically be referred to the Grievances Redressal Committee," the High Court added.

The court had on Wednesday reserved orders on a batch of pleas that challenged the university decision to conduct online Open Book Examinations for final-year students.

Initially, the varsity announced that the exams would commence from July 1, but later postponed the same to July 10 and again till August 15 without giving a specific date for examinations.
"Martin King is a leader in civic engagement in this country and around the world. He has uncommon wisdom, vision, and a passion for justice, and we are thrilled that he will be joining our work at the Kennedy Institute," said Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Co-founder and President of the Board at the Kennedy Institute. "In all that he has done in his extraordinary life, whether marching in peaceful protest, working with young Black men to bolster their chances for success, or presiding over the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Martin King acts in accordance with the belief that we must never be silent about things that matter. We are truly honored to have his voice at our Board table as we continue to build upon our efforts of inspiring the next generation of leaders and citizens to fully engage in their communities and to build and our strengthen our democracy."

Mr. King's political and human rights journeys have taken him all over the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe, India, Australia, Canada, and Haiti, where he has worked to spread the message for nonviolent social change. As a life member of The King Center Board of Directors, Mr. King continues to devote his life to promoting global human rights and the eradication of the triple evils of poverty, racism, and war. Mr. King is a graduate of his father's alma mater, Morehouse College in Atlanta. As a high school student, Mr. King served as a Senate Page to Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

"It is both an exciting and significant time for me to be joining the Board of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute," said Martin Luther King III. "As a country, I believe our citizens feel detached from their elected officials and the processes that were designed to guide our nation. The Kennedy Institute's role in the future of our democracy is vitally important, and I look forward to working with my fellow Board Members to reignite a passion in our citizens to understand the workings of our government and to engage in meaningful, participatory democracy. I am especially enthusiastic about the Institute's focus on empowering citizens to exercise the right to vote, and I look forward to adding my voice and efforts to that essential work."

About the Edward M. Kennedy Institute

The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate is dedicated to educating the public about the important role of the Senate in our government, encouraging participatory democracy, invigorating civil discourse, and inspiring the next generation of citizens and leaders to engage in the civic life of their communities. Learn more via www.emkinstitute.org.

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SOURCE Edward M. Kennedy Institute

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Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

President Trump made good on his threat to ban TikTok on Thursday, issuing an executive order that will bar the wildly popular video app's parent company, ByteDance, from conducting business transactions with other American companies beginning in 45 days.

A separate order bans business transactions involving WeChat, a popular communications and commerce app owned by the Chinese internet giant Tencent.

The orders come after the Trump administration deemed apps from Chinese software companies national security threats, warning that they could put American data in danger.

"This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information  potentially allowing China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage," reads the text of the TikTok order.

TikTok has said it has not and will not give information to the Chinese government. TikTok said its U.S. user information is stored in the U.S. and backed up in Singapore.

The executive order is a blow to TikTok, which has achieved massive global growth as people looked for ways to be entertained at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Music artists have used TikTok to promote their songs; talent agencies check out the videos for rising talent; and young video creators in L.A. have made tens of thousands of dollars each month through brand deals on TikTok.

TikTok is in the process of exploring a deal to have its U.S. operations bought by Microsoft. Trump has said he is open to such a deal if some of the proceeds go to the U.S. Treasury.

TikTok employs about 1,500 people in the U.S. and plans to add 10,000 more over the next three years. Its largest U.S. office is in Culver City. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As summers heat continues, we seek refreshment. This weeks selections include a spritzy rose of vinho verde from a Portuguese label that has consistently proven its value. And, if wine seems heavy in the heat, we also have a low-alcohol line from California. Still, we know youll be grilling in the weeks ahead, so heres a delicious merlot from Washington state and two delightful reds from Italy  a savory sangiovese from Emilia Romagna that evokes casual dinners in a mom-and-pop trattoria and an elegant wine from Mount Etna in Sicily that at first might make you think of Burgundy.
As part of the first stage of the reopening, Egypt reopened its main seaside resorts to international flights and foreign tourists on 1 July

As many as 50,000 tourists have visited Egypt's seaside cities of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada since the country announced the resumption of regular international flights last month following a three-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, Egypt's tourism minister Khaled Al-Anany said.

As part of the first stage of the reopening, Egypt reopened its main seaside resorts to international flights and foreign tourists on 1 July.

Foreign tourists are now allowed to fly into three areas: South Sinai, where the popular seaside resort of Sharm El-Sheikh is located, the Red Sea governorate, home to the city of Hurghada, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean.

The tourists came from Ukraine, Belarus, Switzerland, Serbia, and Hungary, Al-Anany said during a meeting held Wednesday with a number of investors and hotel operators in the Red Sea and South Sinai governorates to discuss challenges facing the tourism sector.

"No single coronavirus infection was detected among those tourists whether during their stay in Egypt or after their return to their countries," the minister was quoted as saying in a statement carried by Ahram Arabic news website.

Officials earlier said that travelers coming from countries with high rates of coronavirus infections are required to submit test results to prove they are virus-free before travelling.

Hotels and restaurants in Egypt are now allowed to operate at 50 percent of the usual capacity after meeting health and safety protocols.

Egypt's daily tally of new coronavirus infections and daily death toll both have continued to decline in recent weeks despite the recent lifting of lockdown measures in the country.

The country reported 123 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total infection tally to 94,875, including 4,930 deaths.

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In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 9 of 1945, the World Socialist Web Site is posting a speech delivered by James P. Cannon, the founder of the American Trotskyist movement, to a meeting held in New York City two weeks after the bombings on August 22. The meeting had been called to mark the fifth anniversary of the August 21, 1940 assassination of Leon Trotsky, co-leader with Vladimir Lenin of the Russian Revolution and founder of the Fourth International, at the hands of a Stalinist assassin in Mexico City.

In the early part of the 20th century, Cannon (1890-1974) had been an organizer for the IWW and a member of the Socialist Party of America before becoming a co-founder of the American Communist Party in 1919. In 1928, as a delegate to the Sixth Congress of the Communist International in Moscow, he smuggled out Trotskys critique of the Draft Program of the Comintern and declared his support for Trotskys struggle against the Stalinist bureaucracy, thus initiating the formation of the International Left Opposition. Working in close collaboration with Trotsky during his final exile in Mexico, Cannon founded the Socialist Workers Party as the American section of the Fourth International in 1938. He, along with 17 other members of the SWP, was jailed in 1944 on charges of advocating the overthrow of the US government and was released barely six months before delivering the following speech. In 1953, Cannon authored the Open Letter and founded the International Committee of the Fourth International to defend orthodox Trotskyism against Pabloite revisionism, a pro-Stalinist trend that sought the liquidation of the Fourth International. Despite his subsequent political decline and support for reunification with the Pabloite United Secretariat in 1963, Cannon played a critical role in the history of the Trotskyist movement and the protracted struggle to build a revolutionary party in the American working class.

In his August 22, 1945 address defending the revolutionary legacy of Trotsky, Cannon delivered a blistering denunciation of the atomic bombings as an imperialist atrocity. The reaction of the American Trotskyists stood in stark contrast to that of the Stalinist Communist Party USA, the official union leaderships and the petty-bourgeois left liberals of the Nation, all of whom defended the US war crime.

Five years ago today, when the world stood in the depths of the reaction engendered by the imperialist war, our great leader and teacher, Comrade Trotsky, perished at the hands of a Stalinist assassin. We memorialized him then as the great man of ideas, not yet acknowledged by the world, but a man whose ideas represented the future of mankind. Today, on the fifth anniversary of his tragic and most untimely death, as we stand at the beginning of the greatest revolutionary crisis in the history of the world, when thoughts and words must be transformed into deedstoday we pay our grateful tribute to Trotsky as the man of action.

James Cannon

When we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our party in 1938, at a great jubilee meeting, Comrade Trotsky was one of the speakers. He couldnt come to New York, but he spoke to us on a phonograph record which he had made for the occasiona greeting to our party on its 10th anniversary. Many of you no doubt have heard that speech. You will recall that he said we have the right to take time out to celebrate past achievements only as a preparation for the future. In the same sense we can say that if we take time tonight to memorialize our noble and illustrious dead, we do it primarily as a means of preparing and organizing the struggle of the living for the goal which he pointed out to us.

The main ideas of Trotsky, the ideas for which he lived and died, are comparatively simple. He saw the great problem of society arising from the fact that modern industry, which is necessarily operated socially by great masses of people, is hampered and constricted by the anachronism of private ownership and its operation for private profit, rather than for the needs of the people. He saw that the modern productive forces have far, far outgrown the artificial barriers of the national states. These two great contradictionsthe private ownership of the means of production and their operation for private profit, and the stifling of industry within the outlived framework of the national statesare the sources of the great ills of modern societypoverty, unemployment, fascism, and war.

Trotsky saw the only way out for humanity in the revolutionary overthrow of outlived capitalism. Industry must be socialized and operated on the basis of a plan, for use and not for profit. The national antagonisms of the separate capitalist states have to give way to an international federationthe Socialist United States of the World. Socialized and planned economy can produce and provide an abundance for all the peoplenot only in one nation, but in all nations. The separate socialist nations, having no need or incentive to exploit others, having no conflicts over markets, spheres of influence, and fields of investment, no need of colonies to exploit and enslavethese separate socialist nations will necessarily unite in peace and cooperation based on a worldwide division of labor. The strength of one nation will become the strength of all, the scarcities of one will be made up by the plethora of others. Humanity will organize the cooperative exchange of all the conquests of art and science for the use of all peoples of all lands.

Trotsky taught that only the workers can bring about this revolutionary transformation. Only the working class, the only really progressive and revolutionary class in modern society, standing at the head of all the oppressed and deprived and exploited and enslavedonly they can bring about this great revolutionary transformation and reorganization of society. The workers are the only progressive class, and they are the most powerful class by virtue of their numbers and their strategic position in society. All the workers need is to become conscious of their historic interests and of their power, and to organize to make it effective.

Not a party like other parties

Trotsky taught that this struggle for the revolutionary transformation of the world, which is on the historic agenda right now, requires the leadership of a party. ButComrade Trotsky emphasizednot a party like other parties. That was his message to our 10th anniversary meeting: not a party like other parties, not a half-hearted, not a reformistic, not a talking and compromising party, but a thoroughgoing revolutionary party, a thinking and acting party. A party irreconcilably opposed to capitalism on every front and to capitalist war, in particular. Such a party, he said, is required to lead this grand assault against an outlived social system.

The workers of the world needed the ideas of Trotsky in 1940. All the material conditions for the transformation of society from capitalism to socialism had long since matured. What lagged behind was the consciousness and the understanding of the masses of the workers and their organizations. They had need of Trotskys ideas when he spoke outthe one great voice in the worldagainst the slaughter of the second imperialist war. But they were not yet ready, they were not yet properly organized, to understand the ideas of Trotsky and to act on them.

The great organizations of the workers, political and industrial, had fallen under the leadership of men who were, in effect, not representatives of the interests of the workers, but agents of the bourgeoisie within the labor movement. The social democratic parties; the Communist parties of the Comintern, which had turned traitor to communism and to the proletariat; and the great trade unionsthey all rejected the revolutionary program of Trotsky. They all supported the capitalist governments; and the governments plunged the people into the bloody shambles of the war.

Trotsky died confident of the victory of the Fourth International, as he said in that last message which we carry above our platform tonight. He died confident of the victory, but without having the opportunity to live and participate in it.

We have had six years of the war. The war that was supported by the labor leaders. The war that was defended by the professors and the intellectuals. The war that was blessed by the church. And now we can count up the results. What are the fruits of this war which, it was promised, was going to bring benefit to mankind? Look at Europe! Look at Asia! Or, closer home, look at the closing factories and the long lines before the unemployment offices, lines that will grow longer and hungrier, lines in which the returning soldiers will soon take their weary placesif they come back alive and able to walk from the battlefields.

Under capitalism the factories run full blast to produce the instruments of destruction, but they cannot keep open to produce for human needs in time of so-called peace. The whole of Europe, the whole of great cultured Europe, is a continent of hunger and despair and devastation and death.

The victors at Potsdam announced to Europe the fruits of the victory and the liberation. They decreed the breakup of German industry, the most powerful and productive industry on the continent of Europe. They announced that the living standards of industrialized Germany, the workshop of Europe, can be no higher than those of the devastated backward agricultural states. Not to raise the lowest to the level of the highest, but to drag the highest and most developed and cultured countries down to the level of the lowest and least developed countriesthat is the explicit program of the makers of the so-called peace. Such is the program for Europe.

And what are the results in terms of human beings? I read a dispatch in the New York Times today from Frankfurt. It is a casual, matter-of-fact informational piece from which I quote a reference to an official report of the situation in that area. The figures, says the correspondent of the Times, show that the average consumer in this zone is living on 1,100 to 1,300 calories a day, in contrast to the armys ration of 3,600. Less than one-third of the food estimated by the army to be required to maintain the soldiers at a level of efficiency is allotted to the liberated people of Germany in the American zone. Surely the European people will develop a great love and appreciation for the liberators.

Surely the foundations are being laid for the peace of a thousand years. Capitalism in its death agony is dragging humanity down into the abyss. Capitalism is demonstrating itself every day more and more, in so-called peace as in war, as the enemy of the people. Bomb the people to death! Burn them to death with incendiary bombs! Break up their industries, and starve them to death! And if that is not horrible enough, then blast them off the face of the Earth with atomic bombs! That is the program of liberating capitalism.

What a commentary on the real nature of capitalism in its decadent phase is this, that the scientific conquest of the marvelous secret of atomic energy, which might rationally be used to lighten the burdens of all mankind, is employed first for the wholesale destruction of half a million people.

Hiroshima, the first target, had a population of 340,000 people. Nagasaki, the second target, had a population of 253,000 people. A total in the two cities of approximately 600,000 people, in cities of flimsy construction where, as the reporters explained, the houses were built roof against roof. How many were killed? How many Japanese people were destroyed to celebrate the discovery of the secret of atomic energy? From all the indications, from all the reports we have received so far, they were nearly all killed or injured. Nearly all.

In the Times today there is a report from the Tokyo radio about Nagasaki, which states that the center of the once thriving city has been turned into a vast devastation, with nothing left except rubble as far as the eye could see. Photographs showing the bomb damage appeared on the front page of the Japanese newspaper Mainichi. The report says: One of these pictures revealed a tragic scene 10 miles away from the center of the atomic air attack, where farm houses were either crushed down or the roofs torn asunder. The broadcast quoted a photographer of the Yamaha Photographic Institute, who had rushed to the city immediately after the bomb hit, as having said: Nagasaki is now a dead city, all the areas being literally razed to the ground. Only a few buildings are left, standing conspicuously from the ashes. The photographer said that the toll of the population was great and even the few survivors have not escaped some kind of injury. So far the Japanese press has quoted only one survivor of Hiroshima.

In two calculated blows, with two atomic bombs, American imperialism killed or injured half a million human beings. The young and the old, the child in the cradle and the aged and infirm, the newly married, the well and the sick, men, women, and childrenthey all had to die in two blows because of a quarrel between the imperialists of Wall Street and a similar gang in Japan.

A war for profit

This is how American imperialism is bringing civilization to the Orient. What an unspeakable atrocity! What a shame has come to America, the America that once placed in New York harbor a Statue of Liberty enlightening the world. Now the world recoils in horror from her name. Even some of the preachers who blessed the war have been moved to protest. One said in an interview in the press: America has lost her moral position. Her moral position? Yes. She lost that all right. That is true. And the imperialist monsters who threw the bombs know it. But look what they gained. They gained control of the boundless riches of the Orient. They gained the power to exploit and enslave hundreds of millions of people in the Far East. And that is what they went to war fornot for moral position, but for profit.

Another preacher quoted in the press, reminding himself of something he had once read in the Bible about the meek and gentle Jesus, said it would be useless to send missionaries to the Far East anymore. That raises a very interesting question which I am sure they will discuss among themselves. One can imagine an interesting discussion taking place in the inner circles of the House of Rockefeller and the House of Morgan, who are at one and the same timequite by accident, of coursepillars of finance and pillars of the church and supporters of missionary enterprises of various kinds. What shall we do with the heathens in the Orient? Shall we send missionaries to lead them to the Christian heaven, or shall we send atomic bombs to blow them to hell? There is a subject for debate, a debate on a macabre theme. But in any case, you can be sure thats where American imperialism is involved, hell will get by far the greater number of the customers.

American imperialism has brought upon itself the fear and hatred of the whole world. American imperialism is regarded throughout the world today as the enemy of mankind. The First World War cost 12 million dead. Twelve million. The Second World War, within a quarter of a century, has already cost not less than 30 million dead; and there are not less than 30 million more to be starved to death before the results of the war are totaled up.

What a harvest of death capitalism has brought to the world! If the skulls of all of the victims could be brought together and piled into one pyramid, what a high mountain that would make. What a monument to the achievements of capitalism that would be, and how fitting a symbol of what capitalist imperialism really is. I believe it would lack only one thing to make it perfect. That would be a big electric sign on the pyramid of skulls, proclaiming the ironical promise of the Four Freedoms. The dead at least are free from want and free from fear. But the survivors live in hunger and terror of the future.

Who won the war that cost over 30 million lives? Our cartoonist in the Militant, with great artistic merit and insight, explained it in a few strokes of the pen when she drew that picture of the capitalist with the moneybags in his hands, standing on top of the world with one foot on the graveyard and the other on destroyed cities, with the caption: The Only Victor. The only winner is American imperialism and its satellites in other countries.

What are the perspectives? How do our masters visualize the future after this great achievement of the six-year war?

Planning for a Third World War

Before the Second World War, with all its horror and destruction of human life and human culture, is formally ended, they are already thinking and planning for the third.

Dont we have to stop these madmen and take power out of their hands? Can we doubt that the peoples of all the world are thinking it cannot go much further, that there must be some way to change it? Long ago the revolutionary Marxists said that the alternative facing humanity was either socialism or a new barbarism, that capitalism threatens to go down in ruins and drag civilization with it. But in the light of what has been developed in this war and is projected for the future, I think we can say now that the alternative can be made even more precise: The alternative facing mankind is socialism or annihilation! It is a problem of whether capitalism is allowed to remain or whether the human race is to continue to survive on this planet.

We believe that the people of the world will waken to this frightful alternative and act in time to save themselves. We believe that before American imperialism, the new master of the world, has time to consolidate its victories, it will be attacked from two sides and defeated. On the one side the peoples of the world, transformed into the colonial slaves of Wall Street, will rebel against the imperialist master, as the conquered provinces rose against imperial Rome. Simultaneously with that uprising, and coordinating our struggle with it, we, the Trotskyist party, will lead the workers and plebeians of America in a revolutionary attack against our main enemy and the main enemy of mankind, the imperialists of the United States.

Five years ago today we first mourned and commemorated our great man of ideas, Comrade Trotsky. Today, as revolutionary action is becoming a life-and-death necessity for hundreds of millions of people, as we prepare to go over from ideas to actionto action guided by ideaswe commemorate Trotsky as the great man of action, the organizer of workers, the leader of revolutions. That is the spirit in which we commemorate Comrade Trotsky tonight.

He enjoined us above everything else to build a party. And again I repeat what he said: Not a party like other parties, but a party fit to lead a revolution, a party that does not dabble, does not go halfway, but carries the struggle through to the end.

If you are serious, if you mean business, if you want to take part in the fight for a better life for yourself and for the salvation of mankind, we invite you to join us in this party and take part in this great struggle.

There is no place for pessimists or fainthearted people in our party, no place for self-seekers, careerists, and bureaucrats. But the door is wide open to resolute workers who are determined to change the world and ready to stake their heads on the issue.

Trotsky has bequeathed to us a great heritage. He gave to us a great system of ideas which constitute our program. And he set before us the example of a man who was a model revolutionist, who lived and died for the cause of humanity, and who, above all, showed how to apply theory in action in the greatest revolution in history.

With this heritage we are armed and armored for struggle and for victory. All that we, the disciples of Trotsky, need for that victory is to understand those ideas clearly, to assimilate them into our flesh and blood, to be true to them, and, above all, to apply them in action.

If we do that, we can build a party that no power on Earth can break. We can build a party fit to lead the masses of Americato answer the imperialist program of war on the peoples of the world, with revolution at home and peace with the peoples of the world.
China's State Council issued a circular on Tuesday to further optimize the development of the integrated circuit industry and the software industry.

The circular entitled "Several Policies to Promote the High-quality Development of an Integrated Circuit Industry and Software Industry in the New Era" formulates policies and measures covering eight aspects, namely, finance and taxation, investment and financing, research and development, import and export, talents, intellectual property rights, market applications, and international cooperation. This will provide strong support for the integrated circuit and software industries.

The circular points out that China will vigorously support qualified integrated circuit companies and software enterprises to get listed and raise funds at home and abroad. China will speed up the domestic listing review process and capitalize on research and development expenditures that meet the relevant conditions of the Accounting Standards for Business Enterprises. China will also encourage and support qualified companies to become listed and raise funds on the science and technology innovation board and the growth enterprise market, and the exit channels for the original shareholders of relevant companies will be streamlined.

The circular actively provides guidance for the development of information technology research and its development and application in businesses that lead to service outsourcing. "By purchasing services, government departments should be encouraged to hire qualified software, and information technology service institutions will need to take care of the service matters in e-government construction, data center construction and data processing works, which are within the scope of government responsibilities but can be accomplished with market measures."

In terms of education, the circular says that more efforts will be made to develop integrated circuit and software learning and cultivate high-end talent in universities. For example, the establishment of a first-level discipline for integrated circuit studies will be accelerated. Qualified universities will be encouraged to cooperate with enterprises to build demonstrative schools of microelectronics.

In addition, global cooperation among these industries was also mentioned. The circular encourages international companies to build research and development centers in China, and it will help Chinese enterprises to go abroad, build research and development centers overseas and make further use of international innovative resources.

Content created in partnership with Science and Technology Daily.




Sushant Singh Rajput Death Anniversary: A Timeline of the of events that have transpired so far

At least 6 members of Sushant Singh Rajputs family killed in road accident in Bihar

Good, says CJI after being told Sushant Singh case has been transferred to CBI

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: Good! This was the reaction by Chief Justice of India, S A Bobde who was told that the Central Bureau of Investigation had taken over the Sushant Singh Rajput case.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The Supreme Court was hearing a petition that was seeking CBI or NIA probe into the Sushant Singh case. When the case came up for hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Bench that the CBI has already taken over the probe into the case.

To this the CJI replied, 'good.' Following this the court dismissed the petition as infructuous as the prayer sought had already been granted, following the CBI taking over the probe.

Were Sushant Singh Rajputs bank accounts mishandled? ED finds out from Rhea

Earlier, the Bihar government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of coming in contact with Sushant Singh Rajput with an intention of grabbing his money.

The affidavit said that Rhea and her family came in contact with Sushant with the sole intention of grabbing his money and later painting a false a picture of his mental illness.

The affidavit was filed by senior superintendent of police. He said that Rhea took Sushant to her house and started giving him overdose of medicines.

The affidavit also said that despite total non-cooperation by the Mumbai Police, it has found several leads in the investigation. The Bihar Police also said that since the probe points are scattered at many places in India, it suggested a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Friday, August 7, 2020, 15:33 [IST]
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that all schools across New York can reopen for in-person classes in the fall, citing the state's success in battling the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it does not mean that every school building across all 750 districts in the Empire State will have students and teachers returning to campus.

Under Cuomo's order, schools can choose to reopen as long as they are in a region where the average rate of positive coronavirus tests is below five percent.

The entire state has been well under that threshold all summer, but Cuomo also recently stressed that, even if he allowed schools to reopen, it wouldn't work if parents and teachers aren't sure they are safe.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that schools can only reopen if the positivity rate is below three percent.

It's a major turnaround for New York, which went from being the US epicenter of the pandemic to having one of the lowest transmission rates in the country.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that schools in New York can start in-person learning in the fall. Pictured: Cuomo conducts a press briefing and makes a presentation at the 3rd Avenue office in Manhattan, July 23

In a series of tweets on Friday, Cuomo said schools must post their plans for testing/contact tracing and reiterated that all students must wear masks

Buildings can reopen as long as they are in a region where the average rate of positive coronavirus tests is below 5%. Pictured: An entrance to Public School 159 is seen locked in the Queens, New York City, July 8

During a conference call with reporters, Cuomo said teachers and students will be required to wear masks when social distancing is not possible.

If a family or a child does not have a mask, the school district must provide one.

All school districts will be required to post their remote learning plans and their testing/tracing plans online.

Dates must also be set for three-to-five discussions with parents prior to August 21 and at least one separate discussion with teachers alone.

The announcement by Cuomo clears the way for schools to offer at least some days of in-person classes, alongside remote learning.

'Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established,' Cuomo said during the conference call with reporters.

'If there's a spike in the infection rate, if there's a matter of concern in the infection rate, then we can revisit.'

Many New York school districts have planned to start the year with students in school buildings only a few days a week, while learning at home the rest of the time.

The largest school district in the US, New York City, had its last day of in-class instruction on March 13, just as waves of sick people were beginning to hit city hospitals.

Mayor de Blasio has been saying since the spring that his goal for fall was to bring students back on schedule, with as much classroom time as possible while still allowing for social distancing.

In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that schools will reopen if the positive coronavirus test rate is below 3%. Pictured: De Blasio examines sand filled barriers at the South Street Seaport, August 3

The city is the largest school district considering in-person learning with other cities, such as Chicago, announcing they the school year will start online classes. Pictured: General view of Public School 111 in Queens, New York City, July 8

That plan has looked exceedingly ambitious as other large school systems have backed away from in-person instruction in recent weeks.

Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston, among other places, have all announced they will start the school year with students learning remotely.

De Blasio, while cautioning that he could change course at any time, had expressed hope that the relatively low rate of transmission of the virus in the city would allow students and staff to return safely.

He had also said a return to classroom instruction is vital to jump-starting the city's economy, now hobbled by parents being forced to stay home with their children.

School reopening plans, though, face enormous hurdles.

The outbreak, while reduced, is not over in New York. Around 10,000 New York City residents tested positive for the virus in July.

The outbreak, while reduced, is not over in New York. Around 10,000 New York City residents tested positive for the virus in July.

On Wednesday, two unions, New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers, demanded clearer health protocols dictating that schools should shut down immediately for two weeks if any student or member of the staff contracts the virus.

Teachers are prohibited from striking in New York, but it has been unclear whether large numbers would either opt out of classroom instruction for medical reasons or simply refuse to work.

Parents, too, have struggled to decide whether to send their children to school or opt solely for online instruction at home.

Schools have spent the summer coming up with safety plans, securing protective gear and figuring out how to fit fewer students into classrooms and school buses.

Cuomo required all school systems to submit plans detailing their reopening plans, saying that the state would not allow any district with an unsafe plan to bring students back to classrooms.

State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker warned this week that 'an ill-prepared reopening could put students, staff and parents in peril.'
Press Release

7 August 2020

Signed a binding agreement to acquire 100% shareholding in ELEL Hotels and Investments Limited (ELEL) for the iconic Sea Rock hotel

hotel Restructured holding of Taj Cape Town , which becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of IHCL, by acquiring 50% of holding in Tata Africa Holdings (TAH)

, which becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of IHCL, by acquiring 50% of holding in Tata Africa Holdings (TAH) Launched Qmin, a repertoire of culinary offerings including home delivery , in addition to its proprietary Qmin App for ease of use

, in addition to its proprietary for ease of use The Company signed two hotels in the quarter - a Vivanta in Lucknow and an IHCL SeleQtions hotel in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra

in the quarter - a Vivanta in Lucknow and an IHCL SeleQtions hotel in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra Introduced I-ZEST - IHCL'S Zero-Touch Service Transformation by leveraging technology for customer and employee experiences

by leveraging technology for customer and employee experiences The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai has been accorded the highest guest satisfaction score amongst its hospitality peers globally for the third consecutive time by TrustYou

has been accorded the amongst its hospitality peers globally for the by Supported the community in its effort to combat the pandemic by delivering 2.4 million meals to the medical fraternity and migrant workers, and hosting 55,000 room nights for the medical community

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MUMBAI - The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), South Asia's largest hospitality company, reported its Consolidated and Standalone financials for the first quarter ending June 30th, 2020.

KEY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30th, 2020

Photo: IHCL

Commenting on the performance, Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, "The global travel and tourism industry was at a virtual standstill in the last three months, which had a big impact on the hospitality sector. While over 50% of IHCL hotels were closed for most part of Q1 due to government lockdowns, we implemented R.E.S.E.T 2020, a strategy to mitigate the impact of COVID-19; and several revenue enhancement and spend optimization measures initiated have started yielding results. We remain confident, given the strength and power of our brand and our market leadership, that we will weather this disruption and emerge stronger."

R.E.S.E.T 2020, a comprehensive five-point strategy, provides a transformative framework to help the Company overcome the COVID-19 related challenges and achieve revenue growth while optimizing expenditure and strengthening balance sheet and at the same time, continuing on its path of excellence.

Revenue Growth - Implemented a host of new revenue generation initiatives such as [email protected], Qmin and rolled out various campaign offers like 4D - Dream, Drive, Discover and Delight, Urban Getaways and Bizcation to stimulate and capture domestic demand

- Implemented a host of new revenue generation initiatives such as and rolled out various campaign offers like and to stimulate and capture domestic demand Excellence - Enhanced SOP's under Tajness - A Commitment Restrengthened and I-ZEST: IHCL's Zero-Touch Service Transformation , which ensures heightened safety for guests and employees through a host of digital and service interventions

- Enhanced SOP's under and , which ensures heightened safety for guests and employees through a host of digital and service interventions Spend Optimization - Leveraged opportunities across all cost heads to rationalize resources and optimize expenditure

- Leveraged opportunities across all cost heads to rationalize resources and optimize expenditure Effective Asset Management - Continuing to undertake renegotiation of contracts and lease rentals, while monetizing assets

- Continuing to undertake renegotiation of contracts and lease rentals, while monetizing assets Thrift and Financial Prudence - Taking necessary steps to ensure adequate cash flows while reducing the corporate overheads of the company

Mr. Giridhar Sanjeevi, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, IHCL, said, "We have taken substantial steps to preserve liquidity. In addition, we are rationalizing all costs and maintaining the highest financial prudence. This will assist us in managing the evolving situation."

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SPRINGFIELD  The Most Rev. Mitchell Rozanski will ordain five transitional deacons into the priesthood Saturday, Aug. 15, at 11 a.m. at St. Michaels Cathedral.

The ordination Mass, postponed from June because of safety and health regulations around the coronavirus pandemic and by invitation only, falls almost six years to the date  Aug. 12, 2014  of when Rozanski was installed as Springfield bishop and comes 10 days before his installation as Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri.

Rozanski, who ordained two transitional deacons to the priesthood in 2018, will be ordaining an international group that includes two Greater Springfield Area natives, two African-born clerics and a native of Vietnam.

The ordination, though closed to the public because of coronavirus disease 2019 restrictions, will be live streamed on the diocesan website.

The men to be ordained and their backgrounds as provided by the diocese are:

Deacon Stanislaus Chukwuebuka Achu, a 32-year-old native of Nigeria, who attended St. Joseph Major Seminary in Ikot Epkene, AI, Nigeria, as well as Providence (R.I.) College, and St. Johns Seminary in Brighton.

During his last year in the seminary, he served at St. Marys Parish in Longmeadow.

A twin, he is the oldest of seven children and credits his parents with helping him consider a vocation.

Deacon Matthew Barone, a 36-year-old native of Chicopee, where he grew up with two younger siblings, Michael and Molly, and his mother, attended the former St. Patrick Elementary School there, which he has credited with an early interest in the church as a vocation, and graduated from what was Holyoke Catholic High School, as well as Elms College in Chicopee, and St. Johns Seminary.

He has been serving his transitional diaconate year at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in West Springfield.

Deacon Michael Goodreau is a 45-year-old native of Wilbraham, where he grew up in a household observing Polish Catholic traditions with an older brother Scott and sister Kimberly. He was baptized and made his First Communion at Immaculate Conception Church in Indian Orchard, and attended Wilbraham public schools, graduating from Minnechaug Regional.

He attended Holyoke Community College, where he earned an associates degree in liberal arts, and than a bachelor of arts degree in history from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He completed his priesthood studies at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston. He has been a transitional deacon at Holy Name Parish.

Deacon Sinh Hong Trinh, 52, was born in in the Province of Binh Dinh in South Vietnam. He spent 17 years in a refugee camp in the Philippines after the boat he was in, along with 21 others, was rescued at sea after leaving Vietnam.

Trinh, who has said he always wanted to be a priest, joined the New Orleans-based Domus Dei Clerical Society of Apostolic Life, serving as a religious brother, after he left the refugee camp in 2006.

He entered St. Johns Seminary in 2014. He finished his seminary studies at Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn., receiving his master of divinity degree in 2019. He has been serving as a transitional deacon at Our Lady of Mount. Carmel Parish in Springfield.

Deacon Valentine Nworah, 33, was born in the southeastern part of Nigeria.

The fourth of six children, he was raised Roman Catholic by his devout family in a country with few Catholics.

He earned a degree in mass communication and television journalism from Federal Polytechnic in Oko, Nigeria, before being admitted in 2009 to study for the apostolic life with the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers in Butare, Rwanda, where he spent his novitiate year.

He earned a bachelors degree in philosophy at St. Joseph Mukasa Philosophical Institute in Yaounde, Cameroon, studied theology for a year at Catholic University of East Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, and then was admitted to Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan for religious studies.

Nworah, who attended St. Johns Seminary after being admitted to study for the Springfield Diocese, has spent his transitional diaconate year at Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Easthampton.


Collective departure criticized as move to keep houses over jobs



By Do Je-hae



Presidential chief of staff Noh Young-min and five other senior presidential aides have offered to resign, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.



The surprise announcement follows negative public sentiment toward the Moon Jae-in administration over mismanagement of a range of primary policies affecting people's livelihoods. In particular, more people are abandoning their support for the Moon administration due to its failure to contain soaring housing prices in Seoul and nearby areas.



"The chief of staff and five senior secretaries expressed their intention to resign to the President this morning," presidential spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a briefing.



Those offering their resignations are Kang Gi-jung, senior secretary for political affairs; Kim Jo-won, senior secretary for civil affairs; Yoon Do-han, senior secretary for public communication; Kim Oe-sook, senior secretary for personnel affairs; and Kim Geo-sung, senior secretary for civic and social affairs.



Most of them have been working for the President since early last year, and there had been rumors that some senior aides would be replaced in the coming weeks. But a mass resignation at Cheong Wa Dae, the first since Moon took office in May 2017, was unexpected.



It was not immediately known whether or when the President will accept their resignations, a senior presidential aide told reporters.





"The reason for the resignations is to take responsibility for the recent situation," the aide said, without elaborating. "We cannot say for sure when the President will make a final decision."



If Moon decides to accept their departures, the presidential office will undergo another reshuffle only weeks after one performed July 24, when Moon replaced several secretaries who owned multiple houses.



Most of the aides who offered to resign have been mired in controversies over their ownership of several homes, which goes against the Moon administration's policy objective of containing speculative buying and stabilizing housing prices.



The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) criticized the resignations, saying the aides chose their houses over their posts.



"Looking at this announcement, there is a glaring absence of people who should be taking the biggest blame for failures in state management," UFP spokeswoman Rep. Kim Eun-hye said, referring to Kim Sang-jo, chief presidential secretary for policy, and Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee. "It will be impossible to overcome this crisis just by replacing a few aides."



The announcement came just a day after the presidential office reiterated that it intends to have all its senior aides complete the sale of homes other than their main residence and submit copies of contracts by the end of this month, in accordance with a recommendation previously made by the chief of staff earlier this year. But Noh has become a center of controversy for initially deciding to sell a less expensive property in his "political home" of North Chungcheong Province, rather than his other home in the affluent Gangnam District in Seoul.



The senior civil affairs secretary Kim Jo-won has further aggravated public mistrust of the Moon administration with his alleged reluctance to sell one of his expensive homes in the Gangnam area.



"We are still determined to achieve zero multiple house owners at the presidential office by the end of this month," another senior presidential aide told reporters, Thursday.



It is uncertain how the President will react to the offer of resignations. But the need for a reshuffle of the presidential office has been highlighted for some time to bring fresh policy momentum as Moon and his party struggle with plummeting public support.



A Realmeter survey published this week showed that the UFP is quickly catching up to the DPK in job approval ratings. Moon's popularity rating, which once soared above 70 percent, has been sitting in the 40 percent range in recent weeks.




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Linkedin Ellen Francis and Michel Rose (Reuters) Beirut, Lebanon/Paris, France  Fri, August 7, 2020 09:52 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3d56a 2 World Emmanuel-Macron,Lebanon,Beirut,blast,explosion Free

French President Emmanuel Macron promised angry Lebanese crowds in shattered Beirut that aid to rebuild the city would not go to "corrupt hands" and he urged the political authorities to carry out reforms or risk plunging Lebanon deeper into crisis.

Macron was speaking during the first visit by a foreign leader to the Lebanese capital since the biggest blast in its history tore through the city, killing at least 145 people, injured 5,000 and leaving swathe of the capital in tatters.

After visiting the port at the epicenter of the blast, Macron was greeted by crowds in nearby Gemmayze street, one of the most damaged in the city, shouting chants against the political establishment and endemic corruption.

"I guarantee you, this aid will not go to corrupt hands," said Macron, who was wearing a black tie in mourning.

He promised to send more medical and other aid to Lebanon, while those around him chanted "Revolution" and "The people want the fall of the regime."

"I will talk to all political forces to ask them for a new pact. I am here today to propose a new political pact to them," he said, shaking hands on roads strewn with rubble and flanked by shops with windows blown out.

Residents, shop owners and volunteers have led clean-up efforts in the popular street of cafes and restaurants, where the blast ripped out balconies and smashed store facades.

Macron was applauded by the crowds in the neighborhood, in a mainly Christian part of the capital, with chants of "Vive la France! Help us! You are our only hope!".

Some also chanted against President Michel Aoun, who is a Maronite Christian under Lebanon's political arrangement of dividing powerful positions between sects.

'Home truths'

Macron then headed to the Baabda presidential palace, where he was due to hold talks with Aoun, Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who is a Sunni Muslim, and Nabih Berri, the speaker of parliament who is a Shi'ite.

After that, he will meet other political groups and civil society at the French ambassador's residence.

France has long sought to support its former colony and has sent emergency aid since the blast. But it has joined other Western nations in pressing for reforms to root out corruption, cut spiraling budget spending and reduce a mountain of debt.

Shortly after landing in Beirut, Macron said France's solidarity with the Lebanese people was unconditional, but said he wanted to deliver some "home truths" to political figures.

"Beyond the blast, we know the crisis here is serious, it involves the historic responsibility of leaders in place," Macron told reporters after being met at the airport by Aoun.

"We can't do without telling each other some home truths," he added.

"If reforms are not carried out, Lebanon will continue to sink," he said, citing reforms to the energy sector, as Lebanon suffers acute power shortages, and public tenders, as well as measures to fight corruption.

Officials blamed the blast on a huge stockpile of a highly explosive material stored for years in unsafe conditions at Beirut port. The government ordered some port workers arrested.

Many Lebanese, who have lost jobs and watched savings evaporate in a financial crisis, say the blast was symptomatic of neglect and corruption in the political system.
A 15-year-old boy has also been charged with attempted criminal damage and riotous behaviour.

Both teenagers are due to appear at Derry Youth Court later today.

Elsewhere, police in Belfast have arrested a man on suspicion of possessing and making explosives.

The 54-year-old was detained following the search of a residential property in the Braniel area of the city on Thursday night.

It follows a number of security alerts in Belfast in recent days which have been linked to the new East Belfast GAA club.

The PSNI are treating the incidents as a "sectarian hate crime" and are urging members to check their cars and report anything suspicious to them.
AP

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Canada knows the root cause behind recent death sentences for Canadians facing drug charges, the latest escalation in conflict between both countries following the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin reportedly said the judicial system in China handles cases independently while discussing the recent death sentences for two Canadian nationals charged in separate cases with transporting and manufacturing drugs in China.

However, he later said at the same press briefing that the Canadian side knows the root cause behind the harsh sentences.

Ms Meng, chief financial officer for the Chinese-based Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, faces extradition by the US over fraud charges surrounding the companys dealing with Iran. The daughter of Huaweis founder, she was arrested in late 2018 at Vancouver airport.

China has condemned Canadas decision to arrest Ms Meng, describing it as a politically motivated attempt to curtail Beijings leadership in the global technology industry. Since then, it has announced four death sentences against Canadian nationals.

Ye Jianhui, a Canadian national arrested on drug offences, was sentenced to death following a trial in southern China, according to a notice posted on the Foshan Intermediate Peoples Court website. One Chinese national arrested with Mr Ye was also sentenced to death, while four were not.

Xu Weihong was also sentenced to death for producing drugs a day earlier.

Canada spoke out against the death sentences, with foreign ministry spokesman John Babcock saying in a statement after Mr Xus sentencing: Canada requests clemency for all Canadian citizens who have been sentenced to death, and calls on China to grant clemency to Mr Xu.

China has carried out several other arrests seen as retaliatory acts against Canadas detainment of the top Huawei executive, including the arrests of Canadian businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Korvig.

Story continues

Still, Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson said Beijing applies the death sentence with strict control and added: Keeping the death sentence will deter serious criminals.

He added: People are equal in front of the law and criminals of all nationalities in China are treated equally.

Read more

Trump signs order mandating 'essential' drugs to be bought from US

China sentences second Canadian citizen to death in two days

China sentences Canadian to death on ketamine drugs charge
MIDDLETOWN  The suspect in the June 8 stabbing death of a Middletown mother on Green Street was arrested and charged with murder, home invasion and risk of injury to a child Thursday after being extradited from Georgia.

Middletown police detectives took William Bigaud Jr., 37, into custody at the federal courthouse in New Haven, according to a release from Lt. Heather Desmond.
He's one of America's favorite funnymen.

But Adam Sandler looked like just another dad when he went out to fetch lunch at Malibu Country Mart on Thursday.

The Uncut Gems talent, 53, mixed a mint polo and sporty shorts for a laid-back look.

Daddy-o: Adam Sandler modeled his best dad duds while fetching food at the Malibu Country Mart on Thursday

He continued his comfortable attire with some short, chocolate-colored Ugg boots.

Adam's face was almost entirely obscured by his sunglasses and a cloth face mask.

But before the father-of-two covered up, the former SNL star could be seen wearing a thick quarantine beard.

Mint condition: The Uncut Gems talent, 53, mixed a mint polo and sporty shorts for a laid-back look

Whiskers: The SNL star had a thick quarantine beard under his mask

While Sandler was solo on Thursday, last week he took time to pay tribute to his partner in crime, wife Jackie.

He marked 22-years since meeting her on the set of Big Daddy with a charming throwback photo.

'22 years ago today we locked eyes and fell deep. Look forward to the next 22, young lady. Love you my forever girl,' the Sandler gushed over his longtime spouse.

The pair, who share daughters Sunny, 11, and 14-year-old Sadie, tied the knot at Dick Clark's oceanfront Malibu estate during a star-studded Jewish ceremony on June 22, 2003.

Anniversary: Adam marked 22 years since meeting Jackie recently

Longtime love: Adam Sandler had his wife Jackie, who have been married for 17 years, met on the set of Big Daddy in 1999

Since their fated meeting, she's appeared in many of Sandler's films, including 50 First Dates, Just Go With It, Little Nicky and Grown Ups.

Despite frequently having to watch him kiss other women on set, the producer insists his wife doesn't get jealous of his on-screen romances.

'The only awkward part is hearing my wife on the side going, 'Harder! Harder! Kiss her harder! Deeper,' he told the Associated Press in 2019, while promoting his hit Netflix film, Murder Mystery, which he starred along Jennifer Aniston.

'22 years ago today we locked eyes and fell deep. Look forward to the next 22, young lady. Love you my forever girl,' the 53-year-old comedian gushed over his longtime spouse (seen in January)

Speaking of Jackie and their kids, he joked, 'They watched the kissing. They love it. They love Aniston, and they want her to have good things and they say, 'Give her something nice.'

Back in May, the doting dad spoke about the challenges of working from home with his youngsters, who were swamped with schoolwork.

'I'm in the middle of their school every day, so I gotta quietly talk to people and I'm typing things while they're doing their work and stuff and not understanding any of it,' he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live. 'But I peek my head in and say hi to the teachers.'
BSE Sensex drops by over 200 pts to 60,546.48 in opening trade; NSE Nifty declines by 84.95 pts to 18,028.10.
English German

T-knifes proprietary humanized mouse platform (HuTCR) T-cell receptors expected to provide superior affinity/specificity properties

Series A round led by Versant Ventures and RA Capital Management, with strong participation from seed investors Andera Partners and BIVF

BERLIN, Germany, August 06, 2020/GlobeNewswire/-- T-knife GmbH, a next-generation adoptive T-cell company using its proprietary humanized T-cell receptor (HuTCR) mouse platform to treat solid tumors, announced today the closing of a 66 million Series A round of financing. The round was led by Versant Ventures and RA Capital Management, with significant participation from existing investors Andera Partners and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF).

The Company was spun out of Max-Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine with support of Charite University Hospital in Berlin in 2018, where its proprietary HuTCR transgenic mouse platform carrying the entire human TCR gene loci was established by the pioneering work of Prof. Thomas Blankenstein, T-knifes co-founder. Due to its natural in vivo selection of high-affinity TCRs, T-knifes TCR-T-cell platform has the potential to be a marked improvement over existing TCR technologies in treating solid tumors.

Having worked in stealth mode to create a powerful humanized mouse platform bearing the human TCR loci, it is especially gratifying to now receive the validation from esteemed healthcare dedicated funds like Versant Ventures and RA Capital, commented Elisa Kieback, Chief Executive Officer and scientific co-founder of T-knife. We are equally grateful for the continued support of our founding shareholders, Andera Partners and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, two top-tier healthcare investors who have been our true partners since inception. Going forward, our goal is to become a transatlantic company by establishing a U.S. presence and expanding our management team accordingly.

T-knifes proprietary HuTCR mouse expresses only human TCRs that are restricted to human HLA. Due to their natural generation in mice without negative thymic selection, these TCRs are of high specificity and high affinity. The Company has generated a pipeline of patented, unique TCR candidates for clinical development. Proceeds from the Series A round will be allocated to advancing at least four programs into the clinic, ramping-up preclinical work for additional selected proprietary pipeline candidates and discovering TCRs against novel targets.

Moving forward, T-knifes Board of Directors will be comprised of Josh Resnick (RA Capital), Alex Mayweg (Versant Ventures), Olivier Litzka (Andera Partners), Frank Kalkbrenner (BIVF), Thomas Blankenstein and Elisa Kieback. The Company was advised by Blueprint Life Science Group on the fundraising and by CMS on all legal aspects of the transaction. The new investors were advised by Goodwin Procter. The transaction will close upon governmental and anti-trust clearance.

Alex Mayweg of Versant Ventures commented, While CAR-T-based therapies have already demonstrated their power in the treatment of hematological cancers, their foray into solid tumors has proven to be less successful. T-knife has developed an exciting technology as its TCR-T cell therapy targets tumor antigens in an MHC-restricted manner, allowing it to be one of the few platforms that is able to target solid tumors. We are consequently thrilled to co-lead this round with RA Capital, a preeminent healthcare dedicated fund, as their investment mandate mirrors our own mission to identify and support game-changing therapies with curative intent.

We are delighted that T-knife is now an RA Capital portfolio company and are especially pleased to partner with Versant Ventures on leading this financing round, commented Josh Resnick of RA Capital Management. With the Companys financial and strategic support now in place, we look forward to working alongside management and fellow investors bring T-knifes potentially transformative T-cell therapies to solid tumor patients.

Olivier Litzka of Andera Partners added, Together with our seed round co-investor BIVF and their representative Detlev Mennerich, who also served as the Companys Chairman over the past two years, we are extremely proud of T-knifes progress, culminating in this transformational, top quality Series A round. We commend Elisa, Thomas and the team for their accomplishments, and welcome our new partners who share the vision of making T-knife the premier leader in the cell therapy field.



###

About T-knife GmbH

T-knife is a next-generation adoptive T-cell company utilizing its proprietary humanized T-cell receptor (HuTCR) mouse platform technology to treat solid tumors. It was founded as a spin-off from Max-Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine with support of Charite University Hospital in Berlin in 2018. Ascenion GmbH, technology transfer partner of MDC and Charite, accompanied the scientists from the beginning, continuously expanded the patent base, supported the acquisition of pre-seed funding and the negotiation of collaboration and license agreements in coordination with MDC and Charite.

T-knifes mission is to use its unique technology to bring highly effective and safe T-cell receptor-based therapeutics to market. Based on the unparalleled T-cell immunology expertise of its founders and the unique and proprietary HuTCR platform, the Company develops fully human TCRs which are expected to set new technology standards and to provide superior safety and efficacy. The Company has demonstrated pre-clinical proof-of-concept and its lead TCR has entered clinical development. In addition, T-knife has validated the platform for over 90 undisclosed cancer targets, with several follow-on drug candidates being already in preclinical development. The Company expects to bring three additional TCRs into the clinic by 2022. T-knife is executing a two-pronged corporate growth strategy: developing an internal pipeline of best-in-class therapeutics and in parallel, establishing external partnerships by out-licensing already patented TCRs and/or providing the Company's HuTCR mouse for unbiased discovery of new epitopes. T-knife is backed by top tier investors Versant Ventures, RA Capital, Andera Partners, and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund.

Contact T-knife

T-knife GmbH

Elisa Kieback, CEO

Robert-Roessle-Str. 10

13125 Berlin, Germany

Tel.: +49 30 94892433

info@t-knife.com



Media Inquiries

akampion

Dr. Ludger Wess / Ines-Regina Buth

Managing Partners

info@akampion.com

Tel. +49 40 88 16 59 64

Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68

Blueprint Life Science Group

Jason Wong

Jwong@bplifescience.com

Tel.: +1.415.375.3340 Ext. 4
Illustrative image (Photo: AFP)

Hanoi - As the ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam is completing preparations for the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM-53) and related meetings in September, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

In answer to questions from the media at a regular press conference on August 6 about the schedule for AMM-53 and related meetings, Hang said specific information will be provided in the near future.Regarding the operation of ASEANs COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund and the blocs support for the Philippines after its President said the Government has no money to provide financial support to those affected by lockdown measures introduced to fight COVID-19, Hang said the fund operates in accordance with ASEAN's procedures and regulations, and member countries can seek to use it to serve their COVID-19 response in line with the criteria for use.
Sharon Stone has taken part in an emotional conversation with Syrian refugee and doctor, Dr. Heval Kelli.

Speaking as part of the Liberatum initative Lifesaving Conversations, the award-winning actress talked to Dr Kelli about the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic on refugees and society's most vulnerable.

The conversation series, which also features Michael Douglas and Zoe Saldana, aims to shine a light on extraordinary human beings from the front lines helping communities.

In conversation: Sharon Stone has taken part in an emotional conversation with Syrian refugee and doctor, Dr. Heval Kelli about the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic on refugees and society's most vulnerable

Sharon's conversation for the series was with Dr. Kelli, a Syrian refugee turned doctor and activist saving lives in Atlanta.

Sharon broke down in tears as Dr. Kelli described his early life as a refugee, when he was forced to flee Syria as a child, live in refugee camps in Germany before coming to the US within weeks of 9/11.

Explaining how there are 70 million displaced refugees in the world, Dr. Kelli told Sharon: 'There is a sentiment of "we don't want refugees in America" but I was that refugee. I came here in 2001, I was welcomed by Christian church members, even after 9/11 I was still welcomed'.

'So what happened? You say you don't want Syrian refugees but I am that rufugee. How do you think that makes me feel? Because I am a doctor, you want me here? What about when I was 18 and washing dishes? I just don't understand how we can forget that people start from somewhere.'

Emotional: Sharon and Dr. Kelli were speaking as part of the Liberatum initative Lifesaving Conversations, which aims to shine a light on extraordinary human beings on the frontline

'During this time, one third of the doctors in America are immigrants or refugees,' he continued, describing his and his doctor wife's work with community leaders on educating them on what 'the simple terms of COVID is.'

The doctor told Sharon he has never before experienced the scale of a pandemic like COVID, explaining: 'The pressure of being a physician is to protect your patient and protect yourself, but we don't really worry about ourself because we want to do the best job.'

'We have an additional pressure now. I come home, I have two elderly parents, god forbid one of them gets it from me because I'm a carrier or I don't have any symptoms. Whose going to take care of them? And I have a baby.'

Extraordinary life: Sharon's conversation for the series was with Dr Heval Kelli, a Syrian refugee and doctor saving lives in Atlanta

Saving lives: Sharon broke down in tears as Dr. Kelli described his early life as a refugee, when he was forced to flee Syria as a child, live in refugee camps in Germany before coming to the US within weeks of 9/11.

'People ask me how serious is COVID? And I say to them, never in my lifetime have I had to go into my garage, strip down down to my underwear and take a shower before I can see anyone of my family, I've never had to do that.'

'It's a very humbling experience, We live in one of the most advanced countries in the world, think about people who don't have access to hospitals.'

Sharon went on to describe her experience of seeing the devastating HIV/AIDScrisis in the 1980s during her trips to Africa, comparing the overrun hospitals and lack of treatment available to 'being on the frontline for COVID, with no ability to help anybody.'

Tears: Sharon broke down in tears as Dr. Kelli explained how there are 70 million displaced refugees in the world

She told Dr Kelli that she had 'an existential crisis' after being nominated for a Golden Globe for Basic Instinct in 1993 and questioned what fame was when her nomination was laughed at.

'I started to recognise how fame was a tool... I started to question if I was so powerful as an actress and it was still a joke what was the point of being "the biggest actress" if it didn't have any real meaning or respect?' she said.

'I started to think about, perhaps I should start to apply my fame to something with real meaning or value,' leading to her work as an activist, particularly within HIV/AIDS awareness.

Liberatum is the global multidisciplinary cultural diplomacy organisation. The Lifesaving Conversations series, as well as shining a light on individuals and communities with extraordinary stories, also aims to provide emergency food and cash relief to vulnerable communities in need the world.

It is in partnership with preeminent philanthropic organisations such as UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency, Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, FoodFoward South Africa, The Trussell Trust UK, Amigos do Bem in Brazil and GiveIndia.
The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Germany

By Caroline Copley and Ilona Wissenbach

BERLIN (Reuters) - Lufthansa <LHAG.DE> put German workers on notice of compulsory lay-offs on Thursday, saying tumbling air travel and slow progress in union negotiations meant cuts were unavoidable after it lost 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion) in a single quarter.

The German airline, which secured a 9 billion euro state bailout in June, flew just 4% of prior-year passengers between April and June as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and expects capacity to increase to only around 50% by the end of the year and two-thirds of last year's level in 2021.

Its outlook is more pessimistic than rivals such as Air France-KLM <AIRF.PA>, which expects to fly 80% of its pre-crisis flights next year, and British Airways and Iberia owner IAG <ICAG.L>, which forecasts capacity to be 24% lower in 2021.

Tentative signs of a European recovery have been undermined by new localised outbreaks and restrictions, while long-haul flights such as to the United States - which are important for Lufthansa - remain largely grounded due to rising infections.

Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr said on Thursday he does not expect demand for air travel to return to pre-crisis levels until 2024, echoing a forecast last month by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The airline, which has already announced plans to cut 20% of its leadership positions and 1,000 administrative jobs, said it had run out of patience in talks with unions.

It aims to reduce 22,000 full-time jobs and said it had 8,300 fewer employees by the end of June, due mainly to people leaving jobs at its catering business and non-German businesses, which include Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.

BRIGHT SPOT

The sharp drop in passenger numbers pushed Lufthansa to a quarterly adjusted operating loss of 1.7 billion euros, the worst performance in its 65-year history.

That was 300 million euros lower than the average analyst forecast in a company-compiled consensus, boosted by a strong performance in its cargo business which gained from a shrinkage in global air freight capacity.

Story continues

Lufthansa plans to cut capital expenditure to 1.3 billion euros this year and next, below the levels of Air France-KLM and IAG.

And it expects to burn through around 400-500 million euros in cash per month for the rest of the year and hopes to get back to positive free cash flow in the course of 2021.

Bernstein analysts described the results as "the first step on a long journey back." Shares were down 1.7% at 1010 GMT.

(Reporting by Caroline Copley and Ilona Wissenbach; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Alexander Smith)
They're one of the most famous girl groups in the history of Australian music.

And while Bardot were known for their wholesome image and bubblegum pop hits, they unwittingly flirted with controversy back in 2000.

In an iconic photo shoot from the time, band member Belinda Chapple wore a bandana inspired by the Confederate battle flag.

Hasn't aged well: Belinda Chapple from Australian girl group Bardot was styled in a Confederate flag bandana in this photo shoot from 2000. Pictured (left to right): Katie Underwood, Sally Polihronas, Sophie Monk, Tiffani Wood and Belinda

The Confederate battle flag is considered problematic these days and is often associated with the Civil War, slavery and white supremacy in the United States.

However, supporters of the flag often argue that it's used to show pride in Southern heritage and isn't hateful.

For many Australians at the time, the battle flag was just a symbol for country music and the American South, and didn't have any racist connotations.

Divisive: The Confederate battle flag is considered problematic these days and is often associated with the Civil War, slavery and white supremacy in the United States

Different time: For many Australians at the time, the Confederate flag was just a symbol for country music and the American South, and didn't have any racist connotations

Bardot's debut single, Poison, went straight to the top of the charts in the year 2000, making them the hottest girl group in Australia.

But just two years later, the band members found themselves pushed aside so that breakout star Sophie Monk could pursue a solo career.

Belinda, now 45, revealed on the Back From Reality podcast earlier this week that finding out her career was over was a brutal experience.

'It happened overnight... we were so blindsided,' she said of the decision to dissolve Bardot so that Sophie, 40, could go solo.

'We were so blindsided': Belinda (pictured) recently revealed the brutal way the band found out they were 'finished' so that breakout star Sophie Monk could launch a solo career

'We were ready for years ahead, with so many bookings to look forward to and our album was doing really well,' she added.

Belinda apparently discovered her managers had other plans when she accidentally stumbled across a stack of CDs for Sophie's first solo album.

'I wasn't meant to see it,' she said.

Belinda confronted the management team to find out what was going on.

'I wasn't meant to see it': Belinda apparently discovered her managers had plans for Sophie's (pictured) solo career when she accidentally stumbled across a stack of CDs for her first album

'They couldn't look me in the eye. I said, "You're going to tell me now what all this stuff is? What are you guys doing? Is she doing a side project?"'

She was sent home and the band was called in for a meeting the next day.

'He just sat us down and said, "It's over Bardot's over. That's it,"' she said.

While Belinda and the other band members, Sally Polihronas, Katie Underwood and Tiffani Wood, have mostly stayed out of the spotlight following the group's split in 2002, Sophie's career has gone from strength to strength.

She has appeared in Hollywood movies, including Date Night and Click, hosted two seasons of Love Island Australia and was the Bachelorette in 2017.

Star: While Belinda and the other band members, Sally Polihronas, Katie Underwood and Tiffani Wood, have mostly stayed out of the spotlight following the group's split in 2002, Sophie's (pictured) career has gone from strength to strength

Bardot's former manager David Caplice claimed in April that the band split following an 'explosive' backstage bust-up before their Mardi Gras performance in 2002.

'I remember the girls became very adversarial to each other towards the end, when envy and infighting was out of control,' he told News.com.au.

'It wasn't that particular performance that heralded the end for me  it was the blow-up backstage at the Mardi Gras prior to their 2am headline performance that really shocked everybody.

'That explosive encounter was the death blow for the band... Bardot could have been the biggest girl band in the world.'

The band members later denied that any altercation took place at the 2002 Mardi Gras, saying David's claim was simply 'not true'.
BLOOMINGTON  Ten more people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in McLean County, but seven more have recovered, keeping the county's positivity rate at 2.1%.

McLean County Health Department Administrator Jessica McKnight reported on Friday that the 10 new cases bring to 608 the number of county residents who have been diagnosed with the novel virus since March 19.

Meanwhile, Tazewell and Iroquois counties were among 13 counties statewide issued warnings on Friday by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) because their COVID risk indicators have been increasing. Those indicators include numbers of new cases per 100,000 people, number of deaths, weekly positivity rates, hospital admissions and clusters of COVID cases.

Tazewell County Health Department issued an advisory saying the indicators that apply to that county are new cases per 100,000 people and the number of emergency department visits for COVID-like illness.

Tazewell County reported 28 new cases on Friday, bringing to 476 the number of confirmed cases in that county since March. Of the 476 people, 186 are in home isolation, 12 hospitalized and 270 recovered. In addition, eight people have died but no new deaths were announced Friday.

The health department advisory said that cases are increasing in Tazewell County because people have been disregarding face coverings and social distancing, because of increased social gatherings without face coverings and social distancing and because some individuals with mild symptoms haven't used proper precautions.

Tazewell County Health Department advised people to wear face coverings that cover their nose and mouth when in public, avoid large gatherings when social distancing can't be maintained and stay home when they're sick.

In McLean County, of the 608 cases, 490 people have recovered (seven more than Thursday), 102 are isolating at home (three more than Thursday) and one is hospitalized, unchanged from Thursday.

Fifteen people have died of COVID in McLean County but no new deaths have been confirmed in a month.

The county's positivity rate  the percentage of the more than 28,700 tests of county residents that have come back positive for the virus  remained 2.1%, McKnight said. The county's seven-day positivity rate through Thursday remained 2%, she said.

In LaSalle County, 25 new COVID cases were announced on Friday by that county's health department, bringing to 697 the number of confirmed cases in LaSalle County since March. The new cases ranged from a teenager to a woman in her 90s.

Of the 697 cases in LaSalle County, 277 people have recovered.

In Logan County, COVID numbers increased by five to 110 cases. Seventy-five of the 110 people have recovered.

In Livingston County, five new cases were announced Friday, bringing that county's total to 110. Eighty-five of the 110 have recovered.

Livingston County Health Department Health Education & Marketing Director Erin Fogarty said that the health department building, 310 E. Torrance Ave., Pontiac, would reopen Monday. The building was closed to the public on Thursday and Friday for deep cleaning after an undisclosed number of employees tested positive for COVID.

"Responding to the pandemic is a community effort," McKnight said. "Washing our hands, watching our distance and wearing our face coverings are simple measures we can all take to keep our community safe and help McLean County move in the right direction."

Meanwhile, 564 more people were tested on Thursday at the COVID-19 test site at the McLean County Fairgrounds, 1106 Interstate Drive in Bloomington, McLean County Emergency Management Agency reported Friday. That test site is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

IDPH reported Friday 2,084 new COVID cases statewide and 21 additional deaths. That included the deaths of a two LaSalle County men in their 90s and a LaSalle County woman in her 90s, a Ford County man in his 80s, an Iroquois County man in his 60s and an Iroquois County man in his 70s.

The LaSalle and Ford County deaths were reported by The Pantagraph this week.

The statewide positivity rate for cases as a percent of total tests for the seven days ending Thursday was 4.1%, IDPH said. As of Thursday night, 1,486 people in Illinois were hospitalized with COVID with 333 of them in intensive care units.

6 things we learned about new COVID business rules Pritzker announced Friday

Contact Paul Swiech at 309-820-3275. Follow him on Twitter: @pg_swiech.

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Visitors in Casa Batllo (Photo courtesy of Casa Batllo)

As museums begin to open worldwide after long coronavirus lockdowns, an increasing number are adopting the specialized technology of augmented reality (AR) to attract more visitors.

From Spain to Ireland, France to the US, AR is playing an increasingly important role in enhancing the visitor experience, slowly replacing the traditional museum modus operandi of stationery artifacts with labeled descriptions to read.

AR allows computer-generated virtual imagery to overlay physical objects in real-time, creating the illusion that these virtual objects actually exist right in front of your eyes, thus bringing exhibits to life in new ways.

Technology is playing a much bigger role in tourism, meaning less of the galleries and museums and more of the high-tech immersive types of attractions, said Mary Stack, head of product development at Failte Ireland, that countrys national tourism agency. As part of an overall effort to create a more balanced spread of tourism nationally, it has offered 150 million euros to support such initiatives.

View of Casa Batllo (Photo courtesy of Casa Batllo)

Added Luis Villarejo, CEO of Immersium Studio in Barcelona, Museum artifacts, whether they be paintings, tapestries, furniture, manuscripts, books, equipment or other items, often are not easy to find and are expensive to purchase, with ongoing additional costs required for their maintenance and preservation. With AR, expenses are much less as no such artifacts need to be purchased, thus no maintenance or preservation costs necessary.

According to a report by P&S Market Research, growth of the AR market is mainly attributed to the growing demand of the technologies from the tourism industry.

A study conducted at leading art museums in the United States showed that almost all participants agreed that mobile technology-enhanced their experiences; 9 out of 10 said it made it easier to access information; and 91% thought it was an exciting way to learn.

Not only does dynamic augmented reality exhibits encourage repeat visits, they also provide a more viable and cheaper option than the traditional approach, said Gaetano Serrano, managing director of Barcelona-based Smartech Group, which develops AR-enhanced tourist maps in cities such as Barcelona, Paris, London and Rome.

Reflecting on the vast potential of AR use in museums, according to some reports, by 2021 there will be an estimated 1.96 billion mobile AR users worldwide.

Heres where you can enjoy AR in action:

FRANCE

La Conciergerie, Paris

At La Conciergerie, the oldest remaining part of the medieval Palais de la Cite, visitors rent a Histopad to explore the site digitally, including the Guards Room and the Hall of the Soldiers. Enhanced images include open fires and virtual tables displaying a feast of food for hungry soldiers. An embedded game challenges visitors to find a hidden treasure as they rove around the site. This is a project of the Center for National Monuments in collaboration with Histovery, a French company focusing on enhancing cultural and tourism outreach through cutting-edge technology.

Inside Casa Batllo (Photo courtesy of Casa Batllo)

SPAIN

Casa Batllo

One of Barcelonas most successful tourism attractions, designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudi, is visited by several million people each year. Officials here now offer AR smart gadgets for tours of the property creating enhanced enjoyment of Gaudis creative genius.

This museum was a pioneer when it introduced AR guides almost seven years ago, said Albert Burrull, head of the new technologies department. Using a small device, visitors can see how the house looked like when it was occupied by its owners, with furniture and other details. The museum has reopened after months of renovations, including an updated version of the AR experience.

Children visiting the CosmoCaixa (photo courtesy of Immersium Studio)

CosmoCaixa Barcelona

This science museum has developed a stand-alone AR exhibition focusing on the Triceratops (a species of dinosaur), in collaboration with Villarejo and his team at Immersium Studio, Luis, who is also an Augmented Reality Researcher at the eLearn Center at the Open University of Catalonia, said the exhibit has been very popular, adding a new dimension to the museums many exhibits.

Inside Natural History Museum, Utay (photo by Columbia Hillen)

USA

Natural History Museum, Utah

An AR interactive exhibition here in Salt Lake City illustrates how archaeologists discover different fossils. Using a special pad, visitors view the different stages of an archaeological dig and gain a clearer idea of the sheer amount of detailed work entailed in unearthing sensitive historical artifacts.

Visitors enjoy the 'Air, Land & Sea' exhibition (photo courtesy of INDE Appshaker)

National Geographic Museum, Washington DC

This museum has embraced the full potential of AR. It previously hosted a special exhibition, entitled Queens of Egypt, depicting the tomb of Queen Nefertari recreated in a half-moon shaped room. Wearing special glasses, visitors explored the inside of the imaginary tomb and its contents, including statues, jewelry and sarcophagi, with audio and music presentation.

Also, through a partnership with INDE Appshaker, its Air, Land & Sea AR experience offers visitors a unique chance to travel to some exotic locations, ranging from Africa to the Arctic. Centered around a dynamic, ever-changing watering hole, visitors can see a diverse range of animals as they graze, drink, and interact with the environment around them. As this is a new traveling exhibition, no longer shown in the museum, it is best to check if it hosted at a location near you.

Inside the Harvard Semitic Museum (photo by Columbia Hillen)

Harvard Semitic Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Given a pad upon entry, visitors point it at reconstructed stone stellas here, revealing hieroglyphs carved on them, then it translates them into English. Animation effects also allow visitors to experience how it feels to stand in front of a sphinx in Egypt.

National Portrait Gallery (photo by Columbia Hillen)

Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC

When guests point their smartphones at certain exhibits here, a special Smartify app presents additional information about the artwork and the artists. Smartify models itself on Shazam, a mobile app that identifies songs based on snippets of audio. To use the art world version of Shazam, users simply scan an artwork, bringing up a blurb detailing the pieces name, artist and history. This app hosts visual and audio tours of other institutions as the British Library, the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Hermitage.

Skin and Bones exhibition (photo by Columbia Hillen)

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

A special AR-enhanced exhibition, entitled Skin and Bones, puts meat on the bones of some of the skeletons in the Bone Hall, the Smithsonians oldest museum hall opened in 1981. Using their smartphones, visitors see how exotic creatures in action. Among the 13 AR enhancements are a flying vampire bat, a sea cow growing flesh and an anhinga catching fish. Through the app, the museum increased dwell time on the exhibit to 14 minutes from 1.34 minutes. The app was funded by a grant from Booz Allen Hamilton and the animations developed by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
About 86 percent of Eversource customers in New Canaan were without power Thursday evening from Tropical Storm Isaias, according to the towns First Selectman Kevin Moynihan.

But the region report and outage map on Eversources website put the number of outages for town customers from the tropical storm at 73.94 percent on Thursday night. The number later increased to 89.10 percent, 89.11 percent and 89.13 percent where it currently stands.

Crews from Eversource and the town Department of Public Works were continuing the overnight work they started Wednesday night, Aug. 5, 2020, to open blocked roads and make locations safe that have downed power lines and damaged transformers.

Power restoration in New Canaan is expected to take many days because of the extensive damage to Eversources grid across Connecticut, but Eversource cannot give more definite estimates at this time, Moynihan said in his update to the towns residents from its Emergency Operations Center on damage from Tropical Storm Isaias.

Power restoration in town is expected to take many days because of extensive damage to Eversources grid across Connecticut. The energy provider could not give more definite estimates.

Moynihan said in the call that he has contacted Gov. Ned Lamont directly and through the towns representatives in the General Assembly to ask that Eversource be ordered to cooperate more effectively with the towns emergency operations center and public works teams in the restoration efforts.

This afternoon the governor activated the CT National Guard to assist Eversource with their restoration efforts because the task is so large, rivalling, the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, Moynihan said.

Optimum phone and internet service remains out in the town because of the loss of power.

The Verizon service from the cell tower and antennas on Locust Avenue has been restored.

The power outage from the failed transformer on Main Street on Wednesday afternoon has not been restored to all shops and restaurants on Elm and Main streets even though Eversource replaced the transformer.

Walter Stewarts Market is operating on an emergency generator.

For free open Internet access and phone charging, residents can go to the library at 151 Cherry St. and the Town Hall at 77 Main St.

Seniors may go to the Lapham Community Center for cooling, charging and internet access.

Moynihan also reminded the residents to continue wearing their masks and maintaining social distancing at these locations.

Showers are available at the Waveny Pool from 8 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Residents are asked to bring their own towels and wear their masks when entering the pool and showers to help limit the spread of the coronavirus amid its pandemic The pool is located at 663 South Ave. in Waveny Park at 677 South Ave.

Moynihan also warned residents about the dangers of fallen wires.

Remember that downed power wires are very dangerous, and should not be walked, or driven over, and please do not cross barriers, he said.

The town will continue updating residents with outcalls from the emergency operations center, and emails on a daily basis, he said.

The town has also reactivated its emergency operations center, and Office of Emergency Management Facebook page to give more frequent updates, and to offer interactive feedback, Moynihan said.

If residents have an emergency, they should call 9-1-1. Residents needing further information about anything related to Isaias or other assistance should call the emergency operations center at 203-594-4100.
U.S. authorities have yet to clarify whether they will consider individuals using WeChat a transaction with the company  the term the executive order uses  or if the sanctions are limited to business deals. Its also unclear how much of parent company Tencents sprawling international business  its the worlds largest gaming company by revenue  will be considered related to the WeChat app and subject to sanctions.
Mumbai/New Delhi:

INS Betwa, a guided missle frigate, on Monday tipped over during undocking at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

"There has been an incident in the cruiser grounding dock at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai involving INS Betwa.

"The incident occurred during undocking evolution wherein it is suspected that dock blocks mechanism failed. Further information is awaited," Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said.

Explaining the situation, he said the 3850-tonne ship, having a length of 126 metres, tipped over while it was being undocked. The mast of the ship hit the dockyard ground, he said.

Till now, 2 sailors have been declared dead and 14 Personnel have been rescued from the dock with minor injuries.

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I never heard the words, I love you,  she told Michael Zitz, author of the 2010 biography Giving It All Away: The Doris Buffett Story. I never had a story read to me. Rarely was I tucked into bed. Nobody ever said, Call us when you get there so we know youre safe. There were so many times I just wished some fairy godmother would come and understand me or like me  whisk me out of there or something.
Facebook is banning the pro-Trump Republican PAC The Committee to Defend the President from advertising, after the PAC repeatedly posted content identified as false by third-party fact-checkers.

As a result of the Committee to Defend the Presidents repeated sharing of content determined by third-party fact-checkers to be false, they will not be permitted to advertise for a period of time on our platform, said Facebook spokesman Andy Stone Thursday.

From Reuters:

The company declined to specify the length of the advertising ban or which posts prompted it. Politicians ads and posts are not subject to Facebook fact-checking, a policy that has drawn heat from lawmakers, but content from political groups like PACs can be fact-checked. The committees Facebook page, which has almost 1 million likes, has had four false or partly false fact-checking labels attached to content since the start of July.

More at Reuters:Facebook bars pro-Trump PAC from advertising, citing repeated false posts
A young father who shook his five-week-old son because he wouldn't stop crying broke down in tears as he was told he would spend six years in jail for the crime.

The Supreme Court in Adelaide on Friday heard Brandon Lee Harris has had a 'hard time' behind bars, particularly since other inmates learned of the nature of his crime.

Harris twice shook his newborn son Kobi at a home in Kadina in May 2018, leaving him with injuries so severe he was brain damaged, blind and eventually died.

The young dad initially pleaded guilty to recklessly causing serious harm and was sentenced to four years behind bars, but that charge was later upgraded to manslaughter after Kobi's death, The Advertiser reported.

Initially, Harris told nurses his son hit the back of his head on an arm chair while flinging himself around during a tantrum.

The Supreme Court in Adelaide on Friday heard Brandon Lee Harris has had a 'hard time' behind bars, particularly since other inmates learned of the nature of his crime

He later confessed to shaking Kobi twice. First when he wouldn't accept his bottle and again when he wouldn't stop crying.

Harris told the court that after the second incident, Kobi took his bottle with no complaints and fell asleep.

But the next morning, Kobi's mother noticed something was awry.

She said the five-week-old was unusually quiet and was 'breathing funny', so she took him to the doctor.

He was then ordered to go to hospital, after the GP noticed dilated pupils, irregular breathing and a bruise to his wrist.

The hospital identified several more significant injuries, including brain damage so severe it resulted in seizures and paralysis.

Kobi was also blind.

Harris told the court that after the second incident, Kobi took his bottle with no complaints and fell asleep

Harris was arrested a short time after Kobi's admission to hospital and in July 2019 was sentenced to four years in jail with a non-parole period of 18 months.

Kobi was placed in the care of a foster family, who looked after him for more than a year until he died in the arms of his foster mother.

Weeks later, Harris was charged with manslaughter.

On Friday, Justice Mark Livesey said he believed Harris would punish himself for his actions long after he completed his sentence.

He said while he was optimistic about Harris' chances for rehabilitation, there were several unexplained injuries on Kobi's body at the time of the shaking which were cause for concern.

Justice Livesey sentenced Harris to six years behind bars, and backdated the sentence to begin at the same time as his initial sentence.

Harris wiped away tears as the sentence was handed down.

He will be eligible for parole in late 2023.
The clashes broke out when the bike-borne Bajrang Dal members were on their way to a temple at Bhora Singori, playing loud music and raising slogans

Editor's note: This article has been changed after a clarification was issued by the Indian Army.

The Indian Army on Friday denied that it had carried out a flag march in the troubled areas of Sonitpur district, which witnessed clashes two communities after a bike rally was organised by Bajrang Dal activists to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"The Indian Army did not carry out any flag march at Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district of Assam. This would give a wrong impression among the common people," said Guwahati-based Defence PRO Lt Col P Khongsai.

Earlier on Thursday, news agency PTI citing officials erroneously reported about a flag march being conducted in the troubled areas of Sonitpur district.

An indefinite curfew has been clamped in areas under the jurisdictions of Thelamara and Dhekiajuli police stations in the district, they said. Sonitpur Additional Superintendent of Police, Numal Mahata, told PTI that Army personnel conducted a flag march on the district administration's request.

"We have already detained two persons for questioning. There was no report of any untoward incident since last night. The situation is fully under control," he said.

Mahata also said around 10 people from both sides suffered injuries. The Bajrang Dal, however, claimed at least 12 of its activists were injured.

Meanwhile, sources said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Gyanendra Pratap Singh, has been asked to visit the disturbed areas to assess the situation and he is already on his way.

Sonitpur Superintendent of Police, Mugdhajyoti Dev Mahanta, has also been camping at the spot since Wednesday evening. The clashes broke out when the bike-borne activists were on their to a temple at Bhora Singori, playing loud music and mouthing slogans.

A senior official said locals objected to the booming music and questioned the presence of such a large gathering amid the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to strife.

Sonitpur District Deputy Commissioner Manvendra Pratap Singh's vehicle was vandalised when he reached the spot shortly after the incident, the official said.

"To control the situation, which turned into a communal clash, police first lathicharged and then fired in the air. Additional forces were deployed after many bikes and other vehicles were torched... The activists did not have any permission for the procession," Singh had said on Wednesday.
Former Air Force base in Gettysburg on market for $4.5 M

A former air force base near Gettysburg is up for sale. The base is listed as having 50 beds and 15 bathrooms on a 42-acre parcel of land.
The Union government approached the Supreme Court on Friday, seeking to be a party in a petition by actor Rhea Chakraborty who has appealed that a first information report (FIR) filed against her over Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajputs death be transferred from Patna to Mumbai.

The FIR, which is based on a complaint by Rajputs father and accuses Chakraborty of abetting her 34-year-old boyfriends suicide, is now being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Centre allowed the agency to take up the case on the basis of a request by Bihar, Rajputs home state.

The department of personnel and training (DoPT) plea in the Supreme Court said the Union of India is a necessary and proper party to the proceedings. The move came in the wake of Chakrabortys legal team raising objections to the Centres intervention. Maharashtra, Bihar, and KK Singh  Rajputs father  are parties in her petition in the top court.

DoPT filed its impleadment plea through under secretary Satya Prakash Ram Tripathi. The present impleadment application has been necessitated by virtue of the events that have taken place after filing of the present transfer petition, it said.

At the heart of the case is a question of who the case originally belongs to  Mumbai or Bihar. Chakrabortys legal team says the Bihar government cannot recommend a CBI probe since the police from that state do not have any jurisdiction to even investigate the case. The Mumbai Police, too, have claimed that they have exclusive right to probe the case since the incident occurred under its jurisdiction.

Rajput, who had a short but promising career, was found hanging at his Bandra residence in suburban Mumbai on June 14.

On Friday, Bihar filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, stressing that Section 179 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) allows an offence to be tried either at the place where the offence has been committed or where the consequence ensues. In this case, the consequence of the unnatural death was in Patna, where the late actors family resides, it argued.

The Bihar government also sought the dismissal of Chakrabortys transfer plea, and termed it premature, misconceived and non-maintainable.

The affidavit, filed through advocate Keshav Mohan, said the Bihar Police have the jurisdiction in the case and accused Mumbai Police of non-cooperation. It said the Mumbai Police are apparently siding with the petitioner (Chakraborty) for the reasons best known to them.

Hearing Chakrabortys plea on Wednesday, the court asked Bihar, Maharashtra and Rajputs father to reply to Chakrabortys plea within three days, and asked about the status of investigation by the Mumbai Police. The Mumbai Police have found the cause of Rajputs death as asphyxia due to hanging, filed an accidental death report (ADR) and began an investigation.

While Bihar filed its affidavit on Friday, Maharashtra and Singh are yet to file their replies. The hearing is expected to resume next week.

The possibility of the Rhea Chakraborty case being argued out on the next date in the Supreme Court can only be possible if Maharashtra government defends its jurisdiction. The CBI cannot operate without express consent of Maharashtra. I also see the possibility of Mumbai Police completing its probe and putting it before the court on the next date and saying we have nothing more to investigate. Only a thin chance remains that Maharashtra will accept the situation as fait accompli and concede ground to CBI, which I doubt will happen, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde told HT.

Meanwhile, another petition before the Supreme Court on Friday said the entire case has not yet gone to CBI as the agency is only examining the FIR filed by Bihar Police on July 25.

The petition by law student Dwivendra Dubey failed to impress a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde. You are a total stranger who is unnecessarily interfering in the case. The victims father is pursuing the case, the bench said through video-conferencing, while dismissing the petition.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared in the matter to inform that CBI has taken over the probe from Patna Police.
Unidentified gunmen killed about 20 people in an attack on a cattle market in eastern Burkina Faso on Friday, the government said in a statement.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack in the village of Fada N'Gourma, around which the army is carrying out a search operation.

Armed jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have killed hundreds of people in attacks over the last year in the West African country, forced more than half a million to flee, and eroded government control in most areas outside the capital.

Gumen killed 25 people in an attack on another cattle market in the eastern village of Kompienga in May.

(REUTERS)
The Victor-1 stranded signals peril of trading with Venezuela

David Sanger



This is a cautionary tale for others willing to do business with Venezuela, said Diego Moya-Ocampos,

a political-risk consultant at IHS Markit in London.

- Iranian gasoline cargo should have left for Venezuela in April

- Fuel cargo discharged off U.A.E. after more than 100 days

By Lucia Kassai/Bloomberg

HOUSTON

Petroleumworld 08 07 2020

In May, a fleet of ships set sail for fuel-starved Venezuela with Iranian gasoline, stunning international observers who wondered if the two nations would so blatantly defy U.S. sanctions efforts in a Caribbean Sea patrolled by the U.S. Navy.

Five vessels arrived without incident, greeted by an exultant Venezuelan leader.

One did not.

The vessel, the Victor 1, sat in the Gulf of Oman for more than 100 days before discharging its badly needed cargo several oceans away from its intended destination. Dozens of e-mails sent by the ship's charterer and seen by Bloomberg show how the Victor 1's cargo became ensnared in a payment dispute that involves little-known trading entities, allegations of corporate identity theft and, potentially, an indicted Colombian businessman accused by the U.S. of being a dealmaker for Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.

The shadowy tale demonstrates both the limits and consequences of U.S. oil sanctions levied against Venezuela last year in an attempt to dislodge the autocratic regime. Years of mismanagement by the state oil company have left its refining sector in a shambles, bringing gasoline production to a near halt. That's forced Venezuela to seek fuel from a dwindling cast of international suppliers, but also presents opportunities for companies willing to engage in trades that, while not necessarily illegal, risk the ire of the U.S., which keeps widening its net of sanctions.

This is a cautionary tale for others willing to do business with Venezuela, said Diego Moya-Ocampos, a political-risk consultant at IHS Markit in London. Every drop of gasoline matters to the Maduro regime, so any losses have a huge impact on the country's social stability.

The Victor 1 was chartered by Imperium SA DMCC in early April to carry 295,000 barrels of fuel to Venezuela, according to e-mails seen by Bloomberg. In a separate email correspondence related to company financing, Dubai-based Imperium described itself as an oil-trading company established to export Venezuelan crude to Malaysia, Singapore, India and China. Imperium said in that email its purpose is to buy Venezuelan crude from its affiliate companies, Libre Abordo SA de CV and Schlager Business Group.

In an e-mail dated April 2, Imperium informed Iran's state-controlled National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company that it had arranged a vessel to load one of its cargoes of gasoline. The fuel cargo originally loaded in Iran in mid-March onto the vessel Venice 1 and then was moved April 10 onto the Victor 1 by ship-to-ship transfer in the United Arab Emirates, according to ship-tracking data. Trinidad and Tobago was listed as the vessel's destination on a shipping manifesto. But its destination was meant to be the Venezuelan government-controlled port of El Palito, emails to the shipper show.

Payment Missing

For the next month, the shipper, Liberian-registered Ceto Shipping, and Imperium struggled to agree on where to deposit payments. Ceto sent multiple emails seeking to get paid by offering different bank accounts for deposit from Oman to Qatar, while Imperium requested Ceto provide bank accounts in Europe or Dubai. In an e-mail dated May 22, Ceto accused Imperium of not paying all of its chartering fee. In the same email, the shipper expressed concern about some of the participants involved in the cargo's sale from Iran to Venezuela.

A representative for Ceto told Imperium it notified the National Iranian Oil Products company we couldn't continue this cooperation with Alex Sabb, a possible misspelling of Alex Nain Saab Moran, who was indicted by the U.S. last year on federal money-laundering charges. He's currently in prison in Cape Verde, where he was arrested during a flight refuelling stop. Saab's lawyer called his detention arbitrary and illegal and promised to appeal an extradition order granted last month.

Around the time that the Victor 1 should have been arriving to Venezuela at the end of May, Libre Abordo filed for bankruptcy and was subsequently sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department. It's not clear from the emails whether the payment dispute is the sole reason why the vessel never departed or whether Libre Abordo's bankruptcy played any part. The only thing that's known for certain is the badly needed product didn't reach Venezuela.

Libre Abordo didn't respond to repeated email requests for comment. Requests for comment sent to the email address used by Ceto in the documents went unanswered. Alexander Rodriguez, who is described as a person in charge in e-mails sent by Imperium, didn't return calls and emails seeking comment. In separate emails to refiners in March, Rodriguez identified himself as an employee at Libre Abordo.

Corporate documents identify Giagkos Stylianou as a shareholder in Imperium. When contacted, Stylianou said he had an agreement with an undisclosed party to represent Imperium, but that he was unaware of any dealings with Iran.

What I understood after looking into it, is that there's someone who's illegally using this company for his own benefit, Stylianou said in a statement, without elaborating.

Iran's oil ministry declined to comment when reached by phone and the foreign ministry didn't reply to a request for comment. Venezuela's Ministry of Information didn't respond to a request for comment.

Five tankers carrying a total of 1.5 million barrels of gasoline arrived in Venezuela in May and June, prompting U.S. authorities to impose sanctions against their ship captains. According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, all five vessels were Iranian-flagged tankers chartered by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and National Iranian Tanker Company, both of which were already sanctioned by the U.S. Ship-tracking data show the Victor 1 floated off Oman for more than three months and discharged its cargo in the U.A.E. on July 23.

In July, the U.S. filed documents to seize the gasoline on board four more Venezuela-bound Iranian vessels. The transponders, or satellite signal, for all four tankers were switched off between May and early July, ship-tracking data show. Although their location is unknown, the Venezuelan government hasn't made any announcements about their arrival and the effects of gasoline shortages are once again being felt across the country.

Iran is the gasoline supplier of last resort, said Moya-Ocampos. Nobody is willing to supply Venezuela because of the reputational risk.

 With assistance by Patricia Laya, Fabiola Zerpa, and Arsalan Shahla


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The coronavirus pandemic caused more than half of Los Angeles day care centers to close by April. Among those that stayed open was Centro Alegria, a child care facility in Boyle Heights run by the nonprofit group Proyecto Pastoral.

"We rose to the responsibility and the commitment that we've made to our families," said Executive Director Cynthia Sanchez. "The staff, every day that they came in, put their fears aside."

They followed all of the state and local safety guidelines for child care, Sanchez said -- no parents were allowed inside the center, staff ramped up the cleaning and started wearing masks, groups of kids were limited to 10 or fewer.

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But despite all of their best efforts, five teachers at Centro Alegria have tested positive for coronavirus in recent weeks. And while the center's prevention efforts meant it didn't have to shut down entirely, it was left scrambling to figure out how to continue to operate safely.

The outbreak illustrates the difficulties child care providers face in interpreting and implementing differing guidelines from state and local agencies that they often find confusing. Providers say they're overwhelmed by the amount of information out there.

"When everything got shut down, I had a lot of providers calling me. And they were like, 'so what are we supposed to do?'" said longtime child care provider and union organizer Tonia McMillian. "And I told them I don't know."

CORONAVIRUS CHILD CARE CASES RISING

For starters, it's tricky to figure out exactly just how many coronavirus cases are linked to child care.

The California Department of Social Services, which licenses child care facilities, reports that there have been 302 coronavirus cases linked to child care in Los Angeles County as of Aug. 5.

But as of July 30, the L.A. County Public Health Department had confirmed just 52 coronavirus cases associated with 35 different child care facilities, including the outbreak at Centro Alegria.

Officials at neither agency were able to directly explain the discrepancy -- they say it could be because they gather information differently.

Both are relying on direct reports from providers -- but it's not clear how many providers are actually filing reports with both the county and state. The L.A. County Department of Public Health said it also finds out about cases linked to child care through contact tracing.

"Given this, the number of cases associated with child care facilities that DPH is aware of would not match up with the numbers of cases that day care facilities report to (the) California Department of Social Services, simply because the source and system of reporting for the two groups are different," an L.A. County Department of Public Health spokesperson said in an email.

It may be that some L.A. County providers aren't aware that they are supposed to file reports of COVID-19 cases to both the state licensing agency and county health officials.

According to the statewide figures, the number of coronavirus cases in child care staff, children attending centers and their parents increased nearly 71% in July. There are now 1,709 cases that have been reported statewide with 33,469 licensed child cares open.

Michael Smit, a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, said it's likely the coronavirus cases in child care are not a result of children spreading the virus, but rather a reflection of the transmission happening in the larger community. But the data-gathering discrepancy makes it difficult to track potential sources of outbreaks in local communities.

"That's a little bit difficult to interpret without having the more granular data to be able to analyze," he said.

Children play in an outdoor space at Centro Alegria, a child care center in Boyle Heights operated by Proyecto Pastoral. "We see the work, keeping the centers open, as being critical to helping our families and community thrive and survive and be resilient and stay safe through this crisis," its executive director said. (Courtesy Proyecto Pastoral)

OUTBREAK AT PROYECTO PASTORAL

In Boyle Heights, where Proyecto Pastoral is located, there have been 3,380 COVID-19 cases as of Aug. 5, according to the county Department of Public Health. The agency also categorized East Los Angeles as an area with a high need for more testing. The county's infection rates in the Latino community spiked in April and the virus is disproportionately affecting people of color overall.

Between March and June, an average of 10 kids a day came to Proyecto. Among them was the 4-year-old daughter of Stephanie Trujillo, a behavior specialist who was happy that her child had a place to go after LAUSD campuses closed in March.

"I see so many people struggling right now and I'm just grateful that I still got to continue my normal routine," she said.

As more L.A. businesses reopened, more families needed child care, and by mid-June Centro Alegria was seeing daily about 30 children separated into small groups.

Proyecto staff notified the L.A. County Department of Public Health that one teacher, who'd recently been out sick, tested positive for the coronavirus on June 27.

"They shared that, because of that person having been out, that they really hadn't put anyone else at risk, right? So that there was no need, they said, to test anyone else," Sanchez said. "But we did have people get tested anyway."

Within a few weeks, four more teachers reported they had tested positive for COVID-19. Trujillo's daughter came into contact with one of them.

"My first instant reaction was scared," Trujillo said, but she was reassured by phone calls from the center staff sharing updates and information from the health department.

She and her daughter quarantined for two weeks before returning to the center. "Coming back, I felt safe," Trujillo said.

Parent Stephanie Trujillo says her 4-year-old daughter enjoys making crafts like this painting at Proyecto Pastoral. (Courtesy Stephanie Trujillo )

After the fifth case was confirmed on July 17, Sanchez said the health department told Proyecto to conduct a deep cleaning before reopening the following Monday, but did not provide any specific guidelines for how to conduct the cleaning.

The child care center's director instructed the cleaning company based on information from the state's Department of Social Services and the Department of Education. Every single thing a child might come into contact with -- toys, furniture, floors -- was disinfected, along with the center's computers, walls and countertops.

Proyecto provided LAist with a copy of the county's inspection report from July 23. The health department made a few recommendations, including logging temperature checks and updating the HVAC filters, and concluded the center's procedures "meet or exceed guidelines issued by Los Angeles County to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19."

"We did everything we were told to do and then some, but my realization is [that] in the future we will do more," Sanchez said. For example, were the center to ever reach three cases of coronavirus again, she'd close and reevaluate.

"We're reflecting on what our responsibility is to ensure safety of the community of the staff and the children," Sanchez said.

'EVEN THOUGH I CLEAN EVERY DAY, IT STILL SCARES ME'

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, it's been up to each California child care provider, whether they watch kids in their home or at a center, to decide whether to continue operating.

Providers have maxed out informational conference calls and there are daily discussions on social media on navigating the changing guidelines from state and local agencies, where to find supplies and how to entertain kids in new socially distanced ways.

Tonya Muhammad runs a home day care in Hawthorne. She's been in the business for 30 years and hosts a podcast and Instagram account called Daycare Chronicles 101 to advise other providers.

"I had to resort to alcohol -- like buying a gallon of alcohol from a dental supply place and breaking it down to where it would meet the qualifications to be a disinfectant," Muhammad said. She's also paid up to $20 a can for Lysol spray.

A recent survey from The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment found 38% of California child care providers say they still don't have sufficient cleaning supplies and worry about exposure to COVID-19.

Recently, when a parent arrived to pick up their child from Tameika Lackey's home child care in Long Beach, she mentioned she'd just come from the emergency room after exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19.

"I start(ed) spraying the door, mopping the floors, just sanitizing because I still had kids here," Lackey said.

Lackey said the Long Beach Health Department advised her to wait until the test results came back before deciding to close. After a week, she still hadn't heard anything from the parent and the child had not returned.

"I'm still scared to keep continuing and I don't know what's going on inside my home. Even though I clean every day, it still scares me," Lackey said.

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Melissa Gorga showed off her stunning figure while putting on a fashion show at her Jersey Shore vacation home on Thursday.

The 41-year-old Real Housewives Of New Jersey star put on a parade of bathing suits on the pool deck of her $1 million seaside estate.

The businesswoman was highlighting her beach-ready body as she filmed new promos for her long-running reality series.

At-home runway: Melissa Gorga, 41, turned her $1 million Jersey Shore vacation home into her own runway as she tried on bathing suits while filming Real Housewives Of New Jersey promos on Thursday

Melissa was unmissable in a neon green square neckline top with thin straps that showed off her taut tummy.

She strutted along her pool deck in a loose-fitting pair of white mesh pants, before stripping down to just the high-cut bikini bottoms.

The 5ft5in beauty kept the sun out of her eyes with a translucent visor featuring a black strap, and she let her voluminous brunette locks cascade down her back.

Seeing green: Melissa was unmissable in a neon green square neckline top with thin straps that showed off her taut tummy

Revealing: She strutted along her pool deck in a loose-fitting pair of white mesh pants, before stripping down to just the high-cut bikini bottoms

Lovely locks: The 5ft5in beauty kept the sun out of her eyes with a translucent visor featuring a black strap, and she let her voluminous brunette locks cascade down her back

All angles: The reality star showed a hint of her pert backside in the two-piece suit

Melissa added some more fire with a scarlet two-piece suit, again featuring a square neckline top, though this one showed off her cleavage more thanks to it's cut-out V.

She paired it with tasteful high-waisted red bottoms and accessorized with a brown beaded bracelet and gold hoop earrings.

The sister-in-law of Teresa Giudice also showed off how well the top worked with a pair of ragged cut-off jeans while holding her adorable white Pomeranian Nico.

Woman in red: Melissa added some more fire with a scarlet two-piece suit featuring a square neckline top with a cut-out V and high-waisted bottoms

Cutie pie: The sister-in-law of Teresa Giudice also showed off how well the top worked with a pair of ragged cut-off jeans while holding her adorable white Pomeranian Nico

Melissa finished off her swimwear fashion show with a more conservative black two-piece sling bikini.

The look featured a black square black top with thick straps, and over it she wore a high-cut bottom with straps reaching up to her shoulders.

The makeshift suit featured cut-out panels highlighting her trim midriff and back.

Back in black: Melissa finished off her swimwear fashion show with a more conservative black two-piece sling bikini

Complicated: The look featured a black square black top with thick straps, and over it she wore a high-cut bottom with straps reaching up to her shoulders

Melissa was on her own on Thursday at the Barnegat Bay home as her husband Joe Gorga skipped the day by the pool.

The couple have also been living there with their sons Gino and Joey and their daughter Antonia.

The two have been quarantining together at the seaside property, which features a lovely deck with a built-in pool and a fire pit.

Later on Thursday, the restaurateur showed off the newest decoration to her home: a piercing blue neon sign reading, 'It was all a dream.'

Blue mood: Later on Thursday, the restaurateur showed off the newest decoration to her home: a piercing blue neon sign reading, 'It was all a dream'

Redecorating: Melissa showed off her pout while standing under the eye-catching sign in photos posted to her Instagram

Melissa showed off her pout while standing under the eye-catching sign in photos posted to her Instagram.

'It truly was all a dream' I was just a girl growing up in a shore town (toms river) NJ. Always having big dreams and aspirations,' she recounted.

'I remember as far back as high school just dreaming to be a wife and a mommy one day and to have a beautiful family. I couldnt be more grateful for the one that we created. I also always knew as a stay at home wife and mommy it was gonna be hard to break into the business world and OWN a business that I can call my OWN.

'So this sign just reminds me every time I walk in this pool house, how lucky I am and how grateful I am and how far Ive come from that little girl in Toms River,' she wrote.
A Springfield, Illinois, school district is still enforcing a dress code, even though its students will be at home.

The Springfield School District handbook says students are not allowed to wear pajamas while remote learning, CBS affiliate WCIA reported.

COVID-19 updates: Texas sees second-highest positive test rate to date

Some parents were baffled and upset by the rule.

I made the decision for my kids to be at home and I dont really see how any district can come in and say what my kid cant wear in my house," parent Elizabeth Ballinger said. "I dont think they have any right to say what happens in my house. I think they have enough to worry about as opposed to what the kids are wearing. They need to make sure theyre getting educated.

Other parents thought it was reasonable to ask students to show up for school online as they would in person.

The district said the policy will be enforced on an individual basis, with potential consequences listed in the handbook including detention, contacting the student's parents or a verbal reprimand.

Schools and parents are still grappling with a school year of unknowns, including the possibility of remote learning or a later start date. Harris County health officials have recommended schools remain online-only through at least September.

Houston ISD will start school after Labor Day and remain online-only classes for the first six weeks of the school year.

There is no news on a similar dress code in Harris County. Keep the pajamas out for now.
He's had an incredible year and recently earned an Emmy nomination for his starring role in Normal People, the adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling coming-of-age novel.

And Paul Mescal continued his incredible success on Monday as he put on a raucous display as a drunken reveller in the full video for The Rolling Stones' new track Scarlet, after the trailer was released earlier this week.

The Irish actor, 24, puts on a stellar performance as he thrusts his hips while dancing, sobs uncontrollably and trashes his hotel room in the music video which was filmed at London's exclusive Claridge's hotel using a socially distanced set.

Star turn: Paul Mescal continued his incredible success on Monday as he put on a raucous display as a drunken reveller in the full video for The Rolling Stones' new track Scarlet, after the trailer was released earlier this week

The video begins with the bleary-eyed heartthrob sitting at a laptop in a white shirt and an untied bow tie.

Then as the track launches, the action kicks off as the video documents the actor's wild and drunken night in the lavish hotel suite.

And the star is in fine form as he showcases his cheesy dance moves, before going on to have an emotional breakdown and trash his hotel room, before eventually passing out on floor.

New video: The Irish actor, 24, puts on a stellar performance as he thrusts his hips while dancing, sobs uncontrollably and trashes his hotel room in the music video which was filmed at London's exclusive Claridge's hotel using a socially distanced set

Paul was clearly having a grand time on set as his inebriated character puffed on a cigarette, supped copious amounts of booze and had the run of the hotel.

The track was written in 1974 with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and had not been previously released.

It will feature in the reissue of the iconic band's album Goats Head Soup, due for release next month.



New role: The video begins with the bleary-eyed heartthrob sitting at a laptop in a white shirt and an untied bow tie.

Chaos begins: Then as the track launches, the action kicks off as the video documents the actor's wild and drunken night in the lavish hotel suite

Paul was recently recognised for his portrayal of Trinity College student Connell in BBC Three's acclaimed adaptation of Sally Rooney's bestselling novel at the the 72nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

Mescal has been nominated in the category for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

However, he faces stiff competition from fellow nominees Jeremy Irons, High Jackman, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Pope.

Work it: The star is in fine form as he showcases his cheesy dance moves, before going on to have an emotional breakdown and trash his hotel room, before eventually passing out on floor

Fine form: Paul was clearly having a grand time on set as his inebriated character puffed on a cigarette, supped copious amounts of booze and had the run of the hotel

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.

Icons: The catching song Scarlet was written in 1974 with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page (pictured October 2017)

Rise to fame: Paul shot to fame for his portrayal of Trinity College student Connell in Normal People

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.

Nominated: The acclaimed actor has been recently recognised for the role with an Emmy nomination

'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.

Watch Normal People on BBC Three or on Stan in Australia.
By BILL WYATT

After being shunned at the doorsteps of a Richmond bishop and now also at the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States in Washington, D.C., Father Mark White of Martinsville and his supporters intend to take their demands for justice to the Vatican in Rome.

You probably know the story by now. Father White was the priest serving St. Joseph Catholic Church in Martinsville and St. Francis of Assisi in Rocky Mount. Late last year Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout told White to remove a popular blog he had created and used to occasionally criticize the church hierarchys handling of the sex abuse scandal within the church.

White initially complied with Knestouts demand, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he asked for permission to resume his blog as a means to remain in contact with his parishioners.

Receiving no answer, White resumed blogging, and Knestout responded by removing White as priest of the two local parishes and reassigning him to service in the prisons of southwest Virginia.

White took issue with the Knestouts perceived authority concerning his right to express his opinion through a blog and submitted a formal request for the Vatican to settle the dispute.

Knestout responded by stripping White of his priestly duties.

The Vatican dismissed Whites request on the technicality of not naming his lawyer representing him in the matter as his procurator.

Last month White and his supporters traveled to Richmond where they protested Knestouts actions outside the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, while Knestout was inside celebrating the ministry of his priests.

On Friday, White and his supporters took their appeal for justice to Apostolic Nuncio Christopher Pierre in Washington, D.C. Pierre serves as the popes ambassador to the United States.

Whites group had sent Pierre a letter two weeks before the trip asking for a meeting at 3:30 p.m. on Friday to discuss Knestouts actions against White including the sex-abuse scandal and the rights of Catholics to speak their minds about the problems they see in the church.

We came to try to talk to the popes representative here in the United States, White said. We had two topics that we wanted to discuss: The first one is  does it help our church to cover up the crimes of bishops and priests  does it help us or does it hurt us? Can we live in the truth? Can we help people to heal and find God again by living in the truth? Thats the first topic that we had hoped to discuss with him.

Question number two: Are we allowed to have free speech in the church? Are we allowed to speak our minds about these things? Are we allowed to get things out in the open? Because that seems to be the way to make some headway here, to make some progress or do we have to suffer reprisals and persecution when we try to have this discussion?

Were here hoping someone will welcome us to have these discussions  but at least we can say at the end of the day today we tried.

Two vans from Martinsville and Rocky Mount occupied by White and his supporters arrived at the offices of the Archbishop on Massachusetts Avenue, across the street from the Vice President Mike Pences residence.

Other supporters were already in front of the building with signs that read Justice for Father Mark.

At least two of the supporters called the offices inside the building, requesting to meet with Pierre, but were refused because they did not have an appointment.

The appointment was requested over a week ago, but they said you cant come in without an appointment, St. Francis of Assisi parishioner Joe Kernan said. I said its just a bunch of faithful Catholics out here defending a courageous Catholic priest.

I said we certainly would like to speak with someone about the issue, and they said well, no one is coming out if you dont have an appointment, and no one is coming in.

The only ones who met White and his group at the archbishops offices were members of the Secret Service, who arrived in three marked vehicles containing several uniformed officers.

After sizing the demonstration as lawful and peaceful, the officers assisted by closing one lane of traffic closest to the building to provide a safer distance between White and his supporters and passing motorists.

For 90 minutes a group of about 65 people wearing shirts and caps and carrying signs all signifying their support of White, sang, chanted and prayed.

Im very much heartened and encouraged by all the people who are here with me and the solidarity with the victims sexual abuse that everyone is trying to express and a desire for a new day at our church, White said. We could have a little more openness and honesty about the whole thing.

Just as the number of supporters for White continues to grow, so do the number of media outlets covering his plight.

The Diocese of Richmond frequently will offer a comment after a story relating to White, and Knestout has been published or aired on television. Such was the case when WUSA-TV in Washington D.C. broadcast a story about Whites plans to come to the nations capitol.

As of this writing, this is not just about Father Marks blog, Deborah Cox, a spokeswoman for Knestout, said. Father Mark continues to refuse to accept the assignment and the new job he has been given.

White responded in his blog by pointing out what he described as Coxs mischaracterizing the situation.

I very much want to work as a priest, White wrote. I appealed my removal as pastor in Rocky-Mount-Martinsville to the Holy See. Last month, the Congregation for the Clergy dismissed my appeal on a questionable technicality.

In the meantime, Bishop Knestout suspended my priestly faculties  that is, my authorization to minister as one of his priests. I cannot minister in any assignment without that authorization.

White said he asked Cox to correct her statement, but to his knowledge she had not done so.

Apostolic Nuncio Christopher Pierre did not respond to the Bulletins request for comment.

Our parish life has really been wrecked by the things the bishop has done, and we want our parish life back, and we want a better future, White said. These are really good Catholic people  practicing Catholics who believe in a church that can deal with the truth.

Bill Wyatt writes for The Martinsville Bulletin.

Bill Wyatt is a reporter for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at 276-638-8801, Ext. 236. Follow him @billdwyatt
Further Brexit funding to assist firms moving goods between Northern Ireland and Great Britain has been welcomed by Stormont parties, but there have been calls for further clarity(Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Northern Irelands political parties have welcomed the plan for a system to ease processes around moving goods into the region from the rest of the UK post-Brexit, but warned that questions remain.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove visited a carpet factory in Co Armagh on Friday as the system to help firms deal with the paperwork around transporting goods after the UK leaves the EU were announced.

The new Trader Support Service is aimed at addressing concerns from businesses that red tape could disrupt the flow of goods from Great Britain.

A constructive round of meetings where we discussed the NI-GB and GB-NI flows of trade and the importance of unfettered access being delivered for our supply chains and local employers.



Full statement https://t.co/i00obRVlAq pic.twitter.com/cORfDehtK9  Arlene Foster #ProudofNI. (@ArleneFosterUK) August 7, 2020

Earlier Mr Gove met with parties and business leaders at Hillsborough Castle.

First Minister Arlene Foster described the meetings as constructive but said many points still require clarity.

We welcomed the additional money made available to help ease trade between GB and NI because of the Protocol, the DUP leader said.

There are however, many points which still require clarity to enable business decisions to be made. Indeed, there is also a role for the EU to show some flexibility to resolve any remaining concerns and give certainty.

Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard has welcomed a new Brexit financial support package for businesses in the North, however has said the British Government has left many vital questions unanswered. https://t.co/dxL0b8m5V8 pic.twitter.com/FLeS7Hdlhy  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) August 7, 2020

Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard also welcomed the support, but pressed the UK Government on many vital questions left unanswered.

The announcement of this 200m support package is welcome news for those local businesses who are growing increasingly worried about the trading environment in the post-transition period in January 2021, he said.

However its clear that in the face of being unable to deliver upon the promise of unfettered access and no additional burdens the British Government are left with no choice but to pull a magic money rabbit out of the hat in an attempt to distract from the fact that their Brexit misadventure has created a mountain of red-tape and bureaucratic processes.

Todays announcement is not the long overdue border operating model that we have been promised, it is merely another attempt to create an IT system that will take care of the complex formalities in automating the customs process.

UUP Economy spokesperson John Stewart MLA responds to the UK Gov announcement on a new Trader Support Service: pic.twitter.com/wrLQJZwGQX  Ulster Unionist (@uuponline) August 7, 2020

Ulster Unionist Party MLA John Stewart challenged Fridays announcement as a stark contrast from previous claims by the Prime Minister that Northern Ireland businesses could throw customs declarations in the bin.

No matter how the Government may seek to spin it, the reality is that they have allowed a regulatory border to be placed down the middle of the Irish Sea and they are now scrambling to try to undo the damage this will cause, he said.

We are just months away from the end of the transition period and still there are questions that do not have answers on how the Northern Ireland economy will be protected from the worst impacts of the misguided decisions that have been taken.

The best way to minimise the damage Brexit will inevitably cause is to extend the transition and avoid a crash out at the end of this year. Matthew O'Toole

Meanwhile SDLP MLA Matthew OToole said the funding for the new trade support scheme falls far short of what is needed.

He repeated his partys call for the transition period to be extended.

The UK Government has also failed to offer any more detail on how it will ensure unfettered access to the GB market for NI businesses, or even which goods will qualify for unfettered access, he said.

And ultimately, all of this disruption is a product of an ideological refusal to countenance extending the transition period in the middle of the biggest public health crisis in a century.

The best way to minimise the damage Brexit will inevitably cause is to extend the transition and avoid a crash out at the end of this year.
By Heather Sorge and Elizabeth Smith

There have been nearly 5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, and this virus has no intention of going away anytime soon.

As New Jersey plans to reopen schools, health and safety must be at the forefront. We cannot reopen schools without strong health and safety measures in place to protect our students and school staff.

Given the lack of strong federal guidance, The New Jersey Work Environment Council, Healthy Schools Now coalition and the national Healthy Schools Network released A Call to Action. It calls on states to produce authoritative school infection, prevention, and control plans which local schools can adopt.

This report, backed by science and developed alongside health experts, school advocates, and worker representatives is the first report that simultaneously prioritizes school staff and students health.

On average, New Jerseys 2,500 school buildings are 50-years-old and are four times more densely populated than office buildings, often with poor indoor air quality and little ventilation making it very difficult to social distance and maintain adequate fresh air. In addition, many districts lack access to clean, uncontaminated water and have inadequate plumbing.

Alone, these conditions pose health risks; introducing COVID-19 into poor conditions such as these can make this deadly virus spread even faster. For districts unable to meet social distancing and other health and safety guidance due to overcrowding and financial constraints, the challenges are even greater, putting those staff and students at unimaginable risk.

This is a critical time in the fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Putting our children, who are 100 percent of our countrys future at risk with premature or unsafe openings, would be a mistake of historically tragic consequences, said Claire Barnett, executive director of the New York-based Healthy Schools Network and Coordinator of the national Coalition for Healthier Schools. Adding to our concern, we are acutely aware that it is Black, Latinx, and Native American and other poor children and working families that will continue to face the disproportionate consequences of the pandemic.

So, how can we ensure our schools open safely?

The following are a few of the recommendations contained in the report:

 Our school buildings, having been closed for months, must undergo pre-opening maintenance to ensure building safety.

 Districts must develop reopening plans with stakeholder input from school nurses, staff, parents, etc., followed by transparency, communication and training. Stakeholder input is critical to the success of these plans as parents and community input is invaluable. This open dialogue is needed to develop trust and foster positive relationships within the district, something that is crucial when it comes to the health and safety of our children.

Across the country, schools struggle to implement social distancing, cleaning, and masking guidelines. A classroom which once held twenty students desks now holds six. Where do schools, already struggling with overcrowding, find room to not only social distance students, but store the excess furniture which no longer fits in the school? Many districts will store furniture in damp, moldy basements, which sets schools up for future health issues. We must ensure that we take the necessary steps now to prevent future health issues by addressing building health.

School staff, understandably apprehensive to return, must rely on districts to provide an exceptional level of cleaning and planning.

 Each district must train and prepare all school staff to address the virus and understand the district's plan.

 Schools must secure and train qualified substitute educators ahead of time to fill in for staff who fall ill so that the district plan can continue to be followed.

 Custodial staff must be given safe, approved cleaners, proper PPE, and training to take on the daunting task of cleaning our school facilities during this health crisis.

 It is critical that districts convey that only approved cleaners can be used in schools and that staff and students can not bring unauthorized cleaners into the building from home. Using unapproved cleaners and sanitizers, mixing cleaners, improperly storing chemicals and allowing students to use anything beyond soap and water can cause serious injury and even death.

 Ensure bus safety by allowing drivers to focus on transporting students by providing an additional staff member to address social distancing and masking when appropriate.

These are just a few of the hundreds of issues every district is expected to individually address. Unfortunately, the only way to know how well a district's plan will work will be to test it out on our children and educators. A huge burden for every school board and administration to bear, we absolutely have to get this right the first time.

We call on Governor Murphy, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health to develop a comprehensive school infection, prevention, and control plan that districts can adopt with some degree of flexibility.

We would much prefer to see our schools take the necessary time to reopen, ensuring that every possible safety measure is in place in every district, as opposed to rushing to a return to normalcy only to fail. The cost is far too great.

Heather Sorge, an organizer for the NJ Work Environment Council, coordinates the Healthy Schools Now campaign.

Elizabeth Smith is the executive director, on the statewide Education Organizing Committee and a member of the Healthy Schools Now Campaign.

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Actor Sushant Singh Rajputs sister, Shweta Singh Kirti, has shared a cryptic social media post, which coincided with Rhea Chakrabortys first public appearance in weeks. Rhea on Friday appeared at the Enforcement Directorate office in Mumbai, for questioning in the actors death case. Rhea has been accused of siphoning money off his account, and abetting his suicide, among other allegations.

Har Har Mahadev, Shweta wrote in her Instagram post, attaching a picture of Lord Shiva, above which was written, Someone said be careful who you mess with because you dont know who protects them in the spiritual world. Sushants fans came out in support in the comments section. So true, one person wrote. God is in control! His beloved child will get justice, wrote another.

Sushant died by suicide on June 14, at the age of 34. His father, KK Singh, several weeks later filed an FIR against Rhea, accusing her of multiple crimes. Rhea had filed a petition in the Supreme Court, requesting the investigation be transferred to Mumbai, from Bihar, where the FIR against her was originally lodged. She had asked the ED to postpone her questioning until the apex court heard her argument. The plea was rejected by the ED.

Also read: Rhea Chakraborty reaches ED office with brother Showik to record her statement in money laundering case

Rheas only official statement on the matter came in a self-made video, in which she said, I have immense faith in God and the judiciary. I believe that I will get justice. Even though a lot of horrible things are being said about me on the electronic media, I refrain from commenting on the advice of my lawyers as the matter is sub-judice. Satyameva jayate, the truth shall prevail.

The case will now be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, a move that Shweta welcomed on social media.

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In the middling dance movie Work It, now on Netflix, Quinn (Sabrina Carpenter) is a straight-A senior desperate to attend her dream university, Duke. So desperate, in fact, that when her college interviewer expresses an appreciation for dance, Quinn pretends its her passion, too. To keep up the ruse, she cobbles together a ragtag hip-hop troupe and starts to train. Shes a quick learner; how hard can it be to keep a rhythm?

This silly, predictable setup  which hinges on an elaborate misunderstanding of how college admissions work  grows less important as the story wears on and the dancing takes center stage. Our stars in this regard are Quinns best friend Jas (Liza Koshy), who heads the impromptu crew, and Jake (Jordan Fisher), a cute hotshot who becomes Quinns private instructor and, inevitably, her crush. As Quinn freestyles with Jas or twirls with Jake, they find dance floors in improvised, outdoor spaces, giving the performances an off-the-cuff look. Both Koshy and Fisher are accomplished professional dancers, and the movie doesnt skimp on showcasing their gifts.
Kozhikode : /New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) In one of the worst air disasters witnessed in Kerala, an Air India Express flight, returning from Dubai under the Vande Bharat mission, crashed at the "table top" Kozhikode airport on Friday evening, leaving at least 17, of the 190 people aboard, dead including pilot, Capt D.V. Sathe and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar.

The plane skidded off the runaway as it landed on its second attempt amid heavy rain, plunged 35 feet into the valley below, and broke into two pieces.

Following the accident, which occurred at 7.41 p.m., the Kozhikode airport has been closed and the flights scheduled to land there have been diverted to Kannur airport, about 80 km away.

Expressing deep anguish over the incident, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said a formal enquiry will be conducted into the incident by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Air India Express AXB1344, a B737 aircraft, with 190 people on board, landed on Runway 10 amid visibility of 2,000 metres in heavy rain, but overshot and nose-dived into the valley, breaking into two pieces.

Authorities in Kerala, however, said that there were 184 people - 128 men, 46 women and 10 children - on board, as five people who had a ticket did not board the aircraft.

According to the latest information collated from the various hospitals where the injured have been hospitalised, there are 123 who have been injured and the condition of 15 of them is serious.

Malappuram District Collector Gopalakrishnan said that the last of the two passengers inside the aircraft has been taken out.

Passenger Mohammed Ali, who lost his job in Dubai and was returning home with three of his friends, said that they were watching the beautiful sight of Kozhikode town when the aircraft was getting ready to land.

"But suddenly, we felt the aircraft was going up again. Surprisingly, there was no announcement. Then it circled for about 15 minutes.... and then everything happened in a jiffy... it came down and there was a noise. Soon, things came to a standstill and I managed to escape through the opening, landed on the wing and jumped off.

"Then my fear was will it go up in fire and hence, I ran. In the process, my leg and hip suffered an injury. I was one of the first people to be taken to a hospital. Am now waiting for the doctor to come to take me for a scan, as I have a pain. Otherwise, I am fine," said Ali who hails from Koilandy in Kozhikode district.

Another passenger in the hospital, identifying himself as Riyaz, said that he was sitting in the back seats.

"I now am in no position to recall what happened, but there was a loud noise. I feel the pilot could not see the runway and hence, he took the plane up again and then came down," he said.

An eyewitness on the ground said that he rushed to the spot on hearing the sound of the crash.

"I live around 20 metres away from the compound wall of the airport and hearing the loud sound, a few of us came rushing. We saw the cockpit of the aircraft jutting out of the compound wall," the local resident said.

"We were a few people and we started to bang the airport gate, but the CISF personnel did not open it. We saw a fire engine and an ambulance arriving after which the CISF personnel asked for help and we rushed inside. We rescued the children first and assisted several others also," he added.

State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said that the condition of a mother and child was reported to be serious.

Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, who hails from the state, said the Karipur airport as it is known is a table top airport, and that was one reason why the plane plunged into the valley, causing its middle part to break open.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan about it. Table top airports have a disadvantage during rainy seasons. Generally, during heavy rains, aircraft are not allowed to land at table top airports. All these things will come out in the DGCA probe," said Muraleedharan.

Local legislator T.V. Ibrahim who was at a local hospital near the airport asked TV channels to beam the images of a young boy he was carrying in his arms as his parents were missing and to help the boy's relatives in locating him at the Kondotty Relief Hospital.

According to information from the spot, the passengers sitting in the front rows of the plane had been seriously injured.

Vijayan has directed Local Self Government Minister A.C. Moideen and Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel to rush to the spot to oversee relief operations.

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The gates of the new Greystones Community National School will remain shut as the school year starts

Western Building Systems has strongly rejected claims by the Department of Education that a new school that will host both Greystones Community National School and Greystones Community College is 'not yet fit for handover'.

The building is to accommodate Greystones Community National School, who currently have temporary premises at the rugby club, and on an interim basis only Greystones Community College, which currently has no alternative home.

The contractor, which has been working on the project for two years, said in a statement that there is no reason why pupils and staff should be denied the opportunity to take occupation of the new buildings as planned in September.

'We were advised on Wednesday, July 29, that a test which was conducted earlier that day by an independent organisation appointed by the Department - and was to have been conducted in conjunction with our team - showed that part of a system did not meet required standards. However, a similar system, when tested two months ago by our own professional partners passed,' said a spokesman for Western Building Systems (WBS).

'We are deeply disappointed and baffled as to why the handover has been delayed at the very last minute as all the necessary certifications of completion have been agreed by all parties and why the Department would act unilaterally and out of keeping with agreed processes.

'The Department has had ample opportunity to communicate with us in relation to the project and has chosen not to do so.'

The company has asked for a meeting with the department to find out why the school will not open. 'We have also requested a copy of the full report on the test,' they said.

'This must be hugely frustrating for parents, pupils and staff and we sympathise deeply with them. As far as we are concerned there is absolutely no threat to the safety of staff, pupils or parents.'

'We are in the dark about what is going on,' said the parent of a child in Greystones Community National School. 'At the moment we have no idea when the school will be handed over, and no time-line to plan for the future. The school don't know either. The principal has said that once they have more information, they will let us know.'

'In my opinion there has been a complete lack of respect for the principal, teachers, kids and the school community,' she said.

'The whole school is packed up and ready to go. Now they have to unpack and prepare for covid regulations within three weeks. It's a huge job but I know they will do it.'

Parents had been told previously that the building would be ready in June 2019. 'Again, we're here a year later, going into another school year. It's so frustrating and disappointing and there is a lack of communication once again from the department.'

Meanwhile, a sub-contractor has blocked the entrance to the new school building in Charlesland, claiming not to have been paid in full by Western Building Systems.

'I've been here since last Monday,' said Vincent McDonnell of McDonnell's carpentry.

Mr McDonnell said that he has paid the 10 workers he had employed for the job. He said that they worked on the building from October to December last year.

'My contract includes a cert for 80,000,' he said. 'At the moment we've done 105,000 worth of work and are owed around 11,000.'

'They were saying they had to get people in to do bits and pieces at the end of the job. They said the money would be paid last Thursday, July 26, which it was not.'

Mr McDonnell has a van blocking the front gate, he said. 'I will continue until something is done,' he said. 'The painting was started when we left in December. We had done all three floors and all the doors were standing.'

He said that they had a tight window in which to complete the work, having taken over from another company. 'We were first on site every morning and we got the job done.

'We want the kids to get into the school as much as anyone. We've offered our services to get it ready inside for Covid-19. But we have to be paid.'

'This is the subject of a commercial dispute, the details of which the sub-contractor is well aware,' said WBS in a statement. 'The dispute is linked to the fact the sub-contractor did not complete his programme of work in line with the terms of his contract. Consequently, Western was left with no option but to employ others to do so which resulted in additional cost to our business. The company will be making no further comment as the matter has now been placed in the hands of our legal advisors.'

Writing to parents last week, Greystones Community College principal Ruairi Farrell said: 'Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, Greystones Community College will now not be in a position to occupy the new Community National School building at the beginning of the 2020/2021 school year as planned. We have been informed by the Department of Education in the last few hours, that the building is not yet fit for handover and the safety of our students and staff is our priority.'

He said that he is engaging with KWETB and the Department of Education regarding contingency arrangements. 'Please be reassured that we will have a full return to school for all students as planned, albeit at an alternative location for what we envisage will be a short space of time.'

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said he is working with the Department of Education to help find alternative accommodation for students of Greystones Community College.

Minister Donnelly said: 'I know there is a lot of worry about the emerging issues with Greystones Community National School and Greystones Community College.

'The new school building is, as I understand it, now not going to open in time for the new school year due to delays.

'I am liaising with both the school management and the Department of Education to find a speedy resolution to this problem,' he said.

'The priority now is to find alternative accommodation for the 70 students from GCC who are due to start in first year next month.

'I know this must be an extremely stressful time for the parents and students affected but rest assured we will do everything we can to resolve this issue as quickly as possible so both schools can get back on track.'

Cllr Tom Fortune has described the situation as 'ridiculous' and has called for an emergency board meeting of KWETB, of which he is a member. He is also a member of the board of Greystones Community National School and chairperson of the board of management of Colaiste Craobh Abhann.

'The contractor is saying that the school is ready, the department are saying something else,' said Cllr Fortune. 'We are getting mixed messages, certainly the parents are. This cannot be allowed to continue. Our local TDs are really not helping with their approach. Some just want to play games with the government, others write letters, and some are saying very little. Really, they should be working together and we must request them to do this immediately.'

He added that the extension to Colaiste Croabh Abhann in Kilcoole got plenty of attention prior to the general election, but has since 'gone into a black hole'.

'This must also be dealt with now,' said Cllr Fortune. 'This school is bursting at the seams, putting unnecessary pressure on the whole school community,' he said, adding that there are also health and safety concerns. 'As an organisation we cannot tolerate this continuing. Really the previous board of the KWETB should have ensured that this important project was completed.'

Deputy John Brady said that the parents of the secondary school children 'don't know if, when or where their children will attend school at the start of the new term'.

'The school was due for completion in time for the start of the new year, however the Department have informed the KWETB that they need to ensure that they are completely satisfied that the building is fit for handover prior to accepting it,' said Mr Brady. 'The Department is currently engaging the contractor and there is no clarity as to how long the delay will be. The news that the new school will not be ready will come as a big blow for the children, teachers and everyone connected to both schools.'

He said that the reopening of all schools was going to be difficult due to Covid-19 'The roadmap was only issued last week,' he said. 'The difficulty now is that contingency arrangements will need to be put in place for both schools for the start of the new school year which is only a few short weeks away.

'The Department needs to work with both schools and the KWETB to ensure that contingency arrangements are in place as quickly as possible and that teachers, students and parents and keep fully informed on the plans.'

Deputy Jennifer Whitmore said that she hopes the delay will be short.

'As a former Chair of the CNS, I know how disappointing this is for parents, the children and the staff of the CNS and the Community College - everyone was very excited about seeing the new school finally open,' she said.

'I have been in contact with the Department over the last couple of days about this and I believe that this delay is unavoidable but I am hoping that it will only be a short delay.

'I will keep in contact with the Department to make sure that the children get in as quickly as possible and that both the CNS and the Community College have their needs met in the short term.

'I am working with principals from both schools on this and will continue to help where I can.'
A county in California this week approved a pilot program that will establish a $1,250 stipend to encourage those who test positive for coronavirus to stay at home and self isolate.

Alameda County's Board of Supervisors set aside $10million for the stipend program which will allow payments to 7,500 people, in the hopes of preventing a sudden financial crisis if a family member tests positive.

It was approved as the county hit a new high in daily coronavirus cases Wednesday and as California struggles to contain its outbreak.

Workers in Alameda County in California will be encouraged to remain at home and isolate from co-workers if they test positive for coronavirus with a $1,250 stipend. Pictured, a worker cleaning in Oakland, which has the most reported cases in the county

According to an aide for Supervisor Keith Carson, pictured, the Alameda County's Board of Supervisors hopes the state or federal government will reimburse the program

The stipend program has been welcomed by local healthcare providers who say it will help those in the county's working class areas to remain at home and not be forced to continue going to work if they test positive.

'Literally every single person that we have spoken to through our contract tracing program, they have all asked for either food, help with rent, or access to be enrolled in healthcare,' Andrea Schwab-Galindo, CEO of Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center in Hayward, told CBS San Francisco.

'Most people that test positive are usually the members that are out there working and able to do that,' Schwab-Galindo added.

'You know, they are construction workers, they are grocery workers, so they are more exposed compared to some of the other family members they are trying to support, including their children.'

She added that the area has a 28 percent positivity testing rate.

The plan was also welcomed by local residents who said said it would alleviate the worries on families.

'Yeah, whatever makes it a lot easier for people to deal with this pandemic would be great,' resident Robert Mangrobang told CBS.

'Twelve hundred dollars or even more would be ideal for comforting a lot of families.'

The pilot program was approved by the board on Tuesday but details of who will be eligible still need to be finalized.

In order to benefit from the stipend, people who need to isolate because of a positive test must not receive unemployment benefits or sick leave.

Approval for the program will also require a referral from one of five approved clinics in the county.

The $1,250 amount equals to two weeks wages on minimum wage in California, targeting low-income workers who are unable to stop working, even if they become infected with the virus.

The issue of infected people still returning to work has been a major part of the spread of coronavirus in the area, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

New daily cases in the county hit a new record on Wednesday. There are over 12,460 in total

Alameda County's Board of Supervisors hopes the program will avoid a financial crisis if family members fall ill. Pictured, a nursing facility in Berkeley which lies within the county

The plan was welcomed by residents such as Robert Mangrobang

The board hopes that laborers, independent contractors, people who are paid under the table and undocumented workers will now be given an incentive to stay at home and avoid contact with co-workers, an aide for Supervisor Keith Carson added.

County officials are hoping that the money set aside for the plan will be reimbursed by the state or federal government.

Alameda County experienced a massive spike in cases Wednesday, setting a new daily record.

There were 321 new cases reported, bringing the county's total over 12,460. More than a third of these cases are in the city of Oakland, which has 4,923 cases.

The county has had 202 coronavirus deaths.

The county's cases are significantly higher among the Hispanic community and among 18 to 30-year-olds.

A third of cases are within the Hispanic community while a third of those infected are also aged under 30 years old.

Alameda has the ninth highest number of coronavirus cases among the state's counties but lies far behind the likes of the more populous Los Angeles County, which has almost 200,000 total cases.

This week, California edged closer to 10,000 coronavirus deaths as rural counties began to see a massive uptick in new cases.

The Central Valley, in particular, is causing concern for federal health officials.

'This is a predictor of trouble ahead,' Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious diseases expert, said Wednesday of the area's increase in positive test rate.

He said the increase in positive tests is 'a clear indication that you are getting an uptick in cases, which inevitably  as we've seen in the Southern states  leads to surges, and then you get hospitalizations, and then you get deaths'.

'Now is the time to accelerate the fundamental preventive measures ... masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds,' Fauci added.

The state's response to the pandemic has also been marred recently by a technical problem which is blocking case data from getting both to the state and to individual counties and has resulted in a large problem in reporting new cases and in contact tracing.
President Donald Trump listens to a question from a reporter during a briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington on Aug. 3, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

China Prefers Trump Doesnt Win a Second Term: Intelligence Official

Kremlin-linked actors are seeking to boost Trump

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not want President Donald Trump to win reelection in November, according to a new intelligence assessment.

We assess that China prefers that President Trumpwhom Beijing sees as unpredictabledoes not win reelection, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said in a statement on Friday.

The CCP is working hard to influence the election and policy arguments, including putting pressure on elected officials and candidates party leaders view as being opposed to Chinas interests.

The Trump administrations increasingly hard-line stance against China, including its forced closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, has led to an increase in criticism against the administration, according to Evanina.

Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current Administrations COVID-19 response, closure of Chinas Houston Consulate, and actions on other issues, he said.

For example, it has harshly criticized the Administrations statements and actions on Hong Kong, TikTok, the legal status of the South China Sea, and Chinas efforts to dominate the 5G market. Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race.

In the past few months, the Trump administration has quickened its actions countering an array of threats to security and freedom posed by the CCP. These include sanctioning officials over rights abuses in the region of Xinjiang and crushing freedoms in Hong Kong, and barring U.S. transactions with the Chinese owners of apps TikTok and WeChat on national security grounds.

Presidential candidate Joe Biden, meanwhile, has also taken a tough stance on China. Hes also run campaign ads criticizing Trump for allegedly roll[ing] over for the Chinese in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With regard to Russia, intelligence officials say the country is using a variety of measures to denigrate Joe Biden, the former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Chinese Communist Party leader 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)

This is consistent with Moscows public criticism of him when he was Vice President for his role in the Obama Administrations policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia, Evanina said.

For example, pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian Andriy Derkach is spreading claims about corruptionincluding through publicizing leaked phone callsto undermine former Vice President Bidens candidacy and the Democratic Party. Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trumps candidacy on social media and Russian television.

It wasnt clear whether China preferred Trump or rival Hillary Clinton in 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in 2018 that he had wanted Trump to win in 2016.

The intelligence community says Iran is seeking to undermine Trump and American institutions and divide the country in advance of the November elections.

Iran will probably focus its efforts online, including spreading disinformation on social media, according to the assessment. China and Russia are also taking nefarious action online.

Tehrans motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trumps reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change, Evanina said.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about his plans to combat racial inequality at a campaign event in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 28, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/File Photo/Reuters)

In a statement, Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaigns communications director, said: The intelligence communitys assessment that both China and Iran are trying to stop President Trumps reelection is concerning, but clearly because he has held them accountable after years of coddling by politicians like Joe Biden.

The Trump administration has been tougher on Russia than any administration in history, imposing sanctions and expelling diplomats, in contrast with the Obama-Biden administration, he added.

The Biden campaign didnt respond to a request for comment.

In a joint statement, acting Senate Intelligence Chairman Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), the committees ranking member, said the assessment highlights some of the serious and ongoing threats to our election from China, Russia, and Iran.

Everyonefrom the voting public, local officials, and members of Congressneeds to be aware of these threats. And all of us should endeavor to prevent outside actors from being able to interfere in our elections, influence our politics, and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, they added.

The lawmakers urged elected officials to refrain from weaponizing intelligence matters, claiming doing so would only further the divisive aims of our adversaries.

Cathy He contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Gwladys Fouche and Nora Buli (Reuters) Oslo, Norway  Fri, August 7, 2020 11:00 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c43d82 2 World Norway,Norwegia,reopening,reopening-plan,coronavirus,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Norway is halting its planned easing of coronavirus restrictions and will likely reimpose others to prevent a full lockdown of society as experienced earlier this year, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Thursday.

"We need to slow down now to avoid a full stop down the road," Solberg told reporters.

Earlier, Norway said it will reimpose a 10-day quarantine from Saturday for all travellers from France, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in those countries.

It will also reimpose quarantine for people travelling from Monaco and from certain regions in neighboring Sweden, while lifting quarantine for other regions.

Among the measures put on hold is a plan to permit leisure travel from some non-European countries, which has been banned since March and will remain off-limits until further notice.

Norway will announce further measures on Friday, Solberg said.

While not a member of the European Union, Norway belongs to the passport-free Schengen travel zone. It had some of the strictest travel restrictions in Europe in the early phase of the pandemic before gradually lifting them from June.

With a population of 5.4 million, Norway has seen an increase in infections in recent days. It had reported a total of 9,409 cases reported as of Thursday, up 12 cases from the day before, with 256 deaths.

Authorities are also discussing whether to update guidelines on the wearing of face masks in crowded spaces.

Norway and other Nordic countries, unlike many other European countries, are for now not recommending people wear them in public spaces.
The Justice Department announced Thursday that it will send federal law enforcement agents to St. Louis, Mo., and Memphis, Tenn., to help stem violent crime.

Why it matters: The Trump administration's deployment expands its "Operation Legend" program as President Trump has blamed spikes of violence across the U.S. on activists' efforts to "dismantle and dissolve" local law enforcement. Democrats have accused Trump of targeting Democratic-run cities as part of his "law and order" messaging strategy following the police killing of George Floyd.

The state of play: Federal officers were sent to Kansas City, Mo., Chicago, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee starting in early July.

The DOJ said Memphis has seen homicides increase by over 49%, as rates in St. Louis soared 34%.

Attorney General Bill Barr said in a statement that federal agents were sent to the two cities to work alongside local law enforcement and take the shooters and chronic violent criminals off of our streets.

Go deeper: House Democrats call for IG probe into use of federal agents in Portland
Four Canadian cancer patients have been granted permission to use psilocybin as a treatment for end-of-life distress, a groundbreaking role for the hallucinogen in health care.

Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu approved the use through the Office of Controlled Substances. The application was submitted more than 100 days ago.

Spencer Hawkswell, executive director of Therapsil, said the non-profit organization decided to go through the minister after a more general application to Health Canada submitted in 2017 was rejected two years later.

Obviously, bureaucracy is not a human being, Hawkswell told The Telegram. People have compassion. Bureaucracies dont always have compassion.

Therapsil is a coalition of health-care professionals that has been pushing for therapeutic use of the psilocybin in small doses for patients in palliative care. The drug is naturally found in several species of fungi commonly referred to as magic mushrooms.

In an ideal situation, these decisions are not made by the Office of Controlled Substances. They are made by doctors and patients, Hawkswell said.

One of the four patients said shes delighted with the ministers decision.

The acknowledgment of the pain and anxiety that I have been suffering with means a lot to me, and I am feeling quite emotional today as a result, Laurie Brooks of British Columbia said in a statement released by Therapsil.

In large doses, psilocybin has a similar effect to LSD and other psychedelic drugs. In small doses, however, it can counteract severe depression and anxiety caused by situational stress and even some mental illnesses.

Last month, a woman in St. Johns told The Telegram how micro-doses of psilocybin have completely changed the way she copes with bipolar disease. Jennifer said shes been able to reduce her regular medications by half as a result.

She takes a small dose every four days to avoid building a tolerance.

The day after I take it, Im on top of the world, she said at the time. Im so happy. Everything is brighter. Theres no depression, theres no anxiety. Everything feels good.

Hawkswell said the wait was too long, but he hopes Tuesdays decision will open more minds to the drugs potential.

A doctor should have the right to prescribe psilocybin to a patient who needs it, whether theyre at end of life or they suffer from severe alcohol addiction or PTSD or cluster headaches, Hawkswell said. This is a decision for doctors and therapists and patients. Its not a decision that should be in the hands of government officials and bureaucrats.

The four Canadians are believed to be the first known patients to legally use psilocybin since the compound became illegal in Canada in 1974.
Immigration lifts Boss travel curbs

BANGKOK: The Immigration Bureau (IB) lifted travel restrictions on Vorayuth Boss Yoovidhaya after the Red Bull scions hit-and-run charges were dropped late last month.



By Bangkok Post

Friday 7 August 2020, 09:23AM

Vorayuth Yoovidhya is brought to the Police General Hospital in Bangkok to undergo a blood test in September 2012. Photo: Somchai Poomlard / Bangkok Post

Mr Vorayuth was wanted on manslaughter charges over the hit-and-run death of a police officer in Bangkok in 2012.

The IB on Thursday said it removed Mr Vorayuths wanted status over a police arrest warrant which was no longer relevant, reports the Bangkok Post.

It said the status was deleted after IB officials were asked to do so by Thong Lor police, who cited the public prosecutors decision to not indict Mr Vorayuth over the case.

The decision to not indict Mr Vorayuth caused an uproar among the public.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he would form a team to look into the case.

The IBs action is in conflict with assurances given on Wednesday by Vicha Mahakun, who heads an independent panel formed by Gen Prayut, that the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court has not yet revoked Mr Vorayuths arrest warrant.

Mr Vicha said panel members learned from the courts chief judge that police had requested the warrant be cancelled, a move opposed by a group led by former Bangkok senator Rosana Tositrakul.

Ms Rosana had petitioned the court against fulfilling the police request, he said.

Mr Vicha said the police withdrew their request after the court asked them to do so.

Additionally, a panel formed by the Royal Thai Police to investigate Mr Vorayuths hit-and-run case on Thursday examined the testimony of Pol Lt Col Thanasit Taengchan, an officer from the Office of Police Forensic Science, who inspected the hit-and-run scene, according to a source.

Pol Lt Col Thanasit said Mr Vorayuths Ferrari was travelling at 177km/h at the time it rear-ended the vehicle of the victim, 47-year-old Pol Snr Sgt Maj Wichian Klanprasert, the source said.

The panel is expected to wrap up the investigation and report its findings to national police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda by Aug 13, said Pol Gen Satawat Hiranburana, a special adviser to the national police.

Police are reinvestigating the case after prosecutors asked why the speed of Mr Vorayuths Ferrari was not mentioned in his original case file.
eye-on-india Business Insight | Vivo pulls out of Premier Kabaddi League and Big Boss after IPL In this edition of Business Insight, find out how broadcasters might be feeling the heat as Vivo has reportedly decided to lie low.
Technavio has been monitoring the halal food market and it is poised to grow by USD 624.52 billion during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 7% 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/20200806005722/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Halal Food 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-

What was the value of the halal food market in 2019?

Technavio says that the value of the market was USD 1,528.25 billion in 2019 and it is projected to reach USD 2,152.77 billion by 2024.

At what rate is the market projected to grow during the forecast period 2020-2024?

Growing at a CAGR of over 7%, the market growth will accelerate during the forecast period.

What is the key factor driving the market?

Increasing consumer expenditure on halal food is one of the key factors driving the market growth.

Who are the top players in the market?

Al Islami Foods, BRF SA, Cargill Inc., Flying Trade Ltd., Kawan Food Berhad, Midamar Corp., Nestle SA, Tahira Foods Ltd., The American Halal Co. Inc., and Unilever Group are some of the major market participants.

Which region is expected to hold the highest market share?

APAC

What is the year-over-year growth rate of the global market?

The year-over-year growth rate for 2020 is estimated at 4.47%.

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Al Islami Foods, BRF SA, Cargill Inc., Flying Trade Ltd., Kawan Food Berhad, Midamar Corp., Nestle SA, Tahira Foods Ltd., The American Halal Co. Inc., and Unilever Group 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.

Increasing consumer expenditure on halal food has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Halal Food Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Halal Food Market is segmented as below:

Product Halal Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Halal Bakery, Confectionery, and Cocoa Halal Fruits, Vegetables, and Nuts Halal Beverages Others

Geography APAC MEA Europe South America North America

Distribution channel Offline Online



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=IRTNTR43716

Halal Food 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 halal food market report covers the following areas:

Halal Food Market size

Halal Food Market trends

Halal Food Market analysis

This study identifies the expansion of halal food production facilities as one of the prime reasons driving the halal food market growth during the next few years.

Halal Food Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the halal food market, including some of the vendors such as Al Islami Foods, BRF SA, Cargill Inc., Flying Trade Ltd., Kawan Food Berhad, Midamar Corp., Nestle SA, Tahira Foods Ltd., The American Halal Co. Inc., and Unilever Group. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the halal food 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

Halal Food Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist halal food market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the halal food market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the halal food market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of halal food market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Halal beverages Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Market Segmentation by Distribution channel

Market segments

Comparison by Distribution channel

Offline Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Online Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Distribution channel

Customer Landscape

Overview

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the market

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Volume Drivers Demand led growth

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Al Islami Foods

BRF SA

Cargill Inc.

Flying Trade Ltd.

Kawan Food Berhad

Midamar Corp.

Nestle SA

Tahira Foods Ltd.

The American Halal Co. Inc.

Unilever Group

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200806005722/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/
In 1841, Jean-Daniel Colladon, a Swiss physicist, publicly demonstrated how a ray of light, traveling inside a curved arc of flowing water, would bend, thus becoming refracted. He presented what is known as total internal reflection, which he described as light guiding. [It was] one of the most beautiful and most curious experiments that one can perform in a course on optics, Colladon later wrote. Moving ahead 135 years, AT&T engineers successfully sent and received information over a beam of light in 1976. The engineers, producing rapid changes in a light source, learned it could code information within it using direct modulation through multiplexing laser frequencies within the modulated light, and guide it over a transparent, fiber-optic glass strand. The information encoded within the laser light traveled over a fiber-optic telephone cable installed at AT&Ts research facility in Atlanta, GA. The laser acronym means Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. The two most common light sources for fiber-optic transmission are LEDs (light-emitting diodes), and laser diodes. It is a device which produces light. Tunable lasers can produce light of a single frequency, or visible color, in human terms. By turning the laser light signal on and off quickly, you can transmit the ones and zeros of a digital communications channel, is the description of a laser I found in my trusty Newtons Telecom Dictionary. In 1976, an A-7 Corsair US military fighter jet replaced its copper wiring harness with a fiber optical link network. The fighter jets optical link network weighed only 3.75 pounds and contained 13 fiber-optic cables spanning 250 feet. The A-7 Corsairs previous copper wiring harness comprised 300 individual copper wire circuits, totaling 4,133 feet, and weighed 88 pounds. Todays fiber-optic systems installed in modern aircraft allow military pilots to make instantaneous decisions using high-resolution imaging systems, displays, and flight controls linked with fast fiber-optic networks providing real-time data. In 1977, AT&Ts first commercial application of transmitting public telecommunications over a fiber-optic cable took place in Chicago. During the late 1960s, and unbeknownst to the public, NASA installed certain classified fiber-optic technologies for the Apollo 11 moon mission. Your investigative columnist did some research. I discovered NASAs lunar television camera used by the Apollo 11 astronauts on the moons surface in 1969, incorporated fiber-optic technology. The use of fiber-optics inside the lunar television camera was classified as confidential in NASAs Lunar Television Camera Pre-installation Acceptance (PIA) Test Plan document 28-105, dated March 12, 1968. Stowed inside a compartment on the Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle descent stage was the lunar television camera. Westinghouse Electric Corporations Aerospace Division developed and manufactured the Apollo Lunar Television Camera (part number 607R962). The first lunar television camera remains on the moons surface, near the Apollo 11 landing site, in the Sea of Tranquility. We had previously believed fiber-optic technology would not reach its data-capability bandwidth capacity for many years; however, this may no longer be the case. According to the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, todays increases in data, coupled with the advances in information technology, will have troublesome repercussions on the current technology used to provide the bandwidth needed to transport data  even over fiber optics. Traditional optical communication systems modulate the amplitude, phase, polarization, color, and frequency of the light that is transmitted, the news release from the university stated. Researchers from this university began working with South Africas Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. They demonstrated 100 separate light patterns (representing data) individually sourced through a single optical communications link. The researchers created a computer hologram encoded with more than 100 light pattern configurations in multiple colors. The light pattern configurations, being sent through an engineered liquid crystal, acted as a single spatial light modulator. As this single light was transmitted, each light pattern was demultiplexed, meaning, the 100 individual light configuration patterns were extracted and sent to their unique designated locations. All 100 light patterns were detected simultaneously. Their next test involves demonstrating this new technology in a real-world situation using voice and video. An increase in light patterns will allow for a sizeable expansion in available bandwidth for transmitting data. The additional bandwidth will result in information being more efficiently packed into light. Today, fiber optic cables provide the pathway for 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) internet data speeds into businesses and residential homes. Weve come a long way from those 56 Kbps dial-up modems, where it might take a day to download a full-length movie. Laboratory tests of data speeds (measured in bits) through a fiber optic cable have reached speeds from terabits per second (Tbps) into the petabits (Pbps). Data speed of 1 Tbps equals 1,000 Gbps. 1 Pbps equals 1,000 Tbps, and 1 Pbps is equal to 1,000,000 Gbps. When describing 1 gigabyte of information, the abbreviation 1 GB is used. Remember, 8 bits of binary data equals 1 byte. A NASA booklet, dated March 12, 1968, describing the Lunar Television Camera, is at http://tinyurl.com/lunarcam. In this booklet, Section 1.1, Security Classification, includes the classified confidential mention of the fiber optics used with the lunar television camera. Be safe out there.
Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded $100 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to help hospitals and nursing homes manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

The money comes from the approximately $1.9 billion Alabama received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act approved by Congress. The Legislature approved a bill allocating up to $250 million of the CARES Act money for to support the delivery of health care and related services to citizens of Alabama related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The $100 million announced today will support grant programs that will provide up to $50 million for hospitals and up to $50 million for nursing homes.

While there are many aspects of COVID-19 that we still dont know, one thing that isnt in dispute is our seniors and those with preexisting health conditions fair the worst when contracting the virus, Ivey said in a press release. Protecting our most vulnerable citizens remains a priority for my administration, and it is incumbent to ensure that our nursing homes and hospitals have every tool possible to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 as well as keep their staff and health care professionals safe as they offer exceptional care to those who are ill.

The state Finance Department has entered memoranda of understanding with the Alabama Nursing Home Association Education Foundation and the Alabama Hospital Association to govern the use of the funds.

These funds will help cover the unexpected and ongoing costs we incur during this pandemic and allow us to focus on caring for those most vulnerable to this virus, Brandon Farmer, president and CEO of the Alabama Nursing Home Association, said.

Dr. Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, said, This will go a long way to ensure hospitals are able to care for all patients who need hospital services and protect their employees while doing so.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Mahindra & Mahindra has bailed out from the bid to manufacture small delivery trucks for the United States Postal Service that is worth $6.3 billion. The company has written off the investment it had made towards this project, a top official of the company said.

Mahindra Automotive North America (MANA), a subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, was looking to set up a plant in Michigan in the US and had even signed a letter of intent with the RACER Trust, the Indian automaker had said in August 2019.

The RACER Trust was created in March 2011 by the US bankruptcy court to clean up and offer for redevelopment properties and other facilities owned by the General Motors Corp before its 2009 bankruptcy.

Anish Shah, deputy managing director and Group CFO, M&M said: The $500 million investment by us in MANA was subject to us winning the US postal services bid. We chose not to participate in that bid. We were shortlisted as the final four. What had been invested so far was a very small amount which was essentially in preparation of the bid and all of that has been written off."

The company claims that the investment in MANA would not have met the return on equity of 18 percent targeted by it. This move comes less than a quarter after M&M decided to stop fresh investments in its loss-making subsidiary SsangYong Motor Company and the shutdown of Genze, an electric two-wheeler manufacturing business in the US.

The MANA facility, which was likely to come up in Flint, would have manufactured small delivery trucks, 180,000 units, for the United States Postal Service (USPS), had M&M won the contract.

The cost of one such truck is estimated between $25,000 and $35,000 (Rs 18.75 lakh and Rs 26.25 lakh). The truck-supply contract was spread over five years.

AM General, the maker of civilian Humvee, truck body maker VT Hackney Inc, Ford Motor Company and Turkeys bus maker Karsan were the others in the race.
WCC Calls for End to Violence in South Sudan

NEWS PROVIDED BY

World Council of Churches

Aug. 7, 2020



GENEVE, Aug. 7, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, World Council of Churches (WCC) interim general secretary, joined the South Sudan Council of Churches and the All Africa Conference of Churches in condemning recent violent killings of innocent people in South Sudan, and called to an end to brutality in the country.



Photo: Hymie Sokupha/WCC

Expressing profound sorrow and offering condolences and prayers for the families of the victims and for the wounded, Sauca added that "in the face of brutality, the human family must stand together to recommit to respecting and protecting one another, and to preventing such violence, he said. Killing children and innocents is against any principles of our faith and denies the very identity of being Christian."

Appealing to all communities and groups to reject violence, Sauca said, "after years of insecurity and instability it should be clear that violence is not the solution to the challenges in South Sudan." He called upon those who masterminded such attacks to desist from violence and ensure a sense of calmness in these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At least 23 people were killed and 20 others were wounded when unidentified gunmen stormed a church compound in the Episcopal Church of South Sudan's Diocese of Athooch in Jonglei state on 27 July. The assailants took six children as hostages.

In a statement issued on 6 August, the All Africa Conference of Churches expressed that "it is particularly distressing that the attackers killed all the children they abducted in the bush. These are innocent souls who do not even have any idea as to what the conflict is all about."

The All Africa Conference of Churches called on all parties to the conflict in South Sudan to condemn all kinds of violence, and to refrain from using it to destroy their fellow citizens. It also called on the regional and international bodies, such as the East African Community, Intergovernmental Authority for Development, African Union and United Nations Security Council "to take this attack as an assault on world peace, and demand for the full implementation of the long-delayed peace agreement in South Sudan," reads a statement.

On 1 August, three little children were slaughtered by an unidentified person in the absence of their parents in Rock City neighborhood in the capital Juba.

In a 5 August statement, the South Sudan Council of Churches condemned the murder of the children. "This is a barbaric, heinous and demonic act that cannot be tolerated," reads the statement. "Children are to be loved, protected, nurtured, and cared for by the community and society; they are not to be take advantage of, neglected or abused."

Describing children as a wonderful gift from God, the statement mourns the loss of so many children in South Sudan. "We also pray to the almighty God to comfort the bereaved family in this very difficult time of great loss," reads the statement.

Read the full message of the South Sudan Council of Churches

Read the statement from the All Africa Conference of Churches

WCC member churches in South Sudan



The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC interim general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania.



SOURCE World Council of Churches



CONTACT: Media Office +41 79 507 6363, media@wcc-coe.org



Related Links



www.oikoumene.org/press


Dentists say face coverings could be causing gum disease and tooth decay, with the number of patients presenting with oral health problems exploding since mask wearing mandates began.

The owners of One Manhattan Dental in New York City say they have even created the nickname 'mask mouth' to deal with the burgeoning number of cases.

'We're seeing inflammation in people's gums that have been healthy forever, and cavities in people who have never had them before,' Dr. Rob Raimondi told Fox News.

'About 50 percent of our patients are being impacted by this, [so] we decided to name it "mask mouth"  after "meth mouth".

While some Americans have claimed that mask-wearing exacerbates respiratory issues, less attention has been paid to problems plaguing the teeth and gums.

'Gum disease  or periodontal disease  will eventually lead to strokes and an increased risk of heart attacks,' One Manhattan Dental's Dr. Marc Sclafani states.

Dentists say face coverings could be causing gum disease and tooth decay, with the number of patients presenting with oral health problems exploding since mask wearing mandates began (stock image)

Sclafani says most people breathe heavily through their mouths when wearing a mask, which is inadvertently causing dry mouth.

'The mouth breathing is causing the dry mouth, which leads to a decrease in saliva  and saliva is what fights the bacteria and cleanses your teeth.

'Saliva is also what neutralizes acid in the mouth and helps prevent tooth decay and gum disease,' he told Fox News.

The dentists told the publication that there is one positive outcome: mask-wearing has made people more attentive to their oral health.

'Patients are coming into us like, "Wow, my breath smells, I need a cleaning."

'[But] when you smell the bad breath, you either already have periodontal disease or you have a lot of bacteria that's sitting on your tongue because of dry mouth,' Sclafani explained.

He urges people to drink lots of liquids, brush and floss regularly and trying breathing through their nose if they're wearing a mask.

Meanwhile, doctors have debunked a number of other conspiracy theories about mask wearing.

One of the main claims on social media is that masks cause a toxic build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood, known as hypercapnia.

This happens when someone breathes in recycled air  usually in confined spaces without ventilation  reducing oxygen and increasing CO2 levels. It causes breathlessness, headache, confusion and, in extreme cases, irregular heartbeat.

Two top dentists told Fox News that there is one positive outcome of mask wearing mandates: it has made people more attentive to their oral health (stock image)

One small study found nurses wearing N95s on a 12-hour shift had significantly elevated CO2 levels and reported headaches and feeling short of breath. But these symptoms were not significant enough to be considered hypercapnia.

The CDC says any build-up of CO2 would be unlikely in everyday use outside hospital settings, and could be avoided by simply letting some air in.

Another claim circulating on Instagram and Facebook is that wearing a mask makes catching coronavirus more likely, because the material traps infected droplets.

Epidemiologist Prof Keith Neal, from the University of Nottingham in the UK, claims this is nonsensical.

The mask is to stop you spreading it  you cant infect yourself if you are already infected, he stated.
DANBURY  Gov. Ned Lamont has planned a meeting at noon Friday with Mayor Mark Boughton and emergency management leaders to understand the widespread damage caused by Tuesdays tropical storm Isaias.

Lamonts visit to Danbury, which, as of this morning, returned to having the most outages in the state, comes on the fourth day without power for over 14,000 businesses and addresses in the Hat City.
Singaporean business and investment in Vietnam has increased significantly over the decades, thus greatly contributing to strengthening economic bilateral ties.

Jeffrey Wandly, vice president of the Singapore Business Association in Vietnam, talked about new Singaporean moves and how legal improvements reinforce the trend.

Jeffrey Wandly, vice president of the Singapore Business Association in Vietnam

A number of foreign investors have made a shift towards Vietnam. Have you seen similar moves among Singaporean companies, and what will these new trends consist of?

Singapore is one of the largest investors here this year so far at nearly $6.44 billion, accounting for 34.1 per cent of the Southeast Asian countrys total foreign investment during the period, according to statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment. In recent times, we have seen some Singaporean investors moving into Vietnam, such as Blue Circle SHS Holdings and Sinergy Holdings in manufacturing and processing; and in the consumer sector there has been Koda Ltd., Kwan Brothers Pte., Ltd., and NTUC Fairprice Co-Operative Ltd. In addition, technology and engineering moves have been made by Siasun Automation Pte., Ltd., Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd., and Delta Offshore Energy Pte Ltd. in the energy realm.

Investment trends in innovation and technology-based businesses, startups, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) among others are taking advantage of incentives with a focus on the consumer market, manufacturing, infrastructure, and urban solutions.

Vietnam has worked to make improvements in the legal framework for business and investment. Are these changes enough to further facilitate such activities among Singaporean investors?

The Law on Investment 2020 focuses on technology, innovation and research and development. However, the addition of national security as a criterion for investment review creates some uncertainty as to how far this would encourage or deter foreign investments in sensitive and protected sectors. The minimum investment capital requirement for public-private partnership (PPP) projects is very high and only very large foreign direct investment (FDI) are able to participate in such projects. The draft law currently provides that the minimum investment capital of a PPP project is VND200 billion (approximately $8.7 million). The inclusion of a minimum investment capital sum would be in line with the governments aim of ensuring that larger PPP projects are prioritised.

This would mean that investors who may be good but comes with limited financial capabilities may not be able to participate in such projects.

Amid stiff competition in the region in FDI attraction. Will the new legislation help Vietnam gain advantage, thus increasing our attraction?

The Law on Investment sets out regulations to facilitate investors in carrying out admin procedures, investment, land and construction, thereby attracting FDI to Vietnam. In comparison with other countries legal frameworks, this new version of the law is broadly in line with other emerging economies in Asia-Pacific.

Introduction of national security conditions are also broadly in line with emerging economies concern about rebalancing their degree of openness with new perceptions of national security imperatives, especially regarding data and technology. However, the policy is only preliminary, and there is no explicit guidance on what constitutes national security reasons. As for limited liberalisation, there is a narrowing of the scope of projects subject to evaluation and providing greater market access to foreign funders, but many primary and service sectors remain partly off limits to FDI.

Overall, we are optimistic at the positive advancements in the legal and investment framework that Vietnam has worked towards. We can look forward to more cooperations between Vietnam and Singapore.

Established in 2006, the Singapore-Vietnam Connectivity Ministerial Meeting is an annual platform which has been a cornerstone of bilateral economic relations between Singapore and Vietnam. Chan Chun Sing, Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry, and Vietnams Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung are the current co-chairs of the platform. The Connectivity Ministerial Meetings review the progress of the six sectors of cooperation: education and training, finance, IT and telecommunications, investment, trade and services, and transportation on an annual basis. Since its implementation, the meetings have successfully facilitated several private sector projects into Vietnam, including the development of the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs), PSAs joint venture with Saigon Port to build and operate a deep-sea container terminal in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and the establishment of branch offices by Singaporean banks in Vietnam. The events have also strengthened public sector cooperation in all six sectors. Singaporean agencies have continually organised capacity building programmes for Vietnamese officials in urban development, education, and civil aviation, amongst others. VIR

Bich Thuy

Singapore becomes biggest investor in Vietnam during Jan-April Singapore rose to become the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam in the first four months of 2020 with 5.07 billion USD, accounting for 41 percent of the total.
Weather Alert

...Bitterly cold temperatures expected starting Wednesday Afternoon... ...Slick Roads possible late Wednesday Afternoon and Night... An Arctic blast of cold air will move into the Quad State region Wednesday afternoon, pushing the entire region below the freezing mark by 7 pm Wednesday. Once the cold air moves in, temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until early Saturday afternoon. Gusty north winds will produce very low wind chills Thursday into Friday morning. Wind chills below zero will be likely over southern Illinois and southeast Missouri, with barely above zero wind chills over west Kentucky and southwest Indiana. Wind Chills will remain in the single digits for parts of the area all day on Thursday and into early Friday morning. Anyone traveling or working outdoors should bundle up in layers to protect yourself from developing hypothermia and frostbite. Consideration should also be given to protect pets and livestock left outdoors. For those with water systems vulnerable to an extended period of sub-freezing temperatures, be sure to keep a trickle of water running through those systems. A Winter Weather Advisory is currently posted for part of southwest Indiana and the Pennyrile region of west Kentucky late Wednesday afternoon and night, where the best accumulation of wintry precipitation is expected. However, with temperatures expected to plummet and remain below freezing, any wintry precipitation still left on roadways and sidewalks across the Quad State late Wednesday afternoon and night will freeze. Travelers should use caution while traveling and be watchful for any slick spots on roadways, especially elevated bridges and overpasses. Please stay tuned to the National Weather Service in Paducah for the latest forecasts and statements associated with this winter event.
A Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered no bail and continued the arraignment for a Lompoc man suspected in the shooting death of a U.S. Army soldier in September 2019.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Yes to Indias relations with Israel but not at the expense of our support (...)

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke last week to his Israeli counterpart over the telephone and strengthening bilateral defence ties was the focus of the conversation. Both ministers expressed satisfaction at the progress of strategic cooperation between the two countries and discussed possibilities of further strengthening defence engagements.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Israel in July 2017. Shri Modi was the first-ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. Indo-Israeli relations have witnessed a sharp upswing since the present Government came to power and there has been an unprecedented level of bilateral visits by senior Ministers from India to Israel and vice-versa. India is now the largest purchaser of Israeli military equipment.

The Israel  Palestine conflict is an unresolved issue of international politics dating from the end of the First World War. Palestine was a part of the Ottoman Empire. During the First World War, the Ottoman Empire sided with Germany and was defeated. It was then dissolved. Its successor, the Republic of Turkey transferred Palestine to the British Empire. In 1917, British Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour issued what is known as the Balfour Declaration for the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly approved a plan to partition Palestinian land and proposed a Jewish State and an Arab State on that land. The Arab State of Palestine included the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and some other territories. The Jewish State of Israel was established in 1948 and several wars between the Israelis and the Arabs followed.

Mahatma Gandhi wrote in the Harijan The cry for a national home for the Jews does not make much appeal to me. Why should they not, like other peoples on earth, make that country their home where they are born and where they earn their livelihood? Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs. What is going on in Palestine today cannot be justified by any moral code of conduct. Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be delivered to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home. The nobler course would be to insist on a just treatment of the Jews wherever they are born and bred. The Jews born in France are French in precisely the same sense that Christians born in France are French.

It has been more than 50 years since Israel annexed the Palestinian territories of West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip following the six-day Arab  Israel war of June 1967. In the Six-Day War of 1967, Israelis captured and occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Thereafter, Israel tightened its hold over these territories, crushed Palestinian resistance and created hundreds of thousands of refugees. Its discriminating policies affecting every area of Palestinian life have invited comparison with the South Africa Apartheid regime.

The United Nations Security Council has condemned repeatedly Israeli depredations in the occupied territories. Last year, a United Nations Security Council resolution directed Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlements in the occupied territories including East Jerusalem. Amnesty International has held Israel guilty of war crimes and murder of thousands of innocent Palestinians and demolition of their homes.

India was the first non-Arab country to recognize the Palestinian Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. A PLO office was set up in New Delhi in 1975 and full diplomatic relations were established in 1980.

In 1991, during my tenure in the Ministry of External Affairs, I was asked by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao to ensure the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel so that India could assist the Palestinian cause in a more efficient manner. I met with the PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat at his headquarters in Tunis. Chairman Arafat told me that he was confident that India would not vacillate on its commitment to the legitimate demand for an independent Palestine and that he had no objection if we established diplomatic relations with Israel. I then held a meeting with the Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres at the United Nations in New York and diplomatic relations with Israel followed. India continued its unstinted support to the Palestinian people in their quest for a strong and viable State and provided material as well as technical support to the Palestinian Government in their efforts at nation-building.

At present, most countries of the world recognize the State of Palestine with the exception of the United States and some of its Western allies. Even in the West support for the Palestinian cause is increasing. It is ironical that while the West, the architect of the Palestinian plight, is finally trying to reach out to the Palestinians, India, the old supporter, has almost vanished from the scene.

The international community has been closely observing the growing defence and strategic cooperation between India and Israel, since the present Government assumed office. Israel has in the last couple of years provided the Indian armed forces with radar and border monitoring systems. Israeli companies have been making millions of dollars upgrading MiG-21s and other Soviet-era aircraft. They have recently bagged a contract to provide the avionics for the Indian Air Force MiG-27s.

For the first time, in 2015 India abstained on a UNHRC resolution calling for a probe by the International Criminal Court into war crimes by Israel. It continued to abstain on this resolution in 2016 and thereafter.

Israel ought to comply with international law and the United Nations resolutions and vacate the occupied Palestinian territories of West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. All future agreements between India and Israel should explicitly exclude Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

The relationship between India and Israel should be sustained but not at the expense of our traditional loyalty to the Palestinian cause. India should not dither on its long standing and unequivocal support to the struggle of the Palestinian people for national liberation and for an independent State.

(The writer is a former Union Minister)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 21:22:03|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Friday recorded 3,461 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since the outbreak of the disease, while the ministry spokesman said that more than 90 percent of the infections were between mild to moderate.

The new cases brought the total nationwide infections to 144,064, as the ministry's health teams and institutions have used 17,517 testing kits across the country during the day, raising the total testing kits used so far to 1,110,258, the ministry said in a statement.

It also reported 75 fatalities during the day, raising the death toll to 5,236, while 2,172 more patients recovered in the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 103,197.

The ministry spokesman Sayf al-Badr said in a statement that more than 90 percent of the cases are ranged between mild and moderate, criticizing some citizens who do not abide by the health preventive measures despite repeated calls by the health authorities.

As for the health ministry's policy in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, al-Badr pointed out "the ministry did not pursue the policy of herd immunity. Rather, it relied on a strategy for early detection and treatment of cases and a focus on health awareness in general."

Earlier, the health ministry frequently said the increase of COVID-19 infections was caused by lack of public compliance to the health instructions and stronger testing capacity with the increase of labs in Baghdad and other provinces.

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Iraq has been taking measures to contain the pandemic.

On July 26, Iraq's Higher Committee for Health and National Safety decided to extend the weekly full curfew from July 30 to Aug. 9.

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
Atlantic Canada Gains Access to Adaptiv SD-WAN

By Maurice Nagle , Web Editor

The cost of doing business does a delicate dance with the bottom line. And as the pandemic pushed more businesses over the cloud tipping point, productivity should not be a prohibitive cost.

This week, SD-WAN Expo Platinum Sponsor Adaptiv Networks (News - Alert) announced a partnership with Dramis Communications Solutions LTD. In extending the Adaptiv reseller network, industry in Atlantic Canada gains access to reliable and cost-effective connectivity.







Adaptiv will deliver Dramis customers with unbreakable cloud and Internet connectivity. Dramis is able to monitor and troubleshoot Internet circuits without having to send out a technician via Adaptiv orchestrator and seamless failover.

Dramis Communications Solutions Ltd. Is pleased to institute this strategic partnership to market the Adaptiv portfolio of products and solutions throughout the Atlantic provinces, said Murray Simard, President of Dramis. Adaptivs innovative SD-WAN service offerings will provide our customers with a more reliable and robust network experience. Its going to be a path-breaking business model.

Adaptiv hasnt been quiet in 2020; in January it acquired LiveQoS; in March, the SD-WAN provider unveiled a partnership with TCG, more recently acquired Elfiq from Martello. A combination of in-house innovation and acquisitions is creating a formidable portfolio for the channel, and more importantly, an end user experience second-to-none.

We are pleased to have Dramis as an Adaptiv Networks partner. Dramis understands the challenges of businesses in the Atlantic provinces, explains Bernard Breton (News - Alert), CEO of Adaptiv Networks. They are a reliable and trustworthy provider with a good footprint with small and midsize companies where economical connectivity solutions are critically needed.

At the end of the day, Breton and his team are focused are offering organizations the opportunity to transform with next generation technology. Thats what digital transformation is about, and Adaptiv is one of those providers that make it easy.

Whats in your WAN?

Edited by Maurice Nagle
The Odikro of Kasoa, Nai Mohammed Sani Seidu Yusif III

07.08.2020 LISTEN

The Odikro of Kasoa, Nai Mohammed Sani Seidu Yusif III has been honoured at the World Diplomatic COVID-19 Eminence Honours in Accra on Tuesday.

He was honoured for his remarkable contributions towards growth and development in Kasoa and also championing the promotion of peace and sustainability among communities.

In a remark, the Odikro stated that he was humbled and elated for the award been given to him.

I never knew my humble contributions towards the progress of the citizens in Kasoa was recognised from a far distance, Nai Mohammed Sani Seidu Yusif III underscored.

He expressed gratitude to the organisers for identifying his good works to give him such a deserving award and also praised all his subjects for exhibiting their dedication and unflinching support towards his agendas.

Highlighting on some of his projects yet to be executed, he promised to establish an Endowment Fund which would support the youth in the community and help in their academic ambitions.

Furtherance to the above, he added that the fund would help in promoting the acquisition of technical and vocational skills among the youth.

This he said, has the tendency of reducing unemployment among the youth in the community and also curbing other social vices which pose threats to the development of Kasoa.

Touching on the prevalence of drug abuse in Kasoa, he attributed it to the increasing crime rate which disturbs the peace of inhabitants living in the community.

Sani Seidu Yusif III reiterated that there would soon be educational campaigns in every length and breadth of Kasoa about the woes of drugs abuse to educate the youth.

He advised the youth to refrain from drug abuse because it is detrimental to their health and pose a risk to their futuristic goals.

Sawaba Musah Idriss, Public Relations Officer for the Odikro described the style of leadership skills of Nai Mohammed Sani Seidu Yusif III as an exceptional one which encompasses quality traits of a visionary leader.

Adding that, the Odikro is a father for all whose doors are always opened to correspond to challenges facing the community.
Masks and other PPE items are now washing up on British beaches, horrified environmental groups say.

The blue face coverings have been found on beaches in Sussex and Suffolk in recent days.

And experts say they are not just being discarded by tourists but are washing down storm drains further inland.

Sussex Wildlife Trust issued a warning on the topic after finding dozens of the single-use items on beaches surrounding Brighton.

They say they have seen a spike in the amount of PPE debris they are picking up along the Sussex coastline.

The blue face coverings have been found on beaches in Sussex and Suffolk in recent days, environmental groups have warned

On a single day in June, 11 tonnes of rubbish was left on Brighton and Hove's beaches - with dozens of masks among the debris.

Ella Garrud, the charity's Living Seas Officer, said single use surgical masks and plastic gloves are now regularly being found along the coast.

She said PPE masks would not break down for an astonishing 450 years.

She said: 'As coronavirus lockdown measures continue to ease, there has been a noticeable spike in the amount of rubbish being left on beaches as more people are able to spend more time at the coast.

'Often, incoming tides will wash a lot of waste into the sea where it immediately becomes a threat to marine life. It is therefore vital that everyone takes home their litter and disposes of it properly.

Sussex Wildlife Trust issued a warning on the topic after finding dozens of the single-use items on beaches surrounding Brighton

'With bins overflowing with rubbish, many people are choosing to simply leave their litter behind.

'Although many councils employ people specifically to help clean beaches, it is impossible for them to collect everything.'

And a warning post on the group's Facebook page added: 'The pandemic itself has also unfortunately contributed to more plastic waste.

'Single use face masks and plastic gloves are now being found amongst the other plastic litter, both on beaches and in our towns and cities.

'Disposable masks are thought to have a lifespan of at least 450 years, so wearing reusable/washable face coverings can really help reduce waste.'

Brighton and Hove City Council is now issuing 150 on the spot fines for anyone who drops or leaves litter and officers are patrolling the beach from am to 7pm every day.

On a single day in June, 11 tonnes of rubbish was left on Brighton and Hove's beaches - with dozens of masks among the debris

Campaigner Jason Alexander - who runs litter awareness group Rubbish Walks CIC - says he has seen masks on beaches in Lowestoft and Felixstowe, Suffolk.

He was recently pictured with dozens he'd picked up.

He said: 'The vast majority of masks are obviously dropped by day trippers and to a lesser extent locals.

'There are lots of volunteers and the local councils who are working hard to keep on top of the problem.'

And he added: 'I'm seeing low numbers washed up but I guess that's more to do with our location here in the east.'

The disturbing scenes of waste scattered across Britain's beaches has become and all too familiar sight after mounds of discarded beer bottles, takeaway boxes and even tents were left by sunseekers during warmer weather earlier in the summer.

The disturbing scenes of waste scattered across Britain's beaches has become and all too familiar sight after mounds of discarded beer bottles, takeaway boxes and even tents were left by sunseekers during warmer weather earlier in the summer

Bournemouth and Boscombe's seafront has been one of the worst affected, with local councils calling a state of emergency in June.

Dorset Police said there were reports of gridlocked roads, fights and overnight camping on top of mountains of rubbish left behind by people who had come for the day.

'Bigger coastal towns on the south coast are likely to see higher numbers both dropped on land and washed up with the tide,' campaigner Jason Alexander added.

Campaigning group Keep Britain Tidy said it too was now also seeing masks on beaches and said that some were washed down storm drains and out to sea, as storm drains do not connect to water treatment facilities.

Bournemouth and Boscombe's seafront has been one of the worst affected, with local councils calling a state of emergency in June

And the Marine Conservation Society has recently warned about the issue too.

It carries out its Great British Beach Clean in September, and said: 'The litter you record on your local clean-up will help us identify and create a snapshot of the litter that is still plaguing our environment, including new single-use items such as PPE.'

Meanwhile the furthest west coast of Ireland has also been plagued by the issue.

Charity Flossie and the Beach Cleaners found PPE on scenic Lissadell Beach in Sligo and Tullan Strand near Bundoran.

A spokeswoman said on Twitter: 'Practically spotless, but still PPE can make its way here.'
Taking advantage of a total lunar eclipse, astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have detected ozone in Earth's atmosphere. This method serves as a proxy for how they will observe Earth-like planets around other stars in the search for life. This is the first time a total lunar eclipse was captured from a space telescope and the first time such an eclipse has been studied in ultraviolet wavelengths.

To prepare for exoplanet research with bigger telescopes that are currently in development, astronomers decided to conduct experiments much closer to home, on the only known inhabited terrestrial planet: Earth. Our planet's perfect alignment with the Sun and Moon during a total lunar eclipse mimics the geometry of a transiting terrestrial planet with its star. In a new study, Hubble did not look at Earth directly. Instead, astronomers used the Moon as a mirror that reflects the sunlight that has been filtered through Earth's atmosphere. Using a space telescope for eclipse observations is cleaner than ground-based studies because the data is not contaminated by looking through Earth's atmosphere.

These observations were particularly challenging because just before the eclipse the Moon is very bright, and its surface is not a perfect reflector since it's mottled with bright and dark areas. Furthermore, the Moon is so close to Earth that Hubble had to try and keep a steady eye on one select region, to precisely track the Moon's motion relative to the space observatory. It is for these reasons that Hubble is very rarely pointed at the Moon.

The measurements detected the strong spectral fingerprint of ozone, a key prerequisite for the presence - and possible evolution - of life as we know it in an exo-Earth. Although some ozone signatures had been detected in previous ground-based observations during lunar eclipses, Hubble's study represents the strongest detection of the molecule to date because it can look at the ultraviolet light, which is absorbed by our atmosphere and does not reach the ground. On Earth, photosynthesis over billions of years is responsible for our planet's high oxygen levels and thick ozone layer. Only 600 million years ago Earth's atmosphere had built up enough ozone to shield life from the Sun's lethal ultraviolet radiation. That made it safe for the first land-based life to migrate out of our oceans.

"Finding ozone in the spectrum of an exo-Earth would be significant because it is a photochemical byproduct of molecular oxygen, which is a byproduct of life," explained Allison Youngblood of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics in Colorado, USA, lead researcher of Hubble's observations.

Hubble recorded ozone's ultraviolet spectral signature imprinted on sunlight that filtered through Earth's atmosphere during a lunar eclipse that occurred on 20-21 January, 2019. Several other telescopes also made spectroscopic observations at other wavelengths during the eclipse, searching for more of Earth's life-nurturing ingredients, such as oxygen, methane, water, and carbon monoxide.

"To fully characterize exoplanets, we will ideally use a variety of techniques and wavelengths," explained team member Antonio Garcia Munoz of the Technische Universitat Berlin in Germany. "This investigation clearly highlights the benefits of the ultraviolet spectroscopy in the characterization of exoplanets. It also demonstrates the importance of testing innovative ideas and methodologies with the only habitable planet that we know of to date!"

The atmospheres of some exoplanets can be probed when the alien world passes across the face of its parent star, during a so-called transit. During a transit, starlight filters through the backlit exoplanet's atmosphere. If viewed close up, the planet's silhouette would look like it had a thin, glowing "halo" around it caused by the illuminated atmosphere, just as Earth does when seen from space.

Chemicals in the atmosphere leave their telltale signature by filtering out certain colors of starlight. The spectroscopy of transiting planets' atmospheres was pioneered by Hubble astronomers. This was especially innovative because extrasolar planets had not yet been discovered when Hubble was launched in 1990. Therefore, the space observatory was not initially designed for such experiments. So far, astronomers have used Hubble to observe the atmospheres of gas giant planets that transit their stars. But terrestrial planets are much smaller objects and their atmosphere thinner. Therefore, analyzing these signatures is much harder.

That's why researchers will need space telescopes much larger than Hubble to collect the feeble starlight passing through these small planets' atmospheres during a transit. These telescopes will need to observe planets for a longer period, many dozens of hours, to build up a strong signal. For Youngblood's study, Hubble spent five hours collecting data throughout the various phases of the lunar eclipse.

Finding ozone in the skies of a terrestrial extrasolar planet does not guarantee that life exists on the surface. "You would need other spectral signatures in addition to ozone to conclude that there was life on the planet, and these signatures cannot be seen in ultraviolet light," Youngblood said.

Astronomers must search for a combination of biosignatures, such as ozone and methane, when exploring the possibilities of life. A multiwavelength campaign is needed because many biosignatures--ozone, for example--are more easily detected at specific wavelengths. Astronomers searching for ozone also must consider that it builds up over time as a planet evolves. About 2 billion years ago on Earth, the ozone was a fraction of what it is now.

The upcoming NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an infrared observatory scheduled to launch in 2021, will be able to penetrate deep into a planet's atmosphere to detect methane and oxygen.

"We expect JWST to push the technique of transmission spectroscopy of exoplanet atmospheres to unprecedented limits," added Garcia Munoz. "In particular, it will have the capacity to detect methane and oxygen in the atmospheres of planets orbiting nearby, small-sized stars. This will open the field of atmospheric characterization to increasingly smaller exoplanets."

###

Notes

[1] This study's paper will appear in the Astronomical Journal (https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1538-3881).

Links

* Images of Hubble - http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/archive/category/spacecraft/

* HubbleSite release - https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2020/news-2020-30

* Science paper - http://www.spacetelescope.org/static/archives/releases/science_papers/heic2013/heic2013a.pdf

* Link to Space Scoop - http://www.spacescoop.org/en/scoops/2031/a-giant-mirror-called-the-moon/

Contacts

Allison Youngblood

Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Boulder, USA

Email: allison.youngblood@lasp.colorado.edu

Antonio Garcia Munoz

Technische Universitat Berlin

Berlin, Germany

Email: garciamunoz@astro.physik.tu-berlin.de

Bethany Downer

ESA/Hubble, Public Information Officer

Garching, Germany

Email: Bethany.Downer@partner.eso.org
By Trend





Vegetables worth $6,100 were exported from Georgia to Azerbaijan in May 2020, which is $3,800 more than in the previous month, Trend reports referring to National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

Since beginning of 2020, Georgia exported to Azerbaijan vegetables in the amount of $177,900.

In March, these products were carried out by air, while during other months the goods were transferred by road.

From January through May 2020, the highest rate of export of these products from Georgia to Azerbaijan amounting to $62,500 was observed in March.

As for the import of vegetables from Azerbaijan to Georgia, in January, it amounted to $144,700, in March - $22,100, in April - $194,000, and in May - $762,300.

Azerbaijan did not export any vegetables to Georgia in February 2020.

From January through May 2020, trade turnover between Georgia and Azerbaijan amounted to $409.1 million.
Residents in The Woodlands will soon begin the transition to the future as installation of new, ultrasonic smart water meters begins Aug. 24, a project that will see every home and business receive a new meter over an 18 month period extending into 2021.

Jim Stinson, general manager of Woodlands Water, said the project may be starting on Aug. 24, but has been in the planning stages for more than five years as officials with the entity  which handles all drinking water and sewage issues on behalf of 10 municipal utility districts in The Woodlands  pondered how to cope with aging mechanical water meters.

It is a big step for operational efficiency and for the customers. Customers I think will appreciate the ability to watch their water usage on an hourly basis and make adjustments to their water bill, he said.

Installation will be phased across community and be done by MUD areas.

The effort will begin in the Village of College Park, Montgomery County MUD 39, followed by installation in MUD No. 1, Panther Creek and a portion of Grogans Mill; MUD No. 7, Cochrans Crossing and areas of Panther Creek; MUD No. 67, another area in Cochrans Crossing; MUD No. 60, Indian Springs and areas of Sterling Ridge; MUD No. 47, the Village of Alden Bridge No. 46, Grogans Mill and a part of Alden Bridge; the Metro MUD in Town Center area; MUD No. 6, mainly Grogans Mill; and MUD No. 36, also serving parts of Grogans Mill.

Related: Woodlands MUD entity changes name to Woodlands Water Agency

Stinson said the workers doing the installation will not enter any homes or businesses, but they will need to access back yard areas or possibly closed fence areas to do the work. The company, called Ameresco, will place informational door hangers on door knobs in the affected neighborhoods roughly three to five days before the firms installation crews are scheduled to arrive.

The workers will only do the installations between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and they will be wearing clearly marked bright yellow vests with Ameresco on them and also have photographic identity cards visible around their neck. Stinson stressed no workers will enter homes and residents should not allow anyone inside who claims they need interior access.

First of all, they will knock on the door to inform the homeowner that (water) service will be interrupted for a few minutes, and well make sure it is convenient for the homeowner. If it is not, we will schedule a different time, Stinson explained of the process. In some cases, they will be replacing the meter box in the front yard. In other cases, they will only replacing the meter (alone). If the meter box is damaged, they will replace it. two new ultrasonic meters with no moving parts and have an accuracy of 98 percent or greater for 20 years.

Stinson also said residents with dogs or other pets will be required to secure all animals inside a home and not in the yard.

The workers will come to the front door, have a yellow vest with clearly spelled Ameresco on it and will show a photo ID, he stressed. Weve developed the door hanger, and if residents have any questions, they can contact (Woodlands Water) and weve developed a very interactive website where (residents) can monitor progress.

Improving efficiency

The new ultrasonic meters have no moving parts, unlike traditional water meters, Stinson said. The meters, called the Neptune MACH 10 Ultrasonic Residential Water Meter, are manufactured by a company called Neptune Technology Group. The cost of the project, he addded, is not an issue because the replacement of old meters had already been budgeted into Woodlands Water expenditures because replacing the meters is a regular task.

Related: Woodlands Water reaffirms objection to San Jacinto River Authority fee hike proposal

The mechanical meters we had in place were beginning to lose their service life. As they get older, the meters register slow. As a customer uses more water over the years, the meters begin to register slow. We were either going to have to replace the meters we had in the greound or do an upgrade to the meter system. We thought this was the right time to look at an upgrade, Stinson added. We had confidence (the new meter) provides an accurate (water usage) read for all residents and would be reliable for 20 years or more. We went through a number of reviews of meter system options and ended up selecting Ameresco as our vendor, contractor and the Neptune system.

A benefit of the new smart meters is that physical readings of meters will no longer be necessary, resulting in, Stinson added, the $420,000 a year in savings to Woodlands Water. The physical readings by workers are not done by local employees, but have been outsourced for decades to various firms in the Houston region. Although the new meters mean no people will be required to read water meters, no one will lose jobs because Woodlands Water does not employ that type of staff.

The savings will be, we will be able to eliminate the meter reading costs. We outsource that effort to a third party and that is expense is $420,000 per year, he noted. It will reduce our overhead on contracted labor.

Residents will see enhanced features with the new smart meters, including the ability to access their water meter readings and bills via a smart phone app or online at the Woodlands Water website. Other cool aspects of the new meters, Stinson added, including being able to control water flows via an app in the event a homeowner may want to not exceed a certain monetary amount for their monthly bill. Warning alerts can be set up so when a threshhold of water usage is near, a homeowner can  for example  reduce water usage or stop irrigation.

We look forward to not having a meter in the ground we need to worry about replacing for 20 years, Stinson added. The older meters run slow, and we test them regularly. They under-register (usage). If (customers) happen to see their bills increase a bit, they may have been under-billed for their water.

jeff.forward@chron.com
MIDDLETOWN  About 17 percent of Eversource customers citywide remained without power late Thursday, nearly two days after Tropical Storm Isaias pummeled the state, in what the fire chief characterized as a direct hit.

In all, 536,126 households were in the dark as of late-morning Thursday, according to Eversource, with 7,089 of those in Middletown, or 31 percent. By late in the day the number of customers without power had dropped to 3,971.

The utility, which services the majority of Connecticut towns, was focused on getting blocked roads cleared Tuesday, Mayor Ben Florsheim said. However, Wednesday morning, Fire Chief and EMS Director Robert Kronenberger told him there were still a couple of impassable streets.

Its unusual and unprecedented for any kind of weather event, said the mayor, who is still without power at his home.

On Thursday, the utilitys priority was critical infrastructure. Only in the next few days are they going to be able to really prioritize residential. Those numbers reflect real people, and there are people whose power has come back on, Florsheim said.

He expected better response by now. In his neighborhood, theres a whole tree lying, stretched across a bunch of power lines  still there this morning, untouched since it came down.

Gov. Ned Lamont visited Middletown Wednesday afternoon, stopping by Veterans Green on Route 66, where several giant trees were down, two narrowly missing war monuments there. Shortly afterward, the governor asked the president for an emergency declaration.

Florsheim hopes that will release funding for the citys recovery efforts, but that wont help immediately, he said. We are scrambling without sufficient resources to get people up and running.

Florsheim said he feels Eversource vastly underestimated the possible effects from the storm days before it hit.

Eversource said in a release Thursday that line and tree crews are working around-the-clock to repair the widespread damage to the electric system caused by Tropical Storm Isaias. Also, while adhering to strict COVID-19 pandemic safety protocols, utility crews from Canada, Michigan and Massachusetts are assisting in the major restoration effort - with additional outside crews arriving in the state over the next 24 hours, the utility said.

We understand our customers frustration and know it is an especially challenging time to be without power given the ongoing pandemic and hot summer weather, said said Eversource President of Regional Electric Operations Craig Hallstrom in an email. Our entire Eversource team is dedicated to this effort and is working with an extreme sense of urgency to get all of our customers the power they need.

Hallstrom said, the impact of the storm and its widespread damage cant be overstated.

Weve made good progress repairing incredible damage across our service territory, Hallstrom said in the release. We have hundreds of crews spread out across the state addressing more than 10,000 damage locations and working to rebuild the electric system.

United Illuminating, which is responsible for supplying electricity to 17 towns in the southern portion of Connecticut, classified the event accurately, Florsheim said, however, Eversources estimate was a grade below that.

In comparison, 22 percent of UIs customers, or 73,947, remained without power late Thursday.

To some extent, I understand this is a storm on top of a pandemic on top of an economic crisis, but this was not were prepared, we are struggling because of bringing crews back from being quarantined or whatever. It was a lack of preparation, Florsheim said.

PURA, which announced Wednesday it is investigating both utilities, said Eversource was underestimating its outages and this was the biggest outage event in state history, the mayor said.

More than 1 million Eversource customers were without power at the height of the outages, compared to 800,000 during the October 2011 storm, Florsheim said. The bigger question we should be asking is if there is a system issue here with how we provide power and utilities in the state. What can be done about that?

The city opened two cooling and medical aid stations to assist residents experiencing additional hardships due to the high heat hanging over the area, and loss of electricity.

Middletown High School, 200 LaRosa Lane, will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily for people to charge their cellphones, medical devices and other items. The cooling area is at City Hall Council Chamber Chambers, 245 deKoven Drive. It will be open daily from until 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

The Russell Library, 123 Broad St., is open Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but there is no internet service.

For up-to-date information, visit cityofmiddletown.com or the mayors Facebook page at Ben For Middletown.
The Chinese firm says it is "shocked" by an order for US companies to stop doing business with the app.

Image copyright Alamy/EPA/Alamy



TikTok is threatening legal action against the US after Donald Trump ordered firms to stop doing business with the Chinese app within 45 days.

The company said it was "shocked" by an executive order from the US President outlining the ban.

TikTok said it would "pursue all remedies available" to "ensure the rule of law is not discarded".

Mr Trump issued a similar order against China's WeChat in a major escalation in Washington's stand-off with Beijing.

WeChat's owner, Tencent, said: "We are reviewing the executive order to get a full understanding."

As well as WeChat, Tencent is also a leading gaming company and its investments include a 40% stake in Epic Games - the company behind the hugely popular Fortnite video game.

The president has already threatened to ban TikTok in the US, citing national security concerns, and the company is now in talks to sell its American business to Microsoft. They have until 15 September to reach a deal - a deadline set by Mr Trump.

The Trump administration claims that the Chinese government has access to user information gathered by TikTok, which the company has denied.

TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, said it had attempted to engage with the US government for nearly a year "in good faith".

However, it said: "What we encountered instead was that the administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses."

The executive orders against the short-video sharing platform and the messaging service WeChat are the latest measure in an increasingly broad Trump administration campaign against China.

On Thursday, Washington announced recommendations that Chinese firms listed on US stock markets should be delisted unless they provided regulators with access to their audited accounts.

What did Donald Trump say?

In both executive orders, Mr Trump says that the spread in the US of mobile apps developed and owned by Chinese firms "threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States".

The US government says TikTok and WeChat "capture vast swaths of information from its users".

"This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information."

The executive order also claims both apps gather data on Chinese nationals visiting the US, allowing Beijing "to keep tabs" on them.

Mr Trump's executive order also says TikTok's data collection could allow China to track US government employees and gather personal information for blackmail, or to carry out corporate espionage.

He notes that reports indicate TikTok censors content deemed politically sensitive, such as protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of the Uighurs, a Muslim minority.

The orders have been issued under legal authority from the National Emergencies Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

What does TikTok say?

In its most robust response so far to the US government, TikTok says the executive order that has been issued is based on "unnamed reports with no citations".

"We have made clear that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government, nor censored content at its request," it said.

"We even expressed our willingness to pursue a full sale of the US business to an American company."

Mr Trump said this week he would support the sale to Microsoft as long as the US government received a "substantial portion" of the sale price.

TikTok said the new executive order "risks undermining global businesses' trust in the United States' commitment to the rule of law", adding it sets "a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets".

"We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly - if not by the administration, then by the US courts," it said. BBC
Actress Rhea Chakraborty's C.A. A No Show Despite Being Summoned By The Enforcement Directorate Twice?
Three men have been rescued from a tiny Pacific island after writing a giant SOS sign in the sand that was spotted from above, authorities say.

The men had been missing in the Micronesia archipelago for nearly three days when their distress signal was spotted Sunday on uninhabited Pikelot Island by searchers on Australian and U.S. aircraft, the Australian defense department said Monday.

The men had apparently set out from Pulawat atoll in a 7-meter (23-foot) boat on July 30 and had intended to travel about 43 kilometers (27 miles) to Pulap atoll when they sailed off course and ran out of fuel, the department said.

(Australian Defence Force via AP)

Searchers in Guam asked for Australian help. The military ship Canberra, which was returning to Australia from exercises in Hawaii, diverted to the area and joined forces with U.S. searchers from Guam.

The men were found about 190 kilometers (118 miles) from where they had set out.

I am proud of the response and professionalism of all on board as we fulfill our obligation to contribute to the safety of life at sea wherever we are in the world, said the Canberras commanding officer, Capt. Terry Morrison, in a statement.

The men were found in good condition, and an Australian military helicopter was able to land on the beach and give them food and water. A Micronesian patrol vessel was due to pick them up.

SOS is an internationally recognized distress signal that originates from Morse code.
Full-city massacres. Murder, rape, and dismemberment. Fire raining down from heaven at a single command.

No, its not the latest action movie but, rather, real-life events depicted throughout Gods Holy Word, the Bible.

Christians often wonder how God felt about all this. Did God condone the violence found in the Old Testament? How could our Good Father  the God of life, creation, compassion, and mercy  not only allow but encourage some of the brutality depicted?

What Sort of Violence Is Depicted in the Old Testament?

From Cains jealous slaughter of his brother Abel (Genesis 4) to a massive flood that wiped out nearly every living thing on the planet (Genesis 6-7), the Bible starts with a violent bang.

In fact, nearly every book in the Old Testament depicts some sort of violence. God rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 for their flagrant and wanton sins.

In Exodus, God blanketed Egypt with widespread plagues, including the killing of all firstborn children (Exodus 12:29).

In Leviticus, God sets forth harsh laws, including execution for sins labeled detestable by Him (Leviticus 20).

Violence against women runs rampant throughout Judges, from the sacrifice of Jephthahs daughter (Judges 11) to the sexual abuse and dismemberment of the nameless concubine in Judges 19:23-30 (which there was a call for justice and action for her), to the indiscriminate slaughter of all non-virgin women in Judges 21, with the exception of the 400 young virgins forced to marry their captors. (Its worth reading all these instances in context, as well).

Gods prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume two separate groups of men who came to speak to him on behalf of King Ahaziah and would have torched a third had they not begged for their lives (2 Kings 1).

One of the more bizarre acts of violence comes in 2 Kings 2:23-25, which tells how the prophet Elisha, a man of God, cursed a group of boys who taunted him, calling him Baldy as he walked toward Bethel. Two bears suddenly came from the woods and mauled 42 of the boys, fulfilling the curse.

Did God Call for Any of the Violence in the Old Testament?

While some of the violence in the Old Testament was done by Gods people, some of it appears to have been called for by God Himself. For instance, in Joshua 8, God ordered the leader of the Israelite tribes to ambush and annihilate the city of Ai, and throughout the book of Joshua, God seems both to prescribe and approve of the bloody conquest of Canaan, which involved the slaughter of women, children, and animals.

Judges 1 describes how God helped Judah triumph against the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people in the hill country, and the entire city of Bethel, which was put to the sword (Judges 1:25). This is fully in line with what God ordered through Moses in Deuteronomy 7:1-2 that when Gods people entered the Promised Land they were to destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. And, as elaborated in Deuteronomy 20:16, Do not leave alive anything that breathes.

Its not only enemies who experienced such wrath. In 2 Samuel 6, when King David and his men were bringing up Gods holy ark on a cart from Baalah to the City of David, one of the oxen stumbled and an Israelite named Uzzah reached out to steady the ark. Scripture tells us the Lords anger burned against Uzzah because Uzzah touched His holy ark, considered an irreverent, disrespectful, and disobedient action. God struck down Uzzah, and he died (2 Samuel 6:7).

Why Would a Loving God Condone Violence?

Some people take great issue with the fact that our loving, good God would not only accept but, indeed, authorize violence. Some scholars have concluded the violence described was far less brutal than the text might imply. For instance, destroy or put to the sword could be a metaphor for merely driving enemies out of the land. Battle language can be extreme, after all.

Other scholars remind us that God, who is holy and all-knowing, discerned the souls of all the people destroyed, and these were not innocents but rather evil enemies of the Lord in a grand holy war. After all, the Canaanites were a wicked people (Deuteronomy 9:4) who regularly sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire to false gods (Deuteronomy 12:31). Other enemies were known tyrants who viciously oppressed and exploited people.

In essence, God wasnt glorifying violence but rather destroying intolerable evil, a necessity, and, perhaps, a last resort.

For instance, the Bible tells us God, struck by the rampant iniquity and malevolence filling the heart of every person on earth, was deeply troubled (Genesis 6:6) and resolved to wipe out the human race. But one man, Noah, God saw to be righteous, and so He chose to restart the world with the one salvageable human family in existence.

Gods anger is not rash but rather a holy response to evil intruding upon the world. Sometimes, He allows this evil to occur until the right time, such as when he told Abram the sins of the Amorites had not yet reached its full measure (Genesis 15:16).

Does God Delight in His Wrath?

God does not delight in His wrath. He prefers that His people repent and live.

He is a God of many chances, offering grace and mercy even toward great evildoers. He told Jonah to go preach His word to the city of Nineveh, warning the people God was going to overthrow their city because of their awful wrongdoings. However, the threat of impending doom woke the people from their evil ways, and they repented their sins. God offered them grace and did not destroy Nineveh (Jonah 3:10).

In 1 Kings 21  after His prophet Elijah told the bloodthirsty King Ahab that God would bring disaster upon him, wiping out his descendants, whose remains would be devoured by dogs and birds  Ahab tore his clothes and fasted in repentance. Yet in spite of Ahabs evil heart, God softened at his display of humility, telling Elijah, Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son (1 Kings 21:29).

Years later, God expressed similar understanding and compassion when He told the prophet, Ezekiel, But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign Lord. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? (Ezekiel 18:21, 23).

Its the same sort of grace offered by God when He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to show us the path to eternal life and pay the debt of our unrelenting sin once and for all.

Indeed, reading the Old Testament with an eye on the New Testament, and Gods ultimate plan through our Savior Jesus, indicates another perspective about the violence throughout earths earlier days. After all, we know Gods full plan involves teaching and ultimately rescuing His people from evil through His Son, Jesus Christ.

While the violence peppered throughout the Old Testament can be troubling and confusing to believers, we are to take heart and know that God loves us. He hates evil and will punish when necessary.

But as Jesus said, fear not, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/RomoloTavani

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at jessicabrodie.com. She has a weekly YouTube devotional, too. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and more. Shes also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When Youre Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.
Wednesday, the state stood at 152.6 new cases per million people per day. Douglas Countys number was 218 cases per million per day.

Last week, Douglas County has its second-worst week for new cases since the pandemic began, with 945 new cases.

The positivity rate for the week in Douglas County was about 11%, up from about 7% in July.

Douglas County has reported 135 deaths from COVID-19. Since reporting six COVID-19 deaths last Friday, the county has reported one additional death. The official count can lag from the actual number, however, because it sometimes takes weeks for health officials to receive confirmation of a COVID-19 death.

Birx pointed to four additional cities that are doing relatively well  Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C.  and yet are seeing small increases in the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests, according to White House data. Those areas need to get on top of it, she said.
For the first time in more than two months, the statewide count of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpassed 2,000 in Illinois.

Public health officials said Friday 2,084 new cases were logged during the last 24-hour period, and another 21 people with COVID-19 had died. The last time the newly confirmed case number surpassed 2,000 was May 24, when the state reported 2,508 cases. Officials also placed 13 of the states 102 counties at coronavirus warning level.

Meanwhile, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday announced his administration is filing new emergency rules to require businesses to enforce mask requirements that include the possibility of fines up to $2,500.

Businesses that dont comply will be given a written notice warning. If they dont voluntarily comply, businesses will then be given an order for patrons to leave the property as needed to comply with public health guidance and reduce risks, Pritzkers office said. If businesses still do not comply, they can receive a class A misdemeanor, subject to a fine of $75 to $2,500.

Heres whats happening Friday with COVID-19 in the Chicago area and Illinois:

6:37 p.m.: CPS delays release of remote learning plan but CEO promises more live instruction and accountability

Chicago Public Schools on Friday delayed the release of its plan for remote learning in the fall, days after the district announced it would start the new school year virtually rather than with the hybrid reopening model it first proposed.

The district now plans to issue its final reopening framework in the days ahead, according to an email to families Friday.

We believe an improved remote learning model that engages students for the full school day is the right way to begin the new school year based on both the evolving public health situation and feedback from our families, CPS CEO Janice Jackson and Chief Education Officer LaTanya McDade said in the email. ... We are taking additional time to work with school leaders and labor partners to ensure the plan we finalize for the new school year is thorough and thoughtful, and we will be sharing those guidelines as soon as they are ready.

Read more here. Hannah Leone

6:27 p.m.: While CPS pivots to remote learning, Catholic schools in Chicago and suburbs stand by plans to reopen fully as teachers and parents fret

While Chicago Public Schools has pivoted to a remote learning start for fall, area Catholic schools are moving ahead with plans for a full return to in-person classes five days a week.

Even as city and state officials struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19 and warned in recent days about the upward direction of infection numbers, the Archdiocese of Chicago reiterated its plans to reopen schools later this month. The decision has upset some parents, who are worried and dissatisfied with remote learning alternatives for those who opt out, and some teachers, one of whom is leaving the job rather than return to the classroom.

The Chicago Archdiocesan school system  which educates more than 70,000 students in Cook and Lake counties, a fraction of the size of CPS spread out over a much larger geographic area announced reopening plans in early July, calling for a full return to in-person learning, paired with proper safety measures. The dioceses of Joliet and Rockford have unveiled similar plans.

Read more here. Sophie Sherry

5:45 p.m. (update): Cubs-Cardinals series in St. Louis will be postponed after another positive COVID-19 test

The Chicago Cubs three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium will be postponed, sources said.

Another positive COVID-19 test from a Cardinals player led to the postponement of the first series between the longtime rivals. Fridays game was postponed to allow for additional testing and to complete the contact tracing process, the league said in a statement.

The Cubs were preparing to fly home to Chicago for four off days before their next scheduled game on Tuesday in Cleveland.

Read more here. Paul Sullivan

4:55 p.m.: Inside Mayor Lori Lightfoots Chicago Public Schools fall pivot

In the days and hours before she gave up on in-school learning at Chicago Public Schools this fall, Mayor Lori Lightfoot was getting squeezed from the outside and the inside.

Coronavirus cases continued their seemingly implacable rise despite her constant entreaties to residents to wear masks and follow social distancing rules.

Her political nemeses in the Chicago Teachers Union repeatedly accused Lightfoot of putting students and teachers at risk, even as the rumblings about an impending strike vote grew louder.

Within her administration, CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson desperately was trying to maintain some kind of face-to-face instruction. Thousands of disadvantaged Chicago children count on schools for education, but also for safety, encouragement, structure, meals and a lot of other things some people take for granted, Jackson said as the district opted out of having students in classrooms to start the new academic year.

Meanwhile, the citys coronavirus point person planted her flag publicly on the idea that the hybrid model with kids going in to school two days per week could work despite rising case counts. Public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady told reporters that with the appropriate procedures in place, I honestly do not think the risk of spread is significant inside schools if the virus is under control.

And Lightfoot herself was eager to show Chicago could reopen the right way even as other big cities across the U.S. struggled not to get overwhelmed by the disease.

In the end, with many school districts locally and nationally opting to keep their students at home, Lightfoot said she was guided by the science and shelved until at least November the hybrid model that would have sent kids to school two days per week.

Read more here. John Byrne and Gregory Pratt

4:23 p.m.: 2 dead at Marion federal prison during COVID-19 surge despite restrictive conditions, say inmates and family members

A second coronavirus-related death following a weekend surge of positive COVID-19 cases at the Marion federal prison has inmates with medical conditions worried about their health in a prison that is not allowing them to distance, family members and inmates told the Tribune.

The Bureau of Prisons, which was reporting 72 positive cases July 31 at Marion in southern Illinois, reported 133 positive cases Monday. On Tuesday, the number went down to 88, with 49 inmates reported recovered, and then to 84, including four prison employees, on Friday. The number of positives reported fluctuates based on new cases being added and resolved cases being removed, federal prisons spokesperson Emery Nelson said in an email.

Federal officials announced Monday that one inmate at Marion had died after testing positive for the coronavirus. Late Wednesday, the mother of a second prisoner who had been hospitalized because of COVID-19 told the Tribune he had died. After the man was listed in the Bureau of Prisons inmate directory as having died Wednesday, officials confirmed late Thursday the man, Taiwan Davis, had died after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Experts who have been studying rates of COVID-19 in prisons say the infection rate, death rate and growth rate are significantly higher in prison than in the general population. Between April and June, the mean daily case growth rate was 8.3% in prisons. In the general population, it was less than half that, according to one study. The age-adjusted rate for COVID-19-related deaths was three times the rate in the general population.

Three inmates the Tribune communicated with complained this week about other decisions the prison administration has made in recent weeks, such as banning the use of phones and email, using isolation rooms for inmates needing to quarantine, and, for several days, keeping those who tested positive all together in a recreation room. Thursday, phones were turned back on, according to inmates.

And although low-security inmates typically are able to go outside for most of the day, the prison administration has stopped allowing this for weeks.

What really worries everybody is now that we have (COVID-19 in the prison), once you get it again, its going to get worse, if someone has it and then develops symptoms a second time, said an inmate.

Read more here. Nausheen Husain

4:07 p.m.: Cook County to provide $20 million in CARES Act money to rental aid for suburban households, but Preckwinkle stresses additional federal funds needed

Cook County government will give out $20 million in federal CARES Act funds to suburban residents struggling to pay rent during the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Friday while emphasizing the need for a slow-moving Congress to advance a second stimulus package.

Households earning under 80% of the area median income, about $72,000 for a family of four, can apply for grants that will cover overdue or future rent, Rich Monocchio, executive director of the Housing Authority of Cook County, said at a news conference in Oak Park. Up to $4,500 is available per household to pay between one to three months of rent.

When this pandemic ravaged Cook County and so many working families experienced hardship, we knew that we had to do more, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. The need remains critical and urgent.

Suburban residents can apply at www.cookcountyil.gov/recovery from Aug. 10 to 18. The program is only available to suburban Cook County residents.

Because officials anticipate the demand will exceed their available funds, applicants will be randomly chosen before awards go out to landlords, Monocchio said.

One-quarter of the $20 million will go to places bearing the brunt of the economic devastation from the coronavirus pandemic. Monocchio estimates the maximum number of households benefiting from the program will be about 7,000.

It only stands to reason that during a period like this, the county would have a program that helps the most vulnerable renters stay in their homes and weather out this pandemic, Monocchio said.

Read more here. Alice Yin

Updated 3:45 p.m.: Last-ditch coronavirus relief talks collapse in Washington, no new aid for jobless

A last-ditch effort by Democrats to revive collapsing Capitol Hill talks on vital COVID-19 rescue money ended in disappointment on Friday, making it increasingly likely that Washington gridlock will mean more hardship for millions of people who are losing enhanced jobless benefits and further damage for an economy pummeled by the still-raging coronavirus.

It was a disappointing meeting, declared top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, saying the White House had rejected an offer by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to curb Democratic demands by about $1 trillion. He urged the White House to negotiate with Democrats and meet us in the middle. Dont say its your way or no way.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, Unfortunately we did not make any progress today.

With the collapse of the talks, he said President Donald Trump was now likely to issue executive orders on home evictions and on student loan debt.

Read more here. Associated Press

2:05 p.m.: The Paycheck Protection Program ends Saturday, and many small businesses are looking for a Round Two

Small businesses are in limbo again as the coronavirus outbreak rages and the governments $659 billion relief program draws to a close.

Companies still struggling with sharply reduced revenue are wondering if Congress will give them a second chance at the Paycheck Protection Program, which ends Saturday after giving out 5.1 million loans worth $523 billion. While the program that began April 3 has gotten mixed reviews, business owners still need help as the virus continues to spread and hamstring the economy.

Theyve exhausted their funds and are looking for a Round Two, says Molly Day, a spokeswoman for the National Small Business Association, an advocacy group.

Read more here. Associated Press

1:12 p.m.: 13 Illinois counties now at COVID-19 warning level

The Illinois Department of Public Health placed 13 of the states 102 counties at coronavirus warning level on Friday, meaning at least two key metrics signal a resurgence of highly contagious COVID-19.

Some of the 13 counties were on the departments warning list a week earlier, while others were new additions.

Cass, Jackson, Perry, Saline and St. Clair counties all made the warning list for two weeks in a row.

In addition, Coles, Grundy, Iroquois, Monroe, Tazewell, Union, Williamson and Winnebago are considered at warning level.

Other counties that were on the list last week, when 11 counties were warned, were taken off the list. Those counties are Jo Daviess, Sangamon, Gallatin, Johnson, Randolph and White.

According to the state Department of Public Health, cases and outbreaks in these areas have been traced to businesses, long-term care facilities, large social gatherings and out-of-state travel.

The state is monitoring a range of metrics to determine whether theres a coronavirus resurgence in a given community, including deaths, hospital admissions, new cases per 100,000 people, weekly test positivity and ICU availability.

Jamie Munks

12:28 p.m.: Tonights Cubs-Cardinals game in St. Louis is postponed after another positive COVID-19 test for the Cardinals

The opener of the Chicago Cubs three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium Friday has been postponed.

Another positive COVID-19 test from the Cardinals clubhouse led to the postponement, MLB announced. The game was postponed to allow for additional testing and to complete the contact tracing process, the league said in a statement.

Read more here. Paul Sullivan

12:04 p.m.: 2,084 new known COVID-19 cases reported, the highest number in more than two months

For the first time in more than two months, the statewide count of newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpassed 2,000 in Illinois.

Public health officials said Friday 2,084 new cases of coronavirus were logged during the last 24-hour period, and another 21 people with COVID-19 had died.

The last time the newly confirmed case number surpassed 2,000 was May 24, when the state reported 2,508 cases during a 24-hour period.

The new daily tally brings the statewide count of known cases to 190,508. There have been 7,613 deaths of people with COVID-19 in Illinois since the pandemic began earlier this year.

The state reported nearly 2,000 cases on Thursday, when there were 1,953 cases, as the state continues to see consistently higher case numbers than it did through much of June and early July. The seven-day statewide average positivity rate is 4.1%. The rate was 2.5% on July 7.

The state remains in the fourth phase of Gov. J.B. Pritzkers reopening plan, but Pritzker has repeatedly warned that in regions where there is a resurgence in COVID-19, as evidenced by a range of public health metrics, stricter rules meant to slow the spread could be reimposed.

Jamie Munks

11:29 a.m.: Postal Service loses $2.2 billion in 3 months as coronavirus woes persist

The U.S. Postal Service says it lost $2.2 billion in the three months that ended in June as the beleaguered agency  hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic  piles up financial losses that officials warn could top $20 billion over two years.

Our financial position is dire, stemming from substantial declines in mail volume, a broken business model and a management strategy that has not adequately addressed these issues,' Louis DeJoy, the new postmaster general, said Friday in his first public remarks since taking the job in June.

Without dramatic change, there is no end in sight,' DeJoy told the postal board of governors at a meeting Friday.

Read more here. Associated Press

9:43 a.m.: Gov. Pritzker issues rule to penalize businesses that dont enforce mask requirements with fines up to $2,500

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, declaring Illinois is at a make or break moment in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, issued new emergency rules to require businesses and schools to enforce his mandatory face mask rules or face the prospect of being fined.

Pritzker said individuals are not subject to penalties for not complying with the mask mandate.

Businesses that dont comply with the mask mandate will be given a written notice warning. If they dont voluntarily comply, businesses will then be given an order for patrons to leave the property as needed to comply with public health guidance and reduce risks, Pritzkers office said.

If businesses still do not comply, they can receive a class A misdemeanor, subject to a fine of $75 to $2,500.

Pritzker issued a mask mandate May 1 for most people in most public settings, but enforcement has been an issue.

Read more here. Jamie Munks and Rick Pearson

8:47 a.m.: Drug and alcohol use has spiked during pandemic, prompting Chicagos recovery community to find new ways to reach out

The pandemic has proven to be a difficult time for addicts. With persisting unemployment rates and surging reports of anxiety and depression nationwide, alcohol consumption and opioid use have skyrocketed among users who have found themselves stuck inside day after day.

But support is still available. Over the past few months, recovery groups and treatment centers throughout the Chicago area have learned to adapt their services to the shifting restrictions of the pandemic.

Katie Minarcik, a manager at the Chicago service office of Alcoholics Anonymous, said about 100 socially distanced in-person AA meetings have gradually returned to the Cook County area.

The vast majority of members from their more than 2,900 weekly meetings, though, have adjusted to convening virtually by Zoom or phone call.

Read more here. Verity Sturm

8:37 a.m.: Chicago Urban League to hand out $100,000 to Black-owned businesses after Ford Fund grant

The Chicago Urban League plans to provide $100,000 to Black small business owners through the Emergency Capital Access Program, a new initiative that plans to help companies through small grants, technical assistance and advisory services.

The program, announced Thursday, was launched in partnership with Ford Motor Companys Ford Fund, which planned to provide grants of about $2,000 to $5,000 to about 20 Black-owned small businesses, according to a news release. Company owners can apply to the program through the leagues COVID-19 Community Help Center website beginning Aug. 17.

Chicago Urban League President and CEO Karen Freeman-Wilson said in the release the new initiative will help us make a difference for more local, Black-owned businesses and the communities they serve.

Over the past few months, our Help Center has worked with hundreds of small business owners to assist them in recovering from interruption caused by the pandemic, and the need is still great, Freeman-Wilson said.

Funding priority would be given to businesses located in areas with greater than 25% Black residency, and qualified applicants would be required to participate in non-grant counseling services to access short-term needs, the release said.

Chicago was one of six National Urban League affiliates to receive $100,000 from Ford for the program. Ford created the initiative to provide a stabilizing influence for communities hard hit by COVID-19.

Small businesses are a cornerstone of the African American community and play a vital role in their economic success, Pamela Alexander, Fords director of community development, said in the release. The impact of the COVID pandemic has created economic uncertainty that necessitates immediate action. Our long-term partnership with the National Urban League allows us to quickly mobilize an initiative such as the Emergency Capital Access Program to get immediate assistance to those businesses in need.

Kelli Smith

6:30 a.m.: Gov. Pritzker to announce new COVID-19 guidelines

Gov. J.B. Pritkzer and industry leaders were scheduled to announce new guidelines Friday morning to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to the governors office.

Details of the new policies were expected to be released at a morning news conference.

Check back for updates.

Chicago Tribune staff

6:15 a.m.: Some lakefront restaurants reopening Friday

After the Chicago Park District announced this week that restaurants and concessions east of Lake Shore Drive are now allowed to reopen, some were scheduled to start service again Friday.

Beachside establishments must adhere to the same COVID-19 safety guidelines that pertain to other businesses and restaurants in the city. The Park District is working with each concession on its health and safety plans and owners can open as early as this week, with some allowed to open as early as Thursday, according to the Park District.

Chicago beaches are still closed.

Chicago Tribune staff

6:15 a.m.: Preckwinkle to announce new coronavirus-related rental assistance program

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle was set to announce Friday a new rental assistance program for people who live suburban Cook County who are experiencing financial insecurity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Preckwinkles office.

Preckwinkle and other county elected officials were scheduled to join county housing and economic development officials at an announcement late Friday morning in Oak Park regarding the program.

Check back for updates.

Chicago Tribune staff

5 a.m.: Kids do best when they know whats coming: How parents can navigate back-to-school anxiety, whether students are in class or learning remotely

The decision of how children will learn this fall is stressful for parents, who have been under enormous stress already  with many trying to work and simultaneously help teach children at home in the spring, and reckoning with an extended period of COVID-19 restrictions.

Now, they must anticipate what school will look like in the fall.

Read more here. Alison Bowen

5 a.m.: Internet slowing down as mom works, kids learn? Heres how to speed it up.

Nothing kills work-from-home motivation like slow internet. Its an issue some in the Chicago area are facing for the first time as the COVID-19 pandemic sent them out of the office and into remote workspaces at home.

With the recent announcement of all-remote learning for students in Chicago Public Schools this fall, and many other districts opting for some degree of e-learning, a torrent of video calls and downloads from multiple family members could test the mettle of even the hardiest internet connections. And for families with limited income, it can seem like high-speed internet is out of reach financially.

For Chicagoans looking for ways to improve their connection or get their homes hooked up for the first time, heres some advice.

Read more here. Milan Polk
Photo for illustration. (Source: baodautu.vn)

In the first six months of the year, Vietnams shrimp export to the US was valued at USD323.3 million, a year-on-year rise of 29%.



The COVID-19 epidemic was complicated in the US in the first half, with the highest number of infections and deaths in the world. However, the demand for shrimp in the market did not decrease during the period due to serving retail channels, e-commerce and delivery at home.

In the US, Vietnams shrimp is competitive over competitors thanks to stability and faster production, while supply sources from India and Ecuador still suffered huge impacts.

However, Vietnams shrimp export to the US in the third quarter is forecast to be not as high as the previous quarters because India and Ecuador shifted their exports to the market.

According to VASEP, with advantages on low anti-dumping tax, shrimp export to the US in the whole year of 2020 is projected to rise about 20% compared to 2019./.
Bihar-cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vinay Tiwari, who was in Mumbai to investigate Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death, returned to Patna on Friday after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) exempted him from the mandatory quarantine.

Tiwari had reached Mumbai to probe Rajputs death on August 2 and was asked by the civic body to remain under 14-day home quarantine, as per the Maharashtra governments rule for domestic air travellers. Authorities took the decision to exempt him after Bihar police wrote a letter to them to facilitate Tiwaris return to Patna.

I would say I wasnt quarantined, the investigation was quarantined. Investigation of Bihar police was obstructed, Tiwari said before leaving, according to news agency ANI.

Bihar police wrote to BMC after the Nitish Kumar-led government recommended the transfer of Rajputs death case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) earlier this week. The central agency registered a first information report (FIR) in the case on Thursday.

Tiwari was advised to travel to the Mumbai airport using precautionary measures against the raging coronavirus outbreak, including personal protective equipment (PPE) items.

The IPS officer came to Mumbai to probe Rajputs death after the actor father registered a case in Patna against Rhea Chakraborty, accusing her of abetting his sons alleged suicide in June.

As Tiwaris quarantine lead to a turf war between the police forces of Bihar and Maharashtra and a political war of words, the Supreme Court said BMCs move had not sent the right message despite the fact that Mumbai Police has a good professional reputation.

The top court made the observation during a hearing of a plea by actor Rhea Chakraborty seeking transfer of the case registered in Bihars capital of Patna to Mumbai.

Mumbai Police are also probing the case after the actor was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14 following which the Maharashtra government ordered an investigation into his death.

Four personnel of Bihar police, who were in Mumbai since July 27 to investigate Rajputs death, also flew back to Patna on Thursday.
Mumbai, Aug 8 : Maharashtra's Covid deaths crossed the 17,000 mark with 300 fatalities on Friday while the state recorded 10,483 more cases, down from the peak of 11,514 on Thursday, health officials said.

With the new deaths, the state death toll rose to 17,092, while the total number of cases reached 490,262 - both highest in the country.

According to Friday's figures, there was one death roughly every 5 minutes and a staggering 437 new cases every hour.

The state recovery rate went up from 65.94 per cent to 66.76 per cent on Friday, while the mortality rate stood at 3.49 per cent.

The Health Department said that of the total cases till date, 145,582 are active.

On Friday, 10,906 recovered patients returned home, taking the total number of discharged patients to 327,281.

Of the Friday's fatalities, Pune again notched the highest deaths, at 70, followed by Mumbai's 45, and Thane's 34 deaths.

Mumbai deaths, which again dropped below the 50-plus range, now stand at 6,693 and the number of cases increased by 862 to 121,012 now.

Besides, there were 28 deaths in Raigad, 26 in Nashik, 15 in Nagpur, 14 in Palghar, seven in Solapur, six each in Satara, Kolhapur, Nanded and Jalgaon, five each in Ahmednagar, Latur, and Amravati, four in Aurangabad, three each in Dhule, Sangli, Ratnagiri, and Washim, two in Beed, one each in Osmanabad, and Akola, besides one from another state.

The MMR's toll shot up by 121 to 10,492 and fresh 2,597 new cases pushed up the number to 259,875.

Pune district cases now stand at 107,204, with the death toll at 2,566, while Thane district now had 101,977 cases with 2,913 fatalities.

With 83 more fatalities, the Pune division's death toll has reached 3,292 and the case tally zoomed up with 3,374 new cases to 123,306.

Nashik division has recorded 1,380 fatalities and 44,527 cases, followed by Aurangabad division with 660 deaths and 19,441 cases, Kolhapur division with 384 fatalities and 14,503 cases, Latur division with 322 fatalities and 9,171 cases, Akola division with 309 fatalities and 9,358 cases, and Nagpur division with 199 deaths and 9,597 cases.

Of the total eight divisions, only Latur, Akola and Nagpur remain in the sub-10,000 cases bracket, though the numbers of new infectees continue to mount steadily.

Meanwhile, the number of people sent to home quarantine increased to 982,075, while those in institutional quarantine decreased to 35,262.
AB Klaipedos nafta (further the Company) reviewed operating segments since the beginning of the second quarter of 2020 and presents revenue disclosures accordingly. The following operating segments of the Company are:

Oil terminals activity, that includes Klaipeda oil terminal and Subacius oil terminal,

Regulated LNG activity in Klaipeda and

Commercial LNG activity, that includes small-scale LNG reloading station in Klaipeda and Business development projects.

The preliminary sales revenue of the Company's oil terminals for the July 2020 comprised EUR 2.4 million and is lower by EUR 0.5 million or by 17.2 per cent compared to July of 2019. The preliminary sales revenue is lower due to decrease of transhipment quantities of oil products, compared to the same period of 2019. The preliminary sales revenue of the Company's oil terminals for the first seven months of 2020 comprised EUR 18.5 million and is the same compared to the first seven months of 2019.



The preliminary sales revenue of the Company LNG terminal for July 2020 comprised EUR 3.6 million (during the same month of 2019 - EUR 5.9 million). LNG terminal revenue consists of the regasification tariff fixed part (for booked annual capacities), variable part for amount of regasified LNG and reloading revenue from regulated activities. The level of Klaipeda LNG terminal revenue (for booked annual capacities) does not depend on regasification volume. Revenue is confirmed by the National Energy Regulatory Council (NERC) based on the approved methodology of State regulated prices in the natural gas sector and is calculated for the whole upcoming year. The preliminary sales revenue of LNG terminal for the first seven months of 2020 decreased by 37.7 per cent due to the reduction of security supplement of Klaipeda LNG terminal from the 1st January of 2020.

The preliminary sales revenue of the Company's Commercial LNG activity for the July 2020 comprised EUR 0.2 million. If compared to the respective period last year, the preliminary sales revenue is higher due to Business development projects consultation revenue and increase of small-scale LNG station revenue. The preliminary sales revenue of the Company's Commercial LNG activity for the first seven months of 2020 comprised EUR 1.6 million.

Total preliminary sales revenue of the Company for the January-July 2020 amount to EUR 45.9 million and is lower by 23.5 per cent compared to the same period of 2019 - EUR 60.0 million.

Preliminary revenue of the Company, EUR million:

July January - July 2020 2019 Change 2020 2019 Change Oil terminals activity 2.4 2.9 -17.2% 18.5 18.5 0.0% LNG terminal activity 3.6 5.9 -39.0% 25.8 41.4 -37.7% Commercial LNG activity 0.2 0.0 100.0% 1.6 0.1 16 times Total 6.2 8.8 -29.5% 45.9 60.0 -23.5%

Comment by the Company management:

Despite the unfavourable external circumstances beyond control of the Company in 2020, which were reinforced both by the COVID-19 pandemics and geopolitical environment, KN managed to maintain the same level of preliminary sales revenue from the oil terminals activity in January-July, 2020, as in the same period of 2019.

The main factor, which influenced the total Company's revenue result in January-July, 2020, is the reduction of security supplement of Klaipeda LNG terminal from the 1st January of 2020. With this decision the Company contributes to the reduction of the cost of LNG terminal infrastructure for consumers in Lithuania. In the light of this decision, despite the record levels of LNG terminal in Klaipeda activities, the preliminary sales revenue of LNG terminal for the first seven months of 2020 decreased by 37.7 per cent.





Jonas Lenksas, Chief Financial Officer, +370 694 80594.
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Thousands of New York State residents lost power this week as a result of Hurricane Isaias, and one of them was Richard Gere.

The Pretty Woman star, who turns 71 at the end of this month, was seen on Thursday inspecting his property in Bedford Hills, New York, which reportedly lost electricity on Tuesday as the storm lashed the area.

Gere is the co-owner of the Bedford Post Inn, a small luxury inn housing two restaurants and a yoga space.

Checking on his: Richard Gere was seen on Thursday inspecting his property in Bedford Hills, New York, which reportedly lost electricity on Tuesday as storm Isaias lashed the area

Lovely: Gere is the co-owner of the Bedford Post Inn, a small luxury inn housing two restaurants and a yoga space

The Red Corner actor was seen around that property in a casual grey t-shirt and darker sweatpants, carrying a water bottle.

The silver-haired Golden Globe winner also kept on his classic wayfarer sunglasses, and also at one point donned a CDC-recommended standard face mask.

According to the inn's website, Richard along with business partner Russell Hernandez 'joined together in 2007 to rescue and restore this historic property dating back to the 1860's.'

Still suave: The Red Corner actor was seen around that property in a casual grey t-shirt and darker sweatpants, also keeping on his classic wayfarer sunglasses

The Westchester, New York property comprises eight guest rooms as part of the inn, along with two 'distinct' restaurants and a yoga studio called The Yoga Loft that is home to daily classes, workshops and events.

The property looks to also be home to a swimming pool, and stone fountain among other amenities.

The inn's gorgeous rooms each have a unique feel, with at lease one four-post canopy bed.

Lavish: The Westchester, New York property comprises eight guest rooms as part of the inn, along with manicured grounds

Perks: The property looks to also be home to a swimming pool, and stone fountain among other amenities

According to the inn's website: Richard along with business partner Russell Hernandez 'joined together in 2007 to rescue and restore this historic property dating back to the 1860's'

Hurricane Isaias, which was later downgraded to a tropical storm, pummeled the Northeastern U.S. this week, killing at least seven people and leaving more than 3 million people without power across the region.

The weather system unleashed tornadoes and flooding, spawning tornadoes and excessive rain Tuesday all along the East Coast.

Winds brought down a church steeple in Ocean City, New Jersey on Tuesday morning, with felled trees causing fatalities as well as power outages also spread as trees fell.

The property includes: A yoga studio called The Yoga Loft that is home to daily classes, workshops and events

Homely and cozy: The inn also includes two 'distinct' restaurants according to the website

Luxury: The inn's gorgeous rooms each have a unique feel, with at lease one four-post canopy bed
The explosion killed at least 150 people and injured around 5,000, according to data released by Lebanons health ministry

The bodies are set to arrive on a flight operated by EgyptAir from Beirut, the ministry said.

The three Egyptians killed in the explosion were named as Ibrahim Abu Qasaba, Aly Shehata and Roshdy El-Gamal, the embassy said, offering its condolences to the families of the victims.

A massive blast at the citys port on Tuesday damaged buildings across the capital and sent a giant mushroom cloud into the sky.

Lebanese officials have said the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate, 2,750 tons of which had been stored in a warehouse at the port for six years after being confiscated from a ship.

The explosion killed at least 150 people and injured around 5,000, according to data released by Lebanons health ministry.

Egypt has taken several steps to provide assistance to Lebanon, including sending a planeload of medical supplies to Beirut on Wednesday.

An Egyptian field hospital in Beirut is also providing aid to victims of the blast.

During a phone call with Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Wednesday, Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi promised to provide full support to the country.

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Orange County parents unite to protest Gov. Gavin Newsom's mandatory school closings for California counties with high rates of COVID-19 in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2020. (Jamie Joseph/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Parents Rally Against School Closures

SANTA ANA, Calif.A growing number of California parents are urging local teachers unions and Gov. Gavin Newsom to reopen schools to in-person learning, frustrated by the states response to COVID-19.

Chants of reopen the schools drifted for blocks when nearly 75 members of the Orange County-based Parent Union assembled in front of their local teachers Santa Ana Educators Association building on Aug. 4, calling on Newsom to rescind his distance-learning mandate for counties that fail to meet state thresholds.

The energetic crowd sang The Star-Spangled Banner and prayed. Some parents waved American flags; others wore Trump 2020 hats.

Orange County physician Dr. Jeff Barke stood in front of the crowd and led the protest, calling for schools to reopen. Theres a lot of things that are risky [for children]COVID-19 is not one of them, he told The Epoch Times.

Barke is co-founder of a new charter school, the Orange County Classical Academy, which was slated to open Aug. 13until Newsom announced on July 17 that only schools in counties that remain off the states watch list for more than 14 days can return to in-person instruction.

Orange County remained on the watch list as of Aug. 6, with 38,711 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 697 deaths. The countys case rate per 100,000 residents stood just shy of 98, higher than the states threshold of 25, while the rate of county residents testing positive for COVID-19 remained at the states desired 8 percent rate.

Of those cases, 2,802 were infected children under the age of 18.

Many teachers in Orange County dont want schools to reopen until the pandemic is under control, and teachers throughout the state have protested against returning to the classroom.

Barbara Pearson, president of the Santa Ana teachers union, called the protest in front of the union building a desperate grab for attention.

It has nothing to do with the reopening of schools or the students of Santa Ana. Governor Newsom made the decision to close schools, not the unions. Our priority is the safety of staff and students, Pearson wrote in an Aug. 4 email sent to the Orange County Register.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced on Aug. 3 a process that allows certain elementary schools to qualify for waivers, permitting some to reopen for in-person education if they meet certain stringent conditionsbut in accordance with Newsoms guidance, counties cant reopen schools if theyve been on the states watch list within the last two weeks.

Parents assemble at a rally calling for the reopening of Orange County schools in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2020. (Jamie Joseph/The Epoch Times)

Parents at a protest calling for the reopening of Orange County schools listen to a speaker outside the Santa Ana Educators Association building in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2020. (Jamie Joseph/The Epoch Times)

Parents hold signs and cellphones at a gathering to protest mandated school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2020. (Jamie Joseph/The Epoch Times)

Parents hold signs calling for the reopening of schools at a protest in front of the Santa Ana Educators Association building in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 4, 2020. (Jamie Joseph/The Epoch Times)

Closures Unfair to Working Families

Cecilia Iglesias, a former Santa Ana councilwoman, founded the Parent Union as a way for community members to ensure better education for their children. She told The Epoch Times she thinks the closures are very unfairespecially for minority families.

Theyre essential workers, theyre out there working every day. Their kids are pretty much taking care of themselves, Iglesias said.

Iglesias said parents should have the option to decide whether to send their children to school. Its important to give parents the choice, because I know many of the parents are saying that their kids are suffering, both emotionally and academically.

She suggested parents should receive money from the state if schools remain closed, so they can hire teachers, tutors, or sitters.

Barke said some students may be going hungry because schools remain closed.

Many of these kids in the lower socioeconomic class qualify for whats known as free and reduced lunch. Many schools started serving breakfast as well, Barke said.

So some of these kids are getting fed in school, and now theyre home, and theyre not getting those meals that theyre used to getting.

Board Members Join the Chorus

Some of the protesters were members of the Orange County Board of Education (OCBE), which cited the benefits of in-person learning in a July white paper that recommended a full return to schools without mandated social distancing or wearing face masks.

Barke has also been vocal about his beliefs on face masks and social distancing, calling them ineffective.

Theres no reason to put a face covering on a child, because theyre not at risk of the disease. Theres no evidence that theyre spreading it and masking children is harmful. Theres no reason to socially distance children, because again theyre not at risk, Barke said.

OCBE board member Mari Barke, wife of the protests leader, urged the crowd to keep fighting to reopen schools. Parents are in the best position to make decisions for their children, she said.

Board member Ken Williams also urged the crowd to continue the fight for the children.

The OCBE voted 40 at a July 28 meeting to file a lawsuit against Newsom and then-California Public Health Officer Dr. Sonia Angell over the mandatory school closures. Angell resigned on Aug. 9 without explanation.

Many families will suffer greatly and experience many unknown, unintended consequences if schools remain closed. We believe students and their families must have the option for in-person learning, Williams said at the meeting. We have made the decision to put the needs of our students first.

Upon issuing the mandatory closures, Newsom called learning in California simply non-negotiable.

Schools must  provide meaningful instruction during this pandemic whether they are physically open, the schools, or not, Newsom said.

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.
Assyrian, Non-Assyrian NGOs Join Call for Iraqi Recognition of Simmele Massacre

Robina Lajin visits the Simele massacre site during a 2019 trip to Iraq organized by GISHRU. ( Joe Snell) Chicago -- Backed by a coalition of more than a dozen global organizations, the Assyrian Policy Institute (API) published a letter on Friday calling for recognition by the Iraqi government of the Simmele Massacre of 1933 and urged proper maintenance of relevant sites and other recommended government actions.

The letter is introduced amid the planning of excavations of the site that threaten the collection of physical evidence potentially critical to "future justice processes," according to API.

"The Simmele massacre...is overlooked completely in Iraqi history," API Director Reine Hanna said. "And in order for Iraq to really transform into a tolerant, inclusive country, there has to be acknowledgement of past crimes."

The Simmele Massacre was the 1933 systematic targeting of Assyrians by the Iraqi army in the town of Simmele, Iraq and 65 surrounding Assyrian villages, according to API. The massacre site, located in Dohuk Governorate within what is now the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, currently lacks protection by a the Iraqi government.

The letter, cosigned by 35 non-governmental organizations both in and outside of the Assyrian community, demands the protection and investigation of physical sites, measures to prevent unauthorized excavation and compensation by the Iraqi government for victims and their descendants. If properly applied, API says, these measures can pave the way for "future accountability efforts" in the country.

The organization will send the letter to U.S. representatives thought to be "in a condition to help promote awareness, insight and accountability and [who], potentially, would be willing to help intervene," said API director Reine Hanna. Additionally, she said, the organization will be in contact with both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, the latter of which holds jurisdiction over the Simmele site.

Hanna says this initiative is part of a greater effort to "work toward justice" for Assyrians who have struggled in the Middle East. Signatories include both Assyrian and non-Assyrian organizations, a significant step in this struggle for justice, according to Hanna.

"It's a show of solidarity among these communities who really have a shared sense of suffering and pain and have dealt with very similar atrocities in their modern history," Hanna said. "It's really powerful when people who have been victimized come together and stand together."
Mumbai, Aug 7 : Bollywood actresses including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Vidya Balan and Janhvi Kapoor went vocal for local, urging people to support Indian weavers, on the occasion of National Handloom Day on Friday.

Vidya posted a few pictures in mustard silk saree on Instagram and wrote: "Let us all resolve to support our weavers across the country in these difficult times by buying and wearing their beautiful creations in our everyday life and also help keep #India'sHandloomLegacy alive. Appreciate the labour of love."

Priyanka posted a picture in a green saree and wrote on Instagram Stories: "Indian handlooms are known to be unique and a work of craftsmanship. Let's lend our support to the weavers and artisans of the textile industry. #NationalHandloomDay#Vocal4Handmade."

Janhvi shared an image of her most favourite handloom saree. "Today is National Handloom Day! This is my most favourite and most special handloom saree. The weavers and artisans in our country are truly unmatched in skill and creativity- the best in the world! #vocal4handmade," she wrote.

Dia Mirza said she is proud of Indian heritage. "Our weavers need all our support and love! This #NationalHandloomDay let's celebrate the rich legacy of our Indian weaves and textiles. I am proud of this rich heritage of India and of our weavers who have kept our traditions alive. There is nothing like a handloom saree," she wrote along with an image in which she is dons the saree look.

Earlier, Kangana Ranaut urged to "promote our own Indian organic fabric industries and preserve the planet" on Twitter, though a tweet by Team Kangana Ranaut on an unverified Twitter account.

-- Syndicated from IANS
DENVER - Prosecutors are investigating whether suburban Denver police officers should face criminal charges for putting four Black girls on the ground and handcuffing two of them after mistakenly suspecting they were riding in a stolen car, a district attorney said Friday.

The incident Sunday attracted national attention after a video of the girls  some in tears  being detained in a parking lot spread on social media.

The traffic stop happened in Aurora, where officers are also being investigated following the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain after he was placed in a chokehold last year.

In the Sunday incident, officers eventually determined the car carrying the girls, ranging in age from 6 to 17, had the same license plate number as the one they were seeking from another state.

Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson and the department are co-operating with the investigation, 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said in his announcement. He called the public accounts of the confrontation very concerning.

Everyone is entitled to be treated equally under the law, he said. No one is above the law. If our investigation determines that the officers involved committed a crime, I will not hesitate to file charges and prosecute them.

Brauchler is a Republican and a vocal defender of law enforcement, but earlier this year he criticized members of Auroras police department for helping shield an officer found passed out in his patrol car from criminal prosecution for suspected drinking and driving.

Aurora police apologized after the video taken by a bystander showed the girls, with the 17-year-old and a 12-year-old lying on their stomachs with their hands cuffed behind their backs. A 14-year-old girl was lying next to the 6-year-old, also on their stomachs next to the car.

They can be heard crying and screaming as officers stand with their backs to the camera. A woman on the other side of the car is seen being led away in handcuffs.

An officer eventually helped the handcuffed girls sit up but left them with their hands behind their backs, and police eventually determined they had stopped the wrong car. Part of the reason for the mix-up might have been that the car had been reported as stolen earlier in the year, police said.

Driver Brittney Gilliam, who had taken her nieces, sister and daughter out for a day at a nail salon, has characterized the officers actions as police brutality.

Theres no excuse why you didnt handle it a different type of way, Gilliam told KUSA-TV. You could have even told them step off to the side, let me ask your mom or your auntie a few questions so we can get this cleared up. There was different ways to handle it.

Jennifer Wurtz, who shot the video, said on camera that the police drew guns as they initially approached the car.

Wilson, who was named chief of the Aurora Police Department this week after serving as its interim leader, told The Associated Press earlier this week she was angry and disgusted like others who have seen the video and said Friday she welcomed the investigation, which coincides with an internal investigation she ordered.

I have promised transparency to a community who not only demands it, but deserves it, she said.

Police are instructed to draw their guns and put occupants on the ground when dealing with a suspected stolen car, but Wilson has said they should have changed course after Gilliam said the car was not stolen and that she had children inside.

McClain died after he was stopped by police who put him in a chokehold before paramedics gave him a drug to calm him down. McClain suffered cardiac arrest and was later taken off life support.

The Colorado attorney general is investigating after a county prosecutor said last year there wasnt enough evidence to charge the officers.
Trump regime approves the stealing of Syrias oil US government brokers a deal that would see Syrias oil finance a terror group. By TRT World

August 06, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - A secretive agreement has been struck between a US oil company, Delta Crescent Energy, and the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in North Eastern Syria in order to develop and export the region's oil.

Months after US president Donald Trump contradicted officials by suggesting that US forces were there only for the oil and vowing that it would secure the oil, the controversial deal lays bare the American strategy in the region.

The pact has been approved directly by the US government.

America backs the SDF militia in Syria which is dominated by the PYD/YPG. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, a group recognised by Turkey, as well as the US and the EU, as a terrorist organisation.

Who is Delta Crescent Energy?

The little known company at the heart of this agreement is led by former US government officials and includes James Reese, an ex officer in the Armys elite Delta Force; former US ambassador to Denmark James Cainand and John P. Dorrier Jr., a former executive at GulfSands Petroleum, a UK based company that had previously worked in northeastern Syria.

Reese, one of the partners of Delta Crescent Energy, has been a strong advocate of US military presence in Syria. In 2018, he declared on Fox News "We own the whole eastern part of Syria...That's ours. We can't give that up."

This deal also exposes how, under the Trump administration, the US has blurred the lines between private and public sectors, raising questions about ethics and business dealings.

The former political insiders now leading Delta Crescent Energy were helped in sealing the deal by the US State Department, which, in turn, helped to broker it.

During a committee hearing in Washington, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo whether the Trump administration was in favour of the deal or not.

"We are," Pompeo responded during the hearing. "The deal took a little longer ... than we had hoped, and now were in implementation."

Pompeos comments suggest that the government has been fully aware, and further to that, encouraged the deal for more than a year.

Where will the oil go?

The oil agreement has been condemned by the Assad regime which does not recognise the American occupation of northeastern Syria, nor the legitimacy of its local proxies, the SDF.

Syrias foreign ministry called the deal illegal and that it was aimed at stealing Syrias crude oil.

The statement went on to add that the Damascus government condemns in the strongest terms the agreement signed between al-Qasd militia (SDF) and an American oil company to steal Syrias oil under the sponsorship and support of the American administration, it went on to conclude that This agreement is null and void and has no legal basis.

The Trump administration is unlikely to approve oil sales to the Damascus regime.

Equally, Turkey has condemned the deal that has been struck by the US based oil company.

"We deeply regret the US support to this step, disregarding international law, violating territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty of Syria, as well as being considered within the scope of financing terrorism," Turkey's Foreign Ministry said on Monday in a statement.

"This act, which cannot be justified by any legitimate motive, is utterly unacceptable," the ministry added.

Turkey therefore is an unlikely buyer of Syrian crude oil, especially if it directly supports an organisation designated as a terrorist one.

The most likely outlet for the oil in northeastern Syria, is likely to be through Northern Iraq, in particular the Kurdish Regional Government. Since 2014, a murky yet highly lucrative trade has developed providing a crucial lifeline for the isolated SDF militia.

US meeting with PKK leadership?

The current oil deal comes amid a backdrop of meetings between a US delegation and the PKK leadership in the Qandil mountains of Northern Iraq, one the strongholds of the terror group.

According to reports, the delegation asked the PKK leadership to step back from northeastern Syria, as well as its financing and support of the SDF, and in return the US will take over as the main sponsor of the militia.

America is already known to enjoy close ties with the SDF leader, Mazloum Kobani, who is also a member of the PKK.

Kobani, whose real name is Ferhat Abdi Sahin, is one of Turkeys most wanted terrorists.

The US support for the YPG in Syria has become one of the stumbling blocks in bilateral ties between the two NATO allies.

The Turkish military has launched three incursions into Syria to fight Daesh and the PKK/YPG.

- " Source " -

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

Post your comment below

See also Propaganda alert: Did Mike Pompeo Mislead Congress About Syrias Oil?: The Kurds are claiming they never signed a contract with an U.S. company.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
A growing number of Republican women are sounding the alarm about continuing loss of support for President Donald Trump and the GOP among female voters ahead of the November election, warning that the party is in danger of permanently alienating women if it doesn't change course.

Trump's flailing response to the coronavirus pandemic and move to inflame nationwide racial tensions are exacerbating an already precarious situation, according to interviews with female Republican lawmakers and GOP pollsters focused on female voters.

Women now favor presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden by an eye-popping 23 points, according to an average of national polls since late June. And white women, a majority of whom backed Trump over Hillary Clinton in 2016, are starting to abandon the president.

"There was a gender gap when it came to Hillary Clinton, but now there is a gender chasm," said GOP strategist Sarah Longwell, whose has been conducting regular focus groups with female Trump voters who no longer approve of the president. "Trump has created an environment where women are not particularly interested in the Republican Party . . . where the Republican Party doesn't seem like a place for women."

While GOP pollsters and strategists spoke freely about the problem, many Republican women in Congress were reluctant to criticize Trump or party leaders publicly, fearful of triggering the president's wrath. Privately, one female lawmaker, who spoke condition of anonymity to speak frankly about internal frustration, said male GOP leaders have done little to address the problem, but she also suggested that not much can be done until Trump is out of office.

The GOP struggles came sharply into focus at the end of July with a series of self-inflicted missteps. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., was accused of using a vulgar and sexist expletive to describe Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. He denied he said the words and offered an apology that was widely criticized as insufficient.

In the same week, the highest-ranking House Republican woman, GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., came under fire from her male colleagues for criticizing Trump on some national security issues and supporting Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert.

Within days, Trump tweeted a term for women out of the 1950s: "Suburban Housewives of America . . . Biden will destroy your neighborhood and your American Dream. I will preserve it, and make it even better!"

Across Washington, Republican women groaned at the phrase "housewives."

"I'm like, really? Just stop talking, please. Gentlemen, STOP talking," said GOP strategist Sarah Chamberlain, who has tried to help her party appeal to female voters. "We need women around the country to recognize that the Republican Party is not just what happened [that] week."

Elected GOP women are more measured in their criticism of the rhetoric.

"I think the tone that we've had . . . is costing us, I think, women voters in some ways," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., one of nine female Republican senators. "Instead of finding common ground, [we're] always fighting. Certainly, we see that here in the Senate, but we also see it on the on the other side of the aisle over in the House and we also see at the presidential level."

In a statement, Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law and a campaign adviser, rejected the idea that the president is alienating women, attributing the erosion of support to inaccurate polling that also predicted Clinton would defeat Trump in 2016.

"While Joe Biden continues to lump all women into one voting bloc, President Trump is delivering on an array of issues that really matter to women across the country," Lara Trump said in a statement to The Washington Post.

She cited a YouGov poll on July 30 to suggest that "64 [percent] of female voters approve of most things Trump has done." However, the YouGov poll document clearly shows that the question of whether female voters approve of "most things" Trump has done was asked only of respondents who already said they approve of Trump as president, making the campaign's claim inaccurate.

In fact, that poll found that 37% of women approve of Trump while 57% disapprove. Other recent polls show him faring even worse.

The exodus of women has been particularly distressing to Republican strategists because many of them are die-hard conservatives on issues such as abortion and police power who have reached a tipping point when it comes to Trump.

Once willing to overlook various controversies because their families were doing well, the security these voters felt with the booming economy is now gone due to the pandemic, the pollsters say. Now they are worried about their children, their elderly parents and their livelihoods - and they don't see Trump as a leader who can protect them.

"Suburban voters, including women, are center-right voters. Democrats don't own them," said Liesl Hickey, the former executive director for the National Republican Congressional Committee who has been doing research on the suburbs. "But Republicans must make a compelling policy-focused case to earn their support."

Trump, who had been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct before his election, lost the female vote to Clinton by 13 points in 2016, according to exit polls. Then in the 2018 midterm elections, many highly educated suburban women who traditionally vote Republican turned on the GOP and the president, rejecting Trump's divisive rhetoric and handing Democrats the House majority.

Following those suburban losses in 2018, a small group of House Republican women confronted GOP leaders. The ranks of female House GOP members had dwindled to just 13 - an embarrassment compared to the Democrats' much larger and more diverse group of female members. Many Republicans also agreed they needed to do more to appeal to female voters to win back the suburbs.

Republicans have had some success attempting to address the first problem: Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who started her own recruitment operation, and Rep. Susan Brooks, R-Ind., who chaired NRCC recruitment, helped field a record number of Republican women running for office this year.

But support among female voters has worsened - a sensitive subject for GOP women in Congress. Many declined to be interviewed for this story, and those who did were cautious in their criticism.

Asked whether Trump's handling of the pandemic has made it harder to appeal to suburban voters, Brooks - who is retiring from a GOP suburban district that's suddenly competitive - acknowledged "there have been some mixed messages, and that, I think, has been of concern."

"I do think suburban women in particular are probably frustrated, not knowing and understanding, you know, what the plan is, who's responsible, who's calling the shots, who's setting the example," she said. "From the president on down, we all could be doing a better job of communicating.

Longwell, a Trump critic, has been closely watching both college and non-college educated women who supported Trump in 2016 turn against him in real time. In the early days of the pandemic, even as the economy was faltering, these women were willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, arguing that it wasn't his fault that the virus was spreading worldwide.

But as the crisis worsened, Longwell said, these women who were following stay-at-home orders watched Trump's news conferences. They were shocked by Trump's performances, belying the image of a successful businessman they thought they had voted for in 2016, according to the focus groups.

At the same time, the crisis struck home for many of the women as they tried to manage children forced to learn at home and elderly parents in nursing homes. Now they're fearful about job security and wondering how to send their children back to school safely.

"The thing I hear the most is, 'I just want clarity. I just want somebody to tell us what is going on truthfully,'" Longwell said. "And they feel like that's not happening, that there's no leadership."

The Trump campaign in recent weeks has sought to appeal to "Suburban Housewives," as the president put it in a recent tweet, through appeals to law-and-order and security. Via videos of protesters toppling statues, or police battling demonstrators, the Trump campaign has warned that a Biden-led America would be more dangerous for mothers and their families.

"We won't be safe in Joe Biden's America," Lara Trump, who is heading the Women for Trump initiative at the campaign, said in her statement.

Female GOP strategists say the strategy, however, is off the mark and reflects Trump's clear misunderstanding of many female voters. Rather than turning to him as a savior, they're increasingly blaming him for the chaos and uptick in racial tensions as well as the increasingly devastating pandemic.

"The president's law-and-order messaging is falling flat on its face - women aren't buying it," said Maureen Shaver, a GOP consultant who lives just outside Minneapolis, where the death of George Floyd in police custody sparked nationwide protests. "This election is a referendum on Trump, and women are leading the way. They're exhausted by the man, frustrated by the type of leader he's become."

The data supports the anecdotal evidence. According to a mid-July Washington Post-ABC poll, women trusted Biden over Trump on questions of "crime and safety" by a 23-point margin, 57 percent to 34 percent. The numbers are similar on the questions of who would better handle the coronavirus outbreak, with women trusting Biden by 28 points over Trump.

For now, some Republican women are trying to shift the focus. Asked about the GOP's issues with women voters, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., said she has had to "chart her own course" irrespective of what's happening in the White House.

"I'm a woman with three kids who as a working mom outside of the home, I have really firsthand experience with a lot of the things I think a lot of moms are experiencing," she said, noting that she didn't vote for Trump in 2016 and rarely speaks of him on the trail.

Asked if Trump makes her messaging difficult, she paused for a few seconds and carefully continued: "I don't follow him on Twitter, so I couldn't tell you what he's talking about right now. For me, I think, you need to focus on health care and the economy. And I hope that's where he's at because I think that helps."
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size There was a cruel, smirking boy at my school who later became a murderer. He was fearsome and fearless. We tussled once  or, rather, he tussled me  and I still remember the violation of his touch. Ive known a few criminals, but Ive rarely taken the opportunity to write about them. They seemed to lack empathy and often there was something creepily oversexualised about their behaviour. Then there are the statistics: hardly anybody gets murdered. Unless you form a relationship with a violent partner  or become friends or acquaintances with a potential killer  you are fantastically unlikely to fall victim to homicide. Almost all murders in Australia are domestic or acquaintance homicides. Strangers kill only about 20 people each year, according to the Australian Institute of Criminology. Thats fewer than one in a million. The surest way to engineer your own murder, then, is to spend a great amount of time in the company of violent men. Which is partly why I had not, until now, researched a true-crime book. However, Ive just spent almost two years writing Public Enemies: Russell Mad Dog Cox, Ray Denning and the Golden Age of Armed Robbery. Like jumpsuits and flares, hotpants and big sunglasses, institutional corruption and spray-can radicalism, the armed hold-up trade flourished in Australia in the 1970s and 80s. To a soundtrack of AC/DC, Cold Chisel and Rose Tattoo, bank robbery in particular grew from a lucrative niche for a handful of desperate pioneers to a practical alternative to safe-breaking for professional criminals on the lookout for a regular earn. Throughout Australia there was a growing number of bank branches, handling an increasing amount of money  which was often in motion between one place and another, such as a night safe and a wallet. Banks were easy to reconnoitre  anybody posing as a customer could case a branch, identify the risks, pinpoint the busy periods and form a plan. And an armed robber  unlike, for example, a drug dealer  needed no criminal connections, just a weapon or something that looked like a weapon. An operator could be in and out of a bank in 30 seconds. Even if they chose not to wear a disguise there was little risk of identification, since staff and customers would be looking at the gun barrel, not the gunman. In the days before CCTV cameras, it was difficult for police to gather evidence against an armed robber, since bandits tended to have no connection with the premises and leave nothing behind. And it wasnt just the banks. Commercial life in Australia was changing. There was more cash handling after dark as service stations and pharmacists stayed open later, offering isolated, undefended targets. As other entrepreneurial criminals noticed the hold-up men were not getting caught, they figured they might chance their hands, too.

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Armed robberys extended high season ended in the 1990s. Although the occasional reckless criminal still attempts to rob a bank, security is tighter, theres less cash on premises, DNA evidence can tie an offender to the scene  and its difficult enough to find a bank if you want to make a deposit, let alone if youre looking to rob one. The underworld today is largely the drugs trade and the men who protect  or prey on  the dealers. Raymond John Denning, left, and Russell Mad Dog Cox. Credit: The Queenslander who became known as Russell Mad Dog Cox was neither a Russell, nor mad, nor a dog, nor a Cox. But he was  in the judgment of many police and much of the criminal milieu  the most intelligent, resourceful and successful gangster Australia has produced. Cox became a hero to the underworld when he broke out of Sydneys maximum-security escape-proof jail at Katingal in 1977, then, incredibly, attempted to break back in and free his mates in 1978. Loading Like many offenders, Cox  born Melville Peter Schnitzerling in September 1949  grew up in boys homes and juvenile detention. His robberies across NSW, Victoria and Queensland netted him hundreds of thousands of dollars in the 1970s and 80s. He specialised in target surveillance and disguise. He knew his way around weapons and vehicles and, as he demonstrated with the Katingal breakout/break-in-again, it was difficult to hold him once hed resolved to leave. Raymond John Denning, born in 1951 in Port Kembla, NSW, cut a more pathetic figure. At the age of 10, hed watched his mother burn herself to death in front of him. He took part in a failed escape attempt from Parramatta Gaol in September 1974, leaving prison officer Willy Karl Faber with his brains bashed out. Four years later, Faber died from his injuries. Understandably, this left Denning wildly unpopular among prison officers. He was stripped and bashed and flogged time and again. His aunt told the ABC, He was crying, screaming, hurting, and he was praying that the nightmare would end. And he actually used to look over my head when he spoke to me. He used to laugh uncontrollably when I went to visit him, speak incoherently, and sometimes he was crying a lot.

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In April 1980, Denning escaped Grafton Gaol hidden in a garbage bin. According to legend, he spent a few weeks living off the land and foraging for food before he surfaced in Sydney, where he was safe-housed by a network of middle-class supporters who kept him hidden from the police for the rest of the year. The post-Vietnam War Left, informed by the experience of draft resisters in jails, felt that Australias violent, punitive prisons were in desperate need of reform. Prisoners were among the most oppressed of the oppressed  the children of poor and broken working-class families, who suffered more beatings behind bars than some of them had ever meted out in the streets. Denning at his brightest was the man the system could not break  a handsome young outlaw who made fools of the police, danced circles around the authorities. While he was on the run, he shot a video shown on 60 Minutes; reviewed a prison movie (and recorded a call sign) for radio station 2JJJ; left a message with his handprints stuck to the door of the Sydney headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Branch; and fired a shotgun at the watchtower of Parramatta Gaol. He was a political soldier and an armed robber, a guerrilla fighter for prisoners rights, a chic, confused hybrid of Ned Kelly and Che Guevara. He said he would give himself up if the prison system was reformed, if those prison officers who systematically bashed prisoners were brought to justice. Denning in 1977. In April 1980, he escaped Grafton Gaol hidden in a garbage bin. Credit: When Dennings last safe house was blown, he descended back into the underworld and went to work with Cox in Victoria. On September 22, 1981, Denning and Cox, unmasked, walked into the Railway Centre on Edward Street, Brisbane, and waited in the foyer with the morning crowd until an armoured truck delivered the payroll. The guards climbed out of the truck and stacked onto a trolley four metal boxes containing a total of $327,000. Denning and Cox drew their guns and warned, This is a stick-up. One grabbed the money and the guards guns and radio while the other pointed a pistol at a guard and ordered everyone to lie on the floor. Cox and Denning left the back way, warning ticket collectors to keep their f...ing mouths shut as they passed.

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They fled to a nearby getaway vehicle, a stolen ute fitted with Commonwealth government plates, and made it out of the city centre before the 10 police cars in pursuit could catch up with them: Denning was wearing an earpiece attached to a pocket radio, probably tuned to police broadcasts. It was the biggest payroll robbery  and the second-biggest robbery  in Queenslands history. After the raid, Denning blew $110,000 at the races. Both men were once held to be heroes. But of course they werent. Real heroism is about saving lives. Denning was recaptured in Manly, NSW, in November 1981. Cox remained on the run for almost 11 years after the Katingal escape. Denning broke out of jail  this time at Goulburn  for the last time on July 15, 1988. Unlike every police force in the country, Denning was able to find Cox, and the two men were ultimately captured together by the Victorian Armed Robbery Squad in a daring, almost cinematic swoop at Doncaster Shoppingtown on July 22. Ray Denning died of a heroin overdose in 1993; Russell Cox is 70 years old and living in Queensland. Both men were once held to be heroes, of a sort, in the underworld. But of course they werent. Real heroism is about saving lives; armed robbery is about threatening lives. Innocent people get traumatised, injured and killed. Cox (in singlet) during his arrest in 1988. Credit: So why did I want to write my book? In a way, I saw it as a continuation of my recent two books on Australias Vietnam War. I guessed that the same people  or at least, the same kind of people  hid both the fugitive Denning and draft resisters on the run. But interviewing retired gangsters and Vietnam veterans revealed some similarities I hadnt expected. The best of both groups of men were gentlemanly, respectful, articulate, expansive and, sometimes, badly damaged. They had both inflicted and suffered violence and found comfort in close comradeship with other men. They had lived a long time and had the chance to think about what theyd done and what had been done to them. Maybe some ex-prisoners and former soldiers also have a shared experience of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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As different as they are, the worlds of criminals and veterans are both generally held to be difficult to penetrate and, to different degrees, hostile to outsiders. But I found deep reservoirs of friendliness and, more surprisingly, trust in both groups. Perhaps it was simply that they were the same age  in their 70s and 80s, the mellowed, contemplative years. They were clever, complicated men. They understood the damage they had done to their victims. None of the sometime stick-up men I met were the sexualised sociopaths Id feared. I was helped with the book by former career-criminals-turned-writers Bernie Matthews (who survived the supermax regime at Katingal with Denning and Cox), and John Killick (who was broken out of Silverwater jail by his girlfriend in a hijacked helicopter). Loading Like many of the other armed robbers I talked with, they were clever, complicated men with a hard, dry sense of humour. They understood the damage they had done to their victims. Former prison officers were very helpful too, as were the few police I could track down. The least co-operative of all  with a few stellar exceptions  were former prisoners rights activists, who sometimes met my advances with the kind of icy refusal more readily associated with, say, Paul Keating or Bob Dylan. I was told nobody wanted me to write my book. I dont think thats true, but some people certainly didnt. And, more than once, I asked myself if it was the right thing to do. I wouldnt want to memorialise the boy at my high school who became a murderer. He doesnt deserve to be remembered. The woman he killed, who picked him up as a hitchhiker and gave him a job, before he bashed her then cut her throat, is the person who led the exceptional life.

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As the nation wrestles with the question of which monuments should be removed, it is also looking forward to what elements might go up in their place. I recently heard renowned Yale University professor David W. Blight say more monuments should be established to Lincoln. We love Lincoln, and the Emancipation Proclamation places Lincoln on the side of the angels. But Lincoln works much better when adequately honored alongside the African American soldiers whose honor and sacrifice contributed to his war effort to keep the United States under one flag while purging this democracy of the awful scourge of slavery.
(Photo : Pierre Bamin/Unsplash) A study found that eating too much rice could lead to heart disease and death. (Photo : Andhika Y. Wiguna/Unsplash) Arsenic occurs naturally in the soil, locations that use arsenic-based herbicides or toxins added in irrigation water have increase arsenic content.

A study found that eating too much rice could lead to heart disease and death.

A research team from the University of Manchester and the University of Salford analyzed the link between rice consumption and heart diseases in England and Wales, which are caused by arsenic exposure, according to Daily Mail.

The research findings were published in the Science of the Total Environment journal show that British people have a 6% higher risk of morbidity from cardiovascular disease as they are included in the 25% top rice consumers compared to the bottom group. Scientists modified the data to account for other factors that cause cardiovascular diseases such as age, smoking, and obesity.

Also, researchers found that eating a lot of rice increases the risk of dying from heart disease due to arsenic, which occurs naturally as the crop grows. Earlier studies linked the chemical to some cancers, liver disease, and even death.

Millions of people around the world, particularly in developing countries, eat rice for the calories and nutrients it provides. However, scientists found that more than 50,000 avoidable premature deaths annually can be blamed for arsenic in rice.

University of Manchester Professor David Polya who is a co-author of the study said that while the research used an ecological study, which has many limitations, it is an inexpensive way of determining a link between high consumption of rice with inorganic arsenic and an increased risk of heart disease.

Read also: [VIDEO] Things That Went WRONG With BBC British Host Cooking Rice Video-- Why Asians are Freaking Out!

How does arsenic emerge in rice?

According to a Lad Bible article, while arsenic occurs naturally in the soil, locations that use arsenic-based herbicides or toxins added in irrigation water have to increase arsenic content. Rice is particularly vulnerable to arsenic, which copies other chemicals that the plant absorbs through its roots and bypasses the plant's defenses.

In this case, rice grown under these conditions would have bear arsenic from the soil and water. However, Tech Times earlier reported that arsenic can only become health hazard if consumed in large dose with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

However, scientists do not promote the evading of rice consumption since it has many health benefits, particularly with its high fiber content. Instead of eating whole grain rice, the study suggests people eat rice varieties that have low arsenic levels like basmati as well as polished rice.

In 2014, a Consumer Reports article showed that all types of rice from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas or just from the U.S. had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic, except for sushi and quick-cooking rice. White rice from California has 38% less inorganic arsenic than those from other parts of the country.

While brown has more nutrients, it also has 80% more inorganic arsenic than white rice since arsenic in the outer layers of the grains is removed when white rice is milled.

However, it is best to get brown basmati from California, Pakistan, or India as it has around 35% less inorganic arsenic than other types of brown rice.

Meanwhile, another study warns that the increased temperatures caused by global warming could lead to much higher arsenic levels in rice by 2100. Scientists at the University of Washington in the US grew rice in various temperatures and found that crops in warmer locations tend to have higher levels of arsenic, including grains.

Read also: Does Rice Contain Dangerous Levels Of Arsenic? BBC Takes A Closer Look

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Getting "Glory" to the screen took a long time, though star Matthew Broderick did learn a lot about the Civil War along the way. He also learned to ride a horse.

"In terms of time and effort, that was the role I put the most into," the actor said.

Broderick volunteered to be part of a virtual question-and-answer session hosted by the USO, whose presence can be felt in every overseas military base, most CONUS military bases and many, many airports.

For more than an hour, the star of stage and screen took questions about his 30-year career from American troops and dependents the world over, including Germany, Bahrain, Japan, Iraq, Hawaii and Kansas.

On top of portraying Col. Robert Gould Shaw in "Glory," his family has a military history dating back to the Civil War, one the actor wasn't aware of (Broderick himself was not in the military). He appeared on an episode of NBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?" in which his lineage was traced back to his grandfather, who fought in World War I. Broderick's ancestors also fought in the Union Army at Gettysburg.

"They took me to France to this battlefield, where my grandfather was a stretcher bearer.  It still has the craters from all the bombs," he said. "It's scary to stand on it with no soldiers.  It's hard for me to imagine what he went through."

His grandfather died before he was born, but Broderick's family told him the World War I doughboy never said a word about fighting in France.

The military community also asked the actor about his roles in "Ladyhawke," "The Freshman," "WarGames" and more. They also wanted to know his favorite co-stars, the differences between working on a movie versus on a Broadway stage, and how he prepares for either.

Broderick mentioned that he always has a picture of his father, an actor and World War II Navy veteran, in his dressing room. His father became an actor after the war, his acting training partly funded by the Defense Department.

"To him, acting and the military went hand-in-hand," he said. "Because that's how he got himself to be able to learn about it."

Actor Matthew Broderick participates in a USO-sponsored Zoom session with military members and families on Aug. 6, 2020.

After "Glory," the most stressful moment for the actor was filming the parade scene in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," which was shot over two days in Chicago.

"That was really, really fun to shoot, although I was absolutely petrified the night before," he recalled. "But once they start blaring music at you and everyone starts dancing around, before you know it, you forget you're scared and you go crazy."

Broderick had no idea that "Ferris Bueller" would become the cultural force it became in the years since.

"They called John Hughes the 'Spielberg of Teen Movies,'" he said. "But if anyone had told me I'd be talking about it 130 years later, I'd be amazed. I AM amazed."

He also went through some of his favorite movies, ones he just has to watch whenever they're on. Broderick's list includes "The Towering Inferno," "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Casablanca."

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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The spokesman for the Islamic Republic's judiciary announced on August 6, that Judge Gholamreza Mansouri who died in Romania in suspicious circumstances in June was buried in Mashhad.

Only four days earlier, the former Judge's brother had announced that his family was able to identify the body. The spokesman, Gholam Hossein Esmaeili has not specified whether Mansouri's family and relatives identified the body in the past few days.

Judge Gholamreza Mansouri wanted in a large corruption case in Iran had somehow fled the country last year. In June it was discovered he was in Europe; possibly Germany. Both the Iranian government and human rights organizations began pursuing his arrest. Iran wanted him extradited and human rights activists wanted him tried in Europe for violations he committed as a judge, specially by summarily convicting journalists.

In mid- June he surfaced in Romania where police arrested him. As he was waiting for extradition hearings, he was found dead in a hotel and so far, it is not clear if he fell from an upper floor to his death by accident, suicide or murder.

Without elaboration, the Judiciary spokesman, said, "A closer look at the incident still requires more information from Romania, such as images taken from the hotel's camera and documents belonging to him."

Mansouri was one of the most trusted judges in the judiciary during Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani's term as the Islamic Republic's Chief Justice (2009-19). But many associates of Larijani were indicted under the new Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raeesi, including judge Mansouri. He was accused of receiving 500,000 euros bribe from Akbar Tabari, a former deputy of Amoli Larijani.

Immediately after Tabari was arrested and charged with millions of dollars of financial corruption, Judge Mansouri fled Iran, and months later surfaced in Bucharest, Romania.

While expressing doubts about the body's identity, his brother said that the forensic officers took a sample of the DNA from all members of the Judge's family.

No report on the results has been published so far.

However, according to Hamshahri Online, Mansouri's niece has confirmed that her uncle has been buried in Mashhad, northeast Iran.
By ANI

KUPWARA: Six civilians were injured after Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation on Friday morning along the Line of Control (LoC) in Tangdhar Sector, Kupwara by firing mortars and other weapons, according to Chinar Corps, Indian Army.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan violated ceasefire in the Balakote sector of Poonch district at 6:30 am.
Several other area schools had some issues in one area, according to the financial tracker. That number include Greensboro College (retention), Guilford College (enrollment) and High Point University (endowment). The Hechinger Report analysis raised no flags over Elon's data (or Wake Forest's or Salem's).

Here's a direct link to the Financial Fitness Tracker , and here's the methodology . The Hechinger effort and Galloway's data will give you plenty of things to distract you from the upcoming start of the fall semester.

Staff writer John Newsom covers higher education for the News & Record of Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Journal.

Have something to say about this blog post? Email him at john.newsom@greensboro.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @JohnNewsomNR.

Support his coverage of higher education. Click here and here to learn about digital subscriptions the News & Record and the Journal.
Even if you have a decent speed, there may be limits to how much data your internet can handle. Johnston said most internet plans should have a reliable bandwidth, but still check to see if you have a bandwidth cap, which can become overwhelmed when the whole household is logging on for work and school at once. You have to check, because then youll realize maybe 15 to 20 megabits per second is your limit, said Johnston.
#RevolutionNow activist, Omoyele Sowore, has lambasted the President Muhammadu Buhari for endorsing Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who is facing c...

#RevolutionNow activist, Omoyele Sowore, has lambasted the President Muhammadu Buhari for endorsing Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who is facing corruption charges to the tune of N700 million.

Ize-Iyamu was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Benin by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly receiving about N700m during the build-up to the 2015 general elections.

The money was said to have emanated from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.

However, Ize-Iyamu, who is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, was endorsed by the President on Friday.

Responding to the development, Sowore, who is a former Presidential candidate, said it was funny that Buhari could feign ignorance of Ize-Iyamus corruption case.

Sowore, who is the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, said this was the same way Buhari appointed Godswill Akpabio as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and supervisor of the Niger Delta Development Commission despite being under probe by the EFCC for allegedly diverting billions of naira as governor of Akwa Ibom State.

He tweeted, The nature of dementia! Pastor Ize-Iyamu is undergoing trial for N700m scam, Buhari pretends not to remember, hands him a flag to become next Edo governor, much like Senator Godswill Akpabio was asked to handle NDDC.
A Delhi court granted on Friday an interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh to a 12-year-old girl, who is fighting for her life at a hospital after being sexually assaulted by a 33-year-old man.

Additional Sessions Judge Vrinda Kumari directed the secretary of the West District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Tis Hazari Courts, to release the amount to the minor girl considering her physical and mental health and the expenditure likely to be incurred on her medical treatment.

The girl, who was assaulted on August 4, is in a critical condition at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

The court said it would be appropriate if interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh was granted to the girl, keeping in view the gravity of offence, severity of physical harm or injuries and the expenditure likely to be incurred on her medical treatment for physical and mental health.

The DLSA and the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had moved an application before the court seeking compensation for the minor girl's family for her rehabilitation, alleviation of her sufferings and appropriate educational development.

A source from the DLSA said that the amount has been released and credited into the girl's bank account on Friday.

During the hearing, the court was informed that the girl had suffered multiple injuries on her body and incarcerations on her head/forehead and had undergone surgery at AIIMS here.

Sources at AIIMS said the girl would undergo another surgery.

On Tuesday, the girl was sexually assaulted at her west Delhi home by 33-year-old Krishan, who also hit her on the face and head with a sharp object.

Her rectum and intestines were injured severely by some kind of impalement for which she needed immediate intervention and that is why she was operated upon as soon as she reached the hospital, a senior doctor at the AIIMS had said on Thursday.

On Thursday, the Delhi Police arrested Krishan.

The police has registered an FIR under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and section 8 (sexual assault) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

The offences entail a maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
I was 14, I think, when I rang up my pal Tonya to share some breaking news: Guess what! I just realized I want to be a journalist when I grow up!

Uhhhh, yeah, she replied. You mean, you really didnt know this already?

Apparently she did.

Its now 42 years since that conversation, 38 since I first banged out copy for a newspaper on pulpy yellow paper, 29 since I started with the Times Union, almost eight since I returned to my old job as a local arts writer after a 12-year hiatus. And while my hair is grayer, and my knees are creakier, the business of reporting hasnt gotten old. It never will.

As I write this, Im in the middle of my final week with the TU. Soon Ill be starting a new job covering a new kind of beat at a new kind of outlet, at least for me: Ill be writing magazine-length features for Mad in America, a nonprofit webzine that challenges the big-pharma paradigm of American psychiatry and aims to humanize those in the grips of the system. It brings to the fore voices too often ignored, showing the fullness and complexity of people living with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia.

This all hits close to home for me. I lost my husband, my sister and dear friends to suicide. My father, a longtime newspaperman himself, made an attempt. Ive written about these tragedies in my memoirs, on my blog and even here, on occasion. But mental health has never been my focus as a journalist. Its never been my beat. Local arts were my beat when I first landed here in the early 1990s. Then film was my beat  first for the TU, then for the Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers. Then the arts once again.

But the arts and the psyche  our minds, our feelings, our wounds  are not two separate realms. As topics to explore they share an essential humanity, a scope and sense of what it means to live in the world and overcome its challenges with ingenuity and openness to change. The arts tell us who we are. More than that, they help us become who we are: They help us comprehend our brokenness and elucidate our dreams. And in so doing, they heal.

Thats what the arts do. Thats why Ive always loved covering the rich and diverse arts scene of the Capital Region, which has helped me grasp both the immediate community and that wider, essential humanity we all share. I get paid to learn, Ive always said to anyone wholl listen. And I dont just mean the extraordinary opportunities Ive had, over the decades, to interview Gregory Peck or Sue Grafton or Steve Martin or Roz Chast or Wynton Marsalis or Yo-Yo Ma.

What a joy it was to listen to such icons  whether in person or on the other end of the horn, gabbing away, as I whacked at the keyboard while quietly geeking out. I even got to interview William Shatner on stage at Proctors. But my beats been full of other gifts, more local gifts, the equally extraordinary opportunities Ive had to interview people around the region who make art to better their neighborhoods and their cities. To lift themselves or someone else out of darkness. To tell stories that need to be heard, to paint murals that need to be seen, to bring beauty to the streets and light to injustice and, while theyre at it, connect.

The venues, museums, theaters, concert series, summer festivals, filmmakers, galleries, public art, arts orgs and artists and actors and musicians and directors and dancers and poets around here are numerous beyond belief. We are lucky to reside amid such an embarrassment of riches, and Ive been lucky to report on them. I still count myself as lucky, because Ill still be living in my beloved Smalbany, and youll still see me out and about at events in the region once life and the arts return to something vaguely approaching normal. It will happen. Hope fuels them both. They will return.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

And at some point, Ill return to these pages with occasional freelance commentary. This is the thing about being an ink-stained wretch: Newsprint leaves more than a skin-deep impression. Its colors seep down below the skin, reaching into the depths of who we are and how we engage with each other. You want to spot the reporter at the party? Shes the one asking everyone questions, even of total strangers, curious to know who they are and what they do. Call us nosy, or pushy, or just plain curious, but we cant exit a room without knowing a little more about its occupants.

That was my father, Louis. He spent almost four decades covering classical music for the New York World-Telegram & Sun, retiring at 58. I was just 2. So I never knew him as a working journo, never saw him with a skinny pad in hand or a press card tucked in his snap-brim. But his curiosity never waned. He never shed that ink-stained skin. Even later, after his suicide attempt and onset of dementia, he was always asking a million questions of everyone in the room. He just couldnt help himself.

Sure, you can leave newspapers. But newspapers dont leave you.

So dont stop reading the Times Union. Dont stop following the arts, or consuming them with gratitude and gusto. Dont stop believing that everything we do to make our world a brighter, clearer, truer, kinder, more honest, just and beautiful place really does matter, really does contribute, really isnt some airy and elitist pipe dream. Whether its an article in the paper or a sublime work of art, its a window into who we are.

And for the record, I still want to be a journalist when I grow up.
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As the educational institutes across the country embraced digital learning since the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Google has collaborated with Maharashtra government to enable a digital platform. Under this collaboration, for over 2.3 crore students and teachers in the state will get access to blended learning that combines the classroom approach with online learning, using free tools like G Suite for Education, Google Classroom, Google Meet and more. As part of this partnership, the state will be providing each of the educators and students with their own G Suite ID.

"The digital transformation of education in a country as large as ours requires many partners to come together, united in their vision to deliver quality education to everyone. We are heartened that the Maharashtra state government is championing this vision with today's announcement, of working toward a reality when every student - whether in private school in Mumbai or in a remote village in the Sahyadris - can get access to the same quality education," writes Sanjay Gupta, Country Head & Vice President, Google India in a blog post.

ALSO READ: Google owner Alphabet issues record $10 billion bond at lowest-ever price

The Maharashtra government rolled out a survey asking teachers from the state to register for the first set of teacher-training programmes. It received tremendous demand as 150,000 of the 700,000 educators across the state signed up in less than 48 hours.

"Whether learning takes place in the classroom, at home, or within a hybrid model, Google for Education solutions spark learning anywhere, and empower teachers to provide excellent educational experiences, nurture individual needs, and enable students to learn better together," adds Gupta.

ALSO READ: Google purchases 7% stake in ADT for $450 million to give Nest a new perch

To enable educators and students to be more productive when connecting remotely includes various tools. The G Suite for Education is a free suite of familiar communication and collaboration tools including Gmail, Docs and Drive, as well as Classroom, enabling learning anywhere, anytime, and on a range of devices. Google Classroom is a powerful tool in G Suite for Education, helping educators to easily create, review, and organise assignments, as well as communicate directly with students in the classroom or while distance learning. Google Forms is a simple question and response tool that allows educators to fill out or import questions to quickly create quizzes and tests. And Assignments can be used for quickly and securely creating, analysing, and grade coursework, and provide students with a more flexible way of learning.

Earlier last month, Google announced its partnership with CBSE to enable over 1 million teachers across 22,000 schools in India to deliver blended learning.

ALSO READ: Google partners with CBSE to digitise classrooms, train 1 million teachers
Regardless which woman Bidens chooses as his running mate, there will be Trump-campaign-inspired gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. If she is Black? Shame of it all, White and non-Black candidates were doomed by the color of their skin. If she is not Black: Biden has dissed Black womanhood in ways never to be undone. Either way, expect Trump to bewail that which he never would have done  put a woman on his ticket.
Masking. In just a few months public masking has gone from banned to mandatory. As recently as April, Hong Kong reaffirmed its ban, deeming the mask a pro-democracy device too radical for the public realm. Not long before that, the world debated the right  or obligation  of Muslim women to face-cover in public. In both cases, the anonymity afforded by public masking was seen as a prioritisation of personal freedom over public safety. Who knew what might be going on behind or beneath that remade face?

Street art in Moorabin depicting the iconic photo of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany's wearing a mask. Credit:Wayne Taylor

Now, the moral pressure is reversed. Now, to be barefaced is considered dangerous and selfish. We go into public with eyes only.

Even more intriguing than this about-face (no pun intended) is what such facial erasure, should it become habitual and universal, might mean for us and for our civic culture. Will we even have a civic culture? Or will Thatcherism finally have triumphed, atomising us into a billion nuclear households ruled by a handful of vast, invisible corporations

Im thinking all this after a mornings mask-shopping. After weeks of making do with the disposable paper sort, I bowed to the virus longevity, decided that a cloth job is required, spent an hour or so online and came away bewildered.
When European governments began to end harsh coronavirus lockdowns in May and June, officials stressed that they would only keep easing measures so long as new infection numbers remained low.

But daily case numbers in several western European countries have begun to tick upward again. On Thursday France and Germany both recorded their highest daily number of new cases in three months, and infections are increasing fast in Spain and the Netherlands too, among others.

Public health experts poring over the data are now warning that Europe could be on the brink of a second wave of COVID-19unless governments keep their promises to sharpen rules when infections begin to spike.

Many European governments are now deploying a new strategy to contain the virus: imposing localized restrictions in specific areas where there are outbreaks, in an effort to avoid a return to the large-scale national lockdowns that devastated their economies in the spring.

But, as people have again begun to socialize with friends after spending difficult months isolated indoors, experts are also worried that social distancing fatigue could be setting in, making it harder to convince people to follow any new restrictions, and making new outbreaks potentially more dangerous.

Any time you release lockdown measures and people start to interact more, you will start to see new cases again, says Nathalie MacDermott, a clinical lecturer in infectious diseases at Kings College London. The question is whether you are able to monitor those, and prevent a surge.

While new daily cases are still several times lower than they were during Europes peak in March and April, one thing we know about COVID-19 is that it can spread exponentially if allowed to get out of control. Now, all eyes are on Europe to see if it can prevent that from happening.

Where are cases rising?

In recent weeks there have been sharp upticks in Spain, Iceland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and more gradual rises in France, Germany and Italy.

Story continues

One of the worst hit at the moment is Spain, which reported more than 16,000 cases last week, up from around 2,800 per week at the beginning of July. About two thirds of cases confirmed in the week ending Aug. 4 were concentrated in the northern regions of Catalonia and Aragon, with Madrid also badly affected.

Belgium has seen a recent spike too, with confirmed cases across the whole country doubling in the seven days to Aug. 1.

The virus is also spreading rapidly in the Balkans, which mostly avoided being hit hard by the first wave of the pandemic but is now seeing some of the highest caseloads per capita on the continent.

Whats causing the increase?

There is never just one reason for an outbreak, and contributing factors vary from place to place, but experts say most of western Europe has at least one thing in common: Governments eagerly reopened their economies before the virus was reduced to low enough levels in the population.

Even as most European countries were easing their lockdowns in June, there was still community transmission happening almost everywhere, according to an E.U. risk assessment published in early July. That means the virus was still so prevalent that it was impossible for most authorities to consistently determine the source of each infection. Nevertheless, daily cases were falling in many places, so governments opted to lift some restrictions.

That was a bad calculation in the eyes of some experts. Many countries that are now opening up are facing a resurgence in casesin particular, those that have opened up before theyve got the rates of infection down to very low levels, says professor Martin McKee, who specializes in European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Is anything different compared to the first wave?

One key difference is that while case numbers are beginning to increase, new daily deaths remain low. Deaths during the first wave of the pandemic lagged behind cases by several weeks, because the virus can take time to kill, but epidemiologists say that right now, most of the new cases in Europe seem to be among the young, who are less likely to die from the virusunlike in the first wave when many older people were infected.

Though the low death rate might sound like good news, a surge in cases among young people is likely to lead to problems down the line. Young people who become infected with the virus, experts say, will inevitably spread it to other segments of the population, driving up case numbers and eventually the death rate too, when it reaches more vulnerable people. Its difficult to contain the virus in just the younger part of the population, says virologist Steven van Gucht, a Belgian government advisor and spokesperson. It will have consequences.

Has tourism caused cases to increase?

Spain is a good example of how tourism can be partially responsible for a spike in coronavirus cases. It was one of the worst-hit countries in Europes first wave, but in June cases had finally reduced to some 400 per daydown from 8,000 daily at the beginning of April. In response, it began to lift its three-month nationwide lockdown, opening bars, cafes, nightclubs and hotels.

The move to reopen was welcomed by struggling businessesespecially Spains tourist industry, which makes up about 14% of the countrys GDP. In late June, Spain reopened its borders to European tourists without making them quarantine themselves after arrival, and gradually the beaches and hotels began to fill. But by the beginning of July, cases had begun to rise again. In the two weeks leading up to Aug. 5, Marbellaa popular tourist destination on Spains Costa del Solrecorded 157 new COVID cases, after an 11 day period in July when no cases were recorded at all.

Perhaps the motivation to encourage the tourism industry may have gotten in the way of Spain trying to contain the virus, says MacDermott, of Kings College London. The number of people who want to travel on holiday is certainly going to increase the risk of a surge, because youve got a greater chance of different populations mixing.

What other factors are to blame?

The opening of nightclubs and bars seems to be a big one. Outbreaks of the virus in France, Switzerland and Spain have all been traced to reopened nightlife venues, despite new social distancing rules.

New social distancing rules in clubs are good in theory, but whenever you introduce alcohol or other substances that impair judgement to a situation, obviously, people following social distancing rules is simply not going to happen, MacDermott says. Following a spate of outbreaks linked to clubs in Spain, a government spokesperson singled out behavior in nightlife venues, especially among young people.

Another factor in several outbreaks has been poor employment practices. Seasonal farm workers, who often travel from place to place, forced to stay in cramped accommodations that make social distancing difficult, were also identified as a major vector in the new Spanish outbreak. Similarly, in the U.K., a surge in cases in the city of Leicester was linked to unscrupulous garment factories employing people in violation of social distancing protocolswho then brought the virus home to packed households, allowing it to spread at a faster rate.

How are leaders around Europe responding to the increase in cases?

Across Europe, governments are turning away from the blunt tool of national lockdowns toward smaller-scale measures targeted at specific local areas.

What we must avoid above all is a general lockdown, French Prime Minister Jean Castex told the Nice-Matin newspaper in late July. Such a measure breaks the spread of the epidemic, certainly, but it is catastrophic on an economic and social level, including for the psychological health of some of our fellow citizens.

Experts agree that localized restrictions, if imposed correctly, are the best way to combat the surges Europe is currently seeing. Thats the ideal approach, MacDermott says. Its about not giving the virus a foothold.

In many places across Europe its already being put into practice. In the U.K. city of Leicester, officials responded to the outbreak by imposing a city-wide lockdown, a model government officials said would be followed elsewhere if necessary. And on Wednesday, the Scottish government announced it would force shops and restaurants to close in the city of Aberdeen, and curtail peoples travel, in response to a growing number of cases.

In Catalonia, the epicenter of the Spanish outbreak, local officials have urged some 4 million people in Barcelona and surrounding areas to remain indoorsthough stopped short of imposing another legally-binding lockdown. Its very important to respect these measures now, its the best way to avoid a lockdown, said Alba Verges, Catalonias health minister, announcing the request. No one wants full home confinement.

What lessons can the rest of the world learn?

Aside from urging governments not to reopen their economies too fast before infections are brought under control, epidemiologists say a clear lesson from Europe is that the countries with the best test and trace programs tend to be most effective at keeping virus numbers low.

Italy, one of the worst hit countries in the first wave of the pandemic in Europe, has recently kept its per capita daily case rate to one of the lowest levels on the continent. Italy has has really ratcheted up its its surveillance systems, and it seems to be managing keep things under control, McKee says.

And although daily new cases are slowly increasing in Germany, experts are optimistic that the sophisticated tracing system there will keep a lid on the virus. Germany is very proactive, and I think because of that they will probably avoid a second wave, says MacDermott.

Similarly, just as international travel played an integral role in transmitting the virus from Wuhan, China, where it was first detected, to all corners of the globe, experts say that as countries return to very low caseloads, closely monitoring arrivals from abroad will take on new significance. In Europe that has been difficult due to the Schengen zone, which allows borderless travel in much of continental Europe, making it harder for national officials to know exactly who is in their country and where they have come from.

In May, E.U. officials released a set of guidelines in the hopes of making each countrys contact-tracing apps interoperable, so thatfor examplesomeone in France who has come into contact with a visitor from Spain would still be notified if the Spaniard tested positive for COVID-19 upon their return home. But the system has yet to be fully tested, and observers are worried that any gaps could lead to the virus gaining a foothold.

The good news is that the strategy of reimposing targeted social distancing restrictions appears to be working. In Belgium daily cases have begun to drop again after new rules were imposed. Its really important that we contain the virus in its early phase, otherwise we will have exactly the same problem as the first time, says Belgian government advisor van Gucht. That sudden, very aggressive liftoff.

The big danger is that people are fed up with corona[virus], he adds. This is completely understandable because I feel the same. The problem is that we can forget the virus, but the virus will not forget us.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > My hero: the complexity of Afghan society | Apratim Mukarji

Qamar Gul, 15 and married, became modern Afghanistans hero overnight after her bravery in gunning down Taliban attackers was reported to the media by the local government in mid-July. Since then, the incident, which happened on the midnight on July 17, and its aftermath are being talked about, and commented upon not only in the country but outside as well. Her act of instant and highly risky bravery brought her wholehearted appreciations from the head of the Afghan state, from millions of fellow-citizens who were till then ignorant of this girl, and from the world around.

The government is now protecting her and her 12-year-old brother in a safe haven as severe revenge by the Taliban fighters is anticipated at every moment. The incident was as follows: Taliban insurgents stormed the house of Qamar Gul, a teenager from a village in the Central Province of Ghor.

The attackers were looking for Qamars father, the village head. He was a supporter of the government in Kabul and was, thus, considered an enemy of the Taliban. He was dragged out of the house to be killed. His wife rushed out to defend him but the insurgents shot both of them dead right outside the residence.

Qamar Gul, who was busy with household chores inside, heard of the commotion, realised that her parents were about to be killed, snatched an AK-47 rifle the family possessed, came out and killed the two insurgents who had dragged her father, and then sprayed bullets on the other miscreants.

The Taliban soon returned for revenge but by then the villagers had organised themselves and along with pro-government militia threw a stiff resistance, and the attackers retreated after some fighting. Thereafter, the government decided to give protection of Qamar and her brother and took them away to a safe place.

This incident has become an important development in the recent history of Afghanistan because of several factors. Firstly, this was the first incident when a single young girl entirely on her own took out on the feared Taliban in an area where the insurgents held sway at will, the region being mountainous and largely inaccessible. Group resistance and fighting by local militia had been a common occurrence over the decades; but Qamar Guls instant bravery which also proved to be highly effective in sending the right kind of message to the Taliban, was certainly a first. It was bound to attract attention, appreciation and the Talibans wrath.

Secondly, the incident revealed the deeply flawed society of Afghanistan. To understand this, one has to learn the history of Qamars family. One of the two men who were the main attackers was her husband. Qamar had fought with her husband, a local commander of the Taliban, and left him protesting against the manner in which she was being treated. As the New York Times reported at the time, the story of her heroism is steeped in pain, in a culture that often treats women as properties, and in the confusion of an Afghan war that has twisted families into knots of complex loyalties and feuds. (A 15-year-old girls battle against the Taliban was also a family feud, July 23, 2020)

Qamars husband had been pressuring her family to return her to him after he had quarrelled with her family. Qamar Guls mother, who was killed along with the girls father, had been married twice before she married Shafi Gul Rahimi, her third husband. This man married her after his elder brother, her second husband, was killed by the Taliban in the 1990s. In recent years, he gradually assumed the responsibilities of the village chief.

Nearly four years back, Rahimi struck an agreement with a resident of a nearby village, named Mohamed Naeem, under which the latter would marry his daughter Qamar Gul and, in exchange, Rahimi would take Naeems niece, also a teenager, as his second wife. To the outside world, this kind of comfortable marital exchange between two families would appear to be highly bizarre but in Afghan society where local clan loyalty and age-old close relationships between families are an ordinary affair, such an arrangement would not even raise an eyebrow.

It was sometime around this time that Naeem joined the Taliban fighters but the circumstances under which this happened are not clear. This in effect rendered the father-in-law and the son-in-law into each others sworn enemies. However, Naeem had other troubles brewing for him, too. His parents refused to allow his new wife in as they accused him of treating his first wife unfairly. Thus, Qamar Guls married life began on an unhappy and unsatisfactory note. Unable to persuade his parents to accept the fait accompli, Naeem soon left his parents home taking his new wife with him. But, Qamar, who had returned to her parents to stay for a while, refused to go back and live with her husband alleging constant ill-treatment. This in soured the relations between Rahimi and Naeem further.

Later informtion showed that Rahimis second wife who was Naeems niece had stayed back with her parents, and Rahimi kept asking for her return. Finally, a truce of sorts was struck when Naeem agreed to pay a $ 3,000 debt to free Rahimi from an obligation. This further heightened the bad blood between the two.

Naeem, meanwhile, secretly nurtured an unquenchable desire to take revenge on Rahimi. To achieve this, he turned close to a Taliban commander who was feared in the region for his utter ruthlessness. Their plan was to abduct Qamar and escape without Naeem honouring his word of paying Rahimis debt. With that intention, Naeem and his associates raided Rahimis house on the midnight of July 17. But things went wrong. Rahimi and his wife had to be killed and, in turn, Qamar killed Naeem and one of his associates and injured severely others accompanying the team. The rest became a local legend with the girl being honoured as a national hero. Much later, local government officials found out that Naeem had originally planned to allow Rahimi time to get his hand on his gun but the latter, on hearing sounds outside as the Taliban gathered, went out outright to investigate the source of the sounds, and taking no further chance the attackers shot him dead. As his wife ran out and shouted to neighbours for help to save him, she was also killed. Then, Qamar snatched her fathers gun and killed them in turn. Among those killed was the Talibans local commander who was conducting the surprise raid.

The overall significance of this story of revenge attack and gore lies in the reality that Afghans are now visibly tired of the continuing blood bath in their country and want their government to put a stop to the Taliban eventually succeeding in acquiring the seat of power in Kabul.

Thousands of highly vocal Twitter have taken to social media to impress upon the Ashraf Ghani government that the Taliban must not be allowed to sneak back into power through the highly unpopular U.S.-inspired peace talks. Their posts show they feel that the insurgents, who have not budged an inch from their rank religious fundamentalism and are certain to resume their Medieval Age barbarism if installed once again in power, must be stopped in their track. They want their government to take the initiative in regard to this.

One of the posts read, giving in to terror and appeasing the Taliban is not the solution. A regular online movement campaign against surrendering to the fundamentalists, which they feel the weak and shaky government is now engaged in, is now tagged as Do not redeem the Taliban. (AFP, Do not redeem the Taliban, July 20, 2020). It has already gathered thousands of enthusiastic Afghans bolstering the campaign.

* Apratim Mukarji is an analyst of South and Central Asian affairs.
Kanye West has appeared to suggest that he is running a spoiler campaign against Democrat Joe Biden in a bid to help Donald Trump win a second term in office.

In a text interview with Forbes magazine on Thursday, Mr West said he was walking for president when asked if he had chosen to run to hurt Mr Bidens chances.

Commentators and pundits have repeatedly questioned the motives behind Wests decision to run for the White House, ever since his campaign was launched late, on 4 July.

At that stage, West had already forfeited 225 Electoral College votes, making it virtually impossible for him to win the 2020 race for the Oval Office.

When it was pointed out to West that it was unlikely he could win Novembers poll, and that his campaign was being run as a distraction, he replied: Im not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.

Recommended Trump denies helping GOP operatives aiding Kanye West presidential bid

West, who has previously voiced support for Mr Trump and is running as an independent, was named on the Colorado ballot on Thursday, the Colorado Secretary of States Office confirmed.

At least one Republican official assisted West with his filing, which was completed on Wednesday, according to the Denver Post.

Mr Trump has distanced himself from GOP operatives helping West with his bid to get on the presidential ballot in several key states.

I like him. Hes always been very nice to me, Trump told a White House press briefing on Wednesday before it was confirmed West made the Colorado ballot.

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I like Kanye very much, but no, I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot. Well have to see what happens. Well see if he gets on the ballot. But Im not involved, he added.

West is living with bipolar disorder and has attracted controversy with a number of concerning social media posts in recent months.

Last month, his wife, Kim Kardashian, issued a plea for the public to be understanding of Wests mental illness.

West is a brilliant but complicated person, she wrote in an Instagram post. His words sometimes do not align with his intentions.
Man ordered to community service for murder threats during coronavirus lockdown

 Fotolia/ jedi-master

13:20 07/08/2020

MOSCOW, August 7 (RAPSI)  A court in Russias Yekaterinburg has sentenced a local resident to 280 hours of compulsory community service for murder threats against his partner during the COVID-19 self-isolation, according to lawyer Anastasia Pakhtusova.

The man is also obliged to pay 90,000 rubles ($1,200) in moral damages to the suffered woman, the attorney told RAPSI on Friday.

According to the victim in the case, her domestic male partner and ex-sportsman being under the influence of alcohol beat her several times during the lockdown. The convict pleaded not guilty.




The Centre has asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to approach the city government for financial assistance for repayment of the soft loan it had taken from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for various projects.

The had received a total loan of Rs 35,198 crore from JICA.

"We have received such a communication from the ministry recently. The same is being examined and processed," said Anuj Dayal, Executive Director,

He responded to a query over reports that the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has directed all metros to write to their respective state governments for assistance regarding repayment of loans taken from external lending agencies.

The loan was given to the Delhi Metro at a concessional rate of interest varying from 1.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent, and was repayable in 30 years with a moratorium of 10 years.

Till now, the has repaid Rs 3,337 crore to JICA, and the balance liability was of Rs 31,861 crore.

Delhi Metro operations have been closed for the public since March 22 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to curb the spread of the disease.

This closure of services in the past few months has led to a loss in revenue for the urban transporter worth around Rs 1,300 crore.

On Friday, sources said, the DMRC has not yet approached the on the loan issue.

For financial year 2020-21, DMRC is required to pay Rs 1,242.83 crore (Rs 434.15 crore interest and Rs 808.68 crore principal) to the Centre towards JICA loan for the loan.

The DMRC has paid Rs 79.19 crore on account of interest during this year, and a balance of Rs 1,163.64 crore (Rs 354.96 cr interest and Rs 808.68 cr principal) is yet to be paid during the current financial year, sources 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.)
A dozen men and four women have been charged with 74 offences after police say they busted a network of GTA organized crime groups for exporting and importing narcotics.

The arrests were announced late Wednesday by the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, a group of police specializing in organized crime.

The operation  dubbed Project Oswordtail  focused on the importation, exportation and distribution of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, opium and ketamine in the GTA.

Investigators said they seized more than 35 kilograms of cocaine; five kg of fentanyl, heroin, opium; 30 kg of an unidentified white powder; more than $200,000 in cash; 275 cartons of illegal cigarettes and three vehicles modified with hidden compartments for smuggling drugs.

Phung David Nguyen, 33, and Cuy Ceen, 47, Anh Le, 33, Singh Ngo, 60, and Thi Anh Nguyen, 59, all of Toronto, are all charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

John Palumbo, 61, of Vaughan, is charged with possession and trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and attempted trafficking of Percocet pills.

Ravi Shanker, 58, of Brampton, is charged with possession and trafficking of cocaine, and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000.

Sukhsimrat Pawar, 39, of Brampton, is charged with possession of cocaine and opium for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000.

Harvinder Singh, 42, is charged with trafficking cocaine while Satinderjit Singh Khaira, 48, also of Cambridge, is charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

Brian Brum, 40, of Georgetown, is charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine and possession of the proceeds of crime over $5,000.

Steven Uth, 32, and Hua Thao Tran, 27, both of Bradford, are charged with possession of fentanyl and ketamine for the purpose of trafficking.

Hieu Thien Cao, 38, of Guelph, is charged with conspiracy to traffic cocaine and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000 while Thi Queyen Vu, 35, also of Guelph, is charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Kristoffer Risley, 42, of Richmond Hill, is charged with breach of recognizance.

The CFSEU focuses on organized crime and includes the RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, York Regional Police, Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police, Durham Regional Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service and the Canada Border Services Agency.
Customs authorities on Thursday sought to allay fears over safety regarding the storage of nearly 700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at a container freight station near Chennai.

IMAGE: A view of the damage at the site of the blast in Beirut's port area in Lebanon. Photograph: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

The storage became a cause for serious concern in the backdrop of the explosion of the substance in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on Tuesday, which killed 135 people and injured around 4,000.

The chemical worth Rs 1.80 crore was seized from a Tamil Nadu-based importer in 2015, who had allegedly declared it as fertiliser grade although it was an explosive grade, a customs official said.

However, the consignment, imported from South Korea, was safe and an e-auction process was on to clear it, he said.

According to a statement issued by the Customs Department, the seized consignment was kept in safe custody in the container freight station at Manali.

"The seized chemical is securely stored and the safety of the cargo and public is ensured considering the hazardous nature of the substance," the statement said.

The freight station was located about 20 km away from the city and there was no residential locality within the vicinity of 2 km, it said.

All safety measures are being taken by the freight station and monitored by the customs to ensure public safety. Also, the process of disposal of the cargo is taken up promptly by the customs, it said.

The disposal would be done within a short period by following all safety measures, the statement said.

The customs' clarification comes in the wake of reports in a section of the media that huge quantities of the chemical substance being stored could be a risk, even as political party Pattali Makkal Katchi sought the government to ensure its safe disposal.

"The goods are safe and pose no danger" a senior Customs Department official said when asked about the fears of safety in the backdrop of the devastating Beirut explosion.

Elaborating, the official, on condition of anonymity, said the sleuths had in November 2015 seized 697 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in 37 containers valued at Rs 1.80 crore from the importer.

"The importer had misdeclared the goods as ammonium nitrate of fertiliser grade whereas on examination it was found to be of explosive grade and that (the importer) had not followed the Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012," he said.

The containers were seized then and were since lying at the freight station while the licence of the importer had been cancelled.

While seven tonnes of the chemical got spoilt during the deluge in December 2015, the remaining 690 tonnes were under process of e-auctioning, he said.

Earlier during the day, PMK founder S Ramadoss urged the government to take immediate steps to safely dispose of the ammonium nitrate, saying a possible Beirut-like incident should be avoided.

Expressing concern over the reported huge quantity of the seized chemical kept at the freight station here since 2015, he said the uncleared substance could be a risk and that it should be safely disposed of and utilised for purposes like composting.

Tuesday's explosion in Lebanon's port city of Beirut killed 135 people and injured about 4,000.

Buildings were damaged for miles around the city after 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilisers, stored at the facility for six years, reportedly caused the explosion.
With less than 90 days until election day, Republicans are scrambling to counter the effects of United States President Donald Trumps verbal war on mail ballots amid growing evidence that it has helped Democrats heading into the crucial November 3 contest.

The US presidents unsubstantiated attacks on mail voting as vulnerable to fraud have soured many of his supporters on this alternative to in-person balloting as coronavirus sweeps the country, more than two dozen Republican officials from six politically competitive states told Reuters news agency.

Democratic voters, meanwhile, are embracing mail ballots at rates well ahead of their Republican counterparts, according to data from recent state and local elections.

The trend has alarmed them, the Republican officials said. They worry Democrats will bank significantly more mail votes by November, a deficit that may be tough to overcome if the pandemic depresses turnout on election day.

Fearful of losing the White House and getting thumped in down-ballot races, party operatives are quietly taking matters into their own hands. Local Republican candidates are recording phone messages promoting mail balloting as safe and reliable, officials said, while volunteer door knockers have memorised talking points to persuade sceptical voters that their states system is fraud-proof.

There is a real concern that [Trumps actions] will end up suppressing the Republican vote, said Amy Koch, a Republican strategist in Minnesota who is working on several races there. We are trying to tell voters that mail voting here in Minnesota has safeguards, but I worry that Trump has the biggest megaphone and can blow the whole thing up.

The Trump campaign would not comment specifically on the assertion of Koch and other Republican officials that the president is undermining turnout efforts. Campaign spokeswoman Thea McDonald said, President Trump has consistently and rightly said that where a voter cannot make it to the polls, they should request an absentee ballot.





Knowing that many of the presidents supporters trust only what he says, the party has taken to using Trumps own words to tout mail-in voting. In key battleground states, including Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, officials last month sent fliers to millions of Republican voters urging them to request absentee ballots for Novembers election.

The mailers featured part of a Trump tweet from June 28: Absentee Ballots are fine because you have to go through a precise process to get your voting privilege.

But it obscured the remainder of that message: Not so with Mail-Ins. Rigged Election!!! 20% fraudulent ballots?, according to a copy of the mailer seen by Reuters whose content was confirmed by the Republican National Committee.

.Absentee Ballots are fine because you have to go through a precise process to get your voting privilege. Not so with Mail-Ins. Rigged Election!!! 20% fraudulent ballots?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2020

The RNC defended this selective use of Trumps words as completely in-line with President Trumps message, spokesman Mike Reed said.

The terms absentee voting and mail-in balloting have become synonymous in most US states; both generally mean filling out a ballot at home, then dropping it in the mail or returning it in person. Trump has tried to draw a distinction.

Sixteen states require an excuse to vote absentees, such as illness or travel. The other 34 states allow any registered voter to request a mail ballot. Trump has claimed, without evidence, that the latter system is prone to fraud. Election experts who have studied decades of US elections say fraud is rare.

What is clear is that mail ballots drive turnout in states that have made it easy to vote this way, and Democrats are far outstripping Republicans in embracing it this year.

In competitive Pennsylvania, which last year began allowing anyone to request an absentee ballot without a reason, a record 1.28 million Democrats requested mail ballots for its primary elections in June versus 526,706 Republicans, a two-to-one edge that dwarfs their 55 percent to 45 percent voter registration advantage in the state, election data show.

Looking ahead to November, the battleground state of North Carolina points to a continuation of that pattern.

Voters there are already able to request mail ballots for the presidential contest. As of Thursday, the 121,717 applications recorded are running 10 times higher than the total at this time in 2016, according to data from the North Carolina Board of Elections.

Of those, Democrats requested 60,502 compared with 18,974 for Republicans, a three-to-one advantage.

Republican concerns also run deep in coronavirus-ravaged Florida, the biggest prize among battleground states with 29 electoral college votes. Trump narrowly won the state in 2016, partly on the strength of a Republican edge in mail balloting and support from older, white voters who embrace this style of voting.

The coronavirus pandemic could make many Americans want to use mail-in ballots rather than vote in person [Marco Bello/Reuters]

But that advantage has evaporated heading into the upcoming August 18 primary elections featuring state and congressional races, seen as a bellwether for November. Democrats account for 47 percent of the record 2.9 million absentee ballot requests versus 30 percent for the Republicans, state data as of Thursday show.

Republican officials are so concerned about the trend that they, too, sent a mailer to Florida party members last month featuring an edited Trump tweet purporting to show the presidents support for mail balloting.

The presidents base skews older  this is the same population at high risk for COVID and most worried about in-person voting, said Dan Eberhart, a Republican fundraiser. If I was the president Id be making sure these people had ballots in the mail and could safely vote at home.

Florida is among the states that allow mail voting without an excuse, the system Trump has derided as fraudulent. Still, on Tuesday, he took to Twitter asking Florida supporters to vote by mail, saying the states process is Tried and True.

Florida is a must-win state for Trump to have a shot at a second term. Trump himself has voted absentee there since he became a Florida resident last year.

Steve Simeonidis, Democratic chairman of Miami-Dade County, the largest in Florida, said his party is dominating mail ballot requests in the state, thanks in part to aggressive outreach to its voters.

Simeonidis said Trumps attacks are a farce aimed at suppressing turnout among his opponents, a strategy that appears to have backfired.





Ive never seen a more disorganised messaging strategy, Simeonidis said. Hes doing our work for us.

Republican consultant Charles Hellwig in North Carolina is working with several state and congressional candidates to record phone messages encouraging people to vote early, including voting by mail.

We are doing our best to inform people that North Carolina has important safeguards. Some dont want to hear it, Hellwig said. The question is will these same people show up on election day if we are still seeing a surge in coronavirus cases. We have certainly made our bed in this.
Beirut Goes Up In Smoke By Andre Vltchek August 06, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - To see Beirut and its port area with a huge mushroom cloud hanging above is a truly surreal sight. But what is not surreal in battered Lebanese capital? A big part of the downtown looks flattened, thoroughly ruined. One of my Japanese friends based in Beirut exclaimed: It looks like Hiroshima! It does. Who is behind the carnage? What really happened? Nobody is claiming responsibility. Was it sabotage, a direct attack against Lebanon, or a politically motivated terrorist act? What is certain is that the earth moved. One of the explosions, equivalent to a 4.5-magnitude earthquake, ruined everything in its proximity. Blasts were heard all the way across the sea in Cyprus, while some 20 kilometers away, window panels at Rafik Hariri International Airport, got shattered. For five years, I have been observing from my window and terrace this magnificent sight: tall, often snow-covered mountains, huge bay, and vast port area with cranes, tankers, and mighty container cargo ships. Once there was a small fire in the port, and I could see each and every detail of it. But now, everything changed. Two explosions, one relatively small and one enormous, turned the entire port area of Beirut into a war zone, a target of carpet bombing. Or the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. People running away, in horror. Women and children shouting, crying, clinging to each other. The number of casualties is still unknown. Preliminary reports speak of at least 73 persons killed, but there are most likely hundreds of those who lost their lives. There are those still buried under the rubble, burned beyond recognition. One entire fire brigade just vanished. Red Cross reported at least 2.200 people injured. Soon after, the number shut up to 4,000. Several crew members on the UNIFIL vessel, which was docked in the Beirut port, injured. The horrible count goes up and up. Lebanese medical system, mostly privatized and in terrible shape, cannot cope with the carnage. Red smoke is levitating above the coast. What is it, really? Speculations and preliminary analyses are the most alarming. The Canadian Embassy began headcount of its staff. That fact has been confirmed. What has been clearly a hoax is that the Embassy sent scientific/medical warnings, which are now circulating all over the social media, such as: Its a dropped bomb with depleted uranium (red color). Tell all your loved ones to get away and dont inhale. Try to go in the opposite direction of the wind. Truth is getting mixed with the fake news. Whether it was a bomb is a very legitimate question. But the Canadian Embassy definitely did not claim on its social media, that it was. There is an urgent message from AUBMC (American University of Beirut Medical Center), the most prestigious medical facility in the Middle East. It even carries its logo at the top of the page. But when I contacted AUBMC, the staff strongly denied sending such messages: Everyone in Lebanon needs to stay indoor From the look of the flame, the explosion looks nitric acid-based. PLEASE STAY INSIDE!!! There is a long message from AUB president, however, which begins with: Dear members of the AUB community, I hope you and your loved-ones are safe and starting to recover from the catastrophic explosion which occurred earlier this evening in the Port of Beirut. We already know of thousands of injured and more than 67 dead. Property has been destroyed over an area of many square kilometers, including at AUB and AUBMC. Our hearts and our prayers are with all those injured or lost in this awful tragedy. We must do all we can, and some measure beyond that, to care for those injured and heal the terrible unseen wounds this has created. The AUBMC Emergency Department, our medical faculty, nurses and staff are all responding to hundreds of trauma cases, including a number of serious and critical cases, with great skill and professionalism Why are rumors being spread? Who is benefiting? What are the plans? Each and every piece of information has to be now verified. Scrutinized. Double and triple checked. Each piece of fake news or outright fabrication may lead to yet another explosion, to the worsening of the political violence. Lebanon is at the edge. And always when it is; when it feels this way, thousands of innocent people die. Everybody who has been living here, everyone who understands its history, knows that it is exactly this way here. It is obvious that there are certain groups in the country, who are interested in spreading chaos in this long-suffering, deeply injured land. But there are also very legitimate sources that believe that this is an attack by hostile foreign states. Some trustworthy security sources that I approached are brief in their analyses, and their preliminary conclusions are chilling: Nuke hit ballistic missile warehouse. The red smoke is fuel. But I dont know, yet; nobody knows. The situation is incredibly confusing. Everybody is still in shock and mourning. Some fingers are pointing at Israel. Israel denies its involvement and is offering help instead. Trump claims it was a bomb, but does not elaborate. RT reported earlier on the day of the blasts: The secretary-general of Lebanons Christian Kataeb Party, or Phalange, Nizar Najarian, has been killed. Kataeb Party is an extremist, violent right-wing Christian party, which is in alliance with the pro-Saudi faction of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri. Welcome to Lebanon-style political labyrinth! * Meanwhile, Beirut inhabitants are frightened. Lebanon has been faced with enormous problems, for at least one entire year. From huge anti-establishment riots which began in 2019, to the outbreak of COVID-19 followed by lockdowns, severe economic crises, and financial collapse. Eventually, the controlled exchange rate between the Lebanese pound and the U.S. dollar got abandoned, and the local currency went nose-diving; it got sharply devalued. For some time, people could withdraw only a small amount of their savings from the local banks. Political confrontations have always been pounding Lebanon, but recently they have been on the rise. The country is home to countless political and religious parties and movements, as well as shaky and temporary coalitions. What is on the surface does not necessarily correspond with what is forming the foundations. For instance, Hezbollah, which is an arch-enemy of Israel and which is now on the U.S. terrorist list, has been actually the most effective social organization, providing de facto social security net for both Muslims and Christians. But it is also a determined and powerful force, always ready to defend Lebanon against the Israeli invasions, therefore constantly on someones hit list. Extreme right-wing Christians could always swing either way; from antagonizing mistreated Palestinians and siding with Israel, to forming coalitions with Hezbollah. For an outsider, all this makes no sense. But, somehow, it does (often in a perverse way), at least for the Lebanese, and for those of us who have spent a long time in the country. The explosions took place just a few days before the U.N. court of justice was going to read the verdict, in absentia, against four Hezbollah members, who were allegedly involved in the 2005 assassination of Rafik Hariri, former prime minister of Lebanon. Some believe there is a link, but I strongly disagree, knowing Hezbollah and its political goals. This attack is definitely not Hezbollahs style, nor would it be in the groups interests. Lebanon has always been a timebomb, with dozens of real terrorist organizations forming so-called dormant cells; all over the country, and naturally all over the city of Beirut. Their proximity to each other, their antagonistic nature, could lead to a catastrophe at any moment. * Al Mayadeen , a left-leaning television channel which is close to both Hezbollah and South American TeleSur, reported in its Arabic service: Major General Abbas Ibrahim told Al-Mayadeen that it is possible that the explosion came from the highly explosive materials that had been confiscated some time ago, adding that course of investigations cannot be anticipated and when they are finished we will circulate confirmed information.



For his part, the Director-General of Customs announced that nitrate is the cause of the huge explosion in the port of Beirut.



As for the Minister of the Interior, Mohamed Fahmy, during his inspection of the Beirut port, he said, Investigations must be awaited to find out the cause of the explosion. The latest by Al-Mayadeen restated that what exploded was Ammonium Nitrate. And Al-Mayadeen is closely connected to Hezbollah. * Maki, a Japanese aid worker, based in Beirut, commented: Hope its not nuclear. This Mushroom shape of the smoke is very worrying.  Rana, a Lebanese U.N. staff in Beirut, shared her thoughts : A lot of speculations are going around: an accident in the fireworks storage, an Israeli attack on Hezbollah or army weapons. Nothing is certain right now, except that there are tremendous damage and destruction. Before the explosions, apparently, there was a drone circling above the area of the disaster. The footage is clearly depicting its presence in the sky. People are demanding an explanation. As no one is claiming responsibility, it appears that for at least some time, there will be many more questions than answers. But that is much better than rushed conclusions. The tragedy is enormous. The entire country is in shock. Emotions are running high. One wrong move and this entire part of the world could go up in flames. Again. Right now, the most important is to tend to thousands of wounded, bury the victims, and investigate thoroughly and coolheadedly. This may be the most difficult, the most dangerous moment for Lebanon since the end of the civil war. No time for sectarianism. The country has to unite, grin its teeth, and stoically fight for its very survival. Those of us who love and miss Lebanon, despite everything, will be supporting it, as much as we can. * UPDATES: The same day as this essay went to print, three heavy-lift Russian transport planes landed in Beirut, bringing an operation theatre, medical staff, medicine, and other equipment essential for saving lives. President Trump retracted his statement that the explosion was caused by a missile. President Emmanuel Macron of France arrived in Beirut, promising support, but raising fears that he may try to force Lebanon back to Western orbit. On 6 August, according to Reuters, he gave a speech in Beirut, declaring:  French aid would not go to corrupt hands and he would seek a new deal with political authorities, Reuters reports. In the latest update by RT: The source of the explosion is believed to be almost 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that was stored at a port warehouse. The blast has taken the lives of at least 135 people, while 5,000 have been injured. Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Six of his latest books are  New Capital of Indonesia ,  China Belt and Road Initiative,  China and Ecological Civilization with John B. Cobb, Jr.,  Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism, a revolutionary novel Aurora and a bestselling work of political non-fiction:  Exposing Lies Of The Empire . View his other books here . Watch Rwanda Gambit , his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky On Western Terrorism . Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and Latin America, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website , his Twitter and his Patreon . No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. 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 young man walks in front of a police patrol parked in front of a high school a day after violent clashes between police and protesters broke out on streets overnight in Memphis, Tenn., on June 13, 2019. (Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters)

Justice Department Expands Operation Legend to Memphis and St Louis

The Justice Department (DOJ) announced on Thursday that Operation Legend will be expanded to Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri, as part of efforts to reduce violent crime in those cities.

Operation Legend, named after 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed while sleeping in his home, was first launched in Kansas City, Missouri, as part of Trumps promise to assist cities that have been hit by a recent string of violence, the DOJ said. The operation has since been expanded to Chicago, Albuquerque, Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee.

Attorney General William Barr said that the two cities have recently been experiencing spikes in violent crime. Memphis saw an increase in homicides by 49 percent, reported gun crime by 23 percent, and aggravated shootings by 19 percent over 2019, the department said. Meanwhile, St Louis saw a nearly 34 percent rise of homicides and a 13 percent spike in non-fatal shootings.

The most basic responsibility of government is to protect the safety of our citizens, Barr said in a statement. The Department of Justices assets will supplement local law enforcement efforts, as we work together to take the shooters and chronic violent criminals off of our streets.

Officials say 16 federal investigators will be sent to Memphis on temporary assignment for 90 days, followed by 24 permanent agent assignments, who will supplement state and local law enforcement agencies in fighting violent gangs, gun crime, and drug trafficking organizations. Additional funding will also be made available to assist in the effort in the city as well as fund the hiring of 50 more police officers.

Similarly in St Louis, federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Agency, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, as well as 50 agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be sent to augment the local law enforcement resources.

The announcement to surge federal agents and resources to cities across the country has raised concerns from Democrats on whether the real purpose of the deployment is to disrupt protests and rioting that erupted across the country following the death of George Floyd and to score election points for President Donald Trump, who is running on a law and order platform.

House Democrats during a recent Judiciary Committee hearing with Barr criticized the operation and grilled the attorney general over the initiative. During the hearing, Barr pushed back criticism, saying that the characterizations attempt to conflate Operation Legend and the federal deployment in Portland, Oregon, which the Trump administration has faced intense scrutiny for.

Youve conflated two different things. The effort, like [Operation] Legend, is to deal with violent crime.  That does not involve encountering protesters, as you refer to it. Civil disturbance is a separate set of issues, Barr said. And I just reject the decision that the department is flooded anywhere in an attempt to suppress demonstrators.

The agents sent to Portland are tasked with protecting the federal courthouse after weeks of consecutive rioting that saw significant damage to the building and dozens of law enforcement agents injured. Local and state officials have criticized the Trump administration for the deployment, saying that the federal agents had escalated the matter and had engaged in alleged unconstitutional conduct when detaining rioters on the streets of the city.

The plan to expand the initiative to the two cities has been welcomed by local officials. St Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, a Democrat, said she supported the effort as it was her highest priority to protect the health and safety of over 300,000 people who live in the city.

Over the last few months, weve seen an unprecedented surge in violent and deadly crime plaguing our City. During the months of June and July alone, our police officers responded to 85 homicides and numerous other non-fatal shootings. This continued violence is cutting lives short and devastating hundreds of victims, family members, and loved ones. We must hold the perpetrators of this crime accountable, Krewson said in a statement.

At a time when our police department is facing a serious shortage of approximately 140 officers, we need additional resources to help us investigate violent crimes, make arrests, and deter additional violent offenses across the City, she said.

Similarly, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland underscored that the operation is a violent crime reduction effort and not an introduction of federal riot police, uniformed personnel, or other federal agents to protect federal property, and is not intended to introduce any additional ICE resources to enforce immigration offenses.

As I said earlier this week, we need more officers to investigate violent crimes to get violent criminals off our streets. As long as these federal agents are focused on this task, we will be supportive, Strickland said in a statement.

The DOJ first launched the operation in early July, saying that it would begin operating in Kansas City, Missouri. Later in the month, Trump announced the expansion of the operation to other cities.

This rampage of violence shocks the conscience of our nation and we will not stand by and watch it happen, Trump said at the time. No mother should ever have to cradle her dead child in her arms simply because politicians refuse to do what is necessary to secure their neighborhood and to secure their city.
A seven-year-old boy from Georgia with no underlying health conditions became the youngest person in the state to die from coronavirus, a day after president Donald Trump said children are almost immune from the disease.

The Georgia Department of Public Health announced on Thursday that the seven-year-old from Savannah, Georgia, had died after suffering a seizure in response to the virus, but did not release the date of the unnamed childs death.

In a statement to Fox5 in Atlanta, Dr Lawton Davis, director of the Coastal Health Department, said that every Covid-19 death we report is tragic, but to lose someone so young is especially heart-breaking.

He added: We know that older individuals and those with underlying conditions are at higher risk of complications, but this is a disease everyone should take seriously.

A six-year-old girl from Tennessee and a six-year-old boy from Nebraska also died from coronavirus this week. The previous youngest person to die in Georgia from Covid-19 was a 17-year-old, according to Fox News.

Recommended More than 100 Mississippi children and teachers in quarantine

The childs death came a day after president Trump falsely claimed that children are almost immune to the disease when he called in and spoke to the hosts of Fox & Friends.

Mr Trump said on Wednesday morning that schools should be open. If you look at children  I would almost say definitely  they are almost immune from this disease.

He added: Theyve got stronger, hard to believe, I dont know how you feel about it, but theyve got much stronger immune systems than we do somehow for this. And they dont have a problem, they just dont have a problem.

After the president posted a clip of the comments on his Facebook page, it was taken down by the social media site, who said it contained false claims.

In a statement on Wednesday evening, Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone said: This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from Covid-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful Covid misinformation.

Courtney Parella, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, responded to Facebooks claims and said that the president was stating a fact that children are less susceptible to the coronavirus.

She added: Another day, another display of Silicon Valleys flagrant bias against this president, where the rules are only enforced in one direction. Social media companies are not the arbiters of truth.

The post was also taken down from both Twitter and Youtube, for breaching their coronavirus misinformation rules.

A study from The American Academy of Pediatrics earlier in the year found that children are less susceptible to the symptoms of the disease, and some school districts in the US have reopened after a period of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, more than 116 teachers and students in a Mississippi school district were instructed to self-isolate on Thursday, due to an outbreak of coronavirus less than two weeks after they reopened.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, in the US as a whole, some 4.8 million people have tested positive for coronavirus. The death toll has reached at least 160,111.
A state panel on Friday unanimously recommended that Virginias statue of Robert E. Lee at the U.S. Capitol be moved to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in Richmond.

Historian Ed Ayers, former president of the University of Richmond, made the motion to ask whether the museum wants to take ownership of the statue. The museum has done a remarkable job of broadening and deepening its representation of Virginia history, Ayers said during the panels online meeting. He said the museum has proved to be an excellent steward of the diversity of Virginias past.

Ayers said the museum has the institutional capacity to deal with accepting the statue and the curatorial expertise to deal with it appropriately.

Emily Lucier, a spokesperson for the museum, said in an email: We have heard of the commissions discussion and vote; however, we have not yet received their formal request. We will comment once we have received some official communication.
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After China launched its first interplanetary Mars mission Tianwen-1 on 23 July 2020, the spacecraft has now captured some stunning images of the Earth and the Moon on its way to the Red Planet. The images were taken by Tianwen-1 just before making its first trajectory correction manoeuvre on 2 August.

The official Twitter account of the China Global Television Network (CGTN) shared the black and white picture captured by the spacecraft. As per the tweet, the image was taken "1.2 million kilometres away from our home planet" on 27 July.

Here comes the picture of #Earth and #moon taken from space!#China's Mars mission Tianwen-1 probe on Monday took a picture of the Earth and moon from 1.2 million kilometers away from our home planet. pic.twitter.com/fbbjsAmMpC  CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) July 28, 2020

In the picture, both the planet and its natural satellite appear in the shape of hemispherical discs. While the Earth is nearer, the moon appears tiny for being further away. The images were captured by the optical navigation sensor present on the craft.

On 2 August, the spacecraft also managed a successful trajectory manoeuvre. Tianwen-1 needs to correct its trajectory and slow the craft occasionally in order to stay on course to enter Mars' orbit. A report by Space.com added that it needs to perform four or five such adjustments in the course of its journey.

Powered with an orbiter, lander as well as a rover, Tianwen-1 is going to travel for seven months to reach Mars by February 2021. This is also when NASA's Perseverance rover and United Arab Emirates' Hope Mission will be reaching the red planet. However, Tianwen-1 will not immediately start deploying the rover or lander. It will study the land for landing and begin its scientific research from April.

The mission has been designed to study how water-ice gets distributed on Mars, along with studying how did the planet evolve to be what it is today and how did the habitability change on Mars along the years.
Fans and followers of Simbu aka STR were elated when his filmMaanaadu was announced by the makers of the movie. However, soon after the announcement, several media reports claimed that the film has been shelved due to reasons best known to the team. Well now, the producer of the film Suresh Kamatchi has refuted the rumour and also warned media to stop spreading fake news about the film, without confirming the details about the same.

Sharing a newspaper cutting with heading 'MANAADU DROPPED', the producer wrote, "If such a news comes hereafter i wl sue the concern media. I always respect media team and being close to thm. I never gave any statement like this. Without cross checking with a producer hw can a reputed publication print a news. #Maanaadu is never going to drop.Plz stop ur table work." Well, we are sure the official confirmation from Suresh might have impressed the fans and followers of STR, who are awaiting to feast their eyes on the charming actor.

Meanwhile, the shooting of the film has been currently halted owing to the COVID-19 lockdown imposed by the state and central government. Helmed by Venkat Prabhu, Maanaadu will have south diva Kalyani Priyadarshan romancing STR. Touted to be a political thriller, the movie will feature an ensemble cast including Premgi Amaren, Venkat Prabhu, Karunakaran, SA Chandrasekar, and Bharathiraja in pivotal roles. SJ Suryah has been signed to play the lead antagonist in the movie. The music has been composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja while the camera is cranked by Richard M Nathan.

Trisha Krishnan And STR To Enter Wedlock? Here's The Truth!

The makers of the film were reportedly targeting a release in August 2020, which is now impossible owing to the COVID-19 situation. The team is yet to announce a new release date for Maanaadu.

Mysskin's Next Movie With STR Is An Action Drama, Read Deets Inside!
Analysts and bankers have estimated the U.S. operations at $20 billion to $50 billion.

Mounting pressure from the White House is undercutting the value of TikTok, the viral video service owned by Chinas ByteDance Ltd., in its asset sale talks with Microsoft Corp. as President Donald Trump orders an imminent ban on the company, Caixin learned.

A person close to the matter said ByteDance is in an increasingly unfavorable negotiating position in discussions to sell part of TikToks operations to Microsoft and ward off a U.S. ban.

The price tag of TikToks businesses in the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand has been beaten down to $10 billion, the person said, half or less than previous market estimates.

A ByteDance investor told Caixin earlier that investors valued TikToks entire global business at about $100 billion. Analysts and bankers have estimated the U.S. operations, TikToks second-largest overseas market after India, at $20 billion to $50 billion, according to Bloomberg data.

With the deteriorating environment in the U.S., ByteDance is losing bargaining power, meaning the assets are likely to be undervalued, the investor said. Most non-Chinese investors in TikTok tend to keep their stakes, the investor said.

Read more

Cover Story: Will TikTok Be the Next Huawei?

With 70 million monthly active users in the U.S., TikTok has become a fresh target in the Trump administrations confrontation with China, following a sustained assault on telecom giant Huawei Technologies. Earlier this week, Trump said he would shut down TikTok in the U.S. by Sept. 15 unless its local operations are sold to an American company. Microsoft confirmed it was in talks with TikTok for an acquisition.

ByteDance took another blow Friday as Trump signed two executive orders promising to ban Americans from as yet unspecified transactions with ByteDance and Tencent Holdings Ltd.

In a pair of vaguely worded orders, Trump threatened to ban any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States with the two companies, citing a national security risk of leaving Americans personal data exposed. The orders are to take effect Sept. 20.

That falls five days after the previous deadline Trump gave ByteDance to sell TikToks U.S. operations to a very American company or shut down.

Trump is intent on banning the entire business of ByteDance, preventing it from growing into a global company, said a person close to TikToks discussions with Microsoft. The goal is either to force a sale of TikTok or defeat it.

ByteDance threatened legal action against the U.S. government.

If the U.S. government cannot treat us fairly, we will resort to the U.S. courts, ByteDance said Friday in a statement. The order sets a dangerous precedent that violates freedom of expression and the principle of open markets. For the past year, we have been seeking to communicate with the U.S. government sincerely and to provide constructive solutions to their concerns. But what we are facing is that the U.S. government disregards the facts  and tries to interfere in negotiations between private companies.

But challenging the executive orders in court wont be easy for ByteDance, a lawyer said.

It is still unclear to what extent TikTok and Tencents popular messaging app WeChat, which provides chat, financial and third-party services for more than 1 billion users, would be sanctioned under the order. Analysts said it would mean a removal of the apps from Apples and Googles app stores or preventing American telecom companies from providing services for the apps.

But a blanket ban on TikTok and WeChat could be controversial as it may face legal challenges regarding freedom of expression, the lawyer said. There is no law in the U.S. that could prevent American citizens from using certain apps, the lawyer said.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)

Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99.
File image: Nitin Gadkari

The government is planning to create a deposit-taking 'social microfinance organisation' to disburse loans of up to Rs 10 lakh to women and small entrepreneurs quickly, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said. The idea came up during a discussion with Nobel laureate and Grameen Bank founder Mohammed Yunus of Bangladesh, and will be confirmed after discussions with the Finance Ministry and the "highest authority", the Minister for MSME and Road Transport and Highways said.

India already has dedicated micro-lenders serving in various parts of the country and some of them have already graduated to work as small finance banks, which gives them access to deposits. It can be noted that deposit acceptance is treaded with a lot of caution by policymakers.

Speaking at an interaction with Ficci FLO, Gadkari said the government is mulling over the idea where the finance of up to Rs 10 lakh can be availed by women entrepreneurs within three days.

Explaining the procedure for such a system, the minister said, "You (the financing entity) can register and you will get a license from RBI and you can accept deposits and giving loans to the small people. This type of mechanism we are developing for social micro & small institutions with a very simple procedure, without red tapism".

He said the Niti Aayog is taking initiative, and on the basis of inputs, a policy will be decided.

"All the small people will get finance. The idea is how we can create employment potential in the rural area," he said.

Acknowledging that there are challenges being faced by various sectors of the economy, the minister said there is a need to create industrial clusters across the country, and exhorted all for a special focus on handlooms, handicrafts, agro processing units to help people across the board.

While the problems posed by urbanisation are before us, we need to improve the lives in rural areas as well, Gadkari said, adding that there is a need to have a 'smart village' initiative just like the one focused on cities.

Accepting that this is not the appropriate time for such a law, Gadkari said timely payments to small business units is a very important aspect and the government is mulling a law to ensure they get payments at least from the state-owned entities in time.

Gadkari said, a few days back, he has asked global e-commerce major Amazon to increase its exports of Indian MSME-produced goods to Rs 3 lakh crore per year from the present Rs 60,000 crore in two years.

He said Rs 1.20 lakh crore has been disbursed to small businesses as part of the Rs 3 lakh crore government-guaranteed loans package in the aftermath of the pandemic, and asked enterprises facing problems at the bank-end to complain about the same.

Gadkari, who hails from Nagpur and has been a minister in the Maharashtra government in the past, said Pune is getting very congested and there is a need for a satellite city of 'New Pune' on the lines of Navi Mumbai.

He said a 5 lakh-acre land parcel near Ahmednagar, along the Kalyan-Ahmednagar highway has been identified for the same and the cost of land is also not very high.
Holy crap.

Those were the first thoughts that came to mind when Trenton Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Benedetti got the word that Solutia Inc. was shutting down its West Jefferson operation by the end of December.

Eastman Chemical Co., based in Kingsport, Tennessee, recently informed union officials at Trentons Solutia Inc. plant of its intention to close.

We will have to grasp this and figure out what we are going to do, Benedetti said. Its not the best news for us to be getting right now. I had no idea this was coming, but Ive been wondering what was going to happen there.

Kristin Parker, a corporate communications officer for Eastman, said the employees have a great track record, but said a business decision had to be made.

According to the company, the closure is not a reflection of the performance of the employees working at the support site.

Lower product demand and financial difficulties brought about due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced the decision to shut the plant down, Parker said.

Benedetti said there will still be taxable value there, but the council will have to sit down and start figuring some things out.

Our budget is going to be way worse than this year, I know that, he said. We will come up with some ideas and well get through this. I can guarantee that.

The plant produces PVB (polyvinal butyral) resins used primarily in interlayers for automotive and architectural laminated glass and also sold as resins used in several applications such as coatings and inks.

Parker said there are several reasons playing into the plants closure.

In addition to the lower demand outlook for the interlayers product for at least the next two to three years, there is a need to make large capital investments to maintain boiler and process water access, a statement from Eastman said. This decision to exit the site will help improve the ongoing cost structure of the business. We are committed to maintaining the safety and environmental stewardship of the site throughout the closure.

Solutia is one of 21 plants owned by Eastman in the United States.
Martin was released in June.

This was a person who murdered a police officer in cold blood, and then he was convicted of doing that, and this parole board went out of its way  which was apparently their intention  to facilitate his release; and they broke every rule and procedure and law in the process, House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, charged during a video news conference that he and two other Republican leaders held to discuss the report. And somebody needs to be held accountable.

Gilbert added that the parole board members who were part of the decision to release Martin need to take responsibility for themselves and step aside. If not, he said, Gov. Ralph Northam needs to step up and do his duty to remove people who clearly have violated the law, clearly violated procedures, clearly done more to reopen these wounds of pain for the family of the victim through their action and inaction.

The fact that the parole board members went out of their way to ignore and prevent victim input is shameful at best, and blatantly illegal at worse, Gilbert said. And we hope to see some fundamental change there as a result of bringing this to the publics attention.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Shares in the parent of Chinese social media giant WeChat tanked in Hong Kong on Friday after Donald Trump signed an executive order banning Americans from doing business with the platform, citing national security concerns.

Tencent plunged as much as 10 percent in morning trade before paring losses and ending the session down 6.75 percent at HK$518.00, dragging the broader Hang Seng Index down more than two percent.

The sweeping restrictions on the firm, which come into effect in 45 days, also cover ByteDance, the owner of popular app TikTok.

The move wiped almost $50 billion off Tencent's market capitalisation, with the firm having surged about 70 percent since March as global tech titans benefited from stay-at-home orders aimed at containing the coronavirus.

It also adds to a laundry list of issues that have ratcheted up tensions between the superpowers, including Hong Kong, Huawei and the spread of the virus.

"The US government is expected to follow up with more measures targeting Tencent," Steven Leung, at UOB Kay Hian (Hong Kong), said.

"Tencent's overseas expansion map now looks a bit uncertain, since some M&A deals, especially if its targets are based in the US, will face challenges."

The move rippled around Asian markets, with investors concerned about increasingly bitter relations between the economic titans that some fear could lead to a renewal of their painful trade war.

Officials from both sides are due to meet next Saturday to review a trade deal signed earlier this year.

"Apart from the obvious fallout to Tencent and ByteDance, Washington DC's moves are sure to ratchet up geopolitical tensions with Beijing once again," said OANDA's Jeffrey Halley.

Explore further Tencent offers buy out of Chinese search engine Sogou

 2020 AFP
Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui delivers a speech during the memorial ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Japan, Aug. 6, 2020. Japan marked the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Thursday, with its mayor urging the world to unite against threats to humanity including those from nuclear weapons. (The City of Hiroshima/Handout via Xinhua)

Japan marked the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Thursday, with its mayor urging the world to unite against threats to humanity including those from nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said countries should "put aside their differences and come together to overcome both man-made and natural challenges."

"Civil society must reject self-centered nationalism and unite against all threats," Matsui said at the annual ceremony at Peace Memorial Park.

The memorial ceremony was scaled down due to a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in Japan and the need to maintain social distancing.

A moment's silence was observed by those in attendance, including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at 8:15 a.m. local time, the time when the "Little Boy" uranium-core atomic bomb dropped by a U.S. bomber exploded above Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.

The bomb killed around 140,000 people by the end of 1945.

Despite Japan not being a signatory to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, Abe, in his speech, said countries must not let nations' different stances on nuclear weapons widen further.

"Each country must step up efforts to remove a sense of mistrust through mutual involvement and dialogue amid the severe security environment and widening differences between nations' positions on nuclear disarmament," the Japanese premiere said.

The number of survivors of the two atomic bombings including Nagasaki known as hibakusha with an average age of 83.31, have dropped by 9,200 from a year earlier to 136,682 as of March, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

While Japan commemorates the tragedies it had experienced at the end of World War II, historians and political minds of the international community have encouraged Japan to come to see themselves not as merely victims of the atomic bombings but also as the perpetrators who led to these tragic incidents to happen in the first place.

Japan brutally occupied many parts of Asia before and during World War II, causing untold suffering and deaths to hundreds of thousands of innocent victims.
Following the untimely passing of Daisy Coleman, police have confirmed how she died.

The 23-year-old advocate, whose own story of surviving sexual assault was a subject of the 2016 documentary Audrie & Daisy, committed suicide on Aug. 4, her mother Melinda Coleman confirmed on social media.

The Lakewood Police Department in Colorado confirmed to E! News Coleman died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to the authorities, police trained in crisis intervention went to Coleman's home with members of the fire department five hours before her death. There, they spoke to her for more than an hour, per police, and felt a medical hold was not needed because Coleman never indicated she was suicidal or threatened suicide.

Her mom said she called the police to check on her daughter. "If you saw crazy / messages and posts it was because I called the police to check on her," Melinda explained on Facebook.

Speaking of her beloved child, Melinda continued, "She was my best friend and amazing daughter. I think she had to make make [sic] it seem like I could live without her. I can't. I wish I could have taken the pain from her! She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it's just not fair. My baby girl is gone."

Celebrity Deaths: 2020's Fallen Stars

The documentary focused on two cases of teenage sexual assault, including Coleman's, as well as the role social media played in their experiences and the backlash they faced in their communities.

Daisy was 14 years old at the time she was allegedly raped by then-17-year-old Matthew Barnett in her Missouri hometown. Two years later, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor child endangerment charge as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to two years of probation and a four-month suspended jail term, according to CBS News. He maintained that they consensually had sex.

Story continues

Audrie & Daisy's Daisy Coleman Dead By Suicide at 23

Following her death, SafeBAEthe peer-to-peer organization she co-founded that is aimed at ending sexual assault among studentspaid tribute to Daisy in a public statement.

"As all of our supporters know, Daisy has fought for many years to both heal from her assault and prevent future sexual violence among teens. She was our sister in this work and much of the driving force behind it," the organization's statement read. "We were not just a non-profit team, but a family. We are shattered and shocked by her passing from suicide. She had been in EMDR therapy for 2 years, working on her triggers and healing from the many traumas in her life. She had many coping demons and had been facing and overcoming them all, but as many of you know, healing is not a straight path or any easy one. She fought longer and harder than we will ever know."

The organization also addressed survivors and assured them of how much Daisy cared about and was supported by them.

Daisy Coleman

"We want to be mindful of all the young survivors who looked up to her. Please know that above ALL ELSE, she did this work for you," the statement continued. "She loved talking to young people about changing the culture and taking care of one another. Much of her healing came from each of you. She was so proud of the work we've done and loved seeing so many fierce young activists push for change in their schools and among their friends."

"She would want young survivors to know they are heard, they matter, they are loved, and there are places for them to get the help they need," the statement concluded. "And she would want everyone elsepeer allies, educators, parents, legislators, religious leadersto come together to help stop sexual violence and help save teen lives. As advocates we know survivors of sexual assault are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide than those who haven't experienced sexual assault, and that is why we will keep dedicating ourselves to this work in her legacy. There's no question that is what she would want."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 18:43:58|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Experts from various countries view Sino-U.S. relations one of the most important bilateral relations in the world with global influence, saying that it is in the common interests of both sides as well as the international community to properly resolve differences between the two sides and bring their relations back on the track of cooperation.

China is ready to make cool-headed and sensible response to the impulsive moves and anxiety of the U.S. side, said Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"Our message is quite clear: We urge the United States to stop acting with arrogance and prejudice, but enter into constructive dialogue with us on an equal footing. We hope that it will work with us to ease current tensions and put the relations back onto the right track of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation," he said.

Responding to the U.S. impulse and anxiety with calm and reason shows China's sense of responsibility, said Eduardo Regalado, a researcher at Cuba's Center for International Policy.

Noting COVID-19 is raging around the world, Regalado said China has spared no effort to help other countries fight the pandemic and that working with China to tackle the epidemic and other challenges should be the right choice for the U.S. government.

Mauricio Santoro, an expert on international relations at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said the world is suffering from the worst impact after World War II -- the epidemic and the economic crises.

Some U.S. politicians are peddling that "the engagement policy toward China fails," aiming to shift the government's responsibility for its ineffective response to the epidemic and serve the political needs of elections, said Santoro, adding such a move can only lead to a more complicated situation for the United States and other countries.

Cooperation is vital for all countries to deal with their common crises, the expert said, emphasizing they should join hands in various fields such as vaccine development and finding solutions to restart the economy.

Humphrey Moshi, a professor of economics at Tanzania's leading state-run University of Dar es Salaam, said the argument that "the engagement policy toward China fails" by some U.S. politicians reflected the hypocrisy and proclivity for nationalism of U.S. politics.

Over the past few decades, he said, Sino-U.S. exchanges have promoted global peace and stability and economic and social development. The cooperation between the two countries at bilateral and multilateral levels has helped solve many global problems. A "new cold war" is not a solution to differences and contradictions. Dialogue is the effective way to solve problems. Enditem
On Thursday, New York's attorney general, Letitia James, proudly announced that she had filed suit to "dissolve" the National Rifle Association. She also sued four NRA executives for damages. The basis for the suit is her claim that the NRA has been mismanaging donor funds. She was able to attack the NRA because the organization is registered in New York, where it was first chartered in 1871.

James got a lot of attention with her announcement, but it might not have been what she was expecting. Forward-looking Democrats demanded to know whether she was trying to help get Trump elected. Meanwhile, the NRA, which has been gaining 1,000 new members a day since the "defund the police" movement began, immediately filed a lawsuit against James, accusing her of defamation and seeking to squelch the organization's right to free speech.

In a ponderous press conference, James announced that she had filed suit based upon her contention that the NRA has for years been guilty of self-dealing and other illegal conduct:

It's no secret why James is going after the NRA. First, it was one of her campaign promises when she ran for attorney general. In an October 2018 pre-election interview with Ebony magazine she attacked the NRA  which protects Americans' Second Amendment rights  as a "terrorist organization" (emphasis added):

What is the most important issue you've have heard from prospective voters? President Donald Trump and the threat to our democracy and our values. The fact that his policies have reversed all the progress that we made under President Barack Obama and others. There's an issue of public corruption in New York state; I will seek to restore confidence and integrity in public service. The foreclosure crisis is not behind us, students debt is a major issue, health care is a challenge since they repealed the individual mandate, people are having a difficult time with premiums that have increased and are often times deciding to go without medicine because of the costs, resulting in premature death and gun violence. The NRA holds [itself] out as a charitable organization, but in fact, [it] really [is] a terrorist organization.

The NRA immediately struck back. Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's CEO and EVP issued a statement:

(1/2) Statement from NRA CEO & EVP Wayne LaPierre:



The NYAGs actions are an affront to democracy and freedom. This is an unconstitutional, premeditated attack aiming to dismantle and destroy the NRA  the fiercest defender of Americas freedom at the ballot box for decades.  NRA (@NRA) August 6, 2020

(2/2) The NRA is well governed, financially solvent, and committed to good governance. Were ready for the fight. Bring it on.  NRA (@NRA) August 6, 2020

The NRA also issued a statement separate from LaPierre's:

(1/3) NRA PRESIDENT RESPONDS TO NY AG:



This was a baseless, premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedoms it fights to defend. You could have set your watch by it: the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as...  NRA (@NRA) August 6, 2020

(2/3)...we move into the 2020 election cycle. Its a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda. This has been a power grab by a political opportunist  a desperate move that is part of a rank political vendetta.  NRA (@NRA) August 6, 2020

(3/3) Our members wont be intimidated or bullied in their defense of political and constitutional freedom.



As evidenced by the lawsuit filed by the NRA today against the NY AG, we not only will not shrink from this fight  we will confront it and prevail.  NRA (@NRA) August 6, 2020

Additionally, the NRA filed a defamation suit against James for calling the NRA a "criminal enterprise" and "terrorist organization." It also accused James of violating the NRA's First Amendment rights.

The reason behind the lawsuit's timing is obvious. The NRA, recognizing the threat a hard-left Biden administration poses to the Second Amendment, vowed to spend tens of millions of dollars to help Trump win battleground states. With his usual pithy flair, Trump spelled out what would happen if James's suit were to succeed:

Just like Radical Left New York is trying to destroy the NRA, if Biden becomes President your GREAT SECOND AMENDMENT doesnt have a chance. Your guns will be taken away, immediately and without notice. No police, no guns!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2020

Thanks to the fundraising boost the Black Lives Matter movement created, the NRA's coffers are well set for the fight. Additionally, if Twitter is any measure of general opinion, while leftists applaud the suit, those who cherish the Second Amendment are planning to show their approval by digging into their pocketbooks and sending money to the NRA.

Meanwhile, savvy Democrats looking ahead to November were horrified by what James had done. Thus, Pennsylvania politicos panicked:

Politico reporter Holly Otterbein said on Thursday after the suit was filed that several Democrats in Pennsylvania, a battleground state President Trump flipped red in 2016, are "panicked" the lawsuit may be interpreted as a Democratic attack on gun rights and the Second Amendment.

Ari Fleischer predicted that James made a bad "mistake during an election year," because the lawsuit will inevitably "energize gun owners across the country." Noting that gun-owners already worry what Democrats will do if they gain the White House, he said, "Wait until the Democrats now try to get rid of the organization that represents gun owners."

The year 2020 is proving to be a giant crescendo of every leftist value, attitude, and action. From using the virus to create a police state to trying to destroy the actual police who help create a civil society to engaging in race warfare, Democrats are giving their all. Fortunately, Americans seem more dismayed than charmed by Democrats red of tooth and claw.

Image: YouTube screen grab.
Imagine going to the zoo where humans, not animals, are caged. Lions and bears roam freely around you, and you may give them a treat.

Many traditional zoos earn the reputation of keeping animals caged and in poor condition over the years. On the other hand, reverse zoos let the animals enjoy a cage-free environment, and visitors pay to be locked in a cage and stalked by nature's big predators like lions and bears.

Here are the most popular reverse zoos in the world:

Lehe Ledu Wildlife, Chongqing City China

Visitors pay the zoo to be locked in a cage and stalked by lions, tigers, and bears. The enclosure in which the visitors are locked in is mounted on a moving vehicle with chunks of fresh meat attached to it. The enclosed car then drives through the park, using the meat to lure the predators. AS lions smell the meat, it goes after the caged vehicle giving the tourist an opportunity for a very close encounter without being eaten alive.

Visitors in the cage can also push meat on a stick through a small opening to feed the tigers and the lions. The big cats then leap onto the vehicle to eat the offer, giving you the feeling that the lion is jumping on you.

The zoo launched the attraction in 2015, and tickets were sold out for three months.

READ: Researchers Observe Relationships, Grooming, and Social Behaviors of Dairy Cows





Orana Wildlife Park in Christchurch, New Zealand

Orana also offers the same attraction. Twenty (20) tourists are locked inside the cage mounted on a vehicle. The guests squeeze into the enclosure while the keepers watch the lions being feed by the keepers.

The zoo also offers other attractions such as visits feeding a giraffe, seeing a magnificent white rhino at a safe distance, and meeting the kiwi.

The facility is internationally renowned for its zoo-based breeding programs for endangered exotic and native species.

The park is New Zealand's only open-range zoo.

MonkeyJungle, Miami Florida

The jungle has a tagline "Where humans are caged and monkeys run wild!". This zoo offers guests traveling through the park on a caged walkway while various primates roam semi-freely in a natural habitat.

Monkey Jungle is a 30-acre zoological park in Miami and is one of the few protected habitats for primates in the United States, and is the only one that the public can explore.

The Monkey Jungle trip allows guests to explore Southeast Asian Wild Monkey Pool & Trail, the Cameroon Gorilla Forest, the Amazonian Rainforest, and the haven of birds, Wings of Love.

The facility is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

READ ALSO: Saving Giant Panda at the Expense of Leopards, Snow Leopards, Wolves, and Asian Wild Dog





Parque Safari Zoo, Rancagua Chile

At Parque Safari, the park gives the costumers an opportunity to observe giraffe, emus, lions, and animatronic dinosaurs while using a variety of vehicles.

One can feed zebras, giraffes, and alpacas from a particular vehicle during the herbivore safari tour. A protected vehicle is used for big cats section to stay inches away from the tigers and lions.

READ NEXT: 5 Reasons Why You Should Not Go Whale Watching




A special, restricted-access residential area in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) was established to relocate internment camp detainees accused of lighter offenses, and requires study of Mandarin Chinese, while employing detainees in several on-site factories, sources told RFA.

Earlier this week, RFAs Uyghur Service reported on a residential zone in the seat of Kashgars Makit (in Chinese, Maigaiti) county known as the 14th Neighborhood Committee, which permits detainees to live with their families, but otherwise differs little from the camps where authorities are believed to have held 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities since April 2017.

Reports of the development, known as Yuanqu in Mandarin Chinese, in the southern XUARs Uyghur heartland come amid indications China is relocating some inmates of the three-year-old internment camp program that has drawn international condemnation and U.S. sanctions, sending many to work in factories across China and putting some on trial.

Sources who described the new guarded community of former inmates outside Kashgar, a trading post city of 500,000, gave estimates ranging from several hundred families to 7,000 people. RFA was unable to verify the population of the residential zone.

The residential area accommodates those who have completed their studies at the camps, sources said, although residents are strictly monitored and made to attend mandatory political indoctrination classes, as well as sessions involving self-examinations and confessions. Entry and exit are prohibited without special permission.

New information revealed by ruling Chinese Communist Party cadres and other authorities in Makit county confirms the existence of the 14th Neighborhood Committee and what life is like for those held there, but also sheds light on work conditions in the zone and who are being targeted for relocation there.

A Uyghur cadre from nearby Tumental township recently told RFA that the committee is located in central Makits bazaar district, near an area known as South Park, and that construction had begun on the zone in either 2014 or 2015, although theyre still putting up new buildings inside.

It was not immediately clear from her comments if the committee was originally slated to be an internment camp or if it was designated as a restricted-access residential area in 2019, as the Chinese government undertook measures to quiet international outcry over the camps.

When asked what kind of people live there, the cadre, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that while most are families, there are also singles among them, and it is only populated by people from Makit [county].

The cadre said that in addition to political indoctrination sessions, people living at the committee are required to learn Mandarin, the official language of China.

I heard its more than 7,000  households [who live there], she said.

A second Uyghur cadre, from Makits bazaar district, told RFA that people held at the committee sleep and work there, including at several factories and workshops both inside and near the compound or, in rarer cases, market shops outside the residential grounds. Residents are permitted to work at facilities outside because there are not enough factories inside to employ everyone, she said.

There are people who work inside and people who work outside [the grounds], said the cadre, who also declined to be named. Those who work outside must go to and return from work on time.

Residents who work outside the 14th Neighborhood Committee, she said, face heavy restrictions on their freedom and movement, including being restricted from meeting freely with unrelated people and discussing details of life inside the compound.

Even the movement of cadres in and out of the zone is restricted, she added.

We have to get permission to go init doesnt matter if its cadres or relatives, no more than three people can go in at a time, she said.

A map shows Makit county in Xinjiang's Kashgar prefecture. Credit: RFA Less serious offenses

RFA also spoke with two Uyghur employees of a police station in nearby Shehitdong townshipone of whom suggested that those held at the 14th Neighborhood Committee are people whose offenses were deemed less serious before they were initially interned in camps.

An employee who initially answered the phone told RFA he knew of at least three people from his township that had been moved from camps to the committee but was unsure why they had been originally been detained.

One is from Algha village, and the other two are from Sherqiy Shimal and Awangart villages, he said.

He gave the phone to a second employee who said the three were sent to camps because of hatred towards Hans [Chinese], although he added that no one told us about any evidence in their cases.

When asked about the most egregious crime committed by any of the three, the employee told RFA it was listening to or watching illegal audio/video materials.

In addition to questions about the 14th Neighborhood Committee, RFA asked the two cadres about the case of a Uyghur former camp detainee from Tumental township named Ismail Dawut, who was sent to live in the residential zone after being released from an area camp and had provided information about it to sources for an earlier report.

Both cadres said Dawut had been held at a camp at the old Cadres Bureauone of a number of camps in Makit county identified by RFA in previous reporting, which also include the countys former Communist Party School, former Vocational High School, and at least one in Tumental.

The cadres said that the former Bureau of Cadres is located inside the county seat near the development zone, around two to three kilometers (1.25 to 1.85 miles) from the 14th Neighborhood Committee.

When asked what the reason for Dawuts initial detention was, the cadre from Makits bazaar district told RFA there were some problems on his phone.

Uyghurs have run afoul of the law for content on mobile phones, including references to Islam or Uyghur culture or signs of contacting people overseas.

Mounting pressure

Beijing describes its three-year-old network of camps as voluntary vocational centers, but reporting by RFA and other media outlets shows that detainees are mostly held against their will in poor conditions, where they are forced to endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination.

Amid pressure from the U.S. and, to a lesser extent, the European Union and the United Nations, experts believe that China has begun sentencing Uyghurs held in internment camps to prison, providing legal cover to the detentions.

Some Uyghurs and other detainees are being relocated to factories inside and outside of the XUAR as forced labor, under the guise of gaining employment connected to their purported vocational training.

Last week, the Trump administration sanctioned the quasi-military Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp (XPCC) and two of its current and former officials over rights violations in the XUAR.

The move followed similar sanctions in July against several top Chinese officials, including regional party secretary Chen Quanguo, marking the first time Washington targeted a member of Chinas powerful Politburo.

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
A driver has been sentenced after his ute rolled onto its roof and killed his 19-year-old passenger girlfriend in a horrific crash around Christmas.

Matthew Agius had tried to overtake a car along the Sturt Highway near Narrandera, in southern New South Wales, on December 21, 2018.

He tried to merge back into the lane when the wheels on his Toyota Hilux lifted off the road and the vehicle flipped onto its roof, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Emergency services found Agius underneath the car and his partner Casey Mallia hanging upside down by the seatbelt. She died from her injuries the following day.

Matthew Agius (pictured, with his late girlfriend Casey Mallia) had tried to overtake a car along the Sturt Highway near Narrandera, in southern New South Wales, on December 21, 2018

Emergency services found Agius (pictured) underneath the car and his partner Casey Mallia hanging upside down by the seatbelt - she died of her injuries the following day

Police facts state the pair had eaten dinner with Ms Mallia's family earlier that night in Penrith, western Sydney, and were on their way to visit Agius' family for a Mildura holiday.

Judge Ian Bourke called it an 'appallingly tragic case' in court before handing down a one year and 10 month sentence to Agius.

'Nothing I can do will address the pain and suffering that has been experienced by her family and friends.'

Judge Bourke will decide in September if the sentence will be served in jail or in the community under Intensive Corrections Order.

'No sentence I can impose will begin to account for the loss of Casey,' he said.

Outside of court, Ms Mallia's father said he agreed with the judge's sentiment.

'We're living with this for the rest of our lives, and I don't think a lot of kids out there understand the consequences,' he said.

Around the time of the crash, he described his daughter as an aspiring child carer who was a 'natural with kids'.

'Kids were a magnet to Casey - we're going through photos and I noticed her baby sister was always with her,' he said.

'She had a heart of gold.'

Judge Ian Bourke called it an 'appallingly tragic case' in court before handing down a one year and 10 month sentence to Agius (pictured, at the gravesite of Ms Mallia)
The 59-year-old, who was MP for Falkirk, Scotland between 2000 and 2012, was found to have a 51-second film depicting a number of children, one of which was said to be 12-months-old on one of his devises.

Mr Joyce, of Worlingworth, Suffolk, pleaded guilty at Ipswich Crown Court to the offence, which took place between August 2013 and November 2018.

He will have to 150 hours of unpaid work following the sentence.

Mr Joyce left Labour to serve as independent MP for Falkirk in 2012, stepping down before the 2015 general election.

He is due to be sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court later today.
The three men who filed a lawsuit over a 2011 shooting by an off-duty police officer working security at a Little Rock mall have reached a settlement in the case, but the details of the agreement havent been released.

Christopher Johannes shot at driver Joseph Williams and passengers Keith Pettus and Johnnie Campbell 12 times while they were at Park Plaza mall in December 2011. Johannes, a Little Rock police officer, was off-duty at the time of the shooting and working as mall security.

Campbell was not hit, but all three men sued Johannes, the mall and the city in 2017, saying the excessive use of force violated their civil rights.

Johannes shot at the men after a woman complained that a group of men tried persuading her 17-year-old daughter to get in their car, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. Johannes and another guard spotted the car backing out when Johannes asked Williams to stop, but he kept driving. Johannes said he feared for his and his partners safety, according to the newspaper.

City attorneys said Williams kept backing out was because he had drugs and guns in the car, which police said they found. Williams pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges and went to prison for violating his probation.

On Monday, Willard Proctor Jr., attorney for the three men, filed an agreed stipulation of dismissal, asking U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson to dismiss the case permanently.

The parties have reached an agreement regarding all matters before the court, Proctor wrote.

Proctor couldnt reached for comment. No details on the settlement were revealed.

The malls attorney, Mark Breeding, said Monday that the paperwork hasnt been completed. He declined to say if the mall paid to settle the lawsuit.

The citys attorney, Alexander Betton, couldnt be reached for comment by the newspaper.

In 2018, Wilson refused to let Johannes escape liability on the grounds that he was doing his job and was protected by immunity. But the city appealed, and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, Missouri, upheld Wilsons rulings in September.

Wilson had also dismissed the city and a former police chief from the lawsuit but said a federal jury needed to decide whether the men posed an immediate threat to Johannes or others. The trial had been set for Aug. 25.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Move expands Sun Life's presence to eight markets in Asia

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 7 August 2020 - Sun Life Financial Inc. (TSX: SLF) (NYSE: SLF), a global life insurer and asset manager, today announced it has opened a branch in Singapore to offer life insurance solutions to High Net Worth Clients. The announcement follows final license approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore in May 2020.

Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada Singapore Branch ("Sun Life Singapore") will offer life insurance solutions to help Clients grow, protect and transfer their wealth to the next generation. The move extends Sun Life's presence to eight markets in Asia: China, the Philippines, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, and reinforces Sun Life's leading position in the international High Net Worth life insurance market.

"This represents a significant milestone in Sun Life's history," said Leo Grepin, Sun Life Asia President. "For 128 years, we have been helping Clients in Asia to grow, secure and transfer their wealth. We look forward to bringing our trusted expertise, unmatched capacity and tailored solutions to help Singaporeans protect their prosperity for generations to come," said Grepin.

Singapore is a global financial hub attractive to many High Net Worth individuals due to its sound and well-established regulatory environment, together with a business environment which encourages and cultivates entrepreneurialism. There is significant opportunity for Sun Life Singapore to help affluent, High Net Worth and Ultra High Net Worth Clients protect their wealth. Sun Life is a leader in international High Net Worth life insurance, having pioneered the universal life insurance product in the global High Net Worth market two decades ago.









Belinda Au, previously General Manager of Distribution and Marketing at Sun Life Hong Kong, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Sun Life Singapore. Au said, "As a leading international financial centre, Singapore is home to many High Net Worth individuals. I am very excited for this new opportunity and look forward to helping our Clients in Singapore to achieve their wealth goals and create a lasting legacy through their entire lifetime and beyond." Au reports to Fabien Jeudy, President of Sun Life International HuBS: Sun Life's businesses in Hong Kong, Bermuda and Singapore, which offer world-class products, underwriting, Client service and relationship management to HNW Clients.

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Fabien Jeudy, President of Sun Life International HuBS, said, "It is my honour to lead Sun Life International HuBS. We can capitalize on our market-leading capabilities across this network to serve our Clients better and capture growth opportunities across the globe."

Sun Life currently supports more than 23 million Clients in Asia, offering life, health and wealth management solutions through a multi-channel distribution approach. In the past four years, Sun Life's business in Asia has grown to support 11.5 million new Clients and its underlying net income has grown at a CAGR of 15%.

Au continued, "The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we all live and work. Clients are learning to live with the virus and look for solutions that can help them grow their wealth in the new normal. This is where we step in -- we are well-positioned to assist our Clients in securing their wealth with our strong HNW capabilities."

Facts about Sun Life in Asia:

2019 full year underlying earnings of C$550 million, up 5% on 2018

Wealth and asset management businesses in Asia have C$52 billion in assets under management

Business Commenced: 1892

Number of Clients: 23 million+

Number of advisors: 123,000+

Employees across Asia: 21,000+





Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada Singapore Branch is a branch of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada. Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is Sun Life Financial Inc.'s principal operating life insurance subsidiary.

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of March 31, 2020, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1,023 billion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Note to editors: All figures in Canadian dollars
A crew with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power works in Encino. (Los Angeles Times)

Staffers at California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health have been frantically trying to keep up with an avalanche of workplace safety complaints ushered in by the pandemic.

But even answering phones hasn't been easy. In one office with no bilingual speakers on staff, an employee has had to use Google Translate to try to decipher complaints in Spanish.

Six current and two former employees at the division, better known as Cal/OSHA, described a workforce rankled by years of vacancies and dysfunction that have compromised its mission to keep California workers safe.

A former employee, who resigned from the agency in February, said vacancies kept him and others inside the office instead of in the field investigating reports of amputated fingers and falls.

Depleted ranks, the staff members say, have caused the agency to largely abandon in-person inspections in favor of remote investigations by letter and phone.

Staffers throughout the agency spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity, citing fears of retaliation. Several shared internal emails suggesting the agency was failing to implement the very COVID-19 guidelines it recommends to employers, such as requiring employees to wear face coverings, social distance and notify staff promptly of positive cases.

They said the agency is also not providing testing for staffers, leaving them to wonder if they are spreading infection while carrying out inspections of workplaces stricken by outbreaks.

A spokesperson confirmed the agency does not provide testing, but said officials encourage employees to promptly notify management of pending or positive test results.

On July 20, Cal/OSHA told employees it had temporarily shuttered its Monrovia office after at least one staffer tested positive for COVID-19. The office has eight inspectors responsible for investigating complaints, inspecting workplaces and responding to reports of job-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. It is one of four offices covering the southwest region that stretches from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles.

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The closure came weeks after staff members had visited thousands of businesses statewide as part of a task force blitz led by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Cal/OSHA said the infected employee did not participate in the blitz.

As the pandemic unfolded, Cristopher Casteel, who worked as a safety inspector for three years, resigned in March after he said management ignored his request to telework due to health concerns for himself and his wife.

To have all those roadblocks and lack of support systems and failures at multiple layers all the way up to the top, it just becomes frustrating, Casteel said.

In an email, spokeswoman Erika Monterroza disputed claims that the agency is not taking sufficient COVID-19 precautions for its staff. The agency, she wrote, is helping staffers connect with medical services as needed and making reasonable accommodations for those in high-risk groups. However, there are limitations on how much telework is available for certain positions, particularly enforcement personnel, she wrote.

In a May public meeting, Chief Doug Parker said that his agency was dealing with a surge in complaints, which would be handled under a new triage system, with most concerns addressed remotely by communication with employers via letter or phone.

Monterroza said the agencys ability to fulfill its mission has not been compromised by vacancies, noting that it has been processing thousands of complaints as expeditiously as possible.

But Garrett Brown, a former veteran inspector who has been tracking the agencys staffing decline since he retired in 2014, said he couldn't see how the vacancies could be anything but crippling.

Brown regularly publishes staffing charts he receives through public records requests on his website, Inside Cal/OSHA. Among the hardest-hit offices is the one in Fremont, which oversees the sprawling Tesla automotive factory and has just four inspectors despite being fully funded for 11, according to Brown. The Santa Ana office, which covers Orange County, is half-staffed with 6 out of 12 positions filled.

A Times review of staffing charts shows vacancies have been particularly severe across Southern California, with top leadership roles unfilled in the Santa Ana, San Bernandino, Van Nuys and Long Beach offices. Some of those vacancies have lasted years, employees said, causing enforcement cases to languish.

Cal/OSHA acknowledged a high attrition rate in a federal report last year and said getting adequately staffed is a top priority. A staffing chart published that month showed 91 vacancies agency-wide. Nearly a year later, a July staffing chart provided by Brown showed 135 vacancies agency-wide.

Alice Berliner, coordinator for the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health , said she was recently helping a group of workers file complaints against their employer to various Cal/OSHA offices with vacant leadership positions.

I dont know how in practice the agency can really function and respond to complaints when theres not clear leadership on the ground, she said.

Berliner and others who spoke to The Times all said Cal/OSHA's problems go beyond understaffing.

Last year, state auditors publicly released the findings of a long-running investigation into the Department of Industrial Relations  the parent agency of Cal/OSHA  which detailed a culture of nepotism, fraud and gross misconduct dating to 2011.

Despite reforms, dysfunction has continued to beset agency ranks, said Casteel, the former employee. In 2018, Casteel's district manager in Santa Ana was arrested on bribery charges involving a construction company facing safety violations. Then in November, an inspector in the same office was convicted of embezzlement and fraud in a case unrelated to his work for the agency.

Spokeswoman Monterroza declined to comment on why the agency hired someone with pending criminal charges as an inspector.

Casteel worries that Cal/OSHAs depleted ranks and mismanagement may embolden employers to disobey laws and endanger workers, especially vulnerable immigrant workforces in areas such as Southern California.

That's the part that grinds me to the core, said Casteel. Ive worked with these employees firsthand who are compromised on so many levels and struggling to survive, and one of the very few enforcement agencies whose sole damn function is to protect them is ignoring them.
An ice rink featuring a frozen waterfall in Beijings Changping district has become a popular destination among climbing enthusiasts and newcomers to ice sports. Located in the Huyu Natural Scenic Area, the rink consists of a 40-meter-high climbing area. With the approach to the Beijing Winter Olympics, ice and snow activities are attracting fans across the country. The China Tourism Academy estimated that 305 million people will visit such venues nationwide this season

Jan 18, 2022 05:36 PM
Kerala landslide

Kerala: The death toll in Kerala landslide has mounted to nine while 57 people are still reported to be missing, officials said.

As many as 20 houses of plantation workers were buried. Five others who were injured have been rushed to the Hospital.

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Landslide

Police and Fire service personnel rushed to the spot and the district administration has asked hospitals in the region to stay prepared.

The state Health department has dispatched 15 ambulances and a special medical team to provide medical assistance to those affected by the landslides in Idukki.

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Meanwhile, the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has contacted the Air Force seeking its helicopter for the rescue mission in Idukki.

Kerala landslide "The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed for the rescue operations in Idukki. The team was already stationed in the district. Another NDRF team from Thrissur was also directed to move to Idukki," Vijayan said in a Facebook post.

The India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert for Idukki on Friday, indicating extremely heavy rainfall of over 20 cms.
The report says that while a group of Black men offered to protect the jail from White mobs that were threatening to lynch Thomas, police ordered them to disperse. A dozen were arrested for insolence, disorderly conduct, inciting a riot and other charges. All were fined as much as $20 (equivalent to $617.82 in 2020) or 30 days on a chain gang. The mayor later blamed the Black community for agitating Whites when they came to Thomass defense.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  The Department of Health (DOH) said it has formed working groups that will help in the formulation of COVID-19 response for specific clusters.

Health Undersecretary Lilibeth David said the groups will help in addressing seven key issues raised by medical professionals during their dialogue with them, which include transportation safety, workplace safety, public compliance with self-protection, and re-opening of industries

We have categorized these in different work streams that will allow us, working alongside with representatives of each, to further put details in our strategies and implement them effectively, David said.

The undersecretary said a working group that will ensure the welfare of the countrys healthcare workers has been proposed. It will include a surveillance team that will conduct contact tracing in case of infection among health frontliners, she said.

David said another group will ensure safety in workplaces, which will also have a surveillance team to minimize transmission in work areas.

She said the plan of action is currently coordinated with the labor and trade departments, as well as other concerned agencies referred by medical societies to come up with specific workplace guidelines.

The DOH previously said that cases of COVID-19 are observed mostly among healthcare workers, barangays, and workplaces. The surge of cases in the past months led to the implementation of a modified enhanced community quarantine in some areas like Metro Manila until Aug. 18.

As for transportation, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the DOH is coordinating with the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Transportation to revisit the policy on active transport, like bicycles.

He also encouraged the use of such mode of transportation to workers in areas under MECQ given that mass transportation is again limited.
Omari McQueen has been honing his culinary skills for nearly half of his life  and he's only 12.

After starting his own vegan food company four years ago, Omari is now on to his next big project  a cookbook set to be released in January  and he's determined to change the way kids look at vegetables.

Omari's culinary journey began when his parents began teaching him how to cook when he was just 7 years old. Around that time, his mother was diagnosed with hemiplegic migraines, a very rare type of migraine that, among the usual symptoms like a throbbing headache, results in the body getting weak. Since his mother was ill and his father was often working late hours, Omari began to help out in the kitchen frequently at home and he quickly grew to love the process.

"I fell in love with cooking because cooking for me is like experimenting in the kitchen," Omari, who is based in London, told TODAY Food.

While researching foods that might be beneficial to those who suffer from migraines, Omari started reading about veganism and he was instantly intrigued.

"I looked on YouTube, a video came up and it changed the way I looked at things," he said. "Why would I eat animals when the world is full of delicious and healthy foods that don't harm them?"

McQueen has been cooking regularly since he was 7 years old. (Omari McQueen)

When Omari was 8, he started a YouTube channel. For his first video, he made a vegan pizza with a homemade dip he called, "Caribbean Kick." The dip was such a hit with his family that Omari decided to start selling it.

"I went to an Ultra Education children's business fair and sold my dips for fun," he recalled. "Then when I realized I sold out and everyone loved it, I decided to make it my business."

Related: This healthy swap makes the dish so much better for you without leaving out any of the satisfying flavor or comforting texture.

After creating two additional dips (Sweet Tooth and Coco Curry), the budding chef launched Dipalicious, a vegan food company that also sells snacks and meals.

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He also continued to build his YouTube channel, hosting cooking lessons for kids and their parents with tips on the best way to prepare certain veggies and tutorials that explain the nutritional benefits of different ingredients. Along the way, Omari has won several awards, including the 2018 TruLittle Hero award, PETA's 2018 Compassionate Kids award and the 2019 Proud and Gifted Award.

Omari McQueen with parents Jermaine and Leah McQueen, and brother Laquarn. (Omari McQueen)

Now, the 12-year-old entrepreneur is set to release a collection of 30 plant-based recipes in his first cookbook: "Omari McQueen's Best Bites Cookbook."

"Readers can expect to try different foods and experiment with different flavors while having fun and learning top tips from me," Omari said of his first book.

For the young chef, a cookbook is just the next step in what he hopes will be a very long, successful career.

"I want a bus restaurant and to have my own ready meals so people can buy balanced vegan meals on the go," he said. "I will also be putting up lots of cooking shows on my YouTube and on the Kidoodle app for people to interact with and would like to have a cooking show like Gordon Ramsay."

Omari is also quick to give credit where it's due and acknowledged that his parents have helped him every step of the way.

"They are the best. They have always told me and my siblings to follow our dreams and that age is just a number," he said. "They have supported and loved me all my life so I will forever be grateful."

His parents are both incredibly impressed with their budding chef's early success and can't wait to see what he does next.

"Proud is not even the word to describe how we feel. Our children surprise us every day and we are truly blessed," Omari's father, Jermaine McQueen, said.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying the Arabsat 6A communications satellite, lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, April 11, 2019. Joe Skipper | Reuters

The U.S. Air Force on Friday awarded rocket builders United Launch Alliance and SpaceX contracts worth billions to launch national security missions for five years starting in 2022. The awards represent the second phase of the military's National Security Space Launch program, which is organized by the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles, California. Four companies  Elon Musk's SpaceX, ULA, Northrop Grumman and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin  bid for the contracts, with the military set to spend about $1 billion per year on launches. The NSSL awards represent nearly three dozen launches, scheduled between 2022 and 2026. ULA won 60% of the launches, and SpaceX won the remaining 40%.

The landed Falcon 9 rocket booster from SpaceX's Demo-2 crewed mission returns to Port Canaveral in Florida. SpaceX

ULA, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and SpaceX are the reigning launch providers for national security missions, having launched dozens of payloads for the military over the last decade. National security missions are the most lucrative in the rocket business, with many worth well over $100 million per launch. The U.S. military awarded ULA and SpaceX over $12 billion worth of launch contracts between 2012 and 2019. Two years ago the Air Force gave ULA, Northrop Grumman and Blue Origin development contract awards worth $967 million, $792 million and $500 million, respectively. The process has been highly competitive, with SpaceX suing the Air Force after not winning a development award and Blue Origin protesting the criteria the Pentagon used for the launch contracts. Each of the companies has been developing next-generation rockets, with the NSSL contracts a top priority. SpaceX has a fleet of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets and is currently testing its massive Starship rocket. ULA is building its Vulcan rocket to replace its aging Atlas and Delta fleet of rockets as well as to end dependence on Russian-built rocket engines. ULA's Atlas V rocket is powered by RD-180 engines, which are bought from Russia.

Artist rendering of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan system. United Launch Alliance

Northrop Grumman has been developing its OmegA rocket and has been focused largely on winning the Air Force contracts. While the company has said it expects OmegA could serve markets beyond just the military, losing out on the awards puts in doubt whether Northrop Grumman continues development.

A rendering of Orbital ATK's OmegA rocket. Orbital ATK

Blue Origin will likely continue to build its New Glenn rocket despite losing out on the award, given the other projects Bezos' company is working on. New Glenn is designed to be reusable in a manner similar to the way SpaceX lands its rockets, with the booster returning after each mission. Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith last year told CNBC that the company would continue New Glenn's development regardless of whether it won NSSL launch contracts.

Artist rendering of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. Blue Origin
US spy agencies identify suspected undeclared nuclear site near Saudi capital: Report

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 06 August 2020 9:49 AM

American intelligence agencies have reportedly spotted what appears to be an undeclared nuclear site near Saudi Arabia's capital city of Riyadh, scrutinizing attempts by the kingdom to process uranium and move toward the development of atomic bombs.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the agencies had in recent weeks circulated a classified analysis about Saudi attempts to build up its ability to produce nuclear fuel that could potentially lead to the development of nuclear weapons.

The study shows "a newly completed structure near a solar-panel production area near Riyadh, the Saudi capital, that some government analysts and outside experts suspect could be one of a number of undeclared nuclear sites," the report said.

The site is situated in a secluded desert area not too far from the Saudi town of al-Uyaynah, located 30 kilometers northwest of Riyadh, and its Solar Village.

"The analysis has raised alarms that there might be secret Saudi-Chinese efforts to process raw uranium into a form that could later be enriched into weapons fuel, according to American officials," the report added.

A day earlier, an article in The Wall Street Journal said that Western officials were concerned about a desert site in northwestern Saudi Arabia just south of the town of al-Ula.

It was part of a program with the Chinese to extract uranium yellowcake from uranium ore, according to the article.

Frank Pabian, a former satellite image analyst at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, said the desert site appears to be a small mill for turning uranium ore into yellowcake as it has a checkpoint, high security fences, a large building about 150 feet on a side and ponds for the collection of uranium waste.

Last week, the US House Intelligence Committee included a provision in the intelligence budget authorization bill requiring the administration to submit a report about Saudi efforts since 2015 to develop a nuclear program.

The provision obliged the US government to include in its report an assessment of "the state of nuclear cooperation between Saudi Arabia and any other country other than the United States, such as the People's Republic of China or the Russian Federation."

The US State Department has not commented on the reported intelligence findings.

The US opposes "the spread of enrichment and reprocessing" and attaches "great importance" to continued compliance by the Saudis to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), it said in a statement to the New York Times.

The State Department also urged Riyadh to conclude an agreement with Washington "with strong nonproliferation protections that will enable Saudi and US nuclear industries to cooperate."

Last year, a document, titled "Updates on Saudi National Atomic Energy Project" and posted by the Vienne-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), detailed a plan for building nuclear reactors as well as fueling them through the "localization" of uranium production.

The kingdom was looking for uranium deposits in more than 10,000 square miles of its territory and had teamed up with Jordan to make yellowcake, according to the report.

"The IAEA is unhappy with Saudi Arabia because they refuse to communicate about their existing program and where it is going," said Robert Kelley, a former inspector for the UN nuclear watchdog.

Saudi Arabia's attempts to speed up its nuclear and missile projects have raised fears that it aims to acquire nuclear weapons. Observers believe that a nuclear Saudi Arabia  where warmongers are currently at the helm  could pose a serious security threat to the Middle East region.

Riyadh has so far turned a deaf ear to calls by the IAEA to implement proportionate safeguards and an inspection regime that would prevent possible deviation towards nukes.

In March 2018, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Riyadh would quickly go for nuclear bomb Iran does so.

Iran has repeatedly enunciated its nuclear program as exclusively civilian, subject to the most intensive UN supervisions ever.

Tehran signed a nuclear agreement with six world countries, which forged close cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, but the US severely undermined the pact by abandoning it in May 2018.

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New Delhi:

A Delhi court dismissed the bail applications of four persons in a case of alleged murder of an 85-year old woman, who choked to death when her house was torched during the communal violence in north-east Delhi in February.

Additional sessions judge Vinod Yadav dismissed the bail pleas of Arun Kumar, Ravi Kumar, Prakash Chand and Suraj Singh in the death of Akbari Begum.

A careful analysis of the statements of witnesses prima facie indicate that all the four accused persons were very well part of the unlawful assembly, which had put the house of the complainant on fire after committing robbery .

I find the occular evidence of independent witnesses like Mohd Aijaz Hussain, Shakeel and Salam, which gives clear details of the individual role of the accused persons in the incident, the judge said in his order on August 6.

The court said that from the videographic description of the place of incident, it was prima facie evident that the house of Akbari Begum was targeted by the riotous mob.

Since a garment factory was being run by the complainant (Mohd Saeed Salmani) and his family members in their house, there was a lot of inflammatory material available in the house. The house caught fire and large-scale destruction took place and the unfortunate death of Akbari Begum (mother of complainant) also took place, it said.

It said if released on bail, the accused can threaten the witnesses in the case.

During the hearing held through video conferencing, the counsel for the accused said Arun, Ravi, Chand and Singh were falsely implicated in the case and there was no legally sustainable evidence available against them.

The police said the accused were not only part of the riotous mob, which had indulged in pelting stones, chanting slogans and committing vandalism, but was also part of mob that entered into the house of Begum and set it on fire after committing robbery.

According to the charge sheet, on February 25, when the mob torched Akbari Begums house, other members escaped to the roof but the octogenarian could not.
CNN Newsroom

08/04/2020

9:28am EST

POPPY HARLOW: When asked about the White Houses willingness to reach a deal that would surpass $1 trillion, White House chief of staff Mark Madows said this, quote, We are so far apart right now that its not even a valid question. The bottom line is its totally unacceptable that Congress has still not reached a deal after the additional $600 in unemployment benefits per week for millions of Americans ended on Friday. Heres some evidence to why that is unacceptable. As many as 23 million American renters, theyre at risk of losing their home and look at this. A line outside an L.A. food bank, as almost 30 million Americans said they did not have enough to eat on the week ending July 21. Joining me now for his first interview since leaving the White House a few weeks ago where he served as a senior adviser to the president, Kevin Hassett, former chairman of the chairman of economic advisers. Good morning Kevin welcome back.

KEVIN HASSETT: Good morning Poppy, Great to be here.

HARLOW: I wish it were on a better note, but this is a failure. Its a failure to address something that Congress knew, the White House knew this was coming for months. They knew the additional aid would end. If you were still the senior adviser to the president what would you tell him to urge Republicans in Congress to do?

HASSETT: Well, I think youre calling it a failure is a little bit incorrect, Poppy in the following sense. Whats going on is theres a game of chicken which is regrettable between the two political parties. But, you know, I dont think that anybody is really going home until they have a bill. And I think if we look back at the history of the legislation, you know, phases one, two and three, that it was really surprisingly swift and surprisingly targeted with the PPP, the $1,200 checks, the UI extension and so on. So people actually because of the emergency they worked together very well. I think it was an undercovered story. So right now

HARLOW: Kevin, Im talking about now.

HASSETT: Im saying theyre arguing which ornaments go on the Christmas tree, but theyre going to have a bill, I mean absolutely theyre going to have a bill and it is going to address the problems youre talking about.

HARLOW: But Kevin 

HASSETT: I agree the stuff expired 

HARLOW: You and I dont rely on $600 in additional aid a week to pay our rent or feed our family. Thats not our situation, but for millions of Americans it is. And they stopped getting those checks on Friday and thats why I dont think its too far to say that its a failure because for  it was back in May that the House proposed legislation. I get that the Republican-led Senate doesnt agree with it, but they have known that Friday was coming for months and negotiation didnt really start until it was about to run out.

HASSETT: Right. You know, its  the negotiation thats been going on and on and on. When I was still in the White House, Secretary Scalia and I were working with every states UI program to try to think of a way to fix the thing so we werent paying people a lot more not to go to work than to go to work and the thing is something that the White House worked on throughout. They have a very strong position about how they want to do it. The House has their strong position and what s going as always happens with legislation is theyre arguing up to the very end. But when the bill passed the people who didnt get their checks and they need that money I think they can fully expect the money will be backfilled and this week that theyre not covered, it will be filled in when the bill happens.

HARLOW: Lets hope so. Lets hope so.

HASSETT: It will be.

HARLOW: The moratorium on evictions also lapsing so the question is what happens to those folks? What would you advise Kevin? Because you saw Moodys analysis if the additional aid were brought down to $200 per week for unemployed people, nearly a million jobs could be lost at the end of the year and the unemployment could be .6% higher. Do you think that will happen?

HASSETT: Look I dont thinkthe Moodys analysisSo Mark Zandis team, you know, Mark is a big supporter of Nancy Pelosi. They put out analysis that I dont really trust, sometimes they put out great stuff. But on this if you pay people a lot more to stay at home than to go to work, the idea that there are going to be more people going to work it just doesnt add up.

HARLOW: Thats not true. You saw the Yale study from July. You saw the Yale Study from just a few weeks ago can I quote from it? Quote, we find no evidence that more generous benefits disincentivize work either at the onset or the expansion as firms look to return their business over time. Wrong?

HASSETT: Yes, it is wrong. When we get the full data that result will most surely be reversed. Just think about it Poppy, think about the logic of it. If you take a typical median family say in Tennessee, that if they dont go to work under the $600 plan, then they get about $90,000 a year and if they do go to work, they get about $50,000 a year. So the assertion that staying at home and getting $90,000 or going to work its $50,000, that thats not going to have an effect on your decisions  that just doesnt add up. Its not economics. And so, I wonder I havent played with their data yet, but I really really dont believe that study.

HARLOW: All right. I believe and I have heard from so many Americans that they want to go back to work and they want to go back to work and they want to feel safe. Even the University of Chicago numbers shows its about one in five that are doing what youre saying. But lets move on.
US Military Base in Northeastern Syria Comes Under Missile Fire  Reports

Sputnik News

02:12 GMT 06.08.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  An illegal US military in the northeastern Syrian province of Al-Hasakah has come under missile fire, Syrian media reported.

According to Al-Watan newspaper, the base in the town of Ash Shaddadi was shelled by unknown militants.

Within the past several months, the illegal US military bases in the provinces of Al-Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor have been repeatedly attacked by unknown militant groups. One such attack left two US citizens missing.

The US troops, jointly with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, are keeping control over a part of northeastern Syria. The US military is concentrated around oil and gas fields in Al-Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor.

The Syrian government sees the US presence on its soil as a violation of national sovereignty and an attempt to seize its natural resources.

 Sputnik

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Glynn County Sheriff's OfficeBy EMILY SHAPIRO, ABC News



(COBB COUNTY, Ga.) -- The white father and son accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery, who was Black and was jogging down a Georgia street, are looking to have bond set and two charges dropped, according to new court documents.



Attorneys for the son, Travis McMichael, 34, called him an "excellent candidate for low bond."



He was never charged with a crime until this case, according to court documents filed Thursday.



Travis McMichael has a 3-year-old son who lived with him every other week until his arrest, the documents said.



"Travis is an extremely devoted father who dotes" on his son, the defense attorneys wrote.



Travis McMichael has lived all of his life in the Brunswick, Georgia, area and was living with his parents at the time of his arrest, the documents said.



His attorneys said he isn't a flight risk because he doesn't have a passport "and most importantly, his family, including his parents and three-year-old son are here in Georgia," the documents said.



Travis McMichael's father and fellow defendant, former police officer Gregory McMichael, also "meets the conditions for pretrial release on reasonable bond," his attorneys said in documents filed Thursday.



Gregory McMichael's attorneys asked the court to set a hearing within 20 days.



Gregory and Travis McMichael were arrested in May and face charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment



A third suspect, neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan, faces the same charges as the McMichaels. Bryan's bail was denied last month.



All three have pleaded not guilty.



Arbery was on a jog in Brunswick when he was shot and killed on Feb. 23. Prosecutors claim that 25-year-old Arbery tried to run for his life before he was struck by a car, gunned down and then called a racial slur by one of the suspects.



The three arrested told police they thought Arbery was a suspect in a series of break-ins. They were charged after video showing the deadly struggle appeared online.



The McMichaels and Bryan also want the charges of malice murder and criminal attempt to commit a felony dropped.



The malice murder count "charges two crimes in one count, making it duplicitous," the McMichaels' attorneys claimed. "It does so by trading on vague and uncertain allegation regarding 'unlawfully chasing' in pickup trucks, which inserts an unspecified separate crime from malice murder, namely, 'unlawfully chasing [Ahmaud Arbery] through the public roadways.'"



The McMichael's attorneys argued that the criminal attempt to commit a felony count is also duplicitous because the count "alleges both a completed crime -- 'unlawfully chase Ahmaud Arbery in pickup trucks' and an attempted crime 'attempt to confine and detain Ahmaud Arbery without legal authority on Burford Road using Ford F150 pickup truck and Chevy Silverado pickup truck.'"



Bryan's attorney filed a motion Thursday looking to adopt the claims made by the McMichael's attorneys to also get those two charges dropped.



ABC News has reached out to the Cobb County District Attorney's office for comment.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
A team of 10 was ordered to respond to a fire at the Beirut port. They did not know what they were heading for.

Beirut, Lebanon  About five minutes before 6pm (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, Beiruts fire brigade received a call from the police, who told them that witnesses had spotted smoke billowing out of the citys port.

First Lieutenant Raymond Farah was the one to receive the call. I told them that I wont send out my fire trucks before knowing what kind of fire it is. I need to know whats there, he told Al Jazeera.

An officer from state security called and said it was a hangar with just fireworks. Knowing that, and based on the order of the commander of the firefighters, I gave the order to go.

Immediately, a team of 10  nine male firefighters and a female paramedic  got into a fire truck and an ambulance and raced towards the port, a short drive from their location in the citys Karantina neighbourhood.

They were waved through the ports gates by army personnel stationed at its doors.

Farah was in close contact with them. They called after they arrived and said, Theres something wrong here; there is a crazy sound and a huge fire.'

The team asked for support. Farah rang the fire bell and those on duty sprang into action  picking up kit, and running downstairs to where the fire engines are. Farah watched a driver get in one fire engine and slam the door  and then the explosion hit.

First the air hit us, then it was very hot. Not two stones were left on top of each other in the command centre, Farah said. The blast, fuelled by some 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Hangar 12 at the port, ripped through their command centre and rolled across Beirut. At least 154 people have died so far, while more than 5,000 are wounded.

The top floors of the buildings were devastated, according to the commander of Beiruts firefighters, Brigadier General Najib Khankarli. In a way, those at the port saved the people at the centre by calling in support. If they were in their offices, they wouldnt have made it, he told Al Jazeera.

After tending to the wounded, Farah ran out onto the street, waved down a motorbike and was driven to the port. When I got to near the hangar, there was no fire truck, no ambulance. It was as if they evaporated, he said. The biggest piece of them were finding is the size of a hand.

Sahar Fares, the paramedic, has been confirmed dead and was buried in an emotional funeral on Thursday. The missing firefighters  Najib and Charbel Hitti, Ralph Mallahi, Charbel Karam, Joe Noun, Rami Kaaki, Joe Bou Saab, Elia Khzami, and Mathal Hawa  are presumed dead.

Farah, Khankarli, and the head of the Beirut police force, Mohammad Ayoubi, all said they had no idea that the huge amount of highly explosive ammonium nitrate was stored at the port.

Had we known that there was this amount of explosive material in the port, we would have acted completely differently. We would have called for an evacuation of the area and definitely we wouldnt have sent these young men and women in, Khankarli said.

The dead and the missing firefighters: Sahar Fares, Najib and Charbel Hitti, Ralph Mallahi, Charbel Karam, Joe Noun, Rami Kaaki, Joe Bou Saab, Elia Khzami, and Mathal Hawa [Screengrab/Al Jazeera]

Questions over negligence

Correspondence between various officials and agencies has shown that the Beirut port authority, Lebanese customs, the army and the judiciary were aware of the presence of the ammonium nitrate in Beiruts port since shortly after its arrival in November 2013 by a cargo ship.

Successive public works ministers, nominally in charge of overseeing the port, also had knowledge of its presence. Public Works Minister Michel Najjar told Al Jazeera that the ministry sent at least 18 letters to the judiciary asking for the material to be disposed of since its arrival.

The State Security, an intelligence agency, began an investigation into the matter in 2019, referring its findings to the prime ministers office, army intelligence and customs.

But both the army and State Security personnel at the port failed to warn firefighters who they came into contact with in the minutes before the explosion. Several members of State Security, army, and security personnel were also killed in the explosion, suggesting that those on the ground were not aware of what was inside Hangar 12.

Im sure that if these personnel knew what was inside, they would have run away and they wouldnt have died, Farah said. Its the big ones who had the information.

The Lebanese investigation committee overseeing the matter, headed by Prime Minister Hassan Diab, includes both the army and State Security.

Rights organisations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called for the involvement of international experts in the investigation, citing a lack of trust in Lebanese authorities, as did French President Emmanuel Macron in Beirut on Thursday, calling it a matter of credibility.

Khankarli said: Hopefully we find those who are still missing, and the victims get justice.
Like many cooks in the Bay Area, Bilal Ali, Hoang Le and Keone Koki lost their jobs when the pandemic hit. But instead of flipping a middle finger to the restaurant industry and leaving forever, they strapped on their aprons and started grilling jerk chicken in the West Oakland backyard they shared. The name for the three chef-roommates new pop-up restaurant came naturally: Brokeass Cooks.

Theres no jobs for the foreseeable future, so we were like, yeah we're broke and we don't really have a choice right now, said Ali. We have to make something for ourselves.

While Ali and Koki first met while working at a restaurant in San Diego, the trio was formed when they started working as chefs at Oaklands two-Michelin-starred Commis, where they met Le. They all eventually moved on from Commis, with Ali and Le most recently working at Oakland bar and music venue Starline Social Club, while Koki consulted for swanky San Francisco cocktail spot Bar Agricole  at least until they all were laid off.

In the beginning, we did this because we wanted to keep cooking, explained Le. Thats what weve been doing our entire lives, and its what we still want to do with our lives  As long as we can pay rent and pay our bills and keep cooking, thats all we need at this point.

All three came to the table with different possible directions to take the pop-up, from barbecue to Peruvian, but to start off, they settled on jerk chicken. Koki and Ali were inspired by their former mentor, San Diego chef Jason Knibb, who taught them everything they know about jerk.

RELATED: 4505 Burgers and BBQ closes its Oakland location

Photo by Namchi Van

Each week, customers can pre-order family-style meals and pick them up at the chefs house in West Oakland on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The roommates wake up at what they call their chef house at 9 a.m. on Fridays to get produce from the farmers market, and start grilling in the backyard by 11:30 a.m. They crank out chickens until 7 p.m., then clean up and repeat everything the next day. At this point, its a full-time job for all three of them.

I think we've been working for the past three months straight, every day, said Le. The grind never really stops for us.

Currently, they offer a half jerk chicken ($25) which serves two people, or a whole ($50) that serves three to four. The meal comes with an assortment of sides, including grilled scallions, scotch bonnet marmalade, coconut rice with peas, a summer tomato and sour plum salad (using plums they forage from their neighbors tree), chicken broth to sip on the side, and even fried plantains to snack on while you wait for your order. And if youre thirsty, you can add on their fresh organic soy milk for another $4.

Its been less than a month, but Brokeass Cooks is already catching on. Their Instagram following is growing, and each week, theyve had to add another case of chickens to keep up with all the orders. The jerk chicken is already attracting repeat customers, but the chefs plan on switching up the menu soon.

We wont know how popular we really are until we change the menu and see if people want the next dish, said Ali. We dont know if were just the jerk boys right now.

Maybe we're only this month's flavor, and maybe there might be three new boys that take over, joked Le.

Its impossible to predict the whims of hungry, quarantined Oaklanders, but if the Brokeass Cooks keep up the playful vibe they portray on Instagram, they might have a good shot at keeping their audience, jerk chicken or not. Le is the TikTok mastermind behind their account, shooting videos of the three taste-testing super spicy habanero peppers or thanking their customers while taking shots of whiskey and giggling. In another video, the three buddies hit up the Oakland Chinatown farmers market to the tune of Bay Area rapper P-Los same squad (If the squad aint with me then it aint right).

One of the things we were looking at was transparency and showing people the process, because with a normal restaurant, you don't see much, said Ali. The whole Brokeass Cooks thing is that chefs might make really pretty food, but they're poor. And also it's showing what goes into your food, and that we're having fun and enjoying ourselves.

They dont shy away from the devastating reality of the restaurant industry right now, either: Theyre quick to acknowledge that the industry is going to have to change forever and that Brokeass Cooks is their personal attempt to revive it, according to Le. They even have a tongue-in-cheek slogan: Make Hospitality Great Again.

RELATED: Bay Area bars are still closed. But this brewery found a way to reopen.

Photo by Namchi Van

Currently, the pop-up is at maximum capacity for the production equipment they have, but if their popularity keeps growing (we're broke, we don't want to buy things we don't need, said Koki) the chefs would love to expand.

The goal is to make this our full-time job, explained Ali. I think it's a milestone for chefs to open up something, and for us that would be amazing to have an actual brick-and-mortar. Although we kind of do right now, just in the four walls of our home.

Even if they do expand, the chefs want to keep their food accessible and affordable for their Oakland neighbors.

We want to do family-style dinners at a low price, because we know a lot of people who are struggling, said Le, who grew up in Oakland. Its always been the community we wanted to cook for. Growing up here myself, its easy to get a hamburger for a dollar, but if you can get a nice home-cooked meal for a low rate  I think sometimes it might seem unapproachable, but maybe our background and our image is helping get that food across.

Brokeass Cooks can be found on Instagram, where they post an order form for their food each week.

[Editors note, 10:30 a.m., August 7, 2020: The original story contained a misspelling of Keone Kokis last name and also incorrectly named Brokeass Cooks former mentor. The story has been updated throughout.]

Madeline Wells is an SFGATE reporter. Email: madeline.wells@sfgate.com | Twitter: @madwells22
Mukesh Ranjan By

Express News Service

RANCHI: The Twitter war between CM Hemant Soren and Godda MP Nishikant Dubey over reopening of rape and kidnapping case against the former has reached the court.

The CM has lodged a complaint case against the MP at Ranchi Civil Court.

CM Soren, reacting to Dubeys demand for reopening the rape and kidnapping case allegedly lodged by a Mumbai-based girl against him way back in 2013, had warned the MP saying that he will be getting a legal-reply within 48 hours.

Besides Dubey Twitter Communications India Private Limited and Facebook India Online Services Private Limited have also been made respondents in the case.

Dubey, who denied having received any notice in this regard, termed it a conspiracy by CM Soren to get a gag order (ex-party order) without letting him get any information about the case.

Ideally, a legal notice must have been issued against me if he really wanted to put in the docks. Instead, they filed a civil suit against me on August 4 and the first hearing was done on August 5 in my absence while the next hearing is to be done on August 22, said Dubey. This is nothing but a conspiracy to get a gag order by the court, he added.

Now, I will file a defamation suit against CM Soren also making a party to the girl who had lodged rape and kidnapping case against him while being on the post of Chief Minister of this State, said Dubey. If his intentions were clear, notice must have been issued against me even before making the first hearing

in the case, he added.

JMM leaders, however, were reluctant to comment on the issue. I am not aware of any such development and if there is any, you will definitely be informed about it, said JMM General Secretary Vinod Pandey.

Notably, Dubey posted a letter on his twitter handle addressing Maharashtra Home Minister on July 29, cited the ruling of Supreme Court, said that cases related to serious and heinous offences cannot be quashed or compounded merely because the victim or the family of the victim have settled the dispute and

decision to continue with the trial in such cases through the victim or victims family, the offender has settled the dispute.

According to Dubey, when the matter came to his notice in the first week of July, he immediately held a press conference in Dumka and demanded re-investigation into the matter. Within 2-3 days of the press conference, the State Government lodged some false cases related to property and his

educational qualification which will never stand in the court, he said.

It did not stop here and Dubey again tweeted that the allegation was made in 2013 when he was Chief Minister of Jharkhand and demanded re-investigation into the matter citing the ruling of the Supreme Court.

Dubey further added that Jharkhand CM in connivance with DGP MV Rao and the local mafia wants to kill the girl who had lodged a case against him and requested Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Home Minister, and Mumbai Police to provide adequate protection to her as her life is in danger.
The two daughters of a Sri Lankan family locked up on Christmas Island have been filmed playing with a teacher, blissfully unaware of their deportation battle.

Heartbreaking video shows Kopika, four, and Tharunicaa, two, singing nursery rhymes as they play with Angela, who flew out from Queensland to see them.

The Murugappan family - including the girls' parents Priya and Nades - are being detained on Christmas Island at an estimated cost of $20,000 a day.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton wants to deport the family and claims their deportation fight has cost Australia $10million.

But the Tamil family - who lived in Biloela in Queensland - claim they will face persecution if Sri Lanka if they are sent back. The two girls were born in Australia.

The girls are joined by a woman known as Angela, who has flown twice from Biloela, a town in Queensland where the Tamil family used to reside in

She sings with them, 'Row row row your boat', 'Ring Around the Rosie' and 'Five Little Monkeys'. as the girls gleefully sing along

Priya and Nades Murugappan and their Australian-born daughters Kopika and Tharunicaa are fighting deportation

The family have been on Christmas Island since August after first being taken into detention in 2018.

Mr Dutton has said the parents are being 'unfair on their children' for fighting deportation in the courts.

In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, the family's lawyer, Carina Ford, said it was actually Mr Dutton who was costing the taxpayer by refusing to let the family come back to the mainland while their case is pending.

'The same argument applies that he's being unfair by detaining them, it's as simple as that,' she said.

Kopika (right) and Tharunicaa (left) are pictured at the detention centre on Christmas Island on January 28

Kopika and Tharunicaa (in pink)

Priya is pictured in hospital in a photo shared by campaigners for the family on July 23

'I feel that trying to flip it around and blame the parents like that hasn't worked for Minister Dutton.

'I think people can see that it doesn't make sense for the person detaining the children to blame the parents.'

She added: 'We are using taxpayer dollars to detain them but they could be in the community while their case is pending, actually contributing, because Nades used to work in the local meatworks, and costing the taxpayer no money.

Advocates for the family claim the mother-of-two was forcibly removed from the hospital in Perth (bottom-left on map) on Wednesday by as many as 15 Border Force personnel

The couple's two children are pictured - Kopika and Tharunicaa (in grey)

'Can you justify spending this amount of money on keeping a detention centre open that no-one else is using? I don't think you can. Maybe that's something the government can re-consider.'

Priya and Nades came to Australia by boat separately in 2012 and 2013, alleging they were escaping the Sri Lankan civil war.

They met in Sydney before getting married and settling in Queensland where they had two children, Kopika, four, and Tharunicaa, two.

The family rented a small house, paid for with money Nades earned by working at an abattoir.

While her husband put food on the table, Priya looked after the children and attended Biloela Baptist Church craft group where she made dozens of friends.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) told the family to go back to Sri Lanka - where they fear persecution

But they were kicked out in March 2018 when their home was raided by police at 5am, the day after Priya's bridging visa expired.

Locals started a petition for the family to be allowed to stay and it has been signed by 350,000 people across the country.

The United Nations has also requested the family be let off Christmas Island but the government has ignored those calls.

Minister Dutton does not believe the family are legitimate refugees and wants to deport them - but the courts have ruled they cannot be sent home until their legal proceedings are over.

A Federal Court judge in April ruled their deportation must remain on hold after determining the youngest daughter had been denied procedural fairness in her bid to apply for a protection visa.

The family are stuck on Christmas Island. Pictured: A detention centre on the island

The government was also ordered to pay the family more than $200,000 in legal fees.

The family now faces a long wait for their next hearing, which could be late this year or early next year.

Meanwhile, Priya, who has underlying health conditions, was last Saturday airlifted to hospital in Perth with severe abdominal pain and is still receiving treatment there.

Speaking on Sydney radio 2GB last week, Mr Dutton said the family should stop fighting deportation.

'This case has gone on since 2012 I think, and it must have cost now probably over $10 million,' he said.

'That's money that should be going into... communities and helping Australian citizens.

Priya and Nades (pictured) came to Australia by boat separately in 2012 and 2013, alleging they were escaping the Sri Lankan civil war

'They are not refugees and they have used every trick in the book to make sure they can stay.

'This is a situation of their own making, it is ridiculous, it's unfair on their children, and it sends a very bad message to other people who think that they can rort the system as well.'

Ms Ford said if Mr Dutton wanted to save taxpayer money he could grant a protection visa and allow the family to stay in Australia.

Priya and Nades Murugappan and their two young daughters are the only people being detained on Christmas Island at an estimated cost of $20,000 a day

Nades (left with his family) has claimed he will be persecuted in Sri Lanka because he was forced to join the militant group Tamil Tigers in 2001

'That's always been our position in this case. It's open to the minister to not have this go on and spend more money on it. The choice is his.'

Ms Ford says she believes there is a 'good prospect' of her winning the case, which centres on two-year-old Tharunicaa, whose visa claim was never assessed.

She will also be arguing that Nades should have his application re-assessed because new evidence has emerged proving he will be in danger if he is sent home.

Priya (pictured with her huband) has claimed she watched her former fiance get burned alive and was raped during the Sri Lankan civil war which lasted from 1983 to 2009

Nades has claimed he will be persecuted in Sri Lanka because he was forced to join the militant group Tamil Tigers in 2001 and was harassed by the Sri Lankan military.

The Immigration Assessment Authority rejected the claims on the basis he frequently travelled between Sri Lanka, Kuwait and Qatar for work between 2004 and 2010 during the civil war, something that a Tamil Tigers member would not be allowed to do.

Priya has claimed she watched her former fiance get burned alive and was raped during the Sri Lankan civil war which lasted from 1983 to 2009.
After more than 30 years at Hannover Re, Chief Financial Officer Roland Vogel (60) will retire on Sept. 30, 2020. He will be succeeded by Clemens Jungsthofel, currently chief financial officer of HDI Global SE.

Jungsthofel, in turn, will be succeeded, effective Sept. 1, 2020 by Dr. Christian Hermelingmeier, who is currently head of Controlling for the Retail Germany division of the Talanx Group, the parent of Hannover Re and HDI. On that date, Jungsthofel will be appointed to the executive boards of Hannover Re and E+S Ruckversicherung.

Vogel will continue in an advisory role at Hannover Re. His successor, Jungsthofel (49), has served on the executive board of HDI Global SE since May 2018 with responsibility for the areas of controlling, risk management, corporate development and passive reinsurance. Jungsthofel was successful in supporting the restructuring of HDI Globals property business and enjoyed similar success with the finance function, said Hannover Re in a statement.

He previously worked as a partner with the accounting and consulting firm KPMG with responsibility for auditing and advising insurance undertakings. He is a certified public auditor and tax consultant as well as a qualified insurance practitioner. The focus of his work with KPMG was on internationally operating insurance groups, including industrial line and specialty insurers and reinsurers.

Hermelingmeier (39), who will succeed Jungsthofel as HDIs CFO, is currently head of Controlling in the Retail Germany division. In this capacity he serves as a member of the supervisory boards of HDI Lebensversicherung AG, HDI Versicherung AG, HDI Pensionskasse AG and HDI Pensionsmanagement AG. He gained experience in industrial lines while serving as head of Operational Controlling at HDI Global from 2016 to mid-2018. He holds a doctorate in business mathematics and is also a certified actuary.

These personnel changes are subject to the approval of the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).

Source: Hannover Re
Yu Yuejun, a 58-year-old Chinese man in Kaifeng, central Chinas Henan province, has recently gone viral on the Internet, as he creates vivid animals with nothing more than vegetables.

Its very pleasant to find the joy of life from vegetables, Yu said.

Carving the 12 Chinese zodiac animals on eight watermelons in five days, Yu shared these finished works, which cannot be kept for a long time, with net users, saying that he felt happy when they gave him a thumbs-up.

Social media users in China have applauded him for his skills and ideas. Youre really something, said a user of the countrys social media giant Weibo.
SSLC Result 2020 Karnataka DECLARED | The Karnataka board has declared results of Class 10 exams for over eight lakh students today

SSLC Result 2020 Karnataka DECLARED | The much-awaited Karnataka Class 10 board exam results were announced by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) today (Monday, 10 August) 2020 on official websites kseeb.kar.nic.in or karresults.nic.in at 3 pm.

Follow LIVE updates on Karnataka SSLC results 2020

The Karnataka education minister S Suresh informed about the same through his official Twitter handle.

As it has been observed in the past, the official websites may become slow or fail to load as a result of heavy online traffic due to students rushing to check their scores.

They may also face issues with internet connectivity. In such a situation, students can check their results through their mobile phones by sending an SMS.

Students should type  KSEEB10 ROLLNUMBER  and send it to 56263 to receive their scores on their mobile phones via SMS.

Students can later download their marksheet using the following steps:

Step 1: Visit the official websites  karresults.nic.in or kseeb.kar.nic.in

Step 2: Select 'SSLC result' on the homepage

Step 3: Key in your login details such as roll number or hall ticket number

Step 4: Your result will be displayed on the screen

Step 5: Download the KAR SSLC result sheet and take a printout

Earlier, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar told news agency PTI that SSLC result will be announced by the first week of August.

About KSEEB

The Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) was formed in 1966. Besides the Class 10 exmas for schools affiliated with it, it also conducts 12 other examinations such as the Karnataka open school exam, Diploma in Education, Music and so on. It also governs other activities such as devising courses, prescribing syllabus, granting recognitions to schools. The Board is headquartered at Bengaluru.
Guwahati, Aug 7 : Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has asked the state's Director General of Police to inquire into the incident of clashes between supporters of different groups in northern Assam's Sonitpur district, officials said.

Officials said on Thursday that curfew was clamped on Wednesday night in some areas in anticipation of the breach of law and order, apart from putting the Army on standby.

They said that though the situation was tense on Wednesday after clashes between supporters of the Bajrang Dal and a group of people in Bhora Singori under Thelamara police station in Sonitpur district, the situation was now under control.

Sonowal asked police chief Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta to personally inquire into the incidents that caused the situation volatile in Sonitpur district, bordering Arunachal Pradesh.

On Wednesday Bajrang Dal activists took out a rally from a temple to celebrate the 'Bhumi Puja' ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The Bajrang Dal supporters alleged that they were beaten up by some people near a mosque after they burst firecrackers.

Stones were also pelted on the vehicles of some district officials. To control the situation, the police first cane charged and then fired in the air.

According to police, around 10 people suffered injuries.

Assam Police Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Gyanendra Pratap Singh has visited the area.

He said the probe is underway and two persons were picked up by police for questioning.
BERLIN (JTA)  Joining a growing chorus of critical voices, Holocaust survivors have launched an international online campaign criticizing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that is aimed at countering Holocaust denial on his social media platform.

Starting Wednesday, a campaign sponsored by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany called Theres No Denying It #NoDenyingIt will upload video testimony daily from survivors across the globe to social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram (owned by Facebook) and Twitter.

The campaign is being billed as the first-ever...
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

By Tamilla Mammadova - Trend:

Vegetables worth $6,100 were exported from Georgia to Azerbaijan in May 2020, which is $3,800 more than in the previous month, Trend reports referring to National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

Since beginning of 2020, Georgia exported to Azerbaijan vegetables in the amount of $177,900.

In March, these products were carried out by air, while during other months the goods were transferred by road.

From January through May 2020, the highest rate of export of these products from Georgia to Azerbaijan amounting to $62,500 was observed in March.

As for the import of vegetables from Azerbaijan to Georgia, in January, it amounted to $144,700, in March - $22,100, in April - $194,000, and in May - $762,300.

Azerbaijan did not export any vegetables to Georgia in February 2020.

From January through May 2020, trade turnover between Georgia and Azerbaijan amounted to $409.1 million.

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Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Belarus: Scramble for heart of Europe | M. K. Bhadrakumar

August 4, 2020

The Secretary of State in the George W. Bush administration Condoleeza Rice once described Belarus as the last true remaining dictatorship in the heart of Europe. She held out the assurance that it was time for change to come to Belarus. That was during her visit to next-door Lithuania in April 2005. Fifteen years have passed. Rices promise is yet to be realised. Is the Trump administration following up?

By all indications, change is in the air in Belarus. For good or bad  one cannot tell  the ground beneath the feet of the Belarus strongman President Alexander Lukashenka is shifting, finally, after an uninterrupted rule since 1994 through a 26-year period following the dissolution of the former Soviet Union in 1991. Belarus under Lukashenko preserved the former Soviet system in the westernmost edge of the extinct empire  no oligarchs, state-owned industry, stable employment and social security but economic stagnation and repressive state security apparatus.

Historically, it has been customary for Lukashenka to get re-elected with a minimum of 90 percent support of the people. The world community largely acquiesced with his mandates, the citizens of Belarus meekly submitted to it and, most important, Russia underwrote its legitimacy. But all that is changing dramatically as Lukashenka approaches the presidential election on August 9 seeking yet another term.

Lukashenko is very obviously unpopular and as the elections approached, he resorted to time-tested strong-arm tactics  arresting his rivals and preparing to fiddle the results. However, the electoral cycle appears to be genuinely contested this time around.

The dwindling popular support for Lukashenka is sticking out grotesquely, especially among the middle class, as people began coming out in tens of thousands in support of persecuted opposition candidates despite the repressive crackdown in the last month; and, curiously, challengers have appeared from outside the established opposition circles whose mentors and minders are yet unclear. Ominously enough, the US government media and the social media networks are moulding a new narrative, too.

Amidst all this, on July 29, Belarus authorities detained thirty-three Russian citizens suspected of plotting mass unrest. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian envoy and the Ukrainian charge daffairs, given the confirmed information that some of those in custody had been previously involved in combat in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.

On August 1, Lukashenko disclosed that the detainees were a first group from 180 to 200 people who were meant to be inserted into Belarus (from Russia) They are soldiers. They were given orders and off they went. We have to deal with those who were giving orders and who were sending them in here we have serious suspicions about the goals that the group set out.

Minsk has alleged that the detained Russians were mercenaries of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company credited with links to the Kremlin leadership that has been active in the so-called hybrid wars in Syria, Libya, Sudan, Ukraine (Crimea and Donbas), etc. Minsk said they are suspected of masterminding mass unrest.

Moscows low-key response was dismissive, claiming that the group of Russian men was travelling to Istanbul, with a transit stopover in Minsk, and that they had all the required papers, including air tickets to their ultimate destination. Belarus Investigation Committee contradicted this claim.

Lukashenkos intentions are not clear, either. Perhaps, he will try to use the detained Wagner fighters as an excuse for further crackdowns. To be sure, Belarus-Russia ties have come under strain. The fault lines have surfaced.

Since 2014, Lukashenko has been marking distance from Russia and warding off Moscows substantial pressure to nudge him toward a closer foreign and security policy and to integrate the two countries per their 1999 Unity pact. A determined attempt by President Putin personally last December at a one-on-one with Lukashenko at Sochi also failed, much to the Kremlins chagrin and embarrassment.

Unsurprisingly, sensing that that Belarus-Russia relations were fraying, Washington soon began courting Lukashenko. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Minsk on February 1 to discuss with Lukashenko a road map of cooperation to encourage the latter to assert Belarus national sovereignty and independence from Russia.

The latest developments make Belarus a frontline state in the US-Russia rivalry. Clearly, the August 9 elections will impact not only the domestic politics of Belarus but the trajectory of the US-Russia rivalry and, in turn, will have consequences for European security also. Washington encourages Lukashenko to navigate Belarus as an independent actor in the NATO-Russia security dynamics in the Baltics. This needs explaining.

Belaruss geography is critical to the security of the so-called Suwalki Gap, the narrow corridor that connects the Baltic States to Poland and the rest of NATO, which also provides indirect access for Russia via Belarus to its exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltics. No doubt, Suwalki Gap is regarded as one of the most dangerous contact lines between NATO and Russia.

The Suwalki Gap is a narrow strip of just 100 kms that constitutes the Poland-Lithuania border while it is also providing the only land corridor between Kaliningrad and Belarus. Conceivably, a Russian attack to capture the Suwalki Gap would cut off NATOs access to the Baltic States while on the contrary a seizure of Suwalki Gap in a NATO manoeuvre would severe Russias access to Kaliningrad and establish the alliances dominance in the region. And for Moscow, therefore, Kaliningrads vulnerability is the Achilles heel of Russias national security. (Russias biggest-ever military exercise in 2017 codenamed Zapad simulated a conflict for control of Suwalki Gap, which followed the landmark 2016 NATO deployments in Poland and the Baltics, contrary to previous assurances to Russia.)

Until the US-backed regime change in Ukraine in 2014 phenomenally altered the security calculus in Eurasia and Russias ties with the West nosedived, Belarus used to be Russias sleeping partner. Suffice to say, the geopolitics of Belarus becomes crucial today in the context of the increasingly confrontational NATO-Russia and US-Russia relationship and the military build-up in the region. It is entirely conceivable that a political crisis in Belarus could transform as a likely trigger of a NATO-Russia confrontation.

Since 2014, Lukashenka began distancing from the Russian actions in Ukraine with a view to reposition Belarus as a neutral presence in Eastern Europe. Thus, Belarus began probing closer ties with NATO. In February, Belarus and the British Royal Marines held a bilateral training exercise less than 50 kms from the Russian border. Without doubt, Moscow took note. Curiously, the main thrust of Belarus revised military doctrine prioritises resistance to a Russian-backed intervention. Lukashenko has been resisting for past few years Moscows proposal to establish an air base in Belarus (although Belarus is de facto responsible for the defence of several hundreds of kilometres of air space to the west of Moscow.)

Having said that, Belarus heavy dependence on Russia delimits Lukashenkas space to maneuvre. Belarus is a beneficiary of heavily subsidised Russian supplies of oil and gas; 70% of Belarus external financing comes from Russia; almost half of Belarus foreign trade is with Russia. To be sure, Moscow has lately begun leveraging its economic support to force Belarus to move towards closer integration of Union States, as envisaged under the 1999 pact  known as the Treaty on the Creation of a Union State of Russia and Belarus signed in Moscow by then Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Lukashenko on December 9.

Lukashenkas resistance to Russian pressure also reflects the popular opinion in Belarus that militates against integration with Russia (which will significantly undermine its national sovereignty.) But his near-term dilemma is that a big chunk of Belarus industry forms part of value chains inherited from the integrated Soviet economy devolving upon energy supplied from Russia and export markets in Russia.

Therefore, Lukashenka is constrained to follow a pragmatic line in the absence of a reliable lifeline forthcoming from the West. Of late, he has agreed to restart integration talks with Russia in September or October. But how far Moscow will pile pressure for integration and how far Lukashenko can afford to resist will largely depend on the outcome of the August 9 elections. Above all, amidst the new volatility in Belarus politics, there is no certainty anymore that Lukashenko can impose a decision on integration with Russia on an irate nation.

The strong likelihood is that Lukashenka will ensure his victory in the elections on August 9. But the big question is what happens thereafter. The probability is high that public protests may ensue. Equally, Lukashenkos instinct will be to crush the demonstrations. Will Moscow intervene in such an eventuality? Washington is monitoring closely. Any unilateral Russian intervention in Belarus would become grist to the Washington establishments mill to caricature revanchist Russia, to demonise Putin and to drive another wedge between Europe and Russia.

From present indications, Moscows preference will be for a pragmatic approach. Make no mistake, all this is unfolding while politics within Russia has also become animated following large scale demonstrations in Khabarovsk for several weeks with a growing anti-Putin tilt, which has lately spread to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

To be sure, therefore, when it comes to Belarus, the challenge for Moscow lies in cautiously speeding up the Union State integration without risking Lukashenkos domestic position, lest the Belarussian public perceived integration as total capitulation by him. Moscows priority could be primarily focused on the security sphere at this juncture  establishment of a permanent military presence in Belarus, principally  to provide underpinnings to prevent a replay of the Maidan protests in Kiev in the December 2013-February 2014 period, which the CIA exploited to instal an anti-Russian government in power in Ukraine.

The known unknown today is what form the current protest demonstrations would take. For sure, the western intelligence is watching closely for opportunities to queer the pitch. A flashpoint comes if the demonstrations gather momentum and takes the form of a colour revolution, prompting Lukashenko to seek Russian support. Even if he doesnt, there is always the possibility that Moscow may be compelled to take unilateral steps to secure its interests by way of covert intervention.

Turmoil in Minsk will be viewed in Moscow as a national security crisis for Russia. Considering all that happened in Russia-Ukraine relations since 2014, Moscow simply cannot afford, from the national security perspective, to passively watch the emergence in Minsk of yet another unfriendly government supported by the US in the former Soviet republics. With the Baltics and Ukraine in western sphere of influence already, if the US grabs Belarus, Russias defence lines to the west would collapse. In al likelihood, Belarus is turning into a classic bear trap for Russia in the great game in the heart of Europe  Russia is damned if it acts in self-interest; it is damned if it does nothing.
This Women's Month, the focus regrettably but rightfully falls on gender-based violence during lockdown. But unlike Covid-19, the GBV pandemic already has an effective treatment against it. And our schools and institutions of higher learning have a vital role to play in administering it.

Professor Francis Petersen, rector and vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State

A tale of two pandemics: Similarities

A tale of two pandemics: Differences

A known treatment for GBV

Vital role of schools and higher education institutions

Respect is contagious

A war being waged against the women and children of our country. Thats how President Cyril Ramaphosa recently referred to the scourge of gender-based violence that seemed to mirror the disconcerting spike of our infection rates over the lockdown period. In the first three weeks of lockdown, more than 120,000 victims called the national helpline for abused women and children  double the usual volume of calls.President Ramaphosas war reference is quite appropriate. Global Peace Index statistics show that violence in South Africa is similar to countries at war or in conflict. When it comes to female victims, the figures almost defy comprehension:Close to 3,000 women are murdered in South Africa every year. This means that a woman is murdered roughly every three hours in our country. About 110 women are raped every day. About one in three South African women experience abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetime.President Ramaphosa mentioned that the two pandemics are very different in nature and cause. Yet, there are some striking similarities.The first is that they both affect everyone. Although South Africas femicide rate is about five times the global average, it is by no means a phenomenon unique to our country. The United Nations refers to a shadow pandemic plaguing all of the 90 or so countries that opted for lockdown, as everywhere women with violent partners were isolated, separated from people and resources that could assist them.Another similarity lies in the devastating consequences of both pandemics. Not only do they cause victims to suffer; it always circles out wider, posing a threat to the people around them.With both pandemics, there is a huge responsibility on governments to ensure that their citizens are protected. But there is also an equally pressing duty on citizens to look out for one another.On the other hand, apart from nature and cause, there are marked differences between the two pandemics:While words such as novel and unprecedented are used to describe Covid-19, terms such as entrenched and enduring are commonly associated with gender-based violence.It is a scourge that has been with us for a very long time.Sadly, there also seems to be a vast difference in the perceived urgency to address the two pandemics. While the government implemented far-reaching and immediate measures and strictly monitored adherence in an attempt to curb the one, the effective application of laws and policies to curb the other just doesnt seem to get off the ground.With any pandemic, the main concern, of course, lies in finding a treatment. And while the search is furiously on for a Covid-19 vaccine, there seem to be general consensus that a major part of the solution for the GBV pandemic has already been identified.It lies in one simple word: Respect.Mutual respect as a countermeasure for twisted views on paternalism, toxic masculinity, and subservience that often lie at the root of abuse in our country, and self-respect as a countermeasure to alcohol and substance abuse that regularly go hand in hand with GBV incidents.Respect is, however, not a remedy that can be forcefully injected into an ailing society. Respect for oneself and for others has to be patiently cultivated from an early age in order to become part of a populations DNA.The ideal, of course, is that respect be taught at home. But in South Africas sad reality of vast domestic problems and social issues, respect is something that young children so often see very little of. Another stark fact is that close to two thirds of children in our country grow up without a father in the household. This is placing immeasurable pressure on our societys women, who have to act as both caregivers and breadwinners, often bravely struggling to intercept the absence of a male role model.Broken households simply cannot be fixed overnight. And this is where educational institutions need to urgently step up to the plate. One of the things the Covid-19 pandemic has clearly illuminated in our country, is the vital and multi-faceted role of our educational institutions. They are so much more than just centres where academic knowledge is transferred. So often they are the places where social and psychological needs are identified and addressed. In many cases, they are the glue that holds communities together.As educational institutions, we should embrace this role and more urgently than ever focus on instilling a culture of respect in our students and learners.We deal with young people at a time in their lives when they are particularly susceptible to influence. What they learn while passing through our doors and over our campuses will help determine the type of adults they eventually become.We have a window of opportunity to guide them. And here lies the crux: Respect is a lesson that should not only be taught. It should also be shown.Two years ago, the University of the Free State (UFS) established a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) made up of business units across the universitys three campuses, which works according to a set process flow to provide legal, medical, and counselling services to victims of gender-based violence, primarily aimed at minimising trauma for the victim. The SART has been playing a significant role to support victims  and in this way, also easing the minds of families and friends of victims that the university cares and has processes in place.I have often advocated that institutions of higher learning should be small microcosms of an ideal society, where respect, tolerance, and social justice permeates every aspect of our operations. The same is true for our schools.We need to show our learners and students what an ideal society should look like. They need to see it in all our operations, policies, and actions.They should experience it in the fair manner in which we deal with transgressions; in the absence of bullying and favouritism; in workplace policies that promote wellness in a way that exudes care; in the way we encourage and facilitate dialogue, encouraging divergent views to be aired in a safe atmosphere of respect and tolerance.In short, our educational institutions should be spaces where the participation of members and stakeholders is valued in ways that grant the dignity and worth of all individuals and communities.What these past couple of months have also painfully taught us is that it is not only viruses that can spread like wildfire through communities. Fear, suspicion, and uncertainty are equally contagious. But so is kindness, acceptance, care, and respect.What is needed is for educators everywhere to embrace the fact that respect should form the bedrock of our teaching efforts.Unlike other pandemics, the victim base for gender-based violence cannot progress organically to a state of herd immunity. Left unattended, this shadow pandemic will simply become worse and worse.To curb it, we need to make a conscious decision to root out the various forms of inequality that still exist in our society and replace it with mutual respect. And we need to concentrate our focus on our schools, universities, colleges, and training centres.We need herd solidarity to guide our youth away from gender-based violence. Only then will we have a fighting chance to overcome it.
Rather, they say, Chinas refusal to back down on external disputes large and small stems from a sense of political insecurity and economic pressure at home, and the need to display strength in line with the image Xi has crafted for China and for himself  a mirror image, in some ways, of an American president who has railed against China on the campaign trail while struggling to contain the coronavirus and unemployment at home.
The OBrien Fine Foods plant in Timahoe Co KIldare where cases of Covid-19 were confirmed. Photo by Steve Humphreys. 7th August 2020

Another six employees have tested positive for Covid-19 at a food factory in Kildare.

The company confirmed that testing of a further 42 employees has been completed this evening.

The food manufacturer announced yesterday production has been shut down at its Timohoe facility after 80 of its employees tested positive for Covid-19.

Read More

Management said the company has been engaging with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to test all employees.

Meanwhile, four people have died today from Covid-19 with 98 confirmed cases across Ireland.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been informed that 4 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 in Ireland have died.

There has now been a total of 1,772 Covid-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight Thursday, the HPSC has been notified of 98 confirmed cases of Covid-19. There is now a total of 26,470 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today: 57 are men / 38 are women, 68pc are under 45 years of age, 67 are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case, 4 cases have been identified as community transmission

35 cases are located in Kildare, 26 in Offaly, 6 in Wexford, 5 in Laois, 5 in Dublin, and 21 are spread across ten other counties (Carlow, Cavan, Donegal, Kilkenny, Limerick, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Westmeath and Wicklow).

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 news comes as people living in Kildare, Offaly and Laois will be put under a partial lockdown for the next two weeks.

Starting from midnight, those living in the three counties will have to restrict their movements and people elsewhere in the country will be banned from travelling to the counties.

The advice says there can should be no travel into the three counties, other than for exemptions relating to work, medical appointments, family or animal emergencies.

People will be told not use public transport unless it is absolutely necessary and also asked not to share private vehicles with people from outside their homes.

Indoor gatherings are to be reduced to a maximum of six people from no more than three households and outdoor gatherings limited to a maximum of 15 people.

Higher risk groups, using their own judgement, be advised to avoid public transport, stay at home and limit visitors except for essential care services

Residents will be permitted to travel outside of Kildare, Offaly and Laois for the following reasons:

- To travel to and from work, where it is not possible to work from home.

- To attend medical appointments and collect medicines and other health products.

- For vital family reasons such as caring for children, ederly or vulnerable people - but excluding social visits.

- For farming purposes including food production and care for animals.
The government is also preparing a list of tax defaulters, it said in a statement. "Nine sectors, including e-commerce, insurance and financial services, were not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, but around 935 companies in these sectors have paid zero tax and 2,017 have paid 50 per cent tax," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the charge of the finance department, said. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will strictly scrutinise the reasons behind these ...

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Digital Editor
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A company based in Grand Rapids has received a $160 million federal contract to manufacture the coronavirus vaccine.

Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing, 140 Front Ave. SW, announced the contract Thursday.

President and CEO Tom Ross said his companys job is to work with the U.S. government to help manufacture the coronavirus vaccine once its developed.

We are extremely honored to be chosen to serve our country and help respond to the demands and challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ross said in a statement.

As a homegrown company with a strong culture built on teamwork and accountability, our team will confidently deliver the safest and highest-quality solutions that will ultimately be life-saving for the American people.

President Donald Trumps administration wants to have a coronavirus vaccine widely available by early next year.

Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer are among those assisting in the effort. It received a $1.95 billion contract with the U.S. government to supply up to 100 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year. The vaccines production facilities include the Pfizer plant in Kalamazoo County.

Ross said GRAM is working with some large pharmaceutical companies developing the vaccine, but he declined to say which ones. He said most pharmaceutical companies dont have capacity to manufacture the number of coronoavirus vaccine doses being demanded. His companys job is to help meet that demand.

GRAM, which was founded 10 years ago, has three manufacturing facilities, with more than 100,000 square feet of production space.

Read more:

5 things election workers learned from Michigans record-turnout primary

Michigan county-level coronavirus data for Friday, Aug. 7: What risk level is your county?

Its about jealousy, family of Grand Rapids double-homicide victims say after man charged
On 4 June, at least 115,000 people defied a governments ban and anti-pandemic rules to commemorate those killed in the massacre. Pro-democracy leaders Joshua Wong, Nathan Law and Jimmy Lai have to appear before a court. Activists have been accused of holding and taking part in the demonstration. For the pro-democracy front, Beijing is behind the move.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Hong Kong judicial authorities have charged 24 people for holding and taking part in a vigil commemorating the Tiananmen massacre, the city police said yesterday night. Some of those indicted are also facing charges of incitement to participate in an unauthorised demonstration.

Last 4 June, at least 115,000 people defied the government ban and anti-pandemic rules to gather in Victoria Park to mark the anniversary of the massacre by security forces on 4 June 1989 of thousands of Chinese students who were demanding freedom and democracy.

Among the accused are pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong, a former leader of Demosisto (a dissolved pro-independence party), and Nathan Law, who has fled to Great Britain for fear of the new security law imposed by Beijing.

Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai will be tried on the same charge, along with pro-democracy lawmakers Chu Hoi-dick and Wu Chi-wai, and district councillor Lester Shum.

On 15 September, Civil Human Rights Front vice-convenor Figo Chan, former student leader Sunny Cheung and former Members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Cyd Ho and Leung Kwok-hung will also appear before the court.

According to the pro-democracy front, police are trying to crush dissent. The defendants note that Hong Kongs Department of Justice can now ask the courts to confiscate their passports and restrict their freedom to leave Hong Kong.

For the anti-Beijing camp, the Chinese government, which wants to prevent democratic figures from speaking to the international community about the situation in the former British colony, is behind the charges.
Days after the Louisiana Department of Health revoked Firehouse BBQ's food permit for violating social distancing rules, the LDH closure notice, bottom, and a mesage from the eatery referring to the 'illegal' mask mandate and fight with the LDH are seen on the main door, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020. The defiant Denham Spring eatery has no requirements for masks for customers or employees, during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic isnt close to being done with retailers. Now its shaking up back-to-school shopping, usually stores second-largest moneymaker after the holidays.

Parents juggling work, child care and other responsibilities are trying to iron out school plans and make sense of conflicting messages from state and local officials.

Many schools are starting the year with virtual learning, prompting some families to postpone purchasing supplies until they figure out what their children will need. Others are buying less clothing but stocking up on laptops and other electronics for online classes.

Nicole Meurett, whose three children attend schools in the Northside Independent School District, said she would normally be more anxious about buying supplies before the start of school.

On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus outbreaks will occur in schools, San Antonio Metro Health official says

But she isnt feeling pressured to buy right away this year. NISD schools return from summer break on Aug. 24 with virtual learning. Students wont literally go back to their schools  for in-person instruction  until at least Sept. 8, according to the districts website.

The only thing were looking into buying right now is another Chromebook, Meurett said. I will still buy all the supplies, but Ill probably wait another week or so.

How busy stores will be during Texas sales tax holiday, which runs Friday through Sunday, is an open question.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

To encourage social distancing, the state comptrollers office said people can buy qualifying items online, by phone or other means tax-free if the goods are paid for and delivered during the holiday or if someone buys an item and the seller accepts the order during the period, even if its dropped off after the holiday ends.

Online shopping has been surging during the pandemic, as customers wary of exposure to the virus opt to have goods delivered or to pick them up.

Sales tax revenue in Texas reached $2.98 billion in July, up 4.3 percent from the same month last year. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar attributed the increase to a surge in retail receipts, which primarily reflect sales made in June.

More people opted to shop online instead of at stores, Hegar said, adding that more online marketplace and remote vendors have had to collect and remit taxes since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

But its not known whether the increase will continue through the rest of the back-to-school shopping season.

Its likely that consumer spending was significantly supported by enhanced benefits provided by the federal CARES Act and related legislation enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hegar added. With the expiration of these benefits at the end of July, consumer spending and sales tax collections may decline in coming months.

ExpressNews.com poll: Will you send your kid(s) to school?

As more people shop online and families adjust to virtual classes, retailers are devoting sections on their websites to teachers and parents and adding resources for learning at home.

Walmart is partnering with PBS Kids, Disney and other brands to offer workbooks and online materials. The company also has a dedicated section for teachers in stores and online, and teachers can use Walmarts events registry to set up classroom wish lists.

Best Buy launched a parent hub with technology tips. Visitors to the back-to-school section on its website can select what type of computer they want, what theyll be using it for and which operating system they prefer and get recommendations.

On ExpressNews.com: Gov. Abbott, GOP leaders shoot down Bexar County health order about school reopenings amid coronavirus pandemic

Office Depot created a back-to-school shopping headquarters online and at its Office Depot and Office Max stores that includes furniture, notebooks and calculators along with masks and wipes.

J.C. Penney is showcasing homeschooling supplies. Target is highlighting binders, folders and other typical items along with face masks and hand sanitizer; and H-E-B is touting school supplies for classroom or home.

Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

Retailers also are emphasizing their curbside or in-store pickup and delivery options.

The National Retail Federation predicts spending for K-12 and college combined will total $101.6 billion this year, an increase from $80.7 billion last year, as parents purchase pricier items like laptops and other electronics for online learning.

That projection may be a tad optimistic, said Venky Shankar, director of research at the Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University. Depending on states policies, students may not return to physical classrooms for a while.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said local school boards and state education officials have control over when campuses start in-classroom instruction.

School boards largely can limit reopening buildings during the first eight weeks of the year and districts will be able to apply for an extension. Local health districts can only close schools in response to an outbreak.

Most school districts in Bexar County have opted to delay in-person instruction until the week of Labor Day, if not later. At least two districts are keeping learning completely virtual until October.

Spending levels may be similar this school shopping season compared with previous years, but families are buying different supplies, Shankar said. Theyre spending more on electronics and personal protective equipment but holding off on clothing, for example.





Kin Man Hui /Staff photographer

Sean Wood said he spent a lot of time collecting gloves, masks, paper towels and other protective materials in preparation for his daughters return to a graduate program in Florida.

Every time we go to the store, (were) grabbing a couple more bottles of hand sanitizer, because shes going to need that stuff, he said.

As the pandemic took hold in the area, Wood also bought a laptop earlier this year for his son, a student at North East School of the Arts at LEE High School.

It was a smart purchase. The school is starting online for several weeks and then making in-person learning available, he said.

Wood said he and his family also have tried to stay out of stores and do most of their shopping online or using curbside pickup.

Its not like we made a big deal out of back-to-school shopping, he said, but this year its just really weird.

madison.iszler@express-news.net
Illegal raves in Paris have been drawing crowds of up to a thousand young people every week after nightclubs were forced to shut amid the coronavirus outbreak.

'Free parties' have sprung up around the French capital as young people, even those unfamiliar with the underground techno dance scene, look for a chance to let their hair down.

The Bois de Vincennes, an expansive park with lakes, woods and open green spaces in the southeast of Paris, is at the epicentre of the phenomenon.

Licensed nightclubs have been closed in France since March under measures to contain the epidemic.

It has prompted dozens of DJs, who claim their sector risks extinction, to launch an urgent appeal to the government last month for the authorisation of 'emergency party areas'.

Illegal raves in Paris have been drawing crowds of up to a thousand young people every week after nightclubs were forced to shut amid the coronavirus outbreak. Pictured: Attendees at an unauthorised party in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, last week

In July, 'free parties' in the park attracted as many as a thousand people every week, many flouting guidelines to wear face masks and keep a safe distance from others to avoid contracting the coronavirus.

Speaking about one of the raves, Illa Giannotti, cofounder of the Soeurs Malsaines party-planning collective, said: 'I had never seen anything like it, it was completely crazy.'

Raves first appeared in France in the 1990s and were popular until a law introduced in 2001 forced organisers to register with the police beforehand, pushing a large, rebel section of the scene underground.

But now the pandemic has made clandestine 'free parties' popular again after licensed nightclubs were ordered to remain shuttered throughout the summer due to the high infection risk they posed to revellers in an enclosed space.

The locations for each rave are not widely disclosed ahead of time. Pictured: Man entering an illegal party located in an abandoned warehouse in Gennevilliers, north of Paris, last week

The response from law enforcement has been ambiguous. Pictured: Security officer checking bags as people arrived to attend an illegal party in Gennevilliers, north of Paris, last week

'When lockdown ended, there was a lot of pressure [to organise parties],' said Antoine Calvino, DJ and head of the collective Microclimat, which began hosting parties in the Bois de Vincennes in May after France's strict stay-at-home rules were eased.

He added: 'The nightclubs and even bars were still closed and there weren't many alternatives to see friends again and party.

'Partying is vital. For some people, it's a parallel way of life, a moment to let off steam and meet up. It's a pressure outlet and a zone of tolerance without equal.'

The locations for each rave are not widely disclosed ahead of time.

For one recent clandestine gathering, called Trance Ta Race, prospective partygoers had to phone a number and listen to a voicemail message in order to find out the address.

Then, to get in, they had to climb over a wall, put on a mask and disinfect their hands with gel before paying a 10-euro ($11.80) entry fee to cover the costs of the organisation - as well as any potential fine.

The Paris municipality said it was taken by surprise 'by the scale of the phenomenon' of the underground parties. Pictured: Attendees at an unauthorised party in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, last week

French police have recently begun to crackdown on the illegal gatherings and, since mid-July, have conducted busts to disperse revellers and seize party equipment.

But the response from law enforcement has been ambiguous, with some authorities shutting the raves down and others allowing them to continue, according to the Liberation newspaper.

During the rave at Trance Ta Race five police officers reportedly ambled through the crowd to speak to partygoers and confiscate a handful of drugs but left shortly after.

The Paris municipality said it was taken by surprise 'by the scale of the phenomenon' of the underground parties.

'There's a real cultural and social phenomenon going on at the moment. And at town hall, we don't want to send in the police, we want to make things possible,' said councillor Frederic Hocquard.

'Our approach is to come up with a plan, with authorised places where we know what is going on, where parties are registered beforehand and where we warn people of the risks, whether it be the usual risks (alcohol, drugs or STDs) or those linked to the epidemic,' he added.

But it is not just France who have seen a rise in such gatherings in recent months with police being forced to intervene in both London and New York.
South Africa: Randfontein water quality set to drastically improve

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says the successful upgrading of the dysfunctional Randfontein wastewater treatment works is an example that should be replicated in all municipalities to address wastewater infrastructure challenges.

Sisulu handed over the refurbished treatment works to the West Rand Local Municipality on Thursday.

The treatment works was technically non-operational, leading to effluent being discharged and mechanical breakdowns due to ageing equipment, in contravention of the Department of Water and Sanitation specifications.

The treatment works presently serves a population of approximately 90 000, which is estimated to grow to 104 526 by the year 2027.

Sisulu said with the establishment of the Presidential Infrastructure Co-ordinating Commission, the department was able to get sufficient funds to repair and refurbish crumbling wastewater infrastructure in every municipality.

The biggest problem for the department is ageing wastewater infrastructure, which affects the provision of clean water, Sisulu said.

The Minister appealed to the municipality to have a dedicated person to ensure that there is oversight at the treatment works.

The Rand West City Local Municipality will be responsible to carry out the maintenance plan, as part of the municipality's operations and maintenance mandate.

Department of Water and Sanitations Gauteng Provincial Head, Sibusiso Mthembu, said inlet works and grit removal at the treatment works were insufficient in size to handle the flow that the treatment plant encounters during periods of heavy rains.

The treatment plant therefore encountered frequent flooding during rainy seasons, as well as solids being transported to the primary settling tanks (PST). Both the inlet channels and flumes were blocked with hardened fat received from non-compliant effluent release by industries, Mthembu said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Confused by the current financial landscape? Youre not alone. Unemployment is high, yet in the face of this bad news, stocks have been charging forward. Add to the mix a rapidly rising rate of new COVID-19 infections, and you get a sense of the markets clear disconnect. In times like these, traditional metrics alone might not tell the full story. You need other strategies to do the job.

The activity of insiders can act as a more reliable trading signal. Watching the insiders  the corporate officers charged with running their companies for stockholders benefit  is a common strategy for finding good buys. These officers are responsible for more than just their own profit  they have to justify themselves to their Boards and their shareholders, and they have to show results. So, when they start buying up blocks of stock in their own companies, its a sign that investors should note.

The TipRanks Insiders Hot Stocks tool tracks these purchases, and makes the data available for investors use. Weve pulled up three stocks that have seen recent informative buy action from company officers, to find out what makes them, well, hot. Here are the details.

Navient (NAVI)

First up, Navient, is a financial company servicing student loans. Navient boasts over 10 million individual loans, with a total dollar value exceeding $300 billion, and is one of the largest student loan servicers in the US, with a 25% market share.

The corona epidemic has been tough on the company; the economic shutdown and consequent high unemployment have made loan collection generally a difficult business in the current climate. Navient has found some support in Federal bankruptcy law, which prevents student loan debt from being written off.

That kept Navient in the black, even when revenues and earnings slumped in Q1. The sequential drop was dramatic  revenues fell 161%, while EPS fell 23%. In the second quarter, the numbers returned to more normal levels. Revenue was positive, at $125 million, and earnings beat the forecast and registered 92 cents per share. Second quarter results benefited from the settlement of a 2018 lawsuit alleging improper conduct. Navient agreed to various corrective measures, albeit without admitting fault.

Story continues

On a purely positive note, the company has kept up its dividend payments, even during the crisis. The quarterly dividend, of 16 cents, annualizes to 64 cents per share and gives an impressive yield over 8%, even with the current depressed share price.

All of this shows a company capable of weathering the current storm. And the insiders have been snapping up the stock. The largest recent purchase, by CEO John Remondi, totaled over $390,000 for 50,000 shares. Other company directors have been making buys, ranging from $21,000 to $79,000. The purchase activity has swung NAVIs insider confidence metric strongly positive.

William Ryan, from investment firm Compass Point, weighs in on NAVI, noting the companys strong Q2 earnings and plans for an upcoming $65 million share buyback. He writes, We would note that NAVI originally suspended guidance after reporting Q1'20 earnings due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. After originating only $238M in private refi loans during the quarter due to lower marketing efforts related to the volatility surrounding COVID-19, the company stated they have resumed marketing of this product. They expect to originate close to $2B in private student refi loans during the second half of the year

With a strong second half ahead, Ryan gives NAVI a Buy rating and an $11 price target. His target implies an upside of 28%. (To watch Ryans track record, click here)

The analyst consensus on NAVI is a Moderate Buy, based on an even split of 3 to 3 between the Buy and Hold ratings. Shares are priced at $8.60, and the average target, at $9.83, suggests the stock has room for 14% growth in the coming year. (See Navient stock analysis on TipRanks)

Knowles Corporation (KN)

Next on our list is Knowles, a mobile audio provider. The companys products include micro-acoustic and audio processors for mobile devices. Knowles is well known for its contribution to hearing aids and cellphone microphones, but its line-up also includes parts and solutions for automobiles, other consumer electronics, defense hardware, and medical systems.

Knowles earnings through the corona half slipped into negative territory  but the drop was, in some ways, to be expected. The company typically reports much higher revenue and earnings in the second half of a calendar year and looking forward, KN is expected to see Q3 earnings turn around from a 5-cent loss to a 14-cent gain. This would bring earnings back to first half historical norms.

Donald MacLeod, a Board member from Knowles, has made the only recent insider purchase of the stock  but it was significant. He showed his confidence when he bought a block of 10,000 shares, spending over $150,000.

5-star analyst Christopher Rolland, from Susquehanna, notes Knowles continued stress in Q2, but adds, the impact appears shorter term in nature, affected by a $3 million writedown in Intelligent Audio inventory (-200 bps) and lower overall utilization levels. Management remains on track to deliver promised opex reductions, decreasing to $42 million to $44 million starting in the December quarter

In line with this upbeat mid-term outlook, Rolland sets a Buy rating, with a $17 price target suggesting a 8.5% upside for the coming year. (To watch Rollands track record, click here)

Knowles has 2 recent analyst reviews, and both are Buys, making the Moderate Buy consensus view unanimous. The shares are priced at $15.66, while the $17 price target matches Rollands above. (See Knowles stock analysis on TipRanks)

Great Western Bancorp (GWB)

Last on todays list is Great Western Bancorp, a bank holding company based in South Dakota. The companys main subsidiary, Great Western Bank, has over 170 branches in 9 states across the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain, and Southwest regions. The company boasts assets exceeding $12 billion, and a $800 million market cap.

Great Western is the fifth largest farm lender in the US, but despite a solid market position has seen shares decline steadily during the corona crisis. A combination of factors have hit the bank hard, including reductions in on-site brick and mortar business, and the especially hard hit that farmers have taken during the economic downturn. With supply chains disrupted, farmers have had to destroy produce, losing income  and that has sent feedback along the financial chain. Earnings fell sharply in Q1, and again in Q2, missing the forecasts both times, but the better outlook for Q3 suggests that the economic recovery is starting to take hold for the company.

Confidence is clear from the buying activity of the company officers and directors. They have been making purchases in recent days ranging from $25,000 to more than $190,000. Blocks of stock started at 2,000 shares and worked their way up. The largest purchase, by Douglas R. Bass, Regional President and EVP, was of 15,000 shares. Collectively, these purchases have given GWB a strongly positive insider sentiment, much more so than average for peer companies in the financial sector.

RBCs 5-star analyst Jon Arfstrom sees the bank company as fundamentally sound, writing, Overall, we view the other core trends as stable, with solid balance sheet expansion, modest but expected margin pressure, and reasonable fees and expenses we have a somewhat more balanced view of the outlook. While we think it will take a few quarters, we appreciate the focus on credit and the enhancement of the risk systems by new CEO Mark Borrecco. Ultimately, the adjusted allowance compares with peer levels

Arfstrom rates this stock a Buy, and his $17 price target indicates a 29% upside potential for the coming year. (To watch Arfstroms track record, click here)

Great Western shares get a Hold from the analyst consensus, based on 4 ratings, 2 each Buys and Holds. Meanwhile, the average price target, $17.25, suggests a 19% upside from the current share price of $14.51. (See Great Western stock analysis on TipRanks)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
With wildfire season in full swing, a COVID-19 outbreak at a traditional large fire camp is a potential disaster. A transient, high-density workforce of firefighters and volunteers responds to blazes while staying in close quarters with limited hygiene -- conditions that could facilitate the spread of a contagious respiratory disease.

To support fire agencies as they continue their mission-critical work, a team that includes Colorado State University experts has developed an epidemiological modeling exercise for the USDA Forest Service and other fire managers that demonstrates potential risks and various scenarios COVID-19 could pose for the fire management community. Their model is published in the journal Fire.

The report is co-authored by Jude Bayham, assistant professor in the CSU Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; and Erin Belval, research scientist in the CSU Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship; with first author Matthew P. Thompson, Research Forester at the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station. Bayham and Belval worked with Thompson on the study under a longstanding joint venture agreement with the Forest Service on wildfire-related research, which primarily operates through a partnership with the Warner College of Natural Resources. Thompson serves as the team's liaison to the fire management community.

The researchers developed a simulation model of COVID-19 in the context of a wildfire incident in which the population of firefighters changes over time. The team then analyzed a range of scenarios with different infection transmission rates, percentages of arriving workers who are infected, and fatality rates.

They applied their model to real firefighter population data from three recent wildfires -- Highline, Lolo Peak and Tank Hollow -- to illustrate potential outbreak dynamics.

During the Highline fire in Idaho, for example, which at its peak had over 1,000 firefighters on site, a worst-case scenario would have seen close to 500 infections, and a best-case scenario of eight infections. The researchers used a variety of infection fatality rates to estimate possible deaths due to COVID-19 on the fires, ranging from a low of 0.1% to an "extreme" of 2%, with a medium, or best-guess, of 0.3%.

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Model is not a prediction

Like most modeling exercises, the report is not intended to predict real numbers; rather, it is a tool for comparing different scenarios and analyzing how various interventions could have small or large effects.

"There is a need in the modeling community to better communicate what we can and cannot learn from models," Bayham said. "The model itself is not meant to be predictive in the sense of number of cases or deaths, because there are so many things moving."

Bayham said the model does provide insight into the relative benefits of two risk-mitigation strategies: screening; and implementing social distancing measures at camps.

They found that aggressive screening as soon as firefighters arrive at camp could reduce the spread of infection, but those benefits diminish as a wildfire incident goes on longer. For longer campaigns lasting several months, aggressive social distancing measures, including increased use of remote briefings, dispersed sleeping camps, and operating under the "module as one" concept, would be more effective at reducing infections than screening. "Module as one" is a social distancing adaptation in which a crew operates mostly as normal but isolates from other, similarly isolating crews.

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"It all comes down to exposure, which is a basic risk management concept," Thompson said. "Reducing the exposure of susceptible individuals to those who may be infectious is the idea behind screening and social distancing. Our results underscore the importance of deploying these risk mitigation measures and provide insights into how characteristics of a wildfire incident factor into the effectiveness of these mitigations."

Bayham added, "Both interventions are useful, and they both have an effect, but they each have times and places where they are even more effective,"

Such findings could help inform the wildland fire management community as it develops guidance for fire response strategies during the pandemic.

Thompson added, "I'm fortunate to have worked with Jude and Erin for several years now, and in my opinion their collective depth and breadth of expertise is uniquely well suited to address this complex issue. We're grateful for the support from the Joint Fire Science Program and more broadly the fire management community to continue this important work."

Extending the work

The team will continue their work with a $74,200 award from the Joint Fire Science Program by way of the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station joint venture agreement. They plan to extend their model and create an interactive dashboard for agencies to provide real-time modeling and risk assessment support as fire season continues.

They are also working on a model that would be better suited to analyze season-long implications of COVID-19 outbreaks, spread across multiple fires and geographic distances.
Korea will provide $1 million worth of emergency relief aid to help Lebanon recover from a massive explosion that killed more than 140 people and wounded thousands, the foreign ministry said Friday.







The aid is the first batch of a total of $4 million the government has set aside for humanitarian assistance to the Middle Eastern country for this year, including relief support for its fight against the coronavirus, the ministry said in a press release.







The defense ministry also said it will deliver 10,000 sets of medical supplies and other emergency relief items to the victims via Korea's Dongmyung Unit stationed in Lebanon.







"If the Lebanese government asks for help, we will proactively review additional support, including equipment," the ministry said in a statement.







The 280-strong Dongmyung unit, based in the southern city of Tyre close to the border with Israel, has been operating as part of the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) since 2007.







The explosion occurred Tuesday when a waterfront warehouse with nearly 2,800 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertilizer, caught fire. Tuesday's blast has claimed 145 lives and wounded more than 5,000.







On Thursday, ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said the government was actively considering ways to provide support for Beirut.







According to news reports, the explosion has left some 300,000 people, or over 12 percent of Beirut's population, displaced, with the city's total damage estimated at $10 billion to $15 billion.







Since 2011, Korea has provided $13.3 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon. (Yonhap)


Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Letter to the Readers of Mainstreams Lockdown Edition 20 - August (...)

The remarks made by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, on August 5, 2020 in the town on Ayodhya comparing the sectarian campaign of the Hindu right-wing to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya with the anti-colonial movement for freedom in India are totally misplaced. In violation of secular norms, he acted more like an activist of the Hindutva ideology than as a Prime Minister of a secular country.

In the early days after Indias independence, when the Somnath Temple was being built the then President of India Rajendra Prasad wanted to go for the inauguration. At that time Prime Minister Nehru expressed his disagreement and said he should go there in his private capacity as a citizen and not as the head of state. There are no such secular riders for the men in power today. In the early 1990s when the Hindutva right-wing led by LK Advani was running its Ramjanmabhumi agitation across India, intellectuals, journalists, writers, former state officials, citizens groups and political activists proposed to go to Ayodhya to build a human chain to protect the mosque that was under threat from fanatical mobs of communalists. There was a zeal to defend Indias mixed cultural heritage among secular democrats till the early 1990s. But that was another time.

We live in another time zone today. The people who were seen as threats to Indias secularism are respectable politicians now and they call the shots.

We are all at the moment riders on a train that is moving every day taking us to a new stop on the Hindutva roadmap that is reconfiguring India, on a new route away from inclusive ideals enshrined in the Constitution  a symbolic blocking of the road for secular India. The wasteful August 5 politico-religious spectacle that took place in Ayodhya was one such big stop on the way. They have laid the foundation to their first monument as per Hindutva plans with the full participation of the Prime Minister in person in the company of the RSS Chief. The business of temple making was to have been organised by a non-partisan Trust, but key members on the trust are people who had been indicted by the CBI for their role Hindutva movement that led to the demolition of the Babri Mosque in 1992. These are sheep in wolfs clothing - modern-day Nathu-Rams who keep invoking Ram for political purposes. More will come as India remakes itself in the mirror image of its non-secular neighbour Pakistan.

Under the guise of the pandemic, a New Education Policy has been introduced in India. It sheds all reference to socialist ideals and to secularism and instead brings in an obscure term nishkam karma from Bhagavad Gita  a book that a section of the population lends some socio-religious identification, obviously under guidance from navel-gazing traditionalists, the RSS apparatchiks. Let the Gita be for the connoisseurs and believers. we live in the 21st century and any education system today should be promoting a scientific temper and be geared to open our eyes to the world with cosmopolitan and internationalist ideals from here and there, Mandela, Azimov, to Tagore, Nehru.

o o

Financial inducements by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), intimidation or threats of court cases to destabilize Congress run governments is the order of the day. Congressmen should stand together, they have a very important role to play as the key opposition party in the country. It is mighty surprising that well-known former advisors, well-wishers and certain liberal intellectuals have now made it a past time attacking the Congress party which is already under sustained attack from the BJP and from the Left. A social democratic party like the Congress which is a loose liberal-democratic umbrella organisation is much needed for Indias future. We hope it revives itself and comes out strong. The Congress party must stick to founding secular ideals and not fall into political traps and be forced to mimic any Hindutva dialect for electoral gains.

o o

It is the 75th anniversary of the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima on August 6 and of Nagasaki on August 9 these bomb attacks had killed nearly 200,000 people, drawing huge international criticism; In the decades after Hiroshima, widespread anti-nuclear ban the bomb protests by peace movements like the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in the UK, and others spanned the globe. Today, by comparison, an eerie silence reigns everywhere including in our country. Established international treaties for nuclear disarmament are being disregarded. The absence of public debate or any sense of alarm about the development of new nuclear, hypersonic and space weapons is striking.

We express our solidarity with the people of Beirut who experienced a massive explosion involving 2700 tons of explosive material, that has destroyed and impacted a large part of the city. It is utterly shocking that the city authorities allowed the storage of such potent explosive right in the heart of the city. Hoping that other major cities of the world will take heed and not show such negligence.

Remembrances and Tributes:

Comrade, Shyamal Chakraborty of the CPI(M) has passed away on August 6, he served as a Minister of Transport in the erstwhile Left Front govt in the state. He was also a member in the upper house of Indias parliament and functioned as a member in the Central Committee of the party. Incidentally he was among the CPM leaders who were for an alliance with the Congress to fight the BJP in West Bengal.

We are deeply saddened at the passing of a legendary figure in theatre, Ebrahim Alkazi who died on August 4 at the age of 95. Alkazi had been one of the very prominent actor and theatre director in Bombay of the 1940s and 50s. He later served as the director of the National School of Drama in Delhi the early 1960s. We join all theatre lovers in India to mourn his passing.

Ama Adhe, the iconic Tibetan freedom fighter who spent 27 years in a Chinese prison, passed away in her Dharamsala home on August 3, 2020, leaving behind a large number of Tibetan activists whom she inspired.

Emmanuel Farhi, the very talented and influential economist with a path-breaking work on keynsian economic macroeconomics just passed away in Harvard on July 23.

We join a wide range of commentators in offering our tributes to Farhi.

We pay homage to Comrade Satya Narayan Singh a leader of the Communist Party in Bihar who died of Covid-19 on Aug 2, 2020.

We would like to remember Sadia Dehlvi, the story writer chronicler of Delhi who lost her battle against cancer and died on August 5. Dehlvi owned the much respected Urdu magazine Shama.

August 8, The Editor
With funding it received from the US government, Novavax is aiming to deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine to Americans by end of 2020.

Along with some mild side effects, a potential COVID-19 vaccine from the biotech major Novavax prompted a promising immune response in a limited early trial with 131 healthy trial participants, who were all between ages 18-59.

The results of the early (Phase 1) trial, published Thursday in a press statement by the company, shows that the vaccine candidate (called NVX-CoV2373) was well-tolerated and found safe in all volunteers. An immune response was also generated in all the trial volunteers, and the antibodies were able to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus in 100 percent of cases, the statement said.

The best responses came from volunteers who received two injections of the vaccine candidate, 21 days apart, along with an adjuvant that amplifies the immune response triggered by the vaccine. 35 days after the shot, the trial volunteers seemed to have roughly four times as many neutralizing antibodies as a group of 32 patients who had recovered from COVID-19 without the vaccine.

However, the shots were not without its side effects. After the first dose of the vaccine, many volunteers reported tenderness and pain near the region of the shot itself, and a few reported systemic effects like headache, fatigue and muscle pain. After the second dose, given 21 days after the first, symptoms the volunteers reported were minor, and lasted two days on average out of the 28 days over which the volunteers were monitored.

Despite this, experts have called the vaccine among the most promising ones at the human trial stage.

In animal trials of the Novavax NVXCoV2373 vaccine in macaques, the shot offered immunity and prevented the SARS-CoV-2 virus from replicating in the upper and lower respiratory tract. The study pre-published in medRxiv on 6 August and submitted for peer-review, claims that these findings are strong indication of the vaccine's potential in reducing COVID-19 transmission. There was also no indication of the vaccine enhancing COVID-19 disease itself, the report added.

Novavax was given a $1.6 billion by the US government as part of Operation Warp Speed (OWS)  an effort to deliver millions of doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 to the American population. This funding, Novavax said, is being used to finish clinical development of the vaccine (including Phase 3 trials), to set up large-scale manufacturing, and deliver 100 million doses of the NVXCoV2373 vaccine by end of 2020.
Workers seen at Long Bien Market in Hanoi's Long Bien District on April 16, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Hue.

Vietnam's GDP is expected to grow at 3.1 percent in 2020, according to a forecast by a macroeconomic surveillance organization before the recent wave of Covid-19 began.

It would grow at 7 percent next year, ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), which has members from ASEANs 10 member countries, China, Japan, and South Korea, said further.

But though the projections did not take into account the second wave of infections in the country, AMRO said it still has high hopes for Vietnam's economy due to its efforts to contain the pandemic. Before July 25, Vietnam recorded a 99-day streak without cases of Covid-19 community transmission.

Hoe Ee Khor, AMROs chief economist, said at an online webinar that Vietnam would still do relatively well thanks to its large foreign investments, and could benefit from the shift in manufacturing away from China.

"But we will have to wait and see the future developments of the recent outbreak in Da Nang."

Vietnam have reported 298 domestic cases since July 25, of these 193 in the epicenter Da Nang.

Covid-19 has cast a shadow over the outlook for growth in the region, and nine out of 14 economies are forecast to have negative growth this year, it said.

The only countries with expected positive growth are Vietnam (3.1 percent), China (2.3), Brunei (1.6), Myanmar (1.1), and Laos (0.5).

At the end of July the World Bank had forecast Vietnam's GDP to grow by 2.8 percent this year, the fifth fastest rate in the world.
CAMBRIDGE  Police sized small quantities of suspected fentanyl and cocaine at a store in the area of Dundas Street North on Thursday.

A 45-year-old Cambridge woman was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance for trafficking and was held in custody for a bail hearing.

Waterloo Regional Police wants to remind the public that they can report suspicious activity anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
: Five people were killed



when a mound of earth caved in on a row of houses of tea estate workers at Pettimudi in the high range Idukki district early Friday morning as heavy rains pounded the area triggering a

Police sources told P T I that five bodies have been recovered.

Five others who were injured have been rushed to the Tata General Hospital.

At least 70 people were suspected to be trapped under the soil, burying as many as 20 houses of plantation workers.

Police and Fire service personnel rushed to the spot and the district administration has asked hospitals in the region to stay prepared.

The state Health department has dispatched 15 ambulances and a special medical team to provide medical assistance to those affected by the landslides in Idukki.

Meanwhile, the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has contacted the Air Force seeking its helicopter for the rescue mission in Idukki.

"The Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed for the rescue operations in Idukki. The team was already stationed in the district. Another NDRF team from Thrissur was also directed to move to Idukki," Vijayan said. in a Facebook post.

The India Meteorological Department had issued a red alert for Idukki on Friday, indicating extremely heavy rainfall of over 20 cms.

Munnar MLA S Rajendran told the media that it was difficult to reach the spot as a bridge which provided access to the area was washed away in the rains.

"At least 200-300 people live there. There are many lanes and a canteen at the location. We are yet to receive further details. Since one of the bridges to that area was destroyed last night, it has become difficult to access the region," he added.

"Also, those who are there are finding it difficult to contact us because the only mobile tower there is not functioning properly due to power failure," Rajendran said.

Workers from a nearby estate have rushed to the spot for rescue operations.

(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.)
Phil Robertson reveals he has 45-y-o daughter, says of past sin: in all things, God works for good

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"Duck Dynasty" patriarch, Phil Robertson recently learned that he has a 45-year-old daughter from an affair he had before he became Christian and said God turned his bad past into something positive.

The 74-year-old and his four sons, Al, Jase Willie, and Jep, shared the news about their new family member, Phyliss, on the latest episode of his BlazeTV podcast Unashamed With Phil Robertson.

"It's a pretty cool explanation of redemption, reconciliation, love," Phil said of finding out he had a daughter so late in life. "As it turns out, 45 years, you have a daughter that you don't know about, and she has a father she doesn't know about. Forty-five years, that doesn't sound like very long but you say, that's a while. So finally, after all those years, we come together."

Phyliss first reached out to Al and Jase by sending each brother a letter explaining that she has a strong DNA connection to them, according to results from a DNA test kit, and she believed Phil was her father.

Phil has talked honestly about his wild past of using drugs and cheating on his wife, Miss Kay, who he married when he was 17.

The Robertson brothers recounted some of Phils past during the episode before detailing their first conversations with their sister.

Jase said that when he first received Phyllis' letter, which he had kept in his Bible, he wondered if it was a scam, because the family had received many letters from people who say they are loosely related and "need $10,000." But as he learned more about Phyllis, and her family and Christian faith and work in missions, he knew she wasn't out to scam the family.

"I started thinking, there's a 45-year-old woman out there who doesn't know who her dad is, and she's looking. And I thought, even if it's not dad, she needs to know it's not dad, said Al, so he asked their cousin and producer of the show to call Phyliss.

The call revealed that Phyliss was not out for anything and she was a Christian, so Al showed the letter to his parents. Miss Kay told Phil it was possible because of his past life. Phil said Miss Kay frequently told him that someone from his past would return, probably a son he didn't know he had, but she was delighted to learn he had a daughter because she had always wanted a daughter.

To confirm, a DNA test was scheduled with Phyllis and when the results were in, the brothers told their father and Miss Kay that it was a 99.9% match. the life-changing situation.

During the episode, Phil declared that he's applying his Christian faith to make sense of it all.

We know that in all things, in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose, he said, quoting scripture.

The Robertsons' welcomed Phyliss into their family and Miss Kay was awesome about it all, the brothers said, noting that in many families this would be unwelcomed news.

"I was so excited," Jep said about having an older sister. "It was, to me, like a dream come true."

Jase added that after the DNA test was confirmed, he felt, Whelp, I love her  because shes my sister.

He joked that if shes not familiar with 'Duck Dynasty' shes going to see that and say ... 'Are you kidding me? Out of all the people.'

Willie and his wife shared photos of one of the many family gatherings theyve had with Phyliss since their reunion. He shared that it was so good to find his long lost sister, adding, Welcome to the nuttiest family around.

Phil said there will be a part two of the podcast where Phyliss and Miss Kay will join them for a family chat.

Along with the new addition to their family, the Robertsons also made news because there was a drive-by shooting at Willies estate. No one was harmed and the suspect, Daniel Dean King, was taken into custody.
A former New York State mayor has died and two others have been injured after a food processor being tested for guacamole production exploded.

Joseph Kapp, who previously served as the mayor of Rensselaer, died on Wednesday, after the food processor exploded at the headquarters of engineering and test laboratory, Innovative Test Solutions, in Schenectady, New York.

The Schenectady Fire Department assistant chief Don Mareno told the Albany Times-Union that two other people had been hurt after a high-pressure vessel that was being tested to make guacamole exploded.

Although the other two people hurt in the incident were taken to hospital for treatment, they did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

At the time of his death, the 67-year-old was serving as the vice chairman of the Board of Trustees at Hudson Valley Community College in the town of Troy, located close to the laboratory, according to Fox News.

Although the cause of the explosion is still unknown, the fire department said that they are not treating it as suspicious, according to WGRB.

Innovative Test Solutions CEO and vice president, Scott Briody told Fox News that Mr Kapp was a client of the company, but declined to comment further.

Hudson Valley Community College president Roger Ramsammy released a statement, where he confirmed Mr Kapps death and praised him for the work he did with the school.

It is with deep sadness that we must share that our great friend and colleague, Joe Kapp, passed away on Wednesday 5 August, he said. We share our deepest sympathies with Joes wife, Jolanta, and the entire Kapp family.

As a trustee of Hudson Valley Community College, he helped guide the college as it grew into one of the top two year colleges in the country, making a difference in the lives of many graduates and students.

Rensselaer County executive Steve McLaughlin also praised Mr Kapp, and told the Times-Union: Joe Kapp leaves behind a legacy of service and accomplishment that greatly benefited Rensselaer County and the Capital region.
Frances Williams, 83, of Roanoke, Va., a lifelong educator and retired principal of G. W. Childs Elementary School in South Philadelphia, died Tuesday, July 21, of a stroke at her home in Roanoke.

A 30-year employee of the School District of Philadelphia, Mrs. Williams was the first Black cluster leader at Audenreid magnet schools and a longtime champion of public school leadership.

She was a graduate of Hampton and Pennsylvania State Universities and wanted to be an educator even before she went to middle school. Her niece, Renea Taylor, loves to tell the story of when Mrs. Williams and Taylors mother, Ruth, played with their dolls as children.

My mother would line up her dolls, and be the mother to them, Taylor said. My aunt would line up her dolls, and be the teacher.

The oldest of three children, Mrs. Williams was born to James Sr. and Pearl Prunty on Nov. 1, 1936. She went through the Roanoke public school system, graduated from Hampton, and earned her masters degree in education at Penn State. She moved to Philadelphia after graduation when she got a job as a speech pathologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

She started her long career with the Philadelphia public schools as a speech teacher and eventually moved to leadership roles. During her time as principal at Childs, the school won recognition for its academic excellence and programs.

All she ever wanted to do was teach, her niece said. She was an avid reader. Her favorites were mystery novels and suspense thrillers. She was just a wonderful person.

As a principal, Mrs. Williams was adept at mentoring aspiring school administrators and teachers as they sought leadership positions. She focused on personal growth as a way to succeed in the workplace and studied leadership at programs at Harvard University and local colleges. For her efforts, Mrs. Williams was honored by, among others, the Christian Street YWCA and the Chapel of the Four Chaplains.

After she retired, Mrs. Williams was a consultant with Philadelphia and Delaware charter schools. She also was elected to the board of directors for the Philadelphia Public School Retired Employees Association. When she wasnt working, Mrs. Williams and husband Alfonzo loved to travel, taking journeys to such places as Africa, Japan, and Egypt.

Mrs. Williams enjoyed the theater and community activities. She was a 64-year member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Hampton and took on numerous positions of leadership with the Philadelphia chapter, Omega Omega, in the late 1960s.

Mrs. Williams was a devoted member of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church in Philadelphia, and later became an honorary member of Pilgrim Baptist Church in Roanoke.

She was a whiz at crossword puzzles and always carried a pencil in case she came across one. She even solved them in ink sometimes. She loved to talk about vocabulary and looked for word puzzles of all kinds to keep her mind alert.

Her brain was always working, her niece said. She wanted to keep her analytical skills sharp.

In a coincidence her niece pointed out as somewhat comforting, both Mrs. Williams and her sister, Ruth, died on the same date, July 21. Her sister died in 1987.

In a tribute, friends and colleagues remembered Mrs. Williams for her generosity, eagerness to help, loyalty, humor and grace.

In addition to her niece, Mrs. Williams is survived by brother James, three nieces, one nephew, and many other relatives. Her husband and a sister died earlier.

A private service was held July 27.
The Tigers return to action on Friday in Pittsburgh to begin their three-game series against the Pirates.

This will be the first game Detroit has had since it optioned right-handed pitcher Anthony Castro to the clubs alternate training site on Tuesday. It will also be the first game since the Tigers parted ways with infielder Jordy Mercer.

The Tigers will have their usual batting order on Friday night, with Matthew Boyd taking the mound. Hes set to face Pirates RHP Chad Kuhl, who is making his first start in two years.

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Three arrested for drug trafficking in Carlisle County
President Donald Trumps signature campaign to build a border wall from the Gulf Coast to the Pacific has added only 5 miles of new walls along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Since he took office in 2017, the administration has set aside $15 billion for 738 miles of walls and fencing on the 2,000-mile border, with the money coming from Homeland Security, the Defense Department and the Treasury Forfeiture Fund.

The federal government has completed 260 miles of replacement and secondary walls, but only 5 new miles of the 30-foot high steel bollard fencing where none existed before, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data obtained by the Express-News.

Bob Owen/Staff photographer

At least 3 miles of the new barrier are in the Rio Grande Valley, near Roma. The administration also has completed 24 miles of new secondary fencing  a double barrier  and replaced 236 miles of outdated or dilapidated fencing.

Overall, the administration has allocated funding for 400 miles of replacement walls, 57 miles of new secondary fencing and 281 miles of new primary walls.

(Trump) is trying to say hes kept his campaign promise, but hes not saying what hes actually doing, which is just replacement sometimes of a double fence, said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.

ADRIANA ZEHBRAUSKAS, STR / NYT

Trump promised to build the wall and make Mexico pay for it in his 2016 campaign. A key feature in his efforts to limit immigration, the wall has proceeded slowly under congressional budget constraints and several lawsuits that sought to block construction.

The administration sidestepped Congress last year and diverted more than $6 billion from the military budget and more than $600 million from the Treasury Forfeiture Fund to speed up wall construction. The government said it would divert an additional $3.8 billion this year from the Defense Department.

Opponents sued to block the spending, but the Supreme Court ruled last week the administration can use the reprogrammed funding to continue building barriers in New Mexico, Arizona and California while a legal battle over the funds plays out in court.

Despite the administrations efforts to build quickly, private land ownership and flood-control concerns along the Rio Grande  governed by international boundary laws  also have slowed the progress. Most of the property targeted in Texas is in private hands. If the landowner refuses to sell, the government must survey the land before condemning it, requiring officials to file two lawsuits  to survey and to take the land.

Bob Owen /Staff photographer

But the government has been building walls and moving with more urgency on contracts in recent months in advance of the November election.

More Information Border wall progress The administration has set aside $15 billion since 2017 for 738 miles of border walls and fencing. It has completed 265 miles of the projects. Replacement walls built: 220 miles of primary fencing; 16 miles of secondary fencing New walls built: 5 miles of new primary fencing; 24 miles of secondary fencing Source: Customs and Border Protection See More Collapse

A rational person would tell you after COVID-19 certain things would stop, and we thought the wall construction was going to stop  But instead theyre pushing harder, Cuellar said. Are they trying to move faster? Yes they are.

Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said last week the agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are actually moving faster than ever on border wall construction.

Were putting more wall system in place every single day than we have before. Were now up to 265 miles ... if I checked right now, weve added a mile or two since I put this down in my talking points, Morgan.

The government this week awarded Fisher Sand and Gravel $289.5 million to build 17 miles of border wall in Laredo  all on private land.

They dont even own the land Yet they are awarding hundreds of millions of valuable taxpayer dollars to contractors to come into our community and destroy something thats irreplaceable. And thats offensive, said Tricia Cortez, executive director of the nonprofit Rio Grande International Study Center.

The company has long lobbied publicly for wall contracts and last year built a 3-mile-long steel wall on the banks of the Rio Grande near Mission to promote its design.

The wall  paid for in part by Trump supporters through the conservative nonprofit We Build the Walls crowd-sourcing campaign  is yards from river, just south of where the federal government has plans to build its own border wall.

It was just a billboard thrown up to advertise their services to the administration, said Marianna Wright, executive director of the National Butterfly Center, adjacent to the private wall. And based upon this project, they have been awarded now multiple government contracts totaling over $2 billion.

Erosion caused by a tropical storm that flooded the Rio Grande recently undermined parts of the wall, which the butterfly center had tried to block in court.

In addition to the Laredo contract, the company was awarded a $1.3 billion deal in May for 42 miles of fencing in Arizona  the largest border wall contract awarded by Homeland Security.

Contracts awarded to outspoken Trump supporters have drawn scrutiny.

There are questions about whether its done correctly, Cuellar said of the bidding process. But the problem is, they wont give us this information (about the contracts).

An internal government watchdog report last month found that CBP didnt sufficiently analyze the best methods for securing the border, instead relying on outdated border solutions.

CBP has not fully demonstrated that it possesses the capability to potentially spend billions of dollars to execute a large-scale acquisition to secure the southern border, reads the report.

It also found that CBP didnt properly analyze the locations that would be best suited for a wall.

On ExpressNews.com: The private border wall even the feds dont want

We think its a lot of political theatrics and these are just sort of PR moves that theyre making right now to make you think this is unstoppable, and this is a done deal, Cortez, the Laredo resident, said. I think we can see right through a lot of that nonsense and were not buying it.

Armed with City Council approval, residents in Laredo will be painting a defund the wall street mural outside the federal courthouse in the coming weeks.

Silvia Foster-Frau covers immigration news in the San Antonio, Bexar County and South Texas area. To read more from Silvia, become a subscriber. sfosterfrau@express-news.net | Twitter: @SilviaElenaFF
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said he was deeply distressed to learn about the tragic plane accident at Keralas Kozhikode airport and his prayers were with the passengers, crew members and their kin.

The President said he had spoken to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and enquired about the rescue operations after the accident.

Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families, the President tweeted.

At least 19 people were killed and several others seriously injured when a Dubai-Calicut Air India Express flight with 191 passengers and crew on board overshot the runway at Kozhikode and fell into a gorge below, breaking into two portions, on Friday evening.

Both the pilots of the Air India Express flight were killed in the accident. Air Indias Captain Deepak Sathe who died in the crash was an ace fighter pilot.

The Air India Express flight AXB1344, B737 from Dubai to Calicut was part of the Vande Bharat Mission, meant to bring home stranded people from other countries amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The aircraft was about to land at the Karipur Airport in Kozhikode, when it overshot the runway, and broke into pieces. The incident took place amid very heavy rainfall and bad weather in the area.

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All westbound lanes and one eastbound lane are shut down at the Lebanon-Lancaster exit of the Turnpike after a crash, officials said.

The crash was first reported late Friday morning and is blocking all westbound lanes at mile marker 271.2, between the Lebanon-Lancaster and Reading exits. The left lane is also blocked on the eastbound side, according to a traffic advisory issued by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

The westbound side is closed at the Reading Interchange (exit 286) as of 12:30 p.m.

Drivers heading west are being detoured onto Route 222 south, Route 322 west, to Route 72 south, then back onto the Turnpike at exit 266 for the Lebanon-Lancaster Interchange. A map of the detour is shown above.

Its not immediately known how many vehicles were involved in the crash or how long traffic could be affected.

This is the third time in a week a crash forced closures on the Turnpike near these exits. A crash last Saturday at mile marker 249.2 caused heavy delays, and so did another three days later at 258.3.
Workers rights advocate to join virtual discussion on nations economy

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Carmen Rojas, president and CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, will share her thoughts on how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the struggles for workers and families during a virtual discussion next week hosted by Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

The free event is at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 11, and is open to the public. Registration is required and closes when the virtual discussion starts.

Will discuss a variety of issues

Rojas will also discuss now the pandemic has increased racial inequities in the United States, John T. Shaw, Institute director said.

Carmen Rojas is one of the most innovative and creative thinkers in the United States about the challenges and opportunities facing American workers, Shaw said. For more than two decades, she has been developing strategies to help workers participate more fully in our nations economic successes. She is passionate about increasing opportunities for low-income workers and families. She will offer clear and penetrating insights about the struggles of low wage workers who are too often ignored.

Came to Casey Foundation this summer

Rojas joined the Seattle, Washington-based Marguerite Casey Foundation in June. Prior to that, she was co-founder and CEO of The Workers Lab, an innovation lab that invests in entrepreneurs, community organizers and government leaders to create strategies to improve conditions for low-wage workers, according to the organizations website.

Rojas other experience includes serving as acting director of Collective Impact at Living Cities and director of strategic programs at the Mitchell Kapor Foundation. She also taught in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California Berkeley and was coordinator of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agencys Taskforce on African American Out-Migration.

Ongoing Institute Series

The discussion with Rojas is part of the Institutes series with historians, political analysts, and state and national leaders. This is the 14th in the series, which began in late April, and has featured speakers including author and historian David M. Kennedy, former United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago mayor, U.S. Congressman and White House adviser, Leon Panetta, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and CIA director, and Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.

Registration is open for Rojas conversation

Registration for the free ZOOM meeting is available in advance. After completing registration, participants will receive an email confirmation with information about joining the meeting, along with the meeting ID and password.

Participants have an opportunity when they register to submit a question to Rojas by email at paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu or by including it in the Questions and Comments section on the registration form.

More information on the Institutes events is available at paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu/event-information/.
The United States and Slovenia are planning to sign a joint declaration on 5G networks security during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visit to Ljubljana next week, Acting Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker told reporters on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) The United States and Slovenia are planning to sign a joint declaration on 5G networks security during US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visit to Ljubljana next week, Acting Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker told reporters on Friday.

"We look forward to signing the US-Slovenia joint declaration on 5G security.

This reflects our shared dedication to protecting privacy and integrity of high-tech infrastructure and individual liberties," Reeker said during a conference call ahead of Pompeo's visit.

Reeker noted that the United States and Slovenia share the position that 5G networks should be defended from threats emanating from China and from Beijing's attempts of penetrate these networks.

Next week, Pompeo is scheduled to visit Slovenia during his trip to Europe that also includes stops in the Czech Republic, Poland and Austria.
The producers of Warner Bros. Animation seem to have forgotten a couple of things when they came up with the idea for the most recent Looney Tunes series: (1) When you reboot a classic show by taking away some of the things that made it funny and great, its guaranteed that it wont last as long as expected. This proved true when 2011s The Looney Tunes Show used a different visual style instead of the classic style and put everything in a lame sitcom setting, and when 2015s Wabbit (later renamed New Looney Tunes) also used a different visual style and redesigned some of the characters to views that would make Looney Tunes fans just cringe (taking away Elmer and Sams guns will only make the recent Looney Tunes spinoff lose viewers). (2) Cartoons arent like real life. In cartoons (depending on who makes them), guns dont kill people (people dont die in cartoons). Guns, instead, blow up in the villains face and leave them only singed in comic ways, ready to resume the comedy that goes into animation.
Calls have been made for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to finalise outstanding TB Forum issues before introducing changes to the TB programme.

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Assocation (ICSA) Animal Health and Welfare chair Hugh Farrell has said Minister Dara Calleary must insist that no new measures or decisions on the TB programme should be announced without agreement on outstanding issues from the TB Forum.

'The latest move by the Department is the introduction of a new coding system that would categorise herds based on their TB history, and is simply the continuation of a strategy to change the TB regime in line with their own wishes while ignoring all of the requests put forward by farmer representatives,' Mr Farrell said.

'ICSA has always been adamant that farmers who have recovered from a past TB breakdown should not be further penalised by finding themselves at a disadvantage when selling stock. The concern is that farmers who had even a single reactor in previous years but who now were clear of TB could potentially find themselves unable to sell stock or else be forced to take a hugely discounted price.

'The message that this gives is that the current controls do not work. Why should a farmer undergo the pressure of two clear herd tests if the message is now that this farmer's cattle are not to be trusted? Either the two clear tests is a worthwhile measure of eliminating TB from a herd or it is not. And if it is not, why are we doing two tests?'

He said 'farmers already lack confidence in the testing programme as none of the tests have proven 100 per cent accurate, and many farmers have been left frustrated with delays in having sample lesions cultured.'

The farmers' representative body has called for a focus on badger testing and culling and action to control the spread of TB by diseased wild deer.

'Unless these issues are dealt with, it is unacceptable to drive on implementing the bits of the TB Forum that the Department likes while ignoring the real issues brought to the table by farmer representatives,' said Mr Farrell. 'I am calling on Minister Calleary to face up in a fair and balanced way to all of the issues around the TB programme. The only way to deliver real results is with a programme that has the buy-in of all farmers.'

The results of the TB Forum were released by the Department of Agriculture last month.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (Photo: VNA)



Minh said Vietnam regards the US as one of its leading important partners, and expressed his delight at the development of the bilateral ties across all aspects, from politics and diplomacy to economic-trade, national defence-security, science-technology and people-to-people exchanges.

He appreciated programmes on humanitarian cooperation, the settlement of war consequences and dioxin decontamination, which, he said, have significantly contributed to consolidating mutual trust.

The official also lauded the two countries flexible activities marking the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic ties amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, including the exchange of greetings by their senior leaders.

For his part, Pompeo spoke highly of efforts made by both sides in enhancing and expanding the bilateral comprehensive partnership on the basis of respecting each others independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions, and sharing a common vision on peace and stability in Indo-Pacific.

The US attaches importance to and commits to maintaining its relations with Vietnam in a stable manner, he said, adding that the US will boost collaboration in humanitarian issues and war consequence settlement with the Southeast Asian nation.

Pompeo noted with pleasure Vietnams reception of Peace Corps Volunteers who will come to the country to teach English under an agreement on the implementation of the Peace Corps programme.

The two sides also discussed measures to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and help citizens of the two countries return home, as well as coordination in restoring and maintaining regional and global supply chains.

Minh affirmed that Vietnam highly values the USs role at international forums, saying as ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, Vietnam will continue coordinating with the US and other partners in handling common challenges, contributing to peace, stability, security and development in the region and the world at large.

Pompeo hailed Vietnams role in global matters, and noted his wish for stronger cooperation with the country in fostering the ASEAN-US strategic partnership./.
Prof Kwamena Ahwoi has disclosed in his book Working with Rawlings that he was convinced that wife of former President Jerry John Rawlings, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, played a significant role in the parting of ways between Rawlings and Mills and between Rawlings and his comrades.



However, he said it was not clear who was at fault, but one culprit stands-out- the ambition of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings to lead the NDC and to become President of the Republic of Ghana.



According to him without exception, every person that Koku Anyidoho and he spoke to in the course of writing the Biography of President John Evans Atta Mills was convinced that Mrs Rawlings played a significant role.



Reconting events, he said not too long after Kofi Totobi-Quakyi had been appointed Minister for National Security and had therefore necessarily become very close to Rawlings; and at a time when he was also very free with Nana Konadu, she called him one day and asked him to deliver a message to Totobi-Quakyi.



Ko ka kyere wo Totobi no se onim se nea me si bree ye ansa meregye me kunu afiri Kojo Tsikata ne P.V. Obeng nsa mu, anka enye se ono nso aba na orebepe se obegye no afiri me nsam bio no (go and tell that your Totobi that if he knew how I struggled to snatch back my husband from the clutches of Kojo Tsikata and P.V. Obeng, he would not be making the mistake of he also wanting to snatch him from me again), he said.



He said obviously a very jealous wife Nana Konadu is, she must have seen these working colleagues of her husbands as rivals who were taking too much of her husbands time as a result of which he did not have much time for her.



Nana Konadus ambition to lead the NDC



He said the outcome of Nana Konadus role in the estrangement between Rawlings and his comrades was the formation of Get Atta Mills Elected (GAME), the political vehicle formed largely by pro-Mills elements within the NDC who were also mostly former Rawlings loyalists, to promote the presidential candidacy of Atta Mills in the NDC primaries.



But because Rawlings had fallen out with Mills and was backing candidates opposed to Mills, the pro-Mills GAME also unconsciously became an anti-Rawlings vehicle and on board this vehicle were Ato Ahwoi, P. V. Obeng, Kwame Peprah, Kofi Totobi-Quakyi and myself, with Captain Kojo Tsikata as one of our advisers. It was against this near-invincible NDC political vehicle that Nana Konadu pitched her band of inexperienced neophytes under the banner of Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (FONKAR)," a portion of the book disclosed.



He added that the seeming anti-Rawlings stance of GAME reached its apogee when Nana Konadu decided to contest President Mills at the NDC Congress at Sunyani in 2011 for the presidential candidacy of the party for the 2012 presidential election.



























Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Marie Fundora, 16, of Arlington Heights, right, started learning violin at 12 under the tutelage of Gabriel Hwang, left, at the Arlington School of Music and now, shes the second violin principal for the Rolling Meadows High School orchestra. As of Aug. 6, 2020, the school has a GoFundMe crowd-funding campaign going to help with its financial struggles amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Elizabeth Owens-Schiele / Pioneer Press)
The Andrews government clarified its advice on childcare restrictions on Friday evening, after families scrambled for two days to decipher tough new coronavirus rules that they feared would cut off most people's access to care.

As desperate families sought answers on Thursday, some were told both parents needed to be permitted workers in order to be eligible for childcare. However, on Friday the government said households with one permitted worker could access childcare if there was nobody else at home who could look after their child.

"This may be for a range of reasons including: the other parent could be a full-time student, have a disability, or be working from home such that they cannot supervise the child, or there may be no other adults in the household," a government spokeswoman said.

The same rule will apply to pre-existing babysitting and in-home care arrangements. The government has advised that grandparents and elderly people should not provide care for young children but confirmed it is not against the rules.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 00:24:27|Editor: huaxia

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A man wearing a face mask runs at the Victoria Harbor amid COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, south China, July 29, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

The United States, while proclaiming itself as a champion of the freedom of the press, has been ramping up political suppression on Chinese media out of its Cold War mentality and ideological bias, which laid bare its hypocrisy, double standards and hegemonic bullying, a spokesperson of the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR said.



HONG KONG, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Thursday refuted a statement of the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) in Hong Kong and urged the FCC to distinguish right from wrong.

The United States, while proclaiming itself as a champion of the freedom of the press, has been ramping up political suppression on Chinese media out of its Cold War mentality and ideological bias, which laid bare its hypocrisy, double standards and hegemonic bullying, a spokesperson of the commissioner's office said.

Given the U.S. action, China will be compelled to take necessary countermeasures to safeguard its rights and interests, the spokesperson said, stressing it is the United States that caused the situation and should be solely responsible for it.

Hong Kong is part of China and the central government has the diplomatic authority to take countermeasures, the spokesperson said.

The national security law in the HKSAR makes it clear that the freedoms of speech, the press and publication of Hong Kong residents will be protected, and the HKSAR government has also reiterated that the law will not erode the institutions that underpin Hong Kong's success as an international city, including the freedoms of expression and the press, and the free flow of information, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson stressed that any freedom should be exercised within legal boundaries, and media outlets are not free from law anywhere in the world.

The spokesperson expressed firm opposition to external interference in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs as a whole on the pretext of the freedom of the press. 
Ten economic development districts in Michigan will split $3.8 million in CARES Act grant money, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Thursday, Aug. 8.

Nearly a third, $1.2 million, is headed to the Upper Peninsula, with the remainder being divvied between economic development organizations based in Saginaw, Gaylord, Traverse City, Muskegon, Benton Harbor, Jackson and Grand Rapids.

The money is slated to be spent developing economic recovery plans, hiring employees, training and providing technological assistance to local governments, among other intended uses.

Related: $5.7 million in small business development CARES Act money is headed to Michigan

The award was announced a day after the Department of Commerce awarded $5.7 million to economic development districts to support loans for small businesses.

The $2 trillion CARES Act calls for $1.5 billion in economic development assistance for programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Commerce.

The Department of Commerces s Economic Development Administration is overseeing the grants and issued a request for applicants May 7.

Recipients of the $3.8 million award include:

$400,000 to the Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Regional Commission in Escanaba

$400,000 to the Eastern Upper Peninsula Regional Planning and Development Commission in Sault Ste. Marie

$400,000 to the East Michigan Council of Governments in Saginaw

$400,000 to the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments in Gaylord

$400,000 to the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments in Traverse City

$400,000 to the Southwestern Michigan Commission in Benton Harbor

$400,000 to the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region Commission inHancock

$400,000 to the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission in Muskegon

$351,183 to the Region 2 Planning Commission in Jackson

$250,000 to the West Michigan Regional Planning Commission in Grand Rapids

Full list of the recipients and spending guidelines:

Separate from the $5.7 million in loans, as many as 5,000 small Michigan businesses are expected to share $100 million in CARES Acts grant funds being administered by local governments and nonprofits through the Michigan Small Business Restart Program.

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/

More on MLive:

Read more on MLive:

Whitmer mandates mask use at child-care centers and camps

Are masks bad for your health?, plus 8 other coronavirus myths and truths

Latest on coronavirus antibodies and immunity: What we know and what we dont at this point

53 confirmed, 13 probable coronavirus cases now linked to Gladwin County youth camp
Police were 'grandstanding to the max' when they arrested a 69-year-old woman for the manslaughter of cerebral palsy sufferer Ann Marie Smith, an Adelaide court has heard.

Rosemary Maione appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday charged over the death of Ms Smith.

Police allege the 54-year-old died of serious criminal neglect and her death was preventable.

Rosemary Maione appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday charged over the death of Ann Marie Smith

She passed away in hospital in April from septic shock, multiple organ failure, severe pressure sores and malnourishment while under the care of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Maione had worked as her carer with her lawyer telling the court she had been co-operative since first being interviewed by detectives.

In applying for bail, Stephen Ey said he had previously indicated that should they want to arrest the 69-year-old all they had to do was call him and he would make her available.

Instead, he said they raided her home on Thursday and took her into custody.

'There was grandstanding to the max yesterday,' Mr Ey said.

'There was no need for that to occur.'

Police allege Ms Smith died of serious criminal neglect and her death was preventable

But prosecutor Domenic Petraccaro SC said now that police had proceeded to charge Maione there was a 'new and different situation.'

Magistrate John Fahey remanded Maione in custody until Thursday next week to consider a report into granting her home detention bail.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has also been given until February to prepare the initial brief of evidence and until April to make a final charge determination.

After Maione's arrest, Detective Superintendent Des Bray said police would also continue to develop a comprehensive report for a coronial inquiry and were still investigating the dead woman's financial affairs.
Aerial photo taken on August 4, 2020 shows that volunteers take left-behind children to visit a lotus pond in a village of Rugao City, East China's Jiangsu Province. [CNSPHOTO/Xu Hui]

More than 30 left-behind children whose parents have migrated to other places for work, together with some volunteers, visited a lotus pond that covers an area of 1,000 mu (nearly 66.67 acres)

in Pingyuanchi Village, Rugao City, East China's Jiangsu Province, on August 4.

The voluntary service activity organized by Yuanzhuang Community in Rugao is expected to broaden the children's horizon, increase their knowledge about nature and enrich their summer holiday lives.

Aerial photo taken on August 4, 2020 shows that volunteers take left-behind children to visit a lotus pond in a village of Rugao City, East China's Jiangsu Province. [CNSPHOTO/Xu Hui]

Aerial photo taken on August 4, 2020 shows that the left-behind children enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lotus pond in a village in Rugao City, East China's Jiangsu Province by boat. [CNSPHOTO/Xu Hui]

Aerial photo taken on August 4, 2020 shows that the left-behind children enjoy the beautiful scenery of the lotus pond in a village in Rugao City, East China's Jiangsu Province by boat. [CNSPHOTO/Xu Hui]

Aerial photo taken on August 4, 2020 shows that volunteers take left-behind children to visit a lotus pond in a village of Rugao City, East China's Jiangsu Province. [CNSPHOTO/Xu Hui]

(Source: CNSPHOTO/Translated and edited by Women of China)
The New York Times building in New York City, N.Y., on June 30, 2020. (Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images)

New York Times Takes Down Chinese Propaganda Advertorials

The New York Times has deleted hundreds of advertorials by a Chinese propaganda outlet, after ending its relationship with the state media, according to The Washington Free Beacon.

China Daily, an English-language Chinese state-run newspaper, has over the years paid millions of dollars to major American outlets including The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times to run supplements called China Watch, which contain propaganda disguised as news.

A New York Times spokesperson told The Washington Free Beacon that it ended its partnership with China Daily. We made the decision at the beginning of this year to stop accepting branded content ads from state run media, which includes China Daily, she said.

The move comes amid growing scrutiny of Chinese influence across corporate America and academia.

China Dailys recent financial filings with the Justice Department (DOJ) show that it paid more than $4.6 million to The Washington Post and nearly $6 million to the Wall Street Journal since November 2016. It also showed the outlet paid The New York Times $50,000 in 2018.

The Washington Post told The Epoch Times in June that it no longer includes the advertorials, with the last insert running last year.

China Daily registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act in 1983. That law requires registered foreign agents to provide the DOJ with copies of all propaganda circulated among two or more persons. It also requires registrants to submit to the department, twice a year, an itemized report of spending inside the United States.

In June, a group of Republican lawmakers wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asking her to end the distribution of China Daily to congressional offices. Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who led the initiative, recently told The Epoch Times that no response has been received.

We require foreign outlets, propaganda outlets, to register as foreign agents in the United States of America, and yet we have them appearing on our chief decision-makers in America, our lawmakers, doorsteps. We have this propaganda newspaper show up on our doorsteps, Banks said.

So its astonishing to me that it happens to begin with.

Earlier this year, the State Department designated China Daily, along with eight other Chinese state-run media operating in the United States, as foreign missions over their role as propaganda organs of the Chinese Communist Party. It also slashed the number of Chinese staff allowed to work at the outlets U.S. offices.
A worker was taking out the trash at a busy shopping centre when a man spat in her face in a disgusting attack.

Police are trying to track down a man who they allege assaulted the woman at the Westfield Doncaster Shopping Centre in Melbourne around 10.30am on July 22.

The man is also suspected to have carried out a similar attack at the Malvern East shopping centre on March 20.

Police have released CCTV of a man they want to speak to after a woman was spat on in Melbourne

The female worker was taking the rubbish out during her shift when an unknown man walked up to her and spat in her face.

He then fled the centre on foot towards the nearest bus stop, police say.

CCTV images of a man wearing a black coat with dark sunglasses were released on Friday.

He has been described as white in appearance and aged between 40 to 50 years old.

Police would like to speak with this man about the incident. Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Nearly two dozen TriMet employees filed workplace complaints last month citing the transit agencys inability or unwillingness to enforce mask requirements on buses, light rail trains and at bus and rail yards across the metro area.

According to public records, 23 TriMet employees filed complaints with the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health division from July 1 through July 24, the same day TriMet announced plans to reduce distancing requirements on buses and trains from six to three feet. The Oregon Health Authority recommended three feet of spacing on transit vehicles statewide this summer.

TriMet refuses to enforce mask requirements for the riders, one worker wrote July 1, threatening to fire employees who try to enforce it. A state official for the workplace safety agency declined comment and said the complaints were under investigation.

Roberta Altstadt, a TriMet spokesperson, acknowledged that TriMet is not enforcing the mask requirement through means other than education. She said mask wearing, which public health officials uniformly recommend as effective in reducing the spread of the virus, is nonetheless a politically charged topic in Oregon.

Altstadt calls her agencys strategy passive enforcement.

We are aware that denying service invites an unacceptable risk of assault or conflict to TriMet operators or other employees. Altstadt also provided a quote and attributed it to state officials concurring that passive enforcement is the most that can be asked of businesses in this politically divisive climate.

According to OHA guidelines, violating the mask requirement is a misdemeanor and violators and businesses that fail to enforce the requirement could face fines or other enforcement actions. Jonathan Modie, a health authority spokesman, said TriMet certainly has the option of taking its own enforcement action, one of the most effective of which would be excluding noncompliant passengers from its transit vehicles. But he added that education and the other steps TriMet is taking is going to be the most important way of ensuring compliance among riders.

The complaints come as ridership began to creep up to the highest levels seen since the start of the pandemic and as the transit agency took steps to clean buses, transit stations and frequently touched surfaces more frequently.

Weekly ridership last month hovered around 760,000, a far cry from the pre-COVID-19 levels of 1.9 million boardings but significantly more than the depths of the pandemic in mid-April, when average weekly ridership was roughly 585,000.

Krista Cordova, labor relations coordinator for the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, said increasing the capacity on buses as the pandemic continues is still a concern. Each of the operators are coming into contact with double the number of riders, she said this week. TriMet on July 24 announced buses would now accommodate 19 to 24 passengers, up from the pandemic restrictions of 10 to 15 riders.

Cordova said shes heard from operators who believe TriMet is not doing enough to enforce the mask requirements. She added that while the union is pleased TriMet added 130 employees to help clean the system, knowledge has evolved as scientists do more research about the virus. Close contact with people is more of a concern that surface contact, she said. Cleaning surface areas isnt going to keep people from spreading it, she added.

Drivers need to have more flexibility to pass up riders who arent wearing masks, she said. We dont want drivers getting in trouble for asking too many questions, she said.

TriMet said in May it would require that employees wear mask and shortly afterward required all riders wear masks.

Altstadt said the agency understands the anxiety in the community and among employees. But she pointed to a litany of actions undertaken by the agency in the past few months to keep workers and riders safe --- like installing hand sanitizer dispensers on all buses, giving out free face coverings, cleaning the system and educating riders through signage. The agency also pushed back the yellow line on buses to protect operators, extending the line to six feet, to promote social distancing.

We, like the majority of our riders and employees, embrace face coverings as a critical tool to stop the spread of coronavirus, she said in an email. During the Steel Bridge MAX Improvements project, we have a higher number of employees interacting with riders on the system, and we are hearing from them that the vast majority of riders are using face coverings, Altstadt continued. During the month-long Steel Bridge project, TriMet is running bus shuttles in the place of light rail trains across the river. But Altstadt noted that through the first week of the closure ridership on those shuttles was low.

Altstadt cited recent stories, including an Aug. 2 New York Times piece, that states public transit may not be a significant source of community spread and found public transit agencies that took aggressive steps seemed to have curbed major outbreaks. TriMet has said it was one of the first transit agencies in the United States to offer free face coverings onboard its vehicles and said this week it had provided more than 1.7 million free coverings in recent months. And where some transit agencies in harder hit areas, like New York, have seen its employees ravaged by the virus, TriMet has seen few cases.

Cordova, the union official, gives TriMet credit for the low number of employees who have tested positive for the virus. Its been impressive, she said. But that doesnt mean TriMet is not going to see an outbreak, she added, due to so many workers operating in close quarters.

Altstadt said the agency has had 10 employees inform the transit agency of positive COVID-19 tests.

Since late March, TriMet has had approximately 39 vehicles removed from service for cleaning due to claims or concerns about COVID-19.

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
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Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders from the US, UK, German and France, with whom India has signed 'air bubble' arrangements, will be allowed to visit the country, the Home Ministry announced on Friday. Other foreigners from these countries have also been allowed to avail Indian visa facility for business, medical and employment purposes.

According to a home ministry notification, Indian citizens have also been allowed to travel to these countries on any type of visa.

"Ministry of Home Affairs has permitted to enter India OCI card holders who belong to countries with which 'air bubble' arrangements have been finalised by Ministry of Civil Aviation," a home ministry spokesperson said.

India so far has bilateral air travel arrangements or 'air bubbles' with the US, UK, Germany and France during the coronavirus pandemic-related international travel restrictions.

Other countries may be included under this scheme in future, the notification said.
South Africa: Gauteng Health suspends official linked to PPE scandal

A Gauteng Health Department official linked to the personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement scandal has been suspended.

Speaking during an update on COVID-19 in the province on Friday, Premier David Makhura said this follows information received from the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) on Thursday.

According to Makhura, the SIU flagged two officials, who allegedly enabled and facilitated procurement corruption.

One has since resigned, while the other official has been suspended with immediate effect on Friday.

The Premier said provincial government, together with the SIU, is pursuing a legal and criminal case.

Several companies employed to supply PPEs are being investigated for possibly inflating prices or other unethical practices.

Makhura said they are moving swiftly in rooting out the rot and are dealing with corruption allegations that have besieged the province.

"The damning allegations of corruption regarding the procurement of PPE in Gauteng have profoundly eroded public confidence in the collective work of our provincial government in the fight against COVID-19," he said.

An internal investigation into the e-Government Department for irregular procurement is underway, with a contract already having been cancelled.

Meanwhile, the Premier and 10 MECs will subjecting themselves before the State Security Agency for a lifestyle audit, Makhura told the media.

This is the resolution I took and announced at the beginning of this term, he said, adding that the work will be completed in six to eight weeks.

Part of fighting corruption is that no one must be living beyond their means.

Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola on Thursday announced that 36 corruption-related cases are at various stages of investigation and prosecution.

Some unscrupulous individuals and companies have been looting State resources meant to provide food to families in need and PPE to frontline officials, particularly healthcare workers.

Such criminal and immoral activities include inflating quoted prices, intercepting and redirecting food parcels meant for the poor, and acts of fraud involving funds designated for alleviating the hardships of employees and businesses affected by the shutting down of economic activities during the national lockdown, said Lamola.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
AP

A woman in Arkansas has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after accepting a plea deal connected to the murder of former state lawmaker.

Court records show that Rebecca Lynn O'Donnell, 49, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder as well as the abuse of the corpse of Arkansas state Senator Linda Collins.

The conservative lawmaker went by the name Linda Collins-Smith during her time in office.

While she was in jail awaiting trial, she asked inmates to kill Ms Collins' ex-husband and other people, which resulted in her also pleading no contest to two charges of criminal solicitation. Ms O'Donnell hoped to frame the ex-husband for the lawmaker's murder.

Ms Collins was found stabbed to death in 2019 outside her home in Little Rock, Arkansas. According to prosecutors, Ms O'Donnell killed Ms Collins in an attempt to avoid arrest over a money-related issue, but declined to go into further detail.

Prosecutors were planning to seek the death penalty before offering her the plea deal.

"The plea deal was not what my first choice would have been, but at least we do have a guaranteed amount of time that she will be imprisoned for and we will have the ability as the victim's family to argue against her release at her parole hearings," Butch Smith, Ms Collins' son, told Fox News.

Ms Collins' daughter, Tate Williams, said that "no amount of punishment will ever fill that void that Rebecca O'Donnell made in our lives the day she killed our mother."

"Today we find some shred of peace that Rebecca O'Donnell will be put away in prison for a very long time, unable to hurt anyone else," she said.

The women were friends, with Ms O'Donnell serving on Ms Collins' campaign staff and as a witness in the lawmaker's divorce proceedings. According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Ms O'Donnell's fiance, Tim Loggains, has publicly claimed that Ms Collins' granted him power of attorney following her divorce.

Story continues

Ms Collins served for one term as a state representative. She was elected as a Democrat in 2010 but switched parties to run as a Republican in 2011. Then, in 2014, she was elected to a seat in the state's senate.

Ms Collins lost her 2018 re-election campaign.

Read more

WWE star Marty Jannettys murder confession sparks police probe
An Air India Express flight arriving from Dubai skidded off the runway on Friday night and following the impact the aircraft middle portion was wide open.

Local legislator T.V. Ibrahim said that he is at the local hospital near the airport where he has seen two bodies while around 50 injured people have been brought to the hospital.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 p.m. and despite the aircraft getting seriously damaged in the impact, there was no fire.

The aircraft had 191 people onboard, including six crew members.

About 40 ambulances have reached the accident spot and are taking the passengers to various hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappuram .

According to information received here, the passengers sitting in the front row have been seriously injured.

The condition of 12 passengers who were brought to a private hospital is reported to be serious.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed Local Self Government Minister A.C. Moideen to rush to the accident site.
One of the judges brought down by the Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye PI expose on corruption in the judiciary has had his retirement benefits restored to him after making his case clear.

The Supreme Court said the retirement benefits of Justice Kwame Ohene-Essel (rtd) should be restored after successfully making a case that he was never impeached by the Judicial Service in 2015 following the scandal.

The retired Tarkwa High Court judge in the Western Region was ordered by the then Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Theodora Wood (rtd), to hand over all properties of the Judicial Service in light of his approaching retirement on August 23, 2017 and proceed on retirement without his pension benefits, pending the determination of impeachment proceedings against him when the Anas expose hit the public.

In a judgement, a seven-member panel of the Supreme Court presided over by Justice Jones Dotse held that the retired judge was entitled to his retirement benefits as he was never impeached which would have taken away those benefits away from him.

It was the reasoning of the apex court that Justice Ohene-Essel was not impeached, neither did the Chief Justice set up any committee to conduct impeachment proceedings against him as of the time he retired as a judge.

Judicial Service Scandal

Justice Ohene-Essel was among a number of judges and Judicial Service staff who were either dismissed or suspended over of taking a GH1,000 bribe through his court clerk which was later handed to him in his residence.

The then Chief Justice GeorginaWood, acting through the then Deputy Judicial Secretary, ordered him to proceed on leave without processing his pension benefits until the determination of impeachment proceedings against him.

The retired judge then went to the High Court to challenge the order and the court presided over by Justice Gifty Agyei-Addo referred the matter to the Supreme Court to determine whether on proper interpretation and or construction of Article 146 (3) and (5) the retired judge can be permitted to enjoy his rights under Article 155 (1) (b) of the 1992 Constitution upon his retirement.

SC Judgement

The seven-member panel of the court, in a unanimous decision, held that the failure by the Chief Justice to set up a committee to commence impeachment proceedings against Justice Ohene-Essel before he went on retirement meant he could not be impeached because such a constitutional process did not apply to judges on retirement.

The court, presided over by Justice Jones Dotse and assisted by Justices Gabriel Pwamang, Samuel Marful-Sau, Agnes Dordzie, Nene Amegatcher, Prof. Nii Ashie Kotey and Mariama Owusu, ruled that impeachment proceedings cannot be commenced in respect of a retired judge. After all, if the process is completed, and the recommendation is for removal from office, from where will he be removed from and to what effect?

The court also held that as of the time Justice Ohene-Essel attained the age of 65 and compulsorily retired on August 23, 2017, no committee had been set up by the Chief Justice to investigate the allegations levelled against him and to make recommendations as to whether or not he should be removed from office as a judge per Article 146 (5) of the 1992 Constitution.

It was this reasoning that informed the court decision that the retired judge was entitled to all pension and gratuity benefits as provided for under Article 155 (1) (b) of the Constitution 1992.

---Daily Guide
Jack & Jill Teachers Our teachers need to be able to keep themselves and their families at home safe by being able to easy wash and sanitize their clothes, and scrubs are the best option for this because they are easiest to clean and disinfect.

Uniform Advantage (UA), a multi-channel retailer of medical uniforms for medical and hospitality industries, donated $10,000 in gift cards to help support the Jack & Jill early education and elementary teachers and launched a scrub campaign for educators as schools reopen in the Fall of 2020.

The Jack & Jill Childrens Center was founded in 1942 by the Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale. The center began as a day-care for women whose husbands had joined the war effort and now needed to enter the workforce. It is now the Junior Leagues oldest and longest running Legacy Project and has evolved into an accredited early education center for working families. Jack & Jill offers family strengthening programs to help fight the cycle of poverty in South Florida.

We are incredibly grateful to Uniform Advantage for their generous donation of $10,000 to purchase scrubs for our teachers. The health and safety of our teachers, children, and families are at our utmost concern at this time, said Heather Siskind Chief Executive Officer of Jack & Jills Children Center, Our teachers need to be able to keep themselves and their families at home safe by being able to easy wash and sanitize their clothes, and scrubs are the best option for this because they are easiest to clean and disinfect. The scrubs allow us to have staff wearing a different color everyday thus reassuring our families that they have clean scrubs on.

As part of their commitment to support those who support others, Uniform Advantage has launched a campaign to support educators and schools to adapt scrubs as part of their dress code. Educators will continue to play a vital role during the reopening of schools, now with a stronger demand on frequent cleaning and sanitation in the classroom. Comfortable, adaptable, durable and professional, Uniform Advantage offers scrubs for teachers that are flattering to upkeep a professional appearance with a variety of fabrics for maximum comfort, making them a considerable wardrobe option for educators.

For more information on Uniform Advantage and their contributions and partnerships visit give.uniformadvantage.com, or to shop online, please visit https://www.uniformadvantage.com/.

About Uniform Advantage

Uniform Advantage has represented style, quality and, above all, customer satisfaction for more than 30 years. As the first division of UA Brands, the chain was launched with a single South Florida store in 1985. Today, the company operates 29 retail locations in key markets across the U.S.; e-commerce and print catalog divisions; plus, designs and manufactures its own proprietary healthcare apparel lines. The companys corporate office is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a distribution center near Atlanta, Georgia. Learn more at http://www.UniformAdvantage.com or by calling 800-283-8708.
Johannesburg  Africas confirmed coronavirus cases have surpassed 1 million, but global health experts say the true toll is likely several times higher, reflecting the gaping lack of testing for the continents 1.3 billion people.

While experts say infection tolls in richer nations can be significant undercounts, large numbers of undetected cases are a greater danger for Africa, with many of the worlds weakest health systems.

The World Health Organization calls the milestone a pivotal point for Africa as infections in several countries are surging. The virus has spread beyond major cities into distant hinterlands where few health resources exist and reaching care could take days.

Immediately knowing they were at a disadvantage, African nations banded together early in the pandemic to pursue badly needed testing and medical supplies and advocate for equitable access to any successful vaccine. Swift border closures delayed the virus spread.

But Africas most developed country, South Africa, has strained to cope as hospital beds fill up and confirmed cases are over a half-million, ranking fifth in the world. The country has Africas most extensive testing and data collection, and yet a South African Medical Research Council report last week showed many COVID-19 deaths were going uncounted. Other deaths were attributed to other diseases as people avoid health centers and resources are diverted to the pandemic.

Its all a warning for Africas other 53 countries of what might lie ahead. While dire early predictions for the pandemic have not played out, we think its going to be here at a slow burn, the WHOs Africa chief, Matshidiso Moeti, said Thursday.

Just two African countries at the start of the pandemic were equipped to test for the virus. Now virtually all have basic capacity, but supplies are often scarce. Some countries have a single testing machine. Some conduct fewer than 500 tests per million people, while richer countries overseas conduct hundreds of thousands. Samples can take days to reach labs. Even in South Africa, turnaround times for many test results have been a week or longer.

We are fighting this disease in the dark, International Rescue Committee expert Stacey Mearns said. In addition, Africa has just 1,500 epidemiologists, a deficit of about 4,500.

African nations overall have conducted just 8.8 million tests since the pandemic began, well below the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Preventions goal of 13 million per month. Countries would love to increase testing if only supplies werent being snapped up by richer ones elsewhere.

Africa CDC director John Nkengasong said estimating the true number of cases on the continent is very tricky. Some 70% of infections are asymptomatic, he has said. Africas young population also might be a factor. Without a dramatic increase in testing, theres much we dont know.

But some experts are making their best guesses.

Africa likely has at least 5 million infections, said Ridhwaan Suliman, a senior researcher at South Africas Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. He believes the true number in South Africa alone is at least 3 million. The country has conducted far more tests than any other in Africa  more than 3 million  but in recent days about 25% have come back positive. Because of shortages, South Africa largely limits testing to health workers and those showing symptoms.

Experts see South Africa as an indication of whats to come elsewhere.

Sema Sgaier, an assistant professor of global health at Harvard and director of the Surgo Foundation, thinks the number of infections across Africa could be more than 9 million. The U.S.-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation puts the number at more than 8 million. And Resolve to Save Lives, led by Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates it could be 14 million.

For Resolve to Save Lives senior vice president Amanda McClelland, the more worrying number is not the overall cases but the health workers infected across Africa  now about 35,000. That affects care for everyone on a continent whose shortage of workers has been called catastrophic.

Reflecting the pandemics diverse nature across Africa, just five countries account for 75% of confirmed cases: South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana and Algeria. Nigeria alone could have had close to 1 million cases by now if Africas most populous country hadnt acted quickly, the Africa CDCs Nkengasong said.

Still, with insufficient testing, people live with the fear that loved ones may have had the virus without knowing for sure.

In Burkina Faso, Yaya Ouedraogo lost his uncle and cousin in April. Both were in their 70s with a history of high blood pressure and diabetes, and both had complained of shortness of breath, fever and body pain, he said.

They had all the symptoms of coronavirus, but in certain areas no one was investigating it and they didnt get tested, he said.

The WHO Africa chief has said officials dont think the continent is seeing a silent huge epidemic, with thousands dying undetected, but she acknowledged under-reporting of cases.

What wed like to see  to be able to be really confident  is higher testing rates, Moeti told reporters last week, and she criticized the very distorted global market in which richer countries have the bulk of testing materials while poorer ones scrape by on just hundreds of tests a day.

Moeti also worries about a related danger for which even less data exists: the number of deaths from diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis as resources are diverted to COVID-19.

Whatever Africas real coronavirus toll, one South African church has quietly been marking the countrys known number of deaths by tying white ribbons to its fence. The projects founders say each ribbon really stands for multiple people.

Already, the Rev. Gavin Lock wonders about what to do when the length of fence runs out. Maybe theyll change the ribbons color to represent 10 people, or 50.

Its a work in progress, he said.
TRI-VALLEY, CA  The thief coronavirus has robbed Americans of many of their summer pleasures, but it cant steal the annual Perseid meteor shower as it builds to its peak, when 50 to 75 shooting stars an hour may be seen in the skies over Dublin.

Whether youll be able to see this dazzling show in Earths celestial canopy depends on the weather during the showers Aug. 11-13 peak. The National Weather Service says night skies over the next week will be clear or mostly clear in Dublin.

The hours between midnight and sunrise are the best time to scan the sky for the summertime classic, which is known to produce fireballs. The moon is in its last quarter phase, and that will mar the sky show a bit. But the Perseids tend to be bright, so you should be able to see a fair number of them.

The brightest of meteors are known as fireballs, and theyre at least as bright as the planets Jupiter or Venus. NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke says the Perseids produce more fireballs than any other meteor shower  to the extent that hes nicknamed them the fireball champion. During the Perseids, its not unusual to see a fireball every few hours, Cooke says.

NASAs research suggests the Perseids are rich in fireballs because of the size of Swift/Tuttles nucleus  about 16 miles (or 26 kilometers) in diameter.

Most other comets are much smaller, with nuclei only a few kilometers across. As a result, Comet Swift-Tuttle produces a large number of meteoroids, many of which are large enough to produce fireballs, he wrote for NASA.

Though viewing is best after midnight from anywhere in the sky, the evening hours may offer a special treat known as an earthgrazer. Theyre rare, but a sight to behold  a long, slow and colorful meteor that streaks horizontally across the sky.

The peak dates arent the only time to see the Perseids, which have been streaking across the sky since mid-July and will continue through Aug. 24. So consider watching past the peak dates, and especially after Aug. 17, when moonless skies prevail, according to Earthsky.org.

Story continues

The rambling Delta Aquarid meteor shower continues through mid-month, so you may see a few of those, too. The Delta Aquarids are not as prolific as the Perseids, but up to 10 percent of them leave persistent trains  that is, glowing ionized gas trails that can last for a second or two after the meteor passes.

Dark skies are the best for meteor shower viewing.

Either shower can be seen from anywhere in the sky, though Earthsky.org advises placing yourself in the moons shadow near a barn or other structure. The meteors will be more visible.

The other thing required for successful meteor watching is patience. NASAs Cooke told Space.com meteor shower watching requires an investment in preparation and time, but is the simplest form of astronomy there is.

Theres no need for a telescope or binoculars, which actually are a disadvantage because the more sky youre able to see, the greater the chance of seeing a meteor. Give yourself half an hour to 45 minutes to adjust to the dark skies. And, Cooke advises, avoid looking at your phone while youre waiting to see a shooting star.

You know, that's something about meteor observing: You let your eyes adapt to the dark, and what kills [meteor viewing for] most people nowadays is that they'll look at their phones, and that bright screen just totally trashes your night vision," Cooke said.

Each meteor shower has a radiant point where the meteors appear to originate; with the Perseids, its the constellation Perseus. But the farther you get away from it, the better the chances of seeing longer streaks and fireballs.

Meteors are produced when the Earth passes through debris left behind by comets as it orbits the sun. The Perseids are produced from dust from Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which last entered our solar system in 1992 and wont return again until July 2126.

There are no meteor showers in September, but the fall offers plenty of opportunity to see shooting stars, especially during those from the Geminid meteor shower. The only thing the Perseids have over the Geminids is that they occur in the summer, when its comfortable outside, but the Dec. 7-17 shower is known to produce up to 120 multicolored meteors at their peak.

This article originally appeared on the Dublin Patch
Gold prices once again soared on Aug 6, settling well above $2,000 and inching toward a new high. Investors, over the past few months, have gone into an overdrive, scurrying for safe-haven assets to brace against the uncertainty around global economy that has seen gold price break past the $2,000 mark.

The yellow metal also got a boost from escalating geopolitical tensions over the past three months that have been denting the confidence of risk-on investors.

Gold Price Nearing All-Time High

Gold prices have been hovering around the 1,850 mark for quite some time till it crossed the psychological mark of $1,900, only for the second time in history last month. Since then, the precious metals price has only soared, ending above $2,000 for the first time on Aug 5.

Gold price had hit a record high of $1,920.70 in 2011, according to Comex futures, but that seems too paltry in comparison to the new high. And it wont be wrong to say that the prices will only escalate from here given that investor confidence has hit rock bottom, making them rush for safe-haven stocks. Besides the coronavirus-related uncertainly, growing geopolitical tensions have been aiding gold prices for the past few weeks.

Fear Grips Markets

Gold has gained over 20% this year and is at its highest levels in almost a decade, making it one of the best-performing major asset classes of 2020. The surge is primarily due to investors' search for safe-haven assets.

Notably, golds dream run follows an impressive 2019, wherein it gained about 19%, its strongest annual increase since 2010. A weaker U.S. dollar index, technical buying, and increasing consumer demand from China and India have been fueling the bull run of the yellow metal. However, gold price had taken a hit in March as investors sold everything and piled into cash.

Things changed following the coronavirus outbreak as governments across the world unleashed unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus, and yields started plunging. The ultra-easy monetary policy is another reason for the surging price of gold. The Fed has been acting super-dovish since March. It has cut rates to zero and launched an infinite QE policy. The Fed is also buying highly rated corporate debt as well as fallen angles. Such measures have kept the dollar's strength in check.

Story continues

Moreover, real U.S. treasury yields presently are negative from a five-year to 20-year term. This lowers the opportunity cost of holding a non-interest-bearing asset like bullion. The precious metal is also getting a boost from the uncertainty around the U.S. presidential election and rising geopolitical conflict around the world that are making investors skeptical and go for safe-haven assets.

Our Choices

We thus believe that this is a good time for investors to add some gold stocks to their portfolio. We suggest five top-ranked gold stocks which have the potential to outperform the broader market in the coming days.

Equinox Gold Corp. EQX engages in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral deposits. It primarily explores for gold, copper and silver deposits.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 115% over the past 60 days. Equinox Gold has a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Eldorado Gold Corporation EGO and its subsidiaries engage in the exploration, discovery, acquisition, financing, development, production, sale and reclamation of mineral products, primarily in Turkey, Canada, Greece, Brazil and Romania. The company primarily produces gold as well as silver, lead, zinc and iron ore.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 14.7% over the past 30 days. Eldorado Gold has a Zacks Rank #2.

Barrick Gold Corporation GOLD is the largest gold mining company in the world. The company has many advanced exploration and development projects located across five continents.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 72.6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 11.4% over the past 30 days. Barrick Gold holds a Zacks Rank #2.

Asanko Gold Inc. GAU principally explores and develops gold fields. The company currently operates and manages the Asanko Gold Mine, located in Ghana, West Africa which is jointly owned with Gold Fields Ltd.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 30.8% over the past 30 days. The company has a Zacks Rank #2.

Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited HMY conducts underground and surface gold mining. It is also engaged in related activities such as exploration, processing, smelting and refining. Harmony is the third largest producer of gold in South Africa and the 11th largest gold producer in the world.

The companys expected earnings growth rate for the current year is more than 100%. Its shares have jumped 41.7% over the past 30 days. Harmony Gold Mining carries a Zacks Rank #2.

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Brittney Weldon has hit back at Bachelor In Paradise co-star Cassandra Mamone's claims that her villainous portrayal on the show was down to a bad edit.

Speaking to Who magazine, Brittney confirmed that she hasn't spoken to Cass since the show ended - and has no intention of doing so.

'No I dont want to speak to her, Ive got nothing to say,' the 27-year-old said.

'I've got nothing to say to her': Brittney Weldon (pictured) has hit back at Bachelor In Paradise co-star Cassandra Mamone's claims that her villainous portrayal on the show was down to a bad edit

'Obviously theres no such thing as an edit  what you say is what they show so I dont believe this thing called "an edit".

'That just shows the sort of person she is and I dont want to be that type of person so Im really happy with what I did and how I showed myself. Thats on her.'

Earlier this week, Cass told Adelaide Confidential that her portrayal on the show was down to a bad edit.

The jewellery designer, 34, also said that she never called Niranga Amarasinghe 'gross' either.

Hitting back: Cass (pictured) recently blamed editing on her portrayal on the hit dating show

'It was not towards anyone,' she explained.

'I was coughing and the producer said "Cass. You can spit outside," and I said "gross".'

She also defended herself against viewers who said that Niranga had been rejected on the show due to his race.

'Myself, my family, we dont have any prejudice against any race or religion,' she insisted.

'It was not towards anyone': The jewellery designer said that she never called Niranga Amarasinghe 'gross' either

'Im so diverse in my friendships and in my dating life,' Cass added.

Viewers labelled the brunette beauty a 'mean girl' during her time on Bachelor In Paradise.

And on Tuesday, the reality star hit back at her many critics with a cryptic post.

'Im so diverse in my friendships and in my dating life': Cass also defended herself against viewers who said that Niranga had been rejected on the show due to his race

The 34-year-old shared a picture of herself with a longtime friend on Instagram and wrote: 'The opinions of those that have known me five, ten, 15 plus years hold the most weight.'

She also posted a picture of herself on the show and wrote: 'Came out with a tan, met some amazing peeps.'

She added: 'Thank you so much for all the love and support, friends xx.'
When the first coronavirus stimulus check was authorized by the CARES Act and sent out by the IRS, millions of Americans used the money to pay bills, make essential purchases, or prepare for unexpected emergencies. Months later, that emergency relief is gone for many families, and lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are struggling to find a compromise bill that would provide needed additional assistance.

For those waiting for more COVID-19-related relief funds, there have been some encouraging signs suggesting another stimulus check could come soon. In particular, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced the HEALS Act for Senate debate. If passed in its current form, this bill would repeat the payments made by the CARES Act while expanding benefits eligibility to more dependents.

The HEALS Act provisions on the second stimulus check were similar to those proposed in the HEROES Act, which was passed by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives months ago. Although the HEROES Act provided $1,200 per dependent (up to three) while the HEALS Act offers only $500 per dependent, the two bills aren't very far apart when it comes to a second stimulus payment.

Since a majority of lawmakers in both houses of Congress are clearly on board with authorizing another direct payment, you may be wondering what the holdup is. Well, unfortunately, there's no consensus on expanded unemployment benefits and a few other key issues in the competing bills.

A fight over unemployment is preventing the passage of a stimulus check

When the CARES Act was signed into law, millions of Americans were newly unemployed. The coronavirus relief legislation aimed to take care of those left jobless by the great lockdown by providing an extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits.

The additional money was made available only through July 31, though. Those still without jobs have been left with unemployment benefits that may be as low as a third of their pre-pandemic income.

Democrats want to extend the extra $600 per week unemployment benefit. In fact, the HEROES Act would've made the additional money available until Jan. 31, 2021. However, many Republicans have expressed serious reservations extending the added benefit that long, noting that with many workers making more on unemployment than they did at their jobs, such a large bonus could deter people from going back to work.

As introduced, the HEALS Act would authorize an extra $200 per week in unemployment benefits. Reports indicate the GOP is now on board with providing as much as $400 in extra weekly benefits through Dec. 15. However, Democratic leadership is holding firm on the $600 rate.

There are a few other issues still in dispute as well, including the total price tag for the relief bill, whether to provide additional financial assistance to states, and whether to include liability protection for businesses concerned about lawsuits related to COVID-19.

But the unemployment benefit question is a major obstacle. Expanded benefits carry a high price tag and reflect fundamental philosophical differences between lawmakers on either side of the aisle. Sadly, with both Democrats and Republicans seemingly digging in their heels, finding consensus on how to provide additional relief for those left jobless will likely be one of the trickier aspects of passing another stimulus bill.

What should you do while waiting for your stimulus check?

If you're waiting for that second stimulus check before making financial moves like saving for emergencies or covering your bills, change your thinking. You can't count on these politicians to come through for you. Even if they do, it could be weeks before you see your money.

Instead of hoping for help, look into potential solutions available now. This could mean reaching out to your creditors to work out a payment plan if you're struggling or checking with your state's various government programs (including the Department of Health or Social Services) to see what sources of local assistance are being offered.

If you're in a good financial position right now, start saving and investing to shore up your finances, as it's very possible the 2020 recession could be a long one -- especially if lawmakers don't come through soon with a bill that stimulates economic spending during these troubled times.
The Bihar government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that the Mumbai Police has been obstructing the investigation into the Sushant Singh Rajput case by Patna police and have not supplied crucial documents connected with the case.

The affidavit has been filed after the top court sought response from the Bihar government on the petition filed by Rhea Chakraborty seeking transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai. The case was filed by the late actor's father accusing Rhea and several others for abetment to suicide.

"The non-cooperation by the Mumbai Police with the Patna Police, who is already there in Mumbai for a probe, is very much clear from the fact that the Mumbai Police has not supplied any documents such as Inquest Report, Post Mortem report, FSL report, CCTV footage etc. to the Patna Police despite several requests made by the latter," said the affidavit.

The Bihar government said Krishna Kishore Singh lost his young, vibrant son due to act committed by the accused persons including Rhea. Hence, the Patna police has jurisdiction to register the FIR and the court at Patna has jurisdiction to try the offence as mentioned in the FIR registered with Rajeev Nagar P.S (Patna).

The state government contended that when IPS officer Vinay Tiwary reached Mumbai, he was forcibly quarantined by the civic body BMC, which casts serious aspersion on the role of Mumbai Police who is apparently siding with the petitioner.

The state government said the Mumbai Police has been making "lame excuses" that it has jurisdiction to investigate the offence despite the fact that no cognizable case has been registered in Mumbai in connection with death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

"That even without little support from the Mumbai Police, the members of the SIT carried out investigation wherein various witnesses have been examined and the Kotak Bank account details of the deceased actor has been verified, the details whereof has been mentioned in the FIR with regard to siphoning of money by the petitioner and other accused persons," said the affidavit.

The state government said in the present case, the Patna Police has jurisdiction to register the FIR and investigate it as per the law laid down by the Constitution Bench of the top court in Lalita Kumari Vs. the State of Uttar Pradesh reported in (2014) case. "The submission of the petitioner that the entire cause of action arose in Mumbai and the State of Bihar has no jurisdiction to register FIR is liable to be rejected in view of the provisions contained under section 179 Cr.P.C", added the affidavit.
There were 361 incidents of uprooting of trees and branches and 15 incidents of wall collapse in Mumbai

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday took stock of the state administrations preparedness in the wake of the incessant heavy rains in Mumbai and asked the authorities to remain alert. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Mr Thackeray about the prevailing situation in Mumbai and surrounding areas due to heavy rains and assured all possible support to combat the heavy downpour.

Mumbai city received 331.08 mm rainfall while the suburbs received 162.3 mm downpour from Wednesday till 8.30 am on Thursday. The city witnessed strong winds at a speed of 106 km per hour while elsewhere it was 70 to 80 kmph. There were 361 incidents of uprooting of trees and branches and 15 incidents of wall collapse in Mumbai.

A railway employee was killed due to electrocution from a motor pump in Masjid Bunder while one person was injured when a tree fell on him in Kurla. A senior railway official said that 27-year-old trackman Sanjeet Kumar, who was monitoring water level at Masjid Bundar, got electrocuted at around 3.45pm.

We have asked the BMC to check all their water pumping sets, used to drain the water accumulated on the railway tracks to avoid any such situation in the future, he added.

The chief minister also praised the railway police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel for their efforts in rescuing 290 passengers from two local trains stranded on flooded tracks near Masjid Bunder in south Mumbai on Wednesday.

There are 16 NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) teams deployed. Of these, five are stationed in Mumbai, four in Kolhapur, two in Sangli and one each in Satara, Sangli, Palghar, Nagpur and Raigad each. In addition to this, six teams of SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) have been placed in Nagpur and Dhule.
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A striking image of a magnificent frigatebird chick dying of a viral infection in French Guiana has been awarded first prize in international ecology photo competition.

The winning photograph, captured by David Costantini from the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, shows the ailing seabird with clear signs of a viral disease from which it is unlikely to recover.

'David Constantini's powerful image illustrates that there are other species profoundly affected by viruses and these processes are part of nature and our environment,' said BMC Ecology section editors Luke Jacobus and Josef Settele, who recommended the winning entry.

They added that it is 'something that seems particularly important at the time of the current pandemic.'

The competition was created to give ecologists the chance to share their research and photography skills, and to celebrate the intersection of art and science.

Overall winner: This ailing frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) is seen with clear signs of a viral disease that gives low chances of recovery

Photographer David Costantini said: 'I took the photograph in French Guiana, where viral outbreaks annually affect a population of frigatebirds.

'An ongoing research project is trying to figure out the causes and consequences of this disease and to find solutions for the conservation of the local frigatebird population.'

The ailing frigate bird chick was among several animals pictured in the seventh BMC Ecology Image competition.

The eclectic array of images, which also includes idle meerkats and a female Gelada monkey, showcase the 'beauty and diversity of life on our planet' as well as its intricate relationships, according to the team behind the competition.

The main runner up was a colourful picture of a forest green lizard that measures up to 25 inches from its head to tail is found in the hills of India and Sri Lanka.

The forest green lizard (Calotes calotes) is large among the lizard species measuring up to 25 inches from its head to tail. This lizard, as its name suggests, has a bright green dorsal color with 56 cream or deep green transverse stripes

BMC Ecology is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on environmental, behavioural and population ecology as well as biodiversity.

The winning images are selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and senior members of the journal's editorial board - this is the seventh year the competition has run.

Alison Cuff, BMC Ecology editor, said the variety and quality of the images submitted for the competition were impressive and difficult to choose between.

'Our section editors used their expertise and knowledge to ensure that our winning images were picked as much for the scientific story behind them as for the technical quality and beauty of the images themselves,' she said.

This image was the winner in the Behavioral and physiological ecology category and shows weevils infected by the 'zombie fungus' Cordyceps

In addition to the winning image and overall runner up, there are winners from four categories: Behavioral and Physiological Ecology Community, Population and Macroecology; Conservation Ecology and Biodiversity Research; Landscape Ecology and Ecosystems; and the Editor's Pick.

Winner of the Behavioural and Physiological Ecology Community category was Damien Esquerre's weevils infected by the 'zombie fungus' Cordyceps.

The fungus infects the weevil and takes over, directing it to a more humid place where it can reproduce, eating out the weevil from the inside.

Section editor Dominique Mazzi said: 'It perfectly captures the helplessness of the weevil affected by the fungus, which before killing its host takes over its behaviour, likely in order to enhance the fungus' transmission.'

The Editor's Pick was taken by Nayden Chakarov from Bielefeld University, Germany and shows a large sea duck called the king eider having a splash in the water.

This image of a ghost crab hiding in a human footprint on a beach in China won the community, population and macroecology category - they are found on the beaches of tropical and subtropical regions

A beautiful demonstration of the 'crown shyness' effect amongst different species of tree won the conservation ecology and biodiversity research category

A wind farm in China's Gobi Desert won the landscape ecology and ecosystems category - wind farms at Guazhou in the Gansu province generate up to 20 GW of power

King eiders breed only in the highest Arctic territories and the image shows the vibrancy of the bird against an almost monochrome background.

The winning images and an additional seven highly commended images highlight pressing issues in ecology, from the challenges many species face in today's environments, to mutually beneficial or parasitic relationships between species, curious phenomena found in nature and the potential of sustainable technologies.

The Landscape Ecology and Ecosystems category winner was captured by Kang Xu from Zhejiang University, China and shows a wind farm in the Gobi Desert.

Kang Xu said: 'Our previous research demonstrated that constructing wind turbines in the Gobi Desert may be a win-win strategy that contributes to the growth of desert vegetation with a favourable microclimate and sufficiently utilizes wind power to produce clean energy.

A King eidar duck bathing in some shallow water in an image named the Kings Bath won the editors pick

This image of a Gelada monkey in Guassa, Ethiopia was rated highly commended and was captured as the old world primate was attempting to swat away a fly

Meerkats (Suricata suricatta) spend a large amount of their active time foraging. This female meerkat was radio-tracked by scientists for hours under the sunlight of Kalahari and the image was ranked highly commended

'During our field study, we took this photograph of the largest wind farm-desert coupled ecosystem.'

One of the highly commended images was a picture of a female Gelada monkey only found in the Ethiopian Highlands - taken by Bing Lin as the monkey was pushing a fly away.

Bing said: 'An adolescent female gelada monkey bites and claws at a bothersome fly in mid-flight.

'This photo shows a fly bothering this adolescent female, and I took this shot right as she became fed up with the fly buzzing in her ear, a moment I could empathise with well.'

Bing, from Princeton University, USA, added: 'They are the last remaining species of their genus still alive today.

'As such, they are a critical study species to consider in attempting to unravel the manysecrets of primate evolution.'

Details of the competition entries can be found on the BMC Ecology website.
In some ways, the virus threat contributed to the time warp. Because of coronavirus concerns, the usual shuttle down Reds Meadow Valley Road, which runs close to the middle fork of the San Joaquin River, wasnt operating. The rangers let me drive my car down that narrow strip of asphalt, just as my father used to do in the early 70s. When we stopped by Sotcher Lake near the road, Julianna learned to skim stones and ducked to avoid dragonflies, just as Ive done on the same shoreline.
Mohammed Ali, 36, was traveling home on the flight with three friends. All had lost their jobs during the pandemic. The plane made a first attempt to land before trying again, he said. Then he remembers being suddenly and violently flung from the aircraft. He was seated near the emergency exit and survived with a minor injury to his leg.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on Thursday spotlighted China as an important trade partner for countries in the region, such as Argentina.

Argentina's exports of primary goods to China have allowed the South American country to maintain a positive trade balance when the COVID-19 pandemic has depressed economies around the globe, according to ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Barcena.

"Exports to China are very important," Barcena told Xinhua in a videoconference call from Santiago, Chile, where the agency is based. The call was held to present "The Effects of COVID-19 on International Trade and Logistics" report.

The value of regional exports is projected to contract by 23 percent this year, with that of regional imports down by 25 percent, even worse than the 24-percent contraction registered during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, according to the report.

"The impact of the pandemic on Argentina's trade exchange has been very significant. Imports accumulated a 23-percent drop in the first half (of 2020) compared to the same period in 2019," Barcena said.

Argentina's decrease in imports "is mainly explained by the sharp drop in the level of (economic) activity," and lower demand for manufactured goods from neighboring Brazil and the rest of the region, she added.

The ECLAC forecasts Argentina's gross domestic product (GDP) will shrink 10.5 percent in 2020.

Argentine exports "also experienced a very significant drop of at least 11 percent in the same period, although less than that sustained in other countries in the region," said Barcena.

A breakdown of Argentine exports indicated that manufactured goods and fuel took the biggest hits, dropping by 34.5 percent and 24 percent, respectively, while exports of processed agricultural goods fell 8 percent.

However, Argentina's exports of primary products grew 14 percent.

"We see that exports of primary goods have suffered the least and are recovering faster," the executive said.

"Exports to China are very important. In the first six months they grew 21 percent year-on-year, while exports from Argentina to Mercosur (Southern Common Market), the European Union (EU) and the United States fell," Barcena noted.

Despite the challenging global scenario for Argentina's sales abroad, "its sales to China were maintained; that is why it is so important" as an export market and trade partner, she said.

As the report noted, Argentina, as well as Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, benefited from a decline in sales from Australia to China, mainly due to a drought that cut into Australia's grain production.

These Mercosur members also benefited from China's stepped-up imports of beef and pork to ensure the food supply.

China was Argentina's second largest trading partner in 2019, and its top trading partner in April and May of this year.

Among Argentina's main exports to China are soybeans, frozen and deboned beef, shrimp and prawns, and animal or vegetable fats and oils, according to Guillermo Chaves, the chief of staff of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico may benefit from an extra $315 million in reserves as it navigates the upcoming budget year thanks to stronger-than-expected revenue during the coronavirus pandemic.

The unexpected cash is the result of economic activity that didnt fall quite as much as state economists feared in April and May  the first full months after the coronavirus outbreak disrupted business in New Mexico, according to a presentation to lawmakers.

Dawn Iglesias, chief economist for the Legislative Finance Committee, said the economic damage was severe, to be sure, but it didnt cut quite as deep as expected, perhaps because consumers shifted more of their spending online and federal stimulus checks gave them extra spending power.

Nonetheless, she said, the states budget outlook remains highly uncertain. The pace of New Mexicos economic recovery, Iglesias said, will be shaped by the future spread of the coronavirus, development of vaccines, federal legislation and consumer confidence.

Federal action, she said, has been key already. At one point, about one-quarter of New Mexicos workforce was supported in some way by the Paycheck Protection Program, a federal aid package for employers.

Federal stimulus appears to have propped up a lot of consumer spending for April and May, Iglesias told members of the legislative Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee. We had a pretty large retail bump in May that could be explained by those one-time stimulus checks of $1,200 to individuals.

Construction activity, including wind energy projects, was also a factor.

The better-than-expected economic activity could result in an extra $315 million to $360 million in revenue for the fiscal year that ended June 30. The final figures arent yet available because of a lag in how long it takes tax revenue to reach the state government.

But an extra $300 million would be enough to boost the states reserves from roughly $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion, increasing New Mexicos flexibility in the budget year that ends next summer. The state, in other words, would have about 25% of its annual spending held in reserve rather than the expected 21%.

Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, called it a glimmer of positive news in otherwise challenging times.

In a special session in June, lawmakers crafted a budget package that authorized roughly $7 billion in general spending over the course of the next year. Some of the money would come out of state reserves, pushing them down to about $818 million by next summer or about 11% of state spending, under initial projections.

Instead, all else being equal, the state might end up with $1.1 billion thanks to the extra money to start the year, or reserves of about 15%.

Lawmakers last year approved a tax package that, among other things, allowed the state to begin collecting tax revenue on internet sales.

The state Taxation and Revenue Department has said it does not have data on specifically how much revenue has been generated by the online sales tax, which is currently only collected by the state, not by cities and counties.

Iglesias warned lawmakers repeatedly Friday that the budget outlook is uncertain, depending on the course of the pandemic and other factors.

This years budget package also relies on about $750 million in federal coronavirus aid. The state might have to tap its reserves more heavily if the federal government doesnt permit the money to be used to help backfill the budget.

Debbie Romero, New Mexicos acting secretary for finance and administration, told lawmakers that state agencies are preparing for further cuts  in the range of 3% to 5%  that might eventually hit frontline services.

Entering (this fiscal year) with higher than expected revenue and reserves  it doesnt mean were not going to have tough decisions to make in January, Romero said.

Lawmakers are set to meet Jan. 19 for a 60-day session, when they may adjust this years budget, in addition to adopting a spending plan for the following year.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The US has lifted the highest level of its global health travel advisory for Americans due to the coronavirus pandemic and restored the previous country-specific system without changing the status of over 50 countries, including that of India and China.

The US state department issued the Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory -- the highest level of travel advisory -- on March 19, urging American citizens not to travel overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic.

India remains on Level 4 of the travel advisory along with more than 50 countries, including China.

This means that the US urges its citizens not to travel to India due to the increasing coronavirus cases.

The state department, in its latest travel advisory on India issued on Thursday, said: "Do not travel to India due to COVID-19.

Exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism".

The? Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 (avoid non-essential travel) Travel Health Notice for India due to COVID-19, it said.

Travellers to India may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures and other emergency conditions within India due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Carl Risch told reporters during a conference call that the State Department, in close coordination with the CDC, has lifted the Global Level 4 Health Advisory and has returned to the previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice, with levels from 1 to 4 depending on country-specific conditions.

The CDC has similarly removed its Level 3 Global COVID-19 Pandemic Notice.

This important change reflects the reality that health and safety conditions are improving in some countries while potentially deteriorating in others, he said.

By returning to the country-specific travel advisory system, the US is able to give Americans detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions, he said.

"The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant risks for travellers and our destination-specific advisories take into account the latest data and public health and safety analysis on COVID-related risks," Risch said.

Among other countries which have been put on the Level 4 of travel advisory include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Mexico, Egypt, and Brazil.

Although the guidance from the state department has been lifted, American travellers continue to face travel restrictions in countries worldwide due to the rising cases of the deadly disease in the United States.

According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the contagion has infected over 19 million people and killed more than 713,000 across the world.

The US is the worst affected country with over 4.8 million cases and more than 1,60,000 deaths.

The European Union has blocked the entry of the US tourists, and the UK requires travellers from the US to quarantine for 14 days.
SOFIA -- Bulgarian police have cleared traffic blockades set up by protesters in the capital and other cities for the past week to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's conservative government over corruption, the Interior Ministry says.

The protesters had occupied three major crossroads in downtown Sofia since July 29 and August 1 as part of the biggest wave of protests in years in the EU's poorest country.

Blockades had also been set up in Plovdiv and the Black Sea port of Varna.

The Interior Ministry issued a statement saying that "traffic was resumed at all crossroads that had been blocked."

No force was used and 12 protesters were detained briefly but later released, the police said.

One of the protest organizers, Nikolay Hadjigenov, vowed to "set up the blockades again but this time in the whole country."

Thousands have rallied every day in the capital and other cities for a month now calling for the resignation of Borisov's cabinet.

They accuse both the government and the chief prosecutor of protectionism and dependence on behind-the-scenes oligarchs.

Borisov on August 5 suggested he might take a back seat as prime minister to keep his government in power until its mandate expires in March 2021, but the government coalition decided the next day that Borisov should keep his post.

Polls this week showed severely dented support for Borisov and his conservative GERB party.

WATCH: Two RFE/RL journalists were assaulted at a rally for the ruling GERB party in Sofia, where Prime Minister Borisov was speaking. RFE/RL has called for an investigation and for Bulgarian authorities to condemn the incident.

Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, remains its poorest and most corrupt member, according to Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index.

With reporting by AFP and dpa
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Linkedin Cha Lino (Inquirer.net/Asia News Network)  Fri, August 7, 2020 22:01 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c67044 2 People Cameron-Diaz,gwyneth-paltrow,actor,celebrity,Hollywood,Movie,film Free

Hollywood stars Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow had a heart-to-heart talk where the former explained why she retired from her acting career to focus on her personal life and relationships.

Diaz, who is one of Paltrows best friends in the entire universe, was a guest on the Iron Man stars virtual health session organized by Paltrows health and wellness company Goop, as seen on its YouTube channel today, Aug. 6.

Talking about their lives at the age of 40 and beyond, the actresses discussed how Diaz made some big changes in her life by starting over after she reached that big four-zero milestone.

I just decided that I wanted different things out of my life, Diaz said. Ive gone so hard for so long, working, making films and its such a grind I didnt really make a space for my personal life.

Soon after leaving Hollywood, Diaz met her husband, Good Charlotte frontman Benji Madden, whom she married in 2015.

We got married pretty much immediately because we both knew that we had to do it, she said.

The actress admitted that they had to iron out certain issues at the start of their marriage. Despite the challenges, Diaz confirmed to Paltrow that her partner showed his commitment to work things outs.

Paltrow also asked Diaz what it felt like to walk away from a movie career of that magnitude, that much success, while acknowledging that she could probably get back to making films anytime.

A peace, I got a peace in my soul, Diaz answered. Because I finally was taking care of myself.

Read also: Nicole Richie: From tabloid antics to saving bees, 'ugly produce'

Diaz said that she felt more grounded after being away from the limelight as she disclosed some of the difficulties of being a public figure.

Its so intense to work at that level and be that public and put yourself out there, Diaz explained. Theres a lot of energy coming at you at all times when youre really visible as an actor and doing you know, press and putting yourself out there.

She admitted getting overwhelmed by all the attention directed towards her. The 47-year-old actress also discussed how time-consuming making a film was to the point that it could leave no room for actors to nurture their personal relationships.

When youre making a movie, its the perfect excuse  they own you, Diaz declared. Youre there 12 hours a day, for months on end. You have no time for anything else.

I realized I handed off parts of my life to all these other people and I had to basically take it back and take responsibility for my own life, she added.

During her time away as an actress, Diaz set out to repair, develop, build and even let go of some of her relationships with others. She then tried to figure out how to be self-sufficient again after being pampered as a movie star, which she said she never became comfortable with.

The two likewise discussed Diazs wine venture, their journey to motherhood, as well as how they want to raise their daughters. Diaz has one daughter with Madden, while Paltrow has two kids with her former husband, Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin.

Paltrow and Diazs video conference for In Goop Health: The Sessions is a fundraiser for civil rights organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Diazs last appearance on the big screen was for the 2014 film adaptation of the musical Annie.

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
By PTI

JAISALMER: Lashing out at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the Congress, Union minister Kailash Chaudhary on Friday said the political crisis in the state was their own making and the BJP has nothing to do with it.

The Union minister of state for agriculture also demanded the resignation of Gehlot on moral grounds, saying people are suffering due to the crisis triggered by infighting in the Congress.

The current crisis in the state is due to CM Ashok Gehlot and the Congress, he told reporters here, adding that while the Congress MLAs are enjoying 'biryani' and having fun in swimming pools in a Jaislamer hotel, people are suffering.

The common people and farmers of the state are upset.

The coronavirus crisis and criminal incidents are increasing and the Congress government is locked in a hotel, Chaudhary said.

The BJP leader said the chief minister and Congress leaders are blaming the BJP without any logic or facts.

This is a fight between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot, which is affecting the people of the state.

But the Congress is blaming the BJP, which has nothing to do with it.

Gehlot has lost the faith of his legislators, he said.

The minister said the Congress has spent a year and a half in office but has not delivered on a single promise.

The legislators backing Ashok Gehlot are holed up in the Jaisalmer's Suryagarh hotel as the Congress has accused the BJP of horse-trading after its 19 MLAs, including former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, revolted against the chief minister.
Spanish actor Miguel Herran essays Rio, a young hacker in Netflix's popular web-series Money Heist. Fans of the series have done some serious digging and come up with a rare discovery. Turns out the favourite Miguel aka Rio featured in an Indian ad in 2015 before raiding the Royal Mint of Spain with Professor.

The advertisement by Gaana also starred Pia Bajpai along with Miguel. The five-year-old commercial video shows both of them as strangers travelling in a metro.

The advertisement next shows how they become friends by bonding over music. The eight-minute and twenty-second video for gaana.com chronicles a love story of the duo after they meet by chance in the Delhi Metro. With a catchy tune and hummable lyrics, the beautiful short film touches several cliches of Bollywood.

Recently, Netflix greenlit the fifth and final season of Money Heist. Netflix shared the news with a tweet on their official handle saying "The heist comes to an end." The last season of the megahit Spanish drama, also known as La Casa de Papel, is already in the works.

Money Heist maps the activities of eight thieves and a criminal architect who influences the police to execute his plan.

Weve spent almost a year thinking about how to break up the band. How to get into situations that are irreversible for many characters. The war reaches its most extreme and savage levels, but it is also the most epic and exciting season (sic.), IANS quoted the creator and showrunner Alex Pina as saying.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Indian Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Friday visited the force's Central Command headquarters in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and reviewed its operational preparedness.

Naravane also met Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and discussed the upcoming defence corridor in the state. He also appraised them of the border tension with China.

The Army chief had visited forward areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday. He had met with field commanders to check the operational preparedness of the armed forces in the forward areas.

General Naravane's visit comes as China has started building up troops, artillery, armour and materials in depth areas in all three sectors -- western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal) -- of the 3,488-km LAC.

China has also mobilised soldiers near Uttarakhand's Lipulekh Pass, a tri-junction between India, Nepal, and China situated atop the Kalapani Valley.

Since Chinese troops are not moving back as per the consensus, the Indian Army has kicked off a massive logistical exercise for advance winter stocking of rations, specialised clothing, prefabricated shelters, arctic tents, and other equipment. India has deployed over 35,000 troops in Ladakh.

The two countries are locked in a hitherto unprecedented three-month-long stand-off at multiple points on the border.

China had changed the status quo on the LAC at various places, moving inside the Indian territory. India has objected to it and is taking up the matter with China at all levels.

The troop disengagement has happened only at Patrolling Point-14 in the Galwan Valley, the site of the June 15 clashes, and Patrolling Point-15 in Hot Springs.

On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops were killed in a violent clash in the Galwan Valley.
Gone: The Shelbourne Hotel after it removed the statues from their plinths. Picture: Gerry Mooney

The Shelbourne Hotel has been given four weeks to explain why it removed four statues from outside the front of the building and answer allegations that the move breached planning laws.

Dublin City Council has issued a warning letter to the hotel, formally advising it that complaints have been made against it and that it is under investigation for breach of the law governing alterations to protected structures.

Under the Planning and Development Act 2000, no change can be made to a protected structure that would affect its character without prior planning approval.

The hotel did not seek either planning permission or a 'Section 57' declaration that the proposed alterations were minor enough to be exempt from the requirement to seek permission.

Up to yesterday, it had not submitted an application for retention of the changes it made either.

A spokeswoman for Dublin City Council said the investigation may take some time.

"Our planning staff will need to speak with the complainants and consider any submission the hotel may make within the four weeks, and then look at where things stand as regards the law before deciding the next move," she said.

The Irish Georgian Society and other conservationists complained after the sudden removal last month of four life-size bronze statues that had adorned the five-star hotel's entrance since 1867.

At the time, the hotel indicated it had taken down the statues in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has led to the removal or damaging of statues displayed in prominent places abroad because of their links with the slave trade.

The statues, which were designed and made in France, are of four women from ancient Africa, two of whom appeared to be shackled, but considerable debate has raged as to whether they actually depict slaves.

A copy of the catalogue from which they were ordered does not refer to them as slaves and the argument has been put forward that their supposed shackles are nothing more sinister than decorative anklets.

Other commentators have argued that regardless of whether or not they are slave girls, the statues have artistic merit and historical importance and should not have been removed. Anti-racism activists welcomed the move, saying the depiction of African women as slaves or colonial curiosities was offensive.

Senator and barrister Michael McDowell, who severely criticised the hotel's actions in the Seanad last week, revealed he had also lodged a formal complaint.

Dubbing the statues the 'Shelbourne four', Mr McDowell, who as justice minister, caused controversy over remarks about the 'Colombia Three', said he wanted the figures put back.

"I have lodged a complaint with Dublin City Council planning enforcement section calling for the Shelbourne four to be freed and reinstated," Mr McDowell tweeted.

Under the planning acts, Dublin City Council has powers to order the restoration of the statues if their removal is found to breach regulations.

If the matter was to escalate and proceed to court, a range of fines and penalties could apply, in addition to a restoration order.

If it is found that the hotel requires planning permission, any application it would make to Dublin City Council would be open to public observations and objections.

The hotel has previously gone through the planning process for alterations and extensions to the property, supplying the planners with lengthy expert reports on the historic architectural features.

It is not known what approach the hotel intends taking to try to resolve the issue.

No-one from management was available to comment and the parent company, Marriott, has also declined to respond to queries.
BERLIN, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Germany's federal ministries have proposed bringing forward 26 billion euros' ($31 billion) worth of expenditure, Der Spiegel reported on Friday, to help Europe's largest economy recover from a coronavirus-induced historic slump.

The magazine, which did not name its sources, said junior ministers had discussed a list of measures last week but Werner Gatzer, a junior finance minister, did not think they sufficed and said he would prepare an investment programme based on the proposals discussed.

The finance ministry declined to comment.

The German economy contracted at its steepest rate on record in the second quarter, wiping out nearly 10 years of growth.

Berlin hopes its stimulus package, worth more than 130 billion euros, including a temporary VAT cut to boost domestic demand, will help the economy return to growth.

($1 = 0.8459 euros) (Reporting by Thomas Seythal Editing by Michelle Martin)
NEW CANAAN  Necessities such as drinking water and showers are available to New Canaan residents still without power because of Tropical Storm Isaias.

Eversource said Thursday it expects the last of some half-million customers in the dark across Connecticut to get electricity back by midnight Tuesday.

Drinking water is available at New Canaan Fire Department headquarters on Main Street. Director of Public Works Tiger Mann said residents should take containers to get potable water.

Water jugs can also be filled at the New Canaan YMCA using the spigot near the side parking lot, marked with a cone. Masks and social distancing are requested.

The Waveny Pool showers are available from 8 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. this weekend. Users must take their own towels and wear masks when entering. There are seven male showers and seven female showers.

The YMCA does not have a generator, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said of the South Avenue facility that has availed its showers to New Canaan residents after prior storms. Were trying to get a generator to them.

With power out, television, Internet, and phone service from Optimum is also out. Free WiFi and charging are being offered at Town Hall, the New Canaan Library, and for senior citizens at Lapham Center. Masks are required.

We had 500 people on our modems (Thursday), Moynihan said.

Residents can find free Internet access and phone charging this weekend outdoors at the Library, indoors and around Town Hall and Lapham Center (for seniors only) Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition, free Internet access is available outdoors around the Vine Cottage, 61 Main St. and on the patios surrounding Waveny House, as well as at the New Canaan High School parking lot. Moynihan asked residents to wear masks and maintain social distancing when indoors.

The New Canaan Library opened to the public for indoor charging Friday, Monday, and Tuesday.

Without electricity flowing through wires or generators, cell towers are shutting down, cutting off service, Moynihan said.

There is a lack of resilience in communication, Verizon, Optimum, Moynihan said.

There should be significant pressure on these companies to be better prepared for the next storm, Town Council Chairman John Engel said Friday.

Verizon has set up a satellite truck in the Park Street parking lot behind Town Hall to carry cell calls.

Without Internet service, shops and restaurants downtown have been unable to process credit card transactions, required by many establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chamber of Commerce Director Tucker Murphy said staffs were writing down card numbers or using the old carbon copy slide machines.

But they figured it out, Murphy said.

Residents can take debris from the storm to the Transfer Station free of charge through Saturday, Aug. 15.
(Natural News) Washington, the first state to be affected by the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), is grappling with a fresh wave of outbreaks  most of which from seasonal farm workers who work the states many fruit orchards. In particular, Okanogan County in eastern Washington is shaping up to be one of the hardest-hit areas in the world.

Based on recent records, almost one percent of the county has tested positive for COVID-19. In comparison, the total percentage of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is currently at around 1.46 percent.

Local health officials reported over 300 new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, bringing the countys total to around 800. In addition, they also confirmed eight deaths as of August 5, two of them foreign H-2A farm workers. Over half of the Okanogan Countys cases are located in Brewster, a small town home to Gebbers Farms, one of the biggest fruit growers in the Pacific Northwest.

Coronavirus poised to conquer rural towns

During the summer months, migrants flock to Washington to harvest apples, peaches, cherries and other types of ripe fruit. In the U.S., eight out of the 10 top apple and pear growers are located in Washington, according to a 2011 Growing Produce report.

The migrants  hired as seasonal workers by farms  stay in dormitories and camps as they work the fruit orchards across the state. These workers now make up most new coronavirus cases in Okanogan County. In Brewster, the emergency room at Three Rivers Hospital is filled to capacity with farmhands, most of whom are middle-aged men, waiting in line to be tested for the virus.

Were seeing people who are much sicker than in the past. Theyre waiting longer, and when they get here theyre sicker, said Three Rivers Hospital CEO Scott Graham, in an interview with the Hill. Weve had some COVID patients come here and it was too late. They died here, in the ER.

The situation with Okanogan  a rural country with a population of 42,000  is an exception. Rural communities across the country are faring better compared to urban megacities. But many residents fear that as migrant workers descend into their towns for harvest season, the risk of having an outbreak also increases.

Youre talking about a working community that doesnt have the funds to support their family from home, adds Manny Hurtado, an Okanogan resident who runs a grocery and restaurant in the area. When you cant stay home because you dont have the funds available to feed your family, its hard.

Brewster, a small town with just 2,600 residents, had reported 724 cases  the equivalent of nearly a third of its population  in just the last two weeks. Having a surge in new cases, especially for rural counties like Okanogan, spells trouble for its healthcare system  most of which are ill-equipped to handle a pandemic of this magnitude. In fact, the Three Rivers Hospital relied on federal grants to continue operations as COVID-19 kneecapped income-generating procedures.

This hospital, like a lot of rural hospitals recently, has struggled financially, Graham added.

The pandemic has exposed the limitations of public health systems, especially in smaller communities. The system often runs on a shoe-string budget and staffing is severely limited. For instance, Okanogan County only has a $1.4 million budget for its public health system. (Related: Why are so many new coronavirus cases emerging in Washington state? Because its been spreading there for SIX WEEKS.)

Its not equipped to deal with the 24/7 of trying to do this, added Andy Hover, the county commissioner for District 2, which includes Brewster.

Over at Gebbers Farms, the company has made strides to test its workers, even setting up separate dorm spaces for workers who need to be quarantined.

The U.S. has 4,854,690 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 159,433 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Pandemic.news has more on the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Sources include:

OPB.org

GrowingProduce.com

TheHill.com

Coronavirus.JHU.edu
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A ten-person team of artists have drawn a 4.2-mile-long Black Lives Matter mural made out of tire tracks imprinted in the sand of Nevadas Black Rock Desert near the site of the Burning Man festival.

The stunning piece of art is getting noticed for its precision as much for its size.

Each of the letters measure 50ft in width and are printed in neat Helvetica font. If the letters were connected and stretched out into a single straight line, it would measure some 25 miles, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.

The mural itself is at the center of a perfectly drawn circle whose circumference measures 13 miles.

The Black Lives Matter mural in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada is seen above from the Sentinel-2 satellite

An anonymous group of artists drew the mural over a period of two weeks. They completed the mural on July 3

The above images show a pick-up truck filling in the letter 'A' in the playa desert near the site of the Burning Man festival

The Bureau of Land Management, the federal agency within the Department of the Interior, believes that the person or people who drew the mural did so with a vehicle in order to imprint the message into the crust of the playa sometime last month.

The precision with which the letters and the circle were drawn also indicates that the authors of the mural must have used GPS technology to get a sense of spacing and location.

Someone drove with a GPS and drove several times to make huge, huge letters, said Heather O'Hanlon, a Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman.

They drove several times so that it stayed imprinted.

The mural measures 4.2 miles in length with each letter measuring 50ft in width. The mural is seen above from a plane

The mural was noticed by pilots who flew over the area weeks after it was completed

Several videos posted to TikTok by an anonymous artist account titled interdependence day show how the mural was created.

In one clip, a pick-up truck is seen driving around to fill out the letters of the mural after it was traced into the ground by someone using a sharp, ax-like object.

The footage appears to have been filmed either from a light aircraft or a drone outfitted with a camera.

The video claims that the mural was completed on July 3.

Anonymous Art Collective said on TikTok that the artists needed seven full tanks of fuel for their pickup truck to complete the mural, which took a total of two weeks.

Fans of the mural have asked the artists to identify themselves so that they can be acknowledged for their work.

We released anonymously, were not asking for credit, the manager of the TikTok account wrote.

Instead, they want the TikTok account to serve as a kind of info hub for anyone interested in learning more about the mural.

Each letter was drawn symmetrically and measures 50ft in width using a pick-up truck

The artists, who chose to remain anonymous, used GPS tracking technology and a small airplane to get precise measurements for the mural

Last month, the mural was captured in a stunning photograph by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite.

Even though the mural was drawn weeks ago, it was only noticed in recent days after pilots flew over the area.

Nick Howard of Petaluma, California, was flying back home from a trip to Idaho when he noticed the mural etched into the Nevada desert.

Pure awe, said Howard when asked about his reaction to what he saw.

How did it get there? It was done so perfectly. It was really impressive how accurate and crisp it was.

I tried to figure out how and who, but there still arent any answers.

You would think that if someone made the effort to make it theyd want some kind of credit.

While the mural is drawing praise, it is also raising environmental concerns due to the fact that the desert playa in which the letters were drawn is the natural habitat of fair shrimp that lay eggs and live on the surface.

The mural was drawn on top of the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, a specially designated patch of public land that measures some 1.2 million acres.

An image taken from either a plane or a drone shows the pick-up truck filling in the letter 'S'

The mural was drawn near the entrance to Black Rock City, site of the annual Burning Man festival

Of those, 799,000 acres were designated a national conservation area while 752,000 acres were categorized as 10 wilderness areas.

According to its web site, it is the largest national conservation area in the contiguous United States.

Laura Blaylock, an environmental advocate and resident of nearby Gerlach, Nevada, believes that the artists who drew the mural should be cited for vandalism and either made to pay a fine or do community service.

Blaylock told the Reno Gazette Journal that she fears it will lead to others who advocate for certain causes doing a copycat imitation that could potentially do more harm to the environment.

It also goes against the Leave No Trace ethos of the Burning Man festival, the annual multi-day arts festival.

'Obviously somebody made a statement, and it wasn't us,' said O'Hanlon.

'It's unfortunate it happened on the playa, but mother nature will heal itself. It's going to be a matter of wind storms and rain storms.'

This year, Burning Man was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, organizers will have a virtual event online.

While traditionally Burning Man says it is a festival open to anyone and everyone, critics in the past have noted the overwhelming number of white participants and the few people of color who attend.

The festival organizers did release a statement expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Lets make the global Burning Man community, including Black Rock City, more inclusive for Black, Indigenous, and all People of Color, the festival said.

Lets amplify voices and ideas that will lead us to a more equitable society.

Lets create the space to listen and have the conversations needed to make permanent positive change in this world.

Burners have always been doers, so lets do this.

Black Lives Matter.
MUMBAI: In a big breaking development, actress Rhea Chakraborty on Friday (August 7) sought some more time from appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, besides requesting the agency to postpone the recording of her statement till Supreme Court plea hearing.

In an email sent to the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday night, Rhea urged the agency to defer its inquiry in the case since the matter is still pending in the court.

In a statement, advocate Satish Manshinde, who is representing Rhea in the matter, revealed that the actress has requested to postpone the recording of her statement in money laundering case. "Rhea Chakraborty has requested that the recording of her statement be postponed till Supreme Court hearing.

It is to be noted that ED had summoned the 'Jalebi' actress for questioning on August 7 in a money laundering probe stemming from a complaint lodged by late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's father KK Singh with the Patna Police in connection with his death.

As per reports, the agency was expected to question the actress about her personal details, financial details, investment copies and work-related details. Meanwhile, the watchman of Primrose Building, the apartment where Rhea and her family reside, revealed that the Chakraborty family members have not visited for the last 8-10 days.

Rhea has come under the scanner of the probe agency over two major property investments made by her in Mumbai, disproportionate to her income. As per the report, Rhea registered a Rs 76 lakh worth flat at Khar East in Mumbai on May 28, 2018. The flat is located on the 4th floor at Gulmohar Avenue in Khar East. The area of the flat is 354 sq ft, for which she paid a stamp duty of Rs 3.80 lakhs.

In an affidavit filed by the Bihar SSP, Rhea has been named as the main accused in Sushant Singh Rajput death case. The Bihar Police has accused Rhea of giving Sushant an overdose of medicines and painting false picture of his mental illness. The police said that Rhea and her family wanted to grab Sushant's money and hence the budding actress befriended him.

Bihar Police further claimed that the Mumbai Police did not cooperate with them in the investigation.

In the initial investigation, the Bihar Police found many important clues in Sushant death case. The Bihar Police had earlier urged the Supreme Court that a CBI inquiry was needed in the case.

Superintendent of Police in CBI, Nupur Prasad, will head the Special Investigation team which will probe the cases under the supervision of DIG Gagandeep Gambhir and Joint Director Manoj Shashidhar, both senior IPS officers from Gujarat cadre.
South Africa: Dial-a-Tutor to help learners in N West

The North West Department of Education is doing everything to salvage what is left of the academic year and has launched a digital programme to help learners to catch up with their studies.

Dial-a-Tutor is a contact solution that uses a toll-free number for learners in Grade 8 to 12 across the province to enable them to interact with subject specialists during weekdays.

The programme, launched on Thursday at Onkabetse-Thuto Secondary, aims to bring the classroom closer to learners, as million have missed school due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The long school break necessitated the department to provide learners with learner specific attention from tutors to resolve problematic areas in their subjects, the provincial department explained.

The provincial MEC for Education, Mmaphefo Matsemela, encouraged learners to utilise the toll-free number effectively.

Dial-a-Tutor is an additional intervention towards assisting learners. This programme will benefit learners, as it simplifies teaching and learning. I am pleading with parents to encourage and support learners to call the toll free number," Matsemela said.

In October, the provincial department will offer psychosocial support for Grade 12s before they sit down for their exams in November.

This will calm the learners when they write their final examinations. Learners have been exposed to difficult times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This programme needs to be embraced by the entire community in order for it to be successful, Matsemela said.

A Grade 12 learner from Onkabetse-Thuto Secondary School, Neo Macklein, said she has already used Dial-a-Tutor and received all the assistance she needed for Mathematics and Accounting.

Subject specialist for Business Economics, Percy Modillane, could not stop raving about the initiative, saying it has allowed learners to raise questions without fear of judgement.

Modillane said even teachers are benefitting from the programme, as they call to request materials for their subjects.

Modillane echoed the MECs words and encouraged learner to take on this opportunity.

The Dial-a-Tutor number is 0800 383 383 and can be called between Monday to Friday from 7am to 8pm.  SAnews.gov.za

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A 67-year-old man from Hopkinton was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after New Hampshire State Police say he crashed into a toll booth in Dover.

Robert Scott Jr. was arrested at Portsmouth Regional Hospital on Thursday and charged with his second DUI along with a charge of reckless operation.

His arrest stems from an incident on Thursday, when New Hampshire State Police responded to the Dover Toll Plaza on Route 16 for a report of a crash, police said.

When troopers arrived, they found a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado against a concrete barrier of the toll plaza, police said. An investigation revealed Scott was traveling north on Route 16 when he collided with the barrier, police said.

Robert Donald Scott Jr. was arrested and charged with DUI after police say he crashed his truck into a toll booth plaza in Dover, New Hamphire.

No toll booth employees were injured as a result of the crash.

Scott was transported to the Portsmouth Regional Hospital for further medical evaluation and treatment, police said. He was released on personal recognizance and is scheduled to appear in Dover District Court in September.

All aspects of the incident remain under investigation, police said. Anyone who may have further information related to this collision, or who witnessed this collsion is encouraged to contact Trooper Petros Lazos at petros.lazos@dos.nh.gov.
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Birds are on the move, signaling the end of summer even as we endure the hot, sweltering days of August.

For example, purple martins that nested throughout our neighborhoods have vacated martin houses. Theyre amassing with purple martins arriving here from across eastern North America, all on their way to winter homes in Brazil.

Huge flocks will funnel down from the sky just before dark to roost in trees, on power lines and other structures. Theyve put on quite a show the last few years when spiraling down to roost at the Fountains Shopping Center in Stafford.

The birds gather in a behavior called staging to fatten up on insects before heading south.

Barn swallows are staging along the Texas Coast. During spring, the birds plastered cup-shaped mud nests under freeway overpasses, bridges and under the eaves of buildings and homes. But theyll soon head to winter homes as far south as Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.

Keep an eye skyward to witness the astounding migration of broad-winged hawks. Groups of the crow-size brownish hawks numbering in the hundreds will swirl on heat thermals high in the sky. Theyll be making their way from breeding homes in the eastern half of North America to winter homes in South America.

More Information Bird migration Many of the birds breeding across the eastern half of North America and spending winters in the tropics follow a migratory path through Houston; they are called neotropical migrants. Nearly 5 billion birds breeding in North America travel south of the border during fall migration. Birds, such as winter wrens, that migrate to Houston for the winter are called terminal migrants; they do not go south of the border. Birds, such as American robins, that migrate only as far south as needed to find food are called nomadic migrants. Houston Audubon hosts views of migratory purple martins at The Fountains; details at houstonaudubon.org. See More Collapse

Beautiful migratory songbirds, like rose-breasted grosbeaks, will be migrating through our area on the way to winter homes from southern Mexico to Peru. People saw the birds in their backyards back in April as they rested before the journey to northern breeding grounds.

Many migratory songbirds nested in our area this summer. For example, the summer tanager that looks like a northern cardinal but lacks a crest spent the breeding season in many Houston neighborhoods. Theyll spend winters from southern Mexico to the Amazon Basin.

Yet dozens of migratory songbirds, such as ruby-crowned kinglets, hermit thrushes and yellow-rumped warblers that bred in the northern tier of the U.S. and in southern Canada, will migrate to subtropical Houston.

Shorter daylight hours stimulates bird migration in late summer; there is less time to forage for food. And in northern North America, late summer is the onset of diminished food sources, especially wild seeds and fruits for songbirds.

Birds do not migrate to escape cold weather. They instead migrate to places like Southeast Texas and to Latin America where theres an ample supply of winter food.

Book of Texas Birds, by Gary Clark with photography by Kathy Adams Clark (Texas A&M University Press). Email Gary Clark at Texasbirder@comcast.net.
The U.S. State Department urged citizens on Thursday not to travel to Mexico, despite easing a global travel ban, and warned of the rapid spread of coronavirus in the neighboring nation, in addition to rampant crime and kidnapping.

The United States and Mexico have close commercial ties and share the world's busiest land border, crossed by many of their citizens for work, travel or family visits.

Mexico's health ministry reported 6,590 new infections and 819 more deaths, taking its virus tally to 462,690 confirmed cases and 50,517 fatalities.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel warning to its citizens who are planning on visiting Mexico. The government stressed the COVID-19 outbreak and the ongoing violence and kidnappings as reasons why travelers from the U.S. should reconsider going to Mexico

Relatives and friends attend the burial service of a man, who died of the coronavirus, in Mexico City. Mexico City has struggled to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Friday, it had reported 462,690 cases and 50,517 deaths

On Twitter, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Christopher Landau, said his country had issued a 'Level 4: Do not travel,' warning for all nations at the beginning of the pandemic in March.

But the stringent advisory, usually reserved for countries at war, was not lifted for Mexico, because of the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus.

'Its own government recognizes that contagion rates are still high,' Landau added.

The state department said, 'Travelers to Mexico may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures, and other emergency conditions within Mexico due to COVID-19.'

Reiterating earlier concerns about crime, its website said the Level 4 warning covered Mexico and many other countries.

More than 53,000 people have been murdered since Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador entered office in December 2018.

A recent updated government study found that 73,201 people - 75 percent of whom are between the ages of 15 and 30 - are missing in Mexico. The figures, which covered between 1964 and July 14, 2020, showed that 27,871 since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took office in December 2018.

The National Search for Missing Persons Commission said 2,332 people were reported missing in the first six months of 2020, down 36.6 percent from the 3,679 who went missing in the same period of 2019.

Citing the spread of COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] issued a separate 'Level 3 Travel Health Notice.'
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is counter-suing the New York Attorney General accusing the lobbying organisation of widespread fraud.

NRA President Carolyn Meadows called New York state attorney Letitia James a political opportunist making a power grab as part of a political vendetta.

The NRA filed a federal lawsuit against Ms James in the Northern District of New York claiming the action restricts the corporation's freedom of speech. They are also seeking a judicial declaration that the NRA complied with state law, according to Politico

You could have set your watch by it: the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle, Ms Meadows said in a statement.

Its a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda. This has been a power grab by a political opportunist  a desperate move that is part of a rank political vendetta. Our members wont be intimidated or bullied in their defence of political and constitutional freedom.

Earlier on Thursday, Ms James alleged that leaders of the lobbying organisation used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use, including trips to the Bahamas, private jets and expensive meals.

The NRAs influence has been so powerful that the organisation went unchecked for decades while top executives funnelled millions into their own pockets, Ms James said during a press conference.

Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters that the NRA had a long history of thwarting the rules of New York state, and that a publicly subsidized not-for-profit cannot also be a political organisation or refuse to disclose financial information.

Donald Trump responded to the lawsuit, telling reporters that the NRA should move to Texas.

Thats a very terrible thing that just happened. I think the NRA should move to Texas and lead a very good and beautiful life. And I've told them that for a long time. I think they should move to Texas, Mr Trump said.

The suit also focused on longtime NRA executive vice president and CEO, Wayne LaPierre, who is accused of spending NRA funds on private trips for himself and his family.

Mr LaPierre responded to the suit on Thursday, saying it was an "affront to democracy and freedom".

This is an unconstitutional, premeditated attack aiming to dismantle and destroy the NRA  the fiercest defender of Americas freedom at the ballot box for decades," he said in a statement. "The NRA is well-governed, financially solvent, and committed to good governance. Were ready for the fight. Bring it on."
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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-05 17:02:43|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 14 more COVID-19 recoveries, bringing total recoveries to 244, the country's National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Wednesday.

The recovered people are servicemen of the Mongolian Armed Forces who returned home from Afghanistan on a chartered flight in mid-July, Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the surveillance department of the NCCD, said at a daily press conference.

Meanwhile, the Asian country conducted 615 tests for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours which showed negative results, with the national tally standing at 293, marking the third consecutive day without new cases, said Ambaselmaa.

All the confirmed cases in the country were imported, mostly from Russia, according to the center.

The country has reported no local transmissions or deaths so far. Enditem
Cibolo Police Department

A Cibolo man was gifted a new bicycle by the Cibolo Police Department after his was stolen outside a local Walmart.

On Thursday, a man identified as 21-year-old James had his locked bicycle stolen outside the Walmart on Cibolo Valley Drive while he was on shift.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 08:27 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c35cb6 1 World US,Indonesia,China,foreign-policy,Australia,Retno-Marsudi,international-relations,CSIS,UN,millenials,seminar Free

As more countries shut their borders to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and while major powers step up their rivalries, especially over access to potential vaccines and other critical medical supplies, Indonesia has renewed a call for countries around the world, especially those regarded as middle powers, to bolster existing platforms for multilateralism.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post during the opening session of the webinar series titled Multilateralism during a pandemic: Indonesias Perspective on Thursday, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said countries around the world needed to make concerted efforts to promote multilateralism, which is now under threat from what she called transactional politics in international relations and growing self-reliance in dealing with the coronavirus.

Indonesia continues to believe in the virtue of multilateralism. We will continue to enforce an active and free foreign policy by not allowing ourselves to take sides in the big power rivalries, Retno said. The minister also expected that the current assault on multilateralism would be a temporary phenomenon and that before long countries could go back to promoting global cooperation.

Countries tend to close their doors to foreigners, which is very well understood during this pandemic. But hopefully this kind of attitude will only last temporarily. We need to build trust on global governance especially during this specific time, Retno said.

The country's top diplomat said that as major powers like the United States and China showed little interest in working together to tackle the global health crisis, Indonesia and a handful of other countries had drafted a United Nations General Assembly resolution in March calling for a multilateral approach to respond to the coronavirus.

Retno added that the frustration regarding big power rivalries during the pandemic could in fact be an impetus for enacting reform within international organizations including the UN, spearheaded by developing countries.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Gary Quinlan backed Retno's proposal, urging middle powers like Australia and Indonesia to forge a new kind of cooperation on the issue of public health and the economy.

The traditional leadership that weve come to expect is kind of disappearing. It means the rest of us, Indonesia, Australia and other middle powers need to step up and fill that gap, he said, adding that middle powers must show courage and leadership to deal with the existing global political hierarchy.

Quinlan maintained that history had shown that middle power countries had played crucial roles in keeping multilateralism alive. The fact that institutions like the G20, whose members consist of emerging economic countries and account for 85 percent of the world economy, could rise to prominence to respond to the 2008 global financial crisis showed how much coordination and multilateral cooperation between middle powers was necessary, Quinlan said.

We need some people in the driving seat, we need to reinforce all of those institutions, he said.

Executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Phillips J. Vermonte meanwhile proposed the need for a global platform that could work to accommodate the worlds vulnerable, especially in dealing with the global health crisis arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nations and international forums must keep nationalism and protectionism at bay. All countries need to address the international framework on global health issues and embark on the framework of the international health regulations, he said.

United Nations interim resident coordinator for Indonesia Niels Scott said that while the world arrived at the crucial stage in the pandemic and needed to decide on equitable distribution of vaccines worldwide, "we cant fail multilateralism at this point, so that we can recover stronger.

While Indonesia has chosen to partner with Sinovac Biotech of China, Genexine Inc. of South Korea and the Bill Gates-backed Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in the search for a vaccine, fears over bulk-buying and inequitable global distribution of vaccines among wealthier countries remain a major concern in the country.

Also speaking during the webinar was the head of the Foreign Ministrys Policy Analysis And Development Agency, Siswo Pramono, who expressed his optimism that in the wake of this pandemic, a new generation of leader would emerge and take up the mantle of multilateralism.

We are going to see a new kind of multilateralism coming. Unlike the older generations who had been exposed to open war, millennials such as the current diplomats have long been dealing with pandemics such as HIV-AIDS in the 1980s, SARS, MERS and now COVID-19, he said.

Siswo said with millennials in charge of efforts to reanimate the economy, which has been battered by COVID-19, they would provide a different geopolitical perspective and a more cosmopolitan view of the world.

"So, the pandemic is the real threat for millennials and 40 percent of diplomats are now millennials. They might have different points of view with those of the previous generation," he said.
All participants in a group photo with Dr. Paul and Darlia Conn and Dr. Mike and Angela Hayes, center, on the universitys South Campus Quad Lawn

Lee Universitys 35th annual Summer Honors program hosted more than 140 high school students from around the country for a two-week experience, providing incoming freshmen and rising high school seniors with a unique educational, spiritual, and interactive encounter to prepare them for the academic and social challenges of college.

Summer Honors 2020 will prove to be an unforgettable experience in many regards, said Mike Hayes, vice president for Student Development. Despite the challenges faced, the students embraced the unchanging core of the program by engaging in the spiritual, academic, and relational opportunities courageously.

Participants had many opportunities in and out of the classroom during their two-week stay. Students chose two of the 13 classes offered in order to receive six college credits. Class selections included Emerge: Knowing Yourself and Writing a Better Story; Business Lessons from The Office; and Advances in Genomics and the Future of Personalized Medicine, among others.

Due to COVID-19 regulations and for the safety of students and staff, Mr. Hayes said on- and off-campus activities were carefully monitored and precautionary measures such as masks, social distancing, and daily temperature checks were taken.

Over the two weeks, students went white water rafting, saw a concert on the campus lawn, held an indoor movie screening, and participated in other events such as 80s Night and Capture the Flag.

"I loved Summer Honors and cant wait to attend again next summer, said Abdiel Medina, a high school senior who plans to attend Lee in fall 2021. I was able to meet several young men that became true brothers to me, and many of my fears and anxieties over the future were washed away as I felt at home at Lee University.

Service projects, which are traditionally held during Summer Honors, remained on campus to limit contact with off-campus partners or community members, while still providing opportunities to engage in one of Lees core values, service-learning.

Through devotionals and small groups, students were able to experience the faith-development aspect of campus life. This years spiritual theme was Courageous, based on the first chapter of the book of Joshua.

The university has announced its plans to reopen with a full slate of in-person classes this fall semester, using a hybrid format which will include remote options when necessary.

For more information about Summer Honors, visit leeuniversity.edu/summer-honors/ or contact the Office of Student Development at 614-8406.

For more information about Lee University, visit leeuniversity.edu/admissions/.




The two-month countdown to Kyrgyzstans parliamentary elections has started, and President Sooronbai Jeenbekov has been clear the elections will take place despite the huge problems the coronavirus is causing for the country.

Such Kyrgyz votes have traditionally been energetic and controversial affairs. But the October 4 vote promises to be the most interesting to date, since for the first time there are no front-runners.

While that should make for spirited competition, it always raises questions about the role money might play in parties victories at the polls.

A Wide-Open Field

As of July 9, Kyrgyzstans Central Election Commission (CEC) said 44 parties had presented preliminary documents indicating their intention to participate.

More than half of those parties are new, and probably only about one-quarter of them will actually appear on ballots. In the last elections, in 2015, 14 parties competed.

Two of the six parties that have seats in the current parliament  Ata-Jurt and Onuguu-Progress  are not participating.

Respublika, which ran in a coalition with Ata-Jurt in 2015, is participating. But its onetime leader, former Prime Minister Omurbek Babanov, has withdrawn from the party and politics in general in order to avoid legal entanglements that emerged when he ran for president against Jeenbekov in the 2017 presidential election.

The Respublika-Ata-Jurt coalition, which officially split in November 2016, still maintains a unified faction in parliament, where it has the second-largest number of seats, 28.

Onuguu-Progress did not submit the documents to field candidates this time. There are reports that party leader Bakyt Torobaev and other members of Onuguu-Progress will run as candidates of the new Mekenim Kyrgyzstan (My Homeland Is Kyrgyzstan) party.

The Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SDPK), which former President Almazbek Atambaev helped found, has fallen into disarray since Atambaev stepped down as president, started criticizing his successor, Jeenbekov, and created ever more legal problems for himself.

Atambaev has already been convicted of corruption and sentenced to 11 years and two months in prison, and he is on trial on other charges, including murder.

His SDPK party has splintered into several groups. Two of them -- the Social Democrats and the SDPK faction led by Sagynbek Abdrakhmanov that was the first to split from Atambaevs group -- have announced their intentions to participate in these elections.

The CEC initially refused to accept the documents from Abdrakhmanovs faction, dubbed the SDPK Without Atambaev faction, but the Supreme Court overruled that decision and forced the commission to clear Abdurakhmanovs SDPK to run.

The SDPK has the most seats in the current parliament, 38.

The SDPK is the party that nominated Jeenbekov for the presidency. But his public feud with Atambaev reportedly fueled the split in the party, and it is unclear whether any of the SDPK factions are on favorable terms with the president.

Bir Bol also has seats in the current parliament, but a scandal could be mounting over the partys alleged ties to former President Kurmanbek Bakiev, who was chased from power in the April 2010 revolution.

Political Horse-Trading

For 25 years, there have been waves of political parties merging prior to Kyrgyz elections. The Respublika and Ata-Jurt parties did so before the 2015 vote.

In 1999, the former vice president and future prime minister, Feliks Kulov, formed the Ar-Namys (Dignity) party, which was quickly refused registration for elections in 2000.

Kulov was expected to be at the top of the Ar-Namys party list. But instead, five opposition groups -- the Popular Party, Kairanel (Poor People's Party), the Kyrgyz Democratic Movement, the Republican Party, and Ar-Namys -- formed a bloc, and Kulov emerged as their candidate, only to lose in what was almost surely a rigged election in his Kara-Buura district. (The district CEC head committed suicide shortly after the runoff election in March.)

There are already signs of similar alliances forming for these elections.

Omurbek Tekebaev is the leader of the Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party. At the moment, it does not appear that Tekebaev, a former parliamentary speaker, will be a candidate in October, since he is under house arrest. Tekebaev was a vocal critic of former President Atambaev, and when Tekebaev went abroad seeking evidence for suspicions that Atambaev had funneled money out of Kyrgyzstan, Tekebaev suddenly faced charges of corruption and fraud in what critics said was a politically motivated case. In August 2017, Tekebaev was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison, which was commuted to house arrest in August 2019 but which also disqualifies him from running for office.

But, on June 5, Tekebaev and the leaders of the Ak-Shumkar party (ex-Prime Minister Temir Sariev) and the Liberal Democratic Party (Janar Akaev), SDPK lawmaker Ryskeldi Mombekov, and others announced the creation of the political group called Zhany Dem (New Breath). They said the new group will go into elections as a united front and will participate as such in election campaigns at all levels."

Ata-Meken and the Liberal Democratic Party each handed in documents on their intentions to compete in these parliamentary elections.

Tekebaev said Akaev would head the Ata-Meken party list.

And on August 5, Ak-Shumkar leader Sariev said his party was withdrawing from a coalition with Ata-Meken, the Liberal Democratic Party, and the others for reasons that were not immediately clear.

The nationalist group Kyrk Choro, named after the 40 companions of the Kyrgyz peoples legendary hero Manas, has also floated the possibility of joining a political party. Its founder, Kubanychbek Duysheyev, said in March that Kyrk Choro would compete in the elections and was in discussions with 10 political parties, none of which Duysheyev named.

Whatever Happened To Kamchybek Tashiev?

As mentioned, Kamchybek Tashievs Ata-Jurt party is not competing this time. But Tashiev is an established personality in Kyrgyzstans political world and personality is what drives the country's political parties.

Kyrgyz political analyst Edil Osmonbetov recently commented to RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service, known locally as Azattyk, that in 30 years we havent succeeded in dividing parties along ideological lines, those that are right, left, or centrist.'"

Several parties would like to attract Tashiev to their ranks. Maksat Mamytkanov, a leader in the Chong Kazat (Great Crusade) party, said in mid-June his party was in talks with Tashiev, but Tashiev said at the end of June he would be a candidate for the Mekenchil (Patriotic) party.

Coronavirus Campaigning

The primary concern that hangs over the parliamentary campaign and elections is the coronavirus, whicih has hit Kyrgyzstan hard.

By August 7, Kyrgyzstan had registered more than 39,000 infections and 1,450 COVID-19 deaths, by far the highest reported death toll in Central Asia, where every government is suspected of drastically underreporting their true figures.

CEC Deputy Chairman Abdyzhapar Bekmatov said parties are being encouraged to do their campaigning online and, if it is essential to organize meetings with the voters, then it must be done under strict observation of rules on social distancing and limits on mass gatherings.

This change requires parties to be active and savvy on social networks, and any rules are still unclear on advertising for parties on the Internet.

Many people in Kyrgyzstan are already on Facebook and other social networks, so the audience is already there. Political parties have also been active on social networks, but this time they will be depending on such sites to allow them to get their message out to voters.

Show Me The Money

Money will play a big role in such advertising, money has already played a large role in previous elections, and money will be more important than ever in these parliamentary elections.

Many Kyrgyz, such as former lawmaker Bektur Asanov, are worried that those with significant financial backing will dominate the elections and create an oligarchy-clan system.

An August 4 report by vesti.kg noted that 41 of the 44 parties planning on running have already opened bank accounts to allow the CEC to track their contributions and expenses.

Only four of the parties had received money, but the Mekenim Kyrgyzstan party had a significant lead in fundraising -- of 3.35 million soms (about $43,500), followed by Bir Bol with 676,000 soms (about $8,800), and then the Social Democrats and Green Party of Kyrgyzstan far behind that with 103,450 soms (about $1,345) and 200 soms (about $2.60), respectively.

In a May 5 article on Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta website, Kyrgyz political analyst Asilbek Egemberdiev said Mekenim Kyrgyzstan was one of two parties that could be positioning themselves to be pro-government parties, the other being Birimdik.

As mentioned above, President Jeenbekov came from the now-shattered SDPK. He has not given any indication so far of favoring any particular party.

Egemberdiev said Mekenim Kyrgyzstan is connected to the Matraimov brothers."

The Matraimov brothers are Raimbek, a former deputy chief of Kyrgyzstan's Customs Service, and Iskender, currently a deputy in parliament.

Raimbek Matraimov has been at the center of a scandal that involves allegations of murder and hundreds of millions of dollars taken out of Kyrgyzstan contained in an investigative report released by Azattyk, the Kloop.kg news website, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

Bir Bol has changed its political council and said it will have new faces as candidates for the 2020 elections.

A recent report noted there was talk of ties between Bir Bol and ex-President Bakievs family when posts on social networks drew attention to Symbat Maratbek, a daughter of Bakievs brother Marat, who currently occupies an important post at party headquarters and handles its financial matters.

Bir Bol leader Altynbek Sulaymanov confirmed that Maratbek is a member of the party but said she will not be a candidate. She is one the representatives of educated youth who studied abroad and found her place in society, Sulaymanov said, adding, We all have children; they dont answer for their parents.

How Much For Your Vote?

Kyrgyzstans elections, presidential and parliamentary, have been plagued by allegations of vote-buying.

Janar Akaev said in mid-June that some parties planning on competing in these elections were already looking for entrepreneurs in every region  owners of markets and coal deposits, who have $400,000.... Theyre discussing already the best way how to give out $50 to people in villages, and because most dont have any dollars in hand, seeing this money they will vote for them..."

In January, Bir Bols Altynbek Sulaymanov even jokingly advised that if people were ready to sell their vote, they should at least demand 20,000 soms (about $260) rather than 1,000 soms.

Sulaymanovs comment drew criticism from some, Omurbek Tekebaev among them.

Vote-buying is always a serious concern in Kyrgyz elections. But with so many people out of work or only working part-time because of the coronavirus, the temptation could be greater than usual for many in Kyrgyzstan.

Parties have until August 25 to conduct a party congress, assemble a list of candidates, hand over the list for the CEC to confirm, and pay the 5 million som fee to compete.

RFE/RLs Kyrgyz Service contributed to this report
HELENA, Mont. (AP)  An aide to Montana Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock's senate campaign was fired Thursday after a history of racist, sexist and homophobic tweets surfaced.

Evan McCullers, who joined the Bullock campaign in June as deputy press secretary, sent a series of offensive tweets between 2012 and 2014, when he was in high school and college.

The tweets are inappropriate and do not reflect Montana values. When we learned about them, he was let go, said Olivia Bercow, the campaign's communications director, in a statement.

The tweets included derogatory language about Black people, women, homosexuality.

In one tweet, he called women manure, and he used flippant language about rape in a different one. In another tweet, he said he was scared by the statue of a Black boy in a neighbors yard.

According to his LinkedIn account, McCullers completed high school in 2013, making him a teenager at the time the tweets were written.

In a statement released by the campaign, McCullers apologized for his tweets, calling them vile, inappropriate and unacceptable.

I especially owe an apology to the women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community that these posts have rightly offended, and to my family and others who will receive undeserved negative attention because of my actions," McCullers said in a statement. "More importantly, I will continue to listen to those with different life experiences than mine and learn from my mistakes that cause others pain I could never understand, just as I have in the years since those hurtful words.

The tweets were first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

McCullers' Twitter account, which recently included references to Bullock's campaign, was changed to a private setting on Thursday.

Prior to working on Bullocks campaign, McCullers served as an executive assistant for U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, according to McCullers LinkedIn profile.

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The campaign of Republican Sen. Steve Daines, Bullock's opponent in the senate race, declined to comment on the tweets. The Montana Republican Party also declined to comment.

___

Iris Samuels 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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 04:24:14|Editor: huaxia

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Medical workers carry a patient from an ambulance to George Washington University Hospital in Washington D.C., the United States, on April 27, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)



A preliminary analysis found that COVID-19 patients who received remdesivir had a statistically significant shorter time to recovery compared to patients who received placebo.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on Thursday the start of a randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of a treatment regimen consisting of the antiviral remdesivir plus the immunomodulator interferon beta-1a in COVID-19 patients.

The study, called the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial 3 (ACTT 3), is anticipated to enroll more than 1,000 hospitalized adults with COVID-19 at as many as 100 sites in the United States and abroad, according to a release of the NIH.

Participants must have laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection with evidence of lung involvement, including a need for supplemental oxygen, abnormal chest X-rays, or illness requiring mechanical ventilation. People with confirmed infection who have mild symptoms or no apparent symptoms will not be included in the study, said the NIH.

They are being randomly assigned in a 1-to-1 ratio to receive either subcutaneous interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir (combination therapy) or remdesivir alone. Neither the participants nor the study team will know who is receiving which treatment regimen.

All participants will receive standard doses of remdesivir and either interferon beta-1a or a placebo. Those in the combination therapy group will receive interferon beta-1a as a 44-microgram subcutaneous injection every other day for a total of four doses during hospitalization.

Those in the remdesivir-only group will receive a matching placebo subcutaneous injection every other day for a total of four doses during hospitalization.

Healthcare workers wheel a patient into Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn of New York, the United States, on May 11, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Investigators will evaluate whether time to recovery is shorter in the combination therapy group relative to the remdesivir-only group, said the NIH.

Recovery is defined as the participant being well enough for hospital discharge, meaning the participant either no longer requires supplemental oxygen or ongoing medical care in the hospital, or is no longer hospitalized. Recovery is evaluated up until day 29.

A key secondary goal of the study is to compare patient outcomes at day 15 using an ordinal eight-point scale ranging from fully recovered to death.

An independent data and safety monitoring board will monitor ongoing results to ensure patient well-being and safety as well as study integrity, said the NIH. Preliminary results are expected in the fall of 2020.

ACTT 3 is the third iteration of the ACTT of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH. ACTT began on Feb. 21 to evaluate remdesivir, an investigational broad-spectrum antiviral discovered and developed by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

A preliminary analysis of ACTT data found that patients who received remdesivir had a statistically significant shorter time to recovery compared to patients who received placebo.

Subcutaneous interferon beta-1a, a medication manufactured by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is approved in the United States and more than 90 other countries for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, according to the NIH.

In the laboratory, type 1 interferon can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and two closely related viruses, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. In addition, two small randomized controlled trials suggest that treatment with interferon beta may benefit patients with COVID-19, according the NIH. 
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs relationship with his pet dog Fudge has been more than adorable. Now, the actors niece has shared a short clip of his dog and the video is heartbreaking.

Mallika Singh took to her Instagram stories to share the clip in which she can be seen rubbing Fudge. Over the video she has written, He does still look up hopefully every time the door opens.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rashika Rajput (@rashikarajput01) on Aug 6, 2020 at 10:34pm PDT

Previously, Mallika had shared a post in which she had put up a still and a video with her Gulshan mama. The photo is from her childhood days in which she can be seen happily posing with her brother and Sushant. Captioning the post, which has such priceless memories, she wrote, I love you so, so much, my Gulshan mama. I will miss you immensely.

Meanwhile, the Sushant Singh Rajput death case will now be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The actor was found dead in his Bandra apartment in Mumbai on June 14.

His last movie Dil Bechara was released after his demise on OTT platform Hotstar on July 24. In the movie, he was paired opposite debutant actress Sanjana Sanghi. The film is based on John Green's 2012 novel The Fault in Our Stars.
In Karen Basss home state, colleagues across the political spectrum sing her praises.

Most of America is just getting to know the 66-year-old congresswoman from Los Angeles who in recent weeks emerged as a top contender to be Joe Bidens vice-presidential running mate. But in California, Bass has built a reputation as a progressive and a pragmatist  a community organizer who fought police brutality and addiction in Los Angeles and a practical politician who helped dig the state out of a historical fiscal crisis in 2008.

Related: Sexism casts shadow over Biden's search for a female running mate

The congresswoman is someone who can heal our country  not just from the pandemic, but also from the racial divisions, the economic divisions, the legendary labor organizer Dolores Huerta told the Guardian.

Biden is expected to announce his running mate in the coming days. When the former vice-president earlier this year committed to choosing a woman to join his ticket, public speculation immediately coalesced around Kamala Harris, the California senator who ran against him in the Democratic presidential primaries. Buzz also circled Susan Rice, the Obama administration national security adviser, and Val Demings, the Florida congresswoman. But in recent weeks, Californians who worked with Bass  including Huerta  have openly campaigned for her as vice-president, propelling her to the top of Bidens shortlist.

Karen Bass votes for the first of two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump on 13 December 2019. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/POOL/EPA

Basss supporters commend her fierce commitment to advancing social justice, and an easy charm that has helped her win over liberals and staunch conservatives alike. But others worry her politics are too far to the left to appeal to moderate voters, as the vice-presidential vetting process resurfaced some of her political controversies  including past comments about the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro that could alienate expats in the political quagmire of Florida.

She builds coalitions

Bass grew up in a Black, middle-class neighborhood Los Angeles, trained as a physician assistant and worked in an emergency room. As the crack epidemic hit LA, she began a substance abuse and treatment center  a non-profit that grew into the Community Coalition, which remains an influential advocacy group in the city.

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At a time when the government moved to further criminalize drug possession and violently police Black and brown neighborhoods, Bass argued addiction was a public health crisis and advocated against the infamous 1994 tough on crime law that Biden helped write. She lobbied to replace liquor shops in South LA with housing and grocery stores, battled to build more schools and campaigned to keep children from being forced into foster care.

She won a seat in the California assembly in 2004 and was elected speaker of the assembly two years later, becoming the first Black woman to lead a state legislative house.

In the state capital, Sacramento, she found herself at the center of a wholly different kind of crisis. Republicans and Democrats had been locked in a months-long stalemate over how to address a $41m deficit in the aftermath of the Great Recession. When Karen walked into the negotiations, it just changed the dynamics in the room, said Mike Villines, who was the assemblys Republican minority leader. She would really listen to everybody, and at first  we even thought  is this a trick?

Bass held firmly to her goals to minimize cuts to education and healthcare, said Darrell Steinberg, the mayor of Sacramento and the Democratic leader of the state senate at the time. Yet she was also the epitome of you can disagree strongly without being disagreeable, he said. Steinberg, Bass, Villines and their colleagues won a John F Kennedy Profiles in Courage award for the compromise they reached in February 2009.

The trust Bass built in Los Angeles and in Sacramento propelled her to Congress in 2010. She was elected to lead one of the most diverse districts in California  her constituency in Los Angeles is 25% white, 25% Black, 40% Latino and 8% Asian American. At a moment when we need to help rebuild our country from crisis, Karen is a builder  she builds coalitions, Huerta said.

Bass was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in 2018. And in the aftermath of protests following the death of George Floyd, she is leading her partys effort to reform the police, and, to an extent, reverse the legacy of Democratic policies that unequally incarcerated Black and brown Americans.

Karen Bass at a press conference on Capitol Hill about legislation to address systemic racism on 1 July 2020. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act she helped develop passed in Congress and was backed by every Democratic representative and three Republicans. The bill, which is unlikely to be taken up by the Republican-led Senate, curbs qualified immunity, a legal provision that shields police. It makes lynching a federal crime, and incentivizes local police departments to ban chokeholds  but it doesnt defund the police or direct resources away from law enforcement, as activists have long demanded.

No, I dont think its time to defund the police, Bass told Fox LA, though she echoed an argument that many supporters of defunding make  that police shouldnt be the ones responding to every type of emergency. When the government underfunds social programs and healthcare, police are left to pick up the pieces, and thats wrong, she said. Theyre not social workers  why should they be dealing with social, economic and health problems.

Bass and Biden

Though Bidens views on policing have evolved since he spearheaded his crime bill, the duos politics still diverge significantly. She supports the ambitious Green New Deal to tackle the climate crisis, and Medicare for All as a solution to the nations healthcare woes. He prefers more moderate options.

But the two also have a lot in common personally, and philosophically. She, like him, was struck by tragedy early in her political career. In 2006, less than two years after she was inaugurated to the California state assembly, her 23-year old daughter, Emilia, and son-in-law Michael died in a car accident.

Bass has discussed the loss with Biden, whose wife and one-year-old daughter died in a car crash in 1972. The most difficult part of that was  and it was the same with him  when those accidents happened, both of us were in public life, Bass said in an interview with Ozy. The world is watching you grieving.

Like Biden, Bass said she struggled to carry on afterwards. I began to understand how despair led people to just cash it in, Biden wrote in his memoir about the period following his wife and daughters death. For Bass, it was the memory of her daughter that allowed her to continue, she said. Because she would have been very upset with me if I didnt continue.

Both politicians also share a commitment to bipartisanship  a motivation or obligation to reach out to those they dont agree with, and look for common values. The same way Bidens supporters celebrate his goofball affability, Basss colleagues and friends praise her disarming charm. You can put Karen anywhere, even in the most rightwing, ultra-conservative district, and shell get some of the people there into conversation with them, said Fabian Nunez, who was the California assembly speaker before Bass.

Shes genuinely very, very nice, Steinberg told the Guardian. Shes good people.

Villines, who remains a Republican, said that nonetheless I would be very comfortable with Karen in high positions in government, because I know she absolutely is a real person whos been through some really difficult things and whos really just trying to get things done.

Even the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy  a Trump ally who shares almost no political common ground with progressive Bass  has called her his favorite Democrat for her ability to negotiate.

Kevin McCarthy hugs Bass during a ceremony to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in the US. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

It may seem a remarkable contradiction then that progressives have openly endorsed Bass as a champion of transformative change who would give liberals a voice at the White House. She knows where to hold the line, Steinberg explained.

It may help to understand her to know that Bass earned brown belts in taekwondo and hapkido. Remember those old Bruce Lee movies? When somebody who had watched a Bruce Lee movie would think they knew how to fight  with no discipline, no control  they would come in just flailing, swinging, she told the LA Times in 2009. You should have goals; it should be clear where the beginning, middle and end game is, and thats what I felt I was taught.

Public vetting

Basss political goals at the moment dont seem to include an eventual run for president  and she says it never has. You can look back in my life, and I think its pretty clear that I didnt set out to run for president, she said on NBCs Meet the Press. I have always been focused on work.

Now that she is a top candidate for veep, her public vetting has been a very interesting process; a trip down memory lane, she joked. Her past work in Cuba has come under particular scrutiny.

In the 1970s, Bass worked for the Venceremos Brigade, a joint venture of Fidel Castros government and Students for a Democratic Society, the leftist, antiwar group in the US. Bass has said that she helped build housing and healthcare facilities with the group, to help the Cuban people. Shes also faced criticism for referring to Castro as Comandante en Jefe  a title that Cuban expats in the US denounce  when the dictator died in 2016, and for eulogizing Oneil Marion Cannon, a top member of the Communist Party USA as a friend and mentor.

Republicans have seized on an opportunity to paint Bass as a Castro supporter, and a communist, in particular to Cuban Americans in swing states like Florida. Bass argues her position on Cuba is really no different than the position of the Obama administration. She accompanied Obama in 2016 on his historic visit to the country. Bass has also stressed that she is not a communist, but said she appreciated Cannons work for his community in Los Angeles and his commitment to campaigning for Black and brown candidates.

Amid heightened scrutiny of her past, the Los Angeles Times also revealed that Bass has earned consulting fees from a community non-profit that she founded, and that her campaign had funded. Bass has maintained that her income and the campaign donations are unrelated, and the non-profit has corroborated her position.

Another concern for critics is Basss effusive speech at the 2010 opening of the Church of Scientologys headquarters in LA, when she praised the groups founder L Ron Hubbard. She told a crowd of 6,000, your creed is a universal creed and one that speaks to all people everywhere.

In a statement, Bass said she was looking for an area of agreement with the church, and in the decade since published first-hand accounts in books, interviews and documentaries have exposed this group. Scientology defectors have alleged intimidation, abuse and human trafficking. Just so you all know, I proudly worship at First New Christian Fellowship Baptist Church in South LA, Bass noted in her statement.

Huerta, who supported Kamala Harris in the presidential primaries but recently published an op-ed endorsing Bass for vice-president, said the discussions around the congresswomans past had created a fantasma, or ghost, designed to frighten supporters.

Its ridiculous, she said You have Donald Trump who praised the dictator in North Korea, she said. When the president has failed to condemn, and even exalted leaders who have overseen humanitarian atrocities, Huerta said, its silly for Republicans to fixate on Basss record on Cuba.
Islamabad: Amidst vociferous protests from Pakistan's religious parties, the Parliament has approved a third Bill related to the tough conditions set by the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog FATF.

The legislation is part of the efforts by Pakistan to move from the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list to the white list.

The FATF put Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019 but the deadline was extended later due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mutual Legal Assistance (Criminal Matter) Bill, 2020 -- which calls for exchange of information and criminals with countries -- was passed late Thursday evening in a joint sitting of Parliament after a hectic two-day consultation with the two major Opposition parties -- Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The Bill was passed after the government agreed to include over two dozen Opposition-proposed amendments with a majority vote amidst noisy protest by the religious and nationalist parties, the Dawn News reported.

The draft legislation was approved in the presence of Opposition Leader and PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

The talks started on Wednesday evening, continued almost throughout the night and lasted till a delayed start of the joint sitting on Thursday evening.

As soon as Interior Minister retired Brig Ijaz Shah moved the motion to take up the Bill for consideration, members belonging to Muttahida Majlis?e?Amal (MMA), Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), National Party and independent members from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas stood up and started raising slogans against it.

The House witnessed unruly scenes as the government and opposition exchanged barbs soon after the Bill was passed, accusing each other of corruption.

The Senate chairman was forced to abruptly prorogue the session after both the treasury and the opposition members refused to follow his directives to maintain decorum of the House, the Dawn reported.

The draft legislation is the third FATF-related Bill passed by Pakistan Parliament.

The Senate on July 30 unanimously approved the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Amendment Bill, 2020, and the Anti-Terrorism Act Amendment Bill, 2020.

The Bills include measures of freezing and seizure of assets, travel ban, and arms embargo on the entities and individuals, who are designated on the sanctions list of the United Nations and impose heavy fine and long term jails for those facilitating militancy.

The three Bills passed fulfil various requirements of the FATF, which put Pakistan on its grey list after Islamabad agreed to implement a 27-point plan of action to improve its legal regime to curb money laundering and terror financing.

The UN Security Council Resolution 1373 made it incumbent on the member states to implement counter-terrorism measures, especially countering the financing of terrorism through their domestic laws.

The Pakistan government has prepared eight bills for legislation on anti-money laundering and terror financing with a view to take out the country from the FATF's grey list to the white list.

In its third and final plenary held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic in June, the FATF decided to keep Pakistan in the "grey list" as Islamabad failed to check flow of money to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The plenary was held under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu.

With Pakistan's continuation in the 'grey list', it will be difficult for the country to get financial aid from the IMF, World Bank, ADB and the European Union, thus further enhancing problems for the nation which is in a precarious financial situation.

If Pakistan fails to comply with the FATF directive by October, there is every possibility that the global body may put the country in the 'Black List' along with North Korea and Iran.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

The FATF currently has 39 members including two regional organisations -- the European Commission and Gulf Cooperation Council.
(Bloomberg) -- Drillers cut exploration in U.S. oil fields to a 15-year low as billions of barrels from old discoveries became worthless and explorers abandoned growth plans.

The number of active oil rigs in the U.S. fell by four to 176, the lowest since 2005, according to Baker Hughes Co. data released Friday. Energy companies have been parking rigs on an almost uninterrupted streak for more than four and half months.

Stung by the pandemic-driven slump in demand and prices, oil explorers are fleeing from the very lifeblood of their business: Drilling for new discoveries. Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. this week warned they probably will wipe billions of barrels of reserves from their books because weak prices have made them unprofitable to pump.

Instead of searching for new untapped deposits of crude, oil executives are channeling cash into dividends and other shareholder-friendly initiatives to appease investors fed up with years of poor returns.

North American E&Ps are in a battle for investment relevance, not a battle for global market share, Matt Gallagher, chief executive officer at Parsley Energy Inc., told analysts during a conference call this week. Allocating growth capital into a global market with artificially constrained supply is a trap our industry has fallen into time and time again.

Permian Decline

Most of this weeks rig decline occurred in the Permian Basin, North Americas biggest oil field, the data showed. Drilling also dropped in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas and stagnated in the Bakken and Denver-Julesburg regions in North Dakota and Colorado, respectively.

Worldwide lockdowns to prevent the spread of Covid-19 had a devastating impact on crude demand at a time when shale explorers were already struggling with too much debt and restive shareholders. While benchmark U.S. oil futures have roughly doubled to $40 a barrel since the start of May, prices are still down by more than 30% for the year.

The rig count is a closely watched metric because its long been considered indicative of future crude production. The relationship is imperfect, however, because of the time lag between drilling a well and commencing production, as well as other factors such as the turning off of existing wells in response to price movements.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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The worldwide 3D machine vision market is anticipated to reach USD 4 billion by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the hardware sector dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the leading contributor to the global 3D machine vision market revenue during the forecast period.

Browse for full research summary: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/3d-machine-vision-market

Growing need for automation and increasing need to offer high quality products in the market fuels the growth of the 3D machine vision market. Use of 3D machine vision increases productivity, and efficiency, while saving time and costs. The increasing demand from industries including automotive, healthcare, defense, aerospace, and food and beverage is expected to provide growth opportunities in the coming years. Emerging and untapped markets of developing economies, and rising demand for customized and application specific 3D machine vision solutions further provide growth opportunities to key players in the 3D machine vision market. Increasing investments, technological advancements, and growing research and development further boosts the growth of the market.

Asia-Pacific generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the 3D machine vision market throughout the forecast period. Rapid industrialization and increasing automation in the region drives the market growth. Introduction of new advanced technologies and increasing applications in automotive, aerospace, electronics and healthcare sectors is expected to support market growth. Growing demand from automotive and manufacturing industries for high quality products further augments the market growth.

Request For sample copy of this report: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/3d-machine-vision-market/request-for-sample

The major players in the 3D machine vision market include ISRA Vision AG, Cognex Corporation, MVTec Software GmbH, Basler AG, Tordivel AS, Sick AG, Stemmer Imaging, National Instruments Corporation, Keyence Corporation, and Microscan Systems, Inc. among others among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.

3D Machine Vision Market Size and Forecast by Component, 2018-2026 Hardware Software Services

3D Machine Vision Market Size and Forecast by Technology, 2018-2026 Smart Camera-Based Systems PC-Based Systems

3D Machine Vision Market Size and Forecast by End-User, 2018-2026 Automotive Healthcare Aerospace and Defense Food and Beverage Electronics and Semiconductors Transportation Wood and Paper Others

3D Machine Vision Market Size and Forecast by Application, 2018-2026 Mapping Robotic Guidance and Automation Quality Control & Inspection Others

3D Machine Vision Market Size and Forecast by Region, 2018-2026 North America US. 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



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Left: Hydrophobic epirubisin is conjugated to one end of hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) chain with aspartate-hydrazide as a linker. In water, this molecule is self-assembled to form nano-micelles (Epi/m). Upper right: PTEN(+) or PTEN(-) GBM was transplanted into the brain of mice, and Epi/m and anti-PD1 antibody (aPD1) were administered through the tail vein to evaluate survival period. Bottom right: Comparison of survival period in case of PTEN(-)GBM. PBS (phosphate buffer solution) was administered to the control group. As a result, none of the control group (black) could survive more than 30 days (8/8). Epi/m alone group (pink) died gradually after 30 days, half (4/8) in 40 days, and 7/8 by 50 days. aPD1 alone (brown) killed 6/7 within 30 days. In contrast, using Epi/m+aPD1 (red), 1/8 died 50 days later, but 7/8 were alive after 3 months even. Credit: 2020 Innovation Center of NanoMedicine

A nanomedicine-based strategy for chemo-immunotherapy (CIT) of glioblastoma (GBM), which has the worst prognosis among brain tumors, was successfully developed. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the combined use of epirubicin-encapsulating nano-micelles (Epi/m) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) eradicated PTEN-negative GBM, which is highly resistant to ICI alone. Due to the synergistic effects of Epi/m plus ICI combination, the number of tumor-infiltrating T cells (TIL) and other antitumor immune cells significantly increased to kill cancer cells effectively.

On the other hand, intratumoral bone marrow-derived immunosuppressive cells (MDSC), which interfere with the immune response, were significantly reduced. The CIT also provided robust immunological memory effects against the tumors, which effectively rejected newly implanted PTEN-negative GBM cells in the brain. While free epirubicin can cause damage to organs, including hematopoietic organs especially, our nanomedicine strategy significantly reduced these side effects, improving the immune response. Epi/m has already advanced into clinical trials for other cancer types, and this CIT strategy could be expected to be translated to clinical evaluation in the future. These results have been published in ACS Nano on August 6 by the American Chemical Society.

The Innovation Center of Nanomedicine (Director: Prof. Kazunori Kataoka, Location: Kawasaki-City, Abbreviation: iCONM) announced that a new therapeutic option for glioblastoma (GBM) was demonstrated in mice, in a collaboration study with the Department of Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. GBM is a brain tumor with extremely rapid progression and poor prognosis (5-year survival rate: 10.1%). Although several compounds are being evaluated in clinical studies, there is no therapeutic option to significantly improve the survival period. In particular, patients with abnormalities in the PTEN gene, one of the cancer suppressor genes, are highly resistant to currently available therapies and have high medical needs.

In general, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are considered to ineffective against GBM, as GBM is immunosuppressive with low T cell infiltration. In the method presented in this paper, iCONM's nano-drug delivery technology allows selective tumor accumulation of epirubicin, which causes immunogenic cell death (ICD), to tumor tissues, thereby, causing ICD locally for synergizing with ICI. As a result, this nanomedicine-based chemo-immunotherapy (CIT) was effective in mice transplanted with GBM in the brain (hereinafter referred to as mouse GBM model), and succeeded in significantly prolonging mice survival. The combination of the epirubicin-loaded nano-micelles treated mice showed high infiltration of cytotoxic T cells (TIL) and decreased bone marrow-derived immunosuppressive cells (MDSC). Eventually suppression of the immune checkpoint function was observed.

Mutations in the PTEN gene occur frequently in GBM, resulting in immunosuppressive pathways that promote the resistance to ICIs. Thus, while ICIs eradicated 40% of tumors in a mouse GBM model in which the PTEN gene is normal, in a model in which the PTEN gene was knocked-out, ICIs were unable to extend mice survival. At the cellular level, it was found that PTEN-deficient cells (CT2A-luc) expressed approximately 5-fold more PDL1 than that of normal cells, which is probably connected to the therapeutic resistance with ICI. As epirubicin have shown the ability to suppress PDL1 expression in tumors, such as breast cancer, it would be possible to decrease PDL1 levels of GBM if sufficient amount of epirubicin can be delivered into GBM lesions. Thus, CIT using nanomicelles containing epirubicin (Epi/m) in combination of ICI were used for enhancing the antitumor efficacy against GBM.

In a GBM model with normal PTEN expression (GL261-luc), Epi/m (5 mg/kg on Epi basis) plus anti-PD1 antibodies (5 mg/kg) resulted in the survival of all mice for more than 70 days, with a remarkable extension of survival time. In this model, PBS-treated mice died within 30 days, mice treated with anti-PD1 antibodies alone (5 mg/kg) allowed 40% of mice to survive for at least 70 days, and Epi/m (5 mg/kg of Epi basis) resulted 80% of mice survival for more than 70 days. In contrast, in the PTEN-deficient model (CT2A-luc), Epi/m (5 mg/kg on Epi basis) plus anti-PD1 antibodies (5 mg/kg) resulted in only 30% of mice survival for more than 70 days, and no clear survival effect could be confirmed for the other control groups. When the dose was increased to 15 mg/kg of Epi/m (in Epi basis) and combined with anti-PD1 antibodies (5 mg/kg), 90% of mice were able to survive for more than 70 days, remarkably prolonging mice survival.

Explore further Researchers identify immune-suppressing target in glioblastoma

More information: Hiroaki Kinoh et al, Translational Nanomedicine Boosts Anti-PD1 Therapy to Eradicate Orthotopic PTEN-Negative Glioblastoma, ACS Nano (2020). Journal information: ACS Nano Hiroaki Kinoh et al, Translational Nanomedicine Boosts Anti-PD1 Therapy to Eradicate Orthotopic PTEN-Negative Glioblastoma,(2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c03386

Provided by Innovation Center of NanoMedicine
BOUDREAU-OUEST, NB, Aug. 7, 2020 /CNW/ - The governments of Canada and New Brunswick recognize the different ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted smaller and rural communities across the province. Both governments are making strategic investments in infrastructure to meet the specific needs of rural New Brunswick municipalities and help them strengthen their local economies.

That is why governments have been taking decisive action together to support families, businesses and communities, and continue to look ahead to see what more can be done.

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Member of Parliament for Beausejour, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development; the Honourable Andrea Anderson-Mason, Minster of Justice and Attorney General and Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation; and H.J. (Harry) McInroy, Chairperson of the Greater Shediac Sewerage Commission, today announced funding to upgrade the Greater Shediac Sewerage Commission Wastewater Treatment Plant in Boudreau-Ouest, New Brunswick.

The project will include the construction of new wastewater facilities for screening and grit removal with blowers, UV disinfection, and a moving bed biofilm reactor as well as the construction of new pumped outfall, pumping stations, three lagoon cells, and 2,500 metres of wastewater pipes. Once complete, the upgraded plant will increase the capacity to treat and manage wastewater, benefiting rural communities in the greater Shediac region.

The Government of Canada is investing more than $16.1 million in this project through the Rural and Northern Infrastructure Stream (RNIS) of the Investing in Canada infrastructure program. The Province of New Brunswick is contributing $10.7 million and the Greater Shediac Sewerage Commission is contributing $5.3 million.

This announcement is one of a series of important project announcements that will be made across the province over the coming weeks. The governments of Canada and New Brunswick are working cooperatively to support jobs, improve communities, and build confidence, while safely and sustainably restoring economic growth.

Quotes

"Rural communities are an integral part of our country, and they have been highly impacted by Covid-19 in many different ways. This is why support to local infrastructure like investing in wastewater treatment plant upgrades in Boudreau-Ouest is essential to building healthy and resilient communities and to protecting the environment. When our small communities thrive, the whole country gets stronger."

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Member of Parliament for Beausejour, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

"Despite the pandemic, our vision for a better economic future has not changed, which is why the provincial government is pleased to participate in this important project. By investing in projects like this wastewater treatment plant, we help build vibrant communities and contribute to the local economy."

The Honourable Andrea Anderson-Mason, Minster of Justice and Attorney General and Minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation

"On behalf of the Greater Shediac Sewerage Commission Board I extend our appreciation to the Government of Canada and the Government of New Brunswick for their support of this environmental stewardship advancement. This is a milestone in the development of advanced treatment technologies and increased capacity to service communities of the Greater Shediac area adhering to effective environmental standards into the decades ahead."

H. J. (Harry) McInroy, Chairperson of the Greater Shediac Sewerage Commission

Quick facts

The GSSC Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades project is one of many infrastructure projects in small or rural communities receiving federal funding under the Investing in Canada Plan. Other funded projects in southeastern New Brunswick include the Lift Station Upgrades project, also in partner with the Greater Shediac Sewerage Commission, and the Downtown Revitalization (Phase 3) project, which modernized water supply, sanitary sewer, and storm water infrastructure on Main Street in Shediac .

Plan. Other funded projects in southeastern include the Lift Station Upgrades project, also in partner with the Greater Shediac Sewerage Commission, and the Downtown Revitalization (Phase 3) project, which modernized water supply, sanitary sewer, and storm water infrastructure on Main Street in . Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada's rural and northern communities.

infrastructure plan, the Government of is investing more than over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and rural and northern communities. $2 billion of this funding is supporting infrastructure projects that meet the unique needs of rural and northern communities to grow local economies, improve social inclusiveness, better safeguard the health and environment of rural and northern communities, and enhance broadband connectivity. In addition, $400 million is being delivered through the Arctic Energy Fund to advance energy security in the territories.

is being delivered through the Arctic Energy Fund to advance energy security in the territories. $26.9 billion of the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan funding is supporting projects that ensure access to safe water, clean air, and greener communities.

of the infrastructure plan funding is supporting projects that ensure access to safe water, clean air, and greener communities. The Government of Canada has invested more than $489 million in over 290 infrastructure projects across New Brunswick under the Investing in Canada plan.

Associated links

Government of Canada Resources  Coronavirus disease (COVID-19):

www.canada.ca/coronavirus

Investing in Canada Plan Project Map:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/map

Federal infrastructure investments on New Brunswick:

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/investments-2002-investissements/nb-eng.html

Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:

http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

Rural Opportunity, National Prosperity: An Economic Development Strategy for Rural Canada:

https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/rural/strat-eng.html

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Web: Infrastructure Canada

SOURCE Infrastructure Canada

For further information: Marie-Pier Baril, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, 613-295-8123, [email protected]; Mary-Anne Corbyn-Hurley, Communications Director, Regional Development Corporation, 506-457-4996, [email protected]; Media Relations, Infrastructure Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

www.infrastructure.gc.ca


Sale of mothballed prisons to go in "three waves" in Ukraine  Justice Minister

13:10, 07.08.20 15094

New detention centers will be built in industrial zones or beyond city limits.
Australia will spend A$1.66 billion ($1.19 billion) over the next 10 years to strengthen the cyber defenses of companies and households after a rise in cyber attacks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.

Cyber attacks on businesses and households are costing about A$29 billion $20.83 billion) or 1.5% of Australias gross domestic product (GDP), Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

Just weeks ago, Canberra said it would spend A$1.35 billion over the next decade to bolster the capabilities of its chief cyber intelligence agency.

Morrison said in June that a sophisticated state-based actor had spent months trying to hack all levels of the government, political bodies, essential service providers and operators of critical infrastructure.

Much of Australias cyber policy to date has focused on bolstering the defenses of government agencies after an attack on the parliament in 2019, but malicious cyber activity is increasing against small and medium businesses, universities and households, Morrison said.

The increased spending is intended to fortify critical infrastructure, boost police efforts to disrupt criminal activity on the dark web and strengthen community awareness.

We will protect our vital infrastructure and services from cyber attacks. We will support businesses to protect themselves so they can succeed in the digital economy, said Morrison.

Australia will also embark on a more aggressive approach to disrupting would-be attackers.

The Australian Signals Directorate  which, Reuters revealed last year, determined China was responsible for hacking Australias parliament  will be given new funding to counter foreign cyber attacks.

China denies it was responsible for the attack, which came months before a national election.

($1 = 1.3877 Australian dollars) ($1 = 1.3920 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Renju Jose and Colin Packham; editing by Michael Perry and Kim Coghill)

Related:

Topics Cyber Trends Australia
Vodafone Idea (Image: Reuters)

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Vodafone Idea share price declined 7 percent in early trade on August 7 after company posted a weak set of numbers for the quarter ended June 2020.

The company on August 6 reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 25,460.20 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, against a loss of Rs 4,873.90 crore for the corresponding quarter a year ago.

Consolidated revenue for the period stood at Rs 10,659.3 crore, down 5.42 percent from Rs 11,269.9 crore reported in Q1 FY20.

Sequentially, the company's revenue for the quarter declined by 9.3 percent impacted by the nationwide lockdown. EBITDA came at Rs 4,098.4 crore while EBITDA margin stood at 38.5 percent.

CLSA has retained underperform rating on the stock and cut target to Rs 8.40 from Rs 9.20 per share.

The Q1 ARPU was down to Rs 114 led by the subscriber loss. The voice traffic declined 6 percent, while data traffic was up 11 percent QoQ.

CLSA has cut FY21-22 forecasts by 1-5 percent. The EMI to be 30 percent of cash EBITDA even if 20-year is given for AGR payment, reported CNBC-TV18.

At 09:23 hrs, Vodafone Idea Limited was quoting at Rs 8.15, down Rs 0.10, or 1.21 percent on the BSE.
Trend's interview with Tommy Kassem, VP Oilfield Services, Russia Caspian Baker Hughes

Question: How does the COVID-19 pandemic affect the business of Baker Hughes in Azerbaijan? Which measures are being taken by the company to mitigate the adverse impact of COVID-19 on its work in the country?

Answer: As an essential business, Baker Hughes has continued to operate and deliver for its customers through the COVID-19 pandemic by adapting how and where we work locally and globally. Our priority has remained protecting the health and safety of our employees, while minimizing operational disruption for our customers.

This situation remains fluid and unpredictable, but we have had crisis management teams in place from the start of the pandemic in order to safeguard our people and the communities in which we operate, and to ensure business continuity.

The health and safety of our employees in Azerbaijan and around the world remains our top priority. We are continuously adapting the way we work in this pandemic, for example by moving to remote working wherever possible, leveraging remote and virtual technologies and adopting a rigorous approach to site preparedness.

Q.: What are your ongoing projects in Azerbaijan? Could you please provide latest updates on each of them?

A.: Baker Hughes is a proud partner to the oil & gas industry in Azerbaijan and contribute to the national economy. Of particular note are our on-shore and off-shore projects with SOCAR and BP as well as collaboration across drilling technologies and chemicals.

Our partnerships help take energy forward in Azerbaijan by supporting talent development in the oil & gas sector in the country. This includes Baker Hughes recent donation of cutting edge JewelSuite software worth $1million (USD) to Baku Higher Oil School, to help students model the Caspian Basin.

Baker Hughes hosted our flagship Energy Forward event in December 2019 for the first time in Azerbaijan. This event brought together industry leaders from across the region to discuss the latest oil & gas industry trends relating to productivity, efficiency and safety.

At this event, we signed a memorandum of understanding on developing and implementing of a concept for lean well drilling. This concept will enhance effectiveness in upstream operations in new wells we will be reporting on our joint achievements in due course.

We also signed a manufacturing agreement for chemical blending with SOCAR's Oil and Gas Research and Design Institute paving the way toward production of localized reagents at SOCARs existing plant in-country. This will drive better results in upstream and downstream and will have long-term strategic benefits for Azerbaijan.

Q.: In which projects are you currently working in particular with Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR?

A.: Baker Hughes has a strong and strategic partnership with SOCAR working extensively across production, lean drilling and chemicals projects; among other projects. We see our relationship with SOCAR as essential to supporting the development of the national industry of Azerbaijan.

Q.: Are you continuing well stimulation work at Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli block? Could you please update on the work underway there by your company?

A.: Following our successful deployment of a Stimulation Vessel in 2018  2019, Baker Hughes has recently conducted stimulation works on an additional two wells at the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli block. Our operations team was able to significantly improve the expected oil rate through a Baker Hughes chemicals solution.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Veteran comedian and entertainer Sil Fox has welcomed recommendations that anonymity should be granted to people accused of all sexual offences, not just rape, unless and until they are convicted.

Mr Fox (87) was recently acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman who had claimed he had touched her while she was taking a photograph with him in 2018.

The legal process took 18 months and Mr Fox and his family feared for his health as each adjournment pushed the trial date out further.

A report was commissioned by the Government after the 2018 Belfast trial of prominent rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding, who were acquitted of rape charges.

The review, led by Tom O'Malley of the National University of Ireland, Galway, recommended granting anonymity to the accused in all sexual offences cases.

However, it did not recommend a ban on asking victims about their sexual history, citing possible miscarriages of justice. It called for victims to get legal representation while being asked such questions, and called for new rules to make sure a victim knows about the possibility of such questions as early as possible.

Mr Fox, from Templeogue in Dublin, said: "Anonymity is absolutely needed to allow protection for innocent victims of wrongful accusations.

"Having no anonymity is devastating for families as well as the individual prosecuted.

"These types of assaults are some of the worst things a person can be accused of. And to have to wait so long to clear your name was hell for me and for my family. Thankfully, I had their full support."

His son Cyril said it was heartbreaking to see his father in the newspapers after every visit to court, whether he had to be there or not due to legal argument, or if the case was being postponed and adjourned.

"That alone nearly pushed him over the edge," he said, adding that his father was put on antidepressants.

Meanwhile, the first woman in Ireland to waive her anonymity as a rape survivor has called for questions about a victim's sexual history to be banned from rape trials.

Lavinia Kerwick waived her anonymity in 1993 after the man who attacked her when she was 19 walked from court after receiving a suspended sentence. She said that a survivor's sexual history should never come up during a trial.

"You are there for a rape case and anyone's sexual history should not come into the public arena," she said.

"Somebody has said they have been raped. They have gone down the channels and bravery of reporting it, it has come to court and their sexual history, what they have or haven't done, should have no impact on a rape case."

Speaking to 'The Pat Kenny Show' on Newstalk, Ms Kerwick said a rape trial was a "very cold and inhumane experience" for a survivor of sexual abuse.

The Rape Crisis Network Ireland and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre both welcomed the publication of the O'Malley report.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said: "What we found is that it's often not the penalty at the end of it that deters people from committing these crimes, or indeed somebody reporting them, it's how they are treated throughout the process. That's why we want to ensure that from the very outset victims are treated with respect and dignity."
South African police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse dozens of protesters outside the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria on Friday, an AFP photographer said.

Close to 100 mainly Zimbabwean migrants in South Africa gathered to protest economic hardship and a recent crackdown on dissent and political opposition back home.

Earlier this week Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa vowed to "flush out" critics who he described as "dark forces" and "terrorists" after the authorities thwarted anti-government protests.

On Friday police were seen pushing and shoving the protesters from the front of the Zimbabwean embassy building, situated in a leafy Pretoria suburb not far from the Union Buildings, the seat of South Africa's government.

Some protesters were drapped in Zimbabwe's national flag, while others waved cards, one reading "Mnangagwa: You are going to The Hague! Murderer! Thief!"

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday said he had appointed two special envoys to go to Harare "following recent reports of difficulties that the Republic of Zimbabwe is experiencing".

Mnangagwa took over from longtime ruler Robert Mugabe after a coup in November 2017 and many Zimbabweans complain that the country's situation has only gotten worse since.

The Zimbabwean government has dismissed allegations of rights abuses and a crisis in the country as "false".

"There is no crisis or implosion in Zimbabwe. Neither has there been any abductions or 'war' on citizens," government spokesman Nick Mangwana said in a statement.

Also on Friday, Human Rights Watch said at least 60 people in Zimbabwe had been arrested in connection with the failed protests last Friday.

"The Zimbabwe authorities have increasingly arbitrarily arrested critics of the government," the rights watchdog said in a statement.

It urged the regional bloc Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union to "urgently and publicly speak out against the Zimbabwe government's crackdown on peaceful anti-corruption protests on July 31, 2020".

Story continues

The High Court in Harare on Friday denied bail to the opposition politician who called the protests.

It was Jacob Ngarivhume's second attempt for bail following his arrest days before the planned protests.

A magistrate court had last month rejected his bail application and he appealed to the High Court.

"The defence council did not convince the court that if released the accused will not participate or invite demonstrations," High Court judge Tawanda Chitapi said.

pho-str-sn/dl
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof Kwasi Opoku Amankwa has asked parents whose wards are found culpable of any of the riots in the various Senior High Schools to stop pleading on their behalves.



According to him, the Directors in the various Senior High Schools have been instructed with immediate effect to take action on all the incidents and forward the findings to the office of the Director-General.



Directors have been directed to take actions on all such misconduct and submit reports to the Director-general immediately, the statement read.



In a statement copied to Peacefmonline.com, Prof Kwasi Opoku Amankwa indicated that all the students found guilty in the riot leading to the destruction of school property will be surcharged accordingly.



He added in the statement that what transpired in the various Senior High Schools leading to the destruction and a threat of life constitute criminal acts that should be reported to the police for investigation.



Describing the behavior displayed by the students as appalling, the Director-General of Ghana Education Service fumed that, Ghana needs educated and disciplined citizens in its forward march to development and that no student is above the law.



The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed school authorities to deboardenise any student established to have been involved in any of the protests and vandalism activities recorded in certain Senior High Schools.



This comes after several viral videos on social media platforms showed some students perpetrating acts of violence and vandalizing school properties over strict invigilation.

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.

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DETROIT - Shifting the current energy landscape away from fossil fuels is a major challenge that will require the development of sustainable and clean energy conversion and storage technologies including fuel cells, electrolyzers and batteries. These technologies effectively convert and store the chemical energy of fuels, along with the intermittent electrical energy generated from renewable sources -- such as solar power and wind power -- through specific electrochemical reactions. In order to efficiently carry out the reactions that lead to energy generation and storage using these technologies, better and cheaper catalysts must be developed.

Eranda Nikolla, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering in Wayne State University's College of Engineering, recently received a $533,837 research award from the Department of Energy's Office of Science for her proposal, "Tuning Catalytically Active Single Sites in Non-stoichiometric, Mixed Metal Oxides for Oxygen Electrocatalysis," which aims to address this need.

Nikolla's work will focus on the development of efficient electrochemical systems for energy generation and storage. She aims to combine computational tools with nanoscience and catalysis to design catalytically active cationic sites in non-stoichiometric, mixed metal oxides for oxygen reduction and evolution -- key reactions in renewable electrochemical energy conversion systems, such as generation of H2 from water. The proposed work will have a significant impact on the development of efficient energy conversion systems.

"It is a great honor that our research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Basic Energy Sciences," said Nikolla. "This work will have a significant impact in the field by providing fundamental insights that can guide tuning of cationic sites in mixed metal oxide electrocatalysts for energy generation and storage."

The grant number for this Department of Energy award is DE-SC0020953.

###

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research institutions in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.
Ben Affleck has found his next project as a director.

The Oscar-winning producer of Argo, 47, will direct The Big Goodbye for Paramount Pictures, which will go behind the scenes of the production of arguably one of the best and most controversial films ever made  1974's Chinatown starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.

The film will be an adaptation of Sam Wasson's book The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood, which was published to rave reviews in February, reports Deadline.

New project: Ben Affleck is set to direct The Big Goodbye, which will go behind the scenes of the production of arguably one of the best films ever made  1974's Chinatown; seen in March

Affleck, whose previous directing credits include 2013's Best Picture Oscar winner Argo along with Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Live by Night, is also set to write and produce the new project.

Saturday Night Live's Lorne Michaels is also on board to produce.

The book The Big Goodbye was acclaimed for its details about Chinatown's creation, including new revelations about the existence of a secret co-writer.

The historical work explored the making of the film and all the players involved therein: from Dunaway and Nicholson to actor John Huston as the foreboding Noah Cross, as well as director Roman Polanski in the period after the murder of his wife Sharon Tate in 1969 and before his own sex abuse conviction in 1977.

Good read: The film will be an adaptation of Sam Wasson's book The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood, which was published to rave reviews in February

The book was acclaimed for its details about Chinatown's creation, including new revelations about the existence of a secret co-writer; Faye Dunaway, Jack Nicholson seen in the film

It also includes an exploration of how Polanski rewrote the screenplay's positive ending in favor of a much darker conclusion.

Considered a classic in film noir, Chinatown told the story of nefarious doings in 1930's-era Los Angeles involving cheating spouses, the local mafia and the Southern California Water Board.

With its unforgettable acting, moody ambiance and explosive ending, Chinatown earned an impressive 11 Oscar nominations and won one trophy in 1975, for Best Screenplay which went to screenwriter Robert Towne.

The film lost the Best Picture trophy that year to The Godfather: Part II.

Classic: Considered a classic in film noir, Chinatown told the story of nefarious doings in 1930's-era Los Angeles, earning an impressive 11 Oscar nominations

Affleck, a self-avowed Hollywood film history buff, has been keen on the project at least since late May, when his Good Will Hunting cowriter and best friend Matt Damon was seen holding the book while visiting the actor.

It's still unconfirmed whether Affleck would also appear in the new film, but with roles to be filmed like Hollywood greats Nicholson and Dunaway, both of whom are still alive, the project is sure to attract interest from many sides.

The film marks Ben's first directing job since 2016's noir film Live by Night.

Planting the seed: Affleck has been keen on the project at least since late May, when his Good Will Hunting cowriter and best friend Matt Damon was seen holding the book while visiting him

As an actor, he stepped away from playing Batman in the DC Extended Universe and is coming off positive reviews after starring in this year's The Way Back.

He next can be seen in the New Regency thriller Deep Water in November with his real life girlfriend Ana de Armas, and is set to start filming the Ridley Scott period film The Last Duel at the end of the month after delays due to the coronavirus.

Matt and Ben, who are the Oscar-winning screenwriting team behind 1997's Good Will Hunting, co-wrote The Last Duel about the last sanctioned duel in France, in which a knight battled his friend after accusing him of raping his wife.

Life imitating art: Ben will next can be seen in the thriller Deep Water in November with his real life girlfriend Ana de Armas; seen here together last month

Way back when: Matt and Ben, who are the Oscar-winning screenwriting team behind 1997's Good Will Hunting (seen here), co-wrote another of Affleck's upcoming projects, The Last Duel

The actors originally intended to play the two knights, but Affleck switched to a smaller supporting role, while Adam Driver replaced him.

On the directing front, Ben has two additional projects on the docket, including the war drama Ghost Army, which is in pre-production.

The other is a courtroom drama titled Witness for the Prosecution, based on a novel by Agatha Christie.
New Delhi: As Bollywood actress, Rhea Chakraborty appeared before Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday along with her brother Showik and former manager Shruti Modi, her call details of last one year make some startling revelations.

According to sources in last one year, Rhea talked to her father 1192 times, her brother Showik Chakraborty 1069 times. She had a conversation with Sushant Singh Rajput around 145 times. However, she called Samuel Miranda 287 times in a year which is probably more than Sushant.

With Shruti Modi, Rhea talked 791 times and Siddharth Pithani around 100 times. She also chatted with Deepesh Sawant around 41 times, Sushant's sister Rani only 4 times in a year.

With her mentor and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, Rhea Chakraborty interacted 16 times in a year over the phone. Rhea called Uday Singh Gauri for 22 times and Bollywood actor Aditya Roy Kapur 23 times. She also talked on the phone with Dream Home Real Estate company which was not once or twice but 23 times in a year.

Interestingly, other important details have also come out. The Mumbai DCP Abhishek Trimukhe and Rhea interacted four times on call and once exchanged a message. From June 21 to July 18, twice the call was made and on the other two occasions, the call was received.

DCP Trimukhe is investigating the Sushant Singh Rajput death case and therefore the call exchange could be related to the probe.

Out of these, once Rhea was called to again come for the recording of statement and once the actress made a call to the DCP over receiving threats on social media.

It has been learnt that from Rhea's father Indrajeet Chakraborty's Vodafone number 230 times incoming and 660 times outgoing calls have been made.

There have been 7 incoming and 9 outgoing calls to Mahesh Bhatt. Then 5 incoming and 10 outgoing calls to psychiatrist Kersi Chavda. As per these details, Sushant called Rhea only 28 times while the actress made 259 calls to the late 'Dil Bechara' star.

Also, Samuel Miranda's number was with Sushant, therefore, the call details on Miranda's name actually belong to the late actor.
A 40-year-old woman faces several charges after police executed a search warrant at a Fort Erie home and seized a large quantity of drugs.

Niagara Regional Police on Aug. 6 executed the warrant at a residence in the area of Waterloo Street and Bertie Street.

As a result, officers seized 642.8 grams of cocaine, 28.7 grams of fentanyl, 6 grams of heroin, 6.9 grams of crystal meth, 32 pills of methylphenidate and $1,900 in cash.

The drugs had estimated street values of $64,280 in cocaine, $8,610 in fentanyl, $2,100 in heroin, $690 in crystal meth and $224 in methylphenidate.

Charge with numerous possession and trafficking-related offences is Nicole Piper of Fort Erie. She was held pending a bail hearing at the courthouse in St. Catharines.

Police ask anyone with information to contact investigators at 905-688-4111, ext. 5400.
Major cities across the country have seen a leap in violence this year as the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic and unrest over racial injustice build.

Will New Jersey follow suit? Thats a possibility that drew worry last month from the acting superintendent of state police, Col. Patrick Callahan, who noted that as he spoke, New Jersey had seen a 19% increase in fatal shootings compared to the same time period in 2019.

Were certainly concerned about it, Callahan said at a July 15 news briefing. Because were seeing way too many shootings, and the likelihood of it continuing through the warm summer months gives us a tremendous amount of concern.

Statewide, a total of 104 people have been killed as of July 19, according to state police data released last week. Twenty-seven communities across New Jersey saw at least one person die of gun violence. Another 476 people were injured.

The numbers were driven by New Jerseys population centers, with three cities already recording killings in the double digits. Newark, the states largest city, had 21 deaths. Trenton had 19 deaths. And Paterson had 13 deaths  including the bloodiest single event, a July 7 shooting in which four people were killed and three were injured.

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora said the pressures of the year appear to be contributing to the woes.

Were no different than New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, Gusciora said, referencing three cities that have reported upticks in violence.

Its partly been local economies are on the wane relating to the pandemic, Gusciora said. A lot of people have been cooped up.

But whether 2020 will prove to be deadlier than 2019 remains an open question, and some of the states traditional hotspots have reported that killings are down comparing year-to-year. That includes Camden, where they had fallen by more than half as of last month, and Newark, which reported a 28% reduction as of July 26.

Still, this week, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka called on residents and community groups to come together after a spate of violence, with at least 16 shootings from July 20 to July 31. On Sunday, there were two more shootings, with a 10-year-old girl among those injured.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Riley Yates may be reached at ryates@njadvancemedia.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:49:11|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writers Bai Lin and Wang Xiaopeng

NAIROBI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Working as a motorbike taxi rider in Kenya's capital Nairobi, Joseph Musau knows at least three acquaintances who have contracted COVID-19.

It was not until recently did he realize that COVID-19 was spreading at a faster speed in his country, where it took three months for the caseload to hit 6,000, but just weeks to the 20,000 mark.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has reported similar scenarios in South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria.

On Friday, COVID-19 cases increased to pass the one million mark on the continent, as South Africa alone accounts for around half of the continent's total cases.

"Every time I am ferrying a passenger, I know my chances of getting the disease are high, even as I take precautions, but this is my job, I cannot stop," Musau said.

MULTIPLE CHALLENGES

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa said on July 30 that 41 African countries have reported nearly 14,000 health worker infections.

"The growth we are seeing in COVID-19 cases in Africa is placing an ever-greater strain on health services across the continent," said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's regional director for Africa.

In many African countries, prevention and control measures in health facilities are not fully implemented, according to a WHO report published on July 23. Many health centers were found to lack the infrastructure necessary to implement key infection prevention measures or to prevent overcrowding.

The burden in many aspects of the disease is growing. In Senegal, blood supply has run low, according to the National Center for Blood Transfusion. A recession along with a severe economic contraction has taken place in South Africa, accompanied by huge job losses and the closure of businesses as citizens grapple with social, economic and mental hardships.

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Africa's growth this year will drop from an initial estimate of 3.2 percent to between minus 2.8 percent and about zero percent due to COVID-19, a dire situation that could throw an extra 20 million people into poverty in a continent where about 300 million cannot afford one meal a day.

CONTINENTAL EFFORTS

African governments have put up spirited efforts to contain the disease and its impact, with measures ranging from lockdowns, increasing testing, awareness to contact tracing and economic relief packages.

In Kenya, the government in June launched a COVID-19 mitigation contact center to offer psychosocial support to healthcare workers, and set up a home-based care initiative that can help lift the burden off the primary healthcare system and boost recoveries.

In Zimbabwe, a community kitchen run by Samantha Murozoki some 30 km away from capital Harare is providing relief to about 2,000 people, offering breakfast and supper.

On Aug. 1, Rwanda's airports reopened to international travellers, more than four months after the central African nation suspended commercial passenger flights. Kenya government has also resumed international flights, while developing guidelines to ensure the move does not jeopardize the war against COVID-19 in Kenya.

However, seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa, which had started easing lockdowns, have experienced a 20-percent jump in cases over the past two weeks, according to a WHO Africa report published on July 30.

GLOBAL SUPPORT

Over the past few months, Chinese medical supplies have been streaming into the continent, coming to the aid of patients, doctors, nurses, and ordinary people.

The Chinese embassy in Ghana on Thursday delivered a consignment of medical supplies, including 16,000 masks and 100 infrared thermometers to Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council. Last month, China handed medical supplies to the China-Uganda Friendship Hospital.

The WHO is also helping fill gaps in the supply of personal protective equipment. About 41 million items of personal protective equipment are shipped from China to cover the needs of 47 African countries, according to its report published on July 23.

The EU has also increased its support to the vulnerable in Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia by providing 64.7 million euros (76.5 million dollars) to provide life-saving assistance to impoverished households.

Similarly, the African Development Bank on July 27 approved grants worth about 25.1 million dollars to Somalia to boost government efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

Africa still has a chance to contain the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent once proper measures are taken, said John Nkengasong, director of the Africa CDC.

"There is still a huge opportunity on the continent to develop appropriate model actions to fight COVID-19," he noted, reiterating his praise of China's response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Enditem

(Xinhua reporters Zhang Yuliang, Wen Hao, Zhang Gaiping, Xing Jianqiao, Zhao Yupeng and Cao Kai also contributed to the story.)
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order which states that US companies have 45 days to stop doing business with the Chinese app WeChat.

It follows a similar executive order taken against TikTok.

The Trump administration has expressed national security concerns over the relationship between Chinese applications and the Chinese government, believing that the apps could send data on US citizens to Beijing.

TikTok has repeatedly denied any allegations it would do so, although is potentially set to be purchased by Microsoft on 15 September, before the 45 day limit; The Independent has reached out to WeChat for comment.

WeChat offers far greater utility than TikTok. The app has games, payment systems, communication methods, photo sharing, and more built into it, and is near-ubiquitous in China.

Like TikTok, WeChat automatically captures vast swathes of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information, the executive order against the messaging app claims.

In addition, the application captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives.

In both orders, the president cites the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act, naming both TikTok and WeChats operations within the US as a national emergency. It is likely these proposed bans will be subject to legal challenges.

In relation to WeChat, and its parent company Tencent, the executive order forbids any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person or with its parent company Tencent.

As well as WeChat, and various television, music, e-commerce, and video streaming platforms, Tencent owns stakes in popular video games including PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and completely owns Riot Games. It also has a 40 per cent owning stake in Epic Games, which develops Fortnight.

Tencent has also invested in Tesla, Reddit and Spotify. It is unclear if the executive order extends to these businesses. The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.

The move is not unexpected. The Trump administration, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has been threatening further action against Chinese companies over the past week.

Pompeo described that the Trump government is calling it the Clean Network program, which will target Alibaba, Baidu, China Mobile, China Telecom, Tencent, and Huawei.

With parent companies based in China, apps like TikTok, WeChat and others are significant threats to personal data of American citizens, not to mention tools for CCP (Chinese Communist Party) content censorship, Pompeo said on Thursday.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the United States has no right to set up the Clean Network and called the actions a textbook case of bullying.

Anyone can see through clearly that the intention of the US is to protect its monopoly position in technology and to rob other countries of their proper right to development, said Wang.
White House spokesman said the two leaders 'expressed their deep sadness over the loss of life and devastation in Beirut'

U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed working together with other countries to send immediate aid to Lebanon during a Friday phone call, as well as extending the United Nations arms embargo on Iran, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

Deere said the two leaders "expressed their deep sadness over the loss of life and devastation in Beirut," the Lebanese capital where an explosion killed more than 100 people and injured thousands on Tuesday.

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Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World

By Lesley M.M. Blume

Simon & Schuster. 276 pp. $27

- - -

Should you happen to find yourself living in disquieting times, times that have left you in a state of high anxiety, wondering if the world is on the brink of something still more calamitous, then Lesley M.M. Blume's "Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-Up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World," might not be the book for you.

Then again, Blume's meticulously researched tale of the lengths to which a government will go to keep the truth from reaching its citizens might be exactly what everyone should be reading at this deeply worrisome juncture.

"Fallout" is the story behind John Hersey's famous article about the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, which led to an abrupt end to World War II. Hersey was the first journalist to produce an on-the-scene account of the bomb's aftermath. When the New Yorker published the 31,000-word story on Aug. 31, 1946, it devoted an entire issue to it.

The publication of "Fallout" coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing this past week. The book is timely on its own, however, as the idea that a democracy's highest officials might use verbal sleights of hand to distract citizens from a crisis has been cropping up of late.

A quick Hiroshima-Nagasaki primer: The 10,000-pound uranium bomb exploded above Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945. It obliterated the city and killed roughly 280,000 Japanese civilians. People and objects caught directly under the blast were instantly incinerated. Three days after the first bombing, the United States dropped a second, even more powerful bomb on Nagasaki, about 250 miles away. Soon thereafter came Japan's unconditional surrender. Many of the initial survivors suffered from radiation poisoning and died agonizing deaths in the months that followed the bombings.

Hersey's article, published a year later, detailed the lives of six Hiroshima survivors. He described minute by excruciating minute what happened to these six people before and after the bomb struck. "My hope was that the reader would be able to become the characters enough to suffer some of the pain," he said later. He told their stories against a nightmarish miasma of seared corpses, infernal winds and desperate attempts to help the wounded. Of one, the Rev. Tanimoto, Hersey wrote that he "took a woman by the hands, but her skin slipped off in huge, glove-like pieces."

Hersey's article has been called the most important journalistic work of the 20th century, as his account of the unspeakable devastation from the atomic bomb gave us the wisdom to resist deploying one again - at least so far.

Yet, as Blume reports, the U.S. government was less than keen on letting the public learn of the scale and horror of human loss at the hands of its military. One general went so far as to tell a Senate Special Committee on Atomic Energy that doctors had assured him that radiation poisoning was "a very pleasant way to die." Americans were urged to look ahead rather than reflect on the war.

In the course of suppressing information about the true nature of the carnage, U.S. officials took reporters on tightly orchestrated press junkets, ensuring that the journalists would depict residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as having resumed near-normal lives. The goal, in other words, was to make Hiroshima and Nagasaki yesterday's news.

But William Shawn, then the managing editor of the New Yorker, believed that the story of the bomb's victims remained untold. He commissioned the 31-year-old Hersey to write it. By all appearances, Hersey was a reliably patriotic journalist. He had already distinguished himself at the New Yorker with a profile of a young naval lieutenant named John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who while in the South Pacific during the war had rescued the crew of his PT boat, which had been cut in half by a Japanese destroyer.

To gain access to Hiroshima, Hersey and Shawn decided on a Trojan horse strategy. Sneaking into Hiroshima was out of the question, as all reporters entering the city, even months later, did so under the close scrutiny of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, or SCAP. So Hersey made a formal request of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's SCAP offices to enter Japan and access Hiroshima. Hersey had written glowingly of military leaders, including a portrait of MacArthur that Hersey later called "too adulatory." His request to report from the ground was granted, and by late May 1946, he was on a train from Tokyo to Hiroshima.

The New Yorker had been planning to run the story as a three-part series. But Shawn pushed Harold Ross, the magazine's editor in chief, to print Hersey's story and nothing else in one issue. "[Shawn] wants to wake people up," Ross wrote to longtime New Yorker writer and editor E.B. White. As Blume tells it, Ross tortured himself over the decision. In the 1925 founding issue, Ross told readers that the magazine would be "gay, humorous, [and] satirical." But he had also started the publication with "a declaration of serious purpose," printing stories that went "behind the scenes."

Once he made the decision to devote the entire magazine to the story, Ross told Rebecca West, another New Yorker writer, "I don't know what people will think, but a lot of readers are going to be startled."

In early August, the New Yorker submitted the article for review to Lt. Gen.Leslie Groves, who had overseen the Manhattan Project. Incredibly enough, Groves called Shawn to say he was greenlighting the story but wanted a few changes, and dispatched one of his public relations officers to the New Yorker offices the next day. Groves himself approved the final version of the story. The details of the meeting at the New Yorker are unknown. But while certain contentious parts in the first draft had disappeared by the time the article went to press, those omissions didn't detract from the story's powerful effect.

"Fallout" is at its most gripping when Blume describes the article's immediate, dramatic impact on a public that had been kept in the dark about the human devastation in Hiroshima. Newsstands quickly sold out. Excerpts ran in newspapers around the world. (Hersey allowed the serialization on the condition that in lieu of payment to him, the newspapers make contributions to the American Red Cross.) The article was read on the radio, in its entirety, over four consecutive nights. Albert Einstein ordered 1,000 copies for distribution. Alfred A. Knopf later published it as a book.

Editors and columnists across the country were quick to denounce the silence and secrecy that had shrouded the aftermath of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In an angry editorial, the Monterey Peninsula Herald in Northern California wrote that the efforts of the U.S. government to conceal the full story made Americans look like "amoral fools."

The Truman administration scrambled to spin the impact of the article. The president and his former secretary of war, Henry L. Stimson, redoubled their efforts to claim that the bombs had shortened the war; that lives on both sides had been saved because otherwise Japan would have carried on a protracted, bloody fight to the last man.

It's clear that Blume poured herself into this project. For a sense of the sheer amount of work that went into it, just read her acknowledgments. Where most authors' acknowledgments are heartfelt but brief, Blume's run seven pages. Her endnotes take up a whopping 64 pages.

So compelling is Blume's story-of-a-story that as soon as I finished reading "Fallout," I went back to the original New Yorker article, which I last read a couple of decades go. Reading Hersey's account now - as well as "Hiroshima: The Aftermath," a follow-up Hersey wrote for the magazine in 1985 - through the lens of Blume's backstory, I appreciated still more what it took to bring the story of Hiroshima to light.

Hersey died in 1993, and how he would react to this microscopic examination of his seminal work can't be known. He shunned the spotlight as assiduously as his contemporaries sought it. He didn't have a literary agent and rarely gave interviews.

But here's a hint that Hersey might have approved of Blume's book. Among the dozens of people Blume thanks in her acknowledgments is one Koko Tanimoto Kondo. Kondo is the daughter of the above-mentioned Rev. Tanimoto. Kondo was an infant in her mother's arms when the bomb hit. Both were buried under heavy wood and rubble. Her mother managed to scratch out a hole in the debris big enough to push the baby through. When Blume traveled to Hiroshima for research, Kondo was her guide through the city. It seems fitting that Blume dedicated her book to Kondo, a gesture to the shining light of humanity that infused Hersey's original article. It's a gesture Hersey is likely to have appreciated.

- - -

Hafner is a journalist and the author of six works of nonfiction, including "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet" (with Matthew Lyon). She hosts the weekly podcast "Our Mothers Ourselves."
When asked about whether Lightfoot should self-quarantine or take more precautions, Pritzker said, She has a doctor. Im not going to make advice here about that. Look, I just want people to do the right thing and, you know, keep everybody around them safe and healthy. And, of course, I want the mayor to be safe and healthy. So, whatever the best advice is that shes been given I know she will follow.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After an earlier rapid coronavirus test returned a positive result for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a second coronavirus test for DeWine, Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine and members of his staff all have come back negative, the governors office announced Thursday night.

The second round of testing was performed through a more sensitive test called a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR test, which detects genetic material from the new coronavirus, the governors office said. The earlier test, administered as DeWine traveled to greet President Donald Trump in Cleveland, delivers fast results by testing for the presence of antigens in the body, but is a relatively unproven technology and is viewed as less accurate.

We feel confident in the PCR results from Wexner Medical Center, DeWines office said in a statement, referring to the Columbus hospital where the second test was performed. This is the same PCR test that has been used over 1.6 million times in Ohio by hospitals and labs all over the state.

The test administered this morning to the Governor in Cleveland, as part of the protocol required to meet the President, was an antigen test, the statement continued. These tests represent an exciting new technology to reduce the cost and improve the turnaround time for COVID-19 testing, but they are quite new, and we do not have much experience with them here in Ohio. We will be working with the manufacturer to have a better understanding of how the discrepancy between these two tests could have occurred.

The development caps a tumultuous day in Ohio, and is sure to further complicate the already heated public debate about the coronavirus pandemic, COVID testing accuracy and availability, and the applicability for public policy.

DeWines earlier positive test meanwhile was particularly surprising because of his visibility as a cautious voice for social distancing and mask wearing. In an impromptu virtual press conference, DeWine told reporters Thursday afternoon he felt fine, and he wasnt sure how he could have been exposed.

DeWine said he and his wife plan to undergo a second PCR test on Saturday out of an abundance of caution.
This is the shocking moment a drinker at a pub in Leeds told a student she 'looks like a Jew' and said 'we should have gassed the lot of you' in a shocking confrontation.

In the video, which was taken yesterday afternoon at a Wetherspoon pub in Leeds, a man can be seen asking the victim if she is a Jew before saying 'should have f***ing gassed the lot of you'.

The victim - a 21-year-old Leeds University student - says she was left shaking by the encounter and has shared the footage in the hope of identifying those involved.

Jewish student Danielle says she was not scared to call out the hateful comments after man asked if she was Jewish before adding 'we should have gassed the lot of you' at a pub in Leeds

Danielle has reported the incident to the police but is appealing for help to identify this man

Danielle Greyman, 21, was meeting friends for a drink at the Wetherspoon pub on Woodhouse Lane in Leeds yesterday afternoon when a dispute broke out about social distancing.

Danielle, a Jewish student at Leeds University, said: 'We got there sat down everything was fine but there were two strangers at our table not socially distancing and refusing to move.'

The 21-year-old, who is in her third year studying sociology, said the man and woman continued to try and make the group of friends move.

She admitted she has a 'big mouth which can be a problem' adding: 'I don't like it when people are trying to intimidate us.

'So I started talking about periods because I know it's the easiest way to make a man feel uncomfortable.'

Danielle says the atmosphere grew more tense when a homeless man came and asked if he could perform magic for the outdoor tables in exchange for money and Danielle offered him 5.

'The woman started yelling at me and being rude - she was saying I was a fool and that he was going to spend it on heroin.'

Jewish student Danielle says she was not scared to call out the hateful comments after man asked if she was Jewish before adding 'we should have gassed the lot of you' at a pub in Leeds

A shocking confrontation was caught on camera when this man identifies himself as German before asking the camerawoman Danielle if she's Jewish and saying 'we should have gassed the lot of you' during a heated exchange in a Wetherspoon pub in Leeds, W. Yorkshire

The row continued to escalate, which Danielle admits she had a hand in, before she used the words 'mazel tov' sparking the man to begin questioning whether she was Jewish.

Danielle added: 'At this point I started filming because I know what comes after that question.'

In the video Danielle can be heard asking if she looks like a Jew to which the man replies 'You do yeh' before waving at the camera.

He then adds: 'And I'm a German. We shoulda f***ing gassed the lot of ya.'

When Danielle questioned what exactly he had said and whether he was going to gas the lot of them, he confirms: 'We shoulda done.'

Danielle says: 'Oh that's really funny because what you've actually just done is commit a hate crime.'

As the exchange continues, the woman says: 'We're not being racist. I've said nothing.

'Get on with your drink and leave us alone.'

One friend of Danielle's, who is not seen in the video, says to the man: 'You said something anti-Semitic so she's filming in case there's anything else.'

The man replies: 'What the hell is anti-Semitic?'

Danielle adds: 'If you want to gas my people, I will take you to court. I'm not joking - i will ruin your whole f***king life.'

The argument then turns back to who should be sitting at the table before another group sitting behind the students joins in.

Speaking to the Mail Online, Danielle added: 'The table behind us started to get involved and one of the men said he was going to punch me in the mouth - he was quite a big guy. I wasn't scared but I was shaking.'

It was at this point that the police were called who Danielle says never arrived and the incident was dealt with by Wetherspoons staff.

'I think I got a bit scared because the people on the table behind us were behaving strangely and it was quite unpredictable but if someone says something anti-Semitic to me, I'm never going to back down.

'There are people out there who would have been terrified to call them out and challenge it.'

A spokesman for Wetherspoon confirmed that a man and woman were asked to leave the pub yesterday and have been banned from returning.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: Police were called at around 5.45pm yesterday to a report of a hate incident which is believed to have happened a short time prior.

'The victim reported being verbally abused by three suspects outside a bar on Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, before the suspects made off.

'Enquiries remain ongoing and officers are making attempts to speak to the victim.

'Anyone with information should contact police on 101, quoting log 1439 of 06/08.

'Any incidents motivated by hostility and hate are unacceptable and are taken very seriously by West Yorkshire Police.

'If you believe you have been subject to a hate related incident, you should contact police and report it.'

Do YOU know the drinker in the video? Get in touch at katie.feehan@mailonline.co.uk
(Alliance News) - Britain on Thursday reimposed quarantine for travellers from Andorra, Belgium and the Bahamas following a spike in coronavirus cases in these countries.

"People arriving inA EnglandA fromA Andorra, Belgium andA the BahamasA fromA 4:00 am Saturday August 8 awill need to self-isolate for two weeks," the transport ministry said in a statement, about a month after lifting these measures.A

"There has been a consistent increase in Covid-19 cases per 100,000 of the population inA BelgiumA since the middle of July, withA aA fourfoldA increaseA in total cases over thisA time period.A

"In Andorra, new cases per week have increased 5-fold over the sameA time period, while in the BahamasA the weekly case rate peaked at 78.6 last week, up from 3.1 in mid-July," it said.A

The Scottish government later tweeted that the three countries were being removed from its "quarantine exemption list".

Brunei and Malaysia have been added to the corridors of both England and Scotland from August 11 after being assessed as posing a lower infection risk.A A A A

With over 46,000 deaths due to Covid-19 disease, the UK is the country in Europe most affected by the pandemic and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been strongly criticised over his handling of the crisis.A

Since relaxing the lockdown, "the government has made consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, including removing countriesA from the travel corridors listA rapidly" if the public health risk becomes too high," said the ministry.A

By the end of July, the UK had already reintroduced an unannounced quarantine for travellers arriving from Spain, catching the airlines by surprise and thousands of Britons leaving for their holidays there.A

cdu/bsp/ach A

source: AFP

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
By definition, tourist attractions are not in the business of turning away tourists. But the pandemic has forced some popular Winnipeg destinations to introduce screening measures that are compulsory, even when it means denying entry to would-be guests.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 6/8/2020 (530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

By definition, tourist attractions are not in the business of turning away tourists. But the pandemic has forced some popular Winnipeg destinations to introduce screening measures that are compulsory, even when it means denying entry to would-be guests.

Face masks will be mandatory inside the Winnipeg Art Gallery beginning Tuesday for all staff and visitors. Also, people are asked COVID-19 screening questions upon arrival, and everyone arriving for meetings has their temperature checked.

Linjie Huang (left) and her mom, Xuelian Zhang, look at art at the WAG. Even though they've lived in Winnipeg for two years, this was their first visit to the gallery. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

The aim is to make the art gallery "a safe space for the community to find inspiration during this challenging time," said WAG spokesperson Amber OReilly. She said the WAG hasnt experienced pushback from patrons who resent the questions and safety measures.

"I think that visitors in recent weeks have just been super happy to have a place to look at art and to have a relaxing time with their families, or in a socially-distanced hang-out with friends," she said.

Not everyone has been so happy with pandemic precautions.

Employees at the St. Boniface historic site Fort Gibraltar were forced to turn away a couple from Quebec last weekend. When Fort staff asked a set of screening questions, the couple revealed they had not self-quarantined for 14 days. They were denied entry.

"The two guests were very surprised, I think they got angry because they had been looking forward to visiting the Fort, and there was a little bit of a vocal dispute," said Fort spokesperson Nicolas Audette.

The miffed couple told Fort Gibraltar staff they had learned their lesson, and would lie the next time staff at a Winnipeg attraction asked if they had isolated, Audette said.

The Fort was following the rules, knowing that visitors from Quebec, east and south Ontario and Atlantic Canada are all required to self-isolate for two weeks as per phase four of Manitoba's reopening guidelines.

Fort Gibraltar, which reopened to the public July 21, is also considering mandating masks for all employees.

Signs encouraging social distancing at the WAG. The gallery hasnt experienced pushback from patrons who resent the questions and safety measures. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

At the Manitoba Museum, the pandemic has closed some of the biggest attractions, including interactive high-touch experiences. One of the biggest draws to the museum, a replica ship of the 17th-century Nonsuch, has been closed to visitors because sanitation requirements would cause potential damage to the ship.

"We know that people are disappointed they cant go on the ship, and we know that people want to open the drawers and push the buttons to have that more interactive experience, but they know its just not reasonable right now," museum spokesperson Jody Tresoor said.

Museum staff greet visitors and asks screening questions before letting them purchase tickets, though visitors are encouraged to buy their ticket online beforehand.

Tresoor said it was "disappointing" to hear that Fort Gibraltar had to turn away visitors, but the museum had not had the same experience since its staggered opening in June.

"Its not been a regular summer attendance, just like so many other attractions in the province, in the country, probably the world  but our customers are thrilled to be coming back, and theyre behaving appropriately," she said.

Should the screening questions reveal visitors from areas outside phase four regulations had not self-quarantined, they would be asked to leave the museum and return once they had, she said.

The Assiniboine Park Zoo has no screening process on-site for arriving visitors, and hasnt since they re-opened their doors in May. Rather, they request visitors self-screen online before attending.

This decision was made due to the high volume of visitors the zoo sees in the summer months, even during COVID-19 restrictions, said Assiniboine Park Conservancy spokesperson Laura Cabak.

"A stop-and-ask-questions process would just be not conducive to visitor flow," she said.

Weve really focused on things like signage, cleaning, encouraging physical distancing, capacity management within the indoor places at the zoo.  Assiniboine Park Conservancy spokesperson Laura Cabak on the zoo's decision to request visitors self-screen online before attending.

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Cabak said its difficult to compare the zoo and its visitor management process to other tourist destinations, in part because almost all attractions are outdoors.

"Weve really focused on things like signage, cleaning, encouraging physical distancing, capacity management within the indoor places at the zoo," Cabak said.

Visitation under the current circumstances has still been relatively strong, Cabak said, and people have been respectful of the rules overall. She said there hasnt been a situation where someone has been asked to leave due to COVID-19 related concerns, but did not rule out the possibility in the future.

"Is there a circumstance? Possibly, and then I think we would just have to deal with it on a case-by-case basis," she said.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
The information was not final.

Ukraine's Health Minister Maksym Stepanov says that including the city of Kharkiv in the red zone of the COVID-19 quarantine on August 7 was a clerical error.

"There has been a technical error when some media outlets disseminated information that they had seen at the Public Health Center," he said at a briefing on August 7, according to nv.ua. "It was a clerical error."

Read alsoKharkiv now in "red zone" of COVID-19 quarantine as Ukraine reviews zoning Aug 7

The information was not final, he said.

As was reported earlier, Kharkiv got into the red zone as Ukraine authorities on August 7 completed a weekly review of its recently-introduced quarantine zoning. Rivne region's Kostopilsky district and Chernivtsi region's Kitsmansky district became part of the red zone.

Meanwhile, the city of Ternopil migrated from the red zone, and yellow-zone restrictions will be in effect there from August 8, while the city of Lutsk also left the red zone and will stay in the orange zone for at least a week.
Private sector lender HDFC Bank delayed sharing its loan details with consumer credit reporting company Experian PLC. The Irish-domiciled multinational informed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in July (2020) about the delay on the bank's part in providing the details of its loans, comprising the repayment status of millions of its borrowers.

Such sluggishness has been an issue for around two years, sources in the know told Bloomberg. Credit bureaus like Experian provide data to Indian banks seeking to evaluate the credit worthiness of borrowers.

Banks are dependent on these companies for all such data, especially at a time when bad debt is expected to increase in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The RBI has made it obligatory for lenders to provide information on their borrowers to Experian and three other credit bureaus on a monthly basis.

Also Read: HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri emerges as the highest paid banker

Denying any such delays in supplying the information, an HDFC spokesperson told the news agency that the bank "has always been sharing information with the credit bureaus on time both as a matter of policy and regulatory compliance" adding that the lender is "totally compliant in this regard."

Meanwhile Experian's spokesperson also told the news agency that any information regarding the RBI, the banks, and the credit bureau is highly confidential adding that the company functions within a framework set out by the central bank and in compliance with the Credit Information Companies (Regulation) Act of 2005.

Credit bureaus serve as a central point for the country's banks to part details on the repayment status of their loans on a confidential basis.

Also Read: HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri emerges as the highest paid banker

For instance, if a specific corporate or individual borrower has arrears to pay to one bank, such information from the bureaus can help prevent another lender from increasing its exposure (to such borrowers).According to a 2014 committee report on the bureaus' activities, an "adequate amount of quality information on counterparties is a critical component" of India's financial infrastructure.The banking sector is faced with the possibility of more debts going bad following a loan repayment freeze that ends later this month.

Also Read: Will Aditya Puri leave banking industry post retirement from HDFC Bank?
BETHLEHEM  The Bethlehem Industrial Development Agency is considering creating a $25,000 coronavirus small business grant program for local businesses.

The program would reimburse town businesses of 50 or fewer employees for buying needed personal protection equipment and other "fixtures" such as plexiglass partitions needed to comply with state mandates to prevent the spread of the virus. The program would offer up to $500 per business.
The ill-fated Air India Express flight IX1344 had landed at the Kozhikode airport in its second attempt, data from aviation site Flighradar24 shows.

"It landed on the second attempt. The pilots did a go-around (aborted landing) and came back for a second landing," a senior executive from the industry said, citing the following picture from Flightradar24.

The inclement weather, and thus poor visibility, could have been a reason for the aborted landing. Kerala has been receiving incessant rains over the past few days with several districts on red alert.

Track this blog for LIVE updates

While it is too early to say for certain, the senior executive quoted above said that the crash may have been caused by one, or a combination, of the following reasons: Long landing (Beyond touch down zone), inadequate use of brakes and thrust reversers, aquaplaning (wet runway, tyre can skid if precautions haven't been taken), unstable approach converted to a landing.

"It appears to be a combination of weather and landing technique. Too early to speculate further," he said.

An Air India Express flight from Dubai to Kozhikode skidded off the runway during landing at the Karipur Airport in Kerala.
U.S. health secretary to arrive in Taiwan Sunday; no quarantine planned

ROC Central News Agency

08/06/2020 04:38 PM

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar is scheduled to arrive in Taiwan Sunday on an official visit, and he and his delegation will not be required to go into quarantine once they test negative for the COVID-19 coronavirus, Taiwan government officials said Thursday.

At a press conference, Cabinet spokesman Ting Yi-ming () said the date of arrival for the U.S. delegation is Aug. 9, but he did not say how long the visit will last.

Representing American President Donald Trump, Azar will meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (), Ting said at the press conference after a weekly Cabinet meeting.

Azar is also scheduled to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Ministry of Health and Welfare and pay a call on the "National Face Mask Team," which comprises private sector manufacturers that help the government produce masks, according to Ting.

The U.S. health secretary, who is an attorney and former pharmaceutical industry executive, will also meet with specialists and practitioners in the health and medical fields to discuss COVID-19 control and prevention measures, Ting said.

At Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Premier Su Tseng-chang () said Taiwan should work to deepen its cooperation with the U.S. in the areas of medical development, supply chain safety, and global health, according to Ting.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said that with regard to COVID-19 protocols, Azar and his delegation will be tested for the virus within three days of their departure from the U.S. and again on arrival at the airport in Taiwan.

Once they test negative, no quarantine will be required, and they will travel around Taiwan as a group, in keeping with their itinerary, (CECC) spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang () told reporters in response to questions on the issue.

All members of the delegation, however, will be required to wear masks when meeting with others, in accordance with Taiwan's COVID-19 prevention guidelines, Chuang said.

The visit by Azar and his delegation was announced Wednesday by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei, which said the trip will be in the "coming days" and will focus on bilateral cooperation in the field of public health.

"This trip represents an opportunity to strengthen our economic and public health cooperation with Taiwan, especially as the U.S. and other countries work to strengthen and diversify our sources for crucial medical products," the AIT said, quoting a statement by Azar.

Azar's official visit to Taiwan will be the first by a U.S. Cabinet member in six years, and he will be the most senior American government official to make the trip since 1979 when the U.S. severed official ties with Taiwan.

China has responded to the announcement of the upcoming visit with a call for the U.S. to "stop all official exchanges with Taiwan" to avoid undermining China-U.S. relations, the Chinese state-run Global Times reported Wednesday, citing China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin ().

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday, however, that China does not have the right to determine Taiwan's foreign policy.

"The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign country," MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou () said at a press briefing. "It is natural for Taiwan to want to deepen its relations with the U.S. and other like-minded countries, and China's government has no right to object."

She said China should seek to fix its domestic problems before criticizing other countries.

The government of China is a "global trouble maker" that concealed the COVID-19 outbreak there in the early stages and is seeking military expansion in the Asia Pacific region, Ou said.

(By Yu Hsiang, Matt Yu and Emerson Lim)

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 00:18:39|Editor: huaxia

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (R) meets with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 6, 2020. Egyptian and Greek foreign ministers signed here on Thursday an agreement on the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries and setting up an exclusive economic zone between them in the Mediterranean Sea. (Str/Xinhua)

CAIRO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian and Greek foreign ministers signed here on Thursday an agreement on the demarcation of the maritime borders between the two countries and setting up an exclusive economic zone between them in the Mediterranean Sea.

The deal allows both Egypt and Greece to maximize the use of available resources in the exclusive economic zone between them, particularly the potential oil and gas reserves, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in a joint press conference with his visiting Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias.

"All the items of the agreement comply with the rules of international law and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," Shoukry added.

He continued that the agreement opens horizons for further energy cooperation between Egypt and Greece, which are both members of East Mediterranean Gas Forum.

Shoukry stressed that the deal was reached after a series of negotiations between the two states over the past few years and it reflects "the ties of historical friendship and growing partnership between Egypt and Greece."

For his part, Dendias described the event as "a historical day," emphasizing that the deal respects all relevant international laws as well as the maritime rights of neighboring states.

"The deal marks a new stage for further and closer relations between Greece and Egypt," Dendias told reporters at the news conference.

He added that the maritime demarcation deal between Greece and Egypt would contribute to the stability of the East Mediterranean region. Enditem
Osman Aslan was a volunteer, informing Muslims about anti-coronavirus measures in the mosque. He died on August 2 from an apparent heart attack but the authorities kept the news under the wrap for days. The Istanbul Governors Office asks for mercy from God.

Istanbul (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Osman Aslan, the muezzin in charge of coronavirus safety at Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) since it reopened as a mosque, died suddenly inside the building from an apparent heart attack on Sunday, tweeted the Istanbul Governors Office.

We wish mercy from God to the family and relatives of Uhud Mosque, Muezzin-Kayyum, who passed away during the voluntary guidance service in Hagia Sophia-i Kebir Mosque, due to a heart attack, the tweet read.

His death came a few days after Hagia Sophia was reconverted into a mosque in accordance with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans will.

Aslan served as a volunteer in Hagia Sophia from the first day of its reconversion into a mosque, providing Muslims with information about anti-coronavirus measures in the building.

According to the initial reports, the muezzin died on 2 August but the authorities kept the news secret for days. for years, he had been one of the most ardent supporters of Hagia Sophias reconversion into a mosque.

Originally a basilica, the building was turned into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. In 1934, Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of modern Turkey, ordered that it be turned into a museum.

Meanwhile in Athens (Greece), the local Muslim community, about 300,000-strong, mostly immigrants who arrived in the past 20 years, fear that Hagia Sophias reconversion might further delay the opening of the citys first mosque. Athens is the only European capital without an Islamic place of worship.

I think that after this incident, it might be even more difficult to open the official mosque that we have waited for ten years, said Imam Atta-ul Naseer,

The project dates back to 2007, but was stalled several times in the face of opposition from the Greek Orthodox Church and Greek nationalist groups. At present, Muslim worshippers have to pray in private homes, cellars or garages.
Hinduja Group firm GOCL Corp Ltd on Thursday said it has agreed to acquire APDL Estate Ltd for Rs 62 crore from Hinduja Realty Ventures Ltd. APDL Estate Ltd is in the business of the development of commercial spaces and other real estate projects.

In a regulatory filing, GOCL said its board at a meeting on Thursday approved "acquisition of full shareholding, subject to satisfactory due diligence, of APDL Estates Ltd (APDLE), originally incorporated on January 14, 1988, at a consideration of Rs 62 crore without the liabilities on the date of acquisition, from Hinduja Realty Ventures Ltd (HRVL)."

At present, APDLE has a commercial building in Begumpet, Hyderabad, with a revenue area of about 45,000 square feet and development rights on a land measuring 1,594 sq yards with a three-storied building thereon, situated at Malleshwaram, Bangalore.

"The acquisition will help consolidate the realty business of the company," it added.

HRVL is not a related party of GOCL and the proposed acquisition would be at arm's length.

APDLE had a turnover of Rs 3.88 crore in 2019-20.

"The proposed acquisition is expected to be completed by December 2020," the filing said.
United Nations, Aug 7 : China was completely isolated at the UN Security Council (UNSC) in its latest attempt to raise the Kashmir issue and the US countered it by pointing to cross-border terrorism, according to diplomatic sources.

Besides the US, Germany, France and Russia made a strong defence of India at the informal meeting on Wednesday and opposed the matter being discussed at the UNSC as it was a bilateral matter, the sources told IANS.

Russia referred to the Simla Agreement of 1972 under which the two countries agreed to settle their disputes bilaterally without the involvement of third parties and said the Council was not a forum for it, the sources said.

The US was also firm that there should be no press statement by the Council or anything being put out and the other countries backed it.

While the past two occasions when Beijing attempted to sneak in the Kashmir issue also ended in failure due to the broad support India has, this time the isolation was magnified for Beijing which has been blamed for causing the COVID-19 pandemic to spin out of control affecting the global health and economy and has been using it as a cover for aggressive actions from the Himalayas to the South China Sea and beyond.

China is also facing intense international criticism for the suppression of the Uighurs and the widespread human rights violations against the Muslim minority, hundreds of thousands of whom have been put in restrictive camps.

China's Permanent Representative Zhang Jun, therefore, carefully avoided any mention of human rights in Kashmir, according to the version of his remarks at the meeting put out by his spokesperson.

This was despite Zhang using to spark the discussion a letter from Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to Council President Dian Triansyah Djani that focused on what he said were human rights issues in Kashmir, according to diplomatic sources.

There were indications that Zhang was trying to lower the pitch less than two months after the Chinese army clashed with Indian troops in Ladakh.

What stood out in the statement was Zhang referring to India as a "friendly" neighbour and Beijing's commitment to "to growing friendly relations" with New Delhi.

Another carefully worded point in Zhang's remarks was that India and Pakistan should peacefully resolve their disputes based on "bilateral agreement", a tacit acknowledgement of the Simla Agreement that New Delhi insists should be adhered to.

Zhang did mention Council resolutions, but the basic one from 1948 demands Pakistani troops, regular and irregular, leave Kashmir.

Having failed as had happened several times to get Kashmir on the Council agenda, Zhang brought it up this time informally after it finished closed consultations on Syria.

He used the category of "any other business", a catchall provision for anything a member wants to talk about without the matter being acknowledged on the record, to talk about Kashmir, according to the sources.

It was timed to be a publicity exercise for its all-weather friend Pakistan to coincide with the anniversary of India abrogating the special status of Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.

On the past two occasions when China had brought up Kashmir at such closed-door informal sessions, the Chinese permanent representative was able to speak to the media after the Council had refused to issue a press statement.

But now because the UNSC meetings were being held remotely due to the lockdown brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, depriving Zhang of an opportunity to give his version to the media that is usually stationed outside the Council.

Therefore, the Chinese mission took the unusual step of selectively circulating a document that it said was a question and answer by its spokesperson on the Council session but it was mostly a summary of Zhang's remarks.

China, which has claims on territories in Kashmir, opposes "unilateral actions that will complicate the situation", he said.

China was "seriously concerned" about "the relevant military actions", he added -- and that was left ambiguous as it could also refer to the Ladakh clashes.

The operative parts of Zhang's remarks were addressed equally to India and Pakistan, rather than admonishing India.

"We call on relevant parties to exercise restraint and act prudently. In particular, they should refrain from taking actions that will escalate tensions," he said.

China "calls on the two countries to focus on national development, set store by peace and stability in South Asia, properly handle historical grievances, abandon the zero sum thinking, avoid unilateral actions, resolve disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation, and jointly uphold peace and stability of the region", he said according to his spokesperson's statement.

China brought up the Kashmir issue in August 2018 and in January in informal settings at the Council.

It withdrew another attempt last December in the face of overwhelming opposition.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
Data released by the state Friday shows New Jersey contact tracers efforts to identify and isolate potential exposures are seriously hamstrung by people who cant be reached or refuse to cooperate.

Gov. Phil Murphy said at his press briefing that between July 26 and Aug. 1, contact tracers were able to reach 63 percent of positive people they attempted to contact. But of those who did answer, 45 percent refused to provide any information about the people they could have potentially exposed to the virus.

That means that only 35% of people who tested positive for the coronavirus have been providing information about their close contacts with contact tracers. The rest were either unreachable or uncooperative.

Murphy called it the greatest impediment to the states contact tracing efforts, which have been deemed an imperative measure to limit the spread of the virus.

Contact tracing involves interviewing positive people about their close contacts  those who have been within six feet for 10 minutes or more  and then notifying those contacts that theyve been exposed and should quarantine and get tested. It is most effective when done as soon as possible, and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said 44% of cases were contacted within in 24 hours.

Our goal is 100% within 24 hours, she said during the states latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.

Speaking to NJ Advance Media last month, several local health officials said they were seeing more and more people refusing to share their close contacts, a trend that coincided with the increase in cases among those under 30 and several recent reports of outbreaks due to house parties.

Murphy has said repeatedly that contact tracing is not a witch hunt and no one will get in trouble, even if their exposure was at an underage house party  which many have been  or other ill-advised activity.

Persichilli on Friday reiterated that sharing your close contacts information helps protect them and the public health.

All those individuals dont know theyve been exposed to COVID-19 and could be infectious, she said.

Among the other statistics on the states contact tracing efforts  now available on the states COVID-19 dashboard  is that of the close contacts that were provided to tracers, 49% were reached and informed that they might have been exposed.

Murphy also said state has scaled-up its contact tracing capacity to 1,344 tracers, meaning the state has roughly 15 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents. Thats the ratio the National Association for County and City Health Departments says is the minimum number necessary in non-pandemic times.

The association recommends twice as many during emergency times, and Murphy said the state aims to hit that goal post  with about 2,700 tracers  sometime later this year.

Nearly 1,000 of the states 1,344 contact tracers are workers from New Jerseys 94 local health departments, who scaled up their workforces.

The state has launched what it calls its Community Contact Tracing Corps  recruited and trained by Rutgers School of Public Health  with a goal of deploying 1,600 tracers by the end of June. Murphy said Friday 636 have been trained so far and only 349 deployed to health departments around the state.

Asked whether there was a bottleneck in deploying those workers, Murphy said the state is on track and that cooperation with contact tracers, and not the number of tracers, is the main issue.

The state is now enacting the next step of its plan to pivot the recruitment, deployment and management of new tracers from Rutgers to a private company for future expansion efforts. PCG got a $23.5 million, three-month contract to hire another 1,200 tracers and pay them for three months of work at $35 an hour.

Rutgers has a $16 million contract through Sept. 15 for developing the training and onboarding 1,000 tracers.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 that was approved by the Union Cabinet aims to make India an attractive higher education destination.

The government not only wants Indian students to choose an education institute within the country but also to make Indian institutes world-class institutions.

Almost Rs 50,000 crore flows out of India every year for higher education programmes. Through NEP 2020, the education ministry wants Indian education institutes to become multi-disciplinary, and have exchange programmes with foreign institutes, so that these candidates get exposure to overseas education at affordable rates.

Speaking at an education conclave by UGC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that NEP 2020 will enable students to stay back in India and pursue higher education by offering world-class facilities in Indian institutes.

Also read: Here is how will NEP 2020 change the education system

The ultimate aim is not just in reducing the brain-drain but to also reduce the financial strain on students and families. But how much will a student actually save?

Moneycontrol brings you insights on what is the potential saving for a student annually if he/she decides to stay back in India to pursue higher education:

Application fees

The first step to an international institute is the application fee. The average fee is $50 (Rs 3,750). This fee is non-refundable even if a candidate fails to secure admission.

In comparison, the average fee for applying for an education programme in India ranges between Rs 500 and Rs 1,500. So, in the application fee itself, a student saves Rs 2,250.

Student insurance charges

Whether you study in Australia, Europe or the United States, it is mandatory for students to have an insurance policy.

The average yearly premium in the host country would cost at least Rs 30,000. The maximum annual premium in places like the US could go up to Rs 1 lakh.

In case a student pursues his/her education in India, this Rs 30,000 per annum can be saved as they dont have to take health insurance while studying in Indian institutes.

Visa charges

Once you secure admission into an international institute, the next step is to apply for a student visa. The visa charge ranges from Rs 10,000-34,000, depending on the country of origin. Depending on the type of programme, a student would have to pay an annual fee for getting the visa renewed. This renewal is done on payment of an additional charge.

If a student stays back in India, there is a direct saving of at least Rs 10,000, since there is no visa requirement.

Also Read: All your queries on National Education Policy answered

Also, a student has to show sufficient funds in his/her bank account to get the visa approved. Apart from covering tuition fees, the host country would verify if these funds are adequate to meet the living expenses for the period.

In the UK, for instance, a student needs to present proof that he/she has about Rs 1 lakh per month as funds for living expenses in London. The first-year fees for the course should also reflect in your bank account financial statements as funds. Without meeting these requirements, your student visa will be rejected, and the candidate would be required to apply again.

Tuition fees for academics

The annual tuition fee is the largest expense for those studying abroad. Depending on the duration of the programme and the country chosen, the cost of education would typically be at least Rs 15 lakh per year.

If a student chooses specialised programmes like, for instance, an MBA at Harvard Business School, the cost would jump to Rs 54 lakh per year. If an Indian student is considering an MBA at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the estimated cost for one year will be Rs 85.4 lakh.

Without a scholarship, education or financial grant, it is impossible to seek admission into Ivy League institutes. Taking an education loan for studying abroad means that a student would end up paying at least Rs 5 lakh more than the actual loan amount in interest payments if the loan is Rs 20 lakh or above.

In comparison, a higher education programme in India would cost between Rs 3-5 lakh on an average. Specialised programmes like an MBA from an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) would cost between Rs 15 lakh-Rs 20 lakh per annum.

Living expenses

Studying abroad can be expensive because living expenses in developed markets like Europe and the United States are significantly higher than in India.

A student choosing a hostel accommodation in India would incur Rs 1 lakh as annual living expenses. But if he/she chooses to study abroad, the average expenses would range between Rs 7 lakh- Rs 10 lakh, depending on the country of education.

There is a direct saving of about Rs 6.5 lakh per annum if a student decides to stay back in India.

Travel expenses

This is an often-neglected aspect. The actual travel expense would depend on the flight charges to the destination and how far the educational institutes are from the airport. Travel expenses for study at an international institute would cost Rs 2 lakh per year for an Indian student.

About Rs 1.5 lakh-1.8 lakh can be saved per annum for a student who chooses to study in India. This is because inter-city travel by flight would only cost between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 one-way, depending on when the ticket was booked.

Total savings: Rs 18.7 lakh

Considering that a student does not have any scholarship to pursue higher education abroad, the annual expenses of Rs 25 lakh would be incurred on an average.

In comparison, the same student would save Rs 18.7 lakh in case he/she decides to choose a higher education programme in India. Tightening visa restrictions for international candidates in the US and Europe has also made it tough to seek immediate employment in the country, thereby increasing the return-on-investment period.

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic and rising financial uncertainty due to job losses and pay cuts, the cost savings for staying back in India is massive.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 20:51:55|Editor: huaxia

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The logo of TikTok is displayed on the screen of a smartphone on a computer screen background in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Aug. 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Under the current administration, the United States risks becoming a country that lacks confidence, openness and inclusiveness, but exports chaos, disorder and division to the world.

BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Some U.S. politicians' hysteria has peaked with a new wave of groundless accusations and impulsive moves to counter China. Such blatant and unreasonable actions have endangered three cornerstones of world stability: the belief in truth, free trade and mutual trust.

As the presidential election approaches, U.S. politicians are fabricating lies against China almost every day to cover up their own incompetence and score political points. When COVID-19 is more widespread in the United States than before, it is a "disgrace" (to use its leadership's own words) for U.S. politicians to shift responsibilities by slandering China and its efforts to curb the virus. Their lies are not only misleading the public but also causing losses of more innocent lives.

Without any factual basis, the U.S. administration also launched an attack against Chinese hi-tech companies under the pretext of national security. In doing so, Washington dents the world's confidence in globalization. By ordering a ban on U.S. transactions with the Chinese owners of two popular apps, Washington has once again set a dangerous and barbaric example of how a country can use state power to brush aside market principles and international trade rules to maintain its monopoly and hegemony.

Moreover, a group of U.S. politicians are trying to build a so-called "new alliance of democracies" against China. Washington's attempt to start a so-called "new Cold War" stands on the wrong side of history. It will only bring disorder and confrontation to the world, dividing it along ideological lines and forcing countries to take sides.

In a world fraught with mutual suspicion, the cost of communication and coordination among countries will only increase, and hopes of win-win cooperation are a far cry.

Ignoring truth and disrupting trade rules, U.S. politicians are hijacking China-U.S. relations and leading the international order in a wrong direction, creating a period of mistrust in a world that should have joined hands to combat COVID-19 and accelerate the revival of the world economy.

Under the current administration, the United States risks becoming a country that lacks confidence, openness and inclusiveness, but exports chaos, disorder and division to the world. It is high time the world united to overcome the biggest obstacle to rebuilding certainty, recapturing the spirit of fairness and justice, and resetting global attention on peace and shared development. 
Instagram Reels Officially Announced After Weeks Of Testing: How To Use? News oi-Tanaya Dutta

Instagram has officially launched the short video app Instagram Reels. This new feature of Instagram has been tested in countries including India, Brazil, France, and Germany since last year. Reels will be very convenient for TikTok users to share videos.

Now, several Indian short-video sharing apps have become quite popular since the Indian government banned the TikTok. Many people were financially dependent on TikTok and it had over 2 billion downloads. Now, the US president has announced that TikTok and WeChat will ban from the US soon. Well, the talk is about Instagram Reels. Let's look at what is Instagram Reels and how to use it?

What Is Instagram Reels?

The new Instagram Reels is a feature that allows you to share short videos. With this, users can record 15-second videos, including audio, and share them with Instagram followers. In addition, users can save the Reels in a dedicated section and can use different effects as well.

How To Use It?

You can find Instagram Reels on Instagram Camera from where Stories are uploaded. You can use a variety of editing tools, including all kinds of fun audio, AR effects, timers, and countdowns. Users can then share the reels in the same way they share a regular story. Only people who follow you can see it if you set it to private.

You can save the Reels as drafts if you want. Similar to the effects obtained when uploading photos to Instagram, it is also available for Reels. Reels like regular photos or videos can be seen in the feed or discovery tab.

Reels have been launched in over 50 countries. At the moment, it is only officially launching in experimental countries. While the company has launched it as a rival to TikTok, and primarily for the younger generation, it is not clear whether it will be as popular as TikTok.

Best Mobiles in India
The only survivor among passengers on a boat adrift off the West African coast is transported to an ambulance in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, on 6 August 2020.  UNHCR/Komi Mensah

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, are deeply saddened at the tragic death of 27 people off the West African coast between the Mauritanian city of Nouadhibou and Dakhla, Western Sahara. A lone survivor has been brought to the city of Nouadhibou following a rescue operation by the Mauritanian coastguard on Thursday.

IOM, UNHCR and partners are providing humanitarian assistance such as medical and psychological support.

Despite COVID 19 mobility restrictions, migrants are still compelled to undertake risky journeys, says IOM Mauritania Chief of Mission Laura Lungarotti.

While we continue to provide humanitarian assistance hand in hand with the Government of Mauritania and civil society, the need for predictable rescue and assistance procedures remains. This is all the more important whilst public health measures are still in place.

These deaths are preventable, and they are avoidable, Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean. "We must take action to target the smugglers and traffickers who offer false promises to migrants and refugees of safe passage to Europe. At the same time, we need to offer effective protection and services to people in countries of asylum and transit to strengthen their socio-economic inclusion and integration with host communities so they dont feel the desperation that drives them to risk their lives on these desperate journeys.

The boat is understood to have left Dakhla, Western Sahara, some days ago and was heading for the Canary Islands before having engine trouble. Those on board were left stranded at sea and began suffering from extreme dehydration. The passengers were mostly from sub-Saharan Africa and included Guineans.

IOM and UNHCR are calling on States to step up efforts to dismantle the smuggling and trafficking networks that thrive off the desperation of migrants and refugees looking to travel to Europe by arranging these journeys, including through increased cooperation to identify, prosecute and sanction those responsible. This should go hand in hand with increased safe and legal pathways to asylum and migration to provide credible alternatives to dangerous sea crossings.

For more Information, please contact:

UNHCR

In Geneva, Charlie Yaxley, [email protected] , +41 795 808 702

, +41 795 808 702 In Mauritania, Maria Stavropoulou, [email protected] , +222 42782100

IOM:
Gunmen, yesterday, invaded four communities in Zangon Kataf council area of Kaduna State, killing at least 22 persons and burning a number of buildings.

The recent attack comes despite the curfew put in place to prevent further attacks.

The victims of the August 6 attack were mainly women and children. The affected settlements are Apyiashyim, Atakmawai, Kibori and Kurmin Masara, all in Atyap chiefdom.

An Atakmawai resident, Irimiya Gandu, who spoke to reporters, said no fewer than 13 persons were killed.

He said the armed herdsmen invaded the settlement around 1a.m.

He said: I stepped out from our house and we could hear gunshots around Zango urban and Apiokim Kibori villages that were already under attack with houses burning at around 1a.m.

I rushed into my house and brought out my family to a safer place.

So far, 13 persons were killed, mostly children and women.

Also, an indigene of Apiashyim, Jonathan Ishaya, said six lives and several homes were lost to the onslaught in his community.

The Fulani militia invaded the community at about 11pm on Wednesday night, shooting sporadically, he explained.

He said help came too late, adding: The security agencies are not here to protect us, but to serve the interest of those attacking us.

It rained all through the night and the attackers had unchallenged operations from around 10pm on Wednesday, August 5, to the early hours of Thursday, August 6.

By the time they were done, 22 corpses were recovered at about 12p.m. on Thursday, while the search is still on. They also burnt several houses.

Secretary to Atyap Traditional Council, Stephen Akut, said: The attackers were said to be in their numbers, but the casualty figures are still sketchy. Security operatives have been mobilised to the affected communities.

The council chairman, Dr. Elias Manza, said three bodies had been recovered from Kurmin Masara, six in Apyia Shyam (Ashaa Wuce) and another 10 at Takmawai where destruction of properties was massive, Guardian reports.

The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), in a statement issued by its spokesman, Luka Binniyat, condemned the onslaught, contending that the casualty figure had risen to 33.
Thats exactly what theyre told to do and are expected to do, Cohen said. I am convinced that there are officers who do that. The affidavits seem to tell me that there is a number who dont. ... I will not rewrite the law because Im not supposed to. Neither are they. They are to follow the law. I wont issue an order to that effect, but can I say it any stronger than I just did?
The EMI dinner will include som tum, khao pad pu, and nua pad luk hak chee from Kalaya. Read more

Were at a time of reckoning in America and chef Kurt Evans wants to talk about the racial inequities in the criminal justice system, and he plans to join a discussion over dinner.

Specifically, by way of his End Mass Incarceration Dinner series, whose next event will be Aug. 20, held virtually. The Thai BYOB Kalaya in South Philadelphia will prepare the dinner, which participants will pick up from 3 to 5 p.m. and eat at home while joining a 7 p.m. Zoom call.

The subject of mass incarceration is personal for Evans, who is building Down North, a pizzeria near 29th Street and Lehigh Avenue that will employ formerly incarcerated people. Evans worked with South Philly Barbacoas Cristina Martinez and Ben Miller on their right-to-work dinners.

 READ MORE: Phillys takeout platters are served from home with community and culture

Evans intends to use this Zoom-dinner strategy as a model for other fund-raisers nationally.

Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, which works to facilitate expungement, pardons, and commutations for low-income Philadelphians, will lead the talk, titled Collateral Consequences of Criminal Records.

The menu ($180 for three people, $300 for six) includes some of Kalayas hits: coconut rice; som tum (green papaya salad with long beans, cherry tomatoes, fish sauce, Thai chili, dried shrimp, and peanuts); khao pad pu (crab fried rice with scallion and egg); and the house specialty known as nua pad luk phak chee (stir-fried beef with coriander seed, palm sugar, and fish sauce). Dessert will be a cake with chocolate, peanut butter, M&Ms, and Oreo cookies.
The gathering, known as Loya Jirga, to decide whether Taliban prisoners will be freed as part of US-Taliban agreement.

Thousands of Afghan elders, community leaders and politicians have gathered in the capital Kabul to decide whether the last 400 Taliban prisoners will be released as part of a peace agreement signed between the armed group and the United States.

An agreement by US and Taliban negotiators in Doha in February stipulates that 5,000 Taliban prisoners should be released from Afghan jails as a precondition to the armed group entering peace talks with the internationally-recognised government.

President Ashraf Ghanis government has released all but 400, saying their crimes were too grave.

Some 3,200 people have been invited to the Loya Jirga in Kabul amid tight security on Friday to debate for at least three days and then advise the government on whether the prisoners should be freed.

These 400 are those who have been convicted in killings from two to 40 people, drug trafficking, those sentenced to death and involved in major crimes, including kidnapping, Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the president, said.

Thousands of politicians and officials from across Afghanistan attend grand assembly, known as the Loya Jirga [Andalou]

While many Afghans see the peace effort as the best hope for ending the 19-year war with the Taliban, some are concerned about the militants commitment to reconciliation, especially after the US completes its troop withdrawal.

According to Sediqqi, the council will also decide what kind of peace it wants.

US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, the architect of the deal allowing the US to withdraw its forces and end its longest-ever war, warned against the Loya Jirga throwing up any complications.

We wish the jirga participants success  and urge them not to allow those who prefer the status quo and seek to complicate the path to peace to manipulate the process, Khalilzad said on Twitter.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani government has released all but 400, saying their crimes were too grave [File: Rahmat Gul/AP Photo]

Ahead of the Loya Jirga, Human Rights Watch cautioned that many of the prisoners had been jailed under overly broad terrorism laws that provide for indefinite preventive detention.

Secret trials and torture to coerce confessions may make it impossible to determine which prisoners actually committed serious crimes, it said.

The Taliban freed the 1,000 prisoners it was holding and US and NATO soldiers already started withdrawing troops in line with the February agreement that the Trump administration pushed as part of the Republican presidents election promise to bring the troops back.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Afghans to free the Taliban prisoners, promising help if the war-torn nation moves forward on peace efforts.

We acknowledge that the release of these prisoners is unpopular, Pompeo said in a statement.

The Taliban is demanding the release of 400 prisoners as a condition to start peace talks with the internationally-recognised government in Kabul [File: Anadolu]

But this difficult action will lead to an important result long sought by Afghans and Afghanistans friends: reduction of violence and direct talks resulting in a peace agreement and an end to the war.

In a statement the top US diplomat told Afghan leaders that the Taliban was committed to reducing violence after talks start. The United States intends to hold the Taliban to these commitments, Pompeo said.

Peace process

Earlier this week, Pompeo held a video call with Taliban chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to discuss the Afghan peace process.

The Taliban said it is ready to hold negotiations within a week of the last prisoners being released to move the peace process forward. They also agreed to a three-day ceasefire over a Muslim holiday that ended on Sunday at midnight.

The UN secretary-generals special representative to Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, also held a meeting with Baradar on Wednesday, according to a tweet from Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen.

While there has been no announcement of a continued ceasefire, there have been no reports of large scale military attacks by the Taliban against the Afghan military.

The Taliban has also not attacked US or NATO troops since the February signing of the deal with the US.

The council is being held even as the governments health minister, Jawad Osmani, in a briefing this week said a survey suggested at least half of Kabuls population has been infected with the coronavirus and at least 10 million people  or a third of all Afghans  have been infected.

The official figures are much lower at nearly 37,000 confirmed cases since Kabul began keeping statistics in March.
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The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations has refuted rumours about reducing the eligibility age for retirement in Ghana.



The current retirement age is 60 in accordance with the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766), as amended by the National Pensions (Amendment) Act, 2014 (Act 883).



Denying a publication by a news portal called Opera News which recently published an article claiming that the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, has announced a reduction of the age of retirement of state employees from 60 to 50, he urged Ghanaians to treat the publication with the contempt it deserves.



"The minister has noted with great concern the misleading publication by Opera News. The Ministry wishes to inform the public that the said publication is untrue and malicious," the statement noted.



Assistant Public Relations Officer at the Ministery of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Osei-Opoku Gyamfi said that there is no such move by the government.



"The Ministry has not made any statement in that regard and as far as the Ministry is concerned there has been no move to reduce the retirement age of government employees, nor has there been a proposal discussed or contemplated at any level in the government," he said.



The publication is misleading and urged the public to disregard it.



The minister has however assured its stakeholders, clientele and public, that government has not taken any steps to review the retirement age from 60 to 50.



Ghanas public and private sector pension systems are integrated, with every Ghanaian citizen being able to access a modern, three-tier structure, which is overseen by the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA).

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.

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LANSING, MI -- Michigan licensing officials on Thursday, Aug. 6 recalled nearly 3,200 contaminated pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes originating from a Bay City processing center.

The Michigan Regulatory Agency said the recall was issued over claims that a worker licked a pre-roll marijuana product while making the product. Its unclear how state licensing officials learned of the allegations.

Owners of the processing center, identified in state licensing records as 3843 Euclid LLC, also operate Dispo, a retail and medical store at 3843 Euclid Ave. in Bay City. The processing license has been suspended for 14 days.

The recall impacts pre-rolled cigarettes, commonly referred to as blunts or joints, from medical and recreational retailers in Bay City, Hazel Park, Detroit, Traverse City, Ann Arbor, Lansing, River Rouge, Ferndale, Quincy, Lowell, Negaunee, and Lapeer.

Various brands have been named in the recall and a full list of the product names and tracking numbers, as well as the stores and dates they were sold are available at the end of this story. Sales of the recalled product occurred between June and Aug. 3.

Consumers who have these contaminated pre-rolls in their possession should return them to the provisioning center or retailer where they were purchased for proper disposal, the Marijuana Regulatory Agency said in a statement. Provisioning centers must notify patients and caregivers who purchased these pre-rolls of the recall.

Consumers who have experienced symptoms after using these products should report their symptoms and product use to their physician. Consumers are requested to report any adverse product reactions to the (Marijuana Regulatory Agency) via email: MRA-Enforcement@michigan.gov or via phone: 517-284-8599.

State licensing officials say there is an ongoing investigation that began on July 31. The processor on the same day agreed to cease all operations until further instruction from the Marijuana Regulatory Agency.

The state identified the potentially impacted marijuana products and placed them on administrative hold in the state tracking system, which alerts sellers of an issue at the time of sale. Multiple sales of the recalled product were made following initiation of the investigation. Its unclear if sellers ignored the hold alerts. The state may penalize retailers or dispensaries that sell product while its on administrative hold.

Marijuana Regulatory Agency spokesman David Harns said he could not reveal if that occurred in this situation because it is an ongoing investigation. Recalls are issued as quickly as possible once all pertinent product and sales information is compiled, Harns said.

Mlive has requested and is awaiting comment from the processing company.

Full product recall information:
Rachel Lambo and her mother, Sade, started Sade Baron, their clean beauty body brand, with an ambitious mission: make beautiful vegan products that work for every skin type  and that are actually affordable. The duo has come a long way since selling bars of soap at a Toronto festival: Sade Baron is now stocked at coveted retailers including the Detox Market.

Last week, Rachel, the brands CEO, sat down with Eva Hartling of The Brand is Female for an Instagram Live with The Kit about taking her side hustle to new heights and how she envisions the clean beauty revolution unfolding. This is an edited transcript of their talk.

Tell me how the idea for Sade Baron came about. I know getting your mom involved took some convincing!

My mom is a registered nurse and a midwife by trade  shes that person who is always helping people. About 10 years ago, when I just started working in the beauty industry, I said to her, Youre always helping people out with natural remedies, why dont we do something together? I found her a soap-making class, and she did a course for a couple of years and learned from master soapmakers and skin-care chemists. But it took a long time to convince her to think about starting a clean beauty brand. When we started, she was in her early 50s and she said, I dont think its possible for someone in their 50s to start a brand. She had thought about the idea 20 or 30 years ago, but there were just not a lot of women in business at that time. It took two years of building up confidence and telling her that this is something we could do.

Sade Baron focuses on body care, which youve described as your favourite part of care. Why?

Over time, our bodies go through a multitude of roller-coasters. When you have children, for example. I hear from my friends that their hair starts falling out or their skin feels really dry. We want to consider the body as you move through life and through your life changes, and we want to create products that are good for every body, so it works if you have supersensitive skin or if you have challenges with body acne, which is very common. A lot of people are embarrassed to talk about it, but some people get acne on their chests, backs or their legs. We want to consider ingredients that were good for the body and we also wanted to make sure that we used superfood ingredients that could feed the skin. We have essential fatty acids on a layer of our skin, which are produced by eating things like fish and nuts that have really high omega 3, 6 and 9s. We added those oils into the formulation, as a kind of topical approach to feeding your skin, the largest organ on the body, with the good stuff.

There have been several unicorns, like the Glossiers of the world that have launched very successful brands, and I think thats inspired many entrepreneurs to go into beauty. How did you approach making sure you had something that stood out on the market?

We wanted to do body care because we actually loved it, and to get the really high-end beautiful stuff youd have to go to a department store. We wanted to make a beautiful, high-quality product that was packaged beautifully and could be used by anyone, male or female, and we also wanted to be sure that people could afford it.

We also wanted to be authentic in our messaging. We didnt want to say, Were working with people on a small farm. We wanted it to be about me and my mother trying to build this together. We tell everybody, I probably touched one of your products, or packaged them or labelled them. Our story is a human story and we want to hold on to that as we grow. It really does matter to me. I want to have a relationship with any customer that reaches out to me. We reach out to our customers and ask them to model for our campaigns, because we want people to know theyre real human beings  nothing is being Photoshopped. When we create new products, we actually send out an email to all our customers asking if they want to test our product, for free, obviously. We just let them test it and give us feedback, and let us know what they think because thats really important.

Like a built-in focus group.

Exactly. We want real feedback. Some people tell us they dont like this or I dont like the smell of this. We want to create a brand that is customer-driven. We want the customers to have a say, or sometimes even drive the car and tell us, Hey, this is what Im looking for. Im constantly applying that feedback to make the brand better in every way, including how we can be more sustainable and where we get our ingredients from.

Lets talk about being a clean beauty brand. Do you think thats the future of beauty?

I think so, personally. It was happening a few years ago, but now its become mainstream. Its this new part of peoples lives, this other dimension  people realize both the consequences of not having clean beauty products and they also have the choice to have clean beauty products. So its the choice and the availability on the market. Its become part of peoples lives because they want to live a better life; they want to feel great and they want to also be able to support small businesses and makers. There will definitely be more growth. I think it will take over aisles in the grocery stores eventually, like Whole Foods and the drugstore. Its a category they cant ignore anymore. You see that with businesses like the Detox Market. They have customers who are shifting their entire budget from shopping at a drugstore to shopping there, where they feel they can trust the products completely.

A lot of would-be entrepreneurs dream about their first business. You started this clean beauty brand as a side hustle and its still a side hustle for you, although the company is growing and scaling up. How have you been managing doing both?

The reality is that its really hard to manage. There are days where I forget to email people, or I have to shuffle things to the next day. I still work full-time because I didnt want to take the risk of putting all my resources into a business. I wanted to make sure it was sustainable and could grow. I wake up early and I do as much work as I can, and then get back to it after my other job finishes. My days and my weekends are basically full of work, catching up and doing everything I can. I work with a few contractors who help in some aspects of the business, and my mom takes care of the manufacturing of the products, so Im not totally by myself. But it is definitely a big time investment to work 12- to 15-hour days. Then, within that, you have to pivot and find new ways of telling your story. Its hard! But its worth it.

Over the last couple of months, related to the Black Lives Matter movement and support for racial justice, weve seen a lot of interest in Black-owned brands in Canada. What are your thoughts on supporting BIPOC-owned brands related to Sade Baron?

I think its an incredibly important moment from a political angle and a community angle. As it relates to us as a brand, were incredibly grateful that people want to support us. I think people didnt know who we were for a long time and then, when I started getting tagged, it was amazing; it made my heart melt. My mom had just turned on our Instagram and she was like, Oh my God, where are these people coming from? And I said to her its because theyre trying to support Black-owned businesses. Our customers started tagging us. It was such a great experience to see that it was with unity and love and care for human beings that made them say, Lets support them.

I do also want to ensure that for myself and my personal identity, my skin colour shouldnt be the only motivation to support. Its a great way forward to spotlight Black-owned brands and its important to be driving the conversation forward. I hope, though, that in 10 years this is the new standard. In 10 years, it shouldnt matter who the person is behind it, but that its a really good brand and a really good product. I truly hope inclusivity becomes the standard.

Sade Baron Detox Body Wash, $10, Sade Baron Citrus Blend Body Souffle, $15, sadebaron.com

This article contains affiliate links, which means The Kit may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by advertising. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set. More information.
Industry chiefs are urging Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to offer generous help to employers to help them survive drastic restrictions after days of confusion and anger over state-wide shutdowns.

Small business leaders are calling for wider consultation and a direct line to political leaders to prevent any repeat of the conflicting signals this week over the rules for employers and permits for their staff.

Industry chiefs are urging Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to offer generous help to businesses to help them survive drastic restrictions. Credit:Simon Schluter

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said the economic damage for Victoria would be "enormous and long-lasting" given the need for another $15.6 billion in JobKeeper assistance from the federal government.

"Industry expects that the state government will have to generously and creatively step up to the plate to help businesses get back on their feet when this phase is over," Mr Willox said.
Let me put the disclaimer out first: I am no biblical scholar  I am no expert on ancient Jewish history. So, this column is really in the form of a few questions about belief and my own life.

I have stated before that I was raised in a totally non-religious environment. God, in my house, was an afterthought. Outside of having fist fights on a daily basis when he was growing up because he was a Jew, my father had no other relationship with Faith. As I have written, his father, my grandfather Abraham Shiplacoff was an ardent Socialist.

Then, in 1948, shortly before my 18th birthday, the...
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Linkedin Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, August 6, 2020 09:16 531 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3ed6a 1 National Supreme-Court,regulation,graft-convict,judicial-reform,life-sentence,punishment,judges Free

The Supreme Court has issued a new regulation that encourages judges to sentence those found guilty in high-profile corruption cases that cause massive state losses to life in prison, in a move designed to eliminate years of inconsistent sentencing by the judiciary.

The court issued on July 24 a set of guidelines for punishing graft convicts, which are laid out in Supreme Court Regulation (Perma) No. 1/2020.

The new regulation provides pointers for determining the appropriate punishment for those found guilty of misappropriating state funds for personal gain, as stipulated in Article 2 of the 2001 Corruption Law.

Judges are also advised to hand down appropriate sentences for those convicted of abuse of power or position, as stated in Article 3 of the Corruption Law.

Those accused of violating Article 2 of the law can face between four- and 20-years imprisonment, as well as fines ranging from Rp 200 million (US$14,285) to Rp 1 billion, while those found guilty of violating Article 3 will face one to 20 years imprisonment and fines of Rp 50 million to Rp 1 billion.

Prior to the regulation, Indonesian corruption court judges often used their own criteria and standards for issuing sentences to graft convicts. With the new set of guidelines, they are expected to mete out punishment based on the size of state losses incurred from the wrongdoing.

Judges must consider handing down the harshest sentence if defendants cause state losses amounting to more than Rp 100 billion, and hand down the minimum if state losses fall between Rp 200 million and Rp 1 billion under Article 2 or less than Rp 200 million under Article 3.

To determine the most appropriate sentence, judges also need to assess the defendants level of culpability. Maximum sentences may be meted out against those who initiate the crime, have a significant role in the case, use sophisticated technology to commit a crime or committed the crime during a national disaster or an economic crisis.

Despite the regulation, judges still need to base their sentencing on principles such as independence, professionalism and accountability, Supreme Court spokesman Andi Samsan Nganro told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

For years, law experts and civil groups have called the Supreme Court to draft sentencing guidelines to prevent inconsistencies in doling out sentences.

Court judges have been criticized for failing to interpret corruption law and meting out inappropriate punishments to graft defendants, reflected in the wide variety of graft sentences among equally culpable convicts.

Such inconsistencies have led law experts and activists to question whether judges can uphold the principles of justice and a fair trial when dealing with corruption cases.

In July last year, judges at the Makassar Corruption Court in South Sulawesi handed former Batugulung village head Muh. Said 2.5 years in prison for embezzling Rp 542 million in village funds between 2015 and 2018.

In a separate but similar case, the Banjarmasin Corruption Court in South Kalimantan found former Hambuku village head Datmi guilty of embezzling Rp 43 million in village funds  Datmi received a harsher four-year sentence.

Many more inconsistencies have been uncovered over the years, but Supreme Court spokesman Andi said that such incidents had provided the court with motivation to issue the strict provisions.

And we have worked closely with the University of Indonesias Judicial Watch Society [MaPPI] since 2018 to formulate the guidelines, he said.

Trisakti University law expert Abdul Fickar Hadjar applauded the move, saying that he expected that it would not only eliminate disparities in graft sentencing but also prevent judges from misusing their authority  and even accepting bribes  to conspire with defendants.

Zaenur Rohman, a researcher from Gadjah Mada Universitys Center for Anti-Corruption Studies (Pukat UGM), expressed appreciation for the court on the one hand, but also criticized the limited scope of the guidelines use.

Judges can only use the guidelines to hand down sentences against violators of Articles 2 and 3 of the Corruption Law. But how about other types of crimes under the same law, like bribery, extortion and gratuity taking? he said.

The guidelines are still not perfect.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesman Ali Fikri also expressed similar concerns to Zaenur, but still believed that the guidelines would put an end to graft-sentencing disparities.

To follow-up the guidelines, the commission is now arranging a list of similar guidelines for KPK prosecutors when indicting graft defendants.

He said guidance was needed because KPK prosecutors also played a significant part in sentencing disparities. At times, they would press different charges and indict differently against equally culpable defendants, which would affect a final ruling by the judge when he or she meted out the punishment.

We are now in the process of finalizing the drafting of the guide, Ali said.
In this article DAL

"I'm on Indeed every single day, looking for jobs," Lafauci, 36, said. "There's nothing." Source: Sarah Lafauci

Steven Smith's state benefit in Missouri is around $300. Source: Steven Smith

People can't survive on their state unemployment benefits alone, experts say. The typical state check stood at around $333 a week in April, but can dip as low as $100 in Oklahoma. The minimum benefits in each state leave people in even more dire situations. For example, jobless people in Hawaii can get as little as $5 a week, or just $15 in Connecticut. Steven Smith was laid off from his job as a motor-coach driver in March. Even with his pension and Social Security, the 69-year-old needed to work to keep up with his bills and debt obligations. "We're still paying on the house; we have car payments," he said. "The $600 federal stipend gave me the average of what I was making driving."

Food need and other forms of hardship are likely to last for a while, as unemployment is expected to remain high for a number of years. Brynne Keith-Jennings senior research analyst at the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities

After Smith lost his job, he put his mortgage and car loans into forbearance, but those reprieves have now come to an end. "When all that kicked back in, there went the $600," Smith said. His weekly state benefit in Missouri is around $300. Every week, he checks in with his former co-workers for updates on when he might be able to return to work. "We're all crying to be back behind the wheel," Smith said. "But the jobs aren't there." It's disappointing to see elected officials unable to reach a deal on another stimulus package, Smith said.

"We need the $600 to put food on the table and pay bills," Smith, 69, said. Source: Steven Smith

"It doesn't seem like they care," he said. "They're getting paid, and I don't think they have the heart of America in mind. "We need the $600 to put food on the table and pay bills." Amid one of the worst downturns in U.S. history, the number of Americans who are struggling to pay for food has soared. Nearly 26 million adults said people in their households are not eating enough because of a lack of funds, according to Census data analyzed in July by the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities. And that was before the $600 boost expired. "Food need and other forms of hardship are likely to last for a while, as unemployment is expected to remain high for a number of years," said Brynne Keith-Jennings, senior research analyst on the food assistance team at the Center on Budget Policies and Priorities.
Orlando, Fla.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rescinded an order requiring people traveling from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to the Sunshine State to quarantine or isolate for 14 days.

The order signed by DeSantis Thursday also eliminated detailed requirements for when restaurant employees should be kept from reporting to work.

Early in the national outbreak, DeSantis, a Republican, ordered that travelers arriving in Florida from then-hard-hit New York City and its suburbs quarantine themselves for two weeks, giving them a lot of the blame for spreading the disease in his state. But New York's statewide daily infection-rate has plummeted since late April and is now about one-tenth Florida's even though the states have similar populations.

As cases shot up in southern and western states and decreased in the New York area this summer, Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued his own order in June, requiring residents in several states, including Florida, to quarantine upon arriving in New York.

DeSantis' latest order said the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation should "ensure" restaurants have screening protocols that follow protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, Florida on Thursday reported 7,650 new coronavirus cases. The state now has a total of 510,389 cases, second to California, and 7,781 deaths.

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

It also reported 120 new deaths from the virus, bringing the seven-day average in reported daily deaths to 169. That's down from a high of 185 deaths and below 170 deaths for the first time in a nearly a week. Florida's rate of deaths over the past week is second only to Texas.

Patients being treated in Florida hospitals for COVID-19 were down by about 270 cases from the previous day to 7,349 patients.

Nine Democratic state senators on Thursday sent DeSantis a letter asking him to reconsider a push to reopen schools.

Since the pandemic started in March, the Florida had 3.2 million jobless claims.
Great uncertainty is swirling around the immediate and longer-term future of Sergio Perez in Formula 1.

The Mexican was sidelined with coronavirus last week, but Racing Point says he may now return to the seat for this weekend's Silverstone race.

"Public Health England have confirmed that Sergio Perez's period of quarantine has been completed," the team announced.

Now, all he needs is a negative corona test to re-enter the paddock.

But Racing Point commented: "The team expects to make a decision on who is driving alongside Lance later today (Thursday) or first thing tomorrow morning (Friday)."

Both the RTL broadcaster and Bild newspaper are reporting in Germany that Nico Hulkenberg will definitely still be in Perez's car at Silverstone.

The confusion may indicate that there is more to the story than just Perez's virus.

Indeed, there are rumours that while in his native Mexico following the Hungarian GP, he may have visited his powerful sponsors as well as his ill mother.

According to more German sources, the sponsors are offering to pay Racing Point substantially more money from 2021 if the team rejects the advances of Sebastian Vettel.

La Gazzetta dello Sport is claiming that Vettel has already signed a three-year deal, estimated at EUR 15m per year including an Aston Martin ambassadorial role.

The Italian newspaper said the announcement was only held up last weekend because of Perez's corona infection.

Vettel, the quadruple world champion who has been dropped by Ferrari for 2021, was spotted leaving Silverstone last Sunday with Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer.

Vettel on Thursday didn't deny it, smiling: "It's a nice car. It's a Ferrari Pista."

As for Hulkenberg, he admitted he would be "somewhat disappointed" if Perez gets the green-light to return this weekend.

But the German has also used his time in the paddock to feel out his options for 2021.

"Some is just casual chat, some is more about the future subject," Hulkenberg said. "So I'm definitely in discussions and in talks there."

(GMM)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

Trend:

Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations (UN) Yashar Aliyev sent a letter to the UN Secretary General regarding the ongoing aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

The letter said that on July 12, 2020, the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the norms of international law and using heavy artillery and mortars, launched an attack in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district.

In the following days, Azerbaijan's densely populated villages of Aghdam, Dondar Gushchu and Alibeyli of the Tovuz district were shelled, the letter reads.

"As a result of the Armenian aggression, a 76-year-old resident of Aghdam village Aziz Azizov was killed. Moreover, 12 soldiers and officers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were killed, numerous Azerbaijani citizens were injured. Serious damage was caused to civilian objects in Tovuz district," wrote the Azerbaijani representative.

The letter said that the purpose of these malicious actions of the Armenian armed forces is to expand aggression, gain control over heights on the territory of Azerbaijan, and thus create a threat to Azerbaijani settlements, as well as oil and gas pipelines of strategic importance, including those in the immediate vicinity to the military escalation zone (at a distance of 15-25 and 10-12 kilometers, respectively), the Southern Gas Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

"With this act of aggression, the Armenian leadership is trying to divert the attention of the Armenian public from the deepening economic, financial and political crisis in Armenia due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic," the letter said.

The attack of Armenia on Azerbaijan was undertaken after provocative statements and actions of the official Yerevan against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Aliyev stated adding that its enough to revisit some of these statements, which are vivid examples of the constant aggressive policy of a UN member state.

He noted that back in 2013, then Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, when asked whether the armed forces of Armenia can strike first, answered as follows: "I dont rule out anything, because the doctrine of using the armed forces to defend the country envisioned a number of measures, both defensive and preventive ones."

Aliyev also reminded that former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, in his interview in August 2014, threatening to launch short-range ballistic missiles at large cities of Azerbaijan said: "The Azerbaijani leadership is well aware of the resources available in the arsenal of the Armenian armed forces. They know very well that we have effective ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers at our disposal, which can turn any prosperous settlement into ruins like Aghdam."

On September 21, 2017, the former Chief of the General Staff of Armenia, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan, admitted that "we really need more territories to better ensure the security of our republic," the letter of the Azerbaijani representative to the UN read.

The letter also quoted Lieutenant General Levon Mnatsakanyan, who was a leader of Armenian occupation forces at a press conference on July 24, 2018 and was threatening to launch missile strikes on the civilian infrastructure of Azerbaijan and saying that "This is part of our tactical plans. In general, in case of resumption of hostilities the ability to conduct combat operations requires striking these targets, as well as military targets. This will damage the economy of the enemy and prevent adequate supply of the armed forces. I do not see the need for this yet ... but if the need arises to hit these targets, we will hesitate not a second."

The author of the letter also refers to the statement made by Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan on March 30, 2019.

"As Defense Minister, I declare that it was me who presented the format of the territory in the name of peace. We will do the opposite - a new war for new territories. We will get rid of this situation, of the situation of constant defense, and we will admit into the army units that can fight on enemy territory," Tonoyan said, the letter reads.

Two days prior to the July 12 attack, Armenia adopted a new national security strategy. This strategy confirmed the policy of aggression and annexation, the letter emphasized. During a phone talk to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk on July 13, 2020, that is, the day after the attack, Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan threatened to take new positions.

The letter further reads that even the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent Armenia from committing armed provocations.

"It's obvious that Armenia's statement that it allegedly supports the call of the UN Secretary General for a global ceasefire as well as its adherence to this call is a lie," the letter said. "Undoubtedly, Armenia's goal is not to save those in need and alleviate their suffering, but to expand its policy of aggression and annexation."

"Instead of preparing the population for peace, the current leadership of Armenia continues the annexation policy of its predecessors in word and deed. With the recent escalation, Armenia is challenging the negotiation format and disrupting the peace process, violating the norms and principles of international law, distorting the essence of the UN Security Council resolutions and other documents on the settlement of the conflict," Aliyev pointed out.

The letter also said that with the provocation, Armenia is prolonging the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, consolidating Armenia's military presence in these territories, as well as change them from demographic, cultural and physical points of view.

"Such actions have nothing to do with a peaceful and agreed settlement of the conflict," the diplomat wrote. "Azerbaijan has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community to the fact that the ongoing aggression of Armenia and its illegal presence in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are the main causes for the war and the repeated escalation of the conflict on the site."

"We regularly declare that Azerbaijan, as a country suffering from the occupation of its territories and the forced resettlement of hundreds of thousands of its citizens, is most interested in an early and long-term settlement of the conflict," Aliyev stated.

"However, Azerbaijan wont passively wait and stand by idly; Azerbaijan will adequately respond to the provocations and the violation of the ceasefire caused by Armenia," the letter said.

The armed forces of Azerbaijan, in order to repel the recent armed attacks of Armenia, took necessary countermeasures aimed at ensuring the safety of the country population, neutralizing the fire and support points of the Armenian side, forcing it to stop acts of aggression and an attempt to take the situation under control, said the letter.

"The determination and courage of the armed forces of Azerbaijan once again demonstrated that Azerbaijan will not tolerate the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, will not reconcile with the occupation of its territories," Aliyev wrote. "Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan acts exclusively within the framework of the right to self-defense in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international legal practice."

It would be appropriate to stress again that aggression and its military consequences are not a solution to the conflict and will never lead to the political results that Armenia is striving for, the letter read.

"The settlement of the conflict is possible only on the basis of the norms and principles of international law with full respect for Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity. Azerbaijan does not consider it possible to resolve the conflict outside this framework and participates in the settlement process on the basis of this conception," the diplomat concluded.
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Linkedin Harry Jacques (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Jakarta, Indonesia  Fri, August 7, 2020 07:33 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c302fd 2 National Indonesia,forest-conservation,environment,community,pandemic,coronavirus,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19 Free

Indonesia has cut back its planned transfer of state forests to local communities this year by half - an area twice the size of Los Angeles - because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

Bambang Supriyanto, the ministry's director general of social forestry and environmental partnership, said social distancing measures from March to June had halted the technical work needed on the ground to certify the handover of land.

The pandemic will see this year's target of 500,000 hectares (about 1.2 million acres) reduced by 50%, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In 2014, President Joko Widodo pledged to hand over 12.7 million hectares of state forests to rural communities within five years, an ambitious bid to resolve intractable land conflicts while helping curb planet-warming emissions.

Although the 2019 deadline was missed, the government is working to speed things up, but the pandemic has hampered efforts this year.

The social forestry program is also intended to tackle rural poverty by establishing thousands of forest enterprises, ranging from eco-tourism ventures to sustainable management of forest products such as bamboo and rattan.

Agriculture and forestry accounted for more than a third of national income in 2014, but poverty among those living in or near forests exceeded the national average.

Meeting the target would see community management of forests rise from about 1% of Indonesia's forest estate to more than 10%.

Whether it was only a leap of faith, Jokowi's decision was remarkable, said Delia Catacutan, Southeast Asia coordinator at the World Agroforestry Centre.

Critics and spectators were skeptical the government would be able to do it in the first place.

New rules to speed up implementation were introduced in 2016, cutting out local governments and enabling communities to apply directly to the central government to manage land.

A working group established in 2017 brought academia, non-profit groups and government offices together to support communities in the application process.

Transferring land to communities progressed slowly at first, with just over 1 million hectares authorized for community management by 2017.

However, the ministry accelerated the community forestry program in 2018 with higher funding and trimmed red tape.

The latest government data show the transfer of 4.2 million hectares had been authorized by late June this year, almost a third of the original target.

In the bigger scheme of things, the 4.2 million hectares of licensed land presents significant progress given the tumultuous land conflict in Indonesia, noted Catacutan.

Cutting emissions

This May, the ministry authorized a 9,480-hectare area of customary land for the Dayak Iban indigenous group in Borneo.

That was the largest-ever recognition of an indigenous community's customary land, according to Yuli Prasetyo Nugroho, head of the ministry's indigenous forest and customary knowledge section.

In mid-July, as coronavirus restrictions eased, some forestry staff returned to work in the field in rural areas with low virus transmission rates, said Supriyanto.

Total land authorized under Indonesia's social forestry program could reach close to 5 million hectares by the end of 2021, according to the ministry's updated plans.

By giving local communities a direct stake in the landscape, the program aims to soothe conflict, cut carbon emissions by slowing deforestation, nurture biodiversity and boost incomes.

Conversion of forest land for agriculture and other economic purposes, which fuels peatland fires and destroys mangroves, accounts for about two-thirds of Indonesias greenhouse gas emissions.

Indonesias national climate action plan, submitted to the United Nations, pledges to reduce emissions by 29-41% from business-as-usual levels by 2030.

But the contribution social forestry could make to meeting that target needs to be studied further, said Arief Wijaya, senior manager of climate, forests and oceans at the World Resources Institute in Indonesia.

"Our recent analysis over social forestry areas in Indonesia shows that partly there is reduced deforestation in [those] areas," he said.

Nonetheless, some forestry scientists are concerned that not all communities will have the capacity to implement the land management plan agreed with the government.

Community forestry programs in the Philippines, for example, have lacked the technical support services needed to make them successful in the long term.

Some Indonesian communities may also struggle to manage their land as a sustainable enterprise, experts fear.

Management plans often require communities to work with the ministries for small business and trade, which adds complexity.

It takes time to transform local communities into entrepreneurs, said the World Agroforestry Centre's Catacutan.
Premier Doug Ford and Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney have promised the residents of Jane Finch that a long-planned community centre will, in fact, become a reality.

This community hub will be built, Mulroney said late last month. Its going to be part of the plan, and were just waiting for options.

Ford affirmed the plan as well. Were building it as sure as Im talking to you right now, Ford told reporters. But theres a process, no matter what government piece of property there is, you got to go through the process.

Let it officially be stated to Ford and Mulroney that Toronto is watching and you will be held to that promise because, so far, promises have meant nothing to this long-neglected neighbourhood. Put it in writing, now.

The community centre in question was to be built on Finch Ave. W., just west of Jane St., where Metrolinx is currently building the Finch West LRT maintenance and storage facility. Thats a train yard, electrical substation, 9,000-square-metre garage and an office building. Its not a prized jewel for one of Torontos poorest neighbourhoods.

Years ago, in what was an undeveloped green space, community leaders had the foresight to convince Metrolinx to hive off a 32-metre deep strip of this land from the proposed maintenance yard as the site for a future community centre. It would be built once the $1.2-billion Finch West LRT was completed in 2023.

Metrolinx agreed to donate the land and plans for the Jane Finch Community Hub and Centre for the Arts began to take shape. A feasibility study released last November listed possible amenities as a theatre, recording studio, swimming pool, community kitchen, youth lounge, mental health services and a business incubator.

Then, last month, Metrolinx wrote to the city councillor for the area, Anthony Perruzza, to say there had been a mistake. Yes, the land had been promised for a community hub but no commitment was ever signed. The Metrolinx official who agreed to the land donation, the agency said, didnt have the authority to do so.

Metrolinx instead plans to sell the land at market value. In fact, Metrolinx is obligated to sell it. The city has valued the land at $7 million to $9 million.

Whats even more galling is that it was Jane Finch community leaders who pressed Metrolinx to create the 32-metre setback in the first place. The land Metrolinx wants to sell would not have existed as a separate piece of valuable real estate had it not been for the vision and leadership of the local community.

Mulroney called it unfortunate, to say the least, that the land donation wasnt formalized and it fell through the cracks.

Unfortunate doesnt begin to describe this situation. A betrayal would be a good start. And the statement from Metrolinx on July 23 that the transit agency was 100 per cent committed to getting this community hub built, isnt worth the paper it was printed on.

Whats at stake here is a high priority neighbourhood that has long been neglected. As Star columnist Royson James describes it, The city is not invested here. At Jane and Finch there is zero sign of any public realm  It is here, on the open field, that residents of Jane and Finch dared to hope that they might have something to treasure.

The Finch West LRT is a project with the power to transform neighbourhoods that have long been under-serviced by rapid transit. Judging by their public statements, Ford and Mulroney appear to understand this. But they havent put in writing their commitment to build the the community hub. The province still plans to sell the land.

Ford and Mulroney are on record. They have the power to right this wrong. The Jane Finch hub must be built. The community is watching, and so are many others.

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FILE PHOTO: The company logo for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is displayed on a screen on the floor at the NYSE in New York

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan plans to buy AstraZeneca Plc's <AZN.L> experimental COVID-19 vaccine and fund a local company to manufacture Novavax's <NVAX.O> vaccine candidate, ramping up its stockpile plan as it battles surging infections.

Japan will order 120 million doses of the experimental vaccine developed by the British pharmaceutical company, beginning with 30 million doses by March next year. It did not disclose purchase prices.

Separately, Takeda Pharmaceutical <4502.T> said on Friday it would manufacture and sell up to 250 million doses of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine candidate every year in Japan, with funding support from the government.

The two deals follow an announcement last week by the government to buy 120 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Pfizer Inc <PFE.N> and BioNTech SE <BNTX.O>.

"We hope each development will succeed, but it is generally said that vaccine development is quite difficult," Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters.

"With this in mind, we are talking to other vaccine makers as well."

Japan is the latest country to sign up for AstraZeneca's vaccine, known as AZD1222, which is under development in partnership with the University of Oxford. The pharmaceutical company has been in talks with Russia, Brazil and others about supply deals for its potential vaccine.

AstraZeneca said JCR Pharma <4552.T> will help make a portion of its potential COVID-19 vaccine and it will import shots as part of its deal to supply Japan.

It did not give a breakdown for the volume of domestic production and imports or say where the vaccines from overseas would come from.

Daiichi Sankyo Biotech and KM Biologics will undertake production, such as filling vials and packaging, while Daiichi Sankyo <4568.T> and Meiji Seika Pharma [MEIJHA.UL] will support shipping.

As Japan procures vaccines from abroad, it is also developing its own. AnGes Inc <4563.T> and Osaka University are working on a DNA vaccine, while Shionogi & Co <4507.T> is working on a recombinant protein type.

Japan on Friday reported 1,563 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to almost 47,000. Just over 1,000 people have died from the virus so far in the country.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Naomi Tajitsu; editing by Jason Neely, Kim Coghill and Louise Heavens)
BURBANK, Calif., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Homecare Health Services (AHHS), a Medicare-certified home health provider in Southern California, has announced a Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring program in partnership with Health Recovery Solutions (HRS). With the resurgence of COVID-19 across California, AHHS has turned to telehealth to provide symptom screening, 24/7 monitoring, and virtual visits to high-risk patients in their communities. In the coming months, AHHS will expand their Telehealth program with the aim of reducing costly hospital readmissions.

AHHS will utilize telehealth and RPM to quickly identify potential COVID-19 patients through their recorded symptoms and vital signs. Clinicians can then triage patients through virtual visits, available via the telehealth platform. Telehealth patients will receive a COVID-19 Care Plan with specific educational videos and symptom assessment surveys, as well as a mental health questionnaire to ensure patients are recovering safely and successfully from home.

Beyond the COVID pandemic, the Telehealth program aims to reduce hospital readmissions and ED visits, helping patients transition from hospital to home. For many patients, round-the-clock care is provided throughout their hospital stay. However, upon discharge, that continuous care is abruptly cut and patients and their families are left to navigate their condition and recovery. Through telehealth, AHHS' nursing team can support patients and families with continuous monitoring, educational resources, virtual visits and more.

Patients with low health literacy, chronic conditions, or multiple comorbidities are at the greatest risk for hospital readmissions. As such, AHHS' Telehealth program is taking a targeted approach to reducing readmissions, enrolling high-risk patients with CHF, COPD, hypertension, and diabetes. In addition, AHHS' hospice branch, Tranquil Care Hospice is piloting the Telehealth program to expand access to end of life services.

"To me, the why behind what we do is the most important thing," said Reggie Rodriguez, Vice President American Homecare and Tranquil Care Hospice. "That 'why' is to improve a patient's health, to objectively improve their functionality and independence, and to reduce emergency room admissions. Teaching patients how to manage their health and understand their conditions is another big piece of the puzzle. This Remote Patient Monitoring system effectively works to address and solve each of these issues giving us the capacity to take our care to the next level thus fulfilling our 'why' more completely."

Eligible patients are enrolled in the Telehealth and Remote Monitoring program upon discharge from the hospital. Patients receive a 4G tablet and Bluetooth biometric monitoring devices with which to record their daily vital signs and access custom care plans. Included in their custom care plans, patients have access to medication reminders, symptom surveys, educational videos and teach-back quizzes. Throughout their time on the Telehealth program, patients can use the educational resources on the Telehealth platform to learn about their condition and improve their quality of life. The tablet and software, biometric devices, and clinician dashboard are provided by AHHS' Telehealth partner, Health Recovery Solutions.

Once recorded in the tablet, patient data transfers in real-time to the clinical dashboard accessible to American Homecare and Tranquil Hospice nursing teams via their desktop or mobile device. Risk alert notifications are sent to the nursing teams when a patient's recorded information signifies a drastic change or deterioration in their health. Risk alerts allow the AHHS nursing teams to quickly respond and triage patients through virtual visits, preventing potential hospitalizations and dispelling any fears of the patient or family.

For hospice patients and their loved ones, the Telehealth program provides an additional layer of support, providing a platform for virtual counseling sessions, enhanced pain management through 24/7 symptom and medication monitoring, and educational resources on advanced directives and condition management.

"I've always had a passion for helping my patients in the best, most supportive way possible. I'm so excited to add Remote Patient Monitoring/Telehealth to my tool belt, and truly believe this program will elevate our ability to care for, protect and encourage our patients. In particular, it brings an amazing degree of care continuity, keeping doctors, family and caregivers continuously connected," added Janine Hickman, Dedicated RPM LVN at American Homecare Health Services.

About American Homecare Health Services

As a licensed and accredited home health agency, American Homecare has been an industry leader in providing exceptional skilled medical and personal care for individuals and families throughout Los Angeles since 2000. Creating the optimum positive patient experience is at the core of who we are and what we do.

Through the right combination of programs, skilled services and innovative solutions including initiation of care within 24 hours of referral, or sooner, we are a reliable provider of quality, fast and dependable service. American Homecare strives to not only meet the immediate goals of our patients but also to enable them to move to the next level of performance. To learn more about our new Remote Patient Monitoring system please visit https://www.americanhomecares.org/rpm/ or call 818-566-1020

About Tranquil Care Hospice

Serving communities throughout Los Angeles County, Tranquil Care Hospice, is committed to providing exceptional end of life care with dignity and compassion. We believe that care extends beyond the physical needs and normal parameters of hospice care. Understanding that each person is unique, we get to know every patient individually and focus on providing options for living with advanced illnesses, so they can live life their way.

Tranquil's professional and dedicated interdisciplinary team embraces the patient's entire family and loved ones on this life affirming journey, ensuring wellness while providing state-of-the-art medical care and emotional support for the comfort and safety of the patient. To learn more about our new Remote Patient Monitoring system, visit https://www.tranquilcarehospice.com/RPM or call 310-264-8413.

About Health Recovery Solutions

Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) supplies leading health systems with the most advanced remote monitoring platform and technology-enabled management services focused on changing patient behavior to reduce readmissions and improve clinical outcomes. HRS' disease-specific telehealth solutions are customized with educational videos, care plans, and medication reminders while also integrated with Bluetooth peripherals to engage patients. For clinicians, HRS' software allows for the management of high-risk patients and provides seamless communication with them through video chat, wound imaging, and text messaging. For family members and caregivers, HRS' software gives them the ability to be fully involved in their family member's care and wellbeing. To learn more about Health Recovery Solutions, visit https://www.healthrecoverysolutions.com/ or call (347) 699-6477.

SOURCE Health Recovery Solutions

Related Links

https://www.americanhomecares.org/rpm/


Security Council condemns 'heinous and cowardly' terrorist attack in Jalalabad, Afghanistan

6 August 2020 - Members of the UN Security Council have condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attack at a prison complex in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Monday, that left at least 29 people  including civilians  dead.

Many more were wounded in the attack, the responsibility for which was claimed by the ISIL terrorist group.

"Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security", said the Security Council members in a statement on Wednesday.

"Any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed", they added.

According to local reports, during the evening of 3 August, attackers detonated car bombs outside the prison complex in Jalalabad, which is located about 150 kilometers east of the Afghan capital, Kabul, followed by hours-long clashes with security forces.

The attack came in the midst of a ceasefire announced by the Government and the Taliban for the Eid al-Adha festival.

Hold perpetrators accountable

In the statement, Council members also underscored the need to bring those perpetrating the attack, as well as its organizers, financiers and sponsors, to justice. They called on all UN Member States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Afghan Government and all other relevant authorities in this regard.

The members also expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.

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A woman whose charred and half-naked body was found dumped in Sydney's south 'had loving parents' and struggled with addiction, a friend has revealed.

A man, only known as Chris, remembered Najma Carroll, 33, as a smart bookworm who rarely spoke about her family and a 'quiet girl' unless talking about her dog or history.

The former Sydney Girls High student's body was located in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry off Heathcote Road in Menai at 5.15pm on July 29.

She was found to have suffered head injuries after being located by a local taking their dog for a walk, and early examinations indicated attempts had been made to set her body on fire.

A murder investigation has been launched.

Najma Carroll (pictured) was found in bushland near Sandy Point Quarry in Menai on July 29

Chris told the Daily Telegraph he and Ms Carroll did a rehab program run by WHOs at Rozelle in 2015, which was supported by her mother.

'Her Mum visited her  she had loving parents, I know that, but every addict has put their parents through hell,' he said.

'We got clean off the drugs at the same time but, sadly, she fell back into it.'

Former boyfriend Mathew Roberts, 50, told the publication Ms Carroll was a regular ice user, who lived with him for about a year and purchased the drug when she received Centrelink payments.

He said she used it to 'forget her problems' and noted she was not in contact with her mother when they lived together.

'Every time she got paid, she wanted to get ice  she was addicted to it all the time. If you woke up at three in the morning and looked, she (would be) up. Who's awake at three in the morning?,' Mr Roberts, a concreter from Moorebank who met her in 2014, said.

NSW Police officers return from searching bushland near Sandy Point Quarry in Menai on July 30 (pictured)

Text messages sent to a friend in the weeks leading up to her death show a young woman plagued by anxiety and troubles.

Ms Carroll 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.

Sydney High School Old Girls Union said in a Facebook post it was 'very saddened to hear of the tragic and violent death' of Ms Carroll, who was in class of 2004.

'We want to extend our sincere condolences to Najmas family and friends for the loss of a daughter, sibling and friend taken too early. We hope that the person responsible for this terrible crime can be found and brought to justice. One of her classmates remembers Najmas intelligence, dry sense of humour and kind nature. May she rest in peace,' the post read.

Ms Carroll's friend Ian Clare shared final text messages from the 33-year-old former top student (pictured, left and right)

Her friend Ian Clare told The Daily Telegraph on July 31 he and his girlfriend let Ms Carroll stay with them in Liverpool.

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
Researchers at Harvard University announced this week it will begin examining if an existing drug used to treat cystic fibrosis could provide benefits to patients with severe cases of coronavirus.

Harvard will conduct the research in partnership with Boston Childrens Hospital and Brigham and Womens Hospital.

The focus for researchers is Dornase alfa, also known as DNase 1 or Pulmozyme. It is FDA-approved to help patients with cystic fibrosis and is meant to break up thick mucus secretions and prevent lung infections.

The drug may also break up neutrophil extracellular traps, or NETs, which scientists believe contribute to lung inflammation, Harvard said.

The promise of the drug pertaining to coronavirus is that patients with COVID-19 have experienced thick mucus in their lung similar to that of cystic fibrosis. Dornase alfa could also break up NETs, also seen in COVID-19 patients.

Assuming either takes place, dornase alfa could make it easier to deliver oxygen through the ventilator for patients with coronavirus.

We hope this drug, which is known to be safe, will help reduce the inflammation that contributes to worsening respiratory distress in COVID-19, the studys lead investigator, Benjamin Raby said in a statement.

Raby is a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and chief of pulmonary medicine at Boston Childrens.

The 18-month study will randomize patients and provide some with dornase alfa and others with a placebo soon after placement on a ventilator.

Patients will receive twice-daily nebulized treatments through the ventilator tubing, Harvard said.

Raby and colleagues will monitor them for up to 28 days, or until they come off the ventilator, whichever is sooner, the school said. Neither the researchers nor the patients or their families will know which treatment is being given.

The study will track how many patients in each group are alive and ventilator free after the 28 days. The study will also look at resistance to breathing, the lungs ability to stretch and expand, blood oxygenation and length of stay in the ICU and hospital.

Related Content:
With over 4.89 million confirmed cases and 1,60,000 deaths from it, the United States is the worst affected country in the world due to COVID-19.

But the US thinks it is unsafe for its citizens to travel to India, which has the third-highest number of COVID-19 cases.

BCCL

The United States has issued a fresh travel advisory for its citizens visiting foreign countries, including India and China, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

India has been placed under Level-4 category (Do not travel) the highest in the advisory while China, the epicentre of COVID-19, is also designated in the same category in view of the COVID-19 restrictions.

"Travellers to India may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures and other emergency conditions within India due to COVID-19," the State Department said in its advisory.

BCCL

On Thursday the US State Department had lifted its foreign travel Level-4 advisory imposed since March, which urged American nationals, not to travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

US issues Level-4 advisory

"With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice (with Levels from 1-4 depending on country-specific conditions), in order to give travellers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions," it stated.

"This will also provide US citizens with more detailed information about the current status in each country. We continue to recommend US citizens exercise caution when travelling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic," the advisory said.

AFP

Meanwhile, US citizens have been blocked to enter the European Union and the UK requires travellers from the US to quarantine upon entry to the UK, according to CNN.

Last month the European Union had banned flights from India.

This was despite India looking to establish an air bubble with various parts of the world including the Gulf, the US, Canada and Europe.
Musikfest is taking full advantage of its 2020 virtual format with an appearance Saturday by internet influencer Gabi DeMartino.

DeMartino and her sister, Niki, are 2014 graduates of Notre Dame High School and hosts of the popular YouTube channel, Niki and Gabi.

But shes also known for her solo Fancy Vlogs by Gab YouTube channel that has more than 3 million subscribers, in addition to her Instagram feed that draws more than 4.4 million followers. Plus shes a performing artist whos recording a new album.

Saturday morning at 11, DeMartino will perform a virtually streamed mini-set of songs for Musikfest and take questions from fans, festival parent ArtsQuest announced Friday afternoon.

Tickets are $10 and available at eventbrite.com. All proceeds go toward ArtsQuest, the Bethlehem nonprofit that presents Musikfest, the nations largest free-admission music festival.

Bethlehem teens Gabi, left, and Niki DeMartino film an installment in June 2014 for their popular YouTube fashion channel.lehighvalleylive.com file photo

The festival has gone virtually all-virtual for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with performances available through musikfest.org, on social media and on Service Electric TV2.

ArtsQuest has been closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 crisis, losing nearly $20 million in revenue, according to a news release Friday announcing Saturdays show.

ArtsQuest, which presents Musikfest, offers more than 4,000 concerts, programs and educational classes for students each year, with 50 percent of these free, DeMartino says in Fridays announcement from ArtsQuest. Ive been attending Musikfest for years and theres really not another festival like it in the country. Due to the ongoing pandemic, however, they really need help to ensure they come back for their 38th year next August.

Im hoping my fans join me for this exclusive performance to help raise funds for an amazing organization doing some incredible things.

Among the 90 other artists taking part in Musikfest 2020 virtually are KT Tunstall, Robert Randolph, Rusted Roots Michael Glabicki, Reverend Horton Heat and Low Cut Connies Adam Weiner.

DeMartino around New Years surprised a Bethlehem Dominos delivery driver with a $2,020 tip to help ring in 2020.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
A Herald investigation can now reveal how Mr Alex, alongside crime figure Michael Ibrahim, allegedly secretly controlled one of the key companies linked to the syndicate, Permaform International. On July 21 the Australian Federal Police arrested a dozen people over the alleged fraud; including Mr Alex's son Arthur, one of his lieutenants Lindsay Kirschberg, and Caitlin Hall, the wife of jailed crime figure Michael Ibrahim. Ms Hall is before the courts charged with money laundering. One of the premises raided on that day was a warehouse in Moorebank, which is the headquarters of Permaform International. On paper, the company is run by Robert Rech, who describes himself as an energetic and seasoned professional with an entrepreneurial flair on his LinkedIn profile. Unfortunately for him, Mr Rechs entrepreneurial talents have seen him inadvertently embroiled in not one, but two major tax fraud cases. Mr Rech has not been charged in relation to the alleged syndicate.

Permaforms general manager is Adam Cranston, 31, who is facing his own lengthy legal battle following his arrest over the Plutus Payroll saga. In April this year a Sydney court heard that Permaform International had already contributed $128,000 towards Mr Cranstons legal fees. Adam Cranston and his father, then ATO deputy commissioner Michael Cranston, 61, were both arrested in May 2017. In February 2019 Cranston Snr was found not guilty of improperly using his position in the ATO to help his son. From left: George Alex (in black), Lindsay Kirschberg (obscured), Adam Cranston (in white shirt) and an unknown man (in singlet) at the February 2018 meeting in the Earlwood patisserie. Credit:AFR A date is yet to be set for Adam Cranston, who has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to defrauding the ATO. The police are not alleging the Cranstons or Mr Rech were involved in Mr Alexs alleged $17.5 million tax fraud, in which a series of payroll companies collapsed and avoided remitting tax and GST to the ATO. Adam and Michael Cranston have not been charged with any offences in relation to Permaform.

In September 2019 Michael Cranston went into business with Mr Rech, establishing a company called Cospex. In an intercepted phone call made by George Alex on August 1, 2019, Mr Alex is heard advising Mr Kirschberg to lie to a journalist from the Australian Financial Review who was making inquiries about the groups business interests. Have no reference to me  Im not involved  there is no lease in Clarke Street, its just someone saying they were working from there, theyre in Moorebank. Do you know what I mean? Mr Alex was heard saying. Days earlier Michael Cranston told the AFR there were connections between the two businesses. Permaform supplied structural wall systems and Cospex could install them and supply concrete, he explained. "The consultancy work had dried up before my court case and this gave me an opportunity to do something. I do not hold shares for Adam. This was my chance to get into business. My son, however, working as the general manager of Permaform did help make this happen," Mr Cranston said at the time.

Eighteen months prior to this, in February 2018, an Earlwood local was taken aback to see Adam Cranston having a business meeting at a neighbourhood cafe, the New York Patisserie. He quietly took a photo of Mr Cranston meeting with three men, including a heavily tattooed man in a white singlet. While the tattooed man remains a mystery, the other men were George Alex and Mr Kirschberg. Mr Kirschberg, 61, through his company Redwood Smith, is a 50 per cent shareholder in Permaform International. Described in the 2015 trade union royal commission as a "financier" of Mr Alex's labour hire business, Mr Kirschberg was arrested at his Wollstonecraft home recently in connection with the alleged ATO fraud. He has been charged with attempting to defraud the Commonwealth and money laundering. Police allege that throughout 2019 Mr Kirschbergs company Adelphi Finance was used to transfer $1.3 million of alleged proceeds of crime into Permaform International. In one intercepted call, in May 2019, Mr Alexs brother-in-law, fellow bankrupt Peter Kay, is heard saying "George and Mick have put nearly three million in the business". Apart from Mr Kirschberg, another interesting shareholder in Permaform is one-time bikie enforcer and boxer, "Crazy Dave" Lima, also known as Sofe "Dave" Levi. Lima, 41, who has a conviction for violence, was second-in-charge of a bikie gang known as Notorious. Police intelligence suggested that Michael Ibrahim was a high-ranking member and that Ibrahims brother Sam had formed the now-defunct gang.

Mr Limas wife Clair Arthur, Mr Rechs wife Laura Fisher and Michael Cranston are all shareholders in Cospex, which lists its principal place of business at the Moorebank warehouse. It is not suggested that any of the Cospex shareholders have been involved in Mr Alexs alleged fraudulent activities. Mr Limas other companies, Mother Clucker and Levi Wall, also list their headquarters at the Moorebank warehouse. Mr Limas partner in Levi Wall is bikie associate Shane Norman Zerafa, who was jailed for four and a half years for a vicious assault. Zerafa, 40, is facing charges of unlawfully communicating via WhatsApp with Rebels bikie Jamie Saliba, who was in Silverwater Jail. The matter will return to court on August 10. Meanwhile, in court documents, police listed a number of Mr Alex's associates who have links to outlaw motorcycle gangs, at least one of whom is in jail. Four of those listed have been on the Permaform payroll.

They include Limas former Notorious associate Ewing Filipo and brothers John and Herbert Laupepa. Herbert, allegedly the sergeant-at-arms of the Comanchero bikie gang, was one of six men charged with conspiring to murder Hells Angel Peter Zervas in 2010, following a bikie brawl at Sydney Airport. He was subsequently cleared of the charge, pleading guilty to the lesser offence of participating in a criminal group. Other colourful Permaform employees include Edward Nassr and Joseph Zammit. Mr Nassr is before the courts on multiple violent offences and is in custody at South Nowra jail, where he was recently charged with attempting to bring in contraband. Mr Zammit, then-Sydney boss of the Nomads, was one of the first four people to be charged under NSW consorting laws after they were introduced in 2012, following a spike in gang-related drive-by shootings in Sydney. At the time, he and his co-accused vowed to take their fight against the state government's laws to the High Court, saying they breached constitutional rights. He subsequently pleaded guilty to stalking or intimidating and was issued a good behaviour bond.




Haiti - Diplomacy : The Prime Minister Office deplores the incident against the Dominican flag at the border





In a press note, the Communication Office of the Prime Minister informs that the Government of Haiti has taken note of the unfortunate incident which occurred Monday, August 3 on the Haitian-Dominican border at Malpasse-Jimani, specifying " The Dominican flag hoisted on a pole within the limit of Borne 252, located in Dominican territory, was lowered [illegally by Haitians]. As a result of this incident, shots were fired."



Recall that on Monday several Haitians had decided to remove a Dominican flag hoisted on a pole claiming that Haiti had ownership of land up to the Province of Azua. An initiative that provoked the intervention of the Dominican soldiers of the Specialized Land Border Security Corps (CESFRONT) who faced throwing stones and bottles thrown by highly motivated Haitians before responding by firing Read : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31456-haiti-flash-confrontation-between-haitians-and-cesfront-soldiers-at-the-border.html



Continuing, the Prime Minister Offcie specifies in his note "[...] The Government wishes to inform that the issue of the Haitian and Dominican flags at Terminal 252 has been resolved, in accordance with a prior agreement between the Republic of Haiti and the Republic Dominican, following meetings organized during the months of January and February 2020. In order to normalize the situation, a special ceremony had been planned during which the flags of both countries had to be hoisted at the same time on both sides of the border line.



Therefore, the Government deplores this misunderstanding which tends to harm friendly relations between the two countries. It took the opportunity to inform the public that an investigation was opened to determine the perpetrators and co-perpetrators of this act.



Arrangements have also been made to hoist the two flags at Terminal 252, in order to maintain calm and serenity on the Haitian-Dominican border, Malpasse-Jimani."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31456-haiti-flash-confrontation-between-haitians-and-cesfront-soldiers-at-the-border.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Transcripts from retrieved black box to be available soon: DGCA on Kerala plane crash

Kozhikode air crash: Saddened says PM Modi

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over the air crash at the Kozhikode airport today.

Kerala plane overshoots runway, splits in 2 | Oneindia News

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected, PM Modi said.

11 including Pilot dead after Air India Express plane skids off runway in Kerala

Initial reports say that the plane overshot the due to rainy conditions and broke into two parts.

The front portion if the aircraft was damaged completely. The plane had landed on Runway 10 and continued to run to the end and fell in to a valley.

Civil aviation regulator DGCA said the visibility at the airport was around 2000 meters at the time of the incident and the airport was witnessing heavy rains and the plane fell into a 30 feet deep gorge in the valley.
Tragedy has struck Air India Express, the low-cost arm of the national carrier Air India. It was roughly a 3 hours, 54 minutes long flight between Dubai International Airport and Karipur airport in Kozhikode, but as soon as the flight landed at the destination airport, the plane couldn't withstand the rainy weather and overshot the runway. The official statement from Air India Express suggests that there were 190 people on board the plane, including 184 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew.

While the exact details of what went wrong will take time to appear, the initial reports also remain sketchy. As per flight tracking website Flightradar24, the "examination of the granular data for this flight unfortunately does not yield additional data."

Some reports suggest that as many as 14 people, including former Indian Air Force (IAF) test pilot Captain DV Sathe and his co-pilot, have died after the plane broke into two pieces. Several others have been injured and rushed to nearby hospitals in Calicut. The story will be updated in due course as more information comes out.

ALSO READ: Air India Express flight crash Live Updates: Aviation Ministry meeting underway; 14 dead, 15 gravely injured

People rushed to blame the airport design for the incident, including the fact that it's a table-top airport with reportedly about 200-feet gorge on both sides of the tarmac. But experts say that the size of the runway was adequate to operate a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. "The runway at the Kozhikode airport is about 10,000 feet which is slightly less than Delhi and Mumbai airports, and bigger than Mangalore airport. We should not speculate till the time DGCA determines the actual cause of the accident from FDR [flight data recorder] and CVR [cockpit voice recorder]," says Mark Martin, CEO of Martin Consulting.

Meanwhile, experts say that the apparent cause of the accident seems like poor weather coupled with contaminated runway that could have prompted the pilot to take extremely poor braking action, which may have led the aircraft to skid.

Prior to today's crash, Air India Express operated a fleet of 25 Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (NG) aircraft that supported its low-cost structure. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, Air India Express flies on domestic and international routes, particularly to Southeast Asia and Middle East destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Singapore and Muscat. Its fleet consists of narrow-body aircraft and its no-frills model is similar to other LCCs (low-cost carriers) like IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir.

ALSO READ: Air India Express flight crash: Who manufactured the aircraft that crashed?

"Our fleet comprises new and improved Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (NG) aircraft that feature state-of-the-art design and technology to ensure greater comfort, security, and efficiency during your journey," says a statement on Air India Express website.

Started in April 2005, the airline primarily caters to budget travellers, and has an estimated market share of 6 per cent in the domestic market. The share in the international segment is much bigger at 18.6 per cent as on December 2019. In fact, Air India Express is the third-largest international carrier in India after Air India and IndiGo. Air India Express was flying to about 33 destinations before the COVID pandemic. Unlike the parent company, which is deep in losses, Air India Express reported net profit of Rs 169 crore in FY19.

After a gap of over 10 years, this is the second biggest tragedy for the domestic aviation sector. Back in 2010, an Air India Express flight, involving a Boeing 737-800, crash landed at the Mangalore airport.

ALSO READ: Air India flight crash: What is the difference between Air India and Air India Express?
It is just one example of the markets expectations. Fiscal responsibility--even at painful levels--will be rewarded.

Other oil and gas companies who took a different path suffered a different fate. The markets were less pleased with Exxon, who maintained its dividend in these tough times. After its earnings were reported last week, Exxons stock fell. Now, Exxon is warning investors that it could lose up to 20% of the value of its oil and gas reserves if low prices continue through 2020. Its also cutting its drilling budget by $10B and has already taken one billion barrels off its books from shale fields for the most part.

The best evidence of this is BP, who reported a $17 billion loss for the quarter. Of course, this was to be expected. The oil behemoth also slashed its precious dividend by half, committed to cutting spending, and promised to stop exploration in new countries within the next 10 years. It is also planning to reduce its production by 40% within that time frame. The market cheered these prudent changes, sending BPs share price higher.

The oil and gas markets appetite is now shifting. As dismal Q2 financials flood in, lowered market expectations is seeing disastrous quarterlies as bad, and bad quarterlies as okay. Okay financials are met with resounding cheers.

COVID Market Update

The oil and gas markets appetite is now shifting. As dismal Q2 financials flood in, lowered market expectations is seeing disastrous quarterlies as bad, and bad quarterlies as okay. Okay financials are met with resounding cheers.

And investors are voting with their precious dollars amid the pandemic and rewarding fiscal responsibility with enthusiasm.

The best evidence of this is BP, who reported a $17 billion loss for the quarter. Of course, this was to be expected. The oil behemoth also slashed its precious dividend by half, committed to cutting spending, and promised to stop exploration in new countries within the next 10 years. It is also planning to reduce its production by 40% within that time frame. The market cheered these prudent changes, sending BPs share price higher.

Other oil and gas companies who took a different path suffered a different fate. The markets were less pleased with Exxon, who maintained its dividend in these tough times. After its earnings were reported last week, Exxons stock fell. Now, Exxon is warning investors that it could lose up to 20% of the value of its oil and gas reserves if low prices continue through 2020. Its also cutting its drilling budget by $10B and has already taken one billion barrels off its books from shale fields for the most part.

It is just one example of the markets expectations. Fiscal responsibility--even at painful levels--will be rewarded. Meanwhile, hanging onto traditional tactics--like maintaining a dividend without the cash on hand to pay that dividend--is likely to be regarded as reckless.

- Offshore oil drilled Fieldwood Energy filed for bankruptcy, along with more than a dozen affiliates, for its second bankruptcy in just more than two years. The court filings show that the Houston-based company, one of the largest operators in the Gulf of Mexico, has $1.8 billion of debt.

- Marathon Petroleum will idle two refineries indefinitely, transforming them into a terminal and renewable diesel facilities. The Martinez refinery has a capacity of 166,000 barrels per day, and the Gallup facility has a capacity of 26,000 bpd. Both were idled in April amid the slump in fuel demand resulting from the national lockdowns.

- Iraqi authorities said they would make additional oil cuts of around 400,000 bpd in order to compensate for the lack of compliance with the OPEC+ agreement in the previous months' cut this month.

Discovery & Development

- Other positive development news comes from just across the maritime border in Guyana, where we see a final end to the election drama, with incumbent president David Granger on August 2nd forced to stand down after the election commission officially declared opposition candidate Irfaan Ali as the winner. Ali took office on August 2nd without incident, marking a peaceful transition that will bode well for Exxon/Hess production plans going forward.

- Guyana also comes with more good news for Noble Corporation, which has just won a 6-month contract from Exxon for its Noble Sam Croft drillship (the same that has been drilling for Apaches discoveries in Suriname). That helps the bite that came when Nobles reported a $42-million loss in its Q2 earnings and filed for bankruptcy last week. Noble will start drilling for Exxon in 2020, making its way from the Apache drills in Suriname.

- In Norway, British Neptune Energy and partners announced a significant discovery this week in the North Sea. The discovery in the Dugong well is estimated to contain between 40 million and 120 million barrels of oil equivalent and may open up more opportunities in the surrounding licenses for Neptune, which holds a 40% stake in the project.

Deals, M&A, ESG Megatrend

- Brazils Petrobras has qualified 12 companies to compete for the leasing of its LNG terminal located in the state of Bahia. In line with a 2019 deal with the countrys anti-trust regulator, Petrobras will exit LNG distribution and transport and will grant others access to its infrastructure. Companies pre-approved to participate in LNG terminal lease tender include Shell, BP, Repsol along with domestic companies.

- Somalia will reportedly announce the winners of its first oil and gas licensing round in early 2021. The auction officially opened early this week. The government previously considered offering 15 blocks in this licensing round but was postponed due to disputes regarding the maritime border with Kenya. Kenya broke diplomatic relations with neighboring Somalia last year after a row over several oil and gas blocks escalated into an open conflict. Of the 15 blocks which were supposed to be offered, only seven will be available.

- Following record losses Q2 2020, BP has announced a new strategy that would reshape the company by reducing oil and gas production by about 40% by 2030, while its refining output will decline by about 30%.

- Shell has exited its shale gas position in the Marcellus and Utica plays as it completed the sale of its U.S. Appalachia assets to National Fuel for $541 million. The assets include 350 active wells, which produce roughly 250 million cubic feet per day of dry gas.

Earnings/Writedown Season

- Pioneer Natural Resources reported a Q2 loss of $0.32 per share, against $2.01 earnings per share this time last year. Revenues for Q2 were $859 million, compared to revenues of $1.92 billion for Q2 2019.

- BP swung to a net loss of $16.85 billion in Q2, compared to a net profit of $1.82 billion for Q2 2019. Along with its earnings report, BP announced that it would cut its oil and gas production over the next ten years, by one million boed compared to 2019 levels. BP is looking at cutting more than just production. It is also cutting 10,000 jobs. BP also announced it would cut its dividend--for the first time in a decade.

- Cheniere Energy reported Q2 earnings per share of $.78, beating analysts estimates by a wide margin. This compares to a loss per share of $0.44 for Q2 2019. Revenues were $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to Q2 2019 revenues of $2.29 billion.

Politics, Geopolitics & Conflict

- As the entire Mediterranean becomes a fiery stage in the next big oil and gas battle, Greece and Egypt are attempting to counter Turkey by signing a new maritime deal that Turkey has rejected as null and void. The Greece-Egypt deal establishes a new exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and is a direct response to Turkeys attempt to do the same with Libyas GNA. Turkey is balking at the deal, citing the fact that Greece and Egypt have no mutual sea border, while the newly agreed Greek-Egypt EEZ is on Turkeys continental shelf. Some might have thought that tensions with Greece would get a reprieve when Turkey last week backed away from its exploration for oil and gas off a Greek island in the eastern Mediterranean, but Greece--for one--is not convinced.

- While all eyes are on Libya and Syria has been left to its own devices, the Trump administration has approved a deal for an American firm to develop oil fields in Syrias northeast, an area shakily controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which in turn are fragilely (today) backed by the United States. Terms of the deal remain elusive at this point and will likely be the subject of a fair amount of scrutiny. Of course, the Assad regime has rejected the deal as illegal as it would essentially usurp Syrian oil for American purposes. The oil firm in question is Delta Crescent Energy, and you will be forgiven for never having heard of it before.
The benchmark indices ended on a subdued note on Friday; however, the mid and small-cap indices logged decent gains during the session.

The S&P BSE Sensex settled at 38,041, up 15 points or 0.04 per cent with Asian Paints (up over 4 per cent) being the top gainer and Titan Company (down over 2.5 per cent) the biggest loser. NSE's Nifty50 ended at 11,214, up 14 points, or 0.12 per cent. India VIX dropped over 3 per cent to 22.37 levels.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE MidCap index gained over 200 points or 1.4 per cent to end at 14,219 while the S&P BSE SmallCap index closed the session at 13,669, up 106 points, or 0.78 per cent.

On a weekly basis, Sensex gained 1.15 per cent while Nifty added 1.26 per cent.

The sectoral trend on the NSE was mixed. While IT and pharma stocks fell, auto, metals and financial stocks gained. The Nifty IT index slipped 1 per cent to 18,004 levels while the Nifty Pharma index ended at 11,333, down 0.6 per cent. On the other hand, Nifty Metal gained 0.85 per cent and Nifty Auto rose 0.75 per cent. Nifty Bank ended 0.5 per cent higher at 21,754 levels.

BUZZING STOCKS

Shares of Bayer CropScience hit an all-time high of Rs 6,449 apiece on the BSE during the day after the company reported encouraging numbers for the quarter ended June 2020 (Q1FY21). The stock ended at Rs 6,139, up 9 per cent. READ MORE

Shares of Lupin ended over 6 per cent lower at Rs 879.40 on the BSE after the pharmaceutical company's net profit for April-June quarter declined 60 per cent on a yearly basis to Rs 106.9 crore. Lupin had posted a profit of Rs 264.7 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Shares of Torrent Power rallied 9 per cent to hit a 52-week high of Rs 357.50 on the BSE during the day after the company posted a 35.3 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise in its consolidated net profit at Rs 372.66 crore against Rs 275.27 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal. The stock ended at Rs 337, up nearly 3 per cent.

Further, shares of Mindspace Business Parks REIT on Friday listed on the BSE at Rs 304, a 10.54 per cent premium against its issue price of Rs 275 per share. The stock ended at Rs 303.87.
Washington: US Republican President Donald Trump asserted on Thursday that his Democratic opponent in November's election, Joe Biden, is "against God," even though Biden himself frequently discusses how his Catholic faith has guided his actions as a public official.

With Trump trailing Biden in four recent polls in Ohio, the President was fighting to win voters in the traditional swing state as the coronavirus pandemic threatens his chances of a second term. After addressing a small crowd at a Cleveland airport on Thursday, Trump went on to deliver a campaign-style speech at a Whirlpool plant in Clyde, Ohio.

US President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the Whirlpool Corporation Manufacturing Plant in Ohio. Credit:AP

"He's following the radical-left agenda: take away your guns, destroy your Second Amendment, no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God," Trump said about Biden in his Cleveland speech. "He's against God."

The Second Amendment of the US Constitution gives Americans the right to keep and bear arms.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 01:27:37|Editor: huaxia

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RABAT, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan government on Thursday extended the state of medical emergency for another month until September 10.

The Moroccan cabinet endorsed in a meeting in Rabat the extension of the emergency decree for the fifth time due to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases.

The decree also enforce legal consequences for those breach the public health regulations as not wearing face masks or not complying with the social distancing.

Any violation is liable to a penalty of 33 U.S. dollars to be paid immediately to law enforcement officers, otherwise, the file will be presented to the judicial authorities.

On Wednesday, Morocco reported 1,283 new COVID-19 cases, the biggest single-day increase so far, taking the number of infections in the country to 28,500.

The government has also ordered recently the return to confinement of eight cities due to the growing number of coronavirus infections. Enditem
Two Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers defied California governor Gavin Newsoms coronavirus state order, by attending a party at a bar last week.

The officers attended a private party at Sassafras Saloon in Los Angeles last Friday, at an event that was created to honour first responders, according to the owners of the bar, the 1933 Group.

CNN reported that more than 100 people were at the gathering last Friday, and many of the people in attendance were seen not wearing face masks or properly practising social distancing.

The LAPD launched an investigation into the event and on Wednesday confirmed to USA Today that two of its officers attended the gathering.

Under California governor Gavin Newsoms executive order, bars are unable to serve food and drink inside and indoor gatherings of more than 25 people are banned, in order to stop the spread of Covid-19, as the state has seen record daily coronavirus totals over the last few weeks.

California has recorded more than 533,000 Covid-19 cases, as at least 9,866 people have died after contracting the virus since the pandemic began, while Los Angeles has seen the most coronavirus cases of any county in the US, with at least 198,000 confirmed cases and 4,825 deaths.

Wearing masks indoors and when outdoors and unable to socially distance was also made mandatory by the governor earlier in the year.

As the party was taking place, a man outside the bar told CNN that the guests were either family or work at the same place so thats why we dont have Covid concerns.

He added: They micro-group or whatever with each other and everyones been tested and everything. Thats why we all know that everyone in there is cool.

After CNN showed the 1933 Group a picture of the man, they responded via email and said that he is NOT an employee of 1933 or affiliated with the group in any way.

The group added that it unequivocally (does) not condone this behaviour and (has) no intention of agreeing to additional private events, charitable or otherwise, until the state allows.

A statement from the LAPD about the incident read: The chief of police has made his expectations clear and department notices have been distributed, that every employee shall wear a face covering and practice social distancing when possible at work and in the field.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, in the US as a whole, some 4.8 million people have tested positive for coronavirus. The death toll has reached at least 158,300.
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Santwana Bhattacharya By

Now that theres a new god  Ram Lalla Virajman  its perhaps time to adjust to a new Ramayana. There are about 300 versions of the epic, from various Indian and Southeast Asian belief systems and perspectives. The one on which the new concept of Rama has been constructeditself entailing a striking dualitydoes not flow organically from the human-like hero ascribed to Valmiki, a text that itself came out of the accretions of an older oral text. Its tied in a closer way to the divinised Rama of the Bhakti movement, but imparts a mutation even on that. The duality exists at the level of iconography. Theres the infant Rama, the actual deity. At another level, saturating the popular space is the warrior prince returning triumphally to Ayodhya, a gladiatorial, muscular figure, drawn in sharp and angular manga lines; its a new martial aspect thats valorised. In either case, he is not a calming object of devotion, a sign of an other-wordly divinity, but very much of this earth, tied to birth, to worldly concerns, to land.

Even after December 22, 1947, when Ram Lalla appeared miraculously on the then disputed site, his emergence as a national icon was not immediate. It was on August 5, 2020, through a Sanskrit shloka, no less, that Ram Lalla was consecrated as a unifying national icon. The iconography of infant Rama is of relatively unknown provenance, and probably borrowed from the Bala Gopal deity found in many Hindu homeswho needs to be bathed, clothed, given bhog, and put to sleep; in short, taken care of. The Vaishnavites worship their deity in all stages of life, as a child, as the belovedrecall Meera, or the 18th c Telugu devadasi Muddupalani who wrote erotic poetry around Radha-Krishna that offended delicate British sensibilitiesand as an ultimate embodiment of truth, the very atom of being, as by the subaltern mendicant-bards of Bengal, the Baul-Fakirs. And tarkathe way of deliberation and dissentis itself one of the most hallowed Indian paths.

Ram Lalla is nowhere virajman in all this. Hes our new child-god, shorn of his administrative values, if not of his quiver and bow. Rama, as he was known and adored by Hindus through history, was a just king and a warrior extraordinaire who fought for the restoration of moral order (against Brahminical excesses, in some readings). He is not merely an avenger of personal dishonour, but a totem of stoically calm sacrifice, of ethically borne suffering, of brotherhood. That holds over and above the ethical ambivalences available in Valmiki, as evidenced for instance by the slaying of the Shudra ascetic Shambuka. Indeed, the nobility rings through precisely because the complexities make it that much more real. He is the one who puts the welfare of his subjects, even their irreverent questioning, above all elseincluding his relation and duties towards his wife, Sita. Woman-oriented readingswhether traditional, as in Bihar, or in the art world or academicsview the epic from Sitas perspective, and naturally see Rama rather differently from pop tellings.

This traditional Rama, consistent with Valmikis, is clearly no abstract deity made of flawless ether, but a human type that aspires to the idealnarottamanand succeeds only relative to other humans; his figure necessarily entails the idea of failing in the process on critical points, as the Sita perspective would readily clarify. That is why even believers saw in him a human manifestation of Vishnu, unlike Krishna who could always pull off a miracle or two. That is why, for Vaishnavas, Krishna has always been the more cosmic figure. The non-Vaishnava streams reserve their adoration for Shiva oras in the older Sakta stream embedded deep in the Indian soilthe Mother Goddess, as Kali or in her various other forms and manifestations. But for his followers through the ages, this is how he lived at the level of cultural consciousness, transmitted orally through generations, even with all the latter-day interpolations. Human and hence short of perfect, but aspiring to perfection, in terms of yearning for justice and ethical responsibility.

Thats why Rama, when hes reclaimed in the modern Indian political arena first, its not L.K. Advanis revanchist rath yatra, but Mahatma Gandhi who does the honours: its the perception of him as a symbol of justice that was of value. Thats what the promise of Ram Rajya was supposed to mean, even if it was embedded in and conveyed through Hindu symbolism. For, this Rama carried a symbolic power beyond the Ramayanait was pervasive, indeed unifying, and above religiosity. Thats why an Allama Iqbal could call Ram Imam-e-Hind. In the 80s-90s, the no-holds-barred warrior Ram arrives, pushing the older Rama, the good and just king, to the background. Advanis Ram is no Ram Lalla eventhat deity is a face, a legal deus ex machina. Instead he is the pure avenger of modern pop culture. Thus it is that Ram was politically weaponised.

What then is new? The infantilisation of Ram, who now needs the protection of the State. And who now will be above everything, including the Constitution, a new air where there cannot be any questioning as there could be in Valmikis Ayodhya, where a king exhibited remarkably democratic traits! On the banks of a decked-up Sarayu, it is not the just Rama of older vintage who has been instituted, but the new infant Ramaa nativity play about belonging and unbelonging, not about accountability or ethical governance. If Ram Rajya was a concept specific to Gandhi, Ram Lalla belongs to the Modi eraa kind of concretisation of a pre-Ramayana Ram. However much the Congress jumps in to sing Jai Siya Ram, reviving an old Uttar Pradesh greeting, they have been bypassed. No matter how much they point to the unlocking of the site by Rajiv Gandhi and try to resurrect Narasimha Rao, they will be considered the B-Team with a borrowed idea, without an alternative vision.

History may treat this as yet another chapter in the Indian republics tryst with identity. This time written by the BJP, which was not at the high table when the Constitution was being framed. Will this bring closure? Or do we have to yet again hear someone exclaim on his last breath: Hey Ram?

(This opinion piece is the longer version of what was published in the print edition)
Perhaps the most significant change envisioned by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is at the very beginning of a childs educational journey  the first step of the learning ladder. The critical importance of good quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) has been understood by experts for a long time. But by bringing ECCE to the centre of the education stage and by clearly stating that ECCE is the greatest and most powerful equaliser, NEP 2020 has given the highest priority to building strong foundations early in a childs life.

The policy document released in its final form last week sees the age group  three to eight  as a continuum. This continuum is not only a conceptual construct; it will need to be operationalised in terms of provision, approach, curriculum and pedagogy. The transitions from pre-primary to primary will have to be made in a way such that each years progress builds on the previous years learning. The policy document stresses that an urgent national mission is needed to ensure that by the end of class 3, every child has acquired foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

Let us stay for the moment with the first building block outlined by the policy  the first five years of a childs educational life. Already there are debates about difficulties in implementation. Further, in the current context, where fiscal pressures are high, where will the resources come from?

Today in India, even at the age of three, at least seven out of 10 children are already enrolled in early childhood centres, according to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2018. Apart from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar, in most other states, only one out of every five children at age three is not enrolled anywhere. Therefore, although coverage is not universal, India has come a long way in spreading the net for early childhood centres.

Families take decisions on where to send their children, considering available options in their neighbourhoods. On the one hand, private schools, even low-cost ones in rural areas, enrol children in lower kindergarten (KG), who then move to upper KG before entering class I. On the other hand, in the government sector, there are anganwadis in the community as well as those which are physically located within school compounds. In the past, some states such as Assam (with the ka-shreni class) and Bihar (with the bal-varg) have tried to create opportunities for the pre-primary age group. More recently, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have brought in a pre-primary class into their school structures supporting these initiatives with age and developmentally-appropriate classroom materials, training, and mechanisms for academic support. Thus, while the key blocks for the first step of NEP will have to be strengthened, it is not like they have to be built from scratch.

Undoubtedly, there is much to be done. We need to expand access to pre-primary opportunities for those who are still outside the net. Next, it will be essential to introduce and integrate developmentally-appropriate practices both in pre-primary groups and primary grades. This needs to be planned systematically, one step at a time, keeping in mind the goals and ground realities. Further, different departments, parents and teachers must work closely together to ensure a smooth transition from early childhood centres into schools.

While at the ground level, many co-located anganwadis and primary schools use common sense to share and maximise resources, convergence at higher levels of their departments and ministries will urgently need to be planned and operationalised. For example, there are roughly 13,000 government primary schools and close to 27,000 anganwadis in Punjab. Of these, well above 10,000 anganwadis are in school compounds. In both Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, where governments are giving serious priority to preparing the pathway from pre-primary to primary, discussions on how to productively bring in anganwadis as an integral part of this process are well underway. Learning from these experiences is essential. It is possible that a careful analysis of budgets from the ground up may show that more effective deployment of existing resources is possible for enabling young children to get more out of their pre-primary experience.

NEP 2020 boldly states that if the stage-wise goal of foundational skills is not achieved by class 3, the rest of the policy is irrelevant. It also lays out timelines and asks states to create implementation plans and goals to be achieved by 2025. Every child needs to have a strong start to their educational life. The high priority to early years given in the policy document can give a strong backing to effectively translating policy into practice. Ten years after the Right to Education came into force, let us take bold and much-needed steps to give every child the right to learning.

Rukmini Banerji is CEO, Pratham Education Foundation

The views expressed are personal
by Paul Wang

The episcopal delegate for education sends a letter to principals and school supervisors to make young people understand the value of the Chinese flag and anthem, and avoid unilateral politicisations. Many young Catholics in Hong Kong fear school "normalisation. The diocese notes that the letter is more of a "suggestion" than an imposition. In any event, developing the "national identity" must take place "following the social teaching of the Church".

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  The episcopal delegate for education Peter Lau Chiu-yin sent a letter to the principals and supervisors of almost 200 Catholic primary, middle and high schools.

In it, he urges the schools of the Diocese of Hong Kong to help students understand the "national security" law, "respect the national flag" and "the national anthem", as well as foster the correct values on their national identity.

At the same time, Mr Lau warned school administrators against politicisation and the unilateral promotion of political messages, positions or views. For this reason, each school should have a "mechanism" to monitor teaching materials, assignments, examination papers and books used in the classroom.

The letter comes a few weeks before the start of the new school year in September and appears to be in line with a similar letter sent by the Education Bureau last month warning against the politicisation" of students.

For Ingrid Yeung, Hong Kong Permanent Secretary for Education, schools must uphold national values as well as stop student political activities. Teachers accused of rioting or arson should be suspended at once.

Yeung's letter is an obvious consequence of the security law and an attempt to stop democratic protests, which have been taking place for the past year with the participation of many students.

Among the more than 9,000 people arrested (as of June 2020) since the start of the protest movement, about 3,725 are students, 45 per cent from secondary schools.

The diocese explained that the letter is more of a "suggestion" than an imposition. A priest pointed out that the letter explains that "students must be taught a correct understanding of national identity in accordance with the social teaching of the Church".

Nevertheless, many young Catholics in Hong Kong fear school "normalisation. On social media, one young man wrote: They do not want to politicise schools, but they require an understanding of the security law. They are the ones bringing politicisation to school.
The Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR) in Karnataka has launched a mobile app that would provide information related to the crops cultivation, market data and research for stakeholders, including the farmers.

The Cashew India app of DCR, which is under the Indian council of agricultural research (ICAR) and located at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district, is available in 11 languages and can be downloaded from Google play store, a senior official said.

It gives comprehensive information on cashew grafts, nursery, cultivation, plant protection, post-harvest processing, market information and e-market beneficial for farmers, researchers, developmental agencies and processors at one place, S Mohana, senior scientist at DCR, who conceptualised and designed this app, said in a release.

He said a farmer or user of the app can upload and store images related to cashew and videos in My Cashew sub-section under the cultivation section.

It was also possible to record the expenditure, observations and data of the cashew farm. Real-time chatting is available for users under the chat room section.

Mohana said it was possible to order for grafts online in planting material section from the research stations in a state.

The users can give their buying and selling requirements in the market info section. Experts can be contacted through the ask expert section.

The app is developed for states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Meghalaya, Mohana said, adding this might be the highest number of states covered in an app.

A multilingual app, it is available in Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Bengali and Garo languages.

The technical Information for the app is provided by the scientists of DCR and from centres of the all-India coordinated research project on cashew in the country.

The financial support is provided by the mission for integrated development of horticulture under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, through the Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development, Kochi, he said.

The DCR is involved in carrying out research and extension activities to enhance the production, processing and value addition of the cashew crop.

Cashew is a most important plantation crops in the country as it brings in considerable foreign exchange earnings.
A St. John's restaurant owner has been closely watching events unfold in her former home of Lebanon since a warehouse explosion ripped through the city Tuesday, killing at least 135 people and injuring thousands more.

Judy Yassine, co-owner of Resto Beirut, says the tragedy has been difficult to see.

"There's no word that would ever express how we are feeling. It's very sad. We couldn't sleep all night," Yassine told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show.

"Thinking about our loved ones and friends there, families, everyone  it was really hard for us to see it on social media."

Yassine and her husband left Lebanon in 2015 to escape escalating violence in Beirut. They landed in Arizona before moving to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2016.

She said her immediate reaction was to try to reach family  her aunt and her aunt's husband  still living in the city.

"We were really worried. At first we couldn't get ahold of them because everything was shut down. The electric company did get destroyed from the explosion, as well as the internet company, too," she said.

"It was hard for us to contact them, but then, thank God, we did [get to] talk to them and they're OK."

'It was raining glass'

Yassine said her aunt and her aunt's husband have experienced war and violence before, but nothing like Tuesday's catastrophe.

The couple were on a motorcycle not far from the warehouse when it blew  around 6 p.m. during the busiest part of the day in one of the busiest areas of the city, Yassine said.

Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images

"She was crying, and her husband also because all of a sudden it was raining glass from everywhere," said Yassine.

"Plus they were on a motorcycle so there was nothing that could protect them. They have minor injuries, but they're not really severe  but they were in shock."

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Yassine said Tuesday's explosion adds to the growing list of difficulties Lebanon was already facing.

Story continues

She said the country was staring down political and economic crises  on top of the global COVID-19 pandemic  and now some 300,000 people in Beirut are left homeless.

"Some people are living on the street. It's really hard. The Lebanese currency deteriorated, so it's harder for them now to fix their houses. Lot's of people now, they don't have shelters. Especially the people who lived really close to the explosion," she said.

"They didn't really need this over everything that's happening. The pandemic, the crisis that they are passing through, they didn't need this."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 02:43:08|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Brian Hook, U.S. special envoy for Iran, had decided to left office.

"Brian Hook has decided to step down from his role as the U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary," Pompeo said in a statement, without giving a reason for Hook's departure.

Pompeo added that Elliott Abrams, U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, would serve as dual envoy for both Venezuela and Iran following a transition period with Hook.

According to the State Department, Hook has served as U.S. special representative for Iran and senior policy advisor to Pompeo since August 2018, and before that he was director of the policy planning staff in the department.

The New York Times said in a piece that the resignation of Hook "appears to bury any remaining chance of a diplomatic initiative with Iran before the end of Mr. Trump's term."

Hook's departure also came as the Trump administration sought to extend an international arms embargo on Iran despite lukewarm support for the bid.

Pompeo said on Wednesday that the United States would present a resolution in the UN Security Council next week to extend the arms embargo, and he also threatened to trigger the snapback mechanism in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to reimpose UN sanctions against Tehran.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the arms embargo will be lifted this October. Tehran said it would not accept a renewal of the embargo. Enditem
SURREY, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / Gungnir Resources Inc. (TSXV:GUG)(OTCPK:ASWRF) ("Gungnir" or the "Company") is pleased to report that on-going drilling at the Knaften project in northern Sweden has significantly expanded mineralization at the Knaften 300 Gold Zone ("Knaften 300"). Multiple zones of disseminated arsenopyrite, the key indicator of gold mineralization on the property, were encountered. Mineralization now extends down-dip for a distance of more than 400 metres and remains completely open in all directions. Assays are pending. Please see attached cross-section and select photos (Figure 1).

Jari Paakki, Gungnir's CEO, "We are now seeing potentially four stacked zones of arsenopyrite at Knaften 300, all of which are interpreted to extend to the top of bedrock immediately below overburden. As such, we are considering an induced polarization (IP) geophysical test survey over the current drill area to evaluate its effectiveness to target further shallow mineralization along strike and elsewhere on the property more cost effectively."

Gold mineralization at Knaften 300 is associated with disseminated arsenopyrite zones ranging from about 2 to 20 metres wide, typically 5 metres (core lengths). Drilling highlights from Gungnir and previous operators include:

14.07 g/t Au over 4.25 m (from 138.75 to 143.00 m) in hole KN19-06

5.39 g/t Au over 2.00 m (from 98.00 to 100.00 m) in hole KN19-09

3.45 g/t Au over 10.75 m (from 67.05 to 77.80 m) in hole 96009

3.20 g/t Au over 10.00 m (from 83.50 to 93.50 m) in hole 200707

2.92 g/t Au over 13.00 m (from 81.5 to 94.50 m) in re-sample 200707

3.11 g/t Au over 8.00 m (from 135.80 to 143.80 m) in hole 200714

2.13 g/t Au over 14.45 m (from 55.00 to 69.45 m) in hole KNA01001

2.01 g/t Au over 6.70 m (from 190.50 to 197.20 m) in hole 200710

2.89 g/t Au over 5.00 m (from 118.80 to 123.80 m) in hole 200715

The technical information in this news release has been prepared and approved by Jari Paakki, P.Geo., CEO and a director of the Company. Mr. Paakki is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Gungnir Resources

Gungnir Resources Inc. is a Canadian-based TSX-V listed mineral exploration company (GUG: TSX-V) with gold and base metal permits in northern Sweden. The Company's key project, Knaften, hosts high-grade gold, VMS (zinc-copper) and copper-nickel targets, and all are open for expansion and further discovery. The Company also holds two nickel-copper-cobalt deposits, Lappvattnet and Rormyrberget, located east of Knaften. Further information about the Company and its properties may be found at www.gungnirresources.com or at www.sedar.com.

On behalf of the Board,

Jari Paakki, CEO and Director

For further information contact:

Head Office/Investor Relations

Phone: +1-604-683-0484

Jari Paakki, CEO

Email: jpaakki@eastlink.ca

Chris Robbins, CFO

Email: robbinscr@shaw.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements made herein may contain forward-looking statements or information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved", or the negative of these words or comparable terminology. By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual performance of the Company to be materially different from any anticipated performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements or information include, but are not limited to, statements or information with respect to Gungnir's plan for future exploration and development of its properties, Gungnir's plan for future disclosure relating to exploration and development of its properties within the timelines set out above or at all. Forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of estimates and assumptions and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or information. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying estimates and assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements or information. For example, there is no certainty, that any economically viable mineral deposit will be located on the properties, that the Company will receive or be able to raise sufficient capital to complete all of its exploration programs as anticipated. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements or information. Gungnir does not expect to update forward-looking statements or information continually as conditions change, except as may be required by securities law.

SOURCE: Gungnir Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600720/Gungnir-Expands-Mineralization-at-Knaften-300-Gold-Zone
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of Southern Natural Gas Company

Global Credit Research - 07 Aug 2020

New York, August 07, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Southern Natural Gas Company 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.

Southern Natural Gas Company's (SNG) Baa2 rating reflects its stable cash flow, high EBITDA margins and sound financial metrics. The company has the majority of its contracts with good quality shippers. SNG is equally owned by Kinder Morgan Inc. (Baa2) and Southern Company Gas, an intermediate holding company of The Southern Company (Southern, Baa2). Southern contracts for significant shipping volumes, which reduces re-contracting risk. SNG's rating is constrained by high distributions and concentration risk as the majority of the revenue is generated by a single pipeline asset. In addition, SNG faces ongoing contract renewals as well as risk of lower approved tariffs by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

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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 Natural Gas Pipelines published in July 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.

Amol Joshi, CFA VP - Senior Credit Officer 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 Steven Wood MD - Corporate Finance Corporate Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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A series of snapshots caught the hilarious moment a naturist ran naked through a park in order to chase down a wild boar that had stolen his laptop.

The unnamed man had been sunbathing at Teufelssee, a lake west of Berlin, on Wednesday evening before becoming embroiled in the unexpected encounter.

A boar, which are common in the German capital, snatched one of the nudist's bags, forcing him to run after it in front of dozens of bemused visitors.

A series of snapshots caught the hilarious moment a naturist ran naked through a park in order to chase down a wild boar that had stolen his laptop

There are several beaches and lakes throughout Germany which allow people to swim or sunbathe without clothes as part of the country's Freikorperkultur - free body culture.

In the pictures a middle-aged man can be seen striding after the tenacious wild boar and its two piglets as they made their way across the grassy meadow.

The boar had a small yellow bag clenched in its mouth which it later transpired contained the man's laptop.

Dozens of bemused families watched the pursuit before the man was eventually able to retrieve his belongings.

Adele Landauer, an actor and coach who says she took the pictures, wrote that the pigs first helped themselves to somebody's pizza before grabbing the laptop.

She said that when the owner realized what had happened, he 'gave his all' to recover it.

'When he came back with his yellow bag in the hand we all clapped and congratulated him for his success,' she added.

Landauer said she later showed the man the pictures she had taken and 'he laughed loudly and authorized me to publish them.'

The unnamed man had been sunbathing at Teufelssee, a lake west of Berlin, on Wednesday evening before becoming embroiled in the unexpected encounter

Dozens of bemused families watched the pursuit before the man was eventually able to retrieve his belongings

Encounters with wild boar are not uncommon in Germany.

Last year the European statistical agency Eurostat said there are some 150 million pigs in the EU and 40 per cent of them could be found in Spain and Germany.

In January 2019 Denmark even began erecting a 43.4 mile (70 kilometer) wall along its border with Germany in a bid to keep out wild boars.

The move was aimed at preventing the spread of African swine fiver which could have put the country's pork industry at risk.
Uttarakhand government has constituted a high level multi-institutional expert committee to suggest appropriate technology or methodology for searching the mortal remains of 3,075 people who went missing in the massive flash floods in Kedarnath region in June 2013. The committee would hand over its report to the state government for compliance and further necessary action in two months.

The committee constituted under the chairmanship of inspector general (SDRF) Uttarakhand police will have expert members from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). HT has a copy of the order.

These three institutions have been mandated to nominate suitable officers, scientists, faculty members in the committee who are well qualified, trained and experienced in shallow subsurface investigation to identify objects/human remains as also in retrieving these and having experience of working in the high altitude Himalayan terrain

According to the order issued by secretary disaster management department, the committee would meet as and when required and deliberate upon various aspects of the problem and would if required, visit the Kedarnath area.

Also Read: To boost religious tourism in Himalayan state, Uttarakhand to develop Ramayana Circuit

The committee, according to the order, has been mandated to invite any expert that it deems fit for discussion, consultation and advice.

The state government apprised the high court about the order in its affidavit to the court on Friday during the hearing of a PIL filed by Delhi-based activist Ajay Gautam in 2014.

The PIL had sought directions from the HC to authorities concerned to take proper and expedient steps to search missing persons in the June 2013 Kedarnath tragedy so that their last rites could be performed according to the Hindu tradition.

Ajay Gautam said he had suggested the HC that a committee of experts should be constituted to look into the issue and come up with some mechanism through which the missing bodies could be recovered and their last rites could be held as per the Hindu tradition.

Also Read: India objects to omnidirectional CCTV cameras set up by Nepal at Uttarakhand border

I am happy that a high-level committee has been formed. After this decision, the PIL has been disposed of by the HC. I have been fighting for this cause since 2014. I hope in the coming time this will provide closure to families of these thousands of missing people, said Gautam.

On June 22, 2020, HC had directed Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology to suggest scientific ways that can be adopted to trace 3,075 bodies of missing people in Kedarnath region without harming the Himalayan environment

Since the tragedy in 2013, 699 dead bodies/skeletons/remains have been recovered so far from Kedarnath area.

In November 2016, the HC had directed the state government to form special investigation teams (SITs) to trace and cremate the bodies of the 2013 disaster victims. Following the directions, the state government in May 2017 had constituted five SITs for searching the bodies of the victims.

On September 4, 2019, Uttarakhand government had filed an affidavit, stating that excavating the fragile Himalayan terrain to trace the bodies of 3,075 people still missing in the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy could cause irreparable damage to the ecology and the environment.

The state government in its affidavit stated that it is not possible technically to pinpoint the location of human remains under the debris and excavating the recently accumulated thick pile of debris in search of human remains would amount to inviting yet another disaster in this ecologically highly fragile zone. It is, therefore, most humbly prayed that unearthing of human remains be left to forces of nature and the state government commits to DNA sampling and ceremonial cremation of these.

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SAO PAULO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Brazilian telecoms firm Oi SA on Friday agreed to grant preferential status to a joint takeover proposal by TIM Participacoes, Telefonica Brasil and America Movil's Claro for Oi's mobile assets, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The agreement would give the companies, which operate the country's top cellular phone service providers, the exclusive right to match any other higher bid that other parties could make later for the assets.

In July, the three telecoms presented a 16.5 billion reais bid for the assets. (Reporting by Carolina Mandl; Editing by Christian Plumb)
Alan Parker, the cutting-edge British director who was known to film and music fans alike, died at age 76 on July 31. Capping his directorial career with 2003s The Life of David Gale, Parker leaves behind a canon that defined the look and feel of the four decades in which he was active. Whether you were a lifelong fan or are just learning about his oeuvre, below are 10 films that showcase Parker at his best.

Bugsy Malone (1976)

Parkers first produced screenplay, Melody, depicted young love from the point of view of two children who want to get married (and featured a soundtrack by the Bee Gees, kicking off a long career combining Parker and popular music). For his directorial breakout film, Parker took that childs perspective to the next level.

Bugsy Malone tells a classic tale of gangsters in the era of Prohibition, but with a cast entirely of children. While the actors try to play this as seriously as they can (which just makes it more adorable), every other element of this comedy revels in its silliness, from the pint-sized cars to the guns that shoot whipped cream. A very young Scott Baio plays the title role with an also very young Jodi Foster as his ex. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Score.

Midnight Express (1978)



Moving on to decidedly more adult fare, Midnight Express is adapted from the true story of American Bill Hayes who was imprisoned in and escaped from a Turkish prison for attempting to smuggle drugs out of the country. The film features intense sequences of psychological and physical torture as the desperate Hayes gets pushed farther toward his escape.

The film won two Oscars, one for original score and Oliver Stones first win for his screenplay, and Parker was nominated for Best Director. The movies unfavorable depictions of the Turkish prison guards remains controversial, but the filmmaking on display is widely regarded as epitomizing the dark realism of prestige cinema in the 1970s.

Fame (1980)

Its hard to imagine the 1980s without this soundtrack. A sort of adolescent version of A Chorus Line, the story follows eight teenagers who enroll at a school for the performing arts. The film covers all four years of the students high school careers, ending with a mix of tragedies and successes.

Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)

Parker continued blending modern music and narrative in this adaptation of psychedelic rock icons Pink Floyds epic concept album, The Wall. The story, as much as there is one, centers on Bob Geldoff as Pink, a rock star with a fascist persona and some serious mental issues.

Animation and disturbing imagery are used to capture Pinks increasing inner turmoil, along with some fine, if brief, performances from some notables including Bob Hoskins and Eleanor David. Working from a screenplay by Pink Floyds Roger Waters, Parker puts his full imagination on display.

Birdy (1984)



Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage play a pair of close friends who return home from Vietnam to wrestle with the psychological and physical scars the war left on them. In what might be an unexpected twist for people who only know him for his later outlandish performances, Cage plays the popular straight man to Modines disturbed, institutionalized friend.

Parker took home the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival with this war drama. And while it didnt win any Oscars, the instrumental score is still notable as the first collaboration between songwriter Peter Gabriel and producer Daniel Lanois.

Angel Heart (1987)

Audiences had seen Robert DeNiro play some tough customers before, but few of them hold an evil candle to DeNiros Louis Cyphre, an unsubtle take on the devil himself. The movie also features Mickey Rourke and Lisa Boney in her breakout role from The Cosby Show. (Bill Cosby would later be very critical of her depiction in the movie.)

Mississippi Burning (1988)



Peter Biziou took home his only Oscar (so far) for Cinematography for this loose adaptation of the story of the 1964 murder investigation of two Civil Rights activists in rural Mississippi. The film also garnered nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress for Gene Hackman and Frances McDormand.

The Commitments (1991)

The Commitments returned Parker to his true forte: music. In this comic drama, a young working-class Irish man creates the soul band of his dreams. The film follows their ups and downs as members clash, dropout and reunite.

Evita (1996)



Taking an Oscar for Best Original Song (You Must Love Me), Evita was the first attempt at a film adaptation of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical since 1973s Jesus Christ Superstar. Madonna took on the lead role of Argentinas Eva Peron opposite Jonathan Pryce and Antonio Banderas.

Angelas Ashes (1999)

Parkers penultimate film as a director, Angelas Ashes adapts Frank McCourts bleak memoir about growing up in Ireland with an alcoholic father. With a score by John Williams, this tome of a movie is less experimental than much of the rest of Parkers career, but it includes moving performances from Robert Carlyle and Emily Watson.
Beaumont Enterprise

Update: In polling as of midafternoon Friday, 58.5 % of Enterprise readers favored bringing horse racing and parimutuel wagering to Jefferson County. But 36.4% opposed it.

This poll will remain live through the weekend.
New Delhi, Aug 8 : Captain Deepak V. Sathe, who was among those killed when the Air India Express plane he was piloting crashed in Kerala's Kozhikode on Friday, was a former Indian Air Force officer, who flew the MiG-21 fighter aircraft with 17 Squadron (Golden Arrows) in Ambala.

The squadron saw action in the 1999 Kargil war and has been recently resurrected with induction of multi-role Rafale jet fighters, built by France's Dassault.

Sathe, who had also served as an instructor at the Air Force Training Academy, had taken premature retirement from the IAF, shifted to civilian flying and joined Air India.

In one of the worst air disasters witnessed in Kerala, the Air India Express flight, returning from Dubai under the Vande Bharat mission, skidded off the runaway at the "table top" Kozhikode airport leaving at least 16, of the 190 people on board, dead including the pilots. The plane plunged 35 feet into the valley below, as it landed on its second attempt amid heavy rain on Friday.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Air India Express AXB1344, a B737 aircraft, with 190 people onboard, landed on Runway 10 amid visibility of 2,000 metres in heavy rain, but overshot and nose-dived into the valley and broke into two pieces.

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash
Friday, August 7, 2020

Johanna Hoffman, a member of our Emerging Fellows program detects the probable border clashes that may be caused by climate change in her eighth blog post. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the APF or its other members.

As the climate emergency grows in scope and scale, the worlds refugee crisis is slated to explode. While finding precise statistics is difficult, the UNHCR estimates that conflicts associated with climate change have created at least 9 million refugees in the last decade alone. By 2050, that number is likely to grow much higher. Among the many issues that stem from such scales of forced migration  from spikes in human rights violations to mounting economic hardships  border tensions are among the most aggressive and complex.

Climate change is a key driver in this dynamic. As weve explored previously, drought and famine resulting from climatic shifts have been directly linked to violent civil wars in Syria, Somalia and beyond, wars that have created millions refugees. If not ameliorated, such numbers will only increase. Researchers project that within the African continent, 250 million people live in regions that will be vulnerable to food and water insecurity in the coming decades. Three-quarters of the Sahels arable land will likely be lost by the end of the century, forcing many millions more to move. In low-lying areas  coastal zones support roughly 12 percent of the continents population - rising sea levels will increase pressures on African states, compounding existing governmental instabilities and sparking mass migrations at scales not seen before in human history.

When so many are on the move, conflicts follows. In recent years, Europe has become a flashpoint for such tensions. Over the past decade, millions of people fleeing war, climate-induced crises and chronic poverty from Africa, the Middle East and south Asia have sought refuge in European countries. Those who survive their often-dangerous journeys have found increasingly dark welcomes, as political groups and media sources progressively portray migration as a kind of invasion of people from different cultures. Themes of threat - to welfare systems, cultural norms and more - have been particularly prevalent in Italy, Spain and Britain. This trend of relating to refugees as other harkens back to the racist overtones used to justify colonialism and its systems of subjugation, abuse and enslavement.

Many countries have responded by electing leaders who oppose immigration and shut down borders. Bulgaria and Hungary  primary routes into the rest of the European continent for refugees fleeing war in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan - have erected barbed wire fencing in recent years. Norway, Latvia and Estonia have likewise constructed new barriers within the past decade. In 2017 then-interior minister of Italy, Marco Minniti, made an agreement with Libya to supply technical support to the Libyan coastguard to fend African refugees away from Italian coastlines. Farther north, the UK has pressured France to build walls around the port of Calais on the tunnel connecting the two countries. Immigration and tensions around refugee resettlement have become such massive issues across the continent that previously unthinkable geopolitical shifts like Brexit are now reality.

As these border issues show, no place in our modern world is exempt from the impacts of climate change. When refugees escape aggression  increasingly instigated by climate related instabilities - they move, shifting the makeup, history, norms and trajectories of the places to which they flee. Border tensions are a significant part of our current responses to those changes.

Mass migration is both our present and, increasingly, our future. But it is also our past. Migration is a natural response to environmental change, one that humans have taken throughout our history. Migration is what allowed our ancestors to spread across the globe, creating the diverse cultures and societies that we know today. To summarize the writer Sonia Shah, migration has not been the response to crisis in our collective past, but rather the solution. If our go-to answers are to keep newcomers out and current border conditions continue, tensions between countries will only increase. However, if we can envision a future more akin to our past, in which migration serves as a source of hope rather than fear, we can write a different story.

 Johanna Hoffman 2020
Summerland  might look like something youve seen before: A scenic story about a schoolchild who must leave London during the war and take up shelter with a reluctant caregiver. But while it is comfortingly familiar in many ways, and a little cliche and overwrought in others, it also has a modern edge and bite to it that keeps it novel enough to sustain interest.

That modernity is credit to writer-director Jessica Swale, a British theater director and playwright, who with Summerland makes a noteworthy entry into the world of film. With well-drawn characters and a surprising scope, the story feels like its been adapted from a novel (a compliment). And along with cinematographer Laurie Rose, Summerland captures three eras in a small seaside town with breathtaking beauty.

The film opens in the 1970s on Alice Lamb (Penelope Wilton), scolding some local children for interrupting her work. Alice has not just aged into a person who is unsympathetic to children, though. Summerland quickly cuts back some 30 years to Alice (now Gemma Arterton), in the same house, at the same typewriter and still yelling at children who disturb the quiet. A few scenes later, she even takes some candy away from a local kid. (Technically she buys it when the child and her mother dont have enough money, but the comically heartless act leaves the mother and storekeeper shocked and the child in tears.)

Suffice it to say, it comes as a shock when a young schoolboy, Frank (Lucas Bond), shows up at her steps expecting shelter after being evacuated from London. Alice demands that different accommodations are made for the boy, whose father is fighting and whose mother remains in London. It will come as no surprise that the two start to develop a bond soon enough, over his model planes and her academic work in mythology. Alice, it turns out, is a bit like a child herself, dreamy and naively selfish, making her a perfect companion to Frank. The viciousness displayed at the beginning dissipates pretty quickly, which might come across as inauthentic to some, but the story does start to reveal why children annoy her so.

Summerland occasionally (and somewhat clunkily) cuts back a few years before the war, to show that Alice wasnt always a loner. In fact, she had a very picturesque romance with a woman, Vera (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who breaks Alices heart when she leaves to have children. The flashbacks allow the production design and hair and makeup team to dabble in some jollier looks than wartime invites, and Arterton and Mbatha-Raw look especially fabulous in their flapper wares. The directors affection for the pair is clear: Both actors starred in the title role in Swales play Nell Gwynn. Here, Alice naturally gets more to do  its her story  but you do come away wishing for more Mbatha-Raw as well.

Thats all very nice, but whats it got to do with Alice in the war and in the 70s? Well, fair warning, the threads do come together and far too neatly. But the charms of Summerland arent in its plot. Theyre in the sentiment, which is too good-hearted to be cynical about, and the characters. Tom Courtenay gets a lovely role as the schools headmaster and the tiny Dixie Egerickx steals scenes as Franks spirited friend Edie.

Summerland even felt a little resonant in the current moment. Quarantine doesnt compare to wartime sacrifices in the least, of course, and yet there is something undeniably moving about watching a hopeful and kind film like Summerland right now.

Summerland

3 stars

RATED: Not ratedWHEN: Available on demand

WHERE: Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Vudu
Mumbai:

Adani Group that plans to build one of the world's largest coal mines in Australia has got a major boost on Monday as it secured the final approval for a permanent rail line and a temporary construction camp for the 21.7 billion dollars controversy-hit project despite protests.

Queensland's Coordinator-General has given "the latest,and final, secondary approval" for about 31.5 kilometres of permanent track, as well as the 300-bed camp.

The rail section approved will form part of the 389-kilometre heavy haul railway line from the mine in the Galilee Basin to the Abbot Point port, ABC News reported. State Development Minister Anthony Lynham said the approval was another milestone for the project. "Adani has confirmed it will start construction next year," Lynham said "North Queensland is about to see a new horizon, because these big projects will be a huge economic stimulus for the north," he said.

Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani is expected to meet Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during his visit to Australia this week. The company is also expected to announce its project headquarters on Monday.

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill said it would be a huge win for the region. "We've got one of the highest unemployment rates inAustralia," she said. "These are the sort of projects that can support 2,000 to 3,000 jobs, not to mention the other jobs that come from the fact that so many people are employed," Hill said.

The mine will consist of six open-cut pits and up to five underground mines, and will supply Indian power plants with enough coal to generate electricity for up to 100 million people.

The controversial project involves dredging 1.1 million cubic metres of spoil near the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park,which will then be disposed off on land. Meanwhile, over 200 people here gathered to protest,demanding that the project will be stopped. Australian Conservation Foundation's Paul Sinclair saidthe project could still be stopped. "Every day that we stop Adani digging that coal is a daythis planet is free from its pollution," he said. Wangan and Jagalingou (W&J) Traditional Owners Councilalso issued a statement saying that they are opposed theproject.

W&J Council, leading Aboriginal rights advocate,spokesperson Adrian Burragubba said, "The Queensland andFederal governments have knowingly overlooked that we stand inthe way of this mine and when we say 'no' we mean no. Throughour legal actions we are intent on stopping this massive anddestructive project from moving forward." The project has faced a protracted battle to establishAustralia's largest thermal coal mine.
Stops, searches and traffic violations are broken down by race and neighborhood  showing for example, that Black drivers are stopped at a disproportionately higher rate in mostly white Potomac than they are in more diverse White Oak. Countywide, White drivers were stopped more frequently for violations like speeding or beating red lights, while Black drivers were often found in violation for infractions detected after a stop, such as driving without a license or refusing to show it to an officer.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 05:57:20|Editor: huaxia

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Smoke rises from an explosion site at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2020.(Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

16 employees at Beirut's port have been detained over Tuesday's explosion that killed more than 100 people and wounded thousands.

BEIRUT, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16 employees at Port of Beirut have been detained over deadly explosions that rocked the port on Tuesday, Government Commissioner to the Military Tribunal Judge Fadi Akiki announced on Thursday evening.

Akiki said that more than 18 people have been questioned so far, including port and customs officials as well as people in charge of maintenance at the hangar where explosive materials have been stored for years, the National News Agency reported.

Smoke rises from an explosion site at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

Meanwhile, Beirut's First Investigative Judge Ghassan Oueidat issued a decision prohibiting the travel of seven port officials.

Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Tuesday evening, killing at least 137 people and injuring nearly 5,000 others, while causing massive damages in the city.
Ex-shareholder of PrivatBank (Kyiv) Ihor Kolomoisky denies the US Justice Department's accusations of misappropriation and laundering of the bank's funds and notes that all investments in the United States were made at the expense of funds received from his own business.

"All investments in the United States were made from our own funds received in 2007-2008 from the deal with Evraz and from the income of other businesses stored in PrivatBank. Anything else is categorically rejected," he said in comments circulated by the media.

The US Department of Justice reportedly filed two civil lawsuits in the Southern District of Florida for property forfeiture on Auust 6, alleging that commercial real estate in Louisville, Kentucky and Dallas, Texas was acquired using misappropriated funds from PrivatBank and is subject to confiscation on the basis of violations of federal money laundering laws.

According to the document, the ex-owners of Privatbank Kolomoisky and Hennadiy Boholiubov are accused of laundering part of the proceeds using a number of bank accounts of shell companies, primarily in the Cyprus branch of PrivatBank, before they transferred funds to the United States to buy assets there. The lawsuit alleges that the loans were rarely repaid, except through new loans.
The ease with which the COVID-19 virus can spread, the risks associated with traveling to and appearing in the courthouse for those acting pro se with certain health conditions that disproportionately afflict the economically disadvantaged, and the inability of many citizens to access the courts remotely or to hire lawyers who can argue on their behalf could make it difficult for tenants to avail themselves of the court, according to the majority opinion signed by four of the courts seven justices: William C. Mims, S. Bernard Goodwyn, Cleo E. Powell and Stephen R. McCullough.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Austria's wholesale prices declined for the sixth straight month in July, and the trade deficit decreased in May, data from the from Statistics Austria showed on Friday. The wholesale price index fell 4.6 percent year-on-year in July, following a 5.1 percent fall in June. Prices for petroleum products declined 30.5 percent annually in July and those of old and residual materials decreased 16.2 percent. Meanwhile, prices of watches and jewelry grew 14.2 percent and those of chemicals gained 4.0 percent. On a month-on-month basis, the wholesale prices increased 0.9 percent in July, following a 1.4 percent rise in the prior month. Data also showed that the trade deficit narrowed to EUR 457.59 million in May from EUR 472.26 million in the same month last year. Exports declined 25.5 percent annually in May and imports fell 24.8 percent. Trade with EU nations resulted in a trade deficit of EUR 556.85 million in July compared to EUR 337.43 million in the same month last year. For the January to May period, the trade deficit was EUR 1.08 billion. Exports and imports decreased by 14.3 percent and 12.9 percent, respectively. 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.
A group of federal detainees protested at a private prison on Wednesday, reportedly growing frustrated over their time in quarantine.

According to a spokesman for CoreCivic, the private company that runs the prison, six U.S. Marshals Service detainees at the Cibola County Correctional Center northwest of Grants were involved in the uproar.

The facility has almost 300 cases of the illness caused by the novel coronavirus. The detainees who protested had been on medical quarantine for 14 days, which was scheduled to be lifted Thursday if no one displayed symptoms.

Spokesman Ryan Gustin said detainees blocked the pod door, covered the windows and cameras, and refused to comply with verbal directives provided by facility staff in protest of their COVID-19 medical cohort/quarantine status.

He said attempts to de-escalate the situation were unsuccessful so the staff deployed oleoresin capsicum, commonly known as pepper spray.

After the deployment of OC, the detainees became compliant and facility staff was able to mitigate further risk of injury to both detainees and staff, Gustin said.

Gustin said no one was injured in the incident and medical staff reviewed all six inmates involved in the protest.

As of Thursday, the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan has 297 cases of COVID-19  surpassing all other federal facilities in the state. Gustin did not respond to a question about how many inmates are in the facility.

The Otero County Prison Facility, which holds both federal and state inmates, has a total of 751 cases and the Otero County Processing Center, which holds detained immigrants, has 159 cases.

Gustin said the Cibola County Correctional Facility conducted mass testing of staff and detainees the week of July 20 and most of the inmates that tested positive were asymptomatic at the time of testing.

He also pointed to other measures the facility had taken to slow the spread of the virus, including separating high-medical-risk inmates, suspending social visitation, providing face masks and other personal protective equipment to all staff and detainees, and encouraging hand washing and other good hygiene.
A composite image of the Sun showing the hydrogen (left) and helium (center and right) in the low corona. The helium at depletion near the equatorial regions is evident. Credit: NASA

Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen. But scientists aren't sure just how much there actually is in the Sun's atmosphere, where it is hard to measure. Knowing the amount of helium in the solar atmosphere is important to understanding the origin and acceleration of the solar windthe constant stream of charged particles from the Sun.

In 2009, NASA launched a sounding rocket investigation to measure helium in the extended solar atmospherethe first time we've gathered a full global map. The results, recently published in Nature Astronomy, are helping us better understand our space environment.

Previously, when measuring ratios of helium to hydrogen in the solar wind as it reaches Earth, observations have found much lower ratios than expected. Scientists suspected the missing helium might have been left behind in the Sun's outermost atmospheric layerthe coronaor perhaps in a deeper layer. Discovering how this happens is key to understanding how the solar wind is accelerated.

To measure the amount of atmospheric helium and hydrogen, NASA's Helium Resonance Scattering in the Corona and Heliosphere, or HERSCHEL, sounding rocket took images of the solar corona. Led by the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., HERSCHEL was an international collaboration with the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino in Italy and the Institute d'Astrophysique Spatiale in France.

A composite image shows the Sun with open magnetic field lines (colored) overlapping with regions with enhanced helium abundance. Credit: NASA

HERSCHEL's observations showed that helium wasn't evenly distributed around the corona. The equatorial region had almost no helium while the areas at mid latitudes had the most. Comparing with images from ESA/NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the scientists were able to show the abundance at the mid latitudes overlaps with where Sun's magnetic field lines open out into the solar system.

This shows that the ratio of helium to hydrogen is strongly connected with the magnetic field and the speed of the solar wind in the corona. The equatorial regions, which had low helium abundance measurements, matched measurements from the solar wind near Earth. This points to the solar atmosphere being more dynamic than scientists thought.

The HERSCHEL sounding rocket investigation adds to a body of work seeking to understand the origin of the slow component of the solar wind. HERSCHEL remotely investigates the elemental composition of the region where the solar wind is accelerated, which can be analyzed in tandem with in situ measurements of the inner solar system, such as those of the Parker Solar Probe. While the heat of the Sun is enough to power the lightest elementionized hydrogen protonsto escape the Sun as a supersonic wind, other physics must help power the acceleration of heavier elements such as helium. Thus, understanding elemental abundance in the Sun's atmosphere, provides additional information as we attempt to learn the full story of how the solar wind is accelerated.

HERSCHEL sounding rocket launches from the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Credit: White Sands Missile Range

In the future, scientists plan to take more observations to explain the difference in abundances. Two new instrumentsMetis and EUI on board ESA/NASA's Solar Orbiterare able to make similar global abundance measurements and will to help provide new information about the helium ratio in the corona.

Explore further Solar wind samples suggest new physics of massive solar ejections

More information: John D. Moses et al. Global helium abundance measurements in the solar corona, Nature Astronomy (2020). Journal information: Nature Astronomy John D. Moses et al. Global helium abundance measurements in the solar corona,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41550-020-1156-6
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 45 and relatively healthy. But about a year ago, I hurt my lower back while working in the yard. I felt a sharp pain and could barely walk. It took about a month to heal. Then about a month ago, I hurt my back again  this time while lifting my young son. The pain does not seem to be getting better. Is there anything I can do to speed the healing process? How can I prevent this from recurring?

ANSWER: Lower back pain episodes are common among adults, with about 80% of adults experiencing lower back pain at some point during their lives. Lower back pain is one of the top five reasons that individuals seek medical care. In many cases, lower back pain resolves on its own. Most people have significant improvement in their pain within 14 days, and symptoms usually resolve in 4 to 6 weeks.

Unfortunately, its not uncommon for lower back pain to recur. The biggest predictor of developing lower back pain is having a history of prior lower back pain episodes. As many as 50% of acute lower back pain sufferers will experience another episode of back pain within a year. However, only a very small percentage of those people go on to develop chronic lower back pain.

To ease your present lower back pain flare, there are a number of self-care steps you can take. First, maintain your usual activities as much as possible, but do be cautious with movements that sharply increase the pain. Second, consider taking a nonprescription pain reliever. Anti-inflammatory medication, such as naproxen and ibuprofen, may be of benefit for short-term use. There are also some topical medications that people find effective at times, including counterirritants for heat/cold, lidocaine from numbing and anti-inflammatories for more local use. Many people take other nutritional supplements to help their pain, but no one supplement has been determined to be effective for everyone with lower back pain. However, most do not have a lot of side effects or risk.

If over-the-counter medications are not enough, talk to your health care provider about a muscle relaxant to reduce symptoms. The use of the medications is not to eliminate your pain but rather to reduce it to allow you to resume more movements and activities. Be aware that prescription medications may have more side effects, such as nausea, sedation and/or constipation.

Physical therapy during the acute episode can be an important part of treatment for lower back pain. It should involve teaching you to use heat and/or cold therapies, proper stretching exercises and the safest strengthening exercises  especially the abdominal core muscles. Practicing good posture and proper body mechanics also can help reduce pain. The benefit to starting a physical therapy program is to find out which approaches are best for you with your current symptoms and learn the proper technique for the exercises. The goal is to acquire a regimen of stretching and strengthening to be able to do at home for long-term benefit.

Additional passive interventions that may provide some short-term benefit for pain reduction in people with lower back pain include massage, acupuncture, low-level laser treatment and spinal mobilization. These soft tissue and/or joint mobilizations often are called manipulation, and may be done by therapists, chiropractors or osteopaths. Other, more active interventions to consider are yoga, Pilates or an aquatic exercise program. Talk with your health care provider about the benefits and risks of these approaches, and if they may be right for your situation.

Once the pain goes away, take measures to reduce your risk of future lower back pain episodes. Use good posture and follow your health care providers instructions on how to bend, lift and move to ensure proper back biomechanics. When lifting heavier objects, it often is best to lift from the knees while you contract your abdominal muscles and keep your spine straight. You should not bend and twist your trunk at the same time, and, as you do lift, hold the object as close to your body as you can. You also may incorporate back-friendly practices into your daily life, such as using a chair that has good back support at work and at home, or using a desk that changes levels to move from sitting to standing intermittently.

When you lift heavy objects, lift from the knees while you contract your abdominal muscles, keep your spine straight, and dont twist your trunk. As you lift, hold the object close to your body.

Regular exercise can strengthen your muscles, which makes it less likely youll have future lower back pain episodes. There are no studies, though, that indicate one exercise is better than another for prevention of future pain. General core exercises or aerobic exercises can be valuable. Proper warm-up and cool-down techniques may include more back-specific stretching maneuvers. Aerobic and resistance exercises also can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight. This may help to protect you from future lower back and other problems that can be associated with obesity.

Finally, if you smoke, stop. Smoking accelerates spinal degeneration, and that contributes to the development of back pain. If you would like guidance or support as you work to quit smoking, talk to your health care provider. Various treatment options are available that can help.  James Atchison, D.O., Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida

(Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesnt replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org.)

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Montgomery County Public Schools announced in July that the system would begin the academic year online. But private schools, and parents who send their children to them, believe their schools should be treated more like private businesses: not tethered to standards designed for one of the largest school systems in the country. Many private schools spent heavily to retrofit their buildings and drafted carefully designed reopening plans that they say would be safe.
Italy's foreign minister on Thursday pledged an "international response" to help Lebanon following a deadly blast that killed at least 149 people and injured thousands.

Italy has already sent specialists, firefighters and over eight tonnes of humanitarian aid to Beirut, where a stockpile of ammonium nitrate in a port warehouse sparked a massive blast on Tuesday.

"There will certainly be an international response and I am happy that countries like France are at the forefront in helping Lebanon," Luigi Di Maio told AFP in an interview.

He referred to Thursday's announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron of a global aid conference for Lebanon in coming days.

Lebanon was already undergoing a devastating economic crisis roiled by political turmoil and rising coronavirus cases when the disaster occurred.

"From our point of view, helping a friendly country like Lebanon also means curtailing instability that risks having effects on migration," said Di Maio.

Italy's humanitarian flight to Beirut, previously announced by the foreign ministry, carried medical equipment such as surgical and trauma kits.

On Wednesday, Italy sent experts in several fields as well as firefighters and soldiers specialised in structural damage.

The death toll from the disaster is expected to rise as rescue workers continue to dig through the city's rubble.
The Samajwadi Party on Friday sought an apology from Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath over his remark that he would not attend the inauguration of the mosque to be built in Ayodhya, replacing the demolished Babri Masjid.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being presented with a memento by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath during the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020. Photograph: @CMOfficeUP/Twitter

After the bhoomi pujan for a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Adityanath had said on television that as a yogi and as a Hindu he couldn't go for the inauguration of a mosque.

Reacting to the remark, the opposition SP said he should seek an apology from the people of the state. When contacted, a UP Congress spokesperson, however, refused to comment on the chief minister's remarks over the mosque.

"If you ask me as a chief minister, I have no problem with any belief, religion or community. If you ask me as a yogi, I will definitely not go because as a Hindu I have the right to express my 'upasana vidhi' (way of worship) and act accordingly," Adityanath had said.

"I am neither 'vaadi or prativadi' (petitioner nor respondent). That is why neither will I be invited, nor will I go. I know, I won't be getting any such invitation, he said.

"The day they invite me, secularism of many will be in danger. That's why I want that their secularism should not be in danger and I continue to silently work to ensure that everyone benefits from government scheme without any discrimination," he said.

He claimed that the Congress never wanted a solution to the dispute. They wanted the dispute to continue for their political benefit."

"Attending roza-iftar with a skull cap is not secularism. People also know that this is drama. People know the reality," the CM said.

SP spokesperson Pawan Pandey criticised Adityanath over his remarks, charging that he has violated the oath he took while assuming charge as the chief minister.

He is the CM of the entire state, and not only of the Hindu community. Whatever the population of Hindus and Muslims in the state, he is the CM of all. This language of the CM lacks dignity, he said.

He should seek an apology from the people for this," Pandey said.

UP Congress media cell convenor Lalan Kumar said, "We don't have any comments on his mosque statement."

But he credited the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for opening the locks on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid.

Referring to the ruling BJP, the Congress spokesperson said, They play politics of fake Hindutva. The Congress has always talked about whatever is in the interest of people.

Lord Ram is everyone's, but the BJP wants to show that Ram is theirs alone, he added.

Yogi Adityanath had attended the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a Ram temple in Ayodhya, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the main guest.

Last November, the Supreme Court had settled the Ayodhya land dispute, allowing the construction of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi by a trust.

The apex court had also ordered the allocation of a five-acre plot of land elsewhere in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque, in place of the Babri Masjid which was demolished by kar sevaks' in 1992.

A trust has been formed by the Sunni Waqf Board for building this mosque.
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / Terra Tech Corp. (OTCQX:TRTC) ("Terra Tech" or the "Company") today announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2020.

Matthew Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of Terra Tech, commented, "Our second quarter results were impacted by reduced footfall due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the closure of two of our dispensaries for the entire month of June, following damage done in the wake of civil unrest in California. Our cultivation facilities continued to sell cannabis products throughout the quarter, however the shift in revenue mix toward wholesale products reduced our operating margin. Looking ahead, we remain focused on improving the fundamentals in our THC business in California to maximize near-term revenues, and are prioritizing the opening of our cannabis retail location at East Dyer Road, Santa Ana, finishing our Hegenberger cultivation project, and reopening the Oakland, California dispensary. We expect to build our capital base in the second half of 2020, including completing a number of asset sales in Nevada to strengthen the Company's cash position and redirect resources to assets that generate the highest returns in the THC business. Despite the recent challenges and uncertainty in the market, we remain focused on our strategy and will continue to build out a lean and sustainable business."

Financial Update

For the quarter ended June 30, 2020, the Company generated revenues from continuing operations of approximately $3.31 million, compared to approximately $4.48 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of approximately $1.17 million. The decrease was primarily due to the combined impact of COVID-19 which reduced customer traffic and sales volume and civil unrest which resulted in the damage and closure of two of our dispensaries for the entire month of June.

Terra Tech's gross profit from continuing operations for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 was approximately $1.39 million, compared to a gross profit of approximately $2.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of approximately $0.91 million. Gross margin for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 was approximately 42.1%, compared to approximately 51.4% for the quarter ended June 30, 2019. The decrease in gross margin was mainly due to our revenue decrease, but was also impacted by higher cost of sales. The shift from being a purely retail company to being fully integrated in 2020 has resulted in lower margins, as a greater percentage of our labor and overhead costs are classified as cost of goods sold, rather than selling, general and administrative expenses. Our cost of sales for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 was also negatively impacted by suboptimal purchasing volume.

Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2020 were approximately $7.38 million, compared to approximately $8.61 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $1.23 million.

The net loss attributable to Terra Tech for the three months ending June 30, 2020 was $18.18 million, or $0.10 per basic and diluted share, compared to $10.10 million, or $0.10 per basic and diluted share, for the three months ending June 30, 2019. The increase in net loss was primarily attributed to $11.31 million of non-cash impairment charges recorded in the second quarter, as a result of declining revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic and civil riots in Oakland, California.

The Company had $0.74 million in cash as of June 30, 2020, compared with $1.23 million as of December 31, 2019.

Stockholders' equity for the period ending June 30, 2020 amounted to approximately $52.65 million compared to approximately $75.33 million as of December 31, 2019.

Conference Call

The company will host a conference call on Friday, August 7, 2020 at 4:30pm ET to discuss the financial and operational results.

Dial-In Number: 1-857-232-0157

Access Code: 422095

Matthew Morgan, CEO of Terra Tech Corp., will be answering shareholder questions at the end of the call. Should you have questions during or prior to the conference call please send an email to TRTC@kcsa.com with TRTC Question in the subject line. Mr. Morgan will answer as many questions as time will allow.

For those unable to participate in the live conference call, a replay will be available at https://www.smallcapvoice.com/trtc/. An archived version of the webcast will also be available on the investor relations section of the company's website.

To be added to the Terra Tech email distribution list, please email TRTC@kcsa.com with TRTC in the subject line.

About Terra Tech

Terra Tech, which recently merged with OneQor Technologies, is a holding company with a portfolio of investments focused on cannabis agricultural assets in the THC market and the research, development and commercialization of cannabinoid-based products. Backed by innovative science and best-in-class manufacturing, the company's mission is to deliver top-tier cannabis and cannabinoid-based products across the wide range of emerging consumer markets for plant-based health products, including CBD, pharmaceuticals and consumer brands.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this communication regarding matters that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, known as the PSLRA. These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or forecasts for the future, and, therefore, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. Terra Tech undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law. We use words such as "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "expects," "projects," "future," "intends," "may," "will," "should," "could," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "continue," "guidance," and similar expressions to identify these forward-looking statements that are intended to be covered by the safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA. Such forward-looking statements are based on our expectations and involve risks and uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements due to a number of factors.

New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all such factors, nor can we assess the impact of each such factor 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. These risks, as well as other risks associated with the combination, will be more fully discussed in our reports with the SEC. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Terra Tech's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed from time to time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements included in this release are based on information available to Terra Tech as of the date of this release. Terra Tech undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

Contact

Philip Carlson

KCSA Strategic Communications

TRTC@kcsa.com

212-896-1238

TERRA TECH CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(UNAUDITED)

(in thousands, except for shares and per-share information)

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2020 2019 2020 2019 Total revenues $ 3,308 $ 4,478 $ 7,621 $ 6,522 Cost of goods sold 1,916 2,177 3,891 2,622 Gross profit 1,392 2,301 3,730 3,900 Selling, general and administrative expenses 7,377 8,613 16,414 17,204 Impairment of assets 11,314 510 16,433 510 (Gain) / Loss on sale of assets - - (35 ) - Loss on interest in joint venture - - - 1,067 Loss from operations (17,299 ) (6,822 ) (29,082 ) (14,880 ) Other income (expense): Interest expense, net (842 ) (3,620 ) (1,744 ) (6,548 ) Other income/loss (88 ) 985 (23 ) 997 Total other income (expense) (930 ) (2,635 ) (1,767 ) (5,551 ) Income (Loss) from continuing operations (18,229 ) (9,457 ) (30,849 ) (20,431 ) Income (Loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax (252 ) (839 ) (5,004 ) (1,323 ) NET INCOME (LOSS) (18,481 ) (10,296 ) (35,853 ) (21,754 ) Less: Income (Loss) attributable to non-controlling interest from continuing operations (298 ) 8 (341 ) 86 Less: Income (Loss) attributable to non-controlling interest from discontinued operations - (200 ) - - NET LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO TERRA TECH CORP. $ (18,183 ) $ (10,104 ) $ (35,512 ) $ (21,840 ) Income / ( Loss) from continuing operations per common share attributable to Terra Tech Corp. common stockholders - basic and diluted $ (0.10 ) $ (0.09 ) $ (0.17 ) $ (0.21 ) Net Loss per common share attributable to Terra Tech Corp. common stockholders - basic and diluted $ (0.10 ) $ (0.10 ) $ (0.20 ) $ (0.22 ) Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted 186,068,175 105,360,358 174,781,579 99,319,032

TERRA TECH CORP. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except Shares)

June 30, December 31, 2020 2019 (Unaudited) ASSETS Current Assets: Cash $ 744 $ 1,226 Accounts receivable, net 1,242 693 Inventory 4,768 4,334 Prepaid expenses and other assets 459 675 Current assets of discontinued operations 73 2,440 Total current assets 7,286 9,368 Property, equipment and leasehold improvements, net 34,066 35,469 Intangible assets, net 11,733 14,871 Goodwill 17,224 21,471 Other assets 14,980 10,272 Investments 5,330 5,000 Assets of discontinued operations 10,326 22,799 TOTAL ASSETS $ 100,945 $ 119,250 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY LIABILITIES: Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 13,119 $ 9,525 Deferred revenue 129 - Short-term debt 16,885 11,021 Current liabilities of discontinued operations 8,083 7,035 Total current liabilities 38,216 27,582 Long-term liabilities: Long-term debt, net of discounts 1,878 6,570 Long-term lease liabilities 8,202 8,902 Long-term liabilities of discontinued operations - 869 Total long-term liabilities 10,080 16,341 Total liabilities 48,296 43,923 STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY: Preferred stock, convertible series A, par value 0.001: - - 100 shares authorized as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019; 12 shares issued and 8 shares outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 Preferred stock, convertible series B, par value 0.001: - - 41,000,000 Shares Authorized as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019; 0 Shares Issued and Outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 Common stock, par value 0.001: 207 120 990,000,000 Shares authorized as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019; 204,777,168 issued and 202,468,760 outstanding as of June 30, 2020 and 120,313,386 shares issued and 118,004,978 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019 Additional paid-in capital 273,526 260,516 Treasury Stock (2,308,408 shares of common stock, 4 shares of Preferred Stock Convertible Series A) (808 ) (808 ) Accumulated deficit (225,198 ) (189,685 ) Total Terra Tech Corp. stockholders' equity 47,727 70,143 Non-controlling interest 4,922 5,184 Total stockholders' equity 52,649 75,327 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 100,945 $ 119,250

SOURCE: Terra Tech Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600738/Terra-Tech-Corp-Reports-Financial-Results-for-Second-Quarter-2020
Manitoba's chief public health officer cut short his vacation Thursday to deliver the bad news of 30 new COVID-19 cases, including a cluster of 18 in Brandon.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 6/8/2020 (530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba's chief public health officer cut short his vacation Thursday to deliver the bad news of 30 new COVID-19 cases, including a cluster of 18 in Brandon.

The large number of cases in Manitoba's second-largest city are linked to a person who travelled from Eastern Canada and didn't strictly follow self-isolation guidelines, Dr. Brent Roussin said.

"The person was to have self-isolated and it wasn't done perfectly and we saw transmission occur," he said. "Self-isolation isn't only staying home, it's also limiting your contact with other people in the home," he added, without providing more details.

Eleven other cases were reported in the province's Southern Health region. One new case was reported in Winnipeg.

It was the highest single-day coronavirus count in the province since April 2, when 40 cases were reported.

"Today's case numbers are a reminder that COVID 19 is not done with us  that we still need to take... fundamental precautions," Roussin said.

Four of the new cases in Brandon are people employed at the Maple Leaf Foods Inc. hog processing plant, reported Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents them.

The union wants the plant shut down, at least until Monday. An estimated 76 plant workers have been tested thus far.

Four of the new cases in Brandon are people employed at the Maple Leaf Foods Inc. hog processing plant, reported Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents them. (Bruce Bumstead / Brandon Sun files)

"We strongly believe that the most prudent action is to cease production until more test results come back and we have a better sense of the trend," Local 832 president Jeff Traeger said in a letter Thursday to provincial Health Minister Cameron Friesen.

However, the province decided against a shutdown of the facility, which employs 2,300 workers.

"We're not seeing evidence of transmission occurring in the workplace," said Roussin, who wouldn't provide any details about the tested employees.

"The industry itself has gone above and beyond what public health has recommended."

Friesen told reporters that a decision to protect workers' safety, such as closing the plant, will be based on evidence and accurate information that's verified by public health officials.

Maple Leaf says it's taking precautions and has no plan to cease production. The company says the workers appear to have contracted the virus in the community.

"We will continue to operate our Brandon plant as long as we believe we can provide an environment that will protect the safety of our people while working," the company said in an email to the Free Press Thursday.

"Given our daily health screening, temperature monitoring, social distancing and the personal protective equipment all team members wear while at work, we feel confident that our plant environment is safe."

Health officials said Thursday that 10 Manitobans were hospitalized with COVID-19, five of them in intensive care. There are 118 active cases. The total infected so far in the province since the pandemic began is now 474. With the newly identified infections, the five-day test positivity rate rose to 0.90 per cent.

The province decided against a shutdown of the Maple Leaf Foods Inc. hog processing plant in Brandon, which employs 2,300 workers. (Tim Smith / The Brandon Sun)

NDP Leader Wab Kinew said the government should be providing more precise information about the location of COVID-19 cases and whether they are tied to specific workplaces.

While the province says there is no evidence that the coronavirus is being spread at Maple Leaf, the fact remains that "more and more employees are falling sick at that plant," he said. Both he and and Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont supported the UFCW's call Thursday for a temporary closure.

The government's reluctance to name institutions where infections have occurred (unless it needs the public's help to trace contacts) may become "a big concern" once school season arrives, Kinew said.

Parents will want to know if there are cases linked to their child's school or daycare, he said. "Right now, it seems as though you'll only be notified if there was a close contact (to your child)."

Lamont said close attention must be paid to the Maple Leaf plant because most of the large COVID-19 outbreaks in North America have been tied to either meat-packing plants or personal-care homes.

Age breakdown of latest COVID-19 cases Click to Expand Among the 30 new COVID-19 cases announced by the province on Thursday, four were children aged nine and younger -- two from Brandon and two from the Southern Health region. Four other young people, aged 10 to 19, were also identified in the latest group of infections -- three from Brandon in the Prairie Mountain Health region and one in Southern Health. Of the 30 new cases, six are people aged 60 and older, including one man in his 80s. Among the rest, six cases were people in their 20s, six were in their 30s and four in their 40s. None who were infected was in their 50s.

If the plant itself isn't the source of the virus spread, the focus should nonetheless be on its workforce, many of whom are likely living in cramped quarters, he said.

"There needs to be a full screen of all the employees," he said.

Maple Leaf said its plants have "transformed" how they operate through social distancing, with "plexiglass separators on production lines where possible, marks on floors to control movement in certain directions and efforts to decrease density, like staggered shifts and additional break space."

After learning of the positive test results, Maple Leaf implemented a COVID-19 response plan and asked several other "team members" to self-quarantine. The company notified employees, the Canada Food Inspection Agency and the union, a spokesperson said.

"After a careful and detailed review of the circumstances around the cases, it appears very likely that the team members contracted COVID-19 in the community," the spokesperson said, adding the company is in contact with the four infected employees, who are all recovering at home.

But it took just a few positive cases at other food processing plants in Canada and the U.S. to turn quickly into major outbreaks that resulted deaths, the union president said.

"We're trying to prevent a disaster," said Traeger.

Some workers have said they're scared of catching the virus on the job, and Traeger expects to see the rate of absenteeism rise until their fears are allayed.

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.

Three of the workers who tested positive worked in the same auxiliary department  not the slaughterhouse or on the production line. None of the four who've tested positive are being paid, contrary to what Traeger said the union was told earlier by a Maple Leaf manager.

"The company is not paying a salary to people who have COVID-19 or are self-isolating," he said.

Traeger said he can see why the company isn't acting quickly to close the Brandon plant that kills up to 18,000 hogs a day. It provides the pork to Maple Leaf's processing facilities across Canada, and closing it could cripple other plants.

"That's a lot of revenue," he said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Carol Sanders

Legislature reporter After 20 years of reporting on the growing diversity of people calling Manitoba home, Carol moved to the legislature bureau in early 2020. Read full biography
Now at this midway point of NRs webathon effort (we seek to raise $250,000; to date nearly 1,300 kindly souls have contributed a total of $112,000), instead of only asking, we also give.

Give what? How about Bill Buckleys classic on-the-scene accounts of President Nixons historic, Mao-toasting trip to Red China? Throughout the junket, one of the boys on the bus, Bill, armed with his press pass and biting wit, tossed withering barbs and darts at the U.S. and ChiCom flacks  utterances that proved confounding, down-putting, and scene-stealing.

Here comes the giving: The pieces (published by NR in March 1972) are wonderful conservative gems were making available to our friends and readers. Youll find they remain timely.

The first article, Veni, Vidi, Victus, is a fresh WFB analysis of the consequences of the Nixon administrations outreach to Communist China. And by fresh analysis, we mean a 4,500-word tongue-lashing.

Heres a taste:

We have lost  irretrievably  any remaining sense of moral mission in the world. Mr. Nixons appetite for a summit conference in Peking transformed the affair from a meeting of diplomatic technicians concerned to examine and illuminate areas of common interest, into a pageant of moral togetherness at which Mr. Nixon managed to give the impression that he was consorting with Marian Anderson, Billy Graham, and Albert Schweitzer. Once he decided to come here himself, it was very nearly inevitable that this should have happened. Granted, if it had been Theodore Roosevelt, the distinctions might have been preserved. But Mr. Nixon is so much the moral enthusiast that he alchemizes the requirements of diplomacy into the coin of ethics; that is why when he toasted the bloodiest, most merciless chief of state in the world, he did so in accents most of us would reserve for Florence Nightingale.

Youll find the entire essay here. The second piece, Richard Nixons Long March, collects Bill-the-Reporters filings. Its big. Its brazen. Heres another slice of quintessential Buckley:

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And then the ballet of the night before, said Mr. Nixon, was very dramatic  excellent theater [C+ would have been a generous rating], and excellent dancing [B] and music [C] and really superb acting [B]. I have seen ballets ail over the world, including the Soviet Union and the United States. This is certainly the equal of any ballet I have seen. Bullsticks. It is not the equal of any ballet Mr. Nixon has seen. Oh dear. One has the feeling that if Mr. Nixon, in his second term, having decided to patch up our difficulties with the Devil, travels down to conduct a summit conference, he will tell Charon that he has used ferries all over the world, but that Charons is absolutely the equal of any he has ever ridden on.

Find the entire piece here. Do enjoy both.

As for the current webathon: To paraphrase Gilbert and Sullivan, weve got a little list. Well, not so little: It consists of 420 articles NR has published in the last year on Red China (find NRs China-coverage warehouse here). We most vigorously contend now, as Bill did in 1972, as NR has done without pause since its 1955 founding, that Red China is a deadly threat. Indeed to the Chinese, but also to all mankind. Reporting on its malicious ways and means, its plan for, yes, global domination  which would come at the cost of freedom and unalienable rights  is a daily focus of NR.

No other publication tells the truth so unrelentingly about the quite real (and disastrous) consequences of a Red China unchecked. Nothing  not Antifa, not (gulp!) a Biden administration  compares with the looming historic trauma of a PRC that has a fully implemented Belt and Road stranglehold on global commerce, with a Peking-dominated Pacific and Southeast Asia, with Politburo bankers (they make Mr. Potter look like the model of charity) owning the debt and livelihood of the worlds nations, with Party corporate billionaires rampaging as they swipe any and all patents and technologies.

China, very much red and very much Maoist, in all of its dirty dealings (COVID-downplaying . . . NBA-controlling . . . Hong Kongconquering . . . Christianity-suppressing . . . Uyghur-eliminating . . . Taiwan-threatening . . . technology-swindling . . . ) is a top issue of NR. Make that a top fight of NR.

When you support NR in this critical fundraising drive, you will be acknowledging NRs indispensable role in telling those truths that must be told for all to hear about Communist China. Look at that list of 420 (and growing daily) articles, editorial, essays, and commentaries. Then imagine the public debate without the vital voice of NR. Imagine a world without NR. Should that be a reality?

To quote Bill Buckley: Bullsticks!

Your support keeps NR thriving today. It will keep it consequential tomorrow  all on behalf of the principles that you cherish. While theres no obligation to donate, we ask that you take our appeal seriously. Do so and if you find, as surely you will, that NRs critical voice must be sustained, that it must persist, that it must speak truth to commie power, then  especially if you have never yet contributed to any webathon appeal  please make a contribution. Others who have done so  whether by the Widows Mite or the Millionaires Loose Change  have provided a benefit not only to NR but also to you.

We are almost halfway to our goal. Help us get there by donating here. You do so with our deep appreciation.

More from National Review
A blue hedgehog will roll onto the screen at the Midwest Skyview Drive-in to kick off the weekend.

Sonic the Hedgehog, rated PG, opens the line-up Friday, followed by The Breakfast Club, and Black Panther, on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Sonic, a blue hedgehog who is gifted with incredible speed, finds a new home on earth. After accidentally knocking out the power grid, Dr. Robotnik, an evil genius, sets out to destroy him. Sonic must use his speed to defeat Robotnik, before the villain uses it against him.

The Breakfast Club, an R-rated classic, offers a look into Saturday detention and its attendees. An unlikely group of friends forms to share their stories and change their perspectives.

The flick stars Paul Gleason, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall and Emilio Estevez.

On Sunday, Black Panther, will close out the weekend. After his fathers death, TChalla returns to the African nation of Wakanda to take his place as king.


(Photo : Bigstock)

The college experience is supposed to be a fun one. There is a chance for students to find themselves, become adults, and set themselves up for fulfilling careers. It is also important for kids to make sure they stay safe. Sadly, fires can happen from time to time even on college campuses. There are a few common reasons why fires take place at universities. Understanding these common causes can help everyone stay safe with the help of Fire Watch Guards.

Without a doubt, the most common cause of fires in colleges has to do with cooking. Many college students are cooking for the first time and they might not know how to do so safely. For example, many college students place express bags of microwave popcorn in the microwave and press the popcorn button. Express bags are meant to be popped for one minute but the popcorn button pops them for three to four minutes. If students leave these bags unattended, this could lead to a fire. Some of the other common causes of fires related to cooking include toasters and hot plates.

Another common cause of fires on college campuses involves careless smoking. Some college students smoke and even though this is bad for their health, they need to make sure they don't set a fire. Sometimes, kids might smoke when they are intoxicated. This could lead to ashes falling on the sheets of their beds, starting a fire. If nobody notices this fire for a while, it could spread quickly.

Finally, some fires start due to candles that have been left unattended. Candles are a great way to deal with awful smells that might permeate from college dorm rooms; however, it is also important to ensure these candles are used safely. If these candles are left unsupervised, hot wax might drip down the edge of the candle and catch something on fire. This could include clothing, carpets, sheets, or even the furniture. For this reason, no student should ever leave a candle unattended.

College students are young and they are learning a sense of responsibility for the first time; however, this learning experience has to take place in a safe environment. That is why it is important for all students to know the most common causes of fires on university campuses. Knowledge is power and this knowledge can help prevent fires from happening in the future. Fire safety is one of the most important topics that college kids have to understand when they go to school.
As the tech sector reels from President Trumps ban on TikTok and WeChat, via a set of executive orders signed Thursday night, the business world is grappling with the implications  especially for the latter app, which has become a pivotal communications pipeline between people and companies between the U.S. and China.

Within its home country, WeChat has become a bedrock of modern life, as 1.2 billion Chinese people rely on it for everything from chatting and sharing photos to shopping, paying bills, sending money to loved ones and catching up on the news. This massive adoption makes it the chat app of choice for expatriates, who see it as a critical link connecting them to their mother country.

More from WWD

That ubiquity and wide feature load also makes it an important pathway for American businesses with global ambitions to reach the massive, high-value Chinese consumer market. Chinas e-commerce market is worth nearly $2 trillion, buoyed largely by Alibaba, JD.com and others, including WeChat.

Trumps move to sever the link has some companies scratching their heads about how deep the implications go. Thats largely due to the fact that his executive order manages to be decisively targeted and vaguely worded.

According to Section 1(a) of the order, The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law: any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd.

It becomes a question of whether transactions means any kind of interaction, or financial transactions only, Iris Chan, partner and international client development director at Digital Luxury Group, told WWD. DLG is a marketing firm that represents clients such as Compagnie Financiere Richemont and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton brands, Shiseido and others across fashion, beauty, hospitality and more within mainland China.

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The definition matters. If the scope covers interactions, including chats between divisions, that could complicate corporate communications. It specifically says transactionsbut we dont know what that really is going to entail completely yet, she said.

Advertising is another vague area. Over the years, global brands interested in reaching the Chinese consumer have flocked to the platform, streaming in from tech to beauty, fashion and luxury. But American companies have only been able to place ads in WeChat since 2017. This looks like its ending now.

Or is it? Luxury brands like Tiffany, which is based in New York City, may seem to be disadvantaged compared to, say, Cartier, which is headquartered in Paris. But that overlooks the fact that large brands often have Chinese-based divisions.

Chan doesnt believe the order extends to Americans overseas divisions, but admits that its an open question. How are they going to lean on U.S. companies that have activities in China? That would mean theyre leaning on almost every company, because every company is doing something in China, she said.

That may or may not be true right now, as its not directly outlined in the executive order. So a lot will hinge on how its interpreted and how it may be enforced. Either way, it doesnt rule out the possibility of the White House pressuring executives to control their Chinese counterparts  which is the sort of move that has become a hallmark of the administration. But it would amount to a move that could upend the global operations of U.S. companies across numerous sectors.

It may not matter much to European maisons such as Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Bulgari, Gucci and others that have been connecting and selling through WeChat in recent years. But for fashion houses, beauty brands and other startups and retailers based in places like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, confusion and uncertainties abound.

For Tencent, WeChats developer, a truly awful outcome would be if U.S. suppliers stop providing hardware to servers that power the app, alongside any of the companys other operations, according to David Dai, a Hong Kong-based senior research analyst at investment research firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.

He described it as a worst-case scenario in a research note following the news of the ban. Dai likens it to a Huawei-like situation, referring to the U.S. previous ban of Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co., which has been blocked from buying American equipment.

But even those effects may be limited.

Consider that Trump singled out WeChat, with no mention of Tencents other businesses and investments in the U.S. The company has stakes in electric car company Tesla, influential online forum Reddit and some of the gaming sectors most popular companies  including Call of Duty owner Activision Blizzard and Epic Games. It also owns Los Angeles-based League of Legends game developer Riot Games and holds 12 percent of Snap Inc., developer of the Snapchat app.

On its own, Tencent is a massive company with a huge operation. Its market capitalization tops $600 billion, though shares fell some 6 percent Friday on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

By comparison, the fate of fellow app non grata TikTok may have less of a direct impact on the market. ByteDance, TikToks owner, has a market cap of $78 billion, which is not small, but nowhere near Tencents echelon.

Brands and marketers big and small are already preparing back-up plans, if Microsoft doesnt end up buying TikTok, as its now considering, which would force the app to leave the U.S.

Blush Mark, a new fast-fashion, size-inclusive start-up from bridal company Azazie, just saw a spike in traffic on Sunday, thanks to a viral TikTok post that nabbed three million views. But for Ranu Coleman, chief marketing officer of both companies, success doesnt hinge on just one platform.

The majority of the brands influencers use Instagram and TikTok, she told WWD. And while the latter allowed Blush Mark to really home in on our Gen Z customer base, she said, if a ban in the U.S. should happen, most of our brand ambassadors already have strong engagement on Instagram, in addition to other social platforms, and have already been creating engaging content on Instagrams newest feature, Reels.

In other words, selectively eradicating WeChats footprint in the U.S. doesnt squash Tencents influence here or abroad. And the act of barring TikTok may really only matter in setting a precedent in how social apps everywhere are treated, as noted by Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg recently in a meeting with all employees.

Altogether, it may leave the impression that these orders are less about protecting American users or keeping Chinese surveillance out of American affairs, and more about launching surgical strikes against Chinese platforms that perform too well here. These actions, if not handled carefully and with due consideration, may not help U.S. companies in the long run. It could actually hurt them.
MBABANE  A woman of Siteki wants the court to direct a man she cohabitated with for four years to give her half-share of the assets they acquired while staying together.



Cohabitation is an arrangement where two people who are not married live together. The assets which form part of the litigation include 22 cattle, two tractors, household items and a motor vehicle.



Simangele Nkambule of Makhewu in Siteki has since instituted legal proceedings against Mbongeni Matsenjwa of the same area. In her particulars of claim, Nkambule submitted that with Matsenjwa, they lived together in a cohabitation relationship from November 2008 until May 2019. According to the plaintiff (Nkambule), two children were born out of their relationship.



She alleged that during the course of the cohabitation, the defendant (Matsenjwa) with the intention to marry her, paid lobola to her family but there was never any solemnisation. The parties union therefore, is a partnership and properties were acquired during its existence, is a universal joint partnership, submitted Nkambule. A universal partnership is an express or tacit agreement between two people, including same-sex couples, who choose to live together in a permanent relationship without entering into marriage.



Nkambule alleged that during their stay together, they also acquired and amassed the following properties jointly; 22 cattle, two tractors, household items, 4-tonne lorry which was later sold at E40 000, houses at the defendants home and a motor vehicle. These are allegations contained in particulars of claim whose veracity is still to be tested and the defendant is yet to file his papers in the event he is disputing the claim.



According to Nkambule, on or about the year 2018 the relationship between them went sour to the extent that she acquired an order from the Siteki Magistrates Court. She alleged that the court order, interdicted Matsenjwa from conducting himself violently against her. Nkambule submitted that the alleged abuse continued and she was eventually forced to leave Matsenjwas home and returned to her parental homestead thus terminating the union between them.
Bill Hagerty, President Donald Trump's former ambassador to Japan, won the contentious Tennessee primary Thursday, securing the party's nomination in the safe red state.

Hagerty had 52 percent of the vote, compared to 38 percent for physician Manny Sethi, when The Associated Press called the race.

Hagerty, a former private-equity executive who became President Donald Trumps ambassador to Japan, had been the clear favorite in the primary after earning Trumps early support. But Sethi ran an insurgent bid that caught fire over the summer and turned a sleepy race into a competitive one.

The primary was one of the last and biggest tests of Trumps sway over Republican voters this year. The president went all in to boost Hagerty from the very beginning of his campaign  he endorsed Hagerty before he had even left Japan to enter the race, and stayed in touch as the race developed. Trump hosted two telephone calls with Hagerty supporters in the closing weeks of the race to encourage his base to turn out.

Hes a Trump conservative. Hes a friend of mine. Hes a great guy, Trump said Wednesday night, on the eve of the primary. The candidates are running to replace Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), who is retiring.

Meanwhile, while Hagerty cruised to victory, the Democratic primary featured a massive upset. Marquita Bradshaw, an environmentalist and activist from Memphis, defeated James Mackler, an Army veteran endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Democrats do not expect to seriously contest Tennessee in the fall, and the DSCC was not actively involved in the primary after endorsing him in January.

Mackler's defeat represents the first primary defeat for a DSCC-backed candidate in a decade. He raised $2.1 million for his bid through mid-July and spent $1.5 million. Bradshaw does not appear to have filed an FEC report since April, when she reported that she had raised $13,000 for the election to that point, and had spent $8,900.

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Hagerty fully embraced Trump and made that support central to his campaign. But Sethi ran provocative TV ads attacking liberals over Black Lives Matter and the lockdowns during the coronavirus surge earlier this year, aiming to appeal to the right-wing voters that make up Trumps base. He often included his support for Trump in his campaign ads, even as the president endorsed against him.

Those ads helped boost his campaign, which continued to host large events into the summer despite the pandemic, and gave him a shot of adrenaline to make the race closer than initially expected.

The back-and-forth got increasingly nasty in the closing stretch. Hagerty ran TV ads bashing Sethi over a small donation to a Democratic candidate more than a decade ago. He also consistently mispronounced Sethis name on the campaign trail and in ads.

Sethi, meanwhile, repeatedly attacked Hagerty over his association with Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), a former Hagerty business associate. Sethi has implied that Romney endorsed Hagerty, though the Utah senator has not weighed in on the race.

Hagerty repeatedly denounced Romney, the partys 2012 presidential nominee, on the campaign trail. The New York Times reported that Romneys PAC contributed to Hagerty, whose campaign cashed the check but then returned it in full and did not include it on FEC reports.

The race drew in and divided national Republicans, in particular many who have potential 2024 presidential ambitions. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley endorsed Hagerty, along with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence; Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) endorsed Sethi.

Republicans will be heavily favored to retain the seat in November: No Democrat has won a Senate election in Tennessee since Al Gore in 1990.

Meanwhile, in East Tennessee, GOP voters chose pharmacist Diana Harshbarger to replace retiring Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), whose district is solidly Republican. Harshbarger defeated 15 other Republicans for the nomination.
A new 1.8m project led by the University of Huddersfield is investigating how cutting edge-technology and data analysis could improve the efficiency and reliability of how the UK's railway rolling stock is maintained.

The Smart Rolling Stock Maintenance project is under way following the award of a grant from the European Regional Development Fund, supported by the Northern Powerhouse.

A team from the University's Institute of Railway Research (IRR) and Centre for Planning, Autonomy and Representation of Knowledge (PARK) is working closely alongside a range of key industry partners including Northern Trains Ltd, Porterbrook and Unipart Rail over the course of the three-year project.

The project will investigate the use of industrial automation, advanced condition monitoring and data analytics, automated maintenance planning and scheduling, and the use of augmented reality.

Industrial automation and robotics are already heavily used in a range of industries, but these technologies are not currently exploited to keep trains safe and operating at peak efficiency. Rail operators started to phase in 7,000 more trains from the start of 2019 - a mixture of new and refurbished vehicles - until the end of next year. There is significant pressure to improve the cost efficiency of the railway industry, with the cost of maintaining trains makes up a significant proportion of their lifecycle cost. And with the UK government urging a reduction in running costs, the prospect of cost-efficient maintenance has clear advantages.

The project will also help with the demands of a post-COVID-19 world on the rail industry, where revenues from passenger numbers could fluctuate and the need to keep maintenance staff at a safe distance from colleagues in rolling stock maintenance depots are live issues.

Rolling stock maintenance is traditionally carried out on a scheduled, interval-led basis, and is led by visual inspections. Advanced monitoring systems are already being introduced on new trains, and there is a significant opportunity to exploit the data already being collected for early interventions and a smarter approach to maintenance.

"We think there is a big scope to save money, make maintenance more reliable, and make it safer for people who work in rail depots by using more industrial automation. That is a big focus of this project," says Dr Gareth Tucker, Principle Industry Fellow at the IRR. "Social distancing is hard for teams working under trains, so more automation is a way of reducing risk."

"There is a demand that railways look to reduce costs, given the gap between fixed costs of running and the revenues that come in," adds, Paul Allen, Professor of Railway Engineering Technology and Assistant Director at the IRR.

"There is a big push from the government, post-COVID, to reduce costs. That adds an extra dimension to this work. This facility supports that objective of reducing railway costs, and the changing demands on the rail industry."

Rolling stock maintenance is a developing area for the IRR, which already has world-class facilities including a pantograph test rig, and a vehicle-track interaction test rig. Three new research fellows will join the Institute to work on the project, which will see them have the time to develop new solutions working with key industry partners.

Better ways of interpreting data is another key area of the project, aiming at a more focused approach to maintaining rolling stock.

"Condition-based maintenance works on things when needed, not pre-emptively to reduce risk of it breaking in the future. There would be less unnecessary maintenance, and would help make trains more efficient and reliable," adds Dr Tucker.

"Trains collect a lot of data about their condition, but we don't think that it is well processed. There are thousands of lines of data produced, and there's an opportunity to look at that data to plan things better, rather than just collecting data to be saved."

###

Also involved in the project are:

Professor Simon Iwnicki - Director, IRR

Professor Adam Bevan - Head of Enterprise, IRR

Professor Lee McCluskey - Co-Director of PARK

Professor Grigoris Antoniou - Co-Director of PARK
This article by Jeff Schogol originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues.

Ten Marines have been disciplined administratively following an investigation into the death of a former Green Beret who was working as a contractor in Irbil, Iraq, according to Marine Forces Special Operations Command.

Rick Anthony Rodriguez died at Landstuhl, Germany, on Jan. 4, 2019. Two Marine Raiders and a Navy corpsman have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with his death.

Washington Post reporter Dan Lamothe first revealed that 10 other Marines had been punished.

"The investigation into this case revealed collateral misconduct resulting in administrative punishments of 10 Marines," said MARSOC spokesman 1st Lt. Justin Cox. "Since these issues were handled via administrative measures vice courts-martial, we are unable to release additional information."

None of these 10 Marines are MARSOC critical skills operators or special operations officers, Cox told task & Purpose.

The Marines come from various Military Occupational Specialties that support Marine Special Operations Forces, he said. No further information about the Marines was available.

Separately, three members of the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion face general courts-martial for Rodriguez's death: Gunnery Sgt. Daniel Draher, Gunnery Sgt. Joshua Negron, and Chief Petty Officer Eric Gilmet.

On Jan. 1, 2019, Rodriguez allegedly got into a fight with the three men following an argument with Gilmet at a bar in Irbil. Rodriguez, who was working for Lockheed Martin at the time, was seriously injured after Negron allegedly punched him in the head.

The three men initially returned Rodriguez back to his on base-quarters, but when it became clear that he was having problems breathing, they took him to the base's trauma center, Draher's attorney Phillip Stackhouse told Task & Purpose in December.

Gilmet's trial is scheduled to take place from Oct. 13-23, followed by Negron's general court-martial, which is slated to occur between Nov.9-20. Draher is expected to stand trial between Dec. 7-18, Cox said.

"During this process, it is imperative that the rights of the service members are protected, and the integrity of the military justice system is maintained," Cox said. "It is also imperative to remember that these charges are merely accusations and the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. MARSOC is committed to ensuring this legal process is conducted in a fair and impartial manner."

More articles from Task & Purpose:

 This might be the deadliest Marine Corps recruit on Parris Island

 US Forces Japan to troops: Don't break quarantine for one-night stand

 Star-spangled Navy helo looks like it was plucked straight out of 'Team America'
A team of bungling workmen erected a new street light in the middle of a tree, only for their bosses to then blame the tree for the mistake.

The 22ft light was installed outside the Agincourt House Offices in Newport, Gwent, and was positioned right in the heart of a thickly-leaved tree which blocked all the light.

Despite the workers positioning the light within the branches and leaves, Newport City Council officials have blamed the size of the London plane tree for the mistake.

A team of bungling workmen erected a new street light in the middle of a tree, only for Newport City Council officials to then blame the tree for the mistake

The new lamppost was positioned so that its peak was sat in the heart of the leaves and branches of the London plane tree

A spokesperson for the council said: 'The issue here is not the positioning of the lamppost, which was replaced in the same position as the previous column, but the tree.

'It is the most suitable location for the column as it has to light the nearby roundabout and it is where the energy supply is located.

'The tree is being assessed and we will ask the owner to cut back the tree.'

Despite Newport City Council blaming the 60ft tree, residents near the newly-installed lamppost Locals were puzzled why no-one had a lightbulb moment and thought to move it just a few yards away.

Nearby resident Karen Thomas, 42, said: 'It is daft thing to spend money on.. You think someone would have seen the light by now.'

A Newport City Council spokesperson said that the lamppost had to be positioned below the tree so that it could light up a nearby roundabout and was also close to the energy supply. Pictured: Neighbour Fred Fee, 68

The London plane tree blocked all the light given off from the newly-installed lamppost

Neighbour Fred Fee, 68, said: 'Why the tree needs its own source of light is a mystery. I cannot imagine why anybody started doing it there - there's just is no thought gone into it.

'If it came on, there is no way there would be any light coming out of it. It's bureaucracy at its best.'

Office workers in the Agincourt House Offices were left equally confused by the tree being blamed.

One worker said: 'It is a joke really - which came first: The tree or the lampost?

'But a tree is a work of nature whereas a badly-place street light is a work of the local council.'

Office property landlord Giles Nuttall is aware of the light issue but is out of the country 'on leave'.
President Donald Trump on Thursday issued executive orders banning U.S. transactions with Chinese tech firms Tencent and ByteDance. Tencent owns Chinese messaging app WeChat, and ByteDance is the Beijing-based parent company of the widely popular short video-sharing app TikTok. The ban will take effect in 45 days and may attract retaliation from Beijing. While the scope of the ban remains unclear, the executive orders said that after 45 days, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross "shall identify the transactions" that will be subjected to the prohibition. China's foreign ministry on Friday said at a media briefing that it firmly opposed the executive orders, Reuters reported. Beijing will defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses, according to foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, the news wire added. WeChat "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information," Trump said in the executive order banning the app, adding that the application also captures personal information of Chinese nationals visiting the U.S.

The US actions against TikTok and WeChat could be a turning point in Beijing's calculus around how to respond to the US policy actions... Eurasia Group

The order would basically ban the app in the United States as it prohibits "any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd." Tencent shares in Hong Kong tumbled 5.04% on Friday. A similar order was issued for TikTok and its Beijing-based owner, ByteDance. The popular app "may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party," Trump said in the executive order banning the video-sharing app. "The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security."

TikTok has consistently denied those allegations. It says that U.S. user data is stored in the country itself with a backup in Singapore, and that its data centers are located outside China, implying the information was not subjected to Chinese law. Still, experts have pointed to existing legislation in China which could force local Chinese companies like ByteDance and others to hand over data to Beijing. Microsoft announced Sunday that it was in talks with ByteDance to acquire TikTok's business in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand within the next three weeks, ahead of a Sept. 15 deadline. In a statement, TikTok said it was "shocked" by the executive order and said it was "issued without any due process. "For nearly a year, we have sought to engage with the US government in good faith to provide a constructive solution to the concerns that have been expressed. What we encountered instead was that the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses," TikTok said in its statement. Read TikTok's full statement here. Tencent did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

The moves came after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Trump administration wants to see "untrusted" Chinese apps like WeChat and TikTok removed from U.S. app stores. He detailed a new five-pronged "Clean Network" effort aimed at curbing potential national security risks and said because those apps have parent companies based in China, there was "significant threats to personal data of American citizens, not to mention tools for Chinese Communist Party content censorship." Pompeo also said the State Department would work with other government agencies to limit the ability of Chinese cloud service providers to collect, store and process data in the U.S.

'Major escalation' between U.S. and China
The US State Department on Thursday lifted its Level-4 advisory imposed since March, which urged Amerian nationals, not to travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Level 4 is the highest level of travel advisory.

According to the travel advisory, India is placed in the 'Do Not Travel Category', as of August 6 and the same is the case for China as well since June.

"With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice (with Levels from 1-4 depending on country-specific conditions), in order to give travellers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions," the State Department said.

" This will also provide U.S. citizens with more detailed information about the current status in each country. We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when travelling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic," a statement said.

American travellers continue to face restrictions worldwide due to the rise of cases in the USA.

As per CNN, US tourists have been blocked to enter the European Union and the UK requires travellers from the US to quarantine upon entry to the UK.

According to the travel advisory, India is placed in the 'Do Not Travel Category', as of August 6 and the same is the case for China as well since June.

Johns Hopkins University said the US has a total of 4,867,916 COVID-19 cases.

(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.)
Many refugees in the United States move to a different state soon after arrival, and when they move, they're most drawn by better job prospects and other people from their home country

What do you think of when you hear the word "refugee"? For many people, what comes to mind is vulnerability--you might imagine the grim conditions of a refugee camp or the dangers of the desperate journey to safety. So perhaps it's unsurprising that refugees are widely perceived to be especially needy or dependent on public assistance.

But in their search for opportunity and community, refugees in the United States actually look just as resourceful as other immigrants. That's according to a new study from the Immigration Policy Lab (IPL) , which included researchers at Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS).

As they build a new life in the country, many refugees move to a different state soon after arrival, according to a new dataset on nearly 450,000 people who were resettled between 2000 and 2014. And when they move, they are primarily looking for better job markets and helpful social networks of others from their home country--not more generous welfare benefits.

"These findings counter the stereotype that refugees are destined to become a drain on state resources over the long run," says study co-author Jeremy Ferwerda. "When choosing where to live in the United States, refugees do not move to states where welfare benefits are highest. Instead, they leave states with high unemployment rates and move to states with booming economies and employment opportunities. "

Harnessing the Data

Part of the reason we haven't had a clear picture of refugees' lives in the United States is that it isn't easy to connect different data sets in a way that allows you to follow each refugee over time. The U.S. Department of State keeps the records on new arrivals, including their country of origin, education, and ties to family or friends already living here. Records of milestones in their integration process, including becoming legal permanent residents and, later, citizens, are the province of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Making this information useful calls for new partnerships between researchers and government agencies. "We are grateful to the Office of Immigration Statistics for providing this invaluable opportunity for collaboration between IPL and OIS researchers," says Duncan Lawrence, IPL executive director and study co-author. "This work would not have been possible without this partnership and input from knowledgeable, dedicated leaders in this office."

Before this, researchers have had to use small samples, either fielding a survey that asks people whether they entered the country as refugees, or using existing surveys and guessing at refugee status. Now, the IPL team had a sample of unprecedented size, accuracy, and detail.

"The law suggests that secondary migration should be monitored to help inform policymaking," says IPL co-director and study co-author Jens Hainmueller. "Our study helps with that, since we have captured secondary migration for the full population, for the first time."

Push And Pull Factors

One of the first things the researchers wanted to know was where refugees were living. U.S. refugee resettlement agencies assign each incoming refugee to a particular place, and their local offices receive federal funding to help the newcomers get settled. Until now, we haven't known how many of them leave their assigned location or what motivates them to move.

Because refugees are required to apply for permanent resident status a year after arrival, the researchers could note how many had a different address by then, and the numbers were surprising. Of the 447,747 refugees they observed, 17 percent had moved to a different state around the one-year mark. For other noncitizens during the same period, only an estimated 3.4 percent move out of state within the same time period after arrival.

Not only were the refugees highly mobile; there were distinct patterns in their movement. Some states were much more likely than others to see their refugees leave. In Louisiana, New Jersey, and Connecticut, more than 30 percent of refugees quickly relocated, while in California and Nebraska, only 10 percent did. Midwestern states had the greatest gain in refugees from other states, with Minnesota receiving the most.

With information on so many refugees, the researchers also were able to uncover patterns among people from the same country. Those from Somalia and Ethiopia left their assigned states in the greatest numbers. Congolese refugees, who were among the most likely to stay put, were 34 percentage points less likely to move than Somalis.

So what were the refugees looking for in a home? To find out, the researchers looked at the states in pairs and counted the number of arrivals and departures on each side. The greatest movement happened between state pairs that had the greatest difference in the share of the population who were from a refugee's home country. In other words, states where co-nationals are a higher share of the population tended to receive refugees from states with a lower share, and the numbers increase as the gap between the two states widens.

Economic opportunity was another strong pull factor. Refugees were especially likely to leave states with high unemployment in favor of states with low unemployment. Housing costs were another factor, though their influence was not as strong.

These findings echo research on migration patterns among recent immigrants, who have settled in different places than the traditional destinations that attracted earlier waves of newcomers. Immigrants as a whole highly value places that offer them a chance to make a good living and establish a supportive community--and refugees are no different.

U.S. refugees do stand out from other immigrants in at least one way: In an earlier study using the same dataset, the researchers found that they become citizens at much higher rates. Among refugees who arrived between 2000 and 2010, 66 percent had become citizens by 2015. And here again, opportunity, community, and place make a difference. Refugees placed in urban areas with lower unemployment and a larger share of co-nationals were more likely to naturalize.

Making a Better Match

Overall, these findings suggest that the U.S. refugee resettlement system is working relatively well, since most refugees do stay and build new lives in the places where they are sent. Still, one might look at all this movement and lament a certain inefficiency: The system devotes resources to helping refuges get situated in a given place, and they don't travel with the refugees who move.

So there's plenty of room to improve the match between refugees and local destinations, and the IPL team has a solution to offer: a data-driven tool called GeoMatch that makes personalized location recommendations for each refugee. The tool can also help economic immigrants decide where to live within a new country. For both groups, it puts vast amounts of previously unused data to good use, informing decisions that can alter the course of people's lives.

###
A man holds a picture of George Floyd during a Black Lives Matter protest in New York City on June 18, 2020. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Burn Down Church After Pastor Takes Part in Floyd Protest

A North Carolina man this week pleaded guilty to threatening to burn down a church that has a predominantly African American congregation.

John Bareswill, 63, admitted to calling a church in Virginia Beach and threatening to burn it down while using a racial slur.

According to an affidavit, a woman at New Hope Baptist Church answered the phone and put it on speaker. The man said words to the effect of You [n-word] need to shut the [expletive] up and burning the church.

The number was traced to Bareswill, who consented to having his phones contents reviewed by investigators.

The phone contained searches for Who said all whites are racist, Black Lives Matter protest held in Virginia, and Who organized the protests from mount trashmore to town center.

A pastor of the church had participated in a rally and prayer vigil at Mount Trashmore Park several days prior to call for justice for George Floyd, the black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.

The pastor didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bareswill also searched for why are [n-word] protesting and looting and kkk stickers.

The defendant initially said he didnt call any religious institutions and said he was asleep when the call was placed on June 7. Investigators found he placed a call to another church but the call was not answered.

According to a plea agreement, Bareswill agreed to plead guilty to one count of threat to kill, injure, or intimidate, and threat to unlawfully damage or destroy a building by means of fire.

Bareswill faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a supervised release term of up to three years.

He was satisfied with his attorneys assistance, according to the agreement.

Bareswills lawyer didnt respond to a request for comment.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 12.
Delhi sexual assault case: Kejriwal says girl still fighting for life, urges people to pray for her

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 07: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the 12-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted is still fighting for her life at the AIIMS.

The chief minister said he had spoken to the parents of the girl and doctors treating her over phone. "I spoke to the doctors and parents of the 12-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted, on phone. I had visited her in the hospital yesterday. She is still fighting for her life.

Industry stalwarts hail Arvind Kejriwals ambitious Electric Vehicle Policy

Covid vaccine: SII to manufacture 100 million doses for India & others | Oneindia News

Doctors are trying their best. Please pray for her. In the meanwhile, police has arrested one person," Kejriwal said in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, sources at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said the girl would need another surgery and that her condition continued to remain critical. Sources said her platelet count was low and she was admitted at the neurosurgery ICU of the hospital.

On Tuesday, the girl was sexually assaulted at her west Delhi home by 33-year-old Krishan, who also hit her on the face and head with a sharp object.

Her rectum and intestines were injured severely by some kind of impalement for which she needed immediate intervention and that is why she was operated upon as soon as she reached the hospital, a senior doctor at the AIIMS had said on Thursday. On Thursday, the Delhi Police arrested Krishan.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Cloudy skies. Morning high of 36F with temps falling to near 20. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 13F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
The creation of an international platform for discussing the occupation of Crimea will qualitatively enhance the relevance of this issue for the world community.

First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar said this during a meeting with British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons on August 6, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Foreign Ministrys press service.

The initiative should strengthen the relevance of the Crimean issue for the international community, Dzheppar stressed.

The first deputy minister briefed her interlocutor in detail on Russia's systemic violations of international law on the temporarily occupied peninsula and stressed the importance of creating a specialized international format  the Crimean platform, designed to systematize the coordination of international events at high and other political levels.

In turn, Melinda Simmons assured of London's steadfast position, which is the need for Russia to return Crimea, and expressed readiness to continue working with Ukraine in this direction.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to public diplomacy projects developed by the Foreign Ministry in order to overcome hybrid threats.

The parties also discussed a wide range of bilateral issues, confirming their interest in the soonest signing of the Agreement on Political Cooperation, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership between Ukraine and Great Britain, and prospects for political consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries.

As Ukrinform reported, at a meeting chaired by Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov on August 5, executive authorities coordinated their approaches to the strategy of de-occupation of Crimea. According to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, such a document will be submitted to the NSDC for involvement in a common strategy document, which will finally be adopted.

Earlier, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych drew attention to the need to develop a strategy for de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories. After all, it is already the seventh year of the occupation of Crimea, and Ukraine still does not have a consolidated strategy to regain control over the peninsula. At the same time, Korynevych noted that a great part of this strategy should be closed and secret, especially information relating to security issues.

ish
The Ashanti Assembly Members Caucus (ASMC) has warned ex-President John Dramani Mahama to desist from trying to use assemblymen to help his agenda to win the 2020 polls because it will not work.

The ASMC, which is made up of assemblymen from the various electoral areas in the Ashanti Region, insists it has detected that Mr. Mahama has a hidden agenda to use assemblymen to champion his ambition.

Addressing a press conference in Kumasi on Tuesday, Isaac Ohemeng, who is the Dean, Conference of Presiding Members, Ashanti, who spoke on behalf of the ASMC, said Mr. Mahama should quickly revise his notes.

He stated emphatically that assemblymen in Ghana are discerning and have integrity; therefore, any attempt by Mr. Mahama to use what he called 'fake' promises to 'entice' assemblymen to do his bidding for him would fail.

A section of the Ashanti Assembly Members Caucus at the press conference

According to him, Mr. Mahama's promise of ensuring that assemblymen would be paid monthly stipends should he win the 2020 polls, during a meeting with some assemblymen on July 30, is a big lie.

For instance, in the NDC 2012 manifesto, similar juicy promises were made to assembly members but to no avail, Mr. Ohemeng recounted and said Mr. Mahama was trying to 'fool' members, but it would not work.

Mr. Ohemeng accused Mr. Mahama of using a so-called splinter group christened 'Ghana Association of Assembly Members', spearheaded by an Assembly Member named Charles Adu Assinor from Eastern Region, to divide the local legislators.

According to him, the splinter group comprises dyed-in-the-wool NDC members, who have been engaged by Mr. Mahama to criss-cross the country to confuse assemblymen to follow the NDC, saying we are watching them.

Furthermore, Mr. Ohemeng said Mr. Mahama's assurance of empowering assemblymen by handing over to them the issues pertaining to birth and death registration in their respective localities is another blatant lie that should be jettisoned.

The Legislative Instrument (LI) 1967 schedule 4, Regulation 25 spelt out that Unit Committee shall handle issues pertaining to birth and death registration in their respective localities or electoral areas under the guidance of the registrar of births and deaths.

Hence, for the former President to promise those assembly members he recently met that he would hand over to them the duties and roles assigned Unit Committee Members is neither here nor there, and a serious breach of the Constitution and the Local Government Act 936 of 2016, he stated.

Mr. Ohemeng said Mr. Mahama, as President for four years and Vice-President for another four years, had all the chance to ensure the payment of monthly stipends to assemblymen yet he failed to do it so he should stop the blatant lies he is issuing to woo assemblymen into his weak campaign.

---Daily Guide
In fairness to Bailey, its natural that the commercial banks will be as conservative as possible in their assumptions, given that they cant be blamed for the pandemic. But it still feels odd that these two parts of the City are singing such different tunes. The BOE has often acted in lockstep with the U.K. government, via the Treasury, in its response to the crisis. Its troubling that its so out of sync with the bankers.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has said that the engagement between the United States and China contributed to global peace and prosperity, urging the two countries to cooperate against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Wednesday letter to participants of a virtual dialogue on U.S.-China relations, Carter recalled his decision with China's former leader Deng Xiaoping in late 1978 to establish diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing.

"This engagement has enabled us, as well as the Asia Pacific region and the world, to enjoy unparalleled peace and prosperity," he said.

The former president expected the virtual dialogue, held by the Carter Center and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, to help ease the bilateral tensions.

"While our nations have their differences, I trust you will use this discussion to determine which differences must be overcome to foster our bilateral relationship," he said.

Carter also noted that Washington and Beijing could work together on many issues, such as climate change, preventing nuclear proliferation and counter-terrorism.

"And most urgently, a collaboration to effectively address the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild shattered economies and communities," he said.

As the 39th U.S. president who served between 1977 and 1981, Carter oversaw the normalization of diplomatic ties between the United States and China 41 years ago.
Google has discontinued its high-end Pixel 4 smartphone just nine months after sales kicked off in October last year.

The US tech giant, which unveiled its much anticipated budget Pixel 4a this week, quietly discontinued the flagship device.

Both the standard 669 Pixel 4 and 829 Pixel 4 XL are being killed off by the company, as first confirmed to The Verge.

With the decision, Google has set a new marker to demonstrate the incredibly short lifespan of smartphones, which usually get a year on the market at least.

Google didn't disclose why Pixel 4 is being discontinued so soon, although it's likely the introduction of new budget Pixel 4a has had an influence on the decision in an uncertain financial climate, resulting from the current pandemic.

Google's Pixel 4 (pictured above) was unveiled in an event in New York City in October 2019

Pixel 4 may not be a viable offering during the recession, compared to the 349 Pixel 4a, which is scheduled for release in October.

'Google Store has sold through its inventory and completed sales of Pixel 4 [and] 4 XL,' a Google spokesperson said.

'For people who are still interested in buying Pixel 4 [and] 4 XL, the product is available from some partners while supplies last.

'Just like all Pixel devices, Pixel 4 will continue to get software and security updates for at least three years from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US.'

Both devices are out of stock in Googles store in the US, the Verge reports, although some variants are still available in other regions, including the UK.

The original Pixel, Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 were on the market for around 18 months each.

Pixel 4, which has enjoyed just half that lifespan, is being displaced by the Pixel 5, although this device isn't due until October at the very earliest.

A display of the new Google Pixel 4 phones during a Google product launch event. Google didn't disclose why Pixel 4 is being discontinued so soon

After entering the smartphone market in 2010 with the Nexus brand, Google kicked off the Pixel line in 2016.

Pixel 4 started sales in October 2019, packed with radar-sensing technology that can control the device remotely using hand gestures, powerful facial recognition software and improved cameras.

The now deceased phone featured Google's Project Solei, a chip that powers its unique radar abilities and its hand-gesture features.

Shortly after the Pixel 4's release, Google had to scramble to correct its facial recognition feature that allowed the device to be unlocked while users' eyes were closed.

Earlier this week, Google formally unveiled its much anticipated 349 Pixel 4a smartphone after months of delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pixel 4a is only available in black and will be available for pre-order in UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain on September 10 and will go on sale on October 1.

Google has also announced that there will be a 5G version of the 4a, but it will not be released alongside the regular model.

The budget-minded Pixel 4a is coming out four months after Apple released a discount iPhone, the second generation SE, which starts at 419.

The low price helped spur iPhone sales at a time of soaring unemployment, as the economy plunged into a deep recession.
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More than 200 women crowded in a room with no masks or social distancing despite COVID-19 rules restricting weddings and funerals to 100 people.

The South Australian Liberals have been branded hypocrites for allowing their Women's Council annual general meeting to go ahead at the Adelaide Oval convention centre on Thursday night - a day after everyone else was told to have no more than ten people in their home.

An outraged SA Liberal Party member told Daily Mail Australia it was hypocritical for Premier Steven Marshall to allow such a large gathering as his government told South Australians they could no longer have 50 people in their house.

More than 200 women crowded in a room with no masks or social distancing despite COVID-19 rules restricting weddings and funerals to 100 people. Helika Cruz, a state delegate to the Liberal Women's Council in South Australia, posted a series of images to her public Facebook page (pictured) that showed rows of women sitting closely to each other without wearing masks

'It is hypocritical for Steven Marshall to limit indoor gatherings to ten this week and allow the meeting to go ahead,' she said.

The female party member also criticised how, in the middle of winter, elderly party members had to travel to the crowded meeting as temperatures fell to just eight degrees.

An outraged SA Liberal Party member told Daily Mail Australia it was hypocritical for Premier Steven Marshall to allow such a large gathering as his government told South Australians they could no longer have 50 people as house guests

'The poor elderly being dragged out to vote at night,' she said.

'So much for democracy - the poor elderly plebs are told how to vote and handed a piece of paper.'

Daria Hextell, a former state election candidate, was also outraged a crowded meeting was allowed during a pandemic.

'As a SA Liberal Women's Council member I place my safety first and I suggest all other women in @SALiberalSAHQ do the same DON'T attend this meeting,' she said.

Helika Cruz, a state delegate to SA's Liberal Women's Council, posted a series of Facebook images showing rows of mainly elderly women sitting side-by-side on Thursday night.

In the photos, they are leaning in to speak with each other, breaching social distancing rules for the event.

The gathering had more than 200 women in the room with delegates having to be present to vote for executive positions.

Sue Lawrie, from the moderate faction, beat her conservative opponent Laura Curran, 184 votes to 38 to be elected president of the Liberal Women's Council.

South Australia tightened coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday, with household gatherings reduced to ten again from 50.

PICTURED: A Council member tweeted this plea to other members before Thursday's meeting

SA Liberal state director Sascha Meldrum defended the decision to hold the event (pictured) and said the same rules applied to the Liberal Party

The SA Liberal Party posted this photo with a caption: Contrary to ridiculous claims of a 'lavish dinner' and 700 people, it was in fact a sensibly seated, socially distanced group of Liberal women who met tonight

Pubs and bars are back to seated patrons only.

SA's deputy Labor leader Susan Close is in self-isolation after attending an Adelaide high school where there has been a coronavirus cluster.

Five people linked to Thebarton Senior College have tested positive to COVID-19, forcing 70 people into quarantine and 1,100 into self-isolation, including Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas.

Ms Close said Mr Marshall had demonstrated a lack of political judgement in failing to cancel the event.

'To think it's okay to have up to 700 Liberal Party members together shows a disregard for the experiences of other people,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'Coincidentally, at the same time Peter Malinauskas and I are in self-isolation obeying health directives.'

Deputy SA Labor Leader Susan Close is in self-isolation after attending a local school in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak

Senator Rex Patrick tweeted his disgust before the event (pictured) citing 'hypocrisy' for allowing the event to go ahead

SA's deputy Opposition Leader said the Liberal Party had disregarded the concerns of South Australians worried about the coronavirus pandemic.

'It's a terrible look for the Premier that the Liberal Party don't have to experience the same hardships,' she said.

'If you want people to obey all the demands that are on us, you need to show very clearly that you understand that applies to everybody.'

SA Liberal state director Sascha Meldrum said they had never expected 700 people to attend and referenced last year's event which attracted 300 delegates.

Ms Meldrum defended the decision to hold the event and said the same rules applied to the Liberal Party.

The state's existing social distancing rules require one person per two-square metres, compared with the one person for every four square metres in most states.

'The meeting complied with all current restrictions, and followed an SA Health approved COVID Safe Management Plan, the one per two-square metre rule, social distancing and hygiene requirements,' Ms Meldrum said.

PICTURED: Tom Richardson tweeted that the event might have gone ahead to allow the moderates to win back the presidency from the right faction of the party

The SA Liberal source told the Daily Mail Australia her party's moderate faction was desperate to hold the AGM to overturn the right-wing executive.

The Liberal Women's Council president has a seat on the party's state executive which Mr Marshall sits on.

The meeting last night also elected state council delegates who vote for the state executive and for Senate preselections.

The state executive also rules on contentious Liberal preselections for state and federal seats.

Daily Mail Australia understands the moderates are worried about the right destabilising a first-term Liberal Premier, who is devising a cabinet reshuffle.

Factional splits within the party saw a first-term Liberal premier, Dean Brown, overthrown in 1996 despite the moderate-faction leader winning power from opposition in a landslide just three years earlier.

Ms Close said the Liberal Party was in disarray, referencing the recent cabinet reshuffle and a travel allowance scandal.

'We've lost five significant figures, three ministers, a whip and the presiding offer of the Legislative Council,' she said.

'I would hope that the decision to allow a meeting to go ahead wasn't influenced by trying to keep the peace within the faction of the Liberal Party.'
In the bad old days of Miami Vice, the feds fixated on chasing after narco-traffickers like Pablo Escobar and grabbing their drugs and cash.

But as the city morphed into a global hub of commerce, it also turned into a massive washing machine for cleaning all variety of illicit money.

Billions started cascading into South Florida banks, waterfront condos and exotic cars  the bulk of it stolen by politically connected kleptocrats from Venezuela and other Latin American countries. While federal authorities have pursued the pervasive crime of money laundering over the past decade, its only in the past year that Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorneys Office joined forces to confront it head-on.

HSI launched a task force, modeled after one in New York, called El Dorado South. Prosecutors followed suit with their own money laundering section.

Its a perfect storm of foreign public corruption and money laundering, Miami HSIs special agent in charge, Anthony Salisbury, told the Miami Herald in a recent interview on the joint crackdown.

This is the definition of the corrupt rich making themselves richer, he said. These guys would make the narcos blush, and they do it under the guise of legitimacy.

The El Dorado South task force was started in 2018 but its focus on money laundering crimes had already been one of the main missions of Homeland Security Investigations dating back a couple of decades, Salisbury said. El Dorado, with dozens of local, state and federal law enforcement members, brought HSIs various financial crimes units under one roof.

Late pop superstar Michael Jacksons crystal-studded glove.

HSIs money laundering investigators in Miami have seized more than $1 billion in assets  including the late pop superstar Michael Jacksons crystal-studded white glove from his Bad tour (valued at $275,000) and other Jackson memorabilia (worth $827,000) that had belonged to an Equatorial Guinea vice president, according to court records.

The agencys foreign corruption cases have resulted in about 250 arrests, but some defendants, including several in Venezuela, remain at large.

Story continues

More than half of those assets  $653 million  have been seized from U.S. and Swiss bank accounts, including $250 million turned over last year by Venezuelas former national treasurer, Alejandro Andrade, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for embezzling billions from his government along with alleged co-conspirator, Caracas TV network mogul Raul Gorrin. He is wanted in Miami on a money laundering and foreign corruption indictment.

Millions in horses, houses, cars

HSIs task force has also confiscated $296 million in horses, watches and other personal assets; $72 million in real estate; and about $5 million in vehicles  including last months seizure of more than 80 luxury cars and SUVs bound for Venezuelas political and business elite in a ring allegedly run by Gorrin, according to authorities. Gorrins defense attorney denied his involvement.

El Dorado South is structured like the only other task force like it in the country, founded in New York by Customs agents in 1992.

HSIs Kevin Tyrrell, who heads the group, said it was the brainchild of longtime Miami money laundering investigator John Tobon, who tried for years to persuade prosecutors that the crime was not just about drug traffickers trying to hide their unlawful profits in U.S. bank accounts and other assets like pricey real estate. Money laundering spanned a spectrum of crimes, from foreign corruption to gold smuggling, and entailed the use of shell companies, straw owners and sham documents to hide the identities of criminals.

Tyrrell said that criminals have become increasingly sophisticated, knowing they cant just walk into a bank with $100,000 in cash and deposit the money. Bankers wont risk depositing it without knowing where it came from, because they are obligated under the Bank Secrecy Act to ask how the money was earned. So instead of taking their dirty money to banks, many criminals use the cash to buy high-value investments or seemingly legitimate businesses.

Its a constant game of cat and mouse, Tyrrell said. As criminal activity has evolved, so has money laundering. These are professional money launderers. They have developed an expertise to move money illegally through the banking system.

Dirty money in plain sight

The extent of suspicious money laundering was in such plain sight to Ariana Fajardo Orshan after she took over as the U.S. attorney in the fall of 2018 that she proposed creating a money laundering section in her office  independent of similar units already in the narcotics and economic crimes sections.

Fajardo told her staff that while she was driving around Miami at night, she was struck by the number of high-rise condos with no lights on, suggesting they were investment properties purchased mostly by foreign buyers. How can people buy multimillion-dollar condos and not live in them? Fajardo told her staff.

The money laundering section was launched in March 2019. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Forand, who heads the section, said the mandate was to follow the money and where it flows.

Forand said the goal is to disrupt the flow of money through both criminal and civil forfeitures connected to any type of illegal activity.

Its all about getting their assets and making sure you get all their toys, he said. Its a big weapon of deterrence.

Earlier this summer, his office filed a lawsuit to seize a luxury high-rise condo overlooking Biscayne Bay belonging to a minister of parliament in the Republic of the Congo.

Denis-Christel Sassou Nguesso, whose father has been president of the oil-rich Central African nation since the late 1970s, transferred millions of dollars through an unknown associate to bank accounts in South Florida to buy the condo for $2.8 million in the 900 Biscayne Bay tower, court records show. Prosecutors said the presidents son bought the 3,500-square-foot penthouse apartment with money stolen from the Congos national oil company and are suing to seize the condo in what they describe as an alleged international money laundering conspiracy.

The biggest catch for prosecutors and the El Dorado South investigators so far: Andrade, Venezuelas former national treasurer. He wrote several checks totaling $250 million to the U.S. government last fall, after the money had been transferred from his Swiss bank account to his defense attorneys in Miami. That payment was counted towards a $1 billion forfeiture judgment against him.

Andrade also lost the following in federal seizures: six South Florida real estate properties, including a Wellington horse farm; a waterfront Palm Beach residence and a Pinecrest estate ($33 million); as well as 14 show-jumping horses ($2 million), 35 designer watches ($1.5 million) and a fleet of 10 exotic foreign cars ($1 million), according to authorities.

One of former Venezuelan national treasurer Alejandro Andrades show horses in Wellington.

Other recent notable seizures: A waterfront Cocoplum estate and a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe that once belonged to Andrades alleged co-conspirator, Gorrin. He is accused of stealing billions from Venezuelas state-run oil company and kicking back funds to the former treasurer. The feds are targeting his 6,000-square-foot home, which had been on the market for $8 million, and the $200,000 Rolls convertible  along with 20 other real estate properties worth tens of millions of dollars in the Miami area and Manhattan.

The kleptocrats are stealing from their own people and their own country, HSIs Salisbury said. One or two percent of the countrys wealth goes to the elites connected to [President Nicolas] Maduro. Thats what these cases are all about.
WASHINGTON - A resurgence in COVID-19 cases didnt shut off the American job creation machine last month  but it did slow it down.

Employers added 1.8 million jobs in July, slightly more than had been expected but far fewer than the gains of the previous two months. And while the unemployment rate dropped from 11.1% to 10.2%, it remains worrisomely high.

The coronavirus outbreaks and the resulting lockdowns and fear that kept Americans away from restaurants, bars and shops hammered the economy in the spring. Employers slashed tens of millions of jobs as businesses shut their doors to slow the virus spread. The economy shrank at a harrowing annual rate of nearly 33% from April through June  by far the worst three months on record.

As businesses began to reopen, the job market came back, recording unprecedented gains in May and June. But a surge in confirmed viral cases as summer began heightened doubts about whether a meaningful recovery can be sustained, especially with Congress deadlocked over proposals to provide further aid to the unemployed and to struggling states and cities.

Here are five takeaways from Julys jobs report:

JOBS GREW, BUT MORE SLOWLY

Some economists feared that the resurgence in COVID cases would stop the jobs recovery in its tracks. It didnt. Julys 1.8 million new jobs marked the third-best month of job creation on record. The problem is that hiring was down sharply from Mays 2.7 million added jobs and Junes 4.8 million.

All told, the United States has recovered just 42% of the jobs that were lost in March and April. And the weakening pace of hiring suggests a long slog of a recovery ahead.

Rising viral cases in the South and West have forced many businesses to delay or reverse plans to reopen. In Texas, for instance, just 26% of bars were closed as of June 21. Two weeks later, the figure had shot up to 74%, though it has since declined slightly, according to the data firm Womply.

Moreover, a tentative economic comeback had been supported by a government relief program that included a crucial $600-a-week federal add-on to weekly state unemployment benefits. It allowed millions of unemployed people to afford necessities.

But the expanded jobless aid has now expired, and Congress has failed to extend it or provide other financial stimulus to Americans. The loss of that money means that tens of millions of jobless Americans cant spend as much as they formerly did, which, in turn, means a drag on the economy.

The loss of enhanced unemployment benefits and an inability to pass another stimulus bill will threaten a labour market recovery that already appears to be losing momentum, Scott Anderson, chief economist at Bank of the West, wrote in a research report.

BLUE-COLLAR JOB GROWTH SLOWED SHARPLY

Hiring by private companies has increasingly narrowed to service businesses, like restaurants and retail shops, in contrast to factories, construction companies, mines and other goods-producing companies. In May, goods producers had added 676,000 jobs (21% of new private sector positions) and then 515,000 (11%) in June before adding far fewer  39,000 (less than 3% of new positions)  in July.

Among factories, the lone exception last month was automakers, now enjoying an uptick in sales because of falling loan rates and some pent-up demand for cars. Auto companies accounted for all of Julys factory hires.

Recent job gains, Anderson noted, mainly reflect businesses that are recalling workers they had let go in the spring when the pandemic suddenly struck hard. By contrast, he wrote, job growth downshifted sharply last month in manufacturing, construction, information and business services, signalling prolonged labour market weakness just below the surface.

GOVERNMENT JOB GAINS WERE LIKELY EXAGGERATED

The Labor Departments July figures show that government at all levels added 301,000 jobs last month, up from 54,000 in June. That appeared to be a surprisingly strong performance.

But the government job gains were exaggerated by a technicality: Many local school districts had laid off teachers, bus drivers and school cafeteria workers early this year because of the pandemic lockups  in the spring, instead of in the summer as usual. That change warped the Labor Departments summertime seasonal adjustments and had the effect of inflating its count of government workers in July.

Economists are nervously monitoring government employment. Many have been urging Congress to deliver massive aid to state and local governments that are suffering a loss of tax revenue from the recession and are prevented by balanced-budget requirements from stimulating their economies with stepped-up spending.

But Congress has yet to agree on providing any further help to state or local governments.

BLACK AND HISPANIC WORKERS GAINED, BUT DISPARITIES PERSIST

Black and Hispanic workers gained jobs at a faster pace than whites in July, but their unemployment rates remain far higher.

The number of Black Americans who were employed grew by 234,000 or 1.4%. And the number of employed Hispanics grew by 174,000 or 0.7%. White employment grew by 688,000 or just 0.6%. African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to occupy the service sector jobs that have been called back to work.

Still, 14.6% of Black and 12.9% of Hispanic adults were unemployed in July, versus 9.2% of whites  the continuation of a longstanding racial disparity in joblessness.

MANY WERE RELUCTANT TO JUMP INTO THE JOB MARKET

The recent hiring gains havent managed to draw many more Americans off the sidelines to look for jobs. The labour force  which includes people who either have a job or are looking for one  dipped last month by 62,000, to 61.4% of the adult population from 61.5% in June.

With coronavirus cases surging and the economic recovery faltering, discouraged and fearful workers were likely more reluctant to rejoin the official ranks of those seeking work, said Lydia Boussour, senior economist at Oxford Economics.
Toronto Public Healths recommendations that the Toronto District School Board reduce class sizes below provincial guidelines is the latest knock against Premier Doug Fords schools reopening plan.

The number of students in the classroom should be smaller than usual class sizes, in order to ensure proper physical distancing and reduce the risk of virus spread, the letter dated Thursday sent from associate medical officer of health Vinita Dubey said, noting Toronto Public Health has concerns about the boards plan that is in keeping with the provinces decision on class sizes.

The letter, received by Carlene Jackson, the boards interim director of education, was shared with trustees and first reported by the Globe and Mail. A copy was viewed by the Star.

In a message to trustees, Jackson said she asked Toronto Public Health to put its thoughts on the boards back-to-school plan in writing.

Dubey specifically mentions the Ford plan to allow full-sized elementary classes where children in Grade 3 and below would not be required to wear masks.

In elementary classes (JK to grade 3) where masks are not required, smaller classes sizes will particularly be important to ensure students can be spaced out and reduce transmission, the letter says.

It goes on to note the scientific evidence that keeping a distance of two metres works well to prevent the spread of respiratory droplets from one person to another.

Fords plan to reopen schools has been under fire since it was unveiled last week, especially over the decision to keep elementary class sizes as is.

Boards, including the TDSB, have been preparing plans in line with the provincial guidelines.

In an emailed statement Thursday night, Alexandra Adamo, spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce, said: Our plan to safely reopen schools has been informed by the best medical and scientific minds in the country  Ontarios Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, the COVID-19 Command Table, and the Hospital for Sick Children.

She called the provincial plan a living document that can be adapted to apply the best advice as it emerges.

We will never hesitate from taking further action to protect the health and safety of Ontarios students and education staff.

Earlier, SickKids and other childrens hospitals said reducing class sizes should be a priority strategy to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Toronto Public Healths position on the provinces plan has not previously been made public.

An online petition calling for a reduction in Ontario class sizes had reached over 173,000 signatures as of Thursday night.

Jennifer Pagliaro is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @jpags

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Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston is down to play Walter White again.

The Emmy winner was asked whether he would ever reprise his role as the cancer-riddled-chemistry-teacher-turned-drug-kingpin and didn't miss a beat responding he would 'do it in a second' in an interview with Collider.

And, it wouldn't take a big network reboot in order to get it done since Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad's critically acclaimed prequel series, is heading into season six.

Say his name: Bryan Cranston said play his Emmy winning Breaking Bad character Walter white 'in a second' on the AMC prequel spin-off Better Call Saul, during a recent interview with Collider

'I would be in it if Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, who are co-executive producers on [Better Call Saul], wanted me to be in it. I would do it in a second,' Cranston said.

Adding: 'But it hasn't happened yet, I can tell you, and we'll see. I don't know. There's one more season to go and we'll see what happens!'

Vince Gilligan is also te creator Breaking Bad which ran for five seasons from 2008-2013 and won 12 Prime Time Emmy Awards during its tenure.

He and Gould have been trying to get Cranston apart of the prequel for a sometime, but behind the camera.

'I would be in it if Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, who are co-executive producers on [Better Call Saul], wanted me to be in it. I would do it in a second,' Cranston said. 'But it hasn't happened yet, I can tell you, and we'll see. I don't know. There's one more season to go and we'll see what happens!'

'I have been asked to direct an episode every single season and it just didn't work out because of a commitment to doing a play or doing a movie or something, so I wasn't able to section out the times available,' Cranston explained. 'But I do love the show. I think it's a fantastic show.'

Better Call Saul debuted in 2015 as a prequel spin-off centered on Breaking Bad's affable but unethical criminal defense attorney Saul Goodman.

The series is set in the early 2000s in Albuquerque, New Mexico (as is Breaking Bad) and follows lowly lawyer Jimmy McGill, played by Bon Odenkirk, who eventually becomes Saul Goodman.

'I have been asked to direct an episode every single season and it just didn't work out because of a commitment to doing a play or doing a movie or something, so I wasn't able to section out the times available,' Cranston explained. 'But I do love the show. I think it's a fantastic show.'

This year Better Call Saul nabbed five Emmy nominations thought many felt that Odenkirk and costar Rhea Seehorn were snubbed from the acting categories.

Saul isn't the only character from Breaking Bad whose early years are chronicled in the prequel, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) play a large role in the series.

And, other Bad characters like the Salamanca's, DEA agent Hank Schrader and fan favorite Huell Babineaux are among the dozen or so who appear in Better Call Saul.

It's all good, man: Better Call Saul debuted in 2015 as a prequel spin-off centered on Breaking Bad's affable but unethical criminal defense attorney Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk)

A Walter White character, prior to getting into the meth game, would be the icing on the cake for fans who've been able to somewhat satiate their cravings since the series ended.

Along with Better Caul Saul, Netflix released El Camino, a sequel film to the series starring Aaron Paul (Jesse Pinkman) in 2019.

Meanwhile, Cranston busy doing digital press for his upcoming Disney+ project, The One and Only Ivan.

He also recently revealed that he had recovered from COVID-19 and was donating his blood plasma to help researchers find a cure or vaccine.

Watch every episode of Breaking Bad on Netflix, and on Stan in Australia.
Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs has replaced Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui with the Director General for South Asia and SAARC with the immediate effect, an official notification said on Friday.

Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, in addition to his duties as the Director General for South Asia and SAARC, will also look after the work of the spokesperson vice Farooqui, it said.

Earlier, Muhammad Faisal held the dual charge before being appointed as the countrys ambassador to Germany.

Farooqui, who was appointed as the spokesperson in December, is reportedly proceeding on a training course.

Chaudhri, a career foreign service officer, previously served at key Pakistan missions, including in Washington and London.
A child grimaces as a health worker takes a nasal swab sample for COVID- 19 testing through rapid antigen methodology, in New Delhi. Read more

NEW DELHI  As India hit another grim milestone in the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, crossing 2 million confirmed cases and more than 41,000 deaths, community health volunteers went on strike complaining they were ill-equipped to respond to the wave of infection in rural areas.

Even as India has maintained comparatively low mortality rates, the disease has spread widely across the country, with the burden shifting in recent weeks from cities with robust health systems to rural areas, where resources are scarce or nonexistent.

The Health Ministry reported 62,538 cases in the past 24 hours, raising the nations confirmed total to 2,027,074. It said 886 more people had died, for a total of 41,585.

But the ministry said that recoveries were growing. India has the third-highest caseload in the world after the United States and Brazil. It has the fifth-most deaths but its fatality rate of about 2% is far lower than the top two hardest-hit countries. The rate in the U.S. is 3.3%, and in Brazil 3.4%, Johns Hopkins University figures show.

The caseload in the country of 1.3 billion has quickly expanded since the government began lifting a monthslong lockdown hoping to jump-start a moribund economy. India is projecting an economic contraction in 2020.

Life cautiously returned to the streets of the capital of New Delhi and the financial hub Mumbai, which appear to have passed their peaks.

 READ MORE: Africa passes 1 million confirmed virus cases; true number far more

In Mayur Vihar, a neighborhood in east Delhi, shopkeeper and pharmacist Rajiv Singhal described the daily phone calls he received when he tested positive for COVID-19 from officials within the Delhi state government, the Delhi police and the federal government to check on his condition.

Despite our huge population and rampant illiteracy, if we have only 2 million cases so far, it shows that the government has played a big role in reducing the spread, he said.

But authorities elsewhere in India were reimposing lockdowns after sharp spikes in cases, including in Uttar Pradesh, a state of 220 million residents where infections in every district are weighing heavily on the fragile health system. After fully reopening in June, the state reimposed a weekend lockdown in July.

Shachindra Sharma, a 60-year-old graphic designer in the state capital of Lucknow, only leaves his house for a weekly grocery shop.

I do not fear the disease but I do fear the government system, which has crumbled, he said.

Around 900,000 members of an all-female community health force began a two-day strike on Friday, protesting that they were being roped in to help with contact tracing, personal hygiene drives and in quarantine centers, but weren't given personal protective equipment or additional pay, according to organizer A.R. Sindhu.

The health workers, known as Accredited Social Health Activists, or ASHA, which means hope in several Indian languages, have been deployed in each village on behalf of the Health Ministry. Their work ranges from escorting children to immunization clinics to counseling women on childbirth.

But while their regular work hasnt reduced, they are increasingly being involved by state governments in the fight against the pandemic, said Sindhu.

But ASHA workers dont have masks or PPEs or even sanitizers, she said.

She added that although the work has increased and become more dangerous, their salaries remain static at roughly 2,000 rupees ($27) per month And the families of at least a dozen women who she said died from the virus didn't receive compensation from India's federal insurance for front-line health care workers because their deaths were not recorded as COVID-19 deaths.

Manisha Verma, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In Mumbai, the capital of central Maharashtra state, cases had plateaued after months of steady growth. But rural parts were seeing an opposite trend.

Dr. S.P. Kalantri, the director of a hospital in the village of Sevagram in Maharashtra, about 74 kilometers (46 miles) from the city of Nagpur, said that younger people were cavalier about social distancing and masks. Fatigue and increased familiarity with the disease, which has been most fatal to Indians above the age of 60 with comorbidities, had resulted in people not being as vigilant, he said.

Everyone thinks it wont be them, he said.

Like in much of the rest of the world, many Indians appeared to be counting on a therapeutic treatment or a vaccine to contain the spread of the disease.

India has launched two of the world's dozen and a half prospective vaccines into human trials, with vaccine-maker Zydus Cadila announcing it had completed phase 1 trials of its DNA-based vaccine on Thursday.

The country will be vital to global vaccination efforts, regardless of whether its own attempts work. The world's largest vaccine maker, the Serum Institute in the central city of Pune, has ramped up capacity to manufacture as many as a billion doses in development by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, which is in phase 2 trials in India and England, and phase 3 trials in Brazil and South Africa.

Researchers are hoping to launch the Oxford vaccine for emergency use by October.

The Serum Institute said Friday that with financial help from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, it will be able to provide vaccines to India and other low- and middle-income countries for a maximum $3 per dose.

_____

Associated Press writers Rishabh R. Jain and Aniruddha Ghosal in New Delhi and Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India, contributed to this report.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has emerged as the main opponent of the Belarusian president in the August 9 vote.

On July 14, Belaruss Central Electoral Commission (CEC) announced the list of candidates registered for the upcoming presidential elections.

Among those who made it, along with incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, was Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a former English teacher and a housewife with no prior political experience.

When she emerged from CECs building, holding her signed registration document, journalists and allies congratulated her, but she seemed hesitant.

Im not sure if I want this congratulations, she said with a slight smile.

The 37-year-old mother of two had been receiving threats over her decision to run in the elections, which forced her to send her children out of the country, accompanied by their grandmother.

Tikhanovskaya has been honest about her lack of experience in politics and has said she had made the decision to join the presidential race spontaneously. It followed the arrest of her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a popular Youtube blogger who had tried to register as a candidate.

Tikhanovskaya had hoped this would draw attention to his case and help get him released, but had not really expected the authorities would actually allow her to run.

Tikhanovskaya, centre, Kolesnikova, right, and Veronika Tsepkalo attend an election campaign rally [Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters]

What happened next surprised Tikhanovskaya herself, the Belarusian authorities and even longtime observers of Belarusian politics.

Within days of her registration, Tikhanovskaya managed to gather massive crowds at her rallies across the country.

In Minsk, an estimated 63,000 people showed up to her campaign event on July 30. Thousands also attended her rallies in smaller provincial towns, where traditional Belarusian opposition has had a hard time establishing a foothold in the past.

Tikhanovskaya has emerged as a significant challenger to Lukashenkos 26-year rule. Analysts predict the August 9 elections may well prove to be a turning point in Belarusian politics.

The third force

Tikhanovskayas transformation from a frightened housewife, who was trying to get her husband out of jail, to a popular opposition candidate happened remarkably quickly, aided by a number of factors.

First  the authorities did not seem to perceive her as a political threat.

Tikhanovskaya, at the beginning of her campaign, appeared very weak. She was indeed under enormous pressure, she was very scared, Katia Glod, a London-based scholar and consultant on former Soviet countries, told Al Jazeera.

The authorities thought well, she is very weak, we can easily pressure her, we can destroy her at any time. But they miscalculated, she said.

According to Glod, the reason for this miscalculation is Lukashenkos own patriarchal, retrograde views on women.

In late May, as Tikhanovskaya was still gathering signatures for her nomination as candidate, Lukashenko said in a speech at a tractor factory in Minsk that he was absolutely sure the next Belarusian president would be a man.





Our constitution is not for women. Our society has not matured enough to vote for a woman. This is because by constitution the president handles a lot of power, he said.

On July 17, three days after Tikhanovskaya received her registration documents, she was endorsed by two disqualified opposition candidates: Viktor Babaryko and Valery Tsepkalo.

On the campaign trail, she was joined by two other women  Barbarykos campaign manager Maria Kolesnikova, and Tsepkalos wife Veronika, who helped provide organisational and logistical support.

The three of them appeared together on campaign posters and at rallies, thus solidifying the image of a women-led campaign challenging Lukashenkos patriarchal rule.

According to Glod, Tikhanovskayas popularity is also due to the fact that she has come to represent a new force in Belarusian politics, centred around Barbaryko, a former bank manager, Tsepkalo, a former diplomat, and her husband Tikhanovsky.

They have put forward a new, more positive vision for the country, different than what the traditional opposition used to offer  old political demands and nationalistic slogans.

All these people, they are not opposition, they are a third force. They were the ones who managed in the first place to attract public support. And then Tikhanovskaya became the symbol, an instrument of change, Glod said.

Anti-Lukashenko sentiment

Apart from being a new face in politics backed by a popular coalition of forces, Tikhanovskayas campaign has also benefitted from the growing anti-Lukashenko sentiment in the country.

According to Olga Dryndova, a Berlin-based researcher and contributing editor to Belarus-Analysen at the University of Bremen, the unpopularity of the Belarusian president has deepened as a result of his mismanagement of the economy and inconsistent information policy during the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

It was surprising for me that people were so unsatisfied with the authorities, and personally with Lukashenko [], that [they] just united around this new, spontaneous candidate without political experience, she told Al Jazeera.

Currently, there is no independent polling in Belarus and it is difficult to estimate the true extent of Lukashenkos unpopularity, Dryndova said.

A March 2016 opinion poll conducted by the Independent Institute for Socio-Economic and Political Studies before it was forced to stop its operations nine months later, suggested that about 27 percent of respondents were willing to vote for Lukashenko.

Lukashenko said he was absolutely sure the next Belarusian president would be a man [Sergei Gapon/AFP]

In a July 2020 poll, conducted for a state TV channel, 69.4 percent said they would vote for the incumbent president.

After the initial success of her rallies, Tikhanovskayas team has struggled to conduct campaign activities in the days leading up to the election, as the authorities have arrested a number of its members and started snatching from the streets people who have tried to attend her events.

Her remaining rallies were eventually banned.

State media have also reported that investigators are looking into a link between Tikhanovskayas husband, Sergei and a group of Russian mercenaries who were arrested on August 29 and who have been accused of preparing terrorists acts in Belarus. She has denied any such ties exist.

On August 4, Lukashenko gave a state of the nation speech, in which he threatened harsh sanctions against any unauthorised demonstrations ahead of the elections and implicitly warned the political elite not to betray him.

Free and fair

According to Dryndova, Lukashenko appears to be scared and he is unlikely to allow for a free and fair election on August 9.

The vote will not have international observers and independent observers have already been harassed after early voting started on August 4.

In her view, Tikhanovskayas campaign has galvanised the Belarusian public to such an extent that repression might not stop the popular demand for change.

There is a feeling of majority, a majority that wants a new president and this can really bring a new dynamic of developments within the society, even if the elections are not free and fair and even if [subsequent] protests are suppressed, Dryndova said.

Its really a very interesting, historic moment for Belarus. We have never seen anything like that. Right now we really have no idea what could happen. Everything is possible. The Belarusian society is really surprising everybody this [electoral] season.

Follow Mariya Petkova on Twitter: @mkpetkova
The Republics new Shared Island Unit is getting ready for the possibility that England may get turned off Northern Ireland, the Taoiseach has said.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, Micheal Martin said he planned to beef up the unit so it could address a range of north-south issues and prepare for different eventualities.

There are a two distinct political jurisdictions born out of the Good Friday Agreement. We have acknowledged the reality of that, Mr Martin added.

However, the Taoiseach said what happened in Britain impacted in Ireland and noted that English nationalism was the driving force behind the successful Brexit referendum, adding that Scotland may some day break away from the UK.

What happens if England gets turned off Northern Ireland? Weve got to be thinking all this through, he said.

They may just say, Were not as committed to it as we were in the past. That may not happen for quite some time, but we have to be prepared for all sorts of eventualities.

Mr Martin also quoted the late former SDLP leader John Hume, who made the point that our common membership of the European Union in many ways made the physical border almost an irrelevancy.

However, he said the Brexit referendum result posed new challenges for the island, even though certain protections were set out in the withdrawal agreement.

The Taoiseachs comments come as negotiations between the EU and UK intensify ahead of the December 31 Brexit deadline.

Mr Martin is due to hold his first face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the coming weeks.

Last week he organised the first North South Ministerial Council meeting in more than three years.

Yesterday he said he was opposed to holding a border poll now as it would be too divisive and too threatening.

I think that we can evolve better if we talk about sharing the island and that relates to health... it relates to a whole range of services, Mr Martin explained.

He said that the purpose of the Shared Island Unit, which is a part of the Department of the Taoiseach, was to develop fresh and detailed thinking on how the governments in Northern Ireland and the Republic can work together more closely on a number of projects.

Last week DUP leader Arlene Foster said she did not feel threatened by Mr Martins Shared Island Unit.

It does not threaten our constitutional position or what we believe in, so I dont feel threatened at all by the Shared Island Unit, she explained.

Mr Martin said interest had waned in the north-south bodies established under the Good Friday Agreement and insisted that he intended to bring a more enthusiastic approach to cross-border relationships.

The Taoiseach said he had specifically earmarked funding for a Sligo to Enniskillen greenway and an ulster canal project. He also said there should be one dedicated centre for cardiac surgery for children on the island.

It makes sense that we do those kind of things in a pragmatic way with no political agenda attached, Mr Martin added.

I think originally when north-south (bodies) started, unionists were suspicious.

I remember that when I was the minister for enterprise, InterTrade Ireland was meant to be the devil and all.

They relaxed after a while because they saw that InterTrade Ireland can benefit Northern businesses.

Mr Martin said he would like to do more to help people living in marginalised communities in Northern Ireland and noted the problems with educational under-achievement in working-class loyalist communities.

He said there were also issues with people living in nationalist areas completing their education and added that 5,000 people from Northern Ireland leave to go to third-level colleges in Britain every year.

I think we need to change that story and I think there should be a significant investment by both governments, Mr Martin added.
The Department of Health and HSE launched a new phase of the Covid-19 communications campaign to encourage safe behaviours as we learn to live with the coronavirus.

Featuring posters designed by well-known illustrator Fatti Burke, the campaign encourages people to continue the safe behaviours of hand washing, physical distancing, wearing face coverings, covering coughs and sneezes, and downloading the Covid Tracker app.

Speaking at the launch, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD said: Thanks to the care taken by everyone over the last few difficult months, the number of people with Covid-19 had fallen significantly in Ireland. However, as we start to see a rising number of cases around the country, we need to reinforce basic but key public health messages. One of those key messages is to wear face coverings as advised. Other key messages include keeping our physical distance, washing our hands, covering our coughs and sneezes and using the Covid Tracker app.

Department of Health acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said: We know how important communicating clearly with the public has been throughout this crisis and I thank everyone for their engagement with public health advice.

We know that the vast majority of people in Ireland have followed our advice and have made very significant sacrifices over the past number of months. The priority now is to protect the progress we have achieved and continue to protect each other into the future.

HSE chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry said: More of us are now going out to work and socialising, commuting, and eating out. Our public health advice is asking people to avoid crowds, especially indoors, and limit the number of people were meeting and if you do meet people, keeping up our protective behaviours will make a difference to reduce the risk to yourself, to others, and to preserve health services for people who are more vulnerable.

The new look poster campaign is primarily aimed towards people who are out commuting, socialising and shopping, and encourages people to:

 Step up and step back  go one step further to keep each other safe.

 Wash and go  clean hands stop the spread of Covid-19.

 Masking for a friend  wearing a face covering helps us to protect each other.

 Cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a tissue.

 Use the Covid Tracker app to protect yourself and people around you.

The campaign also includes radio adverts on all Irish commercial stations and on Spotify, and social media messages on all HSE accounts. Later in August the campaign will be extended to include TV advertising, and spots on online players.
The Facebook CEO acknowledged the security concerns with the app but said that he was worried about the long-term impact this current matter might have on other countries.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is of the opinion that any non-native app with access to a lot of peoples data that follows the rules of another country should raise valid national security concerns. Particularly when the app belongs to and is controlled by another country thats directly competing with your country.

However, he also thinks that banning TikTok in the US would set a really bad long-term precedent and thats what he told his employees while speaking at Facebooks all-hands meeting where he was asked about TikTok and the current issue it is facing in the US.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to ban the app form the country unless an Amercian company buys it. Facebook employees were interested to find out if their company had any interest in acquiring TikTok, an app that Zuckerberg has previously identified as a competitor.

Zuckerberg told employees that he doesnt comment on Facebooks merger and acquisition strategies during company-wide meetings but he acknowledged TikToks current extraordinary circumstances.

Its not surprising that Facebook employees wanted to know about this since Facebook has been known for acquiring companies and apps they consider competition. The best example of this is - Instagram.

Zuckerberg told his employees that he feels that this whole deal with TikTok needs to be handled with utmost care and gravity, no matter what the solution is and that he is really worried about the long-term consequences this whole matter could have on other countries.

The deal between ByteDance and Microsoft has to conclude before September 15 if it must come through since that is the date of the ban that has been proposed by the Trump administration.

The Facebook CEO said that TikTok and ByteDance were being hit now and alluded to the idea that a Facebook product could also become the target of another country later. He, however, did think there was some validity in the security concerns that an app like TikTok can raise.

Zuckerbergs comments come after Facebook had almost given up any hope of bringing the worlds largest social network to the worlds most populous country - China. Zuckerberg has spent years trying to woo President Xi Jinping and the Chinese government to let Facebook in.

Those attempts finally stopped when Zuckerberg decided to cast his company as an Amercian success story to fight off regulators.

Facebook just launched its TikTok clone Reels and it went live in the US on Wednesday. With Reels, the company is hoping to fill up the space that has been vacated in countries like India where TikTok has been banned. More space opens up if the US bans the ByteDance-owned app too.

However, Zuckerberg told employees that banning the app would only be moderately beneficial to Facebook. He acknowledged that while many people have been saying that a ban on TikTok will help Facebook, he thinks his company will only benefit from this in a very narrow sense.

TikTok is a competitor for Facebook and engagement might go up if the app gets banned, it will also make it easier for Reels to roll out - but thats only going to work for a short while. You dont run a company for a short while, Zuckerberg pointed out.

Zuckerbergs currents comments are at odds with the companys pasty statements made during the House Judiciary Committee meeting hearing in July last year where a Facebook representative said that TikTok was one of their main competitors.

At that time, Facebooks head of global policy development Matt Perault had said that they have competitors around the world, particularly in China with companies like WeChat and TikTok.

In the recent hearing with the US Congress Zuckerberg acknowledged that TikTok was the reason why Facebook did not have a monopoly on social networking.

Speaking at the hearing, Zuckerberg said in his opening remarks that iMessage was the most popular messaging service in the US, TikTok was the fastest growing app, the largest ads platform is Google, the largest growing ads platform is Amazon and the most popular app for videos is YouTube.

In this case, Zuckerberg was just trying to drive home the idea that as far as Facebook was concerned, there was no monopoly.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  More people from young age groups are getting infected with COVID-19, the World Health Organization warned on Friday.

"We are clearly seeing a very significant increase of proportion of infections in the younger age groups  so in the age groups under five, up to 15, and indeed up to 29 years," WHO country representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe told CNN Philippines' The Final Word.

He reminded that young people are not immune to the coronavirus disease nor to its fatal effects. In a CNN report, the WHO said cases among teens and young adults have gone up six-fold while infections rose seven-fold for very young children and babies.

Abeyasinghe also cautioned the public not to depend on a vaccine since it's still "on the pipeline," and instead urged to prioritize following health safety measures such as physical distancing, cough etiquette and hand hygiene.

"[W]e should not put too much hope on the vaccine because we know that by doing the current practices that we advocate, we can suppress transmission," he cautioned. "For the moment, that is more important."

He added that some 165 candidate vaccines are still undergoing trials with four being tested on thousands of people.

President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier assured that life will return to normal in the country once a vaccine is available. He said China has already committed to sharing a vaccine while Russia also expressed interest in sending some over.
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The global stone paper market is anticipated to demonstrate healthy growth during the forecast period (2016-2021), Market Research Future (MRFR) unveils in a detailed report. Stone paper is highly strong, extremely durable, and eco-friendly paper. It is also acknowledged as rich mineral paper, rock paper, and paper from waste marble. Stone paper can be reformed and recycled into stone paper again, which is not recyclable but is compostable and photodegradable under commercial conditions. It is manufactured from the combination of high-density polyethylene and calcium carbonate and is extensively used in magazines, stationery, wallpapers, books, posters, leaflets, plates, adhesives, etc.

Market Potential and Pitfalls

The stone paper market is predicted to expand at breakneck speed, mainly due to the surging demand for stone paper from the labeling and packaging industries. The booming e-commerce sector across the globe and increased organized retail have widened the scope for packaging, thereby contributing to the market growth. Stone paper is extensively used in self-adhesive paper due to ecological impacts, with regards to the usage of energy, water, deforestation, and carbon emission. This is likely to influence the market growth in the long run. The market is highly competitive due to the presence of suppliers across the globe. Stone paper also helps to enhance the aesthetic properties of the products required to be packed. This further offers an economical and eco-friendly solution, which has triggered its demand across the globe. Consumers are highly concerned regarding pollution caused by plastic packaging. This has further accelerated the sales of stone paper during the review period.

On the contrary, environmental regulations on mining activities, which plays an integral role in the extraction of calcium carbonate are likely to restrict the growth of the market. Also, substitutes are easily available in the market, which acts as a major roadblock.

Global Stone Paper Market: Segmental Analysis

The stone paper market is segmented on the basis of material and application.

By material, the stone paper market is segmented into high-density polyethylene, calcium carbonate, and others.

By application, the stone paper market is segmented into packaging paper, labeling paper, self-adhesive paper, and others. Among these, the packaging paper segment is likely to gain prominence, mainly due to the increased environmental concerns related to the use of plastics. This has led to a shift in consumer preference for paper-based packaging. The strict regulations regarding deforestation to manufacture conventional products is further propelling the market growth in the packaging paper segment.

Regional Frontiers

Geographically, the stone paper market spans across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (ROW).

Considering the global scenario, the Asia Pacific will dominate the market due to the booming e-commerce industry in the region. The presence of organized retails, coupled with rapidly expanding economies are some of the major contributors to the market growth. With increased disposable income, low cost of production, and rising middle-class population, the regional market is predicted to boost. The easy availability of raw materials, increasing demand for environmental-friendly packaging, and the presence of a large number of manufacturers are considered to elevate the scope for the stone market.

North America is considered to gain prominence in the coming years due to advancing technology in the field of manufacturing. Moreover, support from environmental and governmental organizations have propelled the growth of the regional market.

Europe will witness a significant growth rate due to the increased demand for packaging application from countries like Russia, France, the UK, Italy, and Germany. The growth can also be attributed to new product developments, advancing technology, and the presence of market players in France, Russia, and Italy.

Industry Updates

January 2019: A Chile-based designer has recently created a biodegradable alternative to single-use packaging by using raw material, which has been extracted from algae. As per the designer, the material comprises of natural matter. It includes dyes used to color it, which has been extracted from the skins of vegetables and fruits like purple cabbage, blueberries, beetroot, and carrot.

Competitive Dashboard

The top players operating in the global stone paper market include Kapstone Paper, Stone Paper Company Ltd., Taiwan Lung Meng Technology Co. Ltd., Gaia-Concept BV, Packaging Corporation, Parax Paper, and Soluz Stone Paper S.A.
Everybody in the world depends on farmers for good food, but not everybody realises how intricately our planetary health is connected to farming. Ensuring a healthy food system will help ensure a healthy environment, and thanks to advances in science and innovation, productivity and sustainability need no longer be in conflict with one another.

Food Security and Sustainability

By most measures, the history of food production has been a success, as advances in farming practices and innovative technologies have kept up with global population growth. Yet food shortages still exist in too many places. According to the United Nations, almost one-fifth of the global population has irregular access to a sufficient amount of healthy food.

Our current food production system is overall too resource intensive, with excessive consumption of land, water and other inputs and high amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A report from the United Nations found that agriculture, forestry and other land uses account for 23 per cent of human GHG emissions. However, there's a positive side to this equation: The report also notes that these same uses have the capacity to absorb almost a third of the total carbon emissions from fossil fuels and industrial activities. By using science and our knowledge of nature responsibly, we can make agriculture part of the solution to global climate change.

The technologies of tomorrow will make farming more productive, but they also must meet strict environmental benchmarks to ensure our food supply is not only sufficient, but sustainable. I would like to highlight three themes that will help agriculture change the world:

Good soil leads to good crops. Healthy soils not only produce more food, they also retain water during droughts, filter pollutants, absorb greenhouse gases and preserve biodiversity. Learning how to improve crop production models by using soil microbes can reduce our reliance on synthetic fertilisers, while enabling new naturally-derived plant protection mechanisms to manage crop pests.

Today, farmers get paid to grow crops, not for improving the environment. If we are serious about protecting biodiversity or sequestering carbon in the soil, our goal should be to incentivise farmers through climate-smart models that recognise their contributions to the ecosystem by making sustainability a core part of their operations. Many farmers are already contributing through the use of reduced tillage and cover crops, which protects soil, preserves water and captures carbon. Such practices, along with new technologies, could lead to a more regenerative farming approach.

Because more than 500 million small farms provide 80 per cent of the food for communities in much of the world, it is impossible to address global food security without including smallholder farmers. To be effective, we must meet these farmers where they are, creating innovative business practices using tools and systems that fit their local situation. For example, nearly 70 per cent of all smallholders have cellphones, which opens up huge opportunities to conduct business transactions and deliver agronomic information directly to them. The technology underlying these opportunities is based on digital applications, which use data science. A focus on smallholders isn't about corporate altruism, but rather a purposeful business opportunity with positive implications for all parties - and for sustainable agriculture. We know that sustainable practices won't be implemented if it doesn't make commercial sense from a farmer's perspective. Bringing access to new technologies, such as advanced hybrid seeds or the use of digital applications on small farms creates new markets for agricultural growth, strengthens livelihoods and communities, and improves the quality of the environment.

3. No One-Size-Fits-All Approach

The answers to farming's future needs will be found in a variety of solutions that ensure diversity on the farm. Advances in science, especially in data sciences, will help transform the lives of farmers.

Digitally connecting farmers with relevant data sets can provide insights about field history, weather, soil conditions, seed varieties, markets, and much more. By combining billions of data points with their own intuition, farmers will be able to produce high-quality harvests using less land, energy and water. Access to "Big Data" will allow them to make prescriptive, real-time decisions. Together with advances in plant genetics, crop protection and agronomic practices, digital tools will help farmers tailor solutions to meet local needs, regardless of the size of their farms.

With increased digitalisation also comes the future opportunity for more advanced business transactions, like outcome-based pricing. This deviates from traditional linear transactions, in which a farmer must decide if purchasing a particular crop input is worth the additional investment. Outcome-based models allow farmers to manage their risks more effectively and improve their profitability, as they pay for inputs based on the outcome of using those products as opposed to just paying for seeds or crop protection products, regardless of the harvest quantity and quality.

A Better Tomorrow

Science and innovation will not only help big farmers, but will possibly have a much bigger positive effect on smallholders, who hold the key to ensuring a more resilient food system. Enabling smallholders will help make agriculture part of the solution to climate change.
She would have ideas, like scholarships for women escaping abusive relationships, and as they grew, she would spin them off into into separate foundations like WISP, her grandson Alex Buffett Rozek said.

She eventually gave the Womens Independent Scholarship Program foundation she spun off $30 million. Another example was the Learning by Giving program she started with Alex that has grown to include 40 colleges. It trains people in nonprofit work.

She had a sharp wit and liked to tell audiences at speaking engagements that she didnt give to S.O.B.s symphonies, operas and ballets.

Her grandson was the person she was closest to in life. When he was a boy, she swore him to secrecy in exchange for the thrill of his grandmother driving him over 100 mph in her blue bullet car down the middle of Interstate 95, he recalled.

Family and close friends knew her as Dodo, the name Warren had given his older sister as a toddler who couldnt pronounce Doris.

In 2015, Doris could no longer live alone for health reasons and Alex moved her from Fredericksburg to Boston, where he and her son Marshall live. Doris daughter Robin has split time between Fredericksburg and Boston.
Pence tells pro-lifers: A Biden presidency would trample on your rights

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Vice President Mike Pence warned pro-life activists that if presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden becomes president, he will trample on their rights.

Pence spoke at Starkey Road Baptist Church of Seminole, Florida, Wednesday at an event sponsored by the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List. While there, Pence also toured a pregnancy center in Pinellas Park called A Womans Place Medical Clinic, becoming the first sitting vice president to tour a pro-life pregnancy center.

During his remarks, the vice president outlined various pro-life agenda items that President Donald Trump has accomplished since taking office.

It would be just after we were in office a few days that the president reinstituted the Mexico City Policy, making sure no taxpayer dollars would ever go to promote or provide abortion around the world, and then he expanded it a year later, Pence said.

Trump became the first president in American history to address the March for Life in person on the National Mall. In our first year in office, the president took executive action to end the assault on the conscience rights of a group of nuns, known as the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The vice president then warned that if Biden were elected president, he would take America in the opposite direction and would curb the liberties of pro-life activists.

Make no mistake about it: Joe Biden would appoint activist judges to our courts who would legislate from the bench and trample, trample on our most cherished liberties, Pence continued.

Now more than ever, pro-life Americans need to let our voice be heard and stand for life.  This is no time to be silent. And make no mistake about it, the radical left wants to silence pro-life Americans.

As an example, Pence cited a recent incident in which members of Students for Life of America were arrested in Washington, D.C., for writing Black Preborn Lives Matter in chalk outside a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic.

I mean, the radical left celebrates those who defend abortion, but they would prosecute those who stand for life, he said. The choice could not be more clear.

I want to make you a promise: this president, this vice president, and this administration will always stand up for the freedom of speech of every American, and we will always stand for life.

Pences speech was part of a campaign by SBA List called Life Wins, which is aimed at informing voters about the differences between Trump and Biden on the abortion issue.

SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement last week that she was honored to have Pence supporting their efforts, calling him a lifelong champion of the unborn.

In contrast to the Trump administrations pro-life leadership, Joe Biden and extremist Democrats advocate abortion on demand through birth, paid for by taxpayers, stated Dannenfelser.

Their agenda is radically out of step with the majority of Americans who support common ground limits on abortion, including millions of rank-and-file Democrats and Independent voters.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Seating Company ("American Seating") is taking action after discovering that it became the target of a campaign that impacted two employee email accounts.

What Happened? On January 29, 2020 American Seating became aware of suspicious activity relating to certain American Seating employee email accounts. In response, American Seating worked with third party forensic specialists to investigate the nature and scope of the activity. American Seating determined that two American Seating email accounts were accessed without authorization. The period of unauthorized access varied for each account at issue. Every potentially accessible email and attachment within the impacted accounts was reviewed to determine what information may have been accessible to the unauthorized actor. On April 28, 2020 American Seating determined the total potentially affected population of this event. Since that time, American Seating worked to find contact information for impacted individuals to ensure those impacted individuals received notice of this event.

What Information Was Involved? The types of information contained within the potentially impacted emails varied by individual but included: an individual's name, Social Security number, Driver's license number financial account information, payment card information, medical information, email address and password/answer to security question, username and password/answer to security question, health insurance information, employer identification number, and/or tax identification number.

What is American Seating Doing in Response to this Incident? American Seating is committed to, and takes very seriously, its responsibility to protect all data in its possession. American Seating is continuously taking steps to enhance data security protections. As part of its incident response, we changed log-in credentials for all employee email accounts to prevent further unauthorized access. We also took further steps, including reviewing and updating our firewall policies, and implemented new industry standard antivirus protection.

In an abundance of caution, American Seating is offering 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring to potentially affected individuals so that they may take further steps to best protect their personal information, should they feel it is appropriate to do so. On August 7, 2020, American Seating also began mailing notice letters to individuals whose information was contained within the impacted accounts and for whom we had a postal address.

For More Information. American Seating established a dedicated assistance line for individuals seeking additional information regarding this incident. If you believe you were impacted by this incident, you can 1-888-812-1642 Monday through Friday 9AM to 7PM (Eastern).

What Individuals Can Do. Individuals may contact the dedicated assistance line, or visit American Seating's website at www.americanseating.com to learn more about steps they can take in response to this incident.

Monitor Your Accounts

American Seating encourages potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review your account statements, and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious activity. Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.

You have the right to place a "security freeze" on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:

Experian PO Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/freeze/center.html TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Woodlyn, PA 19106 1-800-909-8872 www.transunion.com/credit-freeze Equifax PO Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended "frau

d alert" on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below:

Experian P.O. Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/fraud/center.html TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19106 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resource/place-fraud-alert Equifax P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348 1-888-766-0008 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

Although we have no reason to believe that your personal information has been used to file fraudulent tax returns, you can contact the IRS at www.irs.gov/Individuals/Identity-Protection for helpful information and guidance on steps you can take to address a fraudulent tax return filed in your name and what to do if you become the victim of such fraud. You can also visit www.irs.gov/uac/Taxpayer-Guide-to-Identity-Theft for more information.

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov , 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For Maryland residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-528-8662; www.oag.state.md.us. American Seating is located at 401 American Seating Center, Grand Rapids, MI 49504.

For New Mexico residents: You have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violators. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf , or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For New York Residents: The Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; https://ag.ny.gov/.

For North Carolina residents: The Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; www.ncdoj.gov. You can obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft.

For Washington, D.C. residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at Office of the Attorney General, 441 4th Street NW, Suite 1100 South, Washington, D.C. 20001, 202-727-3400, and www.oag.dc.gov.

SOURCE American Seating Company
Baoshang Bank had 556 billion yuan of assets and 290 billion yuan of bad loans by the end of 2017.

Chinas troubled regional lender Baoshang Bank will file for bankruptcy and liquidate its remaining assets in a final step to clean up the mess that triggered a high-profile asset seizure by the state, the central bank said Thursday.

The equity of Baoshang Banks original shareholders and unprotected creditors rights will be liquidated in accordance with law, the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) said in its second-quarter monetary policy report. Authorities will hold accountable relevant people linked to the banks troubles, the central bank said.

Financial regulators took control of the Inner Mongolia-based lender in May 2019 in the first state bank seizure in 20 years, citing severe credit risk caused by massive misappropriation by the largest shareholder. Baoshang Bank was 89% owned by Tomorrow Holding, a sprawling private conglomerate controlled by fallen tycoon Xiao Jianhua.

Read more

Five Things to Know About the Dismantling of Xiao Jianhuas Tomorrow Holding

A bankruptcy filing for Baoshang Bank marks a rare development in Chinas banking sector, as authorities have long been reluctant to allow lenders to fail out of concerns over the social impact. Only two banks went bankrupt over the past few decades, the most recent one being Shantou Commercial Bank in 2001.

The central bank said the decision was made after the inspection of Baoshang Banks assets and liabilities found it was deep in insolvency when it was taken over.

Under a government-led restructuring, parts of Baoshang Banks assets, liabilities and businesses were taken over by newly formed Mengshang Bank and Hong Kong-listed Huishang Bank. State investors including a national deposit insurance fund managed by the central bank and the government of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region took part in the restructuring.

Such actions allowed 90% of big creditors debts to be repaid, the PBOC said Thursday. The central bank provided 23.5 billion yuan ($3.38 billion) of liquidity support through a standing lending facility since the state takeover, the central bank said.

Without the intervention of public funds, the average repayment rate for creditors would be less than 60%, the central bank said.

Baoshang Bank had about 4.73 million customers, including 4.67 million individuals and 63,600 corporate clients when it was taken over, according to the PBOC.

Caixin reported earlier that at the end of 2017, Baoshang Bank had 556 billion yuan of assets and 290 billion yuan of bad loans. The bank held a huge amount of risky investments in the interbank market. Through shadowy practices, the bank put together at least 150 billion yuan of funding to serve the controlling shareholders needs.

A number of officials have been probed in the Baoshang Bank crisis, including retired former local banking regulator Xue Jining and former Baotou banking regulatory chief Yu Lan.

The seizure and restructuring of Baoshang Bank was a crucial step for financial regulators to dismantle the risky assets of Tomorrow Holding, one of the highest-profile targets of Chinas crackdown on financial risks for its sprawling control of financial institutions and misuse of their funds.

Last month, Chinas top financial regulators assumed control of nine financial companies, including four insurers, two brokerages, two trust firms and one futures company. All of them were linked to Tomorrow Holding. Before that, Tomorrow Holding sold most of its stakes in financial institutions including Hong-Kong listed Hengtou Securities Co. Ltd., Guangdong-based brokerage Lianxun Securities Co. Ltd., and regional lenders Bank of Weifang Co. Ltd. and Bank of Taian Co. Ltd. Some of the stakes were sold to state-owned enterprises.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bobsimison@caixin.com)

Caixin Global has launched Caixin CEIC Mobile, the mobile-only version of its world-class macroeconomic data platform.

If youre using the Caixin app, please click here. If you havent downloaded the app, please click here.

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A man was shot and killed by police Thursday afternoon in Ventnor in Atlantic County, authorities said.

The shooting happened around 4:15 p.m. in the area of Wellington Avenue and West End, but no other details were released by the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office which was still investigating the incident late Thursday night.

The identity of the man who was shot as well as the name of the police officer who shot him and which department the officer worked for were not released.

The office said it was still trying to identify the man who was pronounced dead at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City.

The attorney generals office investigates all incidents where a person dies during an encounter with a police officer in the officers official capacity or while the victim is in custody.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
The Delhi government on Thursday sent a fresh proposal to lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal, seeking his permission to allow hotels, gymnasiums, and weekly markets to reopen in the national capital.

The fresh proposal sent by revenue minister Kailash Gahlot said such economic activities should be allowed to resume in Delhi since the Covid-19 situation had improved and the number of cases was coming down.

The L-G is aware that the situation in Delhi is fast improving and economic activities need to be opened up so that those people who have been suffering for the last four months due to imposition of the lockdown, can resume their jobs and business, albeit with restrictions, read the proposal sent to the L-G.

The new proposal was sent almost a week after the L-G rejected a similar suggestion of the Delhi government to open hotels and weekly markets. In Thursdays proposal, the government included its request to open gyms and yoga centres also.

Delhi on Thursday recorded 1,299 new cases of Covid-19, a sharp drop from the middle of June, when more than 2,000 new cases were being added regularly. Daily new cases hit a high of 3,947 on June 23.

Gahlot said the people of Delhi are conscious of the risk of Corona and cited examples of UP and Karnataka, which have allowed these services to resume despite a surge in Covid cases.

When the central government is allowing some sectors to be opened in those states, which have become hots pots of Corona, and at the same time Centre is stopping Delhi from opening these sectors, when Delhi, through its hard work and discipline, has been able to control Corona so well, then Delhiites are asking why are we being made to suffer? Why is our livelihood under attack?, Gahlot wrote.

The L-Gs office did not comment on the matter till this report was filed.

The minister wrote that hotels contributed to 8% of the states GDP, while weekly markets provide employment to 5 lakh poor families.

He wrote, Since the time the L-G rejected our recommendation (to open up these sectors) last week, there has been a huge public uproar. The entire Delhi now wants to work towards economic recovery. Delhi should not be stopped. Delhi showed the way to the country to tackle Corona. Delhi will now show the way for economic recovery also.

Therefore, I would urge that considering the improved Corona situation and the sentiments of Delhiites, we should open up these sectors. It has been a week now when our recommendation was rejected by the LG. We may now urge the L-G to reconsider his decision. MHA has also permitted the opening of yoga centres and gyms in its latest guidelines. These activities should be permitted in Delhi. However, the SOPs issued by the Government of India should be followed, Gahlot wrote.

On July 30, Delhi had decided to allow hotels, hospitality services, street hawkers to operate and do away with the night curfew hours between 10pm and 5am under the Centres Unlock 3 plan. The government intended to allow weekly bazaars to operate for a week on a trial basis to check if social distancing norms are adhered to.

A day later, Baijal rejected the decision,saying the Covid-19 situation continued to be fragile in Delhi and the threat is still far from over.

Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah, urging him to allow hotels and weekly markets to reopen and issue directions to the L-G.
Continuing with its aggressive efforts to expand its footprint around the country, Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) has opened its latest dealership in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur.

The latest IPC dealership, which is the third dealership that adopts the Isuzu Outlet Standardization (IOS) design in the country, is located at Barangay Tiguma, one of the fastest-growing commercial and agricultural locations in the area.

During the ceremonies held online for the motoring media, executives from both IPC and North-Min Automotive Dealership Inc (NMADI) explained that the latest showroom will be a satellite dealership for Butuan.

Isuzu Pagadian has a total floor space of 3,871 square meters that can fit four vehicles inside its showroom, service bays that can accommodate five light commercial vehicles and two commercial vehicles, a wash bay and wheel alignment facility, and five slots for body repair and paint works.

isuzu pagadian

The standardization of dealerships for the Japanese truckmaker is targeted to bolster the overall customer experience with the form and functionality of the IOS design that also expresses Isuzus new brand identity and its long-standing reputation for durable and reliable products.

IPC President Hajime Koso, in his opening remarks, expressed pride over the latest dealership inauguration.

The addition of a new Isuzu dealership in our rapidly expanding network is a strong testament to the growing preference for the Isuzu brand as we continue to widen our reach to our customers in Region 9. This is another major milestone that we share with our new dealer partner North-Min Automotive Dealership Inc, and we look forward to serving our customers in this area with the Isuzu Pagadian, Koso said.

isuzu pagadian

For his part, Isuzu Pagadian General Manager George Ongchua said that Isuzu is a renowned automotive brand in Mindanao.

Isuzu trucks and light commercial vehicles have proven time and again that they are perfectly suited to the varying and challenging terrains and road conditions of Mindanao. With the establishment of Isuzu Pagadian that is of world-class standards, we are very confident that the good reputation of the Isuzu brand in the region will be extended to its dealership services. Pagadian is one of the most industrialized and business-savvy cities in Mindanao, and were very optimistic that people and businesses in this side of the Zamboanga Peninsula will come to us to provide them with Isuzu products and services, he added.

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Ongchua told CARMUDI:

Economy is really improving and we are getting a number of sales. This [dealership opening] will be able to fill in the gap on the need of vehicles, especially Light Commercial Vehicles. With this, people would be able to go to one place, Ongchua said, highlighting that the Isuzu has a strong following in the area.

No other brand has invested so much in these areas, he added.

Boasting more than two decades in the country, IPC is geared towards strengthening its market leadership in trucks and LCVs in the country, particularly in the Philippines fastest-growing regions.

The existing Isuzu dealership of Southern Motors of Davao Inc. (SMDI)located along MacArthur Highway in Matina in Davao Cityhas started renovation works last month, which will soon sport the latest Isuzu design theme. The said showroom is eyed to be completed come May next year.

Photo/s from Isuzu Philippines Corporation

Also read:

Isuzu La Union to open mid 2020

Isuzu PH, Dealers Bring More Vehicles for Frontliners, Deliver Goods

Isuzu PH Breaks Ground for New Subic Dealership
China's exports rose at the fastest pace in seven months in July, while imports declined, painting a mixed picture for the economy as it recovers from its pandemic-induced slump. Exports in July increased 7.2% from a year earlier, the fastest pace since December last year, customs data showed on Friday, confounding analysts' expectations for a 0.2% drop and quickening from a 0.5% increase in June.

Imports, on the other hand, swung back into contraction, missing market expectations for a 1.0% increase. They had bucked the trend in the previous month. The country's trade surplus for July stood at $62.33 billion, compared with an expected $42 billion surplus forecast in the poll and a surplus of $46.42 billion in June.

"The data is in line with our forecast for exports to recover more decisively in H2 alongside the global economy," said Louis Kuijs, head of Asia economics research at Oxford Economics, in a note after the data release. "However, the road ahead may be bumpy as new export orders remain weak and the recovery path will be uneven across economies."

China's economy is gradually emerging from a record contraction in the first quarter but there are doubts if the momentum can be sustained as rising coronavirus cases worldwide weigh on demand. Chinese consumption is also subdued amid job losses and concerns about a resurgence in infections.

The country's export performance, boosted by record shipments of medical supplies and robust demand for electronic products, has not been as severely affected by the global slowdown as some analysts had feared. Imports of industrial raw materials remained robust, with record imports of iron ore and copper, along with a sharp jump in crude oil.

A point of pressure on the trade front however has been rocky U.S.-China relations, with tensions expected to escalate ahead of the United State's presidential election. The country's trade surplus with the United States widened to $32.46 billion in July from $29.41 billion in June.

Senior U.S. and Chinese officials are set to review the implementation of the Phase 1 trade deal and likely air mutual grievances during a video conference on Aug. 15.

Also read: China's trade surplus with US at $32.46 billion in July
These are times when education and learning are undergoing a paradigm shift. One of the basic tenets being challenged is who should be at the centre of learning? Or who should own the learning process? It used to be teachers for time immemorial  be it the Western formats or the Oriental and Indian way of education.

The guru was completely in-charge of the learning process. The guru decided the pace, subjects, assignments, sometimes even the duration of the learning period. This philosophy is rooted in the principle that the guru, as the custodian of learning, would know what works best.

Today, we have a lot more learners than ever in the history of mankind. Also, the number of subjects and complexity has increased multi-fold. It is impossible for the guru to have the kind of comprehension that was once possible. So, the onus of learning is shifting from the teacher to the learner. This is particularly pronounced in higher education  tertiary levels.

We are already talking about learner-centric models for universities. Some other developments have also enabled this. First, the content is available everywhere (not just inside the universities/colleges). The advent of digital storage and the internet has created a fundamental shift in the knowledge repository and access. Second, the requirement (for learning) is changing so rapidly.

For example, if I am learning about alternate energy, in the four years, things have changed so dramatically  that the original curriculum has become obsolete. The third is the attitude and approach of the current generation. They dont want to put education and work in two different compartments  maybe that is the order of the day.

Hence in my view, universities have no choice but to be flexible. I think it is feasible and we are seeing this happening in some globally reputed universities already. Can the learner have the choice to start and stop learning?

Lets explore how this can be made a reality. First, the learning process needs to be broken into logical phases. Each phase should have an entry criterion - some basic proficiency and an accepted benchmark achieved by the learner  and an exit criterion  an assessment that certified the proficiency level of the learner.

This is more at the undergraduate level, where the building blocks of higher learning are achieved. It could be in any discipline  which is taken up as the major or primary learning objective. It should be complemented with secondary learning objectives  which can be provided as minors. For example, if automobile engineering is the major and has a phase-wise learning structure, the learner could choose microprocessors and computing or multi-modal transport in modern cities as minor or could choose to have a complementary subject like creative writing or classical dance.

These majors and minors can be paired by the phases and choices provided for the student to choose them phase-wise. After phase-1, students can have a choice to move to phase-2  provided they have cleared the required threshold in phase-1. I am not deliberately mentioning a time period for the phase. It need not always be annual.

Continuing this example, if the same student were to continue phase-2 later, then the credentials of phase-2 need to be valid. For example, if he/she chooses a different minor, it could be phase-II for the major, but phase-I for the new minor chosen.

With respect to the recognition, universities should have the flexibility to decide on that would constitute a certificate, a diploma, an advanced diploma, a graduate degree, an advanced graduate degree, post-graduate degree etc. As a part of this process, the universities need to introduce credit banks for its students.

In future, once the students get assessed, they can choose to bank the credits they had obtained from their learning into their account with the universitys credit bank. There should be interoperability of these credits across the various credit banks of universities. This is crucial to give learners flexibility across universities. Ideally, this should be universal  very similar to the equivalence that is in practice across nations today.

Technology is going to play a crucial role in making this flexibility feasible. In fact, the whole proposition of multiple entry and exit is possible because of digitisation and technology-led management of student affairs. Apart from the management angle, online formats also bring in a lot of options for students. Universities should also consider flexibility in also accommodating courses floated by other universities/standalone bodiesto increase the repertoire of courses offered.

Overall, multiple entry and exit under the National Education Policy 2020 will give the much-needed freedom and flexibility for the learner. This will also take university education beyond the physical boundaries of the campus and bring about perpetual enrollment-which will facilitate life-long learning. Hence universities should grab this golden opportunity where the regulator is creating an enabling environment.

They should work on the statutes, processes to build a flexible learning curriculum and programme. Very important is for universities to work with their teaching and non-teaching staff in terms of new capabilities that are required to manage the flexible environment.

I believe the notion of completing ones education is increasingly becoming an old theory. One will just take a pause in their education journey. Why dont we give the learner the choice of when to take that pause and when to resume?
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Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 18:07 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c613ec 1 Business staycation,domestic-tourists,pandemic,reopening Free

Staycations are expected to see a surge in popularity, following the reopening of some tourist destinations in Indonesia, a research and consultancy firm has stated.

Inventure predicted that with the current travel restrictions in place, local travelers would be the segment that boosts the Indonesian tourism sector.

This creates a demand for the hotels that offer amenities for staycations such as restaurants and swimming pools, Inventure business analyst Amanda Rachmaniar said during a webinar on July 30. It also creates demand for trips that are accessible by car.

According to Google Trends, searches for staycation in Indonesia have been rising since several places began easing their large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in June.

The average search popularity for the keyword in June and July has exceeded Decembers average, signaling a higher interest for local vacations compared to year-end holiday trips.

The pandemic has depressed both the aviation and tourist industries, as people have stayed at home amid the PSBB.

The tourism sector is estimated to have lost Rp 85 trillion (US$5.87 billion) in revenue so far this year, according to Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) data. Meanwhile, foreign tourist arrivals to Indonesia plummeted 59.96 percent to 3.09 million in the first half of the year, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) reported.

The PHRI stated that domestic tourists had made up 96 percent of total visitors since the pandemic began, making it a potential key market for the tourist industry.

People are still avoiding international travel because of the danger of COVID-19 infection, so they opt for local destinations, which in turn can help awaken the tourism sector, Amanda said.

The government recently allowed some tourist destinations to reopen to visitors in its effort to curb further losses in the industry.

The Yogyakarta city administration opened some of its tourist sites, such as the Yogyakarta Palace, Malioboro and Sonobudoyo Museum, but only to local residents. Tourists from outside the region have been advised to plan their visits for August barring any further outbreaks.

Bali welcomed an estimated 4,000 domestic tourists on July 31, when tourism there first reopened. A representative of the Airport Authority Office Area IV, Puguh Lukito, said Ngurah Rai International Airport served 28 takeoffs and 28 landings on the day.

It is planning to open its borders to international tourists on Sept. 11.

Amanda explained that people were also seeking outdoor destinations as they wanted to escape their cabin fever.

For social distancing reasons, she said that people also preferred micro tourism, which refers to traveling alone or with a small group of people, as well as traveling for a shorter period.

Online travel agency PegiPegi.com has reported a continuous upward demand for hotel bookings since the Idul Fitri holiday in June.

Peoples demand for staycations is also growing, one reason being that they are driven by the relaxation of the PSBB and the opening of several shopping malls, restaurants and tourist destinations, the companys corporate communications manager, Busyra Oryza, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

PegiPegi.com has been routinely promoting flash sales to attract more travelers, in addition to adding a search filter for clean and safe stay to promote lodging that adheres to health and safety measures.

Inventure managing partner Yuswohady said on July 30 that recovery in the travel and hospitality sectors would take a long time despite higher interest for local tourism.

I think people are still worried because ever since the social distancing relaxations, new COVID-19 clusters have come from crowded places such as wet markets and offices, he said. That is why some people are still reluctant to travel locally.
YEREVAN, 7 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 7 august, USD exchange rate down by 0.18 drams to 485.00 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.20 drams to 573.17 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.04 drams to 6.58 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 4.31 drams to 634.96 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 284.42 drams to 32233.3 drams. Silver price up by 14.50 drams to 434.81 drams. Platinum price up by 165.94 drams to 15218.88 drams.
A bridesmaid of Princess Diana has divulged that she socialized with Jeffrey Epstein including at his infamous private island. She said that she was lucky that she was not molested by the convicted pedophile who committed suicide behind bars.

According to Clementine "Clemmie" Hambroshe, in 1999, she flew on Epstein's private jet twice after visits to his ranch at New Mexico and Little St. James in the United States Virgin Islands.

Prince Andrew was also one among numerous of Jeffrey Epstein's powerful connections.

British writer Hambro was a bridesmaid at Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales' wedding ceremony held in 1981, reported "Tatler."

Epstein allegedly abused young women and girls but Hambro said that she was not privy to such misbehavior.

Her purpose at the time was a work trip with a female colleague. "I visited Epstein's new house in Santa Fe and discussed the artworks he was going to buy," according to Hambro, indicated BCSCT.

Hambro, who is a great-granddaughter of Winston Churchill, stated that she was distressed by such revelations regarding the financier's treatment. She continued that she hopes the victims of rape and molestation "will get the justice they so richly deserve," reported The Canadian.

When Hambro was a 23-year-old employee at Christie's Auction House, she stated, "The first flight was a work trip with female colleagues to look at Epstein's new home in Santa Fe to discuss what art he was going to buy."

Also Read: Ghislaine Maxwell's Attorneys Ask Judge to Stop Accusers From Posting Evidence Online

"The second trip, to Little St. James, was a personal invitation, which I thought would be fun to accept, but I didn't know anyone there, didn't really enjoy myself, and never went back. My heart breaks for all the survivors, now I know what happened on that island," she added.

Clemmie Hambro was Princess Diana's youngest bridesmaid at the latter's wedding ceremony.

Flight logs display that Hambro flew on Epstein's jet following her visit to his New Mexico ranch and his Little St James Island, known to locals as "Pedo Island." The logs were indicated in a batch of unsealed court documents in Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre's defamation case against Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

On Feb. 21, 1999, the logs display that Hambro flew with Epstein, Maxwell, and two other women from Santa Fe where Epstein had his "Zorro Ranch" and to New Jersey's Teterboro Airport.

Until eight years later, Epstein was not convicted of sexual offenses.

Hambro is the most recent name in a series of Epstein's former associates revealed by travel logs, including an aristocrat, the Countess of Iveagh (then Clare Hazell), and an alleged former girlfriend, Shelley Lewis. No suggestion has been indicated that either woman was involved in any misconduct.

Princess Diana's bridesmaid is also the daughter of British banker Richard Hambro. She was only five years old when she participated in the wedding ceremony.

Related Article: Ghislaine Maxwell Case Evidences Includes X-Rated Photographs and Videos of Underage Girls

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A Finance Ministry notification has officially designated former Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Girish Chandra Murmu, as India's new Comptroller and Auditor General; to take oath for the constitutional post on Saturday, replacing CAG Rajiv Mehrishi.

A day after he stepped down as Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Girish Chandra Murmu was on Thursday appointed as Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) of India.

A Finance Ministry notification on Thursday said that Murmu has been appointed CAG by the President from the date he assumes charge of his office.

He will take oath on Saturday.

Murmu replaces Rajiv Mehrishi who is scheduled to complete his term this week. A Rashtrapati Bhawan communique said earlier in the day that President Ram Nath Kovind has accepted the resignation of Murmu as Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

Also read: Delhi minor rape case: Arvind Kejriwal visits victim at AIIMS, announces Rs 10 lakh aid to family

Also read: India slams Pak for its criticism of Ram Temple construction

Murmu was appointed as the first Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir after it was made a union territory last year.

Also read: J&K Guv GC Murmu resigns 9 months after assuming charge, Manoj Sinha to take over
Ebonyi state governor, Chief David Umahi has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to increase the funding and logistics of the service Chiefs rather than sacking them as proposed by the National Assembly.

Governor Umahi made the call during the ground breaking ceremony of the Nigerian Army reference hospital in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state.

He maintained that the service Chiefs need cooperation and information to operate, adding that even when they take decision, it is from the inputs of the officers.

The Governor urged the President to increase the programme that will bring information to the service Chiefs and also increase the frequency of meeting with them and tell the civil society to support them.

He noted that it is a very crucial time for Nigeria as a nation, stressing that what the country needs is love, unity and to see the nation as one indivisible entity.

Governor Umahi commended President Buhari and the chief of army staff for finding Ebonyi state fit to host the medical centre and expressed optimism that the hospital will meet the needs of army personnel and the host community.

He announced that his government has built a medical college in the southern part of the state which he said was configured to be run by expatriates from all over the world.

" I want to disagree with the National Assembly members, in my own view, about the sack of service Chiefs.

"That is not what we need at this crucial time of our challenges. What we need is cooperation with the security agencies.

"So, I will support Mr President to retain the service Chiefs. What we need to do for the security agencies is to increase their logistics. We should increase the funding of the Armed Forces. We should increase funding on programmes that will enhance information gathering to the security agencies.
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Luca Annunziata, Executive Chef of forchetta, participated in, and won an episode of Food Networks Chopped which aired on June 30, 2020 at 9:00pm. Chopped is a Reality Television Chefs Competition. In this show, four chefs compete against each other in creating a three-course meal including one appetizer, one entree and one dessert. Chefs must only use ingredients that the show provides, no matter how out of the box they may be. After each course is completed, chefs are judged on their work and one is cut from the competition.



Chef Luca began his unique culinary career under his mothers guidance in Naples, Italy, where he developed a deep love for the art of cooking. His passion led him to travel around the world and granted him over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Chef Luca completed his culinary training in San Moritz, Switzerland at the prestigious Suvretta House St. Moritz, a Five-Star World Class establishment. He then lived and worked in various countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France. He eventually moved to New York, where he had the pleasure of working at the Hearst Corporation with Good Housekeeping Magazine.

Prior to moving to Charlotte, Chef Luca worked at Don Alfonso 1890 Boutique Hotela two-star Michelin Relais Chateaux restaurant in SantAgata Italyconsidered one of the finest in the world. Once grounded in Charlotte, Chef Luca and his wife, Jessica, owned and operated Passion8 for 12 years, starting in a small space in Fort Mill and eventually moving to Elizabeth Avenue. After closing Passion8, they opened Lucas Modern Italian Kitchen on Elizabeth Avenue. After taking some time to focus on family, Chef Luca joined the team as Executive Chef at Caffe Siena, an award-winning, casual fine-dining establishment in Uptown Charlotte, where he has worked for the past year while crafting his vision for forchetta. Caffe Siena underwent a full renovation and rebranded as forchetta in July 2019.

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Chef Luca has been the recipient of many awards including his most esteemed, the Zagat Platinum Award for Excellence as well as Passion8s Top 25 Best Restaurants in Charlotte from Charlotte Magazine. His Polpettine di Agnello and Fagottini won Taste of Charlotte Awards for Caffe Siena and forchetta in 2018 and 2019, respectively. He is also a founding member of Piedmont Culinary Guild, a certified 501c3 organization on a mission to strengthen the culinary community in North Carolinas Piedmont Region and beyond.

Of his time on Food Networks Chopped, Chef Luca says, Competing on Chopped was such a rewarding opportunity. I am proud to represent the Queen City while honoring my parents and Italian heritage. Most importantly being able to share this experience with my wife, Jessica and son, Julian Luca is something I'll never forget. Rewatching my episode has only made me more excited for the day when we can reopen forchetta's doors. In the meantime, our team is busy preparing your curbside to-go orders."

To learn more about Chef Luca, or to order your curbside food with forchetta, please call 704.602.2750 or visit www.forchettacharlotte.com .

About forchetta

forchetta (forket.ta) is an Italian Kitchen with exquisite, handcrafted pasta dishes. The newly renovated space features a private dining room, remodeled dining and bar areas and a luxurious wine display. The restaurant boasts a sophisticated, modern atmosphere, with all-day dining options, an extensive wine list and daily specials to match. Complimentary self-parking is offered to those dining in the establishment.

Contact: Candice Kochenour

Tel: (610)805-9086

Email: candice@wwhospitality.com




As the former Soviet republic of Belarus heads into presidential elections on Sunday, many of the country's opposition politicians have rallied around an unlikely candidate to challenge the incumbent ruler Alexander Lukashenko.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, 37, has been thrust into the spotlight after taking up the presidential campaign of her husband Siarhei Tsikhanousky, a popular blogger who was arrested in late May in what critics say was a politically motivated detention.

Sviatlana has no political experience and has said that if she wins, she will rule for just six months so that voters can choose what she called a "real politician" to take over from her as president.

Her husband had been a vocal opponent of President Lukashenko, who has led Belarus for 26 years, and now seeks a sixth presidential term.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the country's capital Minsk last month in support of Tsikhanouskaya for what was described as the largest rally in Belarus' history since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Political analysts say the once-popular Lukashenko is seemingly losing his grip on the country and has in recent weeks has taken to strongman displays with military units and riot police.

Over the summer, there has been a growing wave of dissatisfaction with his regime, which has faced widespread criticism for a stunted economy, a dismissive attitude to the coronavirus pandemic and widespread human rights abuses.

Valery Tsepkalo, an opposition candidate who was not allowed on the presidential ballot, says he was forced to flee to Russia with his two children after large crowds of supporters gathered at his rallies.

"There were two different signals from two different sources that they (the Belarus authorities) were planning to arrest me," Tspekalo told the AP in Moscow.

Viktor Babariko, another popular candidate who was barred from the elections, told AP that he believes an opposition candidate has a chance against the sitting president.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya may be that candidate. She is riding a wave of popular support that has seen people flock to her rallies throughout the country and is promising that new elections will take place to help the country recover after she is elected.

"They are voting for a symbol of change. Tikhanovskaya is a symbol of changes," she added.

Alexander Klaskovsky, an independent political analyst based in Minsk, says that a combination of economic factors, political missteps and weariness with Lukashenko are contributing to her success.

"People are psychologically tired that the same exact person has been speaking from the television screen for 26 years, speaking in a monologue whose leitmotif is appealing to fear," he said.

"In this respect, the society has outgrown its authoritarian leader," he added.

Lukashenko, however, has made clear that he will not be pushed out of power easily.

He has lashed out at Tsikhanouskaya and her top campaign aides Veronika Tsepkalo and Maria Kolesnikova, referring to them dismissively as "these three poor girls".

Tsepkalo and Kolesnikova joined Tsikhanouskaya's team after the two opposition candidates they were backing - Valery Tsepkalo and Viktor Babariko - were barred from standing.
While there will likely be an unprecedented increase in election mail volume due to the pandemic, the Postal Service has ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on time in accordance with our delivery standards, and we will do so, DeJoy said. However ... we cannot correct the errors of (state and local) election boards if they fail to deploy processes that take our normal processing and delivery standards into account.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 10:44:00|Editor: huaxia

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Children hold candles during an event held to show solidarity with the Lebanese people in Gaza City, on Aug. 6, 2020. Palestinians expressed their solidarity with Lebanon after massive explosions rocked Beirut on Tuesday. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he finishes speaking during an event at the Whirlpool Corporation facility in Clyde, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping but vague ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of popular social media apps TikTok and WeChat on security grounds, a move China's government criticized as "political manipulation."

The twin executive orders Thursdayone for each appadd to growing U.S.-Chinese conflict over technology and security. They take effect in 45 days and could bar the apps from the Apple and Google app stores, effectively removing them from U.S. distribution.

China's foreign ministry said it opposed the move but gave no indication whether Beijing might retaliate.

Earlier, Trump threatened a deadline of Sept. 15 to "close down" TikTok in the United States unless Microsoft Corp. or another company acquires it.

TikTok, owned by Beijing-headquartered ByteDance Ltd., is popular for its short, catchy videos. The company says it has 100 million users in the United States and hundreds of millions worldwide.

The Trump administration has expressed concern Chinese social media services could provide American users' personal information to Chinese authorities, though it has given no evidence TikTok did that.

Instead, officials point to the Communist Party's ability to compel cooperation from Chinese companies. U.S. regulators cited similar security concerns last year when the Chinese owner of Grindr was ordered to sell the dating app.

A man wearing a mask looks at this phone outside the Microsoft office in Beijing, China on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. Earlier in the week, Trump threatened a deadline of Sept. 15 to "close down" TikTok unless Microsoft or another company acquires it, a threat the new executive order appears to formalize. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In a statement, TikTok expressed shock at the order and complained it violates U.S. law. The company said it doesn't store American user data in China and never has given it to Beijing or censored content at the government's request.

TikTok said it spent nearly a year trying to reach a "constructive solution" but the Trump administration "paid no attention to facts" and tried improperly to insert itself into business negotiations. TikTok said it would "pursue all remedies" available to ensure the company and its users are "are treated fairly."

Tencent and Microsoft declined to comment.

On Friday, shares of WeChat's owner, Tencent Holding Ltd., declined 5% in trading in Hong Kong. Tencent, Asia's most valuable tech company with a market capitalization of $650 million, makes most of its money from online games and entertainment in China.

A man walks outside the ByteDance headquarters in Beijing, China, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an expansion of the U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology to include barring Chinese apps from U.S. app stores, citing alleged security threats and calling out TikTok and WeChat by name.

The Chinese foreign ministry accused Washington of "political manipulation" and said the moves will hurt American companies and consumers.

"The United States is using national security as an excuse, frequently abuses national power and unreasonably suppresses companies of other countries," said a ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. "This is an outright hegemonic act. China is firmly opposed to it."

Wang, who didn't mention TikTok or any other company by name, called on the Trump administration to "correct its wrongdoing" but gave no indication how Beijing might respond.

A man wearing a mask walks past the Microsoft office in Beijing, China on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. Earlier in the week, Trump threatened a deadline of Sept. 15 to "close down" TikTok unless Microsoft or another company acquires it, a threat the new executive order appears to formalize. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Trump's orders say the Chinese-owned apps "threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States." They cite the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act and call on the Commerce secretary to define the banned dealings by Sept. 15.

WeChat, known in Chinese as Weixin, is a hugely popular messaging app that links to finance and other services. It has more than 1 billion users. Around the world, many people of Chinese descent use WeChat to stay in touch with friends and family and to conduct business in mainland China.

Within China, WeChat is censored and expected to adhere to content restrictions set by authorities. The Citizen Lab internet watchdog group in Toronto says WeChat monitors files and images shared abroad to aid its censorship in China.

Women wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus chat as they pass by the ByteDance headquarters in Beijing, China on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Tencent also owns stakes in major game companies such as Epic Games, publisher of Fortnite, a major video game hit, and Riot Games, which is behind League of Legends.

The Trump administration already was embroiled in a tariff war with Beijing over its technology ambitions. Washington has blocked acquisitions of some U.S. assets by Chinese buyers and has cut off most access to American components and other technology for Huawei Technologies Ltd., a maker of smartphones and network equipment that is China's first global tech brand.

China-backed hackers have been blamed for breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax.

In China, the Communist Party limits what foreign tech companies can do and blocks access to the Google search engine, Facebook, Twitter and other social media, along with thousands of websites operated by news organizations and human rights, pro-democracy and other activist groups.

A man rides past the Tencent headquarters in Beijing, China on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. WeChat is owned by Chinese company Tencent. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In this Oct. 25, 2018, photo, attendees visit a display for Chinese technology firm ByteDance, makers of the video-sharing app TikTok, at an expo in Hangzhou in eastern China's Zhejiang Province. U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. (Chinatopix via AP)

A man walks past the Tencent headquarters in Beijing, China on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. WeChat is owned by Chinese company Tencent. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Residents on a trike motorcycle by the Tencent headquarters in Beijing, China on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. WeChat is owned by Chinese company Tencent. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The ruling party has used the entirely state-controlled press to encourage public anger at Trump's actions.

"I don't want to use American products any more," said Sun Fanyu, an insurance salesperson in Beijing. "I will support domestic substitute products."

Leading mobile security experts say TikTok is no more intrusive in its harvesting of user data and monitoring of user activity than U.S. apps owned by Facebook and Google.

"The U.S. thinking is that anything that is Chinese is suspect," said Andy Mok, a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. "They're being targeted not because of what they've done, but who they are."

The order doesn't seem to ban Americans from using TikTok, which would be nearly impossible to enforce, said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame.

"This is a pretty broad and pretty quick expansion of the technology Cold War between the U.S. and China," said Steven Weber, faculty director for the Berkeley Center for Long Term Cybersecurity.

Explore further US Senate votes to ban TikTok on government phones

 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Lebanon's president has rejected any international probe into the catastrophic Beirut port blast, saying a missile or negligence could have been responsible as rescuers desperately combed the rubble for survivors.

The entrenched ruling class has come under fire once again since Tuesday's explosion, which killed at least 154 people and devastated swathes of the capital.

The revelation that a huge shipment of hazardous ammonium nitrate had languished for years in a warehouse in the heart of the capital served as shocking proof to many Lebanese of the rot at the core of their political system.

Even Lebanese President Michel Aoun admitted Friday that the "paralysed" system needed to be "reconsidered".

He pledged "swift justice", but rejected widespread calls for an international probe, telling a reporter he saw it as an attempt to "dilute the truth".

"There are two possible scenarios for what happened: it was either negligence or foreign interference through a missile or bomb," he said, the first time a top Lebanese official raised the possibility that the port had been attacked.

What ignited the massive shipment of the chemical remains unclear -- officials have said work had recently begun on repairs to the warehouse, while others suspected fireworks stored either in the same place or nearby.

Near the site of the explosion, by the carcass of the port's giant grain silos, rescue teams from France, Russia, Germany, Italy and other countries coordinated their search efforts.

The World Food Programme has promised food for affected families and wheat imports to replace lost stocks from the silos, and US President Donald Trump said he would join other leaders in a conference call Sunday to discuss coordinating international aid.

Four bodies were uncovered near the port's control room Friday, where a significant number of people were expected to have been working at the time of the blast.

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No one has been found alive.

"I am waiting to hear that you have been rescued alive, my dear," tweeted Emilie Hasrouty, whose brother is among the missing.

"I am paralysed with fear."

- 100,000 children homeless -

At the port, reduced to an enormous scrapyard, excavators removed mangled shipping containers to clear a path for rescuers.

Civil defence teams anxiously watched a sniffer dog pace around a gap under a fallen crane.

Beirut has received a stream of international assistance since the blast.

On Friday, relief flights from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates landed in Lebanon, following others from France, Kuwait, Qatar and Russia.

International police agency Interpol has said it will send a team of experts who are specialised in identifying victims.

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, called for $15 million to cover immediate health needs.

Lebanon's hospitals, already strained by rising coronavirus cases and a severe economic crisis, were heavily damaged by the blast and overwhelmed by casualties.

Two days after the explosion, Lebanese were flocking to a 20-tent Russian field hospital newly established in the capital's largest sports stadium.

The United Nations said up to 100,000 children are among the 300,000 people made homeless, including many who have been separated from their families.

- 'We have nothing' -

With destruction from the blast engulfing half of the capital and estimated to cost more than $3 billion, world leaders, advocacy groups and Lebanese have demanded an international probe to ensure impartiality.

But Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement said Friday the army should lead such a probe because it was "trusted" by all.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah denied accusations the Shiite party had been storing arms at the port, saying: "We have nothing in the port."

Lebanon's probe has so far led to 21 arrests, including the port's general manager Hassan Koraytem, other customs officials and port engineers, a judicial source told AFP.

Dozens more were being interrogated by Lebanon's military court, which is focusing on administrative and security officials at the port as well as government authorities who may have ignored warnings about explosive materials.

"The list of arrests will reach the top guys, who are now among the suspects," the source said.

Lebanon's central bank also ordered asset freezes for seven port and customs officials, an official and a banking source told AFP.

The measures did not dampen the anger in Beirut's streets, where dozens of demonstrators scuffled with security forces firing tear gas late Thursday.

And volunteers clearing debris have chased out two government ministers who tried to visit devastated neighbourhoods with furious chants of "resign".

An anti-government protest is planned for Saturday afternoon under the slogan, "Hang them by the gallows".

bur-ho/mjg-tgg/hkb/sw/rma/amj
A lawyer has been accused of bringing her profession into disrepute after claiming PC Andrew Harper's family did get justice for his death and they must accept a manslaughter verdict.

Sophie Khan, a solicitor and director of Police Action Centre which provides advice to those with grievances against the police, tweeted that it was wrong to suggest Andrew Harper's family had not received justice.

Her comments sparked a fierce backlash on social media with hundreds of people criticising her views.

Solicitor Sophie Khan caused outrage after suggesting PC Andrew Harper's family were wrong to claim they had faced injustice after his killers were jailed for manslaughter 16 and 13-year sentences. PC Harper's mother has previously said the family feel justice has not been done

The row has erupted days after PC Harper's family have launched a campaign for 'Andrew's Law' calling for full-life prison terms for those who kill emergency workers.

The 28-year-old Thames Valley Police officer died as he tried to stop three thieves fleeing after they stole a quad bike in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, on August 15 last year.

PC Harper was caught in a crane strap dangling from the back of a Seat Toledo driven by Long, and dragged to his death.

The police constable's mother, Debbie Adlam, also called for tougher sentences, and said that 'something needs to change' after those responsible for her son's death were handed 16-year and 13-year sentences at the Old Bailey on July 31.

Henry Long, 19, and 18-year-olds Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers were sentenced for the newlywed's manslaughter but cleared of murder.

The Attorney General's Office said on Tuesday it had been asked to review the sentences given to the killers after claims they were too lenient.

PC Harper died as he tried to stop three thieves fleeing after they stole a quad bike in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire. Since his killers were jailed there has been mounting anger that the sentences were not longer after they were cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter

PC Andrew Harper's mother Deborah Adlam has spoken out and said the family feels they have not received justice for Andrew's death. She has launched a campaign to change the law

Starting her own campaign on Wednesday, also called 'Andrew's Law', Mrs Adlam said: 'We got to the end of our trial and we didn't feel like justice had been done, we felt like we had been punched.

'To get the sentence come down to the amount that it did, we didn't walk away feeling that we had done Andrew proud.'

But yesterday, Sophie Khan said it was wrong to suggest the sentences were unfair.

She tweeted: 'It is wrong of PC Andrew Harper's family to say they have faced injustice.

'The boys have been tried and have received severe sentences for manslaughter.'

When accused of being unprofessional, she added: 'It's a matter of fact that PC Harper's family have seen justice.

'They must accept the jury verdict that he was not murdered. It is the family of Frank Ogboru, and others who die in police custody/restraint who will never see justice for their loved ones killing.'

TV presenter Rav Wilding was among those who called her out on her views, stating: 'Your job as a member of the Law Society is not to tell the families of the deceived [sic] how to feel. Incredibly unprofessional of you to do so on a public platform.'

He later added that Ms Khan was bringing her profession 'into disrepute' to which Ms Khan replied: 'Whether in my professional or personal capacity I can say that PC Harper's family are wrong to say they have faced injustice, when there has been no injustice.

'The injustice is faced by those whose loved ones died at the hands of the police. Real, and long lasting injustice.'

Other Twitter users also accused Ms Khan of being 'unprofessional' with one stating: 'Until you have experienced any of the feelings that PC Harper's family are currently going through you have NO RIGHT to comment on what is or isn't acceptable to that family.

'As far as they're concerned it was not the justice the men (not boys !!) deserved.'

Surrey County Councillor Jeff Harris added: 'Dont make it personal...You bring your profession into disrepute.

'If a family feel they have suffered injustice, its their belief...not yours, that counts...Thank you.'

Another Twitter user said: 'I cannot believe what Ive just read! How can you say theyve received severe sentences?!

'Our courts have let PC Harpers family down and these young men are laughing their faces off knowing theyll be out in no time.'

Ms Khan made headlines in January when she accused PC Stuart Outten of 'excessive force' and said the criminal who attacked him had acted in 'self-defence'.

PC Stuart Outten was attacked by machete-wielding Muhammad Rodwan, 56, after the officer stopped his white van because it was not insured.

The 29-year-old victim, later dubbed Britain's bravest policeman, survived the onslaught last August only by firing his Taser twice at the homeless driver.

Ms Khan wrote on Twitter she was surprised the Metropolitan Police 'haven't started disciplinary action against PC Outten for assault and battery on Muhammad Rodwan'.
CAMBRIDGE  A Cambridge man faces charges after a cyclist was seriously hurt in a collision earlier this week.

Waterloo Regional Police say a 19-year-old Cambridge man has been charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

A man riding a bicycle was struck by a vehicle that was travelling at a high rate of speed on Monday around 1 p.m. in the area of Elgin Street North and Samuelson Street, police say.

The 73-year-old cyclist was transported to a Hamilton hospital with serious injuries.
Houses in Tipperary Town for twelve Syrian families have been identified and will be occupied once the Department of Justice have given approval for the move to take place, The Nationalist can reveal.

MEETING

Members of Tipperary/ Cashel/Cahir Municipal District were informed that the Covid-19 crisis had delayed the arrival of the Syrian refugees in the town.

The resettlement team appointed told members that there had been a very positive response in Tipperary Town to the expected arrival of the Syrian refugees.

WELCOME GROUPS

There had been strong participation in the town concerning the establishment of welcome groups and a formal befriending programme.

Members of the resettlement team told the elected representatives that houses had been identified and they hoped the Syrian refugees would be arriving in Tipperary Town in the next month.

The resettlement team were working hard to get the houses ready and they said they would let councillors know when they would arrive in town.

Lindsay Cleary, a resettlement worker, told the meeting that they were very happy with the preparatory work carried out in the town in advance of the arrival of the families.

SUPPORT SERVICES

That included establishing a network to link the refugees to family support services, primary and secondary schools, the ETB and the two resource centres in Knockanrawley and the Three Drives.

She told members that there had been very good feedback from the community in terms of setting up groups to facilitate integration.

Lindsay Cleary said a lot of people in Tipperary Town had come forward and expressed their desire to help on a voluntary basis with integration.

She believed there was a good understanding in the Tipperary Town community as to where the families were coming from and why they were here.

TWELVE FAMILIES

The resettlement worker said at the moment all of the twelve families were now in Ireland and five of them were staying in Clonea.

The resettlement team had already met the families in Clonea and had held meetings with the other families over Zoom because of Covid.

Cllr AnneMarie Ryan asked when the families would be coming to Tipperary Town and where would they be living.

Cllr Michael Fitzgerald said he was pleased with the reaction that the resettlement team were getting from the people of Tipperary Town. Cllr Roger Kennedy said the ETB were very happy to be involved in the programme. Cllr Kennedy said language was very important in terms of integration and he said the resources of the ETB would be put to good use in providing assistance to the families.

total

A total of 45 families are arriving from Syria.

Twelve families will be arriving in Tipperary Town and Clonmel, Nenagh and Templemore will also welcome families.

Tipperary terrier fights off would be dog snatchers
Households earning under 80% of the area median income  under about $72,000 for a family of four  can apply for grants that will cover overdue or future rent, Rich Monocchio, executive director of the Housing Authority of Cook County, said at a news conference in Oak Park. Up to $4,500 is available per household to pay between one to three months of rent.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:25:13|Editor: huaxia

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CAIRO, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least eight persons were killed after a five-storey building collapsed in the Egyptian Delta city of Mahala, state-run Ahram newspaper reported on Friday.

According to preliminary investigations, the building collapsed and other neighboring three houses cracked due to the digging work with heavy machines for installing sanitation pipes by a private company.

The front walls of the nearby houses were also damaged, the report added, noting that the security and health teams are still searching for more victims under the debris.

Three workers including the sub-contractor have been arrested on accusations of negligence and killing.

Four other houses in the area were evacuated of inhabitants amid concern of probable collapse.

The Ministry of Solidarity orders a formation of a compensation committee and transferring the endangered families to a governmental youth dormitory. Enditem
Universities and colleges around the world are "unprepared" to deal with threats to freedom of speech on campus and academic freedom among their scholars as a result of political pressure from Beijing, a New York-based rights group said on Friday.



"Institutions of higher learning around the world should resist the Chinese governments efforts to undermine academic freedom abroad," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.



"Few have moved to protect academic freedom against longstanding problems, such as visa bans on scholars working on China or surveillance and self-censorship on their campuses," it said.



"Many colleges and universities around the world with ties to the Chinese government, or with large student populations from China, are unprepared to address threats to academic freedom in a systematic way," the group warned.



A survey of more than 100 interviews with academics, graduates, students, and administrators linked to China at top universities in Australia, Canada, France, the U.K., and the United States found "various threats" to academic freedom as a result of Chinese influence.



"Chinese authorities have long monitored and conducted surveillance on students and academics from China and those studying China on campuses around the world," HRW said.



"Chinese diplomats have also complained to university officials about hosting speakers  such as the Dalai Lama  whom the Chinese government considers 'sensitive'."



Chinese students studying overseas have been subjected to threats via their families back home in China, while others have stayed silent in class for fear of being reported to the Chinese authorities by informants in their student cohort, HRW found.



It said many interviewees had also admitted to modifying their remarks inside and outside classrooms for fear of being denied access to China or to funding sources, of causing problems for students or scholars from China or their family members, or of causing anger among colleagues or students from China.



Confucius Institutes closed



The group said Confucius Institutes, a network of embedded Chinese language-teaching and cultural centers on universities around the world, were a matter of concern to many, as their presence had a chilling effect on academic freedom and freedom of speech on the campuses where they were present.



The University of Chicago, North Carolina State University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston have all closed or announced they will close the Confucius Institutes on their campuses because of concerns about academic freedom, among other reasons, HRW said.



"Universities cant continue to rely solely on honor codes or other statements of principle designed to address issues like cheating, plagiarism, or tenure to address pressure from the Chinese government on academic freedom abroad," HRW China director Sophie Richardson said.



"Those dont envision  let alone set out remedies for  the kinds of threats to academic freedom now widely reported."



HRW's warning comes after the University of New South Wales in Australia apologized for removing a tweet criticizing the Chinese government for its suppression of human rights in Hong Kong.



However, the University apologized both to its staff and to China, after the tweet quoting part-time law lecturer Elaine Pearson was removed. Pearson heads HRW's Australia division.



Australia-based student and rights activist Feng Chongyi said that while there is an emerging recognition of the dangers of Chinese influence in Australia, the fact that many universities are run like corporations has skewed the environment where large amounts of revenue are dependent on China.



"University leaders want to cooperate with China as a source of foreign students and funding for some scientific research projects," Feng said. "So they have been trying not to offend China for a long time now."



He said "commercial interests" had led some universities to turn a blind eye to the authoritarian nature of the Chinese government and rampant human rights abuses under the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP).



Platform for propaganda



Hu Yuming, a former city councilor, said many universities have sold out to Beijing and are now providing a platform for CCP propaganda on Australian soil.



"Some people don't see what is happening, and are driven by vested interests," Hu said. "But there have been a lot of reports in the mainstream media, and they have been exposed to public opinion now."



He said Shaoquett Moselmane, the MP for New South Wales, had been investigated by police and security services after openly praising CCP general secretary Xi Jinping.



"Actually we are talking about a small miniority of people who maybe once worked for the Chinese consulate, and speak up for the CCP whenever they can," Hu said. "They're the rotten apples who turn everything else bad."



Exile political cartoonist Badiucao, said the integrity of Western universities has been compromised by Chinese influence.



"The University of New South Wales completely succumbed to such attacks and threats, and abandoned its responsibility to provide a breeding-ground for free ideas," he said.



"This has brought shame on Australia."



HRW said it has published a set of measures for universities concerned about the threat of CCP influence to implement.



Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Authorities respond to bomb threat in central Tulum

Tulum, Q.R.  Police and National Defense Secretariat personnel responded to an Emergency 911 call Thursday after someone reported a bomb threat. Authorities rushed to the scene of a local business square where they proceeded to cordon off a large area along Tulum Avenue.

Police officers walked the area accompanied by a sniffer dog, while personnel from the National Defense Secretariat entered the business in search of the alleged box of explosives. It was around 2:00 p.m. when a specialized team arrived where, for more than three hours, authorities remained on site.

While officials did confirm the report of the threat Thursday afternoon, they did not confirm or deny finding a box of explosive material.
Governors in Nigerias north west are considering reconciliation with bandits to end the security challenges facing the region.

The suggestion was made by Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, during a visit to his counterpart in Zamfara, Bello Matawalle.

It comes amid reports that Al Qaeda and ISIS elements are operating in the region.

Banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States have taken a disturbing dimension in recent times.

Governor Matawalle first experimented with it and he said it was yielding positive results.

The Katsina governor Aminu Masari also tried a policy of rapprochement with the bandits and kidnapper, but the results have been mixed.

Killings and kidnapping have continued in the state.

In Kaduna, one of the major challenges, is the incessant killings in southern Kaduna and clashes between the sedentary population and peripatetic herdsmen.

On Thursday, the Northern Governors Forum condemned yet another attack on Wednesday, in which about 22 persons were reportedly killed.

Chairman of the Forum, Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau via a statement issued by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham, described the attack as unfortunate.

He expressed concern that the yet to be arrested gunmen, attacked four Atyap villages in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Lalong expressed worry that the attacks on the villages were persistent in spite all efforts by the Kaduna State Government and security agencies to end the violence.

He said the attacks in the villages showed the desperate attempt by criminal elements to not only cause pain and sorrow among innocent citizens, but also frustrate the efforts of the Kaduna State Government at fostering peace and harmony.

We are deeply saddened by this cycle of violence and blood-letting that is carried out against unarmed and helpless people. This is reprehensible and regrettable.

 While we call on the security agencies to rise up to the occasion and apprehend these criminals, we also encourage the citizens to assist with relevant intelligence that will lead to the arrest of these blood thirsty people, he said.

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Angry crowds mobbed Emmanuel Macron in Beirut yesterday, demanding his help in overthrowing Lebanon's reviled leaders as outrage grew over the devastating explosion caused by dangerous chemicals stored in the city for years despite repeated warnings.

The French president said that without structural reform,Lebanon, already facing economic collapse, would "continue to sink".

Mr Macron toured a heavily damaged neighbourhood as the death toll from the port blast which damaged half of the Lebanese capital rose to 145 with more than 5,000 injured.

He was met by an angry crowd chanting slogans used in nationwide protests last year - "Revolution" and "The people want to bring down the regime". Surrounded by people pleading for help, Mr Macron pushed past bodyguards to hug a woman, something no Lebanese leader has done since Tuesday's disaster.

He told the crowds he would ask Lebanon's leaders to accept "a new political deal" and "to change the system, to stop the division of Lebanon, to fight against corruption".

He said he was not there to endorse the "regime" and vowed French aid would not fall into "corrupt hands".

Expand Close Members of the army hold back residents demonstrating against the government. Photo: Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Members of the army hold back residents demonstrating against the government. Photo: Marwan Tahtah/Getty Images

As foreign governments consider aid for Lebanon, some Lebanese are demanding it not be channelled through their own government, who they blame not just for the disaster but for decades of corruption and mismanagement.

A British military team was expected to arrive in Beirut yesterday to help co-ordinate the response but the Lebanese government is reported to have turned down the offer of a search and rescue team, saying it had sufficient capacity already.

Since the blast, Beirut's streets have been filled with civilian volunteers sweeping up rubble and broken glass but precious few government workers.

"Why do we have more Palestinian civil defence workers helping us out than the government?" one man asked. "We have more Syrian refugees helping us than the government," he added.

"Not a single dime should go to this government," said Fady, whose home was destroyed. "They have no competence to respond to anything.

"All they're good for is to beg for money from foreign governments so they can steal it and splurge it on their castles and fancy weddings.

"The international community is partially responsible because they've supported these same warlords for the past 20 years because they didn't want to see the country return to civil war."

No Lebanese leader has yet resigned over the disaster, even as officials admitted that despite repeated warnings from port authorities, an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate had been left in a warehouse in the port since it was seized in 2014.

Michel Aoun, the president, has promised accountability, while Hassan Diab, the prime minister, has vowed: "Those responsible will pay the price."

But sceptical Lebanese are demanding heads roll now, with the Arabic hashtag "Prepare the nooses" trending. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order banning any transactions with Tencent, the owner of app, WeChat and ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the video-sharing app TikTok, starting in 45 days.

TikTok may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party and the United States "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security," Trump said in the order.

US Donald Trump thinks the proceeds from the sale of TikTok should go to the US Treasury. Credit:AP

Trump has called out TikTok as a national security threat as tensions worsen between his administration and the Chinese government.

Trump issued the orders under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that grants the administration sweeping power to bar US firms or citizens from trading or conducting financial transactions with sanctioned parties.
Representatives of Myanmar's ethnic groups attend the closing ceremony of the third session of the Union Peace Conference in Naypyidaw, July 16, 2018.

Myanmars decision to exclude the Arakan Army, a rebel group fighting for autonomy in Rakhine state, from an invitation to ethnic armies to join national leader Aung San Suu Kyis signature peace talks has drawn a threat from allies of the AA to sit out the meeting unless the Arakan force takes part.

Aung San Suu Kyi won office in 2015 on a platform that included reviving a peace process to end decades of warfare between the national army and various armed ethnic groups and creating a democratic federal union in the multiethnic nation.

To forge the peace, she initiated the 21st Century Panglong Conference, named after the town where her father, Aung San, signed an agreement in 1947 on a union with leaders of some major ethnic groups  the Shan, Kachin, and Chin. The pact unraveled shortly after the countrys independence from Britain in 1948, spawning decades of warfare over still unresolved disputes over autonomy.

The modern Panglong gathering, also called the Union Peace Conference, is scheduled for Aug. 19-21 in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw  the last of four rounds of peace negotiations held under Aung San Suu Kyis ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government before general elections in November.

Invitations to the peace conference were extended to 10 ethnic armies that have signed the governments nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) since October 2015, as well as seven insurgent groups that have not signed it, said Zaw Htay, government spokesman and director-general of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyis office.

We will invite seven nonsignatories, but there are legal restrictions against inviting certain organizations, and we will not be able to invite them, he said at a news conference Wednesday.

The Arakan Army (AA) has been fighting a 20-month-long battle against government forces in western Myanmars Rakhine state, where it seeks greater independence for ethnic Rakhines and wants to establish a base. The fighting has killed 274 civilians and displaced nearly 200,000 since December 2018, according to figures compiled by RFA.

In March, the government declared the AA an illegal association and terrorist organization.

Myanmar military officials, government peace negotiators, and representative of ethnic armed groups sign a document during the closing ceremony of the third session of the Union Peace Conference in Naypyidaw, July 16, 2018. Credit: AFP Allies stick together

Two AA-allied armed groups  the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA)  said they would sit out the conference unless the government treated the AA equally.

AA spokesman Khine Thukha said Zaw Htays remarks show that the government is antagonistic towards the peace process.

In a political sense, this ongoing fourth Panglong peace conference will be meaningful only if it is conclusive, Khine Thukha said. If there is bias in the inclusion of the ethnic armed groups, it will not resolve the ongoing problems.

It clearly shows that they do not wish to achieve a peace agreement, he added.

The four ethnic armies comprising the Northern Alliance  the AA, TNLA, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), also known as the Kokang Army, and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)  have been negotiating with the government over signing the NCA but have been prevented from continuing their talks by the COVID-19 pandemic, Khine Thukha said.

Brigadier General Tar Phone Kyaw, secretary general of the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) and the second-in-command of its armed wing, the TNLA, said that the AAs allies must maintain a unified stance concerning the peace negotiations.

We have an agreement among the alliance groups that all members must attend the peace conference or peace negotiations with the Myanmar government or the military, he said.

If one of the groups is not invited, it means the same for the other groups, he said. We have agreed on a united stance among us.

RFA could not reach Myanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun for comment.

RFA also could not reach Colonel Naw Bu, the KIAs spokesman, to find out if representatives from the ethnic military would attend the peace talks.

Nyi Rang, the external relations officer for the United Wa State Army (USWA), Myanmars most powerful ethnic armed group, said officials at the Wa groups head office had not yet stated whether they would participate in the next session of the peace negotiations.

The USWA leads the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), a body set up in 2017 to represent seven ethnic armies that have not signed the NCA.

We wont get anywhere

Min Zaw Oo, executive director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security, said whether the three armed groups attend the peace talks is not very important.

They have come before. They arrived and returned, and they didnt have an impact on the results, he said.

We have been in negotiations for a long time. We know we wont get anywhere with these negotiations, he added.

Political analyst Maung Maung Soe said the exclusion of the AA from the conference closes some avenues for contact that could be useful in the overall process.

Inviting the AA and other Northern Alliance groups wont make any difference at the Panglong peace conference, but the presence of these armed groups would open the door for bilateral negotiations, he said.

If the government leaves the AA behind, at least two other armed groups will not attend, so it will push a peace deal farther away, he added.

Besides representatives from the ethnic armed groups, delegates from the Myanmar military, the government, parliament, political parties, and civil society organizations will attend the fourth round of the peace talks.

Previous sessions were held in August 2016, May 2017, and July 2018. The third round resulted in the adoption of 51 federal-related basic principles as part of a union accord for peace.

Reported by Thiha Htun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  More than 80 flights have been operated so far, bringing home safely more than 21,000 Vietnamese citizens from some 50 countries and territories, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

She unveiled the figures while answering questions regarding Vietnams plan to fly home its citizens abroad in the context of new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases in the country, during the ministrys regular press conference on August 6.



The flights were arranged under the Prime Ministers instructions, and with the highest determination of competent agencies at home, as well as Vietnams representative offices abroad, the spokesperson said.



Hang emphasised that the repatriation of Vietnamese citizens in extremely difficult circumstances will be conducted in accordance with their wish and domestic quarantine capacity.



Citing sources of the Overseas Labour Management under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the spokesperson said 226 Vietnamese are working in Uzbekistan under a labour provision contract between a domestic company and the China Petroleum Jili Chemical Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd (JCC).



Due to COVID-19, the workers have stopped working and are self-quarantined at their accommodations, Hang said, adding that local authorities confirmed some of them had tested positive for the coronavirus.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, which also is in charge of Uzbekistan, to contact the workers to get updated on their conditions, and talk to concerned companies and local authorities to ask for necessary measures to take care of the health of the workers.



Vietnamese competent agencies and the embassy are coordinating closely with local authorities to build a plan to bring home the citizens as soon as possible, scheduled for this month.
By Nancy E. Soderberg

Twenty-two years ago, on August 7, 1998, two nearly simultaneous bombs exploded in front of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The attacks mastermind was Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network. Those individuals responsible have mostly been killed or are serving life sentences, but the search for justice continues.

That is because those infamous bombings were carried out with critical support from the government of Sudan, which has yet to be held accountable. In the 1990s, Sudans then-dictator Omar al Bashir invited Osama bin Laden to move his terror network into Sudan and then supported al Qaeda operatives as they planned the bombings. The results were devastating. Twelve Americans were among the 224 dead and more than 4,500 people were wounded, including more than a dozen Americans.

Sudans support for al Qaeda earned it a spot on the State Departments list of state sponsors of terrorism. Victims and their families soon thereafter sued Sudan in U.S. courts, ultimately obtaining judgments of more than $10 billion. To date, Sudan has not paid one dime, frustrating the victims search for justice.

But a partial resolution may be at hand. Even before al Bashir was forced from power last year, Sudan had sought to mend its ways, cutting ties with Iran while aiding the United States counterterrorism efforts in the Horn of Africa. Now, Sudans nascent civilian government  desperate for international aid to stabilize its brittle and faltering economy  is urging the United States to remove Sudan from the list of state-sponsors of terrorism, and thereby free up aid from multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank. But the U.S. State Department has rightly conditioned any delisting of Sudan on its resolution of the outstanding terrorism judgments against it.

The efforts of American victims of terrorism to seek justice and compensation have evolved significantly since the 1980s when Middle East terrorists began targeting U.S. nationals. Victims of terror and their families initially pressed for the U.S. government to compensate them for their losses, arguing that, like members of the armed services, their lives were lost or damaged in the service of America. I was part of these early discussions as an aide to Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) as he tirelessly worked to help victims from Massachusetts, and more broadly when I served on the National Security Council. Which victims to compensate is a wrenching decision. The 1986 Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act drew the line at American citizens, nationals, and permanent residents serving the United States government, denying compensation to foreigners that worked alongside them.

More recently, the United States has sought to force state sponsors of terrorism to pay the victims directly either through enforcement of court judgments or through bilateral claims negotiations. With respect to Sudan, the State Department reportedly has negotiated a bilateral deal under which Sudan will pay over $300 million to the victims and their families, with the bulk of that money being reserved for the families of the victims who were U.S. citizens at the time of the attack.

But for that settlement to take effect, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, under the leadership of Chairman James E. Risch (R-ID) and Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ), must enact legislation that effectively will terminate the court cases against Sudan. And some victims and their families are objecting  most notably, the families of Kenyan embassy staff who were killed or injured alongside the Americans. Although these Kenyans comprise the majority of the victims and hold the lions share of the judgments against Sudan, less than one-third of Sudans payment --$100 million  is allocated for their claims. And further complicating matters is the fact that some of these Kenyan victims now are naturalized U.S. citizens.

Thus this deal is far from perfect  no settlement ever is. But there is little chance at this stage of re-negotiating the deal with Sudan. Further delay risks scuttling the deal entirely  and maybe Sudans new civilian government efforts to re-enter the international community along with it. Indeed, as one Sudanese diplomat explained privately, the domestic blowback from what some Sudanese see as an effort by victims to squeeze blood out of a stone is escalating ominously.

None of these are easy issues. As history has shown, any effort to try to place a monetary amount on the loss of life is extremely difficult. But setting the precedent that governments supporting terror will eventually pay is a significant achievement. And requiring such acknowledgment of responsibility  despite the passage of over two decades  sets an important precedent.

Making clear to those who support terrorism that access to much needed international aid depends on these steps significantly advances our national security. And our and our allies national security interests in the volatile Horn of Africa counsel strongly in favor of stabilizing Sudans fragile civilian government.

Perhaps there is more Senators Risch and Menendez, and their colleagues in Congress can do to help victims by supplementing other compensation programs. But history shows that the deal currently on the table is most likely the best they will get from Sudan. Congress should pass the deal.

The author served as deputy national security advisor and as an ambassador to United Nations under President Bill Clinton, and as a senior foreign policy advisor to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

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Jigsaw will shed jobs and shut stores as it becomes the latest high street victim of the coronavirus pandemic.

The fashion brand, owned by Carphone Warehouse tycoon David Ross, has been a fixture in the wardrobes of middle-class British women for 50 years and is a favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, who once worked in its stores.

The precise number of job losses will not be revealed for a few weeks as it prepares for an insolvency process known as a Company Voluntary Agreement, Sky News reported.

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visits Henry Fawcett Children's centre, London, on March 12, 2019, Wearing a Gucci, top, Jigsaw trousers, high-street brand (right). Left, another pair of Jigsaw trousers

The Jigsaw Ladies Clothes shop in Amersham Old Town, Buckinghamshire, was temporarily closed during Coronavirus lockdown

Masks disaster: PPE in ministers 252m deal cant be used by NHS Fifty million face masks will not be used by the NHS amid safety concerns over their fastenings, officials have confirmed. There are fears the masks, which use ear-loop fastenings rather than head loops, may not fit tightly enough for healthcare staff. They were bought by the Government as part of a controversial 252million contract from Ayanda Capital. The company, which is registered in Mauritius, said the masks met Government specifications. But legal papers have revealed many of the FFP2 respirator masks are failing face fit tests as they do not create a sufficient seal. A further 150million masks are not thought to be affected but will be subject to further testing before any are released for use in the NHS. Boris Johnson said he was very disappointed but legal proceedings were under way so he would not be drawn on the specific example. He said: We have achieved a colossal race against time to produce billions of items of PPE, sourcing them from abroad but now increasingly making them here in the UK as well, and stockpiling them now in case we have a second wave in the autumn and the winter. Campaigners have demanded an inquiry into the contract, which court papers suggest was instigated by a Government trade adviser who also advises the board of Ayanda. Businessman Andrew Mills has denied any suggestions that his position played a part. Layla Moran, Liberal Democrat MP and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said: The Government has serious questions to answer over this shocking waste of taxpayers money. Ayanda said that the contract had been successfully fulfilled and that proper procurement processes had been followed. They said the masks went through a rigorous technical assurance programme. Advertisement

It follows the collapse of Oasis, Warehouse, Cath Kidston and Laura Ashley which have shed close to 3,000 jobs between them. Jigsaw employs 900 staff.

Last night foreign exchange firm Travelex also went into administration with the loss of 1,300 UK jobs.

The company said it had been acutely hit by lockdown and the collapse of travel, along with a cyber-attack on its files this year. Some parts of the business  and 1,800 jobs in the UK  have been saved.

Yesterday, the coronavirus bloodbath continued as Wetherspoons announced it would shed up to a third of its head office staff, taking the total jobs toll this week to 8,000.

Jigsaw, founded in Brighton in 1970, was struggling even before the pandemic struck as tough competition in womens mid-market fashion left the chain nursing losses.

The closure of its 75 stores and concessions during lockdown, together with shoppers concerns over the virus, has tipped it over the edge.

Even after it reopened, experts said the cancellation of weddings and events meant shoppers were shunning its tailoring and formal dresses in favour of comfier, casual clothing.

And employees failure to return to the office means that working women are not buying workwear.

The store closures have already begun, with closures in Newbury, Berkshire, and Aberdeen.

Jigsaw told customers in Newbury: The UK retail sector has been struggling for some time as customers of all ages move to the convenience of online shopping and the coronavirus pandemic has further accelerated this.

We have therefore taken the difficult decision to close a number of our stores and carry out a wider strategic review of our business.

The chain has been accused of mismanagement after seven directors, including a former aide to Samantha Cameron, left earlier this year.

The controversy centres on Mr Ross, 54, estimated to be worth 600million, who bought the brand two years ago from founder John Robinson.

The tycoon has placed the company up for sale after it made a loss of 10.5million for the year to September 2018.

The plan to close stores, cut rents and shed jobs will take several weeks and will only go ahead if it is approved by three-quarters of Jigsaws creditors.

Companies House documents also suggest that Mr Ross was forced to inject a further 7.5million in loans to see Jigsaw through the crisis.

He gave 279,000 to the Conservative Party before last Decembers general election and arranged part of Boris Johnson and Carrie Symondss holiday to Mustique over New Year.

A Mail audit found 107 of the largest UK companies have cut close to 230,000 jobs since March 23 and at least 132,000 of those are in the UK.
So, you want to learn Arabic? But what sort of Arabic should you learn and for what purposes should you learn it?



Many people beginning what can turn out to be the long-term project of learning the Arabic language will have asked themselves such questions. Not only is there the question of what dialects of Arabic they might want to learn in addition to the written language, but also which language skills they may want to prioritise.



Some people may feel more comfortable reading and writing than listening and speaking when learning a foreign language, something encouraged by more traditional educational systems that like to reduce learning foreign languages to grammatical exercises. But even apart from the question of natural talent  some people may be naturally more extrovert than others and more drawn to speaking as a result  there are added difficulties in the case of Arabic and some other languages because the gap between the spoken and written languages can be vertiginously wide.



The linguistic competencies involved in enjoying a television soap opera in Arabic or even having a casual chat may not necessarily be very helpful in making sense of books or the opinion pages of newspapers.



Anyone embarking on the study of Arabic will soon come up against such issues and will want to prioritise aspects of their language-learning as a result. But how does this situation look from the perspective not so much of language-learners as from those engaged in teaching Arabic as a foreign language in different settings? What sort of Arabic should they be teaching, and which linguistic competencies should be promoted by the educational systems in which they work? How should these be examined or academically recognised?



It was with such questions in mind that Al-Ahram Weekly set out to investigate the contemporary teaching of Arabic abroad, looking particularly at Arabic in schools and at experiences in Europe.



What this revealed was that whereas in the UK the teaching of Arabic has been increasing, with more students taking the subject at school, even if from a low base, in France it seems that the teaching of Arabic has become more caught up in debates irrelevant to language-learning to the detriment of both learners and teachers.



TAFL

The teaching of English as a foreign language has a standard acronym  TEFL  that will be familiar to anyone who has come across it as part of their education. TEFL exams are commonly required for people wanting to work or study in the United States, for example.



But what about TAFL, the teaching of Arabic as a foreign language? While figures for the number of non-native learners of the Arabic language worldwide are hard to come by, some indication of Arabics growing popularity among school students can be gleaned from national statistics and the numbers of students taking state exams.



A survey of exam entries in the UK produced for the British Council in 2017 reported that entries for GSCE Arabic had increased by 11 per cent between 2015 and 2016, bringing the total number of students taking the exam in secondary schools and other institutions to 4,211, a 74 per cent increase over the previous decade. Entries for A Level Arabic, a significantly higher standard, had risen by 15 per cent to reach a high of 749, still a disappointingly low number. GSCE exams are typically taken by school students around age 16, A Levels at 18, though they can also be taken by adults.



In France, on the other hand, while there has been a significant increase in the number of students taking Arabic as either a second or third foreign language in secondary schools and high schools (lycees), going from 6,512 in 2007 to 11,174 in 2017, only 6,601 out of 2.3 million French sixth-form students were taking Arabic for their baccalaureate, the French equivalent of UK A Levels, in the same year, less than the number taking Chinese.



A moments reflection suggests that these figures, useful as they are as an indication of what takes place in schools, are likely to underestimate the true number of Arabic language-learners. Other learners in other environments may be learning Arabic for other purposes not related to passing exams, sometimes for religious reasons including for studying the Quran, sometimes in order to communicate more effectively with friends or family members, sometimes for work, and sometimes out of sheer pleasure or interest.



These Arabic language-learners, perhaps the majority, will likely not show up in educational statistics, and they may be learning in a wide range of settings outside of national education systems, from private schools, to mosques or religious institutions, to online or other forms of tutoring. However, they will be adding to the demand for Arabic teachers and Arabic teaching materials, and they will be contributing to the overall size and economic importance of the Arabic teaching industry.



Such learners may also achieve proficiency even if this is not recognised by state or other exams. However, should they wish to have their achievements sanctioned, then in addition to courses offered in secondary schools there has also been an expansion in the number of higher-education colleges and universities offering either Arabic alone or as part of Middle Eastern or Islamic Studies.



In the UK, while a handful of universities tend to offer the lions share of Arabic teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, many others have started to offer Arabic either as part of a dedicated degree or of a joint or mixed course of studies.



The British Academys Arabic Mapping Project, a survey of Arabic provision in the UK higher-education sector, naturally highlights certain well-established institutions, including the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Oxford and Cambridge Universities, as offering significant levels of Arabic provision when measured by the number of undergraduate and graduate students and dedicated teaching staff, for example. But other perhaps less well-known institutions in the UK are also offering growing levels of Arabic, though usually in the context of other courses of study.



In France, some two dozen universities offer Arabic teaching up to the level of license (the French undergraduate degree) and beyond, with the countrys grandes ecoles, its parallel system of selective higher-education institutions, also offering Arabic to a similar degree. The Institut national des langues orientales (INALCO) in Paris, the French equivalent of the UKs SOAS, offers a gold-standard education in Arabic and other languages.



However, while French universities offer as much or more instruction in Arabic than is to be found in the UK, they do not always attract qualified students wanting to make use of them. While more secondary school students take Arabic in France than in the UK, a figure that may not surprise given Frances close contemporary links to the Arab world, this does not necessarily mean continuing study at university level.



This, together with the disappointing enrolment at secondary school level, has caused some scratching of heads in France.



FRENCH CONTROVERSY

The subject of Arabic teaching and the low number of students taking the language in schools hit the headlines in France in late 2018 when Minister of Education Jean-Michel Blanquer announced that he wanted to increase the number of students taking Arabic.



Why was it, the minister asked, that whereas France had a long and distinguished history of the teaching of Arabic at both school and university level  it goes back at least to the 16th century and the country has produced some of the worlds most distinguished orientalists  the country was experiencing such problems in interesting its young people in studying Arabic?



Numbers were falling, or at least not rising, schools were not expanding their provision, and the number of posts in French schools open to Arabic teachers was either stagnating or falling, with this having a negative impact on the profession as a whole and the capacities of the educational system. Fewer students taking Arabic at school mean fewer taking it at university, and fewer teachers in schools eventually translate into fewer university professors and less capacity to train future generations of learners.



We should develop the learning of Arabic in France, Blanquer said. We have to make these languages [Russian and Chinese, as well as Arabic] more prestigious. Arabic is a major literary language that should be learned, and not only by people who are of Maghreb origin or originate in countries where Arabic is spoken. It is this qualitative strategy [to increase the teaching of Arabic] that we are going to pursue, he added.



Unlike some other countries where educational provision is often private and in any case is mostly decentralised, in France the state plays a major role, with decisions taken in the Ministry of Education in Paris affecting everything from the pictures on the walls of rural primary schools to the marking schemes for educational certificates.



As a result, an education ministers words cannot be taken lightly. However, perhaps Blanquer did not realise the extent of the polemic to which his remarks would give rise, with commentators pitching in either in support of increased Arabic provision in French schools or, more surprisingly, vehemently against it. In addition to arguments about the amount of Arabic teaching the countrys schools should be providing and up to what level, there was also controversy about the content of the Arabic language curriculum and the place of the subject in the larger educational system and wider society.



Blanquer and his supporters provided the traditional arguments in favour of expanded provision, with everything from Frances close historical and contemporary links to the Arab world to the economic and commercial interest of producing competent Arabic speakers playing a role along with arguments less dependent on utility and emphasising the languages intrinsic interest. However, his opponents seemed only to be interested in what they saw as the likely societal impacts of increasing the teaching of Arabic, with these, they held, being largely negative.



It was here that the ministers desire to extend the opportunities available to French students by providing increased support for the teaching of Arabic ran up against arguments that either had nothing to do with language-learning or were part of an extreme right-wing political agenda. President of the extreme-right Rassemblement National, formerly the National Front, Marine Le Pen announced that Blanquer was paying lip-service to the politically correct in wanting to extend the teaching of Arabic in French schools, while French MP Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, quoted in the newspaper Le Monde, warned against what he called the Arabisation of France. Former education minister Luc Ferry said that by increasing the provision of Arabic teaching in French schools the minister was running the risk of introducing Islamism into the education system.



But as president of the Arab World Institute in Paris Jack Lang, himself a former French minister of education, then pointed out in an article in Le Monde, later expanded into a book earlier this year, such arguments, muddling up language teaching with everything from extreme-right conspiracy theories to dubious political positions, should have no place in deciding educational policies, perhaps particularly when these have to do with teaching languages in schools.



The Arabic language has the fifth-highest number of speakers in the world today, with more than 430 million native speakers. Can it be considered acceptable that it has such a marginal place in schools in France, as a result of stiff-necked prejudice and the fantasies of political populists of every stripe, Lang asked. The situation is pitiable, with only one [French] child in every thousand studying Arabic at primary school and only two in every thousand studying it at secondary school, he said.



ARGUMENTS

Even so, Langs arguments, based on Arabics social utility as well as its intrinsic interest, might also be felt to be muddying the waters, or at least to be accepting the terms of a debate vitiated in advance by considerations that have no place in the teaching of languages.



As Lang himself wrote, to claim that the teaching of Arabic will encourage communitarianism [seen as damaging social cohesion in France] and the Arabisation, or even the Islamisation, of society is absurd. Would one ever claim something similar of teaching Chinese or Russian? However, he then went on to argue for what he called the secularist teaching of Arabic, something that presumably would not make sense for other languages, done according to the values of the French Republic, as if the teaching of Arabic was desirable not so much to help individual students extend their intellectual horizons, surely the point of increased provision, but to advance collective social goals.



If we give up our intention to extend Arabic teaching in France, Lang wrote, we will be handing the teaching of Arabic over to Islamist groups and at worst helping to prepare the terrain for identity politics and dangerous radicalisation. We must have the courage to say that developing the teaching of Arabic in our schools is a matter of urgency for pupils, for society, and for the Republic as a whole.



Sceptical about a debate that seemed to slip so easily from a desire to improve language-learning in schools to achieving goals that have nothing to do with learning languages, the Weekly approached Arabic teachers in France for comment. How far did such warnings reflect what goes on in French classrooms? Were there other ways of seeing the debate and bringing about improvements in the teaching of Arabic?



The Covid-19 crisis made it difficult to identify teachers and their students, since all French educational institutions have until recently been closed in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus. But one French Arabic teacher who consented to answer questions was sceptical about such arguments.



Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that if we see the desire to improve the teaching of Arabic in France through the lens of combating Islamism, we have not seen the problems clearly. These had to do less with promoting a republican Arabic in French schools in order to combat the Islamist Arabic allegedly being taught in some private settings than in improving the training of Arabic teachers such that the subject becomes more attractive to young people.



As the Weeklys interlocutor put it, whereas France had some of the best university-level study of Arabic in the world, it lacked a commitment to teacher training or pedagogy  probably a complaint that speakers of other languages, among them English, will be familiar with, since French educational institutions can seem to specialise in making languages incomprehensible even to their own native speakers.



As a result, while there was a strong demand for Arabic instruction in France, and not only among French citizens of North African origin who often send their children or grandchildren to private tutors, this demand did not translate into students taking Arabic in French schools. There was still a gap between institutions and population in the way Arabic was taught in schools, still very patchy provision since Arabic was usually not available outside larger schools, and still a problem in the way that Arabic was offered as a language given to Arabs (students of Arab background) but not always considered to be of interest to the wider population.



In fact, he said, the debate was mixed up with the idea of a language thought to be of interest only to people of Arab descent and with attempts to achieve political ends. If France really wanted to improve and extend the teaching of Arabic, then Arabic should be a language offered to all and not only to Arabs. There should be a delinking of the teaching of Arabic and the achievement of other ends. In the same way that it was a fantasy to suppose that Arabic teaching was somehow encouraging Islamism or communitarianism in France, as the countrys extreme-right has claimed, it was also a fantasy to suppose that teaching the language, or any language, could have predictable social results, even if these were positive ones.



The problems facing the teaching of Arabic in France were not so very different to the problems of teaching Arabic in other countries, including in the Arab ones, the French Arabic teacher said. There was a similar difficulty in the division between the written language and the dialects, with some French students of Arab descent, fluent in a dialect if they speak one at home, sometimes not wanting to invest in the written Arabic learned in class. There was a similar lack of attractive instructional materials  though this had been overcome in recent years  and similar problems in attracting teachers and providing up-to-date teacher-training.



The latter problem was getting worse, not better, he said, since the attractiveness of school teaching as a career in France was not high, with ministerial pronouncements suggesting otherwise rarely being cashed out on the ground.



UK SITUATION

In the UK, while Arabic is a growth subject in schools, the picture is not wholly rosy, as the British Councils 2017 survey revealed.



Once again, there has been official support for the teaching of Arabic in schools, but historically negligent policies on the teaching of foreign languages, made worse by the countrys national curriculum, have meant that while Arabic has been making headway more needs to be done to put it on a sustainable footing.



A 2016 report, Teaching of Arabic Language and Culture in UK Schools produced by the communications agency Alcantara, noted that changes in the external environment had impacted the context for developing the teaching of Arabic in the UK and that the EU referendum campaign [the campaign to leave the European Union] gave rise to negativity and suspicion expressed towards the languages and cultures of immigrant communities of all origins.



While initiatives to counter this are of course welcome, there has been a concern, like in France, that educational policies, including on the teaching of Arabic, may have been being asked to do too much, substituting the achievement of social goals, however laudable, for ones aiming to improve the educational opportunities available to students.



The councils report also bore witness to the existence of a gap, like in France, between the discourse handed down from above and the concerns of teachers in schools. There had been pressure on teachers to reduce the negativity and suspicion expressed towards the languages and cultures of immigrant communities, whereas any teachers first priority must be to teach, not make up for the shortcomings of government policies.



Moreover, like in France, there has been an assumption in the UK that Arabic is of interest only to native or heritage speakers. As one Arabic teacher, speaking anonymously, said, the GSCEs and A level were designed for native speakers, heritage speakers, because that is the main market. This is because in Britain we have a catastrophic public examination system where exam boards [responsible for school exams] are private companies.



It would be interesting to extend the analysis to other countries. What is the situation of Arabic teaching in Spain, one wonders, a country that has one of the closest relations of all European countries to the Arab world owing to its historically Arab character? Perhaps the situation of Arabic teaching is better in the German-speaking world, historically the homeland of many of the worlds leading orientalists.



Whatever the case may be, perhaps there should be more investment on the part of the Arab countries in encouraging others to learn the Arabic language. While China has invested heavily in its international network of Confucius Institutes in recent years, and Russia has historically supported a network of centres teaching the Russian language, there has been no equivalent investment in the teaching of Arabic.



Could one day there be a network of Arabic-teaching centres supported by the Arab states worldwide, with these being as unremarked as the British Council language centres supported by the British government, the Alliance Franaise centres supported by the government in Paris, and the Goethe Institut centres supported by the Berlin government?

*A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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WATERLOO REGION  In the backrooms of hospitals in Waterloo Region, leadership groups have been dissecting their response to COVID-19 in preparation for a potential second wave.

After reporting fewer than 100 cases in the province for the fifth day in a row on Friday, hospitals are taking the slow period to allow their staff to rest up and prepare for the possibility of a return to stricter protocols.

With this pause, job one for us is looking at how staff and leaders could take vacation, said Sandra Hett, vice-president of clinical programs and chief nursing executive at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Knowing that we believe there is a second wave coming, even though were not sure what thats going to look like, we know its important to rest.

At the same time, she said they are using this period to debrief, look back, and ask what would we do differently?

Cambridge Memorial struggled in the early days of the pandemic maintaining adequate supplies of personal protective equipment, shifting from international suppliers to local companies to maintain stock.

Those connections will be critical in a second wave, she said, and can take away a lot of the stress around preserving equipment  a major factor in the provinces decision to halt elective surgeries. Referred to as a protective directive, she said it helped ensure hospitals across the province had adequate capacity of health human resources, medications and in-patient hospital capacity.

They were given a very clear directive to shut down elective surgeries, she said, but she doesnt expect a similar complete shutdown of the surgery program in a hypothetical second wave  but we dont know that for sure.

When asked how the province would respond to a spike in cases, Ministry of Health spokesperson Christian Hasse said should a second wave arrive, Ontario will continue to be able to increase critical care capacity in the same way it has done during this first wave; this work will continue indefinitely.

He said the expectation is for hospitals to reserve at least 10 per cent of acute care capacity, subject to any alternate agreement at the regional or sub-regional tables for securing sufficient regional capacity. This requires having at least 10 per cent surge capacity of in-patient medical, surgical, and critical care beds available within 48 hours.

We ramped down a lot the first time because we wanted to ensure we had capacity in the hospital, said St. Marys General Hospital president and chief executive Lee Fairclough. But now, as we look to the fall, can we coexist and still maintain services the best we can? I think we have more options now to think critically about our response.

St. Marys General had zero positive COVID-19 patients for the first time since March this week, a milestone that isnt lost on its staff.

Many of those staff were redeployed across the hospital to meet the needs of patients, said Fairclough, learning to take on new responsibilities outside of their regular routine. With that training already in place, she said it would be a lot more seamless if they had to redeploy them again.

The regions testing capacity has also increased over the first five months, making it easier for community members to get checked and start isolating sooner.

Approximately 1,500 staff in public health units across the province are doing case and contact management. In addition, there are over 500 staff from federal and provincial departments who have been trained and reassigned to work on contact tracing and provide surge capacity when required.

But with flu season nearing, Fairclough said they are also going to have to prepare for the regular surge they expect in the fall, coupled with the space needed for COVID-19 patients.

The Ministry of Health is currently working with Ontario Health and hospital partners on a capacity plan to manage a potential second wave of COVID-19 and annual influenza and ramp up of hospital services.

Ontario has been working with federal, provincial and territorial partners through the National Bulk Purchasing Program to secure additional doses of influenza vaccine for the 2020-2021 season, said Hasse. Ontario has ordered more of the high-dose vaccine to further protect seniors. Influenza vaccine quantities are still being discussed through the national process.

While hospitals have carefully resumed surgeries and outpatient clinics over the last several weeks, welcomed some patients care partners, and plan on seeing some of the volunteers return soon, Grand River Hospital acting chief executive and president Jennifer OBrien said she knows a second wave of COVID-19 patients is a very real possibility.

Crossfunctional teams, focused on planning for each facet of our reopening, are simultaneously planning for the reversal of some or all of these activities should that be necessary, she said.

OBrien said all planning and decisions take into consideration the number of community COVID-19 cases, the volume of patients in the hospital, the needs of each specific hospital program, staffs ability to follow physical distancing guidelines, and the hospitals access to supplies including personal protective equipment.

Our organization has learned many lessons in the past several months and were confident that we are ready for the second wave  although we hope the community will continue to do its part to keep the spread of COVID-19 under control so we can keep moving forward, providing the best possible care.
WAYLAND, MI  Two Michigan boys are being commended for returning a wallet filled with cash to police.

The Wayland Police Department says the two boys, Austin and Logan, approached officers who were having a conversation behind department headquarters and presented the wallet.

Further investigation revealed the wallet had several $100 bills ($364 in total) and belonged to a man from Hopkins. A deputy later delivered the wallet to its rightful owner.

Logan and Austin are Wayland Police Citizens of the Day, a Facebook post shared on Wednesday reads. Way to go gents!
Tamil Nadu SSLC class 10th results 2020 will be declared by the Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE) in a few days as said by the Tamil Nadu Minister of Education K.A Sengottaiyan.

On Wednesday (August 5) Sengottaiyan said that all steps are being taken to provide the examination results of the 10th class students as soon as possible.

Once declared, the results will be available on DGE's official websites - dge.tn.gov.in, dge1.tn.nic.in, tnresults.nic.in. The results will also be displayed on alternative websites like - dge2.tn.nic.in, manabadi.co.in, schools9.com.

Here's how you can check your 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

The Tamil Nadu SSLC Result 2020 will also be accessed via an app. In order to access the results via the app the students will have 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.

The Tamil Nadu Class 10 exams that held between March 27 to April 13 and around 9 lakh students appeared for the exam.

The Tamil Nadu's DGE has decided that 80% weightage will be given to marks in quarterly and half-yearly assessment tests, 20% weightage will be given to attendance. It may be recalled that Tamil Nadu Board Class 12 Results 2020 was announced on July 16.
Nigeria a young but highly troubled nation can only preserve itself democratically by continuously listening to hard questions from citizens who in exercising their lawful rights, are speaking out loudly against the unfair conditions currently happening across the country.

To psychologically theorize Nigeria from the point of turning around, we all saw what I call the August-September Nonviolent Revolution in full display in the last 24 hours.

The RevolutionNow Protesters, had a choice between using violence, such as injuring, wounding or killing people, or using non-violence, such as peacefully marching, singing or obstructing traffic, as the world saw they chose nonviolent direct actions like peaceful demonstrations.

Clearly, the protesters shunned physical violence, which is physical harm to someone or to officials, and they even stayed away from psychological violence which can be manifested through falsehoods, manipulation, or threats.

Yet, the government using the police, military, and other security operatives brutalized protesters by way of whippings, beatings, kicking and jailing, and in the most dehumanizing way a protester was treated like a physical slave.

During the historical slave trade especially in Nigeria, in the 15th century in particular, before Africans were being sold as slaves, Europeans were known to involuntarily shave the hair of captured Africans for one main reason, to dehumanize them and alter their sense of self choice.

Like the brutalizing ways of slavery, one of the peaceful protesters, Damilare Adenola, in his own words was forced to prostrate on the floor by violent officials. At which time one of officials pulled out a knife while another used a broken bottle to shave off his dreadlocks and hair, and badly bruised his back.

Like the European type slavery, the victim was reportedly flogged with iron rod, chained, and kicked to the ground. To fully discriminate and humiliate him the security agents dehumanized him for wearing "brown hair' like woman.

Mr. Femi Falana, there is need to let President Muhammadu Buhari know about this, because there is no way he would have agreed to the enslavement of a protester by way of chaining, whipping, beating and forceful cutting of his hair.

The Buhari administration in an extreme but in an understandable way could have deployed police, security and military personnel for patrol and cautionary purposes but meting out some of the known horrors of slavery could not have been sanctioned by the Buhari administration.

As I write this the picture of the involuntary hair shaving of a peaceful protester with a broken bottle has flooded the internet, as such the officer or officers involved in this slavery act, needs to be identified for prosecution on the ground of human rights or enslavement violations.

This protest which I now call the August-September Nonviolent Revolution, is a human right calling for steady accountability and good governance on the part of the Buhari administration. To use all sorts of excessive force on protesters is not only unlawful but out right catastrophic physically, psychologically, and traumatically, especially to the young man who was treated like a slave.

We now leave in a world of social media and this current protest remains anchored on justice, policy and integrity-based civil disobedience campaign as it focuses on calls for good/fair policies, equal justice and reducing oppression in the hands of the government.

One thing that is a reality, is that peaceful demonstrations will continue and responding with escalating force such as beatings and other brutalizing acts doesnt work, instead may result to violent clashes between police and protesters, as such it is essential to give training in good policing of peaceful demonstration as the world is watching Nigeria.

Prof John Egbeazien Oshodi, is a Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist and the President of the Dr John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation (JEOF), a community and Online based psychology, forensic and behavioral Center. [email protected]
New Delhi, Aug 7 : With a considerable increase in the deployment of its warships in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Indian Navy is providing strategic support to its fellow services in the ongoing activities related to the border tensions with China.

The Indian Navy is said to have increased deployment of warships in the IOR since the border tensions with China began, government officials said. Some estimates indicate that the increase is almost 25 per cent.

The officials said that past 100 days have seen the Indian Navy operating from the Ladakh (with its P-8I surveillance aircraft) in the north to Mauritius, 7,000 km to the south, and from the Red Sea in the west to the Malacca Strait in the east, a distance of nearly 8,000 km.

Indian Navy deploys ships on Mission Based Deployments at key locations in the IOR so as to build a comprehensive maritime picture and respond to developing situations.

At any time, there are warships patrolling the Bay of Bengal, the Malacca Straits, the Andaman Sea, the southern and the central Indian Ocean Region, the Gulf of Aden and the Persian Gulf.

Additionally, following maritime security incidents, a combat-ready warship has also been deployed on Operation Sankalp since June 2019 for protection of Indian merchant vessels passing through the Persian Gulf.

"Being a network-enabled force, the Navy maintains total awareness of the IOR by using the IFC-IOR (Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region), ships on Mission Based Deployments, P-8I and Dornier surveillance aircraft and other high-end surveillance tools," a senior government official said.

Near-coast surveillance is also coordinated by the Indian Navy by coordinating the resources of nearly 20 government agencies to draw an electronic fence over our coastline, to deter any 26/11-type incident.

After Chinese People Liberation Army's activities in eastern Ladakh increased in the months of May and June, culminating in June 15 clashes in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, the chiefs of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force are meeting on a daily basis to coordinate the joint response.

Since then, the Indian Navy has been at the forefront of strategic signalling to the Chinese forces.

Signing of the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement in June with Australia gave the Indian Navy access to the strategically located Cocos and Keeling Islands in the southern Indian Ocean, which will enable ships and aircraft to keep watch on Chinese Navy ships and submarines entering the Indian Ocean Region.

Similarly, the agreement provides Australian ships and aircraft access to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, to extend their reach into the South China Sea.

The Indian Navy conducted four joint exercises with foreign navies during the Galwan crisis to signal intent to the Chinese Communist Party Navy.

The India-Indonesia coordinated patrol was conducted along the maritime boundary line on June 15 by ships and aircraft of both nations, while Japanese and Indian Navy ships also jointly exercised in the Indian Ocean Region on June 27.

Passage exercises were also conducted with French Navy in June and between the Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet and US Navy's Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in July.

These joint exercises were an affirmation of the resolve of the global comity against China's recent aggressions. The combination of joint resolve on the Line of Actual Control coupled with strategic signalling at sea seems to have had the desired effect, for now.

With the disengagement at Ladakh slowing down, the Indian armed forces are aware that this could be long drawn-out affair.

"Adequate operational tempo tempered with maintenance of readiness of men and materiel is the order of the day," the official said.

While the Indian Army mobilised on a war-footing in Ladakh and other areas along the LAC, the Air Force has forward deployed its top-of-the-line aircraft.

Indian Navy deployed the P8I Poseidon aircraft to Ladakh to provide valuable intelligence on PLA's mobilisation on the LAC.

"Aptly named after the Greek god of the sea, the P-8I is an all-weather aircraft with latest sensors and weapons, and is a maritime domination platform," said a senior government official.

The cutting-edge performance of the aircraft has now prompted the Indian Navy to place orders for another 10 of these aircraft, which will soon increase its inventory to 18.

The Indian Navy is now set to induct the carrier-borne strike aircraft Mig-29K to fly combat air patrols along with Indian Air Force jets in Ladakh - a credit to the joint pilot training programme of the Indian armed forces.

(Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at sumit.k@ians.in)
WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump has signed executive orders halting all transactions with popular Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat, terming them a 'threat to the national security and to the country's economy'. The ban comes into effect in 45 days, Trump said in his two separate executive orders signed on August 6.

In a communique, Trump said the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by the companies in China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the country. "At this time, the order takes action to address one mobile application in particular, TikTok," he said in a statement.

The order recalled the Indian action on banning the app and stated, "The Government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country. In a statement, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they (the Chinese apps) were 'stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.'

India was the first country to ban TikTok and WeChat, citing national security concerns. India has banned as many as 106 Chinese apps, a move welcomed by both the Trump administration and the US lawmakers.

"TikTok, a video-sharing mobile application owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd, automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users," the US President quipped. "This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage," Trump alleged.

TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, the president said.

"To deal with this threat, the order prohibits, beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd. (a.K.A. Zijie Tiaodong), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in which any such company has any interest, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary)," Trump said.

In a separate executive order, Trump said WeChat, a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd., reportedly has over one billion users worldwide, including users in the United States. "Like TikTok, WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users - threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information," he said.

WeChat also captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives, he alleged.

"WeChat, like TikTok, also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party," Trump said.

In recent weeks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused TikTok of collecting personal information of Americans.

TikTok has previously stressed that its US user data is already stored on US-based servers and backed up in Singapore, and is therefore not subject to Chinese law as some US officials have feared.
Mr. Kenneth Nana Kwame Asamoah, acting National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP) has been honoured by World Diplomatic Federation and institute for Environment for his eminence contribution towards the fight of Coronavirus in the country.



President of the group, Dr. Christian Kwetey Kweitsu lauded Kenneth Nana Kwame Asamoah for his outstanding contribution to the fight against COVID-19.



Nana Kwame Asamoah together with his party distributed relief items to some deprived areas across the country during the early stages of the outbreak.



His gesture was appreciated by many who described him as a promising young politician.



Citation



You draw an uncommon strength from giving, and that strength will always attract that which your heart deeply longs to accomplish. May the touch and affection you have for philanthropy continue to bring you satisfaction and reward your labour mightily.



Your love for humanity and philanthropic lifestyle is a resource of generosity in all its forms, giving gifts of time, talent and treasure to help make life better for others. Your fervent response to a nation worthy cause as such makes you one of the true patriots of our time.



In accordance with our aspirations, the World Diplomatic Federation WODIF in affiliation with Institute for Sustainable Environment and Public Health ISEPH Rectitude International Mission, and Research Institute for Infectious Disease Control RIIDCO proclaim this day of the WORLD DIPLOMATIC COVID-19 EMINENCE HONORS as an extraordinary section to confer on you, the; CORDIS CARITATIVA HONORS [Charitable Heart Honors] to uphold your business and personal integrity. This was compiled in a citation given to him at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Identity and access management in 2022 - what will the future look like?

As we enter into 2022, there is still a level of uncertainty in place. Its unclear what the future holds, as companies around the world still contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote working has been encouraged by most organisations and the move to a hybrid working system has become business as usual, for the majority of businesses. Some have reduced their office space or done away with their locations altogether. Following best security practices With all this change in place, there are problems to deal with. According to research, 32.7% of IT admins say they are concerned about employees using unsecured networks to carry out that work. Alongside this, 74% of IT admins thought that remote work makes it harder for employees to follow best security practices. This need to manage security around remote work is no longer temporary. Instead, companies have to build permanent strategies around remote work and security. The coming year will also create a different landscape for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Here are some key predictions for next year and what to start preparing for in 2022: The reality of SMB spending around security will hit home SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working SMBs had to undertake significant investments to adapt to remote working, especially in comparison to their size. They had to undertake significant digital transformation projects that made it possible to deliver services remotely, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weve seen a shift in mindset for these companies, which are now more tech-focused in their approach to problem solving. According to our research, 45% of SMBs plan to increase their spending towards IT services in 2022. Around half of all organisations think their IT budgets are adequate for their needs, while 14.5% of those surveyed believe they will need more, to cover all that needs to be done. Identity management spending to support remote work For others, the COVID-19 pandemic led to over-spending, just to get ahead of things and they will spend in 2022, looking at what they should keep and what they can reduce their spending on. Areas like identity management will stay in place, as companies struggle to support remote work and security, without this in place. However, on-premise IT spending will be reduced or cut, as those solutions are not relevant for the new work model. Services that rely on on-premise IT will be cut or replaced. The device will lead the way for security We rely on our phones to work and to communicate. In 2022, they will become central to how we manage access, to all our assets and locations, IT and physical. When employees can use company devices and their own phones for work, security is more difficult. IT teams have to ensure that theyre prepared for this, by making sure that these devices can be trusted. Wide use of digital certificates and strong MFA factors Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication There are multiple ways that companies can achieve this, for example - By using digital certificates to identify company devices as trusted, an agent, or strong MFA factors, like a FIDO security key or mobile push authentication. Whichever approach you choose, this can prevent unauthorised access to IT assets and applications, and these same devices can be used for authentication into physical locations too. Rather than requiring a separate smart card or fingerprint reader, devices can be used for access using push authentication. Understanding human behaviour Alongside this, it is important to understand human behaviour. Anything that introduces an extra step for authentication can lead to employees taking workarounds. To stop this, it is important to put an employee education process in place, in order to emphasize on the importance of security. The next step is to think about adopting passwordless security, to further reduce friction and increase adoption. Lastly, as devices become the starting point for security and trust, remote device management will be needed too. More companies will need to manage devices remotely, from wiping an asset remotely if it gets lost or stolen, through to de-provisioning users easily and removing their access rights, when they leave the company. Identity will be a layer cake Zero Trust approaches to security Identity management relies on being able to trust that someone is who they say they are. Zero Trust approaches to security can support this effectively, particularly when aligned with least privilege access models. In order to turn theory into practical easy-to-deploy steps, companies need to use contextual access, as part of their identity management strategy. This involves looking at the context that employees will work in and putting together the right management approach for those circumstances. For typical employee behaviour, using two factor authentication might be enough to help them work, without security getting in the way. How enterprises manage, access and store identity data There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time For areas where security is more important, additional security policies can be put over the top, to ensure that only the right people have access. A step-up in authentication can be added, based on the sensitivity of resources or risk-based adaptive authentication policies might be needed. There will also be a shift in how enterprises manage, access, and store that identity data over time, so that it aligns more closely with those use cases. Identity management critical to secure assets in 2022 There are bigger conversations taking place around digital identity for citizenship, as more services move online as well. Any moves that take place in this arena will affect how businesses think about their identity management processes too, encouraging them to look at their requirements in more detail. Overall, 2022 will be the year when identity will be critical to how companies keep their assets secure and their employees productive. With employees working remotely and businesses becoming decentralised, identity strategies will have to take the same approach. This will put the emphasis on strong identity management as the starting point for all security planning.
Spooky was how Dr. Rebecca Amer described Hamiltons nearly empty hospitals as staff waited for the worst while COVID-19 spread to every corner of the city.

It was kind of strange for the first couple of months, said the respirologist at St. Josephs Healthcare Hamilton. Wed come into the hospital and it was spooky because we had only one-third of our normal inpatient volumes and people were staying away ... We kept bracing ourselves for this huge tsunami of patients.

The citys normally overcrowded hospitals scrambled to make more than 1,500 beds available for a potential surge of the virus.

If we did get overwhelmed, it would be impossible to care for anyone, said Sharri Faugh, a registered nurse in the intensive care unit at Hamilton General. We tried scenarios on how to work with one nurse (caring for) six patients on life support. I dont care how much you pretend or practise, its not doable.

St. Josephs and Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) emptied out their acute care sites by discharging patients to the community, cancelling the majority of elective surgeries and moving clinics online. They identified unconventional spaces for overflow and even planned potential temporary hospital sites.

Its pretty safe to say everybody had a heightened element of anxiety just because were all seeing the same information coming through the news of what is happening in other countries  at the same time not really knowing what it was going to mean in our situation, said Frances Garner, a physiotherapist who works with COVID patients at St. Josephs. Its the fear of not knowing what were dealing with.

HHS alone prepared for a worst-case scenario of 1,000 infected patients in hospital, including 400 needing critical care.

Staff at both St. Joseph's and Hamilton General say they never ran out of masks, N95 respirators, gowns, gloves or caps, but there was always a fear that when they needed the protection the most, it wouldn't be there. Courtesy of Hamilton Health Sciences

There has been a whole lot of effort trying to get everything prepared in anticipation of whatever may come, said Garner. Youre waiting for that wave and not knowing when its coming.

In the end, fewer than 150 patients were hospitalized in Hamilton over the first four months of the pandemic.

The community did a great job in keeping away and distancing and abiding by all the public health guidelines, said Amer. We just hope they continue to do that because its definitely not over, not by a long shot. Its still in the community. We have to be prepared to deal with this for the next couple of years.

The Spectator interviewed 10 hospital staff working on the COVID-19 units at Hamilton General and the Charlton Campus of St. Josephs.

They had one clear message as the province increasingly reopens:

People still have to be careful, said Faugh. You can still get sick from this. Theres a lot less cases, its getting better, but its not gone. Right now, our hospital is in a good position, but if a second wave happens because they open up, it could be bad again.

Many worry the worst scenarios they planned for back when the first case of the virus landed in Hamilton and Halton on March 11 could still happen here.

Please, please, please abide by the public-health guidelines so we can keep the volumes down as much as we can, said Amer. Its heartbreaking seeing people in the community thinking this is over and not wearing masks, going out in groups and not socially distancing. Its really frustrating to see that when youve seen patients in the hospital suffer.

Staff remain on guard for the worst even as they get back to booking elective surgeries, opening up clinics and filling beds again to deal with a massive backlog of postponed care.

We all have a certain degree of relief that it hasnt presented itself at the level we were all fearing  that we would be in the same situation as New York City and Italy, said Garner. We havent been pushed to the point that it has tapped out our resources.

"It's a whole different type of nursing," said Brenda Erskine, charge nurse in the COVID-19 unit at St. Joseph's. "You're used to, as soon as someone calls, you go into the room and help them. Now you're trying to make sure you're doing as much as you can for them while you're in the room." Courtesy of Hamilton Health Sciences

However, she said, there is still that element of, What if? On the second wave, is it potentially going to push us to that point?

The staff know first-hand the toll the first wave took  and that was with fewer than one-tenth of the patients predicated in the worst-case scenario.

Its hell actually, Faugh said about nursing when you have to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and limit your exposure to COVID-19.

You cant go in the room when youd like to, she describes. You cant even really go in every hour because then youre wasting PPE if you do. You have to cluster your care. Maybe you only go in that room two or three times in 12 hours. You dont feel like youre giving the best care. Youre looking at somebody through a window.

She said if patients were in obvious distress, staff wouldnt hesitate to go into the room. But they cant provide the small comforts.

Theyre cold or they need a drink of water, that is not happening. Im not coming in there for that, said Faugh. Its awful to watch somebody through glass.

Staff came up with innovative solutions to watch patients while outside of the room, such as using baby monitors and finding ways to remotely adjust intravenous (IV) settings.

Its a whole different type of nursing, said Brenda Erskine, charge nurse in the COVID-19 unit at St. Josephs. Youre used to, as soon as someone calls, you go into the room and help them. Now youre trying to make sure youre doing as much as you can for them while youre in the room.

The clustering of care has a lot to do with preserving PPE. Staff at both St. Josephs and Hamilton General say they never ran out of masks, N95 respirators, gowns, gloves or caps, but there was always a fear that when they needed the protection the most, it wouldnt be there.

It has been on our mind since the beginning, said Corry Koning, a nurse on the COVID-19 unit at Hamilton General. We were hearing, There is no supplies of this and no supplies of that. The first thing you hear is: Conserve PPE, conserve PPE, conserve PPE. Its always in the back of your mind that you dont want to be wasting anything.

The "Wild West" is how PPE procurement has often been described during the pandemic and staff were keenly aware of the dire situation. Graham Paine/Torstar

The Wild West is how PPE procurement has often been described during the pandemic and staff were keenly aware of the dire situation.

The supplies were low and they were low globally so its not as if we could get them from somewhere else, said Kathryn Runstedler, registered respiratory therapist at Hamilton General.

The stress, fear, worry and what ifs weighed on staff as they also coped with a drastically different way of working that was a constantly moving target.

Some hospital staff have described it as the most difficult time of their entire career.

Lots of people have cried and broken down through this for various reasons, said Faugh. I think its the stuff theyre having to deal with: the fear of bringing it home to their family; feeling ostracized because we work there and frustration over not being able to do your job properly.

She describes the loneliness of being a health-care worker on the front lines during a pandemic.

Youre extremely ostracized, let me tell you, she said. Our friends, theyre starting to socialize and we are suspiciously absent from the invite list, and I know its because I work here. Life is going back to normal for everybody except for us.

Throughout the pandemic, staff have had to care for each other as much as their patients.

The support for each other is phenomenal, said Faugh. Our team working together amid all the unknowns.

Raju Gokhruwala said she only made it through with the help of her colleagues.

Without that support, I dont think Id be able to work, said Gokhruwala, who cleaned the COVID-19 unit at St. Josephs.

Gokhruwala and the rest of the environmental services team faced crushing pressure during the pandemic because their job kept the staff safe from exposure.

They have to be in and out of those rooms many times during the day, said Garner. Everybody else in the hospital is relying on them that they are disinfecting everything appropriately.

The long-awaited surge finally did come when 63 patients from the Rosslyn Retirement Residence were hospitalized  the majority of them on May 15  as the retirement home on King Street East was evacuated. The residents were split between the two adult hospitals caring for COVID-19 patients, with 35 going to St. Josephs and 28 to Hamilton General.

It was very much on short notice that we heard the entire retirement home would be unloaded onto the Hamilton General and St. Joes, said Dr. Jason Cheung, an internist at St. Josephs. With the volume of patients who were going to be admitted, we needed all hands on deck.

Doctors, a variety of health-care workers and administrators stayed all night to help with the evacuation.

"It was very much on short notice that we heard the entire retirement home would be unloaded onto the Hamilton General and St. Joe's," said Dr. Jason Cheung, an internist at St. Joseph's, about the May evacuation of the Rosslyn Retirement Residence. "With the volume of patients who were going to be admitted, we needed all hands on deck." Cathie Coward/The Hamilton Spectator

The big thing was not knowing how sick these residents could be, said Cheung. We knew they were older, they were in retirement homes so they probably had some degree of medical co-morbidities, so the uncertainty was definitely in the back of our minds as to what we were going to be faced with.

More patients were admitted at once than most of the staff  including Cheung  had ever experienced in their careers. The Rosslyn residents account for nearly half  roughly 44 per cent  of those ever hospitalized for COVID in Hamilton.

We knew we had the capacity in the ward, but was the intensive care unit going to be overwhelmed? said Cheung. That was the thing that was really going through our minds. When the night was all said and done, I dont think there were that many of them that were that ill, thankfully.

The long-awaited surge finally did come when 63 patients from the Rosslyn Retirement Residence were hospitalized ? the majority of them on May 15 ? as the retirement home on King Street East was evacuated. John Rennison/Hamilton Spectator file photo

So far, summer has seen the COVID units empty out again to the point where there were no positive patients at Hamilton General or St. Josephs for a stretch starting on July 7. There have been fewer than five COVID-19 patients in hospital for the majority of the month.

It has left staff feeling cautiously optimistic.

I think we can beat this, said Erskine. Well get through it, but its going to take time.

However, time requires patience, which is something staff worry the public is starting to lose.

A lot of people say, I just want to go back to normal, said Erskine. I think this is a new normal.

She stresses that fear cant run our lives but we still have to be respectful of the disease process.

Just because people dont see the positive cases now doesnt mean we stop what were doing, it means were on the right path, she said. Were keeping our numbers flat, which makes it hard because people sometimes feel its not as serious as it can be.

Staff are right to be worried. Upticks in COVID-19 cases started in July in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, which are ahead of Ontario in reopening and had been seen as model examples of how to manage the pandemic. The spike has been partly blamed on young adults going to restaurants, bars and indoor parties.

I think people need to know it can still make you quite sick, said Koning. Despite the fact that the province is reopening, I want people to be aware of washing your hands, wearing your mask and being courteous to other people out in public.

Those are things that make me the most nervous, she said, (because) I know people arent doing it.

But Koning said that hospital staff, want you to stay at home with your family and not be here.

Having seen the virus up close, health-care workers know first-hand its vast range from mild illness to deadly.

It is a scary infection, said Cheung. It seems to be here for the foreseeable future and until we have some more definitive interventions like vaccines, I think we should all make sure we are complying with the advice of our medical officer to wear masks when in public and make sure we are practising social distancing.

While some groups, like those in congregate living and seniors, are more vulnerable, health-care workers emphasize no one can predict who will be hardest hit.

Even though people may feel like they are young and strong ... we really do need to keep following the recommendations as best we can, said Garner.

Canadians have shown throughout the pandemic that we have a social conscience, said Dr. Zahira Khalid, an internist who worked on the COVID-19 unit at St. Josephs.

If we look out for each other, that speaks volumes and does volumes for us to build and sustain a resilience, she said. That has actually helped us survive this and keep our numbers so low.
On Monday, General Motors submitted court documents showing that Fiat Chrysler gave United Auto Workers officials tens of millions of dollars in previously unreported bribes as part a massive criminal operation.

Private investigators working for GM have uncovered evidence of offshore bank accounts in Switzerland, Panama, Singapore, Lichtenstein and the Cayman Islands set up for the benefit of top UAW officials, including four of the last five UAW presidents. The secret accounts were part of a sophisticated scheme by Fiat Chrysler to funnel millions of dollars in illegal payments to union officers for their services in betraying workers.

These revelations point to a scale and extent of corruption within the UAW even greater than the findings of the federal investigation into bribery and kickbacks. So far, that investigation has led to the conviction of more than a dozen people, mostly UAW and Fiat Chrysler management officials.

The list of UAW officials now serving jail time includes former UAW President Gary Jones and former UAW vice presidents Joe Ashton and Norwood Jewell. Acting UAW President Rory Gamble is also under federal investigation for taking kickbacks.

GM launched the investigation as part of an attempt to reopen its lawsuit against FCA, claiming the payments to the UAW gave its rival an unfair advantage in contract negotiations. If GM felt it had to go to the courts, it is because the UAWs corruption grew to such an extent that it undermined its own corporate interests.

The new court filings include evidence that Ashton served as a direct agent of FCA on the GM Board of Directors as part of a scheme codenamed Operation Cylinder aimed at forcing GM into a merger with FCA.

However, the real victim of this conspiracy was not GM, but the workers, who suffered devastating job losses and concessions.

Revealed in these documents is the fact that the UAW is not simply an agent of management in the exploitation of the working class, but direct participants and beneficiaries.

The bribery operation took place on a vast scale, with millions of dollars funneled through a sophisticated system of hiding transactions. The people doing this were not amateurs. For an operation of this size and sophistication, corruption is an inadequate term.

These documents expose the UAW as a criminal syndicate. If they are able to carry out crimes on this scale, who knows what else they are capable of? Suffice it to say that in 2018, a 21-year-old worker named Jacoby Hennings walked into a UAW office to make a complaint and did not walk out of the plant alive.

Criminality emerges from the very social being of this organization. These bribes were not an accident, a wart on an otherwise healthy organization. A whole system of oppression and exploitation finds its expression in these crimes.

As early as 1984 the Workers League, forerunner of the Socialist Equality Party (US), pointed to the development of corporatism in the UAW, warning of a parallel to Mussolinis labor syndicates in fascist Italy. At that time, the UAW openly embraced the principle of union-management collaboration.

This led to the setting up of various joint programs and joint training centers, starting in the mid- to late 1980s, that served as a conduit for the funneling of corporate cash into the coffers of the UAW to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Corporatism grew naturally out of the nationalist and pro-capitalist program of the unions. Under conditions of the increasingly globally integrated character of production, the national-based strategy of achieving reforms proved worthless. In response, the UAW served up racist anti-foreigner demagogy combined with unbridled support for American capitalism. The UAW suppressed strikes and any form of resistance by workers to increased exploitation.

During the 1980s the UAW and other unionsthe United Steelworkers, United Mineworkers, Teamsters, United Food and Commercial Workersisolated and betrayed one strike after another and agreed to massive concession contracts. By the early 1990s, it was clear that a qualitative change had taken place in the relation of the unions to the working class.

The Workers League concluded that the unions could no longer be called workers organizations. The Russian revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky, writing in the 1930s, said of the leaders of the old American Federation of Labor, Should these gentlemen  defend the income of the bourgeoisie from attacks on the part of the workers; should they conduct a struggle against strikes, against the raising of wages, against help to the unemployed [in other words what the UAW and all unions do today] then we would have an organization of scabs, and not a trade union.

This is precisely the role of the UAW and the unions as a whole today. They are in the truest sense an organization of scabs.

For exposing this reality, the World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party have come under relentless attack by all the middle-class groups of the pseudo-left such as the Democratic Socialists of America, Jacobin Magazine and Labor Notes.

Those who talk about the UAW and other unions as working-class organizations not only show themselves as completely removed from reality, but also display their indifference to the plight of workers who find themselves under the thumb of these gangsters.

All of the middle-class apologists for the unions stand exposed by the UAWs corruption. They have their own insidious relationship with this system of exploitation. In an objective sense, it serves their interests.

The new exposures further confirm the urgent need to build independent workplace and factory committees under the democratic control of workers.

The UAW is collaborating with the auto companies to suppress opposition to the return to full production at North American auto plants in the midst of a deadly pandemic, even as management has abandoned the most minimal safety protocols. This has led to hundreds of infections, with the actual count being covered up by management and the UAW. More than two dozen workers have died at plants operated by the Detroit automakers.

Workers should recall the fact that the temporary shutdown of North American auto production last March only came about through wildcat actions taken by workers in the US, Canada and Mexico in defiance of the unions.

The fight to build independent rank-and-file safety committees at plants and workplaces must be expanded. Workers should follow the initiative taken by autoworkers in the Detroit area at Fiat Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly, Sterling Heights Assembly, Toledo Jeep and the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant, where safety committees have already been established.

A national and global network of these committees must be built uniting autoworkers with logistics workers, transportation workers, teachers, service workers and all sections of the working class to prepare a general strike for safe workplace conditions and the shutdown of non-essential production until the pandemic is contained.

The fight against the homicidal policy of the ruling class in relation to the pandemic requires a fight against capitalism. It means a confrontation with the Trump administration and the whole corporate-backed two-party political setup in the US.

In this struggle, workers confront in the gangsters in the UAW their bitterest opponents.
After a steep decline of over 50 per cent in Q2, the India smartphone market is set for a gradual recovery in the second half as the country enters the festive season, the India said on Friday.

The online channel registered a high market share of 44.8 per cent in June quarter but declined 39.9 per cent (YoY) in unit terms due to lockdown restrictions on the delivery of electronics as well as severely limited stock for most of the quarter.

"The surge in demand is expected to continue throughout the first half of 3Q20 (third quarter) as well, requiring a steady supply of devices in the market," said Navkendar Singh, Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, India.

expects the market to show signs of recovery in the second half of the year, as the country approaches the festive quarter, with the majority of the consumers looking to buy low-end and mid-range devices.

However, this will be dependent on brand marketing and channel initiatives, especially by eTailers during the festive sales.

"Brand initiatives around multi or hybrid channel strategies will also play a key role as offline partners and brands will be looking for pockets of growth in these crucial next few months," explained Singh.

Overall, the June quarter saw a sharp year-over-year decline of (-50.6 per cent) in the second quarter to 18.2 million units, as the country remained under lockdown through the first half of the quarter.

Many offline channel partners adopted new ways of marketing by reaching out to consumers through social media platforms, WhatsApp, references, etc., for doorstep demos and deliveries, as well as accepting contactless payments.

"However, these initiatives were limited to big and medium-size retail outlets in metros and Tier 1/2 cities, and was not able to arrest the steep annual decline of -56.8 per cent for the offline channel," said Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

The average selling price of remained flat at $161 in the second quarter in the country. The sub-$200 segment reached a high of 84 per cent share due to dampening consumer sentiment.

Xiaomi continued to lead with total shipments of 5.4 million in despite falling (-48.7 per cent) YoY.

Samsung surpassed vivo for the second slot despite a strong YoY decline of (-48.5 per cent) in 2Q20 to 4.8 million units.

Vivo slipped to the third position, with shipments of 3.2 million units, declining by (-42.9 per cent), said the IDC report.

--IANS

na/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Chaldean patriarch joins the Maronite Church, which will hold a day of fasting and prayer tomorrow. Card al-Rahi urges the faithful to take part in the day of recollection and repentance for a "wounded nation". India offers her solidarity. The Holy Land will send offerings to the needy. The World Council of Churches extends its compassion to the victims. AsiaNews continues its campaign to "Help devasted Beirut".

Beirut (AsiaNews)  From Iraq to the Holy Land, the worldwide Church stands in solidarity with Lebanon, with the dead and wounded of the explosions, in a country that tomorrow will observe a day of fasting and prayer in mourning, as noted by the Maronite bishops.

In a press release issued at the end of their monthly meeting, the bishops said that tomorrow, Saturday, will be dedicated to "repentance" and "prayer" for a "wounded nation". In their statement, the prelates call for prayers for the comfort of the souls of the martyrs and their families. We work with the sacrifice necessary for the common good to rebuild a country based on" freedom, brotherhood and the rule of law.

The Church in Iraq too plans to take part in the day of fasting and prayer. In a statement issued by the Chaldean Patriarchate, Primate Card Louis Raphael Sako urges "all sons and daughters" to "join Card al-Rahi in a special prayer for the "victims of the Beirut port disaster".

Expressing "closeness to our diocese" in the Lebanese capital, the Chaldean patriarch invokes the protection "of God for Lebanon, Iraq and the peoples of the region".

Through Card Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Bombay (Mumbai), the Church in India sent her condolences, expressing the "solidarity" of Indian Catholics for the people of Lebanon, represented by the Maronite Patriarch Card Bechara al-Rahi.

Speaking to AsiaNews, Sister Marie Gemma, prioress of the cloistered monastery of Baroda, Gujarat, also in India, said that "all the cloistered nuns will rise for the people of Beirut in their pain and sorrow. This will transform their suffering into a source of consolation.

People in the Diocese of Jerusalem and across the Holy Land will pray for the Lebanese people, said Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Our thoughts and prayers today go to the Lebanese brothers and sisters, struck by the terrible disaster, reads his statement.

In every parish and every church of our Diocese - including the chapels of religious institutes and those not open to the public, [. . .] we will pray in a particular way for the victims, their families and for the many wounded, invoking the mercy of God on all this and the following Sunday (9 and 16 August).

Offerings collected during Eucharistic celebrations will be sent to the Latin Apostolic Vicar of Beirut, His Excellency Monsignor Cesar Esseyan, and will be given to the Lebanese population.

In an official statement, the Council of Heads of Catholic Churches announced prayers for the souls of the victims, for the healing of the wounded and for the stability and prosperity of Lebanon ".

The World Council of Churches (WCC), an ecumenical organisation of 349 member Churches, sends its condolences, offering prayers for the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy and pray for a swift recovery to the thousands who are injured as well as for the rescue teams.

In a letter to its member Churches, WCC interim general secretary Rev Prof Dr Ioan Sauca expressed deep compassion and solidarity with the victims, calling for Gods love and grace for the people who need all possible humanitarian aid to survive this tragedy.

Finally, Bishop Ruperto Santos, vice-chairman of the Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, voiced his sorrow for the Beirut tragedy. Its very sad, tragic news, said the prelate. Our hearts are with them, one with Lebanon in spirits and prayers.

According to early reports, eight Filipinos were caught up in the event. Over the coming days, Masses will be celebrated for the dead and injured.

In order to help the people of Beirut and Lebanon, as well as Caritas Lebanon, AsiaNews is launching a campaign to Help devastated Beirut. Those who want to contribute can make a donation to:

PIME Foundation:

- International Bank Account Number (IBAN): IT78C0306909606100000169898

- Bank Identifier Code (BIC): BCITITMM

- Reason for transfer: AN04  HELP DEVASTATED BEIRUT
KABUL - A traditional council met Friday in Kabul to decide whether to release a final 400 Taliban prisoners, the last hurdle to negotiations between Afghanistans political leadership and the Taliban under a peace deal the insurgents signed with the United States earlier this year.

The meeting of the council of elders, known as Loya Jirga, was initially expected to last three days but could end as early as Saturday.

The Kabul-Taliban negotiations are seen as a critical step toward lasting peace in Afghanistan and a roadmap to what the country might look like after decades of war, with the Taliban joining the political mainstream. They are also to decide what constitutional changes would be made in a post-war Afghanistan, and how the rights of women and minorities would be protected.

The negotiations would also determine the fate of the tens of thousands of heavily armed men on both sides of the conflict  the Taliban on one side, and the warlords and armed militias loyal to Kabul on the other.

The Taliban have rejected Fridays gathering in Kabul, claiming it had no legal status. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement late Thursday saying the 400 prisoners had to be released if peace talks with the Taliban were to move forward.

We acknowledge that the release of these prisoners is unpopular, Pompeo said. But this difficult action will lead to an important result long sought by Afghans and Afghanistans friends: reduction of violence and direct talks resulting in a peace agreement and an end to the war.

If the council agrees to free the 400 Taliban  the last batch of prisoners whose release the insurgents have demanded under the U.S.-Taliban accord from February  talks between Kabul and the Taliban could begin as early as Monday.

A survey circulated at the Loya Jirga on Friday put the choice bluntly: decide to free the Taliban prisoners and talks could begin on Monday, or refuse and the war would continue. If the Taliban are freed, direct talks could be followed by a lasting cease-fire.

The Loya Jirga, which is expected to cost the cash-strapped Afghanistan $4.5 million, is being attended by several thousand participants even as the Health Ministry earlier this week said as many as half of Kabuls residents have been infected with the coronavirus. The true figures are believed to far surpass the more than 36,900 officially reported cases, including 1,298 deaths.

The Afghan health minister, Jawad Osmani, recently said as many as 10 million people  a third of Afghanistans population  have been infected.

In his statement, Pompeo said the Taliban had also committed to significantly reduce violence and casualties during the talks.

Since the U.S.-Taliban deal in February, the Taliban have not attacked American and NATO troops, but have continued to wage war on Afghan security forces. The U.S. and NATO have also begun withdrawing some troops in line with the agreement.

The deal calls on the Taliban to guarantee that Afghanistan will not be used as a staging ground for attacks on the United States or its allies. The withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops hinges on the Taliban meeting those commitments and not on a positive outcome to negotiations between the Taliban and Kabuls political leadership.

The deal also called on Kabul to free 5,000 Taliban while the insurgents were to free 1,000 government and military personnel.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has so far freed all but 400 of the Taliban prisoners, insisting on a traditional council to decide their release, saying their crimes were too serious for him to decide on alone.

At the council on Friday, Abdullah Abdullah, who was made head of the High Council for National Reconciliation to end political infighting in Kabul, took over the leadership of the Loya Jirga from its previous head, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a warlord.

Sayyaf  a deeply conservative ally of Ghanis and an inspiration for the Philippine terrorist group Abu Sayyaf  urged the participants to not create obstacles to peace, without elaborating.

Ghani told the participants they must decide one way or another on the 400 Taliban prisoners.

It is time to decide, Ghani said, urging the participants to decide quickly.

___

Gannon reported from Islamabad.

Read more about:
Israeli hackers developed new mobile apps that can fight domestic violence and prevent future abuse by alerting women about potential signs from their husbands or partners. According to Wired's latest report, using technology as a tracker to stop domestic violence is trickier than it sounds.

pic.twitter.com/jbhdBvChSW Coffee Talk with Shirli Shavit, Director NA'AMAT Israel for an update on domestic violence in Israel and how we are working to change the current climate - Link to Register is NOW live!! - https://t.co/KROAD0wP0d  naamatpgh (@naamatpgh) August 3, 2020

Also Read: Russian-Speaking Threat Actor Leaked 1,800 Pulse VPN Servers and Login Details in Hackers' Forum

The rising number of social media platforms and smartphone gadgets allowed abusers to easily control, isolate, and monitor their victims. A digital privacy and security researcher at Cornell who works with the Clinic to End tech Abuse in New York, Diana Freed, explained that potential apps might be hard to trust nowadays.

Also Read: China Requires Players to Use Their Real Name in Online Games as Real-Name Verification System to Be Launched by September

She said that although these apps are hidden on the victim's phone, which can alert the authorities with just a single tap, it is still challenging to identify if they have a safety device. Diana also said that people should be aware of the factor of security of their emergency apps.

"We're always concerned about the safety of the client and what the abuser might know," said Diana.

There are also other apps that help women to get rid of any connection they have with their previous abusive partner. In 2019, "Tech Disconnect checklist" was launched to allow victims to exit dangerous relationships by making sure that there are no potential harmful links from their ex-husband or ex-partner after they broke up.

The new apps that can prevent future domestic abuse: Here's how they work

The "Forum's Hackathon" promising set of new technologies can help prevent domestic violence, dividing the different types of initiatives into three segments. The first one will tackle the prevention, studying a nationwide database to look for potential signs of systemic, unreported abuse in the education and healthcare systems. MedFlag was introduced to identify signs of repeated abuse among clinic and hospital patients by analyzing medical records.

The second one will focus on life-threatening emergencies. One of the hackathon's winners is "Stay Tuned," which allows victims to alert authorities about ongoing abuse without touching their device. The app can notify the police, and other contact numbers on the phone by sending them the alarming noises recorded using machine intelligence and voice recognition tech.



The third one will focus on technologies that can prevent domestic abuse before they even happen. A smartphone violence detector called "Aware," uses an algorithm that observes the phone owner's daily usage patterns. Once the app learns its owner's usual phone activity, it can identify if an abuser is using it. It can detect if spyware is being installed, contacts are being blocked or deleted, and the owner's male Facebook friends are removed. These new apps can help not only the women in Israel but also those facing domestic abuse across the globe, male or female.



For more life-changing technologies, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Also Read: How to Easily Password Protect a PDF from Data Breach

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has released Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari from home quarantine of past 6 days which sparked off a huge row, officials said here on Friday.

In a late night order, BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner P. Velrasu has permitted Tiwari to be released from home quarantine.

The development came after the wrote to the BMC on Thursday that Tiwari should be exempt from home quarantine to facilitate his return to his home state to resume duties.

The also pointed out that he was no longer required in Mumbai and his arrival period was within 7 days.

The BMC has asked Tiwari to leave Mumbai by August 8.

Tiwari, an IPS officer of 2015 batch, had arrived here from Patna on August 2, to probe the case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death.

However, as per the Covid-19 protocols, he was shunted to home quarantine at the SRPF Guest House in Goregaon as cried foul and the BMC said it was merely following due procedures in the matter.

--IANS

qn/pgh

(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.)
Here are some of todays top headlines from select sources around the world.

REVEALED: New York prosecutors got Trumps records from Deutsche Bank Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance obtained the records through subpoena last year Vance is investigating potential crimes in Trumps business dealings New York AG Letitia James also subpoenaed the Deutsche Bank records James plans a mysterious major national announcement on Thursday New York prosecutors were able to obtain Donald Trumps financial records from Deutche Bank last year, it has been revealed, as the states attorney general plans a mysterious major announcement on Thursday.

Facebook removes post by President Trump for COVID-19 misinformation For the first time, Facebook took down a video post from Donald Trumps personal page on Wednesday for making false claims about the coronavirus. Trump had uploaded a video of an interview he gave to Fox News earlier Wednesday, in which he falsely stated that children are almost immune from the disease.

Three teens arrested after jumping Mar-a-Lago wall with mini AK-47 Three teenagers have been arrested at Mar-a-Lago while fleeing from police Cops believe they jumped a wall inadvertently while trying to elude Backpack ditched by the teens was found to contain semi-auto gun Teens first ran when cop approached their parked car, initiating the chase Three teenagers fleeing police while carrying a semiautomatic gun in a backpack jumped a wall at President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort, but probably didnt know thats where they were, authorities said Wednesday.

YouTube star Jake Pauls LA home is raided by the FBI FBI and law enforcement officers were seen taking several firearms from Jake Pauls Los Angeles home Aerial footage of the raid showed authorities seizing what appeared to be at least three rifle-style weapons Multiple FBI units dressed in tactical gear stormed the Calabasas property after executing a search warrant A SWAT team was also deployed to gain entry into the stars home, sources told the LA Times Videos from the scene showed heavily-armed feds had arrived at the house in armored trucks A number of U.S.

Dr Fauci says he has hired personal security for his daughters Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that he has had to get security protection after his family received threats and harassment Fauci, his wife Christine Grady and their three adult daughters, Jennifer,34, Megan, 31, and Alison, 28, have all been on the receiving end of the threats Fauci said that his

Modernas vaccine protected mice from coronavirus for 13 WEEKS Modernas vaccine tricks the body into producing some of the viral proteins, which the immune system recognizes and builds a response against mice Researchers gave mice two intramuscular doses, one-microgram each, three weeks apart The rodents were exposed to the virus five weeks and 13 weeks after the second injection, but didnt get sick either time After mice were given just one dose, and then exposed to the virus seven weeks later, they still didnt fall ill Modernas experimental coronavirus vaccine protected mice from infection for several weeks, results published on Wednesday reveals.

How tons of potentially explosive cargo were stranded at Beirut port As Lebanons investigation into the devastating blast in Beirut continues, officials have pointed to a possible cause: A massive shipment of agricultural fertilizer that authorities say was stored in the port of Beirut without safety precautions for years  despite warnings by local officials.

From sea to mountain, how an explosion devastated Beirut The blast created a huge crater where part of Beiruts port used to be. It was also felt beyond the Lebanese capital.

Ammonium nitrate may have sparked the Beirut explosion. It happened in Texas, in 1947, too Lebanons government has blamed a large quantity of poorly stored ammonium nitrate for the huge blast that rocked its capital, Beirut. What is this chemical, and why did it explode?

Live updates on the coronavirus pandemic By Jessie Yeung and Adam Renton, CNN Updated 12:32 a.m. ET, August 6, 2020 From CNNs Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo Japan announced 1,358 new coronavirus cases and four virus-related deaths on Wednesday, as infection numbers soar across the country. The new figures raise the national total to 42,975 total confirmed cases and 1,037 deaths.

Pompeo: Untrusted Chinese apps should be removed from US app stores US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is urging American companies to remove untrusted Chinese-owned technology from their digital networks, as the Trump administration steps up efforts to restrict the reach of Chinese tech in the United States.

Facebook and Twitter removed a Trump video for Covid misinfo  and it revealed something about Fox News Facebook and Twitter took action against President Trump and his campaign Wednesday night over a video posted in which he falsely claimed that children are almost immune to the coronavirus.

Weed is not good for your heart, studies say You may love smoking weed, but it does not love your heart, according to the American Heart Associations new scientific statement on marijuana.

Trump trashes Obamas Lewis eulogy that pressed for voting rights President Donald Trump said Wednesday that former President Barack Obamas eulogy at John Lewis funeral  which at points was aimed at voting rights and the election  was terrible, adding that It showed his anger there that people dont see.

Samsungs new Galaxy Note 20 lineup is more laptop-lite than phone On Wednesday, Samsung took to the stage at its virtual Unpacked event to unveil the latest additions to the Galaxy Note family: the Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. Yes, much like it did with the Galaxy S20 lineup from earlier this year, Samsung has jumped from the Note 10 moniker all the way up to 20 to signify the lines feature upgrades.

Instagram officially launches TikToexcuse us, Reels Instagram launched yet another way to create and share videos on the platform, with this one aimed at TikTok. The Facebook-owned app announced Wednesday morning that its Reels feature has launched widely. It lets you create 15-second clips in the Instagram app and share either to your feed, your story, or a new, dedicated Reels page in the Explore tab.

Why Triller and Snapchat cant beat TikTok (unless Trump actually bans it) The Trump administrations possible ban on TikTok in the U.S. could prove to be a golden opportunity for the viral video apps competitors. This past weekend, President Trump announced that his administration was going to ban TikTok due to national security risks related to its Chinese-parent company, ByteDance.

Facebook removes Trump post for spreading COVID-19 misinformation Facebook, apparently, does have a line. The social media giant removed a video from Donald Trumps official Facebook page on Wednesday. The stated reason, according to a company spokesperson, was that the post spread misinformation about the coronavirus.

Samsungs Galaxy Buds Live are a direct shot at Apples AirPods Pro After weeks of speculation and leaks, Samsung went ahead and officially unveiled its answer to Apples AirPods Pro. Samsung announced its latest earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Live, at its Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday. The bean-shaped wireless buds (which garnered the nickname Galaxy Beans) probably look a little odd if you havent been following all of the leaks.
Very few politicians will ever take the risk of telling their own government how badly it failed, but that is what happened this week when one of Scott Morrisons backbenchers called out years of neglect in aged care.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells gave the Prime Minister and his ministers a brutal assessment of the broken system that is supposed to look after more than 1 million older Australians.

It was a blast of cold air for a government that likes to warm itself with the notion of a job well done in this pandemic, when the job is not nearly over.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is accountable for the blunders in hotel quarantine and the subsequent spread of infection, but the fault lines in aged care run all the way to Canberra. The system was especially vulnerable after years of missed opportunities to mend its weaknesses.
A former top-ranking Saudi intelligence official living in exile in Canada has claimed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a team to kill him in 2018.

Saad al-Jabri, a long-time aide to bin Salman's former rival to the throne Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, made the allegations in a lawsuit filed in a US court on Thursday.

The crown prince - known as MbS - ousted Nayef as heir to the throne in a 2017 palace coup that left him the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.

In a 107-page lawsuit against MbS and 24 others filed in federal court in the District of Columbia, Jabri said the crown prince "dispatched a hit squad" to Canada in October 2018.

bin Salman says he ultimately bears 'full responsibility' for Mr Khashoggi's death / REUTERS

The "hit squad" was comprised of members of a group close to MbS called the Tiger Squad, and they carried two bags of forensic tools and included someone who knew how to clean up crime scenes, according to the lawsuit.

The men "attempted to enter Canada covertly, travelling on tourist visas" and pretended not to know each other, but suspicious border agents found a photo showing several of the men together, "revealing their lie and thwarting their mission," it said.

The alleged incident took place less than two weeks after Saudi agents murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.

Saudi's de facto ruler came under international criticism over Khashoggi's killing / AP

MbS has denied ordering Khashoggi's killing. However, he said he ultimately bears "full responsibility" as the kingdom's de facto leader.

Jabri, who described himself as a long-time ally of U.S. intelligence services, said he filed the suit in the United States in part because the alleged plot against him "involved substantial conduct inside the United States".

Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said he could not comment on allegations before the courts.

"We are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada. It is completely unacceptable," Blair said in a statement sent to Reuters.

Canada's relations with Saudi Arabia have been poor since August 2018, when Ottawa criticised Riyadh over human rights.
Capital One has agreed to pay $80 million to settle federal bank regulators claims that it lacked proper cybersecurity protocols, more than a year after a Seattle-based software engineer hacked into a cloud server and stole customers social security numbers, bank account information and credit card applications, regulators said Thursday.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which oversees large U.S. banks, said in a regulatory filing that the bank had failed to establish proper risk assessment procedures in 2015 after it began using cloud storage technology. Later, its board failed to hold the managers in charge of the area accountable for their neglect.

In addition to the civil penalty, Capital One must come up with plans to improve its security procedures within the next three months, according to a separate regulatory filing by the Federal Reserve, which also has authority over the bank.

The hacker was Paige Thompson, a former Amazon employee who broke into a server hosted by Amazon and then boasted about it in several internet forums. Ms. Thompson was arrested in July 2019 and charged with one count of computer fraud and abuse. Her trial is scheduled to begin in February.
With a goal of strengthening the overall security posture of the Defense Industrial Base, the U.S. Defense Department in January 2020 released the inaugural version of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC), which defines the five levels of cyber maturity that will be incorporated into a limited number of contracts ("Path Finders") for Defense Department procurements in Fall 2020, then gradually rolled out to a broader scope of contracts over the next several years.

The CMMC cyber maturity levels range from Level 1: Basic Cyber Hygiene to Level 5: Advanced/Progressive Cyber Hygiene. For the more than 350,000 entities that make up the Defense Industrial Base, it will require significant effort to comply with these cyber maturity level requirements, which will require validation by an accredited CMMC Third Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO).

While this compliance may seem challenging, your company can be ready. In fact, there are four best practices that an organization within the Defense Industrial Base can use to prepare for and ultimately achieve their level of CMMC maturity.

Select the CMMC level that is right for your organization  for now and in the future

If your company does business with the Department of Defense (DoD), you must comply with some level of CMMC maturity. Each of the five levels will require a different level of investment, policy development, and security controls  so it is critical that you decide which level fits your business.

How? Assess your current portfolio of DoD contracts, and if your contracts do not require you to maintain Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), you may want to limit your compliance efforts to Level 1 or 2. But if you do hold CUI and other sensitive data, you should plan to select Level 3 or higher.

You should also consider your business strategy as you make your CMMC compliance decisions. If you have future plans to move into the CUI environment, a CMMC investment in a Level 3 or higher may offer you a competitive advantage that will open the door to future DoD opportunities.

Evaluate your business relationships with subcontractors  this involves them, too

It is important to remember that compliance with CMMC flows down to your subcontractors, so as the prime contractor, it is your responsibility to ensure that you and all of your subcontractors achieve the right level of CMMC compliance.

To do this, evaluate your subcontractor agreements and include compliance agreements in any agreements you enter into with potential partners. Request compliance certification from members of your supply chain, and if subcontractors are not certified, take steps to ensure they only work with data and equipment that resides within a CMMC enclave. Don't forget that contractor teaming agreements will require each team member to be CMMC certified to the appropriate level of the contract.

Define your system boundaries to minimize threat surface

Your system boundaries should be properly defined and segmented. Similar to other compliance mandates, the goal should be to minimize the threat surface and designate a defined enclave that can hold CMMC relevant data.

Equally important is establishing and enforcing a strong Data Classification and Management Policy that ensures that new data is routed to the appropriate segment of the IT environment. And don't forget another critical element  identifying, defining and documenting the inbound and outbound connections of the CMMC enclave, as well as the associated interface security protocols.

Approach CMMC as an enterprise-wide initiative  not just a security challenge

Achieving CMMC compliance is an effort that will cut across all levels of your organization, requiring the attention of your CEO, CIO, General Counsel, Privacy Officer and other senior level officers.

While some controls can be addressed by relatively simple updates to policies and procedures, or minor adjustments to configuration settings and architecture, other controls will require an investment in technology or significant changes to business protocols. Some of the bigger challenges you should prepare to encounter include encryption of data (at rest and in transit); CUI marking procedures; multi-factor authentication; audit logging and activity reviews; threat intelligence and continuous monitoring; mobile device policies; and awareness and training.

Given the level of investment and impact of some of these initiatives, it is critical to get stakeholder buy-in and continue to engage decision-makers from across your organization as you work to achieve CMMC compliance.

Despite current disruptions to the work environment due to the coronavirus, the CMMC requirements are expected, for now, to go into place in the fall. Regardless of whether that deadline may be pushed back, organizations within the Defense Industrial Base should be thinking now about how they can implement the changes they need to make to achieve CMMC compliance. These best practices are an excellent place to start.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 6

By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend:

Uzbekistan imported a large volume of different types of wooden products from Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries in the period from January through May 2020, Trend reports citing statistics of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Uzbekistan imported 80.7 tons of wood for $2.894, 283.3 tons of charcoal worth $83.214 and 498.6 tons of cooperage wood for $204.182, the commission said.

During the reporting period, Uzbekistan increased wood imports by three percent, and charcoal imports by 8.2 times.

Kazakhstan and Russia were the main exporters of wood to Uzbekistan. The share of Kazakhstan in Uzbekistan's wood import stood at 27.3 percent, while Russias - at 72.7 percent.

The whole Uzbekistans import of charcoal and cooperage wood was supplied from Russia.

Earlier, the Government of Uzbekistan set a task for Ozsanoatqurilishmateriallari Joint Stock Company (Uzbek major producer of construction materials) to bring the production to 10 trillion soum ($984.9 million) in the first half of the year, and 22 trillion soum ($2.1 billion) by the end of the year. It was entrusted to expand production to substitute import of construction materials.

---

Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini
Li Yongkai (L), head of a poverty alleviation team in the village, talks to a rural resident. [For China Daily]

For such a long time, the only interesting thing about Helyu Village in Wuxuan County, Laibin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was that it sits on the Topic of Cancer.

Other than that, it was difficult to discern any mentionable geographic feature. Without fertile land to produce lucrative crops or support an established industry, the village would hardly attract the attention of outsiders. Even for locals, it was a place they wanted to escape.

Bitterly, the village, where most residents are of the Zhuang ethnic group, was once nicknamed "an empty shell" by its inhabitants, not least because many residents left to work in factories in big towns, particularly in the more developed areas of Guangdong Province.

When, in 2015, newly married Li Yongkai was assigned to the village to take charge of poverty alleviation efforts, he was stunned. About 18 percent of some 6,000 residents lived under the poverty line, which was defined in Guangxi at the time as drawing an annual income of 3,100 yuan ($445) or less.

"The number of collectively-owned businesses in the village was zero," Li, 36, recalls. "People were poorly organized, and there was no pillar industry."

The major crop was cassava, but the most that each hectare of cassava could earn was 30,000 yuan a year. Some villagers tried to grow cantaloupe, but despite the abundant sunshine, their crops failed due to the area's barren soil.

Cantaloupe-growing has become a way toward prosperity for locals in Helyu. [For China Daily/Wang Kaihao]

Nevertheless, one thing was certain  villagers were eager for a better life.

"We had to make full use of the environment here," Li says. "Once an industry was established, it was not even a question of if we could get rid of poverty, it was more a question of when."

To change the fate of the impoverished village, Li contacted technicians from other cities and helped introduce agricultural technology and new business models in Helyu. A soilless culturing technique using fermented pig manure and plant residue, like sugar cane and cassava, enabled cantaloupe to be grown and harvested twice a year, first during June and July, and then again between September and October.

Collectively owned farms were established in 2016, but such a change was not that easy to achieve in the beginning. While villagers were keen to become the shareholders of the new enterprise, many were reluctant to invest in the business of growing a fruit which they had never succeeded in cultivating in the past.

Barely more than one hectare of cantaloupe was grown that year. Wei Hengjiao was one of the first villagers to join.

Wei began to work in construction after graduating from junior high school and plied his trade on building sites in Guangxi, as well as nearby Guizhou and Guangdong provinces. Though his life was not easy, all those years of working in big cities had widened his horizons.

"Once I heard the cooperative was growing cantaloupes, I realized it was a great opportunity," he recalls.

The man applied for a 30,000 yuan loan and bought shares in the cantaloupe cooperative. He got a 5,800 yuan bonus at the end of that first year. Encouraged by his example, others began to follow, even those who were initially reluctant. More than 100 villagers invested in the cooperative and a larger plot of land was required to grow the fruit.

Now, there are four cooperatives growing cantaloupes.

Residents of the Zhuang ethnic group in Helyu Village in Laibin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, sing and dance to celebrate their harvest. [For China Daily/Wang Kaihao]

To rent each hectare of land, the cooperatives pay the villagers an extra 15,000 yuan a year.

More than 300 greenhouses have been set up in Helyu Village, covering about 23 hectares. Growing one hectare of cantaloupe can earn up to 540,000 yuan.

"The farms have offered 150 regular working positions for local villagers," Li says. "And because at least 200 people are required during the harvests, 50 temporary positions are available over those periods."

Three retail stores have opened in nearby towns to sell the village's products. Last year, sales of Helyu cantaloupes reached about 5 million yuan, and one-third of the melons were exported to Vietnam, according to Li.

"I have heard that there are cantaloupes produced elsewhere that get sold using our brand," Li says, with a wry smile. "I suppose that the counterfeits are proof of our popularity."

To ensure quality, only one cantaloupe was grown on each vine, and skillful growers in the village are invited to join the cooperatives. As a leading grower of crops in the village, 44-year-old He Kaifan is now a manager of the farm.

"People now have more ways to earn money," He says. "By working hard on the farm, a better life can be achieved."

He's family earned 200,000 yuan in 2019, including salaries derived from one of the cantaloupe-growing cooperatives and the accompanying bonuses. The family enjoys additional income from growing mushrooms and raising pigs.

Inspired by the success of the cantaloupes, more varieties of fruits are grown by the cooperatives, including tangerines, plums and passion fruit. The rocketing pork price has also turned the village's 15,000 pigs into cash cows.

By 2019, the average annual per capita income in Helyu Village had reached 8,740 yuan, and only eight people, or 0.13 percent of its population, were still classed as living under the poverty line, now defined as an annual income of 3,900 yuan.

"Each year, dozens of villagers choose to return and join our cooperative," Li says excitedly. "When more working opportunities are created here, people will be more willing to make contributions to their village."

But, the fruitful workers of the village are facing a new challenge.

Due to COVID-19, which caused some factories to put the brakes on their operations in the first half of the year, demand for the fruit fell. According to Li, last year, each kilogram of cantaloupes was worth up to 7 yuan wholesale, with a 30 percent retail markup. This year, however, they have not sold for more than 5 yuan per kilo.

Li and his colleagues soon responded by contacting more canteens of government and public institutions in a bid to safeguard the growth of the newly formed industry.

Sales of Helyu's cantaloupes reached about 2 million yuan in the first half of 2020.

"I believe the rebound of the economy in the second half of the year will keep our sales at the same level as last year," Li says confidently.

Li was supposed to stay in Helyu for a two-year term, but he has voluntarily extended his stay twice.

"There's a big picture to draw upon when rooted in the countryside and doing something beneficial for the villagers," he says. "As long as I feel I am needed, it's natural to continue my service here."

Rural tourism is the new path leading to prosperity. A new Tropic of Cancer theme park was set up in the village, enabling visitors to experience the leisurely picking of fruits and enjoying food closer to nature.

Still, Li keeps trying to think of new methods of promoting the cantaloupes to a wider market. A new retail store is planned to open soon in downtown Laibin, and the booming e-commerce industry has created new revenue stream for the villagers. However, the quality of their cantaloupe has brought a new threshold.

"You know, our cantaloupes are delicious because they are crunchy," he says. "The problem is, however, that they may be too crunchy to be shipped long distances by express couriers without splitting. To enlarge our market, that's the next puzzle we have to solve."

(Source: China Daily)
<! Obaseki: loses some ground in Edo >

Governor Godwin Obasekis 10-man rubber stamp legislature has effectively expired, with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, conferring legitimacy on the 17-man opposition assembly.

In a dramatic move on Thursday, 14 elected members that Obaseki blocked for more than a year from taking their seats, met, along with three others who were part of Obasekis 10 to set a new course for the legislature.

They impeached Frank Okiye, who had earned speakership with a minority nine other members and appointed a new speaker, Victor Edoror and other officials.

To confer legitimacy on themselves, they were received by the Edo state commissioner of Police, who had since accorded them the security protection of the state.

Now a letter has leaked, in which the Justice Minister and Attorney-general, Abubakar Malami, gave the police the legal authority to protect the legislators.

Malami in the letter, ordered the Inspector General of Police to provide security for the 17 Edo All Progressives Congress lawmakers who impeached Okiye and his new deputy.

Malami said the security measure was to prevent breakdown of law and order.

He said the directive became necessary following a petition dated August 5 sent to his office by Idahosa-West Chambers.

Read the letter:

On Thursday, Obaseki had vowed to resist the take over of the legislature.

But it is now apparent he lost the battle in hours.

Related
Video footage shows a man from California being beaten and robbed for his entire life savings in the parking lot outside of a bank last week.

Entire life's savings

The criminal stole $200,000 from Francisco Cornejo after he withdrew cash from a Chase Bank located in Huntington Park on July 30.

According to the New York Post, Cornejo was approaching his vehicle when the still at-large robber grabbed his satchel, which contained his entire life savings.

Nathan Soleimani, Cornejo's attorney, told reporters that within a short 30-second period, the thief grabbed, beat, robbed, and took everything from the victim.

After the incident, Cornejo was left with severe bruising on his hip and right arm and stated he dislocated his shoulder during the encounter.

Soleimani said his client did not mention he was going to withdraw a large sum of money on that day.

The attorney said they did not have any evidence to support the crime was a random encounter but noted it was a massive coincidence for the criminal to know what Cornejo was doing and when he was going to be vulnerable.

The footage recorded by a bystander was not able to capture the suspect's face as he was able to dash away on foot while wearing a black hoodie quickly.

Also Read: Ice Cream Vendor Known as 'Grandpa' Seen Dead in a Pool of Blood, 3 Suspects Arrested

Reportedly, the Huntington Police Department is conducting an investigation on the robbery and are utilizing surveillance cameras and devices in an attempt to locate the criminal after the attack.

The victim is asking for assistance in tracking the suspect who made off with his entire $200,000 life savings. Soleimani said they are asking people who have any useful information that might make the investigation go faster to come forward and share what they know, as reported by Metro.

Taking precautions

Cornejo had recently sold his home and withdrew all the money he had in his bank account just before the robbery that left him bruised and broke.

His attorney said the victim was parked as close as possible to the bank, knowing he would withdraw such a large sum of money. Soleimani said the criminal grabbed and beat Cornejo before he was able to get to his car.

While he was being attacked, Cornejo was fighting back and doing his best to try and fend off the robber. The victim was desperate to try and save his satchel, where he kept the money.

According to ABC7News, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also working on the case and is attempting to locate the stolen cash. A Chase Bank representative said they cooperate with law enforcement to provide any assistance that could help with the search.

Cornejo's family are glad that he is still alive despite losing his entire life's savings and that he only got out with relatively minor injuries, said his attorney. Despite losing so much money, they are thankful that he is still here after the crime.

Related Article: Man Who Used an AK-47 in Police Shoot Out Was "Not Handling Pandemic Well", Says Attorney

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The ASEAN Secretariat has hosted an online conference to strengthen efforts, coordination and preparation for tackling transboundary haze pollution, which is predicted to peak in August and September.

Volunteers taking on fires at Garung village in Pulang Pisau district, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. (Credit: Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry)

The event, funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)'s Measurable Action for Haze-Free Sustainable Land Management in Southeast Asia (MAHFSA) Programme, brought together representatives from haze management agencies and relevant bodies of ASEAN, as well as partners and private organisations.

In his speech, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) Kung Phoak highlighted the potential threats and impacts of COVID-19 on forest fire and haze prevention and response due to resource constraints and limited mobility on intervention.

He called for strengthened cooperation between relevant agencies of ASEAN and the blocs partners, as well as preparedness and coordination for a concerted response of authorities, communities and private sector in the possible event of fire and transboundary haze pollution.



For his part, IFAD Country Director for South East Asia and the Pacific Sub-regional Office Cossio Cortez said IFAD has been supporting ASEAN in the implementation of the haze-free agenda for over a decade.

He further stressed that in the post-pandemic period, and in view of the upcoming dry season, ASEAN must continue join efforts to strengthen regional coordination aiming at promoting sustainable management of natural resources and protecting the health of people in the region.

During the seminar, representatives of ASEAN and Australia shared insights into the impacts and potential risks of the pandemic situation on ASEANs response to fire and haze events, as well as lessons learnt from the 2020 dry season in the Mekong River region and the bushfire crisis in Australia last year.

Participants emphasised the importance of cross-sectoral coordination by prioritising regional measures focused on strategies to implement health priorities, including regional prevention and control of new emerging infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

The event reaffirmed ASEANs efforts to secure a haze-free region as guided by the Roadmap in the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution framework; increase awareness of and preparedness for responding transboundary haze events within and across sectors and disciplines; and deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fire and haze management, and the potential risk of post-pandemic pressure on peatland ecosystems./.VNA
The Defense Department has lifted its wide-ranging ban on military travel in 38 states, five countries and counting, and has largely switched to a conditions-based approach, individually clearing installations for travel.

But all is far from back to normal for troops and families planning to make a permanent change-of-station move or conduct other travel to and from military bases. On Thursday, the Defense Department released new guidance on how to conduct military travel while minimizing risk of spreading COVID-19, including mandated restriction-of-movement periods and other precautions.

Read Next: Major Changes Coming for Marines Norway Deployments

According to the newly released guidance, signed by Under Secretary of Defense Matthew Donovan, the first required step when executing approved travel is a risk assessment, to be completed by all members of the traveling party. At a minimum, the assessment has to include whether each individual has exhibited any COVID-19 symptoms; if theyve had contact with anyone who has tested positive for the virus; and if they are familiar with self-monitoring protocol and what to do if symptoms emerge.

If military families dont certify theyve completed the assessment prior to official travel, they risk losing travel reimbursement, according to the document. And if the assessment does turn up any symptoms or contact with a COVID-19 patient in the previous 14 days, the travel plans will be put on hold.

For any military travel from the U.S. to a foreign country, or between non-U.S. countries, troops have to observe a 14-day restriction-of-movement period, in which they are essentially confined to a hotel or other lodging for the duration. This ROM period can be completed in the U.S., unless the host country mandates that it be completed at the destination location. Only one such period is required, according to the guidance.

During ROM, troops must also take their temperature twice a day and limit contact with all others, including family members. This restriction period can only be waived if the host nation determines its not necessary, the guidance states. DoD civilians must also observe ROM, while defense contractors are instructed to comply with relevant country entrance requirements.

Service members also must certify on behalf of any traveling family members that all have observed screening and other protocols to prevent transmission.

For travel returning from a foreign country to the U.S., the ROM period must be observed upon arrival at the destination base for origin countries with a Centers for Disease Control Travel Health Advisory Level 3, signaling high COVID-19 risk. If the country of origin has a lower Level 2 or Level 1 status, troops can simply self-monitor for 14 days.

Travel within the United States does not require a restriction-of-movement period, documents state. Rather, troops and military family members are instructed to follow existing guidance and protocols to mitigate spread of the disease.

For all unofficial travel to any destination, military family members are instructed to comply with relevant host nation procedures, and troops must comply with the guidance and practices of their relevant DoD component.

There are some exceptions to the strict travel policies, Donovans memo notes. DoD component heads can opt to exempt the crews of military aircraft and traveling patients and their attendants in the en-route care system from ROM periods, it states.

Previously released health protection measures, including the wearing of face coverings, frequent hand-washing and social distancing, are all still in effect throughout the military.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Related: Here Are The States and Countries Where Military Travel Restrictions Have Been Lifted
New state modeling suggests coronavirus has been spreading at its lowest level in months  but not low enough to significantly reduce the number of daily infections among Oregonians.

The states transmission level as of July 30 was estimated at one new infection for every current active infection, Oregons lowest rate since early May.

While that assessment offers some reason for optimism, it doesnt mean Oregon has turned a corner. It simply means the state is holding steady near record case counts, with the highly communicable virus capable of exponential growth at any moment.

Thats the takeaway from modeling released Friday by the Oregon Health Authority.

The predicted resurgence of cases in Oregon after reopening has stabilized, but there are warning signs that tell us cases could spike again, Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist, said at a news conference with the governor Friday. Of course rather than just a plateau, wed like to see our curve and our cases start to drop.

Gov. Kate Brown did not announce any news public health restrictions this week. Health authorities are considering travel restrictions such as the mandatory quarantines being implemented in other states, but Brown said Friday she hadnt reached any final decision.

Anecdotally, in talking with local electeds, mayors and county commissioners, theres a lot concerns about the numbers of license plates being seen at Crater Lake National Park and at the coast and in Central Oregon. What we dont have at this point is really clear data connecting that travel to increased spread of the virus.

Brown said health officials are working with neighboring states on safe travel guidelines and evaluating the potential impact of further restrictions on supply chains and residents who cross state lines for work or education.

Further restrictions are always on the table, she said. Ive always been very clear about that.

The new modeling suggests Oregon had amassed 88,800 cumulative infections as of July 30, with only 19,200 of those diagnosed.

If the virus continues at its current reproduction rate, the states modeling projects 117,200 cumulative infections by Aug. 27. The number of new daily infections would be about 1,000, only a fraction of which would be identified. Oregon is currently identifying about 300 infections a day.

If transmission levels tick up to 1.3 new infections for every active infection, the projections show Oregons case count could spike sharply. By Aug. 27, cumulative infections could be 136,400, with daily new infections of 2,300.

But if transmission levels decrease to .75 new infections for every active infection, Oregon could see meaningful progress against the pandemic. Cumulative cases by Aug. 27 could hit 102,500, with new daily infections of just 300.

We hope that Oregonians efforts to stop the spread will result in this scenario becoming a reality, Sidelinger said Friday. It is within our reach, but it will take continued hard work and more people following the governors orders and guidelines than were seeing now.

The reproduction number must be below one for new cases to decrease.

The states test positivity rate currently stands at 6.2 %, above the 5% level in the governors school reopening guidelines and a sign of concern about significant community spread of the disease. A new roadblock in identifying new cases and and arresting their growth is the national shortage of testing supplies. The state completed some 34,000 tests last week, well short of its theoretical lab capacity of 48,000 tests per week.

Brown said five out of six hospital systems she had spoken with in the last two weeks said they were experiencing supply shortages. She was on a call last week with the Department of Health and Human Services to discuss the situation and request more support, but was told the state shouldnt expect that for weeks, possibly months.

I believe the president has not used the Defense Production Act for the supply chain for testing, she said. I dont know why.

The state modeling released Friday uses software by the Institute for Disease Modeling, and forecasts were run 11 times. Officials did not predict which of the three scenarios is most likely.

If transmission remains at current levels, we expect a steady number of new infections; however, a transmission reduction of 10 percentage points is projected to decrease growth, the report said.

Oregons modeling, released every two weeks by the health authority, is used for planning purposes and is not a prediction of what will happen. The scenarios outlined in reports have often included the potential for staggeringly high case counts fueled by the threat of exponential spread.

For example, the states report from late June warned of exponential growth and the analysis from early July said that if transmission continued at then-current levels we expect continued exponential growth in infections.

That forecast estimated daily infections could triple from 1,100 to 3,600  something that did not happen.

The states newest report noted that transmission decreased around June 27 and again around July 8.

The state cautioned against comparing the latest report with previous iterations, noting several changes in methodology. Among other things, the new model factors in when people who died, but were not hospitalized, began experiencing symptoms.

One possible explanation for avoiding last months dire forecasts is Browns order July 1 requiring people to wear masks statewide. State officials say they cant definitively tie reductions in transmission rates to any particular policy or action over time, but say they are collectively making a difference.

Do I wish I had implemented face coverings earlier, when we started the reopening? Yes. The answer is yes, Brown said Friday. The science wasnt as clear. We didnt have the extensive evidence at that point from other countries, and honestly theres the issue of community acceptance.

She said its been a challenge to determine which measures have the greatest impact, but added that restricting the size of indoor and outdoor social gatherings was also helping.

All of these help make a difference Brown said. The challenge is, we dont have the exact science of this makes a 5% difference, this makes a 3% difference. I am pushing my team every single week, and the medical advisory panel, to say what other actions could we be taking that solve the problem.

-- Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

-- Ted Sickinger; tsickinger@oregonian.com; 503-2218505; @tedsickinger

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Even teleprompter could not take so many lies: Rahul's dig at PM Modis Davos speech

New Education Policy is foundation of the new India: PM Modi

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 07: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his inaugural address at the conclave on 'Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy' said that the new National Education policy will be the foundation of the new India.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

"The New Education Policy is the foundation of the New India, the India of 21st century. It will give your youth the education and skillset they need. The NEP has given special focus on the areas to ensure India is a superpower and is at the new heights of development and provide the people of India with new and best opportunities," the prime minister added.

Independence Day 2020: Education Ministry, MyGov to organise an essay competition for students

Modi said it is a matter of happiness that after the introduction of the National Education Policy, no region or section has said that it has any kind of bias, or is leaning towards one side. There is a lot of emphasis on teacher training in the National Education Policy, he pointed out.

"Our education system focused on 'What to think' so far. New policy emphasises on 'How to think'. There's no dearth of information and content in the time in which we're today. The effort is to lay emphasis on inquiry-based, discovery-based and analysis based ways to help children learn," Modi said.

"Changing times has given rise to a new global system. A new global standard is rising. It was essential that India changed its education system as per this. Creating a 5+3+3+4 curriculum, while moving ahead from school curriculum's 10+2 structure, is a step in this direction," PM Modi added.

"We need to develop critical thinking and innovative thinking abilities in our youths. It will be possible if we have purpose, philosophy, and passion of education," Modi further added.
All sites set to host examinations throughout Hanoi were thoroughly cleaned and sterilised with disinfectant on August 6 in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19 epidemic.

Students nationwide are poised to take part in the national high school graduation exam between August 8 and August 10, with the exception of regions hit with ongoing outbreaks, including hot spots such as Da Nang and Quang Nam province.

All examination sites across the capital are sprayed with disinfectant to ensure the safety of attending students.

Each classroom at Phan Dinh Phung High School in Hanoi is carefully disinfected.

Nguyen Thi Nham Huyen, the schools headmaster, says that aside from disinfecting the site, all teachers are to be mobilised in an effort to clean classes in preparation for the upcoming exam.

In addition, a poster providing instructions on personal hygiene aimed at preventing the worsening of the epidemic can also be seen on display on the walls of each classroom.

The office area is also thoroughly disinfected.

Education centres across the capital are meticulously cleaned, including every corner and every restroom, through the use of disinfectant chemicals.

At Kim Lien High School, back-up rooms and staff have been arranged at exam sites in the event that students or supervisors are found to display COVID-19 symptoms.

A solution is created in order to kill bacteria.

All of the tables and chairs in the schools classrooms have been cleaned after being sprayed by disinfectant.

Examination locations are now equipped with all necessary preventive equipment such as body temperature metres and hand sanitiser.

Maintaining high sanitary standards in schools is one of the parts of the guidance put forward by the Ministry of Education and Training for exam sites in order to ensure safety for students and supervisors during the epidemic.

The Ministry also requires medical staff to spray disinfectant after each examination. Students and supervisors will be required to wear masks for the duration of the exam.

VOV
Santiago de Cuba:

Fidel Castros ashes were taken on Sunday to a cemetery in the cradle of his revolution as Cuba opens a new era without the communist leader who ruled the island for decades.

Capping a week of tributes and mass rallies, a jeep pulled the cedar urn into the Santa Ifigenia cemetery in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba as a crowd chanted viva Fidel!

Castro, who died on November 25 at age 90, will be laid to rest during a simple ceremony near the mausoleum of 19th century independence hero Jose Marti, said his brother and successor, President Raul Castro.

The funeral was closed to the public. Last night, Raul Castro led a massive, final rally in his

brothers honour at Santiagos Revolution Plaza, leading the crowd into pledge to uphold the socialist ideals.

In front of Fidels remains ... we swear to defend the fatherland and socialism, Raul Castro said.

He demonstrated that, yes we could, yes we can, yes we will overcome any obstacle, threat, turbulence in our firm resolve to build socialism in Cuba, he said.

While Castro was sidelined by emergency intestinal surgery a decade ago, he remained a towering figure in Cuba.

He was revered by supporters for the free health care and education he spread across the island, and vilified by dissidents who saw him as a brutal dictator.

Although he was an omnipresent figure in the lives of Cubans, Castros dying wish was that no statues be erected in his memory and no streets or building be named after him.

The national assembly, which meets later this month, will pass a law to follow Castros order, his brother said.

The leader of the revolution rejected any manifestation of a cult of personality, Raul Castro said.

His burial ends a nine-day period of mourning during which Cubans, often encouraged by the government, flooded the streets to pay tribute to Castro, chanting I am Fidel! as his ashes were taken across the Caribbean country this week.

I am very sad because we have lost a father, said Marta Loida, a 36-year-old university professor sitting on the ground and holding a picture of Fidel Castro after Rauls speech.

The government nurtured the religious-like fervour, with state media calling Castro the eternal comandante.

In the past week, Cubans were urged to go to schools and other public buildings to sign an oath of loyalty to his revolution.

I trust Raul because Raul is Fidels brother. Fidel taught him everything, said Irina Hierro Rodriguez, a 23-year-old teacher at rally on Saturday.

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It's unfair to label Oleh Tatarov as representative of the "old" regime, while "the main thing is for people to remain honest."

President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the appointment to a senior post in his Office of Oleg Tatarov, a former official with the Ministry of Internal Affairs who was had been in service during the rule of Viktor Yanukovych

As the president spoke with journalists in Donetsk region's Maryinka during his Donbas visit on Thursday, he was asked why a representative of the "old" regime had been appointed deputy chief of his Office, as seen in a stream broadcast by his press service.

In response, Zelensky said that "specialists, the head of my Office, and any unit chief are entitled to select [personnel] at their own discretion."

"We all lived during the Yanukovych rule, but some fled along with Mr. Yanukovych," Zelensky added. "In fact, many normal people remained, the ones who didn't betray Ukraine. It seems to me that this isn't fair to label all those who headed some agencies during Viktor Yanukovych's rule as the "old" regime," Zelensky said.

Read alsoZelensky explains Kravchuk pick for top spot in TCG

"For me, everyone who was in power under Mr [Petro] Poroshenko [Zelensky's predecessor at the president's post] is also old regime, but there were experienced people there, too. The main thing is for people to remain honest. Now it seems to me that in our country, in order to change Ukraine, the most important thing is the moral side, which many deputies lack, while to refrain from temptation is the most important feature of modern times," he summed up.

As UNIAN reported, on August 5, President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Oleh Tatarov Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Oleg Tatarov is Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine, attorney. For a long time he worked in the internal affairs bodies, in particular, he held the position of deputy head of the Main Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, and since 2014 he has been engaged in law practice and headed the bar association.

He is fluent in English. According to the lb.ua news outlet, Tatarov worked as deputy head of the Main Investigation Department when the Interior Ministry was headed by Vitaliy Zakharchenko during Viktor Yanukovych's presidency. Ukrainian investigators are probing Zakharchenko's role in a crackdown on Maidan protesters.
Spain has denied that it is battling a second wave of coronavirus despite a recent spike in new infections.

Over the the past seven days a total of 19,405 new coronavirus cases were recorded, with an average of 2,772 per day, according to the Spanish government's own figures.

But the week before there was a lower average of 1,913 new daily cases with a daily figure of around 1,460 in mid-July.

Fernando Simon, head epidemiologist at the health ministry, said on Thursday: 'I wouldn't speak of a second wave' unless transmission rates were out of control.

'It is not clear that the increase in detected cases isn't simply due to the increase in testing,' he added.

Yesterday alone Spain recorded 1,683 new coronavirus cases.

It comes after Austria became the latest country to announce that it would issue a travel warning for mainland Spain.

Spain has denied that it is battling a second wave of coronavirus despite a recent spike in new infections (graphic showing new daily infections in Spain)

Spain, which is currently the worst-hit nation in Europe at the moment, has registered a total of more than 310,000 cases and 28,500 fatalities from the start of the pandemic. Pictured: Testing centre in San Sebastian

Mr Simon has been quick to reassure residents that despite the surge the hospital system was not at risk of buckling under pressure.

But the Basque health chief, Nekane Murga, today warned: 'The virus is gaining ground on us little by little.

'There are no reasons to believe that the virus is any weaker or less lethal right now. We are playing with fire.'

The country, which is currently the worst-hit nation in Europe at the moment, has registered a total of more than 310,000 cases and 28,500 fatalities from the start of the pandemic.

The country's worst hit areas are Catalonia, which recorded more than 5,100 new in the past week, and Aragon, which saw 4,100 infections over the same period.

The regional authorities in these areas have ordered new partial lockdown measures.

About 32,000 people have been ordered into lockdown in the central riverside town of Aranda del Duero.

Known for its vineyards, Aranda del Duero residents are not allowed to enter or leave the town which lies 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Madrid.

Police have set up check points around the town which will remain in lockdown for at least two weeks.

Local authorities have imposed different forms of lockdown, with Barcelona requesting residents not to leave their homes while Aranda del Duero citizens face police checks.

Spanish National Police agents staff a check point. People are not allowed to enter or leave the town

On Thursday Austria became the latest to announce that it would issue a travel warning for mainland Spain.

Switzerland had said it too would be adding the popular holiday destination to its high-risk list with travellers from the country being required to undergo quarantine on their return.

It comes after Germany, France and Britain all took steps to limit travel from the country.

The UK's move to add Spain onto the quarantine list on July 26 sparked a diplomatic row with the nation and caught out holidaymakers who had already flown over - which included Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

Tourists in San Sebastian on Wednesday who will be subject to quarantine restrictions when they return to the UK

And earlier this week it was decided that the Balearic and Canary islands would remain on the UK's quarantine list despite a Spanish minister insisting they were safe and pleading for their removal.

Arrivals from islands including Ibiza, Majorca, Tenerife and Gran Canaria have been under orders to self-isolate for 14 days since the end of July, when they joined the Spanish mainland on the UK's red travel list.

Madrid's tourism minister, Reyes Maroto, previously said that her government had sent Boris Johnson's administration fresh data that showed it was safe to restart quarantine-free travel to both sets of islands.

Such a move would have provided a boost for the thousands of Brits with holidays in the islands already booked but who were afraid that quarantine would have been impacted on their return.

But No10 dashed hopes of a swift change, with the PM's spokesman saying there was no change to the quarantine advice.

He told reporters on Monday that 'were some challenges in trying to look at this on a regionalised basis' and made a decision 'based on looking closely at the data'.

It comes after Britain said on Thursday night that travellers returning to the UK from Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas would also need to quarantine for 14 days.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak also said he would not hesitate to add more countries to its quarantine list amid speculation that France will be next.

'If we need to take action as you've seen overnight we will of course not hesitate to do that,' Sunak told Sky News.
A man was injured trying to fight off a black bear that had entered a mobile home through an open door last Friday, throwing him to the ground and frightening ten children.

Brandon McVey was visiting a friend's house in Juneau at the Switzer Village Mobile Home Park when the bear followed them inside at around 11 p.m.

'Norm, he's got like 10 kids, and they're all in the living room,' McVey said, describing the scene to Anchorage Daily News. '(The bear) had walked past us, and he was walking toward the kids.'

One of the ten children - a two-year-old - reportedly reached out to try and touch the bear, but was pulled back by his mother, Angela Lott, who realized what was happening before grabbing the toddler and running into a bedroom.

McVey and the friend he was visiting - Norm Lott - started yelling at the bear to try and scare it away, but it reared up and lunged at them.

'He just jumped up and basically hit me, and then I kind of threw an elbow the same time he was hitting me, and he sat me right down,' McVey recalled.

Norm Lott was also thrown to the floor as the bear tried to make an escape through the home's arctic entry, but only found a closed door, becoming trapped.

Instead, the bear tore at a wall before ripping a window from its frame, and managed to escape through the hole it left behind.

A black bear followed a man and his friend into a mobile home in Juneau, Alaska, and had to be fought off by the man, who suffered injuries in the struggle. Pictured: A young black bear near Mendenhall Glacier Park just outside of Juneau (file photo)

Angela Lott said that 'it felt like a million years' as she hid in the bedroom away from the bear while protecting one of the children.

McVey suffered three puncture wounds on his chest during the incident, as well as deep scratches across his chest and shoulders.

A local wildlife and game biologist in the area said that it was unusual for a black bear to behave in such a way, but added that bear encounters had become more frequent in Alaska's capital, perhaps due to a lack of food in the wild.

'It's very unusual to have human contact, so that's really rare,' said Alaska Department of Fish and Game Area Biologist Roy Churchwell.

In this case, Churchill said that the bear was an adult male and remains at large.

A local biologist said that there have been more sightings of black bears recently in Juneau, Alaska's capital (pictured, file photo). He said this could be due to less food available in the wild, or because of a lack of tourism in the city emboldening the bears to venture further

The biologist said that it is uncommon for bears to break into homes in Switzer Village, and that the cases he is aware of have previously involved empty homes.

Churchill said that there had been an unusually high number of black bears in Juneau this year, adding that a recent case involved one that had been raiding garbage, and had to be euthanized after being caught in a trap.

'It seems like there is not much natural foods around right now  very few fish in the rivers and berry production is very low,' Churchill told Anchorage Daily News, saying that this contributes to bears' interest in people's food.

He added that it's possible that a lack of tourism - and therefore fewer people in the city - could also have contributed to the rise in bear sightings, as there are fewer people to scare them away.

'Definitely keep your doors closed this time of year,' McVey said. 'They're getting wild out there.'
By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is negotiating the sale of at least four sophisticated aerial drones to Taiwan for the first time, according to six U.S. sources familiar with the negotiations, aircraft that can keep watch over huge swathes of sea and land.

The SeaGuardian surveillance drones have a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km), far greater than the 160-mile range of Taiwan's current fleet of drones, potentially giving the island greater capacity to peer into China, observing its air force, missiles and other facilities.

While the State Department tacitly authorized the sale of the unmanned aerial vehicles, two of the people said, it is not known whether the U.S. officials have approved exporting the drones with weapons attached, one of them said.

The deal must be approved by members of Congress, who may receive formal notification as soon as next month, two of the people said. Congress could block a final agreement.

Such a sale would most likely anger China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory.

Republican and Democratic U.S. senators introduced legislation on Thursday that would block the export, transfer or trade of many advanced drones to countries that are not close U.S. allies. Sales would be allowed to NATO members, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Israel.

A deal with Taiwan would be the first drone sale after President Donald Trump's administration moved ahead with its plan to sell more drones to more countries by reinterpreting an international arms control agreement called the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

Taiwan's Defense Ministry declined to comment.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated his country's opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, saying Washington should stop to them to prevent damage to bilateral ties.

While Taiwan's military is well-trained and well-equipped with mostly U.S.-made hardware, China has a huge numerical advantage and is adding advanced equipment of its own, including stealthy fighters, anti-satellite missiles and aircraft carriers.

Story continues

Taiwan submitted its request to buy armed drones early this year, one of the people familiar with the talks said. The United States last week sent Taiwan the pricing and availability data for the deal, a key step that denotes official approval to advance the sale. It is, however, non-binding and could be reversed.

A deal for the four drones, ground stations, spares, training and support could be worth around $600 million using previous sales as a guide. There could also be options for additional units in the future, one of the people said.

The island is bolstering its defenses in the face of what it sees as increasingly threatening moves by Beijing, such as regular Chinese air force and naval exercises near Taiwan

Taiwan unveiled its largest defense spending increase in more than a decade last year. President Tsai Ing-wen has made defense modernization a priority, including building new submarines and upgrading Taiwan's F-16 fighter fleet.

Relations between Beijing and Washington - already at their lowest point in decades over accusations of spying, a trade war, the coronavirus and Hong Kong - could fray more if the deal gets the final go-ahead from U.S. officials. The Pentagon has said arms sales to Taiwan will continue, and the Trump administration has kept a steady pace of Navy warships passing through the Taiwan Strait.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratic island under its control. Beijing has denounced the Trump administration's increased support for Taiwan.

China's sophisticated air defenses could likely shoot down a handful of drones, according to Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power Project at CSIS, a Washington think tank. But she still expects "China to scream about even the smallest arms sale that the U.S. makes to Taiwan because any sale challenges the 'One China' principle."

"They get particularly agitated if they think it's an offensive capability," she said, adding that she expected the Trump administration to be less cautious than its predecessors.

"As a matter of policy we do not comment on or confirm proposed defense sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress," a State Department spokesman said.

ONLY FOR FEW U.S. ALLIES

The U.S. has been eager to sell Taiwan tanks and fighter jets, but the deal to sell drones would be notable since only a few close allies - including Britain, Italy, Australia, Japan and South Korea - have been allowed to purchase the largest U.S.-made drones.

Currently, the Taiwanese government has a fleet of 26 Albatross drones made by Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, a quasi-defense ministry research agency, that can fly 160 nautical miles (300 km), or 80 before returning to base, according to records kept by the Bard Center for the Study of the Drone.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc's SeaGuardian has an airframe that can handle carrying weapons - but only if contractually allowed by the U.S. government.

The United States has sold France unarmed MQ-9 Reapers which are similar to SeaGuardians, and later https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-drones/france-turns-to-armed-drones-in-fight-against-sahel-militants-idUSKCN1BG2K2 gave permission to arm them.

Last year, the United States approved a potential sale to Taiwan of 108 General Dynamics Corp M1A2 Abrams tanks worth around $2 billion as well as anti-tank and anti-aircraft munitions. A separate sale of 66 Lockheed Martin-made fighter jets also made it through the State Department's process.

In recent weeks, China said it will sanction Lockheed Martin Co for involvement in the latest U.S. arms sale to Taiwan.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington, D.C.; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Mary Milliken, Edward Tobin and Gerry Doyle)
EMPIRE, Michigan  A pocket of blue flashed among the trees on the Empire Bluffs trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We stopped to take it in, the curve of the sandy shoreline, the steep dune in the distance and the endless ombre of Lake Michigan: light aqua to deep cobalt.

My sister and I pulled out our phones for the requisite photo, arranging our kids and instructing them to smile.
YEREVAN.  The court session on the appeal against not allowing the advertisement of second President Robert Kocharyan's biography book, entitled Life and Freedom, resumed Friday at the Administrative Court of Armenia.

To note, Space Management LLC, which has the rights of this book, had applied to a law firm stating that the Yerevan Municipality was refusing to issue a license for the advertisement of this book.

Lawyer Aleksandr Kochubayev also had applied to the city hall, and after being turned down, he had applied to the Administrative Court.

According to the court decision, Yerevans Kentron Administrative District, which was the respondent in the previous court session, was changed, and now the Yerevan Municipality has become the respondent in this case.
BERLIN  The news that children in Berlin would return to classrooms last spring caught me and my husband by surprise. Like parents across the world, we were very concerned about anyone in our family getting or spreading the coronavirus.

We knew people who had secretly organized play dates and flouted the rules during the months we were supposed to be isolating, but we had followed the rules scrupulously. We wore masks, kept our distance from our parents, and even, when playgrounds reopened on April 30, resisted returning to them, despite our younger sons pleas.

At first, we were surprised by the authorities insistence that children return to school. I tried to read as much as I could to help me stay calm. When I learned about a leading group of German pediatricians who supported the idea of children, especially young ones, returning to school, largely for their mental well-being, I was persuaded. I could tell that my sons, Hugo, 8, and Bruno, 3, were suffering in many small ways from the lack of contact with other kids and from the insularity of our new way of life.

The Berlin Senate stipulated that schools could only allow children to return with very strict hygiene and social distancing measures in place. Each school, however, was responsible for implementing its own safety rules as long as they aligned with the Senates guidelines. At that time, there had been about 5,400 Covid-19 infections in Berlin and 112 deaths.




ZIMBABWEAN business tycoon Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei (pictured), accused of capturing the state for personal gain alongside with the Presidium, has been slapped with sanctions by the United States government, which will no doubt affect his huge business empire.





Tagwirei and his energy firm Sakunda Holdings were added to the sanctions list on Wednesday by the United States Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac). There was already speculation that Tagwirei and Sakunda could be sanctioned in this manner. For example, in October 2019, the Netherlands-based multinational commodity trading company, Trafigura Group Pte Ltd indicated that it intended to buy out Sakunda Holdings from the local entity Trafigura Zimbabwe under which oil firm Puma Energy operates.





At the time, Trafigura Pvt Ltd held a minority stake of 49% in Trafigura Zimbabwe, with Sakunda Petroleum holding a controlling stake of 51%. But, in December 2019, Trafigura Pvt Ltd announced it had signed an agreement to become the 100% owner of Trafigura Zimbabwe a deal which is awaiting regulatory approval.





Definitely this is going to affect him (Tagwirei). He has got a lot of assets outside Zimbabwe so definitely the ways things are going they will be frozen there, a source privy to this matter to told the Zimbabwe Independent.





He has got assets in one of the offshore jurisdictions like Mauritius and three other countries and I think it will be very difficult to transact using those offshore companies.





But, businesswise, its not going to really affect our economy as a whole as Tagwireis empire spreads across all sectors of the economy. Tagwirei could have a net worth close to US$1 billion, the source said.





Financial expert Persistence Gwanyanya said transactions with these sanctioned parties were going to be affected





The effect of sanctions is that the transactions relating to Sakunda and his outside business partners will be significantly affected, especially those involving the United States dollarso the operations of the affected companies are going to be affected by the mere fact of Sakunda being placed on the sanctions list.





He said the sanctions would also affect business dealings of Sakunda Holdings and Tagwirei with local firms who will seek to distance themselves from both.

Since the former late Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabes 2017 departure, Tagwirei has been using a combination of opaque business dealings and his relationship with President Emmerson Mnangagwa to grow his business empire and rake in millions of US dollars, according to Ofac.





Tagwireis dealings with the leadership have also resulted in Sakunda Holdings enjoying the lions share of Zimbabwes fuel market which is where they are expected to be most hurt. It is a big win for players who are then going to fill in the gap that has been left by Sakunda Holdings because it has been dominating in the business space in this country. The fact that Sakunda is going to be impacted negatively will create some space for other players, Gwanyanya said.





Tagwirei and Sakundas connection to fuel was mainly through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwes monthly foreign currency allocations or letters of credit to import fuel.





RBZ governor John Mangudya said none of the letters of credit for foreign currency used to import fuel were made on behalf Sakunda Holdings.





If you check all the schedules, I dont see schedules of Sakunda on the LCs for the purpose of the fuel. All fuel companies, called the oil marketing corporate companies of Zimbabwe, such as Total and Engen, those are the companies that we see, he told the Independent yesterday.





Who established the LCs? These are established by commercial banks so, because they are done at that level, it means it is at that commercial bank level where that compliance are done. So, before they come to us for allocations or the LCs they first have to go through the commercial banks. They must first pass the compliance levels of the commercial banks before they get anything from us. We are still studying the communication from Ofac and its implications on Zimbabwe. That is the official position. Obviously when Ofac issues rules, they need compliance.





Mangudya said commercial banks which represent Tagwirei and Sakunda Holdings will be affected as they have to comply with the Ofac rules.





The onus is on the commercial bank who Sakunda and Tagwirei deal with to ensure compliance with Ofac. They dont just come over to the RBZ, he said.

In July 2019, it was also reported that Tagwirei possibly held about 30% shares of one of Zimbabwes largest financial institutions, CBZ Holdings, through the company Akribos Capital, which is said to be linked to the businessman.





In an interview with the Independent in February, CBZ Holdings chairperson Marc Holtzman, when asked of Tagwireis involvement in the financial institution said:





Yes, I have met him. I know most of our major shareholders




(Photo : (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)) WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 09: Jeff Bezos, owner of Blue Origin, introduces a new lunar landing module called Blue Moon during an event at the Washington Convention Center, May 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. Bezos said the module will be used to land humans the moon once again. (Photo : (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)) WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 09: Jeff Bezos, owner of Blue Origin, speaks about outer space before unveiling a new lunar landing module called Blue Moon, during an event at the Washington Convention Center, May 9, 2019 in Washington, DC. Bezos said the lunar module will be used to land humans the moon once again.

Amazon.com, Inc.'s Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Bezos, sold 1.8 percent of the e-commerce company's shares that amounts to $3.1 billion to generate funding for his space company, Blue Origin, in their efforts to be part of the space race.

According to Daily Mail, Jeff Bezos, the world's richest man, sold around one million of his shares in the e-commerce company, Amazon.com, which he announced in his trading plan. Bezos sold Amazon's stocks during this time that the company is experiencing a massive 73 percent surge in their shares, reflected in the regulatory filings.

The Amazon.com executive is also vocal about selling its stock to fund his space initiative, Blue Origin, that joins the race as a privately-owned company in space.

Bezos' sell-out of the company's assets that amounted to $3.1 billion left the CEO with 54.5 million company shares that are estimated still to be around $174.64 billion in the current market. This sell-out is more than the CEO's total share sales in the year 2019.

ALSO READ: Elon Musk's Neuralink Brain Chip Will Soon Allow Users to Take Charge of Moods and Emotions

Bezos' Internet Constellation

Jeff Bezos is planning to put up their billion-dollar low Earth orbiter to widen the reach of the internet connection that will benefit the United States and possibly, the world.

Just last week, Bezos and Amazon were granted approval by the Federal Communications (FCC) to build their internet constellation at $10 billion. This project is a low Earth orbit constellation that is a direct competitor of the Starlink Network. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk owns Starlink Network.

The Amazon CEO is opening a new research facility in Redmond, Washington, which is dedicated to studying, designing, and testing the company's satellite--this will be part of Amazon's Project Kuiper System, which hopes to launch 3,236 internet-beaming satellites outside the planet's atmosphere.

These devices will be scattered to different lengths requiring only 578 satellites to be used by customers in contrast with Elon Musk's SpaceX Starlink network, which requires a minimum of 600 of these.

Amazon executive David Limp shared in his written statement: "We have heard so many stories lately about people who are unable to do their job or complete schoolwork because they don't have reliable internet at home."

This shows that the company is in full support of its CEO's plans in Bezos and Amazon's expansion in extending their reach to the cosmos.

Blue Origin's Mission

Jeff Bezos' very own space and aeronautics company, Blue Origin Federation, LLC, is beginning to receive funding and buzz as its CEO is currently working for its progression.

Blue Origin was originally founded by Bezos last September 8, 2000, in Kent, Washington. The company currently functions as a space manufacturer and researcher that mainly focuses on creating spacecraft that everyone can use.

The private aerospace company aims to bring general people into space, living and working in other planets or cosmic locations to preserve the Earth. Blue envisions a "dynamic future for humanity" where people can utilize a reusable spacecraft that could bring them towards intergalactic places from their home planet.

ALSO READ: WATCH! NASA-Monitored 'Asteroid Tsunami' Could Possibly 'Send 400 Feet Waves' into the US Coast

This article is owned by Tech Times





Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
<! Cairo Ojougboh, executive director NDDC: says more earth-shaking details on contracts on the way >



By Okafor Ofiebor

The Acting Executive Director, Projects of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, said the agency will soon reveal more shocking details about its contracts and the contractors.

As for the list of contractors we published, that was for 2018 alone. By the time we publish that of 2019, a lot of things will come out to the open.

Some person claim they did not benefit from NDDC but we have documents linking them to those contracts.

The forensic audit is unearthing a lot of things, 2016, 2017 and 2019 list are ready. But we have decided we would not be distracted again, Ojougboh said.

In the list published, big political names such as James Ibori, Emmanuel Uduaghan, Senator Orji Kalu were mentioned as contractors.

Read More here: We wont de distracted

Related
By PTI

LOS ANGELES: Keanu Reeves' "John Wick" saga is getting bigger as Lionsgate has announced a fifth part in the series that will be shot back-to-back with the fourth film.

The announcement was made by Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer during an analyst call, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"We're also busy preparing scripts for the next two installments of our 'John Wick' action franchise, with 'John Wick 4' slated to hit theaters Memorial Day weekend 2022.

"We hope to shoot both 'John Wick' 4 and 5 back-to-back when Keanu becomes available early next year," Feltheimer announced.

The neo-noir action series started with 2014's "John Wick" that featured Reeves as the titular retired assassin searching for the men who broke into his home, stole his vintage car and killed his puppy, which was a last gift to him from his recently deceased wife.

The movie, directed by Chad Stahelski, turned out to be a huge blockbuster for the studio, earning USD 86 million against USD 20 million budget.

Critics had universally praised the movie for its action sequences, story and Reeves performance.

It was followed by two sequels so far -- "John Wick: Chapter 2", and "John Wick: Chapter 3 -Parabellum".

Both were also major hits and received overwhelming reviews from the critics.

The fourth part was earlier scheduled to hit the screens on May 21, 2021 but was pushed to May 27, 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Reeves is currently shooting Matrix 4 in Berlin, after production on the Warner Bros franchise film had to be halted due to COVID-19.
For Richard Lam, the Canada Emergency Response Benefit provided a light in the darkness when the theatre industry went dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of us (in the arts) are used to creating our own safety net, working jobs in the service industry and other sectors, said Lam. But when the pandemic shut the economy down artists lost their plan A and plan B.

The Toronto actor and musician has been on CERB off and on throughout the pandemic  working whenever possible and using CERB to fill in the gaps.

He is concerned his industry will be one of the last to reopen and believes its too soon for the emergency benefit to end.

Everyones now competing for a vastly reduced number of jobs, so theres not going to be enough employment for everyone, he said.

Millions of people just got their last CERB payments, so they dont know whats coming next.

The government is planning to transition many of those millions of people on CERB to the existing Employment Insurance (EI) program. It has also promised to add a benefit program for gig and contract workers who dont currently qualify for EI, and promised other changes to the existing program so that more people qualify.

But as the CERB winds down, workers like Lam and labour advocates are worried the EI program wont be able to handle whats coming.

Labour advocacy group Workers Action Centre said many of the four million people who will be moved onto EI when CERB runs out will get between $600 and $1,000 a month if the program remains the same, compared to the $2,000 a month CERB provides. The organization is concerned low-wage and part-time workers wont get enough from EI to make ends meet.

The EI program is decades-old and the need for a benefit like CERB became painfully apparent at the beginning of the pandemic when Service Canada struggled to deal with the flood of applications for income support.

It also became clear that many Canadians losing work  such as gig workers and contract workers  didnt qualify for EI, which is why the government has signalled that a transitional benefit will be created to cover these types of workers.

Deena Ladd, executive director of the Workers Action Centre, said in an online press conference Thursday that the EI program needs an overhaul if its going to carry laid-off Canadians through whats next. While the economy has begun to reopen across the provinces, many sectors wont begin to bounce back until at least 2021, she said.

As it stands, the EI program is not up to the task, Ladd said.

Ladd also said the promised transitional EI program for contract and gig workers should be permanent, not temporary.

It is crucial that the EI program is revamped to ensure accessibility to all workers, she said.

David Macdonald, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said at the press conference that lower-income Canadians have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic.

The government last Friday signalled that they wish to leave no one behind, he said. But many people currently on CERB would see much less money from EI, while many more wont be eligible at all due to a lack of hours or other criteria, he said.

He said the EI program needs a number of changes, including lower work hour requirements, higher wage ratios paid out or at least a higher minimum amount, and a trust but verify system to speed up the system, much like how CERB works.

Given that many of these workers are at risk of falling through the cracks during the switchover, key changes will need to be announced soon, said Macdonald.

Four workers including Lam shared their stories during the virtual press conference, illustrating, advocates say, who will fall through the cracks if the EI system isnt changed. Some said theyll get significantly less support on EI, while others wont be eligible at all.

Lam said in an interview that he thinks its too soon to end CERB.

Even if it was just extended to overlap a little bit (with) the details of the rollout ... I know that that would buy people a little bit of time.

Toronto labour lawyer John Hyde, who is not affiliated with the press conference, hopes the EI program becomes more streamlined and simplified. In an interview Wednesday, he said its unclear whether or not the existing EI program will be able to handle a second wave of COVID-19, and he questioned whether CERB has finished fulfilling its purpose.

CERB has no checks and balances, unlike EI, which is why the government was able to roll it out so quickly, he said. He acknowledged that this came with its own downfalls. For example, Canadians will have to pay income tax on CERB next year, and many may have to repay it altogether if it turns out they didnt qualify or received too much.

But Hyde said if a second wave comes, the EI system will likely not be able to roll out benefits as quickly as CERB did, because of its checks and balances.

If theres more checks and balances in the face of a second wave, thats going to be problematic, I would think, he said.

In the future, Canadians will have to pay for the strain put on the government by CERB and EI during COVID-19, likely through higher income taxes and higher EI contributions from employers, Hyde said.

Well get through this, but there is a whole lot of financial hurt out there for the future.

Hyde said its likely that the EI program, even with additional benefits for contract and gig workers, wont cover everybody.

They wont get it right the first time, he said, adding the government will have to be able to make changes to the program as necessary, and quickly.

The time it took to get much-needed changes to other COVID-19 relief programs, such as the wage subsidy, may be indicative of the slow road ahead  but he hopes not.

I am truly hoping that theyre learning along the way, he said.

With files from Canadian Press
RTHK: Plane skids off runway in India, at least five dead

At least five people died and more than 20 others were seriously injured on Friday when an Indian passenger jet skidded off the runway in heavy rain, media reports and officials said.

Television pictures showed part of the fuselage of the Air India Express jet ripped apart, although there was no sign of any fire, at Kozhikode airport in the southern state of Kerala.

The airline said more than 190 passengers and crew were on board the plane, which left from Dubai.

One television channel reported there had been a problem with the jet's landing gear.

"I am arranging hospitals for the injured passengers in the city and can confirm two deaths," local police official Sujith Das said.

"There are injuries too but we don't yet have a number."

A Kerala state deputy said the pilot had died in the crash, while reports said dozens of passengers were taken to hospital and that there were at least 20 critically injured.

Dozens of ambulances were being rushed to the scene, reports said.

Air India Express said in a statement that there was "no fire reported at the time of landing."

It said there were 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft.

"As per the initial reports, rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care," it said.

Television pictures showed emergency services personnel working in the dark and spraying the wreckage with water.

Kerala has been battered by heavy rains in recent days.

News18 reported that there was a problem with the aircraft's landing gear, citing unnamed sources. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Adding a layer of nanoparticles to LED designs could help them produce more light for the same energy, and also increase their lifetime.

This is according to a team from Imperial College London and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati who have found a new way to boost the amount of light LEDs produce. They report their innovation in the journal Light Science & Applications.

Making light-emitting diode (LED) light sources more efficient and longer-lasting will mean they use less energy, reducing the environmental impact of their electricity use. LEDs are used in a wide range of applications, from traffic lights and backlighting for electronic displays, smartphones, large outdoor screens, and general decorative lighting, to sensing, water purification, and decontamination of infected surfaces.

The team modelled the impact of placing a two-dimensional (single layer) of nanoparticles between the LED chip, which produces the light, and the transparent casing that protects the chip. Although the casing is necessary, it can cause unwanted reflections of the light emitted from the LED chip, meaning not all the light escapes.

They found that adding a layer of finely tuned nanoparticles could reduce these reflections, allowing up to 20 percent more light to be emitted. The reflections also increase the heat inside the device, degrading the LED chip faster, so reducing the reflections could also reduce the heat and increase the lifetime of LED chips.

Co-author Dr Debabrata Sikdar from IIT Guwahati, formerly a European Commission Marie Curie-Sklodowska Fellow at Imperial, commented: "While improvements to the casing have been suggested previously, most make the LED bulkier or more difficult to manufacture, diminishing the economic effect of the improvement.

"We think that our innovation, based on fundamental theory and the detailed, balanced optimization analysis we performed, could be introduced into existing manufacturing processes with little disruption or added bulk."

Co-author Professor Sir John Pendry, from the Department of Physics at Imperial, said: "The simplicity of the proposed scheme and the clear physics underpinning it should make it robust and, hopefully, easily adaptable to the existing LED manufacturing process.

"It is obvious that with larger light extraction efficiency, LEDs will provide greater energy savings as well as longer lifetime of the devices. This will definitely have a global impact on the versatile LED-based applications and their multi-billion-dollar market worldwide."

Co-author Professor Alexei Kornyshev, from the Department of Chemistry at Imperial, commented: "The predicted effect is a result of development of a systematic theory of various photonic effects related to nanoparticle arrays at interfaces, applied and experimentally tested in the context of earlier reported switchable mirror-windows, tuneable-colour mirrors, and optical filters."

The next stage for the research will be manufacturing a prototype LED device with a nanoparticle layer, testing the best configurations predicted by the theory - including the size, shape, material and spacing of the nanoparticles, and how far the layer should be from the LED chip.

The authors believe that the principles used can work along with other existing schemes implemented for enhancing light extraction efficiency of LEDs. The same scheme could also apply to other optical devices where the transmission of light across interfaces is crucial, such as in solar cells.

###
T he Chancellor today said that ministers would "not hesitate" to enforce new new restrictions amid concerns France could be added to the UKs travel quarantine list.

British holidaymakers are facing ongoing uncertainty when planning trips abroad amid warnings they may soon have to self-isolate for 14 days on their return from the European country.

The Government has said it is closely monitoring the growing number of coronavirus cases in France. The nation has five days to bring down its infection count or Downing Street will add it to its red list of higher risk countries, one leading travel consultant told The Times.

The warnings come as Belgium, Andorra and The Bahamas were all axed from the catalogue of so-called travel corridors  with Brits advised against all but essential travel to all three.

Rishi Sunak responded to the France rumours by stressing that ministers will not hesitate to take action where there is a risk to public health. He also warned holidaymakers of the risk of travelling abroad during the coronavirus crisis.

Asked whether the country could join its neighbours Belgium and Spain on the red list, he told Sky News: Its a tricky situation.

France: Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures 1 /33 France: Coronavirus lockdown - In pictures The empty Place Charles de Gaulle with the Arc de Triomphe AP Place de la Bastille during confinement due to the coronavirus outbreak in Paris AP French resistance: Emmanuel Macron announcing tough measures against Covid-19 AFP via Getty Images The Eiffel Tower is seen next to a board that reads: "In the context of the COVID-19 the Eiffel Tower closes today from 9pm for an indefinite period of time" REUTERS Drastic action: Paris yesterday before the whole of the French population was told to stay home AFP via Getty Images An employee walks in the Musee du Louvre in Paris, undefinitely closed to the public AFP via Getty Images Deserted Hotel de Ville Getty Images The Louvre Museum Getty Images An empty Disneyland Paris PA A French policeman walks down steps at The Sacre Coeur Basilica AFP via Getty Images French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is seen on a TV screen as he speaks from his office during the evening news broadcast of French public television channel France 2, on March 17, 2020, in Paris, on the day a strict lockdown AFP via Getty Images Police officers question people walking in public after a government enforced quarantine Getty Images Police officers patrol near the Eiffel Tower during a government enforced quarantine Getty Images An empty railway station, in Strasbourg, eastern France AFP via Getty Images A deserted Concorde AFP via Getty Images An empty street leading to the deserted place Vendome in Paris AFP via Getty Images A police officer wearing a facemask for protectove measures, contols a man near to the Barbes Market AFP via Getty Images Two motorcycle police officers patrol near the empty Grand Place in Lille, northern France AFP via Getty Images Police officers partol the area of the Esplanade du Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris AFP via Getty Images Police officers check a pedestrian in Boulogne Billancourt AP A Police Nationale officer gestures and talks to a man on the "Promenade des Anglais" in the French Riviera city of Nice AFP via Getty Images French police officers check cyclists in front of the Arc de Triomphe as lockdown is imposed REUTERS A policeman checks people's documents as they sit in their car near the beach of seaside resort town of Deauville in Normandy AFP via Getty Images police's vehicle is parked in front of the Barbes Market as people arrive to do their grocery shopping AFP via Getty Images A view of the empty La Defense square AP

What I can say to people is were in the midst of a global pandemic and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans and people need to bear that in mind.

Its the right thing for us to do to keep everything under review on a constant basis talking with our scientists, our medical advisers.

If we need to take action as youve seen overnight we will of course not hesitate to do that, and were doing that to protect peoples health.

Social distanced sunbathing at La Grande-Motte Beach in France 1 /12 Social distanced sunbathing at La Grande-Motte Beach in France AFP via Getty Images AP AP AP AP AP AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images

The French health authority, Sante Publique France, reported that Covid-19 cases had risen by a third (33 per cent) in the week to August 6.

Infection rates are increasing across all age groups, particularly 20 to 30-year-olds, the government body warned.

Meanwhile, the new travel quarantine rules will apply to arrivals from Belgium, Andorra and The Bahamas from this weekend.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced the move on Thursday night, with the measures due to come into force in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from Saturday at 4am.

In Wales, the restrictions will be enforced from midnight on Friday.

Rishi Sunak said it is a 'tricky' situation / AP

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also updated its travel advice to warn against all but essential trips to all three.

Brunei and Malaysia have been added to the Governments travel corridor list, following a decrease in confirmed cases of coronavirus, meaning arrivals from these countries no longer need to quarantine.

Figures released on Thursday show Belgium has suffered a consistent increase in cases in recent weeks, rising to 27.8 new cases per 100,000 people.

This towers over the UKs latest rate of 8.4 per 100,000, and is higher than Spains 27.4 level around the time when the UK introduced travel restrictions there.

In Andorra, new cases per week have increased five-fold since mid-July, while in The Bahamas the weekly case rate peaked at 78.6 last week, up from 3.1 in the middle of last month.

The UKs move to add Spain onto the quarantine list on July 26 sparked a diplomatic row with the nation and caught out holidaymakers who had already flown over, including Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

Grant Shapps explains government's decision to impose quarantine rules on Brits coming back to UK from Spain

It also angered transport bosses who have called for increased testing to reduce the isolation period.

Luxembourg was added to the UKs red list on July 31.

Mr Shapps said he cannot rule out other countries being included on the list, as officials keep overseas infection rates under close observation.

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The Foreign Office says it keeps its own travel advice under constant review.
Congress leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, on Friday, slammed the Centre over the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, he said that the step has "failed to yield tangible results".

"The abrogation of Art 370 and 35A which were claimed by the govt a remedy of all ills in Kashmir has failed to yield tangible results let alone resolution of Kashmir problem,...," he tweeted.

"Now UN-appointed independent human rights experts stated that JAMMU & KASHMIR has been in a free fall. No respite of violence & terrorist activities, no normal life, no political right, no human right, Kashmir has been reeling under the quagmire of gruesome uncertainty," he further tweeted.

The abrogation of Art 370 and 35A which were claimed by the govt a remedy of all ills in #Kashmir has failed to yield tangible results let alone resolution of Kashmir problem, ...

(1/2)  Adhir Chowdhury (@adhirrcinc) August 7, 2020

Earlier in the day, Chowdhury sought to know why GC Murmu resigned as the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir. Murmu, who quit as the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, has been appointed as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

"The question is, why the 1st LG of UT JAMMU AND KASHMIR has tendered his resignation? Voluntary or instructed? Whether he has been failed to hoodwink the people that everything is going hunky-dory?" Chowdhury tweeted. "I think he has committed a great wrong by venting his views much to the embarrassment of the govt and got axed. You may term it as #MurmuSyndrome," he added.

Former union minister Manoj Sinha was on Friday sworn in as the new lieutenant governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the first political leader to take charge of the Union Territory. The UT came into being on October 31, 2019, after the state was reorganised and bifurcated into two union territories, Ladakh being the other.
South Korea planned to lift restrictions on arrivals from central China's Hubei province as no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported recently in the province, the health authorities said Friday.

South Korean Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told a press briefing that the country will lift restrictions on arrivals from Hubei province and retract other visa-related measures beginning on Aug. 10.

Kim noted that the restrictions will be lifted considering that the province recently reported no new COVID-19 cases and that the Chinese government started Wednesday to accept visa applications from South Koreans.

Since Feb. 4, South Korea has imposed entry ban on all foreigners who visited the Hubei province in the preceding two weeks and on the holders of visas issued by the provincial authorities.

No new confirmed, asymptomatic or suspected cases of COVID-19 were reported in the Hubei province Thursday.

According to the South Korean health authorities, the Chinese government resumed the issuance of visas from Aug. 5 for South Korean students and workers and those with valid residence permits who tested negative for COVID-19.

In the latest tally, South Korea reported 20 more COVID-19 cases for the past 24 hours, raising the total number of infections to 14,519.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-08 00:29:54|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi said on Friday that what has happened shows that no obstacle is insurmountable for China and the United States, and the key lies in a true commitment to mutual respect, equality and seeking common ground while shelving differences.

He made the remarks in a signed article titled "Respect History, Look to the Future and Firmly Safeguard and Stabilize China-U.S. Relations," which was published Friday.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said that China's rapid development over the decades, which benefited from interactions and cooperation with countries around the world, has in turn provided the United States and other countries with sustained growth impetus and important opportunities.

"After establishment of diplomatic ties, and thanks to concerted efforts on both sides, China-U.S. relations have made historic progress despite ups and downs along the way," he said.

"Cooperation between China and the United States has always been conducted for mutual benefit," he said, adding the two countries have had productive cooperation in such areas as counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and narcotics control, among others.

The past 41 years has not all been smooth sailing for China-U.S. relations, Yang said, noting there have been ups and downs and even major setbacks on the way. "However, the two countries have always approached their relationship from a historical perspective and with the bigger picture in mind."

"The history of China-U.S. relations over the past 41 years teaches a lot," he said, adding that the valuable experiences have proved effective in the past and remain effective now and will continue to be effective in the future. Enditem
TORONTO, Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WeedMD Inc. (TSX-V:WMD) (OTCQX:WDDMF) (FSE:4WE) (WeedMD or the Company), a federally-licensed producer and distributor of medical-grade cannabis, announced today that in accordance with the provisions of its deferred share unit plan (the DSU Plan) the Company has authorized the grant of an aggregate of 356,434 deferred share units (DSUs) to certain directors of the Company as compensation for their services. The DSUs will vest immediately and are granted in lieu of cash compensation for services rendered during the first and second quarter of 2020.

The purpose of the DSU Plan is to promote greater alignment of interests between the Company's shareholders and directors while reducing the cash expense of compensating its directors. Further details regarding the DSU Plan are available in the Companys management information circular dated June 19, 2020, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Check here for upcoming corporate events and to access WeedMDs latest Investor Presentation and Corporate Update Video .

About WeedMD Inc.

WeedMD Inc. is the publicly-traded parent company of WeedMD RX Inc. and Starseed Medicinal Inc., federally-licensed producers of cannabis products for both the medical and adult-use markets. The Company owns and operates a 158-acre state-of-the-art greenhouse, outdoor and processing facility located in Strathroy, Ontario as well as CX Industries Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary which specializes in cannabis extraction from the Companys fully-licensed 26,000 sq. ft. Aylmer, Ontario processing facility. With the addition of Starseed, a medical-centric operator based in Bowmanville, Ontario, WeedMD has expanded its multi-channeled distribution strategy. Starseeds industry-first, exclusive partnership with LiUNA, the largest construction union in Canada, along with other employers and union groups complements WeedMDs direct sales to medical patients. The Company maintains strategic relationships in the seniors market and supply agreements with Shoppers Drug Mart as well as six provincial distribution agencies where adult-use brands Color Cannabis and Saturday are sold.

Story continues

Follow WeedMD, Color Cannabis & Starseed:

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/company/weedmd

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeedMD

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weedmd/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/callitcolor/

&

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starseedca/

For further information, please contact:

For Investor Enquiries:

Valter Pinto

Managing Director

KCSA Strategic Communications

1-212-896-1254

weedmd@kcsa.com

For Media Enquiries:

Marianella delaBarrera

VP, Communications & Corporate Affairs

416-897-6644

marianella@weedmd.com

Forward Looking Information This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation which are based upon WeedMD's current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events. Forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "likely", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", "proposed", "estimate" and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "would" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy.

The forward-looking information in this news release is based upon the expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and views of future events which management believes to be reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information includes estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, targets, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Forward-looking information in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to internal expectations, expectations with respect to actual production volumes, expectations for future growing capacity and the completion of any capital project or expansions. Forward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the cannabis industry in Canada generally; the ability of WeedMD to implement its business strategies; the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; crop failure; and other risks.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, WeedMD does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for WeedMD to predict all such factors. When considering this forward-looking information, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in WeedMD's disclosure documents filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . The risk factors and other factors noted in the disclosure documents could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE

EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE




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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Copenhagen, Denmark  Fri, August 7, 2020 11:15 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c445dc 2 World denmark,coronavirus,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,social-distancing,physical-distancing,Gathering,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Denmark will not raise a limit on public gatherings, originally planned for this month, after seeing a spike in COVID-19 infections, the Danish health ministry said late on Thursday.

As part of the Denmark's gradual reopening following a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the government had planned to raise the limit on public gatherings to 200 people on August 8, up from the current limit of 100 people.

"It is crucial that we maintain the good position Denmark is in, where we have the epidemic under control," health minister Magnus Heunicke said.

The Nordic country's authority on infectious diseases, Statens Serum Institut, would not recommend lifting the limit, the ministry said, as any easing of public gatherings would increase infection risk.

On Tuesday, Denmark's state epidemiologist had advised against going through with the planned fourth reopening phase, which includes allowing music venues and night clubs to reopen, due to the current infection pressure.

In a response, health minister Heunicke said the government would not propose any moves, which were not responsible from a healthcare perspective.

"If that is the authorities' recommendation, then we will not do it," Heunicke told public broadcaster DR on Tuesday.

The government and parliament are due to discuss the fourth phase of reopening on Aug. 12.

Denmark, which has had daily increases in COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, was one of the first countries in Europe to gradually lift lockdown restrictions in April after seeing infection rates decline steadily.
A juice bar has been slammed after claiming its acai bowl 'keeps corona away'.

Helen's Heavenly Juice Bar & Cafe in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, has a sign outside its store claiming its acai bowls can help fight off the deadly COVID-19.

'An acai a day keeps corona away,' the sign reads.

Helen's Heavenly Juice Bar & Cafe in Burleigh Heads, Queensland has a sign outside it's store claiming their acai bowls can help fight off the deadly COVID-19

The store promoted the sign on their Instagram on March 17 when coronavirus cases were beginning to rise in Australia.

One eagle-eyed shopper noted that the sign is still outside their shop almost five months later, the Courier Mail reported.

'I can't believe they would be even making that claim, even if it's a joke,' the shopper said.

'This virus is killing thousands of people all over the world.'

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles hit back at the juice bar's claims, saying there was no current cure for COVID-19.

'There are no drugs or medicines that are recommended to prevent or cure COVID-19, nor is there any evidence that any alternative remedies, or particular foods, can do so,' he said.

'Unfortunately, I also know some people will promote snake-oil cures, magic potions and more recently, alleged superfoods, in response to health crises.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Helen's Heavenly Juice Bar & Cafe for comment.

The store promoted the sign on their Instagram on March 17 when coronavirus cases were steadily beginning to rise in Australia

Helen's Heavenly Bulk Foods claimed their acai bowls (pictured) can help fight off COVID-19

It comes after activewear company Lorna Jane was fined $39,960 after allegedly claiming its clothes 'protected against viruses and germs'.

The company was forced to pull advertising for its 'exclusive' LJ Shield technology after being accused of trying to profit from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Therapeutic Goods Association issued the fine to the company last month following an investigation.

'This kind of advertising could have detrimental consequences for the Australian community, creating a false sense of security and leading people to be less vigilant about hygiene and social distancing,' Adj. Professor John Skerritt, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health, said.

Currently any references to COVID-19 are restricted in any forms of promotion, and advertisements without permission from the TGA are considered unlawful.

Lorna Jane has been fined $39,960 after allegedly claiming its activewear 'protected against viruses and germs' (pictured: Model in Lorna Jane clothing)

Lorna Jane was forced to pull its advertising for its 'exclusive' LJ Shield technology (pictured)

Marketing materials online suggested Lorna Jane had developed a technology that could be sprayed on to clothing to stop the spread of bacteria.

The website allegedly claimed the L J Shield 'breaks through the membrane shell of any toxic diseases' including 'bacteria or germs that come into contact with it, not only killing that microbe but preventing it from multiplying into anymore'.

The alleged branding has since been pulled from the website and changed to remove any mention of the word virus.

The new materials refer to the technology as 'anti-bacterial'.

A spokesperson for Lorna Jane denied they were trying to take advantage of the environment of fear.

'We started working on this technology at the start of the year when we named it... we didn't want to mislead anyone,' the spokeswoman previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'We are not trying to profiteer in any way on the fear around COVID-19 because we were developing this and working with our partners on this before the outbreak.

'Our testing shows that LJ Shield is an important part of stopping the spread of both bacteria and viral infections and should be used in combination with other precautionary measures such as face masks and thorough and frequent hand washing.'
US president Donald Trump in Ohio on Thursday, prior to announcement on TikTok and WeChat restrictions: AP

President Donald Trump could issue executive orders to address student loans, jobless benefits and the eviction moratorium after talks with Congressional Democrats regarding a coronavirus relief bill broke down on Friday.

A top US counterintelligence official has issued a public statement saying that China and Iran prefer that president Donald Trump does not win re-election; while Russia is seeking to hurt former vice president Joe Bidens electoral chances.

Canada will impose retaliatory tariffs on US aluminium goods after Mr Trump announced a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminium.

A New York judge has dismissed president Trumps attempt to delay a defamation lawsuit brought against him by a woman who accused him of rape.

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Eiffel Tower Paris coronavirus masks

Mehdi Taamallah/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Brits visiting France could soon be asked to quarantine when they return to the UK.

Boris Johnson's government has warned that it is prepared to tighten Britain's border rules amid signs of a second wave of the coronavirus across Europe.

The UK government added three more countries to its quarantine list this week: Belgium, Andorra, and the Bahamas.

It is keeping a close eye on France, where coronavirus infection rates continue to surge.

There are an estimated 450,000 British tourists currently in France.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Boris Johnson's UK government has warned that British holidaymakers could soon be asked to quarantine when they return from France, amid a surge in the number of coronavirus infections in the country.

France is currently one of the countries where British tourists are not required to 14-day quarantine upon their return.

But the number of coronavirus cases has ticked up there in recent weeks, as it has across much of Europe, with French health officials recording 1,695 new infections in 24 hours on Thursday.

It marked the first time since May that infection rates have been so high in France, while the number of patients in intensive care has also risen.

Ministers are now considering removing the exemption from France, with UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak on Friday warning that travellers should be aware the current arrangements are under "constant review" and saying there was a "risk" of measures changing.

Asked about Brits currently in France and those planning holidays there, he told Sky News that it was a "tricky situation" and said: "If we need to take action as you've seen overnight we will of course not hesitate to do that."

It comes after Grant Shapps, the UK transport minister, introduced quarantine restrictions for travellers returning from Belgium, Andorra, and the Bahamas. The UK government previously removed Spain and Serbia from the list.

Story continues

Travel experts warned this week that France was "highly likely" to be removed from the list of quarantine-exempt countries if authorities could not contain new daily infection rates within the coming days.

There are an estimated 450,000 holidaymakers currently in France, according to the Telegraph newspaper, with many thousands more holidays booked in the coming weeks, meaning any quarantine restrictions would represent a greater logistical challenge than in any other country.

Read the original article on Business Insider
On Friday, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, which was founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Serum Institute of India, and BGMF struck a $150 million deal to produce 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax for 57 and 92 countries that are part of Gavi Covax AMC, which aims to provide up to two billion doses of vaccines to eligible countries, including India, by the end of 2021.

Also on Friday, the Indian government finally set in motion the process of identifying the vaccine or vaccines it wants to buy, and planning other aspects including financing and procurement by setting up a panel to oversee all these aspects.

Also read: Govt sets up task force for vaccine distribution

Covax is led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO), and it hopes to ensure fair and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines to every country in the world.

India, as a lower middle income country (its GDP per capita is about $2,100), is eligible for vaccines under Covax (one criteria is that the country should have a per capita GDP less than $4,000), and until it formed the committee on Friday, it seemed that it was pinning its hopes on this mechanism to access a vaccine or vaccines that provide immunity against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Covax stands for Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access.

Some countries have struck direct deals with companies for vaccines in anticipation of their development, investing upfront in them and bearing some of the risks. The US, under Operation Warp Speed, a Covid-19 vaccine development programme, has pumped billions of dollars into vaccine makers (almost every major one). More than any country, the US appears to have a clear plan on how to build a vaccine stockpile  impressive for a country that has pretty much got every other part of its response to Covid-19 wrong. The UK has signed deals with AstraZeneca, the BioNTech-Pfizer combine, and Valneva, for a (total) of around 200 million doses of the three vaccines. The European Union has signed a deal with Sanofi for 300 million doses of a potential Covid-19 vaccine.

WHOs director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus referred to the rush, among nations that can afford it, to throw money at vaccine makers and sign advance deals. Vaccine nationalism is not good; it will not help us, he said at an event on Thursday. No country will be safe until we are all safe, he added.

Covax intends to ensure that the vaccines that work are distributed fairly around the world. It aims to make available two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of 2021, for which it is raising $18 billion, but some of the money is coming from around 75 countries that have signed up as donors in return for a share of the vaccines. Like the 92 low and middle income countries, they too will get, through Covax, enough doses to vaccinate 20% of the population. Some health activists have criticised this part of the programme (giving donors vaccines), but in the absence of this sweetener, it is unlikely that Gavi will be able to raise as much money as it needs. The UK, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan and New Zealand are among the donor countries.

In the first phase, Covax will make available vaccine doses to cover 3% of the population of countries that are part of the programme (this proportion is expected to cover essential workers).

India has not signed deals with any of the vaccine makers yet. The Department of Biotechnology and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, DBT-BIRAC, have funded some Indian vaccine candidates (including those of Cadila Healthcare and Bharat Biotech), but this doesnt come with any strings attached. To be sure, as a country with enough vaccine-making capacity (and huge expertise in this area), it can always play catch-up with countries that have already planned their Covid-19 vaccine stockpiles, but it wouldnt hurt to do this now. The creation of a panel suggests that New Delhi has realised this.

Serum Institute is the worlds largest vaccine maker and its CEO Adar Poonawalla has previously said to the New York Times that he would split his companys production 50:50 between India and the rest of the world .

With two-thirds of the year gone, there are six vaccine candidates in Phase-3 or Phase 2/3 trials, according to WHO. Three of these are Chinese  from Sinovac, Sinopharm and the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, and Sinopharm and the Beijing Institute of Biological Products. The other three are from Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna, and BioNTech/Pfizer.

There are other companies developing vaccines too  20 candidates are in human trials (other than the six). At this stage, the probability of not having a vaccine (leaving aside details such as whether it will be single-shot, and how well it will work) for Covid-19 in 2021 is very low.

Thats all the more reason why India has to start focusing on its vaccine acquisition plan now.

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Swiss-based mining giant Glencore will suspend several coal mines across the Hunter Valley in New South Wales for at least two weeks as the coronavirus pandemic and Chinese government policies to avoid Australian coal cargoes hit demand for the commodity.

Glencore on Friday said the site and equipment shutdowns, which would coincide with September school holidays, were necessary in order to wind back output volumes and manage the severe impact on demand. Workers would be required to take annual leave over this time, it said.

Glencore is Australia's largest exporter of thermal coal to China. Credit:Nic Walker

"Our focus is on taking the necessary steps to continue operations, manage the current market volatility and limit the impact on our workforce," the company said on Friday.

"These measures will enable us to align our production levels with market demand, while providing the flexibility to ramp back up as economies recover."
(Natural News) The White Coat Summit that was held by Americas Frontline Doctors (AFD) in Washington, D.C., created a firestorm of controversy, resulting in not just the event itself being censored from the internet but also the entire AFD website, which was quickly pulled by hosting platform Squarespace. And the reason for the latter, we now know, is because the AFD website is full of evidence exposing the criminal campaign by Big Tech and Big Government to censor all legitimate cures for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Dr. Simone Gold, who heads up AFD, actually published a white paper on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), one such cure that both the government and Big Tech do not want the public to know actually works. This paper is once again available on the AFD website, which we are happy to report is finally back up and running through a different host.

Dr. Golds white paper contains a number of eye-opening references, including two in particular that provide well-documented evidence as to the benefits of HCQ, when given in the right doses at the right time of disease protection. Most Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) patients, it turns out, could be helped by HCQ if only their doctors were able or willing to prescribe it.

This was a big part of what the White Coat Summit was all about, after all: to raise awareness about HCQ and the crusade by Big Tech and certain factions of the government to destroy all access to it. There is no need to keep people locked up at home and masked, was the gist of the event, because there is already a cure for this crisis that is being ignored and vilified by the powers that be.

Big Government also complicit in withholding real cures from Americans

While AFD is now suing Big Tech over this censorship, it also needs to take into account the role that Big Government is playing in keeping the truth under wraps. Anthony Fauci, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and many other corrupt state and federal agencies are likewise doing their part to keep HCQ and other cures out of the hands of patients who need them, which is why the plandemic will seemingly never end.

HCQ was being used all over the world with great success until Fauci and his cronies came along and vilified it. These deep state tools of globalism have been pushing the lie that HCQ is dangerous and ineffective, when in fact many doctors both here and abroad have been using it with incredible success in their sick patients.

Not only does HCQ need to be re-legalized  it remains banned in many areas  but it also needs to be made available over-the-counter (OTC) in order for those who need it most to have easy access for rapid healing.

At the very least, the efficacy assassination of HCQ must be reversed immediately, writes Steve Jalsevac for LifeSiteNews.

Doctors must be able to prescribe HCQ as a treatment and as a prophylaxis. It is absolutely unacceptable that doctors are not being able to communicate responsibly and with compassion with their patients. That must be remedied. Period.

It is also our hope that AFD will be successful in its lawsuit against the tech giants, which have openly conspired with the medical deep state to withhold a known cure from sick patients. How many more people need to die before Big Tech and Big Government are held to account for their crimes against humanity, which include withholding a tried-and-true remedy from the public?

More coronavirus-related news is available at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

LifeSiteNews.com

AmericasFrontlineDoctorSummit.com
Trump said the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by the companies in China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the country.

United States President Donald Trump has signed executive orders banning popular Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat, terming them a threat to the national security and to the country's economy.

The ban comes into effect in 45 days, Trump said in his two separate executive orders signed on Thursday.

India was the first country to ban TikTok and WeChat, citing national security concerns.

India has banned as many as 106 Chinese apps, a move welcomed by both the Trump administration and the US lawmakers.

In a communique to the Congress, Trump said the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by the companies in China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the country.

"At this time, the order takes action to address one mobile application in particular, TikTok," he said.

TikTok, a video-sharing mobile application owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd, automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, Trump said.

This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage, he alleged.

TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, the president said.

"To deal with this threat, the order prohibits, beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd. (a.k.a. Zijie Tiaodong), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in which any such company has any interest, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary)," Trump said.

He delegated power to the Commerce Secretary to take such actions, including adopting appropriate rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by International Emergency Economic Powers Act as may be necessary to implement the order.

The order also directs all department and agencies to take all appropriate measures within their authority to implement the order, Trump said.

In separate executive order, Trump said WeChat, a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd., reportedly has over one billion users worldwide, including users in the United States.

"Like TikTok, WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users - threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information," he said.

WeChat also captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives, he alleged.

"WeChat, like TikTok, also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party," Trump said.

In recent weeks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused TikTok of collecting personal information of Americans.

TikTok has previously stressed that its US user data is already stored on US-based servers and backed up in Singapore, and is therefore not subject to Chinese law as some US officials have feared.
The statement was made by Politburo member, Secretary of Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCCs Commission for Communications and Education Vo Van Thuong while attending the 10th national congress of the VMA for 2020-2025 tenure which took place in Hanoi on August 7.

Speaking at the event, Politburo member Thuong lauded the achievements the VMA has made over the past years.

He emphasised that music contributes to bringing the image of the land and people of Vietnam to the world as well as being an effective spiritual tool to create a connection across all borders and territories and called for solidarity to overcome all difficulties, especially the Covid-19 pandemic.

Musicians and others working in the music field should thoroughly grassp the publics concerns as well as limitations and shortcomings to take measures for the development of the countrys music, added the Politburo member.

He asked the VMA to continue to effectively implement the Party Central Committees resolutions and conclusions on the builidng and development of literature and the arts in this new period.

It is crucial to uphold the values of traditional music in the context of the market mechanism, globalisation and the fourth industrial revolution, noted Politburo member Thuong.

He urged the associatoin to improve professionalism in music activities and improve the position of Vietnamese music in all fields of creation, performing, theoretical research, criticism, and training.

The congress elected 21 members of the VMAs Executive Committee for the 2020-2025 tenure. Associate Professor, Dr. Do Hong Quan was re-elected as the associations president.
The day after officials announced that hundreds of inmates in an Arizona prison were infected with COVID-19, advocates slammed the state's response for protecting the health of incarcerated people and called for an immediate stop to prison admissions.

The state announced Tuesday that 517 people, or nearly half of the prison population at Tucson's Whetstone Unit, tested positive for the disease. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry previously reported less than 900 cases at prisons statewide, and had tested about 21% of all inmates as of Tuesday.

"Most people in Arizona are not sentenced to prison to die," said Joe Watson, a formerly incarcerated person and spokesman for the American Friends Service Committee of Arizona. "And yet, by being so careless with these lives, that's exactly what (prison officials) are doing."

AFSC, which researches and lobbies for reforms to the criminal justice system, released a statement Wednesday demanding action to stop the outbreak. The group called on officials to halt prison admissions until the new virus is contained and release to home confinement inmates who are immunocompromised, pregnant, or nearing the end of their sentence. The group has made similar demands since April.

Opinion: Bureau of Prisons response to COVID-19 has been dangerous. The public deserves answers.

The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry said the hundreds of positive results came after a two-day effort to test all 1,066 inmates at Whetstone Unit. It was one step in a statewide plan to test the entire prison population, according to spokesman Bill Lamoreaux.

The Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson.

The Arizona Department of Health Services said in June that Arizona would test all inmates but did not offer a timeline.

Lamoreaux said the department also tested all 1,541 inmates at the Safford prison, where results showed only seven positive COVID-19 cases. Inmates at the Douglas prison had also been tested but results were pending.

Story continues

Twenty-one inmates in Arizona are believed to have died from COVID-19, according to the agency's data dashboard. Three deaths were confirmed and another five were suspected at the Tucson prison, where Whetstone is one of nine units that house a total of 4,709 people.

ACLU: Arizona is treating inmates like they 'are not humans'

Advocates said the state had not acted quickly enough to contain the spread of the new coronavirus in places where close quarters and bunk-style dormitories make social distancing next to impossible.

The Valley Interfaith Project and the Arizona Interfaith Network said in a statement on Wednesday that department director David Shinn recently "outlined a plan to test each inmate at every facility, testing 3,000 inmates a week, finally concluding in October." No such plan has been publicly announced.

"Your current testing plan for the states prisons, which just commenced, is too drawn

out," Valley Interfaith Project leaders said in a letter to Shinn on Wednesday. "The rapid spread of the virus and the still ongoing unevenness of response by your Department

will lead to more loss of life without drastic and immediate interventions."

Khalil Rushdan is community partnership coordinator at ACLU of Arizona.

Khalil Rushdan, an organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, said he recognized early on how COVID-19 would endanger incarcerated people.

"This pandemic had the potential to be a powder keg inside of our prison system," he said, but he said "there's no urgency" to offer solutions.

As schools, gyms and other gathering places closed, prison inmates waited weeks to be supplied face masks and protective gear. Officials announced in mid June that prison staff would be required to wear masks at work, and by early July the department said all inmates were provided fabric face coverings.

"Our elected officials here have had this kind of mentality that the individuals inside of prisons are not humans," Rushdan said. He served 15 years in prison before his conviction was overturned, according to the ACLU.

Did inmates' peaceful protest spur state testing?

Watson said he believes the tests at the Whetstone Unit were only offered because inmates staged a peaceful protest about their COVID-19 concerns about two weeks ago. He said he heard about plans for a mass walkout from family members and associates at the Tucson prison last month.

According to the department, inmates walked out to the prison yard on the evening of July 23 demanding to be served meals in their dorm housing. The protest ended peacefully, and the next day officials modified operations to deliver meals, Lamoreaux said. He called it a "minor issue."

To Watson, the protest put necessary pressure on the department to act. He served the last 18 months of his prison sentence in the Whetstone Unit and said, as a minimum security yard, it should have been one of the first places officials looked to implement early release and social distancing.

"It would not surprise me at all if the only reason that there was mass testing at Whetstone is because of that protest," he said.

Reach the reporter at Helen.Wieffering@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @helenwieffering.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: COVID-19: Arizona advocates demand action to stop prison outbreak
For years, former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders vigorously defended his forces controversial decision not to call Ontarios civilian police watchdog to investigate the brutal assault of Dafonte Miller by an off-duty Toronto cop.

That defence was wrong, an investigation by the provinces police complaints watchdog has concluded  finding that Saunders misunderstood his legal obligation to contact the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) about the serious injuries inflicted on Miller, a young Black man, by one of his officers.

But Saunders, who retired last week, will not face professional misconduct charges in part because he was not informed about the high-profile assault until months later, according to a new report by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD).

The OIPRD findings vindicate the long-held view of Miller and his lawyers that the SIU should have been swiftly summoned to Whitby residential street on Dec. 28, 2016, when Miller was beaten and struck with a metal pipe during an arrest by off-duty cop Michael Theriault for breaking into his parents truck.

In a call with reporters Friday, Millers lawyer said Saunders was exonerated based on ignorance of the events and the law.

My opinion is, this was a cover-up. And whether or not Mark Saunders knew about it, he clearly ought to have known about it, Falconer said. And then when he finally learns about it, hes too busy defending the actions of his officers to inform himself of the law or the facts.

Hear no evil, see no evil: thats what it looks like, Falconer added in a written statement.

The OIPRD report is the latest development in the high-profile case that has drawn heated criticism to the Toronto police at a time of international reckoning over police brutality and anti-Black racism. In June, Const. Michael Theriault, who is white, was convicted of assaulting Miller, a Black man. Miller suffered serious injuries during the assault, including damage to his left eye so severe it had to be removed.

On Thursday, in his first public appearance since taking over as interim chief, James Ramer admitted the Toronto police made the wrong decision on the night of Millers assault by failing to call the SIU. Neither the Toronto police, nor Durham Regional Police  who responded to the assault  contacted the watchdog; it was only called in months later, by Falconer, prompting the criminal investigation that led to Theriaults conviction.

But in a statement Friday, Miller, who is now in his early 20s, said he was completely surprised by the apology, that hed never directly heard from Saunders, and until moments before the apology had not even heard of Ramer.

Sincere apologies are important, public relations exercises are not. I believe that true accountability comes from professionals owning up to their mistakes, Miller said. Sadly, this does nothing to build bridges  they are simply making it worse for me and my family.

Toronto police spokesperson Meaghan Gray said Friday that the force stands by the comments yesterday by Chief Ramer but regrets the impression left with Mr. Miller; that was not our intention.

Due to ongoing investigations, including an external review by the Waterloo Regional Police, Gray said Toronto police will not comment on allegations made by Falconer Friday.

We will continue to take accountability for our actions and acknowledge mistakes when they are made. Our focus will be on working with the community to improve our relationship and seek legitimate ways of rebuilding trust and transparency, Gray said.

The 12-page OIPRD report  the culmination a 2017 complaint lodged by Miller, and released by Millers lawyers Friday  provides the most detailed account yet of why Toronto police did not call the SIU on the morning of Millers assault, a violent clash Ontario Superior Justice Joseph Di Luca found began after Miller broke into the Theriault family truck to steal change.

According to the OIPRD, an acting inspector from Durham Regional Police called Toronto police to inform them of Michael Theriaults off-duty arrest of Miller. That call then went up the chain to the senior officer on call that night, Insp. Peter Moreira.

Moreira then contacted Insp. Ed Boyd, who was the chiefs on-call SIU designate. According to the OIPRD, Moreira and Boyd decided there were no grounds to call in the police watchdog: they were told by Durham police that at no time did Constable Theriault identify himself as a police officer, produce a warrant card, or use any police-issued equipment, the report states.

Based on this information, Inspector Moreira formed the opinion that the SIU did not have to be notified since the arrest was a citizens arrest, and Constable Theriault had not put himself on duty, the report says.

In light of their assessment, neither Inspector Moreira nor Inspector Boyd notified either the SIU or Chief Saunders of the incident, the report later states.

The first time Saunders heard about the incident was on May 2, 2017  four months after the assault, after Falconer had brought the incident to the SIUs attention, and the watchdog opened an investigation.

In a telephone interview by the OIPRD in June, Saunders stood by the decision not to call in the SIU, saying he agreed that the criteria to call the SIU had not been met because Theriault had been off duty and effected a citizens arrest.

In the call, Saunders described Boyd, his SIU designate, as the most knowledgeable designate when it comes to SIU in the province, according to the report.

Boyd refused to be interviewed by the OIPRD, though he answered questions by email, the report states. He has since retired from the Toronto police.

The OIPRD report states unequivocally that Ontario law requires a chief of police to notify the SIU in all cases where a police officer has been involved in an incident that results in serious injury.

The legislation does not distinguish between on-duty and off-duty conduct, the report states. The discretion as to whether off-duty conduct ought to be investigated is within the exclusive purview of the SIU director.

But because Saunders did not learn about the incident until months later, his after-the-fact endorsement of the decision does not constitute grounds to believe that misconduct was committed, the report states.

Falconer noted on Friday that most of the key players in the case have since retired, including Saunders, former Durham Regional police chief Paul Martin, Boyd (Saunders SIU designate), and John Theriault  Michael Theriaults father, who was working with the Toronto police professional standards unit at the time, which deals with officers being investigated by the SIU.

Falconer said serious questions still exist about any role played by John Theriault in terms of how this thing was orchestrated. But he expressed frustration that his and others retirement means they cannot be held responsible for under the provinces Police Act.

A major gap in police accountability that needs repair is the ability to duck through retirement, Falconer said, but he noted there is an ongoing lawsuit Miller has filed and you cant retire out of a civil suit.

The failure to notify the SIU in Millers case is the latest in what former directors of the watchdog have said is a longstanding pattern of police services refusing or neglecting to call them. In 2013, then-SIU director Ian Scott slammed former police chief Bill Blair for failing to respond to persistent cooperation issues, including the failure to notify the SIU of civilian injuries.

On Friday, Scott said the Miller case was part of a trend he witnessed during his time as director between 2008 and 2013.

The problem with the Dafonte Miller case on the issue of notification is everyone can slip out of responsibility due to the fact that Michael Theriault was off-duty, he said.

Asha James, who is also representing Miller, said one of most troubling parts of the OIPRD report was Saunders assertion that Boyd was among the most knowledgeable SIU designates in Ontario  and yet he apparently did not know provincial law does not make a distinction between on and off duty incidents.

That raises the question of whether this is a cover-up, or if there are other cases where Boyd misunderstood the police obligation to report to the SIU.

How long has this been going on? she asked.
Two airlines that dominate Bay Area airports will enforce stricter face mask policies beginning Friday as carriers adopt a zero tolerance approach for fliers who refuse to wear facial coverings.

Alaska Airlines will adopt some of the toughest punishments among U.S. carriers for passengers who defy its mandatory facial covering policy on planes and at airports. All Alaska passengers age 2 and older are required to wear a facial covering.

The airline began issuing unmasked fliers written warnings in the form of yellow cards handed out by flight attendants in June outlining its mask policy. (More about that here.)

Starting today, if fliers still refuse to wear a mask, the airline said it will suspend the passenger immediately upon landing. Competing U.S. airlines have said suspensions will be handed down following a company review of an incident, but Alaska is taking swifter action.

Alaska will cancel the offending passengers connecting and return flights, along with future itineraries booked with the airline. Full refunds will be provided, but fliers will be responsible for their own travel arrangements from that point on.

If you don't wear a mask, you won't be flying with us, Max Tidwell, Alaska Airlines' vice president of safety and security said in a statement.

As for how long the suspension will last, an airline spokesperson said each case will have an investigative review to determine the length of suspension. That suspension could last for the duration of Alaskas mask policy.

The airline declined to say if any Alaska passengers have had their flight privileged suspended for refusing to wear a mask.

Most U.S. airlines said passenger flight bans are only temporary and will be lifted once masks no longer need to be worn. Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have adopted a no exceptions masking policy, similar to Alaskas new rules.

Airlines are also cracking down on the type of facial covering that passengers wear. Under Alaskas stricter policy, face coverings must be made from a cloth or other barrier material that prevents the discharge and release of respiratory droplets from a person's nose or mouth.

It specifies that masks with valves or openings, plastic face shields, or masks that do not cover the mouth and nose are not acceptable.

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United Airlines said it will ban masks with built-in openings, valves and vents on its flights starting Friday. Airlines are growing increasingly worried that valve masks will allow potentially infectious droplets from a travelers nose and mouth to escape through those vents.

Delta Air Lines also specified those type of masks did not meet their safety standards and banned them last week. All U.S. carriers are providing free masks to fliers if they do not have one that meets the airlines standards.

Most airlines are now requiring masks be worn during the entire travel journey  at the airport, lounges, boarding areas, and onboard flights. All carriers say the vast majority of fliers are choosing to comply with these policies.

Since Alaska's mask enforcement policy was enacted in May, the overwhelming majority of guests have respected the requirement  and many guests have raised concerns about the few who do not, the company said.

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled sweeping bans on US transactions with Chinas ByteDance, owner of video-sharing app TikTok, and Tencent, operator of messenger app WeChat, in a major escalation of tensions with Beijing. The executive orders, which go into effect in 45 days, come after the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge untrusted Chinese apps from US digital networks and called TikTok and WeChat significant threats. The hugely popular Tiktok has come under fire from US lawmakers and the ...
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 14, 2019.

ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

A Saudi spy chief who fled to Canada in 2017 is suing Mohammed bin Salman, claiming the crown prince sent a hit squad to assassinate him.

In a complaint submitted Thursday to a US court, Saad al-Jabri said the prince's so-called "Tiger Squad" flew to Toronto on October 15, 2018, but were denied entry at the border.

Two weeks earlier members of the same hit squad had killed Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

The "Tiger Squad" that tried to enter Canada consisted of people experienced with cleaning up crime scenes and were carrying "two bags of forensic tools," al-Jabri's complaint said.

Al-Jabri says Crown Prince Mohammed has tried to lure him back to Saudi Arabia many times since 2017.

The former intelligence officer had "a direct window into the inner workings of the Saudi Royal Court, including the personal, political, and business dealings of Defendant bin Salman," the complaint said.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A former Saudi intelligence official who fled to Canada in 2017 is suing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, alleging that the prince sent an elite hit squad to assassinate him in 2018.

Dr. Saad al-Jabri, who worked at the kingdom's Interior Ministry for four decades, said in a complaint submitted Thursday to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia that Crown Prince Mohammed has spent the last three years trying to kill him.

"Dr. Saad is uniquely positioned to existentially threaten Defendant bin Salman's standing with the US government," lawyers for al-Jabri wrote in the 107-page complaint.

"That is why Defendant bin Salman wants him dead  and why Defendant bin Salman has worked to achieve that objective over the last three years."

The complaint alleges that on or around October 15, 2018, a Saudi hit squad attempted to enter Canada with the intention of killing al-Jabri by order of Crown Prince Mohammed.

Story continues

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 18, 2019.

Bandar Algaloud/Reuters

Two weeks earlier, on October 2, the critical Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi government agents in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. The US later concluded Crown Prince Mohammed likely ordered the killing.

The same hit squad tried to enter Canada, the complaint says, but was refused entry at the border.

"Carrying two bags of forensic tools, and complete with forensic personnel experienced with the clean-up of crime scenes  including an instructor in the exact same criminal evidence department as the forensic specialist who dismembered Khashoggi with a bone saw  the Tiger Squad Defendants attempted to enter Canada covertly," the complaint said.

The "Tiger Squad Defendants," according to al-Jabri's lawsuit, are "a private death squad made up of approximately 50 intelligence, military, and forensic operatives recruited from different branches of the Saudi government with one unifying mission: loyalty to the personal whims of Defendant bin Salman."

Bill Blair, the Canadian minister of Public Safety and Emergency, told Global News' Mercedes Stephenson: "While we cannot comment on specific allegations currently before the courts, we are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada."

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in London on September 29, 2018, days before his death in Turkey.

Reuters

Al-Jabri is a key target of Crown Prince Mohammed, the complaint says, because he knows a great deal of sensitive information about the workings of the royal court.

"His perch in the Saudi government gave him a direct window into the inner workings of the Saudi Royal Court, including the personal, political, and business dealings of Defendant bin Salman," the complaint says.

"As a result of the knowledge he gained and his close partnership with US intelligence officials, he is now at the very top of Defendant bin Salman's hit list."

As part of the complaint, al-Jabri is claiming damages for "attempted extrajudicial killing under the Torture Victim Protection Act."

Crown Prince Mohammed has also made numerous attempts to lure al-Jabri back to Saudi Arabia under the pretense of aiding a corruption investigation into former Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef, whom al-Jabri worked for, the complaint said.

On March 16, 2020, al-Jabri's children Omar and Sarah were seized from their beds at their father's home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They have not been heard from publicly since and are being used as "a source of leverage," according to al-Jabri.

Business Insider contacted both the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC, and Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London for comment, but is yet to receive a response.

Omar Abdulaziz, another Saudi dissident in exile in Canada.

Screenshot/Youtube

Al-Jabri is not the only Saudi exiled in Canada.

In June 2020, the Saudi dissident and comedian Omar Abdulaziz was warned by Canadian police that he is a target of the Saudi state.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Drone footage captured on August 5 shows the devastation caused by an explosion in the port area of Beirut the previous day.

Lebanese officials said around 145 people were killed and 5,000 were injured in the explosion, The Daily Star Lebanon reported. President Michel Aoun said the explosion was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse in the port area of the city.

This video shows drone vision of the ruined Port of Beirut and parts of the citys downtown from above and on the ground. Credit: Pk Spark via Storyful
LaPierre and his NRA colleagues have been triggering spasms of paranoia through large swaths of the country for years, successfully driving home the idea that if you dont own a gun, someone will kill you, and if you do own a gun, someone will take that gun from you, so you better have another gun to protect the first one, a third gun to protect the second, a fourth to protect the third, etc.  The logical outcome of that thinking is that you will only be safe if you own ALL the guns, which is fine with the NRA and something they probably enjoyed chatting about on the 107-foot yacht.
Former Fund Leader Fumbles Its Way to Second Best

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Keith Skeoch is leaving on a low. The outgoing chief executive officer of Standard Life Aberdeen Plc engineered the creation of the U.K.s biggest standalone fund manager three years ago through a mega-merger. Figures released Friday show his firm has lost the top slot to Schroders Plc.

It wasnt supposed to turn out like this. When Skeoch merged his company with Martin Gilberts Aberdeen Asset Management, their aim was to create a fund management behemoth able to compete in what Gilbert dubbed the $1 trillion club. While their instinct was correct that size would be the key to survival, aiming for economies of scale to offset the relentless downward pressure on fees, the reality of combining two different cultures took its toll on the most fundamental aspect of the business  making money for customers.

In 2018, just half of the firms funds were ahead of their benchmarks on a three-year basis, and thats before fees were taken into account. While performance got better last year, 40% of investments still lagged their benchmark, and this years continued improvement to just 32% underperforming comes too late for clients whove been withdrawing money in droves in recent years.

Standard Lifes drop in the U.K. rankings is not a surprise. I wrote in March that its loss of a big mandate from Lloyds Banking Group Plc  the lender completed the transfer of 75 billion pounds ($98 billion) of portfolios to Schroders in April  would probably lead to a change in the league table. But it will still sting.

Standard Life Chairman Douglas Flint eased Gilbert out of his co-CEO role last year, and announced Skeochs departure at the end of June. The new CEO, Stephen Bird, is scheduled to take over at the end of September after 21 years at Citigroup Inc., most recently as head of its global consumer banking unit, after acting as the banks top executive in Asia.

Birds lack of experience in fund management can be viewed as a hindrance, but it may also let him view the business with a fresh perspective. Three years after its creation, Standard Life Aberdeen is sorely in need of a reboot.

Story continues

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Mark Gilbert is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering asset management. He previously was the London bureau chief for Bloomberg News. He is also the author of "Complicit: How Greed and Collusion Made the Credit Crisis Unstoppable."

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.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), joined by Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), speaks at a news conference Thursday on Capitol Hill. (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press)

Prospects for a quick deal to extend supplemental unemployment benefits and other stimulus for an economy still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic have taken a sharp turn for the worse, leaving millions of Americans in the lurch a week after many benefits expired.

The light at the end of the tunnel spotted Wednesday by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) turned markedly more dire by Thursday. That light might not be a bipartisan agreement, she said, but rather it "may be a freight train."

Still, both she and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) signaled that they remain intent on eventually reaching an agreement.

Exactly when that deal comes together, I cant tell you, but I think it will at some point in the near future, McConnell said on CNBC Thursday morning.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has set this weekend as an informal deadline for a deal, saying that if the parties didn't reach one this weekend, he didn't see one happening at all. At that point, he said, the White House would consider executive orders, but the administration's options are limited.

"If we dont reach [agreement on] a top-line number there becomes very little incentive  very little incentive  to have further conversations," Meadows said as he entered a negotiation meeting with Democratic leaders on Thursday evening.

Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin left that meeting with Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) more than three hours later without much visible progress. The two sides cited wide remaining gulfs on the overall price of a deal and the amount of money to help state and local governments with the impact of the illness, a top priority of Democrats.

"There's a handful of very big issues that we are still very far apart" on, Mnuchin said. On the other hand, "there's a lot of issues we are close to a compromise position on," he added, but declined to identify them.

Story continues

Schumer said Democrats were "very disappointed in the meeting."

In reality, however, three months from election day, neither side can afford to leave the negotiating table. The fate of President Trumps second term and control of the Senate, which is now held by Republicans, may rest on Trump and the GOP's handling of the coronavirus-plagued economy.

The public overwhelmingly supports more economic relief. A recent CNBC poll found that 62% of voters in swing states support extending the $600-per-week federal supplemental unemployment benefit that expired at the end of July, and 82% support another round of stimulus checks.

Republicans, who have grown increasingly worried about losing control of the Senate, have more at stake in reaching a deal, but they're also deeply divided internally, reducing McConnell's leverage to the point that he has sat out the negotiations so far.

As many as half of Senate Republicans are skeptical of adding to the deficit to pay for new stimulus and are not expected to support any expansive plan.

Republicans who want to see new legislation acknowledge the bleak outlook but held out hope that the negotiations have merely reached the darkness before the dawn.

"There's a lot of pessimism here," said Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.). "Sometimes we get far apart, and then we get closer together on some things. We could  we might not get a deal."

If a deal is reached, it would take several more days to write the legislation and hold votes in the House and Senate.

For now, however, the two sides remain trillions of dollars apart. Senate Republicans and the White House want an approximately $1-trillion plan while House Democrats want $3 trillion. Meadows indicated Thursday afternoon that the GOP's number had increased but he did not say by how much.

In May, House Democrats approved a bill with additional stimulus checks and continuation of the $600-per-week benefits. Senate Republicans insisted on waiting to negotiate a new package until the benefits approved in March were about to expire. Now, having watched Republicans blow through that July 31 expiration date, Democrats feel comfortable insisting that the GOP move further in their direction.

The GOP has proposed legislation that would cut the supplemental unemployment benefits to about $200 per week, saying that the $600 benefit meant that some workers can get more money on unemployment than by returning to work.

Last week, Pelosi and Schumer signaled openness to a compromise somewhere in the middle, but since then their demand for renewing the full $600 has hardened.

"We're going to have the $600," Pelosi said Thursday.

And they think little of Meadows's weekend deadline. "We're not quitting," Schumer said. "Were ready to work. Were going to keep working."

Although Meadows said Trump might take unilateral action, the White House cannot issue new stimulus checks or further extend enhanced unemployment payments without Congress' approval. White House officials have floated the idea of extending the moratorium on home evictions, but Democrats say its useless to merely delay the due date on rents if the government is not prepared to help people pay it.

The White House could try to cut payroll taxes by executive order, but the legality of that is uncertain, and the proposal would do little to help people who are not collecting a paycheck. The idea, long touted by Trump, has been routinely blasted by congressional Republicans.

The two sides are still far apart on the size of financial help to state and local governments, a priority for Democrats, as well as whether businesses should be protected from lawsuits related to employees' or customers' exposure to the coronavirus. McConnell repeatedly called the liability protections a line in the sand for the GOP.

There are slim areas of potential agreement. Chief among them is that both Senate Republicans and House Democrats included a new round of $1,200 stimulus checks for people at generally the same income levels set in the first round of checks issued in the spring. The GOP plan provided $500 per dependent, regardless of age, and the Democrats' plan was $1,200 per child for up to three children.

The popular Paycheck Protection Program, which provided loans to small businesses, is likely to be continued as well.

There was plenty of blame being thrown Thursday as many senators left town with an agreement to return to Washington upon 24 hours' notice.

Republicans blamed Democrats for being unwilling to negotiate outside the framework of the bill the House passed in May, which many Republicans find too expensive. They said Democrats' unwillingness to approve a short-term agreement signaled that Democrats were more concerned about the politics of blaming the president for inaction.

As long as they calculate that they're better off politically doing nothing, it's going to be hard for us to move forward, and that's the calculation they've made, it appears, said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

Democrats chastised Republicans for waiting until the last minute to consider a plan and suggested the GOP doesn't care about the average American.

"People will become homeless because Republicans are nickel-and-diming," Pelosi said.
Urgent rally called after outspoken lawyers arrest

BANGKOK: The Free People group has called for an urgent rally at the Bang Khen police station on Friday evening after human rights lawyer Anon Nampa was arrested in the afternoon.

Friday 7 August 2020, 06:52PM

Protesters hold wands in the air during a Harry Potter-themed anti-government rally at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok on Monday (Aug 3). Photo: Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP

Mr Anon, who has represented several pro-democracy activists in the past, was the first to be whisked away by police to Samran Rat police station in Bangkok. After he signed documents acknowledging the charges he was sent to the Bang Khen police station, reported the Bangkok Post.

He posted a picture of the arrest warrant on his Facebook page after police confronted him around 2pm in front of his condominium in Bangkok.

Anon can only be detained no more than 48 hours before he has to be produced to the court. Then, he will likely seek bail, the head of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Yaowalak Anuphan, told Reuters.

The 34-year-old lawyer faces seven charges: inciting unrest or sedition (Section 116 of the Criminal Code); illegal assembly of more than 10 people (Section 215 of the Criminal Code); holding activities at risk of spreading contagious diseases (emergency decree); obstructing public space (Section 385 of the Criminal Code); obstructing traffic (Section 114 of the Land Traffic Act); violating the cleanliness law (Section 19) and using loudspeakers without prior approval (Section 4).

The charge under Section 116 carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Minutes later, Panupong Jaadnok, known as Mike Rayong, one of the young people who held posters denouncing Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha when the prime minister visited his hometown Rayong, was taken by police from the Ramkhamhaeng area to the same police station. He is named as the seventh suspect in the same case and faces the same charges. The names of the others are not known yet.

Parit Penguin Cheewarak, a student activist at Thammasat University, also posted on Facebook that he had received an arrest warrant but was not in custody. He pledged to use peaceful disobedience because he thinks his arrest was illegitimate.

The arrests come just days after the inauguration of the Free People group, which grew out of the Free Youth group that has staged protests across the country over the past three weeks.

The protesters, mainly university and high school students mobilised via Twitter and other social media, have been demanding the resignation of the current government, an end to state harassment of government critics, and a new constitution.

Gen Prayut has said that efforts to change the charter will go ahead but he has also asked the protesters to tread carefully.

The Free People group has called for another rally on Aug 16. Mr Anon said earlier that he was planning to speak at a related rally on Sunday in Chiang Mai.

Mr Anon created a stir when he gave a speech at a rally near the Democracy Monument on Tuesday. In it, he touched on the relationship between the monarchy and the constitution.

As the first person to have spoken in public about the highly sensitive issue in several years, he insisted he meant well for the high institution, which he thinks needs to be within the framework of democracy with the King as head of state.

He made three proposals: abolish or amend laws expanding royal power which may infringe on the principles of democracy with the king as head of state; amend the lese majeste law in line with democracy and human rights; listen to the voice of rallying students and the public in order to arrive at solutions to social problems based on democratic principles.
Properly documenting an accident will help you get your claim solved faster. Find out more on our website, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company.

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Take photos immediately after accident. It is essential to take photos of the car damage at the accident scene. Take clear photos and make sure nobody, except the police, interferes with the evidence. Also, take clear photos of the surrounding areas, like geographic elements, weather conditions, street and traffic signs, road marks, the position of the cars at the moment of the collision. They will help both the investigators and the insurance company.

Get eyewitness reports. Search for persons who witnessed the accident and can provide valuable details. Look for persons who are willing to testify, should it come to this. Note or record all eyewitness reports.

Carefully gather all documents as the case progresses. Write names and titles of anyone who was a participant of the accident. Exchange insurance info with the other driver. Ask for a copy of the police report.

Get repair estimates from at least 2 independent sources. It is important to check how much will it cost to repair the car. Visit 2 repair shops and get unbiased estimates. They will help you negotiate better with the claim adjuster.

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The following editorial appeared in the July 28 edition of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier:

Taking their cue from President Donald Trumps fact-challenged assault on absentee voting, Iowa Republicans tried to scuttle the secretary of states voter outreach effort, then put it on pause, affirmed their opposition, but finally restored it.

A wake-up call about political ramifications prompted the reversal.

Secretary of State Paul Pate, also a Republican, had anticipated voters and elections workers would be reluctant to show up at polls for the June primary amid the coronavirus when he mailed out en masse absentee ballot request forms.

His initiative was an overwhelming success. More than 530,000 votes were cast  420,000 absentee. That obliterated the 450,000 primary turnout set in 1994. In Polk County alone, 256 poll workers stayed home

Pate wrote in the Des Moines Register, Iowans are amazing. The level of civic engagement among our citizens is unrivaled.

But fellow Republicans sought to curb his adventure in democracy, starting in the Iowa Senate with legislation citing unsubstantiated security risks.

This legislation does not ban or limit voters to cast an absentee ballot, said Sen. Roby Smith, R-Davenport. This bill is about security. This bill is to make sure someones vote is not erased by someone that is not legally allowed to vote. More people will vote under this bill.

In the House, a successful amendment by Reps. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, and Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines, shifted responsibility to the Iowa Legislative Council to act on any plan by the secretary of state, propose an alternative or decline to take action.

Otherwise, absentee ballot requests remained in the domain of county auditors.

The Republicans were taking their cue from Trumps tirades that he lost the 2016 popular vote by 3 million because of irregularities ranging from immigrants fraudulently casting ballots to absentee shenanigans.

He appointed a commission led by then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Vice President Mike Pence that quickly disbanded. Kobachs claims of 1,000 convictions for voter fraud since 2000 and 8,400 instances of double voting in 2016 were refuted by a commission report of 1,000 convictions for misconduct since 1948.

Trump told Fox and Friends this spring that a Democratic proposal for mail-in ballots during the pandemic would result in levels of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, youd never have a Republican elected in this country again.

He castigated Michigan for sending out illegal absentee ballot applications when they were pursuant to a 2018 constitutional amendment expanding access to absentee voting. He criticized Nevada for emphasizing mailed ballots promoted by its Republican secretary of state.

The Republicans on the Iowa Legislative Council had a sudden change of heart. It seems Democratic auditors in urban counties were leaving their conflicted rural Republican counterparts in the dust regarding sending absentee ballot requests.

The Register reported Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz, a Democrat and president of the Iowa State Association of County Auditors, thought 18 counties  Black Hawk, Polk, Linn, Johnson and Scott among them  were preparing to send ballot request forms to voters.

Consequently, Pates request was unanimously approved.

But political differences remained. Linn and Johnson auditors will mail absentee ballot request forms with personal information numbers from state databases. Pate will send out blank forms.

Republicans had passed legislation denying use of the states voter registration database to fill in missing information on request forms, including a missing name, address, drivers license number or a voters PIN.

Any auditor who sends out a pre-populated form with the voter ID PIN is ignoring the law. Auditors and voters should be on notice that this action shows clear disregard for the law and could easily lead to election fraud, said Sen. Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny.

The county auditors office also must call, email or mail a voter about incomplete or incorrect information on a submitted request rather than relying on the voter database.

Left-leaning groups are suing over the law, but face an uphill battle.

In 2019, Judge Joseph Seidlin upheld provisions of the 2017 voter reform law that the verification of a voters identity is necessary before a voter is permitted to receive and cast a ballot.

Republicans rightly rejected a Democratic request to extend the early voting from 29 to 40 days. Given last-minute campaign revelations, casting a ballot more than a month before an election could produce voters remorse.

Republican concerns about absentee voting are ironic considering the GOP began the push for its widespread use in the South to assist elderly voters  among its base constituencies.

Mail-in voting has displaced polling places in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Hawaii with numerous safeguards, including bar codes.Conservative Utah is nearly there.

Whatever its motivation, the Iowa Legislative Council finally made the right call.

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Nigeria is seeing a surge in trading through the Internet. Now, when global brokerages recognize the potential of the region, their client base is growing. Online trading gives everyone a chance to turn knowledge into a steady income. The job does not require a wide arsenal: all you need is a computer, a tablet, or a smartphone.

Reliable brands optimize their websites from mobile devices and invest in app development. Cutting-edge portable solutions allow users to receive market data and manage their trades even on the go. These are advanced pieces of dedicated software, and they are accessible for free.

The Rise of the Portable

PCs are now associated with offices, rather than personal use. Laptops are portable but much heavier than smartphones or tablets. Technological development of the past decade has caused screens to shrink, and weight to decrease. A smartphone fits in your pocket. It means lucrative trades are always a tap away.

In Nigeria, mobile technology is more popular than its desktop predecessor. Modern trading platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 have their neat portable versions for devices on Android and iOS. Some brokerages offer their own unique apps, such as FXTM Trader. So, what can trading software do?

Spectacular Functionality

Mobile apps like Metatrader 5 are fully functional substitutes for desktop terminals. No extra downloads are necessary! Traders can easily manage their accounts, analyze market data, and execute trades.

Top apps are comprehensive solutions that meet all clients' needs. Users may delve into trading as soon as they install it. Here are some of the key advantages of such mobile software:

- hundreds of instruments;

- convenient and diverse charting tools;

- all popular indicators;

- easy tracking of all the positions, opened and closed;

- 1-click trading.

An important feature of mobile MetaTrader 5 is cross-platform compatibility. This means a position may be opened via the desktop version and closed via mobile, or vice versa. This maximizes freedom of trading. Users aren't tied to a certain location - moreover, they switch devices as they like.

All financial transactions are just as easily controlled via apps. Traders manage deposits and withdrawals whenever they need to. Financial flows are smooth.

A trading dashboard displays all vital parameters in one place. These are balance, leverage, profit, and other characteristics. Users also receive currency rates in the live mode. This means they are always aware of the current market situation and can manage positions for a maximized profit. No more missed opportunities!

Where to Begin

Contact your broker to find out about the recommended software. The subsequent procedure is simple, as top apps are available in the App Store and Google Play.

1. Download the app.

2. Install and open it.

3. Sign in.

4. Start trading!

Clients who do not have an account will need to register. There are two options: demo (for training) and live (for real-money trading). Every newbie should begin by exploring the trading system in the safe demo mode.

Different Tradable Instruments

Nigeria-based traders have access to a broad range of tools. Currency pairs are perfect instruments for beginners, as they are the least complex. In addition, other options are traded using the same platforms and terms. As users gain experience, they diversify their money-making tools.

Increased profit is not the only motivation for doing so. The more instruments you trade - the lower the risks. This is because they are spread over several products. Hence, once you feel comfortable with currencies, explore more opportunities. Importantly, these can all be managed via the same apps:

- Spot metals (silver and gold);

- Stocks of major corporations;

- CFDs on stocks;

- CFDs on commodities;

- CFDs on market indices;

- CFDs on cryptocurrencies.

Contracts for Difference allow you to monetize knowledge of various underlying assets. Importantly, this is a purely virtual tool. It is bought and sold without ownership of physical assets.

Special Options for Nigeria

Forex brokers allow you to choose between Major, Minor, and Exotic pairs. However, not every company accepts the Nigerian Naira. A notable example is FXTM as it allows local clients to have accounts denominated in the national currency. Entry is also affordable, as a special category of offers (cent accounts) requires only 2,000 Naira as a minimum deposit.

The Convenience of Mobile Access

Top apps for traders are all-in-one solutions. They allow instant access to current data and speedy execution of trades. Use your smartphone or tablet to connect to global financial markets. Through an efficient app, you will keep abreast of market changes - anytime, anywhere.
A former top Saudi counterterrorism official has filed a federal lawsuit in the United States against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, alleging the royal tried to trap and kill him in the US and Canada.

The lawsuit filed by Saad Aljabri is the latest effort by the former intelligence official to try and bring about international and public pressure on the crown prince, following years of silence in exile abroad. Aljabri's lawsuit claims the crown prince has detained two of his children in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to force him back to the kingdom because of the ...
The Union civil aviation ministry has called an urgent meeting with officials of Air India Express and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in New Delhi in the aftermath of the Kerala plane crash that has now led to loss of 20 lives and serious injuries to scores of passengers, according to the latest report late on Friday night.

The meeting comes after the ministrys announcement of a probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the tragic accident of Air India express flight number AXB-1344, which was landing from Dubai at around 7:41 pm with 191 persons on board and overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down 35 ft into a slope before breaking up into two pieces.

Captain Deepak Sathe, a former Indian Air Force pilot, who was flying the aircraft and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar have died. Initial reports suggested that the pilots tried to land twice and Sathe tried his best to control the aircraft while landing on a wet runway after heavy rains but it skidded off the runway. The maximum impact was felt at the front of the aircraft, according to initial assessments carried out at the spot by authorities.

Kozhikode plane accident: MEA says its 24X7 helplines are open

As per the latest information from Malappuram collector, search and rescue operation had been finished and all injured including the one person who was stuck in the aircraft till late, have been shifted to various hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode.

Officials said the death toll, which includes four children, is likely to go up as many injured are in serious condition. Kozhikkode airport has been closed for now.

Air India Express has set up help centres at Sharjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai helpline is +97142079444.

Kozhikode collector has also set up a helpline number-- 0495  2376901for providing information related to the crash.

Also read: Govt orders formal probe into Air India Express crash at Kozhikode

The flight was one among the several being operated under the Vande Bharat Mission being run by the Indian government to bring home Indian citizens stuck abroad due to restrictions on international travel due to coronavirus pandemic. After the crash, Air India Express issued a statement of regret and added that the flights under the mission will continue.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier spoken to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Viajayan to take stock of the relief and rescue missions, which involved several departments of state government and NDRF teams.
State-owned enterprise Pivdenny maritime merchandise port (formerly Yuzhny, Odesa region) it stores 9,600 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at moorings No. 1 and 2 which poses no explosion risk, the port's administration has said on its Facebook page on Thursday, August 6.

"Following the tragic explosion in Beirut, the media circulated allegations saying that 10,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate is stored outdoors on one of the Pivdenny port's moorings. The administration of the Pivdenny seaport officially denies this information as it contradicts the reality," it said.

The administration also said that the ammonium nitrate, which is being stored in the port, is packed in big bags in compliance with all technology requirements, adding that transshipment of such freight is carried out in line with the worldwide international regulations for the transportation of dangerous goods by sea.

"Transshipment of ammonium nitrate in bulk is dangerous. However, the Pivdenny port never used such a way of transshipment," it said.

As reported, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has ordered Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Krykliy, Head of the State Emergency Service Mykola Chechotkin, Acting Head of the State Labor Service Vitaliy Sazhyenko, Chief of the National Police Ihor Klymenko and the heads of the regional governments and Kyiv City State Administration to check and report on the ammonium nitrate storage conditions in Ukraine by September 15, 2020.
Huge parliamentary win could enable the president and his brother to change the constitution and boost dynastic rule.

Sri Lankas powerful Rajapaksa brothers have secured a landslide victory in the countrys parliamentary election, according to final results.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksas Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) won 145 seats and can also count on the support of at least five allies in the 225-member legislature, according to the results released on Friday.

The SLPPs main opponent obtained just 54 seats in Wednesdays vote, which saw more than 75 percent of the 16.2 million eligible voters cast their ballots.

The prime minister is most likely to be sworn in the same position by his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and the huge win on Friday could enable them to change the constitution and strengthen the dynastic rule.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is most likely to be sworn in the same position by his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa [Reuters]

Sri Lanka Peoples Front has secured a resounding victory according to official results released so far, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a Twitter message. It is by belief that that the expectation to have a Parliament that will enable the implementation of my vision for prosperity policy will be reality tomorrow.

Critics fear the siblings  renowned for their crushing of Tamil separatist rebels to end a decades-old conflict in 2009  want to end presidential term limits, bring the judiciary and police under their direct control, and extend their dynastic power to a new generation.

Sri Lankas opposition has accused the government of corruption, censorship and intimidation.

Al Jazeeras Minelle Fernandez, reporting from the capital, Colombo, said despite criticism of authoritarianism and dominance people have opted for the governing party.

Mahinda Rajapaksa was voted out of office essentially just one term ago. The previous government came to power on the promise of change but it failed miserably. They did carry forward some constitutional reforms but ultimately, they were such a big disappointment that people of this country have gone back to the Rajapaksas.

The handling of coronavirus crisis by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has invoked a lot of confidence in the people in contrast with the shambles the last government made following the Easter bombing attack last year.

The Indian Ocean Island has largely contained the spread of the novel coronavirus with 2,839 confirmed cases, including 11 deaths.





However, analysts say any attempt by Gotabaya Rajapaksa to push for changes that will strengthen presidential power at the expense of those of the prime minister may trigger sibling rivalry.

Gotabaya was elected president last November after projecting himself as the only leader who could secure the country after bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday killed 269 people in 2019.

Since being elected, he has said he had to function under many restrictions because of constitutional changes in 2015 that strengthened Parliament and the prime minister and put independent commissions in charge of judiciary appointments, police, public services and the conduct of elections

Mahinda Rajapaksa is unlikely to cede any of his powers that might shrink his influence as he works on promoting his son, Namal, as his heir. Namal and three other members of the Rajapaksa family contested the election and are likely to control key functions in the new administration.

The election has left the splintered opposition decimated.

A man hangs newspapers in Colombo carrying headlines about the victory of the ruling Sri Lanka Peoples Front party [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]

Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe lost his constituency, and his party, which had 106 seats in the outgoing parliament, was reduced to just one seat.

A breakaway faction from Wickremesinghes party headed by the son of assassinated President Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sajith, got 20 percent of the vote and was a distant second with 54 seats.

The moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which had 16 seats in the outgoing parliament, also suffered badly and was left with just 10 seats in the new assembly, which is due to sit on August 20.

A total of 196 seats in the 225-member house were decided on district proportional representation while the remaining 29 were decided on the basis of votes polled nationwide.

The election was originally scheduled for April, but it was twice postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A fireman disinfects the campus of Wuhan No. 3 Boarding School in Hanyang District of Wuhan City, central China's Hubei Province, Aug. 3, 2020. Disinfection work was carried out on Monday at the school to prepare for the resumption of classes. (Photo by Wang Fang/Xinhua)



South Korea will lift restrictions on arrivals from China's Hubei province, believed to be the epicenter of COVID-19 outbreaks, starting Monday, as virus cases have eased there and China has relaxed entry bans for South Koreans, health authorities said Friday.



Since Feb. 4, South Korea has imposed entry bans on foreigners who visited or traveled to Hubei province in the preceding two weeks and holders of visas issued by Hubei authorities.



South Korea also has suspended visa-issuance work by its consulate general in Wuhan, the provincial capital where the new coronavirus was first reported late last year.






New Delhi, Aug 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the deaths due to a landslide at Rajamalai in Kerala's Idukki district due to heavy rain for the past four days and announced an ex gratia of Rs two lakh each to the next of kin of the victims.

In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said: "Pained by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. NDRF and the administration are working on the ground, providing assistance to the affected." "An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund will be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives. Rs 50,000 each will be given to the injured." At least 15 persons have been killed and over 60 others are reported missing after the landslide at Rajamalai late on Thursday night. The spot is about 30 km from the popular tourist destination of Munnar in Kerala.

Officials said a 200-member team of Kerala Police had reached the spot for rescue work. At the last count, 12 persons had been rescued and 15 bodies recovered.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
MONROE COUNTY, MI  A Michigan campground recently welcomed a famous camper.

Justin Bieber himself.

Harbortown RV Resort, which is located on LaPlaisance Road just off I-75 in Monroe County, posted to Facebook on July 30 to announce the exciting news.

Harbortown RV Resort occasionally has famous guests, the post reads. We always wait until they depart to share. Last night Justin Bieber stayed one night on his way to Mackinac.

Specific information about Biebers travels in Michigan was not available, but the pop stars social media accounts have been documenting his summer travels with his wife Hailey in recent days. That includes photos of the couple posing along a fence around July 30.

So relaxed on our roadtrip. so grateful to be making these memories with the love of my life, the post reads.

Its not the first time Bieber has been spotted in Michigan recently. He also attended CityFest in Grand Rapids in 2018.

Biebers 45-date world tour was scheduled to take place this summer but has been postponed until 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Bieber released his fifth studio album, Changes, on Feb. 14.
'Today, our vast green pastures where local herders used to take their cattle to graze have been taken over by the Chinese.'

'The people in the Galwan Valley have lost their lands where their cattle used to graze.'

IMAGE: President Ram Nath Kovind presents the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2017 to Sonam Wangyal, the legendary mountaineer. Photograph: Press Information Bureau

Sonam Wangyal, the legendary mountaineer, along with other Central Reserve Police personnel were ambushed at Hot Springs on October 22, 1959 by Chinese soldiers in an incident reminiscent of how Colonel Babu along with soldiers of the Bihar Regiment were ambushed by the People's Liberation Army in the Galwan Valley on the night of June 15, 2020.

Wangyal feels blessed that he came out of that ambush alive as also that he succeeded in climbing Mount Everest at the age of 23 since he had never dreamt of becoming a mountaineer.

Today, at 79 years, Wangyal regrets how the PLA have encroached on large parts of Ladakh. The first of a two-part interview with Rediff.com Contributor Rashme Sehgal.

You are one of the few Indians who climbed Mount Everest twice on the same day.

I feel to this day no one has understood the extent of my achievement. I was the only one in that nine-member team led by Captain M S Kohli who climbed Everest twice on the same day within a span of two hours.

Looking back at the events on that fateful day of May 22 1965, when I succeeded in climbing that mountain along with Sonam Gyatso, I remember the time we reached the peak which was 12.30 pm and that we spent all of 55 minutes there. I was 23 years of age.

The youngest person to have climbed Everest till then. But standing on the peak l still can remember that I felt no elation. Rather, I felt a sense of great relief.

But on our descent when we reached Hillary Step, Gyatso realized that he had forgotten to take the idol of Lord Ganesh given to him by B N Mullick, the IB (Intelligence Bureau) chief in those days, to be placed on the summit.

I offered to go up again, which I did.

When I reached the top, I scooped some snow and placed the idol under it. I am sure even today if a mountaineer went up, he would be able to find it.

IMAGE: Sonam Wangyal climbed Mount Everest twice in 1965, aged 23, then the youngest man to climb the world's highest peak.

It was a huge achievement.

I must tell you that when I was lying in my sleeping bag at a height of 26,500 feet, I tried to think about the events of the day, but I was so exhausted, all I wanted to do was sleep.

And at that time, Gyatso was ill and needed immediate medical attention. My concern then was for the two of us coming out alive from there.

I grew up in the mountains. I spent my childhood in Ladakh and the Himalayan mountains stood tall around me as I grew up.

Every Sunday, I would take the cattle up to graze. I know the steep mountainous terrain of Ladakh like the back of my hand.

I used to trek along the Galwan Valley, Hot Springs, Demchock and Chushul.

Today, our vast green pastures where local herders used to take their cattle to graze have been taken over by the Chinese.

The people in the Galwan Valley have lost their lands where their cattle used to graze.

Those living along the borders feel threatened. They are in a state of panic.

The Chinese have been taking our land inch by inch, but this time they have taken a huge slice.

Aaa kar baith gayein hain hamare puure northern border par (They have come and taken over our northern border). They have been doing this from 1959.

This is happening from the north east, Bhutan right up to Ladakh.

At this rate, they will chop off our head, and the next thing we know is that they will have taken our entire stretch of land up to Jammu.

There is a perception that the Chinese have brought some of their Tibetan citizens to the border area so they can interact with the local Ladakhi population.

After all, at one time an active barter trade existed between the Ladakhis and the Tibetan population.

The Chinese want to dominate the world.

The Chinese are masters at betrayal. We are a peace loving, God fearing people, we cannot become Communists.

Pakistan did the same thing with us in Kargil. They sent infiltrators who occupied Tololing Heights, Tiger Hill and Point 4875. But the Indian Army fought and pushed them back.

It needs to do the same with the Chinese.

Look at what they have done with the Tibetan people in Tibet.

Just as we are the original inhabitants of Ladakh, it is the Tibetans who are the original inhabitants of Tibet.

They have worked systematically to destroy the Tibetan culture. Tibetans have been persecuted and large numbers of Han Chinese have been resettled in Tibet.

If they have brought Tibetans to the borders in Ladakh to interact with us Ladakhis, these people will be just like the Chinese. They will behave like them.

Part 2: When I climbed Nanda Devi to spy on China

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
By Kingsley Moghalu

Some facts from the United States that put our need to invest in education in Nigeria in perspective: Harvard Universitys endowment, at $40 billion and managed by Harvard Management Company Inc. is larger than Nigerias entire foreign reserves. University of Texas (public university) $30 billion. Yale: $29 billion. Stanford: $$26 billion. Princeton: $25. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT):$16 billion. University of Pennsylvania (Penn): $15. University of Michigan (public uni): $12 billion. Notre Dame: $$11. Columbia: $10 billion. Tufts: $1.9 billion. Rice: $1.3 billion.

These endowments come from gifts from wealthy donors, contributions from alumni of these institutions, profits from tuition and other fees etc. In the case of state-owned universities, grants from the government also contribute to the financial positions of such institutions. Beyond university-wide endowments, there are numerous specific endowments for professorial chairs and for scholarships.

Whats the point? In countries that are making progress and are globally competitive, education is an industry in which huge public and private investments are made. Wealthy Nigerians and alumni of Nigerian universities should look more seriously at this model of funding education. In Nigeria, Oba Sikiru Adetona provided over N1 billion for an endowed professorial chair in governance and for an annual lecture on the subject at Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ijebu Ode.

(I was the Joan Gillespie Fellow at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston during my masters degree program 30 years ago. That endowed fellowship was dedicated by a donor, in memory of his daughter, to finance students from developing countries assessed to have future leadership potential.)

But governments still have a primary role in education. So federal and state governments must invest massively in education reform, as follows:

1. Invest in massive teacher training and Re-training programs to make those who teach our kids fit for purpose.

2. Reform the curriculum towards skills acquisition for job creation, rebalancing tertiary education curricula to 60:40 in favor of science, technology, skills and entrepreneurship versus arts and social sciences.

3. Create a clear vocational track and professional track in secondary education and establish more tertiary vocational institutions.

4. Invest in pedagogy (how we learn) reform, away from rote learning (cram and pour) to self-discovery and creative learning methods that embed what is learnt because students participate more in the learning process. In my class as a professor at Tufts University, the students original research essay carried 60% of total marks, participation in class discussion and group exercises carried 20%, and attendance was the remaining 20%. The aim was a well rounded student after taking my class.

5. Invest in education infrastructure. Every child in any Nigerian secondary school should have a laptop. High quality school buildings, learning environment and other learning aids are critical for superior education.

6. Invest in higher pay for teachers, and restore the teaching profession to the pride of place it once had in Nigeria, and as it has in countries like South Korea and Finland where teaching is one of the most respected and prestigious professions.

Finally, we need a public-private venture capital fund of at least N1 trillion to invest in new ventures that graduates of our educational institutions with technical, artistic or entrepreneurship skills wish to set up. This will close the circle, from education to jobs. #Ends
The leaders of Russia and Belarus moved Friday to mend a rift caused by Belarusian authorities' arrest of 33 Russian security contractors on charges of planning to foment unrest ahead of the country's presidential election.

Belarusian authorities accused the Russian contractors of planning to instigate mass riots as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko contends with significant opposition protests as he seeks a sixth term in Sunday's election.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lukashenko spoke by phone Friday, their first conversation since the Russians' were arrested on July 29 outside Belarus's capital of Minsk. The Kremlin said the two leaders voiced confidence that the situation will be settled in the spirit of mutual understanding typical for cooperation between the two countries.

It added that Russia is interested in the preservation of a stable domestic political situation in Belarus and calm atmosphere at the forthcoming presidential election. Moscow previously said the security contractors only were in Belarus because they missed a connecting flight to another country.

Lukashenko's office said in its readout of the call that he and Putin agreed to closely study the situation and to track down the culprits and bring them to justice. The readout said the two presidents noted the importance of the brotherly Russia-Belarus ties and the need to resist the negative trends and actions by third parties that could strain them.

Belarusian security officials have linked the Russians to the jailed husband of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old former teacher who is running to unseat the authoritarian Lukashenko after his 26 years in power.

Belarusian authorities claimed the arrested contractors worked for the Wagner company, a private military firm is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman who was indicted in the United States for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Wagner has allegedly deployed hundreds of military contractors to eastern Ukraine, Syria and Libya.

The government in Minsk has further irked Moscow by raising the possibility that some of the contractors could be handed over to Ukraine, which wants them on charges of fighting alongside Russia-backed separatists during the long conflict in eastern Ukraine..

The conciliatory Kremlin readout of the Putin-Lukashenko call marks a step back from a harsh rebuke issued earlier this week by Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council.

Without mentioning Lukashenko by name, Medvedev said that by arresting the contractors, the Belarusian leadership had turned bilateral ties into small change in the election campaign and will face sad consequences.

Neighboring Russia and Belarus have a union agreement that envisages close political, economic and military ties between the traditional allies but stops short of a full merger.

During his time as the first and only president of ex-Soviet nation Belarus since it became independent, Lukashenko has relied on Russian subsidies and loans to for his nations economy but fiercely resisted Moscows push for control over Belaruss economic assets.

The Kremlin turned the heat up on the Belarusian president earlier this year by withdrawing some of the subsidies and warning Lukashenko that he would have to accept closer economic and political integration to continue receiving Russian energy at a discount. The Belarusian leader denounced Moscow's stance as part of the Kremlin's alleged efforts to deprive Belarus of its independence.
Sandra Galassi didnt have much, but what the Niagara Falls woman did have she was more than eager to share with others if that meant helping people in need.

Now Galassis family, the four children she was raising as a single mom, desperately needs the help of others.

Anthony Galassi, the oldest of Sandras kids at age 18, said his 51-year-old mom went to Greater Niagara General Hospital on Tuesday last week with what he at first thought might be COVID-19 because she was so weak.

The next day I got a call from the hospital; they said they found tumours in her head but they werent sure if they were cancerous, Anthony said. The next morning, they called me and said she has terminal cancer and is going to die.

He said doctors discovered at least 16 tumours in his mom: in her brain, in her lungs, above her kidneys, in bone.

It completely crushed me, said the former Saint Paul Catholic High School student, who started at Queens University last year after winning a Schulich Scholarship, Canadas largest scholarship.

Anthony said at first he kept the grim news from his siblings, Michaella, age 10, Matteo, 11, and Kaylina, 16, but finally had to sit them down. I finally had to break the news to them, he said. That was the hardest thing in my life: telling my siblings that our mom is going to die.

Sandras family has set up a GoFundMe page with a goal to raise $100,000. Anthony faces financial costs for his moms funeral arrangements, his siblings post-secondary educations and to carry out repairs at the house.

The home was a fixer upper that already needed some work, but Anthony said its fallen into further disrepair in the last year because Sandra had slid further into depression that he now understands was probably linked to brain tumours.

He hopes Niagara skilled tradespeople and contractors will consider donating time and materials to make one of her biggest dreams come true while there is still time.

Thats a dream of my mom: to come home and for us to be a big, happy family again, he said.

To fix it up and make it beautiful for her to come home is my dream.

My mom always said if you think something into being, it will happen, he said. Im hoping to God that shell come home and shell see her dream completed, and shell know Ill have my siblings taken care of.

Anthony, who said hell likely scale back his studies this year to care for his siblings, goes out of his way to tutor and mentor other young people. He said his mom instilled in her children the importance of helping others.

Sandra would dip into her modest financial resources to help kids from poor families with gifts at Christmas and Easter, and built a tree house in the familys backyard on Maple Street so other neighbourhood kids have a place to play, he said.

Anthony said his mom dreams of eventually being buried at Fairview Cemetery, just down the street from the family home, but the cost of a plot may be prohibitive.

Hes hoping the community will rally for his family in their time of need.

I know with the pandemic people are struggling. I dont want to ask for too much, he said. But my siblings and I hope to make moms house her home, a place for her to spend her remaining days.

Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, who donated to the GoFundMe page, asked residents in a tweet to help the family if they have the means.

People wishing to send cash, cheques or gift cards can deliver them to St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church at 4673 Victoria Ave.

Anthony can be reached at Instagram at @anthony.galassi or via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/anthony.galassi.1.

The GoFundMe page is at https://www.gofundme.com/f/sandra-galassi-final-wishes.
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Microsoft aims to buy TikTok's entire global business

Microsoft Corp is chasing a deal to buy all of TikTok's global business. However, a source familiar with the discussions told Reuters that Microsoft had not raised the prospect of buying all of TikTok in its negotiations with ByteDance. Microsoft had said it was seeking to buy the assets of TikTok in North America, Australia and New Zealand.

COVID-19 vaccine: US to pay $1 billion for 100 million doses of J&J's potential candidate

The United States government will pay Johnson & Johnson over $1 billion for 100 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine, as it stocks up on vaccine and drugs in an attempt to tame the pandemic. The latest contract is priced at roughly $10 per vaccine dose produced by J&J, or around $14.50 per dose.

Twitter to label state-controlled media, govt officials' accounts

Twitter Inc will label the accounts of state-affiliated media outlets, their senior staff and some key government officials, the company said in a blog post. The accounts of Russia's Sputnik, RT, and China's Xinhua News are among the media organizations that will be labeled.

Climate change could be worse disaster than coronavirus: Bill Gates

Microsoft founder, investor, and philanthropist Bill Gates has warned that while the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is 'awful,' the climate change crisis could be even worse. Gates, in a blog, said, "As awful as this pandemic is, climate change could be worse."

Donald Trump signs executive orders banning Tiktok, WeChat over security concerns

US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders banning popular Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat, terming them a threat to the national security and to the country's economy. The ban comes into effect in 45 days, Trump said in his two separate executive orders signed on Thursday. India was the first country to ban TikTok and WeChat, citing national security concerns.

COVID-19 corrodes BMW's coffers; luxury carmaker's losses nearly $800 million

BMW expects to make an operating profit this year despite losing 666 million euros ($787 million) in the second quarter after sales of its luxury cars slumped during coronavirus lockdowns. The German manufacturer of BMWs, Minis and Rolls-Royces, said deliveries had begun to recover, including in China, but the rebound would not be enough to make up for the shortfall in sales lost to the pandemic.
A new publication on the impacts of deep-seabed mining by 13 prominent deep-sea biologists, led by University of Hawai'i at Manoa oceanography professor Craig Smith, seeks to dispel scientific misconceptions that have led to miscalculations of the likely effects of commercial operations to extract minerals from the seabed.

The deep sea, ocean depths below 650 feet (200 metres), constitutes more than 90% of the biosphere, harbors the most remote and extreme ecosystems on the planet, and supports biodiversity and ecosystem services of global importance. Interest in deep-seabed mining for copper, cobalt, zinc, manganese and other valuable metals has grown substantially in the last decade and mining activities are anticipated to begin soon.

"As a team of deep-sea ecologists, we became alarmed by the misconceptions present in the scientific literature that discuss the potential impacts of seabed mining," said Smith. "We found underestimates of mining footprints and a poor understanding of the sensitivity and biodiversity of deep-sea ecosystems, and their potential to recover from mining impacts. All the authors felt it was imperative to dispel misconceptions and highlight what is known and unknown about deep seabed mining impacts."

In addition to the impacts of mining on ecosystems in the water above extraction activities, as detailed in another UH-led study published last month, Smith and co-authors emphasize deep-seabed mining impacts on the seafloor, where habitats and communities will be permanently destroyed by mining.

"The bottom line is that many deep-sea ecosystems will be very sensitive to seafloor mining, are likely to be impacted over much larger scales than predicted by mining interests, and that local and regional biodiversity losses are likely, with the potential for species extinctions," said Smith.

The scope of mining impacts from full scale mining, however, will not be well understood until a full-scale mining operation is conducted for years. The geographic scale and ecosystem sensitivities to mining disturbance occurring continuously for decades cannot be simulated or effectively studied at a smaller scale, according to the authors.

"All the simulations conducted so far do not come close to duplicating the spatial scale, intensity and duration of full-scale mining," said Smith. "Further, the computer models use ecosystem sensitivities derived from shallow-water communities that experience orders of magnitude higher levels turbidity and sediment burial (mining-type perturbations) under natural conditions than the deep-sea communities targeted for mining."

Much of the planned deep-seabed mining will be focused in the Pacific Ocean, near Hawai'i, and also near Pacific Island nations. Hawai'i and Pacific Island nations are likely to particularly suffer from any negative environmental impacts, but may benefit economically from deep-seabed mining, creating a need to understand the trade-offs of such mining.

"Polymetallic-nodule mining (as currently planned) may ultimately impact 500,000 square kilometers of deep seafloor in the Pacific, an area the size of Spain, yielding perhaps the largest environmental footprint of a single extractive activity by humans," said Smith. "Addressing the misconceptions and knowledge gaps related to deep-sea mining is the first step towards effective management of deep-seabed mining."

The researchers aim to work closely with regulators and society to help manage deep-seabed mining and emphasize the need to proceed slowly with seabed mining until impacts are fully appreciated.

###
GeoPark Ltd (NYSE:GPRK)

Q2 2020 Earnings Call

, 10:00 p.m. ET

Contents:

Prepared Remarks

Questions and Answers

Call Participants

Prepared Remarks:

Operator

Good morning, and welcome to the GeoPark Limited Conference Call following the results announcement for the second quarter ended June 30th, 2020. [Operator Instructions]

If you do not have a copy of the press release, it is available at the Investor Support section on the company's corporate website at www.geo-park.com. A replay of today's call may be accessed through this webcast in the Investor Support section of the GeoPark corporate website.

Before we continue, please note that certain statements contained in the results press release and on this conference call are forward-looking statements rather than historical facts and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described. With respect to such forward-looking statements, the company seeks protections afforded by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These risks include a variety of factors, including competitive developments and risk factors listed from time to time in the company's SEC reports and public releases. Those lists are intended to identify certain principal factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements but are not intended to represent a complete list of the company's business.

All financial figures included herein were prepared in accordance with the IFRS and are stated in US dollars unless otherwise noted. Reserves figures correspond to PRMS standards.

On the call today from GeoPark is James F. Park, Chief Executive Officer; Andres Ocampo, Chief Financial Officer; Martin Terrado, Director of Operations; and Stacy Steimel, Shareholder Value Director.

And now, I'll turn the call over to Mr. James Park. Mr. Park, you may begin.

James F. Park -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, and welcome, everyone. We are joining you this morning with our executive team united as ever but still physically separated and calling in from our respective locations in Colombia, Argentina and Texas. Again, we wish to begin by expressing our passionate thanks and respect for the GeoPark women and men who are working day and night, pushing us through this downturn and continuously making our company perform, protecting our shareholders and positioning us for the new world on the other side.

Well, this second quarter was the ugliest and meanest three-month period I have experienced in 40-plus-years in this business. We got the whole rotten enchilada, a global pandemic, a production war, a lockdown of the world's economy, a historic demand collapse and even negative oil prices.

Before opening up to questions, and in order to give some flavor to the dynamics and operational and financial efforts during the quarter, let's please review five key areas of our business.

First, looking at our production and drilling response and actions with SPEED and agility, all of our drilling and workover suspended at the beginning of the quarter, involving the shutdown of eight rigs. Then, always considering health and safety, reservoir, mechanical and cost factors, we shut in 6,500 to 7,500 barrels per day of production when prices were at their lowest. As prices subsequently strengthened, we reopened 70% to 80% of these wells, which raised us back up to our current production of over 40,000 barrels per day and a quarterly average of 37,000 barrels per day. We also resumed drilling with a revised program of six to eight wells in the Llanos 34 block where GeoPark is operating and one to two wells in the CPO-5 block where ONGC is operating, and we put our workover and well maintenance rigs back into operation.

Second, looking at our cost and investment response and actions. We put the brakes on capital expenditures with an 80% cut and began driving down each and every cost. Production and operating costs down 55%, operating cost per barrel down 26% to $6 per barrel, and G&A and G&G costs down 19%. Across our platform, total cost and investment savings exceeded $290 million. And now, with strengthened prices, we were able to revise our full year 2020 budget upward to $65 million to $75 million, supporting our program targeting production of 40,000 to 42,000 barrels per day and an operating netback of $230 million to $260 million at Brent of $35 to $40 per barrel.

Third, looking at our cash preservation, safety net and risk management response and actions. Cash preservation was a key risk management principle. And after beginning the quarter with cash of $166 million, we have the same level today. As an additional safety net, we secured a $75 million oil prepayment facility with $50 million committed and no amounts drawn, and we have an additional $140 million in uncommitted credit lines. We have a long-term financial debt maturity profile with no principal payments until September 2024. And S&P and Fitch recently reaffirmed GeoPark's long-term corporate credit rating at B plus. Our hedging program was an effective tool in protecting our base oil price and provided a $14 million cash gain in the first half of 2020.

Fourth, looking at our SPEED, ESG response and actions. SPEED is GeoPark's successful integrated value system, which includes ESG components as well as health and safety and employee well-being. Concerning the pandemic, we quickly put protocols, preventative measures and crisis response plans in place across our six-country platform and reduced field teams to a minimum with backup crews and contingencies in place to keep people working safely and production flowing.

GeoPark was the first E&P company in Colombia to obtain Bureau Veritas certification on biosecurity protocols to mitigate and manage the impact of COVID-19 in our operations. In keeping with our continuous work with our neighbors and communities, we stepped up our efforts during the pandemic to provide safety, medical and food supplies, particularly for the most vulnerable. Our efforts have impacted over 1,100 families or 6,000 people, supported local health officials and also coordinated with federal officials.

Fifth, looking at our structural efforts to create a better and stronger business. Taking advantage of the turbulence, we began working to streamline all of our business to improve the overall cost structure and benefit from available synergies and new innovative technology. This has involved a review of all departments and capabilities and a reorganization of our asset management approach.

We also retired from the non-producing Morona block in Peru due to an extended force majeure. Our teams are now working on the 2021 work program and the upcoming capital allocation process and are developing a rich inventory of new projects that provide attractive returns at a $35 to $40 oil price environment. We also are pleased to welcome Sylvia Escovar and Somit Varma as new independent board members, two respected and proven executives who will help drive GeoPark to our exciting energy future.

So, a lot has been accomplished, and we remain prepared for however long the full duration of this storm might be. Our company was born in a crisis in 2002, and has shown, once again, we can keep focused and navigate through these upheavals. And as much as these times hurt, GeoPark has always adapted to come out better and stronger on the other side as we are on the move to do so again.

Thank you. And we would be pleased to answer any questions you may have. And please be patient as we try to coordinate our question answering with our team located across two continents today.

Questions and Answers:

James F. Park -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you. [Operator Instructions] Your first question comes from the line of Alejandro Demichelis of Nau Securities.

Alejandro Demichelis -- Nau Securities -- Analyst

Yes, hello. Good morning, gentlemen. A couple of questions, if I may. You have had an impressive run in terms of reducing the cost base, and you have done very well on that. I am wondering, as you restart production, bring again back some of the more expensive fields, how much of that kind of cost savings are we going to see kind of coming back into the numbers?

And then, the second question is, some of your peers seem to be having trouble on the Putumayo area, maybe you can kind of comment how you're seeing it in your own block and what the risk of facing some capital locate over there?

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

Great. Thank you, Alejandro, and good morning. On the cost side, as you said, we've improved significantly our cost basis across all of the fields. I would say, probably with the reduction that you see from the first quarter to the second quarter, it is, as you said, depending part of it or on the OpEx side mostly, depends a little bit on how much of the production is put on stream, so part of the savings that you see in the second quarter are going to be reversed when -- or have been reversed when the production has been brought back. So I would say, probably half of that is there to stay, half of the savings is there to stay, and half of it may come back as -- if oil prices -- if you assume oil prices remaining at the levels that we are experiencing today, which is much higher than what it was in the second quarter.

Martin Terrado can also add some of the efforts that have been done on the renegotiations and also some of the things that have been included in those negotiations. Martin?

Martin Terrado -- Director of Operations

Yeah. Thank you, Andres. Hello, Alejandro. In the past month, we negotiated around 300 contracts, and we got savings in both service contracts and material purchases. This is about 10% savings on top of the savings that we have achieved back in 2015. So that's basically where we are today. And we expect to have, for this year, with those discounts, about $10 million on contracts and material savings.

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

And some of those are contracts that come are long-term and have been put in place years ago in 2015 and '16. So we already had embedded in them a 30% discount compared to normalized contracts.

And then, your second question was about our operations in Putumayo. It is certainly surface wise a different area compared to Llanos basin, we had expected that. Our production in Putumayo represents less than 10% of the overall company production. In any case, since we started our operations there, we have not faced any disruptions or issues with our neighbors. We are -- currently, as a result of COVID, we are obviously increasing safety and health measures across all of our operations. Obviously, some of these communities do have incremental worries of cases or contamination coming to the -- coming their way. So we have seen increasing activity or increasing limitations with respect of having operators coming in and out. So that is a risk that exists continuously. We haven't faced any interruptions as a result of that yet, but we do see some of that concern raising in the area. But in any case, as I mentioned, this does not represent a significant portion of our production. And obviously, our number one priority in these cases is the health of our neighbors and the health of our operations crew. Okay. That's very clear. Thank you very much, Martin, Andres.

Martin Terrado -- Director of Operations

Thank you.

Operator

Your next question comes from the line of Gavin Wylie of Scotiabank.

Gavin Wylie -- Scotiabank -- Analyst

Yeah, guys. Just one -- maybe two quick questions for me, if I can. So it looks like you're taking advantage of some of the Colombian government's tax deferral programs that are available. There is no cash taxes paid during the quarter, which is typically when you guys do your big installment payment for Colombia. So just a quick question on that is, if I do the math, it looks like there's kind of remaining about $50 million to $55 million of cash tax charges for the balance of 2020. And wondering if you can kind of give me a sense of what quarters those will be layered into or if there's a deferral program in place that you actually could see that pushed out to Q1 of 2021?

Second question is just around M&A and how you're thinking about the longer-term kind of portfolio with the block in Peru kind of retired now, that was a big chunk of future growth. And is that -- kind of are you back on the warpath, so to speak, to find new acreage or some more significant project given that you do have quite a bit of liquidity headroom currently? Those are the two questions. Thanks.

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

Hey, Gavin. Good morning. Thank you for your questions. The first one with respect to cash taxes. Our original estimation in our budget was a completely different number. But the last data point that we gave was included in our corporate presentation was something around, let's say, $60 million cash taxes for 2020, from which $17 million had already been paid in the first quarter this year. The remaining cash taxes, let's say, more or less $40 million. As you pointed out, it was not paid in the second quarter. So those remaining $40 million are composed as follows.

Between $20 million to $25 million are deferred to 2021 as part of the agreement with Radiant of refinancing those payments in installments beginning in August and ending in August next year. That gives you more or less $20 million to $25 million payable next year. There's roughly $15 million additional cash taxes to be paid in 2020. However, at the same time, we have collected, and we have collected already, but you don't see the cash in the balance sheet because it was collected in July, around $15 million of former taxes that were paid in 2019 but Radiant have accelerated -- typically these applications for reimbursement take a couple of years. And Radiant have accelerated the procedures to collect faster. So basically we collected $15 million already in July that will offset the payment that is still due on 2020. So the net effect, short answer is zero in 2020, and then remaining $24 million in the first half of -- most of it in the first half of 2021.

There are additional cash tax benefits that may occur during 2020. We have $4 million to $5 million of additional income tax reimbursement from prior years that are still following their due course that may come later on this year, and there's additional $15 million of VAT taxes that we may collect also from now until the end of the year. So -- but those two are still contingent, let's say. But the ones that are firm are $15 million that will offset the payment for this year and then the $24 million payable first half next year. Sorry, that was long. I hope that was clear. So if that was clear, I'll move on to the next one about the portfolio.

Gavin Wylie -- Scotiabank -- Analyst

Okay. Very good. Thank you.

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

So as you pointed out, we decided to exit our project in Peru. And it was part of our future significant growth. But something that occurred during 2019 has been -- what we call a pretty significant silent and significant land grab, particularly in Colombia and more specifically in the Llanos basin. So, basically we moved from -- or we expanded an original position that we have, if you place yourself at the beginning of 2019, we had 80,000 acres in the central Llanos basin, which is namely Llanos 34, and then we pretty much ended the year or started 2020 with roughly 1.5 million acres of exploration and reserves and development opportunities around some of that on trend of our Llanos 34 block.

So, we agree that Peru does impact our long-term -- I mean, the exiting of Peru does impacts our long-term future growth. It was an additional upside optionality for us. But we believe that the land grab that we were able to achieve during 2019 has been very significant. Some of those blocks are home of some of the most attractive onshore exploration prospects that our team has mapped in the region over the last few years. And we are looking forward to continue our exploration activities in those areas and expect pretty significant future growth from them.

And then, obviously we will continue looking for additional opportunities throughout the remaining areas in our portfolio. But I would say that probably Colombia and particularly the Llanos basin is one of the most imminent and most attractive exploration opportunities. I would also add the fact that we -- not only we added a significant acreage position in the Llanos, but also added the Putumayo basin, which is part of the MOP basin, the Maranon-Oriente-Putumayo basin, that has been targeted by our team for many years. We're doing it in the right way with production and development opportunities, but also significant exploration upside in partnership with a world-class partner like Oxy, and we also have pretty significant partners in our acreage in Llanos such as obviously ONGC in CPO-5, but also Ecopetrol, Hocol in the other exploration projects. So it's really very exciting acreage, and we look forward to have our next field trip in Colombia where our geologists can start sharing some of the ideas that they are seeing because it's really, really, really exciting.

Operator

Your next question comes from the line of Johanna Castro of Itau.

Johanna Castro -- Itau BBA -- Analyst

HI. Good morning, everybody. My question is regarding Platanillo. And just to understand a little bit as the rationale of the operation, how you guys are opening up the operations. I did understood that from the acquisition of Amerisur, Platanillo had relatively low production cost. So, I think, just checking in January, Platanillo was producing 4,000 barrels and I don't know if maybe -- because I don't know what the production is break into [Indecipherable] wells and distance between them and it's not economically efficient to put them into production, but I understood that it was a low breakeven kind of production. I guess not the same as CPO-5, but something that could have been kept. So it will be great if you can explain a little bit the logic of how you are opening up those production facilities in the coming months.

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Johanna, and good morning. Yes, Platanillo is a field that has the potential production of roughly 3,700 to 4,000 barrels a day. It has been most of it on production throughout the whole year. There were a few days of disruption because of the problem in the SOTE pipeline in Ecuador. But really field wise, it has been operating most of the time. As you said, it's fairly low-cost field, it's not as low as CPO-5 or Llanos 34, but has an OpEx of roughly $13 per barrel and commercial discounts that go from $4 or $5 per barrel. So, with the exception of certain periods of time where we open or close some of the wells, most of the times, the field is producing something between 3,000 to 3,700 barrels a day, which is the potential. So that's how we have been managing the field this far and with no significant issues. I'm not sure if that addresses your point.

Johanna Castro -- Itau BBA -- Analyst

Well, what I was thinking is, how is it going to work ahead depending on prices and how flexible are you to open and close productions in those facilities?

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

Sorry, can you say that again?

Johanna Castro -- Itau BBA -- Analyst

Sorry. Just to understand how does picking up of the production and the opening up of the production facilities is working, like it depends on what levels of oil prices for you to start pushing Platanillo again or how should we look at this in the future?

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

At these prices, Platanillo is economic and is producing and generating cash flow. That is the current status of the field. It's not part of the shut-in production that we mentioned before. Platanillo has been continued to produce throughout the cycle. We did shut in a few wells in Platanillo for a period of time at the bottom when Brent touched $20 or lower $20s for a few weeks, but not more than that. It was brought back at full capacity pretty fast. So, the expectation is that it will continue to produce within the same levels that it has the potential to produce.

Johanna Castro -- Itau BBA -- Analyst

Okay. Thank you.

Operator

Your next question comes from the line of Robin Haworth of Stifel.

Robin Haworth -- Stifel -- Analyst

Thanks for taking my questions. Two, if I may. So, I think, Jim in his prepared remarks said that current production was around 40,000 barrels a day. I was just wondering where we should expect that to go over the rest of quarter and the year? And should we be looking for that to increase toward the 45,000 barrel a day level that you were able to achieve in Q1 or would you really expect that to be flat, I think, both compatible with your guidance for the full year?

And then, second question is on CPO-5, and great to see some firm wells in the schedule there. I was just wondering if you could talk about the current status. Are you preparing to rig up there? If you could say a little bit about the targets and the risk profile. Are these exploration wells or are these appraisal wells of some of the discoveries that have already been made in that block, that would be great. Thank you.

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

Thanks very much, Robin. Good morning. With respect to your question about production outlook, the expectation for the remaining of the year is more or less around 40,000 to 42,000 barrels a day, that's the range more or less that we would expect. That is pretty much what you should expect, assuming that we are only estimating one rig drilling in Llanos 34. So with that level of activity, the expectation is more or less to be within the levels we're saying in the release, which is something more or less between 40,000 to 42,000 barrels a day.

And then, with respect to the specific activity and the wells that we're targeting to drill, the rigs are already up and drilling. Actually we have two drilling rigs right now because these are the rigs that we're operating when we shut them down, and they just stay there. So, one of the rigs is finishing drilling and will leave Llanos 34, and we will keep the other rig full-time until the end of the year -- at least until the end of the year, and hopefully we'll just stay there drilling back-to-back wells.

On the side of that rig, we have two completion rigs or workover rigs, one of them to complete the wells that we drill, the other one to do workovers or lead back wells that may go offline from time to time. So they are already -- they are ready and already drilling. That's the answer. And most of the wells that we're targeting are development wells mainly in the Tigana and Jacana area -- and Tigui -- sorry, these are Tigana Jacana and Tigui wells, most of them ready.

And I don't know, Martin, if I missed anything, please add whatever you think.

Martin Terrado -- Director of Operations

No. I think you covered most of it, Andres, unless there's a follow-up question.

Robin Haworth -- Stifel -- Analyst

Thanks. Appreciate that. And I guess my question was also relating to CPO-5 as well. And so just on wells in the schedule there.

Martin Terrado -- Director of Operations

Yeah, I can take CPO-5, Robin. So, the plan is to drill one appraisal well, which will be Indico. Indico, out of the two wells that are producing in that block, is the one that has more than 250 feet of net paying. It has -- it's producing around 5,000 barrels of oil per day and with a zero water cut. So, the well did not find the water oil contact. And we're very excited that that will be a well that is going to help us understand and confirm that it's much bigger than just one well. So that will be the first well to be drilled by ONGC, followed by Aguila, which is an exploration well, targeting the same formation and the same play from Mariposa and Aguila -- and Indico, sorry. So that would be the second well. I don't know if that answers your question, Robin.

Robin Haworth -- Stifel -- Analyst

Perfect. That's great. That's great. Thanks, Martin. Thanks, Andres. Thank you [Indecipherable].

Martin Terrado -- Director of Operations

Thank you, Robin.

Operator

Thank you. That was our final question for today. I will now return the call to Mr. James Park for closing comments.

James F. Park -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, everybody, for your interest in GeoPark and your continued support of our company. Once the world's borders begin to open again, we encourage you to please visit us at our operations in each country. Also, our Shareholder Value Team has accelerated their interactions and is busier than ever with webinars, video conferences and direct calls, and is available around the clock as is all of our management team to answer any questions or to listen to your comments.

Thank you, and please stay healthy and strong.

Operator

[Operator Closing Remarks]

Duration: 35 minutes

Call participants:

James F. Park -- Chief Executive Officer

Andres Ocampo -- Chief Financial Officer

Martin Terrado -- Director of Operations

Alejandro Demichelis -- Nau Securities -- Analyst

Gavin Wylie -- Scotiabank -- Analyst

Johanna Castro -- Itau BBA -- Analyst

Robin Haworth -- Stifel -- Analyst

More GPRK analysis

All earnings call transcripts
TikTok logos are seen on smartphones in front of a displayed ByteDance logo in a file illustration picture. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

TikToks Parent Company Employs Chinese Communist Party Members in Its Highest Ranks

More than 130 employees at ByteDance, the Chinese owner of video-sharing application TikTok, are part of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) committee embedded in the company. Many of the employees work in management positions, an internal document reveals.

The extent of CCP membership among ByteDance management further demonstrates the companys ties to the Chinese regime, fueling security concerns about TikTok.

By law, Chinese companies are required to set up Communist Party units within their offices to ensure that business policies and employees toe the Party line. ByteDance, founded in March 2012, set up its Party committee in October 2014.

According to Party regulations, companies committee members are appointed at political conferences. Members serve five-year terms.

Its unclear exactly how many Party members or committee members are among ByteDances 60,000 employees across 230 global offices; the list obtained by The Epoch Times is only a partial listing of committee members at its Beijing headquarters.

At the headquarters office, at least 138 employeesmostly in management positions or technical rolesare in the companys influential Beijing Party committee, according to the internal list. Sixty on the list are classified as having a managerial role.

The document details each committee members full name, gender, birthday, date they joined the CCP, ID numbers, and type of position in the company, such as managerial or technical.

The revelations come as the U.S. government intensifies scrutiny of TikTok and other Chinese-owned apps on national security grounds. U.S. officials have repeatedly sounded the alarm that American personal data collected by TikTok could be accessed by Beijing, as Chinese companies are beholden to the CCP.

ByteDance didnt respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump on Aug. 6 issued executive orders to ban U.S. transactions with ByteDance, and Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. The ban will take effect in 45 days. Trump has also given ByteDance until Sept. 15 to sell TikTok to Microsoft or another American firm. Microsoft confirmed that its in talks to buy the app.

The entrance of a ByteDance office in Beijing on July 8, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo previously said the U.S. administrations actions targeting Chinese apps seek to address a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party.

The CCP members list reveals the extent of the Partys relationship with ByteDance, and dovetails with the tech giants long-documented history of cooperating with authorities on censorship.

Founder and CEO Zhang Yiming and other senior executives have openly expressed their desire to have the company support Party goals in the past.

James Carafano, vice president of The Heritage Foundations Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, said this level of CCP membership is typical for Chinese companies.

All instruments of power are tied back to the Communist Party, and that includes economic instruments of power, Carafano told The Epoch Times.

He said that in China, there is no transparency about links between private companies and the CCP, thus these companies literally cant be treated and trusted the way you would interface with other companies in global commerce.

ByteDances presence in the United States via TikTok raises concerns, Carafano said, given its access to vast swathes of Americans personal data. TikToks assurances that it operates independently to ByteDance are irrelevant, he added.

Its a Chinese-owned company, Carafano said. You have no confidence in the software. You have no confidence in their handling of data. And you have no confidence that theyre independent of Chinese direction.

CCP Members List

Zhang Fuping, the companys chief editor and vice president, has previously been identified in Chinese media reports as secretary of the firms Party committee. He also appears in the name list The Epoch Times obtained.

A partial list of CCP members at ByteDance, which have been redacted. Zhang Fupings name is in blue. (Provided to The Epoch Times)

Zhang is in charge of censorship-related tasks for the companys social media platforms.

In previous Chinese state-run media reports, Zhang expressed his willingness to promote the Partys censorship policies.

In an April 2019 interview with Xinhua, Zhang explained that network security to the company means the public opinion can be led in the right direction  full of positive energy, and promote the core values of socialism.

The internal name list that The Epoch Times obtained reveals that many senior managers are also members of the Party committee.

Committee member Zhang Nan (male) was listed as an employee who directly reported to one of ByteDances top 14 executives, in an organization chart obtained by news site The Information in April 2019. Those 14 in turn report to the CEO, Zhang Yiming.

Zhang Nan was promoted in March to business director of the Feishu app, according to a report by Chinese tech news site Lei News. The tool combines different collaboration apps into a single platform.

Meanwhile, Meng Haibo is director of the public affairs department at ByteDance, according to a 2018 report by Youth Hangzhou, a state-run newspaper. He is in charge of affairs related to government cooperation and heads big data analysis projects, according to the report.

Dang Liya, a senior manager of ByteDances language training apps, joined the Party in 2013.

Other staff on the list are lower-level managers at the firms different properties, according to The Epoch Times research.

For example, Xia Yong is the chief editor of Toutiao, a popular news aggregator app owned by ByteDance, while Xia Manxue is a commercial product manager there, according to her LinkedIn page.

The companys hiring practices also give Party members preference. For example, the companys recent job recruitment notice for editors in charge of monitoring current-affairs-related content specified that CCP members have hiring priority.

Police Cooperation

On April 25, 2019, ByteDance signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Chinas Ministry of Public Security, which is in charge of the countrys police.

Local police routinely arrest and detain those who post information deemed sensitive by authorities.

At the signing ceremony, Zhan Jun, Party boss of the propaganda department within the Ministry of Public Security, said, We should use new online media to voice out the good voices of Chinese police, tell nice police stories, build a good image of our police, and foster close relations between police and the people.

State-run media China Police Net reported that ByteDance would help set up and operate Toutiao and Douyin accounts for each police department within all Chinese provincial governmentsat the municipal and county levelsas well as the national ministry. ByteDance will help to promote the posts generated by the police accounts, the report added.

Chinese police own more than 50,000 social media accounts across different platforms and have more than 100 million followers in total, according to the report.

Annie Wu and Cathy He contributed to this report.
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday said it was a tragic day for Kerala after an Air India Express flight from Dubai skidded off the runway at Kozhikode airport and broke up into two, and hoped that rescue efforts will succeed in saving all the passengers.

Tragic day for Kerala. First the deaths in Munnar & now this: I hear both pilots have died. Hope rescue efforts will succeed in saving all the passengers, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram tweeted soon after the news of the accident broke.

Thr Air India Express flight with 191 passengers and crew skidded off the tabletop runway and fell into a 50-foot deep valley breaking up into two parts on Friday evening, police sources said.

At least two people were killed in the accident.

Many people have been rushed to nearby hospitals and the condition of some of them is said to be serious.
A couple who claim to have spotted Dominic Cummings on a second lockdown visit to the North East have filed a complaint to the police watchdog over the conduct of Durham Constabulary.

The Prime Ministers chief advisor became the subject of intense scrutiny after it emerged in late May that, at the height of the UK lockdown and while his wife was showing coronavirus symptoms, he had made a 420km drive with his family to his parents home in Durham.

Now Clare and Dave Edwards have come forward to claim they also saw Mr Cummings on what would have been a second trip to the area, the Daily Mirror and the Guardian reported.

They said they are "100 per cent certain" they saw the advisor walking in Houghall Woods just after 11am on April 19  the weekend after he returned to work in London.

Mrs Edwards told the Mirror: "He had a beanie hat, was wearing glasses, he was tall and angular.

'I was so convinced. But I thought no it cant possibly be him, hes in London and were in lockdown."

Mr Edwards said: "He was the dead image of Dominic Cummings. He was standing over a small child on a bike. As I got through the clearing I said to my wife, 'Did you see Dominic Cummings there?' If it wasnt him he would win the Dominic Cummings look-a-like award."

The couple, who insist they are not politically motivated, have said they reported the sighting to local police, and gave statements on 25 May.

Dominic Cummings gave a televised appearance about the allegations / PA

They have now filed an official complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) about Durham Police's subsequent inquiry into their allegations.

They have also since put in a Subject Access Request in order to determine exactly how their complaint was followed up.

Durham Constabulary ultimately said they would not take "retrospective action" despite finding the adviser may have made a "minor breach" of lockdown laws.

A spokeswoman for the IOPC told the PA news agency: "In accordance with the police complaints procedure, we have forwarded a complaint to Durham Constabulary.

"It will now be a matter for the force to determine the next steps including whether this complaint merits referral to the IOPC."

Mr Cummings previously defended his initial actions in a live televised appearance, and denied making a second trip, insisting photos and data on his phone disprove the claims.

A Number 10 spokesman dismissed the new allegation, telling MailOnline: Durham Constabulary have made clear they are not taking any further action against Mr Cummings and that by locating himself at his fathers premises he did not breach the regulations.

The Prime Minister has said he believes Mr Cummings behaved reasonably and he considers the matter closed.

New analysis by University College London (UCL) concludes that Mr Cummings actions significantly undermined public trust in the Government's handling of the pandemic.

Published in medical journal the Lancet, the research analysed 220,000 survey results from 40,000 participants in UCL's Covid-19 social study between April 24 and June 11.

The social study was launched in the week before the UK went into lockdown on March 23, and tracks how adults are feeling about the lockdown, government advice and overall wellbeing and mental health.

Respondents were asked how much confidence they had in the Government's handling of the pandemic on a scale of one (none) to seven (a lot).

Among participants living in England, confidence dropped approximately 0.4 points on this scale between May 21 and 25.

Boris Johnson has stuck by his chief advisor / 10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty

The news broke on May 22, and UCL researchers assessed the impact of his actions by comparing the levels of confidence those living in Scotland and Wales said they had in their devolved governments.

There was no comparable drop in confidence in the leaders of Scotland and Wales over this time period.

The large scale survey also found that confidence in government in English regions did not improve in June. Adherence to lockdown, which was already starting to decline, dropped more rapidly in the weeks following May 22 - particularly in England.

Lead author Dr Daisy Fancourt, of UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care said: "Public trust in the Government's ability to manage the pandemic is crucial as it underpins public attitudes and behaviours at a precarious time for public health."

She added: "Trust in government decisions and actions relating to the management of Covid-19 is a major challenge globally and these data illustrate the negative and lasting consequences that political decisions can have for public trust and the risks to behaviours."
New York was in the midst of a record homelessness crisis even before the coronavirus hit. Some 60,000 people were filling municipal shelters across the city every night. Nearly a third of that number was living in dorm-style facilities for single adults, sharing bathrooms, dining areas and sleeping facilities.

When Covid struck, we recognised very quickly this was a recipe for disaster, said Jacqueline Simone, of Coalition for the Homeless, a New York charity. The problem was only going to get worse, they warned, as the economic crisis caused by the pandemic deepened.

They, and other advocacy groups, asked the city to find new shelters for the homeless to protect them from the coronavirus outbreak. Using hotels, which were lying empty across the city due to the pandemic, were seen as a perfect solution. Some 139 commercial hotels quickly stepped forward, according to city authorities  including a number of luxury hotels in Manhattan.

But in recent days, residents of some wealthier areas of New York where some of the hotels are located have complained about what they describe as anti-social behaviour and drug use by homeless people in their neighbourhoods.

In the Upper West Side, where the median house price is more than $1.8m, some residents have started a Facebook group to express their displeasure over the use of three high-end hotels in the area.

Our community is terrified, angry and frightened, one member of the Upper West Siders For Safer Streets group told the New York Post. Another community group board member from the same area reportedly told the Post that it feels like the 1970s. Everyone who can move out is moving out.

New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity Show all 8 1 /8 New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity Nearly 1,000 people slept in Times Square on Saturday night. The demonstrators were part of the World Sleep Out, which saw events in 52 cities over the weekend. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity The World Sleep Out raises funds for charity. As demonstrators slept in sleeping bags around the world, the charity group worked to raise its goal of $50m (38m) in funds to combat homelessness. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity Participants sprawled out on cardboard and yoga mats. Im nervous about the rats, Jeanette Guzman, who came to the sleep out from Queens with her entire family, told The Independent. But we want to feel what its like, and what homeless people go through sleeping on the streets  and also to raise funds. Getty Images for The World's Big New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity Will Smith met with participants and performed in Times Square. The actor spoke about his film, The Pursuit of Happiness, and performed the hit theme song from his TV series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also attended the sleep out. Ill tell you what: if you look around New York City, there are loads and loads of vacant luxury apartments that we didnt need  while there are 60,000 people homeless, said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who was in attendance at the event and spoke to the crowd about housing being a human right. Getty Images for The World's Big New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity Josh Littlejohn said the city's "can do" spirit helped the event come to life. To my great surprise and real delight, they signed off on us closing down the entire stretch of Times Square, he said. Its kind of one of those things thats been happening a lot with this campaign, very serendipitous. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity Participants came from all over to help raise funds. Joshua Mazediak-Amey, who was from the UK and with a group of interns at the United Nations attending the Times Square event, told The Independent: I believe its important that those who work for the UN show the fact that were committed to actually getting on the ground and being with people  that we are willing to come and be a part of things when theyre sort of on-the-ground movements like this opportunity tonight. Getty Images for The World's Big New Yorkers sleep in Times Square to raise money for homeless charity The group told The Independent nearly 1,000 people slept in Times Square on Saturday night. The World Sleep Out aims to raise $50m (38m) in donations for charities including the Malala Fund, the Institute of Global Homelessness and more. Mr Littlejohn has also established a new charity called the Worlds Big Sleep Out Trust. All of the donations raised in the US as part of the trust would be managed by UNICEF USA. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Tabloids have seized upon the increased visibility of homeless people in the neighbourhood, running photographs of groups of men gathering accompanied by outraged headlines.

The response from these residents to a temporary solution to protect the homeless in a pandemic has prompted a backlash from charities and city officials.

Its incredibly disheartening and yet not necessarily surprising that people are reacting to poor people of colour with all of the same stigma and bias that has marked many of these debates for years, said Ms Simone.

One would hope the collective trauma of a pandemic, and the increasing economic uncertainty would give people more compassion. And yet were still seeing the same refrains of not wanting to have a certain person in your neighbourhood.

The neighbourhood Facebook groups description claims that mentally ill chemical abusers and registered sex offenders have been moved to 3 hotels in the neighbourhood close to schools and playgrounds without any community vote or notice! The Independent contacted members of the group for comment, but received no response.

The city told The Independent that there are no residency-restricted sex offenders residing at these locations and all individuals residing at these locations are permitted to reside there under State law.

Isaac McGinn, of New Yorks department of social services, said authorities provide shelter to New Yorkers experiencing homelessness regardless of background. This includes helping people rebuild their lives and grow through second chances as they get back on their feet.

He added: New Yorkers experiencing homelessness are our neighbours  and the notion that they are not welcome in some neighbourhoods for any reason is an affront to basic decency. We dont discriminate based on peoples previous experiences or backgrounds, and we will not create gated communities within our City  we extend a helping hand, no matter what.

The row threatens to reignite a debate about how New Yorks class divide played out during the pandemic. Mayor Bill de Blasio recently lashed out at wealthier New York residents who fled the city during the crisis as fair weather friends.

This city is for New Yorkers, this is for people who live here, work here, fight to make this place better, fight through this crisis, he said, blaming an uptick in crime in the city on a perfect storm of temporary problems caused by the coronavirus.

Ms Simone said the complaints over homelessness demonstrated the same lack of awareness on the part of wealthier residents to the way in which the coronavirus has impacted the citys poorest.

They are in these hotels because they deserve a safe place to stay as well. The rest of us are staying at home because thats the public health guidance. What about people who dont have a home? she asked.

Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Show all 26 1 /26 Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town An empty street in Manhattan borough following the outbreak of coronavirus disease in New York City Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town A cab drives down at Seventh Avenue in Times Square Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Syracuse University campus is seen almost empty as number of universities are moving all classes to e-learning, due to the coronavirus outbreak Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty street is seen near Lincoln tunnel Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty restaurant Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty chairs are seen near Hudson yards Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty restaurant Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town A mobile souvenir shop sits in an empty parking lot at Allianz Field as a match between the New York Red Bulls at Minnesota United FC is postponed USA Today Sports/Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan An empty Jacob K Javits Convention Center Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Syracuse University A person sits in an empty eating hall Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty parking lots Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Jacob K Javits Convention Center Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Seventh Avenue Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty retail stores Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty street is seen outside the New York Times building Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Empty parking lots Reuters Coronavirus turns New York into a ghost town Manhattan Reuters

The use of hotels to temporarily house the homeless is more prevalent in New York than other cities because of the its right to shelter law, which legally obligates the city to provide shelter to anyone who asks for it. If shelters are full, they are placed in hotels. In 2018, the city of New York spent more than $350m on renting hotel rooms for shelters.

The scheme has been welcomed by hotel owners, especially since the onset of the pandemic, which has driven down hotel occupancy rates dramatically. Vijay Dandapani, the leader of New Yorks Hotel Association, said the relocation of homeless people to hotels is a short-term solution that has saved lives and businesses.

Almost every hotel wants to do this kind of business. This is short term. This is not permanent. The tabloids are focusing on entirely the wrong thing, he told The Independent.

Last year we had 69 million visitors to the city. Right now it is zero, he says. Nobody is anticipating many people doing any kind of travel for the next year. In the meantime you have hotels with property taxes to pay. The city has not given an inch in that regard.

He said without hotels opening their doors there would have been rampant infections in these homeless shelters, if not deaths.

Mr Dandapani also noted the irony of residents complaints about a scheme that is helping hotels stay afloat when those same hotels help revive the area on the Upper West Side in question.

Theres a lot of uproar about this hotel on the Upper West Side called the Lucerne. Ive been 30 years in the New York City hotel market, and I can tell you that that area was a dump. It was impossible to go within a hundred feet of the Lucerne, he said. Whoever that owner is put in $20m plus to make it what it was. Did these people thank these owners for the gentrification that resulted in their property prices going up?

While he added that he understood the concerns of residents, he called for pressure to be put on the police to provide more security in the area, rather than trying to force the homeless out.
WASHINGTON  A federal judge on Thursday tossed out a Republican-led lawsuit aiming to halt an unprecedented proxy voting system established by the House of Representatives due to the coronavirus pandemic, ruling that the House was immune from such a legal challenge.

The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in the District of Columbia by nearly two dozen House Republicans  led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.  in late May, argued the proxy voting rules violated the U.S. Constitution because under the Constitution, a majority of lawmakers must be present to take up business and vote on legislation. The suit specifically targets House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., along with the House clerk and sergeant-at-arms.

U.S. District Judge Rudolph Cortreras wrote in an 18-page opinion dismissing the lawsuit that the House "unquestionably has the authority, under the Constitution, to 'determine the Rules of its Proceedings,' " even though proxy voting had never before been used in the chamber as it is now.

"The Court can conceive of few other actions, besides actually debating, speaking, or voting, that could more accurately be described as 'legislative' than the regulation of how votes may be cast," Cortreras wrote before concluding the defendants were "immune" from such lawsuits due to the Speech or Debate clause in the U.S. Constitution, which has been used to shield members of Congress from lawsuits over speeches, debates and legislative acts.

More: 20 Republican lawmakers file lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over new proxy voting system

Surrounded by fellow House Republican members, House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol, May 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Calling it unconstitutional, Republican leaders have filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and congressional officials in an effort to block the House of Representatives from using a proxy voting system to allow for remote voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

The House GOP officially moved to appeal the decision Friday.

McCarthy said in a statement the "decision will not deter us from continuing to work to protect the voice and representation of the American people." .

"There is a history of challenges against unlawful actions taken by the U.S. House of Representatives, which show that unconstitutional actions are not protected by speech or debate," he said. "While Congress does write its own procedural rules  and we should  we cannot write rules that violate the Constitution."

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The dismissal was welcomed by Pelosi, who said she hoped it would be the end of the GOP's "sad" effort to halt the proxy rules.

"Remote voting by proxy is fully consistent with the Constitution and more than a century of legal precedent, including Supreme Court cases, that make clear that the House can determine its own rules," the California Democrat said in a statement. "The nation is in the middle of a dangerous pandemic and the House of Representatives must continue to work."

She continued: "The dismissal of the House GOP lawsuit is welcome news and hopefully the end of this sad Republican effort to obstruct the House from meeting the needs of the American people during the coronavirus crisis."

More: How safe is Capitol Hill from COVID-19? Here's what we know.

The House developed and passed its historic proxy voting rules in May as the number of COVID-19 cases continued to rise including within the halls of the U.S. Capitol. It allowed members unable to come to Capitol Hill during the coronavirus pandemic to designate another lawmaker as their "proxy" and cast floor votes on their behalf.

The goal was to allow lawmakers to have a voice if they could not travel to Washington safely. The change came after the House passed a number of coronavirus packages that amounted to about $3 trillion, bills on which most lawmakers did not have much of a say in negotiations.

But Republicans argued that any measure passed under this system, especially those that pass by slim margins in which proxies cast deciding votes, could be called into question and lead to a domino effect for years to come.

More: Speaker Pelosi mandates wearing masks on House floor after Rep. Gohmert tests positive for COVID-19

More: Rep. Gohmert wonders if wearing a mask led to COVID-19 diagnosis despite health guidance to the contrary

Proxy voting has been utilized largely by Democratic lawmakers, though Florida Republican Rep. Francis Rooney voted by proxy last month after a fellow Republican, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, tested positive for the virus. Gohmert had been known for violating social distancing rules and would frequently be spotted without a face mask in the U.S. Capitol and its office buildings.

"As I have said before, Congress should utilize modern technology to permit remote voting. While I wanted to proxy vote as soon as the Speaker set it up, I agreed to wait until the lawsuit challenging its legality had been heard, which has now happened," Rooney, who is retiring, wrote on Twitter after the proxy vote.

He continued: "Votes have been occurring remotely for several months now, with no adverse consequences. Given the recent COVID-19 positive test results for my colleagues, including Louie Gohmert today, this method of voting is the prudent and rational course of action."

House Majority Leader Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., said in a statement: Today, a federal court affirmed what was already clear from our Constitution: the House has the right to determine its own rules, including the allowance of proxy voting as an emergency measure during this pandemic.

"I hope House Republicans will now join Democrats in using this measure, when necessary, so that Congress can continue to do its work while preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our districts and on Capitol Hill."

Contributing: Savannah Behrmann

pp

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19: GOP appeals after Judge tosses lawsuit over House proxy voting
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un visited several regions of the country that have been devastated by massive flooding after days of torrential rains. The events have flooded hundreds of residential areas and agricultural lands.

Compassionate leader

While it is a rare occurrence for the supreme leader to visit flood-stricken regions, he had done so previously in September 2015 when he monitored the recovery work conducted at a northeastern city that was struck by massive floods.

According to AP News, Kim's recent visit to the areas in an attempt to strengthen his image of a caring leader to his people's well-being amid North Korea's economic struggles due to the coronavirus pandemic situation in the country.

The global outbreak had forced North Korea to close its borders to its biggest trade partner, China, in early January. Massive floods and the economic impacts they bring could worsen the nation's issues.

On Friday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Supreme Leader Kim inspected the town in the province of North Hwanghae where a rainstorm caused a water levee to give way.

The agency said that damage to the levee caused the flooding of at least 730 single-floored residences, the inundation of more than 600-hectares of rice field, and the destruction of 179 housing blocks in the Unpha County but no casualties were reported.

The KCNA reported the North Korean leader ordered for the government to aid the citizens in the region and to give the ones who have lost their homes a temporary shelter and supply them with rations that they would take from Kim's own reserves.

Also Read: North Korea Faces First Coronavirus Case, Kim Jong-Un Orders to 'Face Up to the Reality'

North Korea is frequently the victim of substantial flood damage due to inadequate drainage, deforestation and dilapidated infrastructure. The province of North Hwanghae is one of the country's central agricultural regions, as reported by US News.

While Kim's visit to the flood-stricken region, the KCNA did not report any other possible related damages in other parts of the country and did not mention the date the visit was conducted.

Cooperation with South Korea

Spokeswoman Cho Hyesil of the Unification Ministry in Seoul told reporters that South Korea maintains its policy of working with North Korea in addressing non-political issues such as natural disasters. She said the South Korean government was keeping a watchful eye on the situation in North Korea but did not mention whether it would assist its neighbor.

Relationship between the two countries has been on the decline amid rising tensions from several issues, including North Korea's nuclear program and border problems where defectors from the north have previously spread anti-DPRK leaflets.

Neighboring countries have also been hit hard by powerful rainstorms, including South Korea and China. The events have led to the deaths of 17 people in the South, and at least 130 Chinese citizens have either died or gone missing.

According to Yahoo, this year's floods have been incredibly impactful in China as official records show more than 43 million people being affected across the country.

Related Article: Fact Check: Rumors Spread About Alleged Death of Kim Jong-Un As Sister Kim Yo-Jong Seeks to End US Summit

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-06 18:41:33|Editor: huaxia

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A Chinese-built lab in Baghdad has been in operation for more than 4 months to help Iraq battle COVID-19, which a lab director says testifies friendship at the difficult time.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksas governing party won a majority of Sri Lankas parliamentary seats, the Election Commission announced Friday, bringing the president a step closer in his quest to amend the Constitution and expand his executive power.

The Sri Lanka Peoples Front expanded its majority, winning 145 of the 150 seats needed to push through expanded powers for the president and ensure that Mr. Rajapaksas older brother, Mahinda, will continue as prime minister. The Peoples Front is expected to easily form an alliance with another party to secure the extra five seats they need to declare a super majority with the power to amend the Constitution.

After Mahinda Rajapaksa lost the presidential election in 2015, the new government passed a constitutional amendment that imposed a two-term limit on the presidency, revoked immunity from prosecution and made presidential appointments subject to parliamentary oversight.

Rights groups now worry that the constitutional amendment Mr. Rajapaksa seeks would undo those reforms at a time when the countrys opposition, activists and news media accuse the government of censorship and intensifying intimidation of critics.
Study finds dedicated clinics can reduce impact of flu pandemic

A new study concludes that opening clinics dedicated specifically to treating influenza can limit the number of people infected and help to "flatten the curve," or reduce the peak prevalence rate. While the work focused on influenza, the findings are relevant for policymakers seeking ways to reduce impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"Dedicated clinics would have less of an impact than interventions such as vaccination, but at the statewide level, we're talking about cutting the overall number of infections by six figures," says Julie Swann, corresponding author of a paper on the work. Swann is the department head and A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor of the Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University.

"And while our work here focused on the H1N1 strain of influenza, the findings are useful as we grapple with how best to respond to COVID-19," Swann says. "COVID-19 is more infectious than H1N1, and has a higher mortality rate. So I would expect the effect of using dedicated clinics to be larger for COVID-19."

Swann and her collaborators were inspired to do the study by the fact that some hospitals opened dedicated H1N1 clinics during the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009-2010. These clinics focused exclusively on treating patients who were exhibiting symptoms of H1N1. There was some question at the time as to whether these clinics were a good use of limited resources. It was also unclear as to whether the clinics may have had unintended consequences, such as spreading H1N1 to patients who showed up at the dedicated clinic with flu-like symptoms, but didn't actually have the disease.

For this study, Swann and her collaborators at Purdue University, Georgia Tech and Emory University used a simulation model to address questions related to the ultimate impact of dedicated clinics during an H1N1 pandemic.

The researchers found that opening dedicated clinics reduced disease spread and hospitalizations, particularly when open during the periods of peak prevalence - when the most people are sick. Specifically, the researchers found that if dedicated clinics were open for the entire duration of the pandemic, the clinics would have reduced the overall number of infections by 0.4-1.5%; reduced peak prevalence (or "flattened the curve") by 0.07-0.32%; and reduced hospitalizations by 0.02-0.09%.

"For a state that has a population of 10 million, the difference in the baseline clinic case would be about 100,000 cases, with about 6,000 hospitalizations averted," Swann says. "In other words, dedicated clinics certainly don't make things worse, and can make things at least a little better. And these are benefits that come on top of any benefits we'd see from other, behavioral changes - such as wearing masks - which may be more difficult to implement."

North Carolina's population is approximately 10.5 million.

The study on dedicated clinics is part of a larger research initiative that has already published work examining issues related to vaccine distribution for adults and children; the role of mass gatherings and travel in spreading influenza; and the impact of seasons and mutation in the spread of the disease.

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The paper, "The impact of opening dedicated clinics on disease transmission during an influenza pandemic," will be published Aug. 6 in the journal PLOS ONE. The paper was co-authored by Pengyi Shi of Purdue University; Jia Yan and Pinar Keskinocak of Georgia Tech; and by Dr. Andi Shane of Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The work was done with support from Georgia Tech, Edward P. Fitts and the A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professorship.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Vaping in Myanmar will either vanish or move underground after the government approved a complete ban.

The bill to ban e-cigarettes and shisha won cabinet approval and unanimous support in the lower house five months after it was proposed by by San Shwe Win, a physician representing Yegyi in Ayeyarwady region.

Today, e-cigarettes and shishas are easily accessible at most bars, nightclubs, [karaoke clubs] and other modern tea shops, restaurants and stores in Myanmar  for all ages and genders. It has become even more popular, and thats a threat for all the young people out there, San Shwe Win said at a government meeting.

Vaping has been popular in Myanmar since around 2017, where it has been falsely promoted as a means to quit smoking tobacco. Vape shops have proliferated in Yangon, and smoking pens have become stylish accessories.

Myanmar fast-tracks legal hemp  but not for smoking

While the extent of their harm to human health is still being studied, e-cigarettes are comprised of nicotine extracted from tobacco, flavorings and other chemicals that turn aerosol when inhaled and contain more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. Shishas also burn nicotine coals, which is smoked through water.

Last month, a Myanmar Custom Department petition to approve the import of e-cigarettes was rejected by the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Still, some complained that the economic effects are coming at the wrong time.

F&B businesses will suffer the most since it earns a lot of money, one Facebook user wrote on a viral post about the government move.

The usage and import of e-cigarettes has been banned in 46 nations, include by five ASEAN member nations. A ban doesnt necessarily mean they will go away  in neighboring Thailand, they remain in widespread use despite being banned six years ago.

I have no idea if they will take it seriously. As of now, I still see many businesses selling it online and even at the shops and vendors like ours. Since it came illegally and you cant track where it came from, I dont bother to backup my business, one vendor at a Yangon shopping mall pop-up store said.

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Myint U, NLD representative for Thanatpins Bago region, said it was a good move for public health.

Smoking e-cigarettes can cause cancer, pneumonia, epilepsy and other diseases due to the use of tobacco. Hence, Myanmar should halt all the usage of e-cigarettes and its accessories like all those other nations, he said.

This article, Vaping in Myanmar is now illegal  but will that stop anyone?, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company.
The Labor Department will report Friday morning on how many jobs the economy created in July, as the United States climbs back from the depths of the pandemic recession. Forecasters expect a slowdown from May, when the nascent recovery added 2.7 million jobs, and June, when it added 4.8 million. That is because the resurgence of the coronavirus has cooled off growth in consumer spending and business activity for much of the summer.

If Fridays report shows a drastic slowdown in job creation, while the economy remains down more than 10 million jobs from its prepandemic peak in February, pressure will rise on Mr. Trump and congressional leaders to cut a deal to provide additional aid for struggling small businesses, laid-off workers and state and local governments that are facing large shortfalls in tax revenue.

Its so clear that we should do something, and we should do something big, and we should do it in a way that is bipartisan as we have done every other bill, Ms. Pelosi said after the meeting.

Republicans, for their part, blamed Democrats for what they described as an unwillingness to compromise on a number of critical fronts, like agreeing to liability protections for businesses or accepting a lower level of funding for schools that are already starting the academic year. They remained bitterly opposed to Democrats demands for hundreds of billions of dollars for food aid, election security and the Postal Service.

A lot of Americans hopes  a lot of American lives  are riding on the Democrats endless talk, said Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, vowing to remain in Washington in anticipation of an agreement. I hope they are not disappointed.

It is all but guaranteed that a popular small-business loan program will stop accepting applications at the end of the week, becoming yet another casualty of the faltering negotiations. And it appeared likely that the talks would stretch into next week. Mr. Meadows said he would host a daily conference call next week with Republican senators to keep them updated on the progress  or lack thereof  of negotiations.

I was hoping that maybe you wouldnt have that call after Friday because wed have a deal, Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, told reporters. I do think at some point, everybody has to make a decision either were going to do this or not, and if were not, were not.
In Mexico, petroleum resources and reserves are the property of the nation and the national oil company, Pemex, is the property of all Mexicans. These seemingly anodyne formulations can have toxic effects.

There is a systemic bias that, in a commercial dispute, authorities would favor claims of Pemex over those of a private party regarding the ownership of a lease. The bias would affect the conduct of public servants who would be drawn into technical, regulatory or policy determinations regarding the dispute.

The dispute that we have characterized as the stress test of the Mexicos energy market design concerns the claims of Pemex to majority ownership of a large oil reservoir that had been discovered by a consortium led by Houston company Talos Energy. The 600-million-barrel discovery, the largest in a generation, was made near the eastern edge of a block, the commercial rights to which the consortium had won in the first lease auction in 2015.

It was no surprise to the consortium that data from the discovery well, Zama-1, indicated that the reservoir extended eastward beyond the lease. Pemex was the owner of a block on the other side.

Louder than words

As the purpose of Mexicos 2014 energy market reforms was to open commercial space for private oil companies to bring new eyes, capital, technology and management to accelerate discovery and production, news that ownership of the reservoir could be disputed by Pemex put senior public officials in an awkward position: Support or oppose Pemexs pretensions. By their inaction, they threw their support.

The discovery, announced in July of 2017, was made on the eastern edge of the Talos consortium's block, with the high probability that the reservoir extended into a block owned by Pemex, Energy Minister Pedro Joaquin could have ordered the immediate reconfiguration of the block to cover the entire reservoir.

Juan Carlos Zepeda, the then president-commissioner of the National Hydrocarbon Commission, which oversees oil and gas exploration, could have made case that the soul of energy market reforms required the development of lease blocks to be carried out exclusively by the winners of the auctions. Instead, Hydrocarbon Deputy Secretary Aldo Flores rushed ahead in October with an intrusive framework to combine the claims of Talos and Pemex into a joint venture to develop and operate the oil field, a process known as unitization.

Talos was forced by the rules to enter into an agreement with Pemex on September 18, 2018.

In the summer of 2019, the Energy Minister Rocio Nahle and National Hydrocarbon Commission President-Commissioner Rogelio Hernandez Cazares had another opportunity to correct the situation: As Pemex had not complied with its legal and regulatory obligationsmostly conspicuously by not drilling a confirmatory well in its block-- its rights could have been canceled. Instead, the commission voted to rename and expand the area of Pemexs block and to reissue a lease for 30 years.

In May, the National Hydrocarbon Commission produced a study that speculated that there was hydraulic connectivity between the western (Talos) and eastern (Pemex) portions of the reservoir. Such connectivity is shown by conducting a pressure test on both sides of a structure; but, as a Pemex well had not been drilled, the only data used were those supplied by Talos on its side.

Nahle on July 7 ordered the parties to reach an agreement within 120 days. Or else. The Guidelines provide that when the parties do not agree, the Ministry has one year to unilaterally impose the terms by which the ownership and administration of a reservoir will be conducted.

Demoralizing outcome

How will this story likely play out? The history shows that at every turn, public officials favored Pemexs pretensions, indicative of systemic bias.

On January 29, the public learned during a press conference with the head of Pemex, Director-General Octavio Romero, that national oil company was seeking not only majority ownership, but also the right to be the operator of the future field. When it came to the lack of confirmatory data from a well drilled on its side of the lease line, Pemex and the Ministry insisted on the validity of other facts.

The discovery by Talos Energy was justly celebrated as evidence that Mexicos energy reforms  and the philosophy behind them  had merit. It would be a demoralizing outcome for all investors if Talos asset becomes majority-owned and operated by Pemex.

George Baker is the publisher of Mexico Energy Intelligence, a Houston-based industry newsletter. He was a guest at the inauguration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on December 1, 2018.
When classes start Thursday in Checotah, Oklahoma, Lawrence E. "Train" Lane, a government and world history teacher, will be wearing a mask emblazoned with his school's mascot. For extra protection, he will also wear a plastic face shield on top of the mask while in his classroom.

Lane's students  six classes of 18 or so high schoolers whom he will teach in person, five days a week  will not have to wear face coverings. That is of concern to Lane, 72, a prostate cancer survivor who is vulnerable to complications if he catches the coronavirus.

"If you care anything about me and my life, you'll wear a mask," said Lane, who plans to offer extra credit to students who keep their masks on for the duration of his class period. "I would like to stay around a little longer."

IMAGE: Lawrence E. 'Train' Lane (Courtesy Lawrence E.

He anticipates some pushback. Most parents in the small rural town about 65 miles southeast of Tulsa do not support forcing students to wear masks, Lane said.

The state has been no help, either: Last month, Oklahoma's State Board of Education voted to recommend, but not require, masks for students, leaving it up to school districts to mandate them if they so choose. Checotah is strongly encouraging students to wear masks, but it has stopped short of making it a requirement.

Lane's district is one of a handful across the country that will be opening in person without empowering teachers to enforce the use of masks among their students. From Nebraska to Georgia, anxious teachers in these districts are questioning whether their schools are doing all they can to protect students and staff from an illness for which there is still no vaccine or reliable treatment.

Research has found masks to be effective against transmission of COVID-19, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided only a basic framework when it comes to children and masks. In schools, like most everywhere else, the CDC favors their use, but it has acknowledged that "face coverings may be challenging for students (especially younger students) to wear in all-day settings." Masks for students are most essential when physical distancing is not possible, the agency added.

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Related:

That is nearly all the time for Allison, 50, a high school history teacher in a rural district in central Tennessee who asked that her last name not be used out of fear of career repercussions for speaking out against her school's mask policy.

Allison will have up to 35 students in her classes when school starts Monday and no way to space out desks to the CDC-recommended 6 feet. While masks will be optional for students, she plans to wear one every day: She has diabetes and chronic lung issues, and her son, 15, has multiple heart conditions. She wishes masks were required for everyone.

"It's just science that there's going to be the spread of germs, and a mask would help to prevent that."

"It's just science that there's going to be the spread of germs, and a mask would help to prevent that," she said, adding that she has purchased a medical-grade air purifier for her classroom.

Many school districts around the country do not have to worry about how or whether to require masks at the moment. As coronavirus hot spots have bubbled up across the United States, more and more schools have chosen to begin the year fully remotely, said Dan Domenech, the executive director of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, an advocacy organization for the 14,000 superintendents in the U.S.

But for those welcoming students back in the coming weeks to their buildings  many of which were already considered overcrowded before the pandemic  masks on adults and their pupils will be a crucial tool to limit outbreaks, experts say.

"Students absolutely have to wear masks," said Dr. Emily Landon, an associate professor and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Chicago Medicine. "Think of all the sacrifices we have to make for COVID. That's not the biggest one. We need to stop fussing about it."

Questions about the coronavirus and kids

Having everyone wear masks can be particularly critical in staving off the spread of illness in asymptomatic and mild cases of COVID-19, when infected people are not aware that they are sick. Research is still emerging on children and the coronavirus, but it has found that kids, particularly elementary school-age ones, generally have milder symptoms than adults do  although there have been rare fatal pediatric cases.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, like the CDC, recommends face coverings for kids when feasible, and it has said it "strongly advocates" having students physically present in school. The group believes the benefits of attending school in person outweigh the risks, given some evidence that children may be less likely to spread the infection.

But that may apply mostly to younger children. A large study in South Korea found that children ages 10 and up spread the virus as well as adults do, suggesting that school reopenings could lead to outbreaks.

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And even the idea that young children do not spread the virus is up for debate. A small study published July 30 in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that children under 5 can carry just as much of the virus in their noses as older children and adults can. It is unclear what that means in terms of their ability to transmit the coronavirus, but it leaves the possibility open that they could be as contagious as adults, even if they do not seem very sick.

To Landon, the solution to all the unknowns is simple: Have all school-age children, along with everyone else, wear masks. If parents are worried that their young children will not keep them on all day, build up to it, she advised, by practicing for a short time period that gets longer each day leading up to the start of school.

"I think we should not underestimate our adaptability to adjust to certain circumstances," she said. "Certainly, we get used to wearing pants. We get used to wearing bras. We can become used to wearing masks."

IMAGE: Jessica Peterson (Jessica Peterson)

But compliance is not the only hindrance. Cost is also a factor. An average-size district that reopens for in-person learning is expected to dole out about $490 extra per student for new health and safety protocols, according to an analysis by AASA and the Association of School Business Officials International. Besides personal protective equipment, other costs include daily sanitization procedures, more school buses to enable social distancing and the hiring of school nurses.

Jessica Peterson, a fifth grade teacher at John Harris Elementary School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will have 24 students in her class for five days a week of in-person learning starting at the end of this month. In her classroom supply list for the coming school year, she has asked parents to include a mask for each child.

But she has no ability to enforce the request, and, while her school district supports it, leadership from the state has not. In a news conference about reopening schools held from Peterson's classroom July 28, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said she would not require masks for students, declaring that children "almost never transmit the disease to someone else" and prompting the ire of a state doctors group.

IMAGE: John Harris Elementary School (Jessica Peterson)

Peterson said Noem's announcement was disappointing.

"She's given the power to the school districts to decide what we need, and I understand that," she said. "But it's most powerful when your governor says, 'Yes, we should be wearing masks.' And she didn't."

Peterson has taken it upon herself to add more protection in her classroom. Her students sit at small group tables, and Peterson and her husband have built plexiglass partitions to put in the middle of the tables as barriers.

"I'm doing my best to get my room ready to keep my students as safe as possible," she said. "There's definitely not the same excitement that I normally have as a teacher about going back to school. There's some anxiety that comes with it. But I really do want to get back into my classroom."

Committed to students, masks or not

Other teachers share that dedication to their students.

Allison, the Tennessee teacher, said many of her students live in poverty and do not get enough food or attention when they are at home. She worries about them when they are not in school and wants to be there to support them.

"I do think it's very, very important to be back in school, but I just want to make sure we're doing it safely," she said. "I was hoping that we would have smaller class sizes, and that would have eased my mind a lot, but that's not the case."

Lane, the high school teacher in Oklahoma, said he never considered not returning to the classroom, even though his age and the semiannual treatments he still gets for prostate cancer put him in a high-risk category.

"I love being there. I love working with those kids, and I feel like I've made a great impact on the lives of the students I've taught," he said.

IMAGE: Lawrence E. 'Train' Lane (Courtesy Lawrence E.

There will be some precautions. Lane's high school plans to take students' temperatures twice a day. His district has provided him with two clear shower curtains to hang in his classroom  one at his desk and one in the front of the room near the interactive whiteboard he teaches at  to shield him from the virus should an infected student come in. And the district is offering remote learning, although Lane's high school expects at least 80 percent of students to return in person.

Still, teachers are scared, said Lane, who is a zone director for the Oklahoma Education Association. In recent weeks, up to 20 teachers a day across the state have asked the Oklahoma Education Association for assistance writing out their wills; last year at this time, only about two teachers a month were using the service, he said.

Lane said that if there were a hard requirement for students to wear masks in classrooms, he would feel a little safer.

"We know that masks work," he said. "I don't know if politics have gotten in the way of science and people don't believe in masks, or maybe they think it's going to detract from their looks or whatever, but we know that masks work."
ISPCC Childline has welcomed the announcement of plans for childrens return to school later this month in County Longford and across the country and outlined details of support for parents, carers, children and young people preparing for the transition back to the classroom.

The organisation, which provides a range of services directly to children, young people and families in Ireland, including the Childline listening service, experienced a surge in demand for support when schools across the country first closed in March as a result of restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Childline answered over 72,000 online contacts, calls and texts from children and young people in Longford and across Ireland between the week in which schools closed in March and the last week in June. Many of those who contacted the service did so to talk about how they were anxious to return to school, missed their friends and daily routines and worried about exams and related issues.

Themes which will be of key importance to families preparing for the return to primary school next month, Childline stated, include building resilience, communicating clearly, seeking and accepting support and enhancing capacity to cope.

The development of these personal resources will be central to free Transition Back to School webinars, which the service is set to deliver to parents, carers, children and young people on Monday August 17th and Tuesday August 18th.

The organisation will also extend the hours of its Support Line service for three weeks from Monday August 17th to Friday September 4th, making the service available to parents, carers and members of the public from 9am to 5pm each day. The ISPCC Childline Support Line provides information, advice and emotional support in relation to childrens welfare and wellbeing.

Support and information content to assist with the transition back to school will also be made available to parents and carers online at ispcc.ie and to children and young people at Childline.ie.

ISPCC Childline Director of Services Caroline OSullivan said: Children and young peoples lives in Longford and across the world have been turned upside down this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. School is a sanctuary to many  it is not only where they learn, but also often the place where they make and meet friends and access support. When they return later this month, however, it will be over five months since they will have been in classrooms. This years back-to-school experience will be like no other.

Children, young people, parents and carers will face challenges over the months ahead as Ireland emerges from this difficult time. Enhancing our capacity to cope with change and strengthening our resilience  often referred to as the ability to bounce back  will be important for us all. ISPCC Childline works to support, empower and strengthen children and young peoples resilience to enable them to live their best possible lives and to cope with any challenges which come their way.

On Monday August 17th and Tuesday August 18th, we will share our services insight into strengthening children and young peoples resilience to help them cope with change  and, in this case, with the transition back to the school environment following over five months of closure.

Parents and carers are invited to attend a free one-hour webinar event on Monday evening, August 17th, from 7:30pm  and then to attend a follow-up session with their child, if they are an incoming 5th or 6th class pupil, on Tuesday evening, August 18th, from 7:30pm. For more information, or to register to take part, see ispcc.ie. Places are limited, so parents and carers are advised to sign up early to confirm their attendance.

Childline will be here for every child and young person in Ireland, by phone, online chat and text, every day and night, as they prepare for the return to school and always. Any child or young person can reach Childline by calling 1800 66 66 66, chatting online at Childline.ie or texting to 50101. Further support and information content, around returning to school and other issues, is also available at Childline.ie.

We are also extending the hours of the ISPCC Childline Support Line service during this period, to help ensure parents and carers have somewhere they can turn too. Details of the service are updated daily and can be accessed at ispcc.ie/ispcc-support-line.
The National Education Policy, (NEP), approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 July, seeks to implement reforms from 'toddler to college' and thus overhaul the education system

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, delivering the inaugural address at the Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy said the National Education Policy will "lay the foundation of New India of the 21st Century."

"The NEP will be the foundation of 21st century India. NEP's focus is on the type of skills and educations needed by our youths. NEP is dedicated to propelling India on the path of growth and empowerment," he said.

The prime minister, addressing the conclave organised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the University Grants Commission via video conferencing, said the entire country had been waiting for this change "for years".

Indeed, the National Education Policy, (NEP), approved by the Union Cabinet on 29 July, which seeks to implement reforms from 'toddler to college' and thus overhaul the education system, came 34 years after the previous policy was introduced. It was also part of the National Democratic Alliance's 2014 election manifesto.

'Healthy debate'

Modi, saying that the NEP has "given rise to healthy debate" with people reviewing its benefits. He added that "everyone agrees that there is no bias" in the NEP. He also said he is totally committed to its implementation and assured the public that he has the political will to follow through.

The prime minister also said imparting education in mother tongue will help students.

"We have to make our students global citizens. We have to also take care that they should also be connected to their roots. NEP has been designed keeping these factors in mind. There is no doubt in the fact that teaching in the mother tongue yields better results. Keeping this factor in mind, imparting education in the mother tongue till class 5 has been proposed in NEP," he said.

Modi's remarks come just days after Tamil Nadu government, amid outrage from the Opposition, including DMK, rejected the NEP's three-language formula and said there will be no deviation from the existing system, which had been taught "for decades."

Chief Minister E Palaniswami had on Monday said, "The three-language formula in the NEP is painful and saddening. The prime minister should reconsider the three-language policy."

The NEP, passed by the Union Cabinet last week, laid emphasis on the mother tongue/local and regional language which will now be the medium of instruction at least till Class 5, but preferably till Class 8 and beyond. Also, Sanskrit will be offered at all levels of school and higher education as an option for students, including in the three-language formula.

'Every student should pursue passion'

Modi, stressing on the flexibility offered by the NEP, pointed out that students have been given multiple entry and exit points

"Every student should get an opportunity to pursue his or her passion. On most occasions, when students go for jobs, they realise that what they have studied does not count for much in employment. Sometimes, students have to skip their education to pursue a job. Due to this reason, multiple exit options have been given to students under NEP. There is a need to prepare the youth for multiple professions as change is inevitable," the prime minister said.

The NEP allows students 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.

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, as per the NEP.

'From what to think to how to think'

Modi said thus far the education system focussed only on what to think and now the emphasis will be on how to think and that the NEP will assist with the transition.

"There is a flood of information in today's age. The need is the ability to accept which information and study that. NEP has stressed that inquiry-based, discussion-based and analysis-based thinking be encouraged," the prime minister said.

He also said that there were no major changes in the country's education system over the years. As a result, instead of promoting values of curiosity and imagination, herd mentality was being encouraged.

"India's students should study in a scientific manner," he said. "When the youth will study in situations and times that change quickly, they will construct a stronger India. Earlier, there was a rush to create engineers, doctors and lawyers. No stress was laid on critical thinking. Education will not be complete until it includes critical thinking and purpose."

The prime minister further said that education needs to propel people on a creative and commitment-driven life and the change in the education system from 10+2 to 5+3+3+4 is a step towards that.

"The questions that we were faced with at the start was whether our education propels us on a creative and commitment-driven life. The second question is whether our education system empowers youth and society. The education system needed to be changed with changing times. We had to move from the 10+2 system to 5+3+3+4 system," he said.

Modi also quoted the late president APJ Abdul Kadam, who had said the purpose of education is to "make good human beings". He added that enlightened human beings can be created by teachers and said "I believe when a teacher learns, a nation leads."

The NEP seeks to establish a National Mission for Mentoring, 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.

'Need to empower higher education system'

Modi said a lot of emphasis has been laid on teacher training, and a lot of attention has been paid to developing the dignity of labour while framing the NEP.

The NEP seeks the formulation of a new and comprehensive National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education, NCFTE 2021, 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), as per the NEP.

Modi also advocated for greater autonomy for higher educational institutions that promote quality education.

"The higher education system needs to be empowered. There are two views on autonomy in our country. One is that there should be governmental control on higher education centres. The view is that there should be autonomy in education. Whichever institution works more towards quality education should be provided incentives," he said.

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, as per the new NEP.

The prime minister further observed that today is Rabindranath Tagore's death anniversary. "He used to say that the best education is that which not only informs but harmonises our lives. NEP's major goal is associated with this thinking," he added.

With inputs from agencies
Reported police suicides also have been rising in recent years. At least 228 police officers died by suicide in 2019, according to the support group Blue H.E.L.P. Thats more than were killed in the line of duty.

The causes are multiple and personal. Social, psychological and economic pressures from the pandemic lockdown can play a role. But so do political and social pressures, such as backlash to the killing of a Black man, George Floyd, by a white Minneapolis police officer.

Amid the national racial reckoning promoted by Black Lives Matter and others, some cities and departments have cut police budgets, in some cases before fully constructing plans or programs to replace or reallocate police functions.

Months of lockdown, rising unemployment and too many guns circulating on the streets put a lot of pressure on cops as well as civilians. Yet, just as many members and supporters of the military were too slow to take post-traumatic stress disorder seriously, too many police officers fear being killed on the job less than they fear the possible stigma attached to seeking mental health treatment.

Thats like having a fire but being afraid to grab a bucket of water.
Last month, Turkey said it had agreed to suspend 'for a while' a search for oil and gas off a Greek island depending on the outcome of negotiations with Greece and Germany

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Friday that Turkey has restarted a search for energy in the eastern Mediterranean, accusing neighbouring Greece of failing to keep its promises.

"We have resumed the drilling activity. We have sent (the vessel) Barbaros Hayrettin to the area," Erdogan told reporters after Friday prayers at Istanbul's landmark Hagia Sophia mosque.

Last month, Turkey said it had agreed to suspend "for a while" a search for oil and gas off a Greek island depending on the outcome of negotiations with Greece and EU heavyweight Germany.

"They haven't kept their promises," Erdogan claimed.

The search for hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean has become a thorn in the relations between Turkey and the EU.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for Turkey to be "sanctioned" and accused Ankara of treading on the rights of Greece and Cyprus, as all three nations scramble to exploit recently discovered gas reserves.

Greece condemned Turkey's plan to search for oil and gas off its shores as a violation of its sovereignty.

Ankara had claimed it is ready to negotiate with Athens without any preconditions.

Erdogan's comments come a day after Greece and Egypt signed an agreement to set up an exclusive economic zone in the eastern Mediterranean.

"This agreement has no value," the Turkish president said.

Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said on Thursday that the Turkish foreign ministry's rejection of the Egyptian-Greek maritime demarcation deal between the two countries is "surprising."

"It is surprising that such [Turkish] statements and allegations were issued by a party who had not originally seen the agreement and its details," Hafez wrote on his official Twitter account.

Turkey last year signed a deal with the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya on maritime jurisdiction, with several countries, including Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, accusing Ankara of trying to assert its dominance in the region.

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Hours before Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday, he was tested for the novel coronavirus as part of White House protocol.

Much to his surprise, he tested positive despite not having any other symptoms besides a headache, media outlets reported. But hours later, DeWine tested negative two separate times.

Turns out the governor received two different types of tests, the first of which is a cheaper, quicker yet more inaccurate alternative to the test the majority of Americans receive, and the one responsible for result delays of up to two weeks.

UPDATE: In a second COVID-19 test administered today in Columbus, Governor Mike DeWine has tested negative for COVID-19. First Lady Fran DeWine and staff members have also all tested negative. pic.twitter.com/0Ixap90mJg  Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) August 7, 2020

In a second COVID-19 test administered today in Columbus, Governor Mike DeWine has tested negative for COVID-19. First Lady Fran DeWine and staff members have also all tested negative, the governors office tweeted. We feel confident in the results from Wexner Medical Center. This is the same PCR test that has been used over 1.6 million times in Ohio by hospitals and labs all over the state.

To date, there are two types of COVID-19 diagnostic tests: a molecular test and an antigen test. Both of them can reveal if someone has an active coronavirus infection, but they differ in what they look for.

Antigen tests

Antigens are proteins that cause an immune system to produce antibodies. If there are enough of them present in a persons biological sample such as a nasal or throat swab, they will attach to specific antibodies that are fixed on a paper strip, and generate a visually detectable signal, typically within 30 minutes, according to the World Health Organization.

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In other words, antigen tests look for specific proteins found on the surface of the coronavirus to determine if someone has an active infection. The tests are also available for other illnesses such as strep throat, influenza, tuberculosis and HIV.

But how well they work depends on when during ones illness the test is administered, the concentration of the virus in the sample, the quality of the sample and the precise mixture of liquids used in the chemical analysis in the test kit, the WHO said.

Although antigen tests are usually cheaper and return results faster, they have a sensitivity that varies between 34% to 80%, according to the group, meaning half or more of COVID-19 infected patients might be missed by such tests. Results from these tests usually need to be confirmed with a molecular exam.

False-positive results with antigen tests  as what happened with Gov. DeWine  are less common than false-negatives, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says, but they can occur if the antibodies on the test strip also recognize those of other coronaviruses, like those that cause the common cold.

These tests represent a new technology to reduce the cost and improve the turnaround time for COVID-19 testing, but they are quite new, DeWines office tweeted. We do not have much experience with antigen tests here in Ohio. We will be working with the manufacturer to have a better understanding of how the discrepancy between these two tests could have occurred.

Some test positive for COVID-19 twice. So why do experts say reinfection is unlikely?

The WHO does not currently recommend antigen diagnostic tests, but if further research demonstrates adequate performance, then they could possibly be used to reduce or eliminate the need for expensive molecular tests that take too long to identify infected individuals.

What everyone wants is for a test to be cheap, accurate and fast, Geoffrey Baird, a laboratory medicine specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle, told Science Magazine. You can only ever have two of those.

Molecular tests

Molecular tests, also known at RT-PCR tests, look for the coronavirus specific genetic material, leading to better sensitivity than antigen tests and highly accurate results, the FDA said.

Administered to the majority of Americans, they are more costly, usually require a medical professional and can take up to one week  or two in regions experiencing a backlog due to rapid viral spread  to return results. The delays make it easier for potentially infected people to spread the disease to others.

Several studies show molecular tests are accurate about 95% or more of the time. However, the FDA warns that no test is 100% accurate all of the time. Many factors could affect the tests accuracy such as contaminated swabs and improper storage and swab collection.
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO AUSTRALIA, CANADA, ITALY, DENMARK, JAPAN, THE UNITED STATES, OR TO ANY NATIONAL OF SUCH JURISDICTIONS







NB Private Equity Partners Publishes Notice of AGM







7 August 2020

NB Private Equity Partners Limited (the Company) announces that its Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at Floor 2, Trafalgar Court, Les Banques, St. Peter Port, Guernsey at 1.45 p.m. on Thursday, 10 September 2020.

The Notice of the AGM has been dispatched to all shareholders. An electronic copy of the Notice of AGM is also available on the Companys website: http://www.nbprivateequitypartners.com .

A copy of the Notice can be inspected at the National Storage Mechanism website at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism

For further information, please contact:

NBPE Investor Relations +1 214 647 9593

Kaso Legg Communications +44 (0)20 3995 6673

Charles Gorman nbpe@kl-communications.com

About NB Private Equity Partners Limited

NBPE invests in direct private equity investments alongside market leading private equity firms globally. NB Alternatives Advisers LLC (the Investment Manager), an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Neuberger Berman Group LLC, is responsible for sourcing, execution and management of NBPE. The vast majority of direct investments are made with no management fee / no carried interest payable to third-party GPs, offering greater fee efficiency than other listed private equity companies. NBPE seeks capital appreciation through growth in net asset value over time while paying a bi-annual dividend.

LEI number: 213800UJH93NH8IOFQ77

About Neuberger Berman

Neuberger Berman, founded in 1939, is a private, independent, employee-owned investment manager. The firm manages a range of strategiesincluding equity, fixed income, quantitative and multi-asset class, private equity, real estate and hedge fundson behalf of institutions, advisors and individual investors globally. With offices in 24 countries, Neuberger Bermans diverse team has 2,300 professionals. For six consecutive years, the company has been named first or second in Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work in Money Management survey (among those with 1,000 employees or more). The firm was awarded an A+ in every category in the latest 2019 PRI report for our approach to ESG integration across asset classes. The firm manages $357 billion in client assets as of June 30, 2020. For more information, please visit our website at www.nb.com.

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This press release appears as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any security.

NBPE is established as a closed-end investment company domiciled in Guernsey. NBPE has received the necessary consent of the Guernsey Financial Services Commission. The value of investments may fluctuate. Results achieved in the past are no guarantee of future results. This document is not intended to constitute legal, tax or accounting advice or investment recommendations. Prospective investors are advised to seek expert legal, financial, tax and other professional advice before making any investment decision. Statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, opinions and beliefs of NBPE's investment manager. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Additionally, this document contains "forward-looking statements." Actual events or results or the actual performance of NBPE may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such targets or forward-looking statements.




Daryl Rivett repeatedly punched a man in the head and left him for dead off a Melbourne road after accusing him of having an affair.

Lamin 'Lee' Mastertom-Bojang, 53, died in hospital three days after paramedics found him unconscious in shrubs at Frankston in December 2019.

Rivett had drunk a five-litre cask of wine before going to his ex-partner's squat house, where she was drinking and talking with Mr Mastertom-Bojang.

Daryl Rivett repeatedly punched a man in the head and left him for dead off a Melbourne road after accusing him of having an affair. Victoria's Supreme Court is pictured

'I know you two are screwing,' Rivett said.

Mr Mastertom-Bojang replied: 'I love you bro. I wouldn't do this to you bro'.

They left the squat before Rivett punched Mr Mastertom-Bojang four times as the man held his hands up.

He fell to the road, hitting his head.

Rivett, 54, dragged him into shrubs and waited for more than an hour before using a payphone to call triple-zero.

He left but later turned himself in to police and went on to plead guilty to manslaughter.

Mr Mastertom-Bojang's partner sobbed as she told Victoria's Supreme Court on Thursday 'I close my eyes and see Lamin lying in pain'.

'Our relationship was one of dignity and wanting a better world and doing things to make this happen.'

Mr Mastertom-Bojang's ex-wife, Kate, told the court 'Lamin has become another black man killed for no apparent reason'.

She added their sons no longer had a connection to their Gambian heritage.

'They have not only lost their father at the young age of 10 and eight, they have also lost the blackness of their identity,' Ms Mastertom-Bojang said.

'They now only have a white mother.'

Acting for Rivett, Pardeep Tiwana said his client had been trying to protect and not hide Mr Mastertom-Bojang by dragging him off the road and into bushes.

He had only waited before calling triple-zero because he'd never used a payphone before and went looking for his mobile phone, the barrister said.

Rivett's life was one of trauma and depravation. Of Aboriginal background, he lived in a campsite on the Seaford foreshore.

Growing up, his father hit him regularly and he'd run away to escape the abuse.

He started drinking at 13 and also went on to use ice. He also tried to commit suicide while on a school camp.

Rivett left school in year 10 and hadn't worked since 1995. He has numerous convictions, including for assaulting a police officer.

He vaguely remembered saying something about his ex-partner and Mr Mastertom-Bojang being intimate before the fatal attack.

But he said he did not mean to seriously hurt the man, let alone kill him.

Rivett is due to be sentenced on August 31.

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Prince Harry on Thursday said social media was stoking a 'crisis of hate,' and urged companies to rethink their roles in advertising on digital platforms.

In an opinion piece for U.S. business magazine Fast Company headlined 'Social media is dividing us. Together, we can redesign it,' Harry said that social media, as it currently stands, is 'unwell'.

The former senior royal said he and his wife, Meghan, have spent the past few weeks working with business leaders and marketing executives on the issue to try and introduce changes.

'The digital landscape is unwell and companies like yours have the chance to reconsider your role in funding and supporting online platforms that have contributed to, stoked, and created the conditions for a crisis of hate, a crisis of health, and a crisis of truth,' he wrote.

He called for online communities to be 'defined more by compassion than hate; by truth instead of misinformation; by equity and inclusiveness instead of injustice and fearmongering; by free, rather than weaponised, speech.'

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In the op-ed, seen above, Harry urged every social media platform to step up and take responsibility for creating new standards for hate speech, and to work more actively with consumers - not ad-buying corporations - to create a safe environment that isn't cashing in on misinformation and hate

Prince Harry on Thursday said social media was stoking a 'crisis of hate,' and he appealed to companies to rethink their roles in advertising on digital platforms

Harry said he and Meghan started their social media reform campaign at the same time as the launch of the Stop Hate for Profit movement in June.

That campaign was launched by a coalition of non-profits who urged companies to stop advertising on Facebook until the Mark Zuckerberg-owned firm more effectively tackled hate speech on its platform.

Enlisting the support of more than 1,000 companies, the Stop Hate For Profit campaign 'sent a $7 billion message through withheld ad dollars,' Harry wrote.

The 35-year-old continues that while most people enjoy the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, because its presented as a free way to access entertainment and information, Harry insists, 'it's not actually free; the cost is high'.

'Every time you click they learn more about you. Our information, private data, and unknown habits are traded on for advertising space and dollars,' he wrote.

'The price were all paying is much higher than it appears. Whereas normally were the consumer buying a product, in this ever-changing digital world, we are the product.'

Harry called for online communities to be 'defined more by compassion than hate; by truth instead of misinformation; by equity and inclusiveness instead of injustice and fearmongering; by free, rather than weaponised, speech'

Harry urged every social media platform to step up and take responsibility for creating new standards for hate speech, and to work more actively with consumers - not ad-buying corporations - to create a safe environment that isn't cashing in on misinformation and hate.

'Companies that purchase online ads must also recognise that our digital world has an impact on the physical worldon our collective health, on our democracies, on the ways we think and interact with each other, on how we process and trust information,' Harry wrote.

'Because, if we are susceptible to the coercive forces in digital spaces, then we have to ask ourselves - what does this mean for our children? As a father, this is especially concerning to me.'

Harry said it isn't only corporations which need to act either, users and consumers must be more engaged too. He said that by crafting spaces that are supportive and trustworthy 'both online and off - everyone wins. Even the platforms themselves'.

'We have an opportunity to do better and remake the digital world, to look at the past and use it to inform the future,' Harry rallied. 'We must take a critical eye to the last two decades, where advancements in technology and media have outgrown many of the antiquated guardrails that once ensured they were being designed and used appropriately.'

The royal said he and Meghan started their social media reform campaign at the same time as the launch of the Stop Hate for Profit movement in June

The royal added that it shouldn't be considered coincidence that the rise of social media usage has been met with a correlating trend of increasing 'division'.

'Social medias own algorithms and recommendation tools can drive people down paths towards radicalism and extremism that they might not have taken otherwise,' Harry said.

He added that amidst the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, millions of people across the globe now rely on algorithmically-driven information feeds as a means of disseminating between fact and fiction.

'One could argue that access to accurate information is more important now than any other time in modern history,' Harry continued.

'And yet, the very places that allow disinformation to spread seem to throw their arms up when asked to take responsibility and find solutions.'

In summation, Harry said there's much work to be done and 'we do not have the luxury of time'. He said the change needs to start now, especially considering how 'spending on digital advertising is set to eclipse ad spending in traditional media'.

Harry also urged advertisers to take a stand and 'demand change from the very places that give a safe haven and vehicle of propagation to hate and division.'

In what he called the beginning of a global movement, Harry said that, above all else, he hopes that social media can become a Utopian community built on 'empathy, tolerance and kindness'.

'The internet has enabled us to be joined together. We are now plugged into a vast nervous system that, yes, reflects our good, but too often also magnifies and fuels our bad,' Harry wrote.

'We canand mustencourage these platforms to redesign themselves in a more responsible and compassionate way. The world will feel it, and we will all benefit from it.'

Harry and Meghan, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, now live in Los Angeles after stepping down from their royal roles in March to forge new careers

Harry didn't mention any specific companies by name in his opinion piece.

The op-ed was published in Fast Company, a magazine that bills itself as 'the world's leading progressive business media brand.'

The outlet was first launched in 1995 by Alan Webber and Bill Taylor, two former Harvard Business Review editors who said they founded the magazine on a single premise: 'global revolution was changing business, and business was changing the world'.

The company said it aims to 'showcase the teams and individuals who are inventing the future and reinventing business.'

Harry and Meghan, formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, now live in Los Angeles after stepping down from their royal roles in March to forge new careers.

In a speech last month, Meghan urged teen girls and young women to drown out sometimes 'painfully loud' negative online chatter with positivity.
N.Y. Times columnist Roger Cohen in "The Less Impossible Israeli-Palestinian Peace" (07/31/20) debates two options to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by asking which is the least impossible. Mind you, Cohen has written numerous articles on the conflict over the years. His batting average for accurate predictions? Zero for everything.

Cohen needs to reconcile his ideology with the facts  that may help him reverse his streak. For example, the reason "only a handful of Jewish members of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) use the word occupation" is because the rest know that the word is inappropriate. You can't "occupy" what is already yours. The Jewish claim to the disputed land is lawfully based on the San Remo Treaty of 1920. And yes, the anti-Israel world can be wrong while Israel is right. For three millennia, Jews have been right and the whole world wrong many times. Why should now be different?

Cohen should also admit that the lack of "viable Palestinian statehood" is not because of a convenient scapegoat (AKA Trump). Arabs in the Levant have been rejecting opportunities for statehood and attacking their Jewish neighbors since long before Trump was born. The real problem is that Palestinians are not willing to sit down with Israelis and negotiate. Peace will come to the area when the Palestinians want a state more than they want to destroy another  specifically the state of Israel.

Image: Adam Jones via Flickr (cropped).
U.S. steps up campaign to purge 'untrusted' Chinese apps Tik Tok logo is displayed on the smartphone while standing on the U.S. flag in this illustration

By Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Wednesday it was stepping up efforts to purge "untrusted" Chinese apps from U.S. digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat "significant threats."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said expanded U.S. efforts on a program it calls "Clean Network" would focus on five areas and include steps to prevent various Chinese apps, as well as Chinese telecoms companies, from accessing sensitive information on American citizens and businesses.

Pompeo's announcement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok. The hugely popular video-sharing app has come under fire from U.S. lawmakers and the administration over national security concerns, amid intensified tensions between Washington and Beijing.

"With parent companies based in China, apps like TikTok, WeChat and others are significant threats to personal data of American citizens, not to mention tools for CCP (Chinese Communist Party) content censorship," Pompeo said.

In an interview with state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said the United States "has no right" to set up the "Clean Network" and calls the actions by Washington as "a textbook case of bullying".

"Anyone can see through clearly that the intention of the U.S. is to protect it's monopoly position in technology and to rob other countries of their proper right to development," said Wang.

TikTok currently faces a deadline of Sept. 15 to either sell its U.S. operations to Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O> or face an outright ban.

In the run-up to Trump's November re-election bid, U.S.-China ties are at the lowest ebb in decades. Relations are strained over the global coronavirus pandemic, China's military buildup in the South China Sea, its increasing control over Hong Kong and treatment of Uighur Muslims, as well as Beijing's massive trade surpluses and technological rivalry.

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Pompeo said the United States was working to prevent Chinese telecoms firm Huawei Technologies Co Ltd from pre-installing or making available for download the most popular U.S. apps on its phones.

"We don't want companies to be complicit in Huawei's human rights abuses, or the CCP's surveillance apparatus," Pompeo said, without mentioning any specific U.S. companies.

Pompeo said the State Department would work with other government agencies to protect the data of U.S. citizens and American intellectual property, including COVID-19 vaccine research, by preventing access from cloud-based systems run by companies such as Alibaba <BABA.N>, Baidu <BIDU.O>, China Mobile, China Telecom, and Tencent <0700.HK>.

Pompeo said he was joining Attorney General William Barr, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf in urging the U.S. telecoms regulator, the Federal Communications Commission, to terminate authorizations for China Telecom and three other companies to provide services to and from the United States.

He said the State Department was also working to ensure China could not compromise information carried by undersea cables that connect the United States to the global internet.

The United States has long been lobbying European and other allies to persuade them to cut out Huawei from their telecommunications networks. Huawei denies it spies for China and says the United States wants to frustrate its growth because no U.S. company offers the same technology at a competitive price.

Pompeo's comments on Wednesday reflected a wider and more accelerated push by Washington to limit the access of Chinese technology companies to U.S. market and consumers and, as one U.S. official put it, to push back against a "massive campaign to steal and weaponize our data against us."

A State Department statement said momentum for the Clean Network program was growing and more than 30 countries and territories were now "Clean Countries" and many of the world's biggest telecommunications companies "Clean Telcos."

It called on U.S. allies "to join the growing tide to secure our data from the CCP's surveillance state and other malign entities."

Huawei Technologies and Tencent declined to comment. Alibaba, Apple, China Telecom, China Mobile and Baidu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick; Additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Yingzhi Yang in Beijing, Josh Horwitz in Shanghai, Pei Li in Hong Kong and David Kirton in Shenzhen; Editing by Mary Milliken, Rosalba O'Brien and Michael Perry)
Photograph: Lam Yik/Reuters

The US government has imposed sanctions on Hong Kongs leader Carrie Lam, and 10 other senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials, in response to the crackdown on free speech and political freedoms in the city, the US treasury department said.

Related: Hong Kong activists charged over traditional Tiananmen vigil

The measures are among the most high-profile taken by the US administration in a broad campaign to challenge China at home and internationally, as tensions between the worlds two largest economies escalate sharply.

In addition to Lam, the sanctioned Hong Kong officials include the current and former head of the citys police force  criticised by protesters for its brutal tactics  and the cabinet secretaries for justice, Teresa Cheng, and security, John Lee Ka-chiu.

From the mainland, targets include Luo Huining, who heads the Hong Kong liaison office and is the most senior Chinese figure in the city, and Zheng Yenxiong, a hardliner appointed to the newly created position of security chief.

The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy, said the secretary of the treasury, Steven Mnuchin.

It is relatively unusual for Washington to directly a sanction the leader of a country or region and the move puts Lam in company with Venezuelas president, Nicolas Maduro, and Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The sanctions have been brought in under an executive order that Donald Trump signed last month, in response to Chinas introduction of a sweeping new security law in Hong Kong.

Related: China uses Hong Kong security law against US and UK-based activists

Beijing said the law was needed to restore stability and would not threaten Hong Kongs freedom of expression. But it has already been used to crush dissent, cited in the barring of moderate pro-democratic candidates from elections, the arrest of teens for social media posts, and the suppression of popular protest slogans.

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It has been widely condemned by western governments, and has led many to reconfigure their relationship with Hong Kong, including ending extradition agreements. The US has ended special economic status for the city, which is likely to batter an economy already badly damaged by Covid-19.

This law, purportedly enacted to safeguard the security of Hong Kong, is in fact a tool of Chinese Communist Party repression, said the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, after the sanctions were announced.

He is one of a group of China hawks in the Trump administration, along with the trade adviser, Peter Navarro, and deputy national security adviser, Matthew Pottinger, who recently appear to have gained the upper hand in the White House.

The coronavirus pandemic, the suppression of dissent in Hong Kong and increasing information about the mass internment of Uighurs and other minorities in western Xinjiang have all been cited as reasons for the shift in Washingtons stance.

These latest sanctions come the day after Trump announced that he would ban transactions with the Chinese companies that own popular apps TikTok and WeChat.

Last month the administration also imposed sanctions on a senior Chinese communist party official, Chinese companies and a paramilitary government organisation it alleged were complicit in forced labour and other abuses in the western Xinjiang region.

US and Chinese officials are due to meet in mid-August to discuss how to revive a partial trade deal agreed in January, amid US allegations that Beijing is not keeping its promises on buying US agricultural products and energy.

But hopes of success are limited. Trump has said his support for the deal has been undermined by Chinas role in the coronavirus outbreak, and his re-election campaign has so far leaned heavily on anti-Chinese rhetoric.

There was no immediate response to the sanctions from Hong Kong or Beijing. Lam has previously said she is not worried about sanctions. I have no assets in the US, and I dont particularly like going to the US. If they wont grant me a visa, then I will just not go there, she said in a TV interview last month.
Nana Soglo Alloh IV, the President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, has welcomed President Akufo-Addos directive for the creation of a new district for Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) communities.



President Akufo-Addo directed the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) to initiate processes for the new district before the end of 2020.



The SALL communities consisted of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe, who are currently part of the new Oti region.



This is contained in a correspondence titled Proposed Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi, Likpe (SALL) District in Oti Region, and signed by Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of MLGRD dated August 3, this year, and copied to the Regional Ministers of Oti and Volta and sighted by the Ghana News Agency.



It said these communities became part of the Jasikan district by the Referendum and the creation of the Oti Region.



The directive urged inhabitants in SALL to participate actively in the voter registration exercise.



Nana Alloh, also the Paramount Chief of the Likpe Traditional Area, speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, said the directive would bring some respite to the people, who were agitating for a new district since 2018.



He said from his briefing, the directive, unfortunately, cannot allow the creation of a Constituency, which would be an aberration of the 1992 Constitution.



Nana Alloh said Parliament would have to be dissolved to make way for the creation of a new Constituency or creation of an additional new Constituency to increase the number to 276, as the other option, which would be an unconstitutional measure.



He said the chiefs were looking tentatively at next year when a by-election could be activated to solve the impasse.



Nana Alloh said the creation of new Constituencies was a prerogative of the Electoral Commission, which could not be forced to do so.

Source: GNA









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Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak has stated that Ukraine intensified its efforts in promoting peace in Donbas.

"It is very important for us to continue the dialogue. And the Normandy format meeting should continue it [the dialogue]. We expect that concrete agreements on the next steps will be reached," Yermak said during a working trip of President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, during which the Head of State checked for compliance with the complete and comprehensive ceasefire regime, the President's press service informs.

The Head of the Presidents Office added that the Ukrainian authorities had formed a very strong team that would contribute to a peaceful settlement in Donbas.

"Ukraine now dominates in the Minsk format and the Normandy format. We have created a structure that allows the whole world to see that Ukraine is doing everything necessary, and, of course, these efforts will lead to results. If not, everyone will see who does not want to achieve peace," Yermak said.

As reported, the full and comprehensive ceasefire regime in Donbas came into force on July 27.

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Even as city and state officials struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19 and warned in recent days about the upward direction of infection numbers, the Archdiocese of Chicago reiterated its plans to reopen schools later this month. The decision has upset some parents, who are worried and dissatisfied with remote learning alternatives for those who opt out, and some teachers, one of whom is leaving the job rather than return to the classroom.
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: 7 August 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 23,032 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 1,900 pence 24.79 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 1,896 pence 24.74 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 1,898 pence 24.77 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 7 August 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 13,316 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 24.85 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 24.75 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 24.80 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 7 August 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 24,073 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 24.90 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 24.65 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 24.79 USD

PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 36.12 USD 27.60 GBP which was calculated as of 31 July 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 193,969,428 Public Shares outstanding, or 199,944,324 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 16,987,322 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/20200807005427/en/

Contacts:

Media

Camarco

Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk
Alabama

Huntsville: A fundraising drive has reached its goal of bringing in $1.5 million to save Space Camp from closing because of the coronavirus pandemic, organizers said. A corporate donation of $250,000 by the technology company SAIC Inc. pushed the effort over the top, officials said in a statement Tuesday. Nearly 8,000 people and companies from three dozen countries contributed to the Save Space Camp drive in the week it took to reach the goal, and donations will continue to be accepted. Located in Huntsville, Space Camp is an internationally known educational program run by the state-owned U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Leaders said the pandemic has hurt revenue so badly that donations were needed to continue operating the museum and to reopen Space Camp in the spring. Nearly 1 million youths and adults have attended Space Camp since it opened in 1982, and a dozen people who went on to become astronauts or cosmonauts participated. The Space and Rocket Center was closed from mid-March through late May because of the shutdown to slow the spread of COVID-19, and Space Camp, which features students working in groups on simulated space missions, did not reopen until late June with a limited capacity.

Alaska

Anchorage: The first cruise in an already decimated southeast Alaska cruise season came to a devastating end Wednesday when a small ship carrying 36 passengers returned to Juneau because one of the guests tested positive for COVID-19. All 36 guests on the Wilderness Adventurer will quarantine at a hotel and the 30 crew members will quarantine on the ship in Gastineau Channel, just off Juneaus downtown. The loss of cruise ships capable of carrying thousands of people has been devastating to Alaskas tourism economy this summer, particularly for communities in southeast Alaska that would have seen their populations swell with the influx of tourists. The state tourism industry had anticipated 2.2 million visitors, many of them on cruises. Larger cruise ships  those carrying more than 250 passengers and crew members  have been under no-sail orders, but smaller companies were allowed to continue operating. The canceled trip by UnCruise Adventures was the first of the season. The company had four additional cruises planned but opted to cancel the entire Alaska season after the positive test, spokeswoman Liz Galloway said.

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Arizona

Phoenix: The number of known coronavirus-related deaths in Arizona has now surpassed 4,000, health officials said Thursday. The Arizona Department of Health Services reported another 1,444 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 70 more deaths. This brings the total number of cases since the pandemic began to 183,647 and the death toll to 4,002. Some of the fatalities were likely counted after health officials reviewed death certificates going back weeks. Still, the news comes a day after Maricopa County public health officials confirmed 22 bodies were moved to portable storage coolers. The action was taken after the medical examiners office in metro Phoenix became 86% full, according to Robert Rowley, director of the countys emergency management department. Its a significant increase compared with the same time a year ago, he said. Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director of disease control for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, said the county has seen more deaths than usual since January. Those are likely to include people who were hesitant to seek care for other conditions. The upward trend in deaths will likely sustain itself for at least the coming weeks, Sunenshine said. Overall, more than half of the COVID-19 related deaths have occurred in the states most populous county.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The state is requiring schools to stay open five days a week when classes resume this month, state education officials said Wednesday, complicating efforts by some districts to limit on-site instruction because of the coronavirus pandemic. Education Secretary Johnny Key issued the guidance to districts as the state reported 912 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 18 more deaths from the illness caused by the virus. The Education Department told districts they must stay open to students and offer relevant and engaging onsite learning opportunities all week in order to comply with the state Constitution. Arkansas public schools are set to reopen the week of Aug. 24. Some districts could only keep their facilities open four days a week if approved by the state Board of Education, the guidance said. The directions come as some districts have been planning to limit the number of on-site classes and using remote learning during part of the week to reduce the risk of the virus spread. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has stood by plans to resume classes this month, despite objections from pediatricians and teachers groups.

California

Sacramento: State prison officials said as many as 17,600 California inmates might be released early because of the coronavirus, 70% more than previously estimated and a total that victims and police said includes dangerous criminals who should stay locked up. The releases also are causing consternation as probation officers and community organizations scramble to provide housing, transportation and other services for inmates who might pose a public health risk because several hundred have been paroled while still contagious. It has just been a total madhouse, quite frankly, and were doing this in the midst of a pandemic, said Karen McDaniel, the statewide transportation and services liaison between community groups and corrections officials. Among those released was Terebea Williams, 44, who served 19 years of an 84 years-to-life sentence for first-degree murder, carjacking and kidnapping. She was freed last week after being deemed at high medical risk for the virus. Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, whose office prosecuted Williams, and the advocacy group Crime Victims Alliance complained that victims and prosecutors are given little notice and no opportunity to object to the releases. Officials have been under intense pressure from advocates, some state lawmakers and two federal judges to release more inmates, particularly after a botched transfer of infected inmates into San Quentin State Prison led to the states worst prison outbreak. Nearly 170 inmates still are infected there and 23 died, including 11 on death row. More than 2,000 have either recovered or were released while infected.

Colorado

Fort Collins: As Colorado State University prepares to welcome students back to campus for the first time in nearly six months, it is dealing with an increase in students and staff with COVID-19 and bracing for more. Thus far, CSU said it was aware of 38 students and 21 employees who have tested positive since March 16, when the pandemic hit Colorado. Some of those cases have been among students who tested positive after they left campus and staff who were already working remotely and have not been at the university since mid-March, said CSU spokeswoman Dell Rae Ciaravola. But as of Aug. 2, 16 student athletes who have been practicing and preparing for fall sports and seven members of Sigma Kappa, an off-campus fraternity, have tested positive for COVID-19, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported last week. Three athletes who tested positive and another who is in quarantine for potential exposure live in Parmalee Hall. Two others live in Aggie Village, Ciaravola said in an email. A section of Parmalee Hall has been set aside for students who are in quarantine and self-isolation or who test positive the rest of the summer. The only COVID positive students living at Parmalee are student athletes, she said.

Connecticut

Hartford: For the second day in a row, there have been no new COVID-19-associated deaths in Connecticut, according to new data released Wednesday. It also marked the sixth day in the past month that no new deaths were reported. As of Wednesday, a total of 4,437 people have died. Meanwhile, the states infection rate continues to hover just below 1%. Of the 11,839 tests conducted since Tuesday, 115 were positive. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top infectious disease expert, said Monday that Connecticut is currently in a good place because the states baseline rate of COVID-19 infections continues to remain very low,. He predicted the state will have an upper hand with containing, rather than just mitigating, any flare-ups that might develop this fall. Also Wednesday, there were 59 hospitalizations, one fewer patient than on Tuesday.

Delaware

Dover: A convicted killer serving two life sentences for a 1982 double murder has died after testing positive for COVID-19, Delaware prison officials said Wednesday. Authorities said Jackie R. Lovett, 71, died Wednesday at a Dover hospital of complications from hypothyroidism and COVID. Lovett was tested for COVID-19 on July 5 as part of the Department of Corrections testing of all inmates. After his test result came back positive, Lovett was transferred from Sussex Correctional Institution and treated at James T. Vaughn Correctional Centers COVID-19 treatment facility. He was admitted to Bayhealth Hospital on July 14. Lovett was from Salisbury, Maryland. He was sentenced to life in prison without probation or parole for the drug-related killings of Lori Todd and Richard Bull. The victims bodies were found in a tributary of the Pocomoke River in Maryland. Both had been shot in the head. A codefendant told police that he was in a farmhouse near Delmar, Delaware, when Lovett took Todd and Bull in back of the farmhouse and murdered them. A police officer testified that Lovett admitted that he shot Bull but said co-defendant Charles Bower later killed Todd.

District of Columbia

Washington: Effective immediately, all public pools in the District must remain closed for the summer as the region continues to take precautions against the coronavirus pandemic. We understand residents look forward to escaping the summer heat at our pools. Out of an abundance of caution, and in consultation with the Districts public health experts, we have decided to prioritize the health and safety of residents, Delano Hunte, the DC Department of Parks and Recreation director, said. The department operates 21 outdoor public pools in the District, all of which have been closed since March 16. According to Mayor Muriel Bowser, the pools will undergo mandatory winterization processes like draining and covering. Indoor aquatic centers and spray parks owned by the parks and recreation department will remain closed for the rest of the summer, as well. Although the District continues to monitor for the latest reopening plans, other park facilities and programs have opened with social distancing guidelines in place. Parks and playgrounds are open to the public, and the department is still taking permit applications to accommodate outdoor groups of no more than 50. Community pools can start to reopen under a limited capacity in the third phase of ReOpening DC guidelines laid out by Bowser, which the District is still waiting to transition into.

Florida

West Palm Beach: Nurses at St. Marys Medical Center have complained they have been forced to wear masks that are not hospital-grade and snap off while they tend to the needs of patients with COVID-19. They are the masks that can be found at Home Depot or Lowes, said one nurse. Some said they have purchased their own personal protective equipment but the owner of St. Marys  Tenet Hospitals  prohibits the use of masks purchased on the open market. They are now giving us these white N-95s that are cheaply made and snapping off when the nurses are on the COVID-19 units, therefore exposing them, one nurse said. Another nurse said: Im afraid to bring this back home to my family. We are risking our lives every day. A few weeks ago, the hospital provided nurses with Chinese-made masks that were ill-fitting and also broke easily, they say. Those have been replaced by 3M masks that are not N-95 hospital-grade and snap off if the nurse dares to adjust her face shield, they said. Several nurses at St. Marys reached out to The Palm Beach Post over the weekend, saying Tenet Hospitals wont listen to their concerns and offer only platitudes. The nurses spoke on condition their names not be published out of fear of retaliation. They reiterated concerns Tenet nurses expressed about PPE in a Post news story in April, showing the situation has not gotten any better as coronavirus cases increased in recent months. Tenet Hospitals would not address the mask issue but said it follows guidelines set by the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the use and conservation of PPE.

Georgia

Winder: More than 90 staff members in a Georgia school district have been quarantined because of coronavirus exposure or infection, prompting the district to plan to begin the year entirely online. State officials on Thursday, meanwhile, reported that Georgia had passed 4,000 deaths from the coronavirus. Barrow County Schools officials announced Wednesday that the district about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta would abandon plans to have in-person classes and distance learning when the school year begins Aug. 17, and instead have all students attend classes virtually. We made a very difficult decision based on the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in our county, as well as the concerns over being able to appropriately staff our schools. Superintendent Dr. Chris McMichael said in a statement posted to Twitter Wednesday night. If today was the first day of school, we would have been hard-pressed to have sufficient staff available to open our schools. The district had 1,800 full- and part-time employees and 14,400 students during the 2019-2020 school year, according to its records. McMichael said the district took every precaution and staff members were required to wear masks during preplanning before students returned to buildings. But dozens of employees were still infected or in quarantine due to a suspected case or direct contact with a confirmed case. Officials said they were working to return students to classrooms as quickly as possible under a phased approach. The district is the latest in Georgia to face complications as the new academic year begins. About 260 employees for Gwinnett County Public Schools, the states largest public school district, reported testing positive for the coronavirus or possibly being exposed to it ahead of the years start on Aug. 12, officials confirmed to news outlets this week. In Cherokee and Paulding counties, where districts began in-person classes Monday with mask-optional policies, some questioned safety protocols after on-campus pictures showed students packed shoulder-to-shoulder, with few wearing masks.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The head of a hospital group warned the growing number of coronavirus cases in Hawaii is on track to outstrip the states capacity to provide medical services to fight the illness. Hawaii Pacific Health CEO Ray Vara made the assessment following a meeting Monday of the state House of Representatives Select Committee on COVID-19 Economic and Financial Preparedness, Hawaii Public Radio reported Tuesday. If we continue on these current trends of triple-digit numbers for another seven to 10 days, were going to begin stressing those capacities pretty quickly, Vara said. Hawaii Pacific Health operates four hospitals on Oahu and Kauai, including Kapiolani Medical Center, Straub Medical Center, Pali Momi Medical Center, and Wilcox Medical Center. The group has built analytical models of the virus spread for months with the goal of preventing the illness from overwhelming the states health care system. The growth in new cases was predicted by the hospital groups models until recently. But the state no longer appears to be maintaining an effective testing and contact tracing program, while members of the public are not adhering to face mask and social distancing guidelines, Vara said. Large public gatherings at beaches and parks have taken place in recent weeks, including one on Oahus North Shore over the weekend that was cited by the state Emergency Management Agency.

Idaho

Moscow: The director of a soccer tournament in Moscow has apologized to city officials and residents after the event was shut down earlier this week over health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. I had every intention of providing a safe and fun environment for a weekend of soccer, said Brandon Schreiner, director of the Harvest Cup soccer tournament. I failed to properly deliver on one of those and for that I apologize. Schreiner apologized at a Moscow City Council meeting Monday during the public comment and mayors response period, saying he respected and understood the decision to shut the tournaments down. Mayor Bill Lambert made the decision Sunday after two tournaments brought together more than 100 baseball and soccer team coaches and parents. He told the Daily News that there were too many people attending the events and not wearing masks or practicing social distancing. Schreiner said the tournament Saturday failed at enforcing social distancing measures. We had full compliance from our coaches and players on (the) team bench side. Unfortunately, we didnt do quite as good a job on the spectator side of the field. He and tournament staff used safety precautions and cleaning protocols, he said, including enforcing teams to wear masks and displaying the coronavirus-related rules on signs at all the fields. Lambert told Schreiner he appreciated his remarks.

Illinois

Taylorville: U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said he has tested positive for COVID-19. In a statement, Davis said he has taken his temperature twice daily since the start of the pandemic. He said his temperature was slightly elevated Wednesday and he and his wife tested for the virus, with his coming back positive. My staff, who Ive worked with in-person this week, have received negative tests as well, Davis said in the statement. Other than a higher-than-normal temperature, I am showing no symptoms at this time and feel fine. Davis said he is postponing planned public events and will quarantine himself until he tests negative, adding protecting the public health is his highest priority. If youre out in public, use social distancing, and when you cant social distance, please wear a mask, he said. All of us must do our part. Thats what it will take to get through this pandemic. Davis, 50, represents the 13th Congressional District in central and southwestern Illinois. He defeated Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan of Springfield by a narrow margin in 2018. Davis and Londrigan will face-off again in November.

Indiana

Avon: An Avon High School student has tested positive for the coronavirus, school officials said. Avon Community Schools officials said they learned of the positive test Wednesday. Parents were notified in an email that night. Our School Corporation follows the guidance from the Hendricks County Health Department, spokesperson Stacey Moore said. As a result of our preparations, we were able to quickly contact trace, so if anyone was deemed a close contact, they have been notified about the next steps. Moore declined to say when the student last attended classes or how many people were considered close contacts, citing privacy concerns. Kandi Jamison, public health nursing director for the Hendricks County Health Department, declined to comment on the Avon High School case. Generally, Jamison said, health department and school officials work together to identify anyone who might have been in close contact with an individual who tests positive for the virus. She said anyone who has been within 6 feet of an infected person for 15 minutes or longer would be notified and instructed to self-quarantine for two weeks.

Iowa

Iowa City: The Johnson County Board of Supervisors passed a face-covering regulation Thursday morning. The board unanimously approved the ordinance, which had originated with the countys Board of Health. Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness said that, by originating with a county board of health, the regulation will be enforceable, despite arguments from Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller that local officials lack the authority to enforce such measures. Johnson County Supervisor Royeann Porter said the regulation is not aimed being punitive but at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Supervisor Janelle Rettig said she had been contacted by a pastor who asked for a religious freedom exemption from the mandate. Rettig pointed to a recent outbreak at an Ohio church that originated from one congregant. The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reported Tuesday that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said a man with COVID-19 went to church in mid-June and the virus spread like wildfire. I get that people feel they have freedoms, Rettig said Thursday, but that also means you feel like you have the freedom to drive drunk or to drive a bus on drugs. I mean, sometimes your freedom ends when you can kill other people, and this is that case. The Board of Supervisors regulation will go into effect Monday, after being posted in a paper of record like the Iowa City Press-Citizen, a requirement of Iowa Code. Once in effect, the ordinance will require people in unincorporated portions of Johnson County to wear masks covering the nose and mouth while in public spaces, including grocery stores, pharmacies, hardware stores, retail stores and schools; when using public transportation or taxi services; or when theyre outside and unable to maintain at least 6 feet of separation from other people. The ordinance mirrors the penalty for disobeying Iowa Citys order, making a first offense a simple misdemeanor with a fine that could range from $105 to $885, to be determined by a judge.

Kansas

Belle Plaine: Kansas counties that have mask mandates have seen a rapid drop in coronavirus cases, and counties that only recommend their use have seen no decrease in cases, the states top health official said. Dr. Lee Norman, the state health departments top administrator, said statewide the numbers of new cases is favorable, but that the reduction of new cases is entirely in the counties that require masks be worn in public spaces. After Gov. Laura Kelly put a mask mandate in place last month, 15 counties stayed with the mandate and 90 abandoned it, Norman said. Norman pointed a graph showing the seven-day rolling average of cases per 100,000 people comparing counties with the mask mandates with those counties that abandoned it. The favorable trend line down was entirely in the counties that required the use of masks, and the trend line for those without one was flat, he said. Do masks work? Here in this natural experiment called Kansas where we have essentially  not due to any great design, but it has worked out that way  some counties have been the control group with a no mask mandate and some have been the experimental group with masks, Norman said. The experimental group is winning the battle. All improvements in case development comes from those counties wearing masks. It is important to understand, he noted, that the 15 counties with mask mandates represent two-thirds of the states population and include the more urban cities with greater population densities. People in those counties rely more on mass transit there and tend to have more racial and ethnic minority populations that are more likely to be infected by COVID-19.

Kentucky

Bartender Patrick McKinney chats with Tom Duncan and Amy Curry as they experience outdoor dining at the Monnik Beer Co. in Louisville, Ky. Restaurants in Louisville will be allowed to expand outdoor dining into parking areas under a new Metro Government ordinance.

Louisville: Restaurants in Louisville will be allowed to expand outdoor dining into parking areas under a new Metro Government ordinance. City officials said the ordinance will ease strain on restaurants that have limited indoor seating during the pandemic. The new on-street dining option will give restaurants the chance to serve more customers in a safe manner, while complying with the state restrictions that are necessary to stem the spread of COVID-19, Mayor Greg Fischer said in a news release. Restaurants will submit plans to the city for approval. The dining areas must be adjacent to the sidewalk and on streets that have a speed limit of 35 mph or less. Restaurants will be responsible for providing their own furniture as well as required barriers for public safety. The release from the mayors office said Louisville Forward, the citys economic development group, worked with Louisville Metro Council to pass an emergency ordinance.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Gov. John Bel Edwards administration argued Wednesday that Louisianas statewide mask mandate and bar restrictions have helped to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, hoping to persuade a state district judge to uphold the regulations in a lawsuit challenging them as unconstitutional. After a daylong hearing from witnesses on both sides of the litigation, testimony in the case was scheduled to continue Thursday. Four Jefferson Parish residents, including a musician, a catering business owner and two bar owners, are asking Judge Janice Clark to declare the rules null and void and prohibit the Democratic governor from enforcing them. The lawsuit argues Edwards original order requiring the masks, banning indoor gatherings above 50 people and limiting bars to takeout and delivery is unconstitutionally vague, riddled with many exceptions and shouldnt be allowed to stand. Ronald Dalleo, owner of Cleary Tavern, said his bar serves food and has a similar number of tables and similar layout to a neighboring restaurant that is allowed to remain open to onsite service with alcoholic drinks. He said his business shouldnt be treated differently because it has a different permit and he sells a few hamburgers less than that restaurant. What Im asking for is to be treated fairly, Dalleo said during his testimony. I definitely feel like Im being discriminated against.

Maine

Northern shrimp lie in a pile aboard a trawler in the Gulf of Maine. The federal government is canceling a research survey about New Englands imperiled shrimp fishery because of challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Portland: The federal government is canceling a research survey about New Englands imperiled shrimp fishery because of challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Maine shrimp fishery has been shut down for several years because of concerns such as poor survival of young shrimp. Scientists have said environmental conditions in the Gulf of Maine have put the future of the fishery at risk. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was scheduled to perform a research survey about the fishery this year, but announced its cancellation this week. The agency said its also canceling a handful of other research surveys off the East Coast and Gulf Coast because of uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique challenges those are creating for NOAA Fisheries. The shrimp were once a popular winter seafood item. Fishermen also harvested them in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The pandemic has caused numerous difficulties for fishermen and the seafood industry in New England. Some relate to the disruption of the international seafood supply chain.

Maryland

Silver Springs: The state election board is weighing late changes in the states plan for the November election, aiming to protect voters and volunteer workers from crowded and understaffed polling stations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Board vice chairman Patrick Hogan made a last-ditch appeal Wednesday for the board to recommend mailing ballots to every registered voter. The board has been divided on that option, and Gov. Larry Hogan issued a directive to hold a traditional in-person election on Nov. 3. I think were at the point of no return after today, said Patrick Hogan, a Democrat who is not related to the governor. Larry Hogan, a Republican, on Monday demanded an update from the board on its plans for mail-in voting and polling places. He said the board appears to be on a path to repeating the massive failures of the June 2 primary election, which was hampered by problems with mail-in ballots and long lines at polling stations. The board didnt act on Patrick Hogans plea Wednesday for mailing ballots directly to voters. It is forging ahead with plans to mail applications for a mail-in ballot to more than 4 million voters. The board is scheduled to meet again on Friday to discuss and vote on whether to adopt changes suggested by local election officials, including expanding the number of early-voting centers. The state is authorized to have approximately 80 early voting sites.

Massachusetts

Boston: The Mayflower II, a replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to the New World 400 years ago, has canceled a scheduled stop in Rhode Island because of new travel restrictions required of people who visit the state. The 64-year-old reproduction is sailing from Mystic, Connecticut, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, after an $11 million renovation project. The Mayflower II made an unscheduled stop in New Bedford, Massachusetts, this week to shelter during Tropical Storm Isaias. It was scheduled to visit Newport, Rhode Island, on Thursday. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker earlier this week required people from Rhode Island or those who have visited the state to quarantine for two weeks because of a rising number of coronavirus cases there. Due to Governor Bakers recent change to the restrictions on travel to states including Rhode Island, Plimoth Plantation has decided out of an abundance of caution to keep Mayflower in New Bedford  until Saturday, August 8, when the ship will make its way to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, a press release said. The ship is scheduled to arrive in Plymouth on Monday.

Michigan

Lansing: The Michigan Education Association, the states largest teachers union, said its board held an emergency meeting Tuesday night to discuss the reopening of schools. It adopted a motion saying local units should, if needed, demand to collectively bargain with K-12 districts over their COVID-19 preparedness and response plans before classes begin this month or next month. MEA supports any local associations who choose to take collective action in order to protect the health and safety of their students and staff, the motion stated. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said more than a month ago that she was optimistic about returning to in-person instruction during the upcoming academic year after it ended in March. The seven-day statewide case average has risen since then, from to 745 from 361, however. Under her plan, in-person classes are allowed but not required in both phases four  which covers most of the state  and five, which includes northern Michigan. Schools must follow safety protocols. Several districts, including Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and many in and around Lansing, have announced plans to start with just online learning. Teachers plan to rally Thursday at the Capitol to protest physically reopening schools and to demand funding. Traditional districts and charter schools do not yet know their state aid for the coming academic year.

Minnesota

Duluth: St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota this week has added new coronavirus cases faster than any other county in the state, according to health officials. Of the 475 cases in St. Louis County as of Wednesday, more than half were confirmed in July. The virus has been detected throughout the states geographically largest county, but about three-fourths of the cases came from Duluth, statistics showed. Although nursing homes were hit hard by COVID-19 in the spring and early summer, now nearly one-third of those infected in the county are in their 20s. About 40% of those testing positive said they have attended restaurants or bars during the period they were likely exposed to the virus, the countys public health director Amy Westbrook said. Theres a lot of things to really be concerned about, said Westbrook, notably the proliferation of community transmission. Westbrook said the next few weeks will be crucial as the county watches to see whether the number of daily new cases, recently hovering close to 20, drops. On Wednesday the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reported its first two confirmed cases on the reservation, part of which is in St. Louis County, and a third case involving a band member tested in Duluth, the Star Tribune reported.

Mississippi

Jackson: The Corinth School District, which has seen a handful of coronavirus cases among students since reopening for in-person classes last week, is doing a good job of being transparent with the public, the governor and the states top health official said. The school district has reported six cases since July 27. More than 100 students are quarantined, according to State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. He described the district as a model of how school districts should respond to the pandemic. The district has been posting daily updates on its Facebook page after receiving positive test results. However, Dobbs and Gov. Tate Reeves said during a news conference that the state has no requirement for districts to release information to the public when schools have outbreaks. I commend Corinth and their leadership for doing that. They arent trying to hide anything. Theyre being very transparent, Reeves said. He said theres no specific guideline for how schools should report coronavirus outbreaks. All school districts should make positive test results public, but its up to them to do so, Reeves said. The state Department of Health is working on releasing data of outbreaks in schools by county, which would appear on its website with other daily coronavirus information, Dobbs said. However, he did not say whether that data would be organized district by district.

Missouri

Columbia: Four people tested positive for the coronavirus following open testing at the Capitol in advance of lawmakers returning to work, the state health department said. The agency offered free testing to lawmakers, staffers and others who work at the Capitol at the request of Senate Democratic Minority Leader John Rizzo. A health department spokeswoman said 228 people were tested. Republican Gov. Mike Parson called lawmakers back to work this summer to pass legislation aimed at addressing a surge in violent crime in the states biggest cities. Rizzo had asked for coronavirus testing to reduce the spread among lawmakers who travel to Jefferson City from across the state.

Montana

Helena: Montana is spending $530,000 in coronavirus relief money to boost Census outreach efforts with two months left in the once-a-decade population count. The U.S. Census Bureau is ending its counting efforts on Sept. 30, a month earlier than the extension that was announced this spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bureau said Tuesday. The state is partnering with the Montana Nonprofit Association, Western Native Voice and Forward Montana to help contact people who have not responded to the census, officials said. The states 56% self-response rate is behind the national average. An accurate count could help Montana gain a second U.S. House seat and affects the amount of federal funding the state receives.

Nebraska

Omaha: One-third of the staff of the Douglas County Engineers office is at home on quarantine after four people who work there tested positive for the coronavirus. Officials said 23 of the 70 people in the office are isolating themselves at home because they had contact with one of the four ill employees. This is an unfortunate situation, but we are doing everything we feel is prudent, said Dan Kutilek, engineering manager for Douglas County Engineer. We are following all health guidelines and the advice of our human resources department.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Children ages 5 to 12 in Clark County will be able to supplement their online studies at 13 facilities. The facilities will house day camp activities, such as educational time, games, arts and crafts and sports, KVVU-TV reported. County officials voted unanimously in July to implement an exclusively online system for schools for the start of the school year. The day camps will serve as an optional extension of students online studies. The facilities will open on the first day of school, Aug. 24, and run Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Space in the program is first-come, first-serve. The program will close once children can return to school in-person. All activities will be socially distanced and all staff members are required to wear masks. Parents are asked to provide a reusable mask for their child. Parents and students will be required to have their temperature checked and complete a daily Wellness Acknowledgement Form. Students will be required to bring their own lunch or a snack that does not require heating or cooling.

New Hampshire

Concord: The states Congressional delegation expressed disappointment the Trump administration has reduced support for National Guard members who are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic delegation had asked the administration to extend the New Hampshire National Guards activation through Dec. 31. According to the delegation, the request has been granted, but starting Aug. 21, the state will be reimbursed at only 75% instead of 100%. Only Texas and Florida will be fully supported, they said. Considering the enormous financial strain that the state is under as a result of COVID-19, full federal support for the Guards deployment remains vital, the delegation said in a joint statement. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu had asked that the activation be extended through September.

New Jersey

Trenton: The state Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with whether a new state law letting the governor borrow nearly $10 billion to close budget gaps brought on by the coronavirus pandemic passes constitutional muster. The seven-justice court heard oral arguments over more than two hours via video conference, with the jurists peppering the Republican plaintiffs and the state government respondents with skeptical-sounding questions. The case hinged on questions raised by the state Republican Party, which brought the lawsuit, arguing that the state constitution doesnt sanction the kind of borrowing the new law authorizes to meet general operations expenses in the state budget. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphys administration defended the law and grounded its case in part of the constitution that carves out exceptions for bonding in emergency cases. GOP state Sen. Michael Testa, an attorney, argued for the Republicans. No ruling was issued Wednesday by the court.

New Mexico

Roswell: A state agency has reported 21 employees at a meatpacking plant in Roswell tested positive for COVID-19, the most cases reported to the state by any job location in the area. The New Mexico Environment Department has advised USA Beef Packing LLC owner Jose Madrid on how to handle the influx in cases, the Roswell Daily Record reported. Madrid said he is cooperating with the state as it investigates what has caused that number of cases, and has decreased operations to about 10%. Agency reports showed the company reported its first positive test on July 28, and had two by July 31. The number of cases jumped to 21 by Wednesday. The company closed following the first confirmed case and all employees were to be tested, department spokeswoman Maddy Hayden said. A quality control officer for the company previously told the Daily Record that the plant follows all federal and state guidelines regarding food and employee safety, including social distancing measures and employee temperature checks. We at USA Beef Packing understand the importance of continuing our essential service; to deliver safe and nutritional food to the world, the company said in a statement, adding that it is following all necessary safety precautions.

New York

Albany: The states teachers unions said that one COVID-19 case in a school should trigger its immediate closure for 14 days as they listed demands for reopening. New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers called for the state policy just as New York is poised to announce initial decisions on reopening plans submitted by roughly 700 school districts. The unions said in a release that districts moving ahead with reopenings must err on the side of caution at all times. Districts submitted reopening proposals last week amid worries that resumption of in-person classes could put students, teachers and their families at risk. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this weekend that there needs to be a full conversation that answers parents questions about reopening safely. The unions said that when there is a positive COVID-19 test of a student or staff member, there should be an immediate closure of that school building and a return to remote learning for at least 14 days. They also want clear statewide directives how contact tracing and quarantining will be conducted.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The states COVID-19 restrictions keeping some businesses with higher risks for spreading the virus closed and mass gatherings severely limited will remain in place for another five weeks, Gov. Roy Cooper said. Coopers executive order, which also mandates face coverings in public places statewide, expires Friday. Now the restrictions will be extended until at least Sept. 11. A decision to maintain the status quo comes even as the governor and his top health official said case trends continue to stabilize, and even improve slightly in some areas, compared to a few weeks ago. The new order means bars, gyms, movie theaters and amusement parks  places where people are usually in closer contact  will now be closed for nearly six straight months. Gatherings are still limited to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, with some exceptions. As many university campuses and K-12 public schools begin fall classes this month with some in-person instruction, Cooper said its important to keep the same social distancing restrictions in place. Retaining the other restrictions will help counterbalance the higher risk associated with bringing together students, the governor said.

North Dakota

Fargo: The mayor of the city that was once the hot spot for the coronavirus in North Dakota is supporting an annual outdoor music festival set to go on as planned this weekend. The 25th Fargo Blues Festival is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Newman Outdoor Field, where officials have had plenty of preventative practice by holding home baseball games for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and Winnipeg Goldeyes of the American Association. Mayor Tim Mahoney, a member of a task force that was assembled in May when North Dakotas largest city saw a spike in virus cases, is supporting the show. He cited statistics showing that Cass County, which includes Fargo, has held steady with a daily positive rate of 2% for 60 days. I hope people wear masks and social distance, Mahoney said. But weve been having some events that have more people and we have not seen the surge. Festival organizers have been working with city health officials and RedHawks staff on precautions, said Matt Rau, general manager for the Fargo baseball club. Rau said his staff has passed on its expertise from a months worth of games, although the music festival faces an added challenge because the stage is in the outfield and most people will be sitting in lawn chairs. Concert organizer Dan Bredell could not be reached for comment.

Ohio

Cincinnati: The Ohio Department of Health reported 1,166 new cases of coronavirus in the state Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 97,471. There were 22 new deaths reported Thursday, increasing the states virus death toll to 3,618. Hospitalizations increased by 135, bringing the total number to 11,366. Eighteen more people were admitted to the intensive care units, making the total number 2,627. Hamilton County has been downgraded from the red Level 3 Public Emergency to an orange Level 2, according to the Ohio Public Health Advisory System map. The Level 2 orange designation notes there is increased exposure and spread and that residents should exercise high caution when outside their homes.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Gov. Kevin Stitt said that up to $250 million is being made available to cities and counties in Oklahoma to support coronavirus-related expenses. The funding will be distributed based on a city or countys population based on 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, with about $77 earmarked per capita, Stitt said in a news release. The state received about $1.5 billion in federal funding relief, with about $1.2 billion available as some $300 million was earmarked to cities and counties with populations of more than 500,000.

Oregon

Salem: There will be no fall sports for high schools in the state this year, the Oregon School Activities Association said. In a major decision, the OSAA is moving the traditional fall sports to March because of concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.However, the OSAA left the door open for some schools to compete in the fall if certain districts meet the directives set by Gov. Kate Brown, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education. The OSAAs decision still allows for three sports seasons, with the winter season scheduled for January and February, followed by the fall season in March and April, then the spring season in May and June. Each will have a seven-week regular season. Its what I was kind of expecting to happen, Sprague volleyball coach Anne Olsen said. Im a huge planner, and I try to plan things way in advance, so I think the unknown was really frustrating for me. It makes me really happy to finally have a plan in place. In Oregon, high school sports have been shut down since March 12. The shutdown wiped out much of the basketball state tournaments and the entire spring sports season.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Gov. Tom Wolf ended his news conference abruptly Thursday by recommending no high school sports in Pennsylvania until Jan. 1. We should avoid any congregate settings and that means anything that brings people together is going to help that virus get us. We should do everything we can to defeat the virus, Wolf said when asked about no spectators at Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association events. The guidance from us, the recommendation is that we dont do any sports until Jan 1. The PIAA and District 10 voted recently to move ahead with fall sports on the high school level. Surrounding states have either delayed in the start of the season or have moved contact sports to the spring. The question about fans was posed after a large pushback from parents and fans that spectators would not be allowed at fall high school sporting events. On June 10, Wolfs office put out guidance that read, During the Yellow and Green phases of reopening, sports-related activities at the PK-12 level are limited to student athletes, coaches, officials, and staff only.

Rhode Island

Providence: Starting Sunday, visitors from more than 30 states with high rates of COVID-19 will have to sign a certificate confirming they will abide by the states 14-day quarantine if they want to stay at hotels and rental properties in Rhode Island, Gov. Gina Raimondo said. Those who refuse to sign the statement  or dont provide proof of a recent negative coronavirus test  can be denied lodging, she said. Raimondo said the traveler certification is akin to a successful policy implemented by Maine. The new restrictions come as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts this week added Rhode Island to their lists of states where arriving travelers must self-quarantine, or provide proof theyre not infected with COVID-19. Raimondo said the restrictions imposed by other states will hurt the states largely tourism-driven economy, and should serve as a wake up call to Rhode Islanders that they need to do better to comply with basic virus safety measures.The state will also be making rapid COVID-19 tests available to Rhode Islanders planning to travel to the states imposing the new restrictions starting this week, she said.

South Carolina

Greenville: Greenville County will use $2 million in coronavirus relief funds to expand child-care options while schools are operating on hybrid schedules. The funding is expected to create temporary capacity for more than 9,400 elementary school children in the county at a time when most students are unlikely to attend school in-person for five days a week, officials said. Greenville First Steps, a nonprofit organization focused on preparing children for school, and the YMCA of Greenville partnered with Greenville County Schools and county officials to craft the plan, which is intended to boost chil-dcare capacity and provide support for families in the county for 10 weeks. We do not want our parents to have to choose between a job and a child, said Greenville County administrator Joe Kernell. Typically during the school year, child-care centers have few or no school-aged children during the day but often care for them after school. Derek Lewis, executive director of Greenville First Steps, said the funding will help those centers serve more children throughout the day by giving them grants they can use to boost workforce or buy supplies. The funding will also connect churches and other organizations with licensed child-care providers who can help turn the facilities into temporary child-care centers. The county received $91 million in federal funding from the Coroanvirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The $2 million is in addition to $1.7 million the county provided child-care centers earlier this summer to help offset costs associated with the pandemic.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: As the coronavirus pandemic affects the Oglala Sioux Tribe, one local community organization is doing everything it can to help people stay at home, fearing that the pandemic could take a disproportionate toll on an elderly population that maintains the language and culture of the tribe. Before the pandemic, the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation worked to teach the Lakota language to children, as part of a resurgence of Lakota language and culture in recent years. Fewer than 3% of the community is fluent in the language, according to the organization. But as the coronavirus swept across the globe, local leaders feared that the elderly, many who are still fluent in the language, could be killed by COVID-19. They are the keepers of our language and our knowledge, said Kyle White, the director of advancement with Thunder Valley. White said the organizataion found that most homes had multiple generations living in them, with one home reporting there were 23 people living there. The organization made a list of the elderly in each community and began delivering cleaning supplies and care packages to help them avoid having to go to the store. Although the pandemic has been marked with isolation for many, Lynn Cuny, the deputy director at Thunder Valley, said the work of assembling and delivering the packages revealed that tribal members could still come together as it did in past generations during smallpox and flu epidemics. As Lakota people, weve been here, she said. Weve endured many pandemics.

Tennessee

Nashville: People who refuse to wear masks in downtown Nashville can now end up behind bars. A man was charged with violating health regulations after authorities said they twice spotted him defying the capital citys mask order on the same day that police committed to stricter enforcement. Joseph Bryant, 61, was booked into the Davidson County Sheriffs Office jail at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, news outlets reported, citing an arrest warrant. Metro Nashville officers first cited him in the popular Broadway area, where he was warned to put a mask on, but walked away without doing so, Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said. Bryant had two masks in his pocket at the time, Aaron added. He was arrested less than two hours later when officers again witnessed him without a mask, and believed the defiant behavior would continue if Bryant was only given a second citation, according to Aaron. Bryant had not posted his $500 bond Thursday morning but did have an attorney representing him, according to records obtained by The Tennessean. Nashvilles mask order mandates the use of face coverings in public settings to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Metro Police Chief Damien Huggins pledged to city council members Wednesday that officers would increase enforcement.

Texas

Missouri City: Nineteen people at a Houston-area nursing home have died because of the coronavirus and 24 employees have been infected, officials said. Missouri City said it received notification Wednesday about the deaths and infections at Paradigm at First Colony Nursing Home after Mayor Yolanda Ford sent a letter to the state health department requesting notice about cases in the city. The city is concerned about the individuals and families who are affected by the Paradigm cases, Ford said. There was no answer early Thursday at a telephone listing for the facility. Missouri City officials did not immediately respond to questions about when the deaths occurred. Nursing homes have been hit hard by the pandemic. Residents and staff represent a tiny share of the U.S. population but account for as many as 4 in 10 coronavirus deaths, according to some estimates.

Utah

St. George: Mayors from Washington County and two of the countys three commissioners joined together to release a proclamation encouraging face coverings in public while indoors. Signed on July 27, the proclamation is in conjunction with local physicians and the Washington County Commission, which decided to endorse face coverings for the health and safety of county residents. The move is the strongest push yet by local leaders in favor of recommending face coverings. It stops short of supporting a mask mandate, though. Gov. Gary Herbert, while encouraging masks, has not required residents to wear them in public. Several reasons were listed as the justification for the joint proclamation, including the increase of infections, lack of a cure or preventative medication and the risk to those with underlying health conditions. A notably absent signature was that of Victor Iverson, the only one of the three Washington County commissioners who did not sign the proclamation. Iverson said on June 20 that he will never wear a mask and although he has acknowledged that COVID-19 is real and an issue to be concerned about, the county commissioner has repeatedly said that people should have the ability to exercise free will in choosing whether to wear a mask.

Vermont

Montpelier: Vermonts nonprofit hospitals, which are facing financial challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic, have filed budget requests with the Green Mountain Care Board for the coming fiscal year. The hospitals are asking regulators for increases in charges to achieve operating margins that range between zero and 2.5%. Each of our hospitals has a unique story to tell but collectively, this request is about ensuring all of them can continue to be there  and ready to care  every minute of every day, said Jeff Tieman, President and CEO of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. He said in less than three months, hospitals lost $221 million, and even with federal grant dollars of just over $134 million, they lost ground on many fronts in the current fiscal year. Tieman said, we must prioritize recovery. Claudio Fort, president and CEO of Rutland Regional Medical Center, told the Rutland Herald its budget projects that the hospital will not perform as many procedures as last year, partially because COVID screening steps slow the ability to process people through the health care system. To make up for the loss of revenue, Rutland Regional officials have applied for a 6% increase in rates and prices. Public hearings on the hospital budgets are scheduled to start on Aug. 18.

Virginia

Cape Charles Natural Area Preserve in Virginia was closed in July and wont reopen until at least October. Still, Virginias state parks have experienced a surge in visitors during the coronavirus pandemic.

Richmond: Virginias state parks have experienced a surge in visitors during the coronavirus pandemic. But their popularity has led to an increase in littering and alcohol use, as well as environmental damage and people taking dangerous risks to post photos on social media. The Richmond-Times Dispatch reported Thursday that state parks saw 120,000 more visits than they did in June. Melissa Baker, director of Virginia State Parks, said some of the problem could stem from visitors who dont understand the purpose of the facility, though the park system is very thankful that people are finding us that werent our standard users before. Falling Spring Falls, a scenic waterfall in western Virginia, has been inundated with visitors. But some are scaling a security fence and trying to reach the falls to take photos. At Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve in Floyd County, heavy trail use and hikers going off the trail have caused erosion and had an adverse affect on fragile, rare plants. Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserves experienced attempted looting of a Civil War-era quarry trench. Cape Charles Natural Area Preserve was closed in July and wont reopen until at least October because visitors were using a boardwalk to jump onto fragile dunes at the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. The jumping compromised the pilings holding up the boardwalk.

Washington

Seattle: Gov. Jay Inslee said schools in the majority of Washingtons counties should strongly consider online-only learning for students this fall because of COVID-19 and canceling or postponing sports and all other in-person extracurricular activities. Inslee made the announcement with the superintendent of public instruction for Washington and the states health officer. This pandemic will continue to grow unless something changes, Inslee said, adding if every school district brought all students back I believe we would see a dangerous increase of COVID activity. Authorities said the virus is still spreading too extensively in the state, which saw the nations first confirmed virus case in late January. Since then, Washington has seen more than 59,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 1,600 deaths. Washington officials broke down their school guidelines - which are recommendations, not requirements - into categories for counties deemed high risk, moderate risk and low risk. For high-risk counties, the state recommends distance learning and no in-person activities. Limited in-person instruction could be considered for high-need students. Twenty-five of the states 39 counties are considered high-risk, meaning there are more than 75 cases per 100,000 people, including all three counties in the Seattle metro area. Many schools in the Puget Sound region have already announced plans to start the year with an online-only model. For moderate-risk counties (25 to 75 cases per 100,000) Inslee and others said distance learning should be considered for middle and high school students. In-person learning could be an option for elementary students and those with special needs. Extracurricular activities should also be cancelled. Nine counties are currently listed as moderate risk. In the five, smaller low-risk counties where there are fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 officials recommend a hybrid distance/in-person schedule for older students and in-person learning for elementary school students.

West Virginia

Charleston: Gov. Jim Justice said WiFi hot spots will be set up across the state to give students the option to take virtual classes when schools are scheduled to reopen in September. The Republican governor said counties will submit reentry plans this month for the states planned school reopening on Sept. 8, adding that he wants to give students and parents total optionality whether to attend classes in person or online. We will absolutely deliver a quality education to them for the time period that they decide not to come to the school, Justice said. Justice said he has committed $6 million to install more than 1,000 Wifi hot spots at schools, libraries and state parks across the state so students can access online courses when schools restart. The governor also said the state is developing a color-coded system for grading a countys coronavirus levels to be able to look at a facility and say this county has this level of the metric and it is beyond what we think is acceptable for all students to be in school. Justice said the ability for schools to have sporting events will also hinge on the upcoming color-coded system.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: Advocate Aurora Health will stop testing some patients for COVID-19 before surgery and will close all but one of its community testing sites in Wisconsin. The changes are temporary and the result of a shortage of tests, according to the hospital system. It is experiencing a "delay in anticipated shipments" of supplies, according to a news release. Advocate Aurora will suspend testing before gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures, interventional radiology and selective cardiology procedures. They will provide "enhanced" personal protective equipment to medical staff instead. According to an email to employees obtained by the Journal Sentinel, Advocate Aurora Health has not received its last two shipments of 17,000 tests. The system uses about 13,000 tests a week, according to the email, and had a supply of two to three days on hand as of Tuesday. It was working to complete deals with other test providers that would become available Aug. 17. Advocate Aurora has been running drive-up testing at several of its hospitals across the state but began centralizing testing at Aurora Sinai Medical Center in Milwaukee on Thursday. Temporarily closed are testing sites at Aurora Health Care Midtown in Milwaukee as well as the Aurora hospitals in: Oconomowoc, Kenosha, Oshkosh, Two Rivers and Burlington. All previously scheduled appointments at those locations will continue as planned, though.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: Wyoming will put $7.5 million toward college grants for people who are out of work or underemployed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The money comes from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act. Adults ages 25-64 who are affected by the pandemic might qualify, Gov. Mark Gordon said. State officials plan to announce a start date for applying for the funding soon. These grants will help impacted workers obtain new skills and advance their careers, Gordon said in a statement. They will also help Wyoming progress towards its goal of building a highly trained, well-equipped workforce. Gordon to date has allocated $710 million of $1.25 billion in CARES Act funding allocated to Wyoming.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 50 States
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The tradition of prioritizing individualism over government restrictions and missteps by the Trump administration contributed to the U.S. "unique failure" to contain the novel coronavirus, said a report by The New York Times on Thursday.

"First, the United States faced longstanding challenges in confronting a major pandemic. It is a large country at the nexus of the global economy, with a tradition of prioritizing individualism over government restrictions," it said.

"That tradition is one reason the United States suffers from an unequal health care system that has long produced worse medical outcomes -- including higher infant mortality and diabetes rates and lower life expectancy -- than in most other rich countries," it said.

"The second major theme is one that public health experts often find uncomfortable to discuss because many try to steer clear of partisan politics," said the report. "But many agree that the poor results in the United States stem in substantial measure from the performance of the Trump administration."

"In no other high-income country -- and in only a few countries, period -- have political leaders departed from expert advice as frequently and significantly as the Trump administration," it said.

"Together, the national skepticism toward collective action and the Trump administration's scattered response to the virus have contributed to several specific failures and missed opportunities, Times reporting shows: a lack of effective travel restrictions; repeated breakdowns in testing; confusing advice about masks; a misunderstanding of the relationship between the virus and the economy; and inconsistent messages from public officials," it said.

The United States has recorded more than 4.8 million cases with 158,171 deaths as of Wednesday, making it by far the worst-hit country in the world, according to data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
Xis US policy comes under the lens, two generals ask for a re-think

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: While India reiterated that there shall be no de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control unless China disengages, reports indicate that there may be some re-work on in Beijing.

There are concerns being raised that Beijing's approach may be taking it towards isolation. Richard McGregor, China scholar at the Lowy Institute and author of 'The Party and Backlash' says that while liberal scholars have been critical of President Xi Jinping's assertive foreign policy, a couple of discordant voices from known hardliners and hawks in the Chinese military circles could signal a debate in the otherwise closed Chinese leadership circles.

Hard talk on the hotline: India snubs China on step back suggestion

He further wrote in the article in the Nikkei Asian Review that Colonel Zhou Bo, an occasional spokesperson for the CCP brass, writing in the South China Morning Post in July, depicted the confrontation with the US as mere headwinds to China's peaceful development. Quoting Zhou, he said that the most profound change the world is experiencing is that China is growing ever stronger.

McGregor also points to another article by Dai Xu, a PLA general, who is most of China's most powerful men titled, "Four Unexpected Things and Ten New Understandings About the United States." He says that China is taking stock of its relative weakness compared to the US and is behaving accordingly.

Dai further wrote that China has provided assistance to so many countries, benefiting them in so many ways, but at this critical moment, none of them has taken any unified action with China.

McGregor writes warning that China should never knock on America's door and make a loud announcement that I shall surpass you, replace you and the be the world's number one. He says that Dai seems to concede that China has gotten ahead of itself, but also adds that these dissonant notes may not make much of a difference in Xi's thinking.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

General Dai further says that China and US have had a very close trade relationship, but the Trump administration has now branded Beijing as a trade terrorist. He also says that the US has been united at the domestic front, but adds that China needs to understand that China is not a paper tiger, but a real tiger that kills people.

NSA Doval led panel discusses sustained diplomatic-political efforts with China

An article in the South China Morning Post in May this year, while quoting Major General Qiao Liang said that Beijing should not consider the pandemic as an opportunity to take back Taiwan by force. He said that this could be used by the US and its allies to impose sanctions on China and this would stop Beijing from importing resources for its industry.
A British far-right activist has reportedly moved to Marbella with his family.

Tommy Robinson is said to have fled the UK after an arson attack on his family home.

The 37-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is known for his strong anti-Islamic and anti-immigration views.

The surprise move abroad was revealed in a video he posted on Russian social media platform VK last Monday, following bans from Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In the video Robinson can be seen at the upmarket Manolo Santana Rackets Club in Nueva Andalucia, where he was playing a game of padel.

Speaking about the alleged arson, he said: "It was targeted at my wife's property.

"At that point we left the country straight away and I'm looking at relocating my family, which is pretty hard to do, especially with Covid - I couldn't even get a hotel.

"Obviously my wife has had enough of everything - someone gave her somewhere to stay, so we left the country, and I was due to be flying back for the demonstration, but now with this 14-day quarantine, if I fly back I probably won't get back out and my kids are out here."

Robinson added that he had found new schools for his daughters and is in the process of finding a "permanent relocation" for them.

He explained: "I need my family to be away because they are not safe basically."

Robinson claimed the arson took place following his comments denouncing the Black Lives Matter protest.

Reactions

His move abroad has since been widely mocked online as he is a strong Brexit and anti-immigration supporter.

Louise Brace, 49, who lives in Mijas and runs a Marketing and Accommodation business, www.rentaltonic.com, said: "I find it kind of ironic that someone who is so opposed to immigration in the UK should decide that a move to Spain wouldn't also be considered immigration. But hey, Brits are expats and everyone else immigrants, right? If he's serious about living here (hopefully not) then he'll need to practise what he preaches and learn Spanish, organise his residency, and pay Spanish taxes, where they're due."

Mary Page, British expat and president of PSOE Estepona, said: "Well, as this area is often called the Costa del Crime, it's not surprising that this former jailbird has ended up here. You couldn't make it up: immigrant basher Tommy is now an immigrant. Let's hope he learns Spanish quickly, he has expressed strong views about immigrants not learning their new language. The man is a con man and a racist thug who has taken advantage of the freedom of movement, he would deny to others."

Meanwhile Giles Brown, 52, broadcaster and blogger at planetmarbella.com, told SUR in English: "As soon as I heard that Tommy Robinson was coming to Spain, there was a crushing inevitability that he would end up on the coast. Despite the outcry among many residents about his visit, I hope that Tommy uses this opportunity to see at first hand the magical mix of cultures and nationalities that live together on the Costa, and that he realises the error of his own policies. But I doubt it."
Rhea Chakraborty had requested the ED to postpone the recording of her statement till the hearing of her plea in Supreme Court

Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused of abetting the suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai on Friday in connection with the money laundering case lodged by it.

The ED had summoned Rhea Chakraborty for questioning today, but she had requested the agency to postpone the recording of her statement till the hearing of her plea filed in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case lodged by the Bihar police to Mumbai.

However, the ED rejected her request.

"In view of the fact that the ED has informed the media that the request to postpone her attendance is rejected, Rhea has appeared before the ED office," her advocate Satish Maneshinde said.

The advocate, in a statement, added that Rhea Chakraborty (28), Rajput's girlfriend, is a law-abiding citizen and would cooperate with the probe.

Rajput (34) was found hanging on 14 June at his residence in suburban Mumbai.

The Bihar police on 25 July based on a complaint filed by Rajput's father K K Singh lodged an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty, her parents  Indrajit and Sandhya Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty and two others  Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi.

They were booked on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, abetment to suicide, and wrongful confinement.

The ED on 31 July lodged a case of money laundering after Singh alleged financial irregularities in Rajput's bank accounts.

*

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
It wasnt the only reason Grijalva returned to D.C. on July 18, but it was one of them, he said. And he knows he caught the virus in D.C. or while traveling there because he took a test before leaving Tucson.

McSally, Kelly start debate over debates

Let the great debate on debates begin.

Just hours after she trounced her opponent in Tuesdays Republican primary, Sen. Martha McSally challenged Democratic challenger Mark Kelly to a series of seven debates starting in September.

At the same time, the McSally campaign launched a social media blitz highlighting why Mark Kelly will avoid debates.

Now, more than ever before, it is important that Arizonans hear directly from the candidates running to represent them in the Senate, said McSally in a written statement. Unfortunately, my opponent has largely refused to take hard questions and tell voters where he stands on the important issues that affect them.

She went on to label Kelly as another Trojan horse for the Democrats most radical policies.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Open letter to a Maoist friend: Is it time to hang up your boots? | (...)

by Shubhranshu Choudhary

Dear Vasu

Heard your voice after a long time when you sent an oral press note opposing our Peace initiative. Same voice, same passion...

It was good to know that you are now an official spokesperson for the Maoist party.

I recall our first meeting, in a coffee house in Raipur Chhattisgarh, now more than 30 years ago when you told me that you do politics for people. Center of gravity of your politics is the good of the common people. People, only the good of people, you had told me with sparks in your eyes and I was impressed. Your party was then called Peoples war.

But now your same politics is harming the same poor people more my friend, hope you agree.

For a better future you are regularly killing people after calling them informers. For example in one of your stronghold districts In Chhattisgarh called Bijapur according to official data your party has killed 294 people as "informers" in the last 14 years. The total number of people killed by your party in the same period is 602. I am told that these numbers are only the tip of the iceberg as many people from interior areas do not report to police about atrocities by the party at all. Dont you feel bad destroying so many families for nothing?

Your party has also put out a press note saying police have killed 24 "innocent people" in the same period in that region.

In the last 40 years you have created thousands of commanders in Bastar but you dont have a single local adivasi in your politburo today. Some of your leaders justified it by saying that there is no reservation policy here. We tried but we could not make second rung political leaders. Politics is complex and these Adivasis do not understand it, they told me. They also told me that you came to Dandakaranya to hide and not to do politics. There was a clear instruction that Adivasis do not have political consciousness so you should only concentrate in making the forest a safe haven for the party. But you started doing politics here when places where revolution was to happen like in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal dried up for the party.

Leaders like you, who came from states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana must be aging now. You have also created a good system for procuring arms and monetary resources but once you are gone will the same commanders not turn against each other as we see in places like Jharkhand and Afghanistan? Is this the legacy you want to leave behind?

You left your homes more than 40 years ago to build a better world. I get tired after spending a few weeks with you guys. We salute your commitment. But your politics has no future, my friend.

Your senior leaders had told me during those trips that you are fighting for a New Democratic Revolution. The conditions in India are not ripe for even socialism yet and the fight for communism may come after, they told me.

All of us want a better democracy. Outside the jungles we have been almost a failure so far but maybe we should join hands. It is much bigger a battle than running away after killing a few policemen.

It is impossible to have a revolution with guns today. Mao also hasnt said that a few hundred leaders with a few thousand supporters can bring any meaningful change and especially in a big country like India.

Like experiments in Bodo areas in North East, maybe it is time to talk for a Dandakaranya Autonomous Council. You have made people of Bastar a fighter. Please help them a bit more to make a better Bastar for their future generations before you leave

Yours friendly

Shubhranshu Choudhary

(Writer of Lets call him Vasu: With Maoists in Chhattisgarh and co-ordinator The new Peace process)
In a solo exhibition capping off her two-year residency, Clay Studio of Missoula artist Elisha Harteis is showing a new vein of work, with smaller-scale sculptures meant for deep introspection into our own personal levels of vulnerability and tolerance.

Running With Scissors, on display through Aug. 28 with a socially distanced opening reception set for First Friday, features figures paused in a moment, reflecting on What happens if?

Running with scissors is such a dangerous thing. Were always taught that, but I was thinking more about the moments when  we just cant take it anymore, and youre cutting this last string that youre hanging from and just seeing what happens when you do that, Harteis said in a recent interview at the Clay Studio.

Her centerpiece sculpture and the namesake for the show depicts a tall, thin young woman balancing on a teetering chair atop a tower of bubbles. With a pained, but hopeful expression, shes holding a blue string in one hand and a pair of metallic scissors in the other, which appear throughout the show. Harteis said she used a white gold glaze for the scissors to make them stand out and represent a trophy or symbol of power.

A set of four sculptures hung on the wall emulates the three wise monkeys, with four female figures, each floating along on their own balloon, depicting see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. The fourth figure at the end is holding scissors, preparing to pop her own balloon. Harteis said that figure decided to just say, Screw it.

These women, theyre at the end of their rope, she said, adding theres a sense of teetering between action and inaction in the work.

The figures are often childlike, donning striped stockings and bunny suits like the pink one Ralphies mom forces him to wear in A Christmas Story. Throughout her career, Harteis has focused on addressing the social issues around child abuse.

I grew up in a pretty hard home, and I ended up going into foster care group home situations and it was definitely the best thing that could have happened to me, she said. It helped that I got in those programs and the people that I met changed my life.

Looking for her own way to help others, Harteis began addressing her past through her art.

The works really vulnerable and scary and out there, but its so important for people to not feel so alone and isolated in the pain that theyve experienced in life.

Juxtaposing the innocence of children with the brutality of abuse, her work can be somewhat uncomfortable to soak in, as it feels whimsical and light, but upon closer inspection evokes sadness, loss, pain and loneliness.

The pieces pair despair with what Harteis called sweet moments, like bubbles and ice cream cones. The quality of the surfaces and glazes used reflect that juxtaposition, with the figures having a more dreary, dull and rough texture next to glossy, almost pearl-toned bubbles.

I always like to draw people in and kind of shock them a little bit. They come in and theyre like, oh, thats really pretty, and then they get close and theyre like, oh, thats deep. It triggers something for them.

But the work is supposed to be uplifting, she said, because the figures are acknowledging their vulnerability and letting it exist rather than fighting against it.

Her work has evolved, both in technique and subject matter, since she started the residency two years ago, said Shalene Valenzuela, the Clay Studios executive director, adding part of that might be influenced by the nonprofits adult programming. While Harteis has worked a lot in youth education in the past, she was able to teach adults for the first time through her residency.

I saw her work grow and change, and I think she was forced to explain things in different ways, Valenzuela said. Through the process of teaching and sharing knowledge with adults, she was able to self-reflect and bring that into her own work.

The Clay Studio has so far hosted two socially distanced in-person openings since Montana started reopening, which Valenzuela said went smoothly. The first was in June for resident Andrew Rivera, and Christine Gronneberg held her exit show last month.

The arts community and people who support arts and artists here are valuing having that space and being able to see work, she said. Everybody came wearing masks because they knew they were going to be interacting with people. Everybody was really great about it and really respectful.

Prior to the pandemic, Harteis was set to teach 12 classes this summer. As things progressed, she made the difficult decision to cancel her offerings through the Clay Studio.

Thats like the majority of my income and it also brings me happiness  being connected to people and coming together and helping to get to an end goal with making something that brings them joy even if it is a sad piece, she said.

Although theyve been scaled down, Valenzuela said being able to hold the exhibitions provides an opportunity for the artists to sell their work in a time when they need the income the most.

The past two shows, people have come out to support and bought a lot of work.

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TikTok was hit hard when India decided to ban TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps, on the grounds of collecting lots of user data and threat to our nation.

Soon after, Trump asked to ban TikTok which only made the matters worse for them, And now, POTUS Donald Trump has issued executive orders to ban Chinese social media app TikTok and WeChat.

Reuters

The executive order clearly states that the apps will be banned from conducting any US transactions with ByteDance -- the company that owns TikTok and Tencent -- the company that owns WeChat in the coming 45 days.

One of the orders by Trump states that TikTok may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party and the US must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security.

For WeChat, the order complaints that the texting app has automatically captured vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information.

With this order, the apps TikTok and WeChat would be effectively be barred from functioning in the next 45 days "to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd."

DON'T MISS: TikTok Ban: Roposo, Chingari & Mitron Are Top Apps On Google And Apple App Store

Reuters

Recently, Microsoft was making rounds, looking to buy TikToks US operations. Trump had said this week that he would support this transaction if the government got a portion of the sales price, while also warning that they will ban the service in the United States on September 15, so the decision needed to be made before that.



Today, TikTok enjoys over 100 million users in the United States alone. Surprisingly, during this time, Facebooks Instagram has introduced Reels -- a TikTok-like short video feature that users can add to the story.
A great deal of gloom has been cast recently about the fiscal woes Canada finds itself in, both now and in the not-so-distant future.

There is a lot of truth to these reports. Each week, record government spending is announced, high unemployment levels persist, speculation on sovereign downgrades are aplenty and municipal budgets remain in disarray from coast to coast to coast. Each reminds us that we truly are in unprecedented times.

Discourse has not yet really turned to the topic of how Canada will move on and upwards from this, but luckily for us we have one significant card in our metaphorical deck not open to many others  mass immigration.

Economically, a Canada of 100 or even 500 million people is a compelling proposition. Our economic models fall apart without constant growth, yet our country has a birth rate of only 1.5, compared with a global average of 2.4. A birth rate of 2.1 is needed to sustain a population.

Mass immigration can cushion us from such economic troubles while allowing the prosperity and progress on gender equality that has driven this decline to continue. A significant addition in Canadas immigrant population will also strengthen our domestic economy, reducing our reliance on the whims of China and the U.S. as each seemingly retreats more and more to a less globalized economy.

Very tangibly, and in response to the measures being taken to address the crisis of COVID-19, a significant increase in our population will also make our debt burden more manageable, improving the importance of our currency and ultimately providing the Bank of Canada and the federal government greater flexibility.

From a broader social perspective, a significant increase in our population will also provide benefits to the world. Here in Canada we are blessed to have the land and resources to provide the basic human needs to many multiples of our current population. Today, Canada has four people per square kilometre. Compare this to the 93 people per square kilometre in the U.S., the 275 in the U.K. or the 500 in the Netherlands and you can easily see how Canada can become a country of more than 100 million, even if you discount for areas that are less hospitable to year-round human life.

We also find ourselves in a time when we desperately need examples of countries striving towards harmonious diversity and genuine equality for all, providing a path for others to follow. While Canada certainly has significant shortcomings of its own in this regard, both historically and currently, we are one of the most diverse countries on the planet and have a legal system affording the constitutional protections and foundations required to give us a shot at demonstrating to the world that a diversity of cultures and backgrounds can indeed be fashioned together to create a beautiful mosaic.

Finally, and hopefully looking to the very distant term, the moral imperative to open our borders will grow ever stronger as our country sits among the list of those expected to be least devastated by climate change.

Making it more local and real, what would a Canada of 100 million people look like? Well, practically speaking, the GTA would likely swell to 15-plus million people; cities like Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Vancouver would grow to 5-plus million apiece; cities like Hamilton, Quebec and Winnipeg would grow into the millions.

Let us not quickly dismiss this idea with worries of longer commutes or more expensive real estate; can anyone honestly say these cities could not sustain these population levels? Having grown up in the U.K. and emigrating to Canada some 10 years ago, I still marvel at the ample space we Canadians have, even living in our inner cities.

U2 front-man Bono and former U.S. President Barack Obama are among the many to advocate the world needs more Canada. Lets give it more Canadians.
U.S. To Seek UN Vote On Iran Arms Embargo Next Week

By RFE/RL August 06, 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States plans to hold a United Nations Security Council vote next week to extend an arms embargo on Iran, setting the stage for a crisis at the international body amid heightened Middle East tensions.

"There are nations lining up to sell weapons that will destabilize the Middle East, put Israel at risk, put Europe at risk, risk American lives as well," Pompeo told reporters on August 5. "We're not going to let it happen."

The U.S.-drafted resolution seeks to extend an international arms embargo on Iran, which is set to be progressively eased beginning on October 18 under a Security Council resolution that enshrined the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

In the Security Council, veto-wielding Russia and China have said they oppose extending the arms embargo and have questioned Washington's right to use a disputed legal move to force a return of UN sanctions on Iran.

If the Security Council doesn't prevent Iran from buying and selling weapons when the embargo ends, Washington has said it will trigger a "snapback" of all UN sanctions on Iran.

Pompeo and Iran hard-liners in Washington claim the United States remains a participant in the accord because it was listed as such in the 2015 resolution and can therefore bring back sanctions since Iran has not fully complied with its nuclear commitments.

The U.S. position is likely to be fraught with difficulty because the United States quit the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually started breaching its nuclear commitments.

Russia and China, as well as European allies that were signatories to the nuclear pact, have questioned the U.S. claim it is still a participant able to trigger the snapback mechanism.

Britain, France, and Germany are concerned about the arms embargo being lifted but have said they are trying to reach a compromise out of concern Iran will completely exit the nuclear deal and act on threats to pull out of a key nonproliferation treaty.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-seeks-un- vote-iran-arms-embargo/30768777.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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GIS  07 August 2020: A workshop, acting as a platform for the Ministry of Health and Wellness to renew with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders who are embarked on a mission to inform the population about the links between their health and breastfeeding, was held, yesterday, at the Victoria Hospital in Candos. One of the main objectives of this workshop was to raise awareness among young people on the importance of breastfeeding and its positive contribution to a healthier planet.

The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Laurent Musango, and other personalities were present at the opening ceremony.

In his address, Dr Jagutpal highlighted that the World Breastfeeding Week offers every stakeholder to focus on the need to protect, promote and support breastfeeding, which is a gift from a mother to her child and impacts on the health of the planet and of its people. He pointed out that breast milk is considered a babys first vaccine, providing the child with a protective umbrella while his/her immune system is still developing.

Furthermore, the Minister underscored that breastfed babies are healthier and are less likely to need excessive medical attention as they grow. The WHO, he added, recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and paediatricians agree on several medical advantages associated to maternal milk. They are, among others, better neurological development of the child and a reduced risk of ovarian and breast cancer for the mother.

Government, underlined Dr Jagutpal, also took bold and concrete measures to further encourage breastfeeding. For instance, mothers are now granted permission to nurse their babies even after their maternity leave. In addition, Health Care Centres at Tombeau Bay and Petite Riviere have been equipped with breastfeeding rooms and this service will be extended to other hospitals and Health Care Centres around the island.

For his part, Dr Musango stressed that while breastfeeding is a natural process, it is not always easy and mothers need support to get started and sustain breastfeeding. Skilled counselling services, he pointed out, can thus ensure that mothers and families receive this support, along with the information, the advice, and the reassurance they need to nourish their babies optimally.

In addition, he added that breastfeeding counselling can help mothers to build confidence while respecting their individual circumstances and choices. These women will be thus empowered to overcome challenges, while at the same time, prevent feeding and care practices that may interfere with optimal breastfeeding, such as the provision of unnecessary liquids, food, and breastmilk substitutes to infants and young children.

World Breastfeeding Week

The World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year during the first week of August in more than 170 countries to commemorate the 1990 Innocenti Declaration made by the World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) during that same month in 1990. The objective is to promote, support and sustain breastfeeding. Likewise, in Mauritius, this event is celebrated each year since 1993 and different activities are organised so as to encourage breastfeeding through strengthened sensitisation campaigns with a view to improving the health of babies and mothers.

The theme for this year is Support Breastfeeding for a healthier planet.
The ruling comes one day after another court sentenced Canadian Xu Weihong to death for making drugs.

A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian to death for transporting and manufacturing drugs, the second Canadian in two days to receive the death penalty for narcotics and fourth since Canada arrested a top Huawei executive in 2018.

Relations between China and Canada deteriorated sharply after Canadian police arrested Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a warrant from the United States.

Ye Jianhui, a Canadian national, was sentenced after a trial in the southern city of Foshan, the Foshan Intermediate Peoples Court said in a notice on its website on Friday.

Police found 218 kilogrammes (480 pounds) of white crystals containing MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, in the room used by Ye and five other men, according to local media.

Of the other five, all Chinese nationals, one was sentenced to death while the rest were given jail sentences ranging from seven years to life.

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The sentencing of Ye and his accomplices came just one day after another Chinese court sentenced Canadian Xu Weihong to death for making drugs.

China last year sentenced Canadians Robert Lloyd Schellenberg and Fan Wei to death on drug charges in separate cases. Both men have lodged appeals.

Canada requests clemency for all Canadian citizens who have been sentenced to death, and calls on China to grant clemency to Mr Xu, said Canadian foreign ministry spokesman John Babcock.

Espionage charges

Two other Canadian men, businessman Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, were arrested in China days after Mengs arrest and were charged in June 2020 with espionage.

China has denied that their arrests were linked to Mengs case.

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Huaweis Meng, 48, was arrested in December 2018 on a warrant from the US, which alleges she misled HSBC bank about Huaweis business dealings in Iran.

She has been on house arrest in Vancouver since then, fighting extradition, and says she is innocent.

In May, a judge in British Columbias Superior Court found the legal standard of double criminality  meaning Mengs actions could be considered a crime in both Canada and the US  had been met, dealing a blow to hopes for a quick end to the trial.

The next hearings, scheduled for August 17-21 in Vancouver, will discuss whether the attorney generals assertion of privilege in declining to release some documents requested by Huawei relating to Mengs initial arrest is valid.

Hearings for the trial are scheduled to wrap up in April 2021, although the potential for appeals of the decision from either side means the case could drag out over several years.
Kachin Independence Army soldiers walk along a jungle path in an area controlled by the rebel force in northern Myanmar's Kachin state, March 17, 2018.

A rebel armed ethnic group is taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to extort money from Kachin businesspeople in Myanmars far north, placing an undue financial burden on locals who already are struggling to make ends meet, residents said Thursday.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has imposed a tax on shop owners and jade traders, according to several residents who spoke to RFAs Myanmar Service on condition of anonymity out of concern for their safety.

Kachin soldiers make the owners of small and medium-size shops pay 400,000 to 1 million kyats (U.S. $290-$726), but have demanded between 1 million and 2 million kyats from proprietors of large shops, one resident said. They also collect about 50,000 kyats from bosses in the jade-trading business in the state, home to Hpakant, the worlds largest jadeite mine.

During the COVID pandemic, many shops are closed, the resident said. The entry to the Hpakant area is closed. The Union government has decreased taxes for poor people. They [KIA soldiers] should stop collecting tax in the area.

Despite lower official tax rates, locals said they are still being double-taxed by the government and the KIA.

Kachin states largely impoverished population suffers from being in a conflict zone since a cease-fire between the KIA and Myanmar forces ended in 2011, with central government authority challenged by militias, criminal groups smuggling drugs and jade, and other shady operators.

Both the KIA and the Myanmar military are active in Hpakant, seen of repeated deadly jade mine disasters. Over the decades, residents have been subjected to rights violations and abuses such as extortion, forced recruitment and porterage, and restrictions on movement.

In recent years, Kachin activists have reported cases of torture, murder, and rape allegedly committed by Myanmar soldiers. Nearly 100,000 displaced civilians who have been unable to return to their homes live in more than 130 camps in government-controlled, ethnic army-controlled, and contested areas.

Representatives of the KIA are sending businesspeople letters with a phone number to call, so they can hit them up for payments, a Hpakant resident said.

We have to contact them and then arrive at the appointed place, the local said. Usually they ask for large sums of money as a tax.

Police officer Tin Htwe from the Hpakant township police station said no one has filed complaints about the KIA collecting taxes.

If they file a complaint, we will work on it.  If someone is doing something illegal, we will make it known, he said.

KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu acknowledged that the armed group is collecting tax to support its operations.

We ordered the collection of an amount that is comfortable for local people. he said. We ordered our troops not to threaten the civilians.

Darshi La Sai, Kachin states resource and environmental conservation minister, said the lack of peace in Myanmar has created situations in which the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups can demand that people pay them money.

If the [government] achieves peace, then there will be only one military, and if the military is placed under the governments control, then only the government will be authorized to collect taxes, he said.

But under the current circumstances, all ethnic armed groups also can demand payments in areas where they operate, Darshi La Sai said.

All ethnic armed groups will collect tax in territories they control, he said.

About 1 million Kachin live in Myanmar, while 147,000 live in neighboring China.

Reported by Soe San Aung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Some individuals who didnt receive a stimulus payment for their dependents will receive money this month, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said.

Individuals who used the IRS non-filers tool before May 17 may not have received the $500 economic impact payment (EIP) due to a programming error that his since been corrected, the IRS said.

If your income is less than $12,200; if youre married filing jointly with an income less than $24,400; if you have no income; or if youre not required to filed a federal income tax for any other reason you can use the non-filers tool.

The tool was created so updated bank account and other personal information could be used in order to receive the stimulus payment that was a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities (CARES) Act that passed in March.

According to the IRS, direct deposits were scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 5; paper checks and debit cards are scheduled to be mailed on Friday, Aug. 7.

Individuals who used the non-filers tool on or after May 17 received the $500 per dependent payment with the stimulus check they already received, it said.

The IRS said it will issue a letter in the mail making people aware of the additional money.

You can check the status of a stimulus payment here.

WILL THERE BE A SECOND ROUND OF STIMULUS PAYMENTS?

Another round of payments has been on peoples minds as unemployment numbers hit a new high for the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and increasingly in recent days as the $600 federal pandemic unemployment payments come to an end.

The delay over the second stimulus package has been, in part, due to the bills size  the initial bill was introduced as a second $3 trillion package, similar to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities (CARES) Act that was signed by President Donald Trump in March.

The Senates last day in session is Aug. 7 -- if a bill isnt passed by then it would be another month until theyre back in session, which would further delay stimulus payments.

FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER.
Twitter on Thursday attached a special label to the accounts of state-affiliated media entities and their staff, a move that deals a heavy blow to media outlets from countries like China and Russia, while Western government-funded media including BBC and VOA are exempt from the treatment due to their editorial independence, with public and experts worldwide criticising the Internet behemoth for its double standards and violation of freedom of speech.

In the blog post announcing the decision, Twitter stressed that these labels would apply only to the five permanent UN Security Council members, however, most media accounts affected by the new rules are from China and Russia. The announcement noted that state-affiliated media will no longer have their tweets promoted, adding that outlets that use state financing but enjoy editorial independence, such as NPR in the US and the BBC in the UK, will not be marked.

Unlike independent media, state-affiliated media frequently use their news coverage as a means to advance a political agenda. We believe that people have the right to know when a media account is affiliated directly or indirectly with a state actor, noted the announcement.

Major media outlets in China and Russia are all labelled as state-affiliated media, including Peoples Daily, Xinhua News Agency and CGTN from China, as well as RT and Sputnik from Russia. Most Western government-funded media outlets are not included in the list, without Twitter giving solid evidence that they are independent from the government.

Twitter has yet to respond to a request to explain its decision as of press time.

Twitters explanation for labelling Chinese and Russian media outlets as state-affiliated while exempting Western media from similar treatment is groundless and arrogant, proving that so-called freedom of speech is merely empty talk, said Qin An, head of the Beijing-based Institute of China Cyberspace Strategy.

Twitters decision soon triggered fierce debate and controversy online. Twitter user Labels noted in his post that Radio Free Europe was literally started by CIA, how come it is not on the list?

Most real state-affiliated media outlets in the US, such as Radio Free Europe and VOA, are not labelled, even though the former is a US government-funded organisation that received funds covertly from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) until 1972, broadcasting US ideologies mainly to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East where the US government deemed the free flow of information is either banned by government or not fully developed, while the latter has been called a US overseas prop organ damage machine for decades.

Voice of America (VOA) is supervised by US Agency for Global Media. Upon the passage of the National Defence Authorisation Act for Fiscal Year 2017, any new agency CEO is now to be nominated by the US president and confirmed by the US Senate with authority to select key agency personnel. I would not call this independent state-funded media, said a netizen on Sina Weibo.

Twitters decision is the latest of the US moves against Chinese media outlets. According to the Guardian, Google deleted 2,500 YouTube accounts with connections to China between April and June, noting that they were removed as part of our ongoing investigation into coordinated influence operations linked to China.

It is dangerous that the US double-standard policies have now expanded to enterprise level, and even social media platforms like Twitter are now affected. It is hegemonism in cyberspace, Qin added.

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Barbados, Aug 7 : West Indies all-rounder Fabian Allen has been ruled out of the upcoming edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after missing his flight from Jamaica to Barbados.

Allen, who was to play for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in CPL 2020, was due to reach Barbados on an internal flight on August 3 before boarding the charter to Trinidad. However, he was late to reach the airport and subsequently missed his flight, reports ESPNcricinfo.

"Unfortunately, there was some confusion with his understanding of the flight details and he missed the flight. We explored all possibilities, but due to the pandemic and travel restrictions in Trinidad, the charter flight on Monday was the only way he could enter the country," Allen's agent was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Under Trinidad and Tobago's lockdown rules amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, nobody is allowed to enter or exit the country other than on those charter flights, meaning the all-rounder will not be able to take part in the tournament and will also not be replaced in the squad.

The 2020 edition of the CPL will take place in Trinidad & Tobago from August 18 and September 20. The tournament will have a full season and will feature overseas and Caribbean players. The matches will be played behind closed doors with COVID-19 guidelines in place for the teams and officials.
Burma Drug Squad Arrests Three, Seizes Assault Rifles, Narcotics in Myanmars Shan State

Trafficking suspect Ma Guo and a haul of seized drugs / CCDAC Myanmar

YANGONMyanmars Drug Squad said on Thursday it arrested three people in connection with the seizure of a cache of Type-81 assault rifles and a large drug haul on Monday and Tuesday in Hsenwi Township in northern Shan State.

The three abandoned a vehicle loaded with 10 rifles and magazines near a quarry site some 3.2 kilometers from the Hsenwi tollgate on Monday, and police arrested one of the suspects, Ma Guo (also known as Lijun and War War Win), at her house in Hsenwi the following day. They seized drugs worth 41 million kyats, a rifle, some bullets and a magazine from her house and a warehouse.

Following her interrogation, police arrested two other suspects, Soe Htein Lin from Kutkai and Zhou Zhitai (also known as Xiaoyong) from Tarmoenye at around 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Type-81 assault rifles are produced by the Chinese military, but Myanmar military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun suggested that the seized rifles were a local version produced domestically by ethnic armed groups, and were likely on their way to western Myanmar, where the military is currently engaged in active fighting with the Arakan Army (AA).

We have seized 10 Type-81 rifles and 40 magazines. We are still investigating. Type-81 variants are produced by some ethnic armed organizations at their arms manufacturing factories. They can be transported to various places. As everyone knows, the most likely destination [for weapons] is places where conflicts are taking place. Western Myanmar is the most likely destination, he told The Irrawaddy.

According to political analyst U Maung Maung Soe, while seizures of arms and drugs are frequent in Shan State, only the carriers are ever arrested; links to those behind the shipments have never been established, so it is difficult to identify the real owners.

There are allegations that ethnic armed organizations have arms manufacturing factories; for example, there are allegations that the KIA [Kachin Independence Army] and Wa [United Wa State Army] have their own arms manufacturing factories. But they deny the allegations. And as we havent seen those factories with our own eyes, we can only say they are suspected, said U Maung Maung Soe.

There are various suggestions regarding the destination of weapons. Some say weapons are only transported through Myanmar [to other destinations]. So, it is difficult to say whether or not those weapons were destined for the AA, he added.

Police have opened cases against the three suspects under the Shan State Arms Order and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law.

In Thailand in the third week of June, a joint task force including the Thai military and police seized a large cache of Chinese-made weapons that were believed to be destined for Myanmar.

AK47 assault rifles, machine guns, anti-tank mines, grenades and ammunition were among the items seized in the joint raid on a house in Mae Tao in Mae Sot District across the Thai border from Myawaddy in Karen State.

In connection with the seizures in June, police arrested two Thai nationals as well as six suspects from Myanmar at the Mae La refugee camp around 65 km from Mae Sot. Four were ethnic Karen and two were ethnic Rakhine.

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Lukashenka Calls For Ukraine, Russia To Help Investigate Vagner Mercenaries

By RFE/RL August 06, 2020

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has ordered his government to invite Ukrainian and Russian prosecutors to Belarus to investigate a group of 33 mercenaries from the private Russian security firm Vagner Group who've been detained in Minsk.

Lukashenka announced the move during a government meeting in Minsk on August 6.

"The three [Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Russian prosecutor-generals] should sit together and decide the way they find proper," Lukashenka said.

The Belarusian president said a decision on how to treat the case "must be based" on Belarusian and international laws.

Lukashenka said that if the Russian and Ukrainian prosecutors do not travel to Minsk for the meetings, "we will make the decision ourselves."

On August 5, Russia's Security Council Deputy Chief Dmitry Medvedev warned Minsk that the arrest of the private security firm contractors could have grave consequences for Russian-Belarusian relations.

Lukashenka replied to Medvedev's remarks at the August 6 government meeting in Minsk, saying: "There is no need to scare us with repercussions. We are aware of all repercussions."

Lukashenka also said Russia shouldn't try to intimidate the Belarusian government with threats.

"At the end of the day, it was not Americans or NATO who have sent [the Vagner contractors] here," Lukashenka said.

On July 29, Belarusian authorities announced they had detained 32 contractors from the Vagner Group near Minsk and apprehended another private security contractor from the firm in southern Belarus.

They were arrested on charges of trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the country's August 9 presidential election.

Speaking about "safety measures" ahead of the vote, Lukashenka told the August 6 government meeting that many others who want to "destabilize Belarus" also have been detained in the country in recent days -- including individuals who have U.S. passports.

"We are talking not just about the arrest of the Vagner Group's members here," Lukashenka said. "Some of the people detained [recently in Minsk] have American passports; those who are married to American women working in the State Department."

"But the Russian leadership is defending them with bayonets atilt," Lukashenka continued, using a military term to described a bayonet fixed to a rifle and lowered into an attacking position. "A hybrid war against Belarus is under way, and we should wait for dirty tricks from any side."

The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said on July 31 that Kyiv would seek the extradition of 28 of the Vagner Group detainees on charges they had fought alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. It said nine Ukrainian citizens are among the 28.

Moscow insists that all of the detainees are Russian citizens. It has called on Minsk to release the men and let them return to Russia.

According to Russian authorities, the 33 men were traveling through Belarus on their way to Istanbul before flying to "a third country."

However, Lukashenka says Russia's claim about the mercenaries being en route to Turkey was "a lie."

Lukashenka suggested the detained men were plotting a "color revolution" in Belarus -- a reference to popular upheavals that have toppled governments in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan during the past two decades.

Lukashenka also reiterated his earlier warnings that he will not allow any "Maidan"-style anti-government protests in Minsk during the election or the day after the vote.

The head of the Belarusian Security Council, Andrey Raukou, said on July 30 that authorities were continuing to search for "upwards of up to 200 militants" said to be part of the alleged destabilization plot.

Belarus's presidential election is shaping up to be a tough race for incumbent Lukashenka, an authoritarian leader who has been in power since 1994.

Lukashenka has cracked down on his political opponents during the election campaign, with the country's law enforcement agencies arresting hundreds of people -- including journalists, bloggers, and political activists.

Charges also have been pressed against two potential candidates from the opposition, effectively preventing them from competing against Lukashenka in the election.

Independent election monitoring groups said on August 5 that many of their observers have been detained while trying to monitor polling stations during early voting that started on August 4.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/lukashenka-calls -for-ukraine-russia-to-help-investigate -vagner-mercenaries/30769342.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Malaysia's former finance minister was charged Friday with corruption over a $1.5 billion undersea tunnel project, a move he slammed as political persecution by the new government.

Lim Guan Eng, who was part of a reformist government ousted in March, pleaded not guilty to a charge of soliciting 10% of potential profits in 2011 as a bribe for the contract. He was detained late Thursday by the anti-corruption agency after they summoned him for questioning over the project in northern Penang state.

The project was approved during Lims tenure as Penang chief minister from 2008-2018, before he became Malaysia's finance minister. The 7.2 kilometre (4.5 miles) tunnel project from Penang island to peninsular Malaysia includes several highways and is to be funded through a land swap of reclaimed prime land.

This is a baseless allegation and it's politically motivated to tarnish and smear my reputation as well as, of course, my effort to execute my role as an opposition parliamentarian," Lim, 59, told reporters after he was released on bail.

The charge didn't mention how much Lim could have gained. He faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine if convicted. The anti-corruption agency also said that Lim will face two other charges in a Penang court next week, one related to the tunnel project and another in a different case. It didn't give details.

Lim's Democratic Action Party tweeted that the charges against him were political persecution as the project was awarded through an open tender and that no payment had been made.

Construction for the tunnel project hasnt started yet as the state government is still reviewing the feasibility study.

National Bernama news agency said Lim's wife, Betty Chew, was also detained Friday after she was called to the anti-graft agency in Penang for questioning. Local media quoted her lawyer as saying she has been freed on bail and will be charged with money launderingon Tuesday.

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No further details were provided. Local media cited sources as saying Chew will be charged alongside her husband. Anti-graft officials couldn't be immediately reached for comments.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin took power in March, after he pulled his party out of the ruling coalition and then-premier Mahathir Mohamad resigned in protest. Muhyiddin's new Malay-centric government is supported by graft-tainted parties defeated in the 2018 general election.

Analysts said Muhyiddin faces pressure from ally parties to call snap polls, as his unelected government has only a two-seat majority in Parliament. But it will not be an easy call for Muhyiddin as his party is dwarfed by ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak's Malay party in the coalition. Elections are not due until 2023.

Najib and several senior members from his party have been charged with corruption after their defeat in 2018.

Najib's cases are related to massive looting at the 1MDB state investment fund. He was sentenced late last month to 12 years in prison after being convicted at his first trial, though the sentence has been stayed while he appeals. Najib, who faces four other trials linked to 1MDB, insists the cases against him are political vengeance.
Many of Niagaras parents and teachers are not satisfied with the Ontario governments reopening plan.

Jayme Toms, a parent and a learning resource teacher for District School Board of Niagara, is concerned by the plans failure to ensure physical distancing and use of masks for younger students.

As a parent, the back to school plan for September kind of throws the physical distancing and mask-wearing out the window, said Toms, a mother of two whose oldest child will be going into junior kindergarten next month.

As a teacher, the physical space in a classroom makes it impossible to practise social and physical distancing, said Toms. Its upsetting to hear that the physical distancing and the use of masks that public health has been pushing for in public spaces, do not apply to our children.

The provinces back-to-school plan makes it mandatory for students to wear face masks in Grade 4 and up but does not require students in the earlier grades to do so.

The plan also makes no changes to average elementary school class sizes which are set at 26 students, although Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario has said in reality may comprise 30 students.

Many other Niagara parents expressed similar concerns.

Shawn Murphy, the father of an elementary school student, will not be sending his child back to school in September.

I am in a position where I do not have to send them to school, he said. We can keep our child home for the near future. After that, we will see what happens.

Melanie Cooper, a parent to high school students in Niagara Falls, is left with more questions than answers, and because of that she will not be sending her children back to school.

I do not believe my children are attending school until the Ministry of Education makes a reliable, stable and safe plan that is safe for all students and staff, she said. At this point, the ministry needs to think about every scenario and give enough money to support the plan.

The plan announced last week by Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Stephen Lecce will see elementary students in-class full time while high school students will return to a hybrid that includes in-class and virtual learning.

Parents can choose to keep their kids out of class, and boards must provide options for remote learning.

Toms pointed out this plan doesnt efficiently address equity.

Equity should be at the forefront, she said. We know the premier has vocalized parents have the choice to not send their kids back to school. But thats not really true. It should be rephrased that some parents have the choice of sending their children to school. Some parents will have to make a decision that is based on their financial situation rather than the health and well-being of their children.

Last week, DSBN on its website said it will update the school community with information on its web page and social media channels as it is available and will make a guide available to elementary school parents to help support families through the back-to-school process.

We know that school will look very different this year, said the July 30 post.

The first day of school is Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Chennai: The Indian Coast Guard has rescued 14 fishermen, whose boat was adrift at sea owing to a mechanical failure, off the Nagapattinam coast in Tamil Nadu, in a coordinated search and rescue mission (SAR).

An Indian Coast guard ship in the region had undertaken the rescue mission after a merchant vessel MV Gas Ionian, that was passing by the stranded boat, had relayed the information to Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Chennai.

The fishing boat GN Sabari Vasan which had sailed out from Tamil Nadus Tuticorin was dangerously drifting at sea since August 4 owing to the rough south-east monsoon weather. It was observed to have a machinery breakdown and a damaged propeller.

On August 5, ICGS Shaurya, which was in the region, towed the boat back to the safety of the Nagapattinam fishing harbour for repairs. The boat was adrift at sea, nearly 88 miles east of Nagapattinam.

The ICG has been issuing regular advisories to undertake fishing in groups, adhering to safe practices at sea. They also urge fishermen to carry adequate lifesaving and communication equipment on board.
Around 20 people were killed on Friday in an attack by an armed group on a cattle market in the east of Burkina Faso, a local governor said.

Officials did not blame any group for Friday's attack, but Burkina Faso is caught up in a jihadist insurgency that began in Mali and has spread to neighbouring countries.

"Unidentified armed individuals burst into a cattle market in Namoungou village in the region of Fada N'Gourma and attacked the population," the governor, Colonel Saidou Sanou, said in a statement.

"According to an initial toll, around 20 people have been killed and numerous others wounded."

An attack on the Kompienbiga cattle market, also in the east of the country, left around 30 dead at the end of May.

Burkina Faso is one of the world's poorest countries and the insurgency has killed more than 1,100 people and forced nearly a million people from their homes.

According to the UN, jihadist and inter-communal violence was to blame for 4,000 deaths last year in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

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Malaga will be the first city to have full coverage on the new WTID app, which makes it easier and safer for people to identify themselves on holiday.

Pololikashvili said he had written to the British government, urging them to change their minds and lift the restriction on travel to Spain, adding that it is "harmful to Spanish tourism". He called for a standard protocol in the EU, and said he hopes the UK will do all it can to enable British people to travel and give Spanish tourism a chance. "The self-isolation is not going to facilitate these matters," he said.

The WTO boss sent a message of hope to the sector, but also warned that Spanish tourism firms need support with cashflow and fiscal flexibility in order to recover. He recommended that the Spanish government use its EU funding to give more help to tourism, which represents 11 per cent of GDP and has a major effect on other productive sectors.

Praising the government's work on safety guidelines, which he said had been "an example to other countries", Pololikashvili insisted that "the time has come to travel and people have to start doing so. Safety measures are in place and I see no risk of a second wave like the one in March".

He also stressed that all companies are applying strict measures to prevent infection. "Spain is safe," he said. He believes the country and Europe will be the first to recover visitor numbers, but it will be a matter of time and effort.
(Natural News) With bars and nightclubs closed, and restaurants requiring that distanced patrons be muzzled at all times except when food or beverage is entering the mouth, many fed up Los Angeles residents are instead choosing to host dinner parties and other gatherings inside their homes rather than have to deal with all this nonsense. And as you might expect, Mayor Eric Garcetti is deeply upset about the situation, and is now threatening to turn off peoples utilities for defying his and the governors Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) orders.

Instead of trying to fine people for such activities as various other police states are doing, Garcetti has indicated that he plans to have utility companies simply shut off power, water, and gas to offending homes. Any residence suspected of hosting a house party or other unacceptable gathering thus faces the possibility of being turned into a third-world shanty in a matter of minutes.

While we have already closed all nightclubs and bars, these large house parties have essentially become nightclubs in the hills, Garcetti whined during a recent news briefing. These large parties are unsafe and can cost Angelenos their lives.

Back in late March, Garcetti issued the same threat against residences that held gatherings in defiance of the states stay-at-home orders. This occurred after the areas first teenager reportedly died after supposedly testing positive for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

Your behavior can save a life and take a life. And that life could be yours, Garcetti fear-mongered at that time.

Anthony Fauci says there is no proof that coronavirus even spreads through aerosols

Garcetti must have missed the memo from Anthony Fauci indicating that nobody really knows whether or not the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) even travels via aerosols, as is popularly believed.

During a recent interview with CNNs Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Fauci explained that there is no concrete proof of aerosol or airborne transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), which means that everything government tyrants are doing to try to stop its spread is useless.

In order to prove that the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads the way that he and others continue to claim it does, vigorous, large-scale studies would have to be conducted at a Biosafety Level 3 facility, at the very least.

What this means, of course, is that all the locking down, mask wearing, and social distancing protocols that have been implemented are utterly useless and have absolutely no basis in science.

As more attention is paid to the viruss means of transmission as schools start to reopen for the fall semester, Dr. Fauci told his interviewer that the issue of aerosol and airborne transmissions definitely require closer study  although were fairly certain that the virus spreads via droplets in the air, Zero Hedge reports about the interview.

But to prove that the virus transmits via aerosols  i.e. large droplets that linger in the air after a person coughs or sneezes  requires rigorous scientific standards and a Biosafety Level 3 facility.

Still, Fauci is suggesting that people continue to keep windows open when possible as he and his task force continue to look into whether or not aerosol transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is even really a thing.

Meanwhile, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the one FDA-approved drug that actually does do something, and that Fauci himself admitted 15 years ago does something, is barely even legal, at this point. Almost nobody can access it because the left has so politicized HCQ to the point that much of the country believes it to be dangerous and ineffective, even as they follow government mandates that are based on fairly certain, but unproven, assessments of how the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) supposedly spreads.

The latest news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is available at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

LATimes.com

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
A North Carolina inmate who died in December repeatedly called out for help and said "I can't breathe" more than 25 times as deputies restrained him, newly released body camera videos show.

John Neville died at a hospital on Dec. 4, 2019 days after Forsyth County Detention Center officers placed him in handcuffs and restrained him on the ground following an apparent medical episode.

A medical examiner determined that the cause of death was complications of a brain injury that was caused by "positional and compressional asphyxia during prone restraint." The autopsy report states that Neville had asthma and that no direct pressure was placed on his neck or back and a chokehold was not used.

The body camera videos, which were released Wednesday and obtained by NBC affiliate WRAL in Raleigh, show Neville lying on the ground on his back surrounded by five jail officers and a nurse. The nurse is seen shaking Neville, who appears to be unconscious.

"Hey, John. Hey there. Hey. How ya doing? It's Ok. You're Ok," the nurse says as Neville wakes up. "It looks like you had a seizure."

Authorities restrain John Neville in Forsyth Country Jail in Winston-Salem, N.C. (Forsyth County Jail)

Neville starts moving under the officers' restraint and a deputy tells him to "stay down." Neville asks to be let up.

"Pull me up, pull me up. Please. Help me," Neville says in the video. A deputy tells him to "settle down."

At one point, Neville appears to be on his stomach as he calls out for his mother. "Mama, mama. Mama!" he shouts. WRAL reported that his mother is deceased.

The deputies eventually roll Neville over onto his back and put a spit mask on him and place him in handcuffs. They stand Neville up and strap him into a chair and wheel him to a room. Neville is placed face down on a mattress on the floor as the deputies restrain him.

"Help me," Neville shouts in the video as he groans. "I can't breathe. Help."

Neville says he can't breathe 29 times during a roughly four-minute period shown in the video. Deputies eventually try to remove the handcuffs but the key breaks and they have to get a bolt cutter.

Story continues

When the handcuffs are finally taken off, Neville is unresponsive. The video shows the nurse enters the room and begins CPR. Neville later died at a local hospital.

Image: (Forsyth County Jail via AP)

The death has led to protests in Winston-Salem, where the jail is located, WRAL reported. Michael Grace, an attorney for the family, told the outlet that he believes the officers' actions caused Neville's death.

"This was an avoidable death," Grace said. "It clearly was a medical crisis. If they'd called EMS, he'd be alive today."

Neville was being held at the jail after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in Guilford County, a spokesperson with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office told NBC News on Thursday.

The five detention center officers seen in the video were fired in July, the spokesperson said. They were identified as Sarah Poole, Cpl. Edward Roussel, Christopher Stamper, Sgt. Lovette Williams and Antonio Woodley.

The district attorney's office announced in July that all five officers were each charged with involuntary manslaughter, along with the nurse, Michelle Heughins. A sixth officer was also fired by the department but has not been charged, the sheriff's office spokesperson said.

Heughins was placed on administrative leave by her employer, Wellpath. A spokesperson for the company called the incident "tragic" and said the charges against Heughins are unfair.

"As shown in the video released today, when permitted to act, she worked diligently and compassionately to save Mr. Nevilles life," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We believe the charges against her are unfair and not in keeping with the facts of the situation. She did not engage in misconduct and provided the level and type of care appropriate in the circumstances. She is a member of the Wellpath family, and she has our complete support."

David Freedman, an attorney for Roussel, told NBC News in a phone interview Friday that he wants people to watch the video in its entirety before they cast judgment.

Ive watched the video and I do not believe there is any criminal activity that has occurred," he said. I would ask that people watch, before they form any sort of opinion, watch the entire video. If you see the whole video you can see people who were there  whether they were properly trained could be an issue  but they were following their training on how to help this individual that night and things went tragically wrong."

Freedman said his client, as well as the other officers, have all been released from jail. The other four officers could not immediately be reached and it's not clear if they have obtained attorneys.

The North Carolina Sheriff's Association said in a statement to NBC News, Mr. Nevilles death was a tragic situation. I commend Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough of Forsyth County for the professional, transparent, compassionate and caring manner in which he has dealt with the situation and with Mr. Nevilles family.

Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough apologized to Neville's family during a news conference on Tuesday and said he cried after watching the video.

"Your father has changed the way healthcare will be dispensed at the Forsyth County Detention Center as well as how it will be dispensed throughout this region," he said. "I apologize to you and your family."

The sheriff said that the death led to changes in training involving medical care providers and asked the family if he could change the name of a unit in the detention center to "John E. Neville Housing Unit."

"We're not doing that just because, we're doing it as a reminder of the men and the women that work there of what happened that day," he said. "We're doing it as a reminder to let them know that life is paramount in how we do business."


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China's foreign ministry on Friday said that it firmly opposes executive orders announced by US President Donald Trump on Thursday banning US transactions with the Chinese owners of messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok.

China will defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing.

Trump has ordered sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media giants TikTok and WeChat that could strangle their ability to operate in the United States.

The executive order, which takes effect in 45 days, bars anyone under US jurisdiction from doing business with the owners of TikTok or WeChat.

It heaps pressure on ByteDance, TikTok's parent, to close negotiations to sell to Microsoft and further escalates the Trump administration's multi-front confrontation with Beijing.

Trump's order cites a threat to "national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States", as the president seeks to curb China's power in global technology.

The move sent shares in the parent company of WeChat into a spin, with the issue tanking as much as 10 percent at one point in Friday trade, wiping almost $50 billion off Tencent's market capitalisation.

It also adds to a laundry list of issues that have ratcheted up tensions between the superpowers, including Hong Kong, trade, Huawei, the South China Sea and the spread of the coronavirus.

Last month Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston -- accusing it of being a centre for spies. China hit back by shutting the US mission in Chengdu.

The two sides have also been engaged in a war of words over who is to blame for the coronavirus since Trump first described it as a "Chinese" illness in March.

On Wednesday tensions were further stoked when the US announced its highest-level visit to Taiwan since Washington switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979, a move blasted by Beijing, which views the self-ruled island as a breakaway territory.

"TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories," Trump's order said.

Data could potentially be used by China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers on people for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage, it alleged.

'Watershed moment'

The TikTok mobile app has been downloaded some 175 million times in the US and more than a billion times around the world.

The US Senate voted Thursday to bar TikTok from being downloaded onto US government employees' telephones, intensifying US scrutiny of the popular app.

The bill passed by the Republican-controlled Senate now goes to the House of Representatives, led by Democrats.

Several US agencies already bar employees from downloading TikTok onto their phones. "This is yet another watershed moment in the US-China technology cold war," Paul Triolo, head of global technology policy at Eurasia Group, told Bloomberg.

"It shows the depth of the US concern."

India last month also outlawed TikTok along with 58 other Chinese apps, citing data security fears. Trump has set a deadline of mid-September for TikTok to be acquired by a US firm or be banned in the United States.

Microsoft has expanded its talks on TikTok to a potential deal that would include buying the global operations of the fast-growing app, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

Microsoft declined to comment on the report, after previously disclosing it was considering a deal for TikTok operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

'Keeping tabs'

TikTok's kaleidoscopic feeds of short video clips feature everything from hair-dye tutorials to dance routines and jokes about daily life.

The company on Thursday announced plans for its first data center for European users, to be set up in Ireland.

WeChat is a messaging, social media, and electronic payment platform and is reported to have more than a billion users. It is not widely used in the US but in China it is difficult to function without it as the platform is used by nearly all businesses instead of email.

Trump's order contended that WeChat captures user data that could then exploited by the Chinese government but provided no evidence that is happening.

"WeChat captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States," the order read, "thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives."
Had Lincoln stuck with his first vice president, Hannibal Hamlin of Maine, the history of Reconstruction would have been far different and our subsequent racial history probably far less savage. Barely remembered today, Hamlin was one of the countrys eminent political men in his time, deeply experienced in the ways of Washington, having served in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He was respected, well-liked by peers and trusted as a known quantity within his party. For nearly four years, he had performed his duties as vice president with modesty and skill.

It was also said that he was Lincolns best assurance against assassination since Southerners knew that, if Lincoln was killed, they would face someone much worse: a staunch abolitionist who had long pushed the president forward on emancipation. One of his sons was among the first officers to volunteer to command a black regiment. No one doubted Hamlin was fully qualified and prepared to step into the presidency if he had to.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 7, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia is ready to reconstruct a number of ruined buildings in Beirut, ARMENPRESS reports High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan said during an on-line discussion headlined ''Beirut tragedy. How to assist the Armenian community?''.

Sinanyan will depart for Beirut today, accompanied by director of ''Hayastan All-Armenian'' Fund Haykak Arshamyan, chairman of Armenia-Lebanon inter-parliamentary friendship group Hrachya Hakobyan. The 1st plane of humanitarian aid will reach Lebanon on August 8. 2 other flights will be carried out a little later.

''It's natural that the Government of Armenia stood with Beirut and its people following the explosion. Armenia will send the aid based on the list presented by the Lebanese Government. The Government of Armenia is ready to reconstruct some of the ruined buildings, it's just necessary to see everything from there and make a realistic decision of what we can do'', Sinanyan said.

According to the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, Armenia is stretching out a helping hand not only to the Lebanese-Armenian community, but the entire Lebanese people, including the Armenian community.

Sinanyan also plans to discuss the issue of repatriation of Armenians.

Two major explosions rocked Beirut on August 4 and witnesses filmed the explosions and presented the devastation in the area.

The first explosion took place at the port of Beirut at about 18:00. A few minutes later a more massive blast occurred. The video shows the blast wave, which shook building some kilometers away.

Over 154 have died, including 13 Armenians, over 5000 are injured.

Reporting by Lilit Demuryan, Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
Life is the bubbles when youre under the sea. On land, though, things get a little more complicated for Ariel and Prince Eric. Where does Disneys animated version of The Little Mermaid take place? What does that have to do with the live-action adaptation? Heres what we know (and dont know) about this film and the origin of its story.

Disney released the animated movie, The Little Mermaid in 1989

Its been about 40 years since fans met the fiery and spirited red-head, Ariel. Disneys The Little Mermaid told the story of Ariel, a mermaid, who dreams of traveling to the human world. Eventually, she meets Prince Eric and decides to trade her voice to the sea witch, Ursula, for a chance at true love. In the end, it was worth it.

Although its never specified during the movie, fans have a pretty good idea of where this animated movie takes place. Some believe it takes place in Denmark, with the biggest clue being the author of The Little Mermaids country of origin.

The Little Mermaid may have taken place off the shores of Denmark, in Atlantica

Due to the origin of the author of the original story, Hans Christian Andersen, some believe that this movie could take place off the shores of Denmark. Others argue that The Little Mermaid could take place off the coast of Italy. Nothing has been confirmed by the Walt Disney Company, though.

Fans do know, however, that Ariel is the daughter of King Triton, from the underwater city of Atlantica. This castle and kingdom are most likely based on the mythological city Atlantis, which is also believed to be underwater.

Of course, Prince Eric isnt the prince of any real country. During this movie, however, the character falls in love with Ariel and eventually becomes the king of his oceanside kingdom, complete with a castle right by the ocean. (Which is perfect for Ariel, who eventually becomes human.)

Ariel on Disney Juniors Sofia the First | Disney Junior via Getty Images

Disney is creating a live-action version of The Little Mermaid

Its time to go under the sea with Ariel and her friends. Recently, Disney announced that they would be creating a live version of their animated film, with Halle Bailey as the starring role. Because of the actress chosen in the main role, fans sparked some debate regarding the origin of The Little Mermaid and its underwater world.

The original voice of Ariel has since come forward, though, expressing her support of Halle Bailey and the upcoming live-action reboot of Disneys classic. Presumably, more information regarding the live-action version of this animated movie will be announced in the coming months.

Until then, Disneys The Little Mermaid, as well as its sequel, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and The Little Mermaid Live are available for binge-watching on Disneys streaming platform. To learn more about Disney+ and to subscribe, visit their website.

RELATED: Life Is the Bubbles With a Disney+ Subscription  ABCs The Little Mermaid Live! Joins the Streaming Platforms Library

RELATED: The Little Mermaid 2: Why Disney Fans Think Ariel Is the Only Disney Princess With a Daughter
When children start suing governments for inaction on climate change, as they have in South Korea, Pakistan, India and several other countries, it is time to sit up and take notice.

The climate crisis is already a menace to countries battered by extreme weather events. But with much worse to come for future generations, it is also a child rights crisis. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child enshrines childrens rights to survival. It explicitly mentions the dangers and risks of environmental pollution including global heating.

But in a region that is already the worlds most disaster-prone, home to three of the biggest carbon-emitting countries and 99 of the 100 most polluted cities, such rights are being flushed into a pit of toxic waste.

These rights are undermined by every new coal plant opened, every new acre of forest burned, and every missed opportunity to rebuild the regions currently stalled economies on cleaner, greener foundations.

There is a strong moral obligation on governments to take effective action to help minimise the effects of our unsustainable consumption of natural resources. But there is also growing recognition of governments legal obligations to do so. And our children have been making their voices heard. Until COVID-19.

The global pandemic has shifted everyones attention and silenced much of the child- and youth-led buzz around the climate crisis that captured public attention last year. Though many young climate activists have remained engaged, our analysis of social media finds the number of public online conversations about climate, which steadily rose during 2019, declined sharply in 2020 when COVID-19 emerged. Globally, public online discussions about climate between April and June this year plummeted by a staggering 70 percent compared with the same period last year.

But although COVID-19 has knocked the climate crisis off the political agenda, it does not mean it is not a burning issue. If anything, it poses a far greater threat to humanity than COVID-19, and no vaccine can fix it.

With their futures most at stake, children and youth must be heard and their needs integrated when governments address the climate emergency with the bold level of ambition required, but collectively lacking so far.

Asia-Pacific governments must be at the forefront because they face the biggest human impacts of the climate crisis. It is home to half the worlds population and two-thirds of its poor. Half of Asias urban population live in low-lying coastal zones and flood plains, which are most at risk from rising sea levels and floods.

This year, South Asia has already seen two severe cyclones within a month and is currently experiencing one of the deadliest monsoons in years. Some Pacific island nations like Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu risk being wiped out by just a one-metre sea level rise. In Chinas coastal areas, 23 million people are at risk from a one-metre rise in sea level. For East Asia as a whole, that figure jumps to 40 million.

Scientists are warning our destruction of nature is heightening pandemic risks. Studies show that pandemics caused by viruses of animal origin are becoming more frequent, largely because of unsustainable human activities, like deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, water and air pollution and the industrial-scale meat industry, all of which disrupt the natural world and force animals and insects into contact with humans. Climate change is aggravating such disruptions, and children from poor and marginalised communities will continue to bear the worst impacts.

Young climate activists and our scientists have been warning for years that humanity is consuming and abusing nature beyond its limits. Now we are paying the price for ignoring their warnings. But we want to say  we hear you. That is why the Stockholm Environment Institute and Save the Children are supporting a new campaign by young people across Asia-Pacific to make sure their concerns are heard loud and clear.

Tackling the climate crisis and recovering from COVID-19 requires an all-of-society approach. Implementing the right technical measures like improving energy efficiency is important, but first we need to focus on empowerment and inclusion, and that means giving children and youth the tools and platforms they need to bring about lasting change. Yes, we need to build back better, but do so sustainably, placing social justice and gender equality front and centre.

Seventeen-year-old Kaviti from Sri Lanka recognises the problem. My health is affected. I have some issues with my lungs and I get rashes from the heat, she says. The sea is filled with plastic. I do not think adults are working hard enough for this problem because most of them do not care, they put plastic and waste and garbage all over the city.

This is our commitment to Kaviti and millions of children around the world. Let us show them we care.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
NEW DELHI : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a meeting with his counterparts from US, Australia, Israel, Brazil and South Korea and discussed challenges related to coronavirus.

Jaishankar said in a tweet that he had a useful meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

"Useful meeting with my colleagues @MarisePayne, Kang Kyung-wha, @ernestofaraujo, @Gabi_Ashkenazi and @SecPompeo. Continued our conversation on the Corona challenge. Always good to learn from each other," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Jaishankar and Pompeo had spoken on the telephone yesterday in which they discussed the regional and global issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Indo-Pacific and Quadrilateral coalition during a wide-ranging conversation.

The two leaders spoke over phone and reiterated the strength of the India-US relationship to advance peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region and around the globe, Cale Brown, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, said.

Jaishankar on Friday said he held a wide-ranging conversation with Pompeo.

Reviewed our bilateral cooperation including working of relevant mechanisms. Shared assessments on regional and global issues including South Asia, Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific & beyond," he wrote on Twitter.

A wide-ranging conversation yesterday night with @SecPompeo. Reviewed our bilateral cooperation including working of relevant mechanisms. Shared assessments on regional and global issues including South Asia, Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific & beyond.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 7, 2020

Exchanged views on responding to the coronavirus challenge. Discussed meeting in the Quad format in the near future," Jaishankar said in another tweet.

India and the US have explored ways to boost cooperation in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region where China has been trying to spread its influence. The issue was discussed extensively during the third round of the India-US Maritime Security Dialogue which took place in Goa in 2018.

The US has been pushing for a broader role by India in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region.

India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military maneuvering in the region.

Giving more details of the talks between Jaishankar and Pompeo, Brown said: "Both leaders agreed to continue close cooperation on a full range of regional and international issues and look forward to Quadrilateral consultations and the US-India 2 2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year".

In November 2017, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending Quadrilateral coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of Chinese influence.





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(Newser)  There was plenty Kanye West wouldn't revealor clarify, evenabout his presidential campaign in a text interview Thursday. The rapper wouldn't say whether Republican officials are helping to get his name on the ballot. He didn't answer when asked whether he's being used in this effort. But he did seem to confirm that the idea isn't really to win the presidency, it's to take votes from Democrat Joe Biden, Forbes reports. When told he won't be on the ballot in enough states to possibly win 270 electoral votes, the candidate said: "I'm not going to argue with you. Jesus is King." In fact, he's not so much running for president, West said, as he is "walking." President Trump, who has had West's support in the past, addressed the issue Wednesday with reporters. "I like Kanye very much," he said. "No, I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot."

story continues below

West was not interested in criticizing Trump, and he said he likes the idea of hurting Biden's prospects. "I'm not denying it; I just told you," West told Forbes. Signatures to put him on the ballot were filed Wednesday in Ohio and Wisconsin, the New York Times reports. "We welcome Kanye West and all other candidates who qualified for ballot access to the race," a state GOP spokesperson said. Some Democrats were appalled by reports that Republicans are behind West's campaign. "What a disgusting dirty trick that shows no respect for voters or whatever Kanye is going through," Benjamin Rhodes, a national security aide to President Barack Obama, tweeted. West has bipolar disorder, and his wife, Kim Kardashian has said publicly that he's struggling now with mental illness. One Republican he said he's working with is Trump's education secretary. "I'm meeting with Betsy DeVos about the post-COVID curriculum, West texted Thursday. (Read more Kanye West 2020 stories.)
The travel advisory issued by the U.S. State Department four months ago has been lifted on Thursday, saying conditions no longer warrant a global alert.

On March 19, the state department issued the Level Four: Do Not Travel advisory, the highest level of the travel advisory. It urged U.S. citizens to avoid global travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The advisory said, "with health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others," the travel advisories will go back to its previous system of country-specific levels instead of a global one, the CNN reported.

The department believed it would give travelers "detailed and actionable information" to make decisions. The new system will also give U.S. citizens more details on the COVID-19 status of each country, read the advisory.

The new order came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its COVID-19 travel advisory information. Twenty locations had their "do not travel" warnings lifted by the CDC, the Time reported.

Despite this, the center is still telling people to stay away from the vast majority of the world. The CDC is also recommending people to stay put if they plan to travel to some 200 places.

Since the pandemic is unpredictable, the state department is also telling U.S. citizens to be cautious when making global travel plans.

U.S. Citizens Still Faces Global Travel Restrictions

Even though the agency's guidelines have been lifted, Americans are still going to face the restrictions set by countries that they wish to go to due to rising cases of COVID-19 in the United States.

For one, the European Union has blocked entry to U.S. tourists, and the U.K. is also making travelers isolate for 14 days upon the arrival.

There are also rules for non-essential travel between the U.S. and nearby countries in the north and south like Canada and Mexico. The rules are expected to last up to late August.

The state department said they are closely monitoring the health and safety conditions across the globe. They are working with the CDC and other agencies to make sure people in the country are safe when they travel. The agency promised to update its destination-specific advice as time passes by.

The CDC said places like Thailand, Fiji, and New Zealand are part of the low-risk group. But they also warned certain people like older adults and those with underlying medical risks to talk to their doctors first before planning a trip.

According to USA Today, some 50 countries were given a level four "do not travel" advice as of Thursday. The list includes countries with a high number of coronavirus cases like Brazil, India, and Russia.

The list also includes countries with other safety concerns. On the other hand, the department urged people to "reconsider travel" if they plan to go to places on a level three alert.

When the state department first issued a "do not travel" global travel warning in March, there were only about 380,000 COVID-19 cases worldwide.

As of Thursday, the world is looking at 18.9 million cases, according to John Hopkins data. Around 4.9 million of these cases are from the U.S.

Want to read more? Take a look at these!

COVID-19 in US: One Death Every 80 Seconds, New Report Says

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NY church to donate nearly one-tenth of budget in 'reparations' to housing, anti-racism programs

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A theologically progressive congregation in New York has decided to donate around a tenth of its budget to help with housing and anti-racism programs, which the church views as being an act of reparations.

Middle Collegiate Church, a New York City-based congregation that's co-affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Reformed Church in America and has approximately 1,600 members, will give $200,000 for the upcoming fiscal year.

The Rev. Jacqui Lewis told The Christian Post on Wednesday that the church leadership felt it was what God is calling our church to do in this moment.

Amid grotesque, systemic racism and police brutality, God demands we educate and act to build an anti-racist world, said Lewis.

When the federal government is putting millions of people in our community in risk of eviction, God demands we provide people with money so they can stay in their homes.

Half of the money will go to grants for those who require financial assistance regarding rent while the other half will to go grants for groups like the Audre Lorde Project and anti-racism education.

Lewis explained that the exact breakdown of what the funds will go to is still in the process of being determined, but that Middle Church was already seeing results from their work.

We just gave our first cancel rent grant to a single mom living with two young college-aged sons. She wept inconsolably when she heard that we would help her, she noted.

Lewis also said that she considered these donations should be seen through a broader lens of reparations, as her church benefitted greatly from wealth that was created through both the enslavement of black people and the theft of Lenape land.

We currently have a reparations task force that is meeting to more deeply understand the racism and violence in our own history, and making recommendations for how we can continue to undo its toxic legacy, continued the minister.

But reparations are certainly not accomplished by $200,000 in one programming year. It must be a larger and continuing conversation.

According to its website, Middle Church describes itself as a multicultural, multi-ethnic, inter-generational movement of Spirit and justice, powered by Revolutionary Love, with room for all.

We are on-your-feet worship and take-it-to-the-streets activism. We feed the hungry and work for a living wage; we fight for LGBTQ equality and march for racial/ethnic justice, the church says.

We aim to heal the soul and the world by dismantling racist, classist, sexist, and homophobic systems of oppression.

The churchs donation comes as many congregations and denominations look to advance racial reconciliation initiatives following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear stated in June that he supported the Black Lives Matter cause, encouraging churches to listen to those who hurt, lamenting with them, and bearing their burdens.

However, Greear was cautious about the organization behind the movement, saying that he believed the movement and the website have been hijacked by some political operatives whose worldview and policy prescriptions would be deeply at odds with my own.

I think saying bold things like defund the police is unhelpful and deeply disrespectful to many public servants who bravely put themselves in harms way every day to protect us, stated Greear at the time.

But I know that we need to take a deep look at our police systems and structures and ask what were missing. Where are we missing the mark? And Ill say that we do that because black lives matter.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 00:39:54|Editor: huaxia

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BANGKOK, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Wrapped in Thai silk and strutting down the catwalk in Bangkok's mega exhibition hall, Malika said she was hand-picked by Thailand's Ministry of Commerce to wear Chinese designer Yi Ming's iconic silk dress, specially designed to honour the Thai Queen's coming 88th birthday anniversary on Aug. 12.

"Before I rehearsed for the 'Thai Silk and Fabric' catwalk, the organizer for the event had briefed to me in regards to Chinese designer Yi Ming," Malika, a Thai professional model from Bangkok, told Xinhua.

As chief designer for many international events, including the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, Yi enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad.

According to Pornpon Akathaporn, the CEO of the event titled "Heart Tied by Arts and Crafts, A New Way of the Handicraft Arts under the Royal Patronage," which recently kicked off in Bangkok, Yi's iconic modern style qipao dress made from Thai silk, was specially appealing to the Thai audience.

"We all understand that qipao (often) comes in red, and if it is the conventional Chinese qipao, usually it is made from Chinese silk," said Pornpon. "However this time, in honour of Her Majesty the Queen's coming birthday anniversary, Chinese designer Yi Ming created a modern-style qipao, in purple, and made from Thai silk, in dedication to Her Majesty."

Yi was one of the designers, among others from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, selected to design and create dresses from Thai silk, to reflect the culture of their respective countries.

Malika wore a purple-clad body hugging dress, with a belt defining her curve.

"It is a simple dress with no frills, but I feel elegant and confident," she said.

Pornpon said the event, which boasts 400 booths, showcasing different types of Thai fabric and handicrafts from 76 provinces, was only possible after the Thai government had relaxed nearly all the COVID-19 restriction measures in July.

"Thailand is inching towards an 80 day free from local transmission of COVID-19, hence we are able to organize such a huge event where we can accommodate up to 1,000 patrons in this event," said Pornpon.

"However safe we are in Thailand, we can not afford to let our guards down, those who don't wear face masks and don't practice social distancing inside the venue, will be told to leave the event." Enditem
A major role of art is to examine and clarify social reality. The new play The Line addresses the ongoing coronavirus pandemic squarely and with great immediacy. Writer-directors Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen wrote the play using interviews that they had conducted with health care workers in New York City this spring, when the city was the national epicenter of the pandemic. This approach has produced a drama with the impact of a dispatch from the front. The actors performances are all the more impressive for having been given in isolation in front of their computers.

The Line was performed live on YouTube on July 8 and will be available for viewing, free of charge, until September 1. A production of New York Citys Public Theater, the play already has been watched more than 38,000 times.

Blank and Jensen have examined contemporary issues in several previous plays. The Exonerated (2002), which won several theater awards, was based on interviews that they had conducted with exonerated death row inmates. Interviews with Iraqi civilian refugees in Jordan formed the basis of Aftermath (2008).

Although it was amply documented in the media, the catastrophe that health care workers in New York faced this spring is hard for the average person to imagine. Hospitals had staff shortages and reassigned workers to care for infected patients even when they were not qualified to do so. Workers scrambled to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, IV pumps and medicines such as fentanyl and propofol. As hospital beds became occupied, break rooms were used to house patients. The city dug mass graves on Hart Island for unclaimed victims of the pandemic. Health care workers said they felt extreme stress, emotional exhaustion, and abandonment by their unions.

One of the strong points of The Line is that it shows how the pandemic has affected workers in various parts of the health care system. The characters include a first-year intern, an oncology nurse, an emergency room doctor, a paramedic, an emergency medical technician (EMT) and a nurse at a long-term care home for the elderly. The need for isolation and social distancing likely influenced the decision for the actors to perform the play from their homes. This bare-bones staging, born of necessity, creates a documentary feel, as well as a level of intimacy.

The characters address the camera directly in interwoven monologues. We get to know them as they introduce themselves and tell us how they chose their careers. Soon they describe their initial concern after hearing warnings of the novel coronavirus. Each character sees his or her first cases, and these cases quickly become a flood. Pressure mounts as the characters struggle to manage utter chaos, as the doctor puts it. The EMTs number of daily calls swells from 3,000 to 7,000. The paramedic says that adapting to the pandemic was harder than providing medical care in Iraq during the war.

Lorraine Toussaint, Santino Fontana, and John Ortiz. Photo credit: courtesy of The Public Theater.

The characters firsthand accounts are more forceful than any news report. Several characters describe the appalling lack of medical supplies that resulted from decades of attacks on health care funding. The geriatric nurse, for example, is told to reuse PPE rather than discarding it after each patient. This instruction violates the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and those of the World Health Organization. The rules were changing every damn day, says the nurse. She soon becomes infected by the virus.

When her hospital runs out of oxygen, the intern says, I really felt like I was in another country. She and her colleagues rig up bilevel positive airway pressure machines as makeshift ventilators when none of the latter are available. Patients lie in hallways, and medical staff are forced to turn away other sick patients when all the beds are occupied. I felt like I was in a war, and we had no support, says the intern. I felt like nobody cared.

Several characters criticize the way management at their facilities handled the crisis. The geriatric nurse opposed the administrations policies, but, under duress, kept her opinions to herself. The intern recounts her impulse to go to the media to publicize her hospitals desperate state, but management warns her that this act would be grounds for termination. I was so upset, I ended up having to talk to a psychiatrist.

All the characters express their torment and sorrow at having to turn away distraught family members who want to see their dying loved ones for a final time. After the EMT is told to bring bodies directly to the morgue instead of the hospital, he allows family members to assemble around his ambulance for brief, impromptu wakes.

John Ortiz and Nicholas Pinnock. Photo credit: courtesy of The Public Theater.

When the geriatric nurse recovers from the virus and returns to work, she finds that half of her facilitys residents have died, and her coworkers are traumatized. Weeks later, a manager announces that she will bring a grief counselor to the facility for one day, supposedly for the employees benefit. The geriatric nurse can no longer suppress her anger. Im not going to go, because its been almost a month, and if you really wanted a grief counselor in here, you wouldve had that person come in here when our residents were dying. Right now, what I really feel is that youre just sending that person in so that you could say that you gave us support, right? Its too little. Its too late.

Many of the characters are uneasy about being lauded as heroes, and one rejects the designation outright. The doctor suggests, If you really want to help doctors and show them appreciation, give their patients health care. Referring to the military flyover of New York City, which was allegedly staged to honor health care workers, he adds in exasperation, Dont fly weapons of destruction and death over people who are trying to prevent destruction and death!

Espousing a view promoted by the media and sections of the upper-middle class, the doctor implies that racism is the reason that certain ethnic groups have suffered more from the pandemic than others. It is true that the pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on African-Americans, for example. But African-Americans also are disproportionately poor, and the pandemics heavy toll on underscores the primary effect of class on health outcomes. Various studies have established a correlation between socioeconomic status and vulnerability to the pandemic. Identity politics distorts this reality and elevates race above all other factors.

Blank and Jensen deserve praise for critically examining the health care systems response to the pandemic, and for putting workers experiences in the forefront. The Line is a salutary artistic response to this historic health crisis. It is an indication of the potentially vital new forms that playwrights and actors can create, even without stage or set, during a period of isolation.
LONDON - The British government vowed Friday to strengthen border measures after a record daily number of people crossed the English Channel to the U.K. in small boats.

At least 235 migrants in 17 boats landed or were picked up by British Coast Guard and Border Force boats on Thursday, surpassing last weeks record of 202 arrivals in one day.

One group on a beach in southeast England included a woman who appeared to be heavily pregnant.

Boats continued to arrive on Friday. In the major Channel port of Dover, children in life jackets, some too young to walk, were lifted out of Border Force boats and taken ashore in England.

Migrants have long used northern France as a launching point to reach Britain, either in trucks through the Channel tunnel or on ferries. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the U.K.s strong economy and need for farm and restaurant labour drew migrants from around the world who could speak some English.

Some have turned to small boats organized by smugglers because lockdowns have reduced opportunities to stow away on ferries and trucks. Fine summer weather is also prompting more people to make the risky sea crossing  about 20 miles (32 kilometres) at its narrowest point  in vessels as small as dinghies and kayaks.

Britains Conservative government has called on French officials to do more to force boats in the Channel back to France. They say France is a safe country and there is no reason migrants should travel from there to the U.K.

Just last month, British Home Secretary Priti Patel and French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin agreed to set up a French-British intelligence unit to crack down on what Patel called gangs behind vile people smuggling.

Treasury chief Rishi Sunak said Britains immigration minister will go to France next week for talks about further measures and stronger measures as required to stop and reduce the tide of boats coming.

I think people are absolutely right to be frustrated at the scenes theyre seeing. Im frustrated, everyone is, which is why weve been working much more closely with the French government in recent time to improve our co-operation and intelligence-sharing, Sunak told Sky News.

Sunak declined to comment on reports the U.K. could send Royal Navy ships to patrol the Channel. That has been suggested previously by British politicians.

Conservative lawmaker Natalie Elphicke, who represents Dover in Parliament, said all options need to be on the table.

What we must make sure is that boats are deployed not to bring people into this country but to return them to France, and for the French to do more to make sure that those boats dont leave in the first place, Elphicke said.

Bella Sankey of human rights charity Detention Action said many migrants had legitimate reasons to go to Britain, such as relatives in the country. She said the British government should offer safe and legal routes for them to come.

This would end the crossings overnight and ensure we are standing by our age-old tradition of protecting those seeking sanctuary on our shores, she said.

Trying to make this route unviable through greater enforcement is naive grandstanding and amounts to more of the same.
They've been gearing up for the return of the ITVBe show as it prepares to celebrate it's 10th anniversary in October.

And Amber Turner looked sensational as she joined Yazmin Oukhellou, 26, and their fellow TOWIE co-stars for another day of socially-distanced filming in Essex on Thursday.

The reality star, 27, showed off her toned abs and slender figure as she arrived in a black crop top and high-waist shorts.

Glamorous ladies: TOWIE's Amber Turner showcased off her toned abs in a black crop top as she joined a stylish Yazmin Oukhellou for socially-distanced filming in Essex on Thursday

Amber offset her ensemble by shrugging on a white blazer over her shoulders, and she boosted her statuesque figure in a pair of Yves Saint Laurent strap heels.

She kept her personal items in a black handbag, and opted to only wear minimal accessories so that all attention remained on her ensemble.

Amber's golden locks were styled into loose waves, and she used a light palette of make-up for the day's filming.

Fashionista: Amber offset her ensemble by shrugging on a white blazer over her shoulders, and she boosted her statuesque figure in a pair of Yves Saint Laurent strap heels

Stylish: Yazmin meanwhile put on a stylish display in a form-fitting olive green gown that showed off a glimpse of her cleavage and highlighted her pert posterior

Androgynous chic: Clelia Theodorou teamed a blue co-ord suit with a white crop top

Yazmin put on a stylish display in a form-fitting olive green gown that showed off a glimpse of her cleavage and highlighted her pert posterior.

She stepped out in a pair of perspex open-back heels, while she accessorised with a Louis Vuitton clutch bag.

Her luscious raven locks were brushed into loose waves that cascaded over her shoulders, and she wore glamorous make-up for the occasion.

Keeping their distance: Clelia and Nicole Bass made sure to stand far apart while they posed for photos upon their arrival at the venue

Attention to detail: Clelia accessorised with a white clutch bag and matching heels

Legs for days! Nicole wore a little black dress that put her slender legs on full display

Elegant: Nicole pulled her brunette locks into a half-back hair do for the occasion

As TOWIE celebrates its 10th birthday, it's been hinted that many of the show's former stars could return for a guest appearance, including Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger.

TOWIE halted filming in March and joined a long list of shows which have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Show bosses were hoping to continue with filming the new series which was due to begin production later that month.

However, according to The Sun, ITV decided to delay production on the reality show due to COVID-19, with the hope filming could resume later this year.

Finishing touches: Nicole completed her look by wearing a pair of open-black black heels

Casual chic: Georgia Kousoulou stepped out in a dark green playsuit

Glossy: Georgia's ombre tresses fell over her shoulders in glamorous waves

Sweet: Georgia was joined by her beau Tommy Mallett and the pair arrived holding hands

A source told the publication: 'There have been lengthy discussions with the cast, and it just wouldnt have worked without a busy social scene and going to clubs and their shops.

'So bosses have decided to wait until later in the year when the crisis has calmed down a bit. Its not worth the risk.

'TOWIE relies on signature set pieces and glossy events, set in glamorous locations around Essex and involves a big cast of regulars and extras. It's also all about friendships and relationships, so the social lives of our cast members are at the heart of the show.'

An ITV spokesperson said: 'After much consideration, it has been decided that the upcoming series of The Only Way Is Essex will be postponed until later in the year.'

Hunk: James Lock teamed a blue button-up shirt with light wash denim jeans

Fashionable: James completed his look by wearing a pair of white suede Chelsea boots

Chronicling 10 years of high drama, head turning glamour, rocky relationships, and the most outlandish characters that Essex has to offer, The TOWIE Years will relive the most unforgettable moments throughout the show that redefined reality TV.

Each episode of the 10-part series will look back on a year in the shows history, starting with 2010, the year the show first burst onto screens, as viewers revelled in the highs and lows of Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger's tempestuous relationship.

Taking viewers from the beginning right through to the present day, the series will remember the golden couples, the epic fall outs, the holiday high jinks, and the many turns of phrase and wardrobe choices that have become synonymous with the BAFTA award winning show.

Paul Mortimer, Head of Digital Channels & Acquisitions at ITV, said: 'In its decade on screens TOWIE has produced some of the most jaw dropping, talked about TV moments in reality TV history, and as we reach this milestone year for the show, what better opportunity to look back and remember everything thats made The Only Way Is Essex an unmissable ten years of TV.'

Comfy: Dan Edgar opted for a casual ensemble as he paired a long-sleeved black top with matching jeans and shoes

Dressed to impress: Bobby Norris tucked in a striped white shirt into a pair of black shorts
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Tests Negative For COVID-19 In Second Test

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has tested negative on a second COVID-19 test, just hours after announcing he had tested positive on Thursday, just before he was scheduled to greet President Donald Trump at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland.

As part of standard protocol, everyone who is scheduled to come into contact with the president is tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. DeWine and his wife Fran returned to Columbus to be tested.

However, DeWines official account announced on Twitter later that evening that a second test administered in Columbus had provided negative results. First Lady Fran DeWine and staff members have also all tested negative.

A PCR test was administered to the Governor and members of his staff this afternoon. The PCR test looks for the specific RNA for the SARS CoV-2 in other words, the genetic material specific for the virus that causes COVID-19, the announcement said. The PCR test is known to be extremely sensitive, as well as specific, for the virus. The PCR tests for the Governor, First Lady, and staff were run twice. They came back negative the first time and came back negative when they were run on a second diagnostic platform.

The same PCR test has been used over 1.6 million times in Ohio by hospitals and labs all over the state.

The test administered Thursday morning was an antigen test, the announcement stated, and represent a new technology to reduce the cost and improve the turnaround time for COVID-19 testing, but they are quite new.

We do not have much experience with antigen tests here in Ohio, the announcement continued. We will be working with the manufacturer to have a better understanding of how the discrepancy between these two tests could have occurred. Out of an abundance of caution, and at the direction of medical professionals, the Governor and First Lady plan on having another PCR test on Saturday. Results of these tests will also be released.

DeWine tweeted Thursday afternoon that he had no symptoms but would be following protocol and would remain in quarantine at his home for the next 14 days. Lt. Governor Jon Husted also took a test on Thursday as part of the protocol to greet the president. Husted tested negative.

Last week, GOP Rep. Louie Gohmert, tested positive for the virus shortly before he was scheduled to fly aboard Air Force One with Trump to Texas. Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt also announced he had tested positive last month, and while he did not have any other symptoms besides fatigue, he would follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on quarantining.
We have to lead the world. We should be the ones doing what we did during the Ebola crisis, bringing the whole world together and saying, This is what we must do. We have to have a common plan. All nations are affected the same way by this virus depending on exposure. And so this is  we need world leadership. We need international leadership. We need someone who knows how to bring the world together and insist on fundamental change in the way in which were approaching this.
Scores of hills dot the edges of many German cities, but these are not natural. They are known as Schuttberg, or debris hill.

Schuttbergs arose after the end of World War 2, and were created primarily from rubble generated by the destruction of German cities. Allied bombing during the six years of war laid to waste nearly every German city, town and village, destroying millions of homes, public buildings, schools, factories, as well as centuries-old cathedrals, mediaeval houses and other historic structures. It is estimated that the war produced over 400 million cubic meters of rubble that needed to be disposed before any reconstruction plan could be undertaken. This gave birth to rubble heaps, and nearly every city had one. But instead of letting them become an eye sore, the ingenious Germans planted them with greenery and integrated them into their urban landscape.

Berlin

Teufelsberg, with the abandoned NSAs listening post. Photo: immodium/Shutterstock.com

Berlin, being the capital of Nazi Germany, was subjected to heavy bombing. Over three hundred bombing raids were conducted upon Berlin by the British and the Americans, and together they made a third of the city unlivable. Half of all houses were damaged and as much as 16 square kilometers of the city was simply rubble. These gave rise to several Schuttbergs, such as Teufelsberg, Oderbruchkippe, Insulaner and Groer and Kleiner Bunkerberg.

The Teufelsberg is the largest of Berlins rubble hills, standing at 115 meters tall. It was built out of approximately 26 million cubic meters of rubble, dumped on top of the Nazi military-technical college (Wehrtechnische Fakultat) designed by Albert Speer. The college was still under construction when the war ended, and the Allies at first tried to blow it up using explosives. But the structure was too solid, and it was decided that covering it with debris was easier. During the Cold War, a listening post was constructed at the peak of Teufelsberg for use by the United States and its allies. The station continued to operate until the fall of East Germany and the Berlin Wall.

Photo: Christoph/Flickr

Related:

The Abandoned NSA Listening Station at Teufelsberg

Trummerfrauen: The Women Who Helped Rebuild Germany After World War 2

Augsburg

Augsburg was bombed twicein 1942 and again in 1944.

From the earliest times, Augsburg was militarily important due to its strategic location. During the Second World War, Augsburg had several military industries including a U-boat diesel engine factory and a Messerschmitt factory. These factories became the targets of Allied bombing. The first raid was not able to inflict much damage upon Augsburg, but the second raid in 1944 left 85,000 homeless, and nearly a quarter of all homes were destroyed. The rubble was transported to the north of the city, and dumped to create a 55-meter-tall mountain.

Augsburg garbage mountain. Photo: Neitram/Wikimedia Commons

Until the 1980s, the Augsburg-Nord landfill remained a neglected rubbish heap. But after an extensive renovation project, the Schuttberg was converted into recreational area hiking and a place to enjoy nature.

Cologne

The city of Cologne was also heavily hit by Allied bombers. More than half of all the citys houses and public buildings were totally destroyed, and nearly all of the others suffered partial damage. Only 300 houses had escaped unscathed.

As many as eleven rubble mountains were created in the Cologne city area, of which Herkulesberg (Mont Klamott) is the largest with a height of 25 meters above its surrounding.

Herkulesberg (center) between Colonius and KolnTurm at sunrise. Photo: Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia Commons

Munich

The hill Olympiaberg, around which the 1972 Summer Olympics were held, is also a rubble mountain. Another popular landmark in Munich is the 75-meter-tall Frottmaninger Berg, which was until the 1970s a landfill of war rubble. It was gradually renatured and converted into a local recreation area. Since 1999, its top has been crowned with the Frottmaning wind turbine, which can be seen from afar.

Olympiaberg. Photo: Andreas Thum/Wikimedia Commons

Luitpoldhugel. Photo: Oliver Raupach/Wikimedia Commons

In Luitpoldpark, a public park in the Schwabing-West borough of Munich, there is another rubble hill. In 1949, following the war, a cross was erected on top of the hill, with an inscription reading, "Pray for and remember all of those who died under the mountains of rubble".

Related: Monte Testaccio: The 2,000-year-old Garbage Dump in Rome

Stuttgart

Stuttgarts most prominent hill, and the highest point of the city, the Birkenkopf, was once a rubble mountain.

A huge rusty cross on the top of Birkenkopf. Photo: mezzotint/Shutterstock.com

During the war, nearly half of Stuttgart was destroyed by bombing. The city center was completely razed to the ground. Between 1953 and 1957, some 1.5 million cubic meters of rubble were cleared and moved to the hill, which raised the mountain by around 40 meters. The summit is still jagged with debris and there are many recognizable facades from ruined buildings. The locals call the Birkenkopf Monte Scherbelino, which means Mount Shards. One of the pieces of rubble has a plaque attached to it, which says: Dieser Berg nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg aufgeturmt aus den Trummern der Stadt steht den Opfern zum Gedachtnis den Lebenden zur Mahnung, which translates as: This mountain after World War II, piled up from the ruins of the city, stands as a memorial to the victims and a reminder to the living.

Ruins still visible at the top of Birkenkopf. Photo: Alhoger84/Shutterstock.com
Uyghur Model 'Disappears' After Risking Punishment With Video of His Detention

2020-08-06 -- A young Uyghur man who risked severe punishment to take a video of himself in detention in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and his aunt, who sent the video out of the country, have both "disappeared," according to the man's uncle.

On Tuesday, the BBC published a nearly five-minute video showing Merdan Ghappar, a 31-year-old Uyghur model for Chinese online retailer Taobao, shackled to a bed in filthy living conditions while political slogans are played over a loudspeaker outside his barred window.

The video, and several text messages Merdan sent, appears to show some of the best evidence yet of China's continuing policy of mass incarceration of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a vast network of internment camps in the XUAR. This contradicts a government narrative that all detainees have "graduated" from the facilities that officials refer to as "vocational schools." Up to 1.8 million people are believed to have been held in the camps since April 2017.

Merdan was initially held in a police jail with dozens of other detainees after being made to return from where he lived in Guangdong province's Foshan city to his ancestral home in Kuchar (in Chinese, Kuche) city, in the XUAR's Aksu (Akesu) prefecture, to "register" with authorities in January.

But 18 days after his detention, amid reports of an outbreak of the coronavirus in the region and with Merdan exhibiting signs of illness, he was moved to an individual cell, where restrictions were slightly looser and he was able to gain access to his phone amongst other personal items, which he used to take the video.

He sent the video to his aunt, Ayshemgul Ghappar, who then forwarded it to his Netherlands-based uncle, Abdulhakim Ghappar, in early March. Abdulhakim said he and Merdan exchanged text messages relayed by Ayshemgul over the course of several days, discussing his situation in detention before all communication suddenly ceased with his nephew and sister.

"We exchanged messages for a week  [and for the last time] around March 9 or 10, I can't remember exactly," he said.

"He sent me a message and then he and my sister were just gone. I've heard nothing from my sister since."

Abdulhakim said that while it was unclear what happened to the pair, guards at the facility where Merdan was being held "undoubtedly took his phone away."

"It seems clear that he got in even worse trouble after sending the videoI think this is why he disappeared," he said.

Attempts to contact Chinese government officials to confirm the whereabouts of Merdan and Ayshemgul, as well as the reason Merdan was placed in detention, have gone unanswered.

Taobao, the online retailer that had hired Merdan as a model, no longer has any record of him on its website, while any mention of him has been scrubbed from Baidu, China's most popular search engine.

Conditions in detention

Abdulhakim told RFA he initially posted Merdan's video on Facebook in March but removed it as the BBC proceeded with an investigation of his nephew's case.

The British broadcaster published it Tuesday along with texts Merdan sent detailing his experience in the police jail, which he said included being hooded and shackled on both his hands and feet, held in a 50-square-meter cell with 50-60 others, and regularly hearing screams coming from a nearby interrogation room.

In the video, taken after he was moved to solitary confinement, Merdan records himself shackled by his left wrist to a bedthe only furniture in the roomwhile a prerecorded message in Mandarin Chinese and Uyghur denouncing "separatism" blares from a loudspeaker outside of his window. He appears to be wearing dirty clothes and seems noticeably anxious.

Merdan also sent a photo of a communique he said he found on the floor of one of the facility's bathrooms, calling on Uyghur children as young as 13 to "repent and surrender" to authorities for acts of "religious extremism."

Since their last communication in March, Abdulhakim said a Han Chinese friend of his nephew's traveled to Kuchar to find him, but authorities "went to great lengths to stop her  after they knew she'd come for Merdan."

He said the young woman was able to enter a police station where Merdan is believed to be held but was treated rudely and told by officers that they had no responsibility to inform her about his case.

"They didn't dispute that he was being held there, they only said that they wouldn't tell her anything," Abdulhakim said.

Beijing describes its three-year-old network of camps as voluntary "vocational centers," but reporting by RFA and other media outlets shows that detainees are mostly held against their will in poor conditions, where they are forced to endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination.

Evidence of Merdan's detention and other reporting by RFA challenges claims made in early December by Shohrat Zakir, Xinjiang's Uyghur governor, that people at the centers had all "graduated" and are living happy lives. Zakir made the statement a week after U.S. Congress approved the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, which allows for sanctions against Chinese officials deemed responsible for abuses in the XUAR and has since been signed into law.

Last week, the Trump administration sanctioned the quasi-military Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp (XPCC) and two of its current and former officials over rights violations in the XUAR.

The move followed similar sanctions in July against several top Chinese officials, including regional party secretary Chen Quanguo, marking the first time Washington targeted a member of China's powerful Politburo.

Successful but not immune

Merdan's case also shows that even Uyghurs who live their lives according to the Chinese government's expectations of their ethnic group are not immune to persecution by authorities.

Merdan graduated from the dance program at the Xinjiang Arts Institute in Urumqi in 2007 and was invited to work for a company in Beijing before being "discovered" by an online clothing retailer, which hired him to be a model and relocated him to Guangdong's Guangzhou city. He later began modeling for other companies as well, including Taobao, and was earning up to 10,000 yuan (U.S. $1,440) per day, according to his uncle.

However, Merdan soon found that even with his high-profile career and newfound wealth, he was still often treated as a second-class citizen by majority Han Chinese, who regularly discriminate against Uyghurs.

Merdan's employers told him not to identify himself by his ethnic group and instead claim he had European ancestry so that nobody would question him, which he agreed to do.

"He had to make a living, after all, and it's certainly hard to carve out a space for yourself among the nearly 1.5 billion people in China, so he went along with it," Abdulhakim.

Merdan kept his head down and worked hard, his uncle said, noting that "he's not really interested in religionhe's not very interested in politics, either."

At some point, he bought a large apartment for around 800,000 yuan (U.S. $115,000), although he was forced to register it in the name of a Han Chinese friend because he was told that, as a Uyghur, he couldn't do so in his own name, Abdulhakim said.

But despite his success, Merdan was arrested in August 2018 and sentenced to 16 months in prison for selling marijuana, a charge which his friends have denied.

It's unclear whether Merdan was guilty of the charges against him, but reports suggest that Uyghurs are more likely to face conviction in China's judicial system than Han Chinese, and those who have served prison sentences are also seemingly at higher risk of later detention in the camp system.

Upon his release from prison in November, Merdan tried to resume work, but two months later "some Uyghur police officers [from Xinjiang] showed up along with local police" who "said they were taking him back" to the region, where he was detained on his return.

"Ultimately, I see the fact that he's Uyghur as the primary reason for his detention," Abdulhakim told RFA.

"When he went to Guangzhou, his agent told him not to openly advertise that he was Uyghur in his business dealings," he added.

"People in China think like this: if you're Uyghur or from Xinjiang, it doesn't matter how talented you are, you can't be successful. So those were the grounds for his modeling career."

Reported by Nur Iman for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

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 August 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.

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Next week, two Michigan authors will participate in a literary event in support of the legacy of renowned poet Theodore Roethke. On Tuesday, Aug. 11 Jeff Vande Zande of Midland will read from his newest book, The Neighborhood Division: Stories as part of a virtual summer speaker series hosted by the Friends of Theodore Roethke (FOTR). Vande Zande will be joined by Ken Meisel of Detroit who will read from his book, Our Common Souls: New & Selected Poems of Detroit.

As a poet, I'm really drawn to Roethke's connection to nature. His growing up in the shadow of those greenhouses really informed him/his sensibilities, Vande Zande said. I'd almost argue that without Saginaw, you wouldn't have Roethke...not the poetry that he's so well-known for.

Roethke, born May 25, 1908 in Saginaw, was an acclaimed poet, winning two National Book Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, among others. He died in 1963 and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Saginaw, but his childhood home at 1805 Gratiot Ave. in Saginaw became the Theodore Roethke Museum. The stone house next door was home to his uncle and is currently being restored after falling into disrepair.

Vande Zande first became acquainted with FOTR when he was writing American Poet, which features the Roethke house. He was even able to spend a night in the house and write a bit on the second floor screened in porch where Roethke sometimes wrote.

I didn't realize just how much of his poetry he wrote in that house. I mean, many of the poems from his groundbreaking book, The Lost Son were written in that house, Vande Zande said.

Before the pandemic hit, Vande Zande had planned to have a book launch for The Neighborhood Division: Stories at the Roethke house. The event was cancelled, but Vande Zande leapt at the chance to be a part of FOTRs summer speaker series to raise awareness of the house as well as promote local authors.

The fact that you can go to the Roethke House and stand in the kitchen in which the poem My Papa's Waltz takes place... well, it's like standing in the middle of a poem. So, I want to do what I can to bring awareness to their mission, Vande Zande said.

Registration is required prior to the event and can be conducted at www.friendsofroethke.org/blog. FOTR requests $5, which will help the renovation of the stone house. A Zoom link will be provided to all registrants before the start of the event.

If you have questions or issues while registering for the event, or to learn more about the Theodore Roethke Museum, call 989-928-0430, email info@friendsofroethke.org, or visit www.friendsofroethke.org.

Both The Neighborhood Division: Stories and Our Common Souls: New & Selected Poems of Detroit are available for purchase on Amazon.
In this file photo, singers from the Moranbong band perform in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Authorities in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have publicly executed six people, including four party officials, for their involvement in a prostitution ring that sold sex with female students of prestigious performing arts universities, sources in the country told RFA.

The six were executed by firing squad on July 20 in Pyongyang. They were accused of buying sex or pimping in a network of paid trysts between officials and students at a high-end public bathhouse patronized by the citys elites, the sources said.

According to one source, the execution order may have been given by leader Kim Jong Un, a supporter of the arts and the two universities from which the women were procured.

I was at the scene of the public execution and saw four Pyongyang party officials and two pimps being executed for organized prostitution, an official of the Pyongyang municipal judicial agency told RFA Thursday.

This particular case involved long-term organized prostitution for officials, using [private] karaoke rooms at Munsuwon, located in Tongdaewon district, the source said.

The source said that many more people were implicated than just the six who were publicly executed in Pyongyangs Ryongsong district on July 20.

Many people, especially party officials and policymakers in Pyongyang are involved in this case, the source said.

The head of Munsuwon and even famous movie stars conspired to arrange sexual encounters with the Central Committee and other [Korean Workers] Party officials, offering female students in their 20s a side job with guaranteed pay of more than [U.S.] $500 per month, said the source.

The women involved are college students in their early to mid-20s attending the Pyongyang University of Music and Dance, or the Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts, the source said.

Kim Jong Un said to be angered

The prostitution ring was exposed when several students were shocked after learning what their jobs entailed and went to the police, the source said.

When the female college students received money without knowing what it was for, and were then forced to have sex, they reported it to law enforcement authorities, the source said.

They arrested and investigated those involved in prostitution. It was reported to the Highest Dignity because of the severity of the case, the source said, using an honorific term to refer to Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Un, who was enraged by the students at his favorite schools becoming involved in the sex trade, appears to have ordered the execution by shooting, the source said.

While prostitution is illegal in North Korea, it is generally tolerated, but with occasional crackdowns through which authorities can extract bribes from those caught in the act. According to North Korean law, prostitution carries a sentence of one to five years of hard labor.

There have been many cases of prostitution in Pyongyang recently, but no one has been shot to death over it, the source said.

It seems to be that because central officials and college students are involved, the authorities wanted to make an example through the public execution.

A second source, a resident of Pyongyang who requested anonymity for security reasons, confirmed the executions, saying many Pyongyang citizens were in attendance.

Public bathhouses in major cities, including Munsuwon in Pyongyang, are used as a base for crimes like prostitution and drugs, the second source said.

High-end bathhouses like Munsuwon, or Eundeokwon in the provinces, are particular in that the crimes [involve] high-ranking officials and the rich, said the second source.

Warning to officials

The second source said that the public execution was a warning to officials who abuse their rank.

Corruption and moral debauchery among the central and municipal officials has gone too far in recent years, the source said, adding, Thats why the authorities [are stoking] alarm in the officials through this case, the second source said.

Although the case seems to have been concluded by the public shooting of sex traffickers this time, investigations by law enforcement continue to reveal college students becoming involved in sex trafficking crimes, said the second source.

As the authorities continue to investigate female students at colleges in Pyongyang, it is hard to know what the aftermath of this particular case will be or how far it will go.

Public execution is relatively common in North Korea.

The Transnational Justice Working Group (TJWG), a South Korea-based NGO, in a 2019 report identified 318 sites in North Korea where public executions had occurred, based on interviews with 610 refugees that had escaped to South Korea.

About 83 percent said they had seen an execution and 53 percent said authorities on at least one occasion forced them to watch, sometimes with crowds numbering in the thousands.

According to the report, Offenses ranged from murder or attempted murder, stealing copper, human trafficking, stealing cows and other forms of property, and economic crimes.

Reported by Sewon Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration will soon initiate 'direct dialogue' with the people to end the situation of uncertainty and the menace of terrorism, the union territory's new Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said on Friday soon after being sworn in.

IMAGE: Manoj Sinha takes oath as the new Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, in Srinagar. Photograph: PTI Photo

The 61-year-old, who was administered the oath of office by Jammu and Kashmir high Ccourt Chief Justice Gita Mittal at a simple function in the Raj Bhavan, also said he wants to accelerate development in the union territory, carved out of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir last year.

"August 5 is a very important day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. After years of isolation, Jammu and Kashmir joined the national mainstream. I have been told that many works which could not be completed in years have been completed in the past one year," Sinha told reporters after taking oath.

"I want to accelerate that development," he added.

On August 5, 2019, Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 was revoked and the state bifurcated into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Outlining his priorities, Sinha pitched for peace and stability and said the powers of the Constitution will be used for the betterment of the people and the development of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We need to establish a dialogue with the common people of Jammu and Kashmir. We don't have any agenda in that. There will be no discrimination against anyone. Constitution will be Gita in that," he said.

Sinha said the process of direct dialogue with the people will start in a few days.

"There should be peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation of uncertainty should end, terrorism should end. Achieving all this along with accelerated development will be our aim, our mission," the lieutenant governor said.

Less than 150 people were invited for the swearing-in ceremony.

Social distancing norms were observed with all invitees seated away from each other and everyone wearing masks in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sinha and the chief justice briefly took off their masks for the oath-taking.

Sinha succeeds former IAS officer Girish Chandra Murmu, who resigned on Wednesday night and was appointed Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Thursday.

The National Conference stayed away from the ceremony for which both Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were invited.

The National Conference has said the process of democracy should begin by releasing their detained leaders as well as former chief minister and People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti.

"On August 5, we were not allowed to meet. Two days later, we are asked to participate in the oath taking ceremony," an NC leader said.

Advisors to the previous lieutenant governor, including Farooq Khan and Baseer Khan, as well as senior bureaucrats and policemen were present at the function in the Raj Bhavan, at the foothills of the Zaberwan range.

Rajya Sabha member Nazir Ahmed Laway, Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha member Jugal Kishore Sharma and Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party leader Ghulam Hasan Mir were also present.

Sinha, who is known for his connect with people, particularly in rural areas, will have to tackle several pressing issues.

He will have to work towards ending factionalism within the bureaucracy in the union territory, with some senior IAS officers recently found to be publicly indulging in verbal spats.

He will also have to focus his attention on the state intelligence department, which has of late failed to anticipate events.

In the last three days, a panchayat member and a sarpanch have been attacked in south Kashmir's Kulgam district in two separate incidents.

Known in some circles as 'vikas purush' (development man), Sinha is a three-time Lok Sabha MP who was minister of state for communication in 2016 when the telecom industry was engaged in the sale of spectrum.

He was elected to the lower house for the first time in 1996 and then in 1999 and 2014.

However, he lost the election from Ghazipur in 2019.

A B Tech in civil engineering from the Institute of Technology (now known as IIT-BHU), Sinha has been credited with overcoming the menace of call dropping by holding widespread consultations with telecom operators.

Sinha, an agriculturist, is the first politician to be nominated LG of the union territory.

The Centre had earlier appointed Satya Pal Malik, a politician, as governor of the erstwhile state.

Sinha was a frontrunner for the post of Uttar Pradesh chief minister after the party walked away with 265 seats in the 403-member assembly in 2017.

Born in Mohanpura in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur district, he began his political career after being elected president of the Banaras Hindu University Students' Union in 1982.
New York, Aug 7 : Citing India's ban on the Chinese app TikTok, US President Donald Trump has ordered American companies to stop business dealings with it from September 20, effectively cutting off its lifeblood in the country.

The executive order late Thursday night came as Microsoft was in negotiations with ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, to buy its operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

By setting a deadline, the order puts pressure to speed up a possible transaction. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had spoken to Trump on Sunday about his company's interest in buying TikTok and Trump had approved it.

There are about 30 million TikTok users in the US.

Trump issued a similar order targeting Tencent, which owns the messaging app, WeChat.

In his order justifying the action against TikTok, the President said: "The government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country; in a statement, India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they were 'stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India'." For legal and practical reasons in the US, Trump will not be able to enact an outright ban on the two popular Chinese apps like India had done.

Therefore, the ban on American businesses dealing with their parent companies would be used cripple them by stopping their ad revenue, even if people in the US continue to use them, and prevent Apple and Google from having those apps in their stores.

US officials have cited China's laws that require companies to provide information demanded by the Communist Party and the government as a security threat to Washington because of the vast trove of personal information of users the two companies have.

Moreover, they could be subject to Beijing's censorship.

In the order on WeChat, Trump also cited India banning the app.

China has banned US services like Google and media from being available in that country.

The US is also campaigning to stop countries buying 5G telecom equipment from Chinese manufacturer Huawei because of the security threats from having the gear control telecommunications and potentially have access to communications on the network.

US officials have praised Indian telecom giant Jio for vowing to not use Huawei equipment.

Trump's actions before the elections come as tensions with China spiral over trade, Beijing's aggressive actions around the world and the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in China.

There are also fears of China using the social media and messaging apps to influence elections.

Already, a group has claimed that it sabotaged a Trump campaign rally using TikTok by making fake bookings to attend it, depriving his supporters of seats at the meeting.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with the Head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas, the ministry told Trend.

During the meeting, Bayramov noted that Azerbaijan highly appreciates mutually beneficial partnership relations with the EU. The minister expressed satisfaction with the unequivocal position of the EU in support of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

The parties exchanged opinions on a number of issues on the agenda of EU-Azerbaijan cooperation, including strategic partnership in the energy sector, transport projects, solidarity and cooperation in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, and the continuation of negotiations over a comprehensive agreement that will form the legal basis of bilateral relations.

The minister informed the EU representative about the recent military provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district across the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, the goals of Armenia which it failed to achieve by the provocation and the aggressive policy of this country, which is the source of tension in the region.

It was emphasized that Azerbaijan is committed to the principle of resolving the conflict through negotiations, and that the negotiations should be real and substantive rather than being their imitation.

Noting the inadmissibility of demonstrating an equal approach to the occupant country of Armenia and Azerbaijan, whose territories have been occupied, the minister stressed the need to withdraw the occupation forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and return the Azerbaijani internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homeland as required by the UN Security Council resolutions.

Touching upon the issue of the escalation at the border, Jankauskas referred to the statement of the representative of the European External Action Service, and noted that the statement urges refraining from steps that could increase tensions in the region.

He stressed that EU Special Representative for the South Caucasusis closely following the situation and that the EU is interested in ensuring peace and security in the region.

The parties also exchanged opinions on other issues of mutual interest.
Two police personnel were suspended for assaulting and disrespecting Sikh men in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh. The matter came to light after Union Minister for Food Processing and Industries Harsimrat Kaur tweeted the video of the incident.

Beastly attack on Giani Prem Singh Granthi & other Sikhs in MP is an outrage against humanity. Utterly reprehensible & unacceptable!#Sikhs all over the world are deeply shocked. I urge CM @ChouhanShivraj to take imm & examplary action against all those guilty of this brutality. pic.twitter.com/e3N2M8tJty Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) August 7, 2020

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in a tweet that Assistant Sub Inspector Sitaram Yadav and Head Constable Mohan Jamre have been suspended with immediate effect for assaulting the men.

I am pained to learn about the barbaric incident of Barwani. Such barbarism and erratic behaviour wont be tolerated at any cost. The guilty will be punished for the misdeeds, he said.

Chouhan has ordered a probe by the Indore DIG Police.

MP Congress chief Kamal Nath also tweeted about the issue.

In MPs Barwani, police beat up a Sikh man Prem Singh Granthi, who runs a small shop close to police chowki and also removed his turban. Police also beat him up mercilessly pulling him by hair, he said.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal took to Twitter to condemn the incident.

"Too shocking for words! The barbaric & humiliating attack on Giani Prem Singh Granthi & other Sikhs in Madhya Pradesh is utterly inhuman & unacceptable. I urge CM@ChouhanShivraj to set an example of punitive action against

those who treat the sword of the nation with such contempt," Badal tweeted.

Barwani district Superintendent of Police Nimish Agrawal said a probe by a sub-divisional officer police has been ordered into the incident, which took place on Thursday.

The incident took place in Rajpur tehsil of Barwani district after an argument between the family of Prem Singh - who was among those assaulted - and the police over setting up a stall in the area.

A viral video of the incident shows Prem Singh being dragged by policemen in full public view and a cop pulling him by his hair. It also shows another policeman push a turbaned man, who comes to save Singh.

Prem Singh said he runs a small shop close to the police 'chowki' and deals in old locks and keys. But the police claimed he was inebriated and created ruckus when he was asked to show his driving licence during a checking drive.

(With inputs from PTI)
Spontaneous mutations of a single gene are likely to cause serious developmental disorders of the excretory organs and genitalia. This is shown in an international study led by the University of Bonn and published in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. The researchers also owe their findings to an unusual model organism: the zebrafish.

One in 10,000 newborns is born with malformations of the bladder, intestines or genitals. These symptoms are part of the so-called bladder exstrophy epispadias complex, abbreviated BEEC. Since the disorder tends to run in families, it is assumed to have a genetic cause. However, up to now there has been disagreement as to exactly which genetic material is affected or whether there are even several genes involved.

The recently published study sheds light on this issue. Four years ago, researchers led by Prof. Dr. Heiko Reutter from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Bonn discovered a gene that is abnormal in sick children. The gene bears the cryptic abbreviation SLC20A1. "We have now taken a closer look at its function," explains Magdalena Rieke, who is completing her doctorate under Prof. Reutter.

The researcher also benefited from the expertise of a university working group that only marginally deals with congenital malformations: Prof. Dr. Benjamin Odermatt researches the cause of neurological diseases at the Section of Neuroanatomy. The zebrafish serves as a model organism. Not only because it can be easily kept in an appropriate habitat and reproduces quickly: Many of its genes are also found in a very similar form in humans.

Zebrafish as genetic model

This also includes SLC20A1. "We used an active substance in the animals to prevent the gene from being translated into proteins," explains Rieke. "As a result, the growing larvae showed disrupted development of their excretory organs. This indicates that SLC20A1 really does appear to play a central role in the correct formation of these organs, and has done so for many millions of years." The researchers were furthermore able to show that the gene is also active in human embryos, particularly in structures involved in the formation of the excretory organs and genitalia.

In human patients, the researchers found three different mutations of SLC20A1. These anomalies often occur spontaneously. Therefore, even children whose parents are completely healthy may be affected. Rieke and her colleagues were able to demonstrate the effect of one of these mutations in human cell cultures: It interferes with the controlled degradation of cells, the "programmed cell death", a very important step in tissue remodeling.

During embryonic development, not only are masses of new cells produced, but some are also deliberately destroyed. This is for instance how the opening of the intestine to the outside, the anus, is created. Researchers refer to the process of programmed cell death as apoptosis. "This association might explain why mutations in SLC20A1 can cause such severe developmental disorders," speculates Rieke.

Impaired protein folding

SLC20A1 contains the building instructions of a protein that is located in the cell membrane, the fat-like envelope that surrounds the cells. This protein resembles a long worm that has arranged its body in numerous tight loops that repeatedly run from the outside of the membrane to the inside and back. Computer models suggest that at least one of the mutations discovered prevents correct folding. This is thought to severely disrupt protein function, and thus also the activation of apoptosis.

It is not yet possible to derive immediate insights for the treatment of BEEC directly from the results. "However, it is essential that we gain a better understanding of the disease mechanism for any possible prevention or therapy," stresses Rieke, who herself works as an assistant doctor in the field of pediatric and adolescent medicine. In addition to various working groups from Bonn and Germany, research institutions from Sweden, Great Britain, Italy, India and the Netherlands were also involved in the study. It is thus also an example of successful international cooperation.

###

Publication: Johanna Magdalena Rieke and others: SLC20A1 is involved in urinary tract and urorectal development. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00567

Contact:

Magdalena Rieke and Prof. Dr. Heiko Reutter

Institut fur Humangenetik, Universitatsklinikum Bonn

Tel. +49(0)-228-6885419

E-mail: magdalena.rieke@ukbonn.de,reutter@uni-bonn.de

Prof. Dr. Benjamin Odermatt

Institut fur Anatomie, Universitat Bonn

Tel. +49(0)-228-739021

E-mail: b.odermatt@uni-bonn.de
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler reacts after being exposed to tear gas fired by federal officers while attending a violent demonstration in Portland, Ore., on July 22, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Riot Takes Place in Portland Hours After Mayor Says Rioters Are Attempting Murder

Rioters in Portland on Thursday tried setting a police precinct on fire for the second consecutive night, just hours after Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler accused them of attempted murder.

Wheeler, a Democrat, held a press conference and gave his most forceful condemnation of the nightly violence, which has continued nearly nonstop since late May.

When you commit arson with an accelerant in an attempt to burn down a building that is occupied by people that you have intentionally trapped inside, you are not demonstrating, you are attempting to commit murder, Wheeler said.

Rioters blocked the primary entrance and exit to the Portland Police Bureaus East Precinct on Wednesday night and tried setting the building on fire.

Citing a briefing he received from police and fire officials, Wheeler said people could have died.

I believe that city staff could have died last night. I cannot and I will not tolerate that. This is not peaceful protest. This is not advocacy to advance reforms or transform any system, the mayor told reporters.

Last nights violence by rioters at our east precinct was incomprehensible. We have people who are intentionally planning to go out and attack precincts, trap people inside, set fires to these buildings, Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell added.

In this still image from video, a rioter uses a hammer to break glass front doors at the Portland Police Bureaus East Precinct, in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 5, 2020. (Portland Police Bureau)

Rioters are coordinating and planning the attacks ahead of time, according to officials.

The Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation, a radical group linked to the far-left Antifa network, organized at least one of the riots this week. The group is pushing for the abolition of the police department and the prison system.

Rioters are prone to chanting out Black Lives Matter but officials say they are not affiliated with the movement.

Approximately 20 police officers were inside the bureaus East Precinct on Wednesday, along with civilian staffers. The building is connected to townhomes, putting others at risk if it goes up in flames. Within seven minutes of arriving, rioters ripped protective boards from the precinct, used them to jam the front doors, and made a pile that they added accelerant to before ignition. At the same time, others shined lasers at surveillance cameras so officers couldnt see what was happening.

Lt. Damon Simmons with Portland Fire & Rescue said rioters were using fire as a weapon, which could prove deadly.

Eight people were arrested for criminal activity, including one from Minnesota and one from Kentucky.

Portland Police Sgt. Brent Maxey told reporters in a separate press conference on Thursday that he was one of three officers inside the Justice Center, a county building, on June 29. He recounted how 150 to 200 rioters showed up and told officers directly they planned on killing them and burning the building down.

They were tearing pieces of plywood off to expose the windows  It got to the point where they were throwing burning material into the lobby through gaps in the windows and blowing marijuana smoke. It was almost like a scene out of a horror movie. It was really unnerving, he said.

Demonstrators raise their hands up in solidarity at Multnomah County Justice Center in Portland, Ore., on July 17, 2020. (Mason Trinca/Getty Images)

Just hours later, rioters gathered at the East Precinct on Thursday night and began to spray paint and dismantle surveillance cameras.

When two elderly women from the community tried stopping them, the group dumped an unknown white liquid, believed to be paint, on them.

The group soon lit a garbage can on fire and pushed it against the front of the building. One of the women tried extinguishing the flames but was blocked by several black-clad demonstrators.

Portland police officers declared an unlawful assembly around 10 p.m. and dispersed the crowd with the help of Oregon state troopers, who are helping deal with the continued unrest in a deal reached late last month.

As officers dispersed the crowd, they were hit with projectiles including glass bottles and heavy rocks. Several people with press affixed to their persons joined others in hurling projectiles. Rioters deployed a new weapon, large rebar ties, which damaged the tires of several police vehicles.

Rebar ties, left, were deployed during rioting in Portland, Ore., overnight Aug. 6, 2020. On right is a tire punctured by the ties. (Portland Police Bureau)

Pushed into nearby neighborhoods, the group at one point went back to a residential home they visited the previous evening and harassed a woman there. Her neighbors emerged with weapons and told the rioters to leave.

A dozen adults were arrested, including a Kentucky man and a Pennsylvania resident, for charges including riot, disorderly conduct, and interfering with a police officer. A juvenile was also detained.

Wheeler, the mayor and police commissioner, has struggled to put forth a plan to quell the violence. Hes promoted a mix of appeasement and de-escalation that he said was working until federal officers arrived in larger numbers in early July to protect a federal courthouse.

Since the agreement between the state and federal officials in July, rioters have turned their attention to other buildings, primarily local and county law enforcement facilities.

Wheeler took more of a hardline stance on Thursday.

Portland police officers pursue a crowd of about 200 after forcing the group to disperse from a law enforcement precinct in Portland, Ore., late Aug. 1, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

This is criminal activity. Its serious. Lives are at stake, and Im authorizing the Portland Police Bureau and our affiliated agencies at Multnomah County and the state of Oregon to do whatever is necessary to safely hold those people accountable who are engaged in criminal activity and bring these nightly activities to a close, he said.

The city will work with prosecutors and the courts to try to make sure people committing crimes are convicted, Wheeler said.

Another new angle was urging people who want to protest non-violently to stay away from the rioting.

If you are a nonviolent demonstrator, and you are demonstrating for racial justice and equity and police reform, you dont want to be part of this, you dont want to show up, Wheeler said.

He also admonished criminals, telling them that video footage of the rioting will be used in ads nationally to help Donald Trump during his campaign.

Other officials also appealed to people who keep joining the mayhem.

If you are involved in this, please stop, Simmons said. If you are around someone who is involved in this, please ask them to stop.
You had to be in Ayodhya this week, as I was, to understand the enormous political vindication the bhoomi pujan ceremony for the Ram Mandir affords the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The decision to build a temple and provide an alternative site for the Babri masjid may have been one delivered by the court, but for the party and its followers, the labour was entirely that of the Narendra Modi government. While the streets were dressed up in hues of saffron  balloons, festoons, flags  the dominant visual was that of Prime Minister (PM) Modi. He literally towered over the town with hoardings and posters on every street lamp. The day had spiritual resonance for millions of devotees. But, without needing any obvious iteration, the political messaging was unmissable. The cult of Modi was stronger than ever before.

Liberals and progressives lamented the triumphalism, the capture of the mainstream media space by hours of unquestioning wallpaper coverage and by the abject neglect of the other big story  the one-year anniversary of the effective nullification of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

But the inconvenient truth is this: From Kashmir to Ayodhya, it wasnt just the BJPs political supremacy that was on display; so also was the abject failure of alternative politics. Most of the other political players, led by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, spluttered to say Me Too on the mandir, in one form or the other. There were subtle differences in articulation. Some such as Rahul Gandhi chose to tweet about what lord Ram stood for. But mostly, the Congress, whose PM Rajiv Gandhi first unlocked the gates at the Ayodhya site, desperately wanted a slice of the pie. On J&K, save a few individual politicians (P Chidambaram among them), there was hardly any meaningful or noticeable alternative commentary. In effect, whether Ayodhya or Kashmir, the day underlined the BJPs total capture of the dominant political narrative.

Opposition parties privately complain that no response from them is deemed good enough. If they object to developments in J&K, they are called anti-national. If they play along, they are termed pale imitations. If they act Nehruvian, they are called textbook secularists; if they support religious symbolism, they are called pseudo-liberals.

They need to get over this whining and whingeing. Their real failure is two-fold: The absence of a powerful personality who can take on Modi and the absence of a unique and compelling story to tell. You cant define yourself either in shades of what you are contesting or entirely in antithesis to it. By doing so, what you reveal is that you have nothing to say for yourself. Or that you are unsure of your messaging.

Indias ideological Left may have been purer or more committed than the chameleon colours of the Congress. But when it comes to elections and politics, that is not especially effective either. Most progressives expend all their venom attacking people they dont see as angry enough or Left enough, instead of channelling that same energy into finding a new lexicon of constitutional liberalism. Ironically, the Right-wing attacks the same individuals the Left-wing does, amounting to a zero-sum game.

By now, we know that nothing that the Modi government does is an innocuous coincidence. It is no accident that the temple bhoomi pujan was chosen for the very same day that J&K lost its special status within the Indian Union. It was the BJP signalling that two of its key ideological commitments had not just been fulfilled, but that there is widespread political support for them.

Even in Kashmir, where the detention of mainstream politicians has been arguably the most indefensible decision of the administration, parties were unable to drum up mass support or even an outpouring of local anger. The marginalisation of the mainstream is dangerous in my view, apart from being wrong in principle, but that does not diminish the hard truth  the BJP has not had to pay any political cost for it so far.

An idea you disagree with has to be fought with a better idea. A message you abhor has to be trumped with a more powerful one. An ideology you reject has to be contested with one that is more imaginative in expression. You cannot hurl textbook principles of right and wrong in the age of fake news, WhatsApp campaigns and personality-centric cult politics. Elections are not a moral science class.

But Indias Opposition parties appear to be doing one of three things: Setting themselves up as a minor variant of the BJP, giving up already, or countering the new politics with instruments that are rusty and old.

All three approaches are destined to fail.

India needs a new Opposition.

Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author

The views expressed are personal

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Trumps order appears to formalise his threat to shut down TikTok unless Microsoft or some other American company buys it by September 15.

Its unclear whether the Presidents executive order bars Americans from using TikTok, and even if it does its not enforceable as users will continue using the app over a VPN. (Photo | AP)

New York: President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the US.

The twin executive orders issued Thursdayone for each apptake effect in 45 days. They say they are necessary because the China-owned apps threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and call on the Commerce Secretary to define the banned dealings by that time.

The apps cant be distributed in the US

While the wording of the orders is vague and appears to have been rushed out, some experts said it appears intended to bar the popular apps from the Apple and Google app stores, which could effectively remove them from distribution in the US.

This is an unprecedented use of presidential authority, Eurasia Group analyst Paul Triolo said in an email. At a minimum, he said, the orders appear to constitute a ban on the ability of US app stores run by Apple and Google to include either mobile app after 45 days.

Triolo said the orders may face legal challenges and warned that Beijing is likely to react harshly, at least rhetorically. Trumps orders cited legal authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act.

The action is the Trump administrations latest attempt to hobble China, a rising economic superpower. Over the past several years, it has waged a trade war with China, blocked mergers involving Chinese companies and stifled the business of Chinese firms like Huawei, a maker of phones and telecom equipment. China-backed hackers, meanwhile, have been blamed for data breaches of US federal databases and the credit agency Equifax, and the Chinese government strictly limits what US tech companies can do in China.

Election-year politics in the US are fanning the flames, as Trump appears to be using friction with China to drum up voter support.

There were bipartisan concerns over TikTok

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers share concerns about TikTok running from its vulnerability to censorship and misinformation campaigns to the safety of user data and childrens privacy. But the administration has provided no specific evidence that TikTok has made US users data available to the Chinese government. Instead, officials point to the hypothetical threat that lies in the Chinese governments ability to demand cooperation from Chinese companies.

Executive order appears to formalise deadline for TikTok US sale

Earlier in the week, Trump threatened a deadline of Sept. 15 to close down TikTok unless Microsoft or another company acquires it, a threat the new executive order appears to formalise. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an expansion of the US crackdown on Chinese technology to include barring Chinese apps from US app stores, citing alleged security threats and calling out TikTok and WeChat by name.

TikTok did not reply to queries. Tencent and Microsoft declined to comment.

The US thinking is that anything that is Chinese is suspect, said Andy Mok, a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. Theyre being targeted not because of what theyve done, but who they are.

TikTok, Facebook, Google all equally harvest user data

Leading mobile security experts say TikTok is no more intrusive in its harvesting of user data and monitoring of user activity than US apps owned by Facebook and Google.

I am the first to yell from the rooftops when there is a glaring privacy issue somewhere. But we just have not found anything we could call a smoking gun in TikTok, mobile security expert Will Strafach told The Associated Press last month after examining the app. Strafach is CEO of Guardian, which provides a firewall for Apple devices.

Trumps order cant stop app use with VPN

The order doesnt seem to ban Americans from using TikTok, said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame. She added that such an order would be nearly impossible to enforce in the first place.

If goal is to get teenagers to stop using TikTok, Im not sure an executive order will stop them, she said. Every teenager knows how to use a VPN (a virtual private network). They will just pretend they are in Canada.

And it would be difficult to prohibit people from using the apps if they already have them, even if an app-store ban went into effect, said Vanderbilt University law professor Timothy Meyer.

TikTok, known for its short, catchy videos, is widely popular among young people in the US and elsewhere. It is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, which operates a separate version for the Chinese market. TikTok insists it does not store US user information in China, instead caching it in the US and Singapore, and says it would not share it with the Chinese government.

TikTok has 50 million active users in the US

TikTok says it has 100 million US users and hundreds of millions globally. According to research firm App Annie, TikTok saw 50 million weekly active users in the US during the week of July 19, the latest available figure. Thats up 75% from the first week of the year.

WeChat and its sister app Weixin in China are hugely popular apps that incorporate messaging, financial transfers and an array of other services, and claim more than one billion users. Around the world, many people of Chinese descent use WeChat to stay in touch with friends and family and to conduct business in mainland China.

WeChat monitors foreign users to aid censorship in China

Within China, WeChat is censored and expected to adhere to content restrictions set by authorities. The Toronto-based Citizen Lab internet watchdog group has said WeChat monitors files and images shared abroad to aid its censorship in China.

The order against Tencent could have ramifications for users beyond WeChat, which is crucial for personal communications and organisations that do business with China. Tencent also owns parts or all of major game companies like Epic Games, publisher of Fortnite, a major video game hit, and Riot Games, which is behind League of Legends.

This is a pretty broad and pretty quick expansion of the technology Cold War between the US and China, said Steven Weber, faculty director for the Berkeley Center for Long Term Cybersecurity. Weber added that there is a plausible national security rationale for the orders.

As president, Trump has frequently taken the unusual step of provoking confrontations, often of a personal nature, with specific companies, both American and foreign.
Vijayawada: After nearly a seven-month gap, colleges across Andhra Pradesh will reopen on October 15. Announcing this, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy stated that all CET exams would be conducted in September.

At a review meeting on higher education on Thursday, he said recruitment of assistant professors in universities to fill vacant posts would also commence shortly.

The chief minister said, "It has been decided to reopen colleges on October 15 and soon thereafter, Vidya Deevena Vasathi Deevena funds will be given. All common entrance tests (CETs) should be completed by September."

He said that the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education should go up significantly given the fees reimbursement and Vasati Devena incentives. He wanted GER to go up from the present 32.4 percent to at least 90 percent considering the financial relief that is being provided.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said, "Three-year degree courses will have ten-month apprenticeships. Those who want to continue further will study the fourth year where skill development and job orientation courses will be introduced. The four-year course will be classified as degree (honours). Students should decide beforehand whether they wished to go for the three-year course of four-year Honours. In the four-year professional courses like B Tech, the ten-month apprenticeship is compulsory. Those students who secure 20 credits would be given an honours degree."

The Chief Minister said, "The education system should be changed and a good curriculum will have a better value. Previously no government has focused on higher education but we have to put in our best efforts. Stringent action should be taken against colleges guilty of flouting norms."

Giving the nod for filling up the 1,100 vacancies in universities for the posts of Assistant Professor, he said that government colleges should move towards self-sustenance. He said that the government has been spending Rs 6,000 cores under Nadu Nedu in revamping old medical colleges, which had poor maintenance during the previous governments rule. In those horrible days, surgeries were carried out under cell phone lights and rats bit infants and there was no answer as to why generators were not functioning. He said that Nadu Nedu should be implemented in colleges as well and asked the officials to prepare an action plan for the same.

The officials said that a cluster university will be coming up at Kurnool along with an Architecture University at Kadapa.

The Chief Minister asked the officials to start works on the tribal engineering college at Kurupam and to start universities at Prakasam and Vizianagaram districts besides a Tribal University at Paderu. He gave his nod for Telugu and Sanskrit academies.

Chairman of Higher Education Regulatory and Monitoring Commission, Justice Vangala Eshwaraiah, Education Special Chief Secretary Satish Chandra and others participated in the review meeting.
Donald Trump and Joe Biden will face each other in the election on November 3 - JIM WATSON,DOMINICK REUTER/AFP via Getty Images

US intelligence agencies have issued an update on election meddling which warns that Russia is seeking to undercut Joe Biden but China and Iran are trying to undermine Donald Trump.

The statement said that Moscow is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate Mr Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who is seen as part of the anti-Russia establishment.

But it also says that Beijing prefers that Mr Trump does not win reelection and sees him as unpredictable, while Tehran is opposing the president due to his hardline "pressure campaign" towards it.

The remarks were issued by William Evanina, director of the US National Counterintelligence and Security Centre, who is helping lead the American intelligence efforts against election meddling.

The 900-word statement, headlined Election threat update for the American people, spells out in detail how the three countries are attempting to influence the election.

The intervention is a sign of how the US intelligence agencies are attempting to get ahead of election interference after criticism that in the 2016 campaign the public was left in the dark about the extent of Russias meddling.

It also comes on the back of mounting criticism from leading Democratic political figures claiming there has been a lack of briefings about what is really being done by Americas foreign adversaries during this race.

"Our election should be our own. Foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections are a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy, Mr Evanina said.

Warning that foreign states will use covert and overt influence measures to sway US voters, Mr Evanina singled out three countries in particular - Russia, China and Iran.

We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former vice president Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia establishment, he said of the Kremlin.

Mr Evanina said the criticism was consistent with that which was targeted at Mr Biden when he was Barack Obamas vice president and supported Ukraine against Russia-backed fighters.

Story continues

He called out Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russia parliamentarian in Ukraine, for spreading claims about corruption about Mr Biden, picking him as an example of the anti-Biden campaign from Russia.

Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trumps candidacy on social media and Russian television, Mr Evanina said.

On China, Mr Evanina said: We assess that China prefers that President Trump - whom Beijing sees as unpredictable - does not win reelection.

He said that Beijing has been expanding its influence to shape policy in the US ahead of the November 3 election and has harshly criticised recent Trump administration moves on Tik Tok, Hong Kong and 5G networks.

Beijing recognises that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race, Mr Evanina said.

On Iran, Mr Evanina said: We assess that Iran seeks to undermine US democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections.

Irans efforts along these lines probably will focus on on-line influence, such as spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-US content.

Tehrans motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trumps reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change.

The information given is only what can be shared in an unclassified setting, Mr Evanina noted at one point, which could mean there is more covert meddling activity from the countries.

The decision to go public with the claims shows the degree to which the US administration is concerned by the threat posed by foreign meddling in the election, now less than 100 days away.

Mr Evanina said that as well as influencing voters foreign powers could seek to compromise our election infrastructure by interfering in the voting process, such as stealing sensitive data, though he said such moves would be difficult to do at scale.
DUBAI  Dubai-based independent hotel management company, Aleph Hospitality, took over the management of the Ramada by Wyndham Addis, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia earlier this year.

Due to the Cornoavirus outbreak, which followed soon after takeover, the hotel was partially closed but fully re-opened on 22 June, 2020.

In support of Aleph Hospitalitys brand values and the companys count on us to put safety first campaign  featuring best in class health and hygiene protocols in line with the guidelines and regulations of the World Health Organization and local health authorities  the hotel has re-opened with a complete set of measures to protect the safety and wellbeing of its guests.

Since the management takeover, Aleph Hospitality has been looking at ways to enhance the hotel experience for guests and to optimise the propertys revenues with the addition of new facilities, including an extension of the gym, a new executive lounge, meeting room and a spa, set to open in October 2020.

The hotel, which has been operating since 2016 on Bole Road just minutes from the citys international airport, becomes Aleph Hospitalitys second property in Addis Ababa, following the companys takeover of the 115-key independently-branded Getfam Hotel in July 2018.

Bani Haddad, Managing Director of Aleph Hospitality, said: Were honoured to have been awarded the management contract for the highly-regarded Ramada by Wyndham Addis, adding to our portfolio in Ethiopia as the worlds largest growing tourism economy. The sector grew by 48.6% in 2018, according to the latest data from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and now represents 9.4% of Ethiopias total economy. Through our world-class systems and dedicated management support, as part of our third-party management model, we look forward to working with owners ADM Business PLC and to capitalising on this growth, which we are confident will deliver superior results for the owner in these challenging times.

Adugna Bekele, owner of the Ramada by Wyndham Addis, said: Addis Ababa is a truly cosmopolitan destination. Our hotel is in a superb location in the city centre and we offer warm, contemporary rooms and a choice of great restaurants. Now, with Aleph Hospitality as our trusted partner, Im looking forward to both increasing the satisfaction of our valued guests and to boosting the profitability of our business for the long-term.

The Ramada by Wyndham Addis features 136 rooms and executive suites, many with stunning panoramic views of the city. The hotel offers three meeting rooms and five food and beverage outlets, including a Brazilian churrascaria, Fogo no Chao, the first restaurant of its kind in Addis Ababa, located on the rooftop and offering rotisserie-prepared beef, lamb and poultry. There is also an all-day dining restaurant called The Chefs Club, plus Konnect Lobby Lounge and Bar, Fogo Lounge and Bar and Oak Bar, which features an outdoor terrace.

Makeda Abraham has been appointed as General Manager of the Ramada by Wyndham Addis Ababa, bringing with her close to 20 years experience in international hotel operations. A German national of Ethiopian origin, Abraham completed her hotel management degree in the UK.

Haddad commented: Makeda Abraham becomes the first female General Manager of Aleph Hospitality in Africa, , a true milestone of which we are very proud. Her professionalism and experience coupled with boundless energy and determination will ensure the team at Ramada by Wyndham Addis Ababa continues to grow from strength to strength.

Aleph Hospitality currently operates five hotels in Africa including the new Ramada by Wyndham and the Getfam Hotel in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, the Best Western Plus Westlands hotel in Nairobi, Kenya and the Moja Tuu and Hakuna Majiwe resorts in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Management agreements for an additional five properties have been signed and are under construction including Protea Hotel by Marriott Kisumu and Four Points by Sheraton Monrovia in Liberia.

Related
A New York judge handed a loss Thursday to President Donald Trump in the defamation lawsuit brought by a woman who says he raped her years ago, rejecting Trump's bid to delay the case while an appeals court considered a separate, but similar, matter.

Verna Saunders, a New York Supreme Court Justice, wrote that the lawsuit filed by journalist E. Jean Carroll could move forward and need not wait for an appeals court decision in a similar suit brought by former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos, who also alleges Trump sexually assaulted her.

The president has denied both women's allegations.

Thursday's ruling means that in the coming weeks and months, Carroll's legal team can press forward with seeking Trump's DNA, which they hope to compare to genetic material on the dress she said she wore during the incident, and with trying to interview Trump under oath. Trump can also seek depositions from Carroll and those she says she told about the incident. Saunders scheduled a telephone conference in the case for Sept. 30.

"We are now eager to move forward with discovery so that we can prove that Donald Trump defamed E. Jean Carroll when he lied about her in connection with her brave decision to tell the truth about the fact that Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her," said Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll.

A lawyer for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump's legal team had argued that the Carroll case should be put on hold while the appeals court in the Zervos case weighed whether state courts should defer litigation involving a sitting president until after he stepped down. Carroll's team countered that even as Trump was pressing that case, his campaign was bringing lawsuits against the New York Times and The Washington Post.

Saunders wrote that Trump's argument was effectively rendered moot by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that rejected his claims of immunity from local law enforcement and congressional investigators. While that involved a criminal investigation, Saunders wrote that it was "applicable to all state court proceedings in which a sitting President is involved, including those involving his or her unofficial/personal conduct."

Trump could appeal the ruling.
By PTI

KOLKATA: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh Friday hit out at those opposing the bhoomi pujan for the Ram Temple at Ayodhya and espoused the building of a hospital instead lack the realisation that "mandir culture is needed more than the hospital culture".

Those who are speaking in favour of a hospital at Ayodhya have themselves failed to provide proper healthcare to the people, he said.

Ghosh, however, did not name any person or party.

Keeping up his attack, Ghosh said those who are afraid of speaking about their religion are speaking against the Ram temple construction.

But those who are proud of their faith and worship Lord Ram are supporting it.

"Persons opposing the Ram temple (at Ayodhya) are speaking of building a hospital instead are bereft of the realisation that mandir culture is needed more than the hospital culture", he said.

Ghosh, who was speaking to newsmen here, said "The people of Ayodhya did not ask for a hospital, they had asked for a temple" and a large number of people had sacrificed their lives in the last five centuries to build the Ram temple there.

"Those who are saying that there is need for hospital rather than the Mandir are trying to mislead the people. Those raising the hue and cry over the bhoomi pujan have themselves failed to provide proper health services and build sufficient number of hospitals," he said.

He claimed that people of Ayodhya already have access to excellent health care services.

"In Uttar Pradesh you have enough hospitals. The number of (COVID-19) patients is less as the government of that state has controlled the situation."

"I think there should be Mandir culture instead of hospital culture, as Mandir is part of our culture and tradition. Moreover the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is completely different as it is the pride and honour of our country, " the BJP leader said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is one the harshest critics of the BJP, had called for preserving brotherhood between communities and the age-old legacy of unity in diversity on Wednesday, the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the bhoomi pujan.

Asked to comment on a certain section of people comparing the movement for the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya with the Independence movement, Ghosh said the fight for Ram Mandir is much older.

"For the last 500 years lakhs of people have fought for the Ram Mandir, and thousands have sacrificed their lives for it. The Independence movement had been fought for about 100 years. Those who have no idea about the history of Ram Mandir or the history of the country's independence should get some clarity in their ideas," he said.
China and Iran are working to sway US voters against President Donald Trump while Russia is working against his rival, Joe Biden, intelligence agencies said Friday.

"Many foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements; covert influence efforts are rarer," National Counterintelligence and Security Centre Director William Evanina said in a statement.

China sees President Donald Trump as too unpredictable. Credit:AP

The statement provides the latest intelligence-community assessments of threats by foreign actors to disrupt and influence the election less than three months ahead of the vote.

At the top of the list is China, which sees Trump as "unpredictable" and has been increasingly critical of the president on COVID-19, Hong Kong and TikTok.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Next week the U.S. will try to get the U.N. Security Council to do something it has been trying to get its allies to support for the last year: Extend the U.N.s conventional arms embargo against Iran, which is slated to expire in October. The resolution will almost certainly fail, but that doesnt mean Americas Iran policy has to be a failure.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. would introduce the resolution on Wednesday, a day before he announced that his senior envoy on Iran policy, Brian Hook, would be leaving. The U.N. Security Council would make an absolute mockery of its mission to maintain international peace and security, Pompeo said, if it allowed the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism to buy and sell weapons freely.

Pompeo is not wrong. One of the many flaws of the 2015 Iran deal is that it allowed for the arms embargo to expire in the first place. That concession was in part at the behest of China and Russia, which were part of the negotiations, and the two nations are likely to use their veto at the Security Council to scuttle the resolution. Thus the U.S. strategy to extend the embargo is destined to fail.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft has acknowledged as much. Russia and China are going to be who they are, she told me in an interview this week at the Aspen Security Forum. Im not going to be able to change their minds. However, what we can do is change the way other countries look to them and look at them, and thats whats important. In other words, Pompeos strategy in the short term is to shame two great-power rivals at the U.N.

But Pompeo has another card to play. If and when the U.S. loses the U.N. vote to extend the arms embargo, it could still theoretically impose it  snap back is the diplomatic term  through a provision of the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. As Pompeo told reporters Wednesday, that is an option thats available to the United States, and were going to do everything within Americas power to ensure that that arms embargo is extended.

Story continues

On the surface, its a strange maneuver. The snap-back provision of the U.N. Security Council resolution that codified the Iran nuclear deal was designed as a tool for states that were a party to that agreement. As Anthony Blinken, a former deputy secretary of state and adviser to Joe Bidens presidential campaign, said this week at the Aspen Security Forum: Snap back needs to be invoked by a participant in the deal.

Others disagree. Richard Goldberg, who managed the maximum pressure campaign against Iran at the U.S. National Security Council, told me the U.N. resolution that codified the nuclear deal was drafted precisely to defend the U.S. right to snap back, in any scenario, at any time. If Iran is in breach of its commitments, he said, the U.S. has the right to snap back previous resolutions that were lifted as a result of the nuclear deal  regardless of whether the U.S. remains a party to that agreement.

Regardless of the legalities of the current or future conventional arms embargo against Iran, there is a very good chance that Russia and China will move to arm the Iranians anyway. International law has not stood in the way of these countries before. China has already begun discussions for closer security partnership with Iran.

For now, Pompeos play at the U.N. is mainly symbolic. As Craft told me, the rest of the world will see that China and Russia have blood on their hands. But anyone whos paid attention for the last 75 years probably knew that already.

The most realistic strategy for the U.S. moving forward  under either Trump or Biden  will have to be unilateral. Its foolish to expect the U.N. to promote security and peace in the Middle East when two of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council do not have the same interests as the U.S. and its allies in the region.

A better approach is for the U.S. to use its Navy, its allies and its vast intelligence capabilities to interdict arms shipments to Iran. The U.S. has used this strategy before, under President George W. Bush against North Korea. It should consider it again when it comes to Iran.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Eli Lake is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering national security and foreign policy. He was the senior national security correspondent for the Daily Beast and covered national security and intelligence for the Washington Times, the New York Sun and UPI.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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The problem with giving plasma, which is antibodies (drawn from someone else who had COVID-19), it does nothing to mount my own response, she said. It protects me in that period of time, but it doesnt give any lasting immunity, because its not my bodys antibodies.
US intelligence officials believe that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ahead of the November election and that individuals linked to the Kremlin are boosting President Donald Trumps re-election bid, the countrys counter intelligence chief said Friday in the most specific warning to date about the threat of foreign interference.

US officials also believe that China does not want Trump to win a second term and has accelerated its criticism of the White House, expanding its efforts to shape public policy in America and to pressure political figures seen as opposed to Beijings interests.

The statement from William Evanina is believed to be the most pointed declaration by the US intelligence community linking the Kremlin to efforts to get Trump re-elected  a sensitive subject for a president who has rejected intelligence agency assessments that Russia tried to help him in 2016.

It also links Moscows disapproval of Biden to his role in shaping Obama administration policies supporting Ukraine, an important US ally, and opposing Russian leader Vladimir Putin. That assertion conflicts with the narrative advanced by Trump, who has made unsubstantiated claims that Bidens actions in Ukraine were intended to help the business interests of his son, Hunter.

Evaninas statement, three months before the election, comes amid criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional Democrats that the intelligence community has been withholding from the public specific intelligence information about the threat of foreign interference in American politics.

The latest intelligence assessment reflects concerns not only about Russia but China and Iran as well, warning that hostile foreign actors may seek to compromise election infrastructure, interfere with the voting process or call into question voting results. Despite those efforts, officials see it as unlikely that anyone could manipulate voting results in any meaningful way, Evanina said.

Many foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements; covert influence efforts are rarer, said Evanina, director of the National Counter intelligence Security Center. We are primarily concerned about the ongoing and potential activity by China, Russia and Iran.

Concerns about election interference are especially acute following a wide-ranging effort by Russia to meddle in the 2016 election on Trumps behalf through both the hacking of Democratic emails and a covert social media campaign aimed at sowing discord among US voters. Trump has routinely resisted the idea that the Kremlin favoured him in 2016, but the intelligence assessment released Friday indicates that unnamed Kremlin-linked actors are again working to boost his candidacy on social media and Russian television.

The White House responded to Fridays news with a statement saying the United States will not tolerate foreign interference in our electoral processes and will respond to malicious foreign threats that target our democratic institutions.

The United States is working to identify and disrupt foreign influence efforts targeting our political system, including efforts designed to suppress voter turnout or undermine public confidence in the integrity of our elections, said the statement from National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot.

In a separate statement, the Trump campaign said it didnt want or need foreign assistance and said China and Iran were opposed to Trump because he has held them accountable after years of coddling by politicians like Joe Biden.

Democrats in Congress who have participated in recent classified briefings on the election interference threat have expressed alarm at what they have heard. They have urged the US intelligence community to make public some of their concerns, in part to avoid a repeat of 2016, when Obama administration officials were seen as slow and overly deliberate in their public discussion of active Russian measures in that years election.

A bipartisan congressional report released by the Senate intelligence committee earlier this year said the Obama administration was ill-prepared to handle the interference and failed to respond effectively as officials feared getting caught up in a heavily politicized environment and undermining the election.

When it comes to Russia this year, US intelligence officials assess that it is working to denigrate Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia establishment among his supporters, Evanina said. US officials believe that tracks Moscows criticism of Biden when he was vice president for his role in Ukraine policies and his support of opposition to Putin inside Russia.

The US statement called out by name Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russia Ukrainian lawmaker who has been active in leveling unsubstantiated corruption allegations against Biden and his son concerning Burisma, the Ukrainian natural gas company on whose board Hunter Biden sat. That effort has included publicizing leaked phone calls.

Democrats, including members of the Senate intelligence panel, have voiced concerns that an ongoing Republican probe into Hunter Biden and his work in Ukraine would parallel Russian efforts and amplify Russian disinformation. That investigation is being led by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, the chairman of Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Though US officials allege that China has its own preference, the statement Friday did not directly accuse Beijing of election interference or taking action to prop up Biden.

Instead, the statement said, China views Trump as unpredictable and does not want to see him win reelection, Evanina said. China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of the November election in an effort to shape US policy and pressure political figures it sees as against Beijing. The Trump administrations relationship with China has taken a starkly more adversarial tone, including the closure last month of Beijings consulate in Houston and an executive order Thursday that banned dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat,

Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current administrations Covid-19 response, closure of Chinas Houston consulate and actions on other issues, he wrote.

On Iran, the assessment said Tehran seeks to undermine US democratic institutions as well as Trump and divide America before the election.

Irans efforts along these lines probably will focus on online influence, such as spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-US content, Evanina wrote. Tehrans motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trumps re-election would result in a continuation of US pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change.
A man was found fatally injured Friday morning at a park in southeast Albuquerque.

Tanner Tixier, an Albuquerque police spokesman, said officers responded sometime before 7:30 a.m. to a suspicious situation at Lassetter Park, a few blocks from Louisiana and Gibson.

Officers located a male subject in the park who was bleeding and not breathing, he said. The victim eventually died from his injuries.

Tixier said there is no suspect information and detectives are investigating the death as a homicide.
After slashing capex plans for 2020 and idling rigs by the dozen, U.S. shale drillers are still not ready to return to their default state of perpetual growth. Oil is simply too cheap for that, so they are staying in survival mode, maintaining production with no plans to start boosting it anytime soon. Shale producers are caving in to low oil prices and worried investors, pledging to stick to production maintenance for the time being, Bloomberg reported this week, citing updates by several of the larger shale drillers in the United States. Modest growth in production is the most that any of these producers can offer their shareholders, with some cutting their earlier production guidance for this year and declining to provide any update on 2021.

According to some, U.S. onshore oil production shed as much as 2 million bpd when the double blow of the Saudi-Russian price war and the coronavirus pandemic struck. It will be a while before it recovers, and analysts see this while as at least a couple of years. Some even doubt that the industry will recover to its pre-crisis state at all.

Prices are at the heart of the problem, of course. This week benchmarks have been trending higher, but the rally has been limited: after both the API and the EIA reported substantial inventory declines that pushed West Texas Intermediate higher, today the U.S. benchmark was down at the time of writing, albeit modestly. Oil prices will likely continue to move extra-dynamically in the coming months as the spread of Covid-19 continues to cast a thick shadow over the future of the energy industry.

Karr Ingham, Petroleum Economist for the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers and creator of the Texas Petro Index summarized the situation in a June news release:

Petroleum energy demand dropped off the cliff sharply and rapidly at the same time crude oil production was peaking, particularly in Texas and the U.S., Ingham said. That would have been bad enough; throw in a market share temper tantrum between Saudi Arabia and Russia at the worst possible time, and you have a thoroughly devastating impact on energy markets.

Related: China Is Using The Pandemic As An Excuse To Not Buy U.S. Energy



It takes a lot of time to recover from such an impact, and this is becoming increasingly clear as prices remain stubbornly below $50, thwarting any hypothetical production growth plans. Layoffs, capex cuts, and bankruptcies are on the agenda right now, and this agenda will stay in place until WTI rises to at least $50, at least according to some industry executives who see that price level as high enough to restart drilling new wells.

Even then, however, efforts will focus on development, that is, exploiting already proven reserves. Spending on new exploration, meaning, a substantial increase in new production, will have to wait as the industry grapples with a reality that may involve some permanent oil demand loss. This reality may force a rethinking of the whole shale business model.

For most of my career, we would reinvest all our cash flow and then show our success by how much we could grow our production, Bloomberg quoted the chief executive of Concho Resources as saying earlier this month. Well, thats not how its going to work in the future.

Tim Leach is very likely right: with all that cash flow getting poured back into production, most shale producers have accumulated sizable debt piles, and now these debt piles are sinking them. In the first half of the year, 23 shale oil companies in the U.S. filed for bankruptcy protection, with a collective debt loan of over $30 billion. And more debt is maturing over the next two years, which means more bankruptcies. Those that survive will need to come with a more financially sustainable model after burning through billions of cash for the single purpose of boosting production to the record-high cliff it fell off in the spring.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
By Tim Summers

Summers is president of the Roanoke County Educational Association. This was signed by more than 300 others.

Let us begin by saying that all of us want nothing more than for things to return to normal. We love our students and want to be with them as soon as it is safe to do so. We feel that the basic needs for health and safety of the staff, the students, and the family members of both have been of lesser consideration for those making the decision to return to school buildings in person.

We are the ones with the experience in the classroom to know what will work and what wont, but we cant help but feel devalued as our expertise is dismissed by those making decisions. We are left baffled by the expectation that we can teach our students both in person and virtually under a hybrid plan while also being responsible for the instruction of students who are 100% online at the same time.

Staff members were not consulted about their thoughts on returning to school. Only very recently were they surveyed by the school system to determine which staff members felt they would be able to fulfill their contracted duties as they return to school. There was no opportunity given for teachers to say whether they preferred to return teaching remotely or in person. Contrary to what many seem to believe, there are no regular, full time remote teaching opportunities. The only choices given teachers were to return in person or to quit or retire early. By comparison, the survey conducted by the teachers union (RCEA) found that 74% of respondents wished to work remotely in the coming school year.

Both surveys found significant levels of anxiety about returning, and these preoccupations with safety are likely to interfere with the effectiveness of teaching and learning.

Teachers are considered front line workers, but the reality is that in some cases they may not be treated that way. Unlike hospital workers, who are provided top of the line PPE, teachers will be given only a cloth mask. Students will not be required to wear masks at distances of 6 feet or more. CDC guidelines are for masks to be worn by all parties in combination with 6-foot social distancing. Teachers will be required to be locked in an enclosed space with groups of students for up to 7 hours a day. These conditions leave us concerned about the likelihood of a domino effect of community spread.

We dont think parents understand what it will be like for their students in our schools when their teachers have to be out sick; we have been told that there will be no available substitutes, so students will have to endure the chaos of various teachers in and out, trying to fill in during their planning time. This is not a tenable situation for students or teachers.

The gorilla in the room is, of course, the pandemic. This is a deadly disease which can also have lasting effects on people contracting it. We fear being the cause of a major outbreak of COVID in our communities. This disease is highly contagious, and we must put first the safety of our families at home and other members of our community.

We have seen the precautions necessary to mitigate contracting COVID described with the cavalier attitude that it is just like other things for which we need to take precautions, for example wearing a safety belt or a helmet. This is an irrelevant comparison. Protection against accidents is a prudent course of action against an unforeseen event. Being forced to enter a setting where there is an inevitability of harm being caused is a premeditated action in which the victim has no choice but to put themselves in harms way. Teachers face the possibility that in the event of a long-term recovery from the virus they will lose both salary and health insurance. Teachers will be given 10 days of sick leave if they contract the virus; after that they must exhaust what remaining leave they have. When this runs out, there will be no pay and in order to keep health coverage, they will have to pay out of pocket. There is no workers compensation for teachers as has been given to other public employees in Virginia.

We hold out hope that Gov. Northam will take the burden off local school leaders, but if he does not then we are left to hope that the school system will reverse course and stop what is a completely avoidable catastrophe. For once, we hope teachers will be listened to about what is best for our schools.

Read the full piece at: bit.ly/30v8vtf
A detail view is seen of an Hyundai Kona Electric Highlander ahead of the Electric Vehicle Show 2019 at Sydney Olympic Park on October 25, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Smart Charger Trial to Boost Electric Cars in Australia

A smart charging trial has been launched in a bid to steer more Australians towards electric vehicles.

The Origin Energy trial has been backed by more than $800,000 of federal government funding through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

It will result in 150 smart chargers being installed at homes and workplaces across the National Electricity Market.

The chargers will be linked to Origins virtual power plant so they can be controlled remotely, so cars can be charged during off-peak periods when prices are lower.

Hyundai, Nissan, Custom Fleet, Schneider Electric, GreenFlux, Ausgrid and United Energy will help deliver the trial.

Origin will share the findings of the two-year trial so industry can develop offers to entice drivers to electric vehicles.

Energy Minister Angus Taylor says its important to know the impact electric cars could have on networks.

Through this project, we can begin to understand how to minimise impact and maximise the benefit of new technologies on the grid, he said.

Rebecca Gredley in Canberra
Abatsha abakubandla leZanu PF bathi uMnu. Julius Malema owebandla leEconomic Freedom Fighters uyalahlaka kakhulu nxa esithi uhulumende kaMongameli Emmerson Mnangagwa ubulala abantu eZimbabwe abamphikisayo.

UTendai Chirau, obambe okwesikhatshana isikhundla somsekeli kasibalukhulu wohlangothi lwabatsha oweYouth League, uthi uMalema ngumuntu ongabambi kahle kwezombangazwe njalo othikaza ukukhuluma iqiniso kulandela ukuxotshwa kwakhe kubandla leAfrican National Congress of South Africa.

UChirau uthi abethukanga ngitsho lakancane okwethulwe nguMalema ofuna ukuthi abantu babone ukuthi lokhu ekhona kulandela ukuxotshwa kwakhe kubandla leANC.

Uthi uMalema usekela izifiso zabahlamuka kubandla leZanu PF ababizwa ngokuthi yiGeneration 40 (G40) eyayifuna uMnu. Sydney Sekeramai athathe isikhundla sikamuyi uRobert Mugabe engakasuswa libutho esikhundleni sikamongameli.

Okwethulwe nguChirau kusekelwe nguMnu. Patrick Chinamasa, obambe okwamanje isikhundla sesikhulumeli sebandla leZanu PF, loMnu. George Charamba, isikhulumeli sikamongameli.

Abaphikisayo bathi uMalema uyitshaye ekhaleni ngoba uMongameli Cyril Ramaphosa usethumele uNkosazana Baleka Mbete loDokotela Sydney Mafumadi ukuba bayehlolisisa okwenzakala eZimbabwe okubikwa ukuthi kulabantu abedlula amatshumi ayisithupha asebebotshelwe ukuzama ukutshotshozela abanye ukuthi batshengisele emigwaqweni besola ubokhohlakali lokunye okuhluphayo elizweni.

Abanye babotshwa ngamapholisa bahanjiswa kwabezomvikela kubutho ababatshaya kabuhlungu.

The ruling Zanu PF party has described Julius Malema, leader of South Africas opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, as an absolute political nonentity, following his campaign dubbed #ZimbabweLivesMatter, which has generated international debate on alleged human rights abuses in Zimbabwe.

Responding to calls by Malema for the South African government to shutdown the countrys embassy in Pretoria over human rights abuses, Zanu PF acting deputy Youth League secretary, Tendai Chirau, said the EFF leaders remarks are misguided sentiments of a person, who is looking for international recognition.

In a statement, Chirau said Malema is struggling for significance in his native South Africa and therefore lacks any qualifications to authoritatively comment on Zimbabwean issues.

By our standards, Mr. Malema is a puny, absolute political nonentity whose nostalgia for his wasted glory days with the ANC (African National Congress) has pushed him into bed with the equally disgraced G40 (Generation 40) clique of charlattans, whose narcissistic penchant for publicity is well documented.

It is no secret that he is the latest, albeit ill-chosen, front for the furtherance of the self-exiled cabals counter-revolutionary pursuits. Malemas continued senseless attacks on the Zimbabwean government and ZANU-PF, and the threats to close the Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa only confirm his ill-advised futile objective of undermining the strong and healthy diplomatic relations between Zimbabwe and her sovereign neighbor, South Africa, and the binding revolutionary ties, sealed with the blood of patriots, between ZANU-PF and the ANC. ZANU-PF has, from its very foundation, been at the heart of Zimbabwean lives.

G40 is a faction of the ruling party, which campaigned for the elevation of former State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramai to succeed the late former president Robert Mugabe. The faction, said to be the brain-child of former Information Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo, former Youth Minister Saviour Kasukuwere and several others, was sent packing when Mugabe was toppled in a defacto military coup.

Chirau said Malema should not interfere with the affairs of a sovereign state like Zimbabwe, whose president was democratically-elected in 2018.

By waging a bitter and protracted liberation struggle, wherein patriot cadres made the capital sacrifice, losing precious lives and limbs in the process, the revolutionary Party proved its fullest commitment to Zimbabwean lives. Under the current Second Republic, captained by the shrewd Cde ED Mnangagwa, the ZANU-PF led administration has embarked on various pro-people economic policies, such as Vision 2030, which are steadily yielding fruit, he added.

If Malema is truly more concerned about Zimbabwean lives than the Zimbabwean government, as he would have his gullible audience believe, then he should be at the forefront in defending them from the poisonous culture of targeted xenophobia endemic in his own country.

In a tweet, Malema recently said, We call for the removal of the Zimbabwean Embassy in SA until they restore the human rights in that country. Failure to do so, we will prevent any official from the Zimbabwean government from participating in any gathering in SA until they respect ordinary Zimbabweans.

Other top South African political leaders and celebrities retweeted Malemas #ZimbabweLivesMatter campaign post before it caught world attention.

Malema was unreachable for comment.
The United States has lifted the highest level of its global health travel advisory for Americans due to the coronavirus pandemic and restored the previous country-specific system without changing the status of over 50 countries, including that of India and China.

IMAGE: Air hostess wearing face masks at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. Photograph: ANI Photo

The US state department issued the Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory -- the highest level of travel advisory -- on March 19, urging American citizens not to travel overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic.

India remains on the Level 4 of the travel advisory along with more than 50 countries, including China.

This means that the US urges its citizens not to travel to India due to the increasing coronavirus cases.

The state department, in its latest travel advisory on India issued on Thursday, said: Do not travel to India due to COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a Level 3 (avoid non-essential travel) Travel Health Notice for India due to COVID-19, it said.

Travellers to India may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures and other emergency conditions within India due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Carl Risch told reporters during a conference call that the State Department, in close coordination with the CDC, has lifted the Global Level 4 Health Advisory and has returned to the previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice, with levels from 1 to 4 depending on country-specific conditions.

The CDC has similarly removed its Level 3 Global COVID-19 Pandemic Notice. This important change reflects the reality that health and safety conditions are improving in some countries while potentially deteriorating in others, he said.

By returning to the country-specific travel advisory system, the US is able to give Americans detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions, he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses significant risks for travellers and our destination-specific advisories take into account the latest data and public health and safety analysis on COVID-related risks, Risch said.

Among other countries which have been put on the Level 4 of travel advisory include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Mexico, Egypt, and Brazil.

Although the guidance from the state department has been lifted, American travellers continue to face travel restrictions in countries worldwide due to the rising cases of the deadly disease in the United States.

According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the contagion has infected over 19 million people and killed more than 713,000 across the world.

The US is the worst affected country with over 4.8 million cases and more than 1,60,000 deaths.

The European Union has blocked the entry of the US tourists, and the UK requires travellers from the US to quarantine for 14 days.
- Ndii questioned Kenyans who voted for Uhuru saying they made a "bad" choice and should live with the consequences

- The economist broke ranks with Raila in 2018 after the former premier ceased hostilities with the head of state in what culminated to the famous handshake

- He however, described the Opposition leader as hardworking progressive politician

Economist David Ndii has made a u-turn and praised former prime minister Raila Odinga as hardworking team player who is always sober.

Ndii, a former National Super Alliance (NASA) strategist, opined the Opposition supremo could have led Kenya better than President Uhuru Kenyatta who is serving his second and final term in office.

READ ALSO: John Magufuli urges Tanzanians to embrace tightly in bedrooms because there's no COVID-19 in country

Economist David Ndii said Uhuru had mismanaged the economy. Photo: David Ndii.

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Kenyan Newspapers review for August 7: Boarding schools likely to shut down in January 2021

While responding to a tweep on Thursday, August 6, Africa's second most influential economist online described the Orange Democratic Movement leader (ODM) as a progressive hard working politician.

"Raila is a progressive hard working politician and a great team player. Over and above that, he is sober," he posted.

In his first tweet that led to the question, the tough-talking economist questioned Kenyans who voted for Uhuru saying they made a "bad" choice and should live with the consequences.

"Kenyans who voted Uhuru Kenyatta three times need to ask themselves if he was the president to lead Kenya to prosperity. Americans need to ask themselves if Donald TrumpDemocracy includes freedom to make bad choices, and only the people can correct themselves through elections," he stated.

Ndii broke ranks with Raila in 2018 after the former premier ceased hostilities with the head of state in what culminated to the famous handshake that restored peace and order in the country at a time when the Opposition was crying foul of bungled elections.

He criticised the AU infrastructure envoy saying he has jumped into a "sinking" ship by agreeing to work with the president.

READ ALSO: Homa Bay: Polisi afa maji akiogelea

He attributed Kenyans' suffering to Raila's decision to work with Uhuru noting Kenya was over borrowing and spending the money in projects with no value for money.

Ndii added the Jubilee government has made Kenyans poorer through a series of multi-billion scandals and poor economic strategies.

READ ALSO: Premier League: Clubs votes in favour of 3 substitutes ahead of 2020-21 season

"Uhuru Kenyatta's legacy is a scam. School laptops scam, SGR scam, Eurobond scam, Galana Kulalu scam, last mile connectivity scam, security cameras scam, dams scam, Container terminal scam, Huduma namba scam, Stawi loan app scam, early oil export scam, medical equipment scam, what have I missed?," 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.

Kenyans react to the chaos in Nairobi county and the stalemate in the revenue sharing | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
ANN ARBOR, MI  City Council members were divided Thursday night on putting an election reform proposal on the November ballot for Ann Arbor voters to decide.

Council voted 6-5 at the Aug. 6 meeting to shoot down the idea of asking voters if the city should switch to ranked-choice voting for city elections if it becomes allowed under state law.

The six against the proposal: Anne Bannister, Jack Eaton, Kathy Griswold, Jeff Hayner, Jane Lumm and Ali Ramlawi.

The five for it: Zachary Ackerman, Julie Grand, Elizabeth Nelson, Chip Smith and Mayor Christopher Taylor.

With ranked-choice voting, voters would rank their choices for mayor and City Council in order of preference, with a process of elimination to weed out the least-supported candidates in each race until theres a winner with a majority of votes.

Some council members reasons for opposing it were that its not currently allowed in Michigan, though there is legislation pending to allow it, and some said they didnt want to layer ranked-choice voting on top of the citys partisan elections and instead want to shift to elections without party labels.

By going to ranked-choice voting for local offices using a partisan system, I think will lead us ultimately to a local oligarchy, said Ramlawi, D-5th Ward. Only folks who have tremendous wealth and connection and power and opportunity will actually be able to game the system and gain seats.

Ramlawi said he could support ranked-choice voting if mayor and council candidates didnt run with party labels.

Council Member Jane Lumm, I-2nd Ward, said shes bringing forward a nonpartisan elections proposal for council to consider putting on the November ballot next week.

Itll be the same as the proposal council approved 7-4 last year, she said. Taylor used a veto to block it from going on the ballot last year, arguing theres value in party labels.

Grand, D-3rd Ward, argued nonpartisan elections are a separate issue and ranked-choice voting can be done with partisan elections.

While disappointed in Thursdays vote, Grand said shes patient and the time will come for ranked-choice voting.

John Chamberlin, a University of Michigan professor emeritus of political science and public policy, told council members in an email much of his research has focused on evaluating voting systems, and ranked-choice voting produces results that better reflect a majority of voters preferences.

Who does the majority prefer is the key question, not who got the most votes, he said.

Ann Arbor used ranked-choice voting  also known as instant-runoff voting  in 1975 when Democrat Al Wheeler was elected as the citys first Black mayor, unseating a Republican.

There were three candidates and none received a majority, Chamberlin noted. The Republican candidate was the plurality winner. He received 49%, the Democrat 40%, and the Human Rights Party candidate 11%.

With ranked-choice voting, Chamberlin said, the Human Rights Party candidate was eliminated, and those who had her as their first choice saw their votes transferred to their second choice, which resulted in Wheeler winning by a small margin.

The majority of the voters preferred the Democrat to the Republican. And RCV delivered that result, Chamberlin said, noting there have been numerous cases like that in elections in which ranked-choice voting has been used.

Grand said people shes talked to are enthusiastic about it, its more democratic, and it can help build alliances between candidates.

With ranked-choice voting, two candidates aligned on issues could both run in a race and not risk spoiling each others chances of winning by splitting the vote, and that results in better representation of what voters value, Grand said.

I think if you talked to political scientists up and down the line, theyll say that ranked-choice voting is a preferred way of doing business, Taylor said. I think its the right thing to do.

Eaton, D-4th Ward, said he supports ranked-choice voting, but he doesnt think its workable because of the mess that weve made of our local election laws.

One the bills in the Legislature, he said, would permit ranked-choice voting only when the election of city officers is the only election on the ballot. That doesnt work for Ann Arbor since the city has eliminated odd-year city elections and city races are now decided only in even years when state and federal races are on the ballot, he said.

State election law expresses a preference for odd-year local elections so they dont co-mingle with state and federal elections and the city has deviated from that, Eaton said.

Lumm said she hasnt decided if she supports ranked-choice voting, but she doesnt think the question should go to voters before its allowed under state law.

What ranked-choice voting does not do, however, is address the problem that we have in Ann Arbor that lower-turnout August primaries determine who the mayor and council members are, Lumm said, arguing nonpartisan elections decided in November would solve that.

Griswold, D-2nd Ward, said her top priority is moving the citys deciding election to November, noting it would give University of Michigan students more participation.

Hayner, D-1st Ward, expressed concerns that, under ranked-choice voting, well-funded campaigns could fund a series of candidates with the understanding that they would rank each other and not another candidate.

And its all too easy to picture that happening after what we saw happening in this primary, and so Im suspicious of the motives for placing this on the ballot prior to it being legal, he said.

Smith, D-5th Ward, said under ranked-choice voting people wouldnt be forced to just choose the lesser of the evils and could rank who they want.

This push comes from the Voters Not Politicians camp and the work that theyve done, he said. Its supported by a great deal of academic research.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

How they voted: The issues that have divided Ann Arbors City Council

People are hungry for change. Ann Arbor council poised to gain 5 new members in November

Finalists for Ann Arbor city administrator position to be announced Monday

Washtenaw County sets 2030 carbon-neutral goal, takes biggest step yet on climate change

Washtenaw County officials table tax proposal over affordability fears
He recently came under fire for continuing to take millions in taxpayer cash to furlough workers.

And Sir Philip Green was seen enjoying an outing at the seaside village of Beaulieu-sur-Mer on the French Riviera on Friday.

The billionaire, 68, looked relaxed as he sat with his feet up while taking a speed boat out onto the water alongside two companions.

Chilling out: Sir Philip Green looked relaxed as he enjoyed a sun-soaked outing along the French Riviera on Friday, after coming under fire for continuing to furlough his staff

Sir Philip put on a casual display for the outing, as he paired a grey shirt with matching shorts that had a polka-dot print.

After enjoying his stroll Sir Philip then headed to a speed boat, which had an image of a lion printed on the side, and sped off into the water.

Despite recent controversies surrounding him and his company, the businessman appeared unconcerned as he enjoyed the sun-soaked day.

Relaxed look: Sir Philip put on a casual display for the outing with two companions, as he paired a grey shirt with matching shorts that had a polka-dot print

In June it was revealed the Green's company Arcadia Group - whose brands include Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge - furloughed 14,500 staff in April under Rishi Sunak's job retention scheme.

A source close to Arcadia revealed that some staff had gone back to work after the reopening of 631 stores, but that others remained furloughed.

The source told The Times: 'Nobody's going to bring all their staff back, are they?There's way too many unknowns. We're living in a world where nobody's ever been before.'

His decision to keep using the scheme - which pays 80 per cent of wages - is in stark contrast to other retailers who have refunded HM Revenue & Customs after deciding that they no longer need the financial assistance.

Reclining: The billionaire sat with his feet up while taking a speed boat out onto the water

The successful fast-fashion company Boohoo headed by billionaire Mahmud Kamani, 55, is returning furlough money, for example, as he said: 'You always have to give back, especially when you're doing OK.'

Critics have questioned how much Green needs to rely on taxpayers' money to keep his business afloat. He has lived in the tax haven of Monaco since 1998 and has a fortune of 930 million according to The Sunday Times Rich List.

Sir Philip has faced repeated calls to lose his knighthood over his involvement in a string of controversies.

Last year, a member of the House of Lords claimed the businessman had 'multiple' grievance claims against him. Green denied all the claims.

Nice ride: After enjoying the stroll Sir Philip then headed to a speed boat, which had an image of a lion printed on the side

The allegations were revealed by Lord Hain, who last year used the cloak of parliamentary privilege to identify the Topshop boss as the person behind a legal injunction preventing the Daily Telegraph from publishing allegations of sexual harassment and racial abuse.

The claims, which Sir Philip 'categorically and wholly denied', included allegations that the retail tycoon dragged a woman around in a headlock and smashed a male employee's mobile phone.

It was also claimed that he mocked a male employee's dreadlocks and referred to him 'throwing spears in the jungle'.

Criticsm: Sir Philip came under fire for continuing to take millions in taxpayer cash to furlough workers in June, after it was revealed the Arcadia Group furloughed 14,500 staff in April

Sir Philip also faced allegations that he groped a female executive, paying her more than 1million to stay quiet.

He has not been to Britain since the claims surfaced in October 2018 and has run Arcadia either from his penthouse in Monaco or from Lionheart, his family's 100m superyacht.

Green enjoyed almost two decades of ruling the high street after lucrative takeovers of BHS in 2000 and Arcadia in 2002.

Backlash: Critics have questioned how much Green needs to rely on taxpayers' money to keep his business afloat (pictured with his daughter Chloe and wife Tina in 2017)

The collapse of BHS - less than a year after he sold it for 1 - plunged Green into even more controversy.

Arcadia was in trouble even before the current coronavirus crisis. It recorded an operating loss of 138m on turnover of 1.8bn in 2018.

Last year Arcadia carried out an insolvency procedure known as a company voluntary arrangement to cut rents and close some shops.

Arcadia Group were contacted by MailOnline for comment at the time.
A former senior Saudi intelligence official said in a US lawsuit Thursday that the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tried to have him assassinated in 2018, just weeks after dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in Turkey.

Saad Aljabri said Prince Mohammed sent a "hit squad" to Canada, where he lives in exile, to kill and dismember him in the same way that Khashoggi was murdered allegedly by the prince's agents in Istanbul in October 2018.

"To fulfil his murderous desire, Defendant bin Salman has personally orchestrated an attempted extrajudicial killing of Dr. Saad, an attempt that remains ongoing to this day," Aljabri charged in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington.

Aljabri said that Prince Mohammed wants him dead because he is close to rival prince and former Saudi security chief Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and because he has intimate knowledge of Prince Mohammed's activities that would sour the close relationship between Washington and Riyadh.

"Dr. Saad is uniquely positioned to existentially threaten Defendant bin Salman's standing with the US government. That is why Defendant bin Salman wants him dead," the suit said.

Aljabri was already abroad in June 2017 when Prince Mohammed seized power in the palace, removing Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince and placing him under house arrest.

After his children in Riyadh were hit with travel restrictions, Aljabri refused entreaties to return, fearing he would meet the same fate as Prince Nayef, and moved to Canada where a son lives.

Since then Riyadh tried unsuccessfully to use Interpol to gain custody of him. And he says they sent a team of agents to the United States to track him down.

Thirteen days after Khashoggi's murder on 2 October 2018, a team from what Aljabri called in the lawsuit Prince Mohammed's "personal mercenary group, the Tiger Squad," arrived in Canada.

The team, he claimed, included forensic specialists and equipment similar to the group that dismembered Khashoggi's body, which was never found.

He said Canadian security became suspicious and disrupted the plot, but that efforts to kill him continue, and that Prince Mohammed obtained a religious fatwa, or command, for his death from clerics.

In March his two children in Saudi Arabia were taken away and haven't been heard from.

The suit against Prince Mohammed plus 12 named and another 11 unidentified people was filed as a claim of attempted extrajudicial killing under the Torture Victim Protection Act.

Aljabri asked the court for unspecified damages for "severe emotional distress," anxiety and hypertension, and other ailments, and punitive damages against the defendants as well.

He also asked the court to declare that the defendants violated the "law of nations" under the Alien Tort Statute. "This court can begin the process of holding defendant bin Salman and his agents accountable for their actions," the suit said.

Contacted by AFP, the Saudi Embassy in Washington indicated it did not have a comment on the suit at the moment.
President Aleksandar Vucic speaks to his Azerbaijani counterpart, seeking to patch up relations.

Serbia has tried to patch up relations with Azerbaijan after a spat over Belgrades sale of arms to Bakus rival Armenia.

The weapons sale was sensitive as a long-running Azerbaijan-Armenia border conflict recently escalated into deadly clashes.

In a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart, President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday underlined Serbias friendship and strategic partnership with the oil-rich country, according to a statement from the presidency.

Vucic invited President Ilham Aliyev for an official visit and sent a special envoy to Baku to prepare the meeting.

A spat erupted in July when it emerged that Serbia was selling mortars and ammunition to Azerbaijans foe Armenia during a fresh bout of violence.

The two ex-Soviet countries are locked in a decades-old conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Wrong decision

Serbia initially defended the private weapons sale as legal, but President Vucic later described the deal as a wrong decision.

Azerbaijan is an important ally for Serbia, as Baku backs Belgrades refusal to accept the independence of its former province Kosovo, which officially broke away in 2008.

Serbias Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic earlier met the Azerbaijani ambassador and expressed regret for deaths among security forces in the recent fighting.

Stefanovic faced scrutiny last year after his father was linked to an arms trade scandal.

Some of the companies that have exported weapons to Armenia since 2018 are allegedly under the control of Slobodan Tesic, a United Nations-blacklisted arms dealer, according to local investigative media.
TED Talk videos are popular in the United States and other countries. These videos explore issues in science, technology, education and other subjects. They can also be a useful tool for learning English.

Today on Everyday Grammar, we will tell how TED Talks can teach you about some common phrasal verbs, including three with the word hang. They are hang up, hang on and hang out.

We will also explain how you can predict the general meaning of a phrasal verb, even if you do not know its exact definition.

But first, let's look a little more closely at phrasal verbs and how they are used.

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs are groups of words that have a verb and one or more short words. When combined, the words have an idiomatic meaning. In other words, phrasal verbs have a meaning that is different from what you might expect.

Consider the phrasal verb take out. It has the verb take and the word out. Together, they mean to remove someone or something from something else. For example, you can take out some money from your pocket.

A phrasal verb can have several meanings. For example, take out can also mean that you get financial help, as in the statement I want to start a business, but I dont have enough money. So, Im taking out a loan.

There are thousands of phrasal verbs. The good news is that you do not need to learn all of them.

Your time is better spent learning the most common phrasal verbs.

Melodie Garnier and Norbert Schmitt are language experts. They made a list of the most common phrasal verbs and their most common meanings.

Of the 150 most common phrasal verbs, three involve the verb hang. Hang means to connect or place something so that it is held up without support from below. But as you know now, phrasal verbs have different meanings than what the verb by itself suggests.

The three most common phrasal verbs with hang are hang up, hang on and hang out.

Even if you do not know what each of these phrasal verbs means, you will learn how to predict what they could mean.

Let us explore each phrasal verb by listening to TED Talks. You will hear part of a TED Talk and have time to think about what the phrasal verb means. Then you will hear the answer.

#1 Hang up

In our first example, futurist and businessman Juan Enriquez talks about gene editing tools such as CRISPR. While talking about the past, when a long-distance telephone call cost a lot of money, Enriquez uses our first phrasal verb: hang up.

Because, of course, you used to get interrupted by operators whod tell you, Long distance calling. Do you want to hang up? And now we think nothing of calling all over the world.

Can you tell what Enriquez meant when he said hang up?

Enriquez gives you an example of the most common meaning of hang up: to end or finish a phone call. You can tell that long distance calls must have cost a lot years ago because he said, And now we think nothing of calling all over the world.

#2 Hang on

In our second TED Talk, researcher Max Tegmark talks about the threats and opportunities of artificial intelligence, or AI. Listen to how he uses our second phrasal verb, hang on.

We could end up in a fantastic future where everybodys better off: the poor are richer, the rich are richer, everybody is healthy and free to live out their dreams. Now, hang on. Do you folks want the future thats politically right or left?

Could you tell what Tegmark meant when he used the phrasal verb hang on?

In this case, hang on means wait for a short time. Tegmark is asking the crowd to think about what he just said. He makes several statements, then says hang on, then asks a question. You can tell from the sound of his voice that he wants everyone to wait and think.

#3 Hang out

In our third and final TED Talk, we hear from Luis H. Zayas, head of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. Here he explores how difficult experiences can affect a childs brain. Listen to how he uses hang out.

Afterwards, after school, they [children] go home and they ride bikes, hang out with friends, do homework and explore the world  all the essentials for child development.

Can you tell what Zayas meant when he said hang out?

In this case, hang out means having fun. Terms like ride bikes and with friends and explore the world suggest that hanging out means having fun.

Closing thoughts

The point of this report was to teach you two things. We talked about the meaning of three common phrasal verbs. But we also talked about how to start thinking about new phrasal verbs.

You can use these ideas when you listen to radio broadcasts, watch films or talk to English speakers. Although phrasal verbs can be difficult, the learning process will be much easier if you spend your time wisely.

I'm John Russell.

And I'm Ashley Thompson.

John Russell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

pocket  n. an area in clothing used for carrying small objects

interrupt  v. to ask questions or say things while another person is speaking; to do or say something that causes someone to stop speaking

opportunity  n. a chance to do something

artificial intelligence  n. a computer systems able to perform work that normally requires human intelligence

fantastic  adj. extremely good

bike  n. short for bicycle a vehicle powered by two wheels

essential  n. something that is important or necessary




Observances will include a series of signature events throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, including talks featuring acclaimed American authors Tara Westover and Kevin Young. In addition, the Library has launched a new website ( geisel50.ucsd.edu ) that includes a wealth of information on Geisel Library's architectural design; significance on campus; historical milestones and pop culture appearances; event and exhibit information; and philanthropic opportunities.

"For 50 years, the Geisel Library at UC San Diego has provided our campus community access to the materials, tools, information expertise, and idea space required to produce groundbreaking research," said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. "Throughout its 50th year, we celebrate the iconic structure, its vast holdings and many accomplishments, and the dedicated librarians and staff who work to ensure unfettered access to knowledge. This vital information hub plays a crucial part in UC San Diego's ability to deliver on our mission to be a student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public university."

On June 29, 1970, approximately 750,000 volumes were moved into UC San Diego's Central Library and at the start of the Fall 1970 Quarter, the building opened for student use. Since then, the Library has amassed more than 7 million digital and print volumes, journals, and multimedia materials to meet the knowledge demands of scholars, students, and members of the public.

Designed by the much-admired architect William Pereira, Geisel Library typically welcomes more than 6,600 patrons through its doors daily, generating nearly 2.3 million annual visitors. The building's world-famous Brutalist architectural design conveys the idea that powerful and permanent hands are holding aloft knowledge itself, which was Pereira's stated intention.

In 1992, in response to a need for more public space, an underground addition on the east and west sides of the building was designed by Latvian-American architect Gunnar Birkerts. Birkerts deliberately designed this addition to extend the foundation of the strong, geometrical form of the existing structure.

"Through this celebration, we seek to honor the history of Geisel Library, which serves as a hub of discovery and innovation for the university, something we intend to continue indefinitely," said the Audrey Geisel University Librarian Erik Mitchell. "And while our golden anniversary festivities may look a little different than we originally planned due to the pandemic, we are excited to embark on this yearlong commemoration. I encourage our community to take pause and appreciate the beauty and symbolism of the structure itself, while also recalling all of the tremendous work that has been done by our librarians and staff over the past five decades."

Events planned for the 50th anniversary of Geisel Library include:

A Conversation with Tara Westover

Wednesday, September 16, 2020 | 5:30 p.m. PT | Virtual Event

A virtual event featuring Tara Westover , author of her memoir "Educated," which explores Westover's struggle to reconcile her desire for education and autonomy with her desire to be loyal to her family, who intentionally kept her out of public education. The book instantly became a critical and commercial success, debuting at #1 on The New York Times bestseller list and remaining on the list for more than two years. Hear Westover discuss her journey and perspective during this event. Helen V. Griffith , Ed.D., the inaugural executive director of The Preuss School UC San Diego , will lead and moderate the conversation. Registration details forthcomingcheck this page for updates.

20th Annual Toy Piano Festival: 20 Measures or 50 Seconds

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 | 12 p.m. PT | Virtual Event

The 20th Annual Toy Piano Festival is fit for listeners of all ages. Playing new works for toy pianos and songs from "The Cat in the Hat Songbook," festival director Scott Paulson will be joined by his toy piano colleagues for an exciting performance. Many of the premieres at this year's festival will be 20 measures or 50 seconds in honor of the 20th anniversary of the festival and the 50th anniversary of Geisel Library. More.

Architectural Masterpiece: Paving the Way for the Future

Wednesday, November 18, 2020 | 5:30 p.m. PT | Virtual Event

A virtual event highlighting UC San Diego's most cherished architectural masterpiece, Geisel Library. Teddy Cruz , UC San Diego professor in the Department of Visual Arts and director of Urban Research for the UC San Diego Center on Global Justice, along with Chicago -based urban designer and native San Diegan Caroline Acheatel , will engage in a discussion about the historical importance of the building and explore the architectural principles that make it so iconic. Registration details forthcomingcheck this page for updates.

A Conversation with Kevin Young

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | 5:30 p.m. PT

Kevin Young , whom The Washington Post calls "one of the most important poets of his generation," is a poet, essayist, editor, and curator. He is also author of 13 books and the director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, recently named a National Historic Landmark, and poetry editor of The New Yorker, where he hosts a poetry podcast. His newest book, "African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song," is set to release this fall. Registration details forthcomingcheck this page for updates.

Short Tales from the Mothership: 50th Anniversary Edition

Tuesday, May 4, 2021 | 5 p.m. PT

Short Tales from the Mothership is an annual sci-fi microfiction event where the Library invites participants to submit short stories (250 words or less) inspired by the otherworldly architectural design of Geisel Library. In recognition of the 50th anniversary, all stories shared at this event will include a reference to "50." More.

Springing Forward into Our Next 50

Spring 2021 | 6 p.m. PT

An event dedicated to looking forward and envisioning the Library's next 50 years. Event speaker and registration details forthcomingcheck this page for updates.

In honor of Geisel Library's golden anniversary, the Library has also launched the UC San Diego Library Associatesa group of alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and dedicated community members who recognize that the Library is at the heart of UC San Diego's entire academic missionand has put forth a set of philanthropic priorities, giving donors the ability to support the category of their choosing. A gift of any amount gains donors immediate membership to Library Associates and helps ensure Geisel Library remains as vibrant on the inside as it is on the outside.

Online activities will take place as well, including an ongoing social media campaign slated to run throughout the celebratory year. Content will include Geisel Library's historic milestones, fun facts, and images of UC San Diego affiliates and the public at the Libraryall are encouraged to use the hashtag #geisel50 for a chance to be featured on the Library's social channels and 50th anniversary website.

For additional information on Geisel Library's 50th anniversary, please visit geisel50.ucsd.edu.

About the UC San Diego Library:

The UC San Diego Library, ranked among the nation's top 25 public academic libraries, plays a critical role in advancing and supporting the university's research, teaching, patient care, and public service missions. The world-renowned research for which UC San Diego is known starts at the UC San Diego Library, which provides the foundation of knowledge needed to advance cutting-edge discoveries in a wide range of disciplines, from healthcare and science to public policy and the arts.

SOURCE UC San Diego Library
Walking through the City of London last week was an eerie and disturbing experience.

This is an area I know well through my long career in finance. It is usually throbbing with life. Pavements are crowded, roads congested, offices packed, entrance doors in perpetual motion.

Yet, on Monday afternoon, I felt as if I had wandered into a ghost town. I could cross the road without a glance to either side because there was no traffic.

Amid shuttered shops and closed buildings, near-silence had descended.

Travelling home by Tube at five oclock  once the height of rush hour  I had almost an entire carriage to myself.

Dame Helena Morrissey, pictured, has said commuting to and from work in the City of London this week was a lonely experience, with virtually nobody else on a rush hour tube from the centre of town

It was a stark reminder of the economic devastation caused by the coronavirus emergency and the ongoing policy response.

The City is the premier financial centre in the world and a key engine of our economy. Today that machine is barely functioning.

Tragically, this paralysis is replicated across the land. Monday, August 3, the day when the Government dropped its official advice to work from home if you can, was supposed to be the moment that Britain came roaring back to life after almost five long months of lockdown. But instead of a flood tide of returning employees, we saw just a trickle.

According to a study by Morgan Stanley, just a third of British office workers were back at their desks last week, compared with 83 per cent of those in France and 76 per cent of those in Italy.

An audit by this paper of 30 of Britains biggest firms, representing 320,000 employees, painted an even gloomier picture. Just 17 per cent of the workers planned to return their offices.

Many, I accept, will have been working productively from home. But the abandonment of the traditional workplace is causing real damage, particularly to the huge sector  often small, independent businesses  that is dependent on thriving office life, including cafes, sandwich shops, bars, newsagents and taxi drivers.

Just this week, WHSmith announced that it is to make about 1,500 staff redundant. Similarly, Pret a Manger revealed last month that it is to close 30 shops, while the owners of the Upper Crust takeaway chain are to let 5,000 employees go.

According to a study by Morgan Stanley, just a third of British office workers were back at their desks last week, compared with 83 per cent of those in France and 76 per cent of those in Italy

So what, you might say. Surely thats a price worth paying for a few more weeks at home that might reduce the transmission of coronavirus even further? Except that this is part of a wider employment crisis starting to grip the economy and it will cause grave damage for years to come.

It is estimated that at least 135,000 jobs have already disappeared and this figure is likely to be dwarfed in the autumn when government employment protection schemes are due to end. So far, the Treasury has poured more than 30 billion into its furlough initiative, protecting more than nine million employees, as well as another 50 billion into business loans and 8 billion into grants for the self-employed.

But further support at this level is unaffordable. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, this years fiscal deficit is likely to reach more than 370 billion, followed by another 150 billion in 2021.

Lavishing yet more taxpayers funds on massive subsidies will only entrench the artificial, semi-comatose nature of the economy.

What we need is to begin a real return to normality: ministers and scientists must drop the fearful messaging of late and open up commerce with vigour and determination. They must make it clear that the only alternative to economic catastrophe is getting back to work now.

For that to happen, our society needs to develop a sense of perspective about coronavirus  and to take some responsibility for ourselves.

Yes, it is a brutal disease and every Covid-19 death is a cause of personal grief. But it is folly to pretend the virus is an apocalyptic threat, as some of the scaremongering has implied.

The continuing disproportionate focus on coronavirus has created a persistent atmosphere of exaggerated fear

In recent days, I have listened in despair to doom-laden talk about the probability of a second wave from epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson, a former member of the Governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and a man notorious for the inaccuracy of some of his forecasts (on BSE and Foot and Mouth, for example)  and for breaking the lockdown with his married lover.

This week on BBC Radio 4s Today programme, he said pubs might have to close before schools can reopen, without adequately explaining the logic behind the thought and with no regard to the impact of his words on the devastated hospitality sector.

Even worse was Dr David Nabarro, one of the World Health Organisations Covid-19 Envoys, who, again on the Today programme, warned of very bad surges unless more action is taken.

It did not help that these alarming predictions followed the introduction of a partial lockdown in the North West after localised spikes, the Prime Minister talking of a second wave in parts of Europe, reports that the Government was war-gaming plans to impose a lockdown on millions of the over-50s, and restrictions on travel to and from London if a second wave emerged here. Of course, we cannot be complacent when it comes to this novel virus. But that ultra-cautious attitude is the exact opposite of what Britain needs at this dangerous moment in our history.

In recent days, I have listened in despair to doom-laden talk about the probability of a second wave from epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson, a former member of the Governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and a man notorious for the inaccuracy of some of his forecasts (on BSE and Foot and Mouth, for example)  and for breaking the lockdown with his married lover

The continuing disproportionate focus on coronavirus has created a persistent atmosphere of exaggerated fear.

Such anxiety might have been understandable when the lockdown was imposed in March, but it is now wholly unjustified by current data.

On Thursday this week, there were just 737 coronavirus patients in UK hospitals, compared with 17,000 at the peak in April. Sixty-three were in mechanical ventilation beds, compared with more than 3,000 at the peak.

There were eight deaths reported on Thursday, the lowest number for that day of the week since lockdown began.

In the same vein, when the crisis was at its worst in April, more than 1,000 people died with the disease on 22 consecutive days. Yet the latest statistics, for the week ending July 24, recorded just 217 Covid deaths, accounting for just 2.4 per cent of all fatalities in England and Wales. We also know that the median age of those who died is over 80.

The pursuit of safety has become its own menace. On top of the economic damage, the Covid lockdown has brought a host of social problems, from fractured relationships to an increase in excessive drinking  in July alone, alcohol sales were up by 40 per cent

What makes the myopia about coronavirus all the more dangerous is that it leads to neglect of other, often serious, conditions, as the Mail reported this week.

Many cancer patients, for example, are finding tests, operations and treatment delayed, while mental health care, drug rehabilitation, care for the elderly and even getting an appointment with the GP are adversely impacted.

The pursuit of safety has become its own menace. On top of the economic damage, the Covid lockdown has brought a host of social problems, from fractured relationships to an increase in excessive drinking  in July alone, alcohol sales were up by 40 per cent.

Then there are the profound feelings of alienation and oppression, so different from the freedoms we took for granted until recently.

Our lives are governed by an endless barrage of complex, sometimes contradictory edicts. At my daughters school, she and her Year 6 classmates were bewildered and upset to be told they could not associate with any pupils outside their bubble.

At least she was able to go to school. By September, millions of pupils will have been deprived of any education for at least six months, even though there is no recorded case worldwide of any child passing on coronavirus in a school setting.

It is also clear that coronavirus has cemented inequalities between private schooling and the state sector, hindering social mobility.

But those Covid inequalities can be seen on every front  between rich and poor, male (who are at greater risk) and female, white and BAME (the latter group are far more likely to work in the front line of essential services and are significantly more vulnerable to the disease).

Meanwhile, the institutional obsession with Covid is all-consuming. Its authoritarianism extends into every aspect of life.

I went to a church service recently and, although there were only about ten of us in the congregation, the priest spent much of her time not on spiritual matters but on the announcement of coronavirus regulations.

I decided it was probably a more spiritual experience to say my prayers at home for now.

Another of my daughters, a gregarious student, was sent detailed orders about Covid-compliant life on campus next term.

It read like something from a police state; rules on face coverings, library closures, the provision of meals in boxes and interaction with other students couched in a fear-mongering tone.

Ill say it again: we cannot go on like this. We are allowing the disease to dominate us in a bullying, destructive manner out of all proportion to its real health impact.

Most Britons are not at any risk of serious illness at all. The mortality rate is believed to be less than 0.5 per cent and much lower for those under 70 and those without underlying health issues.

Most Britons are not at any risk of serious illness at all. The mortality rate is believed to be less than 0.5 per cent and much lower for those under 70 and those without underlying health issues

With greater testing of those who have no symptoms, it is hardly surprising that the recent limited increase in positive cases has produced no rise in deaths or admissions to hospital.

Moreover, as knowledge of the disease improves, so the quality of effective treatment advances and the potency of coronavirus declines with each passing month.

We need to learn to live with the risks through a more balanced, pragmatic policy that takes account of our wider social and economic needs.

With continuing improvements in test-and-trace, now in the hands of local authorities who are achieving increased take-up, it is possible to contain any uptick in infection rates at a regional level, rather than stifling activity nationally.

The Government needs to signal this unambiguously: the central case is to get on with our lives, accepting the need for agility and flexibility if a flare-up occurs.

Ministers should also break free from the iron control exerted for too long by the scientists.

However admirable their work, they are hired to advise rather than dictate. Their word is not gospel. Their individual opinions are often fiercely contested by colleagues and many of their analyses have turned out to be flawed.

More importantly, they have a vested interest in playing up the worst-case scenarios, as they dont want to be accused of complacency. So SAGE should include other experts to challenge and provide different perspectives, such as mental health practitioners, cancer specialists and, dare I say it, economists, too.

For many young people in shared, cramped city accommodation, home working is miserable

But perhaps the most important step is to get back to the workplace. If France and Italy can do it, why cant we? Hiding at home has never been the British way. Some commentators will rightly say that remote working has great advantages for employers, who save on office costs, and for employees, who can achieve a better work-life balance as well as savings on childcare and commuting.

As a lifelong campaigner for equality, I am all in favour of more flexible working. But we must also be aware of the broader ramifications of a wholesale retreat.

In an economy where consumer services make up four-fifths of activity, offices are vital not just for the livelihoods of millions  often the poorest in society  but for growth.

There is also a powerful element of social justice about this duty. Huge numbers of essential workers  from supermarket delivery crews to healthcare professionals  are unable to work from home but have carried on heroically.

And for many young people in shared, cramped city accommodation, home working is miserable.

Why should the right of these two groups to a decent living be denied by those who have the privilege of choice? But that is what will occur if the great office stayaway continues.

There is a further danger, too, of which many seem heedless. Those who have shown they can work efficiently from home are also demonstrating to employers that the job could be done from abroad, where labour costs are cheaper

There is a further danger, too, of which many seem heedless. Those who have shown they can work efficiently from home are also demonstrating to employers that the job could be done from abroad, where labour costs are cheaper.

As firms battle to reduce overheads, many bosses may be tempted to do just that. Those who opt not to return to the office through fear or complacency may be in for rude awakening.

As the economy ossifies, we will all end up losers. Without any return to normality in the autumn, the Government will face a stark, unpalatable choice: either mass unemployment or the horrendous cost of extended furlough.

I am certain the Cabinet does not want to go down either of those roads. That is why ministers across government need to make it consistently clear that we must, and can, learn to live with this virus, that we cannot put our lives on perpetual hold.

Now is the time for bravery, for accepting that negative messaging will only make the crisis worse.

Of course, we must protect the vulnerable. But now people should be allowed to make choices for themselves, with the confidence that, for the majority, this virus is not as dangerous as it was.

It is the time for Britain to get moving again.
At least five people, including the chief priest of the Talacauvery temple in Kodagu district of Karnataka, are missing after heavy rainfall caused landslides in the Brahmagiri hills adjoining the temple. The coastal, northern and Malnad areas of the state received heavy rainfall on Thursday.

Talacauvery, marked by a small pond and a temple, is said to be the birthplace of River Cauvery. The chief priest Narayana Achar, his wife, elder brother, and two assistant priests are feared to have been swept away or buried under the debris, following the landslides.

According to district officials, rainfall of 486 mm was reported at Bhagamandala in 24 hours between August 5 and 6, as recorded by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Chief minister Yediyurappa said that 50 crore has been released for rescue and relief measures. Both Cauvery and Lakshma Teertha rivers in Kodagu were in spate, marooning several villages and hampering relief operations.

Northern Karnataka districts of Hubli, Dharwad, Belgavi and coastal districts of Udupi, Mangalore, Karwar were also flooded. A red alert continues in several districts. Congresss Siddaramiah tweeted, There is heavy downpour in various parts of Karnataka, disrupting livelihoods of many people. Government has failed to come to their rescue. Do we even have an existing government?
In this article .FTFCNBCA

Joe Raedle | Getty Images

SpaceX employees were given the day off on Friday, CNBC has learned, as a reward for a historic week that saw Elon Musk's space company pass a trifecta of milestones successfully. Officially titled "Crew Mission Holiday" according to people who spoke to CNBC, SpaceX gave its workforce the time off after the company's Crew Dragon capsule completed the historic NASA Demo-2 mission on Sunday. The two-month long test flight marked the first time SpaceX has flown people to space, as the capsule carried NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to and from the International Space Station. Additionally, the SpaceX prototype Starship rocket SN5 conducted its first flight on Tuesday, and then the company finished the week with its latest launch of Starlink internet satellites early Friday morning. SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the holiday.

First astronauts returned

Behnken and Hurley splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Pensacola, Florida in SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule named Endeavour. Launched in late May, the mission represents the first time a private company has sent people to orbit  a feat only previously achieved by government superpowers. NASA is similarly excited by the success of the Demo-2 mission, as it will mark the conclusion of nearly a decade where the U.S. has had to rely on Russia to fly astronauts to the space station. NASA intends to launch four astronauts on SpaceX spacecraft every few months going forward, paying an estimated $55 million per seat.

Starship prototype hops

SpaceX's prototype Starship launches in a short first flight test at the company's facility in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX

Two days after Crew Dragon returned, SpaceX performed the first short flight test of the latest iteration of its Starship prototype rocket in Boca Chica, Texas. Standing about 100 feet tall, the prototype known as Serial Number 5 took off gradually and reached about 500 feet off the ground, before return to land. The prototype represents the next-generation rocket SpaceX aims to build to fly people on missions beyond Earth's orbit, including to the Moon and Mars. Additionally, while SpaceX's current fleet of rockets are partially reusable, Musk's goal is to make Starship fully reusable  envisioning a rocket that is more akin to a commercial airplane, with short turnaround times between flights where the only major cost is fuel.

Starlink satellite mission launches
Netflix smash hit The Kissing Booth has been accused of 'romanticising abuse', after a scene from the film was shared on TikTok, showing the lead actress being pressured to get into her angry boyfriend's car.

The film, which is based on the novel of the same name written by a Welsh teenager, was released in 2018, while its sequel The Kissing Booth 2, dropped on the streaming service last week.

It tells the tale of LA teenager Elle Evans, played by Joey King, who falls in love with Noah Flynn, portrayed by Jacob Elordi, the older brother of her best friend.

Sharing a clip to TikTok, viewer Ryan Maxwell from Manchester accused the film of 'romanticising abuse', highlighting a scene where Elle runs away from Noah following a fight.

Meanwhile, viewers have pointed out on Twitter that Noah tries to stop other boys dating Elle and tried to pass it off as being protective, while others claimed it's littered with 'emotional abuse, manipulation and toxic masculinity'.

Viewers have pointed out on Twitter that Noah tries to stop other boys talking to Elle and tried to pass it off as being protective, while others claimed it's littered with 'emotional abuse, manipulation and toxic masculinity'.

In one controverial scene, Noah gets increasingly angry at his love interest, shouting 'Elle come back', before slamming his hand on the car bonnet and urging her to get in the car'.

'What an awful example to set to young girls,' Ryan says in the clip which has racked up more than 2.2million views in 24 hours.

Talking through the scene, Ryan explains: 'I have a problem with the Kissing Booth.

'There's a scene here where the guy has lost his temper and she runs away from him. He's trying to get her to get in his car, and sensibly she won't get in the car because clearly he's got anger issues.'

Ryan says that Elle's face 'tells me she's about to kick off at him,' adding that he's disappointed she then gets in the car.

'Just some advice, if a guy with that level of aggression tells you to get in his car and slams the car bonnet, then you get in it because he says the word please, you are putting yourself at massive risk.

'I don't wanna be too much of a Karen, but what an awful example to set to young girls. Is it just me?' he asks.

He later clarified he should have said 'young people' not 'young girls' because the behaviour is dangerous to anyone.

In the film, Noah also goes around warning other male students at their school not to date Elle.

From left: Joey King, Joel Courtney, and Meganne Young in The Kissing Booth 2, which was released last week and quickly soared to the top of Netflix charts

While The Kissing Booth was panned by critics, it saw huge streaming success. Joey King is pictured in the first film

'This behaviour shouldnt be normalised. Its not cute or romantic. Its abusive. @ me' he added.

Thousands of people agreed with Ryan's take in the comments section of the post.

'Yes yes yes. We romanticise abuse,' said one.

'I broke up IMMEDIATELY with my bf when he did that. I said, "Oh no, we are done" and I left,' (sic) added another.

'And you have just made yourself the responsible older brother of TikTok,' commented a third.

Dr Julie Smith, a psychologist who has more than a million followers added her praise by posting a series of clapping emojis under the video.

Many more said they agreed with him, and even pointed out other parts of the film which sends 'bad messages'.

'You are totally NOT being a Karen, youre totally right,' one wrote.

'Facts. Emotional abuse and anger are romanticised so much in media and film today. Its masked as passion,' said another.

One user pointed to a scene in the Kissing Booth 2 where Noah calls Elle's school pretending to be her father because he's been ignoring her calls.

'Most teen romance movies teach girls to go for verbally abusive and aggressive boys/men. It isn't okay,' one claimed.

The film is based on The Kissing Booth, which was written by Newport-born Beth Reekles, when she was only 15. Joey King (right) is pictured in the first gilm

'Seen this with my daughter and paused it and had a word with her told her no one should speak to you like this!' said another.

'I thought this too. It's really quite uncomfortable how coercive and controlling he is,' said one.

While The Kissing Booth was panned by critics, it saw huge streaming success.

Speaking to Vulture in 2018, Netflix's cheif content officer Ted Sarandos said it was 'one of the most-watched movies in the country, and maybe in the world" while its sequel, released at the end of last month, quickly soared to the top of the UK trending charts.

The film is based on The Kissing Booth, which was written by Newport-born Beth Reekles, when she was only 15.

Beth, now 24, wrote anonymously on an online literary forum called Wattpad, where her work accumulated more than 19 million 'reads' in two years.

Aged 17, a week after she submitted her University application, Penguin Roundhouse offered Beth a three-book deal for The Kissing Booth, Rolling Dice, and Out of Tune. She also published a short story 'Cwtch Me If You Can' with Roundhouse.

The Kissing Booth was directed by Vince Marcello, who Beth praised and said she had a 'great conversation with' over the screenplay.

Despite the rights being bought by a British company, it was filmed in South Africa.
The Shared Island Unit was set up in Micheal Martins office earlier this year to work towards a consensus on a shared island.

The Taoiseach said it is preparing for the possibility that Britain may get turned off Northern Ireland.

A good neighbourly N/S relationship requires consistency.

After a positive NSMC, the Taoiseachs comments are disappointing.

The principle of consent determines NIs place in the U.K.

NI will keep moving forward by respecting our diverse identities not dubious theories. https://t.co/v8pP8HwJzn  Arlene Foster #WeWillMeetAgain (@ArleneFosterUK) August 7, 2020

Mr Martin speculated around the potential impact of English nationalism, Brexit and the possibility of Scotland leaving the United Kingdom on Northern Irelands membership of the union.

What happens if England gets turned off Northern Ireland? Weve got to be thinking all this through, Mr Martin told the Irish Independent newspaper.

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They may just say were not as committed to it as we were in the past. That may not happen for quite some time, but we have to be prepared for all sorts of eventualities.

But Mr Martin ruled out the possibility of a border poll, describing it as too divisive and too threatening.

Mrs Foster expressed her disappointment over the comments, coming just a week after what she described as a positive meeting of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC).

A good neighbourly N/S relationship requires consistency, she tweeted.

After a positive NSMC, the Taoiseachs comments are disappointing.

The principle of consent determines NIs place in the U.K. NI will keep moving forward by respecting our diverse identities not dubious theories.
Russian citizens will be able to enter Montenegro without any restrictions or conditions starting from August 7.



The press service of the Montenegrin Cabinet of Ministers has published a list of countries whose citizens will be able to enter the country freely. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe are also on the list.



Special criteria for entering Montenegro were introduced on July 1. Borders were closed to citizens of those countries where more than 25 infected per 100,000 population were recorded.



'Green countries' included most of the EU members and 40 other states. Montenegro has also made a list of 'yellow countries', whose citizens needed the results of coronavirus tests no older than 71 hours. It includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Singapore, and the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo.



Russia's Aeroflot has announced the cancellation of several flights in August to countries closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, NEWS.ru reported.
U.S. Accuses Russia Of Complex Online Disinformation, Propaganda Operation

By RFE/RL August 06, 2020

The United States has accused Russia of developing a sophisticated "ecosystem" to spread disinformation and propaganda about the coronavirus and other issues.

In a new report published on August 5, the State Department said Russia's online operations use "five main pillars" to amplify false narratives and conspiracy theories in a bid to sow confusion and fear.

"Russia is playing a significant role in creating and spreading misinformation and propaganda around many topics," said Lea Gabrielle, head of the State Department's Global Engagement Center.

The report does not mention Russian disinformation operations around the 2016 U.S. presidential election or if it is waging another online influence campaign ahead of November's election. The Global Engagement Center's mandate is to examine propaganda outside the United States.

Instead, the report mainly focused on the Kremlin's recent efforts to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic using a mutually reinforcing web of disinformation.

"The ecosystem consists of five main pillars: official government communications, state-funded global messaging, cultivation of proxy sources, weaponization of social media, and cyberenabled disinformation," the report said.

"The Kremlin bears direct responsibility for cultivating these tactics and platforms as part of its approach to using information as a weapon," it said.

Most of the report examined websites acting as proxies used to proliferate Russian disinformation and propaganda. The State Department described these news sites or research institutions as "critical connective tissue within the broader ecosystem."

"We found that they promote disinformation in support of the Kremlin's goals, they're often promoted directly by the Russian government, and they push specific disinformation narratives that are picked up by other parts of the ecosystem," Gabrielle said.

"Russia tries to hide its affiliation with these different proxy sites. That's what makes them effective, is that it's difficult for just an average person who is online to look at these sites and know that it's actually Russian disinformation," she said.

Chinese, Iran, and Russian disinformation operations often echo each other and use similar tactics.

The report profiled seven such proxy sites, although it said that there are many more of varying size and influence. The websites have peddled conspiracy theories and fringe thoughts on a range of topics, including the coronavirus.

One such proxy is the Strategic Culture Foundation, an online journal directed by Russia's external SVR intelligence agency. The report said the journal gives a voice to Western fringe thinkers and conspiracy theorists to spread anti-U.S. and anti-Western views while obscuring ties to the Russian government.

Another website is New Eastern Outlook, which the report describes as a "pseudo-academic" publication tied to the Russian Academy of Science's Institute of Oriental Studies that promotes disinformation and propaganda about the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

The State Department identified the Canadian-based Global Research as the largest proxy website, describing it as "deeply enmeshed in Russia's broader disinformation and propaganda ecosystem."

It said the website has sought to frame the coronavirus pandemic as a Western conspiracy, publishing articles claiming the virus originated in the United States and was developed for the global elite to control the world. One coronavirus article was republished or linked to by more than 70 websites and publications.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Russian Embassy in Washington said the report was intended to derail cooperation with the United States and discredit alternative sources of information.

"The U.S. State Department is not very fond of the existence of alternative sources of information. Serious resources are employed to discredit them. Any voice that contradicts Washington is dubbed 'disinformation' in the service of the 'Kremlin' and Russian intelligence," it said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-accuses- russia-of-complex-online-disinformation- propaganda-operation/30768894.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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NOBLESVILLE, Ind., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medi-Weightloss Noblesville/Fishers celebrated one year changing lives on July 31, 2020. Since opening in Noblesville, Medi-Weightloss has helped patients achieve their goal weight and lose over 2,600 pounds. Known as The One That Works!, the Medi-Weightloss Program is a three-phase lifestyle plan in which medical professionals supervise and support patients in achieving their goals.

Obesity continues to be one of the world's fastest growing epidemics, with more than one-third of U.S. adults affected by obesity. Over 34 percent of adults in Indiana have obesity. The state has the 12th highest obesity rate. Obesity often leads to chronic health conditions including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, Metabolic Syndrome, and more.

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is a group of risk factors that can increase your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. These risk factors include obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL (good cholesterol), high fasting blood glucose, and high blood pressure. MetS affects 1 out of every 3 adults in the U.S. Medi-Weightloss conducted a study on the impact of the program on MetS. The study, published in the Journal of Public Health, concluded that the Medi-Weightloss program eliminated or reduced the risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome by 45% in only 13 weeks and subsequently by 73% at 52 weeks.

Noblesville/Fishers patients have lost over 2,600 pounds in less than a year. For individuals struggling with weight loss, the Noblesville/Fishers office offers the following advice:

Stop looking for a quick fix. To keep the pounds off, it is important to make long-term changes that will stick.

To keep the pounds off, it is important to make long-term changes that will stick. Identify your triggers. Recognize emotional triggers, as many can lead to overeating. Common triggers include stress, fatigue, and relationship problems.

Recognize emotional triggers, as many can lead to overeating. Common triggers include stress, fatigue, and relationship problems. Follow a plan and seek expert help. Choose a plan that is medically supervised and individualized support.

Choose a plan that is medically supervised and individualized support. Get a good night's sleep. Sleep deprivation affects the hunger hormone, which influences your appetite.

About the Medical Director

Dr. Blair Brengle has been practicing family medicine for nearly 30 years. He has spent much of his career building long-standing relationships with patients and their families while helping them with various medical problems and preventative health issues.

Contact

Margaret Baranowski, Owner

[email protected]

317-922-0909

References:

https://altarum.org/publications/obesity-epidemic-marion-county-and-indiana

SOURCE Medi-Weightloss Noblesville/Fishers
Britain's largest terminal for the import and export of grain will commence a phased start-up of operations on 10 August following an explosion in July.

A major incident was declared at the Port of Tilbury after the roof of a grain store was partially destroyed in a 'massive explosion' on 3 July.

A witness told BBC News the noise was 'horrendous' - 'like a bomb going off'. Another said 'flames shot up about 75m above the silos'.

In a new update on Friday (7 August), the Essex site's operators said the terminal would commence operations on Monday 10 August.

Peter Ward, commercial director at the Port of Tilbury: "Grain handling and storage services are also operating fully through the availability of on-site storage complemented by increased capacity at our significant offsite storage facility.

"This phased return to full operations is a credit to our port team and their fantastic effort to restore the facility during these challenging times."

Mr Ward added: "Our thanks to our customers for their continued support as we work towards a return to full operations during next week."

Mr Ward said a 'comprehensive investigation' was continuing into the cause of the incident, but a result won't be known for 'some time'.

The site, built in 1969, marked its 50th anniversary in September 2019. It has processed more than 35m tonnes of grain since operations commenced.

The port presently handles two million tonnes of grain, wheat, barley and beans every year.
- Some of the arrested citizens were given a choice in order to avoid public admonishment

- They were asked to pay a fine of 25,000 Rwandan francs (KSh 2,814) which many of the people reprimanded could an not afford

- On the other hand, the police were tasked with informing bosses of their employees' transgressions

About 70,000 Rwandese were forced into all-night lectures on the dangers of COVID-19 from mid-June 2020 after they were found flaunting curfew rules and not wearing masks.

The people accused of ignoring the 9pm curfew or rules on mandatory face masks were ordered by police to sit through hours of speeches at local arenas or detention centres.

READ ALSO: Donald Trump issues orders banning China owned apps TikTok, WeChat in US

The people accused of ignoring curfew or rules on mandatory face masks were ordered to sit through hours of speeches. Photo: Business Daily.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Yvonne Okwara returns to screen weeks after successful surgery

A report by Business Daily showed stadiums across Rwanda with public health messaging blaring through loudspeakers to spectators seated at least a metre apart in the stands.

The messages implored them to be ambassadors in the fight against the new virus.

The sessions which are conducted under the watch of armed guards wrap up at around dawn, when those attending are sent home with strict orders to self-quarantine.

READ ALSO: 64-year-old woman finally gives birth after 24 years of marriage

Among the people who were forced to attend the lectures was Jado son Nizeyimana who said he was stopped for wearing his mask incorrectly and was told to report to the nearest stadium.

"From now on, I'll wear it wherever I am," he told Business Daily.

The press is often invited to attend the lectures so they can capture images of the people reprimanded and broadcast them in order to dissuade others from ignoring the regulations.

READ ALSO: COVID-19 tests: Step by step process of how samples are tested for the virus

Police, meanwhile, was tasked with informing bosses of their employees' transgressions.

Others were given a choice: they could avoid public admonishment if they paid a fine of 25,000 Rwandan francs (KSh 2,814) which is well out of reach for many in the country.

"I was arrested twice and spent the night at the stadium on both occasions. Both times I was caught after curfew," said 25-year-old Elly Niganze.

"The alternative was to pay a heavy fine, but I don't have any money. I am looking for a job," she added.

READ ALSO: You guys look alike: Lovers discover they are cousins after dating for 1 year

As of Thursday, August 6, Rwanda had recorded five deaths and just over 2,000 cases of COVID-19, with less than 900 active infections in the nation of 12.5 million people

According to the police spokesman John Bosco Kabera, the heavy-handed approach plays a part in curbing the spread of the virus.

"We're still finding many people breaking the rules, all the time. It's as if some are doing it intentionally to frustrate police. I want to tell you it will not happen," he told reporters.

"We have started communicating with employers of people who have been arrested to take measures and ensure that they are self-isolated once they are released," he added.

Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly

Source: TUKO.co.ke
15 Killed After Heavy Rain Triggers Landslide in Kerala, PM Announces Compensation

At least 15 people were killed after heavy rain caused a landslide in Kerala's Idukki district on Friday morning. Twelve others have been rescued so far and are undergoing treatment at Munnar's Tata General Hospital. Officials say the landslide happened in the Rajamalai area of the district, which is around 25 km from the tourist town of Munnar. Between 70 and 80 people lived in the area, officials said, adding that they do not know, at this point, how many more are trapped under the mud. READ MORE

Saudi Crown Prince Accused of Sending Hit Squad to Canada to Assassinate Ex-Spy

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been accused of sending a hit-squad to Canada in order to kill a former Saudi intelligence official. The failed plan to kill Saad al-Jabri was soon after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, court documents filed in the US allege. The alleged plot failed after Canadian border agents became suspicious of the hit-squad as they attempted to enter the country. READ MORE

Serum Institute Joins Hands With Gates Foundation For 100 Million Vaccine Doses For India, Others

Serum Institute of India said on Friday it would receive $150 million in funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the GAVI vaccines alliance to make 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses for India and other emerging economies as early as 2021. The candidate vaccines, including those from AstraZeneca and Novavax, will be priced at $3 per dose and will be made available in 92 countries. READ MORE

Kia Sonet Compact SUV Unveiled in India, to Rival Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue

Kia has unveiled its first stab at the compact SUV in India with the Sonet. In the domestic market, the car will take on popular offerings like the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra XUV 300. The Sonet is essentially based on the same platform that underpins the Hyundai Venue. However, Kia has gone the extra mile to ensure there are no similarities between the two. READ MORE

Let Italy Pay Compensation: SCs Condition to Close Case Against Marines Who Killed Indian Fishermen

The Supreme Court on Friday made it clear to the Centre that it would not close the cases against two Italian marines, accused of killing two Indian fishermen, without hearing the victims' families. "Let Italy pay them compensation. Only then will we allow the withdrawal of prosecution," Chief Justice SA Bobde said. The Centre, requesting the top court to let it withdraw the cases following the decision of a UN tribunal, said Italy had assured it would criminally prosecute the marines. READ MORE

Nitish Kumar is the CM Face, But BJP Lets Out Bihar Poll Strategy

The BJPs Bihar unit is preparing itself for the polls, hoping at this point for no delay. The elections, most likely, would be held in mid-October even as the state battles coronavirus and floods. Opposition parties led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have repeatedly attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over his absence from the ground as people contend with the two challenges. BJP state president Sanjay Jaiswal tells CNN-News18 how the party plans to retain power in the state. READ MORE
(CNN) - Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said on Thursday that he hopes the US will reconsider its decision to withdraw from WHO  and that the problem the withdrawal creates is not financial, but the lack of solidarity between global leaders.

US President Donald Trump announced at the end of May that the US will end its relationship with WHO, the worlds preeminent health organization.

Now, its time to work together. Now, its time to focus on fighting the virus. So I hope the US will reconsider its position, Tedros said during a panel event at the Aspen Security Forum.

When the US decided to withdraw, the problem is not about the money. Its not the financing issue, he said. Its actually the relationship with the US which is more important, and its leadership role.

Tedros said he has said many times that you cannot defeat this dangerous enemy in a divided world. We need a united world.

A united world needs cooperation and solidarity among major powers, he said.

Multi-lateral organizations can only support, like WHO, the leaders always have been countries, and especially the major ones, who can bring the whole world together, Tedros said. So that is more important for WHO, the void, not the financial.

He said there is still communication between WHO and the US, and that they are working together  but he hopes that the relationship will return to normal, and a stronger relationship than ever before.

Tedros said the US has always been known for its generosity, support and leadership in global health. He detailed how during his time as a minister in Ethiopia, while HIV/AIDS was ravaging the continent and the rest of the world, US leadership and generosity gave hope to many.

He also said that if there were problems or issues with WHO or the UN system at large, they would be very open to any evaluations or assessments.

The truth can be known, and this can be done from inside, without leaving the organization, he said. Knowing the truth is very important for the whole world.

Lessons need to be learned from what is happening and what has happened, Tedros said, and the future needs to be built together.

If there is any problem, we will find out and we will learn from it, Tedros said.

Later in the session, Dr. Mike Ryan, director of WHOs health emergencies program, thanked the United States and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for their continued contribution to global public health.

The politics of these things will never shake the bonds that scientists have around the world, and the urge and the desire we have to work together to save lives, he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "WHO director-general hopes the US will reconsider its withdrawal from the organization"
Lucknow:

Clearing the air that Samajwadi Partys might alliance with Congress in the upcoming UP Polls, UP PCC President Raj Babbar on Monday said his party will contest alone in the state and described such talks as 'hypothetical'. He also said that Congress will improve its tally in 2017 UP Polls.

"Alliance talks in some way demoralises workers. I have no such information. The party leadership has not asked me to look for a tie-up and it's not under consideration. This is hypothetical," he said.

Recently Akhilesh had said that his party was capable enough to get majority on its own but if there was an alliance with Congress, they would together get over 300 seats, triggering speculation of a pre-poll tie-up.

Akhilesh's father and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has already ruled out any pre-poll alliance, asserting that there can only be mergers. The Chief Minister, however, had said that a final decision on the alliance will be taken by the SP supremo and he can only give suggestions. Akhilesh also suggested that Congress will have to accept that it may have to fight on a fewer number of seats than it wants in an alliance because a tie-up will not work if it will keeps on thinking about "profit and loss".

To a question about the party's expected performance in 2017, he said, "The situation is changing in the state. Those who were considering Congress as zero are now talking about it. Various campaigns in past few months have succeeded in connecting with people and they are looking for an alternative".

"There is anger among people against BJP, SP and BSP. While BJP will be facing consequences of demonitisation, there is feud in SP and people did not have faith and trust on BSP due to its past record...The only alternative is Congress," he said, adding that party will certainly be improving its tallyin 2017 Assembly polls from 29 it got in 2012.

Asked about the issue, Babbar stressed that Congress will "contest UP polls alone" and the first list of the party candidates is likely to be released by the end of this month.

"The exercise of candidate selection is on...We have again asked for the prospective candidates list from district presidents," he said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found a smuggling tunnel along the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday that was described as the most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history.

In July, agents found a sinkhole between border fences on the U.S.-Mexico border during an ongoing tunnel investigation, according to an Aug. 6 ICE news release. On July 27, Yuma Sector Border Patrol started drilling near the sinkhole. Water hoses and pieces of wood were found and a camera was put 25 feet underground.

Homeland Security Investigations and our esteemed law enforcement partners swiftly and effectively worked together to uncover and dismantle a cross-border tunnel for smuggling purposes into the United States, Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix, said in the release. Despite the international pandemic, HSI and our law enforcement colleagues remain resilient and committed to pursue dangerous criminal trans-border smuggling activities along the southwest border.

Agents discovered the tunnel on Tuesday before it was completed and there wasnt access from the surface level to the tunnel.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents found a smuggling tunnel from Arizona to San Luis, Mexico. Carl Landrum, acting chief patrol agent, said it was the most sophisticated tunnel in US history.

The tunnel crosses the border from San Luis, Arizona to San Luis Mexico and includes a man-passable passageway measuring three feet wide and four feet high, according to the release. It also has water lines, electrical wiring, a rail system, reinforcement and shoring, and a fully developed ventilation system.

This appears to be the most sophisticated tunnel in U.S. history, and certainly the most sophisticated Ive seen in my career, Carl E Landrum, acting chief patrol agent, said in the release. We will continue to work closely with our partners  Homeland Security Investigations and state and local agencies to provide the best national security possible.

Agents discovered water lines, electrical wiring, a rail system, reinforcement and shoring, and a fully developed ventilation system.

Photos were released, showing a dark passageway, as well as the sinkhole site where crews started drilling.

In January, federal officials found the longest illicit cross-border tunnel ever discovered along the Southwest border, McClatchy News previously reported.

The That tunnel stretched 4,309 feet from Tijuana, Mexico to Southern California.
Residents of Texas long-term care facilities have been separated from their family and friends for more than 140 days, since Gov. Greg Abbott shut down visitation in mid-March.

At long-term care facilities, some indoor visits will be permitted, provided there are plexiglass barriers, there are no active cases of the novel coronavirus among residents and there are no confirmed cases among staff in the last two weeks. Physical contact between residents and visitors will not be permitted, state officials said.

The restrictions are tighter on nursing facilities, which must test staff members weekly and can offer only outdoor visits.

This is a rapidly evolving situation and we are constantly assessing what actions are necessary to keep residents and staff safe in these facilities, said Phil Wilson, the acting executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services Commission. By following these procedures and rules, facilities can more effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and help us achieve our shared goal of reuniting residents with their families and friends.

The dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases across Texas in June and July led to another surge in long-term care facilities, with 57% of nursing homes still reporting at least one active case on Thursday. Deaths in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities account for more than a third of Texas death toll.

Despite the need to protect a high-risk population, families and advocates have been urging the state to allow for limited visitation.

Families are just desperate right now to be able to see their loved ones, Alexa Schoeman, deputy state ombudsman in HHSCs office of the long-term care ombudsman, said in an interview last week.

Kevin Warren, president and CEO of the Texas Health Care Association, called Thursdays announcement a great step forward. In an interview last week, he said reconnecting families with their loved ones was a priority and that it should be done as quickly as we can.

Some Texas lawmakers had been agitating for a policy change for weeks. Last month, state Rep. Scott Sanford, R-McKinney, and state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, along with dozens of other signatories, asked state health officials to loosen restrictions on visitations for patients with memory difficulties and mental deficiencies.

We will not stand to let these Texans fall through the cracks, they wrote.
Residents near a middle Georgia power plant are suing Georgia Power Co., alleging the plant is poisoning their well water.

The suit filed Wednesday in Fulton County Superior Court alleges the electric utility has illegally released toxic heavy metals from coal ash at Plant Scherer into groundwater. Georgia Power is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Co.

The 45 residents live near the plant in rural Juliette.

If they wont do the right thing because its a profitable thing, then they may do the right thing because its a legal thing, Mike Pless of Juliette told WMAZ-TV.

The lawsuit says neighbors to the plant have suffered from health problems including cancer, cardiovascular and immune disorders because of tainted well water.

Georgia Power denies wrongdoing. Spokesman John Kraft noted a similar lawsuit that dealt with uranium levels in groundwater was voluntarily dismissed in 2014.

We are longtime members of this community; we live and raise our families here and take these allegations very seriously, Kraft said in a statement. Georgia Power will vigorously defend itself in this case.

Environmentalists want power companies forced to excavate the ash ponds where they have placed waste and bury it in lined landfills, as is required for common household trash, to prevent waste from seeping into groundwater. Georgia Power plans to close its 29 coal ash ponds, but does not plan to bury the waste for all of them in lined landfills.

Representatives of Georgia Power say the Plant Scherer ash pond can safely be capped in place without an unlined bottom and that the companys 57 monitoring wells find no violations.

State lawmakers spurned efforts to force Georgia Power to bury waste in landfills this year.

Those suing demand that Georgia Power pay for injuries and property damage, stop polluting water, and pay for medical monitoring.

Brian Adams, a lawyer for the residents, said the plaintiffs have evidence to connect the problems to the utility.

They made a conscious decision not to, knowing exactly what was going to happen, knowing their next door neighbors were on wells, drinking the groundwater, and they didnt care. They didnt care then, and they dont care now, Adams said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Georgia Pollution
Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey made a revelation on Thursday after the Supreme Court hearing in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, stating that actor Rhea Chakraborty is absconding. He also alleged that the BMC is forcefully quarantining their official in Mumbai, which is also one of the reasons they cannot take the investigation forward.

This is not the first time that the "dabang" cop has made it to the headlines. In a video clip that became viral last month, before history-sheeter Vikas Dubey was killed in an encounter, Pandey was seen issuing a warning to the gangster, who was then on the run.

If he visits the state, he said, he will be shown how police hunts down a sher (lion).

Pandey has been an Indian Police Service officer since 1987. In December last year, Pandey had taken on those who support criminals of their caste or religion, welcome them with garlands, and then blame police for crime.

The senior police officer has close to seven lakh followers on Facebook where he uploads videos of himself almost every alternate day.

Pandey is seen singing songs on Holi, eating dry chapatis with salt and green chillis with villagers, giving personality management tips to the youth and providing guidelines on how to combat coronavirus.

Last month, after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, Pandey had posted a picture with his grieving father on Facebook with the caption, It was a heart-breaking sight. My eyes became teary. A lot of friends from the media wanted to talk to me then, but I was not in the state to talk. Ek sitara, humari aankhon ka taara, bewaqt hi doob gaya (A star, the apple of our eyes, has left us before his time).

Pandey was selected as Bihar DGP in February 2019 out of 12 IPS officers recommended by the state government to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Five years before, Pandey was examined by the CBI in a high-profile abduction case that remains unsolved  the now Supreme-Court-monitored Navaruna case, which centres on the abduction of a 12-year-old girl, Navaruna Chakravarty, from her Muzaffarpur home in 2012, when Pandey was the inspector general of police for the area.

Her father has alleged that the abduction was part of a land mafia ploy to purchase the plot on which the family of four was living, and named Pandey as one of the accused.
Gavels and law books are shown in the office of California Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George at his office in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, file) Read more

The bar exam, a punishing rite of passage into the legal profession, has been under attack as more experts question whether the two-day ordeal is really necessary to maintain the quality of lawyers.

And now, packing recent law school graduates together is a health hazard: A Colorado graduate last week tested positive for the coronavirus after taking the multi-day test at the University of Denver.

The in-person exam in Pennsylvania, initially scheduled for July, was postponed twice because of the pandemic. Law school deans, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and students have sought diploma privilege  meaning that graduates from accredited law schools could start jobs as law firm associates without the exam.

But on Thursday, the states Administrative Office of the Courts declared that anyone who registered for the bar exam must now take it online Oct. 5 through 7. Yet the uncertainty isnt over for new graduates, who could wait months longer to get their results.

Katie Ott graduated in May from Temple Universitys Beasley School of Law. She is working as a clerk at a midsized law firm, but cant be employed as an attorney until she takes and passes the bar.

I havent been able to pay my rent for so many months, said the aspiring trusts and estates lawyer. Its already a strain affording groceries. And theres no sign of it getting better. If the test doesnt go through in October, I dont know where that will leave me.

Online tests have been fraught with problems in other states.

In Michigan on July 28, hackers launched a cyberattack on the exam website and crashed it about an hour into the test. In Indiana, software glitches postponed the exam for several days. In Nevada, technical issues delayed the exam for two weeks.

The Board [of Legal Examiners] is taking the experiences in other states into account in shaping its procedures for the remote examination, said a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Administrative Office of the Courts.

Pennsylvania has yet to choose an online exam provider, said Danielle M Conway, dean of Penn State Dickinson Law and an outspoken advocate of diploma privilege.

It is unfortunate that the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners is not considering the desperate measures that will result from their decision, she said.

The graduates are made to bear this tragedy on their own.

Many recent grads dont have adequate Internet service to sustain a two-day test, let alone a quiet space in their homes where they can take the exam, Conway said.

Its really disappointing, Ott said. Having the space to take the test is a huge factor, especially if you dont live alone.

The real hardship is the fact that were not going to find out if we passed it until hopefully December, theyve said. Which means we wont be licensed attorneys until then.

In New Jersey, where the state bar exam also has been postponed twice, faculty at Rutgers Law and Seton Hall Law asked the New Jersey Supreme Court last week to grant an emergency diploma privilege for recent grads. The state plans to administer a remote exam on Oct. 5 and 6.

Proponents argue that four years of undergraduate work and three years of hustling for a juris doctor degree should be adequate to show professional competency, especially during a time of crisis.

Diploma privilege would be extended only to graduates who already have registered for this years bar exams and havent previously failed the test. New lawyers could still be rejected if they dont pass the bars character and fitness requirements, which are similar to a criminal background check.

Last summer, 1,270 aspiring lawyers sat for the exam in Pennsylvania. About 73% of those passed on their first attempt, according to statistics published by the state Bar Association.

Diploma privilege is rare in the United States, according to David E. Schwager, president of the state Bar Association.

But there are already four states that have adopted it in lieu of their 2020 bar exams because of COVID-19: Utah, Oregon, Louisiana, and Washington, he said.

A. Michael Snyder, chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, said the association had suggested that diploma privilege expire a year after the end of Gov. Wolfs state of emergency.

Theres the potential of firms saying we see you came in under the diploma privilege. Youre not qualified. You never took the bar exam. The firm could consider them less than a lawyer, Snyder said.

Conway questions whether the bar exam is even worthwhile.

Wisconsin, for instance, has had diploma privilege since 1870, said Conway, who graduated cum laude from Howard University School of Law. I remember taking the bar exam decades ago and thinking, Why is this even necessary when theres a state out there with diploma privilege.

There are other ways to test competency, Conway said. It is true that the bar exam has become a rite of passage, but that rite should be evaluated for its relevance to what a new lawyer will be expected to do when entering the profession.

Conway calls it an exercise in gatekeeping.

It rewards memorization, it rewards test-taking endurance, and privileges those who have access to wealth, information and circumstances that make studying for the bar exam a full-time job, she said. This crisis is giving us an opportunity to have meaningful discussions about it and we should not let that opportunity to consider alternatives lapse.

Snyder, of the Philadelphia Bar Association, acknowledged that the debate is worth having. But now is not the time to make that decision hastily.
Newmark Security PLC - London-based electronic and physical security systems company - Wins two new contracts in its Human Capital Management division in US, where it trades as GT Clocks.

First contract is with an HCM software company which provides HR and payroll solutions to over 30,000 businesses. The three-year contract is for the GT-4 timeclock - which is the successor to Newmark's mid-tier hardware offering IT31 - and has a minimum contract value of over USD1 million.

Newmark adds that one of its existing partners has entered into an agreement to supply the GT-10 to one of the largest retailers in the US, stating that it expects the agreement to be worth up to USD3.8 million over the next two to three years.

"We are delighted to see our investment into creating our next-generation timeclocks being repaid with these customer wins. The US has been a significant part of our growth story in recent years and we expect that trend to continue," said Chief Executive Marie-Claire Dwek.

Current stock price: 1.44 pence

Year-to-date change: down 2.7%

By Ife Taiwo; ifetaiwo@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Jorge Nava is going through with plans he made months ago to divorce his wife Anfisa Arkhipchenko.

The 90 Day Fiance star filed the paperwork to initiate a divorce in Arizona shortly after marking three years of marriage, according to TMZ.

The reality TV fixture said he planned to divorce his wife back in March after he said she had abandoned him while he served out a prison sentence for transporting 293lbs of marijuana.

Ending it: 90 Day Fiance star Jorge Nava filed for divorce in Arizona from his wife Anfisa Arkhipchenko, shortly after they marked three years of marriage

In his court filings, Nava listed the date of separation as November 19, 2020, and cited irreconcilable difference as the reason for divorcing.

He did not list any shared debts or properties in the filings, and he and Arkhipchenko never had children, so the process is likely to be straightforward.

Nava, who hails from Riverside, California, and Arkhipchenko, who is originally from Moscow, were among the most popular couples in season four of 90 Day Fiance, which follows couples in which a US citizen and a foreign partner have 90 days to plan a wedding after receiving their K-1 visa.

Calling it quits: In his filings, Nava said they separated on November 19, 2020, and cited irreconcilable difference as the reason for divorcing. The two have been separated since he went to prison for drug trafficking

Viewers were convinced that Arkhipchenko was just after Nava's money after she canceled her plans to come to the US after he refused to purchase her a $10,000 handbag.

During the tumultuous time together, he refused to pay for an engagement ring or a wedding dress, and the two eventually had a simple courthouse wedding.

Nava's family continued to be distrustful of his wife, and the two separated for multiple months before he went to prison for trafficking hundreds of pounds of marijuana.

New love: Since he was released from prison in May, he has shared some passionate photos featuring a woman who isn't his wife

Secret: Although Nava claimed that his soon-to-be ex-wife had a lover while he was in prison, she doesn't seem to have shared evidence of the relationship on social media

Although Nava claimed that his soon-to-be ex-wife had a lover while he was in prison, she doesn't seem to have shared evidence of the relationship on social media.

But since he was released from prison in May, he has shared some passionate photos featuring a woman who isn't his wife.

He shared two pictures of himself kissing an unidentified woman on Thursday to Instagram, including one of him holding her in the surf and another closeup of them locking lips.

The newly released felon has lately been showcasing his newly trim figure on social media after getting down to 190lbs after weighing in at 318lbs prior to his prison sentence.

Bad sign: Nava's family was convinced that Arkhipchenko was out for his money after she canceled a trip to the US when he refused to buy her a $10,000 handbag
TSX: WEF

VANCOUVER, BC, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Western Forest Products Inc. (TSX: WEF) ("Western" or the "Company") reported adjusted EBITDA of $29.5 million in the second quarter of 2020. Despite the negative financial impacts and significant uncertainty arising from the novel Coronavirus pandemic ("COVID-19"), Western maintained employment and operating levels, and continued to service customers.

Net income of $8.5 million ($0.02 net income per diluted share) was reported for the second quarter of 2020, as compared to net loss of $0.7 million ($nil per diluted share) for the second quarter of 2019 and net loss of $21.0 million ($0.06 net loss per diluted share) in the first quarter of 2020.

Second Quarter Highlights:

Delivered improved second quarter adjusted EBITDA of $29.5 million

Rebuilt log inventory that had been depleted by a strike

Restarted operations at the Cowichan Bay sawmill

sawmill Closed with $95.1 million of available liquidity, exceeding ongoing operating capital requirements

Western's second quarter adjusted EBITDA was $29.5 million, including export tax expense of $7.6 million, as compared to adjusted EBITDA of $15.1 million in the second quarter of 2019, and negative adjusted EBITDA of $17.4 million reported in the first quarter of 2020. Operating income prior to restructuring and other items was $14.6 million, compared to $1.4 million in second quarter of 2019, and $28.4 million loss reported in the first quarter of 2020. Second quarter adjusted EBITDA in 2020 included $10.7 million of federal government grants accessed through the Canadian Emergency Wage program.





Q2

Q2

Q1



YTD



YTD (millions of dollars except per share amounts and where otherwise noted)

2020

2019

2020



2020



2019 Revenue

$ 256.3

$ 310.3

$ 99.1



$ 355.4

$ 586.0 Export tax expense



7.6



9.7



4.0





11.6



18.9 Adjusted EBITDA



29.5



15.1



(17.4)





12.0



33.2 Adjusted EBITDA margin



12%



5%



-18%





3%



6% Operating income prior to restructuring items and other income (expense)

$ 14.6

$ 1.4

$ (28.4)



$ (13.8)

$ 7.1 Net income (loss)



8.5



(0.7)



(21.0)





(12.5)



1.2 Basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share (in dollars)



0.02



-



(0.06)





(0.03)



- Net debt, end of period



152.1



114.1



137.0













Liquidity, end of period



95.1



133.9



113.5















"We successfully re-established our business after the lengthy strike and despite considerable uncertainty caused by COVID-19," said Don Demens, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Looking forward, our focus remains on the health and safety of our employees, contractors, and communities, managing our balance sheet and servicing our customers."

Summary of Second Quarter 2020 Results

Adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2020 was $29.5 million, as compared to $15.1 million from the same period last year. Despite the negative financial impacts and significant uncertainty arising from COVID-19, we maintained employment and operating levels supported by the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy ("CEWS") program. We capitalized on improved lumber and log markets in June 2020 to overcome operating losses realized early in the second quarter. Operating income prior to restructuring and other items was $14.6 million, as compared to $1.4 million in the same period last year.

In the second quarter, we focused on re-establishing our business after the lengthy United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 ("USW") strike (the "Strike") that ended in the first quarter of 2020. We re-engaged with employees, contractors and customers, overcoming the residual impacts of the Strike to deliver improved operating performance and financial results through the second quarter of 2020.

We continue to strictly enforce enhanced health and safety protocols and regularly re-evaluate market conditions arising from COVID-19. Our near-term focus remains on ensuring the health and safety of our employees, managing our balance sheet, and servicing our customers.

Sales

Lumber and log sales were impacted by market uncertainty and delayed shipments arising from COVID-19. Lumber revenue in the second quarter was $188.8 million, a decrease of 19% from the same period last year. Lumber shipment volumes of 152 million board feet were 28% lower than the same period last year. Lumber demand dropped significantly late in the first quarter and into the second quarter of 2020 as a result of global market uncertainty arising from COVID-19 and related government emergency measures. Demand gradually recovered through the quarter with shipments accelerating in June 2020. We grew wholesale lumber shipments as compared to the same period last year, and our United States ("US") based Columbia Vista division continued to perform in line with our expectations.

Our average realized lumber price increased 12% from the same period last year, despite significant uncertainty in key export markets from COVID-19. An improved price realization was the result of a higher specialty product mix and a weaker Canadian dollar ("CAD") to US dollar ("USD"). Specialty lumber represented 64% of shipments compared to 57% in the second quarter of last year. The average CAD-USD foreign exchange rate in the second quarter of 2020 was 3% lower than in the same period last year.

Log revenue was $60.5 million in the second quarter of 2020, a decrease of 4% from the same period last year. We capitalized on an improved log market late in the second quarter to deliver increased shipments as compared to the same period last year, however average price realizations declined due to a weaker sales mix. Log sales mix was negatively impacted by inventory degradation that occurred during the Strike in certain British Columbia ("BC") operations.

By-product revenue was $7.0 million, a decrease of 48% as compared to the same period last year due to lower chip sales volumes and lower realized pricing. Reduced chip production and purchases led to a reduction in by-products shipments, while pricing was negatively impacted by the NBSK pulp market.

Operations

Despite significant uncertainty arising from COVID-19, we continued production through the second quarter. We maintained operating levels in order to support and maintain employment levels, rebuild inventories, and service our customers. By late May 2020, we had rebuilt log decks and lumber inventory that were depleted from the Strike.

Lumber production of 143 million board feet was 31% lower than the same period last year. We operated fewer shifts, and production efficiency was impacted by consuming certain aged log inventory that had degraded during the Strike. On May 4, 2020, we restarted production at our Cowichan Bay sawmill, which had remained curtailed after the end of the Strike due to limited log supply.

We produced 1,224,000 cubic meters of logs from our BC coastal operations in the second quarter of 2020, a decrease of 2% from same quarter of last year. Our log production increased through the second quarter of 2020, overcoming modified operating procedures implemented to mitigate COVID-19 risks and capitalizing on favourable coastal operating conditions. Logging costs were lower as compared to the same period last year as our production included logs that had been staged prior to the Strike. We also reduced helicopter logging volumes and limited road expenditures.

BC coastal saw log purchases were 236,000 cubic metres, consistent with the same period last year. Saw log purchases were limited due to reduced BC coastal harvest activity.

Freight expense decreased by $6.3 million from the same period last year due to lower shipment volumes.

Second quarter adjusted EBITDA and operating income included $7.6 million of countervailing duty ("CVD") and anti-dumping duty ("AD"), as compared to $9.7 million in the same period last year. Duty expense decreased as a result of lower US-destined lumber shipment volumes.

Due to the negative financial impacts COVID-19 had on our business, we applied for the Canadian government's CEWS program. CEWS prevented temporary operating curtailments, employee layoffs, and offset the cost of enhanced health and safety protocols. We continued to operate despite uncertainty arising from COVID-19 to maintain employment levels, support contractors and communities, rebuild inventory and continue to service our customers. In the second quarter of 2020, we recognized CEWS of $9.3 million as an offset to cost of goods sold, and $1.4 million as an offset to selling and administration expense.

Selling and Administration Expense

Despite uncertainty arising from COVID-19, we maintained staffing levels to support our business and communities, and to continue to service our customers.

Second quarter selling and administration expense was $8.1 million in 2020 as compared to $8.3 million in the same period of last year. Savings generated by cost containment measures were offset by expenses arising from COVID-19, including health and safety spending and incremental IT costs associated with remote work requirements. Mark-to-market expense on long-term compensation liabilities increased by $1.3 million, as compared to the same period last year. This was offset by the recognition of CEWS.

Finance Costs

Finance costs were $2.2 million in the second quarter of 2020, consistent with the same period last year. Interest expense resulted from increased average debt levels and lease obligations in the quarter offset by a reduction in discount rates applied to other financial liabilities.

Income Taxes

Higher operating earnings, including CEWS, led to income tax expense of $3.5 million for the second quarter of 2020, as compared to income tax recovery of $0.5 million in the same quarter of last year.

Net Income (Loss)

Net income for the second quarter of 2020 was $8.5 million, as compared to net loss of $0.7 million for the same period last year. Our results improved from the comparative period but were significantly impacted by market uncertainty and increased costs resulting from COVID-19.

Summary of Year to Date 2020 Results

Financial and operating results were significantly impacted by COVID-19, the Strike, and the gradual restart of Strike-curtailed BC operations in the first half of 2020.

On February 15, 2020, USW members voted in support of a 5-year agreement to replace the collective agreement that expired on June 14, 2019, resulting in the end of the Strike. Following the Strike, we performed the necessary safety and maintenance procedures before commencing a gradual restart of certain Strike-curtailed BC operations. Upon restart, our manufacturing productivity was impacted by the consumption of lower quality log inventory that had degraded during the Strike.

In late March 2020, as a result of COVID-19, we curtailed certain operations for one week to implement enhanced health and safety protocols and to re-evaluate market conditions. After implementing enhanced health and safety protocols and re-evaluating operating conditions, we resumed all operations, except at our Ladysmith, Cowichan Bay and Somass sawmills. On May 4, 2020, we resumed operation of our Cowichan Bay sawmill. Our US-based Columbia Vista division operations were unaffected by the Strike and took no COVID-19 related downtime.

Adjusted EBITDA for the first six months of 2020 was $12.0 million, as compared to $33.2 million from the same period last year. Operating loss prior to restructuring items and other income was $13.8 million, as compared to an operating income prior to restructuring items and other income of $7.1 million in the same period last year.

Sales

Lumber revenue was $272.0 million, 40% lower than the same period last year due to the Strike and COVID-19. Demand fell as a result of global uncertainty caused by COVID-19 and related government emergency measures, and many customers suspended order activity in late March 2020 through mid-May 2020. We took this time to rebuild inventory depleted by the Strike, which allowed us to increase shipments as lumber markets gradually recovered through the period. Despite challenging market conditions, average lumber price realizations increased as we improved our specialty product mix and benefitted from a weaker CAD to USD. Specialty lumber represented 67% of year to date shipments compared to 55% in the same period last year.

Log revenue was $73.4 million in the first half of 2020, a decrease of 30% from the same period last year due to limited log production during the Strike. Average price realizations declined due to a weaker log sales mix caused by Strike-related log degradation, and the impact of COVID-19 on global markets.

By-products revenue decreased to $10.0 million in the first half of 2020, from $29.0 million in the same period last year due to lower by-product production during the Strike, reduced chip purchase-and-resale volume, and temporary coastal pulp operating curtailments.

Operations

Lumber production in the first half of 2020 was 204 million board feet, 50% lower than the same period last year. Lumber production was negatively impacted by the Strike and initial impacts of COVID-19. We partly mitigated the impact of the Strike by continuing to process logs at custom cut facilities and through our wholesale lumber strategy. Second quarter production volumes were impacted in 2020 due to processing log inventory that had degraded during the Strike. By continuing to run our timberlands operations despite significant uncertainty arising from COVID-19 we rebuilt log inventories, which supported the resumption of operations at our Cowichan Bay sawmill on May 4, 2020.

Log production for the first half of 2020 was 1,391,000 cubic metres. Logging operations were curtailed for most of the first quarter of 2020 due to the Strike and actions taken to mitigate COVID-19 health and safety risks. We limited the production decline to 36% as compared to the first half of 2019 by expediting the recovery of logs that had been staged prior to the Strike. We also reduced our per unit BC coastal harvest costs by reducing helicopter harvest volumes and limiting road expenditures.

BC coastal saw log purchases were 377,000 cubic metres, a 16% decrease from the same period last year. Saw log purchases were limited due to reduced BC coastal harvest activity in the first half of 2020.

Freight expense for the first half of 2020 was $26.4 million, a reduction of 47% as compared to same period last year as a result of lower shipments of logs and lumber.

Adjusted EBITDA and operating income included $11.6 million of CVD and AD expense, as compared to $18.9 million in the same period of 2019. Duty expense declined as a result of reduced US-destined lumber shipments.

Due to the negative financial impact COVID-19 had on our business we applied for CEWS. Western's eligibility for CEWS prevented temporary operating curtailments, employee layoffs and offset the costs of enhanced health and safety protocols. We continued to operate despite uncertainty arising from COVID-19 to maintain employment levels, support contractors and communities, rebuild inventory and continue to service our customers. In the first half of 2020, we recognized CEWS of $9.3 million as an offset to cost of goods sold, and $1.4 million as an offset to selling and administration expense.

Selling and Administration Expense

Despite uncertainty arising from COVID-19, we maintained staffing levels to support our business and communities, and to continue to service our customers.

Selling and administration expense for the first half of 2020 was $14.5 million as compared to $17.1 million in the same period last year. Savings generated by cost containment measures were partly offset by expenses arising from COVID-19, including health and safety spending and incremental IT costs associated with remote work requirements. Mark-to-market expense on long-term compensation liabilities was offset by the recognition of CEWS.

Finance Costs

Finance costs were $4.4 million, compared to $3.8 million in the first half of 2020. Higher interest expense resulted from increased average debt levels and rates, somewhat offset by declines in discount rates applied to other financial liabilities.

Income Taxes

Lower operating earnings in the first half of 2020 led to an income tax recovery of $4.9 million, as compared to income tax expense of $0.3 million in the same period last year.

Net Loss

Net loss for the first half of 2020 was $12.5 million, as compared to net income of $1.2 million for the same period last year. Net income was impacted by lower shipments as a result of COVID-19 and the Strike.

Sale of Ownership Interests in Limited Partnerships

On March 16, 2020, Western announced it had reached an agreement whereby Huumiis Ventures Limited Partnership ("HVLP"), a limited partnership beneficially owned by the Huu-ay-aht First Nations, will acquire a majority ownership interest in TFL 44 Limited Partnership ("TFL 44 LP") and an ownership interest in a newly formed limited partnership that will own the Alberni Pacific Division Sawmill ("APD Sawmill") for total consideration of $36.2 million (the "Transaction").

TFL 44 LP holds certain assets in Port Alberni, British Columbia, including Tree Farm Licence 44 and other associated assets and liabilities. HVLP will acquire an incremental 44% ownership interest in TFL 44 LP from Western for $35.2 million. On completion of the Transaction, HVLP will own 51% of TFL 44 LP and Western will own 49% of TFL 44 LP. Western may sell other area First Nations, including HVLP, a further incremental ownership interest of up to 26% in TFL 44 LP, under certain conditions. Western and TFL 44 LP will enter into a long-term fibre agreement to continue to supply Western's British Columbia coastal manufacturing operations, which have undergone significant capital investment over the past several years.

Western will transfer its APD Sawmill into a limited partnership ("APD LP") along with certain other assets and liabilities. HVLP will acquire a 7% ownership interest in APD LP from Western for $1.0 million, and subject to further negotiations, HVLP will have an option to purchase an incremental ownership interest in APD LP, which may include a majority interest.

The completion of the Transaction is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, financing, and certain third-party consents, including approval by the BC Provincial Government. The Transaction is anticipated to close later in the second half of 2020 as COVID-19 restrictions have delayed the administration of certain closing conditions.

COVID-19

Western is committed to the health and safety of our employees, contractors and the communities where we operate. To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we have implemented strict health and safety protocols across our business that are based on guidance from health officials and experts, and in compliance with regulatory orders and standards.

Health and safety protocols currently being enforced include travel restrictions; self-isolation instructions for those who have travelled, are ill, exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or have come in direct contact with someone with COVID-19; implementing physical distancing measures; restricting site access to essential personnel and activities; increasing cleaning and sanitization in workplaces; and where possible, providing those who can work from home the ability to exercise that option. We continue to monitor and review the latest guidance from health officials and experts to ensure our protocols meet the current required standards.

In response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company also curtailed its BC manufacturing facilities for up to a one-week period effective March 23, 2020. After implementing enhanced health and safety protocols and re-evaluating operating conditions, we resumed all operations, except at our Ladysmith, Cowichan Bay and Somass sawmills. By continuing to operate timberlands operations through the uncertainty arising from COVID-19 in the second quarter of 2020, we rebuilt sufficient log inventory to resume manufacturing operations at our Cowichan Bay sawmill on May 4, 2020 and at our Ladysmith sawmill on August 4, 2020.

State of Emergency declarations and other restrictions relating to travel, business operations and isolation have been made by governing bodies in the regions that Western operates and sells its products. Western's business activities have been designated an essential service in Canada and the US, and we will continue to monitor and adjust our operations as required to ensure the health and safety of our employees, contractors and the communities where we operate and to address changes in customer demand. In addition, governments in Canada and the US have announced various financial relief programs for businesses. In the second quarter of 2020, we recognized $10.7 million in CEWS as a reduction to cost of goods sold and selling and administrative expense. We continue to evaluate Western's eligibility for relief programs as they are announced, to help mitigate the financial impacts of COVID-19.

With the potential negative impacts to the global economy from COVID-19 and with dynamic global economic conditions, in the near-term we remain focused on maintaining financial flexibility, protecting the health and safety of our employees and contractors, and servicing our customers.

Operations Update

On August 4, 2020, we restarted production at our Ladysmith sawmill, which had remained curtailed after the end of the Strike due to limited log supply. We rebuilt sufficient log inventory to support this restart by continuing log harvest production through the uncertainty arising from COVID-19. The ongoing operation of our Ladysmith sawmill is dependent on log supply and continued strong commodity market conditions.

Our Somass sawmill remains indefinitely curtailed as a result of a fibre supply deficit arising from years of tenure takebacks and government land use decisions, and rising costs associated with the US Softwood Lumber dispute. As of August 6, 2020, our other manufacturing and timberlands operations are actively operating.

BC Government Forest Policies Update

During 2019, the BC Provincial Government (the "Province") introduced various policy initiatives that will impact the BC forest sector regulatory framework as part of their Coastal Revitalization Initiative.

On January 21, 2020, the Province announced changes to the Manufactured Forest Products Regulation ("Regulation") effective July 1, 2020. The amendments to the Regulation would require lumber that is made from Western Red Cedar ("WRC") or cypress (Yellow Cedar) to be fully manufactured in BC to be eligible for export from Canada. Fully manufactured is defined as lumber that will not be kiln-dried, planed or re-sawn at a facility outside of BC. The Province is working with industry stakeholders to develop exemptions to meet its stated objective and has formed a working group of industry representatives to help develop the exemption process. We continue to collaboratively engage with the Province to ensure that the desired outcome is met without unintended consequences to our global customers. The impact that the amendments to this Regulation may have on our operations cannot be determined at this time.

On June 11, 2020, the Province announced the deferral of the implementation of the changes to the Regulation to September 30, 2020. The Province also updated the requirement to fully manufacture WRC and Yellow Cedar to only apply to the BC Coast.

Timber Tenure Reduction

Approximately 89% of Western's 5,956,000 cubic metre sustainable allowable annual cut ("AAC") is in the form of Tree Farm Licenses ("TFL"). TFLs are granted for 25-year terms and are replaced by the Province every five to ten years with a new TFL with a 25-year term.

In the second half of 2020, we expect that the Province's Chief Forester to issue a final determination on the AAC in TFL 19, which is approximately 729,000 cubic metres. We expect that determination may reduce the AAC of TFL 19 by up to 18% or approximately 130,000 cubic meters. Provincial legislation requires the Chief Forester to routinely review sustainable harvesting levels of individual tenures at least every 10 years and to issue a determination which may result in an increase or decrease to AAC. The AAC determination reflects tree growth, ecology, regional and local economic and social interests, water and other environmental considerations that define how forests can be managed.

More information on our tenure rights and sustainable harvest practices can be found in the Company's Annual Information Form, which can be found SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and Western's 2019 Sustainability Report, which can be found at www.westernforest.com.

Strategy and Outlook

Western's long-term business objective is to create superior value for shareholders by building a margin-focused specialty log and lumber business of scale to compete successfully in global softwood markets. We believe this will be achieved by maximizing the sustainable utilization of our forest tenures, operating safe, efficient, low-cost manufacturing facilities and augmenting our sales of targeted high-value specialty products for selected global customers with a lumber wholesale program. We seek to manage our business with a focus on operating cash flow and maximizing value through the production and sales cycle. We routinely evaluate our performance using the measure of Return on Capital Employed.

Sales & Marketing Strategy Update

We continue to make progress with the execution of our sales and marketing strategy that focuses on the production and sale of targeted, high-margin products of scale to selected customers. We supplement our key product offerings with purchased lumber to deliver the suite of products our customers require.

Marketing and vendor purchase agreements reached in the first quarter of 2020 with certain customers are expected to increase our lumber sales into North American Home Centre and Pro-Dealer sales channels. In the second quarter of 2020, we launched new product branding and increased our presence in these sales channels to capitalize on the growing repair and remodel segment. We are encouraged by the early success of this strategy and expect to see more fulsome benefits of these marketing initiatives as we move forward.

In the second quarter of 2020, we increased shipments of products to our customers through our Arlington distribution centre. We increased capacity utilization and added new modes of transportation at Arlington to meet selected US customer requirements.

Our Columbia Vista division continues to perform in line with our expectations and has been a positive addition to our business and product mix. We continue to develop and evaluate growth opportunities for our wholesale lumber business.

Market Outlook

Lumber markets have rebounded from a first quarter standstill resulting from COVID-19. Lumber demand, particularly in North America, has exceeded supply and benchmark commodity prices have risen to near-record levels in the third quarter. We anticipate prices to remain strong until the supply-demand imbalance is resolved.

With the onset of COVID-19, government actions to limit the spread of the virus, including stay at home orders and lockdowns, created significant demand disruptions in many of our key markets. In response to the COVID 19 uncertainty and government actions some customers were unable to accept contract deliveries, which reduced demand and led producers to curtail operations.

As governments began to ease COVID-19 restrictions, wood products consumption and demand improved. In North America, there was insufficient lumber supply to satisfy rising demand. The resulting supply-demand imbalance led to greater market volatility and significant price increases, particularly for commodity lumber. Demand in our key export markets has not matched the sharp rebound in North American markets. We have responded by re-directing a component of our lumber production to North American product lines in an effort to capitalize on the improved demand and price environment.

Demand and pricing for our Western Red Cedar products in North America improved through the second quarter led by the Home Centre segment. We expect WRC demand in North America to remain strong in the third quarter of 2020, which is traditionally a slower period for WRC products. In our key export markets demand has improved and we expect pricing to rebound. Demand and price realizations may be impacted in North America by revised CVD and AD rates and, in export markets, by Regulation changes by the Province.

In Japan, lumber demand has weakened due to declining housing starts and COVID-19 related challenges. As demand has fallen market pricing has become more competitive. North American lumber is competing for market share with Spruce-beetle impacted, lower priced European supply and government-subsidized, local Japanese products. In response to the weaker demand for our products we may redirect certain Japan-destined volume to the North American market.

Demand for Niche lumber products targeted to the treating segment in North America has remained strong, while demand for timbers consumed in the industrial segment has slowed. In the third quarter, we expect price improvements in the treated segment and for our Niche appearance products.

COVID-19 related operating curtailments in Europe and New Zealand impacted log supply to China in the first half of this year. We expect European and New Zealand log supply to return to pre-pandemic levels leading to a more competitive price environment. In the domestic log market, we expect moderate price improvements supported by increased demand from local manufacturers.

Coastal pulp and paper operations have been negatively impacted by reduced demand for their products due to COVID-19. In turn, pulp and paper mill operating curtailments have led to reduced demand and a weaker price environment for coastal pulp logs. We expect pricing for pulp logs to remain under pressure until demand for pulp and paper improves and the mills return to full production.

As we look forward, the potential resurgence in COVID-19 cases around the globe may lead to the reintroduction of government actions that could impact lumber demand and pricing. We plan to utilize our flexible operating platform to adjust to market conditions and will continue to align our production volumes to match market demand.

Softwood Lumber Dispute and US Market Update

The US application of duties on Canadian lumber imports continues a long-standing pattern of US protectionist action against Canadian lumber producers. We disagree with the inclusion of specialty lumber products, particularly WRC and Yellow Cedar products, in this commodity lumber focused dispute. As duties paid are determined on the value of lumber exported, and as our shipments to the US market are predominantly high-value, appearance grade lumber, we are disproportionately impacted by these duties.

Western expensed $7.6 million of export duties in the second quarter of 2020, comprised of CVD and AD at a combined rate of 20.23% on all lumber it sold into the US. On February 3, 2020, the US Department of Commerce ("DoC") issued preliminary revised rates in the CVD and AD first administrative review of shipments for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018. The combined preliminary revised rates were 8.37% for 2017 and 8.21% for 2018. The DoC may revise these rates between preliminary and final determination. On July 22, 2020, the DoC again announced an administrative review extension that is expected to delay the final rate determination until late November 2020. Cash deposits continue at the current rate of 20.23% until the final determinations are published, at which time the 2018 rate will apply to US-destined lumber sales.

The tolling of all administrative reviews on July 22, 2020, also extended the DoC's second administrative review for fiscal year 2019. Western was not selected as a mandatory respondent in the second administrative review and will therefore be subject to the "all others" rate once preliminary review findings are finalized.

At June 30, 2020, Western had USD $77.5 million (CAD $105.2 million) of cash on deposit with the US Department of Treasury in respect of these softwood lumber duties.

Including wholesale lumber shipments, our sales to the US market represented approximately 27% of our total revenue in 2019. Our distribution and processing centre in Arlington, Washington and our Columbia Vista division in Vancouver, Washington are expected to partially mitigate the damaging effects of duties on our products destined for the US market. We intend to leverage our flexible operating platform to continue to partially mitigate any challenges that arise from this trade dispute.

Non-GAAP Measures

Reference is made in this press release to the following non-GAAP measures: Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, and Net debt to capitalization are used as benchmark measurements of our operating results and as benchmarks relative to our competitors. These non-GAAP measures are commonly used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate our financial performance. These non-GAAP measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The following table provides a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to figures as reported in our audited annual consolidated financial statements:





Q2 2020

Q2 2019

Q1 2020



YTD 2020

YTD 2019 (millions of Canadian dollars except where otherwise noted)













































Adjusted EBITDA

































































Net income (loss)

$ 8.5

$ (0.7)

$ (21.0)



$ (12.5)

$ 1.2 Add:































Amortization



14.2



12.5



11.0





25.2



23.8 Changes in fair value of biological assets, net



0.6



1.3



-





0.6



2.3 Operating restructuring items



0.6



0.5



0.4





1.0



1.1 Other (income) expense(1)



(0.2)



(0.1)



(1.6)





(1.8)



0.8 Finance costs



2.2



2.2



2.2





4.4



3.7 Current income tax expense (recovery)



-



(0.8)



(0.1)





(0.1)



- Deferred income tax expense (recovery)



3.5



0.3



(8.3)





(4.8)



0.3 Adjusted EBITDA

$ 29.5

$ 15.1

$ (17.4)



$ 12.0

$ 33.2

































Adjusted EBITDA margin

































































Total revenue

$ 256.3

$ 310.3

$ 99.1



$ 355.4

$ 586.0 Adjusted EBITDA



29.5



15.1



(17.4)





12.0



33.2 Adjusted EBITDA margin



12%



5%



-18%





3%



6%

































Net debt to capitalization

































































Net debt































Total debt, net of deferred financing costs

$ 154.2

$ 119.4

$ 139.2













Cash and cash equivalents



(2.1)



(5.3)



(2.2)













Net debt

$ 152.1

$ 114.1

$ 137.0















































Capitalization































Net debt

$ 152.1

$ 114.1

$ 137.0













Add: Equity



461.4



546.7



459.6













Capitalization

$ 613.5

$ 660.8

$ 596.6















































Net debt to capitalization



25%



17%



23%

































`













Figures in the table above may not equal or sum to figures presented elsewhere due to rounding. (1) Other (income) expense, net of changes in fair market value less costs to sell of biological assets.

Forward Looking Statements and Information

This press release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking statements under the applicable securities laws. Readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All statements herein, other than statements of historical fact, may be forward-looking statements and can be identified by the use of words such as "will", "estimate", "expect", "anticipate", "plan", "intend", "believe", "seek", "should", "may", "likely", "continue" and similar references to future periods. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to our current intent, belief or expectations with respect to: domestic and international market conditions, demands and growth; economic conditions; our growth, marketing, product, wholesale, operational and capital allocation plans and strategies, including but not limited to, payment of a dividend; fibre availability and regulatory developments; the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic; the timing or anticipated closing of the Transaction; and the selling of additional incremental ownership interest in TFL 44 LP and APD LP in the future. Although such statements reflect management's current reasonable beliefs, expectations and assumptions as to, amongst other things, the future supply and demand of forest products, global and regional economic activity and the consistency of the regulatory framework within which the Company currently operates, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements are accurate, and actual results and performance may materially vary. Many factors could cause our actual results or performance to be materially different including: economic and financial conditions, international demand for forest products, competition and selling prices, international trade disputes, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, labour disputes and disruptions, natural disasters, relations with First Nations groups, the availability of fibre and allowable annual cut, development and changes in laws and regulations affecting the forest industry, changes in the price of key materials for our products, changes in opportunities, future developments in the Coronavirus pandemic and other factors referenced under the "Risks and Uncertainties" section of our MD&A in our 2019 Annual Report dated February 11, 2020. The foregoing list is not exhaustive, as other factors could adversely affect our actual results and performance. Forward-looking statements are based only on information currently available to us and refer only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update forward-looking statements.

Reference is made in this press release to adjusted EBITDA which is defined as operating income prior to operating restructuring items and other income, plus amortization of property, plant, equipment, and intangible assets, impairment adjustments, and changes in fair value of biological assets. Adjusted EBITDA margin is EBITDA presented as a proportion of revenue. Western uses adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin as benchmark measurements of our own operating results and as benchmarks relative to our competitors. We consider adjusted EBITDA to be a meaningful supplement to operating income as a performance measure primarily because amortization expense, impairment adjustments and changes in the fair value of biological assets are non-cash costs, and vary widely from company to company in a manner that we consider largely independent of the underlying cost efficiency of their operating facilities. Further, the inclusion of operating restructuring items which are unpredictable in nature and timing may make comparisons of our operating results between periods more difficult. We also believe adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin are commonly used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate our financial performance.

Adjusted EBITDA does not represent cash generated from operations as defined by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and it is not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund cash needs. Furthermore, adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the impact of a number of items that affect our net income. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin are not measures of financial performance under IFRS, and should not be considered as alternatives to measure performance under IFRS. Moreover, because all companies do not calculate adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin in the same manner, these measures as calculated by Western may differ from similar measures as calculated by other companies. A reconciliation between the Company's net income as reported in accordance with IFRS and adjusted EBITDA is included in this press release.

Also in this press release management may use key performance indicators such as net debt, net debt to capitalization and current assets to current liabilities. Net debt is defined as long-term debt less cash and cash equivalents. Net debt to capitalization is a ratio defined as net debt divided by capitalization, with capitalization being the sum of net debt and equity. Current assets to current liabilities is defined as total current assets divided by total current liabilities. These key performance indicators are non-GAAP financial measures that do not have a standardized meaning and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other issuers. They are not recognized by IFRS, however, they are meaningful in that they indicate the Company's ability to meet their obligations on an ongoing basis, and indicate whether the Company is more or less leveraged than the prior year.

Western is an integrated forest products company building a margin-focused log and lumber business to compete successfully in global softwood markets. With operations and employees located primarily on the coast of British Columbia and Washington State, Western is a premier supplier of high-value, specialty forest products to worldwide markets. Western has a lumber capacity in excess of 1.1 billion board feet from eight sawmills and four remanufacturing facilities. The Company sources timber from its private lands, long-term licenses, First Nations arrangements, and market purchases. Western supplements its production through a wholesale program providing customers with a comprehensive range of specialty products.

TELECONFERENCE CALL NOTIFICATION:

Friday, August 7, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. PDT (12:00 p.m. EDT)

On Friday, August 7, 2020, Western Forest Products Inc. will host a teleconference call at 9:00 a.m. PDT (12:00 p.m. EDT). To participate in the teleconference please dial 416-406-0743 or 1-800-806-5484 (passcode: 2271487#). This call will be taped, available one hour after the teleconference, and on replay until September 7, 2020 at 8:59 p.m. PDT (11:59 p.m. EDT). To hear a complete replay, please call 905-694-9451 / 1-800-408-3053 (passcode: 2602812#).

SOURCE Western Forest Products Inc.

Related Links

www.westernforest.com


A 31-year-old Vietnamese inmate who escaped from a detention facility in the north-central province of Quang Tri nearly three months ago has been captured in Hanoi, according to a statement issued by local police.

The Hanoi Department of Police announced on Wednesday evening that Nguyen Hong Hanh from the north-central province of Quang Binh had been apprehended for his jailbreak and an alleged theft.

The apprehension was made possible thanks to collaboration between police from My Duc District, Hanoi and their colleagues from Vinh Linh District, Quang Tri Province.

In February this year, investigators from Vinh Linh arrested and charged Hanh with theft.

He was placed in a local detention facility but escaped through a ventilation window on the morning of May 10.

Police added a jailbreak to Hanhs charges and issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest.

Hanh was able to avoid capture until he was identified by police officers in My Duc, Hanoi on August 2.

He has since been transferred to police in Vinh Linh, Quang Tri while he awaits trial.

Hanhs escape was not the only prison break of the year.

On June 18, convicted murderer Trieu Quan Su was captured at a cyber cafe in the central province of Quang Nam after pulling off a second prison break in neighboring Quang Ngai Province more than two weeks earlier.

The 29-year-old man broke out of his cell in Quang Ngai on June 3.

He was found guilty of murder, robbery, and desertion in 2013 after having left his military unit five times and killing a 49-year-old Hanoi cafe owner in August 2012.

Vietnams 2015 Penal Code states that any individual who escapes detention, an escort, a trial, or a prison faces six months to three years behind bars.

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Odisha: 25-year old man cremated after 15 hours for fear of coronavirus

India

pti-PTI

Bhubaneswar, Aug 07: The body of a 25-year old man lay at his home in a village at Konark in Odisha for more than 15 hours as relatives and villagers stayed away suspecting that he had been infected with COVID-19, officials said on Friday.

The man had died on Wednesday at Mankaragoradi village and his family was forced to arrange for PPE kits and other protective gear before the body could be taken to the cremation ground in the outskirts of the village.

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None was ready to carry his body on their shoulders as is the practice for fear of contracting the disease. His body was instead carried to the local cremation ground in a cycle cart the next day. The last rites were performed on Thursday afternoon, the officials said.

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Vichitra Rout, a tractor driver in the area, had been suffering from high fever for the past few days and was diagnosed to be afflicted with typhoid. He was asked by the community health centre where he was being treated to undergo the COVID-19 test, his family members said.

Rout is the only son of his parents and the sole breadwinner of the family. He was referred to the district headquarter hospital at Puri for the test but when he was taken there on August 4, work at its out patients department had been suspended as some health workers there had contracted coronavirus. Rout was therefore referred to a Bhubaneswar Hospital but died on Wednesday before arrangements could be made by his family for taking him there, they said. By then rumour had spread in the area that he had fallen prey to COVID-19 and the villagers shunned the family. Even the relatives showed reluctance in making arrangements for the last rites and none came forward to help the family. Executive Officer of Konark Notified Area Council (NAC), M Srinivas told PTI that when he came to know about the plight of the family he sent some officials with PPE kits to the village.

The NAC officials convinced the villagers to arrange the last rites by taking the required safeguards. Srinivas said the doctor who was treating the man had informed them that Rout was suffering from typhoid for a long time and had prolonged fever.

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However, the man died before the COVID tests could be done and it was not confirmed whether he was infected with coronavirus. The hesitant relatives agreed to help in the cremation after they were given PPE suits. The villagers kept away.

The body was wrapped in a plastic sheet and taken to the cremation ground on the cycle cart by his cautious relatives in PPEs, their faces covered with masks and gloves on their hands. Only some close relatives were present during the cremation, Srinivas said. As the COVID test had not been conducted, the specific protocols were not followed, he said adding the PPEs were provided to dispel the fear from the minds of the villagers.
Former President John Mahama has said President Nana Akufo-Addo and his government have politicised the nations institutions such as the Judiciary, Parliament, Electoral Commission, and the military, among others, describing it as a tragedy.



The tragedy of the Akufo-Addo administration is not only the colossal debt it has saddled Ghanaians with, he said on Facebook.



Read His Post Below:-



The tragedy of the Akufo-Addo administration is not only the colossal debt it has saddled Ghanaians with. It is not only the huge fiscal deficit he has created even before #COVID19. It is not only the hundreds of projects he has abandoned causing taxpayers money to go waste.



It is not only his poor infrastructure record.



This particular tragedy is in the destruction and politicization of our institutions. A judiciary that lacks impartiality, an oppressed Parliament, a pliant Electoral Commission, an Auditor General hounded out of office, a misused military, anticorruption institutions in bondage, an intimidated media, and a terrified moral society.

These constitute the tragedy of the four years of Akufo-Addos administration.



He has set our democracy back twenty-eight (28) years. This is what makes it a patriotic duty for all patriotic Ghanaians to join hands to rescue our nation.



I, John Dramani Mahama, will restore dignity and independence to our state institutions. I will depoliticize our democratic institutions and make them work effectively and independently for all Ghanaians.

Ghanaians will respect the judiciary once again. Justice will be impartial and Ghanaians will be able to express themselves freely, once more, without fear of harassment or death.

Source: John Dramani Mahama/facebook









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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HKSAR gov't strongly opposes so-called report by Britain's all-party parliamentary group on Hong Kong

Global Times

Source: Xinhua Published: 2020/8/6 9:14:22

The government of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday strongly deplored and opposed the so-called report published by Britain's All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Regarding the biased statements in the report related to the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a HKSAR government spokesman said that since Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the HKSAR has been implementing the "one country, two systems" principle, "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy in strict accordance with the Basic Law of the HKSAR.

It is the legitimate right and duty of every state to safeguard its national security. As national security falls squarely under the purview of the central authorities and after some 23 years of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the HKSAR has yet to fulfill its constitutional obligations to enact local legislation to safeguard national security. The enactment of the national security law is thus absolutely rational, reasonable, constitutional and lawful, the spokesman said.

"Since the enactment of the national security law, some politicians from the UK have made it an issue, neglecting the fact that the UK has also put in place relevant legislation and enforcement mechanisms for safeguarding its national security and sovereignty ... They ignore the serious unlawful acts of rioters in Hong Kong and even, under the pretext of the police's operations last year, indicated in a high-profile manner that certain measures or acts targeting Hong Kong would be adopted. The HKSAR government strongly objects to such and urges other countries to stop all political manipulation and interference."

The spokesman stressed that the international community should take an objective view on the events that happened in Hong Kong in the past year.

"Between June last year and early this year, Hong Kong was haunted by the ever-escalating violence. The public transport system was extensively damaged and shops maliciously attacked. An innocent man was killed by rioters, another seriously burnt and hundreds of frontline police officers injured. Cases involving explosives and firearms were uncovered every now and then, seriously endangering public safety."

Faced with these serious unlawful acts, the Hong Kong police have the statutory duty to take lawful measures to maintain public order and public safety. The police have a set of stringent guidelines on the use of force that are consistent with the international human rights norms and standards, the spokesman said.

The HKSAR 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. Matters relating to the HKSAR remain China's internal affair. No other state has the right to intervene under any pretext, the spokesman added.

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Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala Thursday said the statements of senior party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on the Ram temple bhoomi pujan clearly "reiterate their commitment to protect secularism".

In a tweet on Wednesday when the 'bhoomi pujan' was carried out, Rahul Gandhi had said, "Maryada Purshottam Lord Ram is the ultimate embodiment of supreme human values. He is the core of humanism embedded deep in our hearts".

While Priyanka Gandhi had on Tuesday expressed hope that the foundation stone laying ceremony for a grand Ram temple in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya "becomes a celebration of national unity, brotherhood and cultural harmony". Chennithala, the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, said Thursday the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), which had expressed "displeasure" over Priyanka's statement, has "every right to express their views".

"The Muslim League as a political party has every right to express their views. What is relevant is their opinion that none should indulge in any activity that creates communal polarisation which would eventually help the BJP," Chennithala said. He said the statements of Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on the Ram temple construction clearly reiterate their commitment to protect secularism.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had on Wednesday said he was not surprised by Priyanka's statement and added that the country would not have been facing such a situation today if the Congress had a "definite stand" on secularism. He said the Congress party's stand on the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue is part of history and that the grand old party had remained a "mute spectator" while the mosque was destroyed.

Chennithala on Thursday, criticising the Left party for "cherry picking" parts of statements of Rahul and Priyanka, and said their remarks need to be "read fully to understand its spirit". "All political parties in India had agreed that the Ram Temple  Babri Masjid issue should be solved either through negotiation or by the court. Even CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury was opposed to building of the temple by the government (at exchequer's cost) and not by others," Chennithala said.

Priyanka had also said that Lord Ram's character has served as a source of unity for the entire Indian subcontinent for ages. The IUML had earlier passed a resolution expressing its displeasure over Priyanka's statement.
Hugh Jackman has earned himself an Emmy Award 2020 nomination for his role as Frank Tassone in HBO's crime film, Bad Education.

But this isn't the first time the Australian actor has captivated audiences, having starred in Australian TV crime series Halifax f.p. back in 1998.

The 51-year-old played Detective Eric Ringer in the episode 'Afraid of the Dark', who becomes romantically involved with Gold Logie winner Rebecca Gibney's character.

Revealed: Remembering Hugh Jackman's forgotten TV role on a popular Australian crime series. The 51-year-old Australian actor is pictured in March

Halifax f.p. aired on Channel Nine from 1994 to 2002 and starred Rebecca as Doctor Jane Halifax, a forensic psychiatrist who delved into cases involving the mental state of suspects and victims.

Hugh featured in the 12th episode of season one in 1998, a show that also starred Ben Mendelsohn, Jessica Marais and his now-wife Deborra-Lee Furness.

Deborra-Lee starred in episode 'The Feeding' in 1995, a year before the couple wed.

A young Hugh: The Greatest Showman star played Detective Eric Ringer (pictured) in an episode of Halifax f.p. back in 1998

Household name: Eric becomes romantically involved with Gold Logie winner Rebecca Gibney's character, Doctor Jane Halifax (pictured), a forensic psychiatrist

Hugh, who has since starred in many Hollywood films, has been celebrating his 2020 Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series of Movie.

Bad Education sees the father-of-two play Frank Tassone, a corrupt school superintendent in HBO's acclaimed film.

Frank hoodwinked Long Island's Roslyn High School, conning his way to millions to fund his extravagant lifestyle, before being sent to prison in 2006 for larceny.

Star cast: Hugh's wife Deborra-Lee Furness (pictured) starred in episode 'The Feeding' in 1995, a year before the couple wed

Acclaimed: The father-of-two has been celebrating his Emmy Award 2020 nomination for his role as Frank Tassone in HBO's crime film, Bad Education. Pictured with co-star Allison Janney

Following the announcement of the 2020 Emmy nominations, Hugh said in a statement: 'I'm humbled by the nominations for both me and the film and excited to be named with such a talented group of actors.'

The X-Men star added: 'My immense appreciation goes out to all those who believed in Bad Education - especially the hardworking team at HBO.'

This is Hugh's fifth Emmy Award nomination.

The 72nd Emmy Awards will take place on September 21 in Los Angeles.
The Kabul-Taliban negotiations are seen as a critical step toward lasting peace in Afghanistan and a roadmap to what the country might look like after decades of war, with the Taliban joining the political mainstream. They are also to decide what constitutional changes would be made in a post-war Afghanistan, and how the rights of women and minorities would be protected.
Barely a month after she gave birth to her first daughter, Halima Ibrahim took ill in late February, about the same time Nigeria recorded its index case of COVID-19 in an Italian traveller.

I was diagnosed with typhoid fever and I think it affected the quality of my breast milk because the baby was not sucking, Mrs Ibrahim, who lives with her disc jockey (DJ) husband, Valentine, in an Abuja suburb, told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday night.

Because of the situation, she was advised by her doctors to abandon her earlier plans of six months of exclusive breastfeeding and start shuffling breast milk with baby food and water.

Exclusive breastfeeding is when an infant receives only breast milk. No other liquids or solids are given  not even water  with the exception of oral re-hydration solution, or drops/syrups of vitamins, minerals or medicines.

Exclusive breastfeeding, especially for the six months of the child life, is important as the nutrients they obtain enable them to grow both mentally and physically, Mariam Ahmed, Global Youth Leader on Nutrition, said.

But unfortunately, not every woman does that. Mrs Ibrahim who suffered typhoid for more than three weeks while following the doctors instruction is not equipped with the right information on the essence of total breastfeeding and the handling of an infant in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In late March, she returned to the Asokoro General Hospital, Abuja where she was receiving counselling on breastfeeding.

Unfortunately, it was the same week Nigeria imposed a total lockdown on Abuja, Lagos and Ogun in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Africas most populous country.

Though the restrictions did not apply to hospitals and other essential workers, it reduced medical services in health institutions to the barest minimum.

She said she missed out on exclusive breastfeeding. I continued with breast milk, baby food and water.

COVID-19 Situation: Misinformation

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, like Mrs Ibrahim, a lot of Nigerian women are missing out on exclusive breastfeeding, especially due to misinformation about the nature of the disease and what needs to be done to avoid it.

READ ALSO:

The rate of exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria is one of the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. Even before the pandemic, 70 per cent of Nigerian infants were not being exclusively breastfed.

Breastfeeding programmes, which are currently under threat due to the pandemic, had helped in improving breastfeeding behaviours in Nigeria.

In 2013, the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) put the countrys exclusive breastfeeding at 17 per cent. The rate was upped in the 2018 NDHS to 29 per cent

But the misinformation about COVID-19 has now been added to the mix of factors impeding exclusive breastfeeding.

When she was not allowed services at the hospital, Mrs Ibrahim resorted to second-hand information from other women.

But it is hard to separate the truth from falsehood without proper medical counsel, as COVID-19 has brought with it a wave of rumours, mixed messages and deliberate misinformation across Nigeria.

This is putting a strain on Nigerias target of using exclusive breastfeeding to tackle Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in children under five.

SAM or extremely low weight-for-height, is estimated to affect about a million children under age five in Nigeria every year, contributing to as many as 100,000 deaths per year.

The development of SAM in infants under six months of age commonly reflects sub-optimal feeding practices, especially breastfeeding practices, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

WHO said SAM is increasingly being recognised in infants and is often associated with higher mortality in young infants than in older infants and children.

Off-track?

Nigeria is making progress but it is slow and as it stands, if we dont put extra efforts then the country is unlikely to meet the World Health assembly targets of 60 per cent of infants being exclusively breastfed by 2025, Simeon Nanama, a Chief Nutritionist, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), said.

While there is little improvement, health experts believe the current rate is still far below global standard and off-track from the 60 per cent target by 2025. As of 2016, neighbouring Ghana already had an exclusiveJus breastfeeding rate of 52 per cent.

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The country was already off-track even before the COVID-19 pandemic, said Mr Nanama. The pandemic that came in represents another challenge for exclusive breastfeeding with the likelihood of even drawing down the level of progress.

This is because COVID-19 comes with so many things like fear from the mothers that breastfeeding when they feel like they are sick may contaminate the baby or the reverse.

Also the fact that the lockdown and other measures have put many households in very complex challenging economic situations where they are struggling to even put food on the table. We know very well that when the mother is not well fed, milk cannot be produced enough to meet the requirements of the baby.

As Nigeria continues to see surging COVID-19 cases, hospitals around the country are limiting visitors and unnecessary contact inside their buildings to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus.

Tayo Fatinikun, a social and health development advocate, said the situation has disrupted medical services with some families caught up in the notion of not breastfeeding their infants to prevent COVID-19.

World Breastfeeding Week

The 2020 World Breastfeeding Week, which runs from August 1 to August 7, highlights the importance of protecting and promoting womens access to skilled breastfeeding counselling as a critical component of breastfeeding support.

This years theme for the week is Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet.

Commemorating the event, WHO on Sunday said skilled counselling services can ensure mothers and families receive this support, along with the information, advice, and reassurance they need to nourish their babies in the best way.

Breastfeeding counselling can help mothers to build confidence while respecting their individual circumstances and choices, said UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, and WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, in their joint statement.

Counselling can empower women to overcome challenges and prevent feeding and care practices that may interfere with optimal breastfeeding, such as the provision of unnecessary liquids, foods, and breast milk substitutes to infants and young children.

Mrs Ibrahim said if she had continued her regular visit to the hospital, she would have had a better understanding on how to feed her baby.

Its my first child so I dont really know much. The pandemic really changed a lot of things. There is no job so I no longer get money to even buy good baby food. Sometimes, I give her all kinds of solid food including rice and swallow, she said.

Recommendations

Though coronavirus does not pass through breast milk, there is a chance of spread through respiratory droplets and contacts, health experts say.

This can be minimised if appropriate infection prevention and control measures are observed, Mr Fatinikun, the health development advocate, said. It is important to wash your hands frequently along with using an alcohol-based sanitiser before touching the baby.

The health advocate also suggested making use of face masks when breastfeeding to prevent the spread of infection via respiratory droplets.

It is also important to ensure that all surfaces that the mother touches are disinfected regularly, he said.

What we know so far is that the virus cannot be transmitted through milk especially when the mother is going by the existing COVID-19 measures of wearing masks amongst others, Mr Nanama, the UNICEF nutritionist said.

It will require a renewed effort by government and other partners to ensure we continue to empower women and give them the information required to make the best choices for themselves and the babies.
Anyone who was expecting a good second quarter from energy giant ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) was fooling themselves, especially after fellow oil supermajor Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) (NYSE:RDS.B) reported dismal earnings just a few days prior.

Some investors were hoping for the company to at least outperform the low expectations Wall Street had set. Unfortunately, ExxonMobil wasn't even able to clear that bar, posting a $1.1 billion loss and zero cash flow -- none! -- for the quarter.

As bad as it was, Q2 results did highlight ExxonMobil's strengths, as well as the challenges it needs to address. Here's what investors need to know.

By the numbers

Metric Q2 2020 Q1 2020 Q2 2019 Change (YOY) Revenue $32.6 billion $56.2 billion $69.1 billion (52.8%) Net income (loss) ($1.1 billion) ($610 million) $3.1 billion N/A Operating cash flow $0 $6.3 billion $5.9 billion (100%) Liquids production* 2.3 million BOE/D 2.5 million BOE/D 2.4 million BOE/D (3.5%) Average realized per-barrel crude oil prices (U.S./non-U.S.) $21.79/$20.91 $42.82/$41.96 $57.95/$62.47 (62.4%)/(66.5%)

Everything was down, from revenue to production. Pretty much all of that can be traced back to the low oil prices during the quarter. ExxonMobil's average realized prices for crude oil were less than $22 per barrel for both U.S. and non-U.S. production. That reflected a combination of oversupply due to the collapse of OPEC+ production curtailment talks, and lack of demand caused by the coronavirus.

ExxonMobil reported no operating cash flow at all in Q2. In spite of that, it's still maintaining its dividend at $0.87 per share, which costs the company $3.7 billion per quarter. In order to pay that dividend, along with capital expenditures of $5.1 billion, ExxonMobil had to raise another $10 billion of debt during the quarter. So far in 2020, it's added $22.1 billion in debt to its books, while its cash hoard sits at $12.6 billion.

So, yeah, this quarter was horrible, as expected. The big question investors should be asking is whether the worst is behind ExxonMobil, or if there's more bad news to come.

What management had to say

ExxonMobil management seems sanguine about the company's prospects. In a press release, CEO Darren Woods projected it wouldn't have to raise any more debt this year.

Management is also predicting higher refinery utilization and improving petrochemical demand in Q3, along with higher production as government-mandated curtailments are eased. On the earnings call, Neil Chapman, the senior vice president in charge of Exxon's upstream division, said that the company will meet or exceed its 2020 targets of a 30% cut in capital expenditures and a 15% cut in operating expenses. Chapman also anticipates ExxonMobil will further trim its expenses in 2021.

Also on the call, Stephen Littleton, vice president of investor relations, said he believes the company now has the capacity to "preserve our long-term growth plans and capital allocation priorities." Prior to the pandemic, Woods planned to use ExxonMobil's clout to pursue billions of dollars' worth of growth projects, "leaning into this market when others have pulled back."

Littleton and Chapman clarified during the Q&A session that potential new growth projects and M&A expenses wouldn't be included in the company's projected cost-cutting.

The road ahead

It's unclear what's next for the oil industry in general and ExxonMobil in particular. On the one hand, there are signs that oil markets have turned a corner. OPEC+ was able to hammer out a revised deal curbing global oil production in light of COVID-19. U.S. benchmark WTI crude and international benchmark Brent crude prices have stayed above $39 per barrel and $42 per barrel, respectively, for the past month, roughly double Exxon's realized prices in Q2.

That looks promising for the oil giant, although ExxonMobil's average realized prices tend to lag benchmark prices. In most quarters, that difference is less than 10%. In Q2, however, ExxonMobil's average realized U.S. crude prices lagged WTI Crude by 21.6%, and its non-U.S. realized crude prices lagged Brent Crude by 28.3%. As ExxonMobil makes adjustments to its portfolio, this may return to the norm, but it's something investors may want to watch.

Another red flag for ExxonMobil is its once-sterling balance sheet, which has taken a hit over the last decade. The company started 2010 with less than $10 billion in long-term debt. However, during the oil price downturn of 2014-2017, that debt load soared to more than $40 billion. Now it's at $69.5 billion, or about 1.5 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA).

That's still lower than the European oil majors (Shell's debt is about 2.1 times EBITDA, for example). However, if Woods spends tens of billions of dollars on growth projects and continues funding the dividend at $3.7 billion per quarter, what happens if oil prices slip again?

Investor takeaway

ExxonMobil took it on the chin in Q2, but by using its size and strength to tap the debt markets and maintain its dividend, it managed to tough its way through.

However, the company still has some potential vulnerabilities. Major possible weaknesses include the growing amount of debt on its balance sheet and the threat of persistently low oil prices. ExxonMobil is clearly committed to paying its dividend, which may make it attractive for income investors, but other investors should probably proceed with caution.
WIZARDS: TALES OF ARCADIA Stream on Netflix. After discovering a secret underworld of trolls and teaming up with aliens to save the planet, the teenagers of Arcadia Oaks are back for one final journey: time traveling to the world of King Arthurs Camelot to defeat villains and preserve the future. Major characters like Jim (Emile Hirsch), Toby (Charlie Saxton) and Claire (Lexi Medrano) have returned from the previous sagas of Trollhunters and 3Below, joined this time by the legendary Merlin (David Bradley). The series is written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, whose 2017 film The Shape of Water took home four Oscars, including best picture and director.

PAN Y CIRCO Stream on Amazon. This new series from Amazon and the Mexican actor Diego Luna sets out to break a taboo: discussing politics during mealtime. Instead, the show travels to various regions  such as Baja California, Puebla and Mexico City  to discuss gender violence, the climate crisis, racism, drug legalization and other issues with sought-after experts. Luna hosts these conversations over meals prepared by esteemed chefs, such as Enrique Olvera, Elena Reygadas and Alexander Suastegui.
The Guardian

The Steelers quarterback is headed to the Hall of Fame. But he was unloved outside Pittsburgh for understandable reasons Ben Roethlisberger almost certainly played his final game in the NFL on Sunday. Photograph: Ed Zurga/AP Ben Roethlisberger is lucky that football legacies are not decided by finales. If Sunday night was indeed Big Bens last ever NFL game, as he has strongly hinted, it wasnt exactly a mic drop. In the 42-21 beatdown by the Chiefs, Roethlisberger struggled with rollouts, and l
FILE PHOTO: Delivery bags with logos of Uber Eats are seen on a street in central Kiev

(In Aug. 6 story, corrects Uber's ride-hailing segment revenue in U.S. and Canada as "declining to $1.25 billion," instead of "declining $1.25 billion," paragraph 12)

By Tina Bellon and Akanksha Rana

(Reuters) - Homebound customers of Uber Technologies Inc <UBER.N> more than doubled their orders from the company's food-delivery service in the second quarter but demand for ride-hailing trips only marginally recovered from pandemic rock-bottom.

The company said that despite those larger challenges it is sticking to its goal of being profitable on an adjusted basis before the end of 2021 thanks to stringent cost-cutting measures and a strong balance sheet. Uber recorded an adjusted loss in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $837 million in the second quarter.

Shares were down 2.9% at $33.72 in after-hours trading.

Ride-hailing trips, in the past responsible for nearly two-thirds of Uber's revenue, increased 5 percentage points from their low in April, but gross bookings remained down 75% from last year.

Uber's chief executive officer, Dara Khosrowshahi, told analysts on a conference call on Thursday that rides recovery depended on the ability of different countries to contain the virus, with the recovery so far led by Asia, excluding India.

In Hong Kong and New Zealand, ride bookings at times exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels, while trip requests in Germany, France and Spain have improved to just a 35% decline from a year ago.

"Our global geographic footprint remains a huge advantage," Khosrowshahi said.

The company on Thursday posted a $1.8 billion net loss from April through June, including charges related to laying off 23% of its global workforce during a period when infections of the novel coronavirus continued to spread in the United States, Uber's largest market.

The number of active platform users across the 69 countries in which Uber operates nearly halved year-over-year, from 99 million to 55 million.

Story continues

Uber's second-quarter revenue fell 29% to $2.24 billion from the year prior, beating analysts' average estimate of $2.18 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Revenue at Uber Eats doubled to $1.2 billion, boosted by greater demand for delivery as Americans largely continue to stay home. Uber last month expanded its delivery reach by announcing the acquisition of Postmates Inc for $2.65 billion to expand the business of supplying everyday goods.

Uber's ride-hailing segment remained battered by the coronavirus crisis, with revenue from the United States and Canada, its largest combined market, declining to $1.25 billion. Nevertheless, ride-hailing was the only segment generating an adjusted EBITDA profit, of $50 million.

Uber said fewer U.S. ride-hail drivers were returning to the platform compared with other countries. Uber faces several legal challenges over the status of its drivers in the United States, with California and Massachusetts suing the company over the alleged misclassification of drivers as independent contractors.

Uber Eats, whose gross bookings more than doubled, narrowed losses, recording a $232 million adjusted EBITDA loss in the second quarter. Uber's CFO, Nelson Chai, said the company expects third-quarter losses to be roughly the same.

He also told analysts that Uber's food-delivery business would be profitable in the vast majority of countries in which it operates within a couple years.

Uber in recent months has closed Eats operations in eight smaller markets, including in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It also cut losses from its Eats business in India, where it sold its food-ordering business to a local competitor in exchange for a stake in the company.

Uber Eats was also gaining traction in the suburbs, including the outer boroughs of New York City, where the food delivery service is now the market leader, the company said.

Uber executives said cost-cutting was helping to improve margins, along with better route planning and more restaurants relying on its delivery couriers.

(Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York and Akanksha Rana in Bangalore; Editing by Peter Henderson and Matthew Lewis)
NEPAL : Amid the continuous surge in coronavirus cases in Nepal , the Chief District Officers of Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur) have decided to close operations of government offices for 15 days.

"In view of the increasing rate of COVID-19 cases in the valley, we have decided to close the offices for 15 days. Only issues which have emergency situations will be dealt," Janakraj Dahal, Chief District Officer of Kathmandu, confirmed ANI over phone.

Cases of COVID-19 has continued to surge along with fatalities in the Himalayan Nation, thus resulting in the major hospitals running in full capacity. This has forced infected ones to stay in home isolation.

On August 5, the Nepal government enforced a partial lockdown in various parts of the country.

The Home Ministry released a list of 14 districts, which will be kept under partial to full lockdown as cases of coronavirus infection and fatalities continued to soar.

As per the issued list, a total of six districts will be facing a complete restriction in movement while eight would remain under partial lockdown.

"This decision has been made on the basis of reported cases in particular districts. It will be eased on the basis of the number of cases recorded in the coming days. Likewise, it can be extended in some depending on the situation in the coming days, both would be decided on by local bodies on the basis of necessity," Chakra Bahadur Budha, spokesperson at the Ministry confirmed ANI.

As per the list issued by ministry -- Saptari, Sarlahi, Syangja, Parsa, Bara and Banke districts -- would remain under complete lockdown. Sarlahi, Parsa and Bara have been kept under restriction for an indefinite period while Banke will remain under restriction till August 8, Saptari till August 10 and Syangja till August 7.

Dhanusha Districts Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan and Chhireshwornath Municipality will remain under restriction till August 9. The local body of five localities of Nuwakot District has decided onto imposing restrictions for an indefinite period as cases were detected in the area.

Likewise, the Morang's Biratnagar Metropolitan City has imposed restriction till August 14, Mahottari's Jaleshwor Municipality and Mahottari Village Council will remain under complete lockdown till mid-night of August 5.

Darchula's Marma Village Council will remain under complete restriction until further notice. Jhapa's Birtamod Municipality will remain under lockdown for an indefinite period while Arjundhara Municipality will remain under restriction till August 6.

Sunsari's Barah Kshetra Municipality's Ward number 6, 7 and 8 will remain under lockdown until further notice while Bajhang's Thalara Village Council's Ward no 5 and Kedarshiun Village Council Ward number 6 and 7 will remain under complete restriction till August 16.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.

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EDMONTON, AB, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the growth of US operations, Ontracks EAM Consulting Ltd. has named a new president of US operations to their subsidiary, Ontracks Enterprises, Inc.

Candi Robison has been tapped to head up the US division after nearly 20 years working with IBM's Asset Management offering, Maximo. Robison accepted the position and began their duties on August 3, 2020 according to Craig Mackenzie, Principal Consultant based at the flagship's Canadian headquarters.

"We are fortunate to have someone of Candi Robison's caliber and experience join us to lead our US operations," said Mackenzie. "During these uncertain times, Ontracks has continued to thrive, and find that our US operations would benefit from expanded executive leadership. She is a strong advocate for Maximo who is customer focused with deep leadership capabilities. As a former IBM sales and business development leader, Robison has a solid understanding of our products and markets."

Candi Robison has over 20 years' experience in the reliability industry and associated enterprise software. Robison has built, led and grown business units to realize the reliability goals of the world's largest and most complex organizations. Robison is a visionary leader with a focus on delivering client success.

Most recently, she led the Watson IoT Portfolio in the Industrial Business unit at IBM. She has demonstrated an ability to build trusted relationships while driving growth in software and solution sales.

Robison said, "I am honored and excited to lead Ontracks' US operations. Ontracks has an outstanding reputation in the IBM Maximo community, and I am looking forward to guiding the growth of this vibrant company."

About Ontracks Consulting

Ontracks is a leading implementer of IBM's Enterprise Asset Management product Maximo and operational improvement firm, working with clients around the world to improve their operational performance. Ontracks focuses on delivering enterprise implementations and helping our clients realize tangible and sustainable operational improvements.

For more information contact

Kat Pullen

Marketing Coordinator

[email protected]

970-658-0304

SOURCE Ontracks EAM Consulting Ltd
Of the vaccines that have so far been tested in phase one and two trials, Crabb says the trials showed the vaccines are doing what they should do. Theres not any that are not showing some promise. Loading The most advanced of the Western worlds vaccine possibilities is the Oxford University collaboration with AstraZeneca. The most publicised is the US biotech firm Modernas. Both are in phase three trials. Experts say Australias most promising candidate is the University of Queensland project with the Doherty Institute and the CSIRO, now in phase one testing. Theres also a prospective candidate developed by Adelaide firm Vaxine working with Flinders University, now in phase two and with hopes to be ready to go public by the end of the year. Monash University is working on a third. Australias chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, told reporters on Friday: Now we have vaccines in clinical trials, developing well, showing that they work and they're safe.

Victorias COVID-19 recidivism has plunged Australias health and economic performance  and its mood  into gloom. But if these experts are right, we need look only some months ahead to see a brighter vista. Loading Thats the good news. The bad? There is no Roosevelt. No Churchill. There is only Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. Men who have devoted themselves not to building a more collaborative world but to dismantling international co-operation. The US is not planning the post-pandemic world and neither is Britain. They are making plans for themselves. Sure, theyve signed up to some fine sentiments. In the communique of the G20 emergency summit in March, all 20 nations including the US, Britain, China, India and Australia pledged to co-operate to share their vaccines.

But a Trump administration official later likened vaccine distribution to the advice from cabin crew on what to do if oxygen masks are needed: You put on your own first, and then we want to help others as quickly as possible, said Peter Marks, a senior official of the US Food and Drug Administration. In an essay titled The Tragedy of Vaccine Nationalism, Thomas Bollyky and Chad Brown write in the journal Foreign Affairs: The major difference, of course, is that airplane oxygen masks do not drop only in first class  which is the equivalent of what will happen when vaccines eventually become available if governments delay providing access to them to people in other countries. The Trump White House has committed some $US10 billion to Operation Warp Speed to find vaccines for Americans only. It has signed deals for vaccine development and supply with at least five drug companies. The UK has walked away from an EU joint effort and struck four supply deals with pharmaceutical firms for itself. Its the same in one rich country after another. China, source of the pandemic, pledged to be the source of the protection against it for the world. Beijing-based Sinovac and state-owned Sinopharm are conducting phase three trials. A third Chinese firm, CanSino, reportedly is administering its vaccine to the Peoples Liberation Army already. Western immunologists, however, dont trust the levels of Chinese vaccine disclosure.

Yet some nations have even less trust in the US and the Western world. The Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has asked Beijing for a vaccine and, if necessary, the credit lines to pay for it. The Philippines certainly will not be the only country to throw itself on the mercy of Xi Jinping if global co-operation fails. Loading What is the Morrison government up to? Its invested $5 million into the Queensland University vaccine effort, and the state government has committed a further $10 million. In addition, the federal government has invested $230 million in CSIRO vaccine research. Its total outlay on COVID-19 vaccine development so far is $265 million. Canberra is also talking to London about access to UK vaccine licences. And Morrison has talked to French President Emmanuel Macron about possible licensing of any French vaccines. Further, federal government sources say officials are exploring the possibilities of paying for supply options with all the worlds top pharmaceutical firms. Australia has not yet signed any vaccine supply agreements.

Labor is unimpressed. If the University of Queensland vaccine works, thats fantastic, says Labors health spokesman, Chris Bowen. Vaccines in development have a 96 per cent failure rate. We are putting all our eggs in one basket. And not many eggs. He says the $5 million for the UQ project is derisory. Loading Bowen points out that Britain has invested 25 times as much in the Oxford candidate, and Germany outlaid half a billion dollars to buy into German vaccine developer CureVac. Privately, some international public health experts agree with Bowen. Are other governments further advanced? poses one. Yes they are. Australia is not at the front of the pack. They really need to be mobilising. This is a global arms race and you dont want to be last. No matter how successful Australias disease control may be, no matter how strong its economic recovery, if Morrison bungles vaccine supply his government will be very exposed. With the speed of vaccine development, the government is at risk of being ambushed.

Australia has some secret, or not so secret, weapons. First is the quality of its scientists and medical researchers. That is priceless in vaccine development but doesnt help get a successful vaccine manufactured and distributed in the millions, at speed. Loading For that, Australias great national asset is CSL. The formerly government-owned Commonwealth Serum Laboratories is now the most valuable company on the Australian share market. Its working with the UQ project as well as examining other vaccine options. But many critical steps remain. How quickly can any vaccine be manufactured and distributed? Where are the requisite supplies of basics such as medical glass for making vials? Who are the priority categories for vaccination, presumably health workers, first responders and the elderly and immuno-compromised? Whats the distribution mechanism? These are yet unanswered. And while the Australia supports international vaccine efforts through Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, and CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, its financial commitments are so far relatively small and tentative. Australia could be much more active as a leader in the Indo-Pacific.
Have a hearty breakfast reading these salient news items:

Politics

-- Vietnam on Friday confirmed that Le Kha Phieu, former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, had passed away the same day because of old age and illness. He was born in 1931.

Society

-- Many parts of Ho Chi Minh City were under rainwater on Thursday night following downpours since the rush hour.

-- Vietnam recorded three new COVID-19 patients on Thursday morning, taking the national tally to 750 cases. A total of 392 patients have recovered while ten have lost their lives to the disease.

-- Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday said it would suspend five bus routes connecting to neighboring Dong Nai Province to prevent coronavirus spread.

-- Vietnamese children spend a lot of time shopping and playing games on the Internet, alongside engaging in online classes, during social distancing periods in Vietnam, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky said in its latest report.

Business

-- State-run telecom group VNPT has been listed by Forbes Vietnam magazine among the top three most valuable brands in Vietnam.

World News

-- Over 19.2 million people have caught COVID-19 while more than 12.3 million have recovered from the disease, according to the Ministry of Health's statistics. More than 717,000 people have lost their lives to the pathogen.

-- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ramped up his attacks on China for its handling of COVID-19 that has killed over 717,000 people around the world, at a time when his health secretary is about to visit Taiwan, which Beijing always sees as a breakaway province, Reuters reported.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Low income seniors formerly living at the St. Andrews Residence in West Palm Beach, Florida are facing possible eviction from their temporary housing in the coming weeks. The residents of St. Andrews, a low-income senior living facility owned by the Episcopal diocese of Southeast Florida, were forced to leave the building after an electrical fire broke out in June that left the facility temporarily uninhabitable.

Of the residents who were displaced, 125 were placed in hotels in the area after the fire, with the rest going to live with friends or family. They continued to pay rent and were delivered the three daily meals that were included in their rent arrangement.

Last Sunday, according to the Palm Beach Post, the tenants of St. Andrews received a notice from SPM Management, which runs the facility on behalf of the diocese, that if the building did not conclude repairs and pass inspection by August 14, so residents could return home, they would no longer be accommodated in hotels and their meal service would also be cut off.

Through no fault of their own, the elderly residents of St. Andrews now face homelessness and hunger, amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has ravaged the senior population in the US and internationally. Already residents have been informed that one tenant, who is currently residing in a hotel, had tested positive for the virus.

As of Thursday, West Palm Beach and surrounding Palm Beach County have recorded 35,735 COVID-19 infections and 892 deaths. The state of Florida remains a hot spot for infections and deaths, reporting 7,650 new cases and 121 deaths on Thursday.

St. Andrews management has made no effort thus far to test its residents for coronavirus, instead instructing them to seek out tests from their own doctors. For many residents who do not have their own cars this is impossible.

Jim Jensen, 77, who suffers from COPD and was placed in a local hotel told the Palm Beach Post that the news had me quite upset because I could end up homeless ... the thought that at 77 years old and being homeless for no reason is rather disturbing, I didnt cause this.

Another resident spoke to the Post anonymously because Im afraid I would be evicted. Im scared to death of management. They added that many residents Dont know where they are going to go. Some of them dont have any family left. They have outlived their families. They are petrified.

The initial displacement was highly disruptive on its own because many residents have no cars or are unable to drive. St. Andrews, like many similar facilities in other cities, is located downtown, making it easier for the residents to access stores, doctors offices, and other necessities. After being forced to leave after the fire in June they were spread around to various hotels in the area.

Additionally, the placement in hotels puts the seniors, already at a high risk of dying from COVID-19 if they contract the virus, in still greater peril due to the fact that area hotels have many guests from other states and countries, increasing the risk of coronavirus transmission.

According to the accounts of multiple residents who spoke to the Palm Beach Post, the facility has been in disrepair for years, with leaky pipes and electrical problems common, elevators that worked intermittently in the 15-story structure, and pervasive black mold throughout the building.

I have had to purchase expensive air purifiers and special allergy filters which are costly to survive in my apartment, 67-year-old resident Judy Collins told the Post. St. Andrews is always riding on the minimum to get by.

Nancy Gregory, 75, told the Post that she moved out of the building last year due to extensive black mold. Residents also reported that the mold problem is so severe that it would coat clothing.

Many residents were also impacted when St. Andrews discontinued mail service to the facility last year, forcing them to pick up their mail at the nearest post office a mile away.

This is not the first time the building has experienced an electrical fire. In March of this year an electrical fire forced the residents of the building to temporarily evacuate. Another fire occurred in October 2018, which left the building without air conditioning for a week.

Collins told the Post that many residents believe that the diocese is spending a minimal amount on repairs because they plan on selling the building for a profit. The building, which sits along the Intracoastal Waterway, was first purchased in 2009 for $3.3 million dollars, it is now valued at $13.8 million.

The Episcopal Diocese and its leader Reverend Peter Eaton have declined to speak with the press.
A merican actor/producer Rami Malek and his girlfriend Lucy Boynton are rumoured to be house hunting in London.

The Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody actor  who will play the villain in the new Bond film, No Time to Die, set for release in November  is thought to be leaving Hollywood to settle in the UK and start a family with the British actress.

He has been spotted strolling around Marylebone High Street and popped into the dog-friendly Mr & Mrs Small cafe and pet accessories boutique.

The couple met when Malek played Freddie Mercury in the 2018 blockbuster biopic, with Boynton as the late Queen stars lover, Mary Austin.

An apartment in Chiltern Place has popped on to the market, conveniently in the same street as celebrity haunt Chiltern Firehouse.

The three-bedroom, 13th-floor home has six balconies and two terraces with fabulous views.

Set across 2,840sq ft there is an open-plan reception and dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows. The building has 24-hour security, CCTV and a full concierge service, which will no doubt be music to the ears of Malek and Boynton.

It is listed at 12.95 million with Savills.
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A swimmer has suffered injuries comparable to being hit by a car after she find herself between a protective humpback whale and its calf, the third such attack in just a week.

Alicia Ramsey was snorkelling off the coast of Exmouth, 1,264km north of Perth, Western Australia, with a guided tour to watch whale sharks on Thursday.

But a calf humpback whale soon became curious and swam close too the group, according to Nine News.

Alicia Ramsey (pictured) was snorkeling off the coast of Exmouth, 1,264km north of Perth, Western Australia, with a guided tour to watch whale sharks on Thursday

She was left with barnacle scratches (pictured) and rib injuries following her brush with the 30-tonne sea creature

The 30-year-old said: 'Mum went into protective mode and as she swung back and as she did that to put herself between us and the calf her fin went out and got me.'

She was left with barnacle scratches and rib injuries following her brush with the 30-tonne sea creature.

Ms Ramsey said she didn't realise until she was back on the boat that she was severely hurt.

'For it to be the second one in a week, I can not believe it happened to me,' she said.

Ms Ramsey was taken to Royal Perth Hospital for treatment.

'She was massive. Huge. To look out into the water and only be able to see the side of her face,' Ms Ramsey said of the encounter.

The 30-year-old said: 'Mum went into protective mode and as she swung back and as she did that to put herself between us and the calf her fin went out and got me' (a whale in the area)

Dr Sheryl Jonescu said there have been some injuries in Ms Ramsey that were consistent with getting hit by a car.

The incident came just days after two snorkellers were hit by another mother humpback whale while swimming in the same area.

The whale's tail hit a 29-year-old woman who was left with a fractured rib and internal bleeding while another woman had a torn hamstring after being hit by the whale's fin.
Credit: Tomas Nevesely/Shutterstock

Painkillers such as morphine have transformed the way pain can be controlledbut there are drawbacks, not least the risk of overdose or becoming dependent. The havoc and misery caused by over-prescribing these drugs in the US has seen hundreds of thousands of people die prematurely.

Chronic pain can be caused by a range of conditions, including diabetes, back problems and fibromyalgia. In England alone, 5.6 million people were given a prescription for an opiate-based medicine in 2018. And at least 25% of these people are thought to have been using the drugs for three months or more. This three-month cut-off is significant as it is the point at which the risk of dependence on these drugs develops.

The growing number of patients prescribed these drugs and the duration of the prescription was revealed in a recent report by Public Health England. This triggered a review by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) examining the effectiveness of this class of pain medicines. Nice has just published its guidance for treating chronic pain.

Contrary to what many believe, these drugs were found not to be effective at managing anything more than short-term painthree months or less. Nice suggests alternatives, including exercise, talking therapy or acupuncture. This is a radical move by Nice and will surprise many patients and doctors.

Doctors know how challenging it can be to wean patients off opioids, especially when patients have been taking them for decades. Patients who for whatever reason have missed a dose of their pain medication will also know how uncomfortable it can make them feel. Withdrawal symptoms can feel like extreme flu, shivering, raised temperature, aching, vomiting and irritability.

Opioids are known to cause physical and psychological dependence, so withdrawal can be a psychological as well as a physical challenge. It is not surprising then that patients will want to avoid experiencing this double discomfort.

Some doctors will view the managed withdrawal process as a job for a specialist, even if just to start the process, which they can then supervise once established. For some, this will be a process that will take years as they are gradually weaned off their prescribed drug, sometimes just a few milligrams a month. Although a carefully managed professional withdrawal program won't be life threatening, it is not without risk.

Beyond the withdrawal symptoms already mentioned, which could be brought on if the reduction of opioids is too rapid, there are more severe risks to patients. Many will have built up a tolerance to these drugs which will fall as their managed reduction takes place. This makes any relapse during this time potentially fatal. The patient may return to the dose they started on and risk a fatal overdose. This phenomenon has been witnessed in previously heroin-dependent prisoners when released from prison.

But, of course, it's not just prisoners who are at risk. Some patients whose opioid prescriptions will be reduced will find ways to maintain their usual dose. Doctor shopping is one way patients shop around for extra medication over and above the medication prescribed by their primary doctor. This can be a difficult situation for doctors to recognize. Even if they drug-test their patientsand many won'tmost tests merely show the presence or absence of a substance, not the quantity consumed.

Scarcity of specialists

These risks add to the case for ensuring doctors and patients receive professional and experienced support during this process. Unfortunately, this will be extremely difficult to find as the one group of professionals that they would naturally turn to have been made almost extinct: addiction psychiatrists.

Since specialist addiction was effectively contracted out to the third sector in the UK, there have been significant cuts to this area of healthcare. With addiction psychiatrists being the most expensive personnel involved, it isn't surprising that this group has rapidly shrunk to ensure the survival of services.

It will take years for the number of these specialists to be restored and have the ability to meet the demand that this guidance will trigger. In the meantime, doctors and patients will be left to manage the process themselves. It will be a miracle if no one dies as a consequence.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Fr Brian Twomey of St Patrick Missionary Society, and formerly of Ashford, passed away peacefully on Thursday at his home in Stirling, Scotland aged 85.

Brian Joseph Twomey was born on April 28, 1935, to Jerome Twomey and his wife Hilda (nee Marsden) of Crofta, Croesfaen, Pontyclun, Cardiff, Glamorgan, South Wales.

He was the youngest of a family of six children, one of whom died in infancy. He received the earlier part of his primary education at De La Salle Primary School, Cardiff.

In 1942, he went to Gilling Castle in Yorkshire for the remainder of his primary education. From 1946 to 1948 he attended the Junior House of Ampleforth College and completed his secondary education at St Bede's House, Ampleforth, graduating in 1952.

As a youth he also spent time living in Ashford.

He joined St Patrick's Missionary Society in September 1952 and completed the Spiritual Year in June 1953. He then went to St Patrick's, Douglas, Cork and studied at University College Cork where he graduated with an honours degree in Philosophy and French in 1956.

Brian was sent to Rome for his theological studies in September 1956. He lived at the Irish College and attended the nearby Lateran University. He was ordained a priest in the Lateran Basilica on the 12th of March 1960. The ordaining prelate was Archbishop Luigi Traglia, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome.

After ordination Brian was appointed to the Diocese of Ogoja, Nigeria, where his sister Sr Deirdre MMM was already working as a missionary doctor. He spent the first three months in parish work in Izzi with the late Jackie Boylan and then began a long teaching career in secondary schools.

His first appointment was as Principal of Ikom County Secondary School. He then spent a short time with Ciaran O'Flynn at Iboko before moving to Boki Boys Secondary School, Okundi, where he taught with Michael Browne. He obtained a Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of London in 1970.

His next appointment was to the Staff of St Patrick's College, Buchlyvie, Scotland where he taught English Language, English Literature. French, Geography, Latin, Plainchant and Drama. He returned to the Diocese of Ogoja in 1975 but was immediately seconded to the newly created Diocese of Abakaliki to serve as rector of St Augustine's Junior Seminary, Ezzamgbo.

He taught at Ezzamgbo until 1983 when he returned to Ogoja Diocese. From 1984 to 1990 Brian found himself once again in the classroom. He taught in various secondary schools in the Diocese including St Brendan's, Iyamoyong and Ugep Technical School.

In the early 1990s, Brian launched into a new ministry. He began to specialize in spiritual direction and student formation. To prepare himself for this new ministry he participated in the Religious Formation Ministry Programme at Loreto House, Dublin and also did courses in spirituality and spiritual direction.

He returned to Nigeria and was appointed to the Formation Team of St Paul's Missionary Society at the National Missionary Seminary in Abuja. He served as spiritual director there from 1992 to 1997. When St Patrick's Missionary Society decided to welcome students from Africa and Brazil, Brian was an obvious choice to be part of the pioneer team at the Society's newly established formation house near Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria.

Brian, Tom Ryan and Martin Eke MSP welcomed the first Nigerian students in 1997. He worked in the formation ministry of the Society in West Africa until 2004 when he left Nigeria. In May 2005, Brian took up residence in Stirling, in the Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh and spent the next ten years assisting the late Joe Millar by helping out at Holy Spirit Church. After retiring from parish work in 2015 he continued with his ministry of spiritual direction, retreat giving and mentoring.

Brian's peers admired his ability to adapt so easily to the frugal life in Kiltegan after the splendour and comfort of Ampleforth and of his home in Cardiff.

Brian had a great respect for difference and for the uniqueness of every person. He wanted everyone to reach their true potential. He was a deeply spiritual man. He came from a very close knit family where the Christian virtues were deeply ingrained. He was prayerful, sensitive, firm, courageous, intelligent and eloquent. He encouraged the students entrusted to him to be open, prayerful, respectful, cultured and sensitive to others.

Brian was forced to retire from active ministry due to ill health in 2016. He continued to live in Stirling where he was cared for by his life-long friend Ms Carolyn Wallis. Brian died peacefully on July 23after a long illness borne with patience and fortitude.

He was predeceased by his sister, Sr Mary John (Maureen) OCD and by his brother Richard (Dick). He is survived by his sisters Oonagh and Sr Deirdre MMM, by his sister-in-law Sighle, by his nieces and nephews and their families.
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Linkedin Norman Harsono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 17:05 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c5d056 1 Business Chevron,Indonesia-Deepwater-Development-IDD,shell,energy-and-mineral-resources-ministry,Masela-block,Rokan-block,Gas Free

American oil and gas giant Chevron plans to withdraw from the national strategic Indonesia Deepwater Development (IDD) project in Makassar Strait and the government has wasted no time seeking a replacement.

The government has approached Italian oil and gas company Eni to take over the project, said Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry acting oil and gas director general Ego Syahrial on Wednesday.

He suggested that Chevrons exit was one packet with the companys impending exit from the Rokan Block in Sumatra. But analysts have pointed out that exits are common during periods of low global oil prices, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Whats clear is the governments aim is to ensure this project runs by 2027, said Ego.

Read also: Chevron to buy Noble for $5b in stock, biggest oil deal since price crash

Eni Muara Bakau, the Rome-based companys arm in Indonesia, did not respond to queries from the Post about the IDD.

Chevron recently excluded the IDD project from its global portfolio, saying the multibillion dollar project was not competitive enough to secure portfolio capital despite still being an attractive hydrocarbon region.

Essentially, Chevron has more attractive opportunities elsewhere, and the [IDD] project will need a new operator before it can progress, upstream oil and gas analyst Andrew Harwood of energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Chevrons global upstream portfolio is instead concentrated in more lucrative assets in the United States, Australia, the Gulf of Mexico and Kazakhstan, among other regions, he said via email.

Eni is one potential buyer and could find synergies with its existing Jangkrik development in the Muara Bakau PSC [Production Sharing Contract], said Harwood.

However, he pointed out that Indonesia needed to guarantee license extensions for the new operator as existing ones were slated to expire by 2028 and 2029. He said the government would also likely need to offer fiscal incentives to improve project economics.

Chevrons plan to exit the IDD project is a second major blow to Indonesias oil and gas industry this year after it was revealed last month that Shell planned to exit the Masela Block in Maluku, which is another national strategic asset.

IDD and Masela are two of four national strategic assets expected to turn Indonesia into one of the Asia Pacifics major gas exporting economies by 2030, a vision overseen by the Upstream Oil and Gas Special Regulatory Taskforce (SKK Migas).

The IDD project involves developing the Bangka Field and the Gendalo-Gehem Field, both of which are located in the Kutai Basin. Chevron successfully began production in the former field in late 2016 but the latter field has proven to be economically challenging.

Read also: Pertamina to drill up to 180,000 bpd from Rokan oil block after takeover

We believe the project will have value for another operator, said PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia spokeswoman Sonitha Poernomo to the Post on Thursday.

She also said that Chevron has not made the final decision to pull out of IDD.

Development of the Gendalo-Gehem Field, a project valued at US$6.98 billion, was expected to produce 27,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 844 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of gas by 2025, according to SKK Migas data.

[Chevron] has not replied to our letter. We are still in talks. We are waiting, said SKK Migas head Dwi Soetjipto on Tuesday as reported by Kontan.com.
How effective is mask-wearing in mitigating the spread of the coronavirus? The University of Washingtons Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, based on an updated model, is now projecting that 67,000 American lives would be saved between now and December 1 by near universal wearing of masks.

According to a report by WCPO9, the IHME released its updated model on Thursday. In the past, the White Houses coronavirus task force has frequently cited the IHMEs coronavirus projections. The group uses state data along with other metrics to create projections on the number of coronavirus-related deaths throughout the U.S., the report said.

The updated model projects with inconsistent use of masks, the U.S. death toll for the coronavirus will be up to 295,000 by December 1, an increase from the current figure of 158,000, per Johns Hopkins University data, the report said. However, the IHMEs projections drops considerably to 228,000, if masks are worn universally outside of the home.

At a news conference on Thursday, IHME director Dr. Christopher Murray said that mask-wearing mandates are effective, but communities also respond when they see cases are spreading, the report said.

People do respond to the circumstances in their community, Murray said. Mandates have an important effect.

According to the report, the model does not take into account the use of therapeutics of a possible vaccine. Murray said that the IHME is closely monitoring the effectiveness of two potential therapeutics - remdesivir and dexamethasone  and may adjust future models as more is learned about those drugs.

The report said the IHME model expects the number of coronavirus-related deaths to ebb and flow into the fall, but by November an increase is expected.

"November is a month we expect the spread to increase due to seasonality," Murray said. We are expecting considerable daily deaths. That pushes up our projections."

We expect it rise later in the fall, Murray added.

There is cause for concern.

At the end of November, when families begin to travel for holidays such as Thanksgiving, there is cause for concern. The report noted that while Murray said mask-wearing is not necessary when around family members of the same household, he said mask-wearing may be necessary for holiday gatherings. Murray said his family is taking the recommendation one step further, and is simply not gathering with extended relatives this fall.

An important metric - a daily death rate of eight per one million residents.

Built into the IHMEs projection is that stricter closures will need to be implemented by a number of states in order to slow the spread. As part of the IHMEs recommendation, states implement closures of non-essential businesses when there is a threshold of eight deaths a day per million, the report said.

The IHME said that four states, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina, have hit that important metric of a daily death rate of eight per one million residents. Those states, it said, should re-impose statewide closures of non-essential businesses.

Also, part of the modeling is based on 50% of schools being closed in each state for the upcoming year, the report said. As many schools will be opening or implementing hybrid models, Murray said more will be learned in the coming weeks on how easily the virus spreads within schools.

The report said that according to Murray, recent measures in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas has allowed a small decline in cases, but deaths in those states have not dropped off.

We have been seeing cases peaking and hospitalizations peaking and deaths not quite yet peaking, but we expect them to peak in the near future but we dont expect a sharp decline, Murray said.

A state-by-state breakdown of the IHMEs projections can be seen here.

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Thousands of people gathered in the capital of Belarus on Thursday to support opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsihanaouvskaya, three days before the former Soviet republic goes to the polls to choose its next president.

Tsihanaouvskaya is seen as the biggest threat in two decades to the country's long-time ruler, President Alexander Lukashenko.

Sviatlana Tsihanaouvskaya is running for president after her husband, a popular YouTuber, was first barred from running and then jailed on what have been described as politically motivated charges.

Tsihanouvskaya's team, which was initially allowed to campaign freely across the country, has faced bans on its gatherings in recent days.

Thursday's rally saw her supporters gather in a local park for a protest rally, but the protest was called off.

One of her campaign team, Maria Kolesnikova, was blocked by police from entering, and said the rally was being cancelled to prevent any violation of the law.

Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for 26 years, is facing an upsurge in opposition protests fueled by the worsening economy and the government's botched response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Police have detained over 1,360 participants in opposition protests since the start of the campaign in May, according to the Viasna human rights center in Belarus.
She's been a fixture on Australian TV screens for over 20 years, but Natalie Gruzlewski has hardly aged a day.

The 43-year-old Farmer Wants a Wife host looks just as youthful today as she did when she appeared as a Channel Nine Gold Coast weather presenter back in 1999.

While her hair has gotten darker over the years, with the TV star trading her long blonde hair for brunette tresses, Natalie is eternally fresh-faced.

Before and after: She's been a fixture on Australian TV screens for over 20 years, but Natalie Gruzlewski has hardly aged a day. Pictured at a Channel Nine event in Sydney in March 2007 (left) and on Farmer Wants a Wife in 2020

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph's Stellar Magazine in July, Natalie said losing her mum to cancer in 2007 made her reflect on her own life and well-being.

'Losing my mum made me realise that life is short and time is precious, so I was happy to slow down and focus on family,' she told the publication.

She added: 'As you get older you do need to look after yourself and put your health and fitness first.'

The dark side: While her hair has gotten darker over the years, Natalie is eternally fresh-faced. Pictured at a launch party in Sydney in August 2007 (left) and at a media event on the Gold Coast in July 2015 (right)

She also seems to have eased up on her early love of self-tanner, opting for a much more natural-looking glow today.

In an interview with beautyheaven, Natalie said she's come to realise that 'less is more' when it comes to beauty.

'In my younger days when I first started experimenting, I went slightly OTT with the hair and makeup,' she admitted.

'In my younger days when I first started experimenting, I went slightly OTT with the hair and make-up,' she admitted. Pictured at the Logie Awards in Melbourne in May 2006

'But now it's more about accentuating my natural features and assets to get the best result. It's not about wearing heavy, caked-on makeup - it's about being and feeling natural.'

And she said that when it comes to warding off wrinkles, protection from sun damage is the secret.

'Prevention is key... Sunscreen and covering up in the sun really is the best prevention,' she advised.
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Christina Warner feels fairly confident that, for now, the school her 7-year-old daughter attends has proper protocols in place to deal with coronavirus this upcoming school year.

The Catholic school in Canton, Mich., is planning for smaller classes to allow for social distancing and has rules about face masks. Plus, transmission is low in the area.

But I dont know how long its going to last, says Warner, adding that she's comfortable switching back to virtual schooling if thats whats deemed necessary by the school or state.

Warner's uncertainty about what will happen this school year is playing out in homes across the country, as some school systems are opening as planned and others are opening virtually, at least at first.

Sixty-two percent of Americans are "not too confident" or "not confident at all" that schools will be able to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during in-person classes, according to a nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 2,031 U.S. adults. Just 19 percent of respondents thought schools should reopen fully, while 35 percent said all classes should be online. Black and Hispanic Americans, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, were more likely than white Americans to prefer that schools remain closed (57 and 52 percent, respectively, vs. 25 percent).

Debate about how to best approach this school year is widespread, even among some government experts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently called reopening schools "critically important for our public health. And the agency's newly updated guidance strongly emphasizes the importance of resuming in-person learning within the next couple of months.

Yet Erin K. Sauber-Schatz, Ph.D., the lead for the CDC Community Interventions and Critical Populations Task Force for the COVID-19 response, said that decisions about how to reopen schools safely should be made on local needs and the level of community transmission. Each school in each community will have different needs and should implement the strategies that meet those needs.

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Some parents, like Juliana Weiss-Roessler, who lives near Austin, Texas, are scrambling to put alternatives in place. We are working on forming a learning pod with two families in our area, so they can participate in the virtual learning option together, says the mother of two elementary school students. We're counting on the fact that our school district is saying they'll do a better job this time supporting virtual learning.

Other parents, meantime, have no plans to send their kids back anytime soon.

For my family, my position is this: My children will not attend an in-person class, until a vaccine is widely available, says Mike Rogers, a father of two teens in Wisconsin who has health conditions that put him at greater risk for a severe case of COVID-19.

I love my kids enough to never put them in a situation where every day they have to ask themselves if they are accidentally going to kill their father, the IT professional adds.

But if you're unsure what you or your school district will do, or if your school is opening and you're sending your children back, here are some tips to keep in mind.



What Should Happen Before Reopening

Experts say we already know what needs to be done to open schools in a safer way.

Just as the economy cant fully reopen until the schools open, the schools wont be able to fully reopen until we get COVID under control, says Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director of policy and advocacy at the School Superintendents Association. The ability to open reflects the willingness and ability of the community that schools serve to safely get COVID response under control.

To consider reopening, positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths should all be trending down, said Wendy Armstrong, M.D., a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), on a recent press call. The benchmark often suggested by public health groups is that less than 5 percent of community COVID-19 tests should come back positive.

Administrators also need to develop reopening plans and implement a series of strategies to reduce the chances of a school-based outbreak.

A School Safety Checklist

Theres no way to guarantee complete safety when reopening schools, according to Tom Frieden, M.D., former CDC director and president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a group focused on preventing epidemics and deaths from cardiovascular disease and part of global nonprofit Vital Strategies. The virus is here to stay for a while, and we cant expect zero risk, he says.

But certain steps can help lower transmission risks in schools, according to experts. The CDC's guidance for schools has useful information, and groups including Resolve to Save Lives have also put out detailed reports on safer school reopening.

Whatever school you are going to, make sure you understand the plan the school has and that you are confident in that plan, says Nathanial Beers, M.D., a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and a pediatrician at Childrens National Hospital in Washington, D.C. And consider how schools say theyll handle the following:

Students and school staff need to wear face coverings, because research shows this will help prevent coronavirus spread, says Beers. Teachers of younger kids and those with certain disabilities should look into clear masks, because many of these students need to watch mouth movements to learn best. Note: The CDC doesn't recommend masks for children under age 2 or for people with conditions that cause serious difficulty breathing.

Remember that mask-wearing is hard, says Beers, and many peopleyounger kids especiallywill need to take mask breaks. Ideally, this should be outdoors, where everyone can stay at least 6 feet apart. For older kids, he suggests allowing students, within the realm of acceptable, to use their mask as a space of individual identity.

Students and staff should try to stay 6 feet apart. Activities that dont allow for distancing, such as certain sports, may simply not be feasible.

Keeping elementary school students in "pods"groups where they only interact with each othercan help further limit contact with others.

For older kids, especially those in grades 9 to 12, schools may want to consider longer instructional periods for each subject, to reduce the number of times they have to switch classrooms. That will cut down on hallway traffic, says the AAP's Beers.

To cut class sizes, some schools may need a hybrid planhaving youngsters attend in-person only on some days of the week or on alternating weeks, says Frieden, the former CDC director. One-third of Americans think a partial reopening, with students splitting time between in-person and online classes, is the best plan, according to CR's survey.

Schools can also consider outdoor classes as weather permits, and may need to stagger school start and end times, to reduce the number of students going through the front door at the same time. Areas that use school buses may need to plan for having fewer students on them, ideally one person per seat, with an empty bench between.

Some of these strategies will help reduce the number of different students whom teachers interact with each day. But schools may need to find other ways to do this, too. And because staff members must distance from each other, it will mean avoiding joint meals in break rooms. In addition, because schools should discourage unnecessary visitors, you probably wont be able to enter the building with your child, Beers says.

Schools should clearly outline their cleaning protocols. According to the CDC, routine cleaning with soap and water will help reduce exposure. But frequently touched surfaces like light switches and outdoor railings should be regularly disinfected using an EPA-approved disinfectant or bleach solution. This should be done at least once a day according to the CDC, and ideally after each use.

Optimizing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can reduce the possibility of airborne exposure in schools, according to ASHRAE (formerly known as American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). It has issued guidance for school reopening, which includes recommendations for steps like ensuring that filters are installed correctly and changed regularly. Ask administrators whether the school is following this guidance.

You might ask about the general state of your school's HVAC. About one-third of schools need more modernized ventilation systems, a June Government Accountability Office report says. Schools with inadequate ventilation may need to update their systems, says Ellerson Ng of the School Superintendents Association.

For schools without these systems, even opening windows can help increase ventilation, especially if there are fewer people than usual in each classroom.

Schools may also need hand-washing stations, experts say, and should try to keep doors open so that students and staff arent grabbing handles throughout the day.

Its not practical or necessary to test all students and teachers for COVID-19 daily or weekly, according to IDSA's Armstrong. Schools should make rapid turnaround tests available so that students and staff with symptoms can quickly get results. That way, if anyone tests positive, their contacts can be traced and tested.

Despite precautions, some coronavirus cases will inevitably emerge in schools. Policies should clearly spell out when positive cases lead to a school closure and for how long, where students who appear to have symptoms are assessed, and how the administration will notify staff and families whose children may have been exposed. Students who stay home while sick should face no penalties.

Schools should prioritize reopening for younger children and kids with special needs. These youngsters are less able to learn virtually, according to a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Where fully reopening is too challenging, having just these students do in-person learning could help. Some experts have suggested that administrators could also prioritize limited opening for lower-income students and the children of essential workers.

Schools or communities will need to provide masks and sanitizer for kids, especially when parents are unable to do so. Child-sized masks are in limited supplysome places, like California, have reportedly purchased millions to give to students.

Steps Parents Should Take

For certain families, even limited in-person school might not currently be ideal, especially if the virus isnt under control in their area.

Students with pre-existing conditions may want to opt for distance learning. That's because health issues such as congenital heart disease, immunosuppression, or genetic, neurologic, or metabolic disorders hike their risk of significant consequences from coronavirus, says the AAP's Beers.

Families that live with others at higher risk will need to weigh the risks and benefits of in-person school, according to Resolve to Save Lives. Parents should decide whats in the best interest of the entire household, including after-school caregivers, says Beers. The CDC offers a tool to help parents make the call that's right for them.

Some teachers may need accommodations, too. Teachers at high-risk or who have a high-risk person in their household should be allowed to serve as remote learning experts, according to a paper by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health experts.

For families whose kids may attend in-person school, now is the time to start preparing them for the changes ahead. Explain to little ones that instead of walking them into the classroom, youll hug outside the building before they enter.

Other aspects of dropoff and pickup may also change. You may need to forgo or strictly limit carpooling and may want to keep hand sanitizer in the car. That way, you can offer a spritz at pickup.

Its also key to talk to kids about mask-wearing at school. For younger kids, explain why its importantthat by doing this they can help protect their friends and family, Ellerson Ng says.

Practice good hand hygiene together now. That way, you'll feel confident kids will wash properly when they're away from you. When schools open, you may want to send kids with masks (spares can be handy) and an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to use when soap and water are unavailable.

If youre thinking about an alternative approach like a learning pod, consider the pros and possible cons. A pod, says Weiss-Roessler of Texas, will give her kids an opportunity to socialize while learning. But we know that no matter what, forming a pod increases our risk of getting COVID-19, she says. The primary concern was finding families that were taking the threat seriously.

Will Schools Really Reopen Soon?

School reopenings look unlikely in many placesthough it's still possible to change that course, according to Frieden. In much of the country, administrators have announced that the first weeks or months will be virtual only. Some have said theyll have partial in-person instruction, while others are still trying to decide.

Educators are also putting pressure on schools. In Florida, which has recently averaged more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases a day, the Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit to stop the state from forcing schools to reopen before the virus is contained.

Were looking for some reason and sensibility for this because lives are in the balance, literally, says Dave Galloway, a sixth grade science teacher in the Florida panhandle. Im hoping the brakes are pumped, theres a bit of a pause, and theres a reflection on the data and the science that should direct any movement forward.

And schools face other challenges. Though strategies such as universal mask-wearing are inexpensive and effective, others, like improvements to ventilation systems, may be out of reach.

The needed infrastructure upgrades, additional hand-washing stations, and cleaning staff will require between $60 and $80 million in additional funding for Philadelphia alone, William Hite Jr., Ed.D., the citys school superintendent, said on a press call hosted by Resolve to Save Lives.

Schools reopening plans will also need to be flexible as transmission rates change. I think some places will be able to do it, many places will not be able to do it because theyve just got too much spread of disease, Frieden says. But no place is going to do it successfully unless they do it carefully.





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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2020, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Six more people have died due to COVID-19, bringing the total of deceased to above 150 in the Laredo area.

City of Laredo and Webb County officials made the announcement Friday during their media briefing, also confirming 123 more cases of the novel coronavirus.

With the additions, the area now has a total of 155 deaths and 7,540 positives.

One of the recent deaths came from the Rio Grande Detention Center, Health Authority Victor Trevino said.

The six deaths included two men in their early 60s and late 90s which died Wednesday, a male in his late 40s that died Thursday, and two men in their early 60s and early 70s that died Friday. A female in her late 80s also died Thursday.

Of the age groups that have died, 39 in their 70s lead the way ahead of 32 in their 60s. Those in their 80s (23), 90s (22) and 50s (17) round out the top five groups.

Among the 155 deaths, 85 in Laredo have been males compared to 70 females. Meanwhile, there have been a total of 3,862 reported positives from females in the area compared to 3,666 males. Twelve positives are still unaccounted for.

Mayor Pete Saenz said earlier that day he spoke with mayors of some of the larger cities in Texas, which are experiencing a tangible decrease in cases, prevalence and deaths. Laredo has not seen a break at all, he said.

Hospitalizations dropped down from 194 to 191  it sat at 207 Monday as officials were concerned with both hospitals capacities  but that was due in large part to patients being transferred to hospitals in San Antonio. A total of 20 have now been transferred, the mayor said, but on Thursday, local hospitals had beds available so no one was transferred out.

The state has since taken away one of the five ambulances they made available to Webb County, said City Manager Robert Eads. Both officials lamented this decision, noting that capacity at the hospitals is often fluid and comes in waves. Saenz said he would hate to reach capacity again and have no resources available to take patients to San Antonio.

Laredo clinched a new record for positives in the eighth straight week Thursday, and it finished the week Friday with 1,409, or 201.3 new cases per day. That easily bested the total of 1,259 from the week prior, or 179.9 per day. Laredo set its new daily record for positives twice this week including 292 cases Tuesday and 298 on Thursday. The city must be judged for weekly numbers on a Saturday through Friday format to accurately account for the time period Laredo stopped providing updates on weekends.

Interim Health Director Richard Chamberlain noted that for the first time in months, the number of active cases have been going down slightly. In fact, it has dropped four times this week and in three consecutive days.

Active cases are now at 4,717 to close the week, down from 5,083 after Tuesdays update. Thats due to another 170 confirmed recoveries  the third most confirmed in one day. The rest of the top four also occurred this week with 500 on Thursday, 300 on Wednesday and 122 on Sunday.

In the grand scheme, however, the city still hasnt gained any ground on active cases as it started off the week with 4,558. But at least in another record week of new positives, the area gained only 159 new cases compared to the 959 from the week prior.

Laredo now has 2,668 reported recoveries during the pandemic after starting August with only 1,446. Of the individuals that no longer have the coronavirus, 5.5% have died.

The prevalence rate also decreased slightly Thursday, dropping 0.2% down to 38%. It was just the fifth time since June 9 it has dropped, rising steadily since that time when it sat around 12%. However, Laredos cases need to go down much more than this small drop, Chamberlain said.

As of noon Friday, a total of 19,817 have been tested in the Laredo area with 12,277 returning negative. A total of 1,049 are still pending, with 724 presumed negative due to being older than 30 days.

jwallace@lmtonline.com

zdavis@lmtonline.com
President Trump is now mulling the White House as a locale for his Republican National Convention acceptance speech. He has already canceled plans to host festivities in Jacksonville, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Well we are thinking about it. It would be easiest from the standpoint of security," he told "Fox and Friends" Wednesday. "We are thinking about doing it from the White House because there's no movement. It's easy, and I think it's a beautiful setting and we are thinking about that. It's certainly one of the alternatives. It's the easiest alternative." The president later added that while some speeches will be virtual, others will be live at different locations in Washington, D.C. "I'm going to do mine on Thursday night and that will be live."

But his suggestion has raised legal and ethical questions about hosting campaign activity on the federal government grounds.

The Hatch Act forbids the use of government buildings and employees for campaign activities, with few exceptions. While the president and vice president are exempt, any White House or government employee who helps facilitate campaign activity risks breaking federal law.

"Is that even legal?" GOP Senator John Thune said to reporters when asked about the president's plans. "I assume that's not something that you could do," the Republican senator from South Dakota said, citing a potential "Hatch Act issue." The senator added, "I think anything you do on federal property would seem to be to be problematic."

But the president defended the idea Wednesday, calling it a "very convenient idea" during a White House news conference. "Well it is legal," Mr. Trump said. "There is no Hatch Act because it doesn't pertain to the president. But if I use the White House, we save tremendous amounts of money for the government in terms of security, traveling. If we go to another state, some other location, the amount of money is very enormous, so that's something to consider also."

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While enforcement of the Hatch Act rests on the president, who has previously avoided taking any action to uphold the federal law, the Republican Party would be responsible for covering the cost of any political event.

"The campaign still needs to pay for the event," Kedric Payne, general counsel and senior director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center tells CBS News. "How does the campaign reimburse for expenses like the cost of the White House lawn?"

In addition to the Hatch Act, Payne noted federal criminal law prohibits the president and vice president from utilizing White House staff to engage in political activity. "If government employees help facilitate a political event because the boss tells them to, that implicates President Trump. Trump is not exempt from this law that prohibits him from forcing government employees to engage in political activities."

Party officials planning the convention are considering the White House South Lawn as a possible locale for the acceptance speech. According to Republicans familiar with planning, the three nights of programming will feature a combination of live events and virtual livestreams.

Deputy communications director for the Republican National Committee Rick Gorka told CBS News the GOP is "working through a lot of plans to make sure that we have the online content and the digital content, and maybe some in-person events as we again make the case for what the president has done over the last four years and why he deserves another term." Gorka added that national monuments were a "possibility" for the Republican spectacle. "There's a lot of beautiful monuments across this country," he said. "A lot of options from the St. Louis Arch, I know we had a great event at Mount Rushmore. We have some great national parks and great open places. There's a lot to showcase about this country."

The Washington Post first reported Tuesday night that both the South Lawn and Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., are being floated as venues for the president's acceptance speech.

Legal experts note previous officeholders have confined political activity in the White House by hosting political events in the president's residential quarters. "The sensible position would be as risk averse as possible," John Holcomb, professor of business ethics and legal studies at the University of Denver told CBS News. "Go to the basement, go to the [White House] residence, the Trump hotel, and then straighten out any financial reimbursement issues, which would ultimately come back to the RNC. And if necessary, get the White House staff out of the way, who might be potentially legally vulnerable."

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez told called the president's suggestion of a White House political speech "ethically breathtaking." In an interview with MSNBC, Perez said, "It would be a nonstarter for any Democrat running. That is so unethical. But there's no surprise there."

The coronavirus pandemic, which is still surging in many states, has torn apart both parties' convention plans. Democratic organizers announced Wednesday that Joe Biden will not be traveling to Milwaukee to accept his party's nomination, opting to instead deliver an address from his home state of Delaware.

For his part, President Trump previously planned to accept his party's nomination in person before thousands in an arena in Charlotte. The president uprooted party festivities to Jacksonville after North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, cited public health concerns amid spiking COVID-19 numbers. Mr. Trump later called off Jacksonville festivities amid an influx of new Florida coronavirus cases.

"It's remarkable to see all of the planning that has gone into the 2020 convention, adapting to the changing public health dynamic," a former senior official charged with planning GOP conventions told CBS News. "And then to just see all of that go away. That's insane."

The Trump campaign deferred to the White House on questions of ethics and legality. White House officials told CBS News, "The president is not subject to the Hatch Act" but did not address potential implications for administration staff. The RNC did not immediately respond to request for comment.

The Trump family has faced criticism for profiting from the president's reelection bid amid the pandemic.

President Trump told Fox News he would be joined by the first lady, who also plans an address during GOP convention program, in addition to Trump allies Representatives Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan. "I will probably do mine live from the White House," the president added. "If for some reason somebody had difficulty with it, I could go someplace else."

Major Garrett, Ed O'Keefe, Adam Brewster and Corey Rangel contributed to this report.

Susan Rice on what she could bring to a Biden 2020 ticket

Massive explosions rock Beirut; many feared dead

More than 70 killed, 3,000 wounded in Beirut explosions
Getty Images

Donald Trump appeared to double down on a claim that the Beirut explosion may have been a deliberate attack, despite Lebanon officials suggesting it was the result of a neglected store ammonium nitrate.

Following Tuesdays huge blast, which has killed at least 135 people and destroyed large swathes of the city, Mr Trump told a White House briefing that the terrible attack may have been caused by a bomb.

Trump said US generals told him that the explosion could have been planned. They seem to think it was an attack, he said. It was a bomb of some kind, yes, Trump added, in comments that left defence chiefs scrambling to explain the presidents position.

On Wednesday, defence secretary Mark Esper appeared to contradict his boss, saying that most believe the explosion was an accident, as reported.

It is understood the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been left in a warehouse in Beiruts port for around seven years, without adequate safety precautions, according to Lebanese president Michel Aoun.

Mr Aoun has promised a transparent probe into the catastrophic blast and vowed to punish those who are responsible. Lebanons cabinet has placed all of Beiruts port officials on house arrest while the investigation takes place.

Ammonium nitrate is an agricultural fertiliser that can become deadly if left to deteriorate and ignited by fire. According to documents circulating in Lebanon, the lethal cargo of ammonium nitrate docked in Beirut in 2013 on a Russian-owned ship flying a Moldovan flag.

Customs agents repeatedly appealed to Beirut officials to have the fertiliser removed, but their requests were ignored, according to the documents.

Despite growing evidence that the blast was caused by neglected ammonium nitrate, Trump continued to insist that the explosion may have been the result of an attack.

How can you say accident if somebody left some terrible explosive-type devices and things around perhaps  perhaps it was that. Perhaps it was an attack, Trump said in a White House briefing on Wednesday after Mr Esper had already spoken to the media.

Story continues

I dont think anybody can say right now. Were looking into it very strongly right now.

Trump added: Some people think it was an attack and some people think it wasnt. In any event, it was a terrible event and a lot of people were killed and a tremendous number of people were badly wounded, injured. And were standing with that country.

But whether it was a bomb intentionally set off  it ended up being a bomb. But no, Ive heard it both ways. It could have been an accident and it could have also been something that was very offensive.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows defended his bosss comments, claiming that Trump had only repeated what military officials had told him on Tuesday.

The president shared with the American people what he was briefed on, with 100 per cent certainty I can tell you that, Meadows told CNN.

But US officials on Wednesday couldnt identify any generals who delivered any such Beirut message to the president, Associated Press reported.

Rescue teams continued to search through the wreckage for bodies on Thursday. At least 135 people were killed in the blast, but officials expect that number to rise.

Thousands of people have been left homeless and up to 5,000 injured. Prime minister Hassan Diab declared three days of mourning to remember the victims.

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Hundreds of Adirondacks residents are asking Essex County District Attorney Kristy Sprague to fully investigate off-duty Cohoes Police Officer Sean T. McKowns use of his service pistol in June and his allegedly false claims that a Black male fired at him first.

A letter with at least 735 signatures was delivered to Spragues office on Thursday morning asking the county's top prosecutor to investigate the June 6 incident on Lincoln Pond Road in Elizabethtown  as well as the law enforcement probe that followed it.

We ask that your office uphold its promise of justice for all, the letter stated. That obligation applies with particular force to members of our community that are under-represented. That obligation also applies with particular force to those who we depend on to uphold the law namely those sworn to do so.

The letter asked the district attorney to respond to Westport attorney Matthew Melewski, who spoke at a news conference in Elizabethtown after the letter was delivered to Spragues office.

"This is not a trivial matter," Melewski said at the press conference. An audio recording of the Thursday event was provided to the Times Union. "This is not a child pulling a fire alarm and falsely reporting a fire. This is very, very serious and someone needs to take responsibility."

Asked what went wrong in the incident, Melewski replied: "Someone decided to bury it."

The Times Union first reported July 27 that McKown, a 19-year veteran of the Cohoes force and who is white, called 911 and told State Police that after three confrontations, a Black male youth displayed a gun and fired at him. McKown told troopers he fired his weapon four times while retreating toward a hill and ditched the gun. State Police said McKown was asleep when they showed up. Awakened, he appeared highly intoxicated, sources with knowledge of the case said.

The sources said McKown called State Police back and said his story had been false. He admitted the Black male youth did not display a gun or fire at him, and admitted he shot bullets into a tree stump. Troopers said they did not believe McKown's second account either because they determined he neatly placed the weapon down and did not ditch it.

State Police described McKowns statements as extremely inconsistent.

Sprague and her top assistant met with State Police on June 10 and told them there was not enough evidence to prosecute McKown on charges of menacing or filing a false report, sources told the Times Union. Sprague has refused to acknowledge that she made a decision not to prosecute the case  or answer other questions, such as whether she knew McKown before the incident.

On Thursday, in response to a Times Union email for comment, Sprague said she received the letter signed by residents and other concerned citizens on Aug. 4 via Facebook.

I will review the file, she said. As for the remainder of your questions I do not feel it necessary to address these questions as you seem to want to make this an issue. Quite frankly, I will not entertain such speculation. As I would with any case (if) I have a conflict or an issue that would not allow me to be fair or unbiased, I would apply for a special prosecutor.

Sprague, a graduate of Albany Law School who was elected in 2009, was a member of the Gov. Andrew Cuomo's former Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption.

A State Police spokesman said last week: The State Police conducted an investigation into this incident, including collection of physical evidence, review of security camera video and interviews with 18 potential witnesses. All of the information was presented to the Essex County district attorneys office, and no charges were filed. If new information on this case is brought forward, we will consult with the district attorneys office and re-open the investigation, if warranted.

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

Attending Thursday's news conference was Nicole Hylton-Patterson, the inaugural director of Adirondacks Diversity Initiative, a state-funded effort focused on addressing inclusion, equity and diversity in the Adirondacks. Racist graffiti was spray-painted on a bridge in the village of Saranac Lake, where she lived, in late June.

Asked to describe her reaction when she learned of the McKown incident, Hylton-Patterson said: As a Black person it was instant trauma, visceral and especially because I believe that I was the object of a racist act.

Hylton-Patterson said: We need the district attorney to step up and fully investigate this, with the intensity, the intentionality and the deliberateness and the expediency with which it deserves  we need the DA to step up and do her job.

Among those at the news conference was Martha Swan, the executive director of John Brown Lives!, an organization whose namesake was an abolitionist revolutionary who was hanged in 1859. John Brown Farm State Historic Site is also just outside the village of Lake Placid.

Swan noted that McKowns incident happened as protests were happening around the country  and in Essex County  following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Given the activity across the county and ample coverage in the press, District Attorney Sprague must surely know that this is an incident, a situation of concern and urgency to her constituents, Swan said at a news conference in Elizabethtown on Thursday after the letter was delivered.

It deeply troubles me that it appears as though this incident has been treated as a routine matter that the district attorney herself and her office need not take charge of, need not get out in front of and investigate deeply.
"We are all in this together as Americans," Evanina said in the statement. "Our election should be our own. Foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections are a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy."

He warned that "foreign states will continue to use covert and overt influence measures in their attempts to sway U.S. voters' preferences and perspectives, shift U.S. policies, increase discord in the United States, and undermine the American people's confidence in our democratic process" ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

While many foreign actors have views on who should hold the White House, "We are primarily concerned about the ongoing and potential activity by China, Russia, and Iran," Evanina said.

The analysis of the three U.S. adversaries' alleged interference efforts came in a statement from William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, who said he released the information to help Americans "play a critical role in safeguarding our election."

Russia is trying to "undermine" presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's candidacy, while China and Iran are against President Donald Trump 's reelection, a leading U.S. intelligence official said Friday.

William Evanina, Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, answers a reporters question in Washington, DC.

At a press conference Friday evening, Trump himself pushed back on the findings of his own intelligence agencies.

"It could be," Trump began when a reporter asked if he believed the assessment that Russia was attempting to meddle in the election against Biden.

But he quickly added: "I think that the last person Russia wants to see in office is Donald Trump."

When the reporter noted that the statement from U.S. intelligence in fact says the opposite, Trump shot back, "Well, I don't care what anybody says."

"Nobody with any common sense would say" that Russia wanted him to win, Trump said.

Asked what he planned to do about the alleged interference, Trump said, "Well, we're going to look at it very closely."

The alleged preferences of Russia, China and Iran reflect how Trump and Biden have talked about them on the campaign trail.

Trump in nearly every recent speaking appearance has criticized Beijing for its handling of the coronavirus, which first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The virus has since grown to a pandemic that has taken an immense toll on the United States: More than 4.88 million cases and at least 160,111 deaths from Covid-19 have been reported in the U.S., according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The Trump administration has also regularly condemned Iran and attacked it with punishing economic sanctions.

Biden, meanwhile, has slammed Trump for failing to address Russian threats abroad  and his campaign continued that line of attack in response to Evanina's statement.

"Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly invited, emboldened, and even tried to coerce foreign interference in American elections," longtime Biden advisor Tony Blinken said in the response.

Evanina's statement said that China wants Trump to lose in part because Beijing sees him as "unpredictable."

"China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to China's interests, and deflect and counter criticism of China," it said.

On Russia, U.S. intelligence assesses that the Kremlin "is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia 'establishment.'" Russian officials are "spreading claims about corruption" to try to "undermine" Biden and the Democratic Party, the statement said.

"Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media and Russian television," it said.

Evanina's statement also says that Iran "seeks to undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections."

Iran is likely focusing on online influence operations, including social-media disinformation campaigns and promulgating anti-American content.

"Tehran's motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trump's reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change," Evanina said.

In response to the intelligence assessment, National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said the U.S. "will not tolerate foreign interference in our electoral processes and will respond to malicious foreign threats that target our democratic institutions."

"The United States is working to identify and disrupt foreign influence efforts targeting our political system, including efforts designed to suppress voter turnout or undermine public confidence in the integrity of our elections," Ullyot said.

The Trump campaign used the report as fodder for another attack on Biden. "We don't need or want foreign interference, and President Trump will beat Joe Biden fair and square," said campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh.
Sinha reached Srinagar Thursday evening by a state plane and met the outgoing L-G.

Former minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha takes oath as Jammu and Kashmirs new lieutenant-governor. (ANI)

Srinagar: Former Union minister Manoj Sinha was on Friday was sworn in as the new lieutenant-governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the first political leader to take charge of the union territory.

The 61-year-old was administered the oath of office by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Gita Mittal at a simple function in the Raj Bhavan.

"August 5 is a very important day in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. After years of isolation, Jammu and Kashmir joined the national mainstream. I have been told that many works which could not be completed in years have been completed in the past one year," Sinha told reporters after taking oath. "I want to accelerate that development," he added.

The National Conference stayed away from the ceremony for which both Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were invited.

The National Conference has said the process of democracy should begin by releasing their detained leaders as well as former chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.

On August 5, they were not allowed to meet. Two days later, we are asked to participate in the oath taking ceremony, an NC leader said.

Advisors to the previous lieutenant governors, including Farooq Khan and Baseer Khan, as well as senior bureaucrats and policemen were present at the function in the Raj Bhavan.

The Centres decision to appoint the former minister of state for railways as Jammu and Kashmirs new lieutenant-governor, replacing G.C. Murmu (who is tipped to be the next Comptroller and Auditor-General after incumbent Rajiv Mehrishi retires on August 7), is to send a clear signal that it wants to restart the J&K political process.

Sources said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen that a seasoned politician than someone with a bureaucratic or military/intelligence background be made the new lieutenant-governor. Home ministry sources said in order to restart the political process, the government wanted an experienced politician as the UTs administrative head.

Sinha reached Srinagar Thursday evening by a state plane, soon after his predecessor flew out, and held an informal meeting with the chief secretary and the four advisers to the former L-G.

Sinha is a three-time Lok Sabha MP who lost the 2019 election from Gorakhpur. He is said to enjoy the confidence of both Prime Minister Modi and home minister Amit Shah. In 2017, he was a frontrunner for the post of UP chief minister after the party swept the 2017 elections. Besides railways, he had served as MoS communications.
Foreign tourists have been allowed entry into three coastal governorates only since flights reopened last month, and they will not need to show a PCR certificate

Egypt will require some foreign travellers to show a negative PCR test result for the coronavirus on arrival starting from 15 August, a statement by the civil aviation ministry read on Friday.

The negative PCR test result will have to be dated within 72 hours of travel, the ministry said.

The requirement does not apply to foreign and Arab tourists arriving through direct flights and transit flights at the airports of South Sinais Sharm El-Sheikh and Taba, Red Seas Hurghada and Marsa Alam, and at the governorate of Matrouh.

Egyptian travellers are also exempt from the need to show a test.

Egypt began a gradual resumption of regular international flights starting July 1, having shut its airspace in March in the wake of the pandemic.

Foreign tourists are currently allowed entry only into the three coastal Egyptian governorates with the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country  South Sinai, Red Sea, and Matrouh.

The countrys tourism sector is an essential source of foreign currency.

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Citizens of Thailand were surprised and bemused on Friday to discover their country's name had become a social media meme after US President Donald Trump mispronounced it.

Though Trump quickly switched to the correct pronunciation, people quickly seized on the slip to mock the US leader online as #Thighland became one of the top-trending Twitter hashtags in Thailand with 32,000 tweets and in the top 25 in the United States with over 156,000, according to the tracking site Twitscoop.

The English-language online newspaper Thai Enquirer changed its Twitter name to "Thigh Enquirer" early Friday morning and ran an article on the mistake.

One online joker wrote that Thighland was located on a cartographic leg between "Kneepal" and "Ankola".

The American president made the gaffe during a speech in Ohio while explaining how his trade war with China had forced factories to move production to Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam and, as he pronounced it, "Thi-land".

In the next breath, Trump got it right, saying: "Thailand and Vietnam - two places that I like their leaders very much."

The meme escalated when conservative American pundit and filmmaker Dinesh DSouza, who was pardoned by Trump after a conviction of violating campaign finance law, argued in a series of tweets that "Thighland" is in fact the correct pronunciation.

Rikker Dockum, a professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College, told Reuters that Trump's second pronunciation - with an aspirated hard "t" instead of a soft "th" sound - is the widely used one in both Thai and English.

"Among English speakers around the world, this is not a disputed pronunciation," he added.
At 9:30 p.m. on July 25, 1850, the 210-ton brig Frolic, a former opium clipper bound for San Francisco with a cargo of silk, chinaware and other goods from China, struck a rocky shelf about 400 yards off the Mendocino coast. The crew abandoned ship and the mortally wounded Frolic washed into a cove just north of Point Cabrillo, where it would eventually sink.

That might have been the end of it. But through a peculiar series of events, the shipwreck turned out to play a key role in the development of Californias economy. The story of the Frolic  which involves the Chinese opium trade, the Pomo Indians, Two Years Before the Mast author Richard Henry Dana, Alta California Consul Thomas Larkin, one of the first American residents of Yerba Buena and San Franciscos most infamous businessman  is one of the most unlikely maritime tales in the annals of California.

As Thomas Layton writes in The Voyage of the Frolic: New England Merchants and the Opium Trade, the Frolic was built in Baltimore in 1844 by Bostons Augustine Heard & Co. to engage in the lucrative opium trade with China, which was legal at the time.

That trade had begun in the late 18th century, when British ships started carrying opium from India to Canton (now Guangzhou), receiving millions of dollars of silver in payment. After monopolizing the opium trade for decades, in 1838 the British began allowing American ships to carry opium from India to China.

The fastest ships made the most money, so the Heard company commissioned Baltimores Gardner shipyard to build a Baltimore clipper, a class of ships renowned for their speed, called the Frolic.

The Frolics captain, Edward Faucon, had made three voyages to California from 1829 to 1835 on Boston ships engaged in the hide-and-tallow trade. On his last voyage, Faucon made friends with a 19-year-old Harvard freshman named Richard Henry Dana, who was to immortalize him as the benevolent skipper in his classic Two Years Before the Mast.

When the hide-and-tallow trade began to decline in 1837, Faucon embarked on a new career in the China trade. In 1844, the Heard company hired him to helm the Frolic on opium runs from India to Canton.

In the next two years he captained three voyages, dropping off opium and receiving tons of silver bullion in return. But in 1847 steamships began carrying opium more cheaply than sailing ships, and the Heard company started looking for other commodities to trade.

Its golden opportunity  literally came in spring 1848, when gold was discovered in California.

In January 1849, two pioneering and wealthy California businessmen, Jacob Leese, the second American resident of Yerba Buena, and Thomas Larkin, former U.S. consul to Mexican California, purchased a brig called the Eveline. They dispatched it to China with $24,000 to purchase a cargo and return to California, where payment could now be made in gold, not hides. Leese himself sailed on the ship as its purchasing agent.

When the Eveline docked in Canton, John Heard, head of the Heard operation in China, eagerly seized the opportunity to buy its cargo so the company could get into the booming California market. He was not disappointed  the cargo his agents secured earned huge profits. After that success, Heard dispatched his companys Frolic on an equally lucrative voyage to California, and soon made plans to repeat it the next year. On June 10, 1850, laden with silks, chinaware and even a portable house, the Frolic departed Hong Kong for San Francisco with 26 officers and crew.

The voyage was uneventful until the ship approached the Mendocino shoreline. Relying on an outdated chart, Faucon did not realize his course had taken him dangerously close to the coast.

On the night of July 25, the Frolic crashed against rocks. After Faucon and his crew escaped, the ship was washed into a cove, just 100 feet from shore and in shallow water  its cargo easy pickings for whoever came along.

The first to come along were Pomo Indians, who carried away large quantities of pottery and other goods. A year later Indian women were seen wearing elegant silk shawls from Canton, and pottery fragments were found in Indian villages.

Word of the wreck soon spread, leading to more pillaging. In 1851, a government agent described visiting an American pioneers house on the Russian River, close to 100 miles from the shipwreck site. It was a crude building, the agent said, made of poles, clay and tule, on whose earthen floor stood huge china jars, camphor trunks, and lacquered ware in abundance, the relics of some vessel that had been wrecked on the coast during last spring.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

The most consequential visitor to the wreck of the Frolic, however, appeared when there was nothing left to remove.

When San Francisco entrepreneur and Bodega Bay sawmill owner Henry Meiggs learned about the wreck in August 1850, he dispatched a trusted employee, Jerome Ford, to see if anything could be salvaged. When Ford arrived, he found that the Frolic had been completely stripped. But he discovered a far more valuable treasure: the surrounding redwood and fir forest, which no American had ever seen.

After Ford returned and told Meiggs about the mighty groves of trees he had stumbled upon, Meiggs started a sawmill there in 1852. A small town grew up around the sawmill, which was briefly called Meiggsville before becoming Mendocino City. It was just as well it changed its name, since Honest Harry Meiggs failed to live up to his name, absconding in 1854 to South America after embezzling $800,000 from San Franciscos coffers.

Meiggsville was the first city on the Mendocino coast and became the first focal point of the Pacific coast lumber trade.

The wreck of the Frolic turned out to be boon for all concerned. Its owners made more money from an insurance payout than the ship was worth. And the Frolic was indirectly responsible for kicking off what was to become one of Californias leading 19th century industries.

Gary Kamiya is the author of the best-selling book Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, awarded the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. To read earlier Portals of the Past, go to sfchronicle.com/portals. For more features from 150 years of The Chronicles archives, go to sfchronicle.com/vault. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com
A female plover with a clutch of four chicks which was found shot through the chest with an arrow in the Moreton Bay region this week had to be euthanised by an RSPCA vet.

Residents in Woodford, about 60 kilometres north of Brisbane, called the RSPCA on Wednesday afternoon after finding the bird, which was familiar to the community.

The female plover was captured by an RSPCA rescue officer and rushed to their wildlife hospital. Credit:RSPCA Queensland - Supplied

The RSPCA rescue officer who arrived found the injured bird was able to walk, but she had a hard time catching the bird, which was wary of people approaching.

Eventually the plover was captured and taken to RSPCA Queensland's Wacol Wildlife Hospital, where specialists euthanised it because of irreparable chest injuries and a badly broken leg.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has presented $428,650 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration to support the evacuation of more than 700 stranded Ghanaians in Lebanon.



Mr Agyapong contributed $200,000 himself, while he mobilised the rest through an appeal he launched for other Ghanaians to support the initiative.



The support will help cover the evacuation of the fourth and fifth batches scheduled for August 11 and 13, respectively.



At the presentation event last Wednesday, Mr Agyapong said: It is not in everything that we expect the white man to save us or take care of for us. We need to prove that we are capable of managing our own affairs."



Kind heart



The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who received the cheque for the amount, said: "The generosity of Mr Agyapong is public knowledge and the donation today is only a testimony of his kind heart, and we expect this donation to fund the evacuation of 727 Ghanaians from Lebanon."



She said the government would bear the cost of quarantine of the evacuees when they arrived in Ghana, just as it had done for more than 3,000 of their compatriots who had been evacuated from various parts of the world, including China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait and Qatar.



"On behalf of the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and, indeed, all Ghanaians and the families who will be benefiting from this generous offer, I wish to thank you, my colleague and brother, Mr Agyapong, and all those who through your efforts have contributed to this noble cause," she said.



"By this act, you have proven to be a responsive statesman and patriot, and Ghanaians are grateful," she added.





COVID-19



Ms Botchwey said in a difficult time when the world was grappling with how to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on lives and economies, it was heart-warming to witness such acts of generosity, patriotism and solidarity from fellow Ghanaians.



She said when the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in November 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, nothing could have prepared the world for the devastation it would unleash on human lives and world economies months down the line.



She noted that since then, the world had been at the mercy of this unseen, yet destructive virus.



"As a desperate measure to prevent the deadly virus from spreading within national borders, states locked down and also imposed travel bans and other restrictions, including border closures.



"Unfortunately, these measures left many travellers, including a number of Ghanaian nationals, stranded in foreign countries and unsure of when they will return home to their families," she said.



She intimated that it also brought to the fore the unacceptable dire conditions some Ghanaians abroad, especially those in the Middle East, were living under as a result of the pandemic.



Bold decision



Ms Botchwey said in view of the growing number of stranded Ghanaians abroad per the data gathered by the Ministry and its Diplomatic Missions abroad, the Government took the bold decision to begin the process of evacuating them home.



She said to ensure a well-coordinated evacuation exercise, the government decided to undertake the exercise in phases.



The minister said that decision was informed by financial and logistical considerations, such as the capacity of their quarantine and isolation centres to hold a large number of evacuees and the human resource capacity of the COVID-19 Task Force, made up of personnel drawn from the various security agencies.



She said the ministry, in collaboration with the Task Force, had since May 2020, completed 51 evacuations from across the globe, resulting in the safe return of 5,940 Ghanaians.



More to do



"So much has been done by the government since the outbreak of COVID-19 to mitigate the adverse effects of the virus on Ghanaians, but I must say that we are not out of the woods yet.



"There is still a lot to be done, and it is for this reason that the Ministry welcomes the support of benevolent individuals such as the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Agyapong," she stated.



"On the matter associated with our dear compatriots in Lebanon, I wish to reiterate our displeasure in the manner Ghanaian nationals in that country have been treated," the minister added.



She stressed that the government had in no uncertain terms registered its abhorrence to such inhumane treatment to the Government of Lebanon on the harassment and earlier reports of abuse to which Ghanaians had been subjected to by their Lebanese employers.





Source: Graphiconline.com









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(ANSA) - ROME, 07 AGO - Matteo Salvini's opposition League party attacked Premier Giuseppe Conte on Friday after it emerged that the government failed to follow the advice of its CTS panel of experts to seal off two Lombardy towns that were among the first to be hit by the coronavirus in Italy.

Declassified documents showed that the CTS advised the government to set up 'red zones' at Nembro and Alzano Lombardo by sealing them off and locking them down on March 3.

The government had initially sealed off several towns in the province of Lodi and one in Veneto, Vo, in the early stages of the COVID-19 emergency here.

The same measures were not applied to Nembro and Alzano Lombardo though and later in March the government imposed a national lockdown.

"In a normal country, the premier would resign at once after the publication of these documents as he is the person politically responsible for the actions of his government," said League Senator Roberto Calderoli.

Calderoli and other League lawmakers from the hard-hit province of Bergamo, Daniele Belotti, Simona Pergreffi and Rebecca Frassini, argued that the government "wasted precious days to contain the spread of the virus".

Earlier on Friday Salvini said Conte and his government should be "taken to an international court for holding captive half of Italy" by imposing a national lockdown rather than sealing off these towns.

Emilia-Romagna Governor Stefano Bonaccini, on he other hand, said that "it is much easier to speak after than at the time".

"The central government and the regions spent night and day trying to write ordinances and decrees, making things up as we went along to some degree as we did not have much experience to draw from," Bonaccini, a member of the Democratic Party (PD) that supports Conte's government, told La7 television. "I think the country reacted. Certainly mistakes were made.

"We were unprepared "But it seems to me that Italy managed it the best way it could and with better results than other Western democracies". (ANSA).


Management of Bright Senior High School, a private institution in the Eastern region, has condemned all acts of violence, assault, damage to school property and any such similar vices in the recent student unrest.



Management said the school would cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies to bring to justice any person who might have engaged in any unlawful act in the school.



This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Amponsah Bright Nyarko, the President of the School and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.



The school's name has been in the public domain lately as a result of an alleged violent actions by the Principal and the students on four invigilators and a journalist with the Graphic Communications Group on Thursday, August 6.





The statement said the school was built on virtuous standards of hard work, excellence and integrity and would not condone any student or teacher to perpetrate any act of violence.



It said on Thursday August 6, final year students of the School reported at the school premises to partake in this year's WASSCE Social Studies examinations scheduled on that day.



The statement said though some of the teachers had been scheduled to partake in the invigilation of exams, they were substituted with external invigilators that morning without any prior communication and they all left for their various homes.



It said the private security men from Spotlight Security Solutions posted at the entrance of the school by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) officials prevented the Principal from entering the school.



The statement said the Principal and the teachers did not instigate the students to assault the WAEC officials as was being reported.



"Again, the principal and the teachers could not have instructed the students to stop writing the paper and leave the school premises as had been reported.



The students of Bright Senior High School did sit and write the Social Studies paper on the said date, "it said.



In relation to incident, the Ghana Education Service has relocated the rest of the exams at Panin Senior High School centre.

Source: GNA









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Martin Rostey, Peter Garrett, Bones Hillman, Jim Moginie and Rob Hirst of Midnight Oil in 2017 promoting their The Great Circle tour. Credit:John Tsiavis

For a rock band defined by the concept of urgency, Midnight Oil's blockbuster reunion tour of 2018 was lacking something. Sure, they'd been on hiatus for 16 years while frontman Peter Garrett negotiated the poison path of federal politics, but new material would be essential if the band was to evolve past the cliches of nostalgia.

Gadigal Land arrived this week in an unmistakable rush of blunderbuss attack and righteous content. The title acknowledges the traditional owners south and west of Sydney Harbour. Lyrics rooted in the rage of colonial dispossession are made raw by First Nations collaborators Dan Sultan, the Stiff Gins' Kaleena Briggs and co-writers Bunna Lawrie and Gadigal poet Joel Davison.

What is Midnight Oil?

The Oils are among the most successful international exports in Australian music history; cousins to the Clash, Billy Bragg, U2 and Rage Against the Machine in the annals of political rock.
US Special Envoy for Iran Hook Resigns, Will Be Replaced by Abrams

Sputnik News

17:33 GMT 06.08.2020(updated 17:43 GMT 06.08.2020)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook plans to announce his resignation later on Thursday, the New York Times reported.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed that Hook will step down and that "following a transition period", US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliot Abrams will take on the Iran role.

"Brian Hook has decided to step down from his role as the US Special Representative for Iran and Senior Adviser to the Secretary", Pompeo said in a statement.

Abrams will be the special envoy for both countries, he added.

Hook began serving as US special envoy for Iran and senior policy adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2018. He previously served as the director of policy planning under former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

A Sputnik

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The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a PIL seeking a CBI or NIA probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, saying strangers are unnecessarily coming when his father is already pursuing the case.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14. Mumbai police has been probing the case and recorded statements of 56 people including Bollywood directors like Aditya Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian junked the PIL filed by Mumbai-based law student Dwivendra Devtadeen Dubey on the issue.

Deceaseds father is pursuing the case. There is no reason that he will not pursue it properly. You are an stranger in this matter and you are unnecessarily coming in this. We will not permit this, the bench said.

Dont waste our time. Dismissed, it said. During the brief hearing conducted through video conferencing, the apex court was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the CBI has taken over the investigation in Patna case. One case is lodged in Mumbai and other in Patna. The Bihar government had requested for CBI probe and we agreed, he said, adding that the Mumbai case has not been transferred to the CBI so far. Dubey, a law student, had sought the transfer of the FIR, lodged by Sushants father Krishan Kishore Singh at Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna to either to the CBI or the NIA to ensure that the investigation is carried out impartially, effectively and efficiently. Earlier during the day, the Bihar government filed an affidavit in the apex court seeking dismissal of Bollywood actress Rhea Chakrabortys plea for transfer of the Patna FIR against her to Mumbai in actor Rajputs death case terming it premature, misconceived and non-maintainable. The apex court had on July 30 junked a similar PIL seeking transfer of probe into Rajputs death case from Mumbai police to the CBI.

Go to Bombay High Court if you have anything concrete to show, the court had said while dismissing the PIL.
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Acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob has been given notice by leader of The First Wave Movement, Umar Abdullah, that there will be two more peaceful marches this month.

It comes on the heels of Abdullah being charged on Monday for leading a march around the Queens Park Savannah without permission from the acting police commissioner.
This is exactly what weve been trying to prevent, said Luis Oyola, community organizer for the Legal Aid Justice Center. And since before there was a single confirmed case in Farmville. We put this on ICE. We put this on [Immigration Centers of America], and we put this on the state government for sitting and watching it all unfold and not taking decisive action.

Alena Yarmosky, spokeswoman for Gov. Ralph Northam, said in a statement that the state isnt able to enter the detention center without permission from the facility but that the governor has pushed for months to gain access for increased testing and disease management.

The statement also said the Virginia Department of Health has repeatedly tried to assist with testing but was denied.

Only last week, after the Governor went directly to the President for assistance, did the CDC agree to intervene for widespread testing, Yarmosky said. Everyone deserves protection from this virus, no matter their immigration status.

In a statement Friday, Del. Ibraheem Samirah, D-Fairfax, called on Northam to shut down the immigrant detention center in Farmville, saying that the worst fears of advocates and the families of those detained have been realized.
Soon, the office of the inspector general, which oversees the conduct of public employees, was issuing an urgent call for public servants to respect and not attack the justice system.

Colombians, the office said, must stop the aggression and the extreme polarization that could bring new scenes of violence. To the crisis created by the pandemic of Covid-19, we cannot add a pandemic of hate that clouds the future, threatens democracy and submerges us in a new night of pain.

At a crowded pro-Uribe gathering in Medellin following the decision, a throng of cars cloaked in Colombian flags lined a major downtown avenue. And protesters said they were outraged that their hero had been detained while, under the terms of the 2016 peace deal, thousands of former guerrilla fighters have gone free.

Santiago Vasquez, 23, called Mr. Uribe the best president Colombia has ever had, describing him as the man who crippled the countrys largest rebel group, known as the FARC. He feared the former presidents detention would strengthen the left, ushering in the old days of violence.

Uribe! Amigo! Colombia is with you! Mr. Uribes allies shouted.

Hundreds of miles away, in the capital of Bogota, Colombians leaned out of homes across the city, banging pots in frenzied celebration. Families of those who had died in the war had thought Mr. Uribe would never be called before a court to answer for his role and found themselves barely able to believe the news.

I pray that he pays for all the pain, said Lucero Carmona Martinez, 61, who said her son Omar, 26, was killed by security forces at a time when Mr. Uribe was president and the military, under pressure to increase the body count in combat, was killing civilians along with rebel fighters.

Mr. Uribe, over the last 40 years, rose from being a relatively small-time bureaucrat to the most powerful politician in the country, wielding his charisma to create an entire political movement  Uribismo  in his name.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says Beirut port explosion has nothing to do with group, calls for accountability.

Lebanese president says blast probe looking into external interference among possible causes, in addition to simple negligence or an accident.

Lebanese authorities have taken into custody 16 people as part of an investigation into the Beirut port warehouse explosion that shook the capital, state news agency NNA reported.

The Lebanese government has given an investigative committee four days to determine responsibility for the blast, Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe told French radio.

French President Emmanuel Macron offered Frances support for the Lebanese people on a visit to Beirut, but said crisis-hit Lebanon would continue to sink unless its leaders carry out reforms.

Health Minister Hamad Hassan said at least 154 people have been killed in the explosion and 5,000 others injured, but the number is expected to rise as search-and-rescue operations continued for missing people.

Here are the latest updates:

Friday, August 7

23:28 GMT  Customs chief, port manager arrested

A judge in Beirut ordered the arrest of the director of Lebanese customs and the general manager of the citys port as part of the investigations into Tuesdays explosion

Badri Daher, the chief of the customs department, and Hassan Koraytem, the general manager of Beiruts port, will be detained for as long as investigations continue, according to the state-run National News Agency.

Dahers predecessor Shafik Merhi was also detained.

Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the deadly explosion at the Beirut port. Im Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives.

19:06 GMT  Dozens of fireworks were stored in port hangar, former port worker says

A former port worker told the Guardian that dozens of bags of fireworks were stored in the same hangar as the thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate at Beiruts port and may have been a decisive factor in igniting the chemical which fuelled the explosion.

There were 30 to 40 nylon bags of fireworks inside warehouse 12, Yusuf Shehadi said, adding that he personally saw the delivery of the fireworks which had been confiscated by customs about a decade ago.

They were on the left-hand side when you entered the door. I used to complain about this. It wasnt safe. There was also humidity there. This was a disaster waiting to happen, Shehadi was quoted as saying.

He also said that had been instructed by the Lebanese army to house the ammonium nitrate chemical in warehouse 12 at the port, the Guardian reported, despite calls by state security officials and customs personnel urging the removal of the substance.

General view of damaged site is seen as search and rescue operations continue after a fire at a warehouse with explosives at the Port of Beirut led to massive blasts [Houssam Shbaro/Anadolu]

19:03 GMT  No Beirut blast inquiry request, says UN after Macron call for probe

The United Nations has not received any requests to investigate the deadly explosion in Beiruts port, a UN spokesman said after French President Emmanuel Macron called for an international inquiry.

Initial Lebanese probes have pointed to an ammonium nitrate cargo, which was abandoned in Beirut, as the source of the blast. During a visit to Beirut on Thursday, Macron said that a transparent international inquiry was needed.

We would be willing to consider such a request if we were to receive one. Nothing like that has been received, however, UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could also establish an inquiry if mandated by a UN legislative body such as the 193-member General Assembly or the 15-member Security Council.

Our anger will only stopif we see those b*stards in prison. This #Beirut resident told us live on air why so many are furious with Lebanons authorities after she lost four neighbours in Tuesdays blast. Follow our LIVE blog  https://t.co/Ry4ynw00du pic.twitter.com/f1uyhnCS7q  Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 7, 2020

16:20 GMT  Trump, Macron, discussed sending Lebanon immediate aid

US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed working together with other countries to send immediate aid to Lebanon during a phone call, White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement.

Deere said the two leaders expressed their deep sadness over the loss of life and devastation in Beirut.

14:48 GMT  How Beiruts firefighters were sent to the site of the explosion

About five minutes before 6pm (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, Beiruts fire brigade received a call from the police, who told them that witnesses had spotted smoke billowing out of the citys port.

A team of 10 was ordered to respond to a fire at the Beirut port. They did not know what they were heading for.

Read more about the fate of the firefighters and the paramedic who accompanied them here.

14:44 GMT  Hezbollah leader denies claims that warehouse had groups weapons

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah strongly denied claims that the armed group had any weapons stored at the warehouse prior to the explosion, adding that that the investigation will soon reveal the truth behind the deadly blast.

We have nothing in the port: not an arms depot, nor a missile depot nor missiles nor rifles nor bombs nor bullets nor ammonium nitrate, Nasrallah said in televised speech. Our people are among those injured and killed in the blast.

Nasrallah called for accountability and noted that there is a consensus for a just and transparent investigation.

Anyone responsible should be held to account  Nobody should be protected, he said.

The armed groups secretary-general said that the Beirut blast was an exceptional event in Lebanons modern history and that should be dealt with as such.

All of Hezbollahs personnel and institutions  are under the state and the municipalitys disposal, Nasrallah said.

14:22 GMT  Lebanon president rejects calls for international probe

Lebanons President Michel Aoun rejected calls for an international probe into the massive port blast, after world leaders and Lebanese nationals abroad and at home pressed for an impartial investigation.

When asked by a journalist during a televised interview if he thought an international probe would dilute the truth, the president answered, of course.

Moments later on his Facebook page, the president spelled out his position further, saying, the goal behind calls for an international investigation into the port issue is to dilute the truth.

14:16 GMT  Calls for mass protests amid relief efforts

Al Jazeeras Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut, said people have little faith in the states investigation so far.

The priority now is to provide aid to those in need. It is the people, the people are in the streets, theyre providing aid, theyre clearing the debris, theyre giving people food, Khodr said.

The government is absent, the state is absent  So people are becoming really angry and theyre already starting to mobilise. In fact there are calls for a mass protest tomorrow afternoon.

People sit in a car driving near the site of Tuesdays blast in Beiruts port area, Lebanon [Hannah McKay/Reuters]

13:48 GMT  We need early elections: Lebanese MP

Paula Yacoubian, a Lebanese member of parliament, dismissed the President Michel Aouns remarks as lip service.

They [president, aides] lost any legitimacy they used to have  Beirut needs from this government to go away and to leave this country, Yacoubian told Al Jazeera.

Its the political parties who need to step down and say we have failed you  We need early elections as soon as possible.

13:24 GMT  US says sending immediate $15m in food, medicine to Lebanon

The United States said it would would send an immediate $15m worth of food and medicine to help Lebanon after Beiruts massive port blast.

The aid, to be transported through the US military, amounts to three months worth of food for 50,000 people and three months worth of medicine for 60,000 people, the US Agency for International Development said.

Hello, this is Farah Najjar taking over from my colleague Linah Alsaafin.

12:15 GMT  UN wants independent probe into Beirut blast

The UN human rights office is calling for an independent investigation into the Beirut explosion, insisting victims calls for accountability must be heard.

Spokesman Rupert Colville of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights cited the need for the international community to step up to help Lebanon with both a quick response and sustained engagement.

He said Lebanon is facing the triple tragedy of a socio-economic crisis, COVID-19 and the ammonium nitrate explosion that devastated the capital on Tuesday.

11:45 GMT  EU chief Michel heading to Beirut on Saturday

The president of the European Council, which represents EU leaders, Charles Michel, will head to Beirut on Saturday as Brussels readies to support the Lebanese capital after a devastating explosion.

Shocked and saddened, we stand with all those affected and will provide help, Michel tweeted, announcing meetings with President Michel Aoun, parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

Traveling to #Beirut tomorrow to convey Europes solidarity with the people in #Lebanon. Shocked and saddened, we stand with all those affected and will provide help. Will meet with President Aoun, Speaker of Parliament Berri and President of Council of Ministers Diab. pic.twitter.com/bKdULdPSNE  Charles Michel (@eucopresident) August 7, 2020

11:20 GMT  Lebanese president says blast probe looking into external interference among possible causes

Lebanons president said an investigation into the Beirut port warehouse explosion was looking at whether it was caused by negligence, an accident or possible external interference, his office cited him as telling local media.

The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act, President Michel Aoun said.

He said the probe into Tuesdays blast at a warehouse housing highly-explosive material was being conducted on three levels.

First, how the explosive material entered and was stored  second whether the explosion was a result of negligence or an accident  and third the possibility that there was external interference.

11:00 GMT  WHO appeals for $15mn aid for Lebanon

The World Health Organization (WHO) is appealing for $15mn to cover emergency health needs in Lebanon following the Beirut port explosion .

The blast destroyed 17 containers holding WHO medical supplies including personal protective equipment, the agencys regional office for the Middle East said in a statement .

Five hospitals in the area affected by Tuesdays blast are either not functioning or partially functioning, and early reports indicate that many health centres and primary care facilities are also damaged or out of action, it said.

The WHO, together with the American University of Beirut, is planning an environmental assessment on the impact of the fumes caused by the explosion of ammonium nitrate.

10:45 GMT  US pledges over $17mn in initial disaster aid for Lebanon

The United States has pledged over $17mn in initial disaster aid for Lebanon, following Tuesdays Beirut port explosion, the US embassy said.

It said in a statement that the aid included food assistance, medical supplies and financial assistance for the Lebanese Red Cross. Announcements of additional aid and assistance are forthcoming, it added.

10:15 GMT  Lebanon navigates food challenge with no grain silo and few stocks

Beiruts blast destroyed Lebanons only port-based grains silo, with plans for another in the countrys second largest port Tripoli shelved years ago due to a lack of funding, the UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in Lebanon said.

There are smaller storage sites within the private sector millers because they have to store wheat before it is milled into flour, Maurice Saade told Reuters.

In terms of grain silos, that was the only major one.

The destruction of the 120,000-tonne capacity structure and disabling of the port, the main entry point for food imports, means buyers will have to rely on smaller privately-owned storage facilities for their wheat purchases, exacerbating concerns about food supplies. Lebanon, a nation of more than six million people, imports almost all of its wheat.

09:50 GMT  UN agencies scramble to support Beirut blast victims

UN agencies are scrambling to support victims of the devastating warehouse blast in Beirut, which has undermined an already weak healthcare system in Lebanon, officials said.

Damage to hospitals has removed 500 beds of capacity, a World Health Organization spokesman told a virtual United Nations briefing. Containers with thousands of personal protection equipment (PPE) items  used to prevent the spread of COVID-19  have also been destroyed.

Meanwhile UNICEF said 100,000 children have had their homes damaged and are displaced in Beirut., while 120 schools serving 55,000 children are in various states of damage.









08:50 GMT  World Food Programme plans wheat imports for Beirut

The World Food Programme (WFP) plans to import wheat flour and grains for bakeries and mills to help protect against food shortages across Lebanon after a blast wrecked its main port in Beirut, the United Nations agency said.

WFP is concerned that the explosion and the damage to the port will exacerbate an already grim food security situation  that has worsened because of the countrys profound financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokeswoman said in notes prepared for a UN briefing in Geneva, adding it would be providing food parcels to thousands of families.

WFP also stands ready to offer supply chain management and logistical support and expertise to Lebanon, it said.

08:15 GMT  Tens of thousands sign petition calling for Lebanon to be placed under French mandate

As of Friday 08:15 GMT, at least 58,000 people have signed an online petition set up by Lebanese citizens on Wednesday to place Lebanon under a French mandate for the next 10 years

Lebanons officials have clearly shown a total inability to secure and manage the country, the petition reads. With a failing system, corruption, terrorism and militia the country has just reached its last breath.

We believe Lebanon should go back under the French mandate in order to establish a clean and durable governance.

However, other citizens denounced the petition as a means to continue French colonialism.

#/    #        .      .                       . /  Leil-Zahra Mortada (@LeilZahra) August 6, 2020

Translation: [Emmanuel] Macrons visit is very painful, especially as the first head of state to visit Lebanon after the explosion. His visit confirms the colonial link between the two countries, and it is humiliating to our history and our present. We forget that what Lebanon is going through is rooted in the remnants of French colonialism, and what that colonialism has planted in ourselves, our conscience, our culture and our vision.

07:30 GMT  Rescuers plough on through Beirut debris as hope fades for survivors

Members of Turkeys Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) start to search and rescue works at the port of Beirut [Anadolu Agency]

Lebanese rescue workers and army soldiers are struggling to remove huge items of debris in search for possible survivors at Beiruts port.

The Lebanese Red Cross believes there are still 100 people missing, most of who were working at Beiruts port.

We are doing our best as we are hoping to find people alive and trapped, but all we have found so far are the remains of people beyond recognition, said a rescue worker, who said he has been working non-stop for the past 48 hours.

Some foreign countries are sending help, but it might be too late for the people who may still be trapped under the debris, he said.

06:48 GMT  Lebanese bride happy to be alive after blast cuts short wedding video

Israa Seblani, a 29-year-old doctor working in the United States, arrived in Lebanon three weeks ago to prepare for her wedding.

Her bridal photo shoot was cut short and captured the Beirut explosion that took place on Tuesday. Seblani, in her long veil and white wedding dress, helped to check on the injured nearby, before fleeing central Beiruts Saifi square to safety.

Video of bride on wedding day in Beirut captures moment massive warehouse explosion ripped through the city pic.twitter.com/ZsH20S4TGt  Reuters (@Reuters) August 5, 2020

There is a lot of damage, many people were killed and wounded. But also if I want to look at us, myself, my husband, the photographer  how we escaped unharmed, I thank God for protecting us.

This alone makes me feel optimistic and to keep the joy of the occasion that I came here to celebrate.

Hello, this is Linah Alsaafin in Doha taking over from my colleague Zaheena Rasheed.

04:19 GMT  Four Filipinos killed, 31 injured

At least four Filipinos were killed in the Beirut explosion and two others were in critical condition, according to the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs.

A total of 31 Filipinos were injured in the blast, the office said.

02:10 GMT  Beirut resident vents fury at Lebanese leaders

A Beirut resident has told Al Jazeera live on air why so many are furious with Lebanons authorities after she lost four neighbours in Tuesdays explosion.

Our anger will only stopif we see those b******* in prison, she said.





01:47 GMT  Ex-captain of cargo ship blames Lebanese authorities for blast

Boris Prokoshev, the former captain of the ship that brought almost 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate to Beirut, said Lebanese authorities were very well aware of the dangers posed by the vessels cargo.

Its the government of Lebanon that brought about this situation, Prokoshev told The Associated Press news agency from his home in the Krasnodar region of Russia.

His ship, the MV Rhosus, was not supposed to be in Lebanon at all, he said.

Boris Prokoshev, a sea captain, poses for a photo after his interview with The Associated Press outside Sochi, Russia [Kirill Lemekh/ AP]

When it set sail from the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi, the ship was bound for the Mozambiquan port of Beira. But the Rhosus made a stop in Beirut to try to earn extra money by taking on several pieces of heavy machinery.

The machinery proved too heavy for the Rhosus, however, and the crew refused to take it on. The ship was soon impounded by the Lebanese authorities for failing to pay port fees, and never left the port again.

They knew very well that there was dangerous cargo there, Prokoshev said. In my opinion, they should have even paid him [the owner of the boat] to take the dangerous cargo, a real headache, out of the port. But they just arrested the ship instead.

00:54 GMT  EU releases $39m in emergency aid

The European Union announced the release of 33 million euros ($39m) in emergency aid to Lebanon to help cover the immediate needs of emergency services and hospitals in Beirut.

A donor conference is also planned to mobilise additional funding for reconstruction after an assessment of what is required, an EU source told the AFP news agency.

Thursday, August 6

23:38 GMT  Tear gas as protesters gather in downtown Beirut

Security forces have fired tear gas to disperse dozens of anti-government protesters calling for the Lebanese governments resignation near the parliament building in Beirut.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said protesters set fires, vandalised stores and threw stones at security forces, prompting the officers to use tear gas.

Several people were wounded in the clashes, the agency said.

Riot police advance to push back anti-government protesters in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 7, 2020 [Hassan Ammar/ AP]

Anti-government protesters throw stones and clash with riot police in downtown Beirut [Hassan Ammar/ AP]

Anti-government protesters call for the resignation of Lebanons government [Hassan Ammar/ AP]

Hello and welcome to Al Jazeeras continuing coverage of the deadly explosion at Beirut port. Im Zaheena Rasheed in Male, Maldives.
File image

The Samajwadi Party on August 7 sought an apology from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remark that he would not attend the inauguration of the mosque to be built in Ayodhya, replacing the demolished Babri Masjid.

In an interview to a television channel on August 6, Adityanath said he couldn't go for the mosque inauguration "as a yogi and as a Hindu".

Reacting to the remark, the opposition SP said the chief minister should seek an apology from the people of the state. When contacted, a UP Congress spokesperson, however, refused to comment on the chief minister's remarks.

"If you ask me as a chief minister, I have no problem with any belief, religion or community. If you ask me as a yogi, I will definitely not go because as a Hindu I have the right to express my 'upasana vidhi' (way of worship) and act accordingly," Adityanath had said.

"I am neither 'vaadi or "prativadi' (petitioner nor respondent). That is why neither will I be invited, nor will I go. I know, I won't be getting any such invitation," he said.

"The day they invite me, secularism of many will be in danger. That's why I want that their secularism should not be in danger and I continue to silently work to ensure that everyone benefits from government scheme without any discrimination," he said.

He claimed that the Congress party never wanted a solution to the dispute. "They wanted the dispute to continue for their political benefit." "Attending roza-iftar with a skull cap is not secularism. People also know that this is drama. People know the reality," the CM said.

SP spokesperson Pawan Pandey criticised Adityanath over his remarks, charging that he has violated the oath he took while assuming charge as the chief minister.

"He is the CM of the entire state, and not only of the Hindu community. Whatever the population of Hindus and Muslims in the state, he is the CM of all. This language of the CM lacks dignity," he said.

"He should seek an apology from the people for this," Pandey said.

UP Congress media cell convenor Lalan Kumar said, "We don't have any comments on his mosque statement."

But he credited the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for opening the locks on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid.

Referring to the ruling BJP, the Congress spokesperson said, "They play politics of fake Hindutva. The Congress has always talked about whatever is in the interest of people. Lord Ram is everyone's, but the BJP wants to show that Ram is theirs alone."

Yogi Adityanath had attended the groundbreaking ceremony on August 5 for a Ram temple in Ayodhya, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the main guest.

Last November, the Supreme Court had settled the Ayodhya land dispute, allowing the construction of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi by a trust.

The apex court had also ordered the allocation of a five-acre plot of land elsewhere in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque, in place of the Babri Masjid which was demolished by 'kar sevaks' in 1992.

A trust has been formed by the Sunni Waqf Board for building the mosque.
Representative image

The central government has framed a plan to reopen schools and educational institutions in a phase-wise manner between September 1 and November 14, the rules for which are likely to be notified along with the final unlock guidelines at the end of this month.

As per the guidelines, for the first 15 days, students of class 10 to 12 would be asked to attend school. If Class 10 has four sections, half the students of sections A and C would be required to come on particular days, and the others on the remaining days, the Economic Times reported.

The number of school hours, the report states, would be restricted to 5-6 hours, out of which 2-3 hours would require physical attendance. The report states that all schools are likely to run in shifts, from 8 to 11 am and 12 to 3 pm, with one hour break in between for sanitisation. According to the guidelines, the schools would be asked to run with 33 percent teaching staff and students.

According to the ET report, the modalities of this plan have been discussed by the group of secretaries attached to the Group of Ministers tasked with COVID-19 management in the country.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

Sources told the newspaper that while the guidelines for this will be released with other unlock guidelines on August 31, the decision on reopening will be left to states.

"The state, where caseloads have been low, have also expressed their keenness to bring back students of senior classes," a senior official told the newspaper.

While a survey conducted by the department of school education in July had indicated that parents are not very keen on sending their children back to schools, state governments have argued that students of the economically weaker section are suffering due to the shutdown.

The government is reportedly at this stage not in favour of calling pre-primary and primary school students to school. After the introduction of physical attendance for Class 10-12, classes 6-9 can be started for restricted hours.

"We have studied the way countries like Switzerland have brought back children to school safely. A similar model would be employed in India," the official quoted above said.

WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan had also pointed out in an interview to the Times of India that it is now critical to assess how and when to open schools. "Disruptions to instructional time in the classroom can have a severe impact on a child's ability to learn. That puts schools as one of the high priorities in the coming days," she said.

Swaminathan warned that there are multiple risks involved in keeping children out of school such as abuse, child marriage, violence at home.
MEDINA, Ohio  A 52-year-old Medina man is charged in the slaying of two people.

Robert Dick is charged with murder in Medina Municipal Court. He is scheduled for an initial appearance on Friday.

Police arrested Dick late Thursday after a seven-hour manhunt. Few details have been released on the slaying.

Medina police said in a Facebook post that officers found two people dead inside a home on Lafayette Road and Baxter Street. Police have not released the identity of the two people killed.

Wayne County Sheriffs deputies found Dicks truck about 10:45 p.m. and warned residents in the neighboring county to lock their homes.

Dick has three prior convictions in Medina County courts. He pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges in March 2015 and in January 2006.

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Three charged with murder in shooting of pregnant Cleveland woman who lost unborn child
A Chinese citizen has been arrested by the police for spreading online rumours claiming that poor quality of army vehicles and internal corruption caused the death of Chinese soldiers during the clash with Indian border troops.

A brief write-up on the Peoples Liberation Armys (PLA) English website said the suspect, identified as Zhou Liying, circulated rumours earlier this month claiming that the company Dongfeng Off-road Vehicle Co supplied poor-quality vehicles, causing the deaths of Chinese soldiers.

The write-up did not specify the date or place of the clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers.

Recently, a netizen surnamed Zhou was arrested by the police in accordance with the law, because he spread the rumours online by saying that the poor quality of military vehicles supplied by the Dongfeng Off-road Vehicle Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as Dongfeng) has caused the death of Chinese soldiers during the China-India border clash, the write-up published in eng.chinamil.com.cn said.

Indian and Chinese soldiers were involved in a brutal brawl at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on June 15 in which India lost 20 soldiers during the hand-to-hand clash. China is yet to reveal the number of casualties it suffered in the fight.

On August 3, after learning via the Internet that online-user Zhou had posted rumours on his WeChat moments by claiming that internal corruption of the Dongfeng Company had led to the poor quality of the its military vehicles, which resulted in the casualties of Chinese soldiers on the China-India border, the Dongfeng Company immediately reported to the local police and established a special working group to investigate and verify the case, the website reported.

At about 18:00 on August 4, Zhou was arrested by local police. He confessed to his crime of rumour-mongering, showed remorse, and wrote a sincere apology letter.

The website also published the confession letter written by Zhou in Chinese along with the story.

In the confession letter, Zhou wrote that he fabricated the story on the evening of August 2 after drinking.

Zhou wrote that he made up that poor quality of vehicles caused the death of Chinese soldiers and 500 vehicles of the Dongfeng company had to be recalled.

The social media update was then forwarded by friends and family, he wrote.

Zhou then deeply apologises netizens and the Dongfeng company in the letter, and said he was willing to accept the treatment from relevant departments.

I hope that the majority of netizens can learn from me, (and) do not make rumours, do not believe rumours, do not spread rumours, he wrote.

The Dongfeng company has been engaged in the R&D and manufacturing of high-mobility off-road vehicles for military operations for a long time, being considered as Chinas top military vehicles manufacturer, the write-up said.

The website eng.chinamil.com.cn is the only official English language military news website of the PLA.

Authorised by the Central Military Commission of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and sponsored by the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) News Media Center, China Military Online is the only official English-language military news website of the Chinese Armed Forces and an important platform for building up the online international communication capacity of the Chinese military, the website says.
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(Natural News) As Americas political middle ground gives way to sharp left-right divisions and even violence, there are winners and losers in the war on ideas. What in the recent past would have been considered up for debate, now shifts firmly into the settled science category by those who are intolerant of differing viewpoints.

(Article by Brian Maloney republished from RealClearEnergy.com)

In 2020, winners consist of those who control social media networks, of which a mere handful now have a stranglehold on the national conversation. Because these firms are primarily located in the ultra-liberal San Francisco Bay Area, their hiring pool has long consisted primarily of left-leaning employees.

With the inevitable temptation to use this incredible power to influence public sentiment and elections, leftists have had the inside advantage, leaving conservatives, moderates and others shut out of the debate almost entirely.

Twitter, for example, is facing a public relations nightmare over recent revelations that 1100 insiders and contractors had access to the disturbingly-named God Mode, which allows almost total control over user accounts and content. As there was no internal oversight over such a powerful access level, this led to a major security breach affecting celebrities and political leaders.

No stranger to accusations of unfair control over user speech is Facebook, a platform originally designed to bring people together. It has recently come under fire for suppressing debate over so-called climate change. The dispute is over the ability of one group to control anothers free expression via the Menlo Park-based companys Orwellian Oversight Board and moderation team.

Reeling from the 2016 elections outcome and aftermath, Facebook began site reforms to regulate user content. That opened a Pandoras box of criticism and scrutiny over censorship and the outright de-platforming of voices. A central target of that debate has become the suppression of voices that challenge left-leaning scientists prevailing opinions.

When it comes to climate change, Facebook has cared little for honest discussion and debate, instead tipping the scales in favor of alarmists. It has already banned site users from seeing and sharing factual content created by credentialed climate scientists.

Even worse, in a recent open letter to former Denmark Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who now co-chairs the companys Oversight Board, leftist zealots want Facebook to go a step further. They claim that the integrity of the Oversight Board is at risk unless they begin this troubled process again for opinion pieces that challenge the progressive climate change orthodoxy.

When you were Prime Minister, you knew for certain that climate change was fact, not opinion, and needs to be treated as such, wrote its signers, which included the Sierra Club, 350.org, and the Center for American Progress. In your current role as an overseer of Facebooks dangerous misinformation practice, our plea is grave: please, Ms. Thorning-Schmidt, take action now.

Meanwhile, many of these same groups have endorsed legislators like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who proclaims that the world is going to end in 12 years, if we dont address climate change. Despite sophomoric and outlandish assertions, they seemingly want to force a new Facebook policy that will prevent the public from ever countering radical viewpoints.

To say that energy science is settled law is not only untrue, its downright dangerous. On June 29th, for example, Biomass supplier Enviva revealed that a sizable portion of their product wasnt carbon neutral as previously believed. This finding runs counter to the European Unions longstanding belief that biomass is the prime option for reducing carbon emissions. Now, regulators must reassess their polices for a source that accounts for over 60 percent of their clean energy needs. But we would have never learned that if public scepticism were banned.

Without the protection of free thought and discussion, scientific work cannot proceed. We need to share ideas, opinions, and perspectives to allow for the uncovering of truth, not suppress it.

Perhaps the Sierra Club doesnt want a debate because other groups within their school of thought could challenge them. Take, for example, the process of making EVs, which some have found can actually be highly destructive to the environment. Sierra Club has preached EVs for years and finds dissenting arguments dangerous. When the debate is shut down, the public fails to hear about the horrendous misuse of child labor at cobalt mines in the Congo and other disturbing details.

As Mark Zuckerberg put it, Powerful people are always going to have a voice. I feel like someone needs to stand up for giving everyone a voice. Facebooks platform is unique in its ability to allow for the sharing of ideas worldwide. By attempting to stifle our ability to speak freely, the signers of this letter are working to shut it down.

Zuckerberg and Facebook have been right to reject calls for suppression to date. As science and society will be better as a result, they should hold firm under pressure from these narrowminded special interest groups.

Read more at: RealClearEnergy.com
If one lakh ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activists) workers had not risked their lives fighting Covid-19 everyday for the past four months, Veena Gupta, the state president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of Asha Karamchari Union, says, this state would have collapsed under the weight of its own dysfunctional health mechanism.

This work, Gupta adds, was done despite physical assaults on the workers during the initial days over rumours that the deadly pandemic was being spread by them. It went on despite Asha workers dying in the line of duty, sometimes, it seemed, after contracting the novel coronavirus. But the workers have now decided to register their protest, not just against their hostile working conditions but against the abysmally low allowance of Rs 1,000 per month, which does not even cover the costs of sanitisers or protective gear. They have announced a three-day strike starting from Friday.

It is because of the door-to-door surveys done by Asha workers that there exists data on the Covid-19 related infections. But despite being out in the field all day, working in containment and red zones, all we get is Rs 1,000 Covid-19 allowance per month. We dont get any protective equipment, we dont get any vehicles, nobody even offers us water or allows us to use their washrooms. How are we expected to work under such conditions, day after day? Gupta says.

Not only is the allowance given to Asha workers incommensurate with their ground work, even the ex-gratia announced for those who lose their lives while working isnt forthcoming.

The union government announced Rs 50 lakh to the family of Asha workers who get infected with the virus and die but the authorities never get us tested. No post-mortem is done of those female workers who die from Covid-19 like symptoms, so obviously no ex-gratia is being disbursed. There are workers who have died on roads, as they were trying to reach a village on foot, hit by speeding cars. But nobody has asked about the well-being of these workers, Gupta adds.

The average day for an Asha worker begins at 8, when she leaves her home on foot or taking whatever mode of transport is available, to reach the village for which she has been assigned work. The workers were till recently compiling data on movement and health conditions of migrant workers. These days they are mostly compiling data on health conditions of those living in red and containment zones in order to do contact-tracing of those who came in touch with Covid-19 positive people. The work continues well past lunch, and requires them, at an average, to cover 5 to 6 km on foot, all during which they face challenges in finding a place to take rest from the intense heat and in answering the call of nature. After returning home, they have to continue working on arranging data in the set format.

It has become a pattern for the government, whose health systems are in a state of collapse, to push the basic work that they cannot do, on to women. Its not just Asha workers, there are Pashu Sakhi, Bank Mitra, profile created for women to do work that government departments cannot do, and to glorify the work and call them volunteers while denying them salaries and social securities that come with full-time jobs, according to Jashodhara Dasgupta, policy advocate and a senior advisor at the non-profit SAHYOG.

Dasgupta said that the Asha workers had been doing the same jobs for 15 years in hope that one day their jobs would be regularised, they would get fair wages, social protection and decent working conditions.

By cleverly off-loading and outsourcing its work to Asha workers, the government has been preventing all these women from entering the formal workforce. A gendered perspective is being imposed, as we have seen in the case of Anganwadi workers, who, even after their 25 year-long struggle to get their basic due, still remain half-paid. Its an exploitative job, which these workers have been doing for the past 15 years without any career growth or incentives, Dasgupta adds.

Lakhs of Asha workers across the country are demanding a basic pay of Rs 21,000 per month, regularisation at jobs, vehicles to reach distant villages and better working conditions. On Sunday Asha workers across the country will observe a Satyagrah for it.
The Indian railways starts Kisan Rail services from today. Kisan Rail will be used to transport perishable goods. Union Minister of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off the train via video conferencing.

This train would run between Maharashtra and Bihar, and would be the first such train carrying vegetables and fruits. Dignitaries from Maharashtra will also attend this event.

India's first 'Kisan Rail'- Here are the key things you need to know

Time Table of Kisan Rail train: The 'Kisan Rail' train will run on a weekly basis. It will start from Deolali in Maharashtra's Nashik at 11 am today and will reach Danapur in Bihar at 6.45 pm on August 8.

How much distance the train will coverand in how much time: In 31 hours, the journey of 1,519 kilometres will be covered from Maharashtra's Deolali to Bihar's Danapur.

Stops of train: The train will take stops at Nasik Road, Manmad, Jalgaon, Bhusaval, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Itarsi, Jabalpur, Satna, Katni, Manikpur, Prayagraj Chheoki, Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Nagar and Buxar.

Government's target to double farmers income: Indian Railways aims to help double farmers income with the launch of Kisan Rail. This train is a step towards realising the goal of doubling farmers incomes by 2022.

Seamless national cold supply chain for perishables: This train will help in bringing perishable agricultural products like vegetables, fruits to the market in a short period of time. The train with frozen containers is expected to build a seamless national cold supply chain for perishables, inclusive of fish, meat and milk.

Kisan Rail initiative was announced in Budget 2020:

The announcement regarding the "Kisan Rail" was made in the current year's Budget. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced this initiative in her Budget speech envisaging setting up of a 'Kisan Rail' through the public-private-partnership (PPP) mode for a cold supply chain to transport perishable goods.

The proposal to use refrigerated parcel vans to ferry perishables was first announced by then railway minister Mamata Banerjee in the 2009-10 Budget, however, it has failed to take off.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal yesterday informed about this train in his tweet.
Williamson, WV (25661)

Today

Cloudy with rain developing later in the day. High 46F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain...changing to snow late. Low 26F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 100%. Snowfall around one inch.
A 19-year-old caregiver has been arrested after horrifying footage showed him slapping a frail 88-year-old man in the face and screaming 'how stupid are you' at his victim.

Jonah Delgado was arrested in Hillsborough County, Florida, on Wednesday for physically abusing the elderly man in his care.

Graphic home surveillance footage shows the on-duty caregiver hitting the unidentified man, who requires full-time care of basic needs, several times in the face and violently dragging him out of his wheelchair while shouting abuse at him.

Deputies from Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said Delgado also hit his victim in the face, head and stomach multiple times.

Jonah Delgado, a 19-year-old Florida caregiver, has been arrested after horrifying footage showed him slapping a frail 88-year-old man in the face and screaming 'how stupid are you' at his victim

Graphic home surveillance footage shows the on-duty caregiver hitting the unidentified man, who requires full-time care of basic needs, several times in the face and violently dragging him out of his wheelchair while shouting abuse at him

The disturbing video released by HCSO begins with Delgado pulling the old man off the bed and sitting him down in a wheelchair before the caregiver casually slaps his victim hard across the face.

He then tells the 88-year-old to 'relax'.

'It's okay, it's okay. Relax,' he says.

Delgado then tries to pull the vulnerable man to his feet and slaps him again in the face.

The abuser appears to get more irate at this point and starts to yell abuse in the old man's face.

'You're a f**ing idiot! Like how stupid are you?' he screams, as he pulls his own headphones out.

The disturbing video begins with Delgado pulling the old man off the bed and sitting him down in a wheelchair before the caregiver casually slaps his victim hard across the face

The abuser becomes more irate shouting 'You're a f**ing idiot! Like how stupid are you?' in the man's face while slapping him and violently dragging him back out of the chair

Delgado (pictured in mug) was arrested and charged with abuse of an elderly or disabled adult and battery

'Get up!' he continues yelling.

Delgado then forcefully yanks the frail man from the wheelchair while slapping him again in the face and dragging him back toward the bed.

Authorities said Delgado then proceeded to abuse the victim, pushing him onto the bed and punching him in the stomach three times.

Delgado was arrested Wednesday night with the help of Pasco Sheriff's Office, just hours after the shocking incident took place.

Sheriff Chad Chronister branded his actions 'deplorable' and said he had broken the trust placed in him as a caregiver.

'The actions of this man are deplorable, unacceptable and disturbing,' he said.

'Delgado was trusted to take care of this man and to protect him. He not only broke this trust but put this man in direct danger with his actions.'

As part of his plea deal, Delgado will have to attend anger management classes and perform 200 hours of community service, FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported. He will also have to write of letter of apology to the victim.
It is unclear why Kuwait  a staunch U.S. ally of about 1.4 million citizens and 3 million expatriates, controlled by the ruling al-Sabah family  would fall so far behind on its bills. Several hospital officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of their effort, said they had become accustomed to payment delays from Kuwait, possibly because of bureaucracy or an antiquated system for paying overseas obligations. The country pays only for its own citizens.
By Associated Press

BEIRUT: Residents of Beirut stunned, sleepless and stoic  emerged Wednesday from the aftermath of a catastrophic explosion searching for missing relatives, bandaging their wounds and retrieving what's left of their homes.

The sound of ambulance sirens and the shovelling of glass and rubble could be heard across the Lebanese capital. Almost nothing was left untouched by the blast, which obliterated the port and sent a tide of destruction through the city centre.

Elegant stone buildings, fashionable shopping districts and long stretches of the famed seaside promenade were reduced to rubble within seconds of Tuesday's blast.

The explosion appeared to have been caused by a blaze at a fireworks warehouse that ignited a stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored at the port since 2013. But many blamed the catastrophe on the country's long-entrenched political class, with some saying it marked the final straw after decades of corruption and neglect.

READ| Around 300,000 people displaced after deadly Beirut blast: Governor

At least 100 people were killed and more than 4,000 wounded. The number of dead was expected to rise as rescuers sifted through the rubble.

Beirut is gone, said Mohammed Saad, an out-of-town driver making his way through the mangled streets.

We dont deserve this, said Riwa Baltagi, a 23-year-old who was helping friends retrieve valuables from their demolished homes.

Some of the worst damage was in the leafy neighbourhoods of Mar Mikhael and Gemayzeh, where the blast damaged some of the few historic buildings that survived the 1975-1990 civil war. Balconies had dropped to street level, where shops and restaurants were buried and chairs and tables turned upside down.

I have nowhere to go, a woman said as she wept in what remained of her home in Gemayzeh. What am I supposed to do? she screamed into her mobile phone.

Furniture and cushions were strewn along the streets amid the endless shards of glass. The damage could be seen across town in the popular shopping district of Hamra, and at the international airport south of the city. The blast could be felt as far off as Cyprus, a Mediterranean island some 200 kilometres (120 miles) away.

Few lamented the damage at the headquarters of the state electricity company, a symbol of the corruption and poor governance that has bedevilled Lebanon since the end of the war. Many blamed the latest catastrophe on the country's long-entrenched political class.

They are so irresponsible that they ended up destroying Beirut, said Sana, a retired schoolteacher who was preparing to leave her heavily damaged apartment in Mar Mikhael. I worked for 40 years to make this home and they destroyed it for me in less than a minute.

The political class must go. This country is becoming totally hopeless, she said. It cannot get worse.

Lebanon was already mired in a severe economic crisis, with soaring unemployment and a plunging exchange rate that had erased many people's life savings. The blast demolished a major wheat silo at the port, raising concerns that the small country, which relies on imports, may soon struggle to feed itself.

There were some glimmers of hope amid the tragedy: Volunteers could be seen ferrying the wounded to hospitals on trucks and motorcycles, while others provided first aid.

A widely circulated video showed a crowd erupting in applause as a civil defence worker was rescued from under the rubble. In another, showing the moment of the blast, a nanny grabs a little girl and pulls her to safety as the windows of the apartment shatter inward.

Throughout the night, radio presenters read the names of missing or wounded people. An Instagram page called Locating Victims Beirut sprung up with photos of missing people. Another account helped to connect the newly displaced with hotels and homeowners who were willing to host them.

Lebanese have been forced to learn self-reliance throughout the country's painful history. Beirut was split in half during the 1975-1990 civil war, and in the years since has been rocked by a war with Israel, targeted killings and terror attacks.

But Tuesday's explosion was the worst the city has ever seen.

Children were among the thousands rushed to hospitals, where many patients had to be treated in hallways and parking lots once the wards filled up.

Elie Khoueiry, a 38-year-old father of two, said he's had enough.

He estimates the blast caused up to $20,000 worth of damage to his pub, where business was already suffering because of the economic crisis and a coronavirus lockdown.

If the ruling class wants us to leave, let them give us tickets and we will go, he said.
AGASSIZ, B.C.RCMP say three men have been arrested as part of an investigation into a stabbing on a public dock at a popular hot spring east of Chilliwack, B.C.

Police say Mounties responded to a report that a man had been stabbed at Harrison Hot Springs on Wednesday.

A 24-year-old man was flown to hospital with serious and potentially life-threatening injuries.

In a release Thursday, police say suspects fled the area but Mounties located a vehicle and soon arrested three men.

Police says the suspects have not been charged but remain in custody.

Sgt. Mike Sargent says the dock and beach area were busy at the time of the stabbing and investigators want to speak with any witnesses.

Police are also looking for video footage that may capture the stabbing.

Read more about:
A bragging 'drill' video shows county line drugs dealers rapping about drugs, money and violence as 16 Yorkshire gangsters who used 14-year-old children as 'slaves' to sell crack and heroin were jailed for a total of 80 years.

Police discovered the drill film on YouTube after launching a major crackdown against the BBD gang, which which was named after the Bradley, Brackenhall and Deighton areas of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

The three-minute video was posted by the gang after they dispatched teenagers 70 miles to peddle heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Blackpool.

Two schoolboys aged 14 and another aged 16 were told to bed down in properties occupied by terrified addicts in Blackpool in a process known as 'cuckooing' before returning home with cash from illicit deals.

The video was this week shown to a judge who jailed 16 members of the Yorkshire-based BBD gang for a total of 80 years

The video was uploaded shortly after one of the gang was arrested and showed Ring camera video of detectives raiding the suspect's property and featuring the initials SJ, the code name for its leader.

During a series of raids, one of the youngsters was found with 850 in cash along with 12 wraps of heroin and 51 wraps of crack cocaine.

When officers detained one senior BBD member he boasted of being a 'big gangster' who would 'smoke' anyone who dared to arrest him and said he and his accomplices had 'terrified the communities'.

The video shows them disguised in balaclavas and bandanas, making gang hand symbols and gun gestures and rapping about drugs, money and violence.

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Smith, of Blackpool Police, said: 'These jail sentences should send out a clear message that we will not tolerate county lines exploitation in Lancashire.

'Those who involve themselves in county lines criminality are not just responsible for the supply of drugs across the UK, they are exploiting vulnerable children and adults.

'In some cases, they are making these children travel hundreds of miles away from home in order to act as runners for the organised crime groups, placing them at significant risk of serious violence.

'Our commitment to disrupting and dismantling these groups and this type of criminality alongside our partners is a priority and we will continue with these efforts to ensure we keep our communities safe.

'The safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults is a priority for us all and we continue to focus our efforts on bringing anyone who exploits such individuals to justice.

'This gang will certainly not be making any more YouTube videos while they are serving their sentences in prison.'

Levontay Harriot (pictured), 18, was locked up for two and a half years

Lewis Anerville, 20, was sentenced to three years, six months in a young offenders institute

The gang's ringleader Ryan Ncube, 21, who was once charged with attempted murder following a series of tit for tat gang shootings, managed the county lines racket and controlled three phone lines.

Preston Crown Court heard he would text a team of four drivers to take it in turns to ferry young couriers to Blackpool where they delivered drugs to users.

The youngsters would be 'cuckooed' and directed to supply narcotics on the street.

Several properties were used in the resort with blanket text messages being sent to addicts from a line known as the 'SJ phone' named after Ncube.

Whenever an addict responded, the youngsters were dispatched the complete deals.

Prosecutor Jeremy Grout-Smith said: 'This case has elements of modern day slavery.

'The operation depended, for a period of time on facilitating the travel of boys, aged 14 and 16, to the resort, where they were under the defendants' control, told where to go, what to do and when, arranged or given transport, or given a base from which to operate.

Police discovered the drill film on YouTube after launching a major crackdown against the gang which was named after the Bradley, Brackenhall and Deighton areas of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

The three-minute video was posted by the gang after they dispatched teenagers 70 miles to peddle heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Blackpool

Ryan Ncube (left), Tyrece Cadwell (centre) and Sanchez Nije (right) on a trip to Blackpool

'These were young, impressionable youths of tender age who did as directed in order to get in with the gang.'

He added: 'Ncube was the driving force of the enterprise. He was based in Huddersfield as were the others and was part of an organised crime group calling itself BBD gang, christened after the Bradley, Brackenhall and Deighton areas of Huddersfield.

'It is a feature of this conspiracy that Ncube used younger males to cuckoo in houses in Blackpool and on at least three occasions they have been 14 and 16 years old.'

Detectives began its operation against the gang in 2018 and discovered drugs money would flow back to Huddersfield via Ncube's team of couriers or drivers.

On some occasions Ncube himself travelled to Blackpool and was seen to complete exchanges with drug users when his usual dealers were unavailable.

The 16-year-old managed street dealers in Blackpool but also dealt drugs himself while staying in Blackpool.

His phone was in frequent contact with Ncube, the SJ phone, and other gang members.

Officers began raiding the homes of suspects in Huddersfield in May the following year.

Ncube, 21, who lived with his mother in social housing, admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine and arrange or facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation and was jailed for seven and a half years.

Ryan Ncube (left), 21, was jailed for seven and a half years and Tyrece Cadwell (right), 21, was sentenced to four and a half years

Levontay Harriot (left), 18, was locked up for two and a half years and Sanchez Njie (right), 20, was jailed for five and a half years

Jordan Gill-Smith (left), 22, was jailed for four and a half years and Kaydee Cogan (right), 23 got four years, six months

His enforcer Tyrece Cadwell, 21, was sentenced to four and a half years while Levontay Harriot, 18, was locked up for two and a half years.

Sanchez Njie, 20, was jailed for five and a half years while Jordan Gill-Smith, 22, was jailed for four and a half years.

Craig Davidson, 38, was given six years and three months and Kaydee Cogan, 23 got four years, six months.

Jordan Cogan, 24, was jailed for three years, six months

Dakari Brown, 19 was locked up for five years, six months and Lewis Anerville, 20 was sentenced to three years, six months in a young offenders institute.

Jordan Cogan, 24, was jailed for three years, six months whilst Connor Langford, 21, was jailed for five years.

The ten hoodlums all from Huddersfield were convicted of conspiracy. Sentencing Judge Philip Parry said: 'County lines dealing has been described as a pernicious trade and as a horribly miserable trade fuelling misery on the streets of the towns where dealers target.

'You failed to grasp the utter and abject misery suffered by those gripped by addiction as well far reaching consequences of it on residents and businesses in Blackpool who must have been disgusted by these blatant activities.'

Sharna Boaler, 24, was jailed for four years, Lee Lilliman, 24, was given three years and six months, David Sharples, 32, got five and a half years, Stephen Hodson, 46, got six and a half years and Adam Saunders, 46, got two years and three months.

The five men all from Blackpool were convicted of conspiracy. Two women aged 35 and 34 and a man aged 32 were given non custodial sentences.
WASHINGTON - House Democrats can sue to force President Donald Trump's former White House counsel Donald McGahn to comply with a congressional subpoena, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

In a 7-2 decision, the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirmed Congress's oversight powers and said the House has a long-standing right to compel government officials to testify and produce documents. The ruling came in one of a set of historic clashes between the White House and Democratic lawmakers.

The "effective functioning of the Legislative Branch critically depends on the legislative prerogative to obtain information, and constitutional structure and historical practice support judicial enforcement of congressional subpoenas when necessary," Judge Judith W. Rogers wrote for the majority.

The decision is a legal victory for House Democrats, but the ruling does not mean that McGahn will immediately appear on Capitol Hill. The court sent the case back to the initial three-judge panel, which had ruled against the House, to consider McGahn's other challenges to the subpoena. The timeline makes it unlikely that the case will be resolved before Congress adjourns in January and the subpoena expires.

The opinion also cleared the way for a second House lawsuit, finding that lawmakers are not barred from going to court to challenge the Trump administration to block the diversion of billions of dollars to build the president's signature southern border wall.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the court rejected the president's "outrageous claim that Congress cannot enforce its subpoenas."

"The House will continue to pursue justice until Don McGahn and all administration officials comply with our rightfully-issued subpoenas," Pelosi said in a statement. "We remain committed to our oversight responsibilities and to our nation's fundamental principle that no one is above the law - not even the President."

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., whose panel issued the subpoena, said the ruling was consistent with a pair of Supreme Court decisions in July rejecting the president's claims of sweeping immunity from investigations by a state prosecutor and Congress.

In response to the rulings, Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said, "While we strongly disagree with the standing ruling in McGahn, the en banc court properly recognized that we have additional threshold grounds for dismissal of both cases, and we intend to vigorously press those arguments before the panels hearing those cases."

Judges Thomas B. Griffith and Karen LeCraft Henderson dissented in both cases, emphasizing that courts should not intervene in political disputes.

"Who benefits from today's decision? Not Congress. The majority's ruling will supplant negotiation with litigation, making it harder for Congress to secure the information it needs," Griffith wrote.

Because the majority failed to decide the merits of the case, the chances that McGahn testifies "anytime soon are vanishingly slim," he noted.

"The federal courts won't benefit, either," Griffith added. "The majority's decision will compel us to referee an interminable series of interbranch disputes, politicizing the Judiciary by repeatedly forcing us to take sides between the branches."

The majority rejected that reasoning, saying ruling against the House would dramatically weaken Congress's leverage in future battles for information from the executive branch.

"Without the possibility of enforcement of a subpoena issued by a House of Congress, the executive branch faces little incentive to reach a negotiated agreement in an informational dispute," Rogers wrote. "Indeed, the threat of a subpoena enforcement lawsuit may be an essential tool in keeping the executive branch at the negotiating table."

Judges Gregory Katsas and Neomi Rao did not participate in either case. Both were nominated by Trump and previously held high-level positions in his administration.

House Democrats initially subpoenaed McGahn before the start of the chamber's formal impeachment investigation of the president that ended with Trump's acquittal in the Senate in February. But House lawyers told the court that McGahn's testimony is still relevant to ongoing oversight and will help the Judiciary Committee determine whether Trump "committed impeachable offenses" in Robert S. Mueller III's special counsel investigation.

Trump directed McGahn to disregard the subpoena, saying key presidential advisers cannot be forced to answer questions or turn over documents and are "absolutely immune from compelled congressional testimony."

The Justice Department urged the court not to choose sides in a political battle and said lawmakers have other tools to compel the White House to cooperate.

The case reached the full appeals court after a divided three-judge panel in February said courts have no power to resolve a "bitter political showdown" over the House Judiciary Committee's subpoena for testimony from McGahn.

The full court was reviewing a decision from U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who rejected the White House's claim that top advisers like McGahn are "absolutely immune" and the assertion that the president can overrule current or former aides' "own will to testify."

If McGahn wanted to refuse to testify - by invoking executive privilege, for instance - the judge said he had to do so in person, and question by question.

In reversing the panel decision Friday, the majority cited a long tradition of presidential cooperation with Congress in turning over documents and providing testimony.

The administration's disregard for constitutional obligations "likely explains the infrequency of subpoena enforcement lawsuits such as the present one," wrote Rogers, who was nominated to the bench by President Clinton.

In the second matter considered by the full D.C. Circuit in April, the court cited its decision in McGahn's case and said "there is no general bar" against House lawsuits in "purely interbranch disputes."

House Democrats went to court claiming Trump violated the Constitution by disregarding congressional spending limits and diverting more than $6 billion allocated for other purposes to fund the wall at the border with Mexico. The administration invoked statutes it said allowed the president to repurpose appropriations - a move House Democrats say upended Congress's essential check on the president and its power of the purse.

The appeals court was reviewing U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden's dismissal of the House lawsuit last June. McFadden agreed with the Justice Department that the House lacked legal grounds to sue to enforce Congress's appropriations power.

The same two judges, Henderson and Griffith, dissented in the border wall decision.

"After two sets of briefing, two merits arguments and months of consideration, there is no reason that the parties [in the border wall case] should continue to languish without a definitive answer from this court," wrote Henderson, a nominee of President George H.W. Bush.

Remanding the border case will likely delay final judgment for at least another year, inviting further lawsuits by Congress "to the detriment of both Congress and the Judiciary," wrote Griffith, a nominee of President George W. Bush.

The development in the D.C. Circuit follows the Supreme Court's order in a separate case last week rejecting an effort by environmentalists to stop ongoing construction of parts of the president's border wall.

- - -

The Washington Post's John Wagner contributed to this report.
Finnish English

Savosolar Plc

Company Announcement, Insider information 8 August 2020 at 2.30 p.m. (CEST)

Savosolar has signed agreement with newHeat on delivery of solar heating plant in France

Solar thermal plant for district heating in the city of Narbonne with value of EUR 850 thousand

Savosolar Plc (Savosolar) has signed an agreement with newHeat SAS on the turn-key delivery of a solar thermal field in Narbonne, France. After having developed and designed the project, newHeat will own and operate the system and sell the heat to the district heating company of Narbonne. Works for delivery will begin in August, and the hand-over will take place in early 2021. Size of the solar heating plant in Narbonne is ca. 3,000 m2 and the value of this contract is about EUR 850 thousand. The delivery to Narbonne is the first of the won tenders published by Savosolar on 11th June 2020. Negotiations on the agreement for delivery of the other project published in June continue, and the parties aim to finalize also that agreement as soon as possible.

Jari Varjotie, CEO of Savosolar: We are very happy to continue our excellent collaboration with newHeat with the delivery of Narbonne system. newHeat is a very active and competent large scale solar thermal project developer in the fast-growing market, and Savosolar delivered in 2018 for them the Condat system for paper mill process heat production. These projects illustrate our strong position as a leading supplier of large solar heating systems in France and elsewhere.

SAVOSOLAR PLC

For more information:

Savosolar Plc

Managing Director Jari Varjotie

Phone: +358 400 419 734

E-mail: jari.varjotie@savosolar.com





Savosolar Plc discloses the information provided herein pursuant to the Market Abuse Regulation ((EU) No 596/2014, MAR). The information was submitted for publication by the aforementioned person on 8 August, 2020 at 2.30 p.m. (CEST).



About Savosolar

Savosolar with its highly efficient collectors and large-scale solar thermal systems has taken solar thermal technology to the next level. The companys collectors are equipped with the patented nano-coated direct flow absorbers, and with this leading technology, Savosolar helps its customers to produce competitive clean energy. Savosolars vision is to be the first-choice supplier to high performance solar installations on a global scale. Focus is on large-scale applications like district heating, industrial process heating and real estate systems  market segments with a big potential for rapid growth. The company primarily delivers complete systems from design to installation, using the best local partners. Savosolar is known as the most innovative company in the business and aims to stay as such. The company has sold and delivered its products to almost 20 countries on four continents. Savosolars shares are listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Sweden with the ticker SAVOS and on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Finland with the ticker SAVOH. www.savosolar.com .
JACKSON, MI  From a horse-drawn glass carriage taking a 16-year-old girl to her grave, to a judge defying an appellate court order during a murder resentencing, a lot has been going on in the area.

Here are some headlines you may have missed this week.

Horse-drawn glass carriage leads funeral procession for 16-year-old Jackson shooting victim

She was killed just weeks before 17th birthday, so Davaisha Jenkins family wanted to make sure her funeral was special.

Family and friends followed a horse-drawn glass carriage to walk the mile from the funeral home to the cemetery during the procession Tuesday afternoon.

She was very fun and loving, Dawn Goodall-ONeal, Davaishas aunt, said of the girl who loved to sing and dance. She always had a smile on her face. She could light up a room.

Judge defies appellate court in murder resentencing: I hope they appeal it to the U.S. Supreme Court

Dawn Dixon-Beys sentence of 35 to 70 years for second-degree murder was unreasonably long, the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled.

Jackson County Circuit Judge John McBain was ordered by the appeals court to resentence Dixon-Bey, now 48, to be more consistent with the guidelines of 12 to 20 years.

But McBain didnt exactly follow the order.

Bone Island Grille reopens after 15-day quarantine with no additional coronavirus cases, manager says

Bone Island Grille has reopened for the second time since the novel coronavirus pandemic began.

The restaurant at 4614 Francis St. in Summit Township closed for in-person dining in March during the states stay-at-home order and reopened in early June at half capacity. It then closed again on July 19 after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.

But after a 15-day quarantine, Bone Island Grille reopened once again on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

Man killed in head-on crash with tanker truck on U.S. 127 near Jackson

A man was killed late Sunday afternoon when he crossed the center line on U.S. 127 in Liberty Township and collided head on with a tanker truck, police said

The driver, 22, of Albion, was heading south on U.S. 127 when he veered into the northbound lanes and was struck head on by a tanker truck headed north.

Retired police detective, attorney moves on to face Democratic challenger for Jackson County sheriff seat

Gary Schuette is moving on to the November election for Jackson County sheriff.

Schuette received 9,789 votes in the Aug. 4 primary election, which topped his Republican challengers, David Elwell, who received 6,873 votes, and Kenneth Carpenter, who received 2,864 votes.

Schuette now faces Democratic challenger Val Cochran Toops in the Nov. 3 general election.

Beach Bar reopens for take-out only after employee contracts coronavirus

A bar and restaurant near the shore of Clark Lake is reopening for carry out only after a temporary closure due to an employee testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

Take-out orders are available at the Beach Bar & Restaurant, 3505 Ocean Beach Road, from noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, starting Wednesday, Aug. 5, the owners said. In-person dining will remain closed until further notice, they said.

Bright Spots event will replace postponed Bright Walls festival in Jackson

Jacksons streets will see artists, cranes and color this year after all, with a bright spots event in September replacing the postponed Bright Walls festival.

In June, Bright Walls organizers postponed the grand finale of the popular Jackson event to 2021 due to health and safety concerns related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

4-vehicle crash in Jackson results in 1 seriously injured, 1 arrested, police say

A woman was injured and a man arrested after four vehicles crashed at a busy Jackson intersection Monday afternoon.

A white pickup hit a Chevrolet Trailblazer just before 4 p.m., Aug. 3, when the pickup driver ran a red light on Michigan Avenue at the intersection of West Avenue, Jackson Director of Police and Fire Services Elmer Hitt said.

The 20-year-old pickup driver was heading east on Michigan Avenue when he broadsided the trailblazer driving north on West Avenue. The trailblazer was pushed it into additional traffic, Hitt said.

Man accused of fatal shooting who fled to Iowa arraigned in Jackson

A man accused in a fatal shooting outside a Jackson bar who was later captured by federal agents after fleeing has been arraigned.

Franky Ackley Jr., charged with open murder and felony firearms, was arraigned before Jackson District Judge R. Darryl Mazur on Wednesday, Aug. 5.

Ackley, 23, is accused of fatally shooting James Cooper-Robertson, 25, on March 5, outside Duffys Food & Spirits, 751 N. Waterloo St.

Home featuring a boat as a bar listed for $2.575 million in Jackson County

Its not often you see a boat as a bar.

But a Chris-Craft boat is the centerpiece of the lower level of a Nantucket-style home on the shores of Clark Lake in southern Jackson County.

The 7,129-square-foot home, located at 7827 N. Shore Drive and listed for $2.575 million, is MLives House of the Week.
T his moving footage shows a man tending to a wounded bird amid the destruction of Beirut.

The video was shared by New York Times journalist Vivian Yee, as she returned to her home in the Lebanese capital for the first time since Tuesdays deadly blast.

Posting the clip on Twitter, she wrote: Just went back to my shattered Beirut neighbourhood for the first time since the explosion.

One of the first people I saw was this Syrian man, Abdel Salam, who was ever-so-gently pouring water into a bottle cap for this one-eyed injured pigeon to drink.

Pigeon training is a popular sport across the Middle East, deeply rooted in Syrian tradition.

There are thousands of trainers in Lebanon, grooming and taking meticulous care of their prized birds, who they instruct to fly long distances before returning home.

The clip has been viewed more than 150,000 times in less than a day, with users describing it as both inspiring and heartbreaking.

One tweeted: Genuine compassion is species blind. What a wonderful human under unfashionably difficult circumstances.

While another commented: The images and stories from Beirut are heartbreaking - unfathomable.

"The people of your city are in our thoughts.

More than 150 people were killed and 5,000 injured in the warehouse explosion, which wreaked devastation across the capital.

Up to 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes and need food or shelter, which "also risks accelerating the spread of Covid-19 and the outbreak of other diseases,"the WHO has warned.
New Delhi/Kozhikode, Aug 8 : In one of the worst air disasters witnessed in Kerala, an Air India Express flight returning from Dubai under the 'Vande Bharat' mission skidded off the runaway at the 'table top' airport in Kozhikode, leaving at least 14 persons dead, including the pilot Captain D.V. Sathe.

Expressing deep anguish over the incident, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said a formal enquiry will be conducted into the incident by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

The AAIB was formed in 2012 as an independent accident probe committee under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Describing the incident in a tweet, the minister said the aircraft overshot the runway in rainy conditions and plunged 35 feet into a slope before breaking into two pieces.

Puri added that relief teams from the Air India and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) have been rushed to the accident spot from Delhi and Mumbai.

On Friday evening, the ill-fated AI Express aircraft skidded off the runway after landing on its second attempt amid heavy rains and plunging 35 feet into the valley below.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Air India Express aircraft landed on Runway 10 amid visibility of 2,000 metres in heavy rain, but overshot and nosedived into the valley and broke into two pieces.

Meanwhile, confusion prevailed on the actual number of people on board.

As per authorities in Kerala, there were 184 people -- 128 men, 46 women and 10 children -- on board, as five persons having tickets did not board the aircraft.

An eyewitness said that he rushed to the spot on hearing the sound of the cr ash.

"I live around 20 metres away from the compound wall of the airport. After hearing a loud sound, a few of us came rushing. We saw the cockpit of the aircraft jutting out of the compound wall," a local resident said.

"We started to bang the airport gate, but the CISF personnel didn't open the gate. We saw a fire engine and an ambulance arriving after which the CISF personnel asked for help and we rushed inside. We rescued the children first besides assisting several others," he added.

Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said that the condition of a mother and child was reported to be serious.

Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, who hails from Kerala, said the Karipur airport is a table top airport, and that was one reason why the plane plunged into the valley.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan about the incident. Table top airports have a disadvantage during rainy seasons. Generally, during heavy rains, aircraft are not allowed to land at table top airports. All these things will come out in the DGCA probe," said Muraleedharan.

According to information received from the spot, the passengers sitting in the front rows of the plane have been seriously injured.

The condition of 13 passengers who were brought to a private hospital is stated to be critical.

Vijayan has directed Local Self Government Minister A.C. Moideen and Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel to rush to the spot to oversee the relief operations.

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash
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Linkedin Isabelle Le Page (Agence France-Presse) Berlin, Germany  Fri, August 7, 2020 18:15 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c63104 2 World German,Germany,newspaper,media-industry,print-publication,journalism,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free

The coronavirus pandemic may have sent advertising revenues plunging worldwide, but Germany's beloved newspapers expect to emerge winners from the crisis thanks to accelerating digital development and renewed trust in the media.

"The newspaper industry has so far come through the crisis relatively well," said Monique Hofmann, a media specialist with the Verdi trade union in Germany, where more newspapers are sold than in any other European country.

"We believe that readers' demand for information will remain high," she said, predicting that if it takes advantage of new developments, the industry can "not only survive the crisis, but emerge from it stronger".

According to the Association of German Newspaper Publishers (BDZV), there are some reasons to be cheerful about how the sector was affected at the height of the crisis in March, April and May.

A recent BDZV report showed that only one in 10 members suffered a dramatic drop in circulation numbers. A quarter said sales were stable and around half managed to limit the decline to between one and five percent.

Digital 'through the roof'

Despite a steady decline in sales in recent years, Germany still sells some 14 million copies of 327 different daily newspapers every day, according to BDZV figures from 2019.

This puts daily newspaper sales well ahead of Britain, for example, which has just over nine million, or France which has six million.

On top of that, the country has 17 weeklies and six Sunday editions.

The crisis has certainly left its mark: advertising revenues have collapsed, sometimes by as much as 80 percent, and about a third of employees have been laid off, according the BDZV's Anja Pasquay.

But "German newspapers were printed and delivered on time every day", she points out.

And digital subscriptions, which have long lagged behind print sales, have gone "through the roof".

"Publishing houses unanimously told us that projects -- especially digital ones -- that had been under consideration for months or even years were suddenly successfully implemented within a few weeks," Pasquay said.

Friedrich Kalber, a spokesman for the Axel Springer group, reported record digital subscriptions in March and April for the conservative Die Welt daily and the Bild tabloid, Germany's best-selling newspaper, though he was unable to give figures.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung sold 150,000 new digital subscriptions in March alone, a level that the center-left Munich newspaper had previously only hoped to achieve by the end of 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a hunger for credible information and a renaissance for traditional media, according to Frank Thomsen, editor of the Stern news magazine.

In a survey conducted at the end of May by the ZMG media institute, more than 90 percent of 4,000 respondents rated the news from daily newspapers as "particularly reliable" and best able to guide them through the mass of information on the pandemic.

Hybrid offers

But although the crisis has provided a fillip for digital technology, experts stress that a complete move away from physical sales is not going to be possible in the immediate future.

"There are still too many readers who want to hold a newspaper in their hands," said Frank Ueberall, president of the German Federation of Journalists (DJV) -- mainly older people, who make up the majority of newspaper readers in Germany.

According to the DJV, only 22 percent of over-50s can imagine getting used to reading their daily news online.

This is the nub of the problem for publishing houses: ideally, they would like to do away with physical sales because of high distribution costs, but they depend on them for revenue -- and meanwhile they can only attract new, younger customers with digital products.

"Delivery of printed newspapers early in the morning will become increasingly expensive and in the medium term, in the worst case, will lead to certain regions in Germany no longer being able to supply local newspapers," predicts Pasquay, estimating that 40 percent of municipalities will be affected within five years.

To retain subscribers, the solution will probably involve hybrid offers, she says, with digital editions during the week and a paper edition at the weekend.
In a show of solidarity for the LGBTQIA community, Polish opposition members of parliament on Thursday formed a rainbow with their outfits at President Andrzej Dudas swearing-in ceremony after he was accused of running a campaign laced with homophobic rhetoric.

Duda, an ally of the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, argued ahead of the July vote that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are not people, its an ideology. His words were condemned by the opposition and members of the international community.

The MPs, from Polands Left grouping, wore rainbow masks and outfits in shades of the rainbow, sitting in rows, as Duda was sworn in on Thursday in the lower house of parliament, the Sejm. They also posed in and outside parliament with rainbow and white and red Polish flags.

We wanted to remind President Andrzej Duda that ... in the constitution there is a guarantee of equality for all, Left MP Anna Maria Zukowska said.

We dont want a similar situation during his next term as there was during his campaign when the president dehumanized LGBT people by denying them the right to be people.

Images of the polish MP's have been going viral on Twitter. LGBTQI rights activist, writer and producer Tom Knight took to Twitter to share "major love" for the Polish MPs who "co-ordinated their outfits to create a rainbow flag at the swearing in for their homophobic president Andrzej Duda," Knight said.

Major love and respect to the Polish MPs who co-ordinated their outfits to create a rainbow flag at the swearing in for their homophobic president Andrzej Duda  pic.twitter.com/eTjoUB248c Tom Knight (@TJ_Knight) August 6, 2020

PiS has argued that LGBT rights are part of an invasive foreign ideology that undermines Polish values and the traditional family.

In his swearing-in speech, Duda reiterated his pledge to keep family as the foundation stone of society ... as our most precious good.

A spokeswoman for PiS could not immediately be reached for comment.

Some Polish towns have been told they will lose European Union funding after declaring themselves free of LGBT ideology.

(With inputs from Reuters)
Mumbai, Aug 7 : Model-turned-actress Rhea Chakraborty, who has been accused of abetting late actor Sushant Singh Rajput to suicide, is unlikely to appear before the Enforcement Directorate officials, her lawyers indicated here on Friday.

"Rhea Chakraborty has requested for a postponement of recording her statement till the Supreme Court hearing," said her lawyers here. The Supreme Court is expected to hear next week Rhea's plea seeking transfer of the Bihar Police probe to Mumbai Police.

Her name figures in FIRs lodged by both the Patna Police and the CBI. The investigation into the June 14 death of the 34-year-old actor has been handed over to the CBI and also the ECIR of the Enforcement Directorate, after much wrangling between the Mumbai Police and Sushant's home state police.

Sushant's father lodged the first FIR in the case against Rhea and six others on July 25 at the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna.

Among other things Sushant's family has accused Rhea also of swindling large sums of money from his bank accounts.

The ED reaction to her request is not yet available.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Amid all this, in June, the administration proposed 161 pages of sweeping regulations that would gut asylum and refugee law. Certain provisions, for example, drastically narrow the definitions of persecution and torture; others raise certain burdens of proof to nearly unreachable standards and redefine what constitutes the protected grounds of political opinion and membership in a particular social group. Still others could disqualify applicants if they made a mistake on their tax filings, or took two or more layover flights on their way here. In July, the administration proposed yet another new policy, allowing the United States to deny asylum to applicants if they come from any country with an outbreak of a highly contagious disease. (Public health experts have said this would serve no legitimate public health purpose.) Its difficult to see how anyone could qualify for protection under this tangle of new rules, once theyre implemented.
WASHINGTON The United States on Thursday began delivering aid to Lebanon in the aftermath of a massive deadly explosion, amid longstanding concerns about how officials can ensure that supplies get to those in need, and not to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

The first C-17 transport aircraft with 11 pallets of food, water and medical supplies from the U.S. militarys Central Command arrived from Qatar and two more were expected in the next 24 hours.

U.S. officials said the administration also plans to provide at least $15 million in disaster assistance. The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter ahead of a formal announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity. But the provision of assistance is complicated by the outsized role that Hezbollah plays in both the Lebanese government and in the fabric of Lebanons society.

A stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate set off a massive blast that rocked the capital city. The chemical had been left sitting in a warehouse ever since it was confiscated from an impounded cargo ship in 2013.

The explosion, powerful enough to be felt in Cyprus across the Eastern Mediterranean, killed more than 130 people, wounded thousands and blasted buildings for miles around. Two days later, some 300,000 people more than 12% of Beiruts population cant return to their homes, officials estimate. Damaged hospitals are still struggling to deal with the wounded and officials have estimated losses at $10 billion to $15 billion.

Hezbollah is recognized as a legitimate political party in Lebanon but deemed a terrorist organization by the State Department because of its anti-Israel stance and attacks on the Jewish state. As such, it is subject to significant American sanctions and since it has been part of the Lebanese government, successive U.S. administrations have wrestled with how to continue to provide aid to the country that does not benefit the group.

Although pro-Israel lawmakers and anti-Iran hawks have long demanded that the U.S. halt all assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Trump administration and its predecessors have resisted such a cut-off, arguing that the army is the only legitimate entity in Lebanon capable of countering Hezbollahs influence and ensuring security.

Currently, non-military U.S. aid to Lebanon is funneled in such a way as to avoid or reduce the chances of it making its way to any part of Hezbollah, a task which has become more difficult and is particularly sensitive in the current circumstance of providing disaster assistance since the group took control of the Health Ministry earlier this year.

Were well aware of some of the concerns with whom the aid would go to and ensuring that the aid gets to the people of Lebanon that need it most, said Jonathan Hoffman, chief spokesman for the Pentagon, during a press conference Thursday. He said the department is working with the State Department and taking its guidance on where to deliver the aid.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East and head of Central Command, said in a statement that, We are closely coordinating with the Lebanon Armed Forces, and expect that we will continue to provide additional assistance throughout Lebanons recovery effort.

Navy Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the Lebanese Armed Forces will receive the aid and distribute it to the people, and that the effort is being coordinated with the U.S. embassy in Beirut and USAID.

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
Under Operation Navigation, An Garda Siochana continue to enforce Public Health Regulations and find widespread compliance by licenced premises.

From Monday July 27 to Monday August 3, taking account of Bank Holiday Monday, An Garda Siochana found potential breaches of the health regulations and/or licencing laws on 24 occasions. The majority of these cases continue to refer to no evidence of food being served or consumed and no evidence of receipts to show that food had been sold.

Since the commencement of Operation Navigation on July 3, 2020, Gardai conducting visits to licenced premises have found the vast majority to be acting in compliance with licensing laws and public health regulations, with only a total of 105 found to be in breach.

The cumulative total for last week up to the 26th July increased to 81 which is a weekly total of 24 new instances of premises found to be in breach up to the 3rd August. Files will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions in each of these cases.

Deputy Commissioner, Policing and Security, John Twomey said, "We are continuing to see high levels of compliance by licenced premises to the Public Health Regulations and this was especially evident across the bank holiday weekend. However, there are still a minority of licenced premises that are failing to adhere to the regulations.

"An Garda Siochana is asking that licensed premises and their customers continue to play their part in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and protect the community.

The Health Act 1947 (Section 31A-Temporary Restrictions) (COVID-19) (No.3) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 are currently in effect until the 10th August 2020, which set out certain penal provisions. Social distancing and other similar public health guidelines are not penal provisions.

In addition, under liquor licensing laws, a licensed premises requires a declaration of suitability from a member of An Garda Siochana in order for its liquor license to be renewed.
PARIS  Clarins is getting into the subscription box business.

Starting Oct. 1, the beauty brand is launching its new service Clarins Unlimited in France. It involves various types of boxes, which are to be delivered once every two months.

This is something coming from the DNA of the brand: It should always be women first, what they need  [including] to try different products, rituals. They need to discover, explained Katlin Berenyi, global general manager of Clarins. We have always been there for service.

The Box Curieuse (or Curious Box), priced at 19.90 euros, will contain four travel-size products (of up to 50 ml.), including face and body care, but not antiaging items or makeup.

The Box Initiee (or Initiated Box), for 39.90 euros, will hold four deluxe-size products (up to 100 ml.), such as face and body care  aside from antiaging items  and makeup miniatures.

The Box Experte (or Expert Box), with a 69.90 euro price tag, is to offer three to four full- or deluxe-size products, such as one full-size face- or body-care product or two full-size makeup products and two deluxe-size products, which can be face and skin care  antiaging items included  plus makeup.

For those not wishing to choose their own items, there is a surprise box option, for which the products are pre-chosen for the client.

Also in each box come instructions on a DIY activity, an advice card, a written pointer about self-care and a surprise.

Signing on works like this: Through the site clarins-unlimited.fr, people can chose every two months which subscription they want and compose their own box of products or opt for the pre-prepared box. Then they can choose where to have it sent (free of additional charge).

Users may easily, in two clicks, unsubscribe or change their subscription at any moment.

The service was conceived to have numerous sustainable elements, such as less product wastage, since people will be ordering what they need on a two-month basis. The boxes themselves are of FSC-certified cardboard.

Story continues

Pre-COVID-19, Clarins had started up the Pick & Love concept, allowing people to be able to create their own product assortment in-store.

Its a tremendous success, said Berenyi. So we were thinking we have this incredible large assortment of discovery sizes, and this very service-oriented mindset. Its not just [about] pushing novelties, but its really trying to [offer] the best advice for any given moment in your life.

Then, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in France, Clarins quickly began a free virtual consultation service with beauty advisors either by phone or video, called Clarins & Me.

Online sales boomed. According to industry sources, the brands e-commerce revenues grew by about 70 percent and Clarins gained market share in its home market of France.

Berenyi said its important the subscription service, now in beta test, be very easy to use. Clarins Unlimited could widen the brands reach of consumers in France, and also be rolled out to different countries in coming years. Next up is probably another European country.

The subscription box idea was not conceived due to COVID-19, when people worldwide were confined to their homes.

We wanted to launch it earlier, and then of course we had  like everybody else  delays in manufacturing, warehousing and finalizing technical payment capabilities, said Berenyi. So actually, we lost a little bit of time, but the plan was to launch a little bit earlier this year.

Its really a whole new world of servicing that we build up around this subscription [model], she said.

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Officials say 18 people killed and many injured after Air India Express flight skids off runway in city of Kozhikode.

At least 18 people were killed and more than 150 others injured when a passenger jet skidded off a hilltop runway after landing in heavy rain in the southern city of Kozhikode in India.

Hardeep Singh Puri, the Indian civil aviation minister, told ANI news agency on Saturday 18 people including two pilots were killed in Fridays unfortunate crash.

Some 149 patients remain in hospital after some were discharged, K Gopalakrishnan, chief of the Malappuram district in the southern state of Kerala, said.

Local TV news channels showed passengers, some of them lying motionless on stretchers, brought into a hospital surrounded by health workers wearing masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

TV visuals showed the aircrafts nose smashed into a brick wall, with much of the middle of the plane pulverised.

Puri told a news conference on Saturday it would be premature to speculate on the precise cause of the accident. He said two separate teams had already reached Kozhikode from New Delhi to carry out an investigation into the crash.

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered from the site, a top official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation told the Reuters news agency.

Completely gone

Passenger Renjith Panangad, 34, recalled the plane touching the ground and then everything went blank.

After the crash, the emergency door opened and I dragged myself out somehow, he told the AFP news agency from a hospital bed in Kozhikode. The front part of the plane was gone  it was completely gone. I dont know how I made it but Im grateful. I am still shaken.

The Air India Express flight from Dubai to Kozhikode, also called Calicut, was repatriating Indians stranded overseas amid the coronavirus pandemic. The plane was carrying 190 passengers and crew, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement. Among them were 10 infants.

18 people, including two pilots, have lost their lives, it is unfortunate. 127 people are at hospitals, others have been released: Hardeep Singh Puri, Civil Aviation Minister on #AirIndiaExpress flight that crash-landed at Kozhikode International Airport in Karipur yesterday pic.twitter.com/af6xGMdKEr  ANI (@ANI) August 8, 2020

Abdul Karim, a senior Kerala state police officer, said at least 15 of the injured were in critical condition.

Fuel had leaked out so it was a miracle that the plane did not catch fire, the toll could have been much higher, one senior emergency official at the scene said.

Pic from Karipur airport. It was Air India Express plane pic.twitter.com/PhNNtg2roM  Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) August 7, 2020

One passenger who gave his name as Ashraf said it was about 7pm local time (13:30 GMT) when the aircraft came down.

The pilot tried a lot to land us [safely] in the rainy weather  we crash-landed. It was difficult to land, he tried a lot, he said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted he was pained by the plane accident.

Kozhikodes 2,850-metre (9,350-foot) runway is on a flat hilltop with deep gorges on either side ending in a 34-metre (112-foot) drop.

The planes fuselage split into two as it fell into a valley 10 metres (30 feet) below, authorities said.

Fridays crash is the worst passenger aircraft accident in the country since 2010 [AFP]

The incident happened because of heavy rains and poor visibility. This is truly devastating, Amitabh Kant, who heads the governments planning commission, told NDTV news channel.

A similar tragedy was narrowly avoided at the same airport a year ago, when an Air India Express flight suffered a tail strike upon landing. None of the 180 passengers of that flight was injured.

The airports runway end safety area was expanded in 2018 to accommodate wide-body aircraft.

The runway end safety area meets United Nations international civil aviation requirements, but the UN agency recommends a buffer that is 150 metres (492 feet) longer than what exists at Kozhikode airport, according to Harro Ranter, chief executive of the Aviation Safety Network online database.

Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India.

Fridays crash is the worst passenger aircraft accident in the country since 2010, when an Air India Express flight, also from Dubai, overshot the runway and slid down a hill while landing in the southern Indian city of Mangalore, killing 158 people.

The flight was one of hundreds in recent months to bring home tens of thousands of Indians stranded abroad by the coronavirus pandemic, many of them in Gulf countries.
Zimbabwe Reporter Denied Bail as Government Arrests Critics

HARARE, ZimbabweA Zimbabwean investigative journalist will remain in jail after a judge dismissed his bail application on Aug. 6, as the United Nations secretary-general raised concern about a wave of arrests in the country.

Journalist Hopewell Chonono has been in detention for more than two weeks.

Before his arrest, Chinono regularly posted on Twitter about alleged government corruption and encouraged Zimbabweans to speak out and act against graft. He is charged with inciting public violence for supporting anti-government demonstrations that were planned for July 31.

Opposition politician Jacob Ngarivhume also was arrested for organizing the anti-government protest, which was thwarted by police and the military which kept people off the streets of Harare, the capital, and other cities on July 31.

Hundreds have been arrested in recent months, including journalists, lawyers, opposition politicians, doctors, and nurses, for protesting against the government or striking for better pay as tensions rise in the troubled southern African country.

Another investigative journalist, Mduduzi Mathuthu, is in hiding. He told The Associated Press his lawyers would approach the courts for protection before handing himself to the police. He said he feared being tortured, as has allegedly happened to several other government critics.

I need the courts protection before I return home, he said. The president has labeled us terrorists and has spoken of flushing us out, and that has dark connotations because it gives me a picture of an animal being startled and chased into the open to be killed.

He was referring to President Emmerson Mnangagwas statement this week, in which he vowed to continue with the clampdown.

Mnangagwa described critics as dark forces, and a few bad apples that should be overcome, in an address on state television on Aug. 4.

Human rights lawyers said more than 60 people have been arrested in the past week, while others were allegedly abducted and tortured as security agents sought to crush the protest. The arrests are continuing even though the protest didnt take place, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said.

On Aug. 6, a government spokesman, Nick Mangwana, dismissed the allegations, saying there is no crisis or implosion in Zimbabwe.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following developments in Zimbabwe with concern, his office said.

He urges the government of Zimbabwe to ensure the protection of all fundamental human rights, notably the freedom of opinion and expression and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, said a statement from Guterres office.

Zimbabwes neighbor, South Africa, on Aug. 6 said it noted with concern reports of abuses in Zimbabwe and said that South Africas Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor discussed the issue with Zimbabwes Foreign Affairs Sibusiso Moyo on Aug. 4 via telephone.

The United States on Aug. 5 imposed sanctions on Kuda Tagwirei, a business associate of Mnangagwa, in signs of the international communitys growing frustration with Mnangagwas administration.

By Farai Mutsaka
A Georgia high school has lifted the suspension of at least one student who shared images of her crowded high school hallway jammed with mostly maskless peers, according to the student and her mother.

Lynne Watters told The Washington Post on Friday morning that North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., had ended her daughter's suspension.

"The principal just said that they were very sorry for any negative attention that this has brought upon her, and that in the future they would like for her to come to the administration with any safety concerns she has," Watters said in a text message. "[The principal confirmed that she will have no disciplinary action on her record and she can return to school on Monday."

Her daughter, Hannah Watters, 15, was one of at least two North Paulding High School students who were suspended earlier in the week when she and another student shared images and video of the school's crowded interior on the first and second days of its first week back in session.

Hannah tweeted her news Friday morning, thanking everyone who supported her. She said that she could return to school Monday.

Watters said her daughter would be more than happy to work with the school's administration moving forward.

It's unclear if the other student had his suspension removed.

Paulding County Schools Superintendent Brian Otott and North Paulding High School principal Gabe Carmona didn't respond to requests for comment.

The school that's about an hour's drive from Atlanta was thrust into the national spotlight this week because of the images, which showed a sea of teens clustered together with no face coverings, and raised concerns among online commenters and parents over how the district is handling school reopenings during the coronavirus pandemic.

Facing a fierce online backlash, Otott told parents and guardians in a letter earlier in the week that the images "didn't look good." But he argued that they lacked context about the 2,000-plus student school, where masks are a "personal choice."

Hannah wore a mask as she captured the inside of her school. On Wednesday, she received a five-day suspension for violating the district's student code of conduct, BuzzFeed News reported. The rules bar students from using social media during the day or using recording devices without the permission of an administrator.

"Not only did they open, but they have not been safe," Hannah told BuzzFeed News. "Many people are not following CDC guidelines because the county did not make these precautions mandatory."

The teen, who said she'd never before run afoul of the code of conduct, told the news outlet that she understood she broke the rules. But Hannah also said she viewed her punishment as overly harsh.

"I'd like to say this is some good and necessary trouble," Hannah told CNN. "My biggest concern is not only about me being safe, it's about everyone being safe because behind every teacher, student and staff member, there is a family, there are friends, and I would just want to keep everyone safe."

Another student who spoke on the condition of anonymity told BuzzFeed News that he, too, faced disciplinary action for the same reasons.

On Wednesday, Principal Carmona warned students about "consequences" if they copied Hannah and the other student, according to audio obtained by CBS 46.

"Anything that's going on social media that's negative or alike without permission, photography, that's video or anything, there will be consequences," he told students over an intercom announcement.

Hannah had told BuzzFeed that she and her family intended to fight the suspension. Paulding County's school code of conduct says the penalty for using social media or recording devices can range from in-school suspension to expulsion, according to the degree of the offense.

On the basis of the district's policy, Hannah's speech probably would have been better protected had she been off school grounds when she posted a social media message about what happened, said Fred Smith Jr., an associate professor of law at Emory University.

"From a rights perspective, the question I would have is whether or not the school has exercised similar discipline for other students who have posted anything during the school day, especially instances of people posting favorable things," he told The Washington Post on Thursday.

A lack of equal enforcement of the rules could pose a potential First Amendment problem for the school because it could show that the institution applies the rules selectively to speech, he said.

"Schools have a compelling interest in ensuring that there are not substantial disruptions on school grounds," he said. "As long as that's what going on, the school's within its rights."

Otott, the superintendent, emailed a letter to parents Thursday that stated the district will be providing all staff with cloth masks and face shields and will try to reduce crowding in school hallways during class changes.

Social distancing and the wearing of masks are "strongly encouraged," but the district has not required either. It notified parents this month that both would be nearly impossible to enforce on school buses and in classrooms.

Otott said he and his staff will be "reviewing student discipline matters" that happened this week, perhaps referring to Hannah and the other student.

"This is a new environment for all of us, but I want to reassure our community that we are addressing the issues that have come to light," he wrote.

The school district is also gaining more unwanted attention after a video shared on Snapchat allegedly showed a student in a virtual classroom using a racial slur, WXIA-TV reported.

One parent told The Post that her daughter wanted to return to North Paulding High School because she missed the social aspect. Michelle Salas said her daughter, Chelsea, has been horrified by how the school has handled the reopening and by some of her fellow students' dismissal of safety concerns.

Salas said her daughter has been bullied by classmates for being vocal about her disappointment in the school's response to the virus and to Hannah. But, Salas said, that will not prevent her daughter from speaking out about what she sees wrong in the school - even though punitive consequences are possible.

- - -

The Washington Post's Chelsea Janes and Haisten Willis contributed to this report.
While U.S. immigration laws are becoming more restrictive more international skilled workers are coming to Canada.

More tech immigrants choosing Canada over U.S. While U.S. immigration laws are becoming more restrictive more international skilled workers are coming to Canada.

More tech immigrants choosing Canada over U.S. While U.S. immigration laws are becoming more restrictive more international skilled workers are coming to Canada.

More tech immigrants choosing Canada over U.S. While U.S. immigration laws are becoming more restrictive more international skilled workers are coming to Canada. Mohanad Moetaz Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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In light of U.S. restrictions on immigration more and more immigrant tech workers are considering pivoting north to Canada.

In June, U.S. President Donald Trump suspended immigration for certain visa holders. The White House argues that the move was to help American workers gain employment after many were laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The suspension also includes H1-B visas. These visas were issued to highly skilled foreign professionals, including the likes of Elon Musk, CEO of both Tesla and Space X.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

North of the border, Canada has been welcoming tech workers with open arms. In fact, Canada has welcomed tens of thousands of foreign tech workers in the last three years alone.

A staggering 40 per cent of workers in the tech sector are immigrants, according to Canadas Information and Communications Technology Council report. To put that into perspective, immigrants make up 25 per cent of Canadas overall workforce.

Tobias Lutke, CEO of Canadian e-commerce behemoth Shopify urged skilled talent who are currently prevented from working in the U.S., to consider Canada.

If this affects your plans consider coming to Canada  instead. Shopify is hiring all over the world and we have lots of experience helping with relocation. Let us know at https://t.co/dmzfp4EwB9 https://t.co/yUUjoEt9gp  Tobi Lutke  (@tobi) June 23, 2020

Lutke, himself an immigrant from Germany, helped build Shopify into the billion-dollar corporation it is today.

American companies may also decide to set up shop in Canada to benefit from the influx of talented professionals from abroad.

Ive decided to move to Canada. What are my options?

Canada introduced the Global Talent Stream (GTS) three years ago and has since contributed to over 40,000 people coming to Canada to work in many tech positions, such as web designers and software engineers.

So how does the GTS fair against its American counterpart, the H1-B visa? Its quicker. In fact the GTS allows skilled workers to obtain a work permit in just one month.

In addition to the GTS, there are plenty of other options to immigrate to Canada as a tech worker.

Some provinces, including British Columbia and Ontario, hold periodic tech draws to help the tech sector attract and retain highly skilled workers. Though immigration is chiefly managed by the federal government, provinces and territories are able to nominate candidates for immigration based on their regional needs. These Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) provide pathways to permanent residence for people who have the right skills and experience to support the economic and labour market goals of the province or territory.

How the Global Talent Stream works

For a Canadian employer to recruit highly skilled talent through the Global Talent Stream, the employer must be eligible through one of two categories.

Category A requires the employer to be referred by a designated referral partner. If the employer is in Quebec, the referral must come from a Quebec partner.

In addition, the candidate must have advanced knowledge of the industry, have an advanced degree in a related field, have five years of experience in the field, and must be offered at least $80,000 annual base salary, or higher, depending on the occupations prevailing wage.

Under Category B, the salary also depends on the occupations prevailing wage. Also, the employer must be hiring for one of twelve occupations.

How the BC PNP Tech Pilot works

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Tech Pilot requires candidates to have a job offer in one of 29 eligible occupations. Interested candidates are required to register through the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS).

B.C. periodically holds tech draws to invite the highest-scoring skilled tech worker to apply for provincial nomination. Those who are invited then have 30 days to submit their application.

If a candidate is approved, he or she can then use their provincial nomination to apply for permanent residence.

At this point, the candidate is practically guaranteed to be approved for permanent residence.

How Ontario Tech Draws work

Candidates who are eligible for federal programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) are able to create an Express Entry profile.

Express Entry is the system used by the federal government to manage permanent residence applications.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) identifies eligible candidates already in the Express Entry pool. When a candidate is identified, he or she will receive a Notification of Interest (NOI).

Upon receiving an NOI, a candidate must apply for provincial nomination under the Human Capital Priorities Stream within 45 days.

If approved, a candidate will receive provincial nomination, and can use the nomination to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry.

Canada emerging as a tech superpower

Canada is on its way to becoming a leader in technology and innovation. Its welcoming immigration policy provides a leeway to become the tech superpower it can be.

Many highly skilled tech workers, start-ups and established corporations are now considering Canada as a more favourable option thanks to pathways to permanent residence for tech workers.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 07: (L-R) Amal Clooney and George Clooney attends the premiere of Hulu's

In the wake of the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, George and Amal Clooney have donated to three Lebanese charities to aid in relief efforts. "We're both deeply concerned for the people of Beirut and the devastation they've faced in the last few days," George and Amal told People in a joint statement on Thursday. "Three charitable organizations we've found are providing essential relief on the ground: the Lebanese Red Cross, Impact Lebanon, and Baytna Baytak. We will be donating $100,000 to these charities and hope that others will help in any way they can."

The tragedy hits close to home for Amal, who is a human rights lawyer, as she was born in Beirut. Her family moved from Lebanon to England during the Lebanese Civil War when she was just 2 years old.

The Beirut explosion killed hundreds and injured thousands of people on Aug. 4. In the aftermath of the blast, over 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes and Lebanese hospitals are in need of blood donations and resources. Read more about all the ways you can help provide disaster relief for victims here.
US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders targeting TikTok and WeChat, two of China's biggest apps, BBC News reported.

Under the orders, US firms must stop doing business with the companies within 45 days.

The executive orders against TikTokowned by Chinese firm ByteDanceand WeChatowned by the Tencent conglomerateis the latest measure in an increasingly broad Trump administration campaign against China.

In both executive orders, Trump says he has found "additional steps must be taken to deal with the national emergency with respect to the information and communications technology and services supply chain".

He adds: "The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People's Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States."

The text of Trump's order says TikTok's data collection could allow China to track US government employees and gather personal information for blackmail, or to carry out corporate espionage.

He notes that reports indicate TikTok censors content deemed politically sensitive.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp said on Friday Osamu Masuko resigned as chairman due to health reasons and has handed over the role to CEO Takao Kato on a temporary basis.

A veteran of the Mitsubishi conglomerate, Masuko joined the automaker in 2004, and became president in 2007. He oversaw the creation of the partnership between Mitsubishi and Nissan Motor Co in 2016, which saw Nissan take a controlling stake in the company.

The 71-year-old would stay on at Mitsubishi as a special adviser, the company said in a statement. It did not specify what Masuko was ailing from.

Masuko was at the helm of Mitsubishi during a 2016 scandal in which the automaker was found to have overstated the mileage on its vehicles. An investigation uncovered slack governance and pressure on resourced-starved engineers as chronic issues at the company.

The scandal was Mitsubishi's third in two decades, and pummelled profits and tarnished the automaker' s brand. At the height of the scandal, Nissan lent its smaller rival a lifeline by offering the company $2.2 billion for a 34% controlling stake.

The deal was agreed between Masuko and then Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, and brought Mitsubishi in as a junior partner in the Nissan-Renault automaking alliance.

Masuko later denounced his ties with Ghosn following Ghosn's 2018 arrest in Japan over financial misconduct. Ghosn has denied the charges.

All three members of the alliance are currently mired in financial problems after years of aggressive expansion policies under Ghosn's leadership resulted in falling vehicle sales.

A further drop in global car demand due to the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated these problems, and Mitsubishi, Nissan and Renault are each bracing for steep annual operating losses this year.
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Postal Service says it lost $2.2 billion in the three months that ended in June as the beleaguered agency  hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic  piles up financial losses that officials warn could top $20 billion over two years.

But the new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, disputed reports that his agency is slowing down election mail or any other mail and said it has ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on time for the November presidential contest, when a significant increase in mail-in ballots is expected.

Still, DeJoy offered a gloomy picture of the 630,000-employee agency Friday in his first public remarks since taking the top job in June.

Our financial position is dire, stemming from substantial declines in mail volume, a broken business model and a management strategy that has not adequately addressed these issues, DeJoy told the postal board of governors at a meeting Friday.

Without dramatic change, there is no end in sight, DeJoy said.

While package deliveries to homebound Americans were up more than 50%, that was offset by continued declines in first-class and business mail, even as costs increased significantly to pay for personal protective equipment and replace workers who got sick or chose to stay home in fear of the virus, DeJoy said.

Without an intervention from Congress, the agency faces an impending cash flow crisis, he said. The Postal Service is seeking an infusion of at least $10 billion to cover operating losses as well as regulatory changes that would undo a congressional requirement that the agency pre-fund billions of dollars in retiree health benefits.

The agency is doing its part, said DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser and former supply chain executive who took command of the agency June 15. DeJoy, 63, of North Carolina, is a major donor to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. He is the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who is not a career postal employee.

In his first month on the job, DeJoy said, he directed the agency to vigorously focus on the ingrained inefficiencies in our operations, including by applying strict limits on overtime.

By running our operations on time and on schedule, and by not incurring unnecessary overtime or other costs, we will enhance our ability to be sustainable and ... continue to provide high-quality, affordable service, DeJoy said.

While not acknowledging widespread complaints by members of Congress about delivery delays nationwide, DeJoy said the agency will aggressively monitor and quickly address service issues.

DeJoys remarks came as lawmakers from both parties called on the Postal Service to immediately reverse operational changes that are causing delays in deliveries across the country just as big volume increases are expected for mail-in election voting.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that changes imposed by DeJoy threaten the timely delivery of mail  including medicines for seniors, paychecks for workers and absentee ballots for voters  that is essential to millions of Americans.

In his remarks to the postal board of governors, DeJoy called election mail handling a robust and proven process.?

While there will likely be an unprecedented increase in election mail volume due to the pandemic, the Postal Service has ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on time in accordance with our delivery standards, and we will do so,? DeJoy said. However ... we cannot correct the errors of (state and local) election boards if they fail to deploy processes that take our normal processing and delivery standards into account.?

Later Friday, DeJoy released another memo detailing changes that reshuffle dozens of officials on his executive leadership team. The former chief operating officer, David Williams, was moved to lead logistics and processing operations, while Kevin McAdams, vice-president of delivery and retail operations, was removed from leadership.

DeJoy said the changes  which also include a management hiring freeze  would improve efficiency and align functions based on core business operations.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, said DeJoy should not be instituting such major changes during the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic with a national election around the corner. Maloney, who has called DeJoy to testify before her committee next month, demanded he halt these changes now.

DeJoy ran into similar resistance at a closed-door meeting Wednesday with Schumer and Pelosi. Schumer called it a heated discussion and said Democrats told DeJoy that elections are sacred. They urged him not to impose cutbacks at a time when all ballots count,? Schumer said.

In separate letters, two Montana Republicans, Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte, also urged the Postal Service to reverse the July directive, which eliminates overtime for hundreds of thousands of postal workers and mandates that mail be kept until the next day if distribution centres are running late.

And 84 House members  including four Republicans  signed yet another letter blasting the changes and urging an immediate reversal. It is vital that the Postal Service does not reduce mail delivery hours, which could harm rural communities, seniors, small businesses and millions of Americans who rely on the mail for critical letters and packages, the House members wrote.

The flurry of letters came as the top Democrat on a Senate panel that oversees the Postal Service launched an investigation into the operational changes. Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said DeJoy has failed to provide answers about the service delays, despite repeated requests.

Democrats have pushed for $10 billion for the Postal Service in talks with Republicans on a huge COVID-19 response bill. The figure is down from a $25 billion plan in a House-passed coronavirus measure. Key Republicans whose rural constituents are especially reliant on the post office support the idea.

Trump, a vocal critic of the Postal Service, contended Wednesday that the Post Office doesnt have enough time to handle a significant increase in mail-in ballots. I mean youre talking about millions of votes. .. Its a catastrophe waiting to happen.?
A multi-disciplinary panel tasked with inspecting the 740-tonne ammonium nitrate consignment gathering dust for over four years in a warehouse off Chennai has recommended that the Customs Department clear the stock from the godown, said a report from the panel.

The 740-tonne consignment was seized in late 2015 from the imports of Karur-based Amman Chemicals after its application for a key licence was rejected. The company has been engaged in a legal battle to continue its business.

According to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board report, it has been recommended to the Commissioner of Customs to "take immediate action to clear the stored ammonium nitrate from the said CFS [Container Freight Station] as the same is still under the possession of the customs department".

A panel consisting of environmental engineers and senior police officers had visited the Container Freight Station operated by company Sattva in Tiruvottiyur to the north of Chennai on Thursday.

According to the report prepared on August 6, the Customs department has begun the process of accepting bids for the ammonium nitrate and that the beneficiaries would be shortlisted in three days. It added that 12,000 people lived at two points at distances of 700m and 1.5 kilometre from the place where the consignment is stored.

The nearest habitations are namely, Manali new town at a distance of 700m in the northern direction with a population of about 7,000, and Sadayankuppam village at a distance of 1,500m in the eastern direction with a population of about 5,000, the report said.

The devastation at a port in Beirut in Lebanon due to inadequately secured ammonium nitrate has led to caution across ports and container terminals. After news emerged that the port at North Chennai has also stores of nearly 740 tonnes of the highly inflammable chemical, pressure is building up on the Tamil Nadu government to do something about it soon.
Maharashtra inched towards the grim 500,000 Covid-19 cases milestone as it recorded 10,483 new infections on Friday, taking its tally up to 490,262. There were 300 fatalities, too, as the states toll rose to 17,092.

The state conducted 81,655 tests  highest in a day since the first case was reported on March 9 with a positivity rate of 12.83%. Maharashtras positivity rate over the past week (August 1-7) has improved to 17.85% from 22.17% during the July 15-21 period. The recovery rate of Maharashtra also continued to improve, as 10,906 patients tested negative for coronavirus, pushing it up to 66.76%. The national recovery rate stands at 67.62%. The state currently has 145,582 active Covid-19 cases, with 327,281 people having recovered. The recovery rate has improved over the past week, as 71,123 patients have been discharged in seven days. The states recovery rate was 60.68% on July 31.

Mumbai, meanwhile, reported 862 cases on Friday, taking its tally to 121,012, and 45 deaths pushed up the citys toll to 6,693. Pune district recorded 2,851 cases, highest in the state, and reported 70 deaths in 24 hours.

A cause for concern for the state, however, has been the case fatality rate (CFR), which continues to be high. Maharashtras CFR is 3.49%, second only to Gujarats 3.82%. The national CFR stands at 2.04%.

Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday directed all the district collectors and divisional commissioners to ensure that the CFR was brought down on priority. We will have to ensure that the second wave of the infection does not hit us, after having controlled it in many parts of the state. Aggressive tracing of the contacts, effective implementation of lockdown curbs in containment areas and timely treatment will help us in containing the spread and bringing the fatalities down, he said.

District authorities should all be alert as the battle has not ended yet, he said during the review meeting.

Nandurbar, a tribal district in North Maharashtra, leads has the highest CFR of 5.9%, followed by Mumbai (5.5%), Solapur (5.3%) and Jalgaon (4.4%).

Dr Raghunath Bhoye, civil surgeon, Nandurbar, said the time wasted in reports of the tests conducted and late referral of patients is leading to the high fatality rate.

We do not have RtPCR testing facility and are totally dependent on the one at Dhule district. We get the reports only after three days. Most of our deaths have been reported on the same day of admission or within hours after the patients come in. We have increased the number of daily tests to 250 from 40-50 a few weeks ago. We have also setup mobile facilities for testing and have been doing aggressive tracing of contacts. Our own RtPCR lab will be operational in the next couple of days, and it will help us in reducing the mortality rate in the next few days, he said.

Dr Avinash Supe, former KEM dean and member of the expert committee appointed by the state to recommend steps to curb the spread, said the fatality rate is high owing to the late referral of patients.

About 29% of the patients have died within 24 hours of admissions, while most of the remaining deaths occur in the first four days, which should be improved. Now the beds are available, medicines are available, we will now be able to bring the CFR down soon, he said.

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Nicole Album

Anyone whos braved a Thanksgiving conversation with an uncle or commented on a Facebook post or really is just alive in the year 2020 knows that convincing a skeptic to change their mind is nearly impossible. A hostage negotiator may say that empathy and not logic is often the best weapon against COVID-deniers, but should you want to engage in a debate about the reality of the virus thats led to over 150,000 American deaths, its best to come armed with cross-examination skills.



Since lawyers aim to convince a jury rather than the witness themselves, this isnt a perfect parallel, but plenty of the same techniques apply. Two law professors, Lara Bazelon (USF) and Spencer Pahlke (Berkeley Law), humored our questions about how to use their decades of legal acumen to disarm someone distrustful of science, or worse, a troll posting memes showing Bill Gates as a plandemic puppet master (who also spreads cancer through 5G cell phone towers, obviously).



Like any lawyer taking on a difficult case, the first thing to do before interacting with a COVID denier is prep work. You can expect a spread offense of many divergent theories not covered in mainstream media, so Google what sources do coronavirus deniers rely on most commonly. Politely ask for evidence, and be ready to discredit unreliable outlets or so-called experts by stressing their underlying motivations, which in the case of viral Youtube personalities, is likely financial. With regards to hydroxychloroquine advocate Stella Immanuel, one might calmly inquire if theyre aware of her statements about demon sex.



The key phrase there is "calmly ask" (close second, "demon sex").



I think for some of these folks, they really enjoy making other people angry, and sort of red-faced, and almost incoherent in the enormity of what theyre trying to explain and the stupidity of what theyre confronted with, says Bazelon. I wouldnt give them that.

RELATED: An FBI hostage negotiator explains how to persuade people to wear masks



Pahlke suggests establishing agreement on a few basic facts that may deflate faulty arguments, like comparisons to flu deaths. For instance, establishing a universal reference point, like the fact that the 3,000 deaths from the September 11 terrorist attacks is something of a big deal. Or even playing to partisan slants, bringing up the cost of lives from controversial issues like inner city gun violence.



If youre concerned that they were going to disagree that 150,000 deaths isnt enough, there are ways to get them into a difficult position where theyre agreeing that something less than that is in itself a tragedy, says Pahlke.



A personal hypothetical is another strong approach. Present a scenario where one of their specific family members contracts COVID-19 and has to be hospitalized. What happens when as their mothers medical contact, theyre forced to sign off on treatment decisions? Will they follow the doctors advice or insist that its not serious and demand another treatment? A concrete situation like that will resonate much more than sweeping data-driven statements or testimonials about others.



Another strategy is to ask a question and give the denier a few options that are all bad (hopefully no judge is present to yell leading the witness!). One could present a list of Democrat and Republican politicians who have all spoken out against the virus, then ask the denier if they trust any of them. Or go even further and ask an open-ended question.



I generally dont like to ask open-ended questions, says Bazelon. But with crazy people I sometimes do, because whichever answer I get is going to be good. In the case of the coronavirus, Bazelon suspects answers would fall into two categories: total ignorance or defiance of conventionally accepted knowledge (neither a good look).



You can push somebody out on the limb and make them look even more silly, because the position theyre taking has so little support so that nobody else, your jury, would want to follow them out on that limb, says Pahlke. You get to persuasion not by virtue of directly persuading your witness, but by isolating them in this world thats not real. And pointing out how unreal this world theyre living in is, so others wouldnt tread there.



If the argument takes place around a group or on social media, the more far-fetched the deniers response, the better.



Comedy and cross-examination are actually quite similar in that the bigger gap you can create between the expectation of what the witness should have done, and what they actually did do, the more impact from the questioning, says Pahlke. Likewise in comedy, the greater the difference between where you think the joke is going, to where it ends up, the funnier it seems to be.
By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order to put into operation the Dashkasan iron ore deposit, which is the only iron ore deposit in the South Caucasus with an estimated industrial reserves of around 300 million tons.

Under the order, initially $1.76 million (AZN 3 million) will be allocated to AzerGold mining company from the amount specified in the relevant paragraph of the "Distribution of funds for state capital investment (investment expenditures) in the state budget for 2020.

The allocated fund will be used to prepare a preliminary assessment document in connection with the commissioning of the Dashkasan iron ore deposit.

The Ministry of Finance will provide the funding of the allocated money, and the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Economy will focus on other issues arising from this order.

Dashkasan iron ore deposit is the only iron ore deposit has proven reserves of 270 million tons. The iron content of the ore varies mainly between 35-45 per cent by deposits.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
BEARDSTOWN  Rescue crews resumed search efforts for two boys swept into the Illinois River while playing in shallow waters Thursday.

Members of at least eight agencies started the search late Thursday after reports the boys, ages 12 and 15, were missing.
The National Organizer for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joshua Amidu Akamba has accused the Deputy General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen of contracting vigilantes to target certain people.

On Sunday, August 2nd, the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia was seen in a viral video clashing with soldiers, a similar disturbance which resulted in the sudden demise of one person in Banda about a week ago.

The Military Officers were alleged by Asiedu Nketia to have barred some Ewes in the Bono region from registering at the Banda Assembly.

According to the NDC stalwart, instead of the soldiers discharging their core duties as expected, they are rather supporting the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate to repudiate the agreement signed by the two main political parties.

Speaking in an interview on Socio-political morning show "Maakye" hosted by Boamah Darko, NPPs' deputy chief scribe Nana Obiri Boahen, in defense of his party, indicated that after the death of the EC officer, the Regional Security had a meeting with representatives of the NPP and NDC.

He said the meeting birthed an agreement that neither of both parties should be seen bussing or conveying people to the registration centres.

According to Obiri Boahen, the NDC was seen bussing people, contrary to the agreement signed, and that was how the chaos emerged. If both parties have agreed that no one should bus people why would one decided to breach the agreement? he quizzes.

In a rebuttal, the National Organizer for the opposition National Democratic Congress, Joshua Amidu Akamba reacted to Nana Obiri Boahen comments on the same 'Maakye' morning show, debunking all the claims made by the NPP scribe.

Mr Akamba, not denying the fact that there had been an agreement, explained that the Regional Security, a group of Chiefs together some Members of Parliament and representatives of both the NPP and NDC met and agreed that in order to avoid tension such as the August 2 incidence; the two political parties must sign a peace treaty.

According to him, the treaty indicated what could or could not be done. "One of the indications stated that neither of the parties is allowed to dispatch vigilantes to any community."

The NDC National Organizer revealed that, George Dankwah of the NPP dispatched the soldiers to the assembly, together with Nana Obiri Boahen meanwhile, they were not part of the agreement. NPP stalwart does not have the accurate facts about what actually caused the pandemonium but only sits in Accra and contracts vigilantes to murder people."

He continued, Nana Obiri Boahen does not have information from the grounds. All that they do is to sit in Accra and contract vigilantes to murder and kill people.

Below are excerpts of the interview:

---Hotfmghana.com
Support groups are often a lifeline for people in crisis, but the coronavirus pandemic forced many organizations to limit in-person meetings and shift resources online.

Now, some groups are starting to get back to in-person meetings.

HOPE for Bereaved, located at 4500 Onondaga Blvd. in Syracuse, restarted some of its in-person meetings in July.

The organization, funded mostly through donations and grants, has helped the grieving in Central New York for over 41 years, through one-on-one counseling, support group meetings, and a monthly newsletter. HOPE sponsors a variety of support groups that serve bereaved people in their 20s up to those in their 90s. They also offer one-on one counseling for children from age 6 and up. All services are free of charge.

While HOPEs Syracuse location opened its doors to in-person groups, the two groups it runs in Oswego have not opened yet. Interested participants in Oswego and Cayuga counties can join meetings by phone.

HOPE is also starting a new program to help those directly affected by the pandemic. It will hold a conference for people who have lost family from Covid-19, or during the pandemic from other causes. Dr. Terry Ryan, clinical therapist, will be the guest speaker. The conference is Aug. 20 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Reservations are required. See below for more information on how to sign up.

HOPE has published two brochures that are available on line: Understanding Grief During the Pandemic - Helping Yourself - Helping others and The Pandemic: Ways Management Helps Grieving Employees.

You can call HOPE for the Bereaved at (315) 475-HOPE (9675), or email mail@hopeforbereaved.com to find a meeting near you. Meetings can also be found on our calendar at Syracuse.com.

Are you in crisis? Here is a list of other organizations that can help:

Dial 2-1-1

2-1-1 is a hotline supported by the counties it is located in, and the United Way. It functions as a free, confidential service that helps people connect with local resources and is available throughout most of Central New York.

800-475-2430  Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

888-475-2437  After hours

Email: Information@ACRHealth.org

ACR began 37 years ago with support services for AIDS/HIV patients. Since then, services have expanded to over 40 different programs, to include care management, family stabilization services, behavioral health services, housing support services, medical transportation, nutrition education and food services.

ACR serves primarily Cayuga, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and St. Lawrence counties. Some services go beyond those areas.

AA is a fellowship of people who share their experience and strength in their progress toward recovery. It operates throughout North America, providing information and support group services.

To locate an in-person meeting near you, click this link. Open meetings are available to anyone, closed meetings are only for those who believe they have a problem with alcohol.

For a list of virtual (online) meetings, click here.

Based on the model for Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon/Alateen is a fellowship of friends and relatives of alcoholics who give one another support and strength through shared experience.

The homepage of the website reflects current ongoing meetings during coronavirus.

315-671-2955

ARISE offers a mental health clinic that serves adults and youth experiencing mental health concerns. It also provides individual, family, and group counseling, and psychiatric and psychological evaluation services for all recipients enrolled in the clinic.

Currently, virtual services are provided via Zoom and phone, with-person services available on a limited basis. Virtual walk-in services are also provided via telemental health.

Call the main number to contact the intake coordinator.

5800 Heritage Landing Dr., Suite G6, East Syracuse

(315) 413-4676

A resource for people struggling with compulsive gambling and their families and loved ones. The center can refer individuals to one-on-one counseling and outpatient and in-patient levels of care. Funded through the New York Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). Services for those without insurance provided at no cost.

In addition to referral services, the agency provides training for individuals and groups. A list of trainings through December can be found here.

1223 Salt Springs Road, Chittenango

315-687-3300

Email: info@ClearPathForVets.com

Clear Path is not currently holding in-person meetings due to the coronavirus crisis but offers two programs for veterans who may need help.

The first is a program called Buddy Check, which offers veterans and family members a friendly voice to talk to. Call or email cpvbuddycheck@clearpathforvets.com.

For more difficult cases, mental health consultants are available.

EFR provides information, advocacy and other support services to individuals with disabilities and their families.

One of the resources they provide is a manual to support groups and agencies in the Central New York area that serve those with and without disabilities. To view the manual, click here.

329 N. Salina St., Syracuse

315-471-1564

Helio Health has remained open to the community throughout the pandemic. Services are available to insured and non-insured patients.

Outpatient services are available for mental health and substance use disorders. Walk-in or call to get help.

NA is a nonprofit fellowship of those who are recovering from drug abuse, who maintain their sobriety through shared experience and strength.

Click here for meeting information.

800-273-8255

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

OA is a group of people who support each other in their recovery from compulsive eating and food behaviors.

To find a meeting, click here.

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Coronavirus help: Hotlines, websites, resources for Central New York, NYS, U.S.
HDC Hyundai Development is inching closer to scrapping the acquisition of troubled flag carrier Asiana Airlines, warning Thursday that the airline's parent company will be to blame if the deal falls through.

The property developer on Thursday again demanded another 12 weeks' due diligence and said, "Kumho Industrial and Asiana will be wholly responsible for the cancellation of the contract."

The statement came after Asiana's main creditor, state-owned Korea Development Bank, on Monday said HDC must decide by Aug. 11 whether it wants to buy the airline or not and there is no call for further due diligence.

But HDC said, "The present crisis at Asiana was clearly caused by mismanagement by Kumho Industrial and a failure to abide by contract terms."

"We must express serious concern over KDB's refusal to conduct another due diligence and seeking to pass the blame to HDC instead of Asiana and parent Kumho Industrial," it added.


VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:NDM)(NYSE American:NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") reports that its 100%-owned US-based subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership ("Pebble Partnership") issued a public statement, welcoming a pending White House review of southwest Alaska's Pebble Project and the Final Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") released by the US Army Corps of Engineers ("USACE") last month.

The statement, quoting Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier, expresses confidence that the scientific and regulatory record established by Pebble's Final EIS "demonstrates the project can be developed without harm to Bristol Bay fisheries." The following is excerpted from the Pebble Partnership statement:

"'We are aware of the comments President Trump made earlier this week that he will 'listen to both sides' of the issue concerning our project,' said Collier. 'Quite frankly, I wouldn't expect anything less when it comes to a project of Pebble's import to our state and our country."

"Collier said the Pebble Partnership remains confident that final regulatory decisions about Pebble will be based on the Final EIS published by the USACE on July 24, 2020, which clearly establishes the project can co-exist with clean water and healthy fish and wildlife populations, while making a significant positive socioeconomic contribution to the Bristol Bay region, the state and the nation. He added the Pebble EIS is a direct extension of President's Trump's policy direction that permitting decisions on major US development projects be based on objective, independent science and efficient regulatory processes.

"'As the President begins his look at Pebble, he's going to find the USACE has just completed an intensive 2-year scientific review involving eight federal agencies, three state agencies, local government and federally recognized tribes. Over 2,000 pages, plus appendices, the Final EIS provides an irrefutable scientific and administrative record that finds Pebble is a project of merit that will do no harm to Bristol Bay fish populations, and will fully coexist with thriving commercial, subsistence and sport fisheries.

"'With all due respect to those who remain concerned about Pebble's potential effects on Bristol Bay salmon, including some who may have tweeted their concerns in recent days, the Final EIS has really put this matter to bed after more than 15 years of debate.'

"Collier said critics who suggest the Pebble Project EIS was rushed, politically motivated or scientifically flawed are attacking the credibility of the US Army Corps of Engineers and its personnel.

"'David Hobbie, who supervised the Pebble EIS for the USACE, is a man hugely respected within government for his integrity and competence. So much so that, at the beginning of the Trump administration, he was detailed to the White House to help write the permitting portions of the President's original infrastructure package.

"'Now, there is a time during the EIS process for differences of opinion to be debated and carefully examined, but that time has passed. The statutory process under NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act) designates the USACE and credentialed experts like Mr. Hobbie as the final umpire. He has called balls and strikes at Pebble, and that review is complete.'

"Collier said too often in the past, previous administrations have allowed statutory permitting processes to be politicized. He said both President Trump and his supporters have taken strong positions against such political interference - including: the Governor of Alaska and many of the state's senior legislators; the National Mining Association, the Resource Development Council for Alaska, the Alaska Miners Association and other national and state trade organizations; the Western Congressional Caucus, Americans for Tax Reform, Competitive Enterprise Institute, among other conservative groups.

"'Under the Obama-era EPA, Pebble was really the poster child for political interference in regulatory decision-making. But there's a strong wall of pro-development and conservative voices who have requested that President Trump establish a strong precedent for allowing the statutory process for Pebble to play out without political interference.

"'All of President Trump's recent permitting reform announcements rest on a bedrock principle - the precept of the 'rule of law'- that permitting processes must be allowed to operate free of political interference. It is absolutely essential to encouraging investment in major projects in America. In Pebble's case, we've invested nearly $1 billion in getting to this point in the federal permitting process. Every other major project developer and investor in the world is watching whether this administration delivers on its promise to eliminate political influence from permitting.'

"In addition to final permitting decisions at Pebble setting an important precedent, Collier said the project will deliver significant economic benefits for Alaska and the United States. These include thousands of high paying jobs, billions of dollars in state government revenues and many more billions in economic activity in Alaska - a state with significant economic and fiscal challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"'I want to be very clear that, while some will refer to Pebble as a 'foreign' company, the Pebble Partnership is an American company created to develop a great American resource for the benefit of Americans. And though Northern Dynasty Minerals - at this time, the sole partner in the Pebble, enterprise - is a publicly held company headquartered in Canada, nearly half of its shareholders are Americans and about 80% of its shares are traded on American exchanges.'

"Collier closed by reaffirming his belief that President Trump's review and final permitting decisions at Pebble will be based upon the sound scientific and administrative record established by the Final EIS. That expectation is reinforced by a large number of pro-development and conservative voices about the importance of a proper review process for projects like Pebble:

"Myron Ebell, Competitive Enterprise Institute : 'I am disappointed to see Donald Trump, Jr. endorse the illegitimate and thoroughly discredited Obama EPA position on the Pebble Mine, rather than the conclusion of one of the most exhaustive Environmental Impact Statements ever undertaken. CEI strongly believes that science, rather than uninformed opinion, should direct important decisions on natural resource development.'

"Western Congressional Congress : 'Allowing the process to work and following the science is the correct path to follow. At a time when mineral scarcity is threatening national and economic security, we must support environmentally responsible projects developing America's resources.'

"Americans for Limited Government : 'After almost a decade, it is time to allow the owners of Pebble deposit to have their opportunity to present their engineering studies and mining plans for fair and honest federal scrutiny. When, and if, the NEPA process is successfully completed, the decision will lie where it rightfully should - with the state of Alaska which traded for this land and zoned it for mining in the first place.'

"Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform : 'Pebble Mine would decrease our reliance on China for critical minerals while creating thousands of new jobs in Alaska. It passed its environmental review, now it's time to move. Only the government would sit this long on a $500 billion gold mine.'

"Rich Nolan, National Mining Association : 'The Pebble mine has just completed the process of one of the most comprehensive environmental impact statements undertaken on a mine in recent years. The conclusions of that final EIS are quite clear - the Pebble project is expected to have no measurable impact on the fish in the Bristol Bay fishery. It is important that science guide these important decisions on mining issues.'

"Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy: 'When I took office, my top priority was to grow Alaska's economy by letting the world know that Alaska was open for business and to encourage companies across the globe to invest in our state. The number one way to accomplish this goal is to let potential investors know that we have regulatory and permitting stability in Alaska.'

"Sen. Cathy Giessel, President of the Alaska State Senate: 'Alaska's people have prospered and flourished in part because of a healthy mining industry. Alaska has never taken our eyes off of an objective process for reviewing projects like Pebble. There are strict federal and state standards that must be met and companies need to know their potential projects will be vetted free from the whims of political opinion.'

"Corri Feige, Commissioner of Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources: ' The Pebble project in Southwest Alaska, with an estimated $400 billion worth of copper, gold and molybdenum, has become a rally cry for anti-development forces willing to conduct aggressive anti-mining misinformation campaigns. But project proponents continue to advance, having confidence in a government and citizenry that support due process of law and offer a fair opportunity for resource development. The Pebble project is working with the state and federal agencies, as well as regional stakeholders, advancing through a thicket of regulatory and political hurdles.'

"Pete Kelly, Former President of Alaska State Senate: 'For years we've seen outside environmental lobbyists drag Pebble through the mud - and nothing was learned. Well now the EPA and the Corps of Engineers have dragged Pebble through science, and science has proven Pebble is safe and compatible with fisheries. I'm sure the criticism from "Big Environmental" will continue. I guess you can't reason with science deniers.'

"Deantha Skibinski, Alaska Miners Association : 'We are frustrated that mining critics continue to urge some sort of avoidance of the permitting process for Pebble. We are in a time where economic stability could not be more critical, and when a mining project demonstrates that it can be done safely, as Pebble has, then it has every right to proceed down the prescribed permitting route. Yesterday, President Trump stated that he loves Alaska and it is a special place. We agree, and are hopeful that we will see continued support for a fair permitting process out of his Administration.'

"Karen Matthias, Council of Alaska Producers : 'The Council strongly believes that development of our natural resources should be accomplished through a permitting and regulatory framework that is rigorous, science based, transparent, and predictable. CAP members firmly believe in due process and the rule of law. We count on the established permitting and review process as the best places to make decisions about development projects in Alaska.'

"Kati Capozzi, Alaska Chamber of Commerce : 'The Chamber has consistently advocated for responsible resource development in Alaska, for responsible and fair permitting across all industries and projects including Pebble and for responsible rules to govern and guide Alaska decision-making. As all of us look for ways to get our economy back on solid ground, we cannot afford to have selective or political interference in the permitting process.'

"Rebecca Logan, Alaska Support Industry Alliance : 'Alaska has enjoyed the benefits of mining for well over 100 years, with the last several decades seeing new innovations and advancements for protecting the environment. Alaska has stringent regulations to protect its land and waters. Pebble should be vetted like any other Alaska resource project and this review should be free of interference from special interest groups - especially those outside of Alaska. As our resource revenues continue to decline and our state faces serious budget challenges, Pebble could be the first step to turn the state around.'

" Alicia Siira, Associated General Contractors of Alaska: 'We support the responsible development of Alaska's natural resources, the diversification of Alaska's economy, and the legal and proper permitting process for all projects. Pebble is being fairly vetted through the federal permitting process and it should stand on its merits rather than politics. Pebble is an asset for all Alaskans. Alaska and the nation need the jobs and economic activity it could bring.'"

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly owned Alaska-based U.S. subsidiary, Pebble Limited Partnership ("PLP"), is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 2,402 mineral claims in southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit. PLP is the proponent of the Pebble Project, an initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral resources.

For further details on Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Project, please visit the Company's website at www.northerndynastyminerals.com or contact Investor services at (604) 684-6365 or within North America at 1-800-667-2114. Review Canadian public filings at www.sedar.com and US public filings at www.sec.gov.

Ronald W. Thiessen

President & CEO

US Media Contact:

Dan Gagnier

Gagnier Communications

(646) 569-5897

Forward-Looking Information and other Cautionary Factors

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in its forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements should not be in any way construed as guarantees of the ultimate size, quality or commercial feasibility of the Pebble Project, that the Pebble Project will secure all required government permits, or of the Company's future performance.

Assumptions used by NDM to develop forward-looking statements include the assumptions that (i) the Pebble Project will obtain all required environmental and other permits and all land use and other licenses without undue delay, (ii) studies for the development of the Pebble Project will be positive, (iii) NDM will be able to establish the commercial feasibility of the Pebble Project, and (iv) NDM will be able to secure the financing required to develop the Pebble Project. The likelihood of future mining at the Pebble Project is subject to a large number of risks and will require achievement of a number of technical, economic and legal objectives, including (i) obtaining necessary mining and construction permits, licenses and approvals without undue delay, including without delay due to third party opposition or changes in government policies, (ii) the completion of feasibility studies demonstrating the Pebble Project mineral reserves that can be economically mined, (iii) completion of all necessary engineering for mining and processing facilities, and (iv) receipt by NDM of significant additional financing to fund these objectives as well as funding mine construction, which financing may not be available to NDM on acceptable terms or on any terms at all. The Company is also subject to the specific risks inherent in the mining business as well as general economic and business conditions, as well as risks relating to the uncertainties with respect to the effects of COVID-19.

The National Environment Policy Act EIS process requires a comprehensive "alternatives assessment" be undertaken to consider a broad range of development alternatives, the final project design and operating parameters for the Pebble Project and associated infrastructure may vary significantly from that currently being advanced. As a result, the Company will continue to consider various development options and no final project design has been selected at this time.

For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and its home jurisdiction filings that are available at www.sedar.com

SOURCE: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600681/Northern-Dynasty-Pebble-Partnership-Welcomes-White-House-Review-of-Southwest-Alaskas-Pebble-Project
A funeral service for a beloved husband, father and grandfather in rural Minnesota has turned into a coronavirus 'superspreader' event where 30 grieving family members contracted the virus.

Some 50 relatives and close family friends of 78-year-old Francis Perreault gathered at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Lake Park on July 12-13 to celebrate his life.

Yet despite wearing face masks and taking precautions, 30 attendees came down with COVID-19, including five who were hospitalized.

'We tried to do everything right, but of course when you're grieving, you let your guard down,' Stephanie Schindler, Perreault's daughter, told Minneapolis Star Tribune. 'One of my friends that got sick was wearing a mask the whole time. But of course when you're crying, you're going to be rubbing your face.'

Francis Perreault died last month aged 78 in rural Minnesota. A funeral for him resulted in 30 people falling ill with the coronavirus

Some 50 people gathered at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Lake Park on July 12-13 to celebrate Perreault's life

Schindler said several of those hospitalized have since been released. She said the positive tests have brought home the reality that COVID-19 is a threat even in places that are sparsely populated, including Becker County.

'I think in a rural area, you have to be aware that if you have people coming from out of state or even interstate  places different from your own home  you are going to share that space and the germs are gonna fly,' she said. 'I just have to caution people about  please be careful. Even in this rural area, there is still COVID.'

Perreault passed away on July 4 after battling Parkinson's disease and suffering multiple strokes. He and his wife of 56 years, Ann, raised a large family, including their four grown children, a dozen grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

His daughter Stephanie described her father as a wonderful and upstanding man.

So when it came time for his memorial service, dozens of relatives and loved ones accepted the invitation and arrived from all across Minnesota and even out of state to pay their final respects.

Perreualt's daughter Stephanie Schindler (center) said most people wore masks and took precautions during Mass, but let their guard down during coffee social

Schindler said the attendees acted responsibly during the service by wearing masks and keeping their distance from one another, but they became more lax afterward, as people cried, hugged and held hands.

Schindler's close friend Kathleen Keene, who traveled from Fargo, North Dakota, for the funeral, told Pioneer Press that people took off their masks and arranged chairs to sit together during a social gathering after the burial where coffee and doughnuts were served.

The first call about an attendee falling ill came just days later. More soon followed.

Perreault's widow, Ann (pictured together) was among the people who have contracted the coronavirus

Schindler herself said she was not feeling well, but initially she attributed her state to exhaustion caused by planning her father's funeral.

As her condition worsened, the married mom-of-two went to get tested for COVID-19 and was diagnosed with the virus, along with her mother, her husband and her eldest daughter.

But while their symptoms were mild, other funeral guests were less fortunate. Schindler said her sister-in-law, her brother, two aunts and an uncle were all hospitalized in different states.

Keene, Schindler's friend of 40 years from North Dakota, and her husband, Karl, both tested positive for the virus in Fargo.

For more than two weeks, Kathleen and Karl have been battling COVID-19, which has taken a heavy toll on both.

Schindler's long-time friend, Kathleen Keene, and her husband, Karl, have been battling COVID-19 for more than two weeks after contracting the virus at the funeral

'Take it seriously. It's real,' Keene wrote on Facebook last week. 'I do not wish this on anyone. This is the worst virus I've ever had. Yes, some people get it mildly. Not me. I have a fever everyday, chills, some nausea, loss of taste and smell, body aches, joint pain, headaches, extreme fatigue, diarrhea almost everyday, abdominal pain, no appetite, tingly feet and body, woozy at times, brain fog, stabby foot pain, chest pain, random stabby body pains, muscle pains, cough, congestion which led to pneumonia, red eyes, crying everyday, and just plain done with this.'

Keene said she has been largely in self-isolation since March and knew she was taking a chance when she decided to attend the funeral and embrace other guests during the coffee social, where she said restrictions 'fell apart.'

'I don't blame them,' she said of her fellow guests. 'I blame the blatant disregard for this pandemic, the egotistical, prideful, and conspiratorial minded folks who just can't seem to take this seriously.'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  Art in the Park co-founder Trickie Lopa hopes to discover new artists as the annual art fair in Salcedo Village, Makati City goes online due to the pandemic.

In an interview with CNN Philippines Rico Hizon on Friday, Lopa emphasized the virtual aspect of the art fair means more people will access the works of established and up-and-coming Filipino artists.

She added this years virtual Art in the Park will run for eight days, from its usual one day affair at the Jaime Velasquez Park, to give more exposure to new artists.

We felt we just have to do justice to all the hardwork everybody has put in, said Lopa.

As a way of encouraging wider reach in patronizing art, Lopa bared there will be live events in their social media pages during the art fairs run from August 10-17. These include a virtual tour of artist Richard Quebrals studio in Vigan, Ilocos Sur and live art workshops for kids spearheaded by Robert Alejandrino which can be a good alternative after-school activity.

Artist Dex Fernandez will also showcase Garapata Hatchery, a large-scale paper mural exclusive for the online fair.

The virtual Art in the Park will also be a fundraiser for the Museum Foundation of The Philippines in helping them raise awareness on the National Museum.

Art lovers can visit Art in the Parks website to view the participating art pieces starting next Monday.
People of color are a large part of the low-paid service sector workforce that keeps the U.S. economy functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic. But they often feel more at risk both from the virus and from economic impact of the crisis, according to a new poll from UC Berkeleys Institute for Governmental Studies. Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Charles Oki

More than three of every four Californians say that the COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to their health and their finances, but the risks are felt far more acutely by people of color, according to a new poll from UC Berkeley's Institute for Governmental Studies (IGS).

In two reports issued this week, the Berkeley IGS Poll found some common ground in how Californians are experiencing the pandemic, but also stark divisions along political, class and racial and ethnic lines.

The most striking findings are in the disparities between white Californians and their Black, Latinx and Asian American counterparts. For example, two-thirds of Black and Latinx voters called the COVID-19 virus a major threat to their health, compared to just under half of whites. And among Latinx voters who predominantly speak Spanish, 84% called the virus is a major threat.

"There are two big drivers that can explain the way Californians are responding to the virus," said IGS co-Director Cristina Mora. "One is politicsthat's big. But even more important is the issue of race. What race you are is completely shaping your experience of the pandemicboth your sense of economic threat and your sense of it as a health threat."

The poll also found deep partisan issues on a range of strategic questions that have emerged during the effort to control the virus. Few support the full reopening of schools this fall, but most voters are split on the way forward. A large majority agrees that people should be required to wear masks in stores and offices, but Republicans are much more likely to reject such measures.

Among the key findings:

Californians at all income levels feel the health and economic threats from the pandemic, but those at the lower end of the scale feel them most acutely

A majority of registered voters surveyed56%say the coronavirus is posing a major threat to their own health or the health of their families. Only 9% of voters say it poses no risk. But the poll found respondents' sense of security was closely linked to their income.

Among those making less than $20,000 a year, 66% reported that the virus is a major threat to their health, compared to 45% who make over $200,000 per year. Those at higher incomes were more likely to regard the virus as a minor health threat.

Financially, 62% of voters earning under $20,000 a year call the pandemic a major threat; just 9% say it poses no threat. By comparison, only 24% of those making over $200,000 per year call the pandemic a major threat, while 28% of them say it poses no threat.

People of color feel the threat more sharply than other Californians

"The findings show the disproportionate burden that communities of color in California shoulder as they and their families face serious health threats," Mora said. "They, in large part, form the skeleton crews that keep the state's service sector economy going during the pandemic."

Among Latinx and Black poll respondents, 66% feel that the pandemic is a major threat to their health or that of their families, followed by 62% of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Among white voters, 48% called the pandemic a major threat, but they were more likely than others to call it a minor threat.

A similar pattern emerged on issues of economic risk. Among white respondents, 31% say the pandemic poses a major risk to themselves and their families; 22% say it poses no threat to income. Among Latinx respondents, 59% called it a major threatwith the number rising to 79% among those who speak primarily Spanish.

Forth-nine percent of Blacks respondents and 45% of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders shared that view.

Already, 45% of the Latinx respondentsand 72% of the Spanish speakerssay that the pandemic is posing a very serious problem in their ability to pay for food, medicine, housing and other basics. Just 14% of white respondents agree, along with just over a quarter of Black respondents and those who are Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Californians aren't sure how to move forward into the new school year

Only 14% of registered voters think schools should open as normal this fall. But the rest are deeply divided on the alternatives: 42% favor mixing online and in-person classes, while 39% say classes should be held only online.

But the partisan gap is dramatic: Just 2% of Democrats and 9% of independents would open schools as normal, compared with 44% of Republicans.

Opinion on policies and practical measures to combat the pandemic are split along partisan lines

Overall, 80% of Californians strongly favor requirements that people wear masks in enclosed public places such as offices and stores. Among Democrats, 95% favored the rule, along with 85% of those who express no party preference. But only 44% of Republicans strongly favor the policy.

A similar split emerged on the question of whether California reopened businesses too quickly after the pandemic's first surge. Eighty percent of Democrats and 64% who expressed no party preference say the re-opening happened too fast. Among Republicans, only 22% agreed, with 73% saying the reopening had to happen quickly because of economic damage being caused by the closures and restrictions.

More information: The reports were released by the Berkeley IGS Poll on Wednesday The reports were released by the Berkeley IGS Poll on Wednesday (Aug. 5) and Thursday (Aug. 6)
Towns and local regions face being locked down to protect the rest of the country from the spread of Covid-19.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said localised lockdowns may be introduced rather than a nationwide quarantine if the rate of infection continues to rise.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, Mr Martin said the Government had learned from the first lockdown and there would now be different types of responses to outbreaks.

Read More

He was speaking as health officials said there was cause for serious concern, with the reproduction rate of 1.8 meaning a person with Covid-19 is infecting almost two others on average.

Worrying new figures confirmed five deaths from Covid-19 and 69 new cases.

OBrien Fine Foods last night suspended all processing operations at its plant in Timahoe, Co Kildare, after 80 cases were confirmed. The company produce the well-known Brady Family Ham.

Allan Shine, chief executive officer of the Co Kildare Chamber of Commerce, told the Irish Independent last night: We are concerned if there is a lockdown in the region, the effect that will have on business and workers, on children going back to school.

"What if there is a local lockdown? No one wants to go back to phase one."

"Everyone is afraid of a local lockdown in Kildare, in Offaly and in Laois," Mr Shine said.

"It's a worrying time for all three counties."

The company stated that since the first cases of Covid 19 were identified in Ireland last February, it had operated with "an abundance of caution and safety," and a rigorous health and safety policy was implemented.

Expand Close Significant increases: Nphet modelling advisory group chair Professor Philip Nolan. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin / Facebook

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Whatsapp Significant increases: Nphet modelling advisory group chair Professor Philip Nolan. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

In a statement, it explained that just one isolated case was confirmed on May 15. But by August 5, 80 had been confirmed.

A total of 243 tests were completed, and a further 42 employees were due to have testing completed yesterday.

Meanwhile, the acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said yesterday: "Over the past 14 days, 226 cases have arisen in Kildare, Laois and Offaly. These represent almost half of all cases in Ireland over that time." He asked people in these areas remain vigilant.

He also warned of "cases of people working in restaurants and hotels, we have had a wide variety of family clusters and friends. Where the transmission happens can be difficult to pinpoint."

Dr Glynn said they had not been able to identify if people had been picking up the virus in businesses.

"Restaurants are where people come together. We've seen in other countries clustered associated with those settings."

On the issue of reopening pubs, Dr Glynn also said that anyone could "Google" and see "numerous places across the world where pubs led to clusters". This was part of the reason why the country didn't move to phase four, he said.

Nationally there have now been a total of 1,768 Covid-19-related deaths, and 26,372 confirmed cases.

The HSE is working to identify the contacts of all of the latest cases and provide them with information and advice to prevent the further spread of infection.

Dr Glynn said: "While the majority of these (latest) cases can be accounted for by outbreaks, this volume of cases is significant and our main priority now is to ensure that these outbreaks do not lead to widespread community transmission in the region.

"Nphet continues to monitor the situation closely. I urge people in these counties to remain vigilant to stop the further spread of Covid-19 in these areas."

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the Nphet Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said: "We have seen a significant increase in the incidence of Covid-19 over the past week. The reproduction number for the virus is now estimated to be 1.8. A reproduction number of almost two is a serious concern.

"Although we have not yet seen a significant increase in community transmission, there is a significant risk this could develop over the coming days and weeks, emphasising the need for each of us to be extremely cautious that we do not contribute to the transmission of the virus."

It came as the Taoiseach told the Irish Independent he will introduce "more nuanced responses" to a further rise in coronavirus cases, rather than force the entire country into lockdown.

"It doesn't have to be an overall sort of blanket shutdown again," Mr Martin said.

"Society is much better prepared now, construction sites are much better prepared and many places of work are much better prepared," he added.

Mr Martin said he was "not ruling out any regional response or localised responses" to addressing a further rise in cases.

He said the Government has learned from the first lockdown and there will now be "different types of responses to outbreaks".

Mr Martin said the health service has to develop "bespoke testing models" for vulnerable groups such as Traveller and Roma communities where there has been a high level of outbreaks.

The Taoiseach said the outbreaks in the Traveller community have been contained and some of them were caused by individuals arriving back from overseas.

He said one of the reasons for a spike in cases among people who live in direct provision is a concern that they will lose their jobs if they tell their employer they have symptoms.

"One of the issues with some of the vulnerable groups is around incomes and there's a sense anecdotally that they fear putting up their hands and saying they have symptoms because they could lose their jobs," he said.
Photograph: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

The National Rifle Association has for decades been one of the most powerful lobby groups in the US, fending off attempts to rein in gun laws through the strength of its millions of members.

Related: New York attorney general sues to shut down NRA, alleging 'brazen illegality'

But even as it tallied successes in recent years, cracks have emerged as members and powerful donors shared concerns about its spending, management and the widening gap between leadership and the rank-and-file.

New Yorks attorney general, Letitia James, gave ground to those concerns in a civil lawsuit filed on Thursday that alleges brazen illegality in the NRA and seeks to dissolve the organization.

The 168-page lawsuit outlines the workings of an organization in which, allegedly, dissent was not tolerated, spending was not disclosed or approved through the proper channels, and oversight was negligent.

The NRA announced it was counter-suing the attorney generals office on Thursday and said the lawsuit was a politicized attack on the organization.

You could have set your watch by it: the investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle, the NRA president, Carolyn Meadows, said in a statement. Its a transparent attempt to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda.

These are some of the key takeaways of the lawsuit:

NRA leader allegedly used gun lobby as his personal piggy bank

The lawsuit accused the NRAs leader of nearly 30 years, Wayne LaPierre, of extensive use of the organizations funds for personal travel, including flights in which his family or associates were on board but he was not.

From May 2015 to April 2019, the NRA incurred over $1m in private flight expenses when LaPierre was not a passenger. The complaint said the NRAs board did not authorize or consent to these expenses.

The New York attorney general, Letitia James, announces her legal bid to dissolve the NRA. Photograph: Justin Lane/EPA

The complaint details several of these private flights, including one which cost $15,000 to get his nieces husband from a convention for the hunting group the Safari Club in Las Vegas to Nebraska.

Story continues

LaPierre testified to the attorney generals office that his niece was working at the convention, so he flew her husband out to help with childcare, but then her husband had to return to Nebraska for work before the convention ended. [I]ts really almost very hard to get commercial flights back, LaPierre testified.

NRA would still pay LaPierre at least $1m a year after he left the organization, according to the complaint

If LaPierre lost a re-election bid or retired, he would be paid at least $1m a year, per a post-employment contract referenced in the lawsuit. There is no evidence this contract was reviewed or approved by the groups board or any other committee, nor is there evidence it was disclosed to membership, according to the complaint.

I didnt ask for this contract, LaPierre testified to the attorney generals office, saying extensions to the contract were prompted by a desire to retain rights over his name and likeness.

LaPierre continued: Its what was presented to me and I signed it and it never went into effect because I stayed on as EVP [executive vice-president].

The NRAs chief legal officer was allegedly underqualified

Four current and former members of the NRAs senior leadership are named as defendants in the lawsuit, including John Frazer, the groups general counsel.

The complaint alleges Frazer was unprepared to manage the legal and regulatory affairs of the NRA after working in private practice as a lawyer for only 18 months.

He first started at the NRA in 1993, became a licensed attorney in 2008 and then briefly left the organization to work as a lawyer before returning in 2015.

Frazer also served as the groups secretary, but has little apparent knowledge of the requirements of New York law governing not-for-profit corporations, according to the complaint.

He is accused of allowing the organization to secretly pay millions to several board members through consulting agreements that were not disclosed or approved by the board.

Senior leadership allegedly ignored oversight infrastructure

In allegations raging from conflict-of-interest contracts and expensed Christmas gifts, there is a pattern of senior NRA leadership, including LaPierre and Frazer, violating the organizations disclosure rules. The two other named defendants are the NRAs former treasurer and chief financial officer, Wilson Woody Phillips and the former chief of staff and executive director of general operations, Joshua Powell.

For instance, LaPierre and Phillips entered into post-employment agreements with departing officers and employees that provided excessive payments in exchange for little, if any, services and non-disclosure/non-disparagement agreements, the complaint said.

Powell secured contracts that benefited his family members without disclosure of his familial relationship. And Frazer permitted the NRA to secretly pay millions of dollars to several board members through consulting arrangements that were neither disclosed to, nor approved by, the NRA board.

Efforts to challenge LaPierre were allegedly quashed or ignored

Before the complaint was made public, reports of LaPierres tight grip on the organization were well known.

In April 2019, as the organization showed signs of strain, its president, Oliver North, announced, he would not seek re-election amid reports he was in a power struggle with LaPierre.

Related: NRA lawsuit: who are the four leaders accused of corruption?

The complaint appears to reference that battle, without naming North. It said: LaPierre withdrew his critical support after the president began to independently assess the governance of the NRA upon learning of complaints by whistleblowers, senior staff and donors.

The complaint also identifies an instance where senior members of the NRAs financial staff made a whistleblower complaint itemizing numerous practices that abused NRA assets.

Complaints about Powell, the former chief of staff, were also allegedly never investigated.
Missouri Democratic congressional candidate Cori Bush gives her victory speech at her campaign office in St. Louis, Miss., on Aug. 4, 2020. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Progressive Upstart Cori Bush at Least One Year Late Disclosing Her Personal Finances as Required by Federal Law, House Records Show

Cori Bush, the Justice Democrats-supported progressive activist that defeated 10-term Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr. in Tuesdays Democratic primary in Missouri, is at least a year late in disclosing her finances to the public as required by federal law, public records show.

Bush has yet to submit her personal financial disclosure to the House of Representatives for her 2020 campaign, according to the House Office of the Clerk, which maintains a database of financial disclosures of congressional candidates and members of Congress.

That hasnt stopped Bush from funneling over $25,000 from her campaign to her own pockets in the form of a salary with payments beginning in April, Federal Election Commission records show.

A candidates failure to file their financial disclosure form is technically a violation of the Ethics in Government Act, government affairs lobbyist Craig Holman of the liberal advocacy group Public Citizen told the Daily Caller News Foundation. However, the statute is rarely enforced unless the violation is egregious and deliberate, he added.

Candidates such as Bush that dont disclose their finances open themselves up to political liability, more so than legal liability, Holman said.

[T]he secrecy and legal infraction provides an opponent with plenty of fodder to attack the candidate during the campaign, Holman said.

Missouri Democratic congressional candidate Cori Bush gestures as she completes her ballot at Gambrinus Hall in St Louis, Miss., on Aug. 4, 2020. (Michael Thomas/Getty Images)

Bushs victory over Clay in Missouris solidly Democratic 1st District on Tuesday means shes all but certain to become the first black woman to represent the state in Congress. Shes a staunch progressive who supports the Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All, and defunding the police.

Candidates running for a seat in the House are required to file a financial disclosure after they raise or spend more than $5,000 in their campaign, according to the House Committee on Ethics. Bush passed that threshold by the end of June 2019, according to a report (pdf) her campaign submitted to the FEC.

But the House Office of the Clerk contains no financial disclosure filings from Bush for her 2020 campaign.

Bush did submit a financial disclosure report (pdf) for her first run for Congress during the 2018 midterms in which she lost by nearly 20 points to Clay. But candidates for federal office must submit a financial disclosure for each election cycle they participate in and raise or spend more than $5,000, Holman told the DCNF.

Bush also began paying herself a salary from her campaign beginning April 3. Shes received a (pdf) total of $25,285 from her campaign, FEC records show.

Missouri Democratic congressional candidate Cori Bush gives her victory speech at her campaign office in St. Louis, Miss., on Aug. 4, 2020. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Candidates for federal office are allowed to pull a salary from their campaigns, but without access to an up-to-date financial disclosure from Bush, its unclear whether the amount shes paying herself is within the bounds set by the FEC.

Candidates such as Bush may only pay themselves a salary up to what the candidate received as earned income in the previous year, according to the FEC.

Of the seven candidates to defeat incumbent members of Congress in the 2020 elections so far, Bush is the only one that has not submitted a financial disclosure to the House Office of the Clerk.

Democratic congressional nominees Jamaal Bowman of New York (pdf) and Marie Newman of Illinois (pdf) both have submitted financial disclosures for their 2020 campaigns, as have Republican congressional nominees Lauren Boebert of Colorado (pdf), Bob Good of Virginia (pdf), Randy Feenstra of Iowa (pdf), and Jake LaTurner of Kansas (pdf).

Bushs campaign did not return multiple requests for comment asking why she hasnt yet filed a financial disclosure for her 2020 campaign.

Bush was endorsed and supported by Justice Democrats, the outside group that was the driving force behind New York Rep. Ocasio-Cortezs shock victory over former Democratic New York Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018. Ocasio-Cortez served on the board of Justice Democrats in 2018 while it was simultaneously supporting her candidacy, the DCNF previously reported.

If you didnt know, now you know: the Squad is here to stay, and its growing, Justice Democrats Executive Director Alexandra Rojas told The New York Times following Bushs victory.

The so-called Squad of progressive freshman congresswomen includes Ocasio-Cortez and Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, each of whom have faced their own allegations of violating campaign finance laws.

By Andrew Kerr

From The Daily Caller News Foundation

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam speaking on the new national security law: EPA

The US has imposed sanctions on senior Hong Kong officials, including chief executive Carrie Lam, for their part in restricting democratic freedoms.

The sanctions come as part of Julys executive order signed by president Donald Trump to punish China for suppressing protests and political dissent in the territory.

A statement from the US Treasury Department named Ms Lam as being directly responsible for implementing Beijings policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes.

In addition to the chief executive, sanctions also target police commissioner Chris Tang and his predecessor Stephen Lo, as well as secretary of security John Lee Ka-chiu, and justice secretary Teresa Cheng.

The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy, says Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin.

More to follow...
Inside Hook

According to a new Gallup poll, an astonishing number of Americans would refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine, whenever it may arrive. A July 20 to Aug. 2 tracking survey revealed that 35 percent of the country has no intention of being vaccinated for the deadly virus, even if it comes FDA-approved and available to them at no cost.

For public health officials already sick of having to convince Americans  particularly Republicans  to wear face coverings, this data suggests that the real battle has only just begun. While 81 percent of Democrats said that they would agree to be vaccinated, only 47 percent of Republicans voted Yes. Independents came in at 59 percent. Its a baffling twist; back in December 2019, before most people had ever heard of COVID-19, a commanding 84 percent of Americans had voted in another Gallup poll, agreeing: Its extremely or very important that parents get their children vaccinated. Somehow, a once-in-a-century pandemic thats killed 712K people (as of August 7, 2020) has generated an army of anti-vaxxers across the country.
The New York Times

The Trump administration announced sweeping restrictions on two popular Chinese social media networks, TikTok and WeChat, a sharp escalation of its confrontation with China that is likely to be met with retaliation.

The twin executive orders, released late Thursday night and taking effect in 45 days, cited national security concerns. The orders will bar any transactions with WeChat or TikTok by any person or involving any property subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The order would exclude any contract entered into before the 45 days elapse, opening up a possible reprieve for TikTok, which is in talks to be acquired by Microsoft.

Tensions between the United States and China have already escalated to levels not seen in decades, over rifts in geopolitics, technology, and trade. The restrictions would also represent a further Balkanisation of the global internet, as nations continue to cut off foreign technology companies from each others markets.

In the announcement, President Donald Trump accused WeChat, made by Tencent, and TikTok, made by ByteDance, of providing a channel for the Chinese Communist Party to obtain Americans proprietary information, keep tabs on Chinese citizens abroad and carry out disinformation campaigns to benefit Chinas interest.

(Also read: Microsoft TikTok deal: From security concerns to what the deal means, everything you need to now)

The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the Peoples Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, the president wrote.

Much remains unclear about the scope of the ban, including precisely which transactions would be severed. But it appears to have even more severe consequences for WeChat than for TikTok, which is already in talks with an American suitor. WeChat is used widely around the world, particularly by people of Chinese descent, to communicate with friends and loved ones, read news and even carry out business transactions.

TikTok and Tencent did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A press officer for Microsoft declined to comment.

The order comes in the middle of talks between TikTok and at least three other American companies, including Microsoft, regarding a potential acquisition of TikToks business. Last week, Microsoft said it planned to pursue the negotiations for a purchase of TikToks service in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and would do so by Sept. 15.

The threat of an outright ban on transactions is a serious blow for ByteDance and Zhang Yiming, the companys chief executive, whose goal for years has been to connect the world through his various consumer apps. Nicknamed the app factory in China, ByteDance is home to more than 20 apps, including personal financial apps and productivity programs.

But TikTok has far and away been the crown jewel of ByteDances portfolio. Used by more than 800 million people globally, TikTok grew popular for its short, catchy videos that spread quickly and virally over social media channels. Zhang took great steps to allow TikToks presence in some of the worlds most important consumer markets, like storing user data on servers in Virginia and Singapore, and hiring heads of business in the United States.

[Ana Swanson and Mike Isaac] c.2020 The New York Times Company
At the meeting (Photo: VNA)

He made the statement during a meeting held on August 6 in which the Foreign Ministry contributed ideas to the draft documents of the 13th National Party Congress.



During the meeting, delegates put forth enthusiastic and intellectual contributions to the draft documents, focusing on the forecast of situations and targets, and tasks for the countrys foreign affairs in the years to come.

Delegates agreed that the world and regional situation had been changing very quickly with increasing complexity and unpredictability in the coming time, especially with the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

They gave assessments on the international and regional environmental situation, major trends, the world economy, the impact of science and technology development, especially the fourth industrial revolution, international relations, globalization trends, traditional and non-traditional security issues, as well as opportunities and challenges for Vietnam.

The opinions presented at the meeting agreed that, along with defense and security, foreign affairs was an important and regular task. Accordingly, the foreign affairs sector should continue to promote its pioneering role in consolidating a peaceful, stable and favorable environment for the cause of national construction and defense.

The meeting also exchanged specific contents in promoting bilateral relations, promoting and enhancing multilateral foreign relations and deep international integration.

In order to successfully and effectively implement foreign affairs missions, many delegates said that it was necessary to build a comprehensive, modern, creative, dynamic and adaptable diplomacy that suited the new developments of the regional and international situation.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh emphasized the importance of receiving contributions to the draft documents of the 13th National Party Congress to gather intellectuals of the former leaders of the Party and State, leaders and former leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries, departments, experts, officials and Party members in building Party guidelines, including those in foreign affairs./.
YORK  The number of new initial unemployment claims being filed by York County workers is now in decline  after an earlier upward swing  and seems to be continuing to even out.

Initial (new) claims are filed by individuals to request a determination of eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. The department of labor processes initial unemployment insurance claims and if an individual meets eligibility criteria, benefits are paid for each week of continued unemployment. Weekly certifications are required in order to claim continued weeks of unemployment and receive payment.

York Countys number of new initial claims last week was 361, which was the 23rd highest of the 93 counties in the state.

Seward Countys number was 22nd highest, with 412 new initial claims being filed.

Hamilton Countys initial claims ranked 28th highest, as there were 238 filed.

There were 90 filed last week in Fillmore County, putting that county at 53rd highest.

And there were 85 filed in Polk County, bringing that county at 57th highest.

Regarding the state, according to the Nebraska Department of Labor, there were 2,839 new regular unemployment claims filed last week, which was a decrease of 19.8 percent over the prior week, when there were 3,543 claims filed. Last weeks count (for the state) was the lowest since the week ending March 14. The highest number of new claims filed during the pandemic was 26,539, during the week ending April 4.

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The bipartisan House Ethics Committee has ordered Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan to repay her campaign $10,800 for salary she drew from it when she was no longer actively running for Congress.

But the committee did not admonish the first term lawmaker and 'squad' member, noting that it is within existing rules for a candidate to draw a salary from their campaign under certain conditions.

It found a 'portion' of the salary she took after her 2018 election win were 'inconsistent' with the requirements of federal elections law. But it said her errors were of 'bad timing and not ill intent,' and that she had made 'good faith' efforts to comply with the law's requirements.

The House Ethics Committee has ordered Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan to repay her campaign $10,800 for salary she took after she won her 2018 election

An appendix included with the finding shows Tlaib's correspondence with her staff as well as a lawyer to determine the propriety of taking a salary, amid apparently urgent needs after she left her job with a public interest law firm to campaign full-time.

'The Committee did not find that she sought to unjustly enrich herself by receiving the campaign funds at issue,' the committee wrote. In fact, she took less than an upper threshold would have allowed.

'However, because she received some of those funds, totaling $10,800, for time periods in which she was no longer a congressional candidate, those funds were inconsistent with FECAs personal use restrictions,' the committee found. The committee plans to take no further action.

Tlaib must pay back the funds, but the committee plans to take no further action

The House Ethics Committee issued a report Friday on Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)

'I am just not going to make it through the campaign without a stipend,' Tlaib wrote aides in Aril 2018

She consulted a campaign finance attorney who told her taking a salary was legally allowed

The shared issues paying rent and mortgage due

The report lists salary payments Rep. Tlaib received

'Rep. Tlaib hopes the Federal Election Commission will issue updated guidance clarifying the regulations regarding candidate salaries to allow more working-class candidates to run for Congress," her office said in a statement.

The news comes three days after Tlaib, an ally of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)., handily defeated Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones in her primary.

Candidates can only take the payments up until the election, not after.

The committee spent months reviewing whether the funds were committed for 'personal views,' which is not allowable.

Tlaib wrote her top aides in April 2018 telling them she was 'not going to make it through the campaign without a stipend.' She testified that she was in debt and needed money for rent and child care.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib reacts after voting on two articles of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 18, 2019

Tlaib received payments until December 2018 before taking office on January 3, 2019. As part of 'The Squad' she has been a leading voice in calling for Trump to be impeached, in part because of alleged corruption

The House Ethics Committee began investigating Rashida Tlaib for possible breach of finance rules and federal crimes in August, and extended the probe Thursday saying there is 'substantial reason to believe' she violated rules and possibly committed a crime

Her campaign consulted a lawyer, who told her the payments were legal. But a top staffer told her it would have to 'just accept that it may become a political issue.

At one point she considered renting out her home and going back to work a second job with the law firm that gave her a leave of absence. But top aides Steve Tobocman Anthony Gooddeeris warned it would limit her time for campaigning.

Aides commenced discussions after her primary whether she could continue to take the salary, and at what rate, but it stayed at $4,000 per month. An aide cited the 'potential for political attacks' as the reason she didn't get an increase.

A staffer issued her a $2,000 payment on Nov. 16, 2018, ten days after her election.

'I am struggling financially right now. Fayez doesn't pay child support,' Tlaib wrote in an April 4 email to top aides raising the issue of a salary. She added: 'I am sinking.'

She added: 'I budgeted myself, but I think I underestimated having to handle rent and mortgage.' She said she 'didn't want to risk the attacks by proceeding without clearance.'

'So I was thinking the campaign could loan me money, but Ryan said that the committee could actually pay me,' she said in her proposal.

She wrote April 27: 'I am just not going to make it through the campaign without a stipend.'
Philip Shaibu, Adams Oshiomhole

Comrade Philip Shaibu, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip has indicted the former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole of convincing him to join in the move to impeach the present governor, Obaseki.

Speaking to newsmen on Thursday August 6, Shaibu said he begged Oshiomhole to let go of any grievance he had against Obaseki because the governor was doing well for the people of Edo state, but it all fell on deaf ears.

He added that after Oshiomhole declared war on Obaseki, he promised the former governor that he will stand with his successor come what may. Shaibu further alleged that the ploy was to remove Governor Obaseki for him to take over, but he refused because it was not in his will nor nature to betray.

The deputy governor who said he will fight to the very last to ensure that Obaseki is defended the same way he defended Oshiomhole when there were plots against him in Edo State, added that he will not stand for the form of oppression which Oshiomhole is championing.

Shaibu went on to challenge Oshiomhole to come and test his popularity when the votes are to be cast.
New Delhi:

Large number of AIADMK supporters thronged Apollo Hospitals following information that ailing Chief Minister and party supremo Jayalaithaa suffered a cardiac arrest after days of showing improvement.

Heavy police deployment has been made in and around the hospital where 68-year-old Jayalalithaa has been undergoing treatment since September 22. As news about the setback in Jayalalithaa's health spread, AIADMK workers, including a large number of women, started gathering at the hospital.

Also Read: Live updates | Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa still in ICU but out of danger, says JP Nadda





Supporters outside Apollo hospital in Chennai break down as they hear about TN CM Jayalalithaa's cardiac arrest this evening. (Image: ANI) Supporters gather outside Apollo Hospital in Chennai, where CM Jayalalithaa is admitted, praying for her speedy recovery. (Image: ANI) Barricading, Police deployment as huge crowd gathers outside Apollo hospital where Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa is admitted. (Image: ANI) Supporters offer special prayers for speedy recovery of TN CM Jayalalithaa at Dharavi's Shakthi Vinayakam temple. (Image: ANI) Barricading, Police deployment as huge crowd gathers outside Apollo hospital where Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa is admitted. (Image: ANI) Security increased in Coimbatore in view of CM Jayalalithaa's health condition, as she suffered cardiac arrest, last evening. (Image: ANI)

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Over the past couple of months, our world has come to a pause. But while we stayed in, there were those that stepped up to the front-line to protect us. But with the rains, theres a whole new risk that they are exposed to. As heavy rainfall is often followed by a dry bout which is the breeding ground for mosquitoes that cause dengue and malaria.

Our front-line heroes are out there every day protecting us, so on Rakshabandhan, Goodknight, Indias leading mosquito repellent brand took on an initiative to protect them.

Conceptualized by Digitas India, Rakshak Ki Rakhi is a special rakhi made with Goodknight Patches that offer active protection from mosquitoes. Made by kids, this was a promise of protection for our heroes as they went about their day. The entire activity was conducted keeping the current safety norms and rules in place.

Commenting about the initiative, Mark Mcdonald, Executive Vice President and Head of Creative, Digitas India says, Our front-line heroes have been out there protecting us day in and day out. When we realized the added risks the monsoon poses to them, in the form of mosquito-borne diseases, we wanted to do our part to protect them. That was the genesis of the idea and the Rakhi  one of the most powerful symbols of protection  was the perfect way to do it. Its a lovely initiative thats true to brand GoodKnights ethos, and uses the product in a unique way. Needless to say, its extremely gratifying to play a small part in protecting the heroes whore out there protecting us.

Speaking about the initiative, Sunil Kataria, CEO  India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), said, We salute the unwavering spirit of the front-line workers to serve the country during these testing times. As these warriors ensure people are protected and cared for, we thought of doing our bit by protecting them from mosquitoes. We did this on Raksha Bandhan, an annual ceremony symbolizing the bond of protection, and effectively used Goodknight mosquito repellent patches. We reached out to doctors, policemen, and healthcare workers with a one-of-a-kind Rakshak Ki Rakhi featuring Goodknight patches along with a special message extending our appreciation and gratitude.

The ad has been launched on several social channels and has been well appreciated across various quarters.
Those conclusions were included in a statement released by William R. Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.

But officials briefed on the intelligence said that Russia was the far graver, and more immediate, threat. While China seeks to gain influence in American politics, its leaders have not yet decided to wade directly into the presidential contest, however much they may dislike Mr. Trump, the officials said.

The assessment by Mr. Evanina suggested the intelligence community was treading carefully, reflecting the political heat generated by previous findings: The White House has objected to conclusions that Moscow is working to help Mr. Trump, and Democrats on Capitol Hill have expressed concern that the intelligence agencies are not being forthright enough about Russias preference for him and that the agencies are introducing Chinas anti-Trump stance to balance the scales.

Democrats see the interference campaign run by Russia as a far more direct and urgent threat.

The fact that adversaries like China or Iran dont like an American presidents policies is normal fare. Whats abnormal, disturbing and dangerous is that an adversary like Russia is actively trying to get a Trump re-elected, said Jeremy Bash, a former Obama administration official.

Russia tried to use influence campaigns during the 2018 midterm voting to try and sway public opinion, but did not successfully tamper with voting infrastructure.
A 5-year-old bull terrier was hailed a hero after being shot by gunmen as it bravely protected its family from a robbery in West Philadelphia.

Billy was on a walk with his owner, Felipe Sinisterra, and his partner, Natalia Gomez, during the wee hours of Jan. 14 near his home when the three were confronted by two armed men, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

(Illustration  Georgy Dzyura/Shutterstock)

Twenty-five-year-old Sinisterra had just completed his shift that night at Royal Izakaya, a sushi special restaurant in Queen Village, when he was caught in the midst of an unforeseen situation. The owner handed over his phone to the two men; however, an alert Billy sniffed something was wrong and that his owners were in a potentially dangerous situation and thus started to bark at the two men.

He was trying to protect us, Sinisterra said. However, the gunmen opened fire and shot Billy in the chest and fled from the spot in a white Honda.

The loyal pet, which had been gifted to Sinisterra for his 20th birthday by his grandma, was immediately rushed to Ryan Hospital, where emergency staff did everything to resuscitate and stabilize him. The poor canine who gave his whole to protect his owners had lost nearly 33 percent of his blood and was in the intensive care unit.

The bullet that hit Billy had unfortunately torn his heart, left lung, diaphragm, liver, stomach, and spleen before ripping out through his left side. However, the surgeons did everything possible to save him. The brave dog then spent nearly three weeks in intensive care and underwent two major surgeries in which he, unfortunately, lost most of his organs. However, the miracle dog survived.

A dedicated team of 30 people along with his loving owner cared for him and were right by his side during his hospital stay, offering him treats.

It wasnt one person who saved this dogs life, said Lillian Aronson, a professor of surgery with Penns vet school, and also one of the surgeons to save the loving dogs life. It really was a team.

In early February, Billy was doing a lot better and started to thrive as he went back home to be with his family.

He is part of the family and the team did such a great job, Sinisterra told WPVI-TV. I have the opportunity of more time with him and he is a lot better. He is almost completely recovered, he has his energy back.

However, the family had to bear the insurmountable costs of the surgery. Thus, they set up a GoFundMe page to aid in raising money for his mounting medical bills. Sinisterra said that he was grateful to all those who helped in supporting his canine with his second chance at life.

Additionally, the loyal dog also received support from Penn Vets charitable care fund, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

For Sinisterra to have Billy back in his life is a big thing. Its immeasurableto have my best friend back, he said.

I belong to him, Sinisterra further added. He rescued me.

We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.ny
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Eddie Cochran sang about the Summertime Blues in 1958, a song many Democrats are singing loudly this summer. President Trump has deftly maneuvered Democrats into several untenable positions ahead of the November election.

Democrats now support urban destruction, domestic terrorism, hating America, defunding law enforcement, closing schools, and a full-on endorsement of the Sanders/AOC Marxist agenda. If Democrats truly wanted a Bernie revolution, he would be their nominee, rather than Joe Biden.

I wonder if Trump planned it this way, branding Sanders as Crazy Bernie, goading the DNC into nominating a supposedly more moderate Biden. Better corrupt, incompetent, and demented than crazy must have been the DNC reasoning, but now they are left with a big steaming mess and few options to clean it up.

YouTube screen grab

Polls are breaking Trumps way. I dont mean the litany of polls showing a double-digit lead for Biden, just as they did for Hillary Clinton four years ago, oversampling Democrats and polling whoever answers the phone rather than likely voters.

The Democracy Institute/Sunday Express poll is the first big media poll to show Trump with a lead over Biden, by 48 to 46 percent. More importantly they note,

Crucially, President Trump has a lead of 48 percent to 43 percent in the swing states Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin which would put him back in the White House with an electoral college tally of 309 to Bidens 229.

What happened to those polls predicting another Democrat landslide electoral victory? Where are these Trump supporters coming from? Watch any cable or network news show or read any major American newspaper and receive a barrage of negative news about President Trump.

The media has lost any pretense of objectivity, now in full campaign mode. They are not necessarily pro-Biden, but they are certainly anti-Trump. Voters feel differently. Gallup notes an eight-point difference, favoring Republicans, in voters being more enthusiastic than usual about voting.

Another poll of interest is the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll. As a reminder, Rasmussen was the most accurate poll predicting the 2016 election results. In their daily tracking poll, Trump topped 50 percent total approval this week, and on the most recent day, August 5, Trump polled two points ahead of Obama, 48 to 46 percent, exactly eight years ago at comparable points in their respective presidencies.

Lastly Axios reported, The Trump campaign and RNC have now registered 100,000 new voters in the 2020 cycle, more than doubling their numbers from 2016. More voters and more enthusiasm mean more Trump support.

Debates are the other cause for Democrat dyspepsia. Democrats are understandably and appropriately concerned about Joe Biden on a debate stage, for an hour or two, under the lights and the gaze of the entire world. Poor Joe has trouble reading prepared answers off a cue card or teleprompter during friendly interviews. How will he handle a live debate?

The New York Times, official campaign newspaper for the DNC, suggested this novel idea, Lets scrap the presidential debates. Debates are not new. Lincoln and Douglas debated seven times in 1858, although this was during a Senate race. The first presidential debates were in 1960, between Kennedy and Nixon. Despite Nixons firmer grasp on the issues, he appeared haggard on camera and Kennedy was felt to be the winner.

The N.Y. Times may be biased but they are not stupid, and they recognize how a bumbling and incoherent Biden will appear in contrast to a confident and competent Trump. Former Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart agrees, recommending that Biden skip the debates supposedly because of Trumps track record of lying. Thats rich coming from the press secretary of Slick Willie, whose most famous lie, I did not have sexual relations with that woman is remembered to this day.

CNNs resident clown Brian Stelter claims, Right-wing media behind push for Biden not to debate Trump. Logically his assertion is laughable. Why would anyone favoring Trump, media or otherwise, not be willing to pay money to watch a Trump-Biden debate?

Does Stelter not watch Trumps press briefings or chopper pressers before he hops on Marine One, where Trump deftly answers any and all questions, about a wide variety of topics, without preparation or notes, from an overtly hostile press?

Perhaps Stelter is referring to the constantly whining Bill Kristol, whom Stelter believes is right wing but is actually a born again liberal. Kristol tweeted, So I guess the fairest thing might be to skip the debates this year. Good advice from someone calling himself a conservative whose life mission is to defeat Trump in favor of allowing BLM Marxists to run the country.

With a significant chunk of the undecided electorate watching the debates, skipping them is Bidens only hope of keeping his rapidly deteriorating mental status hidden, especially since the media has no interest in discussing Bidens cognitive difficulties.

How ironic that the same media gave wide coverage to a gaggle of psychiatrists and psychologists who, despite having never examined Trump, called for removing Trump from office due to, "serious mental illness that renders him psychologically incapable of competently discharging the duties of President of the United States."

In comparison, Dementia Joe doesnt even know if he received cognitive testing. Last month he said he is tested all the time and now he says, No, I havent taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test?

Biden also lashed out at the black reporter who asked about the cognitive test, displaying his racism in a moment of anger. He shamed the reporter, Are you a junkie?. In Bidens mind, any black who pisses him off must be a drug addict. Wheres BLM on this? Imagine the reaction if Trump said this?

Let Trump and Biden debate, the more debates the merrier. Democrats will scramble to make excuses for Biden and rationalize cancelling any debates. They will soon be singing along with Eddie Cochran,

Sometimes I wonder What I'm a-gonna do But there ain't no cure For the summertime blues

The cure is massive Trump victory in November.

Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a Denver-based physician and freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in American Thinker, Daily Caller, Rasmussen Reports, and other publications. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Parler, and QuodVerum.
Bright, crisp, and lightly effervescent, this young wine from Basque Country is made for summer sipping

I saw at a window table at Asador Cannon, a hilltop restaurant overlooking the Bay of Biscay in Basque Country, the autonomous region in the northeastern corner of Spain. Along with the sweeping view of the sea, I enjoyed that perfect trio of exceptional company, food, and drink. I chatted with my guide over a plate of grilled octopus and the seafood special of the dayfresh monkfishas I sipped my way to the bottom of a bottle of a wine style Id never heard of: txakoli.

Pronounced CHOCK-oh-lee (the Basque tx is like the ch in church), but also called txakolina, this dry white wine with high acidity and light effervescence is served cold and youngnever more than a year old. The alcohol level ranges from 911.5 percent, making it light for a good summer drink.

But until the arrival of the new millennium, txakoli remained obscure outside of the Basque lands, and had been something perhaps only grandparents remembered making for the family: an unpretentious, homegrown drink that was never kept long enough to age.

A Basque Native

The grapes used to produce txakoli are native to Basque Country: hondarrabi zuri for the white, and hondarrabi beltza for the far less common red. (A rose txakoli is gaining popularity as an export to the United States.)

Hondarrabi zuri, a native Basque grape variety used to make white txakoli. (Alberto Loyo/Shutterstock)

The vineyards thrive in the hilly coastal environment, which brings more rainfall than any other wine region in Spain, and stabilizes temperatures to protect grapes from spring frosts and withering summer heat. Planting the vines along the southern and eastern faces of those hills additionally guards from cold winter winds.

That said, this wine is a survivor: The 19th-century phylloxera plague that devastated the French wine industry nearly took out hondarribi grapes as well.

While txakoli may be served in wine glasses at a nice restaurant, the bartenders at more casual bars, where you might order pintxos (the Basque version of tapas), often pour it into tumblers and make a show of it. In the same manner as they dispense regional cider, the servers hold the bottles from the bottom and tip it forward, sending a stream down from aboveideally, into your glassto aerate it a bit and activate that mild carbonation.

Txakoli is typically poured from a heightideally, into your glassto aerate it a bit and activate that mild carbonation. (Alvaro German Vilela/Shutterstock)

A Rising Star

The oldest document that we have about our family producing wine is from 1649. Since then, we have been dedicated to this, said 30-something Mikel Txueka (pronounced choo-ay-kah) of the winery Txomin Etxaniz (cho-meen ech-ah-neez), situated in the fishing village Getaria, just west of San Sebastian. He grew up speaking Basque, and as a child worked his way around the winery, which began commercial production in 1930. Today, 13 of the 20 employees are family.

(Left) The Txueka-Etxaniz family runs the Txomin Etxaniz winery, a leading producer of txakoli, in Getaria. (Courtesy of Txomin Etxaniz)

Txueka leads a wine experience that includes a tour of the winery and tastings. They have worked hard to increase production in the last few years, but now, he said, we have to work to show people the value of this wine, to educate. His family created the Getariako Txakolina Denomination of Origin in 1989 with other small wineries.

Today, txakoli enjoys three Denominations of Origin: Getariako Txakolina, in the region around San Sebastian; Bizkaiko Txakolina, Bilbaos province, with around 36 wineries; and Txakoli de Alava, produced in the tiny province over the mountains to the south of Bilbao, stepping into Rioja territory, the only region of the three that doesnt touch the sea.

In the last 20 years, the number of people who know about txakoli has grown a lot, Txueka said. In total, the wineries of Getaria produce 4 million bottles of DO Getariako Txakolina annually, with his family winery contributing more than half a million of those in six styles: the typical white, a rose, two sparkling varieties, a sweet wine, and an acacia-aged white. In recent years, the market has been calling for a light wine, and, as they say, knowledge is increasing.

Pairing Tips

The Basque area is world-famous for its food, said Txueka. Its true: Basque Country has nearly 40 Michelin-starred restaurants. Of utmost importance here is the meal, and then also the wine that you are going to pair with it.

Txakoli goes particularly well with seafood or a plate of pan-blistered padron peppers (shishito peppers are of the same cultivar), but also pairs nicely with tapaser, pintxos, such as the Gilda: an olive, an anchovy, and a couple of pickled guindilla peppers skewered on a toothpick.

Txakoli goes particularly well with seafood, a plate of pan-blistered padron peppers, or pintxos such as the Gilda: an olive, an anchovy, and a couple of pickled guindilla peppers skewered on a toothpick. (Andrew Riverside/Shutterstock)

Stateside you might find txakoli in Spanish restaurants and tapas bars, and some wine shops. Online ordering is always an option, but if you order from a vendor overseas, beware that the shipping cost is not for the casual sipper.

And the high pour? Txueka suggests you keep it no higher than eight inches, to avoid actually losing that effervescence you want to stir up.

Bottles to Try

Here are a few recommendations Ive been able to find stateside, something to get you started in your quest for Basque wine:

As mentioned, Txomin Etxaniz has a long tradition and their txakoli is one of the most popular, with a refreshing lime-citrus acidity.

(Above) Txomin Etxanizs txakoli lineup. (Courtesy of Txomin Etxaniz)

Artomana Xarmant Txakolina is light and mildly effervescent, with a tangy fruit zest that pairs well with shellfish.

Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina pours a pale white, greenish hue, and touches the palate dry. It has a flavor profile that suggests green apples and perhaps a hint of mint.

Kevin Revolinski is an avid traveler and the author of 15 books, including The Yogurt Man Cometh: Tales of an American Teacher in Turkey and several outdoor and brewery guidebooks. He is based in Madison, Wis., and his website is TheMadTraveler.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 7, 2020) - Provenance Gold Corp. (CSE: PAU) (FSE: 3PG) (the "Company") announces that it has closed its financing with a lead order from Palisades Goldcorp and has initiated a geological mapping and sampling program at its White Rock gold property in Elko County, Nevada. The Company is planning a drilling program to confirm the historical results and gold controls at White Rock. Drilling is expected to include close spaced and new step out drilling in order to quickly develop Provenance's understanding of the property. The Company hopes to begin drilling as early as October.

The Company recently acquired the White Rock gold property from Ely Gold Royalties, Inc. The property shows strong potential to contain a major gold system based on past historic drilling results The Company believes the White Rock property hosts a large shallow gold system (1700m by 2400m) based on extensive rock and soil assays and 62 widely scattered drill holes that intersected thick zones of shallow gold mineralization. Modeling of the drill information and surface sampling find that the thick zones of gold mineralization are within a coherent gold system that is controlled by both geological structures and host rock lithology. Because of the large size of the mineral system, the past exploration drilling only spot-tested the structures with distances between mineralized holes ranging from 66 meters (200 feet) to about 290 meters (900 feet).

The Company is pleased to report the closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement of 4,443,444 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.09 per Unit for gross proceeds of $399,910. The placement received a lead order from Palisades Goldcorp Ltd., a strategic institutional investor. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Issuer and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant") with each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share (each, a "Warrant Share") of the Issuer at a price of $0.15 per Warrant Share until August 6, 2025.

The Company will also issue 1,000,000 common shares to an arms-length third-party in consideration for certain consulting obligations and work associated with the Company's land acquisitions and option agreements in Nevada.

All securities to be issued in connection with the private placement, as well as the 1,000,000 common shares issuable in payment of consulting obligations, are subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws. No finder's fees or commissions were payable in connection with completion of the private placement.

Proceeds of the private placement are expected to go towards permitting, geological reports and site assessments at the White Rock gold property in an effort to plan and then implement drilling programs.

Rauno Perttu, CEO of Provenance stated "I believe Provenance now controls a large undeveloped gold system at White Rock. The proceeds of our Private Placement will allow us to initiate a significant drilling program in an effort towards further development of the White Rock property. This funding will also help advance work towards our first round of drilling at the Company's Silver Bow property in Nye County, Nevada. Provenance hopes to initiate this drill program as early as September".

Rauno Perttu, P. Geo., a Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101), and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this News Release.

About Palisades Goldcorp

Palisades Goldcorp is Canada's new resource focused merchant bank. Palisades' management team has a demonstrated track record of making money and is backed by many of the industry's most notable financiers. With junior resource equities valued at generational lows, management believes the sector is on the cusp of a major bull market move. Palisades is positioning itself with significant stakes in undervalued companies and assets with the goal of generating superior returns.

On behalf of the Board,

Provenance Gold Corp.

Rauno Perttu, Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact rclark@provenancegold.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange, nor its regulation services provider, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to proposed activities at the White Rock gold project, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61271
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch Friday for heavy rainfall thats expected to build up over throughout the day and evening as storms build up overhead.

Showers and thunderstorms are possible through late Friday night across the midstate. Showers are likely throughout the day and the chance of storms grows more likely as the day wears on, according to the NWS. The chance of storms extends through early Saturday.

Any one of these storms could produce heavy rainfall that leads to flooding in low-lying areas, the NWS said in the flood watch. Sensitive areas or those which already received a lot of rain over the last few days are most susceptible, forecasters said.

The NWS put the following counties under watch: Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northern Lycoming, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Southern Centre, Southern Clinton, Southern Lycoming, Sullivan, Union and York.

Parts of central Pennsylvania received anywhere from one-and-a-half to nearly six inches of rain when Tropical Storm Isaias moved up the East Coast earlier this week. Local creeks like the Swatara and Conestoga didnt overflow as expected, but each came close.

Conestoga is predicted to reach near five feet later Friday, which isnt anywhere near flood levels, according to NWS meteorologist Rachel Gutierrez. Swatara Creek is also not expected to flood with a crest level near three feet.

There is still a risk of flash flooding on local roads and residential areas, Gutierrez said.

The American Red Cross suggests staying away from floodwaters higher than your ankles. Drivers caught on flooded roads should get out of their cars and move to higher ground, the Red Cross said. They also recommend keeping children and pets away from the water.
Online supporters of Saudi Arabia's government are fierce critics of those they see as opponents of state policies

Online armies of self-styled Saudi patriots riding a wave of state-led nationalism attack critics and what they call "traitors" of the kingdombut their growing clout has left the government uneasy.

Their rise has coincided with the ascent of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has overseen Saudi Arabia's shift from austere religion towards hyper-nationalism as he pursues an ambitious transformation of the petro-state.

Trolls distorting political discourse are common in many countries, but Saudi Arabia's so-called cyber "flies"feisty defenders of state policy who often choose pictures of Saudi rulers as their avatar imageare an increasingly powerful force.

Their posts frequently tag Saudi security agencies, and their collective roar often leads to detentions, sackings and harassment.

These "phantom accounts" were long thought to be linked to the government, arising as part of a policy driven by former royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani.

Qahtani, sacked over the October 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, earned nicknames such as "Mr Hashtag" and "lord of the flies" for managing an electronic army to defend the kingdom.

But a rare debate on state television in June sought to distance them from the government.

"How dangerous are these accounts that use pictures of state symbols and deploy threats as if they are supported by the government?" asked a host on Ekhbariya television.

"They give the impression that they are a parallel government or even stronger than the government," replied Saudi academic Salih al-Asimi.

These accounts "gave themselves the right" to dig up dirt on those displaying insufficient patriotism, including excavating their old tweets as ammunition to attack them, Asimi said.

'Ultimate authority'

The debate, echoed by other pro-government media, was widely seen as a warning to nationalists to fall in line.

"These phantom accounts have proved to be valuable to Saudi Arabia's leadership," Annas Shaker, a Washington-based Saudi expert, told AFP.

"But as they become ever more powerful, the government wants to assert control and show that they are the ultimate authority."

However, the fact that Asimi himself got attacked online after the debate underscores the challenge of reining them in.

"What do they want us to dostop defending the nation?" one nationalist fumed on Twitter.

Many others, including a royal prince, sprang to their defence, using the hashtag "nationalist accounts are the nation's shield".

The accounts, which gained prominence in parallel with official crackdowns to smother dissent, evoke widespread fear.

Shaker recounted how they went after Huda al-Humood, a Saudi woman hired to lead an education ministry program in 2017, in a rare appointment.

They combed her Twitter account to dig up old posts they said were in favour of Qatara rival of the kingdomand the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The witch hunt extended to her husband's account.

The campaign seemed to work, Shaker said. Within days of her appointment, Humood was sacked.

'Trojan Horse'

Many Saudi liberals have shut down their Twitter accounts, including those engaged in constructive criticism of Prince Mohammed's reforms.

Those who have not, tread with caution.

Before government job interviews, many say they scrub past references that could make them appear unpatriotic. In another extreme, it has encouraged fake displays of nationalism.

"Every day on Twitter I hurl an insult or two at Qatar," one government worker told AFP.

"I don't care about Qatar, but this way no one can accuse me of being unpatriotic if I speak out against other state policies."

Saudi Arabia, which accounts for the highest number of Twitter users in the Arab world, has faced accusations of trying to manipulate content on the platform.

Two former Twitter employees were charged last year with spying for the Saudi government.

Twitter has suspended hundreds of local accounts, some "linked to Saudi Arabia's state-run media apparatus" and engaged in coordinated efforts to "amplify messaging beneficial to the government".

The kingdom's sovereign wealth fund recently acquired a stake in Facebook, which last year said it dismantled a series of Saudi-linked propaganda accounts.

But while disabling computer bot activity may be easy, it will be harder to tame genuine accounts that experts say rose organically.

"Saudi views the online mobs as difficult to control," said Shaker.

"They attack foreign critics one day, senior government figures the next."

Their loyalty to the state could be further tested as Saudi Arabia enters a period of acute austerity, with the government chipping away at once-generous subsidies and handouts amid low crude prices.

"Nationalist sentiment advanced by the state may have created a Trojan Horse," said Eman Alhussein, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

"These accounts... could become a challenge for the state."

Explore further Twitter closes thousands of fake news accounts worldwide

 2020 AFP
Google has opted all of its users out of voice data collection as reported by Android Police. This follows last years revelation that some voice data got leaked after being reviewed by humans.

Google has, therefore, taken the decision to opt all of its users out of this data collection. Instead, giving them the choice to opt-in. The company has also explained what it does with this data more transparently than ever before.

With data privacy becoming increasingly more important to individuals, actions such as this will likely be greeted with admiration. In the past, Google has faced legal action over its behaviour surrounding data privacy. More recently, the company ran into trouble in New Mexico over student data collection.

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Google opts out its users from voice data collection

To be specific Google has opted every account holder out of the permission which lets the company log Voice & Audio Activity. Users can now toggle is permission under Web & App Activity controls in their activity controls.

Voice data that was already saved will remain so. You can manually delete this but that is the only way to get rid of it. Users can delete samples by using the Filter by date & product box.

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Users can also set up the auto-delete setting. This is located under your Web & App Activity and you can set how regularly you want this to delete.

Google clarifies what it does with your data

Google has also released a statement saying that it uses the audio collected to train artificial intelligence voice recognition models. It also assigns human reviewers to transcribe and annotate the clips to aid model training.

The company claims that it only uses this data in its raw data form. As such it is anonymous and unlinked to users accounts.

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Google also said that the company uses the data to better recognize your voice. This is so it can better pick up OK Google requests. Google does tie this data to your account though.

However, Google does not collect clips of voice recordings made to other Google services nor of locally-recorded audio.

It was first noted last July that Google was using humans in its process. Reports surfaced of Google using personal conversations and personal location data in its systems.

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After this all leaked, Google promised to take humans of these process until it could re-confirm users voice and activity settings. That is what is happening now with this announcement and it looks like Google has made some reasonable changes with transparency.
Its a bit like The Two Popes around here  that was the verdict of one senior Fine Gael politician on the tussle going on at the most senior political level in the country  an unseemly game of sharp elbows.

This politician, about to head off on a much-needed holiday, wearily reflected on the last few weeks; how so many situations had descended to the level of shambolic in terms of how the new Government had handled them. Too many cooks, you could say, or just like The Two Popes,

with the way Leo is lurking around. In the hit Netflix TV drama, Pope Benedict and the future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.

However, the way things have been going around Government Buildings it has been much more sitcom, than sophisticated drama.

Still though, one of the actors simply cant get used to going from the starring role, to the supporting role. He insists that his trailer, with its big star on the door, remains the same size it always was, that he keeps the best make up artists, and that he is the only star on set who has the blue M&Ms removed from the bowl each time it is replenished. He also spends a lot of time on to his agent whinging about not being as appreciated as he should be.

Having said that the new lead is rusty. Hes been out of the real limelight for a long time. Not only that, a significant number of his team only seem in it for what they can get themselves. They see loyalty as being for others, and refuse to look at the bigger picture. Why didnt the lead actor sort them out years ago when he had the time?

Alright, alright, enough with the by-now tortuous film set analogies. In a nutshell what we want and need to happen, in this, our real-life drama, is for Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar to pull in his elbows and his ego. In the morning, when he looks in the mirror, he needs to repeat the mantra  I am now Number Two, while Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin needs to work on his positivity mantras, while finding hitherto unknown qualities for keeping his people in line. The need for our three- party coalition to get some really good strategic direction has been painfully obvious.

The majority of those around the Cabinet table will have limped exhaustedly towards this particular holiday period. Looking back, they had Brexit to deal with, then there was high-octane general election preparation, then the election itself, then the tortuous coalition negotiations. There was also the pandemic which they had to deal with professionally, but also on a personal level, like the rest of us, with many of the same worries.

For selfish reasons alone we need them to return to work in September refreshed and up for the many tough decisions, unprecedented even, that they face. They will be reflecting on what will happen next with Covid-19  as Mr Martin reminded us on Tuesday, weve seen a terrible human cost, with 2,319 dead across the island from the virus  and how our economy will fare.

We are in extraordinary circumstances, reflected one Cabinet member ahead of the break, reflecting on Covid, but also the performance of the Government thus far. It is not like were coming back in September to a normal environment. So much can change with the virus in a matter of days, not to mention weeks. We will have Brexit breathing down our necks. There is also the US election, even if Biden is elected, he wont be an Obama. There is a lot happening in the world. Will the schools re-open as planned, will people take time off when they get cold or flu symptoms, as they are asked to, how will that affect productivity?

There is also the economic riddle, directly related to holidays and staycationing. How much of the frenzied economic activity all along the west coast is making up for business falling off a cliff along the east coast, in Dublin, and other city centres? The suburbs and shopping centres appear to be doing OK, but you only need to walk down the almost empty mains street of a city to see retail staff inside shops staring back out at you. Then there is the issue of the money saved by people who maintained their income during the lockdown. How much of it are they spending now whether its on holidays, carrying out house renovations and extensions, or buying new cars?

As of now no one is sure what is really happening and how much consumer recovery there has been with these new spending patterns as a result of Covid and the lockdown. Is the west coast offsetting the east, is the equivalent amount being spent? We just dont know.

Yet by the time the particular pieces of this economic jigsaw have fallen into place, we will be in an unknown Covid place. The signs dont look too good at the moment, rather disheartening here with virus levels rising, and seriously deteriorating elsewhere. How, as a Government, do you make plans with any sort of long-term economic outlook in these circumstances? But that is exactly what will have to happen, with budget preparations already under way.

It seems a little ridiculous to be pointing out these circumstances to those who are closest to the action. The inbox each of them will be returning to in September is enough to make anyone flinch.

But on the evidence of the recent weeks, the writing on the wall does need to be pointed out. So once more with feeling  Mr Martin needs to get on with being Taoiseach. Mr Varadkar needs to realise his place. Last, but not least, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan needs to shape up to the job. To do that requires an acceptance of the blindingly obvious, that the Green party is populated by those who love the environment, who like to grow and to knit, and are concerned for the marginalised in society. But the party agreed to go into government, and is therefore involved in grown- up politics. Grown-up political action needs to be taken when transgressions take place.
Ms. Maggie Chen has nearly 20 years of experience in listing, merger and acquisition, group comprehensive financial management and capital operation. In her career, she has served many world-renowned pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical group companies, and has extensive experience in financial and capital management in pharmaceutical area.

"We are very pleased to welcome Ms. Maggie Chen to CMAB." Dr. Yongzhong Wang, CEO of CMAB, said, "Ms. Maggie Chen has extensive financial experience in the pharmaceutical field and outstanding professional ability in capital operation. CMAB is in the period of rapid and high-quality development. At this important moment, Ms. Maggie Chen's join will further boost the vigorous development of the business of CMAB."

"I am very happy to be a member of CMAB," Ms. Maggie Chen said. CMAB is a rare CDMO company in the field of biopharmaceutical industry. It has a complete and advanced technology platform, and its core team has wide experience in running the business globally and the dual IND filings in both China and the United States. Its pure-play CDMO business model and the value concept of make the clients successful at the fastest speed are the perfect match for the needs of innovative drug companies in the early stages, which makes me feel excited. I look forward to working with Dr. Yongzhong Wang and all my colleagues to promote and achieve the company's strategic objectives."

Before joining CMAB, Ms. Maggie Chen served as Vice President and CFO of FOSUN Pharma Group, comprehensively led the financial management of the Group, and promoted the upgrading of the financial system of both the Group and more than 10 subsidiaries, and was responsible for the group's capitalization projects and external financing. Before joining FOSUN Pharma Group, she served as CFO of Porton Pharma Solutions Ltd., responsible for financial audit and IPO preparation, realizing the company's successful listing in China Growth Enterprise Market. During this period, she managed the financial team of subordinate subsidiaries (including 4 overseas subsidiaries), established the group's comprehensive financial management system, promoted the business and strategy landing of Porton, organized multiple M&A projects, and completed BPM projects, cost management improvement projects and 400 million votes issuance. Prior to this, Ms. Maggie Chen was served as a senior auditor in PwC Accounting Firm; served in ACTARIS, and a subsidiary of Hong Kong TOM Group, in a financial management position.

Ms. Maggie Chen holds a Master Degree from Southwest University of Finance and Economics, EMBA from China Europe International Business School, Certified Public Accountant and Certified Public Valuer.

About CMAB Biopharma Inc.

CMAB Biopharma Inc. is a flexible full-service CDMO dedicated to providing development and manufacturing services for antibodies and biologics for clients in China and across the globe. Our adaptable, service-oriented business enables clients to take their innovative concepts for tomorrow's medicines from DNA to CGMP product today.

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At least 17 people, including the pilots, lost their lives when an Air India Express Dubai-Calicut (Kozhikode) flight crashed at the Calicut International Airport in Kerala (India) this evening.

The flight, as part of the Vande Bharat repatriation operations, skidded off the tabletop runway and fell into a 30-feet valley, breaking into two pieces while landing at the airport.

There were 191 people on flight AXB-1344 flight, including 184 passengers, 5 cabin crew and 2 pilots.

About 120 passengers have been injured and rushed to a medical facility nearby. All passengers have been accounted for, officials said.

Both the pilots  Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe and Captain Akhilesh Kumar  perished in the crash, Air India Express has confirmed.

Top officials of various aviation authorities in India left Delhi by a special flight to Calicut where they are expected to reach after 3am on Saturday.

Kerala State Health Minister K K Shailaja said those injured have been rushed to Kozhikode Medical College and other nearby hospitals. Many of those admitted are having serious injuries.

All flights to Kozhikode have been diverted to Kannur airport.

In a statement issued, India's Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft skidded off the runway, crashed into a wall and then fell into a valley, splitting into two.

The airline said the Air India Express flight IX 1344 was a B-737 aircraft. There were 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots, and five cabin crew on board. There was no fire reported at the time of landing.
The California Labor Commissioner's Office announced Thursday that it has filed separate lawsuits against ride hailing services Uber and Lyft, accusing the companies of wage theft by misclassifying employees as independent contractors.

The suits, both filed in Alameda County Superior Court, claim that classifying drivers as independent contractors violates state labor laws and denies drivers basic workplace protections such as paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, minimum wages and overtime pay.

Neither company responded to requests for comment Thursday evening.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra sued Uber and Lyft in San Francisco Superior Court in May, also accusing them of illegally classifying their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees.

Since January, under Assembly Bill 5, California law has required that companies determine whether their workers are employees or independent contractors based on a three-part assessment: whether the workers are directed by the company, whether their work is the same as what the company normally does and whether it is the worker's usual work.

Uber, Lyft and other "gig economy" companies have opposed the law, saying their workers prefer having the freedom to work flexible hours without the commitments required of employees.

The labor commissioner's lawsuit seeks to recover wages for the more than 100,000 estimated people who drive for the two companies.

"The Uber and Lyft business model rests on the misclassification of drivers as independent contractors," California Labor Commissioner Lilia Garca-Brower said in a statement. "This leaves workers without protections such as paid sick leave and reimbursement of drivers' expenses, as well as overtime and minimum wages."

The Labor Commissioner's Office said it has received claims from 5,000 drivers for owed wages.

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.
Credit: Bobby-Jo Photography

The predation of livestock by carnivores, and the retaliatory killing of carnivores as a result, is a major global conservation challenge. Such human-wildlife conflicts are a key driver of large carnivore declines and the costs of coexistence are often disproportionately borne by rural communities in the global south.

While current approaches tend to focus on separating livestock from wild carnivores, for instance through fencing or lethal control, this is not always possible or desirable. Alternative and effective non-lethal tools that protect both large carnivores and livelihoods are urgently needed.

In a new study we describe how painting eyes on the backsides of livestock can protect them from attack.

Many big catsincluding lions, leopards, and tigersare ambush predators. This means that they rely on stalking their prey and retaining the element of surprise. In some cases, being seen by their prey can lead them to abandon the hunt. We tested whether we could hack into this response to reduce livestock losses to lions and leopards in Botswana's Okavango delta region.

This delta, in north-west Botswana, has permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains which host a wide variety of wildlife. It's a Unesco world heritage site and parts of the delta are protected. However, though livestock are excluded, the cordon fence is primarily intended to prevent contact and disease transmission between cattle and Cape buffalo. Large carnivores, and other wildlife including elephants, are able to move freely across it, and livestock losses to large carnivores are common in the area. In response, lethal control through shooting and poisoning can occur.

While the initial focus of the study was ambush predators generally, it soon became clear that lions were responsible for most of it. During the study, for instance, lions killed 18 cattle, a leopard killed one beast, and spotted hyaenas killed three.

Ultimately, our study found that lions were less likely to attack cattle if they had eyes painted on their rumps. This suggests that this simple and cost-effective technique can be added to the coexistence toolbox, where ambush predators are involved.

Eye-catching solution

Conflict between farmers and wildlife can be intense along the borders of protected areas, with many communities bearing significant costs of coexisting with wildlife. The edge of the Okavango delta in Botswana is no exception, where farmers operate small non-commercial livestock enterprises.

Livestock rub shoulders with lions, leopards, spotted hyaenas, cheetahs, and African wild dogs. To protect the cattle, herds (anything between about six and 100 individual cattle) are kept within predator-proof enclosures overnight. However, they generally graze unattended for most of the day, when the vast majority of predation occurs.

Working with Botswana Predator Conservation and local herders, we painted cattle from 14 herds that had recently suffered lion attacks. Over four years, a total of 2,061 cattle were involved in the study.

Nenguba Keitsumetsi demonstrates the eye-cow technique to local farmer, Rra Ketlogetswe Ramakgalo. Credit: Bobby-Jo Photography

Before release from their overnight enclosure, we painted about one-third of each herd with an artificial eye-spot design on the rump, one-third with simple cross-marks, and left the remaining third of the herd unmarked. We carried out 49 painting sessions and each of these lasted for 24 days.

The cattle were also collared and all foraged in the same area and moved similarly, suggesting they were exposed to similar risk. However the individuals painted with artificial eye-spots were significantly more likely to survive than unpainted or cross-painted control cattle within the same herd.

In fact, none of the 683 painted "eye-cows" were killed by ambush predators during the four-year study, while 15 (of 835) unpainted, and 4 (of 543) cross-painted cattle were killed.

These results supported our initial hunch that creating the perception that the predator had been seen by the prey would lead it to abandon the hunt.

But there were also some surprises.

Cattle marked with simple crosses were significantly more likely to survive than unmarked cattle from the same herd. This suggests that cross-marks were better than no marks at all, which was unexpected.

From a theoretical perspective, these results are interesting. Although eye patterns are common in many animal groups, notably butterflies, fishes, amphibians, and birds, no mammals are known to have natural eye-shaped patterns that deter predation. In fact, to our knowledge, our research is the first time that eye-spots have been shown to deter large mammalian predators.

Previous work on human responses to eye patterns however do generally support the detection hypothesis, perhaps suggesting the presence of an inherent response to eyes that could be exploited to modify behavior in practical situations, such as to prevent human-wildlife conflicts, and reduce criminal activity in humans.

Possible limitations

First, it is important to realize that, in our experimental design, there were always unmarked cattle in the herd. Consequently, it is unclear whether painting would still be effective if these proverbial "sacrificial lambs" were not still on the menu. Further research could uncover this, but in the meantime applying artificial marks to the highest-value individuals within the herd may be most pragmatic.

Second, it is important to consider habituation, meaning that predators may get used to and eventually ignore the deterrent. This is a fundamental issue for nearly all non-lethal approaches. Whether the technique remains effective in the longer term is not yet known in this case.

Protecting livestock from wild carnivoreswhile conserving carnivores themselvesis an important and complex issue that requires the application of a suite of tools, including practical and social interventions. While adding the eye-cow technique to the carnivore-livestock conflict prevention toolbox, we note that no single tool is likely to be a silver bullet. Indeed, we must do better than a silver bullet if we are to ensure the successful coexistence of livestock and large carnivores. Nevertheless, as part of an expanding non-lethal toolkit, we hope that this simple, low-cost approach could reduce the costs of coexistence for some farmers.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
WASHINGTON  At first, it was going to be easy.

President Donald Trump was going to roll into Charlotte, North Carolina, and give a rousing speech to Republican delegates who nominated him for a second term.

COVID-19 derailed that plan.

Then Trump planned to give his acceptance speech Aug. 27 at a sports arena in Jacksonville, Florida  and the pandemic thwarted that event, too.

A little more than three weeks out, the Trump campaign is scrambling to find a fresh option for what will probably be the most-watched speech of Trump's reelection campaign.

Though the White House grounds have emerged as a favorite, advisers are considering historic sites in battleground states, mirroring an event on July 3 when Trump spoke at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, according to aides familiar with the planning.

Trump said in a tweet Monday that he had winnowed the list to the White House and Gettysburg.

"We have narrowed the Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, to be delivered on the final night of the Convention (Thursday), to two locations - The Great Battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the White House, Washington, D.C. We will announce the decision soon!" Trump posted.

We have narrowed the Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, to be delivered on the final night of the Convention (Thursday), to two locations - The Great Battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the White House, Washington, D.C. We will announce the decision soon!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2020

Republican strategist Scott Jennings said the COVID-19 pandemic has created problems for every event planner, and the president's reelection campaign is no exception.

"A lot of things have been thrown into chaos, so I'm sympathetic," he said.

Trump promoted the virtues of the White House during an interview Wednesday on "Fox & Friends," saying he would "probably" deliver the speech there, noting that the venue would be the "easiest" and least-expensive option.

Story continues

Trump said he was not "locked in" on that choice.

"I think it would be a very convenient location; it would be by far the least expensive," Trump told a news conference Wednesday. "It would be very cost-conscious by comparison to any other location."

Trump is pushing for a big event for his acceptance speech Aug. 27. He said Wednesday that other speeches, including by first lady Melania Trump, would be delivered from different locations.

In weeks of meetings, aides said, advisers have tossed around a number of possible backdrops  the Liberty Bell, Gettysburg, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, a military facility  that could provide dramatic television pictures for Trump's speech.

They have talked about a prominent battleground state, such as Florida or Pennsylvania.

Though some advisers are wary of Trump holding his speech in a city with a Democratic mayor such as Philadelphia, all of the potential sites outside the White House are shadowed by a familiar problem: COVID-19.

More: Republicans fear coronavirus will force scaling back Trump's Florida convention

A delegate shows support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on July 20, 2016, the third day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Many states have restrictions on crowd sizes and are wary of big events, so aides are looking for a unique way to present Trump's speech. Trump hasn't held a rally since his event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June, which drew a lower-than-expected turnout and fueled controversy given the health risks of large gatherings.

More: Trump cancels Jacksonville portion of Republican convention

More: GOP says President Trump's renomination vote to be held in private

The acceptance speech, an opportunity for Trump to lay out a vision for his second term and reset a campaign struggling in battleground states against presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, is separate from the scaled-back convention business meetings scheduled in Charlotte.

Democrats, who announced months ago that most of their convention will be virtual, faced similar logistical challenges. Biden's campaign announced Wednesday that he scrapped plans to travel to Milwaukee to accept his party's nomination and will deliver his speech from his home in Delaware.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions in North Carolina, a limited number of Republican delegates will hold small meetings designed to carry out essential party business, including the formal nomination of the GOP presidential nominee.

Trump is likely to attend the convention Aug. 24, the day of the nomination vote, but only to greet the delegates and thank them for their work, officials said.

Officials close to the president are interested in recapturing the energy they felt the president gained from the Mount Rushmore speech last month, a Republican with knowledge of the planning said on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal details.

President Donald Trump leads a "Keep America Great" campaign rally at Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood, N.J., on Jan. 28.

One option that has been discussed is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of a famed Civil War battle as well as the speech by President Abraham Lincoln honoring the dead and sanctifying the Union causes. Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania in 2016; polls show Biden with a single-digit lead there.

Aides plan "surprises" for the week leading up to Trump's speech, including speeches from prominent Republicans such as Melania Trump. Though she enjoys support within the GOP, the first lady has rarely appeared on the campaign trail on her own or alongside the president.

If nothing works, Trump retains the reserve option: the White House.

It wouldn't be a first. In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered a speech via radio to the Democratic convention that nominated him for an unprecedented third term.

Some ethics groups might object to the idea of using the White House for such a political event. The Hatch Act forbids government officials from engaging in political activity on government property, though the president is exempt from that law.

The White House is considered a residence rather than an office building.

Jordan Libowitz, communications director for the organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said, "Giving a political speech of this magnitude and visibility on the White House grounds creates the appearance that it's a government-sanctioned event, something multiple laws were written to avoid."

Though the Hatch Act does not apply to the president, Libowitz noted that other government employees would likely be necessary to handle the event.

He added: "While many ethics laws, like the Hatch Act, do not apply to the president, they could apply to the other government employees who might be attending or working on the event."

Trump dismissed those concerns Wednesday.

More: Birx slammed by Trump, Pelosi in her role as coronavirus coordinator

More: Trump probe moves beyond hush money to alleged mistresses

Some administration and campaign aides have questions about a White House acceptance speech: Could aides who work for the government legally plan and set up such an event? Or would campaign officials have to do that?

In addition to the closely watched convention speech, aides plan ways to satisfy Trump's eagerness to get back out on the campaign trail. One likely way is an alternative form of the rallies the president enjoys so much, to be held at airports with a limited number of boisterous supporters.

Trump and his team road-tested the airport rally format last week in Tampa, Florida, where the president accepted an endorsement from the Florida Police Benevolent Association.

At Tampa Bay International Airport, a few hundred supporters  appropriately spaced out but few wearing masks  greeted Air Force One as it landed.

After strolling to a podium to the sounds of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," Trump spent more than a half-hour extolling his record and bashing Biden  a message Trump is eager to deliver, no matter the venue.

Then Republican candidate Donald Trump during rehearsal during the 2016 Republican National Convention at Quicken Loans Arena. Seen at left is Rick Gates.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The White House? Gettysburg? Trump team ponders nomination speech
Shehnaaz Gill Shares Pictures From A Recent Photoshoot, Reveals What 'True Sexiness' Is
Washington: Russia is using a range of measures to try to "denigrate" former Vice President Joe Biden, ahead of the November election, including selective leaks of information and efforts on social media, a top US intelligence official said in a statement on Friday.

The government of China prefers that President Donald Trump not win reelection in November, seeing the incumbent as "unpredictable," said William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre.

The statement was notable for identifying three countries seeking to influence the 2020 election - China, Russia and Iran.

Rudy Giuliani, pictured with Ukrainian official Andriy Derkach, has been named as part of a Russia disinformation effort. Credit:AP

But Evanina portrayed Russia as the most active source of interference.
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Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 13:45 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c4bb12 1 Entertainment Education-and-Culture-Ministry,Hilmar-Farid,irama-nusantara,music-catalogue,vinyl-records,digitalization Free

The Culture Directorate General of the Education and Culture Ministry has announced that it has teamed up with the Irama Nusantara Foundation to digitize Indonesian music.

Both set the target to digitize 1,000 releases by the end of this year, which will be available to the public on Irama Nusantaras website.

The ministrys culture director general, Hilmar Farid, said they planned to digitize music from various genres from across Indonesia. Well also digitize various sounds as cores of music, including oral traditions, Hilmar said during a press conference on Thursday.

The collaboration is said to be part of Law No. 5/2017 on cultural promotion, which aims to form an integrated cultural data collection system. Its not about creating more projects in the database, but connecting numerous on-going initiatives and forming an integrated cultural system, Hilmar said.

Dian Octarina Wulandari, head of Irama Nusantara Foundation, said the digitization program was an expression of appreciation to the creators. The data is also considered an important source of reference, especially for historical and copyrights reasons.

Established in 2013, the non-profit initiative has digitized and archived 4,000 releases, or around 40,000 songs, with a majority taken from vinyl records of the 1950s to 1970s. We realized the urgency as digitization didnt exist in those years and the records are already damaged or fragile. The rise of popular music in Indonesia began in the 1950s when record labels started to flourish, Dian said, adding that they also planned to digitize cassettes in the future.

The digitization process requires special skills and passion with several steps involved, including converting the audio from a vinyl record to a digital file on the computer, recovering the sound, scanning the album cover and transcribing any writing on the album before uploading them onto the website.

Aside from digitization tools, challenges also lie in finding the right people who have both the passion and skills in audio or visual fields and finding data sources. At first we used our and our friends [record] collections, she said. But its getting difficult to find the sources, so we had to borrow [record] collections from sellers in Blok M [South Jakarta].

Additionally, Hilmar said that numerous old records and data were stored as private collections, which could be difficult to acquire. He encouraged the public to give away their old records, photos and other documentation they no longer wanted to the directorate general. Hopefully, we can save the precious treasures that are still out there, he said.

The Culture Directorate Generals head of film, music and new media, Ahmad Mahendra, said they were collaborating with other agencies and initiatives, including the National Collective Management Agency (LMKN), to prevent piracy. Were creating guidance for newcomers in the music industry to understand how the industry works as part of our aim is to advocate for them, Ahmad said.

Dian also stated that they lowered the quality of the audio files on their website to prevent illegal copying.

In June, prior to its collaboration with the ministry, Irama Nusantara announced that it planned to temporarily halt its operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the work from home policies and its dwindling financial resources had made continuing difficult. (wng)
A week after millions of out-of-work Americans lost a $600 weekly unemployment pay boost that helped them survive the COVID-19 economic collapse, Congress and the White House still havent reached agreement on a new stimulus bill.

The fate of financial aid for businesses, schools, states and local governments as well as a moratorium on evictions for renters who participate in federal housing assistance programs or live in properties with federally backed mortgages also hang in the balance.

Congress and President Trump effectively slashed the jobless aid and abandoned the other obligations in the middle of the pandemic when they let the CARES Act expire in late July with nothing to replace it.

And yet, talks remained stalled late Thursday with neither side expressing much hope for an immediate settlement.

This is unconscionable. More than a week after the editorial board warned that there is no time to waste, the process remains in a stalemate while the situation gets worse.

Congressional leaders and administration officials must work around the clock to hammer out a deal, not just to ease the suffering of so many but to save the nations economy from cratering to depths that could take decades to overcome. If a tentative Friday deadline isnt met, all parties must work through the weekend so a bill can be passed early next week. A solution shouldnt be out of reach. The Democrat-led U.S. House passed a $3 trillion relief package weeks ago, and a divided Republican caucus in the U.S. Senate has backed a $1 trillion version. Now, White House officials and Democrats have huddled for days seeking to find a compromise that will keep Democrats on board and win over enough Senate Republicans.

The crisis demands urgency. An estimated 32 million people  about 1 in 5 workers  were drawing unemployment in July, many having been displaced from jobs that no longer exist and may never return. Millions of families are facing eviction notices that could push homeless figures to levels unseen since the Great Depression.

The idea of holding back on another round of stimulus in hopes that the pandemic will go away and things will get better is delusional.

CARES was signed into law in March when the president was predicting the coronavirus would be defeated and the country opened up by Easter. The United States was reporting 160,530 confirmed COVID cases and 2,939 deaths at the end of March. Today, the nation is closing in on 5 million infections and 158,000 fatalities.

Things clearly are not getting better. People need help, and they need it now.

An early sticking point centered on whether the $600 a week in enhanced unemployment was dissuading workers from returning to their jobs. That notion has been debunked by recent studies. And many economists see the payments as an efficient way to keep much-needed dollars flowing through a system being stomped by COVID shutdowns and customers staying at home.

No one pretends the weekly aid can last for ever. But it must last long enough to help America avoid a catastrophic recession. The money was paying rent, groceries, utilities, car loans and credit card bills. Cutting off that cash hurts everyone in the supply chain, suppressing consumer spending when the economy most needs it.

Its clear that payments are a net positive for the unemployed and for the economy. Reaching an agreement on the exact sum and duration shouldnt derail the deal.

The same is true for reaching an agreement on money for state and local funding. Put the money where it will do the most good for those suffering while helping the economy begin to rebound.

This all should have been done well before the CARES Act expired.

The negotiations wasted time in the beginning with the distraction of administration requests for $1.75 billion for a new FBI building, more than $1 billion for the Pentagon and even $400 million to remodel the West Wing of the White House. This is not the place for political posturing and nest-feathering.

Strip everything that isnt directly related to COVID-19 relief, put aside partisan politics and finally show the American people that the government can actually get things done.

There is no time to waste. Get it done.
One of the hardest things a child undergoes is language acquisition. A child first hears a language, then speaks that language, and finally attends school to learn to read and write it.

What happens, though, when the language spoken at home is not the same language taught at school? This can become bewildering because the child must conform to one language at school and another at home.

Many times, the child ends up being proficient in neither language. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can imagine how much harder this must be. The disruption of in-person learning could create learning deficits and skill gaps.

I grew up in Brownsville in the late 40s and 50s. Almost all the students in my school were Spanish speakers. At that time, there were no English as a Second Language, or ESL, or prekindergarten programs. Most everyone, like me, had to stay in first grade for two years. Students now have the option of dual language and ESL programs that validate the home language and culture.

Although I am a third-generation American, we spoke Spanish at home. My parents and grandparents on both sides were born in the United States. Luckily, my father, especially, spoke both languages. He went to school on both sides of the border and stayed in school through the 10th grade when there were only 11 grades.

It was not until I was in the seventh grade that I took a formal class in Spanish. It helped tremendously because I could figure out how to say the same thing in both languages when the need arose.

There were times in my life when people doubted my knowledge and proficiency in English. I remember an incident with a Winter Texan when she asked a question and I answered in fluent English. Her reaction: Oh, you speak English so well.

Another reaction came from a school counselor who had to change my schedule due to a conflict and the only option was an A-class (classes were labeled A, B or C according to your level of proficiency in English). She told me: You know thats an A-class. My reply was, I have taken many A-classes before, maam.

At the University of Houston, I took an advanced English grammar class. The professor doubted my ability, probably because of my Spanish surname and because I was the only Hispanic in the class. When he told me I had the highest grade in the class, I didnt know how to respond. When I said I had studied English for 16 years, he had no response. It was my knowledge and proficiency in both languages that allowed me to earn advanced degrees.

I can imagine the difficulty of early school programs that have to be done on Zoom or some remote learning platform  especially if students are told to read aloud. But it is not impossible. Language acquisition may not be troublesome for English monolinguals, but Spanish-language ESL children can succeed with the help of good teachers who are trained and understand the dynamics of dual language learning, plus the support of parents.

For those about to start their English learning experience during this pandemic, it will be difficult but not insurmountable.

Evangelina S. Vera taught English for 24 years and Spanish for 10 years. She is now retired and living in San Antonio.
GORE TOWNSHIP  A 42-year-old Northville man is in custody on multiple felony charges after reportedly shooting at vehicles Aug. 6.

According to a Michigan State Police press release, at approximately 9:45 p.m. troopers were dispatched the scene of a man shooting at cars near North Lakeshore Road/M-25 and Lawitzke Road in Gore Township.

A disabled vehicle was in the roadway and when the victims slowed down to check on the vehicle, the suspect reportedly jumped out of the ditch and began firing a gun, according to the first victim's statement.

"The suspect then pointed his gun at them and was demanding a ride," the report reads. "The second victim observed the vehicle in the road and slowed down to go around it. At this time a man ran out of the ditch and pointed a handgun at them."

According to the release, each victim was able to drive away and call 911. No one was injured, but one vehicle was struck by a bullet.

Harbor Beach Police, Port Austin Police, Huron County Sheriff's deputies, Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team, MSP K-9s and the MSP helicopter responded to the scene and established a perimeter.

"When officers arrived in the area, they could see the suspect, who was still armed, near the disabled vehicle," the release reads.

The ES team approached the vehicle a short while later, but the suspect had already fled into the woods.

The suspect was located by K-9s at approximately 4:15 a.m. on a two-track trail northeast of the vehicle. The suspect received minor injuries from the K-9s and was treated at a local hospital before being arrested and lodged.
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Irene brings babies into the world and was thrilled when she received her assignment. "However, my thrill was turned into disgust, discouragement and regret on my first day of work.

Irene Katusime, a midwife in rural Uganda, found herself assigned to a healthcare facility without the thing that is most foundational for her job: water. As a midwife, she attends to mothers during labor, new mothers, and newborns. During the vulnerable first days, it is Irenes job to exercise the highest levels of infection control  from providing a clean surface for the mother to give birth on, to cutting the umbilical cord and keeping it clean, to keeping her own hands clean to prevent infection, to teaching hygiene so new moms can care for and exclusively breastfeed their infants safely.

Imagine, then, caring for a newborn when you know that simply handwashing with soap prevents nearly 40 percent of neonatal deaths, but you cant adequately wash your hands between patients; you cant clean and disinfect equipment and surfaces; and provision of services for good personal hygiene for mothers and babies is impossible.

On that fateful first day, in the dry season, the only rain water harvesting tank attached to the maternity ward was empty with no single drop of water. The maternity ward was unbearably stinky and uncomfortable. Some caretakers carried water from a nearby borehole; others would keep the dirty linento be washed at home. The stench in the maternity ward was excruciating. For a moment I wondered whether this was a place for saving lives, or putting lives at risk.

Irenes experience is not the least bit unique to her facility, country or continent. A groundbreaking 2018 study by the University of North Carolina Water Institute evaluated data from 129,000 healthcare facilities in 78 low- to middle-income countries. The findings are alarming: 66% of healthcare facilities lacked soap and running water; 50% of healthcare facilities lacked piped in water and 30% lacked access to a nearby water source; and 33% of healthcare facilities lacked basic sanitation facilities.

In South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, healthcare-associated infections are responsible for 75% of neonatal deaths; newborns are not even named in some places because early death is so common. Most of this loss of life should be preventable, because infections, like sepsis which is responsible for 15% of neonatal deaths and 11% of maternal deaths, is transmitted by unwashed hands, contaminated beds, and dirty implements used to cut umbilical cords.

We know that encouraging mothers to give birth in healthcare facilities is much safer for both mother and child than birthing at home. But how can we rightfully ask them to come into facilities ill-equipped to keep them clean and safe? Why would we encourage someone to use a facility that we would not use ourselves?

In 2016, my organization, World Vision, took on that question in a more deliberate fashion and encouraged all our WASH programs (an acronym that stands for water, sanitation and hygiene) to consider working in health facilities and to report back on their progress. Weve begun to integrate our WASH programs with our health programs to provide clean and safe births and important early infant interventions to help everyone thrive.

Weve focused this integrated work in Mali, Uganda, Zambia and Kenya to start, with the longer-term goal to expand globally. Our model combines three life-saving interventions: bringing clean water directly into health facilities; training medical staff and community health workers to ensure a hygienic environment at home and in facilities; and equipping and supplying health facilities with critical supplies (both through direct equipping and through advocacy with governments to provide the appropriate supplies). These interventions, in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and regional and district health boards, are changing the quality of health facilities in the areas where we work.

With support from private individual donors, we worked with Irenes facility to rehabilitate its dilapidated system  including the existing, but non-functional, piped water system. We connected all wards and every critical point-of-care to water. Latrines were added, including those that meet disability standards, for mothers to easily access them from the delivery room. Staff and cleaners were trained, and now floors and toilets are cleaned daily. New mothers were also taught about the importance of breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact with babies to keep them nourished and warm. Now when they leave the better-equipped health center, mother and child are also better-equipped to continue healthy and hygienic practices in the face of limited resources at home.

We believe that life is precious and that childbirth should be a time of joy, no matter where in the world a child is born. So Im happy to report that last year, Irenes health center assisted in 944 deliveries. So is Irene. My job is so enjoyable now because there is plenty of water to wash hands, equipment, work surfaces and floor. Mothers and caretakers, too, have no more excuses to store dirty linen; as such there is better personal hygiene and the ward is clean and hygienic  and smells good!

Jordan Smoke is Senior Manager for WASH Sector Programs at World Vision.
I think in this day and age, many women are actually more open to really just going for it if they are given the chance. And we need to stop telling women they are risk-averse, and instead start encouraging them to make a go of their professional careers, she said. I am very open to people seeing what it took to get to a place of success that others may aspire to. And its important they know that there is nothing extraordinary about the journey, theres no magic in it, the road was not paved with roses. There were so many bumps and bruises along the way.

I moved from a small brokerage firm in San Francisco to nationally run distribution and marketing for an insurance company and I knew nothing about how to do that. I have no idea what I said to them at 26 to make them hire me but it was enough for me to get in and to hang on by my pinkies and then figure it out from there. So, I think its really important that youre honest with people and you just dont present this carefully curated version of who you are. It does a disservice to women who think that you just showed up in your Louis Vuittons and your impeccable suit and that you were perfect all the time. Its just not the way it worked and it still doesnt work that way. Life continues to present a series of adversities and you just figure it out. But I think more of us being less perfect and more honest is whats needed.

Throughout her own life, and particularly the last few months in America where deep systemic racism continues to cause pain society, Skantharaja said she has been on a journey to understand what diversity truly means. When she first joined Tangram, her focus was on making the culture as positive as possible and this meant fixing the dynamics, both operational and cultural, which were broken. Building the business up again meant understanding the core capabilities of the business and rebranding them in the market, and this included recruiting the right people for the job.

I dont think I was going about diversity by design, she said. It was evolving by default. I was just head down trying to do the basic things that needed to be done to get the organization moving in the right direction. I think it was only after a few years of getting things growing, and when I took the helm as president in 2013, that I started to become a little bit more calculated in the diversity initiative really I wanted more women in positions of influence, in positions driving revenue, not just as assistants, not just in marketing, or human resources but I wanted really smart women working beside me that are creative and energetic and really talented.

Skantharaja noted that one of the best ways to counteract toxic behavior is by being successful. Success is currency and, having reached a position to do so, the next step is to become a voice for others in the industry. This can be done in many ways, from taking part in D&I initiatives, to being mindful of recruitment processes and who sits on your board, to making sure that there is equal pay and equal opportunity for all your staff. If a business has a progressive and inclusive culture and is also highly successful, then you become a much more powerful and more credible ambassador when looking to help change other peoples cultures.

This is what Im doing at my company, she said. Were a small company, just 30 people located in the Bay Area and we have progressive culture and were making waves. And to make real change happen, you need a microphone, and thats why you link up with the right people that are also looking to make massive change, or who at least are willing to give you the microphone to drive this transformation It only seems right that those of us who are in positions of power or influence use what we have at our fingertips to do more.
We make the common error of mistaking the noise generated from the clanging gongs of "woke" activists (read: terrorists) and media sycophants as indicative of the attitudes of the broader segment of the populace that they purport to represent.

Black Lives Matter and Antifa have been on a multi-city crusade to "defund the police," presumably on behalf of black people, and other persons of color in Democrat-run cities. Turns out, not so much.

In a recent Gallup poll, black Americans voted overwhelmingly (61%) to retain current local levels of police presence in their communities, with 20% wanting to see an increased presence. Eighty-one percent of black respondents voted to maintain or increase, not defund, policing in their communities.

It's ironic that BLM and Antifa, both predominantly run (and manned) by suburban, Millennial white leftists, have the temerity to advance what they think is in the best interest of non-white people.

Turns out that thinking non-white people understand the importance of law and order and the responsibilities that police have in trying to maintain order. It is not a perfect system, and it is wrought with opportunities for improvement, but, as black people (seemingly) understand, dismantling it under the guise of "social justice" will fall hardest on non-white people and communities.

Where liberalism has flourished  NYC, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Portland, Seattle, D.C.  the state of black (and more broadly lower/middle income) America is in decline.

New York City has seen a 130-percent increase in violent crime, impacting persons of color almost exclusively.

In Minneapolis, murders have increased 95 percent. Almost all victims and perpetrators were non-white persons. This past week saw the Minneapolis City Council vote overwhelmingly to dismantle the police. Police have advised residents to "be prepared to give up your property."

In Louisville, black militants have resorted to mafia-style tactics, issuing demands to local merchants (including a Cuban restaurant) to meet race-based hiring quotas or pay an offset, unless "you want your business to be f----- with."

It is a pivotal time in America for thinking non-white people. Take a step back, look at the diverging trajectories of liberal versus conservative ideals, and vote for the party and the candidates who will advance the values that elevate and protect your families and your communities.

Whether local, state or national, a vote for Democrats is a vote to defund police and to turn America, and particularly the inner city, into the wild west. Elections have consequences. Choose wisely, my friends.
WINNIPEG, MB, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Librestream, leading provider of augmented worker solutions, today announced that its Onsight platform is featured in the Connected Industry Customer Showcase at BT's Adastral Park technology campus in England. The Onsight demonstration highlights the use cases and value of augmented reality within energy and resources, manufacturing, utilities, construction, telecommunications and logistics.

"The demonstrations in our connected industry showcase allow us to show a technology capability to customers, who may not be aware of what is available and how BT can help them. Our Librestream demonstration shows customers how their software can be used to deliver a collaborative environment to troubleshoot, inspect and resolve issues in the field. We've seen interest in connected worker solutions like Librestream grow over 500% over the past three months," shared Rob Mayhew, Showcase Innovation Manager at BT.

The Onsight platform empowers workers with access to remote experts, digitized work instructions and content, including data from IoT sensors, thermal imaging, borescopes and schematics. Onsight runs on mobile devices, industrial wearables and computers to fit the use case and environment. The platform incorporates Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities such as computer vision to automatically identify assets and Natural Language Processing (NLP) for services such as real-time translation during remote expert collaboration sessions.

"We are currently in the process of onboarding Librestream and its Onsight platform within Field Force Automation, which is part of the Specialist Solutions team in BT Enterprise. Onsight is a natural extension of our solution to drive improvements in service metrics and employee safety and productivity. After the onboarding process concludes, customers will be able to purchase the Onsight solution through BT," explained Robert Lumley, Senior Commercial Partnership Manager, BT Ventures.

The BT Connected Industry Showcase incorporates related technologies to the Onsight platform including industrial wireless, IoT, industrial wearables, and field force automation to demonstrate an integrated experience. The showcase also exhibits other examples of where this technology can be applied, including telemedicine and retail.

"The BT Customer Showcase is an impressive facility that provides as close to a real-world experience as possible. Many of our energy and manufacturing customers from the UK and overseas have explored this facility and we are pleased to be part of the Connected Industry solution  in person and through virtual demonstrations," shared Jon Newman, VP Product Management at Librestream.

For more information on Librestream or the Onsight platform, contact [email protected]. To set-up a virtual demonstration or a future in-person demonstration, contact [email protected].

View the Librestream press kit here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dx8wlguk8f3j5ru/AABJRHHyaHNI9wKpS8ymKiMYa?dl=0

About Librestream

Librestream is the pioneer of augmented remote expert technology, a core capability within the Onsight augmented reality platform. Onsight, deployed in over 120 countries, is built for workers to collaborate virtually and access content from the world's toughest environments and for the most demanding enterprises. Onsight delivers measurable business outcomes including worker safety and productivity, cost savings, reduced emissions, asset uptime gains, and improved customer service delivery. The company has been honored with numerous awards including the R&D100, the Delegates Award at Hazardex 2020, and the Field Service WBR Innovation award. Visit Librestream at www.librestream.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter.

SOURCE Librestream

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https://librestream.com


Eric Wasserman Stern and Evan Michael Zuzik figure they have eaten more than a thousand scoops of ice cream together, at least.

Our favorite place is Mitchells in Cleveland, said Mr. Stern, where they had lived before moving to Durham, N.C., in 2019. Mr. Sterns go-to flavors were amaretto cookie, when it was in season, and peanut butter chocolate chunk. Mr. Zuzik (left) always tried something different.

The two met in May 2017 around midnight while dancing with friends at the Twist Social Club, a gay bar on Clevelands West Side. Mr. Stern spotted Mr. Zuziks neon-colored wristband, which he also had on from an earlier Mix social and cultural event that first Friday evening of the month at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

He came up to me and tried yelling over the music, said Mr. Zuzik, who later drove him home, and they exchanged numbers. Within 12 hours they had their first date at a Mexican restaurant, then a stop at Piccadilly Artisan Creamery for liquid nitrogen ice cream.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Shelter In Place.

I never heard that term until the arrival of COVID-19 in March.

Stay home. Stay inside. Stay away from other people.

It has been a way to battle the spread of the virus, according to several government agencies.

Ill let others debate the policies.

While nearly everyone has felt the impact of being locked down, its been especially hard on those in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Many of them have been sheltering in place for years because of their physical and/or emotional conditions. They count their days by visits and phone calls from friends and family.

Then came COVID-19.

Other than through a glass door a few times, Ive not seen my mom Melva Hardison since early March. Thats when I left for the Tribes spring training in Arizona. In early March when I was still in Goodyear, long-term care facilities locked down for visitors.

I had been visiting her about five times a week. Her daughter Gloria and my wife Roberta were there nearly every day. Many other members of her family were regular visitors.

So she went from 15-20 visits a week to zero.

Monday, July 20, 2020, was the first day that family members could visit their loved ones in nursing homes in Ohio since March 12, 2020. Visitors to the Willowood Care Center in Brunswick sat outside the patio while visiting the residents. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.comDavid Petkiewicz, cleveland.com

WHO REALLY IS AT RISK?

There are good reasons for the lockdowns. About 68% of all COVID-19 deaths in Ohio have been the elderly in those facilities. Furthermore, 77% of the deaths from the virus in Ohio are those who are 70 and older.

At the age of 94, Melva fully understands why we cant see her. But thats not the case with some others in her facility. They wonder why their family doesnt visit them anymore.

Ive talked to health care workers in several places. Depression and melancholy are problems even when things are normal when it comes to visits.

But now, theres another type of epidemic. In some cases, people in these facilities think their family/friends have abandoned them or are afraid to see them in person.

More than a few have died...alone. Their families were not allowed in. The same has happened in hospitals.

Thankfully, I know of some wonderful nurses and aides who stayed with the dying patients. They often had the families on the phone during the last days, talking to their loved one. Those are heroes who arent noticed when we talk about medical people on the front lines of the virus war.

While the media dwells on the impact of COVID-19 on professional athletes, these sad stories of the elderly are seldom mentioned more than in passing.

The elderly are the most vulnerable, and not just due to their age and illness.

Isolation is a soul-killer.

LET THE SUN SHINE

Melvas place has done a tremendous job of having three face times each week with her, as members of the activities department work the iPad so we can see each other.

Some aides and therapists have started taking her for short walks outside. She has bloomed being out in the sunshine for a few minutes several times a week.

Ohio announced that nursing facilities would be open for limited outdoor visits on July 20. Melva memorized the date. So did her family. It came up in nearly every conversation for weeks.

But that turned out not to be the case at most facilities. The Ohio National Guard had to come in and run COVID-19 tests. Its a long, complicated story having to do with state mandates and long waits for the virus test results.

Many families have been in the same position as ours, still awaiting the all-clear for those outdoor visits. That finally came as starting Monday, Melvas facility will have once a week visits for family members.

We understand that physical distancing, masks and temperature checks will be the new normal. So will appointments needed for visits.

Yes, COVID-19 can be a matter of life and death to the elderly. But what they have endured during the lockdown also has drained their spirits. Its why even brief visits each week are so important.

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Actor Chunky Pandey recently revealed his take on the insider-outsider debate while speaking about his 33-year-long career in the film industry. In an interaction with a leading daily, the actor said that if people are in the limelight, they are sure to face criticism and they have to learn and live with it. He was also of the stance that he has never faced any discrimination in the film industry as he believes it works on talent above anything else.

Chunky Pandey on the insider-outsider debate

Veteran actor Chunky Pandey recently spoke to the leading daily about his personal experience in the film industry. He said that he has been in this industry for close to 33 years and he does not exactly have a filmy background and hence he is not sure if he is an insider or an outsider. He also added that he has personally never been a victim of discrimination. He was also of the belief that the industry actually works on talent. Whatever is saleable finds a place and that is common in every other industry as well.

Chunky Pandey was also asked about his daughter Ananya Pandays claim on a talk show that star kids have struggles of their own. She had spoken about how her father never went on a popular chat show or starred in a Dharma film. Chunky Pandey said that everyone lives by the sword and dies by the sword. Therefore, if people are in the limelight, they will get brickbats and they have to learn to live with it over the course of time.

Chunky Pandey also threw some light on how everything actually depends on profitability for the production houses. He believed these houses do not spend loads of money on star kids if they are not related by blood. Chunky Pandey said that if one is investing crores in their own child and making a film, that is one thing and makes sense but if a person spends 30-40 crores to make a film with someone elses child then it has to be a business decision.

Read Raghav Juyal On Playing Negative Character In 'Abhay 2', Elated About Its ZEE5 Release

Also read Akshay Kumar's Super Hit 'Housefull 2' Is A Remake Of Which South Movie? Read Details

Speaking about the highs and lows in his career, Chunky Pandey said that failure is quite easy to handle when no one is looking at it. Success, on the other hand, is difficult to keep as not everyone can handle it. He also added that he could not keep his success even though he had a great run. He also threw some light on how he had to work in Bangladesh by 1993-94 as all of it came to an end. Chunky Pandey was of the stance that talent will always want to work no matter where.

Read Chunky Pandey Says It Was Exciting To Play Antagonist In Digital Debut Abhay 2

Also Read Ananya Panday Shares Glimpse Of Her Father Chunky Panday's 'Abhay 2'; Watch

Image Courtesy: Chunky Pandey Instagram

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.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 23:56:48|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi said Friday that China and the United States must never allow a handful of self-serving U.S. politicians to push the bilateral relationship into serious jeopardy.

He made the remarks in a signed article titled "Respect History, Look to the Future and Firmly Safeguard and Stabilize China-U.S. Relations," which was published Friday.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said that a sound and stable China-U.S. relationship affects the well-being of China, the United States and the world at large.

To uphold world peace and promote development for all is the shared mission and responsibility for China and the United States, Yang said. "What it requires is for the two countries to view and handle their relationship in a proper manner and seek a way of peaceful co-existence despite differences."

"Nonetheless, for some time, some politicians in the United States have kept making false statements and groundless remarks against China. They have viciously attacked the CPC and China's political system. They have deliberately distorted and even attempted to write off the history of China-U.S. relations for the past nearly 50 years," Yang noted.

"What they are up to is to stitch up lies to blind the American people and fool international public opinion," he added.

"The erroneous words and moves by the U.S. Administration constituted interference in China's internal affairs. They undermined China's interests and seriously disrupted China-U.S. relations, putting the relationship in a most complex and grave situation since the establishment of diplomatic ties," said Yang.

In response to the U.S. move, the Chinese government has expounded its position in a comprehensive manner and reacted resolutely to firmly defend China's sovereignty, security and development interests and firmly safeguard and stabilize China-U.S. relations, said Yang. Enditem
Colposcopes Market Research Report by Product (Optical Colposcope and Video Colposcope), by Application (Cervical Cancer Diagnostic and Physical Examination), by End User - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Colposcopes Market Research Report by Product, by Application, by End User - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913895/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Colposcopes Market is expected to grow from USD 555.87 Million in 2019 to USD 926.51 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 8.88%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Colposcopes to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Product, the Colposcopes Market studied across Optical Colposcope and Video Colposcope.



Based on Application, the Colposcopes Market studied across Cervical Cancer Diagnostic and Physical Examination.



Based on End User, the Colposcopes Market studied across Diagnostic Laboratories, Gynecology Clinics, and Hospitals.



Based on Geography, the Colposcopes 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 Colposcopes Market including ATMOS MedizinTechnik GmbH & Co. KG, BOVIE MEDICAL, CooperSurgical Inc., Edan Instruments, Inc., Gem Optical Instruments Industries, Kernel Medical Equipment Co., Ltd., Leisegang Feinmechanik Optik GmbH, MedGyn Products, Inc., ORION MEDIC, and Wallach Surgical Devices.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Colposcopes 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 Colposcopes Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Colposcopes Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Colposcopes Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Colposcopes Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Colposcopes Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Colposcopes Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913895/?utm_source=GNW



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(Natural News) A growing response to todays chaotic information landscape sounds inviting and elegantly simple: appoint experts to fact-check news stories, blogs, speeches, studies, opinions, and political ads. Information they deem to be false is corrected or even removed from public view, in the name of the public good.

(Article by Sharyl Attkisson republished from RealClearInvestigations.com)

Since Donald Trumps election these fact-checkers have gained increased prominence. Pressure has mounted for news outfits and big tech companies  including Google, Facebook, and Twitter  to police political discourse. At the same time, many people, notably conservatives, are demanding that the tech giants back off such perceived censorship. Tensions on both sides were on display last week as a House Judiciary subcommittee grilled top Silicon Valley executives.

That discord is likely to persist because in large part the fact-checking solution is illusory. Many such efforts fail because they amount to a circular feedback loop of verification. The fact-checkers are like-minded journalists or often liberal Silicon Valley gatekeepers, who frequently rely on partisan news sources and political activists to control narratives on a wide variety of issues and controversies. This small group of players exerts an oversized influence, using fact checks to shape and censor information.

Twitter recently sparked controversy by taking the unprecedented step of adding a disapproving fact-checking label to some of President Trumps tweets. The social media site publicly explained that Trumps May 26 posts contained what its fact-checkers deemed to be potentially misleading information about voting processes.

Trump had said widespread mail-in ballots in the 2020 election would be substantially fraudulent. While the definition of substantially is in the eye of the beholder, the United States, in fact, has a long and ongoing history of ballot fraud.

Nevertheless, Twitters label warned that Trumps claims were unsubstantiated according to CNN, Washington Post, and others  Experts say mail-in ballots are very rarely linked to voter fraud.

Like many questionable fact checks at issue, Twitters critique wasnt really a fact check at all. It used past reporting from selected partisan news sources to claim that a prediction about what could happen in the future is untrue  before it even happens or doesnt happen. It was, in short, a Democratic Party talking point.

Google has stoked criticism for inserting its judgment and opinions between internet users and their search results. In February, the search engine announced it was fighting disinformation about coronavirus by partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO). Google explained that user searches about COVID-19 would be directed to WHOs online information. One big problem: WHO itself was guilty of factual misinformation in multiple instances. For example, the agency admitted it had wrongly called the global risk of the virus emanating from China virus moderate at a time when it had actually been very high.

Critics say the partnership with WHO reflects a trend by Big Tech fact-checkers to present often controversial global organizations as nonpartisan purveyors of objective fact.

Over at Facebook, censorship of accounts and ideas has included a fact check of a documentary about the lab in Wuhan, China, that was under investigation as a possible source of the COVID-19 outbreak. Facebook claimed the documentary was false. But an investigation by this reporter revealed that one of the authorities Facebook referenced in discrediting the documentary was a scientist who worked at the Wuhan lab.

Facebook did not respond to an emailed request for an interview with CEO Mark Zuckerberg or a representative.

Whos Pulling Strings and Calling Shots?

Fact-checking organizations have grappled internally with the obvious but usually unspoken challenge in all such efforts: It is unrealistic to expect that any appointed group of fact-checkers has true expertise on all of the topics they litigate. Yet they do so every day.

As the labels applied to the Trump tweets illustrate, todays brand of fact-checking is rarely cut and dry, such as verifying the date an event occurred. Now, fact checks are frequently used to litigate matters of opinion or debate, and to proclaim the truth about facts that are unknown, or cannot possibly be known, at the time. They commonly provide what they call the context they claim is necessary to assess a factual claim, rather than a simple assessment of whether a statement is correct or incorrect. As a result, many factually correct statements are deemed to be half true or mostly false.

Keeping this in mind, the biggest inherent flaw with efforts to fact-check information may lie in the qualifications, bias, and conflicts of interest among the ranks of the fact-checkers themselves. One example is the fact-checking nonprofit First Draft, started by Google at the beginning of the 2016 election cycle. Google is owned by Alphabet, Inc. Alphabet executives and employees comprise a politically active group that ranks among the largest political donors to Democrats in the country. During the 2016 campaign, Alphabet was led by an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter and campaign volunteer, executive chairman Eric Schmidt.

First Draft is also supported by an array of liberal companies and nonprofits, including the Ford Foundation and George Soros Open Society Foundations. First Draft tends to fact-check topics in a vein thats consistent with its major donors opinions and interests. This is particularly true when it comes to controversies about vaccine safety and climate change, where First Draft appears to give little consideration to opposing scientific views and information. In April, First Draft uncritically referred readers to an article perpetuating the false story that President Trump had literally encouraged people to drink bleach. Among the groups original organizers is its digital director, Alastair Reid, who has frequently tweeted and retweeted anti-American rhetoric and progressive positions.

For its part, First Draft says certain projects and initiatives may be guided in part by the specific requirements of our funding partnerships but our donors understand that First Draft retains operational and editorial independence. Our decisions are driven by the organizations mission and values.

Similar issues surround NewsGuard, an Internet browser tool that rates the trustworthiness of news sources on search engines and social media sites. Created in 2018, it is funded in part by one of the largest PR, advertising, and data collection firms in the world: Publicis Groupe. Publicis is active on the progressive side of major issues and controversies from gender to race and climate.

NewsGuard states that besides its founders Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz, other investors play no role in the determination of ratings. Its analysts have given a green light of trust to openly partisan sources such as Media Matters for America.

Last November, NewsGuard reached out to RealClearInvestigations, questioning its use of anonymous sources to reveal the identity of an intelligence community whistleblower whose allegations helped lead to Trumps impeachment. But when RealClearInvestigations asked NewsGuard if it was posing similar queries about use of anonymous leaks by other news organizations, such as the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, NBC, and BuzzFeed, NewsGuard did not reply.

The clearest example of conflicts in play regarding fact checks may be found by examining Facebooks new oversight board, which was recently created to temper criticism over its decisions to flag certain content and accounts. According to Facebook, members of the oversight board were chosen for their expertise and diversity and must not have actual or perceived conflicts of interest that could compromise their independent judgment and decision-making. They all have expertise in, or experience in advocating for, human rights.

But 18 of the 20 members of Facebooks oversight board members have ties to Soros Open Society Foundations, which have spent billions of dollars on global initiatives aggressively advocating for the progressive side on topics ranging from immigration policy and climate to abortion, gender, and racial policies.

The pervasive Soros connections on Facebooks oversight board may be no more than a matter of odds. Soros is such a prolific financier among global groups that advocate for positions he supports, that his name is bound to turn up when the chosen fact checkers are primarily activists and advocates for progressive positions. The result is a group whose expressed viewpoints and causes are far from neutral. By contrast, however, no members of the Facebook board have known public positions on the conservative side of hot-button controversies.

Genesis

One measure of the problems in objective fact-checking is the vastly disparate treatment accorded two of the most established partisan outfits  the conservative Media Research Center and the liberal Media Matters.

Founded in 1987 by Brent Bozell, the Media Research Center, characterizes itself as a media watchdog, and uses a blog called Newsbusters to call out what it views as liberal bias in the mainstream media.

Media Matters is a nonprofit founded in 2004 by right-wing operative-turned-left-wing operative David Brock as a counterpoint to Media Research Center. Today, its linked to a web of political action committees, nonprofits, LLCs and other groups that partner to advance their agendas in the news.

So the two groups are bookends in the increasingly partisan media landscape. But they are not treated the same by the so-called objective press. The liberal Media Matters is is frequently relied upon by journalism organizations and the mainstream media as if it were an accurate, nonpartisan source of news and information. An extensive search found no such treatment accorded to the Media Research Center. The credibility afforded to Media Matters by some appears to have evolved over time. Back in 2009, the Columbia Journalism Review called out Media Matters for a falsehood, citing a deceptive claim and press release. But fast forward to June 4, 2020 and an article in the same publication places Media Matters editor-at-large Parker Molloy among a group of journalists, legal analysts and other experts  without disclosing the controversial groups partisan affiliation. The article goes on to quote Molloy as claiming there is honestly no reason to believe theres some sort of liberal/progressive bias at social-media companies. She adds, Conservatives are really just trying to work the refs as a way to push these companies into adopting a pro-conservative bias.

What to Do?

Democrats and Republicans alike have stepped forward to say they have issues with some of todays fact-checking and censorship efforts ahead of the 2020 election. But they differ on which political side they think has the edge, or what should be done about it.

Democrats tend to press for more censorship. Republicans are pushing to lift liability protections for social media platforms that engage in heavy-handed tactics to limit or shape content. The Department of Justice recently issued recommendations to reform the law. It includes ideas to strengthen censorship of content deemed harmful, providing transparency regarding the decisions, and addressing the concentration of information in the hands of just a few.

Sens. John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, and Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, recently introduced the bipartisan Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency Act, or the PACT Act. It would require Google, Facebook, Twitter and other online platforms to disclose their practices when it comes to how they shape and moderate content. It would also subject them to certain civil lawsuits they are currently exempted from.

On the other hand, eliminating liability protections could result in furthering the public perception that Big Tech is controlling what they are allowed to see and read, as companies could reasonably argue that they would have a heightened obligation to censor even more information due to the risk of being sued.

For now, the trend to fact-checking information the public accesses online and on the news is gaining momentum approaching the 2020 election. The evidence indicates the backgrounds and interests of those involved in the effort are serving to complicate rather than purify an increasingly fact-challenged information landscape.

Correction: Aug. 5, 2020; 2:45 PM Eastern

Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this article misidentified Parker Molloy, a woman, using the pronoun he on a subsequent reference.

Read more at: RealClearInvestigations.com and RealInvestigations.news.
The Peoples Democratic League (PDL) is deeply saddened at the tragic loss of life and suffering that Lebanon has been experiencing as a result of a massive explosion at the port area of the capital, Beirut. The Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has called for a day of national mourning for those killed or injured. The official record puts the death toll to at least 100, the injured, at least 4,000 others and up to 300, 000 displaced, and with property damaged cost over five billion dollars ($5 billion).

As the Lebanese people struggle to come to terms with this traumatic, devastating and deadly wrought, we, members, supporters and sympathizers of the Peoples Democratic League (PDL) wish to express solidarity with the Lebanese community, and generally, with other communities of Lebanese across Africa and the world for the horrible situation which their country has been subjected to. Although human words often fail to comfort and console grief on such a large scale, we are sure that the Peoples Democratic League (PDL) will join others in prayers for Lebanon and all those seeking to provide for those in need.

Although Lebanon has experienced explosions in the past, the extent of damage wrought by the recent explosions in the capital Beirut, the worst in the history of that nation, has been horrendous, cruelty and savagery. We appreciate the extent and speed with which the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab has responded to the disaster, putting in place a rapid force to rescue stranded people and distribute much-needed assistance throughout Beirut capital. We are also grateful that other countries have also come forward to offer various forms of emergency aid and humanitarian relief.

The explosions in Beirut occurred on Tuesday, 4th August, 2020 and therefore, we offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who have been killed, and our deep sympathy to all whose lives have been affected. We wont forget this tragic event, the pains and sorrows of which have marked us all. We wont forget those who have left us.

Concluding, the Peoples Democratic League (PDL) extends its profound sympathy to the Government of Lebanon; and our deepest condolences on the unimaginable disaster which brought death, injury, destruction and untold human suffering to so many in an unprecedented way.

We will continue to monitor the situation, as well as support the on-going humanitarian and disaster-relief efforts undertaken by the Lebanese community in Sierra Leone for the affected Lebanese capital, Beirut.

The PDL sincerely hope and pray that the situation in Lebanon would return to normalcy as soon as humanly possible.

Long live the Lebanese community in Sierra Leone!

Sender:

Samuel Musa Kalokoh

National Secretary for Administration

The Peoples Democratic League (PDL)
KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2020 - 23:20 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Japan confirmed a record 1,597 new coronavirus infections on Friday, as cases continue to mount throughout the country, particularly in urban areas like Tokyo and Osaka.

With Japan's Bon holiday season beginning next week, there is concern that the movement of people will further spread the virus.

The Tokyo metropolitan government on Friday reported 462 new cases of coronavirus infection, just short of the daily record of 472 cases confirmed in the capital late last week.

The single-day figure pushed Tokyo's cumulative total to 15,107. The capital of nearly 14 million residents has the highest number of infections in the country, which has seen more than 44,000 cases.

The daily figures reflect the most recent totals reported by health authorities and medical institutions.

To mitigate the risk of the virus spreading, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has requested residents to refrain from traveling during the holiday.

The metropolitan government has raised its alert for the pandemic to the highest of four levels, meaning "infections are spreading."

Tokyo has requested karaoke venues and establishments serving alcohol close by 10 p.m., which came into effect on Monday and will continue through the end of August.

Koike has warned that Tokyo authorities may declare an emergency if numbers continue to rise.

Koike said Friday the Tokyo government has designated two medical institutions in the capital to exclusively treat coronavirus patients with mild and moderate symptoms from the fall.

The first such facilities in Tokyo will each provide 100 beds for patients.

Osaka Prefecture confirmed Friday 255 new cases of coronavirus, breaking its record for daily cases a second day in a row.

Okinawa Prefecture also broke its daily record Friday, reporting 100 new cases.
Australia's national science agency has opened the country's first accredited face mask testing facility to help in the fight against COVID-19.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) launched the facility on Thursday, saying it will deliver rapid results on testing for surgical face masks and fast-track the delivery of masks to frontline healthcare workers.

For the first time Australian face mask manufacturers will not have to send masks and materials overseas to be tested, saving time and money.

"It's inspiring to see Australian science enabling Australian businesses to supply life-saving surgical face masks to protect our frontline health care workers - yet another way science is tackling the COVID-19 pandemic," Larry Marshall, the chief executive of the CSIRO, said in a media release.

"This new facility will give Aussie businesses another solution from science to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.

"Science is guiding us through COVID-19, and science will help us grow on the other side. There's not much Aussie innovation can't solve, whether it's finding the right vaccine or creating Australia's first National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited face mask testing facility."

The Australian Government in March secured 54 million masks for the National Medical Stockpile, which have steadily been released to state and territory governments for distribution to medical and aged care professionals.

Face masks have been made mandatory outside of the home for all Victorians as the state struggles to contain COVID-19 outbreaks and are strongly recommended in New South Wales.

As of Thursday afternoon there had been a total of 19,862 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, and the number of new cases in last 24 hours is 483, according to the latest figures from Department of Health.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Spanish authorities have ordered about 32,000 people into lockdown in the central riverside town of Aranda del Duero in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Known for its vineyards, Aranda del Duero residents will find their movements restricted to the absolute minimum and be barred from entering or leaving the town which lies 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Madrid,

The move comes just six weeks after a nationwide easing of such measures.

Other areas have already put local lockdowns in place, including in the Basque Country, Catalonia and Aragon regions.

Spain has so far been one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic, with 310,000 registered infections and 28,500 deaths.

An AFP photographer saw police setting up checkpoints around Aranda del Duero, which will remain in lockdown for at least two weeks.

Officers will check ID documents of those entering and prevent anyone from leaving without a valid reason.

The photographer saw that several goods trucks were able to enter the town.

"It's all calm here, of course we're a little afraid. Some shops have closed but overall it seems almost like a normal day," clothes shop worker Maria Jose Fernandez told AFP by phone.

"You can see that people's morale has suffered, because we don't know what's going to happen."

Nationwide, Spain has added 19,405 new coronavirus cases in the past week, but the health ministry says the country is not entering a second wave of the pandemic.

Among regions, Catalonia was the worst hit in the past seven days with 5,100 cases, while neighbouring Aragon recorded 4,100.

But with 312 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Aragon is a greater cause for concern in terms of the infection rate.

Local authorities have imposed different forms of lockdown, with Barcelona requesting residents not to leave their homes while Aranda del Duero citizens face police checks.

Spain's nationwide lockdown lasted from mid-March until June 21, but the government has ruled out re-imposing it across the country.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
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A lubricant is a substance utilized to reduce friction between surfaces that are mutually in contact, ultimately reducing the heat generated when the surfaces move. In addition to industrial applications, lubricants are used for many other purposes mainly in the automotive industry.

A steady surge in commercial activities along with demand in number of automobiles globally has spurred the growth in the automotive lubricants market. Immense popularity of motorsports and auto racing, as well as increasing number of passenger cars, are also driving the market to peak levels. Moreover, increasing demand for passenger and commercial vehicles is fuelling the steadily growing market. Use of lubricants is very crucial in automobiles for heat generation, combustion products, friction/wear, sealing and material protection. Engine oil ensures easy ignition of the vehicle by the driver along with less fuel consumption as well as less wear. Automotive engine oils are used as pour point depressant, defoamer, detergent/dispersant, oxidation inhibitor, antiwear (AW)/extreme pressure (EP), and corrosion inhibitor.

Get a Free Sample Now@ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1225

Transmission fluids are high-performance lubricants that aim to protect gears from wear and also improves the ease with which gears are changed. Grease is also used as an automotive lubricant, where sealing is difficult and are at lower speeds. The automotive lubricants industry relinquish various opportunities for technology leaders to deliver value propositions targeted to specific needs.

Market Segmentation

The automotive lubricants market is segmented by type into gear oil, engine oil, grease, engine coolant, transmission fluids, and other fluids. Gear oil is a type of lubricant which is made specifically for transfer cases, transmissions, and differentials in trucks, automobiles, and various types of machinery. Basic properties include high viscosity and usually contains organosulfur compounds. On the other hand, engine coolant is a water-based liquid that tends to absorb the heat from the engine; then the coolant turns hot itself which is then transferred to a radiator located at the front of the car. Engine coolant is the best option rather than using water in the cars, as water is corrosive and destroys the inside of the engine and the water pump.

By vehicle, the market has been segmented into light, commercial, and heavy. High-performance lubricants are used to ensure that the vehicle works on optimized fuel consumption, increased torque, and reduced carbon emission.

Regional Analysis

The global automotive lubricant market is spread across Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa.

The region of Asia-Pacific currently dominates the market due to developing countries such as China and India, where the automotive industry is surging at a tremendous rate. The growing demand for light passenger vehicles, the rise in the average lifespan of vehicles in operation, and the increasing number of vehicle manufacturing facilities owing to the low cost of production in these countries have fueled the increase in the production capacity. Increasing demand for light and heavy commercial vehicles propels the growth of markets for lubricant and coolant in these countries.

The U.S in the North America region will grow with the highest annual growth as estimated. Demand for automotive lubricants accounts for the substantial increase in demand for lubricants with performance and environmental advantages. The accelerating number of automotive vehicles in use will also generate profits.

Automotive Lubricants Market  Competitive Analysis

Some of the key players in the automotive lubricants market are ExxonMobil Corporation (U.S.A), Chevron Corporation (U.S.A), Fuchs Lubricants Co. (U.S.A), ConocoPhillips Corporation (U.S.A), and BP Plc. (U.K.)

Industry News

British Petroleum Plc. is planning to get into a swap deal with ConocoPhillips. BP Plc. is in considerations of undertaking Conocos 24 percent interest in the Clair field. In exchange, ConocoPhillips is likely to take BP Plc.s assets based in Alaska. This will help both the companies focus on the projects that yield higher outputs.

Russia based Lukoil, owner of Neftochim Burgas refinery in Bulgaria, is planning to construct a petrochemical complex at the site of the refinery. It is intended to be an upgrade compared to the old production unit. The company has undertaken this expansion to increase the access to cheap raw materials and to quench the demand for polypropylene complex in the markets of Bulgaria. This would be profitable for the company and in turn, will increase the value added.

Strategically, competing companies have economically invested heavily in R&D activities to develop advanced products to cater to the demands of the market. Various strategies are adopted to retain and expand their market share. The main approach of most companies within the global automotive lubricant market is that of expansion and entering into merger & acquisition as well as swap deals which allows two parties to exchange financial instruments. These strategies are widely adopted to achieve operational efficiencies and also spread their geographical presence in the global market. The market demands regular product innovation for product diversification and hence help secure a strategic market position.

Access Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/automotive-lubricants-market-1225

NOTE: Our team of researchers are studying Covid19 and its impact on various industry verticals and wherever required we will be considering covid19 footprints for a better analysis of markets and industries. Cordially get in touch for more details.

COVID-19 Study in Detail:

COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Market

COVID-19 Impact on 3D Printing Materials Market

COVID-19 Outbreak Impact on Carbon black Market
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, supermodel Bella Hadid has been using her platform to encourage the masses to stay home and observe government-mandated protocols.

Now, it appears that the Victoria's Secret model is not only educating her 32 million Instagram followers but also the New York City Police Department.

Bella Hadid Flips Off NYPD Cops

This came after the runway royal took to Instagram stories to express her dismay over the NYPD officers who were spotted not wearing masks and ignoring social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first photo, Bella Hadid posed in front of the cops with her arms folded in disapproval.

"Wear a mask. You guys look goofy," her caption read, with an arrow pointing to the three officers.

Meanwhile, in her second photo, she flipped her middle finger to five NYPD policemen who were standing far behind her. The 23-year-old supermodel wrote: " "WEAR A MASK. hi, @nypd masks are for all of our safety, not just urs...:)"

Bella Hadid's Behavior Gains Mixed Reaction From the Public

On the other hand, fans have mixed reactions regarding the Vogue cover girl's IG rant.

One user sided with Bella Hadid and mentioned that as officers, they should lead by example and not the opposite.

"They are supposed to lead by example, pretty simple. A COVID test only lets you know if you are positive or negative at that moment. If you come in contact with anyone that has it a minute later, we'll guess what?"

Another supporter even called the runway stunner as "the queen of activism."

Unfortunately, there are also fans who were offended by Bella Hadid's actions.

"Make your voice heard, not your finger, have the courage to confront, not with your back turned and using the finger," one wrote.

Another critic even accused the supermodel of doing it for publicity: "Anything for the 'gram, if she had any guts she would have done it when they were looking at her not when she is a block away."

Meanwhile, another user pointed out that Bella owed the cops an apology for her inappropriate behavior.

"Personally, I believe she owes the police officers an apology. She also needs to set a better example for others... giving the middle finger to others just shows a lack of class. She's just insulted her parents who I'm sure raised her better."

It appears that the younger Hadid is in the Big Apple for her upcoming projects.

It was previously reported that the billionaire supermodel secretly purchased a 2,180-square-foot swanky Manhattan penthouse last November.

According to Elle, her luxurious loft apartment has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a private roof terrace, walk-in closets, and a back-lit wine room that can hold up to 100 bottles.

Prior to her trip to NYC, the Dior muse spent months in quarantine in their family's Pennsylvania farm alongside her mom and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Yolanda, as well as her older sister and fellow Victoria's Secret Angel Gigi Hadid -- who is currently pregnant with their first child with boyfriend Zayn Malik.

READ MORE: Kim Kardashian Instagram: Kim K's 3 Most Controversial Selfies -- REVEALED!
TUCSON, AZ  Three Tucson college students have banded together to form a free virtual tutoring service for parents struggling to teach their children during the coronavirus pandemic. Arizona schools have been shut down since March and many began the new school year this week with virtual learning.

Angela Sun, Madeleine Zheng, and Mae Zhang all graduated from University High School in Tucson and have gone on to college but wanted to help out during a difficult time for many. Cov Tutors offers one-on-one tutoring by Zoom in subjects ranging from chemistry to algebra. Each session is two hours long and students can meet with a tutor up to three times a week free of charge.

It takes that burden away from the parent, especially because they have to work and right now its kind of a financially stressful time as well, Zheng, an Arizona State University student, told local news outlet KOLD.

When the group began taking on clients in July, five students signed up on the first day. The number doubled the following day, they said.

"It made us realize how much parents need something like this," said Sun, who is currently attending the University of Pennsylvania.

The students had to close their summer registration due to high demand but are hoping to add more spots for the fall as schools remain closed for the time being.

Were going to expand and have a waitlist for tutors and have a wave for more registration and open it up, said Zhang, a student at Carnegie Mellon University.

Join the waitlist by emailing covidtutors2020@gmail.com with information about your student.

This article originally appeared on the Tucson Patch
Black Lives Matter protesters in Utah could face up to life in prison if they're convicted of splashing red paint and smashing windows during a demonstration that took place last month.

Prosecutors discussed the potential punishment Wednesday, saying that the felony criminal mischief charges that may be filed against the demonstrators are more serious because they carry a 'gang enhancement'.

On July 9, a group of protesters in Salt Lake City clashed with cops, before damaging the District Attorney's office - smashing out windows and dousing the building with red paint that was supposed to represent the blood of black people killed by police.

The potential life sentences that may now be handed down by authorities stand in stark contrast to other punishments given to protesters across the country.

'This is the highest degree felony. This is usually reserved for murders and rapists,' said attorney Brent Huff, who is representing one of the Salt Lake City protesters.

Black Lives Matter protesters in Utah could face up to life in prison if they're convicted of splashing red paint and smashing windows during a demonstration that took place last month. Pictured: The rally in Salt Lake City on July 9, that left the DA's office damaged

Protesters in Salt Lake City damaged the DA's office - smashing out windows and dousing the building with red paint that was supposed to represent the blood of black people killed by police

The exterior of the DA's office is seen the morning after the protest. Those accused of damaging the public building now face the possibility of life in prison

Protesters are seen clashing with cops during the rally in Salt Lake City on July 9

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah says that invoking a law aimed at street gangs in troubling, especially against demonstrators of color.

'You are calling participants in a protest gang members,' said attorney Jason Groth.

'This is so far beyond just the enforcement of the law, it feels retaliatory,' activist Madalena McNeil told The Associated Press.

McNeil is one of the protesters facing a potential life sentence over felony criminal mischief and riot charges.

Charging documents say she bought red paint at a Home Depot before the July 9 demonstration.

Madalena McNeil (pictured) is one of the protesters now facing first degree felony charges over the protest on July 9. McNeil tweeted Thursday that she was asked resign from her job in the nonprofit sector after being slapped with the charges

Madalena McNeil says she had to pay a $50,000 bond to get out of jail and is now out of a job

Later in the day, McNeil allegedly yelled at and shifted her weight as if to slam into police during the demonstration.

'It's really frustrating and scary... I just feel so much concern for what this means for the right to protest in general.' McNeil stated.

However, Salt Lake County District Attorney, Sim Gill, has a different perspective.

'There's some people who want to engage in protest, but they want to be absolved of any behavior.

'This is not about protest, this is about people who are engaging in criminal conduct.'

Gill says its unlikely any of the protesters will even spend a single day in prison.

District Attorney Sim Gill is seen outside his damaged building on July 10

However, there are other side effects to criminal charges.

McNeil tweeted Thursday she was asked resign from her job in the nonprofit sector and all the defendants have to post $50,000 bail to get out of jail.

More than 30 people have been charged with various crimes in Salt Lake County since the national wave of protests over George Floyds death began in late May.

Similar first-degree felony counts have also been filed against people accused of flipping and burning a police car May 30.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi August 7 said the National Education Policy 2020 will lay the foundation of 21st century India. "This is a change which the entire country has been awaiting for years," said PM Modi speaking at an education conclave by UGC.

PM Modi added that he is fully committed as far as the political will for NEP 2020 implementation is concerned.

"NEP 2020 has brought in an environment of healthy debate in the country with people reviewing its benefits. Everyone agrees that there is no bias in NEP 2020," he added.

Also Read: What NEP 2020 will mean for students

Modi explained that the key of NEP 2020 is implementation.

"Looking at this; wherever improvement is required, we will do it," he said.

The Union Cabinet headed by PM Modi on July 29 gave its nod to the National Education Policy. Consequently, the Human Resource Development Ministry has been renamed as the Ministry of Education.

The National Education Policy 2020 proposes far-reaching changes in the system of education not only in India. It also wants a self-sufficient domestic ranking system for Indian educational institutes.

Under the new system, flexibility will be given to students both in choosing the subjects for education as well as in the entry and exit in college degree programmes. Emphasis will also be given on local languages as medium of instruction in schools.

Also Read: All your questions about NEP 2020 answered

Talking about the implementation of NEP 2020, PM Modi said that all stakeholders like schools, colleges, regulators, students and teachers would have to play an equally crucial role.

Mother tongue as medium of instruction

The NEP 2020 has said that wherever possible, the medium of instruction should be the mother tongue or regional/local language till the fifth grade and preferably till eighth grade.

"There is evidence to show that whenever a child is taught in the same language as their mother tongue, then the pace of learning is higher. Hence, NEP has said that wherever possible, students must be taught all subjects in the mother tongue," said PM Modi.

The prime minister added that while India needs to make its students into global citizens, it is also essential to stay connected to the roots.

PM Modi explained that NEP 2020 has not only both our rich ancient roots as well as modernity through its 'Ateet se Adhunik' (ancient to modernity) approach.

Flexible entry/exit benefit to students

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his address that students should have the flexibility to enter educational programmes depending on their passion and circumstances.

NEP 2020 allows students an opportunity to enter and exit higher education programmes and also helps maintain an academic bank of credit so that students are benefited.

"A student can follow his/her passion and join a course. If they dont like it or are forced to work due to financial conditions, they can drop out. The academic credit bank will help these students to join back," he added.

The academic credit bank will store all the education credentials of the students till the time they exit a programme. If a student decides to join back, he/she would not have to enroll into the course from the beginning and can start off from the point they dropped out by accessing the credits from the digital locker.

"We are moving into an era where one individual will not stick to a single profession throughout his/her life. So there is a need to constantly re-skill and up-skill which is being aided by NEP," said PM Modi.

Across the education system, the prime minister said that the focus will be on 'inquiry-based, discussion-based and analysis-based' techniques. He said that this was the idea to cut down the lengthy syllabus in school curriculum under NEP.

"Our education system had so far shown students what to think. The new system under NEP will show how to think," he said.

Focus on dignity of labour

PM Modi said that it is crucial that the dignity of labour is maintained across the country.

He expressed disappointment about people doing certain jobs being treated differently than the other.

"The only reason there is no proper dignity of labour in the country is because the education system is disconnected from this segment. Under NEP, students can meet these individuals, be it a farmer or a rural worker and understand the contribution made by such workers to the country," said PM Modi.

Under NEP 2020, students will have to study vocational education from the sixth grade. Here, school children will be made to visit the local artisan, farmer, potter, carpenter among others to find out about the skills that go into these professions.

Recognition of teachers

PM Modi quoted former president late APJ Abdul Kalam who had said that the purpose of education is to make good human beings and that enlightened human beings can be created by teachers.

NEP 2020 has talked about up-skilling teachers and having a career development for these professionals.

The prime minister said that the dignity of teachers has also been kept into mind while framing the NEP 2020.
Jung Bun-sun wipes her face during an interview at a special nursing facility for Korean atomic bomb survivors in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province. Korea Times photos and videos by Choi Won-suk



Korean gov't to conduct first nationwide survey of victims this year



By Jung Min-ho



HAPCHEON, South Gyeongsang Province  More than 220,000 people were killed by the atomic bombs the United States dropped on Japan during World War II. However, what is little-known is that up to 50,000 of those who died were Koreans.



During Japan's 35-year colonial period, many Koreans were forced to settle in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as laborers. Some had no choice but to flee their homeland after they had been stripped of everything they had.



Lee Su-yong, 90, was seven years old when she went to Hiroshima with her family in search of food and a better life. She attended schools there and eventually got a job at a state bank. Everything seemed fine until Aug. 6, 1945  the day that changed her life forever.





Lee Su-yong shows her injured foot.





A U.S. B-29 bomber dropped a 15-kiloton atomic bomb on the city in the morning when she was about to start the day at her office  only 1.5 kilometers from ground zero.



"After an ear-shattering bang, I hid under my table. The next thing I knew, my left foot was badly injured by a big splinter of glass and I was covered with blood. Everything I could see was destroyed," Lee told The Korea Times.



"When I walked out of the building, I could see a dark sky filled with smoke. Children were crying for their mothers. Charred bodies were strewn all over the city. Many people lost their arms or legs. One person I saw had his eye popped out of its socket. It was horrendous."



She was fortunate to receive medical treatment at a military facility on a neighboring island, where she saw burnt people and dead bodies every day. But her foot was damaged permanently.



Radiation exposure may have continued to affect her health. Later, Lee also suffered from uterine cancer and lung disease. After a few years, her mother and two brothers died. They all suffered lung disease, she said.



Jung Bun-sun, 90, also settled in Hiroshima as a child. To earn money, she sold side dishes on the streets and worked at various factories. When she was 17, her father told her to get married early. So she did. Jung said her father was worried that Japanese soldiers would take her to a wartime brothel as a sex slave.



"The same year, I got pregnant, and soon after, the bomb exploded," she said.



"It was the loudest bang I had ever heard. There was so much smoke in the air. I had no idea what had just happened."



The point of explosion was not close enough to kill her instantly. But Jung has suffered from unexplained illnesses throughout her life.





Jung shows a photo of her mother.




The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that there were 190 onboard the flight, including 10 infants, 2 pilots and four cabin crew members, of whom 17 have died in the accident

Politicians across the board condoled the deaths and injuries caused when an Air India Express flight bringing Indian home from Dubai skidded off the runway at the Karipur Interantiaonl Airport in Kerala's Kozhikode.

Reports said that 17 people have died several are injured. The flight was reportedly a repatriation flight under the Centre's Vande Bharat Mission.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that there were 174 passengers, including 10 infants, 2 pilots and 5 cabin crew members on board the aircraft.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed shock over the accident. CMO sources were quoted by PTI as saying that Vijayan spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the latter assured him all help and assistance from the Centre.

Helplines are open. #CCJaccident These numbers will assist you in providing information about passengers who were on the Air india Express AXB1344 from @DXB to CCJ. Airport Control Room - 0483 2719493

Malappuram Collectorate - 0483 2736320

Kozhikode Collectorate - 0495 2376901 pic.twitter.com/aPjh8ujav4  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 7, 2020

Modi said he was "pained" by the Kozhikode accident and said, "My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones."

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

President Ram Nath Kovind said that "thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families".

External Affairs minister S Jaishankar said he is deeply distressed to hear the news about the Air India Express flight tragedy and said further details are being ascertained.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the Wayanad MP, expressed shock "at the devastating news" of the mishap.

"Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said on Twitter. "My thoughts are with the crew, the passengers and their families and friends at this time," he added.

Priyanka Gandhi also condoled the deaths.

My heart goes out to the crew and passengers of the Air India plane that has crashed in Calicut and to their families. Our prayers are with you at this tragic and painful moment.  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 7, 2020

Other Congress leaders also extended condolences over the "unprecedented tragedy".

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, "The unprecedented tragedy at Calicut (now known as Kozhikode) has shocked our collective conscience. Pray to the almighty for the well being of passengers and extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. Urge the Congress friends to extend all efforts in rescue efforts."

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also said, "Shocked at the news of Air India plane crash in Kozhikode. My prayers with passengers onboard the flight. Hope missing passengers are found soon. Wishing a speedy recovery to those injured. Deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the souls of the departed RIP."

It must be a nightmarish experience for everyone on the unfortunate ill-fated flight. There are 4 people yet reportedly stuck in the aircraft. I do hope that most will be fine, but distressed to know that there are casualties including the pilot ( s). Lets pray for them.  Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) August 7, 2020

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said it was a "tragic day" for Kerala.

"Tragic day for Kerala. First the deaths in Munnar & now this: I hear both pilots have died. Hope rescue efforts will succeed in saving all the passengers," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram tweeted soon after the news of the accident broke.

Tharoor was referring to a landslide incident, which took place in the wee hours on Friday, in Rajamala area of Idukki district. At least 15 have died and 50 were feared trapped in the debris. Rescue operations are still underway in Idukki.

Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa also expressed shock over the Kozhikode accident. In his message, he said, "Shocked to hear about Air India Express plane skidding off the runway at Kozhikode airport.

My thoughts are with the passengers, crew and their loved ones."

Puducherry chief minister V Narayanaswamy took to Twitter and said that he was praying for the speedy recovery of the injured in the mishap.

"I offer my prayers to the dead in the air-crash," he said.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar and his party colleague and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar among others expressed grief over the plane crash.

"Disheartened to learn about the plane crash in #Kozhikode. Condolences to the family members of those who have lost their lives. #AirIndiaExpress," Pawar tweeted.

"Saddened to hear about the #AirIndiaExpress tragedy in #Kozhikode. Praying for speedy recovery of the injured," said Ajit in a tweet.

Maharashtra water resources minister Jayant Patil and NCP MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, also expressed grief.

"Saddened to hear about the #AirIndiaExpress Plane Crash in Kerala. My thoughts and prayers with family members who lost their loved ones. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery #KozhikodeAirCrash," Sule tweeted.
Tasmania has recorded its coldest ever day since records began of -14.2C as the rest of the eastern states are warned to prepare for heavy rain and cold temperatures this weekend.

The Bureau of Meterology labelled this week's weather as 'a very significant event', and beat the state's previous record of -14C in 1983.

So cold, in fact, that it was actually warmer at the Australian Antartic reasearch station in Casey on Thursday, meteorologist Simon Louis told the ABC.

'I don't think that would happen very often at all,' he said.

Video footage, taken on Wednesday, showed Aussie Rules players bracing the icy conditions to train in Launceston in the north of the state.

A wombat was also filmed wandering along a boardwalk looking for his underground burrow in the snow earlier in the week.

The Bureau of Meterology called the last few days of below zero temperatures in southwest Tasmania (pictured) a very significant weather event

Snow over Flinders Ranges in South Australia on Friday which is rare for the remote region. Pictured: Skytrek Willow Springs Station

PICTURED: Aussie Rules players still train despite the icy conditions in Launceston, Tasmania

Further west, it snowed over the Flinders Ranges in South Australia on Friday which meterologists called 'highly unusual' for the region.

The Ikara Safari Camp posted a photo of the snow on Mt Ohlsen Bagge at Wilpena Pound captioned: 'We don't see this very often. Snuggle up campers.'

Meterologist Jonathan How said there could also be records broken for lowest maximums around Adelaide with the mercury predicted to reach 10C, the record for the capital is 9.3C.

Mr How said unusually cold and wet conditions will cover most of south east and eastern Australia over the next few days due to a low pressure system over south western Queensland.

'The overall weather pattern we're seeing in eastern Australia is unusual, we don't usually see low pressure systems move that far north. That's why we're seeing heavy rainfall. '

That will bring widespread rainfall for southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and southern South Australia with very cold temperatures underneath the cloud.

Unusually cold conditions will cover most of south east and eastern Australia over the next few days due to a low pressure system over south western Queensland. Pictured: Skytrek Willow Springs Station

PICTURED: Rare sight of snow on Mt Ohlsen Bagge at the Ikara Safari Camp in Wilpena Pound in South Australia

Skytrek Willow Springs Station (pictured) took these photos of the snow in Flinders Ranges National Park on Friday

'We could also see severe thunderstorms in New South Wales and Queensland with large hail and damaging winds this weekend.'

The rain will then move to the south coast of New South Wales which could receive more than 200mm by Monday or Tuesday, it could also go into far eastern Victoria.

These are the same areas that were devastated by deadly bushfires over the Summer.

'The area also received very heavy rainfall recently so the landscape is already saturated. There could be major flooding this weekend and locals are asked to keep an eye on warnings.'
'The NEP is a threat, not a hope.'

Chandrabhan Prasad, who is among India's leading Dalit intellectuals and activists, went to a Dalit school with two teachers. He learnt English after he enrolled at the Jawaharlal Nehru University from where he obtained an MA and MPhil.

An ardent champion of the English language, he has always maintained that one of the aspirations of young Dalits is 'to speak in English'.

Last year, his daughter secured 99% in English in Class 10. "English is not just a language, but also a culture that celebrates universality," he says.

In an interview to Rediff.com's Archana Masih, he explains why he thinks the new education policy which makes regional language the medium of instruction in primary school is not just anti-Dalit, but anti-India.

Why do you feel the new education policy is anti-Dalit?

It is not just anti-Dalit, it is essentially anti-India as it hands over the affairs of the State to the society. India is not like the West that earned its civil society. India is still a caste society, hence it needs strong State control.

The new education policy is the first official intervention of the RSS in India's social affairs.

This is the first time the RSS is using State machinery to extend its cultural hegemony over Dalits.

From Ambedkar onwards, Dalits are fond of the English language, Western style of dressing and culture.

Dalit history embraces Western culture as egalitarian in comparison to Hindu culture.

English is not just a language, but also a culture that celebrates universality.

The RSS is mounting an effort to subdue Western influence. If the BJP returns to power in 2024, they will launch a full-blown attack.

The Sangh Parivar is not only opposed to English language, but also believes English to be the carrier of Western culture. They see Western civilisation as a threat to Hindu civilisation.

When I celebrated (Thomas Babbington) Macaulay's birthday in 2006 and it was covered in the press, the RSS gave a statement that these are Macaulay's putras.

You say that if the BJP returns to power in 2024, the RSS will play a bigger role in education. How do you see that happening?

People may not accept this imposition of deshi language, but the next thing they will do is refrain students from saying 'Good morning teacher' and change it to 'Pranam'.

There is a psychology behind that too -- when you say 'Pranam' you bow your head, fold your hands and the person usually responds saying 'Khush raho'.

This was the traditional culture of caste dominance. It is a subtle way of subjugation.

On the other hand, when you say 'good morning', you are not required to bow your head.

Next, the RSS will say touching the feet of your teacher is sacred, but do you think an upper caste will touch the feet of a Dalit teacher?

There are 926,000 Dalit school teachers in government schools in the country. Schools are the biggest employers of Dalits, even more than railways.

Citizens will abandon government schools that will lead to mindless privatisation of schools, blocking oxygen supply to Dalits.

The BJP is planning this disruption by using State machinery in society.

It will affect Dalit children and teachers the most because they are the ones accessing government schools.

Private English medium schools that have mushroomed in town and villages will not be affected, so why the furore?

The damage was first done by ghe UPA when they introduced the midday meal scheme in government schools and replaced slates with plates.

This effectively converted government primary schools as schools for Dalits. The fear of food pollution made upper caste people withdraw their children from these schools.

For the UPA, food was more important than intellectual development of Dalits.

The leaders of the Congress and BJP are largely children of upper castes and landlords. In the past, landlords used to cook some extra food and Dalit women would come to the house and they would give it to them.

This system of feeding Dalits is part of the permanent memory bank of upper caste politicians.

Over the years, the quality of education has deteriorated in government schools.

I went to a Dalit school that had only two teachers, and no free food. Learning was more important than food.

Earlier, primary schools used to conduct a board exam in Class 5 where we wrote short essays and solved arithmetic problems. Today, Dalit children in Class 5 cannot sometimes write the names of their parents.

This has made 25% to 30% Dalits who can afford it withdraw their children from government schools and shift them to private schools.

In its second term the BJP's agenda is about correcting what it believes are the wrongs of the past. It is already on course with education being part of that agenda.

The 2019 victory was a big win for the BJP, its second in a row, but why are they so angry?

They are angry because they feel this victory came too late because the damage has been already done in the past seven decades.

In the past, Dalits used to go and collect food from upper caste homes, work in their farms, go as praja (subjects) in their sons' baraat to shore up numbers, but Dalits don't do that anymore.

It is this loss of this praja that angers the BJP even in victory.

So now the RSS wants to enter society through the State's education policy which it has always wanted to do. The RSS wants to retain the hegemony of the upper castes.

To the RSS, caste supremacy comes before Hinduism, the supremacy of Hinduism comes before the nation.

The NEP is a threat, not a hope.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
She was draped in a white cape, wearing a golden crown as her gallant white horse strutted down Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation's capital on March 3, 1913.

Inez Milholland, a 26-year-old lawyer dubbed the "beautifulest" suffragist by the New York Tribune, braced herself against the cold March breeze as she led the long procession of women demanding the right to vote. Her horse, Grey Dawn, trotted so quickly that soon the 8,000 suffragists in costumes and on floats lagged several blocks behind her, according to "The Life and Times of Inez Milholland," a biography of the trailblazer by Linda Lumsden.

"She projected power, bravery and intelligence," Lumsden, a University of Arizona professor, said in a phone interview. "She cast women from victims to actors and gave the movement a modern face."

But as Milholland and Grey Dawn approached Fifth Street NW, a crush of drunken rowdy men blocked her way, including police officers who did nothing to clear the mob.

The crowd surrounded Milholland and soon converged on the marchers, spitting on the women, hurling obscenities, and throwing lighted cigarettes and matches at them. Some even slapped women in the face, according to Senate hearings in the aftermath of the riot.

"There would have been nothing like this happen if you women would stay at home," an officer snarled at one victim, according to The Washington Post.

Milholland soldiered on, using her horse to part the rioting men. "You men ought to be ashamed of yourselves," she shouted, according to Lumsden's book. "If you have a particle of backbone you will come out here and help us to continue our parade."

Finally, after a delay, U.S. cavalry troops galloped in from Fort Myer across the Potomac and cleared a path for Milholland, and the parade continued on the nation's most prominent and political thoroughfare.

It would take another seven years for women to win the right to vote. But Milholland wouldn't live to celebrate the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Instead she became the movement's martyr.

- - -

She was a child of privilege, born in Brooklyn in 1886 to wealthy parents who were also social reformers. Her father was a lifelong crusader against racism, an NAACP member who in 1910 bankrolled W.E.B. Du Bois's initial salary as editor of the Crisis, the group's news magazine. She made a name for herself at Vassar, graduating in 1909 as a self-declared free thinker and advocate of free love.

After Vassar, Milholland settled in Greenwich Village and became involved in radical circles. Her love interests included Max Eastman, editor of the Masses; Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the telegraph; and novelist Upton Sinclair. When she finally met the man she would marry, Eugen Boissevain, she proposed to him and they maintained an open, if torturous, relationship, according to "The Life and Times of Inez Milholland."

Thinking it would help her advance her causes, she entered New York University Law School and then became an attorney in 1912. One of the first cases she worked on was about prison reform in Sing Sing and another involved challenging the death penalty.

Milholland lent her hand to numerous progressive causes. But the one she worked on the longest and most vocally was women's suffrage.

"She would get nervous before a speech, but she made herself do it," said Lumsden, who pored through the suffragist's letters. "She was full of doubts about her abilities, but she would plunge ahead anyway. It's something that women still experience today."

Alice Paul, leader of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, chose Milholland to lead the Washington procession for the same reason she decided to do a parade at all: publicity for the cause. The media-savvy Paul saw the glamorous Milholland as a tool to get attention.

And it worked.

"Miss Milholland has been hailed as one of the most beautiful women in all the land, and today she deserved the title," said the lead story in the Washington Evening Star the day after the parade. Other newspapers echoed the assessment.

But Milholland was as fierce as she was beautiful, demanding that black women from Howard University be allowed to march in the parade after Paul and other white suffragists tried to turn them away.

- - -

Consensus across the nation was that violence at the parade was a national disgrace. The Senate launched an investigation and more than 150 witnesses related chilling accounts of abuse over five days of hearings. The investigation gave suffragists a forum to criticize patriarchal politics, Lumsden said.

For the next three years, Milholland continued to practice law and deliver speeches demanding the franchise for women. But by 1916, Milholland began experiencing exhaustion, lightheadedness and dizzy spells. She would take to her bed after speaking or defending a death row prisoner, then force herself back out the next day to continue her work.

Meanwhile, in June of that year, during the presidential election campaign, Paul broke away from the national suffrage association and formed a women's political party called the National Woman's Party. Paul planned to send a "Suffrage Special" railroad car of female speakers to recruit members from Western states, many of which already had suffrage.

Milholland's father encouraged her to go on the trek, saying it could boost her status into a national political career. He ended up making a large donation to Paul, and she agreed to have Milholland travel in the Western campaign.

She got rave reviews on the trip despite her increasing physical weakness, according to Lumsden. She held standing room-only audiences rapt. But each night, she would collapse into bed, unable to move her body, aching from exhaustion until she was woken up the next day in another city or town to give the same speech again.

Finally, on an October night in Los Angeles, it happened. "She spoke with her usual fire and conviction," Lumsden writes. "President Wilson, how long must this go on? No Liberty," she said, rallying the crowd. Then she collapsed on stage. The audience gasped as people rushed to help her.

The doctors diagnosed aplastic anemia, a serious disease where the body can't make red blood cells. She stayed in a Los Angeles hospital and received a blood transfusion two weeks later. But it was too late. On Nov. 25, 1916, Milholland died of the disease.

- - -

Suffragist Anne Martin asked what Milholland's last words were. In a speech at Cooper Union in New York, Martin paraphrased, and the words became, "President Wilson, how long must women go on fighting for liberty?" according to Lumsden's book. Militant suffragists then adopted the line as their battle cry.

Suffragists continued two more years of public protests, many in Milholland's name, which elevated her in death from suffrage celebrity to women's rights icon, Lumsden said. Finally, after Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment on Aug. 18, 1920, the fight was over. American women had won the right to vote.
A founding father of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has said he is surprised former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor are silent on the voter registration troubles that have been widely reported about in the media.



Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe in an interview on Wednesday, lamented that he expected to hear the voices of the two former presidents concerning complaints by some ethnic groups that they were being sidelined in the voter registration exercise as well as the use of the military in implementing that exclusion as alleged by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



What is equally disturbing to me is that former heads of state like President Kufuor, President Rawlings, none of them has come out to condemn what is happening. And this, to me, is very disturbing, he said.



These are leaders we feel, when there are complaints of this nature by the citizenry, will come out and condemn what is happening because what is happening are facts, they are not just fiction and I believe a word or two from them probably might correct the situation, he noted.



Dr Nyaho-Nyaho Tamakloe cautioned that the country has a problem and if we try to cover the problem, at a certain stage, it will blow.



That is what happened in many African countries and when it blows, it affects everyone. That is what my worry is all about, he said.



Why the silence? he wondered.



We have churches in this country, we have religious bodies all across the nation and a lot of other groupings but so far, only a few civil society organizations have come out to condemn what is happening and leaders like J.A. Kufuor are there; he is not saying anything.



Jerry John Rawlings surprises me. There have been a lot of infractions that hes never commented on. Why? And I believe if they fail to comment on these things, when it blows in our faces, they will be the first to be criticized.

Source: The Ghanaian Times









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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 08:42:24|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Outlet stores in Shanghai have become one of the retail sector's bright spots amid the epidemic, reporting an average monthly sales growth of over 30 percent year on year since March.

Shanghai Village, an outlet located in the Shanghai International Resort, has seen an increasing passenger flow since it reopened in early March and a monthly sales growth of over 50 percent year on year.

With global travel disrupted by the COVID-19 epidemic, outlets have emerged as new tourist attractions, according to Catherine Edme, Retail Operations Director of Shanghai Village.

An open space with beautiful scenery with Shanghai characteristics, Shanghai Village is seen not only as a shopping center, but also as a scenic spot where consumers can relax and entertain themselves, said Edme, adding that many families in Shanghai choose to spend their weekends there.

The suspension of global travel has also helped channel pent-up customer demand into outlet stores at home, industry insiders said.

To attract more customers, Shanghai Fashion Center, an urban outlet in the Yangpu District, has opened a market for imported products, such as French wine, beef from northern Europe and rice from Hokkaido, Japan.

The outlet will be taking further steps to make consumers spend more in Shanghai, including keeping prices competitive and bringing in more overseas brands, said Wang Lu, general manager of Shanghai Fashion Center. Enditem
Another day, another person exposes "Queen of Mean" Ellen DeGeneres.

This time, a producer who used to work on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" claimed that the talk show host is a "suck up," who only likes famous celebrities.

Hedda Muskat worked on the show in 2003 as a Human-Interest Producer, during the show's first-ever season.

On Friday morning, she spoke to KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O and revealed that the 62-year-old award-winning host "did not like people."

"She was not friendly with people that I noticed."

She added, "The only people that she was friendly with were the A-list movie stars. She's a big kiss a**."

After her first season on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," she didn't return for the succeeding runs.

The former producer's claims came after another ex-"Ellen" employee came forward of his experience working on the show.

Tony Okungbowa worked as a DJ on the show from 2003 until 2006 and 2008 until 2013.

Because of his music taste, he became a fan-favorite on the show. He plays music the audience could dance along to during the early years of the show.

On Tuesday, the DJ took to Instagram to share his thoughts about what's happening, after being bombarded with calls asking about his experience on the show.

Okungbowa explained that he is grateful for the chance to work on the show, but revealed that there was really a toxic environment happening behind the scenes.

He also said how he agrees with his former colleagues "in their quest to create a healthier and more inclusive workplace as the new show moves forward."

Since Ellen DeGeneres' show had been hit with headline-making allegations, following claims that her production staff was not treated well by producers, many staffers have come out with their "Ellen DeGeneres is mean" stories.

"The Ellen Show" was dubbed as a toxic workplace by current and former employees of DeGeneres, and even accused the higher-ups of intimidation and racism.

Ellen DeGeneres has not been personally accused of mistreatment, but she did issue a public apology to her employees.

"I told everyone in our first meeting that 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' would be a place of happiness - no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect."

Though Ellen DeGeneres stated this and not for allegations that she is the "Queen of Mean," many famous faces have publicly shared their support.

Kevin Hart told fans that he has never seen the "Finding Dory" star mistreating others. He even blamed the internet's "crazy negativity" for everything that has been going on to her friend.

Ashton Kutcher also spoke out in favor of the comedienne.

Speaking on Twitter, he revealed that he could only speak from his own experience and said that DeGeneres and her team "have only treated my team and me with respect and kindness."

Katy Perry publicly defended DeGeneres in a series of tweets, insisting that he also had positive experiences.

Many of these celebrities face backlash for supporting "mean" Ellen DeGeneres, saying that these stars will also be canceled.

READ MORE: Matthew McConaughey Obsession: Actor Leaving Hollywood to Work on Real-Life Wall Street?
Raising revenue is limited.

A little more than half of the countys land cannot be taxed because it belongs to either the federal or state government, Clegg said.

The economy is based on farming, fishing and forestry  economic activities that do not tend to produce highly lucrative land values.

Clegg suspects the county will need to raise water rates, burdening a community already plagued by high unemployment and poverty.

The county is now consulting with the state over how to implement payment plans before it makes the decision on rate hikes, Clegg said.

He estimated a potential rate increase of 10%. The average monthly water and sewer bill in Tyrrell County is about $50, according to the School of Government Economic Finance Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The unemployment rate in Tyrrell County spiked to around 14% this spring, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce Labor and Economic Analysis Division.

The Rev. Randy Hughes, pastor of the Assembly of Praise, has seen the strains in Tyrrell County first hand. More than 300 people have come to his church for help with food.
To the editor:

The Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network held its 12th mobile food pantry of the year on Thursday, July 23, in the parking lot of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Midland. The food giveaway was provided by this congregation, as it has done in previous years. Fourty-six volunteers served 135 families (323 individuals) with 24,295 pounds of food purchased from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan. The free drive-thru distribution included milk and other beverages, cabbages, frozen meats and boxed milk and potato wedges, as well as the usual assorted boxed and canned items, breads and pastries. Families with pets also received cat and/or dog food from the Humane Society of Midland County.

In accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic guidelines, recipients of food remained in their vehicles for registration and food delivery, during which time the volunteer workers wore face masks and gloves The next mobile food pantry is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 7 in the front parking lots and drive of Midland High School on Eastlawn Dr.

As a reminder, in addition to food assistance from the mobile events, Midland County residents in (financial) need of food and personal care items and cleaning supplies during the year also may call the network number of 989-486-9393 to leave your name and phone number. You will receive a call to set up an appointment at one of our eight food pantries in Midland County to receive a weeks supply of food. During your appointment, you will remain in your vehicle as the pre-packaged food and other items are placed in your trunk by the pantry volunteers.

Please visit us on the web at midlandcountyefpn.org or on Facebook for additional information. The network also is very grateful to the many donors of food, money and time throughout the year to the networks mission of Always food in every home.

SALLY ANN SUTTON

Midland County EFPN
Opinion Article

7 August 2020

When we talk about branding we talk of look, feel, voice, in short, the identity of a product or service that ultimately attracts target consumers. What is often less discussed is how the same principles can be used to attract employees. While the former is the ultimate goal, the latter and getting the right people is how you'll make that happen. Just as we position products and services to target the right consumer, we should position companies and workplaces to attract the right talent. Attracting people that will support your organisation's purpose, values and beliefs is what employer branding is all about.

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Why is employer branding important?

Today, the way an employee feels about their workplace is more important than ever before. A 2019 Glassdoor survey found that 56% of people prioritise workplace culture over salary, and 73% would not apply to a company that didn't share their values. Pay and benefits are no longer a primary driver for the majority. Instead, a company's mission, values and culture have become the key sticking points in attracting and retaining talent. However, having a coherent purpose and culture is half the battle. Communicating it effectively and honestly is the other half. As a result, when employees buy into the identity communicated by the employer and this matches the subsequent reality of working there, turnover becomes much less of a concern. Indeed, Deloitte's 2020 Global Marketing report found that purpose-driven companies had 40% higher levels of workforce retention than competitors.

The current landscape of employer branding today

Given the wealth of information available on the importance of employer branding, it's surprising to see the lack of it in the marketplace. In a recent survey , a leading recruitment solutions provider found that nearly 40% of US companies do not have an employer branding strategy. A further 20% of companies said they were unsure of their branding efforts. In total, that's close to 60% of companies without an employer branding strategy or unsure whether they have one or not. Either way, employer branding is still not as common as one might expect. Statistics on employee turnover also hint at a lack of employer branding effort. Jobvite, an international recruitment agency found that nearly 30% of new recruits leave a new job within the first 90 days, with 32% citing company culture as the culprit. The real culprit? A mismatch between expectations created by employers and reality experienced by employees.

Hakkasan: a case study in effective employer branding

I reflected upon this concept in an exercise I did in the context of my current employer, Hakkasan Group, a global restaurant and nightlife group. Just like branding products and services, employer branding is the result of a series of large and small elements coming together to create an identity for the employer. I brainstormed on ways to reinforce our employer brand and thought it would be interesting to share one of the results.

The concepts of exclusivity and mystery are central to our company's DNA, none more so than with our flagship brand, Hakkasan, taking the example of the first outpost of the brand, Hakkasan Hanway Place. Starting with the element of mystery: to get to the restaurant, you have to walk down an unassuming, concealed side alley in central London. You are greeted by a large black door set against grey slate, engraved with a small logo that acts as the only signage. Once inside, it's dimly lit with the occasional soft, neon strobe and spotlights, and the air is thick with incense smoke. As you walk through the restaurant, you catch fleeting glimpses of diners' faces through the wooden lattices that divide the space into several sections.

As for exclusivity, Hakkasan has always been a restaurant 'to be seen at', frequented by the glitterati. In the past it was notorious for its queues and the difficulty of getting a table. When it first opened, photography was prohibited in the restaurant. Whether it's trying to secure a table, the highly-prized ingredients used or the exclusive partnerships we have with many of our wine suppliers, exclusivity permeates the experience.

This paradoxical play between wanting to be seen and escaping to a hidden, mysterious space is central to the brand. As an employer branding effort, I see an opportunity to bring out these important brand elements during the recruitment process. Rather than a traditional email or phone call, the invitation to an interview could be sent out in an unmarked black envelope by post. The letter could contain a mysterious riddle with the answer revealing the time and date of the interview. From an employer branding point of view, the black, unmarked envelope arriving by post reinforces the idea of mystery. Moreover, few companies would communicate this by post, bringing in the element of exclusivity. The riddle reinforces enigma and concealment. I believe this recruitment practice would set the tone for what the Hakkasan brand is about, and people who are intrigued and play along might just be a better fit to work at Hakkasan.

The above example might seem gimmicky to some, but it's a small, cost-effective way to position Hakkasan during the recruitment process. It expresses some of the company's core beliefs in what makes a restaurant experience special and what they are working towards. It also serves to differentiate Hakkasan as an employer, through a small, creative twist in the recruitment process.

Engaging successfully in employer branding

As seen in the case study above, employer branding doesn't have to be about starting big. Small, purpose-led initiatives can help strengthen your brand. When relatively new to the concept of employer branding, a good place to start is by being inquisitive and reflective. The first step is to refocus on your company's purpose and identity, and understand whether there is a shared purpose within your organisation. Ask your current employees why they chose your company, what gets them out of bed every morning, what is the company's purpose in their eyes?

Next, understand to what extent this core purpose and these values are supported internally. What is your management style? How do you measure and reward success? How do you communicate? Do you use key performance indicators beyond financial measures? In short, do your internal processes support or hinder your identity as an employer? Then, analyse how you communicate externally to job-seekers. What are your recruitment ads like, what is their focus? Is your culture being properly conveyed? Is your true purpose coming through?

The final step is to make these three pieces fit. What is the unanimous purpose that drives your employees? Do you foster this in your work environment? Do you accurately communicate what you are all about to potential hires?

To summarise

Understand your organisation's core purpose and values in the eyes of your employees. Review your internal HR processes and work culture, do they support your purpose and values? Audit how you communicate your purpose and workplace externally. Align these 3 to create a coherent, comprehensive employer brand.

Conclusion

We've seen how creating and communicating a company identity built around a purpose is gaining in importance. People today need to buy into something more than the final number on their pay check. However, many companies are still not responding to this trend, largely because they undervalue the importance of it, but partly because they are unsure on how to build a successful employer brand in the first place. It doesn't have to be so complicated. As expressed in the case study, employer branding can be as simple as tweaking small elements within your HR processes to bring your purpose to life.

However big or small the initiative, the important thing is coherence. There must be a red thread between your organisation's purpose, the way you do things and how this is communicated. Organisations that understand this today will be the success stoires of tomorrow.
Earlier this week, a Georgia high school became the subject of national debate when a photo emerged showing a crowded hallway in which dozens of students are seen packed together, most not wearing masks.

In response, the Paulding County School District superintendent insisted that 'wearing a mask is a personal choice, and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them.'

However, as Mother Jones points out, that same school district has a strict dress code that band  among other items  'deep-scoop necklines,' pajamas, bandanas, sunglasses, or any clothing that shows bare shoulders.

Packed: A photo showing a crowded hallway in which dozens of Georgie high school students are seen packed together, most not wearing masks, went viral this week

No mandate: In response, Paulding County School District superintendent said 'wearing a mask is a personal choice, and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them'

Punished: Two students who shared photos from the school hallways were suspended and out of school for three days before the principal revered the decision

Two students shared photos taken on the first two days of class at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia, which is located about 25 miles outside of Atlanta.

The images show packed hallways, where students are crammed close enough to touch as they filter in and out of classrooms. Alarmingly few are wearing masks.

The photos quickly went viral on social media, prompting superintendent Brian Otott to defend the district for not requiring masks.

'Wearing a mask is a personal choice, and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them,' he wrote in a letter to the community obtained by the New York Times.

While Otott insisted the was no way to enforce mask-wearing, however, it seems the district is able to enforce other rules governing what students wear.

The district's student handbook includes a detailed explanation of the dress code, including a long list of items banned in schools.

Rules: Though the superintendent insisted they couldn't mandate masks, the district has a strict dress code

Governing dress: Quite a few clothing items and accessories are banned, including sleeveless tops and pajamas

Discipline: Repeated infractions can result in administrative conference, in-school suspension, and up to ten days out-of-school suspension

'The Paulding County School Board and administration acknowledge that good grooming and personal attire positively affect student achievement and conduct while helping prepare all students for later success in the world of work,' the handbook reads.

'This dress code is designed to reduce the likelihood of distraction or disruption and to maintain an academic focus in the classroom and on campus.

'The administration reserves the right to determine if items of clothing are too casual, too revealing, or too distracting for school dress.'

The administration also 'reserves the right to alter the dress code for special occasions or extracurricular activities.'

Among the clothing and accessories banned by the school district is see-through clothing, deep-scooped necklines, pajamas and bedroom shoes, and Chains hanging from wallets or clothing.

Students also cannot wear clothes with 'holes, frays, rips, or tears which are revealing or inappropriate,' 'sleeveless shirts, blouses, without appropriate (tight-fitting) armholes,' 'clothing that shows the bare midriff, bare back or the bare shoulders,' or clothing that advertises drugs or alcohol.

All headgear is banned, including caps, hats, hoods, bandanas, wave caps, sweatbands, sunglasses, combs, rakes, curlers, or picks.

More rules: Those dress code rules apply to the entire district, but some individual schools within the district have introduced more rules

Off-limits: P.B. Ritch Middle School, for example, has an entire PowerPoint presentation outlining the dress code, which also bans leggings with regular-length tops

Mandate: Girls can only wearing leggings with long tops that hit mid-thigh

Banned clothing also includes anything 'which may be considered racially insensitive or which displays or implies profane or obscene language or symbols,' as well as 'emblems, insignias, badges, tattoos, or other symbols where the effect thereof is to unreasonably attract the attention of other students or cause disruption.'

Those dress code rules apply to the entire district, but some individual schools within the district have introduced more rules.

P.B. Ritch Middle School, for example, has an entire PowerPoint presentation outlining the dress code, which additionally bans wearing leggings unless they are covered up by a dress or a very long shirt.

The middle school also mandates that girls' skirts and shorts be at least five inches long  and even recommends students measure them against the long side of an index car.

The school district handbook doesn't specify exactly what the consequences are for breaking the dress code. However, repeated infractions can result in 'level 1' to 'level 2' discipline, which includes everything from administrative conference to in-school suspension to up to ten days out-of-school suspension.

But while the district has found a way to enforce dress code rules, the superintendent has insisted he cannot enforce a mask rule.

Meanwhile, the two students who posted photos of the crowded hallways online have been suspended.

Just the ladies: The lengthy PowerPoint includes several examples of off-limits clothing, nearly all of which only apply to girls

The district says: 'The administration reserves the right to determine if items of clothing are too casual, too revealing, or too distracting for school dress'

The middle school also mandates that girls' skirts and shorts be at least five inches long  and even recommends students measure them against the long side of an index car

Hannah Watters, 15, shared her photo on Twitter.

'Day two at North Paulding High School,' she wrote. 'It is just as bad. We were stopped because it was jammed. We are close enough to the point where I got pushed multiple go to second block. This is not ok. Not to mention the 10% mask rate.'

She later told BuzzFeed News that she was called into the office at around noon on Wednesday, where she was informed by administrators that she had violated the student code of conduct.

She was initially given a five-day out-of-school suspension.

The policies I broke stated that I used my phone in the hallway without permission, used my phone for social media, and posting pictures of minors without consent, she said.

Another student, who preferred to remain nameless, said they were also suspended for a similar photo.

Principal Gabe Carmona reportedly made an announcement on the intercom the day of the suspensions, saying that any student who criticized the school on social media could face discipline.

Hannah said that she shared the photos because her school 'ignorantly opened back up.'

Principal Gabe Carmona reportedly made an announcement on the intercom saying that any student who criticized the school on social media could face discipline

'Not only did they open, but they have not been safe,' she said. 'Many people are not following CDC guidelines because the county did not make these precautions mandatory.'

After Hannah spoke about her suspension publicly, the school lifted her suspension and told her she could come back after three days.

Others share the teens criticism of the school district, which has been accused of reopening too quickly.

Out: Amy Westmoreland quit as nurse of Paulding County School District because she feared contracting COVID-19

Amy Westmoreland quit her job as the nurse for the Paulding County School District before the school year began because she was worried about contracting COVID-19.

I work in the clinic, not the classroom, but my biggest fear was infecting the children or a fellow staff member there in the building [and] them bringing it home to their families, she told WSB-TV.

I didnt feel comfortable. And even going back to the school, at the end of the school year, last year, I walked into the building and people were not wearing masks, custodians, administration, teachers, they were not abiding by those.'

Westmoreland, who quit before the viral photos emerged on social media of the crowded hallways of North Paulding High School, said the images reinforced the sense that she made the right decision.

I had already made my decision to resign prior to that picture coming out, but certainly that validated my decision. You know, of course I was horrified and heartbroken when I did see it, she said.

Westmoreland said that even though she had a supply of personal protective equipment, it wasnt enough to make her feel secure in the job under the present circumstances.

I dont feel supported, she said. I dont feel safe. And I feel as though I need to take a stand so that these children who dont have a voice and are being discouraged from speaking have a voice.
The Bihar govt filed an affidavit in SC seeking dismissal of Rhea Chakraborty's plea for transfer of the Patna FIR against her to Mumbai

Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused of abetting suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Friday in connection with the money laundering case lodged by it.

The ED has also summoned for questioning Shruti Modi, who is Chakraborty's business manager, and Rajput's friend and roommate Siddharth Pithani in connection with the money laundering probe stemming from a complaint filed by his father with the Bihar Police in connection with his death, officials said.

They said the two are accused in their case and their statements will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) once they appear on their scheduled dates for Friday and Saturday respectively.

Pithani is stated to be out of Mumbai at present and he has said in various news channel interviews that he was present in the Bandra flat on June 14 when the 34-year-old actor hanged himself.

The IT professional, stated to be living with Rajput for about an year, had earlier recorded his statement with the Mumbai Police as part of their accidental death report (ADR) probe in the case.

Chakraborty (28), accused by Rajput's father of abetting his son's suicide, appeared before the ED at the agency's office in Ballard Estate here on Friday after initially refusing to do so, citing her appeal pending before the Supreme Court.

"In view of the fact that the ED has informed the media that the request to postpone her attendance is rejected, Rhea has appeared before the ED office," her advocate Satish Maneshinde said.

She was accompanied by her brother Showik.

Chakraborty has filed a petition in the apex court requesting that the case lodged by the Bihar police against her be transferred to the Mumbai police. The plea will be heard next week.

The agency is expected to question Chakraborty, , who stated in her petition to the court that she was in a live-in relationship with Rajput, about her friendship with the actor, possible business dealings and the developments that took place over the last few years between them and record her statement under the PMLA.

It is expected that the ED's line of questioning would revolve around Chakraborty's investments, business deals and professional deals and links.

A property located in the Khar area of the city, linked to Chakraborty, is also being probed by the ED for the source of its purchase and ownership.

The agency has already questioned Rajput's Chartered Accountant (CA) Sandeep Shridhar and his business manager and staffer Samuel Miranda twice in the case.

Rajput's father had, in his complaint, alleged that Miranda was hired by Chakraborty after she allegedly fired the staff hired by his son.

The ED has also summoned Chakraborty's CA Ritesh Shah for questioning.

Rajput's 74-year-old father K K Singh, who resides in Patna, had on July 25 filed a complaint with the Patna police against Chakraborty, her parents (mother Sandhya Chakraborty and father Indrajit Chakraborty), brother Showik, Miranda and Modi and unknown persons accusing them of cheating and abetting his son's suicide.

The CBI had re-booked this FIR as a fresh case on Thursday and named as accused the same persons.

The Mumbai police has been carrying out a separate probe in Rajput's death and has questioned a number of prominent film producers and directors till now.

The father had also alleged financial irregularities in bank accounts of his son.

In the complaint, Singh alleged that Rs 15 crore was siphoned off from Rajput's bank account in one year to accounts of persons not known or connected to the late filmstar.

Under the ED's scanner are at least two companies linked to Rajput and some financial deals involving Chakraborty, her father and Showik who are stated to be directors in these companies.

'Don't waste our time': SC junks 'unnecessary' PIL for CBI probe

The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a PIL seeking a CBI or NIA probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, saying "strangers" are "unnecessarily" coming when his father is pursuing already pursuing the case.

Mumbai police has been probing the case and recorded statements of 56 people including Bollywood directors like Aditya Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian junked the PIL filed by Mumbai-based law student Dwivendra Devtadeen Dubey on the issue.

"Deceased father is pursuing the case. There is no reason that he will not pursue it properly. You are a stranger in this matter and you are unnecessarily coming in this. We will not permit this," the bench said.

"Don't waste our time. Dismissed," it said.

During the brief hearing conducted through video conferencing, the apex court was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the CBI has taken over the investigation in Patna case.

"One case is lodged in Mumbai and other in Patna. The Bihar government had requested for CBI probe and we agreed," he said, adding that the Mumbai case has not been transferred to the CBI so far.

Dubey, a law student, had sought the transfer of the FIR, lodged by Sushant's father Krishan Kishore Singh at Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna either to the CBI or the NIA to ensure that the investigation is carried out impartially, effectively and efficiently.

Earlier during the day, the Bihar government filed an affidavit in the apex court seeking dismissal of Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty's plea for transfer of the Patna FIR against her to Mumbai in actor Rajput's death case terming it "premature, misconceived and non-maintainable".

The apex court had on July 30 junked a similar PIL seeking transfer of probe into Rajput's death case from Mumbai police to the CBI.

"Go to Bombay High Court if you have anything concrete to show," the court had said while dismissing the PIL.
SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation (OTC Pink:RVDO) (the "Company"), announced today that the Company has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Hempstract, LLC.

Having completed due diligence, the parties agreed to mutually beneficial terms and executed an Asset Purchase Agreement on August 6, 2020. Under terms of the transaction, Riverdale Oil & Gas Corp will acquire all assets including licenses, equipment, materials, inventory, assignment of all lease, service, and vendor contracts. Assets include 3,125 kilograms of CBD Isolate valued at $10,700,00 along with material assets and equipment valued at over $750,000. Following the acquisition, the company will be reclassified as a subsidiary corporation under Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation.

Richard Hawkins, CEO of Riverdale Oil & Gas Corp commented on Agreement: "We are so thrilled to finalize this purchase agreement with Hemstract and we are eager to start this next chapter for the company to diversify into this new and exciting industry."

About Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation

Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation (OTC Pink:RVDO) is a Nevada registered publicly-traded company.

About Hempstract, LLC

Located in Warden, Washington, Hempstract offers business partners premium CBD Solutions they can trust at competitive prices. Hempstract and its laboratories go to great lengths to ensure that all of its solutions are of the highest quality and control standards and provides pure, high-quality, and safe, CBD isolate and oil to its customers.

For more information, please contact:

Richard Hawkins

IR@rvdoil.com

Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" which are not purely historical and may include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the development, costs and results of new business opportunities and words such as "anticipate", "seek", intend", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "project", "plan", or similar phrases may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects, the future U.S. and global economies, the impact of competition, and the Company's reliance on existing regulations regarding the use and development of cannabis-based products. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-k, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more information, please visit www.sec.gov.

SOURCE: Riverdale Oil & Gas Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600707/Riverdale-Oil-Gas-Corporation-RVDO-Executes-a-Mutual-Definitive-Agreement-to-Purchase-Hempstract
A survey of Central American migrants traveling through Mexico on their way to the United States found that 74 percent of them experienced a degree of food insecurity, ranging from having only one meal to no food at all for one day or longer. Factors associated with more severe food insecurity include more days in active transit, and the experience of illness by the migrant or their travel companion.

This study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, School of Public Health of Mexico, and the National Institutes of Public Health in Mexico represents the first attempt to document food insecurity in Central American migrants during their overland transit through Mexico. Their findings are published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

The researchers interviewed 95 Central American migrants ages 18 and older traveling overland to the U.S. about their experiences of food insecurity in transit. Interviews took place in a migrant shelter (casa del migrante) in north central Mexico near the midway point of the migrant route through Mexico during the month of July. Respondents were overwhelmingly men (73 percent) and relatively young (mean age of 29, but including youth in their late teens as well as middle aged adults), with the largest proportion from Honduras (58 percent).

Lack of Food

More than a third of respondents (35 percent) said they had gone a day or more with only one meal; 19 percent reported a day or more with no meals; and 20 percent reported two or more consecutive days with no food. Food insecurity may even more pronounced further north, as security conditions worsen in proximity to the U.S. border, contributing to even more challenging access to soup kitchen-like facilities and migrant shelters, the researchers note.

The impact of the severe food insecurity noted, can be both acute potentially affecting health during migration (affecting likelihood of exposure to water borne illness), as well as chronic, potentially impacting life after resettlement. "Lack of access to a reliable food supply during the long travel periods and grueling travel conditions imposed on migrants may increase risk for developing upper respiratory or gastrointestinal infections due to lack of access to a clean water supply. Experiences of food insecurity during the trip may compound risks for later chronic health problems and may negatively impact adaptation post migration," the researchers write.

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Importantly, the severity of food insecurity noted was particularly remarkable because the authors documented that migrants had experienced two or more consecutive days with no food at all. Standard scales for documenting food insecurity do not presently capture consecutive days of complete lack of food. The physiologic effect of multiple consecutive days with no food intake would be expected to be severe. Such short-term famine probably occurs frequently during migration in other regions of the world as well, yet data on this is not routinely captured.

Illness

In all, 61 percent of respondents said they had experienced a health issue in the prior two weeks, and 28 percent of this group reported an illness that might impede mobility. One in five respondents (20 percent) reported having a chronic health condition prior to migrating. About one-third (32.6 percent) said they traveled with a companion who was ill in the last two weeks.

A migrant's travel companion could be considered the equivalent of the migrants' social support network during the migration journey, the researchers explain. "The association of the travel companion's illness with severity of food insecurity suggests that migrants share responsibility for acquiring food with their travel companion and thus illness by a member of the travel party can be associated with insecurity of the food supply for the group," they write.

The researchers offer a potential remedy to strengthen migrants' access to food: shelters and healthcare facilities could teach migrants about options for procuring nutrition in the next step of their journey with information on locations of organizations providing meals and pointers for obtaining and prioritizing inexpensive, portable, and nourishing food.

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"Understanding the factors associated with relative severity of food insecurity during overland migration can inform strategies for prioritizing assistance and prevention," the authors write.

Background on Central American Migrants

According to the United Nations, in 2017, 70,000 people crossed from Mexico to the US, Primarily from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. During their transit through Mexico, migrants are victims of violence and are also affected by environmental factors that may be life threatening. Other harmful exposures include limited access to health care and basic services including food. Migrants may travel for prolonged periods without finding safe resting stops. In Mexico, faith-based organizations have organized shelters (casas del migrante) located strategically along migration routes to the U.S. where migrants receive lodging, food, medical, and legal assistance.

Recent non-violent deaths at the U.S. Mexican border in migrants without known pre-existing medical conditions have highlighted the dangers of this trip, and suggest that the population reaching the U.S. border may be particularly susceptible to illness potentially because of an acutely undernourished state. In 2019 alone, according to the

International Organization for Migration, 530 migrants died on the U.S.-Mexico border, the vast majority of them Central American migrants. The peak periods for these fatalities appear to be during climate extremes: May through July and December and January, suggesting that food procurement could be particularly challenging.

The study's senior author is Manuela Orjuela-Grimm, MD, associate professor of epidemiology at pediatrics at Columbia Mailman School and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. First author Alondra Coral Aragon Gama, MS a researcher at the National Institute of Public Health, Mexico, was a visiting scholar at Columbia Mailman School in 2016 during which time she designed the survey method used in the study. Second author Cesar Infante Xibille, MD, PhD, co-led the team that published a study in PLOS last year examining migrants' experience of violence; he and his team have long studied the experience of migrants through interviews at shelters.

Additional Co-authors include Xinhua Liu, PhD, professor of biostatistics at Columbia Mailman School; and Veronica Mundo Rosas of the National Institute of Public Health, Mexico.

The study was supported by grants from the Ford Foundation (0140-0754) and the Oak Foundation.
Time and again, President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have invoked the idea of colorblindness to stifle meaningful reform proposals aimed at achieving racial equality. In July, Trump dismissed a reporter's question about the vastly disproportionate rate at which African Americans are killed by police officers by noting that police kill White people, too. America, he is suggesting, is a post-racial society where racial injustice is an irrelevant and defunct issue, long since relegated to the past - and, by implication, where further action in that direction is no longer necessary.

This purposefully misleading argument is nothing new. Starting in the 1970s, White politicians in many Southern states, and throughout the country, deployed colorblindness in adapting to a new post-Civil Rights Movement era. Far from facilitating further change, these White leaders consciously sought to constrain it, selectively appropriating the dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for a future post-race society and pretending it was already reality.

Over the ensuing decades, White Southern politicians helped forge a national societal ethos of colorblindness. These legislators had long celebrated the symbols of the Confederacy, a breakaway state bent on creating a slaveholding empire, using Confederate-inspired state holidays, statues and flags to promote white supremacy. Now, they commemorated rebel leaders alongside appropriated Black heroes like King. By intent, their muddled "both sides" narrative obscured the urgent need for change that required acknowledging color and enduring racism.

But that narrative is no longer tenable. Following months of sustained protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the police killing of George Floyd, more Americans have seemingly woken up to the truth that to produce real change, people cannot pretend that race does not exist. Rather, they must recognize the intrinsic reality of Black racial injustice, and how deeply rooted it is in American history. And this also means finally grappling with, and repudiating, the legacy of the Confederacy.

Decades after the Civil War, as he lived out his remaining years, Frederick Douglass recognized the tendency of White Americans to forget - to whitewash their history and move on. Speaking in Rochester, N.Y., in 1882 on Decoration Day, what is now Memorial Day, Douglass sighed that his mostly White audience likely believed that "this cruel war is over, and now we should forget and forgive the past, and turn our attention entirely to the future."

As Douglass stressed, that yearning was misguided. "I shall never forget the difference between those who fought for liberty and those who fought for slavery," he asserted. By burying the past, he made clear, his audience was abandoning Blacks to injustice - to the whims of former Confederates, bent on continuing the oppressions of slavery in other forms.

Fueling both this national forgetting and ongoing oppression, Douglass knew, was the Lost Cause - the false narrative, developed by ex-Confederates after the war, that White Southerners had fought for states' rights, not slavery. Starting in the 1880s, this narrative inspired a resurgence in Confederate symbolism. Southern politicians established state holidays celebrating Confederate heroes, such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Statues commemorating them went up across the South, most prominently on Monument Avenue in Richmond.

The insidious racial intent of such symbolism was not lost on African Americans. The former Confederacy, legislators had demonstrated, remained a land of white supremacy. That these politicians consolidated oppressive Jim Crow regimes at the same time was no coincidence.

When the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s demanded change, White Southerners responded with massive resistance - a concerted campaign against integration, in which Confederate symbolism once again took center place. The Confederate battle flag, barely in use since the Civil War, burst back onto the scene. Some Southern state flags featuring Confederate symbolism also date from this era, created explicitly for the fight against integration.

Yet they were on the losing side of history. To an extent, policymakers acceded to activists' demands, passing landmark civil rights legislation. Eventually, even White Southern politicians realized that, given the tide against them, their best path forward was to accept change - to a degree. By doing so, they could remain in power in the new era, controlling - and limiting - such change. Thus they embraced the concept of colorblindness.

Consider, for example, Southern journalist James J. Kilpatrick. A former arch-segregationist, Kilpatrick adapted to the times with gusto in the 1970s, espousing colorblindness as a means to oppose policies like affirmative action and school busing without seeming overly racist. Masking the rampant, race-based educational inequality that such programs aimed to address, he accused his opponents of being the ones with the "racist attitude," since they refused to move past the color issue. Through his deceptive transformation, Kilpatrick became a nationally syndicated columnist and celebrity commentator on television news programs, including CBS's "60 Minutes."

Colorblindness grew beyond the South. It became the defining ideology of suburbanites throughout the nation in the 1970s and 1980s, offering them cover for discriminatory policies of spatial and educational segregation. Suburban women nationwide especially led the charge, creating an alphabet soup of acronym-bearing organizations like Michigan's NAG (National Action Group against Busing) and Boston's ROAR (Restore Our Alienated Rights) to preserve and protect whiteness.

In the South, legislators soon began merging colorblind politics and the Lost Cause in a strange, nonsensical whole. Take the Confederate-inspired state holidays, which occurred in January, the month of Lee and Jackson's birthdays. After Congress established Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a national holiday in 1983, many Southern states resisted the measure. Others co-opted it, combining it with their existing holidays. Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi created King-Lee Day, and Virginia Lee-Jackson-King Day. In doing so, the Virginia legislature proclaimed that it was honoring three "defenders of causes." Its message was clear: It was conflating Lee and Jackson's fight for white supremacy with King's fight against it. The past was the past, and racism was over. Everyone could celebrate both sides, forgetting about further change.

All the while, Southern states continued flying racist, Confederate-inspired flags - and, at times, the Confederate battle flag itself - on state grounds alongside the American flag. Again, so too did others. During this same period, Confederate flags became popular nationwide, legitimized by Whites from Florida to Ohio as symbols of conservative protest.

Now, things are beginning to change. Finally recognizing that a "both sides" narrative only perpetuates racial injustice, Americans and state legislators alike are taking action - at least to some extent. This year, Virginia followed the earlier lead of Arkansas in abandoning its state celebration of Lee and Jackson. In recent weeks, Confederate statues on Monument Avenue have been coming down one by one, joining others across the nation. Mississippi voted to change its state flag, the last one which had explicitly featured a Confederate flag, while NASCAR and the Department of Defense have acted to ban the Confederate battle flag itself, defying Trump.

Still, King-Lee Day remains on the calendar in Alabama and Mississippi. The Alabama state flag, moreover, is an indirect yet unmistakable reference to the Confederate flag, created during Jim Crow. And, on an almost daily basis, Trump continues to offer a full-throated defense of Confederates as American heroes, its symbols as sacred American symbols. But reckoning with the ugliness of our racial past is key to rectifying the ways in which racism continues to shape our society today. And only by doing so can we truly move forward.

- - -

Cirillo is a Schwartz postdoctoral fellow at the New-York Historical Society and The New School, studying abolitionism during the American Civil War.
TORONTO, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Thentia, a global leader in regulatory software, has closed Series A equity financing from the Business Development Bank of Canada's Industrial, Clean and Energy Venture Fund. Thentia, which has a major presence in the regulatory and licensure market, will use this equity financing to expand its sales and marketing activities worldwide and further innovate its Thentia Cloud platform for its rapidly growing number of clients.

"Thentia's mission is to bring best-in-class technological capabilities, such as internet-scale, high-performance records management, predictive analytics, machine learning, data science and graph-based data exploration to its customers," said Julian Cardarelli, CEO of Thentia. "The regulatory industry is strongly rooted in academics with many visionary leaders working tirelessly to protect the public. Thentia is equally tirelessly focused on providing the technology platform and tools needed to fully realize this vision."

Founded in Canada with clients all-across North America, Thentia was created by technology experts with a strong alignment on the principles and values associated with public protection. Because of this alignment, Thentia has become a leader in providing B2B software-as-a-service solutions to the regulatory industry in support of this mission. Regulatory bodies, licensees, and registrants have come to rely on Thentia for its innovative software technology, its highly knowledgeable and sympathetic on-boarding and success teams, and its unrivaled ability to streamline regulatory operations for its clients in accordance with best-in-class methodologies such as Right Touch Regulation.

"Thentia has established itself as a leading provider of cloud software solutions for regulated industries," said Sean Brownlee. "We were impressed by the team's ability to develop innovative solutions which solve customer challenges while increasing productivity. Our investment will help to propel Thentia to the next level as it continues to deliver world class solutions."

The equity financing from BDC will help Thentia continue to develop Thentia Cloud, which is Thentia's software-as-a-service platform. Thentia Cloud provides a comprehensive collection of regulatory modules. These include modules to track licensing or registration issuance and renewals, continuing education, public complaints, investigation and enforcement, auditing, data analytics, governance and much more.

About Thentia:

Based in Toronto, Canada, Thentia Corporation is an industry leader in using proprietary technology to help regulatory bodies efficiently fulfill their regulatory obligations. Thentia services a wide variety of clients throughout Canada and the United States using cutting-edge software and industry-leading expertise in regulatory standards.

About BDC:

The Business Development Bank of Canada is a Crown corporation wholly owned by the government of Canada. Founded in 1944, BDC provides financing through complementary lending, equity, and venture capital, as well as advisory services to small and medium-sized businesses based in Canada. BDC is committed to supporting Canadian entrepreneurs at all stages of business development.

For more information, please contact:

Julian Cardarelli

CEO, Thentia Corporation

T: (800) 961- 1549

E: investor@thentia.com

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The Lagos State Government has directed Junior Secondary School (JSS) 3 students, who are registered for National Examination Council (NECO), Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to resume on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that an earlier pronouncement issued by the state had directed SS3 and Technical Studies (TEC3) Students to resume on August 3, to enable them revise and sit for their forthcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and NABTEB.

The Commissioner for Education, Folashade Adefisayo, said only those students who are registered for NEC, BECE scheduled to begin on August 24, are permitted to resume.

Mrs Adefisayo also said that other JSS 3 students waiting to write BECE organised by the Lagos State Examinations Board would soon be informed of the scheduled dates of their examination.

The commissioner said that administrators of both public and private schools are expected to ensure full compliance with the COVID-19 guidelines for schools re-opening in their respective schools.

She said that the State Governments officials will be on ground to monitor situations in all schools across the State.

Mrs Adefisayo encouraged students to be fully prepared for the forthcoming examinations and devote more time to their studies.

She urged students and members of staff to adhere strictly to proper hygienic guidelines and ensure the provision of sanitizer, wash hand basin, thermometers.

The commissioner said other essential items in public and private schools across the State, stressing that the washing of hands, wearing of face masks and the maintenance of social distancing must be adhered.

(NAN)
In the midst of a dangerous pandemic we are beset by concerns for our health and the welfare of our families. In this environment it has been easy to lose focus on other issues that in normal times might concern us greatly.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet ... the icare scandal swamps his office. Credit:Steven Siewert

One of these is the integrity, honesty and transparency of our governments as they go about their ordinary business. Earlier in the year, many were outraged by the sports rorts scandal at federal level and the branch-stacking fiasco in Victoria.

Not unnaturally these affairs have receded somewhat as we battle other demons. However, it is essential that in times like these we do not lose sight of the need to hold our governments accountable in terms of integrity and honesty.

Several matters at NSW state level raise potentially troubling questions. The first concerns the state's multi-billion dollar workers' compensation scheme, icare, which operates under the oversight of the NSW Treasury. Initially there were claims that icare had underpaid many thousands of workers of sums in the millions. At the same time, a large team of executives were paid exorbitant bonuses. The integrity and efficiency of its then chief executive were called into question at a parliamentary hearing.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has clarified his comments on Thursday, comparing African American and Latino communities.

Biden has acknowledged the statements he said on Wednesday in an interview during the National Association of Black Journalists and National of Hispanic Journalist conference, according to a The Hill report.

"What you all know, but most people don't know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things," Biden was quoted in a report.

Biden added that if you go to Florida, you will find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places, compared to when you are in Arizona. He said it is a very diverse community, according to a Fox News report.

Biden explained through his tweets that he in "no way" meant to imply that the African American community "is a monolith-not by identity, not on issues, not at all."

Biden said on Twitter that through his career he has witnessed the diversity of thought, background in the African American community, adding that it is this diversity that makes the workplaces, communities, and country a better place.

The Democratic presidential candidate further said that he is committed in listening, and will never stop fighting for the African American community. Biden noted that he will continue fighting for a more just future.

Criticisms

President Donald Trump has criticized Biden for the comments he made before on the country's African American and Latino communities.

Trump said on Twitter that Biden just lost the entire African American community for the comments that he made.

Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson said in a statement that Biden's comments contained "condescending white liberal racism." Pierson noted that Trump has a true record of helping African Americans through economic opportunity, funding for historically black colleges and universities, criminal justice reform, and support for school choice.

Symone Sanders, Biden's campaign senior adviser, said Biden was referring to diversity of attitudes among Latinos from different Latin American countries. Sanders added that the video that was circulating was conveniently cut to make the statement about racial diversity. He said that was not the case.

Check these out:

Joe Biden's Latina Assistant Resigns Due To Frustration

US, Caribbean Relations 2015: Vice President Joe Biden to Host First-Ever Caribbean Energy Security Summit

Trump Campaign Official to Biden: 'Rooting Against Americans'
A Schaller, Iowa, man has been charged with receiving $19,000 in unemployment insurance benefits as part of what federal authorities believe is a criminal organization that has infiltrated state unemployment claim systems to collect payments using stolen identities.

A complaint unsealed July 30 in U.S. District Court in Sioux City charges Alvin Rex, 61, with one count of mail fraud. He was released on bond Thursday and faces a possible maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine.

Rex is charged with receiving unemployment payments in the names of other people from Arizona and Massachusetts. The payments were deposited into a Storm Lake, Iowa, bank account, and Rex then made cash withdrawals and mailed the money to a Maryland address and others that he was given by a person with whom he said he has an online romantic relationship. According to the complaint, federal authorities said they believe Rex is acting as a "money mule" for a larger criminal organization.

According to the complaint, Rex told an FBI agent investigating the case he has not met in person or spoken on the phone with the individual, but believes the cash he is mailing will ultimately reach the individual in Cairo, Egypt, where he believes the individual lives.

From May 14-June 15, the complaint said, Rex received 12 deposits that included unemployment benefits, plus the weekly $600 payments through the federal CARES Act, which provides emergency assistance to people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, then made the cash withdrawals. His account was frozen on June 22 after bank officials became suspicious of the transactions.

During a July 13 interview with an FBI agent, Rex said he kept $2,000 on one occasion and kept $20 from another deposit to buy cigarettes, the complaint said.

Rex told the agent he received directions on where to mail the packages containing the cash via communications with the individual through Google Hangouts, a mobile phone app.

The complaint said that Rex showed the agent a banking statement that showed the deposit from Arizona. He told the agent he was confused about its legitimacy because he did not apply for it, but had lived in Arizona at one time. He also showed the agent a letter from Delaware concerning an unemployment claim in his name. Rex told the agent he has never been to Delaware.
A federal judge in New York on Friday granted a U.S. Department of Justice motion to terminate 72-year-old regulations that barred Hollywood studios from owning movie theater chains.

In a 17-page ruling, Judge Analisa Torres immediately terminated the outdated court orders of 1948.

Given this changing marketplace, the Court finds that it is unlikely that the remaining Defendants would collude to once again limit their film distribution to a select group of theaters in the absence of the Decrees and, finds, therefore, that termination is in the public interest, Torres wrote.

The U.S. Supreme Courts 1948 decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, forced Paramount and Warner Bros, to divest themselves of their cinemas.

For more than 70 years, the so-called Paramount Consent Decrees have prevented studio giants from acquiring movie theater chains.

Since then, some studios have dipped their toes in the water and bought single theaters. For example, Walt Disney Studios owns the El Capitan Hollywood theater and Netflix in recent years purchased the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and Paris Theater in New York City.

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Linkedin Josa Lukman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 14:35 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c56784 1 People #films,#entertainment,#TVseries,#profile,#HBO,#actor,#people,#TV,#cinema,#JohnLithgow,#PerryMason Free

In the span of his long acting career, one thing is sure; John Lithgow is a mentor, both literally and figuratively.

Lithgows latest role as Elias Birchard E.B. Jonathan in HBOs latest period drama Perry Mason is a case in point.

The series premiere on June 22 was watched by some 1.7 million viewers across all the platforms on which it aired  the strongest premiere night of any HBO series in nearly two years  and the show has been renewed for a second season.

A struggling attorney in post-Great Depression Los Angeles, Birchard is a mentor to the eponymous character Perry Mason (Matthew Rhys), a private investigator hired for a high-profile child kidnapping and murder case that has gripped the city.

Reimagining: Matthew Rhys (right) stars in 'Perry Mason' as the eponymous character, a down-on-his-luck private investigator working for lawyer Elias Birchard "E.B." Jonathan (John Lithgow). (Courtesy of HBO/.)

Lithgow said he does consider himself a mentor for younger actors.

Debuting on Broadway in 1973 in The Changing Room, he managed to land his first Tony Award: Best Featured Actor in a Play.

As part of his extensive experience, he has worked with actors including Jason Robards and Henry Fonda, which he described as meeting your heroes.

Both of them were so extraordinarily welcoming and encouraging, and I do begin to realize in my old age  Im 74 years old  that I hold that position in the lives of a lot of young actors and actresses, and I love that, he said during a web interview that included The Jakarta Post.

I am a kind of mentor figure, and I take that role very seriously. Whenever I meet young actors, they ask me for advice, like young acting students who havent gotten their start yet in the business. I always tell them, I bet well work together some time, he added, noting that on about ten occasions he had worked with actors who reminded him of the early-career advice he had given them.

As for his mentor role on-camera, Lithgow said that when he was offered the part, there were many reasons he accepted it, including the scripts bold and radical approach.

Perry Mason means a lot to people in America. I dont know how much the series means to people across the Pacific, but we all remember it in our childhood: Raymond Burr [who starred in the 1957 series], [played] a very serious and stolid lawyer, and [there was a] famous Perry Mason moment in every episode, he said.

In many ways, it was a kind of template for a lot of lawyer shows that followed, but [the HBO series] completely stood all those expectations on their head.

In character: John Lithgow stars as Elias Birchard E.B. Jonathan, a struggling attorney and a semi-regular employer of Penny Mason. (Courtesy of HBO/-)

Lithgow said Perry Mason wasnt even a lawyer; he was a down-on-his-luck private investigator working for a lawyer, whom Lithgow played.

And the lawyer he worked with was over the hill  he might have been a good lawyer in his prime, but he wasnt a good lawyer anymore, and he is nothing without his private investigator, he explained, adding that the show was an origin story about how Mason overtook his mentor.

Over the years, Lithgows roles have been as varied as they come. They include Lord Farquaad in the animated film Shrek (2001), British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Netflixs The Crown (2016) and former United States president Bill Clinton in the play Hillary and Clinton (2019).

However, Lithgows best-known role is arguably the alien commander Dick Solomon in the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, which ran from 1996 to 2001.

The role, as he put it, was a perfectly wonderful experience involving six consecutive years of laughter.

It was quite an unexpected choice. I was just as surprised as anyone when I was offered to play the star in a sitcom, and I was even surprised by myself when I accepted it. It was not something I was ever going to do. I considered myself a much more serious actor than that, he said.

However, two friends with whom Lithgow worked on Saturday Night Live in the 1980s  husband-and-wife screenwriting duo Bonnie and Terry Turner  asked him to join the sitcom, which they had created.

Lithgow said the two made 3rd Rock from the Sun with him in mind, and they wouldnt have done it if Lithgow hadnt signed on.

They were just looking for something very special, a kind of crazy sense of humor and someone with plenty of acting skills equally comfortable being serious and being very zany.

As they described it, they were looking for somebody who was a combination of Bugs Bunny and Errol Flynn: a cartoon character and a romantic hero, he recalled.

He found the concept hilarious and thought it would be an opportunity to showcase his skills, including dancing, singing and a bit of Chinese.

How did it change my life? It made me much, much better. Now when people get that familiar with you in their homes, they feel like a part of your family, and Ive been greeted on the streets like an old friend ever since.

Despite the sitcoms massive popularity, Lithgow said his most memorable role was in the award-winning 1988 play M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang.

Starring alongside BD Wong, he plays a French civil servant who falls in love with a star of the Peking opera, not knowing that the woman is a spy and actually a man cross-dressing in order to seduce him and extract information.

An extraordinary, preposterous story, but David Henry Hwang took that and turned it into an extraordinary metaphor for the differences between the East and the West in particular, but Western men and Eastern women, he said.

I found that a life changing experience. I always say it was the most important new play  the boldest new play Ive ever been in in New York  and of course, I am essentially a theater actor, so it was bound to be something from the world of theater.

Grief: In the series, Perry Mason is hired to work on a sensational child kidnapping and murder case that has gripped the city of Los Angeles. (Courtesy of HBO/-)

Lithgow said his latest role in Perry Mason reminded him of his performance in a play called The Front Page in the late 1980s.

A revival of a 1928 play of the same name by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, The Front Page tells the story of tabloid reporters in Chicago covering the courts.

Tough, very gritty play with a huge ensemble. Its a play written for about 25 actors, and it can only work if everybody in it is a terrific character actor. I was in a great production in the role of Walter Burns, this very tough newspaper editor, he said, noting that the role was played by Cary Grant in the 1940 movie adaptation His Girl Friday.

To me, it reminded me of that experience: a great piece of ensemble acting, and I can spend the next five minutes listing all the great actors in the cast of our Perry Mason. [...] These are just such expert actors and they were all so wonderful at playing that period and that style. Thats what made it so special. I really consider it one of the most fun jobs I ever had. (ste)
Anthony Mendez recalled how he had been held in a crowded cell for six hours after he was arrested during a protest, the first time that he had ever gone to a march. Clare Ramirez-Raftree said she ended up with welts on her wrists for days from the tight plastic handcuffs. And Patrick McElravey said police officers put him in a chokehold in Brooklyn.

The protests in New York City touched off by the killing of George Floyd have received extensive attention, including scrutiny of the use of force by police officers.

But what about the aftermath?

More than 2,000 people were arrested, most for low-level offenses such as violating the official curfew or refusing to disperse.

Many said they waited for hours in cramped holding cells while the police tried to figure out how to process them. Others described how they were arrested even as friends nearby were let go. In some cases, processing officers appeared unsure why protesters were detained.
A little over four years ago, discriminatory and arbitrarily confusing travel bans descended on the U.S., tearing refugee families apart and leaving thousands in diplomatic limbo. This seemed nightmarish enough at the time. But it took a viral pandemic to bring travel bans and restrictions down on the entire world, more or less, with countries appearing on bulletins that vaguely look like lists of enemies on governing bodies websites, including the CDCs.

Likewise, almost all 27 countries that comprise the European Union are currently disallowing U.S. travelers, with the exception of Croatia, Mary Claire Patton reports. The UK has also kept its ban on U.S. citizens in place. All this is to say, to fellow citizens and residents of any gender, that the days of traipsing around the world for Instagram impressions, or saving and scraping for that vacation honeymoon, or making even more important journeys, may be on hold indefinitely.

Fortunately, art galleries worldwide have been preparing their collections for independent lives online, with ultra-high-resolution photography; materials that rarely appear on view in any form; and more context than visitors typically get on a guided tour.





Would-be visitors keen on public art collections will find their niche online at Art UK, a charity project that is digitizing more than 150,000 publicly owned sculptures in Great Britain by the end of 2020, writes Mental Floss, including many sculptures living their lives out in public spaces.

Art UK seem to be lagging a bit behind on the sculpture posts, and they are light on the context, but a few big things have happened since they made the announcement in February 2019. In any case, you will not have to travel to a Nandos eatery in Harlow to see Rodins Eve, originally created for his Gates of Hell in Paris. (Not that one wouldnt want to go to Harlow, which also displays works by acclaimed artists such as Henry Moore, Elisabeth Frink, Barbara Hepworth and Lynn Chadwick, Mark Brown points out at The Guardian.)

The over twenty-five thousand public UK sculptures documented in the database so far are already impressive enough. Oh, and did we mention that the foundation had already previously digitized over two-hundred thousand oil paintings between 2003 and 2012? These are also all paintings owned by the UK public from over 3,000 locations, Katey Goodwin writes for Art UK. This is the only project of its kind in the world to create a complete online catalogue of every oil painting in a national collection.

These include the requisite doting and revealing portraits of lords, ladies, merchants, worthies, and bureaucrats. They also include brilliant oil paintings like David Hephers Night Flats, whose title and faraway lonesomeness evoke Edward Hopper. Furthermore, not all portraits of British worthies fit the stereotype, as Colin Colahans 1933 arresting likeness of English actress Marie Ney demonstrates.

You can read more about the process of bringing this work online in Goodwins essay, which also lists the national organizations and museums from which the collection draws. These are located throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the crown dependencies of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Visit Art UK themselves here to see their photographic archive of publicly-owned painting, sculpture, and other visual media in the UKnow publicly available online around the world to people indefinitely banned from visiting the art in person.

For a wealth of other free art, visit this page on our site: Visit 2+ Million Free Works of Art from 20 World-Class Museums Free Online.

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Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness
UK Says 50 Million Face Masks It Bought Might Not Be Safe

LONDONThe British government says it wont be using 50 million face masks it bought during a scramble to secure protective equipment for medics during the coronavirus outbreak because of concerns they might not be safe.

The admission sparked calls from opposition parties for an urgent inquiry into the way contracts for essential supplies were handed out.

The masks were part of a 252 million-pound ($332 million) contract the government signed with investment firm Ayanda Capital in April. Papers filed in a court case reveal that the masks wont be distributed because they have ear loops rather than head loops and may not fit tightly enough.

The papers, published on Aug. 6, are part of a lawsuit against the Conservative government by campaigning groups the Good Law Project and EveryDoctor. They want the courts to review contracts signed by the government for personal protective equipment, which they say werent properly scrutinized.

The groups estimate the 50 million rejected masks cost about 150 million pounds (about $197 million), though the government hasnt confirmed the amount and its unclear whether the full 252 million pounds (about $332 million) agreed to in the deal was ever paid.

As the coronavirus outbreak accelerated across the UK in March, it became clear that the country lacked enough masks, gloves, gowns, and other protective gear for health care workers and nursing home staff. That sparked a race to buy billions of pieces of equipment from suppliers around the world.

Jolyon Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, said the government had signed three contracts worth more than 100 million pounds each with respectively a pest control company, a confectioner, and a family hedge fund.

Each of those contracts has revealed real cause for alarm, he said.

The government said in its response to the lawsuit that the offer to supply the 50 million masks came from Andrew Mills, a businessman who is both an adviser to the governments Board of Trade and to Ayanda Capital. Mills has denied there was any conflict of interest.

Ayanda Capital chief executive Tim Horlick said the masks met government standards and werent unusable or unsafe. He said National Health Service requirements may have changed in the fast-moving circumstances of the pandemic.

The British government said another 150 million masks of a different type supplied by Ayanda are still being tested.

It said in a statement that there is a robust process in place to ensure orders are of high quality and meet strict safety standards, with the necessary due diligence undertaken on all government contracts.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was very disappointed that the shipment was unusable. But he said Britain had achieved a colossal race against time to obtain supplies of equipment and stockpile it in case of a second wave of coronavirus in the fall and winter.

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, called for an urgent investigation into the way personal protective equipment was acquired.

Its just not good enough to people who need that protective equipment that we find ourselves in this position, he said.

By Jill Lawless
Oprah Winfrey is continuing her campaign for justice for Breonna Taylor, a young Black woman who was fatally shot when police stormed into her Louisville home on March 13.

A week following Winfreys announcement that Taylor would be featured on the cover of Septembers issue of O Magazine, the New York Post reports that Winfrey is now taking out billboards around Louisville, Kentucky, that read: Demand that the police involved in the killing of Breonna Taylor be arrested and charged. A link to UntilFreedom.com, a social justice advocacy group that has currently focused efforts on Taylors case, also appears on the billboard, the report said.

A quote from Winfrey, 66, reads on the billboard: If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it.

The 26-year-old EMS worker was killed by a barrage of police gunfire in the middle of the night, after cops entered Taylors Louisville home with a no-knock warrant based on a tip that her partner, Kenneth Walker, had trafficked drugs through her home, the report said.

According to the report, the pair were in bed when officers broke through Taylors door. Walker, who believed they were intruders, fired one shot which injured one officer. Police responded to Walkers defense with a hail of more than 20 bullets. Walker survived, but Taylor was shot at least eight times and died several minutes later at the scene.

Millions have rallied to protest Taylors death.

As a result of the incident, millions of Americans, including a number of highly influential celebrities, have taken to social media and the streets to protest Taylors death, and demand that the officers involved be arrested and charged for her death, the report said.

From the beginning, our office has set out to do its job, to fully investigate the events surrounding the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron had said then in a statement directed at protesters, the New York Post report cited.

We continue with a thorough and fair investigation, and todays events will not alter our pursuit of the truth, Cameron continued. The stated goal of todays protest at my home was to escalate. That is not acceptable and only serves to further division and tension within our community. Justice is not achieved by trespassing on private property, and its not achieved through escalation. Its achieved by examining the facts in an impartial and unbiased manner. That is exactly what we are doing and will continue to do in this investigation, the report quoted.

Protests have produced results.

The protests have caused Kentucky lawmakers to officially ban the no-knock warrant, the report said. Meanwhile, the report said that Louisvilles FBI office is continuing its independent investigation into Taylors case, in search of potential civil rights violations by the Louisville PD.

The report said that representatives for Winfrey did not immediately respond to The New York Posts request for comment.

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Andriy Kobolev, the CEO of Naftogaz Ukrainy, predicts that in a few years five to seven large companies will be present in the retail gas market.

"I really expect that in 2-3 years, five to seven rather big companies will operate in this market, each of which will offer a high-quality and wide range of services and products," Kobolev said on the air of Ukraine 24 Channel.

At the same time, he stressed that companies that cannot meet the needs of clients have nothing to do in this market.

"There are quite a lot of traders in the Ukrainian market. This is not an easy business. It requires high-quality gas supply, a supply portfolio, customer service, money and capital. Therefore, the changes that will occur in the near future - small traders who do not bring any value to consumers and cannot offer them at least a decent level of Internet service, will become uncompetitive," the expert said.
Michelle Obama has promised admirers that she is 'doing just fine' and there is 'no reason to worry' about her after she opened up about suffering from 'low-grade depression' in the latest episode of her podcast.

The 56-year-old had discussed her mental state in episode two of 'The Michelle Obama Podcast' on Spotify in a conversation with NPR's Michele Norris, speaking candidly about how how 'exhausting' and 'dispiriting' it is to watch how the President responds  or doesn't respond at all  to 'yet another story' of a black man or person being hurt or killed.

But after 'a lot of people' reached out to her to express concern, the former first lady took to Instagram on Thursday to reassure everyone that she is OK, and that she thinks the e idea that we 'should just feel OK all the time' doesn't feel 'real.'

Alright: Michelle Obama has promised admirers that she is 'doing just fine' and there is 'no reason to worry' about her after she opened up about suffering from 'low-grade depression'

'The idea that what this country is going through shouldnt have any effect on us  that we all should just feel OK all the time  that just doesnt feel real to me,' she said

Michelle shared a black-and-white photo of herself sitting outside writing, which was taken by Adam Garber, the Obama Administration's Video Director for the Office of Digital Strategy.

'I just wanted to check in with you all because a lot of you have been checking in on me after hearing this weeks podcast,' she wrote.

'First things first  Im doing just fine. Theres no reason to worry about me. Like I said in that conversation with @Michele__Norris, Im thinking about the folks out there risking themselves for the rest of us  the doctors and nurses and essential workers of all kinds.

'Im thinking about the teachers and students and parents who are just trying to figure out school for the fall. Im thinking about the people out there protesting and organizing for a little more justice in our country.

'The idea that what this country is going through shouldnt have any effect on us  that we all should just feel OK all the time  that just doesnt feel real to me,' she went on.

'So I hope you all are allowing yourselves to feel whatever it is youre feeling. I hope youre listening to yourselves and taking a moment to reflect on everything thats coming at us, and what you might be able to do about it.

'And to all of you whove reached out  thank you,' she wrote. 'I hope youre also reaching out to all those youre closest with, not just with a text, but maybe with a call or a videochat. Dont be afraid to offer them a shoulder to lean on, or to ask for one yourself. Love you all.'

Podcasting! She had spoken candidly about her 'emotional highs and lows' on the 'The Michelle Obama Podcast' earlier this week

Hard times: In the second episode, Michelle spoke to journalist Michele Noris about mental health, the pandemic, and President Trump

Earlier in the week, Michelle had released episode two of her podcast, in which she admitted that she is 'dealing with some form of low-grade depression' because of the pandemic, racial strife, and the 'hypocrisy' of the Trump administration.

During the conversation, Michelle gets candid about her 'emotional highs and lows,' saying, 'Spiritually, these are not fulfilling times.'

She said she is battling some form of depression 'not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting.

'I don't think I'm unusual, in that,' she added. 'But I'd be remiss to say that part of this depression is also a result of what we're seeing in terms of the protests, the continued racial unrest, that has plagued this country since its birth.

'I have to say that waking up to the news, waking up to how this administration has or has not responded, waking up to yet another story of a black man or a black person somehow being dehumanized, or hurt or killed, or falsely accused of something, it is exhausting.

'And it has led to a weight that I haven't felt in my life, in a while.'

But she added 'spirit is lifted' when she feels healthy and surrounds herself with good people, like family and friends.

Tired: Michelle said it's 'exhausting' to watch how Trump responds  or doesn't respond at all  to 'yet another story' of a black man or person being hurt or killed

'I reach out to my family, and to my friends, even in this time of quarantine. You know, I fought to continue to find a way to stay connected to the people in my life who bring me joy, and my girlfriends, my husband, my kids,' she said.

'It's the small things, small rituals [that make a difference],' she said.

'Just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting,' she said

The former first lady she learned to stick to a routine in the White House, but lately it's been difficult, and it is affecting her sleep.

'I'm waking up in the middle of the night, 'cause I'm worrying about something or there's a heaviness,' she said.

'I try to make sure I get a workout in, although there have been periods throughout this quarantine, where I just have felt too low.

'You know, I've gone through those emotional highs and lows that I think everybody feels, where you just don't feel yourself, and sometimes there's been a week or so where I had to surrender to that, and not be so hard on myself. And say, "You know what? You're just not feeling that treadmill right now."

'You have to recognize that you're in a place, a bad place, in order to get out of it. So you kinda have to sit in it for a minute, to know, oh, oh, I'm feeling off. So now I gotta, I gotta feed myself with something better,' she added.

Michelle and Michele also broached the subject of racism in America, with Obama saying: 'We talk about white women clutching their purses at the sight of us, or feeling uncomfortable when we walk in the store, but I wonder, do you know how afraid we are?'

A chat with hubby: Her first guest on July 29 was her husband, former President Barack Obama

Obama's first guest on the premiere episode of her podcast on July 29 was her husband, former President Barack Obama, whom she called the 'eternal "Yes, we can" man.'

Flashback: Michelle wished Barack a happy 59th birthday on August 4 by sharing a photo of her 'favorite guy' and daughters, Sasha and Malia, when they were kids

Barack celebrated his 59th birthday on August 4, prompting his wife to share a photo of her 'favorite guy' and their daughters, Sasha and Malia, when they were kids.

Michelle said she invited Barack to be her first guest 'because hes navigated these questions throughout the course of his life. In many ways, you can see his entire career as a constant conversation and evolution with his relationship to a larger and larger community.'

During the episode, the couple talk about the differences in their childhoods, with Barack teasing Michelle that her upbringing was 'black "Leave It to Beavers" only thing missing was the dog.'

They also discuss the coronavirus pandemic, with Michelle saying, 'Like most Americans, weve been spending a lot of time together in quarantine.

'Ive been having a great time. But weve had some interesting conversations because these are some crazy times,' she tells him.

The episode also explores the protest movement sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Big bro: Her brother, Craig Robinson, is set to be another guest on the show

Favorite: In a preview clip, Craig admits he is the one who got their mother to move into the White House

Wisdom: Michelle also talks to her mother, Marian Robinson, on an upcoming episode

'Given everything thats going on right now, from the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the ongoing protests and conversations that are testing our patience  and our consciences not to mention all the challenges were experiencing due to the pandemic, I think that these days, a lot of people are questioning just where and how they can fit into a community,' Mrs. Obama says.

Future episodes will cover many other topics, from light to serious, including parenting, self-care, marriage, mentorship, family, and civil duty.

Upcoming guests are set to include Michelle's mother, Marian Robinson, and her brother, Craig Robinson.

In a preview clip that Mrs. Obama shared on Instagram on July 24, Craig can be heard saying that he is the one who managed to convince their mother to move to the White House 'because I'm her favorite.'

More guests slated to appear include comedian Conan O'Brien in episode six, Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett in episode eight, and Michelle's friends Kelly Dibble, Denielle Pemberton-Heard, and Dr. Sharon Malone in episode five.

She'll also speak to Chynna Clayton, Yene Damtew, and Kristin Jones.

'I can't wait for you all to hear the conversations I've been having for the #MichelleObamaPodcast,' Michelle tweeted.

The podcast is produced by Higher Ground Productions, the company formed by the Obamas in 2018, which has also made content deals with Netflix.
Returning travellers in Queensland will now be able to enjoy 'wellness walks' after a human rights chief appealed for those isolating to be allowed fresh air for their mental health.

The controversial move is despite Victoria's horror outbreak, with 607 people in hospital, beginning after COVID-19 leaked out of a bungled hotel quarantine system.

Queensland Health has given the green light for those quarantining to enjoy outdoor breaks in the hotels' grounds.

The move was sparked by Queensland's human rights commissioner Scott McDougall, who demanded the walks despite the 'obvious health risks' to the community.

He says those in mandatory 14-day isolation from overseas or Australian coronavirus hot spots should be given at least the same amount of fresh air and exercise as prisoners.

Mr McDougall lobbied for those in mandatory 14-day isolation to be given 'wellness walks' (pictured, Australians returning to Brisbane from South America)

Queensland Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDougall has demanded quarantine travellers get 'wellness walks', despite the 'obvious health risks' to the community

Mr McDougall's calls come as Victoria is in the midst of a state-wide lockdown following a surge of cases linked to their bungled hotel quarantine program, which enabled the virus to spread.

'It's important that individuals are able to have access to fresh air and breaks to maintain proper standards of treatment, because they are effectively being deprived of their liberty,' Mr McDougall told The Courier-Mail.

'We recognise there are obvious health risks. Obviously given what happened in Victoria, the breaks need to be managed really carefully.

'No one is released from their hotel room for a wellness break if they've tested positive.'

On Mr McDougall's request, Queensland Health have now sought out hotels with balconies and windows so quarantine travellers can get some fresh air.

They will also be allowed to exercise during a walk in the hotel grounds.

He has also warned Queensland Police to avoid handing out $1,334 social distancing fines to people that can't afford to pay the penalty.

The AHRC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner June Oscar also agrees the fines disproportionately impact the most vulnerable in society.

The calls come as Victoria is in the midst of a lockdown after a surge of cases linked to the quarantine program (pictured, a woman in Melbourne is seen walking in a face mask)

Travellers are seen arriving for the 14-day quarantine at Perth Airport (pictured), with Australia running the mandatory hotel isolation since March

Mr Oscar said inability to pay fines has in the past led to the incarceration of Indigenous people and in the worst cases, has been associated with deaths in custody.

According to a spokesman from Queensland Health, there are some circumstances where quarantine travellers can be let out of their rooms.

However in these cases they must remain in the hotel grounds.

'Leaving the hotel's property to take a walk is not considered a valid reason as it poses too great a risk to the general public,' the spokesman said.

Australia has required returning travellers to quarantine for two weeks since March 28, a program credited in helping the country keep coronavirus numbers low.

But Melbourne's breakout, which resulted in a city-wide Stage 4 lockdown - including a nighttime curfew - is understood to have begun when leaks appeared in the hotel quarantine system.

An inquiry has been launched into what went wrong in the bungled quarantine system, but this has been delayed by six weeks due to the second wave of infections.

An officer is seen watching on as quarantine travellers are taken to a hotel in Brisbane (pictured)
Chief of Army Staff, General MM Naravane arrived in Tezpur on Thursday for a two-day visit of Army formations in Tezpur and Lucknow.

At the Gajraj Corps HQ in Tezpur, Lieutenant General Anil Chauhan, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command briefed the COAS on various operational and administrative aspects, the Army said.

The COAS interacted with all the Corps Commanders of Eastern Command and reviewed the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness in the Eastern Theatre.

The COAS was appreciative of the efforts by our soldiers in safeguarding the territorial integrity of the Nation and encouraged all ranks to keep up the high state of alertness and professionalism displayed by them.

Today, the COAS is scheduled to arrive at Lucknow to visit HQ Central Command.
Nearly 40% of A-level grades given by teachers in England will be downgraded when exam regulator Ofqual publishes students' results next week.

Up to 300,000 students stand to receive lower grades after exams were cancelled amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Grades will instead be issued according to Ofqual's statistical model, which draws on each pupil's previous exam results and their school's recent exam history.

Private schools have reportedly hired lawyers, with a 'flood' of appeals from angry parents expected.

Education lawyers are working with schools which could face demands for blanket appeals over the results.

Pupils could miss out on the exam results they deserve this summer as the system risks being 'unfair' for disadvantaged students, MPs have warned. An algorithm based on schools' and students' prior exam results will be used to grade more than 300,000 pupils in England, leaving those students teetering between grades at risk of lower marks

GCSEs are also expected to be downgraded at a similar rate, meaning more than 2 million grades set by teachers could be adjusted or ignored completely.

Criticism over this year's exams is intensifying after Ofqual rejected 124,000 grade recommendations for students in Scotland earlier this week - a quarter of all entries.

Ofqual will allow schools to appeal their results if they think they will vary greatly from previous years' but unlike Scottish students, English students are barred from getting their grades individually reconsidered.

Neil Roskilly, chief executive of the Independent Schools Association, said he expected a 'flood of appeals' from schools.

He told the Times: 'Parents will immediately be putting pressure on schools to make blanket appeals, schools are going to be inundated with requests from parents.

'Schools will put in more appeals, there's no doubt, driven by the perception of where they should be in league tables.

'The appeals process tends to benefit pushier parents and pushier schools.'

A demonstrator, Chloe Hally, at this week's protest outside the Scottish Qualifications Authority office in Glasgow holds a sign which reads: 'Teachers know my potential'. Hundreds of students protested after nearly a quarter of grades given by teachers were downgraded. English teachers fear the uproar when results for their pupils are released next week could be worse still

Hundreds of protesters marched outside the Scottish Qualifications Authority office in Glasgow after the public body downgraded marks for tests that were not sat because of the coronavirus lockdown. Statisticians believe Ofqual's system for grading English students is not sensitive enough to give fair marks - and English pupils are barred from individually appealing their grades

Unions threaten to shut schools back down in September Ministers have admitted they are powerless to reopen schools if teaching unions put their foot down in September. Bosses at the National Education Union (NEU), the UK's largest teaching union, say it may be impossible to follow the government's guidance and reopen at the start of the academic year. Dr Mary Bousted, joint head of the NEU, told The Telegraph that the government is 'making threatening noises about that'. 'But in the end, they won't be able to carry out their threats.' Advertisement

Those most at risk of a lower grade appear to be students bordering a B or C grade or a C and D grade, according to analysis from The Guardian.

Teacher assessments will only be used to help set A-level grades on courses with five or fewer candidates. On larger courses, teacher-given grades won't matter and grades will be awarded based on Ofqual's algorithm.

Students can resit their exams in the autumn, but those entering university or college are unlikely to do so.

Headteachers and exam officials in England fear the controversy could be even stronger than in Scotland, where hundreds of students disregarded social distancing to march in protest outside the Scottish Qualifications Authority office.

March organiser Erin Bleakley told Mail Online that she wanted the protest to show how pupils from poor area have been hardest hit.

The 17-year-old, who was at St Andrew's High School in Carntyne, said: 'We deserve the same life chances as young people in affluent areas.

'How can anyone expect to close the attainment gap when your hard work can be wiped out based on your postcode?'

Statisticians have criticised Ofqual's algorithm, saying it lacks the data to award grades fairly because most state schools in England produce a wide variety of grades between students and between years

An Ofqual spokesperson said the authority expects 'the majority of grades students receive will be the same as their centre assessment grades'.

'For A-level, three years of historical results inform the standardisation of grades. You can think of this as an averaging across the years of data.'

The Royal Statistical Society has called for the UK Statistics Authority to carry out an urgent review of the statistical procedures used in England and Scotland.
People living in Kildare, Offaly and Laois will be put under a partial lockdown for the next two weeks.

There will be garda checkpoints monitoring citizens movement around Kildare, Offaly and Laois, to prevent people leaving the locked down counties.

Starting from midnight, those living in the three counties will have to restrict their movements and people elsewhere in the country will be banned from travelling to the counties.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly admitted that there will be checkpoints throughout the counties to protect the population from the virus.

As always, ultimately there is an enforcement point to it.

"I am very aware this will be a sacrifice. I and the country are with you, this is tough, difficult.

"I wish it wasn't necessary to ask this of you but it is to protect your own communities, particularly those who are the most vulnerable..." said Minister Donnelly.

What will be impacted?

- Cafes, restaurants and pubs operating as restaurants will have to close from tomorrow unless they are doing takeaway service or have outdoor dining.

- Indoor gatherings are to be reduced to a maximum of six people from no more than three households and outdoor gatherings limited to a maximum of 15 people.

- Cinemas, theatres, museums, galleries, bingo halls, casinos, betting shops and other indoor recreational and cultural outlets will also be closed. Gyms, leisure centres, swimming pools, exercise and dance studios, sports clubs and similar venues should close.

- All sporting events have been banned but, non-contact outdoor sports and training may continue subject to maximum of 15 people. Training for professional athletes involved in contact sport can continue.

- Creches can remain open and preparations for reopening schools can continue.

- People will be told to restrict their movement within the country other than travelling to work, to medical appointments or for vital family reason or for caring for an animal.

- The advice says there can should be no travel into the three counties, other than for exemptions relating to work, medical appointments, family or animal emergencies.

- People can travel through the counties but they cannot stop unless it is for an essential purpose.

- Outdoor amenities including playgrounds may remain open with appropriate social distancing advice.

- Retail shops may remain open but with strict adherence to public health guidance including the wearing of facemasks.

- Personal services such as hairdressers and barbers may remain open, subject to appropriate social distancing and public health measures.

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- Prison, nursing homes and acute hospital visits should be suspended, except on compassionate grounds.

- Hotels can remain open but must limit occupancy to essential non-social and non-tourist reasons. Existing guests can remain for the duration of their booking.

- Places of worship may remain open for private prayer. Services should be delivered online or through other remote means.

- Funerals may take place with a maximum attendance of 25 persons.

- All other business, unless otherwise specified, may remain open, subject to appropriate social distancing and public health measures.

- Serial testing for all healthcare workers in nursing homes will recommence on 10th August.

When can residents of Kildare, Offaly and Laois travel outside of their counties?

When travelling to and from work, where it is not possible to work from home.

- For vital family reasons such as caring for children, elderly or vulnerable people - but excluding social visits.

- To attend medical appointments

- For farming purposes including the care of animals

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he felt for counties Kildare, Laois and Offaly, who are to be locked down from midnight but who have the support of Ireland behind them as the nation fights the virus.

Will it be just for two weeks?

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn addressed a briefing after the announcement the three counties would be locked down for two weeks.

This situation is really rapid, an awful lot can happen in 24 hours, nevermind two weeks, Dr Glynn said.

We hope to be in a much better place in two weeks but we can't guarantee it.

Minister Donnelly admitted though the Government is doing its best to tackle Covid-19: Mistakes could be made, they may be being made right now.

We need to constantly improve Im open to what people are saying.

The measures we are doing now are different to six months ago, as we are learning.

Expand Close Dr Ronan Glynn. Picture: Collins / Facebook

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Dr Glynn said throughout this week all the workers in the affected facilities were tested.

And that it is now likely well have significant numbers over the next few days.

Whatever is going to happen over the next week is already in train and there's very little any of us can do about that, Dr Glynn added.

But it had been imperative to act rapidly to lockdown, to slow the spread, he added.

When asked would the lockdowns definitely be over in two weeks, Dr Glynn stated: I cant give a guarantee.

But the sole purpose was to make the decision before community transmission.

If we contain the virus in the clusters theres a high likelihood we can come back out of it in two weeks.

The HSE had thought the issue was under control but for whatever reason, we have seen this escalation over the past ten days, Dr Glynn added.

'Solidarity is strength'

The Taoiseach urged the public to live the words of John Hume in fighting Covid-19: Solidarity is strength as the three counties prepare to lockdown for two weeks.

The Taoiseach said 35 years ago John Hume had campaigned under solidarity is strength.

The spirit is perhaps no more important than ever today. We are all responding for each other. Each of us will protect all of us.

Mr Martin made a direct appeal to the citizens of the three affected counties, where a surge in the virus has been witnessed - to restrict their movements and to avoid anyone not following public health advice.

In an impassioned address to the nation, Mr Martin added:

Testing remains a key weapon in our armoury. Government has moved to ramp up testing.

Any business that required testing to be carried out would receive it and any firms that needed to be would be shut down, he added - and not opened up until public health officials were satisfied they no longer pose a threat.

We know we could go further (with restrictions) but we are conscious as we move forward through pandemic, our responses need to be more nuanced, Mr Martin added.

The vast majority will understand we are in this together and they will do as asked.

Mr Martin said he understood the impatience people are feeling, at how culturally, socially and economically, the country had suffered during the pandemic.

But we need to understand this virus is merciless and unrelenting," he added.

I want to confirm the Government is doing everything possible. But we go can't do it alone, each and every one of us as citizens must continue to help limit the spread.

Mr Martin urged everyone to social distance, get tested if they fell ill with Covid-19 symptoms and to wear masks.

We now know how Covid-19 attacks by stealth, he added.

We have to be decisive. The disease is not waiting, we must protect public health, everything else is secondary.

Do not travel to these counties unless for work or essential care for a relative and please pause and reflect on what else you and your family, your colleagues, can do to slow the spread of the disease.

While the burden of this falls heaviest on the counties of Kildare, Offaly and Laois, the message needs to be heard across the country.

It was vital to work to get children back to school, the Taoiseach added and this would be achieved by the public all taking measures to protect each other from the virus.

Meanwhile, people will be told not use public transport unless it is absolutely necessary and also asked not to share private vehicles with people from outside their homes.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said: We have taken the approach weve taken as we and Nphet have looked at whats happening round the world, we are taking a cautious approach.

We had the most restricted Green List in Europe, the number of foreign cases is falling.

We have to do everything as families, workers, employers to follow the basic guidelines to restrict transmission so it doesn't move and it doesn't get to people much more vulnerable to the disease.

We are putting regulations together so it will be put on a statutory level but the success hasnt been enforced, we have succeeded in solidarity we understand in Ireland how vicious and dangerous this disease is.

We have seen it in politics. The WHO said the solidarity at a community and political level had stood out in Ireland."
The Centre late on August 7 (Friday) evening ordered a probe into the Air India Express plane crash at Kozhikode airport in Kerala that killed at least 16 people, including both the pilots, and injured many.

Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri ordered the probe into the accident saying that two teams of professionals from the Air India, Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct a detailed investigation. The AAIB is a division of the Civil Aviation Ministry which investigates aircraft accidents and incidents in India.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Puri said, "Two investigation teams of professionals from Air India, AAI and AAIB will leave for Kozhikode at 02.00 hrs & 05.00 hrs. Everyone has now been rescued from the aircraft. Rescue operations are now complete. Injured being treated at various city hospitals." The relief teams from Air India and AAI will go from Delhi and Mumbai.

Two investigation teams of professionals from @airindiain @AAI_Official & AAIB will leave for Kozhikode at 02.00 hrs & 05.00 hrs. Everyone has now been rescued from the aircraft. Rescue operations are now complete. Injured being treated at various city hospitals.  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 7, 2020

The plane with 190 people onboard skid off the runway of the airport in rainy conditions and went down 35 feet into a slope before breaking up into two pieces, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.

As per the flight manifest there were 190 people on flight AXB-1344 including 174 adult passengers,10 infants, 4 cabin crew & 2 pilots.

Unfortunately, 16 people have lost their lives. I offer my heartfelt condolences to their next of kin & pray for speedy recovery of the injured.  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) August 7, 2020

The injured were taken to multiple hospitals and the dead to Kondotti hospital. Kerala CM said, "Evacuation completed. Malappuram collector has informed that the rescue operations at the site have been completed. Air India flight AXB1344 (@DXB to CCJ) had 190 passengers. They all have been transferred to hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode."

A total of 190 people--184 passengers, including ten infants, two pilots, and four cabin crew were onboard the aircraft. The flight, IX-1344, bound for Kozhikode from Dubai skidded during landing at the Karipur Airport at around 7.45 pm, said the Kondotty Police. The authorities have issued helpline numbers-0543090572, 0543090573, 0543090575 and 0565463903.

The Indian embassy in Dubai tweeted, "Air India Express Flight No IX 1344 from Dubai to Calicut skidded off the runway. We pray for well being of passengers and crew and will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates.Our helplines 056 546 3903, 0543090572, 0543090572, 0543090575."

"Air India Express has also established helpline number in Sharjah at 00971 6 5970303. People can call them as well for updates. Full details of injured and casualties are awaited," it further tweeted.

Karipur Airport control room opens helpline number 04832719493 for more information on Air India Express plane accident. "There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and six crew members, including two pilots, onboard Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) that skidded during landing at Karipur Airport today," said the Air India Express.

The plane fell around 35 feet down and apparently the front half took the damage but people in the rear half have survived. The Kozhikode International Airport, also known, as Karipur Airport is a tabletop airport. The flight was flying the Centre's Vande Bharat Mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pain over Air India Express plane accident and spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about the plane crash. PM Modi took to Twitter saying, "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri said, "Deeply anguished and distressed at the air accident in Kozhikode. The Air India Express flight number AXB-1344 on its way from Dubai to Kozhikode with 191 persons on board, overshot the runway in rainy conditions & went down 35 ft. into a slope before breaking up into two pieces. We are in touch with local authorities...Relief teams from Air India & AAI are being immediately dispatched from Delhi & Mumbai. All efforts being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by AAIB."

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, "A Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight fell down into the valley after landing at Runway 10 of Karipur Airport & broke down in two pieces. There were 191 people on board. Visibility was 2000 meter and heavy rain at the time of landing." The DGCA has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General SN Pradhan said, "Teams of NDRF are being rushed to Karipur Airport where the Dubai-Kozhikode flight skidded off the runway, for search and rescue."

Expressing shock over the tragic mishap, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities. The Kerala CM has directed immediate rescue measures in the plane crash. The CM has deputed AC Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations. Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrissur. The CM also has deputed an IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two districts also have been engaged.

Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save the lives of victims. The Police warm-up led by IG and fire and rescue team from two districts has started rescue operations. It is also proposed to set up the necessary health system and all the mechanisms of the state government should be used for disaster relief.

Vijayan also said, "Have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur. Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support."

PM Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM on phone about Karipur plane crash. The CM informed PM Modi that a team of officials including Kozhikode and Malappuram District Collectors and IG Ashok Yadav have arrived at the airport to participate in the rescue operation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation Additional DG Media Rajeev Jain said, "Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode at 1941 hrs tonight. No fire reported at the time of landing. There are 174 passengers, 10 Infants, 2 Pilots and 5 cabin crew onboard the aircraft. Total 191. As per the initial reports, rescue operations are on and Passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care. We will soon share the update in this regard."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed shock over the tragic incident and tweeted, "Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations."

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed his anguish over the loss of lives and tweeted, "Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight." "In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," Rajnath Singh added.

Former Union minister KJ Alphons, who belongs to Kerala, termed the accident as the second tragedy of the day in Kerala and tweeted, "Second tragedy of the day in Kerala: Air India Express skids off the runway at Kozhikode, front portion splits, the pilot dies and lots of passengers injured. All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didnt catch fire."
Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has died, aged 74, of complications from coronavirus.

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 attended Donald Trumps rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma in June (AP/Sue Ogrocki, File)

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.

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

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.

Story continues

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.

Mr Cain hoped to become the Republican Partys first black presidential nominee (AP/Bill Haber, File)

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 (@PressSec) 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.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday strongly denied that his powerful Shiite movement had stored arms at Beirut's port, describing the cataclysmic explosion there as "a major tragedy".

"We have nothing in the port: not an arms depot, nor a missile depot nor missiles nor rifles nor bombs nor bullets nor (ammonium) nitrate," Nasrallah said in a televised speech three days after the blast in the Lebanese capital that killed more than 150 people.

He called the explosion a "major tragedy and humanitarian catastrophe," saying it required a kind of response that would match its "exceptional" scale.

The blast injured at least 5,000 people and devastated entire districts of the capital, leaving some 300,000 people temporarily homeless.

An investigation by authorities has so far led to 21 arrests, as well as travel bans and asset freezes.

Authorities had said a fire at the port had ignited tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored there for years, but President Michel Aoun said Friday it could have been caused by an attack.

Aoun rejected calls for an international probe while Nasrallah urged "the army to investigate and announce its findings".

He said the Lebanese military is in a prime position to do so because it is seen as a "trusted" institution by people and politicians across the spectrum.

The Hezbollah leader warned against delays in the probe, saying: "If the Lebanese state and the political class... do not reach a conclusion in the investigations this means... there is no hope to build a state."

International assistance

International assistance swiftly flooded into Lebanon after the blast and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday made a snap, but influential, visit to Beirut, where he pressed leaders for change and announced an international aid conference in the coming days.

He met with several Lebanese leaders, including Hezbollah representatives on his one-day trip.

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Nasrallah praised the international community for its outpouring of support in the wake of the blast, but singled out Macron's visit as "the most significant".

"We look positively at any assistance and any expression of sympathy towards Lebanon," he said.

Hezbollah is the only group not to have disarmed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, and it fought Israeli troops who occupied southern Lebanon until 2000.

It commands a majority in government and parliament along with its political allies.

Hezbollah has also been a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad in neighbouring Syria, where it fights alongside regime forces.

(AFP)
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Hundreds of children were sent home on Friday as Germany closed two schools over coronavirus infections, in a new blow to hopes for a return to normality after the summer holidays.

Just days after schools in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania became the first to reopen full time after the break, some 800 students were forced to head home from the Goethe Gymnasium in Ludwigslust after a teacher tested positive for COVID-19.

The infected teacher has not given any lessons since the secondary school reopened on Monday, but all 55 teachers will now have to be tested for the virus.

The school will remain closed until at least Wednesday, said a statement issued by the district.

Separately, 100 pupils from a primary school in Rostock district have been placed under quarantine for two weeks after a pupil was confirmed infected.

The situation in Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania is closely watched across the country as it was the first of Germany's 16 states to reopen the school gates on Monday after summer holidays.

State education ministers had agreed in July that schools will be back in full-time operation in the new schoolyear, after offering only partial hours as the lockdown was eased.

But critics have questioned whether this would be realistic as infection rates are rising again.

The latest closures in the northern region would likely also serve as a cautionary tale as children in capital Berlin and those in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, are poised to return to school from next week.

Germany has fared relatively well in the coronavirus crisis so far, but an uptick in cases widely attributed to Germans returning from holiday has sparked concern in recent weeks.

On Thursday, the number of new cases rose above the 1,000 marka level not seen since May 7.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

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The Coalition to Stop Genocide in India, a broad network of more than 100 Indo-American organizations led a massive rally at Times Square against the celebration of the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

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Protestors in huge numbers gathered at Times Square in New York on the evening of August 5 chanting slogans and highlighting the massive human rights violation against marginalized communities in India.

Islamophobia has escalated in India leading to lynchings, pogroms, cultural genocide and exemplified by the establishment of a temple on the site of a demolished mosque and this shows anti-Muslim bigotry is government policy in India, said Nihad Awad, Executive Director, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992, by Hindu nationalist militias as part of a political campaign by the BJP party where leaders led to destruction of the masjid premises in broad daylight. The campaign was also accompanied by killing of hundreds of Muslims across India both before and after the demolition. Almost three decades from then, the Supreme Court pronounced the destruction as illegal but has still handed over the site to Hindutva supremacist litigants. Under the BJP at Centre, the disputed site at Ayodhya in India was handed over to temple trust in a Supreme Court decision in November 2019 for which the foundation stone was laid down at the site during a Bhoomi Pujan ceremony on August 5 by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Celebrations in New York City for the temple foundation stone laying ceremony were planned by a Hindutva supremacists group, American Indian Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at Times Square as the Ram temple was displayed on the billboard at the Square. AIPAC, however, faced a massive counter-protest by the Coalition to stop Hindutva ideologues from normalizing human rights violation in India.The Coalition reiterated that those who had gathered at Times Square to celebrate the construction of Ram temple in India on the ruins of the Babri Masjid have professed that hate and bigotry are celebrated by Hindu supremacists and hence the Coalition held a rally to remind them that hatred cannot be normalized and it cannot be celebrated.

The Coalition to Stop Genocide in India had previously opposed AIPACs announcement of celebration jointly with 100 more community welfare associations including Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Ambedkar King Study Circle, Jews Undoing Institutional Racism, Refugee Womens Alliance (ReWA), Ambedkarite Buddist Association, Latino Advocacy, Muslims for Community, Action and Support (MCAS), Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Hindus for Human Rights, South Asian Americans Together for Washington (SAATWA), Ambedkar International Center, Periyar International USA, Students Against Hindutva Ideology (SAHI), Gurudwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, World Without Hate, Asian Counseling and Referral Service and several others.

Political Hinduism is NOT a religious issue, its a class issue and final victory is possible by uniting the workers, peasants and the socially oppressed sections, said S Karthikeyan of Ambedkar King Study Circle. He added that the Coalitions protest in New York has brought various sections together to challenge the Hindutva project.

Jawad Mohammed, General Secretary of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) explained how Ram is a revered figure in Hinduism and that respect for all religions is a part of the commitment to pluralism. He elaborated that peoples reverence of Ram has been manipulated to serve a vile and hateful agenda whose evil fruits are evident not only across India but in the US as well. He continued that it is unfortunate that far-right extremists in both India and the US have especially taken to demonizing and denigrating Muslims.

Ram temple issue was leveraged by Hindutva forces to polarize Indian society in a destructive campaign resulting in untold human suffering, echoed Sunita Vishwanath, President of Hindus for Human Rights. She further expressed that it is alarming that and ideology that shows complete disregard for the value of human life and the sanctity of all places of worship is boasting of its evil deeds in India in the heart of New York City which is a representation of inclusiveness of Americans.

Brad Lander from the New York City Council, who also attended the Coalitions protest said that as a New Yorker and as a progressive Jew, I stand with our Muslim neighbours here in the NYC and in Kashmir and throughout India. He continued that everyone has a responsibility for speaking out against Islamophobia, whether it comes from our country or even from our community.

Recording participation from different cultural communities at its massive rally, the Coalition resonated that all communities must unite to oppose the far-right Modi government before its fascist, Nazi-inspired ideology causes further damage to religious minorities.
The oil market has undergone quite a change since April though  the coronavirus is now a firm reality of everyday life and some oil firms have learned to live with; demand in some parts of Asia such as South Korea and Europe has been coming back online, while India, Latin America, and others are struggling to come out of lockdown. Meanwhile, OPEC+ production quotas are less stringent than they were just a couple of months ago. All of that combined has brought producers to a new decision point  they need to confront weak refinery margins as the immense quantities of stored crude are being digested by refiners. Cutting production is no longer

Usually, when Saudi Arabia issues its official selling prices (OSPs) for the upcoming month, all the Middle Eastern crude exporters take notice and follow suit. Yet what happens if the Saudi national oil company Saudi Aramco delays a decision well beyond the usual timeframe (first 5 days of the preceding month) and then surprises analysts with a price drop? According to its official statement, Saudi Aramco was delaying the release of September OSPs because of the Islamic religious holiday Eid al-Adha which will end this Saturday. On Thursday evening, however, Saudi Arabia surprised the market by issuing its September OSPs. The last time Saudi Aramco took its time to deliberate it flash crashed its April 2020 OSPs by $5-6 per barrel, effectively starting a price war the impacts of which are still being felt all around us.

Usually, when Saudi Arabia issues its official selling prices (OSPs) for the upcoming month, all the Middle Eastern crude exporters take notice and follow suit. Yet what happens if the Saudi national oil company Saudi Aramco delays a decision well beyond the usual timeframe (first 5 days of the preceding month) and then surprises analysts with a price drop? According to its official statement, Saudi Aramco was delaying the release of September OSPs because of the Islamic religious holiday Eid al-Adha which will end this Saturday. On Thursday evening, however, Saudi Arabia surprised the market by issuing its September OSPs. The last time Saudi Aramco took its time to deliberate it flash crashed its April 2020 OSPs by $5-6 per barrel, effectively starting a price war the impacts of which are still being felt all around us.

The oil market has undergone quite a change since April though  the coronavirus is now a firm reality of everyday life and some oil firms have learned to live with; demand in some parts of Asia such as South Korea and Europe has been coming back online, while India, Latin America, and others are struggling to come out of lockdown. Meanwhile, OPEC+ production quotas are less stringent than they were just a couple of months ago. All of that combined has brought producers to a new decision point  they need to confront weak refinery margins as the immense quantities of stored crude are being digested by refiners. Cutting production is no longer an option as the majority of OPEC+ countries seem to be taking a dim view on prolonging the curtailments now, when the price of crude hovers above $40 per barrel.

Graph 1. Saudi Aramco OSPs for Asia (against the Oman/Dubai average).

Source: Saudi Aramco.

That being said, what was there to expect? Most (if not all) industry watchers were expecting Saudi Aramco to cut down its September OSPs, for the first time since May. OPEC+ producers have been pumping 2mbpd more crude into the market than they did in May as the agreed collective production cut has entered its 2nd phase, with the output quota consequently dropping from 9.7mbpd to 7.7mbpd in August-December 2020. Moreover, with crude prices already at satisfactory levels for some of the OPEC+ producers (e.g: Russias breakeven at $42 per barrel), the overall compliance might weaken in the upcoming months. Field maintenance works and other rescheduled commitments are already done and CAPEX cuts constrain any further ones.

The gradual rebounding of OPEC+ production was in one way or another to be expected, but no one could foresee the sudden plummeting of Chinese demand in the second half of July. The drop had two root causes: floods across China with a subsequent rise in crude inventories which surged to a new high of 889.35 MMbbls in the week ended July 26, according to Kpler data. With crude stocks almost 50 MMbls higher than a month ago, Chinese refiners have decided to first digest their own inventories and curb new purchases to counteract such depressed demand. India continues to struggle with lockdowns and is expected to overcome the COVID-induced demand drop by the end of this year. All in all, the Saudi September OSPs for Asia-bound cargoes were expected to drop by $0.7-$1 per barrel month-on-month, whilst the European OSPs were expected to see an even steeper decrease of almost $2 per barrel compared to August 2020.

Graph 2. Saudi Arabia, Iraq and UAE Crude Exports in 2017-2020 (million barrels per day).

Source: Thomson Reuters.

Saudi Aramcos September OSPs have surprised Asian customers as the extent of the price drop was roughly half of what was expected, ranging from -30c per barrel for Arab Heavy to -60c for Arab Super Light. This is all the more surprising as the prices for European customers both in NW Europe and the Mediterranean were fully in line with market expectations, with NW Europe prices falling by -$1.8/-$2.8 per barrel and Mediterranean differentials dropping by -$1.1/-$2.5 per barrel. In terms of grade preferences across all continents, the lighter the crude the bigger the month-on-month decline.

Dubai struggled through July with the Dubai M1-M3 spread (the difference between front-month cash and same-month futures), one of the main benchmarks of the Asian sour market, dropping from a high point of +$1.3 per barrel in early July into negative territory (-20 cents per barrel) by the months end. As much as the Dubai M1-M3 is an important benchmark of the Asian market, Urals prices in Europe are a vital indication for any competing producer. Urals has plummeted in July amid weak refining margins and gradually increasing Russian production, with Baltics Urals dropping below Dated Brent where it should be under normal conditions. Thus, Saudi Aramco prefers to follow the market line in Europe and elsewhere whilst it continues to hold firm on the Asian front, despite rumors of China going big on discounted U.S. crudes in the upcoming weeks.

Graph 3. Urals Baltics and Mediterranean Quotations in 2020 vs Dated Brent (USD per barrel).

Source: S&P Global Platts.

Even though Saudi Aramco has decided to whistle over the current state of the market, at some point it will have to take a proper stance in its ceaseless balancing act of increasing production and hoping for a hike in crude prices. The reckoning can be delayed but cannot be avoided for good.

Other Middle Eastern producers, such as Iraq or Kuwait, would be caught on the wrong side of the hedge if they were not to fall in line  their dilemmas are just as actual as those of Saudi Arabia. Looking further ahead, one can fairly safely assume that the remaining part of the year will see weaker Middle Eastern differentials.

Increasing production and assumedly weaker OPEC+ discipline will pressurize Saudi, Iraqi or Kuwaiti differentials even after China processes some of its plentiful crude in storage and overall Asian refinery margins improve. With increased production rates, quality discrepancies would reappear  at the moment, the Asia Pacific OSP difference between Arab Light and Arab Heavy is a mere 10 cents per barrel whilst 2 years ago it was a whopping 3 USD per barrel. By no means should this mean that oil prices would remain where they are now, the oil curve still has plentiful surprises to offer. With the easing of OPEC+ production curtailments and the relevant oil companies' fatigue of underproducing against a reasonably manageable $40-45 per barrel oil environment, there remain very few structural factors that can maintain the current differentials anomaly.
L ebanons president has admitted that he knew about the huge stockpile of explosive material stored at Beiruts port nearly three weeks before it blew up.

The explosion in Beirut on Tuesday, believed to be the result of the detonation of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored unsafely at a port warehouse, left at least 154 people dead, 5,000 injured and 300,000 homeless.

Michel Aoun said on Friday that he ordered action be taken about it at the time. But he said he had no authority over the facility.

Do you know how many problems have been accumulating? Mr Aoun replied when a reporter pressed whether he should have followed up on his order.

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, right, meets with French President Emmanuel Macron / via REUTERS

His comments are the most senior confirmation that Lebanons leaders and security officials were aware of the 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port for years.

Mr Aoun, who has been in his post since 2016, said previous governments had known about the danger of the stockpile since it was confiscated from a ship impounded in 2013.

The material had been there for seven years, since 2013, he told a news conference.

The explosion decimated Beirut / Getty Images

It has been there and they said it is dangerous and I am not responsible.

I dont know where it was placed. I dont even know the level of danger.

The president said the material was there for seven years / AFP via Getty Images

He said when he was told of the stockpile June 20, he immediately ordered military and security officials to do what is needed.

Mr Aoun said the explosion may have been caused by negligence but the investigation will also look at the possibility that it could have been caused by a bomb or other external intervention.

He said he has asked France for satellite imagery from the time of the blast to see if they showed any planes or missiles.

It comes as British medics are set to fly out today to assist with the health response in Beirut, the Department for International Development (Dfid) has announced.

British medics will fly out to help with the recovery effort / AFP via Getty Images

The department said five medics from the UKs Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT) will leave from London Heathrow heading to Lebanon, at the request of the Lebanese Government, to determine the urgent needs in the Beirut health system and to look at how the UK can offer support.

International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: The Lebanese people continue to be in our thoughts at this terrible time. The UK is sending these world-leading medics to use their expertise and to make sure the people of Lebanon get the help they need as quickly as possible.

Todays field team comes on top of the UKs substantial military support and aid package. We will do everything we can to help the people of Lebanon in their hour of need.

Sixteen employees at Beiruts port have been detained over the explosion.

All of them are port and customs officials, as well as individuals in charge of maintenance at the hangar where 2,750 tons of explosive materials have been stored for years.
TikTok has said that the Trump administrations recent actions against it show no due process or adherence to the law

This comes as the government signed an executive order that gave US companies 45 days to end their business with TikTok and other Chinese app WeChat.

We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process. For nearly a year, we have sought to engage with the US government in good faith to provide a constructive solution to the concerns that have been expressed, TikTok said.

What we encountered instead was that the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses.

"The text of the decision makes it plain that there has been a reliance on unnamed reports with no citations, fears that the app may be used for misinformation campaigns with no substantiation of such fears, and concerns about the collection of data that is industry standard for thousands of mobile apps around the world, it continues.

President Trumps executive order cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act along with the National Emergencies Act, implying that TikToks presence in the US was a national emergency.

TikToks statement references the likely sale of the company to Microsoft or another US company, although Donald Trump has said the US treasury should take a cut of the sale, comparing the relationship to one between landlord and tenant.

We even expressed our willingness to pursue a full sale of the US business to an American company, the statement reads, but says that Donald Trumps response has undermine[d]  trust in the United States' commitment to the rule of law."

TikTok also says that it has made clear that TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government, nor censored content at its request, citing its transparency reports and the information it has provided on how its algorithm works.

However, Chinas National Intelligence Law from 2017 requires organisations and citizens to support, assist and cooperate with the state intelligence work, and experts believe that TikTok would not legally have a choice in the matter.

Whether that justifies the Trump administrations actions, since no crime has seemingly taken place, is a controversial debate between politicians and the technology company.
Markets ended the week little changed, with the FTSE 100 closing just 5 points higher at 6,032 and the FTSE 250 closed 143 points higher at 17,622.

A mixed jobs report from across the Atlantic helped the dollar higher, causing the pound to drop 0.7 per cent against the greenback, with 1 buying $1.305 at markets close.

US employment growth slowed considerably in July amid a resurgence in new Covid-19 infections, but the 1.76million jobs created were still higher than expectations.

In the UK, property listings website Rightmove reported a lower first-half operating profit, as it slashed advertising rates for property agents hammered by an extended halt to property deals due to coronavirus lockdowns.

Meanwhile, fund manager Standard Life Aberdeen said its profits have taken a hit with investors withdrawing money and moving to lower fee funds amid increased market volatility due to the coronavirus crisis.

Elsewhere, Ofgem has recommended that the price cap on household energy bills be kept in place beyond this year as the regulator said it would slash the cap from October 1.
Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha grieved her co-star Sameer Sharma 's demise. The pair got to share screen space for the crime thriller 'Ittefaq' released in 2017. The late TV actor and model was found hanging from the kitchen ceiling at his Mumbai apartment in Malad West.

Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha on Thursday mourned demise of her co-star Sameer Sharma. The duo had shared screen space for the 2017 released mystery-thriller Ittefaq.

The late television actor and model was found hanging from the kitchen ceiling at his Malad West residence in Mumbai on Wednesday night, the Malad police said. Upon the news, Sinha expressed grief and shock by taking it to the Instagram stories. Sharing a picture of the late actor, the Dabangg star wrote: Gone too soon

Earlier the day, many Bollywood celebrities, including Shraddha Kapoor, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Esha Gupta, and Mugdha Veira Godse took to the microblogging site, Twitter, to extend their condolences.

Also Read: Bombay HC to hear plea seeking transfer of SSR death probe to CBI today

The news of Sameer Sharma had triggered an outpouring of condolence messages on Twitter by netizens.

An accidental death report was registered in the matter and the body of the actor was sent for autopsy.

The police further said it is suspected that the actor had died by suicide two days ago as per the condition of the body.

He was seen in television shows such as Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki, Yeh Rishtey Hain Pyaar Ke, Jyoti, and Kyuki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
She is enjoying some downtime on a yacht charter with her family in Ibiza.

And Rebekah Vardy continued to soak up the sun on Thursday, as she enjoyed a dip in the sea during relaxing day at the beach before heading for lunch with her brood.

The WAG, 38, was flaunting her stunning curves in a frilly monochrome bikini, as she cooled off in the water amid the sizzling Spanish heat.

Chilling: Rebekah Vardy continued to soak up the sun on Thursday, as she enjoyed a dip in the sea during relaxing day at the beach before heading for lunch with her brood

Rebekah swept her brunette locks up into a messy bun, while showing off her naturally striking features by going make-up free for the outing.

The wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, 33, accessorised her beach look with a pair of huge black shades, which shielded her eyes from the rays.

The former I'm A Celebrity contestant accessorised her ensemble with a gold bangle, diamond earrings and her dazzling engagement ring.

Rebekah and Jamie have Finley, three, and Sofia, five, and Olivia, seven months, together, with Rebekah already having Megan, 15, and Taylor, ten, from previous relationships.

All hands on deck! Jamie was getting into the swing of the beach fun

Wow: The WAG, 38, was flaunting her stunning curves in a frilly monochrome bikini, as she cooled off in the water amid the sizzling Spanish heat

Beaming: Rebekah swept her brunette locks up into a messy bun, while showing off her naturally striking features by going make-up free for the outing

Strutting her stuff: She looked sensational as she made her way down the shores

Jamie also has a daughter, Ella, ten, from his past relationship with Emma Daggett.

After reapplying her kids sun cream, the Vardy's covered-up their swimwear and headed for some lunch at the exclusive Cala Bassa Beach Club.

A break in sun is no doubt needed for Rebekah as her legal battles against Coleen Rooney rumbles on, after Coleen accused Becky of leaking stories about her to the press.

A bombshell legal document has recently revealed how Becky claims to have been left suicidal by the accusation that she had leaked stories about Coleen and her family.

Pick me up! They scooped up the kids as they sashayed down the shore

Details: The wife of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy accessorised her beach look with a pair of huge black shades, which shielded her eyes from the rays

Dazzling: The former I'm A Celebrity contestant accessorised her ensemble with a gold bangle, diamond earrings and her dazzling engagement ring

Family: Rebekah and Jamie have Finley, three, and Sofia, five, and Olivia, seven months, together, with Rebekah already having Megan, 15, and Taylor, ten, from previous relationships

She also claims in the document drawn up for her libel battle against Coleen that the stress of the scandal had left her fearful of losing her unborn baby and suffering panic attacks that made her too scared to leave her home.

The I'm A Celeb star complains of being made a 'scapegoat' by her rival seeking to blame her for stories appearing when in the past Coleen had approved of her friends leaking gossip about her.

The document says Rebekah believes she 'has deliberately been made a scapegoat (sic) by the Defendant (Coleen) for past 'leaked' stories.'

King of my castle! The kids were building sandcastles

Past flame: Jamie also has a daughter, Ella, ten, from his past relationship with Emma Daggett

Lunch time! After reapplying her kids sun cream, the Vardy's covered-up their swimwear and headed for some lunch at the exclusive Cala Bassa Beach Club

Woes: A break in sun is no doubt needed for Rebekah as her legal battles against Coleen Rooney rumbles on, after Coleen accused Becky of leaking stories about her to the press

Struggles: A bombshell legal document has recently revealed how Becky claims to have been left suicidal by the accusation that she had leaked stories about Coleen and her family

It points to previous stories about Coleen and Wayne with some 'in particular about their marriage, which have in fact come from the Defendant's friends, at times even with the Defendant's approval.'

The paper states that Sun journalist Dan Wootton had said on talkRADIO on October 19 last year that Coleen had 'manipulated the media to tell stories about her own life'.

Wootton added that he had 'written many, many stories' about her marriage and 'lots of other things around the Rooneys' that had come directly from friends of Coleen including some told 'with her (Coleen's) approval', says the document.

Stress: She also claims in the document drawn up for her libel battle against Coleen that the stress of the scandal had left her fearful of losing her unborn baby and suffering panic attacks that made her too scared to leave her home

Reports: The I'm A Celeb star complains of being made a 'scapegoat' by her rival seeking to blame her for stories appearing when in the past Coleen had approved of her friends leaking gossip about her

He went on to say on talkRADIO that nothing had ever come from 'any of the Vardys', it adds.

Rebekah describes in her document how Coleen's public denunciation of her on Instagram while she was seven months pregnant had 'gravely injured her reputation'.

Detailing how Coleen had 'caused her enormous distress and very extreme embarrassment', she disclosed how she had been bombarded with abuse on social media.

Rebekah said that the widespread damage to her reputation was illustrated by research showing her name had become a more popular search term than 'Brexit' on Google in the UK on the day the scandal broke.

Legal battle: The document says Rebekah believes she 'has deliberately been made a scapegoat (sic) by the Defendant (Coleen) for past 'leaked' stories'

Other side of the story: 'It points to previous stories about Coleen and Wayne with some 'in particular about their marriage, which have in fact come from the Defendant's friends, at times even with the Defendant's approval'

Eating out: The family were seen heading to a lavish beach club for their lunch

Family: The family donned shorts and T-shirts as they stepped off the beach

She also claimed that it led to her name appearing 276,822 times on Twitter on the same day, more than triple the number of mentions of Boris Johnson who had had his name published only 80,704 times.

Coleen made headlines around the world last October when she made her devastating claim that Rebekah had been leaking stories about her and her family to the Sun newspaper.

She released the statement: 'It's been tough keeping it to myself and not making any comment at all, especially when the stories have been leaked, however I had to. Now I know for certain which account / individual it's come from.

'I have saved and sreenshotted all the original stories which clearly show just one person has viewed them. It's . Rebekah Vardy's account.'

Rebekah immediately denied the claims and has since been fighting to clear her name and demands Coleen withdraw the claims against her.

Claims: The paper states that Sun journalist Dan Wootton had said on talkRADIO on October 19 last year that Coleen had 'manipulated the media to tell stories about her own life'
A floating solar farm in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province. / Korea Times file



By Nam Hyun-woo



A bill allowing the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) to directly operate power plants running on renewable energy resources has been tabled in the National Assembly, offering the state-run power distributor the chance to generate electricity for the first time in nearly 20 years.



However, small and medium private power generation companies are concerned that the proposal could cause the renewable energy certificate (REC) price, an important revenue source for them, to collapse. There is also the possible threat of KEPCO becoming a monopoly in the Korean renewable resources power generation market.



According to the National Assembly, Friday, Rep. Song Gab-seok of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) recently tabled a revision of the Electric Utility Act that enables "a private-type public corporation to engage in more than two types of electricity businesses." The private-type public corporation means KEPCO.



Since 2001, KEPCO has been prohibited from engaging in the power generation and distribution businesses simultaneously. The state-run company only operates power distribution, while its subsidiaries, such as Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, are in charge of power generation.



In terms of renewable energy, KEPCO is doing business indirectly, by investing in special-purpose companies.



Song's proposal comes amid the Moon Jae-in government's Korean New Deal investment initiative. Under this, the administration will foster the renewable energy industry as one of the country's main economic drivers by investing more than 73 trillion won ($61.56 billion). In line with the policy, the government aims to produce 20 percent of the country's energy demand from renewable resources by 2030.



As a mid-term goal, the government plans to raise the country's solar and wind-power generation capacity to 42.7 gigawatts by 2025, 3.4 times the level of last year.



The proposal aims to address the current renewable power generation capacity of private power companies and KEPCO subsidiaries, which is deemed insufficient to accomplish the government's targets.



"For the transition to renewable energy, large-scale renewable energy projects are necessary, but they require massive initial investments which are burdensome for private companies," Song said.



While officials at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said there were many procedural steps before KEPCO could start generating power, private power companies are expressing concerns, citing the expected drop in the REC price.



The REC is a marketable certificate that proves the bearer has generated and distributed electricity from renewable energy sources. One REC means the bearer has produced 1 megawatt-hour of renewable power.



Since 2012, Korea has applied the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) to 21 power companies whose capacity exceeds 500 megawatts. The companies are required to generate a certain proportion of their total power from renewable energy  7 percent this year and 10 percent in 2023.



To meet this standard, the companies purchase RECs from private renewable power companies and this has encouraged more to engage in the business. But private power firm officials say KEPCO's entry into power generation would see the REC price decline further due to oversupply.



The country's REC price is already in sharp decline due to oversupply. According to the Korea Power Exchange, one REC was traded at 45,304 won, Thursday, down nearly 40 percent from January last year, when the price hovered over 75,000 won.



"The country's renewable energy ecosystem can create an economic outcome with the growth of private power companies," an energy industry official said. "KEPCO's entry into power production, however, will likely drag down REC prices, taking away the growth momentum of private power firms."


Britons were today left fearing for their upcoming summer holidays to France amid concerns they may have to quarantine for 14 days when returning to the UK.

Families urged Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to make a decision before thousands of them go on holiday and risk children not starting school in September.

Others said they were 'praying' that the Foreign Office's travel advice for France does not change and that the country's border remains upon for British travellers.

But some further tourists said the quarantine would not make a difference to them - and they would be happy to pay a fine upon return to Britain to avoid missing work.

However, other holidaymakers admitted they have already cancelled their holiday to France, with some calling off a trip this weekend with just days to go.

It comes as British travellers returning from Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra will be ordered to self-isolate for 14 days following a spike in infections.

Malaysia and Brunei are to be taken off the list so travellers coming from there will no longer need to quarantine, and it is thought that Portugal could follow soon.

Matt Richards wrote on Twitter today: 'Yes, a potential quarantine for me and my wife is not the end of the world. But 14 days quarantine would mean my children would miss the first week back at school and they've been off since March.'

Rachel Arnold, of Cheshire, said: 'We want to go to France next week, Charente area, low Covid. Staying at a secluded house, no one else there. Thinking now not to go as 'threat' of quarantine looming. Ironically can't afford to do a ten-day holiday here.'

And Sarah Eaves, from North London, tweeted: 'Please make a decision on France in the next 24 hours before thousands of us with families go on holiday and risk children not starting school. Quarantine means we can cancel and get  back.'

Family of six planning holiday to France are left 'stuck waiting for a Government decision' Jane Stone said her family of six, including two grandparents, their daughter and three grandchildren booked to go to a holiday park in France in August, as they do each year. Their holiday from August 21 was booked last October, long before any mention of coronavirus. Jane Stone sent in this picture of her family, who are hoping to go to France this month Ms Stone told MailOnline today: 'We cannot cancel, without losing our money, and find ourselves stuck waiting for a Government decision. 'Our son is already in the Dordogne, and as far as I am aware, oblivious to the current situation.' Advertisement

Another worried holidaymaker, Emma Lewis, tweeted: 'We're due to drive through France to get to Italy in early September. Praying the French border stays open and FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) advice for France doesn't change.'

But Michael Porter, of Halifax, West Yorkshire, said he had cancelled a trip on Tuesday to go to France this Saturday for his wife's 60th birthday.

And Twitter user Jamie, from London, said: 'As father of the bride I have a wedding to attend in France on the 17th, so yes I'll be going but need to work on my return or go bankrupt. So pay the fine or hire a pedalo.'

Meanwhile Matt Groombridge, from Deal, Kent, said: 'Two-week quarantine imminent travelling to/from France... holiday was timed well, and it means I'll get some peace and quiet on the ferry again.'

Travel experts said thousands of holidays could be at risk as France is 'highly likely' to be added to the quarantine list following a dramatic rise in coronavirus infections.

Tourists returning to the UK could soon be facing a 14 days in self-isolation amid speculation that France will be added to the Foreign Office's quarantine list.

The number of daily coronavirus cases in France has soared in recent days, with 1,695 new infections being recorded just yesterday, as it battles a second wave.

It is thought that if the decision goes ahead holidaymakers may be forced to cancel their trips in order to avoid the two-week quarantine on their return.

Paul Charles, the boss of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'Unless France takes further significant steps to reduce its case numbers, then it's highly likely to be added later next week as the increase must be causing worries in Westminster.

People wearing face masks walk along the beach in the French resort of Biarritz on Monday

Police officers tell people that wearing face masks is mandatory in Nice, France, on Monday

'There are several hundred thousand British tourists in France at the moment so the government must give plenty of warning if it does change its advice later next week.'

Speaking about the prospect of tourists to France being forced to quarantine, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said this morning: 'It's a tricky situation.

'What I can say to people is we are in the midst of a global pandemic, and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans. People need to bear that in mind.

'It is the right thing for us to do to keep everything under review on a constant basis to be talking with our scientists, our medical advisers.

'If we need to take action, as you have seen overnight, we will not hesitate to do that. But in the meantime people should just continue to look at the guidance and take everything into account.'

** Are you a British tourist concerned about an upcoming holiday to France? Please email us your story and picture to: mark.duell@mailonline.co.uk **
Technavio has been monitoring the parking management solutions market and it is poised to grow by 3.42 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 8% 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/20200807005199/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Parking Management Solutions Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire)

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Amano Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., Conduent Inc., Flowbird SAS, IPS Group Inc., Kapsch TrafficCom AG, Libelium Comunicaciones Distribuidas SL, Nedap NV, Siemens AG, and SKIDATA AG 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 growth in smart parking deployment projects has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the lack of integration among siloed parking technologies might hamper market growth.

Parking Management Solutions Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Parking Management Solutions Market is segmented as below:

Type Off-street Parking On-street Parking

Geography North America Europe APAC 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=IRTNTR43312

Parking Management Solutions 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 parking management solutions market report covers the following areas:

Parking Management Solutions Market size

Parking Management Solutions Market trends

Parking Management Solutions Market industry analysis

This study identifies the emergence of automatic valet parking as one of the prime reasons driving the parking management solutions market growth during the next few years.

Parking Management Solutions Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the parking management solutions market, including some of the vendors such as Amano Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., Conduent Inc., Flowbird SAS, IPS Group Inc., Kapsch TrafficCom AG, Libelium Comunicaciones Distribuidas SL, Nedap NV, Siemens AG, and SKIDATA AG. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Parking Management Solutions Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Parking Management Solutions Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist parking management solutions market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the parking management solutions market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the parking management solutions market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of parking management solutions market vendors

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Market characteristics

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook

Market size and forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Revenue management Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Security and surveillance Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Access control Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Reservation management Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Market Segmentation by Type

Market segments

Comparison by Type

Off-street parking Market size and forecast 2019-2024

On-street parking Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Type

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

Amano Corp.

Cisco Systems Inc.

Conduent Inc.

Flowbird SAS

IPS Group Inc.

Kapsch TrafficCom AG

Libelium Comunicaciones Distribuidas SL

Nedap NV

Siemens AG

SKIDATA AG

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200807005199/en/

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South Africa: Gauteng's COVID-19 daily infections decrease

While the daily COVID-19 infections have dropped from an average of 5 000 down to 1 700 in Gauteng, a long road still lies ahead, Premier David Makhura has warned.

It may have been the first wave of the peak. Were still working on the basis that we may still go through the toughest time of the storm, Makhura said on Friday.

Speaking during an update on COVID-19 in the province, Makhura said it was too early to declare that the province has passed the peak, even though active cases are down to 29% from 65%, while the recovery rate is at 70%.

As of Thursday, Gauteng had 187 631 confirmed cases and 2 388 deaths.

The high-density metros in the province are still proving to be problematic, as the virus continues to spread.

Johannesburg is now Gautengs epicentre, followed by Ekurhuleni with the second-highest case load, and Tshwane being the third hardest-hit.

According to Makhura, the province is concerned about Soweto, which has the bulk of new infections. Intense focus will be directed there to curb the spread of the virus.

These include law enforcement at funerals, and ensuring there are no parties and public gatherings. Also, communities will be mobilised in those areas to come to the party on social measures, said the Premier.

Makhura said Sedibeng and West Rand each have 12 000 active cases.

We know that in the West Rand, it was the mining areas that drove the infection and in Sedibeng, it was the key townships that drove the increase in infections.

The hardest-hit areas in Soweto include Dobsonville, Doornkop and Protea Glen.

Johannesburgs Inner City, Mayfair, Alexandra and the Wynberg/Sandton area are still not out of the woods yet.

Tshwanes CBD, Pretoria North, Atteridgeville and Laudium are also considered hotspots.

In every region, we have one or two areas with the highest number of cases, the Premier said.

COVID-19 deaths

In Gauteng, 55% of those who succumbed to the disease are male, 45% female and 65% are above the age of 50 (between 50 and 79).

Those at greatest risk are people above the age of 50, Makhura said.

The Premier said 11% of those who died from COVID-19 are between the ages of 40 and 49, and 5.4% are between 33 and 39.

We have seen a lot of young people who have tested positive, especially women between June and July.

Hospitals admissions have also dropped from 7 000 to 4 688 in June and July, while 316 Coronavirus patients are on ventilators.

Meanwhile, tests conducted in the province have also reached the one million mark.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Different states have different policies on whether to move aged-care residents with COVID-19 to hospital. Credit: Shutterstock

COVID-19 is continuing to devastate Victorian aged-care homes, with 1,435 active cases now linked to the sector, and at least 130 residents having died.

The question of whether to automatically move residents with COVID-19 out of aged-care homes and into hospital has divided public and expert opinion.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to consider.

Different states have different policies

South Australia pledges to send any resident who tests positive for COVID-19 to hospital.

In New South Wales, a resident who tests positive is to be immediately assessed by the facility management, public health and local hospital services to plan the initial responsewhether that's a transfer to hospital or remaining at the home.

Victorian policy is similar. The public health officer responding to an outbreak notification will assess the patient and assist with this decision.

As of the beginning of this week, more than 300 Victorian aged-care residents with COVID-19 had been transferred to hospital. But that leaves a similar number remaining at home.

Certainly no other state is facing the pressure Victoria is to get this response right.

What can hospitals offer that aged-care homes can't?

Specialist treatment

COVID-19 is a serious infection with very high death rates among frail older people.

While aged-care homes can provide a degree of nursing and medical care, hospitals are best positioned to provide specialist treatment and the sophisticated interventions many patients will need.

Better infection control measures

Arguably the key reason to move an infected resident to hospital is to stop COVID-19 spreading to other residents and staff. Aged-care settings are not conducive to infection control in the same way hospitals are.

First, they're not designed like hospitals. As well as not having the same clinical features, many aged-care facilities follow a "boutique" design with common areas for gatherings and events. Residents and staff can easily congregate in these spaces.

The best efforts to isolate a resident with COVID-19 in aged care could easily be compromised. For example, it's common for residents with dementia to wander in the corridors. Being contained may exacerbate these sort of behaviors among confused and anxious residents.

More highly trained nurses

Staff shortages in aged care were well documented even before the pandemic. A further depleted workforce during COVID-19due to staff off work and restrictions on working across multiple facilitieslikely means they're stretched even thinner. Staff may not always have the capacity to supervise isolated residents or follow infection control procedures.

The much higher ratio of highly trained nursing staff in hospitals should ensure better adherence to the guidelines around proper use of personal protective equipment.

For example, registered nurses in aged-care facilities don't usually provide direct care to residents. Instead they supervise care provided by unregulated staff often with limited infection control training.

What are the disadvantages of hospital transfers?

Older people benefit from carers who know them

The care people receive in aged-care homes relies significantly on staff knowing the residents' personal and clinical profiles. Aged-care facilities promote person centered care models, which value residents' rights while striving to create a home-like environment.

Familiar faces who understand residents' personal preferences may be particularly valuable during a time when residents aren't able to see their loved ones.

Introducing a completely new environment during an illness, particularly for residents with dementia, may do more harm than good.

Limited knowledge about the resident could lead to unmet needs while in hospital, which could trigger behaviors that are difficult to manage.

For older adults with dementia, the likelihood of incidents like falls and infections increases when they're admitted to hospital.

The hospital perspective

Importantly, hospitals may not be able to cope with such a large influx of aged-care residents at one time. The rising numbers of COVID-19 cases from the general population, including older adults living in the community, have already put the health system under a lot of stress.

So there's an argument that if COVID-19 cases can be managed within the aged-care home, they should be, to avert pressure from the hospital system.

Worryingly though, we've seen reports of the health department denying requests for aged-care residents with COVID-19 to be transferred to hospital.

Respecting autonomy and the right for care

On balance, as much as possible, it's probably be better to transfer residents to hospital as soon as they test positive to COVID-19. This offers the best chance of preventing widespread infection among other residents and staff, and disease spread from the home into the community.

But we must also respect residents' autonomy. They might have requested not to be transferred to hospital, even if their illness is life-threatening, by way of an advanced care directive. This might still be their wish, or the preference of their relatives and decision-makers.

Conversely, residents or their surrogate decision-makers might request hospital care, even when care is possible within the home. Again, we argue this is their right.

We should also allow people to change their minds, as these decisions may have been agreed upon before the pandemic.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Midland Area Community Foundations #ReliefMidland Flood Relief Fund has been open for over two months and has amassed over $1.7 million in contributions, of which $322,485 has been dispersed so far for community assistance, cleanup, debris management and long-term recovery, including $105,062 that has been specifically designated for recovery work in the Greater Sanford Area.

A majority of our fund disbursement thus far has been allotted to long-term flood recovery, said Alysia Christy, director of community impact at the Midland Area Community Foundation and co-chair of the Long-Term Recovery Financial Support Committee. We want to be very intentional on how we steward the funds that have been raised into the community, investing in a long-term recovery plan that avoids duplication, maximizes resources, and provides equitable access for all.

The Long-Term Recovery Group is operating in a systematic manner to lay the bedrock for recovery in Midland County. Members of MACF staff are serving on various subcommittees of the Long-Term Recovery Group alongside members from other community organizations, faith-based groups, corporations, and volunteers. Long-Term Recovery subcommittees include Financial Support, Volunteer Coordination, Housing Support, Rebuild and Construction, Public Relations, and Case Management. All subgroups hold specific responsibilities, collaborating to serve the singular goal of long-term recovery.

There are currently three flood case managers directly serving Midland County. MACFs funds have been used to put strategic infrastructure in place to help with flood recovery including the funding of two case managers, a construction manager, and a case manager at Home to Stay to help with immediate housing needs, as well as clean-up efforts.

The Midland Area Community Foundations slogan is For Good. For Ever. For All, said Sharon Mortensen, president and CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation and member of the Long-Term Recovery Group Steering Committee. By committing the generous contributions of donors to long-term recovery, MACF is helping to care for the people of Midland County through our pledge to make philanthropic giving as effective as possible.

MACF has been humbled by the support locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. The communitys youngest fundraisers include 9-year-old Memphis, from Sanford, who started his own pop can drive, permitting him to open the Mustang Strong Fund, benefiting families of Meridian Public Schools, and 6-year-old Ellie, from Midland, who opened her own lemonade stand.

We understand that long-term-recovery cant take place without an organized approach paired with contributions from the community. Everyone plays a role to assist survivors of this unforeseen disaster, stated Christy. We want Midland County to continue to be an exceptional place where everyone thrives. That cannot happen without a collaborative, all-hands-on-deck style approach.

MACF, in conjunction with the Long-Term Recovery Group, is currently in the process of developing an open Zoom call to provide consistent updates to community members about the process of long-term flood recovery. More details will follow with information about how these calls will take shape. Continue to follow ReliefMidland.org and MACF on Facebook for more information.

Midland Area Community Foundation is accepting donations to the #ReliefMidland Flood Relief Fund at MidlandFoundation.org. For more information about MACFs involvement with the Long-Term Recovery Group, call MACF at 989-839-9661.

 Processed by Lori Qualls, lqualls@mdn.net
DENVER, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink Inc . (NYSE: CTL) announced that Level 3 Financing Inc., its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary ("Level 3 Financing"), has agreed to sell $840 million aggregate principal amount of its unsecured 3.625% Senior Notes due 2029 (the "2029 Notes") pursuant to the private offering announced earlier today.

The 2029 Notes were priced to investors at par and will mature on Jan. 15, 2029. Upon issuance, Level 3 Financing's obligations under the 2029 Notes will be guaranteed on an unsecured basis by Level 3 Parent LLC, the direct parent of Level 3 Financing.

Level 3 Financing intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with cash on hand, for general corporate purposes, including, without limitation, to redeem all $140 million aggregate principal amount of Level 3 Financing's outstanding 5.625% Senior Notes due 2023 and all $700 million aggregate principal amount of Level 3 Financing's outstanding 5.125% Senior Notes due 2023. The offering is expected to be completed on Aug. 12, 2020, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions.

The 2029 Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws in the United States and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from the applicable registration requirements. Accordingly, the 2029 Notes are being offered and sold only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act and to non-U.S. persons outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S promulgated under the Securities Act. The 2029 Notes will not have registration rights.

In a separate transaction, CenturyLink's indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary, Qwest Corporation, completed its previously-announced redemption of the remaining $300 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 6.875% Notes due 2054 (the "Qwest Notes"). Additional information regarding the redemption of the Qwest Notes is available from Bank of New York Mellon.

This press release will not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, the 2029 Notes, nor will there be any sale of the 2029 Notes in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption with respect to any of Level 3 Financing's outstanding senior notes.

About CenturyLink

CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) is a technology leader delivering hybrid networking, cloud connectivity, and security solutions to customers around the world. Through its extensive global fiber network, CenturyLink provides secure and reliable services to meet the growing digital demands of businesses and consumers. CenturyLink strives to be the trusted connection to the networked world and is focused on delivering technology that enhances the customer experience.

Learn more at http://news.centurylink.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

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From Popular Mechanics

The SS Richard Montgomery was carrying ammunition when it ran aground and sank in 1944.

The ship still carries more than 1,000 tons of munitions, which could go off and shatter windows for miles.

The explosive cargo is considered so delicate that even mounting a minor operation to make the ship safer could cause her to explode.

An American cargo ship that accidentally sank off the coast of London during World War II could cause a major explosion rivaling that of the devastating blast in Beirut earlier this week.

In August 1944, the SS Richard Montgomery, a ship ferrying supplies back and forth to Europe after the D-Day invasion, sank at the mouth of the Thames River on the sea approach to London. Authorities are prepared to cut the ships mast to make the ship safer, but even that might cause the ship to explodewith devastating consequences.

 Dive deeper. Read best-in-class military features and get exclusive access to Pop Mech , starting now.

The Richard Montgomery was one of 2,711 so-called Liberty Ships constructed in American shipyards during World War II. Simple to build and capable of carrying more than 10,000 tons of cargo, Liberty Ships became the backbone of the supply war against the Axis powers during World War II, supplying Soviet, British, and American forces around the world.

Photo credit: Bettmann - Getty Images

Before she sank, the Richard Montgomery was awaiting a convoy heading to France and had taken up position at the mouth of the Thames River. She was loaded with 6,000 tons of supplies and munitions waiting for the U.S. Army in France when she suddenly ran aground. Stevedores managed to get 4,500 tons of equipment off the ship before she snapped in two and sank, but another 1,500 tons remained.

The Next Steps

 Find out what caused the intense explosion in Beirut this week.

 Learn how dynamite shaped our modern world.

 Discover more military must-reads.

The ship has sat virtually untouched for the last 76 years. Although it's considered stable, authorities warn that attempts to interfere with it could cause it to explode. The remaining 1,500 tons of munitions could cause an explosion even bigger than the one in Beirut.

Story continues

While the Richard Montgomery is more than a mile from shore, Forbes warns an explosion would cause a mini-tsunami between 4 and 16 feet high, shatter windows for miles, and have a devastating effect on passing ships.

Authorities in the past have said the wreck is relatively stable , but a recent survey points to a new danger. They now believe the ships mast, sticking out from above the water line, is straining the wreck and could cause it to explode . Plus, attempts to shorten the mast to relieve some of the strain could cause the ship to explode.

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By Christopher Bing and Marisa Taylor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinese government-linked hackers targeted biotech company Moderna Inc <MRNA.O>, 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 <GILD.O> and Novavax Inc <NVAX.O>.

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)
Dublin, Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Cell & Gene Therapy Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included



The study considers the present scenario of the cell and gene therapy market and its market dynamics for the period 2019-2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market.



Key Questions Answered



1. What is the cell and gene therapy market size and growth rate during the forecast period?

2. What are the factors impacting the growth of the cell and gene therapy market share?

3. How is the growth of the healthcare segment affecting the growth of the cell and gene therapy market?

4. Who are the leading vendors in the cell and gene therapy market, and what are their market shares?

5. Which product type/ end-user type/region is generating the largest revenue in the Asia-Pacific region?



The global cell and gene therapy market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 30.9% during the period 2019-2025



The global cell and gene therapy market is one of the fastest-growing segments in the regenerative medicine market. The market is expected to grow at a faster pace during the forecast period. The demand can be attributed to the growing prevalence of several chronic diseases such as cancer, cartilage related problems, wounds, diabetic foot ulcer, genetic disorders, and other rare diseases across the globe.



The prevalence of cancer and diabetes is increasing in the global population, which is influencing the growth of the market. There is a large unmet need in the treatment available, which is filled by cell and gene therapies. The market is growing due to the increased availability of funding from various public and private institutions. Besides, there is increased support from regulatory bodies for product approval. Several governments are creating awareness of cell and gene therapies in the population.



Cell and Gene Therapy Market Segmentation



The global cell and gene therapy market research report includes a detailed segmentation by product, disease, end-user, and geography.



In 2019, the cell therapy segment accounted for a market share of over 53% in the global cell and gene therapy market. The segment is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period due to the increase in the target population and the rise in the number of countries preferring cell therapies in their patients. Increased therapeutic benefits are attracting several countries to invest in this technology and conduct a high number of clinical trials. However, the lack of advanced infrastructure in developing countries is hindering the growth of the segment.



In 2019, the oncology segment accounted for a share of over 40% in the global cell and gene therapy market. Oncology has been one of the targets of intense research for the gene therapy procedures & approach. More than 60% of on-going gene therapy clinical trials are targeting cancer. The segment is expected to grow at a promising rate on account of the high prevalence of cancer diseases, especially in low and middle-come countries. The market is growing at a double-digit CAGR, which is expected to help the segment as many cell and gene therapy for cancer are commercially available.



The dermatology application segment in the cell and gene therapy includes wound care management among patients. Vendors are focusing on the development and commercialization of advanced wound care products for the treatment of chronic and acute wounds, thereby increasing the growth of the wound care market. The increased pervasiveness of diabetics is increasing acute and chronic wounds, including surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and other wounds.



In 2019, the oncology segment accounted for a share of over 40% in the global cell and gene therapy market. Oncology has been one of the targets of intense research for the gene therapy procedures & approach. More than 60% of on-going gene therapy clinical trials are targeting cancer. The segment is expected to grow at a promising rate on account of the high prevalence of cancer diseases, especially in low and middle-come countries. The market is growing at a double-digit CAGR, which is expected to help the segment as many cell and gene therapy for cancer are commercially available.



The dermatology application segment in the cell and gene therapy includes wound care management among patients. Vendors are focusing on the development and commercialization of advanced wound care products for the treatment of chronic and acute wounds, thereby increasing the growth of the wound care market. The increased pervasiveness of diabetics is increasing acute and chronic wounds, including surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, and other wounds.



Segmentation by Product

Cell Therapy

Gene Therapy

Segmentation by Disease

Dermatology

Musculoskeletal

Oncology

Genetic Disorders

Others

Segmentation by End-user

Hospitality

Cancer Care Centers

Wound Care Centers

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Others

Insights by Geography



In 2019, North America accounted for a share of over 60% of the global cell and gene therapy market. There are more than 530 regenerative medicine companies, including cell and gene therapy manufacturing developers. The number of products approved in North America grew significantly in 2019, with developers filed for marketing authorization for 10+ regenerative medicines, many of which we expect to be approved in 2020. Within the next 1-2 years, the number of approved gene therapies is expected to double.



The US and Canada are the major contributors to the cell and gene therapy market in North America. Regulatory bodies are supporting several investigational products, fast track approvals, RMAT designation for the faster approval of the product into the market. The alliance for regenerative medicine and Medicare and Medicaid is working together to bring the structured reimbursement channels for cell and gene therapies.



Segmentation by Geography

North America

Europe

APAC

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

Insights by Vendors



The global cell and gene therapy market is highly dynamic and characterized by the presence of several global, regional, and local vendors offering a wide range of therapies. Dendreon, Gilead Sciences, Novartis, Organogenesis, Osiris Therapeutics, Vericel, Amgen, and Spark Therapeutics are the leading players in the market with significant shares.



Vendors such as NuVasive, APAC Biotech, Nipro, Orthocell, bluebird bio, J-TEC, and Terumo are the other prominent players in the market with a presence, especially in the cell therapy market. Most leading players are focusing on implementing strategies such as product launches and approvals, marketing and promotional activities, acquisitions, increased R&D investments, and strengthening their distribution networks to enhance their share and presence in the market.



Prominent Vendors

Gilead Sciences

Spark Therapeutics

Novartis

Organogenesis

Amgen

Osiris Therapeutics

Dendreon

Vericel

Other Prominent Vendors

Anterogen

Tego Sciences

Japan Tissue Engineering

JCR Pharmaceuticals

Medipost

MolMed

AVITA Medical

CollPlant

Biosolution

Stempeutics Research

Kolon Tissue Gene

Orchard Therapeutics

Sibiono GeneTech

NuVasive

Corestem

Pharmicell

Shanghai Sunway Biotech

RMS Regenerative Medical System

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company

CHIESI Farmaceutici

CO.DON

AnGes

GC Pharma

Human Stem Cells Institute

JW CreaGene

APAC Biotech

Nipro

Terumo

Orthocell

bluebird bio

Market Dynamics



Opportunities & Trends



Increase in Strategic Acquisitions

Robust Cell & Gene Therapy Pipeline

Increased Funding for Cell & Gene Therapy Products

Expanding Applications for Cell & Gene Therapies

Growth Enablers

Increasing Pool of Target Patients

Product Launches & Approvals

Regulatory Support & Special Designation for Cell & Gene Therapy Products

Growing Demand for Car T-Cell Therapies

Growth Restraints

High Cost of Cell and Gene Therapy

Limitations of Gene Therapy Products

Availability of Alternative Treatments & Withdrawal of Products

Manufacturing & Operational Challenges with Cell & Gene Therapy Products

Low Product Penetration in LMICS

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1tjzij

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Night Curfew in Maharashtra: Check guidelines, rules; what is allowed, what is not allowed

14-day home isolation for all domestic passengers arriving in Mumbai compulsory

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Aug 07: Passengers arriving in Mumbai will have to undergo a compulsory 14-day quarantine in light of the coronavirus epidemic that has gripped the city.

"Some instances have come to the notice that some government officials after landing in Mumbai show their government ID card and secure exemption. For exemption, it has to be made in writing to amc.project@mcgm.gov.in at least two working days before landing stating full details of the work and also justifying their request for home quarantine exemption," the order read.

The state government appointed the additional municipal commissioners in the state as the nodal officers for the purpose of enforcing the SOP norms and said every arriving air passenger will be required to declare after arrival that he/she has not been affected by Covid-19, neither shown any symptoms of Covid-19 nor resided in any containment zone.

Singapore to make incoming travellers wear tracking device to enforce quarantine

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

Maharashtra's total number of COVID-19 cases now stands at 1,46,268 positive cases, including 3,05,521 recoveries and 16,476 deaths.

According to the BMC, the COVID-19 recovery rate in Mumbai is 77 per cent. The average growth rate of COVID-19 cases in Mumbai has decreased to 0.87 per cent, while the doubling rate of COVID-19 cases improved to 80 days.
As Katy ISD gears up for a school year unlike any other, parents across the district want to know what they can expect when the academic year kicks off online in August- and what returning to classrooms will mean in September.

To address the concerns and anxieties, Fort Bend County Judge KP George hosted a rapid fire online town hall meeting with Katy ISD superintendent Ken Gregorski. For the interview, which was streamed live on Facebook, George broached many of the questions that parents are asking.

Gregorski stated that when the schools open in September, the classrooms will only be about half as full as they usually are because more than 40,000 families have chosen to attend school via the Katy Virtual Academy, the online learning program available through the district.

MORE KATY ISD NEWS: Katy ISD Teachers of the Year honored in Katy Area Chamber of Commerce event

Students may attend KVA for one grading period or through the entire year, Gregorski said. While Gregorski said he is unable to anticipate exactly how many children will return to the classrooms in September, the popularity of KVA indicates the classes will be smaller.

People always ask that question, Well, how many are going to be in a class? I don't know that until the kids show up, Gregorski said. Just knowing that half the families are doing KVA, that tells you right there that on average, our classes will be half full.

Gregorski said there are protocols in place that the district has been developing all summer that will help mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19. Children and staff will wear masks, and the schools have implemented new cleaning and sanitizing procedures.

If a student does become sick, Gregorski said, the district has an emergency management plan in place to trace the infection and quarantine individuals as needed.

None of the protocols are intended to reduce the risk of infection to zero, Gregorski noted. Rather, they are in place to mitigate the spread. COVID will come in, but it's, How do we deal with it once its here? We've got a whole protocol in place to isolate the situation, isolate the person and get that person the medical attention they need, he said.

For transportation, buses will be sterilized between drop-offs at each school. So once a bus drops off high school students, it will be sterilized before it turns around for its next route, for example.

Gregorski stated that recess will still take place, and it will be outside. Playground equipment, however, will not be used, and classes will stay separated from each other.

Sports, dance, fine arts and other extracurriculars will still take place this year with new safety protocols in place.

According to Gregorski, the district has also received personal protective equipment as part of the CARES Act. They've given us enough face shields that every employee on a campus can have a face shield, Gregorski said. Weve got thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer, disposable masks, gowns and gloves. Anything we need in our classrooms is provided.

CAMPUS CHRONICLES: 'This is dangerous': Faculty at Houston-area colleges worried by return to campus

As a final thought, Gregorski urged parents to prepare their children for what is to come in the new school year. He asked parents to explain the situation to their children and make sure they know that wearing a mask and regular hand washing will be required.

I really want to ask families to make sure those kids that are returning for in-person instruction to please do what we ask them to do. Nobody's got time to fool around with the kid at school who doesn't want to follow the rules- who doesn't want to do the social distancing, who doesn't want to wear a mask, he said. Those are things they just have to come to expect at this point.

While Gregorski specified that there are no guarantees on how the reopening will unfold, he emphasized that the district is doing everything it can to make reopening safe and successful.

I can guarantee we're working as hard as we can, putting anything in place that's practical - anything we can do. If anyone has a better idea or solution, we're ready to listen to it. But we've got some of the best experts in this district talking to experts outside to bring those ideas here.

claire.goodman@chron.com
The uncertain future facing the popular Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok and its potential sale to a US-based company could alleviate national security concerns about access to American user data, according to a tech expert.

Mike Horning, an associate professor of multimedia journalism in the Virginia Tech School of Communication, said the growth of TikTok has raised concerns among security experts because it uses a powerful algorithm that customises content to users based on a number of user characteristics.

His remarks came days after technology giant Microsoft said it will continue talks to purchase TikToks American business following a conversation between its India-born CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald Trump.

The statement from the Redmond-headquartered Microsoft came after Trump said that he could use the emergency economic powers or an executive order to ban TikTok in the US over national security issues.

The app has gained attention because it uses a powerful algorithm that customises content to users based on a number of user characteristics. This algorithm collects such sophisticated data about users that the data is attractive to both corporations and governments,Horning said.

However, the company has not been very transparent about who it sells your data to. Analyses of their data capturing methods have shown that personal data could be shared with hundreds of other companies, he said.

Also read: Donald Trump says TikTok must sell US operations by September 15 or close

Horning said that because the app is located in China, its data sharing practices are susceptible to Chinese law which requires that data be made available to Chinese officials, raising security concerns.

The sale of the app to an American-based company could alleviate concerns that American data is being shared with foreign powers that are not always working in our mutual interests. An acquisition by Microsoft would provide another asset to the company which has been making investments in some social networks such as LinkedIn. It would also have the potential for lawmakers to provide certain restrictions on data sharing and collection practices in the future, said Horning, director of social informatics research in the Center for Human Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech.

His research examines how communication technologies impact social attitudes and behaviours, with a current focus on the impact of fake news and misinformation in democratic processes.

Also read: What US ban on Chinese app TikTok would mean

India has banned as many as 106 Chinese apps, including TikTok, a move welcomed by both the Trump administration and the US lawmakers.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin recently said TikTok cannot stay in the current format in the US as it risks sending back information on 100 million Americans.

In recent weeks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused TikTok of collecting personal information of Americans.

TikTok has previously stressed that its US user data is already stored on US-based servers and backed up in Singapore, and is therefore not subject to Chinese law as some US officials have feared.
Documentary Final Rendezvous next week on ABC looks back on a female double agent at the centre of Australias greatest spy mystery.

British-born, divorcee Kay Marshall had no ambition to become a spy, but in the early 1960s she found herself centre-stage of one of the most important and intriguing Australian espionage cases of the Cold War. For two years, Australias intelligence agency, ASIO, filmed covert meetings in Sydney between Kay and Ivan Skripov, a high-ranking KGB officer. Unknown to Skripov, Kay was a double agent working for ASIO, codenamed Sylvia.

The case reached a climax in late December 1962 when Skripov dispatched Sylvia to Adelaide, where she was to rendezvous with an unknown KGB operative and deliver a package containing a sophisticated, miniature message sender that could communicate with Moscow undetected.

By the time Sylvia arrived at the rendezvous point, ASIO had it staked out with surveillance officers, undercover Commonwealth Police and a photographic team. ASIOs aim was to detain the mystery man, interrogate him and crack the spy ring. But the KGBs man failed to appear. The collapse of the case haunted ASIO for the rest of the Cold War. Were there too many surveillance men on the ground? Was there a mole inside ASIO? And who was the mystery KGB operative?

Six decades on, investigative filmmaker Peter Butt accessed dozens of reels of ASIOs surveillance footage taken during the Skripov case. The footage revealed a remarkable story from beginning to end of a brave female agent at the front line of the Cold War. But in one of the reels taken at Adelaide, Peter noticed something odd playing out within metres of the rendezvous point  something that ASIO had clearly failed to investigate

Production details: A Blackwattle Films Production. Filmmaker: Peter Butt.

Tuesday 11 August 9.30pm on ABC.
RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) has termed the decision of the central government to restrict the use of a broad spectrum weed killer glyphosate as ill-conceived, and has called for a complete ban on its use in India.

In a response to the draft notification issued by the Agriculture Ministry to limit the use of glyphosate, SJM alleged that the proposed measure of allowing use of glyphosate through Pest Control Operators (PCO) is meaningless as it will be impossible to implement and control illegal practices by which glyphosate is presently being used.

"The proposal shall result in increased damage to consumer health, farmer interests, farm workers' livelihoods and ecology. At present, in US alone, there are more than 1,25,000 law suits against the company producing herbicides with glyphosate as major ingredients, for having caused rampant spread of cancer," the letter said.

"The order does not restrict sale but only usage to be done by PCOs. Once a sale takes place, there will be no means of controlling usage by lakhs of farmers who may or may not use a PCO," the letter said. The swadeshi group also alleges that inspite of existing restriction on use of glyphosate other than for tea plantations and "non crop areas", it is blatantly being used for illegally grown Herbicide Tolerant (HT) cotton and HT soya. "This has been going on for years with the full knowledge of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, under the Ministry of Forests and Environment; and State Governments, but it continues unabated and with open defiance of the law," states Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convenor, SJM.

SJM points out while Kerala, a major tea growing state, has asked for a ban on glyphosate, West Bengal, another major tea growing state, has restricted glyphosate use to only six tea-growing districts. They also say that several other states have been actively restricting use of glyphosate due to their concerns for consumers, farmers and environment.

The organisation had carried out an online campaign - with around 2 lakh signatories - to totally ban the use of glyphosate since 2019. The government order restricting its use was meant to address their concerns.

Lakhs of farmers who may or may not use a PCO", the letter said. The swadeshi group also alleges that inspite of existing restriction on use of glyphosate other than for tea plantations and "non crop areas", it is blatantly being used for illegally grown Herbicide Tolerant (HT) cotton and HT soya. "This has been going on for years with the full knowledge of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, under the Ministry of Forests and Environment; and State Governments, but it continues unabated and with open defiance of the law", states Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convenor, SJM.

SJM points out while Kerala, a major tea growing state, has asked for a ban on glyphosate, West Bengal, another major tea growing state, has restricted glyphosate use to only six tea-growing districts. They also say that several other states have been actively restricting use of glyphosate due to their concerns for consumers, farmers and environment.

The organisation had carried out an online campaign - with around 2 lakh signatories - to totally ban the use of glyphosate since 2019. The government order restricting its use was meant to address their concerns.

Also read: PM Modi speech: Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls education reforms a "gamechanger"
Officers had seen the man, a gun in hand, running out of a business near 83rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in the Chatham neighborhood about 2:20 a.m., according to police. The man ran west on 83rd, turned around and began firing at an approaching police car.
When Tara Harper told Fritz Rahr, a man that she had been dating for just a few months, that she was going on an eight-hour road trip to rescue a neglected German shepherd, she never expected that he would volunteer to join her. She assumed he was trying to score brownie points, but he stole her heart and secured his spot as the one, once they returned from the trip and he gave the dog a bath. I knew he was kind. I knew in that moment that I was going to spend the rest of my life with this man, said Ms. Harper, who married Mr. Rahr July 11 at their home in Fort Worth, Texas.

And, while many of us grew up hearing our parents say dont talk to strangers, studies have shown that there are many benefits to casual connections with people we meet while grocery shopping or grabbing a coffee, including enhancing and enriching our lives. So, dont let your mask keep you from chatting with someone you dont know.
Harry has said social media stokes a crisis of hate. (WireImage)

Prince Harry has said the real cost of social media is high, as he blames online networks for creating a crisis of hate, a crisis of health, and a crisis of truth.

The Duke of Sussex referred to the digital landscape as unwell and said it was stoking and creating conditions for the threefold crisis.

Writing in Fast Company, Harry confirmed the personal role he and his wife Meghan have been taking in the Stop Hate for Profit campaign, which urged companies to withhold their advertising spend on Facebook in July, to encourage them to change their policies.

He said: Many of us love and enjoy social media. Its a seemingly free resource for connecting, sharing, and organising.

But its not actually free; the cost is high.

Every time you click they learn more about you. Our information, private data, and unknown habits are traded on for advertising space and dollars. The price were all paying is much higher than it appears.

Whereas normally were the consumer buying a product, in this ever-changing digital world, we are the product.

Read more: Meghan Markle wins High Court battle as she stops five of her friends being named

Harry and Meghan have spoken about social media before. (Reuters)

Harry said he and Meghan called business leaders, heads of major corporations, and chief marketing officers of companies to ask them to drop their advertising at Facebook in July, because they felt it necessary to say our part about the rise of an unchecked and divisive attention economy.

The princes message in Fast Company came shortly after it was confirmed that Meghan will take part in a virtual summit held by The 19th*, a new news agency, which she said she felt drawn to because of its commitment to stories by underserved women in America.

It also comes after it emerged he had a secret Instagram account, with the handle @SpikeyMau5, which he used to follow Meghan in the early days of their relationship.

In the Fast Company article, Harry went on to say companies who purchase advertising on social media have to recognise that our digital world has an impact on the physical world.

Story continues

He called for a remodelling of the online community so it is defined more by compassion than hate and said redesigning online platforms would benefit the whole world.

Read more: How Prince William and Kate's social media and public presence has changed since lockdown

He also confirmed reports that he and Meghan travelled to Stanford University earlier this year, where they met with academics and professors while they were planning for Sussex Royal.

After the deal with the Queen was worked out, they agreed not to use the word royal in any jurisdiction. Earlier this year it was confirmed they will call their future non-profit Archewell.

The duke spoke out about social media last Spring, calling it more addictive than drugs or alcohol.

When his relationship with Meghan was revealed in 2016, he also released a statement criticising the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments directed at her.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Six months into the coronavirus pandemic, the government has finally launched a project to develop a National COVID-19 Clinical Registry to collect standardised data regarding clinical and laboratory features, treatments, and outcomes of hospitalized infected patients in India.

On Thursday, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) urged dedicated Covid hospitals and health centres across the country to join the project and declared the name of 15 hospitals that will act as mentor institutions for their assigned states.

The New Indian Express had reported on July 11 that a direction by the National COVID Task Force to the ICMR to study the clinical features of coronavirus patients in the Indian context and their diagnostic and prognostic value in different age and gender groups was yet to be followed.

There is a pressing need for collection of systematic data on clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory investigations, management protocols, clinical course of COVID-19 disease, disease spectrum and outcomes of patients, said the ICMR on Thursday.

Such data will serve as an invaluable tool for formulating appropriate patient management strategies, predicting disease severity, patient outcomes etc.

The NCRCa joint project by the ICMR, Union Health Ministry and AIIMS, Delhi will aim at collecting good quality real time clinical data to inform evidence-based clinical practice, research, formulating guidelines and policy making.

The exercise will also aim to study the frequency, clinical and laboratory features, treatments, and outcomes of COVID-19 related multisystem inflammatory disorder in children and adolescents by analyzing the national registry and to utilize data to answer research questions on the infectious disease.

Commenting on the development, some experts meanwhile stressed that it would be important to use standards for clinical terminology mapping such as SNOMED CT so that Indian clinical data can also contribute meta-analysis at a global level.

SNOMED CT is a standard clinical terminology mapping tool, explained public health researcher Dr Oommen John.

For example, when one hospital calls something angina another one throbbing chest pain, it is all mapped as pain related to cardiac cause. This tool provides a standardized way to represent clinical phrases captured by the clinician and enables automatic interpretation of these details.

Meanwhile, the government said that the project will also look at issues such as the natural course of disease, disease spectrum, prognostic and risk factors, and outcome data such as medications and health systems.

It also said that the registry will serve as a platform for additional clinical research studies in selected sites and will help collect follow-up data of discharged COVID-19 patients, if possible.
(CNN)  At least 16 employees of Beirut's port have been detained in an investigation into Tuesday's devastating explosion in the seaside capital, according to Lebanese National News [NNA] agency.

The detentions come after Lebanese President Michel Aoun promised a transparent investigation into the causes of the explosion, vowing Wednesday that those responsible would be held accountable and face "severe punishment."

There is a growing body of evidence, including emails and public court documents, that government officials knew about a shipment of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate -- once described as a "floating bomb" -- that had been confiscated by Lebanese authorities and was being stored in a warehouse at the port for the past six years, but failed to act.

Eighteen people have been questioned, including port and customs officials, and "those who carried out these works" where the ammonium nitrate was being stored, the government's Deputy Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Fady Akiki, said Thursday in a statement to NNA. Maintenance was conducted on the warehouse just hours before the blast.

Akiki added that investigations are ongoing "to include all other suspects, in order to clarify all facts related to this disaster," and that 16 individuals have been detained pending investigation.

The revelation that the blast could be attributed to government negligence has reignited long-held frustration at Lebanon's political class, which sunk the country deep into debt, and at endemic corruption that lined the pockets of the wealthy elite at the expense of basic public services and infrastructure.

The country was already seeing rising unemployment, soaring prices and a currency in free fall -- for many, the explosion is further proof of government ineptitude and corruption.

Macron visits Beirut

Shock at the devastation in the city gave way to anger on Thursday, with crowds shouting "revolution, revolution!" during French President Emmanuel Macron's tour of the city.

"The people want the fall of the regime," the protesters shouted, echoing calls for the downfall of Lebanon's long-time political elite that were popularized during a nationwide uprising late last year. "Michel Aoun is a terrorist! Help us," one man pleaded, referring to the Lebanese president. One woman screamed inaudible words inches away from Macron's face. "They are terrorists," came the repeated cries.

Most people were masked, including the French president, who removed his face covering to speak to the press. There was no social distancing.

Macron told a crowd that he would propose a "new political pact" to Lebanon's embattled political class during his visit to a predominantly Christian quarter of the city.

And an Elysee Palace spokesperson told CNN that Macron said to Lebanese protesters: "I am here and it's my duty to help you, as a whole population, to bring medication and food.

"This aid, I guarantee it, won't end up in corrupt hands. I will speak to all political forces to ask for a new pact," Macron said, adding: "I am here today to propose a new political pact. If they [the political forces] are not able to keep this pact, I will take my responsibilities."

This was one of the first major displays of public disgruntlement after an explosion ripped through the city, damaging many of its buildings, and leaving neighborhoods in tatters.

Macron took aim at Lebanon's political class while speaking to reporters at Residence des Pins, the French Ambassador's house in Beirut, later on Thursday.

He said France was organizing an "international conference" to help raise support for the country. Any funds raised would be handled with "full transparency," and "directly provided to the local population, the NGOs and teams on site that need it," he said.

There will be no "blank checks" given "to a system that does not have the trust of its own people," he said, adding that he spoke honestly with Lebanese leaders, who needed to provide "answers to freedom, reform, anti corruption.

"I believe they are able to bring such reform."

Massive clean-up effort

Tuesday's explosion destroyed much of the Lebanese capital's main coastal port, leaving at least 137 people dead, 5,000 injured, and hundreds of thousands homeless. The area in the immediate vicinity of the blast resembled a smoking wasteland with a 400-foot-wide crater, and the empty shells of apartment buildings scarring the city skyline.

On Thursday, groups of young volunteers carrying brooms and shovels filled the streets of some of the worst affected areas to clear the rubble. Some arrived from faraway Lebanese towns.

In downtown Beirut, an army of volunteers launched into a massive clean-up effort Thursday, with people coming from all over city to help sweep streets, pulling debris off cars, or handing out food and water, as residents picked through the rubble of their homes and businesses, trying to salvage what they could.

Lebanon's Economy Minister Raoul Nehme said that every apartment and business in the city has been impacted in some way by the blast, and state-run media said 90% of the hotels in the Lebanese capital had been damaged.

The number of deaths is expected to climb amid ongoing search and rescue efforts. Many people were still missing two days after the blast, and 300,000 have been displaced from their homes.

The city's emergency services, already under strain due to the Covid-19 pandemic, were operating at decreased capacity after four hospitals were damaged in the explosion, which sent a shock wave that was felt 150 miles away in Cyprus and damaged buildings 10 kilometers (6 miles) away.

It's still not exactly clear what led to the ignition that wiped out entire streets, but questions swirled Wednesday over whether the authorities had failed to act on those warning signs.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab confirmed that 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate -- typically used as an agricultural fertilizer and in explosives for mining -- had been stored for six years at a warehouse in the Beirut port without safety measures, "endangering the safety of citizens," according to a statement.

'Criminal attack'

Years of government corruption has left little hope among those on the streets that the investigation will get to the truth of why such large quantities of the dangerous chemical were allowed to be stored in the middle of the city without adequate safety measures -- and who is responsible.

"This accident here, this crisis, for 20 years they're going to talk about it. The investigation, it's never going to end. No conclusion, no results," said one resident in downtown Beirut.

Jad Chaaban, associate professor of economics at the American University of Beirut, said "this is a criminal attack by the ruling state."

"They have committed a crime by storing these nitrates for more than a decade there, with no accountability," Chaaban said, adding that there is a rising anger among the people.

The cash-strapped country has been ravaged by economic and political turmoil exacerbated by the fallout from the Covid-19 outbreak. Violent protests have erupted over rising hunger and poverty, which has soared to over 50%, and power outages are common across the city. Banks have imposed capital controls limiting how much money people can withdraw and scenes of people scavenging garbage dumps for basic necessities have become commonplace.

Chaaban asked how the city can rebuild under such circumstances.

"People will go up to their destroyed homes, to shattered glass, destroyed trucks and cars, they have no dollars because the banks have blocked their dollar account to pay for any imports. Prices have more than quadrupled in the past few months, so nobody can afford to build anything. There is exasperation on the street, and there is a lot of anger," he said.

Political aftershocks

Initial reports in state media blamed the blast on a major fire at a firecrackers warehouse near the port. Later, the country's general security chief Abbas Ibrahim said a "highly explosive material" had been confiscated years earlier and stored in the warehouse, just minutes' walk from Beirut's shopping and nightlife districts.

The director-general of Beirut Port Hassan Kraytem said Wednesday he knew the materials stored "in warehouse number 12" were dangerous, "but not to that extent."

The director of Lebanese Customs, Badri Daher, told CNN that officials had written to legal authorities six times calling for that cargo be removed from the port, but the requests went unheeded despite repeated warnings by him and others that the cargo was the equivalent of "a floating bomb."

Maritime traffic services and documents obtained by CNN describe a shipment of 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate that was detained in Beirut in 2013. The Russian-owned ship, named the MV Rhosus, was destined for Mozambique but stopped in Beirut due to financial difficulties that also created unrest with the ship's Russian and Ukrainian crew.

On Wednesday, Lebanese Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad Najd said there are papers and documents dating back to 2014 proving the existence of an exchange of information about the "material" confiscated by Lebanese authorities. She told Jordan's state-owned channel Al Mamlaka that the exchange is being considered in relation to the potential cause of the deadly Beirut blast.

Asked in a telephone interview if there are any early findings in the investigations related to the cause of the explosion, she said, "There are no preliminary results or clarification."

Calls have been growing for an international investigation into the blast. "Former Prime Ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora, Saad Hariri, and Tammam Salam find it necessary to ask the United Nations or the Arab League to form an international or Arab investigation committee," according to a joint statement released by Hariri's office.

Rami Khouri, adjunct professor of journalism at the American University of Beirut and senior fellow at Harvard University, said, "My expectation is that the political aftershocks will be as great as the explosion itself."

"This explosion was the culmination of decades of poor governance that has shattered almost every aspect of the lives of some people in Lebanon. And all they want is to get these people who are running the country out of their lives," he said.

Food and medical supplies hit

There are also growing fears of food and medicine shortages, as the port where the explosion occurred is the main maritime hub for a nation heavily dependent on goods from abroad, with 60% of all imports passing through it.

Beirut's main grain silo, located at the port, was heavily damaged in the blast and the grain supply stored there was either destroyed or rendered unusable as a result of the chemicals released into the air in the explosion, Economy Minister Nehme said. He added that there are additional grain stores in mills and other ports in the country.

Tuesday's explosion resulted in an estimated $3 billion to $5 billion worth of damage, Beirut governor Marwan Abboud told reporters Wednesday. Though Nehme said "no one can know the numbers right now" but "it's very high and more than our capacity."

The economy minister said the government's priority was to secure people's basic necessities -- mainly food but also supplies to help repair the extensive damage to homes and infrastructure across the city.

"We need glass, we need aluminum, we need wood, we need doors ... everything was damaged," he said.

World leaders, including from Israel, the United Kingdom, United States, France, Turkey, UAE, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Russia and Spain have offered support and humanitarian medical assistance to Lebanon.

Lebanon's Health Minister Hamad Hassan said that an emergency plan was in place with field hospitals being sent from Qatar, Iran, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan. Hassan estimates that six to eight field hospitals will be ready "soon."
Microsoft Corp. is looking to invest around $100 million in social media platform ShareChat. The software giant is holding talks with the Bengaluru-based regional language platform.

If the deal comes through, the investment would be one-third of what ShareChat is looking to raise in its latest round, although Microsoft would be just one of the investors in the Indian app, a source told the Mint.

The deal could see ShareChat becoming the latest startup to join India's unicorn club.

Also Read: Microsoft aims to buy TikTok's entire global business

However, the social media platform is likely to raise funds from existing investors before entering into contracts with new ones, another source told the news daily adding that the deal is likely to take a few months as the talks are at an early stage.

Microsoft's potential investment interest in ShareChat comes at a time when it is negotiating the acquisition of Chinese video-sharing app TikTok's US operations from its parent company ByteDance.

The tech giant is also mulling to acquire TikTok's services in India and Europe, according to another report in the Financial Times on Thursday. If the deal with Microsoft doesn't materialise, the ByteDance might sell its India business to "foreign investors or Indian buyers", the report added.

Also Read: Donald Trump's demand for US cut in Microsoft-TikTok deal is unprecedented

Curiously, ShareChat launched Moj - its short video-sharing app, a day after the government banned TikTok from India. ByteDance-owned Helo is its (ShareChat) competitor in India.

ShareChat had last raised $100 million from Twitter, which valued the firm at $650 million.
WATERLOO REGION  Public health experts say an anti-mask gathering planned in Victoria Park this Sunday is misguided and disappointing.

Social interaction that is not protected by mask use, physical distancing and other public health measures makes it easier for COVID-19 to spread, said Craig Janes, chair of the department of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo.

Frankly its irresponsible to think otherwise and to behave otherwise, he added.

Sundays event is sponsored by Hugs Over Masks, an Ontario-based group that opposes the use of face coverings and promotes hugs instead. Rallies and demonstrations have been planned across the country under this groups name.

Mask bylaws are being rolled out in many cities across the country as the economy reopens and more people head into public spaces. Public health officials encourage the use of a face covering in enclosed public spaces to stop the spread of the virus and to prevent a second wave.

As a result, the anti-mask movement has seen an uptick in supporters who do not want to adhere to their jurisdictions mask policies. Many claim mask-wearing rules take away their rights and freedoms.

Janes said he can understand that people are frustrated by public health measures, but he said it is important to remember that infectious diseases are a social problem, not an individual problem.

I think that unfortunately that the messaging is often its my choice, its my body, its my family, etc. but I think it fails to recognize that viruses dont respect freedoms. They spread willingly from person to person.

Its about protecting all of us and its about protecting our community.

Local public health officials have also expressed disappointment over the planned event.

Public-health measures like wearing face coverings in public spaces are in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, Dr. Julie Emili said at Tuesdays public health briefing.

What were trying to do is really keep everyone safe and keep our rates low so we can continue to live as normal a life as possible in the middle of a pandemic, we can continue to have our economy open, people at work, kids at school, Emili said.

Sundays event in Victoria Park is advertised as a mask-free zone with kids activities, music and a picnic-style potluck. The event listing also says that hugs are encouraged.

Sarah Shamoon organized the local event and said it will be attended by a variety of different groups. She hosted a similar event in Barrie last weekend and a handful of people attended.

Mask-wearing is not mandatory outdoors as the regions mask bylaw only applies to indoor public spaces.

Under the provinces public health guidelines, outdoor gatherings are limited to 100 people who are properly physically distanced, meaning they must be two metres apart from one another if they are not part of the same household or social bubble.

The City of Kitchener said it is aware of Sundays gathering and asks participants and organizers to comply with these provincial recommendations.

City bylaw staff will continue to monitor and ensure compliance with the gathering limits set by the province and continue to encourage that physical distancing recommendations are followed, a city spokesperson said in an email.

Regional Chair Karen Redman said she hopes participants will follow physical distancing rules if they choose not to wear masks.

If they are not social distancing, they are putting themselves at risk as well as the greater community and that is concerning, Redman said.

It (COVID-19) is going to be with us until there is a cure or a vaccine so its disappointing to think that people would disregard the guidance that has served this community so well.

In June, tens of thousands marched in solidarity with Black Lives Matter in Kitchener. Organizers required participants to wear masks to the well-attended demonstration.

Public health officials said two weeks later that only one new case of COVID-19 was linked to the event. They said masks work by march participants decreased the risk of transmission.

With files from Johanna Weidner
FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine COVID-19" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli research institute that is overseen by the Defence Ministry intends to begin human trials for a potential COVID-19 vaccine as early as October, Defence Minister Benny Gantz said on Thursday.

The Israel Institute of Biological Research (IIBR) would start the trials in conjunction with the Health Ministry after a series of Jewish holidays ends in October, Gantz said. The IIBR has been working on a vaccine for six months and began animal trials in March.

"All the initial experiments that have been successful ... give great hope," Gantz said after touring the institute in Ness Ziona, about 25 km (15 miles) south of Tel Aviv.

Shmuel Shapira, the IIBR's director, said: "There is an excellent vaccine ...We have the product in hand."

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman visited the institute's bio-chemical defence laboratory last month and was briefed on a coronavirus vaccine prototype for which it is seeking preliminary U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation.

COVID-19 infections have spiked in Israel in recent weeks to reach 78,500, with 569 deaths.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Tova Cohen and Frances Kerry)
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the phone about the plane accident at Kozhikode airport.

The Prime Minister promised all the assistance from the Centre.

The Chief Minister informed the Prime Minister that a team of officials including Kozhikode and Malappuram district collectors and Inspector General Ashok Yadav reached the airport and were involved in the rescue operation, a CMO release said.



"Unconfirmed reports have emerged that some people, including the pilot, have died. Several people were injured," the release said.

Vijayan informed the Prime Minister that the state government has taken steps to provide treatment to the injured and was providing other facilities.

The Chief Minister said that all the mechanisms of the state government will be used to deal with the emergency.

The Air India Express Dubai-Kozhikode IX-1344 flight, carrying 190 people on board from Dubai under the Vande Bharat Mission, overshot during landing at Karipur Airport in Kozhikode on Friday evening.

The incident took place at 7:41 pm.

Air India Express spokesperson told ANI that 174 passengers, 10 infants and two pilot and four crew members were on board.

"Aircraft overshot during landing at Kozhikode airport, there was no fire reported," he said.

Officials said visibility was 2,000 metre due to heavy rain after landing at runway 10 and the aircraft continued going to the end of runway.

India's aviation watchdog ordered the detailed investigation into the incident.

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said no fire was reported at the time of landing.

NDRF teams are being rushed to Karipur Airport for rescue work, NDRF Director General SN Pradhan said.
Rape is one of the sensitive issues that one needs to be extra careful when talking about since any slight slip of the tongue could spark agitations.



Lots of rape victims never want to be reminded of how some unscrupulous persons overpowered them to satisfy their libido.



Aside rape being criminal, it is one of the most painful experiences in life.



Some rapists end up in jail while others able to go scot free because their victims either keep mute or are silenced with threats.



In view of this, seasoned journalist, Kweku Baako has devised a better technique women can use to ward off potential rapists.



Kweku Baako has advised that any woman who is forced into sex should locate the testicles of the man and squeeze them till he loses strength to accomplish his mission.



" I am advising the ladies out there if anybody wants to rape you, squeeze his balls. The incentive will be totally out of the way," he said on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo'.



His counsel, comes on the back of a similar balls-squeezing account captured in the ''Working With Rawlings'' book authored by Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development between years 1990 and 2001, detailing his relationship with the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), former President Jerry John Rawlings.



In the controversial book, Mr Rawlings is alleged to have squeezed the testicles of a former member of the NDC, Bede Ziedeng for opposing the candidature of Prof John Evans Atta Mills to lead the party in 2002.



"Bede Ziedeng and others had formed a human shield to protect dignitaries going into the Trade Fair Site. As Rawlings was going in, the crowd moved closer to see him and cheer him on. This made it nearly impossible to see whatever was going on. So Rawlings took advantage of the situation. He held Bede Ziedengs testicles, squeezed them hard and left them in record time. This caused Bede Ziedeng to faint immediately. He was taken away and given attention until he recovered. An unperturbed Rawlings accessed the hall and the proceedings went on. Mr Ziedeng later reported Rawlings to some leading members of the NDC, including Prof Ahwoi. When Rawlings was confronted on the matter, he merely laughed it off. But the incident nearly led to Mr Ziedeng leaving the party for good," Prof Ahwoi recounted in his book.







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Im not sure the documentarys better off for its near-total avoidance of any mention of the Democratic and Republican 2016 candidates (though we know which way the high-profile Democratic backer Buffett is voting). At this point in the presidency we were handed that year, Ive come to view words such as apolitical or even non-partisan as dodgy improbabilities, and too often for the documentarian a way not forward, but sideways, or worse.
A man who matched the description of a wanted suspect opened fire on four police officers Wednesday night as they approached him in the Perrine area of South Miami-Dade, police said.

Fenqwavious Lopez, 22, was arrested and charged late Thursday night with four counts of attempted murder on a law enforcement officer and three counts of discharging a weapon.

No officers were injured in the shooting, but three unmarked police cars were sprayed with bullets.

Lopez, who was arrested July 30 and charged with a weapon/open carry violation and resisting without arrest, was being held Friday in Miami-Dades Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with no bond.

According to police, members of the Miami-Dade Police Departments South District Gang Unit and the Homicide Bureaus Street Violence Task Force were in the area for another investigation. Police did not give details on the investigation that brought them to the area.

Lopez, police say, was walking on the sidewalk near the intersection of Evergreen Street and Homestead Avenue when the four officers in three separate unmarked cars approached him.

Thats when Lopez pulled a firearm from his front waistband and began to discharge the firearm, an officer wrote in Lopezs arrest report. Two of the officers fired back. Police said all three vehicles were hit, but none the officers were hurt. Police shared a photo of the door of a white truck with four bullet holes.

It was not clear what led police to Lopez.

Through investigative means, detectives were able to identify and locate the individual responsible for the shooting, police said in a news release.

#UPDATE: Detectives were able to identify and locate the individual responsible for the shooting. Fenqwavious Lopez was placed under arrest and charged with 4 Counts of Attempted 1st degree Murder and 3 Counts of Shooting a Deadly Missile. pic.twitter.com/m4EbNvr24K  Miami-Dade Police (@MiamiDadePD) August 7, 2020

After being taken into custody and read his rights, police say Lopez confessed to the shooting.

Story continues

Relieved to hear that an arrest was made in this case last night, Police Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirez said in a tweet Friday. Attacks on our police officers are totally unacceptable and those responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law.

This was the third time since July 24 that a gunman has fired on Miami-Dade officers. On Aug. 1, officers fatally shot a fugitive after the man, identified as James Justin Munro, shot a Miami-Dade police officer in his bulletproof vest.

And on July 24, Ariel Ruiz Martinez, 46, was killed after an exchange of gunfire with officers from Miami-Dades Priority Response Team. Police said Martinez had shot and wounded an acquaintance of his estranged wife outside her house on the 7600 block of Southwest 153rd Court, drove erratically, and then hit a construction sign.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Birgit Klohs has played a part in some of the biggest economic projects in West Michigan during her 33-year career at The Right Place.

The establishment of Michigan State Universitys College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids, keeping SpartanNashs headquarters in Byron Township amid pressure to relocate to Minnesota, and bringing Booking.com to Wyoming  those are just a few of major projects Klohs and her colleagues helped make a reality.
Justice Department Seeks Forfeiture of Two Commercial Properties Purchased with Funds Misappropriated from PrivatBank in Ukraine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Both Properties Worth a Combined $70 Million

The United States filed two civil forfeiture complaints today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleging that commercial real estate in Louisville, Kentucky, and Dallas, Texas, both acquired using funds misappropriated from PrivatBank in Ukraine, are subject to forfeiture based on violations of federal money laundering statutes.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman for the Northern District of Ohio, and Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith of the FBI's Cleveland Field Office made the announcement.

The complaints allege that Ihor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Boholiubov, who owned PrivatBank, one of the largest banks in Ukraine, embezzled and defrauded the bank of billions of dollars. The two obtained fraudulent loans and lines of credit from approximately 2008 through 2016, when the scheme was uncovered, and the bank was nationalized by the National Bank of Ukraine. The complaints allege that they laundered a portion of the criminal proceeds using an array of shell companies' bank accounts, primarily at PrivatBank's Cyprus branch, before they transferred the funds to the United States. As alleged in the complaint, the loans were rarely repaid except with more fraudulently obtained loan proceeds.

As alleged in the Complaints, in the United States, associates of Kolomoisky and Bogoliubov, Mordechai Korf and Uriel Laber, operating out of offices in Miami, created a web of entities, usually under some variation of the name "Optima," to further launder the misappropriated funds and invest them. They purchased hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate and businesses across the country, including the properties subject to forfeiture: the Louisville office tower known as PNC Plaza, and the Dallas office park known as the former CompuCom Headquarters. The buildings have a combined value of approximately $70 million.

A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

FBI's Cleveland Division is investigating the case with support from FBI's International Corruption Unit, IRS Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. International Unit Chief Mary K. Butler, Senior Trial Attorney Michael C. Olmsted, Trial Attorneys Shai D. Bronshtein and Peter Steciuk, and Law Clerk Robert Blaney of the Criminal Division's Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Rosen of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the cases. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs has provided substantial assistance in the investigation.

The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative is led by a team of dedicated prosecutors in the Criminal Division's Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, in partnership with federal law enforcement agencies, and often with U.S. Attorney's Offices, to forfeit the proceeds of foreign official corruption and, where appropriate, to use those recovered assets to benefit the people harmed by these acts of corruption and abuse of office. In 2015, the FBI formed International Corruption Squads across the country to address national and international implications of foreign corruption. Individuals with information about possible proceeds of foreign corruption located in or laundered through the United States should contact federal law enforcement or send an email to kleptocracy@usdoj.gov (link sends e-mail) or https://tips.fbi.gov/.

The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

Attachment(s):

Download Louisville Properties Complaint

Download Dallas Properties Complaint

Topic(s): Asset Forfeiture

Component(s):

Criminal Division

Criminal - Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section

Criminal - Office of International Affairs

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

USAO - Florida, Southern

USAO - Ohio, Northern

Press Release Number: 20-757

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When we dream, our brains are filled with noisy electrical activity that looks nearly identical to that of the awake brain.

But University of California, Berkeley, researchers have pulled a signal out of the noise that uniquely defines dreaming, or REM sleep, potentially making it easier to monitor people with sleep disorders, as well as unconscious coma patients or those under anesthesia.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of people undergo overnight studies to diagnose problems with their sleep, most of them hooked up to an electroencephalogram (EEG) to monitor brain activity as they progress from wakefulness to deep, slow-wave sleep and on into REM sleep. But EEGs alone can not tell whether a patient is awake or dreaming: Doctors can only distinguish REM sleep by recording rapid eye movementhence, the nameand muscle tone, since our bodies relax in a general paralysis to prevent us from acting out our dreams.

"We really now have a metric that precisely tells you when you are in REM sleep. It is a universal metric of being unconscious," said Robert Knight, UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience and senior author of a paper describing the research that was published July 28 in the online journal eLife.

"These new findings show that, buried in the electrical static of the human brain, there is something utterly uniquea simple signature," said co-author and sleep researcher Matthew Walker, UC Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience. "And if we measure that simple electrical signature, for the first time, we can precisely determine exactly what state of consciousness someone is experiencingdreaming, wide awake, anesthetized or in deep sleep."

The ability to distinguish REM sleep by means of an EEG will allow doctors to monitor people under anesthesia during surgery to explore how narcotic-induced unconsciousness differs from normal sleepa still-unsettled question. That's the main reason first author Janna Lendner, a medical resident in anesthesiology, initiated the study.

"We often tell our patients that, 'You will go to sleep now,' and I was curious how much these two states actually overlap," said Lendner, a UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow in her fourth year of residency in anesthesiology at the University Medical Center in Tubingen, Germany. "Anesthesia can have some side effects. If we learn a little bit about how they overlapmaybe anesthesia hijacks some sleep pathwayswe might be able to improve anesthesia in the long run."

Sleep soothes the brain

Sleep, as Walker wrote in his 2017 book, "Why we Sleep," "enriches a diversity of functions, including our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions and choices. Benevolently servicing our psychological health, sleep recalibrates our emotional brain circuits, allowing us to navigate next-day social and psychological challenges with cool-headed composure."

Disrupted sleep interferes with all of this, increasing the risk of medical, psychiatric and neurological diseases.

Most sleep research focuses on the synchronized, rhythmic waves that flow through the neural network of the brain, from the slow waves that signal deep sleep, typically in the first few hours of the night, to the higher frequency waves typical of dream sleep. These waves pop out above a lot of general activity, also called the 1/f, that has typically been dismissed as noise and ignored.

But Knight and his lab have been looking at this "noise" for a decade and found that it contains useful information about the state of the brain. In 2015, for example, he and Bradley Voytek, a former doctoral student now on the faculty at UC San Diego, discovered that the amount of high frequency activity increases with age. Lendner has now found that a faster drop-off of high-frequency activity, relative to low-frequency activity, is a unique signature of REM sleep.

"There is this background activity, which is not rhythmic, and we have overlooked that for quite a long time," Lendner said. "Sometimes, it has been called noise, but it is not noise; it carries a lot of information, also about the underlying arousal level. This measure makes it possible to distinguish REM sleep from wakefulness by looking only at the EEG."

Since slow waves are associated with inhibition of activity in the brain, while high frequency activitylike that found during wakefulnessis associated with excitatory behavior, the sharper drop-off may be an indication that many activities in the brain, including those related to muscle movement, are being tamped down during REM sleep.

The new measure quantifies the relationship of brain activity at different frequencieshow much activity there is at frequencies from about 1 cycle per second to 50 cycles per secondand determines the slope, that is, how fast the spectrum drops. This 1/f "drop-off" is sharper in REM sleep than in wakefulness or when under anesthesia.

Lendner found this characteristic measure in the nighttime brain activity of 20 people recorded via EEG scalp electrodes in Walker's UC Berkeley sleep lab and in 10 people who had electrodes placed in their brains to search for the causes of epilepsy as a necessary prologue to brain surgery to alleviate seizures.

She also recorded brain activity in 12 epilepsy patients and 9 other patients undergoing spinal surgery with the common general anesthetic Propofol.

Lendner is now reviewing brain recordings from coma patients to see how their brain activity varies over the course of a day and whether the 1/f drop-off can be used to indicate the likelihood of emergence from coma.

"More importantly, I think it is another metric for evaluating states of coma," Knight said. "1/f is very sensitive. It could resolve, for instance, if someone was in a minimally conscious state, and they are not moving, and whether they are more alert than you think they are."

Explore further REM sleep tunes eating behaviour

More information: Janna D Lendner et al, An electrophysiological marker of arousal level in humans, eLife (2020). Journal information: eLife Janna D Lendner et al, An electrophysiological marker of arousal level in humans,(2020). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.55092
Exporters sending goods to the region from Great Britain will have to make formal declarations. Photo: Peter Summers/Getty

The UK government is to spend 650m ($847m) on a Brexit support, peace and reconciliation package for Northern Ireland, Michael Gove, minister for the Cabinet Office, has announced.

On Fridays visit to Belfast, Gove, revealed that 300m of the package is for the PEACE Plus programme, for which funding was pledged in 2019.

At the centre of the new package, 200m will be spent on a new Trader Support Service (TSS) to help businesses in Northern Ireland deal with the complications of bringing in goods from Great Britain.

In addition the government announced 155m to fund digital technology to streamline the new internal UK border created under the governments Brexit deal from January 2021.

The TSS will be offered free of charge to help traders handle new bureaucracy to move goods across the Irish Sea  turning Boris Johnsons government into a de facto customs agent for traders.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, said: Todays 650m investment underlines our absolute commitment to the people and businesses of Northern Ireland as we move towards the end of the transition period.

READ MORE: Brexit: UK government tells drug firms to stockpile six weeks of medicine

The Northern Irish Protocol part of the Brexit deal signed by the PM requires all goods entering Northern Ireland to be compliant with EUs customs code to ensure Brexit didnt create a trade border in Ireland.

It means all exporters sending goods to the region from Great Britain will have to make formal declarations for the first time  in line with the Northern Irish Protocol agreement.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, said: Businesses have always been at the heart of our preparations for the end of the transition period.

This new Trader Support Service backed by funding of up to 200m reinforces this approach  it is a unique service that will ensure that businesses of all sizes can have import processes dealt with on their behalf, at no cost.

Story continues

Last November, Johnson was accused of misleading the public about the Brexit deal after footage emerged of him telling firms in Northern Ireland they would need to fill in extra paperwork to export goods.

READ MORE: Firms voice concern over leaving EU without a trade deal as private sector activity falls

Liam Smyth, director of trade facilitation at the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) said: Whilst the funding announcement for the Trader Support Service is welcome, we need to remember that the GB/NI Border model impacts businesses on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Customs controls that are implemented through electronic means are still controls. For businesses to remain compliant they will have to upskill staff, implement new processes and invest scarce resources to be ready for the end of the transition period which is less than five months away.

Until we know the outcome of the UK/EU negotiations, many questions will remain unanswered for businesses in the United Kingdom, and in particular in Northern Ireland where both the EU and UK customs rules will be applied, depending on the final destination of the goods.

Responding to the governments announcement, Allie Renison, head of Europe and trade policy at the Institute of Directors (IoD), said: "The launch of this service is a welcome step forward, providing industry in Northern Ireland with planning support. However, what traders need most of all is the detail of changes they can't yet see and enough time to adjust.

Renison added that time is running out to enable a smooth exit from transition and that the continuing negotiations with the EU are the reason that detail is not yet forthcoming.
By K. Sathya Narayanan

BENGALURU (Reuters) - Waning rice supplies in Vietnam pushed export prices to a near two-month peak this week, while a strengthening domestic currency kept rates of the Thai variety high, subduing demand.

Vietnam's 5% broken rice prices rose to $470 per tonne on Thursday, their highest since mid-June, from $440-$450 last week.

"Supplies are running low as the summer-autumn harvest has come to an end," a trader based in Ho Chi Minh City said, adding that local traders have also been hoarding the grain in anticipation of higher prices.

"Traders have been focusing mainly on fulfilling their export contracts signed earlier with Cuba, Malaysia and the Philippines."

Vietnam will start sowing the autumn-winter crop, and the next harvest won't begin until October, other traders said.

In Thailand, benchmark 5% broken rice prices were quoted at $463-$485, little changed from $465-$483 last week.

"The strong baht (against the U.S. dollar) has really kept the price of Thai rice higher than our competitors and deterred buyers," a Bangkok-based trader said. [USD/]

Supply remains a concern as the drought earlier in the year affected production.

"We are seeing not much new supply entering the market for the off-season crop despite recent rain, which means the price will likely stay high," another Bangkok-based trader said.

Top exporter India's 5% broken parboiled variety prices were unchanged at $380-$385 per tonne from the previous week.

India's rice exporters are struggling to fulfil orders due to limited availability of containers and workers at mills and the country's biggest rice handling port due to surging coronavirus cases.

"Loading is still limited at Kakinada port due to labour shortage," said an exporter based at Kakinada in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

In Bangladesh, the longest-running floods in over two decades have submerged nearly 80,000 hectares of paddy fields, according to officials from the agriculture ministry.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai, Ruma Paul in Dhaka, Khanh Vu in Hanoi and Panu Wongcha-um in Bangkok; additional reporting by Swati Verma; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Jonathan Oatis)
A federal lawsuit contends the state of Pennsylvania is improperly rejecting mail-in ballots over issues with voters signatures without giving voters a chance to resolve those problems.

The Campaign Legal Center filed the suit Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The suit names Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar, who oversees the states elections office, and the elections offices in Philadelphia, Bucks and Allegheny counties.

The center is suing on behalf of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, League of United Latin American Citizens Council, Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and two individual clients.

This is the first year for the expanded use of voting by mail in Pennsylvania, so the issue of rejecting mail-in ballots could be critical, the center argues. About 1.5 million voters cast their ballots by mail in the 2020 primary in June, and far more are expected to vote by mail in the presidential election in November. Gov. Tom Wolf has touted voting by mail as a safe way to cast ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Campaign Legal Center contends the states handling of mail-in ballots could threaten the integrity of the election.

When voters cast ballots by mail, elections officials examine those ballots to see if the signatures match the signatures on record. If the signatures dont match, the ballots can be rejected.

When theres a close election, the last thing you want is for untrained lay people to be rejecting ballots, and that decides who wins, said Mark Gaber, an attorney with the Campaign Legal Center.

We cant have peoples ballots be rejected because of a penmanship test, Gaber said.

If elections officials have concerns about the signatures on mail-in ballots, they should be trying to contact those voters to address the issues so the votes can be counted, Gaber said.

The Pennsylvania Department of State, which runs the states elections, didnt immediately respond when asked for comment Friday afternoon. The agency typically doesnt comment on pending litigation.

Similar lawsuits in other states have been successful in changing the handling of issues with mail-in ballots.

Earlier this week, a federal court in North Carolina ruled voters should get due process to fix any problems with their mail-in ballots, the News & Observer reported. The North Carolina suit claimed 15 percent of mail-in ballots in that state were rejected. In North Dakota, officials in June were ordered to notify voters if there were problems with their signatures.

A CBS News report found more than 26,000 ballots cast by mail in the Pennsylvania primary were rejected for a variety of reasons (not all of them over questions of voters signatures).

CBS teamed with the Massachusetts Institute of Technologys Election Data and Science Lab to examine mail-in ballots in the 2020 primaries in five key battleground states, including Pennsylvania. While the vast majority of ballots were counted, their report found 1%-2% of all ballots cast by mail were rejected.

Discrepancies in signatures can occur over any number of legitimate reasons, such as people signing in a rush or writing on a different surface, Gaber said.

The Campaign Legal Center will be seeking an injunction and pushing for a swift ruling. Since the suit is framed on a narrow legal issue, Gaber said he is confident the federal court will take up the suit fairly quickly.

A voter casts her mail-in ballot at in a drop box May 28, 2020, in West Chester, Pa., prior to the June 2 primary election.AP File Photo/Matt Rourke

Election analysts have repeatedly touted Pennsylvania as a key state that could decide the presidential election.

In 2016, Donald Trump won Pennsylvania, a critical step in his presidential election victory. But he won the Keystone State by less than one percentage point. Many analysts have projected a close contest in Pennsylvania again this year with former Vice President Joe Biden, a Scranton native, challenging Trump.

Last month, more than a dozen Democratic and lawmakers filed suit against the state and Pennsylvanias 67 county election boards to ensure the counting of mail-in ballots. Their suit also is seeking to require election boards to contact voters over minor defects and allow counties to use drop boxes for mail-in ballots in multiple locations. They also want the state to count mail-in and absentee ballots postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day and received within 7 days after the election.

In late June, Trumps reelection campaign, the Republican party and four Republican congressmen from Pennsylvania sued the state over its vote-by-mail policies. The suit contended the states use of drop-off boxes in about 20 counties, among other issues, violated election law and threatens election security and integrity.

Trump has repeatedly argued voting by mail could lead to election fraud, while state officials in Pennsylvania and elsewhere say it is a safe and secure way to cast ballots.

Last year, Wolf signed the law expanding voting by mail to all Pennsylvanians. In the past, voters could only cast absentee ballots by mail and had to explain why they couldnt get to the polls (such as illness or military service). Under the new election law, voters dont need to provide a reason to cast a ballot by mail.

Republicans and Democratic lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the vote-by-mail legislation last year. With the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 1.5 million voters cast ballots by mail in the June primary, beyond any projections.

Thats way more than Pennsylvania has ever had before and its going to be a lot more in the general election, Gaber said.

More from PennLive

Gov. Wolf has never been tested for COVID-19  he and Dr. Rachel Levine relying mostly on social distancing

How arguments in Washington are holding up coronavirus relief in Pennsylvania

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PIAA announces postponement of Pa. fall sports for 2 weeks, but holds off on canceling 2020 seasons for now
Radical Hindu nationalists allegedly made death threats and attacked a Pastor's family living in the Nabarangpur district of India's Odisha state.

On July 10, Pastor Fulmali was threatened with the following statement according to local sources, "You have received the Christian religion, built a church in the village, and converted some of our villagers to Christianity. We will not allow you to reside in the village. We will kill and burn all of your family members."

As threats were being made, heavy stones were thrown at Pastor Fulmali's home which resulted in broken roof sheets of over five rooms.

Pastor Fulmali and his family stayed inside their house and did not leave while the Hindu nationalists did not budge from the outside of Pastor Fulmali's house until 3:00 A.M., waiting for an opportunity to attack the Pastor physically.

While sheltering in the house, Pastor Fulmali called their local police for help but the police delayed until the next day despite their promise to arrive in two hours due to lack of means of transportation.

This wasn't the first time Pastor Fulmali was attacked. 6 months before this belligerent attack, Pastor Fulmali was aggressively requested by the local villagers to close the church and remove the cross while banning Fulmali and other local Christians from collecting water from the village bore well.

For the family's safety, Pastor Fulmali has taken shelter in another pastor's house away from the belligerent village.
07.08.2020 LISTEN

The Member of Parliament for Akatsi south Constituency has on Wednesday, 5th, August, 2020 presented desktop computers to Logotey D/A Basic School in the Akatsi South constituency of the Volta Region.

The donation forms part of his electioneering campaign promises to improve quality education in his Constituency.

Mr. Ahiafor, who delegated the Assemblymember for the area Hon. Wisdom Akpabli to present the items on his behalf promised to make sure all schools in the Akatsi South Constituency benefits from his "One School Three Computers Each Year" initiative.

"I decided to do this to completely eradicate Schools without computers from Akatsi South constituency," Mr. Ahiafor noted.

The presentation was done in a short ceremony to the Headmaster of the School, the PTA Chairman, Mr. Kwaku Robert Gokah and Agbovi Kwame.

The Member of Parliament, Hon. Bernard Ahiafor in a statement delivered on his behalf, tasked the head and management of the school to maintain and put the desktop computers into good use for students to benefit.

The future of Ghanaian children is very important to me , particularly those in my Constituency and I need to support them as a member of parliament. These children we see today belong to our country Ghana and we must make sure their educational needs become my priority, the MP emphasized.

The Headmaster of Logotey JHS, Mr.Kwaku Robert Gokah commended the opposition National Democratic Congress MP for his benevolent gesture in responding swiftly to the schools call to have the supposed schools ICT centre stocked with computers.

He promised the MP that the school would use the computers efficiently to facilitate the teaching and learning of ICT.

An ICT tutor who described the presentation as a timely intervention, said it was necessary because the omputers would make teaching and learning easier.

He added that the computers would help them show more videos and build the confidence of students in the subject even beyond the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE)."

The Girls Prefect of the school appealed to the MP through the Assemblyman to help the school with a modern computer laboratory.
Named after the Hawaiian goddess of fire, these Pele earrings are made from volcanic stone, quartz, amber, onyx and gold-plated silver. Theyre assembled by Kristina Ammitzbol of Pigna Studio in Sydney, also available through local fashion label Bassike. PIGNA PELE EARRINGS, $290; bassike.com

Australian fashion house Aje has launched its summer collection, Impermanence, adding details such as raw edging, textural fabric and hardware made from wood and metal to ensure each piece ages with character. AJE KNIT, $395, AND PANTS, $295; ajeworld.com.au

To help counter the effects of all that hand-washing, Sensori Plus has developed a hand cream for over-sanitised skin. It includes vegan keratin to strengthen the skin barrier, multivitamins to assist skin regeneration, and probiotic kombucha. SENSORI + TOOWOOMBA CARNIVAL HAND CREAM, $39; sensoriplus.com

Sensori + Toowoomba Carnival hand cream. Credit:

Crafted in London, this jewellery brand is named after 14th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri, author of the classic Divine Comedy. And like the characters in the poem, the pieces, such as this necklace cast from a Venetian antique coin, look travel-worn and dramatic. ALIGHIERI IL LEONE MEDALLION NECKLACE, $390; net-a-porter.com

Alighieri Il Leone medallion necklace Credit:

To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Brisbane Times.
The Millville School Districts summer preschool program was shut down this week after two employees tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent Tony Trongone told NJ Advance Media Thursday evening.

Despite our meticulous efforts to follow all social distancing guidelines and practices (as per Division of Children and Families (DCF)), it is evident that we are unable to mitigate the spread of the virus, Trongone said in a letter to the school community. Rather than continue to put employees, children and their respective families at risk, closing the program is the safest option we have to reduce the spread of the virus in our community.

Originally the plan was to close the one classroom where the employee who tested positive worked and have the students and other staff members who were exposed quarantine for 14 days and clean and sanitize the room, the superintendent said

Trongone said that employee was last at the Millville Child Family Center on Friday, July 31, tested on Saturday and received the positive test result on Tuesday.

However, after he heard about a second positive test for another staff member a day later, he decided to shut down the program, which was slated to end on Aug. 14.

The program, known as the Summer Child Care Program is for residents with children between the age of 3 and 5 who need daycare, and began on July 6, Trongone said.

He said the total enrollment was limited to 40 children this summer per guidelines set by the state and that there were four classrooms with a maximum of 10 kids in each and that each teacher and aide was assigned to the same group of children.

Everything was going fine until earlier this week when he got the positive test results, Trongone said.

In addition to the employees and students who were in contact with the employees, the Cumberland County Department of Health (CCDOH) will facilitate the contact tracing process to identify anyone who may be at risk for exposure, he said.

The news of the positive tests comes about one month before the district begins its 2020-21 school year which will include a hybrid of in-person learning and remote learning or the option for all remote learning.

Trongone said his staff is ready for the challenges the upcoming school year will represent but that it will be difficult.

Its going to be much more difficult than this situation where its a controlled environment, he said.

He added that the district cant oversee what its employees and students are doing off school grounds.

We cant put put our employees into a bubble like the NBA, he said. We have no control of what they do outside school.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
A litany of health problems have slowed the Astros, who have started 2020 an even 6-6 after winning the American League a year ago. Slugger and 2019 AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez is among the teams most important players on the shelf, likely owing to a positive coronavirus test. Alvarez is taking batting practice and running, but manager Dusty Baker suggested a return is not imminent.

The cavalry is a ways off, Baker said of Alvarez and right-hander Jose Urquidy, who has also been on the IL for an undisclosed reason early this year, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Urquidy just began throwing off a mound.

The 23-year-old Alvarez was a critical piece of the puzzle for the Astros last season, when he slashed .313/.412/.655 with 27 home runs in 369 plate appearances. Theres obviously no realistic way to replace that type of production.

Urquidy, 25, didnt star as a rookie last year, but he was impressive in his own right, as he amassed 41 innings of 3.95 ERA/3.68 FIP ball with 8.78 K/9 and 1.54 BB/9. The Astros, who are facing several injuries in their pitching staff, will welcome similar numbers this year if Urquidy is able to pitch.

Austin Pruitt is also among the wounded in Houston, and the club decided to transfer the righty to the 45-day IL because of an elbow ailment on Friday, Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets. The move opened up space for just-acquired righty Chase De Jong in their 60-man player pool. Pruitt still hasnt pitched for the Astros, who added him in an offseason trade with the Rays, and it remains very much in question whether hell take the mound at all this season.
Jersey City public school classrooms will continue to remain empty when school starts in September.

The district Board of Education Thursday night unanimously approved Superintendent Franklin Walkers plan to start the school year with 100% remote learning because of recent spikes in coronavirus cases where schools have reopened nationwide. Thats in direct defiance of state guidelines that requires all districts to have some form of in-person instruction.

This decision is also a step back from the districts previously announced plans to open the states second-largest school district with 33 percent of students returning for in-person instruction on Sept. 10.

Walker said schools that have reopened already in the country are facing a spike in cases of COVID-19. He said with the state government scaling back on the amount of people allowed to gather indoors, he cannot allow students and teachers to return.

We have seen spikes in cases prompting the government roll back some of the reopening plan, including significantly reducing the number of people allowed in indoor events (from 50) to 25, Walker said. " I cannot in good faith ask our employees and children to return to a full in person schedule after Labor day.

The plan will now be submitted to the state Department of Education for approval. The governors office did not return a request for comment.

Some 260 employees in Georgias largest school district were barred from entering their schools just one day after returning, either because they tested positive for the coronavirus or had been directly exposed to someone who had, The Washington Post reported.

In New Jersey, the transmission rate  a key metric the state is using to determine how to further lift COVID-19 restrictions  hit a four-month high Sunday, at 1.49. Thats well above the key benchmark of 1, which means each new case is leading to more than one additional infection and the virus is spreading. Friday afternoon the rate was 1.15, Gov. Phil Murphy said.

Murphy scaled back indoor limits to 25 people Monday after raising the alarm over signs of growing spread of the coronavirus in the state.

Walker said Friday everything the district did was planned around having a level of in-person instruction. The states Road Back plan says absent a shift in the public health data, school buildings will open in some capacity for in-person instruction and operations in the fall.

If we have situation where the health data supports that cases have gone up and it is a very unsafe position to now bring students back in the building, then it is our position not to do that , Walker said. " Well, we had a shift and the shift that we have has not been favorable.

According to the state guidance, reopening of our schools will include necessary limitations to protect the health and safety of our students and staff. ... We must be ready to adjust our educational models should the spread of the virus and consistent health data require it."

More than half of the parents surveyed by the district said they do not plan to send their children back for in-person instruction.

Dina McClary-Faison said she is sure the district is trying its best to take every safety measure so her two children can return to School 34, but she is happy with the decision to keep the students learning from home.

Although they may have to revisit it, Im glad they took everyones thoughts and concerns into consideration, McClary-Faison said.

Maria Siquijor-Enriquez has three children in Jersey City schools and she believes the district made the right decision. She said she understands parents might struggle helping their children at home, but the Congress should enact laws that helps parents, so they can stay home and not be forced to go to unsafe workplaces during the pandemic.

I believe they made the right decision and it shows how much they value the health and safety of all our children, students, and school staff, Siquijor-Enriquez said. It is not up to our local boards of education or our underfunded public schools to solve all the issues of a national crisis.
PICKERING, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / Renforth Resources Inc. (CSE:RFR)(OTC US:RFHRF)(WKN:A2H9TN) ("Renforth" or the "Company") is pleased to let shareholders know we have completed our drill program at New Alger, with a combined total of 1782m drilled in 9 holes, on both the Discovery Veins and in the mine area, as illustrated and described below. Each of these holes has been logged and sampled, in some instances for the entire hole. Generally speaking Renforth views this drill program as a success, with each hole encountering all of the "ingredients" required for the presence of gold, such as biotite or sericite alteration, pyrite and arsenopyrite. Logging is complete, sample splitting and preparation is ongoing, deliveries to the lab have also commenced. Sample results will be released once assays are received.

New Alger Summer 2020 Drilling

The holes drilled in this program were targeted as follows;

REN-20-42 - drilled north to undercut the main historic blast pit, which revealed the presence of south dipping veins and caused the change in drill direction

REN-20-43 - drilled north to undercut the westernmost blast pit

REN-20-44 - drilled north to undercut the eastern blast pits area

REN-20-45 - drilled north this is a 100m step out to the west from the stripped area

REN-20-46 - drilled south from the northern end of the same pad as REN-20-45. These holes, drilled in a "shallow X" manner, at a dip of -55 degrees, were designed for maximum coverage in the potential strike extension corridor

REN-20-47 - drilled south from a drill pad 100m to the west of the REN-20-45/6 pad, this step out hole was also drilled in a "shallow X" manner, in conjunction with REN-20-48

REN-20-48 - drilled north from the southern edge of the same pad as REN-20-47

REN-20-49 - the final step out hole, a total of 300m west of the stripped area, was drilled north, intersecting the Discovery Vein system package. At this location the pad is interpreted to be south of the Discovery Vein system, therefore there was no need to drill south.

REN-20-50 - This hole was drilled into the mine area, targeting the completion of REN-20-40, which had to be stopped in this winter's drill program due to caving within the hole after intersecting Vein #3. In REN-20-50 caving was also encountered, again in a sand seam with water moving, binding the rods. This is interpreted to be a fault structure. In this instance Veins #1 and #2 were intersected before the hole was stopped.

Renforth Financing

Renforth has, using price protection obtained July 30th, completed the 3rd and final tranche of the private placement with the issuance of 5,051,500 common share units, each unit priced at $0.05 and consisting of one common share and one warrant to acquire an additional common share at a price of $0.07 for a period of 24 months, and 4,491,359 flow through share units, each unit priced at $0.055 and consisting of one share issued on a "flow-through" basis and one warrant to acquire an additional common share at a price of $0.075 for a period of 24 months, for a total raised in this closing of $499,600. A commission totaling $18,402 in cash and a total of 339,672 broker warrants was paid pursuant to this closing.

About New Alger

Renforth's wholly owned New Alger Gold Project is located in the Cadillac Mining Camp, on the Cadillac Break, outside of the village of Cadillac, west of Malartic Quebec. The Cadillac Mining Camp is historically one of Quebec's most prolific, and deep seated gold camps. New Alger's neighbor to the north, with a shared property boundary, is the LaRonde Mining Complex of Agnico-Eagle. The neighbor to the east, with a shared border and geological structure, is the former O'Brien Mine, which ceased operations in the 1950's, at an operating depth of 1500m. This mine, on the same Cadillac Break vein structure as New Alger, contrasts in terms of its' 1500m operating depth with New Alger's deepest pierce point, in the vicinity of the former Thompson-Cadillac Mine on the property, of 415m vertical depth. The Thompson-Cadillac Mine, located on the southern margin of the Cadillac Break, operated erratically from the late 1920's to the early 1940's, with a handful of production years which ended in the mid 1930's, with several ownership groups and size increases to the processing plant, resulting in the production of 21,000 ounces of gold. The history of several operators and the mix of barren country rock and mineralized rock within the waste and tailings piles remaining on surface causes Renforth to consider that the historic mine was not an optimized operation.

Today New Alger hosts a NI43-101 Open Pit Constrained Mineral Resource Estimate as follows;

New Alger Mineral Resource Estimate (1-6) Area Classification Cut-off Au

(g/t) Tonnes

(k) Au

(g/t) Au

(koz) Pit Constrained Indicated 0.32 1,016 1.88 61.5 Inferred 0.32 2,322 1.65 123.3 Out-of-Pit Indicated 1.44 19 1.81 1.1 Inferred 1.44 904 2.23 64.7 Total Indicated 0.32 + 1.44 1,035 1.88 62.6 Inferred 0.32 + 1.44 3,226 1.81 188.0



1) Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The estimate of Mineral Resources may be materially affected by environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing, or other relevant issues.

2) The Inferred Mineral Resource in this estimate has a lower level of confidence than that applied to an Indicated Mineral Resource and must not be converted to a Mineral Reserve. It is reasonably expected that the majority of the Inferred Mineral Resource could be upgraded to an Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration.

3) The Mineral Resources in this report were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM), CIM Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves, Definitions and Guidelines prepared by the CIM Standing Committee on Reserve Definitions and adopted by the CIM Council.

4) Historically mined areas were depleted from the Mineral Resource model.

5) The pit constrained Au cut-off grade of 0.32 g/t Au was derived from US$1,450/oz Au price, 0.75 US$/C$ exchange rate, 95% process recovery, C$17/t process cost and C$2/t G&A cost. The constraining pit optimization parameters were C$2.50/t mineralized mining cost, $2/t waste mining cost, $1.50/t overburden mining cost and 50 degree pit slopes.

6) The out of pit Au cut-off grade of 1.44 g/t Au was derived from US$1,450/oz Au price, 0.75 US$/C$ exchange rate, 95% process recovery, C$66/t mining cost, C$17/t process cost and C$2/t G&A cost. The out of pit Mineral Resource grade blocks were quantified above the 1.44 g/t Au cut-off, below the constraining pit shell and within the constraining mineralized wireframes. Additionally, only groups of blocks that exhibited continuity and reasonable potential stope geometry were included. All orphaned blocks and narrow strings of blocks were excluded. The longhole stoping with backfill method was assumed for the out of pit Mineral Resource Estimate calculation.

New Alger Underground Looking North-East

Brian H. Newton P.Geo is a "qualified person" pursuant to the requirements of National Instrument 43-101. He has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

For further information please contact:

Renforth Resources Inc.

Nicole Brewster

President and Chief Executive Officer

T:416-818-1393

E: nicole@renforthresources.com

#269 - 1099 Kingston Road, Pickering ON L1V 1B5

ABOUT RENFORTH

Renforth Resources Inc. is a Toronto-based gold exploration company with six wholly owned surface gold bearing properties located in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario, Canada.

In Quebec Renforth holds the New Alger and Parbec Properties, in the Cadillac and Malartic gold camps respectively, with gold present at surface and to some depth, located on the Cadillac Break. Each of these properties carries an open-pit constrained 43-101 resource. In both instances' additional gold bearing structures, other than the Cadillac Break, have been found on each property and require additional exploration. Renforth also holds Malartic West, contiguous to the western boundary of the Canadian Malartic Mine Property, located in the Pontiac Sediments, this property is gold bearing and was the recent site of a copper discovery. Renforth has acquired the Surimeau property, also contiguous to Canadian Malartic and the southern border of the Malartic West property. Surimeau hosts polymetallic mineralization and represents the consolidation of four historic properties into one for the first time. In addition to this Renforth has optioned the wholly owned Denain-Pershing gold bearing property, located near Louvicourt, Quebec, to O3 Mining Inc.

In Ontario, Renforth holds the Nixon-Bartleman surface gold occurrence west of Timmins, Ontario, drilled, channeled and sampled over 500m - this historic property also requires additional exploration to define the extent of the mineralization.

No securities regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and information under applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking. Forward-looking statements are frequently identified by such words as 'may', 'will', 'plan', 'expect', 'believe', 'anticipate', 'estimate', 'intend' and similar words referring to future events and results. Such statements and information are based on the current opinions and expectations of management. All forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and subject to a variety of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, fluctuating commodity prices, the risks of obtaining necessary approvals, licenses and permits and the availability of financing, as described in more detail in the Company's securities filings available at www.sedar.com. Actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements and the reader is cautioned against placing undue reliance thereon. Forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is provided and the Company assumes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE: Renforth Resources Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600711/Renforth-Completes-1782m-of-Drilling-at-New-Alger-Gold-Project
Coronavirus has not yet ended. Worse, there is still no official vaccine nor cure to counter its attack on humans. However, China recently found out that another virus revolves around the country, has the same characteristics as the SARS-CoV-2. The virus is called 'Novel Bunyavirus' that relies on blood. Oh, don't forget the Bubonic Plague on the list!





What is 'Novel Bunyavirus'?

We are not yet on the moving forward phase on containing the COVID-19. However, China has discovered another virus with the same characteristics as the SARS-CoV-2 that results in Coronavirus.

A novel virus called 'Bunyavirus' is now being feared in China. The government already identifies seven deaths and more than 60 people infected with the said virus.

A local Australian News said that Sheng Jifang, an expert on the novel bunyavirus, said that a patient who had the virus that died three years ago later infected 16 people that had contact with the patient's body. One of the 16 already died.

Shockingly, the transmission of Bunyavirus is very viral, just like COVID-19. According to medical experts, this specific virus causes viral hemorrhagic fever, with sometimes signs of rashes. This means that Bunyavirus could also be transmitted from person to person. Compared to other kinds of viruses, the SARS-CoV-2 is more similar to Bunyavirus.

Here's where they get different. People can be infected with Bunyavirus via tick bites. It means insects like ticks that are external insects, sucking blood on animals, can easily contain the said deadly virus. Thus, specifically, it can be spread to people through infected animals.

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control explains that the virus can kill people of about 10% rate. Although it is smaller than COVID-19, this virus's infection rate could go as far as the pandemic today.

Unfortunately, this novel virus has no vaccines nor cure yet. And it is what Chinese people have been worrying about since the problem with COVID-19 is not over.

Another Chinese virus re-emerged: Bubonic plague

Bubonic plague is also one of the deadliest new viruses that were found recently in China. According to a recent report of CNN, the Inner Mongolia region in the country already implemented lockdown after a resident died on the same virus.

This was the first death since the virus got re-emerged in China. For those of you who didn't know, the Bubonic plague is one of the three deadliest plagues in history. It causes humans to have painful, swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, and coughing.

Previously, Tech Times reported that the World Health Organization said that this virus does not pose high-risk problems for humans.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Second part of the series of interviews, entitled "Let's speak honestly: Serzh Sargsyan on the April [2016] War," with Armenias third President Serzh Sargsyan:

Did the April [2016] war inquiry committee [of the parliament] find out the truth? What is it?

The truth is the following: In April 2016, our aggressive neighbor [Azerbaijan] attacked us and lost. Ever since 1994, these were the largest-scale military actions during which the adversary used almost all the weapons in its arsenal. But our army very quickly defended itself and struck so hard that our enemy retreated. They suffered heavy losses, their plans failed. And in such cases, the army deserves only praise, not accusation, not even criticism.

Was the objective of this [inquiry] committee political? Why did you decide to go to the session [of this committee]?

I was invited to the session of the committee. I had to go because I have absolutely nothing to hide. Even if the concerns were correct about the committee members, yes, I was obligated to go and tell the whole truth, and it had to be recorded. We will make a final conclusion when the inquiry committee sends its report to the National Assembly. Truth and common sense must be above all.
The rise and fall of Black Panther activist Fred Hampton will be told on the big screen in the first trailer for Judas an the Black Messiah.

Daniel Kaluuya stars as Hampton, who rose to prominence as chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther party, in the new Warner Bros. film.

The film will be released in theaters in 2021, though no specific release date was given yet, with the trailer (via Warner Bros. Pictures YouTube) offering a first look.

Trailer: The rise and fall of Black Panther activist Fred Hampton will be told on the big screen in the first trailer for Judas an the Black Messiah

Daniel: Daniel Kaluuya stars as Hampton, who rose to prominence as chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther party, in the new Warner Bros. film

The trailer begins with a door opening and Hampton stating his name, and that he's the 'deputy chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party.'

Hampton is shown at a rally, leading his followers to scream, 'I am a revolutionary' repeatedly' while William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) nervously sees Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons), one of the only white faces in the crowd, smiling.

O'Neal is clearly nervous with Mitchell clearly watching him, while another scene shows O'Neal running out of a bar and leaping over a parked car.

Trailer: The trailer begins with a door opening and Hampton stating his name, and that he's the 'deputy chairman of the Illinois Black Panther Party'

O'Neal: Hampton is shown at a rally, leading his followers to scream, 'I am a revolutionary' repeatedly' while William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) nervously sees Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons), one of the only white faces in the crowd, smiling

'You're looking at 18 months for the stolen car,' Mitchell says, while we see O'Neal getting pulled over in the stolen car, as Mitchell flashes his FBI badge.

Mitchell adds he could get another five years in jail for 'impersonating a federal officer,' as we see O'Neal has been beaten quite badly.

'Or, you can go home,' Mitchell adds, which leads O'Neal to shake Mitchell's hand, the start of his undercover work for the FBI, where he was tasked with infiltrating the Black Panther Party and providing them intelligence.

FBI: 'You're looking at 18 months for the stolen car,' Mitchell says, while we see O'Neal getting pulled over in the stolen car, as Mitchell flashes his FBI badge

Beaten: Mitchell adds he could get another five years in jail for 'impersonating a federal officer,' as we see O'Neal has been beaten quite badly

Hampton is also seen at an outdoor rally revealing that the Black Panthers, 'are forming a Rainbow Coalition of oppressed brothers and sisters of EVERY color.'

Mitchell is heard through voice over claiming that the Black Panther party's aim is to, 'sow hatred and inspire terror,' over shots that show them doing no such thing.

There are shots of Hampton at one of his many events where he provided free breakfasts for local children, telling the kids to repeat, 'I will learn all I can.'

Rally: Hampton is also seen at an outdoor rally revealing that the Black Panthers, 'are forming a Rainbow Coalition of oppressed brothers and sisters of EVERY color'

Breakfast: There are shots of Hampton at one of his many events where he provided free breakfasts for local children, telling the kids to repeat, 'I will learn all I can'

O'Neal is seen telling his FBI superiors that, 'these ain't no terrorists,' while Hampton delivers another fiery speech.

'You can murder a liberator but you can't murder a liberation,' Hampton says as the crowd filled with black and white people applaud.

'You can murder a revolutionary but you can't murder a revolution,' he adds, while other shots show the beginnings of a gunfight at the Black Panther headquarters.

Not terrorists: O'Neal is seen telling his FBI superiors that, 'these ain't no terrorists,' while Hampton delivers another fiery speech

Liberation: 'You can murder a liberator but you can't murder a liberation,' Hampton says as the crowd filled with black and white people applaud

'You can murder a freedom fighter but you can't murder freedom,' Hampton says in his fiery speech, while O'Neal glances nervously at Mitchell.

The trailer winds down with a rapid-fire sequence of shots including more of the shootout with O'Neal on the roof while in another shot he's being passed an envelope while at dinner in a fancy restaurant.

'I'm gonna die for the people 'cause I lead for the people, I lead for the people 'cause I love the people' Hampton says as the trailer comes to a close.

Freedom fighter: 'You can murder a freedom fighter but you can't murder freedom,' Hampton says in his fiery speech, while O'Neal glances nervously at Mitchell

Hampton was killed in December 1969 at just 21 years of age during an early-morning raid on his apartment by the FBI.

Judas and the Black Messiah is directed by Shaka King (Newlyweeds) from a script he co-wrote with Will Berson based on a story by Keith and Kenneth Lucas.

The film was originally slated for release on August 21, 2020, though it was pushed into 2021 by Warner Bros. due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film, which was produced by Black Panther producer Ryan Coogler, also stars Martin Sheen as FBI director J. Edgar Hoover,

Killed: Hampton was killed in December 1969 at just 21 years of age during an early-morning raid on his apartment by the FBI
DALLAS, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Populus Financial Group announced that on August 11, 2020, it will provide financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020 to TMI Trust Company, the trustee under the Indenture dated as of December 15, 2017 governing the Company's 12% Senior Secured Notes due 2022. The Company also announced it will host a conference call for Noteholders on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. CT to discuss the financial results.

Noteholders should contact David Sternblitz, Vice President, Treasurer of Populus Financial Group to obtain access to the Company's financial statements and information concerning the conference call.

About Populus Financial Group

Populus Financial Group provides financial services through its family of brands including ACE Cash Express, ACE Elite Visa Prepaid Debit Card and ACE Flare Account by MetaBank. Populus Financial Group delivers a broad range of financial products and services including short-term consumer loans, card services, check cashing, money transfers, bill payments and money orders. Visit PopulusFinancial.com for more information.

SOURCE Populus Financial Group

Related Links

http://www.acecashexpress.com


Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 22:45:06|Editor: huaxia

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SHANGHAI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A television program to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was launched on Friday at the site of the first CPC National Congress in Shanghai.

The 12-episode program was organized by the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA), and jointly created by the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, the National Archives Administration, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and other institutions.

Featuring lesser-known events, documents and relics about the CPC, the program will "reflect the great spirit of the Party over its 100-year history" by telling stories and displaying specific figures and events, according to the launching ceremony of the program.

It will be produced jointly by Shanghai's radio and television bureau and the Shanghai Media Group, and is expected to be aired on the eve of July 1, 2021, the day marking the 100th founding anniversary of the CPC.

The production of several other programs, including series, documentaries and cartoons themed for the anniversary, is already underway with the organization of the NRTA. The programs will be available on television and radio platforms from January 2021. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 23:18:54|Editor: huaxia

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BELGRADE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Serbia, in proportion to its economic strength and size, is among the countries that have invested the most in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic and expects no negative growth this year, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday.

Vucic told a press conference that the value of the country's aid to the economy is 5.8 billion euros (around 12 percent of Serbia's GDP).

"We are one of the countries that have invested the most in rehabilitating the economy affected by COVID-19," he said.

Speaking about the economic parameters, Vucic expressed satisfaction with industrial growth of 2.3 percent, and 2 percent in the sector of agriculture, but noted that the construction industry will have to develop faster in order to prevent negative growth.

"That is why we will invest additional money in the railways, corridors, regional routes, so that we do not have negative growth by the end of the year, which will be a huge success," he pointed out.

The president summed up how the state is assisting 235,372 companies, which employ more than 1 million people, by paying them 60 percent of the minimum wage for each employee.

He revealed that there hasn't been any decrease in employment, and even a slight increase can be seen.

Speaking about the epidemic situation, Vucic noted improvement, and warned against relaxation.

"Today, the situation is more favorable than it was 10 or 15 days ago, but it is time to be even more responsible and serious in the fight against this vicious epidemic. It is very important for us to take care of our doctors and nurses and to act responsibly," he said.

Vucic announced that new COVID-19 hospitals will be soon constructed in several cities, while existing hospital capacities will be reconstructed and improved.

Currently, there are 3,154 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Serbia, of which 276 are newly confirmed. Enditem
South Africa: SASSA anti-fraud strategy pays off

The South African Social Security Agency CEO, Totsie Memela, has lauded the role played by the agencys anti-fraud strategy in the case of a former SASSA employee, who has been sentenced for fraud.

The Mbizana Regional Court in the Eastern Cape recently sentenced Nombuso Lynette Dlamini, 44, and Siyasanga Gqamane, 31, for defrauding the State of approximately R1.2 million between 2006 and 2011.

Dlamini, a former clerk at SASSA, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, two of which were suspended for five years, with stringent conditions. Gqamane, the mastermind behind the fraud, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, with two years suspended for five years, with stringent conditions.

In another case, 23 suspects have appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court for using identity documents of the public to register fraudulent grants. Their case has been remanded to 4 September 2020.

Also in Mpumalanga, another syndicate will appear in court on Friday, charged for trying to hack the SASSA system with some sophisticated gadgets.

Memela said these continuous breakthroughs made by law enforcement agencies bear testimony to the resilience of the SASSA anti-fraud strategy, which is anchored on the prevention, detection and strengthening of internal controls, among others.

This strategy is driven by multi-disciplinary teams of law enforcers, who collaborate to detect fraud and unleash the might of the law on those suspected of committing it. We have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and will stop at nothing to root it out at first sight. Criminals - be warned, Memela said.

SASSA also works with institutions from the banking industry in the fight against fraud and corruption.

All these partnerships should present fraudsters with a mountain to climb if they plan to defraud SASSA in the future, said Memela.

The public is urged to report cases of corruption to the anti-corruption hotline on 0800 43 43 73.

We need to work together even more with the public to fight corruption and ensure that public funds are not abused by anyone, Memela said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
ST. PAUL, Minn., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson // Becker, PLLC is a nationwide products liability law firm with experience representing victims of pressure cooker explosions. The firm represents over 200 clients who have been severely burned by exploding pressure cookers designed and sold by numerous manufacturers. Johnson // Becker filed multiple Complaints in Florida state court on behalf residents of California, Minnesota, Missouri (2), North Carolina and Oklahoma alleging that Sunbeam Products, Inc., the manufacturer of the Crockpot Express, misrepresented the safety of their pressure cookers.

In each of the Complaints, the Plaintiffs state that their pressure cookers exploded while under pressure, and that as a result of the explosions, the Plaintiffs sustained severe burn injuries. The Complaints also claim that the Crockpot Express is marketed as having "safety features" which are supposed to prevent the unit from both building pressure if the lid is not closed properly, as well as the lid from being removed until all the pressure is released. However, the Plaintiffs allege that the Crockpot Express contains defects which allow unsuspecting consumers to remove the lid while the cooker is still under pressure causing the scalding hot contents to be projected from the unit.

This suit is filed by Michael K. Johnson, Lisa A. Gorshe, Kenneth W. Pearson and Adam J. Kress of Johnson // Becker, PLLC. Michael K. Johnson is a founding partner of Johnson // Becker, PLLC. Michael, Ken and Adam exclusively handle injury cases, with an emphasis on national products liability litigation, including cases involving burn injuries from defective products. To learn more about Johnson // Becker's product liability cases, or to arrange a free, no obligation case review, please visit Johnson // Becker at https://www.johnsonbecker.com/product-liability/pressure-cooker-lawsuit/, or contact Johnson // Becker directly at (800) 279-6386.

SOURCE Johnson // Becker, PLLC

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Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has personally called on mining magnate Clive Palmer to drop his constitutional challenge to Western Australia's border restrictions.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison dropped the federal government's involvement in the case, which will be argued before the High Court in coming months.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann during the Business News breakfast. Credit:Matt Jelonek

Senator Cormann said it would be the right thing for Mr Palmer to drop the challenge, which could mean the restrictions preventing any Australian from coming into WA without a police exemption would be dropped.

"We are no longer party to those proceedings, we've stepped away and that is in recognition of the fact that circumstances have changed," he said.
Representative Image

The rampaging coronavirus has battered the economy and pushed several businesses on the brink of closing down but the outbreak that has forced millions of people indoors has also seen sectors like online education, business software and healthtech thrive.

Many online healthcare platforms such as Practo and 1mg have reported their fastest growth ever, including in doctor consultations, telemedicine and online pharmacies.

Bengaluru-based Practo has seen a 600 percent growth in online consultations since March, while online pharmacy 1mgs medicine delivery orders have surged 50 percent during the period, the companies have said.

They are also getting users from smaller towns, a sign of a widening base and not just a small pool of customers ordering more.

The excitement and spike for healthtech are very real. It has taken the industry forward 18-24 months in a couple of months, 1mg co-founder and CEO Prashant Tandon 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

For telemedicine, in fact, the spike we have seen today is something thats been expected for over a decade now. Some of the promise is finally being fulfilled.

But it is too early to pop the champagne. The healthtech sector that should have been booming at a time of a major health crisis is hemmed in by challenges of building a large business.

Symptom check

A lead indicator for growth in a startup is funding. Founders show growth and investors cut large cheques at aggressive valuations in the expectation of aggressive expansion.

According to data from research firm Venture Intelligence (VI), healthtech startups have raised $345 million across 30 deals, so far, this year compared to $702 million in 2019 and $534 million the year before. At this pace, funding in 2020 maybe just on par with that of the previous year.

In contrast, online education startups have raised $750 million this year, roughly a sixth of the $4 billion that startups raised in the first half of 2020, according to VI data. This doesnt include WhiteHat Jrs $300-million sale to Byjus.

Globally, healthtech is seeing remarkable growth. A year ago, two listed American companiesTeladoc and Livongowere valued at $5.2 billion and $3.2 billion, respectively. Both provide online care, consultations, and treatments for chronic illnesses.

On August 5, Teladoc acquired Livongo for $18.5 billion, giving the combined entity a valuation of $37 billion. Their valuation has risen five times in a year due to the pandemic.

In India, the coronavirus has given an undeniable boost to many healthtech startups but questions remain over fundamentals and sustainability of growth the larger sector.

For business-to-consumer platforms (B2C), which offer doctor consultations, or many online pharmacies, no one knows whether the spike will continue once the lockdown is completely lifted.

Because of COVID, on the B2C side, there are short-term benefits and opportunities but whether there are long-term benefits is uncertain, said Anjana Sasidharan, formerly an investor with Sequoia Capital.

Startups focusing on drug discovery, genetic research, working on specific diseases and those selling software to hospitals are better placed.

For B2B businesses, there could be a benefit because it is much easier to sell to hospitals than customers. The decision-making time for sales has come down drastically, Sasidharan said.

Tandon of 1mg said B2B selling had changed. From companies pitching and marketing to hospitals for solutions, hospitals are actively seeking quick technology solutions, he said.

The problem is India doesnt have too many B2B healthtech businesses.

Despite a spike in demand, most of these businessesboth consumer and enterprise-drivenare not showing signs of profitability.

In the last four months, the customer acquisition cost has come down by 40 percent for many platforms, as more and more people go online to consult doctors or buy medicines from the safety of their homes.

Greater traffic hasnt translated into higher profits as margins are low, competition intense, and in some B2B cases, the market is still young.

A healthtech startup comes with its own sets of challenges. The biggest is technical knowledge.

For ideas like Swiggy or UrbanClap, you can experience the service yourself, so building it from first principles is easier. This isnt true for healthcare, where technical knowledge is hard to access, said Harsimarbir Singh, co-founder of Pristyn Care, referring to on-demand services firm Urban Company with its earlier name.

Pristyn Care platform employs doctors and partners with smaller hospitals for non-critical surgeries such as hernia, piles and gall stone.

For a founder, building a team which has internet principles backed by healthcare and core-technology knowledge is hard, but if it has to work, unavoidable, he added.

Healthtech lags most other sectors in India, in scale, companies created and funding even though the sector is fragmented and the countrys doctor-patient ratio is among the lowest in the world, which should ideally by an opportunity for founders and investors alike.

India boasts of several unicorns in ecommerce, food delivery, logistics, business software, insurance, payments and financial services sectors but there is not one healthtech company that is valued at over a billion dollars.

According to the latest Hurun Global Unicorn List, India has 21 unicorns collectively valued at $73.2 billion.

Industry insiders say only health and fitness platform Cure.fit and PharmEasy come closer.

Cure.fit, which had a network of gyms, food-delivery services and consultations before the coronavirus struck, has had its own share of troubles.

It has laid off 1,400 people in the last three months, as online classes havent generated the kind of revenue earlier businesses did.

PharmEasy, the leader among online pharmacies, is valued at about $700 million and is in talks to acquire smaller rival Medlife for about $200 million, as reported by Moneycontrol on July 20.

It is, however, an exception when it comes to scaling and long- term potential.

The diagnosis

So why hasnt healthtech taken off?

Founders say Indian investors are not bullish enough on health. Except Sequoia Capital, few other venture firms have done healthcare deals.

Investors, on the other hand, say there arent enough founders building healthtech businesses and the ones who are, are often not showing the metrics that justify large investments.

In real health technology, we have not seen enough founders. It is a difficult space. We arent seeing too many new companies coming up and even post-COVID, I havent seen much excitement, said Anand Lunia, managing partner at India Quotient, an early-stage fund.

The general view is that the healthtech sector should have made strides like the online education did but a closer look reveals it isnt that easy.

There arent that many permanent shifts in behaviour. More doctors will start adopting online software and listing online but it doesn't look like a big or imminent exploding market, Lunia said.

The viral outbreak helped but the industry was not showing signs of maturity or true innovation, said the founder of a healthtech startup on condition of anonymity.

There are some positive signs but whether these metricsof low cost, more customers and better economics will stick in the long run, only time will tell, the founder said.

In relative terms, this is a better period for these startups but in absolute terms, there are many challenges and the sector is not about to see a turnaround overnight.
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Shareapy connects users with strangers willing to listen to their personal problems and offer emotional support.

The app, developed by a team of undergraduate students from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (UT), beat out entrants representing 800 universities from 60 countries to place amongst the top ten winners in the Google-backed Solution Challenge 2020 competition.

The teams showing marks the highest ever ranking a Vietnamese group has achieved in the annual contest, designed to seek out solutions to local community issues using Google products and platforms.

Young people deserve to be heard

The contests goal is to find solutions to local community problems and we wanted to use it as an opportunity to raise community awareness of mental health, said Nguyen Thanh Nhan, a third-year computer science major at UT and member of Shareapys developer team.

In the same vein, Tran Lam Bao Khang and Vo Ngoc Khanh Linh, both industrial management sophomores at UT, shared their belief that young people need to prioritize their mental health.

As young people ourselves, we fully understand the problems faced by our generation. Most current apps available on the market only aim to satisfy material needs, not emotional ones, Khang and Linh explained.

As members of UTs Google Developer Students Club, the trio, along with computer science major Nguyen Dang Huy, looked to use the competition as a way to make a difference in the lives of their peers.

Their efforts resulted in Shareapy  an app that allows users to share personal problems with strangers by creating a community centered on one-way sympathy, referring to a culture of showing support without criticism or judgment.

We still have a lot of work we need to do in order to address the needs of our users. Next, we'll need to find a way to enlist the help of doctors and mental health professionals, the team said.

In the meantime, we are trying our best to refine the app. We plan to launch a test for our users that will assess their mental health condition and offer detailed and useful suggestions.

The team also admitted that learning the psychology and technology jargon they needed to create the app was another hurdle they had to overcome in the beginning phases of their project.

Still, they remained committed.

Because of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the team was forced to cancel a trip to Google's headquarters in California, the U.S. this year, which would have offered them an invaluable opportunity to exchange ideas with industry experts.

But they hope to continue improving their app.

An insider's perspective

The connection the four-team members have to the app extends just beyond being developers.

Experiencing mental health issues themselves, they hope to offer an insider's perspective to their peers.

Linh shared that when depression first hit her at the end of high school, she found solace in journaling and speaking with others about her feelings.

Such personal connections to mental health issues were all the inspiration the team needed to take on the struggle of balancing school and app development.

When we first launched the app, the social distancing measures meant to curb the COVID-19 pandemic were in place so we couldnt meet in person. We had to move all our meetings online instead, the team shared.

But it turned out that online meetings were more convenient for us because we didnt have to waste time traveling and it allowed us to be more flexible about our schedules.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 14:05:09|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- When talking about his work at the Central Intelligence Agency, the former director Mike Pompeo has never been that honest: "We lied, we cheated, we stole ... It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment."

It is regrettable that the disgraceful behaviors have been viewed as a motto by a handful of hardliners in Washington, including Pompeo himself, the incumbent U.S. secretary of state, and White House trade advisor Peter Navarro.

During the past several months, they have been obsessed with China-demonizing campaigns, blatantly pointing fingers at China's domestic affairs, and even hyping up an ideological confrontation with Beijing.

What they have done not only is far from the truths and science, but has dragged the world's most important relationship into a dangerous zone.

Washington has never stopped launching disinformation and defamation campaigns against China. Certain political leaders in recent days spared no efforts to stigmatize China over the coronavirus, which has drawn strong worldwide condemnation. More ridiculously, the U.S. embassy and consulates in China last month retweeted an apparently photoshopped picture uploaded by the spokesperson of the State Department, trying to cook up a story about China's human rights violation in Xinjiang.

It once again proves that some politicians in the United States would resort to all means in their fanatical effort to attack China.

Washington has never stopped attempting to sow division between China and its overseas partners with groundless claims, for example by accusing China of setting up "dept traps" in developing countries.

But facts speak louder than words. No countries in Africa or Latin America have complained about falling into such a "debt trap" because of their cooperation with China. That's why Robert Zoellick, the former World Bank president, has said: "Those who see China only as a disruptor are misleading themselves. Frankly, self-deception is very dangerous in diplomacy."

Washington has never stopped abusing national and political power to repress law-abiding Chinese tech companies. Although Washington has failed to give any credible evidence to support its claim that Huawei poses a security threat, it has spent months piling pressure on other countries to exclude the Chinese tech giant from their 5G networks. More recently, the White House threatened to ban outright TikTok, a hugely popular video-sharing app worldwide.

Such a blatant act of bullying runs against the World Trade Organization's principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination and has exposed the hegemonic nature of the world' sole superpower.

Behind these vicious lies and cheats are Pompeos and Navarros' selfish political calculations that motivate them to cover up their incompetent and chaotic response to the raging pandemic and shift public opinion for the coming elections. And most importantly, it is the scheme of China hawks to contain China's development and maintain Washington's hegemony.

However, their awkward and dirty tricks will fool no clear and rational minds across the world. If those politicians continue moving in the wrong direction, Washington's dwindling credibility will be further eroded and more shame will be brought onto its diplomacy. Enditem
A soldier walks at the devastated site of the explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug.6, 2020. (Thibault Camus, Pool/AP Photo)

Pentagon: Trump and Esper Consistent on Beirut Explosion

The Pentagon has dismissed the apparent difference between President Donald Trump and his defense secretary over the cause of the Beirut explosion.

The President and Secretary have both been consistent that weve reached no definitive cause for the explosion and that information is still coming, and were going to continue to assess it, Jonathan Rath Hoffman, the top Pentagon spokesperson, told reporters.

On Tuesday, the day of the explosion, Trump characterized the explosion in the port in Beirut as a terrible attack, saying that some generals thought it could have been caused by a bomb of some kind.

The following day, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that they were still getting information and that most believe it was an accident, adding, I have nothing further to report on that.

That difference between Trump and Esper was picked up in many reports, saying that Esper had contradicted the president.

Lebanese officials have stated that the explosionwhich has killed over 150 people according to the latest figures and heard over 100 miles away in Cypruswas caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse. The cause of the fire that initiated the blast is currently being investigated.

Smoke rises from the site of an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

Smoke rises from a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)

The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act, Lebanon President Michel Aoun said.

The investigation will try to establish three things. First, how the explosive material entered and was stored  second, whether the explosion was a result of negligence or an accident  and third, the possibility that there was external interference.

Responding to a question on whether generals had given Trump inaccurate information, Hoffman said that the situation was fast-evolving and that different information had come to light on the two days.

The investigation into the explosion is ongoing,  he said. Were going to defer to and give the Lebanese government space to complete their investigation and reach their conclusions. Im not going to offer any conclusions from the U.S. government or from the intel community today. Thats not my role, so were going to work with them.

In his remarks to reporters on the day of the attack, Trump said, Ive met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was not a  some kind of manufacturing explosion type of event.

They would know better than I would, he added. But they seem to think it was an attack. It was a bomb of some kind.
Smriti Irani, Indias Union Minister of Textiles marked the occasion of National Handloom Day by sharing how handloom can enrich our lives and surroundings, and urging people to use handmade items from their clothing to furnishings.

The former model-turned-actor took to her Instagram account and shared pictures of herself dressed in handloom, saree to mask as she stood beside handcrafted wall decor that resembled Lord Shiva. She captioned the post, Handloom can enrich our daily lives and surrounding in many ways; from clothing to furnishing to Masks in Covid times to wall hanging. Bring home handmade in India! I take pride in celebrating Indias legacy, I am #Vocal4Handmade. Are you? Share your pictures with pride in support of our weavers and artisans for we are #Vocal4Handmade.

Other than Smriti, several other celebrities including Bollywood actors including Janhvi Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut and others also took to social media to share pictures of themselves donning their favourite handloom clothing.

Today, on August 7, India is celebrating its 6th National Handloom Day in memory of the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on the same day in 1905. On this day, Indias handloom weavers, from Kanjivaram to Pashmina, are recognised for their contribution to India. The Swadeshi Movement was launched to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government.

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NEW DELHI  An Indian jetliner trying to land during a torrential downpour in southern India on Friday night skidded off a slick runway, crashed into a wall, tumbled into a valley and split in half, killing at least 17 people and injuring scores.

The Air India Express Boeing 737 was a special repatriation flight carrying more than 180 passengers from Dubai to Kozhikode, a city along Indias southwestern coast in Kerala State. Many aboard were Indians who had been stranded in the Persian Gulf during the coronavirus pandemic and had been waiting for months to return home.

Indian media showed injured passengers lying on their backs in the hallways of a hospital, transported there by emergency workers in a drenching rain. According to news reports, as many as 120 people had been injured.
Kabul, Aug 7 : Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday called for durable peace and stability while addressing the Loya Jirga, a grand assembly of the country's elders, who have gathered in Kabul to decide the fate of the remaining 400 Taliban inmates in government prisons.

"We need peace, real and durable peace and stability in our country. A national peace that must be accepted by all," Xinhua news agency quoted Ghani as saying while addressing the gathering which included more than 3,000 elders, chieftains and delegates from across the country.

According to officials, the 400 prisoners are involved in major crimes and terrorist activities including deadly bombings, kidnapping and killing of government employees and civilians.

"Based on the Constitution, the release of these 400 prisoners is not within the authority of the president of Afghanistan. We have passed through major hurdles to reach this point, we have reached a very sensitive and critical moment.

"The holding of this Jirga demonstrates my commitment to the implementation of the Constitution," the President added.

As per the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha in February, the Afghan government has so far freed 5,100 Taliban inmates.

According to Ghani, the Taliban have said that they will start direct talks with the Afghan government and civil society faction in the next three days if these 400 prisoners are released.

But the group has warned of continued bloodshed if these inmates are not released.

The Taliban has so far released 1,005 government inmates.

Meanwhile, the US State Department welcomed the Loya Jirga in Kabul, saying it will consolidate national support for peace in Afghanistan, reports TOLO News.

"The US commends the participants of the Loya Jirga to consolidate national support for peace. We understand that they will decide on the expeditious release of the remaining Taliban prisoners from their list, the last obstacle to the start of intra-Afghan negotiations," it said in a statement.

The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad in a series of tweets on Friday welcomed the holding of the consultative Loya Jirga and said that it offered a historic platform to remove obstacles in the way of intra-Afghan talks.

"It is a historic opportunity to remove the last hurdle to direct peace talks. A positive outcome will mean a reduction in violence and Afghans immediately coming together at the negotiating table.

"Afghans have waited far too long for this moment...," he said.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
By PTI

KATHMANDU: Nepal Communist Party's executive chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has asked the party workers to prepare for the "worst" as the ongoing power tussle between him and Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has intensified with no solution in sight.

Oli and Prachanda have held at least ten meetings in recent weeks to sort out the differences between them.

But, as the Prime Minister did not accept the condition of a one-man-one-post, the talks failed.

Oli has refused to give up his post as prime minister as well as a co-chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP).

A bitter internal feud has been brewing in the ruling NCP since the last few weeks after top party leaders, including Prachanda, demanded Oli's resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were "neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate."

The opponents of Oli are also against his autocratic style of functioning.

"Our main concern is not about gaining power, what we want is to follow the proper procedure while running the NCP. We are not focusing on gaining any position, but our fight is against the wrong trend developing in the party," Prachanda told a select group of journalists during a special briefing on Wednesday.

He held the press conference along with three senior party leaders Madhav Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and party spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha, according to Nagarik daily.

The dissident group accused Oli of trying to damage the image of other senior leaders of the party, the daily reported.

Prachanda and Nepal have claimed that the majority of the powerful Central Working Committee members have supported them while raising voice against Oli.

Prachanda also alleged that while the Standing Committee meeting was in progress, at the initiative of Prime Minister Oli a new party was registered under the name of a lesser-known person at the Election Commission with the intention to split the ruling party.

"If one chairman (PM Oli) does not follow the proper procedure of the party then how can the unity of the party remain intact," he wondered.

Prachanda claimed that he and other senior leaders of the party were trying to save the party by creating a favourable situation.

"We are trying for the best outcome but the communists of this country should also be prepared for the worst thing to happen," Prachanda told media persons, indicating a possible split in the ruling party.

"I had agreed to make Oli Prime Minister for a full 5 years term and enjoy the executive chairman's position in the party for creating a better environment within the party," said Prachanda.

"Oli has dragged the party towards anarchism by calling separate gatherings," Prachanda said.

During the press briefing, the senior leaders also accused Prime Oli of making political appointments on his own choice without consulting with the party.

Madhav Nepal accused Oli of working in the vested interest of a certain group and encouraging corrupt people while making appointments.

Party spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that Oli is running the government on his personal whim.

Does the government belong to the party or a person? He asked.

Meanwhile, PM Oli's chief advisor Bishnu Rimal has slammed Shrestha.

"Don't encourage groupism in the party at a time when the country is passing through a crisis. Enough is enough," he wrote on Twitter.

On July 28, Prime Minister Oli postponed the crucial Standing Committee meeting for the ninth time.

While Oli wants to call the Secretariat meeting to resolve the differences, Prachanda says it would be inappropriate to call the Secretariat meeting as the Standing Committee meeting that was put off on July 28 is yet to be over.

Prime Minister Oli wants the Secretariat meeting to resolve the key issues of an intra-party dispute as he now commands a majority in the nine-member body.

Prachanda, who is backed by senior party leader and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, believes that the Standing Committee could take decisions favourable to him as their faction commands a comfortable majority, according to reports.
KANSAS CITY, MO--Since its discovery, scientists have been using the much-lauded gene editing tool CRISPR to alter the DNA of model organisms and uncover the functions of thousands of genes. Now, researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Andalusian Center of Developmental Biology at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, Spain, have harnessed the technology to target gene messages (messenger RNA) involved in early vertebrate development.

By disrupting gene messages (RNA) instead of the underlying genes (DNA), researchers can study genes that might previously have been difficult or impossible to manipulate because they were essential to life or involved in a critical stage of biological development. This approach also allows targeting of maternally-contributed gene RNAs, which are deposited in the egg to kick off the earliest genetic programs.

The study, which appears online August 7, 2020, in the journal Developmental Cell, establishes the use of CRISPR-Cas technology to target RNA in embryonic animal models in a specific and systematic manner. The findings demonstrate the technique can be applied to a broad range of aquatic and terrestrial models including zebrafish, medaka, killifish, and mice.

"The exciting thing about this study is not just what we found, but what we can do," says Ariel Bazzini, PhD, an assistant investigator at the Stowers Institute and co-leader of the study. "We still don't understand how genes jumpstart the earliest stages of development. Now we can find out by targeting their RNA messages, one by one."

"We are also very excited about the the low cost of the technique," Bazzini says. "Any lab working with zebrafish or other animal embryos could use this method. Indeed, we have already distributed the reagents and protocol to several labs around the world."

Before development even begins, egg must first meet sperm. The resulting embryo carries half the genes from the mother and half from the father. In addition to its genome, the embryo has components such as RNA and proteins provided by the mother.

"That maternal contribution is a mystery that many of us want to solve," says Bazzini. However, attempts to systematically target RNA in zebrafish, the model organism of choice for many developmental biologists, have been unsuccessful. The aptly-named RNA interference method, which has been a mainstay in studies of gene function, does not work in zebrafish, or other fish or frogs. Other methods using synthetics strips of genetic code known as morpholinos or antisense oligonucleotides have sometimes been associated with toxicity and off-target effects.

So when Bazzini and his collaborator and friend Miguel A. Moreno-Mateos, PhD, a professor at Pablo de Olavide University, noticed reports that CRISPR technology had been employed to degrade RNA in yeast, plants, and mammalian cells, they were eager to give it a try. Moreno-Mateos was a postdoc in Antonio Giraldez's lab at Yale University at the same time as Bazzini, and is considered an expert on the optimization of CRISPR-Cas technology in vivo.

The CRISPR-Cas13 system depends on two ingredients - a short RNA sequence known as a "guide" RNA, and an enzyme called Cas13 (part of the Cas, or CRISPR-associated, family of proteins) that cuts any RNA messages in the cell that could line up and bind to that guide sequence. The researchers tested four different Cas13 proteins that had been successfully used in previous studies. They found that the Cas13 proteins were either inefficient or toxic to the developing zebrafish, except for one protein, called RfxCas13d.

They then examined whether targeting RNA with CRISPR-RfxCas13d in zebrafish embryos could recreate the same defects as altering the organism's underlying DNA. For example, when they targeted the RNA of the tbxta gene, which is necessary for growing a tail, the zebrafish embryos were tailless.

The researchers went on to show that the CRISPR system could efficiently target a variety of RNAs, both those provided by the mother as well as those produced by the embryo, decreasing RNA levels by an average of 76%. Collaborators within and outside of Stowers helped derive that statistic, and showed that the technique also works in killifish, medaka, and mouse embryos.

"The CRISPR-RfxCas13d system is an efficient, specific and inexpensive method that can be used in animal embryos in a comprehensive manner," says Moreno-Mateos, who is also co-leader of the study. "With this tool we will help to understand fundamental questions in biology and biomedicine."

One of the fundamental questions the researchers hope to pursue is the role that RNA plays in the earliest hours of development. The RNAs left behind by the mother have to be removed at precisely the same time that the genome of the embryo comes online; otherwise, the embryo never develops.

"We think this tool could have a profound effect on our understanding of infertility and developmental problems in general," says Bazzini.

"The Stowers facilities and collaborative environment have allowed us to test CRISPR technology in other animal model systems," Bazzini says. "When I joined Stowers about four years ago, I would have never predicted that my lab would be doing experiments in mouse or killifish models. It's been a fun adventure!"

Other coauthors from the Stowers Institute include Gopal Kushawah, PhD, Michelle DeVore, Huzaifa Hassan, Wei Wang, PhD, Timothy J. Corbin, Andrea M. Moran, and Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, PhD.

This research was funded by the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Pablo de Olavide University, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, and Junta de Andalucia. Additional support included the Ramon y Cajal program (RyC-2017-23041) and grants (BFU2017-86339-P, PGC2018-097260-B-I00, and MDM-2016-0687) from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades; the Springboard program from Centro Andaluz de Biologia del Desarrollo; Genome Engineer Innovation 2019 Grant from Synthego; the Pew Innovation Fund; Innovate Peru (grant 168-PNICP-PIAP-2015); and FONDECYT (travel grant 043-2019).

Lay Summary of Findings

CRISPR is a gene-editing tool that has enabled researchers to study the function of different genes in model organisms. Scientists at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Andalusian Center of Developmental Biology at Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, Spain, have now harnessed this powerful technology to target gene messages in animal model embryos to gain a better understanding of the genetic programs that direct early stages of vertebrate development.

In a report published online August 7, 2020, in Developmental Cell, the Stowers team, led by Assistant Investigator Ariel Bazzini, PhD, and collaborators show that the technology, called CRISPR-Cas13, is able to target RNA - DNA's chemical cousin that carries messages needed to construct proteins - in embryonic animal models in a specific and systematic manner, allowing researchers to study the role of RNA in the earliest hours of development. The researchers show that the CRISPR-Cas13 method is effective in zebrafish, killifish, medaka, and mouse embryos, and thus could be used to explore early developmental genetic programs in a broad range of animal species.

###

About the Stowers Institute for Medical Research

The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is a non-profit, basic biomedical research organization dedicated to improving human health by studying the fundamental processes of life. Jim Stowers, founder of American Century Investments, and his wife, Virginia, opened the Institute in 2000. Currently, the Institute is home to about 500 researchers and support personnel, over 20 independent research programs, and more than a dozen technology development and core facilities. Learn more about the Institute at http://www.stowers.org and about its graduate program at http://www.stowers.org/gradschool.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- There were moments during Emmanuel Macrons visit to Beirut on Thursday when it seemed that the French president was in a mosh pit, crowd-surfing over waves of adulation and anger: The adulation was for him, and far more than he might reasonably expect from a Parisian throng; the anger was for the entire Lebanese political class, who are being collectively blamed for the devastating blasts that shattered much of the city on Tuesday.

It is easy enough to cavil, as some have, that Macrons walkabout in the Gemmayzeh neighborhood was political theater. He was always going to get a friendlier reception in a Francophile quarter of East Beirut than, say, in the southern suburbs controlled by Hezbollah.

But there is no gainsaying the fact that the French president did what few local leaders have cared (or dared) to: listen to the grievances of a traumatized people and promise to help.

In Gemmayzeh and later at a press conference in the French embassy, Macron said all the right things: The Lebanese were not alone in their grief, he would rally international donors to help rebuild their damaged capital, and the money would not go to the corrupt hands of their politicians. He pledged to return to Beirut on Sept. 1 to personally verify that French aid, funneled through non-governmental organizations, is going directly to the people of Lebanon.

He also called for an international investigation into the blasts, to make sure nothing remains hidden and no doubts linger.

It was Macron at his most statesmanlike, speaking not only for France but for the wider world, and promising to cut through a geopolitical Gordian knot. But the president has a poor track record in turning rhetoric into results.

His attempt to mediate the U.S.-Iranian confrontation last year earned him only scorn from both sides. His recent finger-pointing over Libyas civil war has spared him no blushes. His enthusiasm for the fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel region of sub-Saharan Africa has left French forces in what looks like a quagmire.

Story continues

He may feel on firmer ground in Lebanon, a former French protectorate. In an interview, Macron said if France did not play its part, other powers may interfere whether it be Iran, Saudi Arabia or Turkey.

He need not worry about competition, though. No other world leader is auditioning for the role of Beiruts savior. France could, if Macron were so minded, bail out Lebanons stricken economy by itself. Then he wouldnt have to deal with an ornery Trump or an obstinate Erdogan  or even an overcautious Angela Merkel.

But he would have to reckon with Lebanons obstreperous politicians, who are averse to any political and economic reforms that might whittle away their privileges, such as the freedom to loot the states resources. Macron said the country needed a new political initiative. It will take rather more than finger-wagging to keep those corrupt hands from the till. The president will have to knock some heads together, as well.

And the hardest head belongs to Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollahs obdurate leader. He is the reason most world leaders have been leery of involving themselves in Lebanons economic crisis. Iran-backed Hezbollah has its tentacles in almost every aspect of the Lebanese state  including the Beirut port, where the blasts took place  and a powerful militia with which to protect its interests.

In his press conference, Macron called on Hezbollah to back reforms and think of Lebanons interest rather those of Iran. But that would require Nasrallah to change the habit of a lifetime.

And then, there are the Lebanese people. Traumatized by their latest tragedy and desperate for change, they will cling to Macrons promises and want to see action before his Sept 1 return to Beirut. If he fails to deliver, the streets of Gemmayzeh may not be so welcoming the second time around.

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

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As the list of retail stores planning to close on Thanksgiving this year grows, researchers at Placer.ai looked at foot traffic data trends for Black Friday to see if sales could be recouped then. So far this year, the roster of stores planning to close on Thanksgiving include Walmart, Target, Kohls, J.C. Penney, Best Buy, Dicks Sporting Goods and Bed, Bath & Beyond, among others.

For all of the brands analyzed, Black Friday was one of the top-performing days annually each year from 2017 to 2019, Placer.ai said, adding that by location, Aventura Mall in Florida and Woodbury Common in New York had the highest day for overall Black Friday visits in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

However, Placer.ai found this is not true across the board, the company said. For example, while six of Best Buys top 10 days from 2017 through 2019 were in late November, only three of Targets were and only two of Walmarts.

Ethan Chernofsky, vice president of marketing at Placer.ai, noted in the report that for many brands, traffic is strongest (and outpaces Thanksgiving, Black Friday and the Saturday after) in the period right before Christmas (Dec. 21 through 23). There are also categorical differences in regard to foot traffic, he added.

Food-oriented brands like Costco see a dramatically more significant period pre-Christmas, while brands oriented toward classic Black Friday shopping like Best Buy, Lowes, or Kohls see a shift toward Black Friday, Chernofsky said in the report. Interestingly, Target and Walmart, two of the brands forsaking Thanksgiving in 2020, consistently see more traffic pre-Christmas.

But traffic generated on Thanksgiving remains significant for the entire holiday season, and Placer.ai said in the report that losing Thanksgiving visits will matter to most brands.

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Dismembered and burned human remains found last month in South Bexar County belonged to a woman who frequented the Northeast Side, deputies said.

The remains of Connie Tatum, 55, were discovered by a man who was walking his dog on July 28 at about 4:30 p.m. in the 21000 block of Spanish Grant Road.

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said Tatums corpse was not complete.

Thats, of course, one of the more disturbing parts of the case, Salazar said. Wed like to figure out where this may have happened.

Deputies said it appears she was left at the scene.

He said Tatums remains, which were behind a barbed-wire fence, were burned and in advanced stages of decomposition.

Salazar previously said that Tatums remains could have been there a couple of days or weeks, and that heat and moisture could have quickened the decomposition process.

The Bexar County Medical Examiners Office was able to identify her through her fingerprints, Salazar said.

The sheriff withheld some details of the case, particularly where Tatum was seen in her last days, in the hopes that other people would contact investigators and tell them where they saw her.

He said Tatum was known to frequent the Austin Highway area. She had not been reported missing to the sheriffs office before her remains were found.

Salazar is asking anyone with information on what happened to Tatum to call 210-335-6070 or email detectives at bcsotips@bexar.org. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 210-224-STOP (7867).

The discovery of Tatums remains is the third case in which the burnt bodies of women were found in rural parts of Bexar County since April 2019.

On Dec. 8, the charred remains of Meagan Gonzales, 20, were found by a farmer near Lytle on a barren plot of land in the 12000 block of Wisdom Road.

She was last seen on Nov. 11 and reported missing by family on Nov. 15. Her blue 2001 Ford F-150, which also was reported missing, was also found but no details were provided on when or where it was located.

Salazar said previously that Gonzales had no ties to the area where her remains were discovered.

On April 4, 2019, a hiker discovered the scorched remains of Norma Pacheco, 39, who was found among several bushes near Government Canyon in the 13000 block of Texas 211. Her remains had been there for at least a week.

No suspects have been publicly identified in either case.

Crime Stoppers is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest in both cases.

Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Jacob, become a subscriber. jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA
CNBC's "College Voices 2020" is a series written by CNBC summer interns from universities across the country about coming of age, launching new careers and job hunting during a global pandemic. They're finding their voices during a time of great social change and hope for a better future. What money issues are they facing? How are they navigating their student loans? How are they getting work experience, networking and applying for jobs when so many opportunities have been canceled or postponed? How important is diversity and a company's values to Gen Z job seekers? College students face a lot of uncertainty, from the classroom to the job market and social situations. But one thing has been pretty consistent since the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day: Young people are committed to social change. They're outraged over the deaths of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many other Black Americans. They're flooding the streets in protest and, even though many are saddled with student-loan debt and an uncertain financial future, they are also donating money to Black Lives Matter and other racial justice organizations.

Protesters gathered at Barclays Center for a march in the streets of Brooklyn, July 31, 2020 Erik McGregor | LightRocket | Getty Images

The coronavirus pandemic has certainly taken a toll on charitable giving: Nearly half of charities in the U.S. are expecting a drop in donations in 2020 and beyond, according to a recent survey from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Yet from large national organizations to small community groups, racial justice organizations have been inundated with donations. On Blackout Tuesday, a day where people went dark on social media to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, ActBlue, the fundraising platform used by Black Lives Matter and other organizations, noted $41 million in donations in just 24 hours. And the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a small community bail project, raised $35 million in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis, which overwhelmed the small organization.

A 'huge flood' of small donations

The Richmond Community Bail Fund, a charitable bail fund in Richmond, Virginia, had previously posted over 60 bails in the central Virginia area. But after the death of George Floyd, the small organization was swimming in donations. "We have raised far more money than we have ever handled before," Matthew Perry, co-founder of the Richmond Community Bail Fund, said. "But it hasn't been just a handful of really large donations  It's been a huge flood of smaller increments." Although the organization doesn't track the demographic data of its donors, Perry suggests that social media and young people have contributed to this impact. A lot of celebrities, including Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Seth Rogen and Drake, have been vocal on Twitter, Instagram and other platforms about the money they have pledged for organizations that have helped bail out protesters. That has inspired many young people and others to donate as well  even if it's only a small amount.

The K-pop band BTS donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter right after George Floyd's death and its army of fans mobilized, getting the hashtag #MatchAMillion trending internationally. They wound up matching that $1 million donation ... in one day. Then, American wrestler and actor John Cena saw the fan campaign and matched it with his own $1 million donation. BTS tweet "We have at least seen that the broader public awareness of the bail fund has increased with young people a lot more recently. I think because of how bail funds have become a bit of a meme on social media, and social media skews younger, so we feel like we kind of made some inroads with younger people," he explained. The Bail Project, a large national nonprofit organization that pays bail for people in need, had more than 200,000 new online donors in the month of June alone. "Donations online tend to be smaller, but I hate to say smaller, because I don't want it to sound diminished. It's super important," said Robin Steinberg, CEO and co-founder of The Bail Project. "But there certainly are people donating online to us, ranging from donors who give $15 to donors who give $5,000 dollars. It's been incredibly inspiring and it certainly will help us replenish our National Revolving Bail Fund." The Bail Project, which has already paid out $26 million in bail for 11,000 people nationwide over the past two and a half years, raised $15 million in donations in the weeks after George Floyd was killed. Amplification and contributions from high profile donors undoubtedly contributed to this upswing. Steinberg confirmed that celebrities including John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Ariana Grande, Lil Baby, and Ilana Glazer have all supported The Bail Project in the wake of George Floyd's death. Perry said the flood of donations has fundamentally changed what his organization is capable of doing. "Before, someone might call us and say, you know, my brother's in on a $10,000 bond, can you help them? And we would have to say, no, we don't have that much money," Perry explained. "Now, we will never have to do that ... again. We can say yes to every single bond that we get, which is going to mean that we can help a lot more people."

A 'ton of people' were posting about it

Student activists have been the backbone of the racial justice movement, with social media serving as a key platform for organization. But as the recent increase in individual donations suggests, activists are not the only contributors to the Black Lives Matter movement. From community leaders to students who were unfamiliar with the term redlining (racial discrimination by banks in mortgage lending) until a few weeks ago, students nationwide are donating in huge numbers. Whether the majority of these donations will be one-time donations or not remains to be seen. Carley Richardson, an incoming sophomore and nursing student at the University of Cincinnati, spent her quarantine nannying and working in an eldercare facility. Richardson, who is from Louisville, Kentucky, began donating to racial justice organizations a few weeks prior to George Floyd's murder. "I donated to something for Breonna Taylor," Richardson said. "It was just around $5." She heard the outcry through social media. "There were a ton of people from Louisville posting about it," she explained. "And then it was also on some news, but I mostly found out from Instagram stories." More From Invest in You:

It's a tough outlook for graduates in the Class of 2020

How I started my own successful YouTube channel reviewing tech gadgets

Perseverance is key for my generation to succeed  and create change in the world Richardson has tried to raise awareness through social media. She's reposted racial justice content and news stories, and donated once again when protests began, to the Louisville Black Lives Matter. Richardson's contribution was, again, around $5: "I haven't made any large contributions. It's probably been about $15 in total." Katherine, a third-year student at the University of California, Berkeley who requested her last name not be included for privacy, barely spent any money before this summer. She lived with her mother for the first two months of quarantine, and was focusing on saving as much as possible. Katherine previously would not have considered herself particularly active when it comes to social justice. Although she had supported the Black Lives Matter movement, she had not contributed directly to racial justice organizations. Through friends and social media, however, Katherine has found herself being more engaged and motivated to donate.

I feel 'guilty for not donating my entire paycheck'

Katherine donated around $35 to a bail fund in Oakland, identifying the non-profit through a link tree posted to social media. Katherine expressed embarrassment over the quantity she had donated: "I still do feel a little bit guilty for not donating my entire paycheck every time it comes. But then I know that there are people who have so much more money and are not donating anything, and I definitely think people around me aren't very wealthy and are donating, too." Venus Okwuka is an incoming senior at Loyola University in Maryland who serves as the director of diversity and inclusion in Loyola's student government. Her finances took a major hit when coronavirus began to spread globally; she was studying abroad in the U.K. at the time and was forced to end her program prematurely. Although she is not spending on gas and leisure activities like she normally would, she has been impacted by price hikes for groceries and medicine. And Okwuka, who is pre-med, could not work in a hospital as she had originally intended.
by Pierre Balanian

Ali Msheik's wife has been waiting for three days in front of the place where he worked as a longshoreman to have news about his fate. Eliane, an artist, asks Christians and Muslims to pray for her son, a dentist, who is in intensive care. Young Christians and Muslims clean up streets and churches, places of God. In Beirut, death dis not discriminated. Everything at Holy Rosary Hospital, 300 metres from the site of the blasts, has been destroyed. Patients have been saved and now there is hope to rebuild the hospital. But we need everything. We have to start from scratch; we need help and the government is unable to help us.

Beirut (AsiaNews)  After three days, the search continues for possible survivors lying under tonnes of rubble caused by the terrible explosions that hit Beirut. Relatives are waiting anxiously for someone to pull out their loved one, dead or alive.

Ali Msheik, a longshoreman, is one of the many people missing; his wife said that after his regular shift, his employer had called him back to work at the grain elevator in the Port of Beirut. His hourly wage is 3,000 Lebanese pounds (about US$ 0.50).

With two children to feed, Ali couldnt afford the luxury of saying no, in a country where hunger is looming, where working is hard and earning money is almost impossible. Ali went back to work at 4.30 pm. At 6.15 pm the two explosions took place, exactly where Ali was working; since then, no news.

It is not known whether he is alive or dead, buried under tonnes of debris. His wife continues to cry. She has not gone home, but has remained near the blast site. She is hoping and praying that she might still hug her husband, alive. Despite the clock ticking, she hasnt lost hope.

Eliane is a Lebanese artist who has painted the grim walls of some of Beiruts poorest neighbourhoods, trying to beautify them and bring a little joy. At present, she is in a hospital waiting room. Her only son is in intensive care. A dentist, he was working at a clinic when the explosions occurred.

Despite being operated, there is little hope for him: his body was torn apart by broken glass, which penetrated deep and struck vital organs. In addition, part of the ceiling fell on top of him, crushing his chest.

"Pray for my son," she says, "everyone, at least for a minute, Muslims or Christians; it doesn't matter, implore God! He is all I have left in this life. Our home has been destroyed, but it doesn't matter. My son however . . . Please . . .. Eliane begs everyone she sees, is still hoping in anyone.

Amid the mourning, the uncertainty and the sense of total loneliness, hope is the feeling that prevails.

After decades of war and destruction, people know that life includes hard moments; but they also know that they must hang in there, be strong, face evil with goodness, despair with a desire to overcome it, in order to get back on their feet.

In Gemmayzeh, tiles were blown off the roof on St Anthony of Padua Church, which is located a few hundred metres from the port. The church courtyard, which was full of debris only yesterday morning, has been cleared, and is somewhat presentable.

The clean-up was done by a small army of young people who came from everywhere to help. Two veiled Muslim women are still standing outside. This is a place of God, said one of them. It is everyone's home. For the Creator, we are all equal, death has affected us all without discrimination.

Two of the ten nuns who ran the Holy Rosary hospital in Wardiyah stand at its entrance, its doors blown out. This and two other hospitals, the Geitawi Hospital and the St George Hospital, stand empty because they are unsafe.

The nuns tell everyone that three nuns were injured and one nurse killed. The other nuns have refused to leave the building. They sleep on mattresses on the floor, hoping to get the hospital up and running soon.

Here too, groups of young people, strangers but willing, came from various places to clean up the buildings 15 floors, removing rubble, glass, blood, filling bags of debris.

We are 300 metres from the port, said Sister Clotilde Agemian, her face covered by a mask. It felt like the explosions happened right here. Everything came down: ceiling, windows; doors flying in the air. I don't know where we found the strength, I don't know how we managed to remain calm whilst taking about 300 patients to hospitals outside Beirut.

Now the hospital is gone, she bemoans. Everything has been destroyed: gear, beds, equipment. The building itself has serious cracks and it is likely to collapse. One of our nurses died under a wall that fell on her. The lifts are out of order, and nurses had to carry patients on their shoulders, down the stairs. It was like a war zone.

Some patients were injured from the blasts and suffered bleeding wounds. The absurd thing is that they were in a hospital and we could do nothing to help them, explained Sister Clotilde. We sent them to other hospitals.

Despite the toil, "God has been close to us and we did it. But now we are on our knees. Let us pray and hope. At present, we need everything. We have to start from scratch; we need help and the government is unable to help us.

What is left is hope. The people of Lebanon are the heirs to the Phoenicians. Like the Phoenix, which rises from its ashes, they never give up. Today however, they have hit rock bottom.

In order to help the people of Beirut and Lebanon, as well as Caritas Lebanon, AsiaNews is launching a campaign to Help devastated Beirut. Those who want to contribute can make a donation to:

PIME Foundation:

- International Bank Account Number (IBAN): IT78C0306909606100000169898

- Bank Identifier Code (BIC): BCITITMM

- Reason for transfer: AN04  HELP DEVASTATED BEIRUT
NEW YORK - President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping but vague ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of popular social media apps TikTok and WeChat on security grounds, a move Chinas government criticized as political manipulation.

The twin executive orders Thursday  one for each app  add to growing U.S.-Chinese conflict over technology and security. They take effect in 45 days and could bar the apps from the Apple and Google app stores, effectively removing them from U.S. distribution.

Chinas foreign ministry said it opposed the move but gave no indication whether Beijing might retaliate.

Earlier, Trump threatened a deadline of Sept. 15 to close down TikTok in the United States unless Microsoft Corp. or another company acquires it.

TikTok, owned by Beijing-headquartered ByteDance Ltd., is popular for its short, catchy videos. The company says it has 100 million users in the United States and hundreds of millions worldwide.

The Trump administration has expressed concern Chinese social media services could provide American users personal information to Chinese authorities, though it has given no evidence TikTok did that.

Instead, officials point to the Communist Partys ability to compel co-operation from Chinese companies. U.S. regulators cited similar security concerns last year when the Chinese owner of Grindr was ordered to sell the dating app.

In a statement, TikTok expressed shock at the order and complained it violates U.S. law. The company said it doesnt store American user data in China and never has given it to Beijing or censored content at the governments request.

TikTok said it spent nearly a year trying to reach a constructive solution but the Trump administration paid no attention to facts and tried improperly to insert itself into business negotiations. TikTok said it would pursue all remedies available to ensure the company and its users are are treated fairly.

Tencent and Microsoft declined to comment.

On Friday, shares of WeChats owner, Tencent Holding Ltd., declined 5% in trading in Hong Kong. Tencent, Asias most valuable tech company with a market capitalization of $650 million, makes most of its money from online games and entertainment in China.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an expansion of the U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology to include barring Chinese apps from U.S. app stores, citing alleged security threats and calling out TikTok and WeChat by name.

The Chinese foreign ministry accused Washington of political manipulation and said the moves will hurt American companies and consumers.

The United States is using national security as an excuse, frequently abuses national power and unreasonably suppresses companies of other countries, said a ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. This is an outright hegemonic act. China is firmly opposed to it.

Wang, who didnt mention TikTok or any other company by name, called on the Trump administration to correct its wrongdoing but gave no indication how Beijing might respond.

Trumps orders say the Chinese-owned apps threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. They cite the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act and call on the Commerce secretary to define the banned dealings by Sept. 15.

WeChat, known in Chinese as Weixin, is a hugely popular messaging app that links to finance and other services. It has more than 1 billion users. Around the world, many people of Chinese descent use WeChat to stay in touch with friends and family and to conduct business in mainland China.

Within China, WeChat is censored and expected to adhere to content restrictions set by authorities. The Citizen Lab internet watchdog group in Toronto says WeChat monitors files and images shared abroad to aid its censorship in China.

Tencent also owns stakes in major game companies such as Epic Games, publisher of Fortnite, a major video game hit, and Riot Games, which is behind League of Legends.

The Trump administration already was embroiled in a tariff war with Beijing over its technology ambitions. Washington has blocked acquisitions of some U.S. assets by Chinese buyers and has cut off most access to American components and other technology for Huawei Technologies Ltd., a maker of smartphones and network equipment that is Chinas first global tech brand.

China-backed hackers have been blamed for breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax.

In China, the Communist Party limits what foreign tech companies can do and blocks access to the Google search engine, Facebook, Twitter and other social media, along with thousands of websites operated by news organizations and human rights, pro-democracy and other activist groups.

The ruling party has used the entirely state-controlled press to encourage public anger at Trumps actions.

I dont want to use American products any more, said Sun Fanyu, an insurance salesperson in Beijing. I will support domestic substitute products.

Leading mobile security experts say TikTok is no more intrusive in its harvesting of user data and monitoring of user activity than U.S. apps owned by Facebook and Google.

The U.S. thinking is that anything that is Chinese is suspect, said Andy Mok, a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. Theyre being targeted not because of what theyve done, but who they are.

The order doesnt seem to ban Americans from using TikTok, which would be nearly impossible to enforce, said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame.

This is a pretty broad and pretty quick expansion of the technology Cold War between the U.S. and China, said Steven Weber, faculty director for the Berkeley Center for Long Term Cybersecurity.

___

AP reporters Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, Calif., Mae Anderson in New York, Frank Bajak in Boston, Joe McDonald in Beijing and Zen Soo in Hong Kong contributed to this article.
After the announcement of the Chinese Beijing Xinwei Technology Group on an application to the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) filed jointly with DCH for the purchase of Motor Sich, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) additionally seized the shares, changing the accusation to "high treason," the DCH owner, businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavsky has said.

"At the same time, strong-arm pressure is being exerted on the AMCU employees in order to prevent the implementation of agreements with Chinese partners and prevent them, the legal shareholders of the enterprise, from disposing of their property," he said in a statement sent to Interfax-Ukraine on Friday.

The businessman said that the DCH group is ready to use its experience and knowledge to ensure that Motor Sich develops and works for the benefit of Ukraine, guarantees the preservation and development of the existing production base of the enterprise, technologies, jobs, and intellectual property rights.

"This is extremely important, because today the enterprise has virtually no owner, the performance indicators are steadily deteriorating, and urgent crisis response actions are needed to prevent its eventual elimination... I want to thank President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky for his attention to JSC Motor Sich, which is the basis of the Ukrainian aircraft industry. And on behalf of DCH and our Chinese partners, I ask Mr. President to intervene in the situation," Yaroslavsky said.
By Cynthia Fernandez of 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.

A version of this story first appeared in our free weekly newsletter. Sign up here.

HARRISBURG  Theres roughly $1 billion in unspent federal aid sitting in Pennsylvanias coffers. Yet key players in the Capitol say they wont make any decisions about how to spend the cash until Washington makes up its mind on a second coronavirus relief package.

As congressional lawmakers and the White House negotiate, the list of industries calling for immediate help is growing. Last week, state House Republicans heard from restaurant and bar owners pleading for a bailout.

As much as we hate to ask, because we are proud business owners that go out there and do it on our own  we need financial assistance, Rui Lucas, general manager at NaBrasa Brazilian Steakhouse in Horsham, told lawmakers. If we do not get grants or loans to pay out mortgages, employees, and local taxes, we will not survive.

Both Democrats and Republicans in the state Capitol have put forth their own relief packages for small restaurants. One bill from Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery County, would create a program to award grants of up to $50,000 to cover operating expenses including payroll and rent.

Restaurants arent the only ones struggling. Consumer advocates say thousands of utility customers are also underwater and in need of financial help.

At the moment, customers statewide are protected from utility shutoffs because of a moratorium tied to Gov. Tom Wolfs disaster declaration. But as the pandemic continues  and unpaid bills pile up  the state Public Utility Commission is considering how and when to end that protection.

PennPIRG, a nonpartisan consumer advocate, is calling on state lawmakers to appropriate $150 million in remaining stimulus money to alleviate the financial strain. The commissioners have endorsed the idea of the legislature using these dollars to assist customers unable to pay their bills.

Despite the growing need, leaders in Harrisburg say they wont do anything until Washington makes a move.

We need to see what, if any, additional relief Congress allocates so that we can make wise decisions that protect taxpayers and help those Pennsylvanians most impacted by the pandemic, said Neal Lesher, a spokesperson for House Appropriations Chair Stan Saylor, R-York County.

Bill Patton, a spokesperson for House Democrats, likewise said there likely wont be any movement until the federal government makes a decision.

One major pain point in Congress current negotiations is whether the feds will provide any additional money to states. Democrats in Washington want around $1 trillion in state and local aid, while the White House has offered $150 billion, the Washington Post reported.

An earlier proposal from the Senate GOP contained no additional money at all. In an interview with CNBC, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., pointed to the $1 billion Pennsylvania still has in reserves, with a U.S. Treasury report finding that many states have spent less than a quarter of the direct aid provided in the first stimulus.

But a group of organizations led by the National Governors Association argued the report failed to paint a complete picture, as it did not note that funds arrived in late April or account for money allocated but not yet spent.

With this timeframe in mind, we strongly hold that state and local governments have moved expeditiously and responsibly in the use of funds and their timely deployment, the groups said in a statement.

Beyond more funding, states are also waiting to see if the feds will change course and allow them to use the first round of stimulus money to replace lost revenues. Pennsylvanias got plenty of that  up to $5 billion in losses through next June.

As of Wednesday, there seemed to be some agreement in Washington that states need greater flexibility to spend remaining funds, the Associated Press reported. But as of Friday, the parties involved were still far from a deal.

While what happens next is murky, one thing is clear: All CARES Act funds must be spent by the end of the year.

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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered that Istanbuls historic Hagia Sophia be converted back into a mosque July 11. On July 21, the Egyptian government announced that it was allocating 40 million Egyptian pounds ($2.5 million) to restore Saint Catherines Monastery in South Sinai governorate, one of the oldest monasteries in the world and a Christian landmark.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly visited Saint Catherines on July 21 and met with the monks there who awarded the Order of Saint Catherine. During his visit, Madbouly announced that restoration and development works for Saint Catherine's Monastery and the nearby city in South Sinai would begin immediately.

Saint Catherines Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in the world, dating to the fourth century. The monastery is nestled at the base of Mount Catherine, the highest peak in Egypt. The monastery attracts thousands of tourists and pilgrims each year and is home to several churches and archaeological treasures.

Churches and European countries widely and vocally criticized Turkeys decision to convert the Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque and the Egyptian press contrasted it with the Egyptian governments decision to turn Saint Catherines into a tourist destination.

The Hagia Sophia Museum was originally built as a Christian cathedral in the sixth century, but following the Ottoman takeover of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a mosque. Aftern the Ottoman Empire collapsed at the end of World War I, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, decided in 1935 to turn the monument into a museum.

Ihab Sobhi is the presenter on MeSat, the official channel of Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church Cathedral. He compared the recent Egyptian and Turkish decisions on July 23 during his show, the Good Evening Program.

President Recep Erdogan has destroyed tourism for false objectives and popularity among the ignorant when he converted into a mosque the Hagia Sophia Museum, the most important tourist attraction of the Western Christian Church. This should be seen in contrast with Madboulys visit to and promise to set up a global touristic city in the vicinity of Saint Catherines Monastery, which he also pledged to restore, Sobhi said.

The Egyptian press erupted with condemnation of the Turkish presidents decision. Pro-government TV presenter Ahmad Moussa accused Erdogan of distorting the image and teachings of Islam.

Egypts Dar al-Ifta also denounced Erdogans decision. Ibrahim Nagm, adviser to the grand mufti, said in a July 11 press statement, Erdogans decision is a dangerous political game and an attempt to present himself as a hero protecting and reviving the glory of Islamic sanctities.

Saint Catherine is a global destination for pilgrims. The town is home to several religious monuments and historical landmarks in the Holy Valley, which contains Mount Sinai, the Chapel of the Burning Bush, the Mount of Transfiguration and Jebel Safsafa as well as Saint Catherines Monastery.

Madbouly met with the ministers of housing and civil aviation on July 28 to discuss proposals for the development of Saint Catherine.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities revealed details of the project to develop Saint Catherine's Monastery on Aug. 1.

The western part of the Saint Catherine's Monastery Library, the worlds second most important library after the Vatican Library with some 4,500 significant manuscripts, is currently being restored. This is in addition to restoration work on churches inside the monastery. Saint Catherines airport is also being developed to operate daily flights to and from Cairo and weekly flights between Athens and Saint Catherine, the ministry said.

South Sinai governorate reopened hiking trails to Mount Sinai on July 25 after four months of closure per coronavirus restrictions and the return of tours setting out from the city of Saint Catherine.

The Egyptian government is interested in boosting religious tourism because it is the most popular in the world. This is why Egypt is working on restoring historical monasteries, Maged al-Raheb, chairman of the Egyptian Heritage Preservation Organization, told Al-Monitor.

Egypt is also working to revive the Holy Family trail, in addition to the restoration work on Saint Catherines Monastery, which is seen as one of the most important monasteries in the world and attracts tourists from different denominations in the Christian world, he added.

Raheb said confidently, Egypt will certainly benefit from the end of the religious tourism in Turkey as a result of the scathing comments against [Ankara] for not respecting Christian monuments and changing the identity of a monument registered on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

He concluded, Religious tourism will shift from Turkey to Egypt, which has shown the world that it respects heritage and monuments, especially those of Christians, such as Saint Catherines, the Coptic monuments and churches on the Holy Family trail.

Abdel Rahim Rihan is the director of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquitiess Archaeological Research, Studies and Scientific Publishing Department in the Archaeological Areas of South Sinai. He told Al-Monitor, The development project of the city and monastery of Saint Catherine stems from Egypts awareness of the significance of that area. Egypt is characterized by religious tourism and is a major destination for Christian pilgrims from all over the world.

Rihan praised Egypt's cultural and humanistic stance when it decided to launch comprehensive development works in the Saint Catherine area as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of tolerance and convergence of religions. One ought to compare this to Turkeys uncivilized position following Erdogans decision to change the nature of a world heritage site, defying all international norms and covenants.

Egypts interest in Christian monuments positively affects religious tourism, while tourism in Turkey will be dealt a severe blow after the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque, especially if UNESCO threatens to remove it from its World Heritage List. The museum used to serve as a destination for many tourists of all religions and nationalities, he concluded.
A wave of COVID-19 anxiety has engulfed Victoria's far south-west after a police raid on a Portland home revealed a man who had recently been released from jail was infected with coronavirus.

Five confirmed cases of COVID-19 have now been linked to the young man and three of the eight police involved in the raid were quarantined for more than a week before learning their tests were negative.

A COVID-19 testing station at Portland District Hospital. Credit:Tony Wright

Another cluster  linked to a woman who drove from Melbourne to care for her mother  produced eight confirmed cases and claimed the life of a 59-year-old man.

Until mid-July, only one case of coronavirus had been detected in the entire Glenelg Shire, which stretches from the Victoria-South Australia border to Portland Bay and almost 100 kilometres inland to Casterton.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

TORTOLA, BVI / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / TraceSafe Inc. ("TraceSafe" or the "Company") (CSE:TSF), a global leader in wearable safety tech including contact tracing and self-quarantine management, is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced private placement (the "Offering") of 4,005,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit"), at a price of $1.00 per Unit (the "Issue Price") for gross proceeds of $4,005,000. The Offering was led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. (the "Agent").

Concurrent with the Offering, the Company issued 43,750 Units at the Issue Price to a third party consultant to settle existing debts owed for consulting services.

Each Unit consists of one (1) common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one-half of one (1/2) Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one (1) Common Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $1.50 per Warrant Share for a period of twenty-four months from the date of issuance, subject to early acceleration.

The net proceeds of the Offering are expected to be directed toward TraceSafe's inventory, software, sales and marketing and working capital purposes.

In connection with the Offering, the Company: (i) issued an aggregate of 215,850 agent warrants ("Agent Warrants") to the Agent and certain other brokers; and (ii) issued 80,100 Units to the Agent as a corporate finance fee. Each Agent Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one (1) Unit (an "Agent Warrant Unit") at an exercise price equal to the Issue Price per Agent Warrant Unit for a period of twenty-four months from the date of issuance. Each Agent Warrant Unit consists of one (1) Common Share and one-half of one (1/2) Warrant.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Executive Quote

"The closing of this Private Placement gives us a solid foundation to meet our business objectives moving forward. Business and government clients from around the world are continuing to see TraceSafe's wearable technology platforms as an efficient and effective way to achieve social distancing and self-quarantine management requirements," commented Wayne Lloyd, CEO

About TraceSafe

TraceSafe is a full suite of real-time location management services and contact tracing solutions enabled through advanced low power bluetooth beacons and enterprise cloud management. TraceSafe's leading cloud management solution ensures both user privacy and comprehensive administrative control. TraceSafe's patented contact tracing bracelet has already been deployed in mission critical quarantine applications around the world in partnership with leading governments. In addition to their government work, TraceSafe is developing leading edge solutions for Enterprise, Healthcare, Education Government and large-scale venue management.

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 U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (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 (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

For further information, please contact:

Wayne Lloyd, CEO

+1 604 629-9975

wayne@tracesafe.io Alan Tam, CFO

+1 604 377-7575

alantamca@gmail.com John Costigan

+1 604 620-8589

jcostigan@ecmbcapital.com

The Canadian Securities Exchange has in no way approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

Statements in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on TraceSafe's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates, including with respect to the expected use of proceeds from the Offering, expectations regarding the TraceSafe assets and their application, future business plans and relationships, future developments in respect of COVID-19 and solutions adopted in response to the virus, and the deployment and acceptance of the TraceSafe technology. Although TraceSafe believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict, including the suitability of our products to help businesses and governments reopen, competition, the spread or containment of COVID-19 and government responses thereto and general economic and market conditions. Therefore, outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and TraceSafe undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances unless otherwise required to do so by law.

SOURCE: TraceSafe Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600771/TraceSafe-Closes-4M-Private-Placement-Current-Capital-Needs-Met-Order-Pipeline-Strong
Actor Anupama Pathak was found dead at her Dahisar residence in Mumbai. Reports claim that she died on August 2. She conducted a Facebook live (unverified account) on August 2 where she talked about the reasons why one could kill oneself. Anupama had worked in a few Bhojpuri films and serials.

She can be seen saying, Jis ko aap apna khaas dost samajh ke share karenge, iss problem ki wajah se hum ye karne jaa rahe hain, woh usko seedha nahin le ke ulta lete hain. Woh yeh kehte hain ki aap isme mujhe kyun bataa rahe ho? Mujhe kyun sunaa rahe ho? Mujhe kyun ghhaseet rahe ho? Main phans jaoonga agar kuch hua toh. Woh log ek waqt ke liye yeh nahin sochte hai ke uske marne ke baad, wahi log duniya bhar mein dindora peeth hain (Those whom you consider close and you confide in them - that this is the issue for which I am planning to do this - they take it in a wrong way. They say why are you telling me this? Why are you dragging me into this? I will be caught in this problem later. For a moment, they dont realise that after the person is gone, they will be the ones who will talk constantly.)

According to a report in Khaleej Times, the actor hailed from Bihars Purnea and had been residing in Mumbai for work. A complaint has been registered with police and investigation has begun, it adds.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput couldnt sleep for 4 nights waiting for Sanjana Sanghi to clear Me Too allegations: Pavitra Rishta director

The report continues that a suicide note has been recovered where the actor had written about investing 10,000 in a company named Wisdom Producer Company in Malad. She was not getting it back even after the maturity date in December in 2019 had lapsed. Few unconfirmed reports also said that she had allegedly named a person called Manish Jha, who took away her two-wheeler in her hometown during lockdown and never returned it.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

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To access a PDF version of this newsletter, please click here https://share.refinitiv.com/assets/newsletters/Morning_News_Call/MNCGeneric_CA_08062020.pdf You can read Morning News Call Canada via TOPNEWS Canada page. If you would like to receive this newsletter through your email, please register at: http://solutions.refinitiv.com/MorningNewsCallENsubscriptionpage ECONOMIC EVENTS 0815 (approx.) Reserve assets total for July: Prior 87,277 mln COMPANIES REPORTING RESULTS August 6: Bausch Health Companies Inc (BHC). Expected Q2 earnings of 67 cents per share BCE Inc (BCE). Expected Q2 earnings of 69 Canadian cents per share Bombardier Inc (BBDb). Expected Q2 loss of 11 cents per share Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (CNQ). Expected Q2 loss of 80 Canadian cents per share Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd (CTCa). Expected Q2 loss of 10 Canadian cents per share Cargojet Inc (CJT). Expected Q2 earnings of 51 Canadian cents per share Cascades Inc (CAS). Expected Q2 earnings of 31 Canadian cents per share CI Financial Corp (CIX). Expected Q2 earnings of 55 Canadian cents per share Colliers International Group Inc (CIGI). Expected Q2 earnings of 42 cents per share Constellation Software Inc (CSU). Expected Q2 earnings of $8.44 per share Ero Copper Corp (ERO). Expected Q2 earnings of 19 cents per share First Majestic Silver Corp (FR). Expected Q2 loss of 3 cents per share Home Capital Group Inc (HCG). Expected Q2 earnings of 75 Canadian cents per share IGM Financial Inc (IGM). Expected Q2 earnings of 73 Canadian cents per share Inter Pipeline Ltd (IPL). Expected Q2 earnings of 15 Canadian cents per share Interfor Corp (IFP). Expected Q2 earnings of 4 Canadian cents per share Lightspeed POS Inc (LSPD). Expected Q1 loss of 10 cents per share Linamar Corp (LNR). Expected Q2 loss of 80 Canadian cents per share Morneau Shepell Inc (MSI). Expected Q2 earnings of 14 Canadian cents per share NFI Group Inc (NFI). Expected Q2 loss of 77 cents per share Onex Corp (ONEX). Expected Q2 earnings of 11 Canadian cents per share Open Text Corp (OTEX). Expected Q4 earnings of 61 cents per share Parkland Corp (PKI). Expected Q2 loss of 38 Canadian cents per share Pembina Pipeline Corp (PPL). Expected Q2 earnings of 49 Canadian cents per share Premium Brands Holdings Corp (PBH). Expected Q2 earnings of 42 Canadian cents per share Primo Water Corp (MISSISSAUGA) (PRMW). Expected Q2 earnings of 3 cents per share Quebecor Inc (QBRb). Expected Q2 earnings of 46 Canadian cents per share Restaurant Brands International Inc (QSR). Expected Q2 earnings of 31 cents per share Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Inc (RBA). Expected Q2 earnings of 39 cents per share Russel Metals Inc (RUS). Expected Q2 earnings of 3 Canadian cents per share Saputo Inc (SAP). Expected Q1 earnings of 29 Canadian cents per share Silvercorp Metals Inc (SVM). Expected Q1 earnings of 4 cents per share Sun Life Financial Inc (SLF). Expected Q2 earnings of C$1.13 per share Waste Connections Inc (WCN). Expected Q2 earnings of 55 cents per share August 7: Boralex Inc (BLX). Expected Q2 loss of 4 Canadian cents per share CCL Industries Inc (CCLb). Expected Q2 earnings of 46 Canadian cents per share Magna International Inc (MG). Expected Q2 loss of $1.57 per share Power Corporation of Canada (POW). Expected Q2 earnings of 64 Canadian cents per share Sprott Inc (SII). Expected Q2 earnings of 30 Canadian cents per share Teranga Gold Corp (TGZ). Expected Q2 earnings of 10 cents per share CORPORATE EVENTS 0800 Bausch Health Companies Inc (BHC). Q2 earnings conference call 0800 BCE Inc (BCE). Q2 earnings conference call 0800 Bombardier Inc (BBDb). Q2 earnings conference call 0800 Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd (CTCa). Q2 earnings conference call 0800 GFL Environmental Inc (GFL). Q2 earnings conference call 0800 Home Capital Group Inc (HCG). Q2 earnings conference call 0800 Lightspeed POS Inc (LSPD). Q1 earnings conference call 0800 Manulife Financial Corp (MFC). Q2 earnings conference call 0800 TMX Group Ltd (X). Q2 earnings conference call 0800 WSP Global Inc (WSP). Q2 earnings conference call 0830 Cargojet Inc (CJT). Q2 earnings conference call 0830 Iamgold Corp (IMG). Q2 earnings conference call 0830 Kinaxis Inc (KXS). Q2 earnings conference call 0830 Restaurant Brands International Inc (QSR). Q2 earnings conference call 0900 Badger Daylighting Ltd (BAD). Q2 earnings conference call 0900 Cascades Inc (CAS). Q2 earnings conference call 0900 NFI Group Inc (NFI). Q2 earnings conference call 0900 Stantec Inc (STN). Q2 earnings conference call 0930 Spin Master Corp (TOY). Q2 earnings conference call 1000 CI Financial Corp (CIX). Q2 earnings conference call 1000 Franco-Nevada Corp (FNV). Q2 earnings conference call 1000 Genworth MI Canada Inc (MIC). Q2 earnings conference call 1000 Keyera Corp (KEY). Q2 earnings conference call 1000 Primo Water Corp (MISSISSAUGA) (PRMW). Q2 earnings conference call 1000 Saputo Inc (SAP). Annual Shareholders Meeting 1000 Tricon Residential Inc (TCN). Q2 earnings conference call 1100 Ballard Power Systems Inc (BLDP). Q2 earnings conference call 1100 Canadian Natural Resources Ltd (CNQ). Q2 earnings conference call 1100 Colliers International Group Inc (CIGI). Q2 earnings conference call 1100 Lightspeed POS Inc (LSPD). Annual Shareholders Meeting 1100 Onex Corp (ONEX). Q2 earnings conference call 1100 Pan American Silver Corp (PAAS). Q2 earnings conference call 1100 Quebecor Inc (QBRb). Q2 earnings conference call 1130 Parex Resources Inc (PXT). Q2 earnings conference call 1130 Pretium Resources Inc (PVG). Q2 earnings conference call 1300 B2Gold Corp (BTO). Q2 earnings conference call 1300 IGM Financial Inc (IGM). Q2 earnings conference call 1330 Premium Brands Holdings Corp (PBH). Q2 earnings conference call 1700 Linamar Corp (LNR). Q2 earnings conference call 1700 Open Text Corp (OTEX). Q4 earnings conference call EX-DIVIDENDS There are no major exdivs for the day. For Morning News Call U.S. -- a preview of market-moving news for the trading day: - type US/MNC in a news browser if you are an Eikon user, or type RT/US/MNC in a news browser if you are a Thomson One user For The Day Ahead -- a recap of the day's events and preview of the next trading day: - type DAY/US in a news browser if you are an Eikon user or type RT/DAY/US in a news browser if you are a Thomson One user For an index of our newsletters click on
He farmed hogs for 25 years, from 1976 to 2000, but now sticks to corn and soybeans. Schultz gave up the hogs when he was elected as township trustee and assessor, though the state did away with the assessor part of his job in 2008. He held the post for 16 years and is still on the board.
WASHINGTON  If the Paycheck Protection Program was the spring It Girl of coronavirus small business relief, the Federal Reserves Main Street Lending Program is her slower and clunkier big brother  and caters primarily to larger companies that aren't that interested in him.

While the Small Business Administration has issued 5.2 million forgiveable PPP loans totaling over $523 billion, the Federal Reserves Main Street Lending Program has backed 18 loans for a total of $104 million as of Thursday, despite having a $600 billion capacity.

By any measure, the Main Street program has been a failure, Congressional Oversight Commission member Bharat Ramamurti declared in a hearing on the program Friday. While all this money has been sitting on the sidelines, tens of thousands of businesses have permanently closed and millions of Americans have lost their jobs.

Both programs were created in March to bail out businesses crunched by the pandemic, but their varying speeds and structures mean their success has been drastically different. The SBA started PPP lending in April, while the Federal Reserve did not kick off Main Street Lending until July 6 for for-profit companies; its still closed to nonprofits.

Congress is considering extending PPP, but Main Street Lending could see the chopping block  or at least some alterations  even though its barely kicked off. A member of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, suggested earlier this week that perhaps Main Street Lending money should be spent on something else, if there was little demand for it.

If the money is not being used to address a need, then we need to reprogram that for things that are more urgent, Cornyn told reporters.

The Main Street Lending Program is available to bigger companies  and, soon, to nonprofits  with 500 to 15,000 employees and revenues of up to $5 billion; these entities are ineligible for PPP loans. The loans, accordingly, are bigger than most PPP loans  $250,000 to $50 million  and they must be paid back; they cannot become grants like PPP money can.

During a hearing on the program, Commission member Sen. Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., wondered why relatively few borrowers were signing up. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., said he was concerned about the reluctance of banks to participate.

Eric S. Rosengren, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, which is overseeing Main Street Lending, said the program is now getting off the ground and likely to see a pickup in traffic in the fall  particularly if the pandemic worsens. He noted that 54 borrowers are now in the application process for another $421 million in loans. Across the country, 509 lenders are offering the loans (compared to 5,461 PPP lenders) and only some are accepting new customers, Federal Reserve data shows.

Lauren Anderson, senior vice president and associate general counsel of the Bank Policy Institute, noted the Main Street Lending Program was an attempt by the Fed to do something it had never tried before. The lack of participation from borrowers suggested that eligible businesses were finding their lending needs elsewhere, she testified Friday.

The program does not cater to less-than-credit-worthy borrowers, so these businesses can usually find a bank to meet their needs, she explained. The program would be more useful if banks were credit-constrained and needed the governments help to lend, but so far that hasnt been the case.

Thomas Bohn, president and CEO of the Association for Corporate Growth, an organization working with executives of and lenders to middle-market companies, said his members could not find banks that wanted to lend to their companies under the construct of the program.

A recent survey by the association found 22 percent of respondents unaware of the Main Street Lending program. Of the respondents who want to apply for loans through the program, 81 percent were unable to do so, Bohn said.

In April, as it was working on the terms of the lending program, the Federal Reserve asked for public input. Comments flooded in, including from New York nonprofits including human service organizations and universities, that clamored to be let into the program.

In response, the central bank created a Main Street lending facility that caters to nonprofits. Unlike the business lending portion, this lending has not yet launched.

Some of the New York nonprofits that wrote to the Federal Reserve asking for access and favorable terms say theyre now checking out the program's eligibility and criteria. These include New York Institute of Technology and People Inc., a large human services provider in western New York.

But other nonprofits told the Times Union theyve realized the program just wont work with their needs.

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

Michelle Jackson, executive director of the Human Services Council of New York, said larger nonprofits that care for the homeless, hungry, young and disabled have seen huge increases in costs, but the strict government contracts that fund them have not changed. Borrowing is a risky option for nonprofits that have no prospects of future revenue increases, she explained.

Those organizations had hoped that the final Main Street Lending Program would be more similar to PPP-style grants.

Nonprofits are going to be in crisis for the next couple of months, Jackson said. Theyre still absolutely in need of support, but the Main Street Lending Program is not that for them.

Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg News Service

Ramamurti on Friday pressed the Fed's Rosengren on whether the Central Bank made special concessions to the Main Street Lending Program to help the oil and gas industry, which lobbied for changes that were later approved and publicly celebrated by the Trump administrations Energy and Treasury secretaries. He noted it would be illegal for the Central Bank to structure the program to deliver bail-outs for any one sector.

Rosengren said Main Street Lending was a broad-based program that was not designed to help any one industry.

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., chair of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus, wrote to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday blasting the program as catering to large corporations at the expense of smaller businesses and workers, contrary to Congressional intent.

Clyburn noted that Congress gave the Federal Reserve billions to create a program to support mid-sized businesses that retained 90 percent of their workforce. But the terms released by the Fed only require borrowers to make commercially reasonable efforts to maintain payroll.

In contrast, Toomey suggested Friday that the program was never intended to have job retention as a main priority; it was a business loan program for larger companies that needed temporary support while the government approved more generous unemployment benefits and stimulus checks to help laid-off and furloughed workers.

The SBA's Paycheck Protection Program will stop accepting loan applications Saturday.
Take a look at some of the biggest movers in the premarket:

Booking Holdings (BKNG)  Booking Holdings lost $10.81 per share for its latest quarter, smaller than the loss of $11.50 predicted by Wall Street analysts. The parent of Priceline, Booking.com, Kayak and other travel services also saw revenue beat estimates, even as the pandemic caused a 91% drop in travel bookings from a year earlier.

TripAdvisor (TRIP)  TripAdvisor reported a quarterly loss of 76 cents per share, wider than the 63 cents a share loss representing the consensus analyst estimate. The travel review site operator's revenue beat forecasts, however, and the company said travel demand trends have been improving since the April low.

T-Mobile US (TMUS)  T-Mobile beat estimates by 2 cents a share, with quarterly earnings of 9 cents per share. The mobile operator's revenue beat estimates as well. T-Mobile also said it had overtaken AT&T (T) as the No. 2 mobile carrier in the U.S. behind Verizon (VZ) after adding a greater number of subscribers than expected during the quarter.

FedEx (FDX)  Stephens named FedEx its "Best Idea" for the remainder of 2020 while reiterating an "overweight" rating. The firm said it sees 10 potential upside catalysts for the stock, including pricing power and a rebound in business-to-business demand.ush

Dish Network (DISH)  The satellite TV company reported quarterly earnings of 78 cents per share, 19 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also beat Wall Street forecasts. The company said the pandemic is causing significant disruption in certain commercial segments, including the hospitality and airline industries.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE)  Intercontinental Exchange is buying mortgage technology platform provider Ellie Mae for $11 billion, including assumed debt. The New York Stock Exchange owner has made several mortgage servicing acquisitions over the last few years in an effort to grow its business in that sector.

Uber Technologies (UBER)  Uber lost $1.02 per share for its latest quarter, a loss that was 16 cents a share wider than Wall Street was expecting. Revenue was better than forecast. Demand for Uber's ride-hailing service saw a halting recovery amid the Covid-19 pandemic, but business for the company's Uber Eats food delivery service more than doubled compared to a year earlier.

Zillow (ZG)  Zillow reported a surprise profit and better-than-expected revenue, with the digital real estate company benefiting from a rebound in the residential property market.

Dropbox (DBX)  Dropbox beat estimates by 5 cents a share, with quarterly earnings of 22 cents per share. The file-sharing service's revenue also topped forecasts, benefiting from the surge in demand from employees working at home. Average revenue per user fell from a year earlier, however. Separately, the company announced the resignation of Chief Financial Officer Ajay Vashee.

Datadog (DDOG)  The provider of cloud monitoring software reported quarterly profit of 5 cents per share, beating the 1 cent a share consensus estimate. Datadog also noted that its customers are "under business pressure" due to the pandemic.

Stamps.com (STMP)  Stamps.com beat quarterly earnings estimates by a wide margin, earning $3.11 per share compared to the $1.26 a share consensus estimate. The provider of mailing and shipping services said it is benefiting from the surge in e-commerce, and it raised its financial guidance for the year.

Groupon (GRPN)  Groupon earned 93 cents per share for its latest quarter, compared to a consensus estimate of a $2.75 per share loss. The company best known for daily deals also saw revenue nearly double consensus estimates, but said it would begin another round of layoffs to reduce expenses.

News Corp (NWSA)  The publisher of The Wall Street Journal saw quarterly revenue fall by 22%, as the pandemic hit ad sales for its publications and websites, but results exceeded analysts' forecasts. A quarterly loss of 3 cents per share was also smaller than the 8 cents a share that analysts had been expecting.

GoPro (GPRO)  The high definition camera maker reported a loss of 20 cents per share, 3 cents a share wider than expected. Revenue exceeded analysts' forecasts. In-store sales were hit by the pandemic, leading to an overall sales decline of 54%, but GoPro said it saw a surge in digital sales and that it is now seeing a faster-than-expected retail rebound.
This program is designed for a business that had a disruption in short-term credit, that was in good shape prior to the crisis and who, after the pandemic subsides, would be able to be a viable business, Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, said at Fridays hearing.

Mr. Rosengren's central bank branch is running the initiative. He said that while about $100 million in loans had been settled as of Tuesday, the number had increased to $189 million by Thursday night and that more than $600 million in total were somewhere in the process.

We actually have seen significant pickup recently, Mr. Rosengren said.

The program ran into problems from the start. Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers have repeatedly raised concerns about how Main Street was designed, worrying that it would not get money into the hands of companies that need it.

Loans must be for at least $250,000 and cannot go to highly indebted companies. The Fed doesnt make the loans itself  banks do. The problem is that banks have been reluctant to participate.

The way Main Street works, the Fed agrees to buy 95 percent of any loan that banks originate through the program. That means the banks keep some exposure to loans that might go bad, yet get only a small piece of loans that might prove more profitable, plus fees. That approach has led to questions from many lawmakers, not just those on the oversight commission.

Many banks seem disinterested in the program because they either wish to retain more than 5 percent of a profitable loan or they have no interest in retaining any stake at all in an unprofitable loan, a group of four Republican senators, led by Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, wrote in a letter on Tuesday to the Fed chair, Jerome H. Powell, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The senators recommended reducing the minimum loan size and increasing the debt-to-earnings ratio allowed for borrowers. They also want the Fed and the Treasury to eliminate the loan stake that banks must retain, or promise that taxpayers will take the earliest losses on bad loans rather than sharing those losses evenly with banks.
The United States is negotiating the sale of at least four sophisticated aerial drones to Taiwan for the first time, according to six US sources familiar with the negotiations, aircraft that can keep watch over huge swathes of sea and land.

The SeaGuardian surveillance drones have a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km), far greater than the 160-mile (257.5-kilometre) range of Taiwan's current fleet of drones, potentially giving the island greater capacity to peer into China, observing its air force, missiles and other facilities.

While the State Department tacitly authorised the sale of the unmanned aerial vehicles, two of the people said, it is not known whether the US officials have approved exporting the drones with weapons attached, one of them said.

The deal must be approved by members of congress, who may receive formal notification as soon as next month, two of the people said. Congress could block a final agreement.

Such a sale would most likely anger China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory.

Republican and Democratic US senators introduced legislation on Thursday that would block the export, transfer or trade of many advanced drones to countries that are not close US allies. Sales would be allowed to NATO members, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Israel.

A deal with Taiwan would be the first drone sale after President Donald Trump's administration moved ahead with its plan to sell more drones to more countries by reinterpreting an international arms control agreement called the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

Taiwan's Defence Ministry declined to comment.

While Taiwan's military is well-trained and well-equipped with mostly US-made hardware, China has a huge numerical advantage and is adding advanced equipment of its own, including stealthy fighters, anti-satellite missiles and aircraft carriers.

Taiwan submitted its request to buy armed drones early this year, one of the people familiar with the talks said. The US last week sent Taiwan the pricing and availability data for the deal, a key step that denotes official approval to advance the sale. It is, however, non-binding and could be reversed.

A deal for the four drones, ground stations, spares, training and support could be worth around $600m (457.8m) using previous sales as a guide. There could also be options for additional units in the future, one of the people said.

The island is bolstering its defences in the face of what it sees as increasingly threatening moves by Beijing, such as regular Chinese air force and naval exercises near Taiwan

Taiwan unveiled its largest defence spending increase in more than a decade last year. President Tsai Ing-wen has made defence modernisation a priority, including building new submarines and upgrading Taiwan's F-16 fighter fleet.

Relations between Beijing and Washington  already at their lowest point in decades over accusations of spying, a trade war, the coronavirus and Hong Kong  could fray more if the deal gets the final go-ahead from US officials. The Pentagon has said arms sales to Taiwan will continue, and the Trump administration has kept a steady pace of Navy warships passing through the Taiwan Strait.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratic island under its control. Beijing has denounced the Trump administration's increased support for Taiwan.

China's sophisticated air defences could likely shoot down a handful of drones, according to Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power Project at CSIS, a Washington think tank. But she still expects China to scream about even the smallest arms sale that the US makes to Taiwan because any sale challenges the 'One China' principle.

They get particularly agitated if they think it's an offensive capability, she said, adding that she expected the Trump administration to be less cautious than its predecessors.

As a matter of policy we do not comment on or confirm proposed defence sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress, a State Department spokesperson said.

The US has been eager to sell Taiwan tanks and fighter jets, but the deal to sell drones would be notable since only a few close allies  including the UK, Italy, Australia, Japan and South Korea  have been allowed to purchase the largest US-made drones.

Currently, the Taiwanese government has a fleet of 26 Albatross drones made by Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, a quasi-defence ministry research agency, that can fly 160 nautical miles (300 kilometres), or 80 before returning to base, according to records kept by the Bard Center for the Study of the Drone.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc's SeaGuardian has an airframe that can handle carrying weapons  but only if contractually allowed by the US government.

The US has sold France unarmed MQ-9 Reapers which are similar to SeaGuardians, and later gave permission to arm them.

Last year, the US approved a potential sale to Taiwan of 108 General Dynamics Corp M1A2 Abrams tanks worth around $2bn (1.53bn) as well as anti-tank and anti-aircraft munitions. A separate sale of 66 Lockheed Martin-made fighter jets also made it through the State Department's process.

In recent weeks, China said it will sanction Lockheed Martin Corporation for involvement in the latest US arms sale to Taiwan.

Reuters
The aid, which will be made available to the Peruvian Army, is proof of Germany's solidarity with the South American nation.

"To Germany, the Republic of Peru has been a reliable partner for many years, and we do not want to abandon it amid this crisis but support it actively in the fight against COVID-19 , in a direct and sustainable manner," the German Embassy in Lima stated.
The United States has begun delivering aid to in the aftermath of a massive deadly explosion, amid longstanding concerns about how officials can ensure that supplies get to those in need, and not to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

The first C-17 transport aircraft with 11 pallets of food, water and medical supplies from the US military's Central Command arrived from Qatar on Thursday and two more were expected in the next 24 hours.

US officials said the administration also plans to provide at least USD 15 million in disaster assistance. The officials were not authorised to discuss the matter ahead of a formal announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity. But the provision of assistance is complicated by the outsized role that Hezbollah plays in both the Lebanese government and in the fabric of Lebanon's society.

A stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate set off a massive blast that rocked the capital city. The chemical had been left sitting in a warehouse ever since it was confiscated from an impounded cargo ship in 2013.

The explosion, powerful enough to be felt in Cyprus across the Eastern Mediterranean, killed more than 130 people, wounded thousands and blasted buildings for miles around. Two days later, some 300,000 people more than 12 per cent of Beirut's population can't return to their homes, officials estimate. Damaged hospitals are still struggling to deal with the wounded and officials have estimated losses at USD 10 billion to USD 15 billion.

Hezbollah is recognised as a legitimate political party in but deemed a terrorist organisation by the State Department because of its anti-Israel stance and attacks on the Jewish state.

As such, it is subject to significant American sanctions and since it has been part of the Lebanese government, successive US administrations have wrestled with how to continue to provide aid to the country that does not benefit the group.

Although pro-Israel lawmakers and anti-Iran hawks have long demanded that the US halt all assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Trump administration and its predecessors have resisted such a cut-off, arguing that the army is the only legitimate entity in capable of countering Hezbollah's influence and ensuring security.

Currently, non-military US aid to Lebanon is funneled in such a way as to avoid or reduce the chances of it making its way to any part of Hezbollah, a task which has become more difficult and is particularly sensitive in the current circumstance of providing disaster assistance since the group took control of the Health Ministry earlier this year.

We're well aware of some of the concerns with whom the aid would go to and ensuring that the aid gets to the people of Lebanon that need it most, said Jonathan Hoffman, chief spokesman for the Pentagon, during a press conference Thursday. He said the department is working with the State Department and taking its guidance on where to deliver the aid.

Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top US commander for the Middle East and head of Central Command, said in a statement that, "We are closely coordinating with the Lebanon Armed Forces, and expect that we will continue to provide additional assistance throughout Lebanon's recovery effort.

Navy Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the Lebanese Armed Forces will receive the aid and distribute it to the people, and that the effort is being coordinated with the U.S. embassy in Beirut and USAID.

(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.)
China has sentenced a Canadian citizen to death for making and transporting drugs just one day after giving capital punishment to another in a separate case.

Ye Jianhui was handed the verdict today at a first trial by the Intermediate People's Court of Foshan in southern China's Guangdong Province, a statement said.

He is the fourth Canadian to receive capital punishment on drug charges since political tensions spiked between Beijing and Ottawa over the arrest of a Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou.

A Chinese province today sentenced Canadian Ye Jianhui to death for making and transporting drugs with a six-member gang amid political tensions between Beijing and Ottawa. Pictured, people wearing face masks ride past the Canadian Embassy in Beijing on August 6

The news followed the death sentencing on Thursday of Xu Weihong, also Canadian, who stood trial in another court in Guangdong's Guangzhou city for reportedly making 265 pounds of ketamine.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press briefing today: 'China is a country with the rule of law. China's judicial authorities handle cases independently in strict accordance with Chinese law and legal procedures.'

Wang demanded Canada release Meng 'immediately' and ensure her safe return to the country.

The official said there was no connection between Xu's sentencing and current China-Canada ties while commenting on the case yesterday.

In Ottawa, the Canadian foreign ministry said that it was 'profoundly concerned' by the sentence and called on China to grant clemency to Xu.

The news comes after another Canadian, Xu Weihong, was sentenced to death yesterday by a court in Guangzhou (pictured), southern China's Guangdong Province, on a separate charge

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin (pictured at a press briefing on July 27) said there was no connection between Xu's sentencing and current China-Canada relations

Before Ye and Xu, China had sentenced two other Canadians to death for drug offences since the detention of Meng in Vancouver in December 2018, at the request of the United States.

Washington accuses Huawei of using a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions - allegations both Huawei and China deny.

China's foreign spokesperson Wang called Meng's arrest and possible extradition to the US 'a serious political incident'.

He said: 'At present, the relations between China and Canada are experiencing difficulties. The responsibilities do not fall on the Chinese side. The Canadian side should know the crux of the problem very well.

'We urge the Canadian side to take effective measures and correct its mistakes immediately to make practical efforts to get the relations between the two countries back on track.'

Political tensions between China and Canada have spiked since Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou (pictured in May) was detained in Vancouver in December 2018, at the request of the US

The Intermediate People's Court of Foshan on Thursday said that Ye was part of a six-member gang which transported and produced drugs. It said it would also confiscate Ye's personal property.

The court did not specify the name of the drugs. But according to regional state-run newspaper Yangcheng Evening News, police found 217.97 kilograms (480.54 pounds) of white crystals containing MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy.

The findings were reportedly made in a room used by Ye and five other individuals to store drugs between May 2015 and January 2016.

The outlet claimed officers discovered a further 9.84 grams (0.35 ounces) of drugs in the bags and homes of Ye's accomplices.

Another member, Chinese national Lu Hanchang, also received capital punishment. The rest of the defendants were sentenced from seven years to life in prison.

Ye and his gang produced and transported drugs in Foshan (pictured) in southern China

The Guangzhou court said on Thursday that Xu and a partner-in-crime, who is Chinese, were found guilty of making 120.56 kilograms (265.89 pounds) of ketamine in October 2016, reported state-run Yangcheng Evening News.

Ketamine is an animal tranquilliser and illegal party drug.

It remains unclear if Xu or Ye will appeal against the courts' decisions.

China issued capital penalties to two other Canadian citizens last year on drug offences in perceived retaliation against Ottawa.

In January 2019, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was handed the verdict in the north-eastern city of Dalian after the judge had changed his original 15-year jail sentence.

Mr Schellenberg was initially sentenced 15 years in prison in 2018, but a high court deemed the decision 'too lenient' and gave him the death penalty in an open hearing on January 14, 2019

Schellenberg, then 36, was detained in 2014 on suspicion of smuggling crystal meth from China to Australia, according to the Dalian Intermediate People's Court.

He was said to be caught while trying to flee from China to Thailand.

He was initially sentenced 15 years in prison by the intermediate court in November 2018, but a high court deemed the decision 'too lenient' the following month.

In April 2019, the Canadian leader of an international drug-trafficking gang was sentenced to death in the southern city of Jiangmen, a court said.

The Canadian citizen was named Fan Wei, who was said to have led the multi-national criminal syndicate in Guangdong Province together with an individual called Wu Ziping.

Wu Ziping, believed to be a Chinese national, was sentenced to death as well.

The court said in an online statement that Fan and Wu were found guilty of producing and trafficking drugs in March 2012.

The death sentencing comes against the backdrop of Beijing's anger over the arrest of Huawei's CFO Meng Wanzhou (pictured in 2018), who faces being extradited to the US

The US alleges that Meng misled the bank HSBC about Huawei's business dealings in Iran

China detained two Canadians, ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig (left) and businessman Michael Spavor (right), after Meng's arrest. Beijing formally charged them with spying in June this year

Canada's attorney general has said that the requirements for extraditing Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou to the United States on charges of bank fraud have been met, documents submitted in a British Columbia court show.

Meng, 48, was arrested at Vancouver's airport on December 1, 2018, on a warrant from the United States, which alleges that she misled the bank HSBC about Huawei's business dealings in Iran.

Meng has been on house arrest in Vancouver since then, fighting extradition, and has said she is innocent.

Her case has caused a diplomatic row between Canada and China, which has demanded that Meng be released.

China detained two Canadians, ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, after Meng's arrest. Beijing formally charged them with spying in June - more than 18 months after they were arrested in the diplomatic spat.
The House Ethics Committee found Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) violated campaign finance rules by receiving a campaign salary when she was no longer a congressional candidate  but that she did not have ill intent in her actions.

The committee concluded that receiving a portion of her salary from campaign funds following the 2018 general election ran afoul of the Federal Election Campaign Act, according to a report released Friday.

But the committee noted that Tlaibs error was one of bad timing and not ill intent.

Representative Tlaib engaged in good faith efforts to comply with the relevant FECA requirements, the panel said. The Committee did not find that she sought to unjustly enrich herself by receiving the campaign funds at issue.

The Ethics Committee ordered that Tlaib pay back her campaign the $10,800 that she improperly received when she was no longer a candidate. Apart from the reimbursement and the issuing of the report, the committee said it would take no further action.

The report also noted that during her campaign, Tlaib received a small amount of campaign funds that was below the legal maximum she was eligible to claim.

The first Palestinian American elected to Congress, the Detroit-born Tlaib won her seat in the 2018 midterms and rose to prominence as a member of the progressive Squad. Tlaib triumphed in her 2020 primary campaign on Tuesday and will likely win reelection in her heavily Democratic district.
Elle Fanning has been confirmed to star in the upcoming film The Girl From Plainville for Hulu.

The story follows the true crime story of Michelle Carter and her infamous 'suicide texting' case.

The 22-year-old will take on the role of Carter, who was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself in the summer of 2014.

True crime story: Elle Fanning is confirmed to star in the upcoming The Girl From Plainville for Hulu, following the story of Michelle Carter and her infamous 'suicide texting' case

Bizarre case: Carter was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself in the summer of 2014; seen here in court in August 2017

The project, and Elle's participation both as actress and an executive producer, was announced as part of Hulu's Television Critics Association summer press tour on Friday.

The news comes after the Super 8 star's current Hulu series The Great, following Catherine the Empress Of Russia, has been renewed to come back for a second season.

That series costars Elle opposite X-Men star Nicholas Hoult.

Carter, now 23, was sentenced to a 15-month prison term in August of 2017 for instructing her then 18-year-old boyfriend Conrad Roy, III via text message to get in his truck that was filling with toxic gas in July 2014.

 Slide me  A good match: Elle is seen on the left all done up for the 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival in Le Cannet, France, in May 2019. On the right is Michelle in court in June 2017

She was found guilty of the crime in a Massachusetts juvenile court, and began serving her prison sentence in February of 2019.

The Girl From Plainville will be based on the Esquire article of the same name by writer Jesse Barron.

Carter's case was the subject of a 2019 HBO documentary entitled I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter.

Convicted: Carter, now 23, was found guilty of the crime in a Massachusetts juvenile court, and began serving her prison sentence in February of 2019; seen here in June 2017

Not such a stretch: Judging from Fanning's uncanny resemblance to Carter, this new series is sure to be a welcome departure for the talented Beguiled starlet

And while Elle has portrayed historical figures such as Catherine the Great as well as author Mary Shelley, the glut of her roles have been in more of a fictional or fantastical vein, like the Maleficent films or The Neon Demon.

But judging from her uncanny resemblance to Carter, this new series is sure to be a welcome departure for the talented Beguiled starlet.

Another upcoming project for Elle is The Nightingale, based on the novel of the same name by Kristin Hannah.

Stunner: While Elle has portrayed historical figures such as Catherine the Great as well as author Mary Shelley, the glut of her roles have been in more of a fictional vein; seen in January

That film will mark the first time she will share the screen with older sister Dakota, 26, in a dramatic feature film  and they will portray sisters, to boot.

The movie, to be directed by Inglourious Basterds actress Melanie Laurent, will follow a pair of sisters in wartime France as they frantically try to keep their lives from falling apart at the onset of World War II.

The Nightingale is currently listed as being in pre-production, and is expected, for now, on December 22nd, 2021.
George and Amal Clooney donated $100K to Lebanon-based charities following deadly blast that killed at least 135 people and left 5,000 hurt in Beirut, where Amal was born.

'Were both deeply concerned for the people of Beirut and the devastation theyve faced in the last few days,' the couple said Thursday in a statement. 'Three charitable organizations we've found are providing essential relief on the ground: the Lebanese Red Cross, Impact Lebanon, and Baytna Baytak.'

The Oscar-winner, 59, and human rights attorney, 42, added that they'll 'be donating $100,000 to these charities and hope that others will help in any way they can.'

The latest: George and Amal Clooney donated $100K to Lebanon-based charities following deadly blast that killed at least 135 people and left 5,000 hurt in Beirut, where Amal was born. The pair was snapped last year in London

Amal was initially born in Beirut, and lived there until she was two, when he family departed the country amid the Lebanese Civil War. Amal was raised in England and attended Oxford University.

The A-list actor and the beauty initially crossed paths in 2013 and exchanged vows the following year. They're parents to three-year-old twins Ella and Alexander.

The donations came days after an explosion in the city's port area that people felt from 150 miles away, decimating nearby blocks, buildings and structures.

Lebanon's intelligence agency head Abbas Ibrahim, according to the AP , said one possibility of a cause was improperly stored hazardous materials.

Generous: The Oscar-winner, 59, and human rights attorney, 42, added that they'll 'be donating $100,000 to these charities and hope that others will help in any way they can.

Tragic: Relief efforts underway in Beirut following the deadly explosion

Prime Minister Hassan Diab told his citizens that a 'dangerous warehouse' that has been in business since 2014 was at the epicenter of the explosion, according to the the BBC.

'I have never in my life seen a disaster this big,' Lebanese health minister Hamad Hasan said in the wake of the explosion, which left 250,000 homeless, the Sun / reported.

Other celebs stateside who have acknowledged the tragedy include Salma Hayek, Naomi Campbell, Ariana Grande, Kate Hudson and Heidi Klum.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico reported 197 new coronavirus cases Friday, well below last weeks spike in infections.

Health officials also said six more residents had died in the virus outbreak, pushing the statewide total to 675 deaths since March.

The state is now averaging about 197 new cases a day over the past week, a 40% decline from a July 29 peak of 330 cases on average.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has described the trend as strong progress toward reducing the prevalence of the disease, though she said Thursday that its too early to substantially relax the states business restrictions.

Dona Ana County in the southern part of the state led New Mexico with 50 new infections Friday, followed by 32 in Bernalillo County, the most populous part of the state.

Ten of the cases reported Friday were among federal detainees.

The six new deaths include adults ranging in age from their 50s to their 80s, all but one of whom had an underlying medical condition.

Health officials said 132 coronavirus patients are hospitalized in New Mexico, or six fewer than the day before.

The figure may include patients transferred from other states, and it doesnt include any New Mexico residents hospitalized outside the state.

The state designates 9,166 people as having recovered from the disease.

Altogether, New Mexico has confirmed 21,965 cases out of 612,854 tests, for a positivity rate of 3.6%. The percentage has been a little lower  about 3.5%  for the most recent seven-day period released by the state.
A Perth teenager accused of assaulting a fellow high school student so severely he was hospitalised has been warned by a magistrate to take the allegations seriously.

The 15-year-old student appeared in Perth Children's Court on Thursday charged with grievous bodily harm and common assault after allegedly bashing a 14-year-old boy so badly he was hospitalised with a shattered pelvis.

The victim, who has a physical disability and has been in and out of hospital for years, was taken to Perth Children's Hospital for emergency surgery after the alleged assault in the schoolyard on June 10.

He was discharged soon after and has been in a wheelchair since. The 14-year-old alleged victim has left the school.

According to the Education Department, the accused boy has not been excluded from school, with the principal deciding not to recommend an exclusion after reviewing the matter.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- More than a hundred dead, thousands injured and hundreds of thousands rendered homeless: The human toll of the massive explosions in Beirut on Tuesday demands an immediate response from the rest of the world. It is no exaggeration to say that many will die, or be permanently maimed, if succor doesnt come quickly.

But the tragedy also puts the worlds leaders and lenders on the horns of a familiar dilemma: How to help a stricken people without empowering their shady  and sinister  rulers?

The quandary was raised recently in Iran, when the government of the Islamic Republic sought $5 billion from the International Monetary Fund to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. At the time, I argued that the regime in Tehran could not be trusted with cash: The risk was too great that the money would be siphoned into Irans well-established program of spreading terrorism and sectarian violence across the Middle East. Better to offer material help  food, medicine, doctors and nurses  instead.

Tellingly, the Iranian government insisted on cash, which it has not received, and chose to let its people suffer rather than accept Western offers of non-monetary assistance. It has since tried to conceal the extent of the coronavirus crisis by fudging the figures. The real death toll may be more than three times higher than announced.

Lebanon, for all its political dysfunction and economic chaos, is for the most part an open society. The government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab will gladly accept offers of assistance from all comers  with the possible exception of Israel. Rescue and relief groups from all over the world are on their way to Beirut. Food and other emergency supplies will be arriving, as well.

But the profoundly corrupt political elite that runs the country will not miss this opportunity to ask for money too. And therein lies the dilemma.

Theres no question Lebanon will need the cash. Beirut has suffered enormous physical damage: The citys governor estimates it will cost between $3 billion and $5 billion to repair.

Story continues

Under normal circumstances, the Lebanese diaspora could be relied upon to pick up much of the tab. But in recent months, the parlous state of the Lebanese economy  and especially the collapse of its currency  has prompted many to take their money out of the country. They will send cash back in to support friends and family, but investing in reconstruction requires a faith in the management of the economy and confidence in the banking system that doesnt currently exist.

As with Iran, there is a danger that aid money will be diverted from its intended purpose  whether to line the pockets of Lebanons famously venal politicians, or worse, furnish the coffers of Hezbollah, which acts as Irans catspaw across the region.

Fear of money falling into the hands of Hezbollah has kept the Gulf Arab states from bailing Lebanon out of its current economic crisis, as they have in the past.

That leaves the IMF, which even before Tuesdays tragedy was in talks with the Diab government for a $10 billion loan. But those negotiations had stalled over the governments inability to agree on an economic reform plan. Economy Minister Raoul Nehme was being optimistic when he said he might get half that amount last week.

The IMF might now be willing to talk of a larger sum, to incorporate Beiruts reconstruction needs. But the risk of misuse may be greater in the chaos following the blasts, so it should be even more insistent on transparency.

The scale of the tragedy should shake the government  and the entire political class  into its senses about the need for reforms. Even Hezbollah, surely, must now recognize that a bailout, with strings attached, is inevitable  and urgent. At a bare minimum, the government should allow a system of international supervision of how reconstruction money is spent. Failure to secure assistance at a moment when there is so much sympathy for Lebanon would be disastrous.

The world wants to help the Lebanese. The politicians in Beirut must help us help them.

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

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2020 Bloomberg L.P.
(JNS)  We Americans seem quite capable of separating ourselves into fractious groups without the help of our enemies, but that hasnt stopped many, especially the Islamists of the world, from using the death of George Floyd to fuel our divides.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr warned on June 4, that hackers  associated with foreign governments have been using Floyds death, playing all sides to exacerbate the violence.

Later that day, something alarmed the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security enough for it to tweet a warning about fake social media accounts...
An award-winning meat firm and one of its employees have been fined over a health and safety breach in which a 16-year-old staff member lost a finger in a mincing machine accident.

He was working as a general operative at the M&W Farm Meats butchers counter at Costcutter in Moygashel on November 18, 2017, when the incident happened.

Company director Clayton Moore of Moy Road, Portadown, admitted failing to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of his employees.

Master butcher George Hamill of Ballycullen Road, Dungannon, pleaded guilty to failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of the victim.

Both appeared for sentencing at Dungannon Crown Court where it was disclosed the victim's role included cleaning machinery for which he had received some informal training.

On the day of the incident he was being supervised by Mr Hamill, and in the process of cleaning the mincing machine, a cloth fell into the mechanism, became caught and could not be retrieved.

Mr Hamill loosened the clamps preventing access to the mincer blades. However, when he tilted the device to allow the victim to reach in to get the cloth, it started up.

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The victim sustained very serious injuries to his right hand, including the loss of an index finger, while his middle finger was severely damaged.

After numerous surgical procedures, the teenage victim's middle finger has been fused with metal pins, but his hand grip is poor and over-sensitive to cold. He remains extremely traumatised.

During interview when Mr Hamill was asked why the mincer's isolator switch had not been turned off, he replied:

"The only thing I can say is we were so busy, coming near the end of the day, and obviously with Saturday being a very, very busy day, tiredness prevented me maybe from turning the isolator button off."

Mr Moore accepted health and safety training had been "delegated" to Mr Hamill, but this was never formally signed off.

The prosecution stated Mr Moore should have ensured the victim was properly trained and, "insufficient thought was given to the need to take extra care when employing a 16-year-old to work with dangerous machinery".

In respect of Mr Hamill, the prosecution said: "As a master butcher, he ought to have ensured the machine was switched off."

Defence counsel told the court Mr Moore has a very good health and safety record and has since taken all recommended steps to ensure that extra care is taken in the future.

He added: "Whilst not looking to misdirect or assume blame elsewhere, I think Mr Hamill has been very clear that this was a momentary lapse in concentration and an isolated incident for a business that prides itself in safety."

Counsel for Mr Hamill said: "He is the man on the ground...He certainly bears responsibility and accepted that at an early juncture... however, it is not the case the injured party was left to his own devices."

Describing the case as "difficult", Judge Paul Ramsay QC said the injuries were, "devastating caused by cataclysmic failure".

He referred to a personal statement provided by the victim noting it to be "heartfelt and articulate".

The victim has been left embarrassed and self-conscious of the injury, cannot write properly and can no longer enjoy a pastime of fishing.

He finished by stating: "I wish the accident had never happened."

The judge said remorse on behalf of both defendants was clearly evident and measures have been put in place to prevent such an incident again.

In respect of Mr Moore, Judge Ramsay said his starting point for a fine was 9,000 but due to the early guilty plea and adjustments to cover costs, he reduced this to 3,500.

The starting point for Mr Hamill was 4,500, but applying the same principles, Judge Ramsay reduced this to 500.

Costs of 7,624 are also to be paid by the defendants.
A new program pioneered by a Boston city councilor seeks to help support students with remote learning this fall.

Boston Public Schools, the largest school district in Massachusetts serving more than 50,000 students, is still finalizing plans for the fall school semester but has said that a full return to in-person classroom learning is impossible given the necessary social distancing protocols for reopening.

But hybrid or online learning have their own challenges  ones that learning pods are looking to tackle.

The Lena Park Community Center in Dorchester will provide rooms that will serve as the pods where students can do remote learning, CBS Boston reported. The community center will also provide facilitators to help, Chromebooks and internet access.

The program will be funded by a grant obtained by Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia.

I think what makes it unique is that young people will have a space and have some sense of normalcy during this time, Mejia told CBS Boston. She hopes the learning pod space will help fill a void and also serve as a model to create other pods throughout the city.

Students and their families have been grappling with the issue of lack of laptops and internet access since schools went remote in March.

Families also cited challenges, including balancing work and supporting students with remote learning and tracking online assignments.

Learning pods might help solve those issues.

The conversation has turned to the concept of learning pods. People are interested in learning more about the logistics and how they can be implemented equitably as a potential option for BPS families, Mejia said while live-tweeting a virtual student panel. Another idea suggested by folks is to utilize libraries and community centers to provide additional space outside of BPS facilities.

The conversation has turned to the concept of 'learning pods'. People are interested in learning more about the logistics and how they can be implemented equitably as a potential option for BPS families.  Julia Mejia (@juliaforboston) August 5, 2020

The pods will start small with 20 students grouped in four pods by grade, which will allow them to learn together, the news station reported. And although the Dorchester community center cant host more than 20 students, its hoping to inspire similar learning pods across the state.

COVID has presented an opportunity to think outside the box, Mejia said.

Related Content:
A glamorous ice dealer has been caught with six bags of meth she planned to sell after police stopped her and a friend for breaking social distancing rules.

Amber Gull, 24, pleaded guilty to supplying an illegal drug after being found with 4.2kg of ice by police who had approached her sitting in a Ford Ranger on Hay Street in South Grafton in north-eastern New South Wales on April 2.

Court documents said when police asked her why she was out in public during COVID-19 stage three restrictions, Gull and the male friend replied they had planned to 'chill out'.

Under the rules imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, NSW residents were only at that time allowed to leave home for work, to give care, for exercise or for essential shopping.

Amber Gull, 24, has pleaded guilty to supplying methylamphetamine after she was caught with 4.2kg of the illegal drug while sat in a car in South Grafton in north-eastern New South Wales on April 2

Gull and her male friend told police they had planned to 'chill out' when they were seen sitting in the car on a rural South Grafton road - before police discovered

When police searched the 24-year-old's Kia Sorento parked nearby on the rural road they found a small bag with a crystal substance inside, The Daily Examiner reported.

They also found a glass pipe on Gull - known for its use by meth smokers.

Court documents said during the consented strip search that followed the young woman removed a small black bag from her waist and threw it under the Ranger.

Police recovered the bag she had tried to throw away after her friend - on whom they found no drugs - was told he was free to go.

Inside the black bag were six clear bags containing methylamphetamine.

After Gull was placed under arrest, text messages were found on her phone suggesting she was supplying drugs.

She was released on bail but on May 28 was taken back into custody for breaching bail conditions as police discovered messages on her phone indicating further drug supply.

Gull gave a guilty plea for supplying a prohibited drug between a small and indictable amount among multiple drug charges.

During a strip search the young woman (pictured) removed a small black bag - which contained six bags with meth inside - from her waist and threw it under a car, a court heard

Text messages were found on her phone in a large quantity following her arrest suggesting she was supplying drugs

She was on Wednesday given 100 hours of community service and an intensive corrections order.

Under her 12-month community corrections order she must not commit any offence and abstain from drugs.

'The offender must appear before the court if called upon to do so at any time during the term of the Community Correction Order,' the order also reads.

An intensive corrections order is the most serious sentence offenders in NSW can serve in the community.
BRATENAHL, Ohio -- An event called Trump Day Northeast Ohio Boat Parade brought a flotilla of boaters to Lake Erie, in front of the Shoreby Club in Bratenahl Thursday evening.

While the Coast Guard kept the vessels a great distance from the shore, attendees of the fundraiser were sure to see the assortment of Keep America Great flags waving in the wind.

Perhaps 50 boats drifted to and fro in the choppy water for around an hour. There was occasional cheering. Stereos blared everything from rock to rap music, occasionally interrupted by the Coast Guard loudspeaker warning people to back up.

Trump embarked on a Thursday blitz across northern Ohio, including an interview on Geraldo Riveras show on WTAM, remarks at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, and speaking to a crowd of about 200 indoors -- chairs spread out with people wearing masks -- at the Whirlpool factory in Clyde, Ohio. He returned to Cleveland to attend the high-dollar fundraiser at the Shoreby Club.

More than 100 people demonstrated against Trump along his motorcade route on Interstate 90 and outside the tony club.

By 6:30 p.m., most had begun their return trips. See the gallery above for photos from the water.
Construction resumes on church destroyed during 9/11; Cuomo presides at ceremony

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday presided over the resumption of construction on a Greek Orthodox church that was said to be the only house of worship destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The project is set to be completed in the fall of 2021.

Located near the World Trade Centers twin towers, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine suffered severe damage during the terror attacks that killed and injured thousands. Since then, the church has struggled to rebuild.

Cuomo joined Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambriniadis), the head of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, to announce the return of construction on the church building after financial struggles and other issues delayed the project for years.

We are going to build back the way we built back from 9/11, and it will be better and stronger with more solidarity and more faith and more spirit of community than ever before, stated Cuomo on Monday.

We have gone through difficult times together, but we rise from the ashes and we rise stronger than ever before. That's what this St. Nicholas will stand for. It is a powerful message to all New Yorkers and all Americans.

During his remarks, Archbishop Elpidophoros noted that the church was destroyed by a savage act of hatred and terror. However, he assured that the terrorists would not have the final word.

We are going to open the St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine as a sign of love, not hate; a sign of reconciliation, not of prejudice; and a sign of the ideals that exist in this great American Nation, where one's religious liberty and freedom of conscience never excludes, but only embraces, said Elpidophoros.

As part of the ceremony, the archbishop blessed the workers at the construction site, praying that God will protect the workers who have returned to this holy place to rebuild in safety and peace.

Guide their hands aright, shield their eyes from harm, grant unto them and all who contribute to this Holy Work every blessing of body and soul, the religious leader continued.

Efforts to rebuild the church have been complicated over the past several years, including questions as to where the new church building will be located.

In 2011, the Greek Orthodox Church sued the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey over issues about the location, claiming in port that officials "rebuffed all efforts by the Church to work with it regarding the rebuilding." The church claimed that the Port Authority broke a 2008 promise to rebuild the building down the road from its old site and also claimed that the Port Authority excavated church property without permission.

In 2011, the Archdiocese and the Port Authority reached an agreement to rebuild the structure at 130 Liberty Street, which would include a nondenominational bereavement center.

Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said in a statement Monday that the resumption of construction on the church Monday marked a new chapter in the historic rebuild of Lower Manhattan.

Financial issues have also plagued the project, with the projected cost of the reconstruction ending up being millions of dollars more than previously estimated. The construction had been previously halted in December 2017 over a series of managerial and financial crises within the archdiocese.

A recent fundraising effort by The Friends of St. Nicholas, a group formed to oversee the project, successfully raised the $45 million needed to complete the construction, The New York Post reported last month.

The election of Archbishop Elpidophoros in May 2019 reset the stage for a new, transparent approach to complete the Saint Nicholas reconstruction, according to a statement from the church.

Michael Psaros, vice chairman of The Friends of St. Nicholas, told The New York Post in July that the new church building will be, for the Greek-American community, our Parthenon.

It will be a powerful symbol of the triumph of the principals of the American ideal, with respect to individual and religious freedom, he said.

Construction was set to begin in the spring but was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

At the end of the ceremony, those in attendance witnessed the placement of the first skylight into the churchs dome.

Cuomo contended that the reconstruction of the church will send a powerful message to the world that New York is a state made stronger by tolerance and our respect for one another."

"In the face of tragedy and destruction on 9/11, the St. Nicholas community literally held its ground against what was an inconceivable tragedy inspired by hate, instead relying on the power of love to restore what was lost and create a symbolism of faith and tolerance, Cuomo added. "In New York, we know from experience that rebuilding after a crisis means more than just restoring bricks and mortar or reviving an economy; it also requires healing a broken spirit.

The congregation dates back to 1916 and served as a spiritual home for Greek immigrants in the city.
India has raised an objection against the installation of omni-directional CCTV cameras by Nepal near the disputed land at the border in Uttarakhands Champawat district, officials said on Thursday.

This comes amid the ongoing border row between the two countries over erecting fencing pillars in no mans land at the India-Nepal border in Champawat.

Indian officials have asked their counterparts in Nepal to replace them with uni-directional CCTV cameras. The issue was raised by Indian officials during an informal border meeting between the two sides on Tuesday near Tanakpur border town of Champawat district.

Several issues were raised during the meeting for discussion by India side including a request to instal omni-directional closed-circuit television cameras by Nepalese authorities near the no mans land.

The Nepalese side had installed the CCTV cameras a few days ago at the border. When the meeting was held, the SSB [Sashastra Seema Bal] from our side raised the issue before Nepal as being omnidirectional CCTV cameras, there was an obvious risk that they might monitor activities of our security agencies also, Surendra Narayan Pandey, Champawats district magistrate who attended the meet, said.

The Nepalese authorities reasoned that they are to keep an eye on activities on their side of the border on which we asked them to then replace them with uni-directional CCTV cameras away from the Indian side of the border. To that, they said that they will consider the request, said Pandey.

Meanwhile, an SSB official privy to the issues raised by them before Nepalese authorities in the meeting said, We had raised the issue of omnidirectional CCTVs as it is a very important one from a security point of view.

Not only this, we also raised objection against the Nepalese people stopping our men from patrolling near the disputed area of the border in our side as well the encroachment done by them on it, said the official.

RK Tripathi, SSB Commandant near the Indo-Nepal border affirmed the development. We raised several issues in the meeting but didnt get any assurance from their side. They just said that they will try to solve them by dialogues, Tripathi said.

The informal meeting was attended by Champawats district magistrate and superintendent of police (SP) and SSBs commandant. From the Nepalese, the chief district officer (the equivalent of a DM) and SP of Kanchanpur district adjoining the border in Nepal and SP of the Armed Police Force (SSBs counterpart).

The border row had erupted between the two sides after some Nepalese nationals erected fencing pillars in the no mans land near the border on July 22. Following the development, Indias border patrolling agency SSB held a meeting with Nepals APF on the issue on July 23 in which the latter assured of removing it but since then no action has been taken by them in this regard.
Joy Ventures, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based startup studio seeding and funding companies building consumer products for emotional wellbeing, launched its Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) platform to establish new startups in the category.

The platform will serve as the cornerstone of Joy Ventures venture design efforts, extending the companys existing product ideation programs, and operating in parallel to its continued investment activity in early to growth stage startups.

The EIR platform offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to launch leading companies that help people across the globe live more joyfully. The companies will be based on the entrepreneurs own ideas or on science-backed consumer product ideas seeded from Joy Ventures existing innovation programs. Joy will provide entrepreneurs with essential resources including financing, mentorship, and domain expertise.

The EIR platform will be spearheaded by Ron Gabay, Joy Ventures Head of Innovation & Venture Design.

FinSMEs

07/08/2020
Wondering where you can buy those elusive New Mexican Hatch chiles? Weve got resources for getting your hands on them, whether you want fresh or frozen, jarred or powdered. No road trip to New Mexico required.

New Mexican Hatch Chiles

Dear Never Cook Naked Guys: Whats the most flavorful way to get green New Mexican hatch chiles without breaking the bank? Im pretty sure someone will mail me a case full of frozen ones on dry ice if I pay enough, but Im not certain Im willing.Chile Deprived

Dear Chile Deprived: We assume youre hankering for Hatch, Barker, Big Jim, or Sandia chiles, all of which are charred in the metal cages over gas flames or wood fires at seemingly every supermarket, farmers market, or outdoor fair in the state.

A quick online search shows that if youre willing to buy frozen, roasted chiles, youre often looking at about $9 a pound, standard shipping usually included. That said, those chiles could get sort of soggy. Which means that coveted flavor wont be as intense. And then theres the issue of whether you want to scrape mold off squishy chiles. So youd need to ante up for overnight shippingand even still, dont expect the chiles to be at their best.

The way we see it, youve got two options here: 1) pony up to get those New Mexican chiles transported quickly, gasoline costs be damned; or 2) investigate the food scene around where you live so you can make friends across the country drool at your local bounty, just as you pine for the New Mexico harvest, so you can propose a swap. (Heres how it works: Find New Mexican foodies via blogs, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Lurk. Leer. Stalk. Then start talking up something from your area. Once those New Mexicans are salivating, offer to send them something from your area thats exquisitely localand mention youll take roasted chiles for payment.)

Yep, itll cost you. Blame the government. (Everyone else is these days.) Its not the cost of the food; its the shipping. You can also get roasted Hatch chiles in a dried, pulverized form which you can then use as part of a spice blend in a stew or braise. Actually, you can sprinkle that powdery heat over just about everything from scrambled eggs to enchiladas. Okay, not over ice cream. Lets be reasonable. And theres always jarred roasted Hatch chiles and Hatch chile salsa in the event youre late in reading this and suffering from FOMO.

Since the big chile fest in New Mexico isnt until September, youve got some time to ponder your optionsas well as save up. [Editors Note: The annual Hatch Chile Festival has been canceled for 2020.]

Know this as well: youre asking for something thats guaranteed to send shivers up the collective spines of foodistas when you opt for an intensely local ingredient delivered to a destination far, far removed from its origins. Dont let certain West Coast chefs get wind of your plans.

Our very clever, very clothed Never Cook Naked columnists are at your disposal, able to troubleshoot everything from questionable table etiquette to tricky cooking techniques (as well as, natch, proper cooking attire). Curious to learn more solutions to culinary conundrums? Just ask!




Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus woes related to the grant of a nearly billion dollar contract to a charity with links to himself and his family, are growing with almost half of Canadians polled in a new survey saying new elections should be held if he were to be found guilty of violating Federal ethics norms.

The scandal over the CA $ 912 million contract to WE Charity has already lead to Trudeau being investigated by the countrys Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, as well as being probed by two Parliamentary panels.

Trudeau has also apologised for not recusing himself from a Cabinet decision for granting the contract to the organisation. The contract was later cancelled after the controversy erupted with revelations that his mother, brother and wife had been paid for appearances by the organisation

It appears, however, that Trudeaus apology has not cut any ice with Canadians. A new survey from the polling agency Leger in collaboration with the Association for Canadian Studies shows that 49 per cent of Canadians want Trudeau to quit and call fresh elections if he is found guilty of ethics violations. The PM was found of guilty of similar violations twice during his first term.

But thats not the only data point working against Trudeau: 49 per cent also said their opinion of Trudeau had worsened due to the WE scandal and 42 per cent said their view of his Liberal Party had suffered adversely. The news agency Canadian Press quoted Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque as saying that these are numbers that will certainly worry or concern the Liberals at this moment.

Trudeaus Liberal Party is running a minority government and had enjoyed an upswing in support due to the perception of efficient handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the new controversy has taken a heavy political toll on the ruling party as it has dropped six points in two weeks and it seems to be in a statistical tie with the principal opposition Conservatives at this time.
Brie Larson has been acting since she was a child, and received an Oscar when she was only in her late 20s. She also took on the role of Captain Marvel in the Marvel Cinematic Universes first solo film revolving around a female superhero. Its been a whirlwind since that movie came out in early 2019 and now she has her own YouTube channel.

In all of this, Larson has also gone on to become very active, starting with training for her role in Captain Marvel. And then she became interested in boulder climbing. Her most recent video detailed how she fulfilled a goal of hers recently in relation to climbing.

Brie Larson at ACE Comic Con Midwest on October 12, 2019 in Rosemont, Illinois | Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

RELATED: Brie Larson and Her Captain Marvel Trainer Jason Walsh Show You How to Work Out at Home With No Weights

Brie Larson climbed the Grand Tetons and showed it on her YouTube channel

On Aug. 6, Larson posted a new YouTube video titled, I CLIMBED THE GRAND TETON (and kept it a secret!). In it, she detailed her trek to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming last year, in August of 2019.

She went with her trainer Jason Walsh and Jimmy Chin, a filmmaker and professional mountaineer. Most notably, Chin directed the Academy Award-winning documentary Free Solo.

Larson called it a once in a lifetime situation to climb this mountain with Chin. She explained that she trained for 6 weeks, pretty hard. And, again, it sort of came off of all the workouts she did preparing for her superhero role. While, as an actor, she could have used stunt doubles 100 percent of the time while shooting, it was important for Larson to embody Captain Marvel as much as she could.

It didnt sit well with me to play a strong character without actually being stong, she explained in the video. When she was actually climbing the Tetons, she said that she felt raw, and humbled.

And Chin was impressed with what Larson accomplished, too, when it came to her composure on the mountain.

Ive taken a lot of people climbing, he explained. [She and Walsh] have that mental strength and discipline to kind of be like, Okay, I need to get focused. I need to be in the moment.

Larson has wanted to do this for a while

After nearly six months of training, its of course evident that Larson didnt do this on a whim (that would be highly unsafe). But shes also talked about it in the past. Even as early as March of 2019, while she promoted Captain Marvel. She was posting Instagram videos of her climbing in a gym, so during her Wired Auto Correct interview, that was one of the search results and she talked about going to the Grand Tetons with Chin.

In her Grand Tetons YouTube video, she explained how she was really on a thin line after her non-stop work schedule over the last few years. She mentally needed this excursion just as much as it was physically demanding.

My career has been sort of like waves. Ive been riding some pretty big waves like the past five years, Larson explained. I just started to feel burnt out. And I still feel it inside of me, that there arent more stories that I can tell, there isnt more that I can bring until I do this work on myself. And seeing this as an opportunity to do that.

Larsons YouTube is fairly new, but shes loving it

She described the Grand Tetons climb as the trip of a lifetime. They were filming it at the time without really knowing what they were going to do with the footage. So once she made her YouTube channel, she felt it was the perfect opportunity to showcase it all.

As for her YouTube as a whole, Larson debuted her channel on July 2 as a place to add to the conversation and give fans more of an insight into her personality and self.

YouTube has been a place that I have learned so much, Larson said in her first video. Whether its been how to use my printer or its been watching how to be a considerate activist. This is the place to talk about things that are important and that matter.

While assuring fans that there will be silly times, Larson also emphasized that there will be deep conversations, anti-racist rhetoric, inclusive content.

And while on First We Feasts Hot Ones series, Larson shared that its a way to break out of the line of thought that the public perceives her in.

I guess deep down, Ive just been too scared to be so vulnerable on the internet, she said. So thats part of it. Being more open about my flaws, about who I actually am, and not just through a directors lens or the safety of a character.

RELATED: Brie Larson Celebrates Her Captain Marvel Casting With Some Very Nostalgic Pics
ISPCC Childline has welcomed the announcement of plans for childrens return to school later this month in County Leitrim and across the country and outlined details of support for parents, carers, children and young people preparing for the transition back to the classroom.

The organisation, which provides a range of services directly to children, young people and families in Ireland, including the Childline listening service, experienced a surge in demand for support when schools across the country first closed in March as a result of restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Childline answered over 72,000 online contacts, calls and texts from children and young people in Leitrim and across Ireland between the week in which schools closed in March and the last week in June. Many of those who contacted the service did so to talk about how they were anxious to return to school, missed their friends and daily routines and worried about exams and related issues.

Themes which will be of key importance to families preparing for the return to primary school next month, Childline stated, include building resilience, communicating clearly, seeking and accepting support and enhancing capacity to cope.

The development of these personal resources will be central to free Transition Back to School webinars, which the service is set to deliver to parents, carers, children and young people on Monday August 17th and Tuesday August 18th.

The organisation will also extend the hours of its Support Line service for three weeks from Monday August 17 to Friday, September 4, making the service available to parents, carers and members of the public from 9am to 5pm each day. The ISPCC Childline Support Line provides information, advice and emotional support in relation to childrens welfare and wellbeing.

Support and information content to assist with the transition back to school will also be made available to parents and carers online at ispcc.ie and to children and young people at Childline.ie.

ISPCC Childline Director of Services Caroline OSullivan said: Children and young peoples lives in Leitrim and across the world have been turned upside down this year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. School is a sanctuary to many  it is not only where they learn, but also often the place where they make and meet friends and access support. When they return later this month, however, it will be over five months since they will have been in classrooms. This years back-to-school experience will be like no other.

Children, young people, parents and carers will face challenges over the months ahead as Ireland emerges from this difficult time. Enhancing our capacity to cope with change and strengthening our resilience  often referred to as the ability to bounce back  will be important for us all. ISPCC Childline works to support, empower and strengthen children and young peoples resilience to enable them to live their best possible lives and to cope with any challenges which come their way.

On Monday August 17th and Tuesday August 18th, we will share our services insight into strengthening children and young peoples resilience to help them cope with change  and, in this case, with the transition back to the school environment following over five months of closure.

Parents and carers are invited to attend a free one-hour webinar event on Monday evening, August 17th, from 7:30pm  and then to attend a follow-up session with their child, if they are an incoming 5th or 6th class pupil, on Tuesday evening, August 18th, from 7:30pm. For more information, or to register to take part, see ispcc.ie. Places are limited, so parents and carers are advised to sign up early to confirm their attendance.

Childline will be here for every child and young person in Ireland, by phone, online chat and text, every day and night, as they prepare for the return to school and always. Any child or young person can reach Childline by calling 1800 66 66 66, chatting online at Childline.ie or texting to 50101. Further support and information content, around returning to school and other issues, is also available at Childline.ie.

We are also extending the hours of the ISPCC Childline Support Line service during this period, to help ensure parents and carers have somewhere they can turn too. Details of the service are updated daily and can be accessed at ispcc.ie/ispcc-support-line.
(Photo : Twitter: Cadillac (@cadillac)) (Photo : Twitter: Cadillac (@cadillac))

General Motor's luxury automotive manufacturer, Cadillac, releases the all-new 'Lyriq,' a crossover designed to dominate the new market, leaving behind the company's internal combustion engine, moving forward with electric.

This is a massive step for Cadillac as they are well known for their V engines that output great deals of horsepowers that Americans preferred over the years. The 'Lyriq' can par with electric vehicles like Tesla, offering performance, comfort, and luxury.

Cadillac dubs the 'Lyriq' as "Poetry in Electrified Motion" pertaining to the combination of its looks and features as an electric vehicle. "True Cadillac performance DNA stands every hair on end." The luxury car company claimed to assure its future buyers that its transition to electric would not sacrifice what's made the company well-known.

Electrek reports that GM did not reveal any details about where they will be manufacturing Caddy's crossover electric ride, only saying that 'Lyriq' would begin production on China in 2021.

"We have not announced the start [date] of production in China. But I can confirm China production will begin first with US production following shortly afterward." Michael Albano, the GM spokesperson, said.

'Lyriq' won't be the first GM vehicle that will sport the company's new electric platform. GMC's earlier announcement of the Hummer EV would start production in their Detroit-Hamtramck plant in 2021. Engadget reports that the American manufacturer would also add an electric pick-up in their line up.

ALSO READ: After CyberTruck Color-Test, Elon Musk's Tesla Now Offers Car Wrap Services in China

What do we know of the 'Lyriq' so far

Cadillac features their show car 'Lyriq' on their website, teasing off its would-be features and looks. However, best be warned that everything about this car is still on development, making the actual production car have more or less of what's advertised.

Lyriq Chief Engineer, Marty Hogan, admits that the car is still in the "development phase of the program" but will do everything they can to maximize its potential.

Cadillac 'Lyriq' offers a futuristic design integrated into the vehicle's sleek body, with "deecisive graphic elements contrast against fluid form." The exterior will sport a two-tone full-glass roof designed to add to the vehicle's sportiness. The face would also showcase led lighting system that will enhance its look into an "iridescent" color scheme.

Caddy's electric vehicle would sport a 19-kW Level 2 charging option ready and capable of charging at home and 150kW capable fast-charging in designated charging hubs. The current battery's range promises a 300-mile range on full for the rear-wheel-drive variant (RWD) and 20-30 miles less than that for the performance variant all-wheel drive (AWD).

Cadillac's Ultium propulsion system for the 'Lyriq' offers a 50/50 weight distribution in its chassis that promises a low center of gravity that makes the vehicle sporty, agile, and responsive.

Inside the Electric Crossover

'Lyriq' offers a wide variety of the car's interior features that will take you on a luxurious step towards the future. Its unique Augmented Reality Heads Up Display system offers a 33-inch diagonal display that brings you the speedometer, gauges, navigation, radio, and everything you need to know about the car, all-in-one.

A 'Super Cruise' system developed by Cadillac will give hands-free full driver assistance that will assist the driver in "simplifying" the drive.

An AKG 19-speaker sound system is also promised to be part of the car. It would bring sound optimization that is sure to deliver precise and crisp sounds that every passenger would experience.

With all the hype and details given by Cadillac and GM about the all-new 'Lyriq,' interested buyers of the car would have to wait until late 2022 for its release.

ALSO READ: Virgin Galactic Reveals Design for Supersonic Jet Capable of Traveling Over 3 Times the Speed of Sound







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Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The popularity of art has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only does art provide practical and therapeutical benefits for isolated people in lockdown, it also creates opportunities to foster positive international cultural and political relations.

The Artists' Camp Retrospective, an exhibition of artworks and photographs made during two unique intercultural events held in 2011 and 2016 in the Northern Territory of Australia by Indonesian and Aboriginal contemporary artists, opened at the Northern Center for Contemporary Art (NCCA) in Darwin, Australia, on July 24. The exhibition is open to the public and continues until Aug. 23.

Its significance was underlined by the attendance of both Indonesian and Australian dignitaries. The opening was officiated by the newly appointed Indonesian consul to the Northern Territory, Gulfan Afero, and the Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Gary Quinlan. Other audience members included Anthea Griffin, the Australian consul-general to Bali: Sandra Henderson, director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Darwin; Kate Walker, director international engagement of the Northern Territory Department of Trade, Business and Innovation; and the local Federal Australian Parliament Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling, MHR, who has been a strong supporter of the Artists Camp art and cultural engagement project with Indonesia.

The opening was live-streamed, distinguishing it as a virtual and actual experience including people unable to attend due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Online attendees included the exhibiting Indonesian artists Made Budhiana, Made Sudibia, Made Dalbo Suarimbawa, Wayan Wirawan, Dewa Rata Yoga, Gede Gunada and Ni Nyoman Sani from Bali as well as Suryani born in East Java. Others present via the Zoom linkup were the former long-term ambassador to Australia, Najib Riphat Kesoema, and personnel from the Indonesian Foreign Ministry in Jakarta.

More than 50 paintings celebrate the dynamic characters of the rugged and unforgiving Australian landscape, along with distinctions of the Aboriginal culture specific to regions of the Northern Territory. The retrospective of the Artists Camps held in 2011-2012 and in 2015-2016 includes photographs taken by the artists, highlighting distinctions of the natural environment, events and meetings as part of the camps programs.

The Artists Camp Retrospective is a positive initiative, bringing the cultures of the two nations closer together, said Gulfan, who strongly supported the project and urged all relevant parties to ensure that the event continues into the future. The eight Indonesian artists have traveled through several regions of the Northern Territory, familiarizing themselves with the foreign environment and interpreting the landscape and Aboriginal ethnicity, producing excellent works. This collaborative project has succeeded in connecting Indonesia and Australia in an outstanding art and cultural engagement.

The Artists Camp has a long and unique tradition of engagement, initially the concept of the original director of Museums and Art Galleries in the Northern Territory (MAGNT), Colin Jack- Hinton. Jack-Hinton realized that, as of 1978, the north of Australia had been interpreted in art and carvings by Aboriginal people for thousands of years, however, not by nonaboriginal Australian artists.

With the intention to create a body of works to expand the collections of the museums and galleries in the Northern Territory to increase the understanding of this largely wild part of northern Australia, Hinton invited a range of Australian artists to visit the beautiful and culturally rich Top End of the Northern Territory in 1978 to interpret Aboriginal culture and the landscape.

The Artists Camp then evolved into a broader initiative in 1990 through the vision of long-time collector of Indonesian and Aboriginal art and former chairman of the board of MAGNT Colin McDonald. McDonald took Indonesian artist Made Budhiana to the Northern Territory to participate in the first international Artists Camp, along with Australian and Malaysian artists. In 2011, the concept was resurrected by McDonald and the NCCA by inviting Budhiana and three other Balinese artists to spend six weeks in the Top End. Some of these works are on display in the retrospective.

The Artists Camps intend to develop and grow a deeper sense of cultural understanding and appreciation between different people, states McDonald in his curatorial essay about the Artists Camp Retrospective. Indonesia is a culturally and artistically rich nation. Art is everywhere in Indonesia, from the beautiful ceremonial offerings laid out each day in Bali to the strong emerging contemporary art that is impressing the world and attracting international collectors.

I discovered many strange and surprising things that were vastly different to anything I had experienced in Indonesia, said Made Budhiana, who participated in both of the Artists Camp events. I was amazed by the vastness and scorched natural setting that stretched on for kilometers without any inhabitants. There was no food or water, yet there is also other danger, such as the constant threat of wild animals and cold weather. It was then a challenge to absorb and express these influences into new works that were different to any of my previous paintings.

Ni Nyoman Sani, one of Balis leading female artists, attended the 2015 event and commented: I am grateful to have been a participant in such an enriching experience with the powerful Northern Territory landscape and aboriginal culture. I learned to connect with nature, yet outside of what I am familiar with in Bali. Its important to celebrate and share the uniqueness of the Artists Camp. When creating art in nature, we enrich our mind, body and spirit.

This virtual exhibition will keep cultural communities in both countries connected in the middle of this COVID-19 pandemic, said Quinlan.

Australia and Indonesia first connected 400 years ago when traders from Makassar visited northern Australia. Those visits left an imprint in both countries language, ritual and memory. As two such close neighbors with distinctive cultural traditions, we need to share more of these perspectives to learn more about each other. This exhibition helps us do so. (wng)
EPAM Systems EPAM reported second-quarter 2020 non-GAAP earnings of $1.46 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 21.7% and grew 14.1% year over year.



Revenues came in at $632.4 million, reflecting a year-over-year rise of 14.6%. The top line also surpassed the consensus mark by 5.8%. On a constant currency (cc) basis, revenues were up 15.5%.



The company is benefiting from growth across all industry verticals and geographies. Digital transformation, focus on customer engagement and product development have been key catalysts.

Quarterly Details

EPAM Systems largest vertical, Business Information & Media, surged 42.9% year over year to $140.2 million and accounted for 22.2% of revenues.



Financial Services grew 6.3% on a year-over-year basis to $128 million and accounted for 20.2% of revenues.



EPAM Systems, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

EPAM Systems, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

EPAM Systems, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | EPAM Systems, Inc. Quote

While Software & Hi-Tech was up 13.2% to $119.5 million, Travel & Consumer climbed 0.1% to $107.3 million. Software & Hi-Tech, and Travel & Consumer accounted for 18.9% and 17% of revenues, respectively.



Life Science & Healthcare increased 16.4% year over year to $68.9 million and accounted for 10.9% of revenues.



Emerging Verticals improved 10.8% year over year to $68.5 million and contributed 11.9% of revenues.



Geographically, EPAM Systems generated 60.4% of total revenues from North America, up 14.1% year over year to $381.9 million.



Revenues from Europe, contributing 33.4% to total revenues, were up 19% to $211.1 million.



CIS, representing 4% of revenues, fell 12% to $22.1 million.



APAC was up 20.5% to $17.3 million and accounted for 2.7% of revenues.



Meanwhile, selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of revenues decreased 250 basis points (bps) year over year to 16%.



EPAM Systems non-GAAP operating income improved 16.9% year over year to $108.2 million. Operating margin expanded 30 bps to 17.1%.

Story continues

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of Jun 30, 2020, EPAM Systems had cash and cash equivalents of $1.05 billion, up from $916.3 million as of Mar 31, 2020.



As of Jun 30, 2020, long-term debt was $25 million, flat sequentially.



EPAM Systems generated cash flow from operating activities of $134.7 million compared with $32.4 million in the year-ago quarter.

Outlook

Citing the uncertainty regarding the coronavirus pandemic which is impacting the global business and consumer activities, EPAM Systems didnt provide full-year 2020 outlook.



Nonetheless, the company has issued its guidance for the third quarter.



EPAM Systems expects revenues between $633 million and $643 million, suggesting year-over-year growth of 8.5% at the mid-point of the range.



The company anticipates non-GAAP operating margin in the 16.5-17.5% range. Non-GAAP earnings are expected to be in the $1.40-$1.49 per share band.

Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

Currently, EPAM carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



Some better-ranked stocks in the broader technology sector are ANGI Homeservices ANGI, Agilent A and Analog Devices ADI. All the three stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.



ANGI Homeservices, Agilent (A) and Analog Devices (ADI) are set to report their quarterly results on Aug 10, 18 and 19, respectively.

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Zacks Investment Research
Facebook Inc has taken down a post by US President Donald Trump, which the company said violated its rules against sharing misinformation about the novel coronavirus.



The post contained a video clip from an interview with Fox & Friends earlier on Wednesday, in which Trump claimed that children are "almost immune" to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.



"This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19, which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation," a Facebook spokesman said.



A tweet containing the video that was posted by the Trump campaign's @TeamTrump account and shared by the president was also later hidden by Twitter Inc for breaking its COVID-19 misinformation rules.



A Twitter spokesman said the @TeamTrump account owner would be required to remove the tweet before they could tweet again.



The Trump campaign accused the companies of bias against the president, saying Trump had stated a fact.



Trump criticises Dr Birx over COVID-19 warning (2:08)

"Another day, another display of Silicon Valley's flagrant bias against this president, where the rules are only enforced in one direction," said Courtney Parella, a spokeswoman with the campaign.



"The president was stating a fact that children are less susceptible to the coronavirus," she said in a statement, adding: "Social media companies are not the arbiters of truth."



The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said while adults make up most of the known COVID-19 cases to date, some children and infants have been sick with the disease and they can also transmit it to others.



An analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) of six million infections between February 24 and July 12 found that the share of children aged 5-14 years was about 4.6 percent.



But during a briefing at the White House on Wednesday, Trump repeated his claim that the virus had little effect on children.



"Children handle it very well," he told reporters.



"If you look at the numbers, in terms of mortality, fatalities ... for children under a certain age ... their immune systems are very very strong and very powerful. They seem to be able to handle it very well and that's according to every statistical claim."



How likely children are to contract or spread the coronavirus has become a deeply contentious issue in the US, with reopening schools essential to enabling many parents to go back to work.



Trump has been calling for both businesses and schools to reopen as part of a push to revive the US economy, whose health is a significant factor in the upcoming presidential election.



But a growing number of US school districts have opted against in-person classes come September, choosing to remain online-only until the pandemic has abated.



COVID-19 could force about 10 million kids out of school: Report (2:28)

Facebook's action against Trump on Wednesday marks the first time it had removed a Trump post for coronavirus misinformation, the company's spokesman said.



It also appeared to be the first reported instance of the social media company taking down a post from the president for breaching its misinformation rules.



The social media giant had placed a disclaimer last month on a post from Trump claiming mail-in voting would lead to a "corrupt" election, and in June it removed ads by Trump's campaign containing a symbol used by Nazi Germany.



The company was under intense pressure to clamp down on misinformation - which has flourished during the pandemic - including from world leaders, until recently protected by its hands-off policy on political speech.



Twitter has taken down a post retweeted by Trump pointing to a misleading viral video about the coronavirus, but left up clips of the president suggesting scientists should investigate using light or disinfectant on patients.



Twitter said those remarks expressed a wish for treatment, rather than a literal call for action.



It also left up a March post from Tesla Inc's outspoken CEO Elon Musk stating "kids are essentially immune" to the virus.

Source: aljazeera.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The logo of the social media video sharing app TikTok is displayed on a tablet screen in Paris, France, on Nov. 21, 2019. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP via Getty Images)

US Senate Votes to Ban TikTok App on Government Devices

WASHINGTONThe U.S. Senate on Thursday unanimously voted to approve a bill banning federal employees from using video-sharing app TikTok on government-issued devices, amid threats from the White House to ban the company.

The app has come under fire from U.S. lawmakers and the Trump administration over national security concerns because Chinas ByteDance owns the technology. The company currently faces a deadline of Sept. 15 either to sell its U.S. operations to Microsoft Corp or another U.S. firm or face an outright ban.

Sources previously told Reuters that ByteDance executives value all of TikTok at more than $50 billion.

Under a Chinese law introduced in 2017, companies have an obligation to support and cooperate with the countrys national intelligence work.

Im encouraged by the bipartisan support we have seen in this body to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable and that includes  holding accountable those corporations who would just do Chinas bidding, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who sponsored the bill, said in a statement.

And, if I have anything to say about it, we wont be stopping here, Hawley added.

Last month, the House of Representatives voted to bar federal employees from downloading the app on government-issued devices as part of a proposal offered by Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.).

A finalized version of the bill, combining the House and Senate versions, would need President Donald Trumps approval to become law.

When asked if the president favored the legislation, a White House official said We support Congress intent to protect government-issued devices against the privacy and security risks inherent in certain third-party applications.

A TikTok spokeswoman said its growing U.S. team has no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects users privacy.

On Wednesday, TikTok said it was working with experts from the Department of Homeland Security to protect against foreign influence and fact-check potential misinformation about the election.

The company has increasingly emerged as a platform for political discourse and activism. Users recently said they helped inflate attendance expectations at President Donald Trumps June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Last year, the company said about 60 percent of its 26.5 million monthly active U.S. users are aged 16 to 24.

By Nandita Bose
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / Codebase Ventures Inc. ("Codebase" or the "Company") (CSE:CODE)(FSE:C5B)(OTCQB:BKLLF) announces it has completed the final tranche of its non-brokered private placement (the "Financing"). In the first tranche the Company raised proceeds of $135,000 through the sale of 2,250,000 Units. The final tranche the Company raised proceeds of $93,249.96 through the sale of 1,554,166 Units. Securities issued pursuant to the final tranche are subject to trading restrictions until December 8, 2020.

The Company paid finder's fees to a qualified finder in closing 1 of $3,500 and issued a total of 55,833 broker warrants, which are on the same terms as the warrants forming part of the units. No finder's fees were payable on this final tranche.

Pursuant to the terms of the Financing, each Unit consists of one common share in the equity of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.075 per share for a period of two (2) years from the closing of the Financing.

Net proceeds from the private placement will be used for general working capital and to fund future investments.

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has entered into a debt settlement agreement with a creditor of the Company (the "Creditor") and pursuant thereto will issue an aggregate of 412,416 common shares in the capital of the Company, at a deemed price of $0.06 per common share, in consideration for the settlement of a total of $24,745 in accrued liabilities owing to the Creditor (the "Debt Settlement"). All securities to be issued pursuant to the Debt Settlement will be subject to a four month hold period from the closing date under applicable Canadian securities laws.

About Codebase Ventures Inc.

Codebase Ventures Inc. is an investment company, led by technology and business experts who invest early in great ideas in sectors that have significant upside, including the cannabis sector. We operate from the understanding that technology is always evolving, bringing early opportunities for strategic investments that can deliver the exponential returns to our shareholders. We seek out and empower the innovators who are building tomorrow's standards with platforms, protocols and innovations - not just products. We invest early, support those founders, take their ideas to market, and work tirelessly to help them realize their vision.

For further information, please contact:

George Tsafalas - Ivy Lu

Investor Relations

Telephone: Toll-Free (877) 806-CODE (2633) or 1 (778) 806-5150

E-mail: IR@codebase.ventures

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

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

SOURCE: Codebase Ventures Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600767/Codebase-Ventures-Inc-Announces-Closing-of-Financing
Renters are saving thousands of dollars a year by moving home as the coronavirus crunch causes a surge in vacancies and plunging rents.

The closure of Australia's borders in March and rising unemployment has driven down weekly rent by 20.9 per cent in Sydney's CBD.

Rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Sydney city costs an average of $750 a week, down from $950 a year ago.

The plunging prices, shared by data analytics firm SQM Research, has spread beyond the CBD, with rental bargains on offer in nearby Pyrmont, Mascot and Ultimo.

Renters are saving thousands of dollars a year after the coronavirus pandemic caused high vacancies in inner-city Sydney apartments. Pictured: An apartment balcony in Pyrmont looks across to the ANZAC Bridge

There was a 12.2 per cent drop in Ultimo, where renters can expect to pay an average of $659 each week. Pictured: An empty apartment in Ultimo

Pyrmont and Mascot both saw a decline of 16.1 per cent, with average weekly rent for two-bedroom apartments costing $652 and $629 respectively.

There was a 12.2 per cent drop in Ultimo, where renters can expect to pay an average of $659 each week, while tenants in Surry Hills can pay $682 following an 11.6 per cent decrease in rent.

Vacancy rates in Sydney's CBD were at 16.2 per cent in May and 13.8 per cent in June, as the city continues to grapple with the COVID-19 crisis.

Before the pandemic, rental vacancy for Sydney city was at 4.6 per cent in February.

SQM Research managing director Louis Christopher told The Daily Telegraph the rental market was stronger further out from the city.

'If you considered the Blue Mountains, we're seeing rental vacancy rates plummeting - I believe this is a result of people trying to get away from the city,' he said.

Rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Sydney city costs an average of $750 per week, down from $950 12 months ago. Pictured: A unit on Castlereagh Street in Sydney

Mascot saw a decline of 16.1 per cent, with average weekly rent for two-bedroom apartments costing $629. Pictured: An apartment for rent in Mascot

Renter Genevieve Turner recently moved into an apartment in Chatswood, on Sydney's Lower North Shore, from Redfern.

The 36-year-old's rental cost was slashed from $620 to $535.

'The biggest thing which takes my wage is my rent  I really did not expect to get a nearly $100 discount,' she said.

'I notice properties which normally would not be available for a day are sitting on the market.'
Who is Anil Menon? One among the 10 selected for future moon mission by NASA

Bad weather forces delay in launch of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope: When and where to watch

SpaceX guiding NASA astronauts to 1st splashdown in 45 years

International

pti-PTI

Cape Canaveral (US), Aug 02: The first astronauts to ride a SpaceX capsule into orbit headed toward a retro-style splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday afternoon to close out a two-month test flight.

It will mark the first splashdown in 45 years for NASA astronauts and the first return in the gulf. Unlike Florida's Atlantic coast, already feeling the effects of Tropical Storm Isaias, the waves and wind were calm near Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle.

ISRO congratulates NASA, SpaceX for their

Test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken departed the International Space Station on Saturday night, and awoke to a recording of their young children urging them to rise and shine" and we can't wait to see you."

Don't worry, you can sleep in tomorrow, said Behnken's 6-year-old son Theo, who was promised a puppy after the flight. Hurry home so we can go get my dog.

LK Advani, MM Joshi to attend Ayodhya ceremony via video confrencing|Oneindia News

Their atypical ride home by Elon Musk's SpaceX company the first commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit was expected to be fast, bumpy and hot, at least on the outside.

The Dragon capsule, named Endeavour by its crew, was to go from a screaming orbital speed of 17,500 mph (28,000 kph) to 350 mph (560 kph) during re-entry in the atmosphere and finally to 15 mph (24 kph) at splashdown. Peak heating during descent: 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit (1,900 degrees Celsius). Top G forces: four to five times the force of Earth's gravity.

A SpaceX recovery ship with more than 40 staff, including doctors and nurses, was poised to move in at splashdown, with two smaller, faster boats leading the way. To keep the returning astronauts safe in the pandemic, the recovery crew self-quarantined for two weeks and were tested for the coronavirus.

SpaceX expected it to take a half-hour for the ship to arrive at the capsule and additional time to lift it out of the water onto the deck. A flight surgeon was going to be the first to look into the capsule, once the hatch is pulled open. After medical exams, the astronauts were expected to fly home to Houston.

The last time NASA astronauts returned from space to water was on July 24, 1975, in the Pacific, the scene of most splashdowns, to end a joint US-Soviet mission known as Apollo-Soyuz.

The Mercury and Gemini crews in the early to mid 1960s parachuted into the Atlantic, while most of the later Apollo capsules hit the Pacific. The lone Russian splashdown was in 1976 on a partially frozen lake amid a blizzard following an aborted mission; the harrowing recovery took hours.

SpaceX made history with this mission, which launched May 30 from Florida. It was the first time a private company launched people into orbit and also the first launch of NASA astronauts from home turf in nearly a decade.

Hurley came full circle, serving as pilot of NASA's last space shuttle flight in 2011 and the commander of this SpaceX flight.

NASA turned to SpaceX and also Boeing to ferry astronauts to and from the space station, following the retirement of the shuttles. Until Hurley and Behnken rocketed into orbit, NASA astronauts relied on Russian rockets.

SpaceX needs six weeks to inspect the capsule before launching the next crew around the end of September. This next mission of four astronauts will spend a full six months aboard the space station. Hurley and Behnken's capsule will be refurbished for another flight next spring.

Boeing doesn't expect to launch its first crew until next year. The company encountered significant software problems in the debut of its Starliner capsule, with no one aboard, last year.

By beating Boeing, SpaceX laid claim to a US flag left at the space station by Hurley and the rest of the last shuttle crew. The flag which also flew on the first shuttle flight was carefully packed aboard the Dragon for the homecoming.
Pagadian City (CNN Philippines, August 6)  The family of a Filipina worker who died in the massive explosion that rocked Beirut, Lebanon is calling on the government to make sure her remains are sent home.

Ardel Bustamante Maglangit, 43, worked as a household worker in the Middle East country for eight years. Shes from the town of Molave in Zamboanga del Sur.

Authorities said Maglangit was in her employers home when the blast ripped through Beiruts port, killing more than a hundred others and wounding thousands. Among the fatalities is another Filipino domestic worker.

Maglangits husband Rogelio said his wifes tragic death was painful to accept, noting that on the eve of the explosion, they even had a good chat about her plans of coming home.

Terrible news struck the family after waking up Tuesday morning. Maglangits daughter, Jehan, waited for the Department of Foreign Affairs phone call for confirmation before she told her father about it.

I saw my daughter crying in our kitchen early morning. I asked her what happened, Rogelio said in Cebuano.

She let me watch a video of her mother who was already dead because of the incident, the husband said. I couldnt believe it.

The blast sent a shockwave that caused massive destruction to property and buildings across a radius of several kilometers. The incident is under investigation, as authorities link it to the large supply of potentially unsecured explosive material that is stored in a warehouse at the city's port.

READ: Shock turns to anger in Beirut over warnings before deadly explosion

Rogelio appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte and the provincial government to facilitate the return of his wifes remains, something that the Department of Foreign Affairs plans to do over the weekend.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Arriola said they are also working to evacuate other Filipinos who wish to come home. There are over 31,000 Filipinos in the war-torn country, mostly undocumented workers.

The Department of Labor and Employment promised to provide the necessary assistance to the victims' families.

Pagadian City-based stringer Leah Agonoy contributed to this report.
Editor's Note. It seems to me that with this purchase along with other recent e-commerce and auto data site purchases that, J.D. Power is bulking for a move to automotive retail e commerce, and will soon go head to head with Cars.com, Edmunds, Auto Trader, TrueCar, Car Guru (which generates 15% of revenue from advertising) and others in the e-commerce lead gen space. Is this change of direction an indication that Power will give up their reputation for unbiased research awards in favor of direct online retail auto sales and bird-dog fees that seems to attract high Wall Street valuations, like the others with this business model?

TROY, Mich.--J.D. Power, a global leader in data analytics and consumer intelligence, today announced it has entered into an agreement to purchase ALG, Inc., from TrueCar, Inc., for $135 million. ALG is an industry authority on automotive residual value projections in both the United States and Canada. The acquisition is expected to augment offerings from the data & analytics division of J.D. Power.

We believe ALG will bring complementary strengths and value to J.D. Power and its clients, said Dave Habiger, president and CEO of J.D. Power. For more than 50 years, ALG has been a trusted data provider to the automotive industry delivering accurate and reliable residual value forecasts. Adding that component to our extensive data assets, valuation expertise and analytic tools will enable us to provide even more value to our clients. We are excited to welcome the ALG team to J.D. Power.

Residual values are the foundation of auto leasing and are used across multiple segments of the automotive industry. Almost one-third of new vehicles sold each year are leased, typically for a three-year term. At any point in time, the value of vehicles in outstanding lease portfolios is estimated at $500 billion. Accurately predicting the value of vehicles at the end of the lease term is an essential activity for vehicle manufacturers and finance companies.

Countless variables affect the actual residual value of a vehicle over a multi-year lease term. Examples include mileage, quality/reliability, options and feature sets, weather and the macroeconomic environment. Since these factors need to be taken into account in order to accurately forecast residual values, the more granularity and greater the understanding of the impact of each variable, the better equipped manufacturers and lenders are able to maximize profitability. The combination of J.D. Powers capabilities and data with ALGs deep experience in residual values will allow for even more accurate end-of-lease forecasting capabilities.

Todays announcement is a tremendous outcome both in terms of the value delivered to our shareholders and the potential ALG will have with its new owner, said Mike Darrow, president and chief executive officer of TrueCar. After careful consideration of a variety of options and potential partners, it became clear that a sale of ALG to J.D. Power, with its breadth of complementary services, strong automotive industry expertise and trusted reputation, represents the best path forward for ALGs clients. J.D. Powers unwavering dedication to its clients and the remarkable level of trust it has built among consumers and the auto industry bodes well for the future of ALG.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions as well as regulatory review and approval. Upon approval and close, all 40 ALG employees will join J.D. Power.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

J.D. Power is headquartered in Troy, Mich., and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the companys business offerings, visit JD.Power.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

August 06, 2020 16:03 ET

TrueCar, Inc.
The manner of reporting, and the social media discussions around Sushant Singh Rajput's death case has irked those who are stressing on the need for sensitivity towards Sushant's family. Actress Shruti Seth slammed those who are using Sushant's death to 'garner eyeballs', in a recent interview.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Shruti said, "Right now let's all just respect the family's loss. Somebody has died, why can't people understand the gravity of the situation? Let's all just give the family the time they need to grieve. I really don't think it's right for people to usurp this terrible tragedy in trying to make all kinds of comments."

A few celebrities, such as Kangana Ranaut, have been drawing flak from many for using Sushant's death in an insensitive way to settle their personal scores. Regarding this, Shruti said, "I'd request everyone to not give time and space to people to forward their own agenda and reformist attitude. Whatever may be the case, but this is not the time. Right now the grief of a family, is being undermined and usurped."

ALSO READ: Nakuul Mehta On Kangana Ranaut Labeling Other Actors: It Is Below Dignity, There Needs To Be Respect

Although she understands the need for important conversations that have been sparked due to the actor's death, Shruti feels there is a better time for that. "Too many things are getting muddles. These debates can happen later also. No big reforms are happening right now anyway. Everything is just crossing lines. We can all pick up this conversation later, nobody is going anywhere. We're dealing with a strange time and all we need to be is kind," she said.

She feels that this is the time to celebrate Sushant's life. "It has been a deep loss as it is for the industry and for the country. Let's not talk about anything else. Let us be dignified and that send prayers to the family. I hope Sushant rests in peace and his family somehow finds the strength to deal with this irreparable loss. I am a parent and I can totally understand what his family is going through at this moment," she said.

Sushant allegedly died by suicide on June 14. His family has named Rhea Chakraborty and others in connection to his death. The case, which was being investigated by both the Mumbai Police and Bihar Police, has now been handed over to the CBI.

ALSO READ: Ankita Lokhande Refutes Kangana Ranaut's Claim: 'Aditya Chopra Really Supported Sushant'

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
Ever since late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's therapist, Susan Walker spoke to journalist Barkha Dutt, and claimed that the deceased actor was indeed bipolar and was suffering from clinical depression, netizens are upset with her revelations. Apart from the netizens, a couple of celebrities also felt that it's unethical to share the medical condition of a patient in public. However, others defended Walker's move, and said that she took such a decision owing to the circumstances after Sushant's death.

Writer Apurva Asrani told a leading daily that Walker should have gone to the police or Sushant's family first. He further asserted that there's so much stigma in society about seeking help for mental health issues, and Ms Walker's betrayal of the patient-therapist confidentiality will deter many from seeking help in future.

He further added, "Few says after his death, a publication carried a report that Sushant's psychiatrist Kersi Chavda claimed that he had strange episodes of mania. The very next day Kersi denied giving the interview and called it filthy journalism. But still, some media houses have gone on relentlessly and insensitively discussing Sushant's mental health. Everyday there's a new therapist/counseller claiming he had this or that illness."

Just like Asrani, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri also slammed the therapist and said, "I take all the these people, who're directly or indirectly involved in this- therapist, cook, girlfriend, anybody, is committing a crime if they're talking to media, unless the police has closed the investigation."

Sushant's Death Case: ED Rejects Rhea Chakraborty's Plea To Postpone Recording Of Her Statement

Earlier, Swara had defended Walker and came out in her support on social media. She had tweeted, "Before we attack this therapist abt 'breaking professional ethical code' etc. The disgusting Tamasha over #SushantSinghRajput 's tragic demise & misrepresentation & stigmatisation of #depression has driven this lady to break her silence so others don't suffer like Sushant did!"

So, whose side are you on? Tell us in the comments section below!

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
Singapore: Indian telecom operators reported strong revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) growth in the three months ending June (Q1 FY21) due to tariff growth and higher data usage, defying the economic slowdown from the countrywide lockdown of 68 days up to May-end.

According to Fitch Ratings, revenue market share continues to consolidate with market leader Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel as the third-largest telco Vodafone Idea is losing 10 million to 15 million users per quarter.

"Indian telcos are likely to weather the coronavirus-led slowdown as we forecast the industry mobile segment's EBITDA to grow by 25 to 30 per cent year-on-year (FY20: 25 per cent) despite expectations for Indian GDP to contract by 5 per cent during this period," said Fitch.

Robust growth will be driven by sustained higher tariffs, feature-phone user migration to 4G and high monthly data usage of 12 to 16 GB per user, one of the highest globally.

Data traffic surged by 20 to 30 per cent as the lockdown increased demand for data connectivity and remote access which more than offset the slower migration of feature-phone users to 4G as smartphones sales declined by 48 per cent in Q1 FY21.

Jio's revenue and EBITDA grew by 34 per cent and 55 per cent respectively while Bharti reported Q1 FY21 Indian mobile revenue and EBITDA growth of 19 per cent and 35 per cent year-on-year.

Bharti reported a 21 per cent rise in monthly average revenue per user (ARPU) to Rs 157 as Jio reported 8% growth to Rs 140. Jio was boosted by 67 million net subscriber additions year-on-year to 398 million while Bharti was flat at 280 million.

"We expect industry ARPU to grow by around 5 to 10 per cent in FY21 as users upgrade gradually to higher-tariff 4G price plans. We estimate 250 million to 300 million users still use 2G technology," said Fitch.

Bharti's ARPU was highest in the last 12 quarters, driven by a 45 per cent growth in 4G customers to 138 million, 40 per cent growth in monthly data usage per user to 16.6 GB and a 12 per cent increase in voice usage to 994 minutes.

However, 4G net subscriber additions grew by only 1 per cent quarter-on-quarter due to lower smartphone sales. Bharti believes industry monthly ARPU needs to grow to around Rs 200 and eventually to Rs 300 for a sustainable business model.

But Vodafone Idea has lost about 144 million subscribers in two years and is struggling to service debt due to EBITDA generation insufficient to cover interest costs. Its subscriber base is shrinking due to its deteriorating network on limited capex.
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Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 19:50 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c646da 1 City COVID-19,COVID-19-Jakarta,anies-baswedan,coronavirus,virus-korona-indonesia,COVID-19-cluster Free

Jakarta reported 658 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the highest one-day spike since the first infections were recorded in March, bringing the total number of cases in the capital to 24,521.

The latest figure continues the trend of rising positive cases in Jakarta over the past few weeks following the city's decision to gradually ease restrictions and reopen businesses and offices under health protocols on June 4.

Jakartas authorities, however, have said that the rise in positive cases in the capital is due to the administration's aggressive contact tracing of COVID-19-positive cases.

"Of the 658 positive cases, 98 were the accumulation of the previous day's data that had just been reported," Weningtyas Purnomorini, the head of health services at the Jakarta Health Agency, said on Friday.

Jakarta has conducted a total of 41,914 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests per 1 million people to date, with 43,330 people in the city having been tested over the past seven days.

As of Thursday, 15,201 infected people have recovered and 922 have died due to the respiratory disease, according to the Jakarta administration's official COVID-19 tally.

Read also: Discourse: Indonesia must go back to basics for COVID-19 recovery: UN official

The national COVID-19 task force recently revealed that office buildings had emerged as new clusters of coronavirus transmission, particularly inside those that lack ventilation or room for social distancing.

In Jakarta alone, 68 distinct office clusters had been found as of July 26, which included buildings belonging to public institutions, ministries and state-owned enterprises.

Tests also reveal an increase in COVID-19 clusters in Jakarta's houses of worship, where the positivity rate, which refers to the percentage of positive results from all tests conducted in a cluster, had reached 74 percent, according to an epidemiologist.

Jakarta Health Agency data from June 4 to July 28 shows there were 114 confirmed cases from clusters at nine houses of worship across the capital. Most of them were located in churches and mosques, with three clusters each and a total of 40 cases.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, therefore, decided to extend the transitional large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) until mid-August as the pandemic showed no signs of letting up in the city of some 10 million people.

The capitals positivity rate has hit 7.4 percent in the past week, above the figure recommended by the World Health Organization for relaxations, which is 5 percent or below. (vny)
More than 100 Mississippi students are quarantined after 6 coronavirus cases were identified among students.

Corinth, Miss. School District has been back in class since July 27. The 6 COVID-positive students, as well as 1 faculty member, are from two separate schools. Corinth School District spokesperson Taylor Coombs said 116 students considered to be in close contact with the positive cases have been sent home to quarantine for 14 days.

Corinth School District has 2,700 students. Students in quarantine cannot attend school or any activities.

Here are the latest school coronavirus headlines

Jackson County school pushes back start date due to air conditioning

A Jackson County, Alabama school will push back its start date by a few days but  for a change  the move isnt due to coronavirus.

Stevenson Middle School is currently in the process of getting a new air conditioning system. The school was set to open Friday, Aug. 7 but, instead, will now open Monday, Aug. 10. Teachers will report as planned.

All other Jackson County School starts today.

Dothan City pushes back start date

Dothan City Schools are the latest to push back the start date for school.

Dothan will start its school year on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Students will return for in-person learning on that day.

Bus riding safety

For many students, the school day starts and ends with a trip on a bus.

But the enclosed space and time spent on a bus could promote the spread of coronavirus, experts warn.

NPR looked at some ways to make bus riding safer. When possible, capacity should be limited to 50% and the children and driver should be socially distanced by at least 6 feet. All riders and drivers should wear a mask, also.

Ideally, students would be assigned seats with tape marks where they should set, experts recommended. Windows should be open to increase ventilation if possible and students hands should be sanitized before they enter the bus.

Tennessee said in school cases are expected

Education officials in Tennessee said coronavirus cases in schools are expected but are continuing to encourage a return to the classroom.

At least 14 cases linked to schools have been reported since the first district reopened on July 22. That number could be higher but Tennessee is no longer reporting school-related cases publicly, The Tennessean reported.

Tennessee Public Health Commissioner Dr. Lisa Piercey said the number of cases isnt alarming and state officials believe school is the safest place for students to be.

I have said for weeks now, we know that there will be cases in schools. Many of them came early and so ... there will be in-school transmission. We know that that is going to happen, Piercey said. We also know that the risk of not being in the classroom can be devastating and lifelong.

Two Tennessee school districts, Coffee County and Blount County, have already been forced to close schools or alter schedules due to coronavirus cases.
My husband is in better shape than me and it really bothers me. Its making me tense and I feel petty for caring but also, I know I should probably just start working out again. Whats the best starting point?  Hannah, Toronto

Even the best relationships are as layered as a mille crepe cake  especially the relationship we have with ourselves.

Have you ever had a slice of mille crepe cake? The name, which translates to a thousand crepes, perfectly describes it: layer upon layer of simple pancakes held together with sweet whipping cream but generally without icing or decoration. Unlike other fancy cakes that look like, say, a fondant-covered swan before you cut into them to reveal the showy fillings, the layers in a mille crepe cake are laid bare. A mille crepe has no pretence. Its a deliciously honest cake  but its still a pain in the butt to make.

All this to say, it doesnt serve you to cover up the shame that will eventually come spewing out like the molten ganache in a 90s-era lava cake, anyway. Strip the fondant covering off of your relationship  because lets be honest, those taste horrible  and ask yourself some introspective questions. To help guide you, I called the very thoughtful and thought-provoking couples therapist and noted sex educator and author Kaleigh Trace.

Whats defined as a better-shaped body, anyway? says Trace, eschewing any sugar coating. I dont mean to sound radical, but that idea is a tool of control. The more time and energy we invest in feeling ashamed of ourselves, the less time and energy is left over for resisting a world that isnt built for us. We really need to actively consider what ideas of womanhood we are consuming.

The first step is to build a better your relationship with yourself; you dont need to start your day by burning down the patriarchy (although, please do if youre up for it!); rather, you can start by, say, curating your Instagram account so that youre not being inundated all day by images of bodies that make you feel like crap. Its simple, but its helped to change the way that I feel about my body, she says.

Then you can take a few moments to consider your body, to touch your body, with kindness rather than criticism. Paint your toenails, says Trace, or do some yoga or meditate. Take a moment to notice that you have an important body that actually carries you around the world and keeps breathing, rather than just criticizing that you ate too many carbs or that you dont look good in a certain style of clothing.

Respecting your body, regardless of what it looks like, doesnt mean you cant decide to train for a triathlon or start bodybuilding. If you want a new hobby, thats cool. But when we are motivated from a place of shame and self-criticism, then itll be a hard road, says Trace. Working out can be hard, but its especially hard if youre just yelling at yourself all the time.

So instead of asking yourself how your figure should look, why dont you try asking yourself what actually feels good for your body? Its a disorienting question for many women, says Trace, who, as a disabled person, spent years trying to effectively disappear so her body wouldnt be judged by others. Shame is a really powerful emotion, but its not a very productive one, says Trace. And undoing shame is a really big job, but the first step is just noticing it.

Then, once youve started to consider the way youre talking to yourself, its time to start thinking about the way youre communicating with your husband. I wonder: Does your body bother you because you assume it bothers him? asks Trace. Im not throwing shade on anyone; we all have ideas about what kind of body shapes are valuable because were fed that idea by the world, but the fact that youre asking this question makes me wonder whats happening  or rather whats not happening  to make your body feel affirmed and sexy. Spoiler: Open discourse is whats likely not happening.

Couples are often pretty aware of what is missing in their communication, and yet it continues to go missing anyway because the things were not talking about are the hardest parts of ourselves, says Trace. So the insecurity that may be a big part of your life is an understandably hard and tender thing to communicate with the person who you want to desire you. But being in a relationship means figuring out how to bridge that gap and say whats unsaid and be vulnerable  and thats really hard work, regardless of how healthy the relationship is.

Especially now, after youve been isolating together for what seems like 5,000 years, it can be easy to forget that, while you may have committed to taking on life together, you are actually still two separate people: You might have different priorities sometimes, or private thoughts that the other never considered.

And while its appealing to think that it might be possible to sidestep awkward or difficult conversations like telling your partner that you need to hear he thinks you have a hot bod, or telling him that youve been feeling insecure lately, you cant actually avoid the conflict.

What goes unsaid in relationships shows up in a different way, says Trace. Like arguing about the dishes or in getting in a big fight about directions. Those really tense disconnected moments are usually about something small, but the root culprit is deep onset insecurities, like: Im worried youre going to leave me, or that my body has changed and you dont love me anymore. Its hard to think these things, let alone admit them aloud, but its better than senselessly fighting all the time about the fastest route to your favourite restaurant.

The more efficiently and bravely we can speak to the unsaid, the better we can take care of each other, says Trace. It takes practice and, at first, you or your partner might say the wrong thing or not know how to respond, but it will benefit any relationship in the long run because youre finding a way to really see each other.

Send your pressing fashion or beauty questions to Kathryn at ask@thekit.ca

Shop the advice

Here are some feel-good ways to connect with your body.

JINsoon nail polish in Scuba, $24, greenandpure.com

Halfmoon Essential Studio Mat Pacific, $35, well.ca

Gee Beauty jade roller, $40, geebeauty.ca

All Birds shoes, $175, allbirds.ca

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SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- California Lawyers Association (CLA) is proud to virtually host its two upcoming premier events: the Annual Meeting, and the Solo & Small Firm Summit. Both events will provide attendees with the ability to earn MCLE credits, network, learn about current trends affecting the legal profession, and interact with distinguished scholars and jurists.

CLA's Annual Meeting will take place from September 2426, 2020 and bring together California's attorneys, academics, and judges. The three-day conference offers top-tier MCLE programming, networking, keynote addresses, and health and wellness activities. The online conference will consist of 20 breakout sessions, three general sessions, and a California Judges Association/California Lawyers Association joint panel and joint swearing-in ceremony.

CLA's 2020 Solo & Small Firm Summit will be held from October 78, 2020 and consist of 11 programs offering MCLE credit. The purpose of the Summit is to address the needs of small and solo practitioners. Topics will include substantive law practice updates, business management and risk, technology best practices, starting and growing a practice, running virtual offices, cybersecurity, ethics, and using apps for growth.

"I'm extremely excited about our 2020 conferences. Because they're virtual and a fraction of the cost of in-person events, they offer an incredible opportunity for attorneys from all over the state and, indeed all over the world, to participate. These proprietary conferences will give attendees unique opportunities to advance their careers by developing professionally and connecting with colleagues from the comfort and safety of their own homes," CLA CEO and Executive Director Ona Alston Dosunmu stated.

For more information and to register, visit the CLA Annual Meeting and Solo & Small Firm Summit sites.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA LAWYERS ASSOCIATION

Established in 2018, California Lawyers Association is the bar association for all California attorneys. CLA's mission is to promote excellence, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and fairness in the administration of justice and the rule of law.

SOURCE California Lawyers Association

Related Links

https://calawyers.org


The updated version of Toyotas best-selling sedan has just been revealed last month. and Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) is taking steps to make it even more affordable, thanks to its new Balloon Payment Plan Plus promo.

The Toyota Vios is the sole model from the local arm for the Japanese automotive brand with such deal, which is being offered under Toyota Financial Services Philippines (TFSP). Along with the package is free periodic maintenance service up to 20,000 kilometers, free one year insurance through Toyota Insure, and trade-in discounts with the Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUV) Program.

But what is this Balloon Payment Plus that the local arm for the Japanese automotive brand is offering?

The in-house financial scheme reverses the usual payment structure, now that the lump sum will be paid at the end of the term. When you look at it, it is more like putting the down payment at the tail end of the pattern.

Such structure would simply help Filipinos get a Vios easier during these times wherein personal mobility is a must, as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise.

2020 Vios

TFSP President Atsushi Murakami noted the need for everyone to be smart when it comes to where to put hard-earned money.

This plan will surely be helpful to most of our entry-level customers who suddenly find themselves tightening their belts now, but surely looks forward to better days ahead when this pandemic is over, he explained.

Some customers are afraid to take the risk of balloon scheme, as it is more commonly known, because they are not sure if they can pay the big amount at the end. But our Vios Balloon Payment Plus is different. We reduce that risk for customers by guaranteeing the future value of their vehicle. This makes sure that customers have an option to trade-in the vehicle at the dealer, enjoy a better value for car to pay for the lump sum at the end of the term and also use the difference for the down payment of the next car purchase, Murakami added.

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The 2020 Toyota Vios Balloon Payment Plus is given on the following terms:

Applicable Model 2020 Toyota Vios Type of Financing TFS Finance Lease Down Payment 20  30 % of vehicle price Terms Lump Sum Amount* (% of the vehicle price) *subject to change 24 months 36 months 48 months 60 month 45% 40% 35% 30%

Monthly payment inclusion:

Standard Periodic Maintenance for the whole term up to 20,000 kilometers per year.

TFS Balloon Payment Plus Benefits:

Lower monthly payments compared to other banks

Worry-Free maintenance since the maintenance cost included in the monthly payments

Guaranteed future value

Flexible disposal with trade-in or pay-off options

Because the Balloon Payment Plus is offered by Toyota Financial Services Philippines through Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUV) Dealers and not just any bank or any used car shop, we ensure that vehicles are always in good condition, thus keeping a high resale value. Our monthly plans, while already lower than traditional auto loans, also includes the periodic maintenance of the vehicle for the whole loan term, We think this is a good option for customers who really need to manage their monthly expenses during this tough time, Murakami ended.

For more information about the 2020 Vios Balloon Payment Plus, visit www.toyotafinancial.ph or inquire at your Toyota Certified Used Vehicle dealers at www.toyota.com.ph/toyota-certified-used-vehicles

Photos from Toyota Motor Philippines

Also read:

This July, get a Toyota Vios and pay only P6,571 monthly

Toyota gives more service to PH hospitals

TMP Launches Latest Mobile App
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 17:24:42|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani attends a Consultative Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 7, 2020. Afghanistan's President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani emphasized the returning of durable peace and stability in the conflict-battered country as thousands of Afghan elders, chieftains and notables gathered in a Consultative Loya Jirga or grand assembly here in Kabul on Friday to decide the fate of 400 Taliban inmates at government prisons. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)

KABUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani emphasized the returning of durable peace and stability in the conflict-battered country as thousands of Afghan elders, chieftains and notables gathered in a Consultative Loya Jirga or grand assembly here in Kabul on Friday to decide the fate of 400 Taliban inmates at government prisons.

"We need peace, real and durable peace and stability in our country. A national peace that must be accepted by all," Ghani said in his speech at the gathering.

More than 3,000 elders, chieftains and delegates from across the war-battered country, according to officials, assembled in Kabul to discuss and decide the fate of more than 400 Taliban prisoners who are involved in major crimes and terrorist activities including deadly bombings, kidnapping and killing government employees and civilians.

The Afghan government has already freed more than 5,000 Taliban inmates but opposed the release of over 400 controversial prisoners.

"We have freed 5,100 Taliban prisoners against 1,000 Afghan troopers and civilians to pave the way for peace," Ghani said in his remarks.

The exchange of 5,000 Taliban detainees with 1,000 Afghan troopers is part of the U.S.-Taliban peace deal to facilitate the intra-Afghan dialogue and pave the way for the pull-out of the U.S.-led foreign forces from Afghanistan to end the war in the country.

The Taliban outfit has refused to talk with the Afghan government unless and until the 5,000 Taliban detainees and the controversial 400 others are released.

Describing Taliban militants as a reality of the Afghan society, Ghani said, "I trust that your decision with regard to the release of detainees is for the larger interests of the country."
(Reuters) - Pfizer Inc <PFE.N> said on Friday it signed a multiyear agreement to make COVID-19 treatment remdesivir for developer Gilead Sciences Inc <GILD.O>, which is under pressure to increase tight supplies of the antiviral drug.

Gilead is aiming to make enough of the drug by the end of the year to treat more than 2 million COVID-19 patients, and agreed to send nearly all of its remdesivir supply to the United States through September.

But hospital staffers and politicians have complained about difficulties in gaining access to the drug, which is one of only two to have demonstrated an ability to help hospitalized COVID-19 patients in formal clinical trials.

There are also fears of shortages outside the United States, and separately on Friday, Britain's Hikma Pharmaceuticals Plc <HIK.L> said it has started manufacturing remdesivir at its Portugal plant.

Gilead said its manufacturing network for the drug had grown to more than 40 companies in North America, Europe and Asia to add capacity.

Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of U.S. state attorneys general urged the federal government to allow other companies to make Gilead's remdesivir, to increase its availability and lower the price of the antiviral drug.

Pfizer will provide contract manufacturing services through its McPherson, Kansas, plant, the drugmaker said. It was not immediately clear if Pfizer would supply only for the U.S. market.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Pfizer in 2017 saying that the process for manufacturing sterile injectable drugs at the Kansas plant was out of control and put patients at risk.

The FDA said several products were contaminated with multiple foreign particulates but a subsequent FDA inspection found that the issues had been resolved.

Pfizer, with Germany's BioNTech <22UAy.F>, is also rushing to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus.

Pfizer has helped other drugmakers manufacture their products before. It makes Epipen emergency allergy treatments through its Meridian Medical Technologies business and also operates a contract manufacturer called Center One.

(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Matthew Lewis)
When the state made the call to push back in-person learning, many teachers were relieved as COVID-19 cases spiked in the state. But that decision also tasked educators with relying more than ever on remote learning, and they moved lessons out of the classroom and onto a screen.

The New Mexico Public Education Department announced recently that it will provide free Central New Mexico Community College training to help with the transition. It will be offered to public K-12 educators on Zoom from Aug. 7 to Aug. 18, tackling such topics as how to get students engaged in a virtual setting and how to optimize online platforms.

The training comes after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the state would hold off on in-person classes until at least September, switching course from the original plan of mixing classes and learning at home.

A teacher advocacy group found professional development surrounding remote learning was in demand. Teach Plus New Mexicos survey of about 600 educators statewide found technology access and training were significant hurdles when it came to distance learning.

CNM Ingenuity  a nonprofit affiliate of the college  is prepping educators who will facilitate the workshops, according to a CNM news release.

There will be up to eight workshops every day, Monday-Saturday, and there will be up to 300 K-12 teachers in each workshop. A total of about 18,000 teachers are eligible to attend, the news release states. After Aug. 18, a self-paced online course will be available for teachers who couldnt make the in-person presentations.

Registration details are at CNMIngenuity.org.

Just as students across New Mexico deserve access to technology for remote learning, so too do our educators deserve access to professional development that supports their transition into the virtual environment, PED Deputy Secretary Gwen Perea Warniment wrote in part in a statement.

The survey from Teach Plus New Mexico, which is also facilitating teacher trainings, found that the vast majority of educators who responded needed help engaging students digitally and making distance learning equitable. The research also found that there was a call for training on such online programs as Zoom and Google Classroom.
They are one of Australia's most glamorous power couples, presiding over a business empire that includes property, a tequila brand and a tanning range.

And it seems that Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall, who married in Bali in 2013 after dating for almost a decade, have had quite the transformation over the years.

These days, the pair look remarkably different compared to when they burst onto the celebrity scene as fresh-faced lovebirds in the mid-2000s.

Jen Hawkins and Jake Wall's incredible 'glow up': How they transformed from young lovebirds to a glamorous power couple. Pictured left: in June 2005, and right: in October 2016

The entrepreneurs have certainly refined their fashion sense in the 16 years since Jennifer, a former Newcastle Knights cheerleader, won Miss Universe in 2004.

In red carpet photos from Jennifer's modelling heyday, the now-36-year-old sports pencil-thin eyebrows - which were fashionable at the time - and even dark hair.

Property developer Jake, 37, has changed a lot too, having embraced a more rugged look while also bulking up significantly.

My, how you've changed! These days, Jennifer and Jake look remarkably different compared to when they burst onto the celebrity scene in the mid-2000s. Pictured in June 2005

Throwback! They have certainly refined their fashion sense in the 16 years since Jennifer, a former Newcastle Knights cheerleader, won Miss Universe in 2004. Pictured in August 2006

In 2018, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth offered his expert opinion on whether Jennifer had gone under the knife.

He told Daily Mail Australia at the time: 'I often see pretty girls like Jennifer wanting to fine-tune their features to enter "supermodel" territory.'

According to Dr. Haworth, who has not treated Jennifer himself, she has invested in some minor improvements to 'improve facial balance as a whole'.

'Most people would scratch their heads as to how a former Miss Universe could possibly improve upon her already-idolised face,' he said.

'Her new and more glamorous appearance has been helped by a rhinoplasty to refine and elevate her nasal tip while narrowing her asymmetrical nasal bones.'

'She has a new and more glamorous appearance': In 2018, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth offered his expert opinion on whether Jennifer had gone under the knife. Pictured left: Jennifer as a teenager, and right: in May 2018

Despite being a household name for more than 15 years, Jennifer has hardly aged a day and is arguably more beautiful now than she was in her early twenties.

Dr. Haworth believes that the former Myer ambassador has indulged in 'fillers to her cheeks and other areas of her face', as well as Botox.

'I strongly suspect she also underwent lip augmentation for added sensuality and improved facial balance as a whole,' he added.

Claims: Dr. Haworth believes that the former Myer ambassador has indulged in 'fillers to her cheeks and other areas of her face', as well as Botox

In 2010, Jennifer attributed her drastic change in appearance to healthy eating, exercise and makeup.

'Women get better with age, because they are more confident with themselves. It's all about makeup and health,' she said on The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

While old photos of Jennifer reveal a noticeably thinner pout and fuller face, she has previously brushed off surgery speculation.

'Women get better with age': In 2010, Jennifer attributed her drastic change in appearance to healthy eating, exercise and makeup

Jennifer once told The Australian Women's Weekly that it's the nature of the fashion industry to be accused of having cosmetic surgery.

'When someone says "under the knife" I don't have a reaction,' she said.

'Everyone in the industry gets that. That's fine. I'm cool with that. I'm cool with people having an opinion, but as I said, I am happy with who I am as a person and really just want to live my life.'

In 2016, the former Australia's Next Top Model judge claimed it was a personal choice if people wanted to invest in plastic surgery.

She told The Daily Telegraph: 'Each to their own!'

Fair point! In 2016, the former Australia's Next Top Model judge said it was a personal choice if people wanted to invest in plastic surgery, telling The Daily Telegraph: 'Each to their own'

Meanwhile, Jennifer and Jake have reached a number of relationship milestones in recent years.

They welcomed their first child together, daughter Frankie Violet, in October.

And in June, the pair found a buyer for their spectacular home in Newport, Sydney, which they sold for more than $20million.

Starting a family! Jennifer and Jake have reached a number of relationship milestones in recent years. They welcomed their first child together, daughter Frankie Violet, in October

The couple, who met at a nightclub in Newcastle when Jennifer was just 20, first entered the property market in 2006, two years after she was crowned Miss Universe.

They spent $469,000 on a double-storey house in Merewether, a suburb located 3km from Newcastle's central business district.

Jennifer and Jake are also entrepreneurs: they own Sesion Tequila and building company J Group Projects, as well as the tanning range JBronze.

Couple goals! In June, the pair found a buyer for their spectacular home in Newport, Sydney, which they sold for more than $20million
Zenith Energy Ltd - oil & gas production company with operations in Italy, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, and the Republic of the Congo - Extends duration of non-binding letter of intent signed with Arab consortium for USD2 million investment in share capital. Extension is for 90 days and terms remain unchanged with the investment prices at 2.5 pence per share. Investment subject to conditions include successful completion of acquisition in Tunisia as well as acquisition of two West Africa oil production licences. Investment also conditional on appointment of investor-proposed director to Zenith board. Acquisitions set to result in more than 1,500 barrels of oil per day production for Zenith across asset portfolio.

Current stock price: 0.60 pence

Year-to-date change: down 68%

By Anna Farley; annafarley@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
US Imposes Libya Sanctions on 3 Individuals, Entity in Malta, Treasury Says

Sputnik News

14:47 GMT 06.08.2020

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has imposed new sanctions on three individuals and an entity based in Malta for allegedly smuggling fuel from and drugs to Libya, the Treasury Department said in a statement on Thursday.

"Today, the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control took action against a network of smugglers contributing to instability in Libya. OFAC designated Libyan national Faysal al-Wadi, operator of the vessel Maraya; two associates, Musbah Mohamad M Wadi and Nourddin Milood M Musbah; and the Malta-based company, Alwefaq Ltd, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13726. Additionally, the vessel Maraya was identified as blocked property," the Treasury said.

In July, the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) submitted the official request via its Permanent Mission to the UN in New York to hold a meeting of the Sanctions Committee over breaches of the UN arms embargo that took place earlier in July. The request comes as part of the GNA efforts to "uncover the countries that have provided support to militias".

In February 2011, the UNSC imposed an open-ended embargo on Libya in a bid to stop supplies of arms and military equipment to and from the North African country, citing human rights violations there.

As of today, Libya is divided between two main centres of power  an elected parliament in the country's east, supported by the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, and the UN-backed GNA in the west, headed by Fayez Sarraj.

Turkey and Egypt have also been involved in the situation by providing military assistance to the GNA and the LNA, respectively.

A Sputnik

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By Valentina Za

MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's UniCredit posted higher than expected second-quarter results and stuck to its profit goals, saying commercial activity was recovering but it would keep writing down loans to anticipate the hit from the COVID-19 crisis.

Robust trading gains and cost cuts helped UniCredit top market expectations with a second-quarter profit of 420 million euros ($499 million), down 77% from a year earlier but above a 347 million euro forecast in a consensus provided by the bank.

Shares in UniCredit rose 0.7% in early trade, outperforming a slightly lower Italian banking index.

The bank booked 937 million euros in loan writedowns in the quarter, further increasing "overlay" provisions on performing loans that could turn sour after the end of debt holidays in an economy ravaged by the pandemic.

CEO Jean Pierre Mustier told a media call the bank would continue to book overlay provisions in the second half to maintain its cautious approach to virus-related losses.

He said this would lead to an underlying net profit, which strips out one-off items, in line with the first half, when it totalled 368 million euros, despite improving revenue trends.

UniCredit, which has 10% of its loan book exposed to sectors worst hit by the virus crisis such as such airlines, shipping and tourism, wrote down loans for 1.3 billion euros in the first quarter after slashing its macroeconomic projections due to COVID-19.

That and other one-off charges led to a quarterly net loss of 2.7 billion euros in the period, the biggest in three years.

CAPITAL BUFFERS

UniCredit confirmed a 2021 goal for an underlying profit of between 3.0 billion euros and 3.5 billion, after reducing that target earlier this year by up to a quarter to take into account of the COVID-19 fallout.

Contagion hit just as UniCredit was reaping the fruits of a years-long restructuring.

Regulatory demands that banks preserve capital buffers in the pandemic have thrown a spanner in the wheels of Mustier's plan to boost returns for investors through dividends and buybacks.

UniCredit plans to resume its policy from 2021 to pay out 50% of underlying net profit to investors.

Story continues

It said that, depending on market conditions, it may review the current split between paying 30% of profit as cash dividends and using 20% for buybacks.

Core capital strengthened in the quarter to 13.85% of assets, up from 13.44% at the end of March.

Revenue totalled 4.2 billion euros, a touch ahead of expectations, helped by a strong rebound in the bank's commercial operations after lockdowns to contain contagion eased in the markets where UniCredit operates.

"Results showed resilient core revenues and better than expected loan-loss provisions," Citi analysts said in a note. "Capital was stronger than expected and this should provide support for ... capital return when allowed by the regulator."

($1 = 0.8418 euros)

(Reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by Silvia Aloisi and David Holmes)
Located in Phu Quoc district, Kien Giang province, Phu Quoc island is the largest tourist island in Vietnam. Dubbed as a pearl of the countrys southwest sea, Phu Quoc is popular amongst both domestic and international visitors.

Phu Quoc has 22 large and small islands of which the largest Phu Quoc island has an area of 567 s.q.km (56,700 hectares) and is 50 km long. The gently-sloped natural terrain runs from north to south with 99 hills and mountains, and a large area of primeval forest.

There are a number of tourist sites on the island including Duong Dong, Duong To, An Thoi, Ham Ninh, and Rach Vem, plus beautiful beaches such as Vong, Khem, and Sao.

In addition to its alluring natural landscape, the island is also well known for religious and historical sites, namely Ham Long and Ho Quoc pagodas and Phu Quoc prison, a shining symbol of the outherners revolutionary heroism.

In 2006, Kien Giang biosphere reserve, including Phu Quoc island, was recognised as a World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).In recent years, Kien Giang provincial authorities have made proper investment in developing restaurants, hotels and tourist products and services to better serve visitors while being active in attracting investors in order to boost tourism.

The local authorities have also spent trillions of Vietnamese dong in upgrading the transport system in order to connect the district island with other tourist sites.

Accordingly, high-speed boats connecting Phu Quoc Island and the Mekong Deltas Kien Giang province operate five times per day with each boat serving from 150 to 130 passengers.

In addition, from 15 to 20 flights take off every day linking Phu Quoc and Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city, Hanoi Phong, Can Tho and Rach Gia.

The Hon Thom cable car system is considered one of the world's best scenic cable car rides.

A charming sunset at An Thoi wharf.

May Rut islet with its marvellously crystal clear blue seawater.

Mong Tay islet is one of the most majestic islets in Phu Quoc island district

Tourists to the islet can taste the typical and delicious seafood of Phu Quoc.

Ganh Dau cape is the best place in Phu Quoc to admire the sunset.

The Hon Thom cable car system

Tourists join a scuba diving expedition to see coral at Phu Quoc beach.

Boats anchor at the port of An Thoi fishing village

Boats heading off to sea

A glorious sunset at An Thoi fishing village

A fishing boat at Hon Thom islet

A view of Hon Thom islet.

Phu Quoc is praised by foreign magazines and news agencies as a place to visit at least once in a lifetime.

Boats heading home after days fishing at sea.

Ha Nam (Nhan Dan)

Phu Quoc makes global list of leading new attractive destinations Phu Quoc island, located in the southern province of Kien Giang, has been named among the worlds Top 7 new attractive destinations for the year by Tripadvisor, the worlds largest travel platform.
The Railways is planning to run special trains to the Konkan region for Ganesh Utsav, which falls on August 22 this year. The Maharashtra government on Friday gave its approval for the special trains in reply to a letter by the Central Railway last month.

I am directed to state here that the special trains may be scheduled to the Konkan region for the Ganpati festival in the current year. A valid confirmed ticket for the said trains will serve as the e-pass, states the letter issued by Abhay Yawalkar, director, disaster management unit.

The Central Railway on July 23 had asked the state for its view on running special trains for the festival through Central, Western and Konkan railways.

Lakhs of people annually travel from Mumbai, Thane, and Pune, to their home towns in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, for the 10-day festival.
Details

Height 5'11" / 180cm

Weight 160 lb / 72.5 kg

Age 23

Hometown Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

Instagram @rhys_verner

5'11" / 180cm160 lb / 72.5 kg23Squamish, British Columbia, Canada

All bikes have ODI grips and HT pedals which are your two contact points. It takes a minute or two but once I've done a half lap, I'm used to the bike. They all use SRAM brakes and RockShox suspension so it's pretty easy to swap between the bikes.  Rhys Verner

Process 111

Dual Slalom Bike

It's actually Connor Fearon's bike. Kona had built it up for Connor to race Dual Slalom at Crankworx Whistler last summer and instead of taking it back to Australia, they just left it at my house in Squamish. So we just happened to have it and then this whole Crankworx thing happened and it worked out great as it was at my house so now Miranda and I can use it. It's pretty ridiculously dialled.  Rhys Verner

Frame: Kona Process 111 Medium

Fork: Rockshox Pike Ultimate 130mm

Shock: Rockshox Monarch 111mm

Seatpost: Deity Retina

Wheels: Enve M730 Wheels with Chris King hubs

Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF, 2.5 WT, EXO Casing, 25psi front. Maxxis Minion Semi Slick, 2.5 WT, DH Casing, 30psi rear.

Saddle: Deity Sidetrack

Cranks: SRAM X01 170mm

Bars: Deity Black Label 760mm

Stem: Deity Copperhead 50mm

Brakes: SRAM Level Ultimate

Drivetrain: SRAM X01 DH 7 Speed

Pedals: HT T1

Grips: ODI Elite Flow



Despite not being a frame Kona manufacture anymore, they keep some Process 111s for Dual Slalom riders and swap out 29" wheels for 27.5".

A semi-slick Minion keeps the bike rolling as fast as possible and an EXO casing Minion DHF kept the weight down.

Small and compact 7 speed cassette and shiny Chris King hubs to match the frame and pedals.

Rhys was running high PSI and almost max rebound.

Kona Operator

Downhill Bike

This year I rode my DH bike a bit more often even before I knew Crankworx was happening. I lived on Vancouver Island while attending University so put in quite a few Prevost laps out there, they're like the best downhill trails I've ever ridden. I try to get out there and chase Finn around, so I definitely felt fairly comfortable on the downhill bike before coming here.  Rhys Verner

Frame: Kona Operator Size Large, flip chips set to max length

Fork: RockShox Boxxer Ultimate, 124 psi, 2 tokens, 1 click HSC, 5 clicks LSC from closed

Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate DH, 425lb spring

Seatpost: Deity Retina

Wheels: Enve M930 with Chris King Hubs

Tires: Maxxis Assegai, 2.5 WT, DH Casing + ZK, 24psi front. Maxxis Minion DHR II, 2.5 WT, DH Casing + ZK, XC Cushcore, 27psi rear.

Saddle: Deity Sidetrack

Cranks: SRAM X01 170mm

Bars: Deity Black Label 770mm

Stem: Deity Intake 50mm

Brakes: SRAM Code RSC, 220mm rotors

Drivetrain: SRAM X01 DH

Pedals: HT X2

Grips: ODI Elite Flow



Rhys had both the headset and chainstay adjustments set to max length.

Big 220mm rotors for all the stopping power.

Enve M90 wheels and added ZK armor in the tires for the sharp rocks of interior BC.

Kona Process 153

Enduro and Air DH Bike

Frame: Kona Process 29 Size Large

Fork: RockShox Lyrik Ultimate, 91 psi, 3 tokens, 1 click HSC, 5 clicks LSC, neutral rebound

Shock: RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate with Meg Neg, 6 clicks LSC, neutral rebound

Seatpost: SRAM AXS

Wheels: Enve M730 with Chris King Hubs

Tires: Maxxis Assegai, 2.5, Double Down, 24 psi front. Maxxis DHR II, 2.4, Double Down, XC Cush Core 26 psi rear.

Saddle: Deity Speedtrap

Cranks: SRAM X01

Bars: OneUp Carbon Bar, 770mm

Stem: OneUp Stem 35mm

Brakes: SRAM Code RSC, 220mm rear disc, 200mm front

Drivetrain: SRAM AXS, 34 tooth chain ring

Pedals: HT X2

Grips: ODI Elite Flow



Rhys has been riding Kona Bikes for a number of years and kept with them after switching from XC to enduro.

An interesting touch on Rhys' set up was that he runs the lower paddle on the left and right AXS shifters as the gears, and the upper paddle on the gear shifter as the dropper. Quite the mod.

Meg Neg can on Rhy's shock to increase negative air space and keep the shock supple.

All of Rhys' bikes run on Chris King hubs.

Big 220mm rotor on the front of the Enduro bike.

Oil slick AXS.

Custom handguards for 'Verner the Burner'.

Crankworx Summer Series is a unique event in lots of respects. Riders that live in BC, no spectators, but most interestingly of all, athletes are competing in four disciplines - downhill, enduro, dual slalom and air DH. As a result, we saw an array of different bikes at Silver Star, with some riders using the same bike all week and others having a fleet of 3 bikes to switch between. This time, we're taking a look at Rhys Verner's 3 Kona bikes: his Process 153 enduro bike, Operator downhill bike and Process 111 slalom bike.
File image: Rhea Chakraborty

Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused of abetting Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai on August 7 for questioning.

Along with Chakraborty, ED has called summoned Rajputs manager Shruti Modi for questioning.

Chakraborty, who is the prime accused in the case, had earlier sought ED to postpone recording of her statement in the money laundering case lodged by it till her plea in the Supreme Court (SC) is heard.

Her advocate Satish Maneshinde had also said earlier that the actor would not appear before the ED till the apex court heard her plea.

The 28-year-old filed a petition in SC seeking for the case lodged by the Bihar police against her to be transferred to the Mumbai police. The plea will be heard by SC next week.

On July 25, Rajput's father KK Singh filed a complaint with Patna police against Chakraborty and a few others, including her family members, accusing them of cheating and abetting his son's suicide.

Singh alleged financial irregularities in bank accounts of Rajput, who was found dead in his suburban Bandra residence on June 14. In his complaint, Singh alleged that Rs 15 crore was siphoned off from Rajputs bank account in one year to accounts of persons not known or connected to the late actor.

Based on the complaint, Patna police filed an FIR against Chakraborty, Rajput's girlfriend, and others.

On July 31, the ED registered a money laundering case against Chakraborty and her family members.

(With inputs from PTI)
At the meeting (Photo: Cong Thuong (Industry&Trade))

Hanoi  The CPTPP Commissions third meeting was held on August 6 and ended with the approval of a ministerial joint statement reiterating the members commitment to back trade liberalization, and multilateral trade.

The meeting was held in the form of video conferencing under the chair of Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Marquez Colin. The Vietnamese delegation at the event was led by Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh.The member countries also committed to working together to reboot the regional economy post COVID-19.The participating ministers underlined the importance of improving the efficiency of the agreements implementation, and pushing ahead with the CPTPP ratification by the remaining four countries.They also discussed the possibility of expanding the deal in the future, along with global economic issues.Vietnam pledged to join efforts in implementing measures in line with international commitments so as to facilitate the flows of commodities and services, especially essential ones.The country will also work to enhance connectivity among CPTPP members to consolidate the regional supply chain and strengthen its resilience to external impacts.The next meeting of the CPTPP Commission is scheduled for 2021 in Japan.The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) rejected Rhea Chakraborty's request for deferring her questioning, the actor appeared before the financial probe agency in Mumbai on Friday.

Rhea arrived at the ED office here along with her brother Showik Chakraborty at 11.50 a.m. for questioning. The ED will record her statement under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

It will question her about financial delaings and the investment into properties. The ED will also question her about the financial transactions from the late actor's bank account in the last one year.

The ED on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Rhea and her family members. The case pertains to "suspicious transactions" worth Rs 15 crore in connection allegedly from the late actor's account.

Sushant's father K.K. Singh filed an FIR in Patna on July 25, accusing Rhea, Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandhya Chakraborty, Showik Chakraborty, Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi of abetment to suicide, fraud and holding Sushant hostage.

The ED named Rhea and her family members in the case on the basis of the FIR filed by the Bihar Police.

The ED has also sought details of the financial transactions of the firm -- Vividrage Rhealityx, in which Rhea is a director; and Front India For World, in which her brother Showik Chakraborty is a director.

Earlier in the day, Rhea requested the ED to defer her questioning in connection with the money laundering probe involving the death of Sushant and call her only after the Supreme Court hearing.

On Thursday, the CBI booked Rhea and her family members in the death of the 34-year-old actor in his Bandra flat on June 14.
A former Iranian lawmaker has started a big controversy by raising rare criticism of Chinas treatment of its Muslim minority population.

Ali Motahari said a Foreign Ministry official had admitted that Tehran is turning a blind eye to the repression of Muslims in China due to its economic interests.

Irans clerical establishment -- which poses as the defender of Muslims around the world -- has remained largely silent about Chinas reported repression of its Muslim population while championing the Palestinian cause and being vocal about the plight of Yemeni civilians caught in the conflict between Saudi forces and Iranian-backed, Huthi rebels that has created a humanitarian disaster.

In several recent tweets, as well as in an interview with a popular news site, the outspoken Motahari said Tehrans silence over Chinas persecution of Muslims in its western Xinjiang region where serious human rights violations are being reported was a failure for the clerical establishment and hard-liners, whom he accused of double standards.

Motahari noted that while Tehran has avoided confronting Beijing, Washington has highlighted the crackdown.

It is a failure for the Islamic republic that the United States protests against Chinas treatment and torture of Muslims from the Xinjiang region to eradicate the Islamic culture from that region, but Iran has remained silent because of its economic needs, Motahari said on Twitter on August 1.

Chinese Muslims are no different from Yemeni or Palestinian Muslims, added Motahari, who was prevented by a hard-line watchdog from running in Irans February parliamentary elections.

Beijing is accused of forcing more than 1 million Uyghurs and members of other mostly Muslim ethnic groups -- such as Kazakhs and Kyrgz -- into camps and prisons where reports suggest they have been physically abused and forced to denounce their religion and language.

Some have been reportedly also pushed into forced labor.

China says the camps are vocational training centers needed to combat separatist terrorism and extremism and give people new skills.

In an August 5 interview with Asriran.com, Motahari said he had raised the issue a while ago with an unnamed Foreign Ministry official whom he quoted as having responded: We have to be silent due to economic needs.

Enmity with the West should not make us dependent on the East and then we dare not protest against China."

I said: Why do you have to bring relations with other parts of the world to the point of falling into Chinas lap, Motahari said he told the ministry official.

China remains Tehrans main trading partner and Beijing continues to buy some Iranian oil despite U.S. sanctions that have crippled Irans economy and denied the country its main source of revenue.

China has also spoken out against Washingtons 2018 exit from the 2015 nuclear deal and the reimposition of harsh economic sanctions on Iran.

Beijing has also signaled that it will reject a U.S. resolution aimed at extending a United Nations arms embargo against Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said the United States would call for a Security Council vote next week on a U.S.-drafted resolution to extend the embargo, which is due to expire in October.

Iran and China have in past weeks discussed signing a 25-year agreement that would greatly expand trade relations and cooperation between the two countries.

Motahari suggested on Twitter in July that, before signing the pact, Tehran should raise the fate of Chinese Muslims with Beijing.

The former lawmaker has come under fire from hard-liners for criticizing China, with a current lawmaker, Mahmud Ahmadi Bighash, calling on the judiciary to take action against Motahari because of his remarks, which he said are against Iran's national security.

In a speech to parliament earlier this week, Bighash described Motahari as a useless politician while suggesting that the reports about Chinas persecution of its Muslim minority are baseless.

Tens of millions of Chinese Muslims have no problem with the government and the government with Muslims, and comparing them with Palestinian Muslims is pro-Western sedition, Bighash was quoted as saying.

Motahari fired back, saying that people like Bighash believe that since America is Irans enemy and according to the famous phrase, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' China is Irans friend and it shouldnt be criticized.

"Enmity with the West should not make us dependent on the East and then we dare not protest against China," Motahari said in his interview with Asriran.com.

Earlier this year, a Health Ministry spokesman came under attack by hard-liners for publicly expressing doubts over Chinas official coronavirus numbers, calling them a bitter joke.

Kianush Jahanpur was later replaced amid speculation that his criticism of China had contributed to the decision to sack him.

Despite Irans increased reach out to Beijing, many Iranians remain distrustful of China.

Anti-Chinese sentiment and distrust in Iran appear to have increased due to the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China late last year.
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks ended slightly higher on Friday after a choppy ride, as rising tensions between the U.S. and China, the impasse over coronavirus relief package talks in the U.S., and lingering worries about global economic growth rendered the mood cautious. Stronger-than-expected jobs report from the U.S. and some fairly encouraging corporate earnings reports pushed up stock prices a bit. The pan European Stoxx 600 moved up 0.29%. Germany's DAX advanced 0.66%, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 and France's CAC 40 both edged up by 0.09%, while Switzerland's SMI ended with a slender gain of 0.01%. Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands and Turkey closed higher. Greece, Iceland, Portugal, Russia and Ukraine settled lower, while Austria, Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden ended flat. In the U.K. market, Hikma Pharmaceutical soared more than 11% and Rightmove surged up 9.5%. Smith & Nephew, Aveva Group, Berkeley Group, Melrose, Intertek Group, The Sage Group, Informa, Ocado Group and Hargreaves Lansdown gained 1.8 to 3.2%. Glencore, Pearson, Centrica, Coca-Cola, BP, EasyJet, Fresnillo, Anglo American, Royal Dutch Shell and Barclays lost 1.8 to 3.2%. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom gained more than 2.5%. Infienon Technologies, HeidelbergCement, Adidas and Siemens gained 1.7 to 2%. Continental, Henkel, Lufthansa and Wirecard declined 1.5 to 2%. In the French market, Airbus Group, Renault, Schneider Electric, Dassault Systemes and Sanofi gained 1 to 1.5%, while Technip and ArcelorMittal declined 3% and 2.7%, respectively. In economic news, data from Destatis showed German exports and imports grew at faster rates in June. Exports advanced 14.9% sequentially, following May's 8.9% increase, while imports were up 7%, compared to a 3.6% increase a month earlier. Germany's industrial production grew at a faster pace in June, another report revealed. Industrial production advanced 8.9% month-on-month in June, faster than the 7.4% increase seen in May. Economists had forecast a monthly growth of 8.1%. France's foreign trade activity continued to recover in June after the Covid-19 pandemic with the trade deficit widening to set a monthly record as imports exceeded exports, the French Customs said. The trade deficit increased to EUR 7.955 billion from EUR 5.588 billion in the same month last year. In May, the shortfall was EUR 7.458 billion. Imports returned to 85% and exports to 75% of their average level for 2019, the agency said. 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.
Smoke rises from the site of an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

16 Detained in Beirut Blast Investigation: Report

Lebanese authorities on Thursday detained 16 people as part of an ongoing probe into the Beirut port warehouse explosion that devastated the city this week, according to state news agency NNA.

Judge Fadi Akiki, a government representative at the military court, said Lebanese authorities had so far questioned at least 18 Beirut port and customs officials, as well as individuals involved in maintenance work at the warehouse, according to the news agency, which did not name the detained individuals.

Sixteen people have been taken into custody as part of the investigation, Akiki said, noting that the investigation was ongoing, NNA reported.

Lebanons central bank earlier said it had frozen the account directly or indirectly linked to Beirut ports general manager, Hassan Koraytem; the head of Lebanese Customs Director General Badri Daher; and five others, including present and former port and customs officials.

Koraytem and Badri had both told Lebanese broadcasters on Wednesday that several letters had been sent over the years to the countrys judiciary requesting the removal of highly-explosive material warehoused at the port which blew up on Tuesday. The blast has killed at least 157 people, and injured 5,000 others.

In this picture obtained from a social media video, smoke rises after an explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Karim Sokhn/Instagram/Ksokhn + Thebikekitchenbeirut/via Reuters)

The scene of the explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 5, 2020. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)

Roughly 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilizers, is believed to have been stored at the facility at Beiruts port for six years, after it was abandoned by Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin.

The blast that damaged buildings miles away and has left up to a quarter of a million homeless, happened when a fireallegedly caused when welders attempted to fix an electrical faultspread to the facility. The explosion was felt in Cyprus across the Eastern Mediterranean.

Lebanons government is determined to investigate and expose what happened as soon as possible, to hold the responsible and the negligent accountable, President Michel Aoun said in an address to the nation following the devastating explosion.

Reuters contributed to this report.
New York, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Collaborative Robots Market Research Report by Component, by Payload Capacity, by Function, by Application, by Industry - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913886/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Collaborative Robots Market is expected to grow from USD 216.55 Million in 2019 to USD 1,438.93 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 37.11%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Collaborative Robots to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Component , the Collaborative Robots Market studied across Hardware and Software. The Hardware further studied across Controller, Drive, End Effector, and Sensor.



Based on Payload Capacity, the Collaborative Robots Market studied across Above 10kg, Between 5 and 10kg, and Up to 5 Kg.



Based on Function, the Collaborative Robots Market studied across Hand Guiding, Power and Force Limiting, Safety-Rated Monitored Stop, and Speed Reduction and Separation Monitoring.



Based on Application, the Collaborative Robots Market studied across Assembly, Gluing and Welding, Machine Tending, Material Handling, Packaging and Palletizing, Pick and Place, and Quality Testing.



Based on Industry, the Collaborative Robots Market studied across Automotive, Electronics, Food & Beverages, Furniture and Equipment, Healthcare, Metals and Machining, and Plastics and Polymers.



Based on Geography, the Collaborative Robots 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 Collaborative Robots Market including ABB, Aubo Robotics Inc., Comau S.P.A, Energid Technologies Corporation, F&P Robotics AG, Fanuc Corporation, Franka Emika GmbH, Kawada Robotics Corp., Kuka AG, Mabi Ag, Mrk-Systeme GmbH, Precise Automation, Inc., Rethink Robotics, Robert Bosch GmbH, Techman Robot for Quanta Storage Inc., Universal Robots A/S, and Yaskawa Electric Corporation.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Collaborative Robots 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 Collaborative Robots Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Collaborative Robots Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Collaborative Robots Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Collaborative Robots Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Collaborative Robots Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Collaborative Robots Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913886/?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.



__________________________
Caritas Ghana, the Relief and Development Organization of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has been awarded a grant of Ninety-Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Five Euro and Fifty-Six Cents (Euro 99,785.56) by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Caritas Internationalis COVID 19 Response Fund (CRF), to embark on a Comprehensive Emergency Response Interventions on the pandemic in the West African country.

In a Zoom Webinar virtual ceremony last Week Thursday for the official announcement of the grant, Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary of Caritas Ghana said The Fund, managed directly by the Emergency Unit of Caritas Internationalis, opened up a call for proposals in March and Caritas Ghana submitted the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference Covid-19 Response Plan in March and was later invited to submit a proposal based on a prescribed template.

Caritas Ghana responded to this invitation by submitting a proposal in April, 2020, he said during the zoom virtual ceremony, noting that the project contract implementation period from July 6 to October 5, 2020 will focus on the Archdioceses of Accra, Cape Coast, Tamale and Archdiocese of Kumasi.

Under the instrumentality of Pope Francis, a Vatican Commission on Covid-19 was established. Under this umbrella, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) and Caritas Internationalis (CI) set up the Covid-19 Response Fund (CRF) to mobilize resources from Caritas Member Organizations to provide quick and short-term support to Caritas Organizations needing urgent assistance.

Dr. Aloysius John, Secretary-General of Caritas Internationalis and Msgr. Pierre Cibamo, Vatican Ecclesiastical Liaison to Caritas Internationalis, who participated in the brief virtual ceremony commended Caritas Ghana for being a beneficiary of the grant and exhorted the management to ensure high standards of accountability and safeguarding of the vulnerable in the implementation of the project.

In a briefing paper during the virtual ceremony on July, Mr. Akologo said the overall objective of the project is to guarantee access to basic livelihood security services (food, shelter, medicine) for the poor and vulnerable.

He noted that it is also to provide technical/logistics support to Catholic Health facilities in the remote Regions of the four Archdioceses and coordinated dissemination of authentic COVID-19 information using the World Health Organisation and Ghana Health Service approved guidelines to influence Social and Behavioral Change in Ghana.

According to him, the Fund will also be used to embark on an awareness campaign to raise community awareness to avoid the infection of COVID-19.

He pointed out that 2,570 individuals from the four Archdioceses will be direct beneficiaries of the Project, among them will be 800 young girls known as Kayayie (Head Porters) who were affected and displaced through the Government demolition of illegal structures, including 200 People Living with Disabilities to be provided with food items.

Mr. Akologo added 800 displaced women and their children to be provided with blankets and mats, and added that 800 workers of Health facilities in the remote areas of the Four Archdioceses to be provided with face mask, and other Personal Protective Equipment (sanitizers, veronica buckets and liquid soap.

The project, he averred will reach a total minimum number of over 10,000 indirect beneficiaries who will access support from the health facilities and the community prevention and mitigation of COVID-19.

He mentioned that 100 Caritas Ghana Staff, Arch/Diocesan Caritas Officers and National Catholic Secretariat Staff will have virtual training on Safeguarding Procedures and Mechanisms,

Touching on media sensitization, dissemination of information on behavioral change measures, the Caritas Head said Religious and Traditional leaders, Parish Priests, Opinion Leaders, Faith-Based Organizations in the four Archdioceses, National Commission of Civic Education, Radio Presenters and Stations, will be contacted for dissemination of information.

Since the first announcement of COVID-19 cases in Ghana on March 12, 2020, Caritas Ghana, has embarked on numerous humanitarian activities by providing basic needs support to the indigent poor in the areas affected by Governments imposition of restrictions; especially lockdown in Accra, Kasoa and Kumasi respectively as well as support to Catholic Health facilities.

In March this, the Catholic Bishops of Ghana launched a nine-month Response Plan seeking to contribute to the containment and alleviation of extreme hardship on the populace and to contribute to the national response to Covid-19 pandemic.

Archbishop Philip Naameh, President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, in a brief remark at the July 30 virtual ceremony, thanked Caritas Internationalis for awarding Fund to the Church in Ghana to fight COVID-19, and assured that with the project social protection services for the vulnerable and poor community members will be utilized and serve the underserved communities.

He expressed confidence that the impact of stigmatization, fear, and panic within the community will be reduced and people will understand the nature of the virus better, adding safety and prevention measures in communities will be far enhanced and the spread of the virus will significantly be slowed.

On his part, Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu, Episcopal President of Caritas Ghana, expressed optimism that the project will improve the capacity of staff of Caritas Ghana, Priests and Opinion Leaders on COVID-19 pandemic for effective outreach activities.

Participating in the virtual ceremony was Archbishop Gabriel Justice Anokye of Kumasi, who doubles as the President of Caritas Africa.
People shop at a night market in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on June 4, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua] China will implement measures to further boost domestic demand and deepen reform and opening-up this year, in an effort to deal with the rising uncertainties and disruptions from the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the country's top economic regulator. In the second half of 2020, the country will take key measures, such as relaxing curbs on new energy vehicle purchases, to spur domestic consumption, Ning Jizhe, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in an interview with China Central Television. Other measures include boosting consumption in the smart retail, online education and home appliance sectors, encouraging areas that have restrictions on car purchases to increase the number of car registrations as appropriate and offering subsidies for the purchase of new energy vehicles. Ning said the country will push ahead with major investment in new infrastructure, new-type urbanization and key projects for national development such as transport and water infrastructure, and focus on weak links in fields such as public health, emergency medical supplies and energy. "Private investment, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of overall investment in China, is becoming a key force to stabilize investment," he added. "In the second half of this year, China will further improve the environment for private investment and adopt more supportive policies to encourage private sector engagement in public health, logistics, emergency stockpiles and other weak links. More efforts are also needed to facilitate bank lending for the private sector," Ning said. China's GDP grew by 3.2 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, rebounding from the first quarter's contraction, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. "China has the foundation as well as conditions to recover the economy," Ning said during an interview with People's Daily. "The trend of the Chinese economy toward stable long-term growth with sound momentum remains unchanged." Experts said China's economy is on track to steady recovery, and it will surely be the first major economy to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. They said China will fully implement a package of policies announced during this year's annual national legislative session in May, and the country will see steady and accelerated economic growth in the second half of this year. A report released by the China Macroeconomy Forum research team forecast China's GDP growth could rebound to 7 percent in the second half of 2020, with full-year growth of 3 percent. Shi Jinchuan, a professor of economics at Zhejiang University, said China needs a big push to support private companies, especially those hit badly by the globally spreading coronavirus outbreak. "The government needs to introduce long-term supportive policies and especially encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to embrace transformation and upgrading, such as using internet sharing systems, e-commerce platforms and the industrial internet," Shi said at a recent CMF seminar. To further support the economic recovery and cushion the coronavirus impact, more efforts are also needed to deepen reform and opening-up, foster a more business-friendly environment and attract more foreign capital to invest and develop business in China, said Ning from the NDRC. 1 2
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 62F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

A few clouds from time to time. Low 42F. Winds light and variable.
Comedian Jeff Ross is facing renewed allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl  claims he has staunchly denied in the past.

Ross, 54, who grew up in New Jersey, has been called the Roastmaster General.

The stand-up comedian is known for participating in comedy roasts at the Friars Club in New York and has been a steady contributor to Comedy Centrals roasts of celebrities, from Pamela Anderson to Joan Rivers, Bob Saget, Charlie Sheen, Roseanne Barr, Justin Bieber and Alec Baldwin.

Jessica Radtke, 36, told Vulture she met Ross at a New York comedy club when she was 15 and he was 33.

Starting in September, she began talking about her alleged relationship with Ross on a Facebook page called Iwas15hewas33. Radtke posted a video from the account in which she addresses her alleged history with Ross, offering context for various pictures of the two of them and tickets to events she says they attended together.

The age of consent in New York is 17. Radtke said she was diagnosed with PTSD and that its taken years to process the exploitative nature of the alleged relationship.

I didnt really know that it was that word  rape  until recently, she told Vulture. Radtke said she intends to pursue legal action against Ross under New Yorks Child Victims Act, which temporarily lifted the statute of limitations on cases involving sexual abuse of children.

Her claims drew more attention from comedians after allegations of sexual misconduct against Ross fellow New Jersey-bred comedian Chris DElia (from Montclair) surfaced in June. Women have alleged that DElia made advances towards them when they were underage and solicited nude photos on social media.

I was 15, he was 33... A video of a few photos and supporting evidence - thank you for watching. Posted by Iwas15hewas33 on Thursday, October 17, 2019

In June, as a video Radtke made circulated on Twitter and comedy chatter centered on claims that Ross has a history of dating underage teens, Ross denied the allegations, calling the story old news that had been investigated but never published. In a statement the comedian shared on Twitter in June, he said he would take legal action against Radtke. Ross, who called himself an ally to women, claimed Radtke and her husband had been harassing him for years.

These disgusting allegations asserted against me are absolutely not true, he said at the time. I have never engaged in any sexual relationship with a minor.

The Vulture story notes that other comedians have previously made a specific type of crack about Ross, who stars in Netflixs Historical Roasts and Bumping Mics with Jeff Ross & Dave Attell.

Jeff gets really hot girls, and I just  How do you get 10s? Teens  Im sorry, I read that wrong, said comedian Nikki Glaser at The Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin.

Comedian Amy Schumer was among those who spoke for the story and said that Ross was known to have young girlfriends.

Jeff is someone I consider a good friend, and I love him, but to be honest, he always has alarmingly young-looking girlfriends, Schumer told Vulture. Never one I have known to be underage, but alarmingly young-looking just the same.

Radtke said she met Ross in 1999 while working at the Boston Comedy Club in New York.

She said he called her later and asked her if it was OK to ask her father if she could go out with him in the city.

Do you want me to be your boyfriend? Ross allegedly asked.

Radtke said they had sex on their date.

He just kept saying, I cant believe youre only 15. I cant believe it, she said. But Radtke alleged that Ross also expressed concern about keeping the relationship a secret.

When we were together, hed say, Youll destroy me if you say anything, she said.

Radtke said she briefly left Ross when she was 18 after she allegedly found Polaroids of what appeared to be naked children in his home (she said he had also taken explicit photos of her). She said the comedian told her the photos belonged to a friend.

The alleged relationship continued until Radtke was 22, she said.

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New Delhi/Kathmandu, Aug 7 : Needling India further, the K.P. Oli-led Nepal government has started the construction of a helipad at a disputed site in Bihar besides beginning the installation of 360-degree CCTV cameras in a no-man's land near Uttarakhand along the India-Nepal border.

Official sources said that the Nepal government has started the construction of a helipad near the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar's West Champaran district and the installation of CCTV cameras near Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district.

The latest aggression follows the Oli government's decision to include certain parts of Uttarakhand in its new political map. The Nepalese Parliament passed the New Map Amendment Bill (Coat of Arms) to update its map which shows strategically important Indian areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepal.

Sources in Nepal said that the hostility against India is an outcome of the fact that K.P. Oli wants to continue as the Prime Minister even as his two-and-a-half-year tenure in office is over under a pre-decided power-sharing agreement with his party co-leader and Nepalese Communist Party co-chairman P.K. Dahal, also known as Prachanda.

Backed by senior leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal, Prachanda has been asking Oli to step down both as party chair and Prime Minister. Oli's opponents within his own party, sources said, feel that Oli has concentrated power even as he is critically ill following a second kidney transplant recently. His Communist colleagues have criticised him for using the nationalistic card against India to ensure that he stays in power.

Oli claims that his colleagues are being supported by India even though it is the Chinese ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yonqi, who has been meeting the who's who of Kathmandu to keep Oli in power.

Prime Minister Oli's political ambitions, which are fanned and backed by the Xi Jinping government in China, has not only strained Nepal's bilateral relations with India, but have also pitted Nepal as an ally of China against the US in their cold war.

Nepal's 65 per cent imports come from its civilizational and historical ally India and around 13 per cent from China. Thousands of Nepalese are employed in India because of low job opportunities in Nepal.

Sources said the talks between Oli and Prachanda have remained inconclusive with the former refusing to step down from any of the positions. The Dahal faction is now insisting on its 'one individual, one post' policy but Oli remains adamant on being both the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Nepalese Communist Party.

Amid the political crisis, Prime Minister Oli is attempting to build pressure on India by opening several border disputes at the behest of China, sources said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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BEIRUT - President Donald Trump has spoken about the explosion in Beirut during calls with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump said Friday that he told Aoun that three large aircraft filled with medical supplies, food and water were on their way to provide assistance. The U.S. leader also said emergency responders, technicians, doctors and nurses were on the way to Lebanon to help. In a tweet, Trump said: We will be having a conference call on Sunday with President Macron, leaders of Lebanon, and leaders from various other parts of the world. Everyone wants to help! _ Deb Riechmann in Washington
Rating Action: Moody's assigns Ba3 to CenturyLink's proposed senior unsecured notes

Global Credit Research - 07 Aug 2020

New York, August 07, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) has assigned a Ba3 to CenturyLink, Inc.'s (CenturyLink) proposed $840 million senior unsecured notes due 2029 (Unsecured Notes) which will be issued by Level 3 Financing, Inc. (LFI). The net proceeds from the sale of the Unsecured Notes, together with cash on hand, will be used to pay down the 5.625% senior notes due 2023 and the 5.125% senior notes due 2023 as well as for general corporate purposes. All other ratings including the company's Ba3 corporate family rating (CFR) and stable outlook are unchanged.

Assignments:

..Issuer: Level 3 Financing, Inc.

....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture, Assigned Ba3 (LGD4)

RATINGS RATIONALE

CenturyLink's Ba3 CFR reflects its predictable and further enhanced cash flow from its 2019 dividend reduction, its broad base of operations and strong market position. The company's publicly stated financial policy focuses on the longer term achievement of a company-calculated net debt to adjusted EBITDA range of 2.75x to 3.25x, with steady debt reductions over at least the next two years funded with discretionary free cash flow. In addition, CenturyLink's continuing record of consistent network investment at a level generally above its peer group average demonstrates its commitment to its long term competitive position. These positives are offset by still high but declining leverage and revenue weakness across its business units, exacerbated by secular industry challenges and a highly competitive operating environment. Revenue contracted 3.4% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in the prior year, but this revenue contraction has steadily diminished from higher levels over the last five quarters.

CenturyLink has demonstrated strong cost cutting success at a faster than planned pace from initial synergy targets following its November 2017 acquisition of Level 3, significantly offsetting the impact of revenue weakness on operating margins. CenturyLink's company-calculated adjusted EBITDA margin for Q2 2020 decreased slightly to 41.9% compared to the same period a year ago. However, company-calculated adjusted EBITDA margins have been steadily increasing since the close of the Level 3 acquisition and are up almost 650 basis points from a pre-close third quarter 2017 level of 35.5%. With Moody's expectation for EBITDA margins to continue increasing on an annual basis along with increased free cash flow from the 2019 dividend cut, CenturyLink is now well-positioned to pay down about $2 billion of debt each year through year-end 2022. As of June 30, 2020, CenturyLink's leverage (Moody's adjusted) was approximately 4.1x.

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Moody's expects CenturyLink to have a good liquidity profile over the next 12 months, reflected by its SGL-2 speculative grade liquidity rating and supported by $1.8 billion cash on hand as of June 30, 2020, and our expectation of at least $2.1 billion of after dividend free cash flow for full year 2020. The company had approximately $2.9 billion of near term debt maturities as of June 30, 2020.

CenturyLink also has $1.125 billion of availability under its $2.2 billion senior secured revolving credit facility that expires in January 2025. With respect to the term loan A facilities and the revolver, the credit agreement requires CenturyLink to maintain a total leverage ratio of not more than 4.75x and a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio of at least 2x. The term loan B facility is not subject to the leverage or interest coverage covenants. We estimate CenturyLink will remain comfortably in compliance with the total leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio for the next 12 to 18 months

The instrument ratings reflect both the probability of default of CenturyLink, as reflected in the Ba3-PD probability of default rating, an average expected family recovery rate of 50% at default and the loss given default (LGD) assessment of the debt instruments in the capital structure based on a priority of claims.

CenturyLink's corporate structure includes two layers of debt (secured/unsecured) at the holding company (CenturyLink, Inc.) level and three main operating company credit pools (Qwest Corporation, Embarq Corporation and Level 3 Parent, LLC) with multiple classes of debt within each.

At the holding company level, Moody's rates the company's secured credit facility Ba3 and unsecured notes B2. CenturyLink's senior secured credit facilities, including its revolver and term loans, are rated Ba3, reflecting their senior position ahead of CenturyLink's unsecured debt. The senior secured credit facilities are guaranteed by Wildcat Holdco LLC (Parent of Level 3 Parent, LLC), Qwest Communications International Inc. (QCII), Qwest Services Corp. (QSC), Qwest Capital Funding, Inc. (QCF) and Embarq Corporation (Embarq). The credit facility also benefits from a pledge of stock of Wildcat Holdco LLC, QCF and QSC. The B2 senior unsecured rating of CenturyLink Inc. reflects its junior position in the capital structure and the significant amount of senior debt, including as of June 30, 2020 $8.8 billion of debt at CenturyLink, $11.3 billion of debt at Level 3, $4.8 billion of debt at Qwest Corporation (QC), $0.4 billion of debt at QCF, and $1.6 billion of debt at Embarq and its subsidiaries. The senior unsecured debt of QC is rated Ba2 based on its structural seniority and relatively low leverage of 1.4x (Moody's adjusted) as of March 31, 2020.

The senior unsecured notes of Level 3 Financing, Inc. (LFI) are rated Ba3, reflecting their structural seniority to Level 3 Parent, LLC, and junior position relative to LFI's senior secured bank credit facility and senior secured notes which are rated Ba1. Leverage within the Level 3 credit pool was approximately 3.8x (Moody's adjusted) as of June 30, 2020.

The senior unsecured debt of Embarq Corporation (Embarq) is rated Ba2, reflecting a structurally senior (relative to CenturyLink) claim on the assets of Embarq, which had leverage of 1.0x (Moody's adjusted) as of March 31, 2020. The senior secured debt of Embarq's operating subsidiary, Embarq Florida, Inc., is rated Baa3.

The stable outlook reflects CenturyLink's sustainable deleveraging trajectory following an early 2019 dividend reduction, continued strong execution on cost synergies since the Level 3 acquisition in November 2017 and solid opportunities for continuing transformational synergies over the next several years. Moody's expects that CenturyLink's leverage (Moody's adjusted) will steadily fall below 4.0x by year-end 2020, supported by solid operational execution and continued margin expansion despite continued secular pressures on top line growth, with excess cash flow dedicated to debt reduction.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS:

Moody's could downgrade CenturyLink's CFR to B1 if leverage (Moody's adjusted) increases above 4.25x or free cash flow turns negative, both on a sustained basis, or if capital investment is reduced to levels that could weaken the company's competitive position. A sustained reversal in the currently declining pace of revenue contraction could also result in a downgrade.

Moody's could upgrade CenturyLink's CFR to Ba2 if both revenue and EBITDA were stabilized, leverage (Moody's adjusted) was sustained below 3.75x and free cash flow to debt was in the high single digit percentage range.

The principal methodology used in this rating was Telecommunications Service Providers published in January 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/research/Telecommunications-Service-Providers--PBC_1055812. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS

CenturyLink, Inc., headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, is an integrated communications company that provides an array of communications services to residential, business, governmental and wholesale customers. In October of 2017, CenturyLink acquired Level 3 Parent, LLC, (f/k/a Level 3 Communications, Inc.) an international communications company with one of the world's largest long haul communications and optical internet backbones. The company generated approximately $22.0 billion in revenue over the last 12 months ended June 30, 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. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The rating has been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

This rating is solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569.

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.

Neil Mack, CFA 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 Lenny J. Ajzenman Associate Managing Director Corporate Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. JOURNALISTS: 1 212 553 0376 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653

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The victim was lying on a piece of cardboard with a bloodied sheet over her and her eyes were swollen shut from being attacked, police reported.

The officers at the scene tended to multiple puncture marks on the womans back from being stabbed with a pick and she was transported to a hospital for further care.

Zenner was arrested and charged with felony counts of criminal confinement, battery by means of a deadly weapon and domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury, court reports said.

In June 2020, Zenner pleaded guilty to domestic battery resulting in serious bodily injury and was sentenced to five years, including 16 months in the Lake County Jail and 44 months in the Lake County Community Corrections work release program, according to Superior Court of Lake County.

In addition, Lake County Sheriffs Cpl. David Marshall III was nominated for his dedication as a detective coming to the aid of victims.
The United States accuses Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince of sending an assassination squad to Canada to kill an ex-Saudi intelligence official who found refuge in the country.

Court documents filed in the US claimed that Salman ordered the assassination of Saad al-Jabri failed after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was in Turkey at the time, as reported by BBC.

Hitman squad

Jabri was a government veteran of Saudi Arabia and fled after he was exiled three years ago. Since then, he has found asylum in Toronto and been placed under private security protection.

Salman's alleged assassination plot failed when Canadian border agents suspected of the group accused of being the hit-squad attempted to enter the nation through the Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

For years, 61-year-old Jabri was the key go-between for Britain's MI6 and other spy agencies from the West in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The 106-page lawsuit was filed with the US District Court in Washington on Thursday and detailed allegations that Salman ordered a group of hitmen who were dubbed "Tiger Squad" to get close to and assassinate Jabri.

According to Aljazeera, Jabri claims his extensive ties with the United States intelligence community and vast knowledge of Salman's activities have caused the Crown Prince to prioritize him as a target that needs disposal.

Also Read: China Assists Saudi Arabia in Expanding Nuclear Program

The lawsuit wrote that there are only a few places that contain more sensitive, humiliating, and damaging information about Crown Prince Salman other than Jabri's own mind and memory and notes that alternative is the footage that the intelligence official recorded in preparation for the assassination.

The documents continue to state that the possibility of assassination is the crucial factor in giving Salman the motive to attempt and kill the intelligence official and why he has worked for the past three years to have him disposed of.

Discreet entrance

The claims alleged that the Tiger Squad attempted to enter Canada discreetly while carrying two bags of forensic tools and are filled with individuals with experience in forensics in cleaning up crime scenes. The group traveled using tourist visas and hoped to pass through border security by using separate kiosks.

Jabri had accused Salman of conducting frequent attempts to assassinate him or take him back to Saudi Arabia and stated the crown prince sent him a private message that said the monarch's reach would certainly extend to grab the intelligence official, as reported by Independent.

Family members of Jabri said Salman detained two of his children and his brother in an attempt to force him to come back to the country.

The intelligence official said the lawsuit he filed against the crown prince was due to the alleged assassination plot's substantial conduct within the United States.

Federal Minister of Public Safety Bill Clair of Canada said he was unable to comment on the case but noted the Canadian government knew of certain incidents where foreign entities have conducted monitoring, intimidation, or threatening of citizens and those residing in the country and called them completely unacceptable.

Related Article: State Department Accuses Russia of Building Vast Website Proxies to Spread Coronavirus Disinformation

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A couple stuck in hotel quarantine have complained that their Dan Murphy's booze orders are being confiscated by staff.

The travellers, who returned from Melbourne, have paid $3,710 for a room and food service as they quarantine in Rydges South Bank in Brisbane.

The pair said when staff brought it to their room they were told they were only allowed six beers a night, rather than the two cases and bottle of rum they ordered.

The travellers who returned from Melbourne have paid $3,710 for a room and food service as they quarantine in Rydges South Bank (pictured) in Brisbane due to COVID-19

The couple claim their Dan Murphy's order was confiscated and they were being 'drip fed' (pictured: A Dan Murphy's store)

'(The hotel) would only send six of each beer up and they wouldn't send the rum,' the couple told the Courier Mail.

The couple branded the act 'un-Australian' and questioned if this would have happened if they weren't in quarantine.

'If I was a paying customer  and I walked through reception with a carton of beer, would they pull us up and say that we can't take that up to our room.'

The couple claim they were told by staff the decision was made to 'limit the ramifications of hooliganism'.

'How do they have the right to confiscate my alcohol when I haven't done anything wrong? I wasn't drunk and disorderly, I wasn't drinking in the street,' one of the pair said.

Queensland Police said it was unaware of any alcohol limits being imposed in hotels for returning travellers.

The hotel's alcohol rationing would comply with strict liquor licensing regulations under the Responsible Service of Alcohol.

Allowing guests a six pack of beer or a bottle of wine is standard procedure.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Rydges South Bank for comment.
The family of a mentally ill man who died in an Ontario jail after several guards allegedly pepper-sprayed, restrained and beat him say they are shocked by the OPPs decision to close its investigation without laying any criminal charges.

Soleiman Faqiri, 30, who had schizophrenia and had previously been repeatedly apprehended under the Mental Health Act, died on Dec. 15, 2016, while in solitary confinement at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay. He was awaiting a mental health assessment.

Tragic, preposterous, sad, shock, his brother Yusuf Faqiri said Wednesday, describing his familys reaction. The message the decision sends is that Soleimans life was cheap because he had a mental illness.

He added: Were finding it hard to maintain faith in the justice system. It seems like that system only works for some people.

In a statement Thursday, an OPP spokesperson confirmed the case was closed on July 7.

In consultation with the Crown and after a thorough assessment of available evidence, it has been determined that there is no reasonable prospect of conviction on any criminal offences, spokesperson Gosia Puzio said.

This is the second time police investigators have decided against charging any of the jail staff involved in Faqiris death.

The Kawartha Lakes Police Service initially declined to lay charges. The OPP later agreed to reinvestigate amid public outcry.

In a news release, the Faqiri family said they have been told investigators could not be assured of a successful prosecution against any of the individual guards.

The OPP says that they cant lay charges because they dont know which of the guards put their knee on Soleimans neck, which of the guards put the spit hood on his head, or which of the guards delivered the fatal blow, said the Faqiri familys lawyer, Nader Hasan, in the release.

This is a profoundly troubling interpretation of the criminal law and one that is completely unfamiliar to me and every lawyer I know. If youre participating in a group beating, youre liable for the acts of your accomplices. Thats always been the law in this country.

Speaking to the Star, Yusuf Faqiri questioned the independence of the OPP investigation, asking why the police force consulted with Crown attorneys who had been involved in the earlier Kawartha Lakes investigation that came to the same conclusion.

Three guards were later fired over the case. One has since been reinstated; the other two are suing for the province for refusing to defend them as part of ongoing litigation launched by the Faqiri family.

Faqiri, who did not have a prior criminal record, was arrested in December 2016 on charges of aggravated assault, assault and uttering threats. He was kept in solitary confinement at the Lindsay jail awaiting his mental health assessment.

A report prepared by the Kawartha Lakes police and obtained by the Star in February 2018 through a freedom of information request described how six officers forced handcuffs and leg shackles on Faqiri as they returned him to a segregation cell.

According to the report, Faqiri began to display aggressive behaviour and spat at the guards in the hallway near his cell. As he continued to display aggressive and assaultive behaviour, he was pepper-sprayed, an officer delivered a knee strike and another forced his right lower leg on his back, the report said.

During a struggle that lasted 10 minutes, Faqiri repeatedly tried to get up and the guards continued to hit him to keep him restrained, the report said.

After this, the report continued, a code blue was called and 20 to 30 officers came to the cell to assist.

The report states that these new officers began to tap out the guards who were exhausting themselves in the struggle.

Faqiri was later left alone handcuffed in his cell, after which he was observed to be possibly not breathing and he was dead by the time paramedics arrived, the report said.

The Kawartha Lakes police investigation found no grounds exist to process criminal charges against anyone who was involved with (Faqiri) prior to his death.

A coroners report in 2017 found Faqiri suffered more than 50 injuries, including a bruised laceration on his forehead and multiple bruises and abrasions on his face, torso and limbs, from a three-hour confrontation with prison officers.

The report said it was unknown what injuries were from his struggle with the officers, and it couldnt determine his cause of death.

The family says its now waiting for a mandatory coroners inquest in the case, and are calling on politicians to step in.

At the inquest, a jury will hear the truth about those last, horrific, moments of Soleimans life, Hasan said. When the facts are finally made public, the inquest jury will have the power to return a verdict of homicide. We are confident that they will do so.

The Faqiri family has filed a $14.3-million lawsuit against the province in the case. The lawsuit names the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, the superintendent of the Central East Correctional Centre and several individual correctional staff members.

Anita Szigeti, a lawyer who frequently represents clients with mental health issues, said a decision not to charge anyone involved in a group assault because it was unclear who dealt a fatal blow is bizarre from a legal standpoint. There is no basis for that approach in law, so I am puzzled by it, she said.

Faqiri was particularly vulnerable in jail, both as a person with mental illness and as a racialized person  two groups that are significantly overrepresented in jail populations, Szigeti noted. Both groups are also more often subjected to force and violence by authorities, including both police and jail guards, she said.

There is a real and palpable fear among my clients with mental health issues and who are also racialized about going to prison, she said.

She said an inquest will be effective in identifying problems and will likely produce useful, practical and important recommendations  but the issue lies with the implementation of those recommendations.

We need a culture shift within corrections and the ill-treatment of mentally ill people in corrections has long been identified as a huge problem, she said, pointing to past cases, including the death of Ashley Smith, a 19-year-old woman with serious mental illness, in a prison in Kitchener. These are all terrible tragedies and they are all preventable.

Justin Piche, an associate professor of criminology at the University of Ottawa and an advocate for prison abolition, said the decision to close the investigation with no charges shows a continued failure to hold jails and prisons accountable.

The situation is fundamentally unjust but unsurprising given that we have an injustice system that normalizes state violence and lets it continue on with impunity, Piche said. The Faqiri family continues to grieve and they need a measure of healing. For them and for us all, we must do better.

Faqiris family is planning a rally outside the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services in downtown Toronto on Aug. 15, Yusuf Faqiri said.

 with files from Fatima Syed, Toronto Star
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The sister of Soft Border Patrol TV star Julie Maxwell-Lewis, who died suddenly on a Saturday night out with her husband nearly a year ago, has launched a fund-raising campaign to buy life-saving equipment in her memory.

And in just over a week Stacey McCann has already received enough donations to purchase four defibrillators - not just the one she initially hoped to buy for the pub where she died.

Julie (36), who was a renowned actress on stage as well as television, collapsed on August 24 last year in the Sunflower bar in the centre of Belfast. Although staff performed CPR and medical teams at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, did everything they could for her, she passed away.

"One of the doctors told me that it didn't make sense how she could be gone in an instant," said Stacey, who added: "We genuinely don't know if a defibrillator would have saved Julie but we would have tried anything to keep her alive.

"We decided to buy a defibrillator for the Sunflower but the response to the fund-raising campaign on our JustGiving page has been so overwhelming that we'll probably end up buying them for half of Belfast.

Growing up I always looked up to Julie. She was funny and she was always doing silly impersonations to cheer people up if they were down in the dumps. She was caring and kind-hearted and she would never see anyone going without Stacey McCann

"Over 200 people have already pledged over 5,000 and we aren't stopping now. We intend to buy as many defibrillators as possible because they can save lives."

Stacey said she still had not come to terms with her older sister's death, adding: "My world was blown apart a year ago when I got the phone call to say she had passed away. She was my big sister and my best friend.

"Growing up I always looked up to Julie. She was funny and she was always doing silly impersonations to cheer people up if they were down in the dumps. She was caring and kind-hearted and she would never see anyone going without.

"But there was no warning about her death; no illness; no time to prepare for having to cope without her.

The tragedy was the third to strike the family who lost an uncle to a heart attack and a young cousin due to what medics said was sudden death syndrome.

Stacey said she wanted people to remember Julie, who was married to Welsh actor Rhodri Lewis, not only for her "amazing creative talent but also for the class person she was".

She added: "Julie gave so much to the world in 36 years - most than most people do in a longer lifetime."

Next month Stacey is asking Julie's friends to take part in Sunday hikes up Cavehill and snap selfies in her honour. On Sunday, September 27 Stacey and her children Alex (11) and Gracie (6) will climb Cavehill where the family will announce just how much money they have amassed and how many defibrillators they will buy.

She said: "My kids absolutely adored Julie. Like the rest of the family they still can't believe that their auntie won't be coming back and making them laugh the way she did."

www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/julielewis
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LONDON, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Negative sentiment in the financial markets has driven extraordinary volatility in the forex markets this year. One of the most popular currency pairs in forex trading - EUR/USD - tumbled to around 900 Points in Percentage (PIPs) in just eleven days in March; a steep fall considering the monthly average range is 250-350 PIPs.

As a result of this volatility, some traders at global online forex trading service FirewoodFX have made excellent returns. One of FirewoodFX's clients booked a 55,000 percent profit in the space of just a week.

In an exclusive article for European CEO magazine, Chloe Christina, Multimedia Marketing Manager for FirewoodFX, discussed the trading successes of some of its clients. She explained that these are thanks to FirewoodFX's ultra-fast order execution. While the high volatility and low liquidity we've seen during the pandemic can be a risk for forex traders - increasing their exposure to slippage - FirewoodFX has made every effort possible to reduce that risk, working with top liquidity providers and offering fast order execution in a matter of milliseconds.

The forex market is the largest and most liquid in the world, accounting for more than $3trn of daily trading. Christina predicts that high volatility in the market will continue for the foreseeable future, until global economic uncertainty diminishes.

To read more about FirewoodFX and developments in the forex market, pick up the latest copy of European CEO magazine, available in print, on tablet and online now.

www.europeanceo.com

World News Media, the parent company of European CEO, is a leading publisher of quality financial and business magazines, which enjoys a global distribution network that includes subscriber lists of prominent decision-makers around the world.

Contact Information

World News Media

Charlotte Gifford

Editorial Department

+44-(0)-7903-417-897

charlotte.gifford@wnmedia.com
If only we were not freaking out over the first but yawning at the 15th. If George Washingtons vice president had been not John but Abigail Adams; if Victoria Woodhull had been grabbed for a mainstream ticket in 1872; if Sarah Palin had been given the chance to see the Russian Embassy from her house at the Naval Observatory; if Ted Cruz had snagged the 2016 nomination and taken along Carly Fiorina, his Hail Mary running mate  then maybe we could let go of all these paralyzing anxieties about how the veeps smile could affect turnout in Broward County. We could just accept that well have good female vice presidents and bad ones, charming ones and dour ones, ambitious ones and . . . Theyll always be ambitious. Any human running for high office is ambitious.
'Dalia Ahmed Suleiman Samudi, 23, died of serious injuries sustained by bullets from the occupation forces'

A Palestinian woman died of a gunshot wound Friday after being shot near the site of clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli occupation troops in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said.

"Dalia Ahmed Suleiman Samudi, 23, died of serious injuries sustained by bullets from the occupation forces," the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.

Palestinian security sources, said that clashes between young Palestinian men and Israeli forces erupted overnight from Thursday to Friday near the city of Jenin, in the north of the West Bank.

An Israeli army spokesman told AFP he had no knowledge of a woman being shot but confirmed the clashes.

He said that a "routine" operation in Jenin turned into a "riot" in which young Palestinians shot at soldiers, and threw stones and explosive devices at them.

He said that the troops responded with unspecified "riot dispersal means".

The Palestinian health ministry said Samudi was in her home when she was hit by a live round which wounded her in the liver.

She was rushed to a local hospital where she died in intensive care on Friday, it said.

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Breakfast, as they say, is the most important meal of the day, and your morning fuel will depend on where you are in the world. From chickpea soup to cornbread cake, from pancakes to coconut jam toast, from cereals to rice meals, different countries have different specialties.

Even though the flavors and the combination of these meals from around the world is something you may not be familiar with, it is still worth a try. Here are the breakfast cultures of the world.

Switzerland

The Swiss have different breakfast sets on weekdays and weekends. On weekdays when most people are rushing in the morning, they stick with the traditional birchermuesli, which is a granola-style blend of nuts and fruits that is served over thick yogurt.

However, on weekends when people can have more time to enjoy their meal, they divulge on Swiss brunch. The brunch consists of roesti or potato pancakes, cold cuts, cheese, and zopf. Zopf is braided egg bread that is similar to challah or brioche, and it is served with butter, honey, and jam.

Also Read: 10 Best Fast Food Chain in the US

Japan

Japan loves savory food. Their breakfast meals are served in small plates, each with enough bites of different traditional Japanese dishes. The meal has miso soup, mackerel or salmon, pickled vegetables, and rice. Tamagoyaki, a sweet rolled omelet, is also the highlight of the meal.

Singapore

Singapore is known for its traditionally made noodles and dumplings made from scratch. If you even visit Singapore, kaya toast is a must-have in the morning. Kaya is a sweet jam that is made with coconut milk and eggs, it is perfectly paired with tea or coffee.

Australia

Australia's breakfast is one of the most fulfilling on the list. From grain bowls, avocado toasts to rice pudding with yogurt. You will definitely be satisfied. The breakfasts can range from farro bowl topped with a poached egg and pickled vegetables yogurt, seeds, and berries. Pair them up with a flat white, an espresso with a high ratio of steamed milk.

Germany

It is not surprising that Germany's breakfast consists of sausage and other meats. The breakfast spread is filled with different kinds of cold cuts, sausages, bread and rolls, cheeses, fresh fruit, soft-boiled eggs, and condiments like ham. The choices are meant for assembling as you please.

Brazil

Brazil's puffy baked cheese rolls called pao de queijo is a staple of the country's culture, and it is a part of their breakfast set. You can also go for bolo de fuba, which is a cornbread-style cake with a moist and creamy texture that comes from the addition of grated Parmesan cheese or shredded coconut.

Italy

Italians are too busy to eat a full breakfast, so you might think that most Italians go to coffee bars and drink espresso. But Italians always pair their coffee with Italian pastry. For the morning, cappuccino or espresso is usually paired with a cornetto or croissant, filled with Nutella or custard.

Russia

Caviar is usually a Russian breakfast food. Whether it is black caviar or red caviar, it remains a favorite topping for massive crepe-like blini or small oladyi pancakes.

On weekdays, breakfasts are simpler. Caviar is spread across dark, sweet rye bread that is known as black bread, sometimes with a smear of butter too. A pot of black tea is also a fixture on every Russian breakfast table.

Related Article: Weirdest Food Menu Items from the Last Decade

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The Ukrainian army has confirmed 29 new coronavirus cases over the past day, bringing the total number to 287, according to the press service of the Medical Forces Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"As of 10:00 on August 7, the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported 287 cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Since the beginning of the pandemic, 668 people have recovered and five died. Some 554 people have been placed in isolation (including self-isolation). For 126 servicepersons, isolation will end within the next three days, reads the report.

Over the past week, an increase in COVID-19 cases has been observed in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is connected with both a worsening epidemiological situation among the civilian population of Ukraine and an increase in the number of tests carried out.

The Medical Forces Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces urges to abide by the quarantine rules and personal hygiene.

As of August 7, Ukraine reported 78,261 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 1,852 deaths and 43,055 recoveries. Some 1,453 new cases were confirmed in the previous day.

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When a young person asks us a question about sexual health, our values are going to impact how we answer that question, said Strathman. Whether that child is prepubescent, a teenager, the gender of the child, or even their sexual orientation, that (all) absolutely changes the way we receive and give information. So before we even have these conversations about sexuality concepts, the lessons will really be to explore our own values, and how our values impact how we see those concepts, and then how to approach the conversations about sexuality in a way that really validates the young persons values  even if those values are different from the adults.
Donald Trump

Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders banning TikTok and WeChat, terming the popular Chinese apps a threat to the country's national security and economy.

The ban comes into effect in 45 days, Trump said in two separate executive orders signed on Thursday.

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Donald TrumpIndia was the first country to ban TikTok and WeChat, citing national security concerns. India has banned as many as 106 Chinese apps, a move welcomed by both the Trump administration and US lawmakers.

"The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security," Trump said in his executive order. In his next executive order he said the country must take "aggressive action" against WeChat to protect America's national security.

In a communique to the Congress, Trump said the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy and economy of the country.

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Trump noted that these risks have led other countries, including Australia and India, to begin restricting or banning the use of TikTok and WeChat.

TikTok

In recent weeks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused TikTok of collecting personal information of Americans.

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Since Trump indicated last Friday to ban TikTok, tech giant Microsoft has said it is in talks to acquire the Chinese app's US operations.

Donald Trump

Trump said this week he would support the sale to Microsoft as long as the US government received a substantial cut of the sales price.

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But he warned he would ban TikTok in the United States from September 15.
Michigan saw its largest ever August primary election voter turnout Tuesday, with 2.5 million votes counted.

More than 1.6 million of those voters mailed in their ballots, according to Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

This shows us that even in the midst of a pandemic, people want to vote, Benson said Thursday. With that success, we now look to November to see what we can do, change and anticipate.

Benson on Thursday shared five takeaways from the primary election that election workers will use to prepare for the Nov. 3 general election.

An election can be successful during a pandemic

Election workers wore masks and gloves as they processed all 2.5 million votes Tuesday and well into Wednesday. The polling stations werent busy, with no long lines reported and little in-person interaction, Benson said.

(This election) underscores that we can hold safe, accessible and secure elections in the midst of a pandemic. It showed us what our system or infrastructure is able to handle and what changes we will need to make in order to have a smooth election in November, Benson said.

She said Michigan voters blew the election out of the water.

Voters really showed up. They voted by mail and in person, and it demonstrated again that even in the midst of a pandemic, you could have a record turnout, Benson said. People want to vote, and its our job to make sure they can.

3 million mail-in ballots expected in November

The Secretary of State said 2.4 million people have already requested absentee ballots and estimates 3 million voters will be voting by mail in November.

This underscores our strategy of mailing out absentee ballot applications, which helped us reach our goal of ensuring people are fully educated about their voting options.

The rise in the number of absentee voters can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and Proposal 3, passed by voters in 2018, allowing anyone to vote absentee without providing a reason.

What that means is we need to build our state and federal infrastructure to support that. And one of the things were going to need is for the US Postal Service to be fully funded, Benson said.

In May, President Donald Trump, in a now-deleted Tweet, called Benson a rogue Secretary of State and threatened to withhold funding to the state for what he called attempted voter fraud.

Benson said her office has worked with the U.S. Postal Service for many months to redesign our envelopes to their standards to ensure they can be stored and delivered on time.

10,000 ballots were rejected

Secretary of State spokesman Jake Rollow said 10,000 absentee ballots were rejected so far. The department doesnt have a breakdown of reasons for the rejections yet.

We hope to have that breakdown in the days ahead, Rollow said. We expect that number to increase obviously as more ballots continue to arrive late.

Benson said there are three reasons why otherwise valid ballots would be rejected: a ballot being postmarked by election day but received later, a ballot could be filled out incorrectly or missing/mismatching signatures.

Were going to be looking at all of those issues in the weeks ahead, and we will provide those specific numbers and data, Benson said.

State officials urge local clerks to reach out to a voter as soon as there is a mismatch or missing signature identified to give them an opportunity to fix it.

That cure is not required and wed like to require it, which may require us to help provide people and resources so that clerks can fulfill that mandate, Benson said. But I think its important to ensure that the process is equal throughout the state and also that were doing everything we can to ensure every valid vote is counted.

Benson also called on Michigan lawmakers to update election law to allow ballots postmarked for election day can still be counted within two days of the election.

Those are valid ballots, Benson said. They were voted on time and submitted on time and our voters should not be subject to these attacks against the U.S. Postal Service. And there are simple changes that we can make to address that. In addition to that, we need to ensure that our clerks have the time and space that they need to process this record number of absentee ballots this fall.

Clerks want more time

Counting absentee ballots takes time. As more people choose to vote by mail, Benson said its paramount the Michigan legislature approve a change before November.

Many counties were able to report full results on Tuesday night, but four of Michigans largest counties couldnt provide complete results until well into Wednesday, Benson said.

Benson emphasized the need for Michigan lawmakers to enact legislation that allows clerks to process, or at least prepare absentee ballots before election day.

What Tuesdays primary showed us was that if we give our clerks an extra day to begin processing the absentee ballots, that gives them more time to prepare for election day, Benson said.

Senate legislation backed by former Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, would let workers at absentee counting boards work in shifts and would allow some early processing of absentee ballots ahead of Election Day. The effort earned support at the committee level before Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, shot it down.

Shirkey later said he was out in front of his understanding of Johnsons bill, and that theres a good chance that well continue to have conversations with the bill sponsors and ... see what happens.

More election workers needed

Heading into the November general election, more election workers and resources are needed to process the increase in absent-voter ballots, to staff polling places and to serve in place of older or immunocompromised election workers, election officials said.

There were 200 election workers on standby for the primary, Benson said.

That helped us out on election day, Benson said.

Some polling stations in Detroit and Flint opened late Tuesday because election workers didnt show up to open them. Benson was prepared for that to happen and election workers were on hand to fill in.

Benson said residents who are registered to vote or are 16 or 17 years old can apply to be paid election workers through the Department of States Democracy MVP initiative. More than 5,000 people have been recruited to work upcoming elections.

Registered voters can inquire about how to become a member of their local absentee ballot counting board by calling their city or township clerk.

Read more on MLive:

Kent, Ottawa counties record massive turnouts in 2020 primary election

How the vote went in Washtenaw Countys record-setting primary election

Election results slowed in Kalamazoo with increased absentee voting amid pandemic
The administration has imposed travel bans on Chinese officials responsible for Chinas western region of Xinjang and Tibet for human rights abuses and for hampering the ability of foreigners to travel there. The State Department last week slapped sanctions on a major Chinese paramilitary unit responsible for development and infrastructure improvements in Xinjiang, alleging that it has been at the forefront of a massive campaign to detain and mistreat Uighur Muslims and other minorities in the province. The administration has also hit officials with visa bans for refusing to allow diplomats, human rights workers and journalists into Tibet.
Four children are among the 19 casualties reported so far in the plane crash at Kozhikode airport after an Air India Express flight from Dubai skidded off the runway in wet conditions and fell approximately 35 feet into a valley on Friday night around 7:41 pm. One person is still said to be stuck inside the aircraft that broke into two pieces. A Kerala MP said that the passenger stuck inside was safe and efforts were on to take him out.

All passengers except for one have been rescued. One passenger is inside the aircraft but he is safe, ET Mohammed Bashee was quoted by ANI as saying.

It was earlier reported that the rescue teams were attempting to cut open the doors of the aircraft.

Union minister V Muraleedharan said that it seems the pilot could not land and then in a second attempt he landed but there was hard landing, after which aircraft skid off beyond the runway.

Centre has ordered a formal enquiry into the accident by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) that also caused injuries to 123 people. Air India express flight number AXB-1344 on its way from Dubai to Kozhikode with 191 persons on board, overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down 35 ft. into a slope before breaking up into two pieces.

Air India Express has set up help centres at Sharjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from where the ill-fated flight to Kozhikode took off on Friday afternoon. The carrier also issued a statement to express regret at the accident.

In a separate effort to provide information to kin of passengers, Kozhikode collector has set up a helpline number-- 0495  2376901for providing information related to the crash.

The flight was one among the several being operated under the Vande Bharat Mission being run by the Indian government to bring home Indian citizens stuck abroad due to restrictions on international travel due to coronavirus pandemic. After the crash, Air India Express issued a statement of regret and added that the flights under the mission will continue.

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By Grace Campbell, KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2020 - 10:28 | All, World

Prominent democracy activist Nathan Law has urged global democracies to take a tougher stance on China following its legal clampdown in Hong Kong.

The 27-year old, who is residing temporarily in London after fleeing the territory, said in an interview Wednesday with Kyodo News that national security legislation imposed by Beijing last month has "destroyed Hong Kong's rule of law single-handedly" and governments should respond "assertively and promptly" to hold China accountable.

The legislation, which outlaws activities considered by Beijing to amount to separatism, subversion or terrorism, provoked international condemnation following its enactment, with many fearing a crackdown on human rights and freedom of expression in Hong Kong.

"The law is written in such vague terms that as long as the (Chinese) Communist Party decides your actions threaten national security, you can be punished," Law said, citing the arrests of individuals for possessing banners or flags bearing pro-democracy slogans.

"It's clear (the law) targets freedom of expression and you could face lifelong sentencing or being extradited to China," Law added, saying the measures are "killing Hong Kong and 'one country, two systems.'"

Law played a leading role in the 2014 "Umbrella" protest movement demanding fully democratic government in the territory and went on to become Hong Kong's youngest-ever elected official, though he was later unseated.

Fearing persecution under the new legislation, Law fled Hong Kong for London in early July, leaving behind family and friends. Of his decision to leave, Law said that he sees it as his "duty and responsibility" to continue his international advocacy work.

Although he believes protest in Hong Kong is "still possible," Law said activists on the ground are aware of the risks posed by the new legislation, with many switching to less explicit slogans and strategies.

Since Law's arrival in London, the British government has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, following similar moves by Australia and Canada. This is an "important signal" and shows that "the international community is no longer recognizing the rule of law in Hong Kong," he said.

Law decided on London as a temporary base due to Britain's "special historical relationship" with the territory, which he believes provides "momentum" for a new approach to China. Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, when it was returned to Chinese rule on the condition of semiautonomy for the region under the "one country, two systems" policy.

Law said it was a "misjudgment" by Britain and other Western nations to pursue friendly economic relations with China over the past decade in an effort to encourage liberalization. He added that recent events, including the alleged detention of Uighur Muslims in the country's Xinjiang province and the handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, have prompted a "structural shift" in public and political perceptions of China.

"We have observed that China is walking the other path. It's important to recognize that Chinese authoritarian expansion is threatening democracies," Law said, noting the need to depart from a U.S.-China "warfare" narrative and instead build democratic consensus on the issue.

Governments should act "when China refuses to comply with international law," he said, including scrutinizing Chinese firms operating abroad and sanctioning officials found to be responsible for human rights violations, as well as boycotting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Law also pointed out that Asian democracies, including Japan, have a role to play. "I think the Japanese government should stop inviting Xi Jinping as a (state) guest, because this honors and gives credit to the ruling system," he said.

Law said that returning to Hong Kong is a "distant goal." Hong Kong media reported last month that Chinese authorities had issued a warrant for Law's arrest, which he said was no surprise and shows that even those overseas are being targeted by Beijing.

"I am unable to go back unless Hong Kong is democratic and free. I don't think that will happen in the short term," he said.

Related coverage:

Hong Kong activist convicted of assembly charges over police HQ siege

Japan, U.S., Australia express "deep concern" over H.K. security law

Prominent democracy activist Nathan Law flees Hong Kong
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Local officials hope neighborhood barbershops can help address two major health concerns on Staten Island.

A program called Take the Pressure off Staten Island and spearheaded by Borough President James Oddo aims to educate local Black men about the risks of high blood pressure. It will launch Saturday at Against the Grain Barber Shop in Tompkinsville.

Going for a haircut has always been thought of - and rightly so - as contributing to a neat and clean appearance, Oddo said. But now there is something more to it: for some folks, it may be contributing to a longer life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 40.5% of Black men either have high blood pressure or take medication for hypersensitivity.

In the era of COVID-19, high blood pressure and hypertension remain serious conditions in their own right, but, according to the CDC, might put people who contract the virus at even greater risk.

To address these concerns, Borough Hall has partnered with the local barbershops, the citys Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and Dr. Joseph Ravenell, who is an associate professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone.

Ravenell has helped to launch similar initiatives around the country, and even gave a TED Talk on how barbershops can hel

Saturdays launch will take place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the barbershop located at 206 Bay St. Attendees at the launch will have the opportunity to receive a COVID-19 diagnostic test from NYC Health + Hospitals along with the educational material about heart health.

Against da Grains owner, Sean White, said he hopes the program helps bring health concerns to the attention of some of his customers and other members of the community, particularly the less fortunate

A lot of people in the community aint taking care of themselves, or dont have the resources to take care of themselves, White said. I think its important that everybody figure out where they are health-wise.

The program will expand to Executive Cuts Barber Shop located at 382 Bay St. in the coming weeks, according to a media release from the borough presidents office.
BRANFORD  Melinda Alcosser likes to recount what happened after she heard a student grumbling about the mask requirement during the first week of the summer program at Stony Creeks Connecticut Experiential Learning Center Middle School in June.

The next day, she and CELC co-founder Maria Mortali convened a discussion with the students, she said.

The reality is this isnt going away anytime soon, so we talked about finding ways to feel grateful for the masks as one thing we can control that will keep us safe, she said. And then a student came up with the idea for everyone to say thank you to their masks when they put them on each day.

It caught on.

Neither Alcosser nor Mortali pretend to have all the answers to the issued currently facing teachers, administrators and families on how to navigate the challenges of Covid-19 in the classroom. Nor do they have any illusions about the differences between large public schools and CELC, a private school with up to 16 students between fifth and eighth grades.

Like many schools, CELC is offering the three-option system for its students this fall: a traditional model of in-person classes, with additional health and safety precautions such as temperature checks, mask requirements and reconfigured classrooms; a blended model, where students would be both on campus and learning online; and strictly online learning.

Unlike many schools, though, the two seasoned educators have steered CELC students through four weeks of a pandemic-era summer program. From those four weeks, along with the last months of the school year, theyve identified a number of adaptive strategies for their students that have proved useful, they said, in maximizing learning opportunities while maintaining safety.

One is consistent with the philosophy of CELC, which was founded in 2009 as a multidisciplinary, hands-on program that engages and motivates students to achieve results that are transformational to each students life, as its website reads.

In simpler terms, its purpose, Alcosser said, is to make middle school years positive, meaningful, and boundless, rather than oppressive and something to just get through.

Alcosser defines experiential learning as learning by doing in a way that makes every experience, including field experiences, part of the learning process.

New ways

That didnt change, it seems, with the pandemic consigning classes to Zoom starting in March.

Our curriculum includes outdoor education so students were assigned outdoor activities from home as well, Alcosser said. We also had a cooking class led by [Mortali] where each student was cooking from specific ingredients in their own kitchens.

Even with the time outside, and the potato leek soup and lemon meringue pie, among the dishes the class made, Mortali said she and Alcosser were noting the emotional toll the radical change wrought by the pandemic was taking on CELC students.

We could see the screen fatigue, we could see they were upset that this was what their life looked like right then, she said.

So we encouraged them to express that frustration through writing and painting and other creative outlets. We made them part of the solution, she said.

Another approach, working in small groups to problem-solve, was already in place pre-pandemic.

The students in the groups each year develop a camaraderie in terms of supporting one anothers learning, Mortali said.

That kind of peer-to-peer influence led naturally to students finding their voice in how we can all manage this new reality.

Likewise in place is the schools field experience which, with programs with the Regional Water Authority Whitney Water Center and outdoor education classes with Common Ground High School in New Haven, is a way to ensure students health and safety while maintaining opportunities for learning.

Our activities might look a little different because its not yet clear which organizations will take us back onto their campuses, but itll happen, Mortali said.

North Havens Carmen Brown, whose daughter Natalia is enrolled in the summer program and will go on to high school this fall, said she felt reassured that her daughter was safe and happy.

These ladies are very good at setting limits and guidelines but also being attentive to how each student is feeling, and not just their temperatures, she said. The adjustments Natalia has made to this new normal over the summer I think are preparing her for school in the fall.

Even given the uncertainty of the times, both see the current challenge as an opportunity to once again reimagine the teaching process, as theyve been doing all along.

We cant recreate what once was before, Mortali said. We all need to look forward at what is possible now.

For information on CELC, visit ctexperiential.org.
BEIRUT - At least 10 times over the past six years, authorities from Lebanons customs, military, security agencies and judiciary raised alarm that a massive stockpile of explosive chemicals was being kept with almost no safeguard at the port in the heart of Beirut, newly surfaced documents show.

Yet in a circle of negligence, nothing was done  and on Tuesday, the 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate blew up, obliterating the citys main commercial hub and spreading death and wreckage for miles around.

President Michel Aoun, in office since 2016, said Friday that he was first told of the dangerous stockpile nearly three weeks ago and immediately ordered military and security agencies to do what was needed. But he suggested his responsibility ended there, saying he had no authority over the port and that previous governments had been told of its presence.

Do you know how many problems have been accumulating? Aoun replied when a reporter pressed whether he should have followed up on his order.

The documents surfacing in social media since the blast underscore the corruption, negligence and incompetence of Lebanons long-ruling political oligarchy, and its failure to provide its people with basic needs, including security.

Investigators probing the blast have focused on personnel at the Port of Beirut, Lebanons main port, so well known for corruption that its common nickname is Ali Babas Cave.

So far, at least 16 port employees have been detained and others questioned. On Friday, investigators questioned and then ordered the detention of the head of the port, Hassan Koraytem, the countrys customs chief, Badri Daher, and Dahers predecessor.

But many Lebanese say the rot permeates the political system and extends to the countrys top leadership.

The explosion of the ammonium nitrate, after apparently being set off by a fire, was the biggest in Lebanons history. The known death toll reached 154, including bodies recovered from the rubble Friday, and more than 5,000 people were wounded. Billions of dollars in damage was caused across the city, where many are too impoverished by Lebanons financial crisis to rebuild.

Aouns comments were the most senior confirmation that top politicians had been aware of the stockpile.

The material had been there for seven years, since 2013. It has been there, and they said it is dangerous and I am not responsible. I dont know where it was placed. I dont even know the level of danger. I have no authority to deal directly with the port, he told a news conference.

He said that when he was told of the stockpile on July 20, he immediately ordered military and security officials to do what is needed.

There are ranks that should know their duties, and they were all informed. ... When you refer a document and say, Do what is needed, isnt that an order? he added.

He said the explosion may have been caused by negligence, but the investigation would also look at the possibility that it could have been caused by a bomb or other external intervention. He said he had asked France, which has close ties to its former colony, for satellite images from the time of the blast to see if they showed any planes or missiles.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he had spoken by telephone with Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron. He did not mention the investigation, but noted that medical supplies, food and water were being sent from the U.S., along with emergency responders, technicians, doctors and nurses.

The ammonium nitrate, a chemical used in fertilizers and explosives, originated from a cargo ship called MV Rhosus that had been travelling from the country of Georgia to Mozambique in 2013. It made an unscheduled detour to Beirut as the Russian shipowner was struggling with debts and hoped to earn some extra cash in Lebanon. Unable to pay port fees and reportedly leaking, the ship was impounded.

The first known document about it came on Feb. 21, 2014, three months after the ships arrival. Col. Joseph Skaff, a senior customs official, wrote to the customs authoritys anti-smuggling department warning that the material still on board the ship docked at port was extremely dangerous and endangers public safety.

Col. Skaff died in March 2017 in unclear circumstances. He was found near his house in Beirut after allegedly falling from a big height. Medical reports at the time gave different explanations, one saying it was an accident, the other saying there was unusual bruising on his face.

On June 27, 2014, Jad Maalouf, a judge for urgent matters, wrote to the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, warning that the ship was carrying dangerous material and could sink. He said the ministry should deal with the ship, remove the ammonium nitrate and place it in a suitable place that it (the ministry) chooses, and it (the material) should be under its protection.

Soon after that, the shipment was moved into Warehouse 12 at the port, where it remained until it exploded. It is unclear if it was officially under the ministrys control.

Lebanons LBC TV station reported that in October 2015, the army intervened after learning of delays in dealing with the shipment. Military intelligence sent an expert who tested the material and found that the nitrogen levels were 34.7%, considered a highly explosive level, LBC said.

The army reported to the customs department that the material should be quickly removed, suggesting it be exported. Customs referred the report back to the judge of urgent matters, LBC said.

Three military and security officials did not respond to calls and messages from The Associated Press to comment or confirm the report on LBC.

Daher, the customs department head, told the AP before his detention that between 2014 and 2017, he and his predecessor sent six letters to the judge warning that the stockpile was dangerous and seeking a ruling on a way to remove or sell it.

Daher said it was his duty to alert authorities of the danger but that was the most he could do. He said he never got a reply.

Earlier this year, State Security, after investigating the stockpile, issued a five-page report saying the material must be gotten rid of. It said the ammonium nitrate could explode and warned terrorists could steal it, saying one wall of the warehouse had a hole in it and a gate was open.

Throughout this period, Lebanon had four prime ministers, including the current one  Hassan Diab, who came to office earlier this year  as well as multiple government reshuffles. In 2013, when the ship docked, Michel Suleiman was president, followed by two years without a president as political factions wrangled, before finally electing Aoun in October 2016.

For decades, Lebanon has been dominated by the same political elites, many of them former warlords and militia commanders from the civil war. The ruling factions use public institutions to accumulate wealth and distribute patronage to supporters. A blind eye is often turned to corruption, and little development is put into institutions. As a result, power outages are frequent, trash is often uncollected and tap water is largely undrinkable.

The leader of the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group, whose allies dominate the government, said in a speech Friday that negligence, corruption, nepotism had a role in the explosion and must be dealt with.

Hassan Nasrallah warned that if no one was held accountable, we are basically saying to the people there is no state. He also said Hezbollahs domestic opponents were trying to use the blast to stir public opinion against it but would fail. He denied any role by Hezbollah in the disaster.

Both Nasrallah and Aoun rejected calls for an international investigation.

Since last October, the Lebanese people have held mass protests denouncing the countrys entire ruling elite, including Nasrallah. The demonstrations achieved only a rearranging of the names in the government, and largely faded amid the coronavirus pandemic and Lebanons financial collapse.

In a sign of how the public has largely come to expect government inaction, thousands of volunteers have cleaned up streets in the neighbourhoods worst hit by the blast. They swept broken glass and reopened roads, helped restaurants and shops clear debris, and salvaged merchandise. They separated rubble into piles of broken glass and mangled metal. Others volunteered to go into destroyed homes to look for medicine, valuables and essential documents for the residents who fled in panic.

French and Russian rescue teams with dogs searched the port area on Friday, pulling more bodies from the rubble. Women cried nearby as they waited for news about missing relatives.

France has sent a team of 22 investigators to help investigate the cause of the blast. Based on information from Lebanon so far, Frances No. 2 forensic police official, Dominique Abbenanti, said Friday the explosion appears to be an accident but that its too early to say for sure.

In an interview with the AP, he predicted that the death toll would grow.
WATERLOO  Over 400 people gathered at Waterloo Public Square Thursday evening for a rally held by the O:se Kenhionhata:tie, otherwise known as the Land Back camp in Kitchener.

The rally, which lasted just over an hour, featured local Indigenous and Black activists and organizers of the camp. Speakers reaffirmed calls to action for land to be given back to Indigenous people and respect for their treaty rights.

Amy Smoke, one of the organizers of the camp, said their demonstration comes nearly fifty days into their occupation of Victoria Park.

Organizers of the camp have met with local politicians, but Smoke said the needle has not moved enough to meet their demands.

Were not seeing the level of engagement were hoping for, Smoke said.

The groups calls to action include:

That all fees be waived for the Indigenous communities to host events in public spaces.

That land in Victoria Park, and Waterloo Park, be given back to the Indigenous Peoples for gathering and ceremonial purposes.

That the cities create paid positions, at all levels, for Indigenous Peoples to be able to engage with the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples living on this territory.

That the cities create paid Indigenous Advisory Committees to work with the Mayors and City Councillors to address topics such as racial injustice, the lack of access to Indigenous services and community spaces, and addressing all Truth and Reconciliation calls to action.

The hundreds of attendees responded to speakers with loud applause and cheers.

A defining feature of the rally was the emphasis on the Indigenous youth. Shawn Johnston, one of the organizers of the camp, said youth who are coming to camp are flourishing.

Ryan Makade-Maiingan, 21, said he found community and kinship at the Land Back camp. Makade-Maiingan, who is of Cree descent, said he was raised in foster care, in Kitchener-Waterloo, and that he found it downright impossible to access traditional teachings and safe spaces  to learn about the history of our own culture and the first peoples of this land.

Lori Campbell, a two spirit Indigiqueer leader and director of the Shatitsirotha Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre at the University of Waterloo, also spoke at the rally. Campbell emphasized that the youth were leading their community. Campbell also said that Indigenous youth should not have to recount the racism and discrimination they experience for change to happen.

I would really like for this to be the last generation to have to do that, Campbell urged.

This echoes criticisms made by Black activists in the wake of recent anti-racism town halls held by the Region of Waterloo, who claimed that reliving traumatic experiences is not needed.

The focus on youth-led advocacy also parallels efforts of local Black activists to uplift youth behind the Students 4 Inclusive Schools group. The student group spearheaded a campaign that resulted in the suspension and review of the School Resource Officer program in the Waterloo Region District School Board.

RELATED STORIES Waterloo Region https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/2020/07/14/indigenous-activists-demand-land-in-victoria-park-waterloo-park-for-gatherings-ceremonies.html

Smoke said many have been very supportive of the camp. They have received a steady supply of firewood, tobacco, water, food and other supplies. Monetary donations flow through the Social Development Centre of Waterloo Region, supporting the camp as a charitable partner for financial oversight and accountability.

Nearly all rally attendees wore masks, many waving flags and signs in solidarity. A volunteer group provided free hand sanitizer, masks, gloves, water, snacks, and first aid support.

The group ended the rally by moving into the middle of the intersection at King and William Street. The organizers sang songs and led chants, halting traffic along the main road.

Johnston said that they hoped to take people out of their comfort zone.

Taking people out of their comfort zone creates change, Johnston said. Disruption creates change.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been spotted on holiday enjoying the sun near the French resort of Saint-Tropez ahead of his return to AC Milan next season.

The Swedish maestro was pictured alongside his partner Helena Seger and their two sons Maximilian and Vincent.

Despite being on holiday, Ibrahimovic was seen working out on his luxurious yacht just off the coast  performing plank variations, press-up routines and utilising TRX bands.

Using the yachts fitness equipment, the 38-year-old took the opportunity to maintain his strength inbetween sunbathing sessions.

Alongside working out, Ibrahimovic topped up his tan and frolicked in the sea with his family.

The AC Man front-man was seen performing flips off the back of his yacht in a pair of camouflage swimming trunks before rinsing off in the shower on board the boat.

Ibrahimovic boasted a gym-honed physique as he strutted around the boat topless in the sun.

Working out on holiday seems somewhat of a necessity for Ibrahimovic, who is reportedly set to double his wages with a new contract that will keep him at AC Milan until he is 40 years old.

Ibrahimovic rejoined Milan in January on a short-term deal but has since been linked with a move to Premier League new boys Leeds.

However, it is likely that Ibrahimovic will now stay in Italy after a new 104,000-a-week deal has been put on the table.

Having scored 10 goals in 19 appearances since his return, Milan are keen to lock the forward down.

Despite his age, Ibrahimovic has shown no signs of slowing down and appears determined to carry on making a significant impact for Milan.

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Hogan proposes that private school communities be allowed to open and function autonomously, using increasingly toothless CDC and limited state guidelines. We need much more information about what his administration is doing to ensure and certify that school buildings are safe. In the past few months, we learned more about the spread of airborne coronavirus and that masks and social distancing guidelines are useful but not adequate to prevent the spread when children are indoors. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has joined the chorus of experts declaring that the risk of pathogen spread, and therefore the number of people exposed, can be affected both positively and negatively by the airflow patterns in a space and by heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) and local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems.
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Foreign ministry declares the agreement null and void, stressing that Greece and Egypt have no mutual sea border.

Turkey has slammed a so-called agreement between Greece and Egypt on an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The Turkish foreign ministry in a statement on Thursday declared the deal null and void, adding Greece and Egypt have no mutual sea border.

The area is located on Turkeys continental shelf, as reported to the United Nations, the ministry said.

It also noted that Egypt had already abandoned 11,500 square kilometres (3,352 square nautical miles) of its continental shelf in a previous agreement it signed with Cyprus in 2003.

In a televised press conference with his Greek counterpart, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Thursday the deal will allow Athens and Cairo to secure maximum benefits from oil and natural gas in the area.

Turkeys foreign ministry said the latest treaty sought to usurp Libyas maritime rights.

Turkey will not allow any activity in these areas and will continue to resolutely defend its legitimate rights and interests in the eastern Mediterranean as well as those of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, it added.

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In a post on Twitter, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said: Greece-Egypt agreement is null and void. Will continue to resolutely defend rights of Turkey&Turkish Cypriots at the table&on the ground.

Turkey said late last month it was suspending research for oil and gas exploration off a Greek island to ease tensions in the eastern Mediterranean that involved a naval presence from both countries.

Heightened tensions



Long-standing tensions between the uneasy NATO allies escalated last month after Turkey issued an advisory known as a Navtex for seismic surveys in waters between Cyprus and Crete.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for Turkey to be sanctioned and accused Ankara of treading on the rights of Greece and Cyprus, as all three nations scramble to exploit recently discovered gas reserves.

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Relations between the European Union and Ankara have deteriorated over multiple issues, despite Turkey still formally being a candidate for membership.

As well as drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus, and support for opposite sides in the crisis in Libya, Turkey infuriated Greece and the EU earlier this year when it stopped preventing refugees from leaving for Europe, causing a surge of tens of thousands of refugees at the Greek border.

Ankaras recent move to turn the iconic Hagia Sophia, originally built as a Byzantine cathedral, back into a mosque has been the latest matter of contention, with Greece calling the move a provocation to the civilised world.

Turkey has defended the reconversion of the Istanbul landmark and described foreign criticism as an attack on its sovereignty.
AUD/USD Current Price: 0.7235

Gold soared to a new record high of $2,069.72 a troy ounce, underpinning the Aussie.

The Chinese Trade Balance is foreseen posting a surplus of $42 billion in July.

AUD/USD holding on to gains and poised to reach fresh multi-month highs.

The AUD/USD pair is holding near its recent highs, and more relevantly, above the 0.7200 level, its best daily close since February 2019. The pair has spent most of the day in consolidative mode, getting boosted during US trading hours on the back of another round of dollars selling. Gold prices continued to rally, with spot reaching a record high of $2,069.72 a troy ounce, a positive factor for the Aussie, alongside Wall Streets positive tone.

Early Friday, Australia will publish the AIG Performance of Services Index for July, previously at 41.5, while the RBA will release the statement of its latest monetary policy meeting. The Asian session will also bring the Chinese Trade Balance for July, expected with a surplus of $42B.

AUD/USD short-term technical outlook

The AUD/USD pair is bullish, pressuring the highs in the 0.7240 price zone. The 4-hour chart shows that the rally may continue during the upcoming sessions. The 20 SMA continues advancing while providing intraday support, now at around 0.7170. The Momentum indicator maintains its bullish strength well into positive territory, while the RSI indicator consolidates at around 62.

Support levels: 0.7200 0.7160 0.7115

Resistance levels: 0.7240 0.7285 0.7320

View Live Chart for the AUD/USD

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 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
The US State Department has lifted its international travel advisory advising Americans against travelling during the coronavirus pandemic, stating it would now look at countries on a case-to-case basis.

In March, the department first implemented an international travel advisory as the coronavirus ravaged through parts of Europe and China. It was then announced in a statement on Thursday that the department would lift the advisory  which has remained at the highest alert level as a level 4 since 19 March  in collaboration with the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice ... in order to give travellers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions, the release said.

It added the State Department would go back to issuing travel advisories  from a level 1 up to a level 4  to specific countries depending on the individual conditions. All information about which countries were under travel advisories is available to the pubic at Travel.State.gov.

This will also provide US citizens more detailed information about the current status in each country, the statement continued. We continue to recommend US citizens exercise caution when travelling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic.

The State Department issued its do not travel warning on 19 March, just three days after they issued a level 3 advising against most travel.

Lowering this travel advisory comes as more countries are now experimenting with flying and tourism to spark an increase in their own economies. But it doesnt mean people will be able to go wherever they want to go now.

The European Union issued a ban on US travellers starting on 1 July as coronavirus cases continue to soar in America. The US leads the world in number of cases, more than 4.8 million, and deaths, over 159,000. Also, the Canada-US border remains closed for travellers unless they are immediate family members.

The Bahamas even initially announced it would ban Americans from travelling before deciding in mid-July that people would be required to quarantine for 14 days upon travelling there instead.

In comparison, the US has issued its own travel bans from people travelling from China, Europe, the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, and Brazil during the pandemic.

The CDC has its own list of countries where it recommends travel should be restricted amid the pandemic. Only 20 countries are listed as low or no risk to travel to, such as New Zealand, Taiwan, Fiji, and Thailand.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Brussels, Belgium  Fri, August 7, 2020 07:03 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c2f678 2 Environment Belgium,mantis,David-Attenborough,animals,environment,Britain,naturalist Free

Belgian scientists have named a new "very large and robust" Vietnamese sub-species of praying mantis after British television naturalist David Attenborough.

According to the Royal Belgian Society of Entomology, a recent expedition to the Annamite mountains in central Vietnam uncovered a mantis now known as Titanodula attenboroughi.

The Belgian Journal of Entmology describes 94-year-old Attenborough as "one of the world's most beloved naturalists".

It describes the new-found insect as a "very large and robust praying mantis. Head triangular, antennae filiform. Long but robust pronotum, with smooth dorsal surface."

Mantises were once assigned to the catch-all Herodula genus -- dubbed a "wastebasket taxon" by the journal -- but species of this group display a great variety of male genitalia, suggesting they are separate.

Read also: David Attenborough in appeal to save charity behind London Zoo

The research has allowed scientists to assign Attenborough's eponymous mantis to a new group, Titanodula.

Attenborough was director of programming for British public broadcaster the BBC in the 1970s, but is best known for presenting an ambitious series of wildlife documentaries, beginning with Life on Earth in 1979.

He is a much-loved public figure and has received other honors, including a knighthood.

In 2016 the British polar research vessel was named the RRS Sir David Attenborough despite a poll of Internet users suggesting it be dubbed "Boaty McBoatface".
Bollywood actors and crew aged over 65 will be allowed to resume shoots, an industry official said Friday, after an Indian court overturned coronavirus restrictions limiting the presence of older people on film sets.

The world's most prolific film industry has been struggling to get back on its feet after strict rules banning elaborate scenes and barring senior actors from shoots were unveiled in June.

But Friday's decision by a court in Mumbai has paved the way for actors over 65 to return to work, allowing some of India's most revered stars such as 77-year-old Amitabh Bachchan to resume filming.

"All artists, directors, producers, technicians over the age of 65 years who were barred from entering the sets previously will be allowed to resume work without any disruption," Anil Nagrath, secretary of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers' Association (IMPPA), told AFP.

IMPPA had petitioned the Bombay High Court to strike down the ban, arguing that it was ageist and unfair.

The ruling came just days after Bachchan was discharged from Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital, following a coronavirus diagnosis that saw him spend three weeks in the medical facility.

His actor son Abhishek -- who is still in hospital -- actress daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai, and granddaughter Aaradhya were all diagnosed with the virus, underscoring the scale of the pandemic's spread in India, where cases crossed two million on Friday.

The government of Maharashtra, home to Bollywood, has sought to limit infections by banning producers from filming complex dance numbers and fight sequences -- which are a staple of popular Hindi cinema.

Social distancing norms will also put a top to scenes showing actors kissing or embracing, spelling a return to the more conservative 1980s, when Bollywood songs often cut to images of flowers brushing against each other -- then a shorthand for romance.

In addition to providing crew members with medical and life insurance, producers will be required to have a doctor, nurse and an ambulance on set -- a punishing requirement at a time when Mumbai is already struggling with a shortage of health workers and ambulances.

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Statewide

All information from the Iowa Department of Public Health, except where noted. (In parentheses: Change from yesterday.)

Cases of coronavirus: 47,728 (+587)

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: 370 (+20)

As of yesterday, over a seven-day average.

Percent change in cases over 14 days: -12.5% (no change). National average: -15.8% (no change). (Info: KFF.org)

Rate of spread: 1.02 (+0.02)

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: 7.4% (+0.6%)

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 an area reopens.

Deaths: 912 (+6)

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: 3.9 (no change)

As of yesterday, over a seven-day average.

Fatality rate: 1.9% (no change)

National ranking in cases per capita in last 7 days: 19th (+1; Illinois now 20th) (Info: kff.org)

National ranking in deaths per capita in last 7 days: 27th (-1; Nevada now 26th) (Info: kff.org)

Recoveries: 36,257 (+788)

As of June 30, IDPH now classifies anyone not hospitalized or deceased after 28 days to be recovered.

Recovery rate: 76.0% (+0.8%)

Positive serology tests: 2,815 (+10)

The number of people with no current infection who tested positive for antibodies of the novel coronavirus.

Hospitalized patients with COVID-19: 223 (-14) Hospitalized in NE Iowa (RMCC Region 6): 53 (-3)

Patients admitted in last 24 hours: 33 (+5) Last 24 hours in NE Iowa: 9 (no change)

Hospitalized in intensive care units: 65 (-3) In ICU in NE Iowa: 13 (-2)

Hospitalized on a ventilator: 25 (-7) On ventilator in NE Iowa: 4 (-2)

Long-term care facility outbreaks: 26 (+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: 490 (+4). Percentage of total deaths: 53.7% (+0.1%)

------------------

Black Hawk County

Cases: 3,089 (+22)

Average cases per day (7-day average): 17.1 (+0.2)

Recoveries: 2,456 (+37)

Deaths: 63 (no change)

Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0.1 (no change)

Number currently infected: 570 (-15)

Percent currently infected of total infections: 15.0% (-0.5%)

Fatality rate: 2.0% (-0.1%)

Serology positive: 700 (no change)

Total population currently infected: 0.4% (no change)

Total population ever infected: 2.9% (+0.1%)

Percent positive in past 14 days: 9% (no change)

Iowa school districts may request a temporary waiver to send students home for 14 days and move all instruction online if 10% of students are absent and a 14-day average shows at least 15% of county residents screened for coronavirus test positive.

Data below from blackhawkcovid19.com:

Reported cases by sex:

Male: 54.7% (no change)

Female: 45.3% (no change)

Reported cases by age:

0-17: 5.1% (no change)

18-40: 53.2% (no change)

41-60: 30.1% (no change)

61-80: 9.3% (no change)

80+: 2.3% (no change)

Reported cases by race:

Asian: 10.6% (no change)

Black: 25.0% (no change)

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 2.3% (no change)

White: 62.1% (no change)

Reported cases by ethnicity:

Hispanic/Latinx: 16.3% (no change)

Non-Hispanic: 83.7% (no change)

Hospitalization rate: 4.3% (no change)

------------------

Bremer County

Cases: 206 (+7)

Average cases per day (7-day average): 3.9 (+0.5)

Recoveries: 108 (+2)

Deaths: 7 (no change)

Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change)

Number currently infected: 91 (+5)

Percent currently infected of total infections: 42.9% (+0.9%)

Fatality rate: 3.4% (-0.1%)

Serology positive: 6 (no change)

Total population currently infected: 0.4% (no change)

Total population ever infected: 0.9% (+0.1%)

Percent positive in past 14 days: 11%

Iowa school districts may request a temporary waiver to send students home for 14 days and move all instruction online if 10% of students are absent and a 14-day average shows at least 15% of county residents screened for the coronavirus test positive.

-----------------

Buchanan County

Cases: 124 (+2)

Average cases per day (7-day average): 3 (-0.9)

Recoveries: 63 (+1)

Deaths: 1 (no change)

Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change)

Number currently infected: 60 (+1)

Percent currently infected of total infections: 46.9% (+0.1%)

Fatality rate: 0.8% (no change)

Serology positive: 4 (no change)

Total population currently infected: 0.3% (no change)

Total population ever infected: 0.6% (no change)

Percent positive in past 14 days: 8%

Iowa school districts may request a temporary waiver to send students home for 14 days and move all instruction online if 10% of students are absent and a 14-day average shows at least 15% of county residents screened for the coronavirus test positive.

------------------

Butler County

Cases: 119 (no change)

Average cases per day (7-day average): 1.9 (-0.5)

Recoveries: 103 (+2)

Deaths: 2 (no change)

Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change)

Number currently infected: 14 (-2)

Percent currently infected of total infections: 11.4% (-1.6%)

Fatality rate: 1.7% (no change)

Serology positive: 4 (no change)

Total population currently infected: 0.1% (no change)

Total population ever infected: 0.8% (no change)

Percent positive in past 14 days: 8%

Iowa school districts may request a temporary waiver to send students home for 14 days and move all instruction online if 10% of students are absent and a 14-day average shows at least 15% of county residents screened for the coronavirus test positive.

---------------

Fayette County

Cases: 82 (+1)

Average cases per day (7-day average): 0.9 (no change)

Recoveries: 59 (no change)

Deaths: 0

Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change)

Number currently infected: 23 (+1)

Percent currently infected of total infections: 24.7% (+0.8%)

Fatality rate: 0%

Serology positive: 11 (no change)

Total population currently infected: 0.1% (no change)

Total population ever infected: 0.5% (no change)

Percent positive in past 14 days: 4%

Iowa school districts may request a temporary waiver to send students home for 14 days and move all instruction online if 10% of students are absent and a 14-day average shows at least 15% of county residents screened for the coronavirus test positive.

----------------

Floyd County

Cases: 145 (+12)

Average cases per day (7-day average): 5.4 (+0.8)

Recoveries: 94 (+3)

Deaths: 2 (no change)

Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change)

Number currently infected: 49 (+9)

Percent currently infected of total infections: 32.2% (+3.6%)

Fatality rate: 1.4% (-0.1%)

Serology positive: 7 (no change)

Total population currently infected: 0.3% (no change)

Total population ever infected: 1.0% (+0.1%)

Percent positive in past 14 days: 11%

Iowa school districts may request a temporary waiver to send students home for 14 days and move all instruction online if 10% of students are absent and a 14-day average shows at least 15% of county residents screened for the coronavirus test positive.

--------------------

Grundy County

Cases: 76 (no change)

Average cases per day (7-day average): 0.7 (-0.2)

Recoveries: 47 (no change)

Deaths: 1 (no change)

Average deaths per day (7-day average): 0 (no change)

Number currently infected: 28 (no change)

Percent currently infected of total infections: 34.6% (no change)

Fatality rate: 1.3% (no change)

Serology positive: 5 (no change)

Total population currently infected: 0.2% (no change)

Total population ever infected: 0.7% (no change)

Percent positive in past 14 days: 4%

Iowa school districts may request a temporary waiver to send students home for 14 days and move all instruction online if 10% of students are absent and a 14-day average shows at least 15% of county residents screened for the coronavirus test positive.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has re-imposed aluminum tariffs on Canada Thursday. The decision comes a month after his administration implemented the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement intended to lower trade barriers across North America.

The Trump Administration will restore a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian raw aluminum imports.

The White House defended Trumps decision by citing rising aluminum prices in the U.S. that is hurting the industry. A weakened U.S. aluminum industry is a threat to U.S. national security, the Administration said.

Trump visited a Whirlpool manufacturing plant in Ohio where he said that "Earlier today, I signed a proclamation that defends American industry by reimposing aluminum tariffs on Canada. Canada was taking advantage of us, as usual.

The Canadian government was swift to retaliate.

In response to the American tariffs, Canada intends to swiftly impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures, said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in a written statement.

Freeland added that Canadian aluminum does not undermine U.S. national security. Canadian aluminum strengthens U.S. national security and has done so for decades through unparalleled cooperation between our two countries.

In 2018, the U.S. imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports, to which Canada responded with tariffs of their own; $16.6 billion in tariffs on U.S. products, including ketchup, ballpoint pens, licorice, orange juice, whisky and toilet paper.

The American tariffs were removed last year, in May 2019, as a trade agreement was reached between the two countries in what was then referred to as the new NAFTA.

According to the Government of Canada, the major use of aluminum is in the automotive and transportation industry; 24% of global aluminum output in 2018 was used in this sector.

Former U.S. ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman told BNN Bloomberg in an interview Thursday that this is a political stunt meant to be a distraction.

I interpret it as a president whos in deep trouble politically, Heyman said. Hes within 90 days of his potential re-election knowing hes well behind in the polls. We have 158,000 people who have died as a result of a mishandled pandemic. We have millions out of work that are now in jeopardy of maybe not even receiving supplemental compensation from this Congressional negotiation.
The United States on Friday announced sanctions against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and other senior officials for their role in curbing the city's promised freedoms, and in implementing a draconian national security regime.



Announcing the sanctions, the State Department said that the Chinese Communist Party had made clear that Hong Kong would never again enjoy the high degree of autonomy promised under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, and that the city will no longer be regarded as a separate jurisdiction from mainland China by the U.S.



"The United States will therefore ... take action against individuals who have crushed the Hong Kong peoples freedoms," it said in a statement on its official website.



Under an Executive Order already signed by President Donald Trump, the U.S. Treasury will freeze the U.S. assets of Lam, her chief of police Chris Tang, and secretary for security John Lee, as well as those of constitutional affairs secretary Erick Tsang and newly appointed head of national security Eric Chan.



Former police chief Stephen Lo and justice secretary Teresa Cheng are also named as targets under the sanction order.



Ruling Chinese Communist Party officials Zhang Xiaoming and Xia Baolong will also be sanctioned for being part of a body, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) under China's State Council, that "threaten[s] the peace, security, stability or autonomy" of Hong Kong, the State Department said.



Luo Huining and Zheng Yanxiong, who as national security adviser and head of the national security office respectively, have ultimate responsibility for implementing a draconian national security law imposed on Hong Kong by decree from July 1, are also named.



"This law, purportedly enacted to 'safeguard' the security of Hong Kong, is in fact a tool of CCP repression," the State Department statement said.



The U.S. Treasury said in a separate statement that the national security law had allowed China's feared state security police to operate with impunity in Hong Kong, undermining the rule of law.



"The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy," Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement.



"As a result of todays action, all property and interests in property of the individuals named above ... that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked," the Treasury said, adding that U.S. citizens and residents are barred from any business transactions with those named.



It said Lam was "directly responsible for implementing Beijings policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes."



Reuters quoted a source familiar with the matter as saying that Lam's recent postponement of elections to Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) for one year, citing coronavirus concerns, had intensified U.S. deliberations on sanctions.



Police charge 24 over vigil



The announcement came as Hong Kong police pressed charges against 24 activists, including 2014 student leader Joshua Wong, for taking part in a banned candlelight vigil in the city's Victoria Park to commemorate the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen massacre, a fixture in Hong Kong's political calendar since 1990.



"Months after the Tiananmen Square vigil this year, I was just informed by Hong Kong Police that they will charge me with 'knowingly taking part in an unauthorized assembly'," Wong said via Twitter.



"Clearly, the regime plans to stage another crackdown on the city's activists by all [possible] means," Wong said, adding that his first court appearance in the latest public order charge against him had been set for Sept. 15.



Pro-democracy lawmaker Eddie Chu, former student leader Lester Shum, and leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organizes the annual vigil, were also among those charged.



Tens of thousands of people defied the ban to attend the vigil on June 4, 2020, holding a peaceful and socially distanced event to commemorate those who died at the hands of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Beijing on the night of June 3-4, 1989.



Journalists fear targeting



Meanwhile, foreign journalists in the city hit out at recent delays to work visa renewal applications, suggesting that they are being targeted as part of a tit-for-tat media sanctions war between Beijing and Washington.



The Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) called on the Hong Kong government to clarify the impact of the new national security law on journalists working in the city, and said it has asked the government to guarantee, among other things, that journalists will be free to continue their work without intimidation or obstruction.



"So far, Hong Kong authorities have not provided such clarity or guarantees," it said in a statement on Friday.



"This downward spiral of retaliatory actions aimed at journalists helps no one, not least of all the public that needs accurate, professionally produced information now more than ever," the FCC said.



China's Hong Kong-based foreign ministry commissioner said that retaliatory sanctions were being made in response to "political suppression of the Chinese media," in a reference to Washington's designation of state media entities as foreign diplomatic missions, and its slashing of their staff numbers.



"Any freedom shall be exercised within legal boundaries," it said. "We are firmly against external interference in Hong Kong affairs and Chinas internal affairs as a whole on the pretext of the freedom of the press."



The American Consulate in Hong Kong hit out at a report in China's state-run Global Times newspaper suggesting that anyone who meets with its staff could be seen as "colluding with foreign powers" under the remit of the national security law.



"These meetings are neither secretive nor mysterious," the consulate said. The Global Times' allegations "underscore the fact that the new law is not about security, but to silence democracy advocates and threaten people engaging in free speech," it said in a statement.



Reported by RFA's Cantonese and Mandarin Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said taxpayers are nation-builders and the government would come out with a charter of rights for them.

The minister also said the government has taken several measures towards simplification, improving transparency and moderation in rates as part of efforts to bring in ease for honest taxpayers. "So I'm so happy that we are part of a government being led by a Prime Minister who honestly thinks the Indian taxpayer needs to be served better. And one of the announcements, which of course I made and I shall not elaborate on it ...
Land trusts in Pennsylvania conserved an average 55 acres per day every day since 2010, according to a report by the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association.

A land trust is a charitable organization that acquires land or conservation easements, or that stewards land or easements, to achieve conservation purposes including protecting natural habitat, water quality, or scenic views; ensuring that the land is always available for farming, forestry or outdoor recreational use; or protecting other values provided by open land. There are nearly 100 land trust organizations in Pennsylvania.

According to the PLTAs 2019 Biennial Census Report, which highlights the accomplishments of land trusts in Pennsylvania from 2010-19, the organizations conserved 201,800 acres in that period.

A total of 64 land trusts own 121,197 acres. The top 10 are The Conservation Fund, 34,800 acres; Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, 14,336; Natural Lands, 13,432; The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania, 12,531; Lancaster Conservancy, 6,286; Earth Conservancy, 6,200; Brandywine Conservancy, 2,840; Wildlands Conservancy, 2,748; Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, 2,567; and Allegheny Land Trust, 2,136.

A total of 65 organizations hold conservation easements on 275,694 acres. The top 10 are the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, 38,471 acres; Brandywine Conservancy, 35,616; The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania, 31,826; Lancaster Farmland Trust, 31,131; Natural Lands, 22,492; Farm & Natural Lands Trust of York County, 11,865; Land Conservancy of Adams County, 11,558; North Branch Land Trust, 11,422; Delaware Highlands Conservancy, 8,974; and Berks Nature, 8,731

More than 100,000 Pennsylvanians contribute to land trusts, according to the PLTA.

From 2010-19 the land trusts increased the lands they have conserved by 34 percent, the acreage protected with conservation easements by 38 percent, the acreage they own by 51 percent and the land transferred to government agencies by 27 percent.

Those increases raised the total acreage covered by conservation easements to 275,694 acres, land owned by last trusts to 120,107 acres and total transferred to government agencies to 400,373 acres.

In that period, 84 land trusts completed conservation real estate transactions in Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association website.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.
Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a promising alternative method for cancer treatment due to advantages of non-invasiveness, precise temporal and spatial control, strong specificity and high tumor destruction efficiency.

At present, the clinical evaluation of cancer treatment mainly relies on cytology, histopathology and imaging. Meanwhile, tumor therapy and its therapeutic efficiency evaluation are conducted separately.

Recently, a research group led by Prof. LIANG Gaolin from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of Chinese Academy of Science, collaborating with Dr. WANG Longsheng from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, reported an "intelligent" strategy of using organic nanoparticles to evaluate PTT efficiency on tumor in real time.

The study was published online in ACS Nano on July 27.

Via a CBT-Cys click condensation reaction, the researchers designed a small molecular near-infrared probe Cys(StBu)-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-Lys(Cypate)-CBT (Cy-CBT) and prepared an intelligent nanoparticle Cy-CBT-NP, which is a fluorescence-quenched photothermal nanoparticle.

After tumor cells' uptake of Cy-CBT-NP, the tumor was treated with photothermal therapy under 808nm laser irradiation. During the PTT, the tumor cell eventually died and the Caspase 3 (Casp 3) was activated.

Casp 3 specifically recognized and cleaved DEVD substrates in the Cy-CBT-NP to yield Cy-CBT-NP-Cleaved which was accompanied by near-infrared fluorescence (NIF), turning the fluorescence "On".

Because the PTT efficiency, Casp3 activity, and the turned "On" NIR fluorescence intensity are positively correlated, this intelligent nanoparticle Cy-CBT-NP can be used to evaluate the tumor photothermal efficiency in real time.

Compared with the traditional tumor efficiency evaluation method, the strategy is real-time and can help doctors adjust the treatment plan in time.
Hours after a Lincoln judge tossed out the city's complaint seeking an injunction to close Madsen's Bowling & Billiards over flagrant violations of the city's directed health measures, the city's health director took matters back into her own hands.

Pat Lopez, interim Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department director, issued a second closure order Thursday evening, although it's unclear if Madsen's will comply.

The business remained open to customers late Thursday night.

On Thursday afternoon, Lancaster County District Judge John Colborn essentially said the city doesn't need a court to order Madsen's to close. It already has a way to get it done: police and deputies.

"The court does not decide, however, whether the directed health measures 2020-07 (the "DHM") is valid, either generally or as applied to Madsen Bowling," he said in the nine-page order filed Thursday.

At the time, owner Benjamin Madsen's attorney, J.L. Spray, said his client was relieved to have the city "off his back."

"But he's fearful that they'll continue to seek some type of an order against him and his business," he said.

Indeed, staff from the health department returned to the business near 48th and Holdrege streets on Thursday and observed continued violations of the directed health measure, according to the closure order.

City officials said they hope it won't be necessary for law enforcement to enforce the order. There were no signs of law enforcement officers at the business on Thursday night.

As for the court proceedings, Colborn focused his analysis on the requirement that the party seeking a permanent injunction not have a so-called adequate remedy of law, meaning "a remedy that is plain and complete and as practical and efficient to the ends of justice and its prompt administration."

Colborn said under the ordinances, the health director has the power to order Madsen's to close.

"And such order shall be enforced by the city and county law enforcement agencies," the judge said. "Given the health director's powers, the court is unsure why it is being asked to order the closure."

On Saturday, Madsen kept his doors open, defying Lopez's initial order to close for 24 hours, then fought back in court after the city filed a complaint seeking an injunction Monday.

At a hearing Wednesday, Spray hit on what would become a key point in the arguments: There were other remedies available to the city, aside from closing Madsen's.

It could've sought a closure order initially or filed a criminal charge against Madsen.

Chief Assistant City Attorney Chris Connolly acknowledged the city had the option of sending in Lincoln police to clear out the business Saturday, when Lopez ordered the bowling alley to shut down over numerous violations of the directed health measure, including not requiring patrons or staff to wear masks indoors.

"We chose not to do that. We didn't want that circus," Connolly said.

At the hearing, Colborn pressed Connolly on why the city didn't seek immediate compliance, considering city municipal code says Lincoln Police and the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office "shall" enforce all orders issued by the health director.

Colborn said if the city found the bubonic plague in a building, it would just shut the place down; it wouldn't ask a judge to do it.

Connolly said under the law, the city had the option of asking for an injunction civilly.

"And that's exactly what we're doing," he said.

In Thursday's order, Colborn said the city ordinance doesn't merely allow the health director to levy a fine that a business owner could shrug off as a cost of doing business. Rather, he said, it allows the health director to order a business to close, and it shall be enforced by law enforcement.

"Closing a business is exactly what the city wants the court to do here, of course, except the court's order (unlike the health director's order) could only be enforced through contempt proceedings," he said.

In other words, Colborn would've had to order Madsen's to close, then hold a contempt hearing if he refused.

In its complaint, the city alleged that Madsen's hasn't complied with the city's health order since it went into effect July 20. Employees aren't wearing protective face coverings, and the business isn't requiring patrons to wear face coverings or comply with 6-foot separations.

Before the second closure order, Benjamin Madsen said he didn't intend to change the way he's been operating the business. He did not respond to requests for comment late Thursday night.

The second closure order says that in order to reopen, the business must submit a reopening plan for the health department to review. The business can request a hearing before the health director or can appeal the closure order in district court.

Remaining for another day's fight was Spray's contention that Lopez isn't a "duly appointed health director" because she was hired as a consultant on contract and hasn't been approved by the board of health, City Council or County Board, as set out in statute.

"That problem doesn't go away," Spray said after the decision came down.

He said he doesn't know why the city has been negligent in getting a health director appointed, particularly during a pandemic.

"We're not taking the temperature of the salad bar here," the attorney said.

Photos: Lincoln during the pandemic

Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSpilger
A new phase in the Sushant Singh Rajput case has just kicked off with the Supreme Courts recent go-ahead for a CBI probe into the actor's death.

Beyond the on-going tussle between the Mumbai and Bihar Police, top officials from the countrys top investigative agency CBI have entered the scene and from the looks of it, things are only going to get more serious and rough from here on.

 Twitter/Colors TV

Now, while we already told you about the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which has been set up by CBI under the leadership of IPS officer and CBI Joint Director Manoj Shashidhar, another officer in the SIT, IPS Gagandeep Gambhir, has caught peoples attention.



Known to be a prominent name within the police force, here is everything we know about officer Gagandeep Gambir who is supervising the CBI SIT probe in SSRs death:

Small Town Girl With Big, Bold Dreams

 Twitter/TIME_WARNER_Inc

According to an HT report, officer Gagandeep was born in 1978 in the city of Muzaffarpur in Bihar.



She grew up in the city and completed her matriculation here, before shifting base to Punjab. She completed her higher education from Punjab University and even graduated as the University topper.

Joining The National Police Force

After completing her higher education, officer Gagandeep appeared for her UPSC exams and cleared it with top rank and got into the Indian Police Service.

She is an IPS officer from the 2004 batch and has been serving in the national police force for more than 15 years now.

Rose To Great Ranks During Her Career

 swatvasamachar

Officer Gagandeep boasts of a glorious professional career wherein she has previously served as the Senior Superintendent of Police in various western state districts, and is currently working as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in CBI since the last year and a half.



Been Involved In High-Profile Cases

Officer Gagandeep has been a part of a number of important SITs dealing with high-profile cases.

The current SIT, reportedly known as Anti-Corruption-6(SIT), is also investigating Vijay Mallyas bank fraud case and the AgustaWestland scam. It was set up in June 2016 by CBI.

 Twitter/Catch News

It has also been reported that officer Gagandeep previously supervised the investigation of former UP CM Akhilesh Yadavs alleged role in the illegal mining scam, the Srijan scam case amongst others.



The CBI SIT is expected to begin its investigation under officer Gagandeeps supervision and start questioning people related to the case as soon as they reach Mumbai and get their hands on all the evidence and documents related to the case.

Lets see how she helps in unravelling the truth.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7) - Following his recent proposal to include social media use in the scope of the controversial anti-terrorism law, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay clarified that he wants to put an order on the contents allowed to be uploaded on different social media platforms and not the users.

What I meant by that is to regulate and put order on the social media platforms, not the users per se, said Gapay in an interview with CNN Philippines.

We are not here to curtail the freedom of expression of the users [] But what Im saying is to regulate the platforms on the contents they allow to be uploaded, he added.

The newly-minted AFP chief drew criticisms over his suggestion on the implementing rules and regulations of the said law, which is to closely supervise the online activities of suspected terrorists.

Gapay maintained that the premise of his statement was that social media is being used as a vehicle by terrorist groups to recruit or even plan attacks.

The web is very open and na-capitalize ito ng (it was capitalized by) various terrorist groups, not just local groups, but also global terrorist cells, he said.

Hindi na minsan nache-check [yung mga contents] (The contents are not being checked), you will see violent, indecent materials uploaded.

READ: No social media regulation, Lorenzana says, but AFP cites need to keep it away from terrorists

He cited that some countries are coordinating with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to take a look into the contents being uploaded on these platforms.

Gapay added that they are open to have the same effort in combating terrorism in the country.

We are proposing the idea through DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), if we could coordinate with these social media platforms to somehow regulate yung mga ina-upload nila sa kanilang platforms (those being uploaded in their platforms). Like violent materials, like terrorist groups beheading their captives and even bomb-making, it's all in the Internet, he said.

Among the provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act is that suspected terrorists can be detained without a warrant of arrest to up to 24 days.

Critics pointed out that the measure can be prone to abuse, but supporters and lawmakers who authored the law defended that law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear about it.

Signed on July 3 into law, the measure took effect last July 18 even without implementing rules and regulations.
Shares of Mindspace Business Parks REIT were trading at Rs 304.59 at 10:20 IST on BSE, a premium of 10.76% over the initial public offer price of Rs 275.

The scrip debuted at Rs 304, a premium of 10.55% to the initial public offer (IPO) price. So far the stock hit a high of 308.90 and low of 299 with over 11.91 lakh shares traded in the counter on the BSE so far.

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 of Mindspace Business Parks REIT was subscribed 12.96 times. The issue opened for bidding on 27 July 2020 and closed on 29 July 2020. The issue price was set at the top end of the Rs 274-275 per share IPO price band.

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 proceeds of the fresh issue would 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.)
Pfizer Inc has signed a deal to manufacture remdesivir, the only drug approved for emergency use in the US to treat severely ill coronavirus patients.

The New York-based pharmaceutical company says the multi-year agreement will help ramp up supply of the the antiviral, which has been shown to shorten recovery time in some patients.

'From the beginning it was clear that no one company or innovation would be able to bring an end to the COVID-19 crisis,' Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC in a statement.

'Pfizer's agreement with Gilead is an excellent example of members of the innovation ecosystem working together to deliver medical solutions. Together, we are more powerful than alone.'

Pfizer Inc has signed a multi-year deal with Gilead Sciences Inc to manufacture and supply the antiviral remdesivir (pictured)

The company (pictured) will use its plant in McPherson, Kansas to produce the drug, the only one approved in the US to treat severely ill coronavirus patients after it was shown to reduce the length of hospital stays

According to CNBC, Pfizer will manufacture the drug at its plant in McPherson, Kansas.

Remdesivir was developed to treat Ebola, the deadly fever that emerged in West Africa in 2014.

While it was unsuccessful in treating Ebola, the drug appears to interfere with the ability of the coronavirus to copy its genetic material.

In April, the National Institutes of Health released results from a study that found remdesivir helped patients recover 31 percent faster.

Patients being given the drug improved after 11 days, four days faster than those who didn't receive the medication.

However, remdesivir has not improved survival according to preliminary results after two weeks of follow-up. Results after four weeks are expected soon.

Several countries, including the US, have approved the use of the treatment in severely ill patients.

However, there are concerns over supply of the drug, particular after the Trump administration revealed it had bought most of the entire world supply of remdesivir.

To amend this issue, Gilead announced it has entered voluntary licensing agreements with nine generic manufacturers around the globe.

The company says this will expand supply of remdesivir to 127 countries, most low-income and lower-middle income countries, across three continents.

On Thursday, it announced it has also ramped up production by 50 percent and expects to produce more than two million treatment courses - equivalent to 12.5 million doses - by the end of the year.

The news of Pfizer's deal also comes hours after Hikma Pharmaceuticals, in Britain, announced it has started manufacturing remdesivir for an undisclosed amount at its facility in Portugal.

The company will supply the first batches of the antiviral drug 'soon,' and Gilead is expected to distribute the treatment.

'The terms of the deal are confidential, we are simply a contract manufacturer for Gilead - they order products from us as they expect the sales to be,' CEO Siggi Olafsson told Reuters on Friday.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reportedly warned Russias foreign minister last month about alleged bounty payments that Russia offered Taliban militants to target U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Pompeo warned Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov against placing bounties on the heads of American soldiers during a July 13 phone call, the New York Times reported, citing unidentified U.S. officials. The phone call was officially about a separate topic, the possibility of meeting between the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, two of which are the U.S. and Russia along with China, France, and Britain.

The secretary of state expressed Washingtons intense opposition to the bounty program but spoke in terms of payouts and red lines and did not speak about the specific intelligence indicating that Russia paid Taliban fighters and other Afghanistan militants to kill U.S. service members.

Reports broke in June that U.S. intelligence found that at least one American soldier, as well as a number of Afghan civilians, died as a result of the secret bounty payments.

Intelligence about the alleged bounty offerings by Russia was reportedly included in the presidents daily written intelligence briefing in February, but the White House claims Trump was not verbally briefed on the matter until the New York Timess June 26 report on the issue. The Times reported that some bounties as high as $100,000 were paid for each U.S. or allied troop killed. The Washington Post said in a similar report that several American service-members died as a result of monetary rewards that a Russian military intelligence unit offered to terrorist militants to target U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan.

Last month, President Trump said he has never discussed the intelligence with Russian President Vladimir Putin despite several phone calls between the two heads of state since the intelligence was made known.

That was a phone call to discuss other things, and frankly thats an issue that many people said was fake news, Trump said during an interview with Axios on HBO.

More from National Review
In a letter to Hachette Book Group employees, HBG CEO Michael Pietsch confirmed that the publisher will not reopen its Manhattan and other offices, and employees will continue to work from home, until further notice.

Pietsch said, we will not be requiring anyone whose work can be done remotely to return to any of our offices for the foreseeable future. He blamed the situation on the continued incidence of Covid-19 and because we would not currently be able to safely accommodate large numbers of staff in our offices.

HBG offices in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Boulder, are open to staff who have a strong desire or need to be in the office. But he emphasized that attendance in each location is restricted to 10%-15% of capacity.

We do not have any specific plans or timeline to move to further reopening phases at any HBG location at this time. Our strong preference is for employees who can work from home to continue to do so, and we will not fully reopen any HBG office until we can do so safely, Pietsch said. He added HBG will provide employees with a six-week notice ahead of any office reopenings.

Pietsch also noted that any HBG employee that prefer to work at locations farther away from their home office is free to do so. When we reopen fully, we will ask managers to work with their staff to make accommodations for employees who are unable to return to the office immediately.

Pietsch said, We are fortunate that our industry and our business have been able to adapt so well and operate so effectively, and I want to thank you again for your dedication and perseverance through this period of unprecedented challenges.

On August 3, Penguin Random House said it was not officially opening its New York office "until some time next year." Macmillan and Simon & Schuster had previously said they weren't fully reopening their offices until January.
(Reuters) - Countries and international organisations are sending help to Lebanon after a massive explosion in Beirut killed at least 154 people and injured thousands more.

Below are details of some of the assistance offered.

BAHRAIN - First plane shipment of medical aid sent on Friday, state agency BNA said.

BANGLADESH - Emergency food, medical supplies and a medical team.

BRITAIN - A 5 million pound ($6.6 million) aid package including search and rescue help and expert medical support. The Royal Navy's HMS Enterprise will help asses damage.

CYPRUS - Two helicopters, 10 rescuers and eight rescue dogs. The foreign minister said Nicosia had chartered a plane to deliver medical supplies and repatriate any Cypriots who wanted to leave Beirut. About 50 have already accepted the offer.

CZECH REPUBLIC - A team of 36 people.

DENMARK - An aid package worth 12 million Danish crowns ($1.91 million) to go to relief work, including hospitals in need of equipment as well as securing food, water and shelter.

EGYPT - Two planes with medical supplies.

FRANCE - 55 security personnel, 6 tonnes of health equipment and emergency doctors. French President Emmanuel Macron promised during a visit to Beirut to send more medical and other aid.

GERMANY - Will, if possible, send a 47-strong rescue team. Also 1 million euros in immediate aid via the German Red Cross to establish first aid stations and provide medical equipment.

GREECE - A team of 12 personnel, a rescue dog and two special purpose vehicles.

HUNGARY - 1 million euros of humanitarian aid to help with life-saving efforts and reconstruction.

IRAN - Nine tonnes of food, as well as medicine, medical equipment, medical personnel and a field hospital, according to Iranian media.

IRAQ - A plane with emergency medical aid and fuel aid.

ITALY - Two Air Force planes with 8 tonnes of medical equipment and a team of experts, news agency ANSA said.

KUWAIT - The Kuwait Red Crescent donated 10 ambulances to the Lebanese Red Cross, KUNA agency said on Friday. It is also distributing 36 tonnes of medical aid.

Story continues

NETHERLANDS - A 67-person search and rescue team.

NORWAY - 40 tonnes of medical equipment and 25 million Norwegian crowns ($2.79 million) in financial help.

OMAN - Began sending a series of medical and aid flights on Friday, state agency ONA said.

POLAND - Medical materials and rescuers. Poland's State Fire Service will send 39 rescuers and four dogs. The flight is ready to leave as soon as Wednesday, once it gets approval from Lebanese authorities, the prime minister's office said.

QATAR - Dispatched the first of four planned flights on Wednesday with medical aid, and will deliver two field hospitals of 500 beds each, with respirators and other medical supplies.

RUSSIA - Five planes carrying medical equipment, a field hospital and medical personnel. All medical staff will be equipped with protective gear due to the coronavirus pandemic.

SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia sent its first batch of aid on Friday, state agency SPA said. Two aid planes carrying more than 120 tonnes of medicine, medical aid and emergency supplies, tents and food were sent, including a supervisory team.

SOUTH KOREA - A $1 million emergency aid package.

SWEDEN - Medical equipment and around half a dozen emergency staff joining the European Union's on-the-ground efforts.

TUNISIA - Two planes carrying food and medical aid. The president said his country could treat up to 100 of the casualties in its hospitals.

TURKEY - Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation is helping in the search for survivors. The group has also mobilised a kitchen at a Palestinian refugee camp to deliver food to those in need, said Mustafa Ozbek, an Istanbul-based IHH official.

UAE - 30 tonnes of medical supplies were sent from the International Humanitarian City emergency aid hub in Dubai, news agency WAM said.

UNITED STATES - Pledged more than $17 million in initial disaster aid for Lebanon, the U.S. Embassy said on Friday.

EUROPEAN UNION - Activating a programme that helps countries after natural disasters, and more than 100 firefighters are being deployed with vehicles, dogs and equipment for search and rescue. Activated Copernicus satellite mapping system to help assess the damage. The head of the EU executive said it is ready to help Lebanon with preferential trade and customs backing.

UNITED NATIONS - Releasing $9 million from the Lebanese Humanitarian Fund and additional funding from the Central Emergency Response Fund. Deploying teams to assist with the emergency response.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME - Plans to import wheat flour and grains for bakeries and mills to help protect against food shortages, the U.N. agency said on Friday.

WHO, IFRC - The World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have sent medical supplies, including personal protective equipment, medicine and surgical equipment. The WHO is appealing for $15 million to cover emergency health needs.

WORLD BANK - The group said it would work with Lebanon's partners to mobilise financing for reconstruction and recovery, and "would be also willing to reprogram existing resources and explore additional financing to support rebuilding lives and livelihoods of people impacted by this disaster".

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND - The IMF said it is exploring all possible ways to support the Lebanese people.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Compiled by Timothy Heritage and Sonya Hepinstall; Editing by Alison Williams)
The high-throughput system enables laboratories to double or even triple their testing capacity to support global efforts to return communities back to work and school.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has introduced a new highly automated, real-time PCR solution designed to analyze up to 6,000 samples in a single day to meet increasing global demand for COVID-19 testing.

The high-throughput system enables laboratories to double or even triple their testing capacity to support global efforts to return communities back to work and school.

The Thermo Fisher Scientific Amplitude Solution is a molecular diagnostic testing system that leverages the company's Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 7 Flex Real-time PCR instruments along with liquid handling products from Tecan Group, a global leader in laboratory automation and liquid handling. The modular solution delivers test results in a four-step process requiring minimal hands-on time, laboratory space and staffing resources.

"Increased testing capability is an essential part of any community's plan to reopen schools and businesses," said Marc N. Casper, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Current approaches to scale up testing require substantial resources and personnel. This more automated, high-throughput solution will enable laboratories around the world to increase testing volumes and help the public get their test results faster."

The Amplitude Solution utilizes Thermo Fisher's Applied Biosystems TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit, a fast, highly sensitive multiplex diagnostic test that contains the assays and controls needed for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The company will submit this new end-to-end solution to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and plans to secure additional authorizations globally.

The system also includes instruments from Tecan's Fluent Laboratory Workstation family, the highest-performance platform within its extensive portfolio of liquid-handling solutions for laboratory automation. The Fluent instruments will be supplied through Tecan's Partnering Business.

As part of this offering, Amplitude Solution customers will enter into a supply agreement with Thermo Fisher to secure an up-front, confirmed and reliable supply of reagents and consumables. Backed by dedicated, 24/7 customer support from Thermo Fisher, the end-to-end solution, including the reagents, consumables and test kits, is available from a single source.
[August 06, 2020] Global Public Safety LTE Market (2020 to 2025) - by Solutions, Applications, Devices, Service Provider Revenues and Subscriptions DUBLIN, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Public Safety LTE Market by Solutions, Applications, Devices, Service Provider Revenues and Subscriptions 2020 - 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report provides an analysis of the global public safety LTE and 5G industry including assessment of the technology, market size, and key trends within the public safety LTE and 5G industry. The report includes public safety LTE and 5G market sizing and analysis from 2020 through 2025. The report evaluates the ecosystem including the major players, strategies, and offerings. It also assesses technology impact and the role of 5G in the evolution of public safety broadband.

The market for public safety and other mission-critical communications is rapidly developing as technologies are evolving to provide solutions necessary to meet the emerging demand for improved voice, data, and machine-oriented communications. The public safety community increasingly relies upon IP-based solutions for first responders (ambulance, police, and fire) and dispatch communications as well as overall coordination in the event of a disaster.



Next-generation public safety communications infrastructure is required to handle a variety of communications traffic in real-time and with the highest QoS possible. As the exact occurrence of emergencies cannot be predicted, these QoS requirements are on-demand and cannot be scheduled like many other mission-critical services. This translates into guaranteed service levels on a 24/7 basis rather than the best-effort services of traditional IP based services in non-mission critical public networks.



LTE and 5G offer the most advantageous solutions for secure wireless broadband networks, which need to support the unique devices, communications, and content delivery requirements of public safety organizations. Nonetheless, commercial wireless broadband equipment and networks were not originally developed with first responder applications in mind. To optimally address the next-generation communications needs of the public safety community, vendors are developing dedicated, secure LTE and 5G networks with equipment optimized for emergency services applications.



While seemingly a misnomer, public safety networks are actually private wireless networks in the sense that they are dedicated for use by first responder communications and sharing information between PSAPs and other emergency services personnel and resources. In other words, public safety networks provide a public service, but are secured and dedicated for purposes of ensuring the accuracy, timeliness, and reliability of emergency response and coordination.



Accordingly, dedicated resources are allocated at both the hardware, software level leveraging virtualization, SDN, and other supporting technologies. 5G will have a key role in this regard through advanced capabilities such as network slicing. Supporting technologies such as edge computing will have an important role in supporting ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) for both voice and URLLC enabled applications such as augmented reality and public safety video and content sharing.



Target Audience:/b> System Integrators

Public Safety Agencies

LMR Radio Manufacturers

Cellular Network Operators

Smartphone Manufacturers

Public Safety Network Operators

LMR Infrastructure Manufacturers

Public Safety Application Developers

Mobile Computing Equipment Manufacturers

Cellular Network Infrastructure Manufacturers Key Topics Covered:

1.0 Executive Summary

1.1 Industry Developments since Last Public Safety Broadband Report

1.2 COVID-19 and Pandemic Preparedness



2.0 Introduction

3.0 Public Safety LTE and 5G Technology

3.1 Voice over IP in Cellular

3.1.1 VoIP in Wireless Networks

3.1.2 Voice over LTE

3.1.3 Voice over 5G

3.2 LTE Core and RAN Technology

3.3 LTE and 5G Public Safety Support

3.3.1 Reliable Critical Voice Communications

3.3.2 Non-voice Communications

3.3.1 5G in Public Safety



4.0 Public Safety LTE and 5G Solutions, Devices, and Applications

4.1 Public Safety LTE Application Categories

4.2 Public Safety LTE vs. Other Public and Private LTE Solutions

4.3 Public Safety LTE Deployment Options



5.0 Public Safety LTE and 5G Market Drivers

5.1 Dedicated Public Safety LTE and 5G Networks

5.2 Increasing Need for All-encompassing Critical Communications

5.2.1 Leveraging Data from Many Sources for Public Safety LTE

5.2.2 Integrating Public Safety LTE with IoT Networks and Systems



6.0 Public Safety LTE and 5G Forecasts 2020 to 2025

6.1 Global Public Safety LTE and 5G Market 2020 - 2025

6.1.1 Global Public Safety LTE and 5G Market by Revenue 2020 - 2025

6.1.2 Global Public Safety LTE and 5G Market by Subscriptions 2020 - 2025

6.2 Public Safety LTE and 5G Market by Region 2020 - 2025

6.2.1 Public Safety LTE and 5G Revenue by Region 2020 - 2025

6.2.2 Public Safety LTE and 5G Subscriptions by Region 2020 - 2025

6.3 Public Safety LTE and 5G by Mobile Network Infrastructure 2020 - 2025

6.3.1 Public Safety LTE and 5G by RAN Infrastructure 2020 - 2025

6.3.2 Public Safety LTE and 5G by Devices 2020 - 2025

6.4 Public Safety LTE and 5G by Applications 2020 - 2025

6.4.1 Public Safety LTE and 5G UHD Video & High-Resolution Imagery 2020 - 2025

6.4.2 Public Safety LTE and 5G UHD Video & High-Resolution Imagery 2020 - 2025

6.4.3 Public Safety LTE and 5G Command & Control 2020 - 2025



7.0 Public Safety LTE Forecast 2020 to 2025

7.1 Public Safety LTE Market by Region 2020 - 2025

7.1.1 Public Safety LTE Revenue by Region 2020 - 2025

7.1.2 Public Safety LTE Subscriptions by Region 2020 - 2025

7.2 Public Safety LTE by Mobile Network Infrastructure 2020 - 2025

7.2.1 Public Safety LTE by RAN Infrastructure 2020 - 2025

7.2.2 Public Safety LTE by Devices 2020 - 2025

7.2.2.1 Public Safety LTE by Handheld Devices 2020 - 2025

7.2.2.2 Public Safety LTE by Customer Premises Equipment 2020 - 2025

7.2.2.3 Public Safety LTE by Wearable Devices 2020 - 2025

7.2.2.4 Public Safety LTE by Large Screen Portable Devices 2020 - 2025

7.2.2.5 Public Safety LTE by Vehicle Mounted Router and Terminals 2020 - 2025

7.2.2.6 Public Safety LTE by Embedded IoT Modules 2020 - 2025

7.2.2.1 Public Safety LTE by Unmanned Vehicles, Drones and Robotics 2020 - 2025

7.3 Public Safety LTE by Applications 2020 - 2025

7.3.1 Public Safety LTE UHD Video & High-Resolution Imagery 2020 - 2025

7.3.2 Public Safety LTE Secure & Seamless Mobile Broadband Access 2020 - 2025

7.3.3 Public Safety LTE Command & Control 2020 - 2025



8.0 Public Safety 5G Forecast from 2020 to 2025

8.1 Public Safety 5G Market by Region 2020 - 2025

8.1.1 Public Safety 5G Revenue by Region 2020 - 2025

8.1.2 Public Safety 5G Subscriptions by Region 2020 - 2025

8.2 Public Safety 5G by Mobile Network Infrastructure 2020 - 2025

8.2.1 Public Safety 5G by RAN Infrastructure 2020 - 2025

8.2.2 Public Safety 5G by Devices 2020 - 2025

8.2.2.1 Public Safety 5G by Handheld Devices 2020 - 2025

8.2.2.2 Public Safety 5G by Customer Premises Equipment 2020 - 2025

8.2.2.3 Public Safety 5G by Wearable Devices 2020 - 2025

8.2.2.4 Public Safety 5G by Large Screen Portable Devices 2020 - 2025

8.2.2.5 Public Safety 5G by Vehicle Mounted Router and Terminals 2020 - 2025

8.2.2.6 Public Safety 5G by Embedded IoT Modules 2020 - 2025

8.2.2.7 Public Safety 5G by Unmanned Vehicles, Drones and Robotics 2020 - 2025

8.3 Public Safety 5G by Applications 2020 - 2025

8.3.1 Public Safety 5G UHD Video & High-Resolution Imagery 2020 - 2025

8.3.2 Public Safety 5G Secure & Seamless Mobile Broadband Access 2020 - 2025

8.3.3 Public Safety 5G Command & Control 2020 - 2025



9.0 Appendix: LTE and 5G Technology Details

9.1 Evolution of Mobile Cellular Communications

9.2 LTE Technology

9.2.1 LTE Radio Network Technology

9.2.2 LTE Network Core Technology

9.2.3 LTE Evolution

9.2.3.1 LTE Advanced

9.2.3.2 Peer-to-Peer Communications: LTE Direct

9.2.3.3 LTE Advanced Pro

9.3 5G Technology

9.3.1 LTE vs. 5G OSI Layers

9.3.1.1 5G Network Layer

9.3.1.1 5G Application Layer

9.3.1 5G Radio Network Technology

9.4 LTE vs. 5G Application Support

9.4.1 Massive IoT Networks and Services

9.4.1 Next Generation Public Safety Applications

9.4.2 5G in Private Wireless Networks

9.4.2.1 Public Safety Private 5G Networks

9.4.2.2 Private 5GNR Access Networks

9.5 5G Devices

9.5.1 Smartphones

9.5.2 Wearables

9.5.3 Modems

9.5.4 IoT/M2M Modules

9.6 5G Cybersecurity Issues

9.7 Edge Computing in 5G Networks

9.8 5G Network Slicing

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Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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Contact tracers are hunting for the source of a string of COVID-19 cases unknowingly spreading the virus among Sydneys restaurants and pubs, as the government faces mounting pressure to tighten restrictions on the high risk venues.

The next several days will prove pivotal in determining the extent of the fallout from a busy weekend for three men aged in their 20s infectious with COVID-19 who visited 17 venues between them in Sydneys inner-west, the CBD, the western suburbs and Newcastle.

NSW recorded 11 new COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday. It was a trickle compared with Victoria's 450 cases and 11 deaths, taking the national toll to 266.

In Sydney and Newcastle, hundreds of diners, revellers and shoppers have been directed to self-isolate and watch for symptoms after potentially being exposed to one of the infectious men.
A helicopter puts out a fire at the scene of an explosion at the Beirut port - STR/AFP

When Yusef Karam rushed back to the building that has been in his family for the past 70 years, he found destruction: his cousin had died when glass lodged into his face, the tenants of his 20 apartments were fleeing the ruins of their homes and the building that his father built was destroyed.

It is a complete disaster, he said. Three days after the blast, 60 volunteers were still working to remove the debris that was piled high outside the building.

Just 250 metres from the blast site, Mr Karam said his family home and business looked like an atomic bomb had gone off, when he rushed there after the explosion.

His cousin was dead, another tenant was blinded and others were severely injured.

As the dust settles in Beirut and the mass volunteer-led clean-up mission continues, Mr Karam is among the hundreds of thousands who cannot conceive of how they will rebuild their lives.

The governor of Beirut estimates that up to 300,000 people have been left homeless by the explosion that brought the Lebanese capital to its knees on Tuesday.

The view from Mr Karam's building which was located close to Beirut's port - Abbie Cheeseman

Hundreds of locals have offered up their spare rooms to those who have been affected as NGOs rushed to set up shelter arrangements.

The opposite of an individualistic city, Beirut is the capital of a tiny and while often divided, tight-knit country. NGO officials told the Telegraph that barely a handful of the shelter they rushed to provide has been taken up. A nation known for its hospitality - Beirutis fled to the mountains and the outskirts of Beirut to stay, for potentially months, with friends, acquaintances and family.

For hundreds of thousands of people, life is on hold as they squeeze into the spare rooms and sofas of those less-affected by the blast.

Waiting outside a Beirut hospital to collect his fathers body, Mohammed Sayed, said he had no idea how he would carry on.

The economic crisis left him out of work over nine months ago, forcing him to move back in with his elderly parents.

Story continues

He had only stepped out to buy water when the explosion rocked his house and killed his father who was inside alone.

The inside of the Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, located 1km from the blast site, is left in ruins - Joseph Eid/AFP

Mr Sayed and his mother cannot afford to replace the windows in their flat and have no other place to stay.

Lebanon was already facing a series of acute crises that amounted to its biggest threat to stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.

We are working without water, without electricity, we have a corrupted government. Now with what happened, I dont believe we can do anything anymore, said Mr Karam.

How do we fix the elevators, water supply, electricity?

Peoples money has been stuck in Lebanese banks since the beginning of the year. The only dollars that can be withdrawn are those which are freshly transferred in from abroad - even then, they are scarce.

Our money is in the banks, but we cannot use it to buy materials. If you want to buy aluminium, you want to buy, glass, you want to buy paint, you want to buy anything - you need fresh money into your account. If you go to the bank, they cannot give it to you, said Mr Karam.

Lebanese soldiers search for survivors underneath the rubble - Hassan Ammar /AP

The initial hopes for insurance payouts have widely been dashed, with all businesses and homeowners that The Telegraph spoke to saying that their insurance has said it wont cover the explosion.

Meanwhile Lebanon, a hugely import-reliant country, was already struggling to bring the necessary food and supplies into the country as they must be paid for in US dollars. To make matters worse they now have no port. The only other borders are war-torn Syria and arch-enemy, Israel.

Lebanon barely produces any glass, so how do we rebuild any of this asked pharmacy owner Paul, in Gemmayzeh, one of the hardest-hit areas.

Ive owned this pharmacy for 35 years, I lived through the war. I have never seen such a moment. Within 10 seconds, I lost everything.

There are growing fears among business and homeowners that once the current supply of glass in Lebanon runs out, there will be no more.

People are scrambling to sort through the rubble to collect as many raw materials to help them survive the winter as possible, said a construction worker outside Mr Karams building.

A general view of Beirut's port reveals the horrifying extent of the damage - MOHAMED AZAKIR /Reuters

Shop owners in nearby Mar Mikhael, less than a kilometre away from the blast site, are sleeping on chairs outside of their shops to stop what remains of their stock from being stolen.

For much of this area of Beirut, the severity of the damage to their houses and businesses was the final economic blow.

We dont have fresh money to fix the buildings. Its a destroyed city which will be kept like for 5, maybe 10 years, said Mr Karam, looking around the complete destruction of one of the apartments.

I dont think well get anything from the government, all we can hope for is money from the international community.

Otherwise I dont know how well survive.

The anger across Beirut is rising and the popular protest movement that ground the country to a halt over the winter, is quickly reviving.

Hang the nooses was written into the dust of car windows that had been destroyed by the blast.

Additional reporting by Christina Cavalcanti
The essence of Shanghais city character

By:Huang Qingyang, Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-08-07 09:31

City character is not only a personified abstraction but an aesthetic judgement as well. It is a common state represented by the citys landscape, residents behaviour, regulations, moral ethics, history and culture.

Opening-up, innovation and inclusiveness are the three city characteristics of Shanghai, among which opening-up should be listed at the top, said Xiong Yuezhi, a researcher of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences who has been living in this city for 48 years and has been researching the history of Shanghai for more than 4 decades. To further express these three characters, Xiong also mentioned some other features, like respecting cultural diversity, being patriotic as well as having an efficient working system.

Shanghai City Character is known to be the first book discussing the city character of Shanghai from the aspects of lifestyles and aesthetic preferences. According to Xiong, a cities character has its own uniqueness compared with a citys spirit. The city character focuses more on the internal aspect of humanity which tends to be more mature and constant, while the citys spirit lays its emphasis both on the internal and external side, covering a wider range.

At the review meeting of this book, all the attendees shared their understanding of the city character of Shanghai. In the future Shanghai City Character will be introduced as an educational book to help more people know more about the spiritual essence of Shanghais character. It is also important for teenagers to read to cultivate their sense of patriotism and belonging to this city as well.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly today (Thursday) confirmed his commitment that 2020 graduate nurses and midwives would be guaranteed a permanent job in the health service on graduation.

The minister addressed final year students during an INMO webinar today and specifically thanked nursing and midwifery students and interns for their vital contributions to date during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The minister advised the group that he had received extremely positive feedback from the HSE regarding student nurses/midwives positive approach to getting involved and directly contributing during this most difficult time.

The minister also acknowledged that staffing levels were currently insufficient and stated that he was in the process of agreeing a winter plan with the HSE and that discussions with the INMO would be part of the process.

The INMO also welcome the ministers commitment to full implementation of the safe staffing framework, and the importance of the recently convened Expert Group on Nursing and Midwifery.

Nursing and midwifery students have given the best of themselves during this pandemic and it is only right that they can depend on a fair deal when they graduate," INMO president Martina Harkin Kelly said.

Safe staffing levels are key to ensuring good patient outcomes. Keeping an adequate supply of nurses and midwives in the health service at a time when demands are constantly increasing is going to be a challenge. To meet that challenge we need to keep graduates in the profession and in Ireland.

INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: We have written to the HSE and the minister requesting immediate engagement on a funded workforce plan. Nurses and midwives in Ireland worked through the worst winter on record for hospital overcrowding, and then went straight into the major challenge of preparing the health services for Covid-19. They have provided excellent care during this period, many suffering ill-health as a result themselves.

Their contributions have been extraordinary and selfless, as they faced the pandemic head on and without flinching, heroines and heroes all. They are now exhausted, and the risk of burnout and illness is very high.

We are now seeking immediate engagement with Government and HSE on nursing and midwifery workforce planning, to ensure safe workloads and patient and staff safety for the coming winter.
US Army Plans to Mount Anti-Aircraft Lasers on Stryker Armored Vehicles

Sputnik News

19:59 GMT 06.08.2020

By the end of fiscal year 2021, the US Army plans to equip a platoon of modified Stryker armored vehicles with defensive lasers that can shoot down drones as well as missiles and even mortar rounds.

During a webinar hosted by Defense News on Wednesday, Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood, the US Army's director of hypersonics, directed energy, space and rapid acquisition, said a platoon of Strykers would be fitted with 50-kilowatt lasers in the coming fiscal year.

The modified Strykers have been dubbed Interim Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD), one of several systems being tested to fill the Pentagon's short-range, anti-air defense gap. As Sputnik reported, Strykers armed with Stinger missiles and 30-millimeter autocannons are set to be tested in this role in live-fire drills in New Mexico later this month.

The Army signed a deal last August with Raytheon and Northrop Grumman to put 50-kilowatt lasers on four Stryker vehicles by 2022 at a cost of some $203 million. According to Northrop, the directed energy weapons will serve "as an effective complement to kinetic capabilities in countering rockets, artillery and mortars; unmanned aircraft systems; and other aerial threats."

Since at least 2014, the Army has been chasing the idea of a drone-killing laser mounted on a wheeled vehicle. Raytheon was given $11 million that year to develop a 25-kilowatt laser for a Humvee, and the following year, the Army tested Lockheed Martin's 30-kilowatt Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) laser, mounted on a large truck.

Military.com noted the two lasers built by the firms will engage in a "competitive shoot-off," with the winning company getting to mount its weapon on the Strykers.

 Sputnik

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By Tim Kearney

Times Guest Columnist

Serving on a school board is often described as a no-win situation. But I know that all who serve do so because they want to create the best possible educational opportunities for our children. In my time as a state senator, I have developed a real appreciation for the Interboro School District and all the fine work done by the administration and the school board. They have always fostered a deep sense of community and put students first.

That is why I find Christine Alonsos recent actions and response so disturbing. I was proud to participate in the Black Lives Matter protest in Ridley, where people of all races and ages came together to take a stand against systemic racism. But when I arrived at Frederick L. Mann Memorial Park, the first thing I saw was an oversized Confederate flag mounted on a truck across the street. The flag was hard to miss, both in prominence and intent. During the rally, my remarks were twice interrupted by motorcycles revving their engines and pickup trucks spewing black smoke. As we marched, counter-protesters used racial slurs and ripped signs out of the hands of peaceful protesters. There was no question as to who the provocateurs and instigators were. I am deeply troubled that Ms. Alonso chose to stand on the frontlines with these individuals and engage in vulgar behavior of her own.

I am also distressed by some peoples misunderstanding of the Black Lives Matter movement. Deflections and misdirection have long been tactics used to fight against inconvenient truths. Black Lives Matter does not mean only black lives matter, but rather it means we must address how police brutality and other issues disproportionately hurt Black people. Being against police brutality does not mean being against police. Defunding the police does not mean abolish the police, but rather being smarter about how we approach public safety and redirecting more funding to things that make us safer, like mental health and addiction treatment.

I want to thank Ms. Alonso for her service to our country and her service to the Interboro School District. But as public servants, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard. While we are all entitled to our own opinions, freedom of speech comes with a responsibility to uphold public trust and to serve everyone in the community. Given her actions, I do not believe Ms. Alonso is able to make responsible decisions about the education and safety of all students and staff. I call on her to resign from the Interboro School Board and allow the community to move forward.

State Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26, resides in Swarthmore.
Australia's domestic spy agency and police forces have not needed to use compulsory powers to hack into messages under encryption laws passed in 2018, as tech companies have voluntarily allowed them to spy on targets instead.

The Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation and the Department of Home Affairs have also poured doubt on a recommendation from the national security legislation watchdog for more oversight of the laws, saying it would unnecessarily duplicate the approval process.

ASIO boss Mike Burgess says his agency has come close to using the compulsory encryption-busting powers. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Law enforcement and security agencies believe the threat of two more intrusive powers has resulted in some companies cooperating voluntarily when they otherwise would not have, meaning the compulsory powers have not yet been needed.

ASIO has used the encryption-busting laws fewer than 20 times, but has only needed to resort to issue companies a "technical assistance request" (TAR), which is a voluntary process. The AFP, which has used TARs eight times, has also not had to use the compulsory powers under the laws.
Music artist Lana Del Rey had one Tulsa connection. Now, shes got another.

Del Rey released a 34-second sample of new music on her Instagram account. Title: Tulsa Jesus Freak.

What does the song have to do with Tulsa? Well have to wait for an explanation.

Del Rey once dated Tulsa officer Sean Sticks Larkin of Live PD. He joined her at the Grammy Awards in January.

In March, Larkin was profiled by the New York Times and said, Right now, were just friends. We still talk and whatnot. We just have busy schedules right now.

The profile said Del Rey and Larkin ran errands, went to Target and hung out with law enforcement friends and spouses when they spent time together in Tulsa.

She released the Tulsa Jesus Freak snippet Thursday to her nearly 17 million Instagram followers.

Featured video

Jimmie Tramel 918-581-8389 jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com Twitter: @JimmieTramel

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Japan amounted to $686.9 million over first five months of 2020, compared to $565.09 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee.

The share of Japan in total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at less than 2 percent during the reporting period compared to 1.5 percent during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export to Japan amounted to $488.9 million over the period from January through May 2020, compared to $288.9 million during the same period of 2019.

Japans share in total volume of Kazakhstans export amounted to less than 2.2 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 1.2 percent during the same period of 2019.

In turn, Kazakhstans imports from Japan amounted to nearly $198 million over the reporting period, compared to $276.1 million during the same period of 2019, indicating an almost two-times decrease.

Japans share in total volume of Kazakhstans import amounted to 1.6 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 2 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 in 2019).

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
As the coronavirus pandemic's economic downturn continues to take a toll on Houston residents, Janice McNair is stepping in to help.

The Texans owner has made a $1 million donation to Houstons rent relief program, the team announced on Thursday.

The funds will be distributed to families who cannot afford to pay rent due to circumstances caused by the pandemic, according to the release. Applications for funds will be accepted starting on Aug. 11.

"So many are struggling to provide for their families during the COVID-19 pandemic," McNair said in the release. "It was extremely important to me and my family to step up and make sure the most vulnerable in our community don't lose their homes at this critical time."

"It's one thing we can do to keep families together and provide some hope to people who need it. I'm thankful to Mayor Turner for providing programs focused on assisting our neighbors."

The $20 million rent relief package includes $15 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and $5 million from private donors, according to the release.

Also in support of COVID-19 recovery efforts, the McNair family and the Houston Texans Foundation have contributed more than $1 million to the Houston Food Bank, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston, the YMCA of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund, the Texans said in the release.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Delhi police arrested two members of 'Thak Thak' gang and seized jewellery worth one crore from their possession.

The arrested members of the gang have been identified as Sandeep and Santosh.

An incident of robbery was reported at DBG road police station on August 6 after which the police scanned the CCTV footage of the area and based on the specific information laid a trap near Central Market, Madangiri.

Both the accused were apprehended at 8.30 p.m. and jewellery robbed from a businessman at Rani Jhansi road was recovered from them.

The jewellery was meant for the marriage of the victim's daughter.

Giving details of the gang's modus operandi, DCP South Delhi Atul Thakur said, "They target cars and two-wheelers. They put some oil on the bonnet or engine of the car, which throws up fumes and foul smell on heating and follow the vehicle till the driver stops to check it. While the owner of the vehicle is busy checking the fault, they steal the bag, mobile, laptop and other valuables from the car." One of the arrested accused Sandeep was also held last year in Hauz Khas for stealing Rs 70 lakh from a car using the same modus operandi.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
A government web seminar was hijacked by pranksters over Zoom after they bombarded people's screens with porn.

The Events South Australia meeting, set up to discuss the latest on COVID-19, was cut short on Thursday when the hackers gained access with publicly promoted login codes.

The link to the scheduled call was shared on the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) Facebook page on August 4 instead of just the 230 participants.

It redirected those interested to a page detailing the event's special guest and why the webinar was being held.

The Events South Australia meeting, comprising 230 participants (not pictured), was derailed on Thursday when hackers gained access with publicly promoted login codes

'Deputy Chief Public Health Officer, Dr Chris Lease, will provide an update on COVID-19 in South Australia, and be available to answer some of your questions relating to the delivery of events and festivals in South Australia,' the SATC wrote on its website, alongside the seminar's link.

The free public online webinar ran for about 20 minutes from 3pm before being interrupted with graphic content, including pornographic images.

Business Events' Deb Budich, who participated in the event, told ABC Radio Adelaide's Breakfast program: 'We've got all these fantastic events people here who are desperate for information and it was going to be delivered. But about 15 to 20 minutes in, everyone realised there were some fairly serious things going on. It's called Zoombombig'.

Zoombombing, or known as Zoom raiding, is where uninvited guests disrupt video calls and share inappropriate, unwanted content.

The link to the scheduled call was shared on the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) Facebook page (pictured) on August 4

South Australian Tourism Commission spokeswoman told The Advertiser another dedicated session would be reschedule for next week following Thursday's event.

'Unfortunately the webinar, hosted on a public forum was accessed by a third party clearly intent on disrupting the session,' it said.

'As soon as we realised the disruption could not be managed, we ended the webinar. Another dedicated session will be rescheduled for next week.'

Earlier this year the FBI urged Zoom participants against making meetings public or sharing passwords, following a number of reports of uninvited guests disrupting meetings.

Hackers posted offensive content, pornographic images and used offensive language, the ABC reported.
By PTI

MUMBAI: Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari, who had arrived here to oversee probe into actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, said on Friday that the investigation in the case was affected as he was placed under quarantine.

Talking to reporters near Mumbai airport before leaving for his home state, Tiwari, Superintendent of Police of Central Patna, said that along with him, the investigation was also quarantined.

Tiwari had reached Mumbai on Sunday to oversee the probe into the FIR filed against actress Rhea Chakraborty in Rajput's death case.

Chakraborty (28), girlfriend of Rajput, was booked on abetment to suicide and other charges on a complaint filed by the late actor's father in Patna.

On his arrival in Mumbai, Tiwari was asked to remain in quarantine till August 15 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and was stamped as quarantined by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

ALSO READ | Sushant Singh Rajput death: CBI has collected case diary from Bihar police, say officials

However, the civic body on Friday said he has been exempted from quarantine protocols and allowed to return to his home state.

"It is not a question of any particular person, but of the process.

The investigation, which we were expected to carry out, was affected as I was put in quarantine," Tiwari told reporters.

"Not only me, but the investigation itself was quarantined. The process, for which we had come, that was affected," the officer added.

Tiwari took a flight to Patna, which was scheduled to depart around 5.30 pm, sources said.

Before Tiwari, a four member team of Bihar Police had come to Mumbai to investigate the case filed against Chakraborty.

They had left for Patna on Thursday.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Unemployment in Australia will peak at about 10% as a result of restrictions designed to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.

Australia previously saw unemployment hitting a high of 9.25% this year. But after Victoria, the country's second-most populous state, ordered a six-week lockdown around Melbourne, unemployment will peak at about 10%, Morrison said.

The figure would climb when the number of people receiving the government's wage subsidy scheme were counted.

The effective rate of unemployment was estimated to climb to more than 13% after previously expecting a high of around 11%.

"That is very troubling but it is not unexpected," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

"These measures will have a very significant cost, and it will impact the recovery path."

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Tom Hogue and Stephen Coates)
(Natural News) While big pharmaceutical companies around the globe race to develop treatments for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19), one man in India has pushed for traditional, ayurvedic remedies to fight the disease instead.

Indian yoga televangelist Baba Ramdev is pushing through with sales of coronavirus kits containing traditional ayurvedic remedies. This is despite Indian officials warning him against calling them anything but immunity boosters.

Ayurveda can help fight the coronavirus, but Big Pharma isnt happy

Ramdev and his company, Patanjali Ayurved, have emerged as one of the winners in a country that is one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus. Ramdevs guarantee that his products will help people fight the coronavirus has resonated with the public. (Related: Indias coronavirus caseload surges after lockdown.)

The gurus kit or tablets and drops, which includes Coronil pills that contain herbs such as giloy and tulsi, or holy basil, is so sought after that its being sold alongside Gileads remdesivir on the black market.

We are still selling the medicine and there is tremendous demand for it, said Acharya Balkrishna, co-founder of Patanjali Ayurved alongside Ramdev.

The kits success, however, has caught the eye of critics who say that Indias Ayurveda industry needs to be better regulated.

The industry gets away with making ridiculous claims on most days but to make such a claim during a global pandemic is a first, accused Dinesh Thakur, a public health activist and former director of pharma company Ranbaxy.

Balkrishna, however, says that their company is being targetted because their products are spoiling the plans OF big pharma.

People are questioning our claim because we have spoiled a huge market for coronavirus medicine for them, said Balkrishna. They [drug manufacturers] had inflated a big balloon, we have pricked a hole in it.

He casts the controversy as a battle between the wisdom of traditional Ayurveda and Big Pharma.

The latest shot in this ongoing battle was fired when a First Information Report was filed by Indian police against Ramdev and four others for allegedly conspiring to sell Coronil with a misleading claim.

In addition, multiple complaints have also been filed that accused Ramdev and Patanjali of developing Coronil without any trial. However, during the products launch event, Ramdev stated that their products had been subject to a controlled clinical trial in Delhi and other cities in India.

We have taken the necessary permission to make the drug, [and] conduct a clinical trial, said Ramdev in an interview on India Today.

Fiery guru is leading an Ayurvedic resurgence in India

Ramdev is no stranger to controversy, thanks to his penchant for making astonishing claims. However, this has not stopped Indians from entrusting their health to him.

The self-made guru is a champion of swadeshi, or Indian economic self-reliance. This philosophy has resonated with Indias increasingly assertive middle class. This is a demographic that is hungry for religious assertion and is fed up with the rationalist, socialist legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indias first post-independence leader.

Under this mantle of swadeshi, Ramdev has led vastly popular campaigns against corruption and cast foreign companies as neocolonial villains.

Some have compared Ramdev to Billy Graham, the Southern Baptist reverend who energized the Christian right and advised several American presidents. Like Graham, Ramdev has been a prominent voice in the Indian right, and his endorsement helped current Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power in 2014.

For his part, Modi has helped Ramdev and Ayurveda in general. The prime minister has champion yoga and Ayurveda while suggesting that earlier periods of foreign rule had weakened Indians awareness of their own heritage and traditions.

During the pandemic, Modi has repeatedly championed immunity-enhancing ingredients linked to India, such as ginger and turmeric.

As of reporting time, India currently has over 2 million cases and more than 41,000 deaths from the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Learn more about how Big Pharma is trying to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic over at BigPharmaNews.com.

Sources include:

FT.com

TheHindu.com

Independent.co.uk

NYTimes.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. Mike DeWines recent order closing off alcohol sales at Ohio bars at 10 p.m. will stand for now, after a Columbus judge on Wednesday ruled against a request from a group of local bars seeking to block the order from remaining in effect.

Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Kim Brown said the bars arguments didnt meet the legal burden necessary to issue whats called a temporary restraining order. Agreeing with state officials, she said Ohio law clearly gives the Ohio Liquor Control Commission authority to regulate bars, including setting their hours of operation.

The ruling isnt necessarily final  it only means Brown wont block the order while the case is still pending. Its possible the bars will have more success at a different phase of the lawsuit, or that they will appeal to a higher court.

The group of bars is deciding what its next step will be, said their attorney, Ed Hastie.

As has always happened, this industry will try to remain on its feet and they will comply, he said. My clients, and the hundreds Ive talked to, theyll respect state law. It doesnt mean theyre not devastated by it.

The Columbus bars, including Pins Mechanical and 16-Bit Bar and Arcade, which has a location in Lakewood, sued on Tuesday, arguing DeWine had exceeded his legal authority when he imposed a rule last Friday ordering that alcohol sales be cut off at 10 p.m. each night. Their lawsuit calls DeWines decision arbitrary and said state officials have provided no evidence linking late-night alcohol sales to the spread of COVID-19. They said the decision to limit hours will cause further financial harm to an industry that has been decimated by the pandemic.

Citing a 115-year-old U.S. Supreme Court case that has become a common reference for state officials defending challenges to local coronavirus restrictions, state officials meanwhile argued the U.S. Constitution gives states broad powers to protect citizens during a health crisis. DeWine has identified bars as a problem area for the transmission of the virus, and said limiting hours will help limit the spread.

The challenge by the Columbus bars is just the latest local lawsuit seeking to push back against the DeWine administrations coronavirus restrictions. A Lake County judge in May temporarily blocked a state order closing gyms, while a federal judge in April allowed the state order to stay in place, ruling against a lawsuit from a Columbus wedding-dress shop. Other groups that have sued in local courts include jukebox and pinball-machine companies and day-care operators.

A different Franklin County judge, considering similar arguments by the same bars, on Tuesday blocked a Columbus ordinance cutting off alcohol sales at 10 p.m., according to WBNS.

Dan Tierney, a DeWine spokesman, said the governors office is pleased with the ruling on the state order, but declined to comment further.
A player in Nigerias power sector, Chukwueloka Umeh, an engineer, breaks down the problems facing the industry.

In a video he recently uploaded to Youtube, Mr Umeh, the chief executive officer of Century Power Generation Limited, explained the power value chain in Nigeria and why Africas largest economy is unable to generate and supply enough electricity for its 200 million people.

Read Mr Umehs full presentation below from the video which was transcribed by PREMIUM TIMES business correspondent, Ayodeji Adegboyega.

Understanding the Power Chain

When we talk about there is no power in Nigeria even though the sector has been privatised, a lot of people dont understand a lot of technical terms that we use in the industry. They dont understand when we say distribution, the transmission is not working and so on and so forth, so I am going to break it down a little bit.

In the power value chain, we start from fuel production, fuel transportation, power generation, transmission, and distribution.

What that really means is this, if we are thinking of producing power only with natural gas, we are going to focus on that, thats the gas that we produce from oil drilling of gas. That gas is taken out, it has a lot of fluids in it, it could be oil, water, particles, it has to be cleaned up and processed. Then the gas is put into a gas pipeline, then delivered to the electricity generation companies (GenCos).

We produce power at GenCos and transmit the power on transmission lines (those high-tension cables that you see on the highways or inside cities), then it takes it to the distribution companies (We have 11 of them in Nigeria today).

Discos will now send the power from their facilities to the homes, factories, offices, and so on. They now collect the money to pay everyone in the chain (the transmission company, GenCos, owner of gas pipelines, and the producer of the gas). Thats the power value chain.

Despite potentials, Nigeria still generating less power

In Nigeria today, we have never been able to utilise the full capacity that we have. We have a capacity of 12,522 megawatts (MW). What that means really is that we are able to produce 12,522MW of electricity within Nigeria if everything works well. But it doesnt work well.

Why doesnt it work well?

Most of the gas we produce today in Nigeria, over 40 percent is either flared or injected into the wells to produce more oil. Only about 21 per cent of the gas produced in Nigeria today is used within the country, mostly to generate electricity. Thats one big problem!

Next problem is that we do not have enough gas pipelines in the country to transport gas from where it is produced to the different sections of the country (North, South, East, and West). We dont have enough and we need to build many more pipelines for us to have enough.

Put that aside for a second, lets focus on the generation.

Any developed or seriously developing country needs to have a lot of capacity to produce power. South Africa, for example, produces over 40,000 MW of power. Take a small country like Norway with a population of about four million people, they produce over 36,000 MW of power.

Compare that to Nigeria. With our population in Nigeria, what we produce currently means that if we divide it among all the about 200 and something million people in Nigeria, everybody will get electricity (only) enough to power a small bulb! Say a 15w bulb, a small bulb that you have in your house. Thats not enough.

Then we talk about distribution. We do not have enough distribution capacity in Nigeria. That simply means those wires going into houses, factories, companies are not enough. Some are old. The transformers that we have are not enough to carry the amount of power we need to go all around the country. A lot of work needs to be done. A lot of houses, factories dont have a meter and you cant even tell what they are consuming.

The Crux of the Power Matter

And you hear people talking about the tariff. The tariff is the amount of money that is charged to a customer. If you are a residential customer in Lagos for example, the high valued residents who consume a lot of power are charged about N29 per Kw/hour, that is the unit of power that they use. Some other residences may be charged N25 or thereabout.

But we are saying that for us to have power in Nigeria, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we need to charge more for that power. Of course, everybody will say no, we are already paying too much, how could you charge us more? Produce power first before you charge. But thats where the problem lies.

If we are going to have 24/7 power in this country, we need to charge for it because it takes a lot of money to make the investment to send meters to everyones house, to put more wires, more transmission and distribution lines, more transformers in all the places they need to go to, it takes money.

It takes a lot of money to fix the transmission lines, those high-tension cables that come from the generating plant, all the way to substations where the power now starts going to different distribution networks.

Today in Nigeria, we have enough transmission lines only to move about 5500 MW of power. That is nothing compared to the population we have in the country.

One of the problems that we also have once we start talking about the tariff is that people assume that it is a social service. It is not a social service. We all have cellphones, even the poorest of the poor in Nigeria today, a lot of them can afford at least one cell phone. Even if they dont have money to buy credit, they may have a cell phone even if its a tiny cell phone. But you put as much money in there as you can afford and you only talk as much as you can afford. So thats why you see people flashing you. They will flash you and say Abeg I no get credit, call me back, then you call them back. Thats because they use what they can afford.

But in Nigeria today, what you find in the power industry, some people are stealing the power. What that means is that they go and illegally connect so they can draw power and put in their houses or their small factories. Or the power that they get, they refuse to pay or they dont have meters.

So there is what is called estimated billing, which means at the end of the months, the distribution networks that serve the people will send you a bill based on what they estimate that you consume. A lot of times its incorrect.

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Then there is also the issue where people start to say we will only pay you more money when you give us 24/7 power. So its a chicken and egg situation. Do we have more power first before you are willing to pay more? Or do you start paying more before they give you the power?

Those of us in the power industry understand that for us to raise money to meet the required investment, you must show that you will be able to collect enough money to pay back the people or the banks or the financial institutions that gave you the money at a profit. Nobody goes into business not to make a profit, everybody goes into business to make a profit  your tailor, taxi driver, maiguard, whoever.

The same thing applies to the people in the power value chain. So I say to Nigerians: very simply put, we need to change the way we think about power! You find a lot of homes today or offices, for example, someone that has 10 air conditioning units in the house and probably lives alone or with a couple of staff working for them, they need to dash out to the store to do whatever, they leave all the ACs on.

You know why they are able to do that? Either they have too much money and they dont mind wasting the money or they are not paying the correct tariff. But if they are paying the correct tariff, guess what? If you are sitting in the living room, you will turn on only the AC in the living room. By the time you retire to your bedroom to sleep for the night, you turn off everything else, including all the light and you leave only the AC in your bedroom so that the amount of power you consume is low and so your bill at the end of the month represents only what you needed to use.

You will find if people start paying the right tariff, that we will develop what we call energy responsibility. You will use only what you can pay for. Just like your cell phone, you wouldnt make a call and leave it on even if you are not talking, just leave it running. You wouldnt do that because thats money being wasted. In the same way, we need to start doing the same thing in the power sector.

Take it even further, you will not turn on the gas burner in your house, put a fire there, you are not cooking and you just leave it running. By the end of the next day your gas is fully used but you didnt cook anything! Nobody does that because you pay for what you use, the same thing should apply in the power sector.

Pricing

Now we spent a lot of time, many years talking about we need to cap the power tariff that people pay because we dont want to price gorge the people. Yes we think we are protecting the people but what we are really doing is that we are preventing the people from getting the power that they need. We should have by now, its been over 10 years since we have been talking about this, we should have by now gone way above 40,000 MW of installed capacity in the country. But because we keep talking about trying to protect the people from price gorging and all that, it hasnt worked.

Why privatisation of power sector hasnt helped

Over the past 10 years, we have been talking about having 10,000 MW running in the country, it hasnt worked and it will never work unless we do something different. And I have been saying this.

Now the government did the right thing by privatising the power industry and in that privatisation, they put some of the asset into the hand of private companies. Private companies are expected to go and raise money, a lot of money, to make the required investment, to upgrade these facilities, to install new facilities, build infrastructure. But guess what? It doesnt work, it still has not worked for several reasons.

One is the tariff. Two, there are regulations that have been created. Some of them are okay. Some of them are so restrictive that we cant make the required investment. We cant raise the required money. Three, we are no respecter of agreement in this country. We dont have the rule of law that enforces agreements.

Some of us have signed agreements as far back as 2015. Those agreements today are not even worth the scrap of paper they are signed on. NERC, the regulatory body that is supposed to guide the power sector, said that by 2020 we will have about 20,000 MW of alternative power running in Nigeria, mostly solar, and the question you will ask is how many MW of solar and installation do we have in Nigeria? Probably not up to one MW.

The way forward for the power sector

Guess what? It is not going to change until we start (with) the way we think about power. The government needs to focus on doing what government needs to do, which is create policies that support the sector to grow, and then let private companies do what they need to do to help the sector grow. The government did a fantastic job in privatising the telecommunications industry, we need to do the same thing in the power industry.

We need to liberalise this industry, allow a free market to exist, allow companies to do businesses with each other without interference.

The person that generates or produces gas should be able to deal directly with the GenCos that are trying to produce power, let it is a willing buyer-willing-seller type of market.

GenCos should be allowed to deal directly with the distribution companies. If Century Power, for example, sells power to Benin DisCo and they are not able to pay, Century Power should be able to sell the power to Enugu Disco. If they are also not able to pay I should be able to put that power in the grid, sell it to Eko Disco, if they are going to pay, or Yola Disco or Ibadan, wherever it needs to go for them to pay me. That is the way it should work.

And the tariff should be whatever we are able to negotiate amongst each other. Guess what? If we have a market that is fully open, people in the Eko Disco network should be able to buy power not just form the Eko Disco but from other power traders within that locality.

So if Mr A is selling power to you at N30, N40, N50 per KW/Hour, and you think its too high, you should be able to buy it from Mr B who might sell it to you at a small discount. If the value you are getting from Mr B is not sufficient, you go to Mr C, thats how it works in other countries that we have tried to copy their systems. We have tried to copy but it has not really worked out well because we are not copying properly. We need to make the policies that work for Nigeria, by Nigerians in order for our sectors to work. Otherwise, all the money that we have spent trying to fix this sector will be a waste.

Year in year out we have many meetings, engagements, focus groups talking, discussing, it is time to stop talking and start working. Allow a free market to exist. Power is not a social service, allow power to be treated as what it is, a business! If this happens, we are going to have power work in Nigeria 24/7.

This is the only way and people need to be educated to understand that the amount of money that you spend when you produce power by yourself, using your diesel, petrol generators, inverter, even your solar system that you install on the roof of your house, its so much more than what you can get from the national grid even if they raise the tariff you pay today.

I will give you an example. When you run a big diesel generator in your house, you are probably paying over N100 per KW/hour. But when you buy power from the grid today in your residents, you probably pay about N29 per Kw/Hr, so if the discos charge you N50 or N60 or even N70 per kW/hr, it is still cheaper than what you pay using your own generator. It causes you less stress, the pollution in your environment from smoke that comes from the generator is much less, so its healthier for you to buy from the grid. The hassles that you deal with, the noise from your generator, the dangers that you expose your families to is also reduced and at the end of the day, the whole place is more peaceful.

How to best protect Nigerians to get power

Those people that we think we are protecting by forcing the tariff to stay low, we are actually hurting them. Because those people cant really get jobs because factories are not working. We have a few factories working. But if we produce a lot of power, even at double the price of what we produce today, more factories are going to be able to produce goods in Nigeria. They will be able to hire more Nigerians, pay them more. Those Nigerians are going to turn around and buy these produced goods from the factories that work in Nigeria and the money is going to go around.

This is what happened in China. It took about 20 years for China to turn around its economy, from an almost poor economy to a superpower. The same thing can happen in Nigeria. Vietnam increased its power capacity from about four gigawatts of power to about 40 gigawatts of power installed capacity in only 10 years.

In Nigeria, we have been talking for over 15 years. Other people have done it. Vietnam GDP is similar to Nigerias GDP. Their population is about 93 million people. We have over double that. We can do it. We have the resources, the know-how, the people, and the intellect to do it.

Power argument in brief

My argument is simple. We should completely liberalise the power industry so that the entire value chain can start to work

We need to start seeing power as a business. We need our leaders to have the political bravery, to have the courage to allow this liberalisation to work so that the power sector can work just the same way the telecoms industry worked.

I applaud the government for doing what they have done so far and I encourage them to please do much more faster. Whoever gets the power industry right will be a hero for generations to come. Please be the hero that Nigeria wants. Be the leaders that Nigeria is expecting and be the change that we need.

We cannot keep doing the same thing and hope for different results, thats what clinical psychologists will call madness. Please do this differently so that Nigeria can become great.
Burma Nominee US Ambassador to Myanmar Hints at Need to Counter Chinas Influence in Senate Testimony

Thomas Vajda (right) and his wife Amy Sebes attend an event marking US President Donald Trumps inauguration at the US Consulate Lawns in Mumbai in January 2017. / Namaste America

YANGONWhen Thomas Laszlo Vajda, a career diplomat with nearly three decades of experience, joined a US Senate videoconference on Wednesday to testify in support of his nomination as the US ambassador to Myanmar, he said one of his goals as envoy would be to advance US interests and values in the Southeast Asian country.

To achieve this, he told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, US engagement with Myanmar is essential in order to advance the Southeast Asian countrys reforms and help defend the country against malign influences.

The hearing took place after US President Donald Trumps nomination of Vajda as the US envoy to Myanmar in May; the post has been vacant since Scot Marciel stepped down that same month. The nomination requires Senate approval.

It is also critical that we support Burmas efforts to resist malign foreign influences and challenges to its sovereignty, he said at the hearing, using Myanmars former name.

To support Burma in this regard, the United States will need to continue helping government officials, economic reformers and civil society actors who are pushing back on unfair investment practices and deals that provide little benefit to local communities, he added.

Though the nominee didnt name the malign influences mentioned in his testimony, his reference to unfair investment practices and deals that provide little benefit to local communities showed clearly what country he had in mind: China.

His remarks come at a time when tension between the US and China in Southeast Asia is running high, as illustrated in an op-ed penned last month by the charge daffaires at the US Embassy in Yangon, George Sibley, who alleged that Chinas actions in the South China Sea and its aggressive crackdown on Hong Kong are part of a larger plan to undermine the sovereignty of its neighbors, including Myanmar.

The charge daffaires warned that China has threatened and undermined Myanmars sovereignty in the form of unregulated banana plantations in Kachin State, questionable investments and corruption in the mining and forestry sectors, and infrastructure projects and special economic zones that pile on debt and require that Myanmar cede regulatory control. He also pointed to rapid environmental destruction, which he said was a result of corruption and poorly regulated investment from China.

In response, the Chinese Embassy accused Sibley of outrageously smearing China and attempting to sow discord between it and Myanmar, damaging the countries relations and bilateral cooperation. It said the article not only reflects the sour grapes mindset of the US toward China-Myanmar relations, but also a global effort by the US to shift attention away from its domestic problems and seek selfish political gain.

When asked why the US had drawn parallels between Myanmar and the South China Sea and Hong Kong issues, a spokesperson from the US Embassy in Myanmar told The Irrawaddy last month that they raised these issues only because they support Myanmars autonomy.

We are concerned about policies and behavior of the government of the Peoples Republic of China that impede it, the spokesperson said.

The US concerns about malign foreign influences in Myanmar reflect the countrys geopolitical importance due to its direct access to the Indian Ocean via the Bay of Bengal, and its position between India and China. With the Chinese presence at their deep seaport and industrial zones at Yanbye and Made Islands in the Bay, maritime security in the area will be a concern for the US.

Myanmar had warm relations with the US under the Obama administration. However, things turned sour when the Rohingya issue drew an international outcry after the NLD came into office in 2016. This is where China came in with investments, and even support at the UN, while the US repeatedly pushed the UN Security Council to adopt resolutions against Myanmar on the issue. That left many Myanmar observers wondering aloud whether the support from Myanmars big neighbor to the north was pushing the two countries closer together.

The ambassadorial nominee told the Senate on Wednesday that the need for continued meaningful change in Myanmar was never clearer than after the Myanmar military committed what he described as horrific atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, against the Rohingya community in August 2017.

We must continue efforts to change the militarys behavior, prevent future atrocities, and promote justice and accountability, said Vajda, who has been a career diplomat since 1991. He served as deputy chief of mission in Yangon from 2008 to 2011, and worked with the US Embassy in Yangon to support the early stages of Myanmars opening to the world, leading to the countrys first credible national election in 2015.

He also told the Senate that although the current civilian government led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has made important progress in consolidating some reforms, the pace has slowed and in some cases stagnated. The nominee said that among other things, the ongoing marginalization of ethnic and religious minority groups, and the involvement of the military in politics and the economy underscore that meaningful change in Myanmar remains an ongoing effort and an ongoing necessity.

In light of Burmas enormous challenges and our own interest in the countrys democratic and free-market development, the US engagement is essential to advancing these reforms and helping Burma defend against malign influences. Change in Burma will take time, he said.

Based on his testimony, Vajda seems quite aware of developments in Myanmar, while appearing to relish the challenges that a posting here would present.

Marciel told The Irrawaddy before his departure that Myanmar has more than its share of really difficult challengesones that date back to independence or even before that. For a lot of years, he said, those challenges werent really tackled.

What I feel, after four years here, is a recognition that you want to make progress every day as much as possible. Thats true everywhere. But it takes time to overcome all these challenges, he said.

Another outgoing ambassador, Kristian Schmidt of the EU, told The Irrawaddy in July that he understood very well after three years that nation building in Myanmar was an ongoing process, adding that the West and Europe need to understand that not all of the countrys problems are linked to the Rohingya issue.

The two former ambassadors observations will no doubt be helpful to Vajda, who said he look[ed] forward to representing the United States and working with the people of Burma to achieve the peace and prosperity they deserve if he was confirmed. If that happens, he is assured of an exciting time in the country.

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Nation Building in Myanmar an Ongoing Process: Outgoing EU Ambassador

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 21:46:33|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- China has provided the United States with over 26.5 billion face masks and other medical supplies, and hopes that the United States can overcome the COVID-19 epidemic at an early date, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday.

An epidemic, knowing no boundaries or races, is the common enemy of humanity. Solidarity and cooperation can be the most powerful weapons against the virus, and the most urgent task is to save lives, according to Wang.

With sympathy and empathy, China has offered substantial assistance to the epidemic-stricken United States in terms of anti-virus supplies, and has supported and facilitated U.S. procurement of medical supplies in China, Wang said at a press briefing in response to comments made by U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad on Thursday.

During his trip to Shanghai, Branstad reportedly said that China's medical supplies to the United States had saved many lives. He also expressed the hope for further exchanges and cooperation with China to jointly overcome the impact of the epidemic.

According to Wang, as of Aug. 2, China had provided the United States with over 26.5 billion face masks, 330 million protective gowns, 31 million goggles, 610 million pairs of surgical gloves, and 11,500 ventilators.

"We hope that the U.S. can overcome the COVID-19 epidemic at an early date." Meanwhile, a small number of U.S. politicians should stop politicizing and stigmatizing the COVID-19 issues, stop shifting the blame to China, and work with the international community to overcome the impact of the epidemic, Wang said. Enditem
The pandemic has all but grounded many vacation-based flights in the U.S. Unless you're required to board a flight for work, you're likely opting for leisurely activities that don't include airports: hubs of crowds and the last thing you want to be around during a pandemic.

So we're pulling together some road-trip-based travel guides with must-visit stops along the way. We're hoping these routes will make the voyage as memorable as the destination.

There are historically significant stops, landmarks, parks and even some iconic restaurants in this collection.

Of course, you'll want to mind your COVID behavior, which includes maintaining a distance from people and keeping a mask handy for any public areas.

First up: depart Houston and head toward Florida along I-10. Check out these places in east Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi before landing in Jacksonville:
The governor of Tokyo has called on residents to refrain from traveling to other prefectures during the summer holiday season, amid the continued rise in numbers of coronavirus infections in the capital.

Koike Yuriko told reporters on Thursday that people should remain on heightened alert, as the situation in Tokyo is still extremely severe.

She said, in normal years, Tokyo residents go back to their hometowns and spend time with their relatives during the summer holidays. But she is asking them to stay in Tokyo this summer.

Koike said she hopes that people can instead enjoy conversations with their relatives over the phone or online.

She said defeating the coronavirus is a top priority this year. She called on people to work together to restore a "safe" life as soon as possible.

The governor asked people to refrain from traveling and dining out at night in order to protect their family members and medical services.

Koike warned that, should the situation get worse, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government may need to declare its own state of emergency.
LUXEMBOURG, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecuador Social Bond S.a r.l (the "Company") announced today that it has received the Requisite Consents (as defined below) from holders ("Holders") of the 2.60% Class A Social Notes due 2035 (the "Class A Notes") and the Zero Coupon Class B Social Notes due 2035 (the "Class B Notes"; together with the Class A Notes, individually, a "S.a r.l Note" and collectively, the "S.a r.l Notes"), in each case issued pursuant to the trust indenture dated as of January 30, 2020 (the "S.a r.l Notes Indenture"), in connection with its consent solicitation announced on July 28, 2020 (the "Consent Solicitation"). The terms and conditions of the Consent Solicitation are set forth in the consent solicitation statement dated July 28, 2020 (as amended, the "Consent Solicitation Statement"). Capitalized terms used herein but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Consent Solicitation Statement.

The Consent Solicitation was made in connection with the solicitation by the Republic of Ecuador (the "Republic") of the consent by the Company to certain modifications (the "Ecuador Social Bond Modifications") to the Republic's U.S.$400,000,000 7.25% Social Housing Bonds due 2035 (the "Ecuador Social Bonds") and the indenture governing such bonds. Pursuant to the S.a r.l Notes Indenture, we are permitted to consent to the Ecuador Social Bond Modifications only at the direction of Holders of a majority of the Note Balance (as defined below) as of the expiration of the Consent Solicitation (the "Requisite Consents").

The Consent Solicitation expired at 5:00 p.m., Central European Summer Time (11:00 a.m., New York City time), on August 6, 2020. The "Note Balance" outstanding for each series of S.a r.l Notes and for which consents were given are set forth in the table below.

Description Note Balance Consented % Consented Class A Notes 230,961,000 230,961,000 100.00% Class B Notes 169,039,000 151,558,556 89.66% Total 400,000,000 382,519,556 95.63%

No consent fee will be paid to Holders of S.a r.l Notes in connection with the Consent Solicitation.

Having received the Requisite Consents, the Company is authorized to give its consent to the Ecuador Social Bond Modifications, and the Company has given its consent.

Identifiers for the S.a r.l Notes consist of ISINs:

Class A Notes: XS2106052827 / XS2106052405; and

Class B Notes: XS2106053635 / XS2106053551.

This announcement is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation of consents of any Holders of S.a r.l Notes. We had not registered the Consent Solicitation or the S.a r.l Notes under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities law. The Consents were not solicited 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. Consents are being solicited only from holders of the S.a r.l Notes that are (1) "qualified institutional buyers" as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, (2) "institutional accredited investors" within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3) or (7) of Regulation D under the Securities Act, and (3) outside the United States, in compliance with Regulation S under the Securities Act.

In connection with this Consent Solicitation, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. has acted as Consent Solicitation Agent (the "Consent Solicitation Agent") and Global Bondholder Services Corporation has acted as Information and Tabulation Agent (the "Information and Tabulation Agent").

For the avoidance of doubt, the proposed Ecuador Social Bond Modifications were not proposed by us, the trustee of the S.a r.l Notes Indenture, the Consent Solicitation Agent or the Information and Tabulation Agent.

The proposed Ecuador Social Bond Modifications were proposed by the Republic in connection with its Ecuador Social Bonds. Because we are the 100% holder of the Ecuador Social Bonds, the Republic requested our consent in the Ecuador Social Bond Consent.

None of the Company, the Consent Solicitation Agent, the trustee of the S.a r.l Notes Indenture, the Information and Tabulation Agent, or any of their respective directors, employees, affiliates, agents or representatives made any recommendation as to whether Holders should deliver Consents pursuant to the Consent Solicitation, and no one had been authorized by any of them to make such a recommendation.

The Consent Solicitation Statement is available from the Information and Tabulation Agent.

The Information and Tabulation Agent for the Consent Solicitation

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:

(212) 430-3775/3779

Confirmation:

(212) 430-3774

Email: [email protected]

If you have any questions about the Consent Solicitation,, you should contact Citigroup Global Markets Inc. or Global Bondholder Services Corporation at their respective addresses and telephone numbers. Requests for copies of the Consent Solicitation Statement may be directed to the Information and Tabulation Agent.

The Consent Solicitation Agent

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

388 Greenwich Street, 7th Floor

New York, New York 10013

Attn: Liability Management Group

Toll Free:+1-800-558-3745

Collect: +1-212- 723-6106

*********

Ecuador Social Bond S.a r.l.

c/o TMF Luxembourg S.A.

46A, Avenue J.F. Kennedy,

L-1855 Luxembourg

Tel: +352 42 71 711

Attention: the Board of Managers

SOURCE Ecuador Social Bond S.a r.l
Public health officials will issue further advice to prevent the spread of Covid-19 after they refused to rule out a regional lockdown in Kildare, Laois and Offaly.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is reviewing the surge in cases in the Midlands and they have advised anyone living in the area to pay particular attention to new symptoms.

The Department of Health daily update on Thursday included notification of five additional deaths and 69 new Covid-19 cases  bringing the total number of deaths in Ireland to 1,768, and the number of confirmed cases to 26,372.

Of the latest cases, 22 are in Offaly, 19 in Kildare, eight in Laois, six in Dublin and 14 are spread across eight other counties.

NPHET are now advising that everyone in Kildare, Laois and Offaly need to pay particular heed to any new #COVID19 symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of breath or loss of taste/smell.



Self-isolate immediately and contact your GP if you feel unwell. Do not delay.  Department of Health (@roinnslainte) August 6, 2020

Paddy Mallon, a Professor of Microbial Diseases at UCD said the country has reached a critical point.

The HSE has put a huge amount of work into creating a testing and contract using system, he told RTE Radio One.

What were seeing at the minute with the high rates of detection is actually that system working.

We have colleagues in public health across the country that are working really day and night to try and keep on top of this. These outbreaks can be controlled.

Its a really simple message behind hand hygiene and around the wearing masks and the physical distancing, but also if youre invited to get tested, get tested straightaway.

One of the really noticeable things from the most recent outbreak is the number of people that are coming up positive that dont have symptoms.

It may be that people are sitting at home, theyve been advised that theyve been a close contact and they say I dont have symptoms and dont need to be tested.

But data shows you do need to be tested, not so much because of the fact that you may not get sick but if you have the virus and you have no symptoms, youre just as likely to have the same amount of virus, and have it for the same amount of time as someone who does have symptoms.

So youre just as infectious.

The key is picking up people that have little or no symptoms, finding out that they have the virus, and isolating them is the key to really controlling this epidemic and stopping these outbreaks spreading into widespread community transmission which is a big concern.

Everyone should be aware of the risk factors for getting #COVID19.



Distance - 2m is best

Activity - avoid close contact

Time - keep time low as possible

Environment - move it outdoors, keep windows open

Symptoms - isolate and contact your GP ASAP#DATES #HoldFirm pic.twitter.com/SvfjCup1Wx  Department of Health (@roinnslainte) July 30, 2020

Acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn urged that those in Kildare, Laois and Offaly should pay particular attention if they have any coronavirus symptoms, and double down on health measures.

He said that there was a large number of cases notified to NPHET in these counties, which will be part of the new case numbers on Friday.

Meanwhile, chairman of the NPHET Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, Professor Philip Nolan, told the briefing that the reproduction number of the virus is now estimated to be 1.8.
Mining giant Rio Tinto decided to destroy two 46,000-year-old Aboriginal rock shelters in order to access $135 million worth of iron ore that would not have been available under alternative mining plans avoiding the culturally significant site.

The nation's second-largest miner has faced a storm of condemnation after legally destroying the ancient site in Western Australia's Juukan Gorge, against the will of the land's traditional owners, on the Sunday before National Reconciliation Week.

The site at Juukan Gorge before it was destroyed by Rio Tinto. Credit:

Fronting a federal parliamentary inquiry into the events on Friday, Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques outlined how the miner had considered four options to expand its Brockman 4 iron ore mine in 2012-13, three of which would have avoided the Juukan shelters by varying distances. But the company opted for a fourth option, Mr Jacques said, which involved destroying the site in order to access a greater amount of higher-grade iron ore.

"The difference was 8 million tonnes of higher-grade iron ore," Mr Jacques said. The value of that volume of the steelmaking raw material at the time was estimated to be $135 million, he added. In 2019 Rio Tinto shipped 327.4 million tonnes of iron ore from the Pilbara.
Her new film The Secret: Dare to Dream, based on the popular self-help book by Rhonda Byrne, premiered on streaming platforms last week.

But Katie Holmes looked like the everyday New Yorker on Thursday afternoon as she ran errands around the city.

The 41-year-old actress kept casual for her outing in a loose fitting white tee and a pair of comfy linen pants.

Girl Next Door: Katie Holmes looked like the everyday New Yorker on Thursday afternoon as she ran errands around the city

The majority of Katie's famous face was dominated by a leopard print mask and a pair of designer shades.

Her brunette tresses were messily styled into a bun and she had a single gold chain around her neck.

Holmes carried her belongings in a purple canvas bag and she trekked down the sidewalk in a pair of white Keds.

Katie browsed a few stores before flagging down her black SUV and returning home to her 14-year-old daughter Suri.

Casual fit: The 41-year-old actress kept casual for her outing in a loose fitting white tee and a pair of comfy linen pants

Katie shares Suri with ex Tom Cruise, 58, whom she was married to from 2006 until their divorce in 2012.

And according to her The Secret: Dare To Dream co-star Jerry O'Connell, the Dawson's Creek alum is a 'great mom' and an 'inspiring parent.'

'Just a few takeaways I got from working with Katie Holmes  obviously [she's] a great actress, obviously beautiful. But a great mom, a really great mom. Actually, like, an inspiring parent,' gushed the 46-year-old actor to Us Weekly.

Safety first: The majority of Katie's famous face was dominated by a leopard print mask and a pair of designer shades

Heading home: Katie browsed a few stores before flagging down her black SUV and returning home to her 14-year-old daughter Suri

Jerry got an up-close look at Holmes interacting with her daughter on a day-to day basis during the shooting of their new drama film.

He added: 'Katie Holmes is really maybe the loveliest [person].'

In the film, Katie plays the role of 'hardworking young widow' Miranda Wells, who is struggling to raise three children and uphold a household on her own.

Wells' world is turned upside down when she meets a man by the name of Bray Johnson who 'carries a secret that could change everything.'

Quarantine partners: Katie shares Suri with ex Tom Cruise, 58, whom she was married to from 2006 until their divorce in 2012; Katie and Suri pictured in 2019

Holmes opened up about life in quarantine with her 14-year-old daughter to Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph, while promoting The Secret: Dare To Dream last week.

Katie admitted that the confinement that comes with quarantining has made her 'look at everything' she has and has encouraged her to celebrate the little things.

'I like to keep [Suri] out of my interviews, but I will say that this time of quarantine has been such a lesson,' she admitted.

The Secret: Katie's new film The Secret: Dare to Dream, based on the popular self-help book by Rhonda Byrne, premiered on streaming platforms last week; Katie pictured in The Secret: Dare To Dream

Familiar role: In the film, Katie plays the role of 'hardworking young widow' Miranda Wells, who is struggling to raise three children and uphold a household on her own

'Just really looking at everything you have and celebrating the simplicity of making dinner and [spending] that time together.'

By taking in her surroundings and appreciating her day-to-day experiences, Holmes has come to realize just how 'very blessed' she is.

'When I think about my life, I feel very blessed. I have felt very lucky and I rely on my instincts a lot but I also forgive myself for mistakes.'
Dr Pratishtha Banga, an MD in Pharmacology from GMC Aurangabad, and an MBBS from the BJ Medical College in Pune, is acutely aware of the challenges the medical fraternity in the city face on a daily basis battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Banga lives and practices in Hong Kong, but given the lockdown scenario, both here and abroad, she has been in Pune for the last five months.

Dr Banga has been making her presence felt in Kalyaninagar, not with her medical prowess per se, but with a paint brush and the areas walls as her canvas.

I dont have to do clinic duties, but watching my other friends during these Covid time gave me the inspiration to paint a mural of a female doctor  who is currently multi-tasking. I just want people to notice how bravely doctors and nurses are managing everything during these Covid time, and that they should be respected and not attacked, says Dr Banga, who by her art, a mere hobby of hers, is spreading a positive vibe and giving Kalyaninagar an uplifting aesthetic in these pandemic times.

Dr Bangas murals adorn the Vitthalrao Vandekar road in Kalyani nagar and Rajesh Bankar, assistant commissioner, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) fully supported her, when she asked for permission.

Every day, for three days, from 9am to 7pm, Dr Banga was out on the street painting.

Dr Banga, who is in Pune visiting her parents who live here, began the art work on July 9 and was done by July 11.

She used exterior Acrylic Emulsion paints and has put in around Rs 3,500 for the art work.

I came here in December 2019. Since the Covid cases were increasing in Hong Kong at the time, I stayed back and had no idea that India would go into lockdown. Painting walls is my hobby for which I spare seven hours a week since my college days, she says.

These paintings are for all the doctors who are performing high-risk duties. I have my brother who works in Mumbai treating Covid patients and after work he comes home to a three-year-old son. Doctors are having the hardest life and if I get the chance I would like to do some more such paintings to inspire them, she says.

The murals are now an attraction in Kalyaninagar.

A few days back I noticed the paintings  and it is a wonderful way to thank the doctors. Being a doctor who is treating Covid patients, I feel good looking at the wall while going home every day, says Dr Dhanshree Rapitwar, who works in one private hospital and lives in Kalyaninagar.
OFX Daily Market News





Posted by OFX



AUD  Australian Dollar

The Australian dollar outperformed most counterparts through trade on Thursday as commodity currencies led majors higher, amid ongoing US dollar softness and broader positive risk sentiment. Investors largely ignored a slew of disappointing earnings reports in Europe and instead drove equities and risk assets higher as the tech sector outperformed and drove the S&P 500 higher. The AUD consolidated a break above 0.72, testing 18-month highs at 0.7240.

Short-term direction continues to be driven by sentiment and expectations surrounding US fiscal stimulus talks. House speaker Nancy Pelosi said negotiations were progressing, but significant difference meant a breakthrough remained elusive. If lawmakers cannot reach an agreement by the end of the week, talks will likely be abandoned until concessions are made. If a deal cannot be reached, President Trump has committed to signing an executive order to ensure basic stimulus measures are made available and unemployment benefits resume. It seems at least some form of government relief will be available by next week, opening the door to volatility moving into the close and Mondays open. We are watching resistance at 0.7230/40 with supports on moves below 0.713/0.71 intact for now.

Key Movers

The US dollar edged marginally lower on Thursday despite improved labour market data. Jobless claims fell sharply, printing below 1.2million down from 1.435million, the largest weekly decline in almost 2 months. The improved read eases concerns the labour market recovery was beginning to stall amid increasing COVID-19 cases and new social distancing restrictions. As the pace of coronavirus spread begins to slow, there is hope the recovery will enjoy a kickstart, but with numbers still 5-6 times larger than pre-pandemic levels, any sustained USD recovery will be heavily reliant on Government relief plans.

The Great British pound rallied toward 1.32 on Thursday after the Bank of England proffered a neutral tone and was perhaps less pessimistic toward the ongoing economic outlook than investors anticipated. Monetary Policy Committee members voted unanimously to keep rates on hold at 0.1% and maintain the current pace of QE purchases. While markets expected the board would refrain from wholesale adjustments, many had priced in a push toward negative interests rates. BoE Governor Bailey acknowledged that a shift to negative rates were in their toolbox but we dont plan to use them at this moment. The affirmation the bank will avoid negative rates coupled with a downward adjustment in unemployment forecasts and the GBP extended its push above 1.31, testing 1.3180 and closing in on a break back above 1.32.

Story continues

Attentions into the weekend remain affixed to the ebb and flow of risk sentiment, while US stimulus talks dominate short-term direction.

Expected Ranges

AUD/USD: 0.7130  0.7290 

AUD/EUR: 0.6020  0.6130 

GBP/AUD: 1.7980  1.8420 

AUD/NZD: 1.0750  1.0880 

AUD/CAD: 0.9520  0.9680 





Posted by OFX

The post Australian dollar extends move beyond 0.72 and tests resistance at 0.7240 appeared first on .
Children are learning that going outside and playing on a playground is unsafe and that they shouldnt go and see friends because the friends might make them sick. That will stay with them. That is not an insubstantial cost; that will only be evident in many, many years. But again, how do you quantify that cost? Not easy. Loading But not impossible. And Foster is clear that lockdown creates more costs than benefits: Absolutely. If you look across the spectrum of costs, I think theres no question." On the other side of the battle lines is University of Melbourne economics professor Bruce Preston, who believes equally as firmly that the benefits of lockdown exceed the cost. Partly in response to Fosters arguments and partly just to flesh out the issues, Preston and economist Richard Holden released a cost-benefit analysis of lockdowns in late May.

What is a life worth? Where Foster uses quality-adjusted life years or QALYs in her analysis, Preston uses a value of a statistical life methodology, which is based on surveys that ask people how much they would be willing to pay to buy additional years of life. This yields a dollar figure on the value of a human life of $4.9 million, which is used in government as the basis for making many decisions on the potential value of policies on say, road safety or medical funding. Based on an assumed mortality rate of 1 per cent and potential deaths of 225,000 in Australia, Holden and Preston estimated a potential benefit to society of $1.1 trillion from lockdown. Preston concedes the evidence has since moved on to show a much lower mortality rate from COVID-19. But he still thinks the potential benefits of lockdown, while lower, exceed the costs. 'The economics is clear-cut that its better to shut down.' Bruce Preston, University of Melbourne economist

I think the economics is clear-cut that its better to shut down,'' he says. I think the economic costs of not dealing with the public health problem are more significant than dealing with it and getting back to normal life. Preston says many of the costs that opponents of lockdown point to arise with or without lockdown. You get the recession regardless of whether a government mandates a lockdown. Its not the lockdown that is costly, its the virus. Foster concedes this, but says lockdowns dont help.

A substantial point of difference between opponents and advocates of lockdown appears to be whether lockdowns actually work to eradicate the virus and yield the potential benefits touted. Foster is sceptical: I actually dont see the benefit of locking people down. The burden of proof should be on the government that these lockdowns actually save lives and Ive not seen that thats true. The hardest lockdowns started after infection rates were peaking and then started coming down. Preston says there is little choice but to try. The alternative, of stop-start reopening and shutdowns, destroys confidence. Thats going to be way more problematic than just getting on top of things. I think an important question for Australia is why we just didnt get it done back in April and May. My sense is the Prime Minister kind of lost his nerve and caved in to business pressure to reopen. Less damage

Advocates of lockdown say they produce less economic damage in the long run, if successful. Says Preston: I think you give people the confidence to engage in normal economic life and I think without that confidence, its going to be impossible to get the economy back on track. Sweden is a sticking point in the debate. Preston says Sweden, which never closed schools, proves that substantial economic damage is inevitable even without lockdowns. The Swedish conundrum

Foster agrees Swedish people engaged in precautionary behaviour even without lockdown.

But they were happier, she says, than those subjected to strict rules. She says: Ive seen some survey data from them where they didnt look like they were as scared about the virus relative to other things as other countries populations were. So they actually did a much better job of controlling the fear and then you have just higher satisfaction and everything else. Foster says surveys in Britain show people there have suffered a slide of 0.7 percentage points in life satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 10. That could be due to the lockdowns or just the fear of the virus itself. It's likely its both, says Foster. Lockdowns come at a price. 'Those kinds of deprivations cause mental stress.' Gigi Foster, UNSW economist

When people are shut off and away from their family, their friends et cetera, we do know that those kinds of deprivations cause mental stress,'' she says. You have to make a judgment call on what fraction of the fall in the UK wellbeing data, for example, is really attributable to that versus just being scared of the virus. Foster concedes she has not published a full cost-benefit analysis of lockdowns because the quest for that perfection is foolhardy. Preston and co have attracted harsh criticism for the assumptions in their modelling. But the war of the cost-benefit analyses over lockdowns is far from over.

As Australias business community starts a pushback against Melbournes harsher lockdowns, and as the situation in Sydney hangs in the balance, the debate has much further to run. Foster says her anti-lockdown position is not ideologically driven, as it is for some commentators. She says: My position, as with everything that I take a position on, is not motivated at all by any kind of adherence to an ideological camp or political party or any other ideas-based conviction. Its very much more: what can we do, practically speaking, right now, to best promote human welfare. If there is an ideology that motivates me, that's what it is: how do we get the most welfare? The need to promote the welfare of Australians through continued economic growth and job protection for the long run is, ultimately, something upon which economists on both sides of the lockdown debate agree. They just have very different answers on how we should achieve it.
The Delhi University approved the syllabi of four courses on Thursday and suggested that Hindi translations be made available for the students, wherever possible, as online classes are set to begin from August 10.

Teachers had said the syllabi of the four courses -- political science, sociology, history and English -- were yet to be finalised. They had expressed apprehensions about how would they be able to start the classes.

A meeting was held by the Oversight Committee on Syllabi on Thursday and the syllabi were approved.

The syllabi have been approved. The general recommendation given to the departments is that the Hindi text should be made available for subjects like history, sociology and political science. Wherever possible, the department should engage in getting translations in Hindi so that it becomes more accessible, Maharaj Pandit, chairman of the Oversight Committee on Syllabi, said.

A row had erupted over the syllabi of these subjects last year, with a right-wing teachers outfit alleging that the curriculum was pro-Left.

The syllabi of the four courses for the first semester were referred back by the executive council to the departments. It had submitted the revised syllabi to the oversight committee, which had passed those.
The number of referrals has also trebled in the past week.

On Thursday, the Department of Health confirmed 69 new cases had been detected, with five additional deaths. Four of these deaths were said to has occurred in April and June.

Irish College of General Practitioners lead advisor on Covid-19, Nuala O'Connor, says doctors are concerned with the current trend in figures.

"GPs, the Department of Health and the HSE are concerned, but we know what we need to do. We know that we have fantastic public support. It's only because of this public support and the public buy-in with the measures that we have managed to flatten the curve and we all just need to be extra vigilant."

The HSE are raising concerns that a spike in cases could lead to Irish hospitals becoming overwhelmed, particularly as the normal flu season rolls around.

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Colm Henry from the HSE says a rise in community transmission would have a huge impact on hospital capacities.

"We know what happens if there is uncontrolled community transmission because we have seen it happen in other countries and what happens then is your hospital system, even the most developed in western Europe, such as northern Italy, becomes overrun.

"That includes intensive care units and then difficult decisions are made about entry into intensive care units and then intensive care is provided outside intensive care settings at not the same standard."

This comes as more than 710,000 people have died globally from the virus.

Almost 19 million people have also tested positive, according to figure from Johns Hopkins University.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday afternoon he tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of President Donald Trumps visit to Northeast Ohio  then, Thursday evening, he announced he had tested negative.

You can listen online here.

Trump visits Northeast Ohio. And newly released body camera footage shows a Cleveland police officer firing pepper spray in a peaceful protesters face during the May 30 demonstration downtown.

Hear about these stories and more in todays podcast.

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Arlene Foster has branded a remark by the Taoiseach that Great Britain may get fed up of Northern Ireland as "disappointing".

The First Minister was speaking on Friday after Micheal Martin said he was preparing a new Shared Island Unit for this possibility.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, Mr Martin said he plans to "beef up" the new unit so it can address a range of North/South issues and prepare for different eventualities.

"There are a two distinct political jurisdictions born out of the Good Friday Agreement - we have acknowledge the reality of that," Mr Martin said.

However, the Taoiseach said what happens in Britain impacts in Ireland and noted that English nationalism was the driving force behind the successful Brexit referendum and added that Scotland may some day break away from the UK.

"What happens if England gets turned off Northern Ireland? We've got to be thinking all this through," he added.

This prompted Mrs Foster to denounce the comments, remarking that the rest of the UK cannot "sever" its constitutional links with Northern Ireland, pointing out that a united Ireland can only be achieved with the consent of the people of Northern Ireland, as outlined in the Belfast Agreement.

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"A good neighbourly north-south relationship requires consistency," the DUP leader tweeted.

"After a positive NSMC (North south Ministerial Council, the Taoiseach's comments are disappointing.

"The principle of consent determines NI's place in the UK."

The First Minister added: "Northern Ireland will keep moving forward by respecting our diverse identities not, dubious theories.

Last week Mrs Foster had said that she did not feel threatened by Mr Martin's Shared Island Unit.

"It does not threaten our constitutional position or what we believe in so I don't feel threatened at all by the shared island unit," she explained.

TUV leader Jim Allister was critical of her remarks, insisting it would be "unwise" for unionism to adopt her "laissez-faire" response to the Taoiseach's Shared Island Unit.

Speaking on Friday, Mr Allister said the plans by Dublin and nationalist parties for a united Ireland "need to be taken seriously by unionists and countered".

"The pandemic has demonstrated the benefits of Northern Ireland's place in the UK," he added.

"Unionism needs to be proactively countering the arguments of nationalism about the future, not ignoring them or dismissing them out of hand. Even the name of Mr Martin's new unit displays the narrow vision of nationalism.

"Why does Mr Martin not accept that perhaps the way to share the island of Ireland is to accept the repeatedly expressed will of the people of Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK?"
What just happened? Donald Trump has signed a pair of executive orders that prohibit any US transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, and the WeChat app. The ban, which will begin in 45 days, is an attempt to address the national emergency with respect to the information and communication technology supply chain.

President Trump has issued orders that would prohibit any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with the companies.

The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the Peoples Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, Trump wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

INBOX: @realDonaldTrump has signed an executive order to ban TikTok in 45 days. pic.twitter.com/1zR4HgCPVj  Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) August 7, 2020

While incredibly popular, short-video-sharing app TikTok has long come under fire over privacy issues. Its been banned by Joe Bidens staff, the Navy, Army, departments of State and Homeland Security, and the TSA. A ban on federal employees downloading the app on government-issued devices may soon become law. Additionally, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman called it fundamentally parasitic and spyware. ByteDance denies the allegations and claims the data of US users is stored in the country, with backups in Singapore.

With over 800 million monthly active users, 30 million of whom are in the US, TikTok saw its userbase surge during the lockdowns. It's now been downloaded more than 2 billion times.

ByteDance now has until September 20 to sell its US operations to Microsoft or another American firm or face a ban. The Windows maker said it would conclude discussions by September 15. TikTok executives value all of the company at more than $50 billion, though Microsoft is looking to acquiring the portions based in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand only.

While the ban against ByteDance covers transactions with the entire company and its subsidiaries, the order against WeChat blocks transactions involving the app and not a broader ban against owner Tencent, according to a US official. A similar prohibition against the Chinese conglomerate could have had far-reaching consequences; it has full ownership of Riot Games and 48 percent ownership of Fortnite maker Epic Games. It also has investments in Tesla, Reddit, and Spotify. Shares in the company fell 9 percent after the order was announced.

WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information, Trump said in the order.

The move marks an escalation in US-China tensions, and analysts are now expecting retaliation from Beijing. China already blocks many US tech companies, including Facebook and Google, from operating in the country.
The gunman who robbed a Melbourne gold buyer of $3.9 million in bullion and cash has pleaded guilty over his role in the heist.

Wearing a surgical mask, goggles and an orange high-visibility top and brandishing a Glock pistol, Karl Kachami walked into the Melbourne Gold Company's Collins Street office on April 27 and told a worker, "This is a robbery. This is a hold-up."

Karl Kachami pictured in Melbourne in 2007. Credit:Angela Wylie

Over the following minutes, Kachami had the worker take him through the offices as he loaded gold bullion and safes onto a trolley and left the staffer with his hands bound with cable ties.

Kachami was arrested two days later and two weeks after that the supposed victim in the hold-up, Daniel Ede, was arrested. Police now allege the two men planned the robbery together.
Our father first came down with a cough and a fever, and then, on April 8, he was taken to the hospital after collapsing. The citys health care system was already overwhelmed, so he was sent back home. The next day, he received a diagnosis of Covid-19.

Ten days after our father became ill, he was admitted to Mount Sinai West in Manhattan, a short walk from where two of my siblings and I live. And yet, he may as well have been in another state. Suddenly we had become one of the many families for whom Zoom and caring strangers became a link for loved ones.
HRW Urges Pakistan To Stop Abuses By Anti-Corruption Agency

By RFE/RL August 06, 2020

An international human rights watchdog has urged Pakistani authorities to observe a recent ruling from the country's Supreme Court and stop using the country's anti-corruption agency as a tool to detain government critics.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in an August 6 report that Pakistani authorities should investigate and prosecute officials from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) who are responsible for unlawful arrests and other abuses.

The NAB was established in 1999 as an ostensibly independent anti-corruption body during the military rule of General Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf gave the NAB unchecked powers of arrest, investigation, and prosecution -- allowing it to detain people for up to 90 days without charge.

Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled on July 20 that the NAB had infringed upon the right to fair trial and due process in cases against two opposition politicians: Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khawaja Salman Rafique.

The two had been arrested by the NAB and held in detention for 15 months without reasonable grounds, the Supreme Court ruled.

The court granted the men bail and criticized the NAB for showing "utter disregard for the law, fair play, equity, and propriety," ruling that the "case was a classic example of trampling on fundamental rights [and] unlawful deprivation of freedom," the New York-based rights watchdog said.

"The Pakistani Supreme Court judgment is just the latest indictment of the NAB's unlawful behavior," HRW Asia Director Brad Adams said. "Pakistani authorities should stop using a dictatorship-era body, possessing draconian and arbitrary powers, to intimidate and harass opponents."

HRW also urged Pakistani lawmakers to carry out urgent reforms in order to ensure the anti-corruption agency has real independence.

The Supreme Court ruling also had raised concerns about the use of the NAB as a tool against government opponents.

It cited a report issued in February by the European Commission that criticized the NAB for bias, saying "very few cases of the ruling party ministers and politicians have been pursued since the 2018 elections, which is considered to be a reflection of the NAB's partiality."

The HRW report also criticized the NAB's "arbitrary use of powers of arrest."

It mentioned the case of Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, editor in chief of Pakistan's largest media organization, Jang Group.

Shakil-ur-Rehman was arrested in Lahore by the NAB on March 12 on charges related to a 34-year-old property transaction.

HRW says he has remained in the agency's custody ever since.

An arrest "has to be justified. The power of arrest should not be deployed as a tool of oppression and harassment," HRW said, quoting the Supreme Court ruling.

In another example of harassment, HRW said the NAB had summoned the former president and opposition leader, Asif Ali Zardari, to appear in person to record a statement -- denying his request to record his statement through a video link because of his ill health and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zardari previously spent 11 years in prison -- more than half of that time in NAB custody -- without being convicted of a crime, HRW said.

"Pakistani authorities should uphold the government's human rights obligations," Adams said. "Pakistan's parliament should amend or repeal the NAB ordinance to ensure that the principles of fair trial, due process, and transparency are not compromised on the pretext of accountability."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/hrw-urges- pakistan-to-stop-abuses-by-anti-corruption -agency/30769264.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 13:36:28|Editor: huaxia

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SYDNEY, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) revised its outlook for the national economy on Friday, following a widespread COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown across the State of Victoria.

In a quarterly monetary statement, RBA estimates put the cost of Victoria's second wave at 2 percent of the national real GDP over the September quarter, relative to modelling where the second outbreak had not occurred.

On Friday, Victoria recorded 450 new infections and 11 deaths amid concerns that some people were continuing to break social distancing regulations.

In a speech delivered shortly after the release, RBA Assistant Governor (Economic) Luci Ellis described the pandemic as "a shock without modern precedent."

"The situation in Victoria will reduce growth in the September quarter and push out the recovery beyond that," Ellis said, adding that activity is expected to continue to recover in much of the country over the rest of this year and next.

Compared with the RBA's previous quarterly outlook, the initial impact of COVID-19 was only slightly smaller than three months ago, with forecasts predicting a 6 percent contraction in the national economy for 2020.

However, the longer term recovery was predicted as weaker than the May forecast, revised down from a 6 percent to 5 percent rebound.

Despite costing the national economy an estimated 10 billion Australian dollars (about 7.2 billion U.S. dollars), Ellis said that she was in favour of Stage 3 and 4 restrictions being introduced in Victoria to get a handle on the virus which would be vital to a strong recovery.

"What we have seen around the world are economies that haven't had a good handle on the virus but have not restricted activity haven't really had any better economic performance than those that did a very quick lockdown," Ellis said. Enditem
Myanmar voters check voter lists posted on a wall in the village of Wartheinkha in Kawhmu township, Yangon region, as the former military-ruled nation prepares for general elections, July 7, 2015.

Myanmar officials are scrambling to sort out outdated voter lists in the three-month run-up to November polls, prompting country leader Aung San Suu Kyi to call on the national election commission to swiftly clean up the errors.

Myanmar election authorities are already struggling to ensure voting can take place in several military conflict zones and under coronavirus conditions in the nation of 54 million people. But voter rolls posted in public on July 25 did not spare even one of Aung San Suu Kyis cabinet ministers from multiple mistakes.

It even got wrong information about my family, said Thein Swe, Myanmars Minister of Labor, Immigration and Population.

My wifes name is wrong, and the name of my daughter-in-laws grandmother who passed away is on the list with a later date of birth, he said during a video conference meeting with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday.

Aung San Suu Kyi urged government departments and the Union Election Commission (UEC) to work together to correct the errors on the lists.

In the past few weeks, we have seen reports of incorrect or incomplete voter lists, she said during the videoconference. There are numerous accounts of that. This is what we should focus on fixing.

Voter rolls publicly posted by election authorities in cities and towns on July 25 for inspection by voters were scheduled to come down on Friday, but will remain in place until Aug. 14 so people have enough time to file correction requests.

Election subcommission members working with employees from the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population and the General Administration Department throughout Myanmar compiled the preliminary rolls.

Missing voters

There have been other reports that the lists, issued in townships across the country, contain incorrect names or birthdates and include deceased voters. Some names of voters are missing from the rolls.

Hla Myint, a resident of the commercial capital Yangons Insein township, said none of his relatives above the age of 18 are included on the local voter list and that he has had to reapply to be included.

We were included for the 2015 election, but not for the 2020 election, he told RFA earlier this week.

Local election officials told Hla Myint that he and his family members were not on the current list because they were not included on one for a previous municipal election.

They gave us a form to reapply. We submitted it, he said.

Kachin state election officer Tun Aung Khine said local voter lists in Myanmar's northernmost state were compiled from information from a voter survey conducted during a designated period, but still may not be complete.

Some families were not present at their homes while the survey was conducted, he said. Because we compiled information during the designated period, if they missed the surveyors, then their names wouldnt be on the list.

Voter lists are compiled with the goal of granting extensive access to all voters on the ground, rather than deriving information from family household registration records, Thein Swe said.

Officials will correct errors on the lists before election authorities finalize the rolls in October, he added.

Myint Naing, a member of the presidentially appointed, national-level UEC, which organizes and oversees elections in Myanmar, said that the compilation of voter lists is based on household registrations counted in the census as well as from door-to-door surveys.

If families have their household registration list records, then we count that list; but if the actual people do not match those on the list, then we dont count them, he said during the videoconference.

So, I am satisfied with the methods for counting the voters. It has avoided duplicate counting, but also it has resulted in some errors, he added.

Members of the National League for Democracy check voter lists during a door-to-door visit as part of a voter education campaign in Yangon, June 29, 2015. Credit: AFP Responsibility to vote

Mya Nandar Thin, a consultant from the election monitoring group New Myanmar Foundation, recommends that at least one member of each family check the voter lists and urge their neighbors to do the same.

The botched voter lists come in the midst of debates on Facebook as to whether voters should join a No Vote campaign to sit out the election.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who is up for reelection for the parliamentary seat representing Yangon regions Kawhmu township, said those who are eligible to vote have a responsibility to do so.

Everyone who has turned 18 and was born to parents of national ethnic groups has the right to vote, she said. They also have the responsibility to vote, in my opinion. This means taking responsibility for your country.

Abstaining from voting just because you dont like the political system means being irresponsible, she added, noting that Myanmar citizens have only 12 occasions to vote from age 18 to 80 and that everyone should take advantage of this to ensure a better future for the country.

As of Thursday, more than 6.6 million people had checked the UECs initial lists posted at administrative offices in townships, villages, and wards across Myanmar. In all, about 37.5 million voters are eligible to cast ballots in the 2020 elections.

UEC member Myint Naing said he was satisfied with the turnout of people who checked the lists and that complete and accurate lists would be issued following corrections.

Producing accurate preliminary voter rolls is also proving to be a problem in conflict zones.

The lists could not be posted publicly in 15 village-tracts in parts of volatile Rakhine state that currently have no administrative bodies, the online journal The Irrawaddy reported, citing the Rakhine State Election Subcommission.

Myanmar forces have been fighting the rebel Arakan Army (AA) in northern Rakhine during the past 20 months.

Likewise, initial voter lists could not be posted in most of neighboring Chin states Paletwa township, where the two armies also have engaged in clashes.

The last general elections

The UEC created the countrys first digitized voter rolls for the 2015 general elections based on citizen residence records held by the General Administration Department and the Immigration Ministry, according to an April 2019 report on Myanmars elections by the Washington-based United States Institute of Peace.

But the data, which in many cases was not up-to-date or accurate, prompted concerns that the derivative voter list was going to prevent voters from casting ballots. It was only after numerous voter lists were displayed and updated that international observers of the election concluded that very few voters were turned away on election day for not being included on the rolls, the report said.

Now, however, Myanmar faces the challenge of updating the 2015 voter lists to include 5 million young voters eligible to cast ballots in 2020, removing those who have died, accounting for undocumented migrants, and handling requests for the transfer of votes and advance votes from abroad, the think tank said.

A flawed voter list in 2020 would spark conflict over disputes from losing opposition parties or candidates and undermine the legitimacy of the results in certain constituencies, the report said.

It went on to say that the UEC does not have the budget to update 2020 voter lists properly and that Myanmars national parliament would not likely increase funding to ensure accurate and inclusive voter lists.

Nearly 100 political parties have put forward candidates for the Nov. 8 elections in what's likely to be a tough contest among contenders from the popular ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party, the opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party, and many ethnic parties. The candidates are vying for 1,171 seats available in both houses of the national parliament and in state and regional legislatures.

Reported by Nay Myo Htun, Phyu Phyu Khine, and Waiyan Moe Myint for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Greenpeace is calling on Tesco to halve the amount of meat it sells within five years because of concerns over deforestation.

The charity also urged the UK's biggest retailer to stop sourcing from Brazilian meat firm JBS, which owns Moy Park and Tulip.

According to a YouGov poll for Greenpeace, more than half of British people would reject meat products linked to deforestation.

The supermarket has, however, rejected calls to cut ties with Moy Park and Tulip on the basis of who owns them.

A spokesperson said: Penalising suppliers who are playing their part and stand ready to do more cannot be in the interests of this agenda. Moy Park and Tulip also supply Aldi, Co-op, Lidl, Sainsburys and Waitrose.

"Blacklisting them could lead to thousands of job losses, impact British farmers and ultimately compromise our ability to offer fresh British meat and chicken to our customers."

Despite this, Tesco called on the government to mandate food companies to ensure food sold in the UK is deforestation-free.

It said the government should introduce due diligence across supply chains to monitor for deforestation.

Tesco group chief executive, Dave Lewis explained that the supermarket rejected meat from Brazil because of the issue of deforestation.

"Setting fires to clear land for crops or grazing is destroying precious habitats like the Brazilian rainforest. It must stop," Mr Lewis said.

"Thats why Tesco does not buy meat from Brazil. Its why we will hit our target of zero deforestation in our soy animal feed through certification this year."

As part of measures to support zero deforestation, Tesco said it was 'leading the way' in developing 'meat alternative products'.

It now stocks over 400 lines of plant-based products, a 46% increase since 2019, and is planning for a further 30% increase over the coming 12 months.

"Right now 74% of shoppers dont want supermarkets to remove meat but we recognise the whole country needs to reduce meat and dairy consumption," Mr Lewis said.

But farmers and food producers have suggested that retailers should instead opt to source more British-produced food and not rely on imports.

The UK produced some of the most climate-friendly beef and lamb in the world, according to NFU president Minette Batters.

The carbon footprint of British red meat is only 40 per cent of the world average, she said as she unveiled the industry's ambition to reach net zero gas emissions by 2040.

And we can go further, whether that is through improving our productivity, using our own land to take up and store carbon, planting hedgerows and trees to capture even more, and boosting our renewable energy output.

We know that there is no single answer to the climate change challenge facing us all.

The NFU's report, Achieving Net Zero: Farmings 2040 Goal, set out three key ways that would help the industry reach net zero by 2040.

It said farming must reduce its own emissions with the adoption of a 'wide variety of techniques' to enhance productivity and deliver the same output or more from every farm, working smarter to use fewer inputs.

Techniques include the use of controlled release fertilisers and inhibitors to increase efficient use of nitrogen and the use of feed additives to reduce methane emissions from ruminant livestock.

The ability to capture more carbon would also help, it added, such as through bigger hedgerows, more woodland, enhancing soil organic matter and conserving existing carbon stores in grassland and pasture.
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2nd L) speaks as US President Donald Trump (C) arrives for a family picture during the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit at the NATO headquarters, in Brussels, on May 25, 2017.

France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, three officials told Reuters.

The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the U.S. presidential election.

The United States gave the WHO a year's notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to improve health globally - after Trump accused it of being too close to China and having mishandled the coronavirus pandemic.

The WHO has dismissed his accusations. European governments have also criticized the WHO but do not go as far as the United States in their criticism, and the decision by Paris and Berlin to leave the talks follows tensions over what they say are Washington's attempts to dominate the negotiations.

"Nobody wants to be dragged into a reform process and getting an outline for it from a country which itself just left the WHO," a senior European official involved in the talks said.

Asked to confirm the decision by Paris and Berlin, spokesmen for the government of G7 members Germany, France, Britain and Italy declined comment.

But France's health ministry told Reuters: "The U.S. should not take the lead in the WHO reform process after announcing their intention to leave the organization."

Asked about the position of France and Germany, a senior Trump administration official said: "All members of the G7 explicitly supported the substance of the WHO reform ideas."

"Notwithstanding, it is regrettable that Germany and France ultimately chose not to join the group in endorsing the roadmap," he said. The talks on WHO reform began about four months ago. There have been nearly 20 teleconferences between health ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations, and dozens of meetings of diplomats and other officials.

A deal by the G7, which also includes Japan and Canada, would facilitate talks at the G20 and United Nations, where any changes would have to be agreed with China, Russia and other major governments not in the G7.

It is unclear whether a G7 summit in the United States, at which Trump hopes leaders will endorse the roadmap, will now go ahead in September as planned.

U.S. officials have not said what reforms Washington has sought. But an initial reform roadmap proposed by Washington was seen by many of its allies as too critical, with one European official involved in the negotiations describing it as "rude."

Despite changes to the original text, Washington's push remained unacceptable, mainly to Germany, sources familiar with the negotiations said.
(Natural News) If faculty want to preach that Marxism is a triumph of human thought, so be it. If other faculty want to argue that actually it was a disaster, and a crime against humanity, this view should no longer be fanatically censored

(Article by Jennifer Kabbany republished from TheCollegeFix.com)

A longtime economics professor at Wright State University who has repeatedly requested permission to teach a class critical of Marxism has been rebuffed by his bosses and peers who appear unwilling to allow the topic to be taught to the general student population.

Meanwhile, the university frequently offers courses that praise Marxism, economics Professor Evan Osborne told The College Fix.

Osborne said the short version of his predicament is that we have an angry, radical-left cohort in the department, they praise Marxism in the classroom, they will not let me teach critically about it, and numerous people in the university have refused to do anything about it.

While Osborne has recently been given permission to teach the class this fall to honors students, he is not allowed to open the class to the entire student body, he said. Only honors students may enroll in honors courses.

Osborne has been able to teach his class once before, as an honors course in fall 2014. Again, only honors students were permitted to enroll.

After the class went well, Osborne said he proposed it as an economics elective or as a special topics course that any business student could enroll in. Today, all these years later, his battle to open the course to all such students continues, he said.

That my department is full of extremists who probably dont belong in a business-college economics department, to be sure, is a manifestation of academic freedom, Osborne told The College Fix via email. And I do not want to change how economics is taught at WSU, broadly speaking. I just want my academic freedom to offer a different view to also be respected.

Wright State media affairs and economics department officials did not respond to requests Monday and Tuesday from The College Fix seeking comment.

Osborne has taught at Wright State since 1994. He has won a Fulbright teaching grant and several teaching awards during his long tenure.

The economists controversial course is titled Marxism: A History of Theory and Practice.

Its syllabus from when he debuted it as an honors class in 2014 states the class is both an introduction to Marxist economic thought and the history of political power exercised in the name of that thought.

Not only does it assign works written by Karl Marx, but it also looks at the ramifications of the communist political system in places such as Russia and China, as well as how some Western academics have romanticized its bloody, brutal history. It ends with a brief but positive look at capitalism.

Despite the refusal to open this course to the student body, the economics department currently allows students to take a course every spring called Socialist and Radical Economics, to learn the rich history of critical analyses of the dominant form of capitalism (i.e., historical evolution of capitalist ownerships, capitalist labor process, and its socioeconomic outcomes) and to engage in a critical debate on the prospect of socioeconomic reform, according to its syllabus.

While Wright State offers standard economics courses found at universities across the nation, it also requires economics majors to take an institutional economics course.

This class is consistently skeptical of free markets and capitalism, Osborne told The Fix. Given the way Marx is favorably assessed in our curriculum, and Marxisms actual historical record, I really thought our students deserved an alternate perspective.

But the years-long battle to give students outside the honors program such an alternate perspective was met with objections from peers, he said.

When the economics departments undergraduate curriculum committee first considered the course in December 2015, his peers sent in anonymous complaints to the department chair at the time that amounted to the assertion that he was teaching Marxism incorrectly.

According to what he labeled his dissenters/censors, there were certain points of view his unnamed colleagues said he needed to include in his syllabus, despite the fact that these points of view are already included in our curriculum in other courses.

In my quarter-century at Wright State this kind of anonymous, secret criticism has not happened to anyone besides me, he told The Fix.

Whats more, during Professor Osbornes many years in the Wright State economics department, not a single elective proposed by any other faculty has been voted down, he said.

At one point during a department-committee meeting considering his proposed class he was told by one professor to include within his readings on Chinese communism the analysis of an obscure early-20th century Chinese communist.

Why is this bizarre? I speak Mandarin Chinese, and read and write the language fluently; I have published one journal article in the language in fact. I am currently writing a book on 20th-century Chinese intellectual history, including the development of communist thought there. In other words, I forget far more about Chinese intellectual history before lunch every day than this objecting professor, or any other professor in our department, will ever know, Osborne said.

But apparently as a tenured professor who has taught a wide variety of courses with reasonable competence, and who is very familiar with 20th-century intellectual developments in China, I was somehow not capable of deciding how to teach this class, even the section on China.

Osborne said the only legitimate criticism of his proposed course he received was that it wasnt a very practical course.

Yet this objection is never raised against our existing, equally impractical radical courses, probably because the persecution-complex faculty who teach them would blow a gasket, he told The Fix.

If we prioritized practicality, all of the radical courses would be gone. Anyway, the committee voted to reject the course, again something that has never happened to me nor to anyone who proposed an economics course during my time at Wright State.

Following this defeat, he was interim department chair in 2016-17 and on sabbatical leave in 2018-19. During this time, he said his frustration at the violation of my academic freedom grew.

One other source of this frustration was that in a separate incident he said he was explicitly told he could not take part in decisions on whether business-college faculty inside and outside economics should be tenured or otherwise promoted because he is a white male. He said that is a direct quote from colleagues.

In another incident in 2019, his attempt to get the faculty senate to support a measure to protect scholars from interference in their academic freedom by other faculty failed.

I remember that some senators seemed mystified that someone would say that sometimes faculty need their academic freedom protected not just against people who were neither university administrators nor from outside the university entirely, but other faculty, Osborne said.

In the end, the proposal was sent to a senate committee, which produced (without notes taken of the meeting) a resolution with a pro-free speech measure that excluded Osbornes proposed amendment, which the senate then passed.

When Osborne returned to full-time teaching after his sabbatical in 2019, he was asked by the then economics department Chair Zdravka Todorova what he wanted to teach.

For the spring, summer and fall 2020 semesters, he proposed his Marxism course as a one-time topics course open to all business students, but she ignored his requests, then scheduled him to teach other classes, and told him once that the department already offered a course praising radical economics that term, so there wasnt room for one more, according to copies of the emails obtained by The Fix.

Thus, we have now been through the same cycle several times. She proposes a schedule, I ask her to schedule Marxism as a topics course, she doesnt do so, yet refuses to say whether she has a policy of not scheduling it, Osborne said. This probably seems like a small thing, but in a department where faculty take great pride in the fact that they are free to teach courses critical of capitalism and praising Marxism in particular, this has been a very frustrating experience.

Todorova has since stepped down as chair of the economics department. Osbornes course was approved to be taught this fall by the director of the honors program, Susan Carrafiello.

In looking beyond this experience, Osborne said, Institutions of higher learning are now almost all in crisis. The indulgence of unapologetic leftist censorship, at Wright State as elsewhere, is now impossible to justify.

If faculty want to preach that Marxism is a triumph of human thought, so be it. If other faculty want to argue that actually it was a disaster, and a crime against humanity, this view should no longer be fanatically censored.

Read more at: TheCollegeFix.com
All Regional Youth Organizers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have hit hard at NDC stalwart, Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi over the publication of his controversial book; Working with Rawlings.

In an elaborate statement to Prof. Ahwoi, the 16 youth organizers intimated the book has the propensity to derail the partys focus for the 2020 elections.

The Youth Organizers were not happy with the content of the book which they claim directly attacks NDC founder, Jerry John Rawlings.

They say, whatever is to be achieved with this book is not greater than the salvation of this nation and the future of its youth come 7th December 2020.

Professor Kwamena Ahwoi launched the book which extensively presents insights about his working relationship with former President Jerry John Rawlings.

But according to the Youth Organizers, the book contains many controversial issues that subtly undermine the great and selfless service, the Founder of the NDC has rendered both to the party and to the country and further seems to betray the trust and confidence of leading members of our party.

Already, the former President, Rawlings has discredited the claims in the book, emphasizing that Ahwoi's claim is borne out of a desire to control the party.

A number of NDC loyalists, including former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, former Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofusu, former Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Chairman of the Volta Regional Council of Elders for the NDC, Dan Abodakpi have all issued disclaimers to what was captured about them in the book.

Here is the full statement from them:

WE WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY OLD TIMER WHO HAS NOTHING TO LOSE, 2024 NOT AN OPTION; RESPONSE TO 'WORKING WITH RAWLINGS'

We have read with deep concern, the litany of issues coming from the release of the book, Working With Rawlings by Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi and what it means for our party in these crucial times.

While we find it refreshing that one of the elders of our great party will offer us a glimpse of his time in public service, especially working with H.E Jerry John Rawlings, we have cause to question his motive for writing this book and releasing it at such a time. We are also concerned about how the book can derail our focus and what seems to be a direct attack on the founder of our party.

The NDC is preparing to cause the biggest political upset in the history of this nation and the last thing we need is a piece of inaccurate historical accounts that will distract us.

The book contains many controversial issues that subtly undermine the great and selfless service, the Founder of the NDC has rendered both to the Party and to the Country. It further seems to betray the trust and confidence of leading members of our party.

The timing for the release of this book is very callous and inconsiderate on the part of the writer. What could be more important than our preparation to rescue this nation from the hands of unrepentant divisive despots?

Certainly not a literary piece filled with self-gratifying accounts of events many eons ago.

We are in a middle of a Voters Registration Exercise; at a time we are battling an existential threat of tribal and ethnic marginalization by this administration and the party now has to turn to dealing with issues from the past. Some of which we have found to be false and vain claims by the author.

Let me state on account of young people of our party that, we will not tolerate such subtle overtures to undermine our efforts in this election year because 2024 is never the option to us. We will not tolerate any old timer who has nothing to lose and will rather implode the party with needless bickering and fictitious stories.

In less than two weeks since the book was launched, the book has been served with many rejoinders and disassociations from cited individuals who have disproved some claims made by the writer. This is damning and points to the inaccuracies of accounts stated in the book.

We must add that we have nothing but respect for the old Professor. Indeed, it no secret that no other family has been involved in governance and benefitted more from politics under the Fourth Republic than the Ahwoi family. We also do not downplay their contribution to the cause of our nation and party, but he got it wrong this time.

Whatever is to be achieved with this book is not greater than the salvation of this nation and the future of its youth come 7th December 2020.

We want to assure Papa J that, we will defend his legacy in the party and in this nation. No book or folklore will water down his legacy. This year, as we have discussed, the Youth of the party is campaigning with him. We reassure him that we will remain the vanguards of his legacy.

This election is for the youth of the Party and we are poised for Victory and nothing, absolutely Nothing shall come between us and the Victory of the Party. We will no longer tolerate divisive figures or commentaries and all must be assured that we will crash any individual or group of persons who act as such.

---citinewsroom
Welcome to this weeks edition of the Surge, in which we take a lil walk down recent memory lane to recount some of the more memorable upsets of the House primary season so far. With these races in the rearview, the Surge can reveal that it predicted the outcome in all of them, down to one-tenth of a decimal point.





Well look at how progressives, despite getting dusted in the presidential primary, were at least able to knock off some House incumbents. Well consider what the next House Republican conference will look like and wince. (Do you know what a biblical conservative is? If not, youre going to hell.) But well start with the most recent, and the most consequential, upset of the cycle.
In part two of our Switch it Up series we take a look at the basic renovations homeowners can do to improve the comfort, functionality and value of their properties, and the costs associated with each.

From a new roof to re-wiring or a new heating system, these essentials are the groundwork for future projects such as a reconfiguration or extension of the property or the addition of a new kitchen or bathroom.

Denise OConnor, architect with Optimise Design, says that having spent so much time at home recently, we are honing in on problems we may previously have overlooked. Were determined to rectify the issues and may spend a sizeable amount of cash doing so.

Holidays were maybe more of a priority up to now but as people cant really go anywhere they are spending the money on doing up the house, she says.

One of the really pressing things we are currently seeing is that working from home is here to stay, OConnor says.

Coming into the winter its about making the house more comfortable. Putting in a new boiler and more insulation or fixing the roof are great ways to do that.

These are the things that make a huge difference to peoples quality of life and are a really worthwhile investment.

With those renovation basics in mind, Michael Walsh, quantity surveyor with Walsh Associates has priced some of the more sought after home upgrades, using the example of a three-bed semi-detached house in the Dublin region as a guide to costs.

Energy upgrade

Energy upgrades can be expensive at the outset depending on the job, but do note that grants are available from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to defray the costs. Check the SEAI website for more information on whats available.

External wall insulation applied to the exterior of the house can cost between 5,000 and 20,000, while in the attic, increasing to 300mm deep fibre insulation would cost around 2,000. To remove suspended floors and install insulation between joists and to replace flooring will come in between 3,500 and 5,000, Walsh advises.

There are three types of roof coverings and each has a different lifespan, he explains. To remove and replace concrete roof tiles, which have about a 60-year lifespan, costs between 12,000 and 15,000. Fibre cement slate has a slightly longer lifespan of 70-plus years, and will set you back between 14,000 and 18,000. Natural slates would only appear on period houses  pre-1940s  and they last up to 100 years, but cost up to 30,000 to replace, he advises.

Plumbing systems

Turning our attention to plumbing, replacing an existing gas boiler with a high efficiency condensing boiler will cost around 3,000, says Walsh, who also advises that a new heat pump, in lieu of a gas boiler, costs around 7,000.

However the entire heating system would need to be upgraded with high efficiency radiators and a new highly insulated water cylinder and this might cost in the region of 12,500 to 15,000, he notes.

Solar hot water heating plus a new high-efficiency cylinder will cost anywhere in the region of 5,000 to 6,000. Hot water heating with photovoltaic panels and a new high efficiency cylinder will set you back approximately 6,000 to 7,000.

Rewiring re-do

Walsh notes that rewiring a typical three bed house will see the homeowner strip the property of the existing electrical installation, at a cost of about 500, while the rewiring of the entire house will cost in the region of 9,000 to 10,000.

A good rule of thumb is to allow around 120 per light or socket point. Additional costs to factor in when you are thinking of a re-wiring project would include a new smoke alarm and wiring to pumps and boilers. A hidden cost to look out for is the making good of decor that is disturbed by a new installation, and this might cost up to 2,000, he says.

Period properties

If you live in an older home, expect these projects to come with additional charges and issues, Walsh warns.

All of this work will cost significantly more on a period property. Often times there may be rising damp to contend with and you cannot use external insulation as there are planning restrictions. Instead you can improve insulation internally by dry lining, unless the property has cornices, Walsh points out.

The treatment requires specialist advice, as the walls need to breathe. Insulation of the attics and under floors can be carried out in the same manner as a newer house, but roofs are normally natural slate.

UPVC windows cannot be used and you have to go with sash which have pulleys and weights to operate. These windows are twice the price of those used in a normal semi-detached house. In many cases you can just change the glazing from single to double glazing, but its a specialist trade and is expensive, he says.

To rewire, or add a new plumbing system, you are into significantly affecting the existing fabric as floors have to be removed or walls chased. When this happens you get what we call creep with knock-on effects. The thing I would say about period properties is expect that advice will be required, he concludes.

Before any of these jobs commence its important to have a good workable plan in place, OConnor says.

Get an expert opinion, generally a contractor, to assess what needs to be done. If youre planning these works as part of a reconfiguration, an architect can recommend a good person, particularly for the smaller jobs, she advises. Always get three quotes so you know youre getting a fair price, and look for references. Once youve agreed a price, fix that price. Most of all, do the research and ask the right questions.

About Switch it Up

Switch it Up is a new 12-part series for those who may be considering a mortgage switch. With helpful information on home improvements as well as renovators home tours and a super-useful FAQ, theres lots to discover.

Of switching, Lorraine Costelloe, head of home buying and ownership at Ulster Bank, says, dont be afraid of it. There is no such thing as a silly question. It might seem daunting, but let us do the hard work, help you through it and make it as easy as possible.

Plus, weve got helpful answers to your mortgage switching queries.

From the incentives to how long it will take (not long!) and whats involved in making a mortgage switch, read our Everything you need to know about switching your mortgage guide online.

Go to Everything you need to know about switching your mortgage.

For more information, contact Ulster Bank.

Ulster Bank Ireland DAC is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland
: Government is taking all necessary actions so as to contain the oil spill from the MV Wakashio and some 400 sea booms have been deployed to secure the sensitive areas , said the Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Kavydass Ramano.





He was speaking at a joint press conference yesterday with the Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo, in Port-Louis.

Minister Ramano stated that the country is facing an unprecedented environmental situation as the vessel has grounded in a very sensitive zone which includes the Blue Bay Marine Park, Iles aux Aigrettes, and the Ramsar sites. He indicated that additional sea booms are being used since the detection of cracks in the ship hull. A command post has also been set up to closely monitor the situation, he added.

He made an appeal to all private maritime operators to join forces so as to limit the spread of the spill in the lagoon. He pointed out that Government is seeking help from neighbouring countries and that discussions have also been initiated with the French authorities to activate the Polmar plan so as to protect the lagoon.

The Minister added that a salvage team consisting of 11 members were working to secure and stabilise the ship but had to be evacuated due to the cracks in the ship hull. Nevertheless, he said, a technical team is working to assess the actual situation and come up with a technical plan to proceed with the pumping of the fuel at the earliest.

As for the Director of Shipping, Mr Alain Donat, also present at the press conference, he stated that necessary equipment from Greece will be reaching the country soon. The priority, he said, is to pump the 3894 of fuel at the earliest.

Government Information Service, Prime Ministers Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email: gis@govmu.org Website: http://gis.govmu.org Mobile App: Search Gov
Yemens conflict erupted late in 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels swept across much of the north and seized the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi into exile. The following year, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states formed a coalition to fight the Houthis in what they said was an effort to stop Irans growing sway in Yemen.
Witness appeal after assault leaves two men with minor injuries on Holt Road

This article is old - Published: Friday, Aug 7th, 2020

North Wales Police have issued an appeal as they investigate an assault on Holt Road.

The incident is believed to have left two men with minor injuries.

Police say the incident involved a group of men, possibly on a moped and took place around 8.30pm on Tuesday evening (4th).

Local officers said the incident took place near the traffic lights by McColls on Holt Road.

Any information please call police via 101 citing reference 20000463125 .
Marquita Bradshaw, an environmental justice advocate who has run her Senate campaign on a shoestring budget, won an upset victory in the states Democratic primary on Thursday, brushing aside a party-backed candidate who had significantly out-raised her.

Ms. Bradshaw, a political novice who grew up in South Memphis, won by roughly 9 percentage points to become the first Black woman to gain a major partys nomination for the U.S. Senate in Tennessee.

She faces an uphill climb against the Republican nominee, Bill Hagerty, to claim the seat held by the retiring Senator Lamar Alexander. Tennessee has not elected a Democratic senator since Al Gore, 30 years ago.

In an interview on Friday, Ms. Bradshaw embraced her status as an underdog.

Working people showed that my viability was different, she said. I knew it was going to happen  I could see the momentum.
She's been treating fans to a glimpse of her idyllic getaway on social media.

And Suki Waterhouse was sure to set pulses racing as she shared a slew of sizzling bikini snaps from her sun-soaked getaway at Crillon le Brave, France, on Friday.

The model, 28, left very little to the imagination in a form-fitting white crop top and a red, orange and yellow bikini briefs.

Wow! Suki Waterhouse sets pulses racing in a sizzling bikini snap that saw her pair a form-fitting white crop top with colourful briefs during her French getaway on Friday

Suki's ensemble fit snugly on her slender frame and showed off her toned abs, while her briefs were cut high above her waist to accentuate her pert posterior.

In a second snap, the blonde beauty posed in a semi-sheer red dress that showed off a glimpse of the multi-coloured bikini that she wore underneath.

Taking her photoshoot outside her hotel room, Suki then modelled a chic blue polka-dot playsuit that she paired with a large straw hat.

While she also posed up a storm in front of a brick wall while wearing a cream jumpsuit, which highlighted her sun-kissed skin.

Revealing: In a second snap, the blonde beauty posed in a semi-sheer red dress that showed off a glimpse of the multi-coloured bikini that she wore underneath

Effortlessly chic: Taking her photoshoot outside her hotel room, Suki then modelled a chic blue polka-dot playsuit that she paired with a large straw hat

The model has jetted off to France with her mum and friends but has been dating Robert Pattinson for two years.

The couple were first linked in July 2018 when they were spotted leaving a showing of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again at the trendy Electric Cinema in Notting Hill.

They've been known to go on double dates with pals Taylor Swift and actor Joe Alwyn, and keep in touch with each other via FaceTime when their schedules keep them apart.

Late last year, the pair sparked engagement rumours, after it was claimed they would be spending the festive season at her family home in west London.

Glamorous: While she also posed up a storm in front of a brick wall while wearing a cream jumpsuit, which highlighted her sun-kissed skin

Family time: Suki is on the trip with her mum and friends, and shared a snap of her matriarch posing on a medieval staircase

The Mail On Sunday reported screen star Robert, 34, had lined up a trip to Iceland as a gift for the blonde beauty.

They said: 'Suki and Robert are a great influence on each other, which is why he is spending Christmas with the Waterhouses.

'Suki encourages him to be more relaxed and Robert keeps her grounded when she's feeling anxious.

'As they're spending Christmas together, it's the perfect opportunity for him to ask for Suki's hand. Lots of people, including Norman, are hoping that he pops the question.'

Romance life: The model has jetted off to France with her loved ones, but has been dating Robert Pattinson for two years (pictured in February 2019)
Microsoft Likely To Acquire TikTok India's Operation By Mid September News oi-Vivek

Microsoft recently confirmed that it is in talks with ByteDance to acquire the business of TikTok in select markets, mainly in North America. Now, a new report suggests that the Redmond-based software giant is considering buying the entire operations of TikTok across the globe.

According to the official statement released by Microsoft a few days back, the company confirmed that it is likely to get manage TikTok services in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. As per the latest insider news, the brand is now planning to acquire TikTok's operations in Europe and India as well.

If everything goes as planned, these brands are likely to close a deal by mid-September 2020. This development indicates that the ban on TikTok could get lifted in India and the app could be up and running in no time.

POTUS recently made a statement that it is "probably easier to buy the whole thing than to buy 30 percent of it" and a brand that does this has to pay a handsome amount of money to the US treasury.

Why Indian Market Is Important?

India has one of the largest smartphone user-base and TikTok alone has over 650million downloads in the country. If TikTok falls under new leadership (a non-Chinese brand) the Indian Govt is likely to lift the ban and TikTok could resume its service in the country.

Even if Microsoft could tap half the user-base, then it can get millions of users from day one, which is great for any business and the company could further improve the app/service to get new users onboard.

The market is currently filled with an n number of apps and each of those apps tries to replicate TikTok. In fact, Facebook-owned Instagram also launched a new feature called Reels, which can be considered as a fancy version of TikTok that is built onto the Instagram app and is already available in India.

Source

Best Mobiles in India

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Dozens are still missing after Tuesday's explosion at the port in the Lebanese capital that injured 5,000 people and left up to 250,000 without habitable homes.

Riot police were deployed at the small protest after some demonstrators burned objects and hurled rocks at security forces.

The government's failure to tackle a runaway budget, mounting debt and endemic corruption has prompted Western donors to demand reform. Gulf Arab states who once helped have balked at bailing out a nation they say is increasingly influenced by their rival Iran and

Hezbollah.

At the port, destroyed by Tuesday's giant mushroom cloud and fireball, families sought news of the missing, amid mounting anger at the authorities for allowing huge quantities of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, used in making fertilizers and bombs, to be stored there for

years in unsafe conditions.
A San Francisco Superior Court judge appeared reluctant to immediately reclassify Uber and Lyft drivers as employees at a hearing on Thursday, but also displayed skepticism of the companies arguments about why their drivers should remain independent contractors in the long term.

Judge Ethan Schulman said he will rule in days rather than weeks. Even if he does reclassify drivers, he will consider Uber and Lyfts requests to stay that order.

The case is an explosive one. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the city attorneys of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego sued the two San Francisco companies in May, alleging that their drivers were misclassified under AB5, Californias gig-work law, and deprived of the rights and benefits of being employees.

At Thursdays hearing, which was held via Zoom, the state and city attorneys were seeking an injunction to force immediate reclassification of the drivers even before the case goes to trial.

Uber and Lyft oppose the injunction and were seeking to have the case postponed until after November when voters weigh in on Proposition 22, their $110 million ballot initiative that would keep drivers as independent contractors but give them some earnings guarantees and benefits. Another reason theyd like to postpone: Uber has a suit pending in federal court that challenges AB5s constitutionality.

Richard Drew / Associated Press 2019

Its not every day that a judge is asked to issue an injunction on a preliminary basis that could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of people, said Schulman, who seemed amenable to Uber and Lyfts claims that an immediate injunction to reclassify drivers would be drastic and dramatic.

Rohit Singla of the Munger, Tolles & Olson law firm, appearing for Lyft, argued that such an injunction would be issued only in extreme cases.

This is not an extreme case, he said. There is no case in California, no case anywhere, where ... a court has ordered hundreds of thousands of people to be reclassified on a preliminary injunction.

Another concern with a sweeping injunction, Judge Schulman said, is not knowing the consequences, such as the effect on drivers ability to earn income.

I feel like Im being asked to jump into a body of water without really knowing how deep it is, how cold the water is, and whats going to happen when I get in, he said.

But Schulman definitely did not preclude ever issuing an injunction. He discussed the possibility of deferring it until later in the case, perhaps after discovery, cross motions for summary judge or trial, whatever might be appropriate.

He also appeared open to arguments from the state and cities that it might not be that hard for Lyft and Uber to switch drivers to employees.

Its very doable, said Matthew Goldberg of the San Francisco City Attorneys Office. Both of these businesses already have very large white-collar workforces. ... Extending this set of benefits to more workers administratively is not as difficult as they allege, (since) they already do this for thousands of workers.

When it came to the substance of Uber and Lyfts arguments about why ultimately they should not be subject to reclassification, the judge didnt seem convinced.

A crucial test under AB5, which makes it harder for companies to claim that workers are independent contractors, is whether workers perform tasks central to a companys core business. If they do, then the scale tips toward them being employees. The ride-hailing companies asserted that they are not in the business of providing transportation.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Representing Uber, Theane Evangelis with Gibson Dunn likened Uber to marketplaces like the one eBay creates for buyers and sellers, and Airbnb creates for hosts and guests. She said her client is a technology company that creates an online multi-sided platform to connect two sides of a market, the drivers and riders.

But the judge wasnt buying.

It seems to me if you look at Uber and Lyft, theyre not in the business of maintaining an online app by itself, Judge Schulman said. That is the technology by which they perform their business, but their business is providing rides to people for compensation.

Evangelis also argued that changes Uber has made in recent months such as allowing drivers to set fares and reject rides without penalty strengthen its case that it passes AB5s test. Because of those changes, Uber wants its case to be heard separately from that of Lyft.

Schulman questioned Uber and Lyfts requests to postpone the whole case until after Prop. 22 is decided in November.

Is it a legitimate argument to say to me, Judge, you know what, the law might change in the future, so you should just hold off and see what the voters do? he said. Thats not my role.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
(TNS)  The union representing information technology workers at the Tennessee Valley Authority is praising the federally owned utilitys decision to reverse the outsourcing of 200 crucial IT jobs to foreign-based firms.TVA had previously announced that three firms based overseas would be hired to do the work of TVA professionals and that some work would be transferred to foreign nationals working at TVA under H-1B visas.This is certainly a win for American workers, for TVA ratepayers, and for everyone who relies on the U.S. electrical grid, said Gay Henson, president of the Engineering Association/IFPTE Local 1937. Our members will get their jobs back. TVA ratepayers will benefit from having skilled U.S. workers providing quality service. And the entire U.S. electrical grid will be more secure, with critical information remaining on U.S. soil.On Monday, President Trump criticized TVAs original move and fired the chair of the board of directors as well as another board member. He also criticized the pay of TVA CEO Jeff Lyash.The president also signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to document that they are not using H-1B visas  intended to allow temporary employment of workers from other countries  to permanently replace U.S. workers.On Thursday, interim TVA Board Chair John Ryder and Lyash met with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to discuss the preservation of U.S. jobs.We had a positive meeting with the White House and wholeheartedly agree with the Administrations direction on jobs, Ryder said in a statement. We expressed that our IT restructuring process was faulty and that we have changed direction so that we can ensure American jobs are protected.TVA management announced Thursday that all previous layoffs of EA-represented IT workers have been rescinded and planned future layoffs have been cancelled. Any of the workers who lost their jobs, or who found other employment after receiving a layoff notice, will be offered a chance to return to their IT jobs at TVA or another position at the utility.I couldnt be prouder today of the members of our union, said IFPTE president Paul Shearon. By rallying to support one another and stating our case to elected officials, the press and the public, we put a spotlight on a terrible decision and got it reversed.It was a violation of TVAs mission to take these jobs out of the Tennessee Valley and it was outrageous that a federal utility would export these jobs during the pandemic and the related economic crisis while the federal government is spending trillions to keep workers employed, he said. However, in the end TVA management made the correct decision.The IT positions were to be contracted out to Capgemini (based in France), CGI (based in Canada) and Accenture (based in Ireland).Its good news for now and bodes well for the future that TVA management has listened to our concerns, said EAs Henson. We look forward to a reset and a new, productive relationship. Together, well focus on TVAs core mission: affordable power, job creation and economic development in the Tennessee Valley.
(Newser)  A food processing machine that was being tested for preparing guacamole exploded this week at an upstate New York test site, killing a former mayor and injuring two others, per NBC New York. The blast happened just after 7am Wednesday at Innovative Test Solutions in Schenectady, with Don Mareno, the assistant chief of the city's fire department, telling the Times Union that the machine involved was a "high-pressure vessel." Joseph Kapp, 67, who was once the mayor of nearby Rensselaer, died at a local hospital after the explosion. Two other people were hospitalized, apparently with non-life-threatening injuries, Mareno says.

story continues below

Authorities don't think the explosion is suspicious at this time, per WRGB, which adds the ITS building sustained damage that wasn't significant. Kapp served as mayor of Rensselaer in the 1990s and was currently the vice chair of Hudson Valley Community College's board of trustees. It's not clear why Kapp was on-site at the time of the explosion; ITS CEO Scott Briody says Kapp was one of the company's clients. "Joe Kapp was truly one [of] a kind and cannot be easily replaced," current Rensselaer Mayor Mike Stammel tells the Times Union. (Read more explosion stories.)
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

An estimated 6,000 children passed through the doors of the St. Anthony Home for Boys in Albuquerque during its 68 years of operation.

When Roy Rogers and Dale Evans played the New Mexico State Fair, they visited the home and let the children sit atop Trigger.

U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy was running for president in 1968 when he stopped and ate lunch with the students at the orphanage  the states first for boys. Heavyweight boxer Sonny Liston paid a visit to spar with them and tell his story, states an online survey of the historic school from the National Park Service.

The religious order of nuns that ran the orphanage describes St. Anthonys as a lifeline for boys, where they learned to care for livestock, grow vegetables, and where prayer, sacraments and spiritual life were central to their daily lives.

But a lawsuit filed in state District Court this week paints a much darker picture, one where children whose parents were dead or couldnt care for them were tormented and sexually abused by nuns and priests.

Beginning in the late 1950s, one boy who lived there tried to escape, only to be caught, deemed a runaway and brought back by police, according to the lawsuit filed against the Sisters of St. Francis, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, which ran the school.

The boy  now a man in his late 60s identified only as John Doe 167  alleges that behind the walls of the orphanage, he was sexually abused beginning at age 6 by the chaplain, visiting priests and some of the nuns at the school who had total and complete control of the lives of the children.

He finally escaped for good at age 13, running away and convincing an aunt he couldnt return.

Before that happened, he was powerless, said attorneys for the man, who came forward with his account of abuse after the Archdiocese of Santa Fe filed for bankruptcy in late 2018.

We believe there are many other victims of sexual abuse who were trapped at the orphanage as children with nowhere to go, who are still silently suffering out there, said Albuquerque attorney Levi Monagle.

The unidentified plaintiff learned at his older brothers death bed that he, too, had been sexually abused horrifically at St. Anthonys.

The brother died a homeless alcoholic on the street because he was never able to get his life together after the profound abuse he received at St. Anthonys, the lawsuit states.

The John Doe plaintiff alleged he became a captive sex toy for the chaplain, the Rev. Edward Gallagher, who died in 1969, according to an obituary.

His lawsuit says he recalled being taken by nuns to rooms where traveling priests or Catholic brothers stayed a night or two and being delivered to them for sexual abuse. Sometimes, he alleged, the nuns would give him chocolate or other little gifts after the abuse. And some nuns themselves were the abusers, the lawsuit alleges.

Fr. Gallagher, the visiting priests and nuns who sexually abused Plaintiff murdered his soul  his very ability to relate to a loving God, the lawsuit alleges.

Like many other victims of childhood sexual abuse, the plaintiff suffers from PTSD symptoms, anger issues, depression and nightmares. Not until recently did he tell anyone and fully discover the connections between his injuries and his abuse, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit contends there was rampant sexual abuse occurring at all levels of the home. Moreover, the suit alleges the nuns also physically severely beat the boy  a punishment administered to all children when they acted up (as children do) at St. Anthonys.

Sister Marietta Spenner, current Provincial of the order, said she was deeply troubled by the allegations.

I do not believe that anything like that ever occurred at Saint Anthonys Orphanage, she said in a statement. The mission of our sisters today, as it has been for decades, is to continue the mission of Jesus: standing in solidarity with those who are in any way poor and powerless.

Some religious orders have filed to be part of the ongoing Archdiocese Chapter 11 bankruptcy, in which some 400 claims from alleged victims have been filed seeking compensation, but Sisters of St. Francis has not. If religious orders do not succeed in channeling in to the bankruptcy action, said Albuquerque attorney Brad Hall, they can be sued in state court.

The site, at 1500 Indian School NW, now houses the Albuquerque Job Corps Center.

The National Park Service description of the school, its historic architecture and its history states that the Sisters of St. Francis sold the property to the U.S. Department of Labor in 1971 for $1.5 million.

Rising costs, declining numbers of children at the institution and drastic changes in child-care concepts had finally rendered the orphanage impractical, the description said. Once one of the most lush and beautiful facilities in Albuquerque, it served as a focus of charitable and humanitarian spirit for over 50 years.
The logo of Chevron is seen at the company's office in Caracas

(Reuters) - Chevron Corp was ordered on Friday to inspect the propane heat exchangers on two of the three trains at its Gorgon liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Australia following safety concerns raised by a trade union.

Western Australia's industrial safety regulator said the inspection orders were for trains one and three and had to happen before August 21.

It was not immediately clear whether Chevron would have to shut down trains 1 and 3 at the 15.6 million tonnes a year plant, one of the world's largest LNG projects, to conduct the inspection and any necessary repairs.

"We are evaluating, based on the learning that we've got, how to best address trains 1 and 3," Chevron Vice President Jay Johnson told analysts on an earnings call on July 31.

Last month, Australia's Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) said it would inspect the plant following calls by a trade union to shut it down, after the company reported it had found a weld problem in the propane kettles on train 2 while the unit was undergoing maintenance.

The department's Dangerous Goods and Petroleum Safety Director Steve Emery said in a statement that the nature of reported cracking in train two could mean "there may be similar defects in trains one and three".

"The short-term measures Chevron has taken to mitigate the consequences of any potential gas leaks appear sufficient until the welds are inspected," Emery said.

Chevron confirmed it received the notices from the regulator relating to improvements on the propane heat exchangers of Gorgon train 2 and remediation notices for trains 1 and 3.

"We are working closely with the regulator in planning and implementing repair work at Gorgon that was identified by Chevron in a safe and efficient manner," the company said in an email.

Chevron said it planned to restart train 2 in early September after completing repairs.

Gorgon is 47.3% owned and operated by Chevron. Exxon Mobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell each own 25%, and the rest is held by Japanese firms.

(Reporting by Nikhil Kurian Nainan in Bengaluru and Sonali Paul in Melbourne; editing by Edmund Blair and Jason Neely)
By Musheera Ashraf, TwoCircles.net

Telangana: After offering the customary Fajr (morning) prayers thirty-eight-year old Syed Jalaluddin Sheikh from Hyderabad starts his day by burying dead bodies. When a country wide lockdown was enforced to combat the growing COVID-19 pandemic, Jalaluddin along with his team members from Youth Welfare Telangana started distributing dry ration and medicine at doorsteps of people.

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While carrying out the relief work amid rising cases of deaths due to coronavirus, Jalaluddin felt the need that the dead bodies need to be provided dignified last rites.

Every person has the right to be buried according to their religion, Jalaluddin told TwoCircles.net

Jalaluddin said that he has been working for the burial process for over 50 days now. Till now we have performed the last rituals of 99 bodies including 8 Hindus and 1 Sikh, he adds.

What inspired him to carry out the work of burying the COVID affected bodies, Jalaluddin said, I was moved by the incident in which one of my friends dad died of COVID-19 but he ran away because of the stigma and didnt even touch the body.

The incident moved Jalalludin so much that he took upon himself and his team to give dignified burials to dead people who die due to the virus. Jalalludins team now has 50 volunteers in Hyderabad and around 150 across Telangana.

People contact them directly through social media or on phone.

People are giving us dead bodies outside the graveyard or they just inform us and we manage to get the bodies from hospital after all the legal process and NOCs by the hospital, he said.

We take permission from the family and then proceed with the funeral prayer and a burial, he adds.

Jalaluddin said that they dont take unclaimed bodies because of the legal purposes. If the government provides us the NOC that we can take unclaimed bodies, we can do it. We want to do this work legally, he said.

Asked how his team managed the financial toll required to bury the dead bodies, Jalaluddin said that the team contributed their pocket money for this work. We felt a need to have a vehicle to carry dead bodies and a kind lady provided us with an old sumo car with which we carry dead bodies. But we need a vehicle of our own, he says.

While offering last rites to the dead people, the team takes full precaution by wearing PPEs and use of sanitizers.

It takes around 6 PPE kits for one body, he said.

Jalaluddin said that the pandemic has revealed a bitter picture of exploitation as well. Not GHMC as a whole but GHMC drivers have started their business. They are charging 25000 rupees per body to take it to shamshan ghat and burn it, he said.

Jalaluddin claimed that he is a witness of many cases where people are not taking the bodies due to the lack of money. They just take the death certificate and leave, he said.

Describing one incident of a young boy who lost his father due to coronavirus. Jalaluddin said that when the boys father passed away, their landlord categorically told the boy to not bring his dead body to their home and face eviction if he did.

The boy was roaming around the Hyderabad city for 4 hours with a dead body looking for someplace where he can perform the rituals. He finally managed to call me and we performed his fathers last rites, he said.

Jalaluddin remembers another distressed incident in which family members of a deceased COVID patient left the body near the graveyard and ran.

We were worried what shall we do with the body, said Jaluluddin, and added, As we enquired, we came to know the family is afraid and doesnt want to be a part of the funeral. We finally offered the funeral prayers ourselves and buried the body.

Jalaluddin said that there is a stigma in society against people who contract coronavirus or die from it. Every day we hear a new story, he adds.

Jalaluddin said that while doing relief work and closely observing the situation, the situation is worrisome. Even the non-COVID patients are being left behind because of stigma.

We were once denied by a graveyard administration to bury a non-COVID patient which they wrongly thought was a COVID patient. We had to take him back and bury him at another graveyard, he said.

Jalaluddin said that he finds it upsetting that children are not performing their duties towards their parents if they the latter die from COVID-19. Every parent wants their children to perform their last rites but the children are not ready to do it for them, he said, adding, We are doing this work (performing last rites) for the sake of humanity.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 8, 2020 - 08:30 | All, World

The United States imposed sanctions on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and other officials Friday for curtailing freedoms in the China-ruled semiautonomous territory, as Washington increases its pressure on Beijing over a wide array of economic, security and human rights issues.

The sanctions target a total of 11 individuals, including the Hong Kong police commissioner, secretary for justice and mainland China's top official in Hong Kong, in connection with the implementation of a national security law to crack down on what Beijing views as subversive activity in Hong Kong.

"The 11 individuals designated today have implemented policies directly aimed at curbing freedom of expression and assembly, and democratic processes, and are subsequently responsible for the degradation of Hong Kong's autonomy," the Treasury Department said in a press release. The individuals face asset freezes.

Hong Kong has become a source of tension in U.S.-China relations particularly after Beijing pushed ahead to enact the national security law in the territory in late June.

The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump has seen the move as a betrayal of China's promise to allow Hong Kong, under its "one country, two systems" policy, to enjoy a high degree of autonomy for 50 years after the former British colony's return to Chinese rule in 1997.

In its press release, the Treasury Department said that the "draconian" law has allowed mainland China's security services to operate with impunity in the region and set the groundwork for "censorship of any individuals or outlets that are deemed unfriendly to China."

It condemned Lam for not only being involved in implementing the law, but also as "the chief executive directly responsible for implementing Beijing's policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes," including pushing for an update to Hong Kong's extradition arrangements last year to allow suspects in the territory to be sent to the mainland for prosecution.

Related coverage:

China prefers Trump defeat in Nov. election: U.S. intelligence

Trump intensifies offensive against China, threatening major apps ban

H.K. activist Nathan Law urges democracies to take tougher stance on China

The move set off a series of massive opposition demonstrations in Hong Kong.

Most recently, Lam has stirred concern over Hong Kong's democratic processes by announcing that the September legislative election will be postponed for a year due to health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Lam has yet to comment on the sanctions against her, but she previously said such a move would be "ludicrous and dismissible" as she has no assets in the United States and does not wish to go there.

Among others who were sanctioned, Chris Tang, commissioner of the Hong Kong Police Force, was criticized by the Treasury Department for "enthusiastically" supporting the national security law and for his role in bringing about the arrests of hundreds of protesters.

Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong said on his Facebook account that the U.S. decision is clearly a reaction to Beijing's series of "reckless crackdowns."

"When Beijing scraps its promise of the city's autonomy and liberty...it is foreseeable that other countries will review their policies on Hong Kong," he said, while calling on the Hong Kong and Chinese governments to engage in reforming the political system rather than reacting in ways that escalate tensions.

"All Hong Kongers want is for Beijing to allow us to have free elections, stop the mass arrest and the crackdown on Hong Kong," he said.

Wong was among the 12 pro-democracy candidates disqualified to stand in the legislative election originally set for September.

The sanctions imposed on Friday were based on an executive order Trump signed last month. He declared in the order a "national emergency" with respect to the situation in Hong Kong and an end to the special economic treatment extended under U.S. law to the territory.

With the U.S. presidential election looming in November, pundits say a hardline stance against China is perceived as a positive among voters in the United States amid the increasing rivalry between the world's two largest economies.

This week, the Trump administration has been turning up the heat on Chinese mobile apps amid fears they can capture vast amounts of user information which could be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party.

The administration has also toughened its response to China's maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea, its alleged abusive treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the far-western Xinjiang region as well as its espionage activities.
An Air India Express plane with 195 passengers and crew aboard overshot the runway attempting to land at a southern Indian airport, breaking in two and coming to rest in a nearby valley.

The Boeing Co. 737 flight operated by Air India Ltd.s overseas unit originated in Dubai, Arun Kumar, the head of Indias Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said by phone.

It was scheduled to land in Kozhikode, in the southern state of Kerala. According to a playback on flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the aircraft circled the airport several times.

Further details werent immediately available.

The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2010, when an Air India Express Boeing Co. plane overshot the runway and burst into flames, killing 158 people. That was the first fatal crash of a passenger aircraft in India in a decade.
The alleged Ellen DeGeneres toxic and fake attitude has come into full-blown after more a dozen of former and current employees of her namesake show came to light and revealed the truth behind the host's "be kind" slogan.

While all these accusations are magnified just this year, it turns out that Ellen DeGeneres toxic behavior could be traced down years ago as she would often bully kids as young as 11-years-old.

Just recently, a former victim of the 62-year-old talk show queen came forward to back up the claims that Ellen is the "meanest, nastiest, most horrible person" alive.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV, Ben Gravolet, who is now 52-year-old claims that Ellen would take pleasure in calling him "fat and stupid" when he was still at the age of 11.

According to Gravolet, the award-winning host used to work for his mother's recruitment agency back in the late 1970s. Ellen, who is on her 20s at that time, worked as a recruiter for Snelling Personnel New Orleans branch owned by his mother.

"I would dread going to the office to see her after school or on a day if I was sick and Ellen was there,' Gravolet told the news outlet.

"She would criticize my weight. I would try to do homework in the office, she'd call me stupid, she'd call me fat. She would criticize my clothes," he added.

The bullying victim could not fathom how a grown woman took the pleasure of seeing a young and defenseless child visibly upset.

Gravolet claims that Ellen would often tell him hurtful words about his physical appearance that would make affect his self-confidence.

The Louisiana-based father-of-three, who now works as a vice president of a New Orleans marketing agency, recalled an incident when Ellen would criticize her drawings while lounging at his mom's office.

"It appears to me that she hoards power over those that are lesser than her. It's almost as if she has to feel controlling. It seems like she has to be superior, be better," he added.

Mrs Tana Robinson, Gravolet's mother, revealed that she was not aware of the bullying incident and only learned about it a few weeks ago when her son opened up.

Speaking to the DailyMailTV, Mrs Robinson said that she would have fired the now millionaire TV host had she known what was happening in her office years ago.

"I'd have punched her and then fired her. A horrible person does that to an 11-year-old boy," the 72-year-old mother said.

"A bully is a good word for it. She never tried to bully me because she knew she couldn't. So she bullied him with me not knowing about it," she added.

Gravolet's revelation came after some of Ellen's Hollywood A-lister friends have publicly declared support on her battle and said defend her from all the bullying and toxic behavior accusations.

Katy Perry, Kevin Hart, Ashton Kutcher, and more argued that they only have a positive experience with the TV host and will stand by her side no matter what.

READ MORE: Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin Mark Major Relationship Milestone
Enjoy watching this dramatic encounter in Halibut Cove, Alaska, where an otter frantically heads for a boat in hopes of escaping a pursuing orca.

Eventually, the otter jumps up onto the transom of John's vessel moments before the whale arrives at the surface just feet away. John, 37, revealed a game of cat-and-mouse followed, with the otter hopping back into the water in an attempt to get away, only for the orca to chase it back up again three or four times. His fellow captain, Chantrelle Major, also filmed the moment from her vessel nearby, with the orca then circling John's boat in search of the otter. Eventually, once the orca had distanced itself from the boat, John, working with Coldwater Alaska, an exploration company providing boat trips in the area, headed for his next pickup in Halibut Cove Lagoon and when at a safe distance the otter plunged safely into the water. John later discovered the orca, ID number AT163, was the largest in its pod.
Further opens the door to integration of energy production to achieve net-zero 2050 goals

OTTAWA, Aug. 7, 2020 /CNW/ - The Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) welcomes the Province of Alberta's growing support for next generation small modular reactors (SMRs) as part of Canada's march toward net-zero 2050 energy.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has signalled intent to add his signature to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance the development and deployment of SMRs to address climate change, regional energy demand and economic development. This signature will represent the fourth Canadian Premier to join the MOU that was signed in December 2019 by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs.

"This is a crucial step in Canada's energy transition because SMRs produce the density of electricity and heat needed to maximize the potential of all other energy sources," says John Gorman, President & CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Association. "Canada is fortunate to have one of the world's largest clean electricity grids (82% carbon-free), one of the world's largest reserves of oil and natural gas, plus a growing array of biofuel, solar, wind and hydrogen energy. When we get these resources working together, no one can match Canada's ability to produce clean, abundant, affordable energy."

SMRs are nuclear fission reactors that produce clean energy, designed to be built at a smaller size but in larger numbers than most of the world's current nuclear fleet. They represent the next generation of innovative, versatile and scalable nuclear reactors that will further enhance the safety, economic and environmental benefits of nuclear energy.

Two years ago, the Government of Canada published the SMR Roadmap stating, "Innovation in the nuclear sector plays a critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and delivering good, middle-class jobs as Canada moves toward a low carbon future. SMRs could be the future of Canada's nuclear industry, with the potential to provide non-emitting energy for a wide range of applications, from grid-scale electricity generation to use in heavy industry and remote communities."

Last December, the Premiers of Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick signed a MOU, agreeing "to work together to explore new, cutting-edge technology in nuclear power generation to provide carbon-free, affordable, reliable, and safe energy, while helping us unlock economic potential across Canada, including rural and remote regions."

In February 2020, Canada's Natural Resource Minister Seamus O'Regan launched consultations regarding the conversion of the 2018 SMR Roadmap into the SMR Action Plan. The government highlighted potential applications of SMRs in remote communities, industrial, mining and other settings as a method of providing zero-carbon clean baseload electricity where currently unavailable.

With Alberta's plans to join other provinces in the MOU, another key window of emission-reducing technology comes into play.

"Canadian oil and natural gas are a vital part of the Canadian economy," says Gorman. "It is investing heavily in emission reducing technology of all sorts. The potential to harness clean electricity and heat to further accelerate emission reductions could be highly impactful to the Albertan and Canadian economiesand to our ability to achieve net zero by 2050."

To learn more about Canadian SMRs and the SMR Roadmap, visit www.smrroadmap.ca.

About the CNA

Every year in Canada, nuclear technology helps avoid 80 million tonnes of CO 2 emissions by displacing fossil fuels and supplies 70 per cent of the global supply of cobalt-60, radioisotopes that are used to treat cancer and sterilize medical equipment, among other things. It generates more than $6 billion in revenue and creates more than 76,000 direct and indirect, well-paying jobs. Canada stands to solidify its leading position in the world's nuclear industry with the introduction of next-generation technologies in the form of small nuclear reactors.



The Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) has been the national voice of the Canadian nuclear industry since 1960. Working with our members and all communities of interest, the CNA promotes the industry nationally and internationally, works with governments on policies affecting the sector and endeavours to increase awareness and understanding of the value nuclear technology brings to the environment, economy and daily lives of Canadians.

SOURCE Canadian Nuclear Association

For further information: or to schedule an interview, please contact: Tricia Weagant, 613-806-5168, [email protected]

Related Links

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The National President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Philipa Larson has described the pockets of vandalism perpetrated by some of the final students in the ongoing exit examinations in the Senior High Schools across the country as unprecedented.



According to Philipa Larson, there should be legal action against the students who brutalized the teachers supervising the ongoing West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), describing the incidents as worrying.



On Thursday, students of Bright Senior High School at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region attacked officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) supervising the exercise.



A journalist with the Daily Graphic in the Region who had gone to the school to report has also been assaulted by the students leaving him with severe injuries.



Again, the final year students of the Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School in the Ashanti Region rioted on August 3 which resulted in the destruction of property during the writing of the WASSCE Integrated Science paper.



Some students also claim the past questions distributed by the government did not reflect in the final paper, contributing to the rationale behind the pockets of vandalism recorded in schools in parts of the country.



GNAT President reacting to the pockets of incidents in the various Senior High Schools on JoyNews said that the government providing the students with past questions did not mean those questions will come for the students to answer them.



With regard to the threats of attacks, Madam Philipa Larson was of the view that the act perpetrated by the students is criminal, calling on the Ghana Education Service to invite the police to arrest perpetrators.



I would want the GES and other security agencies will have to come in and arrest people; they have to arrest because the threat is also criminal. We will not sit down for our members to be threatened, she said.



Meanwhile, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed school authorities to ask any student established to have been involved in any of the protects and acts of vandalism during the period to go home.



The GES Director-General, Prof Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa in a statement noted that any destruction of school property should be surcharged against students found guilty of the riot adding that criminal acts committed should be reported to the police for investigation.









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.

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The Ashanti Regional Office of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) is stepping up efforts to register all tourist sites in the Region.



Mr Peter Achampong, the Regional Manager, said the move was to enhance effective monitoring and inspection by the Authority while injecting professionalism in the work of the industry players.



The Region boasts of some of the worlds acclaimed tourist attraction sites, which had over the years seen international and local tourists visit for educational, research and leisure purposes.



The Lake Bosomtwe, designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site, and the various museums and historical sites, depicting the history of the Asante monarchy and people, the cultural diversity and environmental biodiversity was the major source of tourism drive and revenue-generation in the Region.



Mr Achampong, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Kumasi, on the sidelines of the launch of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA)-Ghana, said the GTA was determined to developing tourism to an appreciable standard.



The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, he said, was changing the way things were done in the industry.



Therefore, there is a need for the GTA to work assiduously in supporting industry players to adapt to the current transformation, with more emphasis on the safety of stakeholders.



ATTA-Ghana, a network of key players in the tourism industry with a pan-African vision, seeks to demonstrate to the outside world the continents rich tourism diversity.



The objective is to encourage and attract investment for sustainable development of tourism to create jobs and wealth for the people.



Mr Achampong said research had indicated that: After a disaster, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people out of curiosity would like to travel.



We are entering a new, post-COVID-19 phase when tourism will re-establish itself globally, and we must be ready to resume marketing and promotional activities, he told the GNA.



He emphasized the need for players in the industry to put a premium on professionalism in the discharge of their duties to ensure value for money as the public patronized their services.

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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LADERA RANCH, Calif., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. ("SmartStop" or the "Company" ), a self-managed and fully-integrated self-storage company with approximately $1.6 billion of self storage assets under management, today announced the completion of the first solar panel project as part of a broader Company-wide initiative to reduce SmartStop's carbon footprint and become more energy efficient. The project at Mt. Pleasant was designed and installed in cooperation with Warner Energy, LLC.

The panels, which were installed at SmartStop's Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina location, are expected to collectively contribute energy output of 61.38 kilowatt photovoltaics (kW PV), resulting in an annualized savings of 81,500 kilowatt hours (kWh). At full capacity, the electricity savings generated from this system is equivalent to replacing or removing:

Greenhouse gas emissions from ~12.4 passenger vehicles driven for one year;

Emissions from a single passenger vehicle driven 142,987 miles;

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from approx. 9.8 homes' annualized electricity use;

dioxide (CO2) emissions from approx. 9.8 homes' annualized electricity use; CO2 sequestered from ~75.3 acres of U.S. forests in one year.

The Company plans to deploy similar installations at various locations throughout the U.S. and Canada over the course of the next few years, including 10 projects installed by the end of 2020 which are projected to generate over 1.3 million kWh each year.

"This solar panel installation at our Mt. Pleasant location is the first of many projects we have planned in the coming months and over the next few years," said Michael McClure, Chief Executive Officer of SmartStop. "As property owners, we have an obligation that extends to our customers, our business partners and our surrounding communities to act as a responsible, ethical corporate steward. Beyond meeting our essential responsibilities to the environment, we're also focused on maintaining energy-efficient operations that meet the demands of a modern self storage operation. Over time, we expect our broader green-focused initiatives and other value-added capital investments will generate material energy and cost savings, and this launch represents a great first step in the right direction."

About SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop)

SmartStop is a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of approximately 380 self storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through its indirect subsidiary SmartStop REIT Advisors, LLC, also sponsors other self storage programs, including Strategic Storage Trust IV, Inc., a public non-traded REIT, and other private programs. SmartStop is the tenth-largest self storage company in the U.S., with approximately $1.6 billion of real estate assets under management, including an owned and managed portfolio of 144 properties in 19 states and Toronto, Canada and comprising approximately 96,000 units and 10.9 million rentable square feet. Additional information regarding SmartStop is available at www.smartstopselfstorage.com.

Contact: Lauren Burgos

Spotlight Marketing Communications

949.427.1399

[email protected]

SOURCE SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc.

Related Links

https://smartstopselfstorage.com


Detained trawlers abscond from Sierra Leone

August 07,2020 | Source: World Fishing

Sierra Leone has alerted other states in the region after three trawlers escaped detention in Freetown port. They were being held pending payment of fines. However, on 27th July all three escaped sailed without paying. The authorities say they are unaware of their location and have appealed to neighbouring states to help locate and return the vessels.



A regional search has been launched to locate the fugitive vessels and return them to Sierra Leone to face justice. Jian Mei 1, Jian Mei 4 and Hong Chang 1 had been documented by local fishermen apparently operating in inshore waters where trawling is banned, and the three trawlers were sanctioned for violating national laws and regulations.



Sierra Leones Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Emma Kowa-Jalloh announced that the three vessels had absconded, commenting that the three were under arrest for infringing the laws and regulations of Sierra Leone [and] have left the country on the 27th July 2020 illegally without fulfilling the relevant sanctions levied on them.



The nationality of the vessel owners has not been verified, though China Dialogue Ocean estimates that 75% of trawlers operating in Sierra Leone are connected to China.



The role of Chinese vessels in West Africa has been under increasing scrutiny in recent months, with Chinese fishing operators making controversial efforts to fish in Senegal, Ghana and Liberia, in the face of opposition from local fishing associations.



Illegal fishing is a serious issue in western Africa waters. In Sierra Leone, fisheries provide 9% of the economy, providing tens of thousands of jobs and the countrys main source of animal protein.

 Mercator Media Ltd 2020, All Rights Reserved

Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods.
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders prohibiting U.S. residents from doing business with the Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat apps beginning 45 days from now, citing the national security risk of leaving Americans personal data exposed.

The bans mark a significant escalation by Trump in his confrontation with Beijing as the U.S. seeks to curb Chinas power in global technology. With the U.S. election less than 90 days away, Trump is making his challenge of China a central theme of his campaign, where he trails Democrat Joe Biden in the polls.

Shares of WeChats owner, Chinas Tencent Holdings Ltd., fell as much as 10% in morning trading and sliced almost $70 billion from its market value. The offshore yuan weakened as much as 0.45%, the most in two weeks.

This is yet another watershed moment in the U.S.-China technology cold war here where the U.S. government is targeting these two very popular Chinese apps and basically saying they have national security problems, said Paul Triolo, Head of Global Technology policy at Eurasia Group. It shows the depth of the U.S. concern.

The move coincides with Trumps push for the sale of TikTok, the popular video app owned by ByteDance Ltd., to an American company. It threatens penalties on any U.S. resident or company that conducts transactions with TikTok, WeChat or their owners after the orders take effect.

To protect our Nation, I took action to address the threat posed by one mobile application, TikTok. Further action is needed to address a similar threat posed by another mobile application, WeChat, Trump said in the order against WeChat, released minutes after the TikTok measure.

While WeChat hasnt been widely adopted in the U.S., the ban would still have broad implications because its used by more than a billion people and is central to business and social communications with China. The measure blocks all transactions involving WeChat but doesnt amount to a broader ban on dealings with Tencent, according to a U.S. official. The order against TikTok blocks all transactions in which its owner, ByteDance, or subsidiaries have an interest, the official said.

Story continues

Earlier this week, Trump threatened to shut down TikTok if its owners didnt sell the business to a U.S. company by Sept. 15. Microsoft Corp. has been in talks about a possible purchase of TikToks operations in the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

TikTok said in a blog post it is shocked by the order and will pursue all remedies available, including the U.S. courts. Tencent said it is reviewing the executive order to get a full understanding.

China said Friday that the U.S. was putting selfish interests above market principles and international rules and engaging in political manipulation and oppression.

The relevant businesses follow market principles and international rules in conducting business operations in the U.S., Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily briefing in Beijing on Friday in response to a question about the bans.

The measures would apply to any transaction over which the U.S. could have jurisdiction, and sanctions would be defined by the U.S. Commerce Secretary, according to a Trump administration official, who discussed the order on condition of anonymity.

Trumps executive order likely means WeChat gets bumped off Apple Inc. and Googles app stores in 45 days. Transactions subject to punishment could include agreements to make TikTok or WeChat available in app stores and purchases of ads on the apps, according to a person familiar with the matter, who discussed the orders on condition of anonymity. Simply downloading the apps could be affected, since that involves accepting terms of service that include an intellectual property agreement between the user and app developer, the person said.

WeChat, the messaging software developed by Tencent, has evolved into an all-purpose app that allows people to use it for payments, e-commerce and more. The app is one of the most popular in the world with more than 1 billion users, and U.S. companies like Starbucks Corp., for example, use the service with consumers in China.

Tencent is one of Chinas most valuable tech companies, and its Chief Executive Officer Pony Ma is among the many business leaders who serves as a delegate to the National Peoples Congress, Chinas rubber-stamp parliament.

Tencent shares recovered to close about 5% lower, while the yuan pared losses to 0.24%.

Trump made his move under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law that allows the president to declare a national emergency in response to an unusual and extraordinary threat, allowing him to block transactions and seize assets.

IEEPA is an incredibly expansive authority and allows the president to declare a national emergency with respect to just about anything, Brian Fleming, a lawyer at Miller & Chevalier in Washington who previously worked in the Justice Departments national security division.

In his TikTok order, Trump said the app automatically captures vast swaths of user data, including location information and browsing history.

This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information -- potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage, Trump said.

TikTok says American user data is stored in servers in the U.S. and Singapore, not China. But TikToks terms of service stipulate that the company may share information with its parent, subsidiary or other affiliates. Previous versions of its privacy policy warned users it could exchange information with its Chinese businesses, law enforcement agencies and public authorities, if legally required to do so.

Banning WeChat in the U.S. could have far greater implications to cross-border business between Chinese and American companies, impacting everything from the manufacturing of medical face masks and Apple iPhones to the inking contracts of lawyers and bankers.

In China, its virtually impossible to function without WeChat and is essentially used by businesses in the place of email and text messages, which are not used as widely in China as they are in the U.S. Other messaging apps like Facebook Inc.-owned WhatsApp are blocked in China, making it harder to communicate with overseas partners without WeChat.

A ban on WeChat would be consequential because it would practically shut down communication between the U.S. and China, said Graham Webster, China Digital Economy Fellow at think tank New America. There are real data, privacy, and security concerns but they go well beyond these two Chinese apps and these orders just wrap the real issues up in political theatre.

(Updates with TikTok response)

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  While some government leaders maintain that the Anti-Terrorism Act will not be used to regulate the social media, a law expert warned that the much-anticipated implementing rules and regulations (IRR) could contain some dreaded provisions.

Kailangan lahat tayo magbantay diyan sa implementing rules and regulations na yan kasi maraming opportunities talaga na pwedeng isingit diyan, Sandra Olaso-Coronel, an attorney and a long-time lecturer at the University of the Philippines College of Law, told CNN Philippines on Friday.

[Translation: We all need to be vigilant over the implementing rules and regulations because many opportunities can be inserted there.]

Coronel sounded the alarm about the law's Section 6, which makes it unlawful to participate in the planning, training, preparation, and facilitation of any terrorist act, and Section 8, which penalizes any individual who proposes to commit terrorism.

Kapag sinabi nilang kung ang platform for planning, training, preparing or facilitating ay online or 'yung inciting na kapag ginawa itong mga actuation na ito online ay categorically pwede na siyang isama, said Coronel, who has a master of laws degree in computer and communications law from London.

[Translation: When they say that the platform for planning, training, preparing or facilitating is online or when inciting is done online, categorically it can be included.]

Republic Act 11479 or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, signed into law on July 3, has yet to be fully enforced as officials admit it will be open to question without the IRR. It is now the most challenged law before the Supreme Court, with 26 petitions seeking to declare it unconstitutional.

As critics take to social media to call on the judiciary to junk the anti-terrorism law, Coronel advised the public to be cautious of what they post or share.

Self-restraint, kung ito ba ay isang bagay na willing kayong i-risk na kayo ay i-tag [as terrorist], she said, adding that it would be more difficult to face any court battle amid the pandemic.

[Translation: Self-restraint, is it something worth being tagged as a terrorist?]

Petitioners have asked the high court to stop the implementation of the law, saying its vague and overly broad provisions can chill people to silence for fear of being tagged as terrorists. Lawmakers who authored and sponsored the measure insist that law-abiding citizens have no reason to fear because it has enough safeguards against abuse.
The man charged with murdering a two-year-old boy in Melbourne's outer south-east has pleaded not guilty and will go to trial.

During an appearance in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, Brendan Pallant, 33, pleaded not guilty to murdering Jaidyn Gomes-Sebastiao on September 2 last year.

Jaidyn Gomes.

Jaidyn died at his mother's house in Potts Road, Langwarrin.

Mr Pallant was remanded in custody and is due to appear before the Supreme Court later this month, when a tentative date for his trial will be set. Jury trials are currently suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the past 60 years, every decade has been hotter than the last, and 2020 is on track to be among the hottest years yet. But the burden of extreme heat is not shared equally  its significantly worse for people at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.

Extreme heat can exacerbate poor health, ravage crops and make it dangerous to work outside. And in many parts of the world, simple ways to alleviate those effects  like water, or electricity for fans and air-conditioners  are a luxury.

Somini Sengupta, The Timess international climate reporter, and a team of photographers have a new story that documents how rising temperatures are affecting people across multiple continents.
Square Yards, which is mainly into property and home loan brokerage business, on Friday reported over two-fold jump in gross profit to Rs 27.7 crore for June quarter on better sales bookings. Its gross profit stood at Rs 11.1 crore in the year-ago period.

The revenue grew 13 per cent at Rs 67.1 crore in the first quarter of 2020-21 as against Rs 59.5 crore in the same period a year ago, Square Yards said in its quarterly financial and operational update.

Out of total revenue, 94 per cent came from real estate business while the remaining from mortgage business.

The sale of properties located outside India, mainly Gulf region, contributed 29 per cent to the total revenue. Nearly 40 per cent income was from sale of Indian properties to non-resident Indians (NRIs).

The gross transaction value too rose by 13 per cent to Rs 1,354.4 crore during April-June 2020 from Rs 1,203.5 crore in the year-ago period. The rate of brokerage stood at 4.9 per cent in June quarter.

Square Yards Founder and CEO Tanuj Shori said, "The consolidation during the lockdown offers a peek into how industry will get structured in years to come. We continue to make a play for controlling market share to scale efficiencies and profitability."

Square Yards said the maximum sales it achieved were in the residential projects of Godrej Properties. Pune, Bengaluru and Mumbai were three major cities that contributed the most to sales.

Square Yards has so far raised USD 50 million in equity and over USD 25 million in debt financing since its inception in 2014.

Its total revenue grew to Rs 298 crore in 2019-20 from Rs 220 crore in the preceding fiscal.

Square Yards has started new verticals -- SaaS offering Edge and property management platform Azuro -- as part of its growth plan.
The Supreme Court on Friday censured a Kerala activist for obscenity over a video showing her two minor children painting on her semi-nude body, saying such acts are in bad taste. It reprimanded Rehana Fathima AS while rejecting her anticipatory bail plea; she faces arrest for uploading the video on YouTube.

The activist was booked under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology Act after she uploaded the clip on the video streaming platform in June.

You might be an activist but why do you do all this? What kind of nonsense is this? What impression will your kids get about the culture of the country? said Justice Arun Mishra while dismissing the plea. It is an obscenity. And you are spreading it [by uploading it on the internet]. It will leave a very bad taste.

Justice Mishra headed a three-judge bench that heard the activists anticipatory bail plea.

Fathima was previously in the news for upsetting the sentiments of Ayappa devotees through some social media posts, and in 2018 was among the women who tried to enter the temple with police protection after a Supreme Court order allowed women of all ages to enter the temple. In 2019, the court referred the issue, along with a few more sensitive issues to a larger bench.

Fathima approached the SC after the Kerala high court on July 24 rejected the bail plea of the activist; she faces charges of child pornography and for publishing such content that is an offence under the Information Technology Act.

Senior counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who appeared for Fathima AS, argued provisions relating to child pornography cannot be invoked since the children were neither nude nor being forced into any sexual act. How can it be child pornography? The children are fully clothed.

He contended the activist was trying to sensitize her children to the female body and was trying to dispel skewed notions on obscenity and female nudity. If a man stands with his dhoti tucked up, it is fine but not when a woman is half-nude, it is considered obscene, said Sankaranarayanan.

He argued that Fathima is not someone likely to abscond and there is no requirement of her custodial interrogation in the case.

Fathima was dismissed as a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited junior technician in April after a string of complaints. She spent two months in jail after she was arrested last year on charges of hurting Hindu religious feelings by posting an objectionable picture on social media. In October 2018, she sparked outrage by attempting to trek to Sabarimala temple amid protests over a Supreme Court order allowing women of all ages to enter the shrine.

The issue here is not whether exposing certain parts of a womans body is obscene or not. Rather, it is about involvement of children in painting on an human organ which represents sexuality because children are not capable of giving consent. In my personal opinion, provisions under POCSO are maintainable. That said, the court should have issued notice and heard all parties at length instead of dismissing the case at admission stage, said Supreme Court advocate Sriram Parakkat.
Generational house-cleanings are a recurring feature of American politics, where nothing is forever. (Except maybe Michigans Dingell Dynasty. Every Congress since 1933 has included a Dingell from the suburbs of Detroit  father John, son John Jr. and now John Jr.s widow, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D). Having won her primary, she appears certain to keep the streak going.) Americans of a certain age will remember the young veterans of World War II, of whom John F. Kennedy said a torch has been passed to a new generation. The Watergate generation of reformist Democrats rolled into Washington around 1975, followed by Reagan revolutionaries on the right.
" " Crystalization of oseltamivir phosphate,the active ingredient in Tamiflu Photo courtesy Roche

Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) is an antiviral drug marketed by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche. It belongs to a group of drugs called neuraminidase inhibitors and can shorten the duration and lessen the severity of the type A and B strains of the flu, as well as bird flu.

Each 75-milligram capsule contains the active chemical oseltamivir, as well as several inactive ingredients. Scientists synthesize oseltamivir from shikimic acid, a naturally occurring substance found in plants like Chinese star anise, ginkgo, spruce, pine and fir trees.

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Roche primarily obtains shikimic acid from the Chinese star anise, a spice found in the star-shaped fruit of the Illicium verum, a small evergreen tree. Roche uses a specific type of anise that grows in four mountain provinces (Guanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou) of southwest China. Because these regions are high altitude and have a hot, humid, climate, they produce a higher purity and greater yield of star anise than other regions.

" " Tamiflu capsules with star anise fruit and pods Photo courtesy Roche

The manufacture of Tamiflu involves a complex, 10-step process that takes approximately 6-8 months to complete. First, a Roche supplier extracts shikimic acid from the pods (the part that wraps around the seeds) of the star anise. The remaining steps involve a series of complex chemical reactions. Thirty kilograms (66 pounds) of star anise produces only 1 kilogram (just over 2 pounds) of shikimic acid.

Although most shikimic acid comes from star anise, Roche and its partners are increasingly using fermentation to produce it. Roche uses a special strain of the E. Coli bacteria in its fermentation process. When these bacteria are overfed glucose, or sugar, they produce shikimic acid. This process could produce greater yields of shikimic acid, and scientists are working to improve the fermentation process so they can use it more readily.

Tamiflu targets a protein called neuraminidase that lives on the flu virus cells. This protein helps the flu virus break through the cell walls so it can move on to other cells and replicate itself. Tamiflu inhibits the neuraminidase protein, so that the virus can't leave the cell to infect other cells. Eventually, the virus dies.

" " Photo courtesy Roche

Tamiflu can't stop the flu entirely. However, studies have shown that if you take it within 48 hours of showing symptoms, it can shorten the duration of the flu (strains A and B). Patients with the flu who took it felt better 30 percent (or 1.3 days) faster than people who didn't take it [ref]. The drug also can help protect you from getting the flu if you're exposed to someone who has it. But Tamiflu can't prevent the spread of the disease, and it won't stop illnesses (like the common cold) that resemble the flu.

Tamiflu isn't cheap, either. A 10-dose course can cost $60 to $80 in the United States. Currently there is no generic version of the drug available in the U.S.

Between 2004 and 2005, 12 children in Japan reportedly died after taking Tamiflu. However, the children also had neurological problems that could have been associated with the flu itself. In November 2005, the Pediatric Advisory Committee of the FDA ruled that the drug was safe for children [ref].

We'll find out how Tamiflu stands up to bird flu in the next section.

Taking Tamiflu Tamiflu is available by prescription only, in both pill and liquid form. Each pill contains 75 milligrams of the drug, and the liquid (intended for children or adults who can't swallow pills) is a 12 milligram/milliliter suspension. For the drug to work, you must start taking it within a day or two of your first symptoms. Then you take Tamiflu twice a day for five days. Doctors recommend that you take all 10 doses, even if you start to feel better before you're finished. Tamiflu is generally safe for adults and children ages one and up. The most common side effects are nausea and vomiting, but you can help prevent them by taking the drug with food. Other, less common side effects are bronchitis, insomnia, skin rashes and vertigo. People who are allergic to oseltamivir phosphate, or any of Tamiflu's other ingredients shouldn't take it. It's also not recommended for women who are pregnant or nursing. You should tell your doctor if you are on any other medication, or if you have kidney or heart problems. Read More
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is close to naming a running mate. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

All but one of the women Joe Biden might pick as his running mate will end up disappointed, but already a new guessing game has started: What other roles could they fill in his administration?

Most of the women are Democratic Party stars with expertise in public policy, making them contenders for jobs in Biden's administration should the former vice president unseat President Trump. They are U.S. senators and House members. They include former prosecutors, an ex-police chief and a foreign policy expert. Some are on the front lines of responding to the coronavirus pandemic and the protests against police brutality and racial discrimination.

"They all bring unique strengths," said Kelly Dittmar, the research director at Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics.

Biden's pledge to pick a woman as his running mate means America will have its first female vice president if he wins. The vetting is a grueling ordeal, with Biden advisors sifting through exhaustive dossiers on everything in the women's backgrounds. Will any of those who endured it be willing to accept another job later as consolation?

Sen. Kamala Harris of California could be a top contender for U.S. attorney general in a Biden administration. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Kamala Harris: Top cop or Supreme Court justice?

The U.S. senator from California, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, has been floated as a Supreme Court nominee to fulfill another Biden promise: that he would put a Black woman on the high court.

Harris would also be a prime candidate for U.S. attorney general. A career prosecutor who was California's attorney general and San Francisco's district attorney before her 2016 election to the Senate, Harris often used to describe herself as the state's "top cop."

She quickly made her name in Washington by grilling Trump nominees and officials from her seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her pointed interrogation of Jeff Sessions when he was attorney general left him so flustered that he told her it makes me nervous to be rushed into responding.

Story continues

When Harris was a Biden rival in the presidential primaries, her work as a prosecutor was a source of trouble, raising doubts among some Democrats about her record on racial disparities in the justice system. But many believe it clearly qualifies her to run the Justice Department.

"Harris could be an amazing attorney general," said Neera Tanden, the president of the Center for American Progress and a former advisor to Hillary Clinton.

But would Harris, 55, want to leave the Senate? In 2014, when she was reported to be a possible successor to President Obamas outgoing attorney general, Harris declined to be considered.

Elizabeth Warren: Economic populist in Treasury?

The Massachusetts senator who ran against Biden in the primary with the promise of "big structural change" is mentioned often as Treasury secretary. A former Harvard Law School professor and expert on personal bankruptcies, Warren was the architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau set up after the 2008 economic crash.

Her populist economic agenda has alarmed many of the corporate leaders and Wall Street bankers who are accustomed to having one of their own in charge of the Treasury Department.

During her presidential campaign, Warren, 71, had vowed to shake up American capitalism in part by taxing big corporations and the rich to fund healthcare, education and housing for the poor and middle class. As Treasury secretary, Warren would be one of the most powerful figures guiding the nation's economy and financial markets.

Tanden, who thinks Warren could also be attorney general, suggested that those who might object need to accept that some of the reforms championed by the senator are inevitable in an era of wealth concentration that rivals the Gilded Age.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren could be a leading candidate for Treasury secretary or attorney general if Democrat Joe Biden unseats President Trump. (Matthew Putney / Associated Press)

Unless we have a really concerted effort to deal with the deep inequalities of this country, the business community is going to face a lot more disruption than theyre facing now, Tanden said.

One complication: the Republican governor of Massachusetts would name Warren's replacement, likely depriving Democrats of a crucial seat in what could remain a closely divided Senate.





Susan Rice: Diplomat in chief or Putin tormentor?

Nobody on Biden's running mate list matches the foreign policy credentials of Rice. She was national security advisor in Obamas second term and U.N. ambassador in his first. She's talked about as a leading candidate for secretary of State.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a friend of Biden's, said Rice, 55, could also be Defense secretary or ambassador to Russia, where she could antagonize President Vladimir Putin after his years of chumminess with President Trump.

"She would drive Putin crazy," Rendell said. "Crazy. Thats what I would do if I were Joe  just drive Putin absolutely crazy.





Tammy Duckworth: Decorated vet running the V.A.?

The U.S. senator from Illinois vaulted into the top tier of Biden's running mate contenders largely through her compelling personal biography.

Duckworth, 52, grew up in Southeast Asia and Hawaii. She speaks Thai and Indonesian. When she was an Army helicopter pilot during the Iraq war she lost both legs in combat. She went on to lead the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs before serving in Obama's administration as assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Not surprisingly, many see the Purple Heart recipient as a good fit to take over the long-troubled Veterans Affairs Department.

"It would be kind of a tremendous role to have a disabled vet as the head of the V.A.," said Will Marshall, president of the Progressive Policy Institute.

Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth is an Army combat veteran who could be up for the job of Veterans Affairs secretary. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

After four years in the House and four in the Senate, he said, Duckworth would also be well positioned for other senior posts, including Health and Human Services secretary.





Val Demings: Back to law enforcement?

Florida Rep. Demings, a former Orlando police chief with nearly three decades on the force, could be tapped for a top law enforcement post. Some landing spots for Demings: Perhaps the FBI, if the current director, Christopher A. Wray, leaves before his term ends in 2027, or the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Or the sprawling Homeland Security Department.

Somebodys got to deal with that whole agency, which is a whole debacle, so having a woman who was police chief might be a perfect fit, Tanden said, alluding to the departments role in Trumps attacks on immigration and his violent crackdown on protests against racial injustice.

Demings, 63, was first elected to the House in 2016.

Karen Bass: U.N. ambassador?

Bass, 66, a former California Assembly speaker, has represented South L.A. and part of the Westside in Congress for nearly a decade. Her extensive work on issues such as African affairs, child welfare, healthcare and police accountability makes her a plausible appointee as U.N. ambassador or secretary of Education or Health and Human Services.

"She's just very competent, very pragmatic and very accomplished," said Marshall, who has served with Bass on the board of the National Endowment for Democracy.

Rep. Karen Bass of Los Angeles is a former California Assembly speaker. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

Gretchen Whitmer: Fighting the pandemic from D.C.?

Michigan Gov. Whitmer issued one of America's strictest lockdown orders early in the pandemic when COVID-19 paralyzed Detroit. She was criticized by Trump, who pressured governors to reopen their economies, but Whitmer declined to engage. Her popularity rose and the outbreak eased.

Whitmer's executive experience makes her a natural contender for domestic affairs Cabinet posts, including Commerce and Health and Human Services, Tanden said.

"She's been incredibly competent on the virus," she said.

Rendell, however, sees Whitmer, 48, as more likely to seek reelection in 2022 and rise later to a national post if Biden doesn't put her on the ticket.





Keisha Lance Bottoms: Homeland Security chief?

Twin crises have put Atlanta's mayor in the national spotlight this year as she led her city through a coronavirus outbreak and major protests after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

A lawyer and former judge, Bottoms, 50, accused Trump of violating her mandatory mask-wearing order on a recent visit to Atlanta.

Marshall said he could see Bottoms heading Health and Human Services, Labor, Transportation or Housing and Urban Development.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has led her city amid a COVID-19 outbreak and protests against racial bias in policing. (Associated Press)

But he thinks Homeland Security would be the best fit.

One could make a really powerful case for a mayor who understands federal and local law enforcement, he said.





Stacey Abrams: Continuing fight for voting rights?

After Abrams lost her race for Georgia governor in 2018, she became one of the countrys leading voting rights advocates.

Democrats alleged that her Republican rival Brian Kemp used his post as secretary of state to keep turnout from Black voters low. Abrams, 46, a lawyer and former state lawmaker, went on to form Fair Fight, an Atlanta voting rights group.

That work has put her in the conversation for attorney general, where she would be in charge of revitalizing the Justice Department's civil rights division.

"She's done a tremendous amount on voting rights," Tanden said. "I would think of that as kind of optimal" for attorney general.
A 63-year-old woman was charged today with two misdemeanors after pushing a man in her care into a bookcase during an argument at a Lowville residential home, according to New York State Police.

Deborah A. Cannan, of Lowville, was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent physical/disabled person and third-degree assault, troopers said.

The incident happened at a residential facility at 5331 Dayan St., Lowville.

State police said Cannan is charged with pushing an older man, a resident, into a bookcase during an argument.

The man was taken by ambulance to Lewis County General Hospital for treatment, state police said.

Cannan is scheduled to appear in the village of Lowville Court at 4 p.m. on Aug. 25.

Got a story idea or news tip youd like to share? Please contact me through email, Twitter, Facebook or at 315-470-2274.
Former Obama Official Says Despite 'Maximum Pressure' Iran Not Closer To Talks

Maryam Sinaiee August 06, 2020

The former U.S. Undersecretary Of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman on Wednesday said Trump administration's 'maximum pressure' has not brought Iran anywhere closer to negotiating with the United States.

Speaking at the virtual Aspen Security Forum where the U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook also delivered remarks on "Maximum Pressure: America's Strategy to Counter Iran", Sherman said the Trump decision to leave the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran in May 2018 has gotten the United States "to a really bad place".

"I appreciate that the Trump administration put the maximum pressure campaign and they indeed have, but what it has gotten them, and Brian [Hook] said this himself, is resistance," Sherman who negotiated the 2015 nuclear agreement said.

"Iran is now enriching at higher levels with more centrifuges. They are still supporting proxies in the region. They're still abusing the rights of their own people. They are not a responsible player in the international community," she was quoted by Jerusalem Post as saying at the forum.

Sherman charged that the Trump administration used a series of tactics the strategic objective of which was not clear. "The administration said it's not regime change. And yet they said they're creating leverage to get a better negotiation, but I think we all see that Iran is nowhere close to negotiating [with] the [Trump] administration," she said and added: "So we're in a quite worse place".

The Trump administration argues that the 2015 nuclear deal was a relatively short-term agreement which would not prevent Tehran from building nuclear weapons and "maximum pressure" now has put Iran in a much weaker position.

"For as long as Iran is allowed to enrich, we're going to be having this discussion - how close is Iran to a nuclear breakout? ... We need to restore the U.N. Security Council standard of no enrichment," Brian Hook told the Aspen Security Forum.

The U.N. Security Council will vote next week on a resolution proposed by the United States to extend its arms embargo on Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday. The decision may spark a crisis in the Security Council as China and Russia, two of the Permanent Five with the right to veto, are likely to oppose the extension of the embargo.

The embargo will expire on October 18 as agreed in the 2015 nuclear agreement (JCPOA).

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/former-obama- official-says-despite-maximum-pressure-iran- not-closer-to-talks/30769186.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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New Delhi:

Each year on December 4, the Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day to commemorate the victory of the 1971 war and the naval action at Karachi Harbour on Dec 4, 1971, and respect the martyrs of the war.

This day marks the success of the Operation Trident of Indo-Pakistani War in 1971. In this operation Indian Navy sank three Pakistani vessels near the largest Pakistani port of Karachi. Operation Trident also had resulted in first use of anti-ship missiles in the Arabian Sea region.

Operation Trident and its follow-up Operation Python, were the Indian naval offensive operations launched on Pakistan's port city of Karachi by the Indian Navy during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971



So let us get deeper insights into Operation Trident, the success of which is celebrated as Navy Day

Timeline of Operation Trident

Dec 4, 1971 - Two Petya class Frigates, INS Katchall (under Cdr. KN Zadu) and INS Kiltan (under Commander. G Rao) sailed with the Missile Boats to form the Trident Force. They set sail for Karachi. The plan was to sail westward and then northwards to reach Karachi by midnight.

Dec 4, 1971 - At around 0700 hrs in the morning, four Hunter aircrafts of the IAF led by Wing commander Das, flew low over the Karachi Coast. They Flew along the coast and then suddenly gained height over the Kermari Oil tanks. They sprayed them with their rockets and canons.

Dec 4 - 1500 hrs: The Trident Task Force was steaming towards Karachi in an Arrowhead formation. They were anxiously scanning the Sonar for Pakistani submarines and keeping a sharp lookout. The missile boats switched on their Rangout Radars. They could now be picked up anytime.

At 2243 hours on Dec 4, the radar on the Nirghat picked up a big ship on Port bow. The target was PNS Khyber, a destroyer of Pak Navy. The first missile had homed in onto the target with precision and hit her on the starboard side  she lost propulsion. PNS Khyber transmitted a Mayday Signal saying it had been hit by enemy aircraft. The second missile had slammed into her boiler room. There was a sheet of flame and the ship broke into two and sank. The panic-stricken crew began to jump overboard.

The Khyber now sank like a rock. In quick succession the missile boats picked up the Merchant ship Venus challenger ( carrying ammunition for the Pak Army) and the Pakistan Navy Minesweepr Muhafiz. Missiles were fired and both these ships were sunk.

Cdr Yadav now sailed close to the Karachi Harbour- picked up the oil Tanks and Fired a missile. It hit the first oil Tank. Symapathetic explosions started and soon the whole oil complex was on fire. The Karachi oil farm in fact burnt for a week and blotted out the sun.

The Task force now turned around and returned full speed to Mumbai. It had executed its daring mission without a scratch! This was unprecedented in the annals of Naval warfare. Not content to rest on its laurels the Indian Navy repeated this deadly feat just four days later .

It attacked Karachi Harbour again, sank another three Ships (PNS Dacca and Merchant ships Harmattan and Gulf star) and for the second time set the Keamari oil tanks on fire. In close concert with this attack the Indian Air Force Canberra bombers attacked the Masroor air field and prevented the PAF from interfering with this naval operation.

The Daring Naval strikes on the home base of the Pakistani navy epitomized the highest level of military valour and courage.

Commader. (later Commodore. BB Yadav) was awarded the Mahavir Chakra and three of the Missile boat commanders won the Vir Chakra.







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E ighteen people are dead after an Air India Express flight which was carrying 191 passengers crash-landed at an airport in southern India.

The plane's fuselage split in two after crash landing at Kozhikode airport in Calicut in the state of Kerala.

At least 18 passengers are dead and 122 have been injured, police said. Abdul Karim, a senior Kerala state police officer, said the dead included one of the pilots of the Air India Express flight.

Mr Karim added that at least 15 of the injured were in critical condition, and that rescue operations were over.

The plane's "black box", containing flight details that could give more details about what went wrong, has been recovered and the government has launched an investigation.

Indian news reports said the plane skid off the runway during heavy rain.

The incident was caused by poor weather conditions / AFP via Getty Images

Rajiv Jain, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Ministry, said the incident was caused by poor weather conditions.

The news reports said the plane didn't catch fire. They said passengers were evacuated from the Boeing aircraft.

The NDTV news channel said the plane flew from Dubai to Kozhikode in southern India.

Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India.

It was a repatriation flight carrying Indian citizens back to country, officials said. Regular commercial flights have been halted in India because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Jain said there were 174 adult passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew on board the aircraft.

Amitabh Kant, who heads the government's planning commission, said the runway is on a hilltop with deep gorges on either side, making it difficult to land.

A few passengers were trapped inside the wreckage / AFP via Getty Images

"The incident happened because of heavy rains and poor visibility. This is truly devastating," he told NDTV.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that he was "distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft at Kozhikode."

Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, said: "My deepest condolences to the loved ones of crew members, passengers who lost their lives in the tragic Air India plane mishap in Kozhikode. Praying for the well being and recovery of all survivors."
Two motorists who got behind the wheel while impaired heard sobering messages in court Friday.

The number of people who die from murder in Canada is a fraction of those who die as a result of impaired driving, Judge Fergus ODonnell told a Niagara-on-the-Lake man who pleaded guilty in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines to a charge of driving with an excessive blood/alcohol level.

The judge encouraged Michael Fougere-Davies to confront any issues he has with alcohol.

If not, you are a danger  not in a wilful sense  to other people.

This is a lifelong thing, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and with weaknesses they stick around, sometimes they go into remission. But theyre always ready to jump back up.

The 41-year-old man was fined $2,000 and placed on probation for nine months. He was also banned from driving for two years.

The thing about driving while impaired is that you just dont know how its going to end up, the judge said.

Lots of people drive impaired and they get home and theres no consequences. Some people get in a collision, some people kill somebody, and when those things happen it leaves this trail of damage behind because that family will never understand why this would happen and that family is never whole again.

In an unrelated case, Joseph Matthews pleaded guilty Friday to charges of operating a conveyance while impaired and possession of fentanyl/heroin in connection with a three-vehicle crash in St. Catharines that sent a mother and her 10-year-old child to hospital.

Court heard the 33-year-old St. Catharines man drove through a red light on Glenridge Avenue on April 28 and collided with two vehicles.

One vehicle was flipped on to its roof and the occupants, a mother and child, were taken by ambulance to hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The defendant said he had consumed a quantity of methadone earlier in the day and, shortly before the collision, he had pulled over onto the side of the road because he felt he was falling asleep at the wheel.

Police discovered a plastic Easter egg filled with fentanyl laced with heroin inside the mans vehicle.

Sentencing was postponed until September to give the victims an opportunity to submit a victim impact statement to the courts.

Defense counsel David Protomanni told Judge Donald Wolfe his client accepts responsibly and is remorseful for his actions.

This was a severe wakeup call for him, the lawyer said.

He realizes this could have been one of his children involved in an accident and he knows now that its time for him to get help.

According to MADD Canada, crashes involving alcohol and/or drugs are a leading criminal cause of death in Canada.

Every day, on average, up to four Canadians are killed and many more are injured in alcohol and/or drug-related motor vehicle crashes.
BEIJING - China has sentenced a fourth Canadian citizen to death on drug charges in less than two years following a sharp downturn in ties over the arrest of an executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 6/8/2020 (530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A woman wearing a face mask to help protect against the coronavirus walks past the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. China has sentenced a Canadian citizen to death on charges of manufacturing the drug ketamine amid heightened tension between the two countries. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

BEIJING - China has sentenced a fourth Canadian citizen to death on drug charges in less than two years following a sharp downturn in ties over the arrest of an executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Ye Jianhui was sentenced Friday by the Foshan Municipal Intermediate Court in the southern province of Guangdong. Ye had been found guilty of manufacturing and transporting illegal drugs, the court said in a brief statement.

Another suspect in the case was also given the death penalty and four others sentenced to between seven years and life in prison, it said. Death sentences are automatically referred to Chinas highest court for review.

Ties between Canada and China have nosedived over Canada's late 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a company executive and the daughter of Huawei's founder, at Vancouvers airport at the request of the U.S., which wants her extradited to face fraud charges over the companys dealings with Iran. Her arrest enraged Beijing, which calls it a political move aimed at constraining China's rise as a global technology power.

Ye's sentencing came a day after fellow Canadian Xu Weihong was given the death penalty by the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate Court, also in Guandong province. Convicted Canadian drug smuggler Robert Schellenberg was sentenced to death in a sudden retrial shortly after Meng's arrest, and a Canadian citizen identified as Fan Wei was given the death penalty in April 2019 for his role in a multinational drug smuggling case.

People wearing face masks to help protect against the coronavirus ride past the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. China has sentenced a Canadian citizen to death on charges of manufacturing the drug ketamine amid heightened tension between the two countries. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

China also detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor weeks after Meng's arrest, accusing them of vague national security crimes. China has also placed restrictions on various Canadian exports to China, including canola seed oil, in an apparent attempt to pressure China into releasing Meng, who is residing in one of her Vancouver mansions under a form of house arrest.

The court statement gave no further details of the charges against Ye and the others. However, the website of the Yangcheng Evening News based in the neighbouring metropolis of Guangzhou said Ye and co-defendant Lu Hanchang conspired with others to manufacture and transport drugs between May 2015 and January 2016.

Police seized roughly 218 kilograms (480 pounds) of white crystals infused with the designer drug MDMA from a room used by the two, and found another 9.84 grams of the drug in bags and residences used by Lu and others, the newspaper said.

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A security officer wearing a face mask to protect against the coronavirus stands outside the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. China announced on Friday that it had sentenced a Canadian to death on drug charges, the second day in a row Chinese courts handed down the death penalty to a Canadian citizen. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

China, like many Asian nations, hands out harsh punishments for making and selling drugs, and the country's rising wealth and transformation into a centre for world trade has attracted growing numbers of foreigners to its domestic market for illegal substances.

In December 2009, Pakistani-British businessman Akmal Shaikh was executed after being convicted of smuggling heroin, despite calls for clemency on the grounds that he was mentally disturbed.

China is believed to execute more criminals each year than all other nations combined. Although the actual figure is a state secret, estimates put it at around 2,000.

Asked Friday about Ye's sentencing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China is a country under the rule of law and relevant judicial organs handle the case independently in strict accordance with the law."

Wang added that Meng's detention was a serious political incident" and again called for her release.

Regarding China-Canada relations, China is not responsible for the difficulties that the current China-Canada relationship is facing," Wang said. The Canadian side knows very well the crux of the problem."
New Delhi, Aug 7 : The CBI has finally taken over the investigation in one of the most high profile cases of 2020 - the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput - that involves several political controversies between the Maharashtra and Bihar governments and both states police forces.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) decided to get the case probed by the Anti Corruption Unit VI (SIT) New Delhi, which had earlier probed the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal and liquor baron Vijay Mallya's loan fraud case.

According to CBI sources, the agency handed over the probe to the ACU-VI (Special Investigation Team), which was formed by CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana. The decision was taken after hours of brainstorming among the top CBI officials including Director R.K. Shukla.

After the brainstorming session of top officials, the case was handed over to the ACU-VI (SIT). The CBI on Thursday evening registered a case into the death of Sushant on the recommendation of the Bihar government and named Sushant's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her father Indrajit Chakraborty, her mother Sandhya Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty, Shruti Modi, house manager Samuel Miranda and unknown others in the case.

Sushant was found dead in his flat in Mumbai's Bandra on June 14. On Tuesday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recommended a CBI probe on the request of Sushant's father K.K. Singh. Many political leaders have also called for a CBI probe into Sushant's death.

On K.K. Singh's complaint, the Bihar Police registered a case against Rhea on July 25. Sushant's father had lodged an FIR against Rhea in Patna, accusing her of cheating and threatening his son. Sushant's family has also accused her of keeping him away from them. K.K. Singh in his complaint also alleged that Rs 15 crore was transferred from the Kotak Mahindra Bank account of the late actor, which earlier had Rs 17 crore.

The SIT team consists of Joint Director Manoj Shashidhar, a 1994-batch Gujarat cadre IPS officer, DIG Gagandeep Gambhir, also a Gujarat cadre IPS officer, and Superintendent of Police Nupur Prasad.

Gambhir, was born and brought up in Bihar's Muzaffarpur. She completed her higher education from Punjab University. According to CBI sources, Gambhir had last year also probed the role of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in the alleged illegal sand mining case. Later she was shifted to the unit probing the Srijan scam and the case of journalist Upendra Rai. The SIT has also successfully probed the Vijay Mallya case.

The source said, due to the tight probe the CBI was able to win the extradition case against the former chairman of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines. The SIT has also probed the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal, in which it has arrested British national and key middleman Christian Michel James, who was extradited to India in December 2018.

At the time of filing this report, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which also registered a money laundering probe into the death of Sushant, is questioning Rhea at its Mumbai office. Rhea is at the ED office in Mumbai along with her brother Showik, who is also named in the CBI and ED cases. The ED had earlier questioned Samuel Miranda, Sandeep Sridhar, the chartered accountant of Sushant, and Ritesh Shah, the CA of Rhea.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The presidential council of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) has extended the national curfew (between 9pm and 6am) for ten days, effective from Friday, 7 August 2020
Gavel stock photo

SINGAPORE  Two men and one woman have been charged in court for allegedly committing COVID-19 related offences.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a media release on Friday (7 August) that the two men were charged for allegedly breaching their stay orders after being issued with five-day medical certificates (MC) for acute respiratory infection.

The woman, on the other hand, was charged in court for allegedly breaching Stay-Home Notice (SHN) requirements which were issued upon arrival in Singapore.

Left home to stay at friends residence

Singaporean Prabu Rajendran, 28, was given a five-day MC for acute respiratory infection on 2 April, and was required by law to stay home from 2 to 6 April.

Investigations revealed that he allegedly left his home on the evening of 2 April, and had stayed at a friends residence for one night.

He was charged in court on 5 June for one count under the Infectious Diseases (COVID-19  Stay Orders) Regulations 2020. His case is scheduled for further mention in court on 14 August.

Left accommodation to run personal errands

Chong Tet Choe, a 35-year-old Singapore permanent resident, was also given a five-day MC for acute respiratory infection on 29 April and was required by law to stay home from 29 April to 3 May.

Investigations revealed that he had allegedly left his place of accommodation on four separate occasions between 30 April and 3 May to run personal errands.

He was charged in court on 17 June for four counts under the Infectious Diseases (COVID-19  Stay Orders) Regulations 2020.

Since 14 February, healthcare professionals have been providing five-day MCs for patients with symptoms of acute respiratory infection, MOH said in the media release.

Yet more than 35 per cent of these cases had continued to engage in activities after symptoms onset and before they were isolated. Of these, nearly half went to work, and many visited shopping centres, supermarkets and hawker centres.

Visited food centre, clinic despite under SHN

Story continues

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Singaporean Esther Tan Ying Ling was served a SHN upon arrival in Singapore from the UK on 23 March. She was required by law to remain in her place of residence for a 14-day period.

Investigations revealed that after the SHN was issued, Tan had visited a food centre, as well as a medical clinic where she had provided a false declaration of her travel history.

Tan was charged in court on Wednesday for one count under the Infectious Diseases Act. Her case is scheduled for further mention in court on 24 August.

If found guilty, each of the three individuals could face up to six months jail, and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore

Other Singapore stories:

Delivery driver jailed for hit-and-run while drunk, causing death of 70-year-old

Mandatory treatment order report called for singer Aliff Aziz after he admits to theft, disorderly behaviour

NDP fireworks to launch at 10 islandwide locations for S'poreans to enjoy from home

Stricter laws, tougher penalties to curb vice trend in heartlands
The United States Sanctions Network Threatening the Security of Libya

Press Statement

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

August 6, 2020



Today, the United States imposed financial sanctions on a network of smugglers contributing to the instability in Libya. These individuals include Libyan national Faysal al-Wadi (Wadi), operator of the vessel Maraya, and his two associates, Musbah Mohamad M Wadi (Musbah) and Nourddin Milood M Musbah (Nourddin), and the Malta-based company, Alwefq Ltd. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has designated al-Wadi pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13726 and identified the vessel Maraya as blocked property.

Consequently, all assets of these persons, including the identified vessel, that are in or come within the United States or are in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC.

Wadi has worked with a network of contacts in North Africa and southern Europe to smuggle fuel from, and illicit drugs through, Libya to Malta. Competition for control of smuggling routes, oil facilities, and transport nodes is a key driver of conflict in Libya and deprives the Libyan people of economic resources. Wadi's illicit trafficking operation transported drugs between the Libyan port of Zuwarah and the maritime location known as Hurd's Bank, just outside of Malta's territorial waters. Hurd's Bank is a well-known geographic transfer location for illicit maritime transactions. Wadi has kept all official documentation clear of his name, while being the primary organizer of smuggling operations using the vessel Maraya.

Today's sanctions show that the United States will take concrete actions in response to those who undermine Libya's peace, security, or stability.

For further information, please see the Department of the Treasury's press release available here: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1083

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Some students who are studying abroad are currently experiencing difficulties when trying to return to their universities.

Some countries have imposed a mandatory quarantine of 14 days, or alternatively asked for a negative Covid-19 test not older than 48 hours before crossing the border. In the case of students, these measures could not have come at a more inconvenient time as many have to return to their universities to take exams during the summer months. This is why the Association of Luxembourg Student Unions (ACEL) tried to find a solution.

ACEL launched a website specifically for students in need of a negative test to return to their universities on time. The platform allows students to get access to a special voucher for a free test. Certain conditions must be fulfilled in order to be eligible: The applicant must be a student, the situation must require them to be physically present  e.g. to take a written or oral exam -, and their university's country must require a negative Covid-19 test upon entry.

ACEL's president, Sven Bettendorf, explained on RTL Radio that students studying in Germany are currently amongst those experiencing the most issues. There are approximately 4,500 Luxembourgish students studying in Germany which would mean 4,500 additional tests if all would require one.

He added that there were also students who needed to commute, e.g. because they already accepted a job offer in Luxembourg, or those in distance learning curriculums. Bettendorf stated that this is why ACEL has decided to make a total of 4,500 tests available to students until the end of August.

How does the process work?

Applicants who fulfil the criteria and have submitted their application will then receive a code from ACEL via e-mail. This code can then be used to schedule an appointment via a link on the association's website. Two documents are mandatory when submitting an application: An enrolment certificate and a registration for an exam or proof of a university event which requires physical presence. Processing the application will take about three days. At the moment, vouchers can be requested until the end of August. It is still unclear what will happen once the winter semester starts.

Bettendorf stated that the first universities will start the new academic year in September. According to the ACEL president, students will most likely continue to face the same issues and will require tests for a prolonged period of time, at least as long as Luxembourg is still considered an "at-risk country". He stressed that ACEL will continue to stay in touch with the Ministry of Health in order to keep the platform available, if needed.

Prerequisites for testing might change according to the current situation. In order to inform students as best and as early as possible, ACEL is mainly basing itself on feedback from the students themselves which is why Bettendorf also reminded students to reach out to the association if they have any questions or uncertainties.
We're in the middle of a global pandemic which has already claimed the lives of millions around the world. But for some, this is just another opportunity to capitalise on.

Indian actor Parul Gulati recently decided to have a party with friends celebrating the birthday of her company, Nish Hair, which sells hair extensions. In photos that have gone viral on social media, Gulati can be seen posing with her friends and all of them appear to be donning PPE kits (Personal Protective Equipment) which is meant to offer protection from Covid-19. The PPE kits, it seems, had turned into a party theme.

Here's the thing. India is facing a massive shortage of PPE kits which are usually used by healthcare workers fighting the pandemic from the frontlines.

According to a survey, the supply of PPE kits in most hospitals around the country is either inadequate or unavailable. In the initial weeks of the pandemic, the government claimed that there was a shortage because PPE kits were imported. However, now apparently 4.5 million kits, which include googles N-95 masks, face shields and other protective equiment, are manufactured and distributed every day.

Yet, there are reports galore of how hospitals are being forced to reuse PPE kits or make their own from scratch due to shortage.

A few days ago, a report by Indian Express pointed out something rather alarming - crematorium workers in India who were in charge of burning bodies of Covid-19 patients, had not been provided with PPE kits. The report showed how workers in a crematorium in Vadodara had to work with disposable gloves, even while dealing with Covid-19 patients, because no PPE kits were available.

Given the dire circumstances, Gulati and her friends celebrating in PPE kits comes across as highly insensitive and to be slightly blunt, obnoxious.

Oh and did we mention, the women weren't wearing masks either. We can't help but wonder if the PPE kit, which could surely have been put to better use, will have its desired effect without a mask.

An Instagram user pointed out that this was "privilege", and we cannot help but agree. Celebrities, like Gulati, have a responsibility when it comes to posting on social media. Gulati has over 850K followers on Instagram, and for at least some of them, she is a style icon - meant to be revered and followed. The actor posing in PPE kits and partying sets a dangerous precedent for her followers.

India has crossed 20 lakh coronavirus cases. Although the country is easing lockdown restrictions, it is advisable to avoid activities that aren't essential. Case in point: parties. Especially parties without masks, since social distancing measures cannot be followed.
Sushant Singh Rajputs Friend Siddharth Pithani On Actors Diary: Sushant Had A Habit Of Tearing Pages
Ambassador of Belarus V.Bril meets Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nigeria

On August 5, 2020 the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Vyacheslav Bril, met with the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nigeria, Sabo Nanono.

During the meeting, the Belarusian side made a presentation of the export potential of the agricultural sector of the Republic of Belarus. The parties discussed issues of expanding Belarusian-Nigerian cooperation in the field of agriculture.

The Ambassador V.Bryl extended an invitation S.Nanono to pay a visit to Belarus.

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The Ontario governments plan for reopening schools has prompted so many unanswered questions from teachers and staff fearful of returning to work in September, says a Hamilton teachers union.

My members are terrified to go back because either they themselves have underlying health conditions or one or more of their dependents do, said Daryl Jerome, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF) for the Hamilton-Wentworth district.

There are so many questions that need immediate answers but no ones answering them.

Last weeks announcement from Ontarios Ministry of Education allows for Hamiltons elementary schools to return to normal, five days per week schooling, while secondary schools will rely on a staggered model that allows small groups of students to attend school on alternating days.

The plan, while being applauded for introducing new provisions like mandatory face masks for students from Grade 4 to 12, has sparked a frenzy of questions and concerns from teachers and parents regarding issues relating to adequate safety measures and funding for personal protective equipment and staffing needs across the provinces 4,800 public schools.

Local school boards, including the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) and the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB), have been tasked with preparing reopening plans that adhere to the guidelines imposed by the province, but the unions and boards themselves have raised concerns over their ability to implement safe reopening plans due to funding constraints.

In a joint press conference with NDP leader Andrea Horwath on Thursday, Jerome pointed to a range of questions and confusion among OSSTF members.

What does sanitation look like in the schools? What protocols are put in place for students outside the classroom? What happens if a student presents symptoms in class  does the classroom shut down or does the school? Are families expected to take unpaid time off work to self-isolate? he said.

Classes resume in one month and there are still no concrete details as to what the reopening will look like.

Standing in front of reporters outside Bellmoore Elementary School in Binbrook, Horwath accused Premier Doug Ford of pinching pennies on the backs of our kids.

Hes sending kids back into a situation where its quite possible theyll be stuck in overcrowded classrooms, Horwath told reporters.

Ford defended the reopening plan Thursday afternoon, telling reporters at Queens Park that he thinks its the best plan in the entire country, bar none.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the plan is a living document that can be changed over time, pointing to a $30-million investment to hire more educational assistants and teachers to keep class sizes low.

In the governments initial announcement, Lecce said the province would allocate an additional $309 million for the fall reopening, including $60 million for PPE, $80 million for additional staffing and $25 million for cleaning supplies.

Jerome says the funding isnt enough to accommodate the needs of Hamilton schools, let alone the entire province.

The HWDSB pegged the cost of hiring more staff at $27 million, a figure which cannot be absorbed by their current budget, nor by the marginally increased funding announcement from Lecce, said Jerome.

There simply isnt enough money to allow for the enhanced cleaning of high touch surfaces needed for a safe return. The additional funding provided by the government for additional staff would be enough to hire roughly 1,300 custodians across the province. Not Hamilton, not the GTA, but the entire province of Ontario, said Jerome.

The HWDSB and HWCDSB are expected to finalize their reopening plans next week. The HWDSB will present the final details of its plan at a board meeting on Aug. 10.

Jacob Lorinc s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about education.

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Fortunately, there are ways to give yourself an edge by finding the jobs that others may not have heard about. To put the odds in your favor, try these strategies.

Volunteer visibly

Take stock of your communities. You likely belong to some combination of business and industry groups, alumni associations, or other organizations related to your career. And though belonging to these kind of groups is a start, getting involved strategically can raise your visibility in important ways, advises Jodi Standke, CEO of Talon Performance Group, a Minneapolis-based performance management consulting firm.

You might write a piece for the group's newsletter showcasing your expertise or thought leadership. Or, perhaps, a role on the membership committee would help you get to know more colleagues in a shorter time (they may be holding meetings virtually, as many professional and social activities are done now because of the COVID-19 pandemic). One way to get noticed in online groups is to share relevant articles and other information. Look for ways you can highlight your skills in front of the group and get your name out there, Standke says. Once people are aware of your specific skills, they will be more able to connect you with job opportunities before they are posted online.

Spend more time on social media

LinkedIn, the widely used networking site for professionals, has many tools to help you find jobs and let recruiters know you're looking. Seek out groups related to your occupation. Check out the Who's Hiring Now section to find companies that are actively looking for talent, and publish your own articles or share those you find interesting. With LinkedIn, there's not one approach, Standke says.

Job-search expert Mark Anthony Dyson, host of The Voice of Job Seekers podcast, warns never to underestimate the power of conversations that start on social media. You start by commenting on and sharing others work, which can lead to real conversations, he says.

Tailor your networking

While it's a good idea to let people know when you're looking for a job, it's best to prioritize how you will do so, says Eric Mochnacz, a management and human resources consultant at Fairfield, New Jerseybased HR services firm Red Clover. First, identify the people you know who are influencers and well connected in your field and who may be able to put you in touch with hiring decision-makers. Then, in an appropriate manner, release the news to your network that you're looking for a new opportunity. If you're being careful about disclosing that you're doing this, play it close to the vest and confide only in trusted contacts. There's nothing wrong with being focused on who you choose to reach out to, he says.

Your networking strategy should be focused, but also keep your eyes open for new connections who may be able to help. While it's more challenging in the age of social distancing, if you have the opportunity to chat with someone at a social event or through an introduction, do so. You never know when you'll meet someone who could be a good contact, Standke says.
By Ayya Lmahamad

Bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran was discussed during the videoconference between Azerbaijani and Iranian Labor and Social Protection Ministers Sahil Babayev and Mohammad Shariatmadari, the ministry reported on August 6.

During the meeting, Babayev noted reforms in labor, employment and social protection, as well as steps taken to ensure the welfare of citizens, and innovative projects in the social sphere. Stressing the important work carried out in Azerbaijan to protect public health during the pandemic. He gave detailed information about large-scale economic and social support measures implemented in the country during this period. In addition, he noted that in accordance with the president's instruction, social protection and active employment programs have been significantly expanded.

Moreover, touching upon Armenian aggressive policy towards Azerbaijan, Minister emphasized that on July 12 Armenia violated the ceasefire and tried to seize Azerbaijani positions in the direction of Tovuz, as a result of which 11 servicemen and one civilian were killed. He stressed that Azerbaijani Armed Forces repulsed the enemys attack with precise return fire and counterattack.

Babayev stated that Armenia's attempt to involve other countries of the region and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, of which it is a member, by resorting to this military provocation, also failed. As a result of those events the whole world once again witnessed Armenia's aggressive position and its disinterest in the peaceful settlement of the conflict within the framework of international law.

Furthermore, emphasizing the importance of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two ministries in the development of bilateral relations, Babayev also spoke about the International Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to be established in Baku. He emphasized that the center will play an important role in cooperation both within the OIC and bilateral formats.

On his turn, Shariatmadari emphasized that the Iranian side supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and attaches special importance to the territorial integrity of the country, as well as supports the preservation of stability in the region. He expressed regret over the aggravation of the situation and expressed condolences on the death of Azerbaijani high-ranking servicemen.

Likewise, he added that Iran supports the settlement of the conflict within the framework of international norms and is ready to do everything possible to help in this matter.

Additionally, he highlighted the usefulness of cooperation in the implementation of social reforms and the exchange of experience.

Prospects of cooperation in the sphere of labor, employment and social protection were discussed at the meeting.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The U.S. will impose sanctions on Hong Kong Leader Carrie Lam as well as Chinese Communist Party officials for their involvement in stifling political freedoms in Hong Kong, the Trump administration announced Friday.

The Trump administration announced the new sanctions on 11 individuals including Lam for her efforts in implementing Beijings policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes, the Treasury Department said.

As a result of todays action, all property and interests in property of the individuals named above, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked and must be reported to OFAC, the Treasury Departments announcement read.

The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.

In June, China passed a controversial national security law aimed at tightening Beijings control over Hong Kong. China claims that the national security law is necessary to crack down on separatism, subversion, terrorism, and foreign intervention in Hong Kong, but critics and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have warned that the law, which comes after months of pro-democracy demonstrations among residents of the territory, will erase the one country, two systems arrangement between Hong Kong and Beijing and will erode the civil liberties currently enjoyed by Hong Kong residents, including the right to assembly, a free press, and a judiciary system independent of mainland China.

The measure enables China to crack down more easily on protests in Hong Kong and permits Chinas state security agencies to operate in the territory.

Hong Kongs leader, Carrie Lam, has spoken in favor of the law, saying it fills a gaping hole in national security and promising that it would not harm Hong Kongs autonomy.

Story continues

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called the law an Orwellian move by Beijing and told Congress in May that the city of Hong Kong no longer maintains a high degree of autonomy from China.

Until now, Hong Kong flourished because it allowed free thinking and free speech, under an independent rule of law. No more, Pompeo said in July.

More from National Review
by Wang Zhicheng

The tabloid linked to the People's Daily cites Archbishop Sachez Sorondo, Mgr Zhan Silu and Francesco Sisci who back the renewal of the provisional agreement, but fails to mention any supporter in the Party. For a Vatican official, this agreement is like poison for the Church.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  The Global Times, a tabloid paper linked to the People's Daily, Communist Partys daily newspaper, is optimistic about the renewal of the provisional agreement between China and the Vatican on episcopal appointments signed two years ago and set to expire in September.

In an article published on Wednesday, the paper writes that its framework has worked well for the past two years. However, such blind optimism flies in the face of what AsiaNews has documented in recent months in a series of investigative pieces on the situation of the Church in China (promotion of an independent Church, church closures, ban on religious education for minors, social exclusion of religious believers, etc.).

The Global Times rests its blind optimism on Mgr Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, who is quoted as say that "they are going to renew it, which means that the initial experience went well.

Archbishop Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, once said that China is where the social doctrine of the Church is best realised. This, however, dates back two years, before the Wuhan disaster and Beijing's silence on the pandemic.

Another optimist is Bishop Zhan Silu of Mindong (Fujian), whose excommunication Pope Francis lifted so that he could take the place as ordinary bishop of Mgr Guo Xijin, who was asked to accept the lower rank of auxiliary bishop.

Unfortunately, Bishop Guo was not recognised by the government and, as punishment, has been placed under 24 hours surveillance, not to mention that his utilities (gas, electricity, water) have been cut.

Archbishop Zhan said that China and the Vatican are satisfied and that the agreement could help push ties to the next step.

Another optimist is journalist Francesco Sisci, who says that the Holy See could be a reliable and important partner to China, this despite growing controversies between China and the United States.

Sisci is famous for interviewing Pope Francis about his love for China, but asking nothing about the fate of the Church and religions in the country.

So far, only members of the Church or the Vatican have expressed optimism; no current party member has gone the record to say anything positive about the accord.

The piece in the Global Times only mentions a meeting in February between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Bishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

According to several observers, this is a sign that not everyone in the Party is happy with the agreement and only the Foreign Ministry is pushing for improved relations between China and the Holy See in order to strip Taiwan of its last diplomatic mission in Europe.

What is more, any optimistic outlook vis-a-vis the political side of the issue (relations between China and the United States, relations with Taiwan, etc.) disappears when it come to the issue of religious freedom.

A Chinese bishop, who asked that his name be withheld, said bitterly: It is a poisonous agreement! Priests, women religious and ordinary believers are left uncertain, weak, when they are encouraged to join the independent Church and the (Chinese) Patriotic (Catholic) Association. Despite so many negative things and various forms of persecution against the Church, these people think that it [the agreement] is something good.
US President Donald Trump has ordered sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat, which could strangle their ability to operate in the United States

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media stars TikTok and WeChat, which could strangle their ability to operate in the United States.

Trump's executive order, which takes effect in 45 days, bars anyone under US jurisdiction from doing business with TikTok or WeChat's owners.

It heaps pressure on ByteDance, TikTok's parent, to close negotiations to sell to Microsoft and further escalates the Trump administration's multi-front confrontation with Beijing.

Trump's order cites a threat to "national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States" in taking aim at the companies.

"TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories," the order contended.

Data from TikTok could potentially be used by China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers on people for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage, the order alleged.

The TikTok mobile app has been downloaded some 175 million times in the US and more than a billion times around the world.

The US Senate voted Thursday to bar TikTok from being downloaded onto US government employees' telephones, intensifying US scrutiny of the popular Chinese-owned video app.

Factfile on Chinese video-sharing social networking app TikTok.

The bill passed by the Republican controlled Senate now goes to the House of Representatives, led by Democrats.

Several US agencies already bar employees from downloading TikTok onto their phones.

Trump and other officials have argued the app could be used for Chinese espionage, a claim repeatedly denied by TikTok, which does not operate within China.

Trump, who has locked horns with China on a range of issues including trade and the coronavirus pandemic, has set a deadline of mid-September for TikTok to be acquired by a US firm or be banned in the United States.

Microsoft has expanded its talks on TikTok to a potential deal that would include buying the global operations of the fast-growing video-sharing app, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

Microsoft declined to comment on the report, after previously disclosing it was considering a deal for TikTok operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

TikTok's kaleidoscopic feeds of short video clips feature everything from hair dye tutorials to dance routines and jokes about daily life.

Trump's executive order, which takes effect in 45 days, bars anyone under US jurisdiction from doing business with TikTok or WeChat's owners

The company on Thursday announced plans for its first data center for European users, to be set up in Ireland.

WeChat is a messaging, social media, and electronic payment platform owned by TenCent Holdings and is reported to have more than a billion users.

Trump's order contended that WeChat captures user data that could then exploited by the Chinese government but provided no evidence that is happening.

"WeChat captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States," the order read.

"Thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives."

Explore further US Senate votes to ban TikTok on government phones

 2020 AFP
Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told CNBC he is "deeply, deeply concerned" about the state of global politics and described current global leaders' focus on "short-term political gains" as shameful.

Ban, who led the U.N. from 2007-2016, said there had been "growing disunity" in the multilateral system since America's withdrawal from many U.N.-led agreements and agencies, as well as nuclear treaties such as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue.

"People say that the multilateral system has been under attack. ... The U.S. has been withdrawing from major specialized agencies of the United Nations starting from (the) U.N. Human Rights Council. ... Then they have withdrawn from UNESCO. ... Then (the) Paris climate change agreement most seriously," he said in the interview that aired Friday and was conducted Tuesday.

"I'm really urging the United States to really show their global leadership based on global vision as they did when they were leading this establishment, founding the United Nations 75 years ago," he added.

Ban, who was the eighth U.N. secretary-general, described the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization earlier this year at the height of the Covid-19 global response as "morally wrong" and "politically very short-sighted."

Trump ordered a halt in U.S. funding for the WHO in April as his administration conducted a review of the organization. That review then outlined what the White House perceived as "repeated missteps" during the early stages of the pandemic. Trump has also previously cited what he called "the World Health Organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus." A formal withdrawal from the WHO began last month.

To date, the U.S. has reported over 4.8 million coronavirus infections and 158,268 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. A spokesperson for the White House wasn't immediately available when contacted by CNBC.
The inaugural episode is just about perfect, plunging the intrepid trio into an ancient order of mystics and spellbinders, holed up in a lodge that holds the secret of Atticus family history. Episodes 1 and 3 are by far the best of the first five, the swiftest and leanest. The sinister doings at Ardham lodge (Tony Goldwyn plays Mr. Big; Abbey Lee, an unfortunate weak link, woodenly plays the sleek sorceress Christina Braithwaite) make for an overstuffed and inelegantly plotted Episode 2. Episode 3 gets things back on track, relocating the story back to Chicago. (The series was shot mainly in Georgia, with some filming done in Elburn, Woodstock, Hebron and Marengo, Ill.)
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks during a news conference in July about the arrest of a police officer. Read more

A group of retired police officers in Philadelphia see the seven-figure investment from billionaire George Soros in the 2017 race for district attorney as a wrecking ball that demolished the election in Larry Krasners favor.

Now theyre looking create some rubble of their own with a new political action committee. Protect Our Police PAC, created in June, said it raised $750,000 since it started soliciting donations just three weeks ago.

Soros, a philanthropist who pushes for criminal justice reform and other issues, had already spent about $10 million around the country to back progressive candidates for top prosecutor jobs in 2017 when he focused on the Democratic primary here. Philadelphia Justice and Public Safety, a PAC he funded, spent almost $1.7 million to help Krasner.

Were going to be the counter-punch to George Soros and the movement that hes working on with these DA races, Protect Our Police PAC president Nick Gerace said. Hes pumped a lot of money into these races across the country.

The group has already received 30 applications for support from candidates for state and local prosecutorial and legislative offices across the country, with about 80% running this year and the rest planning 2021 campaigns.

A PAC questionnaire asks candidates for their positions on the defund the police movement, qualified immunity for law enforcement, and if they agree with prosecuting rioters and looters who have illegally caused millions of dollars in damages while participating in protests across the United States.

While the group has a national mission, Gerace said that Let-em-go-Larry is very much on our radar for next year  using a nickname coined by critics who see Krasner as soft on crime.

Krasner shrugged that off.

We have seen this kind of effort in at least three cities recently, where progressive DAs have been reelected with solid margins of victory, Krasner said. I remain focused on my job and my reelection.

Gerace said the PAC has received about 3,000 donations so far, coming from all 50 states. Most of that doesnt turn up yet in campaign finance reports. But the Fraternal Order of Police lodge in Philadelphia, a constant Krasner critic, kicked in $10,000 in June.

Philly NAACP officials say national organization still mum on local presidents anti-Semitic Facebook post

Leaders of local Jewish groups and Black elected officials outraged by an anti-Semitic image posted on Facebook two weeks ago by Philadelphia NAACP president Rodney Muhammad have heard only silence from the groups national leadership. And theyre not alone.

The local NAACP chapters executive board says it cant get answers from national president Derrick Johnson either.

Bishop J. Louis Felton, the local chapters first vice president, said the board learned from media reports last week that Johnson planned to come to Philadelphia to meet with people concerned about Muhammad.

We have also reached out to the national office, Felton said. We have gotten nothing in response. Not one word. So theres something fishy about it.

Felton said the executive board confronted Muhammad about the post in a meeting last week.

He came out explaining it and trying to justify it, Felton said. You do not justify anti-Semitism.

Muhammad has gone as quiet as the national leadership. He previously said he didnt realize the image  which included a caricature of a hook-nosed, yarmulke-wearing figure on the sleeve of an unseen person who is crushing a mass of people with a ring-bedecked hand  was offensive.

The national office, in an unsigned statement last week, accepted Muhammads explanation and incorrectly suggested he had publicly apologized for his actions. The NAACPs Mid-Atlantic director emailed Clout the same statement this week and said he could provide no other information.

Felton said Muhammad is damaged goods if he cant make a full apology.

Its not about Rodney Muhammad anymore, he said. Its about the fact that were severely damaged as an organization.

Fun with presidential polling

Restoration PAC, an independent expenditure group funded by one of the biggest spenders in conservative politics, claimed this week that a new poll showing former Vice President Joe Biden with a 5.4% lead on President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania is good news.

Clout isnt sure about that. But we do think the groups sample of likely voters better reflects the states voter registration than a previous attempt.

The PAC, as Clout reported in May, claimed its polling that month showed Trump up 4.7% over Biden in Pennsylvania, a result that conflicted with other polling, which showed Biden ahead.

That might have been because that May poll under-sampled registered Democratic voters in the state by almost 11% while over-sampling Republicans by almost 6%. Independents were also under-sampled by almost 6%.

The PACs new poll under-sampled Democratic voters by about 6% and over-sampled Republicans by about 2%. Independents were under-sampled by 8%. The result this time falls closer to an average of polling in the state compiled by Real Clear Politics, which puts Biden ahead by 4.7%.

The PAC, funded by Illinois shipping-supplies billionaire Richard Uihlein, says it was founded because national polling results are disjointed and hard to interpret.

Dan Curry of Restoration PAC said its pollsters dont try to weigh results by voter registration. They just keep making calls until they reach enough likely voters who meet the screening requirements.

Thats not how polls are supposed to work.

The partisan splits are whatever they turn out to be, without any weighting on our part, Curry said. That accounts for the variability.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking directions to the Bihar government to transfer the investigation in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case to either CBI or NIA, as the case was already with the CBI since Thursday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said the late actor's father is already pursuing the matter, and asked the petitioner, who is a law student, "How are you concerned with the criminal offence?" Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, submitted before the bench that CBI has already taken over the probe, and the Mumbai case is still to be decided.

The Chief Justice said it has already been widely reported that the CBI has registered an FIR. Mehta replied that the Mumbai probe is not yet transferred. Chief Justice replied, then this plea is infructuous? The Chief Justice told the petitioner's counsel that the court will dismiss it without any reason. The petitioner's counsel insisted, "Can I tell you about the law? Does your Lordship want this case not to be investigated?" The Chief Justice replied do not make absurd statements, as the probe is on the behest of the father and junked the plea.

On July 30, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a PIL seeking CBI probe into the death by suicide of Sushant Singh Rajput. A bench headed by Chief Justice 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," the bench also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, then noted.

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 show.

Upadhyay had contended in the plea that there are several irregularities in the investigation of the Mumbai Police. "He had injury marks on his body," said Upadhyay.

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
Nova Minerals on track to expand its 2.5Moz gold project in Alaska



Interview with CEO Christopher Gerteisen

Sydney, Aug 7, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Nova Minerals ( ASX:NVA ) ( FRA:QM3 ) ( OTCMKTS:NVAAF ) chief executive officer Christopher Gerteisen joins Small Caps to discuss the company's Estelle gold project in Alaska.Nova recently unearthed a 516.61m wide gold intersection at the Korbel prospect - below the existing 2.5Moz resource.To watch the interview, please visit:About Nova Minerals Limited

Nova Minerals Limited's (ASX:NVA) (FRA:QM3) (OTCMKTS:NVAAF) vision is to develop North America's next major gold trend. The company is focused on exploration in Alaska's prolific Tintina Gold Belt, a province which hosts a 220 million ounce (Moz) documented gold endowment and some of the world's largest gold mines and discoveries including Victoria Gold's Eagle Mine and Kinross Gold Corporation's Fort Knox Gold Mine. The company's flagship Estelle Project has a current total estimated JORC gold resource of 9.6Moz (3Moz Indicated and 6.6Moz Inferred). Estelle is a 45km long string of 15 identified gold prospects bracketed by the Korbel deposit in the north and the RPM deposit in the south. These two deposits are currently host to extensive exploration programs.

Additionally, Nova has an indirect interest in the Canadian Thompson Brothers Lithium Project through a substantial stake in Snow Lake Resources Ltd (NASDAQ:LITM) and holds a 12.99% interest in Torian Resources Limited (ASX:TNR), a gold exploration company based in Western Australia.
In 1946, the VA hospital in Richmond would be named for McGuire.

Kyle Bibby, a former Marine captain whose tours of duty include Afghanistan, does not think much of this choice. He almost exclusively goes to VA medical centers for his health care needs.

As a Black man, It is a slap in the face, said Bibby, a New Jersey resident and national campaigns manager for Common Defense, an organization of politically progressive veterans.

For Navy veteran Tashandra Poullard of Houston, the legacy of McGuire brought to mind J. Marion Sims, the so-called father of modern gynecology who conducted painful experiments on enslaved Black women without the use of anesthesia. His statue stood in New Yorks Central Park for more than a century before it was removed in 2018.

For her, McGuire represents a history of the medical profession using Black people as guinea pigs, based on the racist belief that Black skin was thicker and Black people more unfeeling of pain.
On Aug. 4, Belarus leader Aleksandr Lukashenko delivered his annual address to the nation and its parliament, the same day polling stations opened for early voting in the presidential election set for Aug. 9.

The 65-year-old Lukashenko has been president of the country for 26 years. Prior to the voting, he arrested or forced into exile and barred from the ballot his top male political contenders. He now faces competition from three women, led most prominently by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, 37, who is drawing crowds of thousands while calling out Lukashenko as a dictator. Tikhanovskayas husband was one of the candidates arrested and forced out.

In much of his Aug. 4 address, Lukashenko spoke about the countrys security. He argued that Belarus' existence as an independent state is threatened by manufactured candidates (i.e., his opponents) who are the plywood puppets of outside powers and appear out of nowhere, deceive, stage provocations, then sign out back to their masters.

Lukashenkos campaign has focused on alleged threats from outsiders, especially after July 25, when Belarusian security forces arrested 33 men identified as mercenaries from the Russian security firm PMC Wagner. Citing law enforcement sources, the Belarusian state news agency Belta.by reported that the group was part of a larger deployment of around 200 well trained militants, sent to destabilize the situation in Belarus during the election campaign.

The agency published a video of the arrests and the personal data of the purported Wagner mercenaries.

The arrests quickly prompted contradictory theories in media and social networks about what really happened and why. During his Aug. 4 address, Lukashenko dismissed all the explanations other than the governments as baseless conspiracy theories.

These people (they have confessed) were sent specifically to Belarus, he said. Their orders were to wait.

The statement is misleading.

Considerable evidence suggests a less-sinister explanation for the arrests. And with the ongoing vote, it suits Lukashenko to appeal to patriotism by spinning the notion that Belarus is under siege.

The mercenary group, according to officials cited by Belta.by, arrived in the capital Minsk on July 24, and stayed in a hotel for two nights before moving into a sanatorium on the outskirts of the city.

After the arrests, the head of Belarus security agency accused Russia of interference and claimed the militants were sent to stage terror attacks during the election. Lukashenko demanded an explanation from the Kremlin, but the Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the allegations as nothing but insinuations.

Wagner is a shadowy military and security company, affiliated with Vladimir Putins close confidant, financier Yevgeny Prigozhin.

The United States regards Wagner as a proxy for the Russian military and has sanctioned Prigozhin for Wagner activities that threatened civilians. Prigozhin also was sanctioned, for his role in alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections.

Despite Russian denials, multiple sources independently confirmed the identities and Wagner affiliation of the men on the Belta.by list.

Ukraines security agency said it had identified at least four of the men as having fought in the Donbas region along the Russian border against Ukraine government forces. Ukraine said it would seek their extradition to be investigated and tried.

Zakhar Prilepin, a popular Russian novelist who holds far-right views and fought against Ukraine in Donbas in 2017-2018, wrote via Telegram that there really are a few former fighters from our battalion among those arrested in Minsk.

The independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, one of the most authoritative sources on Wagner, published detailed dossiers on 16 of the men, including copies of their Russian passports, contracts with Wagner and locations of their deployments.

Although the Belarusian authorities claim the men confessed, they did not release other evidence concerning the mens motives or specific terrorist plans.

Meanwhile, observers have floated other possible explanations for the mercenaries arrival in Belarus.

The leading explanation is that Belarus was never the mercenaries target or final destination, but simply a stopover. The theory was pushed by the Telegram channel War Gonzo, which some say has ties to Russian military intelligence.

Citing anonymous Russian intelligence sources, War Gonzos Semyon Pegov, a former war correspondent for the Russian tabloid Life, said Wagner has long been using Minsk as a transit hub for mercenaries deployed predominantly to Africa.

Pegov asserted that the Belarusian security apparatus was on board and provided logistical support to the mercenaries with Lukashenkos knowledge and approval.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the arrested men only stayed in Minsk because they were late for a flight to Istanbul.

Lukashenko said the Istanbul tickets were part of the groups cover story to conceal the fact that Belarus was the intended destination. Some news accounts in Ukraine and Russia also disputed the transit hub theory.

Another theory is that Lukashenko plotted with Russian President Vladimir Putin to use the destabilization threat as a way to discredit the opposition and possibly remove his most popular opponent, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, right before the election.

Lukashenko denied those allegations. However, Belarusian investigators already have charged Tikhanovskayas husband with conspiring with the Russian mercenaries to launch nationwide disturbances during the campaign. Sergei Tikhanovsky, a popular YouTube blogger, was removed from the race and jailed in May on what Lukashenko said was his personal orders.

Tikhanovskaya remains on the ballot, but the regime has reportedly increased pressure against the opposition, arresting dozens during peaceful rallies.

Lukashenko has a history of playing Russia as both friend and foil.

In February 2019, Putin invited Lukashenko for three days of talks at the Russian presidential residence in Sochi, on the Black Sea. The reported goal of the meeting was to reach a deal on integrating neighboring Belarus into Russia, but no such integration was ever announced.

Some Belarus watchers said the deployment of Wagner to Minsk could be a message from Putin to Lukashenko signaling that without the formers support, Russia could become a dangerous adversary.

Putin and Lukashenko discussed the arrests over the phone on Friday. "The two leaders agreed to determine why the Russians were arrested, find the people responsible and bring them to justice," Reuters reported, citing Lukashenko's press office.
Tarn Taran: Chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh met family members of the victims of Punjabs worst hooch tragedy on Friday and announced an increase in ex gratia relief from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for each of victims next of kin.

Accompanied by state Congress president Sunil Jakhar, chief principal secretary Suresh Kumar and director general of police Dinkar Gupta, Capt Amarinder Singh interacted with family members of the hooch victims at Tarn Tarans Sri Guru Arjan Dev Sports Stadium while maintaining social distancing in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. This was his first field visit since the coronavirus outbreak.

The chief minister said that perpetrators of this heinous crime would not be spared at any cost and strict action would be taken.

He announced that those victims who had lost their sight in the tragedy would also get financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh.

Handing over a cheque for Rs 2.92 crore for the 92 victim families of Tarn Taran district to the deputy commissioner, the chief minister said that anyone however affluent but responsible for this crime would not be spared.

He said the toll in the tragedy has risen to 121 with 92 deaths in Tarn Taran, 14 in Amritsar district and 15 in Batala.

NO LENIENCY FOR UNPARDONABLE ACT

Describing the deaths as murder, he said, The perpetrators deserve no leniency since this is a man-made tragedy. To ensure the culprits get exemplary punishment, special prosecution teams will be deputed to pursue the cases and the properties of those responsible for this unpardonable act will be confiscated.

He reiterated his governments commitment to stand by the victim families in this hour of grief by extending a helping hand in providing jobs, education and other social security benefits to them.

In his address, Sunil Jakhar said that this tragedy was the outcome of criminal negligence and merits exemplary punishment to the perpetrators of this crime.

Prominent among those present were Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha MP Jasbir Singh Gill (Dimpa), state mining minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation chairman and MLA Raj Kumar Verka, and Tarn Taran deputy commissioner Kulwant Singh.

Meanwhile, workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Shiromani Akali Dal protested against the state government alleging a political-mafia nexus. They were to protest outside the stadium but were stopped a kilometre away at Chabhal bypass by the police. The protesters demanded action against Congress MLAs representing constituencies from where the hooch deaths were reported.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz lost to President Donald Trump again.

Twice in two months, the former Republican presidential rivals were pitted against one another as they endorsed opposing candidates in different parts of the nation. And in both cases, Trump has prevailed, countering critics who have suggested that as his own poll numbers have slipped, his endorsements would carry less weight.

The most recent example was Thursday night in Tennessee, where Cruz had traveled twice in 10 days and sent $5,000 through a political action committee he controls to support Nashville surgeon Manny Sethi who was up against former ambassador Bill Hagerty, whom Trump had endorsed earlier in the race.

Its the conservative warriors who are marching in side by side with the president, and Im confident thats what Manny will do, said Cruz during a rally in Memphis earlier in the week. Im proud to be here to support this campaign.

But Cruzs support wasnt enough. Hagerty defeated Sethi by 12 percentage points Thursday and will be a heavy favorite to win the Senate seat in November.

But more than a battle between former 2016 rivals, Hagerty-Sethi and other contests around the nation have been about what the Republican Party will look like after Trump leaves office, said Larry Sabato, the director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

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He said it is clear Cruz wants to run for president again and is trying to build a network that can help him in 2024.

What you have to do is build a coalition of supporters, Sabato said. Cruz is really out engaging in an age-old ritual of cultivating party leaders from state to state.

And hes far from alone in that endeavor. In Tennessee, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotten, R-Arkansas, was an aggressive supporter of Hagerty, as were former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley and Vice President Mike Pence  all potential 2024 contenders.

Cotten was on stage Thursday night when Hagerty claimed victory and made clear how important Trump was in the race.

I have a very special person to thank  I just got off the phone with him backstage, Hagerty said. Thats President Donald Trump.

It was the second time this summer that Cruz jumped into a race opposite of Trump and other potential 2024 contenders.

In a July South Texas primary, Trump and U.S. Sen Marco Rubio of Florida endorsed Tony Gonzales and Cruz endorsed Raul Reyes Jr., for the 23rd Congressional District. Gonzales won the race by just 45 votes, though Reyes has called for a recount of the results.

And earlier in the year, Cruz endorsed former New Hampshire House Speaker Bill OBrien in the U.S. Senate GOP primary, but OBrien dropped out of the race after struggling to raise money. Cotten has endorsed Don Bolduc in the primary that will be decided on Sept. 8.

Cruz isnt without success. In Kansas, he backed Republican Amanda Adkins in a crowded primary field in which eight members of Congress were backing another candidate. Adkins won and advanced to the November general election.

Later this month, Cruz has a stake in the Florida primary elections where he has endorsed doctor Leo Valentin in the 7th Congressional district in a primary set for Aug. 18.

Cruz has not been shy about the prospect of running for president again, telling an audience last year he could run again.

Look, I hope to run again, Cruz said at a discussion organized by the Christian Science Monitor. We came very, very close in 2016. And its the most fun Ive ever had in my life.

Cruz in 2016 emerged as Trump's top rival battling in an often nasty primary. But Cruz said after the election he met with President Trump at Trump Tower in New York and pledged to help him get his agenda passed. In 2018, that ultimately led to Trump holding a rally in Houston to help support Cruzs re-election.
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) Read more

By Dec. 1, there will be an estimated 295,011 coronavirus deaths in the United States since the start of the pandemic. But nearly 66,000 of these deaths  about one in four  could have been prevented if all Americans would wear a mask in public, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

While the estimates are based on projections, the institutes previous models have been accurate for several months.

The accuracy [of IHMEs model] is within 5% of the true estimate for projections up to four weeks later, said Ali Mokdad, professor and chief strategy officer of population health at IHME.

Despite the bleak numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths six months into the pandemic, public mask wearing continues to be a contentious topic. Experts have said repeatedly that the pandemic can be controlled if everyone wore masks properly while in public. But over the summer, the number of new cases has risen considerably, mostly in states that do not require masks in public or have been slow to adopt such mandates.

Currently 32 states  including Pennsylvania and New Jersey  and the District of Columbia require wearing masks in public, according to AARP. Texas and Montana also have mandates, but allow counties with low case totals to opt out. In the remaining states  including Florida, Georgia, Arizona, and Iowa  masks are not required.

The evidence supporting masks is clear. One study found that earlier in the pandemic, at least 200,000 U.S. coronavirus cases were avoided by mask-wearing mandates. Another preliminary study of almost 200 countries has found that government policies requiring public mask wearing are associated with lower per-capita mortality from the coronavirus, even after controlling for other factors, including population density, lockdown policies, and international travel restrictions.

You look at the countries that got large segments of the population to wear masks early  countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Slovakia  they have seen way less mortality from the coronavirus compared to other countries, said the preliminary studys lead author, Christopher T. Leffler, an associate professor of ophthalmology at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Mandating proper mask-wearing in public can help increase compliance, as IHMEs latest report states. But Mokdad noted that one doesnt always lead to the other. For instance, in no-mandate states, more people started wearing masks and staying home after they saw that cases were soaring. On the other hand, some states with public mask mandates, like Illinois and Indiana, have relatively low self-reported compliance rates. According to IHME, about 55% of people in the U.S. say they wear a mask when they go out in public, up from 30% in the middle of April.

The importance of mask wearing has grown with increasing evidence that the coronavirus is airborne, meaning youre more likely to get it from another persons exhalations than from touching a surface. One study showed that the coronavirus was present in air samples collected from the hospital rooms of coronavirus patients, demonstrating the need for better ventilation.

Even the whole idea that breathing and talking can create transmission is sort of an admission that airborne transmission is a factor, said Joshua L. Santarpia, associate professor of pathology and microbiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and lead author of the study.

But this is not like the fictional movie Outbreak, where a virus quickly becomes airborne and infects a crowded theater.

Thats not a realistic assessment of what airborne means for this disease, Santarpia said. It is apparent that mask wearing of any kind and social distancing are having an impact.

Another study sought to visualize the effects of a cough or sneeze, and found that droplets from an uncovered cough can spread out to eight feet on average and a maximum of 12 feet  both estimates are farther than the six feet recommended for social distancing.

To see all of this with my own eyes was surprising. One of the good surprises was how well homemade masks could work, said Siddhartha Verma, an assistant professor of engineering at Florida Atlantic University and lead author of the study.

Different types of masks vary in effectiveness. Vermas study showed that a stitched mask made from quilting cotton limited the spread of droplets to two to three inches, which is just as effective, if not better, than a commercial mask.

Using a mask doesnt eliminate the risk of contracting the virus. Thats why its important to also practice social distancing.

No one is saying masks are 100% effective, but they will in fact reduce transmission if not prevent it, Santarpia said.

Another measure that could help, experts say, is a national policy on masks, like other countries have implemented.

Its very confusing to the public. A national mandate will help instead of leaving it up to the states, Mokdad said.
France 24

Segun el Banco Central de Venezuela, el pasado mes de diciembre se registro una inflacion del 7.6% y cerraba por duodecimo mes consecutivo por debajo de los 50 puntos. Aunque en todo el ano los precios subieron mas del 600%, tecnicamente esto significa que el pais sale de la hiperinflacion que ha padecido durante los ultimos cuatro anos. Para hablar mas del tema nos acompana Luis Crespo, economista e investigador de la U. Central de Caracas.
An area in lockdown in Da Nang (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Thirty more cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the past 12 hours, raising the total number to 747 as of 6pm on August 6, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Among the latest cases, 20 were in Da Nang, six in Quang Nam, one in the northern province of Bac Giang, and three imported cases in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.Patient 718 in Da Nang died on August 5 before her testing result was confirmed on August 6.The new cases in Quang Nam and Bac Giang were all linked to the outbreak in Da Nang.The three imported cases were related to the Texiana ship from Qatar which docked at Vung Tau port on July 28. They were quarantined immediately after entry.On August 6, 11 COVID-19 patients were given the all-clear, bringing the total recoveries to 392. The fatalities are now 10.A total of 170,457 people are being quarantined, with 6,717 at hospitals, 23,356 at concentrated facilities and 140,384 in their homes and accommodations.
TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. (KNBWF.PK, KNBWY.PK), a Japanese manufacturer of alcohol beverages and soft drinks, reported that its profit attributable to owners of the company for the first six months of the current fiscal year was 33.31 billion yen or 39.31 yen per share compared to a loss of 474 million yen or 0.56 yen per share in the previous year. Profit was 48.68 billion yen compared to 11.36 billion yen in the prior year. Revenue declined to 872.47 billion yen from 929.81 billion yen in the previous year. Looking ahead for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020, the company now expects attributable profit of 64.50 billion yen, normalized operating profit of 140 billion yen, and revenues of 1.824 trillion yen. Previously, the company expected annual attributable profit of 115.5 billion yen, normalized operating profit of 191 billion yen, and revenues of 2.00 trillion yen. 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.
Ras Rodys Jamaican Vegan: You may have spied the Jamaican flag flying above Agua Fria just south of Camino Alire. Follow it into the surprisingly spacious dirt lot thats host to Ras Rodys Jamaican Vegan, a glossy black-painted truck that dishes up plant-based goodness adjacent to the chefs new residence. Southwest Jamaica native Ras Rody and his family recently landed in Santa Fe via Dunedin, Florida, where Rodys truck had carved out a niche serving food at Tampa-area farmers markets.

Now, hes adding some welcome Caribbean flavor to Santa Fes dining landscape. Ras Rodys combo platters ($12 for a hefty melange of vegetables, grains and proteins) vary depending on the day and the ingredients. No matter whats on offer, youre guaranteed to experience the power of expertly layered seasoning. One combo featured stewed black beans redolent with coconut milk alongside curried chickpeas, yellow peppers, tofu and tempeh. These were served over brown rice with a side of sauteed ribbons of cabbage, diced carrots and sweet plantains. Two spongy banana pancakes rested neatly over the densely packed box, and the plate was delicious down to the last grain of rice.

The rest of the menu is simple, made up of a rotating selection of fresh juices ($5), smoothies ($7) and soups ($6-$10), and service is fast and genuinely friendly. If Ras Rody and his excellent truck have come to Santa Fe to stay, we can count it as a healthy blessing.

Tacos Acapulco: Over at the small lot on St. Francis Drive near West San Mateo Road, Tacos Acapulco opened quietly in January with a menu of tacos (fish, shrimp, asada, barbacoa and pollo; $8 for four with a side salad), burritos and other treats (Mexican fruit salads with chamoy, agua de jamaica). Acapulco native and owner Julio Rodriguez, who has worked at Tia Sophias and the beloved former Zia Diner, partnered with his brother Leonardo Munoz to buy the truck, repainting it with a splashy Pacific Ocean beachscape as bright as the flavors of Rodriguezs tacos.

Acapulcos reputation for seafood is borne out by both the fish and shrimp tacos. The white fish is marinated and gently griddled with tomatoes and sweet green peppers rather than fried; the shrimp are kicky and plump; the tortillas are sturdy enough to hold together a messy, tasty job. A barbacoa taco had smoky, succulent low-and-slow-cooked beef chunks, while the carne asada was lean and neatly diced. All tacos are topped with crunchy bits of radish, shaved green cabbage and cilantro, and come with a zippy salsa verde, as well as a fresh salad of iceberg leaves, sliced mango, cucumber and shredded carrots.

The first taste of Rodriguezs extra-hot tangerine-colored salsa blooms with the nutty, nuanced notes of chile de arbol, then floods the tongue with eye-watering heat. In short, this dude knows exactly what hes doing. Since most of Santa Fes taco trucks are concentrated near Cerrillos or Airport Roads, Tacos Acapulco is also adding a much-needed taco signal-boost to the St. Francis corridor.

Ras Rodys Jamaican Vegan

4 stars

LOCATION: 1312 Agua Fria St., 505-385-3011, rasrody.com

HOURS: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; closed SundaysTacos Acapulco

4 stars

LOCATION: 1599 S. St. Francis Drive, 505-316-6573

HOURS: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; closed Sundays

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Many Americans describe the news media as very biased, but they still believe the work of reporters is important to democracy.

That is the finding of a report from the Knight Foundation, a not-for-profit group, and the research company Gallup.

Knight and Gallup questioned more than 20,000 American adults between November 8, 2019 and February 16, 2020. That was before the United States began taking steps to fight the novel coronavirus. It was also before protests over the death of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police.

The studys findings  called sobering in the report  suggest that Americans increasingly distrust the news media.

John Sands is director of learning and impact at the Knight Foundation. He said that when half of Americans have concerns about the news its going to be impossible for our democracy to function.

The study confirmed sharp differences of opinion between supporters of the two major parties in the United States.

For example, it found that 71 percent of Republican Party members had a very or somewhat unfavorable opinion of the news media. Fifty-two percent of independent voters and 22 percent of Democratic Party members also had unfavorable opinions.

However, 54 percent of Democrats had a favorable opinion of the press. Only 13 percent of Republicans felt the same way.

Sands said this finding is not new and added the differences between the two sides have become deeper over the years.

Moving the dial on these attitudes becomes more and more difficult for media organizations, he said.

The study did not try to identify reasons for the differences in opinion about the news media. U.S. President Donald Trump often calls stories he does not like fake news.

Studies show that more than 90 percent of media reports on Trump and his administration are negative or appear hostile toward the president.



Who is to blame?

Among those questioned in the study, 48 percent said the news media has a great deal of responsibility for the countrys political divisions. Seventy-three percent believe that too much bias in news reporting is a major problem. That represents an increase of eight percent from two years ago.

In addition, Americans did not believe that reporters make honest mistakes. Instead, 54 percent said they believed reporters misrepresented facts, while 28 percent said reporters made up some of their information.

Knight and Gallup found that 41 percent of Americans have a great deal of trust in the ability of the media to report the news fairly. However, that is down from 55 percent in a similar study from 1999.

A big majority of Americans, 84 percent, still believe that, in general, the news media is either very important or critical to democracy.

Im Mario Ritter Jr.

Here are other findings of the report:

84 percent of Americans said that, in general, the news media is critical (49 percent) or very important (35 percent) to democracy.

A majority of Americans reported seeing a great deal (49 percent) or a fair amount (37 percent) of political bias in news coverage. The percentage seeing a great deal of bias is up from 45 percent in 2017.

Americans consider mistakes in news stories to be put there on purpose  either because the reporter is misrepresenting the facts (54 percent) or making them up entirely (28 percent).

David Bauder reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

biased  adj. showing one side as better than another side in an unfair way

sobering  adj. causing seriousness or thoughtfulness

function  v. to operate correctly

unfavorable adj. showing disapproval

Move the dial idiom to cause something to change in a way that can be seen or heard

attitudes n. (pl.) the way someone thinks about a subject in general

fake  adj. a copy or reproduction; opposite of true or real

critical adj. extremely important

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The repercussions of the recent explosion at Beirut Port are likely to have a damaging effect on Syria and its ability to secure imports.

Pro-regime economist, Amer Shaheda, said that, Syria was dependent on the Port of Beirut for imports of foodstuffs coming mainly from Europe, due to the economic sanctions and the siege that the Syrian ports suffer from.

He told Syrian business website, Business2Business, that the explosion at Beirut Port and the halting of work will have devastating economic effects on Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.

The Beirut Port is a lung through which these countries breathe, especially with regards to importing basic materials, Shaheda added.

According to Shaheda, should the Beirut port stop, that would harm transit trade, which had been generating hard currency for the Assad regime, as a result of the suspension of the movement of trucks, which were transporting goods from the Port of Beirut to Jordan and the rest of the Gulf countries, through Syrian territory.

He pointed out that the current alternative in Lebanon is the port of Tripoli. However, according to Shahedas description, the small port is barely sufficient to cover Lebanons needs for imports.

The Union of Scholars of Bilad al-Sham issues a statement on Beirut explosion

The Union of Scholars of Bilad al-Sham issued a statement on the Beirut explosion, which read, We were stunned by the great affliction that befell our people in Beirut and which pained and caused us grief.

According to the pro-regime Hashtag Syria website, Syrian clerics expressed their hope that Lebanon and all its sects would unite to face a calamity that would have ended everyones life. They added that neither party nor sectarian affiliations should separate the Lebanese people, who should remain united, compassionate, and cooperative.

The union concluded by wishing mercy upon the martyrs and a speedy recovery for the injured, and for Beirut to return to being beautiful and strong.

The Syrian opposition website Zaman Al-Wasl wrote that the number of Syrians killed in Lebanon as a result of the explosion is 15, including a woman.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health and the Lebanese Red Cross announced on Thursday, that the number of victims of the Beirut explosion has reached 137 people, with more than 5,000 wounded, in addition to more than 250,000 without homes.

Speaker Sabbagh offers condolences to Berri following port explosion

Speaker of the Peoples Assembly, Hammouda Sabbagh sent a cable of condolences to his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, to offer condolences for the victims of the explosion which hit Beirut Port on Tuesday.

In his cable, Sabbagh expressed deep regret over the grave incident that took place at Beirut Port and claimed the lives of a large number of people and wounding others, expressing heartfelt condolences, on his own behalf and on behalf of the Syrian Peoples Assembly, to Berri and the Lebanese Parliament.

Sabbagh expressed solidarity and full sympathy with the families of the victims, wishing a quick recovery to the wounded people.

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.
| By Alex Likowski

The year 2020 began with great promise and opportunity for the Aug. 6 guest of the weekly web-based program, Virtual Face to Face with Dr. Bruce Jarrell. After tearful goodbyes here at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), the University System of Maryland (USM) embraced former president Jay A. Perman, MD, as its new chancellor on Jan. 6.

But just six weeks into the job, USMs 12 institutions and three regional higher education centers, with 172,000 students and nearly 40,000 faculty and staff, were all caught in the surreal grip of a pandemic the likes of which almost no one alive has ever seen.

UMB Interim President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS reacts to a humorous point made by USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD

The relentless energy for which Perman was famous at UMB mustve come in very handy indeed in March and April, as every USM institution experienced a torrent of changes  restrictions on travel, clinical placements, research, in-person didactic learning, and the imposition of telework and new safety procedures.

Throughout the summer, Perman and the USM institutions presidents have been faced with the equally difficult judgment calls about whether and how to reopen things, about getting back to the kind of teaching, learning, researching, and just working on campus that everyone had come to expect.

In late July, Perman issued two very important statements. The first was an explanation to the USM Board of Regents of his approach to education this fall. Most courses will be taught online, but preparations should be made to provide at least a very limited amount of in-person instruction where it may be critical to a students education, Perman told the regents on July 22. All the while, he stipulated, USM institutions would follow the science and changing conditions surrounding COVID-19, and be ready to take an exit ramp out of in-person instruction entirely.

Clearly aware of the controversy surrounding in-person learning this fall, Perman explained why a one-size-fits-all strategy would be shortsighted and would not serve the public good.

It shouldnt be a dialogue about open or closed, online or in-person. I ask our institutions and the public to understand that were not taking the easy way out. Were thinking through this. We need to rely on distance learning to the absolute degree possible, but its not for every condition, Perman said. He added that students who live in vulnerable communities, or in rural areas without access to broadband internet service might be better off on campus than at home. Also, the education of students in certain fields of study may suffer with an online-only approach.

I mentioned earlier that I do this Presidents Clinic, and I do it with telemedicine and virtually online. And I look at the students, fourth-year medical students, third-year medical students, nurse practitioner students, PA [physician assistant] students. Is it good public policy that they should have no opportunity as they finish their education to have experiential learning, particularly because were in a pandemic? Perman asked rhetorically.

The second announcement, issued July 31, was a requirement that everyone  students and employees  returning to campus must be tested for COVID-19 at least 14 days before they arrive, and provide proof of a negative result.

The very first question from the audience came from a Frostburg State University student who had just learned that UMB would provide help in testing that university community, as well as the other system institutions.

The governor of Maryland, Governor Hogan, did in fact assist UMB at setting up a testing lab, explained UMB Interim President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS. We have been feverishly at work to get all of the aspects of that lab up to full capacity. Our plan is to provide support in the way of testing. The testing would be at or nearby your own university and then the specimens would come to UMB, and then we would turn them around and get a result back to you and the university. Theres hopefully a turnaround time thats under two days, he said.

The hourlong program included questions and comments on a wide variety of topics, from the lasting impact of teleworking and remote learning, to plans to enforce social distancing or withdraw from in-person classes should the pandemic surge. To view the entire program, use the video link at the top of this page.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) says it is adopting a zero-tolerance approach to recent disturbances in schools taking part in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

In a statement, it said it was appalled by the videos showing crass indiscipline from students, including the instances of students insulting against the President.

The Juaben Senior High School and Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School are among the schools that have seen rioting.

Students at the Bright Senior High School at Kukurantumi also attacked some invigilators after allegedly being spurred on by their proprietor.

The GES noted that any destruction of school property will be surcharged against the culprits established to be involved.

Instances were criminal acts have been reported should be reported to the police for investigations, it added.

Directors of Education have also been directed to take action on all such misconducts and submit reports to the Director-General immediately.

The service further warned parents that pleas for mitigation will not be tolerated.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, the Director-General of GES, Professor Kwasi Opoku Amankwa, said students implicated in vandalism would also deboardinized and made to sign an undertaking.

We have set up investigative committees to ensure we get to the end of it, he assured.

Prof. Amankwa also backed school heads who are preventing examination malpractices.

He said some of these teachers were acting on reports made to the GES.

There is intelligence that some students have arranged with some teachers hopefully to support them in the schools and when these came to the attention of the authorities, the authorities then decided to tighten the security and invigilation, Prof. Amankwa explained.

For the students insulting the President, Prof. Amankwa said the service had identified students at Sekondi College and Battor Senior High School.

Though the GES has no regulations on such comments against the head of state, Prof. Amankwa insisted that when you insult the President, you don't need to have a specific rule of GES to deal with them.

---citinewsroom
Africa's confirmed cases have surpassed 1 million, but global health experts say the true toll is likely several times higher, reflecting the gaping lack of testing for the continent's 1.3 billion people.

While experts say infection tolls in richer nations can be significant undercounts, large numbers of undetected cases are a greater danger for Africa, with many of the world's weakest health systems.

The World Health Organization calls the milestone a pivotal point for as infections in several countries are surging. The virus has spread beyond major cities into distant hinterlands where few health resources exist and reaching care could take days.

Immediately knowing they were at a disadvantage, African nations banded together early in the pandemic to pursue badly needed testing and medical supplies and advocate for equitable access to any successful vaccine. Swift border closures delayed the virus' spread.

But Africa's most developed country, South Africa, has strained to cope as hospital beds fill up and confirmed cases are over a half-million, ranking fifth in the world. The country has Africa's most extensive testing and data collection, and yet a South African Medical Research Council report last week showed many COVID-19 deaths were going uncounted.

Other deaths were attributed to other diseases as people avoid health centers and resources are diverted to the pandemic.

It's all a warning for Africa's other 53 countries of what might lie ahead. While dire early predictions for the pandemic have not played out, we think it's going to be here at a slow burn, the WHO's chief, Matshidiso Moeti, said Thursday.

Just two African countries at the start of the pandemic were equipped to test for the virus. Now virtually all have basic capacity, but supplies are often scarce. Some countries have a single testing machine. Some conduct fewer than 500 tests per million people, while richer countries overseas conduct hundreds of thousands. Samples can take days to reach labs. Even in South Africa, turnaround times for many test results have been a week or longer.

We are fighting this disease in the dark, International Rescue Committee expert Stacey Mearns said. In addition, has just 1,500 epidemiologists, a deficit of about 4,500. African nations overall have conducted just 8.8 million tests since the pandemic began,



well below the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's goal of 13 million per month. Countries would love to increase testing if only supplies weren't being snapped up by richer ones elsewhere.

Africa CDC director John Nkengasong said estimating the true number of cases on the continent is very tricky. Some 70 per cent of infections are asymptomatic, he has said. Africa's young population also might be a factor. Without a dramatic increase in testing, there's much we don't know.

But some experts are making their best guesses.

Africa likely has at least 5 million infections, said Ridhwaan Suliman, a senior researcher at South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. He believes the true number in South Africa alone is at least 3 million. The country has conducted far more tests than any other in Africa more than 3 million but in recent days about 25 per cent have come back positive. Because of shortages, South Africa largely limits testing to health workers and those showing symptoms.

Experts see South Africa as an indication of what's to come elsewhere. Sema Sgaier, an assistant professor of global health at Harvard and director of the Surgo Foundation, thinks the number of infections across Africa could be more than 9 million.

The U.S.-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation puts the number at more than 8 million. And Resolve to Save Lives, led by Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates it could be 14 million.

For Resolve to Save Lives senior vice president Amanda McClelland, the more worrying number is not the overall cases but the health workers infected across Africa now about 35,000. That affects care for everyone on a continent whose shortage of workers has been called catastrophic.

Reflecting the pandemic's diverse nature across Africa, just five countries account for 75 per cent of confirmed cases: South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana and Algeria. Nigeria alone could have had close to 1 million cases by now if Africa's most populous country hadn't acted quickly, the Africa CDC's Nkengasong said.

Still, with insufficient testing, people live with the fear that loved ones may have had the virus without knowing for sure.

In Burkina Faso, Yaya Ouedraogo lost his uncle and cousin in April. Both were in their 70s with a history of high blood pressure and diabetes, and both had complained of shortness of breath, fever and body pain, he said.

They had all the symptoms of coronavirus, but in certain areas no one was investigating it and they didn't get tested, he said.

The WHO Africa chief has said officials don't think the continent is seeing a silent huge epidemic, with thousands dying undetected, but she acknowledged under-reporting of cases.

(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.)
Actor Angad Bedi believes that those calling for the boycott of Gunjan Saxena- The Kargil Girl are being unfair to all the artistes who have put in their hard work into the film. In the aftermath of actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death, the industry is reeling from an intense and raging debate about the preferential treatment insiders in the industry get, making an outsiders journey in the showbiz difficult.

Filmmaker Karan Johar, who has backed Gunjan Saxena, starring Janhvi Kapoor in the lead, has come directly under fire, with many accusing him of furthering nepotistic culture in the industry. The films trailer was also met with several hate-filled comments on social media, followed by calls to boycott it.

In an interview with PTI, Angad said it breaks his heart to see how some people have made a mockery of a serious situation. It is sad. I feel theres a certain section of people who have made a mockery out of this situation. Our energies need to come together, we are facing a pandemic, there are many big issues not just our country but the world is facing, unemployment, people dying on the street, because of the disease.

We have lost such a gem of an actor. To have this backlash is wrong because tomorrow when we put ourselves in the same position, this is not how we are going to respond or react. Its important to be sensitive to each other, Angad said.

Directed by debutante Sharan Sharma, the film is based on the life of Gunjan Saxena, then a flying officer, who became the first woman combat aviator to fly into a war zone during the 1999 Kargil War.

Angad said those who are asking others to the boycott do not realise that it can have serious implications on the livelihood of the people.

We all are trying to put bread on the table for our family. Yes, this is a celebrated profession, but it is like just any other profession also. If you talk about boycotting, youre talking about robbing off our livelihood. I dont think thats fair. We get paid to act.

The 37-year-old actor said an inspiring film like Gunjan Saxena should be widely viewed. If a film like this is going to be in a position where it can be a great example to the youth, why would you boycott that?

Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl, which also features Pankaj Tripathi, Vineet Kumar Singh and Manav Vij, is set to stream on Netflix from August 12. In the film, Angad plays Major Anshuman Saxena, Gunjans well-intentioned but over-protective brother, who would rather have his sister accept the patriarchal ways of the society than challenge it.

Also read: Rhea Chakraborty appears before ED after it rejected her request to defer questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case

Angad said it was a complex role of someone who is honest to the realities and obstacles a woman faces in a mans world. So imagine what fears he is going through, when his younger sister wants to be an officer and excel in a male dominated society. Its great to be extremely optimistic... But is she mentally, emotionally ready? Anshuman knows she is talented but its a tough world out there, he added.

Sharma shares writing credits with Nikhil Mehrotra. Hussain Dalal has written additional dialogues on the movie.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Tomorrow is my 76th birthday and it seems hard to believe that Ive celebrated three landmark birthdays in Fairfield and Im just over three-quarters of a century. When I look in the mirror, I still see the same person  a lot less hair, of course; chubbier and more weathered. But 76 is just a number, after all and another day of being glad to be alive.

My friend Andy told me last week that I have no wrinkles and still look the same. We were celebrating his 70th birthday at Centro Ristorante and complimenting each other on how well weve aged. His wife just rolled her eyes. I was envious of his new goatee and lamented that I could never quite do a goatee properly.

He told me I havent aged a bit in the nearly 20 years he has known me. He asked how I manage to look that young and all I could muster was that I am in good health, still working out at the gym and, thanks to the wonderful new dog we recently rescued, I am doing three hearty walks every day. Most of all, I am happy. My wife and I, who will celebrate our 54th anniversary later this month, are feeling great; we have two wonderful daughters, one great son-in-law and two miracle grandkids. Whats not to be happy about?

Of course, I have to thank my dads great genes also. When he passed away at 97, dad still looked like he was in his 70s and remained pretty active.

When we celebrated our younger grandsons first birthday last Sunday  hail to all Leos  all I could think about was the 75-plus years that lie ahead of little Caleb and my hope is that he celebrates those and many more.

And his brother Lucas birthday is Aug. 27. and hell be celebrating 9 years and three of those are as a beloved member of our family. So much has happened for him since his adoption in 2017 from China and so many wonderful things lie ahead.

Ive always looked forward to my birthday even if I dont do much, because it is still a happy occasion. But my older daughter, who has always loved parties and celebrations, keeps asking me what I want to do for my birthday. That question is really code for Lets all go out for breakfast, lunch or dinner and dad pays the bill. Sound familiar to all grandpas?

When she asked last Sunday after Calebs party, I said, Well, I have to work at the bookstore from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and maybe Ill pick up dinner (carry out, of course) for mom and me. Would love to see you guys again, of course, but really wont feel like going out for dinner.

She offered Sunday and any day during the rest of the coming week. I just laughed.

Its not that I dont want to party, Stacey. But 76 is just another year for me after all.

Dad, she reminded. Every year is a gift for you.

Is that a hint that my times almost up?  I asked.

No, I didnt mean that at all, she said. I just meant that any birthdays are meant to be celebrated. But, if youd rather do nothing, we understand.

Actually, my family was always big on celebrations and for my 50th and 60th, we really did celebrate. But my wife really gave me the best surprise for my 50th. After I hinted that I wanted a surprise party, she told me she could never surprise me and said to plan my own party. So, I did.

I called family, friends and colleagues from all over the country, told them the party was happening in mid-August that year and to expect invitations. Then my wonderful, albeit sneaky wife and our younger daughter Jeri, got on the phone while I was at work, called everyone back and rescheduled the surprise party for two weeks before mine. She even asked my sister-in-law, who wanted to see Ms. Saigon in New York, to meet me in New York to keep me away while they prepared.

Later, when we arrived on the street, I couldnt find a place to park but never suspected a thing. Only when I walked through the door and 50 people yelled surprise was I in shock for the rest of the evening. Now that was truly a magnificent and special birthday.

For my 60th, the whole family came from the Midwest and the South and my folks hosted a huge brunch at what was then the Dakota. The brunches there were to die for and I truly miss that place. It was a fabulous birthday.

By the time 75 rolled around last year, I received an early and unique present that truly outdid any big party  the unexpected arrival of little Caleb on Aug. 3. He was strong and healthy and our special miracle. We have celebrated this entire year.

When my actual birthday rolled around on Aug. 8, we were busy helping Stacey get settled, running errands and amusing Lucas. So, 75 became just another number and my birthday became just another day. It truly became a very special birthday in every way.

Steven Gaynes is a Fairfield writer, and his In the Suburbs appears occasionally on Fridays. He can be reached at stevengaynes44@gmail.com.
New Delhi: Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari, quarantined in Mumbai after his arrival to oversee probe in actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, was allowed on Friday (August 7) to return to his home state Bihar.

Vinay Tiwari told Zee News, "Nothing to say right now, I am taking good memories of Mumbai Police," and added that the sanctity of investigation should be maintained.

The SP Patna city, said that Bihar Police investigation has been quarantined, adding "It has affected the investigation, but not me because I did my job."

He further said that an affidavit in the Supreme Court will be filed with three days about whatever investigation has been done, adding "We will help CBI. If you work, you have to give up happiness."

Quoting Srimad Bhagavad Gita, he said that he believed in the Karma and added that the investigation of Bihar Police was interrupted but they did as per their process.

"We made a constant effort through our investigation to arrive at a certain conclusion but this would be done by other probe agency," Tiwai said, adding "We cannot do anything about what their intention was."

Notably, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today allowed Bihar IPS officer to return to his home state. The Superintendent of Police of Central Patna, Tiwai has been exempted from quarantine protocols.

On Thursday, Bihar Police ADG wrote a letter to the Mumbai municipal commissioner, seeking Tiwari's exemption from quarantine protocols and facilitate his return to Patna to resume his duty. Tiwari's presence is no longer required in Mumbai and his arrival period (in Patna) is within seven days, the letter reportedly said.

Tiwari had reached Mumbai on Sunday to oversee an investigation into the FIR filed against actress Rhea Chakraborty in the Sushant death case. Rhea, the girlfriend of Rajput, was booked on abetment to suicide and other charges on a complaint filed by Sushant Singh's father in Patna.

On his arrival in Mumbai, Tiwari was asked to remain in quarantine till August 15 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and was stamped as quarantined by the BMC.
President Muhammadu Buhari has officially endorsed Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) for the forthcoming governorship election in Edo state.

The president also presented the APC flag to Ize-Iyamu who was led to the Presidential Villa in Abuja, by the Caretaker Committee of the ruling party and Governor of Yobe State, Mai Malla Buni.

Others who visited the State House for a meeting on Friday includes the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and Governor of Kebbi State Atiku Bagudu and the APC campaign council chairman for Edo election, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano state.

Edo governorship election has been scheduled for September 19, 2020, and Ize-Iyamu would be facing his longtime rival and incumbent governor of Edo, Godwin Obaseki.
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The coronavirus reproduction rate could now be as high as one right across the UK after rising slightly in the last week, the Government's scientific advisers warned today amid fears the virus is making a resurgence.

SAGE estimates the R value - the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects - is now between 0.8 and 1.0, up from last week's prediction that it was hovering around 0.8 and 0.9. Experts say the R needs to stay below one or Governments risk losing control of the epidemic and the virus could spiral back out of control.

England as a whole has remained the same at 0.8 to 1.0, but the R rose in Scotland (0.6 and 1.0), Wales (0.7 and 1.0), Northern Ireland (0.8 and 1.8), London (0.8 and 1.1), the North East and Yorkshire (0.8 and 1.0), and in the Midlands (0.8 and 1.0). The East of England is the only region in the entire UK where scientists can say with certainty that the R is below one.

SAGE said it was now 'starting to see early indications that' coronavirus was on the rise, which has fuelled fears that a second wave of the virus is making its way through the country. But it warned that when transmission is as low as it currently is in the UK - less than 1,000 people are being diagnosed every day - the R is more volatile. This means it can be skewed upwards by local clusters of infections, which has been seen in Aberdeen in Scotland and in swathes of the North West of England.

Despite the rise, separate Government data today suggested cases could actually be on their way down again after weeks of being on the up. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which tracks the size of the outbreak by swabbing thousands of people, now believes there are 3,700 people in England getting infected with Covid-19 each day.

It is 12 per cent down on the 4,200 made in the government-run agency's estimate last week, when they warned there was 'enough evidence' to prove cases were spiralling. The spike in cases prompted Boris Johnson to declare he was 'squeezing the brake pedal' on easing the coronavirus lockdown.

The ONS estimated 28,300 people in England had the coronavirus between July 27 and August 2 - the equivalent of one in 1,900 people. In comparison, last week's rate was one in 1,500.

There has been some confusion about whether the virus is actually resurging, with prominent scientists warning that data was merely reflecting an increase in testing in areas that have been hit by flare-ups of the disease. Former Tory minister David Jones told MailOnline the Government was airing on the side of caution when it came to interpreting the figures.

He said there were bound to be questions about whether the latest phase of lockdown easing plans - which would've seen crowds back at sporting events, and casinos, bowling alleys and beauticians reopen - needed to be delayed.

Mr Jones said: 'I guess the government is working on the basis it is better to be safe than sorry. When there is a public inquiry into all this it is going to be very clear that things could have been done differently and better. But of course there is not a playbook for this. The government is sort of feeling its way.

He added: It could well be the case that the economy could be open still further. The economic damage that we could sustain could be worse than the damage from the virus itself.

In other coronavirus developments in Britain today:

Britain recorded 871 more Covid-19 cases but rolling average went down for first time in a fortnight as health chiefs announce 98 more deaths  taking the official number of victims to 46,511;

Britons were urged to stay away from packed beaches amid overcrowding fears on what could be the UK's hottest day on record with Saharan air pushing temperatures above 100F (38C) for the second time in a week;

Rishi Sunak delivered a stark warning to Britons that the government 'will not hesitate' to take action by imposing quarantine bans amid fears France could be the next holiday destination to face coronavirus curbs;

Tory MPs have clashed with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham over his claims that it would be 'impossible' to lift lockdown restrictions in just one borough ahead of a review today;

More than 100,000 people could have died from coronavirus in Britain if the government didn't tell people to stay at home, according to research.

SAGE estimates the R value - the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects - is now between 0.8 and 1.0, up from last week's prediction that it was hovering around 0.8 and 0.9

The UK's current growth rate  how the number of new cases is changing day-by-day  is between minus five and zero per cent

The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which tracks the size of the outbreak by swabbing thousands of people, now believes there are 3,700 people in England getting infected with Covid-19 each day. It is 12 per cent down on the 4,200 made in the government-run agency's estimate last week, when they warned there was 'enough evidence' to prove cases were spiralling

Officials today also announced another 98 patients who tested positive for the infection have died  taking the official number of victims to 46,430 since the crisis spiralled out of control in February

ARE CASES REALLY GOING UP IN BRITAIN? Coronavirus cases in Britain have been on the up for three weeks - with 835 Britons now getting diagnosed each day, on average. The rolling rate is 53 per cent higher than the 546 on July 8, which was the lowest figure since before lockdown. And health chiefs yesterday recorded 950 more infections in the highest daily toll since June 26 (1,006). But the number of Brits being diagnosed with Covid-19 is still much lower than what was being recorded during the darkest days of the outbreak in April. Around 5,000 positive tests were being confirmed 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. It suggests that the virus is making a resurgence in the UK, like other European nations. Spain has been forced to reimpose lockdowns and infection rates have doubled in France over the past fortnight. But top scientists have warned the rise in cases across Britain is down to a spike in testing - and is not reflective of a genuine second wave. Professor Carl Heneghan, an epidemiologist at Oxford University, said data shows the number of pillar two tests - ones carried out in the community - rose by 80 per cent over the course of July to around 80,000. And he argued the number of cases spotted for every 100,000 of the tests is 'flat-lining', claiming they are actually dropping for pillar one, which are given to NHS and care workers as well as patients in hospital. Other estimates, however, do also show a rise in cases. The ONS, which tracks the size of the outbreak in England by carrying out thousands of swab samples, last week estimated cases had doubled from the end of June to mid-July. The data, considered the most accurate of its kind, was among a series of figures that prompted Boris Johnson to announce he was 'squeezing the brake pedal' on easing the coronavirus lockdown. But it today revealed there is evidence to show infections across the nation have 'levelled off'. It now estimates 3,700 people are getting infected each day in England - down 12 per cent on the 4,200 prediction the week before. Other surveillance schemes have seen a similar trend. Experts behind King's College London's symptom-tracking app says cases rose 12 per cent from July 23 to July 30, when they said 2,110 people were getting infected each day. But their most recent estimate, released yesterday, says this has dropped again to 1,600. 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. Other measures that reflect if an outbreak is really going up - hospital admissions and deaths - have barely changed in the past month. Government statistics show fewer than 60 Britons are dying after testing positive for Covid-19 each day. For comparison, more than 1,000 fatalities were being recorded each day during the darkest days of the outbreak in April. But the speed at which deaths have dropped has slowed. The rolling seven-day average has dropped 13 per cent since July 18 (68). But it fell three times quicker (42 per cent) between the start of July and the 18th. Infected patients can take weeks to die from the coronavirus, meaning any up-tick in cases in mid-July are likely to have started trickling through by now. Hospital admissions  another marker of an outbreak that go up before deaths  have also barely changed in the past week. Fewer than 150 people needed NHS care for coronavirus on July 29, the most up-to-date figure. Data for days since then are not deemed to be entirely accurate because admissions may still trickle in because of a recording lag. For comparison, 183 patients were admitted the week before. And more than 3,500 infected Britons were being admitted to hospital each day during the peak of the outbreak. Advertisement

Reacting to the R rate data, Keith Neal, emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases at the University of Nottingham, said: 'Making estimates of R with small number of cases becomes increasingly difficult and inaccurate. Hence the wide range of the estimates.

'A local cluster in one part of a region such as Leicester in the East Midlands can give a value over 1 overall for the region but the figure would be much lower in the rest of the region.

'These local clusters need to be identified and managed with locally targeted measures.

'For many parts of the country infection rates continue to fall but caution and avoidance of high risk mixing needs to continue.

'If R goes above 1 this is likely to be due a mixture of areas with some above and below 1.

'The best way the public can help control COVID-19 is to get tested if they have symptoms, and if positive isolate and identify their contacts.'

Testing data is collected by the ONS from swab tests sent regularly to people's homes to test whether they are infected with the virus at the time. The people are chosen to be representative of the UK population.

The households taking part in the survey were tested for Covid-19 regardless of whether they had symptoms or not. The ONS study does not include infections in care homes.

This week's update was based on the results of 120,0000 swab tests taken over six weeks, of which just 53 were positive.

Because such few people are testing positive now, there is a high degree of uncertainty about how to extrapolate from their data to the whole population, the ONS says.

The report did not find any evidence that coronavirus was more prevalent in different regions of England - despite Leicester, Blackburn, Greater Manchester and Aberdeen all being hit with tougher lockdown restrictions recently.

But the government-run agency said this was partly due to the small sample sizes of people from each region which make it statistically difficult to estimate regional infection rates.

In the report released today, the ONS said the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 has decreased since the start of the study on April 26.

But it added: 'Modelling suggests it has been rising since the lowest recorded estimate, which was at the end of June. There is now evidence to suggest that this trend may have levelled off.'

One of the UK's top experts, Professor Carl Heneghan, this week warned against reading too much into rising infection data.

Professor Heneghan, director of Oxford University's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, said the rising infection rates are down to more people being tested and warned of inaccuracies in the data.

He said putting 4.5million people in the North West under tough new lockdown measures last week was a 'rash' decision because there is no concrete evidence to suggest Covid-19 cases are actually rising.

Professor Heneghan claims that the number of swab tests given to the public through DIY kits sent in the post and at drive-through centres had soared by as much as 80 per cent in some areas in the North West, which was skewing the figures.

Professor Tim Spector, an epidemiologist based at King's College London, has also shot down Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock's talks of a second wave.

Professor Spector is the brains behind KCL's Covid Symptom Tracking app, used by more than a million Britons, which has helped scientists map the UK's crisis and predict infection rates.

He said data from his app did not support the theory that cases were spiking. His app shows that cases are slowly rising, which is probably influenced by more tests, according to the epidemiologist.

The Government's most up-to-date surveillance study, called REACT-1, showed that Covid-19 cases continued to fall after some lockdown measures were eased.

A total of 123 Britons were diagnosed with the infection out of a sample size of nearly 160,000 people between June 9 and July 8  an incidence rate of 0.07 per cent. This was down by almost half from May, when 159 people out of 120,620 tested positive (0.13 per cent).

Non-essential shops were allowed to reopen on June 15, and ministers allowed single-person households to mix with other homes for the first time since the lockdown was introduced on March 23.

But the effect of the changes on July 4  when the two-metre social distancing rule was halved and pubs, restaurants and cinemas reopened  won't be felt until the Imperial College London team's next report.

It comes as Britons were urged to stay away from packed beaches today amid overcrowding fears on what could be the UK's hottest day on record with Saharan air pushing temperatures above 100F (38C) for the second time in a week.

The mercury is expected to hit at least 99F (37C) in London and the South East today, with a chance that last Friday's 100F (37.8C) recorded at London Heathrow Airport  the UK's third-hottest day ever  could be broken.

Beaches across the south coast were already packed by mid-morning, further stoking fears among police and local councils that tourists will ignore coronavirus social distancing rules and cram onto packed seafronts.

Temperatures this afternoon could even climb above the all-time UK record of 101.7F (38.7C), which was set last July.

But unlike last Friday, when cloud and drizzle followed, this time the heatwave is here to stay until at least Tuesday. The mercury had already hit 91F (33C) by 12.30pm today, and is set to soar further as the day continues.

Bournemouth council warned as early as 10am that eight beaches were already categorised as 'avoid, social distancing not possible' on the Dorset coast  including Sandbanks, Mudeford, Highcliffe and Durley Chine.

All car parks in Sandbanks were full and shut by 11am, while police also warned tourists of a 'long queue' for the ferry.

Visitors to the South West of England were urged to avoid busy beaches, with the RNLI saying: 'If you arrive at the beach and it is simply too crowded, consider moving on and spending your day elsewhere.'

HOW HAS THE R RATE CHANGED IN THE UK? AREA ENGLAND UK --- EAST LONDON MIDLANDS NORTH EAST NORTH WEST SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST THIS WEEK 0.8 - 1.0 0.8 - 1.0 --- 0.7 - 0.9 0.8 - 1.1 0.8 - 1.0 0.8 - 1.0 0.8 - 1.1 0.8 - 1.0 0.8 - 1.1 LAST WEEK 0.8-1.0 0.8-0.9 --- 0.7 - 1.0 0.9 - 1.0 0.7 - 0.9 0.7 - 0.9 0.8 - 1.1 0.8 - 1.0 0.8 - 1.1 Advertisement

HOW HAS THE GROWTH RATE CHANGED? AREA ENGLAND UK --- EAST LONDON MIDLANDS NORTH EAST NORTH WEST SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST THIS WEEK -43 to 0% -5% to 0% --- -4 to -1% -4 to +1% -3% to 0% -4% to 0% -3% to +1% -4% to 0% -3% to +3% LAST WEEK -4% to -1% -4% to -1% --- -6 to -1% -4 to -0% -6% to -2% -6% to -2% -5% to +1% -3% to 0% -4% to +1% Advertisement

As fears rise about a second wave across Europe, Chancellor Rishi Sunak delivered a stark warning to Britons today telling them that any country could be slapped with travel restrictions at the drop of a hat.

He said the government 'will not hesitate' to take action by imposing restrictions on flows from countries if necessary.

The intervention came amid claims France is 'highly likely' to be added to the 14-day quarantine list following a dramatic rise in infections.

The number of daily coronavirus cases in the country has risen in recent days, with 1,695 new infections being recorded just yesterday, as it battles to avoid a second wave of Covid-19. The seven-day rolling average of confirmed cases has doubled from under 10 per million of population on Jul 21 to 19.33 yesterday. By contrast the UK's is around 12 cases per million people.

People enjoy the hot weather on Bournemouth beach in Dorset at 11.30am today as it becomes packed with sunseekers

Dozens of daytrippers head onto the beach at Camber Sands in East Sussex at 10.30am today where large crowds gathered

People enjoy the weather at Brighton beach in East Sussex shortly after noon today as Britons flock to the coast

HOW DOES THE ONS MAKE ITS INFECTION ESTIMATES? Testing data is collected by the ONS from swab tests sent regularly to people's homes to test whether they are infected with the virus at the time. The people are chosen to be representative of the UK population and are tested regardless of whether they had symptoms or not. The ONS study does not include infections in care homes. This week's update was based on the results of 120,0000 swab tests taken over six weeks, of which just 53 were positive. Because such few people are testing positive now, there is a degree of uncertainty about how to extrapolate from their data to the whole population. This differs from the Department of Health's daily infection figures, which count all of the positive tests produced in the last 24 hours in all settings - including hospitals, care homes, drive-through centres and home tests. Advertisement

Any move by the government could force Britons to cancel or cut short their trips to avoid the two-week quarantine on their return.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced last night that the Bahamas, Andorra and Belgium are being taken off the UK's quarantine-exemption list with little more than 24 hours' notice.

In a round of interviews on a visit to Scotland this morning, Mr Sunak said: 'Its a tricky situation. What I can say to people is we are in the midst of a global pandemnic, and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans. People need to bear that in mind.

It is the right thing for us to do to keep everything under review on a constant basis to be talking with our scientists, our medical advisers.

If we need to take action, as you have seen overnight, we will not hesitate to do that. But in the meantime people should just continue to look at the guidance and take everything into account.

The developments in France come after its scientific committee stated earlier this week that the situation was 'under control, but precarious. We could at any moment tip into a scenario that is less under control.'

It added: 'The short term future of the pandemic mainly lies in the hands of the population. It is highly likely that we will experience a second epidemic wave this autumn or winter.'

The statement said the virus 'has recently been circulating more actively, with an increased loss of distancing and barrier measures' since France emerged from its strict two-month lockdown in May.

'The balance is fragile and we can change course at any time to a less controlled scenario like in Spain for example,' it said.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'Unless France takes further significant steps to reduce its case numbers, then it's highly likely to be added later next week as the increase must be causing worries in Westminster.

'There are several hundred thousand British tourists in France at the moment so the government must give plenty of warning if it does change its advice later next week.'

The uptick in infections in France has been bolstered by fresh coronavirus testing troubles as dozens of labs closed to allow staff a summer holiday despite signs that a second wave is building.

Doctors have warned that the vacation crunch is just part of a larger web of failures in France's testing strategy which was described earlier this week by the government's own virus advisory panel as disorganized and 'insufficient'.

Professor Carl Heneghan (left), director of Oxford University's Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, claimed that cases aren't rising and that higher rates have been skewed by testing being ramped up. Professor Tim Spector (right), an epidemiologist at Kings College London, said the UK's mini coronavirus outbreaks are 'ripples' caused by a failure to completely flatten the first epidemic

'If we need to take action we will not hesitate': Rishi Sunak warns travellers amid fears FRANCE could be the next holiday destination to face UK curbs due to rising coronavirus cases Rishi Sunak delivered a stark warning to Britons today amid fears France could be the next holiday destination to face coronavirus curbs. Amid rising cases across much of the continent, the Chancellor warned that travellers needed to be aware that the situation was under 'constant review' and there was the 'risk' of disruption. He said the government 'will not hesitate' to take action by imposing restrictions on flows from countries if necessary. The intervention came amid claims France is 'highly likely' to be added to the 14-day quarantine list following a dramatic rise in infections. The number of daily coronavirus cases in the country has risen in recent days, with 1,695 new infections being recorded just yesterday, as it battles to avoid a second wave of Covid-19. The seven-day rolling average of confirmed cases has doubled from under 10 per million of population on Jul 21 to 19.33 yesterday. By contrast the UK's is around 12 cases per million people. Any move by the government could force Britons to cancel or cut short their trips to avoid the two-week quarantine on their return. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced last night that the Bahamas, Andorra and Belgium are being taken off the UK's quarantine-exemption list with little more than 24 hours' notice. In a round of interviews on a visit to Scotland this morning, Mr Sunak said: 'Its a tricky situation. What I can say to people is we are in the midst of a global pandemnic, and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans. People need to bear that in mind. It is the right thing for us to do to keep everything under review on a constant basis to be talking with our scientists, our medical advisers. If we need to take action, as you have seen overnight, we will not hesitate to do that. But in the meantime people should just continue to look at the guidance and take everything into account. Advertisement

'First, there is a lack of workers to do the testing. If we don't ask all the health workers to be available by mobilizing all of them, there are just not enough people,' emergency services doctor Christophe Prudhomme at a hospital in Bobigny, Paris.

'And then it's a matter of organization,' he said, urging regional health agencies 'to organize testing so that it's not the citizen who has to take his phone and try to call seven or eight labs in order to get an appointment that will take place only next week.'

It is worrying news for the country which saw its hospitals nearly drown with Covid-19 patients in the first wave - in part due to inadequate testing.

The country has already lost more than 30,300 lives to the pandemic and yesterday alone recorded 1,695 new infections.

A decision by the Government is expected to be announced within the next 24 hours after ministers consider the latest data as part of their weekly review of quarantine.

Meanwhile, the Bahamas, Andorra and Belgium will be taken off the UK's quarantine-exemption list.

Mr Shapps said people arriving in Britain from the three nations will have to quarantine from 4am on Saturday.

In a tweet he said: 'Data shows we need to remove Andorra, Belgium and The Bahamas from our list of coronavirus Travel Corridors in order to keep infection rates DOWN.

'If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.'

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has designated all Belgium as a 'code orange' for the new coronavirus, meaning the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants is 20 or above for two weeks.

Separately, Malaysia and Brunei have been added to the UK's safe list. In Wales, the restrictions come into force from midnight tonight August 6. Belgium has suffered a consistent increase in cases in recent weeks, rising to 27.8 new cases per 100,000 people.

This towers over the UK's latest rate of 8.4 per 100,000, and is higher than Spain's 27.4 level around the time when the UK introduced travel restrictions there.

Belgium's prime minister, Sophie Wilmes, was last week forced to put a halt to the nation's Covid-19 exit plan by introducing drastic new social distancing measures in the hope of avoiding a new national lockdown.

Contacts outside every household were limited to the same five people for a month, in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

In Andorra, new cases per week have increased five-fold since mid-July, while in The Bahamas the weekly case rate peaked at 78.6 last week, up from 3.1 in the middle of last month.

The countries follow Spain  which was put on the quarantine list a fortnight ago, wrecking the holiday plans of millions  and Luxembourg, which was added last week.

The British Government has been under pressure to introduce airport coronavirus tests for arrivals.

Ministers are looking at whether people coming to the UK from at-risk countries such as the US and Spain could be given tests to reduce the number of days they have to quarantine for.

And the boss of Heathrow airport has proposed a double-testing regime that would see passengers tested at their point of entry to the country, and again five to eight days later.

If given the all clear in both tests, they would no longer be required to stay at home for 14 days and could go back to normal life.
The US is the only import market for Vietnamese shrimp posting consecutive positive growth across all months of the first half of 2020.

Vietnam exported US$323.3 million worth of shrimp to the US in the first six months of this year, up 29% over the same period last year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

In the first six months of this year, Vietnamese shrimp had a competitive advantage over other competitorsthanks to a faster restoration of production after the COVID-19 pandemic while other suppliers like India and Ecuador are still suffering a heavy impact from the pandemic.

At least 17 sources of shrimp supply to the US reduced their exports to the market in May 2020 compared to the same month in 2019. Thus, the US demand for shrimp imports from Vietnam will not increase overall to offset the declining supply from other countries.

Vietnamese shrimp exported to the US in the third quarter of 2020 is predicted to be lower than that for the second quarter because India and Ecuador will shift their exports to the US due to difficulties in the Chinese market.

However, with the advantage of low anti-dumping duty, Vietnams shrimp exports to the US is expected to rise by 20% across the whole of 2020 compared to 2019, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

What do you think of when you hear the word "refugee"? For many people, what comes to mind is vulnerabilityyou might imagine the grim conditions of a refugee camp or the dangers of the desperate journey to safety. So perhaps it's unsurprising that refugees are widely perceived to be especially needy or dependent on public assistance.

But in their search for opportunity and community, refugees in the United States actually look just as resourceful as other immigrants. That's according to a new study from the Immigration Policy Lab (IPL) , which included researchers at Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS).

As they build a new life in the country, many refugees move to a different state soon after arrival, according to a new dataset on nearly 450,000 people who were resettled between 2000 and 2014. And when they move, they are primarily looking for better job markets and helpful social networks of others from their home countrynot more generous welfare benefits.

"These findings counter the stereotype that refugees are destined to become a drain on state resources over the long run," says study co-author Jeremy Ferwerda. "When choosing where to live in the United States, refugees do not move to states where welfare benefits are highest. Instead, they leave states with high unemployment rates and move to states with booming economies and employment opportunities. "

Harnessing the Data

Part of the reason we haven't had a clear picture of refugees' lives in the United States is that it isn't easy to connect different data sets in a way that allows you to follow each refugee over time. The U.S. Department of State keeps the records on new arrivals, including their country of origin, education, and ties to family or friends already living here. Records of milestones in their integration process, including becoming legal permanent residents and, later, citizens, are the province of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Making this information useful calls for new partnerships between researchers and government agencies. "We are grateful to the Office of Immigration Statistics for providing this invaluable opportunity for collaboration between IPL and OIS researchers," says Duncan Lawrence, IPL executive director and study co-author. "This work would not have been possible without this partnership and input from knowledgeable, dedicated leaders in this office."

Before this, researchers have had to use small samples, either fielding a survey that asks people whether they entered the country as refugees, or using existing surveys and guessing at refugee status. Now, the IPL team had a sample of unprecedented size, accuracy, and detail.

"The law suggests that secondary migration should be monitored to help inform policymaking," says IPL co-director and study co-author Jens Hainmueller. "Our study helps with that, since we have captured secondary migration for the full population, for the first time."

Push And Pull Factors

One of the first things the researchers wanted to know was where refugees were living. U.S. refugee resettlement agencies assign each incoming refugee to a particular place, and their local offices receive federal funding to help the newcomers get settled. Until now, we haven't known how many of them leave their assigned location or what motivates them to move.

Because refugees are required to apply for permanent resident status a year after arrival, the researchers could note how many had a different address by then, and the numbers were surprising. Of the 447,747 refugees they observed, 17 percent had moved to a different state around the one-year mark. For other noncitizens during the same period, only an estimated 3.4 percent move out of state within the same time period after arrival.

Not only were the refugees highly mobile; there were distinct patterns in their movement. Some states were much more likely than others to see their refugees leave. In Louisiana, New Jersey, and Connecticut, more than 30 percent of refugees quickly relocated, while in California and Nebraska, only 10 percent did. Midwestern states had the greatest gain in refugees from other states, with Minnesota receiving the most.

With information on so many refugees, the researchers also were able to uncover patterns among people from the same country. Those from Somalia and Ethiopia left their assigned states in the greatest numbers. Congolese refugees, who were among the most likely to stay put, were 34 percentage points less likely to move than Somalis.

So what were the refugees looking for in a home? To find out, the researchers looked at the states in pairs and counted the number of arrivals and departures on each side. The greatest movement happened between state pairs that had the greatest difference in the share of the population who were from a refugee's home country. In other words, states where co-nationals are a higher share of the population tended to receive refugees from states with a lower share, and the numbers increase as the gap between the two states widens.

Economic opportunity was another strong pull factor. Refugees were especially likely to leave states with high unemployment in favor of states with low unemployment. Housing costs were another factor, though their influence was not as strong.

These findings echo research on migration patterns among recent immigrants, who have settled in different places than the traditional destinations that attracted earlier waves of newcomers. Immigrants as a whole highly value places that offer them a chance to make a good living and establish a supportive communityand refugees are no different.

U.S. refugees do stand out from other immigrants in at least one way: In an earlier study using the same dataset, the researchers found that they become citizens at much higher rates. Among refugees who arrived between 2000 and 2010, 66 percent had become citizens by 2015. And here again, opportunity, community, and place make a difference. Refugees placed in urban areas with lower unemployment and a larger share of co-nationals were more likely to naturalize.

Making a Better Match

Overall, these findings suggest that the U.S. refugee resettlement system is working relatively well, since most refugees do stay and build new lives in the places where they are sent. Still, one might look at all this movement and lament a certain inefficiency: The system devotes resources to helping refuges get situated in a given place, and they don't travel with the refugees who move.

So there's plenty of room to improve the match between refugees and local destinations, and the IPL team has a solution to offer: a data-driven tool called GeoMatch that makes personalized location recommendations for each refugee. The tool can also help economic immigrants decide where to live within a new country. For both groups, it puts vast amounts of previously unused data to good use, informing decisions that can alter the course of people's lives.

Explore further Psychologists pinpoint psychological factors of refugee integration

More information: N. Mossaad at Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC el al., "In search of opportunity and community: Internal migration of refugees in the United States," Science Advances (2020). Journal information: Science Advances N. Mossaad at Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC el al., "In search of opportunity and community: Internal migration of refugees in the United States,"(2020). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup  .1126/sciadv.abb0295
Petre Sandru, country manager, Coca-Cola Ireland pictured with actor Barry Keoghan to mark the launch of the 2020 Coca-Cola Thank You Fund. Images taken before Covid-19 public health restrictions on travel and social distancing

As the country navigates the current public health crisis and begins the long road to recovery, many community initiatives and businesses are rallying together to support the most vulnerable people in society.

One initiative thats set to provide invaluable support for young people across the country is the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, which has already donated over 1m to 95 non-profit organisations in Ireland since 2011. It is currently inviting applications from youth-orientated, non-profit groups who provide vital services and support for those that need it most.

Ahead of the launch of the 2020 Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, we spoke to Petre Sandru, country manager, Coca-Cola Ireland, to find out more about the fund. Petre explained how it is one of many initiatives being rolled out by the company to support communities most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Celebrating a decade of great work

The Coca-Cola Thank You Fund has made a real difference to youth groups and community organisations since it was established but the financial support it provides is now more important than ever.

This year is a milestone year for the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, marking a decade of support for youth-orientated, non-profit groups across the island of Ireland, Petre explains.

As we start to realise the impact the Covid-19 crisis is having on young people in our local community, the role of community leaders, non-profit organisations and local youth groups has never been more important.

Taking all of this into account, this years fund has been reimagined to support groups in response to the impact of Covid-19. In recognition of the vulnerable and marginalised young people that have been disproportionately affected by the economic and socio-economic impact of the pandemic, Coca-Cola Thank You Fund grants will be awarded to charities, community and voluntary organisations and NGOs seeking support for initiatives targeted at supporting young people aged 16-25.

Expand Close Barry Keoghan, Coca-Cola Thank You Fund launch ambassador, with Petre Sandru, country manager, Coca-Cola Ireland and members of the Just Ask Youth Group in Dublin / Facebook

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Whatsapp Barry Keoghan, Coca-Cola Thank You Fund launch ambassador, with Petre Sandru, country manager, Coca-Cola Ireland and members of the Just Ask Youth Group in Dublin

Making a difference during the crisis

With fundraising efforts severely inhibited as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, this type of funding could provide essential financial support for deserving initiatives.

As a company we realise the impact that the pandemic has had on fundraising streams for many working in the non-profit sector and how important it is that they have access to funding so they can continue to deliver services to those most vulnerable in our society right now.

Thats why Coca-Cola is making grants available to those non-profit groups working directly with young people most at risk  building their resilience, meeting the education gaps that exist and tackling the mental health challenges theyre facing today and will continue to face over the coming weeks, months and even years.

During the early months of the pandemic, The Coca-Cola Company came together with its bottling partner Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and The Coca-Cola Foundation to donate more than $120m globally to organisations to support leading relief efforts.

Locally, through this funding a cash grant was given to social enterprise FoodCloud, which has enabled the charity to deliver the equivalent of 100,000 meals to communities in need. With marketing campaigns paused, the company donated media space to the HSE to support efforts to amplify its public information campaign.

Through global supply chains, it sourced much-needed PPE which was donated to the HSE for use by frontline workers. 600,000 drinks were also donated to healthcare workers and to the most vulnerable groups within the community since March.

This month, the companys new marketing campaign Open Life Never Before has gone live globally. The integrated campaign includes a sustained programme of in-market activities focused on supporting bars, cafes and restaurants in the hospitality sector. The campaign will be providing some of those operating in the sector with access to Coca-Colas Ad Generator platform whereby they will be provided with resources and expertise to create their own adverts for digital communications.

As the country navigates our new normal and communities assess the impact of the pandemic, grass roots organisations will help to lead the way to recovery. Petre says that the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund was designed as a way for the company to give back to the communities it operates in and in which its customers live.

In charting a road to recovery, we will need to unlock the talent and potential of all our young people. Youth services in communities across the island of Ireland play a key role in empowering young people and ensuring they can play a part in securing Irelands economic recovery in the months and years ahead.

For the community, by the community

The projects that the fund supports can have a major impact on the lives of the young people who use them. Speaking at the launch of the 2020 Coca-Cola Thank you Fund, BAFTA-nominated actor Barry Keoghan reiterated the importance of these community initiatives and encouraged groups to apply for this years fund.

Originally from Summerhill in Dublins north inner city, the rising Hollywood star spoke about how a local community project had a formative influence on his early acting career.

I think were all a little overwhelmed at the moment, but for someone whose only support is their local youth group, this is a particularly difficult time, Barry says.

I know my own local community project in Dublin had a massive impact on me. It gave me the confidence to get to where I am today, so to have that connection taken from you when you need it most is scary.

None of us really know what lies ahead, but youth groups provide a lifeline for young people right across Ireland  theyre the bridge between night and day at times, and the grants available through the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund will help them to provide the services that are changing the course of young Irish peoples lives for the better.

Applications for this years Coca-Cola Thank You Fund are now open. If youre a youth-orientated non-profit organisation or the leader of a local community group, make sure to apply now on the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund website.

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Patient data are a treasure trove for AI researchers. There's a problem though: many algorithms used to mine patient data act as black boxes, which makes their predictions often hard to interpret for doctors. Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and the Zhejiang university in China have now developed an algorithm that not only predicts hospital readmissions of heart failure patients, but also tells you why these occur. The work has been published in BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making.

Doctors are increasingly using data from electronic healthcare records to asses patient risks, predict outcomes, and recommend and evaluate treatments. Application of machine learning algorithms in clinical settings has however been hampered by lack of interpretability. The models often act as black boxes: you see what goes in (data) and what comes out (predictions), but you can't see what happens in between. It can therefore be very hard to interpret why the models are saying what they are saying.

This undermines the trust healthcare professionals have in machine learning algorithms, and limits their use in everyday clinical decisions. Of course, interpretability is also a key requirement of EU privacy regulations (GDPR), so improving it also has legal benefits.

Attention-based neural networks

To solve this problem, Ph.D. candidate Peipei Chen of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences, together with other researchers at TU/e and Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, has tested an attention-based neural network on heart patients in China. Attention-based networks are able to focus on key details in data using contextual information.

In this figure we see the relative risk weights (y-axis) of 105 characteristics (x-axis) for two random patients. For patient a) features NT-proBNP (21), Sodium (32) and Coronary Heart Disease (12) are the most important risk factors, for patient b) NT-proBNP (21), Systolic blood pressure (7) and Left ventricular end-systolic volume (87). Credit: Eindhoven University of Technology

This is the same approach humans take to evaluate the world around them. When people look at a picture of a Dalmatian, they immediately focus on the four-legged black-spotted white shape in the center of the image and recognize it's a dog. To do this, they apply both intuition and information gleaned from the context. Attention-based neural networks essentially do the same.

Because of their sensitivity to context, these neural networks are not only good at making predictions, they also allow you to exactly see what feature was responsible for what result. Of course, this considerably increases the interpretability of your predictions. Attention-based networks are traditionally used in image recognition and speech recognition, where context is key in understanding what's going on. Recently, they have also been applied in other domains.

Experiment

Peipei Chen and her colleagues followed 736 heart failure patients from a Chinese hospital. Based on patient characteristics, they tried to predict and interpret readmissions of the patients within 12 months after their release from hospital. The researchers looked at 105 features, including age and gender, blood pressure and heart rate, diseases such as diabetes and kidney problems, length of stay and medicine use.

The attention-based model predicted two-thirds of all readmissions, slightly improving on three other popular prediction models. More importantly, the model was able to specify what risk factors were contributing most to chance of readmission for each patient (see image), making the predictions much more useful for doctors. Moreover, the model provided the most important risk factors for all patient samples. Doing so, the researchers identified three echocardiographic measurements that were not identified by another model.

Before the attention-based model can be implemented by doctors, it needs to be validated on larger data sets. Chen also wants to expand on the research by including textdata gained from discharge and daily progress notes in the electronic health records.

Explore further Study suggests new computer analytics may solve the hospital readmission puzzle

More information: Peipei Chen et al. Interpretable clinical prediction via attention-based neural network, BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making (2020). Journal information: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making Peipei Chen et al. Interpretable clinical prediction via attention-based neural network,(2020). DOI: 10.1186/s12911-020-1110-7
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/07/2020



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

star Bennett Kirschner has dished on his prior interactions with Amelia Fatsi -- and what he thought of her -- prior to the couple getting married on Season 11 of the Lifetime reality series.On this season, Bennett and Amelia both recognized each other on their wedding day although they were each supposed to be marrying a stranger, and Amelia appeared completely shocked by the man the MAFS experts had matched her with.Amelia revealed to the cameras she had met her groom "months and months ago at a party" and she thought he was "cool."On Wednesday night's episode of : Unfiltered, Bennett watched back a Season 11 clip in which he told Amelia during their first post-wedding conversation they had actually met on more than one occasion, and he recalled Amelia attending one of his band's shows."I think I remember talking to you and Mary," Bennett, a 28-year-old artistic director from Montvale, NJ, told his new wife.Bennett explained in the clip he had met Amelia through their mutual friend Mary."I happened to be in a relationship at the time, but I was like, 'Wow, [Amelia] is someone who is pretty cool!'" Bennett shared of the 27-year-old medical resident from Richmond, VA.Unfiltered host Jamie Otis , who starred on 's first season, therefore asked Bennett to elaborate on meeting Amelia prior to the show."So we met a couple of times. Those two times that we met were pretty brief. They were in, like, larger group settings and so we didn't really talk in a one-on-one way," Bennett said."I thought she was really charming. You know, I thought she was really cute and seemed really cool. She certainly made a good impression on me."viewers are probably curious whether Bennett and Amelia hit it off or had an attraction to each other, so Jamie asked Bennett, "You said you were in a relationship one of the times you met her... But if you were single the first time you met her, do you think you would have asked her out?""No," Bennett confessed. "I'm not so suave. I don't think I would've had the gall to do such a thing.""But, you know, I might have tried to, like, hang out with our mutual friend more and said something to her. Who is to say!" Bennett noted.Bennett said on that he thought his wife was "gorgeous" and appreciated the bird's nest on her head, and Amelia gushed how her husband was "such a cutie pie."After the wedding, Amelia reminded Bennett that he had taught her about credit cards at the party where they first met."He really charmed me that one time [we met] months and months ago when we had a very brief conversation," Amelia said. "I was very impressed. Wow, now he's my husband. I'm not mad about it!"Bennett vibed with Amelia right off the bat and told the cameras 's experts Pastor Calvin Roberson, Dr. Pepper Schwartz and Dr. Viviana Coles had done a "phenomenal job" in matching them."I don't feel a very real attraction to a person that often, and this happens to be someone I've noticed in that way before. It's kind of nuts! Kind of nuts," Bennett said in a confessional.He later added, "I am very attracted to her. She seems really sweet; she seems really funny. There is definite chemistry there. It seems it's going to be a pretty natural fit."Amelia called her chemistry with Bennett "magical," something that "can't be explained by science" -- and she apparently saw real potential to fall in love with her "awesome" husband.Bennett and Amelia appeared to be a match made in heaven, but they realized early on -- during separate brunches with their new in-laws the day after their wedding -- that there would be some real challenges to face in the future if they're going to make it work.Amelia, for example, learned Bennett didn't want biological children due to overpopulation, and Amelia's mom broke the news to Bennett he would possibly have to move with her to another city for her upcoming medical residency.Bennett, however, told Amelia's mother moving to another city for love would be "totally feasible" as long as he adores his partner, and he also assured Amelia that if she really wanted biological children, he would be onboard with that in order to make her happy.The latest Season 11 episode concluded with the five couples beginning their honeymoons in Mexico.In addition to Amelia and Bennett, the series also stars Miles Williams and Karen Landry Woody Randall and Amani, Brett and Olivia, and Christina and Henry Rodriguez Interested in more news? Join our Married at First Sight Facebook Group
The Barotse Floodplain in Zambia is one of Africa's largest wetlands, representing varied ecotypes and high biodiversity conservation value.

However, the Lozi People who live in the region face an intense "hungry season" from November to January when accessibility to food is very limited. This means that year-round nutrition and food security are consistently top priorities.

Conventional intensive agriculture is not well-suited for the Barotse landscape. Over-expansion of agriculture would have cascading negative effects on local people, wildlife, downstream ecosystems, and economic sectors such as hydropower.

To help improve livelihoods through sustainable agricultural development and environmental protection, researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT worked with Lozi communities to identify locally relevant strategies.

They published some of their findings in a recent study in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability.

Why identify ecosystem services?

Ecosystem services encompass a plethora of benefits to humans that come from natural and managed lands. However, researcher and co-author Natalia Estrada-Carmona says, only a small fraction of these tend to be considered, valued, and measured (e.g., CO2 or crop yields) in economic and agriculture development agendas.

The research team used a gender-sensitive ecosystem services approach to work with three local communities. Focus group participants (separated into men and women) used 1,992 coded cards in English and the local language Silozi to assess 17 ecosystem services, from fishing to erosion control.

Questions such as "Where do you go to get water for consumption?" and "What eco-types are important for controlling floods?" identified services according to provisioning, regulating, and cultural uses and benefits.

The activities carried out with the local communities helped to visualize all the benefits from the different eco-types present in the floodplain. It was very interesting to see that many of the most important ecosystem services for both women and men come from native vegetation eco-types." Natalia Estrada-Carmona, Study Co-author and Researcher,

"Additionally, this exercise facilitated discussing and visualizing the trade-offs associated with converting natural vegetation to cultivated eco-types."

"Those trade-offs are often invisible in agriculture development agendas and programs. This research confirms that assuming that agricultural expansion can occur everywhere without consequences is a pretty biased perception."

Implications from applying a gender lens

The study suggests several differences between how men and women access their ecosystems: for example, women go to shallower river areas for smaller fish and cultivate diverse crops, including neglected and underutilized species (NUS), that complement household nutrition security.

The dynamic nature of the floodplain also translates into seasonal changes in human migration, and labor shortages.

Estrada-Carmona elaborates: "Communities in the uplands are settling more as access to schools, roads, and electricity increases."

"Women tend to stay caring for kids, elders, and land during the dry season while men migrate to the plains in the hunt for fish and cash."

"Therefore, agricultural practices or activities that ignore women's reality in the uplands during the dry season would either add a burden or exclude them from implementing those practices or activities."

Agroecological intensification - multifunctional agricultural land

Although the study revealed that forests in the uplands and grasslands in the plains provide the bulk of ecosystem services, these fertile lands are often converted to agricultural land.

The authors point out that rather than monocultures focused on cash crops, such as hybrid maize and rice, local food security and livelihoods would benefit most from agroecological intensification.

Approaches such as multiple cropping, conservation agriculture, and agroforestry could restore and maintain the identified ecosystem services in cultivated lands while reducing the pressure on natural lands.

Local people and the Zambian government already recognize the value of crop diversity in mitigating environmental, food security, and market risks, with researchers finding that at least 17 NUS are currently being planted.

However, maize is the most common crop, and there is a lack of support for experimentation and innovation that can identify the cultivation system best suited to ensure year-round, long-term production and other benefits.

"Agricultural land is seen as a source of yields or calories only," says Estrada-Carmona. "In reality, it is the most malleable land that can contribute to maintaining soil fertility, erosion or flood control, water quality, wildlife connectivity/habitat, etc."

"Hence, identifying the cropping systems and crop diversification strategies at the farm and landscape level that generate those multiple benefits is vital for sustainable and holistic development."

The study concludes: "The intertwined drivers of change and the complex trade-offs between ecosystem services demand looking beyond 'agriculture' and 'conservation' as two separate challenges... All stakeholders' agendas could be better articulated by integrating the traditional place-based knowledge for jointly planning a sustainable future of the Barotse Floodplain for livelihoods, well-being, and conservation."
Two days after the Supreme Court turned down his plea, former Bishop of Jalandhar Franco Mulakkal surrendered before the trial court in Kottayam in Kerala which later granted him bail under strict provisions.

He was asked not leave Kerala and appear before it on Aug 13 when the charge sheet will be read out in the court. The court had cancelled his bail last month when he repeatedly failed to appear before it. Later, he moved the High Court and Supreme Court, but both refused to entertain his plea to quash the case.

ALSO READ | See no merit in your petition: SC to rape-accused bishop Franco Mulakkal

Public prosecutor Jithesh Babu told the court that earlier Mulakkal had claimed he had tested positive for Covid-19, but had failed to produce a certificate showing that he recovered from the illness. Then the court directed health officials to check the claim.

On the last two occasions, he skipped the court saying he was staying in a containment zone in Jalandhar and later he said he had tested positive for coronavirus. But the prosecution questioned the veracity of both claims.

The case surfaced in 2018, after a 43-year-old nun complained to the police in Kottayam that Mulakkal had raped her several times between 2014 and 2016. The nun is a member of the Missionaries of Jesus congregation based in Punjab. But Mulakkal denied it saying he was implicated after he took action against her for financial irregularities in the convent.

ALSO READ | Bishop Franco Mulakkal to face rape charges as Supreme Court dismisses plea

Later, a special investigation team (SIT) was formed and it arrested him in September 2018. He was granted bail after spending 40 days in jail. He was removed from the post of the bishop later. The SIT had filed the charge sheet against him last year but he failed to appear before the court several times. The petitioner had also complained that some of the witnesses were threatened by Mulakkals followers.
Exchange Rates UK Team have compiled a full list of all the global travel restrictions for those travelling to and from the UK.

Updated 07 August 2020

UK travel sector remains in a state of major flux, diligent travel planning essential

During the UK lockdown phase of the coronavirus crisis, the travel situation was straightforward for UK residents as the Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO) advised against all non-essential travel to overseas countries.

As lockdown measures have eased, however, there has been a limited easing of regulations, especially with strong pressure to ease restrictions to allow UK holidaymakers to travel overseas for the summer holiday season.

The situation is now much more complicated, especially as the governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, also have the authority to set their own rules on arrivals.

This is a potentially a very fast-moving situation with UK advice liable to change without notice, as was the case for quarantine rules on return from Spain.

Other countries can also change their advice very quickly. For example, Germany has now announced that some inbound visitors will need to provide a valid negative coronavirus test from August 8th, although this does not apply to the UK.

The UK has also announced that Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas will be added to the quarantine list from August 8th.

It is inevitable that there will be further changes at short notice with primary attention focussed on France.

Before travelling or making a booking, it is essential to check the advice for individual countries, especially the quarantine rules on entry and return.

Navigating the complex current situation

At present, the default FCO advice is still to avoid all non-essential travel. It also advises against cruise-ship holidays. There are no restrictions on travel to and from the UK travel area including the Republic of Ireland, although visitors are asked to isolate on entry into Ireland.

The FCO has also announced an extensive list of countries which are excluded from this advice.

There is a further layer of complexity given quarantine regulations.

As a default position, travellers arriving into the UK from overseas countries need to quarantine in the UK for 14 days. This applies both to UK citizens arriving back into the UK and for overseas visitors coming to the UK.

There is, however, a list of countries which are exempt from quarantine regulations.

The government has set up the Joint Bio-security Centre (JBS) which determines which countries are on the quarantine list and which should be exempt.

The JBS includes a range of factors such as an estimate on the proportion of the population that is infectious, transmission status, trends in incidents and deaths and information on testing capacity.

For countries where non-essential travel is allowed, many will also be on the list where UK returners do not need to quarantine, but this is not always the case.

It is also important to note that the UK decision not to impose a quarantine period on return to the UK is no guarantee that there will be no quarantine period on arrival in the overseas country.

For example, there is no need to quarantine on arrival in the UK from New Zealand. However, New Zealand has barred all foreign visitors from entering the country. It is, therefore, not possible for a UK citizen to visit New Zealand.

If a country is on the quarantine list then travellers returning to the UK will be required to fill in an online form and supply all contact details. They should then return home directly and stay at home for a period of 14 days.

This has serious implications for people who need to return to work and cannot work from home.

Two very important countries with restrictions are the US and Spain. UK citizens are not allowed into the US at present while travellers from Spain will need to self-quarantine n return to the UK.

It is of course possible to travel to any country and ignore the advice, but a key element to consider is that travel insurance will not be valid. The government has the power to impose fines for non-compliance of quarantine rules, although there are serious questions over enforceability.

Global travel tables

The tables show the current situation with regards to Europe and the rest of the world.

If a country is not listed, this means that they have 3 NOs - non-essential travel is not allowed and there are quarantine requirements both on arrival to the country and coming back to the UK.

It is important to reiterate that the regulations are liable to change at very short notice.

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TABLE OF TRAVEL ADVICE

Country Entry without quarantine UK entry without quarantine non-essential travel allowed testing/documents needed Albania YES NO NO Before departure Andorra CHECK NO NO Armenia NO NO NO On arrival Austria YES YES YES Belarus YES NO NO Before departure Belgium YES NO NO On arrival Bosnia/herzogovnia YES NO NO Bulgaria YES NO NO Croatia YES YES YES Cyprus CHECK YES YES Before departure and on arrival Czech Rep YES YES YES Denmark YES YES YES Estonia YES YES YES Finland NO YES YES France YES YES YES Georgia NO NO NO Germany YES YES YES Greece YES YES YES Before departure Hungary YES YES YES Before departure Iceland YES YES YES Before departure Ireland NO YES YES Italy YES YES YES Kosovo YES NO NO On arrival Latvia YES NO YES On arrival Lichtenstein YES YES YES Lithuania YES YES YES Luxembourg YES NO NO Moldova NO No NO Montenegro YES NO NO Netherlands YES YEs YES Before departure North Macedonia YES NO NO Norway YES YES YES Poland YES YES YES Portugal YES NO NO On arrival Portugal (Azores) YES NO YES Before departure Portugal (Madeira) YES NO YES Before departure Romania NO NO NO Russia YES NO NO Before departure and on arrival San Marino YES YES YES Serbia YES NO NO Slovakia YES YEs YES Slovenia YES YES YES Spain YES NO NO On arrival Sweden YES NO NO Switzerland YES YES YES Turkey YES YES YES On arrival Ukraine YES NO NO Before departure

REST OF WORLD COUNTRIES TABLE OF TRAVEL ADVICE

Country Entry without quarantine UK entry without quarantine non-essential travel allowed testing/documents needed Cape Verde YES NO NO Before departure and on arrival Djibuti YES NO NO On arrival Egypt YES NO NO On arrival Eritrea YES NO NO Kenya YES NO NO Before departure and on arrival Mali YES NO NO Before departure Senegal YES NO NO Before departure South Sudan YES NO NO Before departure Sudan YES NO NO On arrival Tanzania YES NO NO Before departure Tunisia YES NO NO Before departure and on arrival Afghanistan YES NO NO On arival Azerbaijan YES NO NO Before departure and on arrival Brunei NO YES YES On arrival Cambodia NO NO YES Before departure Hong Kong NO YES YES On arrival Japan NO YEs YES On arrival Kyrgyzstan YES NO NO On arrival Macau NO YES YES Before departure and on arrival Malaysia NO YES YES Before departure and on arrival Singapore NO NO YES On arrival South Korea NO YES YES Before departure and on arrival Sri Lanka NO NO YES Before departure and on arrival Taiwan NO YES YES Before departure Thailand NO NO YES Before departure and on arrival Vietnam NO YES YES On arrival Antigua & Barbuda CHECK YES YES Before departure and on arrival Aruba YES YES YES Before departute and on arrival Bahamas CHECK NO NO Before departure Barbados YES YES YES Before departure Cayman Islands NO YES YES Cuba NO NO YES On arrival Dominica NO YES YES Dominican Rep YES NO NO Before deperture Grenada YES YES YES Before deprture and on arrival Haiti YES NO NO Before departure Jamaica CHECK YES YES Before deprture and on arrival St Kitts & Nevis NO YES YES St Lucia NO YES YES Before departure and on arrival St Vincent NO YES YES Before departure and on arrival St Marrten YES NO YES Before departure and on arrival Trinidad & Tobago NO YES YES Jordan YES NO NO Kuwait YES NO NO Before departure and on arrival Syria YES NO NO UAE CHECK NO NO Before departure Maldives YES NO NO On arrival Mauritius NO YES NO Australia NO YES YES On arrival Cook Islands YES NO YES Fiji NO YES YES New Zealand NO YES YES On arrival Palau YES NO NO Samoa NO NO YES Before departure Bermuda NO YES YES Before departure and on arrival Canada NO NO YES Before departure Costa Rica YES NO NO Before departure Nicaragua YES NO NO Before departure Turks & Caicos YES YES YES Before departure Brazil YES NO NO Before departure Curacao YES YES YES Before departure and on arrival Guyana YES NO NO Before departure

UK macro-economic implications

There are important implications for the UK economy from the travel restrictions. As far as inward travel is concerned, the number of visitors to the UK will clearly be much lower than in normal years. This will have an extremely important negative impact on the economy given that the number of visits in 2019 was over 40 million with a record spend of over 28bn.

The number of visits overseas by UK citizens increased to 72.6mn in 2019 with the total spend estimated at 48bn.

Many of these visits will now be switched to domestic travel which will cushion the economy to a significant extent. There are likely to be significant demographic implications with the likelihood that cities will tend to lose out, at least in the summer period.

Overall, given the substantial travel deficit, there is likely to be a net beneficial impact on the UK balance of payments which will offer an element of Sterling support.
The export of vegetables and fruits has resumed. And with the new EVFTA, Vietnams products have great advantages to be exported to the EU.

Having just resumed the export of vegetables and fruits to South Korea, Truong Phuc Farm in Da Lat City is hurriedly producing hydroponic vegetables for an order of 30 tons with deliveries in July and August.





We feel less anxious as exports have resumed, said To Quang Dung, director of Truong Phuc.



The company has 3 hectares of vegetable growing area of its own and with local households it grows 30 types of vegetables on another 14 hectares. In addition to export, the farm is also providing vegetables to supermarkets across the country.



As for flower growing businesses, some have resumed export to traditional markets such as South Korea, Japan and Australia since mid-May. In addition to air shipping, Da Lat Hasfarm, which exports 80 percent of its products, has tried to export by sea in an effort to increase the market access capability.



Da Lat Hasfarm has lost 40 million flower branches so far this year because of Covid-19. Australia, one of the largest markets, only consumes 3 containers a week instead of 25 containers as seen previously.

The export of vegetables and fruits has resumed. And with the new EVFTA, Vietnams products have great advantages to be exported to the EU.

Da Lat Hasfarm has decided to leave 30 hectares uncultivated and reserve 10 hectares for vegetable farming.

According to the companys deputy general director, it will take 6-12 months to recover the flower export market and take local farmers 3-6 months to fully recover their production.



About the vegetable and fruit export prospect, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) said there are positive signs though the epidemic movement remains complicated.



Vietnams bananas have officially entered Lotte supermarket chain, while Hai Duongs and Bac Giangs litchis have been exported to Japan, China and the US. The Indian market favors Vietnams dragon fruit, litchi and rambutan.



Of these, Japan is a big market, which has stepped up the increase of vegetables and fruits from Vietnam, including banana, dragon fruit, lychee and sweet potato, despite the epidemic.



While exports to China, the traditional large market, dropped sharply in the first half of the year ($906.1 million, down by 29.1 percent compared with H1 2019), the exports to other large markets, such as the US, South Korea and Thailand, increased sharply.



The exports to Thailand brought $68 million in turnover (+ 233.4 percent), South Korea $67.4 million (+ 21.8 percent), the US $62 million (+ 6.1 percent), Japan $57.7 million (+ 15.5 percent) and the Netherlands $34 million (+ 9 percent).

Le Ha

Cambodia yet to issue documents banning import of Vietnamese fruits, vegetables: ministry The Cambodian government and management agencies have yet to issue any official documents banning the import of Vietnamese vegetables and fruits, according to the Asia-Africa Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided multiple premises in various cities in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged corruption in the purchase of 75 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2009, officials said.

They said the agency is covering at least 14 premises including a dozen in Delhi and one each in Gurgaon and Surat.

The central probe agency had filed a money laundering case to probe the deal and is carrying out the action to collect evidence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.

The case involves absconding arms consultant and alleged middleman Sanjay Bhandari, who is already facing separate ED and CBI probes for corruption and alleged possession of undeclared assets in the country and abroad.

Bhandari is stated to be in the UK at present and the ED is set to initiate extradition proceedings against him.

The CBI had filed a criminal case in the Rs 2,895 crore Pilatus deal last year in June.

The ED has taken cognisance of this complaint and it is probing the money laundering angle and alleged creation and generation of illegal assets by the accused.

The CBI had booked Bhandari, unidentified officials of the Indian Air Force, the Defence Ministry and Switzerland-based Pilatus Aircraft Limited in the case. The Swiss company was one of the bidders for the contract floated in 2009.

The CBI has alleged that Pilatus had entered into a criminal conspiracy with Bhandari and Bimal Sareen, both directors of Offset India Solutions Private Limited, and dishonestly and fraudulently signed a Service Provider Agreement with Bhandari in June 2010, which was in violation of the Defence Procurement Procedure, 2008.

It was allegedly done to get the contract for supply of 75 basic Trainer Aircraft to the Indian Air Force.

The agency had alleged that the company made a payment of CHF 1,000,000 in the account of Offset India Solution Private Limited with the Standard Chartered Bank, New Delhi in two tranches in August and October, 2010.

In addition, Rs 350 crore was also transferred in Swiss Francs from 2011 to 2015 in the bank accounts of Dubai-based Offset India Solutions FZC, also belonging to Bhandari.

Pilatus dishonestly and fraudulently signed a Pre- Contract Integrity Pact on November 12, 2010 with the Defence Ministry, deliberately concealing the facts about service provider agreement with Bhandari, the CBI had alleged.

The inquiry showed that Pilatus allegedly concealed payments made to Bhandari's companies in India and Dubai, the CBI had said while registering its FIR three years after it initiated a preliminary enquiry to probe the deal.

The CBI had said it is suspected that the commission amount was allegedly paid to influence the officials of the IAF, the MoD and other government departments associated with the procurement.

Pilatus bagged the contract on May 24, 2012 for Rs 2895.63 crore.

"Offset India Solutions Pvt Ltd. And other Indian companies of Bhandari and his wife Sonia Bhandari received Rs 25.5 crore during June, 2012 to March, 2015 in lieu of cash provided by Bhandari from various companies of Deepak Aggarwal," the CBI had said.

Bhandari allegedly routed money through purchase of various companies and cash transactions involving Aggarwal and one Himanshu Verma, it was alleged by the CBI.

"There is a strong suspicion that the aforementioned huge cash amount were the part of the commission amounts paid by Pilatus Aircrafts Limited to Bhandari to obtain the contract," the CBI alleged.

Besides Bhandari, the CBI has also booked his companies Offset India Solutions Pvt Ltd, Offset India Solutions FZC, UAE, Aggarwal, Verma, Sareen and unknown others for criminal conspiracy, cheating and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

The ED has booked Bhandari in two other PMLA cases and it has filed a chargesheet against him few months back in a case of alleged possession of illegal foreign assets and creation of undisclosed assets.
LAKE GEORGE  Emergency personnel are looking for a man who was reported missing in the water in Lake George.

According to a State Police news release, one swimmer was pulled from the water and he was transported by helicopter to Albany Medical Center for treatment.

A second person has not been located and is the subject of the search near Antigua Resort along Route 9L on the eastern shore of Lake George.

Police said the two men were boating in the area of Plum Point.

At least five rescue boats were spotted in the water at around 6 p.m. near the resort. State Police, as well as rescue crews from the Queensbury and Lake George fire departments, were parked at the resort.

Crews on scene either declined to comment or had no information about the missing man or the rescue operation.

Warren County Undersheriff Terry Comeau was on scene but said State Police were leading the operation, and he had no information about the ongoing rescue operation. A dive team from the Sheriffs Office was launched about a half-mile from where State Police were located.

The Warren County Sheriffs Office received a call at about 3:30 p.m. of a man who was missing from a rented pontoon boat in the vicinity of Million Dollar Beach, according to police radio transmissions.

Rescue crews were stationed at the boat launch just past Million Dollar Beach.

Various departments including from Lake George and the Lake George Park Commission have responded. Water rescue teams from State Police, Corinth, Queensbury and Lake George fire departments are assisting in the search.

Conditions on the lake were relatively calm Wednesday following Tuesdays tropical storm that moved through the region.

The water temperature at nearby Warner Bay was 81 degrees and the sun set at about 8:10 p.m.

According to NewsChannel13, The Post-Stars news gathering partner, search crews left the scene at about 8:30 p.m.

Check back to poststar.com for updates.

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.

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The San Francisco Unified School District and the United Educators of San Francisco announced Friday that they reached a tentative agreement for distance learning for the upcoming school year.

The memorandum of understanding between the two parties was necessitated by the COVID-19 coronavirus that is preventing much of the state from starting fall semester classes in person.

The agreement requires students to have no less than two hours of "daily live interaction" with a "certified district employee," who will also supervise students during the school day.

Teachers will be available to speak with students via computer during their normal seven hours as outlined in their contracts.

"We heard from parents and students that they wanted more connection with their peers and teachers than was possible last spring. We are listening and share a commitment to making distance learning better this fall," district Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews said.

Supervised instruction for students will include social interactions, check-ins between teachers and students and the use of printed educational materials, according to the district and the UESF.

The MOU states that instruction should include content that engages students and "is consistent with student interaction with their teacher/classmates."

"We know that nothing will ever fully replace in person instruction, but educators are excited to welcome our students and families back remotely for now and continue to work together on plans to get us safely back to our classrooms and schools," UESF President Susan Solomon said.

District officials plan to coordinate with schools to provide students with access to internet and technology required to participate in distance learning classes.

SFUSD will provide a one-time stipend of $400 to teachers for costs associated with distance learning, including equipment, improving home internet bandwidth, use of phone, or instructional materials not provided by SFUSD.

UESF members will vote on the agreement in the coming days. Assuming the union ratifies the MOU, the San Francisco Board of Education will vote on the agreement at the board's next meeting Aug. 11.

The San Francisco school district and teachers union on Friday announced an agreement that requires students to have at least two hours of "daily live interaction" with a district employee.

The San Francisco Unified School District and the United Educators of San Francisco announced Friday that they reached a tentative agreement for distance learning for the upcoming school year.

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.
(diamonds.net) - Alrosa expects to finalize a sale of rough to Gokhran in the next two months, aiming to reduce its stockpiles while ensuring the diamond industry doesnt receive a flood of goods. Gokhran  Russias state gem and precious-metal depository  will store the diamonds until the market stabilizes, Alrosa deputy CEO Evgeny Agureev said Monday. The parties are currently negotiating the sale terms. It will be very important for our industry, because [it] will also provide the confidence to [the] midstream that [excesses of diamond stocks will be] limited, the executive told Rapaport News. The government will not try to sell these goods in [the] short term. Gokhran often buys from Alrosa to help it during downturns, mostly notably in 2009, when it purchased an estimated $1 billion worth of inventory. Last year, the governor of Yakutia, which owns Alrosa shares, proposed that the miner sell $500 million to $1 billion of goods to the state. The current talks are about a transaction in that range, Agureev confirmed.
The US' decision to withdraw its forces from after 20 years of war against the will be an advantage for to establish its influence in the region, according to a report in the US News.

and Pakistan have reportedly begun an unprecedented intelligence-sharing arrangement to secure Beijing's influence in

A source familiar with a US assessment, spoke on the condition of anonymity, "The reality is now dawning within the intelligence community...We are now leaving Afghanistan, but who are we leaving it to?"

As needs Pakistan's experience in as well as Islamabad's connections to the terrorist groups operating there, who will determine the war-torn country's fate, Beijing has reportedly invited a Pakistani general to sit in on its highly restricted meetings as an observer.

Meanwhile, China and Pakistan have secured a promise from the leaders to not provide support to the Uyghur Muslims.

"The arrangement far exceeds any accommodation the Afghan insurgent network has ever afforded the US with regard to Washington's concerns about al-Qaida presence in Afghanistan," the article said.

The current US government and officials disclosed how Pakistan fits into China's ambitions for its southern and western border regions and that shifting priorities in Beijing require greater collaboration with a limited number of outside countries.

"If the Chinese are bringing Pakistan more 'behind the curtain,' in terms of intelligence and military cooperation, it will be tailored to their common interests like confronting India over territorial disputes," Vikram Singh, a former top official at the Pentagon for South and South-East Asian affairs, was quoted as saying.

"Pakistan's leadership has really backed China on Uyghur internment, even though Pakistanis are upset by the repression of Muslims in Xinjiang," said Singh, who is presently a senior advisor at the US Institute of Peace's Asia Center.

The latest developments show how China-Pakistan partnership has seen a big boost in recent years. This comes amid tensions with the US government over Islamabad supporting terror networks that Washington wanted to defeat in Afghanistan. At that time, Pakistan was keen to cease intelligence sharing with the US, following which Washington retaliated by saying it would slash military aid amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars to Islamabad.

Amid the US-Pakistan tensions, Chinese President Xi Jinping faced massive pressure over China's investments in Afghanistan in the past few years, especially in mineral wealth amounting to billions of dollars but largely left inaccessible in view of the poor security situation.

Apart from that, Beijing was facing massive criticism for its mistreatment on Uyghurs in Xinjiang province of western China. The CCP has turned the region into a "brutal totalitarian police state" and everything unique about Uyghurs is "systematically targeted".

Amidst growing calls for action against the Chinese officials involved in human rights violations in Xinjiang. The US had recently imposed sanctions and visa restrictions against high-ranking Chinese officials and firms over human rights violations in Xinjiang.

(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.)
Declaring that Isle of Palms' decision to prohibit non-residents from using 763 parking spaces near the beach is an inconvenience rather than an irreparable harm, a judge on Friday refused to block the restrictions.

A group described as about 300 area residents sued Isle of Palms over the parking restrictions, and was seeking an injunction that would end the restrictions immediately while the case proceeds.

Without an injunction, the rules are set to expire a week from Sunday.

Thomas Goldstein, representing the area residents, argued that Isle of Palms "cant say the favored few can come in and park on Palm Boulevard" while non-residents cannot. Palm Boulevard is a state road next to the beach where hundreds of free parking spaces have traditionally been available to all.

Andrew Lindemann, representing the barrier island city, said the regulations are clearly allowed as an emergency measure amid a pandemic, and noted that South Carolina has been in a state of emergency since April.

He argued that inconveniencing people doesn't equal irreparable harm, and that's the standard for court intervention.

Circuit Court Judge Ryan Griffin agreed.

Its important to note that the beach has not been closed to non-residents," he said. "They have access."

The group behind the lawsuit, Charleston Area Public Beach Access and Parking Group, is a Facebook group with 6,500 members as of Friday afternoon, but a smaller number contributed to the legal fund. Many are upset that the only public parking for non-residents on Isle of Palms  except for 10 free spots in a state-owned lot near Breach Inlet  is now paid parking clustered in the city's commercial district.

Isle of Palms officials have said the parking restrictions are meant to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19, but opponents said the restrictions make it more likely people will catch the virus because parking and beach access is clustered in a small area.

Goldstein urged Griffin to review the video of the City Council meeting where the regulations were approved, but Lindemann argued  and the judge agreed  that the city-produced video, available online, could not been viewed as evidence. Only official minutes of the meeting can be used in South Carolina, they said.

Goldstein also argued the city violated the Freedom of Information Act by approving restrictions that were not on the City Council agenda. But emergency meetings in South Carolina are exempt from some FOIA rules, Lindemann argued, and the judge agreed.

Both issues could potentially play a role in other court cases because many South Carolina municipalities have been holding emergency meetings frequently during the coronavirus pandemic, which are subject to fewer FOIA rules. Also, many meetings have been held online, providing videotaped records that are far more complete than written meeting minutes.

Without an injunction, the Isle of Palms parking restrictions remain in force, set to expire Aug. 16.

"The City of Isle of Palms' primary objective is to protect the health and safety of all who live and choose to visit the beach during these unprecedented times," the city said in a statement following the ruling. "We are pleased with the decision today and continue to work toward this objective."

The lawsuit can continue, but would likely not be resolved until after the restrictions expire. Isle of Palms City Council has scheduled a meeting Aug. 13 to review the rules.
Jerry George  Communication specialist, social activist, political commentator served as Public Relations Manager for Digicel in the Eastern Caribbean for a number of years. (Photo source: Boom SVG 106.9 FM, Facebook Page)

An outpouring of grief marred the 4th day of August as news of Jerry Georges unexpected death made the rounds on social media.





George was a communications specialist who grew more passionate, of late, about getting the astute Caribbean citizen "information ready on a daily basis.





To that end, he produced and hosted a weekday Facebook live interview styled talk-show dubbed Early in the Morning with Jerry S. George.





Apparently George died while hosting the August 4 edition which he entitled Thoughtful Tuesdays, as per his regular programming.





This episode was largely carried by Grenada-based journalist Beverley Sinclair, who is also the Chief Operations Officer of Georges Island Media Marketing & Communications venture.





At about 25 minutes into the show, Sinclair made the first of several prompts for George to reengage in the presentation, as she made a case for a kinder Caribbean civilization.





She related a story about how helping a blind man to get to his home opened her eyes to the injustices being faced by persons who live with physical and mental challenges, and a combination of both.





Further on as she concluded her portion of Tuesdays show, she remarked in their usual banter, "I thank you all for listening to my story and look forward to hearing how you react to it, but I dont know where my host is, he has abandoned me. And I need him to come back at this point so we can share some of your com-ments, hear what you had to say and how you deal with people that you come across in your daily life  what kinds of experiences have you had





Sinclair eventually started sharing comments posted on the live feed, having failed to reach George. Early In The Morning usually airs for one hour from about 6 a.m., but this last episode streamed for over 2 hours. For most of that time viewers only saw a black screen as no content was broadcast.





Sometime after 7 a.m., a Facebook post shared on Valerie Tucker-Georges account announced, "I am still in shock, came home at about 7:20 a.m. and met my husband, Jerry George on the floor dead.





It is unclear whether foul play is suspected in Georges demise.





United Kingdom based Vincentian physician Alwyn Leacock was one of the first persons to join the show on Tuesday morning but told us he logged off from the live feed before it ended.





He said, "I refused to accept the news because I know people can hack accounts and make fake news. So that was my first reaction, fake news. Then his daughter said it was true. I can hardly speak mate. This is a great tragedy.




Data published by the US Labor Department on Thursday showed that for the 20th straight week more than 1 million workers filed unemployment claims for the first time. Unlike in previous weeks, the workers who filed last week will not be eligible to receive the enhanced federal unemployment benefit of $600 a week that expired last week along with a partial federal moratorium on evictions.

Thursdays report did little to prompt movement between the Democrats and Republicans toward an agreement on a fifth coronavirus stimulus bill. This is despite over 30 million workers losing out on the enhanced benefits last week, while over 23 million are facing eviction in the next two months, according to the Aspen Institute.

Hundreds of people wait in line for bags of groceries at a food pantry at St. Mary's Church in Waltham, Mass. earlier this year. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Instead, the negotiations, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on one side and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer on the other, ended the same as on previous days: without an agreement, much less a date for a possible vote.

Without the possibility of an agreement before Friday, senators from both parties adjourned for a three-day weekend.

Were still a considerable amount apart, Meadows told reporters after another day of dithering. Pelosi, talking out of both sides of her mouth, said she could see light at the end of the tunnel, but that the two sides were very far apartits most unfortunate.

Making clear the willingness of the Democrats to agree to a cut in benefits, Schumer expressed disappointment over Thursdays talks and blamed the Republicans for being unwilling to meet in the middle.

The 1.19 million new unemployment claims for the week ending July 25 were slightly down from the 1.43 million claims the previous week. However, the figure is still nearly double the pre-pandemic record of 695,000 claims set in 1982. Overall, roughly 55 million unemployment claims have been filed since mid-March.

Currently, there are an estimated 5.4 million job openings, while over 31 million people are collecting some form of unemployment pay. The few jobs that are available are mostly low-paying and carry a high risk of contracting the virus.

Research conducted by the California Policy Lab found that more than half (57 percent) of recent unemployment claims are from workers who are resubmitting or reopening their claims after they had returned to work but were then let go again.

This important statistic shows the falsity of claims by Republicans and some Democrats that the now expired federal supplement to state unemployment benefits enacted in March as part of the CARES Act corporate bailout is an overpayment and creates a disincentive to work. Workers are not as a rule refusing to return to previously held jobs, despite legitimate concerns about the risk of COVID-19 infection. Rather, the jobs are not there, as businesses continue to close while the virus spreads out of control across the country.

The research conducted by the California Policy Lab coincides with findings released Monday by Cornell University, which found that 31 percent of workers who returned to work after being laid off or furloughed at the start of the pandemic have since been laid off a second time. An additional 26 percent of workers surveyed reported that even though they had been called back to work, their supervisor or boss warned that they could be laid off again.

As with all aspects of the coronavirus crisis, the working class and poor are being made to suffer the brunt of its effects, including joblessness. Recent analysis conducted by economics professor Peter Ganong at the University of Chicago concluded that workers in the lowest income quintile, that is, the bottom 20 percent, have experienced three times as many job losses as higher-paid workers in the top quintile.

In addition to Thursdays new unemployment claims report, the Department of Labor released data showing that over 16.1 million people are currently collecting traditional unemployment benefits from their state. The ending of the federal supplement means a reduction in weekly income for millions of workers of between 60 percent and 80 percent, depending on the state where they reside.

Oklahoma has the highest drop-off. The average Oklahoma worker will see an 85.6 percent reduction in wages without the federal enchantment. Louisiana is second, with a 75.4 percent reduction, while jobless workers in Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida will receive at least 70 percent less in benefits.

Reporters from the World Socialist Web Site spoke to Rick, an unemployed child care worker from Michigan. He said: I was first put on a leave of absence from my job working in early childhood education in March. It was originally not intended to last very long. I remember my bosses and coworkers being very blindsided by the whole situation.

Its been very difficult to remain sheltered in place for this long. I am fairly certain that I will not be able to be rehired at the same job that I left in March.

In June, I tentatively accepted an offer to return to the job on a limited basis by the end of July, with the hope that COVID cases would stay low. When they began increasing again in early July, I called and told them I was uncomfortable with returning to work at that time. My employer said she understood and that many of my coworkers had also said they wished to wait for a few more months before returning.

I have fears now that I will be removed and will have to reapply to work there again. This will basically wipe out all the pay raises Ive received while working there and force me to start all over again. Were already too low-paid as it is.

This brings up the $600 expanded benefits. With those, I at least had financial support that I needed if the pandemic continues to remain a problem. Before the pandemic, I would try to limit myself to spending about $10 a day on any items beyond gas for my car or bills.

Working in child care, there had been weeks when my bank account would run out days before my paycheck arrived. I would bum food from the kitchen at my job. Some of my coworkers actually brought food from home and would share.

When the first expanded payments came in, I found myself able to actually fill my cart at the grocery store. I would go early in the morning to avoid the crowds and maintain healthy social distancing. Remarkably, I could participate in society somewhat more easily during the pandemic, simply due to actually having some money to spend.

What really gets me about them saying this benefit is a disincentive to work is that I didnt create this pandemic. They did. They failed us and want to tell us that were the ones being overpaid!

Its not easy having to remain inside during the summer, losing contact with friends and coworkers. Not to mention the children. I can hope that Ill be able to at least last a few more months until its safer to look for work. I can only hope.

Ive had fights with family because they refuse to take the coronavirus seriously. I dont know if at this point Ill even retain all my job skills when I go back because its been nearly six months of waiting. I certainly dont enjoy life being put on hold. Now they want us to risk dying as well. The crisis this has created wont go away with a return to work. Everything is changed.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.  First, Oprah Winfrey put Breonna Taylor on the cover of O, The Oprah Magazine. Now the media mogul is spreading her message with billboards demanding justice for the Kentucky woman shot to death during a police raid.

Twenty-six billboards displaying a portrait of Taylor are going up across Louisville, Kentucky, demanding that the police officers involved in her death be arrested and charged, according to social justice organization Until Freedom. That's one billboard for every year of the Black woman's life.

The billboards, funded by the magazine, showcase the magazine cover dedicated to Taylor, the Courier Journal reported. Also displayed is a quote from Winfrey: "If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it."

Until Freedom thanked the Oprah magazine for its work on the billboards.

"Together, we will make sure no one forgets #BreonnaTaylor's name and recommit to the fight for justice for her and her family," the group said in a tweet.

Taylor, an emergency medical tech studying to become a nurse, was shot multiple times March 13 when police officers burst into her Louisville apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. The warrant to search her home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found.

Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, was originally charged with attempted murder after he fired a shot at one of the officers who came into the home. Walker has said he didn't know who was entering the apartment and was firing a warning shot. The charge was later dropped.

Global protests on behalf of Taylor, George Floyd in Minnesota and others have been part of a national reckoning over racism and police brutality. Tensions have swelled in Taylor's hometown and beyond as activists, professional athletes and social media stars push for action while investigators plead for more patience.

The decision whether to bring state-level criminal charges against the Louisville officers rests with Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. He took the Taylor case after a local prosecutor recused himself from reviewing the matter. One of the officers has been terminated and two other officers are on administrative reassignment.

Cameron, the first African American elected to the attorney general's job in Kentucky, has declined to put a timetable on his decision since taking over the case in May.

"We remain committed to an independent and thorough investigation into the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor," Cameron said Friday on his official Twitter account.

"The investigation remains ongoing, and we currently await additional testing and analysis from federal partners, including a ballistics test from the FBI crime lab," the tweet said.

The FBI field office in Louisville said Friday that a "significant amount of ballistic evidence" was collected when investigators returned to Taylor's apartment in June.

"This evidence is being tested and analyzed at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia," the FBI's Louisville office said in a statement. "Once the FBI Laboratory has completed its findings, FBI Louisville will promptly share our results with the attorney general's office."

Christopher 2X, an anti-violence activist in Louisville, told reporters this week that he's encouraged by the commitment that FBI officials locally and nationally have shown to the case. He commented after participating in a meeting at the FBI's Louisville office.
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the video conference. (Photo: VNA)



He emphasised that Vietnam has signed 13 free trade agreements (FTAs) but one of the countrys greatest shortcomings is that local businesses have limited awareness about these deals and have failed to take advantage of the opportunities they present.

Many bodies have been slow in preparing relevant legal documents, while overlaps in enforcement guidance are hampering businesses, he noted.

He highlighted the importance of communications on international economic integration in general and FTAs in particular, as well as improvements in human resources.

Noting that the requirement on sustainable development is an important part of the EVFTA, the PM said there are higher standards on increasing economic efficiency and stricter requirements on social responsibility, labour, employment, and environmental protection.

He also recalled the technical assistance offered to Vietnam by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during their phone call on July 29, saying that this represents valuable support for the country.

The Vietnamese Government has adopted a plan of action with five groups of missions and 41 specific tasks for ministries, sectors, localities and the business community, he said, requiring proactive implementation by all concerned parties.

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Planning and Investment, in normal circumstances the agreement can help Vietnams GDP increase by 3.2 percent in the first five years, by 5.3 percent in the next five years, and by up to 7.72 percent in the subsequent five-year period.

With the EUs commitment to remove nearly 100 percent of import tariffs, the EVFTA is expected to help Vietnams export turnover to the bloc rise 42 percent by 2025 and nearly 45 percent by 2030.

The agreement was signed by both sides on June 30, 2019, and officially came into effect on August 1, 2020./.
If a Supreme Court vacancy opens up between now and the end of the year, Republicans should fill it. Given the vital importance of the Court to rank-and-file Republican voters and grassroots activists, particularly in the five-decade-long quest to overturn Roe v. Wade, it would be political suicide for Republicans to refrain from filling a vacancy unless some law or important traditional norm was against them. There is no such law and no such norm; those are all on their side. Choosing not to fill a vacancy would be a historically unprecedented act of unilateral disarmament. It has never happened once in all of American history. There is no chance that the Democrats, in the same position, would ever reciprocate, as their own history illustrates.

For now, all this remains hypothetical. Neither Ruth Bader Ginsburg nor any of her colleagues intend to go anywhere. But with the 87-year-old Ginsburg fighting a recurrence of cancer and repeatedly in and out of hospitals, we are starting to see the Washington press corps and senators openly discussing what would happen if she dies or is unable to continue serving on the Court. Democrats are issuing threats, and some Republicans are already balking.

They shouldnt.

History supports Republicans filling the seat. Doing so would not be in any way inconsistent with Senate Republicans holding open the seat vacated by Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. The reason is simple, and was explained by Mitch McConnell at the time. Historically, throughout American history, when their party controls the Senate, presidents get to fill Supreme Court vacancies at any time  even in a presidential election year, even in a lame-duck session after the election, even after defeat. Historically, when the opposite party controls the Senate, the Senate gets to block Supreme Court nominees sent up in a presidential election year, and hold the seat open for the winner. Both of those precedents are settled by experience as old as the republic. Republicans should not create a brand-new precedent to deviate from them.

Story continues

Power, Norms, and Election-Year Nominations

There are two types of rules in Washington: laws that allocate power, and norms that reflect how power has traditionally, historically been used. Laws that allocate power are paramount, and particularly dangerous to violate, but there is no such law at issue here. A president can always make a nomination for a Supreme Court vacancy, no matter how late in his term or how many times he has been turned down; the only thing in his way is the Senate.

Twenty-nine times in American history there has been an open Supreme Court vacancy in a presidential election year, or in a lame-duck session before the next presidential inauguration. (This counts vacancies created by new seats on the Court, but not vacancies for which there was a nomination already pending when the year began, such as happened in 183536 and 198788.) The president made a nomination in all twenty-nine cases. George Washington did it three times. John Adams did it. Thomas Jefferson did it. Abraham Lincoln did it. Ulysses S. Grant did it. Franklin D. Roosevelt did it. Dwight Eisenhower did it. Barack Obama, of course, did it. Twenty-two of the 44 men to hold the office faced this situation, and all twenty-two made the decision to send up a nomination, whether or not they had the votes in the Senate.

During the 1844 election, for example, there were two open seats on the Court. John Tyler made nine separate nominations of five different candidates, in one case sending up the same nominee three times. He sent up a pair of nominees in December, after the election. When those failed, he sent up another pair in February (presidential terms then ended in March). He had that power. Presidents have made Supreme Court nominations as late as literally the last day of their term. In Tylers case, the Whig-controlled Senate had, and used, its power to block multiple nominations by a man they had previously expelled from their party.

At the same time, in terms of raw power, a majority of senators has the power to seat any nominee they want, and block any nominee they want. Historically, that power of the majority was limited by the filibuster, but a majority can change that rule, and has. Norms long limited the filibusters use in judicial nominations in the first place, and violation of those norms led to its abolition. No Supreme Court nominee was filibustered by a minority of Senators until 1968. Senate Democrats attempted filibusters of William Rehnquist twice, and launched the first formal filibuster of a new appointment to the Court on partisan lines against Samuel Alito in 2005. Joe Biden participated prominently in the Rehnquist and Alito filibusters. Senate Democrats, led by Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer and joined by Biden, were the first to filibuster federal appellate nominees in 2003. After Republicans adopted the same tactic years later, Senate Democrats eliminated the filibuster for appellate nominees in 2013. Republicans extended that elimination to Supreme Court nominees in 2017.

So, today, Donald Trump has the raw power to make a Supreme Court nomination all the way to the end of his term. Senate Republicans have the raw power to confirm one at least until a new Senate is seated on January 3, and  so long as there are at least 50 Republican senators on that date  until Trump leaves office. Whether they should use this power, however, is a matter of norms, and of politics.

Norms are crucially important. If parties cannot trust that the other side will abide by established norms of conduct, politics devolves rapidly into a blood sport that quickly loses the capacity to resolve disagreements peaceably within the system. Those norms are derived from tradition and history. So lets look at the history.

The Senates Precedents

In 2016, Barack Obama used his raw power to nominate Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia in March of the last year of Obamas term, with the TrumpClinton election underway. The Republican majority in the Senate used its raw power to refuse to seat that nominee. Having reached that decision, the Republican majority did not even hold a hearing for an outcome that was predetermined. In looking back at that exercise of Senate power in 2017, I concluded that it was supported by historical precedent:

In short: There have been ten vacancies resulting in a presidential election-year or post-election nomination when the president and Senate were from opposite parties. In six of the ten cases, a nomination was made before Election Day. Only one of those, Chief Justice Melville Fullers nomination by Grover Cleveland in 1888, was confirmed before the election. Four nominations were made in lame-duck sessions after the election; three of those were left open for the winner of the election. Other than the unusual Fuller nomination (made when the Court was facing a crisis of backlogs in its docket), three of the other nine were filled after Election Day in ways that rewarded the winner of the presidential contest:

In February 1845, the Whigs (who had lost the Senate and the White House in the 1844 election) compromised in the lame-duck session to seat one of Tylers nominees, leaving the other for incoming Democrat James K. Polk.

In December 1880 and January 1881, the Democrats (who had likewise lost the Senate and failed to regain the White House in 1880) confirmed one of Rutherford B. Hayess nominees and defeated the other, who was then successfully renominated by Hayess Republican successor, James A. Garfield.

In 1956, Dwight Eisenhowers pre-election recess appointment of a Democrat, William Brennan, in mid-October was confirmed as a lifetime appointment in Ikes second term after he was reelected and the Democrats continued to hold the Senate.

The norm in these cases strongly favored holding the seat open for the conflict between the two branches to be resolved by the presidential election. That is what Republicans did in 2016. The voters had created divided government, and the Senate was within its historical rights to insist on an intervening election to decide the power struggle. Had there been no conflict between the branches to submit to the voters for resolution, there would have been no reason for delay.

When Anthony Kennedy retired in 2018, I looked again at the historical practice, and concluded that the norm in midterm-election years favors confirming a Supreme Court nominee regardless of which party holds the Senate. This, too, has become the norm for a reason: While the Senate can always reject a particularly objectionable nominee, it is hard to justify forcing the Court to work short-handed for years on end.

So what does history say about this situation, where a president is in his last year in office, his party controls the Senate, and the branches are not in conflict? Once again, historical practice and tradition provides a clear and definitive answer: In the absence of divided government, election-year nominees get confirmed.

Table: Dan McLaughlin

Nineteen times between 1796 and 1968, presidents have sought to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in a presidential-election year while their party controlled the Senate. Ten of those nominations came before the election; nine of the ten were successful, the only failure being the bipartisan filibuster of the ethically challenged Abe Fortas as chief justice in 1968. Justices to enter the Court under these circumstances included such legal luminaries as Louis Brandeis and Benjamin Cardozo. George Washington made two nominations in 1796, one of them a chief justice replacing a failed nominee the prior year. It was his last year in office, and the AdamsJefferson race to replace him was bitter and divisive. Woodrow Wilson made two nominations in 1916, one of them to replace Charles Evans Hughes, who had resigned from the Court to run for president against Wilson. Wilson was in a tight reelection campaign that was not decided until California finished counting votes a week after Election Day. Three of the presidents who got election-year nominees confirmed (Benjamin Harrison in 1892, William Howard Taft in 1912, and Herbert Hoover in 1932) were on their way to losing reelection, in Tafts and Hoovers cases by overwhelming margins. But they still had the Senate, so they got their nominees through.

Nine times, presidents have made nominations after the election in a lame-duck session. These include some storied nominations, such as John Adams picking Chief Justice John Marshall in 1801 and Abraham Lincoln selecting Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase in 1864. Of the nine, the only one that did not succeed was Washingtons 1793 nomination of William Paterson, which was withdrawn for technical reasons and resubmitted and confirmed the first day of the next Congress (Paterson had helped draft the Judiciary Act of 1789 creating the Court, and the Constitution thus required his term as a senator to end before he could be appointed to the Court). Two of Andrew Jacksons nominees on the last day of his term were confirmed a few days later, without quibbles. In no case did the Senate reject a nominee or refuse to act on a nomination; why would they? Three of the presidents who filled lame-duck vacancies  Adams, Martin Van Buren, and Benjamin Harrison  had already lost reelection.

The Adams precedent is the most famous; back when people read basic American history in school, everybody knew about Adams and the Federalists in the Senate stocking the courts with midnight judges. That is part of the story of the first peaceful transfer of power after a democratic election in history. The crown jewel of the midnight judges, Chief Justice Marshall, went on to become the most influential jurist in American history, entrenching the Federalist Partys theories of the Constitution for many years after the party ceased to exist. Marshall served into Andrew Jacksons presidency over three decades later, and his decisions still guide the American constitutional practice of judicial review.

In addition to Marshall, two of the other lame-duck appointees would go on to lead the Court: Salmon P. Chase, Abraham Lincolns Treasury secretary, was appointed Chief Justice by Lincoln a month after the 1864 election, and Harlan Fiske Stone, appointed by Calvin Coolidge in January after the 1924 election, would later be elevated by Franklin Roosevelt to Chief Justice in 1941. Lincoln was the only president with a favorable Senate to have a vacancy open just before the election (in mid-October, with the death of Dred Scott author and Lincoln bete noire Roger Taney) and wait until he had won to make a nomination. He had his own strategic reasons to want his own position fortified before using the plum position of Chief Justice to rid himself of Chase, who had angled for Lincolns job in 1864 and was trusted by Lincoln ideologically but not politically.

A few of these late-term nominations  but only a few  were made with an eye to political concession. Hoover required two tries to fill a vacancy with a Republican in 1930. When Oliver Wendell Holmes retired in 1932, Hoover was mired in the Depression and fighting for his political life. He chose a Democrat: the liberal, Jewish New Yorker Cardozo, then the most prominent state-court judge in the country and widely seen as a worthy successor to Holmess legacy as a common-law judge. Benjamin Harrison, having filled one seat in July 1892 with Republican George Shiras, picked Democrat Howell Jackson for his second choice in the lame-duck session in January 1893. Jackson was not just any Democrat: like his predecessor, Lucius Q. C. Lamar, Jackson had served in the government of the Confederacy. He was also a Harrison family friend. These were, however, political choices; the other 17 vacancies were filled by men from the party holding the presidency and the Senate.

The bottom line: If a president and the Senate agree on a Supreme Court nominee, timing has never stopped them. By tradition, only when the voters have elected a president and a Senate majority from different parties has the fact of a looming presidential election mattered. When there is no dispute between the branches, there is no need to ask the voters to resolve one.

Political Games and Previous Statements

As MSNBCs Sahil Kapur rounds up, Democrats are already issuing threats of retaliation if Republicans replace Ginsburg late in Trumps term, in light of the Republican rejection of Garland and the widespread expectation that Trump will lose reelection to Joe Biden. Their arguments for doing so, however, are a transparent sham.

Tim Kaine, the Democrats 2016 vice presidential nominee, rests his case against a nomination  and for Court-packing in retaliation  on historical precedent:

If they show that theyre unwilling to respect precedent, rules and history, then they cant feign surprise when others talk about using a statutory option that we have thats fully constitutional in our availability. I dont want to do that. But if they act in such a way, they may push it to an inevitability. So they need to be careful about that. . . . [Kaine] said confirming a nominee of President Donald Trump this year could compel Democrats to consider adding seats to the high court.

Based on the history set forth above, however, Kaine does not have a leg to stand on talking about precedent, rules and history. Hes arguing for Republicans to adopt a new rule contradicting traditional practice. For good measure, he shows that he doesnt know the history behind the rejection of Garland, and throws in a barely concealed dog-whistle charge of racism: We knew basically they were lying in 2016, when they said, Oh, we cant do this because its an election year. We knew they didnt want to do it because it was President Obama. In fact, Obamas own White House counsel admitted that she would have recommended the same course in 2016 had the parties been reversed.

While some Republicans (notably John Thune) are vocally ready to confirm an election-year nominee, two Republican senators who backed the rejection of Garland have expressed concerns about moving forward under these circumstances. One, Lisa Murkowski, voted against Justice Kavanaugh and is not really a must-win vote. But the other, former Judiciary Committee chairman Charles Grassley, is more influential, and still sits on the committee (now chaired by Lindsey Graham), where all twelve Republicans would be needed to pass a nomination.

Grassley has repeatedly suggested that he would not go forward with a nomination if he was still chairman, because it would look hypocritical to go back on the Garland precedent and confirm a nominee in an election year. But an election year alone is not the historical rule. It is not what Mitch McConnell said at the time, and it is not what Grassley said at the time, either. The fact of divided government was what connected their concerns about an election-year nomination to historical practice.

McConnell, in his initial 2016 press conference after Scalias death on February 23, 2016, explicitly invoked the relevant historical precedents (emphasis added):

The next president should make this nomination. The  that certainly is supported by precedent. Youd have to go back to 1888 when Grover Cleveland was in the White House to find the last time a Senate of a different party from the president confirmed a nominee for the Supreme Court in an election year, . . . Who should make the decision? . . . the nomination should be made by the president the people elect in the election thats underway right nowthe overwhelming view of the Republican Conference of the Senate, in the Senate, is that this nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame-duck president. That was the view of Joe Biden when he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 1992. . . . We know what would happen if the shoe was on the other foot. We know what would happen. A nominee of a Republican president would not be confirmed by a Democratic Senate when the vacancy was created in a presidential election year. Thats a fact.

McConnell repeated the point about divided control of the Senate and White House and the not-since-Fuller-in-1888 historical precedent a few weeks later, in a nationally televised Fox News Sunday interview on March 20, 2016, with Chris Wallace:

I think what we need to focus on is the principle, the principle. Who ought to make this appointment? You have to go back 80 years to find the last time a vacancy on the Supreme Court created in a presidential election year was filled. You have to go back to 1888 when Grover Cleveland was in the White House to find the last time when a vacancy was created in a presidential year, a Senate controlled about it party opposite the president confirmed.

The political reality behind the so-called Biden rule frequently invoked by McConnell and Grassley in 2016 is that the Senate in 1992 was held by Democrats, and by warning the first President Bush against an election-year nomination, Biden was asserting the partisan prerogatives of the Democratic Senate majority. In fact, Biden in his June 1992 speech on refusing to confirm any election-year Bush nominees leaned explicitly on the different standards applicable to divided government:

What distinguished the Reagan-Bush Justices from these historical parallels . . . is that half of them have been nominated in a period of a divided government. . . . Since 1968, Republicans have controlled the White House for 20 of 24 years. Democrats have controlled the Senate for 18 years of this period. The public has not given either party a mandate to remake the Court into a body reflective of a strong vision of our respective philosophies. . . . If in this next election the American people conclude that the majority of desks should be moved on that side of the aisle, there should be 56 Republican Senators instead of 56 Democratic Senators, 44 Democratic Senators instead of 56 or 57 Democratic Senators, and at the same time if they choose to pick Bill Clinton over George Bush, we will have a divided Government and I will say the same thing to Bill Clinton: In a divided Government, he must seek the advice of the Republican Senate and compromise. Otherwise, this Republican Senate would be totally entitled to say we reject the nominees of a Democratic President who is attempting to remake the Court in a way with which we disagree.

To be sure, McConnell did not spell out all the elements of his precedential argument every time he spoke on the subject, and other Republican senators regularly couched their responses in broad terms about a pending election that did not grapple with the historical precedents. But Grassley, like McConnell, repeatedly cited the precedents on which his committee was relying:

February 22, 2016, in a floor statement: Republicans hold the gavels in the Senate. And a term limited Democrat in the twilight of his presidency occupies the White House. . . . Justice Scalias death marks the first time a sitting Supreme Court Justice has passed away in a presidential election year in 100 years. And its the first time a sitting Supreme Court Justice passed away in a presidential election year during divided government since 1888

February 23, 2016, in a Judiciary Committee letter to McConnell on not holding hearings: Not since 1932 has the Senate confirmed in a presidential election year a Supreme Court nominee to a vacancy arising in that year. And it is necessary to go even further back  to 1888  in order to find an election year nominee who was nominated and confirmed under divided government, as we have now.

February 26, 2016, in an op-ed entitled Giving the People a Voice  The Supreme Court Vacancy: History supports this practice. Not since 1888 has an election year nominee been confirmed during a divided government to fill a vacancy occurring in the same year.

May 10, 2016, in a Medium post on Debunking SCOTUS Myths: In 2012, the American people re-elected Barack Obama as President of the United States. In 2014, the American people elected their respective members of Congress, handing over control of the United States Senate to Republicans. . . . Nominating and confirming a Supreme Court justice in a presidential election year, particularly under divided government, would be unprecedented in modern American history. It has been 128 years since a Supreme Court justice was nominated and confirmed in a presidential election year while the presidents opposing party controlled the Senate (1888, President Grover Cleveland, Justice Melville Fuller).

At the time, Grassley cited Washington Post columns by Jonathan Adler and Glenn Kessler, both citing the divided-government factor and its history.

Mike Davis, former chief counsel for nominations for Senator Grassley on the Senate Judiciary Committee and now president of the Article III Project, says that Senator Grassley was the key figure in keeping the Scalia seat open, and on President Trumps historic transformation of the federal judiciary. Chairman Graham has said that he would move forward with a nomination, and I am confident that Senator Grassley will fully support that nomination. Grassley has emphasized publicly that the decision would be Grahams, and Davis notes that Grassley has said that he would support Grahams decision. So, whatever Grassleys misgivings, they should not deter Republicans from moving forward.

The Nuclear Option

The final concern expressed by those hesitant to confirm a new justice in an election year or a lame-duck session is that Democrats would use this as an excuse for ideological Court-packing that would destroy the Courts legitimacy and, ultimately, the rule of written law in America. This is not a chimerical concern, but the Democrats behavior is not something Republicans can control in any event, and allowing them to threaten the destruction of the constitutional republic in order to cow Republicans out of following tradition would set a bad precedent of its own.

Democrats may pack the Court anyway. A noisy faction of them, including failed presidential contenders on Bidens vice-presidential shortlist, have already committed to Court-packing. Kapur reports that the Democratic National Committee is poised to add language to the partys 2020 platform endorsing structural court reforms to increase transparency and accountability and accusing Republicans of having packed our federal courts with unqualified, partisan judges  efforts to justify Court-packing and blur the terms meaning that predate any move to replace Ginsburg.

Or they may not. Biden is on record opposing Court-packing, for whatever influence he may have after the election. Bernie Sanders has opposed it, too. They and other experienced Democrats recognize the potentially explosive political consequences of openly making war on the independence of the judiciary, given how badly it played even for Franklin D. Roosevelt at the pinnacle of his popularity. Having history on their side would make the Republican defense against Court-packing a formidable base from which to launch a major last-ditch resistance on behalf of the Constitution entering the 2022 midterms. The post-Kavanaugh rally of Republican Senate candidates in 2018, while their colleagues in the House were sinking, testifies dramatically to the galvanizing effect that fights over the Court have on Republican voters.

Few things contributed more to the Republican Partys institutional inability to resist a hostile takeover by Donald Trump in 2016 than a widespread sense that the party would not even fight for its own stated principles if it could find any excuse not to. Nothing is more central to Republicans stated principles than control of the Supreme Court by Justices who believe in the written Constitution. No practical application of those principles is more iconic and visceral in its importance than social conservatives long labors against Roe v. Wade, a battle in which John Roberts seems to require more reinforcements before he will act.

Republicans should not discard the rule of law or traditional norms to achieve their ends, but a Ginsburg vacancy, if one happens, would require Republicans only to act within the law and in accord with tradition. Woe to their future if they shrink from that.

Editors note: This article has been edited since publication.

More from National Review
By ANI

WASHINGTON D.C. Almost a week after getting a nod for its China release, Christopher Nolan's 'Tenet' has secured the release date of September 4 in the country.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Warner Bros production is set to be the first new Hollywood film to hit theatres across the globe after the reopening of cinemas following the coronavirus-induced shutdown.

China, which happens to be the second-biggest marketplace of films, had shut down its cinema theatres late January when the coronavirus cases in the country were on the rise.

The sci-fi thriller will release internationally on August 26 before making its way to select cities in North America on September 2.

The film will release in 70 international territories including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Korea, and others by the end of August. (ANI)
The number of active Covid-19 cases in Gibraltar had risen to nine on Friday (seven residents and two visitors), bringing the total since the pandemic began to 193.

A total of 10.126 tests have been carried out so far in frontline, targeted and systematic sampling, and 163 people are currently in self-isolation for varying reasons.

"Covid kills"

The Gibraltar government on Friday launched a hard-hitting campaign designed to drive home the importance of being cautious given the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.

"The blunt message is that Covid-19 kills," it said.

The virus is being spread at parties, barbecues, family gatherings and especially in nightclubs, says the message. It urges that when socialising, particularly in Spain, take extra care. It is more important than ever to obey the law and stick to the rules. The virus has not gone away.

While this message is relevant to everyone, explained the government statement, it is targeted particularly at young people, given the number of parties and gatherings taking place at this time of the year.

The government said there was a direct connection between partying and socialising, particularly in Spain, and the number of confirmed cases in Gibraltar.

Of the three new cases reported on Friday, two involve people who recently socialised on the Costa del Sol, said the government.
Christianity has been wiped out in China as the government is continuously demolishing Church homes.

Dozens of security guards and officers from the local Ethnic and Religious Bureau invaded to demolish the remaining homes within the residential building, where the church also once stood. There have been many concerns as Yang shares on Facebook in more details of the raid.

"Yet the government and dirty cops are barbaric to bypass all the regular administrative law enforcement procedure and forcibly demolish the homes. The main reason behind their action is to prevent anybody from gathering here again."

According to International Christian Concern also known as (ICC), the authorities broke into a Christian's home despite the resident's resistance, and the 67-year-old woman was soon shuffled off by dozens of uniformed chengguan, some equipped with anti-riot shields without any proper documentation or notification. A Policeman who was called in by the Christians prohibited anyone from recording, claiming that his job was to make sure the demolition proceeded smoothly.

Many were injured and some were briefly detained as the church's preacher filed a complaint pursuant to China's Supervision Law against three officials for their abuse of power and illegal actions. Xingguang Church was first raided on April 19 by the government from five different departments.

"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 end game it is fearful of."
US President Donald Trumps order to ban US transactions with Chinese owners of short video-sharing app TikTok and messenger app WeChat cited Indias decision to purge the two applications earlier in June. The US restriction on the transactions will kick in after 45 days, mid-September.

The risks are real, the presidential directive said, accusing the mobile applications of capturing vast swaths of information from its users that may potentially be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party. The data captured by TikTok could potentially allow China to track locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage.

The US President went on to cite restrictions on use of TikTok on federal government phones by the US armed forces, homeland security and the transportation security administration.

Then he turned to Indias ban on Chinese mobile applications to build the case for his own set of restrictions.

The Government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country; in a statement, Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they were stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India, President Trump said.

For its ban on WeChat, a mobile app largely used by the Chinese community in the United States, Trump referenced restrictions placed by India and Australia.

These risks have led other countries, including Australia and India, to begin restricting or banning the use of WeChat. The United States must take aggressive action against the owner of WeChat to protect our national security, he said.

India, which has been locked in a standoff with China at its border in East Ladakh, was the first country to axe 59 mobile applications with close links to China. India said these apps threatened the countrys sovereignty and integrity

Indias 29 June order did not explicitly ban people from using the mobile apps. But it forced app stores to boot out the 59 applications, and later their proxies, presenting the world with a model to strangle the ability of Chinese mobile apps to operate.

Trumps ban uses the same template, his payback to China that has right from the beginning shut out US apps and websites such Facebook and Google from operating in China and instead, helped build its brand of technology firms such as Alibaba Group holding to Tencent Holding.

The first impact of the US directive was visible in the share market, erasing $ 30 million from the Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd s market value and sending the yuan to its biggest slump in two weeks, according to news agency Bloomberg. Before Fridays drop Tencent was worth $686 billion, making it the worlds eighth-largest company by market capitalisation and bigger than Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

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Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, August 8 2020

A minister has urged travelers to comply with health protocols in Bali as the island has reopened for domestic tourists in the hope of reigniting the local economy hit by the pandemic.

National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa assured the public on Tuesday that the island was safe for visits and that the local administration and businesses were taking unprecedented steps to prevent COVID-19 transmission in the tourist destination.

While we should remain vigilant with regard to the virus, we shouldnt be paranoid. It is safe to visit Bali, but please adhere to the health protocols implemented on the island, he said during an online discussion held by the ministry.

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By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With congressional Democrats and White House negotiators so far unable to agree on a deal to salve the heavy economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic, President Donald Trump has threatened to bypass Congress with an executive order.

Some of his proposals exceed his legal authority and would face immediate legal challenges, though in at least one case House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the nation's top Democrat, told him to just go ahead.

WHAT DOES TRUMP WANT TO DO?

Trump said on Twitter he is considering executive orders to continue expanded unemployment benefits, reinstate a moratorium on evictions, cut payroll taxes and continue a suspension of student loan repayments amid a health crisis that has killed nearly 160,000 Americans.

He and administration officials negotiating with Congress have not provided specifics.

CAN HE DO IT?

The Constitution puts control of federal spending in the hands of Congress, not the president, so Trump does not have the legal authority to issue executive orders determining how money should be spent on coronavirus.

Democrats said executive orders would prompt a court fight, but legal action could take months.

Trump has sidestepped Congress on spending before. In 2019, he declared a national emergency at the border with Mexico to shift billions of dollars from the Pentagon budget to help pay for a promised wall that was the cornerstone of his 2016 election campaign.

Congress passed legislation to stop him, but there were too few votes in the Republican-controlled Senate to override his veto.

"There has to be a political will to do that and there has to be a priority given by members of Congress to assert their institutional interests," said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University in Virginia. "And that just isn't there right now."

WOULD DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS OBJECT?

Story continues

The $600 per week enhanced unemployment benefit in the massive "Cares Act" passed in March has been a major sticking point in negotiations. Democrats want to continue the federal payment, which expired on July 24, to the tens of millions who have lost their jobs in the crisis and have rejected a short-term extension. Trump's fellow Republicans have argued that is too high a payment, contending it is a disincentive to work.

The moratorium on evictions was less contentious, and could be covered by reprogramming money that Congress has already approved for housing that has not been spent. Pelosi on Thursday said an order extending the moratorium "would be a good thing."

Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike reject cutting the payroll tax, which is collected from both employers and employees to fund Social Security and Medicare. A cut would disproportionately benefit Americans with high salaries, and threaten funding for the popular programs for retirees. It also only benefits people still getting paychecks, not those who have lost their jobs.

The parties are closer together on student loans. Democrats included a 12-month extension of the student loan payment suspension in a relief bill the House passed in May. Republican senators did not include student loan relief in the proposal they unveiled in July. However, there is a Republican plan in Congress to extend the suspension for three months.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Scott Malone and Nick Zieminski)
The father of a baby girl whose lifeless body washed up on a Gold Coast beach has pleaded not guilty to her murder.

The 49-year-old entered the plea in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday where a three-day trial was set down for November 2020 - some two years after the incident.

The nine-month-old girl was allegedly thrown into the water at Tweed Heads in NSW, where she drowned before her body drifted north for about 30km.

Father, 49, whose nine-month-old daughter's body washed up on Surfers Paradise Beach in the Gold Coast (pictured) pleaded not guilty to murder in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday

Passers-by spotted the infant's body at Surfers Paradise (pictured) on November 19, 2018

After days floating in the current, the infant's body washed ashore at Surfers Paradise beach and was found by passers-by about 12.30am on November 19, 2018.

Her older brother was later placed into foster care and her parents charged over the death.

The family had been sleeping rough in the area about the time of the girl's death.

Court documents in early 2019 referred to diary entries in which the mother wrote her daughter was 'evil' and an 'abomination'.

The mother-of-two was allegedly heavily influenced by religion and believed she was Mary, the mother of Jesus.

One entry called for her partner to be released.

'Free that black man from his chains for he is innocent I do say. For he did slay the one you call the devil,' she wrote.

She was charged with recklessly failing to provide her daughter with the necessities of life but was discharged on mental health grounds.

Neither parent can be named as doing so would reveal the identity of the girl and her older brother.

The father will remain in custody until the judge-alone trial begins November 2.
Mr Desmond Yaani, an Ophthalmic Nurse at the Fumbisi Health Centre in the Builsa South District of the Upper East Region, has urged the public to go for regular eye check-up to ensure early detection of infections.



He said most people paid less attention to their eyes until they had problems with them.

It is recommended that at least for every six months, even if you dont have any problem with your eyes, just go for a routine check-up, he said.



Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Yaani said glaucoma was one of the conditions most eye care professionals encounter daily.



The sad thing about glaucoma is that it has no signs and symptoms, so we call it the slight blinder. Before you realise it, you are going blind, that is the unfortunate part of glaucoma, it is asymptomatic until you go for check-up, he said.



He said just like hypertension or high blood pressure, with associated headaches, dizziness among others, the eye also has its pressure, which can also go high.



When the pressure goes high which is the advanced stage, you may get headaches, pain and blur vision in the early stage.



When the pressure in the eye is high, the first and most important structure to be affected is the optic nerve where it enters the eye and that would affect your vision, he said.

Unfortunately damage to the optic nerve is irreversible because the cable of nerve fibres cant regenerate, or heal itself when damage occurs, so that is why it is a worry to eye care professionals.



Mr Yaani, who is also the District Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), said in the early stage of glaucoma, one loses part of ones vision that cannot be restored, It is only the vision you have left that you will manage with, that is why it is so worrying to us.



He said even though the cause of the condition was unknown, studies showed that peoples race put them at risk, For instance black Africans are more prone to glaucoma than other races.



He said research also showed that the condition could be hereditary, If a father or mother has it, there is a likelihood that it will be passed onto their children. So when we detect that you have glaucoma, we advise the whole family to go for screening. Age is also a likely cause of glaucoma. he said.



Glaucoma is one of the screenings that those who intend to get married should undergo, as it is hereditary, he advised and noted that some children were also born with the condition, referred to as congenital glaucoma.



Mr Yaani said some medications were known as steroids also affected the eyes, insisting that medicines should not be taken without prescription from certified prescribers.

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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Somalis driven from the Lower Shabelle region by fear of airstrikes sit under a tree at a site for internally displaced people near Mogadishu, March 2020.  Reuters

More than 150,000 Somalis have been forced to flee their homes since late June, including some 23,000 in the last week alone, due to flash and riverine flooding in the Southern regions of Somalia. Rapid assessments indicate that communities in Hirshabelle and South West States are amongst the worst hit. The year has seen extreme flooding, displacing over 650,000 people across the country since the beginning of the year.

Many of the newly displaced are now living in overcrowded, makeshift shelters constructed from old clothes, plastic bags, cardboard and sticks in already dire IDP sites. Such shelter provides little protection from the harsh weather, and leaves families exposed to increased risk of crimes like robbery and rape.

Food is in short supply and many are going hungry with rising malnutrition in children, leaving them at risk of starvation. In some areas, basic food items, particularly milk and vegetables, have increased in price between 20 and 50 per cent.

Sanitary conditions are poor and access to medical care scarce. Health partners warn of risk of diarrhoea, vector-borne diseases, respiratory-tract infections and other communicable diseases rapidly spreading amongst the displaced population. While there has been no reported major COVID-19 outbreak, testing remains extremely limited and congestion and unsanitary conditions are risks for wide-spread transmission. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been providing core relief items such as blankets, jerry cans and plastic sheets, as well as shelter and cash to thousands of affected families. Distributions will continue in the coming days and weeks, reaching a total of some 70,000 people facing heightened vulnerabilities, including women, female/child headed households, disabled persons, the elderly and ill, and vulnerable members of the hosting community.

UNHCRs assistance is reaching some of the worst affected regions across Banaadir, South West, Hirshabelle, Jubbaland, Puntland, Galmaduug. The Federal Government of Somalia has also responded to the floods, including in recent weeks setting aside USD 500,000 to address the floods in South West state. Despite these interventions, however, more humanitarian support is needed to address insecurities in food, water and sanitation, emergency shelter and health services.

More people risk being displaced as flooding is likely to continue in certain regions. According to the latest flood advisory report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Shabelle Rivers water levels will continue to rise due to heavy rains.

The latest floods point to a worrying pattern where extreme weather conditions are increasing in frequency and intensity. Prior to June 2020, flash floods and riverine flooding caused by seasonal rains displaced more than 450,000 in the country. With floods in 2018 and 2019 displacing 281,000 and 416,000 persons respectively, the flood-based displacement figures demonstrate a rising year-to-year trend. Somalias re-occurring climate related emergencies result in devastating impact on communities who heavily rely on farming and livestock for their livelihood.

The surging flooding and displacement take place against the backdrop of Somalias ongoing fight to curtail the spread of Covid-19, which has a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable, including the displaced. The Government of Somalia, UNHCR and humanitarian partners continue to work in IDP settlements across the country to provide displaced communities and vulnerable hosting communities with medical equipment, protective personal equipment (PPE), hygiene and sanitation support, and cash assistance. UNHCR urges landlords in the country to uphold a moratorium on evictions in these extremely challenging circumstances.

Urgent support is needed from the international community to support the relief efforts. UNHCR has so far received just 33 per cent of the USD154.4 million needed for its humanitarian efforts in Somalia, including for an estimated 2.6 million IDPs and 30,000 refugees and asylum seekers being hosted in the country.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
Well, what dont we need?

With 7,671 JCP&L customers still in the dark in Warren County, we dont need more rain or even a gust of wind, because the ground is saturated after Tropical Storm Isaias pounding earlier in the week.

With two chances for storms -- Friday morning and later in the afternoon into the evening -- at least PPL Electric Utilities has all its customers back on and Met-Ed only has 10 outages in Northampton County, although there are still 105 customers in the dark in Lehigh County.

But when you add Hunterdon Countys 8,340 JCP&L customers without power, its certainly possible to see this day getting worse as it goes on in northwest New Jersey where trees could be at risk in soggy soil.

Heavy rain, rather than strong winds, should be the hallmark of Fridays storms, the National Weather Service said.

Franklin Township (1,364), Washington (1,320), Washington Township (1,036) and Mansfield Township (1,827) are the worse hit areas for power company customers Friday morning in Warren County, while Readington Township (1,945) remains a hot spot in Hunterdon, outage site figures show. The restoration time has been moved to 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Politicians are raising alarm bells about the slow return of electricity to New Jersey communities, but they have no power to change the weather.

A flash flood watch indicates multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms producing locally heavy rain are possible through tonight, the weather service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, said.

The Lehigh Valley and Hunterdon County -- but not Warren County -- are in the flash flood watch at this point. Adding the two Pennsylvania counties overnight seemed prudent given they are some of the hardest hit areas with Isaias, the weather service said in its forecast discussion.

Lehigh, Northampton and Hunterdon counties are in a flash flood watch on Aug. 7, 2020.National Weather Service

With the ground unable to absorb any more water after thunderstorms on Sunday and the tropical storm on Tuesday, it will be easier than usual for flash flooding to occur in areas that receive heavy rainfall over a short duration, the weather service said.

The unsettled pattern early in the day is due to storms traveling from the southwest along a front stuck over the area, the weather service said. The upper level trough that influenced the tropical storm and led to as much of 7 inches of rain on Isaias west side is slowly shifting east out of the Great Lakes and could lead to a second round of showers and storms later in the afternoon and evening, the weather service said.

The watch is in place until 2 a.m. as things are expected to begin to dry out sometime after sunset, the weather service said.

After a foggy start on Saturday, skies should clear as things begin to warm up again with a high of 84 rising to 87 on Sunday and back up to 90 again on Monday, the weather service said.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting lehighvalleylive.com with a voluntary subscription.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com.
<! Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Salman: sued in the U.S. for planning another assassination >

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia sent a hit squad to Canada in an effort to hunt down and kill a former top intelligence official who knows too much, a civil suit filed Thursday in court in the United States claims.

The 106-page unproven complaint, which reads like a spy thriller, accuses Mohammed bin Salman of orchestrating attempts to silence Saad Aljabri, a permanent resident of Canada.

The document describes Aljabri as a 39-year veteran of the government of Saudi Arabia with expertise in national security and counterterrorism.

As such, it says, few people know more about bin Salman than he does, including his allegedly corrupt business dealings and creation of a team of personal mercenaries called the Tiger Squad.

Those mercenaries, the suit states, were behind the killing and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey in 2018.

In addition, Aljabri says he had a close working relationship with American intelligence over the decades. He is, he claims, uniquely positioned to threaten bin Salmans standing in Washington.

Few places hold more sensitive, humiliating and damning information about defendant bin Salman than the mind and memory of Dr. Saad  except perhaps the recordings Dr. Saad made in anticipation of his killing, Aljabri asserts.

That is why defendant bin Salman wants him dead, and why defendant bin Salman has worked to achieve that objective over the last three years.

None of the allegations in Aljabris claim for damages in United States District Court for the District of Columbia has been tested.

Officials with the Saudi embassy in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment. Nor did Public Safety Minister Bill Blair or the Canada Border Services Agency.

Aljabri, a dual citizen of Malta and Saudi Arabia, fled the kingdom in 2017, first to Turkey and then secretly to Toronto, where he now lives.

Bin Salman repeatedly ordered him to return home and threatened via instant messaging to use all available means and to take measures that would be harmful to you, the complaint states.

We shall certainly reach you, bin Salman allegedly insisted.

According to the suit, which also names several top Saudi officials, Tiger Squad members arrived at Toronto Pearson Airport on tourist visas in mid-October 2018, less than two weeks after Khashoggi was murdered.

Bin Salman in fact dispatched a hit squad to North America to kill Dr. Saad, the claim asserts.

To cover themselves, they entered through separate kiosks but aroused suspicion after claiming they did not know each other, the suit states. Agents with the Canada Border Services Agency denied all but one of them entry, a squad member travelling on a diplomatic passport, it says.

Aljabri claims a former colleague, Bijad Alharbi, showed up at his Toronto telecommunications company office posing as an investor and tried to persuade him to go to Turkey to visit family.

Although he refused, Alharbi had succeeded in pinpointing Aljabris location so the Tiger Squad could find him, the suit states.

Bin Salman now plans to send agents directly through the United States to enter Canada by land and, once and for all, eliminate Dr. Saad, he says.

As a pressure tactic, the claim asserts bin Salman has ordered the detention and kidnapping of Aljabris family members. Two of his children disappeared in mid-March and other relatives have been arrested, detained and tortured. He also says Saudi agents hacked his smartphones and froze his bank accounts.

Bin Salman took power in Saudi Arabia after then-crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef was ousted in 2017.

Human rights groups accuse him of bloody ruthlessness, including the killing of Khashoggi, whose body has never been found.

The lawsuit also names Bader Alasaker, the head of bin Salmans private office.

It accuses him of recruiting, training and bribing U.S.-based employees of Twitter to obtain confidential information about critics of bin Salman in the United States, now subject of criminal proceedings in the U.S.

Aljabris American lawyers would not discuss the case, saying they would make arguments in court.

Related
Facebook will allow corporate employees to work from home till July 2021. It will also provide those employees working from home with $1000 for home office needs.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the move in a weekly Q&A virtual meeting with employees. Facebook, which has 48,000 employees worldwide has set the cancellation of all major events till June 2021.

"Based on guidance from health and government experts, as well as decisions drawn from our internal discussions about these matters, we are allowing employees to continue voluntarily working from home until July 2021", a Facebook spokeswoman told Reuters. "In addition, we are giving employees an additional $1,000 for home office needs," she added.

Last week, in Facebook's earnings call, Zuckerberg said he saw no end in sight as to when the employees would return to offices.

"With Covid growing quickly in the US, there's currently no end in sight for when our teams here will be able to return to our offices. It is incredibly disappointing because it seems like the US could've avoided this current surge in cases if our government had handled this better," Zuckerberg said.

Facebook said that the company will continue reopening offices in a restricted capacity where government guidance permits and where virus mitigation has taken place for about two months.

Zuckerberg in May announced that almost 50 per cent of Facebook's employees could be working from home for the next five to ten years. "The reality is that I don't think it's going to be that we wake up one day on January first and nobody has any more concerns about this," Zuckerberg on his Facebook page had said.

Tech companies like Google and Twitter have already announced extended work from home with the threat of the pandemic in the backdrop.

Last week, Google announced that it will allow its employees to work from home till the end of June 2021. Google CEO, Sundar Pichai in an email to his staff wrote, "To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary work from home option through June 30, 2021, for roles that don't need to be in the office."

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in May said that its employees can work from home indefinitely. "The past few months have proven we can make that work. So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen," Dorsey had said.
Little could be learned about Wersick or any family he may have in the area. When detectives visited the address on his drivers license last week, they arrived at a P.O. box in the middle of a shopping center in Germantown, according to court records. They soon learned he had applied for the box in 2003 and could not find a permanent address for him.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  President Donald Trump arrived in Cleveland on Thursday afternoon to a crowd of more than 100 supporters at Burke Lakefront Airport.

He was greeted on the tarmac by Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, House Speaker Bob Cupp, Cuyahoga County Republican Party Chairwoman Lisa Stickan and former State Representative Christina Hagan.

Gov. Mike DeWine was scheduled to be in attendance but headed back to central Ohio after testing positive for coronavirus earlier Thursday. He has no symptoms and will self-quarantine for 14 days.

Our great governor, governor of Ohio DeWine, just tested positive, just here, said Trump. And we want to wish him the best. Hell be fine.

During a brief address to the crowd, Trump chastised Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, accusing him of supporting attacks on American workers and warning of a raise in taxes.

Hes been in public office for 47 years. Hes done nothing. Now hes going to fix everything. It doesnt work that way, said Trump. And I wouldnt say hes at the top of his game.

Hes against God, hes against guns, hes against energy, our kind of energy. I dont think hes gonna do too well in Ohio, Trump later added.

After the address, Trump boarded Marine One to head to Clyde to visit the Whirlpool Corporation Manufacturing Plant. He will attend a fundraiser in Bratenahl this evening.
The responsibility of the conservation officers involves saving animals stuck in unexpected situations.

Recently, the Conservation Officer Service in British Columbia successfully carried the rescue operation of a coyote who was found with its head stuck in a glass jar.

The news was shared on the Facebook and Twitter account of BC CO Service. It read, CO's in #MapleRidge freed a coyote that had a glass jar stuck on its head.

COs tranquillized the animal, removed the jar & poured water over its body to cool it down. The coyote recovered in the shade (with a water dish beside it). CO's stayed until it began to regain mobility.

CO's in #MapleRidge freed a coyote that had a glass jar stuck on its head. CO's tranquilized the animal, removed the jar & poured water over its body to cool it down. The coyote recovered in the shade (with a water dish beside it). CO's stayed until it began to regain mobility. pic.twitter.com/sHT993zBcT BC CO Service (@_BCCOS) August 5, 2020

After the officers were informed, they arrived on the spot to rescue the animal. As stated by Columbia Valley Pioneer, officer Chris Miller mentioned, Officers located a small male coyote with a large glass jar stuck on its head. The coyote seemed exhausted but was still mobile.

The operation started with the officers tranquillizing the animal. The jar was then taken out using hand soap. After checking the coyote for any injuries or bruises, the officers put it into the shade to protect it from the heat.

The video, watched over 17 thousand times on Twitter, received appreciation from the netizens.

A user said, Thank you for saving him and staying with him. So frightening for the poor thing. This happens too often to wildlife. So sad.

Thank you for saving him and staying with him. So frightening for the poor thing. This happens too often to wildlife. So sad. Support local (@EntitledCanada) August 5, 2020

Heres what others had to add:

God Bless the Kindness of Strangers Frances Auger (@fern_60) August 5, 2020

Well done - thank you! Wendy Wiens (@wendy_wiens) August 5, 2020

Awesome job on saving the coyote Now if people would put the garbage where it belongs this wouldnt happen! Raptors Ridge (@raptorsridge) August 5, 2020

Blessings to you for saving this coyote....kindness to animals is extremely honourable.. Maggie Magoo (@magpiepeeps) August 5, 2020

The 'brave' efforts by officers-in-charge of British Columbia are being applauded across social media platforms as being sympathetic and timely. Officer Chris Miller noted the timely arrival of concerned officers on the scene soon after and searched for the animal's rescue.
Transgender and gender-diverse adults are three to six times more likely as cisgender adults (individuals whose gender identity corresponds to their sex assigned at birth) to be diagnosed as autistic, according to a new study by scientists at the University of Cambridge's Autism Research Centre.

This research, conducted using data from over 600,000 adult individuals, confirms previous smaller scale studies from clinics. The results are published today in Nature Communications.

A better understanding of gender diversity in autistic individuals will help provide better access to health care and post-diagnostic support for autistic transgender and gender-diverse individuals.

The team used five different datasets, including a dataset of over 500,000 individuals collected as a part of the Channel 4 documentary "Are you autistic?". In these datasets, participants had provided information about their gender identity, and if they received a diagnosis of autism or other psychiatric conditions such as depression or schizophrenia. Participants also completed a measure of autistic traits.

Strikingly, across all five datasets, the team found that transgender and gender-diverse adult individuals were between three and six times more likely to indicate that they were diagnosed as autistic compared to cisgender individuals. While the study used data from adults who indicated that they had received an autism diagnosis, it is likely that many individuals on the autistic spectrum may be undiagnosed. As around 1.1% of the UK population is estimated to be on the autistic spectrum, this result would suggest that somewhere between 3.5.-6.5% of transgender and gender-diverse adults is on the autistic spectrum.

Dr Meng-Chuan Lai, a collaborator on the study at the University of Toronto, said: "We are beginning to learn more about how the presentation of autism differs in cisgender men and women. Understanding how autism manifests in transgender and gender-diverse people will enrich our knowledge about autism in relation to gender and sex. This enables clinicians to better recognize autism and provide personalised support and health care."

Transgender and gender-diverse individuals were also more likely to indicate that they had received diagnoses of mental health conditions, particularly depression, which they were more than twice as likely as their cisgender counterparts to have experienced. Transgender and gender-diverse individuals also, on average, scored higher on measures of autistic traits compared to cisgender individuals, regardless of whether they had an autism diagnosis.

Dr Varun Warrier, who led the study, said: "This finding, using large datasets, confirms that the co-occurrence between being autistic and being transgender and gender-diverse is robust. We now need to understand the significance of this co-occurrence, and identify and address the factors that contribute to well-being of this group of people."

The study investigates the co-occurrence between gender identity and autism. The team did not investigate if one causes the other.

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge, and a member of the team, said: "Both autistic individuals and transgender and gender-diverse individuals are marginalized and experience multiple vulnerabilities. It is important that we safe-guard the rights of these individuals to be themselves, receive the requisite support, and enjoy equality and celebration of their differences, free of societal stigma or discrimination."

###

This study was supported by the Autism Research Trust, the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and the Templeton World Charity Foundation., Inc. It was conducted in association with the NIHR CLAHRC for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, and the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.

Reference

Warrier, V et al. Elevated rates of autism, other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses and autistic traits in transgender and gender-diverse individuals. Nat Comms; 7 Aug 2020; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17794-1
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang highlighted Vietnams viewpoint that all activities in its Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos without permission of the country are void and not conducive to peace, security and stability in the East Sea, and that Vietnam resolutely protests those.

Responding to a question about Vietnams reaction to the news that China dispatched warships and fighters to embellished structures in the archipelagos, including, at a regular press conference on August 6, Hang affirmed that Hoang Sa andare inseparable parts of Vietnam.Regarding the news that China has set up a surveillance network in the East Sea, Hang once again emphasised that maintaining peace, stability and security in the East Sea is the benefit and responsibility of all countries in the region and the international community.All activities of the countries should be carried out in a responsible and well-intentioned manner to serve the above-mentioned objectives, she went on.While stating Vietnams view on the information that China published an amendment of "Technical regulations for statutory surveys of sea-going ships on domestic voyages" under Chinas laws, the spokeswoman said that China's inclusion of Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam in its rules for technical inspection of domestic vessels under the 2020 law violates Vietnam's sovereignty over the archipelago, and is not conducive to maintaining a peaceful, stable and cooperative environment in the East Sea.Vietnam's consistent viewpoint is that all activities related to Vietnam's Hoang Sa archipelago without the country's permission are violations of Vietnam's sovereignty and are null and void.Commenting on the information that Australia submitted a diplomatic note the UN protesting China's illegal claims over East Sea, Hang affirmed that the circulation of diplomatic notes at the UN of countries is normal practice in international relations.Vietnam's consistent stance on issues related to the East Sea has been expressed on various occasions, she said, noting that Vietnam believes that countries share the common aspiration and goal of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, cooperation and development in the sea, and to do this, respect for the maritime legal order and the full, well-intentioned and responsible implementation of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is essential.Vietnam welcomes countries viewpoints on the East Sea issue in accordance with international law, and reaffirms its views as stated at the 36th ASEAN Summit that the UNCLOS is the legal framework governing all operations in seas and oceans, the diplomat said.In this spirit, together with ASEAN members, Vietnam hopes that all countries, including ASEAN's partner countries, will endeavour to contribute to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation in the East Sea and to resolve disputes through dialogue and other peace measures in line with international law, for common interests in accordance with the aspiration of countries in the region and the international community, she said, adding that Vietnam always makes positive and responsible contributions to this process.
Mumbai, Aug 7 : Hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) rejected Rhea Chakraborty's request for deferring her questioning, the actor appeared before the financial probe agency in Mumbai on Friday.

Rhea arrived at the ED office here along with her brother Showik Chakraborty at 11.50 a.m. for questioning. The ED will record her statement under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

It will question her about financial delaings and the investment into properties. The ED will also question her about the financial transactions from the late actor's bank account in the last one year.

The ED on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Rhea and her family members. The case pertains to "suspicious transactions" worth Rs 15 crore in connection allegedly from the late actor's account.

Sushant's father K.K. Singh filed an FIR in Patna on July 25, accusing Rhea, Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandhya Chakraborty, Showik Chakraborty, Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi of abetment to suicide, fraud and holding Sushant hostage.

The ED named Rhea and her family members in the case on the basis of the FIR filed by the Bihar Police.

The ED has also sought details of the financial transactions of the firm -- Vividrage Rhealityx, in which Rhea is a director; and Front India For World, in which her brother Showik Chakraborty is a director.

Earlier in the day, Rhea requested the ED to defer her questioning in connection with the money laundering probe involving the death of Sushant and call her only after the Supreme Court hearing.

On Thursday, the CBI booked Rhea and her family members in the death of the 34-year-old actor in his Bandra flat on June 14.

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
At least two high school students in Georgia have allegedly been suspended after sharing a video of school hallway crowded with largely maskless students, according to reports.

North Paulding High School in Dallas went viral after it reopened on Monday when two students shared photos of the school corridors with apparently no social distancing and barely any wearing masks.

Paulding County Schools Superintendent Brian Otott reportedly released a statement saying that the images were taken out of context, that masks were a personal choice for students and reopening was in line with Georgia Department of Educations health recommendations.

Students are in this hallway environment for just a brief period as they move to their next class. ... There is no question that the photo does not look good, Mr Otott said according to CNN.

Wearing a mask is a personal choice, and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them.

Following the alleged suspension 15-year-old Hannah Watters who posted one of the photos and a video on Twitter told Buzzfeed News she received a five-day, out-of-school suspension for posting one photo and one video on Twitter.

According to the report, Ms Watters was given the suspension because she violated the student code of conduct which prohibit students from using social media, taking photos of students and using recording devices without permission.

Another student, who did not want their name used, also told BuzzFeed News that they were suspended for posting photos on Twitter.

Not only did they open, but they have not been safe, she said. Many people are not following Centres for Disease Control guidelines because the county did not make these precautions mandatory.

Ms Watters told the outlet that it was her first time being reprimanded by the school but said that she does not regret her actions. She said her family plans to fight the alleged suspension.

Students crowd a hallway, Tuesday, 4 August 2020, at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia (AP)

Id like to say this is some good and necessary trouble, Ms Watters told CNN.

My biggest concern is not only about me being safe, its about everyone being safe because behind every teacher, student, and staff member there is a family, there are friends, and I would just want to keep everyone safe.

Michael Tafelski, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Centres childrens rights project condemned the actions taken by the school.

Children do not waive their constitutional rights in school, and the district abused its discretion in suspending these students, Mr Tafelski told Buzzfeed News.

It could not have come at a worst time as families are struggling to cope with the social and economic pressures brought on by the pandemic, including the abrupt school closures in March that disrupted the education of thousands of students.
It's wrong to say there is no sign of Covid-19 in Greece. But the dreamy blue skies, glorious sunshine and aquamarine waters help you put to the back of your mind waves of infection, quarantines and social distancing.

What you are experiencing is the "new normal" to which we must all adapt, at the very least until a vaccine becomes available.

Athens in July is usually a crowded and bustling place, with long queues at museums and heritage sites, and few tables available at the better eateries. This year less so.

"You must enjoy Greece like this - you won't see this again," jokes hotelier Costas. "It will come back, the tourism, the crowds. For now, take advantage - with my blessing."

Expand Close New normal: A waiter wears a protective face mask as he works at a bar in Athens. Photo: REUTERS/Costas Baltas / Facebook

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Whatsapp New normal: A waiter wears a protective face mask as he works at a bar in Athens. Photo: REUTERS/Costas Baltas

At the Acropolis, a group of British tourists bemoan how Brexit means they now must pay full price for granddad and the two youngsters in their party and no longer get an EU reduction.

"You chose to leave, live with it," quipped one tour guide. "Then again, we Greeks voted to leave too, but the government ignored us."

There are plenty of French, Germans and Scandinavians. But the comparative lack of American voices at tourist sites is noticeable. There are also relatively few Asian tourists, although one Chinese woman wearing full Tang dynasty traditional costume made quite a splash as she did a photo shoot at the Parthenon.

Greek authorities know that the island will most likely import some infections over the coming months, but it has balanced this against its need to keep the vital tourism industry ticking over for the rest of the summer.

So, welcome to a world of track-and-trace apps, of widespread use of face masks and spot tests for Covid-19.

Visitors must hand in a form on arrival with their contact information. Failure to fill out the form is punished harshly.

On arrival, you are subject to random testing and you could, if anyone on the flight tests positive, be quarantined for 14 days.

With a population just over twice that of Ireland, Greece has so far confirmed 4,973 Covid-19 cases with 210 deaths, and Greeks seem satisfied by their government's quick reaction, locking down early and widely in the spring.

The government makes regular appeals for people to stay on their guard. Last Saturday, Greece reported 110 new confirmed cases, its highest tally in about two months, with 75 more cases announced on Sunday.

Visits to care homes for the elderly and to hospitals are prohibited until mid-August. They have also set a limit of 100 people attending weddings, funerals and baptisms, and have banned open-air festivities until the end of August.

Greece's health committee is examining the situation every 15 days. Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said this week that just under 80pc of hotels are operating, but in terms of occupancy, July was a challenging month.

"Every week is looking better than the previous one and this is encouraging," Mr Theoharis told Greek radio.

"Things are looking quite good on the large islands and on the mainland."

Hotels and guest houses have hand sanitiser everywhere. In restaurants, olive oil is served in small individual containers.

Where Aristotle and Socrates once trod, floor markings delineate social-distancing guidelines. There are no buffets. A recital in the Odeon of Herodes Atticus is surreal but beautiful. Social distancing is enforced by attendants wearing full face masks. When the concert finishes, the soloists bump elbows with the conductor rather than embrace. The normally demonstrative Greeks struggle with this aspect of the pandemic.

Greece was one of 15 countries on Ireland's Green List published last month - from which travellers do not need to restrict their movements for 14 days on return. Ryanair resumed flights on July 1. However, it's not clear what the official position is as the Government still insists: "The safest thing to do is not to travel."

Getting a ticket on the reduced ferry services to the islands is not easy. On the ferries that do sail, social-distancing rules means many seats are kept empty. In Piraeus, huge cruise ships are a jarring sight after becoming notorious super-spreaders earlier in the pandemic. The cruise industry reopened on August 1, after consultations with experts.

On the island of Hydra, waiters complain about the plastic face masks everyone in the service industry must wear. "I suppose it's worth it to keep people coming, but it's really hot," said restaurateur Joe.

He is philosophical. "We can't do anything else? We just have to wait it out."

With donkeys ambling through the car-free island, and the beaches reasonably full but not by any means overcrowded, for hours at a time on Hydra, you can forget about Covid-19.

It feels like a long time since that's happened.
Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will ban all dealings with the owners of the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, apparently acting on his repeated threat to ban it altogether.

Depending on how the order is interpreted, it may effectively require Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, as was called for this week by secretary of state Mike Pompeo. However, it is unclear whether Mr Trump has the legal authority to order that.

Signed alongside a similar attack on Chinese app WeChat, the order comes into effect in 45 days time, at which time all transactions with parent company ByteDance will be banned in the US. It does not explain what it means by transactions  and depending how the order is in interpreted, that could extend as far as users accepting the apps terms and conditions when installing it on their phones.

Mr Trumps order comes after months of tough talk from the his administration directed at all aspects of Chinese governments behaviour, from trade and data espionage to the treatment of Uighur people in Xinjiang province and the rollout of restrictive governance in Hong Kong.

The order cites many of these grievances, pointing out that TikTok reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party  including false claims related to the coronavirus pandemic.

TikToks critics also claim the app can also be used to collect reams of information about its users from their devices, and has already been banned by the US government from federal employees phones. Citing these concerns, the order points to a recent decision by the Indian government to ban the app throughout the country, claiming it sent childrens data back to servers in China.

Mr Trump has been threatening to ban TikTok for some time. Last week, he said he was planning to do so in a matter of days, but at the weekend was apparently dissuaded by Microsoft, which says it is in talks to buy the app subject to a complete security review.
State hunting and trapping licenses for the 2020-21 seasons go on sale Monday

If signups for the new online hunter and bowhunter safety courses offered for the first time this year are any indication, there most likely will be a record number of new hunters out this fall. Nearly 41,000 males and females have taken and passed the two courses in recent months.

As more New Yorkers look for outdoor activities close to home, we have seen renewed interest in hunting and trapping for the quality recreational experiences these activities provide, especially here in New York State, DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers enjoy small and big game hunting and this falls hunting and trapping seasons will help bring a sense of normalcy to an otherwise challenging year. As always, safety is a top priority, and we remind all hunters to follow the key principles of hunter safety.

Licenses and permits can be purchased at any one of DECs license-issuing agents, by telephone at 866-933-2257, or online. The new hunting and trapping licenses are valid from Sept. 1, 2020 through Aug. 31, 2021, while annual fishing licenses are valid for 365 days from date of purchase.

All first-time hunters, bowhunters, and trappers must pass one or more courses before they can purchase a license. Traditionally, hunter, bowhunting and trapper education have been in-person courses taught by trained volunteer instructors certified by DEC.

In April 2020, DEC began offering online hunter education courses  and more recently bowhunter safety courses -- due to the fact that the in-person classes had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This offer for the courses ($19.95 for the hunter safety and $30 for the bowhunting safety) will continue until Aug. 31.

As of Aug. 3, DEC said a total of 35,726 individuals took and passed the online hunter safety course and 5,235 took and passed the bowhunter course. Of those who took the hunter safety course, 64 percent were male students, 36 percent were women.

Age-wise, 32 percent who completed the hunter safety course were between the ages of 11-20; 23 percent were between ages 21-30 and 22 percent were between 31-40, according to Richard Bamberger, who works with Kalkomey, the Texas-based company that offers the course.

At this point, all in-class hunter, bowhunting and trapping courses are cancelled statewide until Aug. 31. But if and when they resume, DEC officials note they will fill quickly, so be sure to sign-up early. Visit DECs website for more information on materials, including a list of courses and course registration.

During the 2018-19 hunting seasons, DEC reported a total of 571,046 resident and and non-resident hunting licenses purchased. Recent years havent seen the numbers move too much. The biggest increase in hunting license purchases during the last 12 seasons was 30, 485, which occurred from the 2007-08 to the 2008-09 seasons. See the DEC website for more on this.

New licensing system

In July, DEC launched a new online system for the sale of fishing, hunting, and trapping licenses. The new DEC Automated Licensing System (DECALS) includes user-friendly information to help users locate vendors, receive instant copies of a license, enter and view harvest information, and more.

Previous DECALS logins will not work in the new system.

To access current accounts, click on the 'Sign Up' link on the new DECALS website and use date of birth and DEC customer ID number or a driver's license number to locate existing files and create a new login. Please call DEC's customer service line at 866-933-2257 with any questions.

Buying the license

Starting Monday, the DEC Call Center is accessible from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays through Oct. 1. Regular call center weekday hours will resume on Oct. 2.

Individuals should have the following items ready when buying a license:

Complete contact information (e.g. name, address, email address, telephone number);

DEC customer ID number (if applicable);

Proof of residency (e.g., driver's license or non-driver's ID with a valid New York State address); and

If purchasing by phone or internet, a valid credit card.

If not already entered in DEC's automated licensing system, individuals are required to provide proof of hunter or trapper education certification or a copy of a previous license for all hunting and trapping license purchases.

For additional information, visit the General Sporting License Information webpage on DECs website.

Deer Management Permits (DMPs)

Deer Management Permits are available at all license-issuing outlets, by phone, or online through Oct. 1, 2020.

DMPs are used to manage the deer herd and are issued through an instant random selection process at the point of sale. The chances of obtaining a DMP remain the same throughout the application period; hunters need not rush to apply.

The 2020 chances of selection for a DMP in each Wildlife Management Unit are available online, through license issuing agents, or by calling the DMP Hotline at 1-866-472-4332.

Information on this falls Deer Season Forecast is also available on DECs website.

Venison Donation Program

Anyonenot just hunters and anglerscan help feed the hungry by making a monetary contribution to the Venison Donation Program at any license issuing outlet. Individuals should inform the license sales agent if interested in donating $1 or more to support the program. Since 1999, the Venison Donation Coalition has used these funds to process more than 330 tons of highly nutritious venison, the equivalent of 2.8 million meals served. For more information about the Venison Donation Coalition program, visit DECs website.

Habitat and Access Stamp

New Yorks habitat serves a vital role in maintaining healthy and sustainable fish and wildlife resources. Purchasing a hunting or trapping license helps to support DECs important conservation projects and ensures the future of natural resources for generations to come. DEC encourages outdoor enthusiasts to consider purchasing a Habitat & Access Stamp each year. Funds from the $5 Habitat & Access Stamp support projects to conserve habitat and improve public access for fish-and-wildlife-related activities.

This years Habitat & Access Stamp features a northern leopard frog. Last years Habitat & Access Stamp featuring a bull moose was the most popular stamp in DEC history, with more than 25,000 sold.

MORE:

After several months of delays, NYS Canal System will be completely open Monday

DEC opens new boat launch on Otisco Lake for public use

Big Buck Bonanza: Deer hunters share eye-opening photos from 2019 season
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 07:03 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c2f09e 1 Politics PSI,Gibran-Rakabuming-Raka,Surakarta-mayoral-election,PDI-P,Gerindra-Party Free

The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) and the Gerindra Party have officially declared their support for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to run in the upcoming Surakarta mayoral election in Central Java.

Antonius Yogo Prabowo, the head of the party's Surakarta chapter, said PSI chairwoman Grace Natalie had signed the recommendation letter for Gibran, whose nomination was backed by the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

"What's left now is only technical details; either Mas Gibran comes to the [PSI] executive board headquarters to get the letter or our representatives will go to Surakarta to deliver the letter to him," Yogo said on Thursday.

The PSI's confirmation came shortly after the Gerindra Party announced on Monday its decision to support the President's son in the mayoral race, following the signing of a recommendation letter by party chairman Prabowo Subianto and secretary-general Ahmad Muzani.

Gerindra executives had previously expressed their intention to support Gibran's ticket in the race even months before the PDI-P officially nominated Gibran to run as a pair with Teguh Prakosa, the secretary of the PDI-P's branch in Surakarta, in the city's mayoral election, slated to take place on Dec. 9.

Read also: Many Indonesians fed up with political dynasties: 'Kompas' survey

"We are firm in supporting Gibran and Teguh [in the race]," said Ardianto Kuswinarno, the head of Gerindra's branch in Surakarta, as quoted by kompas.com.

The PSI was among political parties supporting Jokowi's reelection in the 2019 presidential race, in which he went head-to-head with his erstwhile rival Prabowo and the Gerindra Party. The latter has since joined the ruling coalition, after Jokowi tapped Prabowo for the position of the defense minister in October last year.

Yogo of the PSI said that the party threw its support behind Gibran since, as a strong contender in the race, they saw that he had a clear vision and passion to build Surakarta.

He denied that Gibran's nomination for the race was part of establishing a political dynasty, arguing that the President's eldest son was not appointed to the position.

"We agreed that it's not a practice of political dynasty. As the son of the president, Gibran also has the right to vote and be elected," Yogo said.

"If he was appointed as a commissary of a state-own enterprise, a minister or any other public position, maybe we could have called it a form of political dynasty, but he will compete fairly [in the election]; the people have the freedom to choose him or not," he added. (nal)
Over a series of reports of her alleged difficult behavior, Meghan Markle earned the moniker "Duchess Difficult" from palace aides. Karen Gibson who was a choir member who sang at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 2018 nuptials begs to disagree.

A surmised 1.9 billion people watched the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 39. The royal nuptials transpired in St George's Chapel, Windsor and had an audience of a mixture of royals, celebrities, and others close to the couple.

Meghan's reputation as Duchess Difficult

Numerous allegations have been tarnishing the Duchess of Sussex's image, especially in the recent months since her and the Duke of Sussex's renouncement of their membership as senior working members of the British royal family.

During her guesting at an episode of "Lorraine," Gibson spoke at length regarding the former royals and the wedding ceremony, reported The International News.

Gibson remarked to Christine Lampard, "They were wonderful, they were very down to earth and very friendly. We heard a bit of Harry's voice as well," as cited in Geo News.

She also spoke about The Kingdom Choir's new single. Regarding Markle's reputation for being demanding and Duchess Difficult, "Godmother of gospel. I have to say I didn't see the person that some people are talking about," reported Head Topics.

One highlight of the wedding ceremony was a performance by her gospel group, The Kingdom Choir. The group performed a remarkable version of Ben E. King's song ''Stand By Me'' from 1961. It was widely lauded by the public and commentators.

Also Read: Meghan Markle Wins Court Battle to Protect Friends' Identities Who Defended Her

Gibson added, "Like any couple they liked things just so -- you have a particular vision for your day and why not? You want it to be lovely both for the world and for each other."

She believes that the song was very special to the couple and how it was performed.

The news comes after numerous statements by a palace staffer following their accounts to British author Tom Quinn regarding inside information for his slated to be released book, "Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle."

Markle's demands were said to be too much for palace aides.

It was divulged that the former "Suits" actress was usually labeled by staffers with fault-finding nicknames including "The Duchess of Difficult," "Me-Gain," "Di-Lite," and "Di 2."

While the performance for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's or "Duchess Difficult" seemingly ran smoothly, the run up to the big day was reportedly far from easy, requiring a laborous review process.

'Extraordinary claim' with Finding Freedom

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been denounced for the "extraordinary claim" that they did not corroborate with the writers of "Finding Freedom," their unofficial memoir.

The two writers who penned the book stated that they interviewed over 100 people but asserted that the Sussexes were not involved. However, royal expert Russell Myers thinks that the duke and duchess must have coordinated with the writers.

Myers stated that "all the allegation and claims have been corroborated by two people and one may wonder who those two people actually are."

Myers believes that there was corroboration because the Sussexes are currently setting off a number of lawsuits.

Related Article: Prince William Not Allowed to Use Twitter?

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Lets face it, the last few months have been a total and utter sh*tshow. Theres no other way of putting it.

While the greater pain and suffering the Covid-19 pandemic has brought is lamentable and incredibly sad in its own right, the knock-on effect the virus - and ensuing lockdown - has had is hard to fully quantify still.

Its fallout is ongoing and looks set to be a part of all our lives - in some shape or form - for some time to come. One of many joys of our lives that have taken a major hit during this time has been the arts.

Empty music venues, theatres and galleries stand as a ghostly reminder of all that has been lost or mothballed since mid-March.

Life is not normal right now. But that does not mean we should stop doing those things that make us human and bring us great joy.

Yes, we must take the necessary precautions. Yes, we must look after our vulnerable no matter what. But we can do those things and still take joy from creative pursuits.

And so it is that the Seek Contemporary Urban Arts Festival returned to the (quieter) streets of Dundalk this month.

It is truly commendable that the festival has gone ahead given everything mentioned above.

But gone ahead it has and it is, without caring a jot about sounding cloyingly sycophantic, a triumph!

Since the rollout of the first Seek festival last year, there are now nine walls within a short walk of our town centre that our emblazoned with monumental splashes of colour and historically significant pieces of genuine art.

Local, national and international artists have been using the historic buildings of our town to portray the stories and people from our past that deserve to be given such a visible platform.

On Friday I had the unique privilege of feeling like a tourist in my own hometown as I tagged along on a guided tour of the nine sites that are now displaying, very proudly, our heritage.

And what made the biggest impact, alongside the original splendour of the pieces, was the great spread of people that were part of the tour.

Accents of differing nationalities chimed up at various points along the way to ask a question about the art, the artist or indeed about Dundalk itself.

Art brings us together in a way that few other things can.

It transcends borders and any differences. It cuts through waffle and communication barriers.

Art is at once both completely subjective and totally objective. There is something approaching pride in witnessing your hometown, in some small way, becoming of importance and interest to someone not originally from there.

I listened intently as the tour guide, Martin McElligott, fielded questions and added his own spin on the unique, and mostly forgotten, industrial history of Dundalk.

As we walked across the town centre, I felt genuinely like a tourist. I was looking at the town and its buildings in a different way.

They were, for just a tiny moment, more than structures I have looked at almost my entire life, they had taken on a new significance.

I had stepped out of my own town, and for the first time, truly saw it as something else.

Something that we should be rightly proud of.

From speaking to Martin McElligott after the tour, it appears that there are plans to expand Seek next year, and quite probably the year after that too.

For too long Dundalk has kept its head down and kept itself to itself. This estrangement to opening up to the world can partly be attributed to our historical proximity to the border and the long, storied struggles accompanying that.

However, it is clear that over the past decade or so Dundalk has become a vibrant, multicultural town that is home to people from all walks of life.

We have opened our doors, and at times, our hearts too, to this new world.

It is now time to take pride in our history and give ourselves a sense of place.

No longer should Dundalk be viewed as tough and uncompromising.

When you take a quick walk around the sites of the Seek art pieces, open your ears to the voices and the accents of the town, theres much more culture there than youd ever have believed.

Part of the mission statement of Seek is to be a catalyst for change and undoubtedly the public realm is the most visible place to effect such change.

And every town or city must change. Must adapt, must move with the times. What Seek allows us to do is to progress forward and embrace that change while also bringing our heritage closer to our hearts than ever before.

One of the wall murals on Grays Lane is based on the theme of our industrial railway heritage. Its a fabulous piece, which captures the hardworking people of that era in their pomp.

It is a vivid image and immediately recognisable to anyone from Dundalk with even a passing knowledge of our past.

It was created by a Spanish artist named Chula Mente.

On Friday, as we toured, she took time out from completing the mural to speak to all of us.

She spoke glowingly of her deep interest in one of the subjects of the piece - a man with a bicycle, which is based on an actual photograph from the time in Dundalk.

Chula said that if anyone knew, or could find out, who that man with the bicycle was, shed love to know so she can possibly contact any living family members personally.

Forging a new identity for Dundalk based on creativity while still celebrating our past is the ultimate raison d'etre of Seek.

Its time for the people of Dundalk to grab hold of this philosophy.

We are a great wee town, now let's tell everyone about it.
Economists from Ghana and abroad Friday presented new research on a wide range of health interventions that will improve the delivery of healthcare in the country.

They presented their findings as part of the "Ghana Priorities" project, an initiative being spearheaded by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), in collaboration with the Copenhagen Consensus Centre, an award-winning international think tank in Accra.

The project seeks to prioritise the best policies for the country's future based on cost-benefit analysis.

Prof Edward Nketiah-Amponsah of the University of Ghana, presented a research on the best current initiatives to limit the spread of malaria.

He and his colleagues discovered that near-universal coverage of testing and treatment of malaria will yield phenomenal societal returns of 134 Ghana cedis for everyone Ghana cedi spent.

He noted that by properly diagnosing malaria and giving early treatment to those infected, 435,000 severe cases and close to 25,000 deaths could be avoided between now and 2030.

Also, increasing the number of bed nets distributed to 90 per coverage has the potential of avoiding 12.9 million cases of uncomplicated malaria, some 700,000 severe cases, and 40,000 deaths and every cedi spent will yield 44 cedis in benefits.

Dr. Yaw Adusi-Poku, Manager of the National TB Control Programme, Dr. Brad Wong from Copenhagen Consensus and Jamie Rudman from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine studied three important interventions to deal with the burden of tuberculosis.

They included active case finding in high-risk populations, improved speed and accuracy of diagnosis through implementation of molecular diagnostic tools, and education and counselling alongside Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) to make sure those receiving TB treatment adhere to the necessary treatment regime.

The study discovered that every cedi spent on the interventions would yield social and economic benefits worth GHc38, 166 and GHc190 respectively.

These benefit-cost ratios are some of the largest in the entire Ghana Priorities project, which shows the importance and the potentials of addressing TB as a priority.

With regard to maternal and child health, Dr. Patrick Asuming, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School, advocated the need for a comprehensive, holistic approach that would scale up the Ghana Essential Health Intervention Programme (GEHIP) implemented in Northern Ghana, the NEWborn Health Intervention Study (NEWHINTS) undertaken in the middle belt, and ensuring access to Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC).

He said the returns on investment would be substantial and save the nation about GH6.1 billion over a six-year period.

He underlined the need for improvement in collection of data and stored digitally for monitoring purposes, continued training of health workers and enhancing the existing health facilities in rural areas.

Prof. Eugenia Amporfu of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) presented research that showed how Family Planning played an important role in the reproductive health and rights of women.

She was of the conviction that access to contraceptives help empower women, increase investment in children, and contribute to poverty reduction and the overall development of society.

She noted that a reduction of 0.5 in the fertility rate leads to 5.6 percent increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita over a 20-year period.

Also, a decrease in unplanned pregnancies leads to a lower risk of health complications, maternal and child mortality and malnutrition in children.

For married women, she said, the benefits of access to family planning were 34 times greater than the cost.

Further presentations were given on the areas of mental health, where screening people to detect cases of depression, anxiety and schizophrenia could yield societal benefits as high as seven Ghana Cedis for every cedi invested, whilst the impact of screening and treating hypertension could yield benefits three times greater than the original investment.

At a more systemic level, Dr. Nkechi S. Owoo and Dr. Monica P. Lambon-Quayefio from the University of Ghana, made the case for better access to health care by expanding health insurance, operating and maintaining efficient ambulance networks in rural zones, and incentivising healthcare workers to move to remote areas.

They presented evidence showing that both the maintenance of the ambulance system and incentives for relocation could greatly benefit the rural population, with benefits at least 20-times greater than the cost of both initiatives.

It is expected that more teams of Ghanaian, regional and international economists will present their research on costs and benefits of the most promising policy pursuits to an eminent panel including; Nobel Prize recipient Finn Kydland and six distinguished national economists.

The panel will rank all the interventions and establish priorities for a prosperous future.

---GNA
Central to the allegations are claims that managers at the start of every shift assess the tautness of female servers arms, stomachs, legs and backs and assign them tone grades that are used to determine who gets to serve the best sections of the restaurant. Those with low scores are told they are fat, and some have been threatened with termination unless they lose weight, the suit alleges.
(Natural News) In George Orwells dystopian Nineteen Eighty-Four, the concept that two plus two equals four had extraordinary symbolic weight. The State, as embodied in Big Brother, controlled everything that people could think or say.

(Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com)

Part of how the rebellious Winston Smith fought back against this totalitarianism was to remind himself that, no matter what the State said, two plus two does, in fact, equal four. To the all-powerful State, though, Smiths belief in objective math was a threatening form of insanity. The State therefore used a mixture of torture and cajoling to force Smith to embrace a State-sanctioned sanity that denied reality:

You are a slow learner, Winston. How can I help it? How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four. Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane.

By the novels end, with the States torture having broken him, Smith readily conceded that, yes, if the State said that two plus two equals five, that would be the correct answer.

Judging by a comprehensive Twitter thread, we have reached the Orwellian world of Big Brother. This is a world in which those who represent power for the sake of power are working overtime to convince their fellow Americans to dismiss reality and concede that two plus two does not equal four but, instead, equals five:

2/

To start, lets look at EXACTLY what they say as how they argue here is VERY important.

They don't say 2+2=4 is FALSE. They don't say 2+2 always equals 5. What they say is: A. 2+2 can sometimes equal 5, And

B. That 2+2 doesn't always equal 4. Please read that again carefully  Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

4/

How does deconstruction work?

Deconstruction works by attacking at the level of MEANING. This means that words, ideas, concepts, discourses, art, texts, symbols; whatever is used to MEAN something or communicate gets deconstructed.

Thus deconstruction "destabilizes meaning."  Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

6/

Woke people think racism, sexism, and bigotry are baked into the language and concepts we use. Since we think and communicate with language, if the language we use is inherently racist and sexist then our communication, and the ideas we communicate will be racist and sexist  Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

8/

This is Dr. Rochelle Gutierrez.

She thinks math teachers need political knowledge (She thinks math is political), not just knowledge of teaching Math.

And she created a type of math where Humans are no longer-centered.

What she teaches her students is as follows pic.twitter.com/GCMpz9htez  Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

10/

Dr. Gutierrez also says the idea math can solve anything is a fallacy. She asks why math:

1. values logic over intuition and asks student to use logic instead of intuition, and

2. teaches people to critique reasoning rather then just appreciate it various reasoning attempts. pic.twitter.com/Jg2CX3LEkD

 Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

12/

Dr. Gutierrez also thinks it is important to ask the students to consider how various forms of problem solving bring joy. Before finally bringing us to her big point pic.twitter.com/hCZpllHluZ  Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

14/

This "I don't care about truth" view is common in social justice circles. For example, Kevin Bird @itsbirdemic (who mocked @conceptualjames and his followers for pushing back at people saying 2+2=5) admits here that he doesn't care about what the truth is when he does science pic.twitter.com/ewsBltKElf  Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

16/

Dr. Gutierrez thinks that math has been controlled by global white supremacy. So every area of mathematics might come to the conclusions it does because of white supremacy. So even 2+2=4 might be racist or the result of western imperialism. Some even say that directly. pic.twitter.com/gthX3c0WFF  Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

18/

The time of fear is over, the time has come to boldly call this out in the clear understanding that we are looking for truth. We will not be cowed by accusations of racism, nor will we be brought to heel by social shaming. Call it out, truth is on your side. /fin  Wokal Distance (@wokal_distance) August 4, 2020

The left knows, and truly hates, the fact that reality tells Americans some important things:

Humans cannot control the enormousness of our climate.

Except for a minute subset of people born with damaged DNA, boys are boys and girls are girls.

Penalties help deter criminal activity. Without penalties, crime gets worse, and people engage in vigilante conduct that is worse for criminals than the rule of law.

Race is real, but its only as a superficial construct (different skin color, different eyes, etc.). What is infinitely more important is that we are all members of the same human species, and thats true whether or not one believes we are made in Gods image or reached this point through pure evolution.

America has raised up more people around the world from poverty and into liberty than any other country in history.

Socialism has failed everywhere its been tried. As a reminder, socialism succeeded in Europe as long as it did only because America funded Europe during the Cold War. All of you, with your 80-hour work weeks, helped bring Europeans their 35-hour work weeks and mediocre cradle-to-grave free medical care.

If leftists are to convince Americans that socialism has succeeded, they must convince them to deny all those other things that Americans know are true and real. If boys arent boys, if race is the only thing that matters, and if America is evil, then socialists can also make us accept that socialism is a workable system that just hasnt been done right before.

In 2020, as the election looms, Americans must have a death grip on reality. Two plus two equals four, no matter how much the critical race theorists (the ones who hold that the only reality is power and what the powerful deem true) claim otherwise. If we do not hang on to the life raft of reality, socialism offers no life vest and we will all drown.

Read more at: ZeroHedge.com
Gov. Tom Wolf said this week hes never been tested for COVID-19.

He said so in an offhand remark at a news briefing for reporters and didnt elaborate.

Thats much different than the level of testing for officials such as President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who reportedly are tested daily and sometimes multiple times per day. Their staffers are also tested daily, and people who meet with Trump and Pence are tested in advance.

The Wolf Administration is following the same guidance that we offer to Pennsylvanians on a regular basis. If you are sick, and feel like you need to be tested, you should get tested, state health department spokesman Nate Wardle said.

Wardle said Dr. Rachel Levine, the state secretary of health, was tested once out of an abundance of caution, with the result coming back negative.

Wolfs acknowledgment that hes never been tested came during a discussion of a Walmart drive-up testing site where people are asked to insert a long swab into their own nose, with the procedure intended prevent spread of COVID to the attendant. Wolf noted that given the length of the swab and how far it must be inserted, he would feel better doing it himself.

Wardle was asked why someone in a critical leadership role such as Wolf or Levine wouldnt be tested frequently.

The teams surrounding the Governor and the Secretary are following the same recommendations that are relayed to [everyone else]. Wear a mask, maintain social distancing and wash your hands, he said. Those individuals who may need to get tested have been tested, but we are not conducting routine testing for individuals who do not have symptoms.

Wardle noted everyone who enters the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency headquarters is electronically screened for fever and high touch surfaces there are frequently disinfected. The PEMA headquarters is the base of operations for Wolf and Levine when theyre not teleworking, Wardle said.

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
An amateur confectioner from Vietnam has been getting a lot of attention for her stunningly-realistic tangerine-shaped steamed buns.

Le Thuy, a secondary school teacher from Ho Chi Minh city, is well known among the confectioner community of the Vietnamese capital, especially for her jelly and bean cakes. However, she recently managed to surprise her peers as well as thousands of social media users with her unique buns designed to resemble real tangerines down to the tiniest details. Her amazing creations look like fruits on the outside, but tear them apart and a soft, spongy interior is revealed.

The talented confectioner said that she came up with the idea of of making the special buns after seeing a Singaporean demonstrate something similar to promote her paid cooking course. However Le Thuy couldnt afford to take the course on her meager teacher salary, so she decided to learn the process herself.

Le Thuy scoured Chinese, Taiwanese and Singaporean websites for recipes of steamed buns, and even went on Chinese forums to ask for specific information. She had to use Google Translate to decipher the recipes, but eventually got everything she needed. Or so she thought

I have made nearly 100 kinds of cakes so far, but Ive never had as many failed attempts as with these buns, Le Thuy said. I failed over 20 times, the buns came out wrinkled and deformed, so I threw them in the trash and cried every time.

After much trial and error, the talented confectioner found that the three main secrets to getting perfect steamed buns are letting the dough rise just enough, steaming them at just the right temperature and for a precise period of time.

But the most impressive thing about her steamed buns is the colorful exterior, which matches that of tangerines down to the shiny essential oils and the imperfections of the fruit peel. Its so realistic that she had to post a video peeling her dumplings just to convince the skeptics accusing her of lying.



Following the success of her tangerine buns, Le Thuy revealed ones shaped as dirty potatoes, which just as shockingly realistic. The Vietnamese confectioner definitely has a knack for this sort of thing, and itll be interesting to see what she comes up with next.
BOSTON (JTA) - More than 350 years ago, a plague took a deadly toll on Hamburg, Germany. As the High Holidays approached, fear and panic set in and many of the city's Jewish families fled.

Among them were Glikl and Hayyim Hamel, successful Jewish merchants who left with their three young children, including an 8-week-old daughter. En route to Hayyim's parents, they spent time with relatives in Hanover, where some locals came to suspect their oldest daughter, 4-year-old Tsipor, was infected. Despite their assurances that she wasn't ill, Glikl and Hayyim were forced to banish Tsipor and her c...
FILE PHOTO: The logo of TPP trade deal, is seen inside at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Santiago

By Laura Gottesdiener and Frank Jack Daniel

MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - Ministers from a trans-Pacific trade bloc have agreed to fight protectionism and avoid food and medicine shortages during the coronavirus pandemic, they said in a joint statement published on Wednesday.

"We strongly believe that given the current circumstances, it is more important than ever to counter protectionism," said the statement, released after a virtual ministerial meeting of the 11 members hosted by Mexico.

It also expressed support for modernizing the World Trade Organization (WTO), and said it supported expanding the bloc by adding new members.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), comprises Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Together they have a combined economy of $13.5 trillion.

The pandemic has exacerbated a trend towards protectionism on the global stage, with a number of European countries taking steps to favor domestic investments, and ongoing saber-rattling between the United States and China.

Lockdowns around the world temporarily shattered the web of suppliers central to modern manufacturing.

"I am convinced we must take action to strengthen existing regional supply chains and to develop new ones" in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Mexican economic minister Graciela Marquez said in her speech that inaugurated the meeting.

The joint statement, issued by the Mexican economy ministry, said open and connected supply chains play "an instrumental role in avoiding food shortages and ensuring global food security."

The members pledged to "facilitate the flow of essential goods and services during the pandemic, including medical supplies and equipment."

"21ST CENTURY ISSUES"

The statement said the WTO should demonstrate an ability to deliver "outcomes on 21st century issues," in an apparent dig at the global trade organization's more than decade-long deadlock in trade negotiations.

Story continues

The world's two largest economies are not members of the CPTPP bloc, which was established in part as a counterweight to China's growing clout. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement soon after he took office in 2017.

Other countries want in, including the United Kingdom, which is keen to strike new trading partnerships after its exit from the European Union.

Britain's ambassador to Mexico, Corin Robertson, said the process of accession would take time and no major announcements were expected about the matter during the ministerial meeting.

"It's still very much our intent to join CPTPP. We see it as a great opportunity for the UK as part of a more ambitious trade agenda post-Brexit," Robertson told Reuters on Wednesday.

Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told the video conference that Tokyo would welcome new members in the bloc.

"As a matter of principle, Japan welcomes those economies who are willing to meet the high standards of the agreement," he told the meeting.

(Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener and Frank Jack Daniel, additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Kim Coghill)
In this March 13, 2020, file photo, students at Stuyvesant High School leave after classes in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 that he would allow children statewide to return to classrooms for the start of the new school year, citing the state's success in battling the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

New York schools can bring children back to classrooms for the start of the school year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday, citing success in battling the coronavirus in the state that once was the U.S. heart of the pandemic.

The Democratic governor's decision clears the way for schools to offer at least some days of in-person classes, alongside remote learning. Students will be required to wear masks throughout each school day.

"Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established," Cuomo told reporters. He said New York can revisit the issue if the infection rate spikes.

Many New York school districts have planned to start the year with students in school buildings only a few days a week, while learning at home the rest of the time. The state has left tough decisionson how to handle sick students, how much time children will spend in class, whether to delay in-person instructionup to individual districts.

"If any state can do this, we can do this," Cuomo said.

More than 1 million public school students in New York Citythe largest district in the U.S.had their last day of in-class instruction March 13, just as waves of sick people were beginning to hit city hospitals. All schools statewide were closed by March 18.

A coalition of teachers, students, and families protest during a rally called National Day of Resistance Against Unsafe School Reopening Opening, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, in New York. Organizers said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio, Chancellor Richard Carranza, and the Department of Education must stop the in-person reopening of schools until it is safe for all. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

The city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, has been saying since the spring that his goal was to bring students back in September, with as much classroom time as possible while still allowing for social distancing.

That plan has looked exceedingly ambitious as other large school systems back away from in-person instruction.

Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston, among other places, all announced they would start the school year with students learning remotely.

"We will reopen safely," de Blasio tweeted Friday. "If COVID-19 positivity rate goes above 3%, we will not open."

He said a return to classroom instruction is vital to jump-starting the city's economy, now hobbled by parents being forced to stay home with their children.

"It will not be easy but I think most parents feel strongly that even some time in school is a lot better for their kids than none," de Blasio said earlier Friday, at a separate briefing.

In this May 27, 2020, file photo, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. Cuomo says he opposes raising taxes on the wealthy to help the state whether the coronavirus economic crisis, but it is clear that federal aid alone won't solve the state's fiscal woes. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

School districts, though, face enormous hurdles.

Cuomo warned New York's roughly 700 districts still need to address the safety fears of parents and teachers. He said districts must post remote learning plans online and hold public discussion sessions.

The outbreak, while reduced, is not over in New York. Around 10,000 New York City residents tested positive for the virus in July.

Teachers unions have demanded clearer health protocols and a rule that schools should shut down immediately for two weeks if any student or staff member contracts the virus.

"As Gov. Cuomo noted, parents and teachers must be confident that schools are safe before they can reopen," United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew said Friday. "In New York City that is still an open question."

Mark Cannizzaro, president of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, said the New York City school principals represented by his union still have many unanswered questions about how schools can reopen safely.

A coalition of teachers, students, and families protest during a rally called National Day of Resistance Against Unsafe School Reopening Opening, Monday, Aug. 3, 2020, in New York. Organizers said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio, New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, and the Department of Education must stop the in-person reopening of schools until it is safe for all. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

"We believe that NYC school leaders do not yet have enough information and guidance from the (Department of Education) to reopen their buildings properly," he said.

Teachers are prohibited from striking in New York state, but large numbers could still opt out of classroom instruction for medical reasons or simply refuse to work.

The governor said he doesn't want New York to get into a legal battle with teachers, adding: "You can't order a teacher into a classroom."

Parents, too, have struggled to decide whether to send their children to school or opt solely for online instruction.

Schools have spent the summer coming up with safety plans, securing protective gear and figuring out how to fit fewer students into classrooms and buses. Cuomo required all school systems to submit reopening plans, saying New York would not allow any district with an unsafe plan to bring students back to classrooms.

In this March 16, 2020, file photo, a pedestrian wears a face mask while standing outside the High School of Economics & Finance, closed due to coronavirus concerns, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, that he would allow children statewide to return to classrooms for the start of the new school year, citing the state's success in battling the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

The governor said the Department of Health will continue to go through plans over the weekend. About 50 plans are still incomplete or deficient, he said.

Earlier this summer, Cuomo set a general metric to help measure when it was safe to bring students back, saying the state would allow a return in regions where fewer than 5% of people tested for COVID-19 came back positive.

The entire state has been well under that threshold all summer.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
For the hundreds of families who lost loved ones in amongst Syrias torture chambers, the truth behind their tragic deaths is now being discovered.

Thanks to new efforts to identify bodies from tens of thousands of photos smuggled out of Damascus seven years ago.

For their families, closure doesnt always bring comfort though.

The teenage brother of Syrian artist and teacher Fida Al Waer, was taken at a checkpoint in 2012 and finding his photo ended hope of seeing him alive.

"We mourned him again when the photo was found. We always had hope he would be released. I would see him in my dreams alive and that he would return and see him again after that. On the picture, it seems that he had been dead for a while, I don't know, that's what the photo looks like."

More than fifty-three thousand photos were lifted on discs and thumb drives, all by a former Syrian army photographer, codenamed 'Caesar', who fled in August 2013.

His job was to keep records of the deaths in military prisons, but is now hiding in an undisclosed country for his own safety. Reuters could not immediately reach him for comment.

Its been 5 years since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last commented directly on the Caesar photographs when he dismissed them as allegations, but now theyre back in the spotlight.

In June the U.S. brought in tough sanctions bearing Caesar's name giving them the ability to charge anyone alleged to have committed war crimes against the civilian population.

He and his allies argue that the war has largely been won, and it is now time for the world to allow Syria to rebuild.

The U.S. laws apply to any countries doing business with Damascus, making that extremely difficult.

Especially with campaigners using the renewed attention launching a new push to identify the dead, which estimates put at 6,785.
(Bloomberg) -- Nokia Oyj Chief Executive Officer Pekka Lundmark said the Finnish networks maker plans to stand clear of geopolitics as the technology industry increasingly is thrust into trade and political conflicts.

Lundmark, who took the reins at Nokia on Aug. 1, is finding his footing in a tense situation that pits China -- and Nokias rival Huawei Technologies Co. -- against the U.S. and other governments moving to ban the Chinese supplier from their fifth-generation mobile networks.

I think it would be a big mistake if individual businesses would start to drive their political agenda, he said in an interview on Friday. Its very important that businesses play it straight and stay where they should stay. We do not have a political agenda, we are a pure business.

U.S. President Donald Trumps administration has been pressuring allies against using Huaweis equipment, which it argues could pose a danger to network security. Huawei has forcefully and repeatedly denied these allegations. Huawei isnt the only Chinese tech firm targeted: on Thursday, Trump moved to ban Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat social media apps.

Huaweis troubles have brought some business Nokias way, the company said last month. Nokia is also getting orders from operators, who are investing in added capacity for existing networks as people stream entertainment and attend virtual meetings amid the pandemic. The U.S. and the U.K. have signaled theyre considering some form of aid to Nokia and its Swedish competitor, Ericsson AB, to ensure competition in the supply of 5G gear.

Nokia lags behind rivals in the 5G race, and thats what Lundmark has been brought in to fix. Five days into his new job, the CEO said he is busy speaking with customers and has begun mapping a path forward.

My goal definitely is that I would be able to say something more concrete before the end of the year on what next steps we should take on the market, he said.

That may seem like a long time for shareholders, reeling from a 40% drop in the stock price since a 2015 high (on the day it announced the purchase of Alcatel-Lucent). Theyve been waiting since early March for Lundmark to take the reins, and many have expressed hopes he would act fast to start a turnaround. Lundmark said he has plans for an investor day in due course -- a rare event at Nokia, which has only held two Capital Markets Days since 2009, the last one in 2016.

Story continues

We have had our ups and downs in Nokias performance and the company has gone through a fundamental transformation, he said. But Im also cautiously optimistic about the situation right now.

(Updates with operator investments in fifth paragraph)

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

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NJ Transits aging bus garage in Wayne is getting a federally funded makeover, including equipment needed to make the switch from diesel-powered to electric buses.

U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, all D-N.J., announced Friday that NJ Transit received a $14.67 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to modernize and rehabilitate the Wayne Bus Garage.

The 22-year-old garage services 191 buses or about 10% of NJ Transits bus fleet and components in the garage are starting to show their age, officials said.

Upgrading and retrofitting bus garages with charging infrastructure to accommodate electric buses is a component of NJ Transits strategic plan that was unveiled in June. NJ Transit is testing the feasibility of electric buses with a federally and state funded pilot program of eight buses in Camden.

The Wayne Bus Garage helps connect commuters to New York City, students to William Paterson (University) and shoppers to Willowbrook (Mall), and plays a critical role in keeping our economy and families moving forward, said Menendez, a ranking Senates mass transit subcommittee member. Without this federal funding to make necessary upgrades, the garage could fall into dilapidation, which would cause a severe disruption in our states transit network.

This $15 million grant, in combination with a $17 million grant received last year from USDOT to buy new articulated buses  in conjunction with a plan to redesign the bus network  will allow NJ Transit to better align service with demand and enhance capacity on the routes with the heaviest ridership throughout Northern New Jersey, said Kevin Corbett, NJ Transit CEO and President.

Federal funding also will fund replacing the roof, preparing the facility for solar electric power, upgrading heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, fire detection and suppression systems, and installing energy-efficient lighting.

We fought for this DOT funding to not only make needed improvements to the garage, but with an eye toward the future as NJT transitions to electric vehicles, Sherill said.

Booker said modernizing the states transit systems with federal investment is critical to keeping the economy moving and improving the quality of life for commuters.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.
Quien una vez fue un chico timido y callado en Pueblo High School, Valadez descubrio su vocacion por la politica y el servicio publico. De ahora 51 anos y con una larga trayectoria como supervisor del Condado Pima, ha sido lider en la politica local y estatal por mas de 30 anos.
Chinese peacekeepers to provide medical aid to Beirut after deadly explosions

PLA Daily

Source: Xinhuanet

Editor: Li Jiayao

2020-08-06 08:12:03

BEIRUT, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The medical unit of the Chinese peacekeeping forces to Lebanon said it will provide medical aid to Beirut following the deadly explosions at the port of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.

Upon the request of the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon organized an emergency team of nine medical personnel from fields including surgery, internal medicine, burns and anesthesiology.

The personnel and vehicles are well prepared and will head to Beirut, carrying medical supplies and protective equipment, said the medical unit.

Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Tuesday at around 6:10 p.m. local time (1510 GMT), leaving 135 dead and some 5,000 others injured.

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Phil Robertson: 10 lies the devil is using to 'destroy' America

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Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson has come out with a new book that aims to blow the lid off the lies that are destroying America.

The conservative Christian reality TV star spoke with The Christian Post to talk about the book and how coming to Christ at age 28 helped him leave his sinful life in the past.

The 72-year-old patriarch of A&E's hit reality series and the co-owner of the Duck Commander Company released his new title The Theft of Americas Soul on Tuesday.

The book purports to expose what he says are 10 essential deceptions and schemes being used by the devil to steal, kill and destroy Americas soul. The new book also shares what Robertson calls 10 counter-truths to those lies.

In the interview, Robertson explained that he was inspired to write the book after witnessing how prevalent issues of drug addiction and sexually transmitted diseases are in todays American society.

Robertson said he fears that United States  as it backs away from its founding on Judeo-Christian principles will one day dissolve because God could leave the country to wallow in its own wickedness.

I hope America wont be like the Roman Empire, Robertson said as he proceeded to quote Romans 1:28: Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, God gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done.

Robertson said the idea of the book is simple: to get people to embrace living a godly life and to get them to love God and love their neighbor.

You go out and get a job and you work and you feed your family. You are the father and you have a mother and you raise your children and you teach them, correct them and rebuke and them and train them, said Robertson after noting how millions of Americans are suffering from some type of drug addiction that has left them hopeless.

We have lost that in America across the board and we are looking at the results of it. I am just trying to remind people that if we keep this up, this whole things is going to fall down upon us.

The 10 lies being used to destroy America that Robertson highlighted in the book are:

-God is dead -There is no devil -The truth is relative -God did not create life -Sex is for self-gratification -Virtue is outdated -Laws can be ignored or changed if they are inconvenient -Unity is not possible -Church participation and day-to-day life should be kept separate -Christians should shut their traps

When asked about the lie of sex being for self-gratification, Robertson noted that the Centers for Disease Control has reported that there are as many as 110 million sexually transmitted infections in the United States.

As STD rates continue to rise to record levels, Robertson believes that this is because too many people are not following Gods design for their lives.

I am just trying to gear people toward the safe way of one-man-one-woman [marriage]. We are not going to sleep around and we are going to keep our sex between each other and no one will ever catch a sexually transmitted disease from that formation, Robertson contended. Why is it that sexually transmitted diseases follow immoral conduct? Well, the writer of Romans, the Apostle Paul, said that it's Gods wrath. He is saying to you, Don't do that.

Robertson was also critical of the many Christians who feel like their faith can be lived out just by going to church on Sundays.

Robertson, who has baptized hundreds of people in a river near his Louisiana home, asserts that Christians are not to keep their mouths shut in the public square but rather are supposed to live out their faith in a 24/7 fashion.

They misunderstand Christianity. The American model is build a [church] building and everybody goes up there at least one time a week, he said.

However, Romans 12 says something different.

If you think about it, the biblical outline of worship is in view of Gods mercy, offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual act of worship, Robertson paraphrased.

Biblically, [faith is more than just] going to church one day a week and calling it a wrap and worship is over. There is 168 hours a week. So if you went to church for a couple hours [on Sunday], there is another 166 hours of what are you doing? It has to be a 24/7-type thing.

Robertson admits, however, that he was not always a professing Christian and didnt always follow Gods design for his life. In fact, he said, there was a time he could barely tell Jesus apart from a billy goat.

I used to get drunk, get high, get laid, Robertson admitted. I was immoral.

Robertson said he began investigating God at the age of 28 in the mid-1970s.

When I read about him, I said, Goodness, there is a way out of here alive, Robertson recalled. I repented and since that time, as amazing as it sounds, now here I am as a multimillionaire if that means anything. How in the world did you go from a nobody and do what you do now? I put my faith in God and I did not waver and I left my life of sin and good things came out. It was either luck or what God said all along.

Robertson said he was driven to look for a deeper purpose in life because, at the time, he felt as if he was as dog chasing his tail.

So I repented and got on my knees before God for the first time. I am 72, so I have been at this for about 44 years now, he said. The more I have studied about God and the more I read my Bible, I realized that this is true and really happening. There is a way out of here alive.

Robertsons book has drawn some criticism. Publishers Weekly criticized Robertson for what was deemed excessive use of religious rhetoric. In its review, the outlet argued that the book suffered from a lack of nuance [that] will turn off many readers.

At the time Robertson responded in a statement saying the review was what he hoped for.

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It is the one in them, the evil one were the friction comes, Robertson told CP when asked about the review. The Bible says repeatedly, everyone who lives a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. So Jesus said to jump for joy and be happy when people hate you, when they exclude you or insult you or reject your name as evil because of Him. We can take a little flak from time to time. We just smile and we love them and we go on.
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.
Office of the Texas Governor

The symptoms between COVID-19 and influenza are similar, and knowing the parallels will be crucial as the Lone Star State prepares for flu season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Greg Abbott had a roundtable discussion at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center on Tuesday, where he stressed the importance of getting your flu vaccine early and continuing to do everything you can to slow the spread of COVID-19.
OTTAWATwo Canadians have been sentenced to death by a Chinese court, renewing concerns heightened tensions between Ottawa and Beijing could mean harsh treatment of Canadian citizens in China.

Ye Jianhui and Xu Weihong both received death sentences in separate drug cases this week in Chinas southern province of Guangdong. A total of four Canadians have been sentenced to death by Chinese courts over the past two years.

Over those two years, relations between Chinas ruling Communist Party and the Canadian government have cratered following the arrest and detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who faces extradition to the United States on fraud charges.

But before connecting the fates of Ye and Lu to frosty international relations, an expert in Chinese law and politics cautions that very little is known about their alleged crimes.

Its natural for people to draw the connection, said Wei Cui, the director of the Centre for Asian Legal Studies at the University of British Columbia.

What we can say is, in general, people should be concerned about the Chinese criminal system because its not transparent  Whatever these people did, we should be concerned about the process theyve gone through.

But whats clear is that foreigners are subject to this kind of criminal process in China, always, and so its not clear were seeing an uptick even in prosecutions (of Canadians).

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland condemned Chinas use of the death penalty in general on Friday. But unlike the detention of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, the Canadian government has not alleged Chinese officials acted arbitrarily against Ye and Lu  at least not yet.

Heres what we know, and what we dont know, about the situation.

Whats the case against Ye and Xu?

Chinas typically opaque court system has released few details in either case. What is known about the allegations has been gleaned from Chinese media reports.

Xu is alleged to have manufactured ketamine, a powerful pain killer, by stockpiling ingredients and tools to make the drug in October 2016. According to media reports, Chinese police seized 120 kilograms of the drug from Xus home and another address.

Yangcheng Evening News reported that Ye and an accomplice also manufactured and transported drugs between May 2015 and January 2016. Police seized approximately 218 kilograms of MDMA from a room used by Ye and Lu Hangchang.

Police seized roughly 218 kilograms of white crystals infused with the designer drug MDMA from a room used by the two, and found another 9.84 grams of the drug in bags and residences used by Lu and others, the newspaper said.

Their death sentences will be automatically reviewed by the Supreme Peoples Court, Cui said.

China typically has harsh penalties for drug offences. The country also frequently hands out death sentences. While official figures are not released, Amnesty International estimated China executes more than 1,000 people each year.

What about the other two Canadians sentenced to death?

Fan Wei, another Canadian citizen, was given the death penalty in April 2019 for allegedly taking part in a multinational drug smuggling case.

Robert Schellenberg was originally given a lighter sentence for allegations of drug smuggling. But after Canadian authorities arrested Huaweis Meng in Vancouver in 2018, Schellenberg was retried and handed a death sentence.

Cui noted that, unlike in Schellenbergs case, theres been no indication of judicial irregularities in the cases against Ye and Xu.

In the case of the two Michaels, and also in the Schellenberg case, we have reason to believe they are specifically a retaliation to Canada, he said.

How has the Canadian government responded?

Let me say this: Canada opposes the death penalty. We oppose it clearly and always, everywhere around the world. We believe it is a cruel and inhumane punishment, and we make that clear to all of our interlocutors everywhere, said Freeland at a press conference on Friday.

We have made that clear in our conversations with China, and we will continue to do so.

Her comments echoed Global Affairs Minister Francois-Phillipe Champagne, who told the CBC Thursday that Canada (opposes) the death penalty every step of the way.

We have said it time and time and time again to the Chinese government and will continue to do that, Champagne said.

What about the Chinese government?

In a press conference Friday, a spokesperson for Chinas Foreign Ministry was asked if the death sentences had any connection to the chilly diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

Wang Wenbin responded that China is a country under the rule of law, and its judiciary handles cases independently in strict accordance with law, according to a transcript of the press conference.

But he didnt waste an opportunity to add that Canada is well aware of Chinas anger over Meng Wanzhous arrest.

The Canadian side knows very well what the crux of the problem is. We urge the Canadian side to take immediate and effective measures to correct its mistakes and make concrete efforts to put bilateral relations back on track.

With files from the Stars wire service.

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Ukraine hopes the lists for the next mutual prisoner exchange will be approved during the next meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) for the settlement of the situation in Donbas, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak has said.

"We hope the final lists for prisoner swap will be approved during the next meetings of the TCG. We hope the prisoner exchange will be scheduled within a few weeks," he said during a working visit of the president of Ukraine to Donbas, according to the president's press service.

Yermak also recalled that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, during his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, raised the issue of the release of 22 Crimean Tatars, who are being illegally detained in occupied Crimea.

"This list has been also passed to the Russian party. We hope this issue will be resolved as well," he said.

The head of the president's office also noted that Zelensky has asked to release Crimean Tatar Ruslan Suleimanov, illegally detained in Crimea, in connection with the death of his son.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  The countrys Russian envoy is saying Moscow will offer safe and effective vaccines to the Philippines.

Russian Ambassador to the Philippines Igor Khovaev told reporters in an online press briefing Friday afternoon that the offer for Russias own COVID-19 vaccine is now under consideration by the Philippine government.

Our offer is under consideration for our Philippine partners, so we are waiting for the feedback, Khovaev said.

The envoy also outlined three ways as to how Manila can get the vaccines: through supplying it to the country, local vaccine production on Philippine soil, and the participation of the Philippines in clinical trials.

The Russian side is ready to closely cooperate with Philippine partners in this field, Khovaev says. He adds, we are ready to make necessary investments with our Philippine partners and we are ready to share our technologies.

Khovaev also said that the creator of the vaccine, Gamaleya Institute, is ready to comply with guidelines or standards set by the Science & Technology and Health Departments before the vaccine is given to Filipinos, should the Philippine government accept the offer.

We maintain good contacts with the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Health and all other agencies concerned, Khovaev claimed. We fully understand that you Filipinos have your own procedures in this field, and all these procedures should be complied with.

The envoy also assured the public that Russian-made vaccines are effective and safe, adding that over 20 countries had expressed interest in working with Moscow on the program.

When asked about who underwent testing for this vaccine, Khovaev says, they were volunteers  including servicemen, and many Russian scientists. He adds, if our Philippine partners need more information, more details, please ask specific questions and well be ready to provide additional information.

We fully understand your concerns, because safety and efficiency must be above all, Khovaev adds.

Despite skepticism within and outside Russia about the effectiveness and development time of the vaccine, Moscow claims the move is a Sputnik moment  referring to how Russia  then part of the Soviet Union  launched the worlds first satellite.

Americans were surprised when they heard Sputniks beeping. Its the same with this vaccine. Russia will have got there first, Kirill Dmirtiev, head of Russias sovereign wealth fund, earlier told.

The move follows Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilians pronouncement that Manila will be a priority in getting vaccines from Beijing, telling CNN Philippines The Source that Beijings vaccine could be developed before the end of this year or early next year.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has made no secret of his preference for Russia and China in his foreign policy pronouncements.

However, Khovaev says, the move is a form of humanitarian cooperation instead of a political one. We have brilliant scientists, we have very good technologists, we have great experience of research in this field. We are ready to share our achievements will all interested parties abroad Its about millions and millions of lives which must be saved, the envoy said.

So far, only three Chinese vaccine makers join a joint BioNTech/Fosun Pharma/Pfizer team, a tie-up between Oxford University and AstraZeneca, and a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health and biotechnology company Moderna as the first six vaccine candidates who are now in Phase-3 trials, according to the World Health Organization.
While his Oakland omakase-style restaurant, Delage, sits empty, owner Chikara Ono spent $7,000 to build transparent acrylic barriers around the sushi bar.

The elaborate setup features slots that can slide open and close, allowing the chef to drop a piece of nigiri on a platform in front of the diner. Meanwhile, tall barriers can glide between diners to separate different-size parties.

Though indoor dining still isnt allowed in the Bay Area, Ono is already preparing. But its not clear whether this plexiglass arrangement works with state public health guidelines, which suggest getting rid of any seating thats within 6 feet of a food prep area and doesnt specify whether a barrier negates that need. But Ono got the idea from a restaurant in Los Angeles, which served diners successfully during the citys brief stint of indoor dining, and hopes its OK  he already paid to build similar barriers around his Alameda omakase restaurant, Utzutzu.

Nobody knows exactly, so were trying our best, Ono said.

Brittany Hosea-Small / Special to The Chronicle

Before the coronavirus, Bay Area diners snapped up reservations at omakase restaurants for their intimate atmospheres, constant interactions with the chef and sublime food slowly enjoyed over multiple hours. But now, the very features that made omakase restaurants so popular are making it impossible for them to reopen safely.

Instead, the pandemic is forcing the regions most serious sushi chefs to make a central philosophical decision: They can compromise on either the experience or the food. The results of these decisions are set to change the way omakase looks in the Bay Area until theres a vaccine for the coronavirus. One potential outcome is no omakase at all.

Omakase is an upscale form of Japanese dining where the diner is in the hands of the chef. The chef deftly prepares and gingerly places each piece in front of you, one at a time, telling you about where the fish came from and how it was prepared  its essentially an interactive sushi tasting menu experience, though some Bay Area omakase-style restaurants will include cooked dishes as well.

With Onos new barriers, Delage would go from normally seating 10 people to eight, and Utzutzu would go from eight to six. To make up for the different seat count, Ono expects to raise prices, up to $100 from $70 at Delage and to $125 from $105 at Utzutzu. If the restaurants were always full, he could turn a profit  something thats not happening right now with takeout at Berkeley Bowl West Cafe, which his sushi chefs have taken over to serve casual Japanese eats.

Still, despite thousands in investment and planning, he doesnt know if people will even want to eat indoors out of safety concerns. Adding outdoor seating is a possibility, but not an easy solution: Delage is in a food hall and Utzutzu is up a narrow flight of stairs on a busy street.

Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle 2017

Venturing outdoors does make more sense for some restaurants, though, like upscale SoMa spot Hashiri, which is debuting yurt-style bubbles for groups to partake in a five-course, $200-per-person meal, including eight pieces of nigiri using wild-caught fish from Japan. Still, there is a trade-off in having the chef preparing sushi inside, unable to interact with diners.

We really thrive off engaging with the guest. Not being able to do that is a big burden for us, but we understand the market still needs to eat, said Hashiri general manager Kenichiro Matsuura, adding that the only way to offer a Michelin-level dining experience right now is outdoors.

Others are planning to stick with takeout indefinitely, preferring it to an adulterated dine-in experience.

We think if customers are sitting between glass, it feels like were in a bank, said Jason Zhan, chef-owner of nine-seat omakase spot Sushi Shin in Redwood City, via email.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

San Franciscos Michelin-starred Ju-Ni has switched to a takeout-only format with intricate chirashi bowls, where perfect cubes of fish are nestled with torn shiso, shaved radish and shiny salmon roe over rice. Co-owner Tan Truong said returning to indoor dining, assuming there are capacity restrictions on the 12-seat restaurant, wouldnt pencil out financially. Then, theres a safety factor.

Right now, we feel safe and secure with the door closed, he said. Once theres a vaccine and numbers (of coronaviarus cases) are really starting to go down and things start to get back to normal, thats when wed feel more safe to invite guests inside.

Michael Short / Special to The Chronicle 2017

But some of the most traditional sushi chefs balk at the idea of takeout, such as Masa Sasaki, chef-owner of Sasaki in the Mission District, who hasnt opened his 12-seat omakase restaurant at all during the pandemic.

The chef specializes in Edomae-style sushi, using high-end rice vinegars to season the rice. He doesnt believe in using sugar, but thats the only way to ensure the rice stays nicely soft if its traveling in a car to a customers house. Committed to serving sushi in his restaurant, he recently installed a sneeze guard all around the bar to separate himself from diners, similar to Onos efforts. But the indefinite delay of indoor dining in San Francisco brings the restaurants survival into question.

Ill maybe give up, Sasaki said. I dont know how long I can wait.

Soleil Ho contributed to reporting.

Janelle Bitker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: janelle.bitker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @janellebitker
This week, the number of COVID-19 cases in Texas rose above 467,000 and the Houston region had more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. There were nearly 81,000 cases in Harris County as of Aug. 6, and the Houston Chronicle reports that more than 1,900 people have died from the novel coronavirus in the Houston region.

Since the $600 boost to unemployment benefits ended on July 31 and the Texas Education Agency encouraging school districts to allow students on campuses for instruction, financial concerns and stress for some Harris County families continues growing.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the Texas rate for unemployment benefit requests lowered for the fourth consecutive week, but were still high, with approximately 62,000 people applying for unemployment benefits the week of July 27.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Coronavirus live updates: UIL says students who catch COVID need to see doctor before playing sports

Nonprofit and community organizations in Cy-Fair, such as Northwest Assistance Ministries and Cypress Assistance Ministries, have worked to fill in gaps for local families with food, financial assistance and mental health services for all ages.

Food Assistance

Cy-Fair ISD is still serving curbside meals for low-income students until Aug. 14, according to Assistant Superintendent for Communication and Community Relations Leslie Francis, provided that the parent receiving the food presents valid student ID or other proof of enrollment. Breakfast and lunch can be picked up from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at select high schools, middle schools and elementary schools.

As of June 30, CFISD has served more than 1 million meals to students during the pandemic since March 16. The district uses a drive-thru model to supply the meals and practices social distancing while nutritional services staff wear masks.

Cy-Fair ISD announced that the school start date will be Sept. 8, as well as how parents will choose between in-person instruction and virtual instruction for the 2020-2021 school year due to COVID-19. When school begins, parents will need to provide further validation for free meals if they choose to opt into virtual education.

For more information, visit www.cfisd.net/ .

Cy-Hope volunteers will distribute 1,500 meals to Cy-Fair community members at Lone Star College-CyFair every Friday until August 14, beginning at 11 a.m. and ending when the food, provided by Houston Food Bank, is gone.

Cy-Hope Executive Director Lynda Zelenka said the event at LSC-CyFair will have a smaller scope, focusing on feeding Cy-Fair residents in low-income areas, which have been impacted more by unemployment due to COVID-19. Previously Cy-Hope hosted multiple mega distribution events in the Houston area with Houston Food Bank serving up to 7,500 people.

It would probably be anywhere from 40 to 60 pounds of food (per vehicle), she said. It will be a box of nonperishable food, a box of produce, meat and then usually juice or milk.

Cy-Hope is also hosting blood drives by appointment at The Hope Chest Resale Market and their headquarters in partner with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.

Cy-Hope is also hosting their summer feeding program for families until Aug. 27 on Mondays at the Leonard Brautigam Center from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Cy-Fair High School on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Cy-Life Church from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Thursdays; and Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Foundry United Methodist Church.

The mega distribution food program will continue after Aug. 14 at a to be determined location, Zelenka said.

The next food distributions will be Aug. 7 and Aug. 14 at 11 a.m. For more information on the distribution and future dates, visit www.facebook.com/CyHopeTx/ .

Cypress Assistance Ministries , a nonprofit for low-income families in need of assistance, has provided more than 11,000 meals to families since March 20. The nonprofit is currently in need of donations and volunteers in order to continue providing to the local community.

In order to serve the people who find themselves in crisis we need the money to help them with their rent, mortgage or utilities, plus money to continue to pay the rent and utilities on our buildings and personnel costs, Janet Ryan, director of development for Cypress Assistance Ministries, said. The community continues to be generous in their donations of food. CAMs greatest need at this time is money and volunteers.

CAM is also serving an extra ZIP code that recently lost their local assistance ministry, Bear Creek Ministries.

With BCM closed, people who are struggling in that area have no local ministry providing assistance, so CAM makes food available to that zip code, 77084, as well and that is the area demonstrating the most need, Ryan said. More businesses are closing, unable to remain in operation with what has become a long-term time frame of fewer customers.

CAM is providing GED and ESL classes virtually for the first time in September and is accepting applications now.

CAM will also begin distribution of school supplies on Aug. 3, planning to run the distribution into September due to the delay of the first day of school for Cy-Fair ISD to Sept. 8.

Starting school with all of the supplies you need sets a child up to succeed, and thats something we feel very strongly about, Ryan said. We will be distributing backpacks and school supplies by using a drive-thru method so that we can all maintain social distancing.

Cypress Assistance Ministries is hosting a blood drive Aug. 16 from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Cypress United Methodist Church, 13403 Cypress North Houston Rd., Cypress, which comes with free COVID-19 antibody testing.

CAM is also in need of financial donations to help clients with bills and food.

Local companies pitch in during the pandemic: Donation from Reliant helps Klein area food pantry Restoring Hope nearly triple their food distribution

Families in the 77065, 77095, 77429, 77433 and 77084 ZIP codes can receive free food with an ID and proof of residence at the food pantry from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday-Friday. The CAM food pantry is located at 11265 Huffmeister, Cypress.

Cy-Fair Helping Hands , a nonprofit dedicated to homeless and low-income communities, is also providing food for Cy-Fair area families. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and the first and third Saturdays of the month Cy-Fair Helping Hands provides perishable and non-perishable foods from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with a drive-thru model.

The annual Backpacks and School Supplies Campaign hosted by nonprofit Cy-Fair Helping Hands, which helps homeless and low-income families with various needs, will provide backpacks full of supplies for all grades through a drive-thru distribution. Clients who have visited CFHH since July are eligible to receive the supplies.

CFHH is accepting donations of school supplies for the campaign through Aug. 18.

Patricia Hudson, executive director of community outreach for CFHH, said the event is expected to provide more than 1,000 backpacks this year.

Clients will need to provide proof their child is a CFISD student, as the event is specific to the school district this year rather than open to the public. CFHH is also holding a separate food distribution at the same time, according to Hudson.

CFHH is also providing clear backpacks for high school and middle school students, who are required to have them by CFISD. As low-income households prepare to get their students back to school, other worries, like unemployment and bills, are on parents minds.

The Backpack and School Supply distribution will occur Aug. 26 and Aug. 29 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event, located at 7520 Cherry Park Dr. Ste. B, Houston, is first come, first serve and will run until supplies are gone.

For more information, including how to donate, visit www.facebook.com/CYFAIRHELPINGHANDS/ .

Northwest Assistance Ministries , or NAM, serves hundreds of in-need families a week through their onsite food pantry with both nonperishable and perishable foods and shopping model similar to a grocery store.

NAM is launching an online application process for rent and mortgage assistance, where applicants can submit all appropriate documents without visiting the nonprofit.

We are very proud of this client centered innovation to our client intake process, Chief Advancement Officer Brian Carr said. We will be able to handle a hundred or more completed applications every Monday without the clients leaving the safety of their homes.

NAM is in need of food and financial donations. Cereal, beans, canned goods, pasta sauce, frozen meats and other long-lasting, filling foods are needed for the food pantry, which has fed 3,500 families in the last 90 days.

Northwest Assistance Ministries has seen a consistent increase in requests for rent and food assistance, Carr said. NAMs pantry is getting dangerously low on food. We are seeing a great need from the Greenspoint area and the zip codes nearest 77090.

Rental and mortgage assistance can be found at www.namonline.org/rental_assistance_at_nam_100_online . Parents can also find free immunizations for their children, a partnership between NAM and Christus, at www.namonline.org/free_back_to_school_immunizations_at_nam .

NAM is still in need of volunteers and donations, both financial and nutritional. Currently, the nonprofit is taking applications for their fall semester learning program at www.namonline.org/learning .

For more information, visit www.namonline.org/ .

Financial services

NAM also provides financial aid for clients needing help with bills or other expenses after losing their job due to COVID-19. Chief Advancement Office Brian Carr said the financial focus of NAM is aiding residents with rent. NAM has seen as many as 200 new clients in one day come in specifically for rental assistance.

Because of the way our funding is structured, our advice to our clients is to use to use the unemployment (payments) for your utilities, for your prescriptions, for some groceries and allow us to subsidize the rent because we can make that one payment to the landlord and get that caught up, Carr said.

NAM is located at 15555 Kuykendahl Road. in northwest Houston, where new clients can walk in to begin the process of financial and nutritional aid. For more information, visit www.namonline.org.

The Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce has a community resources page, www.cyfairchamber.com/wearecyfair/ , where small businesses can apply for SBA loans, catch up on the most recent mandates on COVID-19 from the state government and individual instruction for navigating loan and benefits application.

The chamber of commerce also hosts community luncheons, committee meetings and seminars over Zoom, open to the public per an RSVP. For more information, visit www.cyfairchamber.com/ .

Mental health assistance

Mental health online: Northwest Houston area counseling, mental health providers reach clients through telehealth

Shield Bearer CEO Thad Cardine encourages the northwest Houston community to begin counseling sessions through remote telehealth sessions, declaring that the nonprofit is willing to work with different financial situations. All Shield Bearer counselors are certified to use telehealth.

After the fact Ive heard nothing but positive feedback as people get more comfortable with the technology and utilizing the technology and getting everything set up in their home, Cardine said. Individuals who dont have access to public transportation or their own vehicle to receive services, this allows people, no matter where theyre located, to receive services.

Shield Bearer can be contacted for appointments through their website www.shieldbearer.org/ .

Cy-Hope also offers affordable counseling and speech therapy both in-person and through telehealth. In-person appointments require clients to wear a mask, practice social distancing and wait in their car until the beginning of the appointment. For more information, visit www.cy-hopecounseling.org/ . To schedule an appointment, call 713-466-1360.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
Chinese police have arrested a man for posting "rumours" on social media alleging that poor-quality military vehicles have caused the "death" of PLA soldiers during the India-China border clash, the official media here reported.

Recently, a netizen surnamed Zhou was arrested by police for "spreading rumours online stating that the poor quality of military vehicles supplied by the Dongfeng Off-road Vehicle Co., Ltd. has caused the death of Chinese soldiers during the China-India border clash," a report in Chinamil.com, which is attached to the Chinese Ministry of Defence, said.

On August 3, Dongfeng Company complained to police about the online post by Zhou after learning that he had posted "rumours" on his WeChat Moments by claiming that internal corruption in the company led to the poor quality of its military vehicles resulted in the casualties of Chinese soldiers on the China-India border, the report said on Thursday.

Zhou was arrested on August 4 by police. "He confessed to his crime of rumour-mongering, showed remorse, and wrote a sincere apology letter," the report said.

"I fabricated rumours about corruption of individual personnel of the Dongfeng off-road vehicle company, resulting in poor quality of military vehicles provided, and finally causing soldiers to die in the frontline at the China India border and return of 5,000 military vehicles.

"These rumours were published on the family WeChat group," Zhou said in his letter of apology published by the official media.

The Dongfeng company has been engaged in the research and development and manufacturing of high-mobility off-road vehicles for military operations for a long time, being considered as China's top military vehicles manufacturer, the report said.

Online posts about the secretive People's Liberation Army's (PLA) activities are usually immediately spotted and blocked by China's internet firewalls. The rare report was published by the official media to serve as a warning to others like Zhou, observers said.

Twenty Indian Army personnel were killed in the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15. China has not released information on the casualties on its side but according to an American intelligence report it was 35.
A gunman who took six people hostage in a bank in France on Thursday surrendered to elite police after a six-hour operation to free his captives.

The hostage-taker, a 34-year-old with a history of mental illness, emerged slowly from the building wearing a balaclava and with his hands turned palms-up, before officers with their weapons raised moved in and handcuffed him.

All the hostages were unharmed, though in shock, said Denis Jacob of the Alternative police trade union.

Bomb squad officers acted after the man told officers there were explosives in a bag. He had been armed with a handgun, a national police representative said.

The man initially took six people hostage. Five were subsequently released and the sixth taken to safety after the man was arrested, according to Jacob.



Yves Lefebvre, head of another police union, SGP Unite, said the hostage-taker in Le Havre was known to law enforcement authorities and on a security service watch list.



"We know that he has been radicalised and suffers a serious psychiatric illness," Reuters cited him as saying.



Another source, a senior police official, said that during the incident the man spoke in support of the Palestinian cause. He walked out of the bank with what appeared to be a green-coloured flag draped around his shoulders.

Police had cordoned off the area around the bank on Boulevard de Strasbourg, a wide thoroughfare in the centre of Le Havre.

When the fifth hostage was freed, a man in a pink shirt could be seen in Reuters television footage being led away from the bank by a police officer in full protective gear.
Gold price zoomed to a fresh high today as rising coronavirus cases and ongoing tensions between the US and China helped the yellow metal stay in demand. At home, coronavirus cases surpassed 20 lakh mark today, with total deaths standing at 0.41 lakh weakening sentiment in equity market.

Gold August Futures touched an intraday as well as an all-time high of Rs 56,191 earlier in the session today.

After 6 consecutive bullish sessions, Gold futures on Multi Commodity Exchange were trading Rs 15 lower at Rs 55,830 per 10 gm against the previous close of Rs 55,845 per 10 gm.

Silver September futures was trading Rs 298 higher at Rs 76,350 per kg today, after hitting a lifetime high of Rs 77,949 earlier in today's session.

Gold prices have been hitting a record high in global markets amid escalating tensions between US and China, expectations of more stimulus measures on hold, a weak US dollar and rise in cases of coronavirus infections across the globe.

Volatile global equities have also kept demand for the risk-averse asset high. Halt on fiscal aid negotiations in Washington coupled with pending US job data today as kept equities cautious today. Projections of slower economic recovery from the virus impact by Bank of England also weighed on the sentiment.

Gold price trading near record high; silver scales Rs 73K mark

Global markets

Overseas, gold price steadied today after hitting a record high.

Spot gold hit a record high of $2,075.2 per ounce today and last stood at $2,064. Meanwhile, Comex gold was trading flat at $2,031 per ounce, after hitting an all-time high of 2,063 in the previous session.

Silver has hit a seven-year high of $29.8384 per ounce this week, having gained 60% so far this quarter.

Retail gold rate in India

24-carat gold prices in the national capital rose to Rs 55,360 per 10 gram. The price of 24-carat gold stood at Rs 58,330 per 10 gram in Chennai. In Mumbai, the rate was Rs 54,810 for 24-Carat gold, as per Good Returns website.

Valuations

Geojit Financial in its commodity report said," Doubts of recovery in the pandemic ravaged global economy and recent murky US Job data continue to support precious metal prices. Both Gold and silver in the international market gained further, with gains around 0.50 percent and 2.70 percent respectively."

On Gold's outlook, Geojit Financial added," Outlook continue to be on the bullish side and it may look towards $2080/2145 levels as long as it stays above the key level of $2000. How-ever, an unexpected turn below $1920 could negate the extreme bullish outlook and may see corrective selling pressure. For MCX Gold Oct Futures, the brokerage said resistance is estimated at 57,110 and support is expected at 54,360

For MCX Silver Aug futures, resistance is placed at 78400/89000, while the support is at 71,500.

Prathamesh Mallya, AVP- Research, Non-Agri Commodities and Currencies, Angel Broking said," Gold has been really precious for investors in 2020 with an astounding double-digit return of 34% YTD in dollar terms and still continues its shine. The liquidity push by Central Banks across the globe has been a deciding factor for premium in gold prices as the pandemic continues to ravage the global economy. The easy money policy is resulting into chasing higher yields on asset classes which are considered to be safe in times of uncertainty, and nothing like gold, the safe-haven asset which has historically been a go-to investment for investors. Unless the global economy starts its recovery path, precious metals will continue to shine for the rest of 2020."

Precious metal prices have been surging to fresh record highs in domestic as well as international commodity markets, amid intensifying economic concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide, there are 189 lakh confirmed cases and 7.17 lakh deaths from the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.

Amid lesser participation of investors in broader equity indices, and more inclination towards precious commodities, many market analysts have turned bullish for the metal in the coming week.

Stocks in news: Vodafone, Yes Bank, HPCL, Jubilant FoodWorks, JK Tyre

Share Market News Live: Sensex slips 60 points, Nifty at 11,210; HDFC Bank, Infosys, HCL Tech top losers
NEW YORK - The day after Donald Trumps election in November 2016, the American Civil Liberties Union posted a message to him on its website: See you in court.

As president, Trump hasnt personally squared off against the ACLU from the witness stand, but the broader warning has been borne out. As of this week, the ACLU has filed nearly 400 lawsuits and other legal actions against the Trump administration, some meeting with setbacks but many resulting in important victories.

Among other successes for the ACLU, it prevailed in a U.S. Supreme Court case blocking the administration from placing a citizenship question on the 2020 census. It also spearheaded legal efforts that curtailed the policy of separating many migrant children from their parents.

The assault on civil liberties and civil rights is greater under this administration than any other in modern history, said the ACLUs executive director, Anthony Romero. Its meant weve been living with a three-alarm fire in every part of our house.

Since the day Trump took office, the ACLU  according to a breakdown it provided to The Associated Press  has filed 237 lawsuits against the administration and about 160 other legal actions, including Freedom of Information Act requests, ethics complaints and administrative complaints.

Of the lawsuits, 174 have dealt with immigrant rights, targeting the family separation policy, detention and deportation practices and the administrations repeated attempts to make it harder to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The other lawsuits address an array of issues high on the ACLUs agenda: voting rights, LGBTQ rights, racial justice and others. In one long-running case, the ACLU succeeded in blocking the administrations policy of barring young immigrant women in government custody from getting abortions.

Donald Trump has provided a full employment program for ACLU lawyers on all of our issues, Romero said.

The White House, in response to the new tally of ACLU legal actions, said the organization had become preoccupied with opposing Trump to the detriment of its historical mission.

Instead of fighting for the most vulnerable and those seeking a voice, the ACLU has blatantly and fully incorporated itself as a member of the Democratic party and the radical Left, said White House spokesperson Judd Deere.

To put the new tally in perspective, the ACLU says it filed 13 lawsuits and other legal actions against president George W. Bushs administration in his first term, mostly alleging encroachments on civil liberties related to counter-terrorism policies.

Many of the ACLUs recent lawsuits remain unresolved. Of those that have been decided, Romero said, the ACLU has won far more often than it has lost, though a precise breakdown was unavailable.

Among the setbacks, ACLU national legal director David Cole said, one of the most disappointing involved Trumps efforts to ban foreign nationals from several predominantly Muslim countries. Lawsuits by the ACLU and its allies successfully blocked implementation of the first two versions of the ban, but the Supreme Court allowed a third version to go into effect in 2018.

By a similar 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court also allowed the implementation of the Trump administration policy barring transgender people from enlisting in the military. Lower courts had supported efforts by the ACLU and other groups to scrap the ban.

Another LGBTQ rights case recently ended in a major victory for the ACLU and its allies when the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in June that gays, lesbians and transgender people were protected from employment discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. One of the ACLUs clients, Aimee Stephens, was fired from her job at a Michigan funeral home because she was transgender; she died just a few weeks before the high court ruled in her favour.

Theres no question the ACLU has caught the attention of Trump and his administration.

The Republican president, at an Evangelicals for Trump rally in January, derided the ACLU as a group of beauties who had filed a lawsuit accusing public schools in Smith County, Tenn., of improperly promoting Christian religious beliefs.

We will not allow faithful Americans to be bullied by the hard left, Trump said.

In a May 2018 speech, then-attorney general Jeff Sessions assailed the ACLU for a lawsuit that led to a drop in stop-and-frisk arrests by Chicago police.

If you want crime to go up, let the ACLU run the police department, Sessions said.

Recently, the ACLU has drawn criticism from a longtime supporter, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley. He worries that the organization is aligning too closely with the Democratic party and is now less willing than in the past to support unpopular causes, such as the free-speech rights of far-right activists.

In an email, Turley questioned the wisdom of the torrent of lawsuits against the Trump administration.

The result was less of a sniper strategy and more of a saturated bombing strategy, he wrote.

Even as it spars with the administration, the ACLU notes that Trumps presidency has been beneficial in some respects  fuelling huge increases in donations and membership.

Romero says the ACLU national office and its state affiliates received about $175 million in donations in the three months after Trumps election. It says it has increased its headquarters staff from 386 to 605 and now has 122 attorneys, up from 84 in November 2016.

Membership has soared from about 400,000 to more than 1.8 million. Romero says many of the newcomers have been asking how they can help as volunteers in bolstering voting rights, immigrants rights and other causes.

Demonstrating its increased interest in electoral politics, the ACLU had directed $28 million (U.S.) of its national funds to its affiliates in battleground states such as Florida, Arizona and Texas. Since 2016, Romero said, the ACLU of Texas has been able to double its budget to $8.5 million and its staff to 65 employees.
August 06, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The biggest factor that has led the U.S. government to initiate a hostile relationship against China involves the concept of empire. An empire wants to be the only empire or at least the dominant empire. That is, it wants to control everyone and everybody within its realm, which ideally encompasses the entire world.

That was the way it is with the U.S. Empire, whose core is the U.S. national-security state, which encompasses the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA.

As the Soviet Union was dismantling with its unilateral decision to end the Cold War in 1989, the U.S. empire found itself to be the only empire standing in the world. Given the scope, range, and money of the U.S. national-security state, that meant putting countries all over the world under U.S. control and dominion.

Throughout history, empires have hated the rise of other empires because they pose a threat to the control and dominion of the already-existing empire. Rising empires have long been considered by existing empires to be rivals, opponents, competitors, adversaries, and even enemies.

In a free market, when an existing business is confronted by a competitor, rival, opponent, or adversary, or enemy, to maintain is market share the business must continue offering a product or service that customers want more than the product or service being offered by competitors.

Thats not the way it works with empires. They will inevitably resort to force against rising competitors in order to keep their dominate position in world affairs.

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Since 1990, the U.S. Empire has been embroiled in wars, conflicts, and hostilities in various parts of the world as part of its imperial mission to maintain order and stability in the world. Most of the violence has centered around the Middle East and Afghanistan, but the Empire also has been wreaking death and destruction in other parts of the world with such policies as sanctions, which target the citizens of foreign countries as a way to induce their regimes to comply with the edicts of the Empire.

Meanwhile, China was doing things completely differently. A couple of decades ago, the Chinese communist regime began loosening its economic restrictions on the economic activity of the Chinese people. Consequently, there was tremendous amount of wealth accruing in society and also growing standards of living. That, in turn, increased tax revenues for the Chinese government.

Thus, while the U.S. government was making friends around the world through force of arms and hostility, the Chinese government and Chinese citizens were making friends around the world through investments, grants, and loans. This included countries in Latin America, where the U.S. Empire has left a dark legacy of military intervention.

Moreover, war weakens a nation from within. As the U.S. Empire was now engaged in a policy of perpetual war, it knew that China, although still weighed down with a large amount of socialism, was gaining strength.

Thats when U.S. officials knew that they had a problem on their hands  an empire problem. Thats when they, and their supporters in the mainstream press, began referring to China as a rival, an opponent, an adversary, a competitor, aand even an enemy.

At that point, the objective became to strike at China before it grew any stronger and threatened the worldwide dominion and hegemony of the U.S. Empire.

Thats what President Trumps trade war was all about  to bring China down a peg, even if it hurt American producers and consumers in the process. Thats also what U.S. sanctions on China and Chinese enterprises, such as Huawei are all about. Its what the criminal prosecution of Hua Wei executive Meng Wanzhou is all about. Its why Trump is considering banning the Chinese social network TikTok from operating in the United States.

Of course, the Covid-19 crisis did U.S. officials a big favor by adding significantly to Chinas economic woes.

If none of this works to the satisfaction of U.S. officials, then another possibility is war, which is a most effective way to bring a rival or adversary or competitor down. After all, as Iraqis and Afghans have learned, what better way to destroy the productive capability of a nation than with bombs dropped on factories, businesses, and people?

When it comes to empire, U.S. officials will stop at nothing to ensure that the U.S. Empire maintains its sole dominion and power around the world. Of course, an important question arises: Why does the United States need to be an empire?

Jacob G. Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation. He was born and raised in Laredo, Texas, and received his B.A. in economics from Virginia Military Institute and his law degree from the University of Texas. He was a trial attorney for twelve years in Texas. He also was an adjunct professor at the University of Dallas, where he taught law and economics. - " Source " -

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.

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The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
Friends Angela Sun, Madeleine Zheng, and Mae Zhang want to make things easier on parents who are trying to juggle work and helping their kids with school, so they launched a free virtual tutoring service that provides assistance with everything from biology to economics.

Sun, Zheng, and Zhang are graduates of University High School in Tucson. They started Cov Tutors in July, and when they opened registration, five students signed up. "The very next day, numbers doubled," Sun, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, told KOLD. They offer one-on-one Zoom sessions, with each student receiving one to two hours of tutoring, one to three times a week.

The tutors help with homework and give lectures, so it feels like they are in "a classroom setting," Sun said. Some students have signed up to prepare for upcoming courses, while others need a refresher in certain subjects. Zheng, a student at Arizona State University, told KOLD that by offering tutoring, it "takes that burden away from the parent, especially because they have to work and right now it's kind of a financially stressful time as well."

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The World Health Organization on Thursday warned against "vaccine nationalism," saying vaccine-hogging richer countries would not be safe coronavirus havens if poor nations remained exposed.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it would be in wealthier nations' interests to ensure that any vaccines eventually produced to protect against the new coronavirus were shared globally.

"Vaccine nationalism is not good, it will not help us," Tedros told the Aspen Security Forum in the United States, via video-link from the WHO's headquarters in Geneva.

"For the world to recover faster, it has to recover together, because it's a globalised world: the economies are intertwined. Part of the world or a few countries cannot be a safe haven and recover.

"The damage from COVID-19 could be less when those countries who... have the funding commit to this."

He said the existence of the deadly respiratory disease anywhere put lives and livelihoods at risk everywhere.

"They are not giving charity to others: they are doing it for themselves, because when the rest of the world recovers and opens up, they also benefit."

The United Nations health agency also said that multiple different types of vaccines would likely be needed to combat COVID-19.

Twenty-six candidate vaccines are in various stages of being tested on humans, with six having reached Phase 3 wider levels of clinical trials.

"Phase 3 doesn't mean nearly there," explained the WHO's emergencies director Michael Ryan.

"Phase 3 means this is the first time this vaccine has been put into the general population, into otherwise healthy individuals, to see if the vaccine will protect them against natural infection.

"We've got a good range of products across a number of different platforms, across a number of different countries," he said of the leading candidate vaccines, which use different methods to provide immunity.

However, "there's no guarantee that any of these six will give us the answer -- and we probably will need more than one vaccine to do this job."

The novel coronavirus has killed over 708,000 people and infected more than 18.8 million since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

"The Americas remain the current epicentre of the virus and have been particularly hit hard," said Tedros, with the United States, Brazil and Mexico suffering the most deaths.

Asked about the virus raging in the Americas, Ryan said no country had always found all the right answers, and a vast expansion of the public health workforce was required.

"We need to take a step back, we need to look at the problem again and we need to go at the problem again," he said.

"That requires strong, sustained and trusted leadership."

US President Donald Trump has accused the WHO of being a "puppet" of China and mismanaging its handling of the global pandemic.

Washington last month handed in its 12-month notice to leave the WHO, depriving the UN organisation of its biggest donor.

Tedros said the biggest "problem" with the US departure was "not about the money" but the fracture in international solidarity in fighting the virus. "We hope the US will reconsider its position," he said.

The Ethiopian former health minister claimed any problems Washington had with the WHO could be resolved without the US leaving. "I hope the relationship will return to normal and be a stronger relationship than ever before," he said.

"I urge all leaders to choose the path of cooperation... it's the only choice we have."
Health teams and ADF personnel have carried out more than 5000 spot checks on people who should be in self-isolation since July 22, and a total of 500 people who did not answer their doors have been referred to police. Loading The spot checks conducted on Thursday were the "biggest single-day effort since the program began", Mr Andrews said, "and that number will only increase as we move beyond simply door-knocking". Last week, the Premier revealed that more than one in four people infected with the virus were not at home when doorknocked by authorities. Since then, the state government has barred people with the virus leaving their homes for exercise. Nearly 1000 healthcare workers currently have the virus, with the Premier imploring Victorians to follow lockdown restrictions "to protect themselves, but also to protect our dedicated healthcare team".

"To date, there are 1527 confirmed cases in healthcare workers. That's 139 more than yesterday. And there are currently 911 healthcare workers who are active cases," he said. More nurses than doctors are catching the virus, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said. "That, I think, relates to the closeness of interaction that nurses are engaged in with their care provision," he said. Victorian case trend 'relatively flat', should drop in two weeks: Sutton

There are 607 Victorians in hospital with the virus, including 41 in intensive care. A woman in her 50s, two men in their 70s, three men and three women in their 80s, and two women in their 90s died overnight. Seven of 11 deaths reported on Friday were connected to aged care, Mr Andrews said. Another 66 cases have been added to the state's tally of "mystery" cases, where the source of infection is not known. "That number is lower than it has been in recent days," Mr Andrews said. "We're obviously pleased about that, but it is still far too many."

Loading Professor Sutton said Friday's figures were "reasonable in terms of how it's been in recent days", after Wednesday's record high of 725 cases and 15 deaths. "I think it is important to make the point that we have seen fluctuations. We've seen very significant ups and downs with numbers. That can occur with batching of results from our laboratories. But the trend overall is that we're kind of sitting at 400 to 500 cases a day. That is relatively flat over the last week," Professor Sutton, who returned to the podium after several days off, said. "We certainly don't hang on a single day's result as being indicative of too much. We're looking at those five-day averages, seven-day averages, in terms of how things are going." Professor Sutton said he would expect to see trends in case numbers change in about two weeks. "Crystal ball gazing is not a particularly useful exercise," he said.

"Having seen stabilisation in numbers, that's a positive. Again, it will go up and down on a day-to-day basis, but within two weeks I would expect it [to change]." Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton vowed to remain in his position until the end of the pandemic on Friday. Credit:Justin McManus Professor Sutton also vowed to stay in his position until the end of the pandemic. The pledge followed inaccurate reports he had resigned as Chief Health Officer due to tensions with the Premier. He said he had "no idea" how the rumours, which were first reported by Sky News, emerged earlier this week. "It was a complete surprise to me," he said of the rumour. "I will see us through this pandemic."

Loading Special consideration for all VCE students Meanwhile, Victorian Education Minister James Merlino has announced all VCE students will be given special consideration for their ATAR scores. Previously, special consideration has been decided on a case-by-case basis. Mr Merlino said every single VCE student will be individually assessed and any adverse impacts from COVID-19 will be reflected in their ATAR ranking.

In previous years, Mr Merlino said, a student who received special consideration due to a long-term illness or significant event in their life might have had their VCE grades improved from a C to an A. "It'll be individually assessed. Every student is different. We'll work it out at a variety of ways," he said. Teachers will be asked to give students two rankings. One for their performance now, and one ranking for how they think they might have performed if it wasn't for COVID-19 and remote learning. "The message to every single student is that you will be individually assessed. You will be at no disadvantage when you step into the VCE exams at the end of the year." Mr Merlino said.

Loading Business restrictions 'very challenging': Premier Mr Andrews was also pressed on his government's approach to rolling out stage four restrictions on businesses after a number of industry groups complained about a lack of consultation and heavy-handed limitations. "[This is] certainly one of the greatest challenges of doing something [that has] never been done before, there is no how-to guide here, there is no rule book or playbook for this," he said. "It is genuinely very challenging."
A 21-year-old man has been arrested as part of an ongoing five-year investigation into taxi fraud.

The fraud unit at Toronto police 52 Division said Thursday that it had been investigating taxi drivers stealing bank cards from customers. Police say taxi drivers would switch customers bank cards after they pay their fare with another card that resembled their financial institution.

The customers cards would subsequently be used to withdraw, empty bank accounts and make retail purchases, police said.

Several counterfeit ID cards and debit cards as well as a red 2015 Nissan Sentra were also seized.

Police are concerned there may be other victims.

Harjoban Nahal, 21, of Brampton was arrested Wednesday, and faces 30 charges that include fraud, credit card theft, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop for police.

Police are asking the public to be vigilant when using debit cards to pay for cab fares, and to always maintain possession of the card and ask for a receipt.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. counterintelligence official on Friday warned that Russia, China and Iran will all try to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, with Russia already trying to undercut presumptive Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

In an unusual public statement, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said those countries were using online disinformation and other means to try to influence voters, stir up disorder and undermine American voters confidence in the democratic process.

Foreign adversaries also may try to interfere with U.S. election systems by trying to sabotage the voting process, stealing election data, or calling into question the validity of election results.

It would be difficult for our adversaries to interfere with or manipulate voting results at scale, Evanina insisted.

Multiple reviews by U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia acted to boost now-President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign and undercut his rival Hillary Clintons chances in that election. Trump has long bristled at that finding, which Russia denies.

Evania warned on Friday that Russia is already going after former Vice President Biden and what it regards as an anti-Russia U.S. establishment.

Evanina said Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russia Ukrainian politician, has been spreading claims about corruption - including through publicized leaked phone calls to undermine Bidens campaign and the Democratic Party. Trump supporters in the U.S. Senate have launched investigations questioning Bidens son Hunters involvement in alleged business activities in Ukraine.

Evanina said Kremlin-linked actors also are trying to boost President Trumps candidacy via social media and Russian television.

He said his agency assessed that China would prefer that Trump not win re-election, because Beijing regards him as too unpredictable.

He said China has been expanding efforts to influence U.S. politics ahead of the November election to try to shape U.S. policy, exert pressure on U.S. politicians it regards as anti-China, and deflect criticism of China.

Evanina said Iran is likely to use online tactics such as spreading disinformation to discredit U.S. institutions and President Trump and to stir up U.S. voters discontent.

The leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Mark Warner, thanked Evanina for his warning in a statement and added that all Americans should endeavor to prevent outside actors from being able to interfere in our elections, influence our politics, and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions.

This will be an unusual year for U.S. voters. The coronavirus pandemic is expected to result in many more voters than usual casting ballots by mail, which could mean it will take longer to learn who won.

Trump has been attacking the idea of voting by mail, saying despite research to the contrary that it is likely to result in fraud.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has demanded a refund of N2.5 billion from Delta senator, Peter Nwaoboshi, being the amount the agency said it paid for contracts to companies allegedly linked to him.

This was contained in a letter seen by PREMIUM TIMES.

The letter dated July 5 was signed by the Director, Legal Services of the NDDC, Peter Okoro. The spokesperson of the commission, Charles Odili, confirmed the authenticity of the letter to this newspaper.

In the letter, the NDDC asked that about N2.6 billion (N2,552,305,600) paid to contractors for the production of plastic desks and chairs for the primary and secondary schools in the Niger Delta region in 2017 (under the commissions 2016 budget) be returned.

Although the names of the companies were not mentioned in the letter, it said the contracts were in furtherance of the NDDCs education sector mandate as a catalyst for the improvement of classroom and learning conditions in the region.

Instead of supplying the chairs and desks to the Commissions warehouse in Port Harcourt or to any of the NDDC offices in the nine Niger Delta states, the items were supplied to a warehouse described as Akuede Akwis located at Benin Expressway, Okpanam, before Wichetech Aluminum Company.

That the 2019 budget of the Commission also contains the following heads:

a. Provisions and supply of Plastic Chairs and Desks for Primary and Secondary Schools in Delta North Senatorial District (Serial No. 21).

b. Provisions and supply of Plastic Chairs and Desks for Primary and Secondary Schools in Delta North Senatorial District (Serial No. 33).

c. Production and distribution of Desks and Benches in selected schools in the Niger Delta Region for (Serial No. 396).

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That despite having fully paid for the 2017 contracts for the production of chairs and desks, the items have not been supplied to the Commission. The resultant effect is that the Commission and the Niger Delta region have been deprived of the use of the desks and chairs, part of the letter read.

The lawmaker was, thereafter, given a two-week ultimatum to refund the said amount.

Mr Nwabaoshi has repeatedly denied benefitting from NDDC contracts.

Officials of the NDDC had accused Mr Nwaoboshi of hijacking contracts and budgets of the commission. This allegation was made during the investigative hearing of the financial recklessness and misappropriation of funds in the NDDC, by a Senate ad-hoc committee.

The acting deputy director, projects, NDDC, Cairo Ojougboh, alleged that budgets of the commission have always been hijacked by the leadership of the committee on NDCC from both chambers for their personal gain.

Some contracts supplied to an NDDC warehouse along Benin-expressway. The warehouse belongs to Peter Nwabaoshi (a senator). About 2900 emergency projects were awarded and Mr Nwabaoshi collected 1000 of them, saying he will distribute them among senators and House of Representatives members. But when asked, lawmakers denied receipt. We are being accused because we are working for the region and because they want to take over the commission, Mr Ojougboh told the panel in July.

Similarly, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, named the senator among other federal lawmakers who allegedly got contracts from the commission, an allegation that Mr Nwaoboshi has denied, even daring the minister to send the names to anti-graft agencies.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: A top Pakistan court on Friday constituted a larger three-member bench to hear the petition filed by the government to appoint a legal representative for death-row prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav.

The decision was taken by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after a two-member bench led by Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Monday ordered to set up a larger bench to hear the case.

The court on Monday was hearing the petition filed by the Pakistan government to appoint a lawyer for Jadhav.

It also named three senior lawyers as amici curiae in Jadhav's case as it ordered the Pakistan government to give "another chance" to India to appoint a counsel for the death-row prisoner.

The new bench includes Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Auranzgeb.

Justice Farooq was added to the previous bench which heard the case on August 3.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 3.

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 International Court of Justice 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.

Pakistan on Thursday claimed that it has asked India through diplomatic channels to appoint a counsel for Jadhav, but New Delhi said that Islamabad has not yet communicated to it about the developments relating to the case.

"After the directions of the Islamabad High Court of 3rd August we have contacted the Indian side through diplomatic channels and conveyed the same," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said .

"We are awaiting Indian response," she added.

However in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, "We have not received any communication from Pakistan" on the issue.

He was asked whether Pakistan has informed India about Islamabad High Court's order in the case.

On July 16, Pakistan provided consular access to Jadhav, but the Indian government said the access was "neither meaningful nor credible" and he appeared visibly under stress.

Srivastava last month 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 India will explore further options in the case.

He 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 MEA spokesperson said Pakistan is not only in violation of the judgment of ICJ, but also of its own ordinance.
Basel, Switzerland, August 07, 2020

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SIX: BSLN) announced today that the marketing authorization application (MAA) for the antifungal isavuconazole (Cresemba) for the treatment of patients with mucormycosis, which was submitted by Basilea's license partner Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE, "Pfizer"), has been accepted for regulatory review by the Center for Drug Evaluation at the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China.

David Veitch, Chief Executive Officer, said: "China is commercially a very important market for Cresemba, accounting for more than 15 percent of the global market for newer antifungals. We are therefore very pleased with the progress Pfizer is making in China, in order to address the unmet medical needs of patients suffering from invasive mold infections."

In November 2017, Basilea and Pfizer extended their existing license agreement for Europe (excluding the Nordics), Russia, Turkey and Israel, to include China, including Hong Kong and Macao, and sixteen countries in the Asia Pacific region. Under the agreement with Pfizer, Basilea is still eligible for regulatory and sales milestone payments of up to approximately USD 630 million, in addition to receiving mid-teen royalties on sales.

Cresemba has been approved in more than 50 countries to date and is currently marketed in 45 countries, including the United States, most EU member states and several additional countries inside and outside of Europe. For the twelve-month period to the end of March 2020, total "in-market" sales of Cresemba amounted to USD 220 million, a more than 30 percent growth year-on-year.1

About Cresemba (isavuconazole)

Isavuconazole is an intravenous (i.v.) and oral azole antifungal, commercialized under the trade name Cresemba. In the 27 European Union member states, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and the U.K., isavuconazole is approved for the treatment of adult patients with invasive aspergillosis and for the treatment of adult patients with mucormycosis for whom amphotericin B is inappropriate.2 Cresemba is also approved in the United States and several additional countries in Europe and beyond.3 It has orphan drug designation in the U.S., Europe and Australia for its approved indications. Basilea has entered into several license and distribution agreements for isavuconazole covering the United States, Europe, China, Japan, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and North Africa region, Canada, Russia, Turkey and Israel.

About Basilea

Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on the development of products that address the medical challenges in the therapeutic areas of oncology and infectious diseases. With two commercialized drugs, the company is committed to discovering, developing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products to meet the medical needs of patients with serious and life-threatening conditions. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

Disclaimer

This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Peer Nils Schroder, PhD

Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations Phone +41 61 606 1102 E-mail media_relations@basilea.com (mailto:media_relations@basilea.com)

investor_relations@basilea.com (mailto:investor_relations@basilea.com)

This press release can be downloaded from www.basilea.com.

References

IQVIA, March 2020. In-market sales reported as moving annual total (MAT) in U.S. Dollar corrected for currency fluctuations. European Public Assessment Report (EPAR) Cresemba: http://www.ema.europa.eu (http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Summary_for_the_public/human/002734/WC500196131.pdf) [Accessed: August 06, 2020] The registration status and approved indications may vary from country to country.

Attachment
The Gombe State Government has begun the fumigation of 2,021 secondary schools across the state ahead of their reopening for the students in exit classes.

The schools are expected to reopen on August 10 for students in terminal classes after they had been closed some months ago due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Commissioner for Environment and Forest Resources, Hussaina Goje, on Friday said that 50 members of staff of Gombe State Environmental Protection Agency (GOSEPA) would participate in the exercise.

Goje, represented by Malam Sani Jauro, the Director of Planning in the ministry, said that out of the 2, 021 schools, 154 are Senior Secondary Schools, 347 are Junior Secondary Schools and 1,520 are Primary schools.

The commissioner said the chemical the officials would apply would be environmentally friendly and not harmful to human beings.

In his address, the Commissioner for Education, Habu Dahiru, said the exercise was part of the measures put in place to combat COVID-19 as well as the preparation for schools opening after four months of closure.

He said disinfecting the schools would guarantee the safety of the children, prevent them from contracting the virus from objects and other possible places.

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Mr Dahiru said they would ensure that all the schools were fumigated before the government announces the resumption date for the rest of the students who are not in the exit classes.

He called on the principals and head teachers of the schools to give the necessary supports needed to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the exercise began with the Government Senior Science Secondary School, Gombe and, subsequently, to Government Girls College, Doma.

The commissioner also visited the Cooperative Finance Agency (CFA), who supplies foodstuffs to the secondary schools in the state, and directed them to supply food stuffs to the 20 schools operating boarding facilities across the state.

(NAN)
Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies before the US Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine COVID-19, "focusing on lessons learned to prepare for the next pandemic", on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on June 23, 2020.

"We really felt strongly that that had to be the floor," Hahn said on July 30 , adding that it's "been batted around among medical groups."

The Food and Drug Administration has said it would authorize a coronavirus vaccine so long as it is safe and at least 50% effective. Dr. Stephen Hahn, the FDA's commissioner, said last month that the vaccine or vaccines that end up getting authorized will prove to be more than 50% effective, but it's possible 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%.

"You've got to think of the vaccine as a tool to be able to get the pandemic to no longer be a pandemic, but to be something that's well controlled," he said.

Scientists are hoping for a coronavirus vaccine that is at least 75% effective, but 50% or 60% effective would be acceptable, too, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a Q&A with the Brown University School of Public Health. "The chances of it being 98% effective is not great, which means you must never abandon the public health approach."

White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday that the chances of scientists creating a highly effective vaccine  one that provides 98% or more guaranteed protection  for the virus are slim.

"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."

A 50% effective vaccine would be roughly on par with those for influenza, but below the effectiveness of one dose of a measles vaccination, which is about 93% effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Public health officials and scientists expect to know whether at least one of the numerous potential Covid-19 vaccines in development worldwide is safe and effective by the end of December or early next year, though there is never a guarantee. Drug companies Pfizer and Moderna both began late-stage trials for their potential vaccines last week and both expect to enroll about 30,000 participants.

Fauci has previously said he worries about the "durability" of a coronavirus vaccine, saying if Covid-19 acts like other coronaviruses, it may not provide long-term protection.

Health officials say there is no returning to "normal" until there is a vaccine. Fauci's comment came a day after the World Health Organization cautioned about the development of vaccines, reiterating that there may never be a "silver bullet" for the virus, which continues to rapidly spread worldwide. The phase three trials underway do not necessarily mean that a vaccine is almost ready to be deployed to the public, the agency said.

"Phase three doesn't mean nearly there," Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's emergencies health program, said during a virtual panel discussion with "NBC Nightly News" Anchor Lester Holt hosted by the Aspen Security Forum. "Phase three means this is the first time this vaccine has been put into the general population into otherwise healthy individuals to see if the vaccine will protect them against natural infection."

While there is hope scientists will find a safe and effective vaccine, there is never a guarantee, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"We cannot say we have vaccines. We may or may not," he said.

On Friday, Fauci reiterated that he is "cautiously optimistic" scientists will find a safe and effective vaccine. He also reiterated that the coronavirus may never be eliminated, but world leaders can work together to bring the virus down to "low levels."

Some of Fauci's comments have been at odds with President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said the virus would "disappear."

Trump, who is seeking reelection, said Thursday that it's possible the United States could have a safe and effective vaccine for the coronavirus before the upcoming presidential election on Nov. 3.
BOSTON, Mass.One might wonder how various artworks that appeared for as little as 30 seconds in a DVD, and which were only copyrighted two years after the production was complete and the DVDs were being sold, could nonetheless qualify for compensation for copyright violationbut that's exactly how U.S. District Judge Patti B. Saris ruled for Martha's Vineyard homeowner Leah Bassett yesterday in Bassett's long-running lawsuit against Mile High Media and director Nica Noelle.

"Even works featured in a background are entitled to copyright protection where they are 'clearly visible,' such that the medium and style would be discernable to 'the average lay observer,'" Judge Saris wrote in an Order issued yesterday.

Mile High had presented various arguments asserting that Bassett's copyright claims should be denied, including the claim that the works were shown only momentarilyor in legal terms, "de minimis"in the 10 Icon Male features and two compilations that are the subject of the suit; that the works lacked originality or were "merely utilitarian"; and that in any case, their appearance in the DVDs constituted "fair use" under copyright laws.

Moreover, even Judge Saris recognized that Bassett had only copyrighted the works long after the fact in anticipation of suing the defendants, whose main "offense" was that they had rented Bassett's house and shot porn there without revealing that fact to the owner.

When Judge Saris had first considered the copyright claims last May, she deferred ruling on the copyright issue because she had "no reliable information" as to the extent that Bassett's artworks appeared in the features, and assigned Bassett the task of augmenting the record with details of the works' usea task that Bassett tackled with a vengeance over the 45 days she was given to provide the information.

"Bassett submitted to this Court tables of contents for each of Defendants ten films accompanied by hundreds of pages of screenshots," the judge noted in her Order. "Based on these submissions, the Court concludes that at least one of Bassetts copyrighted works appears in each of the ten films in a greater than de minimis capacityspecifically, at least one work is clearly visible for at least 30 seconds (at one time or in aggregate) in each of the ten films."

In other words, even if one of Bassett's paintings or "wall hangings" appeared in the background of a scene, whether sex was taking place at that time or not, for as little as 35 seconds, or in at least one instance, for four-and-a-half minutes, that was enough exposure to make Mile High liable for violating Bassett's belatedly obtained copyright, and Judge Saris therefore denied Mile High's motion to throw out the copyright claims. Instead, the judge is allowing Bassett to press those claims when the lawsuit finally goes to trialthough she ordered Bassett to file an "expert report" within 30 days of her Order "to determine the appropriate measure of damages for works that appear in each film for a greater than de minimis capacity, meaning a substantial majority of the copyrighted work is 'clearly visible' for at least 30 seconds in aggregate." Mile High will have 30 days after that report is submitted to file its response to the report.

Of course, one has to wonder how anyone would be able to calculate the monetary damages Bassett suffered by having her artworks appear in a XXX feature. One might think that, if anything, those artworks would increase in value if they were marketed to collectors as having appeared in porn moviesmovies which Mile High has already withdrawn from the marketand there has been so far no allegation that Bassett intends to sell the pieces.

Among the allegations still on the table are the damages Bassett claims to have incurred repairing her home after Noelle's crew completed filming and vacated the premises, which she calculates to be $15,000 in lost rent, property damage and other costs attendant to fixing up the property, as well as the charges of "unfair trade practices," civil conspiracyand emotional distress, for which she claims to have needed therapy because people had sex in her house and on her furnishings.

The trial in the case is set for February 1, 2021, though a pretrial conference has been scheduled for mid-January.

The Order of Judge Saris, dated August 6, 2020, may be read here.
FP Trending

Many researchers including genetics researchers around the world use Microsoft Excel to store and analyse data. Apart from schedules and tables, it is also a handy tool to list down different genes in the human body, and record information from research in genetics. However, an automatic formatting function in the Excel application continuously decoded gene names as dates.

The error caused serious problems for many genetics researchers in terms of the time cost a researcher has to put in to correct these errors. For example, if a certain gene was named "DEC4", Excel was decoding it to be 4-Dec, as in 4 December. While there is no option to train Excel to stop making the change, it's undoubtedly tiring for any scientist to go through the entire document, and manually undo the default changes for large science researches.

Microsoft suggests insertion of apostrophe or space in front of the number. However, when it comes to genes and nomenclature, researchers might not have that liberty.

So the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) has published new guidelines for human gene naming. HGNC is the scientific body which is authorized to "approve and implement standardized human gene symbols and names. The body has given extra care with its latest rule book to deal with "symbols that affect data handling and retrieval.

The new guidelines were published in Nature on 3 August 2020, and threw light on the Excel issue. Earlier, there was a legitimate gene named MARCH1 [short for Membrane Associated Ring-CH-Type 1], to which scientists can now insert another symbol in between to preventing Excel from reformatting the gene name. So the gene becomes MARCHF1, where F is short for an otherwise unnecessary "Finger" at the end of the name, and before "1".

Talking about how problematic MS Excel posed to be, Dezso Modos, a systems biologist at the Quadram Institute in the United Kingdom, spoke with The Verge. "Its really, really annoying, he said, adding that the issue was very widespread what with Excel being the first choice for many researchers for its tantamount usefulness apart from the said issue. "Its a widespread tool and if you are a bit computationally illiterate you will use it".
KYODO NEWS - Aug 8, 2020 - 18:20 | All, World

An Air India Express plane with 190 people on board overshot the runway while landing in southern India amid a downpour on Friday, killing at least 18 people, the country's aviation minister said Saturday, while more than 100 people were reportedly injured.

India's civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri also tweeted that aviation accident investigators were dispatched to the scene to look into the cause of the crash, and that the black box and cockpit voice recorder had been recovered from the site.

The pilot and the co-pilot were among those who died, while the four other cabin crew on board were confirmed safe.

The aircraft's operator, Air India Express, said the Boeing 737 flying in from Dubai skidded off the runway while landing at Kerala state's Calicut/Kozhikode international airport at 7:41 p.m. The airline also said the plane did not catch fire.

Flight IX 1344 was part of a program that has been bringing back Indians from abroad amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The minister earlier tweeted that the plane "overshot the runway in rainy conditions & went down 35 ft. into a slope before breaking up into two pieces."

The first images from the site showed the aircraft's fuselage broken in two pieces with debris strewn over the runway and beyond.

Rajeev Jain, a spokesman of the Civil Aviation Ministry, told Kyodo News there were 184 passengers including 10 infants.

The minister also said all 190 people on board had been taken to hospital.

Air India Express, which operates a fleet of 25 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, is a budget airline subsidiary of state-run Air India.

According to NDTV, data on Flightradar24, a flight-tracking website, showed the plane "circled the airport several times and made two attempts to land."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted that "authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."

On May 22, 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express jet overshot the runway upon landing at a Mangalore airport in southern India, crashed and burst into flames.
Portland's mayor has slammed protesters for 'attempting to commit murder' and says they are going to be used as 'props' in President Trump's reelection campaign as violent clashes between demonstrators and police continued for the 71st night.

Mayor Ted Wheeler, who as recently as last month joined protesters on the streets of downtown Portland, on Thursday decried the unrest that has roiled the city in the months since George Floyd's death.

In a hastily called virtual news conference alongside Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell, Wheeler condemned protesters for setting fire to the Portland Police Bureau's East Precinct building while officers were still inside on Wednesday night.

'When you commit arson with an accelerant in an attempt to burn down a building that is occupied by people who you have intentionally trapped inside, you are not demonstrating, you are attempting to commit murder,' Wheeler said.

'I believe that city staff could have died last night. I cannot and I will not tolerate that. This is not peaceful protests. This is not advocacy to advance reforms.

Mayor Ted Wheeler condemned protesters for setting fire to the Portland Police Bureau's East Precinct building (above) while officers were still inside on Wednesday night

Wheeler said the fire the protesters set outside the precinct showed they were not demonstrating, but trying to commit murder instead

'Don't think for a moment that if you are participating in this activity, you are not being a prop for the reelection campaign of Donald Trump - because you absolutely are.

'If you don't want to be part of that, then don't show up.'

Mayor Ted Wheeler, who as recently as last month joined protesters on the streets of downtown Portland, on Thursday decried the unrest that has roiled the city for the 71st straight night

Chief Lovell had earlier said the violent protesters were 'dedicated to just provoking a police response' and draining resources.

Lovell, who is black, said the violent events were not 'forwarding the goals' of the Black Lives Matter movement.

'This is not forwarding the goals of things that are going to lead to better outcomes for people of color,' he said. 'This movement is very powerful and I feel like the violence has taken away from it in a really kind of concerning way.

'I think it's really dependent on Portland as a community to really say we're not going to tolerate this.'

Police have arrested more than 400 people since late May and US agents arrested at least 94 people on federal charges throughout July.

Hours after Wheeler and Lovell decried the unrest, police said about 200 people, some wielding homemade shields, clashed with authorities.

Police said the violence unfolded as two other Black Lives Matter rallies proceeded peacefully elsewhere in the city.

The chaos that started Thursday night and lasted into Friday morning in a residential neighborhood about six miles from downtown marked the 71st night of unrest since George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis.

Police arrested 12 adults and detained one 17-year-old on suspicion of charges ranging from interfering with a police officer to rioting.

Police have arrested more than 400 people since late May and US agents arrested at least 94 people on federal charges throughout July

Hours after Wheeler and Lovell decried the unrest, more demonstrations took place across the city and police shut down the streets surrounding a precinct

More demonstrations took place across the city and police shut down the streets surrounding a precinct overnight on Thursday. Police said this woman had paint thrown over her by protesters as she tried to stand guard outside a police precinct

Portland police declared an unlawful assembly outside a precinct and protesters were ordered to leave. They had said earlier that they believed the intent of the crowd was to vandalize and burn the precinct.

Officers worked to clear streets near the precinct of demonstrators, at times running at the crowd to push people away.

Smoke canisters were also deployed.

Portland police said some demonstrators in the group laid ties made of rebar in the street that caused damage to police vehicles.

The Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front, which advertised the Wednesday rally on social media, used Twitter to announce 'Round 2' of the same demonstration on Thursday night with the slogan 'No cops. No prisons. Total abolition'.

The group, which described itself as a 'decentralized network of autonomous youth collectives dedicated to direct action towards total liberation,' did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

This week's clashes nevertheless ratcheted up tensions after an agreement last week between state and federal officials seemed to offer a brief reprieve.

The deal brokered by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown called for agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pull back from their defense of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse starting July 30.

But after a brief weekend reprieve, protest activity has continued nightly in other parts of the city, with Portland police, local sheriffs deputies and, in some cases, Oregon State Police troopers on the frontlines as demonstrators demand an end to police funding.

Wheeler's comments decrying the violence came after he joined protesters on the streets of downtown Portland as recently as last month

Wheeler was among those teargassed by police when a protest turned violent on July 22

Protesters on Wednesday gathered outside a police precinct and shined lasers in officers' eyes, disabled exterior security cameras, broke windows and used boards pulled from the building to barricade the doors and start a fire, authorities said.

There were 20 sworn officers inside, as well as civilian employees, said Capt. Tony Passadore, who was the incident commander.

Police used tear gas for the first time since federal agents pulled back last week.

'I don't want people to get confused to think that this was something related to Black Lives Matter,' Passadore said of the precinct rally.

'I've been the incident commander for 24 nights of the 70-plus events, and I've seen amazing protesting going on in the city of Portland where people gather together.'

It was at least the third time since protests broke out in the city in late May that smaller crowds have targeted police precincts with barricades and fire.

A precinct in North Portland, a historically black neighborhood, the downtown police headquarters and the police union headquarters have also all been focal points for demonstrators who are calling for the defunding of the Portland police.

Protests have gone on unabated in Portland since May 25 following the death of Floyd who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him by the neck for nearly eight minutes.

In Portland, the civil disobedience prompted Trump to send federal agents to guard the federal courthouse, which was increasingly targeted in demonstrations that often turned violent.

It was a move intended to quell the unrest but the presence of federal agents instead reinvigorated demonstrators and created a focal point for the protests each night amid concerns that Trump was overstepping the limits of federal police powers.

A riot was declared early Wednesday during demonstrations in Portland after authorities said people set fires and barricaded public roadways

A waste receptacle is set on fire near the Portland Police Association building during a protest in Portland this week during violent protests
- Financial results for 52 weeks to March 29, 2020

WIMBORNE, Dorset, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --



Financial Highlights



Record sales UP 4.1% to 87m (2019: 83.6m)

to 87m (2019: 83.6m) Online sales UP 14% to 8.7m (2019: 7.7m) which is highest growth channel for third year in a row

to 8.7m (2019: 7.7m) which is highest growth channel for third year in a row International sales UP 4.4% to 33.9m (2019: 32.5m)

to 33.9m (2019: 32.5m) EBITDA UP10% to 24.2m (2019: 22m)

Operational Highlights



Growth in all markets, channels and product categories - fuelled by web growth.

Growth in the UK of over 4%, and 7% growth in USA.

Strengthened position as market leader for premium paint in UK with launch of new colours in partnership with Natural History Museum London.

Social media following reached nearly two million.

Farrow & Ball Group, the UK based manufacturer and retailer of premium paint and wallpaper has achieved record revenue of 87 million, for the 52 weeks to the 29th March 2020.



Despite results in the last month of the financial year being affected by COVID 19, the Group ended the year with growth in all markets, channels and product categories. Total revenue growth was 4.1%, driven by web and third-party stockists predominantly in the UK, which accounts for 61% of its sales.



The company focused its investment in its digital platforms throughout the year including the web, which was the highest growth channel for the third year in a row, at 14% YOY, with online sales representing over 10% of group sales versus 9% in the prior year. Significant investment in its social channels also contributed to growing its following to nearly 2 million followers.



The launch of new colours with London's Natural History Museum in September 2019, was the first extension to the brand's palette offering an additional selection of colours inspired by nature. This further cemented the brand's market leading colour expertise and resulted in significant press and consumer interest across the globe.



Farrow & Ball had partnerships across the globe including with US based interior designers Roman & Williams, and Atelier Vime, Paris. Its paints were exclusively chosen for The Museum of Modern Art, New York for its reopening, and to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Bauhaus Dessau in Germany with AW Architektur & Wohnen.



Exposure through broadcast was boosted by a TV sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live, and British craftsmanship focus with Made in Britain on ITV4.



Anthony Davey, CEO said: "At a time where our homes have become increasingly important, we are proud of the role we can play in helping consumers enjoy the space they are spending so much time in.



"Our ability to adapt digitally and continue to deliver for our customers has meant that we can connect and engage with our audience to fulfil their interest in the brand.



"As we start the new financial year navigating the challenges that COVID 19 brings, we continue to be absolutely focused on delivering an outstanding brand experience across our channels so that our consumers can feel confident in transforming their homes."

Notes to editors

Visit farrow-ball.com for information about Farrow & Ball
The powerful clan has held sway over the island nation's politics for decades, as well as having a major influence in key state institutions

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, left, and former Defense Secretary and his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa wave to supporters. (AP)

Colombo: Sri Lanka's all-powerful Rajapaksa family has completed its bounce back to power by winning a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections, final results showed Friday.

The powerful clan has held sway over the island nation's politics for decades, as well as having a major influence in key state institutions such as the national airline and state corporations.

Close relatives have also been appointed to top diplomatic posts abroad.

Here are the key members of the dynasty:

'The Patriarch'

Mahinda Rajapaksa, 74, is the patriarch of the family and served as prime minister in 2004 and then president from 2005 until January 2015.

He was appointed prime minister a second time by his brother Gotabaya in November.

Mahinda is adored by the Sinhala-Buddhist majority for crushing separatist Tamil rebels in May 2009 following a highly controversial military offensive that ended a decades-long civil war.

During his rule Sri Lanka also moved closer to China, borrowing almost $7 billion for infrastructure projects -- many of which turned into white elephants mired in corruption.

'The Terminator'

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 71, was the main lieutenant of Mahinda during his reign, holding the influential post of secretary to the ministry of defence with responsibility for day-to-day control of the armed forces and police.

Dubbed "The Terminator" by his own family, he is feared by foes for his short temper.

He has faced several corruption allegations, but his court cases have been frozen or withdrawn as he enjoys immunity after winning the presidency in 2019.

'Mr. Ten Percent'

Basil Rajapaksa, 69, is a political strategist who managed the economy under Mahinda.

He was called "Mr. Ten Percent" in a BBC interview in reference to commissions he allegedly took from government contracts.

Subsequent administrations failed to prove any charges he syphoned off millions of dollars from state coffers, but he still faces several prosecutions for corruption and unexplained wealth.

As a dual US-Sri Lankan citizen he was prohibited from standing for elected office but is currently a senior adviser to the government.

'The Bodyguard'

Chamal Rajapaksa, 77, was speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament when brother Mahinda was president and is also a former minister of shipping and aviation.

Formerly a police officer, he once served as a personal bodyguard to Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the world's first woman prime minister.

He is expected to continue to serve in the prime minister's cabinet in the new government to be formed after the polls.

The Scion

Namal Rajapaksa, 34, a lawyer, is the scion of the family dynasty and the eldest son of Mahinda.

He entered parliament in 2010 aged just 24.

During his father's decade in power, Namal was highly influential although he did not hold any portfolio.

The former administration accused him of money laundering and other corruption charges, for which he still faces trial.

He is expected to play a key role in the new government, and observers say Mahinda is grooming him to become a future president.
Gone are the days of describing to store associates what garment you're looking for. Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) stores are leaving these frustrations behind due to the luxury fashion brand's partnership with financial service provider Mastercard, equipping associates with real-time insights for hyper-personalized shopping experiences.

The partnership leverages digital integration to provide data-backed product recs, offer analytics on store performance, and also allow for tech-enhanced shopper discovery. DVF consumers can engage with merchandise in-store via QR codes to find additional product information and even styling advice, as well as narratives around an item's design. Monitoring consumer-product engagement, Mastercard's tech will feed data on shopper behavior into the system, equipping associates with customized recommendations for each shopper based upon the day of the week, time and demand of items.

DVF's integration of Mastercard's retail tech also includes an in-store art gallery, which implements computer vision to impart stories on featured womenpart of the luxury brand's dedication to women's empowerment. PSFK researchers identified the collaboration between DVF and Mastercard as part of a research paper on tech solutions for omnichannel retail at scalecheck out the full free paper here.

DVF x Mastercard
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said that Belarus will not extradite militants from Russia's Wagner private military group, detained near Minsk last week, until their guilt is proved.

Lukashenko said this in an interview with Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gordon, according to Ukrinform.

"We have international agreements with Russia and Ukraine. The prosecutors general of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, law enforcement systems are in contact. I have just told [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky about this. [] They are working to have a clear picture. No one will extradite anyone until the picture is clear," Lukashenko said.

At the same time, he recalled that "the requesting country must prove the guilt of these people, that they killed someone."

On July 29, Belarusian law enforcement detained 33 people, some of them being members of the Wagner private military company.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry received a list of those detained in Belarus and handed over the document to the competent authorities to verify if these individuals committed crimes in Ukraine and participated in hostilities.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office informed the competent authorities of Belarus of its intention to demand the extradition of participants in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine who were detained in Belarus.

On August 5, Lukashenko said he was ready to cooperate with Ukraine on the issues of detained militants from the Wagner private military company. On August 6, he invited the prosecutors general of Russia and Ukraine to Belarus to consider the situation regarding the detained militants.

op
Phu Quoc Island off the southern province of Kien Giang has been a tourist hotspot of the Mekong Delta region, but waste treatment on this island remains an environmental issue.

A dumpsite on the island district of Phu Quoc off Kien Giang Province. Waste treatment on Phu Quoc Island remains unresolved, affecting not just the environment and the landscape but also deterring tourists from visiting the island  PHOTO: HUYNH KIM

Statistics of Kien Giang Province indicated that the province welcomed 1.9 million tourists in January-June, a 56.4% decline against the same period the previous year. Besides, the tourism revenue during the period dropped by 63% year-on-year to some VND3,600 billion.

Despite the declining tourist arrivals and revenue as a result of Covid-19, Phu Quoc remained attractive in the eyes of tourism investors. Of the 15 tourism projects in Kien Giang Province in the years first half, 12 projects whose combined investments are over VND11,800 billion are on Phu Quoc Island.

Kien Giang currently has 315 projects in the tourism sector with total investments of more than VND307,000 billion. Of these, 69 projects worth VND14,000 billion have been put into service, 76 projects worth VND165,000 billion are being implemented and 170 projects worth VND167,000 billion are undergoing investment procedures.

Phu Quoc alone accounts for as many as 271 projects in Kien Giang, indicative of the unique role of the island. Such projects have combined investments of some VND341,000 billion.

However, the issue of environmental pollution caused by untreated waste on this island is only getting worse.

In the planning toward 2030 as decided by the Prime Minister, Phu Quoc is set to grow sustainably with a balance between economic development and historic preservation and become a tourism-service hub of the country.

As stated by Phu Quocs natural resources and environment division in a recent report, environmental protection needs to be aimed for and is crucial to the islands sustainable development. Investments in such a field are prioritized.

Nonetheless, according to the division, rapid economic development has resulted in environmental problems, particularly pollution caused by waste and wastewater.

Though investments in environmental protection works play an important part, the implementation progress is slow, the report pointed out.

In particular, while many economic development projects have been operational, only one solid water treatment plant has been built but has stopped working due to inefficiency. SGT

Trung Chanh

Keeping Phu Quoc Island clean and safe Phu Quoc Island has a deserved reputation for its pristine beaches and stunning landscapes, but pollution is starting to have a negative impact on its sustainable development.
Opportunity International Savings and Loans Limited (OISL), a leading savings and loans company in Ghana has donated 10,000 pieces of face masks to its clients.



The donation was part of OISLs actions in combatting the spread of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) in various communities it serves. Clients were taken through brief education on the COVID-19 protocols and the need for clients and their households to observe the guidelines especially, frequently washing their hands with soap under running water, wearing of facemasks and physical distancing.



Over the past few months since the outbreak of the virus, OISL has also supported some vulnerable youth (Kayayei) and smallholder farmers in rural communities in Ghana with some PPEs. Between June and July 2020, over 400 households in farming communities were provided with face masks, alcohol-based hand sanitizers and other toiletries.



The Acting Head of Transformation, Madam Christie Love Koufie, during the presentation, educated clients to strictly adhere to all the protocols outlined by the government and Ghana Health Service. She additionally brought to their attention the fact that the deadly virus is real. She added that, it has claimed the lives of many around the world and in Ghana as well. Hence, the need for clients and all Ghanaians to stay safe and practice the protocols.



Opportunity International Savings and loans continues to serve about 570,000 depositors with loans, deposit products and other financial and non-financial services across 10 out of the 16 regions of the country. It is one of the leading Savings and Loans Companies in Ghana with 16 years of advancing financial inclusion and bringing clients at the base of the pyramid into the mainstream financial services using innovative range of products and approaches. It operates in 23 countries across the globe serving nearly 10 million clients with the Global office in Chicago, USA.

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 man killed earlier this week by Houston police has been identified as Ashton Broussard, a former barber in Houston who battled mental health issues, according to his mother Anita Willie.

An off-duty Houston police sergeant shot Broussard, 30, on Tuesday after he attacked a security guard and took her gun, police say. The sergeant, who was in uniform, confronted Broussard in a downtown Metro bus at the 1900 Travis transit center. The officer said he opened fire when Broussard drew his weapon.

Willie said she hasnt spoken with police, but the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences on Tuesday informed her of her sons death. She said he struggled with substance abuse and depression. He also appeared to be schizophrenic and was spiraling in the last few weeks of his life, she said.

I felt like this was his way out, she told the Houston Chronicle. The way I saw it, as a mother, he didnt kill himself, he let the police kill him. Because he could have easily killed someone on the bus.

Willie said she tried to get him help. She said police previously took him for a psychiatric evaluation at a local hospital because he was having hallucinations. He was eventually released, she said.

Broussards criminal history in Houston includes charges of assault, drug possession and evading arrest. Willie believes he was involved in more than one altercation in Houston over the last few weeks. One of his friends also overdosed earlier this week, she said.

She added that her son was very smart before he become involved with drugs. He grew up in Houston and worked as a barber. He had a lot of people that loved him, she said.

When he was good, he was real good, but he was battling his demons, she said. And I guess it got the best of him.

julian.gill@chron.com
A special webinar for insurance agents who market Medicare insurance solutions will be presented by the director of the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI).

"I am very pleased to be giving this timely presentation to agents and brokers with two of the nation's leading insurance marketing organizations," announced Jesse Slome, the national organization's director. The two national agencies are Senior Market Sales, based in Omaha, and Jack Schroeder & Associates, headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The webinar will focus on helping local Medicare insurance professionals utilize their community newspapers to educate local residents about the upcoming Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (AEP). The AEP season begins October 15 and offers millions of seniors special opportunities to review and change certain Medicare plan coverages.

"There are over 7,000 weekly community newspapers across the United States and seniors in particular are avid readers," Slome shares. "The new webinar is designed to help insurance agents understand how to work with local editors to educate community residents regarding important AEP timing and Medicare insurance options."

Slome is a former senior-level public relations professional who worked for several leading New York City-based public relations agencies. "Publicity is a most important marketing tool and generally not utilized by insurance professionals," Slome admits. "My goal is to deliver do-it-yourself tips that insurance agents affiliated with these top agencies can utilize."

The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance is an advocacy and informational organization that strives to create heightened awareness for the many Medicare insurance planning options and supports insurance professionals who market Medicare insurance.
Cape May County health officials reported four new COVID-19 cases on Friday, including one out-of-county resident, bringing the county-wide total to 1,006. The cases were reported in Lower Township, Middle Township, Upper Township and West Wildwood. The county stands at 82 virus-related deaths.



The number of positive cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey has increased by 384, bringing the total to 184,061, Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday. There have been 12 additional deaths, bringing the state total to 14,007.

There are 551 people hospitalized across the state, including 120 people in intensive care and 74 people on ventilators, Murphy said.

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.

"We continue to work together as one family to beat this virus," he said. "Right now, we need to dig a little deeper. I know were all getting a little fatigued, but we cannot give coronavirus one more inch. Lets keep doing what we need to do to get our numbers back down."

Murphy also announced the creation of a new Small Landlord Emergency Grant Program. The program will take $25 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund and provide emergency grant funding to small rental apartment building owners for rent losses between April and July during the pandemic.

"The majority of low- and moderate-income renters live in buildings with between three and ten rental units," Murphy said. "By assisting small landlords, were helping to secure quality rental housing by protecting their investment in the maintenance of their properties."

Landlords who receive assistance through the program must then pass along the benefits to their tenants by forgiving outstanding back rent and late fees accumulated during the same period, the governor said.

"Through this assistance, we can help directly support COVID-impacted renters by having outstanding back-rent forgiven and reducing the risks for evictions once the statewide moratorium expires," he said. "Our eviction moratorium remains firmly in place, protecting tenants from being removed during the pandemic. Tenants for whom evictions have been filed may choose to participate in court mediation purely at their option. Choosing not to do so will not lead to eviction."

Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver said the program is about supporting small residential property owners who are at times the most vulnerable during a economic crisis because they are locked out of capital and federal resources.

"The research that we have done shows that they are less likely to qualify for federal housing assistance as well as mortgage forbearance programs," she said.

The state also added a contact tracing dashboard that will allow everyone to see where the 1,344 contact tracers are currently on the job.

There are currently 15 contact tracers on-the-ground, across the state, for every 100,000 residents. More contact tracers will be added until every county hits the 15-per-100,000 threshold. More will be added after that.

According to the dashboard, 63% of those who were called by a contact tracer were successfully reached, and about half of them were notified of their exposure. The greatest challenge to contact tracing has been from people not answering the phone or refusing to assist contact tracers, and 45% of those who have tested positive and answered the call refused to provide any contact information to our contact tracers.

The dashboard will be updated every Friday.

"Contact tracing is about public health. Period," Murphy said. "No one is out on a witch hunt. No one is asking questions that have any focus other than trying to stop the spread of this virus."

The Department of Labor also reported than more than 1.3 million New Jerseyans were deemed eligible for monetary benefits through the unemployment system and 96% of them have received payment, Murphy said. More than $13.2 billion has been released into the pockets of state residents.

"The report showed a more than 40% decrease in the number of initial unemployment claims," he said. "This is the lowest number weve seen since March and before the pandemic hit. While we certainly have a long way to go, this decrease offers a glimmer of hope."

The governor also called out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for not working to renew federal unemployment benefits as New Jersey families are not receiving $600 less a week as the pandemic continues.

"Mitch McConnell may have forgotten that while he gets paid no matter what, millions of taxpayers who fund his salary  and their families  are hurting and need help yesterday," he said. "Congress needs to extend federal unemployment benefits, and the president needs to sign this, now. Congress needs to provide direct assistance to states. COVID-19 hasnt cared if it ravages a blue state or a red state, and neither should Congress."



The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission announced Friday that renewal deadlines for disability placards has been extended.

An Executive Order, signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, extends the time for individuals to apply for renewed disability placards until 90 days after the last day of the public health emergency. The COVID-19 public health emergency remains in effect after being declared by Murphy on March 9.

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"This action provides relief to drivers with disability placards, extending the time required to apply for renewals,"said MVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton. It allows us at MVC to continue cutting through the backlog of renewal applications, while giving our customers some peace of mind as we navigate a COVID-19 world together.



Atlantic County health officials reported no new COVID-19 related deaths for the sixth consecutive day. There are also 39 additional residents who have recovered.

An additional 13 new positive cases were reported on Friday. The cases were among six males, ages 6-66, and seven females, ages 10-66.

There were three cases in Absecon, two each in Egg Harbor Township and Pleasantville, and one each in Atlantic City, Brigantine, Galloway, Hamilton Township, Somers Point and Ventnor.

Since March, 3,637 residents have been confirmed positive, of whom 2,057 have recovered. There are a total 241 COVID-19 deaths in the county.

Atlantic County will continue to provide testing at its drive-thru facility in Northfield at Rt. 9 and Dolphin Avenue, behind the county public works yard, each Tuesday in August from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The test site is available for both symptomatic and asymptomatic county residents with or without a doctors prescription. Residents must make an appointment for testing and provide proof of county residency and appointment confirmation. Appointments can be made online at www.aclink.org.



The Cumberland County judiciary is hosting a seminar for renters facing eviction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many folks are unable to pay their rent and are concerned about eviction," according to a post shared on the county Prosecutor's Office Facebook page. "This seminar will provide county specific information about resources available to help those facing eviction for non-payment of rent."

Vicinage 15, which is made up of Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem counties, will be hosting three webinars for landlords and tenants.

Vicinage Special Civil Part judges and staff will explain current landlord/tenant court procedures, and Legal Services of South Jersey, County Boards of Social Services, Catholic Charities and other community providers will provide information about available resources, according to the post.

While each seminar will provide county-specific information, attendees may register for any county, regardless of residency, officials said. There is no limit to the number of seminars attendees may register/attend.

These events are free and open to the public, but registration is required.



State officials have scheduled a 1 p.m. briefing Friday to update residents on the spread of COVID-19.

Appearing for the briefing will be Gov. Phil Murphy, Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, Department of Health Communicable Disease Service Medical Director Dr. Edward Lifshitz and State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan.

So far, Atlantic County has reported 3,624 cases with 241 deaths and 2,018 cleared as recovered. Cape May County has reported 1,001 cases with 82 deaths and 843 designated off quarantine. Cumberland County has reported 2,826 cases with 146 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.

What is your school district's reopening plan?

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.
Jennifer Hernandez shows a picture of daughter Chelsea Becker on her phone. (Tomas Ovalle / For The Times)

Californias top prosecutor has intervened in the case of a Central Valley woman who was charged with murder after she gave birth to a stillborn baby and authorities alleged her methamphetamine use was to blame.

Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on Friday filed an amicus brief in support of ending the prosecution of Chelsea Becker, saying his office believes the law was misapplied and misinterpreted.

We will work to end the prosecution and imprisonment of Ms. Becker so we can focus on applying this law to those who put the lives of pregnant women in danger," Becerra said in a statement.

Becker, 26, has been confined to the Kings County Jail since her arrest in November, with bail set at $2 million. Her attorneys have asked Californias 5th District Court of Appeal to prohibit the lower court from proceeding with the case, arguing that Californias murder law was never intended to be used against women in connection with the deaths of their own unborn children.

"It is outrageous that Ms. Becker has been incarcerated since November of 2019 for a nonexistent crime," said Lynn Paltrow, executive director of the National Advocates for Pregnant Women, which is assisting with Becker's defense.

Kings County Dist. Atty. Keith Fagundes has maintained the murder law supports the charge, pointing to a 1970 amendment that added a fetus as a potential victim. A Kings County Superior Court judge sided with his office in June, denying an application by Beckers lawyers to dismiss the case.

But in the brief, Becerra argues that Fagundes misinterpreted the laws intent in filing the charge, and the Superior Court erred in declining to dismiss it.

Section 187 of the California Penal Code was intended to protect pregnant women from harm, not charge them with murder, Becerra said. Our laws in California do not convict women who suffer the loss of their pregnancy, and in our filing today we are making clear that this law has been misused to the detriment of women, children and families.

Story continues

Fagundes said he had not seen the brief as of Friday afternoon, because it was served on the Kern County district attorneys office by mistake.

Its shocking to me the attorney generals office has taken a position without ever having contacted our office, without admitting whether theyve read any police reports, without discussing these issues to say what makes this [case] different, he said.

And unfortunately the petitioner is attempting to couch this in terms of a reproductive rights case and it's not about that.

The filing does not have an immediate impact on whether the prosecution will go forward. But it is a powerful statement of support from the states top lawyer as the appeals court weighs whether to dismiss the case.

The attorney general of California is the highest legal officer in the executive branch of the state government, said Daniel Arshack, special counsel to the National Advocates for Pregnant Women. That they felt compelled to alert the court that the Kings County judiciary has misapplied state law is something that the court will not ignore.

Becker's case has gained the support of medical and civil rights organizations, with 15 groups  including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry  signing onto a brief in support of dismissing the charge. The American Civil Liberties Union also filed a brief.

"We commend Attorney General Becerra's call for the criminal charges against Chelsea Becker to be dropped," attorney Jennifer Chou of the ACLU of Northern California said in a statement. "The decision to prosecute her flies in the face of California law, and holds deeply dangerous implications."

Experts have expressed concern that the Superior Court's interpretation of the homicide statute could change how the law is applied. "It would subject all women who suffer a pregnancy loss to the threat of criminal investigation and possible prosecution for murder," Becerra wrote in the brief.

But Fagundes said the defense and attorney general's office have politicized the case to distract from the core legal issues. He said the amendment to the murder statute did not anticipate the meth epidemic that has ravaged Kings County and likened the attorney general's intervention to the state of California condoning meth use.

"Were not sitting here seeking to lock up mothers who have miscarriages," he said. "Thats not what ever happens here. But theres certain conduct a government should not partake in, which is allowing people to use drugs to a degree thats harmful to themselves and others."

If the charge is dismissed, advocates hope the ruling will also bolster the case to free Adora Perez, 32, who is two years into an 11-year sentence at the state prison in Chowchilla.

The facts in Perez's case are nearly identical to Becker's: Fagundes charged the Hanford woman with murder in 2018 after she gave birth to a stillborn baby at the same hospital where Becker delivered her stillborn child. Staff called the coroners office in both instances. Perez was assigned the same public defender as Becker and appeared before the same judge.

But her counsel didnt challenge the legality of the proceedings, and Perez took a plea agreement, pleading no contest to a charge of voluntary manslaughter.

The case marked the first time in nearly 30 years a California woman was charged with the murder of her unborn child. Perhaps more troubling, advocates say, is that it was the first time in the states history that such a charge resulted in jail time. Several other attempts to prosecute women for murder for stillbirths in the 1990s were dismissed.

Every single other judge in California has recognized that you dont prosecute a woman for having a stillbirth, Arshack said. Only Kings County, twice in the last two years, has decided to criminalize women who have stillbirths.
Portland police subjected Black people to force at higher rates than any other race in 2019, according to an oversight groups report. The data shows the disproportionate policing of Black people, particularly young men, has persisted for years, even as overall use of force by officers has declined.

Half of the 232 Black people subjected to force were men in their 20s, according to a report issued July 8 by the police bureaus training advisory council. The report analyzed patterns in force used by officers in 2019 using Portland police statistics.

In interactions with Black people who were arrested in 2019, the report showed Portland officers were five to 14 times more likely to shoot less lethal impact munitions at Black people, force their hands together to handcuff them, place them in leg restraints and physically restrain them because an officer perceives they are resisting than to do those same things to white people, given their prevalence in the citys population.

The 48-page report comes as police violence against Black people is a key political issue in Portland and nationwide and the subject of nightly demonstrations around Portland that have often led police to use force on protesters.

[Read the report]

The data from the 2019 training advisory report shows Black people experienced force by a Portland officer 45 times for every 1,000 arrests last year, compared to 38 times for every 1,000 arrests of Latinx people and 31 times for every 1,000 arrests of white people, said Shawn Campbell, chair of the Training Advisory Council. The volunteer board examines and provides recommendations to the Portland police about training standards and practices.

Campbell said the report shows disparities in force used, particularly against Black people, have been apparent from 2015 to 2019. While the data does not make entirely clear what causes the discrepancy, Campbell said, I have a hard time seeing where this cant involve some type of bias.

Its something that has been consistent over five years and it should be a noted problem, Campbell said.

Portland police spokesperson Lt. Tina Jones said the bureau declined comment about the report to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Campbell said this week that the advisory group also hasnt yet received a response. He said the bureau has 60 days to respond and will likely do so by the groups September meeting.

The report tallied 23,504 arrests made by Portland police in 2019. Of those arrests, 796 people experienced some type of force involving at least one officer, which works out to around 3.4% of all arrests. A year earlier, officers used force against 930 people during the course of 24,396 arrests, at a rate of 3.8%.

Portland police officers are required to document uses of any kind of physical coercion they used to try to make a person comply.

According to the report, 29% of people subjected to force in 2019 were identified by officers as Black. About 8% of Portlands nearly 655,000 residents identify as Black alone or in combination with another race, according to the Census Bureau.

The report also showed that 8% of the people Portland police used force against were Latinx, and Asian and Native Americans each accounted for about 2%. Portlands population is about 11% Latinx, 12% Asian and Pacific Islander, and 2% Native American, according to the Census Bureau.

White residents made up 70.5% of the citys population in 2019 but 59% of the people subjected to force.

The disparity is also apparent in arrests, with the disproportional impacts for Black people far greater than those for any other group, according to the report: 65% of the people arrested by Portland police were white, 22% were Black and 7% were Latinx, 3% were Asian and 2% Native American.

A separate report released in May on Portland police use of force for the first quarter of 2020 reflected largely the same disparities. Out of nearly 5,000 arrests, 170 people had force used against them by officers between January and March: 64% were white, 22% were Black, 8% Latinx, 3% Asian and 2% Native American. The race of another 1% of people were unclear. The city has not yet issued a report for the second quarter.

According to the advisory council report released last month, Black people have experienced higher levels of force compared to white people over the past five years. One of the main reasons is that Portland officers have consistently been most likely to point guns at Black people.

The stat has gone down from 122 in 2015 to 21 in 2019, the recent report shows, meaning a Portland police officer pointed a gun at a Black person once every three days, on average, in 2015 and once every 17 days in 2019.

But more Black people were forced to the ground, hit by an officers hands or feet or put in leg restraints in 2019 than the year before, the report said. For example, 42 Black people were forced to the ground by officers in 2018 and that number increased to 62 people last year.

Black people were also more likely to have force used on them during incidents where three or more officers were involved in 2019. That happened in 41% of multiple-officer cases involving Black people and 24% of such instances involving white people.

According to the report, 30% of Black people who had force used against them were reported to be armed, although 13% turned out to have a weapon. Among whites subjected to force, 33% were reported to be armed and 18% were found to be armed.

Candace Avalos, chair of the Citizen Review Committee, another police oversight group, said its frustrating to continue to see disparities in use of force, even as force overall declines.

It just reinforces how Black people, especially young Black men, are seen as a threat, Avalos said. There are a lot of long-lasting effects that even the smallest interactions with police officers can have and I think this report speaks to all the work that still needs to be done.

The patterns in use of force report is the latest example of city data showing disproportionate policing of Black people.

A statewide analysis of criminal justice statistics found last year that Portland officers arrested and searched Black people at higher rates than white people over a 12-month period. City data showed Portland officers stationed at high schools arrested more Black students on campus during school hours than white, Latinx and Asian students combined during the 2017-18 fiscal year. Several city reports in recent years have shown Portland police disproportionately stop Black motorists.

A 2018 review of traffic stops by the city auditor found the bureaus gang enforcement team, later called the gun violence reduction team, couldnt explain the disproportionate stops of Black Portlanders or show that the stops were effective in deterring gang crime in the city. Officers werent required to document reasons people were stopped.

In a follow-up report last year, the auditor reported police still did not document investigative reasons for most of the stops the team conducted.

The gun violence reduction team was one of three police units disbanded by the Portland City Council in June, amid a groundswell of calls for police reforms that swept the U.S. after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd in late May. The citys school resource officer program, shown to disproportionately police Black students, was also cut. The City Council ultimately redirected $15 million from police to other city programs and initiatives.

Mayor Ted Wheeler, who voted for the cuts, is the citys police commissioner.

Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell and Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, on Wednesday attributed a rise in shootings in July to the disbanding of the gun violence reduction team at the beginning of the month. Fifteen people were killed in Portland last month, the most killings in a single month in the city in more than 30 years, police said.

The police bureau reported 63 shootings in the city in July 2020 compared to 28 at the same time last year. There have been more shootings every month this year compared to last year except in March, police data shows.

Campbell said he plans to push Portland police for a clear explanation how the bureau will respond to the findings and recommendations made in the advisory councils report. We really didnt hear a lot back from them in response to the 2018 report, he said.

The findings of the new report went beyond racial disparities.

People reported by officers to be transient, either because they are homeless or did not disclose an address, made up half of the people who had force used on them. People perceived to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol were also much more likely to be involved in interactions during which police subjected them to force.

People thought to be experiencing a mental health crisis made up 16% of all use of force cases.

The report says 484 officers were involved in 1,735 incidents in which force was used in 2019. Most were involved in 3 incidents or fewer. But 23 officers were involved in 11 or more incidents, and two of them were each involved in 22 incidents. Portland police had around 900 sworn officers last year.

The officers with high numbers of use of force were most likely to work out of the central precinct downtown, and most of them had five or fewer years of experience.

Campbell and Avalos both said the report shows the bureaus need to take steps beyond increasing training to reduce disparate uses of force. Campbell said the police bureau has already been doing implicit bias training for at least two years.

Anything like this is slow, and it can take a couple of years before the results are seen in data, he said. But it also needs to be said that if there is a lot of emphasis on certain areas, you can see changes fairly quickly within the culture of an organization.

-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is concerned about floods in his constituency in Wayanad and urged the party workers to lend a helping hand.

Rahul Gandhi in a statement on Friday said, "Heavy rains in Kerala have resulted in floods and a massive landslide in Munnar in which many have lost their lives. This is a terrible tragedy." "I urge all our Congress party workers and leaders to lend a helping hand at this time and do whatever they can to mitigate the suffering of our brothers and sisters who are in need of help.

"I'm particularly concerned about my parliamentary constituency, Wayanad and I'm closely tracking the situation over there," he added.

Wayanad MP said the yearly flooding and landslides in Kerala are a grim reminder to work harder to protect the environment and create sustainable development models that allows to cope with changing weather patterns and extreme climatic disturbances.

Kerala has witnessed heavy rain followed by a landslide at Rajamalai in Idukki district on Thursday night which has left at least 15 persons dead, including a child, and more than 60 others are reported missing, a police official said on Friday.

The place where the tragedy occurred is nearly 30 km from the popular tourist destination Munnar.

A police official taking part in the rescue operations said 15 bodies had been recovered and nearly 67 people are still missing.

The IMD has announced a red alert in the districts of Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Wayanad as heavy rains have submerged a few places in these districts.

21 people in Wayanad were rescued across a surging river using ropes and nets.

The authorities have set up relief camps in these areas
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States is reinstating a 10% import tax on Canadian aluminum, raising tensions with an American ally just weeks after his trade pact with Canada and Mexico took effect.

Canada quickly vowed to respond in kind.

Trump originally imposed the tariffs on aluminum imports in 2018. He then lifted them last year on Canadian and Mexican metals to smooth the way for the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement. The USMCA took effect July 1 and was expected to bring stability to North American trade.

Instead, Trump declared Thursday that he is reimposing the tariffs on Canada. Speaking at a Whirlpool plant in Ohio, the president said that Canada had promised that its aluminum industry would not flood our country with exports and kill all of our aluminum jobs, which is exactly what they did.

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland called the tariffs unwarranted and unacceptable and said Canada intends to swiftly impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures.

In the time of a global pandemic and an economic crisis, the last thing Canadian and American workers need is new tariffs that will raise costs for manufacturers and consumers, impede the free flow of trade, and hurt provincial and state economies, Freeland said in a statement.

Trade lawyer Daniel Ujczo with Dickinson Wright PLLC in Columbus, Ohio, predicted that Canada will retaliate with tariffs of its own  unless US and Canadian negotiators can reach a truce before the tit-for-tat import taxes begin.

Ujczo said the tariffs appear designed to win Trump election year support from voters in Ohio, an industrial state. But the tactic, he said, might not work during an economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Voters here in Ohio were willing to give the president a long leash on tariffs when the economy was strong and Trump was using the sanctions as leverage to get a North American trade deal, Ujczo said. But the dealmaker in chief already got his win with Canada and Mexico. These folks will see it as nothing more than a political tool in a time of economic hardship.

Aluminum imports from Canada rose sharply from February to March but have since leveled off and actually dropped 2.6% from May to June, according to the Aluminum Association trade group.

Claims of a surge of primary aluminum imports from Canada are simply not accurate, said Tom Dobbins, the associations president. He added: Especially now, the US should be focused on getting the manufacturing economy going again in the region  not picking battles with USMCA trading partners.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 7, 2020) - Metals Creek Resources Corp. (TSXV: MEK) (OTC: MCREF) (Metals Creek or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the company has received the final $20,000 option payment for the Tilt Cove option from Anaconda Mining Inc. on the 6th August, 2020.

Under the revised terms of the Tilt Cove Agreement, to maintain the Option with respect to the Licenses in full force, ANX shall pay to MEK the following amounts:

on the Effective Date (November 7, 2016) - $20,000 in cash by wire transfer and 50,000 Consideration Shares (see definition below); (Paid)

on the first anniversary of the Effective Date - $40,000 in cash by wire transfer and 100,000 Consideration Shares; (Paid)

on the second anniversary of the Effective Date - $60,000 in cash by wire transfer and 150,000 Consideration Shares; (Paid)

On the third anniversary of the Effective Date - $20,000 in cash and 100,000 Consideration Shares; (Paid)

On or before February 6, 2020 - $20,000 in cash; (Paid)

On or before May 6, 2020 - $20,000 in cash; and (Paid)

On or before August 6, 2020 - $20,000 in cash. (Paid)

Anaconda has now earned a 100% interest in the Tilt Cove Property and Metals Creek will retain a 1 % Net Smelter Return (NSR) Royalty.

About Metals Creek Resources Corp.

Metals Creek Resources Corp. is a junior exploration company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario, is a reporting issuer in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and has its common shares listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol "MEK". Metals Creek has earned a 50% interest in the Ogden Gold Property from Newmont Corporation, including the former Naybob Gold mine, located 6 km south of Timmins, Ontario and has an 8 km strike length of the prolific Porcupine-Destor Fault (P-DF). In addition, Metals Creek has signed an agreement with Newmont Corporation, where Metals Creek can earn a 100% interest in the past producing Dona Lake Gold Project in the Pickle Lake Mining District of Ontario.

Metals Creek also has multiple quality projects available for option in Ontario and Newfoundland which can be viewed on the Company's website. Parties interested in seeking more information about properties available for option can contact the Company at the number below.

Additional information concerning the Company is contained in documents filed by the Company with securities regulators, available under its profile at www.sedar.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.

Alexander (Sandy) Stares, President and CEO

Metals Creek Resources Corp

telephone: (709)-256-6060

fax: (709)-256-6061

email: astares@metalscreek.com

www.MetalsCreek.com

Twitter.com/MetalsCreekRes

Facebook.com/MetalsCreek

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61283
Watermelon (sandia in Spanish) and summer are one and the same in Spain. There is no more refreshing fruit than this immense melon (in 2013, a farmer from Tennessee, USA, grew what is considered to be the largest watermelon in the world to date, weighing 159 kilos). This member of the cucurbit family, scientifically called Citrullus lanatus, like other species in the family it originates from desert climates, in this case the deserts of north-west Africa. Wild varieties are still grown there and its cultivation has been able to be dated from seeds found in archaeological sites 4,000 years ago.

The wild melons are far removed from the modern image of this fruit, both in terms of appearance and, above all, in terms of taste and colour of the pulp. When tasting wild melons like the tuera (the tuera, Citrullus colocynthis, is a relative of the sangria, a cucurbit from desert climates of an intense bitterness), botanist Harry Paris, member of the Agricultural Research Organisation (ARO), asked himself the reason why the inhabitants of the African arid zones had decided to cultivate it. In his article 'Origin and emergence of the sweet dessert watermelon' (www. researchgate.net), he argues a strong hypothesis: watermelon was originally grown because of its high water content, 93 per cent, the highest of all fruits, and its ability to maintain this reserve for long periods.

According to Paris, the sweet watermelon we know today dates back 2,000 years and is the product of agricultural selection, a process that continues today.

In works such as Tacuinum Sanitatis, a medieval book on healthy eating, it is recommended as a dessert, and includes pictorial representations showing it was already quite similar to the one we eat today.

During selection it was noted that the depth of the red colour was directly linked to the sweetness of the fruit. Lycopene, which is present in tomatoes, is responsible for the pigmentation and gives the first clue as to why both fruits work so well together.

The culinary tradition in Spain is to eat watermelon as a dessert or refreshing snack with one exception. Candied watermelon peel, a legacy of the Arabs, is still included in selections of preserved fruits. A recipe on how to do this can be found online (https://decoraciondemabel.blogspot.com). It is a very easy recipe: just remove the green rind, cut it into chunks and place in a bowl of cold water with 100ml of alcohol per litre. Cook over a low heat with the same weight of sugar as rinds and add a few drops of green food colouring. After approximately 45 minutes all the water should have evaporated and you'll be left with the rinds covered with sugar.

Watermelon is one of the staple foods of the Zero Waste (Cero Residuos) movement, because it can be used in its entirety. Although seedless watermelons are becoming increasingly popular, in the Middle East the seeds are roasted, salted and spiced to be eaten as an aperitif. And in the USA, where the fruit is symbolic of the South, the first cookbook ever published there, American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons (1796) includes a recipe for pickled watermelon rinds. To make it, remove the flesh and the green part and chop it up. Put the rind in a large glass container and let it rest for 12 hours covered with six parts water to one part salt. Remove, rinse and drain, and finally, heat a saucepan containing two cups of vinegar, four cups of white sugar, one cinnamon stick, four cloves and one spoonful of peppercorns. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, remove the cinnamon sticks and pour the still-warm vinegar into wide-mouthed jars where the pieces of rind have been placed, covering them with liquid up to the rim. Close the jars hermetically, sterilise them and wait at least a week to start consuming the pickle. It goes very well with roasted meats and barbecues, and the taste is reminiscent of pears when you bite into them.

In Sicily where large, elongated watermelons are grown, 'gelu di muluni', is a traditional recipe which dates back to the cuisine of the mid-18th century.

Fake steak

The recent surge of veganism has prompted another use for watermelon, as fake steak. To make it all you have to do is cut the melon into thick chunks, season with a dry, barbecue or spice mix and leave on a rack in the fridge for a few hours. The grainy texture will become fleshier. To complement the slightly sweet taste, serve it with a feta salad.

Niki Segnit, in his Encyclopedia of Flavours, says that watermelon goes well with cinnamon, chili, coriander, mint, lime, rosemary, goat cheese, tomato, lime, oysters, melon, cucumber and mint. Make a note to add it to salads. It also goes well with pork. The Food Pairing system, based on coincidences in the chemical composition of the food, adds other combinations: duck, Sencha tea (for iced tea drinks), mango, beans and hazelnuts. The rest depends on the imagination.
Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who is among the most senior members in the U.S. Senate, said the lawsuit illustrates the propensity of the Saudi crown prince to commit the most heinous crimes to silence his critics. The U.S. State Department sent the senator a letter, saying it has called on Saudi Arabia to immediately release Aljabris children, describing the former Saudi official as someone who responded around the clock to threats against U.S. interests in the kingdom.
US President Donald Trump has signed executive orders banning popular Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat, terming them a threat to the national security and to the country's economy.

The ban comes into effect in 45 days, Trump said in his two separate executive orders signed on Thursday.

India was the first country to ban TikTok and WeChat, citing national security concerns. India has banned as many as 106 Chinese apps, a move welcomed by both the Trump administration and the US lawmakers.

In a communique to the Congress, Trump said the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by the companies in China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the country.

"At this time, the order takes action to address one mobile application in particular, TikTok," he said.

TikTok, a video-sharing mobile application owned by the Chinese company ByteDance Ltd, automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, Trump said.

This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage, he alleged.

TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. TikTok may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, the president said.

"To deal with this threat, the order prohibits, beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd. (a.k.a. Zijie Tiaodong), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in which any such company has any interest, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary)," Trump said.

He delegated power to the Commerce Secretary to take such actions, including adopting appropriate rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by International Emergency Economic Powers Act as may be necessary to implement the order.

The order also directs all department and agencies to take all appropriate measures within their authority to implement the order, Trump said.

In separate executive order, Trump said WeChat, a messaging, social media, and electronic payment application owned by the Chinese company Tencent Holdings Ltd., reportedly has over one billion users worldwide, including users in the United States.

"Like TikTok, WeChat automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users - threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information," he said.

WeChat also captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives, he alleged.

"WeChat, like TikTok, also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party," Trump said.

In recent weeks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused TikTok of collecting personal information of Americans.

TikTok has previously stressed that its US user data is already stored on US-based servers and backed up in Singapore, and is therefore not subject to Chinese law as some US officials have feared.
The Zacks Foreign Banks Industry consists of overseas banks that also have operations in the United States. Since a foreign banking organization might have both federally- and state-chartered offices in the United States, the Federal Reserve plays a key role in supervising their U.S. operations.



In addition to providing a broad range of products and services to U.S. customers, these banks offer financial services to their corporate clients having businesses in the United States.



Moreover, these financial firms establish relations with U.S. corporations operating in their home countries. Some units of foreign banks offer a broad range of both wholesale and retail services, along with conducting money-market transactions for their parent organizations, while others involve in developing only specialized services.



Here are the three major themes in the industry:



Heightening economic uncertainties, thanks to the coronavirus crisis, might affect overseas banking transactions in the upcoming period as well. The COVID-19 pandemic has shattered business confidence, looming over corporate earnings and global growth. Moreover, monetary-policy normalization induced by some central banks across the globe to combat the crisis is expected to further impact foreign banking activities unfavorably.



Near-term growth prospects of foreign banks are being called into question due to the weak recovery projected by banks in developed nations and the prevalent troubles faced by the financial firms in most emerging economies due to the pandemic. Amid the current turbulence, monetary-policy normalization varies across nations, including the developed ones  which are homes to a number of major foreign banks,  being on the rise but might be unable to support foreign banking operations adequately.



Sluggishness in global economic growth might dampen the prospects for increasing banking activities. Furthermore, foreign banks in the United States are trying to push the Fed to get some regulatory relief in terms of capital requirements, which are perceived to be too high for carrying out operations profitably.

Story continues



Zacks Industry Rank Indicates Bleak Prospects

The Zacks Foreign Banks Industry is a 59-stock group within the broader Zacks Finance Sector. The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #156, which places it at the bottom 38% of more than 250 Zacks industries.



The groups Zacks Industry Rank, which is basically the average of the Zacks Rank of all the member stocks, indicates consistent underperformance in the near term. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperforms the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.



The industrys positioning in the bottom 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries is a result of the bleak earnings outlook for the constituent companies in aggregate. Looking at the aggregate earnings estimate revisions, it appears that analysts are gradually losing confidence in this groups earnings growth potential. Since August 2019, the industrys earnings estimate for the current year has been revised 36.3% downward.



Before we present a few stocks that you may want to consider for your portfolio, lets take a look at the industrys recent stock-market performance and valuation picture.



Industry Lags on Shareholder Returns

The Zacks Foreign Banks Industry has underperformed both the S&P 500 and its own sector in the past year.



While stocks in this industry have collectively depreciated 29.2%, the S&P 500 composite has gained 13.5%, and the Zacks Finance Sector has lost 9.8%.



One-Year Price Performance



Industrys Valuation

One might get a good sense of the industrys relative valuation by looking at its price-to-tangible book ratio (P/TBV), which is commonly used for valuing banks because of large variations in their earnings results from one quarter to the next.



The industry, currently, has a trailing 12-month P/TBV of 1.17X. When compared with the highest level of 2.09X and median level of 1.65X over the past five years, there is apparently plenty of upside left.



Additionally, the industry is trading at lower levels when compared with the market at large, as the trailing 12-month P/TBV for the S&P 500 is 15.01X and the median level is 9.55X.



Price-to-Tangible Book Ratio (TTM)

As finance stocks typically have a lower P/TBV ratio comparing foreign banks with the S&P 500 might not make sense to many investors. But a comparison of the groups P/TBV ratio with that of its broader sector ensures that it is trading at a decent discount. The Zacks Finance Sectors trailing 12-month P/TBV of 3.39X and the median level of 3.48X for the same period are way above the Zacks Foreign Banks Industrys respective ratios.

Price-to-Tangible Book Ratio (TTM)



Bottom Line

While the developed nations are yet to make the backdrop favorable for their banks, nothing similar is anticipated even from the emerging economies any time soon. Furthermore, the industry is unlikely to tide over the broader challenges any time soon due to the coronavirus crisis. Nonetheless, it would be wise to bet on a few foreign bank stocks with stellar earnings outlook.



We are presenting five stocks with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) that investors may consider betting on.



(You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.)



5 Foreign Banks to Bet on

Bank of N.T. Butterfield Son Limited (NTB): Shares of this Hamilton, Bermuda-based bank have gained 16.1% in three months time. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the 2020 EPS has been revised 5% upward, in the last 60 days.



Price and Consensus: NTB



Credit Suisse Group (CS): Shares of this Zurich, Switzerland-based bank appreciated 30.9% in the past three months. The consensus EPS estimate for the current year climbed 32.1%, over the past 60 days.

Price and Consensus: CS

UBS Group AG (UBS): The ongoing-year consensus EPS estimate for this Zurich, Switzerland-based bank moved 16.5% north, in 60 days time. The stock has rallied 23%, over the past three months.



Price and Consensus: UBS



Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (MFG): The stock of this Tokyo, Japan-based bank has appreciated 11.4% in the past three months. The consensus EPS estimate for the current fiscal year has moved 27.3% upward in the last 60 days.

Price and Consensus: MFG

Erste Group Bank AG (EBKDY): Shares of this Vienna, Austria-based bank have gained 12.8% in three months time. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the ongoing years EPS has been revised 4.5% upward, in the last 60 days.

Price and Consensus: EBKDY



Just Released: Zacks 7 Best Stocks for Today

Experts extracted 7 stocks from the list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys that has beaten the market more than 2X over with a stunning average gain of +24.3% per year.



These 7 were selected because of their superior potential for immediate breakout.



See these time-sensitive tickers now >>



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UBS Group AG (UBS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Bank of N.T. Butterfield Son Limited The (NTB) : Free Stock Analysis Report



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Credit Suisse Group (CS) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
As seen in this pandemic, the United States must produce essential equipment, supplies, and pharmaceuticals for itself, Trump said. (Representational Image: AFP)

Washington: The US will end its reliance on China and other foreign nations for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, President Donald Trump has said, asserting that Beijing would have to pay the price for the wound it has inflicted on America and the world by spreading the deadly coronavirus.

President Trump and leaders of several countries have accused China of not being transparent in reporting the deadly disease, leading to huge human casualties and economic crisis across the world.

China, however, has denied US' accusation of covering up the extent of its coronavirus outbreak and accused America of attempting to divert public attention by insinuating that the virus originated from a virology laboratory in Wuhan.

"What China did is a terrible thing. Whether it was incompetence or on purpose, it was a terrible thing that they did not only to the United States but to the world. A terrible thing," Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday before flying to Ohio to visit a Whirlpool manufacturing plant.

"What China did to the rest of the world and the US is a disgrace," said the president, asserting that Beijing would have to pay the price for the wound it has inflicted on America and the world by spreading the deadly coronavirus.

Hours later addressing workers at the manufacturing plant in Ohio, Trump alleged that the previous Obama-Biden administration was perfectly happy to let China win.

"Over the course of the next four years, we will bring our pharmaceutical and medical supply chains home and we will end reliance on China and other foreign nations," Trump said as he laid out his vision to bring millions more jobs and thousands more factories back to American shores.

"Today, to define our path forward, I am making our incredible workers six more promises that I will keep over the next four years. First and foremost, we will defeat the China virus," he said, adding that the strategy shelters those at highest risk while allowing those at lower risk to get safely back to work and school.

Instead of a never-ending blanket lockdown, causing severe long-term public health consequences, "we have a targeted and data-driven approach", he said.

"Today, using the Defense Production Act, we are engaged in the most rapid industrial mobilisation since World War II. Over the last six months, we have witnessed one manufacturing miracle after another," he said.

Trump said he had signed a new executive order to ensure that when it comes to essential medicines, the US buys American. This executive order will require that the US government agencies purchase all the essential medicines it needs from American sources.

"My fifth promise to American workers is to bring back American jobs and factories using every tool at my disposalincluding tariffs, countervailing duties, and new trade deals based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity," he said.

"As long as I am President of the United States, I will fight for you with every ounce of energy and strength that I have. I will be your voice. I will defend your jobs. I will stand up to foreign trade cheaters and violators," Trump said.

As seen in this pandemic, the United States must produce essential equipment, supplies, and pharmaceuticals for itself, he said.

"We cannot rely on China and other nations across the globe that could one day deny us products in a time of need. We can't do it. We can't do it. We have to be smart," he said.

"And speaking of pharmaceuticals, we instituted four moves, rebates, favourite nations, and other things buying from other nations where they have the product, the same exact pills, identical, made in the same factory for a fraction, just a small fraction of the cost. We buy from other countries as opposed to buying through this ridiculous quagmire of political scam that we've been going through for many years," Trump said.
DOW  Jersey County Sheriffs officials have arrested Deahvion Bishop, 21, of St. Louis, for arson/of a place of worship, criminal damage to property $500-$10,000, burglary to a place of worship; the Jerseyville Police Department also charged him with theft of a motor vehicle and residential burglary.

On July 29, the Jersey County Sheriffs Office was contacted in reference to a smoke alarm, which was set off at 25218 Dow Road. While responding to this call, a Jersey County deputy observed flames coming from the Dow Southern Baptist Church. QEM Fire Protection District was contacted and quickly responded to the scene. Brighton, Jerseyville, Fieldon, Godfrey and Carrollton fire departments all responded to the scene for mutual aid in fighting the blaze.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  Filipinos' strong distrust of China may have been the result of "distorted" media reports about activities of Beijing, the country's envoy said Friday.

"It's normal for Filipino people to have some different views about China, but what I want to emphasize is that after my arrival here since late last year, I have been surprised many times by those distorted media coverage and those reports which do not give the whole picture of China and China-Philippine relations," Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian told CNN Philippines' The Source.

He did acknowledge concerns on maritime issues, which have been the main point of disagreement by the two states.

A poll done by the Social Weather Stations in July showed a "bad" -36 trust rating towards China, against a +42 rating towards the United States and +27 for Australia.

RELATED: SWS: Majority of Filipinos say ties with US 'more important' than China

Huang said the survey results was due to a lack of understanding amid allegedly lopsided news reports putting China in bad light.

"Ive been thinking about this. One is because of a lack of understanding, and lack of understanding leads to lack of confidence and lack of trust," the foreign envoy said.

"I have also found with concern that most of our Filipino friends, they understand China through the perspective of West media. Obviously, some of the West media have bias about China so that caused a misleading role to Filipinos who try to understand China," he added.

Huang repeatedly called locals as "Filipino friends," downplaying the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea as something where the two nations can "agree to disagree."

The SWS survey showed three out of five Filipinos believed that China held back information on COVID-19, which may have hampered prevention and treatment efforts worldwide.

RELATED: Pompeo claims China intentionally concealed coronavirus severity

He then cited efforts to improve people's impressions towards China, citing millions of Chinese tourists visiting the country and the promotion of cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

President Rodrigo Duterte has actively taken a friendly stance towards Beijing since assuming office in 2016. However, critics say China is not to be trusted as it refuses to recognize the July 2016 arbitral ruling which dismissed Beijing's sweeping claims in the South China Sea, and instead continues its incursions and reclamation activities in the disputed waters.

READ: US declares 'most' of China's maritime claims in South China Sea illegal
Its a jam-packed week of news thanks to Samsungs Galaxy Unpacked event. Cherlynn and Devindra chat about the Galaxy Note (and Ultra!), the Z Fold 2, Tab S7 and S7+, Watch 3 and Buds Live. Whew. And they still find time to go into Cherlynns glowing Pixel 4a review, and the crazy Microsoft/Tiktok deal and Trumps latest attempt to block Chinese companies.

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Hosts: Devindra Hardawar and Cherlynn Low

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People who have their residence in Algeria will be barred from travelling to Luxembourg as of 8 August.

In view of the current Covid-19 situation, a number of new sanitary measures have been put into place.

As of 12 August, everyone travelling to the Grand-Duchy from most non-EU countries and over the age of 11 will have to present a negative test for Covid-19 which must not have been taken later than 48 hours before the flight.

Family members of citizens from the EU, UK, San Marino, Andorra, Monaco, or Vatican City as well as other member countries of the European Economic Area with a right of residence are excluded from this measure.

Non-member states excluded from this measure are: Australia, Canada, Morocco, Tunisia, China, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, and Uruguay.
Doesn't it seem like 35 years have passed since President Trump tweeted about delaying the election? (It was last Thursday.) As a reminder: He suggested that due to the pandemic, voting in-person may be unsafe, even though no one has to go to the polls to cast a ballotmail-in and absentee voting is also an option.

The thing is, only Congress has the power to move the date of a federal election. That's per...the Constitution. And so, we decided to ask all 535 members that make up the House of Representatives and the Senate, Would you be in favor of moving the election? Here's who we heard from and what they said.

ALABAMA

Representative Terri Sewell (D), via rep: "She is absolutely against moving the election."

ALASKA

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R): "There is absolutely no reason to delay this election, and it is not going to happen. Its incumbent on us to ensure safe and secure elections, and thats exactly what the Congress has been doing. Congress, not the President, has the power under the Constitution to set the date of elections, and we have done so by statute. Americans have voted in federal elections during the Civil War, the 1918 pandemic, and other calamities."

ARIZONA

Senator Martha McSally (R), via rep: "Senator McSally strongly believes the election should and will occur on time just like every election in our nation's history."

Representative Tom O'Halleran (D), via rep: "Congressman OHalleran believes this years election should take place on time."

Representative Raul Grijalva (D): "We will remain vigilant and fight Donald Trump's false narrative on voter fraud. We will observe Election Day on November 3, and the people will have the opportunity to have their voice heardwhether Trump likes the results or not.

ARKANSAS

Representative French Hill (R), via rep: "Congressman French Hill does not support moving the election."

Representative Bruce Westerman (R), via rep: "Rep. Westerman does not support delaying the election."

CALIFORNIA

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D): President Trump today once again attacked the integrity of our election system, this time even suggesting the election should be delayed. Tactics like undermining electoral processes and trying to push back elections are common, but never in the United States. Mail-in voting is safe and secure. My home state of California and others have long histories of mail-in voting, and widespread fraud has never been a problem. Rather than sending inflammatory tweets in an attempt to deflect attention from news reports that 150,000 Americans have now died from the coronavirus and the economy has suffered its worst-ever quarterly losses, the president should instead get behind efforts to expand remote voting. The Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the authority to set election dates. The election will happen in three months. States need to take steps now to ensure everything runs smoothly on November 3.

Representative John Garamendi (D), via rep: Let me be clear: President Trump does not have the authority to change the date of our elections. Only Congress has this authority and under no circumstances will we allow our elections, the foundation of our democracy, be postponed or rescheduled. President Trump has spread falsehoods and misinformation about voting by mail and we will not stand for it. Voting by mail is the safest and most reliable method to vote as we face the coronavirus pandemic. As the late John Lewis stated: 'Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society.' Americans will stand united to vote this November."

Representative Mike Thompson (D): "Unequivocally no, the election should not be delayed. A reminder to all that only an act of Congress can change the date of the election and I would absolutely vote against any kind of change. This will not happen."

Representative Jerry McNerney (D), via his rep: "No, Congressman McNerney is not in favor of delaying the election. Like many of the the presidents statements, he finds this suggestion to be absurd.

Representative Josh Harder (D), via his rep: Josh is absolutely opposed to moving the election.

Representative Mark DeSaulnier (D): "No."

Representative Jackie Speier (D), via rep: "No."

Representative Eric Swalwell (D), via his rep: "Congressman Swalwell is not in favor of postponing the election. The Constitution clearly states that Congress has the power to determine the time and date of the election, not the president."

Representative Anna Eshoo (D): The U.S. Constitution is crystal clear when it comes to our federal elections: Congress alone has the power to decide when elections are held, not the President. Election Day is fixed by law, and the President cannot delay it or extend his own term. The Constitution requires him to leave office on January 20th unless he is elected to a second term. The Presidents attacks on voting by mail are false and irresponsible. Voting by mail is the safest way to vote during a pandemic and there isnt a shred of evidence that it leads to voter fraud. The true threat to our election security is foreign interference. The Intelligence Community confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and they are doing so again this year. The Presidents irresponsible comments play right into the hands of our adversaries who seek to undermine the legitimacy of our elections and shake our confidence in democracy.

Representative Jimmy Panetta (D): "No."

Representative Judy Chu (D): No, the President cannot change the election date. The Constitution clearly gives this power to Congress alone. This is an illegal fantasy from a President trying to claim powers that do not exist to subvert an election in order to distract from 150,000 Americans who have lost their lives and a thirty-three percent drop in GDP, as millions of unemployed Americans are about to lose critical benefits because he was unwilling to extend Unemployment Insurance.

Representative Brad Sherman (D): "No."

Representative Pete Aguilar (D): "No."

Representative Grace Napolitano (D): "Absolutely opposed."

Representative Ted Lieu (D), via rep: "Rep. Lieu does not support delaying the election."

Representative Linda Sanchez (D), via rep: "President Trump can tweet whatever he wants, but that power is granted to Congress. Rep. Sanchez is not moving the election."

Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D): "Donald Trump doesn't have the power to delay the election. He's a president, not a king, as any U.S. history book will tell himand if he's short on time, Hamilton makes the point in less than three hours. The election will be Tuesday, November 3, whether he likes it or not."

Representative Mark Takano (D), via rep: "No, Rep. Mark Takano does not support delaying the November 3rd election."

Representative Alan Lowenthal (D): "Unlike President Trump, I understand that the U.S. Constitution gives the power to set the date of presidential elections to Congress. It will take a federal law, passed by Congress, to change the date. I oppose any suggestion of moving the Nov. 3 election date."

Representative Mike Levin (D): "No."

COLORADO

Senator Michael Bennet (D): "This is so dangerous. Americans and elected officials at every levelfrom every partymust reject this unprecedented threat to our democracy and stand up for the integrity of our elections. Colorado has voted by mail for years. We have the second-highest voter turnout in America."

Representative Diana DeGette (D): "No."

Representative Jason Crow (D): "No."

Representative Ed Perlmutter (D): "No."

CONNECTICUT

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D): "No king for America. Trump suggesting indefinite delay in the electionabsolutely jaw dropping arrogance. Unconscionable & unconstitutional. Delaying the election is totally unnecessary and illegalenabling a dictator. Only Trump would have the gall to even think it."

Representative Rosa DeLauro (D): "No."

FLORIDA

Senator Rick Scott (R), via rep: "Senator Rick Scott does not support postponing the election."

Senator Marco Rubio (R), previous statement forwarded by staff: He can suggest whatever he wants. The law is what it is. Were going to have an election thats legitimate, its going to be credible, its going to be the same as weve always done it...Were going to have an election in November. And people should have confidence in it.

Representative John Rutherford (R): "No."

Representative Al Lawson (D), via rep: "Representative Lawson is not for delaying it."

Representative Darren Soto (D): "NO."

Representative Val Demings (D), via rep: "You can't be serious? The answer is no."

Representative Ted Deutch (D): "No."

Representative Donna Shalala (D), via rep: "Rep. Shalala is not in favor of postponing the election."

GEORGIA

Senator David Perdue (R): The election is going to be November 3rd. The right to vote is fundamental, and every legally eligible voter should have the opportunity to freely cast their ballot as scheduled."

IDAHO

Senator Mike Crapo (R): "The election will proceed as scheduled on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. I trust Idaho election officials to ensure proper safety protocols to ensure all eligible Idaho citizens have access to the ballot box this November.



ILLINOIS

Senator Richard Durbin (D): "The President doesnt have the power to delay an election and he knows it. Instead of trying to distract from his failures by delegitimizing upcoming election, Pres. Trump should focus on building an effective response to pandemic that has killed 150,000 Americans and devastated the economy."

Representative Mike Quigley (D), via rep: "The Congressman would emphatically oppose any delay of the election."

Representative Sean Casten (D): Weve held elections in the middle of the Civil War, World War II, and the Spanish Flu pandemic. We will hold an election on November 3rd and the president doesnt have the power to change that. Vote by mail is proven to be a safe and secure method of casting ballots. If the president actually cared about our democratic institutions, he would be calling to expand vote by mail, not using the election as a justification for a lawless power grab.

Representative Danny Davis (D): "I am not in favor of the proposal. If it comes to the House floor for a vote, I will vote no. This is just unprecedented. There is no such precedent in the history of the country, whether war, famine, or diseaseeven the Spanish flu. It has been tens or hundreds of times worse than the epidemic we are facing now, and we didn't postpone the election, even for a day. There is just no call to do this. It's possible to vote safely by mail. There is no reasonno honest reasonto postpone the election."

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D), via rep: "Congressman Krishnamoorthi does NOT favor delaying the election."

Representative Jan Schakowsky (D): The power to set the date of the election, and the power to change that, lies only with the Congress. I join with my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, who have said today that there is no reason to delay the election. Through our nations most challenging times, including during the Civil War, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and in the wake of terrorist attacks, Americans have voted. This year will be no different. We will vote in November regardless of what the President says. It is our job as Members of Congress to ensure that our citizens can safely and securely vote, and vote from home if they so choose.

Representative Bradley Schneider (D): "Donald Trump cannot delay the election. Congress set the national election date by law in 1845, and only Congress can change the date. Weve held elections during the Civil War, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and even the Spanish Flu Pandemic."

Representative Rodney Davis (R): "There will be no delay. Congress sets the election date, and it should not be changed. It will be held on November 3rd, as planned and required by law."

Representative Cheri Bustos (D): "It's no accident the President is suggesting we delay the election. It's dangerous and undermines the sanctity of our democratic process. Protecting the right to vote is patrioticnot partisan. I'll always stand for Americans' right to safely cast their ballot."

KENTUCKY

Senator Mitch McConnell (R), previous statement forwarded by staff: 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 November 3rd...We will cope with whatever the situation is, and have the election on November 3rd as already scheduled.

Senator Rand Paul (R): "The 1845 Presidential Election Day Act sets the date for federal elections and can only be changed by an act of Congress.

Representative John Yarmuth (D): I dont want to suffer one more day of a Trump administration than the law requires. The election will be held on November 3rd.

MAINE

Senator Susan Collins (R): "President Trump does not have the authority to delay the November election, and I do not believe that Congress should do so."

Senator Angus King (I): "The Constitution clearly gives the authority to set election dates to Congress, not the Presidentbecause the Founders feared a moment exactly like this one. For the good of the nation, all Americans, regardless of their politics, should concentrate on a safe, secure election on November 3, whether in-person or by mail."



MARYLAND

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D): The President may be scared of an election, but our country is not. Todays tweet was another desperate ploy to sow confusion and spread misinformation from a man whos distraught over his poll numbers, which have continued to tank in response to his failed leadership on the COVID-19 pandemic. The President does not have the authority to move our elections, and they will take place as scheduled.

Representative C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D): "Do as I say, not as I do, is the MO of this President, who has no authority to postpone an election. This reeks of desperation. Many states use mail-in ballots without any evidence of fraud. Voter fraud is a hoax!"

MASSACHUSETTS

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D): "The election will be held on November 3rd. Donald Trump has no authority to delay the electionbut that doesnt make what hes doing any less dangerous. Ive called on the heads of Justice, Defense, Homeland Security and Interior to not allow their departments to be turned into Trumps own personal militia, especially in the event Trump loses the election in November and refuses to leave office peacefully."

Senator Ed Markey (D), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "Donald Trump is lying. Voting by mail is safe and legitimate. We cannot and will not let this authoritarian criminal delay our election, undermine our democracy, and silence the American people."

Representative James McGovern (D), via rep: "His answer is not just no, its hell no."

Representative Lori Trahan (D): "Election Day is November 3rd. A tweet isn't going to change that."

Representative Ayanna Presley (D): "More dangerous, desperate bluster from the Occupant of the White House. Election day cannot, shall not, and will not be changed. Full stop."

MICHIGAN

Senator Gary Peters (D): "Free and fair elections are not only a cornerstone of our democracy but part of our Constitution. Federal law mandates when our elections are held and the President can't change the election dateElection Day will be on November 3rd. As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I'm working to ensure our election is safe, secure, and fair. Instead of sowing distrust and misinformation, the President must be a partner in the effort to confront the Coronavirus pandemic. There's a lot more we must do, and that starts with coming together and passing a bipartisan relief package to support Michigan families, workers, small businesses, hospitals and cash-strapped state and local governments."

Representative Debbie Dingell (D): "Fortunately, the president does not have the authority to do what he is proposing. I am at John Lewis funeral where we are reminded of his words: 'For the Love of God, please vote!'

Representative Rashida Tlaib (D), via rep: "Rep. Tlaib does not support delaying the election."

Representative Brenda Lawrence (D): The right to vote is a key tenet of our democracy. President Trump has continually taken actions to undermine our democracy, so it should come as no surprise that he is spreading false and misleading information about the safest way for Americans to vote during this public health crisis: vote-by-mail. In the midst of a global pandemic, states have rightfully enacted measures to expand vote-by-mail to ensure the protection of both their voters and poll workers. Over the past few months, as states were forced to close polling locations, mask-wearing Americans have waited hours in lines stretching city blocks to cast their votes. While their resilience is laudable, the simple fact remains that no American should be forced to choose between their health and participating in our democracy. Whether by tweet or during an interview, President Trump continues to falsely claim that the 2020 election will be rigged, going so far as to say he may not accept the election results if he loses. Instead of peddling baseless conspiracy theories, the administration should encourage all Americans to participate in the upcoming election via mail as we struggle to contain COVID-19. No matter how many times the President repeats his claims, they will not be true. Voting by mail is safe and secure, and any suggestion to the contrary is nothing more than another attempt to suppress the vote of the American people.

MINNESOTA

Representative Angie Craig (D): "Absolutely not. There will be an election on November 3rd, and you can sign up for your vote by mail ballot here."

Representative Pete Stauber (R), via rep: "The Congressman does not support delaying the election."

MISSISSIPPI

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), via rep: "Senator Hyde-Smith has confidence in the ability of our states election officials to conduct a general election this fall that safeguards the integrity of Mississippians right to vote while protecting voters and election workers."

Representative Bennie Thompson (D): "We dont delay elections because the President is scared of losing.

Representative Michael Guest (R), via rep: "Because Congressman Guest is confident that our state election officials are prepared to take the proper precautions to protect Americans at the ballot box in November, he does not think it is necessary to delay the election."

MONTANA

Senator Jon Tester (D): The President has no more power to delay an election than a farmer has the power to delay harvest season. Our focus should be on ensuring everyone has the ability to safely vote, not sowing division and doubt in our democracy. Ill continue to work with my colleagues to provide the resources local officials need to uphold our proud American tradition of free and fair elections.

NEBRASKA

Senator Deb Fischer (R): On November 3rd, the American people will exercise their right to vote. I do not support delaying the election."

Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R): Elections in Nebraska, either in person or by mail, are secure.

NEVADA

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D), via rep: "Senator Cortez Masto does not support delaying the election."

Senator Jacky Rosen (D): No. The Constitution is clear. We must have elections the first Tuesday after the 1st of November every four years."

Representative Steven Horsford (D): Unequivocally, no. There is no substantial reason to delay the November election. Vote by Mail is a perfectly safe way for all Americans to vote, especially in the midst of this pandemic touching so many."

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Senator Maggie Hassan (D): Election Day will be November 3rd. The United States of America has never delayed a presidential election, including during the Civil War and World War II, and the President does not have the power to do so. I urge my Republican colleagues to speak out against the Presidents dangerous suggestion and provide additional support to states to ensure that all voters can safely exercise their fundamental right to vote."

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "The President is not above the law or the Constitution. Theres going to be an election on Nov 3rd and the President needs to stop spreading election misinformation, particularly about mail-in voting. Its imperative that R's join D's in condemning this reckless rhetoric."

Representative Chris Pappas (D): "The Presidents tweet suggesting that we delay the election is reckless, irresponsible, and against the law. It serves only to undermine our most sacred institution. In accordance with state law and public health recommendations, this election will look and feel different in order to allow voters and poll workers to remain safe. But I have every confidence in the ability of New Hampshires local election officials to ensure we will vote safely and securely on November 3rd. I urge President Trump to stop spreading disinformation and commit unequivocally to upholding the rule of law for our elections.



NEW JERSEY

Senator Cory Booker (D), via rep: "Sen. Booker does NOT support delaying the Nov 3 election."

Senator Bob Menendez (D): No.



Representative Mikie Sherrill (D), via rep: "Rep. Sherrill spoke out forcefully against."

Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), via rep: Rep. Watson Coleman does not support delaying the election."

NEW MEXICO

Senator Martin Heinrich (D), via rep: "Senator Heinrichs response is 'no.'"

Senator Tom Udall (D): There is no way that the president can legally delay the election. We shouldn't let him distract us from his incompetence in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. But the fact that he is even suggesting it is a serious, chilling attack on the democratic process. All members of Congressand the administrationshould speak out. As I said in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing with Secretary Pompeo, it has been bipartisan consensus in U.S. foreign policy for generations to promote democracy abroad and urge respect for the outcome of legitimate democratic elections. It is beyond the pale that the president would repeatedly and intentionally attack the integrity of American democracy for all to see. The presidents statements will have consequences that are profoundly negative and far-reaching. These statements should be immediately met with universal condemnation by all American leaders.



NEW YORK

Senator Chuck Schumer (D): No.

Representative Nydia Velazquez (D): "Donald Trump does not have the authority to change our election date. Under the constitution, only Congress can do so."

Representative Jerrold Nadler (D):  Lets be clear: Trump does not have the ability to delay the election. Our elections are enshrined in the Constitution. The Constitution also says that if the date of the election is to be changed, it must be changed by Congress.

Representative Max Rose (D): Hell no.

Representative Adriano Espaillat (D), via rep: "Congressman Espaillat is not in favor of delaying the election and stands with House Democrats and Speaker Pelosi to reiterate that only Congress may determine the date and time of the election, per Article II, Section 1 of the United States Constitution."

Representative Jose Serrano (D), via rep: He would not be in favor.

Representative Eliot Engel (D), via rep: Rep. Engel would not delay the election.

"The President voted by mailhe just doesnt want everyone to be able to do the same."

NORTH CAROLINA

Representative G. K. Butterfield (D): This is another outrageous attack on our most fundamental rights and institutions by this president. The president, again, falsely and without any evidence claims that mail-in voting this November will be fraudulent and inaccurate. This ridiculous statement was made despite his, along with many other officials in his administration, use of mail-in voting. He absolutely has no authority to change our election date and Congress will not do it for him. The American people will speak loudly and clearly on November 3."

Representative George Holding (R): I dont support delaying the election in November.

Representative Alma Adams (D): Donald Trump wants to cancel the election because a strong majority of voters are planning to cancel the Trump Presidency in November, but our voices cannot and will not be silenced. Lets make sure were registered to vote so we can vote from home starting in September.

Representative Ted Budd (R), via rep: "Rep. Budd does not favor changing the date of the November election."

OHIO

Senator Sherrod Brown (D): The President cannot delay the election, period. Sowing doubts about our election is dangerous. The President voted by mailhe just doesnt want everyone to be able to do the same. This underscores the need to secure our elections, and make it easier for Ohioans to vote in all forms, including by mail and early or day-of in-person voting.

Senator Rob Portman (R), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "As I told reporters earlier today after the idea was raised, I don't support moving the election date. During wars, pandemics, and other emergencies, Congress has never postponed an election. Let's work together to ensure it's safe and secure."

Representative Tim Ryan (D), via rep: Rep. Tim Ryan would not be in favor of that.



Representative Steve Stivers (R): There is no reason to delay our election, end of story. The process is secure, and I encourage all Ohioans to make their plan to vote by November 3rd, either by mail, or in person in a safe, socially distanced manner.

Representative Anthony Gonzalez (R): "I do not support moving the date of the election. I have full faith that Ohios Secretary of State, Frank LaRose, will ensure Ohioans have a safe, fair, and on-time election that is free from fraud."

OKLAHOMA

Senator James Lankford (R): November 3rd is election day.

OREGON



Senator Ron Wyden (D), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "These are the musings of a wannabe tyrant. Ive said it before & Ill say it again: every Republican Senator that voted against removing Trump from office is responsible for his escalating abuses of power. Election Day is November 3rd. Trump and his armed goons wont change that."

Senator Jeff Merkley (D), via rep: "Sen. Merkley is unequivocally opposed to moving the date of the election, or any other attempts to rig or manipulate the result. We have a safe way to hold an election during a pandemica system Oregon has been using very successfully for two decadesand its called vote by mail."



PENNSYLVANIA

Senator Bob Casey (D), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "The Constitution grants Congress the power to regulate federal elections. Any change would require a federal statute passed by both the House and Senate. Despite his autocratic inclinations, the President lacks the power to unilaterally change the date of the election."

Senator Pat Toomey (R): I do not support moving the presidential election and the president does not have the unilateral authority to do so. However, 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.

Representative Dwight Evans (D): Trump votes by mail. He just doesnt want you to. The election WILL NOT be delayed. Hes just desperate to distract from this: the economy shrank by a THIRD from April to June."

Representative Madeleine Dean (D): "No."

Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (D): "Two things Id like to clear up this morning: 1) Voting by mail is safe and secure. 2) The President cant move an election. Only Congress has the power to do that."

Representative Mike Doyle (D), via rep: "Congressman Doyle is NOT in favor of delaying the election."

RHODE ISLAND

Senator Jack Reed (D): President Trump doesnt have the authority to change the election date, but he does have the power to help ensure a free, fair, and transparent election. If he truly cares about our democracy and safe and secure elections, hed stop opposing aid to states for enhanced election security. Hed stop making false attacks on mail-in ballots. And hed ensure there are safe voting options and effective auditing measures in place. He would also join the non-partisan Intelligence communitys findings and take decisive action against foreign nations seeking to subvert our elections.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D): "A president cannot legally move the election without approval from Congress, and the end of the presidents term is spelled out in the Constitution. President Trump is sowing confusion about bedrock principles of our democracy to distract from an accelerating pandemic, a massive economic contraction, and his campaigns sinking poll numbers."

SOUTH CAROLINA

Senator Tim Scott (R): In this country, the presidential election is on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. I look forward to casting my vote on November 3 with my fellow Americans."



SOUTH DAKOTA

Representative Dusty Johnson (R): "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."

TENNESSEE

Senator Lamar Alexander (R): Weve had elections during wars. Weve had elections during depressions. Weve had elections during civil unrest. We should have our elections when its scheduled in November, and Im sure we will.



TEXAS

Representative Al Green (D): "No."

Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D): "Donald Trump and William Barr have no authority to delay the election. Any attempt to do so would be unprecedented and unconstitutional. I agree we must work to secure the election. In order to do that, we must provide the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the U.S. Postal Service, and state and local governments adequate resources to maintain the integrity of the democratic process, ensure the timely delivery of all mail-in ballots, and protect the health and safety of every voter. I will also continue to press the state of Texas to permit vote-by-mail for all Texans. Denying vote-by-mail threatens the safety of poll workers, voters and forces individuals to choose between their health and disenfranchisement.

"More dangerous, desperate bluster from the Occupant of the White House. Election day cannot, shall not, and will not be changed."

Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D): "Not delaying."

Representative Henry Cuellar (D): The date of our elections is set in statute as the Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November, which this year is November 3. The Constitution states that only Congress can change the date of our elections. My colleagues and I in Congress will never consider changing the date of our election to accommodate the Presidents response to the coronavirus pandemic. We cannot give credence to the misinformation he spreads regarding the safety and validity of voting by mail. America has never postponed a presidential electionnot through two World Wars, a Civil War, the Spanish flu, or terrorist attacks. As a nation, we will move forward and vote this November. As a senior Member of the Appropriations Committee, I helped secure $3.6 billion in the Heroes Act to help state and local governments prepare for upcoming elections by expanding vote-by-mail and early in-person voting to reduce crowding on Election Day. I urge the Senate to pass this legislation now to ensure the integrity and security of our elections.



UTAH

Senator Mitt Romney (R): Mail-in voting works in our state extremely well. The great thing about it is that you have a paper document so that if you need to do a recount, you dont have to worry about machines having been tampered with, so Im a fan of voting by mail. Secondly, of course, we are going to have an election on time. Its unthinkable that that would not be the case.



VERMONT

Senator Bernie Sanders (I), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "No, Mr. President. We are not going to postpone the presidential election. Read the Constitution (for once). On Nov. 3, the American people will decide upon your disastrous administration and reject your authoritarianism, lies and racism. You will lose. Bye, bye."

Senator Patrick Leahy (D), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "The President is attempting to undermine the legitimacy of the electionand indeed our democracyby promoting an utterly baseless, hypocritical, and dangerous conspiracy theory. All leaders, Democrats and Republicans alike, must condemn his selfish recklessness and do so NOW."

VIRGINIA

Senator Tim Kaine (D): It goes without saying that the President doesnt have the authority to delay an election. The Presidents threat to do so is a threat to the Constitution and another alarming attempt to abuse his power. At President Trumps impeachment trial, I warned my Republican colleagues, An acquittal will lead to worse conduct. With today's tweet, that appears to be true.

Senator Mark Warner (D): Never in our countrys historynot even during the Civil War or World War IIhas there been a move to delay the election for president. Moreover, under the Constitution, only Congress has the power to change the date of the election, which it will not do. This is a distraction from more important issues.

WASHINGTON

Senator Maria Cantwell (D): Im kind of questioning whether the heat of Washington D.C. has gotten to people. Clearly it has been a record July here with ninety-plus degree temperatures every day. But the notion that we should somehow cancel the election in the fall, I think, is either the heat of the moment, or just clear wrong-headedness."

Senator Patty Murray (D), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "1. You dont have the power to set electionsperiod. 2. Voting-by-mail, like we do in WA, is legitimate, safe, & secure. 3. Its too dangerous to hold the election in November, but you want to force schools to re-open in the fall? Which is it?"

Representative Rick Larsen (D): "I normally do not respond to the crazy that flows from the presidents mouth, but his idea of delaying the election is: a non-starter; an attempted distraction from his horrible polling numbers; a diversion from his inept handling of the pandemic; and another weak attempt to undermine the integrity of the vote by attacking mail-in balloting. Repeat after me: Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Not a day before and not a day after."

WEST VIRGINIA

Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R): I do not believe we should change the date of the election. West Virginia conducted a fair primary in June, and I have every confidence that our Secretary of State Mac Warner and our 55 county clerks can do the same thing in November. Part of having a fair process is that everyone knows in advance when elections are going to be held, and I do not believe we should lose that consistency."

Senator Joe Manchin (D), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "Free and fair elections are at the heart of our democracy. We should NOT delay the upcoming election - it's never been done and it should never be done. Many Republican senators and congresspeople have been doing mail-in ballots for a long time and feel very secure in doing it."



WISCONSIN

Senator Tammy Baldwin (D), via Twitter as forwarded by rep: "No @realDonaldTrump, the election is not going to be delayed. The American people are going to vote and take back our Democracy to bring about the change they want and need."

Representative Mark Pocan (D): "The President has no authority to move this electionthat power belongs to Congress only. This mornings declaration by tweet was nothing more than an attempt to distract us from his disastrous response to this global pandemic that has resulted in 4.4 million U.S. cases, 150,000 deaths and a thirty-three percent decline in the U.S. economy reported today. Unfortunately, weve seen this President consistently tear apart our democracy in an authoritarian power-grab that has escalated over the last few monthsfrom his violent military response to peaceful protesters to todays autocratic suggestion to delay his own election. America is not a fascist nation, we dont want a dictator in the Oval Office, and our election will be on November 3.
Two New Jersey high school seniors placed in the top five in a prestigious national science and math competition.

The students placed second and fifth and took home thousands of dollars in awards for their creations in this years Regeneron Science Talent Search.

Each year, around 2,000 entrants submit original research in critically important scientific fields of study and are judged by leading experts in their fields, according to a release from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the Society for Science & the Public.

The top winner of $250,000 was a Los Alamos, New Mexico student, but second place and $175,000 went to Jagdeep Bhatia, 18, of Green Brook, who attended Watchung Hills Regional High School.

He developed two machine learning algorithms for computer programs that are attempting to learn new concepts under the tutelage of an instructor, either a computer or human, according to the release.

His algorithms do not only ask random questions but, like a savvy detective, ask just the right ones, the release stated. His AI algorithms could help train robots and other automated devices faster and easier.

Congratulations to Jagdeep on winning second place in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2020, said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science & the Public and Publisher of Science News. His ambition to improve the efficiency of machine learning algorithms is inspiring, and we are eager to see how his research advances the future of automation and shapes the future of work.

Anaiah Thomas of Teaneck took home fifth place in the 2020 Regeneron Science Talent Search competition.Regeneron Science Talent Search

Fifth place went to Anaiah Thomas of Teaneck, who attends Bergen County Academies and received a $90,000 award for her investigation on how the natural killer (NK) immune cells, CD56bright and CD56dim, are influenced by cancer cells.

CD56bright NK cells stop CD56dim NK cells from attacking healthy tissue, the release stated. When Anaiah cultured these NK cells together with cancer-derived fibroblast cells that can stimulate changes in their function, she found that NK cells can switch type based on their microenvironment.

For the first time in its 78-year history, the competition took place virtually, in order to keep finalists and their families safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A virtual ceremony was held on July 29 where all the winners were announced.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Columbus Energy Resources PLC - oil and gas exploration, development and production company headquartered in London - Has been temporarily suspended from trading on AIM from Friday morning, at its own request, ahead of merger with Bahamas Petroleum.

Current stock price: 1.89 pence

Year-to-date change: down 47%

By Greg Roxburgh; gregroxburgh@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
San Antonio, TX, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Biglari Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BH.A; BH) announces its results for the second quarter and first six months of 2020.

Biglari Holdings Inc.'s earnings for the second quarter and first six months of 2020 and 2019 are summarized below. To become fully apprised of our results, shareholders should carefully study our 10-Q, which has been posted at www.biglariholdings.com.

(dollars in thousands)















Second Quarter

First Six Months

2020

2019

2020

2019















Pre-tax operating earnings (loss) $ (4,894)

$ (6,328)

$ (15,213)

$ (28,920) Investment gains 60,757

34,198

(114,985)

68,352 Gains on debt extinguishment 1,367

-

5,713

- Income tax (expense) benefit (14,764)

(5,896)

29,066

(7,640) Net earnings (loss) $ 42,466

$ 21,974

$ (95,419)

$ 31,792







June 30, 2020

June 30, 2019

Class A equivalent shares outstanding 620,592

620,592

Analysis of Results

Investments affect our reported quarterly earnings based on their carrying value. We do not regard the quarterly or annual fluctuations in our investments to be meaningful. Therefore, our operating businesses are best analyzed before the impact of investment gains. As a consequence, in the preceding table we separate earnings of our operating businesses from our investment gains.

About Biglari Holdings Inc.

Biglari Holdings Inc. is a holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities, including property and casualty insurance, media and licensing, restaurants, and oil and gas. The Company's largest operating subsidiaries are involved in the franchising and operating of restaurants.

Comment on Regulation G

This press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures. In addition to the GAAP presentations of net earnings, Biglari Holdings defines pre-tax operating earnings outside of the investment gains/losses of the Company.

Risks Associated with Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These statements are based on current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ markedly from those projected or discussed here. Biglari Holdings cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, for actual results may differ materially from expectations. Biglari Holdings does not update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied therein will not be realized. Further information on the types of factors that could affect Biglari Holdings and its business can be found in the Company's filings with the SEC.

SOURCE Biglari Holdings Inc.

Related Links

http://www.biglariholdings.com




GENEVA (dpa-AFX) - Swiss luxury goods group Compagnie Financiere Richemont AG (CFRUY.PK) Friday announced shareholder loyalty scheme, under which tradable warrants will be issued to shareholders.



This will allow them either to trade the warrant or, subject to the terms and conditions of the warrants, acquire new Richemont A shares in three years at a potentially beneficial exercise price.



The company on May 15 had said that its Board of Directors would propose a dividend of CHF 1.00 per A share / CHF 0.10 per B share at the upcoming AGM and that it was considering an equity-based shareholder loyalty scheme. The 2020 Annual General Meeting will be held on September 9.



The exercise price will be set on the basis of the volume-weighted average market price of the Richemont A shares before the 2020 AGM. The maturity of the warrants will be set at three years.



This will allow shareholders who hold the warrants until maturity to benefit from any potential upside in the market price of the Richemont A shares during the lifetime of the warrants.



Further, in connection with the issuance of the warrants, the company will ask shareholders at the upcoming 2020 Annual General Meeting to approve conditional share capital increase.



The company would also ask them to authorise the issuance of a corresponding number of new shares upon exercise of the warrants.



Johann Rupert, Chairman of Richemont, said, 'We are currently facing an unprecedented global health crisis. Predicting the likely scope and timing of a recovery in demand remains difficult, if not impossible. ... the Board of Directors has decided that it is appropriate to retain an extra liquidity buffer with a reduced dividend level while awarding shareholders a supplementary benefit that will allow them to capture any ultimate improvement in global conditions.'



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV) announced today that it has successfully obtained a modification from U.S. Customs and Border Protection ("CBP") of an existing Withhold Release Order ("WRO") on all imports of tobacco from Malawi into the United States. The modification, effective July 31, 2020, excludes the Company's Malawi subsidiary, Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company Ltd. ("Limbe Leaf"), from the WRO and confirms that tobacco imported from Limbe Leaf is admissible at all U.S. ports of entry.

CBP issued the WRO on November 1, 2019, based on a suspicion that forced labor was used in Malawi to produce the country's tobacco crop. The Company immediately engaged with CBP and subsequently filed a comprehensive explanation of Limbe Leaf's supply chain social compliance program, its efforts to identify and minimize the risks of forced labor on contracted farms from which it purchases tobacco in Malawi, and its ability to trace such tobacco once processed and shipped from the shipping vessel back to the individual farms on which it was produced. CBP rigorously evaluated the Company's filing and concluded that Limbe Leaf's program and on-farm efforts produced evidence that sufficiently supported the Company's claims that tobacco purchased from Limbe Leaf is not produced or harvested using forced labor.

George C. Freeman, III, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation, said he was pleased with CBP's decision. "Universal Corporation is committed to the sustainable production of tobacco. Our commitment is evidenced by our Agricultural Labor Practices program and other sustainability policies, and by the implementation and maintenance of those programs and policies by our operations around the world. We are proud of Limbe Leaf's dedication to the sustainable production of tobacco in Malawi, and we appreciate CBP's recognition of those efforts."

Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV), headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, sources, processes, and supplies agri-products. Tobacco has been our principal focus since our founding in 1918, and we are the leading global leaf tobacco supplier. We conduct business in more than 30 countries on five continents. Our revenues for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, were $1.9 billion. For more information on Universal Corporation, including information about our sustainability programs and policies, visit our website at www.universalcorp.com.

SOURCE Universal Corporation

Related Links

http://www.universalcorp.com


Buyers were already facing the prospect of wading into a low-inventory market as 2020 rolled around, and COVID-19 did its part to make even more supply disappear, either by forcing sellers to keep their homes off the market, stalling the construction of new product, or by lowering rates to the point where buyers felt compelled to take advantage of them.

Lewis fears that the rise in COVID-19 cases now being seen will cause sellers to question letting prospective buyers into their homes, further limiting supply and dampening sales, but still driving prices higher.

Buyers are so eager to buy, Lewis says. Its sellers who are reluctant to jump into the market.

The rollicking refi boom that kicked off in February and March was both a blessing and a curse to lenders, who gladly accepted the profits but struggled under incredible capacity strains to do so. In Lewis mind, refinancing will continue to become less attractive as the year goes on. Most of the people looking to refinance have likely already done so, and rates arent expected to decline far enough to trigger another surge in demand.

It is slowly fading away right now, but youre still going to see that more than half of loan applications will be refinances for months. Its above 60 percent now, and I see it being above 50 percent for the rest of the year, Lewis says.
Parents, if you feel a little confused over the different COVID-19 protocols for the top Texas universities, don't stress. We've developed a quick guide to clear that up. With Texas universities now preparing for students to return to campus, it's crucial that all students, faculty and staff are protected with the proper COVID-19 guidelines.

The University of Texas

Students are being asked to self-quarantine at home for 14 days before returning to campus. Access complete details, guidance here.

Texas A&M

Texas A&M will provide free COVID-19 testing for students, faculty and staff at 11 campuses in Texas. Texas A&M officials are asking students and faculty to complete COVID-19 certification and training by Tuesday, August 11. The university is encouraging students, faculty and staff to get tested if they have experienced COVID-19 symptoms. Access complete details, guidance here.

$1.6M SHOPPING SPREE: Houston entrepreneur accused of spending $1.6M in CARES Act money on Lamborghini, strip clubs

University of Houston

According to the University of Houston, only 17% of all registered students are enrolled in face-to-face class. No more than 4,500 students will be on campus at any given time, compared to 30,000 last fall.

UH is requiring that all of its employees complete COVID-19 training and a self-health screening as well as get approval from their supervisor before being allowed to work on campus. Access complete details, guidance here.

Rice University

According to Rice University officials, students will have a staggered move-in to the university. Houston-area students can begin to move in their belongings, starting August 12th. They will then return to campus on the morning of August 16. Those students who are not in the Houston-area will begin their move-in on August 15th. Access complete details, guidance here.

Baylor University

Baylor University is slated to begin its fall semester on August 24. The school requires that all students must provide negative COVID test results before they are allowed back to campus. Access complete details, guidance here.

Houston Community College

Houston Community Colleges fall semester will start on August 24th. However, all classes will meet remotely for the first six weeks. Students, faculty and staff can learn about all of the safety measures and protocols in place across campus with this guidance.

Houston Baptist University

HBU is slated to start its fall semester on August 24th with a combination of in-person, hybrid, remote and online courses which will continue through December 11th. Access complete details, guidance here.

Blinn College

Blinn College has made a few changes for the Fall semester to ensure that the school provides a safe environment for students and employees. These changes include a new self-certification, an expanded selection of 4-and 8-week courses as well as online and blended courses. Access complete details, guidance here.

Lone Star College

Lone Star College is also slated to begin with online classes and hybrid classes on August 24th. Check the school's COVID-19 safety protocols here, including mask requirements and temperature checks.

Prairie View A&M

According to Prairie View A&M officials, students must complete the Student COVID-19 Certification training by August 20th. Access complete details, guidance here.

San Jacinto College

San Jacinto College has developed a comprehensive COVID-19 strategy, including a different status levels that correspond to the current state of the pandemic. The college is now operating on Level 3, which is the highest level of precaution. Access details, guidance here.

University of St. Thomas

University of St. Thomas will begin their fall semester on August 24th with a blend of in-person and online options. The school has a "Healthy Celts" coronavirus prevention plan. Access details, guidance here.

Texas Christian University

If Texas Christian students need immediate answers about health questions, they have access to a live chat feature in TCUs COVID-19 guide.

Texas Tech University

Texas Tech has decided to adjust student billing this fall, since students won't have complete access to campus resources. It's now waiving its Online Distance Education Fee. Note: There will also be a limited number of on-campus housing units for students that test positive or have come in contact with a positive individual, to self-isolate for 14 days. Access details, guidance here.

Texas Southern University

According to Texas Southern officials, classes will begin on August 19th online and continue that way through at least September 14th. Access details, guidance here.

Texas State University

Texas State University students are being asked to quarantine 14 days before returning to campus. The university is also providing flexible online learning options for students to reduce crowding in classrooms. Access details, guidance here.
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and several US lawmakers have joined the Sikh community to remember the victims of the 2012 tragic Oak Creek gurdwara shootout, urging the people to reduce gun violence and give hate no safe harbour.

On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist opened fire inside the Oak Creek gurdwara in Winconsin, killing six people.

A Sikh priest, who received injuries in the shootout that left him paralysed, passed away in March this year.

"Eight years ago, a white supremacist targeted a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, WI - ultimately taking seven lives in an unspeakable act of terror," Biden, the former vice president, said in a statement on Thursday.

"To truly honour those we lost, it's up to all of us to stand up to bigotry in our lives, give hate no safe harbour, and reduce gun violence," Biden said as several US lawmakers joined the Sikh community in remembering the victims on the 8th anniversary of the attack.

The six victims killed included one woman: Paramjit Kaur, 41; and five men: Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, the founder of the gurdwara; Prakash Singh, 39; Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; and Suveg Singh Khattra, 84. All of the male victims wore turbans as part of their Sikh faith.

"Eight years ago today a white supremacist walked into a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, WI, fatally shooting 6 people. We just honoured El Paso and next week is the anniversary of Charlottesville. How much longer will the rising threat of white supremacy go virtually unaddressed?" Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris said in a tweet.

Congresswoman Judy Chu said, "eight years after the horrific murder of six Sikh Americans in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, we continue to remember the lives that were needlessly lost due to white supremacy and gun violence."

"Today, as our nation continues to grapple with systemic racism and inequality, it is more important than ever that we recommit ourselves to rejecting hate and intolerance in all forms.

"Whether it is a gurdwara in Oak Creek, a church in Charleston, a synagogue in Pittsburgh, or a Walmart in El Paso, an attack on any racial or religious community is an attack on us all. These acts of domestic terrorism do not reflect our values as a nation, and we must denounce violence and hatred wherever they arise," she said.

Congresswoman Grace Meng said this reminds of the everlasting impact of that day, as Sikh priest Baba Punjab Singh who passed away in March, rightly ruled a homicide due to his paralysing injuries from the Oak Creek shooting.

"On this anniversary, let us honour the- now seven-lives lost and come together to reject bigotry, hate, racism, and xenophobia, to ensure that all Americans, regardless of their race, religion, or country of origin, feel safe in the country we call home," she said.

According to Congressman Ted Lieu, this was a despicable act of hatred and violence.

"The dual epidemics of white supremacism and gun violence have torn apart families and communities across this country. 8 years ago today, the Sikh community was ravaged by that pain in Oak Creek, Wisconsin," said Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna.

"As we continue to stand up against bigotry and racism today, we remember the tragedy at Oak Creek Gurdwara eight years ago. That day we lost six Sikh-Americans to a senseless act of violence as they prayed together as a community. We remember their lives as we strive to make the United States a better, more tolerant and accepting society," said Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi.

"Especially, as we currently face a global pandemic and economic crisis, we must never let our fears or prejudices cloud our judgement and actions. We are in this together. The United States is proud to be a diverse nation where the kind of religious intolerance that took place at Oak Creek gurdwara has no place. By remembering the anniversary of Oak Creek gurdwara shooting, we recommit ourselves to the ideals of acceptance, equality, and mutual respect," he said.

"As we remember the victims of this horrific attack motivated by hate and bigotry, we must recommit ourselves to the fight against racism, xenophobia, and gun violence in our country," said congresswoman Barbara Lee.

Rajwant Singh, co-founder and senior adviser of the National Sikh Campaign, said the community is grateful that Biden took time from his busy campaign schedule to remind all Americans about the tragedy.

"Sikh community will remain indebted to the Oak Creek Police Department, Mayor of Oak Creek, Governor Scott Walker, US Department of Justice and President Barack Obama for their support to the community during this very difficult time. America lowered its flags in honour of these victims. Millions of Americans poured love and support to the Sikhs, for which the community will always remain grateful," he said.

In a statement, United Sikhs said that Sikh Americans continue to be the victims of hate crimes.

This year alone, there have been incidents of vandalism and hate. To name a few, on January 13 vandals painted a swastika. They wrote "white power" on a sign in front of Guru Maneyo Granth Gurdwara Sahib on Walnut Avenue in Orangevale, Sacramento County, California.

In a recent incident, on July 25, a Sikh community leader Amit Pal Singh, chairman of the Sikh Society of Central Florida, was a victim of hate language sprayed across his car, it said.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the school year is still beginning soon and parents, some of whom have been laid off due to the virus, are looking for school supplies in addition to food and financial support.

Multiple northwest Houston nonprofit groups are hosting events for families to receive free school supplies, including Cy-Fair Helping Hands, Northwest Assistance Ministries and Cypress Assistance Ministries.

Cy-Fair COVID Resources: Where to find school supplies, online bill assistance and food

Cypress Assistance Ministries

Cypress Assistance Ministries began distributing backpacks with school supplies for the appropriate grade level on Aug. 3 with a drive-thru model. Parents will show ID and proof of their students registration to receive the school supplies.

Drive-thru distribution of the supplies is Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. until Aug. 21. After August 21, clients can make an appointment with CAM to receive their school supplies.

Janet Ryan, director of development for CAM said the nonprofit is also in need of volunteers, financial support and donations in order to keep their resale store operating.

On HoustonChronicle.com: GOP Sen. John Cornyn supports stimulus checks for 'mixed status' Texas families

We also rely on the kindness of our community to feed the families who are coming to us for help, as well as those who are coming to us for backpacks and school supplies. So donations of those items are wonderful, Ryan said. We utilize all safety practices - we maintain social distancing and wear masks to help keep everyone safe. Volunteers are needed in many roles in the ministry and Im sure wed find the job that fits each person

Cypress Assistance Ministries serves families in the 77065, 77095, 77429 and 77433 ZIP codes, and is located at 11202 Huffmeister Rd. #5, Houston. For more information contact 281-955-7684 or visit www.cypressassistance.org.

Northwest Assistance Ministries

Along with online bill assistance and a food pantry, Northwest Assistance Ministries is partnering with Houston Food Bank and Spring ISD to provide for 2,500 families on Aug. 11, Aug. 25 and Sept. 8 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Planet Ford Stadium, 23802 Cypresswood Dr., Spring.

Families will be provided with free groceries on a first-come, first-serve basis while in their vehicle. Food includes fresh fruit and vegetables and non-perishable foods that will be placed in the car by a volunteer. Attendees are expected to wear a mask and bring their ID.

Volunteers are also needed for the event to provide food to the families in the area. For more information, call 281-885-4555 or email naminfo@namonline.org.

Cy-Fair Helping Hands

Cy-Fair Helping Hands is providing school supplies to clients that have utilized the nonprofits services since July for their annual Backpacks and School Supplies Campaign.

CFHH helps low-income and homeless families with food and opportunities for shelter and employment. CFHH is accepting donations of school supplies for the campaign through Aug. 18.

Patricia Hudson, executive director of community outreach for CFHH, said the event gave out more than 1,000 backpacks during the 2019 event. Although the nonprofit has received fewer donations than in previous years due to COVID-19 difficulties, the event is still expecting to provide more than 1,000 this year.

Thankfully the school district put off the start of school to Sept. 8 so that gives us a little more time to generate stuff, get some capital, do some ordering and get whatever we need, she said. Im hearing from (clients) I havent heard from since March and they want school supplies now. We cant do that. Its too much.

The Backpack and School Supply Campaign distribution events are scheduled for Aug. 26 and Aug. 29 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event, located at 7520 Cherry Park Dr. Ste. B, Houston, is first come, first serve and will run until supplies are gone.

CFHH is requesting that people drop off items for the Backpack and School Supply Campaign by Aug. 18. CFHH is asking for donations of school supplies, like pencils, markers, and Elmers glue sticks, for the event. CFHH is also in need of food donations for their ongoing food distribution event.

Cy-Hope

Cy-Hope volunteers will distribute 1,500 meals to Cy-Fair community members at Lone Star College-CyFair every Friday until August 14, beginning at 11 a.m. and ending when the food, provided by Houston Food Bank, is gone.

Cy-Hope Executive Director Lynda Zelenka said the event at LSC-CyFair will focus on feeding Cy-Fair families in low-income areas, which have been impacted more by unemployment due to COVID-19.

It would probably be anywhere from 40 to 60 pounds of food (per vehicle), she said. It will be a box of nonperishable food, a box of produce, meat and then usually juice or milk.

Cy-Hope is also hosting blood drives by appointment at The Hope Chest Resale Market and their headquarters in partner with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.

The next food distribution will be Aug. 14 at 11 a.m. For more information on the distribution and future dates, visit www.facebook.com/CyHopeTx/ .

Society of Samaritans

The Society of Samaritans, a nonprofit providing rent, mortgage and food assistance to local families and homeless people in the Magnolia area, is hosting a Back to School drive-thru drop-off food drive for students and families in Magnolia ISD.

Food can be dropped off at 31355 Friendship Drive, Magnolia from 5-7 p.m. on Aug. 11. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/Societyofsamaritans . Requested items include canned pasta, peanut butter and canned fruit.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Sri Lankas powerful Rajapaksa brothers secured a landslide victory in the parliamentary election, giving them nearly the two-thirds majority of seats required to make constitutional changes, according to results released Friday.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to be sworn in the same position by his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after the vote that could strengthen dynastic rule in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Sri Lanka Peoples Front has secured a resounding victory according to official results released so far, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a Twitter message as results were being released. It is my belief that that the expectation to have a Parliament that will enable the implementation of my vision for prosperity policy will be reality tomorrow, he said.

The Rajapaksas Sri Lanka Peoples Front won 145 seats in the 225-member Parliament while its main opponent obtained only 54 seats, the election commissions results showed. A party representing ethnic minority Tamils won 10 seats, and 16 others were split among 12 small parties.

The brothers need 150 seats, or control of two-thirds of seats in Parliament, to be able to change the constitution. At least four small parties collaborate with Rajapaksas party, so they appear to have mustered that support.

Jehan Perera, an analyst with independent think-tank National Peace Council, said while a win for the Rajapaksa brothers was expected the proportion of victory was not.

I thought there will be an erosion of votes (from the presidential election) and there will be some means of disillusionment at their performance, he said, adding that voters had demonstrated the need for a strong and cohesive government led by strong leaders who could easily work together.

He said they also seemed to have considered security issues because disunity between the president and prime minister of the then-government is blamed for a security let down that led to last years Easter bomb attacks.

However, analysts say any attempt by Gotabaya Rajapaksa to push for changes that will strengthen presidential power at the expense of those of the prime minister may trigger sibling rivalry.

Sri Lanka had been ruled by powerful executive presidents since 1978. But a 2015 constitutional amendment strengthened Parliament and the prime minister and put independent commissions in charge of judiciary appointments, police, public services and the conduct of elections.

Gotabaya was elected president last November after projecting himself as the only leader who could secure the country after the Islamic State-inspired bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday that killed 269 people. Since being elected, he has said he had to function under many restrictions because of the constitutional changes.

However, Mahinda Rajapaksa is unlikely to cede any of his powers that might shrink his influence as he works on promoting his son Namal as his heir. Namal and three other members of the Rajapaksa family contested the election and are likely to control key functions in the new administration.

The landslide victory also raises fears of weakening government institutions such as independent commissions for elections, police and public service.

Perera says while it is not clear whether the power shift will favour the president or prime minister, there is likely to be unanimity in weakening the independence of state institutions. He also said the government will likely be aiming at further reducing powers of provincial councils created for power sharing with minority ethnic Tamils, to allay the fears of majority Sinhalese who look at the councils as a means for division of the country.

A key feature in this election is the winner and runner-up being breakaway factions of the two of the oldest parties in the country that have held power for decades.

Rajapaksas Peoples Front is a breakaway faction from Sri Lanka Freedom Party that ruled the country many times from 1956, while the party that received the second highest number of seats is an offshoot of United National Party, considered the largest political party in Sri Lanka. Both the traditional parties managed to secure only a seat each.

UNP leader and four-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe lost an election for the first time since 1977 but is likely to be appointed to Parliament through the only seat the party secured on the national list.

More than 70% of the countrys more than 16 million eligible voters cast ballots in Wednesdays election, held under strict health guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The vote was postponed twice by the pandemic. Sri Lanka has largely contained the spread of the virus with 2,839 confirmed cases, including 11 deaths.

The U.S. Embassy in Colombo congratulated Sri Lanka for holding a peaceful, orderly election despite the pandemics challenges. It said it hoped the new government will renew its commitments to building an inclusive economic recovery, upholding human rights and the rule of law, and protecting the countrys sovereignty in a statement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called his counterpart to congratulate him even as results started trickling in in Rajapaksas favour.

___

Associated Press writer Bharatha Mallawarachi contributed to this report.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad in Kerala till August 11, even as at least five people were killed on Friday after a landslide in one of the districts.

Officials said the torrential rains triggered a massive landslide in the states Idukki district on Friday, trapping more than 80 people in a mound of slush and debris.

Rescuers retrieved at least five bodies and rushed to free more tea estate workers feared trapped under debris in a residential area in Rajamala area near Munnar, officials said. They added that at least 10 people have been rescued so far.

The area has been witnessing torrential rains since the last three days and has been totally cut off, local officials have said.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a tweet that a team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) has been deployed in the rescue efforts.

An NDRF team has been deployed to rescue the landslide victims in Rajamalai, Idukki. Police, Fire Force, Forest & Revenue officials have been instructed to join the rescue efforts. Another team of NDRF, based in Thrissur, will soon reach Idukki, Vijayan said.

E Chandrasekharan, the states revenue minister, said the injured could be airlifted for better treatment even as the government sought the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to evacuate the victims.

According to reports, another landslide took place on the way to the Sabarimala hill temple in Pathanamthitta.
On Thursday, Aug. 6, the White House officially released the signed Executive Order documents, saying Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat will soon be banned in the United States. It was, of course, signed by U.S. President Donald Trump. After a couple of hours, ByteDance, owner of TikTok, refuse to take the decision lightly and decided to challenge the Federal government to stop the charges, or else, they'll see this in court.





Trump signs E.O. TikTok ban

POTUS had finally released its decision to let go of the controversial Chinese app TikTok in all access in the country. On Thursday night, the Executive order was released in the media.

"The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People's Republic of China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," the executive order reads. "At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application, in particular, TikTok."

All the transactions with ByteDance and U.S. investors-- even Microsoft's plan to purchase the app-- are now required to be ended. They will be only be given at least 45 days or until Sept. 20. After this, TikTok will no longer be allowed in law to operate in the country.

It was no longer surprising that Pres. Trump immediately signed the order without taking too much time of consideration. After all, he was the leading voice against Chinese apps operations in the country, due to mentioned, 'national security threat.'

Obviously, the Chinese app won't accept this order.

ByteDance breaks silence amid ban

According to Engadget, ByteDance was 'shocked' when the E.O. documents were released on the news. They pinpoint that there was no 'due process' on the elimination of their app. The Chinese company warns that they will see to it, that someone will be punished in court, due to this decision.

"We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process," the company said. "We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly - if not by the Administration, then by the U.S. courts."

ByteDance also reiterated that TikTok has not done any data-collecting violations, that the Federal court has accused. TikTok has never shared user data with the Chinese government, nor censored content at its request, according to the press release.

They even added that the company is even open to partner with the U.S. investors in order to make this work. Unfortunately, Trump may not be able to change his mind at all.

ALSO READ: Anonymous Hackers Call TikTok App as 'Chinese Malware' So You Better Delete it Now

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Jamie Pancho





 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Bernie Sanders and John Kasich will share a night in the spotlight, and both Clintons are slated to have prominent speaking roles at the all-virtual Democratic National Convention in less than two weeks, multiple people familiar with the plans told POLITICO.

Others who've been tapped for coveted speaking slots during an event that's been shrunk down to eight prime-time hours over four nights are Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris and Jill Biden. And it goes without saying that the party's two most popular figures, Barack and Michelle Obama, will be featured prominently.

One source said Kasich  the former Republican governor of Ohio and a major critic of President Donald Trump  would appear on the same night as Sanders early in the week in a demonstration of unity. The duo would be designed to showcase a broad anti-Trump coalition that is backing Biden.

Democrats are also reaching out to well-known military veterans and Republicans known for their national security expertise for a portion of the convention devoted to foreign policy.

Convention organizers warned that planning is still in flux and details about themes, dates and speakers could still change, even though the event is only 10 days away.

Planning a Democratic convention without Democrats who are actually convening is the main challenge for the Democratic National Committee and the Biden campaign, and organizers are under intense pressure to produce a four-day television event that is engaging and entertaining but one that also conveys the gravity of the choice for voters in November.

"There won't be the hoopla. There won't be the cheering and yelling, said former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a friend of Biden. But people are interested and I think they'll listen. And because we have so many people who've been in the public eye this year and so many in the past, like the Obamas and the Clintons and people like that, we have a terrific lineup."

Story continues

On Friday afternoon, a fellow House member said people close to Ocasio-Cortez said she will get a primetime speaking role and deserves one because she is leading climate change policy for Biden, referring to the unity task force created by the former vice president and Sanders that she co-chaired. In response, Ocasio-Cortez spokeswoman Lauren Hitt declined to confirm or deny Ocasio-Cortezs inclusion in the virtual program, but said, No one close to the congresswoman said that.

But early this evening, the drama over whether Ocasio-Cortez was in or out was settled. A source familiar with convention planning confirmed to POLITICO that the congresswoman will have some role.

The names of other participants continued to leak out. Danica Roem, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates who is a transgender woman, will also have a role at the convention, according to multiple sources. Other Democrats briefed on convention planning added the names of three women considered to be potential Biden running mates. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth will all speak at the convention.

Other prominent Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will have roles. But given the time constraints  two hours of programming each night from August 17-20  the Biden campaign is making some ruthless cuts. Some high-profile Democrats do not yet have confirmed roles.

At recent conventions, when there was more than six hours of daily programming, lower-level elected officials filled the afternoon schedule. But this year, securing a speaking spot is a unique status symbol, and convention planners say they have had to turn down some big names.

We want to have as few elected officials as possible, said one Biden adviser. Every one of these politicians  they give them three minutes but then they take 15. We are trying to avoid that. There will be a lot of video and a lot of regular people.

Because the coronavirus pandemic has pushed planning to the last minute  convention organizers announced only this week that Biden would give his keynote speech in Delaware instead of Milwaukee  some aspects of the event are still being negotiated.

The news that Warren and fellow vice presidential contender Harris have already been given speaking roles at the convention, according to multiple sources, might lead to speculation that they have been crossed off of Bidens list of running mates. But some Democrats said it is not unusual to set aside spots for vice presidential finalists.

Historically, we slotted everyone who was a VP contender into the program. Then you switch them out if they are picked, said a person familiar with the lineup. How deep you go is a question. There are 10 people on the Biden list. But if they are a serious contender, they would have a spot. And my understanding is that they have already been slotted.

Harris spokesperson Sabrina Singh said, I have nothing to add at the moment.

There has been significant chatter in Democratic circles about whether the Clintons, who are both close to Biden, would have speaking roles. Some Democrats have grumbled that if Hillary Clinton earned a spot, then its hard to turn down other unsuccessful Democratic presidential nominees such as Al Gore and John Kerry, who is a close Biden friend.

Others have worried about showcasing Bill Clinton, who has spoken at every Democratic convention since 1980, in the #MeToo era. But several sources confirmed that both Clintons will speak.

I was curious how they were going to deploy the Clintons, said David Brock, a Clinton ally who created a pro-Clinton super PAC in 2016. Seems an all-hands-on-deck approach, which is good because they still have a strong fan base.

Both Clintons are expected to deliver their remarks live from their home in Chappaqua, N.Y., where they have had a studio, similar to Bidens modest basement setup, since April.

The Clintons will face the same unusual pandemic-related challenges as their fellow speakers. Is it safe to bring in tech teams to set up satellites and cameras? Will living rooms and home office studios look sufficiently august on TV? Perhaps, most important, how will speakers make up for the loss of a live crowd?

You dont have an audience to feed off," said one Democrat involved in preparations. Youre not going to stand at a podium in the middle of your living room. On the other hand, its not a fireside chat. You are trying to tell people we are in an existential crisis and need to get this guy out of office, and you cant do that from your La-Z-Boy.

Television networks are still unsure about coverage plans and concerned about how the speeches will look. Several people involved with planning either the convention or the news coverage pointed to the annual State of the Union as an instructive example. After the president delivers his address before Congress that features a roaring crowd and standing ovations, the opposition party typically serves up a politician standing stiffly behind a lectern or desk and delivering a teleprompter speech alone in a room with no audience feedback.

A convention has always been both about the candidates and the event  balloons dropping, people cheering, debates on the floor, said an executive at one of the big three networks. "All of that is going away.

He added, Watch the late-night shows to get a sense. Without an audience things feel different.  Its why they invented laugh tracks for sitcoms and why comedians are funnier doing stand-up.

The networks are under no obligation to carry the nightly two hours of programming from 9 to 11. We will probably only cover one hour, 10 to 11, said the executive. Well take the main speech each night.

Said another network official, We are not just going to say, Heres the feed, and let it roll.

Convention planners are trying to translate the main set pieces of a party convention for the quarantine era. The roll call of the states is being designed as an iconic virtual roll call that sweeps across the country but that is highly dependent on the absence of technological glitches.

But without the pyrotechnics, convention planners fear the networks will cut away. Are we going to put on our network a Zoom call with 50 boxes? asked the network executive.

Democrats said a handful of citizens, such as a grocery store worker or nurse on the front lines of the pandemic, might also speak at the event. A portion of the convention devoted to the climate crisis will feature young activists.

Earlier this week, the question of Ocasio-Cortezs role set off a debate among Democrats. Progressive activists said she would help energize the base and bring young people behind Biden. They also noted she already served as the co-chair of Bidens unity task force with Sanders focusing on climate change.

It would be stupid not to give her a slot, said Corbin Trent, a former top adviser to Ocasio-Cortez. Shes one of the best speakers the Democratic Partys got.

But some moderate Democrats said privately that it would be harmful to the party if she got a prime-time speaking position at the same time Trump is trying to link Biden to her in an effort to paint him as an empty vessel for the progressive left.

Rendell said it wouldnt be representative of the 2018 freshman class if Ocasio-Cortez got a prime-time speaking role, but moderate lawmakers who helped win back the House didnt.

I dont think so, he said Thursday when asked whether Ocasio-Cortez would get a slot. I think Bernie and Warren will speak, and theyll represent the progressive wing of the party very ably." Referring to more moderate members of Ocasio-Cortez's House class, he added, "If you picked AOC, why wouldnt you pick Katie Porter or why wouldnt you pick Madeleine Dean or Mary Gay Scanlon?

Sanders is expected to speak on Monday, said two people familiar with the lineup. One Democrat said he is going to have a big speaking role.

Im confident he will get his due, said Rep. Ro Khanna, Sanders 2020 campaign co-chair. And Im confident that the Biden campaign has treated both Sen. Sanders and his supporters with respect and given us a seat at the table.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Ottawa, Canada  Fri, August 7, 2020 13:32 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c4b632 2 Books margaret-atwood,author,books,poetry-book,poetry Free

The Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood has announced that she will release her new collection of poetry, Dearly, on November 10.

While many are familiar with Atwood for her bestselling novels The Handmaids Tale and The Testaments, she has published several collections of poetry over the years.

Dearly will mark Atwoods first book of poetry in over a decade, following 2007s The Door.

In The Door, Atwood explored autobiographical themes like authorial fame and the drive to produce writing, as well as environmental issues and the horrors of contemporary life.

According to publisher and HarperCollins imprint Ecco Press, Dearly brings together many of her most recognizable and celebrated themes, but distilled  from minutely perfect descriptions of the natural world to startlingly witty encounters with aliens, from pressing political issues to myth and legend.

Read also: Margaret Atwoods Booker Prize-winning sequel to The Handmaids Tale is bigger, darker

In poem after poem, [Atwood] casts her unique imagination and unyielding, observant eye over the landscape of a life carefully and intuitively lived, the publisher said in a statement, adding that the book will be appreciated by fans of her novels and poetry readers alike.

Dearly will arrive on Nov 10 along with the e-book and audio adaptation of the collection of poetry.

Atwood will narrate the audiobook of her new book of poetry, although details about the project will be announced in the coming months.

Aside from releasing her first collection of poetry in over a decade, Atwood has recently contributed to the anthology Tales of Two Planets: Stories of Climate Change and Inequality in a Divided World.

The book, compiled by American writer and editor John Freeman, featured additional contributions by the likes of Lauren Groff, Edwidge Danticat, Mohammed Hanif, Chinelo Okparanta and Eka Kurniawan.
Some party organizers have tried to respond to public concern: Covid-19 measure been taken, said a message in the WhatsApp group about Fridays event. A station at the entry will be at your disposition with facial mask and hydro alcoholic gel, it added. These were not in evidence on arrival, and only a dozen or so attendees wore masks. For most, the coronavirus seemed far from their minds.

Dancers were packed tightly in front of a D.J. In the middle of the improvised dance floor, a tall man stood with his eyes closed, moving his arms like a birds wings, transported by the music. People chatted to each other for a moment, then hugged, instant friends. Occasionally a balloon drifted above the dance floor, filled with nitrous oxide, the partys drug of choice.

One attendee, a 25-year-old architect who asked not to be named in case he was thrown out of the WhatsApp group, said hed been going to illegal raves for a couple of years. Last year, it was smaller, he said. Everybody just wants to get out now, I suppose.

Pubs and restaurants in Britain had reopened, he added, but no one in authority was thinking about dance-music culture. He would have thought twice about going to an indoor or boat party, he said, but outdoor ones seemed fine.

As the night went on, more people arrived, even a man on crutches. Someone climbed a tree at one point, and the music stopped while a security guard ordered him down. That was the closest the event came to an incident until, around 4 a.m., three police officers turned up, shining flashlights across the crowd.

They left as quickly as they arrived, but their presence was enough to send some home.

About 20 minutes later, the police returned  20 officers this time  and stood in the path to the clearing. One officer said theyd agreed with the D.J. that he could keep playing until 4:30 a.m.
TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Neura, the leader in AI-powered behavioral intelligence providing real-world insights for health organizations, governments, and consumer brands today announced the adoption of ViruScore COVID-19 predictive testing solution.

Neura's Human Behavioral Intelligence Platform is the first-ever AI-based approach to be utilized in the field, with HY Laboratories, the main provider of COVID-19 tests solutions in Israel, and one of the world's top 5 HMOs using it to grade testing samples to enable more efficient test pooling.

Neura transforms vast amounts of anonymized sensory data from millions of mobile devices using AI and machine learning, into actionable insights such as Social Distancing Index, Human Encounter Rate, crowd-gathering patterns and Super-Spreader mobility patterns. These actionable insights are subsequently utilized by health organizations, municipalities, and governments to predict and contain the spread of COVID-19. As part of Neura's newest offering, these same COVID-19 insights are fused with pandemic data to create a risk score. The score is employed by HMOs and labs to grade the probability of a positive or negative result on a four level scale ranging from "highest probability" to "lowest probability.

In Neura's study with HY Laboratories, the Neura ViruScore solution achieved 98% accuracy in test prediction across a sample size of 1,000 tests. As a result, Neura was able to create a population sample with 2% positive infection rate, producing an optimal environment for pool testing and enabling the HMO to increase capacity by 6X.

Three out of four models did not assign batches with even a single positive test to its lowest probability classification and the fourth assigned only a single positive test. Those results point to Neura's human behavior driven based testing approach playing a pivotal role in breaking infectious chains faster, and potentially saving millions of dollars by reducing the number of tests required.

"Neura's solution is a significant leap forward for the deployment of behavioral-intelligence tech in the fight against COVID-19," said Neura's CEO, Amit Hammer. "Being able to identify high and low-risk groups, future outbreaks, and behavioral Super-Spreaders is crucial to government efforts to fight the virus. With the recent FDA approval of COVID-19 test pooling, Neura's insights will go even further in helping to slow and break down the chain of infection."

"As of today, we do not look only at the analytical and clinical utility of testing, but at the entire workflow and its implications on a much broader scale. Neura brings an out of the box approach and new possibilities for sample managing, achieving a powerful enhancement of the test pooling process," said Tsofnat Cohen Lubetzky, Head of Business Development at Hylabs. "By leveraging Neura's ViruScore solution, we are able to pool tests far more effectively, delivering much faster results, while helping to conserve supplies of vital testing kits, it has been an absolute and unequivocal breakthrough."

About Neura:

Neura empowers organizations to drive strategic, data-driven decisions based on large scale human behavior and activity signals. Its Behavior Intelligence Platform transforms vast amounts of anonymized data into actionable, impactful and monetizable insights based on population behavior and lifestyle.

TheNeura.com, Neura's brand solution enables powerful audiencing and CRM enrichment, combined with highly effective, contextually relevant engagement, pinpointing optimal moments of availability.

Neura.co, Neura's COVID-19 solution equips policymakers, health organizations, and businesses with real-time tools to monitor, predict and contain the Coronavirus pandemic. Providing decision makers with the necessary insights to safely reopen the economy. The Behavior Intelligence data is also utilized by labs and HMOs as part of Neura's ViruScore, the world's first-ever COVID-19 predictive testing solution enabling more effective pooled testing.

Contact:

Joel Strauss

Strauss Communications

[email protected]

+13477639957

SOURCE Neura
The Lebanese diaspora is rallying to raise donations for hundreds of thousands of people left homeless and in need of medical and food supplies after the Beirut port warehouse explosion.

Australian human rights advocate and aid worker Samah Hadid who survived the blast after it ripped through her apartment, a kilometre from the port, has called for international support and aid.

Emergency workers search a collapsed building in Beirut, Lebanon. Credit:Getty Images

On Friday there were growing concerns inside and outside Lebanon that its leaders are unable to respond effectively to the disaster that killed at least 157 people, injured 5000 others and left up to 300,000 homeless. French President Emmanuel Macron offered France's support for the Lebanese people on a visit to Beirut, but said Lebanon would "continue to sink" unless its leaders carry out reforms.

Focusing on the humanitarian crisis, Ms Hadid said the country had experienced a great deal of hardship.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  The Department of Health is urging members of the Doctors to the Barrio program to volunteer as substitutes of exhausted frontline healthcare workers in Metro Manila, the country's COVID-19 epicenter.

We are giving that call to the doctors to the barrios na sana isipin natin na ang paglilingkod natin ay para sa buong bansa. Kailangan po namin kayo ngayon, Health spokesperson Maria Vergeire said in a briefing with other government officials on Friday.

[Translation: I hope we remember that our service is for the whole country. We need you now.]

Vergeire made the statement after some doctors assigned in rural areas reportedly opposed the recommendation of the DOH to temporarily pull them out of their municipalities to join the COVID-19 response efforts in Metro Manila, saying they do not want to put their communities at risk once they return there.

But Vergeire said that they will ensure their safety in case they are up for the task, as she reminded them of their oath to save lives.

Di po namin sila pababayaan, she said.

[Translation: We would not fail to look after them.]

The DOHs suggestion stemmed from the plea of several medical societies to the government to address healthcare workforce deficiency during the two-week time-out or imposition of enhanced community quarantine in Mega Manila for two weeks.

They pointed out that the period could be given as reprieve to burned-out front liners. It could also be used to recalibrate pandemic control strategies, which will be effective to control the spread of the virus, they said.

President Rodrigo Duterte compromised by placing Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan back to modified ECQ from August 4 to 18.
In July 2020 the Philippines Navy put into service BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), the first of two South Korean frigates that were ordered in 2016. These cost $169 million each and are smaller versions of the South Korean FFX (Incheon class) frigate.

The Jose Rizal class frigates are 2,600-ton ships armed with a 76mm gun and a SMASH 30mm autocannon RWS (Remotely Operated System). This Turkish system using the American Bushmaster 2 cannon. It has 150 rounds of ammo that can be fired singly or at up to 200 rounds a minute (3-4 a second) at targets up to three kilometers distant. The Italian 76mm cannon is also RWS and can fire 85 rounds a minute at targets up to 20 kilometers distant. Rizal is equipped to handle a CIWS (close in weapons system) like Phalanx but is not yet armed with one. There are also mounts for four 12.7mm machine-guns.

The Rizal is called a missile frigate because it has lots of missiles. There are four South Korean anti-ship missiles (sort of improved Harpoons) with a range of 160 kilometers. There are also four South Korean 320mm lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes with a range of 19 kilometers. There are two twin-launchers for Mistral heat-seeking anti-aircraft missiles with a range of six kilometers. There is also space for an eight cell VLS (vertical launching system) but, as with the CIWS, the fire control system can handle these if installed. There is also a hanger and landing pad for a helicopter. There are also two RHIBs (rigid inflatable speedboats) for landing parties.

Leaving out the CIWS and VLS cells and using the simpler Mistral anti-aircraft missiles kept the price down. The Rizal can also handle a towed sonar but does not have one. There is a sonar built into the hull. There is a 3-D air search radar as well as a navigation radar, a fire control radar and an electro-optical tracking system. The Rizal has a crew of 65 with accommodations for twenty more sailors and 25 passengers. Top speed is 48 kilometers an hour and range is 8,300 kilometers. Endurance is 30 days. While the Rizals are capable to long-range cruises, most of their time will be spent patrolling coastal waters and the Filipino EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) which extends 360 kilometers from the coastline. Given that the Philippines consists of 7,600 islands, there is plenty of coastline. Some of those islands are in the South China Sea and claimed by China.

The Rizal is an example of South Korea becoming a major exporter of modern weapons. South Korea began expanding its domestic arms industries in the 1990s and was soon building its own tanks and other armored vehicles as well as small warships. South Korea was already one of the largest ship builders in the world and expanding that to include warships was an opportunity taken. The first FFX entered South Korean service in 2013 and six are now active. The FFXs are 3,200-ton ships and are each armed with a 127mm gun, eight anti-ship or cruise missiles, three torpedo tubes, a RAM anti-missile/aircraft launcher, and a Phalanx anti-missile gun system. There is space aft for two helicopters. The ships are highly automated, requiring a crew of only 140. Top speed is 61 kilometers an hour. Range is 8,000 kilometers. Most of the equipment (including electronics) and weapons are locally built. South Korea plans to build 18-24 FFXs. These will be built in batches of six to eight ships with each batch containing upgrades over previous batches. The six FFXs cost about $233 million each and the second and additional batches will be more expensive because of improvements over earlier batches. This is a common practice now with U.S., Chinese and European warship builders. The United States had always done this, but mainly because throughout the 20th century the U.S. usually built larger numbers of each class ship over a longer period. In some cases, construction went on for decades with dozens of ships built. It was inevitable that there were lessons learned from the earlier ships already in service and, based on these, modifications to the initial design were made.

South Korea planned to export the FFX to navies who want high quality, low cost, warships. Meanwhile South Korea also developed a slightly larger FFX II frigate and subsequent FFXs will be this version. But for export customers, South Korea will make smaller versions as it did for the Philippines. This approach was pioneered by European shipyards and later adopted by Russia. When the Philippines first (2013) went looking for someone to build their new frigates they received proposals from Indian, Spanish, German and three South Korean firms. The finalists were one of the South Korea firms and the Indian shipyard. South Korea had the edge in building its own warships and well-built ships in general and that was a decisive factor.

South Korea also donated one of its recently retired Pohang class corvettes to the Philippines in 2019 and there are discussions about sending a second retired Pohang as well. These transfers are largely good-will gestures to nations that are or might become customers for South Korean products.

While the Pohangs were built for anti-submarine warfare, they were only really effective against the 20 or so larger ocean-going North Korean subs, which are all elderly, noisy boats that rarely go to sea. Most of North Korea's 90 subs are much smaller than the ocean-going ones and operate along the coast. These shallow waters have more currents and a lot more underwater noise. The Pohang's sonar, while adequate on the high seas against noisy older boats, is very inadequate close to the shore. Even before a Pohang was sunk in 2010 by one of these smaller North Korean subs, there were efforts to find and install more powerful sonar in the Pohangs. No suitable sonar system could be found that would fit. And even if a new sonar did fit, it would weigh so much more that it would unbalance the ship. This is a problem for the Philippines because most of the South China Sea is shallow water as are all the coastal waters of the Philippines. China has a lot of modern diesel-electric subs. Despite all that the Pohangs are still useful for patrolling coastal waters and dealing with armed intruders.

The Pohangs are small ships built in the 1980s. They are only 88.3 meters (290 feet) long and displace 1,200 tons. The crew of 95 operates a large number of weapons. There are four Harpoon anti-ship missiles, two 76mm cannon, two twin-40mm autocannon, six torpedo tubes (each with a Mk46 324mm/12.75-inch anti-submarine torpedo), and twelve depth charges. Max speed is 59 kilometers an hour, cruising is 28 kilometers an hour. Endurance is about ten days.

Between 1983 and 1993 24 Pohangs were put into service. One Pohang was retired and turned into a museum ship. Another was sunk by a North Korean torpedo. Most of the others have been donated, scrapped or used for target practice. Some are in reserve and most of these will be scrapped unless other countries are interested in a retired corvette. The remaining twelve Pohangs are wearing out and are all due for retirement by 2030.
Throughout Alabama, thousands of people peacefully protested systemic racism after George Floyds death. Those protests prompted conversations about the criminal justice system and what our expectations as Alabamians are for that system.

At AL.com, weve been asking ourselves what meaningful coverage of crime and justice is for our digital readers. And, now, wed like you to be part of that conversation.

Weve partnered with the Local Voices Network to begin those conversations with Huntsville residents about your expectations and questions about our criminal justice system.

The Local Voices Network is a project of Cortico, a national nonprofit in partnership with the MIT Media Lab, that builds systems that bring under-heard community voices, perspectives and stories to the center of a healthier public dialogue.

The Huntsville conversations, conducted virtually, are 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11; 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15; and 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. In the conversations, T. Marie King, who leads the Local Voices Network in Alabama, will ask questions such as:

 What do you expect from the criminal justice system where you live?

 What do you expect from police officers and others who are part of the criminal justice system?

 What questions do you have and information do you need?

Anyone can participate. You dont need be involved with the criminal justice system or have been impacted by the system. But, if you have been, youre welcome, too. We want honest, transparent conversations with a diverse group of Alabamians to help us understand how we can better cover policing, crime and justice in our communities and across the state.

Conversations will be about an hour and a half long. And, if the groups grow too large, well come back with more times for further conversations.

We plan to use your opinions to help guide our coverage. We expect to continue the conversations in other Alabama cities, including Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa, in the months ahead.

In November, a group of AL.com reporters and editors gathered to ask what we need to do to reimagine our crime and justice coverage so its relevant for our digital readers. In that time, weve worked to understand how other news organizations are covering crime and to learn about your perceptions of our coverage and the system.

In June, we opted to restrict the use of mugshots to certain scenarios. We decided that because access to them is inconsistent and some readers viewed our use of them as symbolic of our companys view of their communities. Social media sites and digital templates also often lend more significance to the image than intended.

We have much work to do in developing an approach that helps Alabamians understand how our states criminal justice system works, how it impacts us and how we can all work toward improving it.

Want to join us? Do so here:

 August 11: bit.ly/HuntsvilleAug11

 August 15: bit.ly/HuntsvilleAug15

 August 19: bit.ly/HuntsvilleAug19

As always, if you have questions, email me: kscott@al.com.

Kelly Ann Scott is the vice president of content for Alabama Media Group. She oversees editorial operations for Reckon, AL.com and publications statewide. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyAnnScott or email her at kscott@al.com.
The Supreme Court made clear to the Centre on Friday that it would not pass any order on the plea seeking closure of cases against two Italian marines, accused of killing two Indian fishermen, without hearing the victims' families who should be given adequate compensation.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde allowed the Centre to file within a week an application making the victims' family members as parties to its plea seeking closure of Italian Marines case.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, that Italy has assured the Indian government that it would prosecute the Marines there as per law.

When the bench insisted that adequate compensation should be paid to the kin of victims, Mehta said Centre will ensure that maximum compensation is given to them.

The bench said it appreciates the steps taken by Italy to prosecute these marines but the court is on the issue of adequate compensation. "We want that adequate compensation be paid to the victims' family".

The top court referred to the case against the marines pending before the special court and said that without applying for withdrawal of prosecution of case how the Centre can come and seek its closure.

Mehta replied that the top court had earlier said that proceedings on the special court be kept in abeyance.

The bench said, "You can apply for withdrawal of prosecution. The victims' families will have the right to oppose it. The victims' families are not even a party here."

It said, "We will not pass any order without the victims' family being heard, and allowed the Solicitor General to implead family members of the victims as party in its closure application."

At the outset, Mehta referred to the 'unfortunate incident' of killing of two Indian fishermen and said earlier there were two issues -- one was whether Indian government have the right to prosecute these marines and the other regarding compensation to kin of victims.

He referred to the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague which held that India is entitled to get compensation in the case but can't prosecute the marines due to official immunity enjoyed by them.

"You are here after the tribunal's award. You have accepted it and you are not questioning it anywhere," the bench observed.

It said there is 'legal difficult' as this does not take care of the adequate compensation which is required to be paid to the family members of victims.



"I can bring the family members here," Mehta told the bench, adding that the government will ensure that maximum compensation is paid to them.

"That (payment of adequate compensation) must happen before we pass order," the bench said, adding, "You will have to bring the cheque here in this court and close the matter."

The top court has listed the matter for hearing after four weeks.

On July 3, the Centre moved the top court seeking closure of judicial proceedings against the two Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen, off the Kerala coast.

In February 2012, India had accused two Italian marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, on board the MV Enrica Lexie -- an Italian flagged oil tanker -- of killing two Indian fishermen who were on a fishing vessel in India's Exclusive Economic Zone.

The Centre said the arbitration under United Nation Convention on the Law of Sea, which was instituted on a request from Italy, has delivered its Award on May 21, 2020.

It said the Tribunal upheld the conduct of Indian authorities with respect to the incident and highlighted the material and moral harm suffered by the Indian fishermen on board the St. Antony on February 15, 2012.

"It held that the actions of the Italian Marines breached India's freedom and right of navigation under UNCLOS Article 87(1)(a) and 90," the application said, adding, as argued by India, the Tribunal observed that, in principle, India and Italy had concurrent jurisdiction over the incident and a valid legal basis to institute criminal proceedings against the Marines.

It said the Tribunal took note of the commitment expressed by Italy to resume its criminal investigation into the events of February 15, 2012 and decided that India must take necessary steps to cease to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over the marines.

"The Tribunal decided that India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by the captain and other crew members of St. Antony".

Latorre, who had suffered a brain stroke on August 31, 2014, was first granted bail and allowed by the apex court on September 12, 2014 to go to Italy for four months and after that, extensions for his stay have been granted to him.

In Italy, Latorre had to undergo a heart surgery after which the top court had granted him extension of his stay in his native country.

On September 28, 2016, the apex court had allowed Latorre to remain in his country till the international arbitral tribunal decided the jurisdictional issue.

On May 26, 2016, Girone was also granted bail with conditions and allowed by the top court to go to his country till the jurisdictional issue was decided.

The complaint against the marines was lodged by Freddy, the owner of fishing boat 'St Antony' in which two Kerala fishermen were killed when marines opened fire on them allegedly under misconception that they were pirates.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 2019, Star Body has been rocking the world of skin and sun care with their one of a kind Espress-O-Yourself line of caffeine-infused products. Though caffeine is often used in high-end beauty products, applying coffee extract to their already potent suncare formula has been a winning combination for Star Body.

Company founder Babs Marich says that Star Body began as a dream, as far back as 2009, when Babs started researching the beneficial effects of coffee extract as a skincare ingredient. Bruce Marich later joined the company in 2019 as President of Star Body Espresso Yourself.

After nearly a decade of research and development, Star Body was born. Star Body's attention to detail has paid off, they have since been recognized as one of the most effective, natural, environmentally conscious sun care companies on the market, and a true Florida brand.

Providing products that are both reef-safe and scientifically proven to be effective is quite an achievement. Each year, the world loses more of its aquatic ecosystems and a diverse range of marine life to the irresponsible manufacturing of beach products, like sunscreens and lotions, containing ingredients that are toxic to coral reef systems.

As a Florida-based company, Star Body holds themselves to a high standard of natural manufacturing practices, that include considerations for the ecological impact of their products. Through this attention to detail, they are able to ensure that their products are not only beneficial to customers but safe and non-toxic to the environment.

Star Body's line of products includes their flagship formula, Espresso Body Bronzing & Beauty Oil. Star Body makes it clear that this product is not a self-tanning oil, nor a sunscreen. It is a unique, plant-based formula that helps reinvigorate skin at the cellular level with coffee extract, adding shimmer and a luxurious glow with real 24 karat gold mica. Star Body adds a Collectible Star Fish charm in every bottle that helps to distribute the 24 karat gold mica. Every bottle of Espresso Body Bronzing & Beauty Oil shines like a work of art, with flecks of gold, coconut oil, rice bran, and vitamin E oil. The combination of these oils has been researched to provide safe and effective sun care, keeping skin healthy and hydrated for hours, even in the heat of summer.

Another product from Star Body's lineup that has been turning heads at every showcase is their Tattoo Renew U formula. Tattoo Renew U offers the best in skincare for tattoos utilizing the benefits of coffee oil to help tattoos look brand new again while keeping them safe in the sun. Star Body has taken their Tattoo Renew U to some of the largest tattoo conventions in the country, and the product has consistently been met with glowing customer reviews.

Now, Star Body is expanding their reach within the United States retail market, making their products available through a diverse selection of both online and brick-and-mortar retailers. Since they first launched their products in 2019, Star Body has experienced consistent growth as they continue to fill a unique niche in the sun and skincare market, previously unaddressed by other companies.

Star Body's products can currently be found for sale through their website, and they have been called a company to follow as they continue their growth throughout 2020.

Please direct inquiries to:

Kean Salcido

(954) 639-2267

[email protected]

SOURCE Star Body
Lucy Morris didnt bat an eye when police pulled her over on the Queen Elizabeth Way last Monday.

She was, admittedly, speeding about 10 kilometres over the limit, or just enough to warrant one $40 traffic ticket.

But Morris was caught by surprise when she was levied a second, unrelated infraction.

So I got a ticket for speeding, which Im not contesting at all. Thats not the issue. But the officer tacked on a fine for my plate stickers being expired, even though theyre valid, she said.

According to a copy of the ticket obtained by The Spectator, a Niagara OPP officer issued Morris a $110 fine because the stickers on her licence plate expired in June.

Expired? Yes. Illegal? Not exactly.

Morris was aware her stickers expired in June, and had been for months. Close to the expiration date, she checked ServiceOntarios website, which made clear that due to COVID-19 plate sticker renewals were postponed until further notice.

I told him thats why I didnt renew them, but he didnt want to listen, Morris said. He told me that, because some ServiceOntario (locations) are open again, you have to get them renewed.

The Beamsville woman said she was left flabbergasted by the exchange and refuses to pay a fine shes not legally bound to.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation said in an emailed statement that stickers which expired on or after March 1 will remain valid and legal indefinitely.

We have communicated this information to key stakeholders, including through the use of All Chiefs Memos to police services, said Lee Alderson, senior issues adviser for the ministry.

It is the responsibility of police services to communicate any and all relevant information to their front-line officers.

Morris fine is not an isolated incident.

A York man was issued the same ticket by police this week after committing a stop sign violation, according to the CBC. The news outlet reported that unofficial numbers provided by police show its officers have issued about 900 tickets to drivers for invalid permits since March 1.

The disconnect between the province and police services  however it came to be  still leaves otherwise valid drivers in a pricey bind.

Im disappointed, Morris said. Police should be up-to-date with the extension. Yes, it should my responsibility to know, but it should be on them to know as well.

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, a spokesperson for the OPP, agreed when told that tickets should not be issued to drivers with plate stickers which expired after March 1. He said the case concerning Morris must have slipped through the cracks.

Schmidt said the officer involved in the incident was wrong, its bad, and theyre going to get that ticket squashed, but couldnt offer specifics as to why the fine was issued to begin with.

Maybe there was just confusion thinking that because our state of emergency was lifted, so were all the other (traffic) exemptions, he said.

Still, that doesnt lend any more comfort to Morris.

Its not very fair for me to pay that. Im not paying.
Hammerson, the UK property group, has slashed almost 100m from the value of its flagship assets in Ireland, including its stake in Dundrum Town Centre, as it aims to raise net proceeds of 794m (882m) from a share sale and asset disposal.

It said its flagship assets in Ireland were valued at 834m at the end of June, representing a 9.9pc decline in the capital return for the properties.

Hammerson owns 50pc of Dundrum Town Centre, with the other half owned by Allianz. The UK group also owns half of the Pavilions shopping centre in Swords, and the Ilac Centre in Dublin city centre. It owns 40pc of the Kildare Village premium outlet mall.

Despite slashing the value of its assets in Ireland, Hammerson told investors that the construction of 107 build-to-rent apartments beside the Dundrum shopping mall will begin next January, with a wider development project there set to be completed by 2026.

Construction at its large Dublin Central site off O'Connell Street is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2022.

Hammerson chief executive David Atkins told investors that the group's future focus will be on Ireland and the UK, as it reduces its exposure to continental Europe.

The company said yesterday that it has reached an agreement to sell almost all its 50pc stake in Via fashion outlet malls across Europe for about 301m. Via operates 11 outlets in cities including Zurich, Frankfurt, Prague and Oslo.

The stake is being sold to Via's other owner, APG Asset Management. Hammerson will retain an indirect 7.26pc stake in Via. APG also owns 20pc of Hammerson.

Hammerson is also planning to raise about 552m via a rights issue. It said the move would "significantly strengthen" the group's financial position, "reducing absolute indebtedness and providing liquidity headroom and financial flexibility".

The company saw the value of its flagship locations in Ireland fall by 88.2m in the first half of the year, with falls seen across its estate.

However, its like-for-like net rental income at its flagship Irish outlets fell 16.9pc in the first quarter, compared to a total 30.5pc decline in the UK, and a 30pc fall in France.

Provisions for arrears accounted for 11.4 percentage points of the decline in Ireland.

Hammerson chief financial officer James Lenton said that there was "very little impact" from tenant restructuring in Ireland, with such activity accounting for just 0.2 percentage points of the overall decline in net rental income here.

Hammerson's development plans for Dundrum and its 1.25bn Dublin Central project were described by chief executive David Atkins as two of the group's priority projects. The two others are in Birmingham and London.

"All four are located in thriving cities, where we expect to see significant growth," he said, describing Dublin Central as a "fantastic opportunity" for workspace, hotels and retail.

He said that Dundrum Town Centre was a model for the group's developments

Currently at Dundrum Town Centre, retail accounts for 73pc of use, with food, beverage and leisure accounting for 18pc. By 2026, following the completion of development projects, retail will comprise 43pc of space use, residential 39pc, and food, beverage and leisure just 10pc.

Mr Atkins said such city quarter developments give Hammerson a chance to "shift away from predominantly retail to a mix of uses".

"Dundrum is a great example of how that will look in practice," he added.
SACRAMENTO  Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom has said the states response would be guided by data. Now, a lack of accurate data has thrown that response into limbo.

A bug in Californias electronic system for collecting infectious disease data is causing mass confusion over the state coronavirus response at a time when public health, education and business leaders already are struggling to plan for an uncertain future.

State officials revealed the computer problem Tuesday, and admitted that it has led to cases being underreported in many if not all counties. Even though the problem apparently started last month, Newsom cited some of the now-questionable data Monday as reason for cautious optimism after more than a month of surging numbers.

The malfunction, which state officials have not fully explained, also is hampering some counties ability to do critical case investigation work that relies on quick identification of new infections to stop spread of disease.

The idea is that data is supposed to be driving the decisions we make, but that data is unreliable, and its very hard to make the right decisions, David Campos, deputy county executive for Santa Clara County, said Thursday. Were not going to be able to do right by our citizens if the data provided to us by the state is incomplete.

San Francisco public health officials said Thursday that they will not update certain testing, case and contact tracing metrics until the problem is resolved, though they planned to keep updating overall case counts and other data that may be affected by the states computer problem.

The delay in the states system may give an impression that COVID-19 cases are slowing down, when this may not be the case, city health officials said in a statement.

The states technology issue is also impacting the citys ability to conduct prompt case investigation and contact tracing, the statement said, adding that San Francisco investigators are reaching fewer newly infected people because of the reporting problems.

Campos said Santa Clara County is similarly hobbled in its case investigation work. There are a large number of cases that havent been reported to us, and those are cases we havent been able to properly investigate, he said. Its frustrating and very upsetting for us.

The state problem has resulted in an apparent undercount of new coronavirus cases and positive test results. Hospitalization and intensive care unit patient numbers are not affected.

The state has not said how long the problem has existed, though public health officials in Santa Clara and Marin counties said they first became aware of a problem around July 15 and are doubtful of numbers since then.

Randall Benton / AP

On Monday, Newsom cited a 21% drop in new cases over the past two weeks as cause for optimism. His office did not respond to a request for comment on why he cited the now-questionable figure.

Mark Ghaly, Health and Human Services secretary for California, confirmed the reporting issue Tuesday. He said it appears that test results that laboratories feed to the state and local health departments arent uploading to the data system known as CalREDIE, short for the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange.

This is our top priority and a team of dozens has been working around the clock to resolve these data problems, Ghaly said in a statement Thursday. We will not rest until this problem is resolved.

Laboratories report positive results for dozens of infectious diseases to CalREDIE, which then passes along those results to counties for investigation. Not all counties rely solely on CalREDIE, though most depend on it for all or most of their identification of new cases.

Marin County Health Officer Matt Willis said his county has been less impacted than others because it collects most of its case data directly from laboratories. He noticed a discrepancy between the state and his countys reports in mid-July, and the gap continued to widen, and that was a concern, he said.

The problem seems more pronounced in Napa County, which has not received a report from Quest Diagnostics, the largest provider of coronavirus test results in the county, since July 31, according to the health officer. Patient care has not been delayed, and you are still hearing if you test positive, Health Officer Karen Relucio said in an online presentation Thursday. But the data is not getting to us.

Relucio said California public health officials had instructed laboratories to report results directly to the counties instead of the state until the problem is fixed.

Aside from hindering counties ability to keep track of and investigate new coronavirus cases, the reporting problem has cast doubt on a host of responses to the pandemic, from whether elementary schools might be able to apply for waivers to reopen classrooms to the timeline for businesses to reopen.

The state relies on case counts, among several other metrics, to determine whether counties are placed on a monitoring list that restricts certain activities. Thirty-eight of the states 58 counties  including all Bay Area counties  are on the monitoring list.

Several counties, including San Mateo, questioned whether they belong on the list, and the reporting problems may cast further doubt.

In a statement Thursday, San Mateo County Health Officer Scott Morrow referred to the state problem as a data meltdown, and said that despite the reporting delays, hes confident his county is making headway in slowing its outbreak.

Earlier this week, the Newsom administration announced that elementary schools could apply for waivers to reopen even if they are in counties on the monitoring list. Schools will be allowed to open only if their counties case rate for the previous two weeks is less than 200 per 100,000 people  twice the total that lands a county on the monitoring list.

But many counties probably wont know if schools are eligible to reopen without accurate case rates. The state hasnt updated numbers for counties on the monitoring list since Saturday.

The state is using this incomplete data to make decisions about all these counties, decisions that impact our residents and our businesses, said Santa Clara Countys Campos. Its really difficult to have a system that predicates outcomes on data that is incorrect, or incomplete in this case.

While many public school districts dont intend to seek waivers for elementary schools to reopen for in-person learning, the data issue could affect many private or charter schools that would have an easier time meeting state criteria.

Dan Glass, who runs the Brandeis School of San Francisco, a private school in the Parkmerced neighborhood, said the states computer problem has added confusion to an already complicated process as schools consider whether to apply for waivers to reopen.

It certainly doesnt make me feel more confident in all of whats happening, he said. The consistency of that data that were supposedly basing our decision-making on is critical.

Glass said hes been concerned for weeks about making a decision to reopen if facts surrounding the states infection rate and science surrounding transmission of the virus continue to change. He said Brandeis will stick with virtual learning until at least late October.

The situation also creates problems for businesses in counties on the state monitoring list. Newsom has ordered those counties to close a range of businesses, including shopping malls, barbershops, nail salons, gyms and most office spaces.

Mike Blakeley, CEO of the Marin Economic Forum, a think tank and business advocacy group in Marin County, said the data problem complicates an already hazy timeline for when sectors of the economy might reopen.

This is just one more piece of concerning news, because the data is the prevailing determinant of how the economy opens, he said. Of course, if the data comes into question thats alarming.

Chronicle staff writer Mallory Moench contributed to this report.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
ROCHESTER, New York  Two weeks isolated in a hotel room, with food delivered to her door and little outside contact  its not how Emily Werner imagined starting her freshman year of college.

But the recent Lake Catholic High School graduate has little choice. She, along with thousands of other Ohioans headed out of state for college, faces strict quarantining requirements because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Have Sheriff Offices in North Carolina, possibly even Beaufort County's Sheriff Office, become too political in the discharging of their sworn constitutional duties?

No, the sheriff is a constitutional officer.

Yes, the Sheriff Office, on strong occasion, often reverts back to political patronage in the dispensation of their sworn constitutional duties.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 23:05:42|Editor: huaxia

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by Shiran Illanperuma

COLOMBO, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A new government in Sri Lanka has been endowed with a mandate from the new parliament to stabilize and revive the national economy while defending the country's sovereignty, local experts said here Friday.

Sri Lankan voters have given a clear mandate to the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), which won 145 out of 225 parliament seats in the elections which were held on Wednesday, to find a solution to economic woes including low growth, unemployment and rising costs of living, President of the International Business Council Kosala Wickramanayake said.

"The business community is expecting policy reform in order to boost the economy in the way of tax reform, ease of doing business and boosting local and foreign investment," Wickremenayake said, adding that the SME sector which accounts for 75 percent of jobs and 50 percent of GDP was especially in need of support.

Wickremenayake added that the government should be commended for its efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and the successful holding of the elections.

"This election victory is historic and comparable to the first post-war parliamentary election in 2010. People have given trust to the leadership of the president and prime minister to strengthen national security and protect the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty from both domestic and external threats," said Asanga Abeygoonesekera, founding director general of the Ministry of Defence's Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL).

A nearly two-third majority in parliament ensures political stability for the next several years and strengthens the ability of the government to regain the momentum of economic growth, Abeygoonesekera said.

Commenting on the historic win, political and economic analyst and former executive director of the Pathfinder Foundation Luxman Siriwardena said that voters were expecting greater state discipline, including elimination of corruption from government institutions and increased efficiency of government services, especially in rural areas.

"The primary concern of the newly formed government will be to continue to protect the public from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government will have to create a conducive environment for foreign investment and negotiate with multilateral lenders in order to shore up foreign exchange reserves," Siriwardena said. Enditem
Michigan health officials reported 722 new coronavirus cases Thursday, up from 657 cases the previous day.

In other coronavirus news: The Oakland County Health Department issued an emergency order to a Pontiac-based mortgage company after 53 employees tested positive for coronavirus, health officials in Genesee County believe a spike in Flint-area STD is indicative of loosening social distancing adherence and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is mandating masks be worn at child-care centers and camps.

Heres all the latest on COVID-19 Michigan going into Thursday, August 6.

Michigan reports 722 new coronavirus cases, 26 new deaths

Michigan health officials reported 722 new coronavirus cases Thursday, Aug. 6.

The Department of Health and Human Services also announced 26 new deaths, 17 of which were identified during a vital records review conducted three times per week. Nine of the deaths were in the last 24 hours.

Throughout the pandemic, the state has tallied 85,429 known cases of COVID-19 and 6,247 deaths associated with the virus.

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The states seven-day moving average for new cases per day had generally been on the rise since mid-June, when it reached 150 new cases per day. It reached 768 on July 29 and has since declined to 649 new cases per day.

As for new deaths per day, the state average has remained in single-digits since July 15. It sits at eight new deaths per day.

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Hundreds of kids may have been exposed to coronavirus at Michigan camp

Health officials say approximately 250 people who attended a Southwest Michigan overnight camp are at risk of coronavirus exposure after several people at the camp tested positive for the virus.

Five staff members and one camper who were at Camp Michawana near Hastings have tested positive for COVID-19, and one person is considered a probable case because of their symptoms, the Barry-Eaton District Health Department announced Thursday, Aug. 6.

Health officials warn that anyone who attended Camp Michawana, a faith-based youth camp, on or after July 24 may have been exposed to the virus. The camp property includes a childrens overnight camp, a family camp and a traditional-style campground  all three of which were open during the potential exposure period.

About 250 people attended or staffed the camp in the past two weeks and are at greatest risk of exposure, health officials said. Of that total, 180 were children under the age of 18 who attended the childrens overnight camp and 70 were either staff members or attendees of the family-style camp.

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Order issued after 53 Michigan employees of United Shores test positive for COVID-19

An emergency order was issued in Oakland County on Wednesday after 53 employees from a Pontiac-based mortgage company test positive for COVID-19.

The order was issued to United Shore by the Oakland County Health Department, demanding the company enforce social distancing rules, require face coverings, begin daily illness screenings at the office and encourage employees to work from home, when possible.

Bill Mullan, spokesman for the Oakland County Executives Office, said that the company is responding appropriately to the order.

From June 29, until the end of the day yesterday, 53 individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 said they were employees at United Shores main campus in Pontiac, Mullan said. Some are working from home and some are working in person. The worksite itself is not necessarily the source of the transmission.

Spike in Flint-area STDs could be tied to relaxed social distancing, health officials fear

Genesee County health officials think they may be seeing an early warning sign of relaxed social distancing adherence: an uptick in cases of sexually transmitted disease.

Members of the county Board of Health said Wednesday, Aug. 5, that they suspect a rise in reports of at least one category of STDs in June could be fallout from a loosening of COVID-19 restrictions and a resumption of larger gatherings like graduation parties in recent weeks.

An advisory issued by Genesee, Livingston and Oakland counties earlier this week warned that cases of coronavirus among teens 15-19 years old have spiked sharply in the region, and some health board members said it may also be time to sound a warning about the dangers of STDs as person-to-person contact becomes more common.

There were 102 cases of gonorrhea reported in the county in June, compared to an average of 79 cases during the prior five months of 2020.

Whitmer mandates mask use at child-care centers and camps

Face coverings must be worn in all Michigan child-care centers and camps under an executive order issued Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Executive Order 2020-164 requires:

All staff and children ages 2 and up to wear a mask on a school bus or other transportation.

All staff and children ages 4 and up to wear a mask in all indoor common spaces.

All staff and children 12 and older to wear a mask when in classrooms, homes, cabins, or similar indoor small-group settings.

The governor also strongly encourages that all children ages 2 and up wear face coverings when indoors. These rules align with the existing rules on face coverings that already apply to pre-K-12 schools across Michigan, a press release 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/ .

Read more on MLive:

Michigan county-level coronavirus data for Thursday, Aug. 6: See your countys numbers for past 20 days

Michigan road commissioner uses racial slur during meeting to blame COVID-19 masks on Detroiters

Bone Island Grille reopens after 15-day quarantine with no additional coronavirus cases, manager says
Camillus, N.Y.  Toss & Fire Wood-Fired Pizza is opening its second brick-and-mortar restaurant later this year.

The popular pizza maker, which started as a food truck in 2015 and expanded to a restaurant in North Syracuse in 2016, will be opening its second location, this one in the Township 5 center in Camillus.

The restaurant will be in the former Mesa Grande location, which closed in June due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Toss & Fire owner Nick Sanford said hes been eyeing expansion for the last year and a half and Camillus was an area he was interested in expanding into. When the Mesa Grande spot became available, he jumped at the chance. The new spot has been in the works for several months, Sanford said.

The stars aligned, he said.

The bar at Toss & Fire Wood-Fired Pizza in North Syracuse is full of local and state-brewed beer on tap. The taps are just yards away from the pizza oven. The secret chicken wings of CNY. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)Charlie Miller

The menu at the new shop will be similar to the North Syracuse restaurant, with pizza  both Neapolitan and New York style  as its backbone. The beer and wine program, with a strong emphasis on New York products, will also be carried over from North Syracuse.

Well do what were known for, Sanford said.

The Camillus location will be counter service, while the North Syracuse location has full table service. Both will offer takeout and delivery.

The decor will be changed, but Sanford plans on preserving the Mesa Grande layout and some of the furnishings, including the long, reclaimed wood tables. Unlike the North Syracuse restaurant, where the wood-fired oven is largely obfuscated from public view, the oven at the new restaurant will be front and center, allowing diners to watch their pizzas being made.

Itll be part of your dining experience, Sanford said.

Sanford said he hopes the new restaurant at 190 Township Blvd. will open by early November.

Jacob Pucci writes on food, restaurants and all things gastronomic across Central New York. Contact him by email at jpucci@syracuse.com.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- RV Retailer, LLC announced today the appointment of Kurt Hornung as Corporate Vice President, Finance & Insurance.

"Kurt Hornung is a great addition to the tremendous RV Retailer senior leadership team we are building," stated Jon Ferrando, Chief Executive Officer and President of RV Retailer. "Kurt's experience makes him ideal to lead our retail customer finance and insurance operations as we seek to create a world-class experience for our customers across our growing network of 33 stores. This is a next step on our journey towards building strong customer relationships and loyalty through the industry-leading package of retail finance and RV protection, service and assistance products that we offer at all stores to ensure customers have peace of mind with their RV purchase."

Kurt Hornung will be responsible for all F&I operations across RV Retailer, providing consistent training and development for RV Retailer's store sales and F&I teams. He will be responsible for the Company's retail lending relationships and the industry-leading set of proprietary RV protection, service and assistance products offered in all RV Retailer stores. He will also be a key team member building out the customer loyalty programs of RV Retailer. He will report to John Rizzo, EVP and CFO of RV Retailer.

"I'm thrilled to join the senior leadership team at the fastest growing RV dealership group in the industry," stated Kurt Hornung, Corporate Vice President, Finance & Insurance, RV Retailer LLC. "Alongside this incredible team, I look forward to working with our retail lending and protection product partners to provide a world-class customer experience for our customers, by ensuring we have the best customer experience in the industry."

"Kurt Hornung is a seasoned F&I executive with over two decades of experience in the automotive and RV industries," stated John Rizzo. "Kurt's experience includes over 10 years at AutoNation, where he led F&I for the largest automotive retailer in the U.S. with industry-leading performance and a transparent, customer-friendly F&I sales process."

About RV Retailer, LLC

RV Retailer, LLC is a leading recreational vehicle retail company in the United States with a focus on providing an outstanding experience for recreational vehicle customers in new and used sales, service and parts, and customer financial services. RV Retailer has 33 RV stores in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas with over $1 billion in annual revenue. Regional store brands include: RV One Superstores, Motor Home Specialist, ExploreUSA, Sonny's Camp-N-Travel, Cousins RV, Camper Clinic and Tom's Camperland, which sell a wide range of new and used RV brands with thousands of RVs in inventory.

RV Retailer is led by co-founders Jon Ferrando, Chief Executive Officer and President, and John Rizzo, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Jon Ferrando and John Rizzo were instrumental in building America's largest automotive retailer from start-up to over $20 billion in revenue. RV Retailer's leadership team has over 300 years of automotive and RV retail industry experience.

SOURCE RV Retailer, LLC
A man, wearing protective mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), walks on an almost empty street in the Dotonbori entertainment district of Osaka

By Kaori Kaneko

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy likely contracted at the sharpest pace on record in the second quarter as the coronavirus crisis crushed business and consumer spending, a Reuters' poll showed, and a recent surge in infections is clouding the outlook for recovery.

Such a grim reading would cement views that the world's third-largest economy has fallen into a deeper recession, and reinforce expectations that the government will need to compile another stimulus package on top of $2.2 trillion announced so far.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to have shrunk by an annualised 27.2% in April-June, the third straight quarterly contraction and the biggest decline on record since comparable data became available in 1980, the poll of 18 economists found.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, GDP likely fell 7.6%, the poll showed on Friday.

"Both domestic and foreign demand sharply declined due to the expansion of the coronavirus infection," said Shinichiro Kobayashi, senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting.

"The data will likely reconfirm the depth of economic impact from the coronavirus outbreak."

Private consumption, which accounts for more than half of Japan's economy, was projected to have dropped 7.1% for the quarter, the poll showed, also a third straight quarterly fall.

Capital spending was expected to have declined 4.1% in the second quarter, the poll found, the first fall in two quarters.

External demand - or exports minus imports - likely subtracted 3.2 percentage point from GDP, as the pandemic dampened global demand.

The Cabinet Office will announce GDP at 8:50 a.m. on August 17 Monday Japan time (2350 GMT, Sunday).

The Bank of Japan's corporate goods price index (CGPI), which measures the prices companies charge each other for goods and services, likely slipped 1.1% in July from a year earlier, slowing down from a 1.6% decline in June, the poll found.

Story continues

The central bank will publish CGPI on August 13.

Japan's economic activity has gradually resumed in recent months after the government lifted a coronavirus-related state of emergency at the end of May. But the virus has made a worrying resurgence, particularly in Tokyo.

(Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Kim Coghill)
First Nations Australians are the most imprisoned people in the world. Justice targets for closing the gap were set down for the first time last week, providing a federal measure for reducing the Indigenous imprisonment rate. Yet the new target  to reduce it by just 15 per cent by 2031  is hugely unambitious.

Indigenous imprisonment ... the close-the-gap target lacks ambition. Credit:Andrew Meares

This nation can do much better. Evidence of that comes this week from Australia's biggest state, NSW, where prisoner numbers  both Indigenous and non-Indigenous  have suddenly and radically fallen this year. Sadly, it has taken COVID-19 to achieve this reduction. Nevertheless, it shows what can be achieved when there is a will.

First, let's recap Australia's woeful position on Indigenous incarceration: it has doubled to 28 per cent of Australia's prison population since the 1991 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, yet First Nations people account for only 3.3% of Australians; in NSW, almost a third of all people in prisons are Indigenous; in the Northern Territory it rises to 84 per cent.

But there is hope. Prison statistics for the last quarter, released this week by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, show a 10.7 per cent decrease in the overall prison population and an 11.3 per cent fall in the number of Aboriginal people in prison. Seventy per cent of that decrease is attributed to a decline in the remand population  people denied bail while awaiting trial or sentence. This is because police have been issuing fewer court attendance notices, and police and courts are more likely to grant bail. In April, the number of remandees released on bail doubled. There has also been a 27 per cent fall in the Aboriginal youth detention population.
When Truth is All You Have

By Jim McCloskey with Philip Lerman

Doubleday. 300 pp. $26.95

- - -

In early 1979, Jim McCloskey was in his mid-30s, safely home from Vietnam and settling into a successful career as a consultant. Yet his life felt emotionally empty, so he turned to romance, dividing his time between a not-yet-divorced woman and a Times Square prostitute named Brandy whom he genuinely adored. Worried that his personal life was "reaching rock bottom," he returned to his Presbyterian church and began studying the Bible. But - Augustine's prayer comes to mind: "Lord, make me chaste, but not yet" - McCloskey ventured into Times Square again and, Brandy being unavailable, picked up another woman, only to awaken later to find his wallet gone. "That was the moment I got up, looked in the mirror, and finally said to myself, what the hell way is this to live your life?"

From this salty beginning, the modern innocence movement was born.

Nearly a decade before the Innocence Project freed a single prisoner, and five years before Errol Morris produced "The Thin Blue Line," McCloskey exonerated his first inmate and launched the nation's first organization devoted to reinvestigating wrongful convictions. In the 37 years since he founded Centurion Ministries, McCloskey has won the exonerations of 63 men and women - two on death row within days of execution, others imprisoned for decades, adding up to 1,330 years spent paying for crimes they didn't commit. The reason you may not have heard of McCloskey or Centurion Ministries, as you probably have Barry Scheck, Peter Neufeld and the Innocence Project, is that Centurion takes on the cases with no DNA, the hardest ones that require years of knocking on doors and poring over documents without biological evidence to score an easy home run. McCloskey is Paul Drake in a world of CSI, a gumshoe investigator without a lab.

"When Truth Is All You Have," a memoir of McCloskey's life and work, is a riveting and infuriating examination of criminal prosecutions, revealing how easy it is to convict the wrong person and how nearly impossible it is to undo the error. It upends our naive and complacent view of prosecutions - or at least White views, since minorities have long had no such illusions - and demonstrates, case by case, what "a cruel, mindless, mean machine the justice system can be." It is also a story of faith, in which McCloskey's belief in the legal system, and in God, is put on trial and often found wanting.

In the fall of 1980, McCloskey was beginning his second year at Princeton Theological Seminary when he began serving as student chaplain at Trenton State Prison. It housed the most dangerous criminals in New Jersey, including Jorge de los Santos, an admitted heroin addict who had been convicted of murder. The inmate insisted that he was framed for the crime and finally persuaded McCloskey to read the trial transcript during his Thanksgiving holiday. When McCloskey returned after the break, he told de los Santos that he believed he might be innocent. "What are you going to do about it?" de los Santos asked. "Are you just going to go back to your nice little safe seminary and pray for me? . . . I need someone to free me from this hell on earth. Whether you like it or not, you are that man."

McCloskey put seminary on hold and spent the next year reinvestigating. He discovered that the state's case relied on a drug addict and a jailhouse informant, and that the informant had lied on the stand with the knowledge of the prosecutor. McCloskey found a lawyer to bring the case to trial, and in July 1983, Jorge de los Santos walked out of prison, exonerated.

By this point McCloskey had earned his master's of divinity, and he had to choose between the pulpit and the prisoners. He chose the prisoners. He was floored and outraged at the corruption he found in the criminal justice system. But he also felt alive, called to a divine adventure. "I was living a film noir life," he recalls. "I was Humphrey Bogart, tracking down the Maltese Falcon; I was Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade all wrapped up in one." It wasn't all glamour, as he pored over musty documents with a glass of bourbon in one hand and a yellow highlighter in another, but he had found his purpose. With a $10,000 gift from his parents, he launched his organization from his bedroom in Princeton. He called it Centurion Ministries, reminiscent of the Roman centurion in the Book of Luke who looks up at Jesus hanging on the cross and says, "Surely, this one was innocent."

For the first time in his life, McCloskey knew his purpose: to free innocent people in prison. "I believed this was destiny, that this was why God put me on earth. That everything that came before, all the ups and downs in my life, was in preparation for this work."

And he was good at it. The unlikeliest people talked to him: jailhouse informants, perjured or frightened witnesses and their families, friends of the actual perpetrators, detectives with doubts, immigration officials. "This friendly, paunchy guy with a sense of humor and a smile on his face walks up with his little clerical collar on, and people just naturally let their guard down," he writes with some amazement. He listened without judgment, and these conversations became confessionals as he helped people "release the guilt of hiding a lie year after year after year."

Early on, McCloskey attracted the attention of the New York Times and "60 Minutes" when his investigation exonerated Nate Walker, who was serving a life sentence for allegedly raping a White woman. Within days of the "60 Minutes" episode, hundreds of letters poured through McCloskey's mail slot from convicted rapists and murderers, forcing him (and later his small band of staff and volunteers) to decide who deserves a second chance and who does not. It was a Godlike role, deciding life and death. The responsibility weighed on McCloskey, and it reveals one of the most disturbing aspects of the innocence movement: the sheer randomness of it. How many innocent people are serving time but can't attract the attention of overwhelmed investigators like McCloskey and his staff? What if no DNA was found at the crime scene, putting their cases largely off limits to the Innocence Project? For that matter, how many cases pique the interest of local or national news media, pressuring the courts to reconsider the verdict? There are far more innocent prisoners than investigators, and McCloskey believes tens of thousands of them languish in prison.

The details of each story in the memoir differ, but the themes are the same. Jailhouse informants who have incentive to lie for the prosecution often play starring roles at trial. Witnesses are intimidated into giving false testimony. Innocent people confess after hours of questioning. Forensic evidence other than DNA - ballistics, bite marks, hair analysis - is often about as accurate as flipping a coin. Prosecutors hide evidence and put lying witnesses on the stand. Police develop tunnel vision, become obsessed with one suspect and ignore exculpatory evidence. "Once some poor innocent soul is singled out, and law enforcement is convinced of his guilt, the train has left the station," McCloskey writes. "There is no turning back. Truth has been left behind." By the end of his book, he has laid down story after story, layer after layer, until one comes to the settled conclusion that the foundation of our criminal justice system is deeply flawed.

McCloskey describes his failures, including the possibility that a man he supported, Roger Coleman, was in fact guilty of rape and murder. Some cases haunt him, because he believes he proved their innocence but the legal system was unforgiving. For example, in 1987, Benjamine Spencer was convicted of robbing and killing an affluent White man in Dallas, based on the testimony of three people who claimed they saw him in the victim's car and a jailhouse informant who testified that Spencer confessed to him. McCloskey reinvestigated and brought the evidence to a judge, who found that all the witnesses were lying and that Spencer deserved a new trial. Three years passed before the appellate court in Texas denied him a new trial. The reason: Spencer's team did not present new DNA evidence.

I wrote about the case for the Atlantic; in the course of my reporting, I found a new, second alibi witness and tracked down two of the four original witnesses, who recanted their testimony on tape. (One was dead, and one grew hysterical and claimed to not remember.) When I asked the appellate judge who wrote the opinion why he denied Spencer a new trial, he said his hands were tied. "I hope we reached the right opinion," he ventured, "and that Mr. Spencer has hopefully been rehabilitated."

Courts like finality, and even strong evidence of innocence usually won't win a prisoner a new trial, much less exonerate him. In fact, federal and Supreme Court rulings bar a prisoner from appealing his conviction to a federal court based solely on new evidence of innocence.

Some of these cases triggered an existential crisis for McCloskey. "Does God really exist?" he once asked me. "And if he does, what's the purpose, what's the redeeming value of all this unjust suffering?" He had no answer and mused, half joking, that that would be the first question he asked God upon arriving in heaven. "It's going to be an interesting conversation."

In the span of McCloskey's career, and in no small part because of his work, Americans have radically reassessed the criminal justice system. They no longer blindly trust it, and with good reason. Since the first DNA exoneration in 1989, DNA evidence alone has vindicated 375 people. The innocence bar has blossomed, with Innocence Projects at law schools across the country. Even some prosecutors are reconsidering past convictions: Five dozen have opened conviction integrity units to take a second look. According to the National Registry of Exonerations, more than 2,500 people have been exonerated since 1989, including 123 who were on death row. But think about that: One hundred twenty-three people would have died had not some crusading investigator at an organization like Centurion or the Innocence Project taken notice; it defies reason to argue that no innocent person has ever been executed.

The book is full of drama and hope - hope, honestly, I do not fully share. While some progressive prosecutors have been elected recently, the fundamental flaws that define our system remain: racism, tunnel vision, a rush to prosecute the easiest suspect, coverups of mistakes. Does anyone think that the death of George Floyd would have resulted in the police officers' arrest had not a video of one officer kneeling on his neck gone viral?

Meanwhile, the era of easy exonerations is closing. Early on, you could identify old cases, pre-1990, when the state did not yet realize the power of DNA and simply ask for the evidence to be tested. But now most of those cases have been litigated or are moot, the innocent prisoner having served his time or died. Moreover, at the majority of crime scenes, usable DNA is not collected. Even in cases of rape or murder, assailants have become savvy about leaving their biological evidence, and violent crimes, like shootings, don't often involve close contact. Proving a wrongful conviction in the future will require the kind of old-school, painstaking, gutsy work of knocking on doors, poring over documents and persuading people who have no interest in doing so to admit their mistakes. In other words, we need many more Jim McCloskeys and his counterparts at Centurion, and a return to the past.

Now 78, McCloskey retired five years ago, although Centurion continues. He is still chipping away at two unresolved cases, including the case of Ben Spencer, who has been in prison 33 years, since he was 22 years old. McCloskey writes that his faith is "battered" and "changed, irrevocably," but he still believes that God called him to this work. As to the justice system, he is less sanguine.

"Sometimes, the truth won't set you free," McCloskey concludes.

Then again, sometimes it will.

- - -

Hagerty is a contributing writer at the Atlantic.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration has announced sweeping restrictions on two popular Chinese social media networks, TikTok and WeChat, a sharp escalation of its confrontation with China that is likely to be met with retaliation.

Two executive orders, released late Thursday and taking effect in 45 days, cited national security concerns to bar any transactions with WeChat or TikTok by any person or involving any property subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The order essentially sets a 45-day deadline for an acquisition of TikTok, which is in talks to be acquired by Microsoft.

Tensions between the United States and China have already escalated to levels not seen in decades over rifts in geopolitics, technology and trade. In recent months, Trump administration officials have challenged China on its crackdown in Hong Kong, its territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to produce global tech champions. The campaign has been provoked in part by Chinas more assertive posture, but also President Trumps desire to convince voters that he is tough on China as the election approaches.

Mr. Trumps advisers have zeroed in on technology companies, which they say are beholden to the Chinese government through security laws. Many companies that do business across the Pacific have been left paralyzed or begun to reconsider their partnerships, unsure of whether these tensions will spill into a new Cold War. The restrictions announced Thursday would also represent a further balkanization of the global internet, as nations continue to cut off foreign technology companies from one anothers markets.
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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Unum Group (NYSE: UNM) announced today that Rick McKenney, President & CEO, will be representing the company at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference, Wednesday, September 16, 2020. This conference will be held in a Virtual Format.

McKenney is scheduled to speak at 11:15 a.m. Eastern and will discuss the company's business strategy and future growth prospects. There will be a live audio webcast of the presentation available on the Investors section of the company's website, www.investors.unum.com, on the News and Events page.

ABOUT UNUM GROUP

Unum Group provides a broad portfolio of financial protection benefits and services through the workplace, and is the leading provider of disability income protection worldwide. Through its Unum US, Unum UK, Unum Poland, and Colonial Life businesses, the company provides disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision benefits that protect millions of working people and their families. Unum also provides leave and absence management services that streamline the leave experience for employers and employees, and stop-loss coverage to help self-insured employers protect against medical costs. Unum reported revenues of $12 billion in 2019 and paid $7.5 billion in benefits.

For more information, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Unum Group

Related Links

https://www.unum.com


Prosecutors of the Criminal Proceedings Supervision Department for crimes committed during armed conflict of the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) initiated criminal proceedings on the facts of the participation of more than 100 foreign mercenaries in the armed conflict against Ukraine as part of illegal Russia-occupation fighters, the PGO said on its website on Friday.

"The prosecutors have found out that, from 2014 to the present, at least two citizens of Bulgaria, seven of Armenia, one of Georgia, 19 citizens of Italy, some 27 of Spain, some 12 of Kazakhstan, three of Lithuania, some 26 of Moldova, two of the Netherlands and five of Germany, as part of irregular Russia-occupation forces, not provided for by law, participated in the armed conflict against Ukraine in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which led to the death of people and other grave consequences," the PGO said.

According to the PGO, foreigners were involved in various units of illegal armed formations, in particular, in the so-called in 14th battalion of territorial defense "Ghost," 11th separate motorized rifle regiment "Vostok," 7th separate motorized rifle brigade "Chistiakovskaya," 1st separate motorized rifle brigade "Slavianskaya," separate reconnaissance battalion "Sparta," separate assault battalion "Somalia," illegal armed formations "Rusichi," "Wolf Hundred," "USSR Brianka" and others.

"In accordance with Article 47 of the 1977 First Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions relating to the protection of victims of war, they are mercenaries, and their actions are in violation of the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 4, 1989," the PGO said.

The actions of the mercenaries are qualified under Part 4 of Article 447, Part 3 of Article 110, Part 5 of Article 260 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (deliberate actions committed with the aim of changing the borders of the territory or the state border of Ukraine in violation of the procedure established by the Constitution of Ukraine, and also participation in armed formations not provided for by law in an attack on enterprises, institutions, organizations or citizens, which led to the death of people or other grave consequences). The maximum sanction under these articles provides for life imprisonment.

Pretrial investigation of offenses is carried out by investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Earlier, the PGO had already registered criminal proceedings on the facts of the participation of 20 French, 16 Brazilians, Kyrgyz, Bosnians and Chileans in the armed conflict against Ukraine.
Tedra Cobb, the Democratic nominee in the race for the NY-21 House seat, said the country must have a unified, federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic before the problems its caused can begin to be addressed.

From healthcare to the election in November, Cobb said the only way the country will be able to regain a semblance of normalcy and stability will be with sustained, well-informed leadership from the top levels of American government.

First and foremost, we need a consistent and realistic response; thats the only way to solve this problem, she said in an interview Tuesday. (Education Secretary) Betsy DeVos is not a teacher, (Vice President Michael) Pence is not a doctor, (White House Press Secretary) Kayleigh McEnany is not a scientist. We need to rely on teachers, on the healthcare professionals, on scientists to help lead us through this issue.

As the pandemic has worsened across much of the country, hospitals have been hit on multiple fronts. Even in regions of the country with relatively low infection rates, hospitals have been required to suspend their most profitable services, like elective surgeries, causing revenues to plummet. At the same time, theyve been required to find and acquire scarce personal protective equipment, keep staff on for longer hours and reconfigure their wards and emergency departments to handle potentially infectious patients.

North Country hospitals have all faced these issues, with many furloughing workers early on, then laying those workers off as their financial problems have dragged on and worsened. On July 24, St. Lawrence Health System, which oversees three hospitals across St. Lawrence County, announced it would be cutting 46 positions.

This pandemic has cast a momentous spotlight on deficits in our healthcare system, Cobb said. COVID-19 didnt create these gaps, but it certainly magnified them on a national stage. We dont have a federal response. Were still four months into this pandemic and we dont have a federal response. This is a leadership failure at the federal level, and those like Stefanik should be held accountable for that in November.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, said at a press conference Tuesday she believes the federal response, combined with the local response, has been more than adequate.

Stefanik Backs the Blue during visit to Watertown WATERTOWN  National, local and state Republican officials visited the city on Wednesday to voice their support for law enforcement and declar

When it comes to the national response, I think its important to recognize that this has been the largest, most significant, historic, not only economic rescue package, but investment in testing capacity, manufacturing and PPE, as well as Operation Warp Speed, Rep. Stefanik said.

Operation Warp Speed aims to deliver 300 million doses of a safe, effective vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021, as part of a broader strategy to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This will be the fastest vaccination development in our nations history, not only our nations history, but in humanitys history. The fact that we are in phase three trials for a vaccination, I think that is a very strong, robust response, and all of those bills, funded by Congress, those programs passed on a bipartisan basis, Stefanik said. So I would say that the response has been very strong from our county public health officials, and at the federal level, Congress has provided the resources that are important.

Cobb said she believes the American health system needs to be reimagined, with a public health insurance option or the ability for the average person to buy into the Medicare system. She also said she would like to see Medicare be given the ability to negotiate the costs of prescription drugs.

Cobb said she, as well as groups like the AARP and the Hospital Association of New York State, all supported the Affordable Care Act when it was announced, and continue to support it today, because it improved access to healthcare and allowed healthcare providers to be more profitable and stable.

Hospitals, nursing homes, they all need the support to provide the care, she said. The Affordable Care Act shored them up, and now what were seeing is the fragility of that. We need a realistic, consistent federal response.

Cobb said on the topic of reopening schools, she believes that local communities should be able to decide for themselves how to provide education for their students in the fall, based on input from experts like teachers, healthcare professionals and scientists. She said they must have the financial support to ensure all students, families and staff remain safe and healthy if they choose to host in-person classes again.

Its not a one-size-fits-all issue, because school systems are different sizes, class sizes are different, transportation is an issue, she said. This has to be a community, collaborative approach thats not one-size-fits-all, and the schools need the funding to be nimble.

When asked about whether she supports an all-mail vote in the November election, Cobb said she believes absentee ballots should be available for all who request them, but measures should be taken to ensure in-person voting is available and safe for those who want it.

Nobody should have to choose between their health and their right to vote, she said. We need to expand access to voting in New York, we should have no excuse absentee, we should maximize early voting, and we should make sure that were funding poll watchers and training younger, healthy poll watchers, because some people are still going to want to vote in person on election day, at their regular polling place.

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On Tuesday night, Trump announced that U.S. attorney John Durham had uncovered "breathtaking" evidence about the "corrupt" Russia hoax. That might just have been Trump puffing, except for the fact that the Trump campaign also released a new video hinting that the Democrats, from Obama on down, are going to be in trouble.

In April 2019, Attorney General William Barr assigned to John Durham, the United States attorney for the District of Connecticut, the task of investigating operation "Crossfire Hurricane," also known as the Russian hoax. In October 2019, word broke that the investigation had become a criminal probe.

All of this was exciting. Political watchers expected to learn about indictments "any day now." Except "any day" hasn't arrived. Don Surber, one of the most astute political writers around, has reluctantly concluded that the whole Durham investigation is for show because the D.C. Swamp will always circle the wagons:

The Washington Examiner reported, "U.S. Attorney John Durham will soon interview former CIA Director John Brennan, another sign that the investigation of the Trump-Russia investigators is ready to wrap up by the end of the summer." Notice the story did not say which summer. [snip] But what I really get is that there is an election on November 3rd and Durham and company have every reason to delay the case until the outcome of the election. And I get that an indictment will need the approval of the majority of a grand jury in DC, the epicenter of TDS. This looks more like investigation theater than holding anyone accountable for the FBI spying on Obama's political opponents. This case is being slow walked.

Don is so often correct that I hesitate to contradict him. (By the way, if you're not checking out Don's blog every day, you're missing some of the best political analysis in America.) However, maybe because I'm a cockeyed optimist who desperately needs to believe that things are heading in a better direction, I think the Trump administration is telegraphing something big for this fall.

Keep in mind that Donald Trump ran a hugely successful reality show. He understands the importance of a narrative arc for any successful broadcast.

If Durham's report had broken six months ago, it would have been old news by the summer. Worse, the media would have explained away almost everything and deep-sixed what they couldn't explain. Various criminal cases would be grinding their way through the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, with motions and cross-motions. By October or November, the story would be stagnant and stale.

Instead, the Trump administration is putting out what would be, in the world of television, previews of coming attractions for the fall season. The first "promo" was Trump's surprise statement to Lou Dobbs on Tuesday night. Trump used advertising words and phrases that have strong emotional impact, such as "breathtaking," "horrible," "beyond what anybody thought even possible," and "corrupt":

#BREAKING 



Sounds like Durham is done! Trump has seen the goods!



BREATHTAKING! pic.twitter.com/eNOuqzQWHH     (@theconservador) August 4, 2020

I'd watch that television show. Wouldn't you?

Then, on Wednesday, Trump himself released the second "promo" for a new reality show. We could call it William Barr and John Durham star in "Obamagate  the Indictments."

The campaign video, in simple terms, tells the American television audience the broad outlines of a corrupt scheme to overthrow a presidency. Put it together with President Trump's "DRAIN THE SWAMP!" statement, and you're looking at the hit show of September, the one that everyone's been waiting for:

As I said, I could be reading way too much into this. Still, the one-two punch of Trump's statement to Dobbs, immediately followed by a video ending with the word "Obamagate," strongly reminds me of a television station teasing what it knows is going to be the fall season's hit show.

Image: Twitter screen grab.
Gateway Church opens new campus in maximum-security prison, over 500 embrace Christ

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Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas has announced an unconventional location for the church's newest campus: The state's largest prison.

On Sunday, Morris told his congregation, We have a new campus. And youre gonna be really surprised.

He then shared a video revealing that in November, the church launched a new campus at the Coffield Unit in Anderson County, which houses over 4,000 criminal offenders. More than 650 inmates attended the megachurch's first service, and over 500 men made decisions to follow Jesus.

"Gateway has really impacted my life because a lot of us do not have visits, and you guys comin' in here and sharing y'alls love to us has really impacted our life," one of the inmates says in the video.

Morris revealed that Stephen Wilson, an ex-offender who went to seminary school and has been ministering in prisons for years, will serve as the Gateway Coffield campus pastor.

We welcome you guys and we love you. We are your brothers and sisters in Christ, Morris said amid applause. Were excited that we have a campus there now.

According to Fox News, the Coffield Campus runs like any other church campus, with inmates serving as greeters, ushers, operating the sound, video, and audio, and leading the worship team.

Over the next two years, the church reportedly plans to open ten prison campuses within 100 miles of existing Gateway campuses. Additionally, there are small groups at every Gateway campus for families of the incarcerated.

Gateway Prison Ministry is committed to discipling the incarcerated and their families, notes the church website. We plant Gateway churches inside prisons and build community within prison walls, so offenders will feel part of the Gateway family. They can experience regular worship and attend Gateway Equip classes centered on discipleship, marriage, and parenting to help prepare them for life after incarceration.

On Facebook, Samaritans Purse CEO Franklin Graham applauded the move and encouraged other churches to follow suit: Now thats a great ideathis church is setting a great example for reaching out in Jesus Names, he said. Lives are being transformed!

I challenge churches across America to pray about doing something like this for the prisoners in their area, he added. One inmate summed it upI never knew that I could feel so free inside prison.

Previously, Scott Highberger, a former inmate who now serves as the outreach and prison pastor at Road to Life Church in Michigan City, told The Christian Post that God often uses prison as a place of refinement and transformation for inmates.

To the outside world, prison is a place for punishment. For me, prison was a place to be alone with God, to begin a recovery process, to be away from negative influences, and to be stripped of everything. I found freedom in prison, he said.

What I really preach from the rooftops is that Jesus leaves the 99 for that one, he continued. He left those 99 for me and he grabbed ahold of my life in prison. There is hope for that drug addict, the alcoholic, the career criminal, the one that is so far gone that you think they can never be redeemed. Abundant life can be found right there in the jailhouse.
A fugitive hiding out from the cops ran into problems when he tried to climb a fireplace chimney, Indiana police say.

Cody Methanial Sargent, an Evansville man wanted for violating probation on drug dealing and meth charges, was trying to escape U.S. Marshals and local police Thursday, according to the Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Office.

Sargent, 29, got stuck about three-fourths of the way to the top of the chimney, police say.

Heres a photo of him clinging to the top of the chimney.

Cody Methanial Sargent, 29, nearly made it to the top of a chimney in his escape attempt, but he was left clinging to the top. Photo from Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Office.

Unable to get free, the police called the Evansville Fire Department to help Sargent.

Another photo shows what the police saw when they found him stuck.

Cody Methanial Sargent, 29, got stuck trying to escape police through a chimney. Photo from Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Office.

The firefighters dismantled part of the chimney to free Sargent.

He was taken to the hospital for minor injuries and later booked in to jail, police say.

A barefoot Cody Methanial Sargent sits atop a house after trying to escape police through a chimney. Photo from Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Office.

Rape suspect freed due to COVID-19 went on to kill his accuser, Virginia police say

Neighbor threatens Black man with burning cross, swastika, machete in Indiana, feds say
A passenger plane that crashed after it overshot the runway is seen at Calicut International Airport in Karipur, southern state of Kerala, India, on Aug. 7, 2020, in this still image obtained from a video. (ANI/Reuters TV/via Reuters)

Air India Express Plane Crash Lands in Kerala, at Least 17 Killed

Later Update: At least 17 people have reportedly died and more than 100 injured in the crash-landing, officials said in an update. Both pilots are also reportedly dead.



An Air India Express flight with 191 passengers on board overshot a runway while it was landing in Kozhikode, India, on Friday.

A Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight fell down into the valley after landing at Runway 10 of Karipur Airport & broke down in two pieces, said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. There were 191 people on board. Visibility was 2000 meter at the time of landing, the agency said, according to Livemint.

The agency said that the plane, Air India Flight IX-1344 skidded during landing at Karipur Airport at around 7:45 p.m. today, adding that it will investigate the matter.

Several passengers are injured, an Air India spokesman told Reuters. A pilot and two passengers died in the accident, reported CNN News 18.

Officials have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport in Karipur, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote on Twitter. He announced that he also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support.

Rescue workers look for survivors after a passenger plane crashed when it overshot the runway at the Calicut International Airport in Karipur, in the southern state of Kerala, India, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Stringer/Reuters)

Photos from the scene that were posted on social media showed that the plane appeared to have broken into two pieces.

The plane was heading from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to India.

According to ANI, there were six crew members on board in addition to passengers.

The crash took place in the midst of heavy rains in the area at around 7 p.m., NDTV reported. Kerala State has been impacted by the rains over the past week, triggering landslides that killed at least 15 people.
Russian childrens ombudsman welcomes foreign drug purchase liberalization

 pixabay.com

17:26 07/08/2020

MOSCOW, August 7 (RAPSI)  Russias Child Rights Commissioner has supported liberalization of purchase of certain foreign drugs.

On Friday, Russias Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed an order lifting restrictions on state procurement of foreign medicine for leukemia, lymphoma and rare deceases of children.

According to Kuznetsova, the purchase restrictions previously set in law excluded all foreign drugs from state procurement denied parents of ill children an opportunity to bue needed medicine.

She states that such drugs must be available; and receipt of them must be guaranteed.

Earlier, Kuznetsova applied to the Chair of Russias Government seeking to take measures ensuring provision of required medicine to deceased children.




Press Release

7 August 2020

KANSAS CITY, MO - The latest findings of the Travel Advisors COVID-19 Sentiment Barometer (Wave II), released in partnership by MMGY Myriad and Travel Market Report, indicate that travelers are being cautious about their international travel plans by booking with some of the longest windows advisors have ever seen. Meanwhile, there is still limited appetite for travel in the more immediate future - but the shift in interest to domestic, outdoor-focused trips continues.

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The industry survey of North American travel advisors has revealed that the majority of travel being booked is for seven or more months in advance. This time frame is even longer for international travel, cruises and group tour vacations. However, there has been a slight increase in the percentage of travelers booking North American travel for the next 30 days, rising from 10% in June to 16% in July.

Overall, advisors report that 42% of all inquiries received are about U.S. destinations. Prior to COVID-19, domestic destinations made up only about 16% of all inquiries. Outdoor vacations, specifically to North American beach and mountain destinations, continue to be of most interest to clients in the next six months.

In regard to lodging, the survey found that clients appear to feel more comfortable staying in smaller, more private accommodations. Interest in short-term rentals increased slightly but still remains low overall, and there was less interest in large hotels in July than in June.

According to travel advisors, health concerns related to COVID-19 were even more of a concern in July compared to last June, with 92% of advisors indicating in July this is a barrier to booking travel. This is up from 85% in June. The growing concern for health and safety has advisors increasingly believing that promotional offers would not impact clients' decisions to book a trip.

As travel continues to be hindered by the pandemic and a return to normalcy remains unclear, travel advisors are increasingly concerned about their business. The survey found the number of advisors who expect business to be down 75% or more in 2020 rose from 59% in June to 71% in July.

The Travel Advisors COVID-19 Sentiment Barometer was commissioned in partnership by MMGY Myriad, a leader in international destination marketing, and Travel Market Report, a news publication that serves as the voice of travel advisors in North America, to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel agencies. The online survey of travel advisors in the U.S. and Canada is designed and analyzed by MMGY Travel Intelligence. Wave II of the survey was conducted July 13-28, 2020, and includes responses from more than 500 travel advisors. Wave I of the Barometer surveyed more than 300 travel advisors from June 1-10, 2020.

The full Travel Advisors COVID-19 Sentiment Barometer report is available here at www.myriadmarketing.com.

About MMGY Myriad

MMGY Myriad is the North American international destination representation brand of MMGY Global. Representing and managing various projects with numerous international destinations, MMGY Myriad is considered the leader in integrated programs for those destinations that choose to outsource office operations in North America. Programs developed include travel trade engagement, product development, consumer marketing, consumer and travel trade event management, social media and public relations. MMGY Myriad employees are experts in integrating a range of activities for destinations that desire a comprehensive approach to the North American market. For more information, visit www.myriadmarketing.com.

About Travel Market Report

Travel Market Report (TMR) is an online travel trade publication that serves as an independent forum and voice for retail travel sellers in North America. TMR is the first and only trade media founded by travel advisors for travel advisors. Powered by a team of award-winning journalists that analyze and report the news exclusively from the perspective of top-producing travel advisors and its impact on their business, Travel Market Report has become the most trusted news source in less than a decade by providing the most valuable information for its reader/advisors. TMR also provides practical business-building advice and insights into key growth markets, helping advisors operate and grow their business. The editorial team is guided by an independent Editorial Advisory Board whose members represent a cross section of the retail travel industry in North America. Launched in 2009 by American Marketing Group, Travel Market Report delivers news updates by email to over 64,000 US. and Canadian subscribers.

About MMGY Travel Intelligence

MMGY Travel Intelligence is MMGY Global's industry research and insights brand, offering proprietary data and research including DK Shifflet, MMGY Global's Portrait of American Travelers and travelhorizonsTM, all of which are designed to power travel industry decision-makers through consumer insights, travel performance data, and audience modeling and segmentation. To learn more about the extensive collection of research, analytics and strategy services, visit mmgyintel.com or email [email protected].
The Kissing Booth 2 has been the top movie on the Netflix streaming service for the past few weeks, though star Jacob Elordi still hasn't gotten around to watching it.

The 23-year-old Australian actor opened up about the film in a new interview with Variety on Thursday.

The Euphoria star also spoke about working with Ben Affleck in their upcoming movie Dark Water, the film where Affleck met his girlfriend Ana de Armas.

Not watched: The Kissing Booth 2 has been the top movie on the Netflix streaming service for the past few weeks, though star Jacob Elordi still hasn't gotten around to watching it

When Elordi was asked about the ending of The Kissing Booth 2, which sets up a third movie that has already been filmed, the actor admitted he hasn't seen it.

'I havent seen it. Youve seen more than I have. I dont know if Im allowed to say that, but I havent,' Elordi said.

Part of the sequel revolves around a competition for the hit video game Dance Dance Revolution, though Elordi added he does not dance, at all.

Sequel: When Elordi was asked about the ending of The Kissing Booth 2, which sets up a third movie that has already been filmed, the actor admitted he hasn't seen it.

When asked if he played any DDR for the film, Elordi said, 'Not even for a second. I dont even think I would have been allowed.'

'It would have been an insurance problem. I would have gotten a serious injury. They dance so hard in that. No, Im so bad at that,' he said.

While Neflix doesn't release specific viewership data, The Kissing Booth 2 was the most-watched film on Netflix according to a Forbes report.

No dancing: When asked if he played any DDR for the film, Elordi said, 'Not even for a second. I dont even think I would have been allowed'

Elordi will next be seen starring alongside Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in Dark Water, which is currently set for release on November 13.

When asked what it was like to work with Affleck, he said it was, 'Like a dream. It was the most ridiculous thing ever.

'At first I just knew that Ben was in it. In my emails, its Ben Affleck, do you know what I mean? Hes one of the performers of my childhood, and just one of the all-time greats,' he added.

New movie: Elordi will next be seen starring alongside Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in Dark Water, which is currently set for release on November 13

Elordi also said they performed scenes from Good Will Hunting in school and that he's, 'seen every single movie that man's made.'

He added the film is, 'such a Friday night movie to just go and see,' adding, 'its intelligent and its classy.'

'I dont have the largest part to play in it, so I cant speak to the plot so much personally, but I just really like it,' Elordi added.

Elordi will also reunite with his Emmy-nominated co-star Zendaya in Season 2 of HBO's Euphoria, though no premiere date has been given.

Friday night: He added the film is, 'such a Friday night movie to just go and see,' adding, 'its intelligent and its classy'
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Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 17:29 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c5eee1 1 World diplomacy,security,Nuclear,disarmament,UN-Security-Council,Indonesia,TPNW Free

Indonesia should ratify a landmark United Nations treaty to consolidate its commitment to put an end to the use of nuclear weapons, a campaigner for a Nobel Prize-winning global cause demanded, as the world commemorated 75 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The world saw its last nuclear attack in Japan in 1945, when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the two cities on Aug. 6 and 9, killing thousands of people in the span of three days.

Despite having such a hard pill to swallow, a contemporary movement to rid the world of such weapons of mass destruction still lacks support from many countries, including Indonesia.

Jakarta has yet to ratify the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) even after signing it three years ago, a fact that is not lost on Muhadi Sugiono, a campaigner for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).

Indonesia has always pushed for nuclear disarmament, but when there is an [option] to take concrete steps, the decision doesnt come as quickly as its commitment, the Gadjah Mada University lecturer told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Muhadi suggested that Indonesias position as a nonpermanent member of the UN Security Council may have held back the country from ratifying the treaty or being more vocal in its stance on nuclear weapons, for fear that it would be denied support from other countries on the council. The five permanent members of the UNSC  the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom and Russia  are all nuclear weapons-wielding countries.

But Muhadi insisted that ratification by Indonesia would help the cause move forward, as the treaty requires 50 signatories to bring it into force. Only 40 countries have so far ratified the agreement, even though 82 nations have signed the agreement.

Indonesia began earlier this month its presidency of the UNSC, the highest decision-making body of the UN, which is tasked with maintaining global peace and security and has the power to impose sanctions on all countries.

Muhadi explained that the TPNW could be a vital tool to prevent another nuclear fallout, which not only kills but spreads deadly radiation and can conjure a nuclear winter  a period of abnormal temperature drops caused by a layer of smoke and dust in the atmosphere blocking the suns rays.

As long as nuclear weapons exist, there is no such thing as peace. We are still living under the shadow of nuclear weapons, he said.

Echoing a similar message, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday that "the only way to totally eliminate nuclear risk is to totally eliminate nuclear weapons", as quoted by AFP in a video message commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.

Read also: Japan marks 75th anniversary of Hiroshima atomic bombing

The UN first voiced its rejection of nuclear weapons in 1946 when it called for the elimination of atomic weapons. The move was followed by the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968, which requires non-nuclear-weapon states to agree to never acquire nuclear weapons while nuclear-weapon states make a legal undertaking to disarm.

Decades later, the UN adopted the TPNW, which prohibits nations from developing, testing, producing, acquiring, possessing, stockpiling, using or threatening to use nuclear weapons.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministrys director for international security and disarmament, Grata Endah Werdaningtyas, told the Post that the government has rolled out a process toward a ratification of the treaty through several mechanisms and processes, but made no mention of a timeline or conclusion.

Grata said the government had done some stocktaking and was coordinating ministries and agencies to gauge discourse on the ratification of the treaty.

In general, there is positive support from various stakeholders at the national level, so that Indonesia can ratify the TPNW, she said.

The Indonesian government will continue to commit to pushing for the Indonesian ratification process for the TPNW.

Indonesias disarmament diplomacy has seen it join 16 other countries under the Stockholm Initiative that aims for nuclear disarmament. It has also held leading roles in past high-level conferences on nuclear weapons.

However, other government officials may not necessarily hold the same conviction.

Read also: Time for nuclear power? Luhut tells tale of Indonesia having it all .

In February, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan raised eyebrows when he said on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland that he was considering the possibility of a nuclear-powered Indonesia. It was unclear whether he was referring to nuclear arms or nuclear energy for electrification.

As a [former military] general, I also thought about Indonesia having nuclear power, but the President is still busy thinking of prosperity, Luhut said at the time, referring to a conversation with an American general who was seemingly looking down on Indonesia. I thought in my mind, maybe only if we had nuclear power it would scare you.
Throughout our schooling years, weve been taught about the history of India, especially Indian Independence during our History classes.

8 books to read on India's freedom struggle

While we had to mug up everything from Gandhis Quit India Movement to Nehrus Independence Day speech in order to get good marks, we forgot to re-think, question and appreciate everything that our leaders and freedom fighters did during those years to fight against the British rule.

This Independence Day, re-visit those crucial moments of our culture, our past and our historic struggle for freedom with the help of these books.

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

Freedom at Midnight by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins: This book chronicles the events around Indian independence and partition in 1947-48, beginning with the appointment of Lord Mountbatten of Burma as the last viceroy of British India, and ending with the death and funeral of Mahatma Gandhi.

BUY HERE for 29% discount at Rs. 729/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru: This was written by India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru during his imprisonment in 19421946 at Ahmednagar fort in Maharashtra by the British during the British Raj before the independence of India. Nehru uses his knowledge of the Upanishads, Vedas, and textbooks on ancient history to introduce to the reader the development of India from the Indus Valley Civilization, through the changes in socio-political scenario every foreign invader brought, to the present day conditions.

BUY HERE for a 39% discount at Rs. 423/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh: Published in 1956, this historical novel recounts the events of the partition of India in 1947, through the perspective of Mano Majra, a fictional border village. Train to Pakistan is the story of this isolated village that is plunged into the abyss of religious hate. It is also the story of a Sikh boy and a Muslim girl whose love endured and transcends the ravages of war.

BUY HERE for 38% discount at Rs. 153/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha: Indian historian Ramachandra Guha retells the story of the Indian nation after it gained independence from the British Empire. It was chosen as the Book of the Year by The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and Outlook, among others. The book also won Sahitya Akademi Award (one of the highest literary honours in India) for English in 2011.

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BUY HERE for a 29% discount at Rs. 565/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

The Great Indian Novel by Shashi Tharoor: Shashi Tharoor has masterfully recast the two-thousand-year-old epic "The Mahabharata" with fictionalized - but highly recognizable - events and characters from twentieth-century Indian politics. Blending history and myth to chronicle the Indian struggle for freedom and independence, Tharoor directs his hilarious and often outrageous satire as much against Indian foibles and failings as against the bumblings of the British rulers.

BUY HERE for a 25% discount at Rs. 371/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra: Remnants of a Separation is a unique attempt to revisit the Partition through objects that refugees carried with them across the border. Written as a crossover between history and anthropology, this book is the product of years of passionate research. It is an alternative history of the Partition - the first and only one told through material memory.

BUY HERE for 18% discount at Rs. 486/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

A Passage to India by E. M. Forster: This novel is set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement. Based on Forster's experiences in India, this book was included in Time magazines "All Time 100 Novels" list.

BUY HERE for Rs. 399/-

10 books to read on India's freedom struggle

Indian Summer by Alex Von Tunzelmann: This book re-creates of one of the key moments of twentieth-century history: the partition and independence of India, and the final days of the Raj.

BUY HERE for 18% discount at Rs. 491/-

Text sources: Wikipedia and Goodreads

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12 best Indian novels that everyone needs to read

8 books to immerse yourself in Hindu mythology

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Former Ellen DeGeneres Show producer Hedda Muskat has unleashed on the embattled talk show host again.

On Friday, Muskat appeared on the Australian radio program Kyle and Jackie O and described Ellen as a 'big kiss a**' who only likes famous people.

The latest claims come as The Ellen DeGeneres Show faces an internal investigation following claims of bullying, racism and sexual harassment behind the scenes.

Scathing: Ellen DeGeneres (pictured with Reese Witherspoon) is a 'big kiss a**' who only likes famous people, according to disgruntled former producer Hedda Muskat

Muskat said point blank that Ellen 'did not like people'.

'She was not friendly with people, that I noticed,' she claimed. 'The only people that she was friendly with were the A-list movie stars. She's a big kiss a**.'

Two days earlier, the disgruntled ex-staffer had claimed on breakfast show Sunrise that she'd been 'emotionally abused' during her time working for Ellen.

'She was not friendly with people': Muskat (pictured) made the claims on the Australian radio show Kyle and Jackie O on Friday

Muskat, who worked on the debut season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2003, said that she'd been 'fired for no reason'.

'I was more emotionally abused, fired for no reason... they told me that they were just going to take the show in a different direction. They ended up gave my job to a guy I trained who was about 24 years old and had no experience,' she said.

Muskat claimed that executive producer Ed Glavin once pulled her into his office and told her to reveal her contacts and sources, which she refused to do.

Speaking out: Two days earlier, the disgruntled ex-staffer had claimed on breakfast show Sunrise that she'd been 'emotionally abused' during her time working for Ellen

'From that moment I was on the hit list and no longer invited to staff meetings... wasn't allowed to sit at their table at the Emmys - it was a very egg-shell environment,' she added.

Muskat alleged that Ellen's behaviour was poor from the beginning and that she would often 'snarl' at staffers.

'When you walk into her office for example, to pitch her your segments, there was always a snarl. I always felt that I was never welcomed in her office, she always hurried me. "Get to the point, get to the point,"' she said.

Muskat claimed that after a few months, she was told to no longer go into Ellen's office because she wasn't welcome.

Behind the scenes: Muskat, who worked on the debut season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2003, said that she'd been 'fired for no reason'. Pictured: Ellen with Mark Wahlberg

Muskat claims to be the first producer to speak on the record about workplace bullying on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, as other former staffers have come forward anonymously.

She said: 'I'm coming forward because... she trivalised and minimalised everybody's accusations. Nobody wanted to listen to us until now.'

It comes after Muskat called Ellen 'toxic' in an interview with The Wrap that was published on Monday.

Ouch: It comes after Muskat called Ellen 'toxic' in an interview with The Wrap that was published on Monday. Pictured: Ellen with Jason Momoa

'I had never seen this before, I had never been around a toxic host,' she said.

She recalled one incident when Ellen 'giggled' while the show's executive producer, Ed Glavin, screamed at a crew member in front of an entire room.

'He [Glavin] just went off on them. His whole face turned red.  We were stunned,' Muskat recalled.

'I was waiting for Ellen to say something like, "Whoa, Ed, don't talk like that". But do you know what she did? She giggled.

'She [Ellen] crossed her legs up on the chair and she said, "Well, I guess every production needs their dog."

'You could just see everybody's faces go stiff. We're professionals; we're adults. We don't need a dog to get us to do our jobs She was the only one giggling.'

The Ellen DeGeneres Show scandal is making headlines around the world amid claims the work culture is rife with bullying, racism and sexual harassment.

In July, staffers on the syndicated daytime talk show cited a number of the show's executive producers in their complaints, including Kevin Leman and Ed Glavin.

Scandal: The Ellen DeGeneres Show scandal is making headlines around the world amid claims the work culture is rife with bullying, racism and sexual harassment

In a leaked memo last week, Ellen told her employees she was sorry about what was going on.

'On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness - no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect,' she wrote.

'Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And for that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it's the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show.'

Ellen said she was unable to 'stay on top of everything' with her hosting duties and delegated to 'others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done.

'Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again... I'm also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop.'

She added: 'As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or - worse - disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.'

Taking sides: Celebrities who have gone public against Ellen include Brad Garrett and Lea Thompson, while stars who've defended her include Scooter Braun, Katy Perry, Kevin Hart and Ellen's wife of 12 years, Portia de Rossi (pictured)

Celebrities who have gone public against Ellen include Brad Garrett and Lea Thompson, while stars who've defended her include Scooter Braun, Katy Perry, Kevin Hart and Ellen's wife of 12 years, Portia de Rossi.

Meanwhile, the talk show queen is said to be 'crushed,' 'devastated' and 'hysterical' amid calls for her to leave the show she's hosted for 17 years.

'She felt like everything she worked so hard for was falling apart,' an insider told the New York Post.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ellen DeGeneres' representatives for comment.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One he would use emergency powers to ban TikTok. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty

US president Donald Trump has signed executive orders that ban US businesses from doing any transactions with the Chinese owners of TikTok and WeChat.

The announcement comes as Microsoft (MSFT) is in talks to buy the US arm of TikTok owner Bytedance, ahead of the 15 September deadline set by the US president.

The new orders targeting TikTok owner, Bytedance and WeChat owner Tencent, where signed late on Thursday and will come into place in 45 days.

Trumps orders cite legal authority from the National Emergencies Act and International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

The Trump administration said that WeChat and TikTok pose significant threats to US residents, and that TikTok in particular may spread disinformation beneficial to the Chinese Communist party.

READ MORE: What TikTok talks with Microsoft mean for UK and London HQ

In another showdown with Beijing, Trump said that the US must take aggressive action in the interest of national security in efforts to purge untrusted Chinese apps.

Under the orders, all transactions with WeChat involving the app are blocked, but its not yet clear whether this extends to a broader ban on dealings with owner, Tencent. The order against TikTok bans all transactions in which owner, ByteDance, or subsidiaries have an interest.

The text of the order alleges that TikToks data collection could allow China to track US government employees to carry out corporate espionage or gather information that can be used to blackmail them.

On Thursday, the US senate voted unanimously to approve a bill prohibiting federal workers from using TikTok on government-issued devices, amid fears of data collection.

WeChats parent, Tencent owns a 48% share of Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, as well as investments in a number of US companies such as Spotify (SPOT), Tesla (TSL) and Reddit.

READ MORE: Microsoft reveals talks to buy TikTok US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Over the past couple of years, China has also banned major US tech companies, such as Facebook and Google (GOOG) from operating in the country.

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Chinas communist party maintains strict regulation on which US websites and social media sites are accessible in the country  blocking those it banned behind its wall of internet censorship.

Earlier this week, Trump said that he would support the sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft as long as the US government got a "substantial proportion" of the sale price.

ByteDance, whose last valuation of $78bn (61bn) makes it the world's most valuable start-up, is behind the app that is dominating the lives of millennials and generation Z. It only launched in September 2016 but, outside China, it has already amassed 300 million active users and 1.4 billion total installs to date.

WeChat, which has over 1.2 billion active monthly users is the Chinese version of WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, PayPal (PYPL), Uber (UBER), and Tinder, under one ecosystem.

The tension between the US and China weighed on European stocks on Friday.
Nearly three months after the Edenville Dam failed, a group of Michigan engineers have named erosion as a major concern for the property.

On July 24, TRC Engineers Michigan Inc.  the local branch of a nationwide engineering consultant  presented findings from a second visual inspection of the Edenville Dam to dam owner Boyce Hydro. The latest inspection took place on July 14, while the group's initial inspection occurred on June 10.

The 89-page follow-up report was filed in the Western U.S. District Court of Michigan as part of a court action between two state agencies  the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources  and representatives of Boyce Hydro.

Photos taken from both inspections indicate severe ongoing erosion issues, particularly effecting the left embankment of the dam's Tobacco spillway.

The follow-up inspection on July 14 notes that "tension cracks" on the Tobacco spillway do not appear to have significantly increased in size since the last inspection in June. However, there did appear to be some minor settlement  which happen when parts of a structure drop below the elevation or height where they were placed during the original construction  of an inch or less on the outer portion of the embankment, the report stated.

"During the June 10 inspection, there was debris and sediment build-up within the area of the former M-30 bridge causeway that was obstructing flow through the channel, causing additional erosion of the remaining portions of the bridge abutment embankment," the report stated. "At the time of our July 14 inspection, MDOT was removing the debris and sediment from within this area."

Pursuant to an agreement reached on June 18, Boyce Hydro has coordinated with MDOT regarding efforts to clear sediment and debris, with Boyce Hydro granting MDOT ongoing access through the Edenville Dam site to do the work, the report stated.

In addition to recording the visual observations made by the engineers, the new report includes a list of recommended remedial efforts for Boyce Hydro, ranked by necessity as either "critical action," "recommended action" or "non-critical action/maintenance."

First on the list of "critical action" items is the removal of debris within the left embankment of the dam's Tittabawassee section, and the establishment of a new drainage/river channel to properly control drainage through the area. The removal of debris from the dam's Tittabawassee spillway, which could otherwise potentially move downstream, was also listed as critical repair, as well as shoring the left side of the spillway against further loss of soil to prevent total collapse of spillway structure.

"Until the left embankment  Tobacco can be repaired to satisfactory condition, as an interim measure it is recommended that a temporary sheet pile wall be installed from the existing fishing pier located approximately 275 feet east of M-30 to protect the embankment from further erosion by moving the floodway away from the dam by reestablishing the original path of the stream," the report stated.

TRC engineers also recommended the dam owners continue to monitor the rate of erosion of the embankment. Until a "slope stability analysis" can be done to the Tobacco Spillway section of the dam, TRC recommended installing survey monitoring hubs along the downslope portion of the right embankment  on the Tittabawassee River to monitor the slope for additional movement.

Tension cracks that have developed to the right of the Tobacco Spillway should be backfilled with soil or bentonite to prevent water from entering the cracks and potentially weakening the embankment, the report stated.

Shawn McGee, TRC geotechnical engineering practice leader, Boyce Hydro chief operator Greg Uhl and Dan DeVaun, a dam engineer from the EGLE dam safety unit, were present during the follow-up inspection.
Nevada lawmakers voted to shield certain industries from coronavirus-related legal liability and require hotels and casinos to enact worker protection measures after days of complicated negotiations with Gov. Steve Sisolaks office and the states most powerful labor and business interests.

Combining liability and worker protections in a single bill jumbled traditional partisan divides and left neither Republicans nor Democrats satisfied with the final outcome.

I dont know that theres a single person who thought this was a perfect deal, Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson said after the bills passage late Wednesday night.

If Sisolak signs it as expected, Nevada will join more than a dozen states that have passed laws to protect businesses from personal injury and wrongful death claims amid the pandemic.

Republicans and Democrats who backed the bill said conditioning liability protections on adherence to health directives would help businesses reopen safely without endangering Nevadas tourism industry and its reputation as a premier destination.

The bill grants legal immunity to most businesses, nonprofits and government agencies as long as they follow health standards set by local, state and federal authorities and dont exhibit gross negligence. Lawmakers ultimately carved out hospitals, nursing homes and K-12 schools from the bills liability protections, earning praise from those worried about the safety conditions in schools and nursing homes, but scorn from hospital and school district administrators.

The bills worker protection provisions mirror a proposal put forth by Nevadas powerful Culinary Union Local 226 ahead of the session in honor of Adolfo Fernandez, a Caesars Palace porter who died from COVID-19 complications in late June. It requires health officials in Clark and Washoe County to mandate that casinos, resorts and hotels offer testing and time off to employees exposed to coronavirus in the Reno and Las Vegas areas, and sets baseline cleaning standards for bars, hotel rooms, restrooms and elevators.

After Brin Gibson, Sisolaks general counsel, said the final bill reflected a deal reached by some of the most important members of Nevadas economy and cautioned that amendments could jeopardize their support, lawmakers from both parties slammed provisions that selectively exempted certain workers and businesses from protections.

Sen. Ira Hansen said exempting medical providers made hospitals and nursing homes a sacrificial lamb. The Nevada Hospital Association said they feared potential lawsuits could deter hospitals from offering needed services or accepting visitors.

By excluding medical facilities from this bill, access to patient care will be impacted, Nevada Hospital Association President Bill Welch said.

Sen. Scott Hammond, R-Las Vegas, voted for the bill because of the protections it offers businesses, but said exemptions amounted to picking winners and losers. He protested a final-hour amendment that exempted schools because he said exposure to liability would make reopening schools more difficult and, in turn, hurt students.

Teachers union representatives said the threat of liability would force schools to only reopen when safe for students, teachers and support staff.

If there is immunity, there is no incentive to ensure these classrooms, buildings, campus, and buses are safe  We believe removing immunity from schools forces districts to adopt a safety and testing program, Clark County Education Association President John Vellardita said.

Progressive groups and plaintiffs attorneys mutinied against the Democratic-controlled state Legislature and likened its proposal to liability protections proposed by Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Despite the fact that there have been an average of 1,050 cases per day over the past week, this body is debating how to make it easier for corporations to endanger workers health and the publics health, said Hugh Baran, an attorney with the National Employment Law Project.

Assemblywoman Selena Torres, D-Las Vegas, voted against the bill because she said she couldnt support shielding businesses from liability without expanding workplace protections to frontline workers like grocery store clerks, instead of mainly to the hotels and casinos that employ Culinary Union members.

I am concerned that these employees are not going to get the same benefits as other members of our community, she said.

Health officials from the Reno and Las Vegas areas opposed the bill and said they werent consulted on how it might affect their ability to manage the pandemic. Washoe County Health Officer Kevin Dick protested how local health officials will have to expand inspection and enforcement efforts until Sisolaks emergency directives are lifted, even though the federal relief dollars set to fund the efforts must be spent by the end of the year.

Its just another burden being placed upon the health district while we are already over-extended in our response to COVID-19, Dick said Wednesday afternoon.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Legislation Nevada
Asheville man sentenced on child porn charges

Chief U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced a 41-year-old Asheville man to 14 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to uploading child pornography, U.S. District Attorney Murray announced.

Mance Lee Ruvolo was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and to register as a sex offender after he is released from prison.

According to filed documents and statements made in court, on July 13, 2018, law enforcement became aware that an individual was using an e-mail address to upload images containing child pornography. Law enforcement identified the email account user as Ruvolo, and positively linked to Ruvolo the cell phone used to upload the child pornography. Court documents also show that a review of Ruvolos email account revealed additional images and videos of child exploitation, including videos and images of prepubescent children being sexually abused. Ruvolo pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography on January 3, 2020.

Ruvolo is currently in custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

Murray thanked Homeland Security investigators and the SBI for handling the investigation.



The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice, aimed at combating the growing online sexual exploitation of children. By combining resources, federal, state and local agencies are better able to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue those victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Lucknow, Aug 7 : The four-day Uttar Pradesh Assembly session, scheduled to begin from August 20, will be a new experience as it will be held in accordance with COVID-19 pandemic protocols, with special arrangements in place to ensure social distancing.

Speaker Hriday Narain Dixit said: "The Uttar Pradesh Assembly will set example on how to conduct a session in challenging conditions to legislate on important matters. I am confident that members will set a precedent before the nation by ensuring that the house can address serious public concerns and challenges in the four-day session.

"We hope not to have any disruptions during the brief session." Uttar Pradesh will be the first state to have a full-fledged regular session in the pandemic.

The monsoon session has been convened to meet the constitutional obligation of holding one within six months of the last which was held in February.

Principal Secretary of legislative Assembly, Pradeep Kumar Dubey said: "Special filters will be used in central air-conditioning system to prevent transmission of virus. The central canteen would remain shut to prevent crowding. Besides more gates would be opened so that members get enough space for entry and exit." To ensure social distancing, legislators would be seated in the various galleries.

There is also a proposal to cancel all media passes in order to allow legislators to be seated in the press galleries.

Meanwhile, sources said that during an all-party meeting on Thursday, leaders also deliberated on the possibility of approaching the President, if needed to review the constitutional provision of calling a session within six months of last one in the 'rarest of rare' circumstances, and if the time could be extended to eight months or beyond.

Nine state ministers have already tested COVID-19 positive and a number of staff members in the Vidhan Sabha are also infected.

Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary was recently been discharged from hospital after recovering.

But the opposition wants the Assembly session to be held in the normal mode.

"We should seek permission from President and delay the session by a month or so. There are issues like the Vikas Dubey encounter, corona management and the flood situation which need to be discussed. By keeping he media away, the government wants to hide its failures," said an SP MLA.
President Akufo-Addo says he inherited almost empty state coffers from the erstwhile Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.

According to him, the highly touted 'massive infrastructure development' claimed by the NDC administration ahead of the 2016 general election was just propaganda because upon assumption of office, what the Akufo-Addo administration saw on the ground did not reflect the 'massive' projects the NDC claimed it left behind.

President Akufo-Addo explained that in his quest to build a better nation, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government had to strategize carefully to be able to surmount the huge task ahead, adding that so far his administration has been able to move the country forward in a positive direction in his four-year mandate.

The President made the comment on Wednesday, August 5, when he paid a courtesy call on the Akwamuhene, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, ahead of the commissioning of an NBBSI Business Resources Centre at Senchi in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region during his regional tour.

In a brief remark, the President said, At first we were made to understand that the roads have been done if you will remember. We were told we have seen unprecedented infrastructural development. And it turned out it wasn't true. Across the country, the roads were in a very poor state. That is the situation I inherited.

President Akufo-Addo stated, however, that despite the huge infrastructural deficit inherited, strides had been made to get many roads fixed across the country, with further commitment reinforced by the declaration of 2020 as the year of roads.

We've gone very far. I think that anybody who is sincere can look across the country. Firstly, I think there are two things about these roads. All of us came together then we unleashed a massive programme of roads rehabilitation across the country. People can see that indeed the roads are being tackled, he pointed out.

He indicated that with time, people are getting to know that the NPP administration came to develop the country, saying he was hopeful the people would give him and his party another four-year mandate to continue to push for accelerated development.

Touching on land issues, he promised to set up a committee to investigate lands belonging to chiefs that have been taken by government across the country to promote peace.

Akwamuhene

The Paramount Chief of Akwamufie, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, in his earlier remarks, expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo for bringing development to his area.

He expressed worry about the deplorable state of roads in the area, particularly Akosombo and Mpakadan, and pleaded with the President to see to it.

He commended the government for the implementation of flagship programmes such as Free SHS, the construction of the railway and others in the area and was hopeful the NPP government would provide better things to their area.

Though we have the Dam, there has not been any proper plan to benefit the people of Akwamu. Most of our lands have been taken by government and has been invested in the Volta River project though they are done with the project; the remainder of the land is still in the hands of the VRA.

---Daily Guide
The government is considering a plan to scrap reduced jail sentences for 'bang to rights' criminals who plead guilty to their crimes.

It follows backlash after one of the killers of PC Andrew Harper had his sentence slashed by a third.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland is reportedly studying proposals to end the current practice of reducing jail sentences by one third.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland (pictured) is reportedly studying proposals to end the current practice of reducing jail sentences by one third

PC Harper, died horrifically on August 15 last year after he tried to stop the trio fleeing after they stole a quad bike in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire but his ankle got caught in a strap dangling from the back of a Seat Toledo and he was dragged to his death.

Under current UK law, if an offender does admit to their crime it usually means they get a reduced sentence with a maximum of a third off when they admit their crime at the very earliest opportunity.

The later the plea, the smaller the prison sentence reduction.

Ministers are concerned the discounted jail sentence is being exploited by criminals caught in the act, according to a report in The Telegraph.

A source told the paper: 'If you get caught red-handed killing someone, say on camera, should you really get a third off for pleading guilty?'

'The rule is designed to help victims so they don't have to go through the stress of giving evidence.

'What it is not supposed to be is for criminals to exploit it by seeing they are 'bang to rights' and then to game the system.'

Henry Long, 19, the driver of the car that dragged 28-year-old PC Harper to his death, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder, saying he did not know PC Harper was attached to the vehicle.

Henry Long (left), 19, and 18-year-olds Jessie Cole (centre) and Albert Bowers (right) were sentenced at the Old Bailey last Friday for manslaughter

He was given a reduction on his 16 year sentence because he pleaded guilty and must serve a minimum of 10 years and eight months in jail.

The sentencing sparked a public outcry, with many claiming the punishment for Long, as well as Jessie Cole and Albert Bower, who each sentenced to 13 years in a young offender's institute, was too light.

On Tuesday, the Attorney General's Office confirmed that it has been asked to consider if the jail terms handed down are too lenient.

PC Harper died horrifically on August 15 last year after he tried to stop the trio fleeing after they stole a quad bike in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire but his ankle got caught in a strap dangling from the back of a Seat Toledo and he was dragged to his death.
Made In Chelsea star Cheska Hull surprised Good Morning Britain viewers on Friday when she was interviewed during a news segment.

The reality star, 35, was talking about holidaymakers not wearing masks in Devon after she moved to the coast from Chelsea.

Cheska was one of the original stars of the hit show, starring from 2011 until 2014 before she left.

Surprise: Made In Chelsea star Cheska Hull shocked Good Morning Britain viewers on Friday when she was interviewed during a news segment

She is now raising her son Charlie in the popular resort of Salcombe.

During Good Morning Britain, reporter Pip Thompson said: 'Made in Chelsea star Cheska Hull, who's made her home here, is really worried and really angry.'

Cheska said: 'People are just feeling they're on holiday, they've got away from London.

Angry: The reality star, 35, was talking about holidaymakers not wearing masks in Devon after she moved to the coast from Chelsea

Change of pace: She is now raising her one-year-old son Charlie in the popular resort of Salcombe

Throwback: Cheska was one of the original stars of the hit show, starring from 2011 until 2014 before she left

Frustrated: The former reality star criticised tourists heading to the British coast and flouting guidelines

'And I've heard through people and locals in the town that people are saying: "I don't want to wear my mask, I'm on holiday, I got away from all that, that's why I'm down here!"'

Cheska has been open about her struggles as a reality personality and how life in the TV spotlight caused her anxiety and depression.

Since relocating to Devon, Cheska's life has involved a lengthy stay in Thailand, where she has family, and plenty of time for Charlie.

The brunette also flaunts a sensational physique in her many beach snaps, showcasing her taut post-baby frame in an array of bikinis as she plays on the beach with the tot.

Mum and son: Cheska documents her life with her son on Instagram and it appears to be all smiles and sunshine

All is well: Since relocating to Devon, Cheska's life has involved a lengthy stay in Thailand, where she has family, and plenty of time for Charlie

She split from Charlie's father, but he is thought to still be involved in their lives, and Cheska's past woes seem to be firmly behind her.

Last year, she posted a '10 year challenge' to Instagram, comparing 2009 to 2019.

She captioned it: '2009 - dancing the night away in a Chelsea nightclub (I dont know why Im wearing sunglasses ).

Proud mum: The brunette also flaunts a sensational physique in her many snaps

Sweet: Cheska shows off her taut post-baby frame in an array of bikinis on her social media

'2019 - living my best life with my beautiful son, happy and relaxed... life is different but better and Im happier! X #10yearchallenge.'

She recently told Grazia magazine that she was essentially signed off the show because of her anxiety, and that she was even suicidal at one point.

'Friends told me to just stop [filming] but part of me was scared,' she recalled. 'I had a degree and an education, but I didn't know how I could get a serious job after the show.'

Honest: Cheska shared the extent of her mental health issues, which overtook her when she was still a regular cast member of Made In Chelsea, between 2011 and 2014

The reality veteran - who had many a romantic and friendship altercation on the series - became 'panicked' by living the lifestyle that comes with Made In Chelsea.

'Depression and anxiety were a price I paid for reality TV fame,' she lamented. 'I was so low, I felt I couldn't film, but I'd signed a contract. There were days I couldn't get out of bed. I would dread the thought of walking down the street.'

During the show's freshman year, Cheska suffered a personal tragedy, when her father committed suicide. It was a delayed reaction to this that made her seek outside counselling, which Channel 4 agreed to.

Trauma: The reality veteran - who had many a romantic and friendship altercation on the series - became 'panicked' by living the lifestyle that comes with Made In Chelsea

'Suddenly I was thinking about my dad's death all the time and was so low that I felt suicidal,' she added. 'I was in so much pain I felt like I knew how he had felt.'

The psychiatrist deemed her 'unfit to film' and Cheska says she doesn't know what she would have done if that hadn't happened.

She made her last full-time appearance on MIC: New York in the summer of 2014, but returned in much brighter circumstances in a season 13 episode.

Surprising Binky Felstead at her baby shower, Cheska also announced she was expecting a child too.

'I was desperate to get out. Now I feel I can breath again,' she said, comparing it to those that crave fame and attention which, in the world of reality TV, seeps away.
The First Thursday Pop-Up shop held in the renovated historic building at 434 Fannin in Beaumont drew a large crowd, hungry not just for the food, drinks and locally made goods they could buy, but the opportunity to gather with friends and family.

They gathered to socialize as they ate, drank and filled the booths of seven local retailers, poring over the creations of local jewelry makers, designers, artists, craft brewers and restaurateurs.

It was also an opportunity for small business owners operating from home or in the start-up phase to get eyes in real time on their goods.

Lucky Pepper Companys Peyton Provost of Lumberton, who creates handmade clay-based jewelry, talked with the crowd of customers surrounding her booth as they made their selections. This was her first public show for the business she started in February and runs from home through online sales.

The story was similar for jewelry maker Sydney Bean one booth over, and Lindsey McDonald, three booths away. McDonald is an elementary art teacher at East Chambers in Winnie who picked up macrame as a hobby in July but found demand for her creations and has been selling online since.

Among the vendors were two new businesses that plan to launch in the fall, including Poppie Paperie, whose owners Shelby and Cormac Kelly specialize in fine art designs for wedding and corporate stationery, and 1701 Barbecue, the latter of which has a site building now on Calder Avenue in Beaumont. Owner Blue Broussard operated a food truck for five years, but says he wanted to give brick and mortar a try. He is aiming for an Oct. 1 opening, adding well see how that goes as the COVID-19 situation continues.

Pour Brothers, Sachis Sweets and The Avenue were among the more established food and drink booths rounding out the vendors, offering their signature food and beverages.

The event, held in concert with the monthly First Thursday specials in Beaumont, is among the attempts to help keep local small businesses viable and on the public radar amid the many closures and restrictions due to the coronavirus.

kbrent@beaumontenterprise.com
A D-Day hero who captured the tallest soldier in the German army during the Second World War has died at 97.

Corporal Bob Roberts, who stood at 5ft 3in, took the surrender of 7ft 6in Jakob Nacken in September 1944.

Before that he had been the second man to set foot on Juno Beach and was nearly killed several times during the Battle of Normandy.

Corporal Roberts and a colleague located a cliff-side enemy machine gun attacking the beaches and took it out with a gun and flame-thrower.

Corporal Bob Roberts (left), who stood at 5ft 3in, took the surrender of 7ft 6in Jakob Nacken (rigtht) in September 1944

Corporal Bob Roberts had been the second man to set foot on Juno Beach and was nearly killed several times during the Battle of Normandy

He survived a snipers bullet grazing his head and killed a German who pulled a pistol on him as he was being captured.

Tragically, his younger brother Ernie was killed in action in July 1944 at the very spot where he had been relieved just 24 hours before.

He died in his sleep at Bournemouth Hospital in Dorset on August 1 after a short illness.

His wife, Vera, died in 2011 and he leaves their four children  Allen, Brian, Colin and Dot  ten grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Bournemouth War Memorial Homes where he lived has been flying the Union Flag at half mast in his honour.

His daughter Dot Savill said: Although it was his bravery during the war that he was famous for, Bob was first and foremost a wonderful dad, grandad and great-grandad.

'He was so lucky to enjoy a long and happy marriage with Vera, who he called his English rose. He had a great sense of humour and a kind disposition. He was a very special person.

His wife, Vera (pictured together), died in 2011 and he leaves their four children  Allen, Brian, Colin and Dot  ten grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Bob Roberts (centre) during a break in the battle of Normandy with the remaining comrades of his platoon in 1944

Mr Roberts was from St John, New Brunswick, Canada, and enlisted with the North Shore Regiment of the Canadian Army in 1942 before being sent to Britain for training.

It was after his regiment took out a gun battery in Calais on September 26 that he was involved in one of the wars most bizarre confrontations.

He was searching a row of prisoners when he came face to chest with Nacken, a giant circus performer who had toured Europe and the US.

Mr Roberts recalled: My mates who were watching the rest of the men saw this giant of a guy approach me and I was aware they and the Germans were having a good laugh.

He received the Legion DHonneur from the French government in 2014.

His funeral takes place at Bournemouth crematorium on Thursday, August 13.
'We have nothing in the port: not an arms depot, nor a missile depot nor missiles nor rifles nor bombs nor bullets nor ammonium nitrate'

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah Friday strongly denied claims that his powerful Shia movement had stored arms at the site of a cataclysmic explosion that ripped through the Lebanese capital.

"I categorically deny" such rumours, Nasrallah said in a televised speech three days after a blast at Beirut's port killed more than 150 people.

"We have nothing in the port: not an arms depot, nor a missile depot nor missiles nor rifles nor bombs nor bullets nor ammonium nitrate."

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Arizona health officials laid out a three-part test Thursday for when they say it will be safe for schools to reopen, in full or in part.

In essence, the guidelines say it will be safe to again have kids in the classroom when:

Fewer than 7% of area residents tested for COVID-19 are positive for the virus;

The number of people showing up at local hospitals with COVID-like symptoms is less than 10% of all visits;

A rate of infection drops below 100 cases for every 100,000 residents.

Failure to meet even one of those benchmarks, according to state health director Cara Christ, indicates that schools should remain shuttered.

But even that last category comes with an escape clause of sorts. Schools could still meet that specific benchmark if there has been a decline in the weekly average in the number of cases for two consecutive weeks, even if the infection rate tops 100 per 100,000.

Arizona is not there yet.

We think its going to be several weeks before any county meets those benchmarks, Christ said. But we do see it trending down within the next month.

Christ said she had no predictions and emphasized these decisions generally are going to be made on a county-by-county level, meaning kids could be back in school in one county while those in the adjacent one have only online learning.

The question now is whether any of the more than 200 traditional school districts and charter schools actually will follow the guidelines.
Reacting to the remark, the opposition SP said he should seek an apology from the people of the state. When contacted, a UP Congress spokesperson, however, refused to comment on the chief minister's remarks over the mosque.

New Delhi : In an interview to a television channel Thursday, Adityanath said he couldn't go for not attend the inauguration of the mosque to be built in Ayodhya, replacing the demolished Babri Masjid, as a yogi and as a Hindu.

"If you ask me as a chief minister, I have no problem with any belief, religion or community. If you ask me as a yogi, I will definitely not go because as a Hindu I have the right to express my 'upasana vidhi' (way of worship) and act accordingly," Adityanath had said.

"I am neither vaadi or prativadi (petitioner nor respondent). That is why neither will I be invited, nor will I go. I know, I won't be getting any such invitation, he said.

"The day they invite me, secularism of many will be in danger. That's why I want that their secularism should not be in danger and I continue to silently work to ensure that everyone benefits from government scheme without any discrimination," he said.

He claimed that the Congress never wanted a solution to the dispute. They wanted the dispute to continue for their political benefit."

"Attending roza-iftar with a skull cap is not secularism. People also know that this is drama. People know the reality," the CM said.

SP spokesperson Pawan Pandey criticised Adityanath over his remarks, charging that he has violated the oath he took while assuming charge as the chief minister.

"He is the CM of the entire state, and not only of the Hindu community. Whatever the population of Hindus and Muslims in the state, he is the CM of all. This language of the CM lacks dignity," he said.

"He should seek an apology from the people for this," Pandey said.

UP Congress media cell convenor Lalan Kumar said, "We don't have any comments on his mosque statement."

But he credited the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for opening the locks on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid.

Referring to the ruling BJP, the Congress spokesperson said, They play politics of fake Hindutva. The Congress has always talked about whatever is in the interest of people.

Lord Ram is everyone's, but the BJP wants to show that Ram is theirs alone, he added.

Yogi Adityanath had attended the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a Ram temple in Ayodhya, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the main guest.

Last November, the Supreme Court had settled the Ayodhya land dispute, allowing the construction of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi by a trust.

The apex court had also ordered the allocation of a five-acre plot of land elsewhere in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque, in place of the Babri Masjid which was demolished by kar sevaks' in 1992.

A trust has been formed by the Sunni Waqf Board for building this mosque.
The ministrys admission of Chinese transgressions, which has since been removed, contradicts earlier govt stand.

Indias defence ministry has warned, in a statement since removed from its website, that a military standoff with China that began with border fighting in June is likely to be a long one, despite multiple rounds of talks between the nuclear-armed rivals to defuse the tension.

The ministry said in an update for June  which has now been removed  that Chinese forces had breached the border in the Galwan, Hot Springs and the north shore of Pangong Tso Lake in the northern Indian territory of Ladakh on May 17-18.

It was apparently too much to hope that the government had come clean on the Chinese intrusions into Ladakh! tweeted defence expert Ajai Shukla.

New Delhi says a violent face-off that followed the intrusion killed 20 of its soldiers in the western Himalayas.

It was the worst outbreak of violence between the giant Asian neighbours in decades. China accuses the Indian side of crossing the de facto border and provoking its soldiers.

On the MoD website, @DefenceMinIndia admits Chinese "transgressions" across the LAC in Galwan, Hot Springs and Pangong. This disproves PM @narendramodi's 19 June statement: "Na koi ghusa, na koi ghusa hua hai" (Meaning: Nobody has crossed the LAC). Why did the PM publicly lie? pic.twitter.com/DhpIh0R15w  Ajai Shukla (@ajaishukla) August 6, 2020

While engagement and dialogue at military and diplomatic level is continuing to arrive at mutually acceptable consensus, the present standoff is likely to be prolonged, the Indian defence ministry said in the now-removed statement, which was posted to Twitter by Reuters partner ANI and others on Thursday.

India sent reinforcement following the deadly border skirmish on June 15 [File: Yawar Nazir/Getty Images]

In a Twitter post, Shukla said the defence ministrys admission of Chinese transgressions across the Line of Aactual Control  the de facto border  came after it was denied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Border deadlock continues

More than two weeks after the June 15 deadly skirmish, Modi travelled to the Himalayan region of Ladakh to pay tribute to the killed soldiers.

Age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development. History is witness that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back, Modi said on July 3 without naming China.

After several rounds of military-level talks, the disengagement process has not been completed as the two sides have continued to hold their ground.

Most of the 3,500km (2,200-mile) border dividing India and China remain undemarcated.

A ministry spokesman did not respond to a call and a text message asking for comment on the document.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said the government was not being candid about the situation on the border, especially after Prime Minister Modis statement in June that nobody has intruded into our border, neither is anybody there now, nor have our posts been captured.

Forget standing up to China, Indias PM lacks the courage even to name them (Chinese), Gandhi tweeted. Denying China is in our territory and removing documents from websites wont change the facts.

Under public pressure, the Modi government has banned Chinese firm ByteDances TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps, and made approval processes more stringent for Chinese companies wanting to invest in the country.

The annual bilateral trade between the two Asian countries stand at $92bn but it is heavily skewed in Beijings favour.
Thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate, believed to be responsible for the devastating explosion in Beirut on Tuesday, have been traced back by journalists to a Moldovan-flagged boat that was supposed to deliver the chemicals to Mozambique. An impecunious crew living as hostages on a floating bomb and repeated requests to the Lebanese authorities to shift the cargo, which went unheeded, are part of the cargo ships devastating story.

The story that led to the tragic explosion in Beirut port on Tuesday began more than six years ago, 1,300 kilometres from the Lebanese capital. The Moldovan-flagged vessel Rhosus left the port of Batumi, Georgia, with 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate on board. It never reached its intended destination, Mozambique, where the cargo was supposed to be sold to a factory manufacturing explosives for civilian use.

Thus, the ammonium nitrate  which is now seen as the cause of the disaster that killed at least 154 people and injured at least 5,000  should never have ended up at Beirut port. But a combination of mismanagement of the ship, technical problems and legal complications kept the cargo there.

The Lebanese authorities have not yet released the conclusions of the official investigation into the tragedy. However, several publications  including The New York Times, CNN and Der Spiegel  were able to piece together a chronology of the facts.

Do you expect Putin to send special forces?

The Rhosus belonged to Igor Grechushkin, a Russian businessman living in Cyprus who had been paid a million dollars to transport ammonium nitrate to Mozambique, the ships captain Boris Prokoshev told The New York Times.

During a stopover in Greece, the boats Russian owner warned the crew that he lacked the funds to pay for salaries and maintenance costs on a journey through the Suez Canal. So he asked them to make their way to Beirut, where he intended to receive more money to transport extra cargo, Der Spiegel reported.

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>> Beirut is destroyed, my heart is broken: Locals in despair over Lebanon blast

It was a difficult crossing through the eastern Mediterranean, explained Prokoshev, who is now retired. The ship was in a bad condition, he said, with a hole in the hull forcing the crew to regularly throw water out.

Contrary to its owners plans, the ship stayed in Beirut. During an inspection of the Rhosus, the Lebanese port authority said that its papers were not in order and that the boat was not in a good enough condition to sail, CNN noted. Meanwhile Igor Grechushkin dropped off the radar. The crew lacked the resources to pay for shipping costs.

Without the means to maintain the boat or even buy food, the crew were hostages on a floating bomb, to quote a prescient headline on maritime news website Fleetmon in July 2014.

Lebanon allowed six people to leave the country, keeping just four people in place, including the captain. Prokoshev said he contacted the Russian embassy. Do you expect President Putin to send special forces to get you out? one of his interlocutors reportedly said.

The judiciary never acted

In desperation, Prokoshev sold some of the ships fuel to provide lawyers to argue his case, he told radio station Echo Moscow on Wednesday. Eleven months after arriving in Beirut, the sailors finally won the legal right to go home, Charbel Dagher, one of the lawyers representing the crew, told specialist website ShipArrested in 2015.

The 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were then transferred to warehouse 12 in the port of Beirut. They never moved from there. Port officials say they repeatedly alerted the Lebanese authorities to the danger of keeping a stock of highly explosive products in a single hangar so close to the centre of Beirut.

Between 2014 and 2017, six unsuccessful applications were made to the Lebanese courts, asking for permission to dispose of the ammonium nitrate, The New York Times reported. In view of the serious danger of keeping these goods in the hangar in unsuitable climatic conditions, we reaffirm our request to please request the marine agency to re-export these goods immediately to preserve the safety of the port and those working in it, or to look into agreeing to sell this amount, read one such letter, obtained by Al-Jazeera. There was no response.

The port authorities say they proposed the cargo be offered to the Lebanese army or that it be sold to an explosive manufacturer. But to no avail. We were told the cargo would be sold in an auction, Hassan Koraytem, the general manager of Beiruts port, told The New York Times. But the auction never happened and the judiciary never acted.

Six months ago, a team of inspectors sounded the alarm once again that there was enough ammonium nitrate to cause a massive explosion in Beirut, according to an anonymous source cited by Reuters.

Lebanese authorities announced their own inquiry into Tuesday's explosion and a military prosecutor on Thursday said 16 people had been detained, including Koraytem, a judicial source told Agence France-Presse.

As for the ship, the Rhosus, Prokoshev learned that it sank in 2015 or 2016 in the port of Beirut. But unlike the ammonium nitrate, it went quietly  without causing one of the worst non-nuclear explosions in history.

This article was translated from the original in French.
Out of an abundance of caution, and in consultation with the Districts public health experts, we have decided to prioritize the health and safety of residents, D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation Director Delano Hunter said in a statement announcing the closure of outdoor pools, indoor pools and even the spray parks that are an oasis in the concrete swelter of a city summer.
Work could begin this winter, Apex spokeswoman Natasha Montague said Thursday, and be completed by the end of 2021.

A final decision has not been made on the type of turbine Apex will use, which will dictate the exact number and height of the structures. Montague wrote in an email that we are down to a short list of options.

As part of DEQs process to amend a permit first granted in 2017, public comments will be accepted though Aug. 10. Apex will then respond to the comments. After that, DEQ will have 90 days to act.

Dubbed Rocky Forge, the project will convert wind into enough electricity to serve up to 20,000 homes, Apex has said. In the end, though, the power will be sold to Virginia as part of a wind and solar package that will assist the state in reaching its goal of using green energy for at least 30% of the electricity consumed by state agencies by 2022.

Long-term plans call for Virginias two largest utilities, Dominion and Appalachian Power Co., to be completely free of fossil-fuel generated power by 2050.

As a condition for its approval, the FAA said the turbines should be marked with white paint and equipped with synchronized red lights to make them more visible to pilots.
With face coverings becoming mandatory in shops across Northern Ireland from Monday, we took to the streets of Belfast to gauge to public's reaction to the move.

While some people have been wearing coverings out and about voluntarily since the outbreak began, many high streets stores are now thronged with a sea of bare faces.

From scepticism of their effectiveness to comfort issues, the reasons for opting not to wear a covering vary.

Read More

In Belfast city centre, Ashleigh Thompson questioned the timing of the Executive's decision.

"I just don't see what the difference is between today and Monday - why on Monday but not three weeks ago?" she said.

John Cliffe added: "I don't think it's much of a difference because if there was supposed to be [the compulsory wearing of masks] it should have been from the start"

For Mark Munce, the comfortableness of wearing a face covering is an issue.

"I would say the heat especially is one thing, the fact that you can get really warm, especially indoors," he said.

This view was echoed by Eileen O'Halloran, who stated: "I don't want to wear one, I feel very claustrophobic with it on. They say it doesn't do you any harm, but I just don't feel right [wearing one]."

Ms O'Halloran added that, while she will wear a face covering in shops on Monday, it will be coming "straight off" as soon as she leaves the premises.

Susan Robinson said wearing a covering or mask does not bother her "in the slightest", arguing they should have been mandatory since the beginning of the pandemic. She said, however, that she will not be wearing one until they are compulsory next week.

"It's not compulsory here that you have to wear one. In America you have to wear one, in Italy you have to wear one... but it's not about it me, it's about the next person," she said.
Former Labour MP Eric Joyce leaves Ipswich Crown Court after being given a suspended sentence (Joe Giddens/PA)

A former Shadow Minister of State for Northern Ireland has been spared jail after making an indecent image of a child.

Eric Joyce had his eight month prison term suspended for two years on Friday. The former Labour MP was also ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.

The 59-year-old, who was MP for Falkirk in Scotland between 2000 and 2012, had on a device a 51-second film depicting what appeared to be seven different children, aged between 12 months old and seven years old.

Joyce, of Worlingworth, Suffolk, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing at Ipswich Crown Court to the offence, which took place between August 2013 and November 2018.

Judge Mr Justice Edis, sentencing the former shadow minister on Friday, said: "You have pleaded guilty to an offence which involves the possession of a category A film of a little less than a minute's duration.

"That film showed the penetrative sexual abuse of very young children.

"That these acts of abuse happened is because there are people like you who want to watch these films.

"If there was no market, those children wouldn't be subjected to these very serious offences."

But the judge added: "You have sought help from people well able to provide it and there's evidence before the court that that has had an effect on helping you reduce, perhaps completely, your impulsive behaviour, and that's happened over a significant period due to the delay in these proceedings."

Mr Justice Edis also sentenced Joyce to a sexual harm prevention order, which will last until further order of the court.

He was also given an 18-day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to pay prosecution costs of 1,800.

Joyce left Labour to serve as independent MP for Falkirk in 2012, stepping down before the 2015 general election. He spent 21 years in the Army, rising to the rank of major.

Michael Procter, prosecuting, said police seized a number of computer devices and hard drives from Joyce's address in Worlingworth in November 2018 after receiving intelligence.

He said the movie file was later found on an Apple Macbook Air laptop.

In police interview, Mr Procter said Joyce said he "lived at that address with his partner, India Knight", that the Macbook Air device was his and "he owned it from new".

He said Joyce used software which hid internet activity and claimed in his first police interview that "he had never seen child abuse material".

In a second police interview, following analysis of Joyce's computer, Mr Procter said: "He told police in relation to his first interview that some of it wasn't true.

"He had seen a mixture of images."

He continued: "He told the police that the circumstances in which he had come into possession of the category A movie was when he had been on a Russian or Ukrainian website.

"He received spam emails, he received a link; he said that the majority of it was legal but it was clear to him some of it wasn't.

"He also told police he was intoxicated when he was involved in this activity.

"He couldn't remember looking for that kind of material."

Joyce told police "there was nobody else that was responsible", Mr Procter said, adding: "He told police he was not sexually attracted to children and since his arrest he had sought help."

Mr Procter said there was evidence of searches "for material for five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10-year-old girls".

"There's reference to titles which the Crown suggest are indicative of category A movies - 'two men rape girl'," he said.

"There's certainly browser activity which suggests he's been searching for that material but we have no other information as to whether in fact he viewed that material.

"It seems highly likely."

The court heard that Joyce's previous convictions include drink-driving, common assaults and a public order offence.

Mark Shelley, mitigating, said Joyce had no previous convictions for sexual offences.

"A clever, hard-working man takes to drink and his life is destroyed," he said, adding that Joyce has now given up drinking.

Addressing the prosecution's mention of searches for indecent images, Mr Shelley said: "There's a whole lot of background that's not entirely accepted regards the search terms."

He added that "there's clearly a background".

Mr Justice Edis told Joyce: "I can't deal with you on the basis that it's an isolated, out-of-character or somehow accidental offence. It wasn't."

He said Joyce had taken steps "in the last two years to address the crisis into which your life had fallen".

"Your previous convictions, acts of violence while in drink, it's clear you were drinking far too much far too often," the judge said. "That doesn't mitigate anything - it makes it more serious."

But he noted that Joyce had sought help and that the author of a pre-sentence report about Joyce said "there's prospect of rehabilitation".

"It seems to me, knowing all that I do about you, that I should give effect to that prospect of rehabilitation," he said.

Joyce, dressed in a blue suit, white shirt and black tie, made no comment as he walked from the court building.

An NSPCC spokesman said: "By accessing this appalling material, Joyce was helping to fuel a foul industry that thrives on inflicting pain and suffering on children.

"This problem cannot be solved by law enforcement alone - it is imperative that tech companies commit extra resources to prevent this material being shared, and to ensure it is removed as soon it appears online."
Albany, N.Y.  Schools throughout New York state, including Central New York, can reopen this fall, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today.

The announcement ends months of speculation about what will happen with schools. But the reopening comes with lots of restrictions and safety measures schools have to implement to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among students and staff.

Across New York, nearly 700 school districts submitted plans to the state education department outlining how they would reopen schools - fully, all remote or hybrid plans were required.

Most districts blended one, two or three days of classroom instruction with remote learning on the other days. Some of smaller school districts have enough space to bring everybody back to the classrooms with masks and social distancing.

If theres a spike in the infection rate, Cuomo said he would revisit the reopening classrooms.

Cuomo said he wants schools to have at least three discussion sessions with parents, likely online, to go over each districts plans for reopening and to answer questions.

The more dialogue the better, he said.

He also wants districts to set up at least one session dedicated to teachers.

He also told school districts they need to post three components of their reopening plans on web sites by the end of next week, so parents dont have to wade through lengthy plans to find the key information.

He said there is a significant level of concern and anxiety among parents and teachers. To help that, he is requiring the districts to post information about the following:

What happens if a student or teacher tests positive for the virus? What is the contact tracing procedure for that student or teacher? Do you test the class? Do you test more than one class? How will the school do it? Will school, local government or local health department do it? This needs to be spelled out, he said.

Coronavirus testing: What are the specifics if a student has a temperature? Most plans say they then have to be tested, Cuomo said.. What does that mean? How, where, how fast, by who? What happens in the interim? What about teachers? How will they be tested? So schools need to post their testing plan for their school district, he said.

Remote learning: How the district will do it, and how it will address equity issues. (Some families dont have internet access or computers.)

Of the 749 school districts in the state, Cuomo said 127 didnt submit plans and 50 more are incomplete. They have to fix that before they can open, he said. The plans are still being reviewed, and districts will be notified today or Monday if there are issues.

Related article: See Central New York districts plans for reopening this fall

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon recently said hybrid plans are a child-care nightmare, and he doesnt see why the schools cant at least bring all the younger children back five days a week.

The coronavirus pandemic forced schools across the state to shut down in mid-March. After what many thought would be a temporary shutdown, Cuomo announced May 1 that schools would remain closed through the 2019-2020 academic year.

Nearly 3 million students in New York state were affected as schools switched to online learning.

Cuomo has said repeatedly over the past couple of weeks that parents and teachers have to be involved in the districts reopening plans. If they dont buy into the plans, they will keep their kids at home and wont send them to school. They need to feel comfortable and safe, and have their questions answered, he said.

Cuomo also said the virus transmission rate in New York will be key in deciding whether schools remain open.

In the plans submitted last week, school districts addressed a wide range of issue including:

Masks : Most are requiring students and staff to wear masks, some with built-in mask breaks.

Social distancing : Students must be six feet apart.

Gym, chorus: Students must be 12 feet apart. Some districts are holding these classes virtually.

Wednesday: Many large schools are closed to students on Wednesdays for deep-cleaning between groups.

Temperature checks: Most schools are asking parents to fill out health screening forms that are sent to school with the child each day. The screening includes a temperature check. Some districts also will have personnel check kids temperatures before they board the bus.

Sick kids: The districts all have procedures for sick kids, who need to be isolated six feet apart in a special room, and typically sent home as soon as possible

Buses . Many districts are asking parents if they would drive their child to school; there are surveys for parents to fill out. Typically, buses will have one student per seat. There are still questions about whether kids have to be one seat apart on the buses or not, superintendents say.

Distance learning: Reopening plans give parents the option to stay with remote learning if they are more comfortable not sending their child into the school buildings.

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources

Central NY school reopening plans are finally in; none are the same

Restarting NY: Can you have a wedding this summer in NY state?

Cuomo: NY school reopenings at risk if coronavirus keeps spreading nationally

NY State Fair 2020: Deep-fried faith continues for a socially distanced event as cancellations begin

Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
The wonderful new documentary Creem: Americas Only Rock n Roll Magazine starts with a surprising testimony: Ted Nugent, the 71-year-old rock-star guitarist, recaps the fondly remembered but now defunct publication, saying The pages were so full of folly. Superfluous, heady, hippie, non-musical folly. Hes absolutely right  and choosing the term non-musical shows hes got a precise understanding of the difference between an art form and its journalism. But the surprise is that his statement appears at all  let alone up front  because Nugent, a politically conservative rocker, is usually ignored or ridiculed by the partisan mainstream media.

Give credit to writer-director Scott Crawford and the Creem-magazine veterans Jaan Uhelszki (producer, co-writer), Susan Whitall, and others for caring as much about putting the publications history on film as they do about getting it right. For most of them, Creem magazine was their lifes work, and as fellow Michiganders, their sensitivity to historical, cultural truth prevents them from canceling Nugent. They know that The Motor City Madman (who wailed the rowdy, impolite hits Cat Scratch Fever and Stranglehold) was as much a part of the unique Midwestern social environment that created Creem magazine as the journal itself was the actual work of publisher Barry Kramer and the band of young upstart Detroiters he gathered round.

Nugents attitude keeps the docs nostalgia in check, and the other, native Michigan interviewees whom Creem either employed or wrote about (Alice Cooper, Mitch Ryder, Paul Stanley of KISS, Joan Jett, Suzi Quatro, Wayne Kramer, Cameron Crowe), attest to a white, working-class ethos that challenges the smugness of todays mainstream progressive media. And though that culture comes from the now-discredited roots of American experience, this doc always, sensibly, respects its folly.

Creem began publication a year after the more famous Rolling Stone magazine. It was an F*** you to Rolling Stone, recalls one vet, citing how Jann Wenner named his rag after the Rolling Stones while Barry Kramer chose the British band Cream. Kramers obvious, juvenile slang isnt spelled out, but it was part of what Whitall recalls as the little kid getting away with things temperament. Former editor Dave Marsh recollects Youve got half-grown children and a few really infantile adults. This gang produced more than a rock n roll chronicle, as Rolling Stone claimed to be; it recorded a genuine off-beat, national youth history.

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Rising from the turmoil of the late Sixties  not from the snobbish, designer-drug BerkeleyBay Area like Rolling Stone  Creem expressed the ambitions of working-class, glue-sniffing rebels, children of autoworkers, with crude but authentic wit. We were professionally young, but we were gifted, Uhelszki states without bragging.

Another Creem team member gets political:

When the reality of racism exploded on the streets of Detroit with the rebellion of August of 67, a kind of myth exploded with it. . . . There was a cultural crack, and that crack went right down the dinner table. Fathers were angry at their sons because their sons couldnt justify the war in Vietnam, mothers were angry with their daughters because they wanted to run around without their brassieres. And they all want to go around and see the MC5, Iggy Pop, and all these wild rock n roll acts.

Then, when Creem moves its office from post-riot Detroit, a staffer admits, We moved out with the white flight to the boonies.

But thats it for the sociology. The doc concentrates on personality details. The nose-thumbing, druggy attitude of writer Lester Bangs (a Southern California outsider who was sentimentalized by Philip Seymour Hoffman in Almost Famous) vied with Dave Marshs local, naive, stormy-petral radicalism. Crawford examines their contrasting, self-made legends and balances that with unavoidable disses (Village Voice veteran Robert Christgaus jab: One of Wenners worst weaknesses is that he likes to hang out with the stars and therefore there was a lot of bullshit in there). These observations pertain to the nature of journalisms contemporary crisis, in which professional arrogance has warped professional responsibility. Personal bias is the new credo.

This egotistical cynicism goes against true rock-n-roll liberalism, the politically incorrect free-spiritedness that Nugent expresses but that establishment elites seek to own and control. Crawford glances over Detroits alternative press history and the development of counterculture journalism, from John Sinclairs The Fifth Estate to The South End to The Sun. But theres a telling contrast between West Coast writer Ann Powerss pigeon-holing of Creems distaff writers (the women had to be subversive) and a close view of the classic article I Dreamed I Was Onstage with KISS in My Maidenform Bra. Uhelszki, who wrote it, makes a definitive defense: It was a boys magazine; it was meant for teenage boys. Was it offensive? It was the 70s. There werent the same filters there are now. Kill me.

Creem suspended publication in 1989, but this doc preserves what changed when the counterculture became mainstream culture. Former editor Billy Altman reminisces, We thought heavily about stuff, but when it came to articulating it, we wanted to sound like a snot-nosed kid. Punk-magazine publisher John Holmstrom salutes Creems influence and idiosyncrasy, saying it was Americas only rock n roll periodical: Rolling Stone wanted to be about movies and culture, and especially about  Holmstrom holds his nose  politics.

Its a perfect dismissal of Rolling Stone, corporate journalisms decline, and the grasp for cultural power that was latent in the alternative press. Any help we can get to understand todays conspiratorial media is welcome. This week, that comes from the legacy of Creem magazine.

More from National Review
The flood disaster that occurred in Zamfara State on Wednesday destroyed 110 houses in Zurmi Local Government Area of the state, an official said on Friday.

The Special Adviser to Governor Bello Matawalle on Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Faika Ahmad, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau.

Zurmi is among the seven LGAs in the state predicted to experience flood by the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMet) in the 2020 rainy season.

You are aware of recent flood in Zurmi. I led officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to the place where we conducted assessment of the affected victims.

We thank God no lives were lost, but we recorded 110 affected households, she said.

Mrs Ahmad said the state government has donated 330 bags of assorted grains to the victims.

Each of the affected households received three bags of assorted grains comprising Millet, Sorghum and Maize

We are working to provide building and roofing materials to the affected victims, but we are giving much priority to the needy and the most vulnerable among the victims, she explained.

She decried low awareness among public on proactive measures against disaster in the state.

READ ALSO:

She said her office was collaborating with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other stakeholders to increase awareness on disaster management and proactive measures especially at communities across the state.

She commended the state government for the quick and timely response to the disaster victims.

The special adviser also thanked donor organisations and philanthropists for supporting disaster victims in the state.

The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Nasiru Magarya, on Thursday led the state government delegation to sympathise with the victims in Zurmi, where he presented the relief materials donated by the government.

(NAN)
Primary and post-primary teachers and students in post-primary schools will be expected to wear face masks if they cannot maintain a two metre distance when schools re-open.

However, masks are not being advised for pupils in primary schools, under updated guidance from the Department of Education.

Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) will also be required to wear face coverings, or in certain situations clear visors, in the classroom.

Read More

Other staff, such as bus escorts who have close contact with students, will be required to wear face coverings, and all staff and students using the post-primary school transport service will be required to wear face coverings on the bus.

It is a departure from previous guidelines, which did not recommend the routine covering of students or teachers faces as a protection mechanism around the transmission of Covid-19 in schools.

However, Education Minister Norma Foley said today that she had been working with the public health authorities to ensure that the advice underpinning the safe reopening of schools was fully up to date.

She said the recommendations on face coverings had been updated to reflect the latest research and expertise.

Teacher unions had lobbied for the use of face coverings in schools.

Reusable face coverings are being recommended, with the advice that they are washed daily.

The assumption is that teachers and pupils will provide their own masks and that schools will have back-up supplies.

Earlier this week, it was announced that students in third-level colleges who could not maintain a two metre distance in in lectures should wear masks.

The advice on face coverings in schools also brings the sector into line with recent Government policy decisions on the use of facemasks on public transport and in other enclosed settings.

The latest advice from the Department of Education builds on the Governments school re-opening plan, supported by a financial package of over 375m.

Additional measures announced today include a special grant to schools to cover the cost of personal protective equipment for the term to Christmas. Primary schools will receive 25 per pupil, second-level schools will receive 40 per pupil and their will be a 100 grant for pupils in special classes.

Other issues covered in todays include measure to increase the supply of teachers at both primary and post-primary level, including offering additional hours to the 2,800 teachers who are working part-time in post-primary schools, allowing job-sharing teachers to work additional hours and making it more attractive for teachers on career break to provide substitution and supervision cover.

The Teaching Council is also working on a range of measures to increase the supply of registered teachers who may be available to fill posts to support the re-opening of schools for the 2020/21 academic term, including making contact with the 6,000 registered teachers who are not currently active in schools.

Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) General Secretary John Boyle welcomed the announcement that primary teachers who were unable to maintain two metres social distancing in their classrooms were advised to wear face masks or visors as appropriate.

Schools will have the option of ordering face coverings centrally on the newly established government procurement portal, he said.

Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) General Secretary Kieran Christie also welcomed todays developments and said schools were working hard to implement the necessary safety arrangements in time for re-opening." Keeping schools open must be the priority, and this means minimising the risk of transmission within classrooms and other learning environments.

The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) also welcomed the updated guidance on wearing face coverings in schools.

The Union had discussed with the Department and the partners the evolving scientific view in regard to face coverings and the growing acceptance across society that this is a prudent protective measure,said TUI President Martin Marjoram.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 10:08:10|Editor: huaxia

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BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on Thursday spotlighted China as an important trade partner for countries in the region, such as Argentina.

Argentina's exports of primary goods to China have allowed the South American country to maintain a positive trade balance when the COVID-19 pandemic has depressed economies around the globe, according to ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Barcena.

"Exports to China are very important," Barcena told Xinhua in a videoconference call from Santiago, Chile, where the agency is based. The call was held to present "The Effects of COVID-19 on International Trade and Logistics" report.

The value of regional exports is projected to contract by 23 percent this year, with that of regional imports down by 25 percent, even worse than the 24-percent contraction registered during the 2008-2009 financial crisis, according to the report.

"The impact of the pandemic on Argentina's trade exchange has been very significant. Imports accumulated a 23-percent drop in the first half (of 2020) compared to the same period in 2019," Barcena said.

Argentina's decrease in imports "is mainly explained by the sharp drop in the level of (economic) activity," and lower demand for manufactured goods from neighboring Brazil and the rest of the region, she added.

The ECLAC forecasts Argentina's gross domestic product (GDP) will shrink 10.5 percent in 2020.

Argentine exports "also experienced a very significant drop of at least 11 percent in the same period, although less than that sustained in other countries in the region," said Barcena.

A breakdown of Argentine exports indicated that manufactured goods and fuel took the biggest hits, dropping by 34.5 percent and 24 percent, respectively, while exports of processed agricultural goods fell 8 percent.

However, Argentina's exports of primary products grew 14 percent.

"We see that exports of primary goods have suffered the least and are recovering faster," the executive said.

"Exports to China are very important. In the first six months they grew 21 percent year-on-year, while exports from Argentina to Mercosur (Southern Common Market), the European Union (EU) and the United States fell," Barcena noted.

Despite the challenging global scenario for Argentina's sales abroad, "its sales to China were maintained; that is why it is so important" as an export market and trade partner, she said.

As the report noted, Argentina, as well as Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, benefited from a decline in sales from Australia to China, mainly due to a drought that cut into Australia's grain production.

These Mercosur members also benefited from China's stepped-up imports of beef and pork to ensure the food supply.

China was Argentina's second largest trading partner in 2019, and its top trading partner in April and May of this year.

Among Argentina's main exports to China are soybeans, frozen and deboned beef, shrimp and prawns, and animal or vegetable fats and oils, according to Guillermo Chaves, the chief of staff of the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship. Enditem


BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks were slightly lower on Friday as a further escalation in U.S.-China tensions overshadowed upbeat exports data from China.



U.S.-China relationship deteriorated further following a U.S. ban on transactions with China's tech firms.



The focus now shifts to the monthly employment report from the U.S. Labor Department due for publication later today, with analysts forecasting that employment growth likely slowed in July from the previous month due to a resurgence in Covid-19 infections.



The pan European Stoxx 600 dropped 0.4 percent to 361.04 after declining 0.7 percent on Thursday. The German DAX shed 0.4 percent, France's CAC 40 index declined 0.7 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 0.2 percent.



Cyclicals like banks and automakers were broadly lower.



Deutsche Telekom jumped 2.5 percent after TMobile US Inc said it added more monthly phone subscribers than expected in the second quarter. Deutsche Telekom owns 43 percent stake of TMobile.



Miner Anglo American fell over 1 percent and Glencore lost 2.7 percent as Sino-U.S. tensions escalated.



Oil & gas company BP Plc declined 2.6 percent and Royal Dutch Shell gave up 1.7 percent as oil dipped to around $45 a barrel on worries that a demand recovery would slow due to a resurgence of coronavirus cases.



Rolls-Royce Holdings tumbled 3 percent. ValueAct, a California-based activist investor, has sold its full stake in the company, the Financial Times reported.



Hikma Pharmaceuticals soared 10 percent. The manufacturer of non-branded generic drugs reported a 21 percent rise in first-half pretax profit.



Property website Rightmove surged 8.5 percent. After reporting a 43 percent fall in first-half pretax profit, the company said it was helped by a post-lockdown surge of pent-up demand and a temporary lifting of the stamp duty threshold.



In economic releases, German exports and imports grew at faster rates in June, data from Destatis showed. Exports advanced 14.9 percent sequentially, following May's 8.9 percent increase. Shipments were forecast to grow 13.3 percent in June.



At the same time, imports growth advanced to 7 percent from 3.6 percent in May. This was slower than economists' forecast of 10.9 percent rise.



Germany's industrial production grew at a faster pace in June, another report revealed. Industrial production advanced 8.9 percent month-on-month in June, faster than the 7.4 percent increase seen in May. Economists had forecast a monthly growth of 8.1 percent.



France's foreign trade activity continued to recover in June after the Covid-19 pandemic with the trade deficit widening to set a monthly record as imports exceeded exports, the French Customs said.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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China warns US against 'dangerous moves' on Taiwan: Xinhua This file photo taken on April 1, 1995 shows China's flag flying over octagonal structures built on stilts at a reef claimed by the Philippines in the South China Sea, one of many sources of tension between China and the US

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe warned his US counterpart in a phone call Thursday to avoid firing up bilateral tensions, a day after Washington angered Beijing by announcing it would send a senior official to visit Taiwan.

Wei told US Defense Secretary Mark Esper in a 90-minute phone call to "stop erroneous words and deeds" and "avoid taking dangerous moves that may escalate the situation," referring directly to Taiwan and the South China Sea, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

But Esper told Wei that China was undertaking destabilizing activity, according to the Pentagon, showing no sign of backing down as the US rejects China's claims of sovereignty in both areas.

"The secretary called for greater PRC transparency on COVID, expressed concerns about PRC destabilizing activity in the vicinity of Taiwan in the South China Sea and called on the PRC to honor international obligations," said Defense Department spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.

- Rising tensions -

The call came as the United States steps up a broad diplomatic campaign against Beijing, accusing it of everything from massive human rights violations to attempting to colonize the South China Sea region, to using technology like popular app TikTok to harvest the personal information of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

On Wednesday Beijing bristled in anger after Washington said it would send Health Secretary Alex Azar to Taiwan, where he will meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and other officials.

Azar will be the most senior US cabinet member to visit Taiwan since 1979, which, owing to China's territorial claim on the island, does not have official diplomatic relations with the United States despite their close alliance.

Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called for the visit to be cancelled.

"China firmly opposes official exchanges between the US and Taiwan," Wang said Wednesday.

Story continues

"We urge the US to abide by the one-China principle... to avoid seriously endangering Sino-US relations, as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory -- vowing to one day seize it -- and bristles at any moves by other countries to recognize or communicate with Taipei.

Tsai, though, called the visit "another testament to the strong Taiwan-US partnership," a relationship underscored by extensive defense cooperation and US arms sales.

- Esper hopes to visit China -

The long call came as Esper says he hopes to visit China before year-end for talks on improving crisis communications, which are increasingly important as US naval forces regularly conduct operations near Taiwan and in the South China Sea, effectively challenging China's territorial claims.

According to Hoffman, Esper underscored the need for a "constructive, stable and results-oriented defense relationship" between the two sides.

Esper also raised the issue of China's mishandling of the initial COVID-19 outbreak, as President Donald Trump blames Beijing for the global pandemic that has killed nearly 160,000 Americans.

But no agreement was made on a trip, Hoffman said, amid constant worries that some sort of accident could bring the two sides to a clash.

- TikTok -

The call came as the US and China butt heads on numerous fronts.

Two weeks ago Washington ordered Beijing to close its consulate in Houston, labelling it a hub of spying and theft of US corporate secrets. In retaliation China shut the US consulate in Chengdu.

And on Wednesday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would seek to ban other Chinese apps and restrict the cloud computing services to Americans by major Chinese companies like AliBaba and TenCent.

"The US move to turn China into an adversary is a fundamental strategic miscalculation," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday.

"It means that the US is funneling its strategic resources in the wrong area," he said, according to Xinhua.

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ELKO, Nev.  In a close vote, Elko, Nevada, County Commissioners on Wednesday tabled an ordinance that would allow for marijuana sales in Jackpot until they have the kinks worked out.

The small town of Jackpot is on the Nevada-Idaho border, about 45 miles south of Twin Falls.

My whole point is that this is rushed, Commissioner Delmo Andreozzi said, after holding up three versions of the proposed ordinance. This is an ordinance setting a whole new chapter in county code. I think that for whatever reason, there is a political priority to push this thing through. It needs thought.

Andreozzi, Commissioner Cliff Eklund and Chairman Demar Dahl voted to hold off on first reading of the ordinance. Commissioners Jon Karr and Rex Steninger voted against the delay. They wanted to make changes and act on the first reading.

Thats still better than to kick the can down the road, Steninger said.

Deputy Elko County District Attorney Rand Greenburg said that if there are substantial changes between the first and second readings, the first reading would need to be repeated to provide for public comment.

One of Andreozzis concerns was whether Jackpot could have two state-licensed dispensaries, because the ordinance doesnt specify only one, and the state allows the county two licenses.

I am not sure that is what you want, he said.

Greenburg said as the ordinance is written, the two licenses would be issued only in Jackpot.

Steninger questioned why the ordinance was for recreational sales only, not medical marijuana sales. The proposed ordinance states that notwithstanding any other provisions of this code, medical marijuana establishments are not allowed.

We can change that pretty easily, Greenburg said.

Eklund wondered what the difference is between medical and recreational marijuana.

Kimberly Greening, who works at the Deep Roots Harvest marijuana dispensary in West Wendover, said medical marijuana has a higher THC content, and those with medical cards receive a tax break and an in-store discount.

The proposed ordinance also allows for marijuana cultivation and testing facilities.

Steninger opposed the portion of the ordinance that calls for a license tax based on gross revenue of a marijuana dispensary, rather than on net proceeds. He said the county has just opposed the Nevada Legislatures efforts to change the net proceeds of mines tax on the state level.

Karr said the taxing system was set up by the state, and dispensaries build that into their business models.

Andreozzi said gross revenue is consistent with industry standard.

He also said he had some ideas he wanted to incorporate into the ordinance to make sure a marijuana dispensary was a good neighbor to the citizens of Jackpot. The need for background checks on employees is one concern, he said, and that was dropped from the proposed ordinance.

At the countys July 1 meeting, Andreozzi called for the dispensary operator to pay a 3% donation to the town, be a property owner and post a bond or letter of credit for $500,000. He also wanted a guarantee of 40 employees.

Greenburg said the proposed 3% business licensing tax and the fee for a business application could funnel money to Jackpot.

No one from Jackpot spoke at the Wednesday meeting, but residents at the countys July 1 meeting told commissioners Jackpot needs the revenue from a marijuana dispensary, especially because the community was hard hit by COVID-19 restrictions that closed casinos for several months.

The communitys revenue is mostly from the hotels and casinos there.

Thrive Cannabis Marketplace is interested in opening a dispensary in Jackpot, chief executive officer Mitch Britten said at the July 1 meeting. David Poole of Stateline Liquor in Jackpot also said he was interested in opening a dispensary, and he told the Elko Daily Free Press on July 2 the community supported a local owner.

If a cannabis dispensary opens in Jackpot, Elko County would receive its share of the 7.1% sales tax, Assistant County Manager and Chief Financial Officer Cash Minor said in an Aug. 5 email. West Wendover is an incorporated city, so it receives the share of the sales tax, rather than the county.

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The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email.

I was going to write this week about what the world should take away from Melbournes resurgent outbreak and Stage 4 lockdown, but then I thought: Maybe we need an escape?

The pandemics grinding repetition is enough to make anyone feel like Sisyphus. We wash our hands only to dirty them again, stand too close together then remember to step apart, open up our businesses and social lives only to be told, no, sorry, wear a mask or go back to isolation.

No wonder one of the women I interviewed for my story on the situation in Melbourne posted an event on Facebook called stand on your front porch and scream.

But as a group, were not just screaming. Here are three of lifes (and Australias) great joys that are flourishing alongside the virus.
For the first time in the magazine's history, O, The Oprah Magazine features not its namesake on the cover, but 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, who was killed by police in her own home on March 16  and now Oprah is erecting 26 billboards, one for every year of Breonna's life, across the city of Louisville, Kentucky demanding justice.

Breonna covers the September issue of the magazine, with Oprah and her magazine staff paying tribute to the young 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 earlier this year.

In her editor's letter, Oprah stressed the importance of using 'whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice,' and now she is taking that a step further by putting the cover image on billboards across Louisville along with a demand that the police involved in her killing be arrested and charged.

Spotlight: Oprah Winfrey is erecting 26 billboards with O, The Oprah Magazine cover of Breonna Taylor across Louisville, Kentucky

'Demand that the police involved in killing Breonna Taylor be arrested and charged,' the billboard reads, directing people to visit UntilFreedom.com

Spreading the news: The billboards have been placed across the city in various public places

Front and center: It also includes a quote from Oprah: 'If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it'

Change: This marks the first time in the magazine's 20 years that Oprah hasn't posed for the cover

According to local CBS affiliate WLKY, the billboards began going up on Thursday, and will all be erected by Monday.

Each one features an image of Breonna created by 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin, which is currently the cover of the magazine.

'Demand that the police involved in killing Breonna Taylor be arrested and charged,' the billboard reads in bold letters, directing people to visit UntilFreedom.com.

Until Freedom is 'an intersectional social justice organization rooted in the leadership of diverse people of color to address systemic and racial injustice.' They recently announced that the 'entire team' is relocating to Louisville for the 'foreseeable future' to fight for justice for Breonna.

The billboard also includes the Oprah magazine logo and a quote from the mogul herself: 'If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it.'

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

Putting Breonna on the cover of the magazine was a change for Oprah, who has covered every issue of the publication for 20 years. But the 66-year-old insisted that people should use the platforms they have to demand justice.

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'

'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.

'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."'

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.

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

'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, which hits newsstands August 11, 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, Refinery29, and sister publication Elle, according to the magazine's promotional material.
WASHINGTON  A last-ditch effort by Democrats to revive Capitol Hill talks on vital COVID-19 rescue money collapsed in disappointment Friday, making it increasingly likely that Washington gridlock will mean more hardship for millions of people who are losing enhanced jobless benefits and further damage for an economy pummeled by the still-raging coronavirus.

President Donald Trump said Friday night he was likely to issue more limited executive orders related to COVID, perhaps in the next day or so, if he cant reach a broad agreement with Congress.

The days negotiations at the Capitol added up to only a disappointing meeting, declared top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, saying the White House had rejected an offer by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to curb Democratic demands by about $1 trillion. He urged the White House to negotiate with Democrats and meet us in the middle. Dont say its your way or no way.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, Unfortunately we did not make any progress today. Republicans said Pelosi was relying on budget maneuvers to curb costs and contended she has overplayed her hand.

Often an impasse in Washington is of little consequence for the public  not so this time. It means longer and perhaps permanent expiration of a $600 per-week bonus pandemic jobless benefit thats kept millions of people from falling into poverty. It denies more than $100 billion to help schools reopen this fall. It blocks additional funding for virus testing as cases are surging this summer. And it denies billions of dollars to state and local governments considering furloughs as their revenue craters.

Ahead is uncertainty. Both the House and Senate have left Washington, with members sent home on instructions to be ready to return for a vote on an agreement. With no deal in sight, their absence raises the possibility of a prolonged stalemate that stretches well into August and even September.

Speaking from his New Jersey golf club Friday evening, Trump said if Democrats continue to hold this critical relief hostage I will act under my authority as president to get Americans the relief they need.

Trump said he may issue executive orders on home evictions, student loan debt and allowing states to repurpose COVID relief funding into their unemployment insurance programs. He also said hell likely issue an executive order to defer collection of Social Security payroll taxes, an idea that has less support among his Republican allies.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said, This is not a perfect answer  well be the first ones to say that  but it is all that we can do, and all the president can do within the confines of his executive power.

Fridays Capitol Hill session followed a combative meeting Thursday evening that for the first time cast real doubt on the ability of the Trump administration and Democrats to come together on a fifth COVID-19 response bill. Pelosi summoned Mnuchin and Meadows in hopes of breathing life into the negotiations, which have been characterized by frustration and intransigence on both sides  particularly on top issues such as extending the bonus jobless benefit that expired last week.

Pelosi declared the talks all but dead until Meadows and Mnuchin give ground.

Ive told them come back when you are ready to give us a higher number,' she said.

The breakdown in the negotiations is particularly distressing for schools, which have been counting on billions of dollars from Washington to help with the costs of reopening. But other priorities are also languishing, including a fresh round of $1,200 direct payments to most people, a cash infusion for the struggling Postal Service and money to help states hold elections in November.

In a news conference on Friday Pelosi said she offered a major concession to Republicans.

Well go down $1 trillion, you go up $1 trillion, Pelosi said. The figures are approximate, but a Pelosi spokesman said the speaker is in general terms seeking a top line of perhaps $2.4 trillion since the House-passed HEROES Act is scored at $3.45 trillion. Republicans say their starting offer was about $1 trillion but have offered some concessions on jobless benefits and aid to states, among others, that have brought the White House offer higher.

Mnuchin said renewal of a $600 per-week pandemic jobless boost and huge demands by Democrats for aid to state and local governments are the key areas where they are stuck.

Theres a lot of areas of compromise, he said after Fridays meeting. I think if we can reach an agreement on state and local and unemployment, we will reach an overall deal. And if we cant we cant.

Democrats have offered to reduce her almost $1 trillion demand for state and local governments considerably, but some of Pelosis proposed cost savings would accrue chiefly because she would shorten the timeframe for benefits like food stamps.

Pelosi and Schumer continue to insist on a huge aid package to address a surge in cases and deaths, double-digit joblessness and the threat of poverty for millions of the newly unemployed.

On Friday, they pointed to the new July jobs report to try to bolster their proposals. The report showed that the U.S. added 1.8 million jobs last month, a much lower increase than in May and June.

Its clear the economy is losing steam, Schumer said. That means we need big, bold investments in America to help average folks.

Senate Republicans have been split, with roughly half of Majority Leader Mitch McConnells rank and file opposed to another rescue bill at all. Four prior coronavirus response bills totaling almost $3 trillion have won approval on bipartisan votes despite intense wrangling, but conservatives have recoiled at the prospect of another Pelosi-brokered agreement with a whopping deficit-financed cost.

McConnell has kept his distance from the negotiations while coordinating with Mnuchin and Meadows.

In addition to restoring the lapsed $600-per-week bonus jobless benefit, Pelosi and Schumer have staked out a firm position to extend demanded generous child care assistance and reiterated their insistence on additional funding for food stamps and assistance to renters and homeowners facing eviction or foreclosure.

This virus is like a freight train coming so fast and they are responding like a convoy going as slow as the slowest ship. It just doesnt work, Pelosi said Friday.
A New York judge has dismissed president Donald Trumps attempt to delay a defamation lawsuit brought against him by a woman who accused him of rape.

The decision, released on Thursday, states that the presidency does not shield him from the case.

Writer E Jean Carroll is suing Mr Trump for defamation after he denied her allegations that he raped her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s and called her a liar.

The Trump legal team argues that an appeals court decision for a similar lawsuit would determine whether state courts have jurisdiction over the president while he is in office.

That suit was filed by Summer Zervos, a contestant on The Apprentice who alleges that Mr Trump sexually assaulted her in 2007. The president denies the allegation.

New York Supreme Court Justice Verna Saunders determined that the case can move forward and does not have to wait for a decision in Ms Zervos' case as a US Supreme Courts ruling in July determined that the president is not immune from law enforcement or congressional investigation.

That ruling allowed Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr to subpoena the presidents tax records for a New York grand jury investigation.

Mr Trumps legal team can appeal the decision. They have not yet responded to a request for comment.

Roberta Kaplan, partner at Kaplan Hecker & Fink, and counsel for E Jean Carroll said in a statement: We are very gratified that Judge Saunders, recognising the clear holding of the Supreme Court in Vance, has rejected President Trumps assertion of absolute immunity and has denied his motion to stay E Jean Carrolls case.

She continues: We are now eager to move forward with discovery so that we can prove that Donald Trump defamed E Jean Carroll when he lied about her in connection with her brave decision to tell the truth about the fact that Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her.

Ms Carroll is seeking a sample of Mr Trumps DNA as potential evidence to determine whether his genetic material is on the dress she wore during the encounter.

The former advice columnist for Elle magazine celebrated the decision, tweeting: We move forward!!

Judge Verna L. Saunders has DENIED Trumps assertion of absolute immunity! My attorneys @kaplanrobbie, @JoshuaMatz8 & Matthew Craig are chomping at the bit to begin DISCOVERY!

Ms Carrolls allegations against the president were first made public in June 2019 while publicising her book What Do We Need Men For? A Modest Proposal. In the book she describes the alleged attack by Mr Trump in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman in late 1995 or early 1996.

In November 2019, Ms Carroll filed a defamation suit against him claiming that he smeared her and damaged her career as an advice columnist.

Mr Trump said Ms Carroll was totally lying to sell more copies of her book and that they had never met. A photo taken in 1987 shows them together, but the president says they were just standing in line at an event.

In the suit Ms Carroll is seeking damages and a retraction of Mr Trumps statements about her.

In an earlier attempt at dismissing the case it was claimed that the president couldnt be sued in New York as he was not resident there. Mr Trump undermined the argument himself by declaring on a call with the nations governors that he lives in Manhattan.

The motion was withdrawn by Mr Trumps lawyers.
Candidates who appeared for West Bengal Joint Entrance Exams will get their result today as West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEEB) is all set to release the scores. The West Bengal WBJEE result 2020 announcement date confirmation was given by state education minister Partha Chatterjee. The result would be released via press conference from the board office after which it would be displayed on the official website.

WBJEEB chairman Malayendu Saha had earlier informed that the result timing and the counselling schedule would soon be announced by the Board.

The WBJEE 2020 was conducted on February 2, 2020. The candidates who appeared in West Bengal WBJEE exam 2020 can check their results on the official website - wbjeeb.nic.in.

From this year onwards the Board has fixed a day to conduct the exams every year it would be held on the first Sunday of February every year.

West Bengal Board had declared the WBBSE 12th Result on July 17, this year. The delay in the declaration of the results of WBJEE 2020 was due to the higher secondary exams evaluation process. The board completed the evaluation process in April, but the delay is due to the Higher Secondary exam.

The West Bengal Uchcha Madhyamik result was declared on July 17.

The counselling would be held online this year due to the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic. The board has already announced the list of provisional institutes providing admissions to the undergraduate courses in Engineering, Pharmacy or Architecture in the next academic session.

The list of government and private colleges are available on wbjeeb.nic.in. The entire counselling process will be online taking note of the COVID-19 pandemic situations, according to a board official. The board earlier announced the list of provisional institutes for admission to undergraduate courses in Engineering/Technology, Pharmacy and Architecture for the new academic session. The list of government, private institutes are available at the website- wbjeeb.nic.in.

The counselling session may be conducted in September, with the classes may resume in October, before Durga Puja.

Around 1.1 lakh candidates appeared for the engineering entrance examination that was conducted on February 2, before the HS exams. The Uccha Madhyamik exam was recorded highest pass percentage this year with 90.13 per cent. The Science stream has secured the best pass percentage with 98.83 per cent followed by Commerce- 92.22 per cent. The pass percentage in Arts stream touched at 88.74 per cent.
National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina said Friday that the Russian government is "using a range of measures" to "denigrate former Vice President Biden" before the November election.

Why it matters: Evanina warned that some Kremlin-linked actors are trying to support President Trumps candidacy on social media and Russian television, while others are spreading false claims about corruption to undermine Biden and the Democratic Party.

The big picture: The counterintelligence chief in July warned that China, Russia and Iran all pose threats for election interference in the 2020 presidential race.

He noted on Friday that "[m]any foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements."

China: Evanina said that per the counterintelligence community's assessment, the Chinese government would prefer Trump lose his reelection bid because it views him as "unpredictable."

China has pressured political figures that it deems in opposition to its national interests and has criticized the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and actions on Hong Kong, TikTok and the South China Sea.

"Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race," Evanina said.

Iran: Meanwhile, the counterintelligence community believes that the Iranian government is seeking to "undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections."

Iran is likely to spread disinformation on social media and recirculate anti-U.S. content, he said.

"Tehrans motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trumps reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change."

What they're saying:

"The intelligence assessments above represent the most current, accurate, and objective election threat information the IC has to offer in an unclassified setting at this time."

"Providing objective intelligence analysis is the solemn duty of the men and women of the IC, who work day and night around the world, often at great personal risk, to safeguard our nation."

Go deeper: An election like no other
The European Commission on Friday urged member states to allow EU entry for unmarried partners of European citizens and residents by exempting them from travel restrictions targeting some countries.

The external borders of the EU and the Schengen visa area -- closed due to the coronavirus pandemic -- have reopened since July to travellers from a restricted list of third countries.

But for other countries, including the United States, all non-essential travel to the Union remains prohibited, with exceptions for EU citizens, residents and their families.

Member states can allow unmarried partners in documented relationships to enter the EU if they choose to do so, but few are, said Commission spokesperson Adalbert Jahnz.

"Currently, only a minority of member states do so," he said, without specifying which nations.

A social media campaign dubbed "Love is not tourism" has been launched to call on governments to allow unmarried couples separated by travel bans to reunite.

According to this movement, only eight European countries, including Denmark and the Netherlands, allow the reunion of unmarried couples. Germany, which holds the presidency of the European Union, has sent a questionnaire to the 27 to detail their policy.

The global pandemic led to border closures and restrictions on freedom of movement within the EU and the Schengen area. Most of these measures were phased out in June, but new restrictions have since been reintroduced.

Some countries such as the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany have sometimes imposed mandatory quarantines on travelers arriving from certain regions or countries in the EU, without notice.

The list of third countries whose travelers are authorised to enter the EU is now reduced to: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.

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TikTok has long presented a parenting problem, as millions of Americans raising preteens and teenagers distracted by its viral videos can attest. But when the C.I.A. was asked recently to assess whether it was also a national security problem, the answer that came back was highly equivocal.

Yes, the agencys analysts told the White House, it is possible that the Chinese intelligence authorities could intercept data or use the app to bore into smartphones. But there is no evidence they have done so, despite the calls from President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to neutralize a threat from the apps presence on millions of American devices.

It made little difference. When Mr. Trump issued an executive order on Thursday that would effectively ban TikTok from operating in the United States in 45 days  part of an effort to force a sale of the app to an American company, most likely Microsoft  he declared it threatened the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.

In a surprise addition, he issued a similar ban on WeChat, a Chinese social media app on which millions of people, largely outside the United States, conduct everyday conversations and financial transactions.
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Linkedin Chappy Hakim and Tommy Tamtomo (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 12:34 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c48da6 3 Opinion Airlines,coronavirus,COVID-19,aviation-industry Free

One of the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic is civil aviation. The global health crisis has forced airline companies to ground their planes and lay off workers. Many are even on the verge of bankruptcy due to severe travel restrictions, if not given government bailouts.

Understandably, the travel restrictions and the strict health protocols such as physical distancing, compulsory wearing of masks, health certificates and additional time needed for all the checks for air passengers have caused most people to avoid traveling by air. This in turn has slashed airline revenues and put them in severe liquidity crises.

Physical-distancing rules require airlines to initially limit seat capacity to 50 percent. Even though the Transportation Ministry has eased restrictions to 70 percent seat capacity and lengthened the validity of health certificates from three days to two weeks, airline cash flows continue to suffer.

Read also: Garuda turns in first-half losses as pandemic hits aviation

On the other hand, air freight services have not been adversely affected. Instead they have tended to increase on several routes across the vast archipelago. This cargo service could help airlines to survive the pandemic.

The volume of air passengers that nosedived 80 percent two months ago has slightly increased and the number of flights has crept up from 20 percent to 40 percent, compared with the 2019 figure. But since not all service routes have been reopened, it will be difficult for airline companies to push the number of passengers further up.

The flow of take-offs and landings at Jakartas international airport of Soekarno-Hatta last month averaged 300 to 350 daily, far below the 1,100 daily in 2019.

Many analysts have predicted that air travel will continue to be weak until 2025, as people remain hesitant to travel by air. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that global flights would recover by 2023. This estimate is widely seen by various parties as too optimistic, but in general, the results of expert studies have indeed showed that it will take three to five years for the airline industry to recover to 2019 levels.

For Indonesia, the worlds largest archipelagic country, the recovery may come sooner than the prediction above. Barring any steep rise in new infections nationwide, the Transportation Ministry may again ease the 70 percent seat capacity restriction in the near future.

As the volume of air freight services has been much bigger than passenger services since the coronavirus outbreak, the government may need to adjust the regulations on cargo services to help the airline offset the steep drop in their passenger services, thereby preventing them from going bankrupt.

Read also: State injects Rp 881 billion into airport operator Angkasa Pura II

It may be necessary for the government to allow cargo planes to also carry passengers on certain routes.

Certainly, such mixed services require some adjustments in flight operating procedures related to the layout of goods and people in the cabin. The point is that there must still be a variety of possible ways to help the airlines to survive until the pandemic ends.

The question now is when the airline crisis will end. Most analysts predict that in so far as no vaccine and medical treatment for COVID-19 has been available in the market, human interaction will always be seen as dangerous due to the high risk of infection.

And as long as human interaction is still perceived to be dangerous, people will continue to refrain from air travel. With most medical experts predicting that a vaccine for the coronavirus may be available in the first half of next year, the airline industry will only start its recovery after that.

***

Chappy Hakim, a former Indonesian Air Force chief, is chairman of Indonesia Center for Air Power Studies, where Tommy Tamtomo is research and development director.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
A Joondalup dentist who failed to comply with self-isolation orders after flying in to Western Australia from the east coast in June will be sentenced in October.

Nataliia Nairn, 30, was originally charged with two offences, but had six more charges added following police investigations.

Joondalup dentist Nataliia Nairn leaves court. Credit:Kate Hedley

She pleaded guilty to all charges in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday.

Nairn was caught when she was spotted at work while she was meant to be self-isolating.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event at the Whirlpool Corporation manufacturing plant in Clyde, Ohio, Thursday. AP/Yonhap



By Kim Hyun-bin



U.S. President Donald Trump has boasted that his administration's imposition of a 50 percent tariff on Samsung and LG products helped domestic companies such as Whirlpool increase their market share.



"I proudly signed the order to impose a 50 percent tariff on all foreign-made washing machines," Trump said during a visit to a Whirlpool factory in Clyde, Ohio, Thursday, where the company produces 20,000 washers a day.



"As a result, Whirlpool's nine factories across the United States were soon thriving like never before. And every one of the products is proudly inscribed with that glorious phrase, 'Made in the USA.'"



This year marks Whirlpool's 109th anniversary. The once world-leading home appliance maker started production at the Clyde plant in 1952, but has faced some challenges over the past decade as foreign-made machines from LG and Samsung threatened American-made products. The Trump administration branded this "predatory" dumping.



"In 2013, the U.S. International Trade Commission found your competitors from Korea and other countries guilty of dumping washers into the U.S. market and ordered them to pay anti-dumping duties as high as 79 percent," Trump said.?



"But rather than pay these very high tariffs, LG and Samsung relocated production to another country  a country called China.?Have you ever heard of it?? And the last administration did nothing as they kept on dumping washers into the U.S. market with impunity."



Instead of strongly criticizing Samsung and LG Electronics, Trump used the visit to boast of his achievements before the U.S. Presidential election scheduled for November 3, emphasizing he fixed the trade imbalance with South Korea.



Samsung and LG Electronics each operate washing machine factories in South Carolina and Texas, employing workers from the region. But Trump did not mention the positive effects of the Korean firms operating in the U.S.



He also took full credit for raising the tariffs and criticized his political opponents and the previous Obama administration for "retreating" from them.



"For eight years, Whirlpool begged the Obama-Biden administration, who did nothing, to protect American workers from the flagrant dumping of foreign washers and dryers into America," Trump said.?"But your cries for help fell on deaf ears."


Becoming a citizen in Canada can benefit both immigrants and their host country in many ways.

The many benefits of becoming a Canadian citizen Becoming a citizen in Canada can benefit both immigrants and their host country in many ways.

The many benefits of becoming a Canadian citizen Becoming a citizen in Canada can benefit both immigrants and their host country in many ways.

The many benefits of becoming a Canadian citizen Becoming a citizen in Canada can benefit both immigrants and their host country in many ways. Alexandra Miekus Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Compared to major Western countries, Canada has one of the highest percentages of immigrants who obtain citizenship.

Citizenship refers to a persons legal status. Canadian citizenship can be obtained either by birth or by a process called naturalization.

Immigrants who come and settle in Canada and meet certain criteria may be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship by naturalization. Being granted Canadian citizenship is the final step in the immigration process for many immigrants. It is a key indicator of successful integration and gives immigrants the opportunity to vote, enter politics and improves employment opportunities.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

Canadian citizenship has many benefits

By becoming Canadian citizens, people gain the right to participate in Canadian politics. This right can take the form of participation in federal, provincial and municipal elections as a voter. It can also mean running for election or participating in the management of the different levels of government that exist in Canada.

Becoming a Canadian citizen also provides access to a number of jobs that require a high level of security, such as jobs at the federal level.

In addition, Canadian law allows for dual or multiple citizenships. This means that once a person becomes a Canadian citizen, they do not have to choose between their new citizenship and that of their country of origin.

As well, children born in Canada to parents who are Canadian citizens become Canadian citizens without having to go through an application process.

Finally, Canadian citizens hold a passport, which makes it easier for them to travel to many countries without a visa and makes it simpler to obtain visas if necessary. A passport also reduces the risk of encountering problems when entering Canada.

Who is eligible for Canadian citizenship?

There are various eligibility criteria that an individual must meet in order to apply for Canadian citizenship:

They must have Canadian permanent resident status;

They must have lived in Canada for at least three years (or for at least 1,095 days) out of the past five years before applying;

They must be able to speak either one or both of Canadas two official languages (English or French) well enough to communicate in Canadian society;

They cannot have a criminal history considered prohibitive to granting Canadian citizenship; and

They must pass a test to prove they are aware of the rights and responsibilities of citizens and have a basic knowledge of Canadas geography, political system, and history.

The Government requests that documents be provided as evidence to support the above eligibility criteria. After that, one of the most important steps is to take a citizenship test and pass a citizenship interview, both of which usually takes place after an application is submitted.

The majority of eligible immigrants become citizens

Canada recognizes the importance of immigrants and relies significantly on immigration to develop its economy and strengthen its social fabric.

It provides strong settlement services to immigrants selected for permanent residence that promote their participation in all aspects of Canadian society, which contributes to their success and to their transition to Canadian citizenship.

At the same time, when naturalized immigrants are compared to non-naturalized immigrants who are permanent residents, studies confirm that the acquisition of citizenship has a positive effect on immigrants earnings and labour market outcomes.

While the share of immigrants who become Canadian citizens varies considerably by the period of immigration taken into account and other factors such as education and income, for instance, most immigrants who qualify for Canadian citizenship eventually acquire it.

Get help applying for Canadian citizenship

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If you have a grievance concerning the content or argument of the Editorial Board, please contact either Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or the Editorial Board as a whole (editorialboard@iowastatedaily.com). Those wanting to respond to editorials can also submit a letter to the editor through the Iowa State Daily website or by emailing the letter to Opinion Editor Peyton Hamel (peyton.hamel@iowastatedaily.com) or Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith (sage.smith@iowastatedaily.com).

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Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020
They've been quarantining in a Sydney hotel for a period of time.

And on Wednesday, Samara Weaving, Rose Byrne, and Bobby Cannavale all boarded a private jet to Byron Bay after being given the all clear.

The stars are heading to the coastal town to film Nicole Kidman's new TV series, Nine Perfect Strangers.

All smiles: Samara Weaving boarded a private jet in Sydney after quarantining in her hotel on Wednesday

Samara, 28, looked casual but stylish in a double denim ensemble.

She kept warm with a black wool turtleneck sweater, and added a designer twist to her outfit by accessorising with a large Louis Vuitton bag.

Meanwhile, Rose, 41, wore a face mask for safety as she held one of her children in her arms.

Denim diva: Samara, 28, looked casual but stylish in a double denim ensemble

Designer: Samara added a designer twist to her outfit by accessorising with a large Louis Vuitton bag

Helping hand: Samara flashed a smile as she prepared to head to the private jet

The mother-of-two was accompanied by husband Bobby, who looked scruffy thanks to a bushy beard.

Nicole Kidman recently completed her quarantine in her $6.5million Southern Highlands estate with husband Keith Urban.

The actress, 53, and her other half, 52, divided fans after being granted permission to skip mandatory hotel quarantine and self-isolate at their sprawling country property following their arrival back to Australia via a private jet from the United States.

Nice and warm: The Australian actress kept warm with a black wool turtleneck sweater

Hello! The Ash vs Evil Dead actress gave a friendly wave to onlookers

Nicole's new series, Nine Perfect Strangers, was recently given the green light to begin filming in Australia.

The series will provide an economic boost to the struggling local film industry by creating 'hundreds' of local jobs when filming commences on August 10.

Nine Perfect Strangers is being produced by Nicole's production company Blossom Films, alongside Big Little Lies collaborators Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies, Gone Girl) and David E. Kelley.

Nicole will also star in the series alongside an A-list Hollywood cast including Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans and Manny Jacinto.

Family: Bobby Cannavale, wife Rose Byrne and one of their children were spotted boarding the same private jet

Safety first: The Bridesmaids actress kept safe and sound with a face mask

Comfortable: Rose looked relaxed in a sweater and a pair of leggings

According to The Daily Telegraph, strict COVID-19 restrictions will be placed upon the production, which is set to take place at an 'isolated production hub' at Nicole and Keith Urban's sprawling property in the NSW Southern Highlands.

Cast and crew members flying from overseas or interstate will be made to quarantine in a hotel for 14-days upon arrival into NSW.

Nicole and her fellow producers will also be responsible for paying all medical and security costs, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The series will tell the story of nine stressed-out urbanites who escape to a wellness retreat run by Nicole's character.
BOSTON - A Massachusetts psychiatrist and his wife both face charges in connection with a scheme to illegally import medications to treat alcohol and opioid dependence from China and falsify shipping documents to hide the contents of the imported packages, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Dr. Rahim Shafa, 62, and Nahid Nina Tormosi Shafa, 62, both of Lexington, were indicted on a charge of international money laundering conspiracy, according to a statement from the U.S. attorneys office in Boston.

Rahim Shafa was also indicted on charges of money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, importing merchandise contrary to law, and receiving and delivering misbranded drugs with an intent to defraud, prosecutors said.

The Shafas have dedicated their careers to helping patients suffering from addiction and have saved lives, their attorney Megan Siddall said in an emailed statement.

Dr. and Mrs. Shafa deny the allegations against them and look forward to their day in court, the statement said.

Shafa owned and operated Novel Psychopharmacology in Milford and Natick, and his wife was the office manager, authorities said.

The medications imported from January 2008 until January 2018 and offered for sale to patients were in a form not approved by the FDA, prosecutors said.

Distributing illegally imported prescription drugs of unknown origin and ingredients instead of FDA-approved drugs places the U.S. public health at risk, FDA Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey J. Ebersole said in a news release.

Authorities contend the couple also falsified shipping documents to make the packages containing the drugs look like lawful imports, in one case saying a package contained plastic beads in plastic tubes.

In order to make money, the defendants allegedly circumvented mandatory FDA drug inspections and took advantage of vulnerable patients who sought to escape addiction through legitimate treatment, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in the release.
Treasury Sanctions Criminal Network Threatening the Stability and Security of Libya

U.S. Department of the Treasury

August 6, 2020

Washington  Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against a network of smugglers contributing to instability in Libya. OFAC designated Libyan national Faysal al-Wadi (Wadi), operator of the vessel Maraya; two associates, Musbah Mohamad M Wadi (Musbah) and Nourddin Milood M Musbah (Nourddin); and the Malta-based company, Alwefaq Ltd, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13726. Additionally, the vessel Maraya was identified as blocked property.

"Faysal al-Wadi and his associates have smuggled fuel from Libya and used Libya as a transit zone to smuggle illicit drugs," said Deputy Secretary Justin G. Muzinich. "The United States is committed to exposing illicit networks exploiting Libya's resources for their own profit while hurting the Libyan people."

Wadi has worked with a network of contacts in North Africa and southern Europe to smuggle fuel from, and illicit drugs through, Libya to Malta. Competition for control of smuggling routes, oil facilities, and transport nodes is a key driver of conflict in Libya and deprives the Libyan people of economic resources. Wadi's illicit trafficking operation transported drugs between the Libyan port of Zuwarah and Hurd's Bank, just outside Malta's territorial waters. Hurd's Bank is a well-known geographic transfer location for illicit maritime transactions. Wadi also smuggled drugs and Libyan fuel into Malta itself. Wadi has kept all official documentation clear of his name, while being the primary organizer of smuggling operations using the vessel Maraya.

OFAC designated Wadi pursuant to E.O. 13726 for being responsible for or complicit in, or for having engaged in, directly or indirectly, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Libya, including through the supply of arms or related materiel. Wadi is also being designated pursuant to E.O. 13726 for being involved in, or for having been involved in, the illicit exploitation of crude oil or any other natural resources in Libya, including the illicit production, refining, brokering, sale, purchase, or export of Libyan oil.

OFAC designated both Musbah and Nourddin pursuant to E.O. 13726 for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Libya, including through the supply of arms or related materiel.

OFAC designated Alwefaq Ltd pursuant to E.O. 13726 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, Musbah. OFAC also designated Alwefaq Ltd pursuant to E.O. 13726 for being owned or controlled by, or for having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, Nourddin. Finally, OFAC identified the Maraya as blocked property in which Alwefaq Ltd has an interest.

As a result of today's actions, all property and interests in property of these persons, including the identified vessel, that are in or come within the United States or are in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or otherwise exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or those within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated persons.

For additional information about trends related to illicit shipping and sanctions risks, including deceptive shipping practices, please refer to the advisory "Guidance to Address Illicit Shipping and Sanctions Evasion Practices" issued by the Department of the Treasury, Department of State, and United States Coast Guard on May 14, 2020.

View identifying information here.

###

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A former high-ranking official at the San Francisco Medical Examiners Office is suing the city for wrongful termination, alleging he was fired after he refused to alter Public Defender Jeff Adachis autopsy report on orders from City Administrator Naomi Kelly.

Christopher Wirowek, a former operators director for the Medical Examiners Office, filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court late last month, claiming he faced retaliation and was eventually terminated after spurning Kellys demand to alter the autopsy report shortly before it was released to the public in March 2019.

Wirowek also alleges his office and work computer were ransacked by a superior in the office while he was on paternity leave in early 2019. Last August, after Wirowek announced his intent to return to work, he claims he was put on administrative leave but knew his termination was a foregone conclusion, according to the lawsuit.

Wirowek claims Kelly demanded to see a copy of the autopsy report on March 22, 2019, the day it was set for public release. He alleges he refused Kellys attempt to edit the document, told her doing so would be illegal and released it to the public as the Medical Examiners Office office doctors intended.

Wiroweks complaint makes no mention of the changes Kelly demanded, nor does it specify why she wanted them made. The complaint says only that after reviewing a copy of Adachis autopsy report, Kelly voiced her disagreement with its conclusions and demanded Wirowek add, change and edit the report with her version of the findings.

Lacy Atkins / The Chronicle

A spokesman for the City Administrators Office called the lawsuits allegations a complete fiction, and a spokesman for the city attorneys office said lawyers were reviewing the lawsuit and intended to mount a vigorous defense in court.

According to television station KPIX, which first reported the lawsuit late Wednesday, Wiroweks attorney said hes anxious to elaborate publicly when the time is right. Neither Wirowek nor his lawyers responded to requests for comment Thursday.

Adachi died from the strain that a mixture of cocaine and alcohol put on his already weakened heart, the medical examiner found. He was found unconscious by paramedics in the early evening of Feb. 22, 2019. The report dispassionately documented some of the lurid details of his final hours, including photos of an unkempt bed, marijuana edibles and liquor bottles in a Telegraph Hill apartment where he was with a woman who was not his wife.

The initial copy of Adachis autopsy report that Wirowek released to the public contained the late public defenders Social Security number and home address, a violation of state public records laws.

A day later, Wirowek sent out another copy of the report with that information redacted, asking anyone who received the initial, unredacted version to destroy/delete copies of the previous report.

Adachi had raised serious concerns about Wiroweks competency to Kelly just two months before his death.

The public defender wrote to Kelly in December 2018 saying that Wirowek had engaged in dishonest conduct after he allegedly misrepresented the Medical Examiners Office accreditation status to the district attorneys office. According to Adachi, Wirowek told the district attorney the Medical Examiners Office had been granted a provisional accreditation by a national accrediting agency, when in fact the accreditation had lapsed.

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.

There should be a full investigation and if Mr. Wirowek is determined to have lied, he should be terminated  he should not be permitted to remain in a position of responsibility in the face irrefutable proof that he lied repeatedly about material issues involving the (Medical Examiners Office), Adachi wrote.

After Adachis death, the public defenders office slammed the medical examiners findings, and in an extraordinary move, released a press statement highlighting the findings of an independent review of the autopsy report by independent doctors.

The independent analysis found there was not enough cocaine and alcohol detected in Adachis system to conclude the drugs caused his death, and that his preexisting heart condition could well have precipitated his death.

The public defenders office also raised the specter of Wiroweks conflict of interest in Adachis case, given the fact that Wirowek personally appeared at the scene of Mr. Adachis death and became highly involved in the investigation.

Though the office hedged, adding it is unclear whether any of these circumstances may have influenced the (Medical Examiners Office) procedures or conclusions.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
YEREVAN.  For a year now, the authorities have been busy seizing the Constitutional Court and filling it with the staff they want; opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) MP Iveta Tonoyan said this Friday at a meeting with journalists.

"For a year, it was presented by the highest echelons of the authorities that there was a crisis in the Constitutional Court, which did not correspond to reality. But yes, today there is a crisis in the Constitutional Court, at the hands of the authorities. This very process, the refusal to initiate a criminal case on the basis of a report submitted by three [opposition] political forces, fits into the theory of the authorities to legalize all illegal decisions related to the Constitutional Court," the PAP lawmaker emphasized.

Touching upon the nomination of candidates for three vacancies of judges of the Constitutional Court, Tonoyan recalled their negative assessment of the ongoing processes around the Constitutional Court, and stressed that in this case, they are not going to legalize this illegal process with their participationregardless of the biography of the nominated judges.

Asked about the reports circulating in the press that the trio format of the opposition PAP, ARF, and Homeland parties is not viable, Iveta Tonoyan responded that there is no problem today in the format of this trio. "The cooperation is going on in a very effective, viable format, with a mode of daily discussions," she added, in particular.

The PAP MP was also asked about the progress of her partys initiative whereby they were going to apply to the Constitutional Court in connection with the current ban on rallies. Iveta Tonoyan first mentioned that there were technical problems with applying to the Constitutional Court, then added that in the near future they will wait for the criteria, what proposals the commandants office will present, what restrictions will be lifted once current the state of emergency will come to an end, and then they will make a decision.
The process of removing the outpost cabins installed by Lydian Armenia company will start soon from the area of the Amulsar gold mine project.

Those who have been protesting for the past three days are following this process.

The mayor of Jermuk town, Vardan Hovhannisyan, announced Thursday that Lydian Armenia had made a mistake in installing these cabins, and the relevant specialists would come Friday and move them to the appropriate area.

The mayor of Jermuk also told reporters that the outpost cabins of the defenders of Amulsar could also be removed Friday.

Protests lasted for three days, and the demonstrators again had blocked the road leading to Jermuk. They have three demands: To move 30 meters from the area the outpost cabins new security service which Lydian Armenia has hired, to remove the companys security team from the Amulsar area, and to make a clear decision on Amulsar by the government.

The new security service hired by Lydian Armenia has removed the outpost cabins of the defenders of Amulsar and replaced them with their own.

In 2018, a criminal case was initiated on hiding information on the damage caused to nature as a result of the future operation of the Amulsar gold mine.

Within the framework of the same criminal case, a comprehensive expertise on the expected operation of the mine was later ordered.

After the change of power in Armenia, this expertise was stopped, and a criminal case was initiated on charges of abuses and violations of the environmental law.

At the invitation of the government, an international environmental expertise was carried out in the gold mine area. And Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had announced that the Amulsar gold mine would not be operated unless the aforesaid expertise gave a positive conclusion.
TASHKENT -- A group of residents of the Uzbek capital have protested the government's plan to merge parts of the city with the surrounding region.

Some 300 residents of three neighborhoods located in the Uchtepa district of Tashkent rallied on August 6 in a rare protest, demanding that the government decision be canceled.

The protesters said that they do not want to lose the status of residents of the capital, as that may lead to problems with placing their children in better schools in Tashkent and finding better jobs that require employees to be city residents.

According to the protesters, the move will lead to changes in the cadastral documents of their properties, which most likely will cause a loss in the properties' values.

The demonstration took place a day after a television report said that the plan to merge parts of the Uchtepa district with the Tashkent region had been outlined in accordance with an order of President Shavkat Mirziyoev.

Officials explained the move was necessary "to eliminate disparities in administrative boundaries of the capital...and improve infrastructure to make it more convenient for the population."

Uchtepa district Mayor Farhod Abdullaev met with the protesters and promised to inform Tashkent Mayor Jahongir Ortiqhojaev about their demands, after which the protest ended.

Protests questioning government's decisions are very rare in the tightly controlled Central Asian state.

After Mirziyoev came to power following the death of authoritarian President Islam Karimov in 2016, he promised reforms and more freedom, including involving ordinary people in social, economic, and political developments in the country.
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Linkedin Annie Banerji and Saurabh Sharma (Thomson Reuters Foundation) New Delhi/Lucknow, India  Fri, August 7, 2020 09:22 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3c337 2 World India,poor-residents,coronavirus,COVID-19,coronavirus-restrictions,COVID-19-infection,COVID-19-treatment,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

With scant supplies and underpaid staff, one of India's poorest states is scrambling to prevent a "blast" in coronavirus cases that medics say could cripple its precarious health system.

The pandemic has already overwhelmed the medical network in the eastern state of Bihar, which has recorded more than 62,000 infections and nearly 350 deaths.

But locals fear the worst is yet to come.

Fuelling their anxiety - a slew of media reports and images of people struggling to access healthcare, including coronavirus patients languishing on oxygen support in hospital corridors.

The list of patient complaints - worse outside the capital city of Patna - is long: too few beds, faulty oxygen cylinders, no doctors, zero tests and a dearth of effective medicine.

When village pharmacist Om Prakash Gupta became breathless last week, he waded through swirling flood waters to reach a local, district hospital only to wait hours for a coronavirus test - and a whole day for oxygen support.

The 42-year-old tested positive, and got a bed after his family faced initial apathy from hospital staff, threats from doctors and rejection from politicians.

"We got frightened and ... our family members started crying out of helplessness. [Then] hospital authorities called us and - admitted him," his brother-in-law Manoj Kumar said by phone from his village in Madhubani town.

But it was too late.

"We were told that he was severely breathless overnight and other patients tried to call the doctor for him but nobody came. Finally he fell from his bed and died due to a lack of oxygen," Kumar told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Health experts say the death toll is set to rise, especially as annual floods complicate efforts to enforce social distancing and strain resources.

"The floods have decreased mobility. People can't leave ... testing teams are also unable to reach these areas," said S.R. Jha, a doctor in impoverished Araria district.

"The cases will spike a lot more. There will be a kind of blast."

Neither the state's health secretary and health minister nor the federal health ministry responded to repeated phone calls, text messages and emails over a week seeking their comment.

'Missed the boat'

India's coronavirus outbreak is the third worst in the world behind the United States and Brazil, with more than 1.9 million confirmed cases and about 40,700 deaths, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University.

The virus travelled from crowded cities to rural hinterland as millions of workers returned home under a strict lockdown, with Bihar receiving one of the largest migrant influxes.

Bihar lacks good hospitals, with facilities outside Patna woefully short on resources, doctors and medical experts say.

In Darbhanga district - which bore the brunt of floods - a coronavirus patient even staged a protest inside a local hospital, claiming medical negligence.

"No doctor has come to see me for 10 days. The situation is so bad the oxygen cylinder that they gave me ran out of gas ... I asked them for a replacement, but there's no response," Shailendra Sinha told local media.

Medical observers say the government failed to prepare.

Sunil Kumar, Bihar secretary of the Indian Medical Association that represents 325,000 doctors, said more than 40% of state healthcare posts were vacant. This, he said, despite doctors' requests to the government to fill the openings.

"The government missed the boat on preparation and planning and now you can see the fallout," said Kumar.

Officials had no response after a week of requests for comment. Yet Kumar said medics' pay was pitiful and that staff lacked basic kit such as protective suits, masks and gloves.

"How can you expect medical staff to work for 8,000 or 10,000 rupees ($133) in COVID-19 wards in such conditions  only to risk their lives?," he said.

The state government says it will give health workers an "encouragement incentive" worth a month's salary.

'Rely on god'

Home to 120 million people, Bihar is testing about 38,000 samples a day - compared to some 100,000 in India's most populous state of Uttar Pradesh.

Kumar said the virus was spreading undetected, with few people wearing masks or keeping a safe distance, despite a lockdown until Aug 16.

State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar says the virus is "definitely a threat to Bihar" given it has the top population density in the country - three times the national average.

Bihar's principal health secretary, Pratyaya Amrit was not available for comment, but has told local media that his top priority was to ramp up testing to 50,000 a day.

He has vowed to make changes, including increasing the number of beds with oxygen support, ambulance services, round-the-clock availability of doctors and nurses and filling vacancies by appointing 1,000 specialist doctors.

Dr. Shakeel, who goes by one name and heads the People's Health Movement in Bihar, a network of medical and civil society organizations, said private hospitals were out of reach for most people since they could charge up to 15,000 rupees a day - in a state where the daily per capita income is $1.50.

Instead, ordinary people would have to make do with local "hospitals that are dirty, where beds are very few and any treatment for (the) coronavirus is not even available," said Jha, the doctor from Araria.

"The poor ... they have to rely on God."
Until recently, anyone planning to build apartments in the expensive Bay Area communities that need them most could count on being frustrated.

The obstruction is grounded on one of a few dubious theories reliably advanced by the most vocal neighborhood opponents of any proposed housing: that the people living in a new development might have more than a negligible net effect on Bay Area traffic; that the inscrutable character of any given California suburb is so sacrosanct as to deserve government protection; or that a small empty space in the middle of a vast, paved metropolis just might be home to one of our nations most irreplaceable natural ecosystems.

Its a sorely needed bit of good news that this is no longer uniformly the case, as The Chronicle reported this week. In recent months, local governments have approved major projects in such anti-growth suburbs as Lafayette, San Bruno and Castro Valley despite the familiar neighborhood objections.

Why? For the only reason most Bay Area officials will approve such projects: because they had to.

State laws enacted over the past few years have made it harder for local governments to deny housing on a whim. Chief among them is SB35, which requires cities and counties falling short of their housing needs to streamline approval of multifamily residential developments that meet certain criteria.

Championed by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017, the law has also loomed large in recent court rulings allowing developments to go forward in Cupertino and Los Altos despite staunch opposition. Berkeley alone has approved three affordable-housing projects under SB35 since December.

Wieners bill was among the most important pieces of legislation approved since 2017 to address the states ruinous housing shortage, which has helped deprive over 150,000 Californians of a home and drive more than a sixth of the states population into poverty. Another, the Housing Crisis Act, prohibits cities with housing deficits from using rezoning, moratoriums, fees, delays, parking requirements and other means to further impede residential construction. Authored by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, it was passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year over the objections of a host of Bay Area and Southern California cities.

Sadly, legislators lost their nerve this year and killed SB50, Wieners bill to overrule local barriers to apartment construction near mass transit and job centers. Lawmakers are still considering  and should pass  more incremental measures to ease smaller multifamily developments.

Even in 2019, before the pandemic-induced downturn, California housing construction was headed in the wrong direction, with permits down from the previous years anemic numbers. The spate of recent approvals demonstrates the need for more legislation that recognizes housing as a statewide policy problem that cannot be abdicated.

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.
By Hallie Gu and Dominique Patton

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's soybean imports rose 18% this year through July versus a year ago, as large volumes of soybeans bought cheaply from top supplier Brazil arrived in the country, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.

China, the world's biggest buyer of soybeans, brought in 10.09 million tonnes of beans last month, up from 8.63 million tonnes in July 2019 but below June's record 11.16 million tonnes, the customs data showed.

"Brazil had record high soybean output this year, while the real (currency) depreciated. Brazilian beans are cheap and crush margins are great, so crushers made purchases very actively," said Xie Huilan, analyst at agriculture consultancy Cofeed.

Exports from Brazil have picked up after March as the weather there improved.

Soybean imports surged 17.7% in the first seven months of the year, compared to the same period in 2019, to 55.14 million tonnes.

China soybean imports https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/ce/yxmvjrxwmvr/ChinaSoybeanImportsthoughJuly2020.png

Soybean and soymeal inventories in China have risen significantly after hitting record lows earlier this year as the Brazilian cargoes replenished supplies.

Some Chinese soybean crushers, who earlier this year had to curb operations due to short supplies, are now struggling with bulging inventories. But crushers and traders expect the problem to be short-lived given strong demand from the livestock sector.

"Inventories are rising mainly because feed producers bought(meal) for use in August in advance, thus slowing delivery at the beginning of the month," said a manager with a crusher in southern China on condition of anonymity.

"We expect stocks to start falling next week, as demand is going strong."

Soybean shipments were expected to remain large in coming months, on good profits and healthy demand from the livestock sector, traders and crushers said.

Story continues

China has been working to boost the country's pig production after the deadly African swine fever outbreaks, first discovered in the country in August 2018, decimated its massive herd.

China imported 956,000 tonnes of vegetable oils in July, down 6.1% from the previous month.

(Reporting by Hallie Gu and Dominique Patton; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
MIDDLETOWN  The Rotary Club of Middletown announces the recipients of its annual scholarship and service awards for 2020.

Each year, the organization presents scholarships to area high school students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and exemplify service above self, the motto and core mission of Rotary, according to a press release.

The Rotary also recognized two individuals for their dedication to community service with Paul Harris Service Awards. Harris was the founder of Rotary, which is recognized internationally as one of the worlds leading service organizations, the release said.

This years scholarship and award recipients would normally be honored at the Rotary Club of Middletowns annual Paul Harris dinner and awards ceremony, originally scheduled for early May at Middlesex Community College. Due to restrictions on gatherings prompted by COVID-19, the event was canceled, but recipients were honored at a recent weekly club meeting on Zoom.

This years scholarship recipients are: Lynna Vo, a 2020 graduate of Coginchaug Regional High School (attending the University of Connecticut in the fall); Sean P. Kelly, a 2020 graduate of Xavier High School (attending New York University in the fall); and John F. Jack Weinheimer, a 2020 graduate of Xavier High School (attending Mount St. Marys University in the fall).

Lynna Vo and Sean Kelly were awarded Rotary Club of Middletown scholarships, while Jack Weinheimer was the recipient of the Arthur and Edythe Director Family Rotary Education Award.

Each of the recipients excelled academically as members of their schools National Honor Society, and also received numerous other academic accolades. Further, each demonstrated outstanding service qualities to their schools in leadership roles of various organizations, and to the community at large through their many hours of service for organizations serving the needs of others, the news release said.

The two Harris award recipients are: Eric S. Rodko, a past president of Rotary Club of Middletown; and Chu Ngo, owner of Lan Chis Vietnamese Restaurant on Main Street in Middletown. Additionally, the Rotarian of the Year Award was given to Steve Lovelace.

The club is a longstanding volunteer service organization that serves the needs of the citizens of the greater Middletown area. It sponsors local grants to area nonprofit organizations that benefit their local communities.

Members also assist area youth in developing leadership skills through the student of the month and scholarship programs, local youth Interact and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards programs, and the Rotary Youth Exchange program.

The club is a sponsor (along with Liberty Bank) of the annual turkey drive, which provides a complete Thanksgiving dinner to participating local individuals and families. The Rotary also sponsors food insecurity and literacy initiatives, clean water projects both at local and international levels, and polio eradication projects worldwide.

Rotary Club of Middletown meets weekly on Zoom. However, when conditions permit, the clubs weekly meetings (Tuesdays at noon) will resume at Fiore II Restaurant on Main Street.

For information, visit middletownrotary.org.
The United States government will pay Johnson & Johnson over $1 billion for 100 million doses of its potential coronavirus vaccine, as it stocks up on vaccine and drugs in an attempt to tame the pandemic.

The latest contract is priced at roughly $10 per vaccine dose produced by J&J, or around $14.50 per dose, including a previous $456 million the U.S. government promised to J&J for vaccine development in March. That compares with the $19.50 per dose that the U.S. is paying for the vaccine being developed by Pfizer Inc and German biotech BioNTech SE.

J&J is studying both one and two-dose regimens of its vaccine. Pfizer and BioNTech's candidate would require two doses per person treated. The drugmaker said on Wednesday it would deliver the vaccine to the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) on a not-for-profit basis to be used after approval or emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The U.S. government may also purchase an additional 200 million doses under a subsequent agreement. J&J did not disclose that deal's value. As the race for vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 intensifies, the U.S. government has been signing deals to buy them through its Operation Warp Speed program. Other drugmakers who have signed deals include Sanofi SA and Regeneron Inc.

This is J&J's first deal to supply its investigational vaccine to a country. Talks are underway with the European Union, but no deal has yet been reached. J&J's investigational vaccine is currently being tested on healthy volunteers in the United States and Belgium in an early-stage study.

There are currently no approved vaccines for COVID-19. More than 20 are in clinical trials. Shares of J&J were up around 1 percent in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Also read: Domestic pharmaceutical industry to grow at 8-11% CAGR in FY 2020-23: ICRA
A man holds his work document at a job fair in 2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- the country's unemployment rate has now risen to to 13.3%

Virus-hit Brazil's unemployment rate rose to 13.3 percent in the April-June quarter, its highest in three years, according to official figures released Thursday that show 8.9 million jobs lost during the period due to the pandemic.

The figure represents a rise of 1.1 percentage points over the previous quarter, and is the highest since the March-May 2017 quarter, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Most Brazilian states began lifting lockdown measures in June, although the country's COVID-19 death toll is approaching 100,000 -- the second highest tally in the world.

The IBGE said 12.8 million people are looking for work in Latin America's biggest economy, while 83.3 million Brazilians were employed in the second quarter, 9.6 percent less than in the first.

"Of the 8.9 million people who lost their jobs, 6 million were working in the informal sector," without an employment contract or the equivalent, IBGE analyst Adriana Beringuy said in a release.

Nearly a quarter of the jobs lost -- 2.1 million -- were in the trade sector, hit particularly hard by lockdown measures aimed at containing the pandemic.

Another hard-hit sector was domestic workers, such as cleaners and child caregivers, with a 21 percent drop in the number of jobs compared to the first quarter.

In the second half of the year, the IBGE identified a record number of "discouraged" people, who would be able to work, but have given up looking for work.

"Most people who are not looking for a job say they had to stop looking because of the pandemic," said Beringuy.

At the end of July, Adolfo Sachsida, the government's secretary for economic policy, told the daily Folha de S. Paulo in an interview that he feared unemployment figures would "skyrocket" in September.

"We have to be ready to deal with this problem, which is going to hit Brazilian society hard," he said.

Story continues

On Wednesday the Central Bank lowered its key rate by 0.25 points to two percent, a new historic low, in an attempt to revive the economy.

Industrial production fell by 10.9 percent in the first half of the year compared with the first six months of 2019, despite a sharp 8.9 percent rebound in June.

Analysts consulted by the Central Bank's weekly Focus survey expect GDP to contract by 5.66 percent this year, a forecast that is less pessimistic than a month ago, when it was 6.5 percent.

mel-lg/pt/st/bgs
WILTON  Wilton schools will most likely open with a hybrid model later this month, according to a letter to the school community sent Thursday by Superintendent Kevin Smith.

Smith will present his recommendation to the Board of Education for approval. The board had intended to meet Tuesday, then Thursday, but both meetings were scuttled by power outages that affect most of Wilton residents. Instead, the board will meet electronically on Monday.

Smith said he based his recommendation on the districts academic, health and safety goals, with particular attention to both community COVID-19 transmission data and the districts ability to effectively implement a range of mitigation strategies.

He explained that all students would be placed into two cohorts based on last name:

Students whose last name begins in A-L would participate in-person Monday/Tuesday and attend remotely Wednesday/Thursday/Friday.

Students whose last name begins M-Z would participate in-person Thursday/Friday and attend remotely Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday.

He emphasized that the alphabetical breakdowns are not firm. We are working through our class lists to ensure that families with students in multiple schools are in the same cohort. We are also working to ensure that cohorts are as evenly split as possible, he said.

Students with special needs, or who require other more intensive intervention services, would attend in-person more than two days per week.

School opens for half-days Aug. 26-28, with students only attending one cycle. Full-time classes begin Aug. 31.

Mitigation strategies

Smith said he is recommending a hybrid model because he believes the district needs time to test its mitigation strategies and ensure they will be as effective as they believe them to be.

Having fewer numbers of students in the building at once decreases the overall density of the population on any given day and enables us to achieve 6 feet of social distance in our classrooms, he said.

The hybrid plan will be reviewed every three weeks with the goal of returning all students to in-person schooling if conditions permit.

Each school was to send families their specific opening plans on Friday, and parent forums have been planned for next week.

According to Smith, each plan enables students to participate in a complete day whether a student is in-person or remote. On Wednesdays, the district will operate remotely on a shortened day schedule. In addition to continuing to deliver live instruction, afternoon hours will be dedicated to other needs including intervention services, parent communication, teacher office hours, team planning and professional learning.

Parent forums are scheduled as follows:

Tuesday: Cider Mill - 5:30 p.m. and Miller-Driscoll - 7 p.m.

Wednesday: Wilton High School - 6 p.m.

Thursday: Middlebrook - 6 p.m.

Friday: Special Services - 9:30 a.m.

Families may continue to use the email address input@wiltonps.org to provide thoughts and recommendations on reopening.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 09:35:35|Editor: huaxia

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ACCRA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) here called on Thursday for the provision of security for teachers serving as invigilators in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

National President for CHASS Alhaji Yacoub Abubarkar told local media that the lives of teachers were in danger following a series of attacks by WASSCE candidates on invigilators and supervisors across the country.

"Wheresoever there is a school with this type of challenge, it will be good for a number of police personnel to be allowed to stay within the vicinity to ensure that there is peace and calm," the president said. "Once the students see that there are a few policemen around, it will control their behavior to ensure the smooth process at examination centers across the country."

Some agitated WASSCE candidates at the Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School (SHS) in south Ghana's Ashanti Region vandalized schools on the basis that invigilators were being "too strict" during the exams on Monday.

Similarly, students at the Bright SHS in the Eastern Region and Ndewura Jakpa Senior High Technical School in the Savannah Region on Thursday demonstrated against teachers over alleged "intimidation" by external invigilators during their social studies exam.

The 2020 WASSCE commenced on July 20 with a total of 313,837 candidates from Ghana. The writing of exam theory papers started on Monday and will end on Sept. 5. Enditem
LONDON (AP)  Thousands in Britain sought refuge from the searing heat Friday, mobbing beaches and parks despite warnings to keep their distance from others amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the pandemic curbing Britons' ability to travel abroad, those in need of sea air after months in lockdown pushed the rules on staying far apart. Parks also were crowded as people sought shade in temperatures predicted to rise to 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit)  or maybe more.

Last week, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution carried out 30 rescues on just one beach on a single day in Cornwall.

The beaches across the whole of the southwest are extremely busy at the moment with both locals who are holidaying at home this year and an influx of visitors to the region,'' said Kitty Norman, a water safety expert at the charity. The sheer volume of people making social distancing tricky is one thing to be conscious of before planning your trip to the beach.''

The mercury was also on the rise in France, where the national meteorological service Meteo-France placed 45 departments, including Paris and its inner suburbs, on orange alert  meaning that the public should be vigilant for a heatwave. Temperatures are set to rise to 42 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit) in parts of the country.

Britains Met Office warned the public to take precautions against dehydration and sunburn and be ready for a dramatic rise in temperatures following a rather cool week.

Public Health England issued a heat-health warning and advised people sheltering indoors to close curtains on windows facing the sun.

This summer, many of us are spending more time at home due to COVID-19,'' said Ishani Kar-Purkayastha, a consultant at Public Health England. A lot of homes can overheat, so its important we continue to check on older people and those with underlying health conditions, particularly if theyre living alone and may be socially isolated.

Story continues

Britain's 10 warmest years have occurred since 2002, with last year having seeing the hottest day on record at 38.7 Celsius (101.6 Fahrenheit) in Cambridge Botanic Garden on July 25.



Thomas Adamson in Paris contributed.

___

Follow all AP's coverage of climate change at https:apnews.com/Climate.
A T-Mobile store is pictured in the Brooklyn borough of in New York

By Sheila Dang and Munsif Vengattil

(Reuters) - T-Mobile US Inc added more monthly phone subscribers than expected in the second quarter and said on Thursday it has overtaken rival AT&T Inc as the second-largest wireless provider in the United States.

T-Mobile got a boost as more people used its services to stay connected and work remotely during coronavirus lockdowns, sending shares up 5.4% to $114.02 in extended trading.

The company said it has overtaken AT&T across postpaid, in which customers pay a recurring monthly bill, and prepaid phones - customers paying for service in advance.

T-Mobile reported 98.3 million customers in those categories, while AT&T had nearly 93 million postpaid and prepaid subscribers in its second quarter.

Subscriber figures between U.S. carriers can be difficult to compare given the variety of plans offered. AT&T declined to comment.

T-Mobile added 253,000 net new phone subscribers who pay a monthly bill, compared with 710,000 additions a year earlier.

Analysts had expected 169,200 new subscribers, according to research firm FactSet.

The carrier, which completed its merger with Sprint in April, reported the quarterly results as a combined company for the first time.

T-Mobile said during the earnings call with analysts that more than 10% of network traffic from Sprint's postpaid customers have been migrated to T-Mobile.

The carrier has sought to attract budget-constrained customers with its cheaper phone plans after the pandemic left millions of people in the United States unemployed.

T-Mobile's second-quarter net income fell to $110 million, or 9 cents per share, from $939 million, or $1.09 per share, a year earlier, due to Sprint merger costs.

Revenue jumped 61% to $17.67 billion, above analysts' estimates of $17.61 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru and Sheila Dang in New York; Editing by Dan Grebler and Lisa Shumaker)
For Juan Carlos, who was born in exile in Rome, things have turned full circle because of a financial scandal which has left Spaniards questioning the validity of the monarchy.

Stunned Spaniards were left to play a guessing game as to the whereabouts of the man who had reigned over them for nearly 40 years until he abdicated in 2014. Some Spanish media had Juan Carlos lounging by a beach in the Caribbean island state of the Dominican Republic while other newspapers claimed he could be in neighboring Portugal.

The whispers were proven right in spectacular fashion when the ex-monarch left Spain this week. In a letter published on the royal family's website, Juan Carlos told his son, King Felipe VI, he was leaving the country due to the "public repercussions of certain episodes of my past private life."

In select circles in Madrid, the rumor had been making the rounds for weeks: Beset by a financial scandal that would not go away, former King Juan Carlos I was preparing to go into exile.

 Reigniting an Old Debate

In the wake of Juan Carlos' abrupt departure, it has prompted a surge in republican sentiment in a country which has historically maintained a complex relationship with the institution of monarchy. Across the country there are 637 squares, streets or other public edifices named after Juan Carlos but since the 82-year-old's departure, many of these were at the center of public anger towards the royal family.

Students in Madrid called for the King Juan Carlos University to change its name, with an online petition garnering over 41,000 signatures by Wednesday. "Corruption cases surrounding the royal family keep appearing, torpedoing the image of a monarchy that had been presented to us as 'wholesome' and 'humble,'" the petition read.

In Gijon, in northern Spain, authorities said they would change the name of its Juan Carlos I avenue because they said the name of the former monarch "does not represent the institutional, moral and democratic values of our society anymore," according to spokeswoman Marina Pineda.

Pedro Sanchez, Spain's Socialist prime minister, said the departure of Juan Carlos would allow King Felipe to reign in a better way as the country confronted a period of instability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Pablo Iglesias, leader of the far-left Unidas Podemos, the junior partner in the coalition government with the Socialists, condemned the former king's exit while he faced a possible investigation in Spain. "Sooner or later, young people in our country will start a republic in Spain," he added.

A poll for the right-wing ABC newspaper, which supports the monarchy, found 68 percent thought Juan Carlos was wrong to leave the country. Javier Sanchez-Junco, a lawyer for the former king, said his client was not trying to escape justice by going into exile and would remain available to prosecutors.

 Scandals

The fall of a monarch who is respected by some in Spain for ushering in democracy after the death of longtime ruler General Francisco Franco began in 2018 in Switzerland when a prosecutor started an investigation into the ex-king's murky finances.

The prosecutor opened an investigation into Juan Carlos' ex-mistress Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and the former king's lawyer and financial adviser, who are both based in Geneva. All deny any wrongdoing. The former king maintained a relationship with Sayn-Wittgenstein, a London businesswoman, between 2005 and 2009.

The Swiss investigation, probing possible money laundering relating to a $100 million 'gift' to Juan Carlos, from the late King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in 2008, is ongoing.

Juan Carlos is also being investigated for the first time by Spain's Supreme Court over his role in alleged kickbacks to a high-speed train deal in Saudi Arabia. In March, after British newspaper The Daily Telegraph revealed that Juan Carlos and his son were both named as beneficiaries of a Panama-based fund started in 2008 with $100 million-dollars described as a "donation" from Saudi Arabia, King Felipe released a statement renouncing any financial inheritance from his father. Juan Carlos was also stripped of his royal allowance.

Amid an almost daily drip feed of media revelations about his father, Felipe VI was coming under increasing pressure from Spain's left-wing government to distance himself from the ex-monarch.

Finally a deal was struck. Kings going into exile is nothing new in a country where Spaniards have long maintained an uneasy relationship with their monarchs. Alfonso XIII, Juan Carlos' grandfather was forced into exile in 1931 after Spaniards voted for the Second Republic. The former monarch lived part of his young life in Italy, then Portugal before returning to Spain to become the nominated successor to General Francisco Franco.

 Popular figure

Juan Carlos was lauded for helping to uphold a fragile new democracy after the death of Franco in 1975. In 1981, when armed police fired shots over the heads of terrified MPs in the Spanish parliament in an attempted coup d'etat, Juan Carlos made a televised address to the nation backing democracy and faced down the plotters. The coup failed.

Despite his love of bullfighting, yachts and women to whom he was not married, the king was a popular figure. All this started to go wrong in 2012 when Juan Carlos had to be flown back to Spain after injuring himself during a secret elephant hunting safari in Botswana while in the company of Sayn-Wittgenstein. It caused outrage in a country struggling to survive a deep recession.

However, El Pais, the left-wing newspaper, said this was not the moment for Spain to suffer a seismic shake-up by abolishing its monarchy. "Those who take advantage of the fall from grace of Juan Carlos I to reopen the debate on the monarchy must ask themselves whether beyond the legitimacy of the republican demand it now has sufficient parliamentary consensus to translate into a constitutional reform. The data indicates otherwise," it said in an editorial.

Some commentators believe a republic would not be the answer for a country riven by divisive politics. "I think the monarchy is not under threat because the alternative -- a Third Republic -- would be much worse," William Chislett, a journalist who interviewed Juan Carlos' father Don Juan in 1977, told VOA. "Spain is such a polarized country that a conservative or socialist president would be a disaster. What may happen next is Juan Carlos may give back some of the money which is involved in this but that will not happen soon."

Pilar Eyre, a writer and royal expert, doubted Spain would become a republic because the country's two main parties supported the monarchy. "The two main parties, the Socialists and the (conservative) People's Party are in favor of the monarchy and it needs their support to change the constitution and allow a referendum on a republic," she told VOA.

A spokesperson for the royal household declined to comment. When Felipe came to the throne in 2014, he promised a "renewed monarchy for new times" and vowing to "listen, understand, warn and advise." The Spanish king faces an uphill struggle to convince many of his subjects of the validity of a monarchy.


Govt to consider option of transporting passengers with 50% of seats to avoid stopping transport in 'red' zone

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will consider at its meeting the possibility of organizing the transportation of passengers in the "red" zones with a maximum load of only half of the seats, as an alternative to a complete stop of its work.

"In order not to completely stop transport in the" red "zones, according to the proposals of the mayors of the cities, announced during the conference call, the government meeting will consider the possibility of transporting passengers with a load of only 50% of seats," a source told Interfax-Ukraine in the Cabinet on Friday.

According to the source this issue was discussed at a conference call in the government with mayors of cities and heads of regional state administrations on Friday.
Google has discontinued sales of the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL in the US and some other regions. The phone may still be available through some other retailers and in other regions but only till stock lasts.

According to The Verge, a Google spokesperson said that the company has sold through its inventory of the two devices. The company assured that the phones will continue to receive the claimed three years of software updates from when they first became available in the US.

The decision to end sales for the Pixel 4 series came only ten months since they went on sale in the US back in October of 2019. It's not usual for companies to end sales of their yearly flagships before the year is even over, and Google itself has continued to sell its previous generation devices long after a new version was announced.

The Pixel 4 series had a fairly rocky launch. Right after, it was discovered that the phones wouldn't be available in several key markets including India. In fact, the two phones were only available in thirteen markets around the world. On top of that, reviewers and customers alike also had several issues with the devices, with the smaller Pixel 4, in particular, being associated with poor battery life.

However, earlier this week, Google confirmed the existence of the Pixel 5 alongside the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a (5G). The company didn't reveal when the Pixel 5 will be available or any other detail about it but did confirm the regions where it will be available. This includes the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and Australia. That's right, the Pixel 5 will be available in even fewer markets this time around.

But that's a discussion for another day. For now, if you are in one of the regions where the Pixel 4 was available and were thinking of picking one up, the clock's ticking.

Source
Kylie Jenner looked sensational in a menswear-inspired shirt and a pair of thigh-high boots, as she left a meeting in Calabasas, California on Wednesday.

As the 22-year-old cosmetics mogul put on a very leggy display, all eyes were on her enviably curvaceous physique and soft mermaid-inspired waves.

She paired her thigh-skimming button-down with a $3,600 white Dior saddle bag, and a pair of small gold hoop earrings.

Leggy display: Kylie Jenner looked sensational in a menswear-inspired shirt and a pair of thigh-high boots, as she left a meeting in Calabasas, California on Wednesday

While she briefly wore a CDC-recommended face mask, the reality star eventually slipped it off and revealed her plump pout and perfectly sun-kissed skin.

The rest of Kylie's face was also perfectly contoured and she rocked a bronze smokey eyeshadow look that complimented her golden brown hair.

Her outfit, which appeared to draw inspiration from Tom Cruise in Risky Business, oozed sophistication, particularly her luxurious black leather boots.

Working hard: As the 22-year-old cosmetics mogul put on a very leggy display, all eyes were on her enviably curvaceous physique and soft mermaid-inspired waves

Meetings: She paired her thigh-skimming button-down with a $3,600 white Dior saddle bag, and a pair of small gold hoop earrings

In addition to her perfectly manicured eyebrows, her skin had an extra rosy glow, on the same day she was promoting her brand Kylie Skin's Clarifying Collection.

After chatting away on her phone in her office's entranceway, the mother-of-one could be talking to two masked men.

Jenner's chic look highlighted all her best assets, including her pert derriere, which could be seen as a gust of wind picked up her structured shirt dress.

Glowing: While she briefly wore a CDC-recommended face mask, the reality star eventually slipped it off and revealed her nude toned pout and perfectly sun-kissed skin

Stunning: The rest of Kylie's face was perfectly contoured and she rocked a bronze smokey eyeshadow look that complimented her golden brown hair

Earlier this week, the younger sister of Kim Kardashian graced the cover of Vogue Hong Kong's Action Issue in a plunging maroon gown.

While modeling arevealing Yves Saint Laurent latex frock, she shot her best smoldering gaze at the camera.

While posing on a grey chair, the raven-haired beauty drew attention to her racy thigh-high slit by resting both hands on her lap.

Cover girl: Kylie Jenner looked incredible, as she graced the cover of Vogue Hong Kong 's Action Issue in a plunging maroon gown

Jenner's eye-catching number also featured a perilously low neckline, which allowed her to showcase plenty of cleavage and decolletage.

'Vogue babyyy,' the reality star gushed in her Instagram caption on Saturday evening. 'Thank you @voguehongkong for this cover.'

In a second picture, which she posted on Sunday, the Kylie Cosmetics founder places one hand on her trim waist and flashes her white nails.

Leggy display: In footage from the shoot, Jenner also slipped into a black and navy gown, which she accessorized with a pair of elbow-length leather gloves

In footage from the shoot, Jenner could also be seen slipping into a black and navy halter gown with side cut-outs, which she accessorized with a pair of elbow-length leather gloves.

The issue marked her second international Vogue cover within three months, following Jenner and her two-year-old daughter's appearance on Vogue Czechoslovakia's 24th edition in June.

Jenner landed her first Vogue cover at 21 on the September issue of Vogue Australia.
A Victorian tradesman has begged Premier Daniel Andrews to let him work as draconian Stage 4 restrictions threaten to kick him off the worksite.

Melbourne is set to impose a 25 per cent rule on Saturday that will kick three out of four people off the job on major construction sites, as it struggles to slow the rampant spread of COVID-19.

Small sites will be limited to a maximum of five workers and one supervisor - with specialist tradesmen only able to visit three sites a week.

The move has left tradesman across the state fearing they will be unable to pay their mortgage or feed their families during the strict Stage 4 lockdown.

One tradesman was left furious by the blanket rule and said has no idea how he will support his family without a job.

'I've got no job on Monday, we'll see how it goes... I've got a mortgage, kids, the whole lot' he told A Current Affair.

'The big dog upstairs (Dan Andrews) just letting us down once again, he's useless.'

One tradesmen (pictured) said he had no job to go to on Monday due to the 25 per cent rule and has no idea how he will pay his mortgage or feed his children

Project supervisor Lee, 26, recently purchased his own home but has now had his hours cut back drastically and has been forced to turn to JobKeeper.

'I might not be able to eat after I pay my mortgage, I've got a car I pay for as well,' he said.

'Very stressful, lots of sleepless nights and I'm not the only one I'm sure of it.'

Rebecca Casson, president of the Master Builders Association of Victoria said many project managers are concerned they will not even be able to function to such low level staff.

Project supervisor Lee, 26, (pictured) recently purchased his own home and said he has no idea if he'll even be able to eat after paying for his mortgage

Ms Casson is in deep negotiations with the Victorian government to free up restrictions, and said initial signs of flexibility were encouraging.

'It's been really encouraging to see a willingness from the state government to find some workable solutions for our industry,' she said.

'Our industry accounts for 45 per cent of the state's tax revenue so this scaling back with have an impact on our community.'

Rebecca Casson, president of the Master Builders Association of Victoria said initial negotiations with the state government was encouraging (pictured, Melbourne tradesmen)

Victoria's premier announced the brutal new restriction on Monday and said he knew he was asking for a heavy sacrifice form the state's people.

'Our construction sector, the lifeblood of our economy, will also move to pilot light levels,' Mr Andrews said.

'This will allow the industry to keep ticking  while also making sure we limit the number of people onsite.'

Ms Casson said their has been some important clarifications since the announcement that will allow tradesmen to move more freely.

But for now many tradesmen will be left wondering if they have a job to turn to on Monday if the restrictions stay in place.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 22:49:04|Editor: huaxia

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brunei reported one new case of COVID-19 on Friday, breaking the 92-day record without new cases since May 7 and bringing the national tally to 142.

According to Brunei's Ministry of Health, Case 142 is a 24-years-old local male who studied in Yemen and returned to Brunei on Aug. 5 from Kuala Lumpur. Although reportedly suffered from shortness of breath on Aug. 6, he is currently in a stable condition without any signs of infection and is being treated at the National Isolation Center.

The contact tracing investigation has identified 13 contacts, all of who are undergoing quarantine and will undergo COVID-19 swab tests as arranged.

The ministry said that the patient has been taken to the National Isolation Center upon arrival at the country, and the public is advised not to panic or worry as this case has no interaction with his family members or others since arrival.

Meanwhile, currently there are 564 individuals who are undergoing mandatory isolation at the monitoring centers provided by the government, who have arrived in the country after traveling abroad.

There have been three deaths resulted from COVID-19 in Brunei and a total of 138 patients have recovered. Enditem
Nestle Vietnam currently operates four production factories with more than 2,300 labourers

The recognition is a clear testament to the constant efforts the company has made during its quarter of century investment and development in the Vietnamese market.

Undergoing numerous difficulties and challenges, Nestle Vietnam has always received active support from the Vietnamese government, relevant authorised agencies, and local management in business activities. We have posted important achievements and garnered trust and strong support from Vietnamese consumers, said Binu Jacob, CEO of Nestle Vietnam.

This is the motivation and essential factor inspiring the company to continue expanding operations with further contributions to Vietnams development, Jacob noted.

In the words of Jacob, when doing business in Vietnam aside with serving local consumers with sustainable growth, the company also prioritises deploying diverse programmes constituting the common values as well as caring for the local community.

Nestle Vietnam has been continually named among the top 100 businesses with largest contributions to state coffers as well as the top 10 most sustainable development companies in the country.

Addressing the ceremony to donate noble awards of the Party and the state to deserving individuals and enterprises in the southern province of Dong Nai where the enterprises are located, Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, Vice State President and Deputy Chairwoman of Central Council of Emulation and Reward, and Cao Tien Dung, Chairman of Dong Nai Peoples Committee, lauded the individuals and corporate entities, saying that they are eminent examples with inspiring creativity at work deserving to be commended.

Founded in Dong Nai in 1995, Nestle Vietnam is operating four factories based in the country, recruiting more than 2,300 labourers. Until now, the companys total investment value in Vietnam approximates $600 million and the company has made it onto the list of foreign-invested firms with contributions to Vietnams sustainable and inclusive growth.

Nestle Vietnam has been continually named among the top 100 businesses with largest contributions to state coffers as well as the top 10 most sustainable development companies in the country.

Nestle Vietnam was also recently awarded a certificate of merit from Hung Yen Peoples Committee for its excellent achievement in state budget contribution in 2019.

Nestles priorities cover the fields bringing business benefits that match with social benefits, including nutrition, focusing on children; helping to constitute prosperous communities; sustainable development in rural areas; and management of natural resources for future generations.
Newsfrom Japan

Washington, Aug. 5 (Jiji Press)--Kenneth Weinstein, nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Japan, on Wednesday voiced his hope for Japan's greater contribution to regional security.

Speaking at a hearing held online before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Weinstein said, "If confirmed, I will encourage Japan to shoulder even greater responsibility in the face of the significant security challenges we face together in Northeast Asia."

The Senate hearing was held after President Donald Trump said in March that he intends to nominate Weinstein, president of the Hudson Institute, a politically conservative think tank, to the envoy post. Approval from the Senate is needed before Weinstein, 58, takes office.

Touching on the friendship between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Trump, Weinstein said that the two countries are "extraordinarily close."

"The U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific (region)," he noted.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
The prosecution has ordered the formation of a housing ministry committee to inspect the debris and the buildings official papers to determine the reasons behind the collapse

At least eight people were killed when a five-storey building collapsed in Mahalla in Gharbiya governorate on Thursday, according to a statement by the governorate health directorate.

The statement, which described the building as old, said that those killed were all residents.

The general prosecution said in a statement on Thursday it was investigating the incident and had dispatched a team to the scene for inspection.

It also said it had seized the propertys files, including decisions related to its licensing and renovation, for inspection, according to a statement.

The prosecution has ordered the formation of a housing ministry committee to inspect the debris and the buildings official papers to determine the reasons behind the collapse.

Building collapses are not uncommon in Egypt and are usually attributed to violations of building regulations and illegal building extensions.

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Carol Jean Gallo is photographed at her home in Swarthmore, Pa. Wednesday, August 5, 2020. Carol has written an oped about Temple University's decision to hold in person classes for the fall semester amid continued coronavirus concerns. She is worried about her health, as well as the health of her parents. Read more

Recently, when I heard from my colleagues at Temple University that our tentative class assignments for the fall had been sent, I checked my email with trepidation. I deal with the angst around this email every semester, as adjuncts are not guaranteed classes and do not get multi-semester contracts. But this summer's email was even more intense than usual because I would also find out if my request to teach online because of the COVID-19 pandemic was accepted  or if I was going to have to choose between my job and my life.

It turned out that the director of my program had been able to convert my two in-person classes to online classes, which meant that I wouldnt have to make that decision after all. My mother, a breast cancer survivor, was overjoyed. A nurse for more than 40 years and a teacher of nursing for nearly 20 year, she had to make that choice when she gave up an appointment at her institution to teach clinical and was not offered any online-only courses.

But my familys relief was short-lived. As an adjunct, I know my classes can still be taken away. Soon after I checked my email, I got word from several colleagues that they lost classes or were assigned to teach in-person despite health concerns. Almost everyone I know is suffering from completely needless, avoidable anxiety about their health and livelihoods.

 READ MORE: How Philly-area colleges are planning to test students and staff for coronavirus

What is at stake for me is not just my own health but that of my parents, with whom Im currently staying. Both are approaching 65, and have underlying health conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19. If I had been assigned in-person classes, what would I have done? The only option I was given by the university was to file a Request for Disability Accommodation due to a preexisting medical condition. This is an inept solution, not only because healthy young people have died from COVID-19 but also because it completely ignores the health of those with whom I am in constant close contact.

The health risks of COVID-19 are even greater for students, campus workers, and faculty of color, which makes reopening campus a racial justice issue as well  not to mention the majority Black and Latinx communities of North Philadelphia, who will also be at risk from an influx of new people into their neighborhoods. Opening campus in full knowledge of all this is irresponsible and adds more tension to Temples decades of gentrification and over-policing of North Philadelphia.

Temples strategy explicitly assumes reduced infection rates for reopening in August. The university has stated that there will be a combination of in-person and online classes, but it presents no real plan in case of an outbreak aside from all of us  students and professors  being nimble and ready to pivot to online classes in the same way we were compelled to in the spring. Returning students will be coming from all over the country, some 40 U.S. states. Only 11,000 of 29,000 students lived on or near campus according to a 2019 estimate, which means thousands of students constantly traveling to and from campus by public transportation.

Why cant Temple allow all faculty and students to decide if they want their classes to be fully online, no questions asked? Why not promise to honor all Requests for Accommodation, even in the absence of an identifiable preexisting medical condition? To reduce risk as much as possible, everyone who is able and willing to work online should be encouraged and allowed to do so, as the Temple Association of University Professionals has recently demanded.

 READ MORE: Local colleges pave the way for international students to start studies in their home countries, given visa restrictions

Other universities in the region, including Widener, Penn, West Chester, and the University of the Arts, have made the decision to prioritize the health and safety of students and staff by putting as many classes as possible online for the fall semester. In a major win for teachers, staff, parents, and students, Philadelphia public schools capitulated to pressure and will be fully online at least until November  complicating matters for Temple faculty with children. Temple is increasingly in the minority when it comes to reopening  and the more the administration insists on going ahead with its plans, the clearer it becomes that it is out of touch with the reality of the pandemic.

It is terrifying how easily this respiratory infection spreads, and it is an affront to human dignity to ask people to unnecessarily put themselves and their families at risk.

Carol Jean Gallo is an adjunct professor in the intellectual heritage department at Temple University. She is also a member of TAUP, Temples faculty union.
Bangladesh: Floods: Water levels of all major rivers falling

August 07,2020 | Source: Dhaka Tribune

The situation may improve in all flood-affected districts of Bangladesh as the water levels of all major rivers of the country is falling, according to the Flood Forecast and Warning Centre (FFWC). As of 9am on Wednesday, 35 out of 101 water level monitoring stations of the country saw water levels rise while 62 saw it decrease. Water levels at the remaining four stations were unchanged.



The water levels of 15 rivers were still flowing above the danger mark at 24 monitoring stations across the country, but the water levels had decreased at 16 of them as of Wednesday morning. The water level at seven out of the 24 stations rose while it remained unchanged at one. According to the FFWC, the situation may improve in Gaibandha, Bogra, Jamalpur, Shirajganj, Tangail, Naogaon, Natore, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Chandpur, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Dhaka and Narayanganj in next 24 hours due to the falling water levels. Water levels of the rivers surrounding Dhaka remain unchanged and are unlikely to change in the next 24 hours, however, the situation at low-land areas of the Dhaka city corporations are still likely to improve, according to the FFWC.



Water level of the Brahmaputra and Jamuna is decreasing, which will continue in the next 72 hours. Water level of all the rivers of the Meghna basin in the north-eastern region is also falling, and it will continue so in the next 48 hours, the FFWC forecast said. The water level of the Ganges has been unchanged for the last few days, but the water level of the Padma started to decrease from Tuesday. The decreasing trend will continue for the next 24 hours, though the Ganges river will remain stable during the period, the forecast added. Abdul Mannan, a meteorologist of Bangladesh Meteorological Department, told Dhaka Tribune: There will be more rainfall in the next two-three days compared to the last few days, but we are not forecasting heavy or very heavy rainfall across the country. One or two places in the southern part of the country may face heavy to very heavy rainfall.



Low pressure zone to make landfall in Odisha Wednesday night



At 9am on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) said a low-pressure zone over the north bay and adjoining area intensified into a well-marked low-pressure zone and now lies over the northwest bay and adjoining North Odisha - West Bengal - Bangladesh coast. Moreover, the monsoon is active over Bangladesh and strong over the North Bay. The low-pressure zone is expected to make landfall in Odisha, India on Wednesday night.



Under the influence of the low pressure and strong monsoon over the north bay, squally weather may affect maritime ports in coastal areas of Bangladesh. Maritime ports of Chittagong, Coxs Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisting a local cautionary signal number three. All fishing boats and trawlers over the north bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.



BMD has also warned of some rain across the country. Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty winds is likely to occur at most places over Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions, and at a few places over Rangpur, Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions, with moderately heavy to very heavy falls at places in the southern part of the country. Meteorologist Abdul Mannan said: The low pressure zone will make landfall in Odisha on Wednesday night. Rainfall may increase a little because of this.
South Africa: Seek treatment for COVID-19 and other ailments, urges Mkhize

Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has encouraged the public to continue to make use of public health facilities for COVID-19 and other ailments and conditions.

Mkhize said while the spotlight is on COVID-19, communities must continue to get access to treatment for other ailments.

We have noticed since there were reports of excess deaths, we are concerned that the further away people are from large centres and hospitals they tend to be reluctant to move quickly if they think they have mild flu symptoms and yet these can be devastating to those who are senior citizens and have comorbidities.

We also want to encourage those who have other conditions to continue to use our hospitals. When we say we want to give focus to COVID-19 we are not saying we are not treating other diseases; they are just as important as any other.

The Ministers comments follows a report by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) which revealed that by the second week of July, the country had recorded 17 000 excess natural deaths. Excess deaths are over and above the expected number of deaths.

It must not sound like we are saying we only treat COVID-19. We are treating everything. We would like you to continue to use our hospitals. They must not fear to visit our hospitals because of COVID-19, said Mkhize.

The Minister made the call during the second leg of his two-day visit to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) to assess its state of readiness for the province's impending surge in COVID-19 cases.

Day two saw the Minister visit the rural parts of the KwaZulu-Natal province.

I am quite comfortable that there is adequate provision for beds which we will need should the surge materialise in higher numbers. In this case we believe that there will be enough warning if the numbers are increasing so we that we can roll out some additional facilities, he said.

With KZN set to overtake the Western Cape in a matter of weeks for the second in ranking of COVID-19 cases, Mkhize said the focus will turn to the province to ensure its readiness.

We are expecting that the numbers will increase in KZN and we are going to be focusing quite strongly into the province just to make sure that any challenges can be acted upon. What we have learned in the past few months is that there is no perfect plan. You can put up a plan and when the epidemic hits, it changes your plan and you must be agile, he said.

Although there is no anticipation that there will be very sick patients, the Minister said as a precautionary measure, the province is equipped with extra availability of oxygen to stabilise patients when necessary.

One of the things we have also learned is the need for the early introduction of oxygen which we have now been putting up in many of the areas, said the Minister.

To assist KZN manage its surge, Mkhize advised the province to replicate the bed bureaus measure as was done in Gauteng, to assist it to determine bed availability.

Bed bureau is an administrative centre that determines the availability of beds at various hospitals across a province.

We are comfortable here that there is a good understanding both at a provincial and district level of the pressure that is coming and the need to respond swiftly to those kinds of situations, said the Minister.

Preparing facilities for COVID-19 and beyond

KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu said the approach taken by her province is to invest and refurbish dilapidated health facilities to assist with COVID-19 and beyond the pandemic.

We decided to look at all our facilities whether they are being utilised or not and invest in some of them. This is one of the facilities that has not been utilised in Madedeni for a while. It used to be a nurses home. We have converted it into an isolation space but with this investment we are putting in, after COVID-19 they will be able to go back and utilise it as a nurses home.

This is the approach we have taken across the province to say let us invest and renovate what we can and where we could not, we made temporary structures, said Simelane-Zulu.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the William Hicks Anderson Community Center in Wilmington, Del., on July 28, 2020. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Joe Biden Backtracks After Saying Black Communities Not As Diverse As Latino Communities

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday backtracked after he claimed the African American community is a monolith.

By the way, what you all know but most people dont know, unlike the African American community with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things, Biden said during a pre-taped interview hosted by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

You go to Florida, you find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places than you do when youre in Arizona. So its a very different, a very diverse community.

Bidens remarks came in response to a question from NPR reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro regarding whether he would engage with Cuba and on the differing immigration concerns between Cuban and Venezuelan Americans.

Biden did not apologize for his comments but said in a series of Twitter posts that he wanted to clarify them.

In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolithnot by identity, not on issues, not at all, he wrote.

Throughout my career Ive witnessed the diversity of thought, background, and sentiment within the African American community. Its this diversity that makes our workplaces, communities, and country a better place. My commitment to you is this: I will always listen, I will never stop fighting for the African American community and I will never stop fighting for a more equitable future.

President Donald Trump responded to the comments outside the White House on Thursday, telling reporters at the White House that Biden totally disparaged and insulted the black community.

What he said is incredible. And I dont know whats going on with him, but it was a very insulting statement he made. And I guess youll figure that out. Youll see it in a little while. But it was a great insult to the black community, he added.

Katrina Pierson, a Trump senior campaign adviser, said in a statement, Theres a reason Joe Biden cant count on the support of black voters and its because of his plantation owner mentality. President Trump has a true record of helping black Americans, with unprecedented economic opportunity, record funding for HBCUs, criminal justice reform, and support for school choice.

Bidens attempted clarification came after he grew frustrated when questioned on whether hed take a cognitive test.

No, I havent taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Biden said during a virtual interview. Come on, man. Thats like saying to you, Before you got on this program, did you take a test where youre taking cocaine or not? What do you think, huh? Are you a junkie?

In May, Biden apologized after saying that you aint black if you have a problem figuring out whether youre for me or Trump during an interview with radio show The Breakfast Club.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
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Polarized is a weekly series featuring Americans from all 50 states sharing their views on the 2020 elections. Click here if you would like to be a part of this project

Jeffrey Matenaer remembers a time not too long ago when he would get his mail every day in the mid-afternoon.

It used to be like clock work, he recalls in a recent interview with The Independent.

But then something changed. He cant put his finger on exactly what happened, or when things went wrong  though he knows it was within the last few years. All of a sudden, he began asking himself: What the hell is going on?

Now I get my mail sometimes at eight or nine oclock at night, he says. I havent spoken to the mailman about it yet, because I know hes busy and has got to get his route finished, but what is happening? Some days I dont get mail at all.

While hes not sure how, Matenaer has a sneaking suspicion that President Donald Trump and his allies in Washington have something to do with it.

(Photo courtesy Jeffrey Mantenaer (Photo courtesy Jeffrey Mantenaer)

The 58-year-old Indiana voter and US Army veteran shared his views on the upcoming elections, just as Democratic leaders were on Capitol Hill calling for the presidents appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to reverse operational changes to the Postal Office, which they warned was leading to a dramatic increase in delayed and undelivered mail impacting mail delivery times and quality of service.

Matenaer, who identifies as a Democrat but has supported past Republicans presidents like Ronald Reagan and George W Bush, fears Trump is working to destroy the Post Office just in time for the 2020 election, when millions of Americans across the country are expected to mail-in ballots to avoid in-person voting amid the coronavirus pandemic.

If the American people do it right, send in their ballots on time, even then, I just have a fear that Trump and his postmaster general is going to do something slick, he says. I think Trump and this guy have got something going on. It might get a little bit tough.

Matenaer was in the Army until 2004, and has held a few jobs since then, serving as a police officer for six years, working at Amazon in integrity staffing solutions and now acting as a full-time babysitter to his 11-year-old daughter, who stopped going into school in March when the state began implementing Covid-19 restrictions.

The spare time has allowed Matanaer to focus more on the campaign trail  as well as the incumbent presidents behavior in office.

My wife says I need to shut the TV off, when she comes home and hears me yelling at the TV, she says: Its not going to respond. But everything this guy is saying is false, he says, referring to the president. President Trump just thinks he can do whatever he wants. If you listen to the guy talk, I mean just yesterday he  wait a minute, I wrote it all down,

I hear a flurry of papers and a light humming noise. Ive got it all here, Matanaer mutters. There we go.

He then repeats the presidents claims from his last coronavirus briefing: He says Covid-19 is going to go away, well yeah, maybe when our generation is gone!

Matenaer works down his lengthy list of outright fallacies and misleading comments the president has made in just the last 48 hours, for what seems to be five minutes or longer. But his biggest fear seems to be the presidents attacks on mail-in voting: its what he keeps going back to throughout the interview.

The Postmaster General is a big Trump donor  I see a real big problem right there  especially when mail-in voting starts, he says. Its going to be a train wreck.

Matenaer is absolutely sure of one thing: he will not be voting for Trump in the 2020 elections. Whether he casts a ballot for former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is another question.

Im at about 70 per cent, he says about whether he plans to cast a ballot for Biden. If I see Joe get out and do more, or he does something really good for the Democrats, Ill make sure I put out my vote for him.

However, Matenaer says Biden has his problems too.

He then raises the recent announcement that Biden would not be headed to Milwaukee to partake in an in-person Democratic National Convention and receive the partys nomination for the presidency, instead reportedly planning to attend a virtual event.

The former vice president declined to attend the event because hes afraid of Covid-19, Matenaer suggests, noting thats an understandable concern for the 77-year-old politician.

Still, this voter wants to see the candidate in action.

Check out more of The Independents series, Polarized: Voices From Across America

The guy has got to get out of the basement, or hes going to lose, Matenaer says. Biden not going to Milwaukee, that made me mad.

He adds: Id like to see more of him on TV. Trump constantly goes on the networks to attack Biden. I dont see him attacking back. He calls him Sleepy Joe. Well, whats Bidens nickname for Trump?

Matenaer also says hell be more willing to vote for Biden depending on whether he manages to choose a highly-qualified candidate to serve as his vice president. Among Matenaers list of top picks for the Democratic VP slot include California Senator Kamala Harris and former National Security adviser Susan Rice.

Kamala seems like someone who isnt going to back down, he says. If someone is going to say something about her, she wont back down. She didnt back down from Biden during the debates. Thats what theyre going to need: someone who voices their opinion. She voices her opinion.

More than anything, though, Matenaer really just wants to see Biden talk to everyday Americans about what hes going to do as president  rather than having others do it for him.

Hes got all these people working for him to try and make him president of the United States, and I feel that hes not doing his part, he says. I dont know, Id be out there on the trail at least talking to some people. He needs to get out of the basement. He needs to start seeing people, or Trump is just going to run all over him.
Afghan Civilians, Taliban Militants Killed In Attacks Across Afghanistan

August 06, 2020

Taliban militants and Afghan civilians have been killed in attacks and clashes across Afghanistan amid peace efforts aimed at ending the nearly 19-year war.

Defense Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman said at least 16 Taliban militants were killed in two separate clashes with government forces in the eastern province of Ghazni on August 6

It was the first direct fighting between the Taliban and government security forces since a recent cease-fire was announced.

Aman did not comment on casualties suffered by government forces.

In one attack near the provincial capital, Ghazni city, Afghan forces called in an air strike on Taliban fighters who stormed a military facility where about 300 government troops were based

Aman said Taliban fighters also attacked a military convoy in the Gilan district of Ghazni Province late on August 5.

Officials said seven civilians were killed when their vehicle struck a land mine in the Khash Rod district of the western province of Nimroz late on August 5.

There was no immediate claim of responsibly for the land mine, although similar cases in the past have been blamed on the Taliban.

Meanwhile, officials said clashes erupted between Taliban fighters and government forces along a highway in the northern province of Baghlan, leaving four militants dead.

Officials said the militants torched two oil tankers that were traveling along the highway.

The Taliban and government forces agreed a three-day truce to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha which started on July 31.

The truce came ahead of proposed peace talks between the Taliban and authorites in Kabul aimed at ending their long-running war.

Based on AFP, Khaama, and Tolo News

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-civilians- taliban-militants-killed-in-attacks -across-afghanistan/30769780.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Politics, the economy and the pandemic have angered everyone, and that takes a toll on more than just our psyche.

No emotion motivates people more than anger or its kissing-cousin fear. One look at any of President Donald Trumps campaign commercials reveals the effectiveness of riling people up. But anger bleeds over into economic activity.

Two economists, one a hedge-fund manager, the other an academic, studied how anger affects the economy. In their new book Angrynomics, Eric Lonergan and Mark Blyth conclude that public anger comes in two flavors, one beneficial, the other toxic.

Lonergan and Blyth dive into past economic crises, the popular rage they triggered and how governments addressed both. They found, in most instances, a sense of injustice fueled public anger and most of the time, that energy can be useful.

For example, people get angry when someone steals, takes more than their fair share, or does something that hurts cohesion. This righteous anger dissuades people from doing harmful things and keeps the peace.

Righteous anger also motivates us to address injustice, something all mammals instinctively hate.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: COVID needlessly costing Texans billions every day

One of my favorite primate studies, one not mentioned in Angrynomics, chronicles a researcher giving one monkey grapes in front of another monkey who receives only slices of cucumber for performing the same task. After seeing the other monkey repeatedly get sweet treats, the other monkey, as they say, goes ape.

In democracies, voters enraged by an unjust system elect new leaders. Lonergan and Blyth explain how voters angered by the Great Depression elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He overhauled a profoundly exploitative economy and established the New Deal, which favored workers and government intervention.

When that system became unbalanced and led to recession and stagflation in the late 1970s, voters chose President Ronald Reagan. He threw out many of the advantages the New Deal guaranteed workers, stripped down the governments role in the economy and started a 40-year era of economic policies that favored the investor class.

The 2008 Great Recession triggered another round of public rage, but this time opportunist politicians stoked the other type of anger: tribalism. Rather than demand an end to an unjust system, tribal anger blames another group of people for their problems and seeks to punish them.

Trump, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban are just a few of the populist politicians who harnessed Great Recession anger to gain power. All three rally their supporters by promoting hatred toward a scapegoat rather than introducing real change for the citizenry.

Lonergan and Blyth make the compelling argument that while righteous anger encourages governments to solve economic problems and improve equity, tribal anger encourages confrontation and demonizes others, thereby contracting the economy.

Trump, for example, has levied tariffs on foreign goods that zero-out the economic benefits of his tax cuts. His administration has vilified foreigners, making it more difficult for legal immigrants to enter the country, even though immigration keeps the U.S. population and economy growing.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Coronavirus Recession has triggered yet another wave of public rage.

The anger can be righteous indignation that can be addressed, or a tribal energy that can be weaponized, the authors write.

Based on their campaign materials and speeches, Trump and other Republicans have chosen tribalism. Theyve declared that anyone who opposes them is a traitor to the country. This is pure demagoguery. For more on that, check out Patricia Roberts-Millers excellent Demagoguery and Democracy.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Competing COVID economic plans pit workers and investors in age-old match up

Lonergan and Blyth suggest harnessing righteous anger for a once-in-a-lifetime overhaul of economic policy. Politicians should take the opportunity to address the income inequality, health care inequity, and workplace exploitation that makes average workers hate our economic system and afraid for their familys future.

While the authors argue for progressive policies, which are worth buying the book to understand, I want conservatives to play a critical role in reforming the economy as well. The United States is at its best when liberals and conservatives work together and find useful compromises.

What we do not need, from either political party, is more anger, vilification and hatred for our fellow Americans. While our country includes some fascists and communists, and some who hate our Constitution, they are an infinitesimal portion of the electorate.

Our nation has some severe problems made more evident by the pandemic. We dont need cynics grabbing power by stirring the pot of tribal hatred. What we need are leaders who will bring forth good, diverse ideas for a more just economy and society.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
While the launch of a coronavirus vaccine still seems a bit away, prospects appear much better than a month or so ago. As pharmaceutical companies are heading towards the finish line, new alliances are being formed. Serum Institute of India and AstraZeneca have also joined forces with other companies to produce COVID-19 vaccine apart from Oxford. Johnson and Johnson has also said that it would provide 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to the US. Meanwhile, Novavax has become the latest company to show encouraging results in the preliminary trials. With so many COVID-19 vaccines, the question is now when, not if.

According to US President Donald Trump believes that a coronavirus vaccine would be available before the 2020 elections. He was asked if a vaccine could be available "much before" the year ends. When asked if it would be before November 3, the day of the elections, Trump said, "Oh I think, I think in some cases, it's possible before. But right around that time. We have great companies, great, these are the greatest companies in the world."

Meanwhile, top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said he does not expect coronavirus to be eradicated but is hopeful that there would be a vaccine before the year ends. "There will be, I think, enough vaccines if everything turns out to be successful. To get vaccine not only to the countries that are the classical rich countries but those who are low and middle income that would not be able to readily have access to a vaccine. That's what we're hoping to do," he told VOA News.

Additionally, Bill Gates has cautioned everyone and said that the first vaccine might not be the best one. "The initial vaccine, in terms of its effectiveness against sickness and transmission, won't be ideal and may not have a long duration," he predicted in an interview to Bloomberg.

Also read: BT Buzz: Govt slack on National Vaccination Plan; companies wonder how much to set aside for India!

Here are the latest updates on COVID-19 vaccine from India and across the world:

Novavax: The US company is the latest in a long line of pharmaceutical companies to have shown encouraging results in the initial stages. In one study, 56 volunteers who were administered doses of the candidate produced a high level of antibodies without any side effects. In another trial it was found that the COVID-19 vaccine candidate protected monkeys against coronavirus. John Moore, a virologist at Weill Cornell Medicine said the company's results were the most impressive that he has seen so far.

Additionally, the Maryland-based company stated in its exchange filing that it has entered into a partnership with Serum Institute of India for "development, co-formulation, filling and finishing, registration and commercialisation" of its coronavirus vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373. Serum Institute would have exclusive rights for the supply of the vaccine in India. SII is also manufacturing the Oxford University-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

Zydus Cadila: The pharma company said that it has successfully concluded its Phase I of human trials where the coronavirus vaccine was found to be safe and effective. It started Phase II on August 6. "The Phase I dosing to establish the safety of ZyCoV-D is an important milestone. All the subjects in Phase I clinical trial were closely monitored in a clinical pharmacological unit for 24 hours post dosing for safety and for 7 days thereafter and the vaccine was found to be very safe. We now begin the Phase II clinical trials and look forward to evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine in a larger population," said Pankaj R Patel, Chairman Zydus Cadila.

AstraZeneca: The pharma company that is collaborating with Oxford University to formulate a coronavirus vaccine has signed a deal with a Chinese firm for its production. China's Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products will supply the vaccine to mainland China. To meet market demand in China, Shenzhen Kangtai is obliged to make sure it has an annual production capacity of at least 100 million doses of the experimental shot AZD1222, which AstraZeneca co-developed with researchers at Oxford University, by the end of this year, and a capacity of at least 200 million doses by the end of next year, AstraZeneca said in a statement.

Johnson and Johnson: The company said that it will develop and deliver 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine to the US in a deal amounting to more than $1 billion. The coronavirus vaccine is currently in the early stages of human trial. Its advanced stages are likely to begin in September. "We are scaling up production in the US and worldwide to deliver a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for emergency use," said Dr Paul Stoffels, Chief Science Officer at Johnson & Johnson, in a statement.

Also read: India's COVID-19 vaccine hunt gains steam! Zydus Cadila to begin Phase II trials this week
Worcester police on Thursday said they arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly breaking into Temple Emmanuel Sinai and vandalizing the Jewish Community Center in Worcester.

On Wednesday at roughly 12:25 p.m., police were called to Temple Emmanuel Sinai at 661 Salisbury Street for a report of a past break-in, they said. Officers saw that one of the temples windows had been broken, and that part of the building had been damaged.

Thursday morning, officers were dispatched to Worcester Jewish Community Center for a call about a man who was screaming at parents and children at the camp drop-off line.

The man was allegedly kicking the Star of David. Police said he pulled out a lawn sign and threw it before getting into his vehicle and driving away.

Officers searched for the man after a description of his vehicle was broadcast over the police radio.

Shortly afterwards, officers responded to a report of someone breaking into Temple Emmanuel Sinai again. Police stopped Kyle Wood, of Cherry Valley, on Salisbury Street, and after a brief investigation, determined there was probable cause to arrest him in connection with the vandalism and break-in.

Wood will be arraigned in Worcester District Court.
At least 14 people were killed and dozens feared trapped in debris after a landslide triggered by heavy rains flattened a row of dwelling units of tea estate workers on Friday at Rajamalai in Idukki district of Kerala. The incident is said to have occurred in the wee hours when a huge mound of earth fell on the "row houses" and two children and five women were among the deceased, most of whom were plantation workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Expressing grief at the loss of lives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of those who have lost their lives and Rs 50,000 each to those injured in the landslide. "Ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. Rs. 50,000 each would be given to those injured due to the landslide," tweeted PM Modi.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs each to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives. "The state government will bear the expense of treatment of those injured due to the landslide," news agency ANI quoted him.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan lauded the dedication of the rescue teams saying that the NDRF, Police, Fire Force, Forest, Revenue departments and local people are working hard to save lives. He also said, "I am deeply grieved at the loss of lives due to landslide at Pettimudi in Rajamala, Idukki. My heartfelt condolence to the kin of the deceased. Prayers for recovery of the injured and safety of those missing."

"Condolences to the bereaved families of those who have lost their lives in Rajamalai, Idukki(Kerala) due to landslide. Have spoken to DG NDRF, their team has reached the spot to provide all possible assistance to the administration with the rescue work. May injured recover soon," tweeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Twelve people have been rescued and efforts were underway amid continuing rains to locate the others missing in the first major rain-related mishap since the onset of South-West monsoon in July that brought back memories of the havoc caused by floods in the previous two years in the state, according to news agency PTI.

The state government said teams of National Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed for the rescue operations and also sought an Indian Air Force helicopter, added PTI.

Cooking utensils buried in mud, asbestos and tin sheets were strewn around were all there to be seen at the area, which was the habitation of around 80 odd workers at the picturesque area near a tea plantation, about 30 km from the tourist town of Munnar. Big boulders are also scattered around the site.

Idukki District Collector H Dinesh said that the bodies of the victims had been retrieved and 12 have been rescued with injuries and shifted to hospital. "Most of the people are plantation workers and from neighbouring Tamil Nadu", he said.

The tragedy came to light after a forest watchman informed authorities about the landslide. The communication lines have been down in the area for the past three days. The injured have been rushed to Tata General Hospital. Police and Fire force personnel and local people first took up the rescue operations amid the rains while the NDRF teams were deployed soon.

The state health department has dispatched 15 ambulances and a special medical team to provide medical assistance to the victims of the landslide.

The office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it has contacted the Indian Air Force seeking its helicopter for the rescue mission. "The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed for the rescue operations in Idukki. The team was already stationed at the district. Another NDRF team is also being moved to Idukki," Vijayan said in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has sounded a red alert for Idukki on Friday, indicating extremely heavy rains of over 20 cms. Besides in Idduki, the IMD also forecast extreme heavy rains in Wayanad and Kottayam districts in the next two days, raising fears of more landslides in the Western Ghats region. The continuing torrential rains also caused flooding in rivers originating from the Western Ghats, a report from Kochi said.

Authorities in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts have sounded alerts with excess water being released from dams built across the rivers in these districts. The rains in hilly areas have caused a sudden rise in the water level in rivers Periyar and Muvattupuzha flowing through Ernakulam district, which was among the worst hit during the 2018 deluge that claimed over 400 lives and left lakhs of people homeless in the state.
Canada promises to retaliate just weeks after regional free trade deal came into effect.

United States President Donald Trump moved to reimpose 10 percent tariffs on some Canadian aluminium products to protect US industry from a surge in imports, angering Ottawa and some US business groups.

Canada pledged retaliation as tensions between the close allies rose just weeks after a new continental trade deal between the US, Mexico and Canada came into effect.

During a speech at a Whirlpool Corp washing machine factory in Ohio to tout his America First trade agenda, Trump said he signed a proclamation reimposing the Section 232 national security tariffs. The step was absolutely necessary to defend our aluminium industry, he said.

Ohio is a critical swing state that Trump won in 2016. Polling shows a tight race with Democrat Joe Biden in the state ahead of this years November 3 presidential election.

Trump trails the former vice president in national polls and is competing with him for blue-collar, working-class voters. The tariff announcement could be aimed at showing those voters he intends to fight for their jobs and upend trade policy further if he remains in office.

But some prominent business groups criticised the move as counterproductive and unhelpful to US interests.

The US Trade Representatives office said the 10 percent tariffs apply to raw, unalloyed aluminium produced at smelters. The tariffs do not apply to downstream aluminium products.

Several months ago, my administration agreed to lift those tariffs in return for a promise from the Canadian government that its aluminium industry would not flood our country with exports and kill all our aluminium jobs, which is exactly what theyve done, Trump said. Canadian aluminium producers have broken their commitment.

Canada has a natural advantage in primary aluminium production because of its ample supply of hydroelectric power.

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the tariffs would hurt workers and regional economies already hit by the coronavirus pandemic and pledged Ottawa would retaliate as it had done in 2018, when Trump first imposed punitive measures on Canadian steel and aluminium.

In response to the American tariffs, Canada intends to swiftly impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures, Freeland said in a statement.

Freeland  in overall charge of relations with the United States  will formally respond to the tariffs at 11am (15:00 GMT) on Friday, her office said in a statement.

In 2018, Canada slapped tariffs on 16.6 billion Canadian dollars ($12.4bn) worth of US goods ranging from bourbon to ketchup. Trump lifted the sanctions in 2019.

Depression time

Trump peppered his remarks with criticism of Biden and predicted depression time if the Democrat won  plus higher taxes and more regulations.

To be a strong nation, America must be a manufacturing nation and not be led by a bunch of fools. That means protecting our national industrial base, Trump said.

Trump has sparred with close US allies over trade throughout his presidency.

The US Chamber of Commerce called the move a step in the wrong direction that would raise costs on companies and consumers.

The Aluminum Association, which says it represents companies that produce 70 percent of the aluminium and aluminium products shipped in North America, said the move undermined the new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement at a time when year-to-date domestic demand was already down nearly 25 percent.

Michael Bless, chief executive of Century Aluminum, which is one of the few remaining US primary aluminium smelting companies and which lobbied for the tariffs, said the move helps to secure continued domestic production of this vital strategic material.
It is not yet receiving it. So far, Congress has dedicated about 0.1 percent of all covid-19 emergency supplemental money to our global response. The $4.4 billion in the Senate version of the new supplemental funding bill does not even rise to the level of pitiful. A group of senators is proposing four times that amount, which is closer to the real need (as estimated by U.S. experts working on the ground). These resources would support direct efforts against covid-19, but also help mitigate the effects of the pandemic on other health initiatives.
COPENHAGEN (dpa-AFX) - Denmark's industrial production grew for the first time in three months in June, figures from Statistics Denmark showed on Friday. Industrial production rose a seasonally adjusted 4.0 percent month-on-month in June, after a revised 3.5 percent decline in May. In the April to June quarter, production decreased 5.1 percent. The industry in Denmark is still affected by the consequences of COVID-19, which intensified the slowdown that occurred overall during 2019, but seems to have been less hit than in the rest of Europe and the U.S., the statistical office said. The growth in pharmaceutical industry and furniture and other industry contributed the most to the latest rise in output. The production in textile and leather industry and electronic industry gained by 15.6 percent and 13.9 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, production of transport industry fell 25.1 percent. The industrial turnover rose 2.4 percent monthly in June. 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 Lancashire city of Preston could be the next to face a local lockdown after a spike in coronavirus cases (Reuters)

Lockdown measures could return to Preston by the weekend after a rise in coronavirus cases, Lancashire's director of public health has said.

Officials in the Lancashire city have warned it could become the latest area to face a local lockdown amid rising infection rates.

Preston recorded 49 new cases of coronavirus in the week to 31 July, more than double the week before when there were 22 - this meant almost 35 cases per 100,000 population.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, the director of public health at Lancashire County Council, said the city had taken action ahead of an expected announcement by the government and Public Health England on Friday.

He told BBC Breakfast: Were not waiting for others to tell us what to do here in Preston, weve already activated our plans, making more tests available and asking people to avoid social contacts.

Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, director of public health at Lancashire County Council, has urged residents to minimise contact with others so the city can avoid an enforced local lockdown (Dr Sakthi Karunanithi/Twitter)

Karunanithi said contacts of people with coronavirus symptoms were being encouraged to come for tests even though they may not have symptoms so that we can find the virus that is hiding in close contacts and stop the transmission.

A woman wearing a protective mask walks past a warning sign in Manchester, as the city and the surrounding area face local restrictions in an effort to avoid a local lockdown being forced upon the area (REUTERS/Phil Noble)

Earlier in the week he told BBC Radio Lancashire he expected the government to impose restrictions "in the next few days"

"That is my personal and professional opinion given the statistics, the direction of travel and given the size of the issue," he said.

Leicester became the first UK city to go back into full lockdown at the start of July, just as restrictions were eased across the rest of England. In recent weeks areas in Greater Manchester, East Lancashire and West Yorkshire have all entered local lockdowns following localised surges in coronavirus cases.

Leicester became the first UK city to experience a local lockdown in July after restrictions were eased following the COVID-19 outbreak (REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff)

The Scottish city of Aberdeen has been subjected to even stricter local lockdown measures than any of the areas in England.

Pubs and restaurants were closed and people were told they were no longer able to travel further than 5 miles from their homes - a rule put in place Scotland wide during the national lockdown.

Story continues

A spokeswoman for Leicester City Council told the PA news agency the local authority was "at a loss" as to why they had been "tagged on" to the review of restrictions in the North West.

The spokeswoman said the council had expected the city's restrictions to be reviewed every two weeks and were "surprised" when they were informed the current measures would be reviewed on Friday.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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Theres a popular expression that nothing is as old as yesterdays news.

The new version goes like this: nothing is as old as last months campus reopening plan.

With the fall semester less than one month away, three Western Massachusetts institutions reversed earlier decisions to allow a limited number of students on campus. Even those schools planning to open campus say changing circumstances could necessitate new strategies at any time.

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Smith College in Northampton and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley will keep dormitories empty and, with rare exceptions, operate entirely with remote education. Smith was the first, but the biggest domino to fall was at UMass, where initial plans to accommodate 7,000 students  about half the normal population  were met with a storm of criticism.

That plan, announced on June 29, was accompanied by an all-remote educational strategy. Critics assailed it as not only dangerous but pointless. The policy change drew immediate endorsement from UMass faculty.

As a nurse, Im proud to work for a university that has made the decision to put the health and safety of the communities we serve, and especially our students, first, said Rachel Walker, a professor in the UMass College of Nursing.

Walker said junior and senior nursing students will still have mask-to-mask clinical placements this fall. That mirrors exceptions at many campuses where labs, clinical placements or other courses requiring hands-on study will serve as rare exemptions to the all-remote edict.

UMass economics professor Arindrajit Dube had criticized the partial reopening on Twitter. On Friday, Dube said he knew many colleagues felt a sense of relief.

I felt universities, including UMass, were making a mistake by planning to bring thousands of students from around the country during a time the virus is circulating widely,' Dube said.

Perhaps the loudest critic of the UMass reopening was Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman, who did not respond to a request for comment Friday, but who had argued passionately against bringing thousands of students back to campus dormitories or off-campus housing.

As the fall semester nears, changing circumstances are forcing many administrators to reassess plans to put the springs depressing, closed-campus scenario behind them. One reason was financial: a closed campus means a huge loss in residential and meals fees.

At least equally significant, though, was that even as schools promised a more organized and complete remote learning agenda, the sense existed that important aspects of the college experience were being lost. That sense of loss has not gone away, but a national surge in COVID-19 cases, accompanied by an uptick in Massachusetts  albeit one mild in comparison to others  has increased anxieties about reopening.

Pushback from faculty has been more vocal and widespread than administrators may have anticipated. Some instructors have objected to feeling pressured to return to in-person classes, and argued that an all-remote schedule removes the need for campus residencies.

With rising COVID-19 trends has come a growing unease about whether even the best protocols can guarantee safety. Not every school, though, is poised to give up on at least some campus activity.

We remain confident that, with our regular program of asymptomatic testing, combined with community adherence to health and safety protocols and behavioral expectations, our faculty and staff can deliver a genuinely Hampshire education, safely,' said Hampshire College chief advancement officer Jennifer Chrisler, who said the approximately 525 students on the Amherst campus will be housed in single rooms.

A community care agreement will deliver the immense benefits of a residential experience while minimizing the potential spread of COVID-19, Chrisler said.

No changes are considered at this time. We know this is a dynamic environment,' said Harry Dumay, president of Elms College in Chicopee.

We continue to monitor the situation in the commonwealth and any updates in the governors reopening plan, and we are prepared to adjust accordingly.

American International College will offer a nearly entirely all-remote curriculum, but some students will return. As of Friday, an AIC spokesperson said there are no plan changes at this time.

The boldest effort at maintaining a version of traditional campus activity may be at Western New England University, which projects that up to 83 percent of its classes will be in-person. Since its initial reopening announcement, the Springfield campus has increased its testing procedures and expanded safety protocols.

We dont have any changes to share (but) plans at various institutions are under constant review, and Western New England is no exception, a WNEU spokesman said.

When Williams College president Maud Mandel announced her schools rollout in June, she said, as beautiful as this campus is, Williams without people just isnt Williams.

But that was then. On Thursday, Williams dean and psychology professor Marlene Sandstrom introduced nine new categories of guidelines and said the goal to reopen campus will perish unless the students show extraordinary levels of responsibility.

Since late June when we announced our campus plans for the fall, the national context with regard to Covid-19 has worsened considerably. While we are still hoping to open the campus as planned, shifting national conditions as well as updated regulations by the governor of Massachusetts have required us to tighten our rules,' Sandstrom wrote.

Our ability to welcome students back to campus is possible only if all community members act in a manner consistent with our protective measures,' Sandstrom said.

While some faculty and administrators question bringing students back in August, while knowing they may have to clear campuses again in the fall semester, some schools say a quick pivot is doable.

Westfield State University continues to plan for the return of residential and commuter students to campus for the fall semester. As stated in our Safe Fall Opening plan, contingencies are in place should we need to change course, given the fluid nature of the global pandemic,' said Tricia M. Oliver, the universitys chief of staff.

Oliver said 94 percent of Westfield State students come from Massachusetts, an advantage when compared to schools with students traveling from high-risk domestic or international sites.

UMass professor Dube sees it differently, at least on his sprawling campus. Many universities are reversing course, so I was not particularly surprised (at the change), though I cant say I anticipated it,' he said.

Either way, I think its prudent to do this now, (rather than) wait and send the kids back home after a few weeks or a month due to outbreaks.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday wrote to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi after her party colleague and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh opposed grant of geographical indication (GI) tag for basmati rice produced in MP. Chouhan accused the Congress of working against the interest of farmers of MP.

"I am asking you why the Congress party is against farmers of MP. Why is your chief minister openly working against the interest of MP farmers? Please reply," Chouhan''s two-page letter said.

On Thursday, Chouhan had tweeted that the Punjab CM's letter to the Centre was "politically motivated".

Amarinder Singh had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him not to allow GI tagging of MP's basmati rice in the larger interest of Punjab and other states which already have this tag.

Apart from Punjab, the other states are Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, western UP and select districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Madhya Pradesh has sought that 13 of its districts be included for GI tagging for basmati.

The Punjab CM has urged the PM not to disturb status quo in this matter, saying it was essential for safeguarding the interests of farmers and basmati exporters of India.

Singh had contended that any dilution of registration might help Pakistan, which also produces basmati as per GI tagging.

Countering his argument, Chouhan had tweeted, "The case of APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) with Pakistan has no relationship with Madhya Pradesh's claim as it is under the GI Act of India. It is not connected to inter-country claims of basmati rice."

In June, Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel had said the state government would move the apex court to challenge a Madras High Court ruling on not providing the tag to MP''s basmati-growing regions.

The MP government and a basmati growers' association had lost two separate cases in the court filed in 2016 to challenge the exclusion of the districts from a map submitted by the APEDA for the tags.

Meanwhile, former MP CM Kamal Nath expressed surprise over Chouhan writing to Sonia Gandhi instead of addressing it to the PM.

"This reflects how much understanding he has of the issue. He just wants to do politics and has nothing to do with the farmers' or the state's interest," Nath said in a statement.
Despite the cuts to cleaning efforts between flights, Southwest said it will continue blocking middle seats on aircraft to enable a degree of social distancing on board.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Southwest Airlines will cut back on the cleaning procedures it introduced because of the coronavirus pandemic, even as cases continue to climb in some parts of the country.

The airline will stop cleaning seatbelts between flights, focusing on tray tables and lavatories instead.

The point is to reduce the time planes spend on the ground between flights  a key metric in an industry with thin profit margins.

The good news: Southwest will still deep-clean its planes every night, and will continue to block middle seats through October 31. It also provides disinfectant wipes on request.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Southwest Airlines is scaling back some of the cabin cleaning procedures it implemented in March to limit the spread of COVID-19, in what appears to be an effort to limit the time its jets spend on the ground between flights.

The airline will no longer clean seatbelts in between each flight, CNN reported, citing a memo to flight attendants. Cleaners will still sanitize tray tables and lavatories in between flights, and continue to deep-clean aircraft overnight.

Southwest said that the change was necessary as the airline begins to see flight schedules return to normal. "Since flight schedules have increased, other areas of the aircraft will be disinfected during our overnight cleaning process," an airline spokesperson told CNN.

In an email to Business Insider, a Southwest spokesperson noted that the airline provides passengers with disinfectant wipes upon request, so anyone who wants to do an extra cleaning can do so.

Southwest's business model relies on quick turnaround times between flights, sometimes as little as 30 minutes. By maximizing in-flight time, the airline can squeeze the most performance from each plane, keeping costs and fares lower.

In May, Shashank Nigam, CEO of airline marketing firm SimpliFlying, predicted that heightened cleaning procedures and a need to reassure passengers of onboard safety would eventually clash with the realities of running a low-cost airline.

Story continues

"The 30-minute turn is critical, especially for low-cost airlines like Spirit and Southwest, and they'll do everything they can to ensure that they don't slip from that," he told Business Insider during an interview.

"I foresee legacy airlines like Delta and Air Canada using this as a brand differentiator," he added. "The low-cost airlines, to preserve their 30-minute turnaround, will need to do a lot of these deep cleaning efforts overnight, as opposed to every single flight."

Notably, despite the cuts to cleaning efforts between flights, Southwest said it will continue blocking middle seats on aircraft to enable a degree of social distancing on board.

Recently released data show that passengers are willing to pay 16-17% more to fly on an airline that facilitates social distancing. Delta, which also blocks middle seats, said that customers have cited that as their top reason for choosing the airline in recent surveys.

Read the original article on Business Insider
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed pain over Air India Express plane accident in Kozhikode on Friday (August 7) evening. He also spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about the plane crash.

PM Modi took to twitter to express his pain over the accident and tweeted, "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest."

"Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

The Air India Express plane with 184 people on board skidded off the runway at the Karipur airport, Kozhikode in Kerala. The Dubai-Kozhokode flight X1344, a Boeing 737, met with the accident at around 7.45 pm, according to reports.

Union Home Mnister Amit Shah expressed shock over the tragic incident and tweeted, "Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations."

Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 7, 2020

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed his anguish over the loss of lives and tweeted, "Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight."

"In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," Rajnath Singh added.

Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 7, 2020

Former Union minister KJ Alphons, who belongs to Kerala, termed the accident as second tragedy of the day in Kerala and tweeted, "Second tragedy of the day in Kerala: Air India Express skids off the runway at Kozhikode, front portion splits, pilot dies and lots of passengers injured. All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didnt catch fire."

Second tragedy of the day in Kerala : Air India Express skids off the run way at Kozhikode, front portion splits , pilot dies and lots of passengers injured . All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didnt catch fire @narendramodi @JPNadda  Alphons KJ (@alphonstourism) August 7, 2020

Issuing a statement, Air India Express said, "The Air India flight (IX-1344) from Dubai carrying 174 passengers skidded during landing at Karipur Airport in Kozhikode (Kerala) today. There were six crew members onboard, including two pilots."

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also stated that the plane landed in heavy rain and after landing at Runway 10, it continued running until the end of the runway and fell down in the valley and broke into two.
Pamelas lover could help save the British. He was Averell Harriman, a tough-minded American millionaire businessman chosen by president Franklin D. Roosevelt as special envoy to Britain. His liaison with Pamela brought him into Winstons close circle, exactly what the PM and Britain needed.

It seems astonishing behaviour in a father. But Winston had important matters on his mind. If the powerful US didnt soon enter the war, he was convinced Germany would win. There were already plans to shift the royal family north and then to Canada. The crown jewels were buried below Windsor Castle, with the most precious secreted in a biscuit tin.

The British prime minister not only didnt warn his son, according to author Christopher Ogden in his biography of Pamela, Life of the Party, he asked Randolph to look after Pamelas new lover when the lover visited Egypt in June.

He was also keeping a secret from his son. Randolph Churchill was serving as an intelligence officer in the Middle East. Back in London, Randolphs 21-year-old wife Pamela Digby Churchill was having an affair. If Winston Churchill didnt know for sure, though others close to him certainly did, he definitely knew his daughter-in-law, the mother of his baby grandson, was spending a lot of time with another man. So was Winston.

In the first half of 1941, British prime minister Winston Churchill was keeping more than his leaders share of secrets. He was up to his ears in military planning as Europe fell to Hitlers Third Reich and Britains cities faced bombing thunderstorms. He was desperate to get the United States into the war and he still had his critics.

Then it was revealed he was nursing a bloody great secret himself. He had become physically dependent on the anti-anxiety drug Clonazepam. Peterson has many enemies because of his conservative stance on issues like identity politics. Several delighted online in the revelation. I couldnt see much reason for joy.

YouTube videos and articles about Peterson, whose book has sold more than two million copies, have headings like, Jordan Petersons Secret to Overcome Chaos Within Yourself.

Thats not a bad exclamation in a story about secrets. In his international self-help bestseller, 12 Rules for Life, Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson put as Rule 8: Tell the truth  or, at least, dont lie. He wrote of the nirvana we might achieve: Truth reduces the terrible complexity of a man to the simplicity of his word.

But he was still a son, the only son. The other secret about Randolph, now well known, is that his mother, Clementine, disliked him. Dear God.

Randolph was no prize husband, nor a faithful one. He drank too much, spent too much and gambled what was left. It had never been a good marriage and ended in divorce in December 1945. Histories and memoirs about the period, and Pamelas affair  one of several she had with Americans  tend to dispatch Randolph and his feelings in a few sentences.

We know what happened next. The Japanese bombed Americas Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbour in December 1941, Churchill danced in glee around his Chequers dining-room, and Roosevelt, already influenced by Harriman and key pro-British Americans, could finally overrule his countrys isolationists and go to war. But what about Randolph and Pamela?

I was also watching the BBC dramatisation of the 1963 Profumo-Keeler political imbroglio that involved the then British secretary of state for war, two pretty young women and a Russian spy.

While I was researching this story, the secrets of Labor Party powerbrokers and alleged branch-stacking efforts in Victoria erupted. The Australian ran what it claimed were private texts from federal Labor MP Anthony Byrne that said he wanted a mans head cut off after which he would piss on his corpse, and hoped Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews would die politically.

Without ever articulating it, society has made a judgment call. If your secret hurts no one but yourself  and, of course, the people who care about you and dont want to see you suffer  we will, unless weve had a compassion bypass, be more likely to commiserate than jeer. But if your secrets benefit you at a cost to others, or give you power over people, or allow you to trick, humiliate or abuse them, we will feel very differently.

But did anyone feel sorry for movie mogul Harvey Weinstein when his secret finally leaked that he was a serial sexual harasser and rapist? He had got away with it for years, kept aloft on a tsunami of Hollywood success and seeming riches. He could make peoples careers and unbreak them, as actor Ashley Judd attested. A New York judge sentenced him to 23 years in jail and he faces more charges in California.

If your secret hurts no one but yourself we will, unless weve had a compassion bypass, be more likely to commiserate than jeer.

In May this year, former AFL player and coach Dean Laidley was publicly humiliated after an arrest for stalking . Police officers shared photos that leaked into the social media maw showing the sportsman dressed in a wig and womens clothing. Laidleys case will be heard later this year, but I dont know anyone who wasnt dismayed by the online photographs and sympathetic to him.

As The New Republic commented, A drug problem is neither a dragon to be slain nor a sin to be ashamed of. Its a mundane health problem to be treated scientifically 

Michael Slepian is a psychologist and associate professor at Columbia Business School who has specialised in the study of secrets for the past 10 years. He stumbled into this area as a researcher in his early 20s, struck by a metaphor people used when they referred to their secrets as a burden.

It should be reassuring for the average person to know that no matter what their secrets, somewhere in the world there will probably be a politician with far worse.

In one truly horrible scene, John Profumo (played by Ben Miles) stands stalwart before the House of Commons and tells his fellows, and watching wife in her pearls and sapphires, that he had not committed any impropriety with the then 19-year-old Christine Keeler.

Sometimes we cop someone elses secret. Julia Robson, a Melbourne private investigator, will present a dossier to a partner, husband or wife that reveals yes, their other half has, in spite of all denials, been secretly cheating. It can lead to separation or confrontation but, says Robson, more often than youd think, they decide to do nothing. Its enough for them just to no longer feel crazy. They can trust themselves again.

The most often shared secret is that weve told a lie; the least shared is that weve had thoughts about having a relationship with someone other than our partner. Slepian has built a website ( keepingsecrets.org ) where people can take a test on their own secrets and see how they compare with others. The results will help Slepians own research into secrecy.

Secrets are often self-protective. Weve done something that doesnt match our standards for ourselves and/or those set by our society or community. We keep it secret so we dont lose the regard of others. One interviewee confesses to Slepian, A secret is basically something you dont want to admit to other people, and sometimes not to yourself. As for what we keep secret, its the entire range of human behaviour. Use your imagination.

But however much most of us dont like having them, secrets seem as natural a part of the human condition as breathing. Ninety-seven per cent of us will have at least one big secret at any given time, Slepian discovered, and the average person has 13 secrets. Five will have never been divulged to anyone. Women confide their secrets more than men, Slepian says, and I think what that reflects is essentially just mens discomfort with opening up ... Its not considered masculine.

The field is new and huge, but studies conducted so far by Slepian and his colleagues around the world indicate what we must instinctively suspect: secrets can hurt our health, relationships and sense of wellbeing and produce depression and anxiety.

A secret is basically something you dont want to admit to other people, and sometimes not to yourself.

Why do people speak this way? he wondered. He and colleagues put together tests exploring peoples motivation to engage in physical activity. Astonishingly, those who were preoccupied with an important secret did estimate a hill was steeper or a target further away. Their secrets did make them feel weighed down. Slepian knew he wanted to go further.

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Surprisingly, its not the hiding of our secrets that takes the toll on us. Slepian says, People often dont ask [us], so its not the rare moment we have to hide a secret that matters, but the many moments it comes to our own mind  Theres no end to how much you might have to think about it if youre not getting help with it.

Nor is the heaviness of a secret determined by its size; its how often our mind wanders to it, and whether it makes us feel guilty or ashamed. These two emotions seem like synonyms, Slepian says, but guilt is, I did something wrong. Shame is, Im a bad person. Thats very different and really hard.

Guilt is the right emotion. We can make amends. Shame makes us feel helpless and powerless and is very much related to how often you think of your secrets.

Katie Greenaway, a senior lecturer in social psychology at the University of Melbourne who collaborates with Slepian, suggests when a secret causes guilt, you can apologise or come clean. For secrets where things cant be changed, Other strategies might be needed, like acceptance or reappraising the situation.

Some secrets hardly matter except to their keeper. Some grow with time. When my attractive mother met my equally attractive father, she was more than 2500 kilometres from home, and thus from anyone who knew the basic details of her life. She was free to concoct a little. Guilelessly, flirtatiously, she nevertheless chose to change the one thing that would ride on her back all her life, her age. Instead of being a few years older than my father, she became one year younger.

Her sisters, safely away in another city, still had to be roped into the deception. Did she ever imagine when she first falsely stated her age what that secret would cost her and those around her? I cant say because I didnt find out until after she died. By then, even as I agonised for my mother for those years of pretence, I knew what it had done to our own occasionally fraught relationship.

In my late 20s, for instance, my then husband and I moved to London, where we worked for seven years. Every time we travelled, whether it was to Amsterdam, Rome or the French coast, Id find views, hotels or places I knew my parents, especially my mother, would love. Id ask them to visit but they never did. It seemed incomprehensible, given they had the money and the time. Even now I can remember the hurt line that ran straight to my heart.

Power and secrecy are highly interrelated but, in the end, the secrets control you.

After my mothers death, I found out why. It was to do with the date on her birth certificate and the complications of applying for a passport. She had instructed my sister to tell me only after she had gone.

A caution: dont keep secrets until the end. It leaves behind too many what-ifs. The husband of a good friend kept his lung cancer a secret until three weeks before he died. A doctor, he had decided to protect her and enjoy their time together. But she didnt get a say. Slepian says, Romantic partners expect to have access to that knowledge. When someone decides to hide something that affects people close to them, what theyre also saying  however understandable their reasons  is that preserving the secret is somehow more important than the person in front of them.

One reformed secret-keeper tells me, Power and secrecy are highly interrelated but, in the end, the secrets control you. Theyre like pearls, they just layer and layer.

The website postsecret.com asks people to submit secrets on a postcard which it then posts. All humanitys aches are there. One confides: My dad was in prison for six years and I never sent him a letter. He sent me 214. Another: One of the only times Ive ever seen my dad cry was when I caught him cheating on my mom.

But some people seem to thrive on keeping others in the dark. American aviation hero Charles Lindbergh had three families apart from his legal one and seven secret children, all in Europe. Revered New Yorker editor William Shawn not only had a long-time hidden partner, the writer Lillian Ross, Ross had an adopted son. The trio would eat dinner together; then Shawn would go home to his wife. American architect Louis Kahn, creator of some of the most beautiful buildings ever imagined, had children with his wife and two different lovers.

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In an unsettling 2013 research paper, The Cheaters High: The Unexpected Affective Benefits of Unethical Behaviour, psychologists identify a sub-group who get off on deceiving people or doing things that are normally prohibited, especially when they tell themselves there are no real victims. Apart from any tangible gains, cheating makes them feel good, in control. Confidence trickster Frank Abagnale, on whose life the 2002 Leonardo DiCaprio film Catch Me If You Can is based, described it as being heady with happiness.

Winston Churchill suspected his sons wife was having an affair but didnt warn him. President Trump is the self-deceiver-in-chief, according to British psychologist Celia Moore. New York socialite Ann Woodward took her own life when her secret was about to be exposed. Credit:Getty Images

SO WHY ARE YOU IN HERE TRYING TO THROW IT ALL AWAY OVER THIS BULLSHIT?



The Assistant, RELEASED 2019

In October, 1975, wealthy New York socialite Ann Woodward took her own life days before a piece of roman-a-clef fiction by Truman Capote appeared in Esquire magazine. It was thought she had seen an advance copy. La Cote Basque, 1965, an excerpt from the novel Capote was writing, picked through the true life secrets of Manhattans social princesses which he had absorbed over gossipy lunches with them.

Woodward is thinly disguised as Ann Hopkins, a social-climbing, unfaithful ex-showgirl whod entrapped the son of an old-money, blue-blood family. She had then shot him at their Long Island estate because he wanted to end their marriage. She had got away, Capote wrote, with pretending shed thought he was a prowler because his parents preferred that to scandal.

Capotes story also revealed that the elegant socialite Slim Keith had been discarded by her British baron husband, and exposed a humiliating fling between CBS head Bill Paley, the husband of Capotes beautiful friend, Babe Paley, and the New York governors porcine wife who looked as if she wore tweed brassieres.

As soon as it was published, Capotes princesses exiled him. Capote protested: What did they expect? Im a writer! But he went downhill fast, into a mire of drink and drugs. He wouldnt be the first person to expose the secrets of the powerful and pay. Perhaps what Capote found so confounding was that everyone he knew also knew these stories and now hed put them in his work in progress. So what?

It was a fatal misreading. Films, television dramas and novels thrive on the hero or heroine who tackles a flawed or corrupt person, organisation or government and, like Liam Neeson in Taken or Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained, kicks ass relentlessly and wins. In reality, messing with the secrets of the rich and influential is terrifying.

The more powerful the person or institution, the more dangerous it is, the more enablers there are. Its what allows a Harvey Weinstein or a sex offender like Jeffrey Epstein to thrive, and for institutional sex abuse and corporate misdoing to be shamefully widespread. In sickening cases, we still look away. We enable, even collaborate. We pretend we dont know whats going on while victims have shocking secrets forced upon them and are disbelieved, rubbished and/or punished.

The Assistant, written and directed by Australian Kitty Green, is an unnerving, day-in-the-life movie about a Harvey Weinstein-style office. Its star Julia Garner, who plays Jane, the assistant, described its dynamics, telling British online newspaper The Independent, This girl is fairly new in the business. She probably just got out of school and shes struggling with whats right and whats wrong, but she still wants to keep her job. For people who maybe have worked in an abusive environment and they are like, I said something! Im like, No, you didnt. You wanted to keep your job. Its about that. Its not about Weinstein.

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Director Green didnt focus on what happened inside the powerful mans office once the pretty actor was taken there. It was about, she told interviewers, What do people know who are leading women into that room?  So its more about the machinery or system surrounding that predator.

Wharton Business School professor Maurice E. Schweitzer, an author on the Cheaters high paper, tells me that secrets inside offices or cliques also create power groups. People like being in an exclusive group. Secrets separate people into groups. Not everybody can join in. Such secrets can also reflect acceptable norms. Or whats acceptable to that group.

Randolph Churchill arrived back in London on leave in 1942 and quickly discovered his wifes affair with Harriman. He was convinced his parents had known and, as Lynne Olson records in Citizens of London, about Americans in wartime Britain, Pamela believed so, too. It created a rift that never healed, said one family friend. Some think the PM, who loved his son dearly, knew and didnt know; that in his aristocratic circles no one asked what happened in private.

It turns out our brains can be smart indeed at letting us do what we want.

WELL, IT WAS A FALSE REPORT  I WAS THERE FOR A TINY, LITTLE SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AND IT WAS MUCH MORE FOR AN INSPECTION 

US President Donald Trump explains away his rush to the White House bunker during the George Floyd protests.

Celia Moore was sitting in a London bus a few years ago when she started mulling over paying her nanny tax. Its a sizeable whack, so many Britons rort the system. Moore, a professor of organisational behaviour at Londons Imperial College Business School, was fascinated to observe her cognitive processes as they invented ways she could morally justify not paying the tax in full. If she fudged on hours, she could give more money to the nanny; her nanny was Brazilian so would be back home before she could benefit from taxes paid by her employer 

Moore, a lively, dark-haired woman who has been teaching MBA students about ethics, leadership and moral agency for 15 years, was riveted by her mental gymnastics. There are certain human motivations that seem quite universal and one of them is for self-enhancement, she says. We want everyone to believe we are fantastic. That applies especially to ourselves. We want other people to think that, but we really do need to believe it ourselves.

She did, of course, keep paying the tax, but its an area that fascinates her: our in-built capacity for self-deception. The secrets we hold tightest are the ones we keep from ourselves. We will fight as fiercely as a Clint Eastwood vigilante to keep that knowledge hidden so far away from us that the only people who can see it are  well, almost everybody around us.

As CNNs Chris Cillizza commented on Trumps reframing of events in the Floyd protests, This is a man who has been telling himself a story of his life  one in which he is always the toughest, the smartest and the winner-est  for well, his entire adult life. Moore says, Trump is the self-deceiver-in-chief right now, and doing it in front of the globe.

Cognitive psychologists have pondered the question of how people can not know something when, simultaneously, they do: Moore terms it motivated forgetting  That we just conveniently dont think about the ways in which our actions dont fit with the version of ourselves that we like to have in our heads.

You can see how fear plays into the need to lie, the need to keep secrets, the need to self-deceive.

Moore knows someone who tried online dating for the first time and met her husband. Now that woman tells everyone, including guests at the wedding, that they met randomly in the Starbucks queue, even though neither of them drink coffee  and wasnt that serendipitous!

But, says a mystified Moore, I saw her on the morning of her date and she told me where she was going.

Moores somewhat depressing research reveals three ways we self-deceive. The first she calls motivated attention: we direct our attention towards evidence that justifies our choices and ignores the rest. We will concentrate on the one thing that tells us, health-wise, love-wise, morality-wise, what we want to hear.

A second, motivated construal, lets us view actions through a different framework. We know what weve done or are doing in secret is wrong but we minimise our responsibility and exploit any ambiguities that will let us off the hook.

The third trick is motivated recall, which allows us to rewrite history in our heads altogether, like the Starbucks romantic. (I asked Moore what the groom did during her wedding speech; he stayed quiet.)

Moore says a lot of her work focuses on moral disengagement: how people make their actions acceptable. People will use words as a smokescreen. US president Bill Clinton told the news cameras in January 1998: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. Moore says, He very specifically chose words that could be consistent with the truth but that presented a version of himself publicly  and to himself  that could be more easily integrated into his self-conception. Profumo did the same thing.

Fear, says Moore, is the most dysfunctional motivator of our behaviour. You can see how fear plays into the need to lie, the need to keep secrets, the need to self-deceive. Were afraid of whats going to happen if they get revealed  either to others or to ourselves. We fear the reduction of positive regard.

It takes a lot of maturity to be able to acknowledge our imperfections and our true weaknesses or areas that we should focus on for growth, and to live in a way that does not require self-deception. The people most susceptible [to self-deception] are those with fragile self-esteem.

What we keep secret changes. Over dinner, a friend, some years older than me, told me something that had once haunted her. The next day, she had to tell me again. I realised why I had forgotten; her secret was now so unexceptional.

She had become pregnant when abortions were illegal in New Zealand, but had procured a termination. Weeks later, she was sitting in court as a reporter, and the female doctor who had treated her appeared in the dock.

There are pluses for confiding in at least one other person. It can give us perspective, let us feel supported.

I can still remember her, swathed in blue cashmere. I quickly left in case she recognised me. It was only at a lunch with friends, 10 years afterwards, that the heaviness lifted. Every woman at the table had been through a similar experience.

There are pluses for confiding in at least one other person. It can give us perspective, let us feel supported and less alone to ruminate. One man who kept two huge secrets for years  his alcoholism; an affair  tells me: Its really hard work, a huge drain on your energy and emotion. Your secrets become the centre of your life.

In one paper, Slepian and co-author Brock Bastian argue that when we keep misdeeds secret, we can retreat to self-punishment to appease our own sense of justice. It might involve denying ourselves pleasure or seeking out painful experiences.

Confessing a secret misdeed, they write,  may  bring an end to the feeling one still deserves punishment. Slepian also warns that theres a distinction between secrecy and being secretive: If your solution to problems is to just keep secrets, we know that is a very maladaptive coping strategy.

Confiding, Slepian says, can improve our wellbeing, though he and Greenaway stress people can have good reasons for keeping a secret, and many are benign. Greenaway says, Its more if you were to reveal your secrets, what would be the best conditions.

Our confidants are usually family or close friends but we have an endearing tendency to share secrets with strangers. We may seek out therapists and doctors but we also talk to people on planes, in waiting rooms. In her new book, Friendship: The Evolution, Biology and Extraordinary Power of Lifes Fundamental Bond, Lydia Denworth quotes Harvard University sociologist Mario Luis Small, who says simply, Peoples true pool of confidants is everyone they run into.

When Small analysed a survey of 2000 adults, he found more than half the time, people often confided even deeply personal things to people they werent that close to. The randomness doesnt bother him: The people who are really in trouble are  the people who are literally not running into anybody on a regular basis.

But we must choose carefully. However corrosive secret-keeping can be, it is far worse, Slepian warns, to confide in the wrong person.

Secrets can be a huge drain on your energy. They can become the centre of your life. Credit:Getty Images

THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MADE ME FEEL THE WORST WERE ALWAYS MY BEST FRIENDS."



Law & Order: SVU, SERIES 5, EPISODE 17

In 2009, Michael Cox, then British boss of UK Wines of Chile, took it into his head to commission a survey of how long women can keep a secret. To female outrage, the study of 3000 women purported to show it was for less than two days: 47 hours and 15 minutes.

Forty per cent of the women aged between 18 and 65 confessed they couldnt keep any secret to themselves, no matter how personal or confidential. (The slender link with Chilean wines was that women were reportedly more loose-lipped after drinking.)

It was hardly a solid study but there have been other similar, commercially funded surveys capitalising on the image of women as unreliable gossips. Greenaway speculates its more about base-rate: women share more, hence may have more opportunities for lapses. Nevertheless, the stakes are high. Slepian and colleagues write: Confiding is not only a type of disclosure. It is also a request for help and confidentiality.

Do men make safer confidants? Slepian doesnt know; the research hasnt been done, although hes keen to explore. Meanwhile, I have to observe that while every woman I know has benefited hugely from sharing secrets with a close female friend, each also knows the brutalising shock of betrayal or having their secrets used for another womans advantage. Few men will say the same of their sex. Base-rate or not, something needs scrutiny.

Men, often maligned for their perceived emotional limitations, can make excellent listeners, Ive found. It goes in; it stays there. They can also see things in a way we women, so close to the emotional action, often dont or cant. When I finally told a man, a close confidant for decades, about a shatteringly tasteless phone call Id received from a woman Id trusted as an intimate, I was instantly cheered to hear his cut-through assessment of what shed done and why. But he added bemusedly, I dont know why women say these things to each other.

Well, I dont know why, either, but author Deborah Tannen can provide clues. Tannen, a linguistics professor at Washingtons Georgetown University, has written several bestselling books about men and women, beginning with You Just Dont Understand in 1990. Her 2017 book, Youre The Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Womens Friendships, is acute on the subject of secrets.

For it, Tannen interviewed 80 women from different world cultures. She says, For many women and girls, talk is the glue that holds a relationship together. For boys and men, your best friend is the one you do everything with; for girls and women, your best friend is the one you tell everything to

One interviewee told Tannen, When I tell a friend something personal, its like saying, Heres a little piece of me. This means I like you.  Tannen comments, But what will she do with that piece of you? The wonderful thing is a feeling that youre not alone in the world . but that does give them some power over you.

Over the phone, Tannen tells me she hadnt wanted that books title. It idealises womens friendship, she says. I wanted to call it Why Didnt You Tell Me? But I think the publishers wanted to appeal to women buying a gift for friends.

In it, Tannen notes: Several women said they prefer men as friends because guys wont repeat their secrets. I dont think this is because men are inherently more trustworthy, but because secrets dont have the currency in boys and mens friendships that they have in girls and womens: men have nothing to gain by repeating secrets.

She says, For girls, and later women, being close to a popular girl or a mutual friend confers status. And closeness can be demonstrated to others by showing you know someones secrets.

There are intriguing studies in this trip-wire territory. In 2011, Canadian psychology professor Tracy Vaillancourt published a paper that received international coverage. She and a colleague had conducted tests that revealed, they determined, that women had an innate instinct to behave with hostility towards women they regarded as sexier than themselves. It resonated with women everywhere, she tells me from the University of Ottawa, where she is the Canada Research Chair in School-Based Mental Health and Violence Prevention.

The study had recorded women in a laboratory reacting to the same young woman dressed in two different outfits. When she entered in mousy clothing, the women didnt notice her, but when she wore more revealing clothes, with her long hair loose, they became mean girls, rolling their eyes and mocking her afterwards.

Vaillancourt published a 2013 analysis that argued women use this indirect aggression as a highly effective tactic in what she calls intrasexual competition strategy:  the aggressor can also make it appear as if there was no intention to hurt at all. Vaillancourt, whose research is ongoing, says now, The competitiveness is pervasive. Women across the world speak about this.

This is where confidences suffer. The trading of secrets and betrayal of confidants are core examples of indirect aggression, Vaillancourt says. Her study attracted criticism. One Forbes writer was indignant: I know that women are often competitive, rude and aggressive to other women, wrote Meghan Casserly, but to me, adding credibility to these stereotypes  gives artillery to our detractors 

The feminist website Jezebel cited experts questioning the findings. Vaillancourt was amused: How do we change something if we wont acknowledge it?  When they attack me, they tend to use the same indirect aggression Im writing about. You can attack the science but you dont have to be mean about it.

What Im left wondering is: how do we choose a good confidant? Schweitzer says his research with colleagues produced a simple equation: certain people are more prone to feeling guilt. And these people will be more trustworthy, Schweitzer tells me. They worry about letting people down, so they work harder to avoid anything that will make them feel guilty. They dont like missing deadlines, making mistakes, spilling red wine on the hosts white carpet. They go out of their way to avoid being put in those situations. They will choose white wine, he says with a laugh.

In one Wharton podcast, Schweitzer explains that while trustworthiness is hard to judge  were taken in by a baby face or charisma  its far easier to assess if someone is guilt-prone. And those people tend to be really conscientious in ways that then fulfil peoples trust.

Something odd happened as I wrote this story: I became addicted to Friends. Id hardly watched it but now my subconscious pushed me towards Monica, Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel. Friends deals with almost all the situations addressed above, but with humour.

The characters secrets and self-deceptions are outed. Transgressors  they all transgress  are shamed. Fragility, fickleness and folly are mined for laughs. Then the characters try to do better. For me, wading in the murk of human secrecy, it was light relief.

But maybe the very existence of secrets proves that most of us, like the characters in Friends, do know we should and can behave better. Celia Moore quotes American social psychologist Anthony Greenwald, that humans have a deep-seated need to see themselves in a positive light, to be the hero of our own narratives when we have been anything but.

She says as a psychologist (rather than as an anthropologist), she doesnt know why, except it is so and we agree its a very good thing. Society benefits when people are moral, she says. But she adds the kicker, Individuals benefit when they arent.

Which, unfortunately, is the fastest way to understand why humans invented secrecy in the first place.

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D onald Trump has sparked a debate about the pronunciation of Thailand after calling it "Thighland".

The US president was speaking about shifting productions of washing machines to Vietnam and Thailand during a visit to a Whirlpool factory at Clyde in Ohio on Thursday.

He said: "Four or five years ago this place was a disaster. In 2017 Whirlpool won relief from the ITC (US International Trade Commission) once again.

"Once more, your foreign competitors moved their factories to prevent a level playing field, and to avoid liability."

The US president accidentally pronouced Thailand as "thighland" / AP

Mr Trump said: "Shifting production to Thighland, and to Vietnam " before stopping to correct the pronunciation of Thailand.

People were quick to mock the US President for allegedly mispronouncing the country's name on social media.

Many Twitter users shared memes and tourist pictures with one saying: "We saw amazing temples on our last trip to #ThighLand".

The English language newspaper the Thai Enquirer even changed it's name to the Thigh Enquirer on Twitter.

Another user joked: "Many Irish people not wanting to agree with Trump on anything but also thinking "Wait - is it NOT pronounced 'thighland'?"

However, American author Dinesh D'Souza defended Mr Trump, saying: "Im highly amused to see supposedly sophisticated media types snickering at @realdonaldtrump for saying Thighland.

"These faux-sophisticates dont realize Trumps way of saying it is right. Tai-land is the crude lingo of people who have never been to Thighland"."

People quickly began to hit back with one social media user saying: "I have travelled to 1/7 of the countries on earth including Thailand. I have never - not once - heard an English speaker pronounce it as 'thighland'"

Another said: "Ive been to Thailand, and its pronounced Tie-land, not Thighland. Nobody goes to a restaurant and orders Thigh food (except maybe in a chicken joint. DSouza gives craven toadies a bad name."

It came just days after Mr Trump mispronounced Yosemite National Park as Yo-semite during an announcement on increased funding for the US National Parks system.

He previously raised eyebrows after misspelling hamburgers as "hamberders."




Actor Wilford Brimley, best known for his roles in the Oscar-winning movie "Cocoon" and "The Firm" has died at the age of 85, U.S. media reported.







Utah-born Brimley found his way into the film industry through stunt work around horse riding, before taking on successively larger roles in his 40s and 50s which brought him fame playing sometimes gruff but lovable moustachioed seniors.







In Ron Howard's 1985 Sci-Fi feature "Cocoon", Brimley played a man in his 70s who together with the other residents of a Florida retirement home, discovers an alien energy source that rejuvenates them.







Another memorable role came alongside Tom Cruise in the 1993 legal thriller, "The Firm", where Brimley played a sinister security official for a law firm.







Actor Barbara Hershey, who starred with Brimley in several films, described him on Twitter as a wonderful man and actor who "always made me laugh". (Reuters)


Can't allow every person who thinks of some solution to COVID-19 to file petition: SC

Faith vs safety in burials: COVID-19 remains in dead bodies for 9 days says Centre

Rhea grabbed Sushants money, gave him overdose of medicines: Bihar cops tell SC

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: The Bihar government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of coming in contact with Sushant Singh Rajput with an intention of grabbing his money.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The affidavit said that Rhea and her family came in contact with Sushant with the sole intention of grabbing his money and later painting a false picture of his mental illness.

The affidavit was filed by senior superintendent of police. He said that Rhea took Sushant to her house and started giving him overdose of medicines.

Rhea Chakraborty moves Supreme Court over unfair media trial

The affidavit also said that despite total non-cooperation by the Mumbai Police, it has found several leads in the investigation. The Bihar Police also said that since the probe points are scattered at many places in India, it suggested a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

Earlier Rhea requested the Enforcement Directorate to put off her questioning slated for today in view of the matter pending before the Supreme Court. The ED, however, rejected the appeal.

She had moved the court seeking a transfer of the case from Bihar to Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the CBI has taken over the case and ever registered an FIR in this regard. The CBI took over the case after the Bihar government recommended the same.
(CNN) -- Sarah Backstrom knew this school year was going to be different, even without the Covid-19 pandemic. The veteran teacher moved to Des Moines, Iowa, with her young daughters to teach in a new school district -- but this is the first time she's been scared about returning to the classroom.

So, in addition to all her back-to-school preparations this summer, Backstrom wrote her own obituary and sent it to Gov. Kim Reynolds' office.

"It wasn't something at all that I took lightly. It was something that I really hoped that my governor would read and hear that if something were to happen to me, that this is who is no longer here," she told CNN. "I'm hoping that she will start to realize that these are real people, and these are real lives."

In her obituary, which she provided to CNN, she wrote, "Sarah loved her friends and family with her whole heart. She had a laugh that was infectious and could always be counted on for an off-hand remark or a joke. She was known for finding sunshine even in the darkest of times."

Backstrom, 43, said that she was known for her "rainbow hair and eccentric fashion sense," and urged her friends and loved ones to wear leopard prints or a funny T-shirts and rainbow wigs to celebrate her life.

She will be teaching gifted students at three elementary schools, and recently found out that her work will be 100% virtual to minimize the risk of her tracking the coronavirus from building to building.

Backstrom said she loves being in the classroom and is sad that she won't be able to greet her students with hugs and enjoy the back-to-school rituals that are so important to children.

"There's really nothing that can take the place of face-to-face talking with a student," she said. "There's something really magical that happens in a classroom when you're all in this space and kind of sharing energy."

She and her ex-husband also have two daughters going into preschool and fifth grade, so she knows firsthand how tough home schooling is on parents.

"More than anything, I want to be in the classroom, and I want to be in my schools, but I also don't want to get sick and I don't want my mom to get sick," she said.

Gov. Reynolds released guidance July 30 that said at least half of schools' instruction must be conducted in person and that schools couldn't request online-only education unless their county's positivity rate is 15% or higher.

Iowa has reported 46,656 cases across the state and a 9.4% positivity rate as of Tuesday, according to the Iowa Department of Health.

On Tuesday, Gov. Reynolds said that school districts that hold online-only instruction without authorization would be defying state law and that those days would not be counted as instructional days.

"Children need to be in a classroom," she said in the news conference.

Gov. Reynolds told reporters that she appreciates educators' concerns, and that the state is doing everything it can to keep everyone safe.

"I have grandchildren that are going back to school. I would never do anything that would put them in harm's way intentionally. I don't think any of us would," she said, adding that her daughter, who's expecting, is a teacher in the state.

President Trump has also called for schools to reopen in the fall, but many of the country's largest districts are planning for remote learning.

Backstrom said she was inspired to write after reading an article about Sioux City teacher Jeremy Dumkrieger, who published his own obituary in the Iowa Starting Line website.

In it, he joked about his wife's cold feet and wrote that "his only regret in life was not meeting her sooner, frozen feet and all." He also expressed his love for their children and their dachshund Steve.

More seriously, he wrote that because of Covid-19 "he died alone, isolated from the family who meant the world to him."

Dumkrieger, 43, said he decided to write the obituary because he's concerned about being in a classroom full of kids -- especially since the state does not require people to wear masks. Iowa did launch an initiative last month to encourage people to wear masks.

He said putting his feelings for his wife and kids on paper was more emotional than he expected, and he got a little choked up talking about it.

"It took me a couple days to write it," he said. "It was tough, and I know a lot of teachers that told me that they started writing, but then stopped because they just couldn't get through it."

Dumkrieger said he has heard from some people who were offended by his mock obituary, but said they'll be even more upset when they start seeing real ones for teachers who actually die.

He feels that a mask mandate would reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the community and make it easier for schools to protect their students, teachers and staff.

Dumkrieger said he considered looking for a different job, but said teaching is what he loves and it's how he serves his country.

"I'm going to go back and teach. I'm going to wear a mask and make sure I'm keeping everybody safe," he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Some teachers wrote their own obituaries as part of their back to school prep"
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler on Thursday urged non-violent protesters to either avoid city gatherings where violence is likely to occur, intervene if they see it or risk being used as a prop in national advertisements to aid President Donald Trumps re-election campaign.

Wheeler, who is also the citys police commissioner, said he is authorizing Portland officers and as well as county and state law enforcement agencies helping police demonstrations to do whatever is necessary to safely hold these individuals accountable who are engaged in criminal activity and bring these nightly activities to a close. He didnt elaborate on what he meant.

The mayor spoke during a news conference with Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell, Capt. Tony Passadore and Portland Fire and Rescue Lt. Damon Simmons, who all denounced destructive actions of some protesters over the course of the last two months.

The officials particularly keyed in on a gathering in East Portland on Wednesday at which Portland police declared the event a riot and used tear gas. They did so after protesters marched to the police precinct, spray painted security cameras and a glass door in front of the building, tore plywood off some windows, cracked glass doors, lit contents inside a garbage can on fire and placed it and plywood in front of an entrance.

The mayor, police and fire officials said they support the Black Lives Matter movement and peaceful protest. But they claimed demonstrators tried to commit arson Wednesday and intentionally trapped more than 20 police staff in the building, and they said nearby homes could have also been at risk of catching fire. Lovell called it a coordinated attack and Wheeler equated the actions to attempting to commit murder. They denounced other destructive demonstrations that have occurred as well.

If you are a nonviolent demonstrator and you dont want to be part of intentional violence, please stay away from these areas, Wheeler said. Our community must say that this violence is not Portland, that these actions do not reflect our values and these crimes are distracting from reform, not advancing.

The fire in front of the Portland Police east precinct building was largely contained to the metal garbage can although some boards on fire fell to the ground beside it, according to journalists with The Oregonian/OregonLive who were on the ground Wednesday.

The demonstrations are occurring as the city has seen more than double the amount of shootings in July than the same time last year and 15 people killed  the most in one month in more than 30 years, according to police. The bureau also reports that shootings overall have been more frequent in 2020 than this time last year.

Wheeler said he planned to announce a comprehensive plan to address the spike in shootings next week. He said aspects of it will involve the police bureau, the citys office of violence prevention and community members.

In recent days since Oregon State Police took over guarding the federal courthouse, confrontations between police and protesters have shifted from downtown  the historic heart of the demonstrations  to police buildings across the city, where a faction of protesters now gather every night.

Although Wheeler said he worried about police employees trapped inside the building with an exit blocked, Lovell said the police precinct building has three exits, including a large roll-up door that vehicles can pass through as well as a side door, where the trash can was placed. Protesters didnt group near the rolling door Wednesday.

Passadore, the incident commander for Wednesdays protest, said police only responded to protesters in East Portland, not outside the Justice Center downtown.

He has overseen the police response for two dozen demonstrations since May and said police officers have tried to build relationships with demonstrators. But he said that when they try to speak to them in person at protests, other demonstrators often interrupt and try to end the interactions.

We had police officers out there, who were the best in building the relationships, but members of a different group that are set on different goals disrupted that, Passadore said. So were still trying to build those relationships and have opportunities to have that type of communication on the lines in those events so we can hear what people have to say and their concerns and we can share in good, healthy dialog.

Wheeler said Portland officers are very eager to get off of the front lines of nightly protests and refocus on reform and reducing gun violence and crime in the city.

-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Ask Dr. Land: Was it immoral to drop atomic bombs on Japan?

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Question: Was it immoral to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Yesterday, August 6th, the world commemorated the 75th anniversary of America dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, thus commencing the atomic age. Seventy-five years later, the debate still rages on whether it was immoral for President Truman to authorize the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and then a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki three days later.

I believe that President Truman made the right decision, the moral decision and one that stands moral scrutiny and the test of history.

To properly evaluate the decision to drop the bomb, several critical factors must be considered. First, the Japanese were feverishly preparing to defend their home islands with the same fanatical ferocity with which they had defended Saipan, Okinawa, and Iwo Jima.

The American invasion of Imperial Japan was scheduled to begin in October 1945. The soldiers, sailors, and airmen preparing for that invasion had been told to expect 50% casualties. In the interest of full disclosure, my father was one of those young sailors (he was 24) and his commanding officer had told him 50% casualties were expected as he was training to be part of the first wave hitting the beach. If we had invaded Japan, I would have had a 50% chance of not being here since I was conceived while my mother and father were having a second honeymoon in Texas six months after Japans surrender.

It was also estimated that it would take at least 18 months to subdue Japan, with 500,000 American casualties and five million Japanese casualties after a street-by-street, house-by-house, room-by-room conflict across the length and breadth of the country.

In other words, America would have lost more people dead than she had lost in the entire war up until then (approximately 410,000) in Europe and the Pacific combined. And Japan would have been more devastated than Germany was by the end of the war in Europe.

So, if you subtract the approximately 250,000 people killed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki (including those who died within a year from the effects of radiation poisoning), you could argue that dropping the first atomic bombs saved about 500,000 American lives and 4.75 million Japanese lives.

Also, we now know from captured Japanese war files that the dropping of the first atomic bombs saved the lives of a very special group of Americans. The Japanese authorities were preparing to summarily execute the 23,000 American POWs still in Japanese hands in order to free their guards to focus on repelling the American invasion (38% of American POWs had already died from the cruelty and the barbarity of their captors). The executions were scheduled to begin on August 17, 1945, just 8 days after Nagasaki was bombed. If America had not dropped the atomic bombs when they did, these 23,000 American POWs (soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen) would have been executed.

So, who bears the moral responsibility for the deaths at Hiroshima and Nagasaki? The answer is the Japanese militarists who led their country to launch a sneak attack against the U.S. at Pearl Harbor in 1941. I am surprised in the still on-going discussions about moral responsibility that so few people take into account the fact that Japan attacked America, not the other way around.

In fact, I believe that if President Truman had not dropped the atomic bombs and thus ended the war, when the American people eventually discovered that so many of their loved ones (sons, fathers, husbands, brothers, uncles, nephews, etc.) had died during the bloody campaign to liberate Japan, they would have demanded the Presidents impeachment and may have even demanded his trial for being responsible for the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of young Americans.

Second, the impact of the atomic bombs had a great peacemaking impact on the post-World War II world. Atomic bombs were used for the first and only time in August 1945.

Some revisionist historians have continued to argue that the U.S. did not have to drop the atomic bombs because Japan would have surrendered anyway, after the Soviet Union entered the war on August the 8th. It should be noted that the Soviets entered the war after we had dropped the atomic bomb, something which they had not previously chosen to do between VE Day (May 8th) and Hiroshima on August 6th.

Could it be that the decision to drop the bomb forced the Soviets to declare war against Japan sooner than they would have done otherwise, lest they not be able to take over Manchuria and the northern part of Korea after the war? If the Soviets had come into the war against Japan and we had not dropped the bomb, would they have demanded an occupation zone in Tokyo and in the Home Islands, modeled after the Allied partition of Germany and Berlin into Soviet and Allied zones? How different, and how much more sad, the history of post-war Japan would have been had it been divided into East and West like Germany.

And, as Chris Wallace makes clear in his riveting new book Countdown 1945, when Truman told Stalin about the atom bomb at the Pottsdam Conference in July 1945, Stalin surprised Truman by his mild response. Stalin was interested, but he wasnt surprised. The Soviets had a spy, Klaus Fuchs, in Los Alamos feeding Americas deepest atomic secrets straight to Moscow. Wallace also reports, A member of the Russian delegation heard Stalin and Foreign Minister  Molotov discuss it that night. Molotov said it was time to speed things up in developing a Russian bomb (page 165).

Wallace then notes that in reality The Twentieth Centurys Nuclear Arms race began in Pottsdam at 7:30 p.m., July 24, 1945, thirteen days before Hiroshima. That fact pretty much destroys the argument that Hiroshima started the nuclear arms race. Generals like George Marshall argued vigorously for Trumans decision to drop the bomb to end the war as rapidly as possible. Even Franklin Roosevelts widow, Eleanor, never accused of being a hawk, wrote President Truman on August 12, 1959, that you could make no other decision than the one you made.

On the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, should not we at least entertain the thought that the American discovery and use of nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki have in fact saved untold tens of millions more lives in the intervening years than the number of lives lost at those two cities in 1945.

The fact is World Wars I and II, both occurring in the first half of the 20th century, were the bloodiest wars in human history with tens of millions dead in both wars.

In contrast, at the end of World War II with the debut of nuclear weapons and the Cold War, the second half of the 20th century was comparatively mild in bloodshed. Why? Could it be that the answer is nuclear weapons? If it were not for nuclear weapons and the Doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, we would have gotten into a war with Russia over Berlin and with China over Korea, seeking to keep the Communists from extending their control over Western Europe and all of Asia. Tens of millions across the globe would have died in such conventional wars. The threat of nuclear weapons has made conflagrations like the two world wars virtually unimaginable.

It must be acknowledged that this human calculus could all change in a moment of miscalculation between the Indians and the Pakistanis on the Indian subcontinent. Still, at this point, 75 years after Hiroshima, nuclear weapons have saved tens of millions more lives than the lives lost at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

However, it must be conceded that 75 years after Hiroshima, nuclear weapons have had an enormous peacemaking impact on the post-World War II world.

I, as a baby boomer American along with millions of my generational cohort, would have spent significant portions of our youth and early adulthood in uniforms in far flung places in many cases sacrificing our lives to defeat the global totalitarian ambitions of the Soviets and the Communist Chinese. Since we had nuclear weapons guaranteeing Mutually Assured Destruction, we were spared that fate. And for that I, and I suspect many of my generational cohort, are profoundly grateful.

Thank you, President Truman!
Air India Express has announced setting up of help centres at Sharjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from where the ill-fated flight to Kozhikode took off on Friday afternoon. The carrier also issued a statement to express regret at the accident that has reportedly led to deaths of at least 11 people including two pilots and injuries to at least 40 passengers, according to preliminary information coming through official channels.

In a separate effort to provide information to kin of passengers-- some of who have been rushed to hospital while rescue and search operations for others continueKozhikode collector has set up a helpline number-- 0495  2376901for providing information related to the crash of Air India Express Flight (IX 1344).

10 infants among 191 on Kozhikode plane that overshot runway and fell in valley, says Air India

The flight was one among the several being operated under the Vande Bharat Mission being run by the Indian government to bring home Indian citizens stuck abroad due to restrictions on international travel due to coronavirus pandemic. After the crash, Air India Express issued a statement of regret and added that the flights under the mission will continue.

We regret that there has been an incident regarding our aircraft VT GHK, operating IX 1344 DXB CCJ. Due to crash landing of the flight, it may affect the network but Vande Bharat Mission continues, said the airline.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about the plane crash to take stock of the rescue and search efforts, reported ANI. Kerala CM has informed the Prime Minister that a team of officials including Kozhikode & Malappuram district collectors and IG of Police, Ashok Yadav, have arrived at the airport and are participating in the rescue operation, said a release by the Kerala CMs office.

Kerala Plane Crash Live Updates

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Viajay has instructed the state police and fire department to take urgent action for rescue and relief operations. He tweeted to say that he has also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support.

Home minister Amit Shah tweeted that he had instructed National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) to reach the site immediately and carry out rescue operations.

Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. I have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations,Shah tweeted.

NDRF director general SN Pradhan confirmed that teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were being rushed to Karipur Airport for search and rescue.

Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode Airport around 7:41 pm on Friday and fell into a gorge. There were 174 passengers, 10 Infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft, said ministry of civil aviation.

At least 40 passengers have received injuries in the mishap which took place after the plane overshot the runway while landing during rainy conditions at the airport and broke into two parts.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said a lightning strike was responsible for a large blackout that affected 180,000 residents in Manhattan early Friday morning.

De Blasio delivered a harsh rebuke of the city's electricity service provider Con Edison during his Friday press briefing as he warned that more clarity and faster work was needed to ensure that New Yorkers were not left without power again.

The strike early morning Friday knocked out power to 180,000 homes in upper Manhattan.

But it came after a million people across the state lost power Tuesday during Tropical Storm Isaias - with 57,000 residents in the city still without electricity three days later.

The outages have placed a further burden to the summer of sorrow for New Yorkers forced to stay inside and work from home due to the coronavirus pandemic while inclement weather systems tear through the city.

Scroll down for video

Darkness covered miles of Manhattan Friday morning during a brief power outage

The power outage, believed to have been caused by a problem with a transmission system, had knocked out not only lights but also cellphone services, according to CNBC.

Con Edison confirmed the outage affected more than 180,000 customers, according to the New York Times.

The company has not confirmed that the transmission issue was caused by a lightning strike as de Blasio claimed.

'This is an unacceptable situation,' de Blasio fumed. 'Con Ed continues to be unclear in their response.'

'This is something weve seen before and I really wish Con Ed would get the memo that they have be clear in the game plan for New Yorkers. People are depending on this power.

'The power has come back on consistently, I want to give that credit, but what were not happy about is the lack of clarity and speed about the next steps for the people of the five boroughs,' he added.

'A recent lightning strike in Manhattan caused a power outage ... All power has now been restored,' he later tweeted.

'Were holding Con Edisons feet to the fire and offering them whatever help they need to get this done.'

The power outage cast darkness across dozens of blocks in New York City early Friday, and caused disruptions to the city's subway system.

Con Edison said that power was restored to the Manhattan area after a brief 28-minute outage.

A brief power outage across large areas of Manhattan left more than 180,000 without electricity on Friday morning that had been almost completely restored by 6am

Residents rushed to social media to share eerie footage of the blanket of darkness that covered the Manhattan neighborhoods, broken only by street lights and vehicles

Live video of the outage showed few lights across Manhattan, including parts of the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Morningside Heights, Hamilton Heights and Central Harlem, WABC-TV reported.

No lights could be seen north of 72nd Street on Manhattan's West side.

Residents rushed to social media to share eerie footage of the blanket of darkness that covered the Manhattan neighborhoods.

Many showed minimal lighting apart from street lights and vehicles.

In contrast, blazing lights could still be seen in the distance further downtown and across the river in the Bronx.

Some described how the 'surreal' blackout went on 'for miles'.

Con Edison said in a tweet that it was aware of a 'brief service interruption,' and later stated that a problem with its transmission system 'caused three networks in Manhattan to lose their electric supply,' just after 5 a.m.

Some customers said their power was back by 6 a.m after just 20 minutes.

A spokesperson told WABC-TV that some pockets will take a little longer to restore.

It is reported to have hit to Harlem, Central Park and Manhattan parts of the grid.

Social media footage from residents showed the darkness extended for miles

Many residents reported that the power had returned to the neighborhoods by 6am

Con Ed said the problem was cause with the transmission system and was being investigated

At around 5am just 67 customers in Manhattan were without power, according to Con Ed's outage map.

But it jumped to tens of thousands within minutes.

By 6.30am, the numbers of customer outages had been reduced to 551.

The power loss disrupted the signal system and station lighting on some subway lines and disruptions continued to impact some locations even after power was restored, the city's subway operator said on Twitter.

The outage caused delays on all the subway lines running through Manhattan and signal problems were still causing disruptions as of 7am.

Metro North was also briefly affected.

Later in the morning, a separate outage was reported in Queens, in the large residential Woodside and Middle Village neighborhoods.

The Queens outage, affected between 5,000 and 10,000 customers, cased brief delays on the Long Island Rail Road.

Crews have been working around the clock to restore power across the city due to the tropical storm Isaias that battered the East Coast earlier this week, Con Edison also said.

The huge loss in power has caused concern for residents about the integrity of the are's power grid as it worsens the blow caused by the coronavirus pandemic which has forced many to remain at home.

The outage also caused delays on many subway lines through the morning

Those working from home have been forced to deal without internet or phone services as the outages continue.

A statement on its website Con Ed said is aiming to have power returned to most customers by Sunday.

Smaller groups of customers will have power again by early next week.

Sixty hours after the storm, power had been restored to more than 217,000 customers as more than 1,600 workers continue to repair damage, rebuild equipment and clear trees.

'We know how difficult living without power is. That's why we're working around the clock until all customers affected by the storm are safely back in service,' said Matthew Ketschke, senior vice president of Customer Energy Solutions.

'Let's remember to continue to make safety the highest priority and stay away from downed trees and wires until crews can remove them.'

Yet de Blasio fumed that it wasn't good enough.

As of Friday morning, there were still tens of thousands of customers without power in New York City due to the storm.

This included Brooklyn with 2,758 customers without service; Queens with 23,775 out of service; Staten Island with 13,168 customers without power; and 11,507 Bronx customers without service.

Manhattan was not as affected by Storm Isaias as the electric system is underground.

'From the latest we have heard from Con Ed, they are still sticking to the notion that they will add another 15 to 20,000 restorations today,' de Blasio said Friday.

'I want to see that number greatly intensified. Telling people by the end of Sunday is not a good answer, we need to see that speed up certainly for the vast majority of households.'

He added that the wind damage from Isaias was 'the worst wind damage since Sandy' as he called on the state to issue an emergency declaration.

'Given whats happened in New York City, given whats happened on Long Island, this certainly should be a state of emergency,' the mayor said. 'That would help us to activate FEMA support and funding.'

After the storm, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for an investigation of the state's utilities after more than a million were left without power.

'We dont contract for sunny day service,' Cuomo said on Thursday. 'We contract for every day service.'
Belarus last week arrested 33 Russian military contractors just outside the capital Minsk, in what it claims was a Moscow-backed plot to carry out terrorist activities and foment unrest in the country just prior to presidential elections to be held on Sunday, August 9. Moscow has denied these allegations.

This week, President Alexander Lukashenko, who has served as President of Belarus since 1994, used bellicose language to denounce Moscow, calling the Kremlins statements all lies. Lukashenko also claimed that he also planned to apprehend another group of Russian mercenaries who had been sent to the south of the country.

The arrested have been identified as members of the Wagner Group, a private military contracting firm that has reportedly sent mercenaries to other countries, such as Venezuela, Syria and eastern Ukraine, in order to protect Russian military and economic interests. The mercenaries themselves have denied any involvement in terrorist activities within Belarus and claimed to be on their way to see the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.

Map of Belarus

In the same speech in which he accused Russia of being liars and claimed that instability in Belarus will explode in such a way that it would reverberate all the way to Vladivostok, Lukashenko also paradoxically stated: Russia has always been and will remain our close ally, irrespective of who takes power in Belarus or Russia.

Lukashenkos arrest of the alleged mercenaries was welcomed by the US-backed Ukrainian government. Kiev has called on Minsk to send 28 of the 33 arrested to Ukraine for prosecution on charges of fighting on the side of separatist rebels in the eastern Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Speaking to Lukashenko by phone, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated, I hope that all those suspected in terrorist activities on Ukrainian territory will be handed over to us for prosecution in accordance with the existing international norms.

While the specific details surrounding the actions and arrests of the Russian military contractors within Belarus are murky, the incident marks a new nadir in relations between the two countries. Unlike other former Soviet Republics, such as Ukraine, Latvia and Lithuania, which have morphed into NATO-backed self-proclaimed enemies of Moscow since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Belarus established a union state with Russia in 1997, including a somewhat integrated economic zone.

The previous plans for a fully integrated union state, including a shared military, currency, and legal system, never materialized. However, both Russian and Belarusian citizens are freely able to travel, work and study in both countries. Under these conditions, the arrest of Russian citizens on Belarusian territory just days before the presidential elections is an obvious signal to Moscow, as well as the US and EU, that the Belarusian ruling class is actively considering a much stronger orientation to American and European imperialism.

The Lukashenko regime is heading into Sundays elections amidst a profound crisis. Reports have suggested that Lukashenko, who has easily won previous elections with 75 percent of the vote or more, may be facing the toughest challenge yet to his regime.

In recent months, Lukashenko has alienated much of the population with his claims that the COVID-19 pandemic is nothing more than a psychosis. He has done virtually nothing to stem the spread of the virus. Unlike many neighboring countries, Belarus had not even a temporary shutdown of the economy.

According to John Hopkins University, with a population of just 9.5 million the country has reported 68,000 Covid-19 infections and 567 related deaths. Neighboring Poland, which had a limited lockdown, has reported 48,789 cases and 1,740 deaths with a population of approximately 38 million. Lukashenko himself reportedly also contracted the virus.

Moreover, in the past year the Belarusian economy has suffered fall-out from a prolonged spat between Russia and Lukashenko over Russian-subsidized energy supplies to Minsk. The scaling back of Russian subsidies combined with the coronavirus pandemic has created a $700 million deficit in the state budget.

Workers in the country have long been unable to make a living on their wages. As in neighboring Ukraine, many younger workers have been leaving the country to work in Russia or the EU. Last year, Lukashenko admitted that Belarus had lost 8 percent of its population due to labor migration.

Exploiting the growing economic and social crisis, US imperialism and the EU have aggressively intervened in the current elections in Belarus, openly backing and encouraging Lukashenkos main rival from the pro-Western opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.

Tikhanovskaya announced her candidacy after her husband, a well-known opposition blogger, was arrested last May and barred from running. She has presented virtually no political program other than opposition to Lukashenko and empty calls for democracy and free elections. In recent weeks, the pro-Western opposition has organized several demonstrations that have drawn thousands of people in Minsk.

The Belarusian state has responded by jailing over 1,000 protesters since the beginning of the presidential campaign. Predictably, the United States government, which has been busy jailing, beating and kidnapping protesters off its own streets, hypocritically denounced the Belarusian government. The spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, Morgan Ortagus, tweeted, We are deeply concerned about the reports of mass protests and detentions of peaceful activists and journalists.

The United States has had no diplomatic representation in Belarus since 2008, when Lukashenko cracked down on western-backed nationalist and liberal opposition parties.

However, over the past few years, the relations between Belarus and the US have become much closer, as the Washington has sought to exploit and deepen the growing rift between Lukashenko and Moscow in order to turn the strategically important country into another NATO-backed ally. Lukashenko and his defense minister have repeatedly indicated readiness to hold joint exercises with NATO.

Lukashenko publicly supported the US-backed coup in 2014 in Ukraine, and established close relations with the Poroshenko and the subsequent Zelensky governments.

In February of this year, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Belarus for a two-hour long conversation with Lukashenko on the countrys dispute with Moscow over energy supplies. It was the first visit of a US Secretary of State to Belarus since 1993. At a press conference after the meeting, Pompeo effectively reversed over a decade of American foreign policy towards the country, stating that the United States could offer Belarus all the oil it needs. He said, All you have to do is call us.

Lukashenkos precarious balancing act between Russia and Western imperialism has been closely followed by American think tanks, which are debating whether backing Lukashenko might be a viable path for pursuing US interests in the region.

The Atlantic Council, one of the most bellicose think tanks in Washington D.C., warned that Lukashenko could be facing a Minsk Maidan after the presidential election. This reference to the heavily US- and German-backed and funded protest movement in Ukraine in 2013-2014, which culminated in a far-right coup that installed a regime that has been totally compliant with the interests of US imperialism, is a clear indication of the strong involvement of the US in the current anti-Lukashenko protests.

Earlier this year, Foreign Affairs, the journal of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, published an article entitled, Will Belarus be the next Ukraine? Emphasizing the key geostrategic significance of Belarus for Russia, it noted: ... if Belarus were to pivot westward, Moscow would lose a potential military staging ground and risk seeing Western political and economic influence extend over a population that many Russians regard as part of their own nation. The piece concluded by urging Western governments to back Lukashenko.

Whatever the outcome of Sundays elections, recent events have made clear that Belarus, like neighboring Ukraine and the Baltic states, is at the center of a growing imperialist drive towards war against Russia, a drive which has only been accelerated by the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression.
I want you to know that we take this feedback very seriously and will be working with you to restore your confidence in us and ensure your safety concerns are heard, he wrote in an excerpt shared by the FAA.
Nijha Green leaves the probation office on Market Street after meeting with his probation officer the day after being released from prison on Oct. 8, 2019. Read more

In Pennsylvania, the number of people in prison, on probation, or on parole has ballooned to five times what is was in 1980, even as crime rates have fallen. The state now has the second-highest rate of correctional control in the country. Thats not only expensive, critics say, but counterproductive, landing many parolees right back in prison while piling up impossible caseloads for those supervising them.

Based on Pennsylvanias outlier status, a new report from Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union singles out the states system for scrutiny. For the first time, it pulls back the curtain on exactly how state parole violations, which are processed by the state parole board out of public view, are driving the prison population. The most common reason for violating parole? Moving without notifying your parole officer.

The reports author, Allison Frankel, spoke with The Inquirer about the findings  and how reforms could break this cycle. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why single out Pennsylvania for scrutiny?

What makes Pennsylvania stand out is, it has incredibly high numbers of people under supervision  one of every 35 people in the state is under probation or parole, and extraordinarily high numbers of people are going back into state prisons as a result of supervision violations. Well over half of people going into state prisons in Pennsylvania are going there because they violated the rules of their supervision. and we noticed really marked racial disparities in the criminal-legal system. And the sentencing laws there are completely out of whack compared to many other states. Because there are no limits on how long your probation can be extended, people can be serving probation easily for decades.

 READ MORE: How probation in Pennsylvania often makes people more desperate  and lands them in jail

You got access to Pennsylvania Parole Board data for this analysis. What did you find out?

Theres been a lot of talk about how supervision is driving mass incarceration and talk about how Pennsylvania is a leader in that  but its really been a black box in terms of what is driving all those people back to state prison. And our report is the first to lay out what are the underlying rule violations that are sending so many people back  and through our interviews, what are the factors in peoples lives that are serving as a tripwire back to incarceration.

It was really jarring. Changing your residence without alerting your parole officer was the single most common parole condition that led to violation proceedings, accounting for a full third of them. This is really problematic because it goes back to the lack of resources. Many people we are talking to lack housing stability  they are moving from a park bench to an abandoned building to a friends couch  and they are supposed to let their parole officer know every time they move. Theyre worried about having food to eat, a safe place to stay. Its a burdensome condition that is completely unrelated to the underlying conduct that got them on parole in the first place. Instead of spending all these resources tracking people down and locking them for up moving without permission, we could be focusing those resources on helping them get housing.

You researched several states. What surprised you about Pennsylvania in particular?

One of the things that was really horrifying was just the conditions in which so many people are confined. Another was the massive racial disparity. I spoke with multiple Black and brown men in Philadelphia who said theyre not allowed to associate with anyone with a criminal record  but they live in a community that is heavily policed, where everyone has a criminal record. The immense anxiety, the mental toll and trauma of being under supervision as a Black and brown person, particularly in a neighborhood that is heavily policed, that weight is enormous and is in itself a punishment.

So what reforms do you think could change this?

Our report lays out a lot of detailed recommendations that people at every layer of government can take. But there are three key things we can do in Pennsylvania. One, we need to divest away from parole, probation and incarceration, and invest in jobs, housing, and voluntary, community-based substance-abuse treatment and mental-health services. Two, we need to reduce the number of supervision sentences we impose, and to look at alternatives like community service requirements or unconditional discharge. And lastly, when supervision terms are imposed, we need to dramatically shorten the length of supervision terms, reduce the number of conditions, as many conditions are not based on a persons needs, goals or risks. Then, we need to severely limit the consequences for violating those conditions. We think all of these reforms would go a really long way to breaking the supervision-to-incarceration pipeline and helping people get the resources they need to succeed.
Authorities will initiate a dialogue in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) without any discrimination in order to usher in peace and development, Manoj Sinha, who was sworn in as the second lieutenant governor (LG) of the Union Territory, said on Friday, sending out a message of unity in his first speech after taking charge.

Sinha, 61, a three-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian, stressed that peace and stability should prevail in J&K while uncertainty and terrorism should end. Achieving all this along with accelerated development will be our aim, our mission, he said after the oath ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.

The appointment of Sinha, a former Union minister, is being seen as an indication of the Centres will to initiate the political process in J&K at a time when the region is grappling with multiple issues, from security concerns to a tumultuous social and political landscape.

After years of isolation, J&K has joined the national mainstream, Sinha said, referring to the central governments move to nullify Article 370, which conferred special status to the erstwhile state, and bifurcate it into two UTs  J&K with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one  on August 5, 2019.

I have been told that many works which could not be completed in years have been completed in the past one year. I want to accelerate that development, Sinha said. We need to establish a dialogue with the common people of Jammu and Kashmir. We dont have any agenda in that; there will be no discrimination against anyone. Constitution will be Gita in that, he added.

Later in the day, Sinha chaired a high-level meeting of administrative secretaries of the government at the civil secretariat. He was briefed on development projects in the UT, among other issues.

Sinha, who was administered the oath of office by J&K chief justice Gita Mittal, takes over from Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Girish Chandra Murmu, who resigned on Wednesday night and was later appointed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

BJP leaders such as Jitendra Singh, minister of state in the Prime Ministers Office; former deputy chief ministers Kavinder Gupta and Nirmal Singh; and BJP state president Ravindra Raina, among others, were present at the event. The newly launched Apni Party was represented by Ghulam Hassan Mir, Mohammad Ashraf Mir and former legislator Zaffar Manhas.

The National Conference (NC) did not attend Sinhas oath ceremony though both Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were invited.

Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi, a senior NC leader and a parliamentarian, said: Nothing will happen unless there is a change in the approach towards the people. Changing faces have no meaning. As a matter of principle, nobody from the NC attended the oath ceremony.

J&K Congress president Ghulam Ahmad Mir said nobody from his party got an invite. This is how the BJP intends to start the political process in J&K... he said.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesperson Tahir Sayed, too, said his party did not attend the event. Nazir Ahmad Laway (a Rajya Sabha member) attended the ceremony, but he was expelled from the PDP long back.

Asem Bhat, a political commentator, underscored the challenges before Sinha in starting a political process. ...dozens of political leaders are under house arrest. One former CM (PDPs Mehbooba Mufti) is detained under PSA (Public Safety Act)...

As protests erupted in the wake of the August 5 announcement last year, several political leaders and activists, including three former CMs  Farooq and Omar Abdullah, and Mufti  were detained as a preventive measure. While prominent politicians, including the Abdullahs, have been released, Mufti and several others are still in detention.

Sinhas political career began when he was elected the president of Banaras Hindu University students union in 1982. He became a Lok Sabha member for the first time in 1996 from Ghazipur, and won election from the seat in 1999 as well.

He was elected to the Lower House for a third time in 2014, when the BJP came to power at the Centre with a landslide win, and Modi became the PM. Sinha held the portfolio of minister of state for railways between May 2014 and July 2016, and was later given the independent charge of the ministry of telecommunications.

An alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology, Varanasi, formerly known as Banaras Engineering College, Sinha is not unfamiliar with a tricky turf. He overcame the caste faultiness in his constituency of Ghazipur, which was also once a Left bastion. J&K, however, is a challenge of a different magnitude.
Turkey is stirring up trouble wherever it can. That is Ankaras cardinal policy these days. It ignites fires in the Arab world in order to create roles for itself and expand its presence in areas far beyond its borders. Then it fans the flames right beneath the noses of world powers that once exercised extensive influence in the region.

An array of global and regional developments has opened windows for the Turks to expand beyond their borders and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken advantage of every crisis, fuelled every disturbance and played every trick in the book in the pursuit of regional hegemony. The Turkish autocrats ambitions are unbounded. With two years to go until the next election, and economic woes mounting at home and political opponents and rivals increasing, hes growing more and more desperate. He has a project in his head. Hes fighting for it at home and abroad. And the menace of that project is growing clearer by the day.

As he chases his dreams of power and wealth, Erdogan has embarked on an extended folly of foreign interventionism. As the domestic opposition has cautioned, his adventures in Libya, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere are damaging Turkeys image in the Arab region and among regional organisations such as the Arab League and EU. Beneath the guise of protecting Turkish national interests, his fallacies and fictions are endless. He speaks of looming perils facing Turkey, yet dispatches troops to distant lands. We will protect our interests in the Middle East and Aegean, he proclaims in one breath. We will exercise our sovereign rights, as we did when we reopened the Hagia Sophia for prayer, he adds in the next. He has already stretched those sovereign rights to neighbouring territories, which Turkey has effectively annexed. What other lands does he have in mind?

Needless to say, he is indifferent to regional condemnation of his policies as he boasts of crowning our struggle from Syria and Iraq to Libya, of bringing victory to ourselves and our brothers over there, and of championing the downtrodden in all parts of the world. Who does he think he is fooling? It is palpably evident to all that Erdogans neo-Ottoman hegemonic project poses a grave threat to the peace and security of the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. Many members of the international community are naturally concerned. France, which has had a direct run-in with Turkish belligerence, is particularly acute to the dangers posed by the expansion of Turkish military operations into Africa. Turkish encroachment into Africa threatens areas where France has a longstanding presence and influence, most notably the Sub-Saharan Francophone countries where Ankara is using humanitarian and educational aid, and other outwardly philanthropic enterprises, to sow discord and upheaval.

Erdogan, given his particular obsessions, has made a particular point of threatening Egyptian interests, in East Africa in particular. Whenever possible, Ankara targets countries where the state is crumbling or collapsed. Its aim is to fuel discord and divide societies, establish a foothold with permanent military bases, then launch military expeditions and split the spoils with Turkeys proxies. While Turkey creates crises in the pursuit of Erdogans adventures, Egypt tries to solve them. It works to prevent social disintegration and the erosion of territorial integrity, to restore national security and to promote peaceful solutions to disputes. Unlike Turkey, Egypt has no interest in gaining control over Libyan petroleum wealth, or that of any other country. When the Erdogan propaganda machine claims otherwise, it is merely to deflect attention from Ankaras own acquisitiveness.

The longer the international community fails to stand up to Erdogans regional designs, the more the realm of civil strife and warfare will expand and the harder it will become to foster peaceful solutions to the crises in Syria and Libya. If world powers, moved by certain interests or calculations of their own, continue to turn a blind eye to Erdogans ambitions or actively indulge his desire for more hostile policies against other countries of this region, they will be in part to blame for a spiralling cycle of conflict and chaos that will be difficult if not impossible to contain.

Containing Erdogan is the key to restoring a degree of equilibrium needed to restart a genuine peace process. This applies in particular to Libya with which Turkey shares no borders, using armies of mercenaries brought over from Syria and unleashed unchecked against the Libyan people.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Southern Baptist megachurch pursing semi-autonomous model by adding new campus

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A megachurch in Georgia has decided to pursue a multisite model for worship by adding a second campus that will have its own pastoral staff.

Christ Place Church, a Southern Baptist congregation in Flowery Branch headed by pastor Jeff Crook that boasts approximately 8,000 members, plans to add the new campus by October of this year.

The new campus will meet at the North Hall Community Center and Park in Gainesville, which is about 30 minutes driving time from their main campus.

The church forwarded The Christian Post an FAQ document explaining that the new campus will not simply broadcast the main campus worship, but rather will have a level of autonomy.

Our mission is to reach and raise the next generation to live out Gods truth. We feel that a part of this mission is to reach and raise the next generation of preachers and worship leaders, the church explains.

Pastor Jeff will lead a preaching team that will develop and deliver messages together  same text, same message title, same outline. Each pastor will then preach with their own style to fit their context in their location.

The congregation was founded in 1955 and originally named Blackshear Baptist Church, with pastor Crook beginning his tenure in 2004.

In February 2018, Blackshear Baptist changed its name to Christ Place Church. According to a press release at the time, the change came as part of their move to a new facility.

We have clarity of mission, and the vision God has given us pounds in our hearts, the 2018 press release said, according to The Christian Index.

The new name will help us better accomplish our mission. The name will also keep our vision constantly before us. Ultimately, we desire to make Christ preeminent in everything, even our name.

In recent years, some prominent multisite megachurches have opted to make their satellite campuses more autonomous.

In 2017, for example, The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas, headed by pastor Matt Chandler, announced their plan to make all of their campuses autonomous by 2022.

We believe, compelled by the Holy Spirit, that ... to multiply out to individual autonomous churches gives us the best possible ability and capacity to contextually reach the city of Dallas with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Chandler said at the time.

We're all a bit anxious right now ... because this thing really is beautiful, and God has done some stunning and spectacular things. We're just compelled that there are better days ahead."
Thuocsi.vn and TopCV, two Vietnamese startups, were among the 15 applicants selected from over 600 candidates to take part in Googles accelerator program for early-stage tech startups based in Southeast Asia.

The Google for Startups Accelerator Southeast Asia program is a three-month program aimed at supporting startups based in Southeast Asia that are working toward solutions to social, economic, and health issues across the region.

This years iteration of the program received more than 600 applications from the regions startups.

Two Vietnamese startups  Thuocsi.vn and TopCV  are among the 15 shortlisted by Google to take part in the program, Google announced on Wednesday.

TopCV is a platform that helps employers connect with candidates more effectively while Thuocsi.vn links hospitals, clinics, and doctors with pharmacies in order to research and order pharmaceuticals.

According to Googles official blog, the program's participating startups will receive mentorship and specialized support from the tech giant's global mentor network as well as the broader technology community.

The chosen startups will also be introduced to workshops focused on product design, customer service, and leadership development skills.

This is one of several programs held by Google geared toward the promotion of startups both in Vietnam and throughout the broader Southeast Asia region in order to help them cope with their shared challenges in facing the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Spring) spoke with members of the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce Thursday about efforts in Congress to help the country recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Crenshaw said the nation had to focus on restoring the country, most immediately by providing economic relief. Congress is currently trying to help with this through the Senate HEALS Act, which he said was focused on finding cures for COVID-19 and providing economic assistance.

Fecal waste contaminates Houston waterway: Cypress Creek Watershed Partnership continues to build watershed protection plan

Some progress has been made in economic recovery, he said, but unemployment is still too high. In the Houston area, unemployment is lower than some areas at just below 10 percent, while Los Angeles and New York are seeing unemployment rates at about 20 percent.

Just recently, Texas was declared as having the best business environment in the nation, Crenshaw said.

July was a challenging month for Texas, he added, as Texas saw an increase in cases and hospitalizations, but Crenshaw said it was something the state knew was a possibility and it can adapt to it.

On HoustonChronicle.com: GOP Sen. John Cornyn supports stimulus checks for 'mixed status' Texas families

The goal was always to slow it so that our system could deal with it and we could live with it in a new normal kind of way, and weve certainly been doing that in Texas, Crenshaw said.

Crenshaw did encourage social distancing when possible and wearing a mask in public, but said Texans must take control of their own lives.

The costs of the universal lockdowns we implemented, they need to go down in history as a terrible mistake, Crenshaw said. You can justify it for a few weeks as we wrapped our heads around itbut the costs have been absolutely devastating to peoples lives and weve got to stiffen our spines and move forward.

Data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows more than 467,000 cases of COVID have been reported in the state, and more than 7,800 deaths as of Aug. 6.

In terms of economic relief, Crenshaw talked about the CARES Act passed in March, providing $2 trillion in relief, including funding for the health care system, the payroll protection program, the employee retention tax credit and economic impact payments.

Beginning instruction amid the pandemic: Northwest Harris County private schools making accomdations to return to school during COVID-19 pandemic

We havent fixed every issue, theres simply no way we can fix every problem, he said. Well continue to fight to provide relief.

Crenshaw said there had been some missteps in the recovery process, including the CARES Act providing $600 weekly on top of unemployment checks, which he said slowed recovery because workers arent going back to their jobs. Crenshaw said those on unemployment should only receive an extra $200 a week.

You cant go above 100 percent wage replacement, youve just made it impossible for people to go back to work, he said.

But one study published by Yale University in July found this not to be the case, stating workers who received larger expansions in unemployment insurance benefits have returned to their jobs at a similar rate as others.

We find no evidence that more generous benefits disincentivized work either at the onset of the expansion or as firms looked to return to business over time, the report detailed.

Crenshaw said the HEALS Act was Congress proposal for a path forward, providing a tax credit for workplaces to cover COVID expenses such as testing and buying personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies. The bill would also set aside an additional $190 million to refund the PPP loan programs to assist struggling small businesses.

On a local level, Crenshaw also talked about some ongoing federal projects to help flood mitigation in Cypress Creek. The San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan was completed recently, which will identify potential flood hazards and evaluate strategies to improve community resilience.

Sometimes a project that addresses flooding in your area might not be in your area, Crenshaw said. Its often upstream, like the creation of retention or detention ponds, or downstream in channel improvements.

Crenshaw also said he was briefed Wednesday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study, which he said would be released later this month and show potential flood project options and what their costs would be.

paul.wedding@hcnonline.com
Kerala chief minister has said that adverse weather condition is slowing down rescue operations in Keralas Idukki district where 15 people have died and around 50 are feared trapped under the debris of a massive landslide. He, however, added that the search for those missing will continue overnight.

Adverse weather condition is slowing down the operations to rescue people affected due to landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. The state government has sought the help of Air Force but adverse weather condition is not conducive for air lifting people, Pinarayi Vijayan told media in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday evening.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rains, razed a tea plantation workers settlement in Rajamalai in the early hours of Friday, burying it under a mound of slush and rock.

Vijayan said that the rescue mission will continue during the night and all arrangements have been made to provide enough light at the landslide site.

A 50-member strong special task force team of the Fire Force, equipped for night time rescue activities, is among the emergency services personnel sent to the area to undertake relief and rescue operations. At least two NDRF teams have also been deployed and fire force, forest and revenue officials have been instructed to join the rescue efforts.

A 50 member strong special task force team of the Fire Force has been dispatched to Rajamalai in Idukki for rescue efforts. They have been equipped for nighttime rescue activities. #KeralaRains pic.twitter.com/olo1eraMNV  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 7, 2020

At least 15 people have been rescued so far and hospitalised, said officials.

Announcing an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of those killed, the CM said that the state government will bear the cost of treatment of those injured in the mishap.

President Kovind, Prime Minister Modi and home minister Amit Shah were among those who expressed their condolences over the tragedy. The prime minister also announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from Prime Ministers National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the kin of deceased.

The IMD, meanwhile, has declared a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad districts and orange alert in five other districts of the southern state.

(With inputs from ANI)
Kolkata, Aug 7 : The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday launched a membership drive in the state to woo more number of supporters ahead of the high-voltage Assembly elections in the state scheduled in 2021.

The membership campaign titled "Amar Poribar, BJP Poribar" (My Family, BJP family) was launched by the party's state unit President Dilip Ghosh. The BJP introduced a toll-free mobile number, as a part of its membership campaign in the state.

"The state's ruling Trinamool Congress has called the BJP a party of outsiders. Such allegations are completely baseless. I want to ask them is Syama Prasad Mukherjee an outsider," Ghosh said.

He said the Trinamool Congress is playing the tricks deliberately to divert attention from its sins, but the tactics won't save them from sinking.

The BJP state President said that hundreds of Trinamool supporters have already joined the BJP in Bengal to put up a strong fight against the Mamata Banerjee-led state government.

Meanwhile, BJP's national President J.P. Nadda also urged the people of West Bengal to join the saffron camp and help it overthrow the 'anti-people' Trinamool dispensation. In a video message, Nadda also accused the state government of mishandling the Covid-19 situation in Bengal.
Editor:

As Election Day approaches I want to reach out to our independent voters in New Mexico, also known as declined-to-state (DTS) voters.

I have been both a DTS voter and a Democrat. My take is that most DTS voters dont want partisan posturing or rhetoric about turning the state blue or red.

They want the state to be successful. Period. So when you hear mostly Republicans talk about rigged elections if we rely on mail-in ballots, please get the facts.

Here they are:

 To be successful, democracy has to work. For democracy to work in a pandemic, people have to be able to vote remotely.

 Our cybersecurity protocols and app development are still not at the point where voting by phone app is secure enough. We must rely on a proven method of voting from home, and that means mail-in ballots.

 Vote At Home (VAH) systems are a safe and secure way to allow eligible voters to exercise their franchise. States that have implemented VAH represent the entire range of political orientations and discourse from Utah to Oregon.

The commonality is that the experience from the six states that mail out ballots to all eligible voters confirm it is safe, convenient and secure. And there is fresh research to prove it.

States that have adopted VAH always have in-person, same-day and early-voting options, so it does not force anyone to mail in a ballot. It does give them the option.

Research published in the last year shows clearly that with Vote At Home systems:

 Neither party benefits. Mailing a ballot to all voters does not favor one party over the other.

 Turnout increases, especially for low-turnout voters like youth, communities of color and working-class communities.

 Security is enhanced because of a paper trail; no electronics to be hacked.

 Public health is protected because voting is not centralized with fewer in-person voters.

 Fraud is reduced, extremely rare and, when attempted on a large scale, easily identified.

New Mexico is about mid-pack relative to other states in our readiness to mail ballots to all voters. We already have no excuse absentee ballot requests, an online absentee ballot request option and postage-paid return envelopes.

Lets support legislative candidates this November who will support legislation to enact the following additional safeguards and best-practices before the 2022 election cycle:

 A fully vetted, accurate voter database.

 Digital signature biometric match for maximal security for mail-in and in-person voting.

 Online tracking of ballots, like a FedEx package, so voters and elections offices can see where the ballots are all the time.

 Dozens of secure drop-off boxes and location options to return mail-in ballots.

 When ready, mail ballots to all eligible voters.

Republicans used to be the leaders in driving absentee ballot voting because their voters tended to be older and wanted the ease of voting at home. It is pure politics to hear some in that party now say it is a corrupt means of voting.

The only rigging of elections that comes from this talk is voter suppression from this false narrative.

Bob Perls

Corrales
Turkey resumes drilling in Mediterranean After the halt in Kastellorizo, 'Greece not keeping its word'

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, AUGUST 7 - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday announced that Turkey had restarted a search for energy in the eastern Mediterranean. He accused Greece of failing to keep its promises regarding energy exploration in the region. "We have resumed the drilling activity. We have sent (exploration vessel) Barbaros Hayrettin to the area,'' Erdogan said after Friday prayers at Istanbul's Hagia Sophia mosque. Last week Turkey had announced a suspension for an undefined time of its search for energy off the Greek island of Kastellorizo, which had sparked military tension with Athens. Erdogan reiterated that an agreement signed between Greece and Egypt on considering the Turkish drilling illegal - a view also held by Cyprus, the EU and other countries - is not recognised by Turkey and that the country was not concerned about the those with no territory rights in the area concerned. (ANSA).




'The only way we can beat this virus is to observe five simple rules and work together as one united force.' (stock image)

Why is it people in this country  those with roofs over their heads, those with food in their bellies, and those who should essentially have no reason not to behave better  are putting the lives of others at risk?

With reports of Calpol and antihistamines at the ready to hide any ailments children have upon their return to school and hushed comments of we wont tell anyone as people awaiting test results move about our communities and into other peoples homes, I have one question. What the...?

Selfish behaviour is gripping our communities like a choking weed.

These very people who turn a blind eye to their teenagers behaviour, their own behaviour, and that of their wider family, are the ones crying about our current outpatient lists and restrictions within our society.

Restrictions exist so as to protect society and the five main rules  cover your face, avoid crowds, limit contacts, keep two-metre distance, and self-isolate upon presenting with symptoms  exist to protect society and help those in need to access our health service. The only way we will return to some sort of function resembling the old is if we adapt, take on board all measures, all of the time, and behave accordingly.

Selfishness will be the ruination of this country, not restrictions or the virus itself, because selfishness will slow progress and push us backwards, not forwards.

The only way we can beat this virus is to observe five simple rules and work together as one united force. Only then do we have a chance at a future.

Marie Hanna Curran

Ballinasloe, Co Galway

Norths peacemaker Hume is worthy of sainthood

Blessed are the peacemakers. If anyone deserves canonisation it must be Blessed John Hume.

Brendan Butler

Malahide, Co Dublin

Lets not forget FitzGeralds contribution to Humes work

Sincere thanks to Declan ODonovan (Letters, August 6) for extracts of the words of John Hume. The recent accidental explosion in Beirut should frighten every Irish person who imagines Sinn Fein and its army had any moral authority to act as it did in Northern Ireland for 30 years.

Irrespective of what shaped John Humes peaceful ideology, there is one certainty about the man: he used his God-given gifts of reasoning, responsibility, and conscience with no regard to self-aggrandisement or monetary wealth. He worked for the good of his fellow man. Unborn generations owe him and his wife and family so much it cannot be conveyed in words.

There is one other great Irishman who has not been mentioned in the days since Humes passing  Garret FitzGerald. For it was FitzGerald who put his trust in Humes work, assisting him via the Department of Foreign Affairs, in his quest for peace.

Hume had the lessons of great men before him: men who understood the British knew violence, and how to control it for their own purposes. Thus when Gandhi confronted them with peaceful protest, the British were akin to people trying to grasp thin air.

Declan Foley

Berwick, Australia

Social media giants have a responsibility on virus lies

Facebook has finally removed a false claim from President Donald Trumps page, the claim being that children are less susceptible to the Covid-19 virus.

Facebook has a right and a responsibility to remove inaccurate information, especially life-threatening, but it and the other social media platforms have a long way to go with so many medical lies out there, including on the nature of the virus, the spread of the virus and especially the treatment options.

Eventually, hopefully, there will be a vaccine and it must be available cheaply and without unfounded fears about the vaccination process.

It is time to emphasise the responsibility of social media platforms to provide access to correct information and the right to remove falsehoods; and also, perhaps, to consider their original purpose  as Facebook was designed to connect, not to divide.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne, Australia

When the going gets tough, all our TDs go on holiday

An epidemic brought death, stress, unemployment and unprecedented bleakness to our people and country.

Ordinary people worked hard and came together to help one another, and could not socialise as before.

Meanwhile, the elected representatives in Dail Eireann went on holiday.

How will the future generations remember our TDs and their holidays?

Denis P O Sullivan

Enniscorthy, Co Wexford
The federal government has assured medical workers handling COVID-19 pandemic cases across the country of payment of their June hazard allowance from August 10.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, gave the assurance on Thursday at a meeting with the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in Abuja.

According to him, notwithstanding a shortfall in revenue, the government will start the payment with six hospitals, while expecting more funds.

On the Residency Training for doctors, Mr Ngige said the Federal Ministry of Health and the Budget Office of the Federation were working in tandem with the Federal Ministry of Finance to resolve the problem in the budget.

He added that the processing would commence soon.

The Teaching Hospitals and Medical Centres have been directed to submit to the Ministry of Health, the list of names of their personnel who had some hitches in receiving their payments and the names will then be forwarded to IPPIS from there, he said.

He, however, added that the issue of shortfall in payments had also been dealt with, as the names of the affected persons will be compiled and forwarded to the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Ngige also revealed that the case of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) had been amicably resolved, with the Chief Medical Director bringing back the interdicted Resident Doctors.

The two factors thrown up by the crisis in that local chapter of NARD had merged peacefully.

Elections have been conducted to elect an interim executive to man the affairs of that chapter till December 2020, after which a fresh election would hold for a new executive that would take over in 2021, he said

The minister commended the interim government in UPTH headed by Solomon Amadi, and the Peace Committee for brokering peace successfully and the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) for superintending over the election.

The President of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Aliyu Sokomba, noted that although a few issues were still pending, a significant progress had really been made in addressing the concerns of NARD.

Mr Sokomba commended the efforts of the federal government led by Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige in ensuring industrial peace in the sector.

(NAN)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Jagat Prakash Nadda launched another scathing attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.

He cited a petition filed against the Congress party over the issue in the Supreme Court.

Even the SC is surprised at the MoU signed by the Congress party with the Chinese Gov... Mrs Gandhi & her son, who led the signing, must explain. Does this explain donations to RGF and opening Indian market for the Chinese in return, which affected Indian businesses? Nadda said in his tweet. He also attached a screenshot of a news article which talked about compromise in the deal.

Even the SC is surprised at the MoU signed by the Congress party with the Chinese Gov...

Mrs Gandhi & her son, who led the signing, must explain.

Does this explain donations to RGF and opening Indian market for the Chinese in return, which affected Indian businesses? pic.twitter.com/hidmbcbO7Z  Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) August 7, 2020

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Congress and the Communist Party of China in 2008.

How can a political party enter into an agreement with China. It is unheard in law, the bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde remarked.

It the petitioners to approach the high court first before moving the Supreme Court. The petitioners subsequently proceeded to withdraw the petition.

Amid India-China face-off on Line of Actual Control (LAC), a PIL was filed in the top court seeking NIA probe into the 2008 agreement.

Despite of having a hostile relation with China, Respondent No 1 (Congress) had signed an agreement when it was running a coalition government and hidden the facts and details of the agreement from the country, the PIL alleged.

The petitioners firmly believe that the nations security cannot and shouldnt be compromised by any one, the plea had said.

The said agreement was signed between Congress and Communist Party of China in Beijing for exchanging high-level information and co-operation.
Premier Doug Ford is sticking with his back-to-school plan despite a new warning from Toronto Public Health about elementary class sizes being too large, but pledges the province will be flexible as the pandemic evolves.

The last thing I want parents to worry about is whether their child is safe, Ford said Friday, a day after Torontos public health department cited concerns with the provincial plan and told the Toronto District School Board class sizes should be smaller than usual to improve physical distancing and reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

We have to be flexible and we have been flexible. We have to be adaptable. Were still about a month away moving into the school year, Ford told a news conference at the legislature.

The issues raised by Toronto Public Health echo concerns from teacher unions, parent groups aired repeatedly since the back-to-school plan was released last week,with calls for class sizes of no more than 15.

Some have noted that provincial guidelines limit families to having one social circle of the same 10 people who can be in close contact but requiring physical distancing with all others  but not in elementary classrooms with twice as many children, or more.

The Toronto District School Board said Friday it has been working with the citys public health department throughout the pandemic, noted its concerns about the provincial plan and has been working with the Ministry of Education on ways to lower class sizes.

Depending on funding, other strategies may have to be considered, such as shortening the school day, reassigning teachers from non-classroom roles and lower class sizes in areas deemed at risk by Toronto Public Health, spokesman Ryan Bird said in a statement.

While school boards, including the TDSB, have received additional funding for staff, this limited funding is not enough to cover the requirements in a system our size, let alone the entire province.

The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario also expressed concern.

With the current plan, students will be returning to crowded classrooms without the possibility for the physical distancing that parents, education stakeholders and public-health advocates have been asking for, said president Sam Hammond.

He scoffed at comments from Education Minister Stepen Lecce that school boards can fund ways to reduce class sizes by spending from their reserve accounts.

Not every board has the reserves to do that. The government knows that class size is a problem, but refused to make the necessary investments to ensure that every child in the province is safe.

Lecce defended the blueprint, which requires children in Grades 4 to 12 to wear masks that will be optional for kids in lower years with $309 million devoted to having 500 public health nurses in schools along with money to hire extra teachers and custodians and buy mass quantities of hand sanitizer.

The chief medical officer of this province has said that this plan will ensure kids are safe. But as evidence emerges, and as needs are presented  particularly in those higher-risk needs of Toronto where were seeing higher rates of transmission  we want to work with the public board and all boards in Ontario.

Ford said many areas of Ontario have seen no new or few cases of COVID-19 in weeks, so the situation in Toronto isnt the only factor in developing a back-to-school plan.

One size doesnt fit all, added the premier, who acknowledged earlier this week that not all parents are going to be 100 per cent comfortable with the plan.

New Democrat MPP Marit Stiles (Davenport) called Fords pledge of flexibility a wait-and-see kind of approach that could easily backfire and leave the province scrambling if COVID-19 cases spike in September or later in the fall.

The government is 100 per cent on the wrong side of parents, staff, students and, increasingly of public health officials, she said.

This is not an experiment. We dont want them experimenting on our kids.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said the government needs to make changes to the plan now to put measures for smaller elementary class sizes in place to make sure schools are ready for any eventuality.

Doug Ford needs to listen to the doctors, health experts, students and parents that are telling him a safe return to class means smaller class sizes.

The Toronto Public Health concerns were in a letter from associate medical officer Dr. Vinita Dubey.

She wrote in elementary classes (JK to Grade 3) where masks are not required, smaller class sizes will be particularly important to ensure students can be spaced out and reduce transmission. Dubey noted distancing of two metres between pupils works well to prevent the spread of respiratory droplets from one person to another.

Dubey issued a statement Friday saying the Ford governments plan contains many important public health measures but reinforced that smaller classes will also help limit virus spread to fewer people if a case is identified in a school setting.

Experts from the Hospital for Sick Children have said reducing class sizes should be a priority strategy for the government to limit the spread of COVID-19.

High school classes will top out at 15 students in large urban boards.

Ford announced child-care centres, essential in helping to get parents back to work, will get an additional $234.6 million to buy more personal protective equipment such as masks, hire more staff and bolster cleaning procedures.

New Democrat MPP Doly Begum (Scarborough Southwest) said the money is part of a larger funding package from the federal government to the province and Ford should match the contribution with money from Ontarios coffer.

At last count, only about 40 per cent of child-care centres were operational, and only at reduced capacity. That means parents  especially women  wont be able to go back to work, said Begum, her partys child-care critic. Ontario will not have an economic recovery until that problem is solved.

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The Irpin Penal Centre, a vast prison complex outside of Kiev, has been empty since inmates were moved out last year. Now, according to the Ukrainian government, it could represent a prime opportunity for one lucky investor.

The jail will be the first to go under the hammer in a major sell-off of the countrys penitentiaries as part of plans to fund a much-needed overhaul of the ageing prison system.

"We want to sell about a hundred facilities. The first ones will be those already closed. The second stage is the sale of pre-trial detention centres in the city centre. With the money received from the sale, we will build new pre-trial detention centres, Said Ukrainian justice minister Denys Maliuska.

Irpin was built in 1944 and spans some eight hectares. Its surrounds include a railway and a nature area, making it an attractive proposition for potential buyers, said Maliuska.

"It's a huge area, a territory that is not claimed. The neighbours will be happy if something is built here, but not a prison, he said.

The process of selling the prisons is expected to take 10 years.

Also set to go up for sale is Kievs notorious Lukyanivska complex, home to around 2,500 prisoners and where overcrowded and unsanitary conditions have been condemned by human rights groups.

More than 51,000 people are held in some 130 prisons across Ukraine, according to official figures, mostly in old facilities with dire conditions that according to a 2016 US State Department report pose a serious threat to the life and health of prisoners.
First record of invasive shell-boring worm in the Wadden Sea means trouble for oyster

In October 2014, the suspicion arose that the parasite worm Polydora websteri had found its way to the Wadden Sea. Following years of research, that suspicion has now been confirmed: the worm, that likely originates from the Asian Pacific, has arrived in European waters. Researchers from the German Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), confirm in a publication in Marine Biodiversity, that they have found the shell-borer in oysters near Sylt and Texel and speculate that it is likely to have spread much further.

'Trouble maker' leaves oyster unsellable

The worm Polydora websteri is a known 'trouble maker' that causes mud blisters as it bores its way through an oyster's shell, leaving the oyster vulnerable for predators in the wild, and unsellable on the market. Thieltges: 'The worm manoeuvres between the inner and outer world of the oyster. It isn't strictly speaking a parasite as it leaves the oyster's body in peace, but by attacking its shell, it drains the energy of the oyster that now needs to focus on its repair.' Wild populations of Pacific oysters, exotic species that were themselves introduced to the Wadden Sea ecosystem in the 1970s and '80s, have till now been rather safe from predators. The worm might change this. The oysters might be weakened and their shell softened, making them easier prey for crabs and birds. On the long-term, this could mean a shift in the ecosystem.

While the worm might form a big threat to aquaculture farming, it is also likely that aquaculture itself acted as the primary vector of introduction. NIOZ researcher and co-author David Thieltges: 'A large part of the invasive species in the marine ecosystem arrive with the import of commercial species and the transfer of farmed specimens between aquaculture sites.' The worm's favourite host, the Pacific oyster, is traded and cultured globally. By moving the oyster, the worm, though not -intended, becomes an international traveller as well. The researchers, including Thieltges and AWI-scientist Andreas Waser, found the first Polydora websteri in the direct vicinity of an oyster farm that imports juvenile oysters from a nursery in southern Ireland. Their travel path illustrates the global character of the trade. Thieltges and Waser: 'This site of the first record was also the site with the highest infestation. We suspect that the arrival of the worm in the northern Wadden Sea may be related to the oyster imports.'

Here to stay and to be reckoned with

Once introduced, the further spread of invasive species can continue either via dispersal of larval stages or human-aided secondary vectors such as fouling on ship hulls. This may explain that the worm was also found during sampling at the Mokbaai on Texel, an island without oyster farms. Thieltges underlines, that it is unlikely that the worms found near Texel came from Sylt. 'That they made their way from Sylt to Texel, along almost 500 kilometres of coastline, seems rather unlikely. We think there might be a different origin.'

An option would be that larval stages of the worms found in the Dutch Wadden Sea came from Zeeland where there is commercial oyster aquaculture. However, the team still needs to investigate whether the worm is already present in Zeeland as well.' Thieltges: 'Sampling at other places in the Netherlands and in Europe together with genetic research is now needed to establish the origin and distribution of the worm. We don't know its exact origins yet, but we know that it's here and that it is very likely to keep extending its range.'

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This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Americans may have been forced to abandon all international travel plans thanks to strict border restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic - but there is a way around the ban that will cost a pretty penny.

A new report has revealed the wealthy are buying their way out of the COVID-19 lockdown through expensive investment migration programs that will allow them to travel more easily to other parts of the world at a time when the U.S. passport has become virtually worthless.

The scheme offers foreigners permanent residency or citizenship - also known as 'golden visas' - if they are willing to invest substantially in the country's economy.

While the programs have existed for decades, they have grown increasingly popular since the start of the pandemic as the super rich appeared to have made contingency plans.

A CNN Travel report revealed the number of people looking into these options have soared by 49 per cent between January and June from the same time last year, according to London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, Henley & Partners.

Investment migration schemes offer foreigners permanent residency or citizenship - also known as 'golden visas' - if they are willing to invest substantially in the country's economy

From the last quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020, the number of prospects who filed an application for citizenship programs after receiving a consultation also increased by 42 per cent, the company said.

American applications have especially skyrocketed, soaring 700 per cent from the last quarter of 2019 to the first quarter of 2020.

'People really want the insurance policy of an alternative citizenship, which gives them a Plan B,' Dominic Volek, the company's head of Asia, told the outlet.

'They are also concerned about healthcare and pandemic preparedness because, of course, this may not be the only pandemic in our lifetime.'

Depending on the country and program, foreigners are granted permanent residency or citizenship in exchange for pumping money into the host country's economy through real estate, infrastructure or government bonds.

Some countries could also require prospects to establish nonprofit organizations or projects that lead to job creation.

The United Kingdom tops the list for the highest price for citizenship under these programs, starting at $2.6million

Cyprus is one of the most popular - and expensive - destinations where the wealthy are looking to obtain citizenship through investments, with prices starting at $2.5million

WHAT IS A GOLDEN VISA? Immigration investment programs, also known as 'golden visas' grant foreigners residency or citizenship at a host country if they are willing to invest in the economy. Depending on the country and program, prospects may be required to establish a non-profit organization, a project that leads to job creation, or invest in real estate or infrastructure. The programs are popular among the rich who are looking for tax benefits, better quality of life, more freedom to travel, or just a change in lifestyle. The track to citizenship or permanent residency is expedited under these programs but the process can still take months or even years. Advertisement

Starting prices for these programs can range anywhere between $100,000 to $2.6million, and most applicants tend to have a net worth between $2million and $50million, according to the report.

Golden visas are offered in countries across the Caribbean and Europe, with the some of the most popular - and expensive - choices being Cyprus, Montenegro, and Malta, given that they allow applicants freedom to settle anywhere in the EU.

The United Kingdom tops the list for the highest price for citizenship-by-investment, starting at $2.6million, followed by Cyprus, where prices start at $2.5million.

The USA and Canada are also among the most costly, starting at $900,00 and $894,000, respectively.

Cyprus, albeit one of the most expensive, was one of the most popular destinations during the first quarter of 2020, with new applications increasing by 75 per cent, according the report.

Montenegro, where a golden visa can cost you upwards of $294,000, also saw a 142 per cent increase in new applicants.

For those with a net worth between $1 to 10million, Caribbean islands are the ideal choice as they are relatively cheap and provide more incentives, Volek said.

'For example, a wealthy Bangladeshi holds one of the worst passports in the world in terms of travel freedom - you need a visa to go anywhere.

'If you donate $100,000 to the government of Antigua and Barbuda, plus fees, your family of four can get a second passport in about four to six months,' he said.

Montenegro, where a golden visa can cost you upwards of $294,000, also saw a 142 per cent increase in new applicants

Investment migration programs could allow rich people to travel more easily to other parts of the world at a time when the U.S. passport has become virtually worthless

In Australia and New Zealand, the government offers permanent residency-by- investment programs, which are some of the most expensive in the world.

A golden visa in Australia can cost somewhere between $1 and $3.5million and $1.9 and $6.5million in New Zealand, according to CNN.

Although the track to citizenship or residency is expedited under these programs, the process can still take several months to several years to complete, and some countries can be more selective than others.

Malta, for example, which is among the most popular destinations, has a rejection rate between 20 to 25 per cent, according to Henley & Partners.

Applicants are required to disclose their net worth and sources of income - all of which must be legal - and pass a background check.
US President Donald Trump announced an executive order yesterday that will ban all US transactions with Chinas ByteDance and Tencent.

The order affects two apps i.e. TikTok and WeChat starting in 45 days due to heightened tensions at present with Beijing.

 Reuters

The order comes as a way to purge untrusted Chinese apps as they pose significant threats. The apps have been accused by the US lawmakers of untrusted data collection, that may post national security threats to the country.



Trump has issued the executive order under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law that prevents US firms to transact or trade with sanctioned companies. The two apps can only continue to operate in the country if they are sold to American companies within the next 45 days.

 Reuters

Microsoft and ByteDance are already talking to US companies for the sale of a substantial portion of the app, however, TikTok will still be banned in the United States on September 15th, regardless.



TikTok can be used as a way to spread disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Part. In fact, TikTok has done quite a few shady things in the past, including suppressing content that has been highly critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

 Reuters

In the case of WeChat, Trump said it automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information.



What do you think about President Trump banning WeChat and TikTok in the U.S. within 45 days? Do you think it will have an adverse effect on the applications as there are over 100 million users on TikTok in the US? Do you let us know what you think in the comments section.

Source: Reuters
A group of Hong Kongers fleeing the city were forced to claim asylum in the UK rather than being offered six-months permission to stay under current British National Overseas (BNO) guidelines.

Two BNO passport holders, who asked MailOnline to remain anonymous fearing repercussions from Hong Kong police and China, said they were told by border agents they would be returned home unless they applied for asylum, despite being eligible to stay in the UK for six months.

Under current guidelines for BNOs, the UK government permits a stay of six months, in which time the holder may work, study and live in Britain. Individuals claiming asylum have no right to work or earn money while their claim is under review.

In response to the introduction of the controversial national security law in Hong Kong, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab last month announced that residents would be offered a 'route to citizenship', an extension of the six-month allowance to five years.

One arrival, a 34-year-old sales manager from Kowloon, told MailOnline he arrived at a London airport on the 15th July, shortly after Raab's announcement, and was told he would have to be returned to Hong Kong, where he feared he could face consequences for fleeing.

He [the border agent] gave me a small piece of paper, a document made up of squares and texts,' he said.

This file photograph taken on July 16, 2019, shows a UK border sign at the passport control in The Arrivals Hall of Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport, west of London. Two Hong Kongers claim they were rejected six months entry under the terms of their BNO passports and forced to claim asylum

'He said: "You're not allowed to enter the UK Border, and we will send you back to your home country".

'I told him: "Sir... No, please don't do that, please help me. If you send me to Hong Kong, I could be in immediate danger".'

He said he was terrified the Hong Kong government would mark him as 'disloyal' or even arrest him on his return.

Dubbed the 'end of Hong Kong' by critics, the region's controversial new national security law gives Hong Kong authorities sweeping new enforcement powers, and criminalises acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign agencies.

Those found guilty of the crimes can be imprisoned for life or taken to mainland China for trials, where there is a higher risk of torture and mistreatment.

A second arrival, a 32-year-old who worked in Hong Kong as an IT manager, said fears about his grandfather's career as a Kuomintang agent, and documentation handed down through his family, forced him to flee to the UK. He said he has developed mental health issues from the worry that he could be 'put in prison' or a re-education camp 'where they will brainwash me.'

The Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party, were the political party who ruled mainland China from 1928 until the Chinese communist revolution in 1949.

Pictured: Detainees in a Xinjiang 'Re-education Camp' located in Lop County.

'I've got soft copies of documents about how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) runs concentration camps, from the past, and my grandfather's agent identity documentation as a former agent,' he told MailOnline.

'Sadly the copies were destroyed as my family feels that it's too dangerous to leave such evidence at home.'

He fears that under the new national security law, which allows Hong Kong police to raid homes without permits, the documents could be easily discovered and his family put at risk.

'As police now can enter citizen's homes for so-called "investigations", without a permit, they [my family] are worried these documents would be discovered and my whole family would be in great danger.'

He said he had shared the soft copies of the documents with a foreign intelligence agency, who he asked MailOnline not to name for security reasons, in a move which would be considered treason by the CCP.

'The least they would do is put me in prison,' he told MailOnline. 'And if I was unlucky, they'll put me in a re-education camp to brainwash me.

'If not then I'd spend a long time in prison until I committed suicide or I can't bear the torture any more. Or, even worse, like in Xinjiang, they might just harvest my organs.'

United Nations experts estimate that at least one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities are held in detention centres in Xinjiang.

Though the 32-year-old is not a Muslim, he believes similar treatment will be rolled out for people speaking out against the CCP.

Last month, China's ambassador to the UK insisted Uighur Muslims live in 'peace and harmony' despite being confronted with videos showing shackled prisoners being herded onto trains bound for Xinjiang.

The 32-year-old said he left Hong Kong as soon as he heard Foreign Minister Raab announced in the House of Commons on 1 July, that the BNO scheme would be extended, and that he could already move to the UK with the existing promise of a six-month stay.

'The announcement was made on 1 July', he told MailOnline. I submitted my resignation letter to the bank and then seven days later, I took the flight to the UK.'

A video grab from footage broadcast by the UK Parliament's Parliamentary Recording Unit (PRU) shows Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab making a statement in the House of Commons in London on July 20, 2020

''They were saying that the CCP or the Hong Kong police would disapprove the travel documents, or even that they would close the border, to stop those with BNO at the airport.

'I, and many other Hong Kongers, were afraid of this so we had to leave before they did those crazy things. We didn't want to be trapped.'

Shortly after being contacted by the MailOnline for comments regarding the cases of the two men, the Home Office updated their guidelines for Hong Kongers wishing to come to the country.

'The Hong Kong BN(O) Visa route will open from January 2021. Eligible BN(O) citizens are able to apply for this route both inside and outside the UK,' the statement reads.

'For those who wish to travel before the route opens, the UK will ensure that BN(O) citizens who wish to come to the UK are able to do so, subject to standard immigration checks.

'A BN(O) citizen can come to the UK as a visitor for up to six months without a visa, or apply for an existing visa route. Eligible BN(O) citizens unable to meet the Immigration Rules may be granted Leave Outside the Rules at the border. Eligible BN(O) citizens will be able to switch to the Hong Kong BN(O) Visa route once it is open, from within the UK.'

Both men will now be able to revert to the BNO scheme in January, but they are worried about having to sustain themselves for six months without paid work.
NEW HAVEN  The United Illuminating Co., working with city crews round the clock, have cut the number of households without power in half and 140 streets have been made passable, but there is a lot of work to do as thousands remain without electricity two days after Tropical Storm Isaias roared through the state.

Mayor Justin Elicker said an estimated 5,900 residents have no power and he asked that they be patient as the process of restoration is a multi-step one that took seven to 10 days when the last two major storms hit the area.

A major milestone was the reopening of one lane on Route 34 that had been closed since Tuesday due to serious infrastructure damage that included three utility poles and a transformer, Elicker said in an update in a press conference Thursday in the Office of Emergency Management. The obstructed area was between Ella T. Grasso Bvld and Yale Avenue.

Elicker and Rick Fontana, director of emergency management, said UI brought in five crews to work on Route 34 because of the importance of partially opening that major artery. Crews are expected to be back Friday morning as the work continues.

As the city triages the situation, it plans to reopen five streets Friday morning that are currently inaccessible to public safety personnel. Other streets are partially blocked, or fully obstructed, but there is an alternative route to get to them. The streets are prioritized based on safety concerns.

The obstructed streets include: Edwards at St. Ronan Street; Willow and Livingston streets; a portion of Cleveland Road; Shelton and Bassett streets; Edwards Street between Prospect Street and Whitney Avenue.

Fontana said they have been working on the serious damage on Lexington Avenue, as well as Rock Hill Street, Starr Street and Colony Road, all of which needed multiple crews. Those streets that needed cranes to help with the clearing, included Woodward Avenue and Hurlburt Street.

These trees are as big as houses, Fontana said.

Another priority is 1004 Quinnipiac Ave. where there is a monster tree leaning on the wires next to a Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority pump station that moves millions of gallons of sewage. Fontana said.

We need that taken care of, he said.

He said cutting in half the number of households without power and clearing 140 streets two days after the storm happened because of the coordination with UI and the utilitys decision to have work crews out at night.

We have never gone through the night time hours with our utility companies before, Fontana said.

Fire Chief John Alston Jr. said fire personnel responded to 153 trees on property, as well as twice on injuries to people and numerous calls on live wires downed. He said this was in addition to responding to regular medical and fire calls.

Alston also warned about the improper use of generators that he saw were over heating, or being brought into a garage or closer to a home increasing the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

He said every corner of the city was damaged by this storm, Fontana said. He said this is the third most impactful storm in the states history.

Elicker said New Haven had 400 incidents of wires in trees. The number of trees that are down is pretty astounding, the mayor said.

On the job is a make safe crew from UI that shuts power to downed wires, plus four restoration crews and the five additional crews called in for the Route 34 work. There are also seven crews from Parks, Recreation and Trees.

He said during the storm, Bella Vista, home to some 2,000 elderly residents, lost power, the first time in 20 years, but it was restored within two hours.

We were very happy about that for obvious reasons. It was very important as it is a vulnerable population, Elicker said. He said the New Haven Port also lost power so there was a brief fuel disruption, but that also was quickly restored.

The mayor said he did not feel that more intense tree trimming in the city would have made a lot of difference given the severity of this storm and the high winds. Asked if he favors putting power lines underground, Elicker said he has been told the cost is prohibitive.

The mayor told residents that the city still has COVID-19 food supplies for those who need them and they are handing out items to keep medications cool. For these items they should call the OEM at 203-946-8221. If people see wires down, they should also call that number. If they have a medical emergency they should call 911.

He said the libraries are open so residents can cool off there or charge their cell phones.

The mayor said they have not heard if National Guard crews that Gov. Ned Lamont activated would be coming to New Haven.

Elicker said work is prioritized for safety reasons. He said there is a huge tree in front of his house that is broken and leaning on power lines, but he has not lost power. The mayor said he has told his wife and his neighbor it will be a really, really long time before that is addressed. That is frankly not a priority right now.

Officials in Branford also gave an update on the damage caused by Isaias.

In Branford, about half of the Eversource customers remained without power as of about 2 p.m., First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove said in a Community Message update.

Eversource crews are slowly responding to power outages, the update said. Branfords Public Works Department has been continually working on tree removal that does not involve wires. Unfortunately, any trees involving wires require specialized power crews from Eversource.

We understand residents frustration with the continued delay in restoration. Please be assured that we are continuing to put pressure on Eversource regarding restoration efforts, it said.

CVS at Short Beach Road and West Main Street (Route 1) is currently closed due to loss of power, the update said. If you normally receive your prescription at this location please try calling another branch for assistance. The closest location is CVS, 369 Main Street, East Haven, 203-469-6594.

People who must go out are asked to please use extreme caution when traveling and do not go around or through areas that are marked off by yellow tape or barriers, Cosgroves office said.

The Joe Trapasso Community House at 46 Church St. is open as a cooling center for Branford residents. Residents are asked to ring the doorbell located at the rear entrance.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
Jerry John Rawlings obsession with power as a military ruler became very difficult for him to return the country to constitutional rule, Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi has disclosed.



In his book Working with Rawlings, Prof. Ahwoi claimed that the late Justice Daniel Francis Annan, a former Speaker of Parliament and Captain Kojo Tsikata, a former National Security Advisor, had to do everything possible in convincing Rawlings to agree that constitutional governance was the way to go.



This obsession with power was clearly one of the reasons Rawlings fell out with his comrades, Prof Kwamena Ahwoi wrote in his book. Having been in power for 19 years, he could not imagine himself without power and he felt cheated out of power by his comrades who should have helped him retain power.



Prof Ahwoi further stated that Captain Kojo Tsikata, Ato Ahwoi, P.V Obeng, Kwame Peprah, Kofi Totobi-Quakyi who were Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) appointees and had thus worked with the former military leader over many more years had soured their individual and collective relationship with Rawlings over this matter.



JJ Rawlings, as a young Flight Lieutenant in the Ghana Air Force, together with some soldiers mostly junior ranks had attempted a coup d'etat on May 15, 1979, to overthrow the then military regime led by General F. W.K. Akuffo, and had been arrested. They were on trial when June 4, a separate insurrection happened, during which they were freed.



On June 4, 1979, the announcement of the government overthrow was made at Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), Accra, by JJ Rawlings who had been released by the separate group of insurrectionist soldiers, who had succeeded in overthrowing the Supreme Military Council (SMC II) administration that was trying Rawlings et al.



Due to his oratory skills, Rawlings became the de facto head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), a third military administration in a row.



Supreme Military Council I (SMC I) was led by Lt. Col. Isaac Kutu Acheampong who had ruled from 13 January 1972.



Since Acheampong was merely deposed, Akufos administration only continued with other military officers without a name change, hence the popular name SMC II.



The June 4, 1979 coup was supposed to be the mother of all coup d'etat so that the military will no longer be involved in politics, explains Osahene Boakye Djan, the de jure chairman of the AFRC.



It was military versus military; junior ranks versus senior ranks...to return the soldiers to the barracks and restore civilian rule. More especially, to restore military discipline and their lost respect in the eyes of civilians due to corruption in high office.



But Rawlings came back on 31 December 1981 - in the words of Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, like a thief in the night - and overthrew the constitutionally elected Dr. Hilla Limann administration and disbanded the third republican Parliament, a process started by SMC II which the June 4 insurrectionists had merely continued.



He then established the PNDC, and many of his AFRC colleagues ran into exile because they were seen as threats.



Indeed Kweku Baako, who was Boakye Djans spokesman while the latter was in exile in the UK has admitted several times that there were attempts by Rawlings former colleagues to overthrow the PNDC and restore civilian rule again.



Many of those who attempted were arrested and killed. Kwesi Pratt, the editor of the Insight newspaper, has always insisted that under the PNDC, over 200 persons went missing. Nobody has denied that yet.



The Limann administration had been in power from September 1979 and was in its 27th month when the second coming of JJ Rawlings, then popularly called Junior Jesus dawned upon Ghanaians that 31st night when the religious had gone to church to pray for a Happy New Year.



Rawlings held onto power until he transitioned Ghana to civilian rule in 1993 after he established the National Commission for Democracy circa 1986, chaired by Justice DF Annan, a Member of the PNDC.



The first District Level Elections was held in 1988 to elect assembly members onto district assemblies. The PNDC Secretary for Local Government was Kwamena Ahwoi.



Indeed from 1986 or thereabouts when the idea of democracy was conceived to January 1993 was almost seven years, a really long time in the life of a nation.



This is the context within which Ahwois argument of Rawlingss unwillingness to hand over power must be understood.



Indeed, in his early days as Chairman of the PNDC, Flt. Lt. JJ Rawlings reportedly in answer to a news reporter, who had asked When are you going to hand over power? retorted: Hand over to whom?



This became a popular reference point in everyday conversations.

Source: Ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Pfizer said Friday that it signed a multiyear agreement to make covid-19 treatment remdesivir for developer Gilead Sciences, which is under pressure to increase tight supplies of the antiviral drug. Gilead is aiming to make enough of the drug by the end of the year to treat more than 2 million covid-19 patients, and agreed to send nearly all of its remdesivir supply to the United States through September. Hospital staffers and politicians have complained about difficulties in gaining access to the drug.
Residents of Georgetown, particularly those of the community of Langley Park, have taken to social media and even to the street to voice their concern about the shooting death of one of their own, at the hands of the Royal SVG Police Force.

Juan Abbott-Balcombe, 29, was reportedly shot in the early hours of Saturday morning, August 1.

A release, dated August 1, 2020, from the Public Relations and Complaints Department of the Royal SVG Police Force, described the incident as follows:

"On Saturday, August 1, 2020, between 2:00 am and 3:00 am, a group of Police Officers were returning from a function when they saw the deceased, Juan Abbott who is known to the Police, walking along the Langley Park Public Road. He had what appeared to be a gun in his right hand. The Police alighted the vehicle, identified themselves to the deceased and shouted, Stop and drop your weapon. The deceased did not obey the Police command, but instead  turned around and open fire at the Police.

The Police returned fire and the deceased began to run. The Police gave chase after the deceased. Upon reaching in front of his place of abode, the deceased turned around and again opened fire at the Police. The Police returned fire and shot the deceased in his right thigh.

The deceased then ran to the back of his house, scaled two walls and escaped from the Police. A party of Police Officers from the Georgetown Police Station later joined in on the search for the deceased. His body was subsequently found in some bushes approximately four hundred (400) yards from his house.

However, the details as contained in the Police release did not go down well with Abbott-Balcombes relatives and friends, and this dissatisfaction overflowed into the wider community.

At least one resident of Langley Park, not a usual source of this publication, reported that family members were not allowed "to see the dead mans body, which the person said, remained where he died for "a long, long time.

Contrary to what the Police said in their release, anotherresident told this publication that Abbott-Balcombes body lay dead on a piece of land not far and less than 400 yards from his residence.

All in all, close family, other relatives, friends and residents of Langley Park are insisting, the police release notwithstanding, that the circumstances surrounding Abbott-Balcombes death remain "cloudy, as one person said; and that information is not forthcoming from the police.

To show their support for the deceased young man and in a show of support for the call for a thorough and impartial investigation into the incident that led to his death, relatives and residents staged a candlelight demonstration and vigil that culminated with the planting of candles, at the spot where Abbott-Balcombe lay dead.

According to the referenced release from the police, a coroners inquest is expected to be conducted to get to the root of the circumstances that ended in the fatal shooting.

A date for Abbott-Balcombes funeral service and burial was not confirmed up to Thursday, but a contact in Georgetown said that a large turnout is expected, given the preparatory activities that are taking place. (SR)
Honeywell Automation share price closed higher in trade today after the firm reported its earnings for quarter ended June 2020. Share price of Honeywell Automation gained 15.07% intra day to Rs 31,500 against previous close of Rs 27,374 on BSE. Later, the stock ended 13.27% or Rs 3,633 higher at Rs 31,007. The large cap stock has gained after two days of fall. Honeywell Automation share stands higher than 5 day, 20 day, 50 day, 100 day and 200 day moving averages.

The share has risen 35.27% in one year and gained 12.76% since the beginning of this year. Market cap of the firm rose to Rs 27,415 crore. Total 2149 shares changed hands amounting to turnover of Rs 6.48 crore. In June quarter, the California-based firm reported a 14.4 per cent decline in sales to Rs 736.23 crore against sales of Rs 857 crore on an year on basis. Net profit fell 14% to Rs 98.08 crore in Q1 against Rs 114 crore profit in the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal. Earnings per share declined to Rs 110.93 in Q1 against Rs 125.70 in same period of previous fiscal.

The firm in its earnings release said,"The duration and severity of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption caused to global economic and business environment continues to remain uncertain. The Company's operations and financial results for the quarter have been impacted by the lockdown. The operations are gradually resuming to normal with requisite precautions during the quarter. The Company continues to monitor the economic effects of the pandemic while taking steps to improve its execution efficiencies andthe financial outcome."

Honeywell Automation India is engaged in the manufacture of electronic systems and components; repair and maintenance, and trading of machinery, equipments and supplies.

The company operates through the automation & control systems segment. It operates through two geographical segments: domestic and exports. A Fortune India 500 company, Honeywell Automation India Limited (HAIL) has more than 3,000 employees based in nine offices across India - Pune, Baroda, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Gurgaon, Kolkata, and Jamshedpur.
Rescuers retrieved at least 15 bodies and struggled to free around 50 others feared trapped under debris in Keralas Idduki district on Friday after torrential rains triggered a massive landslide in the area, officials said.

Local authorities said the settlement of tea estate workers in Rajamalai of Idukki was hit by the landslide early on Friday.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a team of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) has been deployed in the rescue efforts.

An NDRF team has been deployed to rescue the landslide victims in Rajamalai, Idukki. Police, Fire Force, Forest & Revenue officials have been instructed to join the rescue efforts. Another team of NDRF, based in Thrissur, will soon reach Idukki, Vijayan tweeted.

Here is what we know so far:

* The massive landslide hit the tea plantation workers settlement in Rajamalai, burying it under a mound of slush and rock.

* The settlement is about 25km away from the hill resort of Munnar, which was ravaged by the flood in 2018.

* Many of the residents were in deep sleep when the landslide hit the area and they couldnt escape, officials said. They added that at least 84 people lived in the settlement.

* Idukki district collector H Dineshan said they were informed about the accident after one of the workers escaped and alerted forest officials at the Eravikulam national park.

* Dineshan said heavy downpour and foggy climate in the area is hampering rescue operations.

* Officials said at least 16 people were rescued and rushed to the hospital.

* E Chandrasekharan, the state revenue minister, said they have sought the help of the Indian Air Force for airlifting the injured but were told it will be difficult in inclement weather.

* Residents said the area has been witnessing heavy rains over the last three days and power and communication networks in the area were disrupted due to the downpour.

* According to reports, another landslide took place on the way to the Sabarimala hill temple in Pathanamthitta. The famous Shiva temple in Ernakulam district was almost submerged as the water level in the Periyar River rose.

* The India Metrological Department (IMD) has declared a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Idukki, Malappuram and Wayanad districts and orange alert in five other districts of the southern state.
Auto industry set to put brakes on central Europe's COVID-19 recovery FILE PHOTO: Employees work on an assembly line as the Volkswagen construction plant reopens after closing down due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bratislava

By Krisztina Than and Jason Hovet

BUDAPEST/PRAGUE (Reuters) - The auto industry, long a driver of economic growth in central Europe, is likely to be one of the main drags on the region's efforts this year to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

After communist rule ended in central Europe three decades ago, foreign carmakers invested heavily in a region that had a cheap and efficient workforce. The auto sector became an important source of foreign investment, employment and growth.

But with car production hit by factories idling during coronavirus lockdowns, and many still not back at full throttle, the industry is expected to be worse hit by COVID-19 than many others in central Europe.

That is bad news for the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, which are particularly reliant on the auto industry.

"Proportionally this sector is expected to suffer the biggest drop in the manufacturing sector in the region. This is where the recovery will be the slowest so it could be one of the main drags on GDP," said Peter Virovacz, an economist at ING in Budapest.

Writing to other European Union states and EU institutions in April, the heads of the Czech, Polish, Hungarian and Slovak auto industry associations said their four countries employed 1.3 million people directly or indirectly in the auto sector and accounted for nearly a fifth of EU vehicle production.

The sector generates 4-6% of Hungary's gross domestic product and a tenth of the Czech Republic's GDP. In Slovakia, it accounts for 13% of GDP and half of industrial production.

But some car producers in central Europe expect output to drop 20-25% this year, reflecting a global production slump, and GDP is likely to be dented.

The EU executive, the European Commission, has forecast a 7.0% decline in GDP this year in Hungary, a 7.8% fall in the Czech Republic and a 9.0% drop in Slovakia. Poland's GDP, which is less dependent on the auto sector, was seen declining 4.6%.

Story continues

STEPPING PRODUCTION

Carmakers have largely avoided mass layoffs in the region and are bringing back staff, gradually increasing the number of shifts - and output - while observing social distancing rules.

Germany's Daimler <DAIGn.DE> said its Hungarian plant was working in two shifts and would reintroduce a third from the first week of August.

Kia Motors Slovakia, part of South Korea's Kia Motors Co., is aiming to reintroduce a third shift from September.

"In the second half of 2020, we hope for more orders and an improvement in the situation on the automotive market so we can fully use production capacity," a company spokesman said. Kia's Slovak production dropped 27% in the first half of the year.

Groupe PSA Slovakia, owned by Peugeot maker PSA, has said it has enough orders until the autumn.

In Hungary, Suzuki <7269.T> expects a 20% drop in output this year compared to its original forecast. It returned to two shifts in mid-July.

The Czech Automotive Industry Association forecasts car production in the country to drop by a fifth in 2020, and auto sector revenue to fall by at least 215 billion crowns ($9.6 billion).

In their April letter, the four national auto industry associations asked the EU for the swift re-establishment of supply chains, financial support and a review of regulatory requirements.

Peter Erdelyi, chairman of the Hungarian Car Importers' Association, said there had been no response yet.

A European Commission spokesperson told Reuters by email that any regulatory flexibility should not involve a delay or rollback of EU environmental ambitions.

"Strict environmental legislation is the best way to promote competitiveness and innovation," the spokesperson said.

NO BUYERS, NO ORDERS

Thousands of component suppliers, employing tens of thousands in central Europe, have also been hit hard.

Koyo Bearings Czech Republic, part of Japan's JTEKT Corporation, is running at 70% of levels before the pandemic.

"We expect demand will continue to gradually grow," Koyo's director, Petr Novak, said. "But we will not reach the levels of the pre-pandemic situation until maybe the middle of 2021. This is our best, optimistic scenario."

Novak said Europe, which accounts for 80% of the factory's sales, was not recovering as quickly as hoped and there were concerns about a second coronavirus wave.

The firm is planning week-to-week, with many of the 470 staff at home on government schemes to help businesses through the pandemic, he said.

Plastic molding company FAMU Kft, near Budapest, is planning only weeks ahead.

"Our survival strategy has been that we managed to win new markets and business in electronics and other segments," said Jozsef Nyiro, who runs the company.

Nyiro, who is chairman of the Hungarian Automotive Suppliers' Association, said the next few months would be critical for suppliers.

"A task for the government is to regenerate buyers' demand ... because if there are buyers then we get orders," he said.

(Writing by Krisztina Than, additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski in Brussels, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
On July 20, Ant Group, the fintech arm of Alibaba established in 2014, announced it would launch initial public offerings (IPOs) both on Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Science and Technology Innovation Board of Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), popularly known as STAR Market, consolidating the trend of dual listing among Chinese companies.

Four days earlier, chipmaker Semi-conductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) got listed on STAR Market, following an earlier debut in Hong Kong. Electric vehicle maker Hozon Auto has also announced its plan to list on STAR Market in 2021.

Ant Group runs Alibaba's digital payment and lending service platforms such as Alipay, Alipay Wallet, Yu'ebao and Ant Credit. The company, with an anticipated valuation of $200 billion, said it hopes to further its technological innovation and promote digital upgrading of China's service industry through the listings.

According to media reports, it is likely to raise $10-$20 billion on STAR Market, which will make it the biggest IPO on the A-share market. Wang Pengbo, an analyst at consultancy Analysys, told The Beijing News that Alipay holds over 53 percent of the mobile payment market share in China. Given its business expansion based on mobile payment and online financial services, the high valuation is within expectations.

The trend shows the attraction and global competitiveness of STAR Market for tech companies in China, SSE said in a statement.

Triggering a trend

STAR Market started trading in July 2019 with relaxed rules to allow listing by tech firms in different phases of growth and with different equity structures. In March, SSE announced the board would be opened further to fintech enterprises and technological service providers. By July 22, 140 companies worth 2.8 trillion yuan ($400 billion) were trading on the board.

An increasing number of Chinese enterprises are seeking to list in both the mainland and Hong Kong as the stock markets lower their threshold and widen access. Alibaba was the first to have a second listing in Hong Kong last year, followed by other Internet giants including NetEase and JD.com this year.

Yin Zhentao, an associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told The Beijing News the rapid development of China's capital market due to the introduction of a registration-based IPO system and the status of Hong Kong as an international financial center have made both the markets equally appealing. For registration-based IPOs, the companies have to simply register with the board, unlike the prevailing approval-based system in which they need approval from China Securities Regulatory Commission, a process that may take several months.

Dual listing began to trend with the rise of China Concept Stocks, Chinese companies which first listed outside the Chinese mainland to facilitate foreign investment and then returned home for a second listing amid growing uncertainties in China-U.S.

relations, which have also created uncertainties for Chinese investors in the United States. More domestic Internet giants may follow suit, Dong Yizhi, finance and compliance lawyer of Shanghai Joint-Win Law Firm, told China High-Tech Industry Herald.

STAR Market and Hong Kong Stock Exchange have a complementary role. Listing in Hong Kong can facilitate access for international investors while the Shanghai board gives them an easier entry to the mainland market.

Dual listing "will allow more market players, including individual stockholders, to share the benefits of the growth of China's digital economy," Yin said.

Benefits for Ant

Derived from Alipay, the mobile payment platform based on the QR code system launched in 2004, Ant Group has developed businesses covering online payment, wealth management, loans and insurance. Alipay obtained its Internet finance license for offering third-party payment services in 2011 and by March 31 this year, there were around 900 million Alipay users in China. It also has collaborations in Hong Kong as well as eight countries including the Republic of Korea and Thailand. Alipay's online payment services cover over 200 countries.

During its growth, Ant Group has completed several rounds of financing. In its last major fundraising in 2018, investors put $14 billion into the company, which was then valued at $150 billion. The dual listing will see it transform from a financial service provider into a fintech firm.

Jing Xiandong, executive chairman of the company, said in a press release on July 20 that becoming a public listed company will enhance Ant Group's transparency, including to its customers, business partners, employees, shareholders and regulators.

The participation of Ant Group in STAR Market, in turn, will also enhance the market capitalization and influence of the latter and attract more large investment institutions, Dong Dengxin, Director of the Finance and Securities Institute at the Wuhan University of Science and Technology, told Beijing Review.

Capitalization concerns

While STAR Market has also seen rapid growth, its capacity to embrace large companies has still not been fully tested. Shanghai-based information provider Wind Information's analysis is that the market capitalization of Ant Group, with its $200-billion valuation, will constitute more than 51 percent of the total value of the board when it lists.

Yan Kaiwen, an analyst with China Fortune Securities, said the listing may cause temporary fund shortage. However, it will not lead to great shocks.

As SMIC's listing shows, STAR Market is gearing up to include giant enterprises. Its efforts will pay off in the long term when Ant Group, as a blue-chip enterprise, begins to attract more investors with steady growth.

According to Yan, more people are converting household savings into funds in the capital market and investment in wealth management and insurance funds is being encouraged.

Besides Ant Group, more fintech enterprises such as JD Digits, the fintech subsidiary of China's online marketplace JD.com, have also recently unveiled plans to list on STAR Market.

"The growth of such companies shows the high-quality development of China's economy. The listing will be a trend that will benefit the sci-tech board, investors and the capital market," Wang said.
Cancun police arrest 3 for kidnapping woman for her bank cards

Cancun, Q.R.  Police in Cancun have arrested three people for the kidnapping of a woman. The Quintana Roo State Attorney Generals Office reports that through deceit, the woman was lured into a building in SM 66 where she was then held against her will.

While there, injuries were inflicted so she would reveal her bank cards along with their passwords as well as her personal belongings and cash. The Attorney General says the bank cards were used at ATMs as well as in commercial establishments for purchases.

After an investigation, the Fiscalia General del Estado de Quintana Roo reports they were able to identify and locate the three responsible. Lucy C, Yarely L and Magdiel B were taken into police custody from a house on 15th street in SM 66. Police say upon entering, all three were inside along with the victim.
Why it matters: Amid increasing trade tensions between China and the US, the Trump administration is looking to step up its efforts to drive Chinese tech companies out of everything from telecom infrastructure to consumer-facing apps and services. It's not clear how these plans will materialize, but if they do, they could lead to the splintering of the open and free Internet.

The Trump administration has unveiled a five-part plan to remove the presence of Chinese tech companies from the American Internet. Dubbed "Clean Network," the program aims to disrupt Chinese espionage efforts and prevent any censorship decisions being made at the whim of the Chinese government.

According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the new program is an expansion of the White House's 5G Clean Path initiative that was announced earlier this year and targeted Chinese telecom equipment providers like Huawei, Hikvision, Hytera, and ZTE.

Clean Network would extend that same attitude towards "untrusted applications from US mobile app stores." One obvious example is TikTok, which is now facing an outright ban unless Microsoft can buy the entirety of its global operations. Pompeo told CNBC that "with parent companies based in China, apps like TikTok and WeChat and others are significant threats to personal data of American citizens, not to mention tools for Chinese Communist Party content censorship."

Of course, that ignores the fact that companies like Facebook and Twitter have suffered severe data breaches in the past, the most recent of which facilitated a Bitcoin scam. Ironically, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg -- who is known for his strong opposition to adopting Chinese values on big online platforms -- reportedly told his employees this week that banning an app like TikTok would set a "really bad long-term precedent."

Additionally, US officials want to prevent Chinese phone manufacturers from pre-installing or offering trusted apps made by American companies in China. This is mostly a reaction to Huawei's alternative app store called AppGallery, which has apps from companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Snap but is missing countless other apps that are popular in the US.

In another stroke of irony, American companies like Google and Facebook have had a hard time penetrating the Chinese market, and have mostly ceded it to local companies like Tencent, Baidu, and Sina Weibo. To make matters more confusing, Facebook recently discontinued a standalone TikTok clone called Lasso and started a global rollout of another called Reels, which will reside inside the Instagram app.

Another focus area of the Clean Network program would be to safeguard American cloud services and intellectual property. On the IP side, the Trump administration is looking to remove the opportunities along the supply chain where Chinese companies can steal American trade secrets. This has already manifested through cutting Huawei's access to TSMC's foundry and briefly suspending shipments of Intel server equipment to China's largest server maker.

On the cloud side, Chinese companies like Tencent, Baidu, and Alibaba would be prevented from collecting, storing, or processing the data of US users. It could also press American companies like Apple to offer detailed explanations of their relationships with the Chinese government, which hasn't worked very well in the recent past.

The fifth component of the Clean Network program is "Clean Cable," which would involve close scrutiny of undersea cables and the ability of Chinese authorities to use them for intelligence gathering. Even cables backed by American companies like Facebook and Google would be subject to the same treatment, as shown through the DOJ and FCC's recommendation to pause work on an 8,000-mile Internet cable between the US and Hong Kong.

There are reasons to believe that the "Great Firewall" proposed by the Trump administration is unlikely to become a reality, especially since it ignores the technical aspects of how the Internet works. Furthermore, around 70 countries across several continents already have infrastructure deals with China that are difficult to throw off the window overnight.

If, by any chance, the Clean Network initiative ever achieves its goals, we'd be left with a "splinternet," which at first would look like a US-controlled Internet co-existing with a China-controlled Internet. Other countries like Russia have also dreamed of a "sovereign Internet," which could lead to a gradual fracturing of the free Internet that was supposed to transcend national borders.

Ultimately, a politically-motivated move such as this could backfire against American companies and US consumers. A great majority of the gadgets we use are assembled in China, and it will be a while before some of them can be produce at the same scale in other countries like India. And, as pointed out by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in a post discussing the pending TikTok ban, more countries could soon start using the pretext of "national security" to fracture US tech companies.
Elon Musk admits he prayed about SpaceX project: 'Im not very religious, but I prayed for this one'

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Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk is not a religiously observant person, but he admitted earlier this week that he prayed about his Space X project.

In remarks after the Dragon Capsule completed a splash landing in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, bringing home two U.S. astronauts, the chief engineer and CEO of SpaceX, said at one point during his speech: You know, Im not very religious, but I prayed for this one.

Musk has long planned to make living on Mars a viable option.

Were going to go to the moon, were going to have a base on the moon, were going to send people to Mars and make life multi-planetary, he said.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine believes space travel is going to become increasingly common in part because of private-sector innovation.

We are entering a new era of human spaceflight, where NASA is no longer the purchaser, owner and operator of all the hardware. We are going to be a customer, Bridenstine said.

One customer of many customers, in a very robust commercial marketplace for human spaceflight to low-Earth orbit.

He added: We also want to have numerous providers that are competing against each other on cost, and innovation, and safety, driving down costs and increasing access to space in a way thats never been seen before.

Musk believes the recent space accomplishments represent an "achievement of humanity."

I think this is something that the whole world can take some pleasure in," he said. "These are difficult times when  you know, theres not that much good news  and I think this is one of those things that is universally good no matter where you are on planet Earth, this is a good thing, and I hope it brightens your day.

Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken splashed into the ocean just before 3 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, concluding their approximately two-month stint at the International Space Station.

Were both super, super proud to have been just a small part of the team that accomplished bringing those spaceflights back to the Florida coast and bringing that capability back to America, Behnken said after landing.

The Dragon Capsule was launched from a Falcon 9 rocket owned by SpaceX in May and was both the first private launch of NASA astronauts and the first launch of NASA astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011.

What is known as space tourism, traveling into space for recreational purposes, is sometimes referred to as citizen space exploration, personal spaceflight, or commercial human spaceflight, covering spaceflights which are suborbital, orbital, and even beyond Earth's orbit. Several companies have emerged in recent years for those wealthy enough to travel to space.
Michael Gove during a visit to the Ulster Carpets factory in Co Armagh (Press Eye/PA)

The Government has insisted a 355 million package to help Northern Irelands businesses navigate Brexit red tape is not an admission of an Irish Sea border.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove was in the region on Friday to promote the financial support measures for local traders bringing goods into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Mr Gove insisted Northern Irelands economic status within the UK was not diluted by the Brexit withdrawal deal, and predicted businesses would actually gain a competitive edge over GB counterparts under its terms.

The senior Cabinet minister also expressed optimism that a trade deal with the EU would be sealed by the end of the year, claiming the tone of negotiations had improved in recent weeks.

Expand Close Michael Gove visited the Ulster Carpets factory in Portadown (Kelvin Boyes/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Michael Gove visited the Ulster Carpets factory in Portadown (Kelvin Boyes/PA)

A 200 million Trader Support Service will help firms deal with the paperwork associated with bringing goods in from Great Britain or the rest of the world.

It will provide end-to-end assistance to deal with import, safety and security declarations on behalf of traders.

An additional 155 million is being invested to develop new light touch technology to ensure the process can be fully digital and streamlined.

The measures are needed because the Northern Ireland protocol within the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement requires it to remain in alignment with EU rules on goods, effectively creating a regulatory border in the Irish Sea from January 1 after the transition period ends.

That means that digital import and safety and security declarations will be needed to avoid tariffs on trade within the UK and that goods destined for Ireland or the EU pay tariffs when they should.

Unionist critics of the Northern Ireland protocol claim it will create internal borders within the UK.

NEW TRADER SUPPORT SERVICE I Up to 200m by UK Government to support and guide NI businesses who are importing goods from Great Britain and beyond.



Register for updates  https://t.co/TxBlZDBm7B pic.twitter.com/U3Du4kAqZl  Northern Ireland Office (@NIOgov) August 7, 2020

Mr Gove rejected that analysis on a visit to the Ulster Carpets factory in Portadown.

I dont accept the argument that theres a border down the Irish Sea because Northern Ireland businesses, Northern Ireland people will continue to have totally unfettered access to the rest of the UK, he said.

The Northern Ireland protocol doesnt change the economic or the constitutional position of Northern Ireland.

It does give Northern Ireland businesses an advantage though.

It means that they have privileged access into the European single market.

Now, as a result of that privileged access, there are some bureaucratic processes and thats why were spending money today, because we wanted to make sure that Northern Ireland businesses are not out of pocket, that they and workers in Northern Ireland get all the benefits of being in the best of both worlds.

Mr Gove had a breakfast meeting with First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster on Friday morning.

He said Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill was unable to attend the engagement.

Expand Close First Minister Arlene Foster, Michael Gove, and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis during a breakfast meeting in Hillsborough Castle (DUP/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp First Minister Arlene Foster, Michael Gove, and Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis during a breakfast meeting in Hillsborough Castle (DUP/PA)

On the prospect of a trade deal being struck with the EU before the transition period ends, Mr Gove said: I think with respect to the negotiations that we have with the EU, our desire to implement the protocol fairly and completely I think has helped to ensure that there is a better tone and atmosphere to the negotiations.

Obviously theres still a fair amount to be done, but Im optimistic that well be able to secure a negotiated outcome at the end of this year.

The minister acknowledged the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on the Brexit process but he said he did not believe it would derail efforts to finalise an agreement.

I dont for a moment play down any of the consequences of Covid for Northern Ireland, for the Republic, for the whole of the UK  its been a uniquely challenging time, he said.

But its also been the case that its been a time where the strength of the United Kingdom and the quality of the relationships across these islands have come to the fore.

The Trader Support Service is designed to take care of the new red tape on businesses behalf at no cost, with officials indicating it should be seen as an enduring commitment rather than a short-term fix.

The new service is outlined as part of the publication of new guidance on the protocol for businesses moving goods into and from Northern Ireland.

Further support could be provided to cover health certification requirements for agrifoods.

Expand Close The new scheme is designed to help businesses bringing goods into Northern Ireland from GB (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp The new scheme is designed to help businesses bringing goods into Northern Ireland from GB (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Gove also tried to allay concerns among some consumers in Northern Ireland that their access to online products sold by GB traders could decrease as a result of the protocol.

He said the Government would support any GB-based traders who encountered issues dispatching to Northern Ireland.

If there are people who are small traders who use Amazon or Etsy, or one of those platforms, and there are particular problems that they face then of course well engage with them to see if there are any particular unintended consequences of the operationalisation of the protocol that need to be addressed, he said.

Mr Gove also insisted that Northern Ireland businesses wanting to access the GB market by transiting through Dublin port would not be adversely impacted by using that route.

If there are particular issues that the companies that have to rely on making sure that they can have an effective dispatch for their goods from Northern Ireland through the Republic, through Dublin, and into UK ports, we will make sure that unfettered access is secured, he said.

The Trader Support Service will take care of the new Brexit red tape on businesses behalf at no cost, with officials indicating it should be seen as an enduring commitment rather than a short-term fix.

The new service is outlined as part of the publication of new guidance on the protocol for businesses moving goods into and from Northern Ireland.

Further support could be provided to cover health certification requirements for agrifoods.

Separately, the Government has committed a further 300 million to the Peace Plus programme to support reconciliation projects across the island of Ireland from 2021-27.

Commenting on the Brexit support measures, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said: Businesses have always been at the heart of our preparations for the end of the transition period.

This new Trader Support Service backed by funding of up to 200 million reinforces this approach  it is a unique service that will ensure that businesses of all sizes can have import processes dealt with on their behalf, at no cost.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2020 - 21:49 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

The Japanese government has reached an agreement with British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc to receive a supply of 120 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine being developed with the University of Oxford, health minister Katsunobu Kato said Friday.

The vaccine will be supplied to Japan from next year if put into practical use, with 30 million doses to be received by March.

The drugmaker, which has been conducting a final-stage clinical trial of its experimental AZD1222 vaccine, has not yet decided whether it is necessary to inoculate a person once or twice.

"We want to reach a final contract as quickly as possible, as well as proceed with negotiating with other vaccine developers," Kato told reporters.

Japan has already agreed to receive a supply of 120 million doses of a coronavirus vaccine for 60 million people by the end of June next year from U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE, if they succeed in developing it.

AstraZeneca has announced that it will start supplying its COVID-19 vaccine overseas in September, and is expected to begin clinical trials in Japan later this month to confirm its efficacy and safety.

The British company is also in talks with JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. in Hyogo Prefecture to produce vaccine solutions, and with Tokyo-based Daiichi Sankyo Co. for packing and storing vaccines.

The drugmaker's COVID-19 vaccine is among the world's most advanced vaccine candidates. The company has said the vaccine showed robust immune responses in all participants in early-stage trials.

Related coverage:

Japan to be supplied with Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses for 60 mil.

U.S. firms in final stages of coronavirus vaccine trials

FOCUS: Will Japan be ready to host the delayed Olympics next year?
Police in Boston arrested a 45-year-old man on Thursday who they say vandalized more than 30 cars in East Boston since June.

Santos Moscoso of East Boston is expected to be arraigned in East Boston District Court on charges of malicious destruction of property.

On Thursday night, officers responded to a call of vandalism in progress in the area of 115 Paris St. in East Boston, police said. After arriving, a witness said Moscoso had scratched multiple cars in the area and pointed to a nearby park where he was walking, police said.

Following an investigation with assistance from local community members, police say the vandalism committed by Moscoso on Thursday was the latest in a dozens of incidents that date back to June.

The Boston Police Department continues to review the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. They are asking anyone with information relative to this investigation to contact Boston Police District A-7 (East Boston) Detectives at (617) 343-4234.

Community members wishing to remain anonymous can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463).
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 17:42:20|Editor: huaxia

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BAGHDAD, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and four others wounded in an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants in the eastern province of Diyala, a provincial security source said Friday.

The attack took place late Thursday night when IS militants attacked an army base outside a village near the town of Khanaqin, some 165 km northeast of the capital Baghdad, Alaa al-Saadi from the provincial police told Xinhua.

The attack resulted in a fierce clash between the two sides that continued until 2 a.m. local time on Friday (2300 GMT on Thursday) when the attackers withdrew, al-Saadi said.

There was no immediate report about casualties among IS militants, he added.

Despite repeated military operations against the IS remnants, they hide in deserts, rugged areas as well as in Himreen mountain range which extends in the provinces of Diyala, Salahudin and Kirkuk, carrying out frequent attacks against security troops and civilians. Enditem
BEIRUT  The latest on the explosion in Beirut (all times local):

2:20 a.m.

President Donald Trump has spoken about the explosion in Beirut during calls with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Trump said Friday that he told Aoun that three large aircraft filled with medical supplies, food and water were on their way to provide assistance. The U.S. leader also said emergency responders, technicians, doctors and nurses were on the way to Lebanon to help.

In a tweet, Trump said: We will be having a conference call on Sunday with President Macron, leaders of Lebanon, and leaders from various other parts of the world. Everyone wants to help!

Deb Riechmann in Washington

___

11:55 p.m.

The United Nations says it would consider a request to launch an international investigation into the explosion that devastated Beirut but hasnt received such a request from the Lebanese government.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters Friday that were certainly willing to help with the Lebanese authorities, however they so choose.

Some 50 prominent Lebanese representing a cross-section of civil society and activist groups have sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asking the Security Council to establish an international commission to investigate the causes of the disaster.

The letter also asks the council to establish a commission and trust fund to conduct a detailed survey of the damage, provide aid to victims and oversee reconstruction.

___

10:10 p.m.

Lebanons state-run National News agency says a Lebanese businessman whose cruise ship was destroyed and in the Beirut port explosion and who had some staff members killed and wounded has filed a lawsuit against those who will be found responsible for this weeks blast.

Orient Queen owner Merhi Abou Merhi on Friday became the first person to sue over the Tuesday explosion that killed at least 154 people, wounded more than 5,000 and damaged wide parts of the Lebanese capital.

Two Orient Queen employees, a Syrian and an Ethiopian, were killed and seven others were wounded in the blast.

The news agency quoted Abu Merhi as saying there should be a fair, quick and transparent investigation and that the state should compensate people for losses to help the countrys already suffering economy.

___

9:55 p.m.

Lebanons state news agency says the chief of the customs department has been questioned by a judge over this weeks deadly blast in Beirut, after which the judge placed him under arrest.

The agency says investigative Judge Ghassan Khoury decided Badri Daher should remain in custody after questioning him for five hours on Friday. Sixteen other port officials and staffers are also under arrest.

The National News Agency gave no further details about the arrest, three days after large amounts of ammonium nitrate exploded at Beiruts port. The explosion killed 154 people, wounded more than 5,000 and caused wide destruction.

Daher told The Associated Press on Thursday that he and his predecessor sent six letters, the last of which was in 2017, to a judge, warning repeatedly that the huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored in the port was a danger. They had asked judicial officials for a ruling on a way to remove it.

Daher said it was his duty to alert authorities of the dangers but that is the most he could do.

___

8:55 p.m.

The United Nations official in charge of emergency relief has released $6 million for the response to the devastating explosion at Beiruts port, bringing the total U.N. funding for relief efforts to $15 million.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Mark Lowcock said the latest money is intended for trauma care and other urgent hospital needs, the repair of damaged homes for the most vulnerable people, and for logistical support.

The $6 million from the Central Emergency Relief Fund comes on top of $9 million in released funding released from the U.N.s Lebanon Humanitarian Fund to address primary health needs and to provide food assistance.

This blast ripped through a country already facing civil unrest, economic hardship, the coronavirus outbreak, and a heavy burden from the Syrian refugee crisis, Lowcock said. Despite everything, the people of Lebanon have remained generous hosts to millions of Syrian refugees and a beacon of humanity for us all.

While the Lebanese people are strong, he said they are being severely tested and our response should be swift and determined.

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which Lowcock heads, said it coordinated the deployment of experts to assist the first responders in Beirut.

OCHA said the United Nations and its partners are urgently assessing the situation and mobilizing emergency assistance, including relief items such as temporary shelters for approximately 300,000 displaced people, including 80,000 children.

Health organizations are working to maintain COVID-19 services while helping victims of the explosion, it said.

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8 p.m.

The World Health Organization is scrambling to deploy $1.7 million worth of personal protective equipment to Beirut after 17 containers filled with supplies for the COVID-19 response were destroyed in this weeks massive explosion.

Dr. Rick Brennan, WHOs emergencies director for the eastern Mediterranean, expressed concerns that the coronavirus outbreak in Lebanon could now get worse in the aftermath of the blast.

He says the massive extra burden of injured people could cause the health system to be overstretched by the emergency and coronavirus responses.

Brennan said the huge volume of supplies from a regional WHO hub will be needed to replace lost COVID-19 gear like aprons, gloves, masks and respirators. They are expected to arrive via a phased series of flights over the next week  with the first coming in the next two to three days.

He noted concerns about the debris and particulate matter still in the air following Tuesdays deadly chemical explosion. Masks could be useful not just against the coronavirus but for people who have respiratory or heart disease.

___

6:55 p.m.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says the explosion at the Beirut port reveals nepotism and corruption that cant be ignored in Lebanon and that those responsible should be brought to justice.

Nasrallah denied in a speech on Friday that his group was responsible for Tuesdays blast or exercised any power at the port. He was responding to claims that his group may have stored explosives at the port.

Still, Nasrallah didnt rule out a missile attack or an act of sabotage. He said that storing explosive materials like ammonium nitrate at the port for so long means it is partially an issue of negligence, corruption, nepotism that should not be ignored.

Nasrallah added that if there is more confidence in an investigation carried out by Lebanons military, then so be it. He said nothing about an international investigation, which has been suggested and supported by the French and other Lebanese politicians.

Nasrallah also said his groups domestic opponents are using the blast to blame Hezbollah and to turn public opinion against it.

You will see no results, he said

___

5:13 p.m.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun says there are two possibilities behind Tuesdays blast  either negligence or external intervention by a missile or a bomb.

Aoun said Friday that he asked France for satellite images to see if there were warplanes or missiles in the air at the time of the blast.

The blast is believed to have been caused when a fire touched off 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored at the port since it was taken from an impounded ship in 2013. The cause of the initial fire is not known.

Aoun told journalists that he received information on July 20 about the stored material and immediately ordered military and security officials to do what was necessary. He did not elaborate. He said several governments in charge since 2013 received warnings about the material.

He said the investigation is concentrating on 20 persons. He rejected an international investigation into the blast, saying that it will make us lose the truth.

___

3:40 p.m.

Pope Francis has sent a 250,000-euro (nearly $300,000) donation to the Church of Lebanon to help in the aftermath of the explosion.

The Vatican described that donation as initial aid that is intended as a sign of the pontiffs fatherly closeness to people in serious difficulty.

The aid has been sent through the Vaticans diplomatic mission in Beirut.

The Vatican noted that churches and monasteries were among the buildings destroyed by the blast in the port.

Already underway is an immediate emergency and first aid response including medical care, shelters for the displaced and center of basic needs made available by the church through various Catholic charities, the Vatican said in announcing the papal donation on Friday.

3:20 p.m.

European Council President Charles Michel is heading to blast-ravaged Beirut for weekend talks with Lebanons leaders as the EU weighs up its contribution to a donor conference in coming days.

Michel, who chairs summits of the EUs 27 national leaders, will hold talks on Saturday with Lebanons president, prime minister and the speaker of parliament.

He will also take part in a French-organized donor conference, along with the EUs crisis management commissioner. Brussels has said that the virtual meeting would take place on Sunday, but France has yet to confirm a date.

The EU has sent more than 300 rescue workers, sniffer dogs, vehicles and equipment to Lebanon and around 33 million euros ($39 million) is being provided to help address emergency needs, despite concerns that the money might be misused due to deep corruption in the country.

EU commission spokesman Peter Stano said Friday that Europes leaders are underlining the need for change in Lebanon, which was already shaken by a severe economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic before Tuesdays massive explosion at the Beirut port.

He says the tragedy is a wake-up call also for the Lebanese politicians to start efforts to unite themselves and to embark on a very serious reform effort, because it is so obvious to Lebanese people and also to Lebanese partners outside that Lebanon needs profound reforms.

____

3:10 p.m.

U.N. organizations are stepping up efforts to help Beiruts beleaguered population after a chemical explosion, expressing concerns about food shortages, a lack of COVID-19 protective gear, and tens of thousands of homeless children.

At a U.N. briefing in Geneva on Friday, World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier said the organization was appealing for $15 million for emergency trauma and humanitarian health support. He said 17 containers laden with personal protective equipment  much needed for fighting the coronavirus outbreak  were destroyed in the blast. WHO has sent in trauma and surgical supplies already.

UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado says as many as 100,000 children are among those whose homes were damaged or destroyed and have now been displaced.

She says the areas around the blast faced the most active community transmission of COVID-19, and said it was impossible for those affected to practice safe distancing  alluding to recommendations by WHO and other health officials that people should keep a safe distances from each other to fight the coronavirus.

World Food Program spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs says the agencys allocating 5,000 food parcels to families in Beirut, noting that Lebanon imports 85 percent of its food  much of it through the now-damaged Beirut port.

____

1:35 p.m.

Saudi Arabia has sent two planes to Lebanon carrying more than 120 tons of medicine, medical devices, emergency supplies, tents, shelter kits and food items for people in Beirut affected by the massive explosion this week.

The Saudi government said Friday a specialized team from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center will supervise the distribution.

____

12:45 p.m.

The U.N. human rights office is calling for an independent investigation into the Beirut explosion, insisting that victims calls for accountability must be heard.

Spokesman Rupert Colville of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights cited the need for the international community to step up to help Lebanon with both a quick response and sustained engagement.

He said Lebanon is facing the triple tragedy of a socio-economic crisis, COVID-19 and the ammonium nitrate explosion that devastated the capital on Tuesday.

Colville also called for the poor and most vulnerable to be respected as Beirut and Lebanon rebuild, and urged Lebanese leaders to overcome political stalemates and address the grievances of the population. That was an allusion to large protests that broke out in Lebanon in October.

___

12:10 p.m.

A team of 22 French investigators has started work in Beirut to search for evidence and bodies from Tuesdays deadly explosion and help Lebanese authorities determine what caused it.

Based on information from Lebanon so far, Frances No. 2 forensic police official Dominique Abbenanti says the explosion appears to be an accident but that its too early to say for sure.

In an interview with The Associated Press, he predicted that the death toll will grow as more bodies are found.

French investigators are involved at the request of Lebanon, and also because one French person died and at least 40 were injured.

Eric Berot, chief of a unit involved in the investigation, says the zone the investigators cover is enormous. Its a titanic job.

He says the investigation is complicated by the huge scale of the damage and the Lebanese situation, referring to the political and economic crisis in the country before the explosion.

___

11:15 am.

Rescue teams are searching the rubble of Beiruts port for bodies, nearly three days after a massive explosion sent a wave of destruction through Lebanons capital, killing nearly 150 people and wounding thousands.

French and Russian rescue teams with dogs are searching the area, and at least three more bodies were recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 149.

The government has launched an investigation as it faces mounting criticism, with many Lebanese blaming the catastrophe on negligence and corruption.

The blast was apparently caused by the ignition of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used for explosives and fertilizer, that had been stored at the port since being confiscated from an impounded cargo ship in 2013.

The blast shredded a large grain silo, devastated neighborhoods near the port and left several city blocks littered with glass and rubble.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 23:20:37|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday lowered its flood-control response posture from Level III to Level IV, the lowest level of its four-tier emergency-response system for floods.

The downgrading came as water levels in the Yangtze River, Huaihe River, and Taihu Lake continued to fall, said the Ministry of Emergency Management.

The ministry urged related localities to continue to keep a close eye on the situation and strengthen the prevention of possible disasters.

All-out efforts should be made to help affected residents restore life and coordinate re-construction work, said an official with the ministry. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:42:40|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. President Donald Trump (L) welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

"In the time of a global pandemic and an economic crisis, the last thing Canadian and American workers need is new tariffs that will raise costs for manufacturers and consumers, impede the free flow of trade, and hurt provincial and state economies," says Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.



WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement to re-impose a 10-percent tariff on certain Canadian aluminum imports has sparked backlash at home and abroad, and reignited trade tensions with its major trading partner.

The 10-percent tariff, which will affect non-alloyed unwrought aluminum articles, takes effect on Aug. 16, according to a newly released presidential proclamation.

During a campaign speech at a factory in Ohio Thursday afternoon, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the United States and flooding the country with aluminum exports and killing U.S. aluminum jobs.

The U.S. aluminum business has been "decimated" by Canada, Trump said, adding the new tariff is absolutely necessary.

Participants of the Group of Seven (G7) summit European Union Council President Donald Tusk, British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (from L to R) pose for a group photo on the first day of the G7summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, June 8, 2018. The Group of Seven (G7) summit, which kicked off here on Friday, is expected to be a tough meeting between the United States and its allies amid raising concerns over U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. (Xinhua/POOL)

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement on the presidential proclamation that "following removal of the Section 232 tariffs on imports from Canada in May of last year, imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminum have increased substantially to a level above historical volumes of trade over a prolonged period."

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday evening that "Canada will impose countermeasures that will include dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs."

"We will always stand up for our aluminum workers. We did so in 2018 and we will stand up for them again now," Trudeau said.

According to the U.S. presidential proclamation, Canada is the largest source of U.S. imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminum, accounting for nearly two-thirds of total imports from all countries in 2019 and approximately 75 percent in the first five months of 2020.

In 2017, Canadian aluminum sales to the United States reportedly totaled 8.4 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 80 percent of Canada's total exports of the metal.

U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) welcomes visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (1st L) at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Oct. 11, 2017. Trump met with Trudeau Wednesday amid new NAFTA negotiations. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

In 2018, amid strong opposition, the Trump administration unilaterally imposed a 25-percent tariff on steel imports and a 10-percent tariff on aluminum imports globally, citing national security concerns.

In May 2019, Trump removed the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, in order to pave the way for congressional approval of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a new trade deal which entered into force on July 1 this year.

The U.S. president's decision to slap tariffs on Canadian aluminum was immediately refuted by Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who said citing national security concerns to impose tariffs on certain Canadian aluminum products is "unwarranted and unacceptable."

"In the time of a global pandemic and an economic crisis, the last thing Canadian and American workers need is new tariffs that will raise costs for manufacturers and consumers, impede the free flow of trade, and hurt provincial and state economies," Freeland said in a statement.

"In response to the American tariffs, Canada intends to swiftly impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures," Freeland said.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks at a joint press conference with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Feb. 13, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

The decision to impose new tariffs has also prompted backlash from industry groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which immediately voiced opposition.

"These tariffs will raise costs for American manufacturers, are opposed by most U.S. aluminum producers, and will draw retaliation against U.S. exports -- just as they did before," Myron Brilliant, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's executive vice president and head of international affairs, said in a statement.

"We urge the administration to reconsider this move," Brilliant said, calling it "a step in the wrong direction."

U.S. Aluminum Association also called the decision "the wrong approach," saying the industry is "incredibly disappointed" that the administration failed to listen to the vast majority of domestic aluminum companies and users by reinstating Section 232 tariffs on Canadian aluminum.

"After years of complex negotiations and hard work by government, industry and other leaders across North America to make the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) a reality, this ill-advised action on a key trading partner undermines the deal's benefits at a time when U.S. businesses and consumers can least afford it," Tom Dobbins, president and CEO of the association, said in a statement.

Canadian and the U.S. national flags are seen from the Canadian side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on May 19, 2020. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that Canada and the United States have agreed once again to keep the cross-border closed to all non-essential travel for another month amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

The association added that reports of a "surge" of primary aluminum imports from Canada are grossly "exaggerated."

"Five weeks into #USMCA with tariffs coming against #Canadian aluminum imports. So much for any honeymoon period," Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former U.S. trade negotiator, said on Twitter.

"We've learned tariffs beget tariffs. Seatbelts fastened. Here we go again!!" she said.

The new U.S. tariffs will destabilize Canada's industry and supply chains in an economy already struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said President of the Aluminum Association of Canada Jean Simard.

"It's the wrong thing for the wrong reason at the wrong time for the wrong people," Simard said. 
The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Hong Kong head, Carrie Lam, department's press service reported.

The statement runs as follows:

Today, the Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on 11 individuals for undermining Hong Kongs autonomy and restricting the freedom of expression or assembly of the citizens of Hong Kong. These actions were taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13936, The Presidents Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization, which President Trump issued on July 14, 2020. E.O. 13936 declares a national emergency with respect to the situation in Hong Kong, including recent actions taken by the Peoples Republic of China to fundamentally undermine Hong Kong's autonomy and democratic processes, and provides for the imposition of sanctions on actors engaged in these malign activities. E.O. 13936 also builds on and implements provisions of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 and the Hong Kong Autonomy Act of 2020. The recent imposition of draconian national security legislation on Hong Kong has not only undermined Hong Kongs autonomy, it has also infringed on the rights of people in Hong Kong, allowing mainland Chinas security services to operate with impunity in the region, mandating national security education in Hong Kong schools, undermining the rule of law, and setting the groundwork for censorship of any individuals or outlets that are deemed unfriendly to China.

Today, Treasury is sanctioning Carrie Lam, Chris Tang, Stephen Lo, John Lee Ka-chiu, Teresa Cheng, Erick Tsang, Xia Baolong, Zhang Xiaoming, Luo Huining, Zheng Yanxiong, and Eric Chan.

The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy, said Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin.

Carrie Lam, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)

Carrie Lam is the chief executive directly responsible for implementing Beijings policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes. In 2019, Lam pushed for an update to Hong Kongs extradition arrangements to allow for extradition to the mainland, setting off a series of massive opposition demonstrations in Hong Kong. Lam is designated for being involved in developing, adopting, or implementing the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (National Security Law).

Chris Tang, Commissioner of Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF)

Chris Tang, as the Commissioner of the HKPF, has enthusiastically supported the Hong Kong National Security Law. The HKPF besieged Hong Kong Polytechnic under his leadership, along with arresting hundreds of protestors. Chris Tang also sits upon the newly established Committee for Safeguarding National Security. He is designated for coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning individuals under the authority of the National Security Law.

Stephen Lo, Former Commissioner of HKPF

Stephen Lo was the previous commissioner of the HKPF until 2019. Under his leadership, over 4,000 protestors were arrested and 1,600 injured in clashes. Stephen Lo is designated as a leader or official of a government entity whose members have engaged in activities to prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly in Hong Kong.

John Lee Ka-chiu, HKSAR Secretary for Security

John Lee Ka-chiu is the Secretary for Security in Hong Kong, where his office is responsible for all security-related policies. John Lee Ka-chiu is also a member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR government, an organ for assisting the Chief Executive in policy-making, and has introduced a new police unit dedicated to enforcing the Hong Kong National Security Law which will have intelligence gathering and investigation capabilities. He is designated for being involved in coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning individuals under the authority of the National Security Law, as well as being involved in its development, adoption, or implementation.

Teresa Cheng, HKSAR Secretary for Justice

Teresa Cheng is the Secretary for Justice for Hong Kong. As head of the Hong Kong Department of Justice, Teresa Cheng has said that her major responsibility is implementing and safeguarding national security in the HKSAR. She is designated for being responsible or involved in developing, adopting, or implementing the National Security Law.

Erick Tsang, HKSAR Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs

In April, Erick Tsang assumed the post of Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland affairs, the office that maintains relations between the HKSAR government and mainland Chinese government. He is designated for being responsible for or involved in developing, adopting, or implementing the National Security Law.

Xia Baolong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council

In February 2020, Xia Baolong was announced as the newest Director for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, an organization within the State Council designed to assist the premier in dealing with affairs related to Hong Kong and Macao. The Office has stated that it is entitled to supervise affairs in Hong Kong, including implementation of the Basic Law of the HKSAR. Xia Baolong is designated for being a leader or official of a government entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or autonomy of Hong Kong.

Zhang Xiaoming, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council

Zhang Xiaoming is former Director and current Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, where he is in charge of daily operations. As Director, he backed the controversial 2019 Hong Kong extradition bill. He is designated for being a leader or official of a government entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or autonomy of Hong Kong.

Luo Huining, Director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office

Luo Huining is mainland Chinas top official in Hong Kong, as the Director of the Hong Kong Liaison Office. The Liaison Office has claimed that it is entitled to intervene in Hong Kong affairs despite the Basic Laws prohibition on interference in the affairs which the HKSAR administers in accordance with the Basic Law. Luo Huining is also a National Security Advisor to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong. He is designated for being a leader or official of a government entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or autonomy of Hong Kong.

Zheng Yanxiong, Director, Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong

Zheng Yanxiong is the inaugural director of the newly created Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong. The Office was established under the Hong Kong National Security Law and has broad powers to supervise local authorities and directly investigate major cases. As the Offices Director, Zheng Yanxiong is designated for being a leader or official of a government entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or autonomy of Hong Kong.

Eric Chan, Secretary General, Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR

Eric Chan, the director of the Chief Executive Office, was appointed by Beijing to be the Secretary General of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security as recently established by the Hong Kong National Security Law. The Committees work is not to be made public and its decisions are not subject to judicial review. As such, Eric Chan is designated for being responsible for or involved in developing, adopting, or implementing the National Security Law.

The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong in their ongoing pursuit of freedom and democracy. The 11 individuals designated today have implemented policies directly aimed at curbing freedom of expression and assembly, and democratic processes, and are subsequently responsible for the degradation of Hong Kongs autonomy. The United States will use the authorities in the Executive Order to continue to pursue those that implement these nefarious policies.

Sanctions Implications

As a result of todays action, all property and interests in property of the individuals named above, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or otherwise exempt, OFACs regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods or services from any such person.
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...
In an incident, which can be regarded as absurd, a Triassic-aged sea monster with "a very long broomstick for a neck and sharp curved teeth and a crocodile-like snout has been found.

According to a report published in Live Science, these creatures are of two types. It has now been ascertained that the larger of the two will be called Tanystropheus hydroides, a nod to the hydra. The long-necked mythical sea monster of Greek antiquity. The smaller one will have the preexisting name, Tanystropheus longobardicus.

As per researchers, both these animals with peculiar necks are not only rare but are also fairly inflexible. If the scientists are to be believed then hydroides longobardicus have sort of found a way to coexist. This happened around 242 million years ago.

Stephan Spiekman, a former doctoral student at the University of Zurich's Paleontological Institute and Museum in Switzerland, and also the lead researcher, said, They had evolved to feed on different food sources with different skulls and teeth, but with the same long neck.

As far as the discovery of this animal is concerned, it was first done in 1852. According to a then paleontologist, Francesco Bassani Tanystropheus was a flying reptile called a pterosaur. His theory was that the animals long hollow neck bones were actually finger bones that supported its wings. Later on, this theory was rejected as scientists figured out that the 20-foot-long reptile has a 10-foot-long neck that was three times the length of its torso.
WHO director-general retweets post by Italy's health minister.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), has said that other countries are learning from Italy's efforts in tackling the coronavirus.

"Grazie mille @robersperanza, #Italy Health Minister, for a very good call and for your strong support to @WHO," Tedros commented as he retweeted a post by Italian health minister Roberto Speranza.

"Your leadership and humility is inspiring to other countries who are learning from and acting on Italy's experience."

Photo credit: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com.
MADRID (Reuters) - Catalonia's separatist leader said on Friday that the abrupt departure abroad by Spain's former king Juan Carlos, whose whereabouts have yet to be officially confirmed, was a farce.

The royal palace said four days ago that the former monarch had decided to leave the country amid a cloud of scandals.

This has left the door open to an international guessing game about where the 82-year-old could be, with Spanish media placing him in Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Abu Dhabi.

"Neither Spaniards nor Catalans deserve such a loud and ridiculous scandal on an international scale," Catalonia's leader, Quim Torra, told the regional parliament in a special session that he called to discuss the monarchy.

The northeastern Spanish region's separatist leaders want to build a Catalan republic that would break away from Spain, and the latest scandal is an opportunity for them to push their anti-monarchy agenda. Catalans are split over independence.

"We Catalans do not have a king and we do not want one," Torra said. "What authority will we have to enforce the rules against corruption if we accept a royal family that escapes when they are investigated after taking millions and millions of euros in terrible business commissions?"

In a letter published on Monday by the royal palace, Juan Carlos said he was leaving the country so that his son King Felipe's reign would not be troubled by his woes.

While not formally under investigation, Juan Carlos is at the heart of two probes in Spain and Switzerland over suspicions surrounding a multi-billion high-speed Saudi train contract won by Spanish firms.

Spain's supreme court prosecutor opened a preliminary probe in June to decide whether to extend a corruption investigation into the train contract to the former monarch.

Via his lawyer, Juan Carlos has repeatedly denied to comment on the allegations.

(Reporting by Nathan Allen; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Nick Macfie)
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Even as Bihar Assembly elections are a couple of months away, state Congress leaders told Rahul Gandhi during an online party meeting that it's too late to prepare for the electoral battle in the absence of an organisational structure in the eastern state, party sources said on Friday.

Rahul Gandhi held the meeting with state unit leaders through videoconference on Thursday, during which former Union Minister Tariq Anwar was among the leaders who maintained that the Congress should have started preparing after the Lok Sabha polls in April-May 2019.

The sources said that party leaders pointed out that the Congress organisational set-up in the state is weak.

"It's too late," the sources quoted the state leaders as saying, even as Rahul Gandhi said that the party will finalise its seat-sharing agreement with the Grand Alliance partners in time.

The Congress said on Thursday that 1,000 party cadres up to the block levels attended the meeting, which later turned into a virtual rally as over one lakh person joined in through various social media platforms.

Rahul Gandhi asked the party workers to go into the Bihar elections with a "positive agenda" of providing good governance to the state's people who are allegedly suffering due to unchecked spread of coronavirus as well as devastating flood.

The Congress has a tough task ahead on seat adjustment with the Rashtriya Janata Dal. In the 2015 Bihar elections, both parties contested in alliance with Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United but it has since jumped on to the BJP bandwagon.

There are about 100 seats that were contested by the JD-U in 2015, which need to be distributed among Grand Alliance partners. The Congress wants a major chunk of these seats. The sources said that the Congress may finally agree to contest 70 of the 243 Assembly seats.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
(Alliance News) - Ireland on Friday announced new localised lockdown measures in three counties following an increase in coronavirus cases.

The counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly, to the west of Dublin, will operate under the new rules for at least two weeks.

"There are a number of localised clusters which are a serious concern," said prime minister Michael Martin.

"We can't afford to wait and see."

The new rules include restricting people to their counties, asking them to work from home where possible and the closure of cinemas, museums, galleries and restaurants and pubs serving food.

People will be asked from midnight to restrict the number of visitors to their homes to six and limit outdoor gatherings to 15.

"We are conscious that as we move forward, our responses need to be more nuanced and sustainable," said Martin.

There have been 226 cases of the virus in the last 14 days in the three counties, accounting for around half of all cases in Ireland during that period.

Ireland on Tuesday pushed further back the end of its national lockdown with Martin announcing that "pubs, bars, hotel bars, night clubs and casinos will remain closed".

He also announced that the current limits on crowds of 200 for outdoors and 50 for indoors would remain in place, while face coverings will be mandatory in shops from August 10.

Under an accelerated version of the government's original plan to leave lockdown, Ireland had been set to enter the fourth and final stage of restrictions relaxing three weeks ago, but delayed it due to a rise in cases.

Even though the numbers remain relatively low, they are still on the rise. Some 98 news cases were reported on Friday, with the total number of deaths attributed to Covid-19 now totalling 1,772.

Public health officials have expressed particularly concern about new cases among younger people.

source: AFP

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ValOre Metals Corp. ("ValOre" or the Company; TSXV: VO; OTC: KVLQF; FRANKFURT: KEQ0) today provided an update on the ongoing exploration activities at the Companys 100%-owned Pedra Branca Platinum Group Elements Project (PGE, 2PGE+Au) in northeastern Brazil since the August 14, 2019 closing of the acquisition.



We are proud of the advances we have made at Pedra Branca since closing the acquisition in August of last year, stated Jim Paterson, Chairman & CEO. Since that time, we have successfully implemented an exploration targeting methodology that has yielded many high-priority PGE targets, bolstered our technical team and started metallurgical test work. Most importantly, from a news flow perspective, we have started core drilling at Pedra Branca and look forward to reporting preliminary results from our Phase 1 program soon.

2020 Drill Program Underway

In April, ValOre announced key details of the proposed 2020 Pedra Branca drill program, comprised of two phases totaling 5,910 metres, with 2,875 metres in Phase 1 and 3,035 metres in Phase 2. The drill program will test three target classes at 11 property-wide exploration areas:

Resource expansion;

New discovery (undrilled targets); and

Target advancement (follow-up on historical intercepts at pre-resource targets).

On July 9, 2020, ValOre announced that the Pedra Branca core drill program had started. Phase 1 is targeting 7 distinct target areas with 23 core drill holes totaling 2,875 metres. The first target drilled was the Trapia 1 deposit area, with the goals of resource expansion and new discovery. Logging and sampling of core from Trapia 1 has been completed and 444 drill core samples from 5 holes have been sent to SGS Vespasiano, Minas Gerais for assay. Assay results will be released upon receipt and review of data. CLICK HERE for Figure 1, which provides a summary map of the 2020 drill program at Pedra Branca.

Story continues

Servitec Foraco Sondagem SA, a Brazilian drilling company based in the State of Goias, is conducting the drilling at Pedra Branca. It has more than 700 employees, 90 drill rigs and operates throughout Brazil with clients including Nexa Resources S.A., NX Gold S.A., Lundin Mining Corporation and CMOC Brasil.

Successful Implementation of Targeting Methodology

In December 2019, ValOre reported that it had identified PGE+Au mineralization in all rock samples from the C04 exploration target. Importantly, this new discovery followed the successful implementation of an exploration targeting methodology which combines airborne magnetic data with high resolution, multi-spectral WorldView satellite imagery.

Following the success of ValOres WorldView-mag targeting methodology at C04, in March, 2020 ValOre subsequently identified three new, unexplored, large-scale PGE targets (>3 km of total strike) collectively called Mendes North. The targets are characterized by three >1 km large magnetic anomalies with coincident ultramafic and chromitite WorldView spectral classes.

A geochemical soil sampling and prospecting program of the three Mendes North targets was immediately initiated and assay results from the 598 collected soils served to delineate distinct PGE-in-soil anomalies at all three targets (see July 7, 2020 press release). Furthermore, the PGE geochemical anomalies remain open at all three Mendes North targets, indicating potential continuity of this PGE-bearing belt.

Technical Team Strengthened

In June, ValOre announced it had added significant strength to its technical team with the addition of consulting exploration geologists and technical/corporate advisors Robert A. Brozdowski, Ph.D., P.Geo. and Robert Carpenter, Ph.D., P.Geo. Together they bring over 55 years of exploration experience, including direct experience with PGE-enriched ultramafic systems and a track record of significant discoveries. In addition, ValOre welcomed in-country Project Geologist, Thiago Diniz, P.Geo., to assist in the execution of the 2020 exploration programs at Pedra Branca.

Initiation of Metallurgical Testwork Program

ValOre announced the start of metallurgical testwork by SGS Canada Inc. of Lakefield, Ontario in June. Preliminary metallurgical test work utilizing Falcon UF gravity separation as well as PLATSOLTM leaching on samples obtained from ValOres NI 43-101 deposit areas has been initiated. This metallurgical test work will help to accelerate the advancement of Pedra Branca.

Secured $1.2M Financing

ValOre secured a $1.2 million funding package in April by entering into an unsecured revolving credit facility. This funding arrangement will finance ValOres corporate and exploration activities for the coming year, including fully funding the Phase 1 drill program.

Qualified Person (QP)

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements set forth in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by Colin Smith, P.Geo., who oversees New Project Review for ValOre.

ValOre and Servitec Foraco COVID-19 Protocols

ValOre and Servitec Foraco are closely monitoring impacts on operations and business preparedness plans, as the health and safety of employees, contractors and associated communities is a top priority both companies.

As part of the safety protocol, the companies have implemented daily screening procedures, temperature monitoring, self-assessment checklists and issued directives regarding social distancing to ensure a safe environment for operations. Servitec Foraco has an extensive procedural guide on hygiene and conduct to be adopted daily during and after work hours.

These decisions, by both ValOre and Servitec, reinforce the shared objective of preventing the transmission of COVID-19 among employees, contractors, and the communities proximal to drilling activities.

About ValOre Metals Corp.

ValOre Metals Corp. (TSXV: VO) is a Canadian company with a portfolio of highquality exploration projects. ValOres team aims to deploy capital and knowledge on projects which benefit from substantial prior investment by previous owners, existence of high-value mineralization on a large scale, and the possibility of adding tangible value through exploration, process improvement, and innovation.

In May 2019, ValOre announced the acquisition of the Pedra Branca Platinum Group Elements (PGE) property, in Brazil, to bolster its existing Angilak uranium, Genesis/Hatchet uranium and Baffin gold projects in Canada.

The Pedra Branca PGE Project comprises 38 exploration licenses covering a total area of 38,940 hectares (96,223 acres) in northeastern Brazil. At Pedra Branca, 5 distinct PGE+Au deposit areas host, in aggregate, a NI 43-101 Inferred Resource of 1,067,000 ounces 2PGE+Gold (Palladium, Platinum and Gold; Pd, Pt+Au) contained in 27.2 million tonnes (Mt) grading 1.22 grams 2PGE+Gold per tonne (g 2PGE+Au/t) (see ValOres July 23, 2019 news release). PGE mineralization outcrops at surface and all of the inferred resources are potentially open pittable.

Comprehensive exploration programs have demonstrated the "District Scale" potential of ValOres 89,852-hectare Angilak Property in Nunavut Territory, Canada that hosts the Lac 50 Trend having a NI 43101 Inferred Resource of 2,831,000 tonnes grading 0.69% U 3 O 8 , totaling 43.3 million pounds U 3 O 8 . For disclosure related to the inferred resource for the Lac 50 Trend uranium deposits, please refer to ValOre's news release of March 1, 2013.

ValOres team has forged strong relationships with sophisticated resource sector investors and partner Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) on both the Angilak and Baffin Gold Properties. ValOre was the first company to sign a comprehensive agreement to explore for uranium on Inuit Owned Lands in Nunavut Territory and is committed to building shareholder value while adhering to high levels of environmental and safety standards and proactive local community engagement.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Jim Paterson"

James R. Paterson, Chairman and CEO

ValOre Metals Corp.

For further information about, ValOre Metals Corp. or this news release, please visit our website at valoremetals.com or contact Investor Relations toll free at 1.888.331.2269, at 604.646.4527, or by email at contact@valoremetals.com .

ValOre Metals Corp. is a proud member of Discovery Group. For more information please visit: discoverygroup.ca .

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Although ValOre believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements have been based on factors and assumptions concerning future events that may prove to be inaccurate. These factors and assumptions are based upon currently available information to ValOre. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could influence actual results or events and cause actual results or events to differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. A number of important factors including those set forth in other public filings could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the future operations of the Company and economic factors. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and, except as required by applicable law, ValOre does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. ValOre undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of ValOre, or its financial or operating results or (as applicable), their securities.




Review at a glance









A US indie drama in which a boho thirtysomething from LA, Daphne (Shailene Woodley), gets involved with two gorgeous blokes (Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan, better known in a very different role as Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier in the Avengers series) and complains about the fact that shes living in her sisters pool house.

She looks pensive as she wanders around the perfect, shimmering water. Serious piano music thunders as she has sex with the men, who, by the way, are best friends. For whole chunks at a time, this offering from Drake Doremus (best known for the 2011 gem, Like Crazy) is trite and ridiculously solemn. That said, its not a total disaster.

The acting, for starters, is stupendously organic. You expect subtlety from Woodley, but its a pleasant surprise to see Dornan (such a robotic plonker in the Fifty Shades of Grey movies) walking and talking like a human being. He seems to know that his character, Jack, is nice but also vaguely ludicrous and seizes on every chance to explore Jacks fear of intimacy. Watch Dornans face as Jack explains why his last relationship failed. Jacks girlfriend used dental floss in their bathroom. Oh, the horror, the horror!

The soundtrack has its moments, too. Its not often the band Lambchop gets a shout-out (Daphne listens to a playlist called songs to suffer to and whoever compiled it genuinely loves music).

As for the script, it gets better. Near the end, we learn about one of Daphnes past sexual encounters and the impact is muffled, and horrific, in just the right way. Much of the dialogue, apparently, was improvised. In this section of the movie, Woodley seems to have learned useful lessons from her time on the TV series Big Little Lies.

While not as gritty or profound as Rachel Getting Married or last months Saint Frances, this portrait of a wayward woman deserves a second glance. If you can sit through to the end (a huge if), youll be pleased that you did.

On digital HD
The Trump administration waded even deeper into the Libya conflict this week, backing UN calls for a cease-fire amid the many factions, and signaling again that the countrys oil fields are off limits to those seeking to profit on the war.

The US initiative is well timed, with signs of an escalation of fighting between the Libyan Government of National Accord, which is recognized by the UN and backed by Turkey, and the insurgent forces of former general Khalifa Hifter, who has the support of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and France.

Libyas also become the worlds most dangerous proxy war, ground zero in an increasingly militarized regional contest between Cairo and Ankara that is spreading to the eastern Mediterranean and to Turkeys borders.

And then theres Russia, which, while backing Hifter, has also sought to position itself as broker of an eventual settlement, with its eyes apparently on a cut of Libyans oil revenues.

US announces "360 degree" diplomacy

US national security adviser Robert OBrien waded into the morass this week, releasing a statement Aug. 4 that as an active, but neutral, actor, the United States is pursuing a 360 degree diplomatic engagement with Libyan and external stakeholders to bring about a cease-fire under the UN 5+5 military talks.

As we wrote here last week, US President Donald Trumps summit-level diplomacy with all of the key players could position the United States to get a political process on track.

It also positions the United States as a key player in the region. That was clear when the Trump administration drew the line on Libyan oil  a message directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as Hifter.

After Russian mercenaries, known as the Wagner Group, moved into a Libyan oil field, the US Treasury sanctioned Wagner financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin for sanctions evasion while citing Wagners involvement in Libya.

Washington has also threatened sanctions on Hifter, a US citizen, if he looks to profit from Libyas oil fields. Hifters base of support is in eastern Libya, where some of the key oil fields are located.

On Aug. 6, the Trump administration sanctioned a network of fuel and drug smugglers involved in Libya. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States will take concrete actions in response to those who undermine Libyas peace, security or stability.

Militarizing the Mediterranean

The US moves cant come too soon. The Turkey-Egypt battle for influence has become regionalized, and militarized, spilling over into the eastern Mediterranean, as Hagar Hosny reports.

Obrien said that the efforts of foreign powers to exploit the conflict  undermine the collective security interests of the United States and our allies and partners in the Mediterranean region.

In November 2019, Turkey and the Government of National Accord reached an agreement on offshore gas exploration. Egypt, Cyprus and Greece (and Israel) opposed the deal as an infringement on their rights for exploration and development; the European Union took their side.

Last month Egypt and France, clearly signaling their position, carried out joint naval training exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, as did Turkey.

In a further sign that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considers the eastern Mediterranean a new frontier, this week Turkey reached a joint agreement with Libya and Malta to strengthen cooperation with the Government of National Accord.

In a phone call with Pompeo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry described Egypts "steadfast stance" on Libya and a path toward a peaceful settlement based on the Cairo declaration, which has so far gotten little traction in Ankara or Tripoli.

Sisi takes the fight to Turkeys borders

In response to Turkish actions in Libya and the eastern Mediterranean, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has taken the fight to Turkeys borders.

This week Egypt and Greece signed a maritime deal that outlines an exclusive economic zone for oil and gas drilling rights.

In Syria, the Egyptian government has deepened ties with the primarily Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, which Erdogan considers a terrorist-linked group, and has reportedly sent Egyptian troops to Syria, as Fehim Tastekin reports.

In Iraq, Egypt has condemned Turkeys military operations in the north against Kurdistan Workers Party bases, while broadening political and economic ties with Baghdad.

Putin wants it both ways

The United States isnt the only outside player positioning for power. Putin has managed to be both a partisan in the Libya conflict and potential broker of a deal.

Russia has until now backed Hifter, but this relationship is more handshake than embrace. As Kirill Semenov wrote here in May, Amid the commanders [Hifters] setbacks in the campaign to seize Tripoli, the Kremlin is growing increasingly wary of his behavior, which is resulting in Russian attempts to find other, more reliable figures on the Libyan playing field.

Putin has also kept up the diplomatic action, engineering a joint statement last month committing Turkey to de-escalate the conflict and pursue a "political dialogue" via the United Nations referencing January's Berlin conference, which included representatives of all the key parties to the conflict.

Russia has also been selling weapons to both Turkey and Egypt, as George Mikhail reports.

The upshot? Time is right for a deal

The United States making clear that Libyan oil is staying in place until a deal is worked out should give Putin and Hifter pause in their rush to profit on the war. Trump has already shown he is willing to use sanctions, so they know hes serious.

Putin has coveted another entry into the Mediterranean, and the Egypt-Turkey contest for influence can be a win for him, unless the United States blocks his moves. He has expanded the Russian naval facility in Tartus as a result of the Syria war. Libya, so far, has been a penny stock investment via his mercenaries, as well the usual frenetic diplomacy, which he seems to relish.

With the moves this week, Trump may have seized the diplomatic advantage from Putin, while raising the costs on the Russian leaders Libyan ambitions.

The Trump administration is well placed to get the key parties to back down. As we wrote last week, Trump has good connections with all the key players  Putin, Sisi, Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.

All [these leaders] operate by personal connection and the action moves when they talk, we wrote. The risks of escalation remain high, but the tele-diplomacy has the potential to energize the UN Security Council  especially if Trump, Putin and Macron get on the same page  for an active role in bringing an overdue reprieve to the Libyan people.
We will continue to deal with Chinese PLA in firm, resolute manner: Army chief

Expansionist China now eyes Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Beijing, Aug 07: China continues to find new territories to claim and this time it has laid its eyes on Tajikistan. This comes in the wake of the Chinese media repeatedly saying that the Pamir Mountains should be ceded to China.

An article written by historian Cho Yao Lu using citing Chinese sources says that the entire Pamir region belonged to China and should be returned.

China and Tajikistan signed a boundary agreement in 2010, when the latter was forced to cede 1,158 sq km of territory in the Parmis to China. China is now building an airport at Tashkurgan near Tajikistan-Afghanistan border.

Hard talk on the hotline: India snubs China on step back suggestion

After the formation of the newest Chinese state in 1911, the first task of the authorities was to return the lost lands. Some of the lands were returned, others still remain under the control of the neighbouring countries, Yao wrote.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

One of such very ancient regions is the Pamir, which was outside China for 128 years due to pressures of the world powers, he also wrote.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Friday, August 7, 2020, 16:32 [IST]
(Sharecast News) - London equities are expected to dip at the start of trading despite a renewed push higher overnight on Wall Street.

Weighing on sentiment was the Trump administration's decision to impose a ban on US residents and businesses from working with Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat starting 45 days from now.



A mixed reading on Chinese foreign trade for July and hesitancy ahead of the all-important monthly US non-farm payrolls report due out on Friday afternoon were further dampening investor sentiment.



Against that backdrop, the Footsie was expected to start the day 14 points lower at 6,012



Meanwhile, the year-on-year rate of growth in Chinese exports picked up from 0.5% for June to 7.2% in July (consensus: -0.5%) in US dollar terms, but that for imports slipped from 2.7% to -1.4% (consensus: 0.9%).



Despite the dip in imports, which is directly tied to domestic demand, Capital Economics's Martin Rasmussen judged that China's recovery was set to continue "in coming months" thanks to the stimulus put in place by Beijing and given the continued acceleration in credit growth.



The boost to exports from foreign demand for Covid-19-related equipment on the other hand was likely to fade.



Still ahead for later in the session was the Halifax house price index for July at 0830 BST, followed by July's non-farm payrolls numbers in the States at 1330 BST.



Rightmove posts sharp drop in interim profits



Online real estate agency Rightmove posted a sharp fall in half-year profits and agency branches, reflecting the impact of the coronavirus lockdown as it reported a cautiously optimistic outlook from trading in July. Operating profit fell 43% to 61.7m on revenue of 98m, a fall of 34%. Membership numbers for agency branches and new home developments combined were 3.3% lower since the start of the year to 19,158. Broken down that revealed a 3.5% decline in agency branches together with a 2.1% fall in new homes developments.



TP ICAP reported an improvement in underlying revenue in its first half on Friday, to 990m for the six months ended 30 June, from 922m a year earlier. The FTSE 250 company said its operating profit was up marginally to 159m from 158m, while basic earnings per share were 19.9p, rising from 19.3p. It said a 5.6p per share interim dividend would be paid on 6 November, in line with the interim dividend last year.



Standard Life Aberdeen proposed an unchanged dividend as the investment manager reported a 30% drop in first-half profit and declining revenue. Adjusted pretax profit for the six months to the end of June fell to 195m from 280m as fee-based revenue dropped 13% to 706m. The company proposed an interim dividend of 7.3p a share - the same as a year earlier.
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DPRK's ruling party holds meeting on new department

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:56, August 06, 2020

Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), presided over a meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Wednesday to establish a new division and improve the party's functions, official media reported Thursday.

The Fourth Meeting of the Executive Policy Council of the Seventh WPK Central Committee discussed the issue of setting up a new department within the Central Committee and the ways to improve the party's personnel affairs system, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. It did not give further details about the new department.

At the meeting, "Kim Jong Un called upon the members of the Executive Policy Council to decisively improve the work of the fields in their charge by displaying high sense of responsibility and devotion," according to the KCNA report.

Members at the meeting also heard a report on the anti-epidemic work and the situation in Kaesong City, which is completely locked down under the state's maximum emergency system, and decided to provide special supply of food and funds to the city to stabilize the living of its citizens, the report said.

Kim placed Kaesong near the border with South Korea under total lockdown on July 25 after a person there was found with suspected COVID-19 symptoms, though the official media said a few days later that no confirmed case was reported in the country. Currently, Kaesong is still under lockdown, with "the maximum emergency system" being carried out in the whole country to stem the epidemic.

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It was quite a sight to see four of United States' big tech companies - Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon - with a collective market capitalisation of $5 trillion (nearly two times India's GDP) hauled before the US Congress Antitrust Subcommittee on July 29.

It reflected the power of the US Congress as a co-equal branch of government in a presidential system. The four CEOs - Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos - technology and management titans in their own right, behaved with obvious deference, aware of the power of Congress and diligent Congressmen, to impact on their business through exhortation and new regulation.

In a unique display of 'bipartisanship' for the current Congress, the companies were criticised by both the Republicans and the Democrats, though for different reasons.

The Democrats faulted them for their monopolistic practices, buying up potential rivals, disadvantaging competitors on their platforms, negatively impacting small business, using data generated by rivals for developing their own competing products, and deriving profit from user data, often without explicit consent, not paying for news content carried on their sites.

The Republican criticism was focused more on perceived censorship of conservative viewpoints, with the West Coast-based companies seen as influenced by Left-of-Centre views of their employees. Google had at one stage walked back from participating in Pentagon's Project Maven (use of AI for drone strikes), on account of employee backlash. Facebook was criticised for not doing enough to control proliferation of fake accounts, nearly 6.5 billion every year, since investors and advertisers were lured by user base.

David Cicilline, the chair of the subcommittee, in his remarks, said that 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 any one of these companies can affect hundreds of millions of us in profound and lasting ways....Their ability to dictate terms, call the shots, upend entire sectors, and inspire fear represent the powers of a private government".

In his summation, he concluded that the companies enjoyed unacceptable power, and there was a need to break them up or regulate them further. Instances were cited of railroad and steel companies in US, in an earlier era, the Rockefellers and Carnegies of yore that had used their monopoly to derive huge profits, and squelch competition.

There could be more regulations on these companies, particularly on their use of data. Beyond privacy, there is talk of bulk anonymised data to be put in public domain for competitor use, or to spur further innovation. There is a similar ongoing debate in India regarding non-personal data, and its use for public purpose, beyond private profit and market power of the data aggregator.

In case, there is attempt to unravel some of the acquisitions of these companies, there could be opportunities also for Indian companies. Restrictions on Amazon from using competitor data from its platform, reminds of restrictions in India on their inventory-based model.

Other countries are also taking various measures. Australia has given Google and Facebook three months to negotiate with Australian media for fair pay for news content. In Europe, several measures are under consideration, such as: making it illegal for Amazon and Apple to give their own products preferential treatment; requiring Google to share search data with smaller competitors, and Facebook to make its services work more easily with rival social networks; enforcing a digital tax to enable revenue for government and society where data is being generated, and then used for profit.

In a COVID-19 impacted world, with digital making further inroads, the power of these companies will come for further scrutiny, even as Europe will want to promote competition through its own champions, and China will have to assess impact on its companies as the world wakes to the security and data privacy challenges.

The hearings clearly reflected the power of democracy, of smaller businesses and consumers having their voices and concerns heard through their representatives, despite the technological and financial dominance of the companies. However, breaking them up or regulating them effectively will not be easy. They have tremendous power of lobbying Congressmen and Senators, and will make a case for needing size and flexibility to meet the technological challenge from China.

Many of the regulations imposed on banks and financial companies in the US after the 2008 financial crisis, have since been eased. In India too, there is talk of needing national champions in various sectors to stand up to competition from China, South Korea, the US, Europe and others. This, however, has to be balanced with ensuring due power to the consumer, space for the innovator, and due diligence by elected representatives.
The inquiry heard Crown was warned as far back as 2016 in two due diligence reports that its biggest junket partner, Alvin Chau and his Suncity operation, appeared to be a former member of the 14K Triad in Macau and that the US government considered him to have criminal links. Suncity's private gaming room at Crown Melbourne was described as "an island of immunity". 'Island of immunity' Junkets bring hyper-wealthy Chinese gamblers to overseas casinos, give them credit to get around strict controls on moving cash out of China, and then collect their debts when they return home. The system brings in hundreds of millions of dollars for casinos like Crown every year, but is also vulnerable to being used to clean and move dirty money. Despite the warnings, Crown gave Chau a private gaming room at its Melbourne casino, which counsel assisting Naomi Sharp, after showing a video of Suncity staff exchanging an Aldi cooler bag full of cash for casino chips, said was an island of immunity from Crown's anti-money laundering controls and reporting obligations.

Crown eventually closed Suncity's exchange desk after it discovered $5.6 million of cash stored in a cupboard in March 2018. Such an inordinate amount of cash, Preston said, sent "money-laundering alarms ringing". Yet none of those events, nor the reports by this masthead about Chau's underworld links and that Home Affairs banned him from visiting Australia, prompted the Crown panel that approves junkets to review their business relationship. Preston said he had more recently suggested they review the partnership, based on the "holistic history" of Mr Chau, who closed his private room last year. The Star Sydney also continues to work with Suncity, the inquiry heard, with its chief casino officer, Greg Hawkins, saying all he had read about Chau was speculation. "Ive nothing to validate it", he said. [There were] instances, well documented, of money laundering through Crown... where that money laundering has been linked by the courts to drug trafficking. Commissioner Patricia Bergin, SC After a prolonged grilling, Preston acknowledged the "apparent link" between two former junket partners and an international drug syndicate known as The Company, which used Crown to launder drug money.

The board claimed that it "had no dealings or knowledge of any organisation of that name or description". Preston repeated that claim in a written submission to the inquiry in March. But Sharp laid out a meticulous paper trail of publicly available court documents and media reports, which connected the syndicate to a former Crown junket operator, Roy Moo, who was convicted in 2013 of laundering $682,000 of drug money through Crown Melbourne. Former Liberal minister Helen Coonan took over as Crown's chairman and long-serving CFO Ken Barton became CEO when executive chairman John Alexander stood aside in January. Credit:Eamon Gallagher Another partner, which Crown paid to arrange for triad bosses to gamble at its Perth casino in 2015, was identified in the report as the "Hot Pot junket". Internal Crown documents showed that its junket partner Ng Chi Un owned a Hot Pot restaurant in Macau. "Are you saying you didn't put those two things together?" Sharp quizzed Preston. "Thats a rather extraordinary oversight, is it not?"

"Not to my knowledge or that I recall", Preston responded. Loading Commissioner Bergin said it was clear there were "instances, well documented, of money laundering through Crown... where that money laundering has been linked by the courts to drug trafficking". "So I suppose if you had your time over, you would like to do the exercise that Ms Sharp has done to ensure that the board was appraised of all these matters?" she asked. "Having that information at hand would have been definitely relevant," Preston responded.

"The necessary links that have now been drawn, the board was not aware of that as I was not aware of that." In the wake of last year's media reports, Crown's then executive chairman John Alexander said that Neil Jeans, from the consultancy Initialism, reviewed Crown's anti-money laundering systems in late 2018 and declared it "completely compliant" and "a gold star customer". But the inquiry heard that major banks were at that time shutting down Crown banks accounts used by patrons to deposit and withdraw gambling money because of apparent large-scale money laundering. ANZ Bank shut down one account in 2014 after detecting a string of cash deposits made at multiple branches across Perth. New Zealand's ASB Bank shut down another in 2018 after it asked Crown to "urgently answer" questions about its anti-money laundering checks. Crown did not respond for three months, according to evidence before the inquiry. And the Commonwealth Bank closed another local account in late 2019 following another string of large cash deposits. Emails between Crown executives in January 2019 revealed they were running out of options given ANZ and ASB had shut them down and that "Chinese, European and US banks wont go anywhere near" the accounts.

'Completely inadequate' controls Loading Counsel assisting Scott Aspinall put to Preston that the banks' refusal to deal with Crown, and the fact Crown continued to open new accounts that accepted high-risk, anonymous cash deposits despite the banks' warnings, showed that its anti-money laundering controls were "completely inadequate". "Based upon the transactions through the accounts that we saw day after day, month after month, wasnt it clear that Crowns policies were either ineffective to detect and stop money laundering or that Crown was turning a blind eye?" he asked. "It was not turning a blind eye to it," Preston responded. "There are weaknesses that have been observed through looking at the transactions. I accept that."

Preston said Crown monitored the accounts and would have reported suspicious activity it identified to AUSTRAC. But it had no obligation to report the suspect transactions. That was because Crown opened the accounts through two holdings companies, with Crown's now-chief executive Ken Barton and casinos boss Barry Felstead as directors, and did not register them as "reporting entities" with AUSTRAC because, in Crown's view, they were not a "gambling service". Preston agreed that naming the shell companies and accounts Riverbank Investments and Southbank Investments also created a "vulnerability" that they would be used for money laundering or theft by disguising the fact money was being deposited into a casino account. The commission has the power the strip Crown of the licence for its new casino. That would be an extraordinary outcome. But based on the evidence presented so far, it appears something will have to give. At the very least, the "risk based" regulation system used in NSW and Victoria, where casinos largely police themselves and can approve their own junket partners under a framework signed off by government is in the commission's sights.
Kathmandu, Aug 7 : The Nepal government has reported five COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the largest single day spike in the number of fatalities.

With the new deaths, Nepal's coronavirus fatality toll has reached 65, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Five persons aged between 42 years to 72 years died of the COVID-19 in the last 24 hours," Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, told a press briefing on Thursday.

"The fatality rate has risen as infection is growing among the older people," Sameer Adhikari, joint spokesperson at the health ministry told Xinhua on Thursday.

"Growing mobility of people after the lockdown was lifted has resulted in more infections among the older people whose immunity remain weaker compared to younger age people." The government had enforced lockdown on March 24 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and lifted it on July 21.

But the Himalayan country is witnessing resurgence in new COVID-19 cases in recent days after seeing a steep decline for nearly a month.

According to the health ministry, the number of COVID-19 patients who are in critical condition is also rising rapidly in recent days.

Till July 31, there were just 24 critical cases which have risen to 66 on Thursday, and many of them are the old.

At the same time, the Himalayan country lacks adequate infrastructure including ventilators to support more critical cases, according to the Nepali officials.

"We have the limited Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) kits, Viral Transport Mediums (VTMs) and the ventilators. So, our focus has been on preventive measures," said Adhikari.

Meanwhile, Nepal reported 360 new cases on Thursday as the number of total COVID-19 cases reached 21,750.

As new COVID-19 cases started to rise once again, the government has started to restrict movement of people.

An odd-even rule has been enforced for public and private vehicles plying inside Kathmandu Valley and other districts.

The Home Ministry also barred vehicular and public movements from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. in districts having more than 200 COVID-19 cases.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
At Papa Jims Botanica on South Flores, visitors are greeted by the pungent smell of incense and a statue of St. Jude standing tall over a small bowl of burning sage or copal resin. Nearby is a small box of peticiones, poignant requests for help written on small squares of paper.

This is the realm of the saints and black magic, of the earnest prayer and the evil eye and the never-ending war between good and bad energies.

The shop sells a broad range of medicinal herbs, oils, teas and incenses, as well as occult and sacred items.

One incense promises a peaceful home. A powder vows protection from envy. A shiny voodoo ball will foil a curse.

On a long wall of candles, there is one to meet almost every need, from faded love to fixing a bad boss.

Not surprisingly, there is also merchandise to cope with the darkest curse of all  the coronavirus pandemic now raging in its sixth month.

Were selling a lot of herbs for respiratory needs, anything that has to do with coughing and pulmonary infections. Also items for anxiety and to help you sleep, said Yuly Garcia, 34, the store manager.

In these stressful times, some people also seek emotional and spiritual relief in card readings and cleansing, as well as visits to curanderos (healers) and a range of spiritual counselors.

Customers of all ages are seeking folk cures for the mysterious virus. Business has increased at Papa Jims, and Garcia said shes seeing young people who typically would not be drawn to traditional remedies.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

These are people who cannot afford to go to a doctor. They are not sick themselves, but they may have a family member who is sick, or they may be unemployed, she said.

People need to believe in something, and when the government doesnt give them a lot of help, they turn to faith. I think that is the only thing that will get us through this.

For breathing problems, there is gordolobo, an herb sold in a small bag, as well as eucalyptus. Both are used in teas.

To steady frayed nerves, there is seven blossoms tea, as well as a special elixir that combines eucalyptus with green tea, chamomile and dandelion juice.

Also selling well is the religious candle featuring San Roque, the patron saint of invalids and those suffering from contagious diseases.

At least 20 of these shops are doing business in the open in San Antonio. More operate below the radar from peoples homes.

Mask required

A few blocks to the north on South Flores is the Botanica Los Misterios, easily identified by the large mural of Selena on an outside wall.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

Inside, the tiny space is dominated by large statues of St. Jude, St. Francis and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Los Misterios offers a broad range of personal services, from love attraction rituals to cowrie shell readings to chakra balancing.

The shop, owned by Jonathan and Pauline Coronilla, was closed to walk-in business during the early months of the pandemic but served customers outside and by phone.

We were busier in that time than ever before. I think a lot of people turned to botanicas because of faith and job problems. When they were shut in, a lot of people were lonely, said Pauline, 42, who refers to herself as a New Age guru.

These days, business remains brisk, although the small botanica sees only one visitor at a time and requires each to wear a mask.

Weve done curbside and over the phone. Some people dont want to leave their home, she said. One of the botanicas more popular services is candle spells.

With a candle, you add ingredients including herbs, oils and seeds. It all depends on what a persons needs are. Each candle is a remedy to lift a person up, she said. Its a concoction of things. We make holes down into the wax so the powders and oils go all the way to the bottom. Just the right amount keeps the candle going for seven days.

One recent morning, David, 46, a trim health care worker who is a regular customer, stopped by for a consultation with Jonathan.

Im here for answers. We come here for hope and guidance. People are losing their jobs. When will the COVID end? he asked. Ive had the COVID already. Its very depressing working from home.

As he was leaving, David, who declined to reveal his last name, said the visit had lifted his spirits.

I feel good. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, he said.

Spiritual crisis

George Garcia, 48, a fourth-generation curandero, makes house calls as far away as Floresville and Austin. He said that soon after the pandemic hit, he noticed a change in his clients needs.

Before, it was usually Bring my love back, or Someone is doing a brujeria (witchcraft) on me. Can you come and cleanse my house? he said.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

Now, with the COVID, its more about money. Lately, Ive been doing a lot of reversals, like Someone put a spell on me to not have money. Can you reverse it? he added.

Other clients are suffering from a spiritual crisis because COVID-19 has cost them a job or their love life or even worse.

People are giving up. They say, I dont believe in Jesus no more. Why is he doing this or that? Someone in their family dies, and they are trying to blame it on Jesus, he said.

Recently, he got a call from a client who was on the brink of suicide. She had lost her husband to COVID-19 and was in desperate financial straits.

She asked me how much? It brought me to tears. I said, Just give me for the gas, he said.

Janet Zenteno, 53, who owns the Botanica Eshu Aniki on West Commerce, which leans toward African-derived rituals, sees the same pattern.

A year ago, it was My husband is having an affair. Now its about putting food on the table and What will happen to my family if something happens to me, she said.

Zenteno said she counsels clients on unproven ways to resist the virus  by raising their body temperature and boosting their immune systems.

Jerry Lara /San Antonio Express-News

She recommends drinking lots of hot teas made from eucalyptus, peppermint and gordolobo and taking lots of vitamin C.

Recently, Zenteno had her own COVID-19-related crisis. She was reading cowrie shells for a client and asked whether there had been a death in the family recently.

She said, Oh yes, my mother passed away yesterday of the COVID, recalled Zenteno, who was seated just a few feet from the woman.

I asked, Why are you out? and she said. Im asymptomatic. And I said, Darling, you need to leave my place.
The World Peace Volunteer (WPV) a non-governmental organisation, on Thursday commended the Electoral Commission (EC) for ensuring a successful Voter Registration Exercise though with some minimal challenges.



The WPV expressed appreciation to the citizenry for their ability to brave the odds to go out of their homes to be registered amidst the danger of the COVID-19 pandemic.



In a statement signed by Mr Seth Osei Acheampong, WPV President, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, noted that the EC was meticulous about the way and manner it established the necessary instruments and provision for the needed protective equipment to run the exercise.



It further commended the efforts of high placed governmental officials, civil society organisations, observers and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the exercise.



"We laud the effort of the citizenry for their effort in observing the COVID-19 health protocols in all registration centres," the WPV stated.



The statement, however, expressed worry about the way some unscrupulous persons created chaos at some registration centres by bringing some alleged unqualified persons to register.



This years registration exercise had been one of the best through the country's forth democratic dispensation, it said, and pleaded with the Government and other institutions to play their role for a successful general election.



The World Peace Volunteers aimed at promoting world peace through advocating human rights, rule of law consolidation, entrenching of democratic values and good governance through the observation of elections.

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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Antwon Gibson's public high school in Northeast Washington didn't even attempt to teach his "independent living" class virtually this spring. The gregarious 18-year-old has an intellectual disability and reads and performs math below grade level. He's been out of the classroom since schools closed in March and now requires more help from his family to break down multi-syllabic words.

Ayo Heinegg's son, a rising sixth-grader in the District with dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is typically a high-performing student. But he struggled to keep up with his coursework on multiple online platforms and lost his confidence in the classroom.

And in Loudoun County, 8-year-old Theo Duran, who is autistic, struggles more to walk up the stairs or hold a crayon to write - all tasks he was making progress on before the coronavirus pandemic hit and shut down his school.

Parents across the country who have students with special education needs say the stakes are high if schools do not reopen soon. They say their children are not just falling behind academically but are missing developmental milestones and losing key skills necessary for an independent life.

In the conversations about whether to reopen school buildings - or even how to shape virtual learning - parents of special education students fear that the unique needs of their children are not being urgently considered. Their children are often in self-contained classrooms with just six students, and the parents believe there are ways to safely educate them offline, even if the entire student population isn't ready to go back.

It's a predicament that highlights just how complicated it will be to return to classrooms. Teachers - whose unions have been protesting the return to in-person classes - say this is the population of students who require the most hugs and comforting back rubs and who could struggle to follow social distancing and mask rules meant to limit the spread of the virus.

"His teachers and school really did an admirable job this spring. But it paled as a substitute for the level of education engagement that is really required for this group of children," said Kevin McGilly, Gibson's foster parent. "It's not sustainable long term without significant harm to this student population."

The nation's school districts are federally mandated to provide America's seven million students with disabilities an education tailored to their individual needs under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, known as IDEA. Each qualifying child receives an IEP, or Individualized Education Program, which lays out the services the student is required to receive.

But receiving all those services was nearly impossible in the spring, when schools, overnight, shifted to remote learning. There had been no plans to deliver services like occupational or physical therapy to special education students, and parents, who had come to depend on schools to care and educate their children during the day, were suddenly at home with them, untrained and unable to fulfill an IEP.

With the summer to figure out virtual solutions, some districts say they have a better handle on how to help special education students in the fall, including having students meet with mental health, occupational and physical therapists online. Some states gave permission to ease IEP requirements in the hopes of making it easier for service providers to work virtually, said John Eisenberg, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. Some states also have beefed up virtual training for teachers of special education students, he said.

But those methods will not work for all special education students, said Kristi Wilson, superintendent of the small Buckeye Elementary School District in Buckeye, Ariz., and the 2020 Arizona superintendent of the year.

"It is still an unknown in terms of how we are going to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children," she said.

McGilly said he attempted to work with Gibson in the spring as closely as his teachers once did in the classroom, but their foster son didn't want his parents to also be his teachers. Heinegg said it was a full-time job to keep her son on top of his assignments and paying attention in class. Duran can't log on to the computer or type for himself, and his mother, Abby Duran, was worn down by facilitating all of his assignments and classes each day.

Parents of students with special education needs say they aren't always equipped to help teachers fulfill their children's IEP. If parents need to work, their child misses classes and meetings with specialists. Some parents said the virtual sessions were so ineffective that they just skipped them.

"It was extremely damaging to his self-esteem," Heinegg said of her 11-year-old. "I have spent years and lots of energy making sure he loves learning, and that was destroyed. How do you undo that?"

Even for schools that specialize in teaching students with learning disabilities, the challenges with remote learning were profound.

When schools closed in March, St. Coletta Special Education Public Charter School moved swiftly to attempt to fulfill its students' IEPs. The school in the nation's capital - which serves 270 students of all ages with severe intellectual disabilities - moved its one-on-one sessions with students online. Physical therapists and speech therapists made online appointments with students.

Teachers instructed parents to include their children in tasks like grocery shopping and setting the dinner table so they could learn the independent living lessons they would typically get at school.

Despite the efforts, only about 50% of students participated in virtual learning. The other students received little special education services, though teachers reached out to them and posted all assignments online.

"Some parents really struggled, and we had a lot of challenges getting participation for our students, and that is obviously really concerning," said Christie Mandeville, St. Coletta's principal. "The challenge is what can we do? We are doing what we can online, and we try to work with families to make the schedule as flexible as possible."

In the fall, Mandeville said the school will create a virtual learning component to each student's IEP. For example, if a student's IEP says that a child's goal is to walk up a set of stairs but that child does not live in a house with stairs, the virtual learning plan may call for a student to step on and off a household object - a task that uses the same muscles as walking up stairs.

In the District's traditional public school system, 18% of its 52,000 students receive special education services. Chancellor Lewis Ferebee said the school system is providing special education teachers with additional training for online learning in the fall. The school system is also hosting a session for families so they know what to expect from online learning for their children with special needs.

And he said the school system will create a virtual learning addendum to each student's IEP, which would be created with input from parents and teachers on how to implement a student's special education plan virtually.

When schools do reopen, Ferebee has said he would prioritize getting students with special education needs as much time as possible in classrooms. In the meantime, Ferebee has vowed to make remote learning for all students in the fall more robust and structured, with daily schedules and live classes for students in every grade. The school system also plans to use fewer online platforms in response to parent and teacher criticisms.

In the spring, the U.S. Department of Education said that while districts were legally required to provide all IEP services to students with special needs, it did not want to stand in the way of good-faith efforts to do so. However, the department has not explained what would constitute a legitimate effort. It issued guidance in June for how schools can handle disputes with families over special education services, saying that states can extend the timeline on a case-by-case basis for resolving them.

Angela Morabito, press secretary for the department, said Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will hold "accountable" any district that does not provide federally mandated services to students with IEPs. She did not, however, say exactly what that meant.

"The secretary has been consistent since the beginning of the outbreak: there is no excuse to not educate all children," she said in an email. "The requirement to comply with federal civil rights law is not suspended as a result of covid."

Still, until in-person learning begins, some parents are skeptical their children can be helped.

Ever since Ethan Spiros's public school in Arizona closed in March, the special education student has been angrier and more physically aggressive, his mother said. Spiros - who was born with polymicrogyria, a condition that causes severe intellectual disabilities - hasn't had physical therapy in months, and his walk has become more wobbly.

"He has no attention span and if the computer isn't playing Sesame Street he slams the laptop down," said his mother, Jennifer Spiros. "It's been frustrating and a waste of time."

In D.C., Gibson says the uncertainty over this next academic year is stressful. He has been participating in every virtual opportunity and is tired of all the phone calls from therapists and social workers. Even if it is just one day a week, he says he will be happy to return to a classroom.

"When school went virtual, it was hard to learn online - I had never done that before," Gibson said. "I'm mad because I want to go to school. And I am hearing different days of when we go back to school. I miss my teachers, and I miss my friends."

- - -

Hannah Natanson contributed to this report.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 14:32:38|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Afghan Loya Jirga or grand assembly of elders and chieftains gathered on Friday to decide the fate of 400 controversial Taliban inmates in government prisons. Enditem
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Spanish matador Enrique Ponce suffered his comeuppance when a bull he stabbed fought back during a bullfight a few weeks after Spain's first bullfight since lockdown.

Enrique Ponce is one of the country's leading bullfighters and performed several passes with muleta before stabbing the bull at El Puerto de Santa Maria's bullring.

After the bull was stabbed it turned on Mr Ponce, flipping him up with his horns on his buttocks. The father-of-two had to lie down and protect himself from the animal at one point.

Spanish media said it was a scare for the matador with no serious injuries after he was turned over by the bull, which was eventually killed.

The bull was Mr Ponce's first one in the ring on the 140th anniversary of the Real Plaza de Toros de El Puerto de Santa Maria but was not his most applauded kill, which was the second bull, according to local media.

The matador is no stranger to bulls fighting back after he was left seriously injured when a bull tossed him into the air and dumped him on the ground last year.

He hobbled out the ring with torn ligaments in his knee, which he had to have two operations for, and a five-inch gore injury to his buttock.

Whilst opening the Las Fallas festival in 2014 he suffered severe goring during a bullfight and broke his collarbone and several ribs.

After Spanish matador Enrique Ponce stabbed the bull, the animal attacked the bullfighter getting him on the buttocks with its horns

At one point the bullfighter has to lay on the ground and cover his head to protect himself from the animal at El Puerto de Santa Maria's bullring

The bull flung Mr Ponce to the ground during its retaliation causing the matador to lay on the ground with his arms over his head to protect himself

Enrique Ponce dropped his muleta to jump away from the bull and push the bull backwards to avoid being stabbed by its horns

This is the moment Enrique Ponce stabbed the bull with a sword to kill it, prompting the bull to retaliate and attack the matador back

The first bullfight after lockdown saw a small crowd who cheered when the bull died from its wounds and collapsed on the ground.

Animal rights group Animal Guardians said the few people watching the fight is proof the practice should be ended.

Bullfighting bosses asked the government for help in order to survive during lockdown with the sport already receiving public money from national and local governments.

Mr Ponce is one of Spain's leading bullfighters and performed several successful passes before being attacked by the bull

Spain has long been debating the ethicalness in continuing the bloodsport as animal rights activists argue the practice is not cultural but torture
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that would ban the social media app TikTok from operating in the US in 45 days if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance. The order says the US "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security", BBC reported.

The move comes as Trump seeks the divestment of the popular video app, citing national security risks to the US. It threatens penalties on any US resident or company that engages in any transactions with TikTok or ByteDance after the order takes effect, ...
Before he was killed along with seven colleagues during a raid on Vikas Dubey's hideout, Deputy SP Devendra Mishra had suggested that the then Kanpur SSP was "protecting" the then station officer of Chaubeypur who had links with the gangster, audio clips of his purported phone conversations show.

Three audio clips of Mishra's purported phone conversations - one with then Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Rural) Brijesh Srivastava and two with Chaubeypur SO Vinay Tiwari - have surfaced on social media.

After the killing of eight policemen during the July 2 raid in Bikru village, Tiwari was suspended and later arrested, while Kanpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Deputy DIG Anant Deo Tiwari was shunted out.

Asked about the audio clips, Kanpur SSP Preetinder Singh said the matter is being "looked into" and that it is too early to say anything about the clips and the allegations made therein.

Singh told PTI that the commission headed by a former Supreme Court judge and the special investigation team headed by the Additional Chief Secretary are already inquiring into the case and they would check the veracity of the audio clips as well.

During his first conversation with SO Tiwari, DSP Mishra, who was posted as the Circle Officer (Bilhaur), was being apprised about a complaint filed by Rahul Tiwari, a resident of Jadepur-Ghassa, Chaubeypur. In the clip, Mishra asks Tiwari "whether or not the crime occurred and charges levelled in the complaints were true or not".

When Tiwari admitted "manhandling" of the complainant by Dubey, the deputy SP asked him to "take the complainant to police station, lodge his complaint and apprise the SP (Rural) about it".

In another clip, of his purported conversation with the SP (Rural), Mishra reports that SO Tiwari "is saying that I (Mishra) have to go, only then a raid will start and I have agreed to go to supervise the police raid".

Mishra further said that the SO touches the feet of gangster Dubey. "When he touches his feet, what else we can expect", Mishra says and adds, "Once I told him that if he will keep his relations with him then it might lead to 2-4 murders, but he said that only a criminal can give tips about other rewarded criminals."

"SO said that he (Vikas Dubey) got arrested a criminal carrying a cash reward of Rs one lakh. I asked him (Tiwari) to run the police station smoothly, otherwise there will be murders inside the police station," Mishra told Srivastava.

Mishra also alleged that then Deputy DIG/SSP Tiwari, referring him only by his surname, had been protecting the SO.

"SO had been extorting money of Rs 1.5 lakh per month and allowed gambling in his area and despite my warning, he did not stop it. I had to nab the gamblers with the help of police personnel of other police stations. After that I was asked by the then DIG/SSP to give a report against the SO," Mishra is heard saying in the clip of about five minutes.

"Tiwari took Rs 5 lakh from arrested gamblers on the pretext of protecting them from police action, gave it to the then DIG/SSP who dropped all inquiries against the SO," Mishra told Srivastava in the audio.

Mishra also said that the "SO must have informed him (Vikas Dubey)" and he would have fled before the raid began.

In the third audio Clip, Mishra was heard berating SO Tiwari over gambling in his jurisdiction.

Eight policemen, including Mishra, were killed in the ambush in Bikru village on July 2 night. Later, the police killed gangster Vikas Dubey and some of his aides in separate encounters.
Two of the detainees are citizens of Ukraine.

Staff correspondents of the Current Time (Nastoyashcheye Vremya) TV channel Irina Romaliyskaya, Yury Baranyuk and Ivan Grebenyuk have reportedly been detained in Minsk Hotel in the capital of Belarus.

They are currently en route to the Minsk-based Moskovsky police department, Current Time TV reported.

It is now unknown why they were detained.

Read alsoUkrainian law enforcers detain Belarusian citizen wanted by Interpol

Romaliyskaya and Grebenyuk are citizens of Ukraine, Baranyuk is a citizen of Russia.

Their phones were turned off. Roman Vasyukovich, Current Time TV's Belarus-based correspondent, does not respond to phone calls too.

"Current Time TV has been covering the [presidential] elections in Belarus for several weeks already, and yesterday it had a four-hour special broadcast featuring presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's disrupted rally. It has been viewed more than half a million times on social media alone," the publication said.

Current Time TV is a Russian-language television channel whose editorial office is based in Prague, it was created by the media corporations Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty with participation of Voice of America. The channel  via RFE/RL  is funded through grants from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media.

Romaliyskaya is the host of the Vecher ("Evening") program, Current Time TV's top news show.

Grebenyuk is a Ukrainian journalist, senior writer who is currently working for Current Time TV in Prague.

Baranyuk is Current Time TV's own correspondent in St. Petersburg, Russia.

There is no official information about their detention yet.
One of the most impressive two-year-old colts the East Coast has ever seen will return to Red Shores at the Summerside Raceway Sunday afternoon for an all-stakes card.

Woodmere Stealdeal headlines his $7,500 Callbeck Memorial stake division for two-year-old pacing colts in race 10 with the card kicking off at 1:00 P.M.

Marc Campbell will drive the Danny Romo-trained Woodmere Stealdeal from post six for Nova Scotia owners Kevin Dorey of Middle Sackville and Robert Sumarah of Halifax. The Steelhead Hanover pacer turned the Inverness Raceway track record into dust in his latest start as he toured the Cape Breton oval in 1:55.4 to lower the previous 1:58.1 rookie pacing record. The other colt splits are in Races 4, 8 and 12.

The rookie fillies will also have a quartet of divisions with the first in the $7,000 second race. Southfield Skye has yet to taste stakes competition but handily disposed of her foes, and her maiden status, in her career debut with a 1:58 win over the Prince County oval. Adam Merner will be back in the drivers seat for trainer Glen MacKay and owner Southfield Farms Inc., of Summerside. Divisional leader Aspoonfulofsugar will leave from post six in the field of seven with Dale Spence at the controls of the undefeated filly for trainer Joe Baxter. The fillies also line up in Races 6, 9 and 11.

The $9,850 fifth race is the lone Callbeck two-year-old trot division. Mr Finlay Ridge will be the favourite in the field of nine for trainer-driver Clare MacDonald, who co-owns the Armbro Barrister  R Rocket Rachel colt with fellow Nova Scotianers Ian Tate and Arnold Rankin.

Three-year-old trotters hit the track in the seventh race for a $10,300 pot in the Tyndall Semple Memorial. The older full-brother to Mr Finlay Ridge, Mabou Ridge, is the favourite in that division leaving from the second tier for trainer-driver MacDonald and owner Rankin.

Older trotting mares will compete in two $4,000 divisions of the Island Oceans Trot Classic, presented by JD Marine and Diving Inc., in the first and third dash of the afternoon.

Go to Redshores.ca to access the worldwide broadcast and wager online at HPIBet.com.

To view the entries for Sunday's card, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Summerside Rsceway.
Advance could help doctors choose the right drug at the right dose for the right person

Engineers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and their colleagues at Stanford School of Medicine have demonstrated that drug levels inside the body can be tracked in real time using a custom smartwatch that analyzes the chemicals found in sweat. This wearable technology could be incorporated into a more personalized approach to medicine -- where an ideal drug and dosages can be tailored to an individual.

A study detailing the research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In general, medications are prescribed with a 'one-size-fits-all' approach -- drugs are designed and prescribed based on statistical averages of their effectiveness. There are guidelines for factors such as patients' weight and age. But in addition to these basic differentiators, our body chemistry constantly changes -- depending on what we eat and how much we've exercised. And on top of these dynamic factors, every individual's genetic makeup is unique and hence responses to medications can vary. This affects how fast drugs are absorbed, take effect and get eliminated from an individual.

According to the researchers, current efforts to personalize the drug dosage rely heavily on repeated blood draws at the hospital. The samples are then sent out to be analyzed in central labs. These solutions are inconvenient, time-consuming, invasive and expensive. That is why they are only performed on a small subset of patients and on rare occasions.

"We wanted to create a wearable technology that can track the profile of medication inside the body continuously and non-invasively," said study leader Sam Emaminejad, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UCLA. "This way, we can tailor the optimal dosage and timing of the intake for each individual. And using this personalization approach, we can improve the efficacy of the therapeutic treatments."

Because of their small molecular sizes, many different kinds of drugs end up in sweat, where their concentrations closely reflect the drugs' circulating levels. That's why the researchers created a smartwatch, equipped with a sensor that analyzes the sampled tiny droplets of sweat.

The team's experiment tracked the effect of acetaminophen, a common over-the-counter pain medication, on individuals over the period of a few hours. First, the researchers stimulated sweat glands on the wrist by applying a small electric current, the same technique that Emaminejad's research group demonstrated in previous wearable technologies.

This allowed the researchers to detect changes in body chemistry, without needing subjects to work up a sweat by exercising. As different drugs each have their own unique electrochemical signature, the sensor can be designed to look for the level of a particular medication at any given time.

"This technology is a game-changer and a significant step forward for realizing personalized medicine," said study co-author Ronald W. Davis, a professor of biochemistry and genetics at Stanford Medical School. "Emerging pharmacogenomic solutions, which allow us to select drugs based on the genetic makeup of individuals, have already shown to be useful in improving the efficacy of treatments. So, in combination with our wearable solution, which helps us to optimize the drug dosages for each individual, we can now truly personalize our approaches to pharmacotherapy."

What makes this study significant is the ability to accurately detect a drug's unique electrochemical signal, against the backdrop of signals from many other molecules that may be circulating in the body and in higher concentrations than the drug, said the study's lead author Shuyu Lin, a UCLA doctoral student and member of Emaminejad's Interconnected and Integrated Bioelectronics Lab (IBL). Emaminejad added that the technology could be adapted to monitor medication adherence and drug abuse.

"This could be particularly important for individuals with mental health issues, where doctors prescribe them prolonged pharmacotherapy treatments," he said. " The patients could benefit from such easy-to-use, noninvasive monitoring tools, while doctors could see how the medication is doing in the patient."

###

Dr. Carlos Milla, a professor of pediatrics at the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital is a senior author on the paper.

The other UCLA authors are postdoctoral scholar Bo Wang; graduate students Wenzhuo Yu, Yichao Zhao, Ke En, Jialun Zhu, Xuanbing Cheng, Haisong Lin, Zhaoqing Wang, Hannaneh Hojaiji and Christopher Yeung; and undergraduate student Crystal Zhou. All are members of Emaminejad's research laboratory.

The research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation, the PhRMA Foundation, the Brain and Behavior Foundation, and the Henry Jackson Foundation.
Photo: Contributed

While it is a challenging time for everyone, some businesses are still really struggling and have little or no revenue.

Some of the sectors Ive heard these concerns from include:

Travel agents

Events services

Arts and culture

Wedding services.

Many of our friends and neighbours immediate and long-term future may be uncertain, so its important we recognize that many industries arent back to normal.

The government announced that some passport office services will be resuming. If someone has an immediate need for a passport or are travelling in fewer than 30 days with proof of travel, they can request in-person appointments.

Check out Canada.ca/passport for more information.

I wrote extensively about the WE Charity controversy in my previous column, so Ill just add some new information.

We learned that WE Charity started working and incurring expenses on the governments proposed program, before the Liberal cabinet approving it. The government originally announced a $912 million student grant program, with WE Charity receiving $19 million to administer it.

We learned that agreement for grant distribution was actually $500 million, with WE Charity receiving $43.5 million to administer the program for 40,000 students. That leaves $368.5 million from the initial program costs not accounted for.

In addition, the program could only disperse a maximum of $5,000 per student, so the costs multiplied by the 40,000 students would be $200 million, not the $500 million budgeted.

Simply put, the numbers just arent adding up and there are more questions than answers as information drips out through individuals testifying at committees.

On July 28, in my capacity as shadow minister for Interprovincial Trade, I issued a statement on Canada reaching a partial agreement with Australia regarding a wine trade challenge at the World Trade Organization (WTO), alongside the shadow minister for International Trade.

We asked the government to work with the wine industry, which have given them proposals.

Back in 2017, the Official Opposition and wine industry representatives warned the government of consequences of an escalator tax (automatic increase) on excise tax they were proposing, saying it would likely instigate a trade challenge with the WTO, which Australia did.

The legally binding judgment from the WTO was coming this summer. This is a made-in-Canada issue that did not have to occur.

Due to lack of action from the government on this for almost two years, I, and other MPs from the Official Opposition with wineries in our ridings, signed a joint letter asking the government to open negotiations with Australia to resolve the dispute.

I also spoke about this in the House of Commons.

On July 27, the government announced an agreement with Australia at the WTO. However, it is basically what Australia wanted. Four hundred Canadian wineries will have to start paying excise tax on domestically grown grapes.

The Australian media announced they won and the government of Canada announced they came to an agreement.

To put this into perspective, a 9,000-case-a-year winery will have a new $54,000 per year tax bill. We are hearing reports already of investment being put on hold and how this will set the industry back.

Overall, its a $40 million hit to the industry in new taxes.

Wineries had many of their distribution channels shut down for months such as restaurants, pubs, hotel events, onsite cancellations of weddings, and overall visitors numbers down.

On top of this, the excise tax is escalating  it will continue to automatically increase each year. That is for all liquor including beer, wine, and spirits.

The shadow minister for Agriculture and I wrote the Finance Minister asking to not increase these taxes during a pandemic, but unfortunately this still went through on April 1.

Please reach out to me to let me know what is important to you or if we can help with any federal programs. I also always appreciate the feedback I receive from our community. 250-470-5075, [email protected].
The state saw an increase in early and absentee voting, with about 578,250 people casting votes early or by absentee ballot as of Aug. 1, compared with about 251,380 at the same point in 2012, according to data published by the secretary of states office. The data did not break down how many votes were early in-person and how many were by absentee ballot.
Engineers use computer simulations for anything from airflow over wings to thermal analysis of the hot section in gas turbines. Simulation software can be complex, so it can be a challenge for engineers to get the most out of it.

So MSBAI created GURU, an AI-driven assistant that learns to run the complicated software itself so you don't have to  minimizing the human workload needed to translate engineering questions into computational workflows. By running the GURU assistant with the Rescale platform, engineers can maximize simulation features of software like Siemens and Numeca, while taking advantage of the scalability, customizability, and seamlessness of the cloud.

MSBAI's goal is to give everyone the tools they need to use sophisticated engineering software and cloud services, regardless of their experience level, by offering the GURU assistant. Furthermore, MSBAI was selected by Siemens for their Frontier Partner Program, for startups that can offer new approaches to software.

"We're excited to be working with these leading companies in Computer Aided Engineering and Cloud HPC," said Allan Grosvenor, CEO of MSBAI. "The entire purpose of GURU is to radically increase the number of engineers who can use the best engineering software for their projects, and deploy the jobs to the cloud so they can get more done. So partnering with these premier vendors is essential for us."

MSBAI is a privately held small business located in Los Angeles, CA, developing the cognitive AI assistant for engineering: GURU.

NUMECA offers simulation tools that accurately predict real-world product performance, allowing engineers to explore and push their designs to the limit, safely, fast and with precision.

Rescale is a cloud simulation platform that helps engineers and scientists build, compute, analyze, and scale simulations with high-performance computing (HPC) in the cloud.

Contact:

Allan Grosvenor, CEO

[email protected]

310-954-2049

Note: A list of relevant Siemens trademarks can be found here.

SOURCE MSBAI

Related Links

http://msb.ai


Not Rated | 1h 40min | Film-Noir, Mystery | 18 October 1941 (USA)

Considered by many to be one of the greatest film noir classics of all time, The Maltese Falcon disappointed me when I first saw it as a kid. Scenes seemed to drag on forever with just too much dialogue to endure. Its dense, twisty plot confused my youthful brain. As an adult, I appreciate exactly what makes this seminal cinematic work so special.

For one thing, it was the first film directed by legendary filmmaker John Huston. His 1941 film was actually a remake of a 1931 version with the same name. The 1931 version was produced before the Motion Picture Production Code (which ran from 1934 to 1968) cleaned up the raciness and smut associated with cinema before and after its enforcement.

Huston, whod only written screenplays up to that point, wanted to make a big splash in the film industry. In this effort, he pulled out all the stops and used some unique techniques, such as meticulously setting up each shot until he deemed it perfect.

In the film, Humphrey Bogart plays the hard-nosed private detective Sam Spade, who owns a P.I. agency along with his partner, Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan). While Spade is sitting in his San Francisco-based office one day, a mysterious woman named Ruth Wonderly (Mary Astor) walks in pleading for help. Apparently, her sister has recently been seduced by a local fellow named Floyd Thursby and has gone missing.

Mary Astor in The Maltese Falcon. (Warner Bros)

Archer walks into the office while shes filling in the details, and he volunteers to track down her sister, despite her warning the two private detectives that Mr. Thursby is a menacing man prone to fits of violence. The only information she has is a possible location where her sister and Thursby might be meeting later.

When Archer shows up on a darkened street corner near the purported location where Wonderlys sister and Thursby were to meet, he is suddenly gunned down by an unknown assailant.

After his partners murky demise, Spade becomes involved in the plots by multiple criminal elements who are hunting for an avian statuette known as the Maltese Falcon, an insanely valuable artifact. Indeed, as the film states:

In 1539, the Knight Templars of Malta, paid tribute to Charles V of Spain, by sending him a Golden Falcon encrusted from beak to claw with rarest jewelsbut pirates seized the galley carrying the priceless token and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remains a mystery to this day.

No wonder everybody wants to get their grubby mitts on the Maltese Falcon! Everybody includes the calculating criminal Kasper Fat Man Gutman (Sydney Greenstreet) and an equally bad dude, the mercenary cutthroat Joel Cairo (Peter Lorre). As Spade tries to outwit these bad guys, he also has to stay one step ahead of the local San Francisco cops, who suspect him of Archers murder.

Peter Lorre (L) and Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon. (Warner Bros)

Huston also wrote the intriguingly complex screenplay, which holds the film firmly together for its entire 100-minute runtime. It is filled to the brim with all sorts of plot twists and turns, reversals of fortune, and dastardly double-crosses. In fact, there were so many interesting subplotssuch as Archers widow, Iva (Gladys George), trying to put the moves on Spadethat I wouldnt have minded the films being a half hour or so longer to further develop or resolve them.

The acting is profoundly excellent. Bogie was perfectly cast as a highly resourceful detective with a sensitive heart somewhere beneath his tough veneer. His character would later become an archetype that many actors would emulate.

Mary Astor is fantastic as a seemingly vulnerable bombshell with some dark secrets. And a special mention must go to Sydney Greenstreet, who made his film debut here at the tender age of 61 and was even nominated for an Academy Award (Best Actor in a Supporting Role) for his outstanding performance.

Humphrey Bogart (L) and Sydney Greenstreet in The Maltese Falcon. (Warner Bros)

Although some critics consider The Maltese Falcon to be overrated, I think it is the opposite. With its unique confluence of masterful writing and directing and exceptional acting performances, I think the film is underrated if anything: After allit didnt win any Oscars.

The Maltese Falcon

Director: John Huston

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet

Rated: Not Rated

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Release Date: Oct. 18, 1941 (USA)

Rated: 4.5 stars out of 5

Ian Kane is a filmmaker and author based out of Los Angeles. To learn more, visit DreamFlightEnt.com or contact him at Twitter.com/ImIanKane
Niagaras economy didnt get the dramatic upturn it craves, but there were positive signs in a monthly labour market survey released Friday.

The regions unemployment rate dipped slightly and nearly 7,000 residents who were unemployed in June found work last month, according to the study released by Statistics Canada.

Niagara still has a long way to go, though, to climb out of the massive economic hole it has been in since March due to the COVID-19 shutdown.

We saw some improvement, all of the trends are going in the right direction, said Adam Durrant, operations and research manager for the Niagara Workforce Planning Board.

Were seeing signs of recovery, but were far from being recovered right now.

For perspective: in July 2019 Niagaras unemployment rate was 5.4 per cent. Last month, it was 12.3 per cent. In July 2019, there were 199,200 residents with jobs; last month, there were only 176,700.

During March, April and May when the local economy was largely shut down due to COVID, more than 31,000 Niagara residents lost employment.

It wasnt until June that the number of people with jobs began to rise again.

Fridays StatsCan report, compiled from data collected the week of July 12-18 just as Niagara was preparing to shift into Stage 3 economic reopening, showed the regions unemployment rate at 12.3 per cent, down from 12.8 per cent in June.

Any other year, that would be considered a dramatic improvement.

Recovery is an ongoing process. Thats where we are right now, said Durrant. Theres reason to be hopeful and cautiously optimistic that August will continue that trend.

Nationally, the unemployment rate dropped by 1.4 per cent to 10.9 per cent.

Niagaras rate was in line with its regional neighbours  while Hamiltons unemployment rate was 11.3 per cent, Kitcheners was 12.9 per cent and Torontos 14.7 per cent.

In Niagara, unemployment among young adults has been bad and actually got slightly worse last month, rising to 31.3 per cent.

By comparison, in July 2019 it was 11.9 per cent.

Thats very challenging, said Durrant. Were effectively talking about almost 10,000 people between the ages of 15 and 24 who were looking for employment in June but couldnt find it.

Often people in that age group are saving for post-secondary education. This year, without jobs they might have to defer studies or borrow to pay tuition.

So this is going to have consequences for that age group in a very serious way, Durrant said.

There is an effort being made by young people to find work. Theyre just not being successful.

Of the roughly 6,900 people who did return to employment in July, 6,200 got full-time jobs.

Nearly three-quarters of the jobs gained were in construction and manufacturing, traditionally among the higher-paying occupations.

While that is a very positive indicator, Durrant said the benefits of our employment gains in July are not at all evenly distributed.

Durrant said, whats challenging is when we break it down along gender lines, and all of the people who gained employment in July versus June, for every one woman who found employment in Niagara there were 4.3 men who found employment.

Because most construction and manufacturing jobs are held by men, Niagaras trend runs counter to that of the rest of the province.

Ontario-wide, for every man who found employment there were 3.9 women who were hired.

Niagaras wholesale/retail sector  where more women are employed  saw only a slight gain in employment in July, by about 200 people.

In July there were about 25,100 people employed in that field compared to 31,800 in July 2019.

Its probably safe to say that sector is steady, but its another that for months was in freefall, said Durrant.

Were seeing that make a slight upturn.
Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey wants the school district to reconsider its decision to not require returning students to wear face coverings when school reopens this fall.

He said the city would be willing to give the district 5,000 masks from its stores if it would change its position.

On Monday, the Stevensville School Board trustees voted to recommend, but not require, that students wear face masks to protect against coronavirus. All other Ravalli County school districts  with the exception of Darby  require at least a portion of their student body to wear face coverings.

In his letter, Dewey said town officials have heard concerns from the community about the district's decision and will discuss the issue at its next meeting on August 13.

"Your recent decision to not require masks as school returns to session this fall is a troubling one," Dewey wrote. "As officials across the state and locally reinforce the use of face coverings, you have taken a stance that does not speak to unity but rather undermines the many efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community."

The Town of Stevensville has implemented measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, including sanitation of the parks and public facilities and the launch of a Stevi Safe Certified program that certifies businesses implementing COVID-Safe best practices, which includes the requirement of face coverings, said a Town of Stevensville press release.

The school districts reckless decision to not require face coverings is one that puts our entire community at risk, especially our vulnerable populations, Dewey wrote.

It also risks forcing the community and school district to shut down again, Dewey said.

I implore you to immediately reconsider your direction on this matter, Dewey wrote. Not doing so shows little willingness of the school community to collaborate, communicate, and integrate with the community that surrounds it and its leadership who continue to make informed decisions.

Stevensville School Superintendent Bob Moore said Gov. Steve Bullock specifically excluded schools from his face-covering directive.

Moore said the school board adopted its re-entry plan as a matter of local control and will continue to review the ever-changing rules, policies, and mandates as they apply to school governance during this unprecedented time.

The District will educate students on proper hygiene, execute cleaning plans, plan for social distancing as space allows and actively revise our plans as conditions change, Moore wrote. The single point made by the mayor does not encapsulate the full breadth of the re-entry plan.

School board chair Greg Trangmoe said having a face mask mandate that cant be enforced is not part of the district's plan to reopen the school.

While they posture and discuss, well be educating their kids, Trangmoe said. This isnt a political issue for us. Were doing what we need to do to have a meaningful school year for the families and kids that our school serves. We have a comprehensive and thorough plan in place to keep kids and staff safe while allowing them to focus on learning.

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Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 7 : At least eight persons were killed and around 60 others reported missing after a landslide at Rajamalai in Idukki district due to heavy rain for the past four days in the hilly area, an official said on Friday.

The place where the tragedy took place late on Thursday night is about 30 km from the popular tourist destination of Munnar.

Officials said a 200-member team of Kerala Police had reached the spot for rescue work. At the time of filing of this report, 12 persons had been rescued and eight bodies recovered.

The women residents of the locality work in tea estates in the area, while most men work as jeep drivers. The authorities got to know of the tragedy after two residents reached a nearby forest station and informed officials late in the night on Thursday.

Deepan, one of the four survivors admitted at a hospital in Munnar, was teary-eyed. He said he had no clue about his father and his wife who were with him in their house when the landslide occurred. His mother has, however, been moved to the Kottayam Medical College Hospital in a serious condition.

"For the past 10 days, it has been pouring. The landslide occurred around 10.30 pm on Thursday. I do not know about my father, wife, and my brother's family. There are three rows of houses in the cluster where around 80 people live. Do not know what has happened to them. Around 30 jeeps too were buried under the landslide," Deepan said.

The Kerala government's efforts to get an air rescue team to the spot failed due to inclement weather. However, two teams of National Disaster Response Force are on way to the spot.

The biggest problem is that all communication lines to the area have been snapped and roads to the hilly area blocked due to uprooting of trees, officials said.

State Power Minister MM Mani, who hails from the district, said that the landslide had occurred at a place where tea estate workers were staying. He said that the details are awaited as the terrain at the spot is very inhospitable.

"I will not quote any figure as I do not have sufficient information. The place is at the top of a hill. We are awaiting a response; the local legislator is also going to the spot. All emergency services have been pressed into service," Mani said.

Meanwhile, area resident Parthasarathy earlier told the media that he was aware of three rows of houses inhabited by around 80 tea estate workers and their families.

"But we do not know how many were present when the landslide occurred. I feel that many of the workers were at their respective homes due to heavy rain in the past few days. Moreover, communication with the area too has been snapped, including electricity supply," said Parthasarathy.

Revenue Minister E Chandrasekheran said that he is in touch with the Idukki revenue officials and that emergency rescue teams are on way to the spot. Information on the tragedy is being collated, he added.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
As some economies begin to reopen and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, UNDPs Human Development Report warns that on some dimensions of human development, we are seeing deprivation equivalent to the mid-1980s levels. Yet, as we look forward, one would argue that the goal is not to return to normal  in 2019, the progress on many SDGs was not on track to meet the 2030 deadline  but to build back better, which is a more inclusive, green and resilient economy.

The pandemic has shown the importance of technology and in many cases has sped up digital transformation. We have looked at emerging trends on some key technologies in developing economies which have the potential to contribute to realizing a green, climate resilient economy in the longer term.

New or cheaper technologies have made geospatial data more accessible. In Small Island Developing States, which are facing immediate risks of sea rise and extreme weather induced by climate change, new technologies play a key role. In the Maldives, UNDP uses drones to map disaster risks. In Tuvalu, a Light Detection and Ranging technology-enabled accurate measurement of the situation on the impact of the rising ocean level.

In Peru, we use spatial data to identify how to increase forest management between indigenous groups and the government and help the government chart a forestry recovery plan.

Satellite data can also be used to develop microinsurance programmes for farmers, although there are some chasms to cross. A consortium of insurers through the Blue Marble Alliance develop microinsurance plans in partnership with the World Food Programme. Satellite precipitation data and a mobile app enable seamless, automated payments to farmers in the event of crop loss due to precipitation significantly above or below the mean. This can improve the resilience and livelihoods of many farmers in developing countries.

Innovative mechanisms are emerging in fintech, including the GCash Forest Platform supported by UNDPs Biodiversity Finance Initiative in the Philippines. People sign up on an app and gather points for sustainable activities such as walking, forfeiting paper bills or buying organic produce. More than two million people already up for the app since it was launched one year ago, and more than US$500,000 has invested in tree planting.

In Lebanon, UNDPs AltFinLab piloted a cryptocurrency called Cedar Coin. A tree is planted for every coin purchased. These are native species, and each type of cedar has its own price. The specific trees are registered in a ledger using blockchain.

Smaller and cheaper sensors enable real-time environmental data collection and efficient management of resources. Applications of the internet of things are growing, from smart mobility and smart cities to smart agriculture, such as irrigation systems and value chain management. Smart metres are key for scaling renewable energies, both on- and off-grid. They allow real-time monitoring of demand and supply and open doors to other applications such as smart payment and metering, which is one of the tools for de-risking renewable energy investment in many developing countries. NGOs and academia are also exploring unique applications in project monitoring and learning cycles.

To reap the benefits of technology, we still need to get the basics right and 3.6 billion people are still unconnected, the majority in developing countries. We cannot expect countries to utilize technologies to their full extent without having a reliable and affordable connection.

If we were to break the paradigm of the global north developing solutions to test in the global south, we need more people to have training and skills-building, so people in developing countries wont only use the available technology but innovate locally. And, of course, we should also find models for sustainably financing expensive technology such as very high-resolution satellite imagery, which is important to machine learning, and we must invest in local networks to nurture innovation. Sometimes, a cheaper, simpler solution will do the job when you have people who understand the context from within. During a hackathon several teams of young engineers in Rwanda proposed the use of new technologies to transmit sensor data from remote areas without internet coverage to the nearest internet point. Similarly, an idea to send meteorological data collected at manual weather stations through Unstructured Supplementary Service Data was accepted right away. A strong vision and strategy for high-tech and universal coverage, combined with appropriate bottom-up attempts could be key.

The upward trend in businesses' commitments to sustainability is well documented, but whether those commitments are for branding purposes, or for mitigating climate change is an important question. Carrying on business as usual and then reporting on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an afterthought is not enough. Substantive change must come from thinking through the impact across all layers of operations, from the supply chain, to hiring, to running facilities, to production and beyond.

For businesses to successfully promote sustainability, they cannot work in siloes. It is necessary to build a cross-sectoral ecosystem of partnerships across governments, companies, and nonprofits. This will ensure that organizations benefit from best practices and avoid reinventing the wheel where possible.

One such example of a cross-sectoral partnership is UNDP in Armenias ImpactAim Venture Accelerator. In cooperation with the Enterprise Incubator Foundation and Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center Foundation, the Accelerator is calling on tech ventures focused on energy efficiency and renewables to apply. Exploring the application of technologies like artificial intelligence and data science in the environmental sector can better inform policymakers and lead to revolutionary results. By working across sectors to scale innovative solutions to climate change, this accelerator is effectively building a better future.



The UNDP Nature, Climate and Energy team together with the Chief Digital Officers Office are open to hearing more ideas on how digital technologies can bring impact on the ground for sustainable development. Please send feedback and ideas to digital@undp.org
"Perhaps, in the current circumstances, more Australians would have watched." Many readers were quick to attribute blame in the comments section, the debate quickly falling along partisan lines. As Kelly wrote, who the "villain is depends on how you vote". Reader Les Stock wrote: "Rather than take aim at a right-wing PM take aim at your left-wing Premiers, they are going so good that Victoria on its own could bring the whole country to its knees. Where is your damming critique of Daniel Andrews, he hasn't got a lot right?" TD added: "To point the finger at the federal government and try to implicate them in the Victorian mess is drawing a very long bow. The electorate is smarter than that. This piece fails to recognise a PM uniting the country in this fight. He refuses to blame the Victorian government, even though he would be entitled to do so ..."

COVID-19 testing at Bondi Beach on Wednesday. Credit:Nick Moir Whereas Diego Fuentes saw the blame elsewhere: "If Andrews must resign then so must Morrison - quarantine is a federal government responsibility and that's where the COVID resurgence began." nkelly agreed: "Yet another article inferring some sort of blame and not mentioning the major stuff-up of the epidemic, the stuff-up that if it didn't occur we wouldn't be in the situation we find ourselves in. Yes, the borders were not closed when they were urged to be and our PM wanted to go to the footy and his religious get-togethers. Borders = federal responsibility. Let's be clear, without this stuff-up we would all be back at work now and the economy not so devastated ..." Reading through the comments, Kelly says he's not surprised there is some sharp partisanship emerging, although it's been there in some form all along - "it never really goes away". "I suspect we're heading into an angrier phase of the pandemic," he says. "Earlier there was a sense of joint pride, that the country had done so well. Now that things feel more bleak, our anger will have to go somewhere."

It was a sentiment reader djc789 shared: "The blame game is warming up as Australians accept the reality that COVID-19 is a hell of a lot smarter than our political leaders. Despite their best efforts the virus is running rings around the leaders and is forging ahead. Only option? Vote COVID-19 at the next election." Kelly says in yet another sign of how quickly things are moving, his column was soon out of date. "The Prime Minister has announced paid pandemic leave," he says. "And Daniel Andrews won't be under quite as much scrutiny this week as I expected - the Victorian lower house didn't end up sitting, and the hotel inquiry was postponed."

Loading Kelly was heartened, however, that a number of readers viewed parliamentary sittings as an essential service. "It seems absurd to me that both federal and state governments have failed to keep parliament going, in one form or another, through this period," he says. "Certainly Daniel Andrews deserves as much criticism for that as Scott Morrison got. And I'm encouraged by how many readers really responded to that element, how much some people still value the parliament - when many of our most senior politicians have done their best to degrade it." There was strong support for Parliament to proceed online, with some readers incredulous that there were no contingency plans in place yet.

HJ: "The front benches of both sides should be online for parliamentary debate during the pandemic." Britain's parliament has already used video screens to allow MPs to ask questions in the House of Commons. rosemary1803: "Why is the federal parliament not sitting? If the doddering members of the House of Lords can sit virtually so can our parliamentarians. We work from home. Why not let us see them working on the virtual floor of the Reps and the Senate? Move with the times Scomo or get voted out." SteveP: "It's safe for workers to go back. It's safe for borders to open. It's safe for schools to open. It's not safe for parliament to open." On Thursday it was announced Federal Parliament is set to go ahead on August 24, but Victorian MPs who want to attend must first quarantine for two weeks.

Picking up from some of Kelly's reflections, many readers shared their thoughts on the role of oppositions in such crises, with different views of where Albanese and state opposition leaders fit in. Loading Reader dina wrote: "You can only have one leader a crisis. Many advisers definitely but only one leader. Otherwise things don't get done or get done badly. Opposition leaders become irrelevant at this time as they have no authority, so they should keep quiet. Accountability seems to be done by the media these days anyway." Artemis replied: "Agree you need a leader. But one that needs to be held to account. A good way to do that is to include the opposition leader in the national cabinet. A much better way is to choose to lead for the country not for your politics." Alan also disagreed: "Nonsense comment. Tell me why is there such a thing called a national cabinet, and why then are the state and territory leaders making their own decisions with our hallowed "leader" Morrison more [often] than not left in the background. And another thing - just why is it that a good many of the opposition's bigger "suggestions" have been taken up by both the state and feds. Accountability will be meted out at the ballot box."
BEIJING Chinas economy appeared to be gathering pace in July as exports rose the most this year while some raw material imports hit record highs, adding to hopes for a more sustained recovery.

The economy is gradually emerging from a record contraction in the first quarter but the recovery remains fragile as rising coronavirus cases around the world and renewed lockdowns could hit demand. Chinese consumer spending also remained subdued amid job losses and concerns about a resurgence in infections.

The countrys export performance, however, has not been as severely affected by the global slowdown as some analysts had feared, while signs of stabilisation in the domestic economy have reduced the urgency for more stimulus.

Exports in July increased 7.2% from a year earlier, the fastest pace since December last year, customs data showed on Friday, confounding analysts expectations for a 0.2% drop and quickening from a 0.5% increase in June.

Imports, on the other hand, fell 1.4%, missing market expectations for a 1.0% increase.

The data is in line with our forecast for exports to recover more decisively in H2 alongside the global economy," Tommy Wu, lead economist at Oxford Economics, said in a note, adding that external demand for other products, besides medical supplies, will recover gradually as global industrial production starts picking up.

However, the road ahead may be bumpy as new export orders remain weak and the recovery path will be uneven across economies."

January-July exports of textile products, including face masks, rose 31.3% y/y, quickening from a 27.8% expansion in the first half. Growth of sales in medical equipment also picked up to 47.3% from 41.4%.

But in a sign that global demand may be stabilising, exports of other goods such as electronicss and mobile phones increased while declines in furniture and toys moderated, the data showed

DIP IN IMPORTS

Analysts attributed the year-on-year dip in July imports to weaker commodities prices and payback following strong shipments the previous year.

They are optimistic that a ramp-up in infrastructure projects on the back of policy support will lift import growth. Imports rose 4.9% in July on a monthly basis.

With credit growth still accelerating, Chinas stimulus-led recovery looks set to continue in the coming months, supporting a further rebound in imports," said Martin Rasmussen, China Economist, at Capital Economics.

Import volumes of industrial raw materials remained robust, with record imports of iron ore and copper, along with a sharp jump in crude oil.

The countrys trade surplus for July stood at $62.33 billion, up from a surplus of $46.42 billion in June.

A risk for Chinas trade outlook this year is heightening U.S.-China tensions which are expected to escalate ahead of the United States presidential election.

The countrys trade surplus with the United States widened to $32.46 billion in July from $29.41 billion in June.

Chinas imports from the United States in July rose 3.6% from a year earlier, slowing from a 11.3% gain in June. In January-July, imports fell 3.5%, falling short of the commitments made in the Phase 1 trade deal to increase purchases of American goods.

Senior U.S. and Chinese officials are set to review the implementation of the Phase 1 trade deal and likely air mutual grievances during a video conference on Aug. 15.

(Additional reporting by Colin Qian; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

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
BC-US--Virus Outbreak-Travel, 3rd Ld-Writethru,0355

US rescinds global 'do not travel' coronavirus warning

The Trump administration has rescinded its warning to Americans against all international travel because of the coronavirus pandemic

AP Photo transref:NYDK405

Eds: MAJOR UPDATE: Updates with State Department lifting global "do not travel" alert. With AP Photos.

By MIKE STOBBE and MATTHEW LEE

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)  The Trump administration on Thursday rescinded its warnings to Americans against all international travel because of the coronavirus pandemic, saying conditions no longer warrant a blanket worldwide alert.

The State Department lifted its level-four health advisory for the entire world in order to return to country-specific warnings. That move came shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its COVID-19 travel advisory information. The CDC lifted "do not travel" warnings for about 20 locations but advised staying away from the vast majority of the world.

"With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice in order to give travelers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions," the State Department said in a statement.

"This will also provide U.S. citizens more detailed information about the current status in each country," it said. "We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic."

The State Department invoked the blanket warning against all international travel on March 19 as the pandemic spread. The revised country-specific travel advice is available at https://travel.state.gov. However, Americans still face travel restrictions across the world because of the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus in the country.

Earlier Thursday, the CDC revised its travel guidance, saying the changes were driven by how the virus was spreading in different places and how well the public health and health care systems were functioning in dealing with new cases.

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

Seven places, including Thailand, Fiji and New Zealand, are in a low-risk group, according to the CDC, although officials there advised that certain people, such as older adults and those with certain underlying medical conditions, talk to their doctors before making the trip. For more than a dozen other locations, it had no precautions. Taiwan, Greenland, and Laos are on that list.

But the CDC continues to advise against nonessential travel to more than 200 other international locations.



Lee reported from Washington.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images

Desy's is one of the last bars left standing in Morrisville, North Carolina. Owner Desislava Nikolova made her American dream come true by opening Desy's and another bar in nearby Cary after immigrating to America from Bulgaria 11 years ago. While the coronavirus pandemic forced the majority of her counterparts in the local bar scene to close, she has been able to keep hers open through the support of longtime customers. But Nikolova has been served another restriction from state officials, which she expects will exacerbate her struggle to stay open: a new statewide mandate to stop serving alcohol after 11 p.m. "This could even destroy us completely," Nikolova said. "Nobody wants to come to a restaurant or bar with these restrictions."

Employees at Sophie's Bar in Cary, N.C., with masks and gloves on. Source: Desislava Nikolova

Some state and local jurisdictions, rather than ordering bars to shutter, have started implementing "last call" orders, which ban the sale of alcohol past a certain time. The restrictions come from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and are an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19. The idea is to prevent large crowds from gathering and to help maintain social distancing. However, some health experts say it's unclear whether the curfews will fulfill their intended purposes. Bars have proven to be areas where the coronavirus can spread easily. Friends gather in groups for long periods of time  sometimes inside where there's less air circulation  and don't wear masks as they're talking or drinking. "Bars are problematic in terms of Covid," said Dr. Preeti Malani, chief health officer and professor of medicine and infectious disease at the University of Michigan. "It's sort of a perfect storm for Covid spread, especially if it's in an enclosed space."

'Not the summer to party'

Covid-19 cases have been linked to bar visits in several cities. More than 180 cases were traced to Harper's, a bar in East Lansing, Michigan. In Louisiana, where bars remain largely shuttered due to rolled-back reopening measures, health officials connected at least 100 cases to bars in Baton Rouge's Tigerland district. Colorado, Mississippi, Rhode Island and the Carolinas are all among states that implemented last-call orders. Local areas like St. Louis County and Hampton Roads, Virginia, have similar rules. Positioned as alternatives to stricter mandates, the regulations sprang up after governors in states with surging outbreaks, such as Texas, California and Florida, were forced to close bars only a few weeks after they were reopened. "We have been bending over backwards to keep the bars open," Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said Wednesday as she ordered bars to close at 11 p.m. When announcing a 10 p.m. last-call order in Colorado on July 21, Gov. Jared Polis warned residents that "this is not the summer to party." He previously ordered bars that did not sell food to close again in late June, only days after they were allowed to reopen, amid a rise in cases.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has raised similar concerns about young people, saying it's difficult to maintain social distancing while under the influence of alcohol. The state recently cracked down on bars, suspending liquor licenses for businesses that violated Cuomo's executive orders. "To young people: This is not the time to fight for your right to party," Cuomo said at a press briefing. "I respect your right to party, I fully respect it. I would enshrine it in the state law, if you want to know. You have the right to party, but let's be smart about it."

Public health experts weigh in

Spending long periods of time with people from different households is considered higher risk for spreading the virus, so the last-call orders could be beneficial if they force people to not cluster in a particular setting, said Glen Mays, professor of health policy at the Colorado School of Public Health. Polis' office has used cellphone data to monitor mobility, which indicated people were spending long periods of times in bars, Mays said. The Colorado School of Public Health has a Covid-19 modeling team that studies the effects of various policy changes and is in regular communication with state public health officials, he said. "I think that motivated the early-closure policy in Colorado, to see if we could get people to kind of shorten up their duration of time," Mays said. "We were seeing people spending hours in these bar settings." However, there's a lot of room for uncertainty, he added. The restrictions could cause a behavioral offset, meaning people come to the bar earlier in the evening to drink, making the crowding worse. Although outdoor sites are less of a risk than indoor, Mays said congregating in any area could negate efforts to contain the virus. Michigan's Malani said the risk could be reduced further by preventing people from congregating while waiting in line and by reducing capacity, ordering through cellphones and monitoring people's behavior. "The fact that the answer is 'we'll limit the number of drinks or we'll cut it off at a certain time.' I'm not sure that that's a very meaningful change," she said. Alcohol misuse is also a public health problem, and the coronavirus could exacerbate the issue if people make poor decisions when separated from their social groups, she added. This risk could be more pronounced at colleges. "I think the days of really large parties, big house parties where everyone's crowded, I don't think those are going to happen as much," Malani said. "At the same time, these are young adults who have social needs. That's a part of their well being, too, and they do need to be interacting with other people."

Bar owners remain skeptical

Some bar owners aren't convinced the new orders will have their intended effect. They say the restrictions don't solve the issue and will intensify their financial strain. Bars have been among the last businesses to reopen as lockdown measures eased. Ty Thames, who owns bar-restaurants in Mississippi State University's hometown of Starkville, said he understands the need for public health measures like social distancing and only serving alcohol to seated guests. However, he said Gov. Tate Reeve's 11 p.m. cap on alcohol sales is arbitrary. "If people are seated and have a server with a mask deliver their food and their alcohol, I don't think the beer is less safe at 10:59 than it is at 11 or 11:01," Thames said. "It's the precautions that you take that really makes a difference." Thames said customers would be safer being able to stay in the bar where social distancing can be enforced, rather than going somewhere private to continue drinking. And he said stopping alcohol sales early has a noticeable financial impact: an additional sales cut of 10% to 20% after already taking nearly a 60% hit due to the pandemic.
The Diocese of Covington has released a report on sexual abuse that found 59 Catholic priests and 31 others associated with the church have sexually abused children since the 1950s.

The report was released Friday on the diocese website along with a list naming the accused, The Kentucky Enquirer reported.

There are no words to adequately express the sorrow and shame I feel, Foys wrote in an apology released with the report. I can never apologize enough to those who have been harmed by any representative of the church. I beg your forgiveness in the name of the church.

In 2006, the Diocese of Covington paid more than $81 million to sexual abuse victims in a court settlement.

The diocese said the report was compiled by two former FBI agents who reviewed thousands of records dating back to 1950.

Of the accused priests, all but 14 are deceased.

Foys said the diocese has policies and practices in place that will prevent future abuse. To the best of his knowledge, he said, there is no priest in public ministry in the Diocese of Covington who has abused a minor.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Kentucky
Niamey, Aug 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2020 ) :Heavy rains that have struck Niger since June have claimed 19 lives and inflicted economic harm on tens of thousands more, the government said on Friday, while the impoverished Sahel state faces a "major threat" of invasion by locusts.

Of the 19 believed killed by the rains, 10 died by drowning and nine when homes collapsed, Niger's interior ministry said in a statement.

Disaster management offices tallied some 6,215 households -- or 53,000 people -- that have suffered financial damage from the rainfall, the ministry said.

A previous official count last month put the number of dead at nine and the number of people economically impacted at 20,000.

Niger's southwestern regions of Maradi, Tahoua, Tillaberi and Dosso have been worst affected.

Tahoua governor Moussa Abdourahamane said some villages were practically razed by floodwaters as waterways including the Niger river broke their banks.

The national meteorological office predicts further "significant storms in the days ahead" and Niger's civil protection agency urged the public to be vigilant.

Meanwhile Agriculture Minister Albade Abouba warned on public television that "a major threat from desert locusts is looming on the horizon."One agricultural expert told AFP that the insects were likely to arrive "in September".

Locusts have ravaged agricultural areas from Ethiopia to Nepal this year, causing painful food shortages in some countries.
Cha Yoo-kyung, right, and Kim Myung-gon in a scene from the stage movie "The Story of an Old Couple." / Courtesy of Seoul Arts Center



By Kwak Yeon-soo



In a pandemic-stricken world where live-streamed performances have become the norm, the Seoul Arts Center (SAC) has found a new way to deliver its theater performances to audiences not familiar with its work.



As part of its "SAC on Screen" project, which aims to record its plays and other theatrical productions for screening in cinemas, the arts center has unveiled its first "stage movie" titled "The Story of an Old Couple."



It follows a couple in their 60s falling in love. Mischievous Park Dong-man (played by Kim Myung-gon) visits foul-mouthed Lee Jum-soon (Cha Yoo-kyung), to rent a room in her home. Park, who lost his wife two decades ago, tries to win the heart of Lee, who lost her husband 30 years ago and raised three daughters on her own, and the two eventually fall in love.



SAC CEO Yoo In-taek said the latest move to expand its theater program and use digital technology to engage audiences is intended to build interest in theater performances and increase profit.



"Theater funding and financial assistance are scarce because stage plays don't make much money," Yoo said during a press event at Yongsan CGV in Seoul, Thursday. "I think it's about time to experiment and see if a stage movie can become an attractive investment and serve as a touchstone to promote SAC's creative works to larger audiences."



"I thought it would be immersive from the audience's point of view if the stage play performance is captured through various camera angles."



The production team has filmed outdoor scenes and onstage performances since last October. Many cinematic techniques were used in editing and post-production refinements, maximizing the audio quality of the performance. Audiences also can enjoy close-ups of the performance from various angles, feeling totally engaged with the stage production.





Cha Yoo-kyung, right, and Kim Myung-gon in a scene from the stage movie "The Story of an Old Couple." / Courtesy of Seoul Arts Center
Charleston County is preparing to ask voters if they are willing to pay extra property tax in order to fund affordable housing efforts, and a poll suggests the answer would be yes.

County Council could fund affordable housing efforts and raise the county's tax rate without a referendum, but instead is poised to put the question on the November ballot and leave it up to voters.

Im not saying I support it or not," said Councilman Dickie Schweers, who joined a unanimous vote Thursday night to recommend approval of the ballot question.

If the measure were approved, it would create a two mill property tax countywide to fund a new Local Housing Trust Fund. The tax amounts to an extra $8 yearly for every $100,000 of taxable property value, for owner-occupied homes, or $12 for commercial properties including rental properties.

So someone whose house is worth $300,000 would pay another $24 yearly. Such a tax would raise an estimated $8 million yearly.

"The county taking the bold step to at least let the voters decide is significant recognition that there is a problem," said the Rev. Bill Stanfield, CEO of the North Charleston nonprofit Metanoia. "When you get people to acknowledge that there is a problem, you get to work toward solutions."

Metanoia is among several nonprofit groups involved in affordable housing efforts that, unsurprisingly, support the measure, but the tax referendum is also backed by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.

"We absolutely think that should be done and hope the citizens will agree," said Scott Barhight, the Chamber's Senior Vice President of Government Relations.

The business group has historically opposed property tax increases, favoring sales tax funding instead for roads and schools, but supports the tax referendum as part of a larger effort to create more affordable housing.

Barhight said the property tax and housing fund are among a number of ideas that came from a county housing tax force that the Chamber supported. For example, the county is also considering allowing more high-density development in urban areas, and relaxing some zoning regulations.

Over 20 years, the potential added property tax could raise up to $130 million for affordable housing efforts. Part of the ballot measure would ask voters to allow the county to borrow funds that would be repaid by the new extra tax, as the county has done with its Greenbelt fund.

Right now, were just trying to find a funding source," said Councilwoman Anna Johnson.

The county has not developed a detailed plan for how the money would be spent.

If that passes, we will get into the weeds on exactly how it will be done," said Councilman Vic Rawl. "Without the funds, why would we kill ourselves to work on a plan?"

There are plenty of models to work from. Three years ago, the city of Greenville spent $2 million to create the Greenville Housing Fund, and the city of Charleston won voter approval the same year for a $20 million city-managed affordable housing effort.

The county's potential ballot measure would create funding for affordable housing efforts across Charleston County.

A July survey of 300 likely voters in Charleston County found broad agreement that affordable housing is a serious crisis or significant problem, and nearly three-quarters of those polled agreed that the county has a responsibility to help create affordable housing.

But how to pay for it? The survey asked if respondents would support a property tax increase dedicated to creating affordable housing, and 57 percent said they would while 30 percent said they would not, the rest were unsure.

The live poll and online survey was conducted in July by FTS Insights, a division of First Tuesday Strategies.

There have been previous, failed efforts to create a regional funding source for affordable housing efforts. The former Lowcountry Housing Trust, launched by the city of Charleston, sought contributions from area local governments more than a decade ago but the effort stalled out amid the Great Recession.

The Lowcountry Housing Trust evolved into the statewide South Carolina Community Loan Fund, which loans money for affordable housing and businesses. Councilman Brantley Moody said that organization would manage the funds, if a special property tax is created for affordable housing efforts.

"This county does not need to be in charge of building affordable housing," Moody said Thursday, supporting the idea that the nonprofit loan fund would take the lead.

Next, County Council is expected to take a final vote on the referendum Tuesday.

The South Carolina Community Loan Fund, Metanoia, Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities, Charleston Area Justice Ministry and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce were partners in a polling effort that supports the referendum idea.
Democratic U.S. Senator Doug Jones continued his push for a re-start of $600 per week in jobless benefits within a new coronavirus relief package on Thursday, and was joined by an University of Alabama economist who suggested up to $1 trillion per month was needed for the economy to survive.

Jones was joined by Sam Addy, a senior research economist from the Culverhouse College of Business at UA, during a Facebook video news conference in which the two both urged support of adding the $600 in unemployment benefits. Congressional Democrats have generally been supportive of adding the $600 back into federal legislation to support the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obviously, there are people pushing for a much lower amount, said Jones, referring to Republicans in Congress who support a lower amount ranging from $200 to $500 per week. Jones Senate Republican opponent in November, Tommy Tuberville, said that $600 was way too much to support earlier this week.

These people are, by and large, unemployed because of no fault of their own, Jones said. That extra money is being put back into the economy.

UA senior research economist Sam Addy

Addy, who called the economys current state as being in a survival mode, said the $600 made better economic sense than not including the jobless benefit supplement. The Democratic plan would continue with the $600 per week jobless benefit through January. The measure is added within the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act that was passed out of the U.S. House in May. Unemployed workers were eligible for the $600 supplement from late March until the end of July under the benefit approved in the first coronavirus relief package.

The cost of not extending the $600 payment is higher than the costs of expending them, said Addy, who pushed for the Democratic-backed HEROES Act to be approved even if it did add to a growing federal deficit. Congressional Republicans have argued against supporting relief measures that would increase budget deficits, and Senate Republican leaders have backed a $1 trillion counterproposal to the HEROES Act.

Deficits at this stage are not as important as surviving, said Addy. Nothing else matters if we dont survive. We are in a worst situation than we were a few months ago.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are working on a compromise with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows between the Democrats $3 trillion plan and the $1 trillion Republican package.

Jones, who is battling to retain his Senate seat in November, was critical of the lack of involvement in the negotiations by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Senate Republicans are not involved, he said, noting that by mid-June we still had nothing from Senator McConnell. He had the HEROES Act locked away and was not discussing anything with our colleagues. The American people need help.

Indeed, the pressure for approving a second coronavirus relief package comes amid growing concerns over thousands of evictions and existing worries about rising unemployment claims. Nationally, weekly unemployment filings that fell through June saw an uptick in late July.

Alabamas unemployment rate, which was around 10% in May, fell to 7.5% in June and was tenth lowest unemployment rate in the nation, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics. Weekly jobless claims, which were steadily rising from late June to July 18, have fallen back in the past two weeks. The 11,862 weekly unemployment claims for the week of July 26-Aug. 1, were the lowest since 10,982 claims were filed in mid-March at around the time the pandemic began.

Hundreds of people sat for hours Wednesday outside Alabama State University's Oliver-Dunn Acadome in Montgomery in hopes of resolving issues that have caused them to be denied unemployment benefits. (Connor Sheets | csheets@al.com)

But Alabamas unemployment claims process has been slowed at times illustrated by long lines of people standing to wait to speak to a claims representative in cities like Montgomery. Also complicating measures were jammed phone lines at the Department of Labor.

Jones said hes advocating for increased federal funding to support Departments of Labor throughout the nation to help alleviate the overwhelmed departments.

We have to give our departments of labor across the country more tools, more technology, said Jones. Right now, they are not being equipped. We got lulled from low unemployment. I think from now on, we have to keep the technology up-to-date and have adjustors in waiting. Those are things to do in the future.

Addy said an investment into state labor agencies will also pay off during periods of economic strength. He said new employees could be cross-trained to assist people in job searching.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA  With record unemployment levels reaching new highs every week, a good number of employers are currently searching for workers in Southern California.

The employment site ZipRecruiter.com has listed scores of jobs that have opened even as the coronavirus pandemic continues and many businesses remain closed.

You can search here for job openings in our area.

Note that some of the postings went up more than 30 days ago. But also notice that many of the jobs have been advertised within the past few days and weeks.

If you're a small business owner in Southern California in search of employees but you're not on ZipRecruiter, you can post your job openings in the Patch classified section. Here are instructions.

Here's a sampling of some of the job listings across Southern California:

LOS ANGELES COUNTY:

ORANGE COUNTY:



Story continues

RIVERSIDE COUNTY:



SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY:



SAN DIEGO COUNTY:



Looking for a job in Northern California? Then see:

Note: These jobs were available as of this posting, according to ZipRecruiter.com. Patch cannot guarantee that positions have not been filled.

This article originally appeared on the San Diego Patch
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-06 19:36:33|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press briefing in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

- Though Pompeo calls it a "clean network," the ideas behind it and the means he has employed to reach it are dirty.



- The United States has long been a standard-bearer for the tenet of free market and fair play in international exchanges, but now it is crushing every bit of it with its own hands.



NEW YORK, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday the launch of five new lines of effort under the so-called "Clean Network" program to "protect America's critical telecommunications and technology infrastructure," going a step further in suppressing Chinese tech companies.

According to the five lines, Washington will seek to remove "untrusted" Chinese apps such as TikTok and WeChat from U.S. mobile app stores, limit the ability of Chinese cloud service providers like Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent to access cloud-based systems in the country, and ensure undersea cables "are not subverted for intelligence gathering" by China.

The nature of this move is an actual decoupling in these areas between China and the United States, as well as those countries Pompeo has been pressuring to stand with Washington. Though he calls it a "clean network," the ideas behind it and the means he has employed to reach it are dirty.

The logo of TikTok is displayed on the screen of a smartphone on a computer screen background in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Aug. 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

There is not any justifiable reason for these actions. Pompeo's excuses are that Chinese companies steal U.S. technologies, collect data, and threaten U.S. national security, though he has never shown any convincing evidence whatsoever.

On the contrary, the United States has a notorious reputation for spying on the whole world, even its allies. Pompeo may have trumped up the charges against Chinese companies simply based on his own experiences, as he once boasted in a speech that "we lied, we cheated, we stole."

These actions will have serious consequences and Chinese companies will not be the only ones that suffer. Companies of other countries, including U.S. companies, will also face losses due to disrupted global supply chains and international scientific and technological cooperation.

These actions will harm the interests of consumers of tech products too. The political scrutiny and threatened expulsion or forced sale of popular video-sharing app TikTok by the U.S. government have already been met with strong objections from young people in America, and have been broadly criticized both in and out of the country.

These actions will further discredit the U.S. investment and business environment, as analysts have warned over the case of TikTok, which has been assimilated to pirate-like action.

Pompeo has boasted that more than 30 countries and territories are in his boat, committed to exclusively using "trusted vendors" in their Clean Networks. It is obvious that he is trying to knit a global network to crack down on Chinese tech companies and hamper China's development.

A plane flies over the National Mall during sunset in Washington D.C., the United States, Aug. 4, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

But his scheme is doomed to fail. These "clean countries" mentioned by Pompeo will eventually find that it is their loss to refuse Chinese technologies. And by reviewing China's development in the past decades, people can easily see that Pompeo's tricks will hardly slow China's pace of development.

The United States has long been a standard-bearer for the tenet of free market and fair play in international exchanges, but now it is crushing every bit of it with its own hands. As the world's sole superpower, the United States is bullying any country, any company or any individual seen as a potential challenge, without any respect for international rules and regulations.

Commentaries recently carried by many U.S. mainstream media have called Pompeo "the worst secretary of state" in modern times, or even ever, mainly because of his undisguised sense of supremacy and defiance of diplomatic etiquette in bilateral and international relations.

According to a recent AP-NORC poll, 80 percent of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction, an all-time high.

This is no surprise, since under the leadership of White House politicians like Pompeo, it is impossible for the country to head in the right direction. 
Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Gov. Greg Abbott this week is trying to make it clear that local school boards, not his office, are responsible for the speed at which students across Texas return to the classroom as the coronavirus continues to ravage the state, nation, and the world.

Plus Sen. Ted Cruz continues to test his political influence with GOP voters against President Donald Trump. Join the conversation featuring Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report and Houston Chronicle political writer Jeremy Wallace.
The Midland Health Department reported another coronavirus-related death involving a Midland County resident  the 46th of the pandemic.

The male in his 80s,who was being treated at Midland Memorial Hospital, died Thursday, according to the city of Midland.

The fatality is the fourth this month, the 21st in the last 2  weeks and the 31st involving a Midland County resident since the beginning of July.

The health department also reported the number of coronavirus cases continued its spike Thursday with 78 new cases reported.

Todays new cases are reflective of lab results from July 31-Aug. 2, according to a press release from the city.

The new cases bring the total this week to 392, already the second most of any week going back to mid-March. If at least 27 are reported today, a new high mark for cases in a week inside Midland County will be established. The average number of cases reported on Tuesday through Thursday has been 69.

There have been 2,570 cases reported during the pandemic.

The health department also reported 1,326 recoveries (an increase of 25 compared to Wednesday) and 794 isolated cases. Another 263 cases are under investigation and 141 described as unable to locate/refused.

Coronavirus report

Cases Monday: 184

Cases Tuesday: 61

Cases Wednesday: 69

Cases Thursday: 78

Total this week: 392

Total cases: 2,570
Woman who says she has COVID-19 evicted from Tennessee home
(Newser)  A former Saudi intelligence official says Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman wants him deadand he might have ended up like Jamal Khashoggi if not for alert customs agents in Canada. In a federal lawsuit filed in Washington, DC, Thursday, Saad Aljabri, who lives in exile in Toronto, accuses the prince of sending a "Tiger Squad" of assassins to kill him because he knew too much about the prince's rise to power, the Washington Post reports. He says the assassins were stopped by officials in Canada in October 2018, the same month Khashoggi was murdered inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate. Aljabri says that like Khashoggi's killers, the men who tried to enter Canada were carrying tools that could have been used to dismember a corpse. The Guardian notes the "lawsuit contained little evidence to support its charges"; it was unable to independently verify his claims.

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The Canadian government said that while it would not comment on specifics, it is aware of incidents in which foreign agents have tried to "monitor, intimidate, or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada." In his lawsuit against the prince and other Saudi officials, Aljabri says authorities have detained two of his children, 22-year-old Omar and 20-year-old Sarah, and tortured his brother in an effort to lure him back to the country to be killed. American intelligence officials say in the years after 9/11 Aljabri was a valuable partner who helped prevent further attacks on the US, including an alleged plot to blow up a pair of US-bound cargo planes. Former CIA officials and senators from both parties have spoken out on his behalf, with the senators urging Saudi Arabia to release Aljabri's children. (Read more Saudi Arabia stories.)
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Most economic indicators have continued to show progress on a week-on-week basis in a clear sign that the worst may be over and there could be a gradual but sustained pick up from here on.

As per an analyst, electricity which is one of the main indicators of health of an economy, has shown dramatic upturn reducing the margin of fall in July from sharp deceleration in the months of April and May.

Also, Google mobility data has seen slight improvement lately as cars and two-wheeler registrations in the first half of July were two-thirds of FY-2020 average.

Despite the total COVID-19 cases in the country going past two million, reduction in the geographical spread of Covid-19 has futher strengthened the gradual improvement in the country's economy.

According to an analysis done by Kotak Institutional Equities, several high frequency indicators have shown recovery in the past week. Accordingly, electricity consumption has been higher once again, compared to a similar period in 2019. Though, electricity consumption gap remained negative (- 1%), India consumed more electricity over the past week. Five out of ten states, the brokerage tracked, saw higher electricity consumption in the past week compared to a similar period in the previous year.

Moreover, daily average cars and two-wheeler registrations in first half of July were two-thirds of FY-2020 daily average. The movement of traffic and the congestion levels in the metros have increased this month while the daily average of number of e-way bills generated in July were highest of any month since the start of the pandemic. E-way bill indicates the movement of transport across the country for delivery of goods.

The brokerage said that excess time spent at home dropped over the past week, according to Google mobility data. There was also an increase in the time spent in grocery shopping while the excess time at workplace remained essentially flat.

Bengaluru, Mumbai and Pune congestion levels increased while New Delhi traffic congestion was flat as compared to previous week.

Also, container traffic increased at JNPT in July, though it was still considerably lower than pre-Covid levels. Railway freight volumes were flat in July after increasing in May and June.

According to KIE, the daily average of property registrations in Maharashtra in July was lower than the daily average of March 2020, but has reached 73 per cent of FY-2020 levels.

'Digital India' goals have also seen a boost in the month of July as daily average UPI and IMPS transaction values have recorded an all-time high in July.

Petroleum consumption is another proxy of economic activity. Monthly data shows that consumption of motor spirit (petroleum) in June was already back to March 2020 consumption level. The consumption of high-speed diesel in June was above the March consumption level. However, the consumption of petro-products is still well below normal levels (FY2020 average).

"...we do see early signs of stagnation (and reversal) though. As evidence from other countries suggests, the road to recovery will not be a straight line, especially as long as the daily case count continues to increase," the brokerage said.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
US President Donald Trump issued executive orders on Thursday banning any US transactions with ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns video-sharing app TikTok, and Tencent, owner of the WeChat app, starting in 45 days. China responded by accusing the US of "political manipulation".

The orders come as the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge untrusted Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat "significant threats".

The TikTok app may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, and the United States "must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security", Trump said in one order.

In the other, Trump said WeChat "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information".

The order would effectively ban WeChat in the United States in 45 days by barring "to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd".

China's foreign ministry on Friday said that it firmly opposes the executive orders announced by Trump and accused the US of "political manipulation".

China will defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing.

TikTok said it was "shocked" by Trump's executive order to ban the video-sharing app, and that it could go to US courts to ensure it was treated fairly.

"We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly  if not by the Administration, then by the US courts," TikTok said on its website.

Story continues

Trump said this week he would support the sale of TikTok's US operations to Microsoft Corp if the US government got a substantial portion of the sales price but warned he will ban the service in the United States on Sept. 15.

Tencent and ByteDance declined to comment.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
Its not known exactly when Canadians will have access to a proven COVID-19 vaccine, but when one is available Niagara Region Public Health will be ready to administer it.

The local body has been busily stockpiling enough needles and syringes since COVID-19 hit to vaccinate Niagaras more than 400,000 residents when the time is ready.

Theyve already been ordered, theyre already stored away and were waiting for the day, hopefully, when we can use them, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, acting medical officer of health for Niagara Region, said Thursday.

The Canadian government announced Wednesday it entered agreements with companies Pfizer and Moderna to purchase millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidates and is in negotiations with other potential vaccine suppliers.

Both companies have vaccine candidates in clinical trials. Any potential vaccine will require Health Canada regulatory approval before they can be used on Canadians.

Hirji said Niagara Region Public Health has started to scout locations where it could hold mass vaccination clinics.

It is also putting together training modules for staff who might be working in that capacity.

In April, public health ordered syringes, needles, personal protective equipment and other medical supplies required to administer vaccinations to be used when a vaccine is available.

Hirji said when COVID-19 hit Niagara in March, there was a shortage on testing supplies so testing wasnt as fulsome as everyone would have liked. Public health was also low on personal protective equipment and there were a lot of challenges to get it.

We expect the next run is going to be on vaccination supplies, so we tried to be ahead of the curve this time and stockpile that, Hirji said.

We have a pretty big stockpile ready to go.

Medical supplies dont last forever, but Hirji said Niagara was able to negotiate for items with longer expiration dates of a few years because it was such a large order.

Though Niagara has enough supplies, it doesnt mean everyone will be able to be vaccinated at once or that a vaccine will be a 100 per cent cure.

We probably need to be prepared that it may not be exactly what were all hoping it will be, Hirji said.

He said when the first vaccine does come out there wont be enough for everyone right away. Highest risk groups may be the ones vaccinated first as companies ramp up and try to produce the billions of doses needed across the globe.

As well, the speed of the vaccine development is very quick  Hirji said the fastest in the past was four years  so it may not end up as effective as other traditional vaccines. While the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella is 95 to 98 per cent effective, Hirji said a COVID-19 vaccine might be less so at first and then be refined and improved over the years.

Niagara has had 878 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Of those cases, 757 people have recovered, 57 people are sick with the virus and at least 64 people have died.

There was one new case reported Thursday, which is believed to be the result of someone having close contact with another case.

Two outbreaks in the region were declared over at Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. Catharines and at Meadows of Dorchester in Niagara Falls. There are still five smaller-sized outbreaks in the region.
A woman wearing a face mask walks past a sign in front of the US Department of Labor amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 29, 2020, in Washington, DC. Oliver Douliery | AFP | Getty Images

Markets see a slight positive in July's jobs report, but the focus remains on whether Washington can agree to a stimulus package that could help head off future job losses and aid the still millions of unemployed. The economy added nearly 1.8 million jobs last month, better than the 1.48 million expected, and the unemployment rate fell more than expected to 10.2% from 11.1%. The pace of gains slowed from the 4.8 million jobs added in June, and the 2.7 million in May. "The concern was that the reimposition of partial lockdowns was going to cause a W-shaped recovery. At least through early July, that wasn't the case," said Jon Hill, senior fixed income strategist at BMO. "One reason for the small [market] response is this is stale, lagged data and we're going to wait for August numbers." Strategists note that much of the recovery in jobs in July was in the leisure and hospitality and retail sectors, two areas that were immediately impacted by the March shutdowns and could be hit again by reclosings.

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"Treasurys looked right through the payrolls and appear to be focused on fiscal negotiations going into the weekend," said Hill. Talks between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House were expected to continue Friday. A deal had been expected by Friday, but talks appeared to have stalled and there was no agreement on key issues. The White House said President Donald Trump could issue executive orders on some aspects of it if there is no deal this weekend. Stocks were a bit weaker as the market also focused on tensions between the U.S. and China. The 10-year Treasury yield ticked up slightly on the better-than-expected jobs report, before slipping lower to 0.52%. "I was heartened by the fact this was a pretty widespread improvement from a sectoral perspective," said Drew Matus, chief market strategist at MetLife Investment Management. "There is a cloud with every silver lining, and this report certainly has cause for optimism and cause for concern."

Leisure and hospitality employment gained by 592,000, making up one-third of the gain in July payrolls. Many of those are restaurant workers. Government employment was expected to decline by some economists but instead increased by 301,000, with 215,000 positions in local government education and 30,000 in state government education. "The concern is improvement in leisure and hospitality, and is that a sustainable number, and what is really going on with the state and local government hiring," Matus said. Retailers added 258,000 jobs, and employment in that sector continues to be 913,000 lower than in February. Health care added 126,000 as dentists and doctors reopened offices. But manufacturing was soft, with just 26,000 jobs added. Construction jobs increased by 20,000 and there were 21,000 more jobs in financial activities, with the bulk of those related to real estate. The Republicans in the Senate and Democrats in House proposed two very different stimulus packages. Democrats are seeking to retain the $600 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit that had been paid before it expired last week. There has also been disagreement on how much would be provided to state and local governments.

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By AFP

BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday strongly denied that his powerful Shiite movement had stored arms at Beirut's port, describing the cataclysmic explosion there as "a major tragedy".

"We have nothing in the port: not an arms depot, nor a missile depot nor missiles nor rifles nor bombs nor bullets nor (ammonium) nitrate," Nasrallah said in a televised speech three days after the blast in the Lebanese capital that killed more than 150 people.

He called the explosion a "major tragedy and humanitarian catastrophe," saying it required a kind of response that would match its "exceptional" scale.

The blast injured at least 5,000 people and devastated entire districts of the capital, leaving some 300,000 people temporarily homeless.

ALSO READ: Negligence or foreign interference through missile or bomb, says Lebanon President

An investigation by authorities has so far led to 21 arrests, as well as travel bans and asset freezes.

Authorities had said a fire at the port had ignited tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored there for years, but President Michel Aoun said Friday it could have been caused by an attack.
The country's long-time leader also spoke about the alleged proposal to head the new state's parliament.

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus believes that creating a Union State with Russia is no longer an option.

"First of all, Belarusians themselves wouldn't accept this" Lukashenko said in an interview with Ukraine's Dmitry Gordon, seen by RBC-Ukraine.

Lukashenko said the corresponding union of the two countries would be "impossible".

"Even if I agreed to unification on the most favorable terms for Belarus, Belarusians would no longer accept this. The people are not ready for this, and they never will be... The nation is overripe. This would have been possible 20 or 25 years ago, when the Soviet Union collapsed. Now it's not," the president said.

Read alsoZelensky asks Lukashenko to extradite part of detained PMC Wagner mercenaries

Lukashenko separately commented on reports about the alleged proposal to head the parliament of the Union State.

"I would never agree to this. I'm not some warehouse chief," the head of Belarus added.

As reported earlier, Lukashenko had already announced the impossibility of Belarus acceding to the Russian Federation.

In November 2019, Belarusian Ambassador to Russia claimed that Alexander Lukashenko and Russia's Vladimir Putin had agreed to create a single parliament and government within the framework of the idea to merge the two countries into a Union State.

Background

Putin's hybrid mix of Tsarist and Soviet Russian nationalism led to the establishment in 2007 of the Russkiy Mir Foundation ('Russian World Foundation"), followed by the emergence of a "Russian World" doctrine calling on the Russian government to intervene on behalf of Russians throughout the former Soviet bloc, Taras Kuzio wrote in an op-ed for the Atlantic Council.

"Although the term is subject to different interpretations, the "Russian World' concept broadly aims to unite the three modern eastern Slavic nations (Russia, Belarus and Ukraine) under Moscow's leadership, with the population of this informal empire bound together by the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church. This mirrors Soviet and Tsarist historical narratives which depicted Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians as fraternal nations born together in the medieval Kyiv Rus and destined to remain united," Kuzio wrote.

Throughout his time in power, Putin has consistently promoted Russia's ancient ties to the Kyiv Rus state as a way of furthering eastern Slavic unity.
Labels will only be applied to accounts from the countries represented in the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Twitter is expanding the types of political accounts the platform labels.

The social network will add new labels to Twitter accounts of key government officials, including foreign ministers, institutional entities, ambassadors, official spokespeople, and key diplomatic leaders, Twitter said in a statement.

Also, the new labels will be applied to accounts belonging to state-affiliated media entities, their editors-in-chief, and/or their senior staff.

At the moment, labels will only be applied to accounts from the countries represented in the five permanent members of the UN Security Council: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

"We believe this is an important step so that when people see an account discussing geopolitical issues from another country, they have context on its national affiliation and are better informed about who they represent," Twitter said in a statement.

"State-affiliated media is defined as outlets where the state exercises control over editorial content through financial resources, direct or indirect political pressures, and/or control over production and distribution," the statement reads.

Read alsoRussian propagandists come up with bizarre "Ukrainian trace" in Beirut blast  media

Unlike independent media, state-affiliated media frequently use their news coverage as a means to advance a political agenda, Twitter noted.

The company believes that "people have the right to know when a media account is affiliated directly or indirectly with a state actor".

State-financed media organizations with editorial independence, like the BBC in the UK or NPR in the U.S. for example, will not be labeled.

The platform will also no longer amplify state-affiliated media accounts or their Tweets through the recommendation systems including on the home timeline, notifications, and search.

As reported earlier, Twitter in July experienced a breach, where perpetrators took 'control of many highly-visible (including verified) accounts" and tweeted on their behalf, according to the company statement.

The platform has "taken significant steps to limit access to internal systems and tools while our investigation is ongoing."
A team of scientists placed research instruments into the Milne Ice Shelf in Nunavut last July, with plans to return to collect them this summer and study how the stability of the structure had changed.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A rift in the Milne Ice Shelf on Ellesmere Island is shown in a 2019 handout photo. The Canadian Ice Service says a huge chunk has broken off Canada's last fully intact ice shelf on the northwest coast of Nunavut's Ellesmere Island. The Milne Ice Shelf is 40 per cent smaller after the split that began late last month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Carleton University-Derek Mueller MANDATORY CREDIT

A team of scientists placed research instruments into the Milne Ice Shelf in Nunavut last July, with plans to return to collect them this summer and study how the stability of the structure had changed.

The COVID-19 pandemic put that trip on hold. Then a week ago, the last remaining intact ice shelf in the Canadian arctic broke apart.

"And so we've lost not only the equipment, which is now drifting away in the Arctic Ocean, but also the information that it recorded over the time that it was out," Carleton University glaciologist Derek Mueller said Friday.

The Canadian Ice Service said the ice shelf on the northwestern edge of Ellesmere Island has shrunk 43 per cent to 106 square kilometres from 187 square kilometres.

The calving event, captured by satellite, was not a surprise, Mueller said.

The ice shelf sits in a fjord sheltered by tall cliffs, so it had not melted as quickly as others.

While it managed to stay together until last week, Mueller said he had observed worsening cracks and rifts since he first started studying the area in 2004.

"It certainly has been changing  there's no doubt. And, to me, it wasn't really a question of if this breakup would happen. It was a question of when it would happen," Mueller said.

"But still it hits home. It's sort of like losing a good friend in a way."

The ice shelf collapse also set adrift research into marine organisms, such as sponges and sea anemones, discovered in water pockets within the ice.

"We're not sure what these consequences are for these animals. And certainly they won't be where we were studying them, because that piece has drifted away from the shore," Mueller said.

"If we find these kinds of animals again, I think it will be a stroke of luck."

At the turn of the 20th century, 8,600 square kilometres of ice stretched along the northern coast of Ellesmere Island. By 2000, it was reduced to 1,000 and now it's half that, Mueller said.

University of Ottawa glaciologist Luke Copland said in a news release that the temperature has been up to 5 C warmer this summer than the average between 1981 and 2010.

The region has been warming at two to three times the global rate, he added.

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"This drastic decline in ice shelves is clearly related to climate change," Copland said.

"The Milne and other ice shelves in Canada are simply not viable any longer and will disappear in the coming decades."

Mueller said the ice shelf collapse should be a wake-up call.

"These ice shelves are well out of balance with the climate and I think their demise is inevitable," he said.

"But, having said that, it's not too late to make changes to the way we live and our carbon footprint."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 7, 2020
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Aurobindo Pharma Limited is working on developing several viral vaccines including one for COVID-19 even as the candidate was approved for funding by the Department of BioTechnology, the company said in its latest annual report.

"During the year (FY20), we have further strengthened our presence in the vaccines segment through the acquisition of R&D assets from Profectus Biosciences through Auro Vaccines. Using those R&D assets, the team is working on developing several viral vaccines, including a vaccine for COVID-19," it said.

In November 2019, Aurobindo Pharma said its subsidiary Auro Vaccines LLC entered into a pact to acquire certain business assets from Profectus BioSciences Inc USA for an upfront cash consideration of USD 11.29 million (around Rs 80 crore) with potential earn-outs on achieving certain milestones.

"Our vaccine candidate underwent an evaluation by BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, Department of BioTechnology). BIRAC has evaluated our platform extensively and we have been informed that our vaccine has been shortlisted by BIRAC for funding initial development up," the city-based drug maker said in the annual report.

The company is developing Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV).

The global market size of the product is USD 6.2 billion.

The company has successfully completed the Phase-I and Phase II studies.

Phase-III clinical study is expected to be initiated by December 2020.

The final product would be launched by the end of FY22, Aurobindo said.

"The acquisition (of Profectus BioSciences) will also lead to the enhancement of our R&D capabilities and expertise in developing new vaccines from basic discovery to FDA approved products. As part of our commitment to patient needs, we have started working on developing a vaccine for COVID- 19," the report said.

Aurobindo is setting up manufacturing facilities for orals in China, injectables and other routes of administration like patches, topicals, inhalers, among others in India and in the USA.

Also, its biosimilars (Unit XVII) and vaccines facilities (Unit XVIII) are ready for commercialisation.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted select business segments like generic injectables due to a decline in in- patient volumes and out-patient footfalls in the hospitals during the last fiscal.

However, the muted growth was offset by volume improvement in other businesses.
US president Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order barring transactions with the Chinese parent company of social media platform TikTok after 45 days.

US president Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order barring transactions with the Chinese parent company of social media platform TikTok after 45 days.

"The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security," the order said.

"The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order... any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd."

Trump had earlier said the popular Chinese app would be banned in the country beginning 15 September, unless it is bought by an American company and asserted that a substantial amount of the buyout deal should go to the treasury.

Technology giant Microsoft is in talks with TikTok's parent company ByteDance to buy its US operation.

However, the president is in favour of a complete 100 percent purchase and not the 30 percent as reportedly being negotiated now. Trump confirmed to reporters that he spoke to Microsoft's India-born CEO Satya Nadella on the issue.

"We had a great conversation. He (Nadella) called me to see how I felt about it. I said, look, it can't be controlled for security reasons by China... (its) too big, too invasive. It can't be... I don't mind whether it's Microsoft or somebody else, a big company... American company buys it. It's probably easier to buy the whole thing rather than to buy 30 percent of it," Trump told reporters in the Cabinet Room of the White House.

"I said how do you do 30 percent? Who's going to get the name. The name is hot. The brand is hot. Who's going to get the name and who is going to get that when it's owned by two different companies. So, my personal opinion was, you probably better off buying the whole thing rather than buying 30 percent of it. I think buying 30 percent is complicated and I suggested that he can go ahead. He can try," he said.

Trump said he has "set a date at around 15 September at which point it (TikTok) is going to be out of business in the United States".

However, he said, "If somebody, whether it's Microsoft or somebody else buys it. That would be interesting, I did say that if you buy it, whatever the price is that goes to whoever owns it."

Trump said there would have to be a substantial payment to the US government as part of the deal.

(Also read: Microsoft TikTok deal: From security concerns to what the deal means, here's all you need to know)

A very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the treasury of the US because we're making it possible for this deal to happen. Right now, they don't have any rights unless we give it to them. So, we're going to give them the rights that has to come into. It has to come into this country. It's a little bit like the landlord-tenant. Without a lease, the tenant has nothing. So they pay what's called key money or they pay something, he said.

Trump said TikTok is a great asset "but it's not a great asset in the US unless they have the approval of the American government."

"So it'll close down on September 15 unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal. An appropriate deal. And the Treasury gets a lot of money, a lot of them," he said.

Meanwhile, Redmond-headquartered Microsoft, in a statement on Sunday, said following a conversation between Nadella and Trump, it is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the US.

Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the Presidents concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury, the statement said.

Microsoft will move quickly to pursue discussions with TikToks parent company ByteDance in a matter of weeks and will complete these discussions in any event by 15 September, it said.

Trump last week threatened to ban the popular video-sharing app in the US after concerns were raised that it could be a national security risk.

Microsoft said the discussions with TikTok's parent firm ByteDance will build upon a notification made by Microsoft and ByteDance to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

Microsoft added that "in any event" it would finish talking with ByteDance no later than September 15.

The two companies have provided notice of their intent to explore a preliminary proposal that would involve a purchase of the TikTok service in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and would result in Microsoft owning and operating TikTok in these markets.

Microsoft may also invite other American investors to participate on a minority basis in this purchase.

The company said among other measures, Microsoft would ensure that all private data of TikToks American users is transferred to and remains in the US.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday said TikTok cannot stay in the current format in the US as it "risks sending back information on 100 million Americans".

Mnuchin said he has spoken to several top American lawmakers and all agree that "there has to be a change".

In recent weeks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused TikTok of collecting personal information of Americans.

TikTok has previously stressed that its US user data is already stored on US-based servers and backed up in Singapore, and is therefore not subject to Chinese law as some US officials have feared.

With inputs from agencies
To become an Acumatica-Certified Application, EBizCharge has demonstrated commitment to quality by passing the Acumatica software test and aligning to future Acumatica roadmap releases. The ACA title highlights outstanding development partners whose applications have met the highest standards set for Acumatica integration and functionality.

Century Business Solutions, a leading provider of integrated payment solutions for B2B merchants, today announced that its software has been recognized as an Acumatica-Certified Application (ACA). Acumatica, the worlds fastest-growing cloud ERP company, was recently recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Medium-Sized/Midmarket Business ERP Applications 2020 Vendor Assessment.

Acumatica is a comprehensive, browser-based cloud ERP solution optimized for ease of use, adaptability, mobility, speed, and security. The ACA title highlights outstanding development partners whose applications have met the highest standards set for Acumatica integration and functionality.

Customers who want to stay competitive need flexible, responsive technology to execute their long-term business strategies, said Christian Lindberg, Vice President of Partner Solutions at Acumatica. Our ACA label is built to help customers find applications capable of delivering that. Were proud to recognize EBizCharge as an Acumatica-Certified Application. It masterfully utilizes the Acumatica platform to meet customers growing business demands.

To become an Acumatica-Certified Application, EBizCharge has demonstrated commitment to quality by passing the Acumatica software test and aligning to future Acumatica roadmap releases.

Were honored to receive this kind of recognition from the Acumatica developers themselves, said Mo Elhanafy, CTO/VP of Software Engineering at Century Business Solutions. This is a testament to the strength of our application and the depth of our integration with the Acumatica platform. With our suite of enhancements and Acumaticas solid foundation, I believe the skys the limit for us.

About Century Business Solutions

Century Business Solutions is an all-in-one payment solution that provides payment processing technology to over 30,000 merchants in the U.S. and Canada. In 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, Century was ranked on the annual Inc. 5000 list honoring the nations fastest-growing private companies. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Century was also awarded the Silver Stevie Award for Payment Product and Service of the Year by the American Business Awards, the worlds largest premier business award. Century develops fully integrated payment processing solutions for over 100 major ERP, CRM, and accounting systems. For more information, visit https://www.centurybizsolutions.net.

About Acumatica

Acumatica provides cloud-based business management software that enables small and mid-size companies to accelerate their businesses. Built on cloud and mobile technology and a unique customer-centric licensing model, Acumatica delivers a suite of fully integrated business management applications, such as Financials, Distribution, CRM, and Project Accounting, on a robust and flexible platform. For more information, visit http://www.acumatica.com.


KAMPALA  Dr. Kizza Besigye, the opposition Forum for Democratic Change strongman on Thursday night told NTVS Patrick Kamara that the discussion of his candidature was diversionary and was an agenda for forces against change.

He wants the country to look at the big picture.

Full transcript below:

Kamara: Col. Dr. Besigye, will you run for the Presidency?

Dr. Besigye : Wrong Question!

Kamara: Dr. Besigye, are you running for the presidency?

Besigye: Wrong question!

Kamara: Dr. Besigye, do you have an ambition once again; do you have it in you once again for the 5th time to run for the Presidency?

Besigye: Wrong question!

Kamara: Something is wrong here.

Besigye: Yes

Kamara: Dr. Besigye am I going to make this question precise?

Besigye: You see this question that has gripped the country of my candidature and candidates is engineered by some interests . Its an agenda by some people not my agenda, but which you and and many other people want to conscript me into an agenda to look for candidates.

Candidates for what? The reason I am saying its a wrong question is that the political challenge of Uganda is not getting a president; this country should not be fighting to get a president.

Its wrong for this country to be gripped in looking for a President, its wrong.

Kamara: Dr. Besigye, I have been with you on the Presidential trail when you have offered yourself to lead. In spite of what you have said, my simple question is whether you will offer yourself as a vessel for leadership in 2021 so that you name is on the ballot to transform Uganda.

Besigye: The reason we have a lot of engagement over this is because there is a fundamental confusion deliberately engineered in Uganda.

You see, a country that is looking for a President is a country where its people have the power to choose one (President). This country since it became Uganda, its people have never said we are changing a president and the president changes. Has it ever happened?

Kamara, in your entire life, have you ever seen a President changed by the people of Uganda? In your entire being, and you are not a young person, have you ever seen Ugandans changing a president?

Kamara: Because you and your colleagues decided to pick guns and came with guns blazing in Kampala, how would I have seen it?

Besigye: So someone is deliberately constructing a wrong question for the people of Uganda and misdirecting them to believe that they will be participating in choosing a president, and so we are conscripted into becoming candidates; that there is an electoral roadmap, whose road map?

The people of Uganda need to get their country into their hands first before they can look for how to run (govern) it. The country Uganda is not in the hands of the people of Uganda. Its a captured state.

That is where I fundamentally differ. The questions then come, if its a captured state, why are you engaged in political processes in the country? Yes, I participate only as part of maneuvers to liberate our country.

Kamara: I am asking whether as part of your maneuver tactics, you are going to maneuver yourself through the ballot paper and your name on it despite the huddles.

Besigye: If you are going to get the answer, understand what those maneuvers are. Every time I have become a candidate, I have not been massively sought out by the media. Did you ever seek me out to whether I will be a candidate? Has anyone ever sought me out to see whether I am candidate? Candidates are not hunted for but they offer themselves.

Kamara: What has changed fundamentally from the past where you offered yourself without being sought out like now?

Besigye: Understand. The reason indeed these questions come up, that misunderstanding of what the countrys political processes are about is maintained, is because we give it credence by focusing you cameras and country in that fake process, which is, what I am saying I will not facilitate anybody with myself to focus on the wrong thing of candidature as an issue facing this country.

Certainly I want that focus to shift whether I will be candidate or not, and if by not going to become a candidate forces you to raise these questions, it gives me the right opportunity to tell our country men that our focus should not be manipulated which is what is being done- manipulated into a political process that doesnt answer our needs.

Kamara: Where is your focus?

Besigye: The political process that exist today, the roadmap in place is a roadmap to the gallows. Its not a road map to freedom. We must chart our own road to freedom.

That is why I tell you the challenge of this country is not leadership; its freedom. People who get leaders are free. And they use that freedom to get leaders.We are not free; we are not living in a free country.

Now for someone to manipulate us to behave as if we are free; to present ourselves to his processes , it like causing an election in Luzira prison for inmates to choose head prisoners and prisoners take it very seriously, and it becomes their priority choose their head prisoner, instead of focusing on how to get out of prison.

That manipulation must stop. The manipulation that there is going to be registration, nominations etc when all processes are controlled by our captors. That must change, the conversation must change.

And if by not answering your question (of whether I will be a candidate), we can focus Ugandans onto the right questions of whether Uganda is a free country; is there rule of law in Uganda; are there freedoms and right in Uganda? And if they are not there, can you have a vote? Do the people of Uganda actually have a vote without freedoms and rights and rule of law?

Kamara: I will ask for the very last time, what has fundamentally changed this time that you cannot think of being on the ballot at this time and yet for four times, in the same country, in the same system, you offered yourself?

Besigye: A lot has changed and it gets worse each day. I was one of those that picked up guns to fight. I was one those, who through that war, left half a million people dead. Those 500,000 Ugandans were killed after the election of 1980. We are talking reality, not theories. These people were killed after an election.

I would never have gone to the Bush if I had not been grabbed in Kampala here minding my business and tortured to near death, from where I escaped into exile. Those things dont happen in a country you call home and have rights.

Today, people are grabbed and taken to safe houses and some die there, in a such a country, where courts of law and parliament are attacked by soldiers in broad day light, on camera, that is not a country where you should be asking a question about candidates.

The question you should be asking and all Ugandans should be asking is whether we are in a free country or not. And if we conclude that we are not in a free country, then do we have a vote?

Kamara, can you have a vote in a country where you are not free?

=================================

Transcript by Ronald Muhinda

=================================

Related
A team of doctors in China has claimed that lungs of 90 per cent of Covid-19 patients who recovered in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak of the disease was first reported, are still damaged.

The team is led by Peng Zhiyong, the director of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. It has been conducting follow-up visits with 100 recovered patients since April.

The findings of the research have been startling. Pengs team said that the recovered patients could only walk for 400 metres in six minutes, unlike their healthy peers who could cover a distance of 500 metres in the same time. This is based on the walking test with the patients.

Also Read: US will end reliance on China, other nations for pharmaceuticals

The first phase of this one-year programme finished in July. The average age of the patients in the study was 59.

The researchers also said that some recovered patients have to rely on oxygen machines even three months after being discharged from the hospital, researchers from another team said. This study was conducted by Liang Tengxiao, a doctor from the Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, on patients above the age of 65.

Also Watch l If it gets good result: Trump willing to work with China on Covid-19 vaccine

The results of their study also showed that antibodies against the novel coronavirus in 10 per cent of the 100 patients have disappeared, according to reports published in Chinese news outlets. The 100 patients immune systems have not fully recovered, it further said, adding that the patients suffered from depression and a sense of stigma.

The coronavirus disease first started from Wuhan, in Chinas Hubei province, late last year and spread across the globe. Hubei province has reported a total of 68,138 confirmed Covid-19 cases till now. The disease has claimed 4,512 lives in the province, according to the official data.

China, meanwhile, reported 37 new coronavirus cases in the mainland as of Thursday, the countrys health authority said on Friday.

Also Read: What can explain the mystery of Chinas Covid-19 numbers?

Of the new cases, 10 were imported infections involving travellers from overseas compared with seven such cases reported a day earlier, the National Health Commission said in a statement published through its official account on social media platform Weibo.

There were also 14 new asymptomatic cases, down from 20 a day earlier.

Total number of infections in mainland China now stand at 84,565, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.
Its a little hard to know what to make of how slowly the United States has moved in using mobile phones to trace the spread of COVID-19 and notify exposed individuals. Four months ago, Apple and Google announced a privacy-protecting system to use Bluetooth for contact-tracing apps. Yet only this week did the first stateVirginiarelease an exposure notification app using that Apple-Google framework.

So much of the United States response to the pandemic has been heartbreakingly, infuriatingly slow and inept that its possible to view this delay as further evidence of incompetence. But developing privacy-protecting systems that dont drain peoples phone batteries, dont rely on collecting or sharing their location data, and still provide accurate and useful information about whom theyve been in close contact with is no small feat. And so, perhaps in at least this one circumstance, Virginia and other states engaged in similar efforts should be recognized for taking the time to do this carefully and deliberately.

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The Covidwise app that Virginia launched this week uses the exposure notification API developed by Apple and Google to track when smartphones running Android or iOS came into close contact with one another without revealing unnecessary information about users locations or activities. The partnership between Apple and Google was first announced in April, the software was launched in May, and then, in June, Android and iPhone users began to notice a COVID-19 exposure tool in their phone settings that had been pushed out in software updates.

That tool itself does not issue any notifications, thoughit merely enables other app developers to use the Apple-Google technology in their own notification apps. That was why the Virginia Department of Health paid tech firm SpringML $229,000 to develop an app for Virginia residents that would build on the Apple-Google API to actually notify users when they had been in close proximity to someone who later tested positive for COVID-19.

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Thats a lot of different steps to do something similar to what it seems like other countries have already been doing for months. But as unwieldy as it may appear, there are real benefits to a carefully designed system like the one Apple and Google have laid the groundwork for with their API. For one, the Apple-Google system prioritizes users privacy by not collecting information about where people have been and by protecting carefully the data about whom theyve been near. For another, it relies on Bluetooth signals that can more accurately assess when people are within very close range of one another indoors than many location tracking technologies.

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The privacy protections may also have important implications for the effectiveness of apps like Covidwise, which will only work if a large number of people download and use them. If I lived in Virginia, Id feel sufficiently confident in the Apple-Google API that Id be willing to download Covidwise, and that trust is no small accomplishment for the officials relying on these systems to help alert people. In South Korea, where officials were much more aggressive about trying to track exposure early on, those efforts were hindered by the lack of attention to privacy. For instance, Reuters reported in May that even though clubs and bars in South Korea were required to log the names and phone numbers of their customers, many people turned out to have provided incomplete or false information, prompting the country to try to develop more robust privacy protections for its testing and tracing systems.

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Whether a significant number of people will actually download and use the Virginia app remains to be seen. Its also not clear how many other states will follow Virginias lead in using the Apple-Google API to develop apps since there are no current plans for a nationwide government-sponsored notification app. The Virginia app requires a six-digit PIN issued by the state Department of Health to confirm positive test results and therefore will be of very limited use to non-Virginia residents, though there has been some discussion of a shared national key server to enable different states apps to work together.

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States have made attempts to track exposure without using the Apple-Google framework. Utah, for instance, released an app in May that relied on both Bluetooth and GPS data instead of the Apple-Google API (which, again, relies exclusively on Bluetooth data). In addition to being able to track users location data, the Utah app also enabled public health workers to access data about exposed users so that those officials could then contact people directly, something the Apple-Google set-up is designed to avoid by alerting exposed individuals through their phones instead of via government workers. Also in May, the Care19 app built for North Dakotawhich, like the Utah app, collected location data instead of relying on the Apple-Google APIwas found to violate its own privacy policy by sending user data to marketing company Foursquare. That problem was fixed and two more states, South Dakota and Wyoming, signed on to use the app. But by the end of June, only 4 percent of North Dakotans were using Care19.

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One of the delays thats most frustrating in the United States is the need to wait for individual states to commission and roll out their own apps, even after the underlying API has been developed. In Europe, several countries, such as Germany and Ireland, have already launched nationwide apps that use the Apple-Google notification system. Different exposure notification apps commissioned by different states means the process will move more slowly in the United States. It also raises potential security concerns since each app will have to be vetted carefully, and the budget for the development and testing of each one will vary state by state. Thats not a process you ever want to rush, but given the circumstances, it might make sense for states to think about what, if anything, they could learn from the places that have already done this.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Reuters

A former senior adviser to Britain's Boris Johnson said on Monday he was willing to "swear under oath" that the prime minister knew a party was being held at his residence during a COVID-19 lockdown, accusing him of lying to parliament. British media have reported that at least 11 gatherings took place at 10 Downing Street - the prime minister's official residence and office - or in other government departments between May 2020 and April 2021, when COVID-19 rules limited how many people could meet socially. Dominic Cummings, an architect of Britain's departure from the European Union and a former senior adviser to Johnson who left government under acrimonious terms in November 2020, said on Twitter that the prime minister had agreed that the drinks party should go ahead.
Its rare these days to be a small and successful manufacturer in New York City. And perhaps even rarer for a family-owned business to pivot its operations several times in moments of national need  including participating in a mysterious and ultra-top-secret military contract that redefined modern warfare.

Plaxall, a family-owned plastics packaging company, has been operating out of a factory in an industrial stretch of Long Island City, Queens, for 70 years. Normally, it produces medical waste disposal containers, dessert trays and form-fitting packaging for perfume and liquor bottles. But during the shortage of personal protective equipment, Plaxall started producing medical face shields. Since April, 100,000 shields have been made.

Over the years, weve had many people ask us why we keep manufacturing in New York City, said Matthew Quigley, one of the three cousins who help run Plaxall. When this public health crisis happened, we thought: Maybe this is the reason we held out for so long. This is our moment, again.

Mr. Quigley was referring to the fact that his grandfather, an engineer named Louis H. Pfohl and Plaxalls founder, was known for applying his skills in unique ways, especially during national emergencies, some of them more clandestine than others.
BEREA, Ohio -- Loose canines have attacked dogs on leashes twice in separate incidents over the past week or so.

On Aug. 1, a loose dog attacked and bit a smaller dog being walked by her owner at about 8 p.m. on Whitehall Drive.

The smaller dog was on a leash. The unleashed larger dog ran from her yard toward the smaller dog, with the larger dogs owner running in pursuit. The smaller dogs owner tried to use his body to block the larger dog from his pet, but was unable to do so.

The larger dog bit the smaller dogs neck, let go, then bit a second time. At one point, the larger dog had the entire head of the smaller dog in her mouth. The smaller dogs owner dropped to the ground and pulled the larger animal off his dog.

The smaller dog suffered a puncture wound under her jaw and a possible injury to her front leg. She was taken to MedVet in Cleveland.

The owner of the larger dog said a little girl was playing with his dog in his front yard and had thrown a ball for the dog to fetch. The dog forgot about the ball when she saw the smaller dog. The owner said he gained control of his dog after the attack.

Police cited the owner of the larger dog. The owner of the smaller dog will seek reimbursement for the dogs medical bills from the larger dogs owner. Police notified the Cuyahoga County Board of Health about the attack.

On July 30, a loose bulldog attacked and bit a 17-year-old Berea boy and the Shiba Inu he was walking on Kurtz Street.

The bulldog came from a house on Kurtz. The Shibu Inu suffered a bite on its rear leg. The boy was scratched.

A woman living at the Kurtz home said the bulldog belonged to her boyfriend, who was staying at his parents house in Lakewood. Police called the boyfriend, but couldnt reach him initially. They reported the attack to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.

Read more from the News Sun.
interCaribbean is awaiting approval of its licence application before it can include SVG in its schedule.

What is undoubtedly the Caribbeans largest privately owned airline company, interCaribbean Airways anticipated starting to service the Barbados to St. Vincent air-bridge as early as August 4, 2020.

This was according to the airlines founder and Chairman Lyndon Gardiner, who spoke exclusively with this reporter on Wednesday, July 29.

However, Vincentian travellers would have to endure their governments lethargy in processing the requisite licences, before any of the interCaribbeans 16 aircrafts could begin to traverse local skies.

"As it relates to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, we submitted an application for licences that have not been determined yet. Once we get a determination on the licences, then we would be able to announce a start date.

"We expect it to be done sometime soon because apparently that is the process and were in the middle of the process as I understand it, Gardiner explained.

Effort to reach Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who is also responsible for aviation related matters, are yet to bear fruit.

In the meantime, interCaribbean has already availed its service to St. Lucia, Dominica and Antigua, and on August 4, announced connecting services from Barbados Grantley Adams International Airport to Grenada and St. Lucia.

It is this latter service that is expected to include St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Gardiner is hopeful that governments push to lower taxes on air travel will have a significant impact on the cost of tickets.

Building on one plane

Gardiner, the 53 years-old Turks and Caicos islander, recounted his companys progress since he purchased his first plane in 1991.

"We began scheduled operations in 2001; we did a company name change in 2003 because at that time it was just generally a whole lot of development taking place in Turks and Caicos. 

"Then in 2013 we changed the name of the company to interCaribbean [Airways]. That was done, primarily, to take advantage of the new vision that we had, which is to offer an extended Caribbean combination air service.

"Since then, we have solidified our position on a number of routes and I believe  pre-COVID  were now up to 14 countries and 23 cities, Gardiner said.

He pointed to a "number of things that are working in combination to contribute to interCaribbean Airways projected unparalleled success, especially, in the Eastern Caribbean.

"One of them has to do with the size of our airplanes. They are not small airplanes but when compared to LIAT they take less people. They take 30 people instead of 48 people. That means that we have the right sized airplanes for the market. The other thing that we are looking at is the Caribbean enhanced schedule, and thirdly we are looking at increasing, in terms of the frequency, more direct flights.

Whats in store?

Gardiner disclosed that, "We always had a plan to develop more of an Eastern Caribbean presencewas to be present in all the major Caribbean islands by 2025. We had planned for a longer run but the opportunity has presented itself so we can do it quicker.

The former banker, lifelong entrepreneur and fully trained pilot has been the focus of many accolades.

One Canadian aviation specialist, in a 2018 blog, described Gardiner as a visionary who "sees the forest and not just the trees in the Caribbean [aviation industry].

And although Gardiner did not quantify the projected number of jobs that are expected to be created when his company sets up shop on mainland St. Vincent, the shrewd businessman listed, amongst other benefits, access to jobs and training beyond Vincentian shores.

And when there are no more skies left to conquer, Gardiner hopes to turn his attention towards educating the next generations of Caribbean aviation service providers.

"My dream really is to create a Caribbean institution to provide opportunities in aviation which is a highly skilled field  he told this reporter.

interCaribbean was one of the airlines identified that were prepared to fill the void left by LIAT being liquidated or scaled down.The others includedSVG Air, One Caribbean, Caribbean Airlines (CAL), Silver Airways and Air Antilles.

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The Census Bureau said it would wrap up the survey a month early.

How many households are still uncounted?
T he wealth of many billionaires has risen dramatically since coronavirus lockdown, driven in part by stock market gains and corporate bailouts from the US government.

This took place while millions of people have lost jobs and income  more than 50 million people in the US alone have filed for unemployment during the pandemic.

Some of the richest people in the world made their money from founding tech companies that we seemingly cannot do without, including Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Netflix.

Here we look at some of the billionaires at the world's largest tech companies.

Amazon: Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos (Getty Images) / Getty

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is worth $205 billion (about 155 billion), according to the Forbes Billionaires list. He has consistently been the richest person in the world since 2018.

Mr Bezos, 56, is on course to be a trillionaire by 2026, if his wealth continues to grow at the same rate as in the past five years. Given the Amazon share price, a significant driver of his net worth has been on a very strong run for years that may not continue, some have argued that the projection may not come true.

He launched the e-commerce company in 1994 as Cadabra, but soon changed the name. The company had revenues of $281 billion (214 billion) in 2019  by far the largest revenue for an internet company.

Amazon has been criticised for its allegedly harsh labour practices and tax policy. The company has consistently denied these claims.

Mr Bezos was also called "the world's worst boss" by an international trades union in 2014. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Union of Trade Confederations, said: "Jeff Bezos represents the inhumanity of employers who are promoting the American corporate model."

He has also owned the Washington Post newspaper since 2013, among a number of other investments. He has given several billion dollars to charity, including a promise of $10 billion (about 7.6 billion) to help fight climate change.

When he and his wife MacKenzie Scott divorced in 2018, she kept 25 per cent of their previously-joint shares in Amazon, as well as interests in other ventures  becoming one of the richest women in the world with a fortune of $36 billion (about 27.8 billion).

Tesla: Elon Musk

Elon Musk / Getty Images

Elon Musk is worth $95.5 billion (72.3 billion), making him the fifth richest person in the world, according to Forbes.

South Africa-born Mr Musk is an engineer, industrial designer, and technological entrepreneur, who founded SpaceX, The Boring Company and X.com - which became PayPal. He is also CEO of Tesla.

He is a US, Canadian and South African citizen. He previously dated actors Amber Heard and Talulah Riley, whom he married. He is currently in a relationship with Canadian musician Grimes - with whom he had a baby, famously named X AE A-XII.

Musk is also a philanthropist, and has given money towards environmental projects and projects to combat coronavirus.

Microsoft: Bill Gates

Bill Gates / Getty Images

Bill Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen, is worth $116.2 billion (about 88 billion), according to Forbes. He was the richest person in the world for every year but four between 1995 and 2017  after which Mr Bezos surpassed him.

He no longer runs Microsoft, having stepped down as CEO in 2000 and chairman in 2014. Mr Gates now focuses on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, thought to be the largest private charity in the world.

Mr Gates came in for fierce criticism for some of Microsoft's business practices, which were seen as stifling competition. The US government took Microsoft to court in 2001, reaching a settlement that the company would share some of its software with third parties.

Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg / REUTERS

Mark Zuckerberg, who co-founded Facebook with four college room-mates in 2004, is the next tech billionaire on the list with $111.5 billion (about 84.4 billion)  although he is not currently as wealthy as owner of luxury goods firm LVMH Bernard Arnault, who along with his family is worth $114.4 billion (about 86.5 billion).

Mr Zuckerberg, 36, has been criticised for the role Facebook has played in the 2016 US election. In 2018 it emerged that Cambridge Analytica had used Facebook user data without consent, largely for political advertising purposes, including for the campaigns of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

Cambridge Analytica is also alleged to have been hired by pro-Brexit campaigners Leave.EU ahead of the 2016 referendum, although founder Arron Banks has denied this. Facebook was fined $5 billion for its role in the data breach.

Mr Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have also given major charitable donations in recent years, including pledging 99 per cent of their Facebook shares  worth tens of billions of dollars  to their charitable initiative over the course of their lifetimes.

Google/Alphabet: Larry Page and Sergey Brin

Larry Page (L) and Sergey Brin (R) / AP/Reuters

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are worth $71.0 billion (53.8 billion) and $73.1 billion (55.3 billion) respectively, having started the company in 1998. Google is owned by a parent company, Alphabet, of which Mr Page and Mr Brin are controlling shareholders, following a 2015 restructuring.

Mr Page was the initial CEO of Google, serving in the role until 2001. He then took over the job again in 2011, stepping down in 2015 to become CEO of Alphabet. He resigned as CEO in December 2019.

Mr Brin has been more involved with the company's experimental and developmental divisions, including Google's self-driving car programme and others.

Apple: Laurene Powell Jobs and Tim Cook

Laurene Powell Jobs in 2019 / Getty Images

Laurene Powell Jobs is the widow and heir of Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder, who died in 2011. She founded her own firm, Terravera, a natural foods company, and previously worked at investment banks Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs.

She and her family are worth around $20.9 billion, or about 15.8 billion.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in 2019 / Apple

Tim Cook, her late husband's successor as Apple boss in 2011, saw his wealth top $1 billion in August with the company's share price continuing to soar, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Apple is one of the most valuable publicly traded companies in the world, at more than $2.16 trillion (roughly 1.64 trillion) and its share price has been on a broad upward trajectory since March.

Netflix: Reed Hastings

Netflix's CEO Reed Hastings (Adam Rose ) / Adam Rose

Reed Hastings, who co-founded Netflix with Marc Randolph in 1995, has a fortune of around $5.6 billion (about $4.2 billion). He remains the company's co-CEO and owns about one per cent of its shares.

The company went public in 2002 and has about 183 million subscribers. It was originally a video rental service, but began streaming in 2007. He has given more than $100 million to educational charities.
Oneida Castle, N.Y. -- A 22-year-old man from the Rochester area has been arrested and charged in a Wednesday murder in Oneida Castle, according to New York State Police.

Travon D. Golden, 22, of Canandaigua, was charged with second-degree murder, police said.

Hes accused of killing Tyler A. McBain, police said.

When police responded to 91 Seneca Ave. at 1:39 p.m. on Wednesday, troopers found McBain dead on the floor of a home, state police said.

McBain lived at the house, according to state police.

An investigation found that neighbors and witnesses heard an argument in an upstairs apartment and then saw a man running from the house before he got into a dark-colored SUV, police said.

The cause of McBains death was ruled to be a gunshot wound to his upper torso, according to police.

Golden was taken to Oneida County Jail for arraignment and is being held without bail.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
China urged the US government to stop taking action to block Chinese apps, as the "bullying move" has no factual basis and goes against market principles.

Following TikTok, Chinese messaging app WeChat and others are coming into the crosshairs, as the Trump administration expands efforts to clamp down on Chinese-made technology in the US.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the Chinese apps "are significant threats to personal data of American citizens", and specifically named TikTok and WeChat. "We want to see untrusted Chinese apps removed from US app stores," he told reporters at a media briefing.

Purging Chinese apps from US app stores is part of the "Clean Network" program Pompeo announced on Wednesday. The "comprehensive approach to guarding" American privacy and information would focus on "cleaning" five areascarriers, stores, apps, clouds and cable.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Thursday that Pompeo and some US politicians have repeatedly abused national power to suppress and contain China's high-tech enterprises by using the excuse of protecting national security.

"The US action has no factual basis and is malicious slander and political manipulation," he said. "It, at root, is to maintain its high-tech monopoly position."

He said the "bullying move" completely violates market principles and international economic and trade principles, and seriously threatens the security of the global industrial supply chain.

Wang stressed that many Chinese enterprises currently subject to unilateral sanctions by the US are innocent, and their technologies and products are safe. There has never been a network security incident similar to WikiLeaks or the leaking of secrets about US National Security Agency surveillance activities by Edward Snowden, nor has there been network monitoring behavior similar to the "Prism Gate" scandal.

"It's ridiculous that the US talks about a 'Clean Network' while it is covered with dirt," he said.

He urged the US to correct its mistakes and give back free, open and secure cyberspace to the world.

Asked to comment on the US action against TikTok, Cui Tiankai, Chinese ambassador to the United States, said on Tuesday at the virtual Aspen Security Forum that there is "such a degree" of political intervention, government intervention in the market and discrimination against Chinese private companies.

"I think it's not fair to make such allegations without giving evidence and to accuse China of not giving American companies a level playing field, while at the same time they themselves are denying Chinese companies such a level playing field," Cui said."This is extremely unfair."

In addition to restricting apps and cloud services, the Trump administration also seeks to prevent US apps from being preinstalled or made available for download on mobile devices manufactured by Huawei and "other untrusted vendors", and to prevent Chinese carriers from connecting to US telecom networks.

"So did the US just announce it is building a great firewall?" said Adam Segal, director of the Program on Digital and Cyberspace Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, in response to the "Clean Network".

Pompeo's announcement comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok last week. The hugely popular video-sharing app has come under fire from US lawmakers and the administration over alleged national security concerns.

Despite the repeated denial of the allegations, ByteDance, TikTok's owner, faces a deadline of Sept 15 to either sell its US operations to Microsoft Corp or face an outright ban of the app.

WeChat, owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent, is the largest communication app in China. Unlike Tik-Tok, which is primarily used by young adults in the US, WeChat is primarily used by overseas Chinese and global businesses with a footprint in the Chinese market.

China Daily contacted representatives of TikTok and WeChat on Thursday, but they would not comment on Pompeo's plan.

John Pilger, an Australian writer and filmmaker, encouraged people to speak up against "the fanatic Pompeo's lies about China".

The "China threat" is nonsense, he said in an article."What was threatened was America's unchallenged psychopathic view of itself as the richest, the most successful, the most 'indispensable' nation," he said.
Bharat Forge Ltd is quoting at Rs 407.8, up 1% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 2.49% in last one year as compared to a 1.41% spurt in NIFTY and a 8.13% spurt in the Nifty Auto.

Bharat Forge Ltd gained for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 407.8, up 1% on the day as on 12:49 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.11% on the day, quoting at 11188.2. The Sensex is at 37981.26, down 0.12%. Bharat Forge Ltd has risen around 12.5% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Bharat Forge Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 7.2% in last one month and is currently quoting at 7498.25, up 0.92% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 14.42 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 30.74 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark August futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 409.6, up 0.94% on the day. Bharat Forge Ltd is down 2.49% in last one year as compared to a 1.41% spurt in NIFTY and a 8.13% spurt in the Nifty Auto index.

The PE of the stock is 34.86 based on TTM earnings ending March 20.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Friday said it has allowed Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari, quarantined in Mumbai after arrival to oversee probe in actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case, to return to his home state.

Tiwari, Superintendent of Police of Central Patna, has been exempted from quarantine protocols and allowed to return to his home state, an official said.

On Thursday, Bihar Police ADG wrote a letter to the Mumbai municipal commissioner, seeking the IPS officer's exemption from quarantine protocols and facilitate his return to Patna to resume his duty.

Tiwari's presence is no longer required in Mumbai and his arrival period (in Patna) is within seven days, the letter said.

Accordingly, the BMC informed the Bihar police that they are exempting the IPS officer from quarantine norms.

The IPS officer, who was under 'home quarantine' at SRPF guest house in suburban Goregaon for two weeks, is expected to return to Bihar later in the day.

Tiwari had reached Mumbai on Sunday to oversee investigation into the FIR filed against actress Rhea Chakraborty in the Sushant death case.

Rhea Chakraborty (28), girlfriend of Rajput, was booked on abetment to suicide and other charges on a complaint filed by the late actor's father in Patna.

On his arrival in Mumbai, he was asked to remain in quarantine till August 15 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and was stamped as quarantined by the BMC.

The IGP (Patna) had written a letter to the city municipal commissioner on Monday, requesting him to exempt Tiwari from home quarantine protocols.

After this, the BMC had advised the Bihar officer to carry out his work using digital platforms.

In a letter sent to the Bihar Police ADG on Thursday, the Additional Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai said it was unfortunate to note that a visiting senior officer, before proceeding to Maharashtra, has not acquainted himself with COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, the official said.

As per the Maharashtra government's SOP related to pandemic, passengers, who are coming to the state for a short duration (less than one week) and have planned for onward/return journey, will have to share details of the same and then will be exempted from isolation, the official said.

"Considering that it is only fifth day of his arrival, and since the request for exemption from home isolation came from the Patna police, and considering the SOP provisions to exempt passengers on a short duration visit, it is hereby decided to exempt Tiwari from home quarantine on certain conditions," he said, quoting the BMC order.

According to conditions for exemption, Tiwari has to leave Maharashtra before seventh day (Saturday, August 8)) of start of his quarantine period, the official said.

The IPS officer will have to furnish return ticket details to the office of the Additional Municipal Commissioner in Mumbai, he said.

As part of precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Tiwari has been asked to travel to the airport in a private car and take all necessary precautions, the official said.

During boarding and travel, Tiwari should use face cover-mask and follow hand, respiratory and also environmental hygiene guidelines, he said.

He is expected to take a flight to Patna in the evening, the official said.
Iran's foreign ministry on Friday expressed indifference to the change in the Trump administrations top envoy for Iran, alleging that the new U.S. official in the post would be no different from his predecessor.

The envoy, Brian Hook announced his departure on Thursday, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. would call for a U.N. Security Council vote next week on a resolution to indefinitely extend the arms embargo on Iran, which is due to expire in October.

That resolution is expected to fail amid widespread international opposition, setting the stage for a showdown between the U.S. and the other Security Council members over the reimposition of all international sanctions on Iran.

Hook, who gave no reason for his stepping down, is to be replaced by Elliott Abrams, a noted hawk on numerous policy issues who is the U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, a close Iran ally.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the foreign ministry's spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, as saying Friday that there is no difference between Brian Hook and Elliott Abrams."

Where the U.S. policy toward Iran is concerned, American officials have bitten off more than they can chew, Mousavi said.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, also welcomed Hook's departure. Iranian officials routinely claim President Donald Trump's maximum pressure" campaign on Iran has failed.

Since withdrawing the U.S. from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal two years ago, Trump has steadily ratcheted up pressure on Iran by imposing penalties on countries importing Iranian oil, declaring its Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization and killing a top commander of the paramilitary organization this year in a missile strike in Iraq.

Sanctions on Iranian crude exports, the main source of foreign revenue, have sent Irans economy into free fall.

On Friday, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, vice-president in charge of the budget and planning, said that Iran has in recent months met only 6% of its goal for oil revenue. He did not give further details.
(Natural News) More and more people are starting to use of essential oils in the United States, but the attitudes, experience and beliefs of clinicians toward aromatherapy have not yet been studied.

To address this, researchers at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Minnesota conducted a survey to determine how clinicians viewed the use of integrative approaches, particularly aromatherapy, in clinical practice.

Using an audience response system to obtain baseline information, they asked a total of 105 clinicians who attended the Mayo Clinic Updates in Integrative Medicine and Health. The researchers selected only clinicians with an interest in integrative medicine since they would be the most familiar with aromatherapy and can, therefore, offer an informed opinion about its use.

As part of data analysis, the researchers took note of response frequencies for each survey question and assessed non-parametric correlations by comparing agree and disagree statements with the statement In the last 12 months, I have used essential oils for myself and/or my family.

The researchers found that the majority of the attendees (92.6 percent) personally used integrative medicine approaches besides aromatherapy. A larger number (96.8 percent) also recommended these approaches to their patients.

More than half (61 percent) of the surveyed clinicians personally used essential oils, but even more (74 percent) expressed a desire to give essential oil recommendations or therapies to their patients.

However, only 21.9 percent felt confident that they can advise their patients adequately regarding the safe use of essential oils. Statistical analysis showed that personal use of essential oils was highly correlated with clinician confidence in doling out advice about essential oils.

Based on the results of their survey, the researchers concluded that clinicians in the U.S. who are interested in integrative medicine wish to provide aromatherapy recommendations but do not because of a lack of confidence in their knowledge of the safe use of essential oils.

The clinical applications of essential oils

Aromatherapy, or the use of plant essential oils, has been around since ancient times. Despite this, very little research has been done on the applications of essential oils in modern medicine. Today, it is uncommon for clinicians to receive any formal training on  or even show an interest in  the use of essential oils, let alone learn about essential oil safety. Aromatherapy is also not an option offered by most healthcare providers; more often than not, essential oil users learn how to use these natural medicines on their own or with the help of complementary and alternative medicine practitioners.

But some institutions in the U.S. recognize the benefits and clinical utility of essential oils. For instance, hospitals affiliated with the University of Wisconsin offer aromatherapy to patients to ease their hospital stay. According to UWHealth, patients are given a choice between peppermint, ginger, red mandarin, lavender and rose essential oils for the following purposes:

Relieve nausea and vomiting after surgery

Decrease pain

Improve sleep quality

Promote well-being

Trained nurses administer aromatherapy by inhalation either by placing one to three drops of the patients preferred essential oil on a cotton ball, putting it in a cup and asking the patient to breathe deeply for five to 10 minutes or by placing a drop of the chosen essential oil on each of the top corners of a patients bedsheet.

Similarly, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center acknowledges the usefulness of essential oils in improving a patients physical and psychological well-being. According to Michele Mack, a licensed massage therapist at Ohio State Integrative Medicine, most people use essential oils for cosmetic purposes or to treat pain. But she believes that they also help with other issues, such as sleeplessness, nausea, anxiety and allergies.

Here are some of the most common essential oils and their uses shared by Mack:

Bergamot  for skin healing and reducing anxiety

Chamomile  for cold, fevers and nausea

Clove  for relieving pain

Eucalyptus  for relieving pain; a decongestant

Frankincense  for reducing stress and improving mood

Lavender  for inducing sleep

Oregano  for skin healing

Peppermint  for boosting energy and preventing cold and flu

Rosemary  for join pain and boosting skin and hair health

Mack says that essential oils are generally safe to use, so long as application is limited to topical use. Ingesting essential oils for therapeutic purposes should only be done under the direct supervision of a natural health practitioner or a certified aromatherapist. When using essential oils on your skin, dont forget to dilute them first with a carrier oil, such as olive oil or virgin coconut oil, since they are highly concentrated. Mack also says that aromatherapy is individualized and affects people differently, so consult with your natural healthcare provider to find out the best essential oils for you.

Sources include:

NaturalNews.com

BMCComplementMedTherapies.BiomedCentral.com

UWHealth.org [PDF]

WexnerMedical.osu.edu
(Natural News) Ostensibly created to help better coordinate the exchange of information between various federal agencies, the federal governments fusion centers have come under increased scrutiny following last months BlueLeaks hack. Now, a new report claims that these centers are being used by the government to spy on regular citizens.

Data gathered from various Maine and Texas newspapers collated by Blacklisted News paint a disturbing picture of what is really happening in these fusion centers; showing that these are involved in warrantless surveillance of American citizens.

Newspapers report of suspicious activity in fusion centers

On June 19, hackers from an online group that dubbed itself as a transparency collective leaked 269 gigabytes worth of data that they claimed to have taken from law enforcement agencies and fusion centers. According to the group, the files contained more than 10 years worth of files belonging to more than 200 police departments and fusion centers from across the United States. (Related: The coronavirus outbreak is sparking the rollout of more digital surveillance.)

Following the leaks, a number of newspapers all over the country started pouring through the data, looking to see what was actually going on inside the fusion centers.

The first of these to run a story was the Maine Press Herald, which ran an article on what it found in mid-July. The article goes over how police departments in the state often contact the Maine fusion center with requests to track down people based on social media or video footage.

Police agencies commonly contact the Maine center with requests for help identifying a person depicted in a photo, sometimes captured from a surveillance camera. Other pictures are taken directly by law enforcement, or appear to be pulled from Facebook or other social media sites, the article states.

In addition, a prior article by the same newspaper  one that predates BlueLeaks at that  details how fusion centers refuse to acknowledge that theyre scanning peoples faces and spying on them.

Despite evidence that the Maine State Police has worked for years with federal agencies to develop its use of digital surveillance technology, the agency now uses that law to refuse to answer any questions about such efforts, or even acknowledge that they exist.

A third article from the paper revealed that fusion centers are also secretly putting together a massive database of license plate numbers, names and addresses of legal gun owners, and other data.

Fusion centers now hiring secret informants

As eyebrow-raising as the reports from the Maine Press Herald sound, what the Austin Chronicle has uncovered might be even more alarming.

In an article, the Austin Chronicle revealed that fusion centers have been using a network of secret informants to create a national Suspicious Activity network.

In early June, an intelligence center operated by the Austin Police Department was hacked, along with many others like it across the country, write the report. Known as BlueLeaks, the collection of leaked documents from the hack contains over 10 gigs of material taken from the Austin center. They reveal a secret citizen spying program thats active in the Austin area and across the country.

According to the article, fusion centers have created a vast, secret network of Threat Liason Officers (TLO). Documents obtained by the Austin Chronicle talk about how each TLO must sign a nondisclosure agreement with the Austin Regional Intelligence Center (ARIC). This includes TLOs who arent not working in law enforcement.

The documents state that a TLOs job is to report people doing mundane things like taking pictures, asking questions or simply just being observant of ones surroundings. In addition, TLOs are also reporting people for suspicious social media posts.

The article goes on to state how these TLOs can include garbage collectors, teachers, ministers, priests, rabbis or even counselors. Government employees in education, public works and other sectors also contribute to ARIC as TLOs.

Whos watching the fusion centers?

When it was first established after the September 11 attacks, the National Network of Fusion Centers was meant to help government agencies better collaborate and share resources to fight terrorist threats from abroad.

These new reports as well as the BlueLeaks hack that they stem from, however, seem to indicate that the fusion center system is increasingly being used by authorities to monitor Americas own citizens. This has disturbing implications for Americans.

As the Austin Chronicle warned, worrisome examples of suspicious activity have led to increased scrutiny. Whats more worrisome and suspicious than the same institutions meant to protect innocent Americans actually spying on them? Shouldnt these fusion centers then be subject to increased scrutiny as well?

Follow Surveillance.news for more on how the U.S. government is spying on its own citizens.

Sources include:

BlacklistedNews.com

PressHerald.com 1

PressHerald.com 2

PressHerald.com 3

AustinChronicle.com
British citizens living in Lebanon have described the huge explosion in its capital city, with one describing seeing a glowing red cloud and plume of smoke.

Claire Malleson, from Dorset, has been working for the American University of Beirut in the city for two years and was jogging around campus at the time of the blast.

It is not yet known how many British nationals are among those caught up in the aftermath, which has killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others.

Ms Malleson told the PA news agency: I just felt this enormous explosion  I thought it was somewhere on campus because it felt a lot closer than the three miles away.

I could see damage to the buildings near me and a glowing red cloud and a plume of smoke.

I couldnt really move, I was rooted to the spot.

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My first thought was to go to a phone and call my parents, in case they saw a newsflash. I found my way back to one of the campus apartments.

Everyone was walking in a daze. As soon as I got near the campus housing buildings, I could see there was panic. Everyone was saying they felt earthquake-like shakings and buildings had been shaking before the explosion.

Ms Malleson, 45, said she normally runs closer to the seaport but had changed her routine because of lockdown restrictions. She returned to her flat, which was undamaged, although she said the buildings in the area all had shattered windows.

She said: Today it is quiet. All my friends are OK, some friends of friends were injured by glass.

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We were warned about possible toxic fumes but the university air monitors (live updates) show no problems, but really all we can do is stay in. As soon as there are official ways to help, well do all we can. The blood banks are all calling for urgent donations.

She said people speculating about the cause of the explosion was dangerous.

I think that what bothers me the most is people outside Lebanon weighing in and deciding it was an act of aggression or an attack, she said.

It feels like that could ignite tensions that we really dont want here. It takes away from the fact that on the ground here in Beirut the destruction is so catastrophic that people just need to find a way to get through the day, and the weeks to come.

We already had minimal power supplies and people were already struggling to survive with the financial crisis.

Speculation is so dangerous in this region.

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Richard Gordon-Smith, from Twickenham, said he felt the shockwaves of the blast more than 12 miles away, describing it as like being slapped in the face.

The 39-year-old language teacher and counsellor lives in the coastal town of Damour and was working outside at the time of the explosion.

He told PA: Suddenly I simultaneously heard a very loud noise and felt something hitting me, almost like a slap in the face, a strike in my ear and my eardrums reverberated painfully.

It was not just a loud bang like a motorcycle might make, it was something much greater. I looked around and saw other neighbours coming out onto their balconies.

I thought it was the next neighbourhood along, I didnt think a shockwave could have come all the way from Beirut.

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He said the incident had come at the worst possible time for the city, which is suffering from a financial crisis, as well as dealing with the coronavirus health crisis.

Mr Gordon-Smith said: All of the hospitals have been wrecked. Patients are out on the street instead of being treated inside hospitals.

This could exacerbate things beyond the tipping point.

Talking to some of my friends who are Syrian refugees, and they have gone into a state of complete shock because it brought back many flashbacks, especially for the children who are screaming, and crying and cant sleep.
Kottayam, Aug 7 : Two days after the Supreme Court dismissed the petition filed by former Jalandhar bishop Franco Mulakkal seeking to discharge him in the Kerala nun rape case, he appeared in court here on Friday and secured bail.

The Kottayam Additional Sessions Court had issued a non-bailable warrant against him last month and cancelled his earlier bail in the case, after he failed to appear before the court to hear the chargesheet in the case being read out.

But with Mulakkal making a personal appearance before the court on Friday, he was granted fresh bail and was told not to leave Kottayam till August 13 when the chargesheet would be read out.

The former bishop informed the court that he failed to appear last month on account of him testing Covid positive.

In March, a court here had dismissed the discharge petition filed by Mulakkal in the sexual assault case, forcing him to approach the apex court, which too turned down his request.

Mulakkal was arrested on September 21, 2018 on rape charges, and he secured bail on October 16, 2018. The Kerala Police has filed a 1,400-page chargesheet against him.

The chargesheet names 83 witnesses, including the Cardinal of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Mar George Alencherry, three bishops, 11 priests and several nuns.

After the case came to light, Mulakkal was removed as head of the Jalandhar diocese.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
On Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 2005, at the peak of U.S. efforts to quell rebel insurgency in Iraq, six members of National Guard Alpha Company of the 1-111th Infantry of Philadelphia were killed in two roadside bomb attacks. Kim DeTample, mother of one of those soldiers, Nate DeTample (in framed photo), has channeled her grief into helping veterans and their families. Read more

They were part-time soldiers  two college students, a police officer, a firefighter, a Walmart store manager, a United Parcel Service worker, as young as 19 and as old as 43. Three were fathers, with six children among them. Most had enlisted in the National Guard during peacetime years before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when service meant one weekend of drills a month and two weeks of training each summer.

By the time American forces began pummeling Baghdad, that had changed. The six Philadelphia-area men became part of a Pennsylvania Guard unit deployed in 2004 for a year of duty in Iraq. There, they found themselves among some 130 other guardsmen in Alpha Company of the 1-111th Infantry, rooting out insurgents who planted bombs beside roads or fired rockets from behind bushes before disappearing into the flat-roofed warrens of desert villages.

On Aug. 6, 2005, two of them  Sgt. Brahim J. Jeffcoat, 25, of Philadelphia, a Temple University student with a small child, and Spec. Kurt E. Krout, 43, of Spinnerstown, Bucks County, a father of four who ran the food department at the Quakertown Walmart  were killed when a bomb exploded beneath them as they traveled in a small convoy of armored humvees.

Alpha Company was just beginning to absorb that loss when three days later, on Aug. 9, insurgents laid an ambush for a night patrol. Four more soldiers died when another road bomb went off: Pfc. Nathaniel E. Nate DeTample, 19, of Morrisville, a Shippensburg University freshman; Spec. John Kulick, 35, of Harleysville, father of an 8-year-old girl and assistant fire marshal with the Whitpain Township Fire Department; Spec. Gennaro Jerry Pellegrini Jr., 31, a Philadelphia police officer and professional boxer; and Sgt. Francis J. Straub Jr., 24, of Philadelphia, who worked for UPS at Philadelphia International Airport.

The attacks constituted the greatest loss of life suffered by any National Guard unit from the Philadelphia region since World War II.

Fifteen years later, the impact still reverberates among their families and the survivors of Alpha Company, based in Northeast Philadelphia, many of whom were left with disabling PTSD or other injuries after their yearlong Iraq deployment.

 READ MORE: Their War Comes Home: The Pa. National Guard unit suffered bombings and saw six comrades die in Iraq.

Any time a group of citizen-soldiers takes a severe blow, so does the civilian community back home, said Lt. Col. Cory Angell, a Guard official who helped deliver the news in Pennsylvania.

Its a lot different when an active-duty unit gets hit, because the guys are from across the country, Angell said. But when a Guard unit gets hit, usually they are all from the same area. ... The impact is far-reaching.

A monument in Plymouth Meeting bears the names of the Alpha six, as do streets and public spaces across the region.

Not a day goes by that I dont think about those guys, said David Jock, a former company medic who now lives in Arizona. His PTSD, he speculates, could have its roots in the guilt he feels that, somehow, some way, he could have saved some of them on Aug. 9. He knows its irrational. The men had died instantly.

Kim DeTample, mother of Nate DeTample, has channeled her grief into helping veterans and their families. She is active in American Gold Star Mothers and the American Legion Riders, a charity motorcycle club.

I miss my son every day of my life, she said. I am on a journey that I never thought Id be on. But I am on it.

Mom, Im going to go'

Jerry Pellegrini thought his Guard enlistment was finished.

Hed done the six years he signed up for, said Kim Pellegrini, the younger of his two sisters. All of his equipment was handed in, and his paperwork was being finalized.

Then came the order to report for Iraq training. Pellegrinis family found out years later that he might have gotten out of it, his other sister, Dana Shearon, said. But he said he wasnt going to let his brothers go over there without him.

 READ MORE: Rebuilding Their Lives: After nearly a year in Iraq, the men of Alpha Company try to fit in back home.

The United States called up few National Guard units for combat during the Vietnam War, a policy later regarded as a mistake. The military came to realize the public would be more invested in a conflict if citizen-soldiers were on the front lines. Many Guard units were activated after the Iraq invasion in 2003.

When Pellegrini was killed, Shearon said, it devastated my parents, Edith and Jerry Pellegrini Sr. My dad wasnt able to talk about it.

Pellegrinis mother died from a recurrence of breast cancer three years later, Shearon said. It came back after Jerry was killed, and she just lost her will.

Mother and son are buried at the Jersey Shore.

Families of the six are seldom in contact these days, relatives said. From the beginning, some just wanted to be left alone. Capt. Kenrick Cato, acting company commander in 2005, said some relatives were so embittered, they avoided him and other Guard leaders.

For Shearon, as for other relatives, keeping alive the memory of the soldiers sacrifice is vital. She made a banner with Jerrys picture on it, and flies it at her house in York on Memorial Day and other occasions. Passersby, she said, have Googled her brother to learn about him.

Frank Straub Sr., a retired roofer, is pleased that his son, Frankie, is remembered with various memorials, including a marker at the UPS airport complex. A road near Fort Mifflin on the Delaware River has been renamed in Frankies honor.

 READ MORE: The Lingering Battles: Like past generations, the Alpha soldiers came home from war with dark scenes burned in their minds.

Every couple of weeks, he and his wife, Linda, visit his grave at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Port Richmond. They clean up the plot, making sure it has a crisp American flag. We tell him how much we miss him, the father said.

The last time Frank Sr. saw his son, he was on two weeks of home leave from Iraq. The family went to Hershey Park.

On their way to the airport at the end of the leave, the father jokingly suggested: Just let me break your leg, then you can stay home.

The son replied: I have to go back to be with my boys. Even with a bad leg, I would still go back over with them.

When Amanda Kulick was growing up, it was important to hear others memories of her father, John Kulick, since she was so young when he died.

I remember the funeral and the big stuff like that, said Amanda, now 23 and enrolled in a Florida police academy. I remember he was always outgoing and made everybody laugh. But I dont remember a whole lot.

She became a volunteer at the Centre Square fire company, where her dad worked. His friends filled her with stories about him.

When I was younger, I didnt understand why he was gone so much, she said. Now I understand. He was serving my country. Hes my hero.

At 19, Nate DeTample was the youngest to die. He enlisted while at Pennsbury High, doing his basic training between his junior and senior years. After graduation and further training at Fort Benning, Ga., he enrolled in Shippensburg University. He was in his second semester when called to join Alpha in Iraq.

He wasnt upset about it, Kim DeTample recalled. He said, Mom, Im going to go. 

A rock climber and former high school wrestler, he was fit and eager. Going to war, he felt, was a pretty exciting thing to do.

Looking for meaning

Today, Alpha Company veterans are widely scattered. Most have left the Guard. The Inquirer in 2008 surveyed 126 of the 131 survivors and found that 58 of them  46%  had been diagnosed with PTSD.

At Forward Operating Base Summerall near Beiji, Iraq, Alpha Company was the quick-reaction force whenever insurgents launched an attack or detonated IEDs.

 READ MORE: Battles Past and Ahead: Since returning home in late 2005, they have confronted physical and emotional wounds.

We were doing patrols and raids every day, and we basically were engaged by the enemy every day, Cato, the company leader, said. The soldiers were exposed to explosions almost every day ... In addition to that, rockets and mortars were being fired into our base almost every night.

By the time an Alpha patrol of armored humvees could reach the map coordinates of an attack, the insurgents typically were gone.

You dont know whos friendly and whos foe until the shooting begins, said Jock, then a staff sergeant.

Uncertainty magnified the stress.

Now receiving disability payments for PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and seizures, Jock remains popular among Alpha veterans. He is funny and modest. But he says, There are some days when I dont want to leave my house.

Many of the veterans have made successes of themselves. We are all suffering, but we have cops, business owners, a restaurant owner, PAs [physicians assistants], a lawyer, a nurse, Jock said.

James Denning, an enlisted man with the rank of specialist, became an Anglican-Catholic priest after Iraq and is working on a doctorate. A full-blown atheist in Iraq, as he described himself, Denning visited a base chaplain to try to work out why some men got killed and others survived.

Is that divine intervention? Is that even fair? Is it just arbitrary? When mortality is put right in front of you, you start looking for meaning, he said.

Denning decided that God ultimately is in control, even if I dont understand all of the whys.

Brandon Miller, a former sergeant, is now chief engineer for five high-rise apartment buildings in Philadelphia. He was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, which gives him migraines. He spent 14 years in the military, on active duty and in the Guard. He got married for a second time after Iraq. He has a son, 22, in college.

I have pretty much put [Iraq] behind me, he said.

Still, he feels guilt for not being present with his Alpha Company comrades when the August 2005 attacks occurred. He had been seriously burned in an attack two months earlier and was at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. He had been discharged from the hospital and was headed home to Pennsylvania when the second of the attacks was reported.

I got home just in time to go to the funerals. It was brutal, he recalled of attending five of the six services. I only stayed a few minutes at each. I just stayed in a corner.

He didnt even make it in the door at Pellegrinis funeral, it was so crowded. He was not in uniform, so he didnt draw attention. I stood outside as people were talking. I broke down, and I left.

Miller hasnt been in contact with the families since. Too much time has gone by, he said, and I dont want to stir things up.

Asked what hed tell them if he could, he replied: Id tell them [their loved ones] are not forgotten.

Big questions, few answers

From March 2003, when a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq, until December 2011, when most U.S. forces pulled out of the country, about 4,500 American military personnel died in Iraq. Among those killed in action were 29 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers and four from the New Jersey Guard.

Did the war make the world, or even the Middle East, a better place? Were Americans safer at home? Was it worth the price so many paid?

Cato, a thoughtful man who after Iraq earned a Ph.D. and became an assistant professor of informatics at Columbia University, says that, for him, answers to the big questions remain elusive. But he believes with personal certainty that the hard work and dedication of the Alpha soldiers helped build a tougher, smarter U.S. Army.

I am a strong believer in duty, honor, and country, he said. I think those guys sacrificed for our country.
Actor Mouni Roy recently took to Instagram to share a few pictures where she is trying to recreate a major Harry Potter moment. In the picture, she can be seen posing next to the platform 9  model at Kings Cross station in the United Kingdom. The picture has been receiving a lot of love as Potterheads are impressed with the clicks which show her excitement over being there.

Mouni Roys Harry Potter moment

Actor Mouni Roy recently posted a bunch of pictures from the Kings Circle station in the United Kingdom. In the picture posted, she could be seen holding the trolley which has the tag, Platform 9 3/4. The platform name and the trolley refer to the magical platform in the Harry Potter series, which gives the protagonist access into the wizarding world.

In the picture posted, Mouni Roy can be seen wearing a white sleeveless jumper with a bright red backpack. She can be seen pairing the look with stunning Kolhapuri style slippers which add colour to her attire. In the pictures, the actor is also seen swinging her hair in the air as she pretends to run into the platform.

In the caption for the post, Mouni Roy has expressed her delight over being on the spot after a long time. She has bid farewell to her fans in French with the words, Au revoir Adios. She has also indicated through the hashtags that she has always been a Potterhead and has mentioned that she will see every one of the other side. Have a look at the post from Mouni Roys Instagram handle here.

Read Samir Sharma's Death: Mouni Roy, Kritika Kamra, Karanvir Bohra & Others Mourn His Loss

Also read NCW Chief Claims Mahesh Bhatt Skipped Summons In IMG Venture Case, Director Denies

Mouni Roy had recently posted on her Instagram story a fun banter that she was having with her friend Katherine. In the video posted, Katherine can be seen making fun of Mouni Roy for using a blanket while lying on the grass on a sunny day. She can be seen laughing at the gesture while Mouni Roy tries hard to hide her face. The actor posted the video on her story and also wrote that she likes to be cosy when she is reading. Mouni Roy also wrote that she will be taking her revenge sooner or later.

Read Mouni Roy Looks Delightful In A Pink Chic Dress At A Patisserie In London

Also read 'Why Is My Name Dragged?': Esha Writes To Smriti Irani After NCW Issues Notice Against Her

Image Courtesy: Mouni Roy Instagram

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Photo: The Canadian Press Governor General Julie Payette delivers remarks during a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Statistics Canada at its headquarters in Ottawa on Friday, March 16, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says public office holders should be mindful of how they spend taxpayer dollars, following a report on Rideau Hall renovations.

The CBC reported Thursday that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on designs and renovations to the official residence of Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, some allegedly at her personal request for privacy, accessibility and security reasons.

Freeland would not say whether she believes the expenditures were appropriate, but she did say she thinks questions about the Rideau Hall expenses are legitimate.

She also says she has respect for the office and constitutional role of the Governor General, without directly answering a question about her confidence in Payette.

Payette has faced significant scrutiny since the CBC published a report citing anonymous sources saying she had created a toxic work environment at Rideau Hall.

The Privy Council Office said last month it was launching an independent review of the allegations and Payette said she welcomed the probe.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Qatar Airways will resume flights to two additional destinations in the United States, Houston and Philadelphia, from Aug. 12, the company said on Friday.

The statement added that the carrier will also increase the number of flights to Los Angeles to one each day from Aug. 12, and twice-daily flights to New York from Sept. 1.

(Reporting by Hesham Abdul Khalek, editing by Louise Heavens)
The National Public Health Emergency Team are meeting today to discuss the possibility of specific Covid-19 measures for Offaly, Kildare and Laois.

This meeting follows a spike in Covid-19 cases in the three counties.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said on Thursday that there had been 226 cases of Covid-19 in the last 14 days in Laois, Offaly and Kildare, almost half of all cases in Ireland during that period.

Offaly accounted for 22 of the 69 new cases announced on Thursday evening, the most of any county in Ireland, with local lockdowns now being considered by NPHET.

They are due to provide further guidance and issue a statement on the approach for the three counties this evening. Contact tracing is continuing on new cases, including more than 60 across Laois, Offaly and Kildare, due to be announced on Friday evening. Most cases are associated with outbreaks at meat plants and direct provision centres, including close contacts of those workers. NPHET is worried that the high number could lead to a spike in community transmissions in the coming weeks.

Chairman of the NPHET Irish epidemiological modelling advisory group, Professor Philip Nolan. described the three counties on Thursday as a very large reservoir of disease, adding that there was, therefore, a "real risk" of community spread.

More than 60% of the most recent cases are close contacts of confirmed cases, but the mode of transmission is unknown or cannot be established in 20% of them. The new cases mean the R number, which shows how many people will become infected by one confirmed case, has risen to 1.8 having been below 1 last month. Professor Nolan described this rise as a "serious concern."

He revealed that the number of new cases per day had doubled in a week. Acting chief medical officer, Dr Ronan Glynn, later said people in Laois, Offaly and Kildare, in particular, need to "be careful." he refused to rule out a new lockdown in the Midlands region.

He said: "NPHET will continue to review this situation very closely and will provide more specific guidance on Friday. However, in the meantime, NPHET are now advising that everyone in Kildare, Laois and Offaly need to pay particular heed to any new symptoms that they may have, such as:

- cough

- fever

- shortness of breath

- loss of sense of taste or smell

"If you have any of these symptoms, you should self-isolate immediately and contact your GP about getting tested for COVID-19.

"If you are informed that you are a close contact of a case  please come forward and take up the offer of a test.

"In addition, people in Kildare, Laois and Offaly should now double down on the basic public health guidelines that are so important, including:

- always keeping a distance of 2 metres from other people

- do not go into crowded spaces

- wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds

- wear a face covering where necessary

"While those aged 70 or over, or those who are medically vulnerable, should continue to exercise individual judgement, it is strongly recommended that if you are in one of those groups, and live in Kildare, Laois or Offaly, you should limit the number of people you meet to a very small network for short periods of time and remain physically distant.

"If you are exercising outdoors  maintain a distance of at least 2 metres from others and wash your hands as soon as you get home. Where at all possible, you should avoid public transport."

This advice will be updated today, Friday, August 7.
[Tuchong]

Communication University of China in Beijing will no longer require graduate students to publish research papers to obtain master's degrees as part of its reform of postgraduate education to cultivate more talent.

Instead, research  oriented grad students need to read more than 80 pieces of academic literature while application  oriented grads should read at least 60 pieces to obtain master's degrees, according to a notice issued on the university's website on Wednesday.

The school will test the students' understanding of basic academic literature as well as basic and cutting-edge research theories related to their research field. Those who fail three times will not be allowed to continue their studies, it said.

The university also plans to increase the minimum study period for doctoral students from three years to four years while the maximum period has already been shortened from eight years to six years starting next year, meaning doctoral students at the university will need to study for at least four years and at most six years to obtain their degrees, it said.

President Xi Jinping has called for greater efforts to cultivate a large amount of high-level talent with both integrity and capability to meet the developmental needs of the Party and the country.

In an instruction on the country's graduate education, Xi stressed the important role of graduate education in boosting innovation, furthering economic and social development, and modernizing the system and capacity for governance in China.

CUC became the latest Chinese university to scrap the requirement of paper publishing for postgraduate students to obtain degrees.

Tsinghua University in Beijing announced in April that publishing papers will no longer serve as the basic requirement for doctoral students to get their degrees; rather, the school will focus on the value and originality of their academic research.

In June, Beihang University in the capital also stopped setting a requirement on the exact number of papers doctoral students need to publish in order to graduate.

The policy changes provide an alternative to the publish-or-perish academic evaluation system in which students' graduation prospects and faculty promotions depend largely on the number of papers they can publish in high-ranking journals.

China's publication-oriented evaluation system originated in the late 1980s, when Nanjing University first introduced the Science Citation Index  one of the world's most selective citation databases for scientific literature  as a tool for evaluating the academic performance of Chinese scholars.

In February, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology jointly issued a guideline to stop universities' over-dependence on the SCI while evaluating the scientific research of teachers and students.

Universities are encouraged not to list publishing SCI papers as a requirement for students to earn degrees, and a sound assessment system should be developed, the guideline said.

Liu Haiming, a professor at Chongqing University, said the new policy actually makes graduation standards for students more rigorous, as academic ability  rather than paper-publishing ability  will now be the determining factor for whether a student qualifies for a degree.

Many students have chosen to pursue postgraduate studies not because they are interested in academic research, but as a stepping stone for better jobs, so it is important to implement stricter academic requirements to weed out low-quality students, he said.

Source: chinadaily.com.cn
Any bills that pass the Senate will also have to be taken up by the House, before heading to Gov. Ralph Northam (D) for his signature. House Majority Leader Charniele L. Herring (D-Alexandria), said House members have held three days of public hearings to inform their priorities on criminal justice issues, but she expects there to be overlap between proposals in both chambers. She expected the House will unveil its own package of legislation soon.
Farmworkers weed a tomato field in French Camp, Calif., on July 24. The epidemic is moving from urban Latino populations to rural Latino populations, one health expert said. (Max Whittaker / For The Times)

It was once said that California's coronavirus pandemic was hitting dense urban areas the hardest.

Now, it's rural, agricultural areas that are among the most severely affected.

"The epidemic is moving from urban Latino populations to rural Latino populations," Dr. George Rutherford, epidemiologist and infectious-diseases expert at UC San Francisco, said Wednesday. The risk factors are the same: low-income essential workers who live in crowded housing and must leave home to work and earn money and who may be less likely to speak up to call attention to problematic workplace safety conditions.

Earlier in the pandemic, Los Angeles County was one of the hot spots for new infections. By June, it was Imperial County. The rural, agricultural and impoverished county east of San Diego soared up the list as California's hardest hit county, in terms of new cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks. Imperial County hit its worst number on June 16, when there were 1,438 cases per 100,000 residents over the previous two weeks.

Now, it's clear that the virus is hitting the Central Valley the hardest. Kern County, home to Bakersfield, is now recording 1,160 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks. The rate reached its highest point on Saturday, reaching 1,376 cases per 100,000 residents over the prior two weeks  a figure more than 9 times as much as it was at the beginning of July, when the county reported 136 cases per 100,000 residents.

In other words, for the seven-day period that ended Sunday, Kern County reported 12,098 cases; just a month ago, the county was reporting only about 1,350 cases a week.

State officials recommend counties have a case rate of no more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks. Case rates may be artificially lower due to a glitch in the state's reporting system.

The Central Valley is among the areas of the nation that federal officials are particularly worried about. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious diseases expert, said the big problem is the uptick in the rate at which coronavirus tests are confirming infections.

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The 14-day positive test rate climbed to 24% in Kern County on Monday, more than triple the state's average of 7% on that day.

"This is a predictor of trouble ahead," Fauci said on CNN Thursday. A high rate of tests confirming infections is "a clear indication that you are getting an uptick in cases, which inevitably  as we've seen in the Southern states  leads to surges, and then you get hospitalizations, and then you get deaths."

"Now is the time to accelerate the fundamental preventive measures ... masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds," Fauci said.

While California's second surge of coronavirus this summer is showing signs of stabilization, the levels of circulating virus in places like the Central Valley are a source of deep worry among physicians because of how much higher they are now.

"Although L.A. may be looking a bit better, theres significant movement of virus from Bakersfield all the way up the Central Valley into Stockton," Dr. Deborah Birx, the White Houses coronavirus response coordinator, said in a recording of a conference call obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.

Of the 10 California counties with the highest infection rates per capita over the past two weeks, eight were in the Central Valley as of Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times' California coronavirus tracker. Besides Kern County, they were Merced County (656 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks); Kings (568); Colusa (545); Tulare (538); Fresno (497); Stanislaus (440); and Madera (437).

Imperial County also made the top 10 list, with a rate of 415 cases per 100,000 residents; as did San Bernardino County, with a rate of 397 cases per 100,000 residents.

Other rural areas are also seeing a rise in cases, such as the Salinas Valley in Monterey County and fields in Ventura County, Rutherford said.

California's 11th hardest hit county by this measure is Mono County, home to Mammoth Mountain, a popular tourist destination, with a rate of 395 cases per 100,000 residents in the last two weeks. It's likely the disease followed Southern Californians traveling to the Eastern Sierra for the Fourth of July weekend, Rutherford said.

Los Angeles County is the 18th hardest hit California county by this measure, reporting 327 cases per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has identified the Central Valley as a region in great need of resources to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Five of the eight medical teams staffed by U.S. Department of Defense personnel and assigned to California have now been sent to the Central Valley, Newsom said; he also asked state lawmakers to approve $52 million to improve testing, tracing and isolation protocols in an eight-county region of the Central Valley known as the San Joaquin Valley.

The region needs it. Kern County reported its highest COVID-19 hospitalization numbers on record on Sunday, when 321 people with confirmed coronavirus infections were in its hospitals.

We definitely are seeing more cases of coronavirus in our hospitals than we ever had, said Dr. Hemmal Kothary, chief medical officer of Dignity Healths Central California division. Kothary oversees Memorial Hospital and both campuses of Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, which together had 260 coronavirus patients as of 10 a.m. Monday.

He said the surge, which began about two weeks ago, has put a strain on resources. Dozens of staffers have also either fallen ill or tested positive for the virus over the past week, he said.

At one point, we had over 50 nursing staff among the three hospitals that I cover who were out, he said.

A National Guard medical team was dispatched to Memorial Hospital on Monday to help cover the staffing gaps, he said. The team had been stationed nearby at Adventist Health Bakersfield.

Local officials attribute the high case rate in part to an increase in testing. Some testing sites saw a sustained fourfold increase over the past several weeks, Michelle Corson, public relations officer for Kern County Public Health, said Friday in an email. That caused some labs to report supply shortages, which in turn delayed the turnaround time for test results, she said.

On Monday, an average of 24.4% of coronavirus tests over the preceding two weeks in Kern County were coming back positive, much higher than the statewide average of roughly 7%.

By Thursday, the rate was lower  down to 17.6% in Kern County, compared to a statewide positive test rate of 6.1%.

Kothary believes the uptick could be in part linked to the Fourth of July holiday, when many people held large gatherings.

As with other Central Valley communities, Kern County has also seen a familiar dynamic play out, he said: Black and Latino residents and low-wage workers are getting infected at higher rates.

We definitely have a higher incidence in the Black and Latino communities, he said.

Kern County has two modes of income, he said. Its agriculture, and its the oil industry.

Workers in those industries tend to live and work in close quarters, many of them in multifamily households, he said. They are also less likely to be able to stay home when theyre sick and more likely to lack protections to speak out about safety concerns at work.

I think were seeing a lot of that when were doing these tracings back, that the whole family has been infected, he said.

Low-income residents are also less likely to have access to healthcare services and more likely to have preexisting health conditions that put them at higher risk of serious illness or death from the virus, he said.

Wigglesworth reported from Inglewood and Lin from San Francisco.
- The photo was shared by Kenya Defence Forces through its official Twitter handle on Thursday, August 6

- It showed the soldier calmly seated soldier holding a plate as four children, two on his right and two others on his left side, dipped in their hands to enjoy the meal

- In the caption, the military department said the photo was a clear indication that peace and calm had been restored in the erstwhile war-torn region

A photo of a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers sharing a plate of a meal with children in the erstwhile war-torn area of Kapedo in Turkana county has warmed hearts of Kenyans online.

The photo which was shared by KDF, showed a calmly seated soldier holding the plate as four children, two on his right and two others on his left side, dipped in their hands to enjoy the military delicacy.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Education CS George Magoha says schools may not reopen in January 2021

A KDF officer sharing a plate of food with children in Kapedo, Turkana county. Photo: UGC.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Lamu: Mshukiwa auawa, mwengine ajeruhiwa baada ya kuwashambulia polisi

The photo was on posted KDF's official Twitter handle on Thursday, August 6, and attracted the attention of Kenya who hailed the army officer for sharing the meal with the little children from the hunger-stricken northwestern region of Kenya.

In the caption, the military department said the photo was a clear indication that peace and calm had been restored in the area.

"Peace creates an environment to share a meal. This is KDF in Kapedo, Turkana County," said KDF via Twitter.

READ ALSO: Michael Olunga: Japan-based striker linked with sensational move to Turkey giants

Netizens who felt overwhelmed by the show of love trooped on KDF' timeline and poured out their love for the department.

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news

Kenyans react to the chaos in Nairobi county and the stalemate in the revenue sharing | Tuko TV

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Colombo: Sri Lanka's parliamentary elections have handed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother an overwhelming majority, giving the family power to enact sweeping changes to the constitution of the island nation.

Rajapaksa had sought, and achieved, a two-thirds majority for his Sri Lanka People's Front party and its allies to be able to restore full executive powers to the presidency.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa leaves after casting his vote in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday. Credit:AP

The ruling group won 150 seats in the 225-member Parliament, according to a tally published by the election commission on Friday.

The two-thirds majority will give Rajapaksa's older brother and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, reappointed as prime minister, full control of the tourism-dependent nation as it struggles to recover from last year's deadly Islamist militant attacks and, more recently, coronavirus lockdowns.
Robin Schild was so happy with his $250,000 investment, he mortgaged his house for $400,000 and sunk that too into Ken Caseys real estate investment firms that promised sky-high returns and came with even higher praise from friends.

Since investing in 2016, the Albany resident said he regularly received his monthly 9% interest payments deposited into his bank account and at one point withdrew $200,000 from his account with no problems. So he was shocked when he received a call from a friend and fellow investor who said all investments and interest payments had been frozen and federal regulators were investigating Caseys companies for running an alleged Ponzi scheme.

Its like, do I need this in the middle of the worst epidemic in 100 years? Schild said in an interview with The Chronicle. I think Ill be lucky to get half of it back ... and I consider myself lucky because other people had everything they owned invested and Ive heard there are people going on food stamps.

The 63-year-old is one of more than 1,000 investors scrambling to recover hundreds of millions of dollars from the alleged Ponzi scheme involving Casey, who died in May from a heart attack. His admirers celebrated him as a Republican donor, philanthropist and adventurer who amassed an enormous portfolio of office parks and apartment buildings in Marin and Sonoma counties.

Shortly after his death at age 73, a law firm and accountant tasked with transferring his companies  Professional Financial Investors Inc. and Professional Investors Security Fund Inc.  to his ex-wife uncovered the allegations of fraud. They now question whether more officials from the Novato companies profited off the three decades of a Ponzi-like operation, according to bankruptcy records reviewed by The Chronicle.

Forensic accountant Michael Hogan, who has been named chief restructuring officer for the companies, pored over the financial records and found the companies used new investor funds to pay off other investors interest payments and other debts, according to his bankruptcy declaration.

Hogan estimates Caseys companies owned interests in about 70 real estate properties with an estimated worth of more than $550 million. However, those properties have debt exceeding $400 million and his companies owe more than $250 million to investors, he said in court records. Last month, both companies filed for bankruptcy.

Over a period of at least three decades, Mr. Casey appears to have operated a fraudulent scheme in which investors loaned funds to the Companies, with a significant portion of those funds being used to service the debt owed to existing investors and to personally enrich Mr. Casey himself, Hogan said. Others associated with the Companies also appear to have been involved and benefitted from the scheme, and this investigation is ongoing.

The SEC initiated its investigation on May 28, he said. An SEC spokeswoman declined to comment.

Casey started his companies in 1983, serving as the sole officer until 1998. He maintained complete control of the companies until his death, Hogan said.

He divorced his wife, Charlene Albanese, in 1996, but left her the companies. In a statement to The Chronicle, Albanese said she hired lawyer Eric Sternberger two days after Caseys death to review the corporate finances.

Mr. Sternberger discovered a variety of improprieties, after which I directed the company to self-report to the SEC, which then began its investigation, she said. Funds were frozen to preserve them for the investors, except those relating to bank debt and normal operating expenses, and all officers were removed.

Company operations are stable, Chapter 11 has been filed, and I am resigning from the director position so professionals and creditors can appoint a qualified independent director, she continued. I am heartbroken and sick to my stomach that so many investors, myself included, have been devastated by Kens actions. Like all of the other investors, I am waiting to see what can be preserved.

Hogan also reported in his recent bankruptcy declaration that the companies former CEO, Lewis Wallach, may have also benefited from the manner in which Mr. Casey ran the Companies.

Last month, the law firm reached an agreement with Wallach to return $1 million from an LLC that he controlled, and is waiting for him to return two properties with several million dollars in equity, Hogan said.

Property records show Wallach owning an Encino (Los Angeles County) home with his wife purchased more than a decade ago for $3.5 million. They also indicate Wallach owned a beachfront Malibu property that is now renting for $30,000 a month.

A woman answered the phone Monday and took a message for Wallach. He did not return the call.

At Caseys passing, Marin County officials hailed him as the largest commercial property owner in the county in an article by the Marin Independent Journal, which first broke the stories of the alleged scam. He was regaled as a philanthropist and an adventurer, who Herb Caen once wrote about in 1995 when he was training to become the 13th man to reach the North Pole by dog sled.

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.

However, he had past legal troubles. In 1997, Casey pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the federal government, five counts of tax evasion and filing false tax returns, and 41 counts of bank fraud. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, according to court records.

Casey had recently become active in donating to Republican causes, including a $300,000 donation from Caseys companies to a committee created to advocate for the repeal of the states gas tax. He also donated to Travis Allens and John Coxs unsuccessful runs for governor.

unknown / MarinGov.com via Twitter 2019

In October 2018, he loaned Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli $25,000, just 13 days before the election that she would win by a few hundred votes.

She asked me for a loan and I said sure, Casey told the Independent Journal at the time. Im not supporting her to get out of any parking tickets.

Frugoli told The Chronicle on Monday that in May she repaid the loan in full prior to any of the recently discovered information about PSIF Inc.

Mr. Casey was a friend of my late husband and I knew of Mr. Casey through his service on the Marin County Human Rights Commission, Frugoli said in an email. Like many others, I was shocked to learn of the allegations which have surfaced. Mr. Casey never attempted to curry favor from me or my office.

As for Schild, he said he was introduced to the company by a friend and he only spoke a few times to Casey over the phone and found him friendly. He said hed likely have to sell his Oakland condominium to pay off his debt.

Its all dependent on getting fresh suckers, Schild said. And theres not an infinite supply of suckers.

Matthias Gafni is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mgafni
LONDON  Richemont chairman Johann Rupert has fulfilled a promise made to shareholders in May and drawn up a loyalty scheme to thank them for sticking with the company during the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond.

On Friday, Cartiers parent said it plans to issue warrants to shareholders, allowing them either to trade the security, or to acquire Richemont A shares in three years at a potentially beneficial exercise price.

Its a means of keeping shareholders content after Richemont said in May it was downsizing its dividend for fiscal 2019-20 to 1 Swiss franc per 1A share/10B shares.

At the time, Rupert said hed wanted to give shareholders a warrant or loyalty bonus to acquire future shares on advantageous terms. He said Richemont was still ironing out all the details, but the aim was for shareholders to be richly rewarded once better times return.

The company said Friday that the warrants exercise price will be set on the basis of the volume-weighted average market price of the Richemont A shares before the 2020 annual general meeting, which is set for Sept. 9.

On Aug. 7, Richemont shares closed up 0.49 percent at 57.34 Swiss francs.

The company said it wants to allow shareholders who hold the warrants until maturity to benefit from any potential upside in the market price of the Richemont A shares during the lifetime of the warrants.

In connection with the issuance of the warrants, shareholders will be asked at the 2020 AGM to approve the creation of conditional capital, and to authorize the issuance of a corresponding number of new shares upon exercise of the warrants. This year, the AGM in Geneva will take place behind closed doors due to social distancing requirements.

We are currently facing an unprecedented global health crisis. Predicting the likely scope and timing of a recovery in demand remains difficult, if not impossible, Rupert said Friday.

A surge in COVID-19 cases has forced countries to reverse reopenings and to reimpose restrictions. Therefore, amid the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty surrounding broader economic conditions, the board of directors has decided that it is appropriate to retain an extra liquidity buffer with a reduced dividend level, while awarding shareholders a supplementary benefit that will allow them to capture any ultimate improvement in global conditions.

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Rupert added that, due to the prevailing uncertainty, Richemont has decided to set the maturity of the warrants at three years in order to capture the potential future upside in the market price of Richemont shares once all the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic will have hopefully been overcome.

In May, during a call to discuss Richemonts 2019-20 results, Rupert said Richemont has enough liquidity to last 36 months, a net cash position of 2.4 billion euros, and an increasingly flexible, digitally led business model.

We are lucky in that we prepared for an economic downturn, Rupert said at the time. COVID-19 merely sped up what was probably going to happen in any case: Economic reality settling in. A few years ago, we acted decisively in cleaning up our watch market, and weve always been very careful with our cash and liquidity.

On Friday, Richemont also announced the nomination of Wendy Luhabe for election to the board. She will serve as a non-executive director and become a member of the boards nominations committee.

Luhabe has a long relationship with Richemont, chairing Vendome South Africa, Richemonts subsidiary in the region, from 2001 to 2011.

Richemont described her as a social entrepreneur and economic activist with multiple honors for her pioneering contribution to the economic empowerment of women in South Africa.

She is the founding chair of Women in Infrastructure Development and Energy, which focuses on the economic empowerment of women, and of Bridging the Gap, an organization that equips black graduates with corporate skills.

She founded the Women Private Equity Fund, South Africas first private venture capital fund for women, and helped to start Women Investment Portfolio Holdings, which empowers women to become investors in the South African economy.

She has more than 25 years of board experience across companies including Tiger Brands, Vodacom, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the International Marketing Council, Alliance Capital, and the IMD and ESSEC business schools.

She also created the Wendy Luhabe Foundation and established a scholarship at the University of Johannesburg. She holds a degree in commerce from the University of Lesotho and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Fort Hare.

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The coronavirus pandemic was at the center of all updates during Kingwood BizCom on Thursday. As schools aim to reopen for the fall semester safely and flood mitigation projects continue in the community, the pandemic remains an obstacle for all organizations and businesses.

The event, hosted by the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce, was held virtually with several community leaders from across the area working as speakers.

FIGHTING TRAFFICKING: DOJ grants Humble nonprofit FamilyTime $500K

Mayor Pro Tem and District E Councilmember Dave Martin said the Houston City Council passed a $15 million economic relief program to help hundreds of Houston small businesses suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic on July 29. The program was funded in part by the CARES Act, a federal piece of legislation that aims to help residents and businesses cope with the the impacts of the coronavirus.

I think if you look back on it, a number of things hurt us, Martin said. May 1, the governor made a decision to open up the state. My personal feeling was it was just a little bit too early. Memorial Day the protests and some of the other things wrapped around that caused our numbers to really move up in the wrong direction, but since then people have gone back to wearing masks and doing social distancing and practicing proper hygiene. Our numbers are (starting) to come down, and we need a good trend line.

Flood relief

Martin also announced that things were moving along in negotiations with Perry Homes for the acquisition of Woodridge Village, a development that many feel exacerbated flooding in Kingwood neighborhood Elm Grove. The developer is in negotiations with Harris County and the City of Houston.

Meanwhile, Kingwood Service Association President Dee Price provided an update on River Grove Parks $550,000 sand removal dredging project. The park was damaged during Hurricane Harvey, during which time sand was deposited into the area. KSA authorized the removal of 364 truckloads from the park, Price said. The boat ramp that was closed in 2017 after Harvey was reopened in April of 2020.

Ultimately the project removed 10,000 cubic yards of sand, dewatered the sand on-site using a dewatering machine and then hauled off the sand to an approved location, Price said. The project took three months to complete, including working during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schools prep for fall amid pandemic

LSC-Kingwood President Katherine Persson updated the attendees of their plans for the upcoming semester and informed them of their plans to mitigate risk during the coronavirus pandemic. As previously reported, there will be about 1,200 class sections planned for the fall semester, 54 percent of which will be completely online, 29 percent will be hybrid  meaning at least half the classes will be online with at least one class is in-person  and only 17 percent are face to face.

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Humble ISD Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen also spoke to the chamber, informing them a condensed set of information on how the school district is approaching the upcoming school year starting online on Aug. 11 during the coronavirus pandemic.

Humble ISD is a family, we really try to personalize the education for our students as well as the support for our staff, Fagen said. And sometimes those one size fits all, you know, beautiful glossy approaches, they might be pretty and all of that, but we really have put a commitment toward making sure that were meeting the needs of everyone.

To view the entire BizCom, visit the Lake Houston Chamber of Commerce Facebook page here.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
Making the right choice or decision with respect to the paper in book production is very beneficial in the long term. Print production plays a major part in the production of physical books. More so, the paper stock is a very essential raw material in the production of physical books. Paper comes in many forms with different qualities, hence, when it comes to book production choosing the right paper is very important.

Unfortunately, paper stock for book production and some other print materials are mostly imported. Each type of paper that is manufactured has its own qualities and characteristics. In the field of print production, some of the common paper stocks are Bond paper, Art paper, Newsprint, Vanguard, Eggshell paper, Manila, Tracing paper, Art card, Chromocote, Chipboards, Strawboard, etc.

In print production, paper stocks have two main categories. These are coated paper stocks and uncoated paper stocks. Coated papers are paper stocks that are coated with a mixture of materials, which make the surfaces of the paper glossy, hence making the display of text and images sharper in detail.

Coated papers have the characteristic of reducing the amount of ink absorption, thereby allowing for denser colors and deeper blacks. It is more difficult to write on coated papers, especially with pencils or ballpoint pens. Papers can be coated on one side or both sides. Coating of papers does not only give a glossy appearance, but it also adds weight, increases opacity as well as surface smoothness.

Uncoated papers, on the other hand, are paper stocks without any surface coating, which make the papers porous, thereby permitting ink to absorb on the papers. Images printed on uncoated papers tend to be softer and less crisp. Uncoated papers contain numerous types with varying textures. With white uncoated paper, more light is reflected back to the eye when the sheet is brighter.

In choosing a paper for book production there are other characteristics or qualities that should be considered. These are weight and thickness (calipers), opacity and paper color. The weight and thickness of a paper is how rugged, bulky and thick a paper is. Papers are usually weighed in stacks of 500 sheets or ream.

The weight of a paper actually affects the thickness of the paper. Grammage (gsm) is the measuring unit for paper weight. For book production in Ghana, it is recommended that the minimum paper weight for book block (main text) should be 70gsm machine-finished woodfree paper like mechanical bond paper. The minimum weight of a book cover should also be 200gsm single-sided coated paper such as Chromocote or Art Card with 25-micron laminate or UV coating. For case binding, straw board or chip should be above 1,100gsm.

Paper opacity is the measure of transparency or how much text or images show through from one side of a paper to the other side. A good paper for book production should have high opacity. For book production in Ghana, it is recommended that opacity of the paper for printing should be at least 90%. A paper that shows nothing from the other side is said to be 100% opaque. On the other hand, if a paper is 0% opaque it is transparent. Furthermore, thicker papers are more durable and possess high opacity though expensive and harder to work with, compared to thinner papers.

Considering the color of papers for book production is very necessary. Papers used in printing books typically come in shades of white. The recommended options of paper colour, for book production, should be bright white, off-white or cream-coloured.

In conclusion, a desirable output with respect to print production could be realized when producers of books make the right choices on the right paper to be used. This calls for adequate knowledge on papers and their use. Among other things, some issues or problems in printing borne out of the choice of paper would be avoided if the right choices are made. Hence, the need for publishers and print producers avoid compromising on the right choice of paper for book production.

Kofi Asante Twumasi

Production Services Manager

Ghana Book Development Council
Investigators seek to arrest businessman charged with fraud in absentia

 RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov

14:46 07/08/2020

MOSCOW, August 7 (RAPSI)  Investigators have filed a motion to arrest Felix Bazhanov, CEO of the Association Master, in absentia in a fraud case, the press service of Moscows Tverskoy District Court has told RAPSI.

The motion hearing is set for August 13.

The businessman is charged with large-scale fraud.

Bazhanov is CEO and owner of the group of companies Association Master. He also was an owner of the bank Master Capital declared bankrupt in May 2018.
Governments worldwide are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to supporting the hostelry business while looking after the health of their citizens. On the one hand they need to get restaurant and bar workers back to their jobs and stop subsidising them, while on the other, they are telling us that we should eat in.

The UK government's plan to give ten pounds towards each individual meal sounds a worthwhile idea in principle. Anyone going to a restaurant will receive the subsidy on meals consumed from Monday to Wednesday in pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels, etc. The maximum is ten pounds per person, wine and alcoholic drinks not subsidised. IVA has been cut from 20% to 5% on hospitality and tourism, which is a measure Spain should copy.

Britain is not alone in offering financial incentives to reinvigorate the severely damaged sector. Many countries have come up with similiar ideas, ranging from big discounts to free vouchers for future meals. In Germany and Austria unlimited beer is on the menu, and in restaurants in many Eastern European countries two meals are offered for the price of one.

But surely isn't the one catch-all trick to offer wine at half price across the board?

The wine industry is suffering badly and needs to shift stocks, and the usually immoral restaurant markup of a typical 300% on cost gives plenty of room for this, and leaves everyone happy. A bottle costing the restaurant ten euros is usually priced at 25 or 30, so why not sell it for 15?
"Rah! Rah!," the new CD by baritone saxophonist Claire Daly. If there was ever an inspiration to me at this time in history, it is the unstoppable, fearless courage of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Let us all summon his energy to move forward and find our new reality. Dream on.

Baritone saxophonist Claire Daly celebrates the music and influence of the great Rahsaan Roland Kirk with all the enthusiasm promised by the title of "Rah! Rah!," her new album. Set for an October 2 release on Ride Symbol Records, its a quartet date featuring pianist Eli Yamin, bassist Dave Hofstra, and drummer Peter Grant. It also includes eight tunes from Kirks repertoire, as well as two original compositions in which Daly reworks a pair of Kirks seminal pieces. (Kirk, who died in 1977, would have turned 85 today.)

Blind, eclectic, and larger than life, multi-reedist Kirk was also the musician who inspired the 18-year-old Dalys direction in the music. There was this spirit in his sound that I had never encountered, she recalls. He was such a force of nature. He made me so happy, and still does.

The spirit, the force, the happinessall of it radiates throughout "Rah! Rah!" Whether in Dalys sashaying, Afro-Cuban take on Kirks Theme for the Eulipions, her uproarious interpretation of Volunteered Slavery (which morphs in its middle section into Sly and the Family Stones Everyday People), or the hard-driving aplomb she brings to Blues for Alice (a Charlie Parker composition, Kirks 1962 cover of which was his breakthrough recording), one can feel the icons zest for life and for bebopand the lessons in both that Daly soaked up from him.

Daly also honors Kirk on the album, and indeed throughout her career, by playing multiple instruments. Her vocals appear on the aforementioned Volunteered Slavery/Everyday People as well as on Burt Bacharach and Hal Davids Alfie, both delivered with an understated charm. Kirk was also a key exponent of modern jazz flute, as Daly acknowledges with her agile fluting on Serenade to a Cuckoo, Funk Underneath, and Momentus Brighticus, Dalys light-footed contrafact of Kirks Bright Moments.

That said, Daly pointedly did not go overboard in paying respects to her idol. I wasnt interested in mimicking Kirk or playing two horns at once like he did, she says. Surely, if there was any message Kirk intended to impart through his art, it was to be steadfastly, defiantly oneself. With "Rah! Rah!," Daly manages to both adhere to that messageI think he gave me the freedom to have my own vibe, she musesand to give the messenger his just deserts.

Born in Yonkers, New York, Claire Daly was 12 years old when she picked up the alto saxophone in her Catholic schools brand-new music program; however, she truly became a saxophonist a year later, in a moment so profound shes never forgotten the date: September 23, 1971. That was the day her father took her to see a big band festival ending with a set by the Buddy Rich Big Band, and the sound of his saxophone section tearing into the Beatles Norwegian Wood absolutely electrified her.

Daly attended Bostons Berklee College of Music as a saxophonist whose life changed when she encountered Rahsaan Roland Kirk through his 1976 release "Return of the 5000 Lb. Man." She had not yet settled on the baritone sax, making her way through Berklee on alto and tenor. Upon moving back to New York, Daly had the opportunity to purchase Howard Johnsons first bari sax, which provided the next epiphany of her life: This is where I live. I am a baritone player.

In New York, Daly built a prolific freelancing career, including work accompanying the likes of Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Rosemary Clooney, and Taj Mahal; playing in saxophonist Sahib Shihabs big band; and holding the founding baritone chair in Sherrie Maricles DIVA Big Band, which she retained for seven years. In 1999 she made her solo debut with "Swing Low."

In the years since, Daly has become an acclaimed soloist and bandleader. She is a three-time winner of the Jazz Journalists Associations Baritone Sax of the Year Award and has made multiple appearances in the annual polls administered by Down Beat, JazzTimes, Hot House Jazz, and others. "Rah! Rah!" is her seventh release.

If there was ever an inspiration to me at this time in history, says Daly, it is the unstoppable, fearless courage of Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Let us all summon his energy to move forward and find our new reality. Dream on.
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.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged Lebanon's political leaders to enact sweeping reforms to douse public anger over a lethal explosion that killed 145 people. Macron offered Beirut France's help but said he would not be giving "blank checks" to a government with no credibility.

Speaking to journalists at the end of a snap visit to Beirut, Emmanuel Macron promised to organise an international aid conference for disaster-hit Lebanon "in the coming days", but warned the country "will continue to sink" if the government does not implement much-needed reforms.

For many Lebanese, Tuesday's warehouse explosion that killed at least 157 people, was the last straw after years of corruption and mismanagement by a political elite that has ruled for decades.

They blame the ruling elite for abandoning a cargo of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser that can also be used in bombs, at Beirut's port, thought to have caused Tuesday's explosion.

Macron told reporters that an international inquiry into the blast was needed, and that this had to be as transparent as possible.

Time to act

For the French president, the blast was an urgent signal to carry out anti-corruption reforms demanded by a furious population, urging Lebanon's leaders to create a new "political order."

"I call on them to take responsibility because it is time for them to act," he said, warning Lebanon's political leadership that he wouldn't give blank checks to a system that no longer has the trust of its people.

Macron, paying the first visit by a foreign leader since the explosion, told reporters that an audit was needed on the Lebanese central bank, among other urgent changes, and that the World Bank and United Nations would play a role in any Lebanese reforms.

If there is no audit of the central bank, in a few months there will be no more imports and then there will be lack of fuel and of food, he said.

Offers of aid

There have been widespread pledges of international aid to Lebanon, which was already mired in a severe economic crisis that has crippled its ability to rebuild from the blast.

However, the international community has been reluctant to offer support to the notoriously corrupt and dysfunctional government.

Many Lebanese, who have lost jobs and watched savings evaporate in the financial crisis, say the blast is symptomatic of political cronyism and rampant graft among the ruling elite.

Dozens of residents mobbed the French president as he toured some of the devastated streets calling for an end to the regime of President Michel Aoun.

Macron mobbed

One woman shouted at Macron, You are sitting with warlords. They have been manipulating us for the past year.

He replied, I'm not here to help them. I'm here to help you. They then hugged.

Macron told the throngs that greeted him that French aid "will not go to corrupt hands."

I see the emotion on your face, the sadness, the pain. This is why I'm here."

Visit backlash

Back home in France, some of Macron's political opponents accused him of seeking to pull the strings in Lebanon and revive France's colonial-era influence over a country reeling from a giant, deadly explosion.

"I am warning against any interference in Lebanon's political life. It won't be accepted," Jean-Luc Melenchon of the far-left France Unbowed party said. "Lebanon is not a French protectorate," he added.

But others, including among Macron's opponents, defended his stance.

"It's just as well he's asking for reforms from a government whose negligence and corruption is legendary," said Raphael Glucksmann, a more moderate figure on the left.

"That's what Lebanese citizens are asking for. What they're shouting in the rubble. Any other tone would have been obscene," he tweeted.

Macron dismissed allegations of interference, telling the crowd: You can't ask me to substitute for your leaders. It's not possible. And in any case, it would not be a solution.

It's up to you to write your history.
A group of pilot trainees meant to travel to Australia to begin flight school last month is making do with online training in Vietnam as COVID-19 grounds their study plans.

The partnership between Melbourne-based RMIT University and VinAcademy of Education and Training, established by Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, saw its first cohort of 12 pilot students begin their training in July, though studies have not exactly gone as planned thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the two-year partnership, Vietnamese students enrolled in RMITs associate degree in aviation are meant to be trained in Australia.

While the students were due to arrive in Australia to begin courses last semester, they are instead taking their first lessons online in Vietnam due to the current border closures.

Professor Peter Coloe, chairman of RMIT Vietnam, said the university is working with its partners to adapt to the current situation and ensure students are not at a disadvantage because of the change in curriculums.

Weve found ourselves in an interesting situation, with international and even state borders closed in Australia, stopping the cadets from traveling to commence the course. Yet in Vietnam, our campuses are all open and fully functioning, Prof. Coloe was quoted as saying in a press release on the universitys website.

Working together with our partner, we were able to leverage our terrific RMIT campus in Ho Chi Minh City to provide a supportive environment for the students while they study online with access to our flight simulator for the practical applications."

Even though the coursework is online, a local who previously worked as a pilot instructor for national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has been engaged to supplement classes with industry knowledge, support, and mentorship.

Australia has closed its international borders to all non-citizens and non-residents since March 20, with exemptions only for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family, including spouses, legal guardians, and dependents.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Photo: Weibo account of PLA Daily

HANGZHOU, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held on Friday to honor the Chinese naval hospital ship, Peace Ark.

An order signed by Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, was read at the ceremony, and a certificate of first-class citation for merit was presented to the unit.

Upholding the principle of building "a community with a shared future for humanity" and "a maritime community with a shared future," the hospital ship has visited over 40 countries and regions, and provided medical services to more than 230,000 people, covering a distance of over 240,000 nautical miles.

File photo of Chinese naval hospital ship Peace Ark
South Africa: SASSA pay point targeted by robbers

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has appealed to anyone who may have information about the robbery of SASSAs paypoint in Thafamasi, to contact their nearest police station.

The incident took place on Thursday morning at Ndwedwe, north of Durban, where at least five armed men moved into the pay site, while SASSA officials were busy with payments, and fired a number of shots.

According to the report, the robbers allegedly attacked a security guard and took his firearm before fleeing the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash that was already assigned to paymasters.

The gunmen used a South African Post Office hired double cab bakkie as a getaway vehicle. The car had officials belongings, including cell phones and work equipment.

SASSA Regional Executive Manager in KwaZulu-Natal, Themba Matlou, said two officials suffered mild injuries as they ran for cover, while others were left traumatised.

Matlou said beneficiaries were not harmed during the incident and a case of theft and armed robbery has been opened at Ndwedwe Police Station.

While every effort is made to protect officials and beneficiaries during pay days, Matlou appealed to beneficiaries to also be vigilant and exercise caution when they are at the paypoints.

We will ensure that security at these pay points is ramped up to ensure that our beneficiaries receive their grants in safe conditions. Its unfortunate that our clients had to experience this incident and that some officials were injured, this is a selfish act by these robbers who are placing the lives of the vulnerable groups under further financial strain, Matlou said.

Matlou has appealed to the law enforcement agencies to act swiftly to arrest the criminals.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
TOWAMENCIN  Hundreds of people have come together to raise nearly $30,000 to support a family burdened by the tragic loss of their 5-year-old daughter, Eliza Talal.

Neighbor Michael Brothen, of Towamencin Township, was inspired to launch an online crowdfunding campaign on Thursday to help the Talals during their time of need, according to the GoFundMe page. As of late Friday morning, 651 people have donated $29,915, with a $40,000 goal in mind.

Eliza, who was autistic and nonverbal, was last seen around noon, and later reported missing around 12:36 p.m. on Tuesday during a series of weather events as Tropical Storm Isaias moved over the Greater Philadelphia area.

After contacting police, law enforcement officials at the local, state and federal levels conducted an extensive search. Hut her body was recovered around 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday at Fischers Park on Bustard Road, about 1.5 miles from her familys home on Spring Valley Road.

Towamencin Township Police Chief Tim Dickinson confirmed that there is a creek behind the house during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

Eliza went out of the house around the height of the storm, and we all know  that creek was very swollen, Dickinson said. So we believe based on the circumstances  that she left the house and somehow got into the water.

Dickinson extended his heartfelt condolences to Elizas loved ones.

Our prayers go out to her family who suffered a terrible loss, he said on Wednesday.

Officials in neighboring municipality Lansdale added their condolences during a council meeting Wednesday.

Council held a moment of silence in honor of Eliza at the start of their meeting.

As a parent, I can only imagine the pain Elizas parents are feeling right now, said council President Denton Burnell.

On behalf of Lansdale Borough, I want to extend our most sincere condolences to her family during what Im sure is a very difficult time, he said.

According to the GoFundMe page, the fundraising campaign has since been transferred to the Talal family, who plan to use the funds to support a variety of therapies for Elizas siblings. The fundraiser was updated to show Nida Medeeha as the current organizer.

We are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support from our community! We cannot thank you enough for your kindness, the Talals wrote on the GoFundMe page.

For more information or to donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/ElizaTalal.
New Delhi: Amid all the brouhaha over the Microsoft-TikTok deal talks, the Satya Nadella-run enterprise is all set to invest about $100 million in the home-grown regional language social media app ShareChat.

Persons familiar with the matter told IANS on Friday that the talks are in the early stages and Microsoft's investment will be nearly third of the value ShareChat is looking to raise in its latest funding round.

ShareChat which has a user base of over 140 million monthly active users in the country did not respond to an email query.

The app is available in 15 languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Odia, Kannada, Assamese, Haryanvi, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri and Urdu.

The Bengaluru-based regional language social platform became so popular that even Twitter came onboard when the four-year-old company raised $100 million in its Series D round of funding last year.

ShareChat said last month that its short video sharing platform Moj has crossed five million downloads from Google Play Store in just about a week since the beta version of the TikTok rival was released.

The regional language social media platform in June fully migrated its infrastructure to Google Cloud in a bid to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance the overall performance of the app.

A large proportion of its active users hail from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, with the majority of them relying on 2G networks.

The news comes at a time when Microsoft is reportedly aiming to acquire the global business of the Chinese short-video making app TikTok, including in India where the app is banned.

Microsoft is officially seeking to buy the TikTok operations in North America, Australia and New Zealand for a "reported figure of $50 billion", according to The Financial Times.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders prohibiting transactions in the country with the Chinese companies that own WeChat and TikTok.a

He said that the country should get a large percentage of the proceeds if part of the short video-sharing platform TikTok's business is bought by an American firm.

Microsoft has already confirmed that it wanted to proceed with talks to purchase the US business of TikTok.

The discussion between the Microsoft CEO and the US President led to setting a date for closure of the deal around September 15.
A Canadian judge has confirmed the seizure and grounding of a luxury private jet purchased by a former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, with some of the alleged proceeds of the controversial $1.3 billion Malabu OPL245 oil deal.

The judge, Martin Castonguay, ruled that the plane, which landed in Montreal on May 29, must remain there. He also agreed with the claims put forward by the attorney to the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the seizure and grounding of the plane.

On June 6, PREMIUM TIMES reported how Nigeria tracked down the luxury private jet.

Asset recovery lawyers acting for the Nigerian government swooped after the Bombardier 6000 jet, tail number M-MYNA, soon after it touched down at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport in Canada on the evening of May 29.

At the time, it had just flown from Dubai via Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland.

According to Olabode Johnson, an attorney for the Nigerian government, an order was served on the jets owner, a company called Tibit Ltd, which was expected to file court papers opposing the seizure.

Tibit Ltd is an anonymously owned company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Giuseppina Russa is also named on the Montreal court order. BVI company records suggest Tibits sole director is Giuseppina Russa of J. Russa Consultants, a company based in Montreal. Ms Russa, who appears to have previously been an executive assistant of sales for Bombardier, is not thought to be Tibits beneficial owner.

Fresh Ruling

Detailed copy of the court ruling was obtained by PREMIUM TIMES through this newspapers London partner, Finance Uncovered.

According to the details, Tibit ltd, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, argued for the overturn of the seizure and grounding of the jet. But according to arguments filed by Nigeria, Tibit is a shell company whose ultimate beneficiary is Mr Etete.

In its ruling Tuesday, the court agreed with the argument of the Nigerian government.

The Tribunal considers that the links established in the affidavits of Johnsons are sufficient to establish prima facie that Tibit was created to serve as a front for Etete in his various maneuvers to launder colossal amounts of money, obtained, according to Nigeria, through his embezzlement while he was the trustee of oil assets belonging not to the Nigerien political class, but to the Nigerian people, the court ruled.

The court also noted that in a recent decision, the Court of Appeal reiterated the principles applicable to seizure before judgment. With reference to article 520 of the Code of Civil Procedure, the court noted that [t]he seizure was made before the judgment is made by means of an enforcement notice on the basis of instructions from the supported by his affidavit in which he asserts the existence of the claim and the facts giving rise to the seizure.

The court noted that it would be simplistic to analyse only Tibits behaviour with regard to the sufficiency of the affidavit since it is the responsibility of Etete who is sought while Johnsons affidavit seeks to establish the obtaining of funds by Mr Etete as part of his ministerial functions, as well as the dispersal of these funds through certain persons or corporate entities for the purpose of laundering those funds.

The court acknowledged that Mr Johnsons affidavit has many exhibits, including, in particular, judgements of foreign courts, requests for transfer money, among others, to which the Tribunal refer in its analysis.

The court noted also that evidence shows that Kweku Amafegha was widely reported to be an alias or front for Mr Etete, adding that Mr Etete also accepted that as he had conceded to the French criminal Courts.

Chief Etetes evidence was that he used this name when he went on secret missions intemationall in order to disguise his identity, the judge noted. However, Chief Etete denied in cross-examination that he also used Kweku Arnafegha as an alias. The other evidence relating to payment of the incorporation expenses also strongly suggested that Hassan Hindu was a nominee for, and/or an associate of, Chief Etete. I find as a fact that, from its incorporation and all material tiree, Chief Etete had a substantial beneficial interest in Malabu.

Based on a number evidences, the judge ruled noted that the court could establish that Etete has interests greater than 50% in the Malabu company; Etete uses aliases; Etete has been convicted in France of money laundering; (and that) Etetes testimony before Judge Gloster is anything but credible.

The court noted further that Mr Johnsons affidavit recounts how Mr Etete financed Tibit for the acquisition of the plane, which, according to a website excerpt from Mr Johnsons affidavit, would have been seen in flight only six times since 2013.

Tibit also defended itself based on an affidavit signed by one Justin Ikonga, who declares himself sole shareholder and director of Tibit. In his affidavit, Mr Ikonga dwelt on the Dubai-Montreal trip and the firms lack of knowledge of the asset freeze. But he did not focus on the concerns around money laundering.

In his submission, however, Judge Castonguay ruled that he is not ready to sign an affidavit asserting that Tibit does not own the plane for Mr Etete and thereafter maintained the seizure.

In his final submission, the judge noted that Mr Johnsons two affidavits advance and demonstrate prima facie that (Mr) Etete, by the Malabu company, was awarded a contract and royalties representing huge sums of money in terms of exploitation of an oil concession off the coast of Nigeria; Etete has used various tricks over the years to hide or whitewash the sums in question; Etete, via the company Rocky Top Resources, transferred an amount of some 54 million dollars to Tibit; the sum of 54 million was used for Tibits acquisition of the Aircraft; the Aircraft is not operated commercially; and that (Mr) Etete has already been convicted in France of money laundering.

The court also noted that Mr Johnsons affidavits and the affidavits of the other witnesses are sufficient to demonstrate prima facie that Etete had persistent and egregious dishonest conduct, including the use of Tibit as a front.

Based on the reasons, the judge rejected Tibit Limiteds application for an injunction to set aside the seizure before judgment.

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Scandal

The Malabu OPL245 scandal is subject to a corruption trial in Italy, where Mr Etete is an accused, together with alleged middlemen, Eni and Shell, and several of their executives.

All parties in the Milan trial have denied the charges against them.

The Nigerian authorities have also charged Mr Etete and several others linked to Malabu with money laundering in connection with the onward flow of funds from the OPL245 deal.

Goodluck Jonathan signing

Like former President Goodluck Jonathan and other officials alleged to have been involved in the deal, Mr Etete has denied any wrongdoing and has dismissed the allegations as political propaganda.

Now aged 75, he is thought to divide his time between Dubai and France.

Mr Etete is alleged to have paid a total of $57m for the jet in 2011. It has a range of up to 6,000 nautical miles and a luxurious interior for 17 passengers. The jet was part of an epic spending spree Mr Etete is said to have embarked on after allegedly receiving over $800million from the OPL 245 deal.

Former Head of State, Sani Abacha

As Nigerian oil minister in the last weeks of the corrupt Abacha military regime in 1998, Mr Etete had effectively awarded the prospecting rights to the huge OPL 245 block to a company he secretly controlled, Malabu Oil and Gas.

After Abachas sudden death, Mr Etete retained the rights as a private citizen until he offloaded them to oil giants Shell and Eni in 2011, who paid a combined $1.3 billion to the Nigerian government.

Investigators allege over $800million then trickled down to Etete via several bank accounts, and that one of the first payments he made, $54m, was the main installment on this jet.

Having failed to secure his return to stand trial, Nigeria issued an arrest warrant for him earlier this year. Authorities are understood to be seeking his extradition.

The plane has a current market value of approximately $20m, according to dealers. It is registered with the Isle of Mans aircraft registry.
A Queensland family is reeling after their youngest member was diagnosed with an extremely rare brain disease, leaving her with brain damage and unable to walk.

Lani Matulino was getting ready for school in her Logan home on May 20 when she suddenly suffered a seizure and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

After stabilising, the pre-kindergarten student was sent home, but only hours later she became very irritable and suffered another seizure as her parents, Maryanne, 40, and Fred, 39, placed her in their car to take her back to the hospital.

Lani Matulino was getting ready for school in her Logan home on May 20 when she suddenly suffered a seizure and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Source: Supplied

For the next few days, Lani suffered constant episodes during which she appeared to have a different personality, Maryanne told Yahoo News Australia.

It was like Jekyll and Hyde. She was so unsettled and very irritable, she said.

Lani was then taken to the ICU at Queenslands Childrens Hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with Anti NMDA Receptor Encephalitis, an incredibly rare disease that occurs when antibodies produced by the immune system attack NMDA receptors in the brain.

The majority of cases occur in young adults and children, with women four times more likely to be affected than men, according to the Anti-NMDA Foundation.

The main symptoms include memory issues, sleep and speech dysfunction, hallucinations, delusional thinking, irrational movements of the arms, legs and mouth, and loss of consciousness.

When they told us what it was, we were baffled, Maryann said, adding that nurses recommended she watch the Netflix movie Brain on Fire, which highlights a New York journalists battle with the disease.

Lani was then taken to the ICU at Queenslands Childrens Hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with Anti NMDA Receptor Encephalitis. Source: Supplied

The mum-of-three said doctors are not sure what triggered it because she is so young but guessed it could have been a virus. A lot of older patients are found to have a brain tumour causing the disease, but Lani does not have one.

Although Anti-NMDA can be deadly, the majority of patients who receive treatment quickly can make a good recovery within a year.

Devastatingly, Lani was intubated and rushed into surgery after she lost blood circulation to her bowel.

Story continues

To save her live, doctors removed 16 centimetres of her short bowel.

After removing her from the ventilator, the five-year-old crashed and it took healthcare staff six minutes to bring her back to life, Maryanne said.

As a result, Lani has suffered damage to the part of her brain that controls movements.

We were told a few weeks ago that Lanis condition will resemble a severe case of cerebral palsy, the heartbroken mum said, adding that doctors said she might never eat, walk or talk again.

Maryanne said the crash completely changed everything and its been devastating for the whole family to see the typically bubbly and cheeky five-year-old so sick.

Maryanne said its been devastating for the whole family to see the typically bubbly and cheeky five-year-old so sick. Source: Supplied

Its been a rough few months and we will always hold onto the hope that she will defy the doctors prognosis, Maryanne said.

Whatever the outcome is, were going to make sure we give her the best life possible with a lot of fun.

A family friend has created a GoFundMe account to help the family during such a difficult time.

Maryanne said her family are so grateful for everyones generosity and asked for everyone to keep her in their prayers.

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.
Federal Office of Public Health

Bern, 07.08.2020 - Many research institutions around the world are working on the development of a vaccine against the new coronavirus. The US biotech firm Moderna Therapeutics is working on one of the leading vaccine candidates. In order to guarantee Switzerland early access to the vaccine of Moderna, the federal government has concluded an agreement for the procurement of 4.5 million vaccine doses. In parallel to this, the federal government is in talks with other vaccine companies.

The federal government wants to ensure that the Swiss population has rapid access to a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine. At the same time, Switzerland is supporting multilateral projects for the fair distribution of a future vaccine. While no vaccine has yet been approved for the market anywhere in the world, intensive development and research work is underway.

The federal government has an agreement in place with the biotech firm Moderna, which is already at an advanced stage with its vaccine project. If the vaccine successfully passes the clinical trial phase and can be approved for the Swiss market, Switzerland will receive 4.5 million vaccine doses. As it is expected that two vaccine doses will be necessary, this means that it will be possible to vaccinate 2.25 million people.

Switzerland is one of the first countries to conclude an agreement with Moderna.

Modernas mRNA vaccine is based on an innovative technology: the mRNA is a kind of messenger molecule that carries the building instructions for the production of proteins. This tells the body's cells how to produce the virus protein. As soon as the protein is produced in the body, it is identified as an antigen by the immune system, which then produces antibodies against the virus, thus preparing the body to combat the real virus.

Further vaccine projects under evaluation

At present, it is not yet possible to say with any certainty which companies or vaccines will ultimately prevail and which vaccines will be possible to make available to the Swiss population. The federal government is therefore adopting a diversified approach in order to increase the chances of gaining rapid and secure access to a vaccine. The FOPH is thus holding further talks with vaccine candidates in parallel to the conclusion of the agreement with Moderna. The Federal Council has allocated a total of CHF 300 million for the procurement of the vaccine.

It is expected that there will initially not be enough vaccine doses available for a broad vaccination of the entire Swiss population. The vaccination strategy will take account of the latest scientific knowledge and prioritise  with the close involvement of the Federal Commission for Vaccination (FCV).

Address for enquiries

Federal Office of Public Health, Communication +41 58 462 95 05, media@bag.admin.ch

Publisher

Federal Office of Public Health

http://www.bag.admin.ch




President Donald Trump has issued executive orders effectively banning Chinese video sharing app TikTok and messaging service WeChat in a dramatic escalation of tensions with Beijing that sent stocks tumbling worldwide overnight.

Using national emergency powers, Trump on Thursday night signed the orders, which give TikTok parent ByteDance 45 days to sell the app, and bar WeChat from the U.S. after the same time period.

The orders also banned any U.S. transactions with WeChat owner Tencent, a major Chinese company that owns significant shares in Tesla, Snap Inc, and Reddit. Tencent shares fell as much as 10 percent in Asian markets overnight, and it was not immediately clear whether the company would be forced to divest its U.S. holdings.

Coming days after the United States ordered China to vacate its consulate in Houston, the move looks set to trigger retaliatory action by Beijing, stoking fears that a 'Silicon Curtain' is descending between the two superpowers.

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President Donald Trump has issued an executive order giving the Chinese parent company of video sharing app TikTok 45 days to complete a sale (stock image)

WeChat mascots are displayed inside Tencent office at TIT Creativity Industry Zone in Guangzhou, China in a file photo. Trump has banned the Chinese app from the US

Trump's order raised the possibility that Beijing could retaliate by banning major U.S. tech companies from China, a major market for some of the top American firms

Beijing slammed the move as "arbitrary political manipulation and suppression" and said it would come at the expense of American users and companies.

In a statement TikTok vowed to "pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure... our company and our users are treated fairly - if not by the Administration, then by the US courts."

The move raised the possibility that Beijing could retaliate by banning major U.S. tech companies from China, a major market for some of the top American firms.

'China could block Apple or Microsoft from China. The information sector growingly looks divided into two camps. We could be seeing just the beginning of an information technology war,' said Nana Otsuki, chief analyst at Monex Securities.

'Investors in the West would have to hesitate to invest in China, missing growth opportunities there when there are not many investment opportunities except perhaps except for Nasdaq.'

Amid growing security and privacy concerns about the TikTok's Chinese ownership, Microsoft has reportedly been in talks to acquire TikTok in a firesale, and Trump's order only increases pressure on ByteDance to get the deal done quickly.

Any company still doing business with ByteDance in 45 days will be subject to sanctions, Trump said. If a sale does not go through before the September 20 deadline, the order would effectively bar the use of TikTok throughout the U.S.

In a separate executive order, Trump issued a similar ban on the Chinese-owned messaging service WeChat, accusing the app of funneling personal information to the Chinese Communist Party.

WeChat owner Tencent owns Tencent Pictures, a Chinese film distributor and production company which has two major movies set for release in 2021 - Paramount's Top Gun: Maverick and Sony's Monster Hunter.

It has also been involved in producing blockbusters such as Wonder Woman and Terminator: Dark Fate.

Tencent also has investments in gaming companies including a 40 percent investment in Fortnite maker Epic Games and five percent in Activision Blizzard which makes Call of Duty. It owns 100 percent of Riot Games which makes League of Legends.

WeChat owner Tencent owns Tencent Pictures, a Chinese film distributor and production company which has two major movies set for release in 2021 - Paramount's Top Gun: Maverick and Sony's Monster Hunter. WeChat logo is seen left and Tik Tok right

WHAT DOES MICROSOFT STAND TO GAIN FROM BUYING THE US ARM OF TIKTOK? TikTok's catchy videos and ease of use has made it popular, and it says it has tens of millions of users in the U.S. and hundreds of millions globally. Its parent company, ByteDance acquired Shanghai-based video app Musical.ly in a $1 billion deal in 2017 and relaunched it as TikTok the following year. In its statement, $1.5 trillion company Microsoft said it may invite other American investors to participate on a minority basis in the purchase of TikTok. Financial terms were undisclosed. ByteDance was valued at as much as $140 billion earlier this year. Any deal with Microsoft to buy TikTok could be worth billions of dollars. It could also expose the company, which already owns Xbox, LinkedIn and Skype, to tech savvy teens. Advertisement

Trump's executive order claims that TikTok 'may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party,' and specifically cites TikTok videos that 'spread debunked conspiracy theories about the origins of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus'.

The order states that Tik Tok has reportedly been downloaded over 175 million times in the United States and over one billion times globally.

The order also states 'TikTok also reportedly censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive, such as content concerning protests in Hong Kong and China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.'

'The United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security,' it adds.

Along with the executive order, Trump sent a letter to the House speaker and Senate president explaining the move.

The letter states that TikTok 'automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users'.

'This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage,' it continued.

ByteDance has denied that it shares data with the Chinese government, and Chinese state media blasted the U.S. response to TikTok as 'madness'.

Under a Chinese law introduced in 2017, companies there have an obligation to support and cooperate with the country's national intelligence work.

World stock markets tumbled early Friday after the executive order was signed.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 1.4% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 2.4%.

Mainland China's CSI 300 Index fell 1.3% while Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.6%. S&P500 futures slid 0.5%.

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate unanimously voted to approve a bill banning federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attends the completion and commissioning ceremony for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3) in Beijing, July 31

What is WeChat? WeChat is a messaging and payment app developed by Chinese tech giant Tencent. User activity on WeChat is analyzed, tracked and shared with Chinese authorities upon request as part of the mass surveillance network in China. Within China, politically sensitive topics are censored on WeChat. Trump's executive order says that the app is also used to gather information on users outside of China. Advertisement

'I'm encouraged by the bipartisan support we have seen in this body to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable and that includes ... holding accountable those corporations who would just do China's bidding,' Senator Josh Hawley, who sponsored the bill, said in a statement.

'And, if I have anything to say about it, we won't be stopping here,' the Republican senator added.

Last month, the House of Representatives voted to bar federal employees from downloading the app on government-issued devices as part of a proposal offered by Representative Ken Buck.

A finalized version of the bill, combining the House and Senate versions, would need Trump's approval to become law.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has expanded its talks on TikTok to a potential deal that would include buying the global operations of the fast-growing video-sharing app, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

Microsoft declined to comment on the report, after previously disclosing it was considering a deal for TikTok operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

According to the report, Microsoft has shifted its view because of the complexities of splitting the app and making it operable globally.

TikTok operates in 150 countries.

Chinese state media accused Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of 'madness' for cracking down on Chinese software and technology in the US

Tencent's major US investments President Donald Trump has issued an executive order banning U.S. transactions involving Chinese social media and video game leader Tencent Holdings, owner of messaging app WeChat, on national security grounds. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is set to identify transactions covered by the order, which starts in 45 days. Below is a list of some of Tencent's biggest U.S. and international investments: Tesla Inc: Tencent bought 5% of the electric vehicle maker for $1.78 billion in 2017. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk has called Tencent "an investor and adviser to Tesla". Riot Games: Tencent bought a majority stake in the Los Angeles-based "League of Legends" game developer in 2011 and made it fully owned in 2015. Activision Blizzard Inc: Tencent has a minority stake in the owner of the "Call of Duty" franchise. Tencent last year launched "Call of Duty Mobile" and has seen 45 million downloads in the United States, Tower Sensor data showed. Epic Games: Tencent acquired a minority stake in 2012. Snap Inc: Tencent bought 12% of the messaging app operator in 2017. Reddit Inc: The social media platform raised $300 million in 2019 in a funding round led by Tencent resulting in a market valuation of $3 billion. Spotify Technology SA: The Swedish music streaming firm and Tencent Music Entertainment Group bought minority stakes in each other ahead of the former's 2018 stock market listing in New York. Universal Music Group: French media conglomerate Vivendi SA in 2019 said it had finalised the sale of 10% of the world's largest music label to a Tencent-led consortium, which also had the option to buy up to 10% more by January 2021 on the same price basis. The deal gave Tencent more access to U.S. artists such as Taylor Swift and Kanye West. Advertisement

China's state media organs have fired back at Washington over the crackdown on TikTok and WeChat, saying the plan to ban certain technologies of Chinese origin is a sign of 'madness' in U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

'Pompeo has uttered anti-China remarks almost every day, and constantly played tricks to intensify conflicts between China and the U.S., and display Trump administration's toughness toward China,' state-backed tabloid Global Times wrote in an editorial on Thursday.

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday published an expanded update of a plan called the 'Clean Network' calling for telecom companies, cloud service providers, and mobile apps of Chinese origin to be kept out of the United States.

'From the long-term perspective, it's incredible that the U.S. information industry could totally detach from the Chinese market,' the Global Times wrote.

'It would pose a severe test for U.S. companies if U.S. chips, software, and terminal equipment become irrelevant to the Chinese market.'

Tinseltown bows to Beijing: Hollywood is slammed for changing cast, plot, dialogue and settings to avoid antagonizing CHINA and ensuring access to the country's multi-billion dollar box office, in bombshell report

By Ross Ibbetson for MailOnline

Hollywood is censoring blockbuster films to placate China and ensure that its multi-billion dollar box office revenue keeps pouring in, a damning report has claimed.

Filmmakers are increasingly pandering to the officialdom in Beijing by editing dialogue, plot and casting, the report concludes.

Movies which it says have been artistically compromised by the Communist Party paymasters include Bohemian Rhapsody, Iron Man 3, and the upcoming Top Gun sequel.

Not only is China changing versions of Hollywood films within its own borders, but it is claimed that Beijing's thought-policing pervades the final edits screened in cinemas across the world.

Movies which the report says have been artistically compromised by the communist paymasters include Iron Man 3 and World War Z

The report was compiled by the non-profit PEN America, which champions free speech.

'Pandering to paymasters in Beijing' Iron Man 3 Marvel Studio's Chinese-version of the 2013 release is noted in the report for a jarring plot device where Chinese doctor's try to save Iron Man's life. The report claims that the film's producers 'bent over backwards to maximize its chances of approval in China.' The film's producers had substantial financial backing from Beijing-based film producer DMG, the report says, and parts of the film were shot in Beijing which 'also allowed Chinese regulators to visit the set and to 'advise' on creative decisions.' World War Z In 2013, Paramount Studio bosses allegedly demanded that dialogue be removed from Brad Pitt's apocalypse film when characters were discussing how the virus had originated in China. In the movie's source novel, China is specified as the country from which the zombie outbreak originates. A Paramount exec who spoke to The Wrap, admitted that the reason for the change to movie had been down to the studio's desire to pass China's review process. Bohemian Rhapsody The report says that Beijing's censors often demand the removal of kisses between same-sex couples movies. It notes Twentieth Century Fox's 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic, as well as Cloud Atlas (Warner Brothers Pictures, 2013), Star Trek Beyond (Paramount Pictures, 2016), and Alien: Covenant (Twentieth Century Fox, 2017). Top Gun (2020) In the trailer for the remake, Tom Cruise's trademark bomber jacket adorned with patches from the original movie had undergone a makeover. Where there used to be a Japanese flag, there was simply a red triangle against a white background, and instead of a Taiwanese flag, a patch of a random pattern with similar colors. Advertisement

China is the world's second largest box office market behind the US and studios are becoming increasingly reliant on its business.

American films earned 2.6 billion dollars (about 2 billion) in China last year, according to the Hollywood Reporter, with Disney's superhero extravaganza Avengers: Endgame making 614 million dollars (about 468 million).

The PEN report says studios are self-censoring to ensure favorable treatment from the Chinese government, which can lead to better release dates and preferential advertising arrangements.

The country's censorship regime is opaque, according to the report, with filmmakers 'reliant on rumor and innuendo to determine where the actual boundaries of censorship lie'.

Hollywood's alleged willingness to bend to China has angered the White House.

In July, US attorney general William Barr slammed the film industry for being 'all too willing to collaborate with the Chinese Communist Party'.

The PEN report contrasted Hollywood's perceived readiness to criticize politicians at home with its attitude towards Beijing.

The report says Hollywood 'enjoys a reputation as a place uncowed' by the US government and is 'often gleefully willing to speak truth to American political power'.

However, it takes the opposite approach to the Chinese government, according to PEN.

And if Hollywood, in its position as the center of global filmmaking, is unwilling to stand up to China's demands, there is little chance of others around the world taking the risk, the study says.

'In effect, Hollywood's approach to acceding to Chinese dictates is setting a standard for the rest of the world,' the report states.

Examples of censorship listed in the report include Marvel's 2016 superhero film Dr Strange, which is accused of whitewashing a major Tibetan character for fear of jeopardizing the film's chances in China.

And upcoming action movie sequel Top Gun: Maverick is criticized for the 'mysterious disappearance of the Taiwanese flag' in a 2019 trailer.

The 94-page document, titled Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing: The US Film Industry and Chinese Government Influence, makes a series of recommendations.

It says Hollywood studios should insist any version of a film censored for the Chinese market does not become the default version issued for a global release.

Black British actor John Boyega's character was notably smaller in the Chinese poster for the 2015 Star Wars film

'Filmmakers cannot reduce their work to the lowest common denominator of only content that is deemed acceptable by one of the world's most censorious regimes,' the report states.

PEN also recommends studios 'openly and transparently' acknowledge how and why a film has been censored.

The measures 'would be a powerful step toward shoring up Hollywood's commitment to freedom of expression in the fact of this growing dynamic of censorship and propagandistic government influence,' according to the report.
William Gilbert Commauf, 48, was taken into custody on Wednesday - a week after he was caught on camera threatening a cashier at Manahawkin Costco

A convicted conman has been arrested for making terroristic threats after he was caught on camera verbally abusing a cashier at a New Jersey Costco.

William Gilbert Commauf, 48, was taken into custody on Wednesday - a week after his menacing outburst took place inside a franchise in the town of Manahawkin.

A clip of the incident was posted to TikTok, where it quickly went viral. Several viewers identified Commauf from the footage and contacted police.

The 40-second clip starts with Commauf telling the female cashier to 'shut up', as several other shoppers watch on in shock.

'Shut your mouth and ring up my stuff. Shut up - do your job,' Commauf can be heard ordering as the frazzled woman scans his groceries.

Another shopper can be heard in the background saying that the incident is causing her 'anxiety', while a separate onlooker tells the cashier to 'call a manager'.

The ex-con also made threats against the cashier's husband - whom he has never met

'I ain't embarrassed,' Commauf replies, before saying: 'You ain't tough enough to stop me.'

The ex-con then starts to make threats against the cashier's husband - whom he has never met.

'Where's your husband? 'I'll smack him around, you old hag. Ring up my s**t, you old hag,' Commauf continues.

Another customer attempts to intervene, before Commauf threatens to 'knock them out'.

The clip ends before Commauf pays for his products, but he allegedly left the store believing he'd got away with his abusive tirade.

However, Stafford Township cops caught up with him on Wednesday, and promptly took him into custody.

Commauf is now facing charges of terroristic threats, harassment and disorderly conduct, and remains in the Ocean County Jail.

Commauf has a lengthy rap sheet and has served jail time in two separate states, according to the Asbury Park Press

He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Commauf has a lengthy rap sheet and has served jail time in two separate states.

According to The Asbury Park Press, he escaped from a New York state prison in the early 2000s after being incarcerated on a robbery charge.

He has also been jailed in Texas for felony theft and has been convicted of assault in North Carolina.

Commauf has also racked up drugs possession charges in Oklahoma and Utah.
Besides Walker, some pastors who graduated from Liberty spoke out this week calling for a change in leadership at the school. Mark Davis, a Texas-based pastor, tweeted that the name of Christ and the reputation of Liberty will continue to be dishonored without action against Falwell by the board. Colby Garman, a pastor who has served on the executive board of the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia, tweeted Monday that it was bewildering to see Falwell maintain the boards support. He responded to Fridays news with appreciation.
The Tis Hazari court on Friday ordered a compensation of Rs two lakh for the minor girl who was brutally raped in Paschim Vihar area of the national capital. In a gruesome incident, the 12-year-old girl was brutally raped and critically injured with a sharp weapon.

Currently, the child is undergoing treatment at All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and her condition is extremely critical as she is fighting for her life. According to the police, the incident took place with the girl at a time when she was alone. A case under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) was registered.

The Delhi Police on August 6 arrested a man accused in the brutal rape and he was identified on the basis of CCTV footage. He has a criminal record and lives in Manglapuri area of New Delhi. The child saw him committing burglary and screamed. The accused then raped her. Many cases have been filed against the accused and he also committed murder in 2006.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on August 6 visited the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where she is battling for life, and met her family and the doctors treating her. He announced an aid of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the 12-year-old child. On Friday, he said, "I spoke to the doctors and parents of the 12-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted, on phone. I had visited her in the hospital yesterday. She is still fighting for her life. Doctors are trying their best. Pl pray for her. In the meanwhile, police has arrested one person."

"More than 20 teams were formed and they scanned hundreds of CCTV footages and interrogated all the suspects who have a similar background. Finally, the accused was arrested on Thursday," news agency PTI had quoted Joint Commissioner of Police (west), Shalini Singh.

"During his interrogation, he has corroborated the sequence of events leading to the assault on the child. Krishan has four criminal cases, including one murder, one attempt to murder as well as burglary, against him. We are further investigating," Singh had said.

Police said Krishan had entered the house for burglary. The girl saw him and screamed. The accused caught her and attacked her with a pair of scissors. He stabbed her multiple times with the scissors. The victim sustained injuries on her face, head and other body parts, they said.

The rape survivor was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital on August 4 evening by the Delhi Police in a blood-soaked condition. The body of the child has deep wounds and there was constant bleeding from her private part. Her whole body was soaked with blood and there were injury marks, of a sharp weapon, on the back of her head and body. The team of doctors referred her to AIIMS after initial treatment.

On August 6, CM Kejriwal said that after meeting the doctors, he was told that the next 48 hours are crucial for the girl. He asserted that he also spoke to Police Commissioner S N Srivastava, adding that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will receive the harshest punishment.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, he tweeted in Hindi saying, "AIIMS mein doctors aur parivaar se milkar bachi ka haal jaana. Doctors ne bataaya ki agle 48 ghante aham hai. Maine police commissioner se bhee baat kee. Is jaghanya vaardaat karne vaale aparaadhiyon ko sakht se sakht saza dilavaenge. Parivaar ko sarkaar Rs 10 lakh sahaayata raashi de rahee hain. (Came to know about the condition of the girl by meeting doctors and family in AIIMS. Doctors said that the next 48 hours are important. I also spoke to the police commissioner. The perpetrators of this heinous crime will will receive harshest punishment. The government is giving 10 lakh rupees aid to the family.)"

CM Kejriwal was also accompanied by Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal on his visit to AIIMS. In a video on Twitter Maliwal said, "The girl has multiple head fractures and bite marks all over her body. She has been brutally assaulted to the extent that every body part has injury marks."

She accused the police of delay in arresting the accused. Despite the brutal nature of the assault, two days have passed since the incident and the police have not arrested the accused yet, she pointed out. "I am summoning the DCP. I am going to ask him about the investigation," Maliwal said.
- Sam Milby recently got asked if he considers his girlfriend, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray, as The One

- This question was addressed to him during the press conference of his upcoming teleserye Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin

- He replied that it was too early to settle down with Catriona as she has just started building her own career

- On the other hand, Sam said he does believe that Catriona is The One despite their 10-year age gap

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Sam Milby recently shared that he sees Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray as The One despite their 10-year age gap.

Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray (Photo courtesy of Flickr)

Source: UGC

During the press conference of his upcoming teleserye Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin on Friday, August 7, the Kapamilya actor was asked if he is ready to settle down with the beauty queen.

He replied that it was too early to think about settling down as Catriona has just started building her own career.

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May difference sa edad namin, Im 36, and shes 26, and kakastart pa lang ng career niya so ang early naman, Sam said.

Moreover, Sam admitted that he sees Catriona as his lifetime partner.

But yes, I do believe shes the one, he added.

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Sam Milby is one of the most sought-after leading men in the Philippines. He already starred in many projects including The Gifted and Forever and a Day.

On his 36th birthday on May 23, the Kapamilya actor announced that he and the beauty queen are already dating.

Clint Bondad, Catriona's former boyfriend, then sent some intriguing messages to the actor after he admitted his real score with the 2018 Miss Universe title holder. Several days ago, Clint also shared a screenshot of a social media post from Sams Instagram account. The former even wrote some cryptic texts that read, Please let this be a hidden code Hahahahahaha," and Im making you famous. Dont complain."

Please like and share our amazing Facebook posts to support the KAMI team! Dont hesitate to comment and share your opinions about our stories either. We love reading about your thoughts and views on different matters!

Source: KAMI.com.gh
Robert Nazaryan, former mayor of Yerevan and ex-chairman of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of Armenia, has been charged with abuse of power; this was reported Friday by the Special Investigation Service (SIS) press service, and in response to an Armenian News-NEWS.am inquiry.

They added that a motion had been filed with the court in order to have Nazaryan arrested as a pretrial measure.

The SIS on Thursday had issued a statement in this regard, according to which Robert Nazaryan was detained on suspicion of abusing his official powers. Accordingly, evidence was obtained that in 2011, Nazaryan had abused his power as then head of the PSRC, and in the interests of establishing privileges for a particular company, thus causing serious consequences.

After the SIS statement, Armenian News-NEWS.am had spoken with Nazaryan's attorney Gagik Khachikyan, who had noted that this suspicion had absolutely nothing to do with reality.
Colombo, Aug 7 : The ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) led by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa won a landslide victory in the August 5 parliamentary election by gaining a majority in the new 225-member parliament, the Election Commission said on Friday.

The SLPP won 145 seats, making it the single largest party to gain a nearly two-thirds majority in Parliamentm reports Xinhua news agency.

The Samagi Jana Balawegaya or the United People's Front, led by former presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa was the runner-up by winning 54 seats while the ITAK, a Tamil political party, won 10 seats.

One of Sri Lanka's oldest political parties, the United National Party, led by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe did not win any seats.

Rajapaksa will be sworn in as the nation's new Prime Minister following his party's victory, likely by the weekend after which a new cabinet will be appointed next week.

According to the country's constitution, the cabinet will be limited to 30 ministers.

Rajapaksa, in a short statement on his official Twitter account soon after the party's victory, thanked his voters and expressed gratitude to them for placing their trust in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and himself.

"We will ensure Sri Lanka will not stand disappointed during our tenure," Rajapaksa said.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a statement released late on Thursday night said he was confident of establishing a strong parliament following the SLPP's victory.

Sri Lanka held its parliamentary election on August 5 which was declared as one of the most peaceful elections held in the island country's political history.

A 71 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

Sri Lanka's new Parliament will convene on August 20.
No one knows better than the United States government that the data kept within its borders is highly vulnerable to Chinese cyberespionage. In 2015, Chinese hackers stole personal information belonging to more than 21 million people from the federal governments Office of Personnel Management. In 2017, members of the Chinese military managed to steal records belonging to 145 million Americans from the U.S. credit bureau Equifax, according to charges filed by the Department of Justice earlier this year.

Any number of lessons could be drawn from these incidents, including the importance of vetting outside vendors and the need to carefully monitor outbound data. But deciding that information is more secure because it is collected and stored by American companies is precisely the wrong conclusion.

In January, the Department of Defense announced that military personnel would be required to remove TikTok from their government-issued smartphones. Even absent any evidence that ByteDance was sharing data with the Chinese government, that decision made sense for smartphones that were being used by military officers given the sensitive nature of their work. But for the government to expand that ban to the phones of civilians in the United States, it needs to show some clearer indication that the app poses a real risk to its users. Otherwise, this just looks like an anti-competitive decision made to disadvantage a Chinese tech firm in the name of strengthening security.

Its not clear whether the Trump administration regards either TikToks or WeChats data, or their parent companies, as particularly pernicious or dangerous, but it has not released any evidence that these companies are distributing compromised software to their users via the apps or sharing any data about their American customers with the Chinese government.

But make no mistake: the presidents executive orders are not about cybersecurity  they are a retaliatory jab in the ongoing tensions between China and the United States. In fact, the bans greatest impact will probably not be on the bottom lines of TikTok and WeChats parent companies, but instead on promoting a fundamentally Chinese view of internet security.
Once upon a time there was a set of cookbooks that featured cuisines of the world. These collectibles, published by Time-Life half a century ago, written by experts and including travelogues, are the inspiration for Ten Speeds new World Food book series, the brainchild of writer, editor, and food cognoscente James Oseland.

The first book, publishing in November, is Mexico City, where Oseland lived for over a year researching, connecting with local cooks, and developing 75 recipes in the apartment kitchen he turned into a professional workspace.

The idea of focusing on world food has been percolating since I was a teenager, he says. Its a continuation of the work Ive always sought to do, and its been ages since someone endeavored to present the inspiring connectivity of the worlds cuisines. And what better way to understand a people and a culture than through their food? Food, he adds, is the essence of culture, embracing history and traditions.

Its serendipitous that Mexico City is the first entry in the series. When Oseland was 17, he took a road trip with his father. They stopped in Mexico City. It was my first time out of the country, he says. And it changed my life.

Oselands goal now is to codify the worlds cuisines, to make them accessible in one clear voice, he says, adding that each cuisine has building blocks. When you learn them, you become not only a better cook but a citizen of the world. Theres a startling connection in cooking techniques across all cuisines.

Oseland took his idea for World Food to agent Doe Coover, founder and owner of the Doe Coover Agency in Massachusetts. My observation was that food books focus on trends and celebrity, Oseland says. I wanted to connect to something greater than just a recipe.

Coover had sold Oselands book, Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, a memoir with recipes of his time living in Southeast Asia, which won a James Beard Award. I knew he had a talent for food, Coover says of considering Cradle of Flavor in 2001. (Oselands resume could take up this whole article: editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine, food journalist, photographer, judge on Bravos Top Chef Masters, author of the memoir Jimmy Neurosis [Ecco Press, 2019].) The question for Coover was, could Oseland write? Im a sucker for good writing, Coover says. Then I saw the draft for Cradle of Flavor and I knew he could write.

James and I met for lunch in December 2015 in Bostons South Street Station to discuss World Food, Coover says. Oseland delivered a draft by spring 2016. There was a lot of interest, Coover says. I talked to the usual suspects. Ten Speed made a competitive bid and were excited to have the books.

Hannah Rahill bought the World Food series when she was publishing director at Ten Speed (the 2016 contract is for four volumes; the next one will be Paris, publishing in fall 2021); now Lorena Jones heads up an editorial team to oversee the books.

There hasnt been anything like this since the Time-Life series, which was loved among chefs and highly collectible, Jones says. This is a modern version, more stylized. Its armchair travel along with cooking. She adds, These books will fill all the gaps: food, culture, travel. The plan is one volume at a time from around the world. And no two books will be the same. Every book will have its own identity, beautifully illustrated. (Mexico City has gorgeous photos of the city, the food, the cooksas will all the books in the series.) As for marketing amid the ongoing pandemic, Jones says, Plans will be fluid, but we anticipate virtual events and a satellite tour.

In home cooking, Oseland says, the real truth is revealed: how your mother cut the basil...I tell him how my mother rolled each individual leaf, then sliced it in strips. Everyone has the capacity to make a recipe. Its a remarkable and joyous inclusive process, he continues. My hope is that the series conveys that.

Coover, meanwhile, found the whole set of Time-Life cookbooks at a garage sale 20 years ago, all 27 of them. You want them all? her husband asked, astounded.

What a question. Of course! Coover said.
WATERLOO REGION  The local economy added more than 3,000 jobs in July as Waterloo Region and the rest of the country continues its slow recovery from the global pandemic.

Yet those gains were nearly offset by unemployment growth of about 2,700 people.

Statistics Canada released its labour force numbers for July on Friday, showing this region gained about 3,300 jobs last month. Employment increased from 260,900 in June to 264,200 in July, while the number of people claiming unemployment climbed from 36,300 to 39,000.

The local unemployment rate climbed from 12.2 per cent to 12.9 per cent between June and July, while the employment rate grew from 57.3 per cent to 57.9 per cent.

Unemployment in this region is up about 7.2 per cent compared to July 2019, while the employment rate is down 9.3 per cent from a year ago.

Across Canada, the economy added about 419,000 jobs in July, following gains of 290,000 in May and 953,000 in June. This after Canada lost more than three million jobs from February to April as businesses shut down to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

Despite the gains in recent months, the economy still has about 1.3 million fewer jobs than it did in February. After reaching a record low unemployment rate in 2019, Canada experienced a record high of 13.7 per cent in May. The current jobless rate is 10.9 per cent.

Employment increased twice as fast among men as it did for women, according to Statistics Canada, and visible minority groups have a jobless rate significantly higher than average  including Black Canadians (16.8 per cent) and South Asians (17.8 per cent).

Most of Canadas employment gains reported last month were for part-time work, which increased by 345,000 jobs. Full-time work increased by 73,000 jobs, or about half a per cent.
As of Thursday, cases in Hawaii have grown by more than 85% over the previous week, hitting a record high of roughly 132 new cases per day based on a seven-day moving average, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

"There is no question that the virus is surging in our state, and I know that many are worried about their health," Ige said at a press briefing Thursday. "As we reopened our community, people let their guard down. It's been very disappointing."

Hawaii Gov. David Ige will reinstate restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus as cases in the state continue to climb and state health officials predict more deaths and hospitalizations in the weeks to come.

The almost 3,000 total cases in Hawaii are relatively low compared with other states, but Ige said the recent surge poses a threat to the state's hospital system.

"We're also seeing an increase in hospitalizations, and from the beginning we have all stated that our health-care capacity is a key indicator that we need to monitor to ensure that the number of Covid-19 cases does not overwhelm our hospitals and our health-care system," Ige said.

Of the 117 total hospitalized Covid-19 patients in Hawaii, 115 were on Oahu, home to Honolulu, said Bruce Anderson, director of the state's Department of Health. More than half of the intensive care unit beds on the island are filled, he said.

"At this time, it's projected that our intensive care units at the hospitals on Oahu will be filled to capacity and overrun by the end of this month," Anderson said. "There will be more deaths and more hospitalizations in weeks to come because of gatherings and other activities from crowding."

Ige said the state will reinstate its inter-island travel restrictions beginning on Tuesday, ordering travelers arriving in Kauai, Hawaii, Maui and Kalawao counties to quarantine for 14 days. The inter-island quarantine, which was lifted on June 16, will continue through the end of August unless it's terminated or extended by a separate proclamation, according to the order.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the almost 300 city and county parks on the island of Oahu will close beginning Friday through Sept. 5, including the beaches. He said there will be no activities allowed on the beach or in the parks, although residents can still walk on them to surf, swim, fish and other activities.

"I know that many of you will be disappointed to hear this news  inter-island travel was an important way for families to keep in touch  but I wish this was not necessary, but the health and safety of our community remains our highest priority," Ige said. "I hate it when I see people not wearing masks, gathering in public places at the beach or at the parks, or partying with no regard to the health and safety of our community."
South Africa: Minister welcomes appointment of RAF CEO

The Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, says the appointment of Collins Letsoalo as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) will bring stability to the organisation.

I am pleased to announce that Cabinet has approved the appointment of Letsoalo as the CEO of the RAF. We welcome this decision and we believe this appointment will go a long way in placing the RAF on stable footing, the Minister said on Friday.

Letsoalo was over the last few months on secondment from the Department of Transport as the acting CEO at the RAF.

In his previous capacity as the Chief Financial Officer of the department, he was intimately involved in providing support to the fund.

Letsoalo joins the RAF at a time when it is facing daunting challenges and requires a steady hand to guide it through the change into the Road Accident Benefit Scheme, once the enabling law has been passed by Parliament.

I have no doubt that he will rise to the occasion and provide decisive leadership in tackling the challenges, the Minister said.

The Road Accident Benefit Scheme Bill was introduced in Parliament with the aim of addressing the challenges faced by the RAF.

The passage of this Bill will establish a sustainable Road Accident Fund Benefit Scheme predicated upon social insurance and capped benefit principles, the Minister said.

The Department of Transport is working with Parliament to ensure the Road Accident Benefit Scheme Bill is passed.

This legislation will not only place the RAF on a stable footing, but will also ensure that the intended beneficiaries receive their benefits much quicker in order to restore their livelihoods affected by road crashes, the Minister said.

Letsoalo holds various qualifications including a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics, Advanced Diploma in Central Banking, a Diploma in Treasury Management and Trade Finance, a Postgraduate Diploma in Trade Finance, as well a Postgraduate Diploma in Management.

The Minister said Letsoalo brings to this role a wealth of management experience both from the public and private sectors.

The RAF continues to experience tremendous pressure on its ability to carry out its mandate. Each time some is injured on our roads, whether they are South African or foreign nationals, the RAF incurs liability, Mbalula said.

As at 31 March 2020, the RAF liability grew to R324 billion and also had claims of R17.2 billion that had been finalised but could not be paid due to financial cash flow challenges.

The key driver of this liability has been the increasing number of claims and the high administrative costs. During the 2019/20 financial year, the fund registered approximately 102 086 new claims.

The R17.2 billion is owed to claimants, who have already waited, on average, for five years, to have their claims settled, the Minister said.

He said the fund has operated on a financially unstainable model for a number of decades.

However, this challenge is compounded by the ever-increasing administrative costs of the RAF scheme. Of the revenue collected, more than R17 billion or 40% of this goes to administrative costs, with only R26 billion or 60% received by claimants.

Of the R17 billion, R10.6 billion is legal costs. In the R26 billion paid, there is a further 'success fee' to the claimants attorney, as part of the contingency fees agreement entered into between the claimants and their legal representatives, the Minister said.

While the majority of these legal costs are incurred, there is very little value added, as most of these claims (more than 90%) are settled out of court, after an average of five years has lapsed.

This means that less than 5% of the RAF legal matters end up in front of a judge, while constituting more than 80% of the civil trial court rolls. The neglect of early investigations and settlement of claims has also resulted in the fund receiving an average of just over 4 353 summons per month, the Minister said.

He said these challenges require strong and visionary leadership.

The board we appointed in December wasted no time tackling the challenges head on. They prioritised the task of appointing a fit and capable CEO to steer the ship and confront the intractable challenges head on, the Minster said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
New Delhi, Aug 8 : Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan said that nearly 62 per cent of the foodgrain for July quota under the second phase of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY-2.0) has been distributed among 49.87 crore beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) but 11 states and UTs have not yet started free distribution of foodgrain in July.

The union territories and states which are yet to start distribution of free foodgrains under PMGKAY 2.0 include West Bengal, Punjab, Uttrakhand, Nagaland and others.

The free distribution of food among NFSA beneficiaries under PMGKAY-2.0 will till November 2020.

During this period, a total of 201 lakh tonnes food grains will be distributed among 81 crore beneficiaries, as well as a total of 12 lakh tonnes chana will be distributed among 19.4 crore families.

While speaking to media persons through video conferencing on Friday, Paswan said that total 24.94 lakh tonnes (62 per cent) food grains have been distributed among 49.87 crore beneficiaries in July.

In the current month of August, around 72,711 tonnes (1.8 per cent) food grains have been distributed among 1.45 crore beneficiaries by the states and UTs.

The slow pace of free distribution of foodgrain is also because some states distribute foodgrain bi-monthly and tri-monthly.

Wheat has been allocated to four States and UTs, rice has been allocated to 15 States/UTs and both rice and wheat have been allocated to the remaining 17 States/UTs, according to the Ministry.

The Minister said that the total requirement for the next five months for Chana is 9.70 lakh tonnes of which 2.10 lakh tonnes have already been dispatched to states. However, only 11,979 tonnes of chana has been distributed so far.

The Minister said under NFSA scheme, food grains (Wheat/Rice/Coarse Grains) are provided on subsidized rates to around 81 crore NFSA card holders. He said that the Government of India is bearing 91 per cent financial burden of the scheme, while States/UTs share only nine per cent financial burden of this scheme.

He reiterated that States/UTs should also acknowledge and inform beneficiaries while distributing the food grains under this scheme that these food grains are distributed with the help of central government sponsored scheme.

In early three months of this scheme, i.e., PMGKAY-1.0, nearly 93.5 per cent of the allocated quota of foodgrain was distributed.
The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan, chaired by Judge Karen Farhoyan, partially satisfied the petition to cancel the arrest of the property of the owner of Channel 5 TV company Armen Tavadyan.

"The arrest for funds in the amount of 1 million 512 thousand drams remains, the arrest for movable and immovable property is removed," the judge said.

Tavadyan's lawyer submitted a motion to cancel the arrest of the client's property.

In one criminal case, Tavadyan is accused of bribing a victim of the March 2008 case in order to give false testimony in court. The other two relate to the incident on May 13, 2019, in the courtyard of the court, when the issue of a preventive measure against Robert Kocharyan was considered.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 04:23:13|Editor: huaxia

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TUNIS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Tunisia is committed to fighting terrorism and organized crime, Salma Neifer, acting foreign minister of Tunisia said on Thursday.

Terrorism and organized crime threaten international security and peace, Neifer said in a speech at the United Nations Security Council high-level open debate on addressing the issue of linkages between terrorism and organized crime.

She reiterated Tunisia's commitment to fight against terrorism and organized crime in accordance with the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter and with full respect for international law and human rights. Enditem
BANGKOK - Political tensions are rising in Thailand as pro-democracy activists vowed Friday to step up protests against the government and police arrested some key figures in recent demonstrations.

Protest leaders warned that they will expand their activities if the government fails to meet their demands, which include dissolving Parliament, holding new elections and changing the constitution.

Recent pro-democracy demonstrations, mostly led by students, have been modest in size but have spread widely and quickly, unnerving the government. Army commander Gen. Apirat Kongsompong  a political strongman in a country where coups have toppled many governments  indirectly but harshly criticized the protesters this week.

COVID-19 can be cured ... but the disease that cannot be cured is the hatred of the nation, he said in a speech to military academy cadets.

The government cracked down on Friday with the arrests of some high-profile members of the pro-democracy movement. Among them was human rights lawyer Arnon Nampha, who was arrested on charges of sedition and defying an emergency decree imposed to control the coronavirus. Critics charge the decree is being wielded against political dissidents.

Arnon drew the ire of the authorities for remarks he made about the monarchy at a rally on Monday. He was reported to have spoken about laws that were passed to increase the power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who took the throne in 2016. A second man, Panupong Jadnok, was also arrested on protest-related charges, and more arrests were expected.

The monarchy is a sensitive topic in Thailand, and public criticism of it has long been taboo and illegal. But the continuing domination of Thai politics by the military and a royalist elite has sparked frustration, especially among younger Thais. On social media and at demonstrations, there has been limited but unprecedented criticism of the monarchy, which is subject to prosecution under a lese majeste law that carries a punishment of up to 15 years in prison.

The army staged coups in 2006 and 2014 that ousted elected governments, and the military regime that held power in 2014 until last year passed laws ensuring it would retain influence after the 2019 general election. A political party considered a proxy for the army managed to assemble a coalition government led by the former army commander who staged the 2014 coup, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

Fridays arrests seemed unlikely to discourage the protest movement.

Just hours earlier, eight leaders of the Free People movement - formerly known as Free Youth - announced plans for a mass rally on Aug. 16.

One of the leaders questioned whether the prime ministers statement this past week that he would form a committee and consider their views was simply a tactic.

(Our demands) are clear enough for the government to hear and follow. To set up a committee to have hearings is like an act. Its like a show with no meaning. Is it to buy time? said Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree.

They think that we will disappear. They believe that we will fade away, so they set up this committee to buy time. But the fact is we want real change. We want to send our demands to those with power to make decisions, not to some rubber-stamp committee.

At Bangkoks iconic Democracy Monument, where the leaders spoke, a handful of supporters cheered and gave a three-fingered salute, a symbol of resistance borrowed from the Hollywood movie The Hunger Games. A small group of police officers kept watch but did not intervene.

Though Prayuth said he would meet with the protest leaders, it is unlikely they will reach agreement. While he has said he is open to possible constitutional changes he is unlikely to agree to dissolve Parliament or call new elections.

Under Prayuths leadership, the Thai economy has struggled, while a series of corruption scandals and a lack of accountability have badly tainted his administrations claim of clean governance.

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"I am so, so grateful, Madam," smiled Mr. Karl while getting up and followed the two women. "I can sleep anywhere as long as I can lay down and have peace around me. I am humbled by what you do for me, most certainly I am."

Mary Terbarh put his baggage into one corner of his new bedroom, leave the room to look for another bed sheet for him to be covered in the heart of the room that had no ventilator, only occasionally fresh air coming through the window at nights being close to the Sea.

Before Princess closed the door behind her wishing Mr. Karl a good rest she said: "Do not worry about anything...I am always here for you!"

While the young woman was closing the door behind her, Mr. Karl was wishing one day when his time would come to settle down and get married, to marry such a woman with a great and compassionate heart. He smiled outside and inside. He laid his head to rest and had an easy way to fall into deep, deep sleep.

"I know your heart as much as I know your mind. Before you were even born, I knew you. Never ever in your entire life did you want to come to Africa. I know it so well, my son. But you will now understand by force why you were born in the first place. Your life is not to enjoy a comfort zone of a great country that is enjoying stability and wealth in all its aspects, that dominates many places in this world. But here, in the deepest darkness of my Kingdom, here in Africa and especially in a country that I have decided to rule for me over the waves of the world and lead the African continent into a great future, this is the world I want you to see and to understand what the situation is all about. You know so well, my son, I am a spirit, a powerful force, but I cannot understand all the nitty greediest and details of human life. What people say to me in their daily prayers I often do not understand their minds and words. For this reason, as you know my son, I listen to a few Men of God that know best how to talk to me with a clear voice and with words that are sweet to my heart, words that can make me be moved to intervene whenever things go wrong and need correction. But I am not walking on earth. I have no brain, I have no eyes to see human life, no hands to change human destiny and invent whatever is needed from level to level of human development, the increase of humanity. I have never composed a song or sang one, never painted any beautiful artwork but depended always on blessed humans on earth to accomplish my mission and make my will come true. For that very reason, my son, have I sent you here in a corner of the world that your mind and your heart is not for right now. As Jesus Christ who sits right here by my right side once has chosen someone from his disciples that was not the strongest of his followers but always willing to learn and be corrected, I have chosen you with a well-trained mind, with experiences in life and equipped with a capacity of vision to help my people and make them understand how much I love them and that they are truly blessed. Their mind is confused for which reason they come to wrong conclusion and undertaking of false actions. You must see, hear, feel, and learn and then follow your way and fight for me, my son. You must fight and not be weary. I will give you strength and open doors for you, doors so impossible to open and walk through, but with me, my son, anything is possible. Nothing is impossible for me, as you so well know. So, as I have given you the name of Gunter, the soldier and the army, as that is what it means, as one of your names, I know that you will fight against evil minds on my behave and that you will be wise enough to be successful. Whatever opposition will stand in your way, as much as people and circumstances will frustrate you, I will give you rest and guidance. With me you are always in safe hands no matter how dangerous situations to come might be for you. Trust me as I trust you, my son!"

"Oh, God have mercy on me," opened Mr. Karl his eyes seeing out of the window, the night had fallen. Darkness everywhere; light off. He was sweating, the bedsheet even as light as it was, was wet. "What a dream I had...gosh, I must have really been away from myself. Such a dream...it is not from this world." He looked around. In the darkness of the small room was he seeing a calendar two years old, only two sheets left, the two last months of that year. His eyes saw snow on mountains, and he tried to figure out which place on earth it was showing. His best guess was it must have either been the Alps in Europe or Himalaya in Asia, he was not certain. "There is so cold, freezing always...and here I am sweating, too hot always," was Mr. Karl saying to himself.

Princess was hearing that Mr. Karl was awake again, opened the door, saw him looking at the calendar and gave him a candle: "Sorry Sir...but as usual, we have Dumsor Dumsor...which in our culture means simply light off. This happens here around quiet frequently. The government, all parties, always promise us that we should have enough light for the people in this country. But trust me on that, whatever these people say, you cannot trust them as words do not speak louder than facts. As for me, I have never seen any year in this country with always light available but Dumsor around the corner each and every day. Sometimes it is really bad and for days we have to live without electricity. Sometimes we are off the grid for hours...someone never knows. But what we, the good people of Ghana know so well by facts is, that the shortage of electricity is real...as real as the empty promises of our politicians of all parties to finally fix our ECG problem."

"So, you are telling me," smiled Mr. Karl and tried to look into the face of Princess that was hidden behind the candlelight as she wanted him to follow her into the living room and take his evening meal with the rest of the family, "you in this country still have a long...a very long way to go?"

"Oh, Mr. Karl...we are already walking for over sixty good years and still walking and walking into an uncertain future!" She offered him the seat next to her father and placed his food right in front of him.

Mr. Karl smiled, said a prayer over their food and mentioned to Princess: "I have very long legs and can walk fast. Maybe I have to walk before you, so you reach faster to where you are supposed to reach and be!"

The family had a good laugh, very loud and long. Eventually, Princess responded: "You most certainly have long... sorry, very long legs and can walk must faster than I or anyone in this room. But when you walk too fast you will not see the people around you that do not want to walk that fast and follow you. when you are ahead of them, you might not see their faces behind you and the evil things they might hold in their hands which can cost your life. So, it is always advisable to walk not only with your legs but always with a smart mind."

"My daughter is very good in prophecy, Mr. Karl...very good indeed," smiled Joseph Trebarh while eating the bones of his chicken wing critically observed by Mr. Karl who had never seen before anyone eating bones of a chicken.

While Mr. Karl was watching with his right eye Mary Trebarh biting into a fish head and swallowing it with great delight, he said: "I have already sensed it. She is young, that is true, but a great lady indeed. You have raised her very well."

Mary Trebarh cleaned her mouth holding fried new cocoyam in her hands ready to be eaten and said: "God is our protector and he has helped us to raise her well and bring her to her level that he has reached today. And we all know, she, in fact, is very special and will always move ahead of us and reach far. She makes us proud, very much so!"
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at the St. Nicolas National Shrine during an event in the Manhattan borough of New York City, N.Y., on Aug. 3, 2020. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

New York Governor: Schools Can Reopen This Fall

Schools in New York state can reopen this fall, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.

Cuomo, a Democrat who had held off on deciding for weeks, said the low COVID-19 infection rate in the state, along with a small number of new CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus cases and deaths, led to his choice.

The statewide infection rate was 1 percent as of Friday, with just five new deaths with COVID-19 reported.

If anyone can open schools we can open schools, Cuomo said in a conference call with reporters. Thats true for every region in the state, period.

New York City was the hardest-hit area in the nation by COVID-19, a disease caused by the CCP virus, and New York state has seen over 25,000 fatalities linked to the new malady, according to state health data, which doesnt match with city data.

The transmission of the virus has slowed dramatically in recent weeks. The cause is unclear. State and city officials say its because harsh restrictions worked; some believe the population reached herd immunity because of how widely the virus spread.

Cuomo said in a separate statement that a rise in the infection rate will bring a change in state policy and that school districts are required to get plans cleared by state officials before reopening.

Districts must post plans for remote learning and testing and tracing online, set dates for three to five discussion sessions with parents and community members, and hold at least one discussion with teachers alone.

In schools as elsewhere, masks are required when social distancing is impossible. Every student should plan to have one with them at all times. If a student does not have a mask, the school will be required to provide one, he said.

St. Vincent Ferrer High School displays photos of the graduating students in windows as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the CCP virus in New York City, N.Y., on July 31, 2020. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

Students do not have to go back to school in-person and districts are not required to reopen for in-person instruction, the governor told reporters in the call.

Statewide policy for issues like remote learning wouldnt make sense, Cuomo argued, because circumstances are different in each district.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat who regularly clashes with Cuomo, said last month that students in the city would go to school for two or three days a week and learn virtually on the other days, in a bid to prevent a spike in the transmission of the virus.

The approach we will use is blended learning. And blended learning simply means that at some points in the week, you are learning in-person in the classroom, at other points of the week, youre learning remotely, he told reporters.

In a press conference on July 31, the mayor said schools wouldnt be allowed to reopen unless the infection rate was below three percent.

Earlier this week, two teachers unions insisted state officials issue clear protocols for how and when districts must close their buildings and how they plan on conducting contact tracing and quarantines of positive cases.

The unions believe that if districts are to move forward with reopening their school buildings, they must err on the side of caution at all times. Specifically, in the event of a positive COVID-19 case, the unions are calling for the immediate closure of that school building and a return to remote learning for 14 days before revisiting whether it is safe for the building to reopen, the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) said in a joint statement.

In an emailed statement to The Epoch Times, UFT President Michael Mulgrew said, As Governor Cuomo noted, parents and teachers must be confident that schools are safe before they can reopen. In New York City that is still an open question.

NYSUT President Andy Pallotta alleged that many parents and educators arent confident in their districts reopening plans, but praised the decision to hold meetings with parents and teachers.

Were thankful the governor agrees that forcing people back into the classroom when they feel their health is threatened is not what should happen, he said. So if districts need to phase in the reopening of buildings, so be it. We must err on the side of caution. Period.
DUBLIN, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Syringe and Needle Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global syringe and needle market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 10% during the period 2019-2025

The global syringe and needle market constitutes an essential segment of the global medical devices market. The market is majorly driven by the rising incidence of trauma cases (accidents and burn cases), the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, and the increasing incidence of hospital-acquired infections.

Chronic diseases such as diabetes require medical products such as needles and syringes for the administration of insulin and drawing blood samples for monitoring glucose levels. Hence, the market is likely to grow due to the increasing prevalence of diabetics across the globe.

With increasing instances of hospital-acquired infections, there is a high demand to reduce hospital-acquired infections and maintain safe laboratory practices. Hence, the increased focus to avoid needle stick injuries and infection transmissions by medical practitioners is boosting the growth of safety syringes and needles in the market.

In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included

The study considers the present scenario of the syringe and needle market and its market dynamics for the period 2019-2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspect of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market.

Key Questions Answered

1. What is the global syringe and needle market size and growth forecast

2. What are some of the major factors influencing the syringe industry?

3. Which is the leading region/segment dominating the syringe and needle market?

4. Who are the strategic leaders in the syringe and needle market, and what are their shares?

5. How is COVID-19 impacting the market growth during the forecast period?



Global Syringe and Needle Market Segmentation



The global syringe and needle market research report includes a detailed segmentation by products, patient groups, end-users, and regions.

North America dominates the syringe market. APAC is expected to grow at a faster growth rate due to the presence of a large patient population that requires syringes for medication and blood testing. The increased adoption of injectable drugs, technological advancements, the increase in the geriatric population, and the growing number of vaccination and immunization programs for pediatrics, as well as adults, are expected to drive the volume growth over the next few years.

The syringe market is categorized based on type and usability. By type, the segment is further divided into general and specialized syringes. The general segment dominated the market in 2019, while the specialized segment is expected to grow at a faster growth rate during the forecast period. In terms of usability, the syringes segment is segmented into disposable and sterilizable. The disposable segment dominated the market share of 90%. The sterilizable segment accounted for a 10% market share.



The adult segment accounted for a 65% share of the global market in 2019. The segment is the major revenue contributor on account of the increasing application of injections to treat diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and several viral infections. The growing elderly population, which is prone to chronic diseases, is another major revenue contributor to the healthcare industry as this patient group requires medical supervision. The rise in hospital admissions is due to the increase in cancer, cardiovascular ailments, and other infectious and chronic diseases prevalence has driven the demand for syringes and needles.



The hospital end-user segment is dominating the market and accounted for a 55% market share of the global syringe and needle market in 2019. Hospitals are the major revenue contributors. All hospitals use needles and syringes to withdraw blood or fluid samples and administer drugs or vaccinations. In emergency and inpatient settings, the injections are used on a large scale for medication and collection of multiple blood specimens for diagnosis and treatment purposes for the patients in critical care.



The syringe and needle market is witnessing the growing adoption of advanced syringes to minimize the risk of vessel intima. Advanced and safety needles and syringes are reducing the risk of needle stick injuries and transmission of infectious diseases among patients and healthcare providers. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing hospital admissions, thereby increasing the demand for injections.



Insights by Geography



The North American region is driven by the rising incidence of chronic and infectious diseases, with hospitals, clinics, and ASCs emerging as the major revenue generators. The US and Canada are the primary revenue contributors to the market. The adoption of syringes and needles with safety mechanisms is higher in North America than in other geographical regions.



End-users prefer the use of safety-engineered products, which, in turn, has increased the demand for such products. Moreover, the practice of safe community disposal has helped reduce medical contamination from needles, syringes, and cannula. The market is growing at a significant pace, which is expected to continue during the forecast period due to the rise in demand for safety injections and advanced cannula to reduce the incidences of needle stick injuries.



Insights by Vendors



The global syringes and needle market share is fragmented and is currently intensifying due to the rapidly changing technological environment. Becton, Dickinson and Company, B Braun Melsungen, Nipro Corporation, Terumo, and Teleflex are the key players. All these companies have a significant presence in major geographical regions such as North America, APAC, and Europe.



However, there are many local vendors providing products with similar specifications at low prices, which results in the price war among vendors. The major vendors are competing among themselves for the leading position in the market, with occasional spurts of competition coming from other local vendors.



Key Topics Covered



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.1.1 Inclusions

4.1.2 Exclusion

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study

4.3.1 Market Segmentation by Geography



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Growing Demand for Self-Injection Devices & Prefilled Syringes

8.2 Rapid Advancements in Needle & Syringe Design & Technology

8.3 High Growth Potential in Emerging Economies



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Increasing Target Population

9.2 Growing Demand for Safety Needles & Syringes

9.3 Favorable Government Initiatives & Rising Awareness about Safe Injection Practices

9.4 Global Expansion of Needle Syringe Programs

9.5 High Demand for Biologics Using Parenteral Drug Delivery



10 Market Restraints

10.1 Risks Associated With Needles & Syringes

10.2 Growing Focus on Development of Alternative Drug Delivery Methods

10.3 Stringent Regulations & Legislation for Syringes & Needles



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Market Size & Forecast

11.3 Five Forces Analysis



12 By Syringes

12.1 Market Overview

12.2 By Product Type

12.3 By Usability



13 By Needles

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 By Type



14 By Patient Groups

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 Adults

14.4 Pediatrics



15 By End-users

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Market Overview

15.3 Hospitals

15.4 Clinics

15.5 Home Healthcare Settings

15.6 Others



16 By Geography

16.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

16.2 Geographic Overview



17 North America



18 Europe



19 APAC



20 Latin America



21 Middle East & Africa



22 Competitive Landscape

22.1 Competition Overview

22.2 Market Share Analysis

22.2.1 BD

22.2.2 B. Braun Melsungen

22.2.3 Terumo

22.2.4 Teleflex

22.2.5 Nipro

22.2.6 Smiths Medical

22.2.7 Cardinal Health



23 Key Company Profiles

23.1 BD

23.1.1 Business Overview

23.1.2 Product Offerings

23.1.3 Key Strategies

23.1.4 Key Strengths

23.1.5 Key Opportunities

23.2 B. Braun Melsungen

23.3 Terumo

23.4 Teleflex

23.5 Nipro

23.6 Smiths Medical

23.7 Cardinal Health



24 Other Prominent Vendors

24.1 Allison Medical

24.1.1 Business Overview

24.1.2 Product Offerings

24.2 Apexmed International

24.3 Argon Medical Devices

24.4 Artsana

24.5 Codan Medizinische Gerte

24.6 Connecticut Hypodermics

24.7 Exelint International

24.8 GERRESHEIMER

24.9 Hindustan Syringes & Medical Devices

24.10 International Medsurg Connection

24.11 Retractable Technologies

24.12 Ultimed

24.13 Unimed

24.14 West Pharmaceutical Services

24.15 Vita Needle Company

24.16 Aspen Surgical

24.17 BESPAK

24.18 Credence Medsystems

24.19 DALI MEDICAL DEVICES

24.20 Deroyal

24.21 GBUK

24.22 Medtronic

24.23 MHC Medical Products

24.24 Micsafe Medical Group

24.25 MORIA

24.26 Nemera

24.27 NOVO Nordisk

24.28 RAYS

24.29 SCHOTT

24.30 Troge Medical

24.31 VAN Oostveen Medical

24.32 Vygon

24.33 Wujiang Evergreen EX/IM

24.34 YPSOMED



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4j97zo

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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US Iran envoy Brian Hook stepping down from his post: Pompeo

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 06 August 2020 7:38 PM

Brian Hook, the US State Department's hawkish special envoy for Iran, is quitting his job amid Washington's polarizing campaign to extend the conventional arms embargo on Tehran.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed in a statement Thursday that Hook, one of the few national security officials to survive the disarray in the US foreign policy team through most of President Donald Trump's term, was stepping down from his post.

"Special Representative Hook has been my point person on Iran for over two years and he has achieved historic results countering the Iranian regime," Pompeo said.

"He successfully negotiated with the Iranians the release of Michael White and Xiyue Wang from prison. Special Representative Hook also served with distinction as the Director of Policy Planning and set into motion a range of new strategies that advanced the national security interests of the United States and our allies," the top US diplomat added.

This comes only a day after the US introduced an anti-Iran resolution in the UN Security Council in an attempt to extend the soon-to-expire weapons embargo.

"We have tabled a resolution that we think accomplishes what we think needs to be accomplished," said Hook at the virtual Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday.

Hook, who has worked as the special envoy since August 2018, will be replaced with Elliott Abrams, who currently serves as the Department's special representative for Venezuela and is an Iran hard-liner too, Pompeo said.

Hook had been executing Trump's "maximum pressure" policy toward Iran, working closely with Pompeo.

He was leading the charge on efforts to prevent the lifting of the arms embargo on Iran which will expire in October under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The Trump administration has threatened that it may seek to trigger a snapback of all sanctions on Iran if its attempts to extend the arms embargo fail.

Tehran, however, has firmly rejected Washington's plans as the US is no longer a party to the nuclear deal ever since it withdrew from the multilateral agreement in 2018.

Meanwhile, Hook's departure is likely to bury any chance of a diplomatic initiative with Iran before the end of Trump's term.

"Sometimes it's the journey and sometimes it's the destination,'' Hook said in the interview on Wednesday. "In the case of our Iran strategy, it's both. We would like a new deal with the regime. But in the meantime, our pressure has collapsed their finances."

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China on Friday said it firmly opposes President Donald Trumps decision to ban US transactions with the Chinese owners of messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok, adding that Washington will eventually taste the bitter fruit of choosing self-interest over market principles.

Trump on Thursday signed executive orders targeting the short-video sharing platform TikTok, owned by Beiijing-based ByteDance, and the messaging service WeChat - owned by the Tencent conglomerate.

The two apps are used by hundreds of millions globally.

The US firms must stop doing business with the companies within 45 days, said the order with Trump saying he acted to protect our (US) national security.

Also read: Donald Trump cites India to ban national security risk Chinese TikTok

This is the latest, and a major, escalation in Washingtons ongoing stand-off with Beijing on several issues including Beijings expanding footprint in global technology.

Washingtons decision to target Chinese apps comes after Indias decision to block more than a 100 made-in-China social media apps citing security reasons.

New Delhis decision came in the backdrop of the ongoing Sino-India tension along the line of actual control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Trumps order mentioned the Indian action on banning the app, stating: The Government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country. In a statement, Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they (the Chinese apps) were stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.

Reacting to the US decision, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin said Washington should provide non-discriminatory business environment to all countries.

China urges the US to correct its wrongdoings, stop politicising economic issues and cracking down on related firms, and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for normal operations and investment by businesses from all countries, Wang said at the regular ministry briefing on Friday.

Also read: Firmly oppose US orders against TikTok and WeChat, says China

The US will eventually taste the bitter fruit of choosing self-interest over market principles, international rules, which will only lead to the decline of morality, national image, and international trust, Wang said.

Calling it a shameless act of hegemony, Wang said the US frequently uses national security as an excuse to abuse state power and groundlessly clamp down on related firms.

On Thursday, Trump said that the spread in the US of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the Peoples Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

Trumps orders on Chinese follows the tit-for-tat closing of consulates  in Houston and Chengdu  while the two countries remain at loggerheads over South China Sea disputes, the Hong Kong security bill, US arms-sales to Taiwan, the condition of minorities in Xinjiang, and the origin of the coronavirus besides an ongoing trade war.
As summer's heat continues, we seek refreshment. This week's selections include a spritzy rose of vinho verde from a Portuguese label that has consistently proven its value. And, if wine seems heavy in the heat, we also have a low-alcohol line from California. Still, we know you'll be grilling in the weeks ahead, so here's a delicious merlot from Washington state and two delightful reds from Italy - a savory sangiovese from Emilia Romagna that evokes casual dinners in a mom-and-pop trattoria and an elegant wine from Mount Etna in Sicily that at first might make you think of Burgundy.

GREAT VALUE

Luke Merlot 2017

Three stars

Wahluke Slope, Columbia Valley, Wash., $22

It may seem strange to say a wine has "confidence," but the word is appropriate here. This merlot does not scream for attention with powerful tannins or in-your-face fruit. Rather, it weaves sweet, ripe plums, black cherries and a savory hint of dark roast coffee into a compelling discussion that unfolds slowly. There is also a delicious cabernet sauvignon by the same label. Alcohol by volume: 14.1%.

- - -

GREAT VALUE

Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2018

Three stars

Sicily, Italy, $22

This lovely wine is produced from nerello mascalese grapes, with a sploosh of nerello cappuccio, both native Sicilian varieties grown on the northern slopes of Mount Etna in eastern Sicily. The body and texture resemble a fine Chambolle Musigny from Burgundy, while the flavors are more Mediterranean herbs than Burgundian flowers. The wine opens up over several hours after uncorking and should improve over several years in your cellar. ABV: 13.5%.

- - -

GREAT VALUE

La Sagrestana Sangiovese Romagna Superiore 2018

Two and a half stars

Romagna, Italy, $14

Savory and smoky, with notes of cherries and a hint of cocoa, this sangiovese is the kind of delightfully rustic wine you may have encountered in a family trattoria on your explorations of Italy. Since it may be a while before we can repeat those trips, here's a way to indulge our memories. ABV: 13%.

- - -

GREAT VALUE

Lab Vinho Verde Rose

Two stars

Portugal, $10

Lab is a label from Portugal that offers excellent value in affordable wines. The rose was No. 8 in my list of 12 best bargains in 2019. This non-vintage vinho verde rose is just as delicious, with a slight spritz and bright fruit flavors of strawberry and melon. ABV: 11%.

- - -

Sunny with a Chance of Flowers Pinot Noir 2018

One and a half stars

Monterey, Calif., $17

The Sunny with a Chance of Flowers line includes a pinot noir, a chardonnay and a sauvignon blanc, each at 9% alcohol and about 85 calories for a 5-ounce serving. That compares to about 110-120 calories for a glass of wine at the more common 13-14% alcohol. The Sunny wines are also labeled as "zero sugar," as they have less than 0.5 grams per serving. The wines taste "correct" - meaning, they taste like pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Their distinguishing characteristic is the combination of lower alcohol and lower calories. ABV: 9%.

- - -

3 stars exceptional, 2 stars excellent, 1 star very good

- - -

Availability information is based on distributor records. Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor.

- - -

McIntyre writes about wine weekly. He also blogs at dmwineline.com,
The owner of a plant nursery in Washington state has been fined $4,200 for failing to ensure a safe workplace and potentially exposing employees to the coronavirus after preventing them from wearing masks.

The state Department of Labor and Industries cited Flower World last week for violating state guidelines intended to limit the spread of COVID-19, including not requiring masks or face coverings, not practicing social distancing and not conducting employee temperature checks, The Daily Herald reported.

Inspectors visited the Maltby business three times between June 15 and 26 and discovered multiple violations of state regulations, including a state mask mandate implemented by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, authorities said.

Employees received a letter with their paychecks in early June saying they were not allowed to wear masks because owner John Postema believed masks would be a hazard for long hours in hot weather.

The business has 15 days to appeal.

Flower World has told us they plan to comply, and we have been on site once and verified they are following the rules, department spokesman Tim Church said.

Owner Postema could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday, but an employee at the business told The Associated Press that he would be left a message.

Postema previously told the Herald in June that he planned to challenge the legality of the mask mandate based on the rational(e) that face masks do not protect our employees and is in conflict with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Washington
Every ZIP code in Bexar County reported fewer COVID-19 cases in February than in January, according to a new report.

The epidemiological report, released Wednesday by a City of San Antonio data team, found that the winter surge of the virus ended last month. Six percent of the total cases since the beginning of the pandemic occurred in February, compared to 25 percent for January.

The team examined the virus's disproportionate impact on the local community, as well as the lopsided distribution of vaccines.

On Tuesday, officials reported 192 new cases and one death, bringing Bexar County's death toll since the pandemic began to 2,991. There were 206 coronavirus patients at local hospitals.

On ExpressNews.com: FAQ: When and where Texans can get the COVID vaccine

Below is a breakdown of Bexar County data that provides some insight into who is catching the virus and where.

More people have gotten their shots on the north and west sides

A higher proportion of residents on the north and west sides of Bexar County have been vaccinated, the epidemiological report found.

Two maps of vaccination rates by ZIP codes reveal dark-colored bands  signaling more residents have received a shot  from Stone Oak to the Far West Side.

The majority of residents who have received at least one dose are Hispanic (44.8 percent), followed by White (37.9 percent). Only 3.6 percent of Black residents of the county had received at least one dose.

The authors noted that race/ethnicity data was not yet available for 22 percent of the people who had been vaccinated.

More female Bexar County residents (59.5 percent) have been vaccinated than males (40.5 percent).

More women than men have tested positive

As of Wednesday, 53 percent of positive cases in San Antonio were detected in women and 47 percent in men. Statewide, 65.3 percent of cases are men, 33.5 percent are women and 1.2 percent are unknown.

Of the COVID-19 deaths in Bexar County, 57 percent were men and 43 percent were women. Across Texas, 58.2 percent of such deaths were men and 41.8 percent were women.

Young people are seeing the most cases

Over half of all the cases reported in Bexar County residents  57 percent  are under age 39. The category with the highest number of cases is ages 20 to 29 (21 percent), followed by 30 to 39 (18 percent), 40 to 49 (15 percent) and 50 to 59 (13 percent).

"Numbers and rates of infection continue to be highest among young adults, particularly females," the city's data team wrote.

The report found that cases among children who were infectious while physically at school declined in February. Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 12 total outbreaks with in-school transmission in Bexar County, contributing to only 2 percent of the total school cases.

Of the COVID-19 deaths in Bexar County, 2.9 percent have been people under age 39. Over half of all the deaths  56.1 percent  were people over age 70. The cumulative death toll stands at 138 for assisted living facilities and 362 for nursing homes.

The report noted that 69 percent of the people who died had comorbid conditions. Approximately half of the people who died due to the virus had cardiovascular disease (49.9 percent), 36.7 percent had diabetes and 17.6 percent had kidney disease.

For people with COVID-19 who are 80 years of age or older, the report says, the risk of death is 23 percent for males and 16 percent for females.

Residents in the south and west parts of the city have been the hardest hit

City of San Antonio

Four of the top 10 ZIP codes with the most active COVID-19 cases are on the west side, according to a surveillance map.

The 78228 area on the West Side currently has 84 active cases, more than any other. The ZIP code has had 7,193 cumulative cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

JBSA-Lackland's ZIP code, 78236, has the highest rate of infections per capita. Over 23 percent of the area's residents have tested positive for the virus.

The highest rates of infection overall are in the southern portion of Bexar County, the city's data team found. New infections have consistently occurred at a higher rate in the ZIP codes closest to downtown and on the south and west sides.

One startling map in the report shows COVID-19 rates per capita overlaid with the percent of the population living in poverty.

The chart "shows that those zip codes near downtown and to the south of downtown are experiencing both the highest rates of COVID-19 and highest percentages of the population living in poverty," the authors wrote.

Hispanics make up over three-quarters of COVID-19 cases

Hispanics make up 75 percent of Bexar Countys COVID-19 cases, even though the community makes up 60 percent of the countys total population. Hispanic individuals accounted for 68 percent of all COVID-19 related deaths as of January.

A study published by the Annals of Epidemiology linked structural inequality, including lack of health care and occupational risk, to nationwide surges in Hispanic infections and deaths.

"We found that crowded housing, air pollution, jobs in the meatpacking and poultry industry and other factors put Latinos at high risk of COVID-19 infections and death," said Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, the study's lead author and an associate professor of prevention and community health at George Washington University.

White residents of Bexar County account for 18 percent of cases, Black 5 percent and Asian 2 percent.

The county's demographic breakdown overall is 60 percent Hispanic, 30 percent White, 7 percent Black and 3 percent other.
Staying inside during COVID-19 doesnt have to suck, particularly if you have an Amazon Prime subscription and can explore their surprisingly deep catalog of movies. If youre a movie buff, youve probably caught all the major hits, but you may not have gotten around to...

Clue (1985)

Based on the classic board game, Clue features an impressive cast and a completely unique take on how to end a whodunnit mystery.

Fighting with my Family (2019)

Fighting With My Family amazon.com $14.99 Shop Now

Fighting With My Family is a semi-autobiographical story about a family full of professional wrestlers, starring Florence Pugh (Midsommer) to Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) Lena Headey (Dredd) and The Rock (The Mummy Returns).

Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Amazon Shop Now

This classic 1960s comedy features an all-star (at the time) cast and was nominated for six academy awards.

Wind (1992)

Barely known outside of sailing circles, Wind is a cult romance starring Matthew Modine and Jennifer Grey, set against the backdrop of the historic 1987 Americas Cup -- when America reclaimed its cup after losing to Australia for the first time in 132, ending the longest winning streak in the history of the sport.

JCVD (2008)

Jean-Claude Van Dammes mournful, slow-paced reflection on his life and career thrust the actor back into the spotlight years after his heyday.

Funny Face (1957)

Theres no such thing as a bad Audrey Hepburn musical (scientifically speaking).

Election (1999)

An over-achieving student drives a popular high school teacher out of his mind in this black comedy from 1999. Twenty years later, it still stands out as one of the best movies made during one of the best years in filmmaking history (1999 also saw the release of Being John Malkovich, Magnolia, The Matrix, The Iron Giant, and Fight Club).

Seven Psychopaths (2012)

Acclaimed Irish playwright Martin McDonaghs follow up to In Bruges is lighter, weirder, and more confusing. If you enjoyed 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri then be sure to check out this more comedic, Tarantino-esque story.

Hot Rod (2007)

Andy Sambergs surreal comedy may not pack the emotional punch that you saw in "Palm Springs," but its memorable, absurd, and hilarious.

Heathers (1989)

The subject matter is more disturbing and darkly realistic that it was in 1989, but this comedy is great fun if you can stomach it.

The Overnight (2015)

New parents have a drunken, kinky adventure with another couple they met at the playground.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Once Upon A Time in the West amazon.com $0.00 Shop Now

Its a classic, and if you havent already seen it youre in for quite a treat.

The Exorcist 3 (1990)

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Forgotten sequels to horror classics usually suck, but The Exorcist 3 is directed by William Peter Blatty, writer of the original novel, and features an utterly unique performance by Brad Dourif. Deeply confusing, strangely structured, and with a studio tacked-on ending that loses all grip on the films tone and reality, The Exorcist 3 is a horror buff's dream come true.

The Dark Half (1993)

The Dark Half amazon.com $0.00 Shop Now

Yet another Stephen King thriller about a writer -- this time, he battles his demon-twin who keeps framing him for murder.

True Grit (2010)

Jeff Bridges is a better Rooster Cogburn than John Wayne, and if you disagree you havent watched this movie.

The Rainmaker (1997)

We all went crazy for courtroom dramas in the 1990s for some reason, and if you have to choose between this and The Firm (another John Grisham courtroom drama from three years prior, currently on Netflix) then go with this one. Its significantly more serious and features 100% less Tom Cruise Face.

Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.

Joshua Sargent is an editor for Hearst Newspapers. Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com.
Vietnam pledges to continue working with US and partners in addressing common challenges

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo discussed bilateral ties and regional and international issues of common concerns over the phone on Thursday.









Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. Photo: VGP

Minh affirmed Viet Nam regards the US as one of its partners of top imporance, expressing his pleasure at the increasingly extensive and pratical advancement of the Viet Nam-US relationship across all fields, from diplomacy-politics, economy- trade, security-defense to science-technology and people-to-people exchanges.



He spoke highly of the programs on humanitiarian cooperation, settlement of war consequences, and dioxin decontamination, which have contributed to consolidating trust between the two countries.



Minh also welcomed the organization of activities by both sides to mark the 25th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which included the exchange of congratulatory letters by their high-ranking leaders.



Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State highly valued the two countriess efforts in strengthening and expanding the Comprehensive Partnership on the basis of respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and each others political systems.



Pompeo also said Viet Nam and the US share the common vision on peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, affirming the US attaches importance and commits to maintaining stable ties with Viet Nam.



He was pleased that Viet Nam is about to welcome American volunteers to teach English in the country under the agreement signed last month between the Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education and Training.



Both sides discussed ways to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic, support their citizens to return home, and coordinate in restoring and maintaining regional and global supply chain.



Minh took the occasion to affirm that Viet Nam attaches importance to the USs role at international forums, pledging to continue working with the American side and partners in addressing common challenges in order to contribute to sustaining peace, stability, security and development in the region and the world.



Pompeo highly valued Viet Nams role in addressing global issues, expressing his wish to cooperate with Viet Nam in intensifying the strategic partnership between ASEAN and the US.
South Australia's opposition leader and his deputy have been forced into self-isolation after visiting a school in Adelaide that was shut over a concerning cluster of COVID-19 cases.

Peter Malinauskas and Susan Close visited the Thebarton Senior College on July 30 but only met the principal and did not have contact with students or tour the facilities.

They say they also followed all COVID-19 precautions but on the advice of health authorities will isolate as a precaution.

Peter Malinauskas and Susan Close have been forced into self-isolation after visiting a school in Adelaide that was shut over a concerning cluster of COVID-19 cases

'Thankfully we feel well and are currently not showing any symptoms but given SA Health's advice we have cancelled all face-to-face engagements next week and will self-isolate as per SA Health's direction,' the pair said in a statement on Friday.

'Although this is an inconvenience, it is nothing in comparison to the heartache felt by so many South Australian's who currently find themselves out of work.

'It is vitally important we all do the right thing to ensure the type of outbreak being seen in Victoria doesn't happen here in South Australia.

'We commend SA health for taking a cautious approach.'

About 70 students of the college are in hotel quarantine after being identified as close contacts of a woman in her 20s who tested positive for the virus.

Another 1100 students and staff are considered casual contacts and must self-isolate for two weeks.

The cluster of the cases associated with the college has now grown to five.

Peter Malinauskas and Susan Close visited the Thebarton Senior College on July 30

Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said the action to close the college was taken out of an abundance of caution and there was no suggestion of widespread community transmission of the disease at this stage.

'We are doing everything we can to keep this cluster under control,' Professor Spurrier said.

The Education Department is expected to release information on Friday on how students can continue with their courses.
Rhea Chakraborty has requested the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to exempt her from appearing before it on Friday in connection with its investigation into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput citing the Supreme Courts hearing in her plea, news agency ANI reported.

The agency, which investigates money laundering and foreign exchange violations, had asked Chakraborty to appear before it along with documents pertaining to her investments at 11am on Friday at its Mumbai office.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput case: Bihars Gagandeep Gambhir to supervise CBI probe team

Satish Maneshinde, according to ANI, said Chakraborty has requested that the recording of her statement be deferred till the Supreme Courts hearing into her plea seeking the transfer of the police complaint lodged by Rajputs father, KK Singh, against her from Patna to Mumbai on the ground of jurisdiction.

The summons is linked to a case by ED on July 31 on the basis of a first information report (FIR) by Bihar police that followed a complaint by Rajputs father. He has accused Chakraborty and her family of abetting the Bollywood actors suicide and siphoning off his money.

The ED case was registered under the prevention of money laundering act (PMLA).

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has also got the approval to join the investigation into the 34-year-old actors suspected suicide. The Mumbai Police, too, are probing the case.
Niamey, Niger (PANA) - Niger on Friday received a new two-seater AT 504 aircraft for agricultural use, acquired with State funds to reinforce the fleet of aircraft of the General Directorate of Plant Protection (DGPV), the Ministry of Agriculture announced in a press release
New Delhi:

Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced early today that he would be stepping down after losing a referendum on constitutional reform. "My experience of government finishes here," Renzi told a press conference after the No campaign won what he described as an "extraordinarily clear" victory in the referendum on which he had staked his future.

Interior Ministry projections suggested the No camp, ledby the populist Five Star Movement, had won the referendum with the backing of 59.5 per cent of those who voted. Nearly 70 per cent of Italians entitled to vote yesterday cast their ballots, an exceptionally high turnout that reflected the high stakes and the intensity of the various issues involved.

Renzi said he would be visiting President Sergio Mattarella today to hand in his resignation following a final meeting of his cabinet. Mattarella will then be charged with brokering the appointment of a new government or, if he can't do that, ordering early elections.

Most analysts see the most likely scenario as being Renzi's administration being replaced by a caretaker one dominated by his Democratic Party which will carry on until an election due to take place by the spring of 2018.

Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan is the favourite to succeed Renzi as the President of the Council of Ministers, as Italy's premier is formally titled.

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It is almost decision time for Joe Biden: The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee said last week that hell settle on a running mate this week, and hes expected to reveal his pick next week.

Biden has given a few clues about who his pick will be. The former vice president told MSNBC that four Black women are on his shortlist, though he didnt guarantee a Black woman would be his running mate. Black women have supported me my whole career, Biden told the network on July 20. I have been loyal, and they have been loyal to me  and so its important that my administration, I promise you, will look like America.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California  who battled Biden for the nomination  currently tops betting markets, followed by former national security adviser Susan Rice. Last week, the New York Times reported that Rice and Rep. Karen Bass of California are among the leading contenders, and that Biden will meet with finalists next week. Harris, Bass and Rice are Black.

Biden last week was photographed holding notes with Harris name at the top, along with a set of talking points about her, fueling fresh speculation about her standing as a running mate, CNN reported.

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Here is a list of possible picks for Biden, derived from recent analyses by CNN as well as the PredictIt betting market. While not intended to be fully comprehensive, the table below reflects many of the frequently discussed candidates.

NAME AGE POSITION Stacey Abrams 46 Former candidate for Georgia governor Tammy Baldwin 58 U.S. senator from Wisconsin Karen Bass 66 U.S. representative from California Keisha Lance Bottoms 50 Atlanta mayor Val Demings 63 U.S. representative from Florida Tammy Duckworth 52 U.S. senator from Illinois Kamala Harris 55 U.S. senator from California Michelle Lujan Grisham 60 New Mexico governor Gina Raimondo 49 Rhode Island governor Susan Rice 55 Former national-security adviser Elizabeth Warren 71 U.S. senator from Massachusetts Gretchen Whitmer 48 Michigan governor

This is an updated version of a report first published on June 10, 2020.
Employers Counter Offer May Depend on Where You Work, Survey Shows

If youre hoping to get your boss to promote you by dangling a competing job offer, take heed: A number of factors  some outside of your control  could impact your likelihood of achieving your goal.

When a staff member decides to leave a company for a different opportunity, some employers will counter with an offer to try to get them to stay. LiveCareer, a website for job-seekers, surveyed both workers and hiring managers to learn how common counteroffers really are and what makes a hiring manager decide to extend one.

While a majority of hiring managers  68%  said they had made at least one counteroffer at some point in their careers, the survey found that certain considerations can increase or decrease the odds of such an offer.

Why employers counter

Hiring managers gave a number of reasons for extending a counteroffer. The largest percentage revolved around the employees contributions to the team:

57% said they countered to retain talent

49% said they countered to retain an employees job knowledge

42% said they countered because the employee contributes significantly

However, for others, the decision came down to time and money:

43% said they countered to save time hiring a replacement

32% said they extended a counteroffer to save the money that would be spent hiring a replacement

19% said they countered to prevent the stress of hiring a replacement

Among the less-common reasons hiring managers gave for extending a counteroffer:

[list- 12% said they wanted to keep the employee from going to a competitor 11% said it was because the employees work was time-sensitive

Smaller companies were more likely to extend a counteroffer than large ones. In fact, 80% of companies with 10-49 employees had issued counteroffers to employees at some point, compared to 75% of companies with 50-249 employees, and 54% of companies with 250 or more employees.

Remote workers see mixed results

According to 61% of hiring managers, whether an employee works remotely  a situation far more common this year as a result of the pandemic  can affect the likelihood that a counteroffer is made.

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What that effect is, however, is a matter of debate: 32% of hiring managers surveyed said working remotely decreases your chances of receiving a counteroffer, while 30% said it increases your chances.

Among all hiring managers surveyed, 35% said they had issued a counteroffer to a remote worker.

Offer size may vary

When it comes to the amount of a proposed pay hike, the most common counteroffer was a 10% raise, as cited by 36% of respondents.

However, some employees value other perks such as vacation time, so not all of the counteroffers involve a higher salary. Other popular counteroffers cited in the survey  both monetary and benefit-based  included:

More vacation time (31%)

5% raise (29%)

Role transition (29%)

The ability to work from home more often (26%)

20% raise (19%)

As for the employees view, the survey found 86% or employee respondents said they had received a new job offer before, and 54% said it occurred when they werent looking for a job.

Of those employees, 1 in 4 seeking a counteroffer from their employer received one, even though 37% said they had no intention of accepting the new job offer in the first place. However, 28% of employees who had received another job offer said they thought it pointless to ask their employer to issue a counteroffer.

Methodology: LiveCareer surveyed 1,161 U.S. full-time workers between the ages of 18 and 76. Among the employees surveyed was a subset of 212 hiring managers. The survey was published Aug. 6, 2020.
The arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) in 1856 ensured Berlins future. As a stop on the Grand Trunks main line, Berlin was no longer an isolated, insular community  residents were now just hours from Toronto, Montreal, London, Detroit and Chicago.

However, that was not the only Grand Trunk presence in Waterloo County. Galt had a pair of GTR lines and they were crucial to its growth. Over the next few weeks, Flash from the Past looks at Galts Grand Trunk spur lines.

On the west bank of the Grand River, GTR originated in Galt and headed northwest through Blair, Doon and German Mills before reaching Berlin. This Galt-to-Berlin GTR will be the Flash focus on Aug. 29.

On the east side, GTR entered Galts southern outskirts from Branchton. After passing the companys passenger station near Concession Street, the tracks bypassed the towns core, zigged over to Preston then zagged 90 degrees northeast to Hespeler. After crossing the Speed River, they passed the GTR station near the Guelph Street bridge. From there, the tracks passed through Wellington County, meeting the main GTR line in Guelph. Flash from the Past will have more details on the Preston/Hespeler section next week. And in two weeks, Flashs Cameron Shelley brings the Grand Trunk into Guelph completing the Galt/Guelph rail connection.

Information on Galts GTR history comes primarily from Elizabeth Hardins The GTR System in Waterloo County; from George Roths illustrated history of Galts stations in Waterloo Historical Society volume 103; and from Jim Quantrells Essays on Cambridges History.

Although Berlin became connected to North America with the 1856 arrival of the GTR, Galt had an earlier claim. In 1851, the towns business leaders invested $25,000 to invite Sir Alan MacNabs Great Western Railway (GWR) to link their town with Hamilton. The main GWR line from Niagara Falls to Windsor via Hamilton opened in 1854.

Within months, at Harrisburg, a spur was built north to Branchton then entered Galt where GWRs first major customer was the Dumfries (later Galt) Flour Mills.

Opening in 1855, that GWR service soon meant, as Jim Quantrell wrote, that one could leave Galt in the evening and arrive in Montreal by morning. An early GWR report noted that in one year, 10,900 passengers arrived in Galt and 8,900 departed; 8,000 tons of freight came to Galt while its manufacturers sent out 9,100 tons of goods plus 45,000 barrels of Waterloo County flour.

This flurry of activity alarmed Guelphs business leaders who felt vulnerable to Galts rapid industrial and mercantile growth. A marvelously entertaining battle of capitalists and politicians was soon underway over the proposed Galt and Guelph Railway Company. In next weeks Flash well go into some of those details.

GWRs 1859 passenger station on Concession Street was situated between Mill and Railroad streets (now Ainslie and State streets) as shown on the 1875 Galt birds-eye-view map. That first passenger station lasted until 1899 when the Grand Trunk Railways new building replaced it on an adjacent site. Yes, the corporate names are different. The Great Western lasted only until 1882 when it was taken over by the Grand Trunk.

Industrialization in the south end of Galt was spurred by the GWR/GTR connection which gave quick access to Hamilton, the Great Lakes and the United States. Many firms built in south Galt to take advantage of that first Great Western/Grand Trunk line. These included Canadian General Rubber, MacGregor, Gourlay and Company, Galt Machine Works and B.F. Sturtevant.

People also could now reach distant points in hours. Passenger service along this Grand Trunk line ended in 1959 and the vacated station was demolished a decade or so later.

Next week, Flash follows the Grand Trunks route into Preston and Hespeler.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids at 14 locations in Delhi, Surat and Gurgaon in connection with its money laundering probe in the purchase of 75 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2009, officials familiar with the development said.

The ED had filed a money laundering case against fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari in June 2019 on the basis of a CBI FIR the same month.

In the deal worth Rs 2,895 crore, CBI had named unknown officials of the IAF, defence ministry and Switzerland-based Pilatus Aircraft Limited apart from Bhandari.

It was alleged that Pilatus had entered into a criminal conspiracy with Bhandari and dishonestly and fraudulently signed a Service Provider Agreement with him in June 2010, which was in violation of the Defence Procurement Procedure, 2008. The agreement was signed to get the contract for supply of 75 basic Trainer Aircraft to the Indian Air Force, CBI said.

It has further alleged that the company made a payment of Swiss Franc 1,000,000 in the account of Offset India Solution Private Limited, a company linked to Bhandari, with the Standard Chartered Bank, New Delhi in two tranches in August and October, 2010. In addition, Rs 350 crore was also transferred in Swiss Francs from 2011 to 2015 in the bank accounts of Dubai-based Offset India Solutions FZC, also belonging to Bhandari.

CBI further said in its FIR that Pilatus dishonestly and fraudulently signed a Pre-contract Integrity Pact on November 12, 2010 with the defence ministry, deliberately concealing the facts about service provider agreement with Bhandari.

It also concealed the payments made to Bhandari in India and Dubai.

The agency had claimed that the commission was paid to influence the officials of the IAF, the MoD and other government departments associated with the procurement.

Pilatus bagged the contract on May 24, 2012 for Rs 2895.63 crore.

Bhandari is currently hiding in the UK.

Both Bhandari and Pilatuss spokesperson/lawyer could not be located by HT.
The CEO of Touchstar plc (LON:TST) is Mark Hardy, and this article examines 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 Touchstar.

See our latest analysis for Touchstar

Comparing Touchstar plc's CEO Compensation With the industry

Our data indicates that Touchstar plc has a market capitalization of UK4.4m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as UK207k for the year to December 2019. That is, the compensation was roughly the same as last year. We note that the salary portion, which stands at UK186.0k constitutes the majority of total compensation received by the CEO.

In comparison with other companies in the industry with market capitalizations under UK152m, the reported median total CEO compensation was UK269k. This suggests that Touchstar remunerates its CEO largely in line with the industry average.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary UK186k UK187k 90% Other UK21k UK18k 10% Total Compensation UK207k UK205k 100%

On an industry level, roughly 74% of total compensation represents salary and 26% is other remuneration. According to our research, Touchstar has allocated a higher percentage of pay to salary in comparison to the wider 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.

Touchstar plc's Growth

Over the last three years, Touchstar plc has shrunk its earnings per share by 7.8% per year. Its revenue is up 7.3% over the last year.

Overall this is not a very positive result for shareholders. The modest increase in revenue in the last year isn't enough to make us overlook the disappointing change in earnings per share. These factors suggest that the business performance wouldn't really justify a high pay packet for the CEO. 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.

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Has Touchstar plc Been A Good Investment?

Given the total shareholder loss of 49% over three years, many shareholders in Touchstar plc are probably rather dissatisfied, to say the least. So shareholders would probably want the company to be lessto generous with CEO compensation.

In Summary...

As we touched on above, Touchstar plc is currently paying a compensation that's close to the median pay for CEOs of companies belonging to the same industry and with similar market capitalizations. In the meantime, the company has reported declining earnings growth and shareholder returns over the last three years. Considering overall performance, shareholders will likely hold off support for a raise until results improve.

It is always advisable to analyse CEO pay, along with performing a thorough analysis of the company's key performance areas. In our study, we found 2 warning signs for Touchstar you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit concerning.

Important note: Touchstar 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.
Construction for the new Pathway to Pride memorial at the Old City Cemetery Museums & Arboretum is underway and once open will lead visitors from Taylor Street directly into a large African American section of the cemetery.

Specifically the new 170-foot-long brick pathway will lead to the family grave plot of the late couple, renowned educator Amelia Perry Pride and her husband, Claiborne Pride, a prominent barber.

When complete, the pathway, located on the right-hand side as visitors enter the cemetery from Taylor Street, will be lined with historic daffodils and roses along with signs adding to the historical context of the area and those buried in the cemetery. The signs will highlight Lynchburgs African American history and showcase the figures buried nearby such as the Prides, community leader Virginia Cabell Randolph, politician and scholar Daniel Butler, and suffragette Lugie Ferguson.

From 1806 to 1885, the cemetery was the only public burial ground in Lynchburg open to African Americans. The 27-acre public cemetery is one of the oldest in the country still in active use, Director Denise McDonald said.

She said the idea for the pathway began at least a year ago, but its gotten more attention lately due to recent events surrounding racial equity.

Our mission is to engage the community through history and horticulture and this is just a big part of our history, she said.

According to cemetery research, Amelia Pride, an educated biracial woman born in 1857, went to school at the Hampton Institute, and later established her own school and went on to establish her own cooking and sewing school and became a principal at the Polk Street Colored School, a position she held for 20 years.

Later, she founded the Dorchester Home in 1897 for impoverished elderly Black women who had been formerly enslaved. She also helped to start the Eighth Street Baptist Church.

The Amelia Pride Center, an adult learning school located on Polk Street, also is named after her.

Amelia Pride is just a truly amazing person for all the things she accomplished in her life and was always giving back, McDonald said. Thats just who she was.

Jane White, a former director of the cemetery, said she is excited for the new pathway because it will give recognition to more people buried in the cemetery who have fascinating stories.

The history in the cemetery is an exciting one to be discovered and rediscovered, she said.

She said she appreciates that the new pathway will be built with city bricks from Harrison Street that date back to 1906  100 years after the Old City Cemetery was established.

The city of Lynchburg along with the Southern Memorial Association, which manages the cemetery, are partnering together to install the historic bricks into a section of old Third Street that now lies on the grounds of the cemetery.

White said Claiborne Pride had an agreement with the city that if it ever reopened Third Street, which would in turn go through his plot placement, the city would move his gravesite to another location at no charge.

I thought that was very forward thinking of him, she said.

Lynchburg Public Works began work on the pathway a few months ago and McDonald said she hopes it will be completed by the fall.

She said she has no doubt the pathway will be featured during the annual Candlelight Tours held each October.

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An 'embarrassed' business owner found his employee painting the wrong house for the eighth time in three years.

Duane Knott was out on a job in The Bryn, south Wales, when he had to take a call to another customer, so asked staff member Wayne Collins to start the painting job.

But when he returned to check on the progress, the 35-year-old owner of Combat Property Maintenance was stunned to find Wayne had started decorating the house next door instead.

Wayne Collins (above) accidentally painted the wrong house when out on a job in The Bryn, south Wales - and it is the third time he has made this mistake in three years

His employer Duane Knott, who runs Combat Property Maintenance, confronted Wayne on video when he noticed he was painting the house next door, saying 'this has happened again'

Video footage, taken by Duane, shows the business owner walking up to the house as he realises his employee is standing on a ladder outside the wrong house - and not for the first time either.

In the video, Duane says 'this has happened again' before confronting his employee, telling Wayne to 'look next door bud'.

The painter looks across at the house next door, which has had plastic sheeting put over the windows to protect them during the painting job.

Duane says: 'It's a bit of a giveaway with the window really, isn't it?'

Wayne puts his hand on his head as he realises his error, with his boss informing him that it is the 'wrong house bud'.

Duane walks up the driveway, asking Wayne 'how much have you done?', as the painter replies that he has 'done all of the front' of the wrong house.

Duane says: 'And you've placed the ladders up, right take the ladders down bud it's the wrong house.'

The footage, which was taken in July, has been viewed more than 176,000 times on Facebook since.

Despite Wayne having been fired a few times in the three years he has worked for the company, Duane says he keeps having him back because he's such a good painter.

Duane, from Blackwood, south Wales, said: 'I have actually sacked Wayne a few times but his painting ability when he's switched on is second to none.

Duane, 35, said he felt it was a 'bit of a giveaway' as the windows on the house next door had been covered with plastic sheeting to protect them during the painting job (pictured)

Wayne Collins (above) has been fired a few times in the three years he has worked for the company, but Duane keeps having him back because he's such a good painter

'I do have to keep a watch and babysit him. When I'm with him he's really good.

'He's a good distraction too. Painting can be awfully boring but he never stops talking, he's like a little old woman.

'I have had one occasion where the house had been done a sandstone colour from white and they did not like that. We then had to re-do that in white, so that house had been painted twice in the same week.

'On some occasions, they have gotten pretty angry. I've just had to talk them around but we still finish the job.

'It is a bit of a headache that I don't really need. It brings a bit of stress to the company in man hours and paint costs.'

But Duane added that it is 'starting to be embarrassing now'

Duane said: 'Unfortunately both homeowners were out at the time so nobody was there to stop him.

'However, I'd have thought by going from the window being covered with plastic sheeting that I'd put up, it would have been pretty obvious which one was to be done.

'But he went ahead. Both houses were white so maybe I should have made it clearer but still, he should have known which one to do.

'This has happened about eight times in the last couple of years. I've asked other companies if they've had the same issue with their staff painting the wrong buildings and they've just said "no, that's unbelievable".'

Duane added that he was initially concerned the business would get a 'bad reputation', but says he is 'almost used to it now'.

He said: 'I'm almost used to it now. I don't get angry like I used to. The first couple of times were heart-dropping. I was concerned the business could get a bad reputation.

'It does mean the house which has been started incorrectly ends up with a free paint job. Thankfully, a lot of people have given me a tip, I think because they feel sorry for me.

'The first time, I was just shocked and worried what the house would say. Fortunately, this house was really nice and they liked the white paint.'

Duane (above) told Wayne that he will be videoing any future mistakes and uploading them to social media for fun - and in the hope he will 'switch on now'

Duane started painting houses five years ago, after a customer from his window cleaning business asked him to do hers.

He has told Wayne that he will be videoing any future mistakes and uploading them to social media for fun.

Duane said: 'I told Wayne I had to video his mistakes because it's starting to get a bit ridiculous now.

'He's a bit worried but I told him if he stops his errors, he'll have nothing to be concerned about. Maybe he'll switch on now.

'I suppose there's no such thing as bad publicity.'

Wayne said: 'I've no idea how it keeps happening. It must just be me being a bit thick sometimes.

'Duane has sacked me a few times, but it's his business so he has every right. I think he brings me back because he knows I do a good job when I get the right house.'
Canberra, Aug 7 : The Australian government on Friday announced a significant expansion of its wage subsidy scheme in response the coronavirus restrictions which were reimposed in Victoria state due to an alarming surge in the number of cases.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced the A$15 billion ($10 billion) boost for the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme, reports Xinhua news agency.

The vast majority of the funding will be spent subsidizing the wages of hundreds of thousands of Victorians, with eligibility criteria for the scheme to be eased.

It takes the total cost of the scheme to A$101.3 billion.

Morrison said the government was doing whatever it took to save lives and save livelihoods.

"Australia is facing a situation that is constantly changing.

"Our response is to get the right support to all those Australian families, workers and businesses that need us, as these circumstances change.

"This means more support for more workers and more businesses for longer, as we battle this latest Victorian wave," he added.

The announcement comes as Australia has so far reported a total of 19,862 confirmed coronavirus cases, 255 deaths and 11,112 recoveries.
August 26 is the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, which affirmed that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex."

Some of Washington's biggest institutions had planned to spend this milestone year honoring the suffrage movement, with major exhibitions at the Library of Congress, the National Archives and National Museum of American History, as well as lecture series, family workshops and other events - all of which were canceled or ended prematurely when the coronavirus hit in March.

Most of these exhibits are now online, as are new offerings, such as "#19SuffrageStories," a collaboration between the Smithsonian, the Archives and Library of Congress. But there are few places you can actually visit, which made the reopening of the Lucy Burns Museum at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Va., especially poignant.

The popular narrative of women's suffrage tends to focus on iron-willed, grandmotherly moral crusaders who steered America toward doing the right thing. It usually doesn't discuss how a group of protesters dubbed "the Silent Sentinels" held banners outside the White House, were repeatedly arrested on charges of "obstructing traffic" and "unlawful assembly," and sent to rat-infested cells at the Occoquan Workhouse, which later became the Lorton Correctional Complex. The story doesn't often include details about "the Night of Terror" on Nov. 14, 1917, when 40 guards repeatedly beat, choked and assaulted the suffragists held there.

The Lucy Burns Museum, named for the co-founder of the National Women's Party, who was arrested and sent to Lorton multiple times in 1917, opened at the former prison on January 25 after years of preparation. "We were open for five weeks, and then we were closed for three-and-a-half months," says museum director Laura McKie. Before the closure, the museum had been open for tours five days per week, but it's now limited to five hours on Saturday afternoons. "Many of our volunteers are seniors, and they don't want to come back to work," McKie says.

Still, the museum welcomes 50 to 60 visitors on an average weekend, with 10 people allowed into the two-room museum at one time for social-distancing purposes. Displays tell the story of the suffragists who were imprisoned on the site in the fall of 1917, including prison logs and historic images. There are larger-than-life-size statues of Burns, Alice Paul and Dora Lewis, a 55-year-old White House protester who was knocked out on the Night of Terror. Reproductions of jail doors are covered with photos of women sent there, with brief biographies: They were activists and seamstresses, actresses and teachers.

The museum doesn't shy away from the brutality that the female prisoners suffered. Burns and others went on hunger strike to protest their treatment, and she wrote from jail about what happened next: "I was held down by five people at legs, arms, and head. I refused to open mouth. Dr. Gannon pushed tube up left nostril. I turned and twisted my head all I could, but he managed to push it up. It hurts nose and throat very much and makes nose bleed freely. Tube drawn out covered with blood." When these reports reached the press, the public was horrified. Even today, the details are no less shocking.

Suffrage exhibits take up about half the building, with other areas discussing the general history of the prison, showing an array of confiscated shanks and weapons, and the site's use as a Cold War missile defense site. An optional tour of some Lorton's cell blocks "talks about our famous prisoners who weren't Chuck Brown," a docent joked on one visit - the go-go icon famously learned to play guitar while serving time after being convicted of murder - though the wooden buildings where Lucy Burns and the suffragists were held were torn down decades ago.

Last month, the Workhouse Arts Center received a grant from the national Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission, allowing the museum to fund drive-in movies about "Bold Women of History" on Thursday nights in August. Upcoming films include "Suffragette," about the struggle for suffrage in the U.K., on Aug. 20, and "A League of Their Own" on Aug. 27. The Lucy Burns Museum will be open to visitors from 6 to 8 p.m. on movie nights. (The Workhouse complex has been hosting drive-in movies in its large parking lot for much of the summer.)

But the focus of the museum remains the harrowing stories of the suffragists, their brave actions, and the brutal treatment that helped galvanize support for their cause. Between the centennial of the 19th Amendment and the protests that have roiled this country this summer, now is a perfect time to visit.

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9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, Va. Open Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m., and Thursdays in August from 6 to 8 p.m. Free admission; tours $5.
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"The Pathfinder Foundation is currently in the process of translating into Sinhala and publishing the book titled Prevention and Control of COVID-19 by Dr. Zhang Wenhong, one of the most respected medical professionals in China. This book should be a hand-book for all Sri Lankans, especially students at all levels," said Luxman Siriwardena, president of the Sri Lanka-based Pathfinder Foundation, at the first conference of the China-Sri Lanka Political Parties Belt and Road Consultation Mechanism on June 11, 2020. He indicated, "The health procedures recommended by the book are beneficial for more than just coping with COVID-19, but are also essential in sustaining a healthy Sri Lankan society."

The conference via video link was themed "Working Together to Promote Economic Development and Improve People's Lives Through Belt and Road Cooperation." Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and leaders of Sri Lanka's major political parties, as well as those from think tanks and the business community of the two countries attended the virtual meeting.

Noting the recent telephone conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Song Tao noted that the two leaders had reached an important consensus on the joint fight against COVID-19 and advancing joint construction of the Belt and Road. He indicated that the CPC intends to implement the important consensus reached by the two state leaders together with political parties of Sri Lanka, strengthen exchanges on governance, promote bilateral cooperation in fields across the board, and contribute to the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road. The conference passed the China-Sri Lanka Political Parties Joint Statement in Support of High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation.

As COVID-19 still rages on across the globe, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is becoming a bridge and platform for countries along the routes to connect with each other and communicate about measures of fighting the novel coronavirus and rebooting their economies. In fact, the BRI projects are also becoming engines that drive global economic growth. During the first quarter of 2020, bucking the trend, China's investment to countries along the Belt and Road increased by 11.7 percent, and its trade with countries along the routes rose by 3.2 percent, buttressing these countries in battling COVID-19 and recovering their economies.

A Silk Road of Health

At the meeting, director of the International Cooperation Department of National Health Commission of China Zhang Yang briefed attendees on China's major experiences in COVID-19 prevention and control. Zhang noted that China and Sri Lanka could carry out cooperation in such fields as epidemic prevention and control, public health system building, and personnel training in light of the goals on public health set by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Zhang indicated that China welcomes Sri Lanka's participation in the Belt and Road cooperation network for public health and the relevant cooperation platforms such as the federation of cooperative hospitals and the association for medical personnel training.

According to Liang Yi, the CEO of Huawei Sri Lanka, during the epidemic outbreak, Huawei contributed cutting-edge ICT solutions to Sri Lanka, including telehealth collaboration solutions and AI quantification platforms. This helped improve the work efficiency of frontline medical experts while minimizing their risk of contacting the virus.

Dr. G. Weerasinghe, director of the International Department of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, said that despite the encouraging progress some countries have made in containing the novel coronavirus, including China and Sri Lanka, a vaccine will still be the key in totally removing the threat of COVID-19. "In this regards, we sincerely appreciate the statement made by Comrade Xi Jinping at the virtual opening session of the 73rd World Health Assembly, about ensuring availability and accessibility of vaccines against COVID-19 in developing countries when they are available in China, which will be made a global public good," Dr. G. Weerasinghe said. In addition, he thought China's commitment to provide US $2 billion over two years to help with the COVID-19 response as well as economic and social development in affected countries, especially developing countries, is of paramount importance to the developing world. This fully embodies the concept that China champions of jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Chairman of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (also known as Sri Lanka People's Front) G. L. Peiris said that exchanges on epidemic prevention and control, economic recovery, and BRI cooperation are important for the related countries to emerge from the threat of COVID-19. "It's important to learn from each other's experience. Although we can't copy a country's model given different domestic circumstances, we can learn about the core value that has guided a country's successful practices. The value can be shared and adopted," Peiris pointed out.

The Dream of Digitalization

Many Sri Lankan attendees at the conference indicated their expectation for more cooperation with China in the digitalization field. "Digitalization will play a key role in Sri Lanka's economic development. All sectors of our society are looking forward to the transformation brought about by digitalization," Peiris said.

Peiris considers Sri Lanka's human resources as the country's real strength. However, statistical data show that the country has an exceptionally low rate of tertiary education admission, for its level of economic development with its gross enrollment ratio for higher learning institutions only reaching close to 20 percent in 2015. Many have identified this as a roadblock to the improvement of Sri Lanka's economic competitiveness.

"Information technology is creating new platforms for people to receive education. I think in this regard, we should learn more from China and adapt its experience to the circumstances in our country," said Peiris. He lauded China's amazing progress in developing vocational education and promoting long-distance learning via Internet, TV, and radio. "Only as more and more people get the chance to receive professional training and improve their capacity, can our economic development continue to gather momentum," Peiris pointed out.

According to Liang Yi, Huawei Sri Lanka has been focusing on the cultivation of local ICT talents by introducing initiatives like Seeds for the Future, jointly building innovation labs in top local universities, and providing ICT training to its local partners. "Telecommunication technology plays a crucial role in sharpening a country's competitive edge. We hope we can contribute our part to Sri Lanka in this field," Liang said. According to a research jointly carried out by Oxford Economics and Huawei in 2017, the digital economy growth rate is 2.5 times that of the overall GDP; the long-term return due to ICT investment is 6.7 times the return on non-ICT investment.

According to statistics of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, there are over 14.5 million people unable to access the Internet, representing about 60 percent of Sri Lanka population. "We have been working hard to fill the gap in Sri Lanka through innovation," Liang said. Over the past two decades, Huawei has participated in the country's telecommunication network building partnering with Sri Lankan's telecom operators. In 2013, Huawei helped Sri Lanka to become the first country in South Asia to commercially launch 4G. In 2019, supported by Huawei, Sri Lanka became the first nation to have a live demonstration of 5G technology in the region.

Promising Cooperation Prospects

As one of the first countries that publicly showed their support of the China-proposed BRI, Sri Lanka is now seeing the tangible benefits brought by the BRI projects. "In spite of the anti-China, anti-BRI campaigns based on fake news and falsification of facts, it is now well demonstrated that the BRI related projects in Sri Lanka are bringing in progress and prosperity to the people of Sri Lanka," Luxman Siriwardena said.

According to Qu Fengjie, a researcher with National Development and Reform Commission of China, Puttalam Coal-fired Power Plant contracted by China Machinery Engineering Corporation, which started operating in 2015, now provides 50 percent of the needed electricity in the country, thus removing the bottleneck to Sri Lanka's economic development, and enabling the country's electricity price drop by 25 percent. Another representative BRI project in Sri Lanka is the Colombo Port City Project, which is expected to create about 83,000 jobs for locals after its completion.

At the conference, Sri Lankan attendees all showed their anticipation for more investment from China in fields across the board including education, health care, finance, telecommunication, and infrastructure.

The problem of capital shortage for infrastructure investment in countries along the Belt and Road is quite common and striking, and Sri Lanka is no exception, Qu Fengjie pointed out. "China alone can't meet all the capital needs. As a result, countries concerned in advancing the joint construction of the Belt and Road are exploring new mechanisms for financing and investment," Qu said. Apart from establishing Silk Road Fund and seeking cooperation with international financial institutions, bilateral and multilateral funds are being tried to support the BRI projects, according to Qu.

"Previously we emphasized more alignment in strategies, planning, and project implementation among related countries. In the future, we'll pay more attention to docking of their rules, including those in the financial fields," Qu remarked.

"The Belt and Road Initiative rooted in the ancient Silk Road spirit of mutual trust, equality, and inclusiveness is bearing bountiful fruits in the modern circumstances. I would like to be a particular champion of the contributions that China has made to the development of infrastructure in our country, which is transforming the economic landscape of Sri Lanka," said Peiris at the conference.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka D.E.W. Gunasekara pointed out that in a multi-polar world, the only way out is international cooperation. "We are happy to see that the Chinese government has opted for cooperation over confrontation. In this context, the BRI, which embraces nearly 150 countries, provides the best viable platform for international cooperation. Its cooperation projects have convincingly proved its potentiality and viability," said Gunasekara. He believes that the initiative fits in well for the post-COVID-19 economic revival, social stability, and global governance.
(CNN)  A barrage of online abuse directed at a South Korean lawmaker over her choice of attire has sparked a debate in the East Asian nation, where women have long complained about sexism and a patriarchal culture.

The look in question? A red and white shirt dress.

Not long after lawmaker Ryu Ho-jeong wore the dress to South Korea's legislative assembly on Tuesday, social media was flooded with misogynistic comments about her outfit, demonstrating something of the sexism that female politicians in the country can face.

Some posters said her look was not appropriate for parliament, where 19% of representatives are women -- the largest ever proportion of female lawmakers in South Korea's legislature, but still low by international standards. Others questioned why she deserved to be in parliament in the first place.

"Soon she'll come to work in a bikini," wrote one. "Is this a bar?" wrote another on a Facebook page for supporters of President Moon Jae-in's left-wing Democratic Party. Some also questioned her age -- at 27, Ryu is the youngest member of the National Assembly.

Ryu told Yonhap that she had worn the dress to "shatter the tradition" of lawmakers wearing suits, adding that "the authority of the National Assembly is not built upon those suits."

But while Ryu's outfit raised controversy online, it prompted support from both her party and the ruling Democratic Party.

Ryu is a member of the left-wing minority Justice Party, which said that she had been attacked by vitriolic, sexist comments.

"We cannot agree at all with the voice that paints a female politician as lacking qualification by evaluating her look and image rather than her legislative work," the party said in a statement.

"Women lawmakers are still becoming targets of discussion for wearing pants, or choosing a bright-colored outfit. We express regret at today's reality in the National Assembly where overbearingly screaming at one another has become natural, while wearing a dress is considered an issue.

"We state that today is year 2020."

Ko Min-jung -- a Democratic Party lawmaker -- said that while she didn't endorse Ryu's choice of outfit, she didn't agree with her receiving excessive criticism for what she wore.

"I express my gratitude to her for breaking the National Assembly's excessively solemn and authoritarian atmosphere," Ko wrote in a Facebook post.

Although South Korea is a developed economy, many feminists still see the country as a tough place to be a woman.

For the past few years, South Korea has faced a reckoning against its deeply patriarchal culture. Women have pushed back against discrimination in the workplace, sexual violence and harassment, and unreasonable beauty standards. The country continues to rank poorly globally for female representation in government and wage equality.

Nevertheless, even high profile women continue to face sexism. Last year, a top economics professor who studied at Harvard and has served on government committees was told by one right-wing politician to "contribute to the development of the country" by giving birth.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "A South Korean lawmaker has come under fire for her outfit. Her offense? She wore a dress."
As the world knows National Handloom Day is today, Bollywood celebs Kangana Ranaut, Janhvi Kapoor, and Vidya Balan took pictures of their preferred handloom clothes from their closet to social sites.

As the country is observing National Handloom Day on Friday, Bollywood divas Kangana Ranaut, Janhvi Kapoor and Vidya Balan took to social media to share a picture of their favourite handloom clothing from their wardrobe.

The three actors took to social media to urge people to be vocal for local and use more clothing made by local Indian brands.

Queen actor Kangana Ranauts team posted several pictures of the actor donning Indian handloom clothing including the one where she is seen posing with a spinning wheel.

Most of us have more than we can consume, Fashion industry has become one of the most damaging industries for our environment, new challenges call for new resolves, lets promote our own Indian organic fabric industries and preserve the planet #NationalHandloomDay, Kanganas team tweeted.

The actors further shared how choosing handloom over international brands help to elevate underprivileged weavers of the country from poverty.

When we choose Handloom we choose to elevate our poor weavers out of poverty, we choose vocal for local, we choose our Mother Earth, we choose love for every single being on this planet #NationalHandloomDay, Ranauts team tweeted.

Shakuntala Devi actor Vidya Balan, who has been donning clothing from local Indian brands for the e-promotions of the film for the past few weeks, also shared her take on National Handloom Day.

Balan shared pictures of herself wrapped in a Kanjivaram silk saree with zari pallu and penned down a long caption urging people to resolve to support Indian weavers during the difficult times of the coronavirus crisis.

On #NationalHandloomDay let us all resolve to support our weavers across the country in these difficult times by buying and wearing their beautiful creations in our everyday life and also help keep #IndiasHandloomLegacy alive. Appreciate the labour of love. #IWearHandloom, she wrote in the caption.

Dhadak actor Janhvi Kapoor also took to Instagram and shared a picture of herself attending an event wearing a handloom saree.

Today is National Handloom Day! This is my most favourite and most special handloom saree. The weavers and artisans in our country are truly unmatched in skill and creativity- the best in the world! #vocal4handmade, she wrote in the caption.

National Handloom Day is observed every year on August 7 to recognise the contributions of the handloom weavers of the country.

August 7 was chosen as National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on this day in 1905 in the Calcutta Town hall to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government.
Companies that use Microsoft Search, the Bing-powered search platform designed to sniff out internal corporate information, can save between $15 million and $43 million over the course of three years, Microsoft claimed.

Microsoft made this assertion  backed by analysis conducted by Forrester on Microsoft's dime  earlier this year, but reinforced it this week when it cited the research firm's report after it made search one of the five reasons that purportedly gave Edge a, well, edge over Chrome in the battle for best corporate browser.

"Previously, if your organization wanted to standardize on a single modern browser for use across all platforms, your only option was Chrome," Brad Anderson, the company's top executive in its Microsoft 365 group, wrote in an Aug. 4 post to a company blog. (That admission-of-sorts was remarkable on its own, as to Computerworld's knowledge, Microsoft has not ceded such before.) But the new Edge, the one Microsoft released in a stable form only in January, has five advantages, in Anderson's eyes, over Google's uber-dominant browser  even when both were built atop a foundation laid by the open-source Chromium.

One is "improved internal search."

Baked into Edge, Microsoft Search  which requires that Bing be designated as the browser's default search engine  lets users look up company information, internal documents stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, for example, from the browser's address bar. Other components of Microsoft 365 (or its poorer cousin, Office 365) are also searchable, such as text-based chats from Teams, items on Outlook calendars and the organization's personnel.

Millions saved through the miracle of search?

Forrester based its calculations, as it typically does, on interviews with a number of real-world enterprises  firms of different sizes in different fields of business  and then, with that data, creates a mythical company. Based on the information gathered during the interviews, Forrester's analysts introduce variables, assumptions and even educated guesses to arrive at a dollar amount. That last can be derived from labor costs or infrastructure costs or software costs  or all  with savings gained through "wasted" time turned "productive" and capital expenses unspent.

Not surprisingly, most of the savings came from reclaimed worker productivity.

"Typically, users would conduct search within a certain product, such as OneDrive or Outlook, and give up if they could not find what they were looking for within the first few results," Forrester's report said of the interviewed companies pre-Microsoft Search. "Not finding answers could lead to more extensive search within other products, reaching out to colleagues for help, or giving up on search entirely."

Integrating search within Edge and more importantly, accessing Microsoft or Office 365 content, resulted in large savings of workers' time. Depending on the scenario  largely differentiated by the Microsoft Search adoption rate, with time spent searching pegged at a flat 5.3% of the workday  Forrester's pretend firm of 50,000 employees might save anywhere from $2.4 million the first year to $29.4 million the third. During the three-year span Forrester envisioned, the company would save between $13.6 million and $40.7 million on labor alone.

Other places Microsoft Search would benefit Forrester's fantasy firm included reductions in employees calling on the help desk or putting questions to human resources. Additional savings might come from retiring the company's previous enterprise search solutions, which would likely have been based on both paid software tools and labor time spent adding tags and building taxonomies.

Pre-Microsoft Search, "Employees frequently called the help desk, HR, or other dedicated resources for answers," noted Forrester, even though self-help information was available ... somewhere. With Search, workers would be able to find answers to common questions  such as how to reset their log-in password  without dragging in tech support. Forrester pegged such savings at between $262,000 and $1 million over three years.

Meanwhile, ditching the company's current search solution would cut about $1.4 million from the budget, Forrester figured.

Against those savings, Forrester penned a laughably small amount of additional expenses on the other side of the ledger. By its accounting, the bogus company would spend just north of $41,000 on IT labor for up-front setup of Microsoft Search  composing Q&As, placing bookmarks and the like for worker use  and then later on, for monitoring usage and driving further adoption by employees.

Naturally, one's mileage may vary, when mileage means dollars saved. Simply because an employee isn't wasting time trying to find a specific document  it's here somewhere  doesn't mean he or she is putting that saved time to productive use. The worker could just as easily be wasting it elsewhere. Such are the dangers of accepting time-and-dollars-saved hypotheticals like this.

But Microsoft clearly sees this search as a powerful draw for Edge and a big benefit for customers who adopt Office 365 or the pricier, bigger bundle, Microsoft 365. Of the former, Anderson's inclusion of Microsoft Search as one of Edge's five advantages over Chrome is evidence enough.

Of the latter, Microsoft's made it clear that it will also cater to Microsoft 365 customers who have not adopted Edge but have instead stuck with Chrome. After a contentious early stumble  when Microsoft said it would force Chrome to accept an add-on for Microsoft Search  the Redmond, Wash. company backpedaled, making the extension an opt-in. Support for Chrome and Microsoft Search is to roll out gradually, and from the content of this support document, that has been stalled since early June.

The complete Forrester report can be found here.
OTTAWACanada is profoundly concerned about a Canadian citizen sentenced to death Thursday on drug charges in China, a spokesperson for the federal government says.

The Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate Court announced Xu Weihongs penalty on Thursday and said an alleged accomplice, Wen Guanxiong, had been given a life sentence.

The brief court statement gave no details but media in the southern Chinese city at the heart of the countrys manufacturing industry said Xu and Wen had gathered ingredients and tools to make the drug ketamine in October 2016, then stored the final product in Xus home in Guangzhous Haizhu district.

Police later confiscated more than 120 kilograms of the drug from Xus home and another address, the reports said. Ketamine is a powerful painkiller that has become popular among clubgoers in China and elsewhere.

Canada opposes the use of the death penalty in all cases, everywhere, said Global Affairs Canada spokesperson John Babcock. Canada has consistently raised our firm opposition to the death penalty with China and will continue to do so.

He said Canadian diplomats have given Xu consular assistance and were present for the sentencing. Canada is seeking clemency.

Death sentences are automatically referred to Chinas highest court for review.

Relations between China and Canada soured over the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, an executive and the daughter of the founder of Chinese tech giant Huawei, at Vancouvers airport in late 2018. The U.S. wants her extradited to face fraud charges over the companys dealings with Iran. Her arrest infuriated Beijing, which sees her case as a political move designed to prevent Chinas rise as a global technology power.

In apparent retaliation, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor, accusing them of vague national security crimes.

Xu was arrested two years before Canada detained Meng and relations deteriorated. Death sentences when cases involve large amounts of drugs are not rare in China.

In April 2019, China gave the death penalty to a Canadian citizen identified as Fan Wei in a multinational drug smuggling case.

But China did hand a death sentence to convicted Canadian drug smuggler Robert Schellenberg in a sudden retrial following Mengs arrest, after he had already been sentenced.

China has also placed restrictions on various Canadian exports to China, including canola seed, in an apparent attempt to pressure Ottawa into releasing Meng.

These tensions, and how the Liberal government has handled them was the subject of a hearing by the House of Commons Canada-China relations committee later Thursday.

David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to Beijing, told the committee that he had hoped the federal government would use the period of increased tensions to rethink Canadas relationship with China and more realistically assess the Chinese governments strategy to suppress human rights domestically and exert economic and diplomatic blackmail to expand its influence on global affairs.

But old approaches die hard, he said.

Its not clear that the government has completely given up the fiction that China is our friend. Nor has it consistently summoned the courage to speak and act with integrity.

Referring to a letter signed in June by former federal ministers, diplomats and academics urging the government to release Meng in exchange for freedom for the two Michaels, Mulroney added: Powerfully placed Canadians continue to argue that if we appease China just one more time, all will be well.

He said dangerous myopia about China is also evident among provincial and municipal governments, noting the Ontario city of Markhams decision last year to raise the Chinese flag on that countrys national day.

Somethings wrong here and it has to change. People need to remember that the ultimate objective of foreign policy is not to flatter, not to obscure inconvenient truths, but to advance and protect Canadian interests and values.

Mulroney said hes not suggesting Canada should provoke or insult China. But he said Canada should reduce its dependence on Chinese trade by working with allies to establish new supply chains in vulnerable sectors and launching trade diversification efforts.

Canada should also take steps to combat Chinese interference in this country, adopting something like Australias Foreign Influence Transparency Act, he said. The act requires any citizen who chooses to work for a foreign entity and former politicians and diplomats who do anything to share their expertise with a foreign country to publicly report their activities.

Two other former ambassadors to China, John McCallum and Robert Wright, declined the committees invitation to appear. Committee members voted unanimously Thursday to summon both men at a later date.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said there was no connection between Xus sentencing and current China-Canada relations.

I would like to stress that Chinas judicial authorities handle the relevant case independently in strict accordance with Chinese law and legal procedures, Wang said at a daily briefing Thursday.

This case should not inflict any impact on China-Canada relations.

Wang added that death sentences for drug-related crimes that are extremely dangerous will help deter and prevent such crimes.

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Actor Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Shweta Singh Kirti on Friday posted a cryptic quote on her social media platforms saying people should think about the consequences before messing up with someone. Sushant was found dead at his Bandra residence on June 14.

The post featured an image of Lord Shiva and read, Someone said be careful who you mess with because you don't know who protects them in the spiritual world. She captioned the picture with #justiceforsushant.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shweta Singh kirti (@shwetasinghkirti) on Aug 6, 2020 at 11:27pm PDT

Shweta shared the post hours before the late actor's girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty appeared in front of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the money laundering case lodged by it. Sushant's untimely demise was followed by a high-profile investigation by Mumbai Police during which many big names from Bollywood, including filmmakers Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Aditya Chopra, recorded their statements.

While the Mumbai Police had registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) into the death of Sushant, the Patna police had last month registered a case on a complaint from the actor's father K K Singh against Rhea, her parents Indrajit Chakraborty and Sandhya Chakraborty, brother Showik Chakraborty, and common friends Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi. The Patna police had filed the FIR under the IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, abetment to suicide, wrongful confinement, criminal breach of trust, theft and criminal intimidation which was forwarded to the Centre for a CBI probe on Thursday.

Rhea had initially refused to appear in front of the ED, citing her appeal pending before the Supreme Court.

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The governments decision to scale up the number of testing gave rise to the need of a rapid and accurate testing mechanism that could give quick accurate results in an affordable price.

The decision to scale up the number of testing has given rise to the need of a rapid and accurate testing mechanism that could give quick accurate results in an affordable price. Hence, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has certified the use of a rapid antigen test kit called Standard Q COVID-19 antigen detection kit from a South Korean company SD Biosensor, to move ahead in this direction. In addition, around 20 such antigen test kits are in various stages of receiving approval from ICMR.

As we are observing a rapid increase in the number of infections almost each day, the COVID -19 pandemic has made all of us question the efficiencies of our systems. To address the needs of the worlds second largest population, the government now has emphasized on increased number of testing to better combat the virus.

The COVID-19 RT-PCR test (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test is the most trusted test for the qualitative detection of nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2 virus. There are also antibody tests that detect immunological responses i.e. the antibodies secreted in response to the virus. Although both these are equally proving to be very helpful in diagnosis, they have a disadvantage that is of concern when testing a huge number of population is considered. Not only are the tests very expensive but they require 24-48 hours for the results which is not favourable.

The governments decision to scale up the number of testing has given rise to the need of a rapid and accurate testing mechanism that could give quick accurate results at an affordable price. Hence, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has certified the use of a rapid antigen test kit called Standard Q COVID-19 Antigen detection kit from a South Korean company SD Biosensor, to move ahead in this direction.

Rapid antigen tests are basically diagnostic tests that detect specific proteins on the surface of the virus. ICMR has recently invited applications from various companies in India and abroad to validate their antigen test kits. The medical body hasidentified the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, SMS Medical College in Jaipur, King George Medical University in Lucknow, Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Mumbai and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh for validation of these tests. Currently around 20 antigen test kits are in various stages of receiving approval from ICMR.

Rajesh Patel, CEO  IVD India, Trivitron Healthcare shares that, A number of manufacturers have introduced their products with the efficiency and accuracy of their kits ranging from 85-90%. As far as Trivitron Healthcare is concerned, we have introduced an antigen-based ELISA test kit - COVIDscreen Plus which is 100% sensitive and 99% specificity. An RT-PCR test is considered extremely reliable and accurate because it can detect even a single virus particle. However, the main purpose of the antigen-based test kit is to reduce the burden of relying on just RT-PCR tests to identify COVID-19 patients, thus decreasing the burden over healthcare establishments which are already overwhelmed with COVID cases.

Is fast testing winning the way?

The rapid antigen testing kit from SD Biosensor is a rapid chromatographic immunoassay for the qualitative detection of specific antigens to SARS-CoV-2 present in human nasopharynx. The test provides results in 15-30 minutes which can be obtained on the field itself. The performance of the tests has been evaluated in prospective, single institute, randomized single blinded study conducted at trial site in Malaysia. 202 specimens were tested against a commercialized molecular assay. The specificity of the test is 84.3 percent and specificity is 100 percent . The production plant of SD biosensor is based in Mansesar, Gurugram and their plant capacity is almost 5 lakh kits per week.

The testing capacity in the country has increased considerably, with the help of these kits especially in population dense areas and slums. The number of samples tested in India crossed the 10 million mark in early July. Various states have ordered lakhs of kits from the manufacturers and have ramped up the testing capacity.

Test-track-treat is the key strategy for early detection and containment of the pandemic. In some states, the capacity utilization of the testing labs, particularly the ones in private sector, is grossly sub-optimal, thus they have been strongly advised to take all possible steps to ensure full capacity utilization of all COVID-19 testing laboratories. They have been advised to ramp up testing in a big way by using rapid antigen point-of-care tests in addition to RT-PCR, which is the gold standard for diagnosis of COVlD-19. The rapid antigen test is quick, simple, safe and can be used in containment zones as well as hospitals, as per criteria specified by ICMR for testing. ICMR is validating more such kits and are to increase the available options to the citizens., says Prof Balram Bhargava, Director General, ICMR, New Delhi

One of the first directives in this aspect came from the Delhi government when it had asked all hospitals and COVID-19 testing laboratories in the national capital to start rapid antigen detection tests and scale up its ongoing process of identifying symptomatic patients and isolating them immediately.

Soon after, the Maharashtra chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) appealed to the ICMR and state government to allow all qualified pathologists and microbiologists to conduct rapid antigen tests to help detect COVID-19 cases. Likewise, Telangana which has the highest rate of new positive cases but low testing numbers, has also decided to acquire rapid antigen testing kits to scale up testing. The state is likely to buy 100,000 kits for this purpose.

Further, Tripura is starting phase-wise door-to-door rapid COVID-19 antigen testing across the state. The announcement came right after after the Assam government declared a similar strategy in view of rising coronavirus cases.

In totality, after Delhi and Maharashtra, states of Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Assam, West Bengal, Karnataka and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have initiated deployment of the rapid antigen testing kits in containment zones.

Although, there are many advantages that are obvious because of the speed of these rapid antigen tests, many health experts have raised concerns on the efficacy of these tests. They have comparatively low sensitivity and give varied results.

This test can be an aid to early diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patient with clinical symptoms with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Test Procedure can be done in an ambient temperature and pressure and results can be obtained in 30 minutes. It also does not require a specialized machine and results can be interpreted with a naked eye. Our company has validated the tests and found out that the all-positive antigen tests are also positive by RT PCR method verifying high specificity. But false-negative results can also happen due to incorrect procedure of sampling, too early or late reading, and more than 7 days of infection, says Dr Ramesh Kinha, Chief Pathologist, Medall Healthcare, New Delhi.

The US Food and Drug Administration has also raised concerns over these rapid antigen kits for the false negative results. The negative results from an antigen test kit may need to be confirmed with the PCR for a final review. The samples that are collected are only stable for 1 hour and temperature conditions have to be maintained. This essentially means that the samples once collected need to be processed very quickly in a temperature controlled environment. And the negative symptomatic samples may still need a RT-PCR test before it is declared so.

On this note, Dr Sanjay Ingle, Zonal Technical Head, West India, Apollo Diagnostics, Pune points out, One of the main advantages of an antigen test is the speed of the test, which can provide results in minutes. However, antigen tests may not detect all active infections, as they do not work the same way as a PCR test. Antigen tests are very specific for the virus, but are not as sensitive as molecular PCR tests. This means that positive results from antigen tests are highly accurate, but there is a higher chance of false negatives, so negative results do not rule out infection.

This observation of course raises questions such as which test should we use ultimately? Every one of these tests has their own advantage and limitations. Should we ignore the sensitivity for getting quick results or should we prefer RT-PCR tests? How can all these tests be used to our advantage that should be the main focus.

The challenge in rapid antigen test is to find the right antibodies that do not interfere with each other and wont cross react to other proteins. Antigen tests do not amplify their protein signal, thus another challenge is weak signals. So they are inherently less sensitive. Also, that signal gets diluted when samples are mixed with the liquid solution, to enable the material to flow across test strips. As a result, most antigen tests have a sensitivity of anywhere between 60 and 90 per cent. In other words, one in two infected people might incorrectly be told they do not have the virus. Knowing that SARS- CoV-2 spreads so easily, a misdiagnosis is worse than no diagnosis. But the biggest advantage of the rapid antigen test is scalability, not only in manufacturing but performing too. Rapid antigen tests have an important role to play in containing the virus. There will never be the ability to do RT-PCR test for 130 crore people before everybody restarts their life, says Dr Ravi Gaur, Chief Operating Officer and Lab Director,Oncquest Laboratories, New Delhi.

Keeping in mind both the positive and negative aspects of these rapid antigen tests, perhaps it might be a good idea to use them as a point of initial screening process where all positive results can be regarded as such, while the negative results can be verified by the conventional RT-PCR tests. This can surely ease out the pressure on the healthcare system as we cannot afford another round of distress in the form of misdiagnosis.

Vallari Mathure
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  The Philippine military may be barred from joining naval drills in the South China Sea, but the new chief of staff said the country has increased presence in its territorial waters.

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said Friday that President Rodrigo Dutertes temporary suspension of the countrys participation in joint military exercises in contested waters doesnt mean we are backing down on our claim."

We are patrolling aggressively and vigorously our territorial waters and really maintaining presence in the area, and this sends a signal not only to China but other claimant countries that we are still asserting and protecting our sovereignty in that part of the country, Gapay told CNN Philippines.

Tuloy-tuloy yan (Thats continuous). We do that everyday, he added.

Gapay is referring to the West Philippine Sea, which includes areas Manila claims and occupies in the disputed South China Sea. China continues to reject the 2016 arbitration ruling in favor of the Philippines which invalidated the East Asian giant's sweeping claims. The landmark decision recognized the Philippines sovereign rights to areas within its exclusive economic zone which China claims.

But Duterte, who has nurtured friendship with China, agreed to shelve th arbitral ruling. He has repeatedly said he could not go to war against China and pushed for diplomatic endeavors instead.

The AFP fully supports its commander-in-chief.

We uphold the diplomatic track and of course the rules-based approach in dealing with the West Philippine Sea issue, Gapay said.

While the AFP will not resort to arms in line with national policy, it has improved its external defense capability through its modernization program, Gapay said.

The country has procured frigates and now boasts of a blue-water navy capable of sustained operations across deep seas, he added.

Critics have called out Duterte's defeatist stance on the maritime dispute, saying he does not have to wage a war to assert the country's sovereign rights.

However, the administration has rejected calls to raise the arbitral ruling in the United Nations General Assembly in September, saying the Philippines and China have "agreed to disagree" to pursue "friendly consultation."
The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) on Friday said it has sought a Rs 900 crore package for the sector to set up 'Model Manufacturing Workshop' to upgrade skills and implement Technology Upgradation Fund (TUF) that will help boost the industry. "Almost 85 per cent (5,931) of our members are in the MSME category, and most of them are involved in the manufacture of handmade gold jewellery, cutting and polishing of diamonds, precious and semi-precious stones and imitation jewellery.

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Under tax rates approved by lawmakers if the proposed amendment is ratified by voters on the November ballot, an estimated 97% of individual taxpayers would pay at least the same if not less state income tax than they do now. Under the plan, people with incomes of up to $250,000 would pay 4.95% or less.
07.08.2020 LISTEN

President of ANAQ Foundation, Mrs. Ama Nyarko Attefuah Quainoo has appealed to school authorities to put measures in place to periodically check on school children with non-communicable diseases, especially sickle cell disease (SCD), during this period where the weather is not favourable to them.

She said some children with sickle cell condition who are writing their Senior High School final examination may fall ill anytime therefore school heads and teachers should put measures in place should anyone experience such.

Mrs. Attefuah Quainoo, who is a cell disease patient, made the appealed in an interview with otecfmghana.com on Wednesday, August 7, 2020, on how to deal with students with SCD in schools.

A sickle cell crisis is pain that can begin suddenly and last several hours to several days. School authorities must therefore first identify those students with SCD and periodically check on them at this time that the weather is very cold, she said.

Mrs. Attefuah Quainoo, who is a member of the Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases also advised the children to take their drugs regularly, eat well and avoid exposing their bodies during this period of cold weather and covid-19.

Underlying health conditions that contribute to the death toll of coronavirus are non-communicable diseases including sickle cell. So while in school make sure you take your drugs, eat well, build your immune system because according to health experts, strong immunity also fights against the deadly Coronavirus, she told journalists, "Wishing them all the best in their final exams, she concluded that if you have any complaints, contact your heads immediately.
An investigation into the May 31 riots in Atlantic City that damaged 57 businesses in the heart of the city resulted in 95 people being charged with an assortment of crimes, the police department announced on Facebook Thursday.

The department they created a task force following the looting and damage that followed a peaceful protest of the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, mirroring events occurring all over the country.

Investigators scoured thousands of hours of video footage from public and private cameras and social media that captured the acts at several stores, centered at the Tanger Outlets, an outdoor mall in the city.

Police made 17 arrests that night.

In the days after the initial incidents, police said stores that had been broken into were targeted again by people pulled plywood off the doors and stealing more merchandise. These incidents were also investigated, police said.

The department then began identifying the people suspected of committing crimes and started publicly posting 200 pictures in late June, hoping that the public would be able to identify those involved.

Within minutes, tips were being provided by the community identifying individual photographs. Several individuals who saw their photograph turned themselves in, police said on the Thursday Facebook post.

Police said many of the crimes were related to theft and property damage.

The Atlantic City Police Department has remained steadfast in our support of those who exercise their First Amendment rights, including the right to peacefully protest, however, we will not idly standby as individuals commit crimes against our City, Atlantic City Police Chief Henry White said in the statement.

Those that think they can come to Atlantic City and commit crimes that directly impact our businesses and residents will be held accountable, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. said in the statement. Although we are announcing these charges today, this investigation will remain open until we can identify every person on our list. We greatly appreciate the support of the community in providing tips that greatly assisted this investigation.

Atlantic City Police is still asking that anyone else who has information about the people involved to contact them at 609-343-3771 or email riotinvestigationteam@acpolice.org. Information can be text to tip411 (847411). Begin the text with ACPD. All texts are anonymous.

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.
Jeremy Male is an executive in a branch of the advertising business  billboards  that took a huge hit in the spring. So he was heartened by what he saw this week on his commute from Greenwich, Conn., to his office in Manhattan.

Through the windows of the Metro North train and on his walk from Grand Central Terminal to the Chrysler Building, Mr. Male saw ads, ads, ads.

He is the chief executive of Outfront Media, a company that sells space on more than 500,000 billboards and other platforms in North America, including the sides of buses and the interiors of subway cars. And like other companies that specialize in so-called out-of-home display ads, Outfront Media has been hurt by the pandemic.

In an earnings report on Wednesday, Mr. Male said Outfront Medias overall revenue for the second quarter of 2020, a three-month period of pandemic-related lockdowns across the United States, had declined nearly 50 percent from a year earlier.
It was a selfie by Virginia Del. Mark Cole that first caught Sookyung Oh's eye.

Cole, R-Fredericksburg, tweeted an image showing off a bright red face mask he said he'd purchased from the congressional campaign of Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper.

"COVID-19, 'MADE IN CHINA," it read.

Oh, who is Virginia director of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium Action Fund, said that she and other Asian American community leaders were "shocked" to find the masks for sale as campaign merchandise.

"He's literally financing his campaign with a tactic that has been shown to exacerbate anti-Asian racism," Oh said of Freitas, a libertarian-leaning Republican who is running against first-term Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger in central Virginia's largely rural 7th district.

In an open letter issued this week, the NAKASEC Action Fund called on Freitas's campaign to stop selling the "Made in China" face masks, saying the merchandise is another example of anti-China political rhetoric that has put Asian Americans at risk of discrimination during the coronavirus pandemic.

Some of the rhetoric has come from President Donald Trump, who routinely refers to the deadly virus as the "China virus" and has also outraged his critics by calling it the "Kung flu."

A number of Asian American community organizers and two Asian American lawmakers from Virginia, Dels. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, and Kathy Tran, D-Springfield, signed onto the statement.

"Blaming China for the COVID-19 crisis in the United States has led to a sharp increase of racially motivated attacks and discrimination against people of Chinese descent and others perceived to be of Chinese descent," the statement said, citing incidents in which Asian Americans have been spit on, cursed at or assaulted.

"Nick Freitas' campaign, and the implied support from Del. Mark Cole, exacerbates anti-Asian racism and endangers our lives."

Freitas campaign manager Joe Desilets defended the masks in a statement, saying they are intended to target the "communist regime in China" that "lied to the world and enabled a deadly virus to spread, leading to a global pandemic."

"This is the same regime that violently suppresses its own people, press, and scientific community. Nick will not hesitate to hold such a regime accountable," Desilets said.

The "Made in China" masks are on sale on Freitas's campaign website as part of a $15 trio of face coverings. One says, "Don't sneeze on me," a variation of the libertarian "Don't tread on me" Gadsden flag, and another pairs the Texas battlecry "Come and Take It" with a picture of a hand-sanitizer bottle.

Cole, who has made the selfie his Twitter profile picture, said he got the masks after donating to Freitas's campaign. He said it was "silly" for groups to suggest the "Made in China" quip could encourage racial discrimination against Asian Americans, saying that the mask is "basically just stating a fact - the virus originated in China."

"I think there's nothing wrong with it, and I think it's a good way to encourage people to wear masks," Cole said.

Republican strategists have been expressly encouraging campaigns to focus attention on China rather than defend the president's handling of the virus, according to one memo to GOP Senate campaigns that The Washington Post obtained in April.

Academics and Asian American advocates however, have drawn a straight line between anti-China political rhetoric and anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic, accusing the president of contributing to the problem.

The FBI warned in March that hate crimes against Asian Americans were likely to rise due to perceptions that people of Asian descent were spreading the virus, citing cases in which Asian Americans have been assaulted in cases linked to virus fears. Even Asian American doctors and frontline health care workers fighting coronavirus have reported enduring racist tirades.

A spokeswoman for Spanberger's campaign, Bettina Weiss, said Spanberger had "no comment on her opponent's choice to sell novelty merchandise trivializing a global pandemic."
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on August 6 held a phone talk with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on the Vietnam-US relations on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh

Minh said Vietnam regards the US as one of its leading important partners, and expressed his delight at the development of the bilateral ties across all aspects, from politics and diplomacy to economic-trade, national defence-security, science-technology and people-to-people exchanges.

He appreciated programmes on humanitarian cooperation, the settlement of war consequences and dioxin decontamination, which, he said, have significantly contributed to consolidating mutual trust.

The official also lauded the two countries flexible activities marking the 25th anniversary of the diplomatic ties amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, including the exchange of greetings by their senior leaders.

For his part, Pompeo spoke highly of efforts made by both sides in enhancing and expanding the bilateral comprehensive partnership on the basis of respecting each others independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions, and sharing a common vision on peace and stability in Indo-Pacific.

The US attaches importance to and commits to maintaining its relations with Vietnam in a stable manner, he said, adding that the US will boost collaboration in humanitarian issues and war consequence settlement with the Southeast Asian nation.

Pompeo noted with pleasure Vietnams reception of Peace Corps Volunteers who will come to the country to teach English under an agreement on the implementation of the Peace Corps programme.

The two sides also discussed measures to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and help citizens of the two countries return home, as well as coordination in restoring and maintaining regional and global supply chains.

Minh affirmed that Vietnam highly values the USs role at international forums, saying as ASEAN Chair and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term, Vietnam will continue coordinating with the US and other partners in handling common challenges, contributing to peace, stability, security and development in the region and the world at large.

Pompeo hailed Vietnams role in global matters, and noted his wish for stronger cooperation with the country in fostering the ASEAN-US strategic partnership./.VNA
The Syrian regime and its backers have continued to conduct attacks in northern Syria, despite the existence of a ceasefire agreement writes Zaman Al-Wasl.

Syrias Response Coordination Group has recorded 2,000 violations of the ceasefire deal in Syrias war-battered Idleb province, which was brokered between Russia and Turkey five months ago.

Since Mar. 5, 2020, the Russian-led regime forces have committed 2,036 breaches, including aerial and artillery bombardments of rebel-held areas in Idleb, Aleppo, Hama and Lattakia, according to the local monitoring group.

The bombings have killed at least 24 civilians, including seven children, two women, and two rescue volunteers.

Also, regime forces have bombed the displacement camps, six educational facilities, a medical facility, a service facility, and five mosques.

Some 342,000 civilians who were displaced by the attacks of the Bashar al-Assad regime and its backers have returned since March to their homes in Idleb and Aleppo.

183,567 people have returned to Aleppo countryside and 157,773 people have returned to Idleb.

The region is home to some 3 million people, nearly half of whom have been displaced from other parts of the country.

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 don't know about all this Staycation lark. Ok I know we don't have much choice in the matter at the moment, but the novelty of exploring this fair Isle of ours is beginning to wear a bit thin.

I mean there's the weather for starters. Let's face it - our weather is sh**e 90% of the time. And when it rains, almost everywhere looks like a scene from a Scandinavian crime drama - bleak and dismal.

There's really only one thing to do - shop! Well I'm sure there are other things to do like visit museums and galleries. That doesn't appeal to me so shopping it is. And I can tell you one thing, shopping in Ireland is not cheap. Which brings me to my second point - the price of a staycation. Himself says if we go on another one, we're going to have to remortgage the house. A recent day trip to Dungarvan in the lashing rain cost him lunch, three hoodies, two tee shirts and a fancy candle.

Luckily enough we didn't incur any accommodation charges on our most recent vacation as the Oul Fella put us up in Costa Del Rosslare but if we had been forking out for a hotel it would have cost a pretty penny.

Right now there is no such thing as a cheap hotel in Ireland. The demand is there so they're charging what they like. Yes I know they have to make a living but do they have to be so hungry about it? We're all just trying to keep our heads above water.

And that leads me onto the subject of restaurants. What a feckin palaver we had trying to book restaurants, with many of them looking for substantial deposits and then giving you an allocated time slot at 4 in the afternoon because they're booked out at night. 4pm is g & t time not dinner time.

The first day we ate out, I spent the entire 105 minutes looking at the time on my phone for fear they were going to turf us out. I can't remember what I ate, only that I drank way faster than normal, had a hangover by 6.30 pm and was in bed by 9!

I've suggested to the Oul Fella that he should open a B& B as a nixer. He's a great man for the fry and is generous with his measures - he could have a roaring trade in no time. I'm not sure he's that keen. He reckons it will take him a week to get the house back in order after our visit.

Meanwhile I've decided to stay put for the forseeable. I can't cope with another meal on the clock and as bad a cook as I am, at least you can sit at my table for as long as you like.

Plus the bar never shuts!
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP)  Paraguay eased plans for tighter quarantine in a city on the Brazilian border on Thursday after roughly 60 people were arrested in a violent protest that included the looting of food, jewelry and electronics.

Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni said some businesses would be allowed to operate during the day, although bars, gyms and other sites of mass gathering would be closed as planned.

The protests Wednesday night followed the declaration of a strict stay-at-home quarantine in Ciudad del Este, which sits across the border from the Brazilian city of Foz de Yguazu and depends heavily on cross-border trade.

Brazil has some of the world's highest rates of infection from the novel coronavirus while Paraguay has managed to keep rates relatively low. But infections in Ciudad del Este have made the surrounding state of Alto Parana one of the hardest-hit in the country.

Roughly a third of Paraguay's infections and deaths have occurred in Alto Parana, which has about a tenth of the country's population. The city has 22 of its 24 intensive-care beds occupied, said Federico Schroedel, director of the main public hospital.

Worried about the rising number of cases on the border, authorities decreed a near-total shutdown of the state on Wednesday and about 500 people gathered in the streets of Ciudad del Este to protest, officials said.

The protest began peacefully.

"Later on, they threw rocks at cargo trucks that were crossing the border,'' prosecutor Zunilda Martinez said. She said a significant number of protesters broke into and looted jewelry shops, electronic stores and also stole food from groceries.
The Spectator has obtained the secret report used to justify killing Hamiltons LRT  but whats visible in the heavily redacted study does not show or explain the dire $5.5-billion cost prediction cited by the Tory government.

Ontarios Opposition NDP says it has also obtained a copy of the consulting report  also with many blacked-out pages  and plans to release it publicly Friday to call into question Ontarios phoney claims about the contentious light rail project.

The Spectator made a Freedom of Information Act request for the 157-page Turner and Townsend report after Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney cited an astonishing $5.5-billion cost estimate as the rationale for cancelling Hamiltons light rail transit project last December.

Public backlash spurred the province to form a task force to recommend how to spend the former LRT budget of $1 billion  and in March, that body suggested LRT or bus rapid transit. Last week, the ministry said a technical review of possible projects continues, but was slowed by COVID-19.

Despite widespread skepticism about the purported LRT cost overruns, the government refused calls from to release the report, citing commercial confidentiality.

The Spectator has received the report in response to its FOI request  but with close to half the pages blacked out. The newspaper has appealed to Ontarios information and privacy commissioner in an effort to obtain the full, unredacted report.

The budget estimates that are visible, however, show:

total estimated capital costs in 2019 dollars at around $2.3 billion. That includes hefty contingency and escalation estimates of more than $510 million;

a base construction cost of around $1.3 billion  or close to the original $1-billion capital budget often publicly cited by the previous Liberal government that approved the project;

and total estimated operation, maintenance and life cycle costs pegged at just over $1.3 billion (indexed to 2027).

Added together, thats nowhere close to the $5.5 billion in provincial and municipal costs cited in a summary budget document provided to the city last December by Mulroney  an unexplained total labelled ludicrous by outraged Mayor Fred Eisenberger.

That confidential summary chart, released to the public by the mayor after the project was killed, references $950 million in operating costs to the city  on top of $983 million in operating and life cycle costs for the province.

The summary also pegged capital costs at nearly $2.9 billion  more than half-a-billion dollars higher than the visible estimate in the Turner and Townsend report.

Its not yet clear if additional, separate cost estimate information is hidden in the blacked-out portion of the consulting report, or if an updated version of the study exists.

The Spectator has reached out to the province to ask about the conflicting budget numbers.

The combined cost estimates that you can see in the Turner and Townsend report are similar to the total project estimate contained in a leaked Metrolinx project memo obtained by the Toronto Star in January.

The memo references an estimated total cost of around $3.7 billion  or about $88 million more than the Liberal government-approved project budget. But the same memo references the Turner and Townsend report and notes it contains a significant increase as compared to the Treasury Board approved budget.

The Spectator will be covering NDP Leader Andrea Horwaths news conference about the LRT report Friday morning.

Read more about:
- Stale Solbakken has led FC Copenhagen to reach the quarterfinal of the Europa League

- The manager has promised his players a special bonus if they defeat Manchester United

- Solbakken who once shared the same dressing room with Solskjaer in Norway says they still have good relationship

Danish side Copenhagen FCs manager Stale Solbakken has offered his players the ultimate incentive to attempt to knock Manchester United out of the Europa League.

United, who have been tipped as one of the favorites in the Europa League, face the Denmark giants in the last eight game on Monday, August 10.

READ ALSO: Michael Olunga: Japan-based striker linked with sensational move to Turkey giants

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Solbakken relishes the tie which has a number of sub plots, including the fact that he will be facing off with Solskjaer, who is his old friend back in their playing days.

The pair shared a dressing room during their playing days as they represented the national team, but will now face off as fierce rivals.

Solskjaer faces an old friend in the Europa League last 8. Photo: Getty Images.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: David Ndii apindua ulimi kuhusu Raila, asema angeiongoza Kenya vyema kuliko Uhuru

As a way of motivating his side, 53-year old Solbakken promised to give the players his bonus if they somehow manage to overcome the Red Devils.

If you beat United you can have my bonus and then you have no worries for the rest of your life, he said.

Stale Solbakken wants his side to knock United out of the Europa League. Photo Credit: Getty Images

Source: Getty Images

United comprehensively beat Austria side LASK Linz 7-1 in the round of 16 while Copenhagen overcame Turkey champions Istanbul Basekhir in their round of 16 tie.

Since the matches will be one offs with no second leg, Copenhagen actually have a decent chance against United, if they play their cards right.

The other favorites in the tie Inter Milan face Bayer Leverkusen in the quarters, while Wolverhampton Wanderers play Spanish giants Sevilla.

The other quarter final game will see FC Basel take on Ukraines Shaktar Donetsk.

From the manner in which the ties are poised, United are likely to clash with Inter Milan in the final if they win their two next games in the competition.

Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news

Kenyans react to the chaos in Nairobi county and the stalemate in the revenue sharing | Tuko TV :

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Social media and cellphone location data mining. Credit: University of Notre Dame

The National Security Agency issued a warning to its employees Aug. 4 that cellphone location data could pose a national security risk.

The data, which is collected and sold for advertising and marketing purposes, "can reveal details about the number of users in a location, user and supply movements, daily routines and can expose otherwise unknown associations between users and locations," according to the warning.

But how do consumers feel about their location data being tracked and sold? New research from the University of Notre Dame yielded surprising results.

"What is it about location?" published in the July issue of the Berkeley Technology Law Journal by Kirsten Martin, the William P. and Hazel B. White Center Professor of Technology Ethics at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, and Helen Nissenbaum from Cornell Tech, showed that people are nuanced about how their location is tracked. They don't appreciate it if, say, their location data is used to identify if they are voting or attending a protest, but approve if location data is used by a family member to figure out if they are home. Also, overwhelmingly, people are not comfortable with third-party location data brokers, or data aggregators, collecting for any reason.

It's common knowledge that tech companies mine users' personal information. Apps often collect and share location data with aggregators, who then sell it to corporate and government customers. Privacy issues involving TikTok, Facebook and others have repeatedly been documented in national news stories. Martin said, in her study, respondents were OK with some aspects of location data collection, and not OK with others.

"They didn't seem to mind as much if employers collecting their data could identify if they were at work, but they did mind if their employer figured out they frequented a liquor store or attended a protest," said Martin, a nationally recognized expert in privacy, technology and corporate responsibility at Notre Dame's Technology Ethics Center. "However, they did not like data aggregators collecting their data. They consistently rated the collection of location data by aggregators for any reason as not OKand by a large margin."

In the study, the duration of the collection of data did not matter to respondents once it was explained what the collector would know about them as a result. Respondents initially were concerned about the length of time location data was being gathered but stopped caring once it was explained the collector would know they went shopping or to a restaurant with friends.

"Two things stood out," Martin said. "Respondents clearly differentiated the collection of location data to track if they voted or attended a rally as different from locating them at, say, a restaurant or store. They definitely were not OK with location data being used to locate them voting or protesting. And this study was run two years ago before today's major protests, so I would imagine it would be vastly more pronounced if conducted today.

"Also, just including the place where the person would be locatedat a restaurant, mall, school or workwas enough to skew the rating as less OK. In other words, asking respondents just about collecting location data without explaining what you want to know about them is meaningless. Where they were located and what the company could infer about themwho their friends were or if they attended a rallywere much more important."

Interestingly, the study showed that regardless of whether or not people were comfortable with the data being collected, it never really mattered to them what type of technology was used to collect it.

"Collection technologies we used in our study included phone, mapping app, license-plate reader, Fitbit, CCTV and social media posts," Martin said. "The impact was minimal or nonexistent when we varied the technology. This is important because we often focus on techniques to collect location data. For example, collecting from a Fitbit might be OK but not from a phone. Respondents do not see any difference in their expectation of privacy across types of technology. So if users say they don't want location data gathered from their phone, getting location from their Bluetooth signal, an app or social media posts is problematic overall. They don't want you to have it no matter what source is used."

Take TikTok's recent media scrutiny, for example. Martin said its tactics are no different from standard social media data collection practices and that banning or selling that company would do nothing to diminish the privacy violations occurring on people's smartphones every day.

The study asked a national sample of people to rate a vignette as to the degree that a particular type of collection was acceptable. It included varied specifics about who collected the datafamily, data aggregator, employer, FBI, online company, etc.and what the collector could learn about the individual as a result.

"This information is important for regulators in protecting location data, as well as the companies collecting the data," Martin said. "For regulators, respondents did not care about technology, yet we tend to regulate by a type of collecting technology or ask for consent for only one type of technology. This would suggest that individuals do not think that way and assume location data is generally protected if they have requested it for one type. Perhaps most importantly, data aggregators who collect location data should be worried if individuals ever get any say as to the collection of their data. Consumers clearly do not trust them."

More information: Marin et al., What is it about location? Berkeley Technology Law Review (2020). btlj.org/data/articles2020/35_1/06_Martin_WEB.pdf Marin et al., What is it about location?(2020). DOI: 10.15779/Z382F7JR6F
Aryan Khan case an attempt by BJP to move Bollywood out of Maharashtra: Malik

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Sushant Singh Rajput death case: IPS Vinay Tiwari released from quarantine

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Aug 07: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has allowed Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari, who came to Mumbai to supervise the Sushant Singh Rajput death case probe, to be released from quarantine.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The BMC allowed Tiwari to leave the quarantine Centre on a condition that he would leave the city before the seventh day of his arrival, i.e. August 8, stating that "a quarantine is not mandatory for a short stay."

Rhea, her family appear before ED again in Sushant Singh case

"I would say I wasn't quarantined, the investigation was quarantined. Investigation of Bihar police was obstructed," Tiwari told ANI.

Meanwhile, CBI which took over investigation into the actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case and re-registered the Patna police FIR related to alleged criminal conspiracy and abetment to suicide against his rumoured girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members.

The case will be probed by a special investigation team under Superintendent of Police Nupur Prasad and will be supervised by DIG Gagandeep Gambhir and Joint Director Manoj Shashidhar, both senior IPS officers from the Gujarat cadre.

While the Mumbai Police had registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) into the death of Rajput, the Patna police had registered a case on a complaint from Rajput's father K K Singh against Chakraborty, her parents Indrajit Chakraborty and Sandhya Chakraborty, brother Showik Chakraborty, and common friends Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi.

The Patna police had filed the FIR under the IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, abetment to suicide, wrongful confinement, criminal breach of trust, theft and criminal intimidation which was forwarded to the Centre for a CBI probe.
Newcomer, who is a corporal assigned to the Bureau of Investigation, was not on duty when the assault occurred, police said. He has been with Prince Georges police since 2013, according to an agency news release.
Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesBy MARTHA RADDATZ and LUIS MARTINEZ, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- Brent Scowcroft, the former Air Force general who twice served a the national security adviser under Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, has died at the age of 95, according to a statement from the Scowcroft Group.



Scowcroft is best known from his tenure in the Bush administration and his handling of the Persian Gulf War and remained one of the nation's most prominent elder statesmen and well-known experts on international security matters.



"Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft passed away yesterday at the age of 95 of natural causes," said the statement.



"Brent Scowcroft was an American patriot and public servant of the highest order with an extraordinary military and government service career spanning over 60 years," the statement continued.



"His entire professional life was devoted to how best to protect America and advance its interests. He mentored two generations of American public servants who revered him for his brilliance, integrity, humility and fundamental decency," it said. "He served the United States with great honor and distinction and is considered one of the most influential experts in international affairs."



"Given his role as advisor to US Presidents Richard Nixon through Barack Obama, no individual has provided as many commanders-in-chief as much national security advice  irrespective of party lines," it said. Scowcroft is the only person to have served as national security adviser under two presidents.



Before serving as Bush's national security adviser, he served in the same role during President Gerald Ford's administration after filling the role of deputy national security adviser under both the Nixon and Ford administrations while he was still on active duty as an Air Force general officer. He retired in 1975 as a lieutenant general, capping a 29 year career in the Air Force that began with his graduation from West Point shortly after the service was established in 1947.



After his government service, Scowcroft established The Scowcroft Group, an international business consulting firm, and worked with various think tanks. He also served on a number of Blue-Ribbon commissions dealing with national security.



Most recently, in 2016, Scowcroft garnered attention for endorsing Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, over President Donald Trump, then the Republican nominee.



"The presidency requires the judgment and the knowledge to make tough calls under pressure," Scowcroft said at the time. "I believe Hillary Clinton has the wisdom and experience to lead our country at this critical time.

Known as a trusted confidante of the Bush family, Scowcroft did not hesitate to publicly criticize President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

"General Scowcroft was a wise, principled, brilliant strategist and a great public servant," said Sen. Jack Reed, D - R.I., in a statement. "He was a noble, thoughtful scholar and gentleman  truly an American statesman  who served with honor and distinction. His voice, wise counsel, friendship, and international leadership will be sorely missed."



"While he worked in Republican administrations, he always took a non-partisan approach to foreign policy and was perhaps the leading critic of the Bush-Cheney doctrine of pre-emption in the run up to the invasion of Iraq," said Reed. "Hes been an informal advisor to many presidents and universally respected for his keen insight and intellect."



He was for me a heroic example of principled public service that exemplified duty, honor, country," said Reed. "His example inspires and sustains me.

In 1991, Bush presented Scowcroft with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. In 1993 he was awarded an honorary knighthood -- a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) -- by Queen Elizabeth II.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
The stay that Ducey wants would be for a week after either the Court of Appeals refuses to consider the appeal or rules on it. And, if granted, it means that plans by Mountainside Fitness and other facilities to open next week would be shelved.

In filing the appeal, the governors attorneys cited a series of what they claim were errors that Thomason made in concluding it was wrong for the governor to shutter the gyms and fitness centers with no opportunity to show that they pose no more danger than other businesses the governor has allowed to open, from grocery stores to restaurants. And they said the trial judge ignored the principle that the Constitution principally entrusts the safety and health of the people to politically accountable officials of the states to guard and protect.

Attorney Joel Sannes, representing Mountainside Fitness, said the governors legal bid is not unexpected. But he said he ultimately expects it to fail, even with the claim that people will die.

On this issue, the governor bears a high burden of proof, Sannes said. The governor actually needs to show evidence that there is a risk that people will die. And that is where the governor has really fallen short.
The former captain of the ship, Boris Prokoshev, told The New York Times that he heard from other sailors that the Rhosus sank in 2015 or 2016. This time frame turned out to be incorrect. Using satellite imagery analysis and ship tracking data, our Visual Investigations unit went back in time to follow the ship that brought the disastrous cargo to Beirut. We found its exact location, where it remains hidden a short distance from Beiruts ground zero.

The timeline and location of the Rhosus in Beirut gained new relevance on Friday as Lebanons president, Michael Aoun, said that an investigation into the incident will also focus on how the explosive materials entered and were stored in the area.
The U.S. added 1.8 million jobs in July as payroll growth slowed amid a split-screen economy that had employers stepping up hiring in parts of the country that continued to let businesses reopen, even as COVID-19 spikes forced Sunbelt firms to pull back and lay off workers.

The unemployment rate fell to 10.2% from 11.1% in June, the Labor Department said Friday.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had estimated that 1.5 million jobs were added last month.

Starting in late June, nearly half the states paused or reversed reopenings because of surges in coronavirus cases, a rollback that particularly hit Texas, Arizona, Florida and California. Those losses were more than offset by net job gains elsewhere in the country as states relaxed restrictions.

Forecasting employment in July was a crap shoot, with some economists expecting upwards of two million gains and others anticipating losses.

The number of Americans on temporary layoff fell by 1.3 million to 9.2 million as more laid-off workers at restaurants, malls, gyms and other outlets were called back amid state reopenings. About 56% of unemployed workers said they were on temporary layoff, suggesting that many of the 16.3 million jobless workers could still be called back to work. .

Leisure and hospitality, the sector hit hardest by the pandemic, gained 592,000 jobs in June, mostly in restaurants and bars. Retail added 258,000; professional and business services, 170,000; and health care, 126,000.

Government added 301,000 jobs as payrolls were artificially inflated by 215,000 gains in local education. Since many school staffers were furloughed in April because of the pandemic, there were far fewer job reductions than normal in July, an anomaly that resulted in strong employment gains because of seasonal adjustments.

Besides the reopenings, job gains in the spring were juiced by forgivable federal loans to small businesses as long as they retained or rehired employees. Of the 22 million U.S. jobs shed in the early days of the pandemic, the economy recouped 2.7 million in May and 4.8 million in June, but after July's additions payrolls are still at less than half their pre-pandemic level.

Story continues

Businesses in some parts of the country are hiring again while some in regions with coronavirus spikes are cutting jobs.

Clawing back the 13 million remaining lost jobs is likely to be a tougher slog as employers grapple with infection outbreaks and depleted cash. Many businesses have exhausted their federal loans, forcing some struggling firms to lay off workers a second time. Morgan Stanley foresees a significant risk of job losses in August.

In the absence of additional fiscal aid, the broader economy risks losing momentum as it shifts into the second phase of its rehabilitation, economist Kathy Bosjancic of Oxford Economics said in a research note.

Capital Economics is more sanguine, noting infections are starting to trend lower in hot-spot states.

"Employment should continue to rebound over the coming months," the research firm wrote to clients.

Unemployed workers are coping with the expiration of a $600 federal supplement to state unemployment benefits. Congress is debating whether to renew both the small business loans and at least a portion of the jobless benefits as part of a new stimulus bill, but lawmakers have been deadlocked over the measure.

Barb Brown, 66, of Quartzsite, Arizona, was laid off from her job as a corporate travel agent in March. Her boss told her shell eventually be called back but with the crisis battering business travel more harshly than perhaps any other sector, she has no idea when.

She and her husband have been relying on her roughly $900 in unemployment benefits, along with small Social Security and disability payments, to pay their monthly bills and make repairs on their two motor homes, one of which they plan to sell. With the end of the $600 federal benefit, their jobless benefits have been slashed to about $300.

Now things will really become tough, she says. Its been very, very, very stressful.

Charissa Ward, 37, was furloughed in April from her part-time server job at a restaurant at Disneys Hollywood Studios in Orlando. She, her boyfriend and three children have stayed afloat, mostly on her $875 in weekly unemployment benefits, though it hasnt replaced her wages. Ward, who worked 32 to 45 hours a week, has held the job for 15 years.

If she loses the $600 federal supplement, Itll be a struggle to pay her mortgage, car insurance and other bills, she says.

She has applied for other jobs. But with local restaurants running at 50% capacity, Its not like anybody hiring, she says.

While Ward, who has a psychology degree, has applied for social-work and other positions in her field, So many people are out of work. Its a big competition.

The reinstatement of business constraints in states with COVID-19 surges has been captured in several recent measures of economic activity. The number of open small businesses at the end of July was roughly unchanged compared with the beginning of the month, according to Homebase, which makes scheduling software. And fewer employees were working slightly fewer hours.

A tracker of spending by Chase credit and debit card holders showed just a small increase in outlays between June and July, according to JPMorgan Chase.

Misclassification of workers continues

The unemployment rate continued to be skewed by some survey respondents who reported they were employed but absent from work even though they should have said they were on temporary layoff. If those workers had been classified properly, the unemployment rate would have been about a percentage point higher, at 11.2%, Labor said. But thats a big improvement from May when the misclassification lowered unemployment by three percentage points.

Labor force participation dips

In June, the share of Americans working or looking for jobs  which together make up the labor force  dipped from 61.5% to 61.4%. Thats a slight negative because it means more people are on the sidelines, neither working nor job hunting. After sliding from 63.4% in February to a 47-year low of 60.2% in April, the rate had risen sharply the previous two months as an improving labor market drew in more Americans.

The July participation rate, which is still historically low, suggests that more people have lost jobs than the 10.2% unemployment rate implies, such as many baby boomers who decided to retire after being laid off.

Broader jobless measure drops

While the unemployment rate fell, a broader measure of joblessness also edged down. That gauge  which includes Americans working part-time even though they want full-time jobs, discouraged workers who have stopped looking and the unemployed  declined from 18% to 16.5%.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jobs report 2020: 1.8M jobs added as some states reopen, others throttle back
Should grandparents have visitation rights to their grandchildren? Many say that grandparent visitation rights should always be considered when delegating visitation. After all, a divorce limits both parents' time with their shared children, and this can, therefore, mean that a grandparent, who once was close to her grandchildren, is denied any relationship with them at all. Many grandparents play an integral role in their grandchildren's lives and having no rights can be a bitter pill to swallow. As the number of grandparents increase ins Florida, there is a stronger fight by some for grandparents to enjoy such rights.

But what about a parent's fundamental, constitutional right to parent his child without the interference of others? A parent has the ultimate right to control the upbringing of his children, subject only to the identical right of the children's other parent, and arguably, a law that allows anyone to petition a court for visitation rights with children over parental objection unconstitutionally infringes on that right. As a parent, what if you have a different style of parenting than your child's grandparents, your own parents, as so many do? Shouldn't the parent/child relationship override any other relationship as long as the child is not in harm?

What Does the Law Say About Grandparent Visitation Rights?

In 1996, in Beagle v. Beagle, the Court declared the grandparents' rights statute unconstitutional because it invaded the fundamental privacy rights of parents and constituted impermissible state interference with parental rights that are protected by the Constitution of the State of Florida. In this case, the Court found that there was no evidence of the child suffering any harm by the denial of grandparent visitation rights. Thus, the Beagle Court concluded a court could not award grandparent visitation rights when there was an intact family, at least one of the parents objected, and there was no evidence of the child suffering any harm.

However, in extreme situations, grandparents do enjoy such rights. Florida Statute  752.011 allows for grandparent timesharing if both parents are deceased, missing, or in a persistent vegetative state or if one parent is deceased, missing, or in a vegetative state and the other parent has been convicted of a felony or an offense of violence evincing behavior that poses a substantial threat of harm to the minor child. While this statute gives grandparents rights in extreme circumstances, a substantial change in circumstances can lead to a change of custody.

Lengthy Parental Leave: Can Grandparents Cover?

In a case when a child is not in harm's way, do grandparents have any rights? According to Florida Statute  61.13002(2), if a parent is on military duty for longer than 90 days, that parent may designate a family member, a stepparent, or a relative of the child by marriage to exercise timesharing with the child on the parent's behalf. This statute gives grandparents rights to a grandchild that she didn't always have.

But what about non-military parents? There are many reasons why a parent may be away for longer than 90 days. Perhaps his work requires it. Perhaps his health demands it. Shouldn't grandparents have the same rights in these situations as they do when a parent is in the military? If the state is willing to offer visitation rights when a parent is away for 90 days, perhaps the reason for being called away shouldn't matter. While the legislatures seem to be patriotic in enacting this statute, maybe it should apply to all instead of merely to some.

Ultimately, a parent should have the right to parent his child if he wants to and is not harming the child. While grandparent visitation rights are limited in Florida, parenthood is a constitutional right that should not be ignored in most situations.

Meet Joryn Jenkins

Joryn began her own firm in Tampa after a 14-year career in law, two of which she served as a professor of law at Stetson University. She is a recipient of the prestigious A. Sherman Christensen Award, an honor bestowed in the United States Supreme Court upon those who have provided exceptional leadership in the American Inns of Court Movement.

Conact Phone; 215-521-9916
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on phone shortly after an Air India Express plane coming from Dubai overshot the runway at the Kozhikode airport.

A pilot was among 16 people killed in the crash and at least 35 people have been reported injured and shifted to various hospitals.

"Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected," he said.

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

Vijayan informed Modi that a team of officials, including Kozhikode and Malappuram district collectors and IG Ashok Yadav, are at the airport to participate in the rescue operation. Vijayan has instructed police and fire force to take urgent action and also asked the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support.

Have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur. Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support.  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 7, 2020

Reacting to the situation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to rush to the spot.

"Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations," Shah tweeted.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed grief and shock over the incident as he said, "Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured."

Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 7, 2020

President Ram Nath Kovind said he was deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane accident and that he spoke to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and enquired about the situation there. "Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families," the President tweeted. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar were among the host of leaders who condoled the loss of lives. BJP chief JP Nadda also expressed grief over the incident. "Saddened to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Hon Home Minister @Amitshah Ji has given direction to the concerned agencies for rescue program. I pray for the safety of passengers," he said on Twitter.

Saddened to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Hon Home Minister @Amitshah Ji has given direction to the concerned agencies for rescue program. I pray for the safety of passengers.  Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) August 7, 2020

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condoled the loss of lives in the untoward incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured. "Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured." he wrote.

Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 7, 2020

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said it was a "tragic day" for Kerala and hoped that rescue efforts will succeed in saving all the passengers. "Tragic day for Kerala. First the deaths in Munnar & now this: I hear both pilots have died. Hope rescue efforts will succeed in saving all the passengers," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram tweeted soon after the news of the accident broke. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "My heart goes out to the crew and passengers of the Air India plane that has crashed in Calicut and to their families. Our prayers are with you at this tragic and painful moment."

My heart goes out to the crew and passengers of the Air India plane that has crashed in Calicut and to their families. Our prayers are with you at this tragic and painful moment.  Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 7, 2020

BJP leader and former Union minister Alphons K J said this was the second tragedy of the day in Kerala after the landslide in Rajamalai. "Air India Express skids off the run way at Kozhikode, front portion splits, pilot dies and lots of passengers injured. All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didn't catch fire," he said on Twitter.
With the rise of infections of the novel coronavirus in Laredo, county officials are starting to grapple with the unforeseen consequences of the virus on the local populace.

As cases increase, Laredo hospitals are reporting difficulties treating patients due to reaching capacity of COVID patients that can be admitted at one time. The same capacity issues  compounded by many deaths from attempted border crossers  have been seen at Webb County morgue, according to Webb County Emergency Management Coordinator Steve Landin.

Landin said in Wednesday's coronavirus media briefing that the Webb County morgue has recently filled to capacity, forcing the county to make use of refrigerated trucks in order to house deceased persons.

Since the emergence of the pandemic in March, Laredo has confirmed 149 COVID-19 fatalities in total. Of the deaths, 124, or 83.2%, have been confirmed since July. On average, 3.4 deaths have been reported each day since the start of that month.

According to Landin, the influx of bodies received at the morgue meant that Webb County had to borrow two refrigerated trucks from the City of Laredo Health Department and one from the state department to expand the morgue's capacity. Further complicating matters is the high number of persons who died due while crossing the border housed at the morgue.

Webb County has since purchased and installed their own refrigerated unit, allowing them to return the trucks borrowed from the city near the end of last month. The city is now prepared to lend those trucks to city hospitals should they need additional morgue capacity. The county is making use of the newly-purchased facility along with a refrigerated unit provided by the state.

Approximately 120 decedents are housed between the facilities, both external and internal, currently operational at the Webb County Medical Examiner's Office.

While Landin said eight COVID fatalities are housed in the additional units provided by the state, the full number of COVID-positive bodies is currently not known. However, Landin clarified a majority of bodies at the morgue are due to border crossings.

lsanmiguel@lmtonline.com
Saad Aljabri has accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of using increasingly aggressive tactics to try to return him to Saudi Arabia, including offering him a job, threatening to have him extradited on corruption charges, and arresting two of his children

Beirut: A former top Saudi intelligence official publicly accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Thursday of sending a team of agents to Canada to kill him.

The allegation came in a lawsuit filed in US federal court Thursday by the former official, Saad Aljabri, who has accused the crown prince of seeking to silence or kill him to stop him from undermining the prince's relationship with the United States and the Trump administration.

The suit marks the first time a former senior Saudi official has publicly accused Mohammed, the kingdoms de facto ruler, of carrying out a widespread and sometimes violent campaign to silence critical voices.

Aljabri, who was a top aide in the Saudi interior ministry, now lives in self-imposed exile near Toronto. Mohammed has tried to coax him to return to Saudi Arabia and in March, Saudi Arabia detained two of Aljabris adult children and his brother, prompting accusations by relatives and United States officials that they were being held hostage to secure Aljabris return.

His lawsuit says that Saudi agents attempted to target Aljabri in Canada less than two weeks after another team of Saudi operatives killed and dismembered dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. US intelligence agencies have determined that the crown prince likely ordered the killing.

Aljabris suit contained scant evidence to support its charges, including about the alleged Canada operation, nor could they be independently verified by The New York Times.

A spokesman for the Saudi embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment, and Mohammed has said that he had no prior knowledge of the operation targeting Khashoggi.

The lawsuit is the latest riposte in a years-long battle at the top of the Saudi power structure as the crown prince has worked to consolidate his grip on the kingdom.

Aljabri worked for years as a top aide to former crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who headed the Saudi interior ministry, which oversees domestic security and counter-terrorism. That work that gave Aljabri close relationships with intelligence officials from the United States and other countries.

Aljabri was fired by royal decree in 2015, before the present crown prince ousted Mohammed bin Nayef as crown prince and put himself next in line to the throne. Aljabri left Saudi Arabia two years later.

Aljabri has accused Mohammed of using increasingly aggressive tactics to try to return him to the kingdom, including offering him a job, threatening to have him extradited on corruption charges, and arresting two of his adult children to be used as leverage.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia filed a notice through Interpol, the international police organisation, asking other nations to arrest and extradite Aljabri to Saudi Arabia on corruption charges. Interpol later deemed that notice politically motivated, a violation of the organisations rules, and removed Aljabris name from its system, according to Interpol documents reviewed by The Times.

Aljabris suit adds a number of new allegations, accusing Mohammed of deploying Saudi agents in the United States to determine his whereabouts and sending the team of agents to Canada.

The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia under the Torture Victims Protection Act and the Alien Tort Statute, which allow non-Americans to sue in US courts for certain crimes committed abroad.

Aljabri could not be reached for comment. In an interview, his son, Dr Khalid Aljabri, a cardiologist also based in Canada, said his family chose to file the suit after running out of other options to secure the release of their relatives detained in the kingdom and resolve the conflict with the crown prince.

We have exhausted every single avenue for a peaceful remedy and reconciliation, to no avail, Khalid Aljabri said. We hope that this will help end the torment that my family is suffering.

A trial, he said, would allow both sides to present their cases.

We have always told the Saudis, if you have an issue, bring it to court, so now we are making it easier for them by coming to court, Khalid Aljabri said.

Citing unnamed Saudi officials, The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Saad Aljabri had been involved in large-scale corruption schemes to enrich himself and others, charges that were repeated by State-controlled Saudi media. Saudi officials have not responded to questions from The Times about corruption charges against Aljabri.

The court filing contains text messages that Aljabri says were sent to him by Mohammed. In September 2017, the crown prince asked him, where should we dispatch the airplane to fetch you?

Soon after, according to the lawsuit, Mohammed threatened to use all available means to reach Aljabri, including measures that would be harmful to you.

The suit also accuses Mohammed of creating a 50-man death squad known as the Tiger Team to go after Saudis at home and abroad whom he perceived to be a threat to his standing.

Last year, The Times reported that the Crown Prince, during the year before Khashoggis killing, had authorised a secret campaign to silence dissenters that included the surveillance, kidnapping, detention and torture of Saudi citizens at home and abroad. The report was based on interviews with US officials familiar with classified intelligence assessments about the efforts by the Saudi leader.

The suit alleges that a team of Saudi agents carrying forensic gear and including forensic experts arrived at an airport in Ontario in October 2018. They tried to enter on Canadian tourist visas but were turned away by Canadian border officials, the suit said.

Canadian officials have not spoken publicly about any such event.

Ben Hubbard and Mark Mazzetti c.2020 The New York Times Company
Drs. James Pace Jr., James Pace Sr. and Temp Sullivan Offer Same-Day Dental Implants in Nashville, TN With the experience and training to offer this convenient care, Belle Meade Family Dentistry has been transforming smiles and improving the quality of life of patients across Nashville for decades with immediate implant solutions.

Belle Meade Family Dentistry, a full-service family practice of three dentists, is currently welcoming new patients for same-day dental implants with no referral necessary. This will make it easier for those patients to receive the comprehensive dental implant care they need in a single, convenient location. This advantage is especially crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic because it allows them to complete their treatment with fewer face-to-face visits.

Same-day dental implants enable patients to combine multiple surgical visits into just one appointment. This award-winning team is able to remove infected and unsalvageable teeth and place dental implants at the same visit. With the experience and training to offer this convenient care, Belle Meade Family Dentistry has been transforming smiles and improving the quality of life of patients across Nashville for decades with immediate implant solutions.

Equally important to reducing the number of office visits during COVID-19 is comprehensive care that goes beyond placing dental implants. In some cases, patients do not qualify for dental implants until after preparatory treatments like bone grafting are completed. Bone grafting rebuilds lost jawbone restoring the proper bone volume and density to support implants. When it comes time to receive final restorations, the team also provides natural-looking teeth through a specialized lab located in the same building.

Good dental health and functioning are strongly connected to overall health. Failure to take care of teeth by brushing and flossing as recommended and seeking regular professional care can lead to gum disease, tooth and bone loss, and even systemic health issues. This is why it is important that patients continue to visit the dentist during the COVID-19 crisis. Belle Meade Family Dentistry is streamlining that process by eliminating referrals for same-day dental implants.

Belle Meade Family Dentistry consists of three dentists: Dr. James Pace, the founder of the practice, Dr. Temp Sullivan, and Dr. James Pace, Jr. Between them, they have more than 70 years of experience in the field. Even as general dentists, they can perform a high level of services that cover dental specialties, including oral surgery, periodontology, and endodontics.

Patients with missing teeth interested in same-day dental implants are encouraged to contact the dentists at Belle Meade Family Dentistry at their Nashville, TN office by calling 615-298-2030 or visiting http://www.bellemeadedental.com.

About the Practice

Belle Meade Family Dentistry serves the Nashville, TN area with full-service family dentistry, for 35 years running. Dr. James Pace Sr. has served as a Chairman of the Nashville Dental Society and as a delegate to the Tennessee Dental Association. He was selected by his peers in 2019 as one of the Top Dentists in Nashville, has consistently received recognition by the Tennessee Dental Association for his hours of continuing education, and has led and participated in multiple dental and medical mission trips to the Dominican Republic. Along with Dr. James Pace Jr. they have been honored each year from 2015-2019 as Patients Choice Award Winners. Dr. Pace Jr. has also received the 2011 Tennessee Dental Associations Ace Award. Dr. Temp Sullivan earned his fellow in laser dentistry at World Clinical Laser Institute and serves as a delegate for the Tennessee Dental Association and as a member of the Peer Review committee for TennCare. The team at Belle Meade Family Dentistry strives to provide the finest quality dental care for patients in a warm, caring, and clean environment. They execute the most advanced dental care with every service, including dental implants, Invisalign, the Pinhole Surgical Technique and laser dentistry. To learn more about the dentists at Belle Meade Family Dentistry and the services they offer visit http://www.bellemeadedental.com or call 615-298-2030.
A west Clare support group for asylum seekers has warned that 13 men in emergency accommodation in Miltown Malbay are in such a desperate situation that they may opt for a hunger strike.

The 13 men wrote a collective letter to justice minister Helen McEntee and children's minister for Roderic OGorman almost a month ago, but have to date received no response, other than an acknowledgement.

We ask please, we are tired. We can become crazy here. Please see some way to transfer us to a better place... the men stated in their letter of July 10, which was read out in the Seanad by Green Party senator Roisin Garvey on July 30.

Although there have been no reported cases of Covid-19 in the mens accommodation, the Miltown Malbay Welcome Group says that their physical and mental health is at constant risk due to conditions under which they are living.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) reported on Wednesday that there have been 21 outbreaks in direct provision centres, involving 235 cases, with five of the outbreaks still open, and that 47 new cases and four new clusters in direct provision were notified in the past week.

The group has called for Ms McEntee's immediate intervention to move the men to suitable accommodation where they have access to the supports they need, and where they can adhere to best practice on social distancing and other precautions against the spread of Covid-19.#

Read More Tusla warns of children coughing and spitting at staff

The Central Hostel ran as a bar and a tourist hostel in Miltown Malbay before it was contracted by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS)  an office of the Department of Justice and Equality  as a temporary measure in May 2019.

Support group spokeswoman Aine Rynne said in a statement that following five months of attempts to raise this issue through all official channels and avenues ... not one single action has been taken by the Department of Justice to improve the situation.

We are left to wonder if it will be necessary for the men to embark on an action such as the hunger strike which commenced in Caherciveen, Co Kerry  surely this is not how the Irish State wishes to conduct its business? the statement reads.

Residents had started a hunger strike last week at the Skellig Star, Caherciveen, in protest at conditions at the centre before suspending the strike when commitments were made to move them permanently.

The Department of Justice said its officials had previously visited the premises in Miltown Malbay and had spoken with residents via online clinics, and it was "satisfied that the premises is clean, safe, and meeting the needs of residents".

The department said "concerns most recently raised by residents in The Central Hotel, Milltown Malbay will be fully investigated ... as a matter of priority to assess how best they can be addressed", and "any resolutions required will be implemented as quickly as possible".
With the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement coming into force, Vietnams investment and trade ties with the European Union are expected to receive a new boost.

The EVFTA is forecast to boost Vietnams GDP by up to 15 per cent Photo: Le Toan

The International Monetary Fund has announced its latest forecasts on the global economic outlook, stating that the heavy aftermath caused by COVID-19 is expected to drive many major economies to below-zero growth in 2020, including in the eurozone at -10.2 per cent.

More than a week ago, EU leaders agreed on an unprecedented coronavirus stimulus package worth 750 billion ($877.84 billion) to pull their economies out of the worst economic recession.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, is tasked with tapping financial markets to raise the package, which includes 390 billion ($456.57 billion) to be allotted as grants, and 360 billion ($421.45 billion) in loans.

The funds will be distributed among the countries and sectors most impacted by COVID-19. It will support EU economies to stimulate consumption and beef up production, as well as export and import of goods and services.

The EU is now one of Vietnams largest export and import markets, said an expert from the European Union Delegation to Vietnam. Thus, the newly-adopted package is expected to help drive the EUs investment and trade relationship forward.

Last year, the EU was Vietnams second-largest export market, which spent $41.7 billion, down 0.7 per cent on-year, importing Vietnams goods. In the first seven months of 2020, the EU was Vietnams third-largest export market, which earmarked $19.5 billion, down 5.9 per cent on-year.

Figures from the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that as of July 20, Vietnam attracted more than $24 billion from the EU member states. The EU is one of the most important sources of foreign investment for Vietnam.

Vo Van Long, representative of the Association of Vietnamese Businesses in Germany, which embodies more than 1,000 Vietnamese businesses, said that Vietnam will benefit from the EUs fiscal package though available calculations on the positive impacts are yet to be made. Each nation will have their own calculations on the impacts of the package on their economies. The impacts on trade and investment with Vietnam will depend on the scale of cooperation between each nation with Vietnam. However, generally the impacts are positive, he said.

In Germany, each business can seek a prioritised loan worth 19,000 ($22,300) from the government to develop itself, and expand imports and exports, Long said. However, the biggest positive impacts will firstly come from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Vietnamese enterprises in Germany are waiting for the entry into force in order to boost exports to Vietnam thanks to slashed tariffs.

New driver

According to the European Commissions figures, the EVFTA could boost Vietnams booming economy by 15 per cent of GDP, with Vietnamese exports to Europe growing by over one-third. For the EU, the agreement is an important stepping stone to a wider EU-Southeast Asia trade deal.

Right after the agreements entry into force, regarding EU exports to Vietnam, 65 per cent of duties will disappear, and the remainder will be phased out gradually over a period of up to 10 years. For example, to protect the Vietnamese motor sector from European competition, duties on cars will remain for the full 10 years.

As for Vietnamese exports to the EU, 71 per cent of duties will be removed after the deal takes effect, and the remainder will be removed over a period of seven years.

Such boons will also likely help Vietnam woo more EU investment into Vietnam. The European Parliament stated that the EVFTA will make it easier for EU companies to provide services in Vietnam, for example in the postal, banking, insurance, maritime transport, and environmental sectors.

The EVFTA will also open up various Vietnamese manufacturing sectors to EU investment, for example food and beverages, tyres, ceramics, and construction materials.

In a specific case, Denmarks SiccaDania is seeking to take root in Vietnam where it sees great potential in coffee planting, processing, and exports. In Vietnam, SiccaDania has co-operated with DEVEX, a German company, to provide process equipment that turns extracts from local coffee beans into instant coffee powder.

Vietnam is a strong, growing economy in Southeast Asia, with more than 96 million consumers. For SiccaDania, this represents an important market to cement the companys presence in the region, following the establishment of its Singapore office, said Christine Holt, director of Global Sales & Marketing at SiccaDania. Simplifying export procedures, the EVFTA will cut red tape and make it easier to export to Vietnam, for example by making customs requirements more transparent.

She added that the agreement also includes a chapter on trade in services. This will make it easier for SiccaDania to provide after sales service to its customers in Vietnam. Our technology is giving a boost to Vietnams coffee industry. The EVFTA will enable us to further develop our strong and competitive position in our sector in Vietnam.

In another case, Bulgarian wine producer Burgozone Ltd. is looking to take advantage of the EVFTA. Vietnamese tariffs and customs duties on European wines are currently 50 per cent. The new agreement will gradually remove these tariffs over a seven-year period.

With the EVFTA, Vietnamese authorities will have to ensure that distribution licences given to European producers in Vietnam are not discriminatory in any way. This will benefit companies such as Burgozone that hope to expand in the future.

Our company supports the agreement because this will help our company in its expansionary strategy and support our efforts in entering this growing wine market. By cutting export costs, our high quality wines will be competitive on the local market and we will be able to offer to the Vietnamese consumer a premium Bulgarian wine, said Biliana Marinova, managing director of Burgozone.

The EVFTA is also expected to give a helping hand to Swedish glove-maker Hestra, as its new rules of origin will make it easier to trade products tariff-free when they include inputs from other countries the EU has trade agreements with.

Hestra exports textiles and wool from the EU to its factory in Vietnam, where it makes its gloves. With the agreement, these gloves can then be shipped to the EU tariff free.

With the free trade agreement in place, we would look to invest in a new factory in Vietnam with 200-400 employees, alongside our current factory. This would not only be a good opportunity for our company, but also create more job opportunities for the local community, said Svante Magnusson, owner of Hestra.

To-do list

According to the European Union Delegation to Vietnam, European investors and businesses are interested in three key factors in Vietnam  infrastructure, human resources, and the investment and business climate, which would need remarkable improvement now.

Until now, Vietnams foreign investment attraction policy relied heavily on tax breaks, concessional rates, and import duty exemptions, while many investors have come to Vietnam because of the investment incentives and low labour costs. Experts said attracting innovative, technologically-advanced investment requires a more sophisticated investment policy and the correct tools.

Therefore, Vietnam should continue working towards removing existing trade and investment barriers and improving business climate, according to one expert from the delegation. In this context, transparency is key for investors to know the regulations and procedures to follow  and a fair, transparent, stable, and predictable business climate tops EU businessmens priorities when they mull on their investment plans.

Its also vital that Vietnam guarantees a stable legal framework for investors to operate and a functioning enforcement system. We urge Vietnam to improve the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and to set up a grievance system for investors to avoid disputes, said the expert from the delegation. Vietnam is also strongly encouraged to accede to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Importantly, EU investment also requires highly-skilled workers. This offers Vietnam an excellent chance of job creation with secure income, international-standard working environment, acquiring management skills and technical knowledge, and transfer of technologies. Nevertheless, accompanying this opportunity is a challenge that the educational system of Vietnam must cope with to satisfy the needs.

Vietnam can be proud of its hardworking labour force and high literacy rate. However, working with European companies requires better preparation, and more practical and technical knowledge and experience.

The delegation believed that the EVFTA will address some of these issues. It will strengthen transparency about regulations in Vietnam, and will also increase intellectual property rights protection beyond the standards of the World Trade Organization: EU innovations, artworks, and brands will be better protected against being unlawfully copied, including through stronger enforcement provisions.

But most importantly, the EVFTA will create a stable legal framework for trade and investment relations between the EU and Vietnam that will enable both sides to cooperate and achieve a win-win solution. VIR

Thanh Dat

Ministry leaders discuss action plan to implement EVFTA Vietnamese enterprises have been urged to renovate their business strategies if they want to benefit from the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA),
Delta Air Lines has banned more than 100 passengers from flying with them for refusing to wear face masks.

A number of airlines in June announced that it would ban passengers who did not comply with new face mask protocols, and Delta Air Lines has made good on that promise.

'We've had well over 100 people that have refused to keep their mask on during the flight,' CEO Ed Bastian told CNN Business.

Delta Air Lines first announced in May that it would require all passengers to don face coverings when traveling with them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A surge of cases in March all but shuttered the airline industry, which struggled after would-be passengers were restricted under lockdown orders and a wave of new safety guidelines were ushered in.

Delta Air Lines revealed that more than 100 passengers have been barred from flying with them over the face mask mandate

Most major airlines, including United and American, have also implemented individual face mask requirements while the Trump administration shirked away from enforcing a federal mandate.

But Delta has set itself apart with some of the strictest pandemic-era flight rules.

Last month, the company announced it would require medical screenings for passengers who can't wear a face mask due to health concerns.

The airline has also committed to leaving the middle seat on planes empty to put distance between passengers and promote safe travel.

Bastian said that most Delta flyers are compliant with face mask mandates, but those who aren't have caused flight disruptions.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian (pictured): ''We remind them several times over the course of getting ready to take off to please keep that mask on. But if they insist upon not wearing it  we insist that they're not going to travel on Delta today'

Delta Air Lines first required air travelers to wear face masks in May as cases of COVID-19 surged across the United States

'You can't get on the plane without wearing your mask. But we do have some customers that don't want to keep their mask on during flight,' Bastian told CNN Business.

'We remind them several times over the course of getting ready to take off to please keep that mask on. But if they insist upon not wearing it  we insist that they're not going to travel on Delta today.'

Most recently, a Delta flight going to Atlanta, Georgia, was forced to turn back for Michigan when two passengers refused to wear face coverings.

The flight landed back at Detroit Metro Airport on July 23 and later departed to its original destination.

Pictured: 2: A Delta Airline employee gives a face mask to a passenger during check in at the Ronald Reagan National Airport

Social media has been flooded with videos of other instances that have gone viral during the pandemic.

Bastian said Delta Air Lines has emphasized a focus on health for its pandemic response.

In a letter to staffers on Thursday, Bastian reportedly said that keeping customers happy while ensuring public health protocols were met was a key goal in its current business strategy.

'We want to ensure that those who travel now are choosing Delta,' the letter read.

Doing so 'will help bring in the additional revenue we need to reduce our cash burn..."It also will build additional loyalty and affinity for our brand, which will power our growth when demand begins to come back.'

And an uptick in revenue is something Delta and other airline companies are desperately hoping for.

In July, the airline's second quarter report showed that had a $5.7billion net loss - the biggest since 2008.

The company flew 93 percent fewer passengers in April, May and June than it did during the same time last year. Revenue that quarter amounted to $1.5billion.

Six months into the pandemic, the United States continues to struggle with COVID-19 as individual states scramble with mitigation efforts.

More than 4.8 million Americans have been infected with the virus and 160,255 have died.

Hot spots like California and Florida continue to concerning case spikes after they reopened their economies several weeks ago. The Golden State counted 538, 416 cases and 10,000 deaths, while Florida had 510,389 infections and 7,871.

Delta Air Lines tells customers who say they can't wear a face mask for health reasons they will need to undergo medical screening - or stay home

By Lauren Edmonds

Delta Air Lines will require medical screenings for passengers who can't wear face masks due to health concerns - and even suggest they simply stay home.

The latest policy change will accompany Delta's face mask mandate that ensures customers wear them on flights, during boarding and in waiting areas at airports.

Delta appeared to be the first US based airline to implement pre-departure medical screenings in tandem with its coronavirus-era public health protocols.

'We encourage customers who are prevented from wearing a mask due to a health condition to reconsider travel,' the airline said in a statement.

'If they decide to travel, they will be welcome to fly upon completing a virtual consultation prior to departure at the airport to ensure everyones safety, because nothing is more important.'

Delta Air Lines announced that it will require all passengers who cannot wear face coverings due to medical issues to undergo a pre-departure medical screening

Delta's new policy comes after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention strengthened its call for Americans to don face coverings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

'Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus, particularly when used universally within a community setting,' said Director Robert Redfield in a statement.

The new 'Clearance-to-Fly' virtual consultation will be done over the phone by the STAT-MD, a company that does ground-based medical support, and passengers will be connected to a medical professional.

Delta Air Lines will use the results of the consultation to determine if passengers will take flight.

Air travelers who do not have clearance from STAT-MD, or ignore the mask mandate, risk being barred from future flights with Delta.

Making false claims about medical conditions or disabilities could also see passengers suspended.

Delta Air Lines encouraged those who cannot wear face masks to reconsider their travel plans and stay home

Several airlines, including Delta and Spirit, have required all passengers to wear face masks during flights to stop the coronavirus from spreading among travelers

Delta officials asked that people scheduled for the Clearance-to-Fly screening arrive early to the airport to allow enough time for the process, which can take upwards of an hour. Those who are denied will receive a refund for their tickets.

WJLA reports that travelers who would be considered exempt include: people who are physically unable to apply or remove their own face masks, children under age 8 who cannot maintain face masks without hurting personal safety, people with autism or other disabilities and those who use self-contained oxygen that would be compromised by a mask.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian revealed in a memo that he had already 'banned some passengers' from future flights because they refused to wear masks, CNN Business reports.

The protocol went into effect on Monday and will remain until the end of 2020.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Spirit Airlines, United Airlines and others to learn if they have such health protocols in place.

But several have similar mask mandates that were implemented as airports shuttered during the pandemic and air travel sputtered to a near-stop.

United Airlines has a mask mandate and said those who do not wear one could be put on the restricted travel list. American Airlines asked all passengers - except those with children or disability - to wear face coverings during flights.

Southwest, Spirit and United also require passengers to wear masks aboard flights.

While individual companies have implemented rules, Bastian believes more regulations should be made by the Trump administration.

Pictured: Airline passengers wearing face masks arrive and depart the D Concousre at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada

'We've had those discussions with the White House,' said Bastian.

'I feel strongly about it, but I'm not sure some of my peers and other airlines feel the same way. So as a practical matter, I'm not sure it's gonna happen.'

President Trump's stance on face masks had wobbled repeatedly, but he was spotted wearing one for the first time in July - even though lockdown orders were imposed in March.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said at a June event hosted Politico that she was against a federal face mask mandate.

She said decisions should be made by individual airlines and frontline workers who risk the most if the infection is spread.

'When the federal government gets involved, we tend to be much more heavy handed, we tend to be inflexible, and once we put a rule in place, it takes a long time to remove that rule if conditions change,' she said.

Officials said 44 other passengers were on that flight and encouraged them to undergo coronavirus testing as soon as possible.

In addition to its mask mandate and new pre-departure screening, Delta has barred the middle seat on planes from being used.

Delta's chief customer experience officer Bill Lentsch said in a statement that 'reducing the overall number of customers on every aircraft across the fleet is one of the most important steps we can take to ensure a safe experience for our customers and people'.

Research released on Monday also backed up that statement.

Arnold Barnett, an award-winning professor at MIT's Sloan School of Management, shared his findings in a new research paper titled ' Covid-19 Risk Among Airline Passengers: Should the Middle Seat Stay Empty?'

The data shows that barring the middle seat on airplanes may cut the risk of contracting COVID-19 by nearly half.

Using publicly available statistics on social distancing and COVID-19 transmission, Barnett found that a person faces a one in 4,300 chance of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 while flying on a plane with every middle seat filled.

Those odds fall to just one in 7,700 when flying on a plane where no middle seat tickets are booked, according to a report on Barnett's research in ZDnet.

Footage of passengers being removed from flights over their refusal to wear a face mask has become more common as coverings become increasingly politicized.

Over the weekend, it was revealed a 42-year-old fitness model from Kelowna, British Columbia claimed she was kicked off an Air Canada flight for not wearing a mask

But she argued that she had a doctor's note that said face coverings, in her case, could cause panic attacks.

Before that a disgruntled passenger was kicked off a Spirit Airlines flight heading to Florida from New York City for refusing to wear a face mask.

Footage of the tense exchange between the man and a Port Authority officer went viral on social media after people were outraged over the strict rules.

In June, a Trump supporter who refused to wear a face covering during an American Airlines flight was removed by officials.

After being refused on the flight, he condemned the incident as 'absolutely insane' and said 'we don't even have a choice anymore' in a video on social media.

On social media, conservative activist Brandon Straka described the incident as 'absolutely insane' and said: 'We don't even have a choice anymore' (File image o fStraka on plane in MAGA cap)

In a statement, American Airlines said: 'After he refused to comply with the instructions provided by the flight crew, our team members asked him to deplane.

'He deplaned and the flight departed the gate four minutes late at 12:34pm ET.'

In a tweet following the incident, the man said: 'I was just removed from my flight for not wearing a mask. 1st time this has happened. Not a federal law.

Although footage of Delta Air Lines passengers being removed from flights hasn't circulated, there were forced to pay a $50,000 fine in January for removing a three Muslims off of two separate flights because others complained they were 'nervous.'
T housands of vulnerable patients would be left "stranded" and at risk of early death if NHS bosses shut down normal care in response to a second wave of Covid-19, doctors have warned.

Doctors and surgeons leaders on Thursday urged managers to keep the day-to-day health service running. At the start of the UK's outbreak in March thousands of appointments were cancelled to help hospitals cope with the an influx of coronavirus patients.

The NHS must never again be a Covid-only service. There is a duty to the thousands of patients waiting in need and in pain to make sure they can be treated, Professor Neil Mortensen, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, told the Guardian.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of council at the British Medical Association (BMA), said: "We cannot have a situation in which patients are unable to access diagnostic tests, clinic appointments and treatment which they urgently need and are simply left stranded."

If someone needs care  for example for cancer, heart trouble, a breathing condition or a neurological problem  they must get it when they need it," he told the Guardian.

The pair's comments come amid mounting fears of a second wave in the UK this winter and concern over the long-term impact of the disruption to NHS services.

Between 30,000-40,000 patients could not start planned cancer treatment and more than one million fewer patients underwent planned surgery in April, May and June due to mass hospital discharges and their suspension of usual services.

The pausing of services, combined with patients' reticence to enter hospitals, has been linked to some 12,000 excess deaths in England in recent months, according to data collected by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The deaths were not linked to Covid-19 directly but instead caused by a range of conditions, such as heart attacks.

While not publicised in the daily briefings, these [12,000] excess deaths are just as much a tragedy and loss to loved ones as those occurring from the virus," Dr Nagpaul said.

Professor Mortensen added: "The NHS had to stop almost all planned surgery at the beginning of the Covid crisis, and we just cannot let that happen again."

"Things will need to be done differently in the face of any further spike, he said.

Coronavirus: England areas with most new cases per 100,000 people

Looking ahead, Professor Mortensen suggested hospitals should look to establish "Covid-lite" sites to enable surgeons to resume common operations - such as hip and knee replacements - and utilise the NHS's 400-a-month deal with private hospitals to ensure patients are not left stranded again.

Dr Nagpaul suggested the NHS could look at using the seven Nightingale hospitals as extra capacity for non-Covid care to avoid worsening the existing backlog.

"Delaying further care during a potential second wave could mean that we are constantly trying to catch up with the missed care, he said.

But a spokesperson NHS England refused to rule out a second shutdown.

Even at the height of coronavirus, for every one Covid patient in hospital, there were two other in-patients being treated for other conditions, so it is factually untrue to suggest the NHS was ever a Covid-only service, the spokesperson said.

More than five million urgent tests, checks and other treatments took place during the peak of the virus, including 65,000 patients getting vital cancer treatment. How the health service has to respond to any further Covid peak will partly depend on just how big it is.

Last week, Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS in England, wrote to all hospitals asking them to accelerate the return to near-normal levels of non-Covid health services, making full use of the capacity available in the window of opportunity between now and winter.

But the NHS Confederation said that desires to get the NHS back to near-normal levels of service before winter will be a big stretch.
Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Niels Annen commented on the threat of the U.S. senators against Faehrhafen Sassnitz GmbH, which operates Germany's Mukran Port, which is a key staging post for ships involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline thats intended to bring natural gas from Russia to Germany.

"The US policy of extraterritorial sanctions against close partners and allies is a serious encroachment on our national sovereignty," the Handelsblatt. cited the minister as sayig.

"If you continue to provide goods, services and support for the Nord Stream 2 project, you would destroy the future financial survival of your company," says the letter that is available to the Handelsblatt.

"The tone and content of the threatening letters recently sent to German companies by senators are completely inappropriate," Annen clarified. German and European energy policy "will only be decided in Berlin and Brussels and not in Washington DC," he stressed.

The SPD politician announced that he would use the German EU Presidency to "strengthen European sovereignty and further develop instruments such as the Blocking Regulation. Europe should not be blackmailable," Annen concluded.

Earlier, three U.S. senators have issued a dire warning to operators of a German port, threatening them with crushing sanctions for allegedly providing supplies to Russian vessels involved in a pipeline project the United States vehemently opposes.

The letter sent by Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. Ron Johnson targets Faehrhafen Sassnitz GmbH, which operates Mukran Port located in German Chancellor Angela Merkels constituency on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen.



The three senators say their letter "serves as formal legal notice" that the port operator, its board members, corporate officers, shareholders, and employees risk crushing legal and economic sanctions unless they stop providing goods, services and support for the Nord Stream 2 project. This includes providing storage areas for the pipelines steel sections and provisions for the Russian-flagged vessels Fortuna and Akademik Cherskiy.



"The only responsible course of action is for Faehrhafen Sassnitz GmbH to exercise contractual options that it has available to cease these activities," the senators add in their letter. It describes the nearly complete pipeline as a "grave threat to European energy security and American national security."
At least 15 people were killed and around 50 others feared trapped in debris after a landslide triggered by heavy rains flattened a row of dwelling units of tea estate workers at Pettimudi in Rajamala in this high-range district in Kerala early Friday, police and officials said.

IMAGE: Debris of a house is seen after a massive lanslide at Rajamalai in which at least 15 persons lost their lives in Idukki. Photograph: ANI Photo

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said 15 people who got trapped in the debris were rescued and a special officer has been appointed to coordinate the relief operations.

The incident is said to have occurred in the wee hours when a huge mound of earth fell on the "row houses" and two children and five women were among the deceased, most of whom were plantation workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.



Efforts were underway amid continuing rains to locate the missing people in the first major rain-related mishap since the onset of South West monsoon last month that brought back memories of devastation caused by floods and landslides in the previous two years in the state.

IMAGE: Locals wade through a flood affected area during heavy rainfall, in Kochi. Photograph: PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed anguish at the loss of lives in the landslide.



Three injured have been admitted to a private Medical College Hospital in Kolenchery in Ernakulam district and one in Tata General Hospital at Munnar.



Cooking utensils buried in mud, asbestos and tin sheets strewn around were all there to be seen at the area, which was the habitation of around 80 odd workers at the picturesque area near a tea plantation, about 30 kms from the tourist town of Munnar.

Big boulders are also scattered around the site.

IMAGE: Locals move through a flood affected area near Mavoor on a boat, following heavy rainfall, in Kozhikode district. Photograph: PTI Photo

Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, the chief minister said 15 people died in the mishap.



Teams of National Disaster Response Force personnel were on their way to Pettimudi for joining the rescue operations and the government has also sought an Indian Air Force helicopter to assist in the mission, he said.



Crime Branch IG Gopesh Agarwal has been appointed as special officer for coordinating the rescue and rehabilitation operations in Pettimudi, Vijayan said.

IMAGE: Water from Muthirapuzha river enters low lying areas, following heavy rainfall in Munnar. Photograph: ANI Photo

Condoling the death of workers in the tragedy, the chief minister announced initial solatium of Rs 5 lakh each for the kinof the dead. Treatment expenses for the injured will be borne by the government, he said.



In view of the Pettimudi incident, the district collectors have been directed to ensure safety and security of the workers staying in dwelling units in the tea estates.



The Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet that an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund would be given to the next of kin of those killed in the landslide. Rs 50,000 each would be given to those injured.



"Pained by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families," Modi tweeted.

IMAGE: A man carries a gas cylinder on his shoulder in floodwater due to heavy rain, in Kochi. Photograph: ANI Photo

Praying for the early recovery of the injured, he said National Disaster Response Force and the administration were working on the ground, providing assistance to the affected.



Home Minister Shah in a tweet said an NDRF team has reached Iddukki to assist in the rescue and relief operations.

Rahul Gandhi, who represents Wayanad in Lok Sabha, in a message said "This is a terrible tragedy. I urge all our Congress party workers and leaders to lend a helping hand at this time and do whatever they can to mitigate the suffering of our brothers and sisters who are in need of help."

The death toll in rain-related incidents since June 1 this year has risen to 51. One person died in a house collapse in Palakkad on Friday, officials said.

IMAGE: Flood-situation at Panamaram area Wayanad district due to continuous rainfall. Photograph: ANI Photo

Idukki District Collector H Dinesh said that "Most of the people (affected in the landslide) are plantation workers and from neighbouring Tamil Nadu".



Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has sounded a red alert for Idukki on Friday, indicating extremely heavy rains of over 20 cms.



In the last 24 hours ended at 8.30 am, Peermade in the district recorded the maximum of 26.1 cm, it said. Several other districts also received rains in excess of 10 cm.



The tragedy came to light after a forest watchman informed authorities about the landslide. The communication lines have been down in the area since the past three days.



Police and Fire force personnel and local people took up the rescue operations amid the rains.

Photograph: / Rediff.com IMAGE: A baby elephant found dead under Achankovil bridge near Pandalam in Pathanamthitta district.

Munnar MLA S Rajendran told the media earlier in the day that it was difficult to reach the spot as a bridge which provided access to the area was washed away in the rain.



The state health department has dispatched 15 ambulances and a special medical team to provide medical assistance to the victims of the landslide.



Defence sources said a helicopter was ready at the Southern Air Command in Thiruvananthapuram, but was waiting for the weather to clear.



Besides in Idukki, the IMD also forecast extreme heavy rains in Wayanad and Kottayam districts in the next two days, raising fears of more landslides in the Western Ghats region.

IMAGE: Vehicles move on the road during heavy rain in Kochi. Photograph: ANI Photo

The torrential rains also caused flooding in rivers originating from the Western Ghats, a report from Kochi said.



Authorities in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts have sounded alerts with excess water being released from dams built across the rivers.



The rains in hilly areas have caused a sudden rise in the water level in rivers Periyar and Muvattupuzha flowing through Ernakulam district, which was among the badly hit during the 2018 deluge that claimed over 400 lives and left lakhs of people homeless in the state.



Taking precautionary measures to deal with flood situation, the Ernakulam district administration has opened camps in Aluva and Muvattupuzha and several families were shifted there after flood waters entered residential areas in Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalam, Kochi and Parvur taluks.



In view of incidents of landslides, Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas issued an order banning all mining activities in the district.



Rise in water levels in the rivers flowing through Thrissur, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts have also been reported due to continuing rains.
The personnel of the Sarka police station in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district were attacked by flood victims who blocked Highway 28, claiming they were not being provided relief material after the recent inundated their villages.

"We were informed that nearby flood victims had blocked the highway around the Sarka Police station yesterday. On reaching the spot, the locals attacked the police personnel with lathis and stones were pelted at them," Jayant Kant, Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) said while speaking to the media.

He added, "Three police personnel, including the station house officer, were injured and 12 have been arrested so far. Further investigation is underway to address the situation."

As many as 69,03,640 people have been affected while 21 have died due to the in So far, 33 teams of the Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and SDRF have been deployed, according to the state government.

(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 National Public Health Emergency Team may consider localised restrictions in the midlands after a huge surge in cases there linked to outbreaks.

The Government and NPHET expect to issue updated advice today to those living in Laois, Offaly and Kildare.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn has advised people living in those counties to pay particular attention to any new symptoms after a huge increase in Covid-19 cases linked to outbreaks.



Dr Glynn said there had been 226 cases of Covid-19 in the last 14 days in three counties, which account for almost half of all cases in Ireland during that period.

NPHET had also been notified of another 60 cases in those counties, which are due to be reported in this evening's figures.

He said GPs in those counties had been written to and contact tracing was under way.

But he said people living in Kildare, Laois and Offaly should pay particular attention to any new symptoms that they may have, double down on basic public health behaviours and avoid crowded areas.

Dr Glynn said NPHET was strongly recommending that those over 70 or medically vulnerable should limit the number of people they meet, and the time they spend with others, and should avoid public transport if possible.

NPHET has serious concerns about outbreaks related to four meat factories in Kildare and in Tullamore in Co Offaly.
President Donald Trump has been censored on Facebook and Twitter after saying children are "almost immune" from Covid-19. What do the facts say?

We know for sure children are less likely to fall seriously ill from the coronavirus, and emerging evidence suggests they're less likely to be infected too.

What's less clear is how much they spread the virus once infected.

Under-18s have accounted for just two per cent of hospitalized Covid-19 cases and less than 0.1 per cent of all deaths in the United States, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

A total of 45 children died from the coronavirus in the United States between February 1 and August 1 -- compared to 105 who died from seasonal flu -- out of a total of 13,000 children who died of all of the causes over the period.

When they do catch the virus, children are far less likely than adults to fall seriously ill.

An informative study of 2,143 confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus among children in China found 94 per cent of cases were asymptomatic, mild or moderate.

Those children who do fall ill often have underlying conditions. A study found all 10 pediatric patients who were hospitalized in Chicago in March and April with Covid-19 had either pre-existing conditions or co-infections.

The bottom line here is that children get sick and die from Covid-19 far less often than adults do, though that does not mean they are immune.

Some limited research indicates infants (under one) may be at slightly higher risk than older children.

It's worth emphasizing that given that children are more prone to severe cases of flu, it wasn't obvious at the start of the pandemic that children would be less susceptible to Covid-19.

There is also a highly rare, post-viral condition called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) which can develop about a month after SARS-CoV-2 infection and causes multiple organs to become painfully inflamed.

CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL COVERAGE ONLY ON DH

As of July 15, the CDC had reported 342 cases and six deaths -- a death rate of under two per cent. The average age was eight-years-old, and 70 per cent of cases occurred among either Hispanic or black children.

The next question is, are children major drivers of viral transmission? This breaks down into two parts: 1) How easily do they become infected? 2) How much do they spread the virus once they have it?

There have now been several studies on the first part that do indeed seem to suggest children, especially younger children are infected less often.

Icelandic researchers selected just over 13,000 people for viral screening, including some 850 children under 10. The overall prevalence of the coronavirus was 0.8 per cent, but no children under 10 were infected.

Similar surveys carried out in Spain, Italy and Switzerland all had similar results, finding children accounted for a far smaller proportion of infections compared to adults.

That said, this remains an area of ongoing study.

In the US, top infectious diseases official Anthony Fauci is leading a study into the question of infection and transmission rates among children and adults, with results expected by December.

This is perhaps the most pressing question as authorities consider when and how to reopen schools.

If children are major spreaders, then they could cause fresh outbreaks within their homes and communities -- and unfortunately, the evidence right now on this point is mixed.

A study out of Chicago that appeared last week found that children under the age of five carry between 10 to 100 times greater levels of viral nucleic acid in their noses compared to adults.

Since this genetic material causes the virus to grow in labs, the authors suggested that children are probably important drivers of transmission.

That hypothesis merits more study but is not yet proven.

Another way of approaching the problem is through the lens of epidemiology -- that is, what happened in real life?

On the one hand, spectacular clusters have erupted -- for example at a summer camp in the US state of Georgia where hundreds of unmasked children who slept together in large dorms were infected.

Israel too has been a cautionary tale, with outbreaks in multiple schools that infected hundreds of students, teachers and relatives.

For latest updates and live news on coronavirus, click here

Conversely, a large study in South Korea showed that children under the age of 10 infect household contacts at much lower rates than those above 10 and adults.

As for possible reasons as to why children seem to get infected less -- no one knows for sure, but there are ideas.

Maybe the virus can't latch on as readily to the cell receptors of children.

Another theory gaining more traction is that the four coronaviruses that cause the common cold are remembered by the body's T cells -- white blood cells that fight infections -- which then provide cross-immunity.

Since children often get colds, they may have more immunity than adults.

The hypothesis remains to be tested through widespread screening.
BRUSSELS A Belgian court on Friday rejected Spains demand to have a former high-ranking politician from the region of Catalonia extradited back to the country to be tried for his alleged role in an independence referendum that Madrid branded as illegal.

The Brussels prosecutors office said the court had rejected enforcing the European arrest warrant for former Catalan culture minister Lluis Puig on the grounds that the Spanish authorities who issued the warrant are not competent to do so.

Puig has been living in exile in Belgium since he, former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and a number of their associates fled to Belgium in October 2017, fearing arrest over the secessionist push he led and the holding of an independence referendum that the Spanish government said was illegal.

His lawyers had argued that Spains Supreme Court does not have the jurisdiction to judge Puig and that only a Catalan court is competent to do so.

The Brussels prosecutors office said it is deciding whether to appeal the Belgian court ruling.

Puigdemont has since been elected to the European Parliament.

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
A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) received a request from the Central government to probe the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the agency said it is in the process of registering a case and is also in touch with the Bihar Police.



A CBI spokesperson here said, "After getting the notification from the Central government, CBI is in the process of registration of the case." He said the agency is in touch with the Bihar Police. The development comes a day after the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued a notification, paving the way for the central investigative agency to register a case.





Sushant was found dead in his flat in Mumbai's Bandra on June 14. On Tuesday, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recommended a CBI probe on the request of Sushant's father K.K. Singh. Many political leaders have also called for a CBI probe into Sushant's death.



On K.K. Singh's complaint, the Bihar Police registered a case against Sushant's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty on July 25. Sushant's father had lodged an FIR against Rhea in Patna, accusing her of cheating and threatening his son. Sushant's family has also accused her of keeping him away from them.



The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also initiated a money laundering probe on the basis of the Patna Police's FIR and has summoned Rhea for questioning on Friday.



Earlier, a verbal duel erupted between the governments of Maharashtra and Bihar over the investigation by the Bihar Police in the case.


Six construction workers were injured Wednesday when a large piece of steel rebar fell from a crane and impaled two workers at a Miami construction site.

Emergency crews had to cut through the steel to free some of the workers. Three were able to wriggle out on their own.

The two workers who were impaled by the steel were rushed to the hospital and listed in critical condition.

Something malfunctioned and it came loose, Miami Fire Rescue Lt. Pete Sanchez told the Miami Herald. The two trapped under the rubble were impaled by rebar in their upper body. We cut them out.

The accident happened 11:10 at a construction site for an office building.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Workers' Compensation Construction
For most people who have seen One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, the Oscar-winning 1975 movie adapted from the late Oregon-based author Ken Keseys novel, the character of Nurse Ratched was, if not downright villainous, a chilling symbol of authoritarianism. As played by Louise Fletcher, Nurse Ratched ruled the roost at a mental institution (the movie filmed at the Oregon State Hospital in Salem) where Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) and other patients were forced to observe her rules, or else suffer dire consequences.

The new Netflix drama, Ratched, is created by Evan Romansky, with executive producers including Ryan Murphy, whose credits include such attention-getting shows as Glee, American Horror Story, Pose, and for Netflix, The Politician and Hollywood.

Conceived as a sort of original story for Mildred Ratched, played by Sarah Paulson, Ratched takes place in 1947. According to the shows description, it begins with Mildred starting work at a psychiatric hospital in Northern California, where her outward demeanor belies a growing darkness that has long been smoldering within, revealing that true monsters are made, not born.

Paulson, who is also an executive producer, and other members of the cast, including Cynthia Nixon, Sharon Stone, Jon Jon Briones, Finn Wittrock and Sophie Okonedo, talked about Ratched during a virtual press conference as part of the TV summer press tour thats been happening online, after coronavirus-controlling mandates against large gatherings canceled the Los Angeles event.

Asked what it was like to step into a role that had originally been played by someone else, in the case of Fletchers Oscar-winning work in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Paulson said one enormous plus was having the great good fortune of watching one of I think the most masterful performances in cinematic history. Paulson called Fletchers work really remarkable, and joked, no pressure, or anything, when it came to following that.

It gave me an opportunity to have a real spine of the character sort of built in, at least in terms of knowing where I was going with it, Paulson said. But so much of this story obviously predates that, and is an imagined idea of what Mildreds life might have been before she found her way to that hospital. So, its both a blessing and a curse because I do recognize that some people will be looking for Louise Fletcher, but theyre not going to find her, and I dont want them to be disappointed.

Sharon Stone is one of the stars in the Netflix drama, "Ratched." (Photo: Netflix) COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Since Ratched takes place in 1947, the actors were asked if they made use of specific references to that time. Stone said she thought it would be interesting to refer to some of the acting of that period. There were great performances by actresses like Barbara Stanwyck in that period, and she wanted to have a few sort of affectations of the acting of that period in my performance."

Wittrock said he found it helpful to absorb some of the influence of early Brando, and early James Dean, mostly in the look of things. So that helped sort of guide me in a weird way.

In Ratched, Okonedo plays a patient whos been hospitalized because she has several different personalities, as Okonedo said. And, to be honest, I cant remember who I am between each character, though her main character is Charlotte, who sees Mildred as quite kind, as Okonedo said.

Stone described her character as the mother of a patient, though she really could be a patient herself, and after a disagreement with Dr. Hanover (Briones character), I try to work it out with Nurse Ratched, Stone said, in our special, special way.

To make Ratched, Paulson said, We did have to get the rights, though Paulson said she was surprised that the process apparently moved along fairly quickly.

But I have not heard from any of the actors in the original film, Paulson added. I did not reach out to any of them. I dont know if anyone else did. But I thought about Louise Fletcher every day that we were shooting it, and I hope that in the coming season there will be some Louise Fletcher.

The eight-episode Ratched will stream beginning Sept. 18 on Netflix.

More of our coverage:

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-- Kristi Turnquist

kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist

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Actress Rhea Chakraborty has appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. A case has been filed against her for money laundering and alleged misuse of the actor's funds. Rhea was living-in with Sushant at his Mumbai residence and had moved out days before his alleged suicide on June 14, 2020.

The Bollywood actress had filed a plea before the ED to postpone her appearance and to wait until the replies are filed in the Supreme Court of India. Her plea was rejected.

Rhea Chakraborty's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said in a statement, "Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen. In view of the fact that ED has informed the media that the request to postpone the attendance is rejected...she has appeared in the ED at the appointed time and date."

It is learnt that Sushant Singh Rajput's friend and employee Siddharth Pithani, too, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the case.

Recently, the Centre accepted Bihar government's recommendation for a CBI probe in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. IPS officer Gagandeep Gambhir, along with senior IPS officer Manoj Shashidhar will be supervising this case which is being probed by a special investigation team under superintendent of police, Nupur Prasad.

Also Read: Exclusive: Sushant Singh Rajput Was Offered Film By Me, Says Producer Ramesh Taurani

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
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Undeterred by the coronavirus, schools in several US states have reopened for in-person classesbut some have already been hit by large quarantines of students and staff following fresh outbreaks.

In Mississippithe state with the country's highest positivity rate at 22 percent of everyone tested, sick or otherwisethe Corinth School District has so far seen eight confirmed cases across several schools, according to officials.

As a result, over 100 people who came into close contact with them have been asked to quarantine, swiftly disrupting local authorities' plans for a return to normal.

The city of Corinth is located in Alcorn County where positivity rates are 25 percent and ICUs are full, according to the tracking site COVIDActNow.

Health experts say that if the proportion of positive tests in a given location is above five percent, the virus is spreading rampantly.

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves told Fox News the quarantine was in fact evidence things were working as they should.

"Those who want to attack everyone look at that as a negative, I actually look at it as a positive," he said.

"We've identified positive cases, we've contract traced those back and we're trying to protect those kids."

'Cautionary tale'

The district's troubles highlight the dangers of reopening schools, a key priority of President Donald Trump as he tries to kickstart the economy ahead of the election.

After pressure from the president, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month issued new guidelines on how to open up classrooms.

It firmly weighed its recommendations in favor of in-person learning because of the negative impact of lockdowns on social development and mental health.

Data also shows distance-learning exacerbates educational attainment gaps between socioeconomic groups.

This goal is shared by outside experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics, but a major problem is a lack of clarity around when it is safe to reopen.

In the absence of official guidance, experts have devised their own metrics.

"The Mississippi example is a clear cautionary tale of what reopening will look like unless the community level transmission is contained," said Thomas Tsai, a Harvard professor and member of the Harvard Global Health Institute.

Harvard has created a dashboard that gives every county in the country a color rating based on a seven-day average of its per capita daily cases.

With an average of 37 daily cases per 100,000, most of Mississippi is in the "red"meaning it is clearly unsafe to reopen.

"No amount of mask wearing and HVAC filtration in the schools is going to minimize risk if there's a wildfire of COVID burning in the surrounding community," stressed Tsai.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters Friday that schools will be reopening, citing his state's success in battling the virus, with schools planning for a part-time approach.

The state averages three daily new cases per 100,000, placing it in the "yellow" category on the Harvard dashboard, meaning schools can open with a robust testing plan.

"It's not zero risk, but it's acceptable risk given the benefits of in person education," said Tsai.

Several other large cities, including Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami have announced they will stick to distance learning for now.

But Republican-led states of Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and Indiana opened this week and last.

'Good and necessary trouble'

There are also strong indications that officials in Georgia have rushed to open too soon and without adequate measures.

Two North Paulding High School students were suspended after posting pictures of crowded hallways that went viral on Twitter, according to reports.

One of them, 15-year-old Hannah Watters, told CNN: "I'd like to say this is some good and necessary trouble," quoting the late civil rights leader John Lewis.

"My biggest concern is not only about me being safe, it's about everyone being safe."

The school, which is also in a county where there is rampant community transmission, later reversed its decision, she told CNN Friday.

For University of California Riverside epidemiologist Brandon Brown, the visuals painted a disturbing picture.

"The high school students who took photos of others walking around school unmasked revealed a truth that needed to be seen," he said.

"They are saving lives by their actions, if decision makers seeing the truth leads to change, and sadly that is what it usually takes to do the right thing."

Explore further Is it safe to reopen schools during the pandemic?

 2020 AFP
27/45

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese addresses the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Labor stepped up its attack over paid pandemic leave on Monday, calling for Parliament to come back as planned later this month so it could grill the government over the issue. "Why is it that now we're responding to paid pandemic leave after there's been community transmission?" Labor leader Anthony Albanese said. "The point of paid pandemic leave, and why we've been calling for it for some time, was to prevent community transmission." Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
LEXINGTON, S.C., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cola Wealth Advisors remembers the legacy of Major Rick "Guns" Garin, a highly decorated F-16 fighter pilot with the South Carolina Air National Guard (SCANG). A skilled pilot in the F-16, Major Garin served as the 157 Fighter Squadron's Chief Instructor Pilot and Tactical Expert. "Guns" proved his expertise during multiple combat deployments to the Middle East including Afghanistan and Jordan.

Major Garin passed away at the age of 36 from sudden medical complications. While our nation lost an elite aviator, his family lost a dedicated husband and loving father of two girls (ages 6 and 1). Major Garin always referred to them as "my girls" and they were the center of his universe.

As a veteran led organization, Cola Wealth Advisors understands all too well the challenges set before Mrs. Garin and their two daughters.

In response to these challenges, Cola Wealth Advisors, have helped set up a memorial fund for the family, with the goal of raising $100,000. All of the funds raised will be donated directly to Major Garin's widow.

If you would like to help, donations are being accepted at https://gf.me/u/yk8xv8. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Rick Mantei is the owner and founder of Cola Wealth Advisors. Securities and advisory services offered through Centaurus Financial, Inc., a member of FINRA and SIPC and a Registered Investment Advisor. Cola Wealth Advisors and Centaurus Financial, Inc. are not affiliated. With the help of Kathy Nishnic, Atul Makharia, Lisa Mantei, Matt Hawkins and Cindy Chiellini, the team assists more than two thousand families in achieving their financial goals. Please visit our website for more information: https://www.colawealthadvisors.com/.

CONTACT: Jacob Spradley, (423) 928-5564

SOURCE Cola Wealth Advisors
Bihars Gagandeep Gambhir, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the 2004 batch, will be a part of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team investigating the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The case was handed over to the central agency by the Bihar government after Rajputs father KK Singh and the Bihar police alleged a cover-up by the Mumbai Police.

CBI on Thursday filed a case into Rajputs death naming his former girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik Chakraborty and four other members of her family or known associates apart from unknown persons as accused.

Gambhir, along with senior IPS officer Manoj Shashidhar, will supervise the case which is being probed by a special investigation team under superintendent of police Nupur Prasad. Shashidhar, a 1994-batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre, is the joint director of the central agency.

According to HTs sister publication Hindustan, the Gujarat cadre IPS officer was born in Bihars Muzaffarpur and grew up in the city.

Also read: Rhea Chakraborty asked to appear before ED this Friday

Hindustan cited the IPS officers father, Yogendra Singh Gambhir, as saying that his daughter studied at school in the city. He said Gagandeep was a bright and hardworking student from the beginning. She moved to Punjab after her Class 10 and completed her higher education from Panjab University. She was also the topper of Panjab University.

Gagandeep has been a senior superintendent of police (SSP) in many districts in the western state, including Rajkot and has been posted in CBI for the last year and a half. She has also been a part of teams probing many high-profile cases, including the big scams.

She had also supervised the investigation into the alleged role of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in the illegal mining case. She was later shifted to the unit probing the Srijan scam and the case against journalist Upendra Rai. She also had the additional charge of DIG in the special investigation team headed by Joint Director Sai Manohar.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput had a habit of tearing diary pages himself, says friend Siddharth Pithani

The team, which was earlier headed by Rakesh Asthana, is probing important cases like that of Vijay Mallya and Agusta Westland. It is also probing some coal scam-related cases, among others.

The Maharashtra police have questioned the jurisdiction of the Bihar police in the matter. A final call on this matterwhether Bihar police have the jurisdiction to transfer a case to CBIwill be taken by the Supreme Court later this week.

KK Singh has alleged in his police complaint that Rhea Chakraborty and his family drove his son to suicide and appropriated Rajputs assets. After Rajputs father lodged the complaint, Patna Police registered a case including charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and abetment to suicide against Chakraborty, her parents Indrajit Chakraborty and Sandhya Chakraborty, brother and common friends Samuel Miranda and Shruti Modi.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is separately investigating the case as it suspects there has been money laundering by some suspects.
In May, a fleet of ships set sail for fuel-starved Venezuela with Iranian gasoline, stunning international observers who wondered if the two nations would so blatantly defy U.S. sanctions efforts in a Caribbean Sea patrolled by the U.S. Navy.

Five vessels arrived without incident, greeted by an exultant Venezuelan leader.

One did not.

The vessel, the Victor 1, sat in the Gulf of Oman for more than 100 days before discharging its badly needed cargo several oceans away from its intended destination. Dozens of e-mails sent by the ship's charterer and seen by Bloomberg show how the Victor 1's cargo became ensnared in a payment dispute that involves little-known trading entities, allegations of corporate identity theft and, potentially, an indicted Colombian businessman accused by the U.S. of being a dealmaker for Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro.

The shadowy tale demonstrates both the limits and consequences of U.S. oil sanctions levied against Venezuela last year in an attempt to dislodge the autocratic regime. Years of mismanagement by the state oil company have left its refining sector in a shambles, bringing gasoline production to a near halt. That's forced Venezuela to seek fuel from a dwindling cast of international suppliers, but also presents opportunities for companies willing to engage in trades that, while not necessarily illegal, risk the ire of the U.S., which keeps widening its net of sanctions.

"This is a cautionary tale for others willing to do business with Venezuela," said Diego Moya-Ocampos, a political-risk consultant at IHS Markit in London. "Every drop of gasoline matters to the Maduro regime, so any losses have a huge impact on the country's social stability."

The Victor 1 was chartered by Imperium SA DMCC in early April to carry 295,000 barrels of fuel to Venezuela, according to e-mails seen by Bloomberg. In a separate email correspondence related to company financing, Dubai-based Imperium described itself as an oil-trading company established to export Venezuelan crude to Malaysia, Singapore, India and China. Imperium said in that email its purpose is to buy Venezuelan crude from its affiliate companies, Libre Abordo SA de CV and Schlager Business Group.

In an e-mail dated April 2, Imperium informed Iran's state-controlled National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company that it had arranged a vessel to load one of its cargoes of gasoline. The fuel cargo originally loaded in Iran in mid-March onto the vessel Venice 1 and then was moved April 10 onto the Victor 1 by ship-to-ship transfer in the United Arab Emirates, according to ship-tracking data. Trinidad and Tobago was listed as the vessel's destination on a shipping manifesto. But its destination was meant to be the Venezuelan government-controlled port of El Palito, emails to the shipper show.

For the next month, the shipper, Liberian-registered Ceto Shipping, and Imperium struggled to agree on where to deposit payments. Ceto sent multiple emails seeking to get paid by offering different bank accounts for deposit from Oman to Qatar, while Imperium requested Ceto provide bank accounts in Europe or Dubai. In an e-mail dated May 22, Ceto accused Imperium of not paying all of its chartering fee. In the same email, the shipper expressed concern about some of the participants involved in the cargo's sale from Iran to Venezuela.

A representative for Ceto told Imperium it notified the National Iranian Oil Products company "we couldn't continue this cooperation with Alex Sabb," a possible misspelling of Alex Nain Saab Moran, who was indicted by the U.S. last year on federal money-laundering charges. He's currently in prison in Cape Verde, where he was arrested during a flight refuelling stop. Saab's lawyer called his detention "arbitrary and illegal" and promised to appeal an extradition order granted last month.

Around the time that the Victor 1 should have been arriving to Venezuela at the end of May, Libre Abordo filed for bankruptcy and was subsequently sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department. It's not clear from the emails whether the payment dispute is the sole reason why the vessel never departed or whether Libre Abordo's bankruptcy played any part. The only thing that's known for certain is the badly needed product didn't reach Venezuela.

Libre Abordo didn't respond to repeated email requests for comment. Requests for comment sent to the email address used by Ceto in the documents went unanswered. Alexander Rodriguez, who is described as a person in charge in e-mails sent by Imperium, didn't return calls and emails seeking comment. In separate emails to refiners in March, Rodriguez identified himself as an employee at Libre Abordo.

Corporate documents identify Giagkos Stylianou as a shareholder in Imperium. When contacted, Stylianou said he had an agreement with an undisclosed party to represent Imperium, but that he was unaware of any dealings with Iran.

"What I understood after looking into it, is that there's someone who's illegally using this company for his own benefit," Stylianou said in a statement, without elaborating.

Iran's oil ministry declined to comment when reached by phone and the foreign ministry didn't reply to a request for comment. Venezuela's Ministry of Information didn't respond to a request for comment.

Five tankers carrying a total of 1.5 million barrels of gasoline arrived in Venezuela in May and June, prompting U.S. authorities to impose sanctions against their ship captains. According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, all five vessels were Iranian-flagged tankers chartered by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and National Iranian Tanker Company, both of which were already sanctioned by the U.S. Ship-tracking data show the Victor 1 floated off Oman for more than three months and discharged its cargo in the U.A.E. on July 23.

In July, the U.S. filed documents to seize the gasoline on board four more Venezuela-bound Iranian vessels. The transponders, or satellite signal, for all four tankers were switched off between May and early July, ship-tracking data show. Although their location is unknown, the Venezuelan government hasn't made any announcements about their arrival and the effects of gasoline shortages are once again being felt across the country.

"Iran is the gasoline supplier of last resort," said Moya-Ocampos. "Nobody is willing to supply Venezuela because of the reputational risk."
O fficers formed a human barrier outside Colindale police station after protesters gathered over the arrest of a 14-year-old boy.

In a statement, Metropolitan Police said officers arrested the teenager on suspicion of possessing cannabis following a stop and search.

During the arrest, a group gathered around the officers and a further two men, aged 23 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of obstructing police.

The officers then left the scene in a car and were followed on foot by 40 people to Colindale police station, the force said.

The protesters proceeded to demonstrate outside the station, demanding the release of the teen and the two men.

A cordon was put in place around the station and police authorised a Section 35 dispersal order preventing members of the public from gathering outside the station. The order will stay in place until Sunday.

In a video posted to Twitter, Temi Mwale, director of youth group 4FrontProject, claimed that two members of her staff had been arrested by police.

Ms Mwale appealed to members of the public to join the protest outside the station.

"This community is sick and tired of the way we are being treated, now we need your support," she said.

"They have disappeared members of our community, they have disappeared young people, they have disappeared community workers."

4FrontProject describes itself as a member-led youth group empowering young people and communities to fight for justice. They are involved in the organisation of a Black Lives matter protest taking place in Tottenham on Sunday.

One witness said protesters blocked access to Colindale police station, and refused to allow police vehicles to pass.

The 14-year-old was released under investigation with his mother present.
Two dead as AirIndia Express skids off Kozhikode airport, several injured. Image Source: IANS News

Two dead as AirIndia Express skids off Kozhikode airport, several injured. Image Source: IANS News

Two dead as AirIndia Express skids off Kozhikode airport, several injured. Image Source: IANS News

Two dead as AirIndia Express skids off Kozhikode airport, several injured. Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Aug 7 : An Air India Express flight from Dubai skidded-off the runway after landing at Kerala's Kozhikode and plunged deep into a valley, where it broke into two pieces, the DGCA said.

The aircraft, which had a total of 191 people onboard, battled heavy rains while landing.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Air India Express AXB1344, a B737 aircraft, with 191 people on board, landed on Runway 10 amid visibility of 2,000 metres in heavy rain, but continued running till the end of runway, fell down in the valley and broke in two pieces.

As per local reports, rescue operations are going on at the crash site and further details are awaited.

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash
California Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Friday the state's coronavirus pandemic is improving and the downward trends are real, despite a technical glitch in the data-reporting system that caused a lag in collecting test information for days.

Ghaly noted that hospitalizations and ICUs continue to drop, and these are independent of the broken computer reporting system.

"We do feel confident in the trend and believe the trend has been stabilizing and coming down," said the state's top health official at a press briefing. "The hospital and death data is collected and reported in a different manner."

The data issue has been fixed, but created a backlog of 250,000 to 300,000 records that Ghaly said will be processed in the next 24 to 48 hours.

"Those are test results," he said. "We dont know how many are positive or how many are negative."

He said some of those records could be from lab tests for other illnesses, though he suspects the majority are COVID-19 test results. What's more, the records will go through a process to eliminate any duplicates.

The state will be sorting records through the weekend and sharing new information with the public as it becomes available.

"Addressing this has been our top priority over the last 72 hours," said Ghaly.

Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press

At the start of the week on Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state had seen a 21.2% drop in the seven-day infection rate from the week before.

The next day, the governor's statement was brought into question. Ghaly announced in his Tuesday press briefing the state hadn't received complete reports of the number of tests conducted for days, nor the number that came back positive for COVID-19. In other words, the state didn't have a clear idea of whether cases were going up or down. The data glitch didn't impact the reporting of hospitalizations and deaths, however.

Ghaly said Friday that he was was made aware of the technical glitch that likely started with a computer server outage in July on Monday evening, and he alerted the public on Tuesday.

The California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE) is where the data breakdown occurred. The state system electronically receives COVID-19 test data from individual labs and feeds information from labs to both the states system and the local public health system.

"The CalREDIE system was not built for this volume of data," said Ghaly, adding that new protocols are being put in place to ensure server capacity and redundant systems. The state has also built a redundant system to make sure the problem doesn't happen again.

In addition to the data glitch, Ghaly said Friday the state "failed to renew a certificate" which kept one of the largest labs from reporting any test results for five days, from July 31 to Aug. 4.

This week amid the technical fiasco, many counties individually reported to the state that it thinks the coronavirus case numbers are being underreported or delayed. Cases in Sonoma County, for example, may be underreported by up to one-third, according to the Press Democrat.

What's more, the state stopped adding and removing counties to and from the watch list this week. Ghaly said the watch list was frozen last Friday due to a change in the federal hospitalization metric standard, not the data glitch.

"We are working to assess the impact of the data issues on disease transmission metrics in the county data monitoring program and will get it back up and running as soon as possible," CDPH said in a statement Thursday.

The state set up the watch list to create a system for monitoring counties that experience significant increases in COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates. There are currently 38 of the state's 58 counties on the list that are working with the state to identify the causes for any worrisome trends and next steps to mitigate the virus spread.

If a county is on a watch list for three days or longer, the state will order officials to roll back some reopenings. They also are not allowed to open school campuses until they have been off the watch list for at least 14 days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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When Amber Lynn Gilles was refused service by a San Diego Starbucks barista in June, she took her frustrations to Facebook: "Meet lenen from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I'm not wearing a mask. Next time I will wait for cops and bring a medical exemption." After a GoFundMe drive raised over $100,000 for barista Lenin Gutierrez (half of which Gilles now claims belongs to her), she turned over her medical documentation  a pelvic exam from 2015 and a handwritten note from a local chiropractor which noted "underlying breath conditions." In what is likely the most high-profile attempt to use a medical condition to sidestep a mask requirement, it is hardly the only one. Similar scenes have unraveled in North Hollywood, Dana Point and San Luis Obispo  and that's just in grocery stores in California. Some airlines have reached a breaking point. American, Southwest, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines, plus Spirit Airlines, no longer allow medical exemptions at all.

Medical mask exemptions vs. no mask, no service

Viral videos and the proliferation of meaningless exemption cards for sale online have resulted in widespread public skepticism of health-related mask exemptions. The issue has been further complicated in the U.S. where political partisanship and claims of governmental overreach and personal rights have muddled mask habits during the pandemic. Misinformation isn't helping things either. Some believe that simply citing the existence of a "medical condition" conveys automatic protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)  which was designed to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities  and thus allows them to bypass mask requirements. Disabilities under the ADA, however, are case-specific and require individual assessment. "The individual would have to establish that she is a person with a disability under the law, which has specific legal standards and is not always an easy or straightforward thing to do," Professor Jessica Roberts, the director of the Health Law & Policy Institute at the University of Houston Law Center, told USA Today.

Few medical conditions are truly incompatible with all forms of mask wearing. Mical Raz and Doron Dorfman JAMA Health Forum

Beyond that, the ADA allows restrictions to stand if an individual poses a "direct threat to the health or safety of others." In March, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determined the Covid-19 pandemic met that threshold. The Northwest ADA Center, a part of the ADA National Network, asserts businesses should be justified in relying upon guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local governments' orders, to justify policies that prevent maskless customers from entering their stores. "In limited circumstances, there could be a situation in which a customer cannot wear a face mask due to a legitimate health reason," states an article on the center's website. "In this case ... a business may not need to alter their face-mask required policy, but in any event, should attempt to accommodate that customer in an alternative manner ... providing curbside pickup; no contact delivery; or assistance via online store services."

So what are medical reasons that exempt one from wearing a mask?

While standards set by state and local governments and private businesses vary, the CDC states that masks should not be worn by:  children younger than 2 years old  anyone who has trouble breathing  anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance The problem mainly lies in the nebulous middle category  a health issue with a number of possible underlying medical conditions.

It is likely that chronic pulmonary disease in itself is a compelling reason for masking, rather than a category of exemption. Mical Raz and Doron Dorfman JAMA Health Forum

Asthma is a common condition that causes breathing issues. According to the CDC, more than 25 million Americans have asthma, or about 1 in 13 people. Still, doctors advise that most asthmatics can safely wear masks. "For people with very mild asthma or well-controlled asthma, it's probably not going to be an issue," said Dr. David Stukus, member of the Medical Scientific Council for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), in an article on the organization's website. British charity Asthma UK agreed, stating on its website: "Most people with asthma, even if it's severe, can manage to wear a face mask or covering for a short period of time." But what about chronic pulmonary diseases, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema? In an article published on July 10, 2020 entitled "Mask Exemptions During the Covid-19 PandemicA New Frontier for Clinicians," authors Dr. Mical Raz and attorney Doron Dorfman argue people with these conditions may have even more reason to mask up. "It is likely that chronic pulmonary disease in itself is a compelling reason for masking, rather than a category of exemption," writes Raz and Dorfman in the JAMA Health Forum. The danger is two-fold, they say. Those with a chronic pulmonary illness are at a higher risk for severe disease should they contract Covid-19. They would also likely carry a higher risk of spreading it to others due to chronic coughs associated with their conditions.

Mark Liddell | Moment | Getty Images
Netizen arrested due to online rumor-mongering on military vehicle

PLA Daily

Source: China Military Online

Editor: Li Wei

2020-08-06 17:17:15

BEIJING, August 6 -- Recently, a netizen surnamed Zhou was arrested by the police in accordance with the law, because he spread the rumors online by saying that "the poor quality of military vehicles supplied by the Dongfeng Off-road Vehicle Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as Dongfeng) has caused the death of Chinese soldiers during the China-India border clash".

On August 3, after learning via the Internet that online-user Zhou had posted rumors on his WeChat Moments by claiming that internal corruption of the Dongfeng Company had led to the poor quality of the its military vehicles, which resulted in the casualties of Chinese soldiers on the China-India border, the Dongfeng Company immediately reported to the local police and established a special working group to investigate and verify the case.

At about 18:00 on August 4, Zhou was arrested by local police. He confessed to his crime of rumor-mongering, showed remorse, and wrote a sincere apology letter.

The Dongfeng company has been engaged in the R&D and manufacturing of high-mobility off-road vehicles for military operations for a long time, being considered as China's top military vehicles manufacturer.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:21:27|Editor: huaxia

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MALE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Abdulla Mausoom has been appointed as Maldives' new minister of tourism, local media reported here Friday.

Maldives President Ibrahim Solih, in a ceremony held at the President's Office in capital Male, officially presented Mausoom with a letter of appointment as minister of tourism on Thursday.

Mausoom was serving as the resident ambassador of the Maldives to Singapore, and non-resident ambassador of the Maldives to New Zealand, prior to his appointment to cabinet.

Mausoom is a long-time parliamentarian who has previously served in Cabinet as minister of tourism and aviation, and minister of environment, energy and water. He was a board member of Maldives Association of Tourism Industry.

Mausoom's appointment comes following the dismissal of the previous Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed on July 9. Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail had been holding the tourism portfolio in the interim. Enditem
NEW DELHI: Indian Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane has asked top military commanders in the Central and Eastern sectors to be prepared for any eventuality and maintain highest operational preparedness, ANI news agency reported Friday quoting unnamed sources.

Naravane said this after visits to Eastern and Command headquarters on Thursday and Friday. The reported comment comes against the backdrop of tensions and mobilization of troops by India and China along their undemarcated Line of Actual Control border in the Western sector.

On Friday, Naravane was briefed by General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) Central Command Lieutenant General I S Ghuman on both operational and administrative aspects, a statement from the defence ministry said.

The Army chief also met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath during his visit to Lucknow. "It was a courtesy meeting between the two. The chief minister presented a memento to the Army chief during the meeting," PTI quoted a state government official as saying.

On Thursday, Naravane visited Tezpur-based 4 Corps headquarters and carried out a comprehensive review of India's military preparedness along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim. In his interaction with senior Army commanders, the Army Chief asked them to keep up the "high state of alertness" along the LAC in view of the border row with China in eastern Ladakh, a person familiar with the developments said.

Naravane was given a detailed briefing by Lt Gen Anil Chauhan, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Eastern Command, about deployment of troops and weaponry along the areas bordering China in eastern sector, the person said.

"The Chief of Army Staff interacted with all the corps commanders of Eastern Command and reviewed the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness in the eastern theater," the Indian Army said in a statement.

Given the tensions with China in Ladakh, the Indian army had issued instructions to its troops to remain on high alert and significantly ramped up deployment of soldiers at all sensitive points along the 3,488 kilometre long LAC including in the Arunachal and Sikkim sectors.

The Indian Air Force has also put its bases near the borders with China on high alert and deployed additional fighter jets and attack helicopters especially the Arunachal sector, according to the person cited above.

With the disengagement process in eastern Ladakh hitting a roadblock, the Indian Army is preparing to maintain current strength of troops and military hardware along the LAC during the winter months as well.

Senior commanders of the Indian and Chinese armies had met at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAD on 2 August to try and expedite the disengagement process but there was no success. The Chinese military which has pulled back from Galwan Valley and another friction point in Ladakh, has refused to pull back its troops from the banks of the Pangong Tso lake. India has insisted that China must withdraw its forces from areas between Finger Four and Eight  as the mountain spurs in the area are referred to.

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A man walks past a sign for Tencent, the parent company of Chinese messaging app WeChat, outside the Tencent headquarters in Beijing, Aug. 7, 2020.

President Donald Trump has issued a ban on U.S. transactions with the Chinese parent companies of video-sharing app TikTok and messaging app WeChat, citing threats the two subsidiary firms present in harvesting the data of U.S. citizens.

In two executive orders late Thursday, Trump said transactions to be identified by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross with ByteDance Ltd., the owner of TikTok, and Tencent Holdings Ltd., the owner of WeChat, will be prohibited within 45 days.

The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the Peoples Republic of China (China) continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, Trump said in the order targeting TikTok says, noting that the app has been downloaded more than 175 million times in the U.S.

TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories, he added.

This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) access to Americans personal and proprietary information  potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.

The order also highlighted reports that the app censors content China deems politically sensitive, including protests over issues of autonomy in Hong Kong and Beijings abuses of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and said it could be used to spread disinformation to benefit the CCP.

It effectively bans the app in the U.S., as it prohibits any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd.  or its subsidiaries.

In a similar order banning transactions with Tencent, Trump also warned that WeChat captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the CCP a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives.

Reactions to orders

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused the U.S. of using state power to wantonly oppress non-U.S. companies during a regularly scheduled press briefing in Beijing on Friday, suggesting the move was nothing short of bullying.

Wang called on the Trump administration to correct its mistakes and reverse the orders, saying Washington should stop politicizing economic issues and provide a fair, just and nondiscriminatory environment for international firms.

He also warned that China will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its companies, suggesting that reciprocal measures may be taken.

In a statement on Friday, TikTok said it was shocked by the executive order, which is said was issued without any due process.

For nearly a year, we have sought to engage with the U.S. government in good faith to provide a constructive solution to the concerns that have been expressed, the company said.

What we encountered instead was that the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses.

A spokesperson for Tencent said Friday that the company is reviewing the executive order to get a full understanding, according to a report by Reuters News Agency.

Tencent is one of the worlds largest tech companies and owns stakes in major video game studios, music companies, and social media apps. The companys stock value plummeted by nearly eight percent in Hong Kong on the news.

U.S. technology giant Microsoft is in negotiations to acquire TikTok's business in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand at a price that observers project at U.S. $10-30 billion, which reports say are expected to be completed within three weeks.

Microsoft has committed to the U.S. government to transfer all TikTok software code from China to the U.S. within one year after the acquisition. TikTok also announced that it will build the first data center for European users in Ireland, which is expected to begin operations in early 2022.

Clean Network program

Washington and Beijing have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat exchange over issues including trade, the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the autonomy of Hong Kong, territorial claims in the South China Sea, and ethnic rights in Tibet and the XUAR that has seen bilateral relations reach their lowest point in four decades.

The two countries have traded sanctions in recent weeks and last month, the U.S. ordered China to shutter its consulate in Houston citing concerns over espionage, prompting China to demand that the U.S. close its consulate in Chengdu over similar allegations.

Trumps executive orders came a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced five new initiatives within the Trump administrations Clean Network program, which the White House says is working to protect citizens privacy and U.S. companies most sensitive information from intrusions by bad actors, including the CCP.

Among the initiatives listed by Pompeo was the removal of untrusted applications from U.S. mobile app stores, including Chinese apps that threaten our privacy, proliferate viruses, and spread propaganda and disinformation.

The announcement builds on the roll out of the Clean Network program in April, during which the administration proposed that network relay communication paths end the use of any transmission, control, operation or storage facilities from unreliable IT vendors, such as Chinese firms Huawei and ZTE.

RFA spoke with Francis Fong, honorary chairman of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, who said recent U.S. sanctions against Chinaincluding the rescinding of Hong Kongs special status following Beijings introduction of restrictive laws thereare extensive and likely to influence innovation and technology in the island territory, where many tech companies benefit from Western capital.

He noted that Hong Kong serves as a springboard for the export of Chinese products to foreign countries, as well as the importation of foreign products, but as the U.S. has prohibited the export of sensitive technology and dual-use technologies to Hong Kong, this status is now under attack.

Because many limitations have been imposed, companies in Hong Kong will have many corresponding problems when they go to the United States, Fong said.

The five initiatives mentioned [by Pompeo] include telecommunications, apps and the cloud. If the U.S. government believes that your company has Chinese capital backing or works with sensitive content, it may prevent you from doing business.

Reported by Rita Cheng for RFA's Mandarin Service and the Cantonese Service. Translated by Scott Savitt. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 42.6x Tristel Plc (LON:TSTL) may be sending very bearish signals at the moment, given that almost half of all companies in the United Kingdom have P/E ratios under 15x and even P/E's lower than 9x are not unusual. However, the P/E might be quite high for a reason and it requires further investigation to determine if it's justified.

With its earnings growth in positive territory compared to the declining earnings of most other companies, Tristel has been doing quite well of late. The P/E is probably high because investors think the company will continue to navigate the broader market headwinds better than most. If not, then existing shareholders might be a little nervous about the viability of the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Tristel

pe

If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report on Tristel.

How Is Tristel's Growth Trending?

Tristel's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's expected to deliver very strong growth, and importantly, perform much better than the market.

Retrospectively, the last year delivered an exceptional 30% gain to the company's bottom line. The strong recent performance means it was also able to grow EPS by 33% in total over the last three years. Therefore, it's fair to say the earnings growth recently has been superb for the company.

Turning to the outlook, the next year should demonstrate the company's robustness, generating growth of 15% as estimated by the only analyst watching the company. That would be an excellent outcome when the market is expected to decline by 6.8%.

With this information, we can see why Tristel is trading at such a high P/E compared to the market. Right now, investors are willing to pay more for a stock that is shaping up to buck the trend of the broader market going backwards.

The Bottom Line On Tristel's P/E

Story continues

Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.

As we suspected, our examination of Tristel's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook against a shaky market is contributing to its high P/E. At this stage investors feel the potential for a deterioration in earnings isn't great enough to justify a lower P/E ratio. We still remain cautious about the company's ability to keep swimming against the current of the broader market turmoil. Although, if the company's prospects don't change they will continue to provide strong support to the share price.

Before you settle on your opinion, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Tristel that you should be aware of.

You might be able to find a better investment than Tristel. If you want a selection of possible candidates, check out this free list of interesting companies that trade on a P/E below 20x (but have proven they can grow earnings).

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.
A Hamilton case that turns on the issue of self-defence will be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC).

Only a few dozen cases from across the country make it to the highest court in the land each year.

R v. Peter Khill will be one of them.

On Thursday, the SCC gave Khill, a former military reservist, leave to have his case heard. The court never gives reasons when it grants or denies a leave to be heard, so it is not known exactly why this case has been given the rare opportunity.

Generally though, cases heard by the court are of national importance or are in need of having an important issue of law settled by the court.

The matter will be heard in Ottawa, but it likely will not take place until 2021.

For Bobbi Hill, Jonathan Styres mother, the SCC announcement was devastating.

Hill, who uses a wheelchair and sometimes struggles to find words because of a brain aneurysm, raised her fist in anger.

Its worry, worry, worry, she said.

The case raises the issue of self-defence, including how to consider a persons level of fear, their background and their own actions prior to an offence.

Khill admitted to fatally blasting Jonathan with a shotgun in the early morning hours of Feb. 4, 2016.

Khill, 26 at the time, and his spouse awoke in their Binbrook-area home to a noise outside. They looked out to see a light on inside their truck. Khill grabbed his legally owned shotgun from the bedroom closet, loaded it with shells from his nightstand, and went outside in his bare feet.

Khill quietly approached Styres from behind and ordered, Hey, hands up!

Styres, a 29-year-old father of two, turned and raised his empty hands to what Khill described as gun height. Khill shot him twice.

Khill testified that he believed Jonathan had a gun and his life was in danger. Jonathan did not have a gun.

The Crown suggested that had Khill stayed in the house and called 911, no murder would have taken place.

In June 2018, a Hamilton jury found Khill not guilty of second-degree murder.

The Crown appealed that verdict and, in February, the Court of Appeal for Ontario ordered a new trial. It said jurors ought to have been instructed by Superior Court Justice Stephen Glithero to consider if Khills own behaviour provoked the confrontation that led to the homicide.

After that, Khills legal team of Jeffrey Manishen (the Hamilton lawyer who successfully defended him at trial) and Toronto lawyer Michael Lacy, filed arguments seeking leave to Canadas court of last resort.

They argued that asking a jury to consider Khills actions leading up to the homicide changes the understanding of Canadas self-defence laws, therefore the Supreme Court should rule on the case.

Mr. Khill appreciates the opportunity to have his case heard by the Supreme Court, Lacy told The Spectator after learning the leave to appeal had been granted. He declined to say anything further.

The case garnered national attention not only because of the self-defence issue, but because the accused is white and the victim was Indigenous.

Not long before the Khill trial began, a white farmer in Saskatchewan named Gerald Stanley was acquitted of second-degree murder in the death of Colten Boushie, who was Indigenous.

Many critics  including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau  suggested the all-white jury in that case got the verdict wrong.

Race was not an overt issue in the Khill case and, indeed the lawyers on both sides never raised it as a factor in the shooting.

However, the lawyers did make it an issue during jury selection. They agreed to ask each potential juror: Would your ability to judge the evidence in this case without bias, prejudice or partiality, be affected by the fact that the deceased victim is an Indigenous person and the person charged with this crime is a white person?

It was unclear if any of the jurors were Indigenous.

And then there was one partial sentence Khill uttered on the witness stand.

He was asked by his lawyer, Manishen, what he expected when he went outside that night after hearing a noise.

Growing up in Wilsonville, were fairly close to Six Nations reserve , he said before Manishen cut him off.

To some in the courtroom that day, including members of Styres family, that unfinished sentence suggests race was an issue for Khill.

Styres aunt, Ronnie Johns, says given that so much of society seems fed up with racial inequality, she anticipates the Indigenous community across Canada will see this hearing at the SCC as a watershed moment. She predicts there will be rallies and protests in support of the Styres family and justice for Indigenous people.
NEW YORK  A New York judge has rejected President Donald Trumps bid to temporarily halt proceedings in a lawsuit filed against him by writer E. Jean Carroll, who has accused him of rape, a ruling that allows the case to move forward in the months before the presidential election.

The decision was a victory for Carroll, who sued Trump in November for defamation after he called her a liar and said he had never met her. She published a memoir last summer that accused Trump of attacking her in a department store dressing room in Manhattan in the 1990s.

Lawyers for Trump had sought to put the lawsuit on hold while an appeals court is deciding whether to dismiss a similar lawsuit filed against Trump by Summer Zervos, a former contestant on The Apprentice who has accused him of sexually assaulting her.

In their bid for a delay, the lawyers also said the Constitution gave a sitting president immunity against lawsuits in state court.

On Thursday, Justice Verna Saunders in New York rejected their arguments, pointing to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that concluded Trump could not block a subpoena for his tax returns by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

The Supreme Court ruling determined that the president did not possess absolute immunity against state criminal subpoenas.

Although that ruling pertained to a criminal investigation, Saunders wrote that the same legal question was relevant to Carrolls lawsuit  whether the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution bars a state court from exercising jurisdiction over a sitting President of the United States during his term.

No, it does not, Saunders wrote.

She said the Supreme Courts ruling applied to all state court proceedings in which a sitting president is involved, including those involving the presidents unofficial or personal conduct.

Trumps lawyers, who did not respond to a request for comment, could appeal the ruling.

For now, the ruling allows the lawsuit to enter the crucial discovery phase, in which both sides will exchange documents and other materials.

Lawyers for Carroll had requested that Trump provide a DNA sample to determine whether his genetic material is on a dress that Carroll said she was wearing at the time of the incident.

The ruling also means both Carroll and Trump could sit for depositions under oath in the coming months.

Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, said, We are now eager to move forward with discovery so that we can prove that Donald Trump defamed E. Jean Carroll when he lied about her in connection with her brave decision to tell the truth about the fact that Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her.

Some of the findings during discovery could be disclosed publicly in court filings before the election in November, although Trumps lawyers could seek other avenues to delay the case.

In a book excerpt published last June, Carroll, a longtime columnist for Elle magazine, wrote that Trump threw her up against the wall of a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, an upscale department store in Manhattan, and forced himself on her. She said the episode occurred in late 1995 or early 1996.

She had kept the black wool dress that she was wearing that day, she wrote.

Carroll announced earlier this year that she had departed from Elle magazine, saying the magazine fired her after Trump insulted her reputation.

Trump has denied Carrolls allegations. He said he did not know her, even though the two were photographed together at a party in 1987 with Carrolls former husband. Trump later said that the image was misleading.

He also said that Carroll had fabricated the episode to sell her book and that she was not my type.

Carroll is one of more than 10 women who have accused Trump of sexual misconduct before he was president. Trump has denied all of the accusations.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
OAK BROOK, Ill., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognized for helping students connect what they eat with how they feel in a fun and engaging way, Food Management magazine has named Chartwells K12's "Mood Boost" program the Best Management Company Concept of 2020. This award, given annually to the best concepts in foodservice across the country, highlights the most innovative and creative initiatives developed by onsite dining operators.

"The power of Mood Boost is transforming school cafeterias across the country into happier and healthier places," said Belinda Oakley, CEO, Chartwells K12. "While we can see the program is inspiring students to make food choices that can help them be more confident, alert, smart, happy, strong and calm, winning Food Management magazine's Best Management Company Concept award only reinforces our commitment to bring fun food discovery and engaging nutrition education programs to the schools and communities we serve."

Understanding the issue of mental health is top of mind for school superintendents and parents, Chartwells K12 set out to address the issue with a new concept that's breaking grounds in nutrition education and student engagement. Mood Boost, launched in Fall 2019, was designed to help K12 students make the connection between what they eat and how they feel. With a combination of engaging characters and cafeteria decor, on-trend recipes focused on mood-boosting foods and a variety of fun give-aways, Mood Boost is far more than an education program or an effort to get kids to eat new foods. Highlights include:

The "Moodies", a series of six fun and engaging characters to help younger students recognize their different moods: Alert, Calm, Confident, Happy, Smart, and Strong.

to help younger students recognize their different moods: Alert, Calm, Confident, Happy, Smart, and Strong. Recipes kids love that prominently feature at least one significant ingredient per mood. For example, Raspberries with Chocolate and Basil (Alert) ; Broccoli Salad with Raisins (Calm); Strawberry Avocado Smoothie (Confident); Citrus Chickpea Salad (Happy); Red Kidney Bean Hummus (Smart); and Portuguese Style Pork Bowl (Strong).

that prominently feature at least one significant ingredient per mood. For example, Raspberries with Chocolate and ; Broccoli Salad with Raisins (Calm); Strawberry Avocado Smoothie (Confident); Citrus Chickpea Salad (Happy); Red Kidney Bean Hummus (Smart); and Portuguese Style Pork Bowl (Strong). Giveaways including collectible trading cards that feature the Moodies, information about key ingredients supporting each mood and recipes kids and families can make at home.

Highlights and a look at in-school tasting events are featured in this video: https://vimeo.com/445371435/6923e2934a

Since 1998, Food Management has sponsored the Best Concepts program with the goal of recognizing and celebrating the best practices and the most innovative thinking in onsite foodservice. With awards given in a variety of categories including Best Management Company Concept, Best Wellness Initiative, Best Sustainability Initiative, and more, nominations are evaluated by an editorial jury, judging them on a variety of factors ranging from their creativity and their impact on a given program, to their effectiveness in achieving targeted results.

Mood Boost is one of the many ways Chartwells is serving up happy and healthy inside and outside the cafeteria. Since schools closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chartwells associates have served more than 100 million meals to students, keeping mealtime a bright spot in a student's day.

About Chartwells K12

Chartwells K12's goal is to make sure students leave the cafeteria happier and healthier than they came in, by serving food kids love to eat and creating custom dining programs. With more than 16,000 associates in 4,100 schools, ranging from large public institutions to small charter and private schools, Chartwells K12 is built on decades of food, education and operational experience driven by top culinary, nutrition, wellness, and sustainability talent. For more information, visit www.ChartwellsK12.com .

Media Contact

Lisa Claybon

VP of Communications

[email protected]

SOURCE Chartwells K12
The topping off ceremony on Thursday saw the last piece of structural steel installed at the new high school. Superintendent of Schools Leslie Blake-Davis thanks a long list of people for helping the project get this far. Principal Aaron Robb calls the high school an investment in the district's youth. The old school is on the right, the new structure straight ahead. MSBA Executive Director Jack McCarthy speaks about the topping off ceremony. Building Committee co-Chairman Richard Peter says he was convinced of the need for a new high school. DRA President Carl R. Franceschi watches the topping off. DRA President Carl R. Franceschi says he hopes the firm 'captured some of that Wahconah pride and Wahconah spirit in the new building.' Attendees had a chance to sign the girder before it was put in place. PreviousNext

New Wahconah High Going Up Fast



School Building Committee co-Chairman Tom Callahan, left, with MSBA Executive Director Jack McCarthy. The old high school is in the background. DALTON, Mass.  A traditional topping off ceremony was held on Thursday to mark the completion of the steel skeleton for what will be Wahconah Regional High School.

School officials gathered to mark the milestone with the sounds of construction and sparks from welding giving proof that their vision was being made reality after a long and arduous process.

"As far as this building goes, the process by which to make it happen to get the vote was an arduous one," said Principal Aaron Robb. "I would say that this building was willed into existence. Absolutely 100 percent willed into existence."

Robb had only been principal three days when news came that the high school had been accepted into the feasibility stage with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The four-year process to get to Thursday was fraught with division as the seven towns in the Central Berkshire Regional School District last year weighed the worth of the $72.7 million project.

The new school passed narrowly by 88 votes, with three of the smaller towns voting against.

"Every vote mattered and every conversation behind that vote mattered," he said in convincing voters of the need to replace the obsolete and failing 60-year-old current high school.

"I'm a firm believer that the great communities rally around their youth, invest in their youth, and this particular community is an example of that," Robb said. "So this, over here is a monument to, quite frankly the investment that Central Berkshire  all seven towns  put into their youth."

School Building Committee Co-Chairman Richard Peters said he was one of those who had to be convinced. The School Committee member had volunteered to serve on the building committee with the intention of pressing for a renovation of the old school.

But, he said, he "got educated" by the consultants brought in by construction manager Skanska USA Building Inc. and Drummey Rosane Anderson Architects to talk about the history and future of education.

"And I completely flipped, I became a huge advocate for building a new school and not rebuilding this one because it was obvious that what we do in schools in the past are not what we will do in the schools in the future," he said.

The event, emceed by School Building Committee co-Chairman Tom Callahan, was smaller than normal largely to abide by social distancing. Officials had also eschewed a formal ground breaking, which should have taken place in March, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peters said the disease had not slowed construction and there had been no issues on site. If anything, the building may be moving along faster because the old Wahconah is not being used.

A new parking area was completed in the front of the old building and the large parking was able to be used for staging, allowing the steel structure to go up quickly.

The new $58 million school is expected to open for fall 2021; the old high school will be torn down.

Officials praised Skanska, DRA, Barr & Barr and their subcontractors and their workers.

"The moment they began working for our district they were always available, patient, helpful," Callahan said. "You are selling the project for us again, we thank you."

Callahan introduced several speakers, including School Committee Chairwoman Barbara Craft-Reiss, DRA President Carl R. Franceschi and MSBA Executive Director Jack McCarthy.

McCarthy noted that the MSBA was supporting the project to the tune of about $30 million and called out the district's representatives  state Rep. Paul Mark and Sen. Adam Hinds  as being strong advocates.

He spoke of how the topping off ceremony as a Scandinavian tradition "to pay some tribute to the wood spirits" by setting a small tree on a completed construction. In America, despite the advent of steel, the topping off continues to use a small fir with the addition of an American flag.

He lead the gathering in applause for the steelworkers "because this is really celebrating their completion" and reiterated Callahan's appreciation for the professionalism of the contractors working on the project.

"I just want to say that I expect this job to be done on time and on budget," McCarthy said. "And I'm confident in saying that because that's what those three groups do for us all over the commonwealth."

Superintendent of Schools Leslie Blake-Davis thanked a long list of people for helping the project get this far.

"It started with a vision and through a collective community effort, our vision is becoming a reality," she said. "The walls that are going up are a testament to our commitment to providing inclusive learning spaces for all of our students.

"We believe in creating opportunities for our students that will allow them to pursue their goals and dreams I am so proud to be an educational leader in this community and I am so grateful for the all the tireless hours and hard work that occurred to make this happen."
By PTI

SAN FRANCISCO: A US federal judge has ordered immigration officials to conduct weekly coronavirus testing for more than 100 men held at a California detention centre.

Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco issued the temporary restraining order Thursday.

A lawyer tells the San Francisco Chronicle that nearly two dozen inmates and staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield.

The judge says ICE has deliberately avoided universal testing out of concern that the agency would have to implement troublesome safety measures.

The Chronicle says ICE didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
KANAZAWA, Japan, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Nano Letters a high-speed atomic force microscopy study on a biological event that occurs when a flu virus enters and infects its host cell. The real-time visualization of influenza A hemagglutinin (HA) has enhanced the understanding of fusogenic transition of HA and its interactions with host endosomes.

Unlike living organisms, to avoid extinction, viruses need to hijack living host machineries to generate new viruses. The devastating respiratory virus, influenza A virus, utilize its hemagglutinin (HA) proteins to search for suitable host cells. Generally, HA has two important functions: selection of host cell and viral entry. Upon attaching to host cells, Influenza A virus are brought into host cells via endocytosis. A lipid bilayer cargo, known as endosome, carries influenza A virus from cell membrane into cytoplasm of host cell. Although the environment inside endosome is acidic, influenza A virus remains alive. More strikingly, HA undergoes structural change to mediate viral membrane to fuse with host endosomal membrane to form a hole in order to release viral components. Generation of this fusion event is elaborated as fusogenic, and hence structural changes of HA needed for this event is called as fusogenic transition. The mechanism of this event has been kept in Pandora's Box for decades despite extensive studies have been done to reveal its mystery. Now, Keesiang Lim and Richard Wong from Kanazawa University and colleagues have studied the molecular dynamic of HA using high-speed atomic force microscopy, a technique enabling real-time visualization of molecules on the nanoscale. The researchers were not only able to record the fusogenic transition of HA, but also observe its interaction with exosomes (a lipid bilayer cargo similar to endosome released by cells to outside environment).

The scientists initially observed the native conformation of HA under neutral physiological buffer, a condition that resembles to a neutral condition in host cell (a pH of 7.6). In this condition, HA was appeared as an ellipsoid, which is in agreement with findings generated by other tools such as X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. Wong and colleagues have successfully recorded the fusogenic transition, which happening when HA was exposed to an acidic environment. Their HS-AFM results illustrated a transition of HA from an ellipsoid to a Y-shape together with declination of height and circularity/roundness of HA over time. The researchers reassure the conformational change happens because a particular subunit of HA became easily to be digested by trypsin after the transition.

To study how HA can facilitate the fusion between viral membrane and host endosome membrane, Wong and colleagues let HA interacted with exosomes, a lipid bilayer cargo that mimics endosome. The HA-exosome interaction is expected to be similar to HA-endosome interaction during membrane fusion. During the interaction, conformational change of HA was found again before its docked on an exosome. Fusogenic transition releases a particular peptide, known as fusion peptide, which later inserts into the exosomal membrane, enabling the HA molecule to embed on the membrane. The scientists also found evidences that the HA-exosome interaction caused deformation or rupture of exosome, leading to a 'leakage' of exosomal materials.

The findings of Wong and coworkers provide important insights for the mechanism of HA-mediated membrane fusion. In addition, their work also demonstrates the advantages of HS-AFM for studying biological processes. Lim and Wong exhilaratingly commented: "This study strongly suggests that HS-AFM is a feasible tool, not only for investigating the molecular dynamic of viral fusion proteins, but also for visualizing the interaction between viral fusion proteins and their target membranes."

Background

Influenza A hemagglutinin

Influenza A hemagglutinin (HA) is a protein residing on the surface of influenza A virus (the culprit that causes 'the flu' or influenza), playing a key role in viral infectivity. HA's functions include attaching influenza A virus to target cells and viral entry. After the virus attaches to its host cell, it is trapped in a lipid bilayer cargo known as endosome, and subsequently enters into host cytoplasm. This process is called as endocytosis. Acidic environment in endosome triggers structure changes of HA to allow HA to orchestrate fusion between viral membrane and host endosomal membrane. Finally, viral components can be released into host cells and new viruses will be made. The main target cells in human beings are typically located in the upper respiratory tract. Richard Wong from Kanazawa University and colleagues have now applied high-speed atomic force microscopy to study the fusogenic transition of HA, and the interaction of HA with lipid-bilayer membranes.

Atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an imaging technique in which the image is formed by scanning a surface with a very small and sharp tip. Horizontal scanning motion of the tip is controlled via piezoelectric elements, while vertical motion is converted into a height profile, resulting in a height distribution of the sample's surface. As the technique does not involve lenses, its resolution is not restricted by the so-called diffraction limit as in X-ray diffraction, for example. In a high-speed setup (HS-AFM), the method can be used to produce movies of a sample's structural changes in real time, as one biomolecule can be scanned in 100 ms or less. Wong and colleagues successfully applied the HS-AFM technique to study the fusogenic transition of HA, and how it fuses with the membranes of biological particles.

Reference

Keesiang Lim, Noriyuki Kodera, Hanbo Wang, Mahmoud Shaaban Mohamed, Masaharu Hazawa, Akiko Kobayashi, Takeshi Yoshida, Rikinari Hanayama, Seiji Yano, Toshio Ando, and Richard W. Wong. High-speed AFM reveals molecular dynamic of human influenza A hemagglutinin and its interaction with exosomes, Nano Letters Published online onJuly 27, 2020.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01755

URL: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01755

Related figures showing high-speed atomic force microscopy enables visualizing the fusogenic transition of HA in acidic environment, attachment to exosome membrane and subsequent exosome rupture.

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Dr.-Lim-1-1.png

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Dr.-Lim-1-2.png

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Dr.-Lim-2.png

Further information

About WPI NanoLSI Kanazawa University

Hiroe Yoneda

Vice Director of Public Affairs

WPI Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

Kanazawa University

Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan

Email: nanolsi-office@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jp

Tel: +81 (76) 234-4550

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/

Nano Life Science Institute (NanoLSI), Kanazawa University is a research center established in 2017 as part of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The objective of this initiative is to form world-tier research centers. NanoLSI combines the foremost knowledge of bio-scanning probe microscopy to establish 'nano-endoscopic techniques' to directly image, analyze, and manipulate biomolecules for insights into mechanisms governing life phenomena such as diseases.

About Kanazawa University

http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/e/

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa - a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.
San Antonio police said Friday they believe Army Staff Sgt. Jared Esquibel Harless and his wife, Sheryll, murdered their four young children and killed themselves two months ago.

The cause of death: Carbon monoxide poisoning.

Harless, 38, and his wife, Sheryll Ann, 36, were found in the back of an SUV in the garage of their Northwest Side home on June 4 along with their children, Esteban Lorenzo Harless, 4; Penelope Arcadia Harless, 3; Avielle Magdalena Harless, 1, and Apollo Harless, 11 months.

San Antonio Police Lt. Jesse Salame said investigators believe the couple both planned the killings.

Until now, Jared Harless had been suspected of killing his wife and the children

RELATED: Authorities identify names of family found dead with strange note on the door

Police arent sure of the motive, though Salame said it appeared a combination and life stress that was exacerbated by some mental health issues, and the stress that is not uncommon with having children with special needs as well, were major factors in the deaths.

Police arriving at 106 Red Willow, a two-story home in a gated subdivision said they saw a cryptic note at the front door that contained military jargon.

Investigators havent yet released the contents of the note.

The Harlesses had moved from Washington state to San Antonio last January, and were known by neighbors to be quiet and even reclusive.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe
Joe Biden explained on Twitter Thursday night what he "meant" by earlier comments suggesting that "the African American community is a monolith."

What they're saying: "Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things," Biden remarked in an interview hosted by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association for Black Journalists, Politico reports.

"You go to Florida, and you find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places than you do when you're in Arizona," the former vice president continued.

President Trump responded to the comments outside the White House on Thursday, saying that, "Joe Biden, this morning, totally disparaged and insulted the Black community. What he said is incredible."

Biden, on Thursday evening, wrote on Twitter: "Earlier today, I made some comments about diversity in the African American and Latino communities that I want to clarify. In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolith  not by identity, not on issues, not at all."

"Throughout my career I've witnessed the diversity of thought, background, and sentiment within the African American community. It's this diversity that makes our workplaces, communities, and country a better place."

"My commitment to you is this: I will always listen, I will never stop fighting for the African American community and I will never stop fighting for a more equitable future."

The big picture: In May, Biden apologized for saying "you ain't Black" if "you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or [President] Trump" during an interview on the radio show "The Breakfast Club."
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  Fri, August 7, 2020 08:45 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c36fcd 2 World Africa,human-trial,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Ten countries account for 80% of the new coronavirus testing taking place across Africa, a regional body said on Thursday, indicating that little testing is taking place in many countries around the vast continent.

COVID-19 confirmed cases across Africa have accelerated and are close to hitting a million this week, and experts say low levels of testing in many countries means infection rates are likely to be higher than reported.

Some governments across the continent are too poor or conflict-ridden to carry out widespread testing, while others are reluctant to share data or to expose their crumbling health systems to outside scrutiny.

South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and Mauritius have each conducted more than 200,000 tests, said John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

So far nearly 9 million tests have been conducted across the continent, up 9.4% from last week's tally.

"This number indicates we reached 90% of our goal for the partnership to accelerate COVID testing," Nkengasong told a virtual news conference.

The regional body said it had supported 14 other countries with an additional 240,000 tests.
Compromise cant be one-sided, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley, who is accusing congressional Democrats are playing election-year politics with coronavirus relief.

No consideration, no compromise seems to be the position of Democrats, the Iowa Republican said earlier this week, adding that now we have Democrats seeming to have rejected just about everything out of hand. Thats not how you deliver for the American people, particularly in the United States Senate where nothing gets done thats not bipartisan.

Specifically, Grassley, who chairs the Finance Committee, took issue with Democrats blocking a temporary extension of the $600-a-week federal supplemental unemployment benefit.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi apparently prefers to let the benefit expire  which it did at the end of July  rather than compromise with Republicans, so that she can blame President Trump for the pain inflicted on Americans, Grassley said.

The stalemate over the unemployment benefit has become a talking point in Democratic campaigns with Iowa U.S. Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield calling on Congress to stay in session to extend the $600-a-week benefit.

Hardworking Iowans are suffering, Greenfield said in an interview Wednesday. She called on her Republican opponent, Sen. Joni Ernst, to stay in Washington until she gets that job done.

The Senate is expected to remain in session next week.

Republicans twice have offered temporary extensions of the supplemental benefit until Congress agrees to another COVID-19 relief package. In both cases, the offer was rejected by Democrats.

There was no downside to a temporary extension, but there was apparently a political upside to blocking it, Grassley said.

Most members of the Senate Republican caucus, including Ernst, want to extend the benefits, he said, adding that some of the most conservative people have said weve got to deliver.

Although he supported the temporary extension, Grassley has cited a variety of economists who he said agree Congress needs to responsibly phase out the federal unemployment benefit.

Ending it with no replacement would hurt workers and damage the economy, Grassley said. But continuing it in its current form would hold back our economic recovery by creating a disincentive for millions of Americans to return to work  because they can make more money staying home.

Republicans have offered a plan to extend the unemployment benefit at 66% of lost wages or $200 a week. They say that is more than what was approved by the Democratic-controlled Congress after the 2008 financial crisis.
From shy ferns to idle meerkats and bathing king eiders, the Seventh BMC Ecology Image Competition has produced an eclectic array of images that showcase the beauty and diversity of life on our planet, as well as its intricate relationships and risks. All images are open access and available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

The overall winning image by David Costantini from the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France depicts a magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) chick. The large seabird is found near the tropical and subtropical waters off America, as well as the Cape Verde and Galapagos islands. The chick represented in the winning image is suffering from a viral infection from which it is unlikely to recover.

David Costantini said: "I took the photograph in French Guiana, where viral outbreaks annually affect a population of frigatebirds. An ongoing research project is trying to figure out the causes and consequences of this disease and to find solutions for the conservation of the local frigatebird population."

Section editors Luke Jacobus and Josef Settele both recommended the entry, saying: "David Constantini's powerful image illustrates that there are other species profoundly affected by viruses and these processes are part of nature and our environment, something that seems particularly important at the time of the current pandemic."

In addition to the winning image, there is an overall runner up, as well as winners from four categories: Behavioral and Physiological Ecology Community, Population and Macroecology; Conservation Ecology and Biodiversity Research; Landscape Ecology and Ecosystems; and the Editor's Pick.

The winning images and an additional seven highly commended images highlight pressing issues in ecology, from the challenges many species face in today's environments, to mutually beneficial or parasitic relationships between species, curious phenomena found in nature and the potential of sustainable technologies. All images are released free to use under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).

The Landscape Ecology and Ecosystems category winner was captured by Kang Xu from Zhejiang University, China. It shows a wind farm in China's Gobi desert. Kang Xu said: "Our previous research demonstrated that constructing wind turbines in the Gobi Desert may be a win-win strategy that contributes to the growth of desert vegetation with a favourable microclimate and sufficiently utilizes wind power to produce clean energy. During our field study, we took this photograph of the largest wind farm-desert coupled ecosystem."

The editor's pick titled 'The King's Bath' by Nayden Chakarov from Bielefeld University, Germany shows a large sea duck called the king eider having a splash in the water. King eiders breed only in the highest Arctic territories.

Editor Alison Cuff said: "I picked this image because of the vibrancy of the bird against an almost monochrome background and also because it is in stark contrast to our overall winner."

Now in its seventh year, the BMC Ecology Image competition was created to give ecologists the chance to share their research and photography skills, and to celebrate the intersection of art and science. The winning images are selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and senior members of the journal's editorial board.

Alison Cuff said: "We were delighted at the variety and quality of the images submitted to our seventh competition. Our section editors used their expertise and knowledge to ensure that our winning images were picked as much for the scientific story behind them as for the technical quality and beauty of the images themselves. As such, the competition very much reflects BMC's ethos of innovation, curiosity and integrity and it is an opportunity to cherish, celebrate and better understand the extraordinary natural world, especially at a time when some may be thinking of biodiversity as a threat to public health."

###

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Springer Nature

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anne.korn@biomedcentral.com

Notes to editor:

1. The winning image and runners up are available here: https://bit.ly/3glc1fq

Highly commended images are available here: https://bit.ly/3ggoIbp

All images are available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

Please credit the photographers in any re-use. Credit information is in the filenames of the images. Detailed credit and caption information can also be found here: https://bit.ly/2Xg1k6l

2. Announcement:

Seventh BMC ecology image competition: the winning images

Cuff et al. BMC Ecology 2020

DOI: 10.1186/s12898-020-00310-w

***During the embargo period, the editorial announcing the winners is available here: https://bit.ly/3gjpgx9 ***

After the embargo lifts, the editorial will go live here:

https://bmcecol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12898-020-00310-w

If you are writing for the web, please link to the accouncement.

3. BMC Ecology is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on environmental, behavioral and population ecology as well as biodiversity of plants, animals and microbes.

4. A pioneer of open access publishing, BMC has an evolving portfolio of high quality peer-reviewed journals including broad interest titles such as BMC Biology and BMC Medicine, specialist journals such as Malaria Journal and Microbiome, and the BMC series. At BMC, research is always in progress. We are committed to continual innovation to better support the needs of our communities, ensuring the integrity of the research we publish, and championing the benefits of open research. BMC is part of Springer Nature, giving us greater opportunities to help authors connect and advance discoveries across the world.
Up to 400,000 more Australians could be on the nation's jobless queue by Christmas as the Victorian stage four shutdown smashes the economy, with the Morrison government now preparing for three quarters of negative growth.

In a development that will likely drive the federal budget deficit beyond $200 billion this financial year, Treasury modelling suggests Victoria's response to its COVID-19 disaster will rip between $10 billion and $12 billion out of the national economy in the September quarter.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed Treasury now believes the economy is facing a third quarter of negative growth and higher unemployment due to the lockdowns in Victoria. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The government, Reserve Bank and most private sector economists had been expecting the September quarter to show a rebound out of a contraction of more than 6 per cent through the recently completed June quarter.

Two weeks ago, when releasing a budget update Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the government was expecting the economy to grow by 1.5 per cent in the September quarter.
Citing recent large parties that fly in the face of the COVID-19 restrictions, Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday Massachusetts will indefinitely postpone entering the second step of Phase 3.

The Republican governor said Friday that the state would not only postpone this segment of the reopening but also ramp up enforcement, creating a multi-agency coalition with police officials to crack down on violations of the COVID-19 regulations that are supposed to limit community transmissions.

In some respects were entering a new phase in our battle against COVID-19, Baker said during a news conference at the Massachusetts State House.

That new phase involves preventing a slow creep of COVID-19 rates, as Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders described it last week. The state plans to start releasing larger batches of community-level data to give a closer look of how how towns and cities are faring in the coronavirus pandemic.

Postponing the second step means that theaters and performance venues cannot hold indoor shows. Outdoor performances, such as drive-in movie theaters, are allowed to continue.

While batting cages, bowling alleys and driving ranges have gotten the green light to resume, laser tag, roller skating, trampolines and obstacle courses will be put on hold.

Bakers announcement also means that businesses allowed to reopen in Phase 4  bars, overnight camps and arcades  must remain closed.

Baker is also signing an updated gatherings order reducing the limit on outdoor gatherings from 100 to 50 people starting Tuesday. The limit on indoor gatherings will remain at 25 people.

Face coverings will be required at gatherings where more than 10 people from different households will be mixing.

The updated order will apply to all types of gatherings on both public and private property.

The restrictions announced Friday come after multiple reports of large parties across the state, violating the public gathering restrictions, failing to keep 6 feet apart, flouting the mask order or, in some cases, all three.

There was a lifeguard party in Falmouth that led to a COVID-19 outbreak, a group of unmasked Baystate Medical Center employees eating lunch together in Springfield that spread the virus and an Aug. 1 wedding at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner that health officials say drew 240 guests and 70 staffers.

We cannot say this enough: COVID-19 is highly contagious and can be deadly, Baker said.

The new data releases will not only show how many new positive cases per community, but percentage of positive cases and trends per city and town. The state will also rate each communitys risk level, labeling those that are higher-risk.

Theres also an enforcement mechanism that pulls in state police agencies.

Up until now, local boards of health have faced most of the burden of enforcing the COVID-19 safety standards at workplaces, the mask order, the public gathering restrictions and the travel order that took effect Aug. 1.

The administrations new enforcement effort, the COVID Enforcement and Intervention Team, will include officials from the Executive Office and Public Safety and Security, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA),the COVID-19 Command Center, Massachusetts State Police, the Department of Labor Standards, the Division of Professional Licensure, the Department of Public Health, the Division of Local Services, the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security.

This new enforcement initiative will include inspections from a variety of agencies, fines and other enforcement actions to businesses that arent following the rules, fines or liquor license revocations for restaurants that arent complying, shutdowns or restrictions for parks, playgrounds, businesses or other locations believed to be hotbeds for the virus and other steps.

The initiative will also work with local officials to help them access federal funding and other resources for which theyre eligible, according to Bakers office.

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MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the leader of Belarus on Friday to release 33 Russian security contractors who were arrested on charges of planning to foment unrest ahead of the countrys presidential election.

Belarusian authorities accused the Russian contractors of planning to instigate mass riots as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko contends with significant opposition protests as he seeks a sixth term in Sundays election.

Putin and Lukashenko spoke by phone Friday, their first conversation since the Russians were arrested on July 29 outside Belaruss capital of Minsk. The Kremlin said the two leaders voiced confidence that the situation will be settled in the spirit of mutual understanding typical for cooperation between the two countries.

It added that Russia is interested in the preservation of a stable domestic political situation in Belarus and calm atmosphere at the forthcoming presidential election.

Government security officials have linked the Russians to the jailed husband of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a 37-year-old former teacher who is running to unseat the authoritarian Lukashenko after his 26 years in power. Moscow has said the security contractors only were in Belarus because they missed a connecting flight to another country.

Belarusian authorities claimed the arrested contractors worked for the Wagner company, a private military firm is linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman who was indicted in the United States for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Wagner has allegedly deployed hundreds of military contractors to eastern Ukraine, Syria and Libya.

The government in Minsk has further irked Moscow by raising the possibility that some of the contractors could be handed over to Ukraine, which wants them on charges of fighting alongside Russia-backed separatists during the long conflict in eastern Ukraine..

The conciliatory Kremlin readout of the Putin-Lukashenko call marks a step back from a harsh rebuke issued earlier this week by Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russias Security Council.

Without mentioning Lukashenko by name, Medvedev said that by arresting the contractors, the Belarusian leadership had turned bilateral ties into small change in the election campaign and will face sad consequences.

Neighboring Russia and Belarus allies, have a union agreement that envisages close political, economic and military ties between the traditional allies but stops short of a full merger.

During his time as the first and only president of ex-Soviet nation Belarus since it became independent, Lukashenko has relied on Russian subsidies and loans to for his nations economy but fiercely resisted Moscows push for control over Belaruss economic assets.

The Kremlin turned the heat up on the Belarusian president earlier this year by withdrawing some of the subsidies and warning Lukashenko that he would have to accept closer economic and political integration to continue receiving Russian energy at a discount. The Belarusian leader denounced Moscows stance as part of the Kremlins alleged efforts to deprive Belarus of its independence.

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
As we are enjoying a day off of work in honor of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, its worth revisiting Lincolns troubled wife, Mary Todd Lincoln. Most Americans think of Maryif they think of her at allas crazy. In 1875, she was publicly tried for insanity by her only living son and found guilty. Then she spent months in an asylum against her will. As one contemporary summed it up, She was not like ladies in general.

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Was she actually mentally ill or merely an eccentric with an ahead-of-her-time independent streak? The latter would be a tidy 21st-century conclusion, but the real answer is not so pat. Her supporters, including W.A. Evans, the author of the 1932 biography Mrs. Abraham Lincoln: A Study of Her Personality and Her Influence on Lincoln, being reprinted later this month, would say that Mrs. Lincoln was unfairly maligned. Many of her most serious troubles were financial, not emotional. Evans, Chicagos first public-health commissioner and a longtime columnist for the Chicago Tribune, was no Lincoln-loving patsy: At the end of his life, he moved back home to Mississippi and aided the movement to turn Confederate President Jefferson Davis home into a historical shrine. But there is also an opposing and equally provocative view. Some modern biographers like Jason Emerson diagnose her with bipolar disease, others, like Jean Baker, believe Mary had narcissistic personality disorder.

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There is evidence to support the notion that Mary was not quite so straightforwardly batty as those diagnoses suggest. Part of her bad reputation was the result of truly terrible luck. Perhaps because of her liberated behavior, the press was never willing to cut Mary any slack during these hard times.While her husband, Abraham, served as a wartime president, she was rumored to be a Confederate spy, an unloved bride, a neglectful mother, and a frivolous fame-seeker. Three of her four sons died prematurely, and her husband was assassinated in front of her on Good Friday. Even in her grief she received less sympathy than other presidential widows: Critics sniffed that she sobbed too loudly and wore black too long.

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Her treatment in the press was a preview of the way modern first ladies are criticized: Like Nancy Reagan, who consulted an astrologer during her years in the White House, Lincoln was fascinated by faddish spiritualism. Like Michelle Obama, her bold fashion choicescolors too bright, necklines too lowdrew constant commentary. (She had her bosom on exhibition, a flower pot on her head, one snide critic wrote after a White House party.) And like Hillary Clinton, she was said to meddle in her husbands political affairs.

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Unlike the criticism of her grieving style or her cleavage, the rumors about Mary Lincolns improprieties with money were not always unfair. When her husband was an Illinois lawyer and the couple lived in Springfield, gossips said she haggled with the fruit peddler in the market with unladylike ferocity. In Washington, she began what sympathetic recent biographer Jean Baker calls the painful personal battle between spending and saving. Spending usually won. She was excoriated in the papers for embarking on an insensitive shopping trip to New York and Philadelphia during the earliest days of the Civil War. She used up her congressionally allotted, four-year, $20,000 decorating budget within the first year of her husbands presidency. She spent $3,195 on china alone (echoes of another Nancy Reagan scandal). Her debts mounted with astonishing speed, and soon she was begging for extended lines of credit, often ordering more merchandise at the same time.

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Mary was mostly able to hide her serious debts from Honest Abe while he lived, but after his assassination, she was understandably terrified about her finances. The Harrison precedent, named for William Henry Harrison, established that a presidential widow would receive her husbands salary only for the remainder of the year of her husbands death. Abraham Lincoln left an estate of $85,000, but since he hadnt written a will, his wife would only receive a third of thatthe customary widows portion.

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She spent the last 17 years of her life in a constant struggle for cash, living in a series of boardinghouses on a stream of income that would have been enough for a more frugal widow. But Mary Lincoln was not a frugal widow. She barraged her financial manager with letters requesting her pension payments, which never seemed to arrive with enough speed, and her shopping continued unabated. Near the end of her life, she was known in Chicago as an oddball who would buy multiples of any item10 pairs of gloves, 12 pairs of curtains.

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One of Lincolns most devastating scandals involved the public sale of her wardrobe in New York in 1867. Openly displaying used clothes was not something a respectable woman would do in those days. It was a humiliating disaster. One newspaper called her a mercenary prostitute, and one reporter sniffed that some of the gowns were sweat-stained. Critics loudly suggested that she had offered access to her husband in exchange for her expensive stash of finery. The sale made Lincoln one of the most unpopular women in America, according to Baker. Only the advocates of free love, actresses, and Madame Restell, the Manhattan abortionist who dispensed French pills from her brownstone, were so notorious.

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And that was before her trial for insanity. While recent biographers have made the case that Lincoln was a quirky proto-feminist who did not behave the way women were supposed to in the 19th century, her pattern of manic shopping sprees, bizarre religious fervor, and prolonged depression tracks with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. In the period leading up to the trial, she became involved with a spiritualist sect known for inducing trances and hosting noisy seances. When she returned to Chicago after a chaotic period of travel, her purchases escalated.

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At home one morning waiting for a delivery of eight pairs of curtains, a lawyer sent by her only surviving son, Robert, arrived bearing a writ of arrest and a demand to come immediately to the courthouse. The abrupt nature of her arrest adds to the contemporary impression of Robert as the villain of his mothers story. But Lincoln had exhibited genuinely troubling behavior in the months leading to her incarceration. One doctor testified that he had witnessed her possessed with the idea that some Indian spirit was working in her head and taking wires out of her eyes, and she was paranoid that Robert was in mortal danger. In this light, its easy to sympathize with his decision, even if he was also partly motivated by embarrassment and convenience.

Lincoln never reconciled with her son. In 1882, Congress finally passed a bill, in response to her strenuous lobbying, to increase her pension to $5,000 a year, plus $15,000 in back payments. She died of a stroke that summer before she could collect a penny of it. She had once apologized for managing my money with the dullness of a woman, and on that matter, like in so many others, she was not quite correct: There was nothing dull about Mary Lincoln.

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She's a former Apprentice star known for flaunting her incredible physique.

And Luisa Zissman seemed to be pining for a sun-soaked getaway as she shared a sizzling throwback snap from a recent getaway on Friday.

The reality star, 33, looked sensational in a striped bikini as she frolicked under a waterfall.

Gorgeous: Luisa Zissman, 33, seemed to be pining for a sun-soaked getaway as she shared a sizzling throwback snap from a recent getaway on Friday

Luisa displayed her tanned figure in the sexy striped bikini as she posed under the stunning waterfall.

The star used the post to remind her fans to keep cool on one of the hottest days of year so far.

She penned the caption: 'Stay cool in the heat kids! Who needs a holiday when England is so glorious?! *Throwback pic*.'

Gorgeous: The ex-Apprentice star is no stranger to showing off her physique in sultry snaps

In June Luisa also shared a throwback picture of the wedding dress she wore for her legal ceremony in Dublin to husband Andrew Collins five years ago.

Luisa took to Instagram to post the snap on Thursday, in celebration of their wedding anniversary, showing off her short tiered gown she wore on the day.

The wedding was an intimate affair and they had a second ceremony in Cannes a month later, with Luisa wearing the short dress again for her evening reception.

Memories: Last month Luisa shared an Instagram picture of the dress she wore to her legal ceremony in Dublin to millionaire Andrew Collins on their five year anniversary

Happy times: Luisa shared this sweet post alongside the picture and her best friend Sam Faiers also commented

Luisa wore a diamante tiara and lace veil for her Dublin wedding and wore light-coloured shoes with a strap detail.

She wrote: '5yrs ago today we got married in a little church  in Dublin with just our families there .'

Luisa and Andrew first laid eyes on each other when the Irish millionaire bid on her at a charity auction, where they raised over 3,000 for charity.

She began dating Andrew shortly after her marriage to Oliver Zissman broke down and he popped the question in October 2014 on a romantic trip to Paris.

He gave her an eight-carat diamond ring during an intimate candlelit dinner with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

Luisa is mother to Dixie, 10, with her ex-husband Oliver and Indigo Esme, three, and Clementine, two, with Andrew.
President Donald Trump at a coronavirus news briefing at the White House on July 23.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Facebook on Wednesday took down a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policies against misinformation, the company confirmed.

Trump posted a video of an interview with Fox News in which he falsely claimed children were "almost immune" from COVID-19.

"This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation," a Facebook representative told Business Insider.

Facebook said this was the first time it had taken down a post by Trump for pushing coronavirus misinformation, according to the New York Times reporter Davey Alba.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

For the first time, Facebook has removed a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policies against COVID-19 misinformation.

Trump posted a video on Wednesday of an interview he did with Fox News in which he falsely claimed that children were "almost immune" from the disease. The CNN reporter Donie O'Sullivan captured the post in a screenshot before it was removed from the platform.

Comparing children with adults, Trump said "they have much stronger immune systems than we do somehow." He also tweeted the video.

"This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from COVID-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful COVID misinformation," a Facebook representative told Business Insider.

A growing body of research suggests that children can transmit COVID-19 like anyone else, though researchers believe their infection rates are often underreported because they are frequently asymptomatic and have been largely excluded from clinical trials.

Facebook has previously applied labels to Trump's misleading posts about mail-in voting and has taken down a campaign ad containing a symbol associated with the Nazis. But the company has said this was its first time removing a post for violating its policies against coronavirus misinformation, according to the New York Times reporter Davey Alba.

Facebook has faced growing pressure in recent months to take stronger stances against misinformation and hate speech on its platform. CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the company's decision not to take down controversial posts by Trump earlier this year that suggested demonstrators in Minnesota protesting the death of George Floyd would be met with violence.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Following his loss at the recent Peoples Assembly elections, Fares al-Shihabi has called on the regime to implement laws that can help Aleppo recover and resume production writes SY 24.

Fares al-Shihabi, the head of the Aleppo Chamber of Industry, called for the city of Aleppo to be declared an afflicted city, claiming that this would help it to recover and pick up the pieces.

Shihabi wrote in a post on Facebook that Aleppo  which is the most affected city since the Second World War  deserves the title of disaster city, or damaged, at least, so that special laws can be passed and the city can rise from the ashes and reach full production capacity again.

Shihabi attacked the regime, blaming it for delay and procrastination in this matter. What happened to us is unfair, and our governments have one after the other failed our city and refused to issue new laws despite many demands, knowing that all of Syria would benefit from it and not only Aleppo.

Shihabi added that he was not asking any country to lend a helping hand to Aleppo. He wrote, We do not want help from anyone, but we want the right laws that would make us strong enough to become donors.

Shihabi has been trying to save face in front of regime loyalists to appear as the nationalistic man in the time of corruption. His attempts have failed, though, especially after he lost the recent parliamentary elections, according to analysts.

The regime took control of the entire city of Aleppo towards the end of 2016. Since then, the families of Aleppo have held the regime responsible for the deterioration of services, the deliberate marginalization, and the intent to keep all areas without electricity, in addition to slamming the brakes on service and production projects, in addition to the security chaos and the spread of crime by pro-regime individuals.

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.
He explained that by full diversity he meant that unlike the African American community and many other communities, youre from everywhere  from Europe, from the tip of South America, all the way to our border in Mexico, and in the Caribbean. And different backgrounds, different ethnicities. But all Latinos.
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Linkedin John Geddie and Aradhana Aravindan (Reuters) Singapore  Fri, August 7, 2020 08:55 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c37a22 2 SE Asia suicide,migrant-workers,mental-health,mental-health-workers,mental-health-problems Free

A recent spate of suicides and attempted suicides involving migrants in Singapore has heightened concerns over the mental health of thousands of low-paid workers who have been confined to their dormitories because of COVID-19.

In April, Singapore sealed off sprawling housing blocks where its vast population of mainly South Asian laborers live in crowded bunk rooms, seeking to ring-fence a surge in cases among the workers.

Four months on, some dormitories remain under quarantine, and even migrants who have been declared virus-free have had their movements restricted. They also face uncertainty over the jobs that their families back home depend on.

Rights groups and health officials say this has taken a heavy toll on workers. In some cases migrants have been detained under the mental health act after videos posted on social media showed them teetering on rooftops and high window ledges.

In an incident on Sunday that was widely reported by local media, a 36-year-old migrant was pictured bloodied at the foot of some stairs in his dormitory after self-harming.

The Ministry of Manpower said late Wednesday it was monitoring recent suicides and attempted suicides involving migrant workers in dormitories and working to enhance mental health support programs.

The ministry said however it had not observed a spike in workers taking their own lives compared to previous years. It did not give any numbers.

Such incidents tended to stem from family issues which may be exacerbated by the distress of not being able to return home due to COVID-19 restrictions, it added.

Kenneth Mak, the health ministry's director of medical services, also raised concerns about the impact on migrants' mental health of prolonged periods of isolation in dormitories and movement restrictions.

At a press conference on Thursday, he said addressing the issue was a "work in progress", and that authorities were committed to supporting migrant workers' mental health needs over the long-term.

Singapore has recorded over 54,000 COVID-19 cases, mainly from dormitories in which around 300,000 workers from Bangladesh, India and China are housed. Only 27 people have died from the disease.

'Mental anguish'

Authorities have said they expect to lift quarantines on all dormitories by Friday, with the exception of some blocks serving as quarantine zones.

But employers' power to limit workers' movement outside dormitories even if declared virus-free and fears over servicing high debts taken to secure jobs in Singapore are also feeding depression among migrants, rights groups say.

"Many of the workers now say that the mental anguish is a more serious problem than the virus." said Deborah Fordyce, president of migrant rights group, Transient Workers Count Too.

Gasper Tan, chief executive of Samaritans of Singapore, said migrants' limited access to support from friends and family, especially during lockdowns, can result in "overwhelming feelings of negativity".
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 20:18:20|Editor: huaxia

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ANKARA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- As schools are officially planned to reopen nationwide in Turkey on Aug. 31, teachers and parents are concerned about uncertainties looming about the process and the rise in COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Turkish government has announced that schools will reopen to get students back in the classrooms again after schools were shut down in March when Turkey introduced coronavirus restrictions.

Turkey lifted most of these restrictions on June 1 to kickstart the economy. Since then daily confirmed cases decreased to around 900.

But recent daily cases, according to the Health Ministry, have gone back to over 1000. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that the rise in new cases was "considerable" and urged citizens to be vigilant.

Big cities such as Ankara, Istanbul and Diyarbakir, have become hotspots despite authorities repeated warnings to abide by safety measures.

In a private high school in Ankara, teachers have expressed concerns on the latest coronavirus data, noting that it could prompt education authorities to change their minds.

"No one still knows how and if schools are going to reopen. There are uncertainties. But it is not the Education Ministry's fault because they also expected COVID-19 cases to drop. However, this is not happening," Zeynep Akinci, academic coordinator of the school told Xinhua.

Her school is set to reopen on Aug. 24 for optional remedial classes for children who had difficulties to adapt to on-line lessons during the nearly 4 month-long lockdown.

"Some parents have informed us that they will wait until the last week of August to make a decision whether or not to send their children to school, depending on the number of coronavirus cases then. This makes our organizational task very difficult because we can't predict how many students will attend classes," Akinci stressed.

One of those parents is Gulseren Demir, a bank employee, who said she was "puzzled" over the rise in coronavirus cases.

"There are reports of a nationwide rise in numbers which could be higher than the official data, so I am concerned for my children" who are due to attend primary and middle school, she pointed out.

She indicated that if cases don't drop below the 500 daily cases level, she is not keen to send her children to school.

Tevfik Ozlu, a professor of medicine and a member of Turkey's COVID-19 Science Advisory Board, said that if parents voluntarily delay their kids' attendance in school, it could help curb the spread of the virus.

"A voluntary choice by parents could be a solution," he said.

In capital Ankara, in light of new data, all non-essential hospitalizations and surgeries have been temporarily suspended to leave rooms and beds for increasing COVID-19 patients, the governor's office said.

All the empty intensive care unit beds are also allocated to COVID-19 patients.

"Unfortunately, the number of cases has reached the peak levels of the outbreak," Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas tweeted amid news reports saying that safety measures were generally not respected by the public during the holiday season.

Education Minister Ziya Selcuk said last week that his ministry is assessing different scenarios depending on the course of the COVID-19 outbreak.

"As the Education Ministry, our duty is to open and keep schools open. We continue our preparations for the opening of schools to the smallest details. Here, our first scenario is that schools will fully open and all students will go to school," Selcuk told Demiroren News Agency.

The preparations are made in cooperation with other ministries and other models around the world are also examined, he said.

In another scenario, face-to-face education and distance education are planned to be carried out together, Selcuk remarked.

A third scenario is to open schools on a city basis, depending on the number of cases, the minister said. And the fourth scenario, the worst, is a return to a full distance education.

Akinci argued that the best possible scenario would be to introduce a hybrid curriculum of in-person and distance learning for students to help deal with the risks of COVID-19.

For students, that could mean spending only three or four days at school a week, and they can take on-line classes for the rest of the days.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The Australian and NZ dollars fell against their major counterparts in the Asian session on Friday, as U.S.-China tensions intensified after U.S. President Donald Trump banned transactions with China's tech giant Tencent as well as ByteDance.



The announcement overshadowed better-than-expected exports data from China.



Worries about the growing number of coronavirus cases in Europe, particularly in France, Germany and Spain, also dampened sentiment.



Investors await U.S. jobs report to assess the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.



Economists expect U.S. employment to jump by about 1.6 million jobs in July after spiking by 4.8 million jobs in June. The unemployment rate is expected to dip to 10.5 percent from 11.1 percent.



In its quarterly Statement on Monetary Policy, the Reserve Bank of Australia said that Australia's economy is set to log a slow recovery given the ongoing spread of the coronavirus and the response to contain it.



According to baseline scenario of RBA, GDP is expected to contract by around 6 percent over the year to December 2020, but then grow by around 5 percent over 2021.



The aussie declined to 75.99 against the yen and 0.7195 against the greenback, reversing from its early high of 76.44 and a 1-1/2-year high of 0.7243, respectively. The next likely support for the aussie is seen around 72.5 against the yen and 0.70 against the greenback.



The aussie eased to 1.6440 against the euro, after rising to 1.6400 at 8.15 pm ET. The aussie is poised to challenge support around the 1.67 level.



The aussie retreated to 0.9608 against the loonie, from an early 1-week high of 0.9640, and held steady thereafter. The aussie may find support around the 0.94 level, should it drops again.



The aussie dropped to a 2-day low of 1.0799 against the kiwi, following a high of 1.0830 hit at 8.00 pm ET. Next immediate support for the aussie is seen near the 1.06 region.



The kiwi depreciated to 70.35 against the yen and 0.6691 against the greenback, after reaching as high as 70.62 and 0.6661, respectively in early deals. The kiwi is seen challenging support around 65.00 against the yen and 0.64 against the greenback.



Reversing from a 4-day high of 1.7726 set at 11:00 pm ET, the kiwi pulled back to 1.7757 against the euro. On the downside, 1.80 is possibly seen as its next support level.



Looking ahead, U.K. Halifax house price index for July will be out in the European session.



The U.S and Canadian jobs data and Canada Ivey PMI, all for July, as well as U.S. wholesale inventories and consumer credit for June are due in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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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.




UNION, N.J., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- buybuy BABY is thrilled to bring back its biggest promotional event the 'Big-Deal Baby Sale' with more than 100 items on sale. The sale which was first launched earlier this year, features storewide exclusive savings and offers on all the best brands and essentials for baby. Starting August 7 through August 16, customers will be able to receive super savings both in-store and online on top brands including UPPAbaby, Chicco, Graco DockATot, The Honest Company, and more.

"We're excited for the return of the Big-Deal Baby Sale which will provide even more savings for our customers to shop," said Glen Cary, Senior Vice President and General Manager of buybuy BABY. "As the leading baby specialty retailer in North America, we have incomparable storewide savings on everything from essentials to the latest gear and furniture, whether shopping for your family, completing a registry or a baby-shower gift."

"Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, our associate teams have taken exceptional steps to keep our stores safe for each other and our customers, remaining open for the essential items that families need for baby. We're pleased to offer our customers 2-hour Buy-Online-Pickup-In-Store and contactless Curbside Pickup services so they can safely and conveniently take advantage of these compelling offers."

buybuy BABY will be offering exclusive savings storewide on top baby brands and categories (select styles and models); highlights include:

50% off Graco  Mode2Grow TS Marina and Second Seat Marina

Mode2Grow TS Marina and Second Seat Marina 40% off Baby Jogger  City Tour Lux Stroller and City Tour Lux Accessories

City Tour Lux Stroller and City Tour Lux Accessories 25% off Select Carter's 

25% off UPPAbaby  VISTA V2 Stroller in Sierra

VISTA V2 Stroller in Sierra 20% off All UPPAbaby  G-Lite and G-Luxe Strollers (All Colors)

G-Lite and G-Luxe Strollers (All Colors) 20% off Select Chicco Items

20% off Halo  Sleepsacks  and Swaddles

Sleepsacks and Swaddles 20% off Ubbi  Diaper Pails

Diaper Pails 20% off Taylor & Westfield Nursery Furniture Collections

20% off All Aden+Anais 

15% off Select Sorelle Cribs

10% off Willow  Generation 3 Wearable Double Electric Breast Pump

Generation 3 Wearable Double Electric Breast Pump $100 off all Fisher Price  Quinn Cribs

off all Fisher Price Quinn Cribs $75 off Graco Grows4Me Car Seats

off Graco Grows4Me Car Seats $30 off Owlet Cam WiFi Baby Monitor

Exclusive gift card with purchase offers include:

$10 Gift Card with $50 Boppy  Purchase

Gift Card with Boppy Purchase $20 Gift Card with any Baby Bjorn Carrier or Travel Crib Purchase

Gift Card with any or Travel Crib Purchase $25 Gift Card for Every $100 Purchase on Select Ergobaby Carriers and Wraps

buybuy BABY offers a variety of tools, services, and baby registry perks customers can take advantage of including 2-hour Buy-Online-Pickup-In-Store, contactless Curbside Pickup, Price Match Promise, Personalized Gifts, Free Registry Goody Bag (in-store), visit buybuybaby.com for more information. To view the buybuy BABY offers, please visit https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/static/savingscenter.

About buybuy BABY:

buybuy BABY is the largest specialty baby retailer in North America that empowers parents with the information and products they need to confidently prepare for, navigate and celebrate a joy-filled life with baby. The company sells a wide assortment of baby essentials and nursery furnishings. The company is a subsidiary of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.

SOURCE buybuy BABY

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By Akbar Mammadov

Serbian President Alexandar Vucic has expressed regret over Armenias use of Serbian-made weapons during the recent cross-border clash with Azerbaijan.

In a phone conversation with President Ilham Aliyev on August 7, Alexandar Vucic expressed his condolences over the killing of Azerbaijani servicemen in the Armenian provocation on the border.

Alexandar Vucic noted that a high-level Serbian delegation will be sent to Azerbaijan in the near future to investigate the incident.

Vucic commended the friendly relations with Azerbaijan based on strategic partnership and invited the Azerbaijani president to pay an official visit to Serbia.

Expressing gratitude for the phone call, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Armenias use of Serbian-made ammunition in shelling Azerbaijani military and civilian positions that killed servicemen and a civilian, has caused concern among the Azerbaijani public.

Aliyev also expressed satisfaction with the Serbian presidents decision to send a high-level delegation to investigate the incident.

During the conversation, the sides decided to prevent any actions that could overshadow the friendly relations between the two countries in the future.

It should be noted that earlier, on July 20, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry summoned Serbia's Charge d'Affaires Danica Veinovic over the delivery of a large amount of military ammunition and mortar from Serbia to Armenia.

The cross-border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia started on July 12 noon after Armenian troops fired artillery at Azerbaijani military post in Tovuz region.

Azerbaijani armed forces retaliated destroying a stronghold, bombshells, vehicles and servicemen on the territory of the Armenias military unit by using artillery, mortars and tanks. Azerbaijan has also downed six Armenian UAVs.

Azerbaijan lost 12 servicemen, including an army general, during cross-border clashes from July 12 till July 16. Armenian forces have also been shelling civilians in villages in Tovuz. An Azerbaijani civilian in Tovuzs Aghdam village was killed as a result of artillery shelling by the Armenian armed forces on July 14.

---

Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Editors note: This story contains language that may offend some readers.

LEELANAU, MI  The Leelanau County Road Commission has sided with those asking for their colleague to resign after the use of a racial slur during a public meeting earlier this week.

On Thursday, Aug. 7, Leelanau County Road Commission members sent a letter to Road Commissioner Tom Eckerle requesting his resignation. The letter follows calls from other elected officials representing the Northern Michigan county.

We do not condone the racist comments that you made in the Leelanau County Road Commission meeting room on Aug. 4, states the letter signed by the four other commissioners. We will not tolerate any kind of racism in our meeting room or in our organization. This behavior has had a serious effect on our excellent road commission, and we are asking you to resign immediately.

The alleged comments came during a public meeting that could be heard by anyone who dialed into a phone number to listen to the proceedings.

Well this whole thing is because of them (n-word) down in Detroit, Eckerle allegedly said during a meeting on Monday, Aug. 4, according to the Leelanau Enterprise.

Eckerle was responding to a question about why he wasnt wearing a face covering - which is required by executive order to help slow the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus - for the meeting.

RELATED: Michigan road commissioner uses racial slur during meeting to blame COVID-19 masks on Detroiters

Road commission chairman Bob Joyce immediately chastised the language, but Eckerle stood firm behind his statement.

I can say anything I want, Eckerle said, according to the Enterprise story. Black Lives Matter has everything to do with taking the country away from us.

State Rep. Jack OMalley, R- Lake Ann, who represents Eckerles district issued a statement regarding the situation early Thursday and called for Eckerles immediate resignation.

After speaking with a number of individuals in the district today, I must say that I am shocked and disappointed to hear of the comments that were made by Leelanau County Road Commissioner Tom Eckerle before a recent road commission meeting. I called Mr. Eckerle to confirm he made these comments. He confirmed that he did. This type of racial slur is flat-out unacceptable and ignorant. I asked Mr. Eckerle to resign his position as road commissioner in light of these comments and shall he refuse, the citizens of Leelanau County have every right to recall him from office.

It saddens me to have to even make this statement.

OMalley also pointed out two ways that Eckerle could be removed from his position if he refuses to resign: Citizens can start a recall petition; or the Leelanau County Commission can request that the governor remove him from office.

Today I was alerted to a story involving a Leelanau County Road Commissioner's comments before a monthly meeting. I... Posted by State Representative Jack O'Malley on Thursday, August 6, 2020

Residents in the area have also called for Eckerles resignation on a Facebook post from the Leelanau Enterprise sharing the story.

Eckerle is in the early part of a six-year term.

READ MORE:

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At least 78 people were killed in the August 4 blast and nearly 4,000 injured, with many others still missing.

One Vietnamese citizen was slightly injured in the massive explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Le Thi Thu Hang said at the ministrys regular press conference in Hanoi on August 5.

We were saddened to hear of the explosion in Beirut on August 4, which claimed many lives and wounded thousands, she said.

Vietnam offers its deepest condolences to the State, Government and people of Lebanon and grieving families.

Upon receiving information on the incident, she said, the Embassy of Vietnam in Egypt and Lebanon contacted the Vietnamese community and the Consulate of Vietnam in the country.

According to the Vietnamese Embassy, the injured Vietnamese citizen is in a stable condition.

MoFA has ordered the embassy to continue its close watch on the situation, stay in touch with local authorities, and stand ready to conduct citizen protection measures if necessary, Hang added.
- Saudi Arabia has one of the prominent markets for cosmetics and fragrances products in the Middle East. Consumers in the country tend to spend substantially on their personal appearance, thereby, supplementing the growth of the cosmetic and fragrances market in the country.

New York, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Saudi Arabia E-Commerce Cosmetics and Fragrances Market - Growth, Trends and Forecast (2020 - 2025)" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05948974/?utm_source=GNW



- The country has witnessed a significant growth in online sales of cosmetics and fragrances, especially among women and millennials, due to more financial empowerment and employment opportunities for women.

- Furthermore, with the rising active social media users, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, there has been an increased awareness about the cosmetics and fragrance products among consumers, in the country.

- The high percentage of Muslim population in the country has resulted in the rise in demand for halal cosmetics and fragrances. Such factors have provided opportunity for global brands and online retailers to expand their offerings to capture the demand.



Key Market Trends

Rising Number of Active Social Media Users



In Saudi Arabia, the strong internet penetration had majorly contributed in driving awareness about cosmetics and beauty products, among consumers. The country has the highest number of active social media users in the region on various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter. Furthermore, the country also has the global highest YouTube watch time per capita. Over this platform, the beauty focused content has attracted over 1.9 billion views, and this figure has been rising at a rate of almost 187% each year, according to a KSA beauty market White paper. Having gained their popularity through social media, the Arabian beauty influencers are slowly becoming todays most modern entrepreneurs. These influencers have been redefining the industry and are driving the demand for beauty products in the country. For instance, Huda Kattan, one of the worlds first and biggest beauty influencers turned businesswoman has bee leading her USD 1 billion brand, Huda Beauty, which has been dominating the color cosmetic market.



Fragrance Segment Dominate the Market Share



Perfumes are used by both women and men, and they signify the consumers personality, style, and individuality. Historically, there has been an inclination for exotic ouds and fine perfumes in Saudi Arabia, which has attracted numerous international perfume manufacturers to invest in the region. On account of this, Saudi Arabia has established itself as a major hub for the creation of trendsetting perfumes. A shift in consumers preferences for natural perfumes over synthetic perfumes led to the introduction of oud-based perfumes by several western brands. This is further supported by increasing promotional campaigns by the manufacturers. The potential of the fragrance market segment has also led the Middle Eastern luxury distribution group, Chalhoub, to create its own brand of oriental fragrance called Ghawali, in 2016, under the luxury fragrance segment. The new brand intends to present a traditional product in a contemporary manner. Like most other oriental fragrance brands, the product was retailed through the companys own standalone store network. Currently, the company is planning to sell its product on the online platform with an aim to broaden its customer base and geographical presence, after achieving success in the offline platform.



Competitive Landscape

The KSA e-commerce cosmetics and fragrances market is highly competitive with the presence of key players such as Ajmal International Trading Co. LLC, Sephora, Amazon.com, Inc., Awok.com, Golden Scent, and M-A-C Cosmetics Inc. Theres an increase in internet penetration rate along with the number of shoppers in the region. Further, consumers are also warming up to the idea of online shopping, although the tradition of brick and mortar shopping remains prominent. The key strategies adopted by the companies operating in Saudi Araba E-commerce cosmetics and fragrances market include expansions, new launch, partnerships, among others. Companies are venturing and expanding their business into the Saudi Arabia market, pertaining to the high demand for cosmetics and fragrance via online retail channels. For instance, AWOK.com, the United Arab Emirates largest e-commerce player, ventured into Saudi Arabia. With this new development, customers will now be able to purchase the products of their choice from the AWOK KSA.



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Researchers from Michigan State University, University of South Florida, St. John's University, and American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) published a new paper that analyzes relationships between customer complaints, complaint handling by companies, and customer loyalty to understand how customer complaint management affects companies' performance and to inform companies how to manage customer complaints much better and more consistently.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "Turning Complaining Customers into Loyal Customers: Moderators of the Complaint Handling - Customer Loyalty Relationship" and is authored by Forrest Morgeson, Tomas Hult, Sunil Mithas, Tim Keiningham, and Claes Fornell.

The angry restaurant patron. The irritated airline passenger. The retail customer screaming about a return or refund. Every company worries about complaining customers. They can be loud, disruptive, and damage a company's brand reputation, sales, employee morale, and market value. But are customer complaints as damaging as they seem?

As it turns out, customers who lodge complaints are not a lost cause. They can still be satisfied and remain loyal if their complaints are handled well. Regrettably, companies rarely handle complaints consistently, partly because they don't know how.

The research team carried out the largest study ever on customer complaints to inform companies how to manage customer complaints much better and more consistently. We studied data from the world-renowned American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) regarding behaviors of 35,597 complaining customers over a 10-year period across 41 industries.

The study finds that the relationship between a company's complaint recovery and customer loyalty is stronger during periods of faster economic growth, in more competitive industries, for customers of luxury products, and for customers with higher overall satisfaction and higher expectations of customization. On the other hand, the recovery-loyalty relationship is weaker when customers' expectations of product/service reliability are higher, for manufactured goods, and for males compared to females.

Hult explains that "We draw two key conclusions from the results. First, companies need to recognize not only that industries vary widely in the percentage of customers who complain (on average, about 11.1 percent), but also that economic, industry, customer-firm, product/service, and customer segment factors dictate the importance of complaint recovery to customers and their future loyalty. Companies should develop complaint management strategies accordingly."

He continues, "Secondly, the financial benefits of complaint management efforts differ significantly across companies. Since complaint management's effect on customer loyalty varies across industries and companies offering different kinds of goods, the economic benefit from seeking to reaffirm customer loyalty via complaint recovery varies as well. Through this study, these performance factors can be identified and considered when designing a company's complaint management system."

Without context, these conclusions suggest that a profit-maximizing strategy simply requires that managers understand the impact of complaint recovery on customer loyalty in their industry. Added to this complexity, however, is the reality that profitability is not evenly distributed throughout the customer base. Fornell says that "Companies need to implement complaint management systems that make it easier for front-line employees to respond to complaining customers in ways that optimize customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and the economic contribution of customers."

Without a deeper understanding of the boundaries of the complaint handling-customer loyalty relationship and the effects of economic, industry, customer-firm, product/service, and customer segment factors, companies will likely allocate cost estimates to complaint management that are too low for the required recovery actions or customer loyalty estimates that are too high, or both, instead of achieving an optimal point of recovery-loyalty yield.

Fornell advises that "Achieving an optimal recovery-loyalty yield is more advantageous than adopting the mantra that the customer is always right. It is a folly to believe that the customer is always right. Economically speaking, the customer is only "right" if there is an economic gain for the company to keep that customer. In reality, some complaining customers are very costly and not worth keeping."

###

Full article and author contact information available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242920929029

About the Journal of Marketing

The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Christine Moorman (T. Austin Finch, Sr. Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University) serves as the current Editor in Chief.

https://www.ama.org/jm

About the American Marketing Association (AMA)

As the largest chapter-based marketing association in the world, the AMA is trusted by marketing and sales professionals to help them discover what's coming next in the industry. The AMA has a community of local chapters in more than 70 cities and 350 college campuses throughout North America. The AMA is home to award-winning content, PCM professional certification, premiere academic journals, and industry-leading training events and conferences.

https://www.ama.org/
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to get a sense of the ground situation, soon after an Air India Express flight overshot the runway and crashed.

The Prime Minister tweeted, "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest." He added that authorities are already at the spot and providing all possible assistance.

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been rushed for evacuation and rescue work. Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, "Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala."

Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala.



Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 7, 2020



Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed grief and shock over the incident as he said, "Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured." Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 7, 2020 President Ram Nath Kovind said he was deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane accident and that he spoke to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and enquired about the situation there. "Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families," the President tweeted. Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families.  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 7, 2020

Fourteen people have been reported dead so far, including the pilot. The mishap occurred at around 8.20 p.m. The aircraft had 190 people onboard, including 174 passengers, 10 infants, four crew members and two pilots.

About 40 ambulances have reached the accident spot and are rushing the passengers to various hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappuram. The condition of several passengers who were brought to a private hospital is reported to be serious.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has directed local Self Government Minister A.C. Moideen to rush to the accident site.
A 17-year-old Gordonsville teen pleaded guilty in Louisa County Circuit Court on Friday to charges of first-degree murder, malicious wounding, robbery, burglary and firearm violations stemming from an attack on a couple last November.

Louisa Commonwealths Attorney Rusty McGuire said in a prepared statement that the policy of his office is to not release the name of a juvenile offender, even though he was tried as an adult. However, public online court records identify the youth as Cameryn Anthony Dickerson.

Authorities said the defendant, Dickerson, was 16 years old when on Nov. 10 he went to the home of Roger and Nancy Payne, 82 and 73 years old, respectively, using an alias and alleging that his girlfriend had been abducted.

Prosecutors said authorities believe he was scouting the Paynes home. He returned there two days later telling the couple his girlfriend was all right. He then left and returned wearing different clothing and carrying a sawed-off shotgun.
By Yasmeen Saadi

American Red Cross



Audrey and Larry Payne have been with the Red Cross since the 1990s: the days when payphones were used to call for supplies, and inventory and casework reports were written out by hand.

Throughout their years as volunteers in St. Joseph, Audrey and Larry have devoted their lives to the Red Cross mission of helping those in need through disaster and recovery.

When asked why they started volunteering, Audrey said, We werent blessed with [children], so we had to find other means.

This remarkable couple found a way to share their love and talents through serving others. Audrey and Larry have been married nearly 38 years, and together they have dedicated their time to helping the communities around them. Even before becoming Red Cross volunteers, they were serving others.

Larry is a military veteran who served three years in active duty including one year in Vietnam before coming home and joining the Missouri National Guard, retiring in 2003.

During this time, Audrey became a volunteer with the National Guard as a coordinator for family support groups. She and seven others traveled around Missouri to armories, teaching families how to start support groups while their loved ones were deployed.

Audreys valuable work caught the attention of the Red Cross in 1990, when they invited her to speak to a support group for families affected by the Gulf War. She was invited back on several occasions before officially becoming the Red Cross volunteer to run the support groups.

Since then, Audrey has volunteered with the Red Cross by helping with service to armed forces, disaster casework, installing smoke alarms, training other volunteers and more.

She has been deployed to many disaster sites, both local and national, including the Great Flood of 1993, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina. During the COVID-19 pandemic Audrey is continuing to help others by doing virtual casework.

Audrey says she can tell stories for days about her work with the Red Cross, but one touching story she distinctly remembers is about a lady whose two-story house was destroyed by fire.

We just stood and we held hands and we cried and we watched it until the house melted, Audrey said. I would just stand there thinking that could be my house. I could be needing someone like me to come and help me. And so I think thats how it got in my blood.

For Audrey, being able to interact with people is special, and as a caseworker, she is grateful that she can be there for people after a disaster and let them know she cares about them.

[When] there is an elderly person who doesnt have any family, you just want to reach out, hug them and say Im here for you and I do when Im there, Audrey said. And even over the phone, I do the best I can to show that love and my caring through the phone.

Larry worked with the Red Cross for the first time during the Great Flood of 1993, when he served as manager of their facilities. He officially became a Red Cross volunteer in 1995, and since then has been deployed across the country to respond to 9/11, the Missoula Montana wildfires, and multiple hurricanes along the southern coast, including Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Dennis.

He has worked in logistics and sheltering, in safety and security, as a warehouse manager, and as a trained driver to transport supplies. Larry was also the first trained driver for Henrys Kitchen, which was a Red Cross mobile feeding unit that transported meals to disaster sites and helped transport around 3,000 meals a day.

While Larrys love for travel inspired him to start going out on disasters, his passion grew by seeing the people he was helping.

You see [a place] at its worst because its after a disaster, Larry said. But you see the people at their best, because when disasters happen, theres no animosity between the people. Theyre working together, theyre friends, theres no animosity whatsoever.

Their selflessness goes beyond those they are helping and extends to other volunteers. During the recovery of 9/11, they decided to return to New York through Christmas and New Years so that volunteers with kids would be able to go home.

Throughout their years volunteering, Audrey and Larry have seen the effects of disasters first hand and have gained priceless knowledge through their training and experiences. They hope to continue sharing their knowledge, talents, and care through the Red Cross by helping others and saving lives.

My life wasnt about making money, it was about helping people, Audrey said.
Is it acceptable to say you stand against racial discrimination, and support law enforcement at the same time? There certainly seem to be voices these days that suggest the two positions must be mutually exclusive. However, at Cleveland State we believe you can both stand for racial justice and support law enforcement with respect and integrity.

Cleveland State Community College has been running its Law Enforcement Training Academy since 1990. Regarded as one of the best programs of its kind in the Southeast they have been providing basic police training for law enforcement agencies throughout our region. This summer we will graduate our 80th class of cadets. That means well over 2,000 officers have been trained to meet the needs of our community citizens. To support them further we are remodeling new offices and classrooms on campus to help the program continue its commitment toward excellence.

Cleveland State was also one of the first community colleges in the state of Tennessee to establish a campus police department. This was done with the understanding that POST certified officers provide the best protection for our students, employees and guests at our very public campus. We are proud that our former Campus Police Chief, Mike Hodges, is now the director of our Law Enforcement Training Academy.

I will also note that Cleveland State has a strong history of training first responders of many kinds. Our nursing program has been a strong and significant part of our history. We also excel in our training of EMT and paramedic professionals. Within six months, all of these programs will benefit from training in our new Health & Science Center.

We are also proud that we are the host of the annual Cleveland 100 Banquet. We support the organization by providing our facilities and event management at no cost. This allows Cleveland 100 to focus its resources toward recognizing local officers for their heroic performance and supporting the families of officers who are killed or injured in the line of duty.

Still, it is no surprise to us that our campus community is also dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion. While these are values in which we have always believed, we also understand we must do a better job of reducing success gaps for underrepresented groups and creating a campus community that is more inclusive.

To support this effort we hired Mr. Willie Thomas a year ago to serve as our first chief diversity officer. As part of our new Vision 2025 Plan, we have created our first Equity Plan to guide our efforts for years to come.

Recently, we have been encouraging a campus conversation on race and justice in the wake of George Floyds killing. Through multiple forums, we are listening and sharing views from many employees as well as students.

We have had panel discussions and created our social media series titled We Hear You: Voices of Cleveland State. Nationally recognized speaker on issues of racism and equity, Derek Young was the keynote speaker for our 2020 virtual commencement. We have also arranged for Franklin McCallie to present at our all-employee in-service before the start of the fall semester. His story of building meaningful relationships between blacks and whites in our region is inspirational.

While these efforts are admirable, we want to develop lasting cultural change for our college. We have the vision, now we need to invest ourselves in the work that will make the vision a reality.

A college like Cleveland State can serve as a fine example of being respectful, inclusive and tolerant. We are without question multi-faceted in terms of our programs of study, our people and values. As a reflection of this, we greatly value law enforcement while at the same time standing firmly for racial justice.

Dr. Bill Seymour

President of Cleveland State Community College
Ireland's beef sector will receive 50m in recognition of the difficulties that beef finishers had endured because of Brexit and Covid-19 disruption.

An estimated 42,000 farmers will be eligible to apply for the scheme, Ireland's agriculture minister Dara Calleary said.

It will be based on the number of cattle sent for slaughter in the period from 1 February to 12 June 2020, subject to a limit of 100 animals per herd.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) welcomed the announcement, saying it was 'crucial' for the money to get out to farmers 'as soon as possible'.

Based on estimates of eligible animals, a rate in the region of 100 (90) per animal will be payable to farmers.

Eligible animals must have been aged 8 months or more when slaughtered.

IFA's President Tim Cullinan said: There should be a provision to increase the payment per animal if there is any underspend."

The scheme will apply to farmers who had cattle slaughtered between February 1st and June 12th. Its expected the payment will be in the region of 100 per head.

"This will be a significant boost for the autumn cattle trade, he said.

It comes as the Northern Irish government announced in May a 25m funding boost for the region's beef and dairy sectors to help farmers grapple with the impact of Covid-19.

The Northern Irish Executive announced the financial support, which was described as a 'lifeline' for struggling farming businesses.

The cash injection was, at the time announced, the most generous allocation made by any UK or EU administration for the agriculture sector during the crisis.
COVID-19 deaths, hospitalisations and lockdowns could be over this year, says WHO

Unlock 3.0: Schools to reopen in phased manner starting September 1, says Report

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 07: The central government is planning to reopen schools and colleges in a staggered manner between September 1 and November 14. The fresh guidelines are expected to be out on August 31, the decision on reopening will be left to states.

According to new rules, students of standard 10 and 12 will attend classes in their classrooms for first 15 days. If Class 10 has four sections, half the students of sections A and C would be required to come on particular days, and the others on the remaining days, the Economic Times reported.

Unlock 3.0: Allow hotels, gyms, weekly markets to reopen in Delhi, AAP govt's proposal to LG

Covid vaccine: SII to manufacture 100 million doses for India & others | Oneindia News

The number of school hours, the report states, would be restricted to 5-6 hours, out of which 2-3 hours would require physical attendance.

The report states that all schools are likely to run in shifts, from 8 to 11 am and 12 to 3 pm, with one hour break in between for sanitisation.

The schools would be asked to run with 33 percent teaching staff and students.

Earlier, the Assam government said it has prepared preliminary plans to reopen educational institutions on September 1 but the final decision will depend on the directives of the Centre.

"We have drawn up a preliminary plan for reopening schools but it is still open for further discussions with parents and other stakeholders, and will be implemented only in accordance with the directives of the Union government," Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said.

Unlock 3.0: Centre issues fresh guidelines for reopening of gyms, yoga institutes

Schools and colleges across the country have been closed since March 16, soon after the centre announced the nationwide lockdown to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
On Aug. 4, Beirut was rocked by a massive explosion at a warehouse at one of the citys port facilities. At least 135 people were killed and as many as 4,000 injured, with an estimated 300,000 left homeless because the blast destroyed their apartments or rendered them uninhabitable.

The explosion, reportedly set off by a nearby blaze at the port, was caught on camera by multiple individuals from different distances and angles. The blast was immediately followed by wild speculation on social media as to its origins.

Arguably the most bizarre take came from Veterans Today, an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory site with ties to Russian and Iranian state media.

Shortly after the blast was reported, Veterans Today tweeted:

Breaking: Israel Nukes Beirut - Two explosions in Beirut, one a conventional guided bomb followed by a small nuclear weapon. The target seems to be an Iranian/Hezbollah missile storage facility. Our evaluation is guesswork and we are waiting for word from our nuclear exper...

That is false.

Within hours of the incident, evidence mounted for another explanation. The explosion occurred after a fire had broken out nearby and firefighters were already at the scene. Al Jazeera reported that Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab cited ammonium nitrate stored at the site as the likely cause of the explosion.

The explosion itself displayed none of the tell-tale signs of nuclear detonation, one of the most important being a blinding flash. Furthermore, videos of the blast were posted online by people who would have been obliterated along with their media devices had there been a nuclear explosion.

So what caused the explosion?

It apparently began with a fire at the port facility and spread to 2,750 metric tons of highly-flammable ammonium nitrate fertilizer stored in a warehouse. Ammonium nitrate has been used as an improvised explosive, one of the most infamous cases being the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

Accidental detonations in plants and storage facilities have occurred throughout the chemical fertilizers history, such as the explosion at the BASF plant in Oppau, Germany in 1921, or more recently, a 2013 explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas.

The Beirut fertilizer was seized from a ship in 2013 and had been left neglected in a warehouse since then.

In September 2013, the Moldovan-flagged ship Rhosus, owned by a Russian citizen living in Cyprus, was en route from the Georgian port of Batumi on the Black Sea to Mozambique. Citing technical problems, the Rhosus stopped in Beirut, where it was inspected by local authorities and deemed to be unworthy to sail.

The ship and its cargo were abandoned by the owner and the charterers, and after a legal battle the ships cargo was moved to a nearby warehouse, where it was to be stored prior to being auctioned or subject to proper disposal. Neither took place.

Worse still, information came to light on Aug. 5 that Lebanese government ministers knew that the hazardous cargo had been sitting in the warehouse for years, raising further doubts about governance in the country, which recently has been rocked by continuous protests against government corruption.

Al Jazeera reported that several port officials have been placed under house arrest pending an investigation into responsibility for the blast.

Despite the emerging counternarrative, Veterans Today doubled and tripled down on claims that Israel had used a nuclear weapon on Lebanon. Another tweet on Aug. 4 stated:

Breaking: Israel Nukes Beirut, Russian Embassy Hit, Evidence In (updating) - A general in the Lebanese Army reports that Israel dropped a tactical nuclear weapon on the port of Beirut today. He reports that this was done to collapse the current political regime there and revo...

The tweet did not provide a link to back up its claim. As for the Russian embassy in Beirut being hit, the embassy only reported that one worker suffered minor injuries when the buildings windows were shattered.

On Aug. 5, Veterans Today tweeted out a condemnation of fact checkers contradicting its unsubstantiated claims:

'Fact Checking' The Nuke That Hit Beirut - Within hours of VT breaking the news that Israel had nuked Beirut, the 'fact checkers' were out in force trying to contradict us, but the best they could do was a pretty pathetic effort comprised of nothing of substance, just regurgit...

That tweet is also false:VT: did not break the news of Israel nuking Beirut because that did not happen. Veterans Today not only failed to present any evidence for its claim that the blast was a nuclear weapon, but there is plenty of visual evidence that the blast was non-nuclear.

With the Lebanese officials saying the explosion was caused by the stored ammonium nitrate, Veterans Todays claims about breaking the news are even more discredited.

In a 2017 Politico article on Russian disinformation targeting U.S. military veterans, author Ben Schreckinger noted comments by the chairman of Veterans Today in a 2012 interview:

About 30% of whats written on Veterans Today, is patently false. About 40% of what I write, is at least purposely, partially false, because if I didnt write false information I wouldnt be alive.
Dhaka, Aug 7 : A Bangladesh Navy official who sustained serious injuries in two massive explosions in Lebanese capital Beirut is out of danger now, officials said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday expressed "deepest condolences" over the loss of lives in the explosion that rocked Beirut, sending a message to her Lebanese counterpart Hassan Diab, the PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said.

The deadly explosions at a warehouse in Beirut port injured 21 members of the Bangladesh Navy Ship BNS Bijoy -- a part of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operation's Maritime Task Force.

One of the injured officials was in critical condition and was admitted to the American University of Beirut Medical Center.

The others were taken to Hamud Hospital after initial treatment under the supervision of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

Of the 21 officials injured in the blast, 11 were released from the hospital, said a press release.

The explosion in Beirut port on Tuesday killed at least 137 people, injured 5,000, left dozens missing, a Lebanese health ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

At least 4 Bangladeshi nationals were killed and around 100 more, including 21 members of Bangladesh Navy, were injured.

Abdullah Al Mamun, first secretary (labour) and head of the chancery at Bangladesh Embassy in Beirut, told that the critically injured official regained consciousness.

"The embassy is in constant touch with the injured Bangladeshis," he said.

Bangladesh Navy warships have been participating in the UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon since 2010.

The BNS Bijoy is engaged in establishing world peace as a member of the Multinational Maritime Task Force in the Mediterranean.

The ship has been working to prevent illegal weapons and ammunition from entering Lebanese territory, officials said.
Mumbai, Aug 7 : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced the constitution of an expert committee led by KV Kamath to make recommendations on a special window for Covid-related stressed assets under the bank's 'Prudential Framework on Resolution of Stressed Assets'.

The panel led by former New Development Bank President Kamath also includes Diwakar Gupta with effect from September 1, 2020, after the completion of his term as Asian Development Bank Vice-President, and TN Manoharan with effect from August 14, 2020, after completion of his term as Canara Bank Chairman.

Ashvin Parekh, Managing Partner at Ashvin Parekh Advisory Services LLP and the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) CEO will be the Strategy Adviser and Member-Secretary respectively, an RBI statement said.

Former Punjab National Bank CEO Sunil Mehta is the current Chief Executive Officer of IBA.

On Thursday, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had announced that in order to facilitate the revival of economic activities and mitigate the impact on ultimate borrowers, a window will be provided under the 'Prudential Framework' to enable lenders to implement a resolution plan in respect of eligible corporate exposures without a change in ownership, and personal loans, while classifying such exposures as standard, subject to specified conditions.

He also announced the Kamath-led panel to make recommendations on the required financial parameters to be factored into the resolution plans, with sector-specific benchmark ranges for such parameters.

"The expert committee shall also undertake the process validation for the resolution plans under this framework, without going into the commercial aspects, in respect of all accounts with aggregate exposure of Rs 1,500 crore and above at the time of invocation," the RBI statement added on Friday.

The committee will submit its recommendations on the financial parameters to the RBI which, in turn, will notify the same along with modifications, if any, within 30 days. The IBA will function as the Secretariat for the committee that is fully empowered to consult or invite any person it deems fit.

The panel may devise its own procedures for its functioning. It will function under the aegis of the RBI. Accordingly, its expenses and those of its Secretariat will be borne by the apex bank. The committee may be expanded to include more members as and when necessary, the RBI statement said.
A Chicopee man was arrested Thursday in connection with the July 13 shooting death of Jose Bonilla in Holyoke.

Angel Rivera, 29, is being held without right to bail after he entered a not guilty plea to a single count of murder in Holyoke District Court Friday, according to the Hampden district attorneys office.

James Leydon, spokesman for Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, said State Police detectives attached to the district attorneys office and Holyoke police officers took Rivera into custody Thursday. Officials did not indicate where Rivera was apprehended or describe the circumstances of the arrest.

He will return to court on Sept. 4 for a hearing.

According to Holyoke police, officers responded to a report of a shooting at 56 Suffolk St. at about 9:45 p.m. July 13.

First responders found Bonilla, 43, suffering apparent gunshot wounds. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center where he was pronounced dead later that night.

The incident remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police, the Holyoke Police Department and the district attorneys Murder Unit.
Black Lives Matter Protesters Face Potential Life Sentence for Charges in Utah

Black Lives Matter demonstrators could face potentially life imprisonment if they are convicted of vandalizing District Attorney Sim Gills office in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Madalena Rose McNeil, 28; Marvin Oliveros, 39; and Richard Lovell Davis, 31, were charged Tuesday with felony criminal mischief and rioting, which is a third-degree felony, according to officials, as reported by KSL.

The criminal mischief charge, a first-degree felony, carries a gang attribute. It makes each charge punishable with a sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison, the report noted, citing Utahs criminal code.

The three were involved in demonstrations following the death of Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, a Democrat, said in a statement that she has no jurisdiction over the states criminal justice system or laws.

If a crime is committed, there should be a consequence, but that consequence needs to be proportioned to the crime itself, she said in a Twitter post. And in this case, where were seeing the potential for an individual to spend a lifetime in prison for buying paint, that is too extreme. I dont agree with the extent and the potential of these charges and I hope that the criminal justice system wont take it that far.

Police in Salt Lake City said that a group of demonstrators ultimately broke five windows at the district attorneys office and painted the roadway and building with red paint causing damage estimated to be between $100,000 and $200,000, according to a news release.

But Gill defended the elevated charges and downplayed the possibility they will receive life sentences. I dont think anyone is going to be going to prison on this, Gill told The Associated Press this week.

Press Release: Recap of SLCPD actions during yesterdays protesthttps://t.co/7Idzou0euy pic.twitter.com/9y2lhuWKGP  SLC Police Dept. (@slcpd) July 10, 2020

AP noted that criminal cases often end with plea deals to lesser charges.

Theres some people who want to engage in protest, but they want to be absolved of any behavior, Gill, a Democrat, told AP. This is not about protest, this is about people who are engaging in criminal conduct.

More than 30 people have been charged with various crimes in Salt Lake County amid a U.S.-wide wave of protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

We have to have some agreement of what constitutes protected First Amendment speech, Gill told the news agency. When you cross that threshold, should you be held accountable or not?
Creative Discovery Museum was awarded a $250,000 Museums of America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to help fund the renovation and expansion of the Museums early childhood exhibit, Little Yellow House. The IMLS grant funds will directly support the Ignite Discovery: Creating the New CDM capital campaign that launched in January. CDM was one of 109 museums to be awarded the Museums of America grant nationally.



Officials said, "The Ignite Discovery renovation will transform the iconic Little Yellow House exhibit into the Little Farm House, doubling the size of the early childhood exhibit. From an expanded space for crawlers to the new barn and farm, the Little Farm House will offer a variety of opportunities for pretend play which is critical for social and cognitive development in children.



"Research shows that more than 90 percent of brain growth occurs in the first five to six years of life. Access to high-quality, early-learning experiences for children birth to five is necessary for success in kindergarten and long-term education. As the regions leading expert in experiential education, CDM provides a child-centric experience that features hands-on educational activities, stimulates the senses and grows a childs mind."



We are thrilled to receive this grant from IMLS, said Executive Director Henry Schulson. Little Yellow House is one of our most popular exhibits for families with young children. Expanding the space will help us further our commitment to early learning, provide the building blocks for healthy brain development and increase the intellectual and social capacity of the children in our community and beyond.



"As pillars of our communities, libraries and museums bring people together by providing important programs, services and collections. These institutions are trusted spaces where people can learn, explore and grow, said IMLS Director Crosby Kemper. IMLS is proud to support their initiatives through our grants as they educate and enhance their communities."



CDM received several large contributions to Ignite Discovery during its 14-week closure: $200,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, $100,000 from the City of Chattanooga, $60,000 from Southface Good Use and $50,000 from the George R. Johnson Family Foundation.



The support of our community during these difficult times has been tremendous, said Mr. Schulson. Despite taking a significant financial hit due to our spring closure, we are looking forward to a positive, and newly renovated, future.



Due to COVID-19, the campaign was temporarily suspended, but will be officially re-ignited in September. The Museum and its investors are undertaking a $10 million dollar campaign to fund comprehensive renovations of its 43,000 square foot facility. The initiative is centered on three goals: "to ensure CDM remains a leader in experiential learning, a gathering place for all children and a gateway to a vibrant downtown Chattanooga." Over $6.7 million has been raised to date. The exhibit renovations are slated to be finished in 2021. Ignite Discovery is chaired by Susu and Paul Brock and Leah and Jay Hill.



For more information about Ignite Discovery: Creating the New CDM, visit ignitecdm.com or contact Katie Hanners, CDMs director of advancement, at 423-648-6043.
The deep freeze of Melbournes pandemic lockdown is not stopping developer Argo Group from pushing ahead with a speculatively built 23-level office tower in Little Bourke Street.

The developer, led by Nick Argyrou, will start demolition of a once-popular watering hole, the Great Western Hotel, on the corner of King Street early next year and replace it with a tower designed by Amsterdam-based architects UNStudio.

Mr Argyrou said UNStudio has been working in collaboration with Melbourne based architects XO Projects on the tower design.

An artist's impression of Argo Group's 23-level office tower in Little Bourke Street. Credit:Artist's impression

To continue to evolve and improve our commercial landscape, it is crucial to build on global best practice which will attract and retain major head offices in the Melbourne market, he said.
Sanaa Seif



Several renowned authors and Hollywood stars called on Egypt to free prominent activist Sanaa Seif and other political prisoners in an open letter published on Tuesday.



"We call on the Egyptian authorities to immediately release Sanaa...and all those detained for peacefully exercising their rights," the letter said. Seif, 26, was arrested outside the public prosecutor's office and driven away in an unmarked minivan.



She was charged with "spreading false news", "inciting terrorist crimes" and "misuse of social media", her lawyers said. The letter was signed by more than 200 people, including actors Danny Glover, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Thandie Newton and leading writers Noam Chomsky, Arundhati Roy and Nobel Literature laureate J. M. Coetzee.



"Sanaa is the latest in a seemingly unending series of arrests that have come to define President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's rule," the signatories said. Seif, a film editor who worked on the Oscar-nominated documentary The Square, is the sister of jailed activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, a prominent figure in the Arab Spring uprising that unseated longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.



Seif and members of her family were at the prosecutor's office in late June to lodge a complaint after they were allegedly assaulted outside a Cairo prison complex the day before.



The family had been at the prison in hope of receiving a letter from Alaa, who was imprisoned last September after rare, small-scale protests demanding Sisi's ouster prompted thousands of arrests.



"Tens of thousands of politically motivated detentions have been documented by human rights organisations... Meanwhile, courts and prosecutors have been extending the pre-trial detention of detainees without their presence in court," the open letter said.



Under Egyptian law, defendants can be remanded in custody for up to two years but authorities routinely prolong detentions indefinitely. The open letter described how detainees are "trapped in endless cycles of administrative detention, renewed indefinitely, without ever going to trial".



"We call on the Egyptian government to end the abuse of pre-trial detention," it said.



Advocacy groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch endorsed the letter. Egypt has targeted dissidents with a persistent crackdown since then armed forces chief Sisi toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. Thousands have been swept up in the campaign, not only Islamists but also secular activists, lawyers, journalists, film-makers and most recently social media influencers. (AFP)


New Delhi, Aug 8 : Terming debt restructuring a breather for corporates, rating agency Crisil said that liquidity-strapped firms need timely lender approvals to avoid sharp rating action.

According to Crisil, the Reserve Bank's decision to enable lenders to permit a one-time restructuring of loans will ease the liquidity pressure on companies amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Crisil will factor in the impact of debt restructuring on its rated credits, as and when the process is initiated, and its rating action will depend upon the timeliness and terms of the restructuring of debt," the rating agency said in a statement.

"Also, Crisil's rating actions will continue to factor in any structural deterioration in the credit risk profiles of its rated companies amid prolonged business-side pressures, or such other reasons, in the normal course of rating reviews." On Thursday, the RBI announced that a restructuring window will be opened only for companies which are under stress due to the pandemic and which were classified as standard, but were not in default for more than 30 days with any lending institution as on March 1, 2020.

"Other contours of the restructuring window are being worked out by the RBI, and will remain a monitorable," the statement said.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper expressed concerns about Beijing's "destabilizing" activity near Taiwan and the South China Sea in a call with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, the Pentagon said on Thursday, the first time the two are believed to have spoken since March.

The call came as U.S.-China ties have rapidly deteriorated this year over a range of issues, including Beijing's handling of the coronavirus, telecommunications equipment maker Huawei [HWT.UL], China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its clamp-down on Hong Kong.

"Secretary Esper also communicated the importance that the PRC (People's Republic of China) abide by international laws, rules and norms and meet its international commitments," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters, adding that the call lasted for an hour and a half.

A separate Pentagon statement said both sides agreed on "developing the systems necessary for crisis communications and risk reduction."

Esper has said previously that he hopes to visit China by the end of the year to improve crisis-communications channels and address other areas of mutual interest.

The United States has long opposed China's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea and has sent warships regularly through the strategic waterway.

"Wei ... urged the U.S. side to stop erroneous words and deeds, improve the management and control of maritime risks, avoid taking dangerous moves that may escalate the situation, and safeguard regional peace and stability," China's official Xinhua news agency said.

China on Thursday threatened to take countermeasures over a trip to Taiwan by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, as the Chinese-claimed island country geared up for its highest-level U.S. official visit in four decades.

In June, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Chinas top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, in Hawaii but a senior U.S. official said that China was not forthcoming in those talks.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis and Dan Grebler)
The total number of coronavirus cases in Wyoming grew by 42 on Friday, with the number of confirmed cases rising by 41 and the number of probable cases rising by one, according to the Wyoming Department of Healths daily update.

54 new coronavirus recoveries were also announced: 38 confirmed and 16 probable.

Probable cases are defined by officials as close contacts of lab-confirmed cases with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

A patient is considered fully recovered when there is resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and there is improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath) for 72 hours AND at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.

There are now 3,000 cases  2,490 confirmed and 510 probable  and 2,420 recoveries  2,007 confirmed and 413 probable  recorded in the state, as well as 28 deaths.

As of Friday, there have been 80,681 tests performed for COVID-19 in Wyoming: 40,149 from the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory and 40,532 reported by other labs.

More than 80% of patients have fully recovered.

Patients have tested positive for coronavirus in all 23 of Wyomings counties.

About 7% of Wyomings cases required a hospital stay. In 30% of the cases, health officials dont know if the patient was hospitalized.

The virus has disproportionately affected people of color throughout the United States, a trend that is also reflected in Wyomings data. About 60% of confirmed cases in Wyoming are white, 16.3% are American Indian, 16.5% are Hispanic, 1.2% are Black, 0.8% are Asian, and 0.3% are Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. The racial identities of 6.2% of confirmed cases in Wyoming are not known, and 3.2% of confirmed cases identified as other races. According to 2019 census estimates, Wyomings population is 83.8% white (not Hispanic/Latino), 10.1% Hispanic/Latino, 2.7% American Indian/Alaska Native, 1.3% Black, 1.1% Asian and 2.2% two or more races.

In 49.3% of the cases, the patient came in contact with a known case. Community spread has been attributed to 19% of the cases. In another 12% of the cases, the patient had traveled either domestically or internationally. The Health Department attributes 3.1% of cases to communal living. In 7.2% of Wyomings cases, health officials dont how the person was exposed to the virus, and 13.3% of cases are pending investigation.







Cases in Wyoming by county (probable in parentheses)

Albany: 79 (9)

Big Horn: 32 (4)

Campbell: 99 (23)

Carbon: 66 (29)

Converse: 20 (12)

Crook: 10

Fremont: 435 (67)

Goshen: 23 (3)

Hot Springs: 16 (3)

Johnson: 18 (5)

Laramie: 349 (147)

Lincoln: 74 (26)

Natrona: 193 (36)

Niobrara: 1 (1)

Park: 122 (10)

Platte: 4 (1)

Sheridan: 49 (20)

Sublette: 30 (8)

Sweetwater: 242 (15)

Teton: 333 (38)

Uinta: 227 (47)

Washakie: 63 (6)

Weston: 5







Deaths in Wyoming by county

Fremont: 12

Washakie: 5

Laramie: 3

Sweetwater: 2

Campbell: 1

Carbon: 1

Johnson: 1

Natrona: 1

Teton: 1

Uinta: 1







Health Department data(tncms-asset)f0608226-6ece-11ea-bd05-00163ec2aa77[3](/tncms-asset)

National cases

There have been more than 4.6 million cases nationally, with about 160,000 deaths, according to the New York Times running count.







Know the symptoms

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is a respiratory illness. Its symptoms include cough, fever and shortness of breath. Symptoms appear within two weeks. If you have contact with a person who has COVID-19, you should self-isolate for 14 days.







Follow the Wyoming Health Departments tips

Stay home when sick and avoid contact with other people unless you need medical attention.

Follow advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on what to do if you think you may be sick.

Follow current public health orders.

Follow commonsense steps such as washing your hands often and well, covering your coughs and sneezes, and cleaning and disinfecting.

Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other healthcare facilities should closely follow guidelines for infection control and prevention.

Older people and those with health conditions that mean they have a higher chance of getting seriously ill should avoid close-contact situations.
In a new study in Cell Discovery, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University and two other groups from Wuhan Institute of Virology and the Second Hospital of Nanjing present a novel finding that absorbed miRNA MIR2911 in honeysuckle decoction (HD) can directly target SARS-CoV-2 genes and inhibit viral replication. Drinking of HD accelerate the negative conversion of COVID-19 patients.

The search for clinically effective therapy for Covid-19 has not been successful to date. Many broad spectrum anti-viral agents have failed the test. In previous studies, Zhang's group has demonstrated that a plant microRNA, MIR2911, which is enriched in HD, could directly target influenza A viruses (IAV) including H1N1, H5N1 and H7N9. Drinking of HD can prevent IAV infection and reduce H5N1-induced mice death.

They have also revealed that absorbed exogenous miRNAs (including MIR2911 in HD) can be packaged into exosomes, released to circulation, and then delivered into recipient cells as functional secreted miRNAs.

In the current study, they report that MIR2911 in HD can also suppress SARS-CoV-2 infection. The SARS-CoV-2 genome has up to 28 binding sites of MIR2911 which were confirmed by the classic luciferase assay.

Cellular-exosomal-MIR2911 at 13.2 pM concentration (cellular exosomes were collected from culture medium of HEK293T cells transfected with synthetic MIR2911 or control ncRNA) inhibited 93% virus replication, indicating that exosomal MIR2911 directly and sufficiently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication.

The MIR2911 concentration in HD was about 52.5 pM (10.5 pmol/200 ml/30 g dried honeysuckle). Serum levels of MIR2911 in heathy volunteers two hours after drinking 200 ml HD were about 0.67 pM. The antiviral function of exosomes with/without MIR2911 collected from the same donor before and after drinking HD were assessed. Exosomes containing MIR2911 (MIR2911 levels: nondetectable before drinking; 57.9 fM after drinking) significantly inhibited virus replication.

A clinical study further confirmed the anti-viral effect of MIR2911 from HD. Patients who already received routine antiviral therapy were divided into two groups, one group received additionally MIR2911 in HD (10.5 pmol/200 ml/30 g dried honeysuckle/day, MIR2911+), the other group receive normal traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) mixture (sequenced to be free of MIR2911-). The time taken to become SARS-CoV-2 PCR-negative (TTN) significantly favored patients treated with HD-MIR2911 (median 4.0 vs 12.0 days, HR 0.11, 95% CI 0.025-0.46, P=0.0028), indicating that MIR2911 in HD accelerates the negative conversion of infected patients.

1)This study demonstrated that absorbed plant MIR2911 in honeysuckle decoction inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication and accelerates the negative conversion of infected patients. 2)It provides a practicable and reliable therapeutic strategy to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection. 3)This is the first time that exosomes with/without MIR2911 collected from the same donor before and after drinking HD were used to assess absorbed dietary miRNA function, further supporting that absorbed dietary miRNA plays the important role of cross-kingdom regulation in human consumer. 4)The data that MIR2911 (~60 fM) in exosomes significantly inhibits virus replication not only confirms the extra-high antiviral activity of MIR2911 (compared to that of remdesivir: 3.7 M and Chloroquine: 10 M) but also provides a novel and the most similar condition in vivo to assess the efficacy of potential drugs in vitro.

We wished we could provide really useful information to help stop the pandemic in the darkest hour." Chen-Yu Zhang, School of Life Sciences, University of Nanjing

"The focus of this study is to demonstrate that absorbed plant MIR2911 in honeysuckle decoction inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication sufficiently. On the other hand, in the study titled "Decreased HD-MIR2911 absorption in human subjects with the SIDT1 polymorphism fails to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication", we have shown that synthetic MIR2911, cellular-exosomal MIR2911 and serum-exosomal MIR2911 directly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 S-protein expression and SARS-CoV-2 replication.

More importantly, decreased HD-MIR2911 absorption resulted in non-inhibitory effect on replication, indicating that MIR2911in HD is necessary to suppress SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, we propose medical doctors and scientists from all over the world to carry out HD-MIR2911 clinic trails in order to help treating SARS-CoV-2 infection." Zhang added.
Galina Edin is a Russian journalist, broadcaster and social activist and a member of the mansi indigenous peoples from the Khanty-Mansi (Yugra) region. She is one of the co-founders and an active member of the community organization which helps Russian indigenous youth adapt to urban life when they come to cities, seeking education.

The Russian Federation is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, and includes over 160 distinct peoples. Russian federal legislation protects the "small-numbered indigenous peoples of Russia," defined as those who live in territories traditionally inhabited by their ancestors and who maintain a traditional way of life and economic activity. There are officially 46 such 'small-numbered' groups and their size varies from fewer than 300 to more than 40,000.

These groups have been able to preserve their unique and distinctive identities, cultures, languages and traditions. However, deep-rooted problems remain and according to various sources, indigenous peoples generally have worse human development indicators than other parts of the population.

As a journalist, Galina has filmed numerous documentaries about indigenous peoples in the north of Russia. Her latest film focuses on how climate change is affecting indigenous lives, traditions, culture and livelihoods.

Previously, Galina took part in OHCHR's' Indigenous Fellowship Programme, which provides training to strengthen the expertise of indigenous human rights defenders.

Galina describes life as an indigenous woman in the Russian Federation, and the main human rights concerns she is trying to address for her people.

What was life like for you growing up as an indigenous person in Russia? Did you enjoy the same rights as others? Did you face any discrimination?

My life was not much different to that of other Russians, and I felt I had the same rights. Growing up, I did not feel any negative attitude from other people. When I left for the city of Khanty-Mansiysk and became a student, we, indigenous peoples, got greater attention. As students, we received state support such as scholarships and allowances to buy clothes, stationery and other things. Now, such benefits are available only for students from low-income Russian families.

However, when I started my career as a journalist, I encountered bias. Some people would scowl, or use certain gestures and words to imply that somehow I had a lower status. It seems to me there is a kind of resentment that indigenous peoples receive benefits and subsidies, and have privileges that others do not.

What is the situation today for indigenous peoples in Russia?

It varies depending on the region. For example, some of the northwestern regions are financially stable, and there are well-funded state programmes to support socioeconomic indigenous development.

In underfunded regions, people are worse-off, and indigenous peoples have to be self-sufficient in order to survive. In some places, traditional livelihoods such as fishing, herding, hunting, and gathering have been strongly affected, with people deprived of access to fishing and hunting areas.

Despite the efforts of some authorities, violations of indigenous rights and discrimination against indigenous peoples in Russia still exist. A federal law on indigenous rights was recently passed, but there is a risk that it will divide indigenous peoples into those who live in urban zones and those who live in traditional areas. This will not only intensify competition and hatred between indigenous peoples themselves, but will also worsen the attitude of others.

How did your career path lead you to be a journalist and social activist?

As a child, I did not plan to be a journalist. I dreamt about learning different languages and working in tourism. I became a journalist by chance, and I do not regret it - I have found my place in life. Being a journalist has led me to social work. Through working in the media, I was able to see that not all indigenous peoples live in dignity. Many, especially youth, do not have a university degree. This social vulnerability of our people has affected many of my life choices.

What challenges - if any - do you face as an indigenous woman working as a journalist in Russia?

As a female journalist, I have never encountered any issues. But as an indigenous journalist, I have. There were attempts to prevent me from attending events and meetings organized by regional executive authorities on indigenous issues. Also, the content I prepared for a TV program on indigenous issues was rejected several times.

Your latest film is on climate change  how do you describe how climate change is affecting indigenous peoples in the north of the Russian Federation?

Climate change and rapid warming in the north have had a huge impact on the traditional way of life of my people, and we are deeply concerned about it. Winters are very warm now. For half of the winter period, the road leading to the settlement is covered in snow, limiting access to food and healthcare

Last year was especially difficult for the residents of my settlement. Winter was warm, and it snowed a lot. There was snow in the mountains until June. It then started melting, leading to high water levels during the whole summer. As a result, there was lack of fodder for the cattle, and not enough fish and wild plants for people to eat.

What motivates you to keep doing this work?

I feel responsible for my people, for my future, and for the future of my children. Even if I live in a city, I feel that without family, land and home I do not really feel human. Unfortunately, for indigenous youth of the north, including myself, the urban environment is depressing. We are predisposed to be surrounded by nature, and find it very difficult to adapt to city life. There is a high suicide rate among indigenous youth who move to cities and then return to their homes. They are unable to find their place when they go back.

How has the UN Human Rights Indigenous Fellowship Programme helped you in your work?

As a journalist, I am well aware of the issues faced by the indigenous peoples living in remote villages and nomad camps, and they cannot always be solved just by raising awareness in the media. People need real legal aid.

The programme gave me a unique opportunity to acquire new knowledge on national and international law, and on existing human rights system and mechanisms, including those related to indigenous peoples' rights. We are now better prepared to contribute to our organizations and communities in the protection and promotion of indigenous rights.

Why is it important for you to stand up for human rights?

I believe that every human being has the right to life in dignity, regardless of race, religion, or social group. We should ask ourselves what future we want for our children and ourselves. We want it to be bright, don't we? I would like that among indigenous communities, there are more human rights defenders and activists who don't just talk but act, so that their fellow human beings can live in dignity.

Disclaimer: The views, information and opinions expressed in this article are those of the persons featured in the story and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

7 August 2020






PARIS - Behold a treat for the eyes! Tens of thousands of pink flamingos have amassed in the wetlands of southern France along with their offspring still lacking flamboyant plumage.

The long-legged birds resembling ballerinas in tutus have long drawn tourists to the marshes in the Camargue region that has served as Frances salt mine since Roman times. But the numbers of pink flamingos this year may be the highest since experts began keeping records 45 years ago, said Thierry Marmol, the guardian of the vast ecosystem.

Frances two months of strict confinement to contain the coronavirus may well be the reason.

Experts relying on aerial photos estimated that 25,000 flamingo couples, or 50,000 adult birds, settled in the area this year, Marmol said. About 12,000 babies were counted. Thats historic, he said, stressing that little ones are hard to count.

Maybe the confinement helped to make a good year, Marmol said. Its obvious that with confinement there were no disturbances. There were no airplanes, no noise at all.

Its still too soon to confirm that the anti-virus lockdown was a factor in what he said is one of the best four years of all time for pink flamingos in the Salins.

Marmol has watched over 8,000 hectares (19,700 acres) around the commune of Aigues-Mortes for the past 35 years, living on the land like a trapper in America.

He is a keen observer of the birds, fauna and flora that draw ornithologists and other experts for field work. This years bumper crop of pink flamingos is a treat even for him.

The Salins, with its especially salty water, also supplies France with tons of salt. Aigues-Mortes is about 50 kilometres (about 30 miles) from Arles, the closest large town.

Flamingo experts spent some three hours Wednesday fitting 320 baby birds with two bands - one plastic, one metal - so scientists can track their migration.

When autumn arrives, many will be migrating to warmer weather in Spain, Italy, Turkey or North Africa. The bands are like a license plate, Marmol said. The plastic band allows ornithologists to spot them with binoculars or a telescope. The information is relayed to scientists tracking the birds in centres around the world. Each country uses a designated colour for the bands.

Luckily for pink flamingo aficionados, about half will choose to stay behind. Who knows why?

Babies must wait for their plumes to grow. Adults and others ready to take off may decide the coming winter wont be cold so they take their chance and stay, Marmol said.

He recalled Frances very cold winter of 2003, when thousands of pink flamingos were found dead.

They made a bad choice that year, Marmol said.

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Landslide in Kerala LATEST Updates: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the rescue operations for those stuck in the debris of the Idukki landslide will continue during the night.

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Ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. Rs. 50,000 each would be given to those injured due to the landslide: Prime Minister's Office

At least 14 people were killed and over 50 others feared trapped in debris after a landslide triggered by heavy rains flattened a row of dwelling units of tea estate workers at Pettimudi in this high-range district in Kerala early Friday, police and officials said.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. The state government will bear the expense of treatment of those injured due to the landslide, he added.

"Adverse weather condition is slowing down the operations to rescue people affected due to landslide in Rajamala, Idukki. The state government has sought the help of Air Force but adverse weather condition is not conducive for air lifting people," said Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

BJP president JP Nadda said, "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki(Kerala). My thoughts are with bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of injured. I urge party workers to provide all possible relief, following all health protocols."

"All arrangements have been made to provide enough light at the landslide site in Rajamala, Idukki," he said.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the rescue operations for those stuck in the debris of the Idukki landslide will continue during the night.

Home Minister Amit Shah said that the NDRF team has reached the location of the Idukki landslide and are engaged in the rescue operations.

Rescue operations underway in the massive landslide hit region in Rajamala in Kerala's Idukki district that claimed 15 lives so far.

In its extended bulletin, IMD says, "Widespread rainfall activity along with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Kerala & Mahe and widespread rainfall activity is likely over Lakshadweep during the next week".

The rescue operation at Rajamala in Kerala's Idukki, at the location of the landslide on Friday, has been stopped due to bad weather, The Times of India reported.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and local volunteers on Friday made a temporary bridge to rescue stranded people in Meppadi, Wayanad.

The landslide in Idukki is said to have occurred in the wee hours of Friday when a huge mound of earth fell on the "row houses" and two children and five women were among the deceased, most of whom were plantation workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The Kerala government has appointed a special officer to coordinate the relief operations, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

BJP president JP Nadda said, "Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki(Kerala). My thoughts are with bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of injured. I urge party workers to provide all possible relief, following all health protocols."

"All arrangements have been made to provide enough light at the landslide site in Rajamala, Idukki," he said.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the rescue operations for those stuck in the debris of the Idukki landslide will continue during the night.

Condolences to the bereaved families of those who have lost their lives in Rajamalai, Idukki(Kerala) due to landslide. Have spoken to DG NDRF, their team has reached the spot to provide all possible assistance to the administration with the rescue work. May injured recover soon.

Home Minister Amit Shah said that the NDRF team has reached the location of the Idukki landslide and are engaged in the rescue operations.

Rescue operations underway in the massive landslide hit region in Rajamala in #Idukki district in Kerala that claimed 15 lives so far. pic.twitter.com/w9vwCCNjKC

Rescue operations underway in the massive landslide hit region in Rajamala in Kerala's Idukki district that claimed 15 lives so far.

In its extended bulletin, IMD says, "Widespread rainfall activity along with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Kerala & Mahe and widespread rainfall activity is likely over Lakshadweep during the next week".

The rescue operation at Rajamala in Kerala's Idukki, at the location of the landslide on Friday, has been stopped due to bad weather, The Times of India reported.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and local volunteers on Friday made a temporary bridge to rescue stranded people in Meppadi, Wayanad.

The landslide in Idukki is said to have occurred in the wee hours of Friday when a huge mound of earth fell on the "row houses" and two children and five women were among the deceased, most of whom were plantation workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

The Kerala government has appointed a special officer to coordinate the relief operations, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

The Times of India quoted BSNL as saying that "that they could restore the functioning of their towers in Pettimudi, Rajamala factory area on Friday itself."

Landslide in Kerala LATEST Updates: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the rescue operations for those stuck in the debris of the Idukki landslide will continue during the night.

"All arrangements have been made to provide enough light at the landslide site in Rajamala, Idukki," he said.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh each for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. The state government will bear the expense of treatment of those injured due to the landslide, he added.

The Prime Minister's Office on Friday said that an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. Rs. 50,000 each would be given to those injured due to the landslide.

At least 14 people were killed and over 50 others feared trapped in debris after a landslide triggered by heavy rains flattened a row of dwelling units of tea estate workers at Pettimudi in this high-range district in Kerala early on Friday.

Twelve people have been rescued and efforts were underway amid continuing rains to locate at least 52 others missing in the first major rain-related mishap since the onset of South West monsoon last month that brought back memories of havoc caused by floods in the previous two years in the state.

Meanwhile, ANI quoted eyewitnesses as saying that they heard a loud sound when the landslide occurred in the Rajamalai ward of the Munnar gram panchayat. "People were running to safety and water was gushing in," one eyewitness said.

Over 70 people were feared trapped soon after the landslide was reported early on Friday. At least 20 houses were buried under the debris, police informed.

The landslide took place at the Pettimudi Division of Kannan Devan's tea estate at Neymakkadu, Onmanorama reported.

The area has been witnessing torrential rains and waterlogging since Tuesday, reports suggested.

The Periyavarai bridge which collapsed in the rain has been repaired temporarily to facilitate the rescue operations.

Forest Minister K Raju said instructions have been given to forest officials and other emergency services to reach the spot and begin rescue operations.

Communication links to the area have, however, been affected as power lines have snapped because of the rains.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted that an NDRF team had been deployed. The Chief Minister's Office has also requested the Indian Air Force to provide helicopters to help in the rescue efforts.

"An NDRF team has been deployed to rescue landslide victims in Rajamalai, Idukki. Police, Fire Force, Forest & Revenue officials have been instructed to join rescue efforts. Another team of NDRF, based in Thrissur, will soon reach Idukki," the Chief Minister said.

The India Meteorological Department(IMD) said a red alert was issued to Malappuram district for 7 August and an orange alert in nine districts of Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod till 9 August.

District Rainfall Forecast of Kerala pic.twitter.com/vfTTeZ6PR3  Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (@KeralaSDMA) August 6, 2020

On Thursday heavy rains caused a temporary bridge in Idukki district to collapse, state authorities said.

The district also saw floods in low-lying areas like Munnar, which is near Rajamalai, because of rising water levels of the Muthirapuzha River.

Night travel has been banned in Idukki district, the state disaster management authority was quoted by news agency PTI, adding that several roads and highways had been closed due to rains.

#KeralaRains Rainfall continues to lash Wayanad. India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert of extremely heavy rainfall warning for Kerala till August 9 pic.twitter.com/UTuyq4cW57  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

Malappuram district officials have opened nine camps, seven of which are in Nilambur town that was briefly flooded after the Chaliyar River overflowed.

"A total of 410 people are in the seven camps with adherence to COVID-19 protocol," a district disaster management authority official told PTI.

Wayanad district administration has opened 12 camps and shifted at least 560 people. "People from containment zones are kept separately," District Collector Dr Adeela Abdulla said.

With inputs from agencies
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 may cost a fortune after all. A well-known tipster has just shared the phones expected price tag, and things are not looking good, at all.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 tipped to cost a fortune, a lot more than its predecessor

This information comes from Chun, as he says that the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will be priced around 65 million Dong ($2,795) in Vietnam. As you can see, that is quite a lot of cash, converted to dollars, were dealing with $2,795.

For comparisons sake, the original Galaxy Fold was priced at $2,150. That was still a ton of money, but this is quite a price bump. That is a bit disappointing considering some rumors suggested a considerably lower price tag.

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A rumor from back in April suggested that the device may cost less than $2,000. A price between $1,780 and $1,980 was tipped by a well-known display analyst.

Well, if Chuns information is at least somewhat accurate, well be dealing with a price tag that is about $1,000 above that. That is a huge difference, needless to say, so were hoping this info is wrong.

The source did note that the pre-order bundle will be quite valuable, though. He suggested that it will be worth 8 million Dong, which translates to $344. Still, thats a lot of money right there.

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More official information on the device will arrive next month

Were sure that more information will surface in the coming weeks, but as things stand right now, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 will cost a fortune. Samsung will release more information about the device at the beginning of September.

Samsung did announce the phone at its Unpacked event a couple of days ago, kind of. It shared the phones design, and talked about some aspects of the device. Samsung did not share its specs, nor pricing / availability info, though.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 will be quite an improvement over its predecessor. The device will look much sleeker, and ship with a new hinge design. It will offer a coating against corrosion, and a mechanism that will keep the dirt out.

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Bezels on the device will be much thinner this time around, especially when it comes to the outer display. That huge notch will no longer be a part of the design, it will be replaced by a small display hole.

The Snapdragon 865 Plus is expected to fuel this phone, though nothing has been confirmed just yet. The device will include a camera setup similar to the one on the Galaxy S20+, though, it seems.
PORTLAND, Ore. - About 200 people, some wielding homemade shields, clashed with police early Friday for the third consecutive night as two other Black Lives Matter rallies proceeded peacefully elsewhere in the city, authorities said.

The demonstration with unrest came hours after the citys Democratic mayor pleaded for protesters to stay off the streets, saying those who barricaded the doors to a police precinct the night before and tried to set it ablaze were not demonstrators, but criminals.

Mayor Ted Wheeler said the violent protesters are also serving as political props for President Donald Trump in a divisive election-season where the president is hammering on a law-and-order message. Trump has tried to portray the protesters as sick and dangerous anarchists running wild in the citys streets.

The chaos that started Thursday night and lasted into Friday morning in a residential neighbourhood about six miles (10 kilometres) from downtown marked the 70th night of unrest since May 25, following the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis. Police arrested 12 adults and detained one 17-year-old on suspicion of charges ranging from interfering with a police officer to rioting.

The demonstrations this week are noticeably smaller than the crowds of thousands who turned out nightly for about two weeks in July to protest the presence of U.S. agents sent by the Trump administration to protect a federal courthouse that had become a target of nightly violence.

This weeks clashes nevertheless ratcheted up tensions after an agreement last week between state and federal officials seemed to offer a brief reprieve. The deal brokered by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown called for agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to pull back from their defence of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse starting July 30.

Early Friday, as peaceful demonstrations proceeded elsewhere in the city, a group of people gathered at a park in eastern Portland and marched to the local police precinct, where authorities say they spray-painted the building, popped the tires of police cars, splashed paint on the walls, vandalized security cameras and set a fire in a barrel outside the building. One officer was severely injured by a rock, police said, but no additional details were provided.

An older woman who tried to stop the vandalism was hit with a bucket of white paint and then got into a shouting match with those in the crowd as one protester tried to wrap her in yellow police tape  a conflict caught on video. Another elderly woman using a walker was also captured on video trying to put out a fire with a fire extinguisher while a black-clad protester blocked her way.

Tear gas was used by police on protesters Wednesday for the first time since the U.S. agents left the city, but officers did not use it Thursday despite declaring the demonstration an unlawful assembly.

Wheeler, who was tear-gassed several weeks ago with protesters as he stood with them outside the federal courthouse, warned the demonstrators Thursday that their actions are helping Trump.

Dont think for a moment that if you are participating in this activity, you are not being a prop for the reelection campaign of Donald Trump  because you absolutely are, he said. If you dont want to be part of that, then dont show up.

The Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front, which advertised the rallies Wednesday and Thursday on social media, used Twitter to announce the events with the slogan No cops. No prisons. Total abolition.

The group, which described itself as a decentralized network of autonomous youth collectives dedicated to direct action towards total liberation, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Wheeler said the city anticipates more such events through the weekend.

Portland police have arrested more than 400 people at protests since late May. U.S. agents arrested at least an additional 94 people during protests at the federal courthouse in July.

____

Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus
GREENWICH  Even days after Tropical Storm Isaias tore through Greenwich, damaged power lines and trees still pose a danger to residents, a town official warned Thursday.

In an afternoon call on the towns reverse 911 system, First Selectman Fred Camillo said crews have been working tirelessly to clear fallen trees and limbs from power lines since the storm hit Tuesday.

The damage to power lines is extensive and the work is complicated due to the energized wires entangled in the debris, Camillo said. There are still many hazards in our town, and I am asking that residents limit their travel to protect themselves and allow our first responders to complete their important work.

In an evening update, the town warned residents, Do not touch or go near any downed power line.

All major roadways in town were open except Lake Avenue at North Maple Avenue, the update said, and there were still dozens of blockages on smaller roads in town.

The town was doing everything possible to restore the community to a sense of normalcy as soon as possible, Camillo said. Town work crews were fully mobilized, he said.

However, realistically, this is going to take some time, he said. It may take several days before power is fully restored across Greenwich.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, about 8,500 customers were without electricity in Greenwich, or a third of the town, according to Eversource. Thats down from a high of about 10,100 reported at the end of the storm.

The tree damage sustained in Greenwich is extensive, the town said in a Thursday evening statement. The scale of the damage suffered to the public utilities is widespread, complex and requires a highly coordinated and technical response, the statement said.

A total of 433 incidents were reported during the storm, including blocked roads, downed wires and low-hanging wires, the statement said, with 233 of the incidents resolved.

Nonpotable water is available to residents who need it to flush toilets. Residents must bring their own containers. The water is self-serviced and is available at these fire stations:

*Round Hill Fire House at 166 Old Mill Road, Greenwich: Hose is located on the parking lot side of the building.

*Banksville Fire House at 33 Bedford-Banksville Road, Banksville, N.Y.: Hose is located in the rear by the back door.

*North Street Fire House at 669 North St., Greenwich: Hose in front of the building.

*Glenville Fire House at 266 Glenville Road, Greenwich: Hose is located on the front ramp.

*Cos Cob Fire House at 200 E. Putnam Ave., Greenwich: Hose is located to the rear.

Also, the John Margenot Atrium in the town Public Safety Complex at 11 Bruce Place is designated as a cooling and charging station. It is open 24 hours, and masks and social distancing are required. The police departments Citizen and Police Partnership Room has been designated as an overflow room.

The Eastern Civic Center had been open as a cooling and charging station, but it was closed Friday after losing power.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the central government to ensure that families of the two Indian fishermen killed by Italian marines off the coast of Kerala in 2012 are adequately compensated if the government wants to close the proceedings before the top court and the criminal trial pending before the special court in Delhi.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI), SA Bobde said that it will dispose of the case only after the families of the victims are heard and given compensation.

We expect you to pay adequate compensation. You will have to bring the cheque here. We will then dispose of the case, the CJI said.

The central government moved the Supreme Court on July 3 stating that it has agreed to accept and abide by the award passed on May 21 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at Hague in Netherlands. It requested that the proceedings pending before top court in relation to the incident be closed.

The Supreme Court, on Friday, noted that the victims families are not party to the case before the Supreme Court.

Victims families are not parties here. But they are appearing before the special court in Delhi (which is conducting the trial). We will not pass an order without hearing victims families, the court said.

It granted one weeks time to the central government to file an application making the families party to the case before Supreme Court. The matter will be now be heard after a month.

The case pending before the Supreme Court is an appeal filed by the two marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, against a May 2012 judgment of the Kerala high court which held that Kerala had jurisdiction to try them. The high court ruled that the marines enjoyed no state immunity since their act of shooting at the fishermen was in defence of neither the vessel nor the state.

The trial against the marines, which was initially proceeding in Kerala, was later shifted to Delhi in 2013 where it went on till the Supreme Court stayed it in 2015 after taking note of the proceedings pending before the tribunal.

The two marines, accused of killing fishermen Ajesh Binki and Valentine Jalastine, crew members of the fishing boat St Anthony, were granted conditional bail by Indias Supreme Court and allowed to return to Italy in 2014 and 2016. The marines shot the fisherman under the mistaken impression that they were pirates. Their ship then tried to make a getaway but was intercepted by the Indian coast guard.

The arbitral proceedings before PCA were instituted under United Nations Convention on Law of Seas (UNCLOS) on June 26, 2015 after Italy served notice on India under the UNCLOS. UNCLOS is an international agreement that defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with regard to their conduct and use of world seas and oceans and management of marine natural resources.

The arbitral tribunal ruled on May 21 that the marines enjoyed immunity since they were exercising official functions in their capacity as Italian state officials when the incident occurred. It, therefore, ordered India to stop criminal proceedings against them.

The tribunal, however, also ruled that Italy violated Indias right to navigation by firing at the fishing boat , and said that the country would have to compensate India for loss of life and damage to property.

The Republic of India has taken a decision to accept and abide by the award passed by the (arbitral) tribunal which would have the bearing on the continuance of present proceedings before the Supreme Court. The applicant (central government) is, therefore, placing the award on record with a prayer that the proceedings with regard to the incident dated February 15, 2012 be disposed of in conformity with the Award passed by the tribunal, the application filed by centre before the Supreme Court said.
A violent fight between two male giraffes was captured on camera in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

Incredible footage of the fight shows the two giraffes knocking their heads into each other's necks - before the alpha male knocks the other down and kneels on his body in victory.

A witness said the fight, which happened on August 5, lasted around 45 minutes in total.

A violent fight between two male giraffes was captured on camera in Kruger National Park, South Africa on August 5

The video shows the two giraffes sparring, swinging their necks at each other violently.

One giraffe is eventually knocked to the ground and the other stands over him, resting a hoof on his body.

However, after a few minutes, the defeated giraffe, who now has a bloody ear slowly gets to his feet again.

His opponent immediately begins slamming his neck again, showing him no mercy and he is knocked to the ground again.

The video shows the two giraffes 'necking', swinging their necks at each other to knock the other off balance

One giraffe is eventually defeated and he falls to the ground and the other stands over him

This time, the victor stands over him, and pins him down with one hoof on the body to assert dominance.

When the giraffe rises for a second time, he is dealt a few more whacks and is seemingly escorted out of the victor's territory.

The filmer, Edrich, told Newsflare: 'The whole ordeal lasted around 45 minutes and ended with the dominant male walking after the defeated male until he exited his so-called territory.

'The defeated giraffe was badly injured and will be left with serious battle scars for the rest of his life, reminding him of this devastating fight he had to face.'

The giraffe asserts victory over his opponent by standing over him and pinning him down with his hoof

The video of the giraffe fight is a rare battle to behold in the animal kingdom.

However, the clip of the fight shows a giraffe behaviour called 'necking' which is used to establish dominance or to win the right to mate with the females in a particular area.

In high intensity necking, as seen in this footage, giraffe opponents will swing their two-metre-long necks at each other, attempting to cause real injury.

The goal is either to knock the other off balance or to knock the other out.

A necking duel can last more than half an hour, depending on how well matched the combatants are.

The defeated giraffe is badly injured with blood dripping from his ear
UArizona health sciences researcher studies statins for stroke therapy

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Every year in the United States, about 800,000 people experience a stroke. Many are left with neurological complications such as paralysis on one side of the body, speech and language problems, vision issues, behavioral changes, and memory loss. Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences aim to reduce these devastating effects by developing therapeutic treatments for acute stroke using a commonly prescribed class of drugs - cholesterol-reducing statins.

Using a $2.79 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a unit of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Patrick T. Ronaldson, PhD, hopes to solve one of the main challenges when it comes to post-stroke treatments - the effective delivery of neuroprotective drugs, specifically statins, into the brain.

An associate profesor in the UArizona College of Medicine - Tucson's Department of Pharmacology, Dr. Ronaldson studies ischemic stroke, which occurs when blood supplied to the brain is obstructed by a clot. Current treatments, which focus on removing the blockage, are limited by time and treatment options. Many patients don't arrive at the hospital in time to undergo surgery or receive the one drug that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Research dating back to the mid-2000s offers clinical evidence that statins are effective in providing neuroprotection to stroke patients. When given to patients at high-risk for stroke, statins reduce the incidence of stroke. In post-stroke patients, statins decrease risk of recurrent strokes and improve functional outcomes.

"If you can get statins to the brain at effective concentrations, they actually are protective in the setting of stroke," Dr. Ronaldson said.

For years, the development of therapeutic drugs to treat ischemic stroke has been stopped, literally, by the blood-brain barrier, which is a network of blood vessels that run through the brain and protect it from toxins. Because the blood-brain barrier plays a major role in preventing things from getting into the brain in the first place, Dr. Ronaldson said, it creates a challenge for doctors who need to get therapeutic drugs across the barrier to specific targets in the brain.

"There have been about 2,000 neuroprotective compounds that have been identified in pre-clinical studies over the past 20 years, and none of them have even made it to a Phase 3 clinical trial," Dr. Ronaldson said. "Most of the research in drug discovery and stroke has focused on trying to identify something that works and then worrying about how to get it into the brain. We're taking something that we know works - statins - and figuring out exactly how to get it into the brain. If you appreciate that from day one, that's going to lead you to toward more effective therapies for stroke."

To that end, Dr. Ronaldson and his team are studying drug uptake transporters, which are proteins that carry drugs into tissues or organs, such as the brain, liver or kidneys. In prior research published in Molecular Pharmacology, he identified the specific family of transporters - organic anion transporting polypeptides (Oatps) - that can efficiently carry statins across the blood-brain barrier.

In the new study, Dr. Ronaldson's hypothesis is that Oatps can be targeted specifically for the purpose of delivering statins to the brain. He hopes to show that Oatp-mediated transport is the primary reason why statins work as a therapeutic treatment in stroke.

"This is the critical step in determining whether a statin works for stroke therapy," Dr. Ronaldson said, adding that some clinicians already give statins to stroke patients based on anecdotal evidence of improved outcomes. "Our research will be able to inform treatment options for stroke so that clinicians can use that knowledge to try to make those treatments and statins more effective."

The research team also will be investigating ways to regulate Oatp transporters by manipulating the signaling pathways that control them. If researchers can control how and when the transporters work, they might be able to extend the narrow window of time that doctors have to effectively administer stroke treatments.

Eventually, Dr. Ronaldson would like to formulate statins that could be administered intravenously, which would allow medical professionals to deliver these drugs even earlier. Currently, statins are only sold in tablet form for oral delivery. That can be problematic for stroke patients, many of whom cannot swallow in the 24 hours immediately following a stroke.

"Not only do we want to target a transporter and deliver the drug, but we want to control the playing field," Dr. Ronaldson said. "If we can extend that therapeutic window and give first responders or emergency room clinicians a safe and effective tool that can reliably protect the brain, that's one of the best ways that we can make a contribution in terms of improving stroke therapy."

The study is supported by the NINDS/NIH under award number 2R01NS084941-06A1.

# # #

Another version of this article appeared originally on the UArizona Health Sciences Connect website.

NOTE: Photos and video available at - https:/ / arizona. box. com/ s/ 8hxedbums2yrf2ibixkz1hsrl9d03pft .

About the University of Arizona College of Medicine -Tucson

The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson is shaping the future of medicine through state-of-the-art medical education programs, groundbreaking research and advancements in patient care in Arizona and beyond. Founded in 1967, the college boasts more than 50 years of innovation, ranking among the top medical schools in the nation for research and primary care. Through the university's partnership with Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country, the college is leading the way in academic medicine. For more information, visit medicine.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn).

About the University of Arizona Health Sciences

The University of Arizona Health Sciences is the statewide leader in biomedical research and health professions training. UArizona Health Sciences includes the Colleges of Medicine (Tucson and Phoenix), Nursing, Pharmacy, and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with main campus locations in Tucson and the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in downtown Phoenix. From these vantage points, Health Sciences reaches across the state of Arizona, the greater Southwest and around the world to provide next-generation education, research and outreach. A major economic engine, Health Sciences employs nearly 5,000 people, has approximately 4,000 students and 900 faculty members, and garners $200 million in research grants and contracts annually. For more information: uahs.arizona.edu (Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn | Instagram).

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Mumbai, Aug 7 : Shortly before leaving for Bihar, Patna (Central) Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinay Tiwari on Friday alleged that "it is not me, but the Sushant Singh Rajput probe that was quarantined".

Released from quarantine by the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after six days and directed to leave Mumbai before Saturday (August 8) as per the Covid-19 protocols, Tiwari interacted briefly with the media before his departure.

"The Maharashtra government did not isolate me, but quarantined the probe into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput," Tiwari said.

He claimed that this attitude of the Maharashtra government has had an opposite effect on Sushant's suicide case.

Tiwari added that he was not informed by any BMC official personally that he could walk free from quarantine. "The BMC merely sent me a message and I am proceeding to Patna accordingly," he said.

In a late night order on Thursday, BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner P. Velrasu permitted Tiwari to be relieved from home quarantine.

The development came after the Bihar Police wrote to the BMC on Thursday saying Tiwari should be released from quarantine to facilitate his return to his home state to resume his duties.

The Bihar Police also pointed out that he was no longer required in Mumbai and his arrival period was within seven days.

An IPS officer of 2015 batch, Tiwari had arrived here from Patna on August 2 to probe the case related to Bollywood actor Sushant's death.

However, as per the Covid-19 protocols, he was shunted to home quarantine at the SRPF Guest House in Goregaon, even as Bihar Police cried foul although the BMC said that it was merely following the due procedures.

Earlier, a Bihar Police team which had come to Mumbai and launched its own investigation into Sushant's case also left on Thursday after the matter was handed over by the Centre to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
UPDATE 9:41 p.m.: Hood River County Sheriffs Office said boaters recovered Andrew Inskeeps body around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, in the Columbia River near milepost 54 on Highway 14.

A 44-year-old man and an 11-year-old boy drowned Wednesday while swimming in the Columbia River, the Hood River County Sheriffs Office reported.

Authorities say the body of Andrew Inskeep, a Ridgefield, Washington man, has not been found. The boy, whose name the sheriffs office has said they are not releasing because of his age, was pulled out of the water Wednesday evening and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The two were in Hood River as part of a youth group outing for Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene. Around 7 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a report of five or six swimmers in distress off the sandbar at Marina Beach in the Columbia River. When police arrived, they found the other swimmers had made their way to safety, or been rescued by other adults from the church or nearby windsurfers. Two swimmers were still missing.

The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Enforcement took a boat out to search for the two swimmers. Someone on the Washington side called 911 and reported that they had found someone floating near the mouth of the White Salmon River. The boat got to the area and crews pulled the child out of the water shortly after 7:30 p.m. They started life-saving efforts on him on the boat, and at the marina, an ambulance took him to Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital. He was later pronounced dead.

Teams continued the search for Inskeep later that evening, and resumed it Thursday morning. But after not finding any sign of Inskeep, the crews stopped looking around noon Thursday. They plan to resume water and air searches later this week.

Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order that gives the Chinese messaging app WeChat 45 days before it is banned in the United States.

The move comes concurrently with a similar executive order against TikTok.

The Trump administration claims that these apps could pass data on US citizens back to the Chinese government.

TikTok has repeatedly denied such allegations. WeChat has not yet commented.

However, the ramifications of WeChats ban could be far greater than TikToks, due to the apps range of features and the prevalence of its use in China.

What is WeChat?

WeChat is a messaging platform which has approximately one billion active users each month.

The app is owned by the Chinese multinational Tencent, which has invested heavily in a number of technology companies including Reddit, Spotify, Snapchat, Tesla, and Uber.

It also owns Riot Games, which makes League of Legends, and a substantial stake in the makers of Fortnite, Epic Games.

It has been claimed by a report from cyber research group Citizen Lab that WeChat censored messages about the coronavirus on its platform  stopping them from being sent through their servers.

What can you do on WeChat?

WeChat has a number of functions including messaging, photo hosting, payment methods such as the contactless WeChat Pay, ride hailing services, and games.

The app has become near-ubiquitous in China, facilitating many digital transactions, as well has having strong user bases in other countries.

What does the Trump administration say?

The Trump administration has claimed that WeChat automatically captures vast swathes of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information.

It also says that WeChat captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives.

In the WeChat order, as in the executive order against TikTok, the president cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act, implying the existence of the apps in the US constituted a national emergency. It is likely these proposed bans will be subject to legal challenges.

What does WeChat say?

In a statement, a Tencent spokesperson told The Independent it was reviewing the executive order to get a full understanding.

 Chinese Foreign Ministry comments on US plans to ban TikTok and WeChat

Chinese Foreign Ministry comments on US plans to ban TikTok and WeChat.

Will WeChat be banned?

It has been argued that the laws banning WeChat and TikTok could run into legal trouble. Law professor at the University of Nebraska Kyle Langvardt told Business Insider that First Amendment problems would hinder the legislation.

The reason is that they discriminate based on the identity of the speaker (Bytedance, Tencent), and also, arguably, based on the 'content' of their speech, he added.

TikTok has also said that the executive order against itself is illegal, as it shows no due process or adherence to the law.

What we encountered instead was that the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses", it also wrote.

But, in the event that a president that has already been charged with abuse of power finds away around that issue, the order says that any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person or with its parent company Tencent is affected.

That said, this wording may be untrue. A White House official reportedly told the LA Times that the order only applies to WeChat and as such other properties such as League of Legends and Fortnite would be protected.

Moreover, WeChat has a much smaller user base in the US  1.5 million compared to 1 billion in China  compared to the 100 million of TikToks userbase, so it may not experience the same backlash the Trump administation has received from TikTok users at the prospect of the apps ban.

WeChat also has already been reportedly found to be censoring information seemingly at the behest of the Chinese government and has not made the impassioned defences that TikTok has.

National security issues aside, the decision may also be made by financial forces. It has been noted that if the ban is limited to WeChat, the Trump administration could be criticised for allowing Tencent to work with other technology companies, such as data sent via League of Legends.

It could also have great implications for Apples bottom line. If the smartphone giant is forced to remove WeChat from its devices, something which the Executive Order implies that it will have to, it would severely affect the companys sales in China.
GREENVILLE, S.C., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy is teaming up with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce to start a new program aimed at helping small businesses rebound and survive during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

The Chamber will use a $100,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation to provide support to 56 small businesses in the counties Duke Energy serves in the state, with half of those owned by minorities and women.

The program will provide mentoring over six months from experts in the fields of marketing, legal support, advocacy training, governance, sustainability, finance and taxes. Participants will also receive a $1,000 microgrant to help with expenses related to the pandemic.

Additionally, the Chamber will offer online classes taught by subject-matter experts on these and other topics to small businesses across South Carolina.

"Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy in South Carolina, and the pandemic has challenged their very existence these past few months," said Mike Callahan, Duke Energy's South Carolina president. "We're pleased to work with the state Chamber to offer these critical resources to the business community during these challenging times."

The Chamber is in the process of standing up the structure of the program and will announce additional details on how businesses can participate in the coming weeks.

"The S.C. Chamber is excited to partner with the Duke Energy Foundation to administer this new program focused on helping small and minority owned businesses in the state," said Ted Pitts, president and CEO of the state Chamber. "This creative small business program will help entrepreneurs and their companies grow, benefiting them, their communities and the state."

For information on what Duke Energy is doing to assist customers and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, visit dukeenergyupdates.com. For more on the Chamber's efforts, visit https://www.scchamber.net/covid-19-resource-hub.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation contributes more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts, and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the Foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 29,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities and 2,300 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.

Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve 7.8 million retail electric customers in six states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to 1.6 million customers in five states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Duke Energy media contact: Ryan Mosier

800.559.3853

South Carolina Chamber media contact: Katie Titus

916.996.2015

SOURCE Duke Energy

Related Links

www.duke-energy.com


Special Delivery: 2 Million-Dollar 2021 LC 500 Convertible Auctioned for Charity Rolls Home

One-of-One 2021 LC 500 Convertible Delivered to Winning Bidder

First LC 500 Convertible Off Assembly Line and First Delivered in U.S.

2-Million-Dollar Bid Split Between Boys & Girls Clubs of America & Bob Woodruff Foundation

LC 500 Convertible VIN 100001 Based on Structural Blue Inspiration Series

PLANO, Texas (August 5, 2020)  After a quick, three-minute trip across the Barrett-Jackson auction block, a unique LC 500 Convertible raised an impressive 2 million dollars for charity, with 100 percent of the hammer price going to two charities: Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Bob Woodruff Foundation. After production started last month for the all-new flagship Lexus convertible, the winning bidder  none other than Dealer Principal of Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood in Colorado, Kent Stevinson  was able to take delivery on the prize for his winning bid.

The 2021 LC 500 Convertible has certainly turned heads since its debut at the LA Auto Show last year, but the one-of-one convertible auctioned this past January at the Barrett-Jackson event in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a collectors dream. Based on the limited Inspiration Series, it features stunning Structural Blue exterior paint, elegant white semi-aniline leather-trimmed interior, unique blue brake calipers and Liquid Platinum accents. Aside from being the first convertible off the line, one of its more collector-worthy traits is its VIN ending in 100001. Of course, Stevinson was incredibly excited to lay eyes on it for the first time.

To actually see the car eight months later from seeing the prototype at Barrett-Jackson, it was quite the presentation and it hits you that this is vehicle number one, he said. The experience was also unique for Stevinson in that he was able to see first-hand the vehicle evolve from concept to final production. When I was on the Lexus Dealer Council I saw the prototype of the convertible, so just knowing you are taking delivery on the first one is really something.

Although Stevinson was excited to take possession of the vehicle, being able to raise money for charities was the most rewarding part of the experience for him.

The Bob Woodruff Foundation does an enormous amount for veterans and their families, and that hits close to home, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, their history and what theyve done, particularly in these times when kids are at odds with not going to school. To think that you did this back in January to support these great causes but how now you see the support with the times  I couldnt be happier, he said. With Lexus providing a beautiful car, Barrett-Jackson waiving all their fees, and me buying the car  its just a win-win for everyone. The end results will have a lasting effect. You couldnt hope for much more than that.

The unique vehicle that Stevinson won is not only the first off the assembly line but also the first to be delivered in the country. Along with the auction vehicle comes a host of special items, such as a framed sketch of the LC 500 Convertible by the Chief Designer Tadao Mori, an engine cover signed by the President of Lexus International Koji Sato and the Chief Engineer Yasushi Muto, a portfolio with production-line photos and a one-of-one certificate signed by the President of Lexus International, the Chief Engineer and the General Manager of the Motomachi plant, Hiroyoshi Ninoyu, where the vehicle was produced. Its a special vehicle for a special bid  one that raised a lot of money for two great causes.

We couldnt be happier to usher in the launch of the all-new LC 500 Convertible by raising 2 million dollars for two deserving charities, said David Christ, Group Vice President and General Manager for the Lexus division. With Mr. Stevinsons generous winning bid, it just proves we have the absolute best dealers in the industry!

Every cent raised from the auction of the LC 500 Convertible has been donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Bob Woodruff Foundation. Boys & Girls Clubs of America focuses on creating after-school programs for kids and teens across the nation, with the goal being To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Bob Woodruff Foundation creates programs for veterans, service members and their families. It was founded in 2006 after reporter Bob Woodruff was injured covering the war in Iraq, and he has since led an enduring call to action for people to stand up for heroes and meet the emerging and long-term needs of todays veterans.

The all-new 2021 LC 500 Convertible will be arriving at Lexus dealerships this month. For more information, please visit Lexus.com or the Lexus newsroom

About Lexus

Lexus passion for brave design, imaginative technology, and exhilarating performance enables the luxury lifestyle brand to create amazing experiences for its guests. Lexus began its journey in 1989 with two luxury sedans and a commitment to pursue perfection. Since then, Lexus has developed its lineup to meet the needs of global luxury guests in more than 90 countries. In the United States, Lexus vehicles are sold through 242 dealers offering a full lineup of luxury vehicles. With six models incorporating Lexus Hybrid Drive, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader. Lexus also offers eight F SPORT models and two F performance models. Lexus is committed to being a visionary brand that anticipates the future for luxury customers.
By Padraic Halpin

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland announced its first localised reimposition of some coronavirus restrictions on Friday as it sought to control outbreaks in three of the country's 26 counties, one of which borders the most populous, Dublin.

Restaurants, cafes and pubs in Kildare, Laois and Offaly can only serve food in outdoor areas to small groups for the next two weeks, with residents only allowed to leave their county in limited circumstances. The adjoining counties accounted for almost half of all cases in Ireland over the last two weeks.

"We all need to understand that this virus is still a deep and urgent threat, it is merciless and it is unrelenting. We have to be decisive. We can't afford to wait and see," Micheal Martin said in his first televised address as prime minister.

Ireland, which for several weeks had one of the lowest infection rates in Europe, has seen a spike over the last week with the average infection rate more than doubling to around 50 cases per day.

The 92 cases reported on Friday was the highest since May 22, when the country was beginning to emerge from lockdown.

Health officials said on Thursday that while they had not seen a significant resurgence outside of identified clusters -- primarily in meat plants and accommodation for asylum seekers -- there was a significant risk of one developing.

The step backwards is a blow to one of the most cautious reopening plans in Europe. The government this week delayed the fourth and final stage of its exit plan for a second time that would have allowed nightclubs and all pubs to open.

The counties of Laois and Offaly are among the least populated in Ireland. Kildare is the fourth most populous with 80% of its commuters working in neighbouring Dublin, according to the county's chamber of commerce.

Many European countries have reimposed some restrictions or triggered local lockdowns to try to halt a resurgence of COVID-19 without having to return to the wider shutdown that closed swathes of their economies earlier this year.

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Alison Williams)
A newly opened highway in Chinas Guangdong province has been making news headlines for a very peculiar reason: its built around the tiny home who refused to move.

China is well-known for its nail houses, properties of homeowners who reject compensation from a developer for their demolition, but while most such examples are encountered within new residential complexes, the one were featuring today stands in the middle of a highway bridge. Footage released by Chinese media shows the property tightly squeezed between the lanes of the newly opened Haizhuyong Bridge, in the city of Guangzhou. It is located in a pit in the middle of the four-lane road bridge and has become somewhat of a local attraction.

Ms. Liang, the owner of the modest 40-square-metre, one-storey house told reporters that the Government failed to provide her with a replacement property in an ideal location, instead offering her a flat located near a morgue, which she just couldnt accept. She is the only person out of a total of 47 homeowners and seven firms who still lives there. The others accepted the Governments offers and moved away by last September.

You think this environment is poor, but I feel its quiet, liberating, pleasant and comfortable, Ms Liang said, adding that she doesnt care what other people think of her stubbornness.

According to a report by Hong Kong-based news outlet South China Morning Post, the Government made Ms. Liang several offers, but she turned down all of them. One of the most generous ones included two other flats as well as monetary compensation of 1.3 million yuan ($186,500). She allegedly asked for four flats and 2 million yuan ($287,000).

After failing to reach an agreement with the homeowner, the Government reportedly had no choice but to alter the original project and build the bridge around the nail house. However, a spokesperson said that negotiations with the woman will continue. Meanwhile, this bizarre case has sparked a heated online debate, with most social media users accusing the woman of being greedy.

Other owners have already moved, which suggests the compensation is acceptable. This house owner must think she can force the Governments hand, one person commented.

A case of being too greedy and ending up with nothing, someone else wrote.
More than 50 exhibitors are expected to take over Durham Street to showcase career and job opportunities.

The Canvas Careers Expo is being held in the Taurnaga CBD today and tomorrow.

Organised by Tauranga Rotary and Priority One, the Canvas Careers Expo has moved to Durham Street this year to acknowledge the education hub in the city centre.

Organiser Sue Boyne is expecting an exciting two days.

With the University of Waikato city centre campus on Durham Street it seems a fitting place to stage the expo and allows us to create a highly dynamic, visual and interactive expo on the street and inside some of the organisations on the street.

The expo runs from 10am  2pm both days, with local and national tertiary training providers on site.

Canvas Careers Expo is a unique opportunity for students and those considering a career change or looking for a job to come and see a diverse range of career pathways and talk directly to training providers."

There will be Universities from across NZ joining the expo alongside the Pacific International Hotel Management School, Tertiary Institutes, Employ NZ, Beca, NZ Defence Force, Education USA and many, many more.

n the Saturday morning, the Young Enterprise Scheme Market day takes place on the street so the public can see some of the awesome businesses that have been created under YES Tauranga, browse a selection of products and walk away with some locally made creations.

University of Waikato scientists will be dissecting a Thresher shark at 12noon in the lane beside the University and the public can view a rare Taningia fimbria, one of the largest squid species in the world that was recently caught off Whakaari/White Island.

Weve also got the NZ Defence Force here with some of their heavy vehicles and Freight Logistics with a few trucks. There will truly be something for everyone, says Sue.

For more information visit www.canvascareers.co.nz
The Queensland border slammed shut to anyone from New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, in a bid to stop travellers using interstate loopholes to get into the state.

As of 1am on Saturday, anyone who has come from these three areas will be turned around at the border and any Queensland residents trying to come home can only arrive by air and must pay the $2800 cost for their two-week stay in hotel COVID-19 quarantine.

Victoria continues to grapple with a COVID-19 outbreak and NSW is recording small numbers of new daily cases. Meanwhile, the ACT was included in the new restrictions because a man allegedly drove from Sydney to Canberra before flying on to Cairns, via Brisbane.

Gold Coast Police Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said Queensland residents had poured back across the border in recent days in the lead up to the hard border closure.
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Patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer, whose cancer is fueled by estrogen, typically receive anti-estrogen therapy after surgical removal of the tumor or breast. However, endocrine therapy was recommended nationwide as the initial treatment of ER-positive breast cancer during pandemic-related surgical delays, said lead study author Christina Minami, MD, MS, an associate surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston.Dr. Minami said.The study included data from nearly 379,000 patients in two groups. One group had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the earliest form of breast cancer, also called stage 0 or noninvasive.The other group had small invasive tumors--stage I and limited stage II--that had not spread to nearby lymph nodes and were ER-positive.These groups, Dr. Minami said, represent most breast cancer patients who needed to postpone their non urgent operations early in the COVID-19 outbreak according to the surgical prioritization recommendations of the COVID-19 Pandemic Breast Cancer Consortium.In March, the Consortium recommended NET for patients with ER-positive DICS and ER-positive, invasive early-stage breast cancer while they waited for their operations.At that time, the Consortium included the American Society of Breast Surgeons, National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, and American College of Radiology.To better understand the ramifications of these surgical delay tactics, the researchers conducted this study using the National Cancer Database and analyzed data for 378,839 patients with early-stage breast cancer treated from 2010 to 2016.Cosponsored by the ACS and the American Cancer Society, this database includes information on more than 70 percent of newly diagnosed cancer cases in the United States and is the largest cancer registry of its kind.The researchers evaluated whether longer time to surgical treatment up to one year after diagnosis had an association with final pathologic staging of the cancer or with five-year overall survival.In women with invasive early-stage breast cancer, a longer time to the initial cancer operation showed no association with pathologic upstaging, the researchers reported.Upstaging is a change to a higher cancer stage based on surgical and pathologic findings, compared with the clinical stage--what a surgeon determined from physical examination and imaging results.Women with ER-positive DCIS, however, had a slightly increased odds of pathologic upstaging with a surgical delay exceeding 60 days, the researchers reported.Patients whose DCIS was ER-negative (not estrogen-fueled) had a higher risk of upstaging only if they underwent an operation more than 120 days after diagnosis; they had an odds of 1.36 to 1 compared with patients who underwent surgical treatment within the first 60 days, according to the article.This increase in upstaging among DCIS patients had no impact on their overall survival, Dr. Minami said.She stressed, however, that the patient population in their study differs from the patients who received NET during the pandemic.Before the pandemic, NET was not in wide use for U.S. patients with early-stage, ER-positive breast cancer.Study participants who received NET from 2010 to 2016 did so for specific reasons, such as older age and coexisting illnesses, whereas in the pandemic, NET recipients were 'almost an unselected population,' Dr. Minami explained.She added that although the researchers useddetermination of the actual impact of COVID-19-related surgical delays requires study in patients treated during this time.Despite this study limitation, senior study author Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, PhD, FACS, professor of surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, said she has found the study findings helpful to share with her patients who experienced surgical delays.Dr. Mittendorf said.Source: Eurekalert
The moment hit Barbara Henry around 3 p.m. Thursday in the small town of Roxbury, where shes been first selectman for 22 years. Enough was enough.

No crews in two days. No crews anywhere in the Litchfield County hill towns as far as she could tell. Shed tried to get a straight answer, or any answer, from the Eversource liaison assigned to Roxbury. Nothing.

Then, 48 hours after the storm knocked her town out of power  she knows of only four houses with juice  word came that Roxbury wasnt even on a restoration work schedule.

Thats when I lost it, Henry recounted to me Thursday night.

It didnt help that the town hall generator was about to give out.

She summoned Bill Cario, the only town police office on duty. On a suggestion from Bernie Meehan, the civil preparedness director, Henry dispatched Cario to the Eversource work station in Hawleyville, a section of Newtown. Rumor had it there were idle crews there.

I said, Go and handcuff somebody and bring him back here, Henry said.

Cario looked at her funny. I said, Im absolutely serious.

Cario trekked to Hawleyville, cajoled employees and returned with one Eversource crewman in a bucket truck, no handcuffs needed. The lineman worked on a cell tower for an hour, then declared his shift was over, Henry said.

If you think shell sit back quietly going forward, think again. Under her direction  she swears shes not proud of this  an outside contractor working for the town cleared trees that were still entangled with downed wires. Downed wires that Eversource had not come around and declared safe to move.

Brave? Stupid? If it wasnt for COVID Id give him a huge hug, he was incredible, Henry said, adding that contractors and the 5-person town road crew  with no help from Eversource  reopened every road in Roxbury, including two state roads, all of them blocked by Isaias Tuesday afternoon.

This is a picture of chaos. And although Roxbury may be isolated, the chaos most certainly is not. With nearly 600,000 Connecticut customers still in hot, sticky darkness, down from nearly 1 million at the peak, most of them belonging to Eversource, the company has once again botched a storm.

Botching an easy forecast

Theres necessary chaos and theres needless chaos. Necessary chaos is the shutting down of a whole economy to beat back a pandemic. There was no clean way to do it but it had to happen and yes, the COVID-19 shutdowns have created havoc and uprooted lives.

Needless chaos is a super-regional monopoly electric utility with $8.5 billion in annual revenue failing to manage a restoration after failing to predict a storm path when everyone else got it right.

How much chaos? On a scale of 1 to 10, Id say its an 11, said Joe DeLong, head of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, whos not typically given to overstatement.

Wasnt Eversource the victim of fickle, unknowable Mother Nature? Nope, said Bill Jacquemin, meteorologist at the Connecticut Weather Center at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. It was no mystery that Isaias was headed up the Eastern Seaboard just west of New York City, leaving Connecticut on the more severe, windward side of the storm with heavy rain squalls and a high danger of tornadoes.

It wasnt difficult at all. The models were really coming together, Jacquemin said. Over the years there have been some that were just crazy difficult.

This wasnt one of them. So forget the old you cant predict a hurricane excuse. Besides, Jacquemin said, with few springtime storms, a dry summer and the air full of particles from the trade winds enabling more condensation, we were ripe for serious tree damage in this storm.

Eversource, in documents filed with the state Monday  after all that forecasting was clear  predicted outages of 125,000 to 380,000, and instead sustained more than 800,000. United Illuminating, with a more urban, less tree-heavy territory along the shore, where flooding wasnt a big threat, correctly predicted a lesser hit for its territory.

Craig Hallstrom, Eversources president of regional operations, contends Isaias was tough to predict. This storm kind of wiggled its way up the coast, he said Thursday in Cheshire, in comments reported by my colleague, Luther Turmelle. We have two different weather services, including one from UConn.

He said UConn updated its original prediction.

Live wire or not-live?

That blown forecast, in any case, might have led to the Eversource failure to line up enough restoration help until the weekend after a Tuesday storm; we dont know yet. What we do know is that the companys reporting system for outages failed under pressure Tuesday.

And despite a history of doing so, Eversource this time around has failed to send around people who can quickly determine wires are not live, so state, town and private crews can do their jobs.

Dozens of city and town leaders, Henry included, gave executives at Eversource and United Illuminating  which has outperformed its larger peer but still drawn criticism  an earful late Thursday in a call arranged by Gov. Ned Lamont. Many said the utilities in the past were faster to identify downed wires as live or not-live.

That was a huge, huge area of frustration, DeLong said, recounting the Thursday phone meeting. We could do so much if you would just send one person for a few hours and say, This lines active, this one isnt.

Thats what led Henry to take matters into her own hands in Roxbury. As she sees it, this was the tradeoff: The lines appeared dead, and she had residents trapped. What if someone needed an ambulance?

Lamont, earlier Thursday, toured one such problem area in West Hartford. A fallen tree entangled with power lines fully blocked a residential street. The governor came upon a circle of portable chairs opened in the street, near the downed tree and lines.

Hey, is this your party? Lamont said to Kerry Kato, in the driveway right there. Im just kidding.

After a few minutes of Lamont, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, neighborhood kids and the media gaggle hanging around, some right under the tree, West Hartford Fire Chief Greg Priest had had enough. He ordered everyone, governor included, to move farther from those dangling lines  which Eversource had not yet declared safe.

Later, after apologizing to the governor, Priest told Town Manager Matt Hart, Were going to have to send some people out to the neighborhoods to keep residents away from danger.

A perfect gentleman

Hart, like Henry in Roxbury and so many other town leaders across the state, said he was unhappy with the small number of crews in West Hartford  one tree crew late Wednesday, not much more on Thursday, for 13,000 customers in the dark  but he was satisfied with the towns Eversource liaison, whose territory also includes Hartford and Rocky Hill.

The network of outreach managers mushroomed after the state and municipalities identified communication as a crushing weakness of Eversource  then Northeast Utilities  in the 2011 storms, especially the Halloween Noreaster snowstorm.

He is a perfect gentleman, Henry said of the guy assigned to her town. But you know what? Theyre not giving him any information to give us.

Thats the problem as we enter the weekend: no clear schedules or time estimates for restoring power, especially in the small towns.

Hallstrom said Eversource will have 1,200 crews on the ground by Friday, up from 450 Wednesday. Were really starting to ramp up, he said. We try to work very closely with the communities, see what their priorities are.

In Roxbury, with a post office and one general store, now closed, Henry calls the situation a total failure, and blames Eversource management.

The chaos in Connecticut unfolds as coronavirus, for all its evils, has delivered an influx of even more than the usual number of New Yorkers to Litchfield County. Theyre talking about going back, Henry said, because theyve got to work from home.

dhaar@hearstmediact.com
Poll What is your favourite sheet set? Bamboo Cotton Linen What is your favourite sheet set? Bamboo 66 votes

Cotton 176 votes

Linen 44 votes Now share your opinion





A sleep expert has revealed what the best sheets are for a good night's sleep and the bedding set she swears by every night.

Olivia Arezzolo, from Sydney, said the right type of sheets for you depends on a lot of things, including your general body temperature, your skin type and even your age.

'Your sheets are so important,' Olivia told FEMAIL.

'Having a natural fibre is key, because it's breathable and it reduces overheating.'

So what is the ideal bedding for you?

A sleep expert has revealed what the best sheets are for a good night's sleep, and the bedding set she swears by every night (Olivia Arezzolo pictured)

Olivia said cotton sheets (pictured) are a good choice as they can absorb moisture, they are hypoallergenic, durable and easy to wash

What are the benefits of sleeping on cotton? * It's a natural fibre and can absorb moisture. * It's hypoallergenic. * Cotton is durable and therefore easy to wash. * There are many different weaves of cotton, meaning it's versatile. * These include percale (feels crisp), sateen (feels soft), flannel and herringbone (feels cosy). Advertisement

COTTON SHEETS

Good for: Busy parents

The first bedding type that Olivia took a look at is the most conventional type that many of us sleep on: cotton sheets.

'Cotton is good because it is a natural fibre, it can absorb moisture, it's hypoallergenic, durable and easy to wash,' Olivia explained.

'Therefore, it's a great choice for busy mums and dads who have lots of washing to do and need something that will work hard for your money.'

The other perk of cotton is that there are many different weaves, meaning it's very versatile.

These include percale (feels crisp), sateen (feels soft), flannel and herringbone (feels cosy).

If you're looking for good quality cotton bedding, Olivia said the best thing to keep an eye out for is the Organic and Fairtrade Certificates.

She also recommends you try to go for sustainable brands, as they often use high thread counts and really care about what they put into their products.

Olivia said linen sheets (pictured) are a great choice if you're a hot or cold sleeper because they are good natural temperature regulators

LINEN SHEETS

What are the benefits of sleeping on linen? * Linen is a natural temperature regulator, which means it keeps you snuggly in winter and cool in summer. * Linen has moisture-wicking properties and is quick-drying. * It is biodegradable and recyclable. Advertisement

Good for: Hot or cold sleepers

Linen has become increasingly popular in recent years, as people turn to natural fibres and opt for a more rustic look in their homes.

And Olivia said it's a great choice if you're a hot sleeper or have a holiday home in a warm climate.

'The texture is different, which is preferred by some individuals,' Olivia said.

'Linen is also super lightweight, it absorbs moisture well and it's also very breathable.'

For this reason, people often opt for it when they have holiday homes in warm climates.

But it's not just hot sleepers who benefit from sleeping between linen, but also cold sleepers - as linen is a natural temperature regulator.

This means it works to keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

'Linen is the ultimate trans-seasonal bedding, which explains its growth in popularity over the last few years, especially in Australia,' Olivia said.

If you are hot or menopausal, Olivia said bamboo sheets (pictured) are a great choice, because it absorbs 40 per cent more moisture than cotton

If you are hot or menopausal, Olivia said bamboo is a great choice, because it absorbs 40 per cent more moisture than cotton.

What are the benefits of sleeping on bamboo? * It's thermoregulating so it keeps you cool when it's hot and warm when it's cold. * It's antibacterial and so doesn't need to be washed as much. * It's hypoallergenic and said to help to calm allergies. * It's moisture-wicking meaning it's good for hot sleepers. * It's pre-shrunk so it won't shrink when you wash it. Advertisement

BAMBOO SHEETS

Good for: Menopausal women

If you are hot or menopausal, Olivia said bamboo is a great choice, because it absorbs 40 per cent more moisture than cotton.

'This could be best for you if you're going through the menopause or any health condition that leaves you a sweaty mess in the evening,' Olivia said.

Bamboo is also good if you like a luxurious bed, as it has a soft, silky feel.

One of the most popular bamboo sheet ranges is the Australian brand Ettitude, which boasts Gwyneth Paltrow as a fan.

What are Olivia's favourite sheets?

The sleep expert finally shared her favourite sheet set, which is from White Terry Home.

Prices start from around $100 for sheets, and they come in several colours including white, blush and charcoal gray.

'I love them, because they feel amazing,' Olivia said.

'They are sateen, organic, 400 thread count and Global Organic Textile Standard.

'I feel like a queen sleeping in them.'

For more information about Olivia Arezzolo, please visit her website here.
Mark Zuckerberg's net worth went over $100 billion for the first time on Thursday after Facebook Inc. hit a record-high with the release of its TikTok rival, Reels.

Zuckerberg, 36, is now joining tech titans Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates as the only people in the world with this kind of net worth status, as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The soaring price of Zuckerberg's net worth is mostly due to his 13 percent stake in Facebook. The social media firm reached sky-high stock price during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reported the Business Insider.

Zuckerberg has gained about $22 billion in his net worth this year, while Bezos of Amazon is up more than $75 billion.

Reels works within the Facebook-owned Instagram. Its launch came at a great time for Zuckerberg as President Donald Trump issued an executive order late Thursday to address the "threat" of the Reels competitor TikTok in the United States.

Many tech founders like Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Google have enjoyed the vast wealth that comes with a more virtual lifestyle due to the coronavirus pandemic, the BBC reported.

The U.S. economy is standing more and more on tech-based foundations, and the growth in the industry is at its fastest pace on record. But the growth comes with controversy and scrutiny.

Many bosses of America's biggest tech firms went to Congress last month to defend claims that their power and influence over many people are now out of control. On July 29, Facebook and other tech firms, Amazon, Apple, and Google were grilled by lawmakers over antitrust issues. According to The Guardian, a New York antitrust proposal could make it easier to sue tech giants.

Make Billionaires Pay Act

The five largest American tech companies- Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, and Microsoft - contribute about 30 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, nearly double than what they give at the end of 2018.

Senator Bernie Sanders plans to introduce a legislation to tax what he believes is "obscene wealth gains" during the coronavirus crisis. The proposed "Make Billionaires Pay Act" will tax 60 percent of the increase in a billionaire's net worth from March 18 through the end of the year.

Sanders proposed that the tax revenue will go to out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for Americans.

Zuckerberg founded the social media giant Facebook from his Harvard University dorm in 2004. In the past, he said he plans to give away 99 percent of his shares over his lifetime. He's doing this through a charitable foundation he set up with his wife, Priscilla Chan.

Global Tech Growth

The U.S. isn't the only country experiencing increased incomes for tech companies. Tech is the best-performing industry this year, even overseas.

Tencent Holdings Ltd. CEO Pony Ma just had a $17 billion increase to his wealth, making his net worth balloon to $55 billion.

India's Mukesh Ambani has also become $22 billion richer this year, and he's now worth $80 billion. His company, Reliance Industries, got investments from firms like Facebook and Silver Lake.

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has told its 48,000-strong workforce to stay at home until July 2021, and the giant is giving an additional $1,000 to each employee to buy supplies for a home office.

The social network had earlier allowed the staff to work remotely through the end of 2020.

"Based on guidance from health and government experts, as well as decisions drawn from our internal discussions about these matters, we are allowing employees to continue voluntarily working from home until July 2021.

"In addition, we are giving employees an additional $1,000 for home office needs," a spokesperson was quoted as saying in The Verge on Thursday.

With the Covid-19 pandemic hardly showing any sign of slowing down, Google last month said it would allow its nearly 2 lakh employees to till the middle of next year if their roles permit.

"To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending our global voluntary option through June 30, 2021 for roles that don't need to be in the office," Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in an email to employees.

Google had earlier set January 2021 as a tentative timeline for its workers to return to offices.

Twitter has allowed employees to "forever" if they wish so.

In May, CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out a detailed remote-working plan to make half of his workforce work from home by 2030.

According to him, about half of Facebook employees would work from home five to 10 years from now.

While Amazon and Apple expect their employees to return to their respective offices in January, most other tech also appeared to be hoping work from home to last till the end of the year.
Luis Palau identifies key to bringing wayward children back to Christ

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International evangelist Luis Palau has encouraged Christian parents to instill biblical principles in their children from the earlier years, citing the Word of God as the key to bringing wayward kids back to Christ.

In a message delivered at the two-day virtual Promise Keepers 2020 Men's Conference, Luis and Andrew Palau, leaders of the Luis Palau Association, shared how Scripture memorization and a faithful witness contributed to Andrews conversion as a young adult.

Before Andrew was born, Luis Palaus mother told him his unborn son would be the next evangelist.

I took it seriously as from the Lord because she was a godly woman, Luis, known as the Billy Graham of Latin America, said. She was a prayerful woman.

But while Andrew was a good son, he didn't know Jesus Christ and we knew that, Luis said.

My wife used to say, If he's got feathers like a bird, if he flies like a bird, if he chirps like a bird, hes a bird, and Andrew is not a child of God, he recalled. People were shocked when she would say that, but she would say, No, but he will be someday, and he was.

When Andrew was working across the country, Luis would send him letters  and each one included a Bible verse.

Every letter had a Bible verse and I really drove it home, Luis said. I remember saying to the Lord, Lord, what do I tell Andrew? I mean, he knows the Gospel, but what do I tell him? And I felt the Lord saying to me, Just remind him that God has a plan and a purpose. So I often used to say, 'Andrew, God has a plan for your life, and it's got to be glorious because it's of God.'

At 27 years old, Andrew embraced Christianity after hearing his father preach at an evangelistic event in Kingston, Jamaica.

For the 1,000th time, I heard about the cross and the spirit and the promise of eternity and a purpose for living. And it was God's time for me, Andrew said. Dad has helped me to grow since then.

Today, Andrew preaches at his own festivals around the world, from the United States to Rwanda, Romania, Egypt, Mexico, India, Poland, and Jamaica.

Andrew referred to Luis as not only his physical, human father, but also his spiritual father.

In the face of 27 years of my rebellion against God and the ways of the family, dad and mom ... prayed for me faithfully and then they lived the life. Their testimony was sound and strong. Not perfect, but that testimony was so powerful to me as a young man.

When everything else failed me, and it will, and it does, there they stood, sound, full of peace and joy. They shared with me the Good News because they knew that's the power of God unto salvation. They didn't want me to just be a good boy, and be more obedient to them and stop crashing their cars ... but they wanted me to become a man of God. They knew the Good News was the transforming power for that to take place in my life.

They never gave up."

Luis stressed that the Word of God is the key to raising children who know and love the Lord.

It has power, he said. So when you teach your son and try to implant biblical truth, remember to work on memory work, Bible verses. That will never go away ... plant the Word of God. Its the powerful dynamite.

Stick by your son, even if he's not walking with the Lord or he may not know the Lord. Love him just like God the Father loves you. He doesn't reject you because you smoke a cigarette or drank three beers. The Lord won't do that. He just won't reject you.

He added: The Lord has used Andrew to lead many to Christ, but all of those principles we planted in him when he was a boy, all the way through his teenage years, and even when he was a young adult, whether he liked or not.

Your son, your daughter can lead people to Jesus Christ if you plant biblical principles in their heart. Plant the seed in your children, evangelize, win people to Christ. You'll have no regrets at the end of your life."

The Promise Keepers 2020 Men's Conference - Virtual Event was held July 31-Aug. 1. Speakers included Pastors Tony Evens, Mark Batterson, John Gray, and others, with worship led by Phil Wickham, Danny Gokey, and Michael W. Smith. Topics included marriage and restoration, making disciples, seeking justice, building a legacy, and fatherhood.
Crystal Rogers, 35, was last seen on July 3, 2015 in Bardstown

The FBI has taken the lead in the investigation into the 2015 disappearance of Kentucky mother-of-five Crystal Rogers, conducting dramatic simultaneous raids and raising hopes that the case could at long last be resolved.

On Thursday, the FBI announced sweeping steps in the investigation, with 150 federal agents executing search warrants on nine properties and conducting 50 interviews.

Rogers, 35, was last seen on July 3, 2015 in Bardstown by her boyfriend Brooks Houck, who claimed that she was up playing games on her phone that night, but was not in the house when he woke up the next morning.

The same day she was reported missing, Rogers' maroon Chevrolet Impala was found on the side of the Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire, unlocked, and with her purse, keys and uncharged phone still inside.

Rogers' boyfriend Brooks Houck (left) is the only named suspect in the case. His brother Nick Houck (right) was fired from the Bardstown police for allegedly interfering in the investigation

Brooks Houck had a two-year-old daughter with Rogers, who had four other children as well

The only clue in Roger's disappearance was her maroon Chevy Impala, which was found unlocked and with a flat tire on Bluegrass Parkway with her uncharged phone, keys and purse

Houck is the only person police have ever named as a suspect in the case, though he has never been arrested or charged.

His brother, Nick Houck, was fired from the Bardstown Police Department for allegedly warning Brooks Houck that cops were coming to question him, and subsequently failing a lie detector test about the case.

The homes of both brothers were among those raided on Thursday. The dramatic new investigative steps come just weeks after human remains were found in the area, although authorities have not confirmed whether they have been identified.

Additionally, the Houck family farm outside of town in Nelson County was raided.

At Brooks Houck's home, a large number of IRS agents were seen removing files, documents and computer hard drives, according to WLKY-TV.

The raid lasted over seven hours, and after the federal agents departed, Brooks Houck was seen mowing his lawn.

Federal agents descended on Brooks Houck's home on Thursday in a simultaneous raid with multiple other properties in an attempt to breathe new life into the case

FBI investigators are seen at the home of Nick Houck executing a search warrant

FBI teams with canines seemed particularly focused on Nick Houck's truck

At Nick Houck's home, FBI agents with canines were focused on a pickup truck. Evidence was also collected from the home, and Nick Houck was taken away by law enforcement, according to witnesses.

The Houck farm has already been searched three times previously, but on Thursday police divers were seen searching a pond on the property.

Investigators previously said that they believe the farm may be the actual spot where Rogers was last seen alive.

Although the FBI announced that nine search warrants were being served, it was not immediately clear where the other six warrants were targeted.

'A hallmark of the FBI is we never give up. The FBI is committed to bringing those responsible to justice, but we are going to need the community's assistance,' said FBI Louisville Special Agent in Charge Robert Brown in a statement.

'I ask that members of the community think back to July 3rd and 4th of 2015. For those individuals who have information about this incident but who have not yet spoken to law enforcement for whatever reason, please contact us,' he said.

IRS agents are seen removing boxes of files from Brooks Houck's home on Thursday

Searchers also descended on the Houck family farm (above) outside of town in Nelson County

Police divers searched the pond on the farm in hopes of gathering new clues in the case

In addition to the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, the Kentucky State Police, and the United States Attorneys Office for the Western District of Kentucky are assisting with the investigation.

In interviews soon after Rogers' disappearance, Brooks Houck said the mother to his then two-year-old son was not at home when he woke up on the Fourth of July.

Houck said he wasn't concerned because the couple has had a 'stressed relationship' at times and Rogers would sometimes 'cope or deal' by spending the night at her cousin Sabrina's house.

'I was not in the least little bit alarmed in any way, shape or form,' he told Nancy Grace on HLN. 'She spent the night there on several occasions.'

'I've been 100 percent cooperative in every that has been asked of me,' he said. 'I've not asked for any kind of legal advice or assistance, an attorney of any nature.'

'I'm 100 percent completely innocent in this.' Houck took a polygraph test but the results were inconclusive, he said.

Rogers' family immediately doubted his story and suspected his involvement, they told the media.

Filmed interviews between a detective and Brooks Houck were released (pictured), and show him claiming that Crystal went out that night with friends

Police also released footage of Nick Houck being interviewed after he failed a polygraph test. The examiner in the video tells Nick the questions he had problems with involved Rogers

The family cheered the move when Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly officially named Brooks Houck a suspect on October 16, 2015 -- though no arrest ever came of it.

Also in October 2015, Nick Houck was fired from the Bardstown Police Department following his suspension.

Nick has been accused of warning his brother that detectives were planning to question him and later told him not to talk to police.

Authorities said the former officer also failed a polygraph test.

Police released an interview that followed the test, where the polygraph examiner told Nick Houck the questions he had problems with were regarding Crystal Rogers.

'I don't give a god d*** what your f***ing computer said," Houck responds in the interview. 'I'm telling you that I have been 100 percent honest with you.'

Rogers' parents said that when they heard the interviews, the first thing that went through their minds was 'that they done it'.

In August 2019, a home owned by Brooks Houck burned down in Bardstown in what authorities said was a case of arson.

Bardstown Fire Chief Billy Mattingly said the house consisted of a frame with no gas or electricity running to it, so it was likely set on fire. He said disgruntled employees who work for Houck might have been to blame.

Officials have created a website with more information about the case and to accept tips and information from the community, at crystalrogerstaskforce.com.

The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the disappearance of Crystal Rogers.
ANN ARBOR, MI  From the unraveling of a history of sexual misconduct by a now former University of Michigan provost, to a Washtenaw County sheriffs deputy facing several felony sexual misconduct charges, a lot has been going on in the area.

Here are some headlines you might have missed this week.

Unwanted hugs and sexual propositions: Report details former UM provosts harassing behavior

Making crude sexual comments in classrooms. Talking to women about chocolate syrup sex and having caramel-colored babies with them. Having hot sex on his desk with him.

Those are just a few of the remarks former University of Michigan Provost Martin Philbert told female employees while at UM from the late 1990s and 2020, according to a report released Friday, July 31. The report also revealed that Philbert was having sexual relationships with multiple women at multiple times as recently as January 2020.

UM president says institutional failings allowed ex-provosts sexual misconduct to continue

The University of Michigan failed to properly address earlier reports of sexual misconduct by former Provost Martin Philbert, President Mark Schlissel said Monday.

Schlissel addressed the recently-released report issued Friday by WilmerHale following their investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against Philbert, who the report found to have sexually harassed numerous university and student employees, and engaged in multiple sexual relationships with subordinate employees.

Sexual assault charges issued against Washtenaw County sheriffs deputy

A Washtenaw County sheriffs deputy has been placed on unpaid leave after being arraigned on several criminal sexual conduct charges.

Dangelo McWilliams, 24, of Canton, was arraigned Wednesday, Aug. 5, on two felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one felony count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one misdemeanor count of domestic violence, court records show. He is charged as an accomplice on the two first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges, the records show.

Woman sentenced 10-30 years in prison for I-94 crash that killed tow truck driver, passenger

A woman charged with 19 felonies in a drunken driving crash that killed her passenger and a tow truck driver on I-94 more than two years ago has been sentenced.

Washtenaw County Trial Judge Carol Kuhnke sentenced Andre-A Edwards to 10 to 30 years in prison, May 19, after pleading no contest to all 19 felony counts included second-degree murder, court records show.

Edwards, 27, of Ann Arbor, pleaded no contest to all counts March 24 but her sentencing was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many state operations to temporarily shut down.

University of Michigan students unsure if enhanced social distancing requirement will be effective

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that anyone exposed to someone with COVID-19 should quarantine for 14 days and monitor their health, but it has also become a requirement for students to return to campus at the University of Michigan.

While some UM students felt the requirement, announced Monday, was a step in the right direction, others arent sure if their peers will follow it before returning for the fall semester.

Plexiglass, hand sanitizer and social distancing: How fall semester at Eastern Michigan University will look

As colleges and universities prepare for a fall semester that will see a majority of classes moving online, schools must also make preparations for some in-person classes that cannot be conducted virtually.

At Eastern Michigan University, that preparation is ongoing as desks are being spaced six feet apart, plexiglass and hand sanitizing stations are being installed and walls have been knocked down to create even more space before fall semester starts Aug. 31.

Reformist candidate Eli Savit wins closely watched Washtenaw County prosecutor race

Reformist candidate Eli Savit has won a three-way primary race for Washtenaw County prosecutor.

With all precincts counted, Savit netted 41,673 votes (51%), compared to 35,380 (43%) for Arianne Slay and 5,504 (7%) for Hugo Mack on Tuesday.

Savit advances unopposed to the November general election.

How they voted: The issues that have divided Ann Arbors City Council

Its no secret there are political divisions on Ann Arbors City Council, with tense debate on issues sometimes lasting into the early morning hours.

Mayor Christopher Taylor and his allies  Zachary Ackerman, Julie Grand and Chip Smith  have been on the losing side of a number of votes, including the firing of the city administrator, since they saw their 7-4 majority flip in 2018.

Angry widow says Ypsilanti cemetery wanted to move husbands grave without permission

Lynn Parmelees headstone in Highland Cemetery may stick out to some, with its tongue-in-cheek design of a spider, cobweb and RIP.

But thats what the horror movie fan wanted after his three-and-a-half-year battle with pancreatic cancer, his widow Jenny Parmelee said. He simply wanted to rest in peace.

Parmelee fears that desire was ignored after learning the cemetery wanted to move her husbands remains because they were buried in the wrong plot when he died in February 2014.

People are hungry for change. Ann Arbor council poised to gain 5 new members in November

The makeup of Ann Arbors City Council is changing once again following the ouster of three incumbents in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

Anne Bannister, Jane Lumm and Jack Eaton lost their seats by wide margins to three candidates backed by Mayor Christopher Taylor, who also supported two other candidates who won primary contests for open seats.

Rising coronavirus cases in South Lyon are linked to grad, prom parties, health officials warn

An increase in coronavirus cases near South Lyon can be attributed to graduation and prom parties, health officials said Monday.

The community between Ann Arbor and Detroit in southwestern Oakland County has had a relatively low case count of COVID-19 positive individuals since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data from the county. Oakland is one of the counties with the most cases in Michigan.

Fifty residents of the 48178 ZIP code, which covers the city, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 30 days -- a rate of 15 cases per 10,000 people, according to the countys database as of Sunday, Aug. 2. The ZIP code has had 138 positive coronavirus cases and 10 deaths since the pandemic began.

Young people account for 45% of new coronavirus cases in Washtenaw County

Forty-five percent of new coronavirus cases in Washtenaw County in the past two weeks have been in patients under the age of 30.

Washtenaw County health officials have identified 265 new COVID-19 cases in a two-week period ending Friday, July 31, according the Health Departments database. As of Monday, Aug. 3, there have been 2,109 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in county residents. A majority of those cases have recovered, or 84%.

Nonprofit invites people to rappel down Ann Arbor hotel for fundraiser

Want some thrills during the pandemic? This Ann Arbor event might be able to help.

Over the Edge is a fundraising company that organizes rappelling events to raise money for nonprofits around the world, according to its website. The company, alongside Ypsilanti nonprofit Friends In Deed, will raise money for low-income families by having participants raise money to rappel.

Man honored for saving drivers life with emergency CPR in Ann Arbor

Gardner Yost was commuting home on his bike in Ann Arbor Oct. 16, 2019 when he encountered a slow-moving car on Washington Street.

At first, he thought it was an Uber driver since he could see a phone on the dash. As he tailed the car, it abruptly crashed into the back of a parked car.

When Yost went to check the scene, he noticed the driver was slumped over, unconscious, his foot still on the accelerator. The drivers eyes were rolled back and he was foaming at the mouth. Yost jumped into action.

What you need to know about Ann Arbor Public Schools plans for school this fall

While Ann Arbor Public Schools Superintendent Jeanice Swift said it was important to announce the district is beginning the coming school year virtually, she stressed its only the first step in mapping out the unprecedented year ahead.

The district is beginning to flesh out its plans, providing more details about what the school year might look like as the first day of classes approach on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
MEDINA, Ohio -- Two people are dead in a shooting at a Medina home Thursday night, police say.

The shooting happened at a home Lafayette Road and Baxter Street.

Police are searching for Robert Dick, 52, who was not on scene when police arrived, according to a statement from Medina police. They say he is believed to be driving a 2016 white Chevy truck with the license plate GYU5685.

Dick is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Public records say that Dick once lived in West Virginia.

Wadsworth Municipal Court records show that Dick was charged with felony domestic violence in February 2015. Municipal Court Judge Stephen B. McIlvaine ordered Dick to have no contact with Judith Boothe as a condition of his bond. A month later, prosecutors moved to dismiss the charge because state failed to show commission of a felony.

However, prosecutors refiled a misdemeanor domestic violence charge, and Dick pleaded no-contest plea March 3, 2015. McIlvaine ordered him to spend 30 days in jail with credit for 18 days served, according to Wadsworth Municipal Court records. Court documents to not contain details of the case.

Municipal Court records also show prosecutors charged Dick a decade earlier with threatening domestic violence and endangering children.

A judge ordered him to stay away from a victim not named in court records. A judge would later sentence him to 60 days in jail and probation after he pleaded no contest to the domestic violence charge and a reduced charge of disorderly conduct, court records say.

The judge suspended 58 days of the sentence and gave Dick credit for 14 days served. He also ordered Dick to serve one year of probation and pay fines and court costs. The sentence also forbid him from consuming drugs or alcohol.

Anyone who sees him is asked to call Medina police at 330-725-7777.

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Days after Cleveland raid, feds seek to seize $70 million in property tied to Ukrainian oligarch

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Robert Nazarian, Armenias former chief utility regulator, strongly denied corruption charges brought against him on Friday one day after his arrest.

The Special Investigative Service (SIS) formally charged Nazarian with abuse of power and asked a Yerevan court to remand him in pre-trial custody. The court is due to rule on the petition on Saturday.

The SIS also arrested and indicted two other former members of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) which was headed by Nazarian from 2003 to 2018.

The law-enforcement body claimed on Thursday that Nazarian, 64, ensured in 2011 the privileged treatment by the PSRC of an energy company allegedly linked to Mikael Minasian, former President Serzh Sarkisians son-in-law. It said that allowed a hydroelectric plant privatized by the company in 2010 to make more than 7 billion drams ($14.5 million) in extra profits over the next eight years.

The accusation has nothing to do with reality, Nazarians lawyer, Gagik Khachikian, told RFE/RLs Armenian service. It is completely unfounded and illegal.

Khachikian insisted that his client, who had served as Yerevans mayor from 2001-2003, did not break any laws or regulations in his capacity as PSRC chairman. Investigators have not presented any evidence to the contrary, he said.

The DzoraHEK plant was handed over to the Armenia Defense Ministry in 2001 one year after Sarkisian became defense minister. He ran the ministry until 2007.

In 2010, then President Sarkisians government decided to sell the 26-megawatt facility to the Dzoraget Hydro company for 3.6 billion drams ($7.5 million).

Prosecutors said in May 2019 DzoraHEK was in fact worth an estimated 8 billion drams ($16.8 million). Earlier this year, they indicted Seyran Ohanian, Armenias defense minister from 2008 to 2016, in connection with the plants privatization which they said caused substantial damage to the state.

Ohanian denied any responsibility for the deal, saying that it was negotiated by the Armenian Energy Ministry and approved by the former government.

Minasian, who is married to one of Sarkisians daughters, left Armenia in late 2018 and is now facing separate corruption charges rejected by him as politically motivated.
Since he took office in May, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has been invoking Iraqs fractured national sovereignty as a major impediment to the countrys recovery and progress towards peace and prosperity.

Al-Kadhimis vision for sovereignty seems to mean something precise: without restoring the states authority it will be impossible to end the quagmire into which the countrys human and other resources are being constantly poured.

The issue of Iraqs sovereignty, or rather lack of it, has been debated since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but it has become starker and more urgent over recent years in view of the countrys internal and external challenges.

The combination of foreign interventions, cross-border terrorism, rising Iran-sponsored militias and transnational corruption offers sophisticated and well-reasoned arguments why Iraq has been in such disarray.

Across a range of other issues, Iraq has been mired in conflicts whose roots lie in interrupted sovereignty and its governments inability to exercise its authority on a number of fronts, including politics, security, the bureaucracy and the economy.

Upon taking office, Al-Kadhimi promised renewed reforms and a fight to restore the states authority. His vision to achieve his ambitions has been spelled out by his spokesman Ahmed Mullah Talal and includes maintaining sovereignty, defending national interests and putting mutual benefits and non-interference in domestic affairs first on the foreign-policy agenda.

Al-Kadhimi is not the first Iraqi prime minister to have promised reforms, but he is the first to have prioritised the countrys sovereignty in achieving stability and shaping up its governance.

One key factor behind Al-Kadhimis drive has been the need to change the countrys stagnant and dysfunctional political system, which has been taken hostage by external and internal actors with self-serving agendas.

Another factor has been the escalation of tensions between neighbouring Iran and the United States, which has turned Iraq into a battleground for a fierce struggle over geopolitical interests and regional influence.

The push has also been prompted by the anti-sectarian and anti-corruption popular uprising in Iraq that forced Al-Kadhimis predecessor Adil Abdul-Mahdi to resign in November last year and brought him to power.

The nationwide uprising, which started last October in protest against government dysfunction, rampant corruption, and political cronyism, is widely seen as having stirred up patriotism and put the countering of Irans influence on the national agenda.

Since the US-led invasion in 2003, Iraq has transitioned through government dysfunction, economic ruin, political chaos, sectarian conflict and foreign meddling.

The disastrous course of Iraqs rebuilding to date has been almost entirely the result of a lack of sovereignty, manifested in systemic pressures emanating from actors inside and outside in shaping the nation-state model.

The question now is whether Al-Kadhimi can reset the clock on his terms and transform a symbolic stance into meaningful change by dismantling the influence of foreign and non-state actors in Iraq.

The first clues came from Al-Kadhimis visit to Tehran late last month, when he sought to recast Iraqs ties with the Islamic Republic as being based on sovereignty and mutual respect.

Iran has gone a long way towards cementing its influence in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003, due largely to flawed policies in Iraq in the post-occupation era.

Through its allied Shia politicians and paramilitary groups in Iraq, Iran has emerged as the dominant force in the country, expanding its influence and its role beyond political and security efforts to commercial, business and cultural ties.

The connections between the two countries, which share a 1,400 km border, have become so intertwined that it is now virtually impossible to fully separate Iraq and Iran.

In his talks in Tehran, Al-Kadhimi tried to make clear that Iraq wants to have balanced ties with Iran based on mutual interests. He emphasised his governments intentions of stopping Iraq becoming a battleground between the US and Iran.

Al-Kadhimi may also have tried to cut back Irans proxies and allies in Iraq, these being the backbone of Tehrans influence and the guardians of its interests in the beleaguered country.

Last month, Al-Kadhimi ordered a raid on a camp in southern Baghdad used by the Kataib Hizbullah militia suspected of launching rocket attacks on US interests and detained dozens of its members.

The raid was the most significant action by Iraqi forces against a major Iran-backed militia group in years and a first sign that Al-Kadhimi intends to make good on pledges to bring the militias to heel.

Another key challenge to Al-Kadhimi in re-establishing state sovereignty comes from Iraqs porous borders and crossing points controlled by armed groups and political factions mostly allied to Iran.

In a bold step to recover billions of dollars in tax revenues lost to bribery, Al-Kadhimi sent counter-terrorism troops and Iraqi security forces to supervise the work of the border points, which are widely seen as providing kickbacks and embezzlement opportunities for officials linked to armed groups.

The campaign stems from a key function of a sovereign state, which is to assert its control over natural and other resources and is embodied in the right of governments to dispose freely of their revenues.

Al-Kadhimi has also made some key changes in government and security forces positions, indicating that the reshuffles are aimed at reasserting the states sovereignty and authority.

Among the changes he has made is naming a new head for the countrys National Security Agency and a new national security adviser to replace Faleh Al-Fayadh, head of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Force (PMF) and one of Irans most influential allies in Iraq.

However, Al-Kadhimi seems to have had little success thus far in his efforts to restore the states prestige, another goal of his government.

The response of his foes thus far has underscored how challenging it has been for Al-Kadhimi to carry out the bold reforms needed to resurrect the country and defend its sovereignty.

Irans leaders have been adamant in their desire to stifle Al-Kadhimis bid to wrest back sovereignty from Iran and limit the Islamic regimes influence in Iraq.

They used Al-Kadhimis recent visit to Tehran to underscore their concerns at how his policy could affect Tehrans efforts to undercut the US maximum pressure campaign against Iran.

In a blatant attempt to torpedo the Iraqi-US strategic dialogue, Irans supreme leader Ali Khamenei told Al-Kadhimi that Iran expected the Iraqi government, nation and parliament to expel the US troops from Iraq because the US presence causes insecurity.

Khamenei also pressed Al-Kadhimi to take action against the United States for assassinating Qassem Al-Suleimani, Irans former point-man in Iraq, with some hardline Iranians insisting that Al-Kadhimi played a part in the developments that led to his killing.

Other Iranian officials were more subtle in emphasising their agenda in Iraq, pressing Al-Kadhimi to expand bilateral economic, political and cultural ties, euphemisms for the Iranian influence in the country.

Meanwhile, Al-Kadhimis bid to rein in the Iran-backed militias in Iraq has hit a snag as some of these groups have resisted giving up their autonomy and continue to defy the government.

They have repeatedly launched rocket attacks on military and diplomatic locations housing US personnel, prompting frustration at Al-Kadhimis failure to stem the groups which are aided and abetted by Iraqs ruling political class.

Al-Kadhimi has also made little progress in controlling the border crossings and stopping the loss of billions of dollars in import duties that are widely believed to be syphoned off by political groups and militias unofficially allocated the lucrative business of taking kickbacks at the crossings.

Al-Kadhimis record in establishing his governments authority and restoring the states respect has thus far been far from distinguished, underlining the obstacles to the reform efforts.

The fundamental factors that could lead to Al-Kadhimis failure to back-peddle Iraqi-Iranian relations and curb the militias power have been consistent.

In the first instance, Iran is entrenched in Iraq to the extent that decoupling the two countries will need delicate surgery and will require finding a way out of the conditions that have led them to becoming so intertwined.

Secondly, the response of the powerful militias to Al-Kadhimis attempts to limit their role underscores how challenging it will be for the prime minister to recast the relationship between Iraqs government and the armed groups without a significant showdown.

Thirdly, Al-Kadhimi lacks sufficient political support from the Iraqi ruling class, which is afraid that his reforms will pull the rug out from under their feet. Realising that Al-Kadhimi has no parliamentary bloc in his support, the countrys powerful elites will do everything they can to keep Al-Kadhimi walking through a political minefield.

Lastly, a key challenge to Al-Kadhimis bid to re-establish state sovereignty in Iraq will be badly needed to help stop Iraqs economy collapsing under the double blow of sinking global oil prices and the coronavirus lockdowns.

Rich states in the Arabian Gulf have so far been reluctant to provide help, including on a US-proposed project to connect Iraqs electricity grid to their networks to help wean the country off power from Iran.

By challenging powerful foes that have rarely been confronted, Al-Kadhimi may be taking a considerable gamble, but should he fail Iraqs problems will continue to be unresolved and the country will remain on edge.

Al-Kadhimi may be Iraqs last opportunity to stop the country from descending further into a black hole, with no telling how much damage this could cause to its people, the region and the world at large.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Jeffrey Epstein took a deal with Florida prosecutors in 2008 that protected co-conspirators and stopped his victims from seeking relief

Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirators who he protected in his 2008 sweetheart deal with Florida prosecutors may finally be named after an appeals court ruled to allow his victims to plead their case in court again.

Epstein was charged in 2007 with solicitation of child prostitutes. The deal he signed with Alex Acosta gave him a lenient jail sentence, which involved him leaving every day to go to work, and also protected three co-conspirators from charges.

Those people have never been named but they are thought to be women who are accused of procuring young girls for Epstein to sexually abuse.

Earlier this year, victim Courtney Wild fought in court to undo the agreement. She said she and the other victims from the 2007 case should be able to pursue relief from the prosecutors involved because they were never told about the deal when it happened.

The fact it was kept secret from them violated their rights, she said.

Voiding the deal would also potentially expose those co-conspirators up to being named and charged.

In April, a court ruled against Wild's petition. She appealed it and on Friday, won.

Now, her arguments over how the deal violated her rights and the rights of the other victims will be reheard.

Labor Secretary Alex Acosta was the prosecutor who granted the deal. It's unclear what bearing the court's decision will have on him

'I had confidence this day would come.

'We have fought for 12 years, and as Ive said before, no matter how many obstacles pile up, we will never give up fighting for what is right,' Wild said afterwards in a statement.

Epstein victim Courtney Wild had been pushing for the court to rule in her favor

Before reaching his deal with federal prosecutors in Florida, Epstein was facing potential federal indictment for sexually abusing dozens of girls as young as 14 between 1999 and 2007, directing others to abuse them and paying employees to bring victims to him, according to court filings.

However, the prosecutors agreed not to pursue the against the financier in exchange for his 2008 guilty plea to Florida state prostitution charges.

Epstein was sentenced to 13 months in jail after that plea, but allowed to leave regularly to go to his office.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra in West Palm Beach, Florida ruled in February 2019 that the deal was illegal because Epsteins victims were not told about it.

However, the judge ruled last September that the victims could not collect money damages.

In April, the 11th Circuit called the facts of the Epstein case a 'national disgrace' but said the victims rights law did not apply because Epstein was never actually charged.

Epstein killed himself in jail last year.
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Linkedin Philip Pullella (Reuters) Vatican City, Vatican  Fri, August 7, 2020 09:32 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3ca9e 2 World Pope,Vatican,treasury,finance Free

Pope Francis has appointed six women, including the former treasurer for Britain's Prince Charles, to the council that oversees Vatican finances, naming them in one fell swoop to some of the most senior roles.

The appointments to one of the Holy See's most important offices marked the latest attempt by the pope to keep promises to improve gender balance made years ago but which women's groups have said were too slow in being realized.

Francis has already appointed women as deputy foreign minister, director of the Vatican Museums, and deputy head of the Vatican Press Office, as well as four women as councilors to the Synod of Bishops, which prepares major meetings.

Still, Thursday's new appointments marked the largest number of women named at one time to Vatican posts.

The previously all-male Council for the Economy consists of 15 posts. One cardinal is the coordinator and the 14 other posts are divided evenly among members of the clergy and lay people.

The seven-member lay portion now consists of six women and one man. Of the six women, two each are from Britain, Spain and Germany. The sole male lay member is Italian.

One of the Britons, Leslie Jane Ferrar, was treasurer to Prince Charles from 2015 to 2017 and now holds a number of non-executive and trustee roles, the Vatican said.

The other, Ruth May Kelly, served as secretary of state for education and for transport, and as minister for women and equality, in Britain's former Labor government from 2004-2008.

The other four women have backgrounds in business, banking and academia.

Francis established the Council for the Economy, which oversees budgets and sets policy, in 2014 as an international body to oversee often-troubled Vatican finances.

The new council is starting its work as the coronavirus pandemic has hit the Vatican's finances hard, forcing it to dip into reserve funds and implement some of the toughest cost control measures ever in the tiny city state.

Topics : Pope Vatican treasury finance
USD/CAD PRICE OUTLOOK: LOONIE AT RISK WITH TRUMP SET TO SLAP 10% TARIFF ON CANADIAN ALUMINUM IN SPITE OF USMCA DEAL

Canadian Dollar starts to edge lower on the back of fresh US-Canada trade war headlines

USD/CAD price action attempts to base with Trump announces tariffs on Canadian aluminum

The Loonie also looks at risk owing to a scheduled release of monthly jobs data due Friday

The Canadian Dollar, or Loonie, drifts into the hot seat as US President Trump hints at imposing a 10% tariff on aluminum imports from Canada. As one might expect, the news is weighing positively on USD/CAD price action with the major currency pair trading more than 50-pips above intraday lows driven by an influx of Canadian Dollar selling pressure.

USD/CAD PRICE CHART: 2-HOUR TIME FRAME (27 JULY TO 06 AUGUST 2020)

Recent USD/CAD buying looks to have developed an intermittent base around the 1.3250-price level as the Greenback advances and prints a string of higher lows. This area of technical support could serve as a potential demand zone for USD/CAD going forward, and the Canadian Dollar could face additional selling if the 10% duty on aluminum levied by President Trump prompts Prime Minister Trudeau to escalate matters into a tit-for-tat tariff spat.

These developments follow the new USMCA trade deal ratified earlier this year that just went into effect this past July. President Trump, or the tariff man as some say, stated that Canadian producers of industrial metals have broken commitments to curb aluminum exports into the United States. The Canadian aluminum industry contributes nearly $5-billion to annual GDP, and approximately 75% of production is exported to the United States.

USD/CAD PRICE CHART: DAILY TIME FRAME (DECEMBER 2019 TO AUGUST 2020)

USD/CAD price action could face an uphill battle, however, and may keep bullish bets at bay. This is particularly in consideration of widespread US Dollar weakness endured over the last several weeks that has pressured the DXY Index to a two-year low. Yet, Canadian Dollar bears might make a push here with USD/CAD searching for support around February lows.

Perhaps the 1.3350-price zone, which roughly aligns with the 8-day moving average, the 76.4% Fibonacci retracement of the currency pairs year-to-date trading range, and not to mention last months swing low, could serve as a potential topside objective for USD/CAD bulls before a broader trend reversal comes into consideration.

That said, potential for Dollar volatility looks quite elevated due in large part to expected uncertainty surrounding the release of high-impact employment reports from both Canada and the US. According to the DailyFX Economic Calendar, jobs data is scheduled to cross market wires Friday, August 07 at 12:30 GMT, and thus leaves USD/CAD price action at risk. Likewise, the direction of crude oil prices, which typically maintains a strong positive correlation with the Canadian Dollar, could weigh materially on USD/CAD as well.

Keep Reading - USD Price Outlook: US Dollar in Focus with Jobs Report Due

-- Written by Rich Dvorak, Analyst for DailyFX.com

Connect with @RichDvorakFX on Twitter for real-time market insight
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 06:06:21|Editor: huaxia

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A banner of Uber Technologies Inc. is seen hanging outside the New York Stock Exchange in New York, the United States, May 10, 2019. U.S. ride hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. began trading on the NYSE on Friday. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The COVID-19 response initiatives had an impact on GAAP net loss of 48 million dollars, says the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company.



SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Uber Technologies on Thursday announced financial results for the second quarter ending June 30, 2020 with a net loss of 1.8 billion U.S. dollars.

Uber's gross bookings declined to 10.2 billion dollars, down 35 percent year on year. Its revenue declined 29 percent to 2.2 billion dollars compared with the same fiscal period of 2019, the company said.

Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2018, shows the Uber and Lyft Apps on an iPhone in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

According to Uber's quarterly results, its unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were 7.8 billion dollars.

The COVID-19 response initiatives had an impact on GAAP net loss of 48 million dollars, the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company said.

"Our team continues to move at Uber speed to respond to the pandemic's impact on our communities and on our business... harnessing the strong tailwinds driving exceptional growth in Delivery, with Gross Bookings growing 122 percent year-over-year excluding exited markets," said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

Taxi cars are seen during a protest in front of the Parliament, Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 13, 2018. Taxi drivers held a protest here on Tuesdy against Uber. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)



"Our Mobility segment generated 50 million US dollars in Adjusted EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) profit, despite a 73 percent year-over-year decline in Gross Bookings, on a constant currency basis," said Nelson Chai, Uber's CFO.

"We improved our Delivery Adjusted EBITDA margin by 33 percentage points, and took quick and decisive action to remove over 1 billion dollars in annualized costs across the entire company," Chai said. 
The people who would destroy the village came in the middle of the night last week. Hundreds of guards breached the wall surrounding the village and began banging on the doors of the 140 courtyard homes there, waking residents and handing them notices to get out.

Many tried to protest but were subdued by the guards, and by this week, the demolition was already in full swing. Backhoes moved house by house, laying waste to a community called Xitai that was built in a plush green valley on the northern edge of Beijing, only a short walk from the Great Wall of China.

This was a sneak attack to move when we were unprepared, said Sheng Hong, one of the residents.

The destruction of the village, one of several unfolding on the suburban edges of Beijing this summer, reflects the corruption at the murky intersection of politics and the economy in China. What is perfectly acceptable one year can suddenly be deemed illegal the next, leaving communities and families vulnerable to the vagaries of policy under the countrys leader, Xi Jinping.

Back when these developments were built, turbocharging Chinas economy was priority No. 1 and many were blessed by local governments. Now, led by Beijings paramount leader, Cai Qi, the local authorities have declared that the projects in fact violated laws intended to protect the environment and agricultural land.
The agreement was signed in a virtual signing ceremony on Thursday (August 6) after negotiations were finalized in March.

Simon Birmingham, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, said that the deal would be a major boost to Australia's economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis and it would help to "expand the scope of our economic engagement with our largest two-way trading partner in Southeast Asia."

"As we begin the economic recovery from COVID-19, this agreement will reduce barriers and boost opportunities for Australian businesses to reach more customers and further tap into the Singaporean market," he said in a statement on Thursday.

"The agreement will deliver practical improvements to lower costs and make it easier for exporters to do business, including in areas of personal data protection, e-invoicing, paperless customs procedures, and electronic certification for agricultural exports."

He also said that the agreement builds on Australia and Singapore's leading roles in negotiating new international rules on e-commerce in the World Trade Organization to better facilitate the growing volumes of digital trade across the globe.

"These are some of the most ambitious digital trade rules Australia has ever negotiated, and this agreement will serve as benchmark for other digital trade rule negotiations within our region," Birmingham said.
The much-awaited film, Sadak 2 is inching closer towards its release date and meanwhile, actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt has shared a message on behalf of her director-father Mahesh Bhatt, ahead of the movie's release.



This is the first-ever film that the Bhatt family is working on together. Alia is working in her father Mahesh Bhatt's directorial and uncle Mukesh Bhatt's production for the first time ever.

It's a sequel to his 1991 hit, Sadak which featured Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt in lead roles. This will now be taken over by Alia and Aditya Roy Kapoor in the sequel.

 Vishesh Films

Note from my father, Pooja wrote in the caption of her social media post, which included several black-and-white pictures of Sadak 2s cast. Hum taxi driver yeh kehtey hai ke safar shuru honey se pehley hum safar ke malik hotey hai magar jab safar shuru hotaa hai to safar hi malik hotaa hai (Taxi drivers say that they control the journey before it begins, but eventually, the journey takes control of everything).



Bhatt added, Today as we begin the last leg of our journey.I feel unshackled! I carry no burden, no weight. No reputation to hold on to. No mission to accomplish. Nothing to prove to anyone. If the film works it belongs to all of you. If it does not, its mine.Thats the duty and also the privilege of the Director . You all gave me so much love and support for which I am very grateful. I love this film because each one of you made this possible. Ahh now I feel like a free bird. My wilderness is calling me. Saying Mahesh chalein?

 Instagram/Mahesh Bhatt

Sadak 2 will begin streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar from August 28 onwards, and the makers announced the same on Thursday.



Although the film was initially intended for a theatrical release, producer Mukesh Bhatt said that they were forced to take the streaming route as in the wake of the COVID-19 global health crisis, several industries, including film, were forced to shut down temporarily.

Besides, both Mahesh and Alia have been at the receiving end of online abuse since the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, with many of the latter's fans believing that they represent the insider culture that ostracises outsiders such as Sushant.

 MensXP

In fact, Mahesh was one of the people summoned for questioning by the Mumbai Police in connection to Sushants sudden death.



Other than Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapoor, Sadak 2 also features Pooja Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Jisshu Sengupta, Gulshan Grover, Makarand Deshpande, Priyanka Bose, Akshay Anand and Mohan Kapur among others in significant roles.

Do you think the film will be welcomed by the Indian audience in the light of recent events? Let us know in the comments section.
President Donald Trump issued two executive orders late Thursday against Chinese-owned TikTok and messaging app WeChat, citing national security concerns.

The orders take effect in 45 days and prohibits any U.S. company or person from transacting with ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company or WeChat. That may mean the companies would not be able to appear on Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store in the U.S. It also might mean it would be illegal for U.S. companies to purchase advertising on TikTok.

The executive order leaves it unclear what specific transactions would be banned.

The orders signal increasing tensions in U.S.-Beijing relations in the run-up to the November elections. Trump had earlier threatened to ban TikTok from the U.S., citing national security concerns and also suggesting it would be retaliation for what he sees as China's role in spreading the novel coronavirus.

Trump and other officials have expressed concern that data collected by TikTok could be shared with the Chinese government. TikTok has continually denied that and says it stores U.S. customer information in the U.S. But Trump has kept targeting the company over the past week by threatening to ban it and finally seemingly agreeing to let Microsoft buy it, if a deal closes quickly.

"This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage," according to the TikTok order.

TikTok spokesperson Hilary McQuaide said the company is reading the order and will have further comment soon.

On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that TikTok would be forced to cease U.S. operations by around Sept. 15 if it wasn't sold to a U.S. company. He also said that if a sale goes through, part of the proceeds should go to U.S. taxpayers.

"A very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the treasury of the United States," Trump said of the potential TikTok sale. "The United States should be reimbursed or paid because without the United States they don't have anything." The president added: "It's a little bit like the landlord-tenant. Without a lease, the tenant has nothing. So they pay what's called key money or they pay something."

Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok and has also identified Sept. 15 as the deadline for talks to conclude.

Some experts believe that Trump has signed the order to speed ByteDance into a deal.

"The whole thing strikes me as Trump trying to put pressure on TikTok," said James Lewis, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I think its a big pressure campaign to get ByteDance to move in the right direction."
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Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 15:48 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c576b5 1 Business foreign-exchange-reserves,bank-indonesia,global-bonds-issuance,COVID-19,pandemic,financing,state-budget Free

Indonesias foreign exchange (forex) reserves increased to US$135.1 billion in July, the highest level ever, following the governments move to issue global bonds, Bank Indonesia (BI) announced Friday.

The current reserves level, an increase from $131.7 billion in June, is estimated to be sufficient to support 8.6 months of imports and payments of the governments short-term debts.

BI is of the view that the foreign exchange reserves are adequate, supported by stability and a positive outlook for the economy, in line with various policy responses to push for economic recovery, the central bank said in a statement.

The rise in forex reserves in July was driven by the governments global bonds issuance and government loans, according to the central bank.

The government has raised 100 billion yen (US$930 million) from the issuance of five-tranche samurai bonds to help cover the fiscal deficit and fund the coronavirus pandemic response in early July.

The deal was finalized in Japan on Jul. 2 and sold in maturities of 20 years, worth 1.5 billion yen with a coupon rate of 1.8 percent; 10 years, worth 13.4 billion yen with a 1.59 percent coupon rate; and seven years, worth 10.1 billion yen with a 1.48 percent coupon rate.

The government previously planned to raise $5.5 billion from loans from multilateral organizations in the second half of the year, after raising $1.8 billion in the first half from five multilaterals, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

We are focusing on getting loans from our multilateral partners in the second half of this year after focusing on raising funds from global bonds in the first half, said Luky on Jul. 27.

The government faces the daunting task having to raise Rp 900.4 trillion from the issuance of sovereign debt papers in the second half of the year to cover its budget deficit of 6.34 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and repay its debts, after raising Rp 630.5 trillion from the issuance of debt papers in the first half.

It has also unveiled a $40 billion bond sale program with the central bank as part of the burden sharing scheme aimed at easing the governments debt burden.

"Although it has been declining, we see the risks from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remaining and thus still creating uncertainty in the global financial market," said Bank Mandiri economist Andry Asmoro in a note.



There will be some delays in foreign direct investment inflows as the global value chain has been seriously disrupted, he went on to say, adding that imports had declined more than exports due to the halt in production and investment activities.



"Hence, it may shrink the current account deficit, supporting Indonesias balance of payment, foreign reserves and rupiah exchange rate in 2020," Andry added.
Tesla's China-made Model 3 vehicles are seen during a delivery event at its factory in Shanghai, China, Jan. 7, 2020. Reuters-Yonhap





By Nam Hyun-woo







LG Chem, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation are paying attention to Tesla's looming Battery Day event, as the EV maker is anticipated to showcase its increased use of cobalt-free batteries, which could affect the Korean battery makers' current strategy of relying on cobalt in producing their products.







Last month, Tesla announced its annual shareholder meeting and Battery Day presentation will take place Sept. 22, with CEO Elon Musk telling analysts the event would include a "big reveal" of developments in battery technology, and supply chains for the company.







Though Tesla has not disclosed much information, industry officials say more details on new cobalt-free batteries with greater efficiency will be revealed at the event. One said the most important point to watch will be whether the new batteries will be based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, which Korean battery makers claim to be "dated" and which has limits in terms of single-charge distance.







Generally, EV battery makers have been favoring nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) or nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) batteries over LFP batteries due to their higher energy density and lighter weight. LFP batteries have advantages in cost and environmental friendliness. Many materials used in battery manufacture are raising ethical and political issues.







Korean EV battery makers mostly rely on NMC- or NCA-based chemistry due to the higher energy density, which results in a greater distance an EV can cover on a single charge. But this strategy is facing challenges recently, as a growing number of manufacturers are ruling out cobalt use in their batteries as seen in Tesla's pursuit of cobalt-free batteries.







According to multiple foreign reports, CATL, one of the main battery partners of Tesla, is believed to have begun supplying LFP batteries for Tesla's Model 3 in China, whose largest battery supplier is currently LG Chem. During Tesla's second quarter conference call, Musk said Tesla will boost volume production in China of LFP battery packs for Model 3 cars.







On July 30, Panasonic, another battery supplier to Tesla, told Reuters that it will commercialize a cobalt-free battery in two to three years for Tesla, without elaborating on whether it would employ LFP.







gettyimagesbank









Due to such moves, Korean battery makers are facing growing questions on whether they will turn to LFP batteries, following CATL's supplying of LFP batteries to Tesla. However, industry officials here said they were skeptical on LFP batteries as future tech.







During a conference call for the second quarter, LG Chem said it believes NMC chemistry will remain "mainstream" in the global market due to its advantages in energy density.







"Though we are producing LFP batteries too, these have their shortcomings in energy density and weight," the company said. "We believe NCM will remain the mainstream in the global EV battery market."







Samsung SDI also said it was focusing on NCA technology when asked whether it was considering LFP as an option. SK Innovation is focusing on NCM.







"Many battery firms have tried to upgrade the energy density of LFP chemistry, but they have yet to have meaningful outcomes," an industry official said requesting anonymity. "Tesla is now saying it is increasing its reliance on LFP batteries and is anticipated to come up with information on new cobalt-free batteries during Battery Day."







"This can either mean that Tesla and CATL have come up with technology to improve the efficiency of LFP batteries or unprecedented technology in removing cobalt," he said. "Since either way will likely affect the industrial trend, domestic companies are paying attention to what Tesla will reveal during the event."







Another battery firm official said Tesla's announcement will bear more significance, given the company's influence on the EV market.







"Tesla is now more than just a buyer of batteries due to its influence affecting the trend of the global EV market," another official said. "If Tesla sets LFP as one of its new directions, that will affect the market anyway. In this case, it could result in Korean battery firms losing control and allowing their Chinese rivals to take control of the market again, given their strengths in making LFP batteries."


Severance Hospital in Shinchon, Seoul, bustles with visitors Friday despite resident doctors and interns going on strike earlier in the day to demand the government scrap its plan to increase the number of students at medical schools. Yonhap



By Bahk Eun-ji



No major service disruptions were reported at Korea's hospitals Friday after doctors and interns went on a 24-hour strike to protest a government plan to raise admission quotas at medical schools.



The action was expected to affect patients in intensive care units and emergency rooms where most of the doctors in training work. The strike will last until 7 a.m. Saturday.



At Seoul National University Hospital, a patient waiting area was busier than usual, but it didn't create a major delay.



"Although a '10-minute delay in counseling' appeared on a notice board announcing the expected waiting time, it is not that unusual a situation," an SNUH official told Yonhap News Agency.



One patient waiting for treatment said: "I don't worry about the strike because the professor who is in charge of my treatment is working today anyway."



According to the Korea Intern Resident Association (KIRA), a group that represents interns and resident doctors here, nearly 70 percent of the group's 16,000 members joined the strike.



Several hospital officials said full-time doctors and professors were replacing those on strike in emergency rooms.



However, hospitals expect waiting times for outpatient treatment will be longer if there is a surge of patients because resident doctors usually support professors giving this care.



Lee Dong-yeon, an orthopedic professor at SNUH, said: "It may be inconvenient because patient waiting times can be a little longer as some of the interns and residents are on strike. But we have taken measures to ensure that there are no major disruptions in medical treatment and we will do our best to put the safety of patients first."



The striking interns and resident doctors gathered in Yeouido, Seoul, urging the government to reconsider its plan to increase admission quotas.



"We urge the government to listen to the take opinions from doctors in the field into account when making public health policy," the protesters said in a statement.



Korea is experiencing a shortage of doctors in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.



To tackle the problem, the government is pushing to train an extra 4,000 doctors over the next 10 years, but there has been a strong backlash from licensed doctors to the plan. Another strike is scheduled for Aug. 14.


In the recent past, Artificial Intelligence or AI has emerged as the most significant technology behind the success of any industry segment, ranging from smart cities to healthcare. AI involves a multi-approach along with an interdisciplinary discipline along with developments in the machine learning and deep learning. Industries and businesses that wish to gain value out of data through automating and improving operations, AI plays a crucial role.

Role of AI in Healthcare

AI in healthcare allows the medical staff by carrying out various activities that are performed by humans, though in less time with the smallest of investment. With the healthcare industry and its data on the rise is an excellent indicator of AI being implemented. AI offers several benefits over the traditional modeling and decision-making methods used. AI allows the healthcare professionals with unparalleled insights in diagnostics, clinical procedures along with an array of diagnostics-based benefits and results for the patients. Various leading technology companies have developed biomedical devices also. Devices like- Fitbit and smartwatches use AI that evaluates the patients data for various health-related concerns to give out possible advisories and warnings to customers and healthcare staff. An online study states that AI-backed solutions for the healthcare industry are going to reach $6.6 billion by the year 2021.

AI for Combatting COVID-19 Pandemic

With the global spread of COVID-19 pandemic constantly on the rise, various healthcare stakeholders like researchers and entrepreneurs are looking for newer methods to fight against this pandemic. Addressing the call of Atmanirbhar Bharat Mission by the Hon. PM Shri. Narendra Modi, various technology companies and start-ups in India, have started encashing the underlying benefits of AI to combat this pandemic together. AI is now being used for modeling, preventing and diagnosing the COVID-19 pandemic.

For modeling- Key decision-makers in the healthcare and technology industry have started using this technology to have a clear understanding of how this pandemic will grow. A Pune-based Health Group has started using the Digital Twins technology for predicting the spread of COVID-19 in the urban areas. Digital Twins is a virtually-programmed computer model of a physical entity by taking real-world data as its input and predicting how the system will evolve in the future.

For preventing- Wearing face masks and following the social distancing has become the new normal today. In a densely-populated country like India, which has a high population density, it can become a significant challenge to monitor everyone following the safety guidelines. The country is getting unlocked, and industries have re-started again, though, with a minimal workforce. Various companies are now leveraging AI jointly with the CCTV camera recordings for monitoring any safety guidelines violations.

For diagnosing- The RT-PCR test is considered the best practice that is being followed for diagnosing COVID-19 in India, where there is a crunch of healthcare staff and long processing times. Many hospitals and other healthcare institutes have now started leveraging the chest X-ray and CT scans for screening positive patients. All these AI-based tools that are being developed will be of great aid to doctors for quick segregation of the patients and taking the due course of action accordingly. AI has already been successful in the past for the diagnosis of tuberculosis using the radiology images.

AI-Powered Chatbots and Telemedicine

The chatbots driven by AI have already taken the entire business world by surprise, and it is expected that it will follow a similar paradigm shift in the healthcare industry as well. The best use of these chatbots can be seen as the symptom determiner for both- physician and the patient. These chatbots can serve as the first line of interaction between a patient and a doctor. It can ask patients a set of questions having a predefined set of options and based on the options; the doctor/physician can take the due course of action. AI-powered chatbots have proven to be a better choice for organizing patient pathways, medications along with enhanced remedies for simple diseases.

In todays time, another method the doctors that can leverage for treating their patients is telemedicine. Telemedicine was created as a method by doctors for treating their patients remotely located from the hospital locations or where there was a constraint of healthcare professionals. However, telemedicine is still in practice today for addressing these concerns. Despite addressing the healthcare concerns, telemedicine is also being leveraged as a tool for convenient medical care as the patients today dont want to spare much time at the doctors place for minor issues. These can be addressed quickly over the phone and get the health issues resolved.

AA+ COVID-19 Testing Solution

ESDS is Indias leading Cloud Service Provider that has its Cloud-based offerings for various industry segments like- Government, Banking, Enterprise. Today, through our advanced technologies like AI, ML, IoT, we have managed to touch the lives of more than 500 million people in India. Addressing this need of the hour, ESDS developed a rapid COVID-19 indicative testing solution under the name- AA+ COVID-19 Testing Solution in a very short span. This testing solution is an AI-enabled that can determine the presence of COVID-19 in a suspected patient just from his chest X-ray within 5 minutes. This solution is highly scalable and implemented anywhere. The basic requirement to use this testing solution is a mobile device with an active Internet connection. This testing solution is cost-effective and also helps in minimizing the waiting time at the hospitals, thereby reducing the chances of any exposure. After gaining a model accuracy of over 96%, this testing solution is now being trained for indicating other common diseases too. Through this solution, we aim to help our healthcare fraternity that can quickly segregate their patients and start the required medication at the earliest.

On a concluding note, the emergence of AI has been a critical influencer across various areas in the healthcare industry. In todays complex healthcare domain, AI has played a significant supportive role by offering faster service and accurate diagnosis along with a detailed data analysis.

Authored by:- Mr. Piyush Somani, CMD, ESDS Software Solution

(The views expressed in this article are by  Mr. Piyush Somani, CMD, ESDS Software Solution. Technuter.com doesnt own any responsibility for it.)
ANN ARBOR, MI  Ann Arbors search for a new city administrator is moving along quickly, with 10 semi-finalists now in the running for the position.

Mayor Christopher Taylor gave an update on the search at a City Council meeting Thursday night, Aug. 6.

The recruiter has provided the whole of City Council with background information on 10 semi-finalists, Taylor said.

This information is confidential at this point and limited to the council members, as applicants often apply in the context of confidentiality, he added.

Taylor announced council will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10, to review the list of semi-finalists in closed session and then approve a list of three to five finalists in open session that same day.

After that, the finalists will be announced and their biographical material will be made public, Taylor said.

Finalists are expected to be interviewed by council, city staff and a community panel via Zoom video on Aug. 20, with a survey for public feedback. Council will then choose a candidate to negotiate a contract.

Councils Administration Committee unanimously recommended inviting the winners of Tuesdays council primaries to participate in the community panel, Taylor said.

The council will set a special session the week of Aug. 24 to further discuss the finalists and the information received from the prior week, Taylor said.

Council voted in late June to launch a search to replace former City Administrator Howard Lazarus, who was fired by council in a controversial 7-4 vote in February.

Ability to be apolitical and to effectively work with all council members who have a wide range of priorities and styles and exceptional ability to translate the vision of council into actions are listed as must have qualities, along with being a consensus builder who is visible in the community.

Three council members who voted to fire Lazarus  Anne Bannister, Jack Eaton and Jane Lumm  were ousted in this weeks primary and will leave office in November.

Lazarus started a new job in July as executive director of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, returning to the county where he grew up outside Philadelphia.

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President Donald Trump yesterday called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a 'real beauty' who 'knows nothing about the economy'.

The president's comments came during a speech in the battleground state of Ohio, where he accused Democrat leaders of 'inflicting a socialist takeover of the US economy known as the horrendous Green New Deal'.

The Green New Deal is a proposed plan to tackle climate change, which was initially tabled by Ocasio-Cortez - who minored in economics at college - and Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts.

Trump said in his speech yesterday: '[The Green New Deal] was conceived by a young woman AOC  AOC plus three, I say  AOC, that's a real beauty, isn't it?'

'She knows as much about the environment  do we have any young children here?  as that young child over there. I think he knows more. And she certainly knows nothing about the economy,' he added.

President Donald Trump yesterday called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a 'real beauty' who 'knows nothing about the economy'.

Trump suggested that the proposal, which aims to wean the US off of fossil fuels, could result in the American economy regressing, similarly to Venezuela.

'Venezuela was a very wealthy country 20 years ago  one of the wealthiest per capita, one of the wealthiest, tremendous oil reserves, everything. Now they don't have food. They don't have water. They don't have medicine. They don't have anything. Same thing could happen,' Trump said.

Trump went on to criticize the Democrat's stance on fracking, the process of drilling into the earth to release gases to use as energy.

'They want to ban fracking, which will demolish your state. It will demolish Ohio oil and gas jobs. They want to rejoin the disastrous Paris Climate Accord, where you'll pay billions and billions of dollars for the privilege of getting ripped off by other countries,' he said.

In this July 23, 2020, file image from video, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks on the House floor on Capitol Hill in Washington

Trump lashed out at Ocasio-Cortez during a campaign stop in Texas last week, again criticizing the Green New Deal.

In his remarks, made with oil rigs and a giant American flag in the background, Trump warned Texans that Democrats in power would bring Ocasio-Cortez's 'disastrous' Green New Deal, a return to the Paris Climate Accord, and the end of fracking.

'The radical left is fighting to abolish American energy,' he warned.

'If these far left politicians ever get into power they will abolish not only your industry but the economy,' he said.

Read the Green New Deal
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 20:11:18|Editor: huaxia

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BISHKEK, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan reported 503 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing its national tally to 39,162.

Among the new cases, 17 are medical workers, bringing the caseload of infected medical workers to 2,928, Ainura Akmatova, head of the public health care department of the country's health ministry, told a daily news briefing.

She said that 665 more patients have recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 30,764, including 2,025 medical workers.

Meanwhile, four people died in the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,451.

At the same time, the Republican headquarters on COVID-19 reported that drug supplies have stabilized significantly in the country.

However, there is a shortage of certain drugs necessary for the treatment of severe and extremely severe forms of COVID-19 and pneumonia, it said.

Kyrgyzstan has received several batches of medical aid from the Chinese government, Chinese foundations and companies since the outbreak of the virus in the country in March. Enditem
President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday directing a total halt on all transactions with Chinese app TikTok's parent company ByteDance and WeChat within 45 days, citing national security concerns. Additionally, the US Senate unanimously passed a bill banning TikTok from government devices, amid intensifying hostility between the two nations.

United States President Donald Trump signed two executive orders on Thursday halting all transactions with Chinese company ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok as well as messaging app WeChat within 45 days citing national security concerns.

Trump said that the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the Peoples Republic of China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. He also noted in his order that India has already blocked TikTok among other Chinese apps.

At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application in particular, TikTok, he said.

Any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd. (a.k.a. Zijie Tiaodong), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in which any such company has any interest, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce. 45 days after the date of this order, the Secretary shall identify the transactions, the order read.

Also read: US Teen mastermind behind controversial Twitter hack of Elon Musk, Barack Obama

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Any transaction by a United States person or within the United States that evades or avoids has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate the prohibition set forth in this order is prohibited, the order added.

A subsequent executive order Trump signed on Thursday banned WeChat, an app owned by China-based tech giant Tencent.

Trump noted in his order that Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration and the US Armed Forces have already banned TikTok on government phones.

Earlier on Thursday, The United States Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok on government devices. Trump had set September 15 as the deadline for TikTok to find a US buyer, failing which he said he will shut down the app in the country.

On Monday, Microsoft had announced its decision to pursue discussions with TikToks parent company, ByteDance, in a matter of weeks, and in any event, completing these discussions no later than September 15.

Also read: Dont interfere says India after UNSC rejects China-Pak attempt to raise Kashmir issue
The EVFTA is forecast to boost Vietnams GDP by up to 15 per cent Photo: Le Toan

The International Monetary Fund has announced its latest forecasts on the global economic outlook, stating that the heavy aftermath caused by COVID-19 is expected to drive many major economies to below-zero growth in 2020, including in the eurozone at -10.2 per cent.

More than a week ago, EU leaders agreed on an unprecedented coronavirus stimulus package worth 750 billion ($877.84 billion) to pull their economies out of the worst economic recession.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, is tasked with tapping financial markets to raise the package, which includes 390 billion ($456.57 billion) to be allotted as grants, and 360 billion ($421.45 billion) in loans.

The funds will be distributed among the countries and sectors most impacted by COVID-19. It will support EU economies to stimulate consumption and beef up production, as well as export and import of goods and services.

The EU is now one of Vietnams largest export and import markets, said an expert from the European Union Delegation to Vietnam. Thus, the newly-adopted package is expected to help drive the EUs investment and trade relationship forward.

Last year, the EU was Vietnams second-largest export market, which spent $41.7 billion, down 0.7 per cent on-year, importing Vietnams goods. In the first seven months of 2020, the EU was Vietnams third-largest export market, which earmarked $19.5 billion, down 5.9 per cent on-year.

Figures from the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed that as of July 20, Vietnam attracted more than $24 billion from the EU member states. The EU is one of the most important sources of foreign investment for Vietnam.

Vo Van Long, representative of the Association of Vietnamese Businesses in Germany, which embodies more than 1,000 Vietnamese businesses, said that Vietnam will benefit from the EUs fiscal package though available calculations on the positive impacts are yet to be made. Each nation will have their own calculations on the impacts of the package on their economies. The impacts on trade and investment with Vietnam will depend on the scale of cooperation between each nation with Vietnam. However, generally the impacts are positive, he said.

In Germany, each business can seek a prioritised loan worth 19,000 ($22,300) from the government to develop itself, and expand imports and exports, Long said. However, the biggest positive impacts will firstly come from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Vietnamese enterprises in Germany are waiting for the entry into force in order to boost exports to Vietnam thanks to slashed tariffs.

New driver

According to the European Commissions figures, the EVFTA could boost Vietnams booming economy by 15 per cent of GDP, with Vietnamese exports to Europe growing by over one-third. For the EU, the agreement is an important stepping stone to a wider EU-Southeast Asia trade deal.

Right after the agreements entry into force, regarding EU exports to Vietnam, 65 per cent of duties will disappear, and the remainder will be phased out gradually over a period of up to 10 years. For example, to protect the Vietnamese motor sector from European competition, duties on cars will remain for the full 10 years.

As for Vietnamese exports to the EU, 71 per cent of duties will be removed after the deal takes effect, and the remainder will be removed over a period of seven years.

Such boons will also likely help Vietnam woo more EU investment into Vietnam. The European Parliament stated that the EVFTA will make it easier for EU companies to provide services in Vietnam, for example in the postal, banking, insurance, maritime transport, and environmental sectors.

The EVFTA will also open up various Vietnamese manufacturing sectors to EU investment, for example food and beverages, tyres, ceramics, and construction materials.

In a specific case, Denmarks SiccaDania is seeking to take root in Vietnam where it sees great potential in coffee planting, processing, and exports. In Vietnam, SiccaDania has co-operated with DEVEX, a German company, to provide process equipment that turns extracts from local coffee beans into instant coffee powder.

Vietnam is a strong, growing economy in Southeast Asia, with more than 96 million consumers. For SiccaDania, this represents an important market to cement the companys presence in the region, following the establishment of its Singapore office, said Christine Holt, director of Global Sales & Marketing at SiccaDania. Simplifying export procedures, the EVFTA will cut red tape and make it easier to export to Vietnam, for example by making customs requirements more transparent.

She added that the agreement also includes a chapter on trade in services. This will make it easier for SiccaDania to provide after sales service to its customers in Vietnam. Our technology is giving a boost to Vietnams coffee industry. The EVFTA will enable us to further develop our strong and competitive position in our sector in Vietnam.

In another case, Bulgarian wine producer Burgozone Ltd. is looking to take advantage of the EVFTA. Vietnamese tariffs and customs duties on European wines are currently 50 per cent. The new agreement will gradually remove these tariffs over a seven-year period.

With the EVFTA, Vietnamese authorities will have to ensure that distribution licences given to European producers in Vietnam are not discriminatory in any way. This will benefit companies such as Burgozone that hope to expand in the future.

Our company supports the agreement because this will help our company in its expansionary strategy and support our efforts in entering this growing wine market. By cutting export costs, our high quality wines will be competitive on the local market and we will be able to offer to the Vietnamese consumer a premium Bulgarian wine, said Biliana Marinova, managing director of Burgozone.

The EVFTA is also expected to give a helping hand to Swedish glove-maker Hestra, as its new rules of origin will make it easier to trade products tariff-free when they include inputs from other countries the EU has trade agreements with.

Hestra exports textiles and wool from the EU to its factory in Vietnam, where it makes its gloves. With the agreement, these gloves can then be shipped to the EU tariff free.

With the free trade agreement in place, we would look to invest in a new factory in Vietnam with 200-400 employees, alongside our current factory. This would not only be a good opportunity for our company, but also create more job opportunities for the local community, said Svante Magnusson, owner of Hestra.

To-do list

According to the European Union Delegation to Vietnam, European investors and businesses are interested in three key factors in Vietnam  infrastructure, human resources, and the investment and business climate, which would need remarkable improvement now.

Until now, Vietnams foreign investment attraction policy relied heavily on tax breaks, concessional rates, and import duty exemptions, while many investors have come to Vietnam because of the investment incentives and low labour costs. Experts said attracting innovative, technologically-advanced investment requires a more sophisticated investment policy and the correct tools.

Therefore, Vietnam should continue working towards removing existing trade and investment barriers and improving business climate, according to one expert from the delegation. In this context, transparency is key for investors to know the regulations and procedures to follow  and a fair, transparent, stable, and predictable business climate tops EU businessmens priorities when they mull on their investment plans.

Its also vital that Vietnam guarantees a stable legal framework for investors to operate and a functioning enforcement system. We urge Vietnam to improve the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and to set up a grievance system for investors to avoid disputes, said the expert from the delegation. Vietnam is also strongly encouraged to accede to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.

Importantly, EU investment also requires highly-skilled workers. This offers Vietnam an excellent chance of job creation with secure income, international-standard working environment, acquiring management skills and technical knowledge, and transfer of technologies. Nevertheless, accompanying this opportunity is a challenge that the educational system of Vietnam must cope with to satisfy the needs.

Vietnam can be proud of its hardworking labour force and high literacy rate. However, working with European companies requires better preparation, and more practical and technical knowledge and experience.

The delegation believed that the EVFTA will address some of these issues. It will strengthen transparency about regulations in Vietnam, and will also increase intellectual property rights protection beyond the standards of the World Trade Organization: EU innovations, artworks, and brands will be better protected against being unlawfully copied, including through stronger enforcement provisions.

But most importantly, the EVFTA will create a stable legal framework for trade and investment relations between the EU and Vietnam that will enable both sides to cooperate and achieve a win-win solution.
By Express News Service

COIMBATORE/MADURAI: Was the man who died in Coimbatore really Sri Lankan don Angoda Lokka? Was he the same wanted criminal against whom the Interpol had issued a Red Alert? With multiple theories doing rounds, a special team of the CB-CID investigating the case has initiated DNA tests on samples collected from the dead body.

A five-member team of officials from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) met their CB-CID counterparts to find out more about the death of the gangster, who is supposed to have controlled his criminal empire back in the island nation, virtually from India. CB-CID IG K Shankar dismissed the meeting as a usual procedure, but Sri Lankan media suspect Lokka had links with LTTE.

Currently, sources tell Express, the only evidence to prove that the dead man is Lokka are statements provided by three persons arrested in connection with the case, including Lokkas girlfriend Amani Dhanji. She was admitted to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital after suffering a miscarriage, and was discharged on Thursday.

Lokka was allegedly living in India under the name Pradeep Singh, as per the Aadhaar card he had secured. He was declared brought dead at a hospital in Coimbatore on July 3. While its alleged that he died of a cardiac arrest, the Sri Lankan media suspects he was poisoned, following which the police of the island nation reached out to their counterparts in Coimbatore for information. The CB-CID sleuths on Thursday raided the houses of two others arrested  advocate Sivakami Sundari and Thiyaneshwaran  and seized several documents.

CBI-CID sends Lankan don Lokkas viscera to city for examination

Coimbatore Police on Sunday arrested Sivakami Sundari, Dyaneswaran and Amani Thanji, a Sri Lankan woman, on charges of forging documents to get an Aadhaar card for Lokka. According to sources, Amani Thanjis husband was killed by Lokka in Sri Lanka and after that she was staying with him. After Lokka died, the trio allegedly took his body to Madurai and buried it there. In order to establish Lokkas identity, CB-CID has sent the viscera to Chennai for examination,the police official added.

Meanwhile, Shankar told reporters the CBCID will take Sivakami Sundari, a Madurai-based lawyer, into custody to find if there was any possibility of LTTE connection after it emerged that she had transactions of nearly `1 crore in seven accounts. Sundari had allegedly assisted the other two in taking the body for cremation in Madurai. Sundaris father is allegedly a known LTTE sympathiser and one of the seven special teams was on the job to establish his possible links with the LTTE, Shankar said.

The agency is checking these money transactions and wanted to know from where she was getting the money and if there was any foreign link, he added. The CB-CID IG said that all the three arrested will be taken into custody for interrogation.

In Madurai, the CB-CID team seized currencies of Sri Lanka, Canada, China and Singapore, bank passbooks, passports and a few bond papers from the house of Sivakami. Apart from Sivakamis house, the team had also conducted a search at her office in Railar Nagar, Koodal Pudur. Sources said Sivakami had shifted five houses in the last one year.

Meanwhile, officials said that in the CCTV footage they obtained from Thathaneri crematorium, where Lokka was allegedly cremated, Sivagami is seen standing with two other persons. These unidentified persons are believed to have stayed at the office along with another elderly man for a while, the officials said. (With inputs from agencies)


Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 21:16:04|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian capital of Jakarta has shut down over three dozens of offices after several employees were tested positive for the coronavirus.

The closures came after several offices in the second hardest hit city in the country were identified as new COVID-19 clusters.

The shutdown was carried out after several employees in the offices tested positive of the virus, the Manpower and Transmigration Office in the city said on Friday.

Besides, some offices violated the health protocol rules which only allow 50 percent of the total persons in each company or institution to work in office during the COVID-19 pandemic, the office's head Andri Yansyah noted.

"Today (Friday) 37 offices were transiently closed," the official said virtually.

The official said that more than 3,000 offices have been checked in the capital with 389 of them having received the first warning, and over 100 having been warned for the second time.

"We urge the firms to keep obeying the rules of the health protocols on the COVID-19 and immediately report their staff members infected by the virus," he said.

On Friday, Jakarta posted the second highest number of the COVID-19 confirmed cases in the country with total confirmed cases standing at 23,936 or 20.2 percent of the national confirmed cases, according to data from the COVID-19 Task Force.

The city has been in the status of transitional partial lockdown, and business activities have been reopened since June under tight health protocols.

For the whole of the country, the task force reported 2,473 additional daily cases, bringing the total to 121,226 with 77,557 recoveries and 5,593 others dead. Enditem
Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Tuesday (August 4) at around 6:10 p.m. local time (1610 GMT), leaving 137 people dead and 5,000 others injured on Wednesday (August 5).

CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE

According to local media, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud estimated on Wednesday that the explosions cost the city US$3 billion to US$5 billion in property losses, worsening the city and the country's suffering amid a government reshuffle and COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of the shops in Beirut's downtown area, which is located near the port, were destroyed. Buildings in other locations in the city were partly if not fully destroyed.

Furthermore, according to President of the Syndicate of Hotels Owners Pierre Ashkar, 90 percent of the hotels in the city were damaged while many of the employees and guests injured.

The number of deaths is expected to climb as search and rescue efforts goes on. What led to the blasts is yet to be determined as investigations are ongoing. Primary information reveals that ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the port since 2014 is a possible cause.

Besides civilian casualties, over 100 UN staff are also injured in the explosions, including 22 members of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) who were in the port when the blasts occurred.

"We expect that the damage of the port will significantly exacerbate the economic and food security situation in Lebanon, which imports about 80 percent to 85 percent of its food," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"This is a place that's used both for goods for Lebanon but also for some of our activities in Syria," he said.

Many countries and international organizations, including the UN, the Arab League and the European Union (EU), have expressed sorrow for and condolences to Lebanon over the deadly blasts.

"Our heartfelt condolences go to the families who have lost their dear ones. Our thoughts are with those who are hurt and injured," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said in a statement on Wednesday.

INTERNATIONAL AID

The disaster in Beirut has attracted worldwide sympathy and support as international aid is flowing to Lebanon from the international community.

The World Health Organization is working with the Lebanese Health Ministry to assess hospital facilities in Beirut, their functionality and needs for additional support, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Upon the request of the UNIFIL, the 18th batch of Chinese peacekeeping troops to Lebanon has organized an emergency team of nine medical personnel carrying medical supplies and protective equipment, heading to the capital city.

Its neighbors in the Middle East have taken swift response on Wednesday.

Iran's Red Crescent Society announced the shipment of 2,000 packages of food, weighing nine tons, to Lebanon, together with medicines, medical equipment and professionals. They will help to create a hospital in Beirut.

King Abdullah II of Jordan instructed that a military field hospital be sent to Lebanon as a rescue unit, which will be dispatched on Thursday.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Tunisian President Kais Saied respectively ordered food aid and medical supplies be flown to Beirut. Meanwhile, supplies from Qatar and Kuwait also poured in.

Across the Mediterranean Sea, the EU has activated Civil Protection Mechanism, coordinating the urgent deployment of over a 100 firefighters, with vehicles, dogs and equipment, to help Lebanese authorities save lives on the ground.

According to EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, the mechanism will have participants like Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, Greece and the Czech Republic.

On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised Germany's help to Lebanon while French President Emmanuel Macron decided to go to Beirut on Thursday (August 6) after promising to dispatch a civil security detachment, emergency doctors and several tons of medical equipment.

After five Russian aircraft were reportedly sent to help Lebanon remove rubble resulting from the explosions, Russia said Wednesday that the country will send a group of equipped rescuers to the Lebanese capital, together with an airmobile hospital and a mobile lab.

* Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a call with Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Wednesday reiterated 'steadfast' commitment to assist the Lebanese people, the State Department said on Wednesday, after a massive warehouse blast killed 135 people and injured thousands.

* Lebanon mourned on Thursday the victims of the most powerful blast to hit the country that was already being crushed by an economic crisis, as rescuers searched for those missing since the explosion that flattened Beirut port and devastated the city.

French President Emmanuel Macron, making the first visit by a foreign leader since Tuesday's blast which killed at least 137 people and injured 5,000, was due to arrive in Beirut later on Thursday along with specialist rescue personnel and equipment.

Dozens are missing and up to a quarter of a million people were left without homes fit to live in after shockwaves smashed building facades, sucked furniture out into streets and shattered windows miles inland.

Officials expect the death toll to rise.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared three days of mourning from Thursday for victims of the explosion, the most devastating ever to hit the city that is still scarred by civil war three decades ago and reeling from a financial meltdown and surge in coronavirus cases.

President Michel Aoun said 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port after it was seized. He promised a thorough investigation and to hold those responsible to account.
Police in Georgia are searching for a gunman who opened fire inside a warehouse in Gwinnett County and injuring one person.

The Gwinnett County Police initially described the incident that took place on Friday at a business located at McGinnis Ferry Road and Satellite Boulevard in Suwanee as 'major.'

The agency later tweeted an update, saying it was an 'isolated' incident involving a single victim.

Police have not released any additional information on that person, but said it is possible the attack was targeted.

Police in Gwinnett County, Georgia, are looking for a gunman in connection to a shooting that took place this afternoon at a warehouse in Suwanee and left one person injured

The shooting was reported at this manufacturing business at McGinnis Ferry Road and Satellite Boulevard

A heavy police presence is seen this screenshot from CBBS46 video in the wake of the shooting

Investigators are currently actively searching for the suspected shooter, who was described as a man standing at 6 feet in height, wearing a long loose pink shirt and a white 'balaclava style face covering.'

Officials closed a portion of Satellite Boulevard and are asking the public to 'avoid the area until further notice.'

Police Cpl. Collin Flynn told WSB-TV a 911 call reporting an 'active shooter' came in just before 2pm at a manufacturing building in the 600 block of Satellite Boulevard.

'There was at least one male shooter who came inside the business while multiple people were inside working and opened fire,' Flynn said. 'At some point while opening fire he has shot at least one victim.'

Flynn said the suspect fled on foot and is still at large.

'At this time, it is possible that [the victim] was specifically targeted,' Flynn said.
Council Members Say Lack Of Opportunity Drives Kansas City Violence, Call For Police Chief To Step Down "The best thing for us to do, as it relates to crime and violence is to ensure that we wage a war on unemployment," Robinson said. When pressed on the issue, Bough said she thinks it's time for Kansas City police Chief Rick Smith to step down.

Actually, this seems like reluctant yes from this town's top socialite politico . . ., there still hasn't been much movement from the police commish or the Mayor and the top cop has repeatedly stated that he will not resign any time soon.Checkit:
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 17:26:56|Editor: huaxia

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HANOI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam poured more than 2.7 billion U.S. dollars into importing chemicals and over 3.1 billion U.S. dollars importing chemical products in the first seven months of this year, down 9 percent and up 2.8 percent on-year, respectively.

Vietnam's biggest exporters of chemicals and chemical products included China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs on Friday.

In the seven-month period, the country exported 984 million U.S. dollars of chemicals and 779 million U.S. dollars of chemical products, declining 13.1 percent and rising 3.3 percent on-year, respectively.

Last year, Vietnam spent nearly 5.1 billion U.S. dollars importing chemicals, and over 5.4 billion U.S. dollars importing chemical products, mainly from China, said the department. Enditem
Kerala's Kumbalangi to be first synthetic pad-free village in India

How Kerala Police CCSE under Cyberdome is fighting crimes against children

Kerala Rains: Death toll in Munnar landslide rises to 13, several trapped

India

oi-Deepika S

Kocchi, Aug 07: Thirteen people have died, several still missing after a major landslide in Munnar as heavy rains continues to batter Kerala.

The landslide occurred at Pettimudi estate, a tea plantation in Rajamala area near Munnar, where around 80 people reside and several are feared trapped under the debris.

Around 82 people were living there in four labour camps. We are not sure many people were present there at the time of the landslide. Airlifting of marooned people is not possible right now due to bad weather, said Kerala Revenue Min E Chandrasekharan.

Several shops damaged in Landslide at Badrinath national highway as incessant rains lash Uttarakhand

The number of bodies recovered from landslide debris has reached 13. The rescue workers have also managed to save 12 people alive.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted that an NDRF team had been deployed, with a second team - based in nearby Thrissur - also on its way.

Five people have died so far in the landslide while 10 have been rescued. A major landslide swept through a tea plantation camp near Munnar in Idukki of Kerala and trapped several people. CM Vijayan has sought the assistance of IAF in rescue operations.

"A 50-member strong special task force team of the Fire Force has been dispatched to Rajamalai in Idukki for rescue efforts. They have been equipped for night-time rescue activities," he said.

Kerala health minister KK Shailaja has said mobile medical teams and 15 ambulances have been sent to Idukki to arrange for treatment for those affected by the landslide. More medical teams will be sent if necessary. KK Shailaja's office has also said that she has directed to equip more hospitals immediately.

Kerala landslide: Red alert in Idukki, Wayanad & Malappuram | Oneindia News

On Thursday heavy rains caused a temporary bridge in Idukki district to collapse, state authorities said.

The district also saw floods in low-lying areas like Munnar, which is a popular tourist destination near Rajamala, because of rising water levels of the Muthirapuzha River.

Night travel has been banned in Idukki district, the state disaster management authority was quoted by news agency PTI, adding that several roads and highways had been closed due to rains.

Heavy rains in Delhi-NCR, widespread rainfall to continue in Kerala: IMD

Malappuram district officials have opened nine camps, seven of which are in Nilambur town that was briefly flooded after the Chaliyar River overflowed.

"A total of 410 people are in the seven camps with adherence to COVID-19 protocol," a district disaster management authority official told news agency PTI.

Wayanad district administration has opened 12 camps and shifted at least 560 people. "People from containment zones are kept separately," District Collector Dr Adeela Abdulla said.

The district reported heavy rainfall today, visuals from news agency ANI showed.
BARRY COUNTY, MI  Health officials say approximately 250 people who attended a Southwest Michigan overnight camp are at risk of coronavirus exposure after several people at the camp tested positive for the virus.

Five staff members and one camper who were at Camp Michawana near Hastings have tested positive for COVID-19, and one person is considered a probable case because of their symptoms, the Barry-Eaton District Health Department announced Thursday, Aug. 6.

Health officials warn that anyone who attended Camp Michawana, a faith-based youth camp, on or after July 24 may have been exposed to the virus. The camp property includes a childrens overnight camp, a family camp and a traditional-style campground  all three of which were open during the potential exposure period.

About 250 people attended or staffed the camp in the past two weeks and are at greatest risk of exposure, health officials said. Of that total, 180 were children attended the childrens overnight camp, and 70 were either staff members or attendees of the family-style camp.

The Barry-Eaton District Health Department recommends that those at risk of exposure self-quarantine at home for 14 days past the last date of their stay at the camp. Individuals should monitor themselves closely for symptoms of COVID-19, and seek testing immediately if symptoms develop, health officials said.

After Michigan saw COVID-19 outbreaks at child-care centers and camps in recent weeks, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer mandated Thursday that face coverings must be worn in all Michigan child-care centers and camps.

COVID-19 is still a very real threat to Michiganders of all ages, and we must continue to stay vigilant and use every tool at our disposal to protect ourselves and each other, Whitmer said regarding the executive order.

Public health officials said this week they are now aware of more than 50 confirmed cases and 13 probable cases of COVID-19 tied to a Christian youth camp in Gladwin County, Michigan.

More:

Everyones fearful of exposure: How families and daycare centers balance childrens needs with virus risks

People waiting way too long for COVID-19 test results in Pa.

Pa. recommends no school sports until 2021: Gov. Wolf
Details added: first version posted on 14:52

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

Trend:

Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations (UN) Yashar Aliyev sent a letter to the UN Secretary General regarding the ongoing aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

The letter said that on July 12, 2020, the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the norms of international law and using heavy artillery and mortars, launched an attack in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district.

In the following days, Azerbaijan's densely populated villages of Aghdam, Dondar Gushchu and Alibeyli of the Tovuz district were shelled, the letter reads.

"As a result of the Armenian aggression, a 76-year-old resident of Aghdam village Aziz Azizov was killed. Moreover, 12 soldiers and officers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were killed, numerous Azerbaijani citizens were injured. Serious damage was caused to civilian objects in Tovuz district," wrote the Azerbaijani representative.

The letter said that the purpose of these malicious actions of the Armenian armed forces is to expand aggression, gain control over heights on the territory of Azerbaijan, and thus create a threat to Azerbaijani settlements, as well as oil and gas pipelines of strategic importance, including those in the immediate vicinity to the military escalation zone (at a distance of 15-25 and 10-12 kilometers, respectively), the Southern Gas Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

"With this act of aggression, the Armenian leadership is trying to divert the attention of the Armenian public from the deepening economic, financial and political crisis in Armenia due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic," the letter said.

The attack of Armenia on Azerbaijan was undertaken after provocative statements and actions of the official Yerevan against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Aliyev stated adding that its enough to revisit some of these statements, which are vivid examples of the constant aggressive policy of a UN member state.

He noted that back in 2013, then Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, when asked whether the armed forces of Armenia can strike first, answered as follows: "I dont rule out anything, because the doctrine of using the armed forces to defend the country envisioned a number of measures, both defensive and preventive ones."

Aliyev also reminded that former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, in his interview in August 2014, threatening to launch short-range ballistic missiles at large cities of Azerbaijan said: "The Azerbaijani leadership is well aware of the resources available in the arsenal of the Armenian armed forces. They know very well that we have effective ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers at our disposal, which can turn any prosperous settlement into ruins like Aghdam."

On September 21, 2017, the former Chief of the General Staff of Armenia, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan, admitted that "we really need more territories to better ensure the security of our republic," the letter of the Azerbaijani representative to the UN read.

The letter also quoted Lieutenant General Levon Mnatsakanyan, who was a leader of Armenian occupation forces at a press conference on July 24, 2018 and was threatening to launch missile strikes on the civilian infrastructure of Azerbaijan and saying that "This is part of our tactical plans. In general, in case of resumption of hostilities the ability to conduct combat operations requires striking these targets, as well as military targets. This will damage the economy of the enemy and prevent adequate supply of the armed forces. I do not see the need for this yet ... but if the need arises to hit these targets, we will hesitate not a second."

The author of the letter also refers to the statement made by Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan on March 30, 2019.

"As Defense Minister, I declare that it was me who presented the format of the territory in the name of peace. We will do the opposite - a new war for new territories. We will get rid of this situation, of the situation of constant defense, and we will admit into the army units that can fight on enemy territory," Tonoyan said, the letter reads.

Two days prior to the July 12 attack, Armenia adopted a new national security strategy. This strategy confirmed the policy of aggression and annexation, the letter emphasized. During a phone talk to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk on July 13, 2020, that is, the day after the attack, Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan threatened to take new positions.

The letter further reads that even the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent Armenia from committing armed provocations.

"It's obvious that Armenia's statement that it allegedly supports the call of the UN Secretary General for a global ceasefire as well as its adherence to this call is a lie," the letter said. "Undoubtedly, Armenia's goal is not to save those in need and alleviate their suffering, but to expand its policy of aggression and annexation."

"Instead of preparing the population for peace, the current leadership of Armenia continues the annexation policy of its predecessors in word and deed. With the recent escalation, Armenia is challenging the negotiation format and disrupting the peace process, violating the norms and principles of international law, distorting the essence of the UN Security Council resolutions and other documents on the settlement of the conflict," Aliyev pointed out.

The letter also said that with the provocation, Armenia is prolonging the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, consolidating Armenia's military presence in these territories, as well as change them from demographic, cultural and physical points of view.

"Such actions have nothing to do with a peaceful and agreed settlement of the conflict," the diplomat wrote. "Azerbaijan has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community to the fact that the ongoing aggression of Armenia and its illegal presence in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are the main causes for the war and the repeated escalation of the conflict on the site."

"We regularly declare that Azerbaijan, as a country suffering from the occupation of its territories and the forced resettlement of hundreds of thousands of its citizens, is most interested in an early and long-term settlement of the conflict," Aliyev stated.

"However, Azerbaijan wont passively wait and stand by idly; Azerbaijan will adequately respond to the provocations and the violation of the ceasefire caused by Armenia," the letter said.

The armed forces of Azerbaijan, in order to repel the recent armed attacks of Armenia, took necessary countermeasures aimed at ensuring the safety of the country population, neutralizing the fire and support points of the Armenian side, forcing it to stop acts of aggression and an attempt to take the situation under control, said the letter.

"The determination and courage of the armed forces of Azerbaijan once again demonstrated that Azerbaijan will not tolerate the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, will not reconcile with the occupation of its territories," Aliyev wrote. "Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan acts exclusively within the framework of the right to self-defense in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international legal practice."

It would be appropriate to stress again that aggression and its military consequences are not a solution to the conflict and will never lead to the political results that Armenia is striving for, the letter read.

"The settlement of the conflict is possible only on the basis of the norms and principles of international law with full respect for Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity. Azerbaijan does not consider it possible to resolve the conflict outside this framework and participates in the settlement process on the basis of this conception," the diplomat concluded.
Xisha Islands in the South China Sea Photo: VCG

By Li Kaisheng

The US has been waging an all-out campaign against China in an attempt to maintain its hegemony. It won't miss any chance to use the South China Sea issue as leverage. Against this backdrop, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in July said China's maritime claims in the South China Sea were "completely unlawful." People familiar with rhetoric on international politics are clearly aware that Pompeo's words deliver a message that the US is bolstering Southeast Asian claimants to take measures against China.

However, the US has not ushered in positive responses from these Southeast Asian countries. Take Vietnam. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang in July said Vietnam hopes all countries will make efforts to contribute to and maintain peace. It hopes for full cooperation in the South China Sea and to "settle disputes through dialogues and other peaceful measures, in accordance with international law and for the common interest." Her words sound prudent and cautious.

It is normal that China and Vietnam have diverse positions over the South China Sea. What's important is that the Vietnam expressed its will to proactively develop its ties with China and work with China to safeguard peace and stability in the region. It is evident that Pompeo's attempt to sow discord fails to lure Vietnam in.

Vietnam used to follow the US' suit in regard to South China Sea issues. Why didn't Hanoi go along this time?

Fundamentally, it is because Hanoi has properly recognized the profound changes in geopolitical and economic situations taking place in the past few years. As a response, Vietnam has adjusted its policies accordingly.

With China's rise, it is increasingly unrealistic for Vietnam to take sides with the US. Although China has slowed down its pace of economic development, its gap with the US has been gradually narrowing. In this context, even though the US has ramped up its diplomatic containment against China, it makes sense that many countries around the South China Sea insist on not taking sides between the two giants.

Besides, a regional community with shared future, rather than ties with a faraway US, is becoming the foundation on which the ASEAN depends. Amid the new trend of de-globalization, especially as the US has broken up a bunch of international rules to maintain its interests, regional solidarity has become an optimal choice for ASEAN members. In the first half of 2020, ASEAN became China's largest trading partner. In the face of COVID-19, China and ASEAN have assisted each other in fighting the virus. They have conveyed a new annotation of community with shared future. If the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will be signed within this year under joint effort of China and ASEAN, the advantage of a regional community with shared future will be further embodied.

China and Vietnam both have strong bonds defending their socialist systems. This is where the two countries' core interests lie. They need to support each other in this regard, especially given that the US has never abandoned the aim to subvert socialist countries, including Vietnam. Pompeo's speech on July 23 discriminated against socialist ideology - this has inevitably rung alarms for Vietnam.

Last but not least, the prior struggles between the claimant countries over the South China Sea reveal that all stand to lose from conflicts and that the China-proposed dual track approach is the right way for bridging regional differences. If the claimants persist to initiate conflicts, only those non-regional forces that do not want to see peace and stability in the South China Sea will benefit.

The US will continue to stir up South China Sea affairs. It may act offensively to set an example for ASEAN members to follow up. It will also take advantage of political changes within claimant countries to alienate China's relations with them.

However, as long as the above-mentioned elements do not change, ASEAN members, including Vietnam, will not gang up with the US. If China and ASEAN can smoothly promote the signing of the South China Sea Code of Conduct, no matter how hard Washington tries to sow discord, the US will ultimately become nothing but an annoying outsider who cannot impact well-managed, peaceful development in the region.

The author is research fellow and deputy director at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
Credit: Brantley GutierrezFoo Fighters have officially put the breaks on their 25th anniversary Van Tour.

The outing, which was originally scheduled for this past April and May, was set to revisit stops Dave Grohl and company made in 1995 during the first Foos tour. The band had initially postponed the dates to this October and December, but the continuing COVID-19 pandemic has forced them to scrap the shows entirely.

Those who purchased tickets will receive refunds. For more info, ticket holders are instructed to contact their point of purchase.

"We look forward to seeing you all as soon as it is safe for everyone to do so," Foo Fighters say.

The Van Tour is among the many plans the Foos had to celebrate their 25th anniversary that's been affected by the pandemic. Their July 4 DC Jam festival, for example, was also canceled.

By Josh Johnson

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, a former Local Government and Rural Development Minister has said former President Kufuor used his Peugeot saloon car, writing off of his loan as MP and his release and others from Nsawam prison detention as conditions to be part of a Ghana Government delegation to talk to Nigeria about the restoration of oil sales.



He said President Shehu Shagari of Nigeria cut off oil supply to Ghana in early January 1982 in protest against the Ghana revolution and this was a terrific blow to the Ghanaian economy.



 . . Not only did the distance between Nigeria and Ghana make oil imports from Nigeria the most economical, but also Nigeria was selling us the oil on a 90-day, interest-free credit basis, he said.



According to him a 5-member delegation was composed by Chairman Rawlings and Captain Kojo Tsikata (Rtd.) to travel to Nigeria to negotiate with then Nigeria President, Shehu Shagari.



It comprised Brigadier-General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, a member of the PNDC as leader; Dr. Obed Asamoah, Colonel Abdulai Ibrahim, one-time Commissioner for Lands and Natural Resources and for Fuel and Power under the Government of the National Redemption Council (NRC), Mr. J. A. Kufuor (PFP MP in the Third Republic and later to become President of the Third and Fourth Republic) and Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi, then Special Assistant performing special duties at the PNDC Secretariat.



He said Mr. J. A. Kufuors inclusion was on account of intelligence that he had a very good relationship with President Shagari.



The problem according to him was that Mr. Kufuor was an opposition PFP Member of Parliament (MP) in the Third Republic which had been overthrown by the PNDC.



Mr. J. A. Kufuor was then in detention at the Nsawam Prisons, like many other persons involved in the politics of that Republic.



Chairman Rawlings sent me to go and talk to Mr. Kufuor about the strategic importance of his being on the delegation and also hint at the possibility of his being appointed to a position in the PNDC Government.



I went. I met Mr. Kufuor. He was not averse to either of the two proposals, but he had two conditions. First, his Peugeot saloon car number AM 961, which he had bought with a loan as an MP and which had been seized by the revolutionary forces, had to be released to him and the balance on the loan of 28,000 cedis written off. Second, in addition to his own release from prison, the PNDC had to consider releasing all or some of his colleagues who were still in prison, he recounted in his book.



He continued that Chairman Rawlings agreed to both conditions which made J. A. Kufuor a part of the delegation to Lagos where they successfully negotiated the restoration of the oil supplies with President Shagari and his aides, though they reduced the quantity of oil to be supplied.



Not too long after our return, on 22nd January 1982, Mr. J. A. Kufuor was appointed the first PNDC Secretary (Minister) for Local Government," he said.





















Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami has ordered the Inspector General of Police to provide security for the 17 anti-Obaseki members of the Edo Assembly.

In a letter dated August 5 based on a petition to his office by Idahosa-West Chambers, Malami said the security measure is necessary to prevent breakdown of law and order.

The 17 lawmakers backing All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, have been locked in a battle to access the Edo State House of Assembly complex on Ring Road, Benin with seven lawmakers loyal to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Details shortly


Recently, China held the first joint video conference with Nepal, Afghanistan, and Pakistan and urged the four-nation cooperation to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, boost economic recovery and resumption of projects under Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided the meeting with his counterparts from three nations.

Chinas growing clout with Nepals ruling political party and its recent outreach with Nepal troubles India. As India is busy in containing the pandemic of Covid-19, it hasnt paid much attention to the ongoing tensions with Nepal. There is a high chance that Nepal may drift away from its sphere of influence.

Chinas political clout in Nepal is increasing. Recently, there were widening divisions in the leadership of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), the ruling party of Nepal. The communist party of Nepal appeared to be heading for a split.

Senior leaders of the party were united to unseat Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. But the growing involvement of the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yangqi, likely avoided the split. She held a series of meetings with top leaders of Nepal, including Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Jhalanath Khanal, and Madhav Kumar Nepal. According to some media reports, she calls for unity among leaders of the ruling party.

The Embassy described the meetings as regular ones to discuss the role of China in Nepals response to Covid-19. But the meetings come at a time when the ruling party has seen widening rifts and senior leaders of the party have asked the Prime Minister Oli to resign. The Chinese President Xi Jinping also held a telephone conversation with Nepals Prime Minister Bidhya Devi Bhandari around the same time to discuss bilateral cooperation and China- Nepal matters. He also offered assistance to Nepal to contain the pandemic of Covid-19.

The telephonic conversation of the Chinese President with his Nepali counterparts followed by the active participation of the Chinese ambassador also hints that China wants the Communist Party of Nepal to be united and in power.

Chinas involvement has increased after the 2015 economic blockade. The relations between India and Nepal have soured badly in recent years. When India imposed an unofficial blockade along the border of Nepal citing its unhappiness with Nepals newly-released democratic Constitution of Nepal, it opened a door for China. In recent years, China has pumped in millions of dollars into many infrastructures and hydropower projects in Nepal. During the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Himalayan nation in 2019, China pledged nearly USD 500 million in financial assistance to Nepal.

The tensions between Nepal and India further deepened when India inaugurated a newly built road connecting India to China via Lipulekh, as part of the Kailash Mansarovar route. The Himalayan kingdom claims that the road transverses its territory. Nepal also updated its political map to include the contested area of Lipulekh, Kalapani, and Limpiyadhura as its part toughening stance on territorial disputes with India. These issues havent been resolved yet.

China is actively engaging with neighbouring countries like Nepal while India is busy containing the Covid-19 pandemic. A recent video conference by Chinese foreign minister with the counterparts of three nations is the latest example of Chinese engagement where he urged to continue projects under the BRI. The BRI is an ambitious multi-billion dollar initiative, which was launched by President Xi when he came in power. The aim of this initiative is to link Southeast Asia, Africa, the Gulf region, Europe, and Central Asia with land and sea routes.

If China can reach out with its neighbours even with virtual meetings, then why cant India do the same? India should reach out to Nepal and resolve its border issues soon. Else, it will lose Nepal and Nepal will drift towards Chinas influence. The Covid-19 pandemic is engulfing the world and let it not be the reason for India to lose its neighbours.

(The writer is an author and businessman based in Nepal who writes for different local newspapers in Nepal)
(Newser)  The FBI is now at the helm of the case of a missing Kentucky mother of five, and agents on Thursday searched properties linked to her boyfriend, who's named as a suspect in her 2015 disappearance. Nine federal search warrants were executed in Bardstown, south of Louisville, including at the homes of Brooks Houck, his brother, and their mother. Houck is the father of one of Crystal Rogers' children and was living with her when she vanished over Fourth of July weekend. Her mother reported Rogers missing on July 5 after not hearing from her for two days, per USA Today. Rogers' car was then found with a flat tire along the Bluegrass Parkway with her keys, phone, and purse inside. The FBI says she would not have traveled without her kids. Houck's brother, Nick, was a Bardstown police officer at the time but was fired in October 2015 for interfering in the investigation.

story continues below

Brooks Houck was being interviewed by the Nelson County Sheriffs Office days after Rogers' disappearance when his brother called to warn about investigators who "might be trying to trip him up," the Kentucky Standard reported in 2015. Nick Houck also failed a polygraph test, the outlet reported. Rogers' father, Tommy Ballard, was then shot and killed in 2016 while getting ready to go hunting on family property. The Standard in November reported that it's thought the shooter was tucked in a treeline that runs along the property and the Bluegrass Parkway and observed that "from all appearances Tommys killing was a targeted assassination, but police have come short of calling it that specifically." Meanwhile, WAVE reports human remains discovered two weeks ago not far from where Rogers was last seen are being analyzed at the FBI lab in Quantico, Va. (Read more missing woman stories.)
The United States has moved to seize U.S. real estate belonging to a powerful Ukrainian tycoon with links to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The Justice Department's August 6 civil forfeiture complaint targeted commercial properties in Texas and Kentucky belonging to a company controlled by Ihor Kolomoyskiy. It came two days after FBI agents raided offices of Kolomoisky's and his partners in Miami and Cleveland.

The civil complaint accuses Kolomoyskiy and his Ukrainian partner, Hennadiy Boholyubov, of stealing "billions of dollars" from their PrivatBank through bogus loans and laundering it into the United States with the help of two American partners.



The Ukrainian tycoons and the two American partners, Uriel Laber and Morechai Korf, then used the money to acquire U.S. commercial properties as well as U.S. steel and alloy plants.



The men "rarely paid it back," the FBI said in its complaint.



"When the loans came due, other loans were used to pay off the old loans, or, in some cases, they were repaid with income from the investment of the misappropriated funds," the FBI said.

In a written comment to RFE/RL, Kolomoyskiy, whose media company informally backed Zelenskiy's successful 2019 presidential bid, denied the allegations.

"All investments in the United States were made from own funds received in 2007-2008 from the deal with Evraz and from the income from other businesses, held at PrivatBank. All other [allegations] are categorically rejected," he said.



The Ukrainian government nationalized PrivatBank in December 2016 after regulators discovered a $5.5 billion hole they said was caused by the tycoons directing their bank to issue loans to companies they controlled.



The FBI on August 4 raided the headquarters of their U.S. business partners in Miami as well as an office of theirs in Cleveland, where they own three commercial properties. A spokesperson for the two men declined to comment on the raids.



Kolomoyskiy, Boholyubov, and their Miami partners jointly owned their U.S. assets via various Delaware-registered companies under the Optima umbrella name, including Optima Ventures, their real estate holding company.



The FBI is seeking to seize the former CompuCom headquarters in Dallas, claiming the men "misappropriated" $15 million from PrivatBank to help purchase the property.



Optima Ventures agreed to buy the building in 2010 for $47.4 million, taking out a $32.2 million mortgage in the process.



Optima Ventures paid down the mortgage last year but did not pay the property's taxes that were due by July, a possible sign the company suspected the FBI would attempt to seize it.



Kolomoyskiy, a billionaire who owns metals and energy assets, is considered to be one of the most influential tycoons in Ukraine.



He fled Ukraine in 2017 amid concerns over prosecution and a falling out with then-President Petro Poroshenko.



However, he returned to the country from self-imposed exile in Israel a month after Zelenskiy defeated Poroshenko in April 2019 in a landslide.



Western officials and institutions have expressed concerns over Kolomoyskiy's proximity to the president and his attempts to recover PrivatBank.
NA / EOG Resources

EOG Resources says it will improve efficiency to allow it to produce oil at lower prices after it lost more than $900 million dollars in the second quarter.

The Houston independent on Friday said it lost $909 million during the quarter, during which the industry sought to overcome the economic effects of the coronavirus. EOG made $848 million in the second quarter of 2019. Revenue declined more than 80 percent to $1.1 billion from $4.7 billion in the same period a year earlier.
BEIJING -- China is soliciting ideas for payloads aboard its proposed missions to the moon, an asteroid and a comet, according to the China National Space Administration.

It is asking for primary, middle school and university students across the country to provide ideas for payloads that would fly aboard the Chang'e 7 probe to the moon, and on another spacecraft to the asteroid 2016HO3 and the comet 133P.

The solicitation aims to arouse students' interest in science and inspire them to explore the universe, said the administration.

The space administration, together with six organizations including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, issued a notice about the solicitation in late July.

The solicitation remains open until Oct 31. Students from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are also welcome to offer ideas.

Winners will be awarded with prize money and invited to witness on-site spacecraft launches, according to the notice.

In 2019, administration officials announced the Chang'e 7 mission plan, which will carry out surveys around the South Pole of the moon, including studying terrain and landform, physical composition, as well as the space environment in the region.

The asteroid mission was also unveiled last year. According to previous reports, China will send a probe to fly around the asteroid 2016HO3 and then land on it to collect samples. The probe will then fly back to the proximity of Earth, and release a capsule to return the samples. After that, the probe will continue its journey. With the assistance of the gravity of Earth and Mars, it will finally arrive at the main asteroid belt and orbit comet 133P.
It is annoying to have to insist on something that is already widely known, but the Spanish administration has recently released two sets of very meaningful data and they leave me no choice. On 27 July Spains official statistics service (INE) published the regional accounting figures for 2019, which provide the GDP per capita by region. It is the same ranking as in recent years, with Madrid taking the top spot: its GDP per capita is 36 per cent higher than the Spanish average. The Basque Country is the runner-up, with 30 per cent, followed by Navarre (24 per cent), Catalonia (18 per cent), Aragon (10 per cent), plus the Balearic Islands and La Rioja, both at 6 per cent. Extremadura is the poorest Spanish region with a GDP per capita that is 26 per cent below the national average. As has been happening for too many years, the INE has not released any data about prices per region, so it is impossible to express those figures in terms of purchasing power parity. By the Catalan governments own estimate, Madrids lead would drop to 16 per cent, whereas Extremaduras disadvantage would only be 11 per cent. This means that the actual differences might be much smaller. It would be extremely useful to have the INEs official figures.

The second novelty, which came on 30 July, is the payment of the 2018 regional allowance. Once we know all the data that have a bearing on the amount which every region is entitled to, Spains central government makes the transfer. This information has revealed that in 2018 Catalonia dropped from the third to the tenth place out of the fifteen Spanish regions who share the same funding system [Navarre and the Basque Country have their own, rather advantageous system]. If we adjust the figures in terms of purchasing power parity, then Catalonia drops down to the penultimate slot. Besides Catalonia, only two other regions are net contributors: Madrid, which drops from the top slot down to the eleventh place in terms of the payout received and all the way to the bottom of the list once you adjust that by purchasing power and the Balearic Islands, which is the second largest contributor, but ranks ninth on the amount received and eleventh by purchasing power.

This funding model shouldnt be confused with the fiscal balance. The funding model combines revenue that pertains to the regional government and, therefore, does not feature in the national budget with revenue provided by the State which aims to narrow the gap between regions. It is a known fact that this compensation is applied several times and so you end up with an overcompensated system where the drive to lessen the differences results in an excessive alteration of the public funds that are paid to the regional governments. These compensation funds, coupled with other central administration and Social Security expenses are worked into the fiscal balance between the regions and the State.

Unfortunately, we do not have any fiscal balance data per region. Former Spanish Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro brought in a light version of it, but figures were only ever disclosed for four years and the most recent date back to 2014. When we compare the 2014 figures against the 2018 funding model, we notice that six regions are worse off, whereas nine are better off. Two regions, the Basque Country and Navarre, contribute to the States coffers more than they receive. However, they have a finance system of their own and collect all tax revenues [which is extremely beneficial to them]. The six regions whose fiscal balance is worse are the following, ranked from the worst off to the least worse off: Madrid, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, La Rioja, Valencia and Murcia. These regions are rendered poorer by the actions of the State and, in the case of Madrid, Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, they end up being even poorer than the funding model leaves them.

What bearing do all these public actions have on the welfare of citizens? That is the question that truly matters to us. Luckily we have a very valuable data set that is worked out for every European region: the 2016 social progress index (SPI). It is a pity that it hasnt been updated, but it least it provides a ballpark figure. The SPI shows that the three wealthiest Spanish region by GDP in 2019, according to INE figures, are also the top three on the index: Madrid, the Basque Country and Navarre, in that order. That seems normal. In contrast, the fourth wealthiest region, Catalonia, drops down to the twelfth slot on the SPI. That is not normal. The Balearic Islands, which ranked sixth on GDP per capita is the sixteenth region on the SPI. Catalonia and the Balearics are the two regions that present the greatest negative variation between GDP per capita and SPI.

Another year has gone by and the fiscal abuse on Catalonia and the Balearic Islands persists. Whats truly shocking is that a sizeable segment of their population wont use the ballot to correct the situation. But thats a different kettle of fish.
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah is clinically stable and responding to Covid-19 treatment: Hospital

Russia to register first Covid-19 vaccine on August 12

Beijing has first new local virus case in week

Covid-19 tally in Mumbai's Dharavi slum rises by seven to 2,604

1,063 new cases of Covid-19, 381 recovered cases and 23 deaths reported in Punjab in the last 24 hours

With 1,074 new cases, coronavirus tally rises to 68,885 in Gujarat

US pandemic worse than Mexico, says Prez Lopez Obrador says after travel warning

Reuters

As the health authorities across the world rallied to develop a vaccine for raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the global tally surpassed 19 million mark on Friday.

While US, Brazil and India remained the top countries to account for the majority of cases, China meanwhile reported its first new case of locally transmitted Covid-19 in a week.

Click here for full Covid-19 coverage

In India, the daily caseload continued to remain above 50,000. In view of Covid-19, the union ministry of health and family welfare on Thursday informed that the country has substantively ramped up its testing infrastructure from one lab in January 2020 to 1,370 labs as of now.

Follow all the live updates here:
Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

The US economy added 1.8m jobs in July after a record gain in June, as signals mounted that a resurgence of coronavirus cases in some states is weighing on the labor market recovery.

Related: Coronavirus US: death toll tops 160,000 as relief package impasse continues  live updates

The unemployment rate fell to 10.2% from 11.1%.

The unemployment rate has now fallen for three months in a row, but it remains above the 10% peak of the Great Recession and is three times the 3.5% rate from February, before the spread of the pandemic in the US. Julys jobs increase was less than the 4.8m jobs added in June and 2.7m added in May.

The largest gains were in leisure and hospitality, which increased by 592,000 as coronavirus restrictions were lifted. Employment in food services and drinking places rose by 502,000. Despite the gains over the last three months, employment in food services and drinking places is down by 2.6m since February.

William Rodgers, former chief economist at the US Department of Labor, said the jobs market would not fully recover until the virus was under control.

We may have plateaued, said Rodgers, professor of public policy and chief economist at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University. The spigot was turned on, we got some job growth back, but because we have 35 states with [coronavirus] positivity rates above 10%, the next spurt of growth will come when we get these rates down and keep the rates down in the other states.

On Thursday, the labor department said another 1.2 million people had filed for unemployment benefits. The figure was the lowest since March, but came amid signs that temporary layoffs are becoming permanent. The total number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose to 31.8 million in the week ending 18 July, up from 30.8 million the week before.

When the virus struck, Congress implemented a $600-a-week supplement to unemployment benefits to help people frozen out of the workplace by the virus. That benefit expires at the end of July, and Washington is deadlocked over a replacement as Republicans argue the extra money has acted as a disincentive for people to return to work.

Story continues

Karen L, who did not wish to give her last name, was furloughed by American Airlines in April. The resident of Miami has been struggling to get her unemployment checks ever since. Florida and other states have been overwhelmed by the number of claims.

They owe me 15 weeks, she said. I just keep calling but its a futile effort. Every day, three or four hours, sending emails. I am losing hope.

Her partner, who also lost his job, was receiving the extra $600 but is now qualified for just $125 a week. His payments have stopped and the couple have no idea why. We have maxed out our credit cards, she said. I had to tell my landlord we couldnt pay the rent.

Rodgers said inaction from Congress was causing unnecessary strain and stress and that the money was needed for as long as the pandemic continued. His research shows that the states with higher coronavirus rates have the highest unemployment claims. I would be more sympathetic to the Republican view if we had stronger job creation, he said.

Without more aid to states and local government, a new wave of layoffs is likely for federal employees. Those losses would disproportionately affect women and people of color who have already been hit hardest by the recession, said Rodgers. The public sector is where many women and minorities got their toehold in the middle class. If these jobs arent supported, we will see an expansion in gender and racial income inequality.

Karen, originally from the Dominican Republic, and her boyfriend, originally from Columbia, have discussed leaving the country. We dont want to, she said. Its just disgraceful. The system is so broken. This shouldnt happen in the United States.
President Donald Trump signed and issued an executive order that bans the Chinese app TikTok in the country within 45 days.

The Chinese-owned social media application TikTok is now banned in the United States within 45 days. The report came after Pres. Trump signed and issued the executive order on Thursday night. Trump believed that social media application poses a threat to the country's national security.

It can be remembered in the previous report of Latin Post last that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the country is looking to ban TikTok and other Chinese applications. The United States is now the second country in the world to ban TikTok from following India.

U.S. politicians have long been criticized TikTok which is owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance. Many of the politicians that the social media app is a threat to the country's national security and that it is gathering data or personal information and shared it with the Chinese government.

However, TikTok spokesperson defended their company and claimed that they have never provided any information to the Chinese government nor will give any if they will be asked to do so. The spokesperson also added that there is no way that the app can compromise the country's national security.

The executive order stated, "TikTok automatically gathers vast swaths of information from its users, including internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search history," It is also written in the order that the app can potentially track the location of federal employees.

The executive order issued by Pres. Donald Trump is putting pressure on the China-based company to sell its platform. It was also rumored that Microsoft is the potential and leading company t buy the application.

Pres. Trump partially banned also WeChat, another Chinese owned social media platform that facilitates messaging, social media platform, and payment transactions.

The Chinese-owned social media application TikTok is now banned in the United States within 45 days. Trump believed that social media application poses a threat to the country's national security.

In the previous report of Latin Post, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the country is looking to ban TikTok and other Chinese applications. The United States is now the second country in the world to ban TikTok from following India.

U.S. politicians have long been criticized TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based startup ByteDance. Many politicians argue that the social media app is a threat to the country's national security and that it is gathering data or personal information and sharing it with the Chinese government.

However, TikTok spokesperson defended their company and claimed that they have never provided any information to the Chinese government or will not give any if they are asked to do so. The spokesperson added that there is no way that the app can compromise the country's national security.

The executive order stated, "TikTok automatically gathers vast swaths of information from its users, including internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search history." It is also written in the order that the app can potentially track the location of federal employees.

The executive order issued by President Donald Trump is putting pressure on the China-based company to sell its platform. Rumors have it that Microsoft is the potential and leading company to buy the application.

Pres. Trump partially banned also WeChat; another Chinese owned social media platform that facilitates messaging, social media platform, and payment transactions.

Check this out!
Ksenija Lukich suffered an unfortunate face mask fail on Friday.

The former E! Australia host explained to fans in an Instagram Story post how a creative idea led to her eyes watering.

A clip captioned 'did not think that through' saw the 30-year-old revealing how she tried to make her face mask 'smell good' by adding essential oils and peppermint.

'Did not think that through!' TV host Ksenija Lukich (pictured), 30, revealed her epic face mask fail that left her eyes WATERING in an Instagram Story post on Friday

Ksenija cut a casual chic figure in a khaki puffer jacket as she recalled her face mask fail with her followers.

Her brunette tresses were blow-dried straight, and her makeup was fresh and pared-back, allowing her natural beauty to shine through.

Pulling down her black cotton face mask, the journalist told her fans: 'So I thought I would add some essential oils to my mask to make it smell good... and peppermint.

Getting creative: The journalist explained to her fans how she tried to make her face mask 'smell good' by adding essential oils and peppermint

Watery eyes: 'Which was a terrible idea because now my eyes are watering,' Ksenija said in the clip. Pictured on another occasion

'Which was a terrible idea because now my eyes are watering.'

Ksenija is a household name thanks to her five-year hosting role with E! Australia.

The network announced her resignation in a statement to The Daily Telegraph in December last year.

Stepping down: Ksenija announced her resignation as host of E! Australia after five years, in a statement made to The Daily Telegraph in December last year

Into the future: The spokeswoman said she was considering 'various opportunities'. Pictured interviewing Timothee Chalamet

'Ksenija has decided that after five years with E! Australia, she will step down from her hosting duties with the channel,' a spokeswoman told the newspaper.

'Over the past five incredible years with E!, Ksenija has loved every second and has interviewed some of the world's biggest stars.

'Forever, Ksenija will be indebted to NBC for the opportunities she's been given.'
While she's clearly moved on, Charlotte Best was once in a relationship with MasterChef's Andy Allen.

The 26-year-old former Home and Away actress dated the reality TV judge from 2013 until 2016.

But on Wednesday, Charlotte was spotted getting cosy with a mystery male companion in Sydney's Bondi.

Up close and personal: Charlotte Best was spotted getting cosy with a mystery male companion in Sydney's Bondi on Wednesday

After picking up takeaway coffees from a nearby cafe, the pair climbed onto the roof of their parked car and sat overlooking Bondi Beach.

While it's not known who the man is or what the nature of their relationship is, they appeared extremely friendly during their outing.

Sitting alongside each other on the roof of the car, they pressed their heads together as they watched the waves roll in.

Ex factor: While she's clearly moved on, Charlotte was once in a relationship with MasterChef's Andy Allen (pictured)

View from the top: After picking up takeaway coffees from a nearby cafe, the pair climbed onto the roof of their parked car and sat overlooking Bondi Beach

How romantic: Sitting alongside each other on the roof of the car, they pressed their heads together as they watched the waves roll in

Shielding her eyes from the sun, Charlotte smiled as she chatted intimately with her male friend.

The pair seemed enchanted with each other as they made the most of the winter sunshine.

Taking a sip from her coffee cup, Charlotte peered around the beachside suburb.

Very good friends: While it's not known who the man is or what the nature of their relationship is, they appeared extremely friendly on their outing

Having a look around: Taking a sip from her coffee cup, Charlotte peered around the beachside suburb

Way back when: Speaking to ELLE Australia in 2015, Charlotte and ex Andy revealed they had been introduced through a mutual friend, who had worked as a crew member on both Home and Away and MasterChef

Eventually, they slid off the roof and stood talking next to their open car door.

Charlotte stretched her arms as her companion wrapped his arms around her back in an embrace.

The Tidelands actress then held his arms as she gazed at him, with her friend moving his hands down to her hips.

Time to get down: Eventually, they slid off the roof and stood talking next to their open car door

All tied up: Her long brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail with just her fringe and a few face-framing layers worn loose

Stretching it out: Charlotte's friend stood staring at her as she stretched her arms alongside their car

She was dressed casually, stepping out in a pair of high-waisted blue jeans.

Charlotte also wore a black motif T-shirt tucked into her jeans, and had a black knit jumper on hand for warmth.

Her long brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail with just her fringe and a few face-framing layers worn loose.

Got her back: Charlotte stretched her arms as her companion wrapped his arms around her back in an embrace

Blue jean baby: She was dressed casually for the outing, stepping out in a pair of high-waisted blue jeans

Charlotte's forgotten romance with Andy, 32, was revealed in a recently unearthed interview they gave to ELLE Australia in October 2015.

Speaking to the publication, the then-couple revealed they had been introduced through a mutual friend, who had worked as a crew member on both Home and Away and MasterChef.

'It was the first time either of us had been on a proper date so we were a bit awkward at first but then we actually ran into my best mates at Barrio Chino [a Sydney restaurant],' recounted Andy of their first date.

Ex appeal: Charlotte's forgotten romance with Andy, 32, was revealed in a recently unearthed interview they gave to ELLE Australia in October 2015

'They crashed the date and then we relaxed a bit more. We got along really well and were pretty much inseparable that summer.'

Meanwhile, Andy is now engaged to partner Alex Davey, revealing in May that he'd proposed during a romantic holiday to New Zealand earlier in the year.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Charlotte for comment.
Smoke rises from a burned area in the Xingu Indigenous Park, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, in the Amazon basin, on August 6, 2020

Brazil on Friday hailed figures showing a reduction in July of deforestation that has spooked international investors, though environmentalists warned it was too early to proclaim success.

Official data showed a swath of Brazil's Amazon rainforest about the size of London -- more than 1,600 square kilometers (620 square miles) -- was cleared in July, down from the 2,250 km2 lost in July 2019.

That shows government efforts have achieved an "inversion of the trend," said Vice President Hamilton Mourao, who heads Brazil's National Amazon Council.

An analysis of longer-term figures for the world's largest rainforest is more worrying, however.

The 4,730 km2 of deforestation in the Amazon from January 1 to July 31 was slightly above the 4,700 km2 from the same period in 2019, the country's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said.

The difference is much greater when examining 12-month figures: The 9,200 km2 lost from August 2019 to July 2020 was sharply higher than the 6,800 km2 cleared in the previous 12 months.

The administration of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro is under pressure to stop Amazon deforestation and forest fires, after international investment funds that collectively administer close to $4 trillion in assets wrote an open letter to the leader in June, urging the end of projects that accelerate the area's destruction.

Bolsonaro's policies have opened up protected and indigenous areas to mining and farming, but the investors' call has been taken seriously by a government that needs capital to reignite an economy ravaged by the coronavirus.

Mourao last month committed to cutting deforestation and forest fires "to an acceptable minimum."

Environmentalists, however, were not optimistic about the latest numbers.

"We cannot celebrate that we haven't surpassed the 2019 record. That's positive, but it's important to understand that 1,600 km2 is a lot," Ane Alencar, science director at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, told AFP.

Story continues

"The fires usually start in June, accelerate in August and peak in September."

The NGO Climate Observatory blamed policies under Bolsonaro, a climate change skeptic.

"This isn't ineptitude, it's planned," the group said.

- Fires on the rise -

Alencar warned that clearing so much land will inevitably lead to another alarming season of forest fires.

Last year, the number of fires in the Amazon put Bolsonaro's government at loggerheads with the international community, which demanded enhanced protection for the rainforest.

Satellite data show the number of forest fires in the Amazon were up last month by 28 percent on July last year.

"Whoever cuts down trees wants to get a return on their investment, and so they burn the cut-down vegetation to clear the land... so stopping fires is the exact way to start in controlling deforestation," Alencar said.

mel-js/jh/acb/mdl
A helicopter puts out a fire at the scene of an explosion at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. (Getty Images)

I dont know how Im still here.

On Tuesday, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate  a common fertilizer that's also highly explosive (it's Islamic State's chemical of choice)  blew up in Beiruts port. The blast, which ranks as one of the world's largest non-nuclear detonations, registered as a magnitude 3.3 earthquake and could be felt as far away as Cyprus.

I was less than 500 yards away, so really, I mean it literally: I dont know how Im still here.

Nabih Bulos, the Los Angeles Times' Middle East correspondent, was injured in the Beirut explosion. (Nabih Bulos / Los Angeles Times)

I remember doing mundane stuff before the chain of events that led to the explosion: postponing a restaurant reservation, sketching out a story brewing in my mind, making plans for the weekend with my fiancee. Then I heard a roar, a rumbling crescendo that had my neighbors running out to the street, convinced that the long-expected Israeli attack on Lebanon had finally come.

I went outside onto my apartment's balcony, scanning the sky for jets before glimpsing fires eating away at the port. I tweeted a video of the rising plume of smoke, scrambled down the stairs and fired up my motorcycle, heading toward the port to take a closer look.

Then ... my memory goes dark. The next thing I can recall is the hell of coming to, after who-knows-how-many minutes of unconsciousness. My right eye was swelling shut, but I could register some people running, others screaming, still others lying bloodied and motionless on the ground. There was a carpet of glass, along with the crumpled husks of cars haphazardly strewn all over the road. The sky had turned a smoky sepia color, like an old-fashioned photograph.

The rest comes in disjointed flashes. I recall someone talking to me as they wrapped a bandage around my head, while I obsessed over finding my phones. When I did, I called my fiancee, who says she had to give me step-by-step instructions, as if to a child, on how to activate the location tracker so that she could come get me.

She arrived to find me with a trio of medics and another journalist. Apparently, we had a 10-minute screaming match about what to do with my motorcycle; I refused to abandon it, as good a sign as any that neither my stubbornness nor my irrational love for motorbikes was affected by the blast. Over and over, I kept asking if she was OK and telling her I had no idea how I got to where I was. Days later, I still dont know. It's a blank, like the words of a song you know you ought to remember but just cant.

Story continues

I've since been playing Sherlock Holmes with my own life, trying to piece together what I did in the minutes before and the two hours after the blast. Ive pored over pictures on my phone I don't recall taking, discussed what was said with friends I don't remember seeing. To an editor in London, I sent a slightly garbled message I don't remember composing:

I were a video



I tweeted a video



I dont remember c

My motorcycle helmet  whats left of it  offers some clues to what happened, as do the marks and slashes on my arms. It seems clear that the helmet saved my life, and that my arms were cut up either from my fall off the bike or because I'd raised them for some reason at the moment of the blast, which bombarded them with high-speed debris, like shrapnel.

But none of this is conclusive. It probably never will be. Tantalizingly, theres a video on my phone that wont open from the time of the explosion. I keep hoping Ill find a technical wizard to salvage it.

Nevertheless, a picture emerges of two things. One is that I was extremely lucky. The other  and this is a surprise for a card-carrying misanthrope like myself  is that people can be incredibly, almost irrationally kind in times of crisis.

One friend offered his car. Another drove my fiancee and me more than an hour outside Beirut to find a hospital that wasnt inundated with casualties. A friend of my brothers  whom I had never laid eyes on before  arranged for his neurosurgeon buddy to set up a CT scan appointment and eye examination, and chauffeured me from hospital to hotel to clinic. Everyone helped  no hesitation, no questions asked.

That generosity seems everywhere. In my neighborhood, roving bands of broomstick-toting volunteers walk around battered streets and apartments, sweeping away blood-soaked glass shards, pulverized furniture and the other detritus of lives shattered. Others grab tools, salvaging what materials they can to board up entrances and restore some semblance of normalcy for shell-shocked residents. Dozens of charitable groups and mutual aid organizations have reoriented themselves to dealing with the tragedy. All this is done in the almost complete absence of the state, whose carelessness appears to have caused the cataclysm in the first place.

For me, every time I see my fiancee and my friends, something grabs my throat. It often passes, but at times I cant shake it, and I have to run to a secluded spot before the tears come out. I keep looking at a map showing my position relative to the blast, and the calculation of what combined to keep me alive, my fiancee relatively unhurt and the most important elements of my life intact never seems to add up.

A wounded woman receives help outside a hospital after the explosion that shook Beirut. (Ibrahim Amro / Getty Images)

Meanwhile, so much of the city is in mourning. So far, almost 150 people have been killed and 5,000 wounded. Many are still missing. Hundreds of thousands are homeless.

Tragedies in Lebanon often dissolve into time-worn cliches: the supposed joie de vivre of the Lebanese people in the face of hardships; the notion of Beirut rebuilding itself after devastating bouts of conflict; the ad nauseam repetition of the word resilience.

This time, though, its less joie de vivre than fury. Predictably, there have been rumors, nurtured by doctored videos or the vehement assertions of supposed experts or eyewitnesses, claiming that the explosion was actually an attack. But the evidence points to it being little more than quotidian negligence, with bureaucrats seemingly unconcerned about thousands of tons of explosives stored beside a cache of fireworks for years on the citys waterfront.

That negligence has pushed enraged people into the streets. On Thursday night, they resumed the anti-government protests that had started last fall over Lebanon's collapsing economy but had largely stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities speak of accountability and investigations, but few Lebanese have faith in the current system; the blast blew away what little shreds of confidence remained. Many say the status quo cannot continue.

That same night I returned to my apartment for the first time. As a correspondent, Ive had the terrible privilege of reporting from war zones such as Iraq and Syria, where in Mosul, in Aleppo, in Homs, I've walked through the remains of people's homes. Now the half-ruined dwelling was my own.

I used my shoulder to nudge open the bedroom door, which had jumped out of its frame. I picked pieces from a Lego collector's set I own out from among tiny, razor-sharp pebbles of glass. I took stock of what could be salvaged and what  like so much in Beirut, my home for the last 11 years  needs to change. Many others face a similar but far more dire situation. The scale of the work seems immense.

But its one step at a time. For me, that means one thing for now: Im getting a new helmet.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you own and ride an American motorcycle? This is your chance to receive $1,000 for going on a socially distanced motorcycle ride.

ChopperExchange , the largest online marketplace for American motorcycles, is offering motorcycle riders a chance to get paid while riding their motorcycle here in the United States.

Social media post on the ChopperExchange Facebook page announcing the Dream Gig contest.

The company  which helps motorcycle enthusiasts and dealers buy and sell American motorcycles online  wants to pay someone $1,000 to go on a socially distanced ride and allow the company to share their riding story online.

"The motorcycle community, like most Americans and others around the world, has been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis," explains the company's co-president, Jacob Braun. "We thought that this would be a great way to encourage riders to have some safe fun and bring joy to the riding community."

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, many Americans are cooped up at home and looking for safe, outdoor activities. Motorcycle riding is one way to get out, practice social distancing and still have fun. As a result, dealers across the country are reporting an increase in first-time riders coming in to buy a motorcycle.

One lucky rider will be chosen on August 31st. After their dream ride, they will submit a 60-second video describing the experience.

Even if you don't land the dream gig, the story will be featured on ChopperExchange and the company's social media. Everyone, including the company's 700,000 social media fans, will have the opportunity to join the adventure vicariously.

To apply, you must be at least 21 years old, licensed to ride a motorcycle and own an American brand of motorcycle.

See the complete rules and apply here.

Contact: Mirela Setkic

(800) 523-7274

[email protected]

SOURCE ChopperExchange
CHICAGO, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Location Analytics Market by Component (Solutions and Services), Location Type (Indoor Location and Outdoor Location), Application (Remote Monitoring, Risk Management), Vertical (Retail, Government and Defense), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Location Analytics Market size is expected to grow from USD 13.8 billion in 2020 to USD 26.7 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.1% during the forecast period. Major factors fueling the market growth are the growing need of predictive analytics for businesses and the increasing use of location-based applications.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Location Analytics Market"

297  Tables

56  Figures

313  Pages

Request for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=177193456

The geocoding and reverse geocoding segment to hold a larger market size during the forecast period

The Location Analytics Market is segmented into geocoding and reverse geocoding, data integration and ETL, reporting and visualization, thematic mapping and spatial analysis, and others (DBMS and sociodemographic data) by solutions. The geocoding and reverse geocoding segment is expected to have a larger market size during the forecast period, owing to the need to perform risk assessments using exact location information for making accurate analysis during natural calamities, such as earthquakes and floods. However, the data integration and ETL segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. ETL helps in extracting geographic data from any source system, transforming it into a format based on users' needs and loading it in target systems.

By application, sales and marketing optimization segment to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The Location Analytics Market by application has been segmented into risk management, emergency response management, customer experience management, remote monitoring, supply chain planning and optimization, sales and marketing optimization, location selection and optimization, and others (predictive asset management and inventory management). The need to boost sales by performing various marketing campaigns and advertisements based on locations is leading to the adoption of sales and marketing optimization application.

Speak to Research Expert: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=177193456

North America to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

In North America, the US and Canada are the two major contributors to the overall Location Analytics Market growth. In the US, the government and defense, and telecommunication and IT verticals are expected to majorly contribute to the market growth. The growth in North America is attributed to the rising technological advancements, increasing industry standards for location-based technologies, and growing financial support from the governments.

Major vendors in the global Location Analytics Market are Google (US), Esri (US), Precisely (US), SAP (Germany), IBM (US), SAS Institute (US), Oracle (US), Microsoft (US), Cisco Systems (US), TomTom (Netherlands), Hexagon (Sweden), Zebra Technologies (US), GaliGeo (France), Purple (UK), Here technologies (US), Geomoby (Western Australia), Alteryx (US), CleverMaps (Czech Republic), IndoorAtlas (Finland), Lepton Software (India), Quuppa (Finland), CARTO (US), Tibco software (US), SparkGeo (Canada), PlaceIQ (US), Ascent Cloud (US), FourSquare (US), MapLarge (Georgia), Hardcastle GIS (US), GapMaps (Australia), Mapidea (Portugal), MOCA (Spain), Geoblink (Spain), Orbica (New Zealand), Quadrant (Singapore), Locale.ai (India), Placense (Israel), and Spatial.ai (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Analytics Market Research Reports & Consulting

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Cloud Infrastructure Services Market by Service Type (Storage as a Service, Compute as a Service, Disaster Recovery and Backup as a Service), Deployment Model, Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2024

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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Sydney, Australia  Fri, August 7, 2020 08:00 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c32811 2 World chemical-plant,Australia,Lebanon,Beirut,blast,explosion Free

Some Australian residents of the city of Newcastle, 163 km (101 miles) north of Sydney, have called for a large ammonium nitrate plant, stockpiling up to four times the amount reportedly detonated in Lebanon, to be relocated.

Lebanese authorities have blamed a huge stockpile of the highly explosive material stored for years in unsafe conditions at Beirut's port for Tuesday's explosion, which killed at least 145 people and injured more than 5,000.

It is estimated about 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate were involved in the explosion.

By comparison, Australia's Orica stores between 6,000 to 12,000 tons of ammonium nitrate (AN), on average, at its Kooragang Island plant in the port of Newcastle, the company said in a statement.

The stockpile has led resident groups to campaign for the plant to be relocated, according to several local media reports.

"It's a totally inappropriate place to have such a dangerous material produced and stored, and it's something we've been complaining about for many, many years," chemical engineer and community campaigner Keith Craig told the Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC).

He is one of 300 residents in the Stockton Community Action Group campaigning for the Orica plant to be relocated, or its stockpiles to be significantly reduced, the ABC reported.

In a statement, Orica said it followed all international standards and local regulations to ensure safety at every stage of the manufacturing supply chain.

"AN storage areas are fire resistant and built exclusively from non-flammable materials," Orica said.

"...we take a rigorous, best-practice approach towards safety in the production, storage and transport of all our products."

"You have to be extremely negligent with AN for it to explode," it said. It said video footage of the Beirut explosion suggested fireworks had been stored close by. Some reports say a welder started a fire.

"This cannot be compared to the responsible and heavily regulated production, storage and transport of AN by Orica and others in Australia," Orica said.
Hooks surprise departure comes as Washington lobbies the United Nations to extend an arms embargo on Iran.

Top United States envoy for Iran Brian Hook is leaving his post  and Elliott Abrams, the US special representative for Venezuela, will add Iran to his role following a transition period with Hook, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday.

Hooks surprise departure comes at a critical time when Washington has been intensely lobbying at the United Nations to extend an arms embargo on Iran and as the UN Security Council prepares to hold a vote on a US resolution next week.

Were going to continue to make the case for this, Hook told reporters on Thursday morning, hours before his departure was announced. We hope that the council can find a way.

It was not immediately clear when Hooks tenure would formally end and whether he would see through the vote or not.

Pompeo did not give a reason for Hooks decision to leave but wrote in a tweet that Hook was moving on to the private sector. He described him as a trusted adviser and a good friend who has achieved historic results in countering Tehran and secured the release of US citizens detained by Iran.

I thank Special Representative Brian Hook for his 3+ years of service to the State Department and @realDonaldTrump as he moves on to the private sector. He has been a valued member of my leadership team.  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) August 6, 2020

Hook, 52, was appointed to the top Iran role at the State Department in late 2018 and has been instrumental in Washingtons intensifying pressure campaign on Tehran after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.

Opponents criticised Hook and the administration for overly harsh and indiscriminate sanctions, which they said were hurting ordinary Iranians and failing to change the behaviour of the Iranian government.

The US bid at the Security Council to extend the arms embargo is a key test that some diplomats say will likely fail as it lacks the necessary support and as veto powers Russia and China have already signalled opposition.

If the US is unsuccessful in its bid, it has threatened to trigger a return of all UN sanctions under a process known as snapback. Some diplomats have suggested Washington will likely start the snapback process, which could take up to 30 days, by the end of August.

Hooks departure underscores the escalating risks surrounding US-Iran relations in the coming months, Eurasia Group analyst Henry Rome said in an emailed note to clients.

Hook travelled to Europe and the Middle East last month to gin up support for the arms embargo extension, an effort that appears to have failed, Rome said. Its possible he did not want to be wrapped up in the messy snapback process.

United States diplomat Elliott Abrams speaks during a meeting of the UN Security Council called to vote on a US draft resolution calling for free and fair presidential elections in Venezuela, on February 28, 2019 [File: Lucas Jackson/Reuters]

Abrams, 72, a Republican foreign policy veteran, was named US special representative for Venezuela in January 2019 and has led a hard-line approach aimed at ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

US officials have said privately that Trump has been frustrated by the failure to remove Maduro, who retains the support of the Venezuelan military, as well Russia, China, Cuba and Iran.
In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Sims Limited (ASX:SGM) by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Sims

Is Sims fairly valued?

We have to calculate the value of Sims slightly differently to other stocks because it is a metals and mining company. In this approach dividends per share (DPS) are used, as free cash flow is difficult to estimate and often not reported by analysts. This often underestimates the value of a stock, but it can still be good as a comparison to competitors. We use the Gordon Growth Model, which assumes dividend will grow into perpetuity at a rate that can be sustained. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a company's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In this case we used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (2.3%). The expected dividend per share is then discounted to today's value at a cost of equity of 8.8%. Relative to the current share price of AU$8.3, the company appears slightly overvalued at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

Value Per Share = Expected Dividend Per Share / (Discount Rate - Perpetual Growth Rate)

= AU$0.4 / (8.8%  2.3%)

= AU$6.5

dcf

Important assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Sims as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 8.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.080. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Story continues

Looking Ahead:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. What is the reason for the share price exceeding the intrinsic value? For Sims, we've compiled three additional factors you should explore:

Risks: Take risks, for example - Sims has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of. Future Earnings: How does SGM's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
In the 2019 side deal, the United States agreed to lift its tariffs and Canada agreed to lift its retaliatory tariffs. The document said that the United States would have the right to reimpose the duties if imports of Canadian aluminum were to surge meaningfully beyond historic volumes of trade over a period of time. Canada could retaliate only in the affected sector.
Ever since I devoted part of my precious time to follow politics in Ghana, I have never understood or stopped wondering why some people in the NDC behave the way they do and why their actions and criticisms are always characterized by violence, negativity, intimidation, deception, abusive language, disrespect for elders and authority. Sometimes I wonder whether the followers of the party are from a different planet. What beats me is, in their desire to win at all cost or to compensate for Akan votes, they unpatriotically partake in acts such as organizing other nationals of neighbouring countries, particularly Togolese, to vote in our elections. I have been trying to find an appropriate adjective to describe the party and it seems I am at a dead end but the closest that comes to mind is 'CUNNING NDC'. Cunning implies a shrewd, often instinctive skill in concealing or disguising the real purposes of one's actions, not intelligence but a low kind of cunning  (Dictionary.com) and I think the NDC has the propensity toward deceit, slyness and trickery.

The Revolution (PNDC) begat the NDC and since violence is synonymous with revolutions, it is not surprising that NDC indulges in violent activities, threats and intimidation in the course of its political development. Ex-President Rawlings did not hand over democratic governance to Ghanaians on a silver platter  he was compelled to do so by pressure from the international community coupled with political and economic failures at home. On his acquiescence to return the country to democratic rule, he did not hide his misgivings and openly declared that he did not believe in democracy. He mocked Ghanaians and taught them bitter lessons on how to establish democracy through the ballot box in 1992 and 1996 by rigging the elections to enable him enjoy two terms without sweat. Since then, RIGGING has become part and parcel of NDC's strategy to win elections. Ironically, Rawlings formed and named his party the National Democratic Congress.

The party was initially formed with revolutionary cadres and all sorts of characters that had committed various atrocities during the revolutionary era. They found a place of refuge under the NDC and psychologically its flagthe umbrella. For such a party to abandon the culture of violence seems an impossible demand. So when ex-President Mahama says  I want to sound a caution that NDC has a revolutionary root, and when it comes to unleashing violence, no one can beat us to that, he is only stating a known fact. What the NDC however fails to realize is that times have changed and since the NPP and other political parties are not prepared to allow themselves to be intimidated and cheated, violence and rigging are no longer the exclusive preserve of the NDC.

The NDC has virtually opposed many NPP's proposals on the electoral process, developmental projects and social intervention programmes. The negativity of NDC's criticisms does suggest that either the party does not do its homework well or does not want the progress of the country. On assumption of power, the NDC never scrapped any of the programmes they bitterly criticized, but rather exploited them to near extinction. To refresh the memory, the NPP struggled bitterly with the NDC before the black ballot boxes used to rig 1992 elections were changed with funds from the Canadian government. A strong objection ensued again when NPP demanded pictures of voters on voter ID cards. During President Kufour's era, the NDC opposed the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the issuance of national identification card, the introduction of free maternal healthcare, free school feeding programme, the payment of Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and teacher training allowances.

During President Akufo-Addo's regime, the NDC is venting its spleen on the introduction of the national identification card, the Free SHS education, the preparation of new voters' register. They have now turned their attention to politicize Covid-19, giving the impression that they would have done better. As a social democratic party which should have been boasting of many social intervention programmes, the NDC sadly cannot boast of any in its sixteen years of democratic rule. The irony of it all is that when they came to power after President Kufuor, they corrupted most of the programmes, mismanaged and left them virtually bankrupt. The obvious example is the NHIS which was rendered hopeless financially until the present government revived it. The sad part is that the holders of the NHIS cards were allowed by NDC to use the cards to obtain voter registration cards knowing well that not all holders of the cards are Ghanaians. If anybody believes the NDC is the party to develop Ghana, I beg to differ.

From the revolutionary days of 'we no go sit down make them cheat us every day', the respect of our elders and leaders has suffered a monumental damage never to be regained. The story of the 'Montie 3' and the description of these characters as 'babies with sharp teeth' by the leader of the revolution are the admission and admonition of what the revolution has bequeathed to our nation and unless some steps are taken to reverse the trends it can never be wished away. The traditional respect of leaders and elders has been wiped out and many Ghanaian youth and those born after the revolution between the ages of 20 and 40 have been caught in the 'revolutionary virus of disrespect'. The youth of today have no exemplary conduct to emulate and therefore copy the bad habits and consequently the indiscipline continues.

The NDC criticizes hypocritically and always with a hidden motive or agenda. Wikipedia defines hypocrisy as the practice of engaging in the same behaviour or activity for which one criticizes. The party is good at pretending or couching its words in such a way as to convince the ordinary mind to believe what they say. It also has a habit of telling lies repeatedly, making people believe what they are saying is the truth. The recent criticisms of corruption levelled against the NPP are typical example of 'the pot calling the kettle black'. Many Ghanaians know that ex-President Mahama lost the 2016 general election mainly due to the accusation of corruption of himself, his brothers and ministers. There are other corrupt allegations which I referred to in my last article as 'excess baggage' which needs to be explained to Ghanaians before asking for their votes. Unfortunately, he prefers to remain silent because by his own conviction, Ghanaians have a short memory and silence being golden perhapshe may sail through.

When the NDC says that the preparation of a new voters' register will disenfranchise many Ghanaians, what they are really saying is that the names of aliens whose names have been fraudulently engineered into the register will be removed. The presence of the military along our borders which is being interpreted by the NDC as 'intimidation' is in reality the prevention of aliens using unapproved routes to participate in the voter registration exercise. Ex-President Mahama, in his xenophobic remarks, sought to create the impression in the Volta Region that the military presence at the border is meant to divide the people of Volta Region but failed to comment on the presence of the military in other regions. Normally, many of the accusations the NDC level against the NPP are in reality, the very actions they indulge in and when out of power they seem to be haunted by their own mischief.

The adage that 'a leopard cannot change its spots' comes to mind but for the NDC, changing its spots may win some supporters for the party because its continued association with the Revolution and continued insults of elders by 'babies with sharp teeth' has driven a wedge between some Ghanaians and the party. The bitterness and vengeful characteristics of the Revolution are always exhibited by some members of the NDC and this belligerent attitude drives many Ghanaians away from the party. The principles of 'integrity, probity and accountability' which the Revolution sought to establish in our body politic are now a hoax. The question is; for how long will the NDC delude itself that 'integrity, probity and accountability' can be achieved when many of its followers now believe in 'create, loot and share?'

The NDC has become 'Asantrofie anoma' in Ghanaian politics. 'Asantrofie anoma' is a proverbial bird in the Akan language, who goes upstream and muddies the stream and flies downstream and questions who muddied the water. The NDC blames the NPP for every misfortune in Ghana except itself. From 1979-2020 (41years), the NDC has ruled 29 years, including the revolutionary period whilst the NPP has ruled approximately 12 years. If many Ghanaians are corrupt and Ghana has not made much progress in the last forty years, blame the NDC.

Cunning is the art of concealing our own defects, and discovering the weaknesses of others- William Hazlitt

By Brig Gen (Rtd) J. Odei


File Image

A portion of the ceiling of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals chamber at his house in the Civil Lines area collapsed due to heavy rains that lashed the city last week. No one was hurt in the incident.

While repairs on the roof were being done, the roof of the adjacent toilet also collapsed and stone of the wall also started coming out, reported The Times of India.

The CM has been staying at 6 Flagstaff Marg in Delhi's Civil Lines since March 2015. While the building is nearly 80 years old, there is always some repair work going on since he moved in.

A portion of the CMs residence has been converted into his office and the roof that collapsed is that of the personal chamber of the chief minister, said the report quoting a government source.

It was sheer luck that not a single person was present in the chamber, which usually remains abuzz with activity when the mishap occurred, the source said.

After these incidents, the structural safety of the nearly eight decades old building is now being reviewed and assessed by the officials of the Public Works Department (PWD), said the report.

A decision on repairs will be taken after officials submit their assessment report, it said.

The Delhi CM moved into the Civil Lines residence in 2015. Earlier, he was staying at a house in Tilak Lane and waited for his sons examination to get over before moving in, the report stated.

Before Kejriwal, deputy speaker Amrish Singh Gautam was the occupant of the residence and before him, speaker Prem Singh, it added.
NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq. and the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") are investigating the proposed sale of Jernigan Capital, Inc. (NYSE: JCAP) to an affiliate of NexPoint Advisors, L.P. Under the terms of the proposed transaction, shareholders of Jernigan will receive only $17.30 in cash for each share of Jernigan that they own. KSF is seeking to determine whether this consideration and the process that led to it are adequate, or whether the consideration undervalues the Company.

If you believe that this transaction undervalues the Company and/or if you would like to discuss your legal rights regarding the proposed sale, you may, without obligation or cost to you, e-mail or call KSF Managing Partner Lewis S. Kahn ([email protected]) toll free at any time at 855-768-1857, or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-jcap/ to learn more.

To learn more about KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General, visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Related Links

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By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 07, 2020 | 04:54 PM | FRANKFORT

Beshear announced that he plans to release additional guidance for Kentucky's bars and restaurants on Monday.





"Expectations ought to be that capacity will increase again to 50%, but there will be some changes. Especially in restaurants, we need people to still prioritize outdoor seating," said Gov. Beshear yesterday. "Bars and restaurants are both going to be expected to have their last item served at 10 p.m. Then there is going to be an hour to let people eat and drink and ultimately go home."





Regarding the latest COVID-19 numbers, he announced 573 new cases of the virus in the state, bringing the total number of cases to 33,796. He noted that 21 of the new cases were children five and younger.





Beshear also reported four new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths related to the virus up to 764. The deaths include a 62-year-old woman from Graves County.





At least 8,589 Kentuckians have recovered.





"We are in a place right now where this virus is spreading too much," said Gov. Beshear. "Let's beat COVID-19 so we don't lose even more beloved Kentuckians."





As of Friday, Kentucky's positivity rate stands at 5.57 percent.

On Friday, Governor Andy Beshear provided the latest COVID-19 information from across the state.
Flexible screen pioneer Royole Corp. has signed a pre-listing agreement with Citic Securities Co. Ltd. as it eyes a hometown IPO in Shenzhen, suggesting unconfirmed plans for a $1 billion U.S. listing reported earlier this year may have been put on the back burner.

Headquartered in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen and Fremont, California, the display-maker has achieved a number of firsts in the niche market for foldable interfaces since it was founded in 2012, including the launch of what is regarded as the worlds first foldable smartphone.

After closing a $300 million series F funding round in May with a valuation of $6 billion, the company has raised a total of $7 billion from investors that include state-backed Shenzhen Capital Group Co. Ltd., sources told Caixin.

The plan to go public comes as hopes run high that foldable displays will become a coveted next generation item, even in the face of concerns about their hardiness, and despite caution from analysts that the already saturated market will make profits hard won.

A handful of digital highfliers like Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. are competing to whet the appetite of consumers, with possible applications including foldable phones, tablets, televisions and display screens in cars.

Royole debuted its first smartphone prototype, called the FlexPai, in 2018. The debut later drew criticism of the cutting-edge technology, with many consumers reviewing it as more fragile than advertised. Critics accused Royole of rushing the products launch just so it could be the first to put a foldable phone on the market.

The FlexPai employs Royoles second-generation flexible display technology to make the phones middle section, which allows it to be folded into a dual-screen phone. It is priced at 8,999 yuan ($1,295).

The company says it has the capacity to make 50 million screens a year, even though sources told Caixin that Royole only made 2.8 million in 2019. And the market for smartphone screens isnt anywhere close to being large enough to justify that kind of output. Less than 1 million foldable smartphones were shipped last year worldwide, according to Sun Yanbiao, head of the N1mobile Research Institute. Sun pointed out that last year Huawei only shipped 100,000 units of its flagship foldable smartphone, the Mate X.

Analysts are skeptical of Royoles capability to turn a profit with its proprietary technology amid fierce competition. Supplies of the flexible OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays exceeded market demand by 35% in 2019, according to a report issued by consultancy Sigmaintell that year.

Other than its own line of devices, Royole has teamed up with Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. to make flexible smartphones. However, this segment makes up only 0.5% of the global smartphone market, according to statistics analyzed by research firm IDC. Sources said Royole is looking for new clients.

The company is now seeking new applications for its technology to bring in fresh sources of revenue. For example, it is in talks with Airbus Group, the European aerospace giant, to codevelop flexible displays and sensors for the next-generation of aircraft cabins.

Contact editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

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Trongone said the district kept the students in cohorts of 10 and there was no commingling of students or staff while inside the program.

It was very controlled. Meals were put in the classroom, they ate in the classroom, they went outside to their own playground. I dont know how much more controlled you can be, Trongone said.

He said the district also did temperature checks of all students and employees each day, per state rules.

After the first staff member was tested, that classroom was closed, but when the second test came back positive, Trongone said he felt he had no other choice.

I had to close the program down, and we did think long and hard about it because of the implications of September, he said, referencing the impending start of the 2020-21 school year. Before this, it was all abstract and in the theoretical, but when it happens to you, its concrete and its real, and you learn from it.

He said the biggest lesson is that no matter how controlled the school day is, the district cannot control what students and staff do on their own time.
Tata Motors Ltd is quoting at Rs 118.15, up 1.16% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 4.76% in last one year as compared to a 1.46% gain in NIFTY and a 8.19% gain in the Nifty Auto index.

Tata Motors Ltd is up for a third straight session in a row. The stock is quoting at Rs 118.15, up 1.16% on the day as on 12:54 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.05% on the day, quoting at 11194. The Sensex is at 37997.52, down 0.07%. Tata Motors Ltd has added around 12.15% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Auto index of which Tata Motors Ltd is a constituent, has added around 7.26% in last one month and is currently quoting at 7498.25, up 0.98% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 335.01 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 601.11 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark August futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 118.45, up 1.07% on the day. Tata Motors Ltd is down 4.76% in last one year as compared to a 1.46% gain in NIFTY and a 8.19% gain in the Nifty Auto index.

The PE of the stock is 0 based on TTM earnings ending June 20.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump issued two executive orders late Thursday against China-based TikTok and messaging app WeChat, citing national security concerns in a sweeping order that could prevent the companies from doing most business in the United States.

The orders take effect in 45 days and prohibit any U.S. company or person from transacting with ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, or WeChat. While the nature of the banned transactions are not specific, it may mean the companies would not be able to appear on Apple's App Store or Google's Play Store in the United States. It also could make it illegal for U.S. companies to purchase advertising on TikTok.

But the order should not affect a deal if Microsoft or another U.S. firm manages to buy TikTok before the 45 days are up.

The orders signal increasing tensions in U.S.-China relations in the run-up to the November elections. Trump had earlier threatened to ban TikTok from the United States, citing national security concerns and suggesting it would be retaliation for what he sees as China's role in the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Trump and other officials have expressed concern that data collected by TikTok could be shared with the Chinese government. TikTok has continually denied that and says it stores U.S. customer information in the United States. But Trump has continued targeting the company over the past week by threatening to ban it and finally seemingly agreeing to let Microsoft buy it, if a deal closes quickly.

"This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information - potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage," the TikTok order reads.

TikTok said Friday it was shocked by the president's move, adding that it would pursue "all remedies available to us."

"This executive order risks undermining global businesses' trust in the United States' commitment to the rule of law, which has served as a magnet for investment and spurred decades of American economic growth. And it sets a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets," TikTok said in a statement on its website.

Microsoft spokesman Doug Dawson declined to comment. WeChat did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

WeChat is used universally in China for messaging and mobile payments, and widely used for other functions ranging from Web search to taxi hailing. It's one of China's most innovative Internet products to date, with Facebook adopting similar features years later in its Messenger app. But it's also been adopted by Chinese officials as a useful surveillance tool, with growing numbers of people prosecuted for sharing politically sensitive content in chat groups.

It is unclear whether the order would prohibit people from sending messages or making payments using the service. WeChat parent company Tencent also owns a minority stake in the maker of popular video game Fortnite, but it seems the game is not included within the scope of the order, which relates specifically to WeChat.

TikTok has 100 million users in the United States and is especially popular with teenagers and young adults. TikTok fans have been urging followers to find them on other social media sites as they fear a ban.

Trump originally seemed to be leaning last week toward forcing ByteDance to divest its TikTok operations here through a process by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The committee began investigating ByteDances 2017 acquisition of Musical.ly, and could force it to unravel that deal.

But then the president switched course, and told reporters late Friday night that he would ban the app.

"As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that TikTok would be forced to cease U.S. operations by about Sept. 15 if it wasn't sold to a U.S. company. He also said that if a sale goes through, part of the proceeds should go to U.S. taxpayers.

"A very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the treasury of the United States," Trump said of the potential TikTok sale. "The United States should be reimbursed or paid because without the United States they don't have anything." The president added: "It's a little bit like the landlord-tenant. Without a lease, the tenant has nothing. So they pay what's called key money, or they pay something."

But there is no clear avenue for the government to collect a portion of the sale. The companies would probably have to pay standard fees and future tax revenue, but not a chunk of the sale price.

Microsoft is the leading contender to buy TikTok, in a deal that could remake the landscape of social media among the country's major tech giants. It would give Microsoft a big competitive advantage to take on Facebook and Google's YouTube.

Microsoft confirmed it is in talks to buy TikTok and had also previously identified Sept. 15 as the deadline for talks to conclude. Microsoft said in a blog post on Sunday that its chief executive had spoken to Trump about a potential deal, and the company seemed to working with the White House's approval.

If Microsoft does buy TikTok, it would make sure all U.S. information is kept securely in the United States, it said.

Some experts have said Trump signed the TikTok order mostly to speed ByteDance into a deal to divest its U.S. operations.

"The whole thing strikes me as Trump trying to put pressure on TikTok," said James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I think it's a big pressure campaign to get ByteDance to move in the right direction."

- - -

The Washington Posts Eva Dou in Seoul and Toluse Olorunnipa in Bridgewater, N.J., contributed to this report.
Fauci predicted the world will be able to get the virus under control after next year, and said he was "cautiously optimistic" an effective vaccine will be approved by then. "We are likely going to have maybe tens of millions of doses in the early part of (next) year," Fauci said. "But as we get into 2021, the manufacturers tell us that they will have hundreds of millions and likely a billion doses by the end of 2021. So I think the process is moving along at a pretty favorable pace."

Fauci's interview with Greta Van Susteren was conducted Monday and released Thursday. In a separate interview with Reuters, Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Wednesday the reason the virus will never go away is because of its "highly transmissible" nature. But Fauci said that with "the combination of a good vaccine and attention to public health measures... then I think we can get behind this."

"There will be, I think, enough vaccine if everything turns out to be successful," Dr. Anthony Fauci told VOA, "to get vaccine not only to the countries that are the classical rich countries but those who are low and middle income that would not be able to readily have access to a vaccine. That's what we're hoping to do."

The top infectious disease expert in the United States says the world will never be able to eradicate the novel coronavirus that has infected 18.8 million people globally, but is hopeful that hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine could be available by the end of this year and into early 2021.

 Johnson and Johnson

Fauci's outlook about a new COVID-19 vaccine coincided with an announcement by U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson that it reached a deal with the U.S. government to provide 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine in a deal totaling more than $1 billion. The company is expected to begin late-stage human trials of its experimental vaccine in September, joining three other U.S.-based biotech firms that are also in phase 3 testing -- Novavax, a joint initiative between Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech, and a joint effort between Moderna and NIAI.

 Vaccine Safety

In a related development, The New York Times is reporting that nearly 400 leading public health experts are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct full safety and efficiency reviews of potential COVID-19 vaccines before making them available to the public. The group of experts in infectious diseases, vaccines and other specialties are calling on FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn to be open about the agency's deliberations over whether to approve any new vaccine in order to gain the public's trust.

The signees acknowledged that efforts "between scientists, the pharmaceutical industry and the federal government may bring us to a remarkable and historic achievement." But they warned that "an effective vaccine will only be truly useful if a large proportion of the public is willing to take it."

 COVID Testing

Daily testing for the coronavirus in the United States is falling, even while the death toll rises. The number of tests has dropped nearly 4 percent over the past two weeks, the Associated Press reported. Experts said demand has overburdened laboratories that carry out the highly accurate molecular tests that detect the genetic code of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. These tests can give results in as little as two days.

The experts are calling for a different test that people can do themselves and get results in just minutes, but the scientists say those tests are not as reliable. They include a do-it-yourself test where a patient would spit on a special piece of paper that changes color if the results are positive. But federal regulators say such tests could be highly unreliable.

 Tracing App

Meanwhile, the eastern state of Virginia became the first in the United States to release a new mobile app that will notify users of their possible exposure to the coronavirus. The new "Covidwise" app, unveiled Wednesday by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, utilizes new pandemic technology developed by tech giants Apple and Google. The app relies on Bluetooth signals to detect app users whose smartphones come into proximity with one another.

Northam emphasized that the new Covidwise app does not track users' movements nor store their personal information. Instead, people who receive a warning of possible exposure can seek advice from the health department or their doctor. And if users later test positive, they can use the app to notify other users without sharing that information with government agencies.
Several other defendants were charged and convicted in connection with the scheme, which resulted in $10 million in losses for mortgage lenders and at least $1.3 million in losses for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. However, the cases against Obagi and Salah depended heavily upon the testimony of a particular witness  a witness the prosecution knew was unreliable, according to the Ninth Circuit Court.

During the trial, the government called several cooperating witnesses with significant credibility problems, Circuit Court Judge John B. Owens wrote in the appeals courts ruling. Among those witnesses was escrow officer Jacqueline Burchell, who testified that Obagi had directed her to conceal kickback payments and had overheard conversations about kickbacks between Obagi and Salah.

But Burchell pled guilty in this investigation, participated in a separate mortgage fraud scheme, and perjured herself in a civil deposition, Owens wrote. So to bolster her credibility  as well as that of other cooperating witnesses  the government also presented three Excel witnesses who purportedly never had cut a deal to avoid prosecution.

One of those witnesses was Halime Holly Saad, another Escrow officer. Saads testimony was key to the governments case, with the prosecution later describing it as going right to the heart of what was happening at Excel during all the events set forth in the indictment. And during the closing arguments, the government  in order to blunt the defenses attack on potentially unreliable witnesses like Burchell  heavily emphasized Saads testimony, stressing that she had entered into no agreement or deal with the government in exchange for her testimony.

Unfortunately, one of the prosecutions key tenets during closing  that the jurors could trust the culpable cooperators because they could trust Saad as an independent corroborating witness  was false, Owens wrote. During a break between Obagis and Salahs defense closings, a different prosecutor from the U.S. Attorneys Office who just happened to watch the closing arguments recognized that Saad had in fact received immunity in a separate mortgage fraud investigation and alerted the trial prosecutors to the enormous oversight.
A group of parents held a protest outside the Ryan International School, Bavdhan, on Thursday, and demanded reduction in fees for the current academic year.

As many as 400 students were not allowed to attend online classes from August 4 as they had not paid fees, allege parents.

Mritunjay Kumar, a parent, said, The school has been conducting online classes since the start of the current academic year. On average, the classes are being conducted online for five hours every day from Monday to Friday. The school, however, is collecting entire fee amount including computer lab fee, library fee, the facilities of which the students are not availing.

We are requesting to reduce the fees as many of us parents have lost our jobs, the business has collapsed and the income has been cut to half and in some case, it has simply dried out, he said.

We are not against paying fees but schools should charge for the services that they are providing- like teachers are taking online classes, hence the school should charge for tuition fees only, he said.

We all have been trying to communicate with the school authorities, but there is no response. Our children are missing out on the classes, he said.

A statement issued by the school management read, The Ryan group has adhered to all government directives and is sensitive to the financial concerns faced by the parents due to the current pandemic situation. We have been running the online classes at a lot of expenses in terms of additional infrastructure, training, licenses, bandwidth and equipment. We have been cooperating with and supporting parents from the past several months. All the students who have paid their basic fees till July are continuing to learn every day via our online classes. We are actively looking into all the issues raised by the parents and are working towards some mutually agreeable solutions.
It's Time to Re-Boot American Education  Part I

In a previous column I discussed the effect COVID19 will have on our students in the short term. I argued we need to re-open schools immediately as it will have a major negative affect on the majority of students if we do not do so. However we also need a long term plan of what we are going to change in the curriculum to bring it back to one that teaches American Ideals and Critical Thinking.



In order to accomplish this we must have a multi- pronged plan. This plan must start at the local level. We must elect Board of Education members who support the values I have stated above. Your first response is most likely what good that accomplish as the Curriculum is set by the State. That is mostly true. However Local Boards do have powers that can help effect change. For example, in North Carolina the State dictates the amount of credits and many of the courses you need to get your high School Diploma. Depending on the track a student takes to achieve a High School Diploma in NC, you need either 20 or 21 credits. There is nothing in state law that does not allow a local Board to require an additional course or two to receive that diploma. A Local board can require a course in American Civics or History that teaches the real facts as to how this nation was founded, how it is run and how an imperfect nation strives over the years to correct the wrongs of civilization and improve the lives of its citizens. Another mandated local course could be life skills. Simple things not taught such as developing an individual budget or balancing a checkbook or responsible descent.



Another factor in this reboot is a need for us all to be involved in our student's education. We need to attend Board of Education Meetings and express our concerns. If there were classes where presentations were overly slanted then we need to raise those concerns. There is no issue when both sides to a position are presented and through critical thinking the class members decide who or what they support. However if only one side is presented that must be surfaced and corrected. As parents we have the right to see the curriculum being taught. It is up to us review our children's curriculum and bring inaccuracies to the attention of the Administration and the Board.



Auditing classes is another method to see what is happening in classrooms. We must pressure the Board to make auditing a policy for Parents or Guardians. Procedures would obviously be developed to allow the class audits.



An additional piece to the program is getting more parental involvement. The more parents are involved the more they know what is being taught and can address any issues of slanted presentations. An excellent way to accomplish this would be to initiate the program WATCH D.O.G.S. D.O.G.S. stands for Dads of Great Students. This program trains and screens Dads, grandfathers, and uncles of students to come and spend 1 day at school. They are screened to ensure safety of students and staff at the school. These volunteers walk the halls with walkies if available, and talk to kids in the cafeteria or study hall. They can even audit a class or two. They are briefed and debriefed by school administration and if they see trouble they must report it and not get involved. The cost of the program is under $500.00. That includes the materiel from the national site and the pizza party to introduce the program to the Dads and their students at an after school event. You might add a little to the cost by buying tee shirts identifying them as WATCHD.O.G.S. Though there is only a one day commitment from the parents, it is my experience after a full day at the school everyone volunteers to return and do it as much as possible.



This part of the 3 part series addresses what should be done in the K to 12 environments. The next part will address college issues and the final part discipline across the Board, Stay tuned......


To quote the president in a different context, the crisis over the massive power loss in the wake of Tropical Storm Isaias really will sort of just disappear in days to come.

Power will eventually be restored to the more than 1 million Connecticut customers impacted by Tuesdays storm. What wont disappear so easily are memories of lapses by power companies. While blackouts like this were once more of a novelty, state residents have fresh recollections of the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene in October 2011 and Superstorm Sandy a year later.

Eversource and United Illuminating reportedly invested taxpayer funds in making the grid more resilient since then. But seeing trees, poles and branches snap like toy models on a childs playset is a reminder of our archaic infrastructure.

Lines draped like strings across poles surrounded by aging trees are vulnerable to any significant storm. This one will lead to renewed calls for underground wires.

The only thing more intense than Isaias in Connecticut may be the outcry from municipal leaders. For a change, Democrats and Republicans are on the same page.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, whose city was among the hardest hit with about 17,775 homes and businesses blacked out the day after the storm, complained Wednesday about a dearth of communication from Eversource. By Thursday, Boughton was a live wire on Twitter.

CEO of @EversourceCT makes ... Drum roll please ... $19 million dollars a year. What could he possibly do so well for that kind of money?? Clearly he and his team can't keep the lights on, or plan for a storm, or work to keep rates down.. #absurd, Boughton wrote.

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, meanwhile, threatened to take United Illuminated to court.

Isaias truly may be the perfect storm for the power companies. Its reach was wide, and its timing synchronized with a pandemic of a scope unseen since telephone poles were first installed across the map a century ago. From a public relations perspective, it arrived in the wake of Eversource being mandated by the states Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to suspend planned customer rate hikes.

We have some empathy for the challenges faced by utility companies that are compromised like everyone else by coronavirus protocols. But as we watch homes left without power for days, supermarkets tossing out spoiled food and gas stations running out of fuel, we shudder to contemplate this occurring in icy winter months. As human resiliency is tested in 2020, this is a profound reminder of how fragile we really are.

The undeniable failure of the power companies rests in its abysmal communication skills. Any company  or well-run household for that matter  plans for the future with best-case scenarios, realistic predictions and responses to catastrophe.

People deserve honest answers on how long they will lack power, even if means waiting several days.

This long-term problem of crisis management will not just disappear. The brewing storm should be a bipartisan one demanding change.
(Natural News) The woke Leftist mobs being indoctrinated by the nations public school system and centers of higher education to hate America and all of its institutions claimed another victim last week.

The chief of campus police at West Virginia University was forced to apologize to angry intolerant students after they saw a thin blue line version of the American flag, which honors police officers, hanging inside his home during a Zoom video call.

According to Campus Reform, Chief W.P. Chedester actually said he was sorry for the hurt that his flag may have caused the little melting flakes of Leftist snow.

In a statement he said:

Earlier today I participated in a virtual Campus Conversation with our vice president of diversity, Equity and inclusion. Our goal was to focus on how we can work together to foster a safe, diverse and inclusive culture at WVU.

I participated from my office, and on the wall behind me was an American flag with a blue stripe that I had been given as a gift. For me personally, it has always represented a way to honor the commitment I made as a first responder to protect our community. I understand now that it represents something else to many others; something that I now know was traumatic to some of our community tuning in for our Conversation. I sincerely did not have any intent to suggest that police lives matter more than Black lives nor was I intentionally trying to cause any harm or offense.

I apologize for how this has damaged the trust I have worked to build with the community. I am committed to rebuilding that trust beginning today. I am taking the flag down from my office wall.

He went on to say that the George Floyd incident has made it clear that we have much work to do in our country and in our own communities  though that incident had nothing at all to do with the West Virginia University Campus Police.

It seems rather unbelievable that a police chief would be so hard-up to keep his job that he would bend over for the outrage mob instead of telling the university to pound sand and the little melting flakes of snow to grow up.

Whats more, as in every single similar instance where the Left-wing mob gets insulted, its always the offender who has to apologize, not the offended.

And youll notice, too, that they all use the same inaccurate language: Words like inclusive, diverse, tolerant.

How inclusive is it to exclude someone elses point of view simply because you choose to be offended (and being offended is a choice)?

Where is the diversity of thought in savaging a police officer who obviously likes and respects his profession? Would the same woke diversity champions like it if the police chief trashed college students and professors because they offend him? (Related: Left-wing university president says suppressing diversity of speech promotes intellectual diversity.)

And its anything but tolerant to insist that Chedester apologize and/or be reprimanded for a point of view  no matter what that point of view happens to be.

Finally, lets not forget hes a police officer, not a KKK member or a terrorist.

But in the end, Chedesters disgusting mea culpa wasnt enough. The position of Chief of Police must now be cleansed and made whole again, and for that to happen, well, Chedesters gotta go.

The only way forward is with his resignation. Why is it so difficult to comprehend? one user wrote in response to the chiefs apology.

The only way forward is with his resignation. Why is it so difficult to comprehend?  Vagner Benedito (@vabenedito) June 11, 2020

But thats not even the worst of it. According to Campus Reform, assistant professor in WVUs Department of English Rose Casey actually claimed that the thin blue line flag is associated with white supremacy.

Americans who willingly succumb to this kind of blatant cultural bigotry and intolerance are no longer free. Just saying.

Sources include:

CampusReform.org

WVUToday.wvu.edu

NaturalNews.com
Italian alpine resort on high alert over fear of falling ice from Mont Blanc.

Dozens of people, including tourists, have been evacuated from houses in the Aosta Valley region over fears that a huge portion of a Mont Blanc glacier is at risk of collapse.

The evacuations around the northwestern alpine resort of Courmayeur were prompted after glaciological experts warned that a massive chunk of mountain glacier was in danger of sliding down the mountain.

Roads leading to the Val Ferret valley below have also been closed to traffic and hikers.

The block of ice has become dislodged from the Planpincieux glacier, separated by a 40-metre deep crack, reports Italian newspaper La Stampa.

The chunk of hovering glacier is estimated at 500,000 cubic metres which is around the equivalent size of the Milan Duomo, according to experts, who blame the phenomenon on sudden high temperatures.

Valerio Segor, the Aosta Valley director of natural risk management, said that "any fall would be capable of considerable damage and also travel a long way."

Courmayeur mayor Stefano Miserocchi said the evacuation was "urgent and imperative," telling Italian news agency ANSA that alternative accommodation would be found for local residents but that "tourists will have to find other solutions.

There are 4,000 glaciers across the Mont Blanc massif, the highest mountain range in Europe, which straddles Italy, France and Switzerland.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook speaks during a joint news conference with Bahrain Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, in Manama

By Humeyra Pamuk and Michelle Nichols

(Reuters) - Top U.S. envoy for Iran Brian Hook is leaving his post and Elliott Abrams, the U.S. special representative for Venezuela, will add Iran to his role "following a transition period" with Hook, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday.

Hook's surprise departure comes at a critical time when Washington has been intensely lobbying at the United Nations to extend an arms embargo on Iran and as the U.N. Security Council prepares to hold a vote on the U.S. resolution next week.

"Were going to continue to make the case for this, Hook told reporters on Thursday morning, hours before his departure was announced. We hope that the council can find a way.

It was not immediately clear when Hook's tenure would formally end and whether he would see through the vote or not.

Pompeo did not give a reason for Hook's decision to leave but wrote in a tweet that Hook was moving on to the private sector. He described him as a "trusted adviser and a good friend" who has achieved "historic results" in countering Tehran and secured the release of U.S. citizens detained by Iran.

Hook, 52, was appointed to the top Iran role at the State Department in late 2018 and has been instrumental in Washington's intensifying pressure campaign on Tehran after President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.

Opponents criticized Hook and the administration for overly harsh and indiscriminate sanctions, which they said were hurting ordinary Iranians and failing to change the behavior of the Iranian government.

The U.S. bid at the Security Council to extend the arms embargo is a key test that some diplomats say will likely fail as it lacks the necessary support and veto powers Russia and China have already signaled their opposition.

If the United States is unsuccessful in its bid, it has threatened to trigger a return of all U.N. sanctions under a process known as snapback. Some diplomats have suggested Washington will likely start the snapback process, which could take up to 30 days, by the end of August.

Story continues

Abrams, 72, a Republican foreign policy veteran, was named U.S. special representative for Venezuela in January 2019 and has led a hard-line approach aimed at ousting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

U.S. officials have said privately that Trump has been frustrated by the failure to remove Maduro, who retains the support of the Venezuelan military, as well from Russia, China, Cuba and Iran.

Abrams has recently been dealing with U.S. concerns about a growing alliance between Iran and Venezuela, both OPEC members under heavy U.S. sanctions. Iran in recent months has sent fuel tankers to gasoline-short Venezuela, drawing U.S. ire.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick; writing by Michelle Nichols; editing by Diane Craft, Dan Grebler and Jonathan Oatis)
It's been more than a year since the Trump administration blocked House Democrats' attempt to secure testimony from former White House Counsel Don McGahn, a pivotal figure in the Mueller investigation. At the time, it appeared to be what former U.S. attorney Preet Bharara called a "stalling tactic," and a way for the Trump administration to "run out the clock" to a point where McGahn's testimony didn't matter anymore.

Indeed, President Trump's impeachment trial came and went without a word from McGahn. And even though U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday that the House could enforce its subpoena against McGahn, dissenting judges in the case acknowledged that the House's chances of hearing from McGahn soon are "vanishingly slim."

Barb McQuade, a professor at the University of Michigan's law school, said in a tweet it was clear that Trump still "wins by losing" in this case. The House still has to formally sue McGahn, "causing further delay," McQuade continued. "Trump's bad faith stall game needs to be called out and the rules changed to defeat it," McQuade continued. Harvard University law professor Laurence Tribe echoed McQuade's sentiment, tweeting that McGahn's case was sure to continue past Trump's term. And Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who led the impeachment hearings, called on Congress to make sure McGahn's subpoena stalling never happened again.

Another court victory: Trump's former White House counsel Don McGahn must testify before Congress. But it's been over a year since he was subpoenaedexactly what Trump wanted. We must reform the law to expedite Congressional subpoenas so no president can run out the clock. https://t.co/aeAPewazMZ  Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 7, 2020

More stories from theweek.com

Trump's latest fundraising attempt is reportedly a Facebook scam against his own supporters

Biden campaign reportedly making 'ruthless cuts' to convention speaking list

The case against American truck bloat


Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 13:03:41|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order banning any U.S. transactions with Chinese tech firm ByteDance, owner of popular video-sharing app TikTok, starting in 45 days, a controversial move widely criticized by experts.

The app has been downloaded over 175 million times in the United States and over one billion times globally, according to the executive order, which claims that the app automatically captures "vast swaths of information" from its users, posing risks to U.S. "national security."

A similar executive order has also been issued for WeChat, a messaging and social media app owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent.

At a White House briefing earlier this week, Trump told reporters that he is open to a deal in which Microsoft Corp. or another U.S. company buy TikTok, setting Sept. 15 as the deadline.

During a news briefing while commenting on the issue, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said Tuesday that China firmly opposes the U.S. side's blatant bullying of certain non-U.S. enterprises in violation of market economy rules and the World Trade Organization's principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination.

"It is a blatant act of bullying, to which China firmly opposes. We have noticed that it has also drawn a flurry of criticisms and doubts in the United States and from the international community," Wang added. Enditem
Theres nothing radical about loafers. Next to ballet flats, theyre about as innocuous a shoe as could exist. But there is something quietly subversive about practical shoes. Historically, women have always abandoned ridiculous shoes in times of upheaval. Heels were largely left behind during the Suffrage movement, and again when thousands took to the streets to protest the Vietnam War. With a work-from-home revolution at our feet, its likely that the reign of the comfortable shoe will continue. Loafers and flats fit naturally into fashions season-less, occasion-less future, where the lines of home and work attire will become further blurred.

Toronto-based designer Elle AyoubZadeh, who founded her shoe brand, Zvelle, on the basis of modern, work-friendly heels and boots, just introduced her first pair of loafers, which take inspiration from soft driving slippers. This is our lowest price shoe ever, shares AyoubZadeh (the made-in-Italy shoes cost $225). Its a new world we are living in and we wanted to make something beautiful for the times we are living in and be respectful to our customers, she adds.

So no, loafers may not take the fashion world by storm, but they are perfect to help us stay grounded. You likely already own a pair that deserves to be brought out once again. If not, here are eight lovely takes on the timeless loafer.

Zvelle loafers, $225, zvelle.com

Sam Edelman loafers, $200, nordstrom.ca

Dr. Martens loafers, $180, ssense.com

Vince loafers, $370, shopbop.com

Nine West loafers, $165, thebay.com

Mansur Gavriel loafers, $555, mansurgavriel.com

Naturalizer loafers, $70, naturalizer.ca

Mango loafers, $100, mango.com

This article contains affiliate links, which means The Kit may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by advertising. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set. More information.
The shots are random and do not reach the Ukrainian positions.

Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak has said only random shots were recorded in Donbas amid the newly-agreed truce.

He called on the public to distinguish between single shots, which are now recorded in the JFO [Joint Forces Operation] area from the armed formations, from shelling. And it is precisely the shelling on the front line that has not yet taken place since the beginning of the ceasefire, Khomchak said during the president's working trip to Donbas.

Read alsoDonbas truce: Ukraine reports two violations since midnight Aug 7

"In our territory in Ukraine, where there is no war, there are so many shooting and explosions every day... But here is the contact line. And in general, there were such random shots before during more serious shelling," he said.

According to Khomchak, not a single shot was recorded on the contact line on August 6, while two shots were made in different places on August 7.

"Previously, we did not record them at all. They are random, they do not reach our positions. But we have clearly determined that we are not deceiving anyone. First of all, public, so that everyone understands what is happening. In general, they could not be taken into account," Khomchak said.

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The research team evaluated 299 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 admitted to GW Hospital between March 12 and May 9, 2020. Of these patients, 200 had all five biomarkers being evaluated - IL-6, D-dimer, CRP, LDH, and ferritin. Elevated levels of these biomarkers were associated with inflammation and bleeding disorder, showing an increased independent risk for ICU admission, invasive ventilatory support, and death. The highest odds of death occurred when the LDH level was greater than 1200 units/l, and a D-dimer level was greater than 3 g/ml."We hope these biomarkers help physicians determine how aggressively they need to treat patients, whether a patient should be discharged, and how to monitor patients who are going home, among other clinical decisions," said Shant Ayanian, MD, first author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.Currently, physicians determine risk for COVID-19 deterioration and death based on age and certain underlying medical conditions, like having an immunocompromised state, obesity, and heart disease. Performing a simple blood test for patients admitted to the emergency department, then also making decisions based on biomarkers present, may further aid point-of-care clinical decision making. Reyes, Ayanian, and the GW research team will continue to analyze this data to help physicians make more informed decisions for patients, as well as help hospitals that may need to stratify resources.Source: Newswise
HAMILTON, Ohio - The Ohio Supreme Court will hear a school districts appeal of a ruling that they must provide police-level training to employees carrying concealed weapons.

Madison Local Schools voted to allow armed school employees after a 2016 shooting in which two students were shot and wounded by a 14-year-old boy. A group of parents sued the district in September 2018 to prevent teachers from being armed without extensive training.

A Butler County judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying that school staff did not need extensive training because they are not law enforcement officers. The districts policy requires 24 hours of training for staff carrying concealed weapons.

The parents appealed to the 12th District Court of Appeals, which ruled in March that Ohio law requires anyone who carries firearms in schools to have undergone a minimum of 728 hours of law enforcement training.

The district asked the state Supreme Court in May to hear its appeal, and a court spokesperson said Friday that all seven justices had voted in favour of taking the case up for review.

Several other school districts and the Ohio Attorney Generals Office have filed briefs in support of Madisons appeal.

The parents maintain the state appeals court made the correct decision.
UW Students to Receive Robust Financial Support to Continue Education

University of Wyoming students who have suffered financial impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic can rest a little easier, thanks to a new program aimed at helping them achieve their educational goals.

Gov. Mark Gordon has approved $20 million in federal CARES Act funding to launch the universitys program for students and families affected by the global COVID-19 health crisis. The CARES Wyoming College Grant Program will help stimulate the states economy by supporting Wyomings workforce through increased student retention and completion at UW, the states only public, four-year research university.

In this challenging time, it could not be more important that we invest in Wyomings future by investing in our college students, Gordon says. Students who pause their college education often never return to campus. This is an opportunity to help ensure Wyoming students are able to continue pursuing their educational goals.

To participate in the program, UW students must be U.S. citizens and have been impacted financially by COVID-19. Full-time students will receive up to $3,250 for the fall semester, regardless of their state of residence, including students at the undergraduate and graduate level. For part-time students, the funding will be prorated according to the number of enrolled hours, and all funding will be distributed in fall 2020.

All current and new UW degree-seeking students are eligible. The deadline for new students to apply for admission to UW and secure this additional funding for the fall 2020 semester is Friday, Aug. 21. Students who are already enrolled and qualify for CARES Wyoming College Grant Program funding must apply for these funds on or before Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The university is setting up an online interactive tool for students to check if they are eligible to receive funding. Beginning Monday, Aug. 10, full details and application information will be available at www.uwyo.edu/cares.

UWs 2020 fall semester begins Aug. 24, with a mixture of in-person and online courses. Adjustments to course delivery modalities and schedules as a result of COVID-19 requirements are now reflected in WyoCourses, the online platform where students sign up for classes.

This plan will help sustain and even grow Wyomings talented workforce, critical to the economic future we need after the current financial difficulties, UW President Ed Seidel says. Fortunately, we know the character of our Cowboys. Their grit and resilience and determination mean they have what it takes to get back on track, individually and as a university.

Postsecondary certificate and degree attainment is one of the most critical factors that will assist in the robust and timely economic recovery of Wyoming after the COVID-19 health emergency is over or adequately mitigated.

The CARES Wyoming College Grant Program will ease the economic burden on students and families by providing financial resources to cover the cost of attendance for those impacted by COVID-19 due to a loss of employment or diminished income.

While UW has an existing program that awards federal, state and private financial aid to its students, this new round of funding will be awarded in a different manner. CARES Wyoming College Grant Program funding will be distributed as last-dollar-in financial aid, after Hathaway merit or need-based aid, Pell grant funds, or any other scholarships or grants. The awards will help cover expenses other than tuition and fees, such as housing and meals, as the pandemic has eroded housing and food security of UW students. Recipients must commit to comply with UWs policies to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected UW students in many ways but, perhaps, the most significant impact has been financial. Many university students and their families have become under-employed or unemployed as a result of the coronavirus health emergency, and, in some cases, students may be forced to delay enrollment or continuation until the economy recovers.

In both the short- and long-term outlook, UW hopes to promote a college-going culture within Wyoming to boost the percentage of the states workforce who receive postsecondary education credentials, a key component in speeding up the economic recovery from the pandemic.
The British royal family member has always strenuously denied any wrongdoing

She also alleges Epstein trafficked her to Europe to have sex with Prince Andrew

Virginia Roberts Guiffre has shared a heartbreaking message from her hospital bed, saying she finds it hard to shake haunting memories of how she was abused.

Ms Roberts alleges she was a victim of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and claims she was trafficked to between London, New York and the Caribbean to have sex with powerful men, including Prince Andrew.

The Duke has always strenuously denied having sex with Mrs Roberts and any other wrongdoing.

On Friday morning, Mrs Roberts - who lives in Cairns in Queensland's far north - shared an emotional Twitter post after undergoing spinal surgery.

Jeffrey Epstein's Australian accuser Virginia Roberts Guiffre has shared an emotional Twitter post from her hospital bed after undergoing spinal surgery

'Still in ICU, so much pain, not only do I have to carry the weight of the scars physically but mentally too,' she wrote in the heartbreaking message to her followers

'Still in ICU, so much pain, not only do I have to carry the weight of the scars physically but mentally too,' she wrote.

Alongside the caption she shared a photo of her laid in a hospital bed wearing an eye mask and hooked up to a breathing tube.

'Whilst I lay in bed all alone I revisit the many flashbacks of the atrocities I've already been through and I ask, isn't this enough?' she added.

'I wish this would just all go away.'

Pictured: Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts, aged 17, and Ghislaine Maxwell at Maxwell's townhouse in London on March 13, 2001

Mrs Roberts is married to an Australian man Robert Guiffre and has three children.

Newly-unsealed court documents revealed last week that Mrs Roberts claimed she performed a sex act on Ghislaine Maxwell - the accused 'madam' of Epstein - in front of the billionaire paedophile on his private island.

Maxwell has always denied any involvement or knowledge of her close friend's sex abuse, and is pleading not guilty to current child sex trafficking charges filed against her in New York.

Epstein, 66, was found hanged last August in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges for abusing women and girls in Manhattan and Florida from 2002 to 2005. He had pleaded not guilty.

Epstein's alleged fetishes were revealed in court documents last week, exposing how the warped financier had pink bed sheets to remind him of 'p***y', liked his nipples pinched and had enormous naked portraits of women

Maxwell fought tooth and nail to keep court documents released last week and exposing Epstein's alleged bizarre fetishes secret, lodging a flurry of last-minute legal roadblocks.

They revealed how the warped financier had pink bed sheets to remind him of 'p***y', liked his nipples pinched and had enormous naked portraits of women.

As well as his perverse lust for girls as young as 13, Epstein's alleged sexual kinks were laid bare in a slew of legal filings from a 2015 lawsuit against his accused madam, unsealed by a judge last Thursday.
KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia on Friday charged former finance minister and senior opposition leader Lim Guan Eng with corruption for seeking a bribe on a $1.5 billion infrastructure project.

Lim said the charge was politically motivated".

The charge against Lim, who was minister in the Mahathir Mohamad-led coalition that collapsed in February, comes amid speculation that elections could be imminent due to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassins slim majority in parliament.

Lim was charged at a Kuala Lumpur sessions court for seeking a bribe in 2011 to appoint a company to manage an undersea tunnel project in Penang state, which he led as chief minister from 2008 until his appointment as finance minister in 2018.

Lim, who was arrested on Thursday night, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

If found guilty, Lim faces a jail term of up to 20 years and heavy fines. Anti-graft officials have said Lim will face two more charges next week.

This is a baseless allegation and is politically motivated," Lim told reporters after being released on bail, adding that he will prove his innocence in court.

Other opposition leaders also called the charge political persecution. Charles Santiago, an opposition lawmaker, said the charges were a dirty ploy" to destroy the opposition bloc.

The prime ministers office did not respond to a request for comment.

Lim leads an ethnic Chinese-dominated party, which had drawn some backlash in the Mahathir coalition - including from prime minister Muhyiddin and his allies - due to concerns that the alliance was not doing enough to protect interests of the countrys majority Malays.

Lims appointment as finance minister in 2018 was the first time in 44 years that the ministry was headed by a member of the ethnic Chinese community and was met with some resistance.

Muhyiddin was in Mahathirs coalition before he switched alliances to form a government with parties that were voted out in the 2018 election.

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
Police are continuing to question a 54-year-old man arrested in connection to a number of security alerts in Belfast.

The man was arrested by police on suspicion of a number of offences, including possessing and making explosives in suspicious circumstances and intimidation, following a search of a house in the Braniel area of east Belfast on Thursday night.

It is part of an ongoing investigation into a series of incidents, including alerts at Mayfield Square in west Belfast and Dundela Road in east Belfast.

They are being linked by police to a security incident on Wednesday at the Henry Jones playing fields where members of East Belfast GAA had been training.

Police were alerted to the incident following a telephone warning that devices had been left in the area.

Three cars, two in east Belfast and one in west Belfast, and three items that had been placed on them, have been recovered for further forensic analysis.

Chief Superintendent Jonathan Roberts said: We believe these incidents, which are being treated as sectarian hate crimes, are linked.

I am urging anyone who was training with East Belfast GAA club, or anyone else who had a parked vehicle at the playing fields or surrounding area to check on and around their vehicle and report anything suspicious immediately to police.

I would also ask anyone who was in the area at the time who saw anyone acting suspiciously, or anyone with information which could help our investigation, to contact police on 101.

In a statement issued earlier this week, a spokesman for East Belfast GAA said: The creation and maintenance of a safe environment for sport to be played by all and the safety of our members whilst playing remains a priority for us all.

The club intends to continue to work with the police, the community in East Belfast, and the public at large, whose support we have enjoyed on a daily basis, to ensure the continued safety and enjoyment of our members and patrons.

Our door remains open, to all.
Photo: BC Gov't

With half of British Columbians now expected to have cancer at some point in their lives, Premier John Horgan announced a cancer centre will be part of the new Surrey hospital planned for Cloverdale.

"The cancer centre at the new Surrey hospital will deliver high quality, comprehensive and compassionate cancer care services for patients and their families in their fast-growing community, Horgan said Thursday.

The centre will be B.C.'s seventh such regional centre, with others at Surrey Memorial Hospital and in Abbotsford, Vancouver, Kelowna, Prince George and Victoria.

B.C. Cancer vice-president and chief medical officer Dr. Kim Nguyen Chi said the centre will use state-of-the-art digital medical tools and use two positron emission tomography scanners for diagnoses as well as other equipment for treatment.

By 2027, it is anticipated one in three new B.C. cancer diagnoses will be in the Fraser Health region, which includes Surrey. That figure is 50% greater than cancer projections for Vancouver Coastal Health for the same period.

Centre services are expected to include treatment, supportive care, research, education and innovative technologies such as virtual health. The centre will also be a hub of clinical and academic activities in order to attract top professionals.

"A cancer diagnosis is one of the most anxious times anyone could face. A cancer treatment centre at the new Surrey hospital means people will be able to receive compassionate care close to home, Surrey-Newton MLA Harry Bains said.

The business-plan phase, confirming project scope and budget for the facility, is ongoing and expected to be finalized by late 2020. It will then proceed to procurement, followed by construction.
Its amazing how science and technology have managed to seep into places we never imagined it could. Did you think a piece of clothing could have tech behind it? Well, I certainly didnt and when Japanese retailer Uniqlo and Toray Industries innovated and developed AIRism, we were zapped.

What Is AIRism?

Uniqlos AIRism garments are meant to be worn beneath your clothing to keep you cool and dry. It makes the heat and humidity more bearable with properties such as absorbency, breathability and odour control. With features such as sweat-wicking, quick-drying, anti-odour and anti-static, this one is truly a winner!

But why is wearing the right kind of innerwear so important?

Here's why:

1. It Keeps You Cool And Comfortable:

If you have AIRism, be rest assured of being comfortable throughout the year. Each item is the fruit of comfort conditioning technology which releases moisture and heated air and harnesses its outstanding breathability to quickly wick away sweat. Now thats a winner dont you think?

2. Innerwear That Keeps You Dry And Odour-Free:

A nice sunny morning brings the smell of fresh grass and blooming flowers but it also brings endless sweat which leaves us and our clothes drenched. No amount of deodorant can help keep you dry throughout the day unless you have AIRism.

The microfibers ensure that fabric is so smooth, light, and the microfiber capillarity enhances sweat absorption and drying speed which swiftly evaporates heat from the skin to cool the body. AIRism fibres are specially processed to absorb, neutralize, and eliminate clothing odour from sweat and other places. The fabric continues to deodorize even after repeated washes.

3. Innerwear So Smooth That People Forget They Are Wearing It:

Sweating is as common as breathing, really. And while most inner wears absorb moisture, very few are able to dry fast. Uniqlo and Toray Industries jointly developed a textile that incorporates polyester microfibers that are just 1/12th the thickness of human hair. WOW.

These microfibers ensure that the fabric is so smooth, light and comfortable that people dont even notice they are wearing it. Uniqlo AIRism is also made from cupro, which is made from an antimicrobial fibre taken from cotton waste. The material is extremely stretchy with a silk-like touch and light on the skin making it the perfect summer choice.

4. A Seamless Look:

Uniqlo

Many of us are not comfortable wearing innerwear under their shirts because seams that show are super unflattering and the ones that are seamless are either too thick or not good material.

This is where Uniqlo AIRism comes to rescue yet again. Their micromesh fabric is not only completely seamless but also super comfortable. They have eliminated neck and cuff seams and minimized fabric irregularities, all while employing a nylon ultrafine yarn that resists tears to prevent fraying. Sounds great, right?

5. Innerwear That Covers All Your Needs:

Some of us have higher perspiration tendencies than others which makes using the right innerwear the bigger priority.

The AIRism collection feels smooth on the skin, is made with a stretchable fibre that helps you flaunt snug-fitting outfits in summer or better yet just wear their T-shirts with your favourite jeans and stay dry all day! They are perfect not only for officer goers who take the metro for their business meetings, but even school going kids who spend hours in the scorching sun- the collection covers all your needs.

Uniqlo AIRism is unique and the science behind it is innovation at its best. We bet you cant wait to get your hands on this right away.
This is an image of the ultraviolet "nightglow" in the Martian atmosphere. Green and white false colors represent the intensity of ultraviolet light, with white being the brightest. The nightglow was measured at about 70 kilometers (approximately 40 miles) altitude by the Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph instrument on NASA's MAVEN spacecraft. A simulated view of the Mars globe is added digitally for context. The image shows an intense brightening in Mars' nightside atmosphere. The brightenings occur regularly after sunset on Martian evenings during fall and winter seasons, and fade by midnight. The brightening is caused by increased downwards winds which enhance the chemical reaction creating nitric oxide which causes the glow.

Vast areas of the Martian night sky pulse in ultraviolet light, according to images from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft. The results are being used to illuminate complex circulation patterns in the Martian atmosphere.

The MAVEN team was surprised to find that the atmosphere pulsed exactly three times per night, and only during Mars' spring and fall. The new data also revealed unexpected waves and spirals over the winter poles, while also confirming the Mars Express spacecraft results that this nightglow was brightest over the winter polar regions.

"MAVEN's images offer our first global insights into atmospheric motions in Mars' middle atmosphere, a critical region where air currents carry gases between the lowest and highest layers," said Nick Schneider of the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), Boulder, Colorado. The brightenings occur where vertical winds carry gases down to regions of higher density, speeding up the chemical reactions that create nitric oxide and power the ultraviolet glow. Schneider is instrument lead for the MAVEN Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument that made these observations, and lead author of a paper on this research appearing August 6 in the Journal of Geophysical Research, Space Physics. Ultraviolet light is invisible to the human eye but detectable by specialized instruments.

"The ultraviolet glow comes mostly from an altitude of about 70 kilometers (approximately 40 miles), with the brightest spot about a thousand kilometers (approximately 600 miles) across, and is as bright in the ultraviolet as Earth's northern lights," said Zac Milby, also of LASP. "Unfortunately, the composition of Mars' atmosphere means that these bright spots emit no light at visible wavelengths that would allow them to be seen by future Mars astronauts. Too bad: the bright patches would intensify overhead every night after sunset, and drift across the sky at 300 kilometers per hour (about 180 miles per hour)."

The pulsations reveal the importance of planet-encircling waves in the Mars atmosphere. The number of waves and their speed indicates that Mars' middle atmosphere is influenced by the daily pattern of solar heating and disturbances from the topography of Mars' huge volcanic mountains. These pulsating spots are the clearest evidence that the middle atmosphere waves match those known to dominate the layers above and below.

"MAVEN's main discoveries of atmosphere loss and climate change show the importance of these vast circulation patterns that transport atmospheric gases around the globe and from the surface to the edge of space." said Sonal Jain, also of LASP.

Next, the team plans to look at nightglow "sideways", instead of down from above, using data taken by IUVS looking just above the edge of the planet. This new perspective will be used to understand the vertical winds and seasonal changes even more accurately.

The Martian nightglow was first observed by the SPICAM instrument on the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft. However, IUVS is a next-generation instrument better able to repeatedly map out the nightside glow, finding patterns and periodic behaviors. Many planets including Earth have nightglow, but MAVEN is the first mission to collect so many images of another planet's nightglow.

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The research was funded by the MAVEN mission. MAVEN's principal investigator is based at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, Boulder, and NASA Goddard manages the MAVEN project. NASA is exploring our Solar System and beyond, uncovering worlds, stars, and cosmic mysteries near and far with our powerful fleet of space and ground-based missions.

For video, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2020/mars-nightglow

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
A post-lockdown economic recovery plan that incorporates and emphasises climate-friendly choices could help significantly in the battle against global warming, according to a new study.

This is despite the sudden reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants during lockdown having a negligible impact on holding down global temperature change.

The researchers warn that even with some lockdown measures staying in place to the end of 2021, without more structural interventions global temperatures will only be roughly 0.01C lower than expected by 2030.

However, the international study, led by the University of Leeds, estimates that including climate policy measures as part of an economic recovery plan with strong green stimulus could prevent more than half of additional warming expected by 2050 under current policies.

This would provide a good chance of global temperatures staying below the Paris Agreement's aspirational 1.5?C global warming limit and avoiding the risks and severe impacts that higher temperatures will bring.

Piers Forster began working with his daughter, Harriet, after her A levels were cancelled. They analysed the newly accessible global mobility data from Google and Apple. They calculated how 10 different greenhouse gases and air pollutants changed between February and June 2020 in 123 countries. They then brought in a wider team to help with the detailed analysis.

The team's findings, published today in Nature Climate Change, detail how despite carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other emissions falling by between 10-30% globally, through the massive behavioural shifts seen during lockdown, there will be only a tiny impact on the climate, mainly because the decrease in emissions from confinement measures is temporary.

The researchers also modelled options for post-lockdown recovery, showing that the current situation provides a unique opportunity to implement a structural economic change that could help us move towards a more resilient, net-zero emissions future.

Study lead author Professor Piers Forster, director of the Priestley International Centre for Climate at Leeds and Principal Investigator of the CONSTRAIN consortium, said: "The choices made now could give us a strong chance of avoiding 0.3?C of additional warming by mid-century, halving the expected warming under current policies. This could mean the difference between success and failure when it comes to avoiding dangerous climate change.

"The study also highlights the opportunities in lowering traffic pollution by encouraging low emissions vehicles, public transport and cycle lanes. The better air quality will immediately have important health effects - and it will immediately start cooling the climate."

Study co-author Harriet Forster, who has just completed her studies at Queen Margaret's School, said: "Our paper shows that the actual effect of lockdown on the climate is small. The important thing to recognise is that we've been given a massive opportunity to boost the economy by investing in green industries - and this can make a huge difference to our future climate.

"I'm going to London next month to study art but I also did chemistry at A-level so was glad to use what I learned in my chemistry classes to do something useful."

Study co-author Corinne Le Quere from the University of East Anglia said: "The fall in emissions we experienced during COVID-19 is temporary and therefore it will do nothing to slow down climate change, but the Government responses could be a turning point if they focus on a green recovery, helping to avoid severe impacts from climate change."

Study co-author Joeri Rogelj from the Grantham Institute - Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London said: "Both sobering and hopeful, the flash crash in global emissions due to lockdown measures will have no measurable impact on global temperatures by 2030; but the decisions we make this year about how to recover from this crisis can put us on a solid track to meet the Paris Agreement. Out of this tragedy comes an opportunity, but unless it is seized a more polluting next decade is not excluded."

Study co-author Matthew Gidden from Climate Analytics, Berlin said: "The lasting effect of COVID-19 on climate will not depend on what happens during the crisis, but what comes after. "Stimulus focused on green recovery and low-carbon investment can provide the economic kick start needed while putting the world on track to meet climate pledges."

Study co-author Professor Mathew Evans. From Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories, University of York and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science said: "The analysis of air quality observations from around the world showed us that the emissions reductions captured by Google and Apple's mobility data were pretty close to those actually being experienced."

Study co-author Christoph Keller from Goddard Earth Sciences, Technology and Research (GESTAR) based in the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at NASA GSFC said: "The decrease in human activity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique opportunity to better quantify the human impact on atmospheric air pollution.

"Near real-time analysis of observations, mobility data, and NASA model simulations offers quantitative insights into the impact of COVID-19 containment measures on air pollution. This study demonstrates how such information can help to advance our understanding of the complicated interactions between air quality and climate."

Further information:

Link to media resources: https://constrain-eu.org/media-resources-forster-et-al-2020/

(Includes animation of fraction of usual NOx and SO2 emissions due to COVID-19)

Please credit all use of resources to CONSTRAIN

Page access password: CONSTRAIN

The paper Current and future global climate impacts resulting from COVID-19 is published in Nature Climate Change on 07 August 2020. (DOI: 10.1038/s41558-020-0883-0)

Once published the paper will be available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-020-0883-0

Christoph Keller is based in the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at NASA GSFC, in Greenbelt, MD, just outside Washington, DC. He is employed by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) in the institute "Goddard Earth Sciences, Technology and Research (GESTAR)" funded by GSFC. https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/

For additional information contact University of Leeds press officer at a.harrison@leeds.ac.uk

Q&A Current and future global climate impacts resulting from COVID-19

What did the study do?

* The team used newly available mobility data from Apple and Google to estimate how emissions of 10 different greenhouse gases and air pollutants changed between February and June 2020, a time of unprecedented restrictions on work and travel due to COVID-19 lockdowns.

* The data, which covered a total of 123 countries responsible for 99% of global fossil fuel CO2 emissions, provided a unique opportunity to rapidly compare emissions trends consistently across countries and sectors.

* For each country, the team used the mobility data to establish changes in activity levels for six economic sectors (surface transport, residential, power, industry, public/commercial, and domestic aviation).

** For countries where access to Google data was not possible, such as China, Russia and Iran (all large emitters who imposed strict lockdowns), the methodology developed by Le Quere et al.(2020) was used.

** The team also used Le Quere et al. to provide estimates for international aviation and shipping.

* The changes in activity/mobility over time were used to estimate how emissions had changed during lockdown, compared to recent baseline emissions:

** For CO2 the baseline was taken from Le Quere et al. (2019 levels).

** For all other emissions we used the EDGAR database (2015 levels).

* For CO2 alone, results are consistent with the study of Le Quere et al. based on the analysis of confinement measures and activity data. The method used here makes use of mobility trends at the country level which is more direct than using confinement measures, but could be overestimating changes by around 20%.

* Observed concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from surface air-quality monitoring sites in 32 countries around the world were coupled to NASA's global air pollution model to predict what the concentration of NO2 would have been without the COVID-19 restrictions. Comparing the actual observed concentration during the restrictions to that predicted by the model allowed another way to estimate the change in the emissions of oxides of nitrogen.

* The team then developed a simple set of assumptions to estimate how lockdown emissions changes translated into temperature change - the direct effect of global lockdown on climate. In doing so, the team assumed some restrictions on activity due to COVID-19 (66% of the restrictions level seen in June 2020) will remain in place until the end of 2021, representing a "a "two-year blip".

* Using a simple climate model, the team also considered how choices made around economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis will affect future emissions pathways and therefore global temperatures, from now until 2050.

* These choices included economic recoveries driven by green stimulus packages or increasing reliance on fossil fuels, which were compared to a baseline reflecting a direct return, post-lockdown, to pre-COVID-19 policies and associated emissions levels. In each case, the team included the "two-year blip" at the start.

** Our baseline represents emissions levels reflecting Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) until 2030, with no significant strengthening of climate action thereafter.

** The fossil-fuelled recovery assumes strong support for fossil-fuels (an additional 1% of GDP invested). Emissions are 10% higher in 2030 compared to the baseline and continue to rise thereafter.

** The moderate green stimulus assumes that recovery packages target low-carbon energy supply and energy efficiency (an additional 0.8% of GDP invested), do not support bailouts for fossil firms, and begin to structurally change the carbon intensity of economic activity. Greenhouse gas emissions decrease by about 35% by 2030 relative to the baseline and reach global net-zero CO2 by 2060.

** The strong green stimulus invests an additional 1.2% of GDP in low carbon technologies and reduces investment in fossil fuels, leading to a 50% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and global net-zero CO2 by 2050.

What did the study find? (Only present central values. Full uncertainties ranges are reported in the paper.):

* The team's analysis shows that emissions reductions likely peaked in mid-April 2020, with carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other emissions falling by between 10-30% globally.

** Changes in surface transport were the biggest driver for most types of emission.

** Changes also occurred worldwide, with most countries contributing to the fall in emissions (mobility fell by 10% or more during April 2020 in all but one country, and by 80% in five or more countries).

** These findings are also reflected in satellite data and local ground-based observations, which show similar declines in air pollution.

** The reductions calculated by the mobility data were very similar to the reductions calculated from the air quality monitoring data.

* However, the direct temperature impact of the pandemic will be negligible: even with some lockdown measures staying in place to the end of 2021, global temperatures will only be around 0.01C lower than expected by 2030 (compared to the current baseline).

** It will be difficult to see any effect of the pandemic on climate before 2030 because of temporary nature of the lockdown emission changes and also the short-term cancellation effects on climate from changes in NOx and SO2 described below.

** Falls in NOx emissions would normally lead to further cooling in the short-term, but this is offset by warming from a 20% reduction in SO2 emissions, which will balance out by 2030 (SO2 emissions lead to aerosol formation, which reflect sunlight back to space and cool the planet, so reducing SO2 reduces its cooling effect).

* Although it will be difficult to see the effects of lockdown on climate in the next decade, after 2030, differences begin to emerge depending on the choices made:

** If, after a two-year blip, economic recovery goes back to current investment levels, or we choose a recovery that strongly invests in fossil fuels, we are likely (>80% probability) to see warming of more than 1.5 C above preindustrial levels by 2050.

** But if we choose a pathway with a strong green stimulus, investing around 1.2% of global GDP in low carbon technologies, and including climate policy measures, we could prevent around 0.3?C of additional warming by 2050.

** This would give us a good chance (~55%) of staying below the Paris Agreement's 1.5?C aspirational temperature goal.

What are the implications?

* As above, the direct effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the climate will be negligible - a difference of only around 0.01C by 2030.

* Lockdown's massive but temporary shifts in behaviour have therefore only had a tiny impact on the climate, and pollution levels across the world are already returning to near normal. This means we need structural change in the long-term in order to avoid dangerous climate change.

* The investment choices we make about economic recovery will strongly affect our climate trajectory to mid-century:

** A green recovery that invests in low carbon technologies, avoids fossil fuel lock-in, and cuts global emissions to net-zero by 2050, would mean we avoid around 0.3C of warming by 2050, this is half of the expected 0.6C warming under current policies.

** This would also set the world on track for meeting the Paris Agreement's long-term temperature goal.

** This 0.3 degrees C could therefore represent the difference between us facing or avoiding dangerous climate change.

* In the short-term, policies that cut road transport emissions (NOx) will help to offset any temporary warming from cleaning up SO2 emissions from the power and industry.

** This will be especially important at a regional level where changes in aerosol concentration can lead to risks from extreme weather, such as heatwaves or rainfall, adding to the economic and health burden caused by the pandemic.

* Finally, rapid and easy access to big data can clearly contribute, in new and unexpected ways, to the evidence base scientific studies relating to COVID-19. We encourage Google, Apple and others to make their data freely available, and to promote its application.

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University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 38,000 students from more than 150 different countries, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. The University plays a significant role in the Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes.

We are a top ten university for research and impact power in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and are in the top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2021.

The University was awarded a Gold rating by the Government's Teaching Excellence Framework in 2017, recognising its 'consistently outstanding' teaching and learning provision. Twenty-six of our academics have been awarded National Teaching Fellowships - more than any other institution in England, Northern Ireland and Wales - reflecting the excellence of our teaching. http://www.leeds.ac.uk

Follow University of Leeds or tag us in to coverage: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Instagram

CONSTRAIN is an 8 million, 4 year programme of research and stakeholder engagement, funded by Horizon 2020.

Led by the University of Leeds, the CONSTRAIN consortium involves 14 partners and around 40 researchers from 9 countries across Europe and Israel.

CONSTRAIN focuses on developing a better understanding of global and regional climate projections for the next 20-50 years, as well as defining emissions pathways to limit warming. This requires a better understanding of how several human and natural factors will affect the climate in coming decades, such as how atmospheric aerosols influence the Earth's radiation budget, and the roles of clouds and oceans in driving climate change.

In doing so, CONSTRAIN is taking full advantage of results from the sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), as well as other Horizon 2020 and European Research Council projects.

It is also translating this new scientific understanding into an improved evidence base aimed at informing international climate policy, and supporting decisions on climate mitigation and adaptation. http://www.constrain-eu.org/

Follow CONSTRAIN or tag us in to coverage: @constrain_eu
A plan to build a rare, new Napa Valley hotel outside of the cities is receiving close examination long before reaching its day of judgement, with housing for employees among the concerns.

The Napa County Planning Commission on Wednesday held a scoping session for The Inn at the Abbey. This proposed 79-room hotel in several buildings would be at the Freemark Abbey winery complex on Highway 29 north of St. Helena in the unincorporated county.

Planning Commissioners didnt give thumbs up or down. Rather, they and the public talked about what topics they want included in the projects upcoming draft environmental impact report.

Housing was a major issue. Thats because the expensive local housing market forces many hospitality workers to live in other counties and commute long distances to work. Commissioners expressed concern about further exacerbating the problem.

Commissioner Andrew Mazotti said he doesnt expect hotels to solve Napa Countys housing problems.

But I do feel strongly that hospitality developers should be doing their part, he said, with other commissioners agreeing. By that, Mazotti said, he means housing that actually gets built.

Attorney Rob Anglin on behalf of the applicants said the goal is to negotiate a development agreement with the county that addresses housing and other topics.

The Jackson family, owner of Freemark Abbey winery, wants to build The Inn at the Abbey on adjacent, commercially zoned land at Lodi Lane and Highway 29. To make room, the applicants would demolish three buildings totaling 10,048 square feet that are permitted for use as a restaurant, wine shop, art gallery and five-room motel.

Coming to the property would be 78,481 square feet of new construction, complete with buildings, walkways, breezeways, patios, courtyards and landscaped areas.

The biggest of the proposed new buildings is the 55,000-square foot, 50-room north hotel. This split-level structure rising 45 feet tall at its highest point is to have an underground, 54-stall parking garage, a spa, rooftop terrace and retail.

A two-story south hotel main building is to be 11,100 square feet with 11 rooms. A 7,500-square-foot south hotel barn is to have 12 rooms, with adjacent fitness studio and plunge pool. Two bungalows totaling 4,000-square feet are to each have three rooms.

An existing Freemark Abbey stone building is to be used for the hotels main lobby. The hotel is to have 48 workers, in addition to the 55 workers already at the Freemark Abbey site.

Antonia Allegra said she and 11 other families live on Byrd Hill Lane on the opposite side of Highway 29 from Freemark Abbey. She spoke to commissioners by phone during public comments.

Well be watching about noise and amplified music and more noise coming from additional traffic and events, she said.

Byrd Hill residents dont want to have to wait for long periods to turn onto Highway 29 because of Freemark Abbey complex events, she said.

Lois Ann Battuello said in a letter that the project site is near the West Napa fault. Battuello suggested the county protect itself against liability by advising early on of the fault line that makes the site unsuitable for commercial development.

Planning Commission Chair Dave Whitmer asked how the draft environmental report will deal with earthquake faults.

Buildings will be constructed to California building code standards, said Cori Resha of Ascent Environmental, which is working on the document. The code has specific requirements to address seismic matters. The applicant did a geotechnical report.

Potential earthquake impact is considered less than significant and wont be analyzed further in the environmental report, she said.

Battuello also questioned the aesthetics of the proposed hotel.

This thing would appear as the Emerald City arising from nowhere to forever alter views from Highway 29  just looming above everything, Battuello wrote to the county.

Anglin and the Jackson family had little to say about the proposed project, other than answering questions from commissioners.

This is an opportunityin keeping with the purpose of the scoping sessionto listen, Anglin said.

People who want to comment on what should be considered in the upcoming draft environmental impact report can contact Trevor Hawkes at Trevor.Hawkes@countyofnapa.org by Aug. 24. The document will disclose possible project impacts, possible mitigations and feasible project alternatives.

Decision-makers can modify or deny a project, even if there are no impacts found, Resha said.

A draft environmental impact report should be released in winter or spring of 2021, with a Planning Commission hearing in spring 2021. A final environmental impact report with answers to comments received could come out in summer 2021, Resha said.

Finally, the Planning Commission could hold a hearing on the final report and consider The Inn at the Abbey project in summer or fall of 2021.

Since at least 1965, The Freemark Abbey property has had a blend of commercial and agricultural uses. For example, in the early 2000s, the property had two restaurants, the application said.

Today, Roadhouse 29 restaurant is located on the Freemark Abbey property, in the restored stone building that could also serve as the hotels guest lobby.

The Planning Commission in March approved a hotel in the unincorporated county. This was the 50-room Oak Knoll hotel between the city of Napa and Yountville, on land that has vacant buildings from the former Red Hen development.

Watch: Music in the vineyards@home (2020)

You can reach Barry Eberling at 256-2253 or beberling@napanews.com.

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By Daniel Trotta and David Shepardson (Reuters) - New York state's attorney general sued to dissolve the National Rifle Association on Thursday, alleging senior leaders of the non-profit group diverted millions of dollars for personal use and to buy the silence and loyalty of former employees. The lawsuit filed in a Manhattan court by Attorney General Letitia James alleges NRA leaders paid for family trips to the Bahamas, private jets and expensive meals that contributed to a $64 million reduction in the NRA's balance sheet in three years, turning a surplus into a deficit. James alleged in a statement that NRA leaders 'used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use,' failing to comply with the NRA's own internal policies in addition to state and federal law.

By Daniel Trotta and David Shepardson

(Reuters) - New York state's attorney general sued to dissolve the National Rifle Association on Thursday, alleging senior leaders of the non-profit group diverted millions of dollars for personal use and to buy the silence and loyalty of former employees.

The lawsuit filed in a Manhattan court by Attorney General Letitia James alleges NRA leaders paid for family trips to the Bahamas, private jets and expensive meals that contributed to a $64 million reduction in the NRA's balance sheet in three years, turning a surplus into a deficit.

James alleged in a statement that NRA leaders "used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use," failing to comply with the NRA's own internal policies in addition to state and federal law.

The mismanagement shaved $64 million worth of assets off the NRA's balance sheet in three years, the suit says.

In announcing the lawsuit, James told reporters the NRA "has operated as a breeding ground for greed, abuse and brazen illegality." She added, "no one is above the law."

The confrontation pits James, a Democrat, against the largest and most powerful gun organization in the United States, one that is closely aligned with President Donald Trump's Republican Party.

The NRA branded the lawsuit a "baseless, premeditated attack" and a "power grab" tied to the Nov. 3 U.S. election.

"We not only will not shrink from this fight  we will confront it and prevail," NRA President Carolyn Meadows said in a statement.

Trump swiftly branded the lawsuit "a very terrible thing," suggesting to reporters the group ought to register in the much more gun-friendly state of Texas or in "another state of their choosing."

The NRA, which teaches gun safety in addition to advocating laws making it easier for Americans to own guns and ammunition, is subject to New York law because it is registered as a non-profit organization in New York, where it conducts most of its financial transactions.

At the same time, the attorney general for Washington, D.C., filed suit in the district's Superior Court against the NRA and its foundation, alleging the misuse of charitable funds and wasteful spending.

The actions are certain to further polarize a country where the NRA is revered by conservatives as a champion of the U.S. Constitutional right to keep and bear arms and vilified by liberals as an enabler of rampant gun violence.

'WE SEEK TO DISSOLVE THE NRA'

Briefing reporters, James denied the suit was motivated by the NRA's support for Trump. But her written statement said the NRA's power had gone unchecked for decades, "which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA."

The NRA's physical headquarters are in Fairfax, Virginia, about 20 miles (30 km) west of Washington, D.C.

New York state and the NRA have tangled before.

The state has taken legal action against NRA-branded insurance policies sold to gun owners, and the NRA is suing the state for closing gun stores under an executive order to halt the spread of COVID-19.

The NRA has also come under fire from gun control groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, which are funded by billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"We have been warning regulators and the public about this corruption for years," Everytown said on Twitter.

Moms Demand Action sarcastically offered that "our thoughts and prayers are with Wayne LaPierre and his cronies at the NRA," mocking the common refrain used following mass shootings.

The New York lawsuit names the NRA as a whole and four senior executives of the group including Wayne LaPierre, the executive vice-president who has been atop the leadership for decades.

The suit charges the NRA with awarding contracts to close associates and family and "no-show contracts" to former employees in order to buy their silence.

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta and David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Howard Goller)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has surpassed net worth of $100 billion, joining Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Microsoft's Bill Gates in the centibillionaire list, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Zuckerberg has gained about $22 billion this year.

The 36-year old businessman's net worth went past $100 billion for the first time Thursday after Facebook hit a record high on report of the release of Instagram's TikTok competitor Reels.

Zuckerberg attended Harvard University, where he launched the Facebook social networking service from his dormitory room on February 4, 2004, with college roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes.Originally launched to select college campuses, the site expanded rapidly and eventually beyond colleges, reaching one billion users by 2012. Zuckerberg took the company public in May 2012 with majority shares. In 2007, at age 23, he became the world's youngest self-made billionaire.

The five largest American tech companies - Apple, Amazon.com, Alphabet, Facebook, and Microsoft - currently have market capitalisation equivalent to about 30 per cent of the US gross domestic product (GDP).

Last week, Zuckerberg along with Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Google's Sundar Pichai and Apple's Tim Cook answered for their companies' practices before Congress at a hearing by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust. The panel had conducted a bipartisan investigation over the past year into the tech giants' market dominance and their effect on consumers.

It was the first such congressional review of the tech industry. It was aimed to determine whether existing competition policies and century-old antitrust laws are adequate or if new legislation and more funding for enforcement are needed.Also read: Coronavirus update: This new drug dramatically recovered seriously ill COVID-19 patients

Also read: PM Modi speech: Prime Minister Narendra Modi calls education reforms a "game changer"
She quickly became one of the top names in modeling before shifting to acting.

But Jaime King proved that she is still always runway ready.

The 41-year-old multihyphenate was seen looking fashionable as always on an errand trip in Los Angeles on Friday when she wore a top and jeans by boohoo.

Making the sidewalk her runway: Jaime King was seen looking fashionable as always on an errand trip in Los Angeles on Friday

She rocked an entirely powder blue outfit including floral long sleeved turtleneck top with boyfriend jeans and suede strappy heels.

Jaime accessorized with a matching blue Dior saddle bag which retails for $3,700 and a gold chain necklace.

Her signature blonde tresses were pulled back in an updo as she had natural complementary make-up on her face topped off with shiny lip.

Couture: The 41-year-old multihyphenate rocked an entirely powder blue outfit including floral long sleeved turtleneck top with boyfriend jeans - both by boohoo - and suede strappy heels

Lovely lady: Her signature blonde tresses were pulled back in an updo as she had natural complementary make-up on her face topped off with shiny lip

It has been a rough few months for Jaime as back in May she filed for divorce from husband Kyle Newman, alleging he'd abused her during the last five years of their 12-year marriage.

The contentious break-up has seen Newman counter-claim that King is an addict and alcoholic who has endangered their two sons.

The director has been caring for James Knight, six, and Leo Thames, four, in Pennsylvania.

Wearing protection: She was also seen with a lacy face mask

In the details: Jaime accessorized with a matching blue Dior saddle bag which retails for $3,700 and a gold chain necklace

A judge recently extended a temporary restraining order king requested against Newman until a court hearing on June 29.

But while her personal life is in turmoil, King's career has taken a leap.

Back in June, Deadline.com reported that the 41-year-old actress has been cast to star opposite Bruce Willis in the movie Out Of Death.

Split: It has been a rough few months for Jaime as back in May she filed for divorce from husband Kyle Newman, alleging he'd abused her during the last five years of their 12-year marriage, as they are seen together in November 2017

It's a major boost for the former model turned actress who most recently has been seen in the small screen shows Hart Of Dixie on The CW and Netflix's Black Summer.

Principal photography will begin once Willis completes work on the drama Midnight In The Switchgrass which has begun shooting in Puerto Rico in March before being halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And before she can start filming with Willis, King is expected to complete production on the second season of Black Summer on which she also serves as a producer.

Big deal: In am major career boost, King, pictured left in January, has been cast to star opposite Bruce Willis, pictured right in 2019, in the movie Out Of Death
A new type of immunotherapy for the skin cancer malignant melanoma shows promising results. Three severely ill patients are now long-term survivors. The study, published in OncoImmunology, is the result of a collaboration between researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden.

Immunotherapy is based on activation of the body's own immune defence to eliminate cancer cells. Immunotherapy achieved substantial progress, particularly when the treatment with immune-activating antibodies (Immune Checkpoint Inhibition, ICI) was introduced. This prolongs the survival of patients with advanced melanoma." Maria Wolodarski, Oncologist and Researcher at Karolinska Institutet

Maria Wolodarski is the study's principal investigator and responsible for patient contact and recruitment

James Allison and Tasuko Honjo were awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine two years ago for the discovery which resulted in ICI treatment.

New immunotherapy combination method

However, the majority of patients with advanced malignant melanoma do not respond to this or other types of treatment. It is this group that the research team has now treated with a new combination of two types of immunotherapy.

First, a special type of white blood cells, T-cells, is extracted from the patient's own tumour. Those "Tumour Infiltrating Lymphocytes", TIL cells, are an important part of the body's immune defence against cancer. The TIL are multiplied up to 50 billion cells and administered back to the patient in combination with a growth factor, Interleukin-2.

"What makes this study unique compared to other international clinical trials with TIL cells is that the patients are also treated with several doses of a tumour vaccine consisting of dendritic cells, DC, which specialise in activating the immune system and giving the injected TIL cells an extra boost," says Stina Wickstrom, researcher at the Department of Oncology-Pathology at Karolinska Institutet, and responsible for coordinating production of the TIL cells and for the study's immune monitoring.

Other types of metastatic cancer

Of the four severely ill patients with malignant melanoma receiving treatment with this combination of TIL cells and DC tumour vaccine, three have responded with complete or near complete remission of the cancer. This has occurred in spite of the fact that the group no longer responds to other types of cancer treatment. They are long-term survivors who have had the disease for several years.

The five patients that have been treated with TIL cells alone did not have the same favourable response to the treatment as when the treatment was provided in combination with the tumour vaccine.

The method is part of Karolinska University Hospital's strengthening of cell therapy and Rolf Kiessling, head of the study, has applied to the Swedish Medical Products Agency for approval to also test the method on other types of metastatic cancer.

This investigator-initiated study is financed by the Swedish Cancer Society, the Cancer Society in Stockholm, the Swedish Research Council, the City of Stockholm, Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Torsten Soderberg Foundation, Vinnova, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and GE Healthcare.

Rolf Kiessling is the chairman of the board/consultant for Clinical Laser Thermia Systems, research consultant for Anocca AB and Phion Pharmaceuticalics and receives research grants from those companies. Roger Tell is employed by Isofol Medical. John Hansson has been the principal investigator for testing financed by AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Merck, Novartis, Roche and Clinical Laser Thermia Systems, and has been awarded research grants from Bristol Myers-Squibb and Merck. Tanja Lovgren has received lecture fees from Bristol Myers-Squibb.
In late-May, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that a moratorium on home foreclosures and rental evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic would be lifted.

To lessen the impact of such a shift during unstable times, Reynolds also announced that the state would create a program to assist Iowans who have lost income due to the pandemic to specifically pay mortgages and rent.

Run through Iowa Finance Authority, the fund would have $22 million available to residents across the state. However, it was somewhat limited to people struggling to pay rent but not receiving the extra $600 in unemployment benefits. The caveat, though, was that the Iowans using such benefits would be able to apply for the housing assistance program once the July 31 deadline for those benefits came and went.

Now that it is August and Congress has failed to bolster the benefits before the deadline, the Iowa Finance Authority is changing things up.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Iowa Finance Authority announced that "more Iowans will be eligible to receive assistance with their rent and mortgage payments through the COVID-19 Iowa Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention program." Now Iowans who received the $600 unemployment benefits can apply whereas before they were ineligible.

"We acted quickly to launch this program as a vital resource to assist Iowans in staying in their home after experiencing a COVID-19 related loss of income," Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Debi Durham said in a statement.

The way it works is that the program issues payments directly to landlords and mortgage service providers on behalf of tenants and homeowners who have a household income that does not exceed 80% of the median family income limits for their county at the time of their application. According to the data being kept by her office, Durham said that more than 1,100 renters across the state had benefited from the program so far.

However, that 1,110 is just a fraction of the renting population of Iowa.

According to data from Princeton University's Eviction Lab project, the renting population for the state totals about 790,918, and the national average for eviction rates is around 2.3%, which translates to about 18,191 people, or 16.5 times greater than the number of people aided by the Iowa Finance Authority program to date.

Even on a rough estimate, Iowa Finance Authority Communications Director Ashley Jared has said that the program is able to support 6,500 people with the $22 million it has available. Were eviction rates to resemble the average, that would leave two-thirds of people without possible funds if the program isn't replenished.

Justin Stotts, the executive director of the North Iowa Regional Housing Authority, said he hasn't seen any impact on his organization from the unemployment benefit lapse yet but its possible for requests to start coming in.

"We havent had any yet. Thats not to say they wont come in, we just have not had any so far."

Stotts said that if the North Iowa Regional Housing Authority does start seeing an increased need, it'll be coming in the following weeks. "People might not feel that effect immediately. Some may be holding out. If they follow Congress at all, a deal may be possible."

Still with the looming prospect of more people needing affordable housing, Stotts isn't incredibly worried. "My concern is low really at this time because I think were positioned well."

Again, adding to some of this uncertainty right now is the status of a new relief bill.

Two of the main sticking points on a second relief package are the $600 unemployment benefit and aid for renters facing eviction. Republicans have said that they'd like to see the benefit dropped to as low as $200 and haven't included money for housing payments into a new relief plan. At minimum, a new relief effort could include an eviction moratorium that would mitigate some of the problems.

At a Q&A in Mason City on July 31, Sen. Chuck Grassley said that a comprehensive bill could be expected by Friday. During his time at Farmers State Bank, the seniormost Republican senator suggested that one way to mitigate possible eviction issues is to provide a sum of money to people who are "in need rather than just doing it for everybody."

In a Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, 26.5% of those 18 and older said that they either weren't able to make last month's rent or mortgage payment or had little or no confidence they could pay next month's. While addressing the issue, Bill Faith, executive director of Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, said things were a "mess" before adding, "This is a huge disaster that is beginning to unfold."

Jared McNett covers local government for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at Jared.McNett@globegazette.com or by phone at 641-421-0527. Follow Jared on Twitter at @TwoHeadedBoy98.

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DEAR ABBY: About 40 years ago, I did someone an injustice, and I have felt guilty ever since. I worked for a consulting firm in Washington, D.C., that fired an accounting clerk who was in my small office. I didn't know why she was fired, and I never heard a cross word exchanged between her and her supervisor. She seemed to be capable and friendly.

A prospective employer called me for a reference, and because my company told me that it did not respond to requests for references, I didn't give her one. Ever since, I have wished I had shared what I knew about her. If I was allowed a do-over, I would have told the employer about my positive experience with her and my belief that she was capable and friendly. Her being Black and not having my reference may have increased her difficulty in finding a job. I am sharing this with your readers so they may avoid making a similar mistake. -- GUILT-RIDDEN IN TEXAS

DEAR GUILT-RIDDEN: Some companies, on the advice of their legal counsel, strictly adhere to a policy of disclosing only dates of hire and discharge of employees. This has nothing to do with race or ethnicity. It was not a mistake to do as your employers instructed, and you should not feel guilty for having done so.

** ** **

DEAR ABBY: My heart is heavy as I write this. Since the pandemic started, my father-in-law has called us every couple of weeks to ask if we are safe and OK. I have heard nothing from my own father.

I finally called him, mentioning that I thought he would call to check on us. His response was, "I'm the adult; you should be checking on me." (I have two grown children and two grandchildren, so I was taken aback by the thought that I was not an "adult.") I mentioned that because he is not in a nursing home, in jail or has to go to work, I figured he was much safer than my husband and me, who still must go out to work every day and be in contact with hundreds of people.

I feel like my father doesn't care about us like my father-in-law does. What do you think? -- DISAPPOINTED IN FLORIDA

DEAR DISAPPOINTED: I agree that your father doesn't care about you the same way your father-in-law does. He appears to be so centered upon himself that there's little room to worry about his "children's" welfare.

What do I think? I think that if you love your father, you should give him an occasional call, but when you do, expect nothing in return. And you should thank your lucky stars you have a darling father-in-law who takes up the slack.

** ** **

DEAR ABBY: I have two close, dear friends. They're my inner circle. Both are extroverts and quite talkative. I'm an introvert and quieter. My problem is, I can't get a word in edgewise when we're together. I'm not sure how to tactfully address this subject with them. Any ideas? -- INTROVERT IN THE SOUTHWEST

DEAR INTROVERT: Yes. Speak up and say exactly what you told me -- "Hey, folks, I can't get a word in edgewise!" If you say it with a smile, it shouldn't be regarded as insulting because it's the truth.

** ** **

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

** ** **

For everything you need to know about wedding planning, order "How to Have a Lovely Wedding." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Wedding Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

COPYRIGHT 2020 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

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The issue of racism, and municipalities being more inclusive, will go before Niagara Falls city council Tuesday.

As part of the agenda, Niagara regional councillors Bob Gale and Peter Nicholson, along with Sherri Darlene, who represents Justice4BlackLives, are scheduled to share their opinions about incidents of injustice.

The agenda also includes a report in which staff recommends council consider supporting Niagara Regions application to join the Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities to make the peninsula a more supportive community for all residents and visitors.

In September, regional councillors voted 25-0 to join the coalition, in a motion crafted by Coun. Laura Ip.

The initiative is to support diversity and inclusivity, address systemic and structural racism across Niagara, and positively impact newcomers, immigrants, refugees, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Joining the coalition includes prescribed steps, such as adopting a resolution and signing the organization's declaration, as well as informing area municipalities.

It also includes development of an action plan, which can include literature reviews, community engagement and scans of best practices across Canada and internationally.

Part of the process is also the identification of needs, resources and areas of focus to advance toward a more inclusive Niagara.

The coalition is an international network that includes 82 Canadian municipal members. Twenty Ontario municipalities are members, including Region of Peel, and the cities of Hamilton, London and Windsor.

For regional municipalities to participate, the coalition has requested each municipal council pass a motion of support and participate in a media release and possible media event  as coordinated by Niagara Region with the municipalities  at a date.

To date St. Catharines, Thorold, Pelham, Port Colborne, Welland, Lincoln and West Lincoln have supported the Regions application, and signed the declaration.

Last month, Gale and Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati met with a teenager who was recently subjected to  and a witness of  racism in the south end of the city.

In a Facebook group post, Tia MacDonald Jones said her 17-year-old daughter, who is of mixed ethnicity, and her friend who is also of colour, were called a derogatory slur for a Black person by a white woman and man in Chippawa July 3.

She said there was an altercation taking place on the street involving a Black man. The two girls were infuriated when the woman and man repeatedly used the derogatory name.

MacDonald Jones said her daughter corrected the woman, trying to explain to her it is unacceptable for her to say that word, only to be screamed at and called it herself.

A 14-second video shows the incident but not what led up to it.

MacDonald Jones said the girls were badly shaken up by the incident and that it deeply affected them.

Gale said when the issue was brought to his attention by a Black friend, he called for a meeting between himself, Diodati and the family.

Also involved in the meeting was the Black friend and Darlene, a Black woman who founded the local grassroots organization Justice4BlackLives, which organized the peaceful demonstration attended by thousands of people in Niagara Falls June 6.

The meeting allowed the family to explain what happened and led to plans being made for officials to speak to city council at Tuesdays meeting about the importance of inclusivity and education.
A line map of Kabwe, indicating the mine dump (red dashes) and the townships involved in the study (black and green ovals). Credit: Yared B. Yohannes et al., Environmental Research, June 05, 2020

Scientists have unveiled a correlation between high blood lead levels in children and methylation of genes involved in haem synthesis and carcinogenesis, indicating a previously unknown mechanism for lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning is a well-documented disease, the incidence of which has drastically reduced since the use of lead has been curtailed. Nevertheless, many areas across the world still have unsafe levels of lead in the environment. Lead poisoning causes symptoms such as abdominal pain, kidney failure and infertility, among others, but the most damaging effects are seen in children, where it causes neurological and developmental deterioration; however, a number of mechanisms behind it have been elusive.

In the current work, published in the journal Environmental Research, scientists at Hokkaido University collaborated with colleagues at the University of Zambia to investigate blood lead levels in 140 children aged two to 10 years in Kabwe, Zambia. Children were chosen from townships close to and distant from an old, highly polluted lead-zinc mine. According to a survey conducted by the Blacksmith Institute (now, Pure Earth), due to this mine, Kabwe was considered one of the 10 most polluted places on Earth in 2013.

Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) were measured in children from 5 townships in Kabwe and, independently, the prevalence of aberrant promoter methylation of ALAD and p16 genes was assessed using methylation specific PCR (MSP). The association between the two variables was statistically analysed and showed a correlation between them. Credit: Yared B. Yohannes et al., Environmental Research, June 05, 2020

Blood lead levels were measured in all children. The scientists discovered that children living closer to the mine had blood levels that were three times higher than that of children living further away. They then used a technique called methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) to determine the methylation of the DNA sequences. Methylation is a process by which methyl (CH3) groups are added to DNA; this modification generally causes the activity of genes to reduce.

Increased blood lead levels correlated positively with aberrant, increased methylation of DNA responsible for the expression of genes. The genes affected were ALAD, which synthesizes a key compound in the development of red blood cells; and p16, a tumour suppressor gene, which is frequently inactivated in different types of cancer.

This study has established the correlation between blood lead levels and aberrant methylation of DNA. It has also revealed a major healthcare issue in children in the region. Future work in this area would involve large-scale studies to determine the true extent of lead poisoning, as well as setting up an effort to provide children in the region with the necessary care and treatment. "The ultimate goal is to achieve a lead-free population to ensure a healthy future," Dr. Yohannes says.

Explore further Lead exposure affects neurodevelopment in Japanese children

More information: Yared B. Yohannes et al. Blood lead levels and aberrant DNA methylation of the ALAD and p16 gene promoters in children exposed to environmental-lead, Environmental Research (2020). Journal information: Environmental Research Yared B. Yohannes et al. Blood lead levels and aberrant DNA methylation of the ALAD and p16 gene promoters in children exposed to environmental-lead,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109759
Not all commercial banks will list their shares on the bourses by the end of the year as required by the government.

A lot of commercial banks have announced plans to list shares at the HCM City (HOSE) and Hanoi Stock Exchanges (HNX) this year, or shift share listing from UpCom to the two exchanges.





The government, in its plan to restructure the stock market, decided that the deadline for the listing is December 31, 2020.



LienVietPost Bank (LPB) and VIB Bank said they would complete the listing on HOSE this year.



VIB shares are not found in the portfolios of large investment institutions and funds because they are listed in UpCom market.



LienVietPost Bank also believes that the shifting from UpCom to HOSE will help polish its image and improve brand identification among the domestic and international investors, and improve share liquidity.

Not all commercial banks will list their shares on the bourses by the end of the year as required by the government.

Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) and Saigon-Hanoi Bank (SHB) are also planning to move to HOSE.

According to Nguyen Hong Khanh from VISecurities, once banks list their shares on HOSE, they will be better known and find it easier to increase their capital as their shares will be traded by investment funds. And of course, listing on HOSE would help the shares improve their liquidity.



Meanwhile, Le Quang Minh, analysis director of Mirae Asset Vietnam (MAS), said the listing on HOSE would help increase shareholders value.



In general, banks have larger scale than the businesses in other fields. They can satisfy the requirements to be added to some baskets to calculate specific indexes, such as VN30, VN Diamond (VND), Vietnam Leading Financial (VNFL) and VN Financial Select Sector (VNFS) because they can satisfy higher requirement in information exposure, transparency and operation efficiency.



Once bank shares are added to the indexes, it would be easier to attract cash flow from ETF (exchange traded funds)



HOSE is the trading floor of 10 bank shares, including Vietcombank (VCB), TPBank (TPB), Techcombank (TCB), Sacombank (STB), MBBank (MBB), VPBank (VPB), HDBank (HDB), Eximbank (EIB), VietinBank (CTG) and BIDV (BID).



Only three banks list at HNX, namely ACB, HSB and NVB and five on UpCom, namely LPB, VIB, Bac A Bank (BAB), Kieng Long Bnak (KLB) and VBB.



While some banks are hurrying to follow necessary procedures for the listing, other banks have reconsidered their plans. ABBank has postponed the plan to list shares on HOSE, while Maritime Bank has withdrawn the listing registration, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.



An analyst, while admitting that the pandemic has had an impact on the economy, including the banking sector, said that it will not affect banks listing plans.



MSB, Vietcapital, OCB and Nam A keep moving ahead with their listing plans, he said.

Mai Lan

Banks face exchange-rate risks when issuing international bonds Many commercial banks have presented plans at shareholder meetings to issue bonds in the international market.
KTR must stop dramatisation of Covid vaccine: Gudur

Hyderabad, Aug 6 (UNI) Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Treasurer Gudur Narayana Reddy on Thursday asked IT Minister K Tarakarama Rao (KTR) to stop politicisation and dramatisation of Covid vaccine.



"Several pharma giants from Hyderabad like Bharat Biotech, Shanta Biotech, Dr Reddy's Lab, Hetero Drugs, etc, have rich history of producing several vaccines and drugs. Many companies are into the research and production of vaccines even before KTR was born. Therefore, he must not enact dramas to give an impression that he was playing a personal role in the production of vaccine for Covid-19," Narayana Reddy said in a media statement.
Despite record numbers of hikers in the Adirondack Park High Peaks this summer, state Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos said that hiker permits and more forest rangers are not on the docket for now.

Seggos said until the state gets a better handle on its budget, and until other methods for managing visitors are explored, both efforts would be premature. The commissioners comments were part of a video press conference on Friday about crowds, unprepared hikers and trash in the Adirondacks and Catskills.

The state is facing a $14 billion budget deficit, due to the pandemic. Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo pulled the $3 billion Restore Mother Nature Bond Act from going to a public vote, leaving local leaders and environmentalists wondering about the fate of the $300 million Environmental Protection Fund. That fund supports a number of projects in the Adirondacks, including trail maintenance.

Seggos said Cuomo has been a stalwart defender of the EPF, and he expects it to be a core component of funding for projects this year.

The bond act is a different animal, Seggos said. The cancellation of the bond act this year, I think theres no one who has taken it more personally than the governor and myself, but it was an important decision to protect the states financial picture.

The pandemic is also getting more people outside, which Seggos said the state is thrilled to see. But, a small percentage of individuals are leaving large amounts of trash. Others are hiking unprepared.

Hiking in flip-flops  Ive seen it myself this summer  is totally unacceptable, Seggos said. Its dangerous to the hiker, and its a real tax on the states resources when we have to perform these very difficult rescues.

Forest rangers, especially in the Adirondack Park High Peaks, have been calling for more staff for years. Scott van Laer, a High Peaks ranger and union delegate, posted on Twitter July 22 that he responded to three search-and-rescue incidents in the High Peaks on July 23. It was a Tuesday, van Laer wrote. Staff is completely overwhelmed. We cant ignore that this area is equivalent to a National Park any longer.

The crowds are coming even with the Canadian border closed.

Seggos pointed to the massive hole in the state budget and said leaders in Washington need to backfill some of the states budget gaps. Partner agencies and divisions have helped with policing and resource management, he added.

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

The commissioner said its too early to say what 2021 could bring as far as staffing levels. Seggos said he doesnt know when the Canadian border will reopen, but he hopes it does. When and if that happens, the state will work on English and French Canadian messaging to educate visitors on Leave No Trace, principles focused on outdoor recreation ethics.

Another strategy environmental organizations have suggested for managing crowds is permits. A proposal for limits on use was part of the state-appointed High Peaks Strategic Planning Advisory Groups report, issued last month.

Whenever you talk about a permit system, something as rigorous as that, you always want that to be the last place you go, Seggos said. Here in the Adirondacks, youve got roads, dozens of communities and lots of people living there, so its difficult to envision a very effective permitting campaign.

For now, the commissioner is hoping the public will do its part by being safe and smart.

This is a plea for people to use common sense, he said.
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Linkedin Hyonhee Shin (Reuters) Seoul, South Korea  Fri, August 7, 2020 07:43 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c317bd 2 Business South-Korea,North-Korea,inter-Korean,Trade,barter-trading,sugar,booze Free

A South Korean farmers' cooperative said on Thursday it has clinched a $150 million deal to barter sugar for North Korean liquor and food products, bypassing sanctions banning cash transfers.

The deal, brokered by a Chinese company, was signed in June with five North Korean trading firms, an official for the cooperative said, though it still needs approval from Seoul's Unification Ministry, which oversees inter-Korean affairs.

Under the terms, North Korea would swap 240 products -including its signature ginseng and blueberry liquors, crackers, candies, teas and health supplements - for 167 tons of sugar from the South, said Oh Hyun-kyung, the cooperative official.

"The North wanted sugar as they were having difficulty importing raw materials due to sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic," Oh told Reuters, saying shipments could begin later this month.

Oh said Korea Kaesong Koryo Insam Trading Corporation, a North Korean firm specializing in ginseng and health products, was one of the parties in the deal.

Unification Minister Lee In-young had suggested before taking office late last month that bartering South Korean food and medicines for North Korean liquor and mineral water could be a first step toward normalizing exchanges.

South Korea is pushing to restart inter-Korean cooperation without breaching international sanctions banning financial transactions with North Korea, imposed over its nuclear and missile programs.

South Korea on Thursday approved plans to donate $10 million to fund U.N. World Food Program (WFP) efforts to aid North Korean children and women.

"The decision would be a starting point for our plans to consistently pursue humanitarian cooperation without linking it to political and military issues," Lee said.

Seoul has bankrolled various WFP and U.N. Children's Fund projects in the North in recent years.
Property developer Patricia Bailey (pictured), 70, allegedly bombarded cosmetic expert Dr Phillippe Hamada-Pisal with calls and texts between 25 October and 13 December

A millionairess accused of trying to 'seduce' a celebrity dermatologist in a harassment campaign has claimed she was unhappy about a botched treatment at his Harley Street clinic.

Property developer Patricia Bailey, 70, allegedly bombarded cosmetic expert Dr Phillippe Hamada-Pisal with calls and texts between 25 October and 13 December.

Dr Hamada-Pisal, a French skincare guru, founded PHP Aesthetics where stars have been treated.

Prosecutors claim Bailey turned up at the clinic unannounced and followed him home during the campaign.

The businesswoman returned to the dock today at Westminster Magistrates' Court smartly dressed in a white silk scarf, black skirt suit and brown wedge heels.

Bailey spoke only to confirm her name and she denied harassment without violence.

She will argue Dr Hamada-Pisal, who serves as President of the UK Mesotherapy Society, is not 'qualified' and has invented the allegation to hide his wrongdoing.

Her lawyer indicated she would claim the doctor had botched a cosmetic procedure on her and she had returned to the surgery to have it remedied.

Dr Hamada-Pisal (pictured), a French skincare guru, founded PHP Aesthetics where stars have been treated

Bailey previously found herself in court in 2010 for pretending to cast curses and threaten 'damnation' upon her neighbours in a luxury apartment block in Fitzrovia.

She was told by a magistrate he wished he could 'ban her from the entire planet' as she was given an indefinite nationwide anti-social behaviour order.

She appealed against the ruling and told the court it was instead her neighbours who had subjected her to a 'horrific ordeal' but the order remained in place.

Bailey denied a series of allegations from separate residents including claims that she peeked through a man's blinds and hurled bleach at a neighbour in another flat.

Prosecutor Leila Nahaboo said: 'The complainant states his daily life has changed. He says he's found out that this defendant has had an Asbo before.

'He's very concerned she has followed him to his home address turned up at his work place unannounced and he says my daily activities are changed.

'The defendant has been turning up unannounced, calling him non-stop, there have been text messages and also contact to the complainant's colleagues.'

Asked what Bailey's case would be, Robert Katz, defending, said: 'Saying that her conduct didn't amount to harassment* Some of the allegations are untrue.

Businesswoman Bailey returned to the dock today at Westminster Magistrates' Court (pictured) smartly dressed in a white silk scarf, black skirt suit and brown wedge heels

'He wasn't qualified and in fact botched a treatment on her and she was trying to find some redress for that.

'The doctor has made false allegations that she was trying to seduce him and that he's made this up to cover up what is in effect his malpractice and malfeasance.'

Bench chairman Paul Brooks released Bailey on conditional bail and ordered her not to visit the Harley Street clinic or contact the doctor.

Bailey, from Liverpool, denied harassment without violence. She will return to stand trial before magistrates at Hendon Magistrates' Court on November 2.
SINGAPORE  Youve never seen them like that  the cartoon mascots of Kopitiam food courts, Ya Kun Kaya Toast, and Jacks Place as sexy hunks, that is.

But thats what a Singaporean artist has done  turned symbols of the beloved local food brands into sex symbols.

The artist, Toastwire, took the Kopitiam boy and Ya Kun uncle and turned them into handsome, ripped, thirst-inducing guys.

He also created muscular versions of a Beef Bro cook and a Mr Teh Tarik tea puller.

Toastwire, who prefers to remain anonymous as he is a gay artist, told Yahoo Lifestyle SEA that he created these drawings of five food hunks for National Day as a tribute to the iconic food franchises. And theyre multicultural to boot, representing Singapores various ethnicities.

Here are the five food hunks:

Artist Toastwire's five hunky food mascots of the brands Kopitiam, Ya Kun Kaya Toast, Mr Teh Tarik, Beef Bro and Jack's Place. (Artwork: Toastwire)

Mmmmm, kopi, toast and eggs never looked so good!

The thirst for these food hunks is real. I want to spread kaya on those abs, said a Reddit user in a thread gushing over the fictional heartthrobs.

These are the individual hunks, with their real-life inspirations beside them:

Artist Toastwire's version of the Kopitiam mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)

Artist Toastwire's version of Mr Teh Tarik's mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)

Artist Toastwire's version of Ya Kun Kaya Toast's mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)

Artist Toastwire's rendition of a Beef Bro cook. (Artwork: Toastwire)

Artist Toastwire's version of the Jack's Place mascot. (Artwork: Toastwire)

Toastwire said the inspiration for his food series of hunks came when he was eating at a Kopitiam food court. Basically I was having my meal at the Kopitiam and I noticed how their mascot looked so boring. And I thought it would be fun to make him sexier and since it's a local icon, people would appreciate it and laugh about it, he said.

Toastwire, a 28-year-old Singaporean male, draws as a hobby and describes himself as a homoerotic artist creating gay-themed art for gay people. In fact, hes the only homoerotic artist in Singapore, with a large following on Instagram and Facebook.

That means that a lot of his artwork is, ahem, NSFW.

I create works featuring hunky men inspired by mostly Singaporean people and culture, Toastwire says on his Etsy page. He also has a Patreon page for fans who would like to support his art financially.

Toastwire has also drawn sexy renditions of Singapore police mascot Inspector Clif and SAF military fitness trainers.

Story continues

Toastwire creates his art digitally using Clip Studio Paint software, which allows him to draw and paint on a tablet.

Although his art is mostly geared towards gay men, Toastwire says his fans also include ladies and some weird straight guys.

For this hunky gay art thing, I've been drawing for around ten years already. But Ive been drawing since forever. I just draw, like, everyday, said Toastwire.

Toastwire is having a sale of products and merchandise based on his art at the Alternate Universe Singapore centre this weekend (8-9 August), so go down and check out his booth if youre interested.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Aug. 2 that the annexation of West Bank areas is still on the agenda and awaiting an American go-ahead. In his remarks to Likud Knesset members, Netanyahu sought to give himself an alibi for the fiasco that is causing him significant damage and could be disastrous for him if he drags Israelis to a fourth round of elections before years end.

The prospects of imposing Israeli sovereignty over 30% of the West Bank arose in late January, when President Donald Trump unveiled his deal of the century for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The administration announced that Israel could annex the territory within the framework of the plan. The political right reacted with unbridled enthusiasm that Netanyahu milked for all its was worth in the lead-up to the March 2 elections.

Seven months have elapsed, and the annexation hype has gone silent. Netanyahu is trying to absolve himself of responsibility for the collapse of his pledge to the right-wing electorate, a tale of greed, policy and the vagaries of Middle Eastern reality.

The annexation plan was last seen on the final weekend of June, when presidential envoy for the Middle East Avi Berkowitz, who replaced Trumps previous appointee Jason Greenblatt, visited Israel for talks with Netanyahu and other top leaders. Despite his promise that the administration would conduct follow-up discussions on annexation after his return to Washington, the issue has fizzled.

The only way this could happen before elections in Israel, a senior Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, would be for someone to convince President Trump that annexation could boost his prospects for a November victory. The source went on to assess the chances of such a thing as very low. Even evangelical voters are no longer what they once were. They are now focused on the corona crisis and the economic situation in the US more than on issues related to the Holy Land, he said.

Since the unveiling of the Trump plan, a fierce internal struggle has been waged within the administration. A top Israeli security source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the argument between US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Trumps adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner has spread to other administration corridors and departments. The head of the CIA station in Tel Aviv has expressed vehement disagreement with Friedman's insistence that some moderate Sunni states could be convinced to express a certain measure of support for annexation, or at least to downplay opposition to the controversial move. According to Friedman, the Arab world will swallow the annexation without any major problems. The US intelligence agency thinks otherwise. Kushner vacillated but eventually moved over to the side of the opponents, given the harsh reactions from the Gulf states, Egypt and especially Jordan.

Their talks with senior Israeli politicians and officials showed the Americans the extent of the division within Israel over the annexation issue. The heads of the Blue and White Party, former army chiefs Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi, told the Americans that annexation would have to be measured and mutual and Israel would have to give the Palestinian Authority some West Bank areas currently under its control in return. The compensation would also have to include the so-called Qalqilya plan, handing the PA territory on which to expand the Palestinian towns adjacent to the Israeli border. The plan, proposed by Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman several years ago, was shelved because of right-wing opposition.

The main drama of recent months occurred over Berkowitz round of talks with the Israelis in late June. Administration officials had firmed up their position ahead of the visit, conditioning US approval for annexation on significant Israeli gestures toward the PA. The Americans talked about handing the Palestinians some 6.5% of the West Banks Area C as an expression of Israels commitment to the two-state solution. The Americans also demanded that Netanyahu accept President Trumps plan in full and commit to the two-state solution.

However, the Israeli side was only willing to offer some limited concessions. Israel proposed handing the Palestinians 0.5% of Area C. Netanyahu was not keen on publicly accepting Trump's deal as a binding plan. Meanwhile, opposition within his electoral base was growing, as some settler leaders argued that the annexation plan meant acceptance of the two-state solution.

Israels tight-fistedness resulted in the de facto shelving of the entire Trump plan. Senior Israeli sources say that since Berkowitz returned to Washington, no follow-up discussion of the annexation option has taken place in the White House.

Obviously, handing the Palestinians some 6% of Area C would not have satisfied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a senior Israeli political source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, But it would have at least calmed the Arab world and created a chance of implementing the annexation relatively smoothly. Israels refusal to agree even to this little bit dealt the plan a kiss of death.

Kushners approach has won over that of Friedman, who some in Jerusalem consider the US ambassador to the settlements. Nonetheless, the demise of the plan has not been made official. Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer continues to try to convince the president that annexation could help him get out the Christian evangelical vote on Nov. 3. If new elections are scheduled in Israel and held in tandem with the US vote, we can expect these efforts to intensify. The annexation issue will not be over until both leaders, face their electoral challenges.
That's something that holds true across the country, where American Indians and Alaska Natives are hospitalized for COVID-19 complications at more than five times the rate of non-Hispanic whites, according to data through July 25 from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.



The reservation hospital where Taylor worked can't handle patients with severe coronavirus cases; they're sent to facilities elsewhere in the state. Taylor died June 22 in Jackson, about 80 miles from home.

In Neshoba County, named for the Choctaw word for wolf, more than a quarter of residents live below the poverty line. It's a rural area, characterized by dusty red clay and rolling pine-filled hills.

The Golden Moon Casino on state Highway 16 serves as a welcome to Choctaw land. From there, the reservation spreads out over almost 55 square miles.

Choctaw Indians used to live across millions of acres in southeastern Mississippi but were forced off the land. Under an 1830 treaty, the Choctaws were to move to Oklahoma. Those who remained in Mississippi endured segregation, racism and poverty.

In the 1990s the Choctaws started building what became a strong tribal economy. They own a family-style resort with a water park and two casinos. The tribe is a leading employer in eastern Mississippi, but the tribal government has been more conservative in reopening efforts during the pandemic than Mississippi state officials.

The tribe has long been a target of hate, and the coronavirus has only made things worse, members say. On social media, people blame Choctaws for high case numbers. Choctaw employees have been harassed at their jobs; others are called names in stores.

"We've heard so many bad things about ourselves and our people. The first thing people turn to is blame and hate, says Marsha Berry, a tribe member who helped form a group that delivers food and other necessities to people who aren't leaving home.

Grief is cut short

Anita Johnson lives near the funeral home that has handled arrangements for all the Choctaws lost to the virus. Each time a funeral procession passes her house, her family stop what they're doing to pray.

"It seemed like in Choctaw families, she says, that's all that was in front of us: You're going to get sick, you're going to get the fever, you're going to end up going to the hospital, and you're going to die.

When Sharon Taylor died, her family couldn't grieve as Choctaws normally would. Because of the chief's ban, no bonfire marked the occasion, no wake with people dropping by for days to pay respects and drop off meals.

Instead, at her graveside, her family shared stories of the woman who valued their tight-knit family and community above all else, who never missed a gathering and always had a grandchild on her lap. They sang the hymns she loved, the ones she'd sung to her kids and then to her grandkids.

Her 25-year-old daughter, Kristi Wishork, is pregnant, and she would like to name her baby girl for her mother.

"She was always looking out for other people, Kristina Taylor said. Now, she's watching over us."
South Korean automaker Kia Motors Corporation on Friday globally unveiled its sub four meter compact Sonet which it plans to launch in India next month.

The model would be manufactured at company's Anantapur-based (Andhra Pradesh) facility and would also be exported to other markets.

Sonet, which is Kia's third product in India after Seltos and Carnival, would compete with the likes of Hyundai Venue, Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300 in the domestic market.

The segment is also going to see more products like Toyota Kirloskar Motor's Urban Cruiser and Nissan's Magnite.

With its aggressive and modern design language, fun-to-drive dynamics, and Kia's latest high-tech features, the Sonet puts an exclamation point on our ambition to make Kia the brand of choice, especially among millennial and Gen Z consumers," Kia Motors Corporation President and CEO Ho Sung Song said.

The model fills a need in the growing market, in India and further afield, and will attract a wider number of consumers to the Kia brand, he added.

Kia Motors India MD and CEO Kookhyun Shim said that after the success of the Seltos and Carnival, the company is confident that it will revolutionise another market segment in India with the Sonet by addressing the unmet needs and aspirations of customers.

The Sonet will be produced at the company's Anantapur plant as per Kia's exacting global standards, Shim noted.

The Kia Sonet will come with multiple powertrain options to suit virtually all requirements in this segment.

It will also come with a 1.2 litre and 1 litre turbo petrol variants besides 1.5 litre diesel trims mated to a choice of five manual and automatic transmissions.

The compact would also come with first-in-class diesel six-speed automatic transmission, the automaker said.

The Sonet would also come with a range of connected features.

The Sonet is developed and engineered from the ground-up jointly by Kia Motors India and Kia's global research and development headquarters in South Korea.
Kristin Cavallari announced her divorce from Jay Cutler, after seven-years of marriage, back in April.

And now the 33-year-old reality TV star is opening up about her post-split life, in a revealing interview with Us Weekly, on Thursday.

The mother-of-three said she is focusing on herself, kids and business Uncommon James and is learning 'how to cut toxicity' out of her life.

Opening up: Kristin Cavallari is opening up about her post-split life, in a revealing interview with Us Weekly, on Thursday

'This is the first time in a very long time that I fell like I can take a breath,' she said. 'I'm enjoying things slowed down and having more time to focus on what really matters in life.'

She spoke to the outlet about her collaboration with DIFF Eyewear and brand Uncommon James, which was released on Thursday.

Her brand, which started out in jewelry and has recently released apparel, has been a focus for the star.

'I want to take this extra time I have right now to better myself and be the best mom I can be,' the former star of The Hill said. 'And continue to grow Uncommon James.'

Cutting it out: The mother-of-three said she is focusing on herself, kids and business Uncommon James and is learning 'how to cut toxicity' out of her life

Focus: She spoke to the outlet about her collaboration with DIFF Eyewear and brand Uncommon James, which was released on Thursday. Her brand, which started out in jewelry and has recently released apparel, has been a focus for the star

She has put herself on an early routine to put herself first.

'I wake up at 5 a.m. Monday through Friday to have that quiet time in the morning to get ready for the madness and to also work out,' she said.

Adding that: 'Working out keeps me sane. Thats the only real self-care I need besides a good bath and a face mask from time to time, which Im able to do when my kids are in bed.'

'To feel my best, I have to make sure Im making myself a priority,' Cavallari continued. 'sAnd for me that means working out, eating healthy and having balance in my life. Getting rid of the things that dont bring me joy.'

Split: Kristin announced her divorce from Jay Cutler, after seven-years of marriage, back in April (pictured in 2019)

Keeping positive despite her circumstances, she said: 'I hate negativity. I will run the other way from it, but Ive had to learn how to cut toxicity out of my life as Ive gotten older.'

Though, she is also trying to live in the moment and give herself a break from worrying too much about the future.

'Im not thinking about what I want to be doing next year or the year after that. Ive driven myself crazy with that mentality the past few years,' she said. 'Right now, I just want to be present and enjoy this journey.'

She also said that her tight 'inner circle of friends' are essential to her life.

Focusing on herself: 'I wake up at 5 a.m. Monday through Friday to have that quiet time in the morning to get ready for the madness and to also work out,' she said. Adding that: 'Working out keeps me sane. Thats the only real self-care I need besides a good bath and a face mask from time to time, which Im able to do when my kids are in bed'

Adding: 'My mom is my best friend and always knows what to say. Im also lucky to have some incredibly strong friendships who I can always count on to make me feel better.'

Since announcing her split from the ex-NFLer, 37, the couple has had ups and downs, struggling to finally come to a custody agreement for their kids Camden, seven, Jaxon, six, and Saylor, four.

They dated for 10 months before he proposed to her in April 2011; they called off their engagement in July but reunited by December of that same year.

They tied the knot on June 8, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The former Hills star filed documents in June, accusing Jay of withholding money from her, according to TMZ.

Support: Adding: 'My mom is my best friend and always knows what to say. Im also lucky to have some incredibly strong friendships who I can always count on to make me feel better'

She found a home late last year that she wanted to purchase but stopped after they decided to try one more time in their marriage; after that didn't work, and that 'divorce was inevitable,' they became talking about their separation in March, though she did purchase it earlier this summer.

She claimed Jay previously 'never objected' for her to get her own place.

The star also accused him of trying to intimate her into accepting an 'unfavorable' custody arrangement for their three kids, as well as him refusing to leave their home.

She said she signed paperwork on the $5.5 million Franklin, Tennessee home in June, not thinking there would be an issue financially after the athletes 'lack of objection in November' to the real estate acquisition, US Weekly reported, citing court docs.

Battle: Since announcing her split from the ex-NFLer, 37, the couple has had ups and downs, struggling to finally come to a custody agreement for their kids Camden, seven, Jaxon, six, and Saylor, four

She said she felt she believed he was 'punishing' her after their Bahamian vacation on April 7 when he informed her he wasn't going to let her have money to buy the house, as she is requesting the court to make him pay her back 'her portion of their funds.'

The estranged couple are also clashing on custody issues over their three children, as Kristin said he was making one-sided offers to her, and that it's better for the kids if they live apart because of his tendency to ignite conflict with her.

She told the court that she 'fears the situation will escalate' if they continue to be under the same roof amid the pandemic.

Kristin said that they have been alternating staying in their Nashville home every three days since the Bahamas trip ended, according to US Weekly.

Living situation: She told the court that she 'fears the situation will escalate' if they continue to be under the same roof amid the pandemic; pictured May 9, 2015 in Century City, CA

In the documents, the star also claims that Jay 'informed her that his attorney was going to stop her from purchasing the house she wanted, Us Weekly's source revealed.

In addition, that his lawyer 'was going to tell their business manager to not release the funds' needed to purchase a separate home for her.

She refused the 'settlement' offer he proposed, because she felt like she made 'significant financial contributions to the marital estate' and what he offered was an 'unfavorable amount.'

The Laguna Beach star 'always knew that Jay was trying to keep some of his money from her. She suspected this for a while and found some type of proof.'

Kristin knew 'that their marriage has been over' for some time but wasn't expecting her estranged husband to lodge paperwork to legally end their union.

The sudden move, that 'blindsided' her, has damaged their 'amicable' negotiations. 'She had hoped they could work things out more amicably and they were off to a good start before Jay pulled the trigger,' E! News' source revealed.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday said there was an 'opportunity to get creative' with where to permanently house homeless people and that the city wanted to purchase buildings to turn into affordable housing

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday revealed a plan to buy properties around the city and turn them into permanent affordable housing, after moving more than 10,000 homeless people into hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic and shaming rich residents who have left the city as 'fair weather friends'.

At a press conference on Friday, he did not say which type of buildings the city had its eye on and the city is refusing to give more details, citing 'privacy concerns'.

De Blasio only said there was an 'opportunity to get creative' now when it came to finding housing for New York's homeless.

It presents a stark scenario for landlords or building owners who may be struggling to collect rent from current tenants, many of whom - both commercial and residential - have absconded.

The homeless-in-hotels scheme set up by de Blasio is one of many components to an escalating downward change in the city.

Many of New York's wealthy residents fled months ago - taking their disposable income and their tax dollars with them - and there are fears they may never come back.

Crime is on the up but de Blasio has stripped the police force of $1billion in response to Black Lives Matter protests.

Some retailers and restaurants have been forced to close permanently and those who are hanging on face continuously changing and difficult rules, like having to sell 'substantial' amounts of food to customers to avoid crowds gathering.

De Blasio and Cuomo are enforcing checkpoints to stop tourists from 35 COVID hotspot states from entering the city without quarantining for 14 days too.

Earlier this year, it emerged that 139 struggling hotels are taking in homeless people to avoid deathly COVID-19 breakouts in shelters. The effort is being mostly paid for by FEMA, but 25 percent of it is coming from the city's shrinking budget. It brings some cash to the struggling hotels which were decimated by the pandemic.

Through the program, they take $175 per person, per night which - with more than 13,000 homeless currently being housed in hotels - is more than $2.275million, according to anonymous city sources who have been quoted since May.

Homelessness is on the rise in many of Manhattan's neighborhoods. Pictured, the Upper West Side on Friday

Homelessness on the UWS on Thursday. Residents say the streets are overrun with homeless people who are urinating in the street and taking drugs

Large numbers of homeless men have been moved into three hotels in New York City's Upper West Side, much to the dismay of local residents, who have complained of drug use, public urination and cat calling. Pictured: A group of men loiter at Broadway and 79th Street

Homeless men were moved from dorm-style accommodation to the hotels in recent weeks so that they could have one or two people to each room - limiting the spread of Covid-19. Pictured: A group of people who appear to be homeless loiter at Broadway and West 95th

Upper West Side residents have reported seeing homeless men around the hotels urinating in public, openly using drugs and passed out on the sidewalk

Local Upper West Side residents fear that the homeless situation in the area is a ticking time bomb, with it costing authorities $175 a night to house a single person in the hotels

CUOMO BEGS THE RICH TO COME BACK WHILE DE BLASIO CALLS THEM 'FAIR WEATHER FRIENDS' NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo is begging the wealthy residents who have fled New York City to come back to save the economy whereas de Blasio has called them 'fair weather friends' who will be replaced. There is no hard data yet for exactly how many people have left New York City since the pandemic began, but with the wealthiest one percent paying more than half of the city's taxes, there is legitimate concern that they may not return. It would create an even bigger tax vacuum than the $9billion that are already gone, and the $30billion projected deficit over the next few years. Cuomo said earlier this week that he begged the wealthy every day to come back and that he was offering to take them to dinners, buy them drinks and even cook for them. De Blasio, on the other hand, has called them 'fair weather friends' who will easily be replaced. 'It's time to look it in the face and say you know what? Wealthy New Yorkers can afford to pay a little bit more so that everyone else can make it through this crisis,' he said, in favor of boosting taxes for the rich. 'There's a lot of New Yorkers who are wealthy, who are true believers in New York City, who will stand and fight with us and there are some who may be fair weather friends but they will be replaced by others,' he said. Advertisement

On Friday, after wealthy residents on the Upper West Side took to social media in their droves to complain about homeless people from three of the hotels terrorizing their streets with urinating, loitering and drug-taking, de Blasio said the system was not permanent but would likely continue until there is a vaccine - something that is still months away.

'The goal here continues to be to deal with the short term which, let's say is six months-ish, while we're dealing with this crisis until people are vaccinated.

'Once we get out of that, we're going to move out of hotels and go back into the shelter system. We're going to constantly try to reduce the number of people in shelters.

'We are going to have an opportunity here to be creative and get people into other, better housing,' he said.

He was asked if the city would consider turning the hotels into permanent housing and answered vaguely: 'There are buildings we control already and that's where we're looking to, or want to control or purchase, where we're looking to do permanent affordable housing.'

A spokesman for the mayor's office later insisted that the hotels would not become permanent shelters but they refused to disclose which types of buildings he was talking about 'out of privacy concerns'.

They said the city would be asking for reimbursement from the federal government for the money spent on placing the homeless in hotels because it was an 'emergency' expense.

The city is also refusing to release the list of the 139 hotels where the homeless are currently being cared for.

On the Upper West Side, remaining residents are now taking to social media to share photographs of people lying in the street and being antisocial.

A Facebook group, in which residents have shared pictures of men urinating, masturbating and laying sprawled out on sidewalks near the hotels, has been set up and there are other complaints on Twitter.

'Our community is terrified, angry and frightened,' one organizer of the 1,700 member group, Dr. Megan Martin, told The Post.

The homeless were moved from dorm-style accommodation around the city to the hotels so that they can be housed one or two to a room in order to protect them from Covid-19 more effectively, officials have said.

Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Commissioner Steven Banks said Thursday: 'In order to defuse that ticking time bomb, we implemented a massive emergency relocation of human beings from those congregate shelters throughout the city, more than 10,000 in about eight weeks.'

However, local residents fear that the situation around the three hotels could be spiraling out of control.

FACEBOOK ANNOUNCES MAJOR NYC INVESTMENT Facebook has announced the first major reinvestment in New York City real estate since the coronavirus lockdown Monday by signing a lease in the landmark Farley building. The social media giant has leased all of the 730,000-square-foot office space at the 1912 Beaux Arts former post office in Manhattan, in a deal that marks a major expansion of the company's business operations in the city. According to AMNY, the move could boost the number of Facebook employees in NYC to 10,000. It comes as much of the Big Apple's office space lies empty with many employees still working from home and wealthy New Yorkers having fled the city. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio heralded the company's investment in the city as 'part of our economic rebirth', despite smaller businesses in the Big Apple continuing to go out of businesses post-lockdown. Advertisement

The hotels in the Upper West Side are three out of 139 in the city housing homeless people according to a source cited by The Post from the Hotel Association of New York City.

The initiative is costing hundreds of millions of dollars according to the source, with FEMA covering 75 per cent, and the other 25 per cent being paid for by the city. Officials have reportedly confirmed this breakdown.

According to The Post's source, the contract to accommodate the homeless in hotels is set to run through until October, but is expected to be renewed.

One local community board member told the website that the DHS, who is handling the distribution of the funds, have not been transparent with the local neighborhood about the details of the scheme, and locals have been given little to no input or notice.

The board member, who chose to stay anonymous, said that they had been told the city was paying hotels $175 per day, per person, or $350 a day for housing two people in a room.

'You do the math,' the board member said to The Post. 'It's a lot of money,' adding 'It feels like the 1970s. Everyone who can move out is moving out.'

Local parents are particularly concerned with the ten registered sex offenders that have been accommodated in the Belleclaire as of Thursday, according to the state sex offender registry.

Included in those ten are Luis Martin, 44, who assaulted and raped a woman in 1995, Roland Butler, 62, convicted in 2013 of raping a 16-year-old girl, Eddie Daniel, 59, convicted of abused a 10-year-old in 2011, Jonathan Evans, 29, convicted of abusing a 6-year-old, and Michael Hughes, 55, convicted of possessing child pornography in 2007.

Local residents have reported seeing fights, have been verbally abused or harassed, seen people spitting - despite the ongoing pandemic - and have also seen people looking for, or using drugs.

Nearly 300 homeless drug and alcohol addicts have reportedly been living at the Lucerne alone since last week, with one homeless man -Angel Ortiz, 60 - telling The Post 'whatever drug you can imagine is done there.'

Pictured: The Belleclaire on Broadway, one of the three hotels in the Upper West Side being used as homeless shelters for men during the coronavirus crisis in New York City

A room at The Lucerne Hotel, one of the 139 where homeless people are being housed. It's unclear how many people are involved and what the arrangement is for their meals
An Adelaide man who bashed a mother-of two to death believing it would reunite him with his parents who 'lived on another planet' will be held in mental health detention for life.

Jayden Lowah's schizophrenia was entrenched when he randomly attacked 36-year-old Michelle Foster outside a Noarlunga shopping centre in October 2018, slamming her head into the ground.

The Supreme Court heard that the 22-year-old believed killing Ms Foster would reunite him with his parents who were 'living on another planet'.

Michelle Stephanie Foster, 36, (pictured) was bashed to death at a shopping centre

Jayden Lowah (under sheet) believed killing Ms Foster would reunite him with his parents who were 'living on another planet'

Lowah has suffered severe mental health problems since the age of 15, had previously planned to kill his father and attacked two strangers just six weeks before killing Ms Foster, the court previously heard.

'It is his belief, within this delusional belief system, that he is living in a simulation which is controlled by those who he describes as his original parents who are said to occupy a planet somewhere outside the simulation,' prosecutor Carmen Matteo told the court.

'Part of his belief system is that he has been sent into the simulation with an alternate body and face but has maintained the same brain.'

Ms Matteo said Lowah also believed that by killing Ms Foster it would lead to a 'supernatural event' and that he would then 'experience a good life'.

Following the incident with his father and two strangers, Lowah had warned doctors that he felt homicidal.

Doctors trusted Lowah to continue taking his antipsychotic medication, but now the severity of his condition had, at times, been misdiagnosed and blamed on drugs.

Ms Foster was bashed to death at Colonnades Shopping Centre (pictured) in October 2018

Ms Foster's mother, Andrea (pictured) said Lowah had 'taken my baby away from me' in a victim impact statement

A victim impact statement was read out to the court from Ms Foster's mother, Andrea, who said Lowah had 'taken my baby away from me'.

'Every day is torture. The pain will never go away,' she said.

Outside court, Andrea, sympathised with Lowah saying the state's mental health system failed him.

'He told mental health workers he was going to kill  if that was not a red flag, what is?' she asked outside the court, Adelaide Now reported.

'When does the system stop and see he's been like this since he was 15, that he wanted to kill his father, that he was going to kill somebody?

'Since this man was a child he's needed help, but nobody gave it and so he killed  someone didn't do their job, and my child suffered because of that.'

Justice Sam Doyle subsequently found Lowah not guilty of the murder of Ms Foster because of mental incompetence and on Friday, and ordered he be held in mental health detention for life.

He said a psychiatric report indicated Lowah remained psychotic with delusional beliefs.
On October 8, 2020 the best Ukrainian and international experts in innovations, urbanists, state officials and anti-crisis managers will speak about transformations induced by the pandemic Covid-19. Kyiv Smart City Forum 2020 is an exceptional innovative online site for presenting ideas, sharing best practices and having discussions focused on transformations of our cities into smart cities. It will host thousands of guests and experts from all over the world.

Kyiv Smart City Forum delivers unique content, represents different views and shares invaluable experience of improvements in our smart life. This year the forum is held online. From offline format all forum activities switched to a single online platform! Apart from talks of leading Ukrainian and international speakers, there will be a virtual exhibition area with the best technological solutions, live communication with a smart community, interactive activities, built-in video chats of participants, quizzes and ratings. The forum in real time proposes - experts from different countries, anti-crisis strategies, interesting interactive activities and new forms of interaction with the audience.

Program of the forum consists of four sections. In the section "Smart city. Modern digital technologies in a smart city" participants will learn about global trends for smart cities in a face of new challenges; regarding current status of modern crypto-economy and artificial intelligence; concerning the digital transformation of regions and cybersecurity in smart cities. Experts will talk about growth of intelligent video analytics in Ukraine and globally and will explain how privacy and digitalization coexist at this stage.

The "Smart architecture" section is dedicated to the role of Big Data in implementation of information systems serving to new urban architecture. "Smart Environment. Smart City Ecosystem sections speakers will elaborate on city policies regarding hazardous wastes and will reveal about planned in this area innovations. Ultimately, at Urban transportation. Traffic Management" section, invited experts will envisage future of public transit after the pandemic is over.

The forum focuses on cities and public readiness for crisis situations, automation of processes and technologies which makes us feel safe and secure in this changing world. Speakers from Ukraine, Netherlands, USA, Spain, Germany and Singapore will provide a well-structured information as to help communities in adaptation for changes. International experts will present real cases and recommendations regarding technologies, assisting to business in adaptation for unforeseen situations.

Within the Kyiv Smart City Forum 2020, there will be also a gala ceremony of nominating cities leading in introduction of innovative solutions to its infrastructure, where the best city projects, public and state initiatives in 8 nominations will be awarded.

Kyiv Smart City Forum 2020 is being held for the fifth time and is one of the main events in Eastern Europe dedicated to the promotion of smart city technologies. Last year, the event was attended by more than 4,000 guests, and 60 prominent international and Ukrainian experts shared their knowledge and best practices.

Up to August, 14 inclusive 50% discount provided on all ticket categories.

Look for detailed information online: http://forum.kyivsmartcity.com
Not content to leave well enough alone, President Trump has signed an executive order that imposes a ban on TikTok beginning September 20. The order says President Trump "finds that additional steps must be taken to deal with the national emergency." To be clear, he isn't talking about the pandemic, but rather "the spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People's Republic of China."

This is the same TikTok that is currently in negotiations with Microsoft. It's hard to say exactly what "additional steps" would be required if such a sale goes through.

The president signed a second executive order imposing a ban on WeChat, a popular chat application with over a billion users, owned by Tencent. The actual scope of the bans, and precisely what apps and services might be affected, isn't entirely clear. The order simply says that after 45 days, the Secretary of Commerce will determine which transactions are subject to the ban.

In addition to being vague, a ban could be broadened depending on how the government decides to implement it. Tencent, the owner of WeChat, also has stakes in gaming companies, including those that make World of Warcraft and Fortnite.

There is absolutely an argument to be made that any app owned by a Chinese company could potentially pose a security risk. There's no question about that. Then again, I don't use TikTok or WeChat, so maybe I'm just not that worried.

Of course, it might be worth mentioning that the average American doesn't need Chinese apps to compromise their data. We have Facebook--which seems to be really good at abusing our personal information in all sorts of ways.

For an ordinary citizen, the idea that the Chinese Communist Party might be storing copies of TikTok videos is weird, but really quite inconsequential. The real concern is that the apps could be transmitting other, more sensitive user data, like locations. TikTok has said that doesn't happen, and that it would not comply with requests from the Chinese government to hand over data on U.S. citizens.

Certainly, there's a different level of concern for federal employees whom the Chinese government might be interested in spying on. But, if the issue is security, it does seem like it would be much easier to simply prohibit federal employees from installing certain apps on their official devices. I mean, should the Undersecretary of State of East Asian Affairs really have TikTok on a government iPhone anyway?

By the way, the federal government doesn't have any problem with trying to force U.S. companies to hand over data on its citizens. It just, apparently, doesn't want anyone else to try.

Whatever you might think about China or WeChat or TikTok, there actually is a much bigger issue. Two really.

The first is that these orders would essentially prohibit Apple and Google from allowing users to download these apps from the App Store and Google Play Store, respectively. Whether TikTok or WeChat poses an actual national security risk, I think Americans should be very leery of the idea that the president can effectively censor the apps and services you're allowed to use.

If that's the case, what's to say the government will stop with a few apps owned by Chinese companies?

The second, and equally troublesome issue, is that China's response could pose an extraordinary risk to U.S. companies. For example, if China decides to retaliate, it won't be against, say, Twitter. The social media service is already banned in China. The same is true for Facebook, though China could impose a ban in Hong Kong and Taiwan, where Facebook isn't currently blocked.

Or, what if China decides to forbid Chinese companies from doing business with Walmart? That may not be the most likely scenario, simply because the companies represent a huge amount of business for Chinese companies, but nothing is out of the realm of possibility right now.

There's also the possibility the country could directly retaliate against Microsoft. That would seem like a logical response, except Microsoft doesn't really have much of a consumer-focused business in China.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  Residents at high-risk areas should expect a visit from members of the Coordinated Operations to Defeat Epidemic (CODE) team for COVID-19 symptom assessment.

Health Spokesperon Maria Rosario Vergeire said Friday that the CODE team will prioritize the barangays in Metro Manila and Calabarzon which have recorded the most number of infections and clustering recently.

We have prioritized areas where our CODE teams will go in the next two weeks. This is like priming the system, Health Spokesperon Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media briefing on Friday.

She said the CODE team will start off with the following barangays, which have recorded a high number of infections and clustering recently:

- Pinagbuhatan, Pasig

- Addition Hills, Mandaluyong

- Sucat, Muntinlupa

- Potrero, Malabon

- Pembo, Makati

- San Antonio, Paranaque

- Barangay 12, Caloocan

- Batasan Hills, Quezon City

- CAA/BF International, Las Pinas

- Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

Pag merong strict lockdown, you have to go house to house. You have to identify all of those with symptoms, or all of those who had been exposed to a person with symptoms, or a person who was positive. Kailangan naa-isolate yan, kailangan nabibigyan ng edukasyon at impormasyon, Vergeire said.

[Translation: When theres strict lockdown, you have to go house to house. You have to identify all of those with symptoms, or all of those who had been exposed to a person with symptoms, or a person who was positive. They should be isolated, and given education and information.]

The government's target is to isolate residents with coronavirus symptoms as well as their close contacts, and to subject them to swab testing.

Eventually, after these two weeks, iniisip namin na maipapatupad ito sa lahat ng mga (we are thinking that this will be implemented in all) high risk areas over the country, Vergeire said.

READ: DOH says stopping use of rapid kits as screening test among the end-goal of two-week MECQ

Vergeire said there are enough people to do the house-to-house assessment. The CODE team includes local health officials, some from regional offices, national government and local government partners, and barangay health emergency response teams, Vergeire said.
Anti-government protesters chanting against the government in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 6, 2020. EPA



Lebanon's embattled leadership, under fire after a massive explosion laid waste to large parts of central Beirut, faced public fury Thursday and stern calls to reform from the visiting French president and the IMF.



Grief has turned to anger in a traumatized nation where at least 149 people died and over 5,000 were injured in Tuesday's colossal explosion of a huge pile of ammonium nitrate that had languished for years in a port warehouse.



To many Lebanese, it was tragic proof of the rot at the core of their governing system which has failed to halt the deepest economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war that has plunged millions into poverty.



French President Emmanuel Macron, on a snap visit to shell-shocked Beirut, pledged to lead international emergency relief efforts and organize an aid conference in the coming days, promising that "Lebanon is not alone".



But he also warned that Lebanon  already in desperate need of a multi-billion-dollar bailout and hit by political turmoil since October  would "continue to sink" unless it implements urgent reforms. Speaking of Lebanon's political leaders, Macron said "their responsibility is huge  that of a revamped pact with the Lebanese people in the coming weeks, that of deep change".



The International Monetary Fund, whose talks with Lebanon started in May but have since stalled, warned that it was "essential to overcome the impasse in the discussions on critical reforms".



The IMF urged Lebanon  which is seeking more than $20 billion in external funding and now faces billions more in disaster costs  "to put in place a meaningful program to turn around the economy" following Tuesday's disaster.



Macron's visit to the small Mediterranean country, France's Middle East protege and former colonial-era protectorate, was the first by a foreign head of state since the unprecedented tragedy.



The French president visited Beirut's harborside blast zone, a wasteland of blackened ruins, rubble and charred debris where a 140 meter (460 feet) wide crater has filled with sea water.



As he inspected a devastated pharmacy, crowds outside vented their fury at the country's "terrorist" leadership, shouting "revolution" and "the people want an end to the regime!".



Later Macron was thronged by survivors who pleaded with him to help get rid of their reviled ruling elite.



Under the nervous gaze of his suited bodyguards, Macron gave one woman a prolonged embrace triggering wild cheers from the crowd.



"I understand your anger. I am not here to endorse... the regime," Macron assured the crowd. "It is my duty to help you as a people, to bring you medicine and food."



Another woman implored Macron to keep French financial aid out of the reach of Lebanese officials, accused by many of their people of rampant graft and greed.



"I guarantee you that this aid will not fall into corrupt hands," the president pledged.



Compounding the woes, Lebanon recorded 255 coronavirus cases Thursday  its highest single-day infection tally  after the blast upended a planned lockdown and sent thousands streaming into overflowing hospitals.



The disaster death toll rose from 137 to 149 on Thursday evening, the health ministry said, and was expected to further rise as rescue workers kept digging through the rubble.



Offering a glimmer of hope amid the carnage, a French rescuer said there was a "good chance of finding... people alive", telling Macron seven or eight missing people could be stuck in a room buried under the rubble.



Even as they counted their dead, many Lebanese were consumed with anger over the blast they see as the most shocking expression yet of their leadership's incompetence.



"We can't bear more than this. This is it. The whole system has got to go," said 30-year-old Mohammad Suyur.



A flood of angry posts on social media suggested the disaster could reignite a cross-sectarian protest movement that erupted in October but faded amid the grinding economic hardship and the coronavirus pandemic.



Prime Minister Hassan Diab and President Michel Aoun have promised to put the culprits responsible for the disaster behind bars.



And late Thursday a military prosecutor announced 16 port staff had been detained over the blast.



But trust in institutions is low and few on Beirut's streets held out hope for an impartial inquiry.



Macron told reporters that "an international, open and transparent probe is needed to prevent things from remaining hidden and doubt from creeping in".



Amid the gloom and fury, the aftermath of the terrible explosion has also yielded countless uplifting examples of spontaneous solidarity.



Business owners swiftly took to social media, posting offers to repair doors, paint damaged walls or replace shattered windows for free.



Lebanon's diaspora, believed to be nearly three times the tiny country's population of five million, has rushed to launch fundraisers and wire money to loved ones.



In Beirut, much of the cleanup has been handled by volunteers. "We're sending people into the damaged homes of the elderly and handicapped to help them find a home for tonight," said Husam Abu Nasr, a 30-year-old volunteer.



"We don't have a state to take these steps, so we took matters into our own hands." (AFP)




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Holidaymakers pleaded for ministers to make a decision today after Rishi Sunak refused to quell speculation France could be the next destination to face coronavirus curbs, after the country confirmed 2,288 new cases and 12 deaths today.

Amid rising cases across much of the continent, the Chancellor warned that travellers needed to be aware that the situation was under 'constant review' and there was the 'risk' of disruption.

He said the government 'will not hesitate' to take action by imposing restrictions on flows from countries if necessary.

'It's a tricky situation. What I can say to people is we're in the midst of a global pandemic and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans and people need to bear that in mind,' said Mr Sunak on a trip to Scotland.

But lockdown-weary sunseekers angling for a summer break in France have begged for clarity after claims the country is 'highly likely' to be added to the 14-day quarantine list following a dramatic rise in infections.

Some said a potential quarantine would risk children not starting school in September.

Others said they were 'praying' that the Foreign Office's travel advice does not change and that the country's border remains upon for British travellers.

Jane Stone said her family of six, including two grandparents, their daughter and three grandchildren booked to go to a holiday park in France in August, as they do each year.

Their holiday from August 21 was booked last October, long before any mention of coronavirus.

Jane Stone said her family of six, including two grandparents, their daughter and three grandchildren booked to go to a holiday park in France in August, as they do each year. Pictured: Jane Stone sent in this picture of her family

Mother-of-two Becca Pountney said she is 'ready for a break and now it's looking increasingly unlikely we will make it'

Ms Stone told MailOnline today: 'We cannot cancel, without losing our money, and find ourselves stuck waiting for a Government decision.

'Our son is already in the Dordogne, and as far as I am aware, oblivious to the current situation.'

Mother-of-two Becca Pountney, of Bedfordshire-based Engage Weddings, said her parents have an apartment in the South of France and she was due to drive to the country for the end of the summer holidays.

She decided to go there because it was much cheaper for her than trying to holiday in the UK 'where the prices are high and there are so many people'.

Ms Pountney added: 'I own my own business as a wedding blogger and consultant to the wedding industry, so I have spent the last four months supporting couples and business owners who have had their whole year in business destroyed or had their wedding days cancelled.

'I'm just ready for a break and now it's looking increasingly unlikely we will make it. I have two children who haven't been to school since March and I don't want the quarantine to impact their return to school.

'I understand it's risky trying to holiday in a pandemic - but we just need the government to make a decision soon so we can work out what happens next.'

Matt Richards wrote on Twitter today: 'Yes, a potential quarantine for me and my wife is not the end of the world. But 14 days quarantine would mean my children would miss the first week back at school and they've been off since March.'

Families demand clarity on the rules before thousands of them go on holiday and risk children not starting school in September

Rachel Arnold, of Cheshire, said: 'We want to go to France next week, Charente area, low Covid. Staying at a secluded house, no one else there. Thinking now not to go as 'threat' of quarantine looming. Ironically can't afford to do a ten-day holiday here.'

And Sarah Eaves, from North London, tweeted: 'Please make a decision on France in the next 24 hours before thousands of us with families go on holiday and risk children not starting school. Quarantine means we can cancel and get  back.'

Another worried holidaymaker, Emma Lewis, tweeted: 'We're due to drive through France to get to Italy in early September. Praying the French border stays open and FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) advice for France doesn't change.'

But Michael Porter, of Halifax, West Yorkshire, said he had cancelled a trip on Tuesday to go to France this Saturday for his wife's 60th birthday.

And Twitter user Jamie, from London, said: 'As father of the bride I have a wedding to attend in France on the 17th, so yes I'll be going but need to work on my return or go bankrupt. So pay the fine or hire a pedalo.'

Meanwhile Matt Groombridge, from Deal, Kent, said: 'Two-week quarantine imminent travelling to/from France... holiday was timed well, and it means I'll get some peace and quiet on the ferry again.'

The number of daily coronavirus cases in the country has risen in recent days, with 1,695 new infections being recorded just yesterday, as it battles to avoid a second wave of Covid-19. The seven-day rolling average of confirmed cases has doubled from under 10 per million of population on Jul 21 to 19.33 yesterday. By contrast the UK's is around 12 cases per million people.

On a visit to Glasgow today, Rishi Sunak delivered a stark warning to Britons amid fears France could be the next holiday destination to face coronavirus curbs. Pictured: The chancellor departs on a private jet after visiting Scotland

It is thought that if the decision is made to add France to the list, thousands of British holidaymakers may cancel their trips in order to avoid the two-week quarantine. Pictured: Beach-goers in Saint Jean de Luz, southwestern France, yesterday

Cases of coronavirus measures per million of population have been running higher in France than in the UK recently

How the UK's quarantine rules work Anyone entering or reentering the UK from the continent, or further afield, must fill out a form. This gives details of identity and contact information, travel itinerary, and an address where you will be staying. If you come to the UK from a country that is no exempt from quarantine, you are required to self-isolate for 14 days. Anyone who has arrived in the UK from an exempt country, but has recently been in a quarantine country, must self-isolate for the balance of 14 days. So if you drive through Belgium, stay in France for 10 days, and then come to the UK, you must isolate for four more days on arrival. Advertisement

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced last night that the Bahamas, Andorra and Belgium are being taken off the UK's quarantine-exemption list with little more than 24 hours' notice.

In a round of interviews on a visit to Scotland this morning, Mr Sunak said: 'It's a tricky situation. What I can say to people is we are in the midst of a global pandemic, and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans. People need to bear that in mind.

'It is the right thing for us to do to keep everything under review on a constant basis to be talking with our scientists, our medical advisers.

'If we need to take action, as you have seen overnight, we will not hesitate to do that. But in the meantime people should just continue to look at the guidance and take everything into account.'

The developments in France come after its scientific committee stated earlier this week that the situation was 'under control, but precarious. We could at any moment tip into a scenario that is less under control.'

It added: 'The short term future of the pandemic mainly lies in the hands of the population. It is highly likely that we will experience a second epidemic wave this autumn or winter.'

The statement said the virus 'has recently been circulating more actively, with an increased loss of distancing and barrier measures' since France emerged from its strict two-month lockdown in May.

'The balance is fragile and we can change course at any time to a less controlled scenario like in Spain for example,' it said.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'Unless France takes further significant steps to reduce its case numbers, then it's highly likely to be added later next week as the increase must be causing worries in Westminster.

'There are several hundred thousand British tourists in France at the moment so the government must give plenty of warning if it does change its advice later next week.'

The uptick in infections in France has been bolstered by fresh coronavirus testing troubles as dozens of labs closed to allow staff a summer holiday despite signs that a second wave is building.

Doctors have warned that the vacation crunch is just part of a larger web of failures in France's testing strategy which was described earlier this week by the government's own virus advisory panel as disorganized and 'insufficient'.

'First, there is a lack of workers to do the testing. If we don't ask all the health workers to be available by mobilizing all of them, there are just not enough people,' emergency services doctor Christophe Prudhomme at a hospital in Bobigny, Paris.

Two months of strict lockdown seemed to put the country on track in its fight against the pandemic - but it is now once again recording around 1,219 new cases a day (graphic showing growing number of daily coronavirus cases in France)

There are still a number of destinations on the government's quarantine-free list - but ministers have warned that the situation can change quickly

'And then it's a matter of organization,' he said, urging regional health agencies 'to organize testing so that it's not the citizen who has to take his phone and try to call seven or eight labs in order to get an appointment that will take place only next week.'

It is worrying news for the country which saw its hospitals nearly drown with Covid-19 patients in the first wave - in part due to inadequate testing.

The country has already lost more than 30,300 lives to the pandemic and yesterday alone recorded 1,695 new infections.

A decision by the Government is expected to be announced within the next 24 hours after ministers consider the latest data as part of their weekly review of quarantine.

Travellers from France could soon face a 14 days of self-isolation on their return to the UK following a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases. Pictured: Tourists wearing face masks in Brittany earlier this week

Meanwhile, the Bahamas, Andorra and Belgium will be taken off the UK's quarantine-exemption list.

Mr Shapps said people arriving in Britain from the three nations will have to quarantine from 4am on Saturday.

In a tweet he said: 'Data shows we need to remove Andorra, Belgium and The Bahamas from our list of coronavirus Travel Corridors in order to keep infection rates DOWN.

'If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days.'

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has designated all Belgium as a 'code orange' for the new coronavirus, meaning the number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants is 20 or above for two weeks.

Separately, Malaysia and Brunei have been added to the UK's safe list

It comes after travellers from Belgium were also told they could face quarantine for 14 days following a dramatic rise in coronavirus infections there. Pictured: People wearing face masks walk through the shopping district of Brussels earlier this week

In Wales, the restrictions come into force from midnight tonight August 6.

Belgium has suffered a consistent increase in cases in recent weeks, rising to 27.8 new cases per 100,000 people.

This towers over the UK's latest rate of 8.4 per 100,000, and is higher than Spain's 27.4 level around the time when the UK introduced travel restrictions there.

Belgium's prime minister, Sophie Wilmes, was last week forced to put a halt to the nation's Covid-19 exit plan by introducing drastic new social distancing measures in the hope of avoiding a new national lockdown.

Contacts outside every household were limited to the same five people for a month, in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

In Andorra, new cases per week have increased five-fold since mid-July, while in The Bahamas the weekly case rate peaked at 78.6 last week, up from 3.1 in the middle of last month.

The countries follow Spain  which was put on the quarantine list a fortnight ago, wrecking the holiday plans of millions  and Luxembourg, which was added last week.

The number of new cases in Belgium doubled in a week following earlier success in bringing the virus under control in the country

Men walk through the entrance of meat processing plant Westvlees, in Westrozebeke, part of Staden, Belgium, on Wednesday after several employees of the plant were tested positive for coronavirus

The biweekly map shows how most countries in Europe have reported between a 25 and 200 per cent increase in cases in the past two weeks

The British Government has been under pressure to introduce airport coronavirus tests for arrivals.

Ministers are looking at whether people coming to the UK from at-risk countries such as the US and Spain could be given tests to reduce the number of days they have to quarantine for.

And the boss of Heathrow airport has proposed a double-testing regime that would see passengers tested at their point of entry to the country, and again five to eight days later.

If given the all clear in both tests, they would no longer be required to stay at home for 14 days and could go back to normal life.

France's covid testing teams down tools  for summer holidays: Laboratory staff head off on vacation just as signs of a second wave strike leaving country struggling with demands for tests

France is facing new coronavirus testing troubles as dozens of labs close to allow staff a summer holiday despite signs that a second wave is building.

Doctors have warned that the vacation crunch is just part of a larger web of failures in France's testing strategy which was described earlier this week by the government's own virus advisory panel as disorganized and 'insufficient'.

'First, there is a lack of workers to do the testing. If we don't ask all the health workers to be available by mobilizing all of them, there are just not enough people,' emergency services doctor Christophe Prudhomme at a hospital in Bobigny, Paris.

'And then it's a matter of organization,' he said, urging regional health agencies 'to organize testing so that it's not the citizen who has to take his phone and try to call seven or eight labs in order to get an appointment that will take place only next week.'

It is worrying news for the country which saw its hospitals nearly drown with Covid-19 patients in the first wave - in part due to inadequate testing.

The country has already lost more than 30,300 lives to the pandemic and yesterday alone recorded 1,695 new infections.

A second wave also appears to be sweeping across the rest of Europe as countries such as Germany, Spain and Greece all see spikes in their infection rates with the global death toll yesterday topping 700,000.

France is facing new coronavirus testing troubles as dozens of labs close to allow staff a summer holiday despite signs that a second wave is building (biologist pictured earlier this week taking a swab sample from a man in Lille, northern France)

In France, doctor's offices and labs have joined dozens of other businesses in closing for staff to enjoy a summer vacation.

Those labs that have remained open have seen lengthy socially-distanced queues building up outside as people struggle to book a test appointment.

It is worrying news for the country which saw renowned hospitals nearly drown with Covid-19 patients in the first wave - in part due to inadequate testing - and has already lost more than 30,300 lives to the pandemic.

Two months of strict lockdown seemed to put the country on track in its fight against the pandemic.

But it is now once again recording around 1,219 new cases a day when, just two weeks ago, the seven-day rolling average was 719.

Yesterday, France recorded 1,695 new infections.

The number of patients in intensive care is also edging up for the first time in months.

In France, doctor's offices and labs have joined dozens of other businesses in closing for staff to enjoy a summer vacation (poster pictured shows special summer opening hours at a medical laboratory in Ville D'array, France)

The government did not order anyone to skip vacation, which French workers see as a hard-won, fundamental right. Pictured: Two women wearing face masks leave a temporary testing centre for coronavirus in Ripollet earlier today

The nation's scientific committee recently said that the situation was 'under control, but precarious. We could at any moment tip into a scenario that is less under control.'

It added: 'The short term future of the pandemic mainly lies in the hands of the population. It is highly likely that we will experience a second epidemic wave this autumn or winter.'

The statement said the virus 'has recently been circulating more actively, with an increased loss of distancing and barrier measures' since France emerged from its strict two-month lockdown in May.

'The balance is fragile and we can change course at any time to a less controlled scenario like in Spain for example,' it said.

France is in better shape than last time to keep ahead of new infections but experts have warned that testing is key.

'The virus didn't disappear at all... The contamination is continuing, and amplifying in some regions,' said Francois Blanchecotte, president of the Union of Medical Biologists, who has been in the forefront of French testing efforts.

'We have to adapt the testing strategy to this evolution.'

France is not the only country which appears to be suffering a second wave as Covid-19 cases rise across Europe including in Germany, Greece and Spain

He is now pushing for a more targeted policy that takes into account lab capacities, such as organizing tests at beach resorts or tourist sites where young people are congregating.

Blanchecotte said he was particularly annoyed at a blanket government campaign to test 1.5 million Parisians to better understand how the virus is spreading.

The free test vouchers were distributed just as dozens of labs shut down for vacation which has worsened bottlenecks.

'We are at a crossroads. We've seen a situation of disorder in Paris, in which labs were not ready to face thousands of people at the same time. It's a nightmare to get an appointment,' Blanchecotte said.

The government did not order anyone to skip vacation, which French workers see as a hard-won, fundamental right.

But it issued a special decree late last month authorizing certain medical students, firefighters and rescue workers to administer coronavirus nasal swabs in their absence.

That was too late to stop an outbreak in the town of Quiberon in the western region of Brittany which was seemingly spurred by a night club party last month.

Authorities urged everyone in the area to get tested  a mammoth task on a peninsula where the population swells from 5,000 to 60,000 in the summer.

Some partygoers were foiled by long lines at a makeshift testing station and gave up, allowing the virus to continue spreading.

In Paris, City Hall is trying to relieve the summer strain on labs with a mobile testing site at a beach venue on the La Villette canal, where crowds lined up Wednesday even before it opened.

Some labs have adjusted their hours to stay open late into the evening, or open on Sundays - both unusual for France.

After coming under fire for its limited testing capacity in the first wave, the government now says it can test up to 700,000 people a week, and last week hit a record high of 457,000 tests.

But the number of new positive cases is growing twice as fast as the growth in test rates, according to data from the national health agency.

Blanchecotte is worried but defended the decision to let lab staff take holiday time.

'For months, they worked overtime to keep up with virus testing needs', he said with many staggering holiday departures or scaling back their vacation plans.

But he warned that autumn may be even worse: 'We know that September, October, November are difficult months. We need to be prepared.'

France is not the only country which appears to be suffering a second wave as Covid-19 cases rise across Europe with the global death toll yesterday topping 700,000.

The head of Germany's doctors' union declared on Tuesday that the country is already in the midst of 'a second, shallow upswing' because people have flouted social distancing rules.

Two weeks ago the average number of new daily infections was 460 but just yesterday the country recorded 1,024.

Ms Johna said there was a danger that a longing to return to normality and a suppression of containment measures would fritter away the success Germany had achieved so far, urging people to stick to social distancing and hygiene rules and wear masks.

Similarly, cases in Greece have spiked to a three-month high of 121 new infections on Tuesday with a further 119 recorded yesterday.

Greece's prime minister warned earlier this week that new restrictions may be needed if a worrying rise in daily cases does not abate.

'Any form of complacency is unjustified,' Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. 'We still don't know how... many months we will be forced to live with the virus.'

Spain, which is currently the worst-hit nation in Europe, saw 8,500 new cases over the weekend and recorded another 2,953 just yesterday.

An all-inclusive resort in Majorca was shutdown after ten staff fell sick with the virus and two towns north of Madrid have been put under strict lockdown.

Italy - once the sickman of Europe - has managed to avoid an uptick but two cruise ships are now quarantined in the Civitavecchia port in Rome.
ICE arrests suspected illegal immigrant workers during a worksite enforcement operation at a meat processing plant in Canton, Miss., on Aug. 7, 2019. (ICE)

Mississippi Meat Packing Managers Indicted in Illegal Worker Case

WASHINGTONThe Justice Department (DOJ) has unsealed indictments of managers, supervisors, and human resources personnel at several Mississippi meat processing plants that have been accused of employing illegal alien workers.

In August 2019, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents simultaneously busted five plants in six central Mississippi cities, in a sweep that grabbed 680 illegal workers, including 18 juveniles.

According to ICE, worksite investigations often involve egregious violations by employers such as human smuggling, document fraud, money laundering, or worker exploitation, such as using threats or coercion, and substandard wages or working conditions.

Two of the four individuals charged worked at A&B Inc. in Pelahatchie, Mississippi.

Salvador Delgado-Nieves, 57, and Iris Villalon, 44, were both indicted for harboring illegal aliens and making false statements to law enforcement officials, according to the DOJ.

Delgado-Nieves was additionally charged with assisting illegal aliens in falsely representing themselves to be U.S. citizens and assisting illegal aliens in obtaining false Social Security cards.

He faces up to 74 years in federal prison and $2.5 million in fines.

Villalon also was charged for causing false employer quarterly wage reports to be filed with fraudulent Social Security information.

She faces up to 20 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.

The other two indictments refer to Carolyn Johnson and Aubrey Bart Willis, who both worked at Pearl River Foods LLC in Carthage, Mississippi.

Johnson, 50, a human resources manager, was indicted on six felony counts of harboring an illegal alien as well as one count of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft, according to the DOJ.

Willis, 39, the manager, was indicted on five counts of harboring an illegal alien.

If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum of up to 84 years in prison and $2.25 million in fines, while Willis faces a maximum of up to 50 years and $1.25 million in fines.

The DOJ says investigations of federal crimes continue.

Of the 680 illegal aliens detained during the operation, 119 have been prosecuted for crimes including stealing the identities of U.S. citizens, falsifying immigration documents, fraudulently claiming to be U.S. citizens, and illegally reentering the country after having been deported, the DOJ stated.

ICE officials pledged in 2017 that the agency was aiming to quadruple its worksite enforcement and that illegal workers should be arrested during worksite operations.

Illegal alien workers were largely off-limits during the Obama era, when arrests plummeted to 106 individuals in fiscal 2016 from more than 1,600 in fiscal year 2009.

ICE increased its worksite criminal arrests by 460 percent from fiscal 2017 to fiscal 2018, while administrative arrests increased by 757 percent.

Data obtained from the Social Security Administration revealed 39 million instances in which names and Social Security numbers on W-2 forms didnt match corresponding Social Security records, according to a 2018 report by the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI).

The IRLI points to illegal immigrants as the main culprits.

The organization said the cases occurred between 2012 and 2016, after President Barack Obama stopped the practice of sending no match letters to employers, in cases where the name and number dont match up on W-2 forms.

Obama stopped the no-match letters eight days after he implemented the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals amnesty in 2012.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The Grand Rapids Police Department has unveiled a three-year strategic plan intended to guide the department as it works to decrease crime, increase community-policing efforts and build community trust.

The draft plan, which is available online, will be presented to city commissioners Aug. 11 and be available for public feedback through Aug. 25.

Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Payne on Aug. 11 will announce formal plans for community engagement on the document.

The 18-page plan lays out potential actions to be taken over the next three years with regards to safety, innovation and engagement and how to track their outcomes.

The initiatives range from launching a pilot program where officers co-responded to incidents with mental health workers to the development of a Real Time Crime Center with access to public space video with active monitoring.

This plan lays out a vision for reimagining policing in our community, Payne said in a statement. Through compassion, empathy and courage, we are driven to meet the public safety needs of our community. I am excited to present this draft of our strategic plan for fiscal years 2021 to 2023.

View: The Grand Rapids Police Departments draft strategic plan

Some strategic plan highlights include:

Make every patrol officer a community policing specialist

Increase the amount of time for officers to engage with community

Use data and community input to target hot spots of criminal activity

Launch a pilot program where officers co-responded to incidents with mental health workers

Create a Crime Reduction Team that is data-driven to identify and address criminal offenders

Transition all parking enforcement from police to non-sworn city employees

Collaborate with community leaders and past offenders in violence reduction strategies

Develop of a Real Time Crime Center with access to public space video with active monitoring

Have greater involvement in restorative justice programs

Evaluate the legality of using drones as first responders

Re-evaluate ShotSpotter technology that uses acoustic sensors to quickly identify areas of gunfire

Work with community groups to recruit officers that represent the citys demographics

Enhance communication with businesses, residents and visitors

Expand the Homeless Outreach Team and integrate behavioral health professionals within the team

Develop a Community Assistance Team of non-sworn personnel to assist beat officers with neighborhood concerns that aren't criminal

Following community input on the draft plan, Payne will come back to commissioners on Sept. 29 to present the final plan.

City officials announced in early June that Payne was devising a strategic plan to increase restorative justice programming, elevating community voice and public safety engagement.

The announcement came after numerous protests in the city and across the U.S. in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for almost eight minutes.

Payne said the strategic plan was born of "self-evaluation, study, introspection and incremental change" in the department over the past five years.

Our nation is undergoing a significant social awakening that demands both recognition and a commitment to change, Payne said in a statement about the draft plan. This moment is the turning point for our departments relationship with the community. Our strategies will help build a stronger bond and safer neighborhoods.

The release of the draft plan comes amid an uptick in violence in the city. So far this year, 20 people have been killed in the city. Thats two more slayings than all of 2019 and 11 more than all of 2018.

While city leaders have announced a slew of police reforms and initiatives to be completed early this month amid outcry over police brutality and racial injustice, numerous residents continue to call in to city commissioner meetings and demand the city reallocate a portion of the police departments budget.

Related: Protests, riot speed up talks on police reform in Grand Rapids

Proponents of reallocating a portion of police dollars to community investments, social services and programs say the move will make the community safer by providing divested areas of the community with greater access to jobs, affordable housing, education and more, instead of overpolicing.

Under a timeline presented by City Manager Mark Washington, city commissioners will be able to discuss potentially reprioritizing funds for fiscal year 2021 in November. After that, the city manager will bring forward on Dec. 15 any mid-year budget amendments as needed.

A previous attempt by a commissioner to bring the question of defunding a portion of the police department budget was shot down by the citys legal staff, who said only the city manager can raise a budget amendment.

Three commissioner have expressed support to at least discuss defunding a portion of the police departments budget.

Read more:

Grand Rapids voters to decide if they want even-year elections, required runoffs

Longtime Grand Rapids economic development official to retire

Its about jealousy, family of Grand Rapids double-homicide victims say after man charged
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and UAE amounted to $271.7 million over first five months of 2020, compared to $242.8 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee.

The share of UAE in total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at less than 0.8 percent during the reporting period compared to 0.6 percent during the same period of 2019.

Kazakhstans export to UAE amounted to $203.5 million over the period from January through May 2020, compared to $197.8 million during the same period of 2019.

UAEs share in total volume of Kazakhstans export amounted to less than 0.9 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 0.8 percent during the same period of 2019.

In turn, Kazakhstans imports from UAE amounted to nearly $68.1 million over the reporting period, compared to $45.04 million during the same period of 2019, indicating an almost two-times decrease.

UAEs share in total volume of Kazakhstans import amounted to 0.5 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 0.3 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 in 2019).

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
VANCOUVERAlmost everyone boarding a bus, train or Seabus in Metro Vancouver will soon have to wear a mask to protect against the spread of COVID-19.

TransLink announced Thursday that starting Aug. 24, customers will be required to wear non-medical masks or face coverings while on board its vehicles.

CEO Kevin Desmond said physical distancing isnt always possible on transit, especially as more riders return to the system.

The news pleased provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

I think thats excellent, that is an environment where Ive said all along ... its harder to maintain those physical distances consistently, she said.

Its not an enforcement model, its an education and supportive model and thats where we need to go.

People need to remember that allowances have to be made for the small number of people who have challenges wearing masks, Henry added.

TransLink said exceptions to the mandatory mask policy include people with medical conditions, those who are unable to remove a mask without help, children under five, as well as police, employees or first responders in an emergency.

Those who are exempt from using a face covering can request a TransLink card confirming their status.

Desmond said customer confidence is key to rebuilding ridership that plummeted in the wake of the pandemic and requiring face coverings is an important step.

Officials say mask wearing is a key way to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, while contact tracing is also an important measure in the effort to limit transmission.

B.C. reported 47 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and Health Minister Adrian Dix said there hasnt been a death in six days. The death toll stands at 195 people.

There have been 3,881 positive cases, while 3,315 people have recovered.

Henry said over 1,500 people in the province are in isolation and being monitored by public health officials because they are considered close contacts to people who have tested positive.

Both Henry and Premier John Horgan also acknowledged anxiety from parents, teachers and students who are concerned about the upcoming return to full-time schooling in September.

Horgan said during an earlier news conference on Thursday that he wanted parents to know the province wouldnt send kids back to school if officials thought there was an overwhelming risk.

Henry said getting children back into the classroom is about much more than book learning, as school is essential for their health and emotional and social growth.

For many children in this province, being at school is where they get health care. Its a safe place for them, its a place where they can get psychological support, where they may get a meal.

The Vancouver and Fraser health authorities both issued notices warning of possible COVID-19 exposures on Thursday.

Vancouver Coastal Health said in a notice that a person who visited Lions Bay Beach Park north of Vancouver tested positive for COVID-19. Anyone who visited the beach on July 26, 27, 29, 30, or 31 should self-monitor for symptoms, although the health authority says the risk of exposure was low.

Fraser Health warned of a public exposure at the Hookah Lounge on King George Boulevard in Surrey. Potential exposure was over two early mornings, between midnight and 5 a.m. on Aug. 1 and 2, it said in a statement.

Read more about:
My husband was a teenager (at the time), she said. Like any young person, you smoke marijuana, theres a time when you try it or whatever. He got caught, he paid his consequences with court and court fees ... he cleaned the streets. I dont think thats a threat for our society. People deserve another chance, but if they want to use that against him, well just be patient and see what our lawyer can (do to) help with his case.
Dileep V Kumar By

Express News Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When will the rate of transmission of Covid-19 witness a decline in the state? While Covid-19 state expert committee head B Ekbal says that it could happen by mid-September, many others differ. They say that the next two or three weeks will determine where the state is heading to. Public health experts also say that to flatten the curve, the people will have to religiously follow the basic safety protocols like wearing facemasks and practising social distancing.

Given the current trend and the strong intervention being made by the government, the state will witness a slump in the rate of infection transmission by mid-September, said Ekbal in a Facebook post. However, according to him, it will be determined by factors like quarantine, reverse quarantine, social distancing and wearing masks.

To bring the transmission rate under control, flawless implementation of these measures is needed. The state has Covid hospitals for taking care of serious patients. For treating not that serious cases, a number of Covid First-Line Treatment Centres have been established. Allowing asymptomatic patients to opt for home care is also in active consideration of the government, added Ekbal. According to him, another factor that gives hope is the arrival of a vaccine for Covid-19 possibly by December.

Meanwhile, a member of the state medical board for Covid-19 said it will only by mid-October that the cases will start to flatten. The member also added that the upward trend will continue for some more time.

Next two-three weeks are crucial

According to Dr Anup Warrier, head, infectious diseases and infection control, Aster DM Healthcare, much will depend on the case scenario that evolves in the next two or three weeks. If we look at other states which have had high numbers, the surge continues even after three months. But a few states have managed to arrest the spread in this period and brought down the numbers. For Kerala, what happens in the next two or three weeks will tell if the state will go the Tamil Nadu or Karnataka way, said Anup.

According to Dr Ishwar Gilada, consultant in HIV and infectious diseases, Kerala, which was a ray of hope and considered a model for replication in Covid-19 control earlier, is witnessing an escalation of cases now. Though the cases are spiking, the low death rate is an advantage for the state as, according to him, if the death rate remains below one per cent, the battle against Covid-19 is half won.

Police restrict number of customers in supermarkets

TPuram: The police have imposed restrictions in the functioning of supermarkets in the state. As per the new order by State Police Chief Loknath Behera, not more than six customers per 100-sq-ft area of a supermarket will be allowed to enter. The department has also directed the supermarket owners to keep the number of employees to bare minimum and make provisions for maintaining social distancing norms among customers. Institutions, including banks, have been directed to avoid crowding and the local police have been told to take legal action against those who assemble outside flouting Covid protocols.
The case against Cobin James Redman, who is charged with killing his 11-year-old sister Addison on Aug. 20, 2019, is headed to circuit court trial.

The decision was made Thursday by Gratiot County 65th District Court Judge Stewart McDonald following the conclusion of a preliminary hearing.

Redman, 16, has been charged with open murder. Also, at the request of Prosecutor Keith Kushion, a felony firearms charge has been added.

If convicted, that charge would require Redman to serve a mandatory two-years in prison prior to beginning any other sentence.

However, because he was under the age of 18 when the crime took place he cannot be sentenced to life in prison without parole if found guilty, McDonald explained.

After noting both sides were well prepared, the judge said after reviewing the case presented by the prosecution that it appears more likely than not that a homicide was committed by Corbin.

Defense attorney Joshua Blanchard had argued the case should be dismissed because police did not do a thorough investigation or even look seriously at the possibility someone else could have committed the crime.

He also had said during his closing arguments that the evidence presented was also inconclusive regarding his client.

What if it was someone else is just speculation, McDonald said.

During a preliminary hearing a judge can consider not only direct but also circumstantial evidence, he added.

This is not a trial, McDonald said in rendering his decision. Were not deciding guilty or not guilty of a crime. Hes still presumed innocent.

Theres enough probable cause that a crime was committed and probable cause that the defendant did it.

After the prosecution had called eight witnesses during the first day of the preliminary hearing, which occurred June 8, the defense only called one on Thursday.

That was Annalise Eckhoff, a Level 1 forensic scientist who works in the Trace Evidence Department of the Hamilton County, Ohio coroners office who testified via Zoom.

She is the person who conducted tests that found gunshot residue on Redmans T-shirt, which he was wearing the day of the shooting and confiscated by deputies.

Although traces of gunshot residue were discovered on the shirt there were also other types of iron particles detected.

Blanchard asked Eckhoff if it was possible the substance found could have come from automotive brake pads.

She said it was possible but only 119 iron particles were found when you would normally expect to see thousands of iron particles if the residue had come from brake pads, she explained.

Blanchard raised the question because Redmans grandfather, Tyler Haase, is co-owner of an Alma automotive repair shop and he was the first to arrive at the murder scene.

Blanchard also brought up the fact that the T-shirt was first sent to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab where samples also had been taken.

Im not sure what was done there, Eckhoff said.

But that testimony wasnt enough to sway McDonalds opinion.

The case will now go before 29th Circuit Court Judge Randy Tahvonen.

Blanchard entered a plea of not guilty for his client and requested a jury trial.

An Aug. 17, Circuit Court arraignment was waived but a trial date has not yet been set.
18 million loan from the French State counter-guaranteed at 50% by the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region

New 20 million senior loan from Cheyne Capital, financial partner of MND

Supporting and accelerating the Group's global development plan built around the production of  made in France  cable transport, snowmaking, safety and leisure solutions

Specialized in mobility, leisure and mountain safety, MND Group (Euronext Growth - FR0011584549 - ALMND) has concluded financing agreements with the French State, through the Economic and Social Development Fund (FDES), the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region, and its financial partner Cheyne Capital to obtain loans totaling 38 million. Through this new financing, MND Group is pursuing its financial capacity building, initiated in the summer of 2019, to support the return to full capacity of its production sites, and to carry out its growth plan over the coming years.



18 million loan from the FDES, 50% counter-guaranteed by the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region

The French State, through its Economic and Social Development Fund (FDES), has granted an 18 million loan to MND Group, maturing in May 2024.

This loan will be 50% counter-guaranteed by the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region.



Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance and the Recovery, states:

 The French State has chosen to support the MND industrial group to the extent of 18 million, which is now facing the global crisis linked to the coronavirus, even though the first tangible results of its global reorganization initiated last year have been observed and its model of global offer of equipment produced in France serves as a showcase in its sector. By this choice, the French State shows its commitment to companies producing in France and successfully exporting French know-how in the field of tourism development and urban mobility. I am delighted with the collaboration with the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region which, in a novel scheme, counter-guarantees the State loan and thus also demonstrates its support for the MND Group and the regional industrial sector. 



Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region, adds:

 Our guideline is simple: we must all be committed today for our jobs. The Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region has built a pragmatic economic recovery plan, endowed with one billion euros to help our small businesses and our industrial flagships. It is therefore natural that we have chosen to invest heavily in those who, like MND Group, not only promote French know-how internationally but have also chosen to develop employment here by relocating their production units.

Therefore, I am delighted with our commitment alongside the State to support MND Group's projects to create more eco-friendly transport solutions and contribute to our ambition to make Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes the world's leading sustainable mountain region. 



Xavier Gallot-Lavallee, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of MND Group, comments:

 The support of the French State, the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region and our financial partner Cheyne Capital, is a strong signal for our Group, a major player in the development of mountain sites and cable transport in tourist and urban areas, and more broadly for the French industrial network.

We are accelerating the plan to transform and relocate our industrial operations with the recent, and already operational, repatriation of all production in France to the Sainte-Helene-du-Lac unit, in Savoie (73). This plan aims to adapt the Group's organization to the new economic environment and optimize our environmental footprint.

In this context, this new financing of 38 million will enable us to support the relaunch of our industrial activities and especially our development plan over the next few years with a production of "Made in France" equipment on our regional territory, almost 80% of which is exported worldwide.

Thanks to the strong support of the French State and the Region, MND Group wishes to assert itself over the next few years as one of the showcases of French industrial know-how, a source of job creation in the Region, and to carry on its innovation and R&D efforts - 22 families of international patents to date. 



New 20 million senior in fine loan from Cheyne Capital, repayable at maturity in May 2024

MND Group has concluded a new financing agreement with Cheyne Capital for the granting of a new 20 million senior in fine loan line, repayable at maturity on May 15, 2024.

This financing is in addition to the 35 million loan granted in August 2019, which enabled the complete restructuring of the group's short and medium-term bank debt (see press release dated August 14, 2019). As indicated in the half-year financial report at December 31, 2019, this 35 million senior in fine loan facility repayable at maturity on December 31, 2023, had been recognized as a debt due within one year given covenant breaches at December 31, 2019 at the closing of the 2019/2020 half-year financial statements. Consequently, an agreement was signed almost immediately in January 2020 with Cheyne Capital to set up a waiver, making this debt non-payable.

As part of the implementation of the new 20 million senior financing line, MND Group and Cheyne Capital have also agreed to extend the maturity of the initial 35 million bullet loan from December 2023 to May 2024, bringing it in line with the new 20 million senior loan. In total, the MND group now benefits from a senior financing from Cheyne Capital for a total amount of 55 million, maturing at the end of May 2024 and with 100% of the capitalized interest.

In return, the loans granted by Cheyne Capital are secured by the usual guarantees of bank financing contracts.

This senior financing is subject to usual covenants, including quarterly compliance with financial ratios that make it possible to assess the weight of the debt on the balance sheet and income statement. In the context of the health crisis related to the coronavirus epidemic and pending the conclusion of the financing transactions mentioned in this press release, MND Group has benefited from a suspension of the calculation of financial covenants by Cheyne Capital until the end of the 2019/20 fiscal year (June 30, 2020).

Suspended on August 5, 2020 at the company's request, the resumption of the listing of MND's shares (FR0011584549 - ALMND) on Euronext Growth will be effective at the opening of the trading session of August 6, 2020.

Financial calendar

2019/2020 revenues 31 August 2020 2019/2020 financial results 31 October 2020

Publications will take place after the close of the Euronext Paris market.

ABOUT MND

In the heart of the Alps, MND Group brings together complementary know-how. As a player in a French sector of excellence, the group is a leading industrial partner in the fields of mobility, safety and leisure. The harmonious and innovative development of cable transport infrastructures, safety processes, snowmaking systems or thrilling leisure facilities requires a global approach. This industrial vision provides a useful and efficient response to multiple stakeholders, to facilitate their projects and satisfy end users. It enables the MND group to operate on all major international markets. With 3 production sites, 5 international distribution subsidiaries and 28 distributors worldwide, MND has 320 employees and nearly 3,000 customers in 49 countries.

MND is listed on Euronext Growth in Paris (FR0011584549 - ALMND).



More information at: mnd-group.com

Contacts

MND Group - Herve Jacquin - Tel. +33 (0)4 79 65 08 90 - herve.jacquin@mnd-group.com

Investor Relations - Mathieu Omnes - Tel. +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92 - momnes@actus.fr

Press Relations - Alexandre Berard - Tel. +33 (0) 6 45 42 95 46 - alex@alternativemedia.fr

Financial Press Relations - Serena Boni - Tel. +33 (0)4 72 18 04 92 - sboni@actus.fr

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Fianna Fail TD for Laois-Offaly Barry Cowen has urged people to be more cautious and double down on their efforts in terms of handwashing, physical distancing, and other public health measures used to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus.

His advice comes after a spike in Covid-19 cases in Offaly. Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said on Thursday that there had been 226 cases of Covid-19 in the last 14 days in Laois, Offaly and Kildare, almost half of all cases in Ireland during that period.

Offaly accounted for 22 of the 69 new cases announced on Thursday evening with local lockdowns now being considered by NPHET.

Barry Cowen has said he has made contact with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD asking for greater supports from Government to reduce the transmission of the virus in the midlands.

Deputy Cowen explained, Over the past few days there has been a significant growth in case numbers of the coronavirus associated with the midlands. While currently community transmission is low, I understand there are outbreaks at meat processing plants in Offaly and direct provision centres located in Laois.

I understand the National Public Health Emergency Team are continuing with contract tracing in the region and further public health guidance for our region will be provided.

I have written to the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD. I believe every resource should be provided to the midlands to ensure this outbreak does not spread into the community and that those working in meat processing plants and direct provision centres are afforded the very best care and supports in overcoming this deadly virus.

We need to see a ramp-up of Government support for the midlands. According to the Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn at least 60 cases are due to be announced today associated with Laois, Offaly, and Kildare. It is vital we see urgent intervention to tackle this localised outbreak of COVID-19, concluded Deputy Cowen.
He was on the sidewalk in the 2700 block of South State Street shortly after 7:15 p.m. when a red vehicle drove up and someone inside fired shots, Chicago police said.
PM Modis address concludes

PM Modi concluded his speech by thanking everyone who has worked tirelessly for the new education policy and invited everyone to contribute in shaping the future of 21st century through this policy

Purpose of education is to make good human being with skill and expertise, PM Modi quotes Dr Kalam

PM Modi said quoting Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Purpose of education to make good human beings with skill and expertise

PM Modi asks people to conduct webinars, discuss on road map of implementation

PM Modi also asked everyone to conduct webinars and hold discussions in order to create road map of its implementation

NEP focuses on teacher-training: PM

NEP focuses on upskilling of teachers and teacher-training. We have kept in mind the dignity of teachers. When a teacher learns, a nation leads, the PM said.

We will give autonomy to various institutions: PM

Our government has started giving autonomous status to various institutions. We will give autonomy to many more institutions in future, the PM said.

Emphasis on coding, concept of virtual labs will take education in India forward: PM

Emphasis on coding, concept of virtual labs will take education in India forward, the PM said

NEP will help curb the gap between education and research: PM

New education policy will help curb the gap between education and research, PM Modi said

India can provide talent and technology to world: PM Modi

India has the capacity to provide talent and technology to the world. Technology has given us the medium to reach even to the last person of the country. Technology will help in better content and course, PM Modi said.

Students can re-skill and up-skill: PM Modi

Students can re-skill and upskill. NEP allows student to learn the skill they are interested in, PM Modi said.

Every student should follow their passion: PM Modi

Multidisciplinary course Multiple entry and exit options will allow the students to study what they want to study and how much to study. Students can leave the course whenever they want, PM Modi said.

NEP focusses on How to think : PM Modi

Currently the education system focuses on What to think but this NEP focusses on How to think. Now-a-days, every information is available on internet. But students need to know what they have to consume, PM Modi said

We have to make our students a global citizen: PM Modi

We have to make our students a global citizen but they should be connected with their roots too.NEP is focussing on this aspect, PM Modi said

Holistic approach was needed to improve education in India: PM

Holistic approach was needed to improve education in India and NEP is doing this successfully, PM Modi said

All eyes on the implementation of NEP: PM Modi

After introducing such a big reform through this New Education Policy, all eyes are on its implementation, PM Modi said,

India did not see major changes in education policy for last many years: PM

For the last many years there were no major changes in education policy, PM Modi said.

NEP will lay foundation for 21st century India: PM Modi

New Education Policy is the foundation of strengthening the 21st century India. Every student will be future- ready and will contribute to nation building, PM Modi said.

NEP approved after extensive discussion over 3-4 years: PM Modi

National Education Policy was approved after extensive discussions over 3-4 years and deliberation over lakhs of suggestions, PM Narendra Modi said

None of the sectors questioned about NEP being bias: PM Modi

I have not witnessed any sector questioning on the policy of it being bias, PM Modi said

World is talking about Indias new education policy : PM Modi

The world is talking about our new education policy. It has invited a healthy debate, PM Modi said.

This conclave will tell the world about Indias new education policy: PM Modi

This conclave will discuss about the various aspects of the New Education Policy which will be helpful in implementing it, PM Modi said.

PM Modi begins inaugural address at higher education conclave

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun his inaugural address at the Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy.

Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal congratulates all for NEP 2020

Union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank congratulated everyone for presenting the new education policy. He said the policy will lead to a major transformation in the education sector.

A strong school education leads to quality higher education: Sanjay Dhotre

We have focussed on strengthening school level education which will automatically lead to quality higher education, minister Sanjay Dhotre said in the conclave.

NEP focuses on national development

Sanjay Dhotre Minister of State for Education, Communications, Electronics & IT said, Even after getting degree, students lack life skill which is needed for employment. We have included 21st century life skills in New Education Policy, which will be taught to students from school-level so that they are job ready.

NRF will work closely with NETF to include technology in education system: Kasturirangan

National Research Foundation will work closely with National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) to enable scientific steps to include technology in education system, says K Kasturirangan, an Indian space scientist who has played a crucial role in drafting the New Education Policy 2020.

Significant aspects of education to be discussed in the conclave

The conclave will have sessions dedicated to significant aspects of education covered under the National Education Policy, 2020 like holistic, multidisciplinary and futuristic education, quality research and equitable use of technology for better reach in education, according to a statement.

Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy begins

The Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy has started. The conclave is organised by the Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission (UGC)
Nissan is bolstering its strategy in the digital landscape as it introduces the first Nissan virtual showroom in the Asia & Oceania region.

The virtual showroomviewable on the updated Nissan Philippines websiteis designed to provide detailed online access to the current Nissan line-up.

Nissan Philippines President and Managing Director Atsushi Najima said that the latest initiative is to show the brands efforts to meet the ever-changing demands of its customers.

Nissan is dedicated to shaping an innovative, human-centric future for the Philippines. The launch of the first virtual showroom in the region for Nissan is a strong example that we consistently innovate to benefit the customer journey, especially in the face of challenges such as the pandemic, he said.

Atsushi Najima

The virtual showroom is designed to help customers interact with the current Nissan line-up 'on display.

The virtual showroom gives a 360-degree view of the virtual space as well as the products, as if you're walking around in-person inside one of the Nissan dealerships around the country.

The Nissan models displayed have their corresponding clickable hotspots (for interior and exterior) that gives information about the car and its key features instantaneously.

The exterior hotspots dish out a carousel view and lead to the vehicles landing page. Interior hotspots give a 360 detailed view of the vehicle and provide even more clickable hotspots.

nissan virtual

In addition, the websites landing pages for each vehicle now furnishes clients with an interactive viewing feature. Nissan Philippines has also placed a colorizer option so that customers can check the various color variants in various angles for the vehicle of their choice.

Customers can also enjoy product walk-around videos for each model, which share the benefits of Nissan Intelligent Mobility fitted in every vehicle.

Under a secure and safe new normal, the virtual showroom is one innovative way for us to push possibilities so that customers can seamlessly experience the Nissan brand from a digital platform right until they drive our vehicles. The virtual showroom not only brings new kind of excitement in experiencing Nissan products for Filipinos, but also ensures that our customers remain safe during the pandemic, Najima noted.

Story continues

Photos from Nissan in the Philippines, Ruben D. Manahan IV

Also read:

Magical, Mystical journey: Nissan 'Go Anywhere' Drive to Siquijor

Nissan Navara Off-Roader AT32 is a Rugged Truck that could Go Anywhere

Nissan gives hefty discounts to welcome 'new normal'
Three men have fronted court accused of murdering and stealing drugs from a 43-year-old man while armed with a rubber mallet in Melbourne's east almost a year ago.

Benjamin Nagy, 23, Jake Oldis, 23, and Tomas Cugurno-Pfabe, 26, were arrested on Friday morning and charged with murder and armed robbery.

The 43-year-old man was found dead in the caravan on September 15, 2019. Credit:Tate Papworth

The arrests came 11 months after the body of Bradley Crawford was discovered inside a caravan which was parked in the driveway of a home on Borg Crescent in Scoresby on September 15 last year.

A fourth person, a 29-year-old Mornington woman, was arrested at Melbourne Airport on Thursday over the death and also charged with murder and armed robbery. She faced court on Thursday where she was remanded in custody.
The external review report into racism and homophobia at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights was released Wednesday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

The external review report into racism and homophobia at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights was released Wednesday.

It exposed, in the words of the researchers, that discrimination and sexual harassment is "pervasive and systemic" due to a "toxic culture" that infects museum administration, hiring and program delivery  and is getting worse.

The report offers 44 recommendations to "begin the process of remediating harmful practices that contribute to systemic oppression and inequality."

Much of this is unsurprising to those of us in Indigenous, Black and LGBTTQ+ communities. Weve known for a while that the CMHR isnt a safe place.

But it hasnt always been this way.

Ive been involved in the CMHR since 2013. To give a brief history lesson, the CMHR at that time was in its infancy stages with only administrative staff, programming in the "visioning" stage and the building under construction.

But the museum was full of controversy.

Much of it involved the building's location on archeologically rich soil at The Forks. According to former Manitoba Museum archeologist Leigh Syms, nearly 600,000 mostly-Indigenous artifacts had been recovered during a year-long dig at the site, but only two per cent of the land had been investigated.

Nearly 600,000 mostly-Indigenous artifacts were recovered during a year-long dig at the museum site, but only two per cent of the land was investigated. (Ken Gigliotti / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Still, CMHR construction continued, ignoring millions of objects of Indigenous history, likely erasing them forever.

"(The construction was) the worst case of legal destruction of the rich heritage that I have had the misfortune to witness," Syms would write.

A weird $1-million "donation" to the CMHR in 2009 by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs only made the situation more divisive in the Indigenous community.

The jaw bones and skull from a horse, pieces of pottery, arrow heads and bison horns were among the items found during the archaeological excavations at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Add in the fact these were the days of prime minister Stephen Harper and Idle No More, and it was clear Canadas newest national museum and Indigenous peoples had a problem.

For the next four years, then-CEO Stuart Murray tried to do work in the face of near-constant protests, letters and articles demanding accountability.

Then, in 2015, former CMHR Indigenous curator Tricia Logan spoke out about the museum refusing to use the term "genocide" in exhibits because the federal government did not recognize it as such. The Free Press broke the story, which quickly attracted national attention.

Things began to change.

Because I had written critical pieces about the CMHR, I was invited to help form a standing Indigenous advisory council for the museum. I joined representatives from Indigenous organizations, elders and eight cultural communities.

For two years, this committee did impressive work, overseeing the Indigenous content, ensuring proper ceremonial protocols were used and installing diversity policies as well as the no-cost entry for Indigenous peoples.

This council facilitated a more positive relationship with Indigenous peoples, such as those at Shoal Lake 40, who protested the 2014 opening of the CMHR due to their ongoing dispute over water rights, but eventually agreed to be included in exhibits.

One of the advisory council's best achievements was when Murray co-published a November 2014 op-ed in the Free Press, Globe and Mail and other papers with Truth and Reconciliation Commission Head Commissioner Murray Sinclair (my father). They condemned the federal governments position on genocide, arguing that the CMHR should use the term in its exhibits  which it does today.

While never acknowledged publicly, Murrays position on genocide was a contributing factor in the decision not to renew his contract in 2014.

In 2015, former CMHR Indigenous curator Tricia Logan spoke out about the museum refusing to use the term genocide in exhibits because the federal government did not recognize it as such. (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press)

This is when CEO John Young entered, and everything changed again.

From the first weeks of Youngs reign, I realized the CMHRs Indigenous advisory council was not his priority. Meetings were scant and the committee had reducing influence. A major administrative re-structuring led to more "vice-presidents" and less communication between departments (the independent review described this as the creation of "information silos" where the museums "right hand did not know what the left was doing").

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I resigned from the committee in January 2017. In my resignation letter I said: "I hope the museum one day takes (the advisory council) seriously again. We were integral to instituting infrastructure, bringing in Indigenous knowledge, and forming relationships with the Indigenous community  all of which saved the CMHR from some serious problems. In recent months I see this role reducing more and more."

While Young did apologize and resign in June for the increase in homophobia, racism and sexual harassment, the researchers found his behaviour "inconsistent" while interviewing him.

"At no point during the discussion did the former C.E.O. express any appreciation of the gravity of the concerns raised with respect to racism," the report states. "He did not acknowledge the validity of any of the claims and accepted no personal responsibility for the environment at the Museum which harmed his employees. He did not express any remorse."

So, as the CMHR returns to the toxicity of 2013  ruining the work of the Indigenous advisory council and many others  I dont know who is going to lead or help it now.

It wont be me; I was fooled once already.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- National Guard officer Major Adam DeMarco has joined the Council on American Security's Board of Advisors. In appearing before Congress last week, Major DeMarco invoked the Military Whistleblower Protection Act, Title 10 U.S.C.  1034 (MWPA), testifying that peaceful demonstrators were subjected to excessive force in Lafayette Square.

Council on American Security (CAMSEC) Logo

"Our president tarnishes the reputation of the men and women who have served this nation for over 12 generations; he ignores the intelligence hard-earned by career patriots; he uses our military as political props for his campaign; and he weakens the very alliances that we have championed as leaders of the free world," DeMarco said upon joining the Council on American Security (CAMSEC).

DeMarco continued, "Since the founding of these United States, we have endured every type of challenge imaginable - from wars at home and abroad to drought and economic depression - yet, each time, we have come forward stronger with the resolve to continue forging a more perfect union embodying the motto on our Great Seal E pluribus unum. The Americans who have led that march forward paid the price in blood, sweat, and tears on hallowed ground in places like Gettysburg, Normandy, and Selma. Our first President was a man who refused to be an authoritarian ruler and a leader who honored service before self. But today we find ourselves confronting a new challenge: a President who would see the national motto changed to Ante omnia, Trump - Above all, Trump."

"Major DeMarco brings a unique, hands-on perspective to the CAMSEC leadership team. We all swore an oath to defend our nation, not a party, or person. America's future security demands informed, cogent leadership - traits sadly lacking in the Commander in Chief," said Council President LCDR Greg Keeley, USN (ret).

Major DeMarco joins military and national security veterans including LTGEN Russel Honore, USA (ret); GEN Wesley Clark, USA (ret); John Sipher (CIA Senior Service); and former Director of ICE and DHS John Sandweg on the CAMSEC Board.

What is the Council on American Security?

CAMSEC is non-partisan and our members are drawn from the military, intelligence, and domestic security agencies. They come from every rank and background and answered the call to serve this country. We abide by our oath to defend the country and our Constitution. The Council on American Security's mission is to defend the Constitution while restoring the reputation of America's military and intelligence services.

More information here: www.camsec.org

For Media Bookings: [email protected]

Twitter: @CallSignCAMSEC

Facebook: Council on American Security

Contact:

LCDR Greg Keeley, USN (ret)

[email protected] / 205-305-7746

Military information and references do not imply endorsement by the Department of Defense or National Guard.

PAID FOR BY THE COUNCIL ON AMERICAN SECURITY. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.camsec.org

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Prabhas' upcoming film Radhe Shyam has been creating solid buzz amongst the masses. Ever since the makers announced the film, fans can't wait to see the Rebel Star in a romantic avatar. Directed by Radha Krishna Kumar, Radhe Shyam also stars Pooja Hegde in the lead role.

Radhe Shyam is a periodic love story set in the backdrops of 1960s Europe. Ahead of the COVID-19 crisis, Radhe Shyam team was shooting in Georgia. But when the pandemic hit the world, they flew back to India.

As per the report published in a leading portal, the makers of Radhe Shyam have decided to shoot those remaining sequences in Hyderabad by recreating European landscape through sets. The decision is said to have been taken after considering the current situation in India. However, Prabhas is reportedly not happy with the makers as he is totally against the idea.

It's heard that Prabhas doesn't want to compromise with the locations and suggested that his team goes for the foreign shoot by the end of the year. Well, this is indeed a risk for the entire team. However, there is no official confirmation from either Prabhas or Radhe Shyam makers about the same. But if this happens, it will be a huge risk for Prabhas as well as the Radhe Shyam crew.

Meanwhile, Radhe Shyam will be an intense love story. As per reports, Prabhas will play the role of a palm reader whereas Pooja Hegde will portray a princess. The romantic-thriller also stars Bhagyashree, Murli Sharma, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Sachin Khedekar, Kunaal Roy Kapur and Sasha Chettri.

Also Read : Prabhas & Pooja Hegde Starrer Radhe Shyam's Tentative Release Date Has Baahubali 2 Connection!

Radhe Shyam is bankrolled by Gopikrishna Movies and UV Creations. The film will be a pan-India project, and will be released in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. The makers have not yet finalised the music composer for the film.

Also Read : Radhe Shyam First Look Poster Gets An Edit As Assam Police Urge People To Wear A Mask Amid COVID-19
The Bihar Police authorities have presented the Supreme Court (SC) tell-tale evidence that showed how the Mumbai Police was siding with late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and obstructing the probe conducted by them regarding the reasons that caused his death by suicide at his Bandra apartment on June 14.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a first information report (FIR) in the case on Thursday, a day after it was transferred to the central agency on Bihar governments recommendation.

Bihar government told the SC that the Mumbai Police did not share crucial evidence of the case and obstructed further probe and forcibly quarantined a Bihar-cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, Vinay Tiwari, City Superintendent of Police (SP), Patna (Central), who was sent to Mumbai on Sunday (August 2) in connection with the case.

An affidavit, drafted by advocate Keshav Mohan, was submitted before the SC in response to a petition filed by Chakraborty, seeking a transfer of the FIR, filed by Rajputs father KK Singh, from Patna to Mumbai.

The non-cooperation by the Mumbai Police with the Patna Police is clear from the fact that the former has not supplied any documents such as inquest, post-mortem and FSL (forensic science laboratory) reports, CCTV (closed-circuit TV) footage etc; to the latter, despite several requests, the affidavit stated.

The affidavit pointed out that Tiwaris quarantine was an afterthought by Mumbai Police to block the probe, as none of the other Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials of Bihar Police, who were in the city since July 27, were made to follow similar coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-induced protocols.

The aforesaid fact casts a serious aspersion on the role of Mumbai Police, who is apparently siding with the petitioner for the reasons best known to them,  the affidavit stated.

So far, Bihar Police has recorded statements of 10 people related to the Rajput death case.

The statements of Chakraborty or her family members, named in the FIR, have not been recorded yet.

Bihar Police also verified bank account details of Rajput based on his fathers complaint that close to Rs 15 crore was transferred from his account to unknown persons not linked to him.

Rajputs finances, including bank account and credit cards, were in Chakrabortys custody, his father had alleged in his complaint accusing her and her family of abetting his sons death by suicide.

Bihar Police cited the reason behind recommending the CBI probe.

On the basis of preliminary investigation conducted by the Patna Police, it surfaced that the various facts and shreds of evidence surrounding the present case may be obtained in Mumbai or the rest of India and given the sensitivity of the matter and the inter-state ramification and presence of most of the accused in Mumbai, the director-general of police (DGP), Bihar, requested the Bihar government to recommend the investigation of the case to CBI, stated the affidavit.

Bihar Police denied that it lacked jurisdiction to probe the FIR lodged by Rajputs father citing Section 179 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The provision states: When an act is an offence by reason of anything which has been done and of a consequence which has ensued, the offence may be inquired into or tried by a court within whose local jurisdiction such thing has been done or such consequence has ensued.

Bihar Police claimed that since Rajputs father is a resident of Patna, the state police and courts have the jurisdiction to try the offence.

The affidavit stated that the case probed by the Mumbai Police relates to the probe of unnatural death under Section 174 of the CrPC, which has a limited scope and cannot be classified as information relating to a cognisable offence.

Bihar Polices affidavit held that Chakrabortys petition is without jurisdiction, premature, misconceived and not maintainable.

She had filed a petition under Section 406 of the CrPC to transfer investigation in the FIR filed at Patna to Mumbai.

The affidavit said, The FIR has been registered on July 25 and the case is still at the primary stage of the investigation. Hence, the transfer petition filed by the petitioner under 406 CrPC is not maintainable and it is liable to be dismissed at the very outset.

Bihar Police also claimed that there is nothing in Chakrabortys petition that showed bias on their part towards Rajputs family members to demand probe to be shifted out of Patna to Mumbai.
A viral photo showing students crammed in a Georgia high school hallways and very few wearing face masks caused an outrage on social media. However, the student who posted the picture of the mayhem on Internet has been suspended.

The sophomore student Hannah Watters of North Paulding High School in Dallas, Georgia, saw a photo of packed halls on the first day of school go viral. She later saw not much had changed after that and hence felt the need to share what it looked like inside the school, according to a report in the CNN.

Watters clicked a picture of the scene and posted it to social media.

"I was concerned for the safety of everyone in that building and everyone in the county because precautions that the CDC and guidelines that the CDC has been telling us for months now, weren't being followed," Watters was quoted as saying.

RELATED NEWS 9 People Test Positive for Covid-19 at Georgia School Days After Viral Image of Crammed Hallway

Schools in the USA have reopened for the new academic sessions even as the threat of the pandemic looms large and cases continue to spike. While many have responded to the resurgence of cases with completely remote schooling, others have opted to return to the classroom -- which the nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has said works if safety measures are the priority.

According to Paulding County Schools superintendent Dr Brian Otott, the viral social media photo did not "look good" but ensured that the school was following appropriate COVID-19 protocols.

"Some individuals on social media are taking this photo and using it without context to criticize our school reopening efforts, Otott told WSB-TV Atlanta. "Under the COVID-19 protocols we have adopted, class changes that look like this may happen, especially at a high school with more than 2,000 students."

In a letter to the community, Otott said the photo was taken out of context and wrote: "Class changes at the high school level are a challenge when maintaining a specific schedule. It is an area we are continuing to work on in this new environment to find practicable ways to further limit students from congregating. Students are in this hallway environment for just a brief period as they move to their next class. ... There is no question that the photo does not look good. ... Wearing a mask is a personal choice, and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them."

However, Watters contested the claim and said the time to move from one class to another only lasts about five minutes, but students from all classes are often speed walking from one end of campus to the other.

Watters alleged she was suspended over the photo and the school accused her of violating three conduct policies: using her phone during instruction time, using her phone during school hours for social media and filming students and posting on a social media platform.

However, she has clarified that she posted the photo after the school hours and also the students from class 9 to 12 are exempt from the phone ban.
NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP >> In the wake of several pedestrian fatalities, the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors is moving forward with a multi-pronged plan to improve safety along Sycamore Street, the townships downtown commercial corridor. At its Jan. 13 meeting, the board voted unanimously to follow the short term and long term recommendations of its traffic engineer, Derek Kennedy, who was...
This is the frightening moment a woman riding a scooter was sent flying through the air after being hit by a car, before falling head first down an open storm drain.

The incident took place Wednesday in the northern Brazilian state of Para, and was captured on a security surveillance camera.

The footage shows a man driving a red sedan making a left turn on an avenue in the municipality of Paragominas>

But seconds later a scooter - ridden by 27-year-old Mayara dos Santos - crossed the intersection and smashes into the front of the car.

Dos Santos is sent flying by the impact, and skids across the asphalt before falling head-first into the seven-feet deep storm drain.

A local business' security camera captured the moment Mayara dos Santos was hit by a car in Para, Brazil, on Wednesday before skidding across the ground and falling into a manhole. She suffered an spinal injury and is expected to have surgery

Mayara dos Santos spent several minutes inside the manhole and was rushed to a hospital

Mayara dos Santos suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of her accident Wednesday

The worried driver is seen stepping out of his vehicle and looking down the hole, as other witnesses rush over to help.

Brazilian news outlet O Liberal reported that Luis Carlos Diniz climbed down into the manhole to rescue dos Santos before the paramedics arrived.

Dos Santos spent several minutes in the manhole before being rushed to Eastern Para Regional Public Hospital.

Dos Santos' family said she is scheduled to undergo surgery for spinal cord injuries.
Bill Hagerty, the pick of President Donald Trump, lost to Dr. Manny Sethi in Hamilton County in the Republican U.S. Senate race in Hamilton County. But, statewide, Mr. Hagerty was ahead by 74,000 votes and claimed victory early.

He said, Thank you to the Republican voters of Tennessee. Im honored and humbled to have the support of so many Christian conservatives across our great state. I also want to thank my Lord and Savior - through Him all things are possible. Im also grateful for the 'complete and total' support of President Trump, as well as Vice President Pence, Senator Blackburn and so many conservatives who agree that we need more Trump conservatives in the United States Senate.

"Now more than ever, we need strong conservative Senators who will not kowtow to the angry liberal mob that is tearing apart the fabric of the America we love. President Trump wont stand for it, and neither will I. In the Senate, I will stand with President Trump and Senator Blackburn to support our law enforcement officers, defend the right to life by defunding Planned Parenthood, confirm constitutionalist judges and protect our Tennessee conservative values. Again, I am humbled by your strong support and I will continue to fight every day to be your United States Senator.

Marquita Bradshaw, of Memphis, won over veteran James Mackler in the Democratic primary in Hamilton County and built a comfortable lead statewide.

Statewide, Robin Kimbrough, a Nashville attorney, was in second place in the contest.

The seat was being vacated by Senator Lamar Alexander.

Tennessee Returns:

Republican

Bill Hagerty 330,938

Manny Sethi 256,775

Democrat

Marquita Bradshaw 117,282

Robin Kimbrough 87,827

James Mackler 78,507

Gary G. Davis 30,678

Mark Pickrell 16,001

Hamilton County Returns:

Republican

Manny Sethi 16,606

Bill Hagerty 15,907

Democrat

Marquita Bradshaw 7,712

James Mackler 5,356

Robin Kimbrough 4,866

Gary G. Davis 2,627

Mark Pickrell 816

The turnout in Hamilton County was 36,052.

In Bradley County, Mr. Hagerty won handily.

Bill Hagerty 7,154

Manny Sethi 4,461

Democrat

Marquita Bradshaw 584

Gary G. Davis 556

James Mackler 435

Robin Kimbrough 346

Mark Pickrell 111
As a Hispanic American, Im disappointed to read in Biden hopes new agenda wins over Latinos (Aug. 6) that the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is currently only winning 60% of the support of Latino voters in six states that could decide this Novembers election.

Whatever lingering resentment exists over Joe Bidens role in the Obama administrations deportation of undocumented immigrants, he now wants to make comprehensive immigration reform a top priority, and promote a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented residents. Id like to remind my fellow Latinos that President Trump, in addition to labeling Mexicans as thugs and rapists, has detained thousands of asylum-seeking migrants and inhumanely separated them from their children.

He also continues to waste millions of federal dollars to build an unnecessary wall along our countrys southern border. If these circumstances and Bidens intentions arent enough to create more Latino enthusiasm to vote blue in November, then I fear that Trumps real desires, to Make America White Again and continue to foment racial division, will be realized during a second term in office.

Gloria Curazon, Daly City

Review the posts first

President Trump and company repeatedly post on Facebook or Twitter messages that are later removed due to violations of company policy. By the time of removal, however, the post has already been seen by millions.

Since the company has checking capability using artificial intelligence or human editors, why not insist that the check be done before the post goes live. Introducing a delay to allow prior review would mitigate the problem. Newspapers already do checks of articles before they are seen by the public.

Gene Meyers, Berkeley

Take pandemic serious

In response to Importance of worship (Aug. 5), words fail me, but Ill do my best. For starters, Mayor London Breed didnt malign Father Joseph Illo because he did a pretty good job of that himself.

And the fundamental problem she refers to lies not with public officials failure to see the importance of worship to people of faith, but with their frustration in dealing with people like her not taking COVID-19 seriously. As for Father Illos willingness to put sacraments above safety, God help his parishioners, because theyre going to need it.

Elizabeth Manning, Novato

Testing the police

Concerning No cop-out on police reform (August 6): In addition to state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) introducing legislation that would require disclosure of law enforcement records related to use of force, wrongful arrests and searches, sexual misconduct, and racial and other forms of bias and discrimination, how about requiring that all police officers take and pass a yearly exam after attending a class on ethical versus unethical behavior?

It might also be worthwhile to mandate monthly meetings in each of our states counties between law enforcement and community residents. Such a measure would improve these relationships and re-establish something that officers now lack with some of the people they are sworn to protect: trust.

Tanya Robinson, Richmond

A dip in trade

Concerning $50.7 billion (Number of the Day, Aug. 6): Despite exports outpacing imports and the impact of the coronavirus, our nations monthly trade deficit has remained unacceptably high.

When President Trump began his term in office, he repeatedly boasted about his business acumen. However, his promotion of tariffs and insults of leaders in countries we have regarded as our traditional allies have severely undermined our stature in the global community. Unfortunately, many people around the world are now avoiding products with a Made in the U.S.A. label.

Xavier Betancourt, San Francisco

Downplaying pandemic

So, according to Tanzania virus-free, its president says (Aug. 6), the autocratic leader of this African nation, John Magufuli, has said that the power of prayer helped purge the virus from the country?

And he has also promoted an unproven herbal tea from Madagascar as a cure, disparaged social distancing and mask wearing, and his government has not disseminated any recent data to the World Health Organization? It sounds like he and President Trump might become fast friends, if only Magufuli werent from a part of the world that Trump has disparaged with a scatological comment.

Imani Odabayu, Oakland

Erosion of pensions

Regarding A pension fix (Editorial, Aug.6): I am employed as a faculty member at a Bay Area community college, and contribute to the State Teachers Retirement System. I will be eligible for retirement in the next 10-15 years.

While I agree that applying unused sick or vacation pay or buying extra service credit for a bulked-up retirement is a poor use of the public dollar, I object to the editorial insinuating that our state cannot afford pensions for public servants.

The gradual erosion of pensions (and unions), and increased privatization leads us to a place where corporations, rather than the people, gain increasing power over who gets a piece of the proverbial pie, and the conditions under which workers must endure to survive.

Years ago, many private sector workers also received pensions, including my grandfather, who worked in insurance. Sadly, in the U.S., this practice is largely a relic of the past, as corporate profits are exponentially increasing and worker pay and benefits are eroding. The pitting of private- and public-sector workers against one another on the topic of pensions needs to end.

Shannon Stanley, Lafayette

Politics of masks

Regarding State GOP consultant ill with virus rues mistake (Aug. 5): I feel sorry for Richard Costigan and his family, several of whom are sick with the virus because, he thinks, they didnt wear masks at a family gathering.

And Im glad hes now calling on everyone to wear a mask. But Im amazed that he can say, I do not understand how this has turned into a political issue. Can he really be unaware that his Republican president turned it into a political issue?

Paul Turner, San Francisco

Preserve bluefin tuna

I was distressed to read in Waters off Bay Area see giant bluefin tuna (Aug. 5) that there is a school of bluefin tuna visiting our Bay Area offshore waters in search of food. I have been reading for many years, even in National Geographic, that bluefin tuna populations are threatened because of our worldwide gluttonous craving for bluefin tuna in sushi.

We do not know how to eat responsibly. Reading the article in The Chronicle, I understand that hunting a bluefin tuna is an exciting challenge for fishers. Having a current glut of these fish in our bay waters might seem like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And it may be, since many of the fishers profiled in the article appear to be taking all they can get. These fish are huge. Why not just one? Why catch two or three? The fishers themselves may turn this into a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if they decimate the populations out of greed.
This editorial appeared in the Aug. 2, 2020, edition of the Chicago Tribune:

If youre one of those people who hates it when a stranger shows up uninvited at your home, the coronavirus pandemic has had one upside: keeping you away from door-to-door salespeople, petition-gatherers and religious proselytizers. The chance of getting COVID-19 discourages such outreach, partly because it makes residents even less eager to interact with random visitors. So these days, its less likely than before that your serenity will be disturbed by the barking of your dog.

But if you want to keep annoying intruders off your lawn and porch, heres some advice: Fill out your census form ASAP. Otherwise, you can expect a personal visit from someone dispatched by the federal government to find out whos living in your home. And it may come at a cliffhanger moment during your favorite Netflix series.

The Census Bureau mailed reminder cards in July, and dont think you can get away with tossing them. Starting Aug. 11, its workers will head out, wearing personal protective equipment, to locate the laggards. They will keep at it until the Oct. 31 census deadline. Now is your last chance to head them off.

There are other good reasons to fill out your census questionnaire. A full count of the people in Illinois and Chicago is especially important at a time when both are losing population. Its population that determines our representation in Congress, as well as our allocation of federal dollars.

If everyone does their duty, theres less chance of losing a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which would reduce our influence in Congress. Theres more of a chance well get back our fair share of the taxes we send to Washington  money needed for highways, Medicaid, mass transit, Great Lakes restoration, airport improvements, soil conservation, disabled veterans outreach and dozens of other purposes.

You know those scary fiscal problems the state of Illinois has? Forfeiting federal aid because of a census undercount would only make them worse.

But we are in danger of losing out, because many people arent submitting their census forms. As of July 30, Illinois had a response rate of 67.4%, above the national average but lower than those of Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. The response rate was just 62.4% in Cook County and 55.4% in Chicago. Some downstate counties, including Hardin and Calhoun, are below 50%. Theres room for improvement just about everywhere. Do we really want neighboring states to get more federal largesse than they deserve, at our expense?

The Trump administration has hindered full participation with its clumsy shenanigans. First, the Commerce Department insisted on including a question about citizenship on the census forms, a ploy that seemed designed to discourage responses from noncitizens and Latinos. The U.S. Supreme Court shot that down last year, concluding that Secretary Wilbur Ross stated reason for the question  that it would help with enforcement of the Voting Rights Act  was fraudulent.

Then, in July, President Donald Trump ordered that people living in the country illegally not be counted for the apportionment of congressional districts.

This appeared to be another lame gambit to deter some people from participating. But people should filter out all the political theatrics, fill out their census forms and send them in.

Chicagoans are not the only ones who should pay attention when Mayor Lori Lightfoot says: We need everyone to step up. Five minutes of time, thats all we need, and we can change this thing entirely around. Dont make her come knock on your door.

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Actor Rhea Chakraborty appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Friday for questioning in connection with the death by suicide of her live-in partner, actor Sushant Singh Rajput, in his Bandra apartment on June 14.

She appeared before the central agency after it had rejected her plea to postpone the questioning in the matter.

The ED is conducting a parallel probe in the Rajput death case that is probing the money laundering aspect.

It had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) after Bihar Police had filed a first information report (FIR) against Chakraborty and four others a few days after Rajputs death on June 14.

Chakrabortys lawyer Satish Maneshinde said: My client (Chakraborty) is a law-abiding citizen. In view of the fact that ED has informed the media that her request to postpone the attendance is rejected, she has appeared before its officials at the appointed time and date.

EDs probe is focused on the allegations made by Rajputs father KK Singh about certain suspicious monetary transactions.

Singh in his complaint, filed in Patna, had alleged that there were unexplained transfers to the tune of Rs 15 crore from his sons bank account, involving Chakraborty and others.

ED sources said that Chakraborty is being questioned about the transactions in the four bank accounts, including her and Rajputs.

ED is investigating if Chakraborty had taken the money from Rajput and illegally invested in some properties.

On Thursday, the central agency officials had questioned Rajputs house manager Samuel Miranda.

While on Monday and Tuesday, ED officials had interrogated Sandeep Sridhar and Ritesh Shah, the chartered accountants (CAs) of Rajput and Chakraborty, respectively.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 16:50:49|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has said that the engagement between the United States and China contributed to global peace and prosperity, urging the two countries to cooperate against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Wednesday letter to participants of a virtual dialogue on U.S.-China relations, Carter recalled his decision with China's former leader Deng Xiaoping in late 1978 to establish diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing.

"This engagement has enabled us, as well as the Asia Pacific region and the world, to enjoy unparalleled peace and prosperity," he said.

The former president expected the virtual dialogue, held by the Carter Center and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, to help ease the bilateral tensions.

"While our nations have their differences, I trust you will use this discussion to determine which differences must be overcome to foster our bilateral relationship," he said.

Carter also noted that Washington and Beijing could work together on many issues, such as climate change, preventing nuclear proliferation and counter-terrorism.

"And most urgently, a collaboration to effectively address the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild shattered economies and communities," he said.

As the 39th U.S. president who served between 1977 and 1981, Carter oversaw the normalization of diplomatic ties between the United States and China 41 years ago. Enditem
" " An example of Valentin Hauy's system of tactile writing Photo courtesy APH Callahan Museum

If you live in a town or city, especially if you work in a large office building, you probably encounter Braille every day. Braille characters mark elevator buttons, signs and public map displays. The dots are tiny, so they're easy to miss, and if you don't need to read them, you may not even realize they're there.

Braille is amazing. First, a teenager invented it -- Louis Braille started teaching the code to his classmates at a school for the blind when he was just 15 years old. Second, it completely changed the way people approached education for the blind. Before the invention of Braille, blind people didn't have many opportunities for education or employment. The few existing schools for the blind were more like residential workshops, teaching basic trade skills while ignoring reading, writing and other academic studies. Braille changed all that by giving blind people an efficient method for communication and learning.

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Because of its profound impact on education and literacy, Braille is as important an invention as written language. In a speech commemorating the 100th anniversary of Louis Braille's death, Hellen Keller also compared Louis Braille's achievement with another monumental invention -- Johannes Gutenberg's movable type. "In our small way," she said, "we the blind are as indebted to Louis Braille as mankind is to Gutenberg."

Braille and the Gutenberg press have a lot in common. Both replaced slow, cumbersome printing methods that already existed. For example, before the invention of Braille, teacher Valentin Hauy made books with raised letters by soaking paper in water, pressing it into a form and allowing it to dry. Books made using this method were enormous and heavy, and the process was so time-consuming that l'Institution Royale des Jeunes Aveugles, or the Royal Institution for Blind Youth, had fewer than 100 of them when Louis Braille was a student there.

Both Braille and the Gutenberg press also allowed more people to become literate, but the effect was gradual. The press made it much easier to print books, but books were still expensive and weren't necessarily in a language that local people spoke. While Braille immediately became popular with students at the Royal Institution, its adoption elsewhere took years. Inventors developed competing codes, and governments and school systems had to decide which ones to use. One, the New York Point system created by William B. Waite, became popular in the United States in the late 1800s. The United States and Great Britain even used different Braille alphabets until 1932.

Today's Braille is a little different from the code that Louis Braille invented in the 1800s.

Talking Books In the United States, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) provides Braille materials and talking books through local libraries. The first talking books were on 33 1/3 rpm records. In the 1960s, the NLS switched to 16 2/3 rpm records. The NLS started using the cassette format in the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2008, the NLS will start using digital talking books stored on USBflash memory sticks. These memory sticks will be large enough to hold Braille and large-print labeling.
TORONTO, Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fura Gems Inc. (Fura or the Company) (TSXV: Fura, OTC: FUGMF and FRA: BJ43) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a share sale agreement (the Share Sale Agreement) through its wholly-owned Australian subsidiary, Capricorn Sapphire Pty Ltd (the Capricorn), with Mosley Mining Pty Ltd (the Vendor), pursuant to which the Company will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Great Northern Mining Pty Ltd (the Target), a mining company located in Australia (the Acquisition). The assets of the Target consist of 73 mining leases (the Tenements), each located in Australia, as well as certain buildings, plants, fixtures, tools, and other equipment related to the Tenements.



As consideration for the Acquisition, Fura agreed to pay A$2,987,933 (approximately C$2,860,632) to the Vendor, subject to certain adjustments, and less (i) an amount payable to a bank to release a security interest on certain of the Targets assets, and (ii) an amount equal to any royalties that become payable by the Target in respect of mining activities conducted on the Tenements prior to completion. In accordance with the Share Sale Agreement, on or about the date that the agreement was signed, Fura paid a portion of the consideration (A$293,093 (approximately C$280,465)) as a deposit to be released to the Vendor upon completion of the Acquisition.

The Acquisition is an arms length transaction for the purposes of the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) and the Company understands that the Acquisition qualifies as an Exempt Transaction under TSXV Policy 5.3. Fura is not paying any finders fees in connection with the Acquisition. The closing of the Acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions precedent; however, the Foreign Investment Review Board of the Australian Government has already indicated that it has no objection to the Acquisition. Closing of the Acquisition is expected to occur in early to mid-August 2020.

For more information about Fura Gems Inc., please contact:

Fura Gems Inc. Dev Shetty  President & Chief Executive

Officer Tel: +971 (0) 4 240 8760

dev.shetty@furagems.com Rupak Sen

Vice President  Marketing and Sales Tel: +1+(778)386-1313

rupak.sen@furagems.com Public Relations

Tavistock (UK)

Jos Simson / Barney Hayward Tel: +44-207-920-3150

fura@tavistock.co.uk

About Fura Gems Inc.

Fura Gems Inc. is a gemstone mining and marketing company which is engaged in the mining, exploration and acquisition of gemstone licences. Fura owns ruby, emerald and sapphire resource properties in Mozambique, Colombia and Australia, respectively. Furas headquarters are located in Toronto, Canada and its administrative headquarters are located in the Gold Tower, Dubai. Fura is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol Fura.

Regulatory Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, assumptions and expectations with respect to Capricorns ability to complete the Acquisition and the expected timing to completion, the Companys exploration activities and mining activities and the Companys performance. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking information 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, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; the actual results of exploration, development and production activities; access to sufficient financing to continue the development of its assets; regulatory risks; risks inherent in foreign operations, uncertainties with respect to the Companys assets; legacy environmental risks, title risks and other risks of the mining industry. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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.
Analysts believe that ThaiBev, the biggest shareholder of Sabeco, will be the likely buyer of the shares.

The states capital divestment process has heated up again with the Prime Ministers Decision No 908 approving the list of state invested enterprises to undergo divestment from now until the end of the year.





Under the decision, the state will divest capital from 120 enterprises by the end of the year.



The governing bodies will have to complete the divestment process in four enterprises prior to November 30, namely Song Hong JSC, Hanoi Construction Corporation, the Construction Corporation No 1 and IDICO.



If the divestment cannot be completed by that time, they will be transferred to SCIC.



Fourteen other enterprises will be transferred to SCIC to undergo the divestment and the transfer must be completed prior to August 31. These include Sabeco, the brewer where the state holds 36 percent of shares.



Who will buy the states shares in Sabeco?



The deal of selling more than 50 percent of Sabecos shares to the Thai investor is a typical M&A success story in the Vietnamese financial market over the last five years.

In late 2017, ThaiBev, through Vietnam Beverage, spent $5 billion to acquire 53.6 percent of Sabeco shares and became the holding company of the largest brewer in Vietnam.

In late 2017, ThaiBev, through Vietnam Beverage, spent $5 billion to acquire 53.6 percent of Sabeco shares and became the holding company of the largest brewer in Vietnam.



After the deal, the states ownership ratio in Sabeco dropped to 36 percent.



Sabeco is considered the trump card of ThaiBev as the acquisition of Sabeco helped increase ThaiBevs revenue from beer to $4 billion in 2019, an increase of 27 percent over the year before, and increased profit by 50 percent to $104 million.



It also said that Sabeco and the sales in Vietnam made a great contribution to its growth, while the Thai market was weakening.



In early 2020, some sources said ThaiBev was considering an IPO and listing its beer production division, including Chang beer (Thailand) and Sabeco beer (Vietnam), on the Singaporean bourse in a plan to raise $2.5 billion worth of funds.



However, ThaiBev has denied this, saying that it does not intend to sell its business base in Vietnam.



Analysts say that Sabeco is attractive ito ThaiBev not only because of the No 1 position in the domestic market, but also because of the golden land the company is holding.



The land plots are all located in advantageous positions, including the 3,872 square meter land plot in district 4, 7,729 square meter in district 10, 17,406 square meters in district 5 and 2.216 square meters in Tan Binh district, all in HCM City.

Mai Lan

Industry-Trade Ministry contradicts rumor about Sabeco share buyback The Ministry of Industry and Trade on June 3 refuted a rumor stating that it would buy back 53% of Saigon Beer, Alcohol and Beverage Corporation's (Sabeco) shares from Thaibev.
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Linkedin (Reuters) Wiesloch, Germany  Fri, August 7, 2020 14:35 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c50b7c 2 People love,coronavirus,COVID-19,romance,Germany,Brazil,travel-restriction Free

Florian Mehler last saw his girlfriend in late January, when she left Germany for her native Brazil. His plans to join Renata Alves in late March were scuttled when the borders slammed shut as the coronavirus pandemic spread worldwide.

"We talk via FaceTime every day. But that's just virtual," Mehler, 41, said in an interview at home in Wiesloch near Frankfurt.

"We can't hug each other. We can't kiss. We can't wake up together, have coffee together, go into town together."

After meeting online a year ago, Alves visited Mehler in Germany twice, and he flew to see her in Brazil once. She has the necessary documents to move to Germany and look for a job.

Brazil last week reopened international air travel to all foreign tourists with health insurance for the duration of their trip, even as the country's coronavirus outbreak ranks as the world's second worst.

Germany has a travel warning in place for most countries, including Brazil, which may mean health and cancellation insurance are invalid for trips there.

And most European Union borders are closed to non-EU travelers, unless they are essential workers or married to an EU resident.

So Alves blows Mehler kisses on her tablet screen, and he tells her how much he misses her. On Sundays, they sometimes take virtual walks outdoors together.

Read also: Canadians still stranded in Nepal must find their own way home

"The worst thing is that we don't know when we will see each other because the borders are still closed," Mehler said.

On social media, separated couples have been lobbying under the hashtags #LoveIsEssential and #LoveIsNotTourism for governments to allow them to reunite.

A few European countries including Austria, Norway and Denmark, have heeded the call, introducing "sweetheart visas" that exempt couples from the travel ban.

Mehler joined a Frankfurt rally on Aug. 1, organized by the association of binational families and partnerships, urging Germany to issue such visas.

However, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer prefers a common European solution, given that Germany just assumed the EU presidency last month, a ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Alves, 40, said it was unfair that Germans can travel abroad for fun at the risk of catching COVID-19, while she is barred from entering Germany when she has more compelling reasons.

"I'm totally healthy, my family is totally healthy," she said in Recife, Brazil, noting that she would take a coronavirus test and undergo quarantine for love.
can someone please parse these double negatives for me

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Rich white men want to be exempt from quarantine rules.

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lol, much appreciated. thank you

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Truly that tweet is where the english language has gone to die

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That journalist is Portuguese I believe.

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wow they're trash.



You really can't quarantine 20 days? So selfish

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I think the quarantine period means they have to choose between USO and RG in theory if they go deep at USO because they're too close together.



But yeah, the struggles they face.

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Oh nooo, not 20 days in my fancy mansion??? What will I DO! oh the HUMANITY!!!!!

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Humanity really is regressing huh?

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I hope they all get Covid

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Lmao thats so selfish why should they be exempt



Djokovic I understand since hes protected by the healing energy of the ancient gods radiating around him but idt the rest of them have this premium sorted out. Benito should really get on it tbh. Maybe just have extra strength energy flows around Rafas knees

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Seriously? Cancel the US open. Why are they even trying to hold it?

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The drama that's come out of the ATP side of tennis has been exhausting these last 5 months. A lot of players really showed their asses when they didn't have to.I



And Vekic has been...disappointing tbh, I had really warmed up to her.



I'm really wondering how the Kentucky tournament is gonna go next week.

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tennis players are the fucking worst

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You can really see in a lot of professional sports people how much of their formative years was dedicated to hitting a ball or whatever and how little time to education. So many of them are so fucking stupid they make youtubers look like philosophers.



Edited at 2020-08-07 01:26 am (UTC)

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How can the maturity of a person be defined?  Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) July 8, 2020

speaking of tennis and philosophers, stef never fails me. these recent threads are amazing:

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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why should they be exempt?



i have no idea how a sport like tennis that tours could work, but the major sport leagues should all be taking cues from NHL and NBA... not whatever fucking mess is going on in the MLB.

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Roland Garros is being played shortly after USO (on a different court surface) so I think most of them are assuming they'll go deep in USO and then be hindered for RG if they have to quarantine.

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just fucking cancel it and give the prize money to the workers.

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Fucking mess. I don't know how this think this tournament is going to work. I mean, even IF you assume there's so much community transmission that holding it doesn't increase the risk to workers etc that much, the potential consequences of covid for people who make their living due to athleticism seem far too risky.



I know many tennis players struggle financially and rely on the prize money, and so that's why lower ranked ones might be playing. But the top 20 have no excuse - if Rafa can pull out as defending champion they can too. The prize money should go as financial assistance to lower ranked players who aren't getting any income.

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the usta/fft need to just cut their losses and cancel and the atp/wta should follow suit. this will be a huge mess and youve already got players whining about having to quarantine. new york is having an uptick in cases, this is not a necessity right now.

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I totally read this wrong the first time bc I thought they had all banded together to refuse to play but then ohh. absolutely nobody should be excluded from quarantine. c'mon



Edited at 2020-08-07 04:17 am (UTC)

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how many of them are even going to make week 2 where there might be an overlap with another tournament? I mean really.

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SINGAPORE, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspiro is a leading Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) provider with a global network of 32,000 employees across the United States, Nicaragua, Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. They are known for integrating the best of people, technology, and operational excellence in creating a great customer experience.

However, the recent pandemic introduced new challenges and required people to work effectively as they continued to work from home. Their on-premises legacy system (HRPro for 15 years) could no longer fulfill all their requirements.

This accelerated their need to quickly identify a replacement that is future ready. That came in the form of PeopleStrong Alt as it has the ideal combination of simplicity, agility, engagement, and high ROI.

"In PeopleStrong, we found a partner that would allow us to combine our people and technology initiatives on a integrated HR platform, with a global reach, and responsive support. At the pace we are growing, we wanted a partner who will grow with us and take our employee experience to the next level," said Ms. Glendale Aldor, Vice President for HR Core Business Services at Inspiro.

Ankur Sehgal, the Regional Director at PeopleStrong added, "In these pandemic times, PeopleStrong's Mobile-first (remote work enabled) HCM solution will help Inspiro elevate their employee experience on a single unified multi-country platform."

Hazel Camacho, Vice President for Talent Acquisition in Inspiro shared, "We chose PeopleStrong over the other partners primarily because of its track record, leadership team, product features and cost effectiveness. What impressed me the most is their high level of customer-orientation, flexibility, and adaptability in supporting the nuances of our hiring operations and service requirements."

About PeopleStrong

PeopleStrong is Asia's leading Work and HR Technology company with almost 1 million users from 350+ enterprises across industries. PeopleStrong's product suite includes next-gen applications in the space of HR Technology (Talent Acquisition, Human Capital Management, Talent Management), Productivity, Analytics and Platform. Known for its penchant to innovate, PeopleStrong has many firsts to its name, the recent one being the application of Machine Learning in Recruitment (through Match Making) and Employee Experience (through Asia's first HR Chatbot Jinie). PeopleStrong is the first company in the space to be successfully assessed on SSAE18 and recently won the prestigious CIO's Choice Award for Talent Management on Cloud.

Adrian Tan

Adrian.tan@peoplestrong.com

+65-9852-3746

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/946957/PeopleStrong_Logo.jpg

SOURCE PeopleStrong
Actor Chunky Panday opened up about his career in Bollywood and how despite being around for 33 years, there were two generations of audience who had forgotten him. In a recent interview, he talked about "saleability" of actors in Bollywood.

Talking to Hindustan Times, he shared his views on the insider-outsider debate in Bollywood. He said that he has been around in the industry for 33 years and came here without a filmy background. He said that he never felt any discrimination. The industry works on talent and saleability as other industries, he said.

The actor who made his debut in the 1987 film Aag Hi Aag, talked about how despite debuting as a solo lead, he eventually went on to play second lead and peripheral characters. Despite his 1993 blockbuster Aankhen with Govinda, work dried up for him.

He said, Failure is quite easy to handle because no one is looking at you. Success is difficult to keep and not everyone could handle it. I could not keep my success. I had such a great run. By 93-94, it all came to an end and I had to go to Bangladesh and work there. Talent will always want to work.

He added that ranging from the choices actors made to various star launches in the 90s including Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar, affected his run. He said that while Bangladeshi cinema welcomed him with open arms, wife Bhavna convinced him to return to India.

He also talked about how children stopped recognising him. There were two generations who had forgotten me. There was this little kid who came to me and asked my name. I was quite disturbed and I decided consciously that whatever film I do I will win over those children, he said.

Chunkey will be next seen in Abhay 2, where he will be playing the role of a serial-killer. The web-series also stars Kunal Kemmu in the lead role, along with Ram Kapoor, Asha Negi, Nidhi Singh, Bidita Bag among others.
The police have busted a web designer and a blogger over pornography.



Anderson Ofosuhene Anim aka Morio Gee is alleged to have collected monies from victims, both children, and adults under the pretext of pulling down their nude pictures and videos from the internet.



Despite collecting the money, he allegedly splashed the videos and pictures of the victims on social media.



The accused said to have conducted his activities at Osino, in the Eastern Region, allegedly operated a porn-related website.



It is believed that Anim had invested the proceeds of crime in houses and vehicles after he had made victims pay between 100 and 500 through mobile money.



He appeared before an Accra Circuit Court, with charges of child pornography, publication of obscene material and general provision of cybercrime and money laundering.



The court presided over by Susana Eduful preserved his plea pending further investigations into the matter.



The court has remanded Anim into Police custody to reappear on August 19.



Prosecuting, Inspector Princess Tettey Boafo, prayed the court to grant the Police ample time for further investigations.



Mr Daniel Kupala represented Anim as counsel.



The case of the prosecution is that, in January last year, the Cybercrime Unit of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) through intelligence gathered that the website was operating in the internet space by publishing nude videos and pictures of Ghanaian children and adults without their knowledge.



Prosecution said further inquiry revealed that Anim, the owner of the website collected monies from victims via mobile money before pulling down videos and pictures of victims from the website.



But even after paying the money, the videos and pictures however were seen on social media platforms.



The prosecution said on January 30, this year, the Cybercrime Unit team proceeded to Mr Anims residence at Osino, where he was found uploading videos on the pornographic website.



According to prosecution, all digital devices were retrieved and efforts were underway to apprehend Mr Anims accomplices who took nude videos and pictures of victims and send the same to him (suspect).

Source: GNA









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The appointment of Oleh Tatarov as Deputy Head of the President's Office of Ukraine is a continuation of the pro-Russian revenge in Ukraine, the non-governmental organization Families of Heavenly Hundred Heroes said.

"The appointment to the post of Deputy Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, Zakharchenko's associate Oleh Tatarov, a man who during the Revolution of Dignity daily slandered and persecuted its participants, is another event that continues and confirms the revenge of the pro-Russian forces and the return of the old guard from the time of Yanukovych," the non-governmental organization said in a statement posted on Facebook.

"The appointment of Tatarov, who justified and covered up massive crimes and violations of human rights during the Revolution of Dignity, to a leading position in the President's Office, we, representatives of the families of Heavenly Hundred Heroes, victims and participants of the Revolution of Dignity, consider an outrage on the memory of our relatives and friends, all those who defended in 2013-2014 and during the Russian aggression the European vector of Ukraine's development, the memory of the Heroes who gave their lives for the civilizational choice of the Ukrainian nation, " the non-governmental organization said.

The non-governmental organization called on the patriotic pro-Ukrainian forces to unite to defend the European vector of the country's development.

As reported, on August 5, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree appointing Tatarov to the post of Deputy Head of the President's Office. During the events of the Revolution of Dignity, Tartarov held the post of Deputy Head of the Main Investigation Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Over 75 tea estate workers and families of the Tata Global Beverages (TGB) associate company Kannan Devan Hills Plantations Company Private Ltd. (KDHP) at Munnar in Kerala are missing, following a massive land slide early this morning.

A big hill collapsed over the estate lanes where 20 families resided at Pettimudi division of Neymakkad estate in Rajamalai. The families are trapped under mud and the debris. Rescue teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), are trying to reach the accident spot, a difficult area to access. It has been raining heavily in the hilly Munnar region for the past four days. Four dead bodies have been recovered so far, said sources.

K Mathew Abraham, KDHP managing director and CEO, could not be contacted. The region has no power supply for over two days, said sources.

Kannan Devan hills, the largest plantation in South India, has about 23 estates, which are merged into seven large estates - Chundavurrai, Guderale, Gundumallay, Letchmi, Madupatty, Nullatanni and Nyamakad.

KHDP has about 12,500 workers in these estates. In 2005, the Tatas had handed over the company to its workers in an employee buyout (EBO) option, one of the first experiments in India's plantation sector. Tata Global Beverages still retains nearly 29 percent stake in KHDP, and also owns the Kannan Devan tea brand. In 2005, the then Tata Tea had retained a nominal 19 per cent stake in KHDP to support the workers manage the company. The Tatas still own over 58,000 acres in Anjanad and Kanan Devan Hills and have given it to KHDP on a 30-year lease. KDHP, which markets popular tea brand Ripple, has about Rs 360 crore revenues a year.

In 1877, the King of Poonjar in Kottayam, Kerala gave the hills and forests in the Munnar hills to John Daniel Munro, the then British resident of the Travancore kingdom, to start plantations. In 1895, Finlay Muir & Co bought 33 estates and KHDP was formed to run these estates. In 1971, Kerala enacted the Kanan Devan Hills (Resumption of Lands) Act which allowed the Finlays to retain nearly 59,000 acres. In 1964, the Tata Group collaborated with the Finlays to form Tata-Finlay Group and later Tata Tea was formed in 1983.

Also read: Major landslide in Rajamala area of Kerala; 80 people feared trapped
By PTI

MUMBAI: Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused of abetting suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Friday in connection with the money laundering case lodged by it.

The 28-year-old arrived at the agency's office in the Ballard Estate area here, accompanied by her brother Showik, shortly before noon.

Her business manager who also worked for Rajput, Shruti Modi, also appeared before the agency soon after as she too was summoned.

The statements of Chakraborty and Modi were recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said.

Rajput's friend and roommate Siddharth Pithani has also been called by the ED to appear on Saturday in connection with this money laundering case that stems from a complaint filed by the actor's father with the Bihar Police in connection with his death, they said.

Pithani is stated to be out of Mumbai at present and he has said in various news channel interviews that he was present in the Bandra flat on June 14 when the 34-year-old actor hanged himself.

The IT professional, stated to be living with Rajput for about an year, had earlier recorded his statement with the Mumbai Police as part of their accidental death report (ADR) probe in the case.

It was not immediately clear if the agency questioned Showik as he left the agency office after a few hours.

Chakraborty, accused by Rajput's father of abetting his son's suicide, had initially refused to appear before the agency citing her appeal pending before the Supreme Court.

"In view of the fact that the ED has informed the media that the request to postpone her attendance is rejected, Rhea has appeared before the ED office," her advocate Satish Maneshinde said.

The advocate, issued a statement, saying Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen and would cooperate with the probe.

Chakraborty has filed a petition in the apex court requesting that the case lodged by the Bihar police against her be transferred to the Mumbai police.

The plea will be heard next week.

The agency is expected to question Chakraborty, who stated in her petition to the court that she was in a live-in relationship with Rajput, about her friendship with the actor, possible business dealings and the developments that took place over the last few years between them and record her statement under the PMLA.

It is expected that the ED's line of questioning would revolve around Chakraborty's income, investments, business deals and professional deals and links.

A property located in the Khar area of the city, linked to Chakraborty, is also being probed by the ED for the source of its purchase and ownership.

The agency has already questioned Rajput's Chartered Accountant (CA) Sandeep Shridhar and his house manager and staffer Samuel Miranda twice in the case.

Rajput's father had, in his complaint, alleged that Miranda was hired by Chakraborty after she allegedly fired the staff hired by his son.

The ED has also summoned Chakraborty's CA Ritesh Shah for questioning.

Rajput's 74-year-old father K K Singh, who resides in Patna, had on July 25 filed a complaint with the Patna police against Chakraborty, her parents (mother Sandhya Chakraborty and father Indrajit Chakraborty), brother Showik, Miranda and Modi and unknown persons accusing them of cheating and abetting his son's suicide.

The CBI had re-booked this FIR as a fresh case on Thursday and named as accused the same persons.

The Mumbai police has been carrying out a separate probe in Rajput's death and has questioned a number of prominent film producers and directors till now.

The father had also alleged financial irregularities in bank accounts of his son.

In the complaint, Singh alleged that Rs 15 crore was siphoned off from Rajput's bank account in one year to accounts of persons not known or connected to the late filmstar.

Under the ED's scanner are at least two companies linked to Rajput and some financial deals involving Chakraborty, her father and Showik who are stated to be directors in these companies.

Rajput starred in films like 'Shuddh Desi Romance', 'Raabta', 'Kedarnath', 'Chhichhore' and 'Sonchiriya'.

His most prominent role was in cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni's biopic 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story'.
Figures compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) record just one death with Covid-19 in the week ending July 31.

It comes as figures compiled by the Department of Health  based on those who have tested positive for coronavirus  recorded no deaths on Friday for the 24th day in a row.

855 COVID-19 related deaths had occurred up to week ending 31st July. DOH figures for the same period show a total of 556 deaths. https://t.co/KmdVrvPf6p pic.twitter.com/JxDt3cVxq6  NISRA (@NISRA) August 7, 2020

The Nisra figures  based on information entered on death certificates by medical professionals  have recorded 855 Covid-19 related deaths to July 31.

Of these, 449 (52.5 per cent) took place in hospital, 349 (40.8 per cent) in care homes, eight (0.9 per cent) in hospices and 49 (5.7 per cent) at residential addresses or other locations.

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The 357 deaths which occurred in care homes and hospices involved 81 separate establishments.

The comparative number of deaths reported daily by the Department of Health to July 31 was 556.

People aged 75 and over account for 80 per cent of all Covid-19-related deaths.

Keep downloading & keep sharing!



 Over 200,000 of you have done so in less than a week!



 Lets keep this number increasing by sharing and encouraging others! https://t.co/janZiBWRrT pic.twitter.com/Bauvy30uR9  Robin Swann MLA #StopCovidNI (@RobinSwannMoH) August 6, 2020

However, while the number of deaths with the virus has fallen, Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster voiced concern over the level of community transmission and rise in the R number to between 0.8 and 1.8.

On Thursday the Stormont Executive announced that face coverings will become mandatory in all public enclosed spaces from Monday.

Commenting on the increase to the R number, chief scientific adviser Professor Ian Young said: The most recent data for Northern Ireland underlines the need for continued vigilance.

There are five key steps each of us can take to keep ourselves and others safe  rigorously maintain social distancing; wash our hands well and often; wear face coverings in enclosed spaces where social distancing is difficult; co-operate fully with the Test, Trace and Protect programme, and download the Stop Covid NI app.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Amid all the brouhaha over the Microsoft-TikTok deal talks, the Satya Nadella-run enterprise is all set to invest about $100 million in the home-grown regional language social media app ShareChat.

Persons familiar with the matter told IANS on Friday that the talks are in the early stages and Microsoft's investment will be nearly third of the value ShareChat is looking to raise in its latest funding round.

ShareChat which has a user base of over 140 million monthly active users in the country did not respond to an email query.

The app is available in 15 languages, including Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Odia, Kannada, Assamese, Haryanvi, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri and Urdu.

The Bengaluru-based regional language social platform became so popular that even Twitter came onboard when the four-year-old company raised $100 million in its Series D round of funding last year.

ShareChat said last month that its short video sharing platform Moj has crossed five million downloads from Google Play Store in just about a week since the beta version of the TikTok rival was released.

The regional language social media platform in June fully migrated its infrastructure to Google Cloud in a bid to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance the overall performance of the app.

A large proportion of its active users hail from tier-2 and tier-3 cities, with the majority of them relying on 2G networks.

The news comes at a time when Microsoft is reportedly aiming to acquire the global business of the Chinese short-video making app TikTok, including in India where the app is banned.

Microsoft is officially seeking to buy the TikTok operations in North America, Australia and New Zealand for a "reported figure of $50 billion", according to The Financial Times.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders prohibiting transactions in the country with the Chinese companies that own WeChat and TikTok.

He said that the country should get a large percentage of the proceeds if part of the short video-sharing platform TikTok's business is bought by an American firm.

Microsoft has already confirmed that it wanted to proceed with talks to purchase the US business of TikTok.

The discussion between the Microsoft CEO and the US President led to setting a date for closure of the deal around September 15.
Since we have six branches in two counties, we are working with Rowan, Kannapolis and Cabarrus County schools. They are all on different plans, he said.

Since Cabarrus and Kannapolis schools are opening under different plans, day-to-day or weekly schedules may look different at each YMCA branch. But, there is a tentative, general schedule.

The academy will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with breakfast and lunch served during that time. Kids will be given blocks of time for online classes, exercise and play and completing school work.

There will be limited capacity for how many students can attend the academy at each branch. Morgan said kids will be kept in groups of 10 or less in different rooms to allow for social distancing.

While the YMCA is still working on creating a plan for how the education portion of the camp will run, they are looking to school districts for guidance.

What we have envisioned  we may have some school staff come in and help with a virtual learning time and get kids grouped to watch school videos or classes, he said.
The chemicals that went up in flames in Beirut's deadliest peace-time explosion arrived in the Lebanese capital seven years ago on a leaky Russian-leased cargo ship.

According to its captain from 2013-14 Boris Prokoshev, it should never have stopped there.

The ship Rhosus was carrying 2,750 tonnes of the highly combustible chemical from Georgia to Mozambique when the owner told him to make an unscheduled stop in Lebanon to pick up extra cargo.

"They were being greedy", Prokoshev says.

But after failing to safely load the additional cargo, the ship never left the Beirut port.

It ended up embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute over port fees.

The captain and three crew spent 11 months on the ship while the legal dispute dragged on, without wages and with only limited supplies of food.

Months later, the ammonium nitrate was unloaded and put in a dock warehouse once the crew left the ship.

The abandoned Rhosus sank where she was moored in Beirut harbor, according to a May 2018 email from a lawyer to Prokoshev.

"If I knew what I know now - I would not board that ship. But I did not know that. And this was the decision I made."

Prokoshev identified the ship's owner as Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin.

Attempts to contact Grechushkin were unsuccessful.

A Cyprus police spokesman said an individual, whom he did not name, had been questioned at the request of Interpol Beirut in relation to the cargo.

The ammonium nitrate was sold by Georgian fertilizer maker Rustavi Azot.

The plant director, Levan Burdiladze told Reuters that he could not confirm whether the ammonium nitrate was produced there, since the company only took over 3 years ago.

He called the decision to store the material in Beirut port a quote "gross violation of safe storage measures."

Initial Lebanese investigations into what happened have pointed to inaction and negligence in the handling of the potentially dangerous chemical.

Beirut port officials who have overseen storage and security since 2014 are now under house arrest.
Siskin Hospital has launched a Share the Smile button initiative to reveal associates smiles behind their masks and make patient care more personable.

Theres only so much you can convey with the eyes alone, says Dr. Matthew Gibson, president and CEO. Our patients need to see the friendly faces of their caregivers, especially now when families are unable to visit them.

Siskin Hospital associates are wearing all the proper protective gear for its patients safety, but sometimes a smile is the best medicine. With their friendly photos on the three-inch buttons, its a fun way to connect with patients and for them to connect with us, said officials.

Siskin Hospital serves hundreds of patients daily, and in this time of uncertainty, ensuring everyones comfort is a high priority. It is what makes us Caring People. Changing Lives, said officials.

To learn more about physical rehabilitation services at Siskin Hospital, please visit www.SiskinRehab.org or call 634-1200.
GUILFORD  The childrens boutique, Just Hatched, had been welcoming new babies for more than 20 years when the coronavirus hit.

But even while forced to close its doors in March, owner Karen Helburn saw that the store had an important mission  especially for COVID babies, infants born during the pandemic.

In the beginning, I started hearing stories from customers about babies coming home to empty households, grandparents that hadnt held new grandbabies in their arms. All these stories were breaking my heart, said Helburn.

The shops calling is To join our customer in celebration of the new life thats in their life.

Now, one thing that has become very clear to Helburn is the significance Just Hatched served during this unprecedented time, she said.

I feel like what we do now is quite important. Babies that are born during COVID-19 are no less deserving of any of the fanfare and celebration than a baby that was born months ago deserves, she said.

Like many other retail shop owners, she pivoted in her business model. In March when her doors closed to customers in the shop, Helburn said she knew that social media would be a lifeline with increased posts on Instagram and Facebook along with live shopping events.

With flexibility and creativity being key, Helburn found inspiration one evening picking up pizza at a walk-up window. I said, well I have a window!

In Just Hatched style, a whimsical white frame was drawn onto a window glass next to the shops parking lot with the words, Order Here written on top. We get walkups daily, people are tapping, which is really nice. We just hold things up to the window. Its almost as if theyre in the store! If people call ahead, well pull a rolling rack specifically to them.

Still, on May 20, Helburn was overjoyed to welcome customers back into her shop, while following state guidelines for cleaning and social distancing, she said.

And, while customers can now shop inside, the shops walk-up window still plays an active business role. With a four-person limit in the shop , it provides a viable alternative to purchase items, or shoppers can seek help while waiting to go inside.

With the opening of indoor business, safety is an utmost priority for Helburn. Masks are necessary, theres hand sanitizer at the counter, and a thorough cleaning process of all touch points. Theres a cleaning standard in retail, and weve sort of super-sized it.

Helburn noticed customers are very cautious and aware of one another while shopping. Our upstairs and downstairs area naturally lends itself to social distancing. Its almost like a ballet the way people have naturally moved around one another.

In addition to the brick and mortar business, Helburn noted that Covid forced her to look at the shops online presence.

In a very short period of time, weve moved mountains and updated our website to make it more retail friendly, she said. For local customers who dont want to come into the store, they can either buy one of our pre-curated gift sets or build their own.

Helburn said her successful corporate gift program has continued to thrive. With the use of carefully selected baby gifts, the service helps build and strengthen employee relationships and celebrate new life.

For employers who have a sincere desire to connect with their employees and show value to them, this is a great program, said Helburn.

While day-to-day business may look a bit different right now, people still desire to acknowledge and celebrate joyous occasions.

Helburn shared, Our mission has always been in my head, but now its moved to my heart. In doing so, its made me very hopeful about my business.

Just Hatched, 112 State St. Guilford, 203-453-5100, www.justhatched.com and on Instagram follow @justhatchedbaby
Trump administration officials and Republicans in Congress are continuing to suggest that the man accused of murdering a federal protective services officer was linked to racial justice protests.

Steven Carrillo, an active-duty staff sergeant in the US Air Force, opened fire on a guard shack outside of a federal building in Oakland on 29 May, according to charging documents.

He later allegedly killed David Patrick Underwood, a federal protective services officer, during a drive-by shooting that same night.

The killing of Mr Underwood took place the same night as demonstrators were gathering throughout the city to mourn the death of George Floyd but an FBI affidavit last month said Mr Carrillo was not associated with the demonstrators.

There is no evidence that these men had any intention to join the demonstration in Oakland as some as the media have asked. They came to Oakland to kill cops, said John Bennet, the agent in charge of the FBIs San Francisco division, according to CBS News.

A number of Trump administration officials and Republicans have continued to suggest that Mr Carrillo was affiliated with the nationwide George Floyd protests, Talking Point Memo first reported.

TPM reported that a security camera still taken seconds before the alleged murder, and cited in the federal criminal complaint against Mr Carrillo, shows the attack actually took place on a near-empty street.

Senator Ted Cruz seemingly recently implied that Mr Underwoods death was connected to the protests at a hearing on Wednesday regarding The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence.

He provided a montaged news clip describing the killing next to other clips of protest coverage, implying a connection.

Acting Deputy DHS secretary Ken Cuccinelli wrote in June that while the nation was appalled by George Floyds death in Minneapolis, The mayhem that ensued, however, cannot be excused or justified, particularly when it causes the death of another.

How do we prevent the death of another Patrick Underwood? We dont allow lawlessness in our streets, he wrote in an opinion piece for Fox News.

At a hearing on Thursday, Senator Ron Johnson linked Mr Carrillo to the protests, which he described as chaotic and violent, according to the website.

News reports said the protest involving approximately 8,000 people turned chaotic and violent, as demonstrators smashed windows, looted stores, and broke into a bank a few blocks from where Officer Underwood was on duty, the senator was quoted as saying.

He reportedly said the suspect's anti-police views drew him to Oakland, where he saw the anti-police protest as an opportunity for more bloodshed.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson denied that the senator was suggesting Mr Carillo was among the protesters and insisted he was only suggesting that he was using the demonstrations as an opportunity to kill a police officer.

Officials have said Mr Carrillo was a suspected member of the Boogaloo movement, a loosely-connected group of extremist right-wing activists calling for another American civil war through violent actions.

Mr Carillo has now been charged with murder and attempted murder, which could carry a death sentence.

Robert Alvin Justus Jr, who allegedly drove Mr Carrillo in the van used for the drive-by shooting, has been charged with aiding and abetting murder and attempted murder.
New Delhi: South sensation Vijay Deverakonda, better known as Arjun Reddy amongst fans has once again set the internet roaring with his viral picture. Vijay posted a shirtless picture of himself chilling with his 'cute beast' aka pet dog and internet had a meltdown.

Vijay Deverakonda looks super hot in the viral picture which has garnered over 2,020,899 likes on Instagram as of now. Check out his picture:

The Telugu star Vijay Deverakonda made his movie debut in 2011 release Nuvvila. Then in 2015 came Yevade Subramanyam which gave Vijay prominence. He became a heartthrob with 2016 romantic comedy Pelli Choopulu, which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu and the Filmfare Award for Best Film - Telugu.

In 2017, Vijay Deverakonda gained massive stardom with Sandeep Vanga's 'Arjun Reddy'. This film gave him immense success and recognition. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu that year.

He went on to star in movies like Mahanati, Geetha Govindam, and Taxiwaala among others. He was featured by Forbes India in their 30 Under 30 list of 2019.

He was last seen in 'World Famous Lover' and next has an untitled venture with Puri Jagannadh which happens to be a bilingual project.
The Bihar government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, saying the petition filed by Rhea Chakraborty to transfer the police complaint filed by Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs father in connection with his death is misconceived and not maintainable.

According to news agency ANI, the Bihar government said it has the jurisdiction to investigate the matter. It also said that Chakrabortys submission that the entire cause of action arose in Mumbai and it has no jurisdiction to register FIR is liable to be rejected in view of the provisions under section 179 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Bihar police started their investigation after a first information report (FIR) was registered by Rajputs father KK Singh in Patna against Chakraborty under several sections including abetment of suicide. The Bihar government and Rajputs family had filed caveats before the Supreme Court seeking to challenge Chakrabortys petition.

Chakraborty had last month moved the Supreme Court demanding that the FIR registered in Bihar against her be transferred to Mumbai where police are already investigating the actors death.

She had alleged before the Supreme Court that Rajputs father has used his influence in roping her in the FIR lodged at Patna accusing her of abetment of suicide of his son. The allegations in the FIR lodged in Patna against her reflect the influence of Rajputs father in illegally roping her in the case, she had said in the petition seeking the transfer.

The petitioner is an actress and is into acting since 2012. In the peculiar facts and circumstances of the present case, the Petitioner has been falsely implicated in the present case filed at the instance of Krishna Kishore Singh-father of the deceased, she had said in her plea.

She had alleged that there cannot be an impartial investigation in Bihar for the case and sought transfer of the probe in the FIR to Mumbai.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his apartment in Mumbais Bandra on June 14.
Lifestyle brand Rossario George signed a 2-year agreement with retailer Forum by B8ta to sell their fashions and shoe lines in-store and online. Rossario George will be sold alongside other great well-know brands and designers such as Soma, Timo Weiland, and more.

The agreement made in June is a major accomplishment for the vastly growing Seattle-based brand established in 2018. This agreement also introduces B8ta's modern consumers a place to discover and develop meaningful engagements with emerging brands such as the 5-star rated, Rossario George lifestyle brand.

To make this union even more monumental, CEO | Designer | Buyer, Tony Vincente designed and curated 2 uniquely stylish collections for the launch. The Nero (black in Italian) collection which will be sold at the Forum by B8ta store located at 20 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001 and the Rosso (Red) collection which will be sold at the Forum by B8ta store located at 8406 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Fans of the brand can shop RG @Forum exclusive collections in-store and online on http://www.forumstore.com beginning August 12th, 2020.

When asked why he selected these specific pieces for the launch, Tony stated, I have lived and learned from both locations (NY & CA) and feel these collections will resonate and uplift the hearts and souls of trendsetters that live there and across the country. The initial collections for the launch include stunning dresses, skirts, and the RG Signature 3-inch heels made exclusively for the debut.

Please note: Each collection offered will be limited and once sold out new collections will take its place.

Links:

http://www.rossariogeorge.com

http://www.forumstore.com
Representational image

Over 9,30,000 stranded Indians have returned from abroad after the government launched the 'Vande Bharat' evacuation mission on May 7 in view of the coronavirus pandemic, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said.

Addressing the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation- National Centre for Good Governance (ITEC-NCGG) Workshop on COVID-19  Good Governance Practices in a Pandemic, Muraleedharan said so far more than 120,000 foreigners belonging to 120 countries have been repatriated from India.

"So far more than 9,30,000 stranded Indians have returned home and now many are going back to the countries where they were working before the pandemic struck. Not only we brought our stranded citizens back but also facilitated repatriation of foreign nationals stuck in India. So far more than 1,20,000 foreigners belonging to 120 countries have been repatriated from India," he was quoted as saying in a statement by the External Affairs Ministry.

He said the government also undertook a number of medical and early responder missions across the world.

"Operation Sanjeevani delivered 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines and hospital consumables to the Maldives. We overcame daunting logistical challenges to supply medicines and medical items to Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Seychelles and the Dominican Republic," he said.

He further said India also deployed Rapid Response medical Teams to help Maldives, Kuwait, Mauritius and Comoros deal with the pandemic.

"India launched Mission SAGAR, under which an Indian Naval Ship Kesari delivered coronavirus related assistance to Maldives, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros and Seychelles. This was the first time that a single operation covered all these countries in the region," he added.

On the MEA's prestigious Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programmes meant for capacity building in developing countries, he said they have been reformed and revamped considering the requirements of the changing times and technology.

"As you might be aware, ITEC aims to enhance India's development cooperation with partner countries. eITEC is one of the new modalities for delivery of ITEC programmes in which the learning is shifted to our partner countries and live online training is delivered by Indian faculties through video conferencing," he said.

The MEA has till date organised 10 such COVID-19 related eITEC training webinars in association with premier medical and governance institutions like All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), etc. in which around 850 trainees from all around the world have participated, Muraleedharan added.

"These eITEC training programmes have been appreciated much and I hope our partner countries would continue to take advantage of them for developing their human resource," he said.
Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Donald Trumps plan for exciting his base during the 2018 midterm elections was to crank up the threat of a migrant caravan. Fox News ran caravan footage on endless loop, and Trump smashed democratic norms by using the military as a campaign prop, deploying it to the border to defend against the supposed threat of violence (which, of course, magically dissipated immediately after the election.)

Trumps party obviously fared terribly in the midterms, as one would expect from a deeply unpopular president. But he did crank up historically high levels of Republican turnout, and was hardly mistaken in seeing the tactic as a success.

The caravan episode has become the model for Trumps reelection strategy. Trump hypes the threat from a small band of telegenic miscreants who may pose no threat to the average person, but look scary enough in a tightly framed video clip, and whom he can link to his opponent and promise to brutalize. In this case, the enemy is small bands of vandals that have lingered at the tail end of the George Floyd demonstrations. Trump has used the danger to justify a surge of federal troops in the hope that they would create footage of confrontations that would present Trump as the heroic vanquisher of chaos, this time inside Americas borders.

An administration official recently told the Washington Post the White House had long wanted to amplify strife in cities, and that it was about getting viral online content. A confession that the president is provoking violent confrontations on American soil in order to seed campaign propaganda would tear apart a normal presidency, but has already been half-forgotten against the backdrop of an administration in which scandals of this scale occur several times a week.

And yet Trumps ploy has not worked at all. Indeed, he and his supporters have been reduced to complaining that the biased news media is showing images of nonviolent protesters rather than the troops-versus-anarchist battles Trump longs to put on display.

Conservatives do have a germ of a point: Some of the protesters, especially in Portland, have destroyed or defaced property and provoked police, rather than merely demonstrating against racism and police violence. The Portland NAACP complained that mostly white anarchists have incited violence and diverted attention from the purpose of the protests.

But the reason Trumps tactic fails is that, by deploying troops to fight the anarchists, he broadens the issue into a fight about Trump himself. This inevitably draws more, largely nonviolent protesters into the streets. The numbers of protesters had dwindled substantially in recent weeks, one reporter in Portland observed last week, but reports of heavily armed, unidentified, camouflaged federal officers abducting people off the street into unmarked vehicles and meting out violence on the people of Portland have thoroughly re-energized the populace.

The same thing happened further north. Nightly protests since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis had dwindled in recent weeks in Seattle but were reinvigorated in the wake of federal action in the Portland protests and after Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) tweeted that President Trump had sent federal law enforcement agents to the city, reported the Post.

And so the scenes that Trump craves, pitting soldiers against black-clad radicals, have transformed quickly into troops against veterans, moms, and other antagonists who cut a more sympathetic profile. The protesters report that they have joined the protests because of Trumps response to the protests. Tessa and Leshan Terry formed the Wall of Vets in Portland, and came to their first demonstration, after seeing video of agents beating a fellow Navy veteran.

Peter Hamby recently found polling that showed Trumps approval dropped precipitously following the battle of Lafayette Square. And it was not just Trumps approval or vote share against Joe Biden that collapsed. The episode triggered a sharp change in public attitudes toward the police. As the political scientist Omar Wasow has found for the 1960s, nonviolent protests increased support for civil rights, even as violent protests diminished it. The first few days of the protests combined both violent and nonviolent protests, but eventually larger peaceful demonstrations dominated the scene. It was likely the violence used by police against peaceful demonstrators that turned public opinion decisively  not only on Trump, but also the reality of abusive policing that was on such vivid display.

Trump wishes to frame the election as a conflict between himself and anarchists. But the very act of inserting himself into the conflict changes its nature. Trumps strategy is failing because he thought he could isolate a static enemy. He wanted to beat up on a new caravan. This time, though, the caravan is all of us.
It has been a tough year so far for property investors, but one segment is weathering the storm better than most: industrial property.

Industrial property was hit far less than other segments by COVID-19

Real Capital Analytics data show Asia-Pacific office transaction volumes fell by 59 per cent year to date (June, 2020) compared with the same period in 2019. Retail dropped by 68 per cent by the same metric. However, industrial and logistics transactions fell by only 24 per cent, suggesting the segment has proved more resilient in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.

According to Simon Smith, Savills Asia-Pacific head of Research and Consultancy: Industrial and logistics properties, especially warehousing, have been at the top of many investor lists for a while now. The sector taps into megatrends such as the growth of online retail and almost every market in the region is undersupplied with modern logistics space.

The segment continues to grow in appeal to global investors as a stable and secure asset class. Industrial and logistics property have been resilient across most of Asia-Pacific real estate markets, especially in Vietnam.

Vietnam  supply urgency

According to Focus Economics, Vietnams index of industrial production (IIP) in June 2020 was up 7 per cent on-year, largely driven by manufacturing and electricity production. Manufacturing and industrial output is estimated to grow 2.71 per cent overall in 2020, with 9.2 per cent growth forecast in 2021.

Manufacturing PMI was 51.1 points in June 2020, up from 42.7 points in May, marking the first growth above the 50-point threshold since January. This rebound is attributed to a solid increase in new orders, increased overall purchasing activity, while pre-production inventories were at their highest since November 2018.

In June 2020, Vietnam had 336 IPs over a total of approximately 97,800 hectares. Of these, 261 IPs are operational while 75 are under site clearance or construction. Operating industrial park average occupancy is now 76 per cent nationwide.

John Campbell, Savills Vietnam manager of Industrial Services, emphasised: Demand continuing to outpace supply underscores the need for more segment supply in key industrial provinces. Occupancy rates in key hubs such as Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An in the south and Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, and Haiphong in the north, have all risen significantly since 2018.

Most lease transactions in the first half of 2020 were derived from discussions which started last year, while many others were confirmed from companies in Vietnam looking to expand production facilities. The travel restrictions have limited "market entry" enquiries, postponed site inspections from key international investors, in turn, reducing executed lease volumes with local developers, he said.

While there are no guarantees for next year, Vietnams Industrial Sector reliance on continued supply chain migration out of China is increasingly apparent. Many landlords are anticipating a great year once travel restrictions are lifted. VIR

Nguyen Huong

Vietnam emerges as popular industrial property destination: CBRE Vietnam has emerged as a popular destination for industrial property projects as increased labour costs, trade disputes and COVID-19 prompt global manufacturers to vary their supply chains throughout Asia, according to CBRE.
Even the SC is surprised by the MoU signed between Congress and China

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: The president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, J P Nadda launched a scathing attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi on the China issue.

He cited a petition filed against the Congress over the issue in the Supreme Court. Even the SC is surprised at the MoU signed by the Congress party with the Chinese Gov...

Mrs Gandhi & her son, who led the signing, must explain. Does this explain donations to RGF and opening Indian market for the Chinese in return, which affected Indian businesses, Nadda said in a tweet.

Even the SC is surprised at the MoU signed by the Congress party with the Chinese Gov...

Mrs Gandhi & her son, who led the signing, must explain.

Does this explain donations to RGF and opening Indian market for the Chinese in return, which affected Indian businesses? pic.twitter.com/hidmbcbO7Z  Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) August 7, 2020

He also attached a screenshot of a news article which talked about compromise in the deal. The memorandum of understanding was signed between the Congress and the Communist Party of China in 2008. How can a political party enter into an agreement with China. It is unheard in law, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, S A Bobde remarked.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

Hard talk on the hotline: India snubs China on step back suggestion

The PIL alleged despite of having a hostile relation with China, Respondent No 1 (Congress) had signed an agreement when it was running a coalition government and hidden the facts and details of the agreement from the country. The petitioners firmly believe that the nation's security cannot and should not be compromised by anyone, the petition said. The agreement was signed between the Congress party and Communist Party of China in Beijing for exchanging high level information and co-operation.

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Story first published: Friday, August 7, 2020, 16:11 [IST]
VV Balakrishna By

Express News Service

HYDERABAD: The new Telangana Secretariat building, once constructed, will be the tallest structure  278 feet, dwarfing several historic monuments in the country.

The Secretariat building will be higher than several monuments such as the Taj Mahal (240 ft), Qutub Minar (237 ft), Charminar (183 ft), Quli Qutb Shahs Tomb (196 ft) and the Buddha statue (58 ft), sources, who worked on preparing the design, said.

Hyderabad-based Satyavani Projects and Consultants and Chennai-based Oscar and Ponni Architects prepared the design.

ALSO READ | Secretariat may have seven floors; design not finalised as K Chandrasekhar Rao makes changes

According to the sources, the building is designed to accommodate more Ministers, once the Assembly seats are increased from 119 to 153 as proposed in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Every Ministers chamber will have eight compartments, which means there will be 200 compartments. This will provide office space to Secretaries and other staff members.

The Chief Ministers Office (CMO) will be on the seventh floor, which will be the top-most floor of the Secretariat.

The CMO will have 30 compartments. The east-facing Secretariat building will measure 600 ft by 300 ft. The front-side glasses will be in blue colour and it has been decided to use Dholpur Beige Sandstone from Rajasthan.

Dismissing allegations that the new building is inspired by the Nizams architecture, the projects engineers told The New Indian Express that its inspiration is the 1,000 Pillar Temple in Warangal.

The Secretariat will have five domes in its central part, just like the temple. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed us to ensure that the building is long-lasting as it will be the pride and icon of Telangana, the designers said.

Its structure will be robust and life more than 100 years, sources said. We are proud be part of this project. an engineer said.
An internationally renowned DJ has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in Miami Beach, Florida after the results of a rape kit reportedly came back positive for his DNA.

Erick Morillo, 49, turned himself in to authorities on Thursday morning and was subsequently placed under arrest and charged with sexual battery, according to Local 10 News. .

Morillo has denied the assault accusations made against him by a fellow female DJ.

In custody: DJ Erick Morillo was arrested and charged with sexual battery on Thursday in Miami Beach according to Florida based Local 10 News

The alleged incident is said to have happened back in 2019 at a small after party hosted by Morillo in his Miami area home.

Police said that Morillo and a female DJ had been hired to work a private event and went back to his house for drinks afterwards with another unidentified female.

According to the police report, the alleged victim told authorities that Morillo 'made several advances towards her, some sexual in nature, but she refused all of his attempts.'

The victim said in the report that she took an Uber to his home and put on a bathing suit to go swimming when she got there but felt uncomfortable after he made advances so she changed back, according to the Miami New Times.

Details: The incident is said to have happened in December of 2019 at his Miami-area home and the 49-year-old reportedly turned himself into authorities after a rape kit came back positive for his DNA

She told police that he apologized so she decided to stay and later went to sleep alone somewhere in the house.

The victim claimed she woke up 'nude on the bed and that Morillo was 'standing on the side of the bed also nude.' Following the alleged assault, the victim said she was in pain and called 911 to report being raped.

She was taken to a rape-treatment facility and had a rape kit done. The results of that kit came back this week positive for Morillo's DNA, police said.

Miami Beach police had responded to the scene of the incident following the 911 call and Morillo told them he had already 'spoken with his attorney prior to their arrival,' according to the Miami New Times.

In his recorded statement, Morillo denied that he raped the woman but told cops that he did have sex with the second woman who had also gone back to his house for drinks.

According to the police report: The victim, a female DJ, said that she had 'refused' Morillo's many advances and after going to bed alone she 'woke up nude' and he was 'standing on the side of the bed also nude'

According to the report, the second woman told investigators that she slept on the couch and didn't see anything.

Morillo's attorney said in a statement to DailyMail.com: 'Mr. Morillo's arrest is based on an incident that occurred back on December 7, 2019. Since then, Mr. Morillo has fully cooperated with the police.

'It is important the public understands that the police report contains mere allegations and Mr. Morillo is presumed innocent. There is more to the story than what is in the initial police report, and I look forward to sharing this evidence as I defend Mr. Morillo in court.

'Our system of justice requires that an accused is treated fairly and with due process. Mr. Morillo will be exercising all of his constitutional rights and I am confident when all of the evidence is presented in this case, justice will be served, and Mr. Morillo will be vindicated.'

Erick Morillo is a well known Colombian-American house- music DJ. He co-wrote the 1994 dance hit I Like To Move It by Reel 2 Real, which was regained popularity when will.i.am covered it for 2008's animated film Madagascar.
JERUSALEM - One was 3 years old when she trekked out of her remote African village with her parents, ultimately bound for Israel, and another had to break loose of the strictures of her insular ultra-Orthodox Jewish world. A third had to win over the spiritual leaders of her community, and the fourth has endured a stream of insults and other abuse as a conservative Muslim wearing a headscarf.

All of these women have overcome daunting barriers to become groundbreaking members of Israel's parliament, called the Knesset.

Thirty-three of the Knesset's 120 members are women. And while this is not the most ever, the number includes some impressive firsts: the first Ethiopian-born Knesset member to become a government minister, the first female ultra-Orthodox Jewish lawmaker and minister, the first female Knesset member from the Druze religious community, and the first to wear a Muslim hijab.

Israel is known for its iconic female prime minister, Golda Meir, but Gayil Talshir, a political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said Israel has become more conservative in recent years. The central role played by ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, which do not run women for elected office, has made the political landscape challenging for women, Talshir said.

Each of these four newly elected women represents a different sector of Israel's society, and three of them had to look beyond the parties that traditionally represent their sectors, finding a political home instead in the Blue and White party headed by Benny Gantz, now the country's defense minister and alternate prime minister. Here are their stories/

- - -

Pnina Tamano-Shatta, 39, who has served in the Knesset since 2013, made history in May when she became the first government minister born in Ethiopia. A week later, the newly appointed minister of immigrant absorption attended the annual memorial ceremony for Ethiopian Jewry.

"I stood there looking at the monument for those who died trying to reach Israel and realized that to get to this point, to become the first Black minister in Israel, is an incredible honor, not only for me but for my entire community," Tamano-Shatta said.

She was 3 years old when her family left their village in Ethiopia and spent months hiding their Jewish identity in a refugee camp in neighboring Sudan. They were secretly airlifted to Israel in a military operation in the 1980s. Gantz, a former army chief of staff, was among those involved in the delicate mission that rescued thousands of stranded African Jews.

"He was there at the most critical point in my life, and his connection to the community is very meaningful," Tamano-Shatta said. "Now he's appointed the first Ethiopian as a minister."

Tamano-Shatta faced sharp criticism for following Gantz into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and becoming a minister. But she says the new role offers her the chance to address two issues close to her heart. She has a platform to speak out against discrimination, particularly against Israel's 150,000-member Ethiopian community, and she can help new immigrants as they arrive in Israel.

"I know what it's like to make aliyah," she said, using the Hebrew term for immigrating to Israel. "My new challenge is to be a minister for every new immigrant that arrives in this country."

- - -

Change is slow in Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, which strictly adheres to Jewish religious law and long-held traditions, particularly regarding women. In recent years, however, a small but growing number of women in this community, known as Haredim, have demanded a voice within the existing political structure.

For Omer Yankelevitch, 42, a lawyer and community activist, finding a place in ultra-Orthodox politics was less important than pushing a social agenda that includes fighting for the rights of the underprivileged.

"I don't feel that I'm a representative of the Haredim; they already have some excellent leaders," Yankelevitch said. "I come with a social welfare agenda because I want to help the country's minorities."

Yankelevitch, also running on the Blue and White ticket, was elected to the Knesset and became the minister of diaspora affairs, running the office that connects global Jewry and Israel. (She was first elected to the parliament last year, but neither Netanyahu nor Gantz could assemble a majority coalition, forcing the country back to two more elections before the government was finally able to get down to business this spring.)

Her new role has already caused a stir. Recently, she was photographed meeting with Haredi mayors, and the image of a woman meeting a group of ultra-Orthodox men sent shock waves through the community.

"The Haredi public is very conservative, and I don't want people thinking that change is being forced on them," Yankelevitch said. "I can understand their criticism. What they fear is change, and this needs to be a process."

Yankelevitch said that what has hurt her most since entering politics is criticism from the general population.

"At the end of the day, I am an ultra-Orthodox woman from a secluded society, and the path I took to get here was very complex," she said.

- - -

Gadeer Kamal Mreeh, 36, made history in 2017 as the first non-Jewish woman to anchor an Israeli news broadcast. It took her two more years to be elected as the first Druze woman in the Knesset.

"The Druze community is very conservative and patriarchal. That's why we've not had any women in politics until now," Mreeh said. "On the other side, no political party ever asked a Druze woman to join them. No one said, 'We want to hear your voice.' "

Through her short stint in politics, Mreeh has already had to battle for her place - first with the community's spiritual leaders, who were initially uncomfortable having a woman in a position of influence, and then with Gantz, who shocked supporters by forming a government with Netanyahu. She left his party for the opposition.

"My breaking point was when I understood that Gantz was not going to do what he promised," said Mreeh, who entered politics with the aim of revoking a controversial nation-state law, a measure strongly backed by Netanyahu that highlights Israel's identity as a Jewish country at the expense of minority groups such as the Druze.

The Druze, who practice an ancient, esoteric monotheistic religion incorporating elements of all Abrahamic religions and several other philosophies, are loyal to the state in which they are born. In Israel, the men serve in the military.

"I covered the protests against the law, and as a journalist I tried to remain neutral, but I really wanted to scream and cry out 'What are you doing?' Mreeh recalled. "When Gantz first approached me, I told him that my goal was to fix the law and achieve equality for all minorities."

- - -

Iman Khateb Yassin, 55, was chosen to run for the Knesset by her party, the Islamic Movement, beating out several men for the chance, and when she was elected last year, she became the first lawmaker to wear a traditional Muslim head covering.

"Hijab-wearing women should not be viewed with suspicion; we should be respected for the way we dress," Yassin said. "Today, in Israel, there are many Arab women, with and without a hijab, in many different fields - law, medicine. It's natural that we should be involved in politics, too."

But Yassin, a social worker by training, said it took time for the Islamic Movement to realize it needed to include a woman on its slate.

"Many conservative and religious Arab women - and men - realized that now was the right time," she said. "After years of exclusion and stigma experienced by veiled, conservative women, after years of being told we can't be included in political decisions, it was important for us to be represented."

It hasn't been painless. Yassin said she has faced online abuse, including comments telling her to "go back to the kitchen" or asking if she would prefer to share a recipe rather than a political opinion. Recently, her personal cellphone number was leaked, and she endured a stream of abusive phone calls that focused on her being a woman and an Arab in Israel.

"There will always be such voices, and it is bothersome, but not to the point that I will stay home," she said. "I won't stop operating. I know that I am setting an example to other Arab women."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.7

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Amendments to the state budget of Azerbaijan for 2020 were discussed at an extraordinary meeting of the Azerbaijani parliament on August 7, Trend reports.

Based on calculations carried out given the updated macroeconomic forecasts for the current year, the revised state budget revenues for 2020 are envisaged in the amount of 24.124 billion manat ($14.19 billion), which is 35.3 percent of GDP.

After the proposed changes, the consolidated budget revenues will be nearly 5 billion manat ($2.94 billion) less than the current ones, and the consolidated budget deficit will amount to 8.436 billion manat ($4.96 billion). The decrease in the state budget deficit is due to the reduced international demand for petroleum products, as well as the introduction of incentives on some taxes.

As many as 600 million manat ($352.9 million) has been allocated from the state budget for the implementation of support programs. Extra-budgetary revenues of the state budget on taxes and fees shall be reduced by 890.5 million manat ($523.8 million), and the transfer of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan to the state budget and other state budget revenues shall be increased by 850 million manat ($500 million).

Given the above, the revised state budget expenses for 2020 will amount to 27.492 billion manat ($16.17 billion), of which 190 million manat ($111.7 million) will be allocated for placement of bonds in the domestic market.

Following the discussions, the amendments were put to a vote and adopted in the third reading.

($1 USD = 1.7 manat on Aug.7)
Five years after Crystal Rogers disappeared from her home in Bardstown, Kentucky, the FBI has taken over as the lead agency in the investigation are executing new search warrants at several properties connected to her boyfriend.

On Thursday, more than 150 state and federal law enforcement officers arrived in Bardstown, where they began executing nine federal search warrants and will be conducting more than 50 interviews, the FBI said in a press release. Federal officers returned to the area on Friday.

Crystal Rogers

FBI Louisville officials said they are working with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Kentucky State Police and the U.S. Attorneys Office to bring a "fresh perspective" to the case, which has gained national attention over the years.

A hallmark of the FBI is we never give up, FBI Louisville Special Agent in Charge Robert Brown stated in the release. The FBI is committed to bringing those responsible to justice, but we are going to need the communitys assistance.

Crystal Rogers, who was featured in Datelines Missing in America series shortly after she disappeared, was last seen by her boyfriend, Brooks Houck, on the evening of July 3, 2015, at their home in Bardstown, Kentucky, where they lived with their young son.

Two days later, on July 5, Crystal's unlocked, maroon 2007 Chevy Impala was found abandoned along Kentucky's Bluegrass Parkway with a flat tire -- her keys were still in the ignition and her purse and cell phone were found inside, police said.

The same day, Crystals mother reported her missing to the police. For days and weeks and months, her family, friends and the community searched tirelessly in and around Bardstown.

In October 2015, three months after Crystal vanished, officials with the Nelson County Sheriffs Office named Houck a suspect in her disappearance. Nelson County Sheriff Ed Mattingly also said at the time that he believed Crystal was dead.

In a bizarre twist, on the same day Houck was named a suspect, his brother Nick Houck, who worked as a Bardstown City police officer, was terminated from the department after officials say he interfered with the investigation of Crystals disappearance.

Story continues

According to an order from Mayor John Royalty, Nick Houck called his brother during an interview with the Nelson County Sheriff's Department. He then told the Kentucky State Police that he told his brother "he should protect himself" and that "they might be trying to trip him up."

At the time, the family was content with the information and felt it meant their hard work was paying off.

"Since they named him a suspect, I feel like they're working now, which I always thought the Sheriff Department was doing a good job, but it makes me feel a lot better," Tommy Ballard, Crystals father, told WDRB in October 2015.

Crystals father, Tommy Ballard, was shot and killed by an unknown assailant on his familys property in November 2016 as he was preparing to go hunting, according to FBI Louisville. His case also remains unsolved.

Several Julys passed before the next big update in Crystals case.

On July 23, 2020, investigators with the Nelson County Sheriffs Office learned human remains had been discovered in a remote area near the Washington County line.

Investigators worked with the FBI to recover the remains, which were sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Va., for analysis. The identity of the remains has still not been released.

Crystals case is not the only unsolved mystery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Along with Crystals disappearance, four unsolved murders have pushed the small town into the headlines over the past few years. The FBI is investigating all four murders.

Year after year, tragedies struck this small town, Jessica Noll, journalist and host of the podcast, Bardstown, previously told Nancy Grace. Noll created the podcast to attempt to figure out if the crimes are connected and examine how the brutal murders impacted the small town of about 13,000.

In May 2013, Bardstown Police officer Jason Ellis was on his way home around 2 a.m. when he noticed the road was blocked by freshly cut trees. When he got out of the car to investigate, someone shot and killed Ellis.

Just a year later, in April 2014, mother and daughter, Kathy and Samantha Netherland, were found brutally murdered at their home. Kathy had been shot multiple times and Samantha had was found stabbed and her throat was slit.

The fourth person murdered was Crystals father, Tommy Ballard, whose death in November 2016 has been investigated as a murder, according to the Kentucky State Police, but there have been no updates in his case.

On August 6, 2020, FBI Louisville announced that it is now the lead agency in the case working with the IRS, KSP and the US Attorneys office. The agency executed nine federal search warrants and conducted multiple interviews in Nelson County.

I have committed publicly and privately that delivering long-sought justice in Nelson County is the highest priority case of the United States Attorneys Office, said U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman. Todays efforts by our stalwart FBI, IRS, and KSP partners is a major step in honoring that promise.

As an additional effort to help Crystal and her family, the FBI launched a website called crystalrogerstaskforce.com, dedicated to sharing information about her case. The FBI said the site will serve as the official source of information from law enforcement.

Communication from this site paired with the release of previously withheld, new, and unique details will lead us to the last piece of the puzzle, the press release stated.

FBI Louisville Special Agent in Charge Robert Brown also asked for the public to think about that Fourth of July weekend and any possible information that could help solve Crystals case.

I ask that members of the community think back to July 3rd and 4th of 2015, Agent Brown said. For those individuals who have information about this incident but who have not yet spoken to law enforcement for whatever reason, please contact us.

A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the whereabouts of Crystal Rogers.

The Kentucky State Police continue to work tirelessly to bring about a successful resolve to several cases in Nelson County, said Commissioner Rodney Brewer. We have followed up on hundreds of tips from the public and logged thousands of investigative hours towards this endeavor. We will continue our efforts until justice is served and welcome the assistance of our federal partners.
British Airways said on Friday it was making progress with its plan to cut 12,000 jobs to help it shrink as a result of the pandemic, with more than 6,000 employees deciding to take voluntary redundancy.

The airline, which is owned by IAG, will send out letters to its remaining staff on Friday to tell them whether they still have a job or not, and if they do, whether they will be required to accept a new contract or stay on their old one.

The pandemic has hit air travel hard and British Airways says demand won't recover for years. It is currently only flying about 20% of its schedule and burning through 20 million pounds per day.

"We are having to make difficult decisions and take every possible action now to protect as many jobs as possible," a spokesman for BA said.

But trade union Unite, which represents cabin crew, argues that the airline has gone too far with the cuts it is proposing.

It has accused BA of trying to bring in big pay reductions for staff that it will keep on and has organised protests against the airline, tried to drum up political support for its cause and threatened strike action.

While Unite says the pay cuts are as much as 70%, British Airways says some cabin crew would receive a pay rise, while others would see a 20% reduction in basic pay.

British Airways, which had 42,000 staff at the beginning of the pandemic, has already agreed a jobs deal with pilots union BALPA for a pay cut of about 20% and some compulsory job cuts estimated around 270.

The letters being sent out by the airline on Friday to its cabin crew, engineers, airports staff and others follow a selection process.
The number of police firearms operations has fallen for the first time in four years.

Operations fell four per cent to just under 19,400 in England and Wales in the year to March, a Home Office report shows.

The drop  of 820 incidents year-on-year  is the first since 2015-16. Officers' guns were discharged at people in five incidents, down from 13 in the previous 12 months.

The period covered by the figures, released yesterday, included the terror attack at Fishmongers' Hall on London Bridge.

Convicted terrorist Usman Khan went on a knife rampage at an offender rehabilitation conference at the venue, killing Cambridge University graduates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones. Khan was shot dead by officers.

The number of police firearms operations has fallen for the first time in four years (file image)

The statistics also show the number of armed officers has fallen 2 per cent to 6,518, ending a three-year rise.

The two largest police forces - the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police - carried out 35% of the operations, with 4,195 and 2,562 respectively.

Although having the highest proportion of operations, the numbers fell in both areas compared to the previous period.

In the North East there was a 119% rise in the number of operations (387), driven by a 'large increase' in usage by Cleveland and Northumbria forces.

The statistics also show the number of armed officers has fallen 2 per cent to 6,518, ending a three-year rise (file image)

But despite having the largest percentage increase, the region still saw the lowest number of operations taking place, the report said.

Some 91% (17,687) of the operations involved an armed response vehicle - the highest proportion since 2009/10 (80%).

The statistics also show the number of armed officers has fallen 2% to 6,518. This drop of 103 officers in the 12-month period brings to an end a three-year rise in numbers which has continued from 2017.

The previous annual rises are likely to have been linked to a recruitment drive, the Home Office said.

The report added: 'The proportion of armed officers to unarmed officer has remained stable over the last four years at around 5%.'
Actor Rhea Chakraborty, being investigated by the CBI on charges of abetting Sushant Singh Rajputs suicide, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai on Friday in connection with a money laundering case. Now, Sushants family lawyer Vikas Singh has said that she could get arrested if she tries to evade EDs questions.

Speaking to Times Now, Vikas said, Now that she has decided to finally come forward in the interrogation, if she answers questions properly then probably she may be allowed to go. If she evades answers today, then she can also be arrested.

The 28-year-old arrived at the agencys Ballard Estate office with her brother Showik shortly before noon. Her business manager, Shruti Modi, who also worked for Rajput, also appeared before the agency soon in response to the EDs summons. The statements of Rhea, Shruti and Showik were recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said.

Also read: Rhea Chakraborty appears before ED after it rejected her request to defer questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case

Rajputs friend and roommate Siddharth Pithani has also been called by the ED to appear on Saturday in connection with this money laundering case that stems from a complaint filed by the actors father with the Bihar Police in connection with his death, they said. Pithani is stated to be out of Mumbai at present and he has said in various news channel interviews that he was present in the Bandra flat on June 14 when the 34-year-old actor died by suicide.

Rhea, accused by Rajputs father of abetting his sons suicide, had initially refused to appear before the agency citing her appeal pending before the Supreme Court.

(With PTI inputs)

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South Africa: Labour gets over 3 000 COVID-19 claims

The Department of Employment and Labour has received over 3 000 COVID-19 related claims.

The department has received a total of 3 424 COVID-19 claims, with 2 036 of these being handed directly to the Compensation Fund (CF), while 1 314 were directed to Rand Mutual and 74 claims were handed to Federated Employers.

Rand Mutual -- which operates under a licence granted by the Minister of Employment and Labour, and covers mostly workers in the mining, iron and steel industries -- has paid out R3.3 million in dependent benefits, while the CF has paid R202 172 in medical aid claims for workers who have contracted COVID-19 while on duty.

Of the 2 036 claims received by the CF, 1 425 came from the Western Cape, 319 from the Eastern Cape with, 145 from KwaZulu-Natal, 69 from Gauteng, 45 from Mpumalanga, 29 from the North West, three from Limpopo and one from the Northern Cape.

The CF has accepted liability for 1 229 claims, which represents 60.4% of the claims received. The fund repudiated 193 (9.5% of claims), while 614 await adjudication, which represents 30.1% of the claims received directly.

The claims received by Rand Mutual are as follows: 949 from Gauteng, 137 from the Eastern Cape, 67 from the Western Cape, 56 from KwaZulu-Natal, 29 from the North West, 21 from Limpopo, 18 from the Free State, while 37 are unknown.

Of the 1 314 claims received so far, 1 253 (95.4%) are pending adjudication.

Federated Employers, which represents workers mostly in the construction sector, received 74 claims, 26 of which are from the Western Cape, 26 from Gauteng, nine from the Northern Cape, 8 from the North West, four from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Free State.

CF Commissioner Vuyo Mafata said in cases where the claims have been repudiated, with better information, the claims could still be approved and the CF will accept liability.

In the meantime, the department has appealed to companies to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken to safeguard the lives of workers in the workplace.

The department encouraged all workers to do the basics like washing hands, keeping safe distances where possible and wearing the appropriate protective gear, including a mask covering the nose and mouth.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
GUELPH, Ont. - Linamar Corp. executives said this week that making ventilators for COVID-19 relief is one of many ways the manufacturing company powered through plummeting auto sales.

The company based in Guelph, Ont., saw its latest quarterly sales slashed by more than half amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But Linamar, which focuses on manufacturing transportation parts and machinery, has also taken on five contracts to produce fully assembled ventilators.

We are often questioned on how we will handle a changing landscape, said chief executive Linda Hasenfratz. We see technology change as only one thing  opportunity, and we will continue to chase those opportunities.

Sales for the three months ended June 30 totalled $923.6 million  down from roughly $2.09 billion in the same period the previous year.

Hasenfratz estimated that COVID-19 was the single biggest impact, leaving a $1.13 billion dent in sales. Auto sales were down 63.5 per cent in North America and 59.7 per cent in Europe, Hasenfratz estimated.

Second-quarter sales in its industrial segment fell 56.7 per cent and in its transportation segment 55.3 per cent, partly due to adverse conditions associated with the pandemic.

Its industrial business includes agricultural harvesting machines. Hasenfratz cited a tough harvest last year, tariffs, and political backlash that is hurting North American farmers, particularly soybean and canola farmers and Canadian farmers.

Overall, the manufacturer said it recorded a net loss of $37.9 million or 58 cents per diluted share, compared with a net profit of $150.2 million or $2.28 per share in the same quarter of 2019.

Despite the slide, Hasenfratz estimated that the second quarter is the trough or low point for the pandemic, but said that even in the case of a second shutdown, the company forecasts being profitable.

There is still a lot of uncertainty out there and now is not the time to become complacent, she said.

Hasenfratz said the company had cut capital spending by 18 per cent, and had scraped out about $30 million in annualized savings.

Linamar said its normalized net loss totalled $22 million or 34 cents per share for the quarter, down from a net profit of $158.3 million or $2.40 a share.

Analysts expected a net loss of $72.45 million or $1.34 per share, and a normalized net loss of $23 million or 80 cents per share, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

In addition to trimming travel expenses and taking advantage of government relief, Hasenfratz said the company was able to save on costs like uniform cleaning and trash collection when fewer employees were present at workplaces.

Although the workforce has seen sporadic cases of COVID-19 popping up, more than 90 per cent of employees are back to full-time work and the company has contained and stopped any transmission onsite, she said.

We have had no serious outbreaks in any of our plants, she said. Chief operating officer Jim Jarrell added that while there will be more COVID cases that pop up among car manufacturers and suppliers, there is a commitment to keep going.

Weve got to be doing both things: Keep people safe and keep livelihoods going, said Jarrell.

Going forward, Hasenfratz predicted a boost from electric vehicles, noting that fully electric vehicles are set to surpass hybrids for the first time.

Electrified vehicles continue to present a great opportunity for us, she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:LNR)


Lebanon is a country that is on everyones minds and mouths right now. That is because of the devastating blast that occurred in the Beirut, and claimed hundreds of lives. The horrific scenes were caught on camera two days ago, and the aftermath didnt look very different from Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The explosion was caused by the 2750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which was stored unsafely in a warehouse.

Lebanon is in crisis in several disciplines at the moment. The port area, where the explosion happened, is completely destroyed. This has made the usage of the port to a full-time halt. Lebanon was already in an economic crisis due to the pandemic. A large number of people were affected and were pushed into poverty, which resulted in anti-government protests. According to the IMF, Lebanon has the fourth-highest debt in the world  162 percent of GDP in 2020.





Take a look at the rising debt of Lebanon from the last five years and the estimation in the next year.

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You can also find more infographics at Visualistan

Infographic by: statista.com
If you ask me as a yogi, I will definitely not go because as a Hindu I have the right to express my 'upasana vidhi' and act accordingly

PM Narendra Modi visits Hanumangarhi in Ayodhya. He is accompanied by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanth after the Ram mandir Bhumi Pujan in Ayodhya. PTI photo

Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party on Friday sought an apology from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remark that he would not attend the inauguration of the mosque to be built in Ayodhya, replacing the demolished Babri Masjid.

In an interview to a television channel Thursday, Adityanath said he couldn't go for the mosque inauguration as a yogi and as a Hindu.

Reacting to the remark, the opposition SP said he should seek an apology from the people of the state. When contacted, a UP Congress spokesperson, however, refused to comment on the chief minister's remarks over the mosque.

"If you ask me as a chief minister, I have no problem with any belief, religion or community. If you ask me as a yogi, I will definitely not go because as a Hindu I have the right to express my 'upasana vidhi' (way of worship) and act accordingly," Adityanath had said.

"I am neither 'vaadi or prativadi' (petitioner nor respondent). That is why neither will I be invited, nor will I go. I know, I won't be getting any such invitation, he said.

The day they invite me, secularism of many will be in danger. That's why I want that their secularism should not be in danger and I continue to silently work to ensure that everyone benefits from government scheme without any discrimination," he said.

He claimed that the Congress never wanted a solution to the dispute. They wanted the dispute to continue for their political benefit."

"Attending roza-iftar with a skull cap is not secularism. People also know that this is drama. People know the reality," the CM said.

SP spokesperson Pawan Pandey criticised Adityanath over his remarks, charging that he has violated the oath he took while assuming charge as the chief minister.

He is the CM of the entire state, and not only of the Hindu community. Whatever the population of Hindus and Muslims in the state, he is the CM of all. This language of the CM lacks dignity, he said.

He should seek an apology from the people for this," Pandey said.

UP Congress media cell convenor Lalan Kumar said, "We don't have any comments on his mosque statement."

But he credited the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi for opening the locks on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid.

Referring to the ruling BJP, the Congress spokesperson said, They play politics of fake Hindutva. The Congress has always talked about whatever is in the interest of people.

Lord Ram is everyone's, but the BJP wants to show that Ram is theirs alone, he added.

Yogi Adityanath had attended the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for a Ram temple in Ayodhya, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the main guest.

Last November, the Supreme Court had settled the Ayodhya land dispute, allowing the construction of the temple at Ram Janmabhoomi by a trust.

The apex court had also ordered the allocation of a five-acre plot of land elsewhere in Ayodhya for the construction of a mosque, in place of the Babri Masjid which was demolished by kar sevaks' in 1992.

A trust has been formed by the Sunni Waqf Board for building this mosque.
LONDON  Barely six months after Britain broke away from the European Union, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is increasingly consumed with trying to stop the breakaway of restive parts of the United Kingdom.

On Friday, Mr. Johnson sent his popular Treasury chief, Rishi Sunak, to Scotland, to tamp down nationalist sentiment that has surged there in recent months. Another top minister, Michael Gove, went to Northern Ireland with nearly $500 million in aid to help frustrated companies deal with new checks on shipped goods.

Experts have long predicted that Brexit would strengthen centrifugal forces that were pulling apart the union. But in Scotland, in particular, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated those forces, forcing Mr. Johnson to mount an elaborate  some say belated  charm offensive with the Scottish public.

The situation is less acute in Northern Ireland, where reunification with the Republic of Ireland still seems a distant prospect. Yet businesspeople there, including those loyal to London, worry they will be hurt by a costly, bureaucratic trading system between Northern Ireland and the rest of the union.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Overcast. Morning high of 36F with temps falling to near 20. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. Low 13F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor has dubbed Americans lack of history and civics knowledge a quiet crisis. Numerous surveys prove her point. In September, the University of Pennsylvanias Annenberg Public Policy Center found that nearly four in ten Americans cant name one right guaranteed under the First Amendment; only a quarter can name all three branches of government. Another survey found that over half of the nations 17-year-olds couldnt place the Civil War within the correct 50-year period. Similarly, less than a quarter of the eighth- and 12th-graders taking the National Assessment of Educational Progress history and civics exams scored at or above proficient. Though critics have bemoaned Americans lack of historical and civic knowledge since at least the 1950s, our national ignorance seems to have reached a tipping point. Across the political spectrum, commentators wonder whether the American body politic will remain capable of self-government.

Fortunately, several organizations are working to rebuild American history and civics education. Justice OConnor founded iCivics, a nonprofit that uses video games to teach students how Americas democracy functions. The Joe Foss Institute works to ensure that every high school student can pass the citizenship exam given to immigrants. The Annenberg Center has created the Civics Renewal Network, a consortium committed to improving civics education. Its motto, a takeoff on Benjamin Franklins famous retort, is: A Republic, if We Can Teach It.

But no organization is making more of an impact in this area than the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. In recent years, the institute has garnered well-deserved media attention, thanks to the education program that it runs in conjunction with the smash-hit Broadway musical Hamilton, but it has been working to improve history education for more than two decades.

Richard Gilder and Lew Lehrman, successful investors with a passion for American history, founded the institute in 1994. Both studied history at Yale; Lehrman, New Yorks Republican nominee for governor in 1982, was a history professor for a time and has written books on Lincoln. Disturbed that many important historical documents were in private hands, the pair began to vacuum the English-speaking world of American historical documents and manuscripts, as Lehrman puts it. Not wanting their growing collection of documents to sit in a vault, they hired a staff and created programs so that the documents could be shared and become the foundation for a greater appreciation and understanding of American history, notes Lesley Herrmann, who helped launch the institute and was its executive director for more than 20 years.

Today, the collection is one of the great archives of American history. Its 70,000 documents range from a letter from Columbus to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to a 1945 letter from Manhattan Project scientists warning of the dangers of the atomic bomb. Gilder and Lehrman gifted the entire collection to the institute in 2012. Housed at the New-York Historical Society, its being digitized and made available to libraries and schools across the country. Over the years, Gilder and Lehrman have spent over $150 million on the collection and the institute. They received the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush in 2005 for their contributions to the study of American history, which also include the creation of the Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale and the Douglass, Lincoln, and Washington historical book prizes.

Why devote so much effort and money toward improving the teaching of American history? Gilder explains: Were the only country that was formed and based on ideas. How those ideas continue and how theyre interpreted is what really makes the story of our country so interesting and so terrificeven aspects of it that are painful and embarrassing, such as slavery. Early on, the institute focused on running summer seminars for high school history teachers to interact with historians and deepen their knowledge. The institute then added more seminars as word of mouth spread among the teachers. Last summer, 1,000 teachers participated in 30 seminars, ranging from Native American History, taught by Dartmouth Colleges Colin Calloway, to Foreign and Domestic Politics Since the 1970s, taught by Emory Universitys Joseph Crespino.

Gilder Lehrman began holding lectures, exhibits, and extra-credit Saturday courses in American history for high school students; hundreds showed up. The courses unexpected popularity encouraged the institute to sponsor a special-theme high school in American history: in 1996, the Academy of American Studies opened in Long Island City, Queens, and today enrolls 1,000 students. Half take classes in a cramped former sewing-machine factory, the other half in Newcomers High School, across the street. The academy plans to move to a new building in 2020.

The semi-selective school is as diverse as the borough where it resides. About three-quarters of our students come from immigrant families, notes principal William Bassell. Many parents choose the school because of our strong reputation, small size, nurturing environment . . . but learning about the history, values, and institutions of their new home is also very appealing. The institute worked with the school on a curriculum that includes U.S. history in all four years, as opposed to the one year required by state standards. Over 90 percent of students graduate in four years; most go on to college. Building on the academys success, Gilder Lehrman helped establish a new selective school, the High School of American Studies at Lehman College in the Bronx. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the 380-student school was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the top high school in New York State in 2017, and one of the 20 best in the nation.

In addition to these flagship schools, Gilder Lehrman has expanded its reach to 16,000 affiliate schools across all 50 states. The institute provides classroom materials, including lesson plans, posters, and document booklets; access to historical content on the institutes website, including videos and essays by distinguished scholars on each era of American history; and national student-essay contests on subjects such as the Civil War for middle and high school students and a Dear George Washington letter for elementary school students. In 2004, the institute inaugurated its National History Teacher of the Year Award, for which it solicits nominations, selecting 50 state winners and one national winner. State honorees receive recognition and a $1,000 prize; the national recipient gets $10,000. A distinguished guestsuch as First Lady Laura Bush, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, or a noted historianpresents the award at an elegant ceremony in New York. Its nice to have an organization that supports teachers, that celebrates good teaching . . . that appreciates the passion you feel for your kids, said the 2016 National History Teacher of the Year, Kevin Cline, from Frankton, Indiana. This years winner, Sara Ziemnik, from Rocky River, Ohio, notes that history and civics have been pushed to the side, devalued a bit in the name of other subjects. . . . Were in a very STEM-focused world. But what good is STEM if we dont know how to talk to each other, if we dont understand each other?

In recent years, Gilder Lehrman has begun to provide more curricular content to schools. It has developed an online study guide for the Advanced Placement U.S. History exam, becoming that tests most popular resource. The institutes website now gets more than 7 million unique visits annually. Gilder Lehrman has also introduced a unique program, Teaching Literacy Through History, which trains English and history teachers to improve students critical thinking, close reading, and argumentative writing skills by using historical texts and primary documents. A new online program featuring prominent historians allows teachers to pursue masters degrees in history.

We dont have an agenda. We believe in teaching history from the words of the people who created our history.

Teaching American history is often fraught with controversy, but Gilder Lehrman has stayed above the political fray, thanks to its primary-source document approach. Our constant North Star is the collection, notes Tim Bailey, director of education and the 2009 National History Teacher of the Year. We dont have an ideological agenda. We believe in teaching history from the words of the people who created our history. . . . Educators shouldnt be interpreters of history but guides of history.

For 20 years, Gilder Lehrman worked diligently to improve history education and make it exciting and relevant to students. Then, in 2015, the musical Hamilton arrived. Simply put, its the greatest thing to ever happen to American history education, notes James Basker, the institutes longtime president.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamiltons creator, sought to eliminate any distance between a contemporary audience and this storynot only by employing hip-hop and a remarkably talented multiracial cast to tell the story of Americas founders but also by showing how were grappling with many of the same issues they debated: immigration, foreign entanglements, and the proper size and scope of the federal government. These are all conversations were still having, and its a comfort to know that theyre just a part of the more perfect union were always working towards, Miranda stated in The Atlantic. It was never perfect, and theres been no fall from grace. I find that heartening, honestly, that were still working on it.

During one of the first performances of Hamilton, at the Public Theater, Gilder Lehrmans thenexecutive director Herrmann ran into Ron Chernow, whose 2004 Hamilton biography inspired Miranda to write the play. We must get this into the hands of kids, Herrmann told the author. Soon Gilder Lehrman staff were meeting with the musicals producer, Jeffrey Seller; Mirandas father, Luis Miranda, Jr., who was tapped to spearhead fund-raising efforts; and officials from the Department of Education to plan how to make that happen.

After Hamilton opened on Broadway, the Rockefeller Foundation provided $1.5 million to create the Hamilton Education Program (EduHam) and enable 20,000 New York City students from Title I high schools (where most students are economically disadvantaged) to see the musical for just a Hamilton ($10). Part of the funding went to Gilder Lehrman to create a Hamilton curriculum. Bailey, who also has a theater background, devised a program rich in history and artistic expression.

We didnt want kids to just see a show, says Bailey. The resulting curriculumwhich teachers typically implement over two or three weekshighlights whats possible in history education. Students receive a study guide with information on the Founding Era, Alexander Hamilton, and 41 other historical figures. On a website, they can see excerpts of five songs performed during the show and view video interviews with Miranda and Chernow. Other actors discuss their characters as they look at historical documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. The site highlights 14 key events from the era and more than 20 documents, from the Federalist Papers to Thomas Paines Common Sense.

Reflecting the institutes belief in document-based history education, a key part of the Hamilton curriculum revolves around two pamphlets referenced in the show: loyalist Samuel Seaburys Free Thoughts on the Proceedings of the Continental Congress and Hamiltons A Full Vindication of the Measures of the Congress. The study guide instructs students to do a close reading of document excerpts, summarize them, and debate whether Seabury or Hamilton presented the stronger argument. Students then analyze lyrics from the musicals song Farmer Refuted and discuss how Miranda turned history into a work of popular art. Finally, students, individually or in small groups, create original worksa song, rap, poem, scene, or monologuebased on an individual, document, or event they studied. Schools submit the best performance, and selected students perform their work onstage at the theater before they see the musical.

At a student matinee last year, the excitement of the studentsmany seeing a Broadway play for the first timewas palpable. As they filed into the theater, one young woman literally jumped over the threshold to the Richard Rodgers Theatre and let out a squeal of delight. Bryan Terrell Clark, the actor who later played George Washington, enthusiastically emceed student performances from a dozen schools.

Two students from the Comprehensive Model School Project high school performed a song about Phillis Wheatley, the formerly enslaved African-American poet who corresponded with Washington and possibly influenced his views on slavery. A young man from Millennium Art Academy performed a rap about Ben Franklin. Two young women from Murray Hill Academy sang about womens exclusion from the political process and quoted Abigail Adamss letter to her husband, John, beseeching him to remember the ladies.

Students often gravitate to individuals, such as Wheatley or Adams, who havent received much attention. Many EduHam students are black or Latino, and their performances often address Americas shameful history of slavery and racial discrimination, but not in a cynical manner. Instead, students tend to communicate an empowering message: that they are eager to write the next chapter in American historyone that moves us closer to our founding ideals.

After the student performances, cast members conducted a Q&A. Students adjourned to a nearby nightclub rented out for their lunch, returning for the student-only matinee. Many cast members note that student audiences are their favorites, and its easy to see why. While the 1,300 teenagers were well-mannered throughout the nearly three-hour show, they burst with excitement when Hamilton dissed Jefferson in a cabinet battle or when he ill-initiated his fateful affair with Maria Reynolds.

Much has been made about how Hamiltona musical about an immigrant striver from the West Indies that valorizes hip-hophas led students to leave the theater with a changed view of America and a greater sense of civic ownership. But Hamilton also leads students to think about the possibilities of their own lives. Brendyn Owoyemi, a recent graduate of Brooklyns Fort Hamilton High School, performed onstage at the Richard Rodgers as part of the first EduHam. It was beyond anything I could imagine, Owoyemi said. The experience sparked a deeper interest in American history, and his teacher encouraged him to join Gilder Lehrmans student advisory council. Now a freshman at Fordham University, Owoyemi plans to become a history or English teacher. Hamilton, he says, made me think about what I want my legacy to be.

Gilder Lehrman has replicated its education program in Chicago, where Hamilton has been playing for more than a year. As another Hamilton company travels across the country with stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Tempe, Seattle, Denver, St. Louis, Houston, Salt Lake City, Washington, D.C., and Boston, Gilder Lehrman is setting up EduHam programs in each of those cities. The logistics are daunting. Sasha Rolon Pereira, who runs the institutes Hamilton program, may be the hardest-working person in history education. In each location, she works with myriad city agencies, the department of education, the police, and hundreds of teachers to make the program happen. My goal, she notes, is to give students the best day of their lives.

The Rockefeller Foundation has pledged another $6 million to support the national expansion, and Gilder Lehrman and the Hamilton team solicit additional funding from philanthropies in cities where the show travels. By the end of 2020, Gilder Lehrman expects that 250,000 students will have seen Hamilton through EduHam.

Hamilton has brought out the best in us programmatically, says Basker, and has broadened the institutes national exposure. A foundation that supported the San Francisco EduHam program is now talking with Gilder Lehrman about organizing teacher seminars in California around the issue of immigration. The federal Department of Education has awarded the institute a large grant to run a teacher-development program for history teachers in California. The National Endowment for the Humanities has provided support for the institute to hold discussions on the Founding Era in libraries in all 50 states.

Weve reached a new stage in our development, notes Basker. He estimates that the institute will reach more than 2 million students this year through its various programsquite an achievement for an organization with a relatively modest $8 million budget. We punch above our weight, he says. (Many expenses associated with the Hamilton program belong to a separate budget.)

A few prominent national foundations have approached Gilder Lehrman about creating a national history and civics curriculum, but Basker believes that such an effort is a self-defeating enterprise, as 50 states all have different requirements, different sequences, different assessments. . . . People dont buy into things that are dictated to them. We listen to teachers and students and offer what we think is of value. Instead of a national curriculum, Gilder Lehrman is developing national history and civics educational initiatives that would tie specific figures, events, and lessons from history to civics issues and priorities today. . . . Theres much more to be done, Basker says. Teachers are hungry for good content.

In this polarized age of social-media echo chambers, its hard to feel optimistic about the future of American democracy or national unity. Basker surmises that our civic and historical illiteracy is one reason that our politics have become so toxic, but he remains hopeful. Were helping to change the chemistry of the rising generation of students. Were a democracy. We cannot survive without a population that has a competent knowledge of American history and that cares about it enough to participate.

Research for this article was supported by the Brunie Fund for New York Journalism.

Top Photo: When the hit musical Hamilton arrived in 2015, Gilder Lehrman saw a great opportunity to teach history. (COURTESY OF THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY)
After the announcement of Corona undertake Tests for returnees from high-risk areas calls for the economic Council of the CDU, a General travel ban for such regions. "Travel in high-risk areas should consequently be prohibited," said Wolfgang Steiger, General Secretary of the CDU-affiliated Association, the "image"-newspaper. "The right to travel can not be rated higher than the rights of millions of Germans, for whom otherwise a new Lockdown threatens."

The work and school life for a second Time due to high infection numbers to shut down, which could make the Federal Republic of Germany "only under the most serious difficulties again". "It must be clear to all. Therefore, I expect the policy more forward-looking Action, as now the long-anticipated return wave from the holidays, said Steiger.

free mandatory Tests

holidaymakers from Corona-the high-risk areas from this Saturday, on the return to Germany, to the Virus get tested  for free. Alternatively, a negative test result can not be submitted more than two days old. Returnees from high-risk areas without a negative Corona Test have to go for two weeks in quarantine  a requirement that was already in the past.

What countries as high-risk areas are in place, a list of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) are shown. Currently, there are around 130 of the world's nearly 200 States are out of Egypt, through Russia to the United States. From the EU in Luxembourg, the Belgian province of Antwerp and the Spanish regions of Aragon, Catalonia and Navarra on the list are currently.

The economic Council of the CDU is a registered Association with more than 12,000 members. He represents the interests of entrepreneurs and is no longer valid since 2018, as a special organization of the CDU.

Updated Date: 07 August 2020, 00:19
An announcement by Gov. J.B. Pritzkers office on Friday that businesses could be fined for not enforcing requirements that people wear masks while shopping is getting a less-than-warm reception from a state association representing retailers.

Pritzker said a resurgence of COVID-19 cases across the state prompted the decision to file an emergency rule cracking down on enforcement of rules that have been in place since May.

People wouldnt face fines  although existing directives say masks are supposed to be worn when inside a business or in public if a minimum of six feet of separation cannot be maintained.

But businesses that are lax about the rules being followed by customers could be fined up to $2,500.

A business would be warned the first time, and those that dont comply could be ordered to remove customers.

If that doesnt work, the business owner could be charged with a misdemeanor and fined from $75 to $2,500.

That doesnt sit well with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which represents more than 23,000 stores across the state.

This proposed rule lacks common sense and is a slap in the face to the thousands of retailers who have sacrificed so much during this pandemic while actively supporting ever-changing health and safety guidelines adopted by the state, said Rob Karr of Jacksonville, president of the association.

If the goal is to put public health above politics, the administration will amend the rule to focus enforcement efforts on individuals who are not complying instead of punishing and attempting to demonize innocent businesses. State officials have for months complained about improper behavior by individuals at parties, parks and other public places, yet they are specifically exempting individuals from enforcement, he said.

Many retailers have expressed concern about the potential danger workers face in trying to enforce customers use of masks.

Pritzker said that while some businesses are enforcing the rules, there are some that arent doing that and they need to be reminded and reminded and then fined if they are not following this rule for the state of Illinois.

He said face coverings protect both shoppers and retail employees.

These rules, which provide multiple opportunities for compliance before any penalty is issued, are a common sense way to enforce public health guidelines. Illinois has made substantial progress in our fight against COVID-19 because the vast majority of communities and business owners have done the right thing. These rules will help ensure that the minority of people who refuse to act responsibly wont take our state backward, he said in a statement.
By Express News Service

JEYPORE: A coronavirus infected frontline worker, who is undergoing treatment at Jeypore COVID hospital, lost her husband to the infection on Wednesday. The lady teacher of T Phulbad under Jeypore sub-division was engaged in COVID survey duty in Jayanagar containment zone seven days back. She developed Covid-19 symptoms and later tested positive. She was admitted to Jeypore COVID hospital.

While she was undergoing treatment, her husband, an employee of Jeypore Pharmacy College, became serious and was admitted to SLN Medical College and Hospital in Koraput where he tested positive for Covid-19. He was being shifted to Bhubaneswar when he succumbed on way. As the news spread, the teachers community expressed grief and demanded support for the woman. The Government should consider the sacrifice of the lady teacher who lost her husband. They appealed to the district Collector to recommend her name for getting relief from the Chief Minister.

My husband was infected because of me. Had I not joined the Covid duty, he would have been alive today, said the teacher.On the day, Koraput district reported its first Covid-19 fatalities after three patients succumbed to the virus.

Apart from the teachers husband, an infected person of Damonjodi succumbed at Jeypore Covid hospital during treatment. The other victim of Nandapur breathed his last in a hospital in Bhubaneswar. All the deceased were in the age group of 40 to 50 years and also suffered from other diseases.

Meanwhile, 39 new Covid-19 cases were reported from Koraput on the day, taking the tally to 1,040 in the district. All the fresh cases are contacts of infected persons.

Jeypore reported the highest 30 cases followed by Bandhgaon (4), Koraput town (2), Laxmipur (1), Pottangi (1) and Semiliguda (1). Of the new cases, 29 were detected from a containment zone. Sources said since all the four Covid care centres including the Jeypore Covid hospital have been filled up, the administration is allowing patients to remain in home quarantine.

On the day, residents of NKT road in Jeypore resented the move of the administration to put nine Covid-19 patients in one house having a single toilet.
Now living in Los Angeles, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex are the subjects of a new biography.

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Family, by royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, chronicles Meghan and Harrys life together thus far.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend the Endeavour Fund Awards | Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Ahead of the books release on August 11, 2020, the authors have shared various excerpts. The pages theyve already made public share details of Meghan and Harrys first date and other major events in their relationship.

Its important to note the Duke and Duchess of Sussex deny any involvement with the book. Despite issuing a statement saying they didnt contribute to Finding Freedom, some fans believe Meghan and Harry did indeed play a role in the books publication.

Meghan Markle sipped on a martini while Prince Harry drank a beer on their first date

During their three-hour date, Meghan sipped on a martini while Harry drank a beer on their first date, Finding Freedom says.

In the summer of 2016, the two agreed to meet at Soho Houses Dean Street Townhouse because of Harrys high profile status, according to Finding Freedom. An exclusive club in London, Meghan and Harry could have privacy during their date.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit Sussex in 2018 | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

RELATED: Prince Harry Was Pissed Off When Prince William Warned Him About Rushing Into Meghan Markle Relationship, Book Claims

Prince Harry arrived late to his first date with Meghan Markle

Another detail Finding Freedom shares about Meghan and Harrys first date? The now-Duke of Sussex reportedly showed up late. Seeing Meghan for the first time, Harry knew he wanted to get to know her.

As he later said during their engagement interview, Harry thought to himself, Im really going to have to up my game here. Sit down and make sure Ive got good chat.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harrys first date lasted 3 hours

After the date starting a little later than planned, Harry and Meghan proceeded to talk for three hours. According to what a friend of Harrys told the Finding Freedom authors, it was practically love at first sight. The Duke of Sussex knew they would be together at that point, they said. Meghan was ticking every box fast.

During their engagement interview with BBC, the couple recalled bonding over a shared desire for wanting to make change.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at their engagement photo call | Karwai Tang/WireImage

RELATED: This Is How Meghan Markle Tried to Bond With Kate Middleton, Book Reveals

What did they talk about for three hours? Wanting to be positive forces for change in the world.

It was really one of the first things we connected on, Meghan said.

She continued, saying, It was one of the first things we started talking about when we met was just the different things that we wanted to do in the world and how passionate we were about seeing change.

She went so far as to say its what led to a second date.

I think that was, thats what got date two, in the books probably, Meghan said.

A secret engagement for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry? Finding Freedom says yes

Harry and Meghan went public with the news of their engagement in November 2017. They offered up details of the proposal during their first joint interview. It happened on a casual night in at Nottingham Cottage earlier that same month.

Finding Freedom reports Meghan and Harry secretly became engaged in August 2017 during a romantic getaway to Botswana.

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth Is Going to Be the Person Most Upset With Prince Harry and Meghan Markles Book, Finding Freedom Source Says
Rebecca Gormley and Biggs Chris have ignored quarantine rules after jetting straight from a holiday in Spain to Scotland.

Love Island beauty Rebecca has shared racy Instagram snaps as she enjoys her visit to her beau's home city of Glasgow, where the couple have been mixing with friends and family, enjoying dinner dates and spa treatments.

The couple had been holidaying in Ibiza, and should have quarantined for 14 days when they returned to the UK after the government pulled its air bridge with Spain following a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Rule breakers: Love Island star Rebecca Gormley and her beau Biggs Chris have ignored quarantine rules after jetting straight from a holiday in Spain to Scotland

On Thursday Rebecca shared new snaps on Instagram as she posed in racy red lingerie, telling her fans: 'Glow through what you go through'.

Rebecca and Biggs had arrived in Scotland the day before, with Biggs sharing a photo of his girlfriend checking in for their flight from Spain, alongside the Scottish flag and 'next destination.'

Once they landed, the pair visited Biggs' friends and family, sharing photos of a takeaway night.

On Thursday Biggs filmed as he indulged in a facial treatment at a Glasgow beautician, while Rebecca watched.

Flying: Rebecca and Biggs arrived in Scotland on Wednesday, with Biggs sharing a photo of his girlfriend checking in for their flight from Spain

That evening he shared a snap of the couple's dinner at Manjaros Restaurant in the city.

Under government rules those arriving in Scotland from Spain are required to quarantine for 14 days to help reduce the risk of the transmission of the virus.

Fellow celebs such as Sam Faiers and Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright are currently quarantining back home in the UK after their own trips to Spain.

A representative for Rebecca declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.

Not quarantining: The couple had been holidaying in Ibiza, and should have quarantined for 14 days when they returned to the UK after the government pulled its air bridge

Seeing friends: Once they landed, the pair visited Biggs' friends and family, sharing photos of a takeaway night

Rebecca and Biggs' relationship seemed to be on the rocks last month when Biggs was accused of messaging another woman just days after he and Rebecca reunited following 10 weeks apart in lockdown.

The Glaswegian car repair specialist is said to have exchanged a series of messages with healthcare assistant Caitlin Fulton, who claims she learned of his blossoming romance with Rebecca when she saw pictures of them kissing.

'We'd been messaging back and forth after he followed me on Instagram and we'd talked about going away when lockdown ended, to a holiday cottage or a lodge somewhere in the UK,' she told The Sun.

Spa treatments: On Thursday Biggs filmed as he indulged in a facial treatment at a Glasgow beautician, while Rebecca watched

Dinner out: That evening he shared a snap of the couple's lavish dinner at Manjaros Restaurant in the city

'He even left me a voice note saying that coming down to see me "sounded good". We were making plans as recently as Saturday.'

Caitlin told the publication that she learned of Biggs' relationship with Rebecca when she saw photographs of them kissing in Newcastle.

'I was a bit shocked that he had a girlfriend,' she said. 'And obviously I would be shocked if that was my boyfriend messaging someone.'

The couple split up briefly before lockdown after she had a drunken sleepover with Love Island 2019 contestant Michael Griffiths.

Holiday: Earlier in the week Rebecca shared photos as she enjoyed the sunshine in Spain
YEREVAN.  The Investigative Committee of Armenia has found out a number of details into the brutal murder of woman by her brother in Yerevan, according to the Information and Public Relations Department of the Investigative Committee.

On August 1, police officers on a street noticed a man with a plastic bag in his hand, approached him, and found out that the head of a woman was in the bag.

The criminal case into this incident has found out that this 58-year-old man, who was living in his sister's house for about 6 months, on August 1, took the household mixer from the kitchen, secretly entered his sister's bedroom, started strangling her with the power cord of this mixer, and threw her the floor.

But seeing that she was still moving, the man took a sharp iron from the next room and, using it as a knife, started cutting off his sister's head, thus killing her.

He then beheaded his sister, left her body in the same place, put the severed head in a plastic bag, took her sister's house certificate and some other documents, and left the house.

Criminal charges have been brought against this man.

Arrest has been selected as the pretrial measure against him.

The investigation continues.
A CRIMINAL figure who sent hundreds of threatening messages to his former partner via social media has been jailed for five years.

The 32-year-old, who has an address in Limerick city, had pleaded guilty to a variety of charges including, harassment and breaching the terms of a Protection Order which was granted to the woman.

The defendant has also admitted multiple counts of dangerous driving relating to a high speed pursuit and to deliberately ramming his former partners car when it was parked outside her home.

During a sentencing hearing, Garda David Higgins said a brief relationship between the accused man and the injured party fizzled out towards the end of 2017 and that there was no contact between them for almost a year.

He said the defendant, who cant be named for legal reasons, approached the woman out of the blue in December 2018 indicating he wished to repay money he owed to her.

Subsequently the man tried to rekindle the relationship and began contacting her more frequently.

Over the following months, he sent a large number of messages on a variety of platforms often using more than 20 fake social media profiles.

He threatened to throw acid on her in one message and to cut her face to make it look like a Halloween mask in another.

The messages became more and more menacing, said Garda Higgins who said there was a lot of bitterness and anger.

In addition to sending abusive and threatening messages, the defendant also called to the womans place of work and to her home which is in a rural village.

Dramatic video footage showing her car being deliberately reversed into was played at Limerick Circuit Court while Judge Tom ODonnell was told gardai encountered the defendant driving near her home in the early hours of August 24, 2019

During a subsequent pursuit which lasted nearly 30 minutes, the defendant reached speeds of more than 130km/h as he attempted to evade gardai.

Barrister Brian McInerney said his client is ashamed of his behaviour and that he now accepts the relationship he had with the woman is consigned to ancient history

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she has lost her trust in people and that and that she is nervous when she is socialising with friends.

She said she has difficulty sleeping as she is afraid her former partner will turn out at her home or her workplace.

Imposing sentence, Judge ODonnell said the content of some of the messages was very worrying and that the defendant had a high level of culpability,

This was a concerted campaign to inflict maximum fear, he said.

A seven year prison sentence was imposed with the final two years suspended.

The man was also ordered not to contact his former partner by any means.
According to CPS, nearly one-third of the 37,467 respondents who identified themselves as Black or Latino said they werent sure whether they would send their kids into school in the fall after reading the districts preliminary framework. In a school system with 355,000 students, where about 83% are either Black or Latino, more than 45% of the respondents who identified themselves as Black or Latino said they wouldnt send their kids. Only about 20% of Black and Hispanic respondents said they were planning to send their students into school.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the phone about the plane accident at Kozhikode airport.

The Prime Minister promised all the assistance from the Centre.

The Chief Minister informed the Prime Minister that a team of officials including Kozhikode and Malappuram district collectors and Inspector General Ashok Yadav reached the airport and were involved in the rescue operation, a CMO release said.

Unconfirmed reports have emerged that some people, including the pilot, have died. Several people were injured, the release said.

Vijayan informed the Prime Minister that the state government has taken steps to provide treatment to the injured and was providing other facilities.

The Chief Minister said that all the mechanisms of the state government will be used to deal with the emergency.

The Air India Express Dubai- Kozhikode IX-1344 flight, carrying 190 people on board from Dubai under the Vande Bharat Mission, overshot during landing at Karipur Airport in Kozhikode on Friday evening.

The incident took place at 7:41 pm.

Air India Express spokesperson told ANI that 174 passengers, 10 infants and two pilot and four crew members were on board.

Aircraft overshot during landing at Kozhikode airport, there was no fire reported, he said.

Officials said visibility was 2,000 metre due to heavy rain after landing at runway 10 and the aircraft continued going to the end of runway.

Indias aviation watchdog ordered the detailed investigation into the incident.

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said no fire was reported at the time of landing.

NDRF teams are being rushed to Karipur Airport for rescue work, NDRF Director General SN Pradhan said.
Nurses gather for a rally to demand better protection against the COVID-19 pandemic outside Kindred Hospital Westminster in Westminster, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

OC Nurses Join Nationwide Protest Demanding Better COVID-19 Protection

Nurses at hospitals throughout Orange County banded together Aug. 5 in a National Day of Action to Save Lives, calling for better protection for health care workers and safer nurse-patient ratios amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The protests, conducted by the California Nurses Association and the National Nurses United union, took place beginning at 6 a.m. and lasted throughout the morning at Anaheim Global Medical Center on South Anaheim Boulevard; Chapman Global Medical Center on East Chapman Avenue in Orange; South Coast Global Medical Center on South Bristol Street in Santa Ana; West Anaheim Medical Center on West Orange Avenue; and Kindred Hospital Westminster on Hospital Circle.

Ron Herron, a registered nurse at Kindred Hospital Westminster, told The Epoch Times that nurses are still not receiving adequate levels of personal protective equipment (PPE), and that the hospital provides us with one N95 mask.

Its impossible to social distance in a hospital, and I have had to purchase some of my own PPE. I bought a respirator mask with filters which I can actually wear for a full 12 hours. The other masks mark your face up after wearing them for that long, Herron said.

Kindred Hospital Westminster nurse Jewel Russell also told The Epoch Times that health care workers at the hospital have to buy their own equipment. They buy us cheap equipment, and we work overtime with no breaks to keep up with the high number of patients, Russell said.

Nurses call for better protection against COVID-19 as part of a nationwide protest outside Kindred Hospital Westminster in Westminster, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Nurse Wallace Cunningham holds a sign requesting better personal protective equipment (PPE) during a protest outside South Coast Global Media Center in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A nurse holds a sign calling for better staffing during a protest outside South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Nurses Wallace Cunningham , left, Shannon Cook, middle, and Karen Rodriguez, right, hold signs at a protest calling for better protection against COVID-19 at South Coast Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 5, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The rallies come just weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the purchase of 420 million protective masks meant to provide PPE to front-line workers. The governors office did not respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times prior to publication.

Securing a reliable supply chain of PPE allows us to distribute millions of protective masks to our essential workforce while preserving millions more in our states stockpile for future use, Newsom said in a July 22 press release.

Nurses across the country are calling for Congress to pass the HEROES Act, a pending bill they are backing that the unions say would protect health care and other essential workers by ensuring domestic production of PPE through the Defense Production Act and by mandating that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration establish an emergency temporary standard on infectious diseases.

The unions also say the measure would provide economic help in the form of cash payments, extended unemployment benefits, and day care subsidies through the end of 2020 to families on the brink.

Union officials insist that nurses see daily the prioritization of profits over patients through local hospitals management practices. They contend testing all patients for COVID-19 would result in positive COVID-19 patients being placed into units designed to care for these patients, but since such testing is not happening, nurses are not being given the proper PPE while unknowingly caring for positive patients, causing significant exposure to nurses and patients.

Orange County hospitals are still experiencing high levels of COVID-19 cases in medical staff. In one small community hospital, 16 of the 22 registered nurses who tested positive for COVID-19 reportedly were from low-risk units including surgery and telemetry, according to a union statement.

For the nurses who work three to five 12-hour shifts weekly, the need for full protection with proper PPE would certainly mitigate the constant exposure they face. Showing up to work to care for patients should not be a COVID-19 exposure roll of the dice for nurses, while employers and the government fail to take all measures to ensure the demand for PPE is met, nurse Carolyn Stoddard of West Anaheim Medical Center said.

In 2004, California became the first state to enact nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and is currently the only state in the nation to enforce such protocols. Newsom issued an executive order March 4 waiving the states mandated staffing ratios due to the spreading disease; the waiver expired on June 30.

John Fredricks of The Epoch Times and City News Service contributed to this report.
NEW YORK  President Donald Trumps bans on two popular Chinese social media apps  TikTok and WeChat  are the latest moves in an escalating U.S.-China rift, and point to a future where technology and innovation are increasingly walled behind political barriers.

In China, the Communist Party has long limited what foreign tech companies can do. It blocks access to major U.S. internet services, like Google and Facebook, along with thousands of websites operated by news organizations and human rights, pro-democracy and other activist groups.

Those restrictions have helped nurture homegrown tech giants that in recent years have started expanding, and even dominating, outside China.

Now the U.S. and other countries are putting their own limits on China.

The executive orders from the White House are vague. But experts said they appear intended to bar TikTok and WeChat from the app stores run by Apple and Google when the orders take effect in 45 days. That would make them more difficult to use in the U.S.

This is a pretty broad and pretty quick expansion of the technology cold war between the U.S. and China, said Steven Weber, faculty director for the University of California, Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity.

The Trump administration has been hawkish against China. A big example is Huawei, the worlds biggest maker of smartphones and network equipment, and Chinas first global tech brand. Washington has moved to cut off Huawei Technologies Ltd.s access to chips and other technology, tried to push allies away from Huawei and barred U.S. government funds from being used to pay for Huawei equipment in U.S. networks, citing security concerns.

The Trump administration has also blocked Chinese buyers from acquiring U.S. companies.

Now its going after popular services used by millions globally. The effort is driven not only by security concerns but also Trumps anger at Beijing, blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic and for hurting his re-election chances, according to two White House officials not authorized to speak publicly about private deliberations.

We are entering an era of an increasingly bifurcated internet, where it may become more difficult for Chinese information companies to succeed outside of China, said Lindsay Gorman, a fellow specializing in emerging technologies at the Alliance for Securing Democracy.

Chinas so-called Great Firewall has allowed Chinese internet powerhouses like e-commerce giant Alibaba, social media company Baidu and WeChat owner Tencent, which makes most of its money from online games and entertainment in China, to amass hundreds of millions of users  in some cases over a billion. For context, Facebook says it has more than 3 billion users across its various apps, including Instagram and WhatsApp and Messenger.

But Bytedances TikTok has run into obstacles outside China. In the U.S., where TikTok says it has 100 million users, it may have to sell to Microsoft because of the U.S. governments national-security concerns. Chinas authoritarian government can demand access to data from companies, a concern that has also dogged Huawei. TikTok maintains that it does not share user data with the Chinese government nor censor content at its request. It suggested it would sue to make sure it and its user were treated fairly.

WeChat, which has more than 1 billion users, is less well-known than TikTok to Americans without a connection to China. Mobile research firm Sensor Tower estimates about 19 million U.S. downloads of the app. But it is crucial infrastructure for Chinese students and residents in the U.S. to connect with friends and family in China, as well as for anyone who does business with China.

Within China, WeChat is censored and expected to adhere to content restrictions set by authorities. The Citizen Lab internet watchdog group in Toronto says WeChat monitors files and images shared abroad to aid its censorship in China.

A U.S. ban of on WeChat would deepen the split between the United States and China on a human level by removing the de facto channel of communication for the Chinese diaspora, said Gorman.

Tencent also owns Riot Games, publisher of hit video game League of Legends, and has a big stake in Epic Games, the company behind video game phenomenon Fortnite. It also has a streaming deal with the NBA.

Its not clear what will result from Trumps executive orders, how WeChat and TikTok users will be affected, whether Tencents other operations are at risk, or whether there is legal authority for what Trump wants to do.

More actions against Chinese technology companies may be coming from the U.S. and other countries, analysts say. China has a reputation for economic espionage and China-backed hackers have been blamed for breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax.

I think well only see even further attempts by the U.S. to ban or prohibit Chinese products, services and investment, said Andy Mok, senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. He noted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeos statement this week of wanting a clean internet and networks free of Chinese influence.

India has also blocked a slew of Chinese services, citing privacy concerns, amid a border standoff. The U.K. reversed plans for Huawei in its new high-speed mobile phone network. It said U.S. sanctions made it impossible to ensure the security of equipment made by the Chinese company.

You start wondering what will happen in terms of globalization, both economically and politically, if we have every country having completely separate networks, with completely different technology economies, access to information and social spheres, said Tiffany Li, a visiting professor at the Boston University School of Law.

The Chinese foreign ministry accused Washington of political manipulation but did not indicate how Beijing might respond. Still, the ruling party has used the entirely state-controlled press to encourage public anger at Trumps actions.

I dont want to use American products any more, said Sun Fanyu, an insurance salesperson in Beijing. I will support domestic substitute products.

___

Soo reported from Hong Kong. AP reporters Aamer Madhani in Chicago, Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, California, Frank Bajak in Boston, Joe McDonald in Beijing, Jonathan Lemire in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.
A total of 235 migrants crossed the Channel by boat on Thursday, setting a new record high for crossings in a single day.

Border Force cutter Seeker and patrol boats Speedwell and Hunter intercepted 17 vessels, one of which was carrying 26 people.

More than 1,100 migrants arrived in the UK in July alone, PA analysis shows.

That figure is almost as high as those of May and June combined.

Thursdays figure breaks a record set only a week ago, when 202 people crossed in 24 hours.

The French authorities said they had also rescued migrants from several kayaks in their own waters as they headed for the UK.

A helicopter was used in the response that saw at least 23 people intercepted and brought back to France.

According to reports, British Home Secretary Priti Patel has ordered a review of the UKs maritime presence in the Channel, potentially leading to the Navy to be deployed to assist the Border Force.

The UK Home Office declined to comment on the Navys potential involvement.

UK Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts Chris Philp said: I share the anger and frustration of the public at the appalling number of crossings we have seen today.

The crossings are totally unacceptable and unnecessary as France is a safe country.

We work closely with France and I will be in Paris early next week to seek to agree stronger measures with them, including interceptions and returns.

This situation simply cannot go on.

He said the only option was to make the route completely unviable to deter people from attempting it.

The Home Office has not yet given a breakdown by gender and nationality of those who crossed on Thursday.

Mr Philp said the UK would be returning as many migrants as possible to France and that return flights were scheduled over the coming days.

He added that 22 people smugglers have been jailed in the UK so far this year, and that two more were charged last weekend.

Mr Philp said he met French deputy ambassador Francois Revardeaux on Wednesday to discuss the issue, although the Home Office has refused to provide any further details.

Read More Kim Jong Un visits flood-affected area of North Korea

Earlier, it was announced an inquiry has been launched into the reasons behind the huge increase in Channel crossings by migrants.

The British Home Affairs Committee in the House of Commons will look at the role of criminal gangs as well as the responses of UK and French authorities to combat illegal migration and support legal routes to asylum.

The committee will also investigate the conditions experienced by people gathered in northern France seeking to enter the UK and they risks they faced during the crossing.

It will also look at migrants treatment by the UK authorities upon their arrival in the country, particularly the treatment of unaccompanied children.

UK Labours shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds accused the Government of a lack of competence over migrant crossings.

He said it is deeply concerning and said ministers were failing to get to grips with the crisis.

Dover MP Natalie Elphicke has met local residents to discuss the issue.

She said on Twitter on Thursday afternoon: Its an unacceptable situation and vital that these small boats crossings are brought to an end.

Mariam Kemble Hardy, head of campaigns at Refugee Action, said the majority of migrants that make the crossing have a valid claim for asylum.

She said: The Government could easily help put an end to boat crossings by creating more safe and legal routes for people fleeing violence and persecution to find safety here.

Instead, it has gone quiet over the future of its resettlement programme, one of the few safe and legal routes it offered thousands of refugees every year.

Refugee Action is calling for the Government to make a long-term commitment to resettling refugees.
Procurement of expensive aircraft parts to be done after approval of senior official: Air India

Operations from India to US to be curtailed/revised from Jan 19 due to 5G roll-out: Air India

Air India Express flight accident: PM Modi speaks to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kozhikode, Aug 7: PM Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about the Karipur plane crash. The CM has informed the PM that a team of officials including Kozhikode & Malappuram District Collectors & IG Ashok Yadav have been rushed to the airport & are participating in the rescue operation,'' Kerala CMO sttement read.

Kerala plane overshoots runway, splits in 2 | Oneindia News

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said police and fire force personnel have been directed to take all measures for rescue and relief operations. He has deputed A C Moideen, minister for local bodies, to oversee the rescue operations.

Indian consulates in Dubai, Sharjah set up hotline numbers for Kerala Air India plane crash victims

AC Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrisur.

The CM also has deputed an IG of police to oversee the rescue operation. Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to those injured in the tragedy.

Aviation regulator DGCA said an Air India Express plane coming from Dubai broke into "two pieces" after landing at Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday evening. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said there were approximately 191 persons on board.

The regulator said the flight -- IX 1344 -- continued running to the end of the runway amid heavy rain and "fell down in the valley and broke down in two pieces".

Air India Express plane crash: The victims of flight IX 1344

The flight landed at the airport at around 7.40 pm. The airline spokesperson said the aircraft apparently overshot the runway. Air India Express has only Boeing 737 planes in its fleet.

An Air India Express flight with 191 passengers and crew skidded off the tabletop runway and fell into a 50 feet valley breaking into two portions while landing on Friday evening,police sources said.

Many people have been rushed to the nearby hospitals,the condition of some of them is said to be serious.

Helpline numbers

Relatives of passengers onboard Air India Express Flight (IX 1344) that crashed at Karipur International Airport, can contact the following Helpline Number for enquiries - 0495 - 2376901: Kozhikode Collector.
Is Big Brother watching you?

That is the question Cheshire Town officials have been fielding from numerous residents since the installation of a large, awkward-looking traffic camera on the light overlooking Cheshires busy West Main Street at the beginning of July.

The camera, which is affixed by a giant hook on top of the traffic lights, has caused some Cheshire residents concerns, especially about its origins, but Town Manager Sean Kimball and Public Works Director George Noewatne assure the public that the cameras are not being used as the next government spying operation.

We have been receiving some questions regarding the cameras atop the West Main Street/Maple Avenue intersection, started Kimball, at the July 14 Town Council meeting. We have been advised that these are for traffic management purposes only. They are not live-streaming.

Noewatne later explained to The Herald in greater detail the exact purpose of the camera, and why it was placed where it is.

The Cliff Notes are that the State tells us that (the devices) are cameras to optimize the traffic signals, he explained. They determine how long vehicles wait at the signal and communicate with the signal controller to optimize the timing of the lights to keep traffic flowing as unencumbered as possible.

According to Noewatne, the cameras do not store any of the images that they take, and they cannot be used to ticket vehicles for red light violations or any other infractions.

State law indicates that the cameras are to be used to detect vehicles stuck in traffic and immediately delete the information once the data is recorded. Noewatne also explained that different times of the day require different signaling for the lights, and the cameras need to learn those particular signals and patterns.

The state owns all the traffic signals in town except for the one at the trail crossing, he added.

At the July 14 Town Council meeting, Councilman Jim Jinks, who campaigned last year on pedestrian safety, asked Kimball if the cameras indicate if any future work on the intersection is in the planning stages or if the installation of the cameras means that Connecticuts DOT is aware of Cheshires traffic issues. Kimball and Noewatne informed Jinks that the cameras were not installed for those reasons.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  Pooled testing is only effective when used in areas with low prevalence of coronavirus infection, a Department of Health official said Friday.

Di siya magiging efficient pag ka ang gagamitan natin ng pooled testing ay areas with high prevalence, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online forum.

[Translation: Pooling will not be efficient if we use it in high prevalence areas.]

She said a high prevalence area means it has a high number of COVID-19 cases or has clusters of infection. A coronavirus cluster happens when there are two or more infections in the same area at the same time, she explained.

The official said pooled testing, also called pooling or batch testing, in high prevalence areas will not be cost-effective because if the pooled test result comes out positive, those in the pool have to be tested individually to know which of them are infected.

She said they are now computing the prevalence of each area in Metro Manila to see where they could use group testing.

Under pooled testing, samples collected from a group of people are tested in a batch using one test. It is expected to significantly increase the testing capacity of the country using fewer resources.

Officials have explained that if a batch of 10 people tests negative, that means they are all negative for the virus.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For Todt Hill residents, the second morning following Tropical Storm Isaias began much like the first -- with the communitys roads and homes blocked by dangerous dangling wires and toppled trees.

After the storm battered Staten Island on Tuesday, some residents of hard-hit Todt Hill Road were trapped in their homes for more than two days by live wires, oversized branches and even a downed utility pole.

Dr. Mohammad Khalid, president of the Iron Hills Civic Association, said that the wires were left completely ignored by Con Edison and the city until Rep. Max Rose stepped in.

They have doctors appointments, some are elderly people, Khalid said of those who couldnt get out of their homes. Nobody even came up until [Thursday] with Congressman Max Rose.

Khalid said that Isaias 70-plus mph winds had knocked over a huge tree along the stretch of Todt Hill Road between Fairview Place and Four Corners Road. The tree became tangled in power lines and took down the utility pole, he explained.

Roses office had received a call about the incident, the congressman told the Advance/SILive.com.

I hoped that because hes a federal person, he would be able to help us. He might be the only one able to help us, Khalid said. He went there, looked at it, and called me back, saying that he was definitely going to work on this.

After visiting the neighborhood on Thursday, Rose contacted Con Edison on residents behalf.

Con Edison acted with zero sense of urgency. A one-way street was blocked off due to the lines. People blocked in their homes, he explained. We went over there, and we made sure that Con Edison and [NYC Emergency Management] knew how ridiculous this was.

After Roses intervention, Khalid confirmed that residents received notification that power in the area would be restored by 11 p.m. Thursday evening, however, power remained offline on Friday morning.

UNACCEPTABLE BOROUGH-WIDE RESPONSE FROM CON EDISON

The situation on Todt Hill Road was only one of the more than 50 calls Khalid has received from frustrated Todt Hill and Dongan Hill residents impacted by damage from Isaias.

Both Khalid and Rose echoed how some of the boroughs elected officials have characterized the response from Con Edison following Isaias: Unacceptable.

Con Edison has been acting as an incompetent organization at this point, said Rose. The fact that they were not prepared for this, the fact that time and time again they put their CEO and shareholder values ahead of making the essential investments necessary to protect us against this is ridiculous, and I think verging on criminal.

Rose said that when he visited the New York City Emergency Management temporary command center at the Staten Island Mall, Con Edison was not there.

Can you imagine? Con Edison not being at the command center? Rose said. They are a failed organization, and they need to be investigated and held accountable for this.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has launched an investigation into the response of six utility companies, including Con Edison, he announced this week.

According to Khalid, there is further disappointment because the utility company should have learned from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Everybody is so distressed and so upset about the fact that Con Edison did not learn their lesson from Sandy. They knew that this storm is coming, why would they not be prepared? he said.

The Todt Hill resident calls for Con Edison to replace 80-year-old poles, which he says are rotted inside and have wires entangled with trees.

And in the event that there are outages, he says there needs to be a better response.

I understand its a natural thing, but at the same time, youre telling people that youre not going to get there until Sunday? And todays only Thursday, he explained. They keep saying bear with us. How long do we have to bear with them for?

Island-wide, Con Edison has set an estimated time of 11:00 p.m. on August 9 for complete restoration of power.

As of 9 p.m. on Thursday evening, the Con Edison outage map still listed 11,165 homes on Staten Island without power; new outages reported on the South Shore on Friday morning pushed that number back about 16,000.

This is not just a matter of peoples comfort. This is a matter of their health and well-being, said Rose. There is enough stress related to [COVID-19] and the economy. Were being tested as a community; we need to come together, and were going to be there every step of the way.
Members of New Mexicos congressional delegation criticized a decision this week by the Trump administration moving up the end of field data collection for the 2020 Census from Oct. 31 to Sept. 30.

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall called the decision an obvious attempt to skew the count, while fellow Democrat U.S. Rep. Deb Haaland voiced concerns about the state losing federal funding.

Our communities are tired of falling behind and not getting the funding that we need and deserve for our futures, Haaland said in a news release. The Trump administration is clearly determined to keep us, and our futures, behind.

U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham insisted in a statement his agency was doing what it could to ensure a complete and safe count during the COVID-19 pandemic, but gave no explanation as to why the deadline had been moved up. He said the bureau hired more workers to speed up the count.

We will improve the speed of our count without sacrificing completeness, he said. Dillingham visited New Mexico last year at Udalls and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrichs invitation to view some of the challenges the state faced when it comes to reporting an accurate count.

Udall said there were still 60 million uncounted households, many of them are hard to reach, like our Native and rural communities who need to be counted.

When our communities are undercounted, hospitals, schools, roads, infrastructure, water systems and more are underfunded, he said. Ending the census early is dangerous for states like New Mexico because of our harder-to-count populations that already face chronic underfunding issues.

Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Complete Count Committee Chairwoman Cathryn McGill said in a news release she was disappointed and puzzled by the decision.

We will redouble our efforts to ensure that as many people as possible are aware of the enumerators hitting the streets to knock on doors of residents who havent yet responded, and we are asking all of our community partners to continue to spread the word until the end of this campaign that we can still respond online or by phone.

Her organization said about 66% of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County residents have been counted so far. According to U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujans office, about half of the states households have been counted as of last week. His office said the state would lose $780 million if just 1% of the population chooses not to participate in the census.

The Trump administrations attempt to rush the Census count hurts New Mexicans and shirks its constitutional duty, the congressman said. He urged residents to respond by phone, mail, or online.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez urged similar action on Twitter. He said only 13.1% of Navajo households had responded as of July 29.

Please take time to self-respond today  it only takes a few minutes, he said.

Heinrich said there wasnt a justification to end the Census early. He called for an extension of the deadline to allow for a fair and accurate count because of the pandemic in a letter to congressional leadership.

The stakes for communities all across the country are too high to allow the Trump White House to politicize and bungle the Census, he said in a statement to the Journal.
Marge Schlitt, Lincoln

Nation needs to step up again

We are now in the greatest crisis to confront this country since World War II, Im sure most would agree. So lets take a look at how were responding now and what we were able to accomplish then.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called upon all citizens to come together to defeat our enemies, and what we did was amazing. Thanks to people like Rosie the Riveter, we were able to produce the materials necessary to win that war.

According to Air and Space Magazine, in 1944, we were able to get an average of 263 aircraft per day from the factories to the flight line. Now were unable to produce enough COVID-19 tests to get the virus under control and cant even get folks to put on a mask!

How about we put forth one-tenth the effort of that older generation and get this thing licked. Were better than this.

Steve Peek, Lincoln

Gage County can cash in on wind
Government has made savings of GHS1.5 billion in under-declared taxes in the telecommunications sector following the implementation of the Common Platform (CP) in the telecommunications sector since 2017.

The introduction of the CP has uncovered that, prior to the introduction of the policy, GHS470 million in taxes was lost from potential under-declarations between 2015 to the first quarter of 2017, the Minister of Communication, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful said.

Answering questions on the floor of Parliament House on Friday, August 7, 2020, the Minister said an estimated amount of GHS300 million in taxes was also saved between the first quarter of 2017 to date as a result of the announcement of the implementation of the CP on March 8, 2017.

Mrs. Owusu-Ekuful again disclosed that through the deployment of the CP and sophisticated up-to-date fraud management systems, the CP was able to record over 150,000 international calls into the country every month and thereby detecting fraudulent SIM automatically.

This, she said, has saved the country of tax fraud of an additional GHS 327.3 million from the activities of SIM Card fraud since the inception of the CP in 2017.

Over the life of the contract, the CP is expected to deliver tax savings of approximately GHS 799.6 million, the Minister stated.

On Mobile Money Monitoring, the Minister disclosed that the CP has reported monthly usage for July 2020 of GHS 63.6 billion, 307.1 million transactions, with GHS104.6 million generated by the Operators in transaction fees, with further breakdowns of transaction types for informed policy decision making.

Giving further benefits that the implementation of the CP has accrued to the country, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful also mentioned that the policy has resulted in savings of $1.1 million monthly over the previous contracts, resulting in a total of $66 million savings over the 5-year contract period.

Under the previous NDC administration, the NCA was paying $915,969 to Afriwave, while the GRA was paying $1,675,492 to Suva, bringing the total payments to $2,591,462 monthly.

The NCA, she said, now pays $596,490 and the GRA $894,735, a total of $1,491,225 to service providers.

Additionally, unlike the previous contracts, the CP offers real-time monitoring of 2.5 billion transactions per day within the telecom sector, such as calls, SMS, Mobile money transactions and other transactions.

Under Section 14 of the Communications Services Tax Act 2008 (Act 754), as amended by Section 7 of the Communications Service Tax (Amendment) Act, 2013, Act 864 mandated the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Communications to establish a common platform as a mechanism for verifying the actual revenues that accrue to service providers for the purpose of computing taxes due to Government under Act 864 and revenues accruing from levies under Act 775 as amended by Act 786 of 2009.

Pursuant to this, KelniGVG was contracted on December 27, 2017, to build and operate a Common Monitoring Platform (CMP) which is an integrated single platform connecting to nodes in the networks of all Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and the Interconnect Clearinghouse (ICH) where traffic and revenues can be monitored.

The National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) are the implementing agencies and beneficiaries of this project.

The CP has four main components, that is fraud management, traffic monitoring, revenue assurance and mobile money monitoring.

---citinewsroom
The wine world is all atwitter about "clean" wine. If you've followed the hullabaloo on social media -- and why would you? -- you might think the end of the world had occurred just as everyone had opened their most prized bottle. The indignation is palpable.

The current kerfuffle ignited last month when actress Cameron Diaz and entrepreneur Katherine Power launched their own brand of wine, called Avaline. They touted their white and rose as "clean" wines, compared to . . . well, you know, the "unclean" wines we've all been drinking through the years.

The visceral response reminded me of how people reacted to "natural" wines and the implication that anything made differently was "unnatural."

"If drinking wine makes you feel sick by self-diagnosis, a doctor may be needed more than a new wine," wine writer Thomas Pellechia fulminated on Forbes.com.

"When it comes to clean wines, the only thing being cleaned is your wallet," huffed Felicity Carter, editor of Meininger's Wine Business International magazine, in a commentary on TheGuardian.com.

Diaz, explaining the genesis of Avaline to Jimmy Fallon on "The Tonight Show" on July 22, said she and Power frequently found themselves feeling ill after a second glass of wine. "So we asked ourselves, maybe there's a way to make wine better for us." In that interview, and on an Instagram post with Power, Diaz spoke of how she learned that wineries are allowed to use more than 70 additives when making wine and how she and Power struggled to find wines made with organic grapes and without the use of pesticides or additives.

"I really, honestly, I thought it was just fermented grapes," Diaz says.

Most wine is, essentially, just fermented grapes. And, really? In Los Angeles, they couldn't find sustainable, organic, biodynamic or natural wines?

Despite what Diaz says, wineries are not allowed to add sugar to wine. They can, and some do, sweeten wine with grape concentrates. Americans have a sweet tooth, after all. Most additives, such as powdered tannins or enzymes that aid fermentation, are natural and benign. Others, like Velcorin, a chemical used to eliminate bacterial faults, are more controversial.

From her interviews and social media posts, as well as the Avaline website, it seems Diaz's concept of a "clean" wine is simply one made from organic grapes grown without synthetic pesticides and "minimally intervened" in the winery without added sweeteners or chemicals. There are hundreds if not thousands of wines that fit this description - just stay away from cheap, industrial wines and look for family labels.

But the backlash against Diaz and Avaline misses a broader point. This is not the first wine to advertise itself as "clean." FitVine Wine, a California brand launched a few years ago, boasts "cleaner" wines for a healthy, active lifestyle. What's clean and healthy? "Extended fermentation," so the wine is dry without residual sugar, and "triple filtration" to make the wine "gluten free and vegan friendly," according to the FitVine website.

Wine is gluten-free, and many are vegan, if made without using animal products such as egg whites to remove extraneous matter. Filtration has nothing to do with that, and many winemakers would say that running a wine through cross-flow filtration three times would strip all the flavor from it.

More wines are claiming to be good for you. A new label called Pure the Winery boasts that its wines are zero sugar, zero carbohydrates and "pure pleasure" with an "uncomplicated taste." (Last I heard, complexity was a virtue in wine.) Pure the Winery is not to be confused with PureWine, which is apparently a magic wand you swirl in your glass to remove impurities and ward off wine headaches, all while you purchase a bridge in Brooklyn.

Scheid Family Wines in California's Monterey County has just introduced a line of low-alcohol wines called Sunny with a Chance of Flowers. They take some of their estate wine and remove the alcohol by a proprietary process based on reverse osmosis, then blend it back with the rest of the wine to make a final product that's about 9% alcohol, rather than 13%.

Heidi Scheid told me her family developed the Sunny wines as a response to hard seltzer and the market demand for low-alcohol beverages. Sunny wines are labeled as zero sugar, allowed if the wine has less than 0.5 grams of sugar per 5-ounce serving. They are also about 85 calories per serving, compared to 110-120 calories for most wines in the 13-14% alcohol range.

We've been making health claims about wine since biblical times. "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine other infirmities," Paul wrote to Timothy. My generation has been gulping red wine as heart medicine ever since the 1991 "60 Minutes" episode on the French Paradox.

So, claims of "clean" or "pure" wine are nothing new. They reflect our current attention on farm-to-table, organic produce and heritage breeds of meat.

Avaline, FitVine and Pure the Winery - and others like them - are able to argue they are better for us because wine is not required to disclose its ingredients or nutrition information on its label, the way other food products are. We will explore that issue next week.

- - -

McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. On Twitter: @dmwine.
A mother who continued aerial and pole dancing until week 37 into her pregnancy has claimed the tough workout helped prevent any 'morning sickness or fatigue'.

Breathtaking images show heavily-pregnant Jade Flash, 28, from Birmingham, effortlessly spinning around her pole, while others show her using her strength to hold herself in a sideways split position.

Professional dancer Jade, who feared she was infertile after her strict fitness regime stopped her periods aged just 15, kept pole dancing until she was 37 weeks pregnant but largely reduced her training after 17 weeks.

Then on 1st August, Jade and her partner Nathan, 34, welcomed a healthy baby boy Maddox, weighing 6lbs 8oz, into the world.

Fitness fanatic Jade Flash, pictured, who continued aerial and pole dancing until week 37 of her pregnancy, has claimed the tough workout helped prevent any 'morning sickness or fatigue'

Jade, pictured with her partner Nathan, both from Birmingham, kept pole dancing until she was 37 weeks pregnant but largely reduced her training after 17 weeks

After getting the OK from medics, Jade continued to train as an aerial and pole dancer after falling pregnant, but for just one day rather than 45 hours per week.

She said: 'As I am so fit and healthy, the doctor said my body would be worse off if I was to completely stop.

'I was incredibly lucky as I didn't have any morning sickness or fatigue and I praise exercise for that. I continued to perform up until 17 weeks but I made sure I didn't do anything to harm the baby.

'I was very careful with anything on silks that wrapped around my tummy and I wouldn't do anything on pole where it was squishing my belly. If something didn't feel right then I would stop immediately.'

Breathtaking images show heavily-pregnant Jade Flash, 28, from Birmingham, effortlessly spinning around her pole and training (pictured)

Other stunning images, seen above, show Jade using her strength to hold herself in a sideways split position

On August 1, Jade and her partner Nathan, 34, welcomed a healthy baby boy Maddox, weighing 6lbs 8oz, into the world. Pictured together

Jade gave birth naturally to Maddox, who weighed a healthy 6lbs 8oz.

She added: 'We are in dreamland floating about with him. He is perfect and I am constantly staring at him. I've barely had any sleep yet I feel like I have so much energy!'

Before Maddox, Jade thought she was infertile because she'd not ovulated for the last 12 years - but she started her period again whilst on a relaxing holiday with her partner.

She was told by medics that her only chance of becoming pregnant would be through IVF since her menstrual cycle had stopped when she was just 15-years-old.

After getting the OK from medics, Jade (above with her partner and their son) continued to train as an aerial and pole dancer but for just one day rather than 45 hours per week

Jade, pictured, said: 'As I am so fit and healthy, the doctor said my body would be worse off if I was to completely stop'

Jade, pictured during her dance training when pregnant, gave birth naturally to Maddox, who weighed a healthy 6lbs 8oz

But after taking a short break from her strict dancing and performing regime, her periods returned and Jade was soon expecting.

Jade said: 'As a teenager, I was underweight which contributed to my periods stopping and doctors said I was training too much.

'But it was hard not to - I'm passionate about dance and I have always strived to be the best I can possibly be. I began my career at 16 and danced in Mexico, at private parties with celebrities and even toured the UK with a circus.

'I was training for six hours per day and then at the shows of a night - it was intense but I loved it. It wasn't until I got older and Nathan, who is a business owner, suggested we start a family.'

Jade, pictured with her partner, said: 'We are in dreamland floating about with him. My son is perfect and I am constantly staring at him'

Jade, pictured dancing while heavily pregnant, added: I've barely had any sleep yet I feel like I have so much energy!'

Professional dancer Jade, pictured left at 12 weeks pregnant, and right at 16 weeks pregnant

Jade confessed: 'Initially, I pretended I wasn't ready but deep down it was because I thought I was infertile. At 26, I expressed my concerns to the doctor who put me on the IVF waiting list.

'This didn't give me much hope as the doctors didn't think it would naturally be possible either.'

Jade was prescribed various contraception pills to try and kick-start her periods but it made her gain weight. But thankfully, during a five-week stay in Tahiti, Jade's period returned and Maddox was conceived.

She said: 'I couldn't believe it when my period returned whilst I was teaching dance abroad. My training regime was reduced and I was super chilled and relaxed whilst there so I think that helped a lot.

'I gained a little weight as I was eating all the right foods and getting all the nourishment I needed. Nathan joined me for the last two weeks in October and that is when the baby was conceived. We felt so lucky to get pregnant instantly!'
Vietnamese workers abroad are unable to fly home due to pandemic travel restrictions, trapping them in limbo.

Last November, Nguyen Thanh Tu of northern Tuyen Quang Province was excited to leave for Tabuk in Saudi Arabia to work as a chef at a luxury coffee shop.

Severely hit by the pandemic, his employer was forced to cut spending and sack staff.

In May, Tu lost his job along with over 30 other colleagues, mostly newcomers, shattering their collective Arabian dream. Out of pocket, the former chef wanted nothing more than to return home.

However, Covid-19 travel restrictions proved a frustrating obstacle.

"Ill die of hunger if I don't go home," Tu lamented.

Mass layoffs have affected many Vietnamese since the novel coronavirus struck, with many trapped abroad amid little recourse to vocational or financial support.

Masked foreign migrants attend Covid-19 screening in Malaysia on May 12, 2020. Photo by Shutterstock/Abdul Razak Latif.

"I feer safer in Vietnam. In Germany, most locals merely laughed at me when I told them to wear masks," said Phan Truong Giang, employed at a restaurant in Berlin.

On August 6, new Covid-19 infections increased by 1,045 within one day to 213,067, while the number of coronavirus-related deaths increased by seven to 9,175 in the European country.

In Saudi Arabia, thrifty Tu moved to a cheaper apartment with seven other Vietnamese in June, despite the fact that the cramped space and shared bunk beds could be a hotbed for novel coronavirus infection.

Tu said he is "too poor to care about the pandemic."

"We have to spend less until this ordeal ends and we can go home," he stressed.

In the Philippines, Trinh Ngoc Quynh has been confined to his home since the country placed over 27 million locals back into lockdown to stop a record surge in Covid-19 infections starting August 4.

"They put us in lockdown for months and now they do it again. I stay home and earn nothing, it is boring and cruel," Quynh explained, adding all her booked trips back to Ho Chi Minh City were cancelled after Vietnam halted international flights in March.

At present, repatriation flights are the only hope of many.

The country has organized over 60 flights from over 50 countries and territories to repatriate more than 16,000 citizens. However, many remain stranded overseas as authorities prioritize children, students, the elderly and sick, pregnant women, guest workers whose labor contracts had expired and tourists with expired visas.

Around 650,000 Vietnamese workers, mainly in labor-intensive and low-skilled employ, operate in over 40 countries and territories worldwide, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Tran Thi Hoa, 41, a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia, borrowed money to purchase tickets home thrice, all of which got cancelled.

Six of her Vietnamese friends had also borrowed money to register for seats on a repatriation flight on August 8, with only three successful in their pursuit.

"I have packed everything and am ready to leave at a moment's notice, but it has been months," Hoa exclaimed.

A 13,000-member Facebook group for Vietnamese living in the country now helps spread encouragement and tips for staying healthy until repatriation becomes feasible.

Similar groups in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea have sprung up, with members sharing whatever news becomes available regarding flights home.

"What choice do we have but to wait?" Hoa asked.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday issued summons to Shruti Modi, business manager of Rhea Chakraborty, against whom the parents of actor Sushant Singh Rajput have registered a case.

The ED has also asked Rajputs friend Siddharth Pithani to appear before the agency on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the agency rejected Chakrabortys request to defer questioning in the case. She was asked to appear before it with documents pertaining to her investments on Friday and if Chakraborty doesnt come she will be violating the summons, the ED said.

Also read: Bihar govt files affidavit in Supreme Court, says Rhea Chakrabortys transfer plea in Sushant Singh Rajput case wrong

The summons is linked to a case by ED on July 31 on the basis of a first information report (FIR) by Bihar police that followed a complaint by Rajputs father. He has accused Chakraborty and her family of abetting the Bollywood actors suicide and siphoning off his money.

The agency is investigating money laundering and foreign exchange violations in connection with the case.

Chakarborty is said to have gone out of public view ever since she posted a video appeal claiming innocence and wishing that the truth behind Rajputs death comes out one day clearing her name. Bihar Police has been claiming that it has been unable to trace Chakraborty, who has been accused of diverting huge sums from Sushants account apart from keeping him in confinement and harassing him mentally.

Also read: Bihars Gagandeep Gambhir to supervise Sushant Singh Rajput case CBI probe team

Rhea Chakraborty is not in touch with us. She is absconding, she is not coming forward. We dont have any information about she being in touch with even Mumbai Police, Director General of Bihar Police Gupteshwar Pandey said on Wednesday.

Pandey had made a sensational claim on Tuesday saying that Rs 50 crore was withdrawn from the late actors account in the last four years and Rs 15 crore was withdrawn in the last year alone. He also accused the Mumbai Police of deliberately not probing the financial angle in the case.

Sushants parents and the Bihar Police had earlier blamed Rhea Chakraborty of manipulating Sushant including diverting his money.

Rajput, aged 34, was found dead in his apartment in suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 00:09:24|Editor: huaxia

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Chairman of Ghana's ruling New Patriotic Party Frederick Armah Blay (3rd R) poses for a photo with other officials and the Chinese representative during a handover ceremony of medical supplies in Accra, Ghana, on July 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

The Chinese embassy in Ghana delivered a consignment of medical supplies, including 16,000 masks and 100 infrared thermometers, to Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council to support the battle against COVID-19.

ACCRA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy in Ghana delivered a consignment of medical supplies to Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council on Thursday in a bid to support its efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The medical supplies, including 16,000 masks and 100 infrared thermometers, were presented on behalf of the Fujian Provincial People's Association for Friendship.

The charge d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Ghana Zhu Jing, who presented the items, said the donation was to reciprocate a similar gesture from the Greater Accra Coordinating Council to Fujian Province earlier in the year.

"The Chinese government and Chinese people empathize and stand firmly with the Ghanaian people as the pandemic rages on the African continent," he said.

Zhu said, "As a sister province to the Greater Accra region, the Fujian People's Association for Friendship decided to donate the masks and thermometers to help the Greater Accra Region defeat the virus."

Greater Accra Regional Minister Ishmael Ashitey expressed gratitude to the provincial government and people of Fujian for their continued support for Ghana.

"This will go a long way to assist us in the fight against the pandemic in the region. We would always want to have this cooperation with the people of China at all levels," Ashitey said.

Since the establishment of their sister province relations in September 2015, the Fujian Province in China and the Greater Accra Region in Ghana have maintained close exchanges and cooperation in areas of trade and investment.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Turning out mostly cloudy and not as cold. There might be a rain or snow shower late..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with some rain and snow showers. Any rain will be early in the night.
SRINAGAR: Clothes of a Territorial Army soldier, who was abducted by suspected terrorists in south Kashmirs Shopian, were found on Friday morning. Locals said that his clothes were found at three different spots nearly three kilometers from his house.

Territorial Army soldier Shakir Manzoor, hailing from Shopians Reshipora village, was abducted on August 2 while his car, which was burnt, was found in the Kulgam district.

Locals from the area said that the missing soldiers clothes were found at three different spots near an orchard in another village Landoora, around 3 km from his home.

A senior local resident, Muhammad Afzal, said that they found a shirt, pants and a T-shirt at three different spots at Landoora orchards after they were informed by the locals of that village.

Afzal said that the missing soldiers family has confirmed that the clothes belonged to Shakir and he wore them on the day he was abducted.

Sources said that combined forces, including soldiers and SOG personnel, were immediately rushed to the orchard and they were handed over the T-shirt and other stuff belonging to the abducted soldier.





Meanwhile, Manzoor Ahmad, the father of the soldier said that if he has been killed by the terrorists, they should return his body for his funeral.

If he is alive, then they should send him back, the soldiers father urged his abductors.

He also said that if terrorists issue a statement that they havent abducted his son, then he would look into the other aspects of his kidnapping.

Shakir joined the Territorial Army three years ago and was posted in Srinagar. According to his family, he was posted at Balpora Army camp in Shopian four days ago.

After his abduction, the Indian Army and police launched a search to trace Shakir.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against actress Rhea Chakraborty in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput's death. The agency has booked her under sections 306 (abetment to suicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 380 (theft in dwelling house), 406 (breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case would be investigated by the anti-corruption unit Vl of the CBI. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned actress Rhea Chakraborty as well as four others in connection with the case.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar handed over the case to the CBI on the request of Rajput's family. It was being investigated by Patna Police and Mumbai Police simultaneously. The Bihar government has given its approval for investigation across the entire state and other places related to the crime. But if the probe needs to go beyond Bihar, then the CBI would require separate permissions.

Since Rajput's death took place in Mumbai, the team would require special permission from the Maharashtra government.

Some of the allegations against Chakraborty, her father Indrojit, mother Sandhya and brother Showik and associate Samuel are:

1. Rajput wanted to leave the film industry and move to Coorg but Chakraborty was not supportive of the idea.

2. When Chakraborty thought that Rajput would not agree to stay in Mumbai, she took away large amounts of cash and jewellery, credit cards and other important documents.

3. Why no consent was taken from family members if Rajput was treated for mental illness?

4. Rhea Chakraborty took Rajput to her residence during the treatment and he reportedly overdosed.

5. Chakraborty reportedly forced Rajput to drop projects where she was not cast as the main lead opposite him.

6. His staff was changed by Chakraborty and replaced by people known to her.

7. Investigation on if and how much money was defrauded by Chakraborty.

Meanwhile, the ED has summoned the actress and asked her to appear on Friday. However, the agency has not been able to establish contact with her.

Former business manager Shruti Modi, his house manager Samuel Miranda, Chakraborty's chartered accountant Ritesh Shah have been summoned as well. The agency had earlier questioned Chartered Accountant of the late actor, Sandip Sridhar.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput case: CBI takes over investigation; Bihar Gov suggests probe into KK Singh's complaint

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput death: ED assesses girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty's net worth, property purchases
Cloud gaming is back for another go-round, however Apples mobile platforms are sitting this round out. While OnLive was able to deliver streamed gaming to iPads years ago, Stadia and GeForce Now have yet to make an iOS debut, and Microsoft ended support for the platform after time for its beta program expired.

In a statement to Business Insider, Apple was clear that the issue is about its App Store policies. From its perspective, the services would be required to individually submit each playable game for review and approval  that the games are already reviewed by agencies like the ESRB apparently doesnt matter  and these rules apply to interactive media in ways that they dont for services like Netflix, YouTube or Spotify. This also leaves room for remote desktop-style streaming, or streaming from games hosted on a box locally, but just not from the cloud.

Apple:

Our customers enjoy great apps and games from millions of developers, and gaming services can absolutely launch on the App Store as long as they follow the same set of guidelines applicable to all developers, including submitting games individually for review, and appearing in charts and search. In addition to the App Store, developers can choose to reach all iPhone and iPad users over the web through Safari and other browsers on the App Store.

Google offered no comment about Stadia support via iOS, but a Microsoft spokesperson sent over the following response.

Microsoft:
Primary voters will have their say  even with COVID-19 a lingering concern.

Face-masked Republicans and Democrats from all four Ridgefield voting districts will vote in-person at East Ridge Middle School on primary day, Tuesday, Aug. 11. The polling station will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

According to the Governors guideline, please wear a mask, said Republican Registrar of Voters Wayne Floegel.

Worries about COVID-19 are being accepted as a valid reason to vote by absentee ballot this year, and an unprecedented number of voters have sought absentee ballots for the Aug. 11 primary, while the town has put out a special drop box to accept them.

COVID-19 concerns are also what prompted the Registrars of Voters  Floegel, the Republican registrar and Cindy Bruno, the Democratic registrar  to consolidate all in-person primary voting to the one location, East Ridge Middle Schools cafeteria, rather than the towns usual three polling places.

We have COVID protocols we have to follow as far as the number of people and distancing and masks, Bruno said. Wayne and I felt that would be easier to manage in one location.

With one location it makes the cleaning protocol much easier, said Floegel. Plus, ERMS has more room to spread out, better parking situation  and air conditioning. Who wants to sit in Yanity on a hot August day wearing a mask, gloves and a shield?

He added, We feel confident that it is not a lengthy ballot and one should be able to get through the process rather quickly.

Republicans have two primaries to vote in: a hard-fought contest that will determine the Republican nomination for state senator, and the presidential primary. Democrats have only one primary, for the presidential nomination.

State senate contest

For the 26th State Senatorial District nomination Republicans have a choice between Kim Healy of Wilton, a certified public accountant (CPA) and the treasurer of the Wilton Library who is the convention-endorsed candidate, and William Duff of Bethel, a former state representative who has also served on Bethels Board of Selectmen and Board of Education.

The winner will face Will Haskell, the first-term Democratic incumbent in the 26th District, which includes Ridgefield, Redding, Wilton and parts of Westport, Weston, Bethel and New Canaan.

In the presidential primary Republicans will have three choices: Donald J. Trump, the incumbent president; Roque Rocky De La Fuente, a California real estate developer; and uncommitted.

Democrats in Ridgefield have only the partys presidential primary, with four choices: former vice-president Joe Biden; Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; and uncommitted.

Only people who are registered as Republicans can vote in the Republican primary, and only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic primary.

As of July 31, Ridgefield had 18,493 registered voters: 6,497 were unaffiliated, 6,058 were Democrats and 5,598 were Republicans.

People can check whether they are registered in a party and eligible to vote in the primary by going to the town website www.ridgefieldct.org and then going to government near top left and, in the drop-down menu, clicking on Registrar of Voters.

Once on the Registrars of Voters webpage, clicking on Am I registered to vote? tab at the top of the list will produce an electronic form people can fill out, and the response will tell them whether they are registered to vote, any party affiliation they have, and what their usual polling place is  although for this primary the polling place for all Ridgefielders will be East Ridge Middle School.

Joining a party

People may switch party affiliation any time, but in order to vote in a partys primary the switch must be made three months before the date of the primary  so its too late to switch and vote in next Tuesdays primary.

However, currently unaffiliated voters who want to join a party and participate in the primary or new voters just registering to vote  may do so up until noon on the day before the primary, which would be noon on Monday, Aug. 10, for the Aug. 11 primary.

For people with identification through the state Department of Motor Vehicles, like a Connecticut drivers license, that can be done online through the Secretary of the States webpage  https://voterregistration.ct.gov/OLVR/welcome.do.

Mail in registrations must be postmarked by Thursday, Aug. 6, which is also the deadline for online registration.

Registering to vote or enrolling in a party may also be done in-person at town hall. Because of COVID-19, town hall is not routinely open to walk-ins, so its best to call ahead and make arrangements with the registrars to come in and register or enroll in a party. (The registrars may be reached at 203-431-2771 or 203-431-2772.)

During a July 28 League of Women Voters zoom forum on voting, the registrars gave assurances that in-person primary voting at East Ridge Middle School would be safe.

We will ask people to wear masks when they enter the building, Bruno, the Democratic registrar, said.

Were going through every precaution we possibly can  social distancing of 6 feet, we will be wiping down all the polling booths, said Floegel, the Republican registrar. ...All of our staff will have preventative masks, shields if they choose to wear them, and rubber gloves.

East Ridge is large, plenty of parking, and it has enough room for social distancing  both waiting to vote and in the polling area, Bruno added. And if there ever needs to be a line, theres an interior spot to line up to wait in front of the auditorium, and also outside, they have an overhang in front of the building  whether you need protection from sun or rain.

Staffing

COVID-19 is also complicating the registrars efforts to staff the polling place.

We did have several of our regular workers who chose not to work because of COVID, Bruno said.

As it stands right now, we are short only a few workers, Floegel said. We have a great mix of experienced workers and newcomers.

Our number one priority, other than making voting available for any eligible voter, is safety for our staff and electors, he said. We have all of the personal protective gear needed to conduct an election in the time of COVID  masks, shields, rubber gloves, plexi-glass, sanitizing solution and social distancing

Many of the regular poll workers are senior citizens, who are considered more at risk to the coronavirus and COVID-19.

Weve encouraged workers to work a half day rather than a whole day, Bruno said.

The registrars are figuring theyll need about 55 people for the primary, and theyre trying to enlarge their pool of potential workers.

We did reach out to a number of college and high school kids, Bruno said.

In the November election, when voter participation is expected to be much larger than in the primary, one polling place wont be adequate and the town will be using all three locations in November.

The primary was originally scheduled for April 28 but has been delayed twice  initially to June 2 and then again to Aug. 11  all due to the continuing situation in Connecticut with the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes.

We just ask that everyone is patient with the clerks and registrars office, Floegel said. This is the first time that our Secretary of the State has used a mailing house to mail out applications to every eligible primary voter and then a ballot to those that returned them. We are strongly encouraging you to leave plenty of time for the mail back your ballot or use the ballot drop box at town hall on the Bailey street entrance.
The global marijuana market is projected to grow at a rate of 18.1% until 2027 to reach a size of $73.6 billion, according to estimates from earlier this year (before the coronavirus pandemic). Those are some high growth numbers, indicative of the exciting opportunities ahead for the industry. Even companies from outside the marijuana industry are taking notice.

Although many big companies are still staying on the sidelines, there are a couple of notable names that aren't shying away from cannabis and are willing to take a chance on the industry and its attractive growth prospects. Below are two companies that not only have investments in the cannabis industry, but have increased their stakes this year.

1. Constellation Brands

Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) first dipped its toes into the cannabis industry in 2017 when it announced a strategic relationship with Canopy Growth (NASDAQ:CGC). The Canadian-based pot producer was then the clear industry leader, and the partnership gave Constellation a 9.9% stake in the company for 245 million Canadian dollars. In 2018, it increased its stake in the company with a CA$5 billion investment.

Then, on May 1 of this year, Constellation announced that it was exercising warrants it obtained from its original investment in Canopy Growth. The move would bring Constellation's total ownership in the cannabis company up to 38.6%. And if it exercises more warrants and converts notes, it's possible the stake could rise as high as 55.8%.Constellation also invested human capital into the company when its former CFO, David Klein, took over as the new CEO of Canopy Growth earlier this year.

The company behind the popular Corona brand of beer is bullish on cannabis beverages, and Canopy Growth made its first shipment of Tweed Houndstooth & Soda on March 12. Survey data is showing that consumers like the new cannabis drinks and would buy them again. One-fifth of respondents also indicated they'd consume these drinks in place of alcohol.

Whether it's beverage sales or flower products, investing in cannabis givesa Constellation a way to offer its investors an area of high growth, which it badly needs. In its most recent fiscal year, the New York-based company's revenue grew by just 2.8%.

2. Alimentation Couche-Tard

Alimentation Couche-Tard (OTC:ANCU.F) is a Canadian-based convenience store giant with operations all over the world, known best for its Mac's and Circle K brands of stores. The company has been interested in cannabis since 2017, before Canada even legalized recreational marijuana (on Oct. 17, 2018).

Back then, Couche-Tard already indicated that it wanted to sell pot in its convenience stores in Canada in provinces where it would be legal to do so. In 2019, the company announced it was investing about CA$26 million into pot retailer Fire & Flower that would give it a 9.9% stake in the business.

The deal included warrants, and on July 23, Fire & Flower announced that Couche-Tard would be exercising some of those warrants, raising its ownership in the cannabis company to 15%. The move will also inject the pot retailer with an additional CA$19 million. If Couche-Tard were to exercise all of its warrants, it would own 50.1% of the company -- a controlling interest.

Earlier in July, Couche-Tard announced that Fire & Flower would be opening two retail stores near existing Circle K locations in the hopes that the stores will benefit from higher traffic. If successful, it's possible that similar stores may follow suit.

Although marijuana isn't sold in the Circle K stores themselves, owning the pot shop next door is the next best thing for a company that's looking to cash in on the popularity of cannabis.

Should you buy these two stocks today?

Both of these stocks are safer options than investing directly in cannabis producers and retailers. Profits are scarce in the cannabis industry, and both Couche-Tard and Constellation Brands recorded operating profits in each of the past five years. They're also established brands with strong track records for both growth and success.

Here's how the two stocks are doing this year:

Couche-Tard's been the better-performing stock in 2020, but investors shouldn't count Constellation out yet, not with Canopy Growth's new CEO looking to cut costs and bring the company closer to profitability.

If you want a safe way to invest in cannabis, either one of these two stocks could be great options to add to your portfolio today.
The U.S. real estate market is beginning to show signs of a "great reshuffling," as people relocate to homes with more privacy and space to ease working from home, Zillow CEO Rich Barton said on the company's Q2 2020 earnings call this week.

"I believe we are at the dawn of a great reshuffling," Barton said. "I'm sure I don't need to spell it out for you because we are all living it, spending an average of nine hours more per day at home. Zoom meetings are changing the way families think about space and privacy. Home offices are in high demand. Backyards are more desirable than parks and gyms. Work-from-home policies are eliminating the commute for many. There's an endless list of considerations."

Millions of people are considering moves for a slew of reasons, mostly to right-size their living spaces or get closer to family, he added. With some employers not expecting to bring workers back into the office until there's a Covid-19 vaccine, the work-from-home norm could last several more months.
External Article

7 August 2020

President Donald Trump on Wednesday expressed support for a plan to provide another $25 billion in federal aid to U.S. airlines, which have been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Bipartisan support is building for the additional aid for one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus. U.S. airlines have warned more than 70,000 of their workers that their jobs are at risk when the current round of aid expires in the fall.

More than a dozen Republican senators earlier Wednesday said they backed the extension of aid for U.S. carriers to support their payrolls while travel demand remains limited because of the virus, causing mounting financial losses. The new proposal, which comes as Congress wrestles with how to put together another national coronavirus relief package, already has support from the majority of the House.
The Maharashtra government announced a partnership with Google that will enable 2.3 crore students andteachers to access the technology giant's blended learning programmes that combine classroom approach with online learning.

As part of the tie-up, which has come at a time when online classes have become a norm due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Google will deploy free tools like G Suite for Education, Google Classroom and Google Meet to facilitate remote learning.

Speaking at the virtual launch of the partnership, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said, "Maharashtra is the first state in the country to launch G Suite for Education and Google Classroom. I request Google to help use their technology for work from home."

The partnership will enable 2.3 crore students and teachers in the state to access blended learning programmes that combine classroom approach with online learning, including free tools like G Suite for Education, Google Classroom, Google Meet to facilitate remote learning.

Under it, the School Education Department will provide individual educators and students with their own G Suite ID to ensure every student - irrespective of their location - experiences continuity in learning.

Google for Education solutions help teachers provide excellent educational experiences and enable students to learn better by nurturing individual needs.

"Each solution has been designed to be easy to use, flexible and scalable. They will now be available to scores of teachers and students across Maharashtra, for free," school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said.

Speaking further, Thackeray said, In such a crisis when the world is at a standstill, how to restart education is one of the primary concerns we face today.

"We often say this proverb, "Instead of tomorrow do it today"; I feel this global crisis (COVID-19) has led us from the present into the future."

Gaikwad said the government looks forward to a long- term partnership with Google in building the digital education ecosystem.

Sanjay Gupta, Country Head andVice-President, Google India, said, Since the COVID-19 outbreak, over 32 crore children in India have been impacted by school closures, making access to quality education even more critical."
The retail apocalypse continues to unfold in the United States under the economic pressure of the coronavirus pandemic. Since May, multiple well-known and long-established companies have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy including Neiman Marcus, J. Crew, J.C. Penney and Brooks Brothers. Tailored Brands, parent company of Mens Wearhouse, and Lord & Taylor, along with its parent company Le Tote, became the most recent retail casualties on Sunday.

Prior to filing for bankruptcy, Tailored Brands announced in July that it would close up to 500 stores over time and cut about 20 percent of its corporate jobs. According to a public filing, Tailored Brands had about 19,300 employees as of Feb. 1, and 1,274 stores in the US and 125 stores in Canada. The company said it secured a deal with the majority of its senior lenders for a $630 million restructuring plan so it can survive bankruptcy.

Lord & Taylor in Palisades Park Mall West Nyack, NY (Credit: Flickr.com/Mike Kalasnik)

The company's filing is partially a consequence of the trend away from business attire and toward more casual clothing during the pandemic. Millions of white-collar workers have shifted to working from home as offices have been closed and meetings moved online.

Founded in 1826, Lord & Taylor is considered Americas oldest retail store. A company official from Lord & Taylor estimated that about 20 of the company's stores are currently in a liquidation sale. The retailer runs 38 stores in the Northeast with a few more locations in the Midwest and Florida.

Lord & Taylor, which was bought by online clothing rental service Le Tote for $100 million last year, has been struggling in recent years. Under its previous owner, the Canadian-based Hudsons Bay Company, Lord & Taylors chief executive complained that the store was in a fraught middle space among retailers because it neither sold high-end luxury nor discount apparel.

The latest additions bring the number of US retail bankruptcies this year to 43. According to S&P Global, 2020 has already seen more retail closures than the past eight years, with five months still left in the year. The last time retail companies recorded similar numbers of closures was 2010, with 48 companies filing for bankruptcy.

In 2008, a record 441 retailers filed for bankruptcy in the depths of the Great Recession. This marked the advent of the series of brick-and-mortar bankruptcies and store closures dubbed the retail apocalypse which has wiped out indoor shopping malls and strip malls around the country.

Retailers already faced severe challenges before COVID-19 forced stores to close and sparked a historic contraction in the economy. Not only were retailers struggling to compete with e-commerce stores such as Amazon and Walmart, but also ever-increasing debts threatened their stability. The arrival of the pandemic only accelerated a process that was already underway.

The coronavirus pandemic pushed retailers further into crisis. Shelter-in-place orders keeping people in their homes for weeks and the sudden loss of tens of millions of jobs facilitated a rapid change in spending habits. Shoppers abandoned malls, where many retailers who filed for bankruptcy are concentrated, as social distancing measures were implemented.

Experts also expect the pandemic to weaken the back-to-school shopping season, a typically busy time for retailers. With many schools engaging in remote learning, what families purchase for students is likely to shift towards electronics and away from clothing and other traditional items.

As the economic consequences of the pandemic continue to unfold, more bankruptcy filings are expected. A report from Coresight Research estimated that as many as 25,000 stores could permanently close in 2020, and about a quarter of all malls in the US could shutter their doors within the next three to five years.
Several months ago, countries all over the world adopted a lukewarm attitude towards events unfolding in China, no one thought the virus was that serious, and since it was made in China, it was not bound to last longer. As a result, World leaders kept singing the chorus, it is early days yet, but we are prepared. Oblivious to the fact that the Coronavirus was dynamite soon to explode on a global scale.

As the virus began spreading beyond the shores of China, with its true danger unravelling in Europe and America, it was clear no one was prepared to deal with it. Sooner than later, the World Health Organization [WHO] declared the situation in March as a global health emergency, for that matter, a pandemic. Hurriedly, governments started putting in place plans and measures to control and deal with the situation in their countries. In a split of a second, the whole world came to a standstill. Aircraft were grounded, borders were closed, travel plans halted, and social gatherings prohibited. In effect, those things that brought us together threatened us more than ever. The virus is everywhere but up until this time, the thought of persons with disabilities never came to mind, and if it has, not enough measures are put in place for them.

It was during those frantic moments that it was widely agreed that, the most at-risk people of the Novell virus are the aged population and as such, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States etc., strengthened and toughened measures at various residential care homes to protect the aged. However, persons with disabilities continued to be forgotten and left behind.

You would agree with me, groups classified internationally under the vulnerable category should not only be limited to the aged, but should also include persons with disability, women, and children. However, the last three groups have been left to their fate. The neglect to persons with disability is most startling, as their risk of contracting and spreading the virus is just as high compared to the aged. Admittedly, some aged people may have one disability or the other, but they represent a tiny percentage of the larger number of persons with disability globally.

A little over one billion people, representing 15 per cent of the worlds population live with one form of disability or the other. Even though reports further stated that 80 per cent of these people are in developing countries, the reality is that the present situation affects all these individuals. In the US, States such as Pennsylvania and Alabama, persons with disability have sued the State and various health authorities for denying persons with mental illness from enjoying medical treatment when they contract Coronavirus. Fortunately, justice was dispensed, and a review was ordered to include these individuals.

No matter how independent you are as a person with a disability, you will need someone to be of help. As a result, you stand a higher risk of been infected, and because people would religiously help, you stand the chance of infecting more people than an abled person. This in effect would undermine the fight against the virus in the world. This is what makes it very dangerous yet, appears to have eluded policy and decision-makers.

The good news is that, following the wealth of information on the various protocols, one can stay safe. But are there plans to achieve a more universal and holistic public health sensitization for all persons on the Coronavirus? The answer is no! How can persons with hearing impairment stay safe if they are unable to access COVID-19 awareness raising and information? Governments, particularly in Ghana had to be prompted before sign language interpreters were introduced to interpret the presidents COVID-19 addresses. Another concern worth raising is, does this trickle down to the rural areas? In Ghana, there are about a hundred and ten thousand deaf people according to the 2010 population census, however, only a little over ten thousand have had the opportunity to acquire formal education and thus very few understand sign language. So how is the government of Ghana attempting to inform persons with disabilities about the global pandemic?

Another group of persons with disability that are affected the most by COVID-19 are persons suffering from autism. It must be made known that; this condition is part of mental health diseases, however, they have many specific ways of communicating. This may include specific tools which may be used as a medium to enhance their communication and interactions. Across the globe, there have been several concerns from this section of the populace concerning the rejection and lack of information about the Coronavirus, yet, no concrete measures have been adopted to remedy the situation. Unfortunately, those specialists trained to assist individuals with autism are few and are usually found in schools. But as schools have been closed, access to these few specialists has been extremely restricted. The attempt to use technological solutions in the advance world to address the situation has so far not materialized. So, I ask again, how are these people going to know about the virus in other to stay safe?

Lets be reminded of our friends with psycho-social disability. These are people who find it challenging to isolate themselves from crowds, cannot stay alone and do not have stable minds. To what extent are they protected and what measures are countries adopting to ensure their safety?

What about persons with visual impairment who must move with sighted guides, cannot keep physical distance, and would have to use their hands to touch and feel to recognize? The list goes on but one more important thing is the adverse effect of isolation, quarantine, and the treatment centres friendly to persons with disabilities.

This piece does not only seek to criticize governments but rather seeks to recommend solutions to mitigate the impact of the Novel Coronavirus as far as persons with disability are concerned.

Although it has been advised that, people should stay at home, it should be a state policy to compel all persons with disabilities with close helpers to stay at home and self-isolate. Those working could be asked to work remotely from home if possible or better still grant them paid leave till a point that the threat is minimized e.g. once a vaccine has been developed. Again, organizations at this time should prioritize and emphasize the safety and health needs of their workers to the goal of making a large profit.

Also, the government should engage the services of personnel trained by churches and mosques and to provide accessible mediums of communication e.g. sign language. This would strengthen the workforce of the limited number of sign language interpreters so that the information can get to the rural areas. Parents of persons with disabilities should help in relaying the information to their wards so that they can stay safe and not necessarily rely on the government.

With the closure of schools, the government should test students with disabilities especially those within higher institutions and provide them with residential facilities with structures available to provide them easy access to food and other essentials. With this, students would have access to academic assistance and resource officers to help with any issues they may face. This also reduces the risk of been infected as they would be largely detached and isolated from the general public.

Again, the government should make the isolation, quarantine, and treatment centres disability-friendly to take care of any person with a disability who may be infected.

Moreover, all individuals in the position to assist should extend a helping hand to persons with disabilities who may be struggling in this trying moment because when it affects one, it affects all. Face masks and enough hand sanitizers should be distributed among all persons with disabilities, in addition to the provision of some financial support and other personal needs, as necessary.

Furthermore, the availability of accurate and relevant data on vulnerable groups continue to be a major challenge for governments in developing countries. As a result, decision-makers cannot make time and precisely decision on the said groups. Governments should make it a point to put measures in place to have an accurate and up to date data on persons with disabilities to guide future decisions.

Lastly, my humble appeal to the government, as restrictions are eased to transition to the new normal, is that the case of persons with disability should be prioritized, bearing in mind their risk of infection and how dangerous it could be as highlighted above.

It is indeed true that the battle is not only for the government but for individuals and organizations with the capacity to join hands with the government in implementing these solutions. This is essential in supporting persons with disability to stay safe in this pandemic because the infection of one would be flaming in the disability community. Let me pause at this point and extend my heartfelt appreciation to individuals and organizations that have so far supported persons with disability in this dangerous time, God richly bless you.
The Cook County medical examiners office did not release information on the identity of the body found Friday, so it couldnt be determined if the body found Friday was that of the boy who disappeared earlier in the week.
Summer flies by with the arrival of August. If youve been looking for activities to enjoy with children, here are some fun options:

Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven is on Long Island Sound and welcomes you as long as youre a resident of Connecticut. Bill Dixon, deputy director of recreation for New Haven, says the 82-acre park has been open since Memorial Day and will remain open, as long as everyone continues to observe health-safety rules.

Picnic tables have been moved, and some have been removed to help with social distancing, he said in a recent phone interview. The carousel is closed for now, but you can swim, walk the beach and build sand castles. The bathrooms are open and cleaned every hour. Theres also a food truck.

Staff members and lifeguards wear masks at Lighthouse Point Park. Dixon said staff members are not policing the area, but there are signs asking everyone to wear a mask.

If you come on a weekday you wont have a problem getting in, but if its the weekend, good luck! he said. People have arrived as early as 5 and 6 a.m. to make sure they gain entry when the park opens at 7 a.m.

While out-of-state vehicles were previously allowed into the parking area, Dixon said thats no longer the case because the park was inundated with out-of-state visitors. We can allow 225 cars before we shut the gate, he said.

Walkers who enter must present ID showing they are residents of New Haven. The city is trying to make sure streets in adjacent neighborhoods are not clogged with cars that dont belong there.

Note: Before you head to Lighthouse Point Park or any of the spots below, its best to check the associated website. That way you can see if Tropical Storm Isaias has changed anything.

The Danbury Railway Museum has reopened on Saturdays. This fully restored train station, built in 1903, houses all kinds of artifacts  everything from railroad lanterns and china/silverware to maps and photographs. Theres also an operating display of model trains. Volunteer Tom McCullough says kids can operate the trains by stepping on a foot pedal (for contactless fun).

Everything in the museum helps illustrate how the railroad industry impacted New England. Theres also a large outdoor area open for exploration; Danbury Railyard is a 15-track, 10-acre historic yard thats home to more than 75 pieces of equipment and locomotives. McCullough says exhibits which are open include a 1907 Boston & Maine Railroad steam locomotive and a 1940 Maine Central Railroad caboose.

You cant miss the Danbury Railway Museum because the worlds tallest Uncle Sam (he towers 38 feet) keeps watch over its parking lot. The 4,500-pound fiberglass statue is from the Great Danbury State Fair, an annual fair that ran for 112 years before closing in 1981. Uncle Sam then moved to a Lake George theme park for 37 years; when that shut down the city got him back.

While were on the subject of trains, did you know Alfred Hitchcock filmed some scenes for his 1951 thriller, Strangers On a Train, at Danburys old railroad station?

The Danbury Railway Museum, a nonprofit, is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Masks are required. Admission is $7 for ages 3 and up. Donations are always welcome.

The Ingersoll Auto Pop-up Drive-in, behind Edmond Town Hall Theater in Newtown, will be hosting screenings Friday, Aug. 14, through Thursday, Aug. 20. Pajamas and teddy bears are welcome.

This is the animated film about a kingdom thats trapped in an infinite season of winter. Fearless Anna (Kristen Bell) joins forces with mountaineer Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer sidekick to find Anna's sister, Snow Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), and break her icy spell.

Love conquers all is the message shared in this 2013 movie. Tickets must be preordered and printed out. Its $10 per carload. You can present your ticket in the parking lot starting at 8:30 p.m. (If you cant print it, be sure to have it on your mobile device.) The screening starts at 9 p.m.

Anyone leaving their car must wear a mask. If youd like the popcorn special  a large bucket of popcorn, two bottles of water and a packet of chocolate M&Ms  you can order it for $8 when buying your movie ticket. The special will be delivered to your car. Additional treats may be ordered by phone once youre in the lot.

If the movie is canceled for any reason, such as storms, the change will be posted on Edmond Town Halls website and Facebook page by 6:30 p.m. Ticket buyers will receive a refund, but the online system fees cannot be refunded. Also, no refunds are given if it rains during the event. The screening is made possible by Ingersoll Auto of Danbury and DNR Laboratories.

Randalls Farm Preserve in Easton is ideal for those neading a nature fix. The former dairy farm offers 34 acres of open meadows, stone walls, groomed trails and forests. The meadows are filled with wildflowers, so be sure to keep an eye out for butterflies. Theres also small ponds and snapping turtles.

This beautiful property opened in 2012 and is part of the Aspetuck Land Trust, which has joined forces with the global community of citizen scientists through the iNaturalist app . If you add your wildlife sightings to iNaturalist when you hike here, it will help the Land Trust document and manage the property. Plus, its great fun for kids.

Randalls Farm Preserve is also home to a new project involving the rearing of honey bee queens. The project is run by the Back Yard Beekeepers Association. The Easton preserve is a perfect spot for this important work, thanks to its diverse environment.

Aspetuck Land Trust, a nonprofit, was founded in 1966 to preserve open space in Westport, Weston, Fairfield and Easton. Over the years it has protected 150 properties on more than 2,000 acres of land, and recently launched a Green Corridor initiative to save more land and increase biodiversity.

lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz
(CNN)  For more than a hundred years, the fossil of the Tanystropheus has puzzled scientists.

The strange reptile -- resembling a real-life Loch Ness Monster or a prehistoric crocodile crossed with a giraffe -- was first described in 1852 and first reconstructed in 1973.

Palaeontologists have long known that the species once lived in Switzerland's Monte San Giorgio basin during the Middle Triassic period (about 242 million years ago). They also knew the bizarre-looking 20-foot creature had a remarkably long neck, which at 10 feet long was half of its entire length.

But the remaining details surrounding the Tanystropheus remained fuzzy and have been much debated. Did these animals live on land or in the water? What did their young look like? And how did they interact with the other species in their environment? No one knew -- until now.

Scientists used computed tomography (CT) scan technology to digitally reconstruct the crushed skulls of the fossils, which revealed evidence that these reptiles were water-dwelling, according to new research published today in Current Biology.

"For those people who are interested in Triassic reptiles, it's always been not only an iconic fossil but also a matter of dispute and discussion," said Olivier Rieppel, a paleontologist at the Field Museum in Chicago and one of the study's authors.

"I've been studying Tanystropheus for over 30 years, so it's extremely satisfying to see these creatures demystified."

The digitally reassembled fossils show that the Tanystropheus' skull anatomy and nostril placement had the characteristics of an aquatic animal. Researchers also found evidence that the Tanystropheus was an aquatic "ambush predator" that likely used its long, slender neck to allow it to approach unknowing prey.

"That long neck wasn't very flexible, it only had 13 vertebrae and it had ribs in it that further constrained mobility," Rieppel explained. "But our study shows that this strange anatomy was much more adaptive and versatile than we had thought before."

A second mystery solved

Scientists were also able to clear up questions surrounding different forms of these animals -- one smaller and one larger -- whose fossils are found in the same area of modern-day Switzerland.

Previously, it was thought the smaller fossils were the baby version of the fully-grown Tanystropheus. The smaller specimens looked very similar but were only about 4 feet long compared to 20 feet. But researchers were able to examine the growth rings in the cross sections of Tanystropheus bones to determine that they are, in fact, two different species.

"The small individuals are also fully grown, and that was surprising," said coauthor Torsten Scheyer, a research associate at the University of Zurich. "It's like the growth rings of a tree -- from this you can basically reconstruct the history of these animals."

That means two separate species of strange-looking, long-necked reptiles lived in the same area.

However, the fossils also revealed the two species had different types of teeth, which led to the conclusion that they used different strategies to catch prey.

"Food resources in an ecosystem are limited, and animals that look similar often develop different strategies ... It's called niche partitioning," Scheyer told CNN. "So, they shared the same habitat, but didn't get in each others' way too much."

Niche partitioning in such a highly specialized, extraordinarily long-necked reptile reveals a less competitive side of evolution during the Triassic period. Scientists said that's an important ecological phenomenon that highlights the versatility of the Tanystropheus and the complexity of ecosystems at that time.

"Darwin visualized the world as one where species compete and compete and compete, but this habitat partitioning is one that's been known for a while, and paints a different picture of nature," Rieppel said.

Triassic period

The Triassic period is far removed from modern-day existence, but studying it can reveal a lot about the diversity of life on Earth today.

"The Triassic is a very interesting and amazing time in Earth history. There are a lot of animals, even modern animal groups, that appeared during this time or diversified during this time," Scheyer said. "That's partly because of the layout of the land at this time, and because it's the time period that follows one of the biggest mass extinctions in history."

"All this enabled certain groups to diversify in these environments, and among those are some really bizarre creatures -- one of those is the Tanystropheus," he added.

The time period these scientists are looking at occurred about 9 million years after the mass extinction which wiped out about 96% of marine species on Earth at the time, according to a 2018 study published in Science. But marine life had a little time to recover by the Triassic period, making that time frame rich in fossils, especially in Switzerland's Monte San Giorgio area.

Nowadays, the area is forested and has nice hiking paths that take visitors through the mountains of the Swiss-Italian border. The fossils that the researchers are now examining with the latest CT scan technology were actually unearthed in digging campaigns between the 1920s and 1950s -- and have long been held in museum collections and university basements.

But those excavation sites would have looked very different 242 million years ago.

"Imagine something like the modern Bahamas today with an island dotted landscape, shallow water, warm climate, a sea that was not too deep with islands where some of the terrestrial animals that we find in these localities come from," Scheyer explained. "It was a unique ecosystem which we are basically lacking any modern counterpart, and all these modern animals don't have modern representatives anymore."

Scheyer added that studying strange forms of life such as the Tanystropheus is important for understanding our current ecosystems and biodiversity.

"It's important to be reminded that we have only a small percentage of Earth's biodiversity present today, and of course it's diminishing, partially because of our own actions and partially because of environmental changes," Scheyer said. "It's important to understand biodiversity and how biodiversity changes over time."

"Tanystropheus is an iconic fossil and has always been," Rieppel added in a statement. "To clarify its taxonomy is an important first step to understanding that group and its evolution."

This story was first published on CNN.com Scientists have unraveled the riddle of a real-life sea monster
In the first quarter of this year, there was a 350% increase in phishing websites, many of which targeted and impeded hospitals and health systems in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov told the Security Council.

He noted that the upsurge in phishing sites was part of a significant rise in cybercrime in recent months reported by speakers at last months first Virtual Counterterrorism Week at the United Nations, AP reported.

He said that the UN and world experts still do not fully understand the impact and consequences of the pandemic on global peace and security, and more specifically on organized crime and terrorism.

We know that terrorists are exploiting the significant disruption and economic hardships caused by COVID-19 to spread fear, hate and division and radicalize and recruit new followers, Voronkov said. The increase in internet usage and cybercrime during the pandemic further compounds the problem.

He noted that the discussions showed a common understanding and concern that terrorists are generating funds from illicit trafficking in drugs, goods, natural resources and antiquities, as well as kidnapping for ransom, extorting and committing other heinous crimes.

UN member states are rightly focused on tackling the health emergency and human crisis caused by COVID-19, he said urging them not to forget the threat of terrorism.

According to Voronkov, in many parts of the world, terrorists are exploiting local grievances and poor governance to regroup and assert their control.

The pandemic has the potential to act as a catalyst in the spread of terrorism and violent extremism by exacerbating inequalities, undermining social cohesion and fueling local conflicts, Voronkov said. We must continue our fight against terrorist groups and criminal networks to deny them the opportunity to exploit the COVID-19 crisis.
PROVO, Utah, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Beyond Labz LLC announced today that it has surpassed 200 University and High School customers. The company was only formed one year ago and has rapidly expanded to support schools' blended and digital learning requirements for lab sciences.

"Lab time has always been a precious and scarce commodity," says Dr Brian Woodfield, Co-Founder of Beyond Labz and its original developer, "but it makes all the difference between learning Science versus just learning about Science. We want students to explore the classic experiments in science and, as a result, discover the underlying principles following their own path."

Lab simulations had previously found a firm place in blended programs for student lab prep, or student homework, but the Covid-19 crisis has accelerated their adoption into core lab practical sessions.

Over 200 schools , from the Ivy League to the Pac-12 are using Beyond Labz virtual lab simulations as a lab adjunct to increase capacity and efficiency, with students alternating one week in the virtual labs, and one week in the physical lab, as well as running fully online courses with Beyond Labz simulations substituting for the physical lab.

"We see blended learning and virtual lab simulations as the new normal," says Giovanni Tata, Director at Brigham Young University which is both a customer and a minority equity investor in Beyond Labz. "Schools will look for digital solutions to overcome physical capacity constraints."

About Beyond Labz

Beyond Labz has developed an open virtual lab engine that delivers the most open and accurate science lab simulations on the market. Using Beyond Labz simulations, students are free to make the choices and decisions that they would confront in an actual laboratory setting and, in turn, experience the resulting consequences.

Beyond Labz was founded in May 2019. Its three co-founders bring together a combination of deep education and tech experience and over half the staff have instructional experience.

For more information, go to: https://www.beyondlabz.com.

Media contact:

Jay Raines

+1 630 877 0148

[email protected]

SOURCE Beyond Labz
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 6, 2020) - CGX Energy Inc. (TSXV: OYL) ("CGX Energy" or the "Company") announced today the release of its unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the second quarter of 2020, together with its Management, Discussion and Analysis - Quarterly Highlights. These documents will be posted on the Company's website at www.cgxenergy.com and SEDAR at www.sedar.com. All values in this news release and the Company's financial disclosures are in United States dollars unless otherwise stated.

Operational Update

The Company, through CGX Resources Inc. ("CRI") as the operator of the Corentyne Block under a Joint Operating Agreement ("JOA") with Frontera Energy Guyana Corp. ("FEGC"), contracted PGS Geophysical AS ("PGS") to provide acquisition and processing of a full broadband marine 3D seismic survey over a northern segment of the Corentyne Block located offshore Guyana. The seismic acquisition was completed on November 2, 2019 and produced seismic data covering approximately 582 km2 of the northern portion of the Corentyne Block. PGS completed Time (PreStack Time Migration) and Depth (PreStack Depth Migration) processing of these data on June 5, 2020.

CRI has completed a preliminary evaluation of the recently processed 3D seismic data, and has identified two potentially highly prospective large channel sand reservoir complexes. These channel complexes are interpreted to contain multiple high potential leads located in the northern region of the Corentyne Block which is located in close proximity to the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana and Block 58 offshore Suriname. The Pluma and Haimara discoveries in the Stabroek Block are located approximately 2 and 8 miles, respectively from the border of the northern region of the Corentyne Block and the Maka Central, Kwakwasi-1 and Sapakara West discoveries in Block 58 are located approximately 7, 15 and 20 miles, respectively from the border of the northern region of the Corentyne Block.

Story continues

The leads mapped in the Northern Corentyne Block are interpreted to be situated at the same geological horizons as the nearby significant discoveries already proven in the Stabroek Block and Block 58. Also, importantly the Northern Corentyne leads are interpreted to share the same proven hydrocarbon generating basin and intervals in which the current discoveries are located. These leads are primarily stratigraphic traps composed of sandstone accumulations and deemed to be analogous to many the discoveries already proven to be successful in the Guyana basin spanning both Guyana and Suriname.

The Northern Corentyne leads are in the process of being high-graded and have been mapped within the Upper Cretaceous, Santonian and Miocene intervals and are currently undergoing further analysis in order to prioritize and rank the best prospect to be drilled. The leads are located in water depths ranging from approximately 500 to 3,600 feet and are estimated to be at a drilling depth of between approximately 11,000 to 21,700 feet.

The current high-graded lead identified in the northern region of the Corentyne Block has been named Kawa, after the iconic Kawa Mountain which overlooks the village of Paramakatoi in the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana. It is a Santonian level, stratigraphic trap and as previously mentioned is interpreted to be analogous to the discoveries immediately to the east on Block 58 in Suriname. Additional leads are being evaluated by the Company.

CRI has recently contracted Baker Hughes to provide a pore pressure analysis of the Kawa prospect which will be completed in August 2020.

On the Demerara block, CRI will begin re-processing the existing seismic data at the end of Q3, this year in order to mature previously mapped leads into prospects ready for drilling.

The Company remains extremely excited regarding the high potential prospectivity that is being mapped within the Corentyne and Demerara Blocks.

Covid-19

As the global pandemic related to Coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19") continues, CGX has continued with its plan to protect the health and safety of its employees and all stakeholders. The Company's alternative working arrangements for employees to work from home in Canada, Guyana and the USA are still in place.

The Company's operational activities are still affected due to restrictions on travel for key personnel related to operational planning, especially into and out of Guyana. The Company, which has reiterated its commitment to the resumption of operations as soon as possible, has been engaged in constructive collaborative discussions with the regulatory authorities in Guyana about the timing of its work commitments in that country, in light of these restrictions. The Company looks forward to continuing this discussion with the Government of Guyana.

The Company continues to monitor the COVID-19 related situation and will only fully resume regular activities when there are clear indications that employees are able to return to work in a safe environment and in accordance with the advice provided by regulatory authorities in all the countries within which we operate.

Government of Guyana

The Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") congratulates President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on being elected the 9th President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. The Board also congratulates President Dr. Bharat Jagdeo on his appointment as Vice President and Brigadier (ret) Mark Phillips on his appointment as Prime Minister. The Board reaffirms the Company's long history of collaboration with the Government and People of Guyana and looks forward to continuing to work in collaborative partnership with President Ali's government.

Second Quarter Financial Summary

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2020, the Company recorded cash on hand as at June 30, 2020 of $10,944,682. The Company incurred net exploration and evaluation expenditures of $1,424,408 during the six-month period ended June 30, 2020 primarily due to costs for maintenance of licenses, general exploration, geological and geophysical consulting, surveys, 3D-seismic processing and interpretation, drill planning and well exploration costs.

About CGX Energy

CGX Energy is a Canadian-based oil and gas exploration company focused on the exploration of oil in the Guyana-Suriname Basin.

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

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "would", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur in the future. These forward-looking statements are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by CGX Energy. CGX Energy believes the expectations and assumptions on which it develops forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. In addition, other risks that may affect the forward-looking statements in this news release are outlined further in the Company's most recent Annual Information Form on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and CGX Energy undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

For further information, please contact:

Tralisa Maraj, Chief Financial Officer at (832) 300-3200 or tmaraj@cgxenergy.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61274
Opera star Placido Domingo returned to Europe to receive a lifetime achievement award on Thursday, after surviving a battle with the coronavirus.

His visit to the Austria Music Theater to acept the award was his first pubic appearance since recovering from the virus at his home in Acapulco, Mexico.

It is a true honor to be here and witness the first few rays of happiness and hope after having succumbed and survived the COVID-19 virus,'' said Domingo, who's 79.

"I am grateful and moved by the Austrian public that has welcomed me in all these years with enormous warmth, competence and respect," he added.

Earlier, in an interview with an Italian newspaper, the star vowed he would continue to fight to clear his name over allegations of sexual harassment that virtually ended his performance career in both the United States and his native Spain.

In AP stories last year, multiple women accused Domingo of sexual harassment and abusing his power while he held management positions at LA Opera and Washington National Opera.

Since then, Domingo resigned as a director of LA Opera and had a number of performances cancelled, with U.S. opera houses suspending Domingo's engagements and European houses mostly sticking by him.
tech2 News Staff

At the Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung announced that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will get support for Microsoft's xCloud services. The Project xCloud is scheduled to launch on 15 September. Other select Android smartphones are also expected to receive the xCloud streaming service soon.

iOS users, however, have been left out of the xCloud services. And now, Apple has revealed, why is that so.

Apple says that streaming services like xCloud and Stadia violate the App Store guideline.

Google Stadia services are limited to Pixel devices, currently. Nvidias GeForce Now service is also Android-only when it comes to phones.

Apple told Business Insider in a statement:

"The App Store was created to be a safe and trusted place for customers to discover and download apps, and a great business opportunity for all developers. Before they go on our store, all apps are reviewed against the same set of guidelines that are intended to protect customers and provide a fair and level playing field to developers.

Our customers enjoy great apps and games from millions of developers, and gaming services can absolutely launch on the App Store as long as they follow the same set of guidelines applicable to all developers, including submitting games individually for review, and appearing in charts and search. In addition to the App Store, developers can choose to reach all iPhone and iPad users over the web through Safari and other browsers on the App Store."

In response to Apple, Microsoft told The Verge that it could not come up with a solution to bring xCloud to iOS devices, and it blames Apple for it. Microsoft believes that Apple is denying consumers the benefits of cloud gaming. Microsoft also says that Apple uses more stringent rules for gaming apps. The company, however, said that it will continue to work towards bringing the xCloud service and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to iOS devices.

Here's the complete statement by Microsoft:

"Our testing period for the Project xCloud preview app for iOS has expired. Unfortunately, we do not have a path to bring our vision of cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to gamers on iOS via the Apple App Store. Apple stands alone as the only general purpose platform to deny consumers from cloud gaming and game subscription services like Xbox Game Pass. And it consistently treats gaming apps differently, applying more lenient rules to non-gaming apps even when they include interactive content. All games available in the Xbox Game Pass catalog are rated for content by independent industry ratings bodies such as the ESRB and regional equivalents. We are committed to finding a path to bring cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to the iOS platform. We believe that the customer should be at the heart of the gaming experience and gamers tell us they want to play, connect and share anywhere, no matter where they are. We agree."
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The Burkinabe government Thursday adopted measures to compensate communities affected by mining activities, official sources said here


A recent study of the poorest areas in Indias city of Mumbai found that more than half of the people have developed COVID-19 antibodies. It is a sign that some of India's most crowded settlements could be moving toward "herd immunity."

Herd immunity happens when enough people in a community become resistant to a disease that its spread becomes unlikely.

People in the slums may be developing immunity but Indian officials are not considering it a possibility for battling the spread of the virus. Officials say it could never be a choice but only a result.

India is a world hotspot for COVID-19. More than 1.6 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus.

The study in Mumbai found that 57 percent of people who had been tested in three slum areas had been exposed to the virus and had antibodies against it. That is compared to 16 percent exposure for people living in wealthier parts of the city.

This result means that the virus has spread more quickly through crowded slums. In these poor areas, up to 10 people live in small rooms, making physical distancing impossible.

Most of the people had no symptoms or showed very mild symptoms. So they were not tested earlier and did not appear in official counts of coronavirus cases.

Ullas Kolthur told VOA that it is safe to believe slums could reach herd immunity sooner than later. He is a professor at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and one of the scientists who carried out the study on nearly 7,000 people.

Decreasing infections

Although Mumbai is one of India's worst-hit cities, COVID-19 numbers have begun to go down.

Infections in the city's slums which are home to about 5 million people have also shown a decrease in recent weeks, officials say.

The antibodies study was done by Mumbai's civic officials, the government policy research group Niti Aayog and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Kolthur said the results show that population density does affect the spread of COVID-19. As long as there is more contact between a population, the spread is high, he said, whether it is because of shared bathrooms or other shared areas.

In Mumbai, officials said they were surprised by the high numbers of people with no symptoms. Researchers also point to the infection death rate of less than 0.05 percent based on the official number of deaths in the slums.

People in Mumbais slums seem to have a much lower COVID-19 death rate, compared to other people, Kolthur said. That is also very surprising, one would have expected it to be the other way around. He said it might be because of the somewhat younger population that likely has better disease resistance, which needs to be further investigated."

Antibody development

A government study carried out earlier in July in parts of the capital, New Delhi, found that one in four people there had developed antibodies.

As the two studies turn their attention to possible herd immunity, the health ministry said that such immunity can only be a result in a country like India with a huge population. It said herd immunity comes at a very high cost because it means many people would have to be infected.

Rajesh Bhushan is an officer on special duty in the health ministry. He said that the country must follow COVID-19 safety measures, like wearing face coverings, avoiding gatherings and washing hands carefully until a vaccine is approved.

Mumbai, like several other parts of the country, continues to enforce strong restrictions. Some critics say the results of the antibodies studies question the reasoning of social restrictions and should cause officials to restart economic activity.

The Times of India newspaper said in an opinion statement that the two studies results make a strong case for removing restrictions more quickly.

Im Alice Bryant.

Anjana Pasricha reported this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

slum n. a neighborhood were buildings are in bad condition and people are very poor

hot spot n. a place where there is danger of infection or fighting

expose v. to be affected by, to come in contact with something like a virus

symptom n. a change that is evidence that a disease is present

density n. the number of, for example, people in a limited area

fatality n. a death that results from an accident, disease or disaster
MUMBAI: Enforcement Directorate officials will on Friday (August 7) question budding actress and Sushant Singh Rajput's alleged girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty in connection with a money laundering case registered against her. This comes a day after ED sleuths interrogated Samuel Miranda, an associate of Rhea over the latter's property for close to 10 hours on Thursday.

The ED has also summoned Shruti Modi, former manager of Rhea and her brother Shouwik Chakraborty, to remain present before the agency for questioning in the money laundering case. It is to be noted that Mumbai Police had earlier recorded Shruti's statement as part of their investigation into Sushant's death.

Rhea has come under the scanner for over two major property investments by her Mumbai. As per sources, ED has recently established two major financial trails in which it has been found that Rhea invested in a property recently. This is being investigated in light of Sushant's father's complaint that money was siphoned from his son's bank account by his girlfriend.

As per reports, the agency is expected to question the actress about her personal details, financial details, investment copies and work-related details. It is expected that several hidden facts will be out after the questioning by the ED. Meanwhile, the watchman of Primrose Building, the apartment where Rhea and her family reside, revealed that the Chakraborty family members have not been here for almost 8-10 days.

Reports stated that Rhea registered a Rs 76 lakh worth flat at Khar East in Mumbai on May 28, 2018. The flat is located on the 4th floor at Gulmohar Avenue in Khar East. The area of this flat is 354 sq ft, for which she paid a stamp duty of Rs 3.80 lakhs.

The agency had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in the case after a FIR was filed by late actor Sushant's dather KK Singh (74) against Rhea at a Patna police station on July 28. In his complaint, KK Singh alleged that around Rs 15 crores were withdrawn from Sushant's bank account in the last one year and transferred to 'accounts that had no links with him'.

On August 6, the CBI registered an FIR in the case against Rhea, Indrajit Chakraborty (Rhea's father), Sandhya Chakraborty (mother), Showik Chakraborty (brother), Samuel Miranda (co-associate), Shruti Modi (manager), and others in sections including criminal conspiracy, abetment of suicide, wrongful restrain, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation.

As per reports, the agency is in touch with Bihar Police who were the first to register an FIR in Sushant's death case.

Sushant was found dead at his rented Bandra Palli Hill residence in Mumbai on June 14. A month after his death, Rhea, in a video message, said she was the girlfriend of the 'Dil Bechara' actor and appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a CBI inquiry into the case.

After an FIR was lodged against her in Patna, Rhea approached the Supreme Court for a transfer of the investigation from Bihar's capital city to Mumbai.

In a video statement released by her lawyers earlier, the 'Jalebi' actress said that she has faith in the judiciary and she will get justice. "I have immense faith in God and the judiciary. I believe that I will get justice. Even though horrible things are being said about me in the electronic media. I refrain from commenting on the advice of my lawyers as the matter is sub judice. Satyamev Jayate. The truth shall prevail," she said in a video statement.
If you are one of thousands of Hamiltonians affected by a COVID-19 test result coding glitch, a letter for you should be in the mail.

Your test result, however, may never appear where it should have  online.

Ontario Health, the body that oversees COVID testing labs across the province, said it issued letters on July 31 to Hamiltonians affected by a coding issue that prevented test results from appearing on the online portal through which they were meant to access results. In total, results from about 6,700 tests conducted at the Dave Andreychuk Mountain drive-thru assessment centre prior to July 10 were affected by the glitch and never appeared online.

The Spectator reported extensively on the mystery surrounding why test results were not appearing on the portal and why it was taking residents weeks to access negative results in June and July.

Of the 6,700 affected tests, Ontario Health says just 30 tests were positive. All who tested positive were immediately contacted by Hamilton public health, the agency says.

Asked if the negative results will now be uploaded to the provincial portal, Ontario Health said negative tests are no longer clinically relevant.

Even though results prior to July 10 are no longer clinically relevant, letters were issued on Friday to those affected by this coding issue who had negative test results, so all will be aware, Ontario Health said.

In an email, Ministry of Health spokesperson Alexandra Hilkene said negative results are not clinically relevant even a day later realistically, since they are only point-in-time and tell you that someone doesnt have COVID at that instance when the test was taken.

All tests were included in provincial case counts, Ontario Health says.

The issue was resolved July 10 but had been ongoing since April.

In the weeks before the issue was fixed, desperate residents sometimes returned to the drive-thru centre, accusing staff of losing their tests. Other times, they overwhelmed public healths phones seeking answers. Some were unable to visit loved ones in long-term care homes while they waited for a negative result  one they needed within 14 days of taking the test.

People whose results never appeared online sometimes got their negative result by calling public health or their family doctor. Those who were tested at the Mountain drive-thru centre and have waited four days for their result to appear online can return to the centre to receive a printout of their result.

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include information from the Ministry of Health.
Crown lawyers have appealed the acquittals of off-duty Toronto police Const. Michael Theriault and his brother Christian, each found not guilty of aggravated assault and attempting to obstruct justice in the beating of Dafonte Miller.

In June, Michael Theriault was convicted of assaulting Miller, then 19, during a high-profile December 2016 violent clash on a residential Whitby street. The assault left Miller, a young Black man, with catastrophic injuries, including blinding him in one eye.

But Ontario Superior Court Justice Joseph Di Luca found the brothers not guilty of aggravated assault and of attempting to obstruct justice in connection to the assault, finding there was insufficient evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to convict them.

In documents filed with Ontarios Court of Appeal late last month, lawyers for the Ministry of the Attorney General laid out grounds for appeal against both brothers, including that Di Luca erred in his analysis and assessment of the defence of self-defence and that he erred in his analysis and assessment of whether (Miller) was lawfully arrested with reasonable force.

According to the documents, the Crown is asking for the acquittals be set aside and a new trial be held.

Toronto polices new interim chief James Ramer on Thursday apologized on behalf of the Toronto police for failing to call in Ontarios police watchdog to investigate in the case on the night in question.

Neither Toronto police, nor Durham Regional Police  which responded to the incident on the night in question  called in the Special Investigation Unit, Ontarios civilian police watchdog, to investigate Theriaults actions, despite provincial law requiring police to notify the SIU of a serious injury involving a police officer.

Instead, the watchdog was only informed of the assault months later by Millers lawyer Julian Falconer. The SIU then opened the investigation that led to criminal charges against Michael Theriault and to his June conviction of assault.

Ramer told reporters that both Crown and defence lawyers were appealing the verdict in the criminal case.

Reached Thursday, Theriaults lawyer, Michael Lacy, said his client has up to 30 days after any sentence is imposed to file an appeal.

Sentencing submissions for Michael Theriault, who is suspended with pay from the Toronto police, are scheduled for next month. He faces a maximum of five years in jail.

Responding to Di Lucas decision in June, Miller, who is now in his early 20s, said he considered Theriaults conviction a win, despite the fact that the other charges were dropped.

I dont feel like I took a loss, Miller said in June. I feel like theres a long way to go and we just took a step forward.

Miller was grateful that Di Luca recognized that on the night in question, I was running for my life from people who were trying to harm me, not arrest me.

In his ruling, which was livestreamed in a rare online judgment due to COVID-19 restrictions, Di Luca acknowledged the racial aspects of the case: Miller is Black and the Theriault brothers are white.

I also acknowledge that this case, and others like it, raise significant issues involving race and policing that should be further examined, he said.

Di Luca said he also welcomed the public and media attention the case has generated, but said his task is not to be swayed or influenced by the attention given to this case, nor was it to conduct a public inquiry into matters involving race and policing.

The judge noted that the details suggested that the violent clash had probably been worse, the attack on Miller even longer, and that the narrative the brothers offered to police after attack was false.

Probability, however, is not the test for a criminal case, Di Luca wrote.
Johnny Nicolaci knows everything about this house.

He can tell you about every brick, board, and tile. His father built the "executive" ranch in 1953.

Nicolaci did leave his parents' custom-built nest for a while. But after the death of his mother in 1988, he moved back, to take over the care of the beloved family home, and he's lived here ever since.

Now, it's time for him to retire. Nicolaci is headed to Florida, where he plans to play music. So, he's put the meticulously maintained time capsule in New Bedford, MA, on the market, where it's priced at $539,900.

With three bedrooms, four bathrooms, and more than 4,800 square feet of living space, there's plenty of room to spread out and create a whimsical family home all your own.

"My parents loved to entertain," Nicolaci said.

There's a large indoor pool, housed under a large wood beam from Maine. The pool is flanked by a hot tub, bar, and sunroom for relaxing. The pool's tile, which Johnny describes as "sort of Egyptian" was picked out by his older sister.

"My mother wanted an English Tudor," Nicolaci said with a laugh. "But she didn't get it."

The finished basement was converted into a 1950s lounge. The bar, Nicolaci points out, was designed by his dad to look like the wing of an airplane.

"He assembled planes during World War II and loved everything about them."

Much of the home remains in its original 1950s glory. There are a pair of showstopper vintage bathrooms, one covered in black-and-white marble, and another awash in vibrant aqua tile from floor to ceiling.

The kitchen cabinets are from the 1980s, when the kitchen was expanded and the wall of windows was added to take advantage of views of the trees and ivy out back.

Best of all for a buyer?

"Everything works," says Nicolaci.

Pool realtor.com

House in New Bedford, MA realtor.com

Sitting room realtor.com

Living room realtor.com

Kitchen realtor.com

Marble bathroom realtor.com

Aqua bathroom realtor.com

Master bedroom realtor.com

Basement bar realtor.com

Nicolaci studied interior design in college, and is obsessed with the midcentury modern aesthetic. The home is filled with a carefully curated collection of the things he loves mostbold colors, ornate baubles, vintage TVs, and several pianoshe's a trained concert pianist.

He says he's ready to move on, but that he hopes someone who appreciates the house ends up loving it as much as his family did.

"It has a lot of sentimental value," he says.

The post A Family Heirloom! Time-Capsule Home Is Available for $540K appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
One of the three men in the band ZZ Top is named Frank Beard. You guessed it, hes the one without the facial hair the band is famous for.

When King Henry VIII famously split England from the Catholic Church, not all Englishmen were fans of the move. Sir Thomas More was one of the more prominent citizens to object and, for failing to support the Anglican church, was executed by decapitation in 1535. Legend has it that moments before his death, More positioned his beard so the ax would miss it. He allegedly explained to the executioner that his beard was innocent of the rest of his bodys crimes.

In the 1700s, soldiers in the Prussian Army were expected to sport beards, and if they couldnt produce enough hair, they were instructed to draw a beard on their faces.

There are approximately 30,000 whiskers on the human face. My question is why does it seem that five of them grow completely out of control and more quickly than all the others?

How many strokes does it take to shave your entire face? Between 100 to 600. The mystery has finally been solved. How many licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? We still dont know. And really, who is licking a Tootsie Pop? Thats just wrong.
Joe Bidens presidential campaign is putting more focus on its plan for the auto industry in Michigan, seeking to claim authority on the same issues President Donald Trump used to win the state in 2016.

Bidens team argues the former vice presidents involvement in the 2009 auto bailout and his support from union leaders gives their campaign a strategic edge over Trump, who also focuses on manufacturing during campaign events in Michigan. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, who represents a district with strong ties to the automotive industry, promoted Bidens plan to create 1 million auto jobs during a Friday event teased as the first of many focused on manufacturing issues before the November election.

Trump promised to bring back blue-collar jobs, renegotiate trade deals that contributed to job outsourcing and spur new investments in the automotive sector while on the campaign trail in 2016. His focus on those issues helped Trump flip historically Democratic counties and win Michigan by a narrow 10,704-vote margin.

Biden is putting more resources into digital and television ads highlighting his Build Back Better Agenda, which includes a plan to create 1 million auto jobs. The plan calls for more federal investment, government purchases and tax incentives to lift up automakers and connected businesses that supply them.

Bidens campaign argues the Republican incumbent failed to maintain economic gains experienced throughout most of President Barack Obamas term. One ad targeting Michigan Facebook users this week states Biden helped save the auto industry as vice president under Obama.

Michigan vehicle manufacturing jobs declined by 2,100 from the month Trump took office through February 2020, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. U.S. manufacturing experienced a mild recession for all of 2019, according to data released by the Federal Reserve.

The industry took a significant hit to sales and employment after the COVID-19 pandemic caused factories to shut down in late March. Though 8,600 auto jobs have come back since the low-point in April, there were still 9,000 fewer auto jobs in June compared to February.

A lot of the economic pain were facing right now is because Donald Trump failed to take action to control this pandemic, Kildee said. The virus isnt his fault, but the failure to have a plan to combat it is his fault. Insufficient testing is his fault, and not enough PPE is his fault.

Kildee criticized Vice President Mike Pence for opposing the auto industry bailout as a member of Congress and highlighted Trumps disapproval of the bailout, though the president has offered conflicting views on the move.

Just imagine if that crisis had occurred with Donald Trump at the helm, Kildee said. We wouldnt have an American auto industry.

The Trump campaign is also looking at Bidens past to craft its talking points in Michigan. One area of frequent focus is Bidens support of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which is associated with creating conditions that allowed companies to easily move domestic jobs overseas.

The president made good on one of his top campaign promises earlier this year by signing a rewrite of NAFTA. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement passed with support from both parties in Congress, including Kildee.

Joe Biden helped pass the disastrous NAFTA trade deal that shipped thousands of jobs out of Michigan, Trump campaign spokesperson Chris Gustafson said in a statement. Despite resistance from Michigan Democrats like Dan Kildee, President Trump negotiated the USMCA to replace NAFTA and create thousands of new jobs right here in Michigan, including over 76,000 in the automotive industry.

The Trump campaign launched a television ad in July blasting Bidens dangerous and foolish record of bad trade deals. Trump railed against Bidens record during a Thursday visit to Ohio organized by the White House.

For eight long years under Obama-Biden administration, American factory workers received nothing but broken promises and brazen sellouts and lost jobs, Trump said. The last administration tied America up in one globalist debacle after another.

Talk of broken promises mirrors the attacks from Trumka and Kildee on behalf of Biden Friday.

For four years, (Trump) promised to save American manufacturing, said Trumka, the union president. He promised to rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges. He promised to create millions of new, good jobs. All of that was a scam from a conman. Instead, Trump used the same old anti-worker playbook: Cut taxes for the ultra-rich and hope something good does happen.

The AFL-CIO endorsed Biden in May, citing Bidens lifelong support for workers rights. The United Auto Workers union endorsed Biden in April, citing an assault on worker rights to organize and fair wages under Trump.

During a visit to a Ford facility in Ypsilanti earlier this year, Trump questioned why unions didnt endorse him.

I kept my promise to replace the NAFTA disaster with the brand-new USMCA, which is a fantastic deal for our country, Trump said in May.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

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Trump campaign temporarily halts TV advertising in Michigan but plans to spend $11M before election

Why a former Michigan GOP leader joined disillusioned Republicans against Trump

Trump says U.S. economy is poised for epic comeback during Michigan visit
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan plans to buy AstraZeneca Plc's experimental COVID-19 vaccine and fund a local company to manufacture Novavax's vaccine candidate, ramping up its stockpile plan as it battles surging infections.

Japan will order 120 million doses of the experimental vaccine developed by the British pharmaceutical company, beginning with 30 million doses by March next year. It did not disclose purchase prices.

Separately, Takeda Pharmaceutical said on Friday it would manufacture and sell up to 250 million doses of Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine candidate every year in Japan, with funding support from the government.

The two deals follow an announcement last week by the government to buy 120 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE.

"We hope each development will succeed, but it is generally said that vaccine development is quite difficult," Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters.

"With this in mind, we are talking to other vaccine makers as well."

Japan is the latest country to sign up for AstraZeneca's vaccine, known as AZD1222, which is under development in partnership with the University of Oxford. The pharmaceutical company has been in talks with Russia, Brazil and others about supply deals for its potential vaccine.

AstraZeneca said JCR Pharma will help make a portion of its potential COVID-19 vaccine and it will import shots as part of its deal to supply Japan.

It did not give a breakdown for the volume of domestic production and imports or say where the vaccines from overseas would come from.

Daiichi Sankyo Biotech and KM Biologics will undertake production, such as filling vials and packaging, while Daiichi Sankyo and Meiji Seika Pharma [MEIJHA.UL] will support shipping.

As Japan procures vaccines from abroad, it is also developing its own. AnGes Inc and Osaka University are working on a DNA vaccine, while Shionogi & Co is working on a recombinant protein type.

Japan on Friday reported 1,563 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to almost 47,000. Just over 1,000 people have died from the virus so far in the country.

(Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Naomi Tajitsu; editing by Jason Neely, Kim Coghill and Louise Heavens)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 14:34:10|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement to re-impose a 10-percent tariff on certain Canadian aluminum imports has sparked backlash at home and abroad, and reignited trade tensions with its major trading partner.

The 10-percent tariff, which will affect non-alloyed unwrought aluminum articles, takes effect on Aug. 16, according to a newly released presidential proclamation.

During a campaign speech at a factory in Ohio Thursday afternoon, Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the United States and flooding the country with aluminum exports and killing U.S. aluminum jobs.

The U.S. aluminum business has been "decimated" by Canada, Trump said, adding the new tariff is absolutely necessary.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement on the presidential proclamation that "following removal of the Section 232 tariffs on imports from Canada in May of last year, imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminum have increased substantially to a level above historical volumes of trade over a prolonged period."

In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday evening that "Canada will impose countermeasures that will include dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs."

"We will always stand up for our aluminum workers. We did so in 2018 and we will stand up for them again now," Trudeau said.

According to the U.S. presidential proclamation, Canada is the largest source of U.S. imports of non-alloyed unwrought aluminum, accounting for nearly two-thirds of total imports from all countries in 2019 and approximately 75 percent in the first five months of 2020.

In 2017, Canadian aluminum sales to the United States reportedly totaled 8.4 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 80 percent of Canada's total exports of the metal.

In 2018, amid strong opposition, the Trump administration unilaterally imposed a 25-percent tariff on steel imports and a 10-percent tariff on aluminum imports globally, citing national security concerns.

In May 2019, Trump removed the tariffs on Canada and Mexico, in order to pave the way for congressional approval of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a new trade deal which entered into force on July 1 this year.

The U.S. president's decision to slap tariffs on Canadian aluminum was immediately refuted by Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who said citing national security concerns to impose tariffs on certain Canadian aluminum products is "unwarranted and unacceptable."

"In the time of a global pandemic and an economic crisis, the last thing Canadian and American workers need is new tariffs that will raise costs for manufacturers and consumers, impede the free flow of trade, and hurt provincial and state economies," Freeland said in a statement.

"In response to the American tariffs, Canada intends to swiftly impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures," Freeland said.

The decision to impose new tariffs has also prompted backlash from industry groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which immediately voiced opposition.

"These tariffs will raise costs for American manufacturers, are opposed by most U.S. aluminum producers, and will draw retaliation against U.S. exports -- just as they did before," Myron Brilliant, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's executive vice president and head of international affairs, said in a statement.

"We urge the administration to reconsider this move," Brilliant said, calling it "a step in the wrong direction."

U.S. Aluminum Association also called the decision "the wrong approach," saying the industry is "incredibly disappointed" that the administration failed to listen to the vast majority of domestic aluminum companies and users by reinstating Section 232 tariffs on Canadian aluminum.

"After years of complex negotiations and hard work by government, industry and other leaders across North America to make the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) a reality, this ill-advised action on a key trading partner undermines the deal's benefits at a time when U.S. businesses and consumers can least afford it," Tom Dobbins, president and CEO of the association, said in a statement.

The association added that reports of a "surge" of primary aluminum imports from Canada are grossly "exaggerated."

"Five weeks into #USMCA with tariffs coming against #Canadian aluminum imports. So much for any honeymoon period," Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former U.S. trade negotiator, said on Twitter.

"We've learned tariffs beget tariffs. Seatbelts fastened. Here we go again!!" she said.

The new U.S. tariffs will destabilize Canada's industry and supply chains in an economy already struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said President of the Aluminum Association of Canada Jean Simard.

"It's the wrong thing for the wrong reason at the wrong time for the wrong people," Simard said. Enditem
The UN human rights office is calling for an independent investigation of the Beirut bombing, insisting that "victims calls for accountability must be heard," AP reported.

Rupert Colville, the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, pointed to the need for the international community to "step up" aid to Lebanon.

He noted Lebanon faced a triple tragedy of a socio-economic crisis, COVID-19 and the ammonium nitrate explosion" that devastated the capital on Tuesday.

Colville also called for respect for the poor and the most vulnerable in the rebuilding of Beirut and Lebanon and called on Lebanese leaders to overcome political stalemates and address the grievances of the population.
A top intelligence official says Russia is using a "range of measures" to take down former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election, while China prefers that President Trump doesn't win.

William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, released a statement on Friday detailing the "intentions and activities" of U.S. adversaries in the presidential election, which describes how intelligence officials are "concerned" primarily about China, Russia, and Iran.

By the U.S. assessment, China "prefers that President Trump  whom Beijing sees as unpredictable  does not win re-election," Evanina wrote. Additionally, Russia is "using a range of measures to primarily denigrate" Biden, and "some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media and Russian television," the statement said.

Finally, Evanina said that Iran seeks to "undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections," driven by its belief that Trump being re-elected would "result in a continuation of U.S. pressure."

Senate Intelligence Committee Acting Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Friday said this statement "highlights some of the serious and ongoing threats to our election." They also said that additional information has been provided to members of Congress in recent weeks and that more of it "can, and at the appropriate time should, be shared with the voting public."

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Biden campaign reportedly making 'ruthless cuts' to convention speaking list

The case against American truck bloat


Humanitarian groups in Lebanon are scrambling to provide aid to hundreds of thousands of people affected by a devastating explosion at the port of Beirut which has killed at least 145 and injured 5,000. Dozens are still missing and a quarter of a million residents are now homeless.

Two days after a massive explosion at the port of Beirut, rescuers on Thursday raced frantically to find survivors trapped under the rubble as families waited desperately for answers.

"We've set up a tent close to the site of the explosion where families who've lost loved ones or don't know their whereabouts can go and fill out a form," explains Rona Halabi, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Dozens are still missing after Tuesday's blast at the port that tore through the Lebanese capital, killing at least 145 people and injuring about 5,000 others.

"The situation has been devastating," Halabi tells RFI. "Hospitals in Beirut are no longer taking in patients, they're at full capacity."

The capital's three main hospitals were severely damaged by the massive blast, which was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse.

Dwindling supplies

The ICRC has been supplying them medical supplies, such as dressings, infusions and injections, as well as eight other hospitals in and around the Beirut area. But stocks are running out fast.

Up to "90 percent of our imports come through Beirut port, which is now no longer functioning, making it harder to get supplies," says Halibi.

The situation is bleak too for hospitals. "They used in one night a supply of two months," she comments.

Beyond the immediate priority of finding and treating survivors, humanitarian workers are scrambling to provide emergency support to the 300,000 people who were left homeless overnight and without electricity.

"They're going to be in dire need of food and water," explains Thierry Benlahsen, Operations Manager at the French aid organisation Solidarites International.

Refugee crisis

"Some people will want to return to their homes even though their property is no longer fit to live in. We will have to monitor this," he told RFI.

Lebanon was already reeling from an economic meltdown and a surge in coronavirus cases. Benlahsen fears the explosion may soon see refugees flee the country to seek temporary accommodation elsewhere.

"We are going to have a response effort that will extend beyond Beirut to outside the region. A movement of the population cannot be ruled out," he said.

Solidarites International has called for temporary shelters to be set up, cash handouts to be made available for those in need and for water supplies to be re-established before the drinking source becomes "a matter of priority."

"Aid organisations will have to work together. We will have to use a different modus operandi," Benlahsen commented.

Macron visit

Offers of medical and other immediate aid have poured in since the explosion, led notably by French President Emmanuel Macron, who was the first foreign leader to visit Beirut on Thursday.

Macron was greeted by Beirut residents, angry at authorities for their handling of the country and for allowing huge quantities of highly explosive ammonium nitrate to be stored at the port for years in unsafe conditions.

They urged the French leader to come to their rescue.

Macron said he would ask Lebanon's leaders to come up with a "new political pact" and promised that French aid would not go into corrupt hands, following last year's anti-government protests against corruption.

The unrest has not gone unnoticed in humanitarian circles.

"I've heard people voicing such concerns," says the ICRC's Halabi.

"But for us, you know, what matters now is providing the aid that is necessary at this point and at later stages, because this is not something that's going to end soon."

"A country that is as fragile as Lebanon before the explosion will feel the impact of the explosion long after the initial blast," she said.
2021 Hyundai Tucson models have joined the lineup of Hyundai vehicles at Rodeo Hyundai near Peoria.

The updated 2021 Hyundai Tucson is now available on the Rodeo Hyundai dealership lot near Peoria and Sun City. The Surprise-area dealership offers locals a full lineup of new Hyundai vehicles and the addition of the 2021 Tucson has brought even more variety to the Rodeo Hyundai catalog.

The 2021 Hyundai Tucson is offering a spacious interior for local families with 31 cubic feet of standard space behind the rear seats and up to 61.9 cubic feet of maximum rear cargo space. The five-passenger SUV is powered by a standard 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder engine and manufactures 161 horsepower and 150 pound-feet of torque.

A new paint palette has come along with the 2021 Hyundai Tucson, bringing in new color options to replace outgoing shades. Select 2021 Tucson models are now available wrapped in Coliseum Gray, Ash Black or Red Crimson.

Surprise-area drivers will enjoy the convenience the 2021 Tucson adds to daily drives. This SUV offers an impressive array of technology and connectivity features, including Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a 7-inch color touchscreen audio display, Blue Link Connected Car System and more.

Prospective buyers can view the dealerships entire inventory online by visiting the Rodeo Hyundai website, https://www.rodeohyundai.com. Anyone looking for additional information on the 2021 Hyundai Tucson can contact a member of the Rodeo Hyundai team by phone with specific inquiries, 866-741-1269. Rodeo Hyundai is located at 12925 N Autoshow Ave, Surprise, AZ 85388 and is open 7 days a week. The dealerships sales department is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
The attorney for state Rep. Will Dismukes, R-Prattville, said today Dismukes disputes the charge that he stole money from a former employer and expects him to put up a vigorous defense.

Attorney Trey Norman said he has not asked Dismukes, 30, if he is going to resign his seat in the Alabama House of Representatives. But Norman does not expect that to happen.

Will is young and is learning some hard lessons, Norman said. But hes a very convicted man. Hes very convicted in his faith and hes very convicted in his character. Hes very convicted in his heritage. And Wills not a person whos going to shy away from the tough questions to satisfy folks. And that upsets a lot of people. And I understand that. Especially in these times.

But Wills not going to admit to something he didnt do. And hes not going to step down from a position that he was elected to that hes trying to do a good job at just because someone has pointed the finger and tried to make him out to be a bad guy. Hes a fighter. Id be surprised if he resigns.

Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey announced the first-degree theft of property charge against Dismukes on Thursday. Bailey said Dismukes former employer, Weiss Flooring, reported on May 20 the theft of a large sum of money from several years ago. Bailey said investigators interviewed witnesses and reviewed bank records and other evidence. Bailey said the evidence led to a conclusion there was probable cause.

Dismukes turned himself in Thursday night and was released from the Montgomery County jail on a $5,000 bond.

Voters elected Dismukes to the House of Representatives in 2018. Before Thursdays arrest, Dismukes drew criticism from both political parties after a Facebook post about celebrating the birthday of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate cavalry general and first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The July 25 event coincided with memorials around the state for civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis.

The Alabama Democratic Party called on Dismukes to resign his House seat because of the post, as did Clyde Chambliss, the Republican state senator from Prattville. Alabama Republican Party Chair Terry Lathan and Alabama House Majority Whip Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, denounced the participation in the Forrest celebration. The fallout over the incident also led Dismukes to resign as pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Prattville on July 29.

Norman said the arrest of Dismukes came as a tremendous shock.

Will had known there was some sort of investigation or inquiry all of about a week, maybe a little less than a week, Norman said. And by the time I got involved, we set up a meeting with the DAs office immediately to accommodate them and went down and met with them. And when we left, shook hands, and quite frankly, I thought this would be a civil matter and the DAs office would get out of it.

Norman said he thought there were some strange circumstances about the case.

The time frame of the alleged theft was 2016 to 2018, Bailey said Thursday.

Norman said Dismukes left Weiss Flooring in 2017 and started his own floor covering company with a business partner, a business that remains the livelihood for Dismukes, Norman said.

So, youre going back four years and you wait four years before you accuse someone of stealing money, Norman said. I think its interesting that we have a Democratic district attorney. I went to law school with Mr. Bailey. Were good friends. But in the political climate that were in right now, the timing of all this is really interesting.

Bailey did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on what Norman said.

First-degree theft of property is a felony charge that applies to thefts in excess of $2,500. Bailey said Thursday the amount Dismukes is accused of stealing is well above that threshold.

Norman said he expects the case to go to a grand jury, which would decide whether to indict Dismukes. Norman said he had not decided whether to request a preliminary hearing before that.

There are a lot of moving parts to this, Norman said. When we get discovery it will be interesting to see. But my client plans on putting up a vigorous defense and trying to do what he can to survive the last two or three months and probably what will be the next two or three months if not longer that hes had to endure to his personal and professional reputation.

Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, released a statement about the arrest of Dismukes.

Like all Americans, Rep. Dismukes is due the presumption of innocence, and it is important to note that the crime of which he is accused was said to have occurred well before he announced his candidacy for the Alabama House, McCutcheon said. As a former law enforcement officer, I have faith in the criminal justice process and trust that he will receive a full and fair hearing. Both Democrats and Republicans have been accused of similar crimes in the past, and we cannot tolerate such behavior whether the lawmaker involved has a D or an R beside their name.

Republican Party Chair Lathan called the allegations disappointing.
Growing up in Southern California, some of chef Vince Nguyens earliest food memories include the glistening fruit tarts artfully displayed at his aunts homes and the palmier cookie pacifiers he would clutch while being pushed in a shopping cart through some Little Saigon grocery store.

But when Nguyen began plotting his new bakery, which takes over his white-tiled restaurant Berlu four mornings a week starting Tuesday, he began with a pastry rooted in the Vietnamese baking tradition, instead of the French.

Banh bo, a steamed and coconut-scented rice flour cake made vibrantly green from pandan extract, is among the more eye-catching pastries found at most Vietnamese bakeries in Portland. Nguyens version is banh bo nuong, or baked rather than steamed.

(Banh bo is) actually what Im most excited about, and what I feel is going to be the best seller, Nguyen says. Its a strange-looking green color, texturally its chewy, its the complete opposite of what you expect in a cake, but its also undeniably delicious. In recipe testing, that was something I would always give to my neighbors. I knew once they tried that they would be open to other Vietnamese pastries.

Starting next week, customers who walk up to the door of our reigning Rising Star restaurant will find Nguyen and fellow chef Sky Haneul Kim standing behind a plexiglass shield, selling slices of banh bo nuong in paper sleeves or reusable containers from Go Box. Among the other options? Mango-dotted cake rolls, green-hued pandan waffles, cream puffs flavored with banana or coffee, the Vietnamese meatloaf cha trung hap and seasonal fruit tarts topped with coconut cream and a shiny, herb-flavored glaze his aunts might appreciate.

Chef Vince Nguyen stands behind a plexiglass shield at Berlu's new Vietnamese bakery.Courtesy of Berlu/Christine Dong

Nguyen recipe-tested more than 20 pastries during the shutdown. As with his dormant tasting menu, which was revived with a plate-it-yourself takeout option this week, everything at Berlus new bakery is gluten- and dairy-free, an approach that helped keep the focus on traditional Vietnamese items (that, and because gluten- and dairy-free croissants are gross, he says). He also reached out to Vietnamese coffee company Pagi, which agreed to roast a special blend from Southwest Vietnamese beans for Berlu Bakery. That coffee will be served hot, iced or as a house-made coffee kombucha.

This whole thing has been a learning process for me, Nguyen says. Not just about how to cook, but around my Vietnamese heritage as well.

Those in the mood for a savory breakfast should focus on the cha trung hap, a traditional quiche-y meatloaf made with ground pork mixed with garlic, shallot, fish sauce, wood ear mushrooms and egg white, with the leftover yolk poured over the top once the dish is mostly set. Nguyen serves his version with steamed rice, herbs and cucumber.

He also thinks the aromatic banana bread could be a sleeper hit, especially once the new bakery has its operations dialed in. Down the road, the bread could be toasted in coconut oil to order, brushed with vegan pandan butter and topped with crushed avocado for a surprising take on Vietnamese avocado toast.

Its strange because both avocado and banana are found in Vietnamese food, and combining the two is really common in the vegan world, especially in shakes or smoothies, Nguyen says. But in this context it seems like an avant garde flavor combination.

Berlus new Vietnamese bakery will open from 8 to 11 a.m., Tuesday-Friday at 605 S.E. Belmont St.

-- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell

Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Tata Power Company Ltd (TPCL), India's oldest power generation company, targets to drastically cut its gross debt, launching infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) in the second half of this financial year. According to the estimates of experts, the company wants to reduce the debt by at least Rs 18,000-20,000 crore on its books through the process.

N Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata group said at the recent annual general meeting (AGM) that the company will reduce its gross debt to Rs 25,000 crore, which is at Rs 48,376 crore right now. He wants to achieve it through the sale of non-core assets, equity infusion from Tata Sons and formation InvIT and stake sale in it.

Morgan Stanley Research values the 2,630 megawatts (MW) renewables portfolio of TPCL between Rs 18,500 crore and Rs 20,400 crore. However, the green energy business enjoys higher valuation in the stock market because of its low electricity generation and maintenance cost and environmental benefits. Adani Green Energy, which has an operational renewable portfolio of 2,595 MW, is valued Rs 58,000 crore on Indian stock markets.

ALSO READ: Tata Motors launches subscription model for Nexon EV; rental costs start at Rs 41,900 per month

TCPL plans to transfer its Rs 11,000 crore of debt, which is part of the renewable portfolio, along with the assets to the InvIT. "The transaction would lead to actual equity release, with part to be used for debt repayment and part for equity needs of under-construction assets," the research agency said.

According to news reports, the power major has already shortlisted seven investors - including Mubadala, KKR, Brookfield, Petronas and Canadian pension fund CDPQ - to negotiate to raise investment in its InvIT. The company is expected to dilute its 49 per cent stake in the InvIT in favour of investors and retain the rest.

TPCL plans to increase the share of renewables in EBITDA to 50-60 per cent by FY25 from the present 30 per cent. Chandrasekaran said, "The company aims to be one of the leading players in renewables. The company will scale both its manufacturing of solar cells and modules as well as the solar EPC business. The company intends to add additional capacity of 10 gigawatts in the next five years."

ALSO READ: Tata Consumer Products share hits all-time high on Q1 earnings

Morgan Stanley said in its report that the company is undertaking balance sheet repair. Since April this year, TPCL has sold its stake in Cennergi and shipping business for Rs 2,300 crore. The company targets another Rs 2,100 crore from sales of other non-core assets by March 2021. Moreover, the promoters Tata Sons approved to infuse equity of Rs 2,600 crore in the company.

Chandrasekaran said TCPL will end FY21 with a debt of around Rs 25,000 crore, bringing down the debt to equity ratio to 1 from 1.99 in March. "This will also move the Net Debt to EBITDA ratio closer to 3, strengthening the balance sheet and lowering financing costs," he added.

The consolidated revenue of TPCL decreased by 3.5 per cent to Rs 28,948 crore in 2019-20. The profit before exceptional items stood at Rs 1,231 crore as against Rs 1,274 crore in the previous year. The consolidated net debt at the end of the year was Rs 43,578 crore in March. The major liability on the books of TPCL is its ultra mega power plant in Mundra. The 4,000 MW plant is making losses for years because of the low electricity price realisation. TPCL made an investment of Rs 24,000 crore for building the plant and covering the losses.

ALSO READ: Tata Motors share rises 8% despite Rs 8,443-crore loss in Q1; here's why
Like many parents, Leland Schipper, a high school math teacher from Iowa, is worried his son will struggle to wear a mask in the classroom. Rather than forcing his son to wear a face covering all day, Leland opted to get his son to wear his mask regularly by requiring it during screen time. He recently shared his promising idea to Facebook, and by the looks of the comments section, other parents plan to try it out.

"For parents worried their kids won't be able to wear masks for long periods of time this Fall, try this rule for your last few weeks of summer: You're only allowed screen time if you're wearing a mask," he wrote. "Either they will acclimate quickly, or you'll get them off devices for the last weeks of their summer. I've got my money on them acclimating and your kid's teacher having a much easier first week of school."

Related: More Parents Are Considering Microschools Amid COVID-19: Here's What They Entail

Pretty clever, eh? Families who are looking to stock up on masks for back-to-school season can check out this list of reusable face mask options or score some of Crayola's colorful face coverings.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Bihar government on Friday informed the Supreme Court that the Mumbai Police has been obstructing the investigation into the Sushant Singh Rajput case by Patna police and have not supplied crucial documents connected with the case.

The affidavit has been filed after the top court sought response from the Bihar government on the petition filed by Rhea Chakraborty seeking transfer of the case from Patna to Mumbai. The case was filed by the late actor's father accusing Rhea and several others for abetment to suicide.

"The non-cooperation by the Mumbai Police with the Patna Police, who is already there in Mumbai for a probe, is very much clear from the fact that the Mumbai Police has not supplied any documents such as Inquest Report, Post Mortem report, FSL report, CCTV footage etc. to the Patna Police despite several requests made by the latter," said the affidavit.

The Bihar government said Krishna Kishore Singh lost his young, vibrant son due to act committed by the accused persons including Rhea. Hence, the Patna police has jurisdiction to register the FIR and the court at Patna has jurisdiction to try the offence as mentioned in the FIR registered with Rajeev Nagar P.S (Patna).

The state government contended that when IPS officer Vinay Tiwary reached Mumbai, he was forcibly quarantined by the civic body BMC, which casts serious aspersion on the role of Mumbai Police who is apparently siding with the petitioner.

The state government said the Mumbai Police has been making "lame excuses" that it has jurisdiction to investigate the offence despite the fact that no cognizable case has been registered in Mumbai in connection with death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

"That even without little support from the Mumbai Police, the members of the SIT carried out investigation wherein various witnesses have been examined and the Kotak Bank account details of the deceased actor has been verified, the details whereof has been mentioned in the FIR with regard to siphoning of money by the petitioner and other accused persons," said the affidavit.

The state government said in the present case, the Patna Police has jurisdiction to register the FIR and investigate it as per the law laid down by the Constitution Bench of the top court in Lalita Kumari Vs. the State of Uttar Pradesh reported in (2014) case. "The submission of the petitioner that the entire cause of action arose in Mumbai and the State of Bihar has no jurisdiction to register FIR is liable to be rejected in view of the provisions contained under section 179 Cr.P.C", added the affidavit.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Trumps personal attorney backs Pastor John MacArthur after he defies church restrictions

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Pastor John MacArthur is facing legal action after openly defying Californias restrictions on church gatherings. Now the embattled pastor is receiving special counsel from President Donald Trumps personal attorney, Jenna Ellis, and religious freedom expert Charles LiMandri.

I stand firm with Grace Community Church, its Elder Board, and Pastor MacArthur in biblical truth and the protections American churches are provided by our Constitution, Ellis told The Christian Post. I look forward to advocating on their behalf and hopefully encouraging other pastors and churches to also have the courage of Pastor MacArthur to stand firm that church is essential.

The legal support comes as Grace Community Church received a cease and desist letter from the City of Los Angeles, threatening the church with a daily fine of $1,000 or arrest, if they continue to meet for indoor worship services.

Last month, California issued a measure that banned indoor operations, including at houses of worship, in many counties across the state. MacArthur publicly declared this move an overreach and, after prayer and counsel with his elders, decided to reopen his church despite the edict.

In a blog posted to his churchs website, MacArthur wrote:

In response to the recent state order requiring churches in California to limit or suspend all meetings indefinitely, we, the pastors and elders of Grace Community Church, respectfully inform our civic leaders that they have exceeded their legitimate jurisdiction, and faithfulness to Christ prohibits us from observing the restrictions they want to impose on our corporate worship services.

That following Sunday, July 26, MacArthur stepped up to the pulpit and was met with a standing ovation. Without much for remarks, he immediately read from Scripture.

In an interview with Fox News on Monday, the pastor noted that the government does not have the power to tell the church what it can or can't do.

"Never before has the government invaded the territory that belongs only to the Lord Jesus Christ and told us we can't meet, we can't worship, we can't sing. There's no power given to the government to make those kinds of calls against us," he said.

The Thomas Moore Society released a statement Wednesday morning announcing its support for MacArthur:

The State of California is using a pretext of COVID-19 to attempt to force churches to close indefinitely. This illegitimate, over-broad, and unconstitutional order to indefinitely cease assembly, and exercising their religion and sincerely held religious beliefs, forced Grace Community Church to defy the order and continue exercising their rights, seeking shelter in the guaranteed religious freedom protections of the United States and California constitutions.

Pastor MacArthur and Grace Community church are not disobeying the Constitution; it is Californias Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Eric Garcetti that are defying their constitutional obligation to protect religious freedom and church assembly.
Helium is the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen. But scientists aren't sure just how much there actually is in the Sun's atmosphere, where it is hard to measure. Knowing the amount of helium in the solar atmosphere is important to understanding the origin and acceleration of the solar wind - the constant stream of charged particles from the Sun.

In 2009, NASA launched a sounding rocket investigation to measure helium in the extended solar atmosphere - the first time we've gathered a full global map. The results, recently published in Nature Astronomy, are helping us better understand our space environment.

Previously, when measuring ratios of helium to hydrogen in the solar wind as it reaches Earth, observations have found much lower ratios than expected. Scientists suspected the missing helium might have been left behind in the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer - the corona - or perhaps in a deeper layer. Discovering how this happens is key to understanding how the solar wind is accelerated.

To measure the amount of atmospheric helium and hydrogen, NASA's Helium Resonance Scattering in the Corona and Heliosphere, or HERSCHEL, sounding rocket took images of the solar corona. Led by the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., HERSCHEL was an international collaboration with the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino in Italy and the Institute d'Astrophysique Spatiale in France.

HERSCHEL's observations showed that helium wasn't evenly distributed around the corona. The equatorial region had almost no helium while the areas at mid latitudes had the most. Comparing with images from ESA/NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the scientists were able to show the abundance at the mid latitudes overlaps with where Sun's magnetic field lines open out into the solar system.

This shows that the ratio of helium to hydrogen is strongly connected with the magnetic field and the speed of the solar wind in the corona. The equatorial regions, which had low helium abundance measurements, matched measurements from the solar wind near Earth. This points to the solar atmosphere being more dynamic than scientists thought.

The HERSCHEL sounding rocket investigation adds to a body of work seeking to understand the origin of the slow component of the solar wind. HERSCHEL remotely investigates the elemental composition of the region where the solar wind is accelerated, which can be analyzed in tandem with in situ measurements of the inner solar system, such as those of the Parker Solar Probe. While the heat of the Sun is enough to power the lightest element - ionized hydrogen protons - to escape the Sun as a supersonic wind, other physics must help power the acceleration of heavier elements such as helium. Thus, understanding elemental abundance in the Sun's atmosphere, provides additional information as we attempt to learn the full story of how the solar wind is accelerated.

In the future, scientists plan to take more observations to explain the difference in abundances. Two new instruments - Metis and EUI on board ESA/NASA's Solar Orbiter - are able to make similar global abundance measurements and will to help provide new information about the helium ratio in the corona.

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No amount of punishment will ever fill that void that Rebecca ODonnell made in our lives the day she killed our mother, Tate Williams, Collinss daughter, said after the hearing. Today we find some shred of peace that Rebecca ODonnell will be put away in prison for a very long time, unable to hurt anyone else.
David W. Nagy, a resident of Texas, died of COVID-19 on July 22. He was 79 years old. His obituary noted that his suffering from the virus was exacerbated by the separation from his much beloved family who were not allowed at his bedside. The final three paragraphs of Nagys obituary burn with indignation and anger.

They read:

Family members believe Davids death was needless. They blame his death and the deaths of all the other innocent people on Trump, (Texas Gov. Greg) Abbott and all the other politicians who did not take this pandemic seriously and were more concerned with their popularity and votes than lives.

Also to blame are the many ignorant, self-centered and selfish people who refused to follow the advice of the medical professionals, believing their right not to wear a mask was more important than killing innocent people.

A statement issued by the family declared that Dave did everything he was supposed to do, but you did not. Shame on all of you, and may Karma find you all!

Snopes contacted Nagys wife, Stacey Nagy, and confirmed that she indeed wrote this scathing obituary for a local newspaper.

Are Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican politicians partially responsible for the COVID-19 deaths? The facts speak for themselves. Trump repeatedly played down the seriousness of this pandemic. The coronavirus is very much under control in the USA, he tweeted on Feb. 24. Two days later, Trump stated at a press conference, And again, when you have 15 people, and the 15 in a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, thats a pretty good job weve done.

Trump seemed to promise divine intervention to end the pandemic on Feb. 27. The coronavirus, he told the nation, is going to disappear. One day its like a miracle, it will disappear.

Desperate to shift the onus for his administrations ineptness, Trump has repeatedly tried to blame his predecessor, Barack Obama for the pandemic. During a press briefing in April, Trump whined, I started with a broken, obsolete system from a previous administration. When Trump complained about being left with Obamas bad, broken tests and obsolete tests, Jim Acosta of CNN asked him, You say broken tests. Its a new virus, so how could the tests be broken? Trump offered no reply.

Nagys obituary also cited Abbott for not taking the pandemic seriously. In an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times, Katherine Hu made the same accusation. Abbottembraced a hyper-individualist each-person-for-themselves mindset that undermined coordination and cooperation, she observed.

The Nagy obituary castigates ignorant, self-centered and selfish people who eschew wearing masks and make no attempt at social distancing. I was astonished to read that as many as 500 unmasked revelers on about 200 boats recently celebrated their annual White Trash Bash on the Illinois River. This event, however, will be dwarfed by the annual biker rally at Sturgis, South Dakota. As many as 250,000 persons will descend on that small town.

It should be noted that 490,000 persons attended last years rally, so many bikers are indeed taking the pandemic seriously and exercising caution. Nonetheless, a crowd of a quarter million will create a human petri dish for the coronavirus. These bikers could bring home a souvenir from the 2020 Sturgis Rally  and Im not talking about a T-shirt.

Some Americans refuse to wear masks and practice social distancing because they regard such precautions as an expression of personal weakness. Others ignore medical guidelines to express their disdain for what they see as unwarranted interference in their lives. Herman Cain attended Trumps June 20 Tulsa rally without a mask. Cain tweeted on July 1 that masks werent required at Trumps upcoming Mount Rushmore rally and exclaimed PEOPLE ARE FED UP!

Cain died of COVID-19 on July 30. His PEOPLE ARE FED UP tweet was deleted after his death.

John J. Dunphy is an author, the Godfrey 15th Precinct Democratic Committeeperson and recording secretary for the Godfrey Democrats.
Trackhouse offers a multitude of features including click and impression tracking, split testing, raw data logs, s2s and client side pixel tracking, multi-source campaign and detailed reporting with in-depth breakdowns on a multitude of device (browser, OS, Geo information etc), time (by the hour, day, month and year) and traffic related metrics that provide users with the power to interrogate traffic data for all the answers they seek.

Our mission is to work closely with our customers to develop new features, however niche they may be said Shane Connolly, Chief Technology Officer at Trackhouse. We pride ourselves in providing intuitive features that make your traffic management life easier.

This self service platform is easy to use, and allows everyone from small part time advertisers, to large scale enterprise track every minute detail of their campaigns.

Iain McConnon Co-Founder of Trackhouse what we have built here is a world beating affiliate and advertising platform, that can be used by anybody, and we are making it free to use to shake up the market

The team behind Trackhouse have a deep understanding of affiliate and advertising tracking. With over 15 years in the online marketing industry, Trackhouse was developed to address the shortcomings of other tracking solutions. We are confident Trackhouse is the best product on the market. Added Gavin McConnon, investor in Trackhouse.

Trackhouse is now available and on-boarding customers. Visit Trackhouse.io For any questions, or enquiries please email info@trackhouse.io
(Newser)  China has sentenced a fourth Canadian citizen to death on drug charges in less than two years following a sharp downturn in ties over the arrest of an executive of tech giant Huawei. Ye Jianhui was sentenced Friday by the Foshan Municipal Intermediate Court in the southern province of Guangdong, the AP reports. Ye had been found guilty of manufacturing and transporting illegal drugs, the court said in a brief statement. Another suspect in the case was also given the death penalty and four others were sentenced to between seven years and life in prison, it said. Ye's sentencing came a day after fellow Canadian Xu Weihong was given the death penalty by the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate Court, also in Guandong province.

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The court statement gave no further details of the charges against Ye and the others. However, the website of the Yangcheng Evening News said Ye and co-defendant Lu Hanchang conspired with others to manufacture and transport drugs, including MDMA crystals, between May 2015 and January 2016. Ties between Canada and China have nosedived over Canada's late 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a company executive and the daughter of Huawei's founder, at Vancouvers airport at the request of the US, which wants her extradited to face fraud charges over the companys dealings with Iran. Convicted Canadian drug smuggler Robert Schellenberg was sentenced to death in a sudden retrial shortly after Meng's arrest, and a Canadian citizen identified as Fan Wei was given the death penalty in April 2019 for his role in a drug smuggling case.

(Read more China stories.)
At the meeting (Photo: Cong Thuong (Industry&Trade))



The meeting was held in the form of video conferencing under the chair of Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Marquez Colin. The Vietnamese delegation at the event was led by Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh.



The member countries also committed to working together to reboot the regional economy post COVID-19.



The participating ministers underlined the importance of improving the efficiency of the agreements implementation, and pushing ahead with the CPTPP ratification by the remaining four countries.



They also discussed the possibility of expanding the deal in the future, along with global economic issues.



Vietnam pledged to join efforts in implementing measures in line with international commitments so as to facilitate the flows of commodities and services, especially essential ones.



The country will also work to enhance connectivity among CPTPP members to consolidate the regional supply chain and strengthen its resilience to external impacts.



The next meeting of the CPTPP Commission is scheduled for 2021 in Japan.



The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam./.
SRINAGAR: After the completion of one year of the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, active militancy is in its lowest phase in the erstwhile state in decades and all terror groups are leaderless due to the continuous anti-terror operations by the security forces as well as the administration.

Dilbag Singh, J&K Director General of Police said that active terrorists in J&K has been around 200 compared to 350 or 400 earlier. "All the terror organisations are leaderless now and those militants who are recruited as leaders of any group by Pakistan-based handlers are caught or killed," he stated.

"In 2019, a total of 131 militants were killed till July but only 29 were killed from July to December that year as we were busy maintaining law and order, and our operations had declined. In total, we killed 160 militants in 2019 in 67 successful operations and over 5,000 cordon and area search operations," Singh said. He added that this year, a total of 150 terrorists have been killed till date.

Of these 150 terrorists, 30 were foreign and 120 were locals, including 39 top commanders of all major groups.

The top police cop said that most of terror groups in the Valley are facing a severe crunch of weapons and Pakistan has adopted a new technique of supplying arms and ammunition to them using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). He added that several such incidents have been reported in the recent past.

The DGP called 2018 a 'landmark' year compared to 2013, the DGP said that security is 'much better now than ever before'.

"The number of poster boys of militancy started increasing in 2013 and major recruitment was done till 2017. Poster boys like Manan Wani, Burhan Wani and Riyaz Naikoo were so famous here at that time. Youths used to carry their photos," he stated.

"Operations against such groups improved in 2017 and 2018 was a landmark year as far as our operations were concerned. Governor`s rule came in 2018, and there was a huge difference in the first six months and second half of 2018 in terms of law and order and militancy operations," Singh said.

The officer said 93 successful operations took place in 3,600 cordon and search operations in 2018, and the trend set in 2018 was maintained in 2019.

He said that in August last year, when the abrogation came, 5,500 people were picked up by the police for disrupting law and order situation in the state. "We told the stone pelters to fill a `Good Behaviour Bond` and handed them over to their family members after keeping them in custody for 4 to 5 days. We kept only 1,200 people in custody who were a threat to law and order," Singh said. The 1,200 people in custody include Hurriyat members, some stone pelters and some OWG workers.

As per the J&K police chief, the graph of anti-militancy operations reached a high that was not achieved in the last 10 years.

The officer said a total of 144 stone pelters aged below 18 were picked up under legal procedures and all of them, except 17, were handed over to their families after warning them. "These 17 were put in juvenile homes and court cases were filed."
Boris Johnsons handling of his top aide breaking lockdown had negative and lasting consequences for the publics trust in the government during the coronavirus pandemic, researchers have established.

The authors of a study published in the Lancet medical journal identified a Dominic Cummings effect showing a clear decrease in public confidence in the government on 22 May when the story broke, with trust continuing to falls sharply in the following days.

The findings of the research suggest that Mr Cummings trip to Barnard Castle may have reduced compliance with lockdown: behavioural scientists say trust in the governments handling is key in ensuring voluntary compliance with lockdown and social distancing rules.

Research analysed data from the UCL Covid-19 Social Study, which looked at at over 220,000 survey results from more than 40,000 people between 24 April and 11 June.

The study, which is funded by the Nuffield Foundation with additional support from Wellcome and the governments own UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency, shows that public trust never recovered from Mr Johnsons refusal to sack Mr Cummings.

Lead author of the study, Dr Daisy Fancourt (UCL Epidemiology & Health Care), said: Public trust in the governments ability to manage the pandemic is crucial as it underpins public attitudes and behaviours at a precarious time for public health.

Throughout lockdown it has been shown how closely public confidence is related to government announcements on Covid-19, with an initial boost as the lockdown came in, followed by a drop after 10 May as the government announced it would begin to reopen society. The data then shows a stabilisation and even a slight increase in public confidence in the fortnight following, but the Cummings events were followed by another sudden decrease.

Trust in government decisions and actions relating to the management of Covid-19 is a major challenge globally and this data illustrates the negative and lasting consequences that political decisions can have for public trust and the risks to behaviours.

Last month behavioural science experts on the Independent Sage committee warned that high-profile examples of people close to the government breaking the rules reduced compliance among the wider public.

The issue of trust is particularly important, and in fact the issue shows that in some ways trust is more important to compliance at this stage than under lockdown, said Professor Stephen Reicher, a leading expert in crowd psychology at the University of St Andrews, speaking in early July.

The figures show that erosion of trust undermines peoples willingness to use the test-trace-isolate and support system and in particular to give information about themselves to authorities.

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

Jonathan Ashworth, Labours Shadow Health Secretary, said the prime ministers failure to confront Dominic Cummings over his lockdown breach was a monumental misjudgment.

He added: The government rightly asked the British people to make huge sacrifices to drive down infection rates. So to have allowed his most senior advisor to blatantly break the rules undermined vital life saving public health messaging at the peak of this deadly pandemic.
An ASEAN flag hoisting ceremony was held in Hanoi on August 7 to mark the 53rd founding anniversary of the association and 25 years of Vietnams ASEAN membership.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh chaired the event, which also drew ambassadors of ASEAN member countries to Vietnam and leaders of a number of ministries and Hanoi.

Addressing the ceremony, Minh underlined that over the past 53 years, ASEAN has made a big step forward. By embracing 10 member nations, ASEAN has turned Southeast Asia from a land of discord to a land of concord, from confrontation to cooperation, and from poverty to dynamic development, he said.

He noted that through its Community building, ASEAN enables Southeast Asia to thrive as a big family of six hundred and fifty millions people with a combined GDP of 3 trillion USD and as a peaceful, stable and resilient region with dynamic, vibrant economies.

The Vietnamese Deputy PM held that the association is facing major, unprecedented challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fast changing geo-strategic landscape as well as emerging non-traditional security issues.

But these are causes to be discouraged. Instead, these call for a more cohesive, responsive ASEAN, which retains its firm centrality in the region. The encouraging results achieved in the first half of 2020 bear testament to ASEAN that never wavers at any hardship, he stated.

According to Minh, chairing ASEAN this year is a great honour for Vietnam as 2020 coincides with the 25th anniversary of the country accession to ASEAN.

Under Vietnams Chairmanship, ASEAN has taken well-coordinated measures to collectively respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, protect the health of our peoples, cushion the negative impacts on our economies, and prepare for a comprehensive recovery to emerge from the pandemic, he said.

Although the tough battles to defeat the pandemic and to revamp the economies are still ahead, I would like to emphasize that ASEANs future is bright, he underlined.

With the Think Community, Act Community approach, Vietnam will continue to work closely with our ASEAN sisters and brothers as well as with external partners and the international community to build a united and resilient ASEAN Community.

Shoulder to shoulder, we can rise above any challenges and move ASEAN forward, the official stressed

He revealed that ASEAN Foreign Ministers will issue the Statement on the importance of maintaining peace and stability in Southeast Asiaon the ASEAN Day of August 8, 2020.

In the context of complex and growing uncertainties in the world, this statement will reaffirm ASEANs vision, commitments and fundamental principles to build ASEAN into a region of peace, progress and prosperity as aspired in the 1967 Bangkok Declaration, he said.

The ASEAN flag has four colours of blue, red, white and yellow, representing the main colours of the flags of all the ASEAN members. The stalks of padi in the centre of the Emblem represent the dream of ASEANs Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia, bound together in friendship and solidarity. The circle represents the unity of ASEAN. VNA

The guard force conducts the ritual of raising the ASEAN flag (Photo: VNA)



The guard force conducts the ritual of raising the ASEAN flag (Photo: VNA)



Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh chaired the event, which also drew ambassadors of ASEAN member countries to Vietnam and leaders of a number of ministries and Hanoi (Photo: VNA)





Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh chaired the event, which also drew ambassadors of ASEAN member countries to Vietnam and leaders of a number of ministries and Hanoi (Photo: VNA) The guard force conducts the ritual of raising the ASEAN flag (Photo: VNA)
The contentious resignation by former New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot is just the latest example of Mayor Bill de Blasios often difficult relationships with people who would seem like potential allies, including his own appointees.

Here are just a few of the mayors other bad relationships.

Dr. Oxiris Barbot

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the citys continued efforts to prevent a resurgence of COVID-19, Barbot resigned from her position with a blistering letter that said she left with deep disappointment that de Blasio underutilized her department during the crisis. A de Blasio spokesperson, however, said the mayor asked Barbot to step aside. The move came after months of tension between the commissioner and the mayor, as de Blasio reportedly ignored her guidance and sidelined her during a public health crisis. In a decision that confused many public health experts, de Blasio also decided to move the citys contact tracing program out of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene  which has experience with contact tracing  and into the public hospital system.

Dermot Shea

lev radin/Shutterstock

De Blasio has never had a good relationship with his police department, but one would think that he would at least see eye-to-eye with the person he appoints as police commissioner. That hasnt been the case. Shea, who de Blasio promoted from his position as chief of detectives in 2019, has been a staunch critic, both in public and in private, of the types of criminal justice reforms that de Blasio ran his 2013 campaign on. But despite the opposing views, Shea still has a job and defends his relationship with the mayor, while de Blasio continues to praise him in public.

Mark Peters

William Alatriste/New York City Council

De Blasio appointed Peters as commissioner of the Department of Investigation in 2014 after Peters served as treasurer for de Blasios 2013 mayoral campaign. But even that relationship, one that led some to wonder if Peters could be an impartial watchdog, went south. De Blasio fired him in 2018 after Peters conducted several aggressive investigations into the mayors administration. The mayor had weighed firing Peters months before he actually did, but a report condemning Peters conduct as abusing his power gave de Blasio a reason.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

This goes without saying. New York City mayors and New York governors have never had a great track record of friendship, a tradition that continued with these two former close allies from the same party. Since de Blasio took office, Cuomo has consistently snubbed the mayor, asserting his own authority in what often seem to be simply potshots at de Blasio. The response to the pandemic has been no different, with the pair bickering over school closings and reopenings.

Hillary Clinton

Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock

Although de Blasio managed the former first ladys 2000 U.S. Senate campaign, he withheld his public support for her 2016 presidential campaign as he attempted to increase his own national progressive profile. Behind the scenes, he tried to get closer with the presumptive nominee, but leaked emails showed that the Clinton campaign, irritated by the lack of endorsement, kept the mayor  and the agenda items he was advocating for  at a distance.

Joseph Esposito

Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office

Esposito was a well-respected retired police officer before de Blasio appointed him as commissioner of the Office of Emergency Management in 2014. For years, he handled the citys emergencies, which often were weather-related. But after an unexpected snowstorm in November 2018 crippled the city and left children stranded on buses for hours, de Blasio quickly attempted to fire Esposito  without actually telling the commissioner himself, who refused to leave. The botched firing led to days of confusion before the mayor announced he would search for a replacement. Many on the City Council came to Espositos defense, saying de Blasio was attempting to use the commissioner as a scapegoat.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 6, 2020) - Thunderstruck Resources Ltd. (TSXV: AWE) (OTC: THURF) ("Thunderstruck" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that two sea containers have arrived at port in Fiji containing two drill rigs and other equipment intended for coincidental drill programs at the Company's Liwa Creek gold asset and its Korokayiu zinc/copper asset. The company is also pleased to report that Lloyd Gale, who will be in charge of in-country drilling has also arrived safely in country.

"We would like to thank the Fijian government for creating a special travel exemption and Covid-19 quarantine program to allow the company's drill team to safely enter Fiji," commented Thunderstruck President and CEO Bryce Bradley. "This exemption shows the country's commitment to exploration and development having successfully eradicated Covid-19 through stringent travel restrictions. We could not be happier to work amongst the hard-working people of Fiji."

Each Thunderstruck employee will be required to quarantine for 14 days in a government supervised hotel to ensure compliance. Once this quarantine period has been satisfied the drill team will be deployed to site and drilling will commence. Drills are expected to begin turning by the end of August.

About Fiji

Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji, has a long mining history. It is on the prolific Pacific Ring of Fire, a trend that has produced numerous large deposits, including Porgera, Lihir and Grasberg. The island of Viti Levu hosts Namosi, held by a joint venture between Newcrest and Mitsubishi. Newcrest published Proven and Probable Reserves for Namosi of 1.3 billion tonnes at 0.37% Cu and 0.12 g/t Au (5.2M ounces Au and 4.9M tonnes Cu). Namosi is now undergoing environmental assessment as part of the permitting process. Lion One Metals is now developing its Tuvatu Project, with Indicated Resources of 1.1 million tonnes at 8.17 g/t Au (294,000 ounces Au), and Inferred Resources of 1.3 million tonnes at 10.6 g/t Au (445,000 ounces Au). The Vatukoula Gold Mine has been operating for 80 years, producing in excess of 7 million ounces.

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About Thunderstruck Resources

Thunderstruck Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company that has assembled extensive and highly prospective properties in Fiji on which recent and previous exploration has confirmed VMS, copper and precious metals mineralization. The Company provides investors with exposure to a diverse portfolio of exploration stage projects with potential for zinc, copper, gold and silver in a politically safe and stable jurisdiction. Thunderstruck trades on the Toronto Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol "AWE" and United States OTC under the symbol "THURF".

For additional information, please contact:

Rob Christl, Investor Relations

Email: rob@thunderstruck.ca

P: 778 840-7180

or, visit our website: http://www.thunderstruck.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. 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". Although Thunderstruck 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 Thunderstruck's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Thunderstruck undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61264
Conferring over ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution at the National Woman's Party headquarters in Washington, D.C., in 1919 are (from left) Mrs. Lawrence Lewis, Mrs. Abby Scott Baker, Anita Pollitzer of South Carolina, Alice Paul, Florence Boeckel and Mabel Vernon (standing at right). Photo from Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Where the struggle began Nationally, the womens rights movement was born in 1848, with the Declaration of Sentiments signed by 300 men and women meeting in Seneca Falls, New York, that called for the end of discrimination against women. The activism started with that document culminated in the adoption and ratification of the 19th amendment in August 1920, giving women the right to vote in the United States. But even before that seminal moment, some South Carolina women who had taken on nontraditional roles, at the very least had pointed out the inequities in the treatment of men and women by the law and society. The Grimke sisters  Sarah and Angelina  were native-born South Carolinians who renounced their familys practice of keeping slaves and moved to Philadelphia to take up the abolitionist cause. In 1838, Angelina Grimke became the first woman to address a meeting of a state legislature when she spoke to the Massachusetts Legislature on abolishing slavery, which she said was a sin that endangered the soul of the slaveholder. Her ensuing fame led the General Association of Congregational Churches of Massachusetts to denounce the actions of women abolitionists who so far forget themselves as to itinerate in the character of public lecturers and teachers. Some in the abolitionist movement even thought that having women take such strident roles, and in the process making the case for the right of women to do so, could damage their anti-slavery cause. The pushback simply led the sisters to advocate for womens rights as well as for ending slavery. The comparison of the position of a married woman to the position of a slave also found its way into the writing of Mary Boykin Chesnut, a well-born and well-married Southern author whose Civil War diaries, include the line: the Bible authorizes marriage & slavery  poor women! Poor slaves! UofSC historian Marjorie Spruill chronicled the battle over the Equal Rights Amendment in Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women's Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics. She has been working with UofSC oral historian Andrea LHommedieu to digitize and transcribe 700 interviews from the National Women's Conference in 1977. Chesnuts diary first appeared in the early 1900s, under the title, A Diary from Dixie, and revealed a strong support for the end of slavery among Southern women, whom Chesnut felt were also enduring a kind of enslavement by the traditional male-dominated patrician society of the South, Spruill says. The author reveals a strong revulsion for the moral lapses that such a system tolerated, giving the example of her father-in-law's liaison with one of his slave women. Chesnut referred to slaveholding plantations as places where mens wives and concubines lived under the same roof with mixed-raced children playing beside their white siblings. Every lady tells you who is the father of all the Mulatto children in every bodys household, but those in her own, she seems to think drop from the clouds. Following the war, Chesnut  whose family papers are in University Libraries Special Collections  reworked the material from her diaries into a more nuanced narrative of the Old South and the war. A first edition of the book A Diary from Dixie  heavily edited  was published in 1905, nearly 20 years after Chesnut died, but 75 years later, a second version that included much more of her original diary and material that she had rewritten herself was published as Mary Chesnuts Civil War in 1982.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 03:17:37|Editor: huaxia

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BERLIN, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Starting this Saturday, travelers from high-risk areas had to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test upon their arrival in Germany, Minister of Health Jens Spahn announced on Thursday.

"I am very aware that it is an encroachment on the freedom of the individual," said Spahn. However, he considered this interference to be "reasonable" with regard to the responsibility for others.

Spahn said that the intention behind the tests for travelers from areas with high COVID-19 case numbers was intended to "play it safe."

The debate about compulsory testing on re-entry into Germany started about two weeks ago when the number of daily COVID-19 cases picked up again. On Thursday, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) registered more than 1,000 new COVID-19 infections within 24 hours in Germany for the first time in three months.

New infections with COVID-19 in Germany increased by 1,045 within one day to 213,067 on Thursday while the number of coronavirus-related deaths increased by seven to 9,175, according to the RKI.

Travelers to Germany from high-risk areas were previously required by individual states to stay in quarantine for two weeks, but testing remained voluntary.

Since last Saturday, all travelers to Germany had been able to test for the coronavirus voluntarily and free of charge at many airports and some major train stations.

"Every previously undiscovered infection that we find through these free of charge tests makes a difference," said Spahn. Enditem
NORTH CAROLINA  Days after Hurricane Isaias hammered the coast of North Carolina, weather researchers say the 2020 Atlantic hurricane system will be "extremely active" with the potential to be one for the record books.

"The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has been off to a rapid pace with a record-setting nine named storms so far and has the potential to be one of the busiest on record," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday in releasing the agency's revised seasonal outlook.

An average season produces 12 named storms, including six hurricanes, of which three become major Category 3 storms or above with top winds of at least 111 mph.

The updated NOAA outlook calls for 19-25 named storms with winds of at least 39 mph, of which 7-11 will become hurricanes, including three to six major hurricanes.

See related: Brace Yourself, NC: NOAA Predicts Strong 2020 Hurricane Season

"This year, we expect more, stronger, and longer-lived storms than average," observed lead seasonal hurricane forecaster Gerry Bell at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Colorado State University forecasters released a separate updated forecast outlook that calls for 24 named storms in 2020, including this year's Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna and most recently Isaias.

The Colorado forecast calls for 12 storms to become hurricanes, including Hanna and Isaias, and five to reach major hurricane strength

"Tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures averaged over the past month are at their fourth-highest levels since 1982, trailing only the very active Atlantic hurricane seasons of 2005, 2010 and 2017," Colorado researchers said.

"Warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures provide more fuel for tropical cyclone formation and intensification," Colorado researchers explained. "They are also associated with a more unstable atmosphere as well as moister air, both of which favor organized thunderstorm activity that is necessary for hurricane development."

Story continues

The coronavirus outbreak is figuring prominently into this year's hurricane planning with the added need to maintain social distancing at emergency shelters and possibly even to provide testing for evacuees if necessary.

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Original story by Paul Scicchitano, Patch staff

This article originally appeared on the Charlotte Patch
I do support the conditional use, said Councilwoman Patty Gustin. I think the more transparency you can give to the public and the businesses is important, particularly with COVID and kids going back to school, and then not going back to school, and people concerned about their health and so many other things ... I dont think it hurts at all to be able to make sure we have some gauge to make sure were double-checking, and the conditional use does that.
Russian Deputy Health Minister, Oleg Grinev, says a state laboratory vaccine for the novel coronavirus is undergoing final testing phase, expected to be registered next week.

According to him, the vaccine is currently in its final testing phase.

We need to understand that the vaccine will be safe, he said in comments carried by the Russian news agency  Interfax.

Another senior health official had said in July that the vaccine was expected to be mass-produced in September.

Russia recorded the worlds fourth-largest coronavirus caseload, with more than 875,000 cases.

The vaccine was developed by the Russian states Gamaleya Research Institute for Epidemiology and Microbiology, which announced two months ago that the vaccine had produced immunity in all test subjects without negative side effects.

The vaccine was initially tested on volunteers from the institute and then soldiers from the Russian military.

There were no side effects or abnormalities detected among the volunteer soldiers, Russias Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The research results clearly showed that all volunteers had a clear immune response resulting from the vaccination, the Defence Ministry said.

(dpa/NAN)
The company has been notified by a number of lessors that it is in default and certain of such lessors have formally filed complaints in their local jurisdictions, the filing said. The company is negotiating with such lessors on terms of the rent relief and the lessors remedies and is responding timely to all filed complaints.
Cinquanta, who retired in 1990, said: 'Hes been wanted 46 years for that and Ive been working on him 46 years and I found him. [It feels] wonderful'

But finding Archuleta became 'like a hobby' for Cinquanta who never gave up

Until his arrest Wednesday he had been living in the quiet town of Espanola in New Mexico for around 40 years under the alias Ramon Montoya

He was doing time for shooting cop Daril Cinquanta in Denver three years earlier

Luis Archuleta, who is now 77, escaped from a Colorado prison in 1974

A fugitive who has been on the run for nearly 50 years was arrested Wednesday after being found by the same police officer he was jailed for shooting in 1971.

Luis Archuleta, who is now 77, escaped from a Colorado prison in 1974 while doing time for shooting and wounding Daril Cinquanta in Denver three years earlier.

Until his arrest Wednesday he had been living as a senior citizen in the quiet town of Espanola in New Mexico for around 40 years under the alias Ramon Montoya, the FBI said. He had been featured on America's most wanted in 2009 and 2010.

Cinquanta, who was shot once in the stomach and retired in 1990, said finding Archuleta became 'like a hobby', telling Fox31: 'I have never given up on him. It just shows you: persistence does pay off.'

Luis Archuleta (left and right in a far more recent mugshot) who is now 77, escaped from a Colorado prison in 1974 while doing time for shooting and wounding Daril Cinquanta in Denver three years earlier

Daril Cinquanta (left and right) said: 'I have never given up on him. It just shows you: persistence does pay off'

'I was cold calling people and bad guys, I went to their homes, I went to their families, and most of the reception was not warm', he added, 'Im not real popular with the bad guys families.'

Cinquanta said he received a call on June 24 which handed Archuleta to him 'on a platter'. He added: 'I get a call "Ive thought about it, Im going to tell you where hes at", and this person handed him to me on a platter.'

He added: 'Hes been wanted 46 years for that and Ive been working on him 46 years and I found him. [It feels] wonderful. Ive gotten calls from all over from policemen and stuff who thinks its phenomenal.'

Cinquanta said of the shooting: 'He looked like a bad actor. I confronted him. He put his arm back and he was pulling a gun. I lost that battle.

'Back in those days, we didnt have bullet-proof vests and our radios did not come out of our cars, so I had to crawl to the car and get in the car to call for help.

Until his arrest Wednesday he had been living as a senior citizen in the quiet town of Espanola, pictured, in New Mexico for around 40 years under the alias Ramon Montoya, the FBI said

Cinquanta, left, who was shot once in the stomach and retired in 1990, said finding Archuleta , right, became 'like a hobby'. Cinquanta said he received a call on June 24 which handed Archuleta to him 'on a platter'

Archuleta had originally been sentenced to nine to 14 years in prison before his escape from a state hospital in Pueblo.

'This arrest should send a clear signal to violent offenders everywhere: The FBI will find you, no matter how long it takes or how far you run, and we will bring you to justice,' FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider said in a statement.

'The passing of time does not erase or excuse his crimes,' said Denver police chief Paul Pazen.

Archuleta appeared in court in New Mexico Thursday. He will now be returned to Colorado to face charges stemming from his jailbreak.
Siddharth Pithani On The Missing Pages

Sushant's friend was quoted as saying, "Sushant had a habit of tearing pages if he didn't like what he'd written. I'm sure people will find missing pages in more books also."

On the other hand, Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy said that Sushant's dairy can be compared to Nixon tapes. He was quoted as saying, "Sushant's personal diary is a tremendous finding for the probe."

Sushant's Friend Shares Details About One Of Sushant's Diaries In Particular

"The diaries that Sushant had shared about, he had written about scientists and geniuses, and he wanted to invite them to his house and make a nice video so people could learn from them," recalled Siddharth while speaking to Times Now.

Meanwhile, Siddharth Says He Has Been Receiving Death Threats

Speaking about it, he told CNN-News 18, "I've gotten around thousand messages from Sushant's fans mostly, accusing me of a lot of things and giving me death threats. I don't know if they are Sushant's real fans, or just people expressing their anger. I request them to give us some space and let the system do its job." Siddharth has already lodged a complaint with the Hyderabad police with regard to the matter.

Sushant's Ex Girlfriend Ankita Lokhande On Late Actor's Diary

Earlier in an interview, the Pavitra Rishta actress had confirmed that Sushant used to maintain a personal diary, in which he used to regularly write about his personal life.
JOHANNESBURG - South African police on Friday used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse activists who staged a protest at Zimbabwes embassy in the capital, Pretoria.

Just over 100 protesters, mostly Zimbabweans living in South Africa, gathered to protest police brutality, arrests of journalists and government corruption with placards denouncing President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

They called for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and leaders of other neighbouring countries to take action to tackle the problems faced by Zimbabweans in a country facing economic collapse.

Ramaphosa has said he would send two envoys, former Cabinet minister Sidney Mufamadi and former parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete to Zimbabwe to assess the situation.

Hundreds of people including lawyers, journalists and health care workers have been arrested in Zimbabwe in recent months as they raise their voices against government corruption and worsening economic conditions.

Loid Ndiweni, a Zimbabwean who attended the protest, said they expected more from Ramaphosa.

It is not enough for him to simply send envoys there. He must go there himself and not only speak to the government, he must speak to everybody including activists and the opposition, Ndiweni said.

Many protesters called on Zimbabwes neighbouring countries to intervene.

For old men in (South Africas ruling African National Congress party) and other leaders in (southern Africa) to pretend as if they dont know what is happening in Zimbabwe when there is so much evidence is just a betrayal, said Vimbai Mupunga.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India in October this year for the Annual Bilateral Summit between the two countries. (AP)

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India in October this year for the Annual Bilateral Summit between the two countries, New Delhi said on Thursday.

India said regional and international issues of interest are being discussed in exchanges between the two countries, a veiled indication perhaps to the current Sino-Indian military stand-off. India has time-tested strategic ties with Russia spanning decades especially in the defence sector but Russia also has close ties with China.

Earlier this week on Tuesday, the MEA had said, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov held a telephonic conversation today that inter alia covered high-level exchanges between both sides; forthcoming calendar of high-level meetings in the framework of BRICS and SCO; and interactions and meetings at various levels preparatory to the India-Russia Summit later in the year. The Foreign Secretary and the Deputy Foreign Minister also exchanged views on various regional and international issues of mutual interest reflecting common ground and approaches. Both sides agreed to maintain regular contacts.

It may be recalled that about a month ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken to Russian President Putin and had conveyed his keenness to welcome President Putin in India" for the (institutionalised annual formal) Bilateral Summit this year. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had then said the Russian President reiterated his commitment to further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries in all spheres.

Moscow had recently said it did not want to intervene in the India-China relationship but it is common knowledge that it has emerged as a key player because it has strong ties with both sides. The three countries also have a trilateral RIC format for talks.
Mumbai has replaced symbols of men on traffic lights with symbols of women wearing dresses.

India's largest city is the country's first to install the 240 pedestrian signals in an effort to express the government's commitment to improving gender equality for women.

Assistant commissioner Kiran Dighavkar got the idea from an urban planning organisation, Urban Growth, who wanted to change society's constant messaging that men are representative for all people.

Mumbai is the first city in India to replace men symbols on pedestrian crossings with women symbols

Maharashtra's cabinet minister for tourism and the environment, Aaditya Thackeray, is heading the 'Culture Spine' initiative responsible for implementing the new symbols.

He tweeted on Saturday: 'If you've passed by Dadar, you'd see something that will make you feel proud.'

'(The local administration is) ensuring gender equality with a simple idea -- the signals now have women too!'

India was classified the most dangerous place for women in 2018 because of its high levels of domestic and sexual violence.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation poll of 550 global experts made the classification based on the 33,356 rapes and 89,097 assaults that year.

Although India has several women leaders, including the country's first woman prime minister, many girls do not even receive an education.

Girls have higher survival rates at birth globally but India is the only country in the world more girls die than boys, according to UNICEF India.

The new traffic lights come as attention has been placed on urban planning's role in ensuring the safety of women

Other countries, including Germany and Australia, have also rolled out women icons on pedestrian crossings to try and make women as representative symbols of people too.

Vienna used images of same-sex couples for the Eurovision Son Contest in 2015 and have since kept them.

Geneva made an effort to include diverse representation and used symbols of women in dresses as well as trousers, pregnant women, older women, a woman with an afro and two women holding hands.

After a student was gang raped and murdered a New Delhi bus in 2012 the role of urban planning was brought to the forefront of the ongoing conversation about gender equality in India.

India's cities started to look at how changing dark corners, remote bus stops and introduced reforms like making public transport free for women so there were more women on public transport to keep other women safe.

New Delhi also introduced women's help desks at each of the city's police stations.

Critics of the new women symbols have said that figures in dresses are not going to do anything to bring domestic and sexual violence down in the country.

Sneha Visakha, a legal researcher, told the New York Times that symbolism without wider change is useless in country where women are in danger all the time.

She said: 'We finally have a figure in a traffic signal so now women are equal to men?'

'It's so patronising.'
Construction boss George Alex will undertake effective house arrest at the home of his aunt in Sydney's inner-west after he was granted bail over his role as the alleged kingpin of a $17.5 million tax fraud syndicate.

Reporting twice daily to police, no social media accounts, and a $2 million surety by way of two properties were some of the strict conditions imposed on the 49-year-old at Central Local Court on Friday.

George Alex has been charged over the $17.5 million tax fraud. His son Arthur (inset) has also been charged. Credit:Peter Rae

Mr Alex was one of 12 people arrested and charged last month in raids from Sydney to the Gold Coast. His 22-year-old son Arthur was also arrested.

Mr Alex appeared via audio-visual link from Silverwater jail on Friday, with his sister Athina Alex in court to support him.
Rhea Chakraborty arrived at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Mumbai on Friday after her request to postpone the recording of her statement until the Supreme Court hearing, was rejected.

While this article was being written, Rhea and her brother Showik were still being questioned by the ED in the money laundering case surrounding Sushant Singh Rajput's death.

#SushantSinghRajput death case: Rhea Chakraborty arrives at Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Mumbai.



ED rejected her earlier request that the recording of her statement be postponed till Supreme Court hearing. pic.twitter.com/MIWYlYMXhT  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

Times Now has now accessed the questionnaire being asked by ED to Rhea and her brother. Here are the 6 major questions that will be asked to them.

1. What is the source of their income?

The ED will be asking Rhea about everything related to her income sources, PAN Card details, her Income Tax return documents, and also about the companies that are listed in her name.

2. How Rhea came in contact with Sushant and disclosing her financial links with the actor.

The ED will ask about her personal equation with Sushant and how the two met.

She will also be asked to disclose the information about the financial dealing that she was involved in with Sushant. She and her brother would also be asked about their partnership with the actor.

3. How many bank accounts does Rhea have?

Rheas bank statement of the last 5 years will be thoroughly analysed.

4. Did Sushant authorize Rhea to use his credit and debit cards?

This is one of the most important aspects that the ED will be dealing with, as they want to understand how Rhea took charge of the finances when Sushant was around.

5. Whats Rheas brothers business?

She will be asked about how her brother is involved in the companies and if he has any other businesses too.

Mumbai: Showik Chakraborty (in maroon t-shirt), brother of actor #RheaChakraborty, leaves Enforcement Directorate office. He is named in the FIR registered by CBI in #SushantSingRajput's death case.



Rhea's statement is being recorded by the agency. https://t.co/VH8VNKKAFG pic.twitter.com/5PQO209vD8  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

6. What was the reason for establishing two companies that were under their name and did they make any business?

The ED would also want to know about the two companies that were owned by Rhea and her brother, in detail. They will also be asked to share as to how much companies have earned.
After a career spent in the tourism industry, Janice Thomson never thought shed find herself playing a role in tracking the spread of a global pandemic.

I certainly wouldnt have imagined being involved in a drive-thru medical testing centre, but by the same token I would never have imagined that our economy and general way of life could have been impacted in the ways that COVID-19 so rapidly made our temporary new reality, said Thomson, president of Niagara Falls Tourism.

The tourism agency has partnered with Niagara Health, Scotiabank Convention Centre and the City of Niagara Falls to offer a COVID-19 drive-thru assessment centre exclusively for individuals who work in the hospitality industry.

The temporary centre opened Wednesday in the parking lot of the convention centre and 42 tests were administered. It is not open to the general public.

The first day went well, Thomson said. And, we are seeing steady bookings for future dates.

The paperwork process is being streamlined to assure maximum ease of registration, based on lessons learned on Day 1.

Zeau Ismail, director of interprofessional practice, ethics and research at Niagara Health, said the hospital system team was able to accommodate everyone quickly and efficiently.

Were confident that, with the process we have in place, we will be able to continue providing efficient service as bookings increase, he said.

Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati expects the assessment centre operate until at least Labour Day.

We need to be able to operate tourism safely for the 40,000 employees who need it to put food on the table, and all the guests that are going to come to Niagara Falls, he said.

We need this to be successful  failure is not an option.

Thomson said employers have adapted to new provincial guidelines and have enhanced protocols within their operations to further protect staff and guests, and employees are delivering service to customers in ways that maintain confidence.

The co-operation of everyone working together has been extraordinary and will be the key to a successful rebounding of all aspects of the economy, she said.

Appointments can be made directly through an employees workplace manager, or by emailing Anastasia Belashov at Niagara Falls Tourism at abelashov@niagarafallstourism.com.

Ismail said he expects the temporary centre will result in a reduction in wait times for the public at Niagara Healths three other centres in Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Welland.

Those centres are open 9 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted until 4 p.m., however, advanced bookings are preferred in order to reduce wait times.

Members of the public can book an appointment at one of the original assessment centres by calling 905-378-4647 ext. 42819.
The insurance industry has notched another victory in its defense of its commercial insurance policies against claims for business interruption due to the coronavirus.

In a case brought by the owner of several restaurants against its insurer over business interruption due to the coronavirus shutdown ordered by the mayor, a District of Columbia Superior Court judge has sided with the insurer, ruling that the restaurants insurance policy is not triggered because the shutdown did not amount to direct physical loss.

Finding that the plaintiff restaurants failed to prove there was any direct physical loss, Associate Judge Kelly Higashi on Thursday granted a summary judgment in the suit in favor of Erie Insurance Exchange.

State Judge Rejects Michigan Restaurants COVID-19 Business Interruption Claim A trial court judge in Lansing, Michigan handed a victory to insurers in what may be the nations first final ruling on the question of whether a property insurer is liable for financial damages caused by a coronavirus closure order. Celebrating Insurers Warned Michigan COVID Ruling Not Knockout Punch They Wanted The Michigan pleading may have been defective, a lawyer cautions.

In March, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued several orders. They included a ban on indoor dining, the closing of all non-essential businesses, and an order for residents to shelter-in-place. Lead plaintiff Rose 1, which operates several places, and the other plaintiffs, had to close their restaurants as a results.

The Rose 1 restaurants had purchased Eries Ultrapack Plus Commercial Property Coverage that included coverage for loss of income and/or rental income sustained due to partial or total interruption of business resulting directly from loss or damage to the property insured. The policy further states that the policy insures against direct physical loss with the exception of several exclusions that the judge said were not material to the case.

The restaurant company, Roses 1, argued that the loss of use of its restaurants was a direct physical loss because the closures were the direct result of the mayors orders without intervening action. But the judge noted the orders did not effect any direct changes to the properties.

The plaintiffs further argued that the losses were physical because the coronavirus is material and tangible rather than abstract. But the judge found the plaintiffs offered no evidence that the virus was present in their inured properties and found that the mayors orders did not have any material or tangible effect on the insureds properties.

Finally the judge rejected the argument that loss is distinct from damage and that loss should incorporate loss of use, which should require only that they be deprived of the use of their properties, not that they suffer physical damage. But Judge Higashi noted that in the phrase direct physical losses, direct and physical modify the word losses and thus any loss of use must be caused by a direct physical intrusion onto the properties. The mayors orders were not a physical intrusion, she wrote.

She also said the plaintiffs had failed to put forth any cases supporting their contention that a mayoral order constitutes direct physical loss under an insurance policy. The judge, however, cited several cases where courts have rejected coverage where there was no direct physical harm to the properties.

The case is Roses 1 v Erie Indemnity. The lead plaintiff, Roses 1 LLC, runs several upscale restaurants including Roses Luxury, Elaines One, Pineapple and Pearls, and Little Pearl. The owner is chef Aaron Silverman. Other plaintiffs included Buttercream Bakeshop, Karma Modern Indian, El Cucho, Bar Charley, La Vie and Beucherts Saloon.

The case follows a Michigan state court ruling in July that also sided with insurers.

Judge Joyce Draganchuk of Michigans 30th Circuit Court ruled verbally on July 1 that some tangible alteration to a property is required to trigger coverage. Whats more, a virus exclusion in the property insurance policy would have barred coverage even if the claimants had alleged the virus did cause physical damage, the judge said.

Topics Carriers Legislation Claims Profit Loss Michigan Property
Almost two weeks since his July 16 arraignment, embattled Prison Officer Kenson King was suspended indefinitely from his duties at Her Majestys Prison.





The suspension took effect from Tuesday, July 28.





King is reported by Asbert News Network to have said that the suspension did not take him by surprise.

"It was just a matter of time  waiting to see how long it would have taken them before they sent a letter of suspension to me because the law  which is the Service Commission regulations  simply states, in lay man terms, once you have a criminal charge against you, you must be on suspension. So they really had no choice  .





Kings recent legal woes sprang from an alleged altercation between him and Dorian Mapp, a 23year-old inmate who hails from Victoria Village.





Reports are that Mapp responded with a slap when King, in pursuance of his duties, asked him to comply with another colleagues directive. King, the court papers purport, retaliated with several blows to Mapps face and body.





This alleged onslaught resulted in the prisoner being treated at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. Damage to Mapps face was said to have required five (5) stitches and the attention of an Eye Specialist.





When the 33-year-old Park Hill resident appeared before Senior Magistrate Rickie Burnett at the Kingstown Magistrates Court on Thursday 16th July, he pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of wounding an inmate entrusted to his care, and was granted EC$2000.00 bail with one surety.





Unconfirmed reports claim that the video recordings that should be objectively used to convict or vindicate King were surreptitiously erased.





While King proclaimed his ignorance as to the security protocols that would manage video footage storage, he expressed confidence in the management of the prison and the security team, since their input was vital in clearing him of prior physical abuse allegations lodged in 2018.





" [they] do not cut corners; especially when it comes to things happening in the jail illegally, King is reported to have said.





Kings indefinite suspension comes with full pay and was enforced as per written instruction to the Superintendent of Prison.





King, as of Tuesday, had not yet received communication to that effect, in keeping with the protocol governing matters of this nature.





It is Kings expectation that once vindicated by the court, he will return to work. However, he understands that if the matter goes against him, it will up to the Public Service authorities to decide if he would be reinstated.

Meanwhile, a pre- action letter promised by one law firm acting on behalf of Vincentian Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, is yet to be received, King confirmed.





A defamation suit was threatened after King published a statement supposedly injurious to Dr. Gonsalves reputation. PM Gonsalves, who is also Kings constituency representative in the local Parliament, demanded a published apology along with half month of Kings salary as a Zero Hunger Trust Fund contribution  in lieu of seeking redress in Court.








BERLIN (AP)  Top European officials urged Belarusian authorities on Friday to ensure a free and fair presidential election this weekend and denounced unacceptable restrictions ahead of the vote.

President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist for 26 years, is seeking a sixth term in Sunday's election. It comes as the 65-year-old leader faces a surge in opposition protests fueled by the worsening economy and the governments botched response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Election officials have already barred Lukashenkos two main challengers from running, but remaining candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has managed to unite the fragmented opposition. Lukashenko has warned that authorities won't allow any unsanctioned demonstrations following the election on Sunday.

The peaceful mobilization of (Belarusian) society has been met so far with unacceptable further restrictions on freedoms of media and assembly, as well as with detentions of peaceful protesters, domestic observers, journalists and activists, the European Union's foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said. The countrys sovereignty and independence can only be strengthened by peaceful, free and fair elections.

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland voiced concern in a separate statement that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and others weren't invited to observe the election.

We urge Belarusian authorities to conduct the upcoming presidential election in a free and fair manner, including ensuring independent monitoring by local observers, they said. We have taken note of worrying reports of electoral irregularities during early voting.

Both statements urged Belarusian authorities to release all prisoners detained on political grounds.
Steve Irwin was killed in 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb.

And the Irwin family recently received a touching gift from a fan to help immortalise his memory.

In an Instagram post, Bindi shared a photo of herself, mother Terri, brother Robert, and husband Chandler Powell holding a family portrait of themselves with Steve.

Heartwarming: In an Instagram post, Bindi shared a photo of herself, mother Terri, brother Robert, and husband Chandler Powell holding a family portrait of themselves with Steve

'"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die."  Thomas Campbell,' Bindi captioned the photo.

'Thank you @the_monkey_brush for creating this spectacular piece,' she added.

The touching digital print was created by artist and Irwin fan Debb Oliver.

Bindi got engaged on her milestone 21st birthday last year.

Tragedy: Steve Irwin was killed in 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb. (Pictured in 2002)

And she couldn't resist reflecting on the exciting moment as she shared a loved-up photo with husband Chandler Powell on Instagram on Sunday.

The conservationist gushed over her 'incredible' other half as she told him that she 'loved him with all her heart'.

Wearing a pretty navy and white printed dress, Bindi looked like she was on cloud nine as she cuddled up to the former professional wakeboarder in the snap.

'Just over a year ago @chandlerpowell proposed,' the 22-year-old began in the caption.

'My sunshine': Bindi couldn't resist reflecting on her exciting engagement one year ago as she shared a loved-up snap with Chandler on Instagram on Sunday

Adorable: The conservationist gushed over her 'incredible' other half as she told him that she 'loved him with all her heart'

Highlighting how far they had come in a year, Bondi continued: 'Now I get to call this incredible man my husband. Heres to a lifetime of adventure together. 

'My sunshine, I love you with all my heart.'

Last month, Chandler marked the moment himself on Bindi's actual birthday.

Taking to Instagram, he shared several photos from their wedding day on March 25, and wrote in the caption: 'For the first time ever as a married couple, happy birthday to my beautiful wife.'

The Florida native added: 'This year has been nothing short of epic and you have handled everything thrown our way with courage and grace.

'My best friend, I love you: Last week, Chandler marked the moment himself on Bindi's actual birthday

'You inspire me to be a better person every day with how much love you have to give.

'Thank you for making the world a better and brighter place. My best friend, my wife, my everything. I love you.'

Bindi was quick to respond to her husband's message, commenting below the post: 'My sunshine, my world. I love you today, tomorrow and forever.'
The BBC has released the official trailer for Mangrove, one of five films featured in Small Axe, an anthology series from filmmaker Steve McQueen (Hunger, 12 Years A Slave).

This Sunday, August 9th marks the 50th anniversary of the march of 150 black protester in Notting Hill, West London who marched to local police stations in protest of police harassment in their communities including the Mangrove restaurant. Nine protest leaders were arrested and charged with incitement to riot: Frank Crichlow, Darcus Howe, Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Barbara Beese, Rupert Boyce, Rhodan Gordon, Anthony Innis, Rothwell Kentish and Godfrey Millett.

Sunday, August 9th, is 50 years since the Mangrove March, which led to nine innocent Black women and men being arrested. It was a march necessitated by relentless police brutality in Notting Hill. To commemorate the bravery of these community activists and the nine who went on to be acquitted of incitement to riot with the judge citing evidence of racial hatred, I am sharing the trailer of Mangrove, one of five films to be released under the banner Small Axe, said Steve McQueen.

It will screen on BBC First later this year.

McQueens Mangrove tells this true story of the Mangrove 9, a group of Black activists who clashed with London police during a protest march in 1970, and the highly publicized trial that followed. The trial was the first judicial acknowledgment of behavior motivated by racial hatred within the Metropolitan Police. Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Shaun Parkes (Lost in Space), and Malachi Kirby (Curfew) star alongside Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty), Jack Lowden (The Long Song), Sam Spruell (Snow White and The Huntsmen), Gershwyn Eustache Jnr (The Gentlemen), Nathaniel Martello-White (Collateral), Richie Campbell (Liar), Jumayn Hunter (Les Miserables), and Gary Beadle (Summer of Rockets). Mangrove was co-written by Alastair Siddons and Steve Steve McQueen.

Small Axe is an anthology comprised of five original films set from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s that tell different stories involving Londons West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will despite rampant racism and discrimination. This title is derived from the African proverb, If you are the big tree, we are the small axe. The five films featured in addition to Mangrove are Lovers Rock, Alex Wheatle, Education and Red, White and Blue.

Mangrove and Lovers Rock were included in the Cannes 2020 Official Selection, while Mangrove, Lovers Rock, and Red, White, and Blue will premiere during this years 58th New York Film Festival.

Small Axe is produced by Turbine Studios and Steve McQueens Lammas Park for BBC One, with Amazon Studios co-producing in the US.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

In prerecorded remarks released Thursday in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Archbishop of Santa Fe John Wester left no doubt that the Catholic Church is fully committed to the elimination of nuclear weapons in the United States and throughout the world.

Wester also said he supports the efforts of the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium who are seeking reparations for families affected by radioactive fallout from the July 16, 1945, nuclear blast at the Trinity test site on the Alamogordo Bombing Range  now White Sands Missile Range.

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to be socially distant, Wester said, were united in our resolve to eliminate nuclear weapons and build a world that is grounded, not in fear and distrust, but in mutual respect for the life and dignity of all.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Wester said, reminds us that the United States has a responsibility to work to reverse the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and to reduce its own reliance on weapons of mass destruction by pursuing progressive nuclear disarmament.

Wester quoted Pope Francis, who said during a visit last year to Nagasaki, in a world where millions of children and families live in inhumane conditions, the money that is squandered, and the fortunes made in the manufacture, upgrading, maintenance and sale of ever more destructive weapons, are an affront crying out to heaven.'

While acknowledging that laboratories and military bases in New Mexico, have been and continue to be directly involved with nuclear arms, Wester also said that many scientists and labs are making strides in research that envelops energy and environmental programs, computing science, bio science, engineering science, materials science and micro-systems, as well as advances in medicine, and lately, helping in fighting COVID-19.

These, he said, are productive uses of our laboratories, which were proud of.

Westers recorded comments were part of a one-hour video compiled by the Rev. John Dear, a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Monterey, California, who for 17 years served parishes in northern New Mexico under the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Others who spoke on the video, which can be seen on YouTube, included Jay Coghlan, executive director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico; Roshi Joan Halifax, abbot at the Upaya Institute and Zen Center in Santa Fe; and Dr. Ira Helfand, co-chair of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Dear, an activist, author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, works full time for the Catholic peace group, Pace e Bene (Peace and Good). He has organized the annual Hiroshima Day events in Los Alamos for 17 years, and for the last three years was working on a week of events for the 75th anniversary of the nuclear bombing in Japan, including a national conference that was going to be held at Hotel Albuquerque.

All that changed with the coronavirus pandemic, forcing the events to go online, but with the unexpected benefit of reaching many thousands of people more than it might have, Dear said.

This is a turning point for church leadership regarding attitudes toward nuclear weapons, Dear said in a phone interview with the Journal. Previously, Pope John Paul II said the church is against nuclear weapons, but deterrence is morally acceptable  which totally allows for nuclear weapons. Now, Pope Francis is saying its no longer morally acceptable. Deterrence has nothing to do with Jesus. Love your enemy. You cant build nukes, you cant possess them, you cant maintain them, you cant upgrade them, you cant threaten with them. Its all the same pure level of evil.

Wester also noted in his recorded remarks that the Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on International Justice and Peace has called for the support and passage of HR 2529 and SB 2394, bipartisan bills that represent a patient and persistent step in the direction of reducing the nuclear threat by supporting extension of the New START Treaty with Russia, set to expire in February 2021.

Urge your elected officials to support extension of the New START Treaty, and the continued moratorium on nuclear testing to work toward nuclear disarmament, Wester said.
- Mark Zuckerberg, set a new personal record as his wealth jumped over $100 billion

- Zuckerberg's new net worth has put him in the club of big rich men in the world who have also gone past the centi-billion mark

- As world economy slumps due to the raging coronavirus pandemic, American tech giants have had their wealth grow more

Mark Zuckerbergs fortune passed a $100 billion (KSh 10,800,000,000,000) mark for the first time on Thursday, August 6, after his company Facebook Inc hit a record profit after the release of Reels.

According to Bloomberg, Zuckerberg joined the league of centibillionaires of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.

READ ALSO: You guys look alike: Lovers discover they are cousins after dating for 1 year

Mark Zuckerbergs fortune passed a $100 billion on Thursday, August 6. Photo: The Herald.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Rwandans forced to attend all-night lectures as punishment for not wearing mask, violating curfew

It should be noted that his fortune largely comes from his 13% stake in Facebook.

The development adds to the fact that American tech titans have had their fortune take a huge surge in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic makes people conduct their activities online more.

The Facebook founder gained about $22 billion in 2020 alone, while Bezos is said to have raked in more than $75 billion.

READ ALSO: Donald Trump issues orders banning China owned apps TikTok, WeChat in US

This sudden jump of fortune also came with its pressures too as the American tech founders have lately been under a lot of scrutinies.

For instance, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc. had to defend the allegation that their power was uncontrollable.

The same media reported all five American largest tech companies; Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Alphabet, and Microsoft have a market value estimated to be around 30% of US GDP,

READ ALSO: COVID-19 tests: Step by step process of how samples are tested for the virus

This was double what they were worth back in 2018.

This is not the first time a tech giant would be making the news for huge single day financial earning.

Bezos added a whopping $13 billion (KSh 1,404,000,000,000) to his fortune on Monday, July 20, making it the largest wealth growth for an individual since 2012.

READ ALSO: Man accidentally burns down apartment while proposing to girlfriend with hundreds of candles

On the same day, Amazons shares jumped to 7.9%, the most it has been since December 2018.

Bezos' single-day profit is almost half of Nigeria's 2020 budget which Reuters put at N10.51 trillion ($29.19 billion).

His ex-wife, Mackenzie Bezos, also gained a very good sum of $4.6 billion on Monday, July 20, and is now considered the 13tth-richest person in the world.

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BILLINGS, Mont, (AP)  Two people working on the Keystone XL oil pipeline have tested positive for the coronavirus in northern Montana, but the company said Thursday that construction work on the disputed project will continue after a temporary shut down of a pipe storage yard.

Calgary-based TC Energy says the first pipe yard worker in Phillips County tested positive at a local clinic on July 28, Yellowstone Public Radio reported. Testing on six close contacts of the infected person found a second worker with the virus.

Native American tribes and others along the pipeline's 1,200-mile (1,930-mile) route have raised concerns that workers could bring the virus into rural communities unable to handle a large outbreak.

The infected workers were in quarantine and not expected to return to the storage yard, where construction was expected to wrap up in coming days, company spokesman Terry Cunha said.

Work was not interrupted ongoing elsewhere along the route, including site work on planned camps for workers in Baker, Montana and Philip, South Dakota and at eight pump stations in Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota.

We are continuing to follow the safety protocols and there are no other cases to report, Cunha said.

The pump station construction does not include laying of pipeline. That's stalled because of a court ruling that invalidated a permit needed for the hundreds of rivers, wetlands and other water bodies that Keystone XL would cross between Hardisty, Alberta, Canada and Steel City, Nebraska.

TC Energy this spring negotiated a plan with Montana health officials to minimize virus risks, including checking people entering work sites for fever. Pipeline opponents have said those measures are insufficient.

The project was proposed more than a decade ago but was stalled for years until President Donald Trump reversed the Obama administration's rejection of the project. It's price tag has grown to more than $9 billion, according to recent regulatory filings by the company.

The company initially planned to build 11 camps housing up to 1,000 workers each along the pipelines route  six in Montana, four in South Dakota and one in Nebraska.

Construction of most camps for now has been deferred because of the court ruling on river crossings, Cunha said, and its uncertain if all the camps will be built after the arrival of the pandemic.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 18:26:30|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY) announced on Friday that all passengers travelling from Turkey to Germany would be required to take COVID-19 tests.

"Our passengers who do not submit negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test results taken within 48 hours prior to arrival in Germany will not be allowed on board," the THY said on its Twitter account.

The carrier noted that the procedure would be put into effect starting Aug. 9 on all its flights from Turkey to Germany.

Germany has recently lifted its travel warning to four Turkish provinces, Izmir, Mugla, Aydin and Antalya on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts where the coronavirus cases have been relatively low, according to press reports.

The total COVID-19 cases in Turkey reached 237,265 on Thursday with a death toll of 5,798, according to the latest official data. Enditem
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Two candidates who both served as replacement governors in the wake of a Puerto Rican political crisis are competing against each other for a chance to win the job in their own right as the disaster-struck U.S. territory holds primary elections.

Gov. Wanda Vzquez of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party is seeking the partys nomination in a Sunday contest with seasoned politician Pedro Pierluisi, who represented Puerto Rico in Congress from 2009 to 2017.

Pierluisi was sworn in as governor last August when Gov. Ricardo Rossell resigned following widespread street protests over a profanity-laced chat that was leaked and government corruption. But he served less than a week as Puerto Ricos Supreme Court ruled that Vzquez, then the justice secretary, was constitutionally next in line because there was no secretary of state.

Whoever emerges as the partys nominee will be among a record nine gubernatorial candidates in Novembers general elections.

The main opposition Popular Democratic Party, which supports Puerto Ricos current political status as a U.S. territory, is holding a primary for the first time in its 82-year history. It has three people competing for its gubernatorial nomination San Juan Mayor Carmen Yuln Cruz, known for her public spats with U.S. President Donald Trump following the devastation of Hurricane Maria; Puerto Rico Sen. Eduardo Bhatia; and Carlos Delgado, mayor of the northwest coastal town of Isabela.

Despite the firsts in the primaries, Puerto Ricos consistently high voter turnout of nearly 70% could dip as the U.S. territory struggles with a spike in coronavirus cases and growing disillusion and anger over the island governments response to hurricanes, recent earthquakes and the pandemic.

Im not interested, and I dont even want to know about politics, said 51-year-old Yayi Borrero, who has voted regularly since age 18 but struggled to obtain help from the government after losing her job at a hardware store in the southwest town of Gunica after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake destroyed it in January.

The primaries come at a critical time. Along with facing the pandemic, Puerto Rico has yet to recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 and a string of recent strong earthquakes that began in late December, the government is struggling to emerge from bankruptcy, the island is in the 13th year of a recession, and power outages are frequent.

Were at a crossroads.  The people are suffering, political analyst Domingo Emanuelli said.

Emanuelli said he expects voters choosing between Pierluisi and Vzquez will pick the candidate they think has the best chance of securing statehood for Puerto Rico, noting that a nonbinding referendum on that issue is scheduled for November.

Since becoming governor, Vzquez has had a turbulent year as earthquakes and the pandemic rattled Puerto Rico.

While she was praised for implementing a lockdown in mid-March to fight the coronavirus, many people have since criticized her for a rushed reopening months later. In addition, she and other officials are facing a formal corruption probe for the alleged mismanagement of supplies slated for those affected by the earthquakes, marking the first time in recent history that a special prosecutors panel has investigated a sitting governor.

Emanuelli expects a tight governors race in the Popular Democratic Party, whose future as an advocate of remaining a U.S. territory is uncertain as the islands troubles highlight what many people see as a disparity in Washingtons treatment of Puerto Rico.

In addition to gubernatorial races, the pro-statehood New Progressive Party is holding 33 primaries for mayoral nominations, while the Popular Democratic Party will have 17 mayoral primaries.

Because of the pandemic, the opposition party for the first time offered drive-through voting at a handful of sites in recent days, while Puerto Ricos electoral commission has said those who have tested positive for the coronavirus will be able to vote by phone. The island of 3.2 million people has reported more than 7,800 confirmed cases, with at least 258 deaths.

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Becky Pringle, a self-described social justice warrior, will be the next president of the nations largest teachers union at a time when schools are reeling from both the coronavirus pandemic and a national reckoning on racism.

Pringle, 65, was elected Wednesday to the National Education Associations top spot with 93 percent of the vote, defeating teachers Mark Norberg and Mark Airgood. She told Education Week that she will shepherd teachers through what will be a tumultuous school year as schools decide whether to reopen for in-person instruction or continue with remote learning, while also championing efforts around racial equity and justice.

Pringle, a former Pennsylvania middle school science teacher who was in the classroom for three decades, served as the unions vice president for the past six years alongside President Lily Eskelsen Garcia. Pringle will be the third Black female president in the NEAs 163-year history.

Princess Moss, the secretary-treasurer of the NEA and a former elementary school music teacher from Virginia, was elected NEAs vice president, with 88 percent of the vote. Noel Candelaria, the immediate past president of the Texas State Teachers Association and a former special education teacher, was elected secretary-treasurer, with 60 percent of the vote.



Pringle, Moss, and Candelaria will all serve a three-year term, starting Sept. 1.

See also: NEAs Lily Eskelsen Garcia Talks Racial Justice, COVID Layoffs, and Leaving Office

EdWeek spoke to Pringle the morning after her election to discuss reopening schools safely, how schools can better serve students of color, and her hopes for the next education secretary. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You are taking office during unprecedented times for education. What do you see as the NEAs role this fall as schools consider how to reopen?

Our primary concern and focus is keeping our students and our educators and our families and community safe. I very much look at it as Maslows hierarchy of needs, thats the first thing. And then for us as educators, the second thing is to make sure that they continue to learn. ...

What I know is that [teachers] so want to be with their students. They were plucked away from them, and our students from each other, so quickly in the spring. And not only were they dealing with the impact of the virus personally, and trying to keep their own families safe, but then they were trying to figure out how they could do the very best work possible virtually without any preparationtoo many instances, honestly, without the equipment and the tools they need or the training.

They made me so proud in that moment, but we all know that its not enough. Our students need more from us. If were going to try to keep them safe, and if that means that we cannot reopen schools, .... then weve gotta do better. That starts with making sure that we are doing everything possible to fill those gaps that existed already. ...

How in the world can we open [schools] safely? Theyre not safe if the infection rates in that community are not low and have not been low for at least two weeks. Theyre not safe if that school cant figure out how toand have the resources tosocially distance those students, to provide ongoing sanitation, health-care testing, and plans for when the students get sick. And we already have that evidence. Were seeing that in Georgia and Iowa and Indiana, those schools that started back early, they are already shutting down classes and in some instances, the entire district.

The American Federation of Teachers has said nothing is off the table to prevent schools from reopening before they feel its safe, including safety strikes. Is that the NEAs position too? Would you support local or state strikes?

We absolutely are supporting our locals and our state [affiliates] in whatever actions they need to take to keep our students safe. That means those kinds of grassroots actions, as well as legal actions. We joined the Florida affiliate in bringing a suit against the governor and were prepared to do that in other states as well if they feel that theyre putting their students at risk.

We are ramping up our work around [political] advocacy as well, ... from our school board elections to governors to members of Congress and the Senate, all the way, of course, up to the White House. But were also getting our members and everyone that they know to reach out to put pressure on the Senate [in passing a coronavirus aid package for schools]. I mean, really how long do they need to act on legislation that helps our communities and our students and our schools in this country? It is just unacceptable. It really is.

We are supporting our affiliates in whatever action they need to take to get folks to listenwe are not going to put our students at risk. Were not going to do that.

Youre also taking office at a time when the country is confronting institutionalized racism. How can teachers, who are mostly white women, best support their Black students?

We know that regardless of the fact that some of our students and some of our teachers are living or teaching in a predominantly or all-white school, or they live in an all-white community, it doesnt mean they still dont have a responsibility. I tell them this all the time: They have a moral obligation as educators to ensure that their white students are prepared to live in a diverse and interdependent world. ...

We are working to ensure that our educators ... are taking courses and continuously learning about implicit bias, that they are steeping their practice in restorative practice, that they are culturally competent in their teaching and how they structure their environments, that they are learning about the culture and history of the students in their classrooms, and that they are preparing themselves to teach a more complete history of this country.

But in this moment, wow. You know, I actually look at it as an opportunity because folks cant look away anymore. When we watched that video on the murder of George Floyd, people cant look away anymore. Im so proud of our affiliates who issued statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement because we have to say that affirmatively. And when we say affirmatively that Black lives matter, then all of our students will understand that as a country, we are going to center what we do in their humanity, that we see them. ...

We think our students dont, but they do know that theyre being marginalized by this society, that theyre not being viewed as fully human. And when they watched everything unfold with the murder of George Floyd and so many others, theyre watching to see what we as adults are going to do in this moment. And I have committed this organizations resources to making sure we are centered everything we do in equity, and that we are challenging ourselves every single day to work on racial and social justice.

It sounds like that might be your answer to my next question, but what are your top priorities over the next three years?

Everything is steeped in that vision, and everything is going to flow from that, but of course we have to address this pandemic. Weve got to figure out how the learning of our students that really has been so significantly interrupted by the pandemichow do we in this moment do better in teaching and learning? We have to figure that out.

Were dealing with this current reality in front of us right now, but we have this aspirational vision, and were teaching [educators] how to build that bridge up between those two so that we dont get steeped in what is right now, that we have that aspirational vision there. ...

And then the third priority for us is the election. Everything that happens in our schools for our kids and our communities, every decision thats made is a political decision from the school board to the White House. I say to our members, your activism and involvement in politics is a moral and professional responsibility. ...

I could go on and on about Betsy DeVos, but she needs to go. And we need a new president, but our delegates didnt just vote against Donald Trump [when they endorsed Joe Biden]. And I want to be real clear about that. ... I had an opportunity to meet with [Biden] and talk to him about his vision for education, and it is truly aspirational. Hes thinking about how we are going to provide the resources and support and the professional development and all of those things. Hes talking a lot about community schools, which I love, and how we are going together with industry and business to think about how we educate our students for jobs we dont even know will exist yet.

We had a really deep conversation about that, how do we build those critical thinking and problem solving skills? It was just the most refreshing and exciting conversation I had. Hes actually creating a vision of transforming our public education system in a way that positions us into the future.

Who would you like to see as the next education secretary if Biden is elected?

Weve talked about that with him, and he has promised that he will name an educator as the secretary of education . Were so excited to work with him on folks that we know would be extraordinary in that position, but who have walked this walk. What we talked to him about is someone whos committed really to public education, but also understands and has already started to take their own journey of awareness and leadership around racial and social justice. That is absolutely essential to usthat they understand that when they step into that position, they have to center their work in equity. He has committed that to us, and so were real excited about that choice.

What does it mean for you personally to become the president of the nations largest teachers union?

Im still this Black girl from North Philly who struggled in poverty. My father pushed me, he drove me. He said, Becky, you have to run faster and you have to jump higher as a Black woman in this society. And that drove me throughout my entire life. And my mom is this incredibly loving person who I described as somebody whose unconditional love caught me. I had this incredible dual parenting that certainly prepared me for this moment, but Ill always be that person. It is still a little surreal, this science teacher who just wanted to figure out how I was going to capture the imagination of those babies with attitude. ... Oh my gosh, what Ive experienced? I loved it. It kept me alive. It kept me excited and seeing their eyes light up around the wonders of sciencejust, oh my gosh, I get chills when I think about it, but thats who I see myself as.

Stepping into this position now is just surreal. Over the last 12 years as an officer of the NEA, Ive had this incredible opportunity to travel all over this country and the world to talk with members and students and parents and community leaders. Even as a Black woman in this moment, I am so hopeful about our future.

Image: Becky Pringle attends a 2018 news conference. Andrew Harnik/AP
Assam-based activist Akhil Gogois bail plea has been rejected in a case of violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Assam last year. A special NIA court relied on the evidence collected against Gogoi and observed that it cannot be said that the accusations are wholly improbable, according to an NIA statement.

Gogoi is set to move the state high court against the rejection order delivered in Guwahati on Friday.

Gogoi was arrested on December 12 as a preventive measure while protests against the CAA in the state raged and resulted in violence at several places. Gogois case was later handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which filed a charge sheet against him on June 29, 2020 for alleged conspiracy in league with the proscribed Maoist outfit, the CPI (Maoist) group, for commissioning of alleged terrorist acts.

It pertains to larger conspiracy hatched by CPI (Maoist), a proscribed organisation, wherein Akhil Gogoi and other accused persons intentionally conspired, and incited acts preparatory to commission of terrorist acts, an official statement by NIA said.

Also Read: Kerala gold smuggling suspect had good rapport with CMs office: NIA

NIA has argued that the alleged conspiracy hatched by Gogoi in connivance with others included disrupting supplies and services essential to the life of the community and causing damage and destruction of public and private property aimed at striking terror in a section of people of India.

Accused Akhil Gogoi and others have used passage of Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament as an opportunity to further the Maoist agenda and to promote enmity between different groups and to do acts, prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, thus endangering security and sovereignty of the State, the statement added further.

Also Read:NHRC asks Chhattisgarh to compensate activists

Akhil Gogoi is associated with Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), a peasant organisation based in Assam.

The agency had earlier conducted raids at Gogois residence in Guwahati.

The hearing on Gogois bail plea continued for 10 days in NIA court, which ultimately resulted in its rejection on Friday. The case against Gogoi and others is in pre-trial stage for framing of charges against the accused persons.
The U.S. Postal Service says it lost $2.2 billion in the three months that ended in June as the beleaguered agency - hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic - piles up financial losses that officials warn could top $20 billion over two years.

But the new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, disputed reports that his agency is slowing down election mail or any other mail and said it has 'ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on time' for the November presidential contest, when a significant increase in mail-in ballots is expected.

Still, DeJoy offered a gloomy picture of the 630,000-employee agency Friday in his first public remarks since taking the top job in June.

'Our financial position is dire, stemming from substantial declines in mail volume, a broken business model and a management strategy that has not adequately addressed these issues,' DeJoy told the postal board of governors at a meeting Friday.

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Postmaster General Louis DeJoy (center) leaves the Capitol after meeting with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday

'Without dramatic change, there is no end in sight,' DeJoy said.

While package deliveries to homebound Americans were up more than 50 percent, that was offset by continued declines in first-class and business mail, even as costs increased significantly to pay for personal protective equipment and replace workers who got sick or chose to stay home in fear of the virus, DeJoy said.

Without an intervention from Congress, the agency faces an impending cash flow crisis, he said.

The Postal Service is seeking an infusion of at least $10 billion to cover operating losses as well as regulatory changes that would undo a congressional requirement that the agency pre-fund billions of dollars in retiree health benefits.

The agency is doing its part, said DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser and former supply chain executive who took command of the agency June 15.

DeJoy, 63, of North Carolina, is a major donor to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. He is the first postmaster general in nearly two decades who is not a career postal employee.

A United States Postal Service (USPS) worker unloads packages from his truck in Manhattan during the pandemic in April

In his first month on the job, DeJoy said, he directed the agency to vigorously 'focus on the ingrained inefficiencies in our operations,'' including by applying strict limits on overtime.

'By running our operations on time and on schedule, and by not incurring unnecessary overtime or other costs, we will enhance our ability to be sustainable and ... continue to provide high-quality, affordable service,'' DeJoy said.

While not acknowledging widespread complaints by members of Congress about delivery delays nationwide, DeJoy said the agency will 'aggressively monitor and quickly address service issues'.

DeJoy's remarks came as lawmakers from both parties called on the Postal Service to immediately reverse operational changes that are causing delays in deliveries across the country just as big volume increases are expected for mail-in election voting.

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that changes imposed by DeJoy 'threaten the timely delivery of mail - including medicines for seniors, paychecks for workers and absentee ballots for voters - that is essential to millions of Americans.''

In his remarks to the postal board of governors, DeJoy called election mail handling 'a robust and proven process'.

A United States Postal Service worker works in the rain in Manhattan during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in April

While there will 'likely be an unprecedented increase in election mail volume due to the pandemic, the Postal Service has ample capacity to deliver all election mail securely and on time in accordance with our delivery standards, and we will do so, DeJoy said. 'However ... we cannot correct the errors of (state and local) election boards if they fail to deploy processes that take our normal processing and delivery standards into account.

Later Friday, DeJoy released another memo detailing changes he said would improve efficiency and focus on the service's core mission. The changes include a management hiring freeze and a request to allow future, voluntary early retirements for non-union employees.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, said DeJoy should not be instituting such major changes during 'the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic with a national election around the corner.''

Maloney, who has called DeJoy to testify before her committee next month, demanded he 'halt these changes now.'

DeJoy ran into similar resistance at a closed-door meeting Wednesday with Schumer and Pelosi. Schumer called it 'a heated discussion' and said Democrats told DeJoy that 'elections are sacred.' They urged him not to impose cutbacks 'at a time when all ballots count,'' Schumer said.

DeJoy had closed-door meeting Wednesday with Schumer and Pelosi. Schumer called it 'a heated discussion' and said Democrats told DeJoy that 'elections are sacred'

In separate letters, two Montana Republicans, Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforte, also urged the Postal Service to reverse the July directive, which eliminates overtime for hundreds of thousands of postal workers and mandates that mail be kept until the next day if distribution centers are running late.

And 84 House members - including four Republicans - signed yet another letter blasting the changes and urging an immediate reversal.

'It is vital that the Postal Service does not reduce mail delivery hours, which could harm rural communities, seniors, small businesses and millions of Americans who rely on the mail for critical letters and packages,'' the House members wrote.

The flurry of letters came as the top Democrat on a Senate panel that oversees the Postal Service launched an investigation into the operational changes. Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said DeJoy has failed to provide answers about the service delays, despite repeated requests.

Democrats have pushed for $10 billion for the Postal Service in talks with Republicans on a huge COVID-19 response bill. The figure is down from a $25 billion plan in a House-passed coronavirus measure. Key Republicans whose rural constituents are especially reliant on the post office support the idea.

Trump, a vocal critic of the Postal Service, contended Wednesday that 'the Post Office doesnt have enough time' to handle a significant increase in mail-in ballots. 'I mean youre talking about millions of votes. .. Its a catastrophe waiting to happen.'
Alsobrooks, whose supporters want her to run for governor in 2022, proposed an Election Day plan of her own in a letter to Hogan on July 30. She advocated for every voter to be mailed a ballot  not an application, as in Hogans plan  and for 15 polling sites in Prince Georges to be opened, rather than the 244 that are typically available. She also proposed extending the early voting timeline and installing secure drop-off ballot boxes at all approved polling locations.
Speech by Mr Harvesh Seegolam , Governor of the Bank of Mauritius, at the launch of the Workshop for Money Laundering Reporting Officers, organised by the Bank of Mauritius in collaboration with the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Financial Services Commission, Port Louis, 7 August 2020.

His Excellency Mr Keith Allan, British High Commissioner to Mauritius,

His Excellency, Mr Janesh Kain, Deputy High Commissioner of India to Mauritius,

First Deputy Governor and Chairman of the Financial Services Commission,

Second Deputy Governor,

Director Financial Intelligence Unit,

Heads of organisations,

Representatives of regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies,

Fellow members of the media,

Dear delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish you all a very good morning.

I am pleased to welcome you to the Bank of Mauritius for this workshop on the latest developments in the Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism landscape in Mauritius.

This entire workshop has been crafted keeping in mind the cross-sectoral population of money laundering reporting officers (MLROs). Today with us, we have MLROs from the banking and non-banking financial services sectors as well as designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs).

The effective implementation of robust anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism and proliferation measures remains a key priority for all of us.

As Governor, I have placed the fight against money laundering very high on my agenda. Strengthening the regulatory confidence that investors have in Mauritius is of paramount importance, more so given our role as a long established International Financial Centre.

As such, we will not make any compromise on this score. Non-compliance with the set standards will not be tolerated by the Bank and will entail severe sanctions. I have given clear directives so that we collaborate on a permanent basis with the competent domestic and foreign authorities engaged in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing to this end as well.

As MLROs of your respective institutions, it is extremely important for you to understand the national and international ML/TF risks to enable you to perform your duties in an effective and efficient manner.

The Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Regulations 2018 require reporting persons to appoint a MLRO to whom an internal suspicion report shall be made. It is also incumbent on the MLRO to make Suspicious Transaction Reports to the respective competent authority, namely the Financial Intelligence Unit.

The resource persons will undoubtedly provide you with guidance in fulfilling your mandate during the course of this workshop today.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The initiatives and actions taken by the Bank of Mauritius and other competent Authorities to address the gaps identified in the 2018 Mutual Evaluation Report of Mauritius bear the testimony of our commitment to adhere to the highest AML/CFT norms and standards.

The Mutual Evaluation Report, published by the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG) in September 2018, sets out the extent to which Mauritius has implemented the technical requirements of the FATF Recommendations. The report presented the key findings of the assessment team and the priority actions for Mauritius in view of strengthening its AML/CFT system.

When the Mutual Evaluation Report was published in September 2018, Mauritius was rated non-compliant on 13 Recommendations, partially compliant on 13 Recommendations, largely compliant on 11 Recommendations and compliant on only 3 recommendations.

In September 2019, that is exactly one year after the publication of the Mutual Evaluation Report and after two successful applications for technical compliance rerating, Mauritius has been rated compliant on 26 Recommendations, largely compliant on 9 Recommendations, partially compliant on 4 Recommendations. The figures and the remarkable improvements in compliance speak for themselves.

Mauritius, as at now, is therefore compliant or largely compliant to 35 out of 40 FATF Recommendations, including the so-called Big 6 FATF Recommendations, which are:

Recommendation 3 on Money laundering offence

Recommendation 5 on Terrorist financing offence

Recommendation 6 on Targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism & terrorist financing

Recommendation 10 on Customer due diligence

Recommendation 11 on Record keeping

Recommendation 20 on Reporting of suspicious transactions

We are among the few countries having such a remarkable score in terms of technical compliance.

This further testifies the commitment of Mauritius, at all levels, in ensuring its compliance towards the best norms on AML/CFT matters. It is worth noting that out of the big 6 recommendations, 3 have been obtained during the period from September 2018 to September 2019.

Mauritius has always, and continues to, put a strong emphasis on its legal and regulatory frameworks to adequately combat money laundering and terrorism financing.

As a result, we have seen key and enabling legislative and regulatory frameworks reviewed and introduced with the aim of:

(a) further consolidating our adherence to FATF Recommendations pertaining to terrorism financing and proliferation financing and implement the restrictive measures under all the United Nations Security Council Resolutions;

(b) enhancing the existing legal framework for preventive measures that apply to financial institutions and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions;

(c) extending the scope of the Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Act to include the financing of proliferation; and

(d) establishing a legal framework to support the National Risk Assessment exercise.

The Bank of Mauritius has been fully committed to this transformation that the country has embarked on.

The Bank of Mauritius, as a proactive and future-focused institution has equally played a crucial role and revisited a number of its regulatory frameworks and adopted a risk-based approach to AML/CFT supervision. Same is the case with other key regulatory bodies in Mauritius.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Regulatory institutions, Law Enforcement Agencies and other competent Authorities have engaged and are building bridges which would further encourage domestic inter-agency collaboration with the aim of commonly tackling AML/CFT matters.

A vivid example is the tripartite agreement that exists between the Bank of Mauritius, the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Intelligence Unit, which was entered into in September 2018.

I am convinced that the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing may only be won if all relevant stakeholders work together in a concerted, coordinated and collaborative approach.

It is worth noting that tripartite meetings are held under this agreement on a quarterly basis where all concerned institutions discuss ongoing matters of common interest including but not limited to ongoing investigations, outreach campaigns, sharing of experiences, secondments and legislative changes. Similarly, the Bank has entered into bilateral MoUs and Memorandum of Cooperation with other domestic authorities, as well as foreign central banks with a view to exchanging information on AML/CFT matters, both spontaneously and upon request.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mauritius has also adopted its National Strategy for Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation 2019-2022. By doing so, we have set out the approach which Mauritius will adopt to tackle money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing threats over the near future.

To assist in achieving technical compliance with the remaining 5 FATF Recommendations, The Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020, which brings amendments to 19 pieces of legislation, was enacted in July 2020. On the strength of this legislation and additional progress made by the competent Authorities, Mauritius has already submitted a third application for technical compliance re-rating of these remaining 5 FATF recommendations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

While technical compliance is essential, it is equally important to note that only achieving technical compliance with the FATF Recommendations is not the sole determining criteria of the FATF. The effectiveness of the legislative and regulatory frameworks is crucial.

As stated by Mr Liu, the former FATF President, "The challenge many countries face today is not the absence of comprehensive global standards, but the effective implementation of those standards."

Compliance is a continuous process. We have chosen to embark on this journey and we are highly dedicated to it.

In this regard, I must say that we, at the Bank of Mauritius, are deploying substantial efforts on the effectiveness front to fully comply with the AML/CFT standards recommended by international organisations.

When we refer to effectiveness, the FATF expects financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) to -

understand the nature and level of their money laundering and terrorist financing risks; develop and apply AML/CFT policies (including group-wide policies), internal controls, and programmes to adequately mitigate those risks; apply appropriate CDD measures to identify and verify the identity of their customers, including the beneficial owners, and conduct ongoing monitoring; adequately detect and report suspicious transactions; and comply with other AML/CFT requirements.

The duties, powers and responsibilities vested on the existing AML/CFT Supervisors, including the Bank of Mauritius, as regulator for the banking sector, and the Financial Services Commission, as regulator for the non-banking financial services and global business sectors, have been enhanced. The Bank of Mauritius implemented a risk-based approach to AML/CFT supervision. The Guidelines on AML/CFT were reviewed in the light of the changes brought to the domestic legislative framework and issued to the industry earlier this year.

In addition, new AML/CFT Supervisors have been designated for the different categories of DNFBPs. The FIU, which at inception was envisioned as an intelligence gathering agency, is now the AML/CFT Supervisor for five distinct categories of DNFBPs, namely the three branches of the legal professions, the Real Estate and Jewelry sectors.

The AML/CFT supervisors have benefitted and continue to benefit from training on the implementation of the risk-based supervision in line with the international standards and have all issued guidance to their licensees which sets out the parameters within which they should operate in order to ward off money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing risks.

In this regard, Mauritius has obtained technical assistance from the EU funded AML/CFT Global Facility and the German Government through the German Development Agency, the GIZ to support the implementation of the FATF Action Plan.

On its part, the Bank of Mauritius conducted outreach for the industry on various AML/CFT topics. As at date, we have already hosted 7 training sessions for the industry and AML/CFT supervisors. All of them were facilitated by international experts on AML/CFT.

On 28 July this year, the Bank hosted a virtual training delivered by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation of the UK HM Treasury on the implementation of financial sanctions for the Mauritius Authorities involved in the implementation of the United Nations (Financial Prohibitions, Arms Embargo and Travel Ban) Sanctions Act. The virtual training saw the participation of more than 100 representatives from the various agencies and authorities.

I'm pleased to inform you that 7 additional training programs are scheduled until the end of this very month.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Within one year of the publication of the Mutual Evaluation Report, Mauritius demonstrated positive and tangible progress on 53 of the 58 Recommended Actions in the Report - which is indeed a monumental task within such a short span of time. Mauritius was placed on the FATF List of Jurisdictions under increased monitoring, in February 2020, with respect to the remaining 5 Recommended Actions for which the FATF has, in consultation with Mauritius, devised a detailed Plan of Action with specific deadlines to remedy the identified shortcomings.

Mauritius has, in February 2020, given a high level political commitment to the FATF to implement the Action Plan within agreed timelines. I must here say that there is a concerted effort at all levels among respective Ministries, Regulatory Bodies, Law Enforcement Agencies and other competent Authorities in view of implementing the Action Plan. This concerted effort is another tangible proof of our commitment to deliver on the Action Plan by September 2020, which is well before the agreed timeline of the FATF .

The seriousness of Mauritius to implement all actions is also testified by the fact that a high level Committee placed under the chairmanship of the Honourable Prime Minister has been set up to monitor progress made on the said Action Plan.

There is also a dedicated Core Group which has been established to monitor the implementation of the Recommendations of the Mutual Evaluation Report. Much has happened in terms of effectiveness since the February 2020 FATF plenary meeting in Paris.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

No later than last week, Mauritius has submitted its Progress Report on the implementation of the Action Plan to the Joint Group of the FATF for necessary consideration.

Our relevant agencies have completed their respective comprehensive plan to implement the FATF action Plan as follows:

Regulatory bodies have adopted risk-based supervision for their respective segments (IO3 and IO4);

A beneficial ownership registry has been set up for providing timely access of information to competent authorities (IO5);

Law enforcement agencies have embarked on intensive training programme and are conducting parallel complex financial investigations (IO7) and

Competent authorities have conducted outreach on targeted financial sanctions and proliferation (IO10 and IO11).

In this respect, I reiterate as a member of the Core group, that we remain fully committed to ensure our full compliance and effectiveness towards all the FATF standards.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

While we have been focused on the implementation of the FATF Action Plan over the recent months, we cannot ignore the consequences and threats that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought in its wake, not only socio-economic upheavals, but also exposed new and emerging financial risks.

The FATF has cautioned financial institutions to remain vigilant as criminals were seen to be taking advantage of the pandemic to carry out financial fraud and exploitation scams.

These scams included advertising and trafficking in counterfeit medicines, offering fraudulent investment opportunities, engaging in phishing schemes that prey on virus-related fears, malicious or fraudulent cybercrimes, fundraising by fake charities, and insider trading, to state merely a few.

The FATF further laid emphasis on that, I quote, "criminals and terrorists may seek to exploit gaps and weaknesses in national anti-money laundering/counter-financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) systems while they assume resources are focused elsewhere making risk-based supervision and enforcement activity more critical than ever. Financial institutions and other businesses should remain vigilant to emerging ML and TF risks and ensure that they continue to effectively mitigate these risks and are able to detect and report suspicious activity" unquote.

The pandemic has also been a change in the payment habits with an increase in the use of mobile, electronic, digital and contactless payments. Such a behaviour converges towards our initiative to promote the digitalization of the banking sector, in line with our common vision for the digital transformation of Mauritius.

It is likely that such a transformation will increase the scope for criminals to exploit vulnerabilities of such systems and commit cyber-attacks and frauds. Appropriate safeguards, controls and risk mitigating measures must therefore be implemented to identify, mitigate and manage the associated risks.

Earlier this year, in the height of the pandemic, the FATF encouraged financial institutions to make appropriate use of financial technology such as digital or contactless payments and digital onboarding to facilitate the delivery of banking and financial services in response to the pandemic while mitigating money-laundering and terrorist financing risks.

The FATF further proposed a range of measures to enable financial institutions to use a risk-based approach to their customer due diligence, including rolling out responsible digital identity and other innovative solutions for identifying customers at onboarding and while conducting transactions.

To this end, I'm pleased to inform you the Bank has been very proactive and has already embarked on the process of developing a centralized e-KYC platform. This project will facilitate the verification of the identity and will help enhancing KYC control across various segments of activities in the country. The platform will equally have access the national InfoHighway for the validation of the KYC information.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In light with emerging technology and new practices, reporting institutions must accelerate efforts to further expand and develop their AML/CFT toolkit to deal with new and emerging risks

I therefore take this opportunity to stress that your role as MLROs is to continuously be kept abreast of the digital risks and developments. You can only expect your duties and responsibilities to grow. This is why attending such workshops is fundamental.

This Workshop is part of a series of training and outreach programmes aimed at enhancing the skills of our licensees. Targeted outreach programmes such as this one will promote clear understanding of money laundering and terrorism financing risk.

Our aim is to promote strong AML/CFT measures which are imperative in protecting Mauritius as a leading International Financial Centre, recognised for its socio-economic stability, good governance and strong institutions.

The responsibility vested on us is a huge one, and first and foremost a collective one.

The fight against money laundering and the terrorism financing must be a concern to us all. This fight may only be won if all relevant stakeholders work together in addressing the common cause.

Proper coordination and exchange of information among domestic and international authorities remains a critical point for the implementation of an effective AML/CFT regime and strengthen our current regulatory frameworks and processes.

On a final note, I wish to thank the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Intelligence Unit for their continuous support and collaboration.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I wish you all fruitful deliberations. I am sure that you are all keen to hear from our experts today.

Thank you.
CHICAGO, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Oilfield Integrity Management Market by Management Type (Planning, Predictive Maintenance & Inspection, Corrosion Management, Data Management, and Monitoring System), Component (Hardware, Software, Services), Application, & Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Oilfield Integrity Management Market size is expected to grow from an estimated USD 12.8 billion in 2020 to USD 18.8 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 8.1%, during the forecast period. Increasing focus on remote monitoring of oilfields for process optimization and automation and stringent government regulations regarding environmental safety are the key factors driving the oilfield integrity management industry.

Download PDF Brochure:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=151211029

By management type, the monitoring system segment is the largest contributor in the Oilfield Integrity Management Market during the forecast period.

The monitoring system includes machinery and equipment such as wireless sensors, analyzers, flow meters, smart well systems, SCADA systems, and DCS systems. The growth of the market is driven by its multiple advantages, such as a reduction in manual intervention, monitoring of remote locations oilfields, and collection of real-time data from sensors to detect equipment health.

By component, the hardware segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate during the forecast period.

The hardware segment accounted for the highest share of the Oilfield Integrity Management Market, by component during the forecast period. The adoption of digital technologies for collecting significant volumes of data is increasing the demand for hardware equipment in oilfields. It is responsible for surveillance and communication data transfer in both onshore and offshore fields.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Oilfield Integrity Management Market"

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By application, the onshore segment is expected to be the largest contributor during the forecast period.

The onshore application segment held the largest share of the Oilfield Integrity Management Market in 2019. North America is estimated to be the largest market for onshore oilfield integrity management during the forecast period, owing to an increase in well count globally. Furthermore, the discoveries of shale reserves are also supporting the growth of the segment in North America.

Middle East & Africa is expected to be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period.

The Middle East & Africa consists of major oil & gas producing countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran, which have some of the largest petroleum reserves in the world. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2019, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Qatar produced a combined 30% of global oil production in 2018. These countries export most of their production to neighboring Asian countries such as China and India, which have high energy demand. Furthermore, the growth of the market in the Middle East & Africa is due to the increasing number of drilling activities and the requirement for inspection and monitoring systems to optimize the production from mature fields.

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The Oilfield Integrity Management Market is dominated by a few global players, mainly from the North American region. The key players in the Oilfield Integrity Management Market include companies such as Schlumberger (US), Halliburton (US), Baker Hughes Company (US), Siemens (Germany), Emerson (US), IBM (US), and Oracle (US).

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Digital Oilfield Market by Solutions (Hardware, Software & Service, and Data Storage Solutions), Processes (Reservoir, Production, and Drilling Optimizations), Application (Onshore and Offshore), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025

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Asset Integrity Management Market by Service (RBI, Ram Study, Corrosion Management, Pipeline Integrity Management, Hazid Study, Structural Integrity Management, NDT), Industry, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2023

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/asset-integrity-management-market-7798221.html

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Lockdowns, border closures and social distancing have created a diabolical challenge, one shared by all too many in the arts sector: financial survival, says Tarabay. We only receive 20 per cent of our revenue from government funding so we very much rely on our commercial activities as well as philanthropy to keep afloat. Forty per cent of our revenue literally walked out the door with the closure of all our venue spaces, which sustain the rest of the museums operations. So we had what seemed like this beautiful entrepreneurial model in order to pay the bills  and then COVID-19. The museum is open once again, but working at a loss, eating into cash reserves it had saved for a rainy day. Now its pouring, says Tarabay. We can only sustain that position for a certain period of time. If things dont change radically, then we will have to undertake a massive cost-cutting exercise next year. Its heartbreaking.

As if that weren't enough in the way of issues, a few weeks after our lunch, the Herald revealed that two former MCA staff had accused the institution of permitting racist attitudes, indicating that one of Tarabay's first missions would be to talk to staff about it. (MCA director Liz Ann McGregor has denied these claims, stating that the gallery has zero tolerance for discrimination in any form). As the conversation unfolds, Barbetta is buzzing, so much so that we have to strain a little to talk above the din. To look around, youd never guess a global pandemic was unfolding. We both order insalata Barbetta  a piquant combination of savoy cabbage, pine nuts, raisins, pecorino, lemon and pancetta, topped with the optional grilled chicken. Insalata Barbetta: savoy cabbage, pine nuts, raisins, pecorino, lemon and pancetta, topped with chicken Credit:Edwina Pickles If I didnt feel like I had to concentrate for this interview, I might have ordered a big pasta bowl, says Tarabay. We decide to skip the wine menu, both keen to remain awake through the afternoon. Tarabay orders a very hot skim latte instead (it doesnt feel like a real coffee to me if its not very hot).

The challenges the MCA is facing are daunting, but Tarabay doesnt come to them or her new role entirely unprepared. She has been on the museums board for more than three years, most recently as its deputy chair. She left behind a successful international career in investment banking in the mid-2000s and is on boards, councils and sub-committees of several other arts, not-for-profit and humanitarian organisations. With her husband Nick Langley, an investment banker, Tarabay also owns one of the most significant contemporary art collections in Australia. The pair and their two children  Christian, 13, and Giselle, 10  live in a stunning heritage-listed home in Point Piper, the interiors of which have renovated and decorated to highlight the collection. It was featured in Vogue Living late last year. Tarabays commitment to the MCA  this year she and Langley donated $1 million to the museum, a welcome contribution in its time of need  is in part founded on the belief that contemporary art can change lives, as it has changed her own. I became interested in contemporary art early in my working life because I enjoyed it but also it was complete escapism from what I did as an investment banker," she says. "Its a highly stressful job and you need some sort of escapism. I observed my colleagues and their stress releases, everything from alcohol to drugs to mistresses. My poison of choice was art.

Lorraine Tarabay in her art-filled Point Piper home earlier this year. Credit:Louie Douvis And it was contemporary art rather than historical because I was always very engaged with social issues and contemporary art brought those to life, and it also gave me a touchstone, a sense of reality. "There are many people in the investment banking world who live in their own bubble. For me, it was a connection with what was really going on in the world. The good, the bad and the ugly. Tarabay's favourite artists include Danie Mellor, Daniel Boyd, Lindy Lee, Tracey Moffat, Mona Hatoum, Adam Pendleton, Shirin Neshat and Oscar Murillo. She prefers art that is "socially engaged" and says she doesn't "shy away from political pieces". It is also important to Tarabay that the MCA is a socially engaged institution and she leads its Social Impact through Art Fund, which brings philanthropic support to the museums creative learning programs for cohorts ranging from toddlers to adults with dementia.

I suppose I am the board member who is most passionate about these, Tarabay says. MCA Together is one of several programs Tarabay highlights over lunch. It brings students from outer Sydney suburbs into the museum for four days and it is life changing for them she says. There are so many benefits to come out of it, from increasing confidence through to providing hope, a sense of belonging, a place where these young people can learn to express their feelings and emotions. Our meals are suddenly before us, sooner than I had anticipated, and I find myself having to ask Tarabay to hold off eating while we wait for the photographer to arrive and take a photo of our unblemished plates. Awkward. Tarabay, however, is unconcerned. Thats okay. Im happy talking. Im not fussed. Tarabay moves in elite and affluent circles these days, but she hasnt always and she has personal experience of being on the outer.

She grew up the eldest of five, was educated in the Catholic school system and studied finance and economics at the University of Technology. Her mother was a secretary as they called it back then and her father became a master builder in Australia, having been an undercover detective in Lebanon. Lorraine Tarabay with mentor and predecessor as MCA chair Simon Mordant. Credit:Louie Douvis Mum and dad still live in Earlwood, says Tarabay. I come from a family of very hard workers. My mum came here as a migrant, as a four-year-old. Dad came as an adult. There was a tradition of working hard and making the most of what Australia had to offer and also a tradition of giving back. Those things were heavily instilled in our family. Entering the world of investment banking in her early 20s, Tarabay found herself in a big boys club  and being a woman in that environment was difficult. I was the first female in our investment banking group when I started. "It was interesting for the guys. They needed to adapt. And our clients had to adapt, too. A lot of them didnt quite know how to deal with a female in an advisory capacity. And there were some men who were very difficult to deal with.

Also, I come from a multicultural background, that was very unusual as well. I did feel as if I had to work harder than all of the guys  there was no doubt about that  in an effort to prove myself and I suppose in an effort to be promoted at the same rate as others. The bill, please. Credit:Nine To some extent, she says, she had to put on a bit of armour to survive but you dont stop being yourself. I am not the type of person who ever stopped being myself". Tarabay points out that she has worked with some excellent men early in her career, one of whom was Simon Mordant, now Simon Mordant AM, her illustrious predecessor as chair of the MCA.

"Simon was one of those men who rewarded talent and hard work without a gender bias. He was also an advocate for and well understood the importance and contribution of diversity in the workplace, says Tarabay. It was Mordant, I later discover, who gave Tarabay her first role in investment banking and it was a bonus she earned while in that role that enabled her to buy her first piece of art, an abstract nude by the Australian artist Avon Jong that caught Tarabay's eye from the wall of a fashion boutique in the Strand Arcade, where it was hanging on loan from Eva Breuer's now-closed gallery in Paddington. Loading As our lunch draws towards its end, Tarabay tells me about a bit about the MCAs current exhibition for the 22nd Biennale of Sydney: NIRIN, and describes some of the video pieces that are part of it, including one of a deaf and mute boy in a refugee camp using gestures to try to explain his experiences of bombing and escape in Syria, and another of boys on a hill at the edge of Kabul in Afghanistan, sounding bugles into the wind. Tarabays eyes briefly tear up and she pauses for a moment before speaking. You cant walk into a show like that and look at some of the pieces without being moved or without being motivated to do something to change the world.
London, Aug 7 : UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that travellers returning from Belgium, the Bahamas and Andorra will have to quarantine at home for 14 days, due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the three countries.

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Shapps said the measures will come into effect on Saturday except in Wales, where it has already begun, reports Xinhua news agency.

"Data shows we need to remove Andorra, Belgium and the Bahamas from our list of Icoronavirus) travel corridors in order to keep infection rates down.

"If you arrive in the UK after Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days," he said in the tweet.

The Foreign Office is also warning against "all but essential travel" to the three countries.

People who do not self-isolate when required can be fined up to 1,000 pounds in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and those returning to Scotland could be fined 480 pounds, with fines up to 5,000 pounds for persistent offenders, the BBC reported.

Up to 1.8 million British nationals visit Belgium every year, while 150,000 visit Andorra.

The Bahamas, meanwhile, saw more than 36,000 visits from the UK in 2018.

The countries are the latest to have a change in rules, after quarantines were reimposed for Spain and Luxembourg.
(Natural News) It is no longer a secret that Wikipedia is a heavily biased, far-left-leaning propaganda website that promotes the violent agenda of the radical domestic terrorist groups Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM). But are you aware of the tactics that Wikipedia uses to support and protect these anti-American movements?

Below are five tactics that Wikipedia uses to advance the political agendas of Antifa and BLM.

1) Downplaying violent, radical behavior

Just like the mainstream media, Wikipedia is framing the current civil unrest in deceptively polite terminology. Antifa and BLM are peacefully protesting, we are told, as Wikipedia leaves out the ugly details about statues being torn down, businesses being destroyed, and people being harmed and killed by violent thugs.

Wikipedia has repeatedly shielded both Antifa and BLM from the scrutiny they deserve by withholding pertinent information about their behavior and recasting their image with gentler descriptions and phrasing. It is propaganda at its finest, compliments of Wikipedias far-left editorial team.

2) Censoring the worst acts of violence

While Wikipedia has mentioned some of the violence taking place, it is intentionally leaving out the worst of it. Many entries associated with Antifas violent attack against independent journalist Andy Ngo censored the details about how this homosexual reporter was attacked with cement milkshakes by loving and tolerant Antifa terrorists.

Wikipedia has also bent over backward to censor the details about how Antifa terrorists attacked the home of Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson, damaging his property and threatening his family with violence. To Wikipedia, none of this happened, and Antifa are just perfect little angels.

3) Falsely accusing its critics of lying

When all else fails, Wikipedia routinely resorts to lying about those who are keeping a close eye on its partisan behavior. Wikipedia has repeatedly engaged in smear campaigns against its detractors, falsely labeling them as conspiracy theorists and attempting to discredit them in other ways through character assassination.

Using Ngos encounter with Antifa as a case-in-point, Wikipedia actually slanted the account of what happened to make Ngo look like the aggressor and the liar, even though he was the one who was victimized by these violent thugs during an unnecessary encounter.

4) Rationalizing Antifa violence as self-defense

Amazingly, Wikipedia has also on numerous occasions tried to justify Antifas violence by portraying it as necessary to fight back against fascists and white supremacists. Antifa is never the aggressor but is rather the defender of itself and others against evil neo-Nazis who are supposedly invading Americas cities.

Ngo, once again, has been a popular target of Wikipedia, whose editors have continually labeled him as a fascist demagogue and white supremacist, even though Ngo is an Asian man. Wikipedia has lobbed the same attacks against Carlson, as well as against members of the Proud Boys movement.

5) Minimizing violence associated with George Floyd protests

Most recently, Wikipedia has engaged in a massive propaganda campaign concerning the George Floyd protests, which are more accurately described as the George Floyd riots. Wikipedia has not only minimized the violent behavior of Antifa and BLM during these riots but also blamed the violence that it admits to on right-wing extremists, which are supposedly infiltrating the protests to make the protesters look bad.

On Wikipedias Antifa entry, various arrests that were made, as well as evidence presented, in conjunction with violent behavior have been completely censored or removed. Wikipedias editors have also gone out of their way to replace this missing information with other false information that tries to paint Antifa and BLM in a more positive light.

For more related news about the extreme violence of Antifa and Wikipedias efforts to censor the truth from the public, be sure to check out Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

Breitbart.com
New Delhi:

Fashion jewellery brand Voylla plans to hit the Rs 300-crore turnover target in 2-3 years as it builds its retail presence across the country.

"We are eyeing turnover of Rs 200-300 crore in 2-3 years time. We are looking at opening 300 retail touch points across the country in 2 years," Voylla co-founder Vishwas Shringi told PTI.

The company, at present, has 96 retail touch points which include exclusive stores, shop in shops in large multi-brand outlets and kiosks in India.

Shringi said, at present, 65 per cent of its sales comes from online while 35 per cent from offline stores. "However, in six months we expect equal contribution from both channels," he added.

At present, all its stores are company-owned and company operated but Voylla will look to tap into the franchise model to expand its retail presence.

Voylla, which had raised USD 15 million in funding from private equity firm, Peepul Capital last year, said it does not require fresh funding for the next one year.

Prior to that, the company had raised two rounds of funds in 2012 and 2013 from Snow Leopard Technology Ventures.

"We would look at large fresh funds when we expand operations overseas. We have started a pilot project in the UAE to understand market preference. After a year, we will look at operations in the US and Europe," Shringi said.

Voylla recently co-launched a new jewellery brand Navrang in partnership with Viacom18 Consumer Products, which will design and offer jewellery similar to those worn by on-screen characters from Colors.

Founded in 2011, Voylla manufactures and sells jewellery under the 'Voylla' brand.
New Delhi: Gold price soared for the 16th straight session on Friday and touched an all-time high of Rs 57,008 per 10 grams in the national capital.

On Friday, the price increased by Rs 6 to Rs 57,008 per 10 grams.

Silver too continued its upward movement, with the price touching a record-high of Rs 77,840 per kilogram. Silver price jumped by Rs 576 compared to the closing level of Rs 77,264 per kg on Thursday.

In the previous trade, gold had closed at Rs 57,002 per 10 grams.

Gold hit a record high of $2,075.2 per ounce XAU= before succumbing to profit-taking to slip to $2,063, a Reuters report said. Silver dropped 1.7% to $28.452 per ounce following its rise to a seven-year high of $29.838. Oil prices were little changed, with Brent futures down 0.1% at $45.04 per barrel.

Gold is likely to hover around $2,020-2,080 an ounce in the near term, Reuters quoting National Australia Bank economist John Sharma said. Elsewhere, platinum dropped 2.1% to $976.72 an ounce and palladium fell 0.6% to $2,208.82.

Gold in the international market smashed a record high as a safety rush fuelled by the worsening coronavirus pandemic and its mounting economic toll gathered pace and put bullion on track for its longest weekly winning streak in nearly a decade, Reuters added.

Analysts believe that international gold and silver are witnessing gains continuously as investors continue to remain buyers of the metals amid worries about recovery in the pandemic-ravaged global economy.

With Agency Inputs
Training to identify sex trafficking victims, health care works on front line to protect kids

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WASHINGTON  Before President Trump signed an executive order to combat human trafficking and online child exploitation Friday, leading medical providers came together to discuss how they're training healthcare professionals to recognize the signs of trafficking victims.

At an event hosted by the Global Strategic Operatives for the Eradication of Human Trafficking in collaboration with The Selah Way Foundation, anti-trafficking advocates announced an they've initiative launched in conjunction with U.S. Homeland Security to help victims get to safety.

GSO co-founder Deb OHara-Rusckowski said in remarks Thursday that while exact numbers are difficult to obtain, a 2014 study of survivors of the commercial sex trade indicates that approximately 88 percent of victims seek medical care while being trafficked.

Thus, OHara-Rusckowski said, "healthcare has a great opportunity to identify and provide these victims with a path to freedom."



She went on to explain how GSO has, since the fall of 2019, begun training front-line healthcare providers to identify trafficking and take appropriate action in several large healthcare systems in the U.S. Thus far, 1,368 people have been trained across four such systems. The organization plans to soon submit a proposal to the World Health Organization for the purpose of creating a universal policy on human trafficking for healthcare providers worldwide, a policy that does not presently exist.

Elizabeth Melendez Fisher Good, co-founder and CEO of Selah Freedom & Selah Way Foundation and the author of the recently released book, Groomed: Overcoming the Messages That Shaped Our Past and Limit Our Future, mentioned in her comments that it's essential that, as a culture, the deep dark secrets that many have preferred to keep hidden are spoken of so children can get past theirs.

An 11-year-old girl who ran away from home that her organization served once told her, "Whatever is on the streets has to be better than what happens in my bedroom every night with my dad and my brothers."

"And so in their mind, they think out there is freedom. And the stats tell us that within 48 hours 80 percent of them will be approached by a predator," Fisher Good explained.

With the proliferation of smart phones and digital technology, one of every nine children will at some point be approached by a predator through social media, she said. When the 11-year-old girl first hit the streets the first guy who came up to her was, according to her, "probably in his 50s," Fisher Good recounted.

He told her, "I'll give you ten bucks to have sex with me."

"And in her 11-year-old brain, she thought, 'Great, it's not my dad. This is awesome. I can buy McDonald's,'" she said.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., chronicled some of the recent legislative history on trafficking in addition to other recent developments. The president just signed Smith's fifth bill into law, the Frederick Douglas Trafficking Victim's Prevent and Protection Act, he noted.

Healthcare systems participating in the collaborative effort include: Advocate Aurora Health, Baptist Health, Common Spirit Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, Harris Health System/Baylor College of Medicine, Northwell Health, RWJBarnabas Health, and Selah Freedom.

The Global Strategic Operatives for the Eradication of Human Trafficking was initiated at the United Nations in 2018.

Trump signed an executive order Friday creating a new position within the domestic policy council "solely devoted" to combating human trafficking, said White House Domestic Policy Council Director Joe Grogan. The person who will fill that position has not yet been named.

This is an all-of-government approach with a number of agencies involved, Grogan said Friday. Having someone established here in the White House who can coordinate on all these activities is going to really give us a leg up in combating human trafficking.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal's office is investigating two fatal shootings in Atlantic County, including a shooting by police in Ventnor. Read more

The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office is investigating the deaths of two men in separate shootings in Atlantic County, including a fatal shooting by police in Ventnor.

About 4:15 p.m. Thursday, a man was shot by police near Wellington and West End Avenues in the Atlantic City suburb, the Attorney Generals Office said. He was pronounced dead at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City. Authorities were trying to determine his identity, state prosecutors said.

Ventnor Police Chief Doug Biagi said Friday that he was not permitted to comment, referring questions to the Attorney Generals Office. The office did not provide any further details Friday, including what led up to the shooting, and did not say which police department was involved.

The Attorney Generals Office also is investigating the death of a 27-year-old man who was found dead inside his Galloway Township home with a gunshot wound to his head Thursday morning, when officers went to the home to execute a search warrant.

There was no use of force by police in this incident, according to a preliminary investigation, the Attorney Generals Office said. SWAT officers with the Atlantic County Emergency Response Team executed the search warrant as part of a multiagency law enforcement investigation about 5:30 a.m. at the mans home on Oakbourne Avenue, prosecutors said.

After the team entered the house, they found the man in his bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head, the Attorney Generals Office said. A handgun was recovered near his body. Prosecutors did not say why the officers were searching the home and did not release the mans name.

Both investigations are being conducted by the Attorney Generals Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, which is required to investigate all civilian deaths related to an encounter with a law enforcement officer. No further details were immediately available Friday in either shooting.
George and Amal Clooney have made major donations to three Lebanese charities after capital Beirut was rocked by a deadly explosion (Andrew Milligan/PA)

George and Amal Clooney have made major donations to three Lebanese charities after capital Beirut was rocked by a deadly explosion.

At least 135 people were killed and more than 5,000 injured when a blast, apparently triggered by an accidental fire at a port, tore through the city.

Countries around the world, including the UK, have pledged aid.

Expand Close Amal and George Clooney have made donations to three Lebanese charities following a deadly blast in Beirut (Ian West/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Amal and George Clooney have made donations to three Lebanese charities following a deadly blast in Beirut (Ian West/PA)

The Clooneys, who live in Britain, have donated 100,000 dollars (76,000) to three charities.

Human rights lawyer Amal, 42, was born in Beirut. Were both deeply concerned for the people of Beirut and the devastation theyve faced in the last few days, the couple said in a statement obtained by the PA news agency.

They have donated money to the Lebanese Red Cross, Impact Lebanon, and Baytna Baytak.

The couple added: We will be donating to these charities $100,000 and hope that others will help in any way they can.

Amal and her family left Lebanon when she was two years old, escaping the countrys civil war.

They settled in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, and Amal later studied at Oxford university.

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She became engaged to Hollywood star George, 59, in 2014 and they married later that year. They have two children, three-year-old twins Ella and Alexander.

Lebanon has been left devastated by Tuesdays blast. It was apparently caused by an accidental fire that ignited a warehouse full of ammonium nitrate.

Lebanon was already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.
Paul Buckowski/Times Union

In an effort to prevent the unnecessary deaths of citizens at the hands of police, the New York City Council passed legislation banning certain types of restraints. In response, the New York State Troopers PBA and the investigators union have demanded to be removed from their assignments in NYC, due to what the PBA refers to as the city councils hastily written so-called police reform legislation ("NYC arrest rules raise concerns," July 24). The unions fear that members may be charged with a crime just for conducting an arrest using the methods they have been trained in. The unions do have a point about the police reform legislation being hastily drawn. Banning certain types of restraint is not an effective solution to the problem. Rather a simple performance standard applying to all police interactions with civilians would be more to the point. To wit: An unarmed suspect shall survive arrest. In the event that this standard is not met, the arresting officer(s) shall be presumed incompetent and dismissed unless they can prove that the suspects death was beyond their control. The exact details of the procedure for removal are to be worked out, but the essence of the requirement is clear. A police officer is accountable for the survival of those citizens whom he/she arrests. Let the police figure out how best to meet the standard; it is the result, not the arresting technique, that is at issue.

Clayton J. Bradt

Feura Bush
KITCHENER  Construction could soon go ahead on the first phase of a large residential-commercial development proposed for land across the road from McLennan Park.

The 12-acre (4.9-hectare) site at 83 Elmsdale Dr., a prominent location along Ottawa Street, used to be a Kitchener Utilities maintenance yard and has been vacant since 2011, when Kitchener consolidated its operations at a sprawling new facility on Goodrich Drive.

The city sold the site in 2015 to NovaCore Communities Corp., a Hamilton developer that specializes in rehabilitating industrial sites.

Its been a lot of heavy lifting and a big undertaking by our group, said Tim Collins of Downing Street Brownfield Partners, which is developing the site.

Water and sewer services and a road have started going in and the project is moving ahead, Collins said. The builder, Vaughan-based Averton Homes, has applied for building permits and hopes to begin construction this fall, he said.

Were pleased that were actually seeing it go from what looks like a moon landscape to an actual construction site, with sewer and water pipes going in to the ground, and concrete being poured.

The former industrial site has been rezoned to allow a mixed-use development. The plan is redevelop the site in phases, starting with a 116-unit stacked townhouse development. Future phases could include two eight-storey apartment buildings with a total of 224 units, more stacked townhouses with another 180 units, a handful of apartment and live-work units, and about 11,500 square feet of retail space.

But none of that development could proceed until the site was cleaned up. The site was contaminated with zinc, mercury and dichlorobenzene, a group of chemicals that can harm the liver and kidneys. It also contained material from the former landfill that once occupied MacLennan Park, on the other side of Ottawa Street.

Cleanup cost about $12.8 million and began in 2015. It included removing 1,334 cubic metres of contaminated soil  roughly 150 dump truck loads  and replacing it with an equivalent amount of clean soil, as well as installing a clay barrier wall to seal off wastes coming from the former landfill on the other side of Ottawa Street.

The city placed a hold on development until the developer had a record of site condition  essentially a certificate giving the site a clean environmental bill of health  and a detailed noise study.

Those conditions have been met, and city planners are recommending that council lift the provision for the first parcel on the site at a planning meeting on Monday.

The city has already given approval in principle to the site plan for the townhouse development to go on a parcel of about three acres (1.2 hectares) closest to the corner of Elmsdale and Ottawa.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Supreme Court on Friday junked a plea filed by Kerala activist Rehana Fathima to challenge a High Court order that rejected her petition against a case registered under the POCSO Act and IT Act over her controversial video.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra noted that it was an act to spread obscenity. "What impression will growing-up children get?" the court asked.

The petitioner, mother to a 14-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, had uploaded a video clip titled 'Body Art and Politics' on YouTube, showing her two children painting on her semi-naked body.

Rehana's counsel contended before the apex court that children seen in a video clip are "fully clothed" and his client has been charged with child pornography and not obscenity. "Does female nudity (even when not visible) per se constitutes obscenity?" he pleaded on behalf of his client.

Justice Mishra said that the court was not interested in such a case. The bench, also comprising Justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari asked the counsel: "How can you make use of children for this?" Rehana's counsel contended that her stand has always been that if a man is semi-naked, there is nothing sexual about it. But if a woman does so, it is considered obscene, the counsel pointed out.

The lawyer insisted that his client Rehana is of the opinion that the only way out of this mindset is to sensitise people. She has moved an anticipatory bail plea in a matter.

The counsel argued that he is not focusing on morals involved, but on kind of statutory provisions invoked against her. "The children in the video are fully clothed. How can it fall under the purview of Section 13 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act?" Justice Mishra said that the Kerala High Court had already looked into the merits of the case and dismissed her plea.

Rehana's plea mentioned that even "goddesses in Kerala are frequently depicted in idols and murals with bare breasts. When one prays at the temple the feeling is not of sexual arousal but one of divinity".

"It may be noted that the video is still available on YouTube and has not been taken down because it shows no nudity," she pleaded.

She said that the prosecution had, however, accused her of offences punishable under Sections 13, 14, and 15 of the POCSO Act, Section 67B of the Information Technology Act, and Section 17 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
A former Saudi counter-terrorism official has filed a federal lawsuit in the United States against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

A former Saudi counter-terrorism official has filed a court document in the US against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, alleging the royal tried to trap and kill him in the US and Canada.

The claim filed by Saad Aljabri is his latest effort to try to bring about international and public pressure on the prince after years of silence in exile abroad.

Mr Aljabri claims the crown prince has detained two of his children in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to force him back to the kingdom because of the sensitive information he knows regarding the inner workings of the royal court and leadership.

He also alleges the princes efforts to kill him continue to this day.

We were left with no other choice but to seek justice and accountability in a US federal court Khalid Aljabri

Attempts by Saudi Arabia to forcibly return certain citizens who reside abroad began attracting global attention after the killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by Saudi agents who worked for the crown prince.

Mr Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey in an operation the Saudis claim was initially an effort to forcibly bring him back to Saudi Arabia.

The crown prince denies any knowledge of the operation but Western intelligence agencies and the US Senate have declared the prince ultimately responsible for Mr Khashoggis killing.

Mr Aljabris complaint follows years of silence by the former intelligence official, who left the kingdom quietly around the time his former boss, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, fell from power.

In a press release accompanying details of the complaint, it is claimed Mr Aljabri is being targeted for suspicion that his close relationship with members of the CIA helped the agency reach its conclusions about the princes alleged involvement in Mr Khashoggis death.

He claims the crown prince deployed operatives into the US to track him down and that members of a kill team were dispatched for him in Canada just two weeks after the same squad killed Mr Khashoggi in October 2018.

The statement claims the effort was thwarted by Canadian border security officials.

The document, filed in the US District Court of Washington, names a number of Saudi officials as defendants, including Saud al-Qahtani and Ahmed Assiri, former top advisers to the crown prince who were implicated in the killing of Mr Khashoggi but were found not guilty by a Saudi court.

Bader al-Asaker, a close confidante of the crown prince and secretary-general of MiSK, a non-profit founded by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is also named.

In recent months, Mr Aljabris son Khalid Aljabri has been speaking to some U.S. media outlets, such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and New York Times, about his father and detained siblings, Sarah and Omar.

After exhausting every single avenue for a peaceful remedy, we were left with no other choice but to seek justice and accountability in a US federal court, he said in a public statement.
The results of a six-year research project by the University of Otagos Childrens Issues Centre evaluating the 2014 Family Law Reforms show many parents and caregivers want their childrens voices to be heard when making post-separation parenting arrangements or navigating family justice processes.

The research co-led by Associate Professor Nicola Taylor and Dr Megan Gollop, funded by the New Zealand Law Foundation, commenced in 2014 to evaluate the reforms which were intended to shift the emphasis of New Zealands family justice system towards out-of-court processes.

Researchers examined experiences of, and satisfaction with, the reforms and the current family justice system from the perspectives of 364 family justice professionals, and 655 separated parents and caregivers who were making parenting arrangements.

They found high levels of dissatisfaction with the reforms by professionals, and their results fed into an independent review of the 2014 changes commissioned by current Justice Minister Andrew Little.

In May 2020, Little introduced the Family Court Legislation Bill in response to the independent reviews findings, aimed at strengthening the Family Court.

He has indicated a second Bill will follow this year which will enhance childrens participation in proceedings that affect them and ensure children feel supported and informed.

Megan says just over half of the parents who participated in Family Dispute Resolution or Family Court processes were dissatisfied with the consideration given to their childrens thoughts, feelings and views.

Yet, most of the parents who had talked with their children and sought their views said this was the most helpful step they took when making their parenting arrangements.

One mother said, "Everybody really needs to listen to children and what children wantchildren need to be able to have a say. It needs to be more child-centred".

Megan says children and young people can provide valuable insights into their post-separation care arrangements.

"They may be more likely to accept decisions made by adults if they have been consulted as part of the decision-making process."

Parents advised others making parenting arrangements to focus on the children and their well-being, to try and see things from their perspective and to listen to their views.

One mother said her advice to other parents is to "just take a step back and a deep breath and think about your children, rather than your hurt feelings".

A father advised others to "focus on the kids  sacrifice what you want".

They also urged parents to acknowledge their former partners importance to their child, to try and maintain an amicable, or at least civil, relationship with their former partner, and to shield their children from any conflict.

Participants advocated a range of improvements to the family justice system that would benefit children, such as counselling and support programmes to assist children with their parents separation.

At present there is no free counselling provided for children whose parents have separated, and a lawyer for the child is only appointed in Family Court proceedings when there are concerns for the childs safety or well-being and the court considers this necessary.

"Our research has shown both professionals and parents recommend more training on how to engage with children and young people within the family justice system to better ascertain their feelings and views," says Nicola.

The Childrens Issues Centre is also celebrating its 25th anniversary and given its long-standing commitment to childrens rights.

Centre director Nicola says it is really encouraging that the government is acting to better support childrens participation in dispute resolution processes when parents separate.

NZ Law Foundation Director Lynda Hagen says one of the most satisfying aspects of the foundations work is supporting projects that make a real difference to the ability of vulnerable or disadvantaged social groups to navigate the justice system.

"This project is one of those special projects that will help families and children through difficult times in their lives. I am confident this research will make a real difference by informing policy and systemic change and through this change, will deliver positive outcomes for families under stress."
The French government has said it recorded 2,288 new coronavirus cases on Friday, amid mounting concerns that the country may be the next nation added to the UKs quarantine list.

The latest figure marks a 43 percent increase from Thursdays daily total, which saw 1,604 infections reported across the country.

French authorities added that the number of people in intensive care was down to 383 from 390 on Thursday.

France's coronavirus rate has increased steadily in the past month to 13.2 new infections per 100,000 people, suggesting the spread is worse than in the UK, which has a rate of 8.4.

UK travellers have been slowly returning to France in recent weeks. Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, which operates vehicle-carrying trains through the Channel Tunnel between Kent and northern France, said its phone lines and live chat service were "extremely busy" on Friday.

It brought in extra staff to deal with the demand and advised customers that most bookings can be amended online.

Britons can currently travel to and from France without quarantining on arrival or return, and there are no travel restrictions in place between the two countries.

However, The Times has reported that France has been placed in the category of countries that are being closely monitored by Whitehall officials.

Frances own scientific committee warned earlier this week that the country was experiencing a second surge in cases.

The situation is precarious and we could at any moment tip into a scenario that is less under control, like in Spain, the group said.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has meanwhile said that ministers will "not hesitate" in ordering travellers coming back from countries with high Covid-19 rates to isolate for 14 days.

"It's a tricky situation. What I can say to people is we're in the midst of a global pandemic and that means there is always the risk of disruption to travel plans and people need to bear that in mind, Mr Sunak said on Friday.

"It's the right thing for us to do to keep everything under review on a constant basis talking with our scientists, our medical advisers, and if we need to take action as you've seen overnight we will of course not hesitate to do that and we're doing that to protect people's health."

Flights are still running to France from the UK with Ryanair, easyJet and British Airways.

The Eurostar has resumed services from the UK to France, and Disneyland Paris reopened to guests last month.
Third Point Reinsurance and Sirius International Insurance Group, a global multi-line insurer and reinsurer, announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for Third Point Re and Sirius Group to combine in a cash and stock transaction worth $788 million.

The new company will be renamed SiriusPoint Ltd. and will be based in Bermuda.

Third Point Re will purchase Sirius from its parent company, China Minsheng Investment Group (CMIG), for $100 million in cash and approximately 58 million of Third Point Re shares. Both Third Point Re and Sirius are headquartered in Bermuda.

The transaction, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021, will create a global company with approximately $3.3 billion of tangible capital.

Sirius International launched a formal process in March to find a buyer after completing a strategic review.

Early last year, reports revealed that Shanghai-based CMIG, a private investment group, was facing liquidity issues related to a massive debt burden, which was approximately $34 billion in June 2018. Problems with the companys liquidity were highlighted on Feb. 1, 2019 when it missed payments owed to bondholders. However, S&P Global Ratings issued a report at the time, which said the liquidity issues at parent company CMIG did not affect Sirius Groups creditworthiness.

The new companys executive team will consist of Siddhartha (Sid) Sankaran, who will become chairman and chief executive officer, post-closing. Sankaran is Third Point Res newly named non-executive chairman of the board. He has been a member of Third Point Res board since August 2019 and is currently the chief financial officer of Oscar Health. He previously served as CFO and chief risk officer of American International Group.

Third Point Res current CEO, Dan Malloy, will remain a senior underwriting executive of SiriusPoint following the closing. Kip Oberting, Sirius Groups president and CEO, will be stepping down from his role at the transaction close.

Third Point Re will finance the transaction through a combination of cash; Third Point Re equity issued to Sirius Group shareholders, and Third Point Re equity issued to Daniel S. Loeb, who is co-founder, CEO and chief investment officer of Third Point Res parent company, Third Point LLC. (Loeb is currently Third Point Res largest individual shareholder). Loeb has agreed to purchase approximately $50 million worth of SiriusPoint shares at closing. If necessary, other debt or equity financing will be used to finance the transaction.

The transaction is expected to be accretive to earnings per share and return on equity in year one following the close.

The merger joins two highly complementary businesses with a shared strategic vision to create a leading global company providing insurance and reinsurance solutions to clients and brokers located in almost 150 countries, said a statement issued by the two companies.

This transaction further strengthens our reinsurance operations and positions us to enter lines of business with higher risk-adjusted returns to achieve underwriting profitability. Combining with Sirius Group accelerates our continuing objective to deliver consistently strong book value per share growth over the long-term, Sankaran said.

Our new scale and global platform, diverse franchise, and enhanced financial profile will enable us to provide tremendous value to clients, brokers, and shareholders. I look forward to working with Sirius Groups terrific and dedicated team.

The companies cited key strategic benefits from the transaction:

Strong global presence and longstanding relationships with clients and brokers, with expanded distribution through Lloyds, Bermuda, and the United States

Refocused underwriting strategies in key U.S. and European re/insurance markets

Superior product capabilities and relationshipsin accident and health (A&H), property, liability, and specialty lines

Key partnerships with managing general underwriters (MGUs) for health and travel

Experienced management team and a company with a long history and deep roots, focused onshared entrepreneurial culture.

This transaction fulfills our vision to move Third Point Re up the quality curve by adding diversified insurance lines to our existing business, thus improving returns on capital and reducing insurance volatility, expanding our investment strategy from a single manager model to reduce investment volatility, and creating critical mass to support both internal growth and future acquisitions, said Loeb. I am confident that this transaction will benefit both customers and shareholders of Third Point Re and Sirius.

The SiriusPoint board of directors will comprise the current Third Point Re Board at the time of closing, with the addition of two new board members: Rachelle Keller from Sirius Group and Peter W. H. Tan from CM Bermuda Ltd. (Sirius Groups current majority shareholder and subsidiary of CMIG).

In addition, Third Point Res former lead independent director, Steven Fass, will join the company as vice chairman. Fass is also a former chief executive officer of Sirius Group. He will work closely with Sankaran and senior members of the Sirius Group team in the integration of the businesses.

Third Point Re shareholders will be protected from up to $100 million of net incremental COVID-19 related losses at Sirius Group incurred in certain circumstances for three years following the closing.

Approvals from Boards of Directors

The agreement has been unanimously approved by both companies boards of directors. It is subject to approval by shareholders of both companies and customary regulatory approvals. Sirius Groups majority shareholder, CM Bermuda Ltd., and its parent company, CMIG International Holding, have entered into a binding agreement to vote in favor of the merger transaction, as has Loeb, as Third Point Res largest individual shareholder.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is serving as sole financial advisor to Third Point Re; EA Markets LLC is serving as financing advisor. Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is Third Point Res legal counsel. Barclays Capital Inc. is acting as sole financial advisor to Sirius Group. Sidley Austin LLP and Conyers Dill & Pearman Limited are legal advisers to Sirius Group, with Jenner & Block LLP separately representing the Strategic Review Committee of Sirius Group.

Goldman Sachs is acting as exclusive financial advisor to CMIG International Holding Pte. Ltd., and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as legal advisor to CMIG International Holding Pte. Ltd.

Source: Third Point Re

Topics Mergers Reinsurance
Several Congress leaders have expressed their unease and disappointment with the way their party has reacted to the bhoomi poojan ceremony organised for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, The Indian Express reported.

While these leaders are not against the construction of the temple as the Supreme Court verdict favoured it, they also feel that some leaders in the grand old party should have reflected on the sentiment of the minorities.

"I have no problem if any of my colleagues celebrates one part of the judgment. (But) I would expect and hope that when the other part of the judgment is implemented that they will celebrate that too. And that is not just for my own party but also for the Prime Minister," former Union Minister Salman Khurshid said.

Former minority affairs minister K Rahman Khan said he was disappointed with the 'whole change' that is taking place in the Congress by 'forgetting its values'. Former Rajya Sabha MP Rashid Alvi also expressed his disappointment over the Congress not questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi for performing the groundbreaking ceremony and "violating his Constitutional oath".

"There are voices dissenting from the partys voice  and I am one of them. My voice is different, especially from that of Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath," All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary and a legislator from Bihar, Shakeel Ahmed Khan said.

Khan was referring to Nath's statement when he had said that it was former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who had opened the locks of the then Babri Masjid and that no one should take credit for the Ram Temple.

"Any person who is sensitive and committed to secularism needs to say let us respect the judgment in toto. The judgment says a temple and a mosque (should be built). If somebody is building the temple, you give them your support. If somebody is building a mosque, you should support (them too) but the mosque isdelayed. They (Muslim side) havent come forward," Khurshid added.
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Mobile Money Market: Global Industry Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

A recent market study published by Future Market Insights (FMI) on the mobile money market includes a global industry analysis for 2015-2019 and opportunity assessment for 2020-2030, and delivers a comprehensive assessment of the most important market dynamics. After conducting a thorough research on the historical as well as current growth parameters, growth prospects of the market are obtained with maximum precision.

Mobile Money Market: Segmentation

The global mobile money market is segmented in detail to cover every aspect of the market and present a complete market intelligence approach to readers.

Solution Mobile Money Platform

Services Consulting Integration & Deployment Support & Maintenance

Transaction Type Person to Person

Person to Business

Business to Person

Business to Business Application Bill Payment

Money Transfer

Tickets Payment

Recharge & Top-ups

Others Payment Type Remote Mobile Payment

Proximity Mobile Payment Vertical BFSI

Telecommunication

Retail

Energy & Utilities

Government

Travel & Hospitality

Others Region North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia & Pacific

Middle East & Africa

For more insights into the Market, request a sample of this report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2800

Report Chapters

Chapter 01  Executive Summary

The report begins with the executive summary of the mobile money market, which includes a summary of key findings and statistics of the market. It also includes the demand and supply-side trends pertaining to the market.

Chapter 02  Market Overview

Readers can find the definition and detailed taxonomy of the mobile money market in this chapter, which will help them understand the basic information about the market. Along with this, comprehensive information pertaining to mobile money and its properties are provided in this section. This section also highlights the inclusions and exclusions, which help readers understand the scope of the mobile money market report.

Chapter 03  Key Market Trends

The mobile money market report provides key market trends that are expected to significantly impact market growth during the forecast period. Detailed end user trends are also provided in this section.

Chapter 04  Global Mobile Money Market Pricing Analysis

The mobile money market report provides pricing analysis of mobile money platform.

Chapter 05 Pandemic Crisis Impact Analysis

The section provides information regarding the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mobile money market

Chapter 06  Market Structure Analysis

In this chapter, readers can find detailed information about the tier analysis and market concentration of key players in the Mobile Money market, along with their market presence analysis by region and product portfolio.

Chapter 07 -Global Mobile Money Market Demand Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This section explains the global market value analysis and forecast for the mobile money market during the forecast period of 2020-2030. It includes a detailed analysis of the historical mobile money market, along with an opportunity analysis of the future. Readers can also find the absolute $ opportunity for the current year (2020), and an incremental $ opportunity for the forecast period (20202030).

Chapter 08  Market Background

This chapter explains the key macroeconomic factors that are expected to influence the growth of the mobile money market over the forecast period. Along with macroeconomic factors, this section also highlights the supply chain, forecast factors, and value chain analysis of the mobile money market. Moreover, in-depth information about the market dynamics and their impact analysis on the market have been provided in the successive section.

Chapter 09  Global Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Solution

Based on component, the mobile money market is segmented into devices mobile money platform, services. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the mobile money market and market attractiveness analysis based on component.

Chapter 10  Global Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Transaction Type

Based on transaction, the mobile money market is segmented into person-to-person, person to business, business to person, business-to-business. In this chapter, readers can find information about key trends and developments in the mobile money market and market attractiveness analysis based on transaction type.

Chapter 11  Global Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Application

This chapter provides various details about the mobile money market based on application, and has been classified into bill payments, money transfer, ticket payments, recharge and top-ups and others. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on application.

Chapter 12  Global Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Payment Type

This chapter provides various details about the mobile money market based on payment type, and has been classified into remote mobile payment and proximity mobile payment. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on payment type.

Chapter 13  Global Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Vertical

This chapter provides various details about the mobile money market based on vertical, and has been classified into telecommunication, BFSI, government, retail & consumer goods, energy & utilities, travel & hospitality and others. In this chapter, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on industry.

Chapter 14  Global Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030, by Region

This chapter explains how the mobile money market is anticipated to grow across various geographic regions such as North America, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, South Asia & Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

Chapter 15  North America Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter includes a detailed analysis on the growth of the North America mobile money market, along with a country-wise assessment that includes the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find the regional trends, and market growth based on vertical, and countries in North America.

Chapter 16 Latin America Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter provides the growth scenario of the mobile money market in Latin American countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and the rest of Latin America. Along with this, assessment of the market across target segments has also been provided.

Chapter 17  Europe Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

Important growth prospects of the mobile money market in several countries such as Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, BENELUX, Russia and the rest of Europe are included in this chapter.

Chapter 18  South Asia & Pacific Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter highlights the growth of the mobile money market in the South Asia & Pacific region by focusing on India, ASEAN, Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of South Asia & Pacific. This section also help readers understand key factors that are responsible for the growth of the mobile money market in the South Asia & Pacific region.

Chapter 19  East Asia Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter provides the growth scenario of the mobile money market in East Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea.

Chapter 20  MEA Mobile Money Market Analysis 2015-2019 and Opportunity Assessment 2020-2030

This chapter provides information about how the mobile money market is anticipated to grow in major countries in the MEA region, such as GCC countries, South Africa, Turkey, and the rest of MEA, during the forecast period of 2020-2030.

Chapter 21 Key Countries Analysis

This chapter provides information about key countries analysis on mobile money market. The chapter provides information regarding incremental opportunity share.

For Information On The Research Approach Used In The Report, Request Methodology@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-2800

Chapter 22  Competition Analysis

In this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of all the prominent stakeholders in the mobile money market, along with the detailed information about each company. This includes the company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Some of the market players featured in the report are Bosch, SAP SE, IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Infosys Ltd, Cisco among others.

Chapter 23  Assumptions and Acronyms

This chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provides a base to the information and statistics included in the mobile money market report.

Chapter 24-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 mobile money market.
Jiang Minci, an 89-year-old content curator who uploads and shares her videos online, has become a viral sensation on the Internet.

(Photo/cctv.com)

By Aug. 3, Jiang had been followed by 297,000 netizens on Bilibili, a Chinese video sharing website.

This April, Jiang was turned on to the website by her grandchild Dou Dou, also an uploader, and then asked her grandchild to register an account for her.

Later in the month, Jiang uploaded her first video on Bilibili and said Hello to netizens. Her very first video had been played over 4.56 million times by Aug. 3.

Jiang has always had an interest in the Internet. "I think it can help elderly people like me keep up with the times and improve my quality of life," she said.

(Photo/cctv.com)

Basically, Jiang tells stories of her life in the videos, such as how she got out of a marriage that was arranged against her will and then entered college. "I'm glad that my stories can help young people understand better how life was in the past and how the country has developed," she said.

Before filming a video, Jiang draws up an outline and makes notes, then selects topics and discusses the details with her grandchild.

Jiang still needs her grandchild's help when it comes to filming and editing. She has studied video editing and hopes that one day she will be able to produce videos all by herself.

For the elderly uploader, video production is a hobby that she intends to stick to. "I'm just happy to do something at this point in my life, and its also interesting to communicate with netizens," Jiang noted.
Cannabis in medicine: State of the evidence

Cannabis is a drug that is illegal in large parts of the world. But the laws have been changing for a few years and more and more countries are starting to legalise hashish and marijuana. The book Cannabis in Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach by pain medicine specialist and editor Dr. Kenneth Finn is a comprehensive compilation of the many facets of cannabis recommendation, use, and effects from a variety of different medical perspectives.

This edited volume comprises invaluable contributions from medical experts and is dedicated to separate fields of medicine that outline the current data as well as the need for further study. Dr. David W. Murray, Senior fellow at Hudson Institute, where he co-directs the Center for Substance Abuse Policy Research, states in the foreword: "Marijuana use far outstrips the self-reported use of any other 'illicit' substance." Murray concludes that "the full scope of the potential negative effects of increased marijuana use, particularly as accelerated by commercial legalization, is now emerging, and the damage affects many domains of national life".

Starting with a general overview of the neurobiology and pharmacology of THC and hemp, Cannabis in Medicine covers various medical issues from different disciplines of medicine such as psychiatry, cardiology, as well as gastrointestinal and neurology, and finally addresses non-medical concerns such as public health and safety, driving impairment and legal implications for medical providers.

The book provides clinicians with a concise and evidence-based guide to various health concerns related to the use of marijuana. Since the book also covers non-medical concerns in addition to providing case studies and meta-analyses, it is also a useful resource for professionals working in the public health and legal fields.

###

About the editor

Dr. Kenneth Finn, MD is a voluntary clinical instructor for the University of Colorado Medical School in Colorado Springs and has over 30 years of experience in the medical field. He is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Pain Management, and Pain Medicine, and is a member of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Academy of Pain Medicine. He is President-Elect to the American Board of Pain Medicine and since 2001, has been on their Exam Council. He has helped Colorado Medical Society, El Paso County Medical Society, and the Colorado Pain Society develop their position statement on cannabis. He served on the Colorado Governor's Task Force on Amendment 64, which legalized marijuana for recreational use, Consumer Safety and Social Issues Work Group and served 4 years on Colorado's Medical Marijuana Scientific Advisory Council. In 2018, he was invited to testify to the Canadian Senate on their marijuana bill and recently, was invited to speak to British Parliament, but cancelled due to COVID.

Kenneth Finn (Ed.)

Cannabis in Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach

2020, 585 p., 39 illus., 32 illus. in color

Softcover 79,99  | 69.99 | $99.99

ISBN 978-3-030-45967-3

eISBN 978-3-030-45968-0

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A 52-year old pastor, Adetokunbo Adenokpo, was arrested in Sagamu-Lagos state for allegedly abducting a dispatch rider and detaining him in an underground facility in his church in Sagamu, Lagos.

While Parading the suspect before newsmen earlier today July 29, the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, DCP Frank Mba, said the pastor who is the General Overseer of the Newlife Church of God in Sagamu, Ogun state, during interrogation, said he ventured into kidnapping so he could raise money for his charity works.

Nemesis caught up with him after he and members of his gang abducted a dispatch rider, Job Ekpe Jonathan, who had come to his church to deliver some products.

Mba said the victim had arrived at the suspects church to deliver some products and was held hostage by the pastor and his gang members. The pastor injected Jonathan with anesthesia to weaken him so they could tie him up easily.

Speaking to newsmen, Adenokpo said
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo attends a news conference in Washington

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Washington's plan to ban certain technologies of Chinese origin is a sign of "madness" in U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, China's state-backed tabloid Global Times wrote in an editorial on Thursday.

"Pompeo has uttered anti-China remarks almost every day, and constantly played tricks to intensify conflicts between China and the U.S., and display Trump administration's toughness toward China," the editorial read.

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday published an expanded update of a plan called the "Clean Network" calling for telecom companies, cloud service providers, and mobile apps of Chinese origin to be kept out of the United States.

"From the long-term perspective, it's incredible that the U.S. information industry could totally detach from the Chinese market," the Global Times wrote.

"It would pose a severe test for U.S. companies if U.S. chips, software, and terminal equipment become irrelevant to the Chinese market."

If enacted, the plan would mark an escalation in the ongoing tech spat between the United States and China.

Washington has already banned Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HTW.UL] from building out 5G telecommunications networks in the United States.

It is also in the process of forcing a sale of TikTok, a popular social media app created by Beijing-based ByteDance to Microsoft Corp <MSFT.O>.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Thursday called the Clean Network plan "preposterous and dirty-handed".

(Reporting by Josh Horwitz; Editing by Stephen Coates)
The oil market has begun to adjust to the "new normal" in the global economy, with significantly lower fuel demand and decreased oil production.

In the wake of the demand collapse and lower refinery utilization rates, storage levels for crude oil have finally peaked and are starting to decline as the economic recovery from COVID-19 begins.

The Nexus of Oil Fundamentals

At the heart of the global pricing network is the Cushing, Oklahoma crude oil storage hub, which provides the physical delivery mechanism for the CME Group's NYMEX WTI futures contract.

When the WTI futures contract was first listed in 1983, Cushing was a vibrant hub for cash market trading of crude oil with a network of pipelines, refineries and storage terminals. Today, Cushing is the key nexus of market fundamentals for the global crude oil market, with nearly two dozen pipelines and 20 storage terminals.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the working storage capacity in Cushing is 76 million barrels and 91 million barrels of total shell capacity as of September 2019.

The pipeline infrastructure in the Cushing market is expansive, with approximately 3.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of inflow pipeline capacity to Cushing and 3 million bpd of outflow capacity. The inbound pipelines deliver crude oil streams produced in Canada and the U.S. shale oil areas, including the Bakken, Niobrara and Permian producing areas. The outbound pipelines supply crude oil to the main refining centers in the gulf coast and Midwest.

Making and Taking Delivery

It is not just the storage or pipeline capacity that make Cushing the critical hub, but also the interconnectivity between a diverse mix of operators at Cushing. The WTI futures contract allows for delivery through Enterprise or Enbridge facilities in Cushing or at a facility that is connected to either.

The Enterprise terminal provides a key junction point in Cushing, capable of facilitating the transfer of tens of millions of barrels of crude oil every month. A commercial company that elects to take delivery after the termination of the WTI futures contract must have storage and/or pipeline capacity connected to one of the NYMEX delivery locations in Cushing. From there, the firm can elect to take the oil into storage or into a pipeline with connectivity to Midwest refineries and to the Gulf Coast market.

Story continues

2020 Stress

The unprecedented global market fundamentals put intense stress on the oil industry in the first half of 2020. The first indicator of the energy demand destruction from COVID-19 was seen in the New York Harbor RBOB gasoline futures contract (RBOB).

The futures market for RBOB gasoline forecasted demand concerns early when prices traded at a 20-year low of $0.376 on March 23, 2020. RBOB futures is an important indicator for global gasoline as it is the only gasoline futures contract to trade electronically around the clock. Historically, gasoline stocks build in the winter in anticipation of the peak summer driving demand.

As it became apparent that the summer driving season would be significantly curtailed, RBOB futures prices started to decline at a faster pace than crude oil prices. Meanwhile, the price of New York Harbor Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) futures held up relative to RBOB futures in March and April 2020 due to stronger demand from the transportation sector for delivery of essential goods during the pandemic, as reflected in the crack spread chart below.

Oil Storage Drawdown

In response to the sharp drop in gasoline and ULSD prices, the oil refining companies were quick to respond to the price signals, as is evident in the decline in the U.S. refinery utilization rate, which has been stuck below 75% utilization during the peak summer demand period when refinery utilization typically rises over 90%. As the refining sector ramped up production with the re-opening of global economies, the stocks in Cushing have been drawn down significantly since the peak level of 65.4 million barrels in storage on May 1, 2020.

As a result of the surging global oversupply, U.S. crude oil production dropped sharply to 10.5 million bpd in June 2020, down from a peak of 13 million bpd in December 2019. The oversupply coupled with demand collapse on a global scale created price arbitrage that was not favorable for U.S. crude oil exports.

Exports stood at 2.5 million bpd in June, down from the peak of 3.7 million recorded in December 2019. The growth in exports has been transformative for the U.S. crude oil market and has enabled U.S. crude to become the marginal barrel of supply in the global energy market.

Looking Ahead

WTI futures continue to reflect the fundamentals in the physical crude oil market driven by the unprecedented global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including decreased demand for crude, global oversupply, and high levels of U.S. storage utilization.

These fundamentals intersect at the Cushing hub, and will continue to put intense stress on the oil industry in 2020, as companies respond to price signals and hedge the price risk associated with the "new normal" in the global economy.

The post Why The Cushing Storage Hub Matters to Oil appeared first on OpenMarkets.

To learn more about futures and options, go to Benzingas futures and options education resource.

See more from Benzinga

 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Here's How To Help The People Of Beirut Right Now

Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, has been struck by tragedy this week. On Tuesday, Beirut experienced an explosion that has left over 150 people dead, 5,000 people injured, and 80 people missing. The explosion was caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate being stored in the port of Beirut for six years without safety measures.

The explosions, which destroyed the port, also destroyed the already collapsing economy and exacerbated Lebanons ongoing economic crisis. It has been reported that government officials knew of the danger of the explosives being in the port and neglected to do anything about it.

ADVERTISEMENT

This explosion comes after Lebanon has already fallen on incredibly hard times: a tanking economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a corrupt government. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals were already overwhelmed with patients as victims were arriving at the hospitals. Since the explosion, many places, such as Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Russia, and the EU, have offered aid.

Unfortunately, because of Lebanons corrupt government, signing petitions wont do anything. There are ways you can help, though  the most important thing we can do right now to help the people of Beirut is to donate. Here are 11 organizations that you can donate to in order to help the people of Beirut deal with this tragedy.

Lebanese Red Cross: You can donate via their website or direct wire transfers. The Lebanese Red Cross has dispatched ambulances from around the country to help the city of Beirut. The organization also set up a triage and first aid stations. They also have an app and you can find them on Twitter or Facebook.

Lebanese Food Bank: Lebanon is currently undergoing a famine along with the explosions so food is needed more now than ever. You can also find them on Instagram or Facebook.

Impact Lebanon: Impact Lebanon is providing disaster relief and shelter for victims of the explosion. They are currently trying to raise 5 million in relief. You can also find them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Save the Children: The Lebanese chapter of Save the Children is currently accepting donations to meet the needs of vulnerable children in the country. Their teams stand ready to support relief efforts wherever possible. You can also find them on Twitter or Facebook.

Embrace LifeLine: During this hard time, its important to take care of your mental health. This organization is Lebanons emotional support and suicidal prevention helpline. You can also find them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

International Medical Corps: This organization is a global humanitarian effort that provides emergency medical relief. You can also find them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Atfalouna: This organization helps specifically meet the needs of children in Lebanon because no child should go to sleep hungry. You can also find them on Instagram or Facebook.

CARE: This international aid organization is currently distributing emergency supplies and assisting those in need in Beirut. You can also find them on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

Food Blessed: This is a local hunger relief initiative in Beirut. They have said that theyre allocating a huge part of their donations to help those who have been directly and indirectly affected by the explosion, while still providing hunger relief to those in need. You can also find them on Instagram or Facebook.

Project HOPE: This is a global aid organization and they are currently delivering aid such as medical supplies to the people of Beirut. You can also find them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Beit El Baraka: This organization is dedicated to helping families and retirees cope with the increasing cost of living in Lebanon amid the economic crisis. You can also find them on Instagram or Facebook.

Header image via Wikimedia Commons / Hoseina051311

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Diana Holiner is currently a student at Emerson College where she is majoring in Visual Media Arts Production. She lives in Dover, Massachusetts and enjoys hanging out with her dog and watching television.
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 15:48 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c576d1 1 Politics Agus-Harimurti-Yudhoyono,puan-maharani,Democratic-party,PDI-P,Susilo-Bambang-Yudhoyono,megawati-soekarnoputri Free

Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani, an executive of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), sat together on Thursday to discuss the two parties cooperation in the upcoming regional elections.

The PDI-P and Dems formed a coalition to nominate candidate pairs running for regional head posts in 28 of the 270 regions in the country that will participate in the elections, which are to be held simultaneously on Dec. 9.

"We have discussed the PDI-P and the Democratic Party's collaboration in the regional elections. Hopefully we can maintain the cooperation for the sake of the nation," Agus said after the meeting at the legislative complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday.

Agus, the son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, further said that he and Puan also touched on the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on the country's economy during their meeting.

Speaking to the press with Agus, Puan expressed her expectation for the PDI-P and the Democrats to continue maintaining their relations and that she looked forward to her next meeting with him.

"This is our first meeting since [Agus] was appointed chairman," Puan said. "I hope this isnt the first and last meeting for us. Well maintain this friendship for this nation together."

Read also: Archrivals Megawati, SBY prepare successors for 2024 race

In the 2019 presidential race, the Dems joined the coalition supporting the candidacy of Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, who went head-to-head against PDI-P-backed President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. After the latter won his reelection, Gerindra jumped ship to the ruling coalition since Prabowo was appointed a Cabinet member.

Both Agus and Puan  the daughter of former president and PDI-P matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri  are among those who might join the 2024 presidential election. However, thus far only Agus has declared his intention to run in the race.

Although the two are rather cordial when it comes to their ties, relations between Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the PDI-P chairwoman have been strained since he ran against then-president Megawati in the 2004 presidential election. He was serving in her Cabinet as the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister at the time.

Separately, Agus said that he hoped the Dems could return to their political glory in 2024 and secure more seats in the House than the current 54 gained in the 2019 legislative elections, a steep drop from the 150 seats the party won in 2009.

"This is not a baseless hope. Because we have had success, he said.

The PDI-P currently has the most seats in the House with 128 after the ruling party secured 19.3 percent of the vote in the 2019 legislative race.














Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain who has gone into exile in the face of corruption allegations, has travelled to Abu Dhabi according to Spanish newspaper ABC, contradicting earlier press reports about his whereabouts.















Other media have singled out Portugal or the Dominican Republic as possible destinations for the former monarch who abdicated in 2014, but his exact location has yet to be pinned down.

The royal palace has refused to reveal where Juan Carlos is living, saying he will announce it himself if necessary.

Pro-monarchy newspaper ABC wrote that the 82-year-old boarded a private jet on Monday from Vigo in northeastern Spain along with one aide and four bodyguards.

Seven hours later, the plane landed at a business airport in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

According to a flight plan ABC said it had seen, the jet was registered as departing from Paris to avoid arousing suspicion.

In fact, it took off from Paris on Sunday before making a stop in Vigo to pick up Juan Carlos.

The paper says he is now well shielded from paparazzi photographers in the luxurious Emirates Palace hotel, adding that high temperatures have so far kept him indoors.

But a manager at the hotel denied the former king was there, telling AFP: "We have no VIP guests."

Juan Carlos has long had warm relations with the Gulf monarchies, and Spanish press reports say a transfer of $100 million to one of his Swiss bank accounts from late Saudi king Abdullah has come into investigators' sights.

After abdicating over corruption allegations stemming from public statements by a former mistress, Juan Carlos announced Monday that he was quitting Spain so as not to undermine his son King Felipe VI.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Hong Kong's leader on Friday said China would help authorities offer free coronavirus tests to residents as infections continue to rise in a finance hub where a deep distrust of Beijing has become embedded.

Initially a poster child for the battle against the coronavirus, Hong Kong has seen a third wave brought in by certain business and logistic arrivals that were exempted from the compulsory quarantine rules.

More than 2,500 new infections have been detected since the start of Julynearly 70 percent of the total since the virus first hit the city in late January, and deaths have risen to 46.

City leader Carrie Lam said the government would introduce a free voluntary testing scheme in two weeks' time with support from medical officials from the Chinese mainland.

"We want to do it as soon as possible within short duration, because the earlier that we could identify these silent transmitters, the better," Lam said.

The testing will be conducted by Hong Kong subsidiaries of three mainland companies including Chinese genomics firm BGI Group, she added.

In other places around the world, residents would likely welcome a sudden increase in virus testing.

But many Hong Kongers remain deeply suspicious of Beijing as it stamps down on political freedoms, including imposing a sweeping new security law on the city last month.

Biometric surveillance, including DNA, forms a core part of the authoritarian mainland's vast surveillance state.

Hong Kong opposition figures have expressed fears virus testing by mainland officials could help Beijing harvest DNA of Hong Kong's 7.5 million inhabitants.

The Hong Kong government have dismissed those suggestions as unfounded rumours.

During Friday's announcement Lam said testing laboratories would not be given any personal information and would not be able to collect DNA samples.

"If people still have concerns, they don't need to come forward," she said.

"This is an entirely voluntary programme to provide testing for those who want to have a test."

She added that "conspiracy theories" were "damaging the relationship between the central government and Hong Kong".

The National Health Commission of China has sent an "advance unit" of clinical laboratory staff in the city on Sunday.

Lam said another team has been set up to assist in building Hong Kong a makeshift hospital similar tho those erected when the virus first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

Authorities recently opened a 500-bed temporary facility to treat non-serious infections in an exhibition centre near the airport and are expecting to boost its capacity by adding 1,400 beds.

The new temporary hospital will be built nearby.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2020 AFP
'The virus has been ahead of us till now, and we have been chasing the virus.'

'It is time we have to be a step ahead of the virus, and this is possible only by checking the oxygen level.'

IMAGE: A sample being collected for a COVID-19 test in Surat, August 6, 2020. Photograph: PTI Photo

In part 3 of the Rediff.com series 'What I Learnt from the COVID-19 Crisis' series, Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com speaks to doctors and scientists and finds out how they have learned to stay ahead of the virus.

IMAGE: People queue at a mobile swab collection bus for the COVID-19 test at the IGMC stadium in Vijayawada, August 6, 2020. Photograph: ANI Photo Dr Anoop Thekkuveettil, a senior scientist in the division of molecular medicine at the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvanathapuram said in May that the coronavirus has an advantage over us human beings. He has learnt now that we can be ahead of the virus by using the Pulse Oxymeter. 'Next year, when it appears, we won't even talk about it' COVID-19 is totally different from the normal influenza virus in the way it spreads.

In the normal clinical practice, we don't test anybody to see whether he is infected or not; we test only those who develop symptoms.

But in the case of COVID-19, there are more asymptomatic patients than patients with symptoms.

This is something new about this virus.

In the normal clinical practice, we don't test anybody to see whether he is infected or not; we test only those who develop symptoms. But in the case of COVID-19, there are more asymptomatic patients than patients with symptoms. This is something new about this virus. Unlike the pneumonia patients, here the infected people breathe well, and are normal in every aspect but their oxygen level will be low.

Many scientific papers now say that this is because the virus forms blood clots in the lungs thus reducing the oxygen level.

But the patient will not be aware of this.

By the time the patient shows symptoms, organ failures happen resulting in sudden death.

That's why I feel more than testing for the virus, what is needed is testing the oxygen level.

The success of Dharavi was because instead of testing for the virus, health workers checked the oxygen level of the people.

That's why the mortality rate is very low there.

Many scientific papers now say that this is because the virus forms blood clots in the lungs thus reducing the oxygen level. But the patient will not be aware of this. By the time the patient shows symptoms, organ failures happen resulting in sudden death. That's why I feel more than testing for the virus, what is needed is testing the oxygen level. The success of was because instead of testing for the virus, health workers checked the oxygen level of the people. That's why the mortality rate is very low there. The virus has been ahead of us till now, and we have been chasing the virus.

Once the community spread starts, tracing and testing become irrelevant.

It is time we have to be a step ahead of the virus, and this is possible only by checking the oxygen level.

Oxygen level measurement is easier because it is non-invasive.

In fact, the Pulse Oxymeter is available on Amazon for Rs 1,000 which the patients themselves can use and monitor the oxygen level.

This is the way to reduce mortality rate.

I would even say the Pulse Oxymeter is going to be the saviour!

IMAGE: A health worker handles a vial containing a blood sample of a person for serological survey at a school in New Delhi, August 6, 2020. Photograph: Manvender Vashist/PTI Photo Professor Gobardhan Das, a well-known immunologist and chairperson of the Centre of Molecular Medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru University, had told us in early April that there was a link between BCG vaccination and resistance to COVID-19. 'BCG vaccine can be a game-changer against coronavirus' In India, the death rate is lower than the rest of the world only because of the BCG vaccination we have had when we were children.

The reason for higher basal level immunity is also because the BCG vaccine.

The reason for higher basal level immunity is also because the vaccine. It is found that the biggest factor in covid infection is cytokine burst (Diseases like COVID-19 and influenza can be fatal due to an overreaction of the body's immune system called a cytokine storm.

Cytokines are small proteins released by different cells in the body, including those of the immune system and trigger inflammation.

When SARS -CoV-2 virus enters the lungs, it triggers an immune response, attracting immune cells to the region to attack the virus, resulting in localised inflammation.

In some patients, excessive or uncontrolled levels of cytokines are released which then activate more immune cells, resulting in hyperinflammation.

This can seriously harm or even kill the patient.)

Cytokines are small proteins released by different cells in the body, including those of the immune system and trigger inflammation. When SARS -CoV-2 virus enters the lungs, it triggers an immune response, attracting immune cells to the region to attack the virus, resulting in localised inflammation. In some patients, excessive or uncontrolled levels of cytokines are released which then activate more immune cells, resulting in hyperinflammation. This can seriously harm or even kill the patient.) The knowledge that the immunity developed against the coronavirus is short-lived, is something new.

IMAGE: Deserted Esplanade during the complete biweekly lockdown in Kolkata to curb COVID-19, August 5, 2020. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, consultant psychiatrist and founder of Sneha, an NGO that works for suicide prevention, discusses how the pandemic has affected mental health. In March, when COVID-19 first surfaced in India, Dr Vijayakumar told Rediff.com, "Social isolation itself can create panic among people. So, stay connected." 'Take precautions, but don't panic' Three months later, she says like she had feared, the number of people with mental issues has risen exponentially. Mental health issues are the shadow epidemic of this pandemic.

The number of people with mental health issues has increased tremendously.

So also alcohol issues, domestic violence , children spending longer time on gaming and on the internet.

By nature, human beings are social creatures; we need society, we need community and we need groups.

But isolation, lockdown, physical distancing and lack of touch has affected people, especially those who live alone.

That's why I call mental health issues the shadow epidemic of this pandemic.

The number of people with mental health issues has increased tremendously. So also alcohol issues, , children spending longer time on gaming and on the internet. By nature, human beings are social creatures; we need society, we need community and we need groups. But isolation, lockdown, physical distancing and lack of touch has affected people, especially those who live alone. That's why I call mental health issues the shadow epidemic of this pandemic.

The prolonged uncertainty has affected even people who have never sought mental health services, and thought they were quite strong mentally.

Now they are facing a lot of anxieties and pressures, and are seeking help.

The number of people developing anxiety, depression and fear has increased substantially.

I would go on to say, it has doubled in the last three-and-a-half months.

Now they are facing a lot of anxieties and pressures, and are seeking help. The number of people developing anxiety, depression and fear has increased substantially. I would go on to say, it has doubled in the last three-and-a-half months.

And when people who have some mental health issues, develop covid infection, the stigma doubles for them.

They have already been stigmatised because they have some mental health issues, and when they get infected with the virus, the stigma becomes too much for them to bear.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
Democrats are finalizing their speaker line up for the party convention later this month and the time slots are filled with famous names: Bill and Hillary Clinton along with Barack and Michelle Obama.

But one rising star in the party may not get a prime time speaking role: Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a favorite of the left who became a national sensation in 2018 when she defeated longtime Rep. Joe Crowley in their primary contest.

The speaker line up is still be finalized, Politico reported, but it's unclear if Ocasio-Cortez, who is a frequent target of President Donald Trump and his conservative supporters, will have a slot.

Bill and Hillary Clinton along with Barack and Michelle Obama are all expected to get speaking slots at the Democratic National Convention later this month

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a favorite of the left, may not get a prime time speaking slot

There are fewer prime time opportunities available after the convention was shrunk to eight hours over four nights. Additionally, none of them will address an arena full of cheering delegates after organizers decided to scrap any travel to Milwaukee due to the coronavirus. Speeches will be made virtually.

Other speakers will include Senator Bernie Sanders, another favorite of progressives, sharing a speaking night with former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican who has endorsed presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Women will be prominently featured with Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Kamala Harris, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Jill Biden given slots.

The convention is scheduled to begin Monday, August 17.

Meanwhile, the party announced this week that Biden will accept the Democratic nomination for president during a speech in his home state of Delaware and skip the party's convention in Milwaukee because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden agreed with the decision.

'The mayor has put in place a 225 person limit on people assembling in any one place. I think it's the right thing to do. I've wanted to set an example as to how we should respond individually to this crisis,' he told a virtual fundraiser on Wednesday afternoon.

'I think it's going to be an exciting convention,' he added.

It's not just Biden but other scheduled speakers, who included Biden's yet-to-be announced running mate, will also no longer travel to Milwaukee to address the party faithful, the Democratic National Committee announced on Wednesday.

The party cited advice from health officials as the reason behind their decision.

Joe Biden will accept the Democratic nomination for president during a speech in his home state of Delaware

Earlier this summer, Democrats announced plans for a scaled back convention, including moving the location to the smaller Wisconsin Center and advising delegates to stay home

'From the very beginning of this pandemic, we put the health and safety of the American people first,' DNC chair Tom Perez said in a statement.

'That's the kind of steady and responsible leadership America deserves. And that's the leadership Joe Biden will bring to the White House,' he added.

Wisconsin officials are still expected to speak from the Milwaukee site but no major addresses will happen there, in a blow to the city.

It could also be a blow to Democratic chances of winning the state. Donald Trump unexpectedly won the state by less than 1 per cent in the 2016 election after Hillary Clinton didn't campaign there.

Biden will formally accept the Democratic nomination on Thursday, August 20th, in Wilmington but no other details have been announced. Traditionally, the acceptance speech is the equivalent of a coronation for the party's new leader with music, a balloon drop and thousands of cheering delegates.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 17 after being pushed back from its original July date because of the virus.

Democratic officials were in the process of planning a virtual gathering but had insisted Biden would travel to Wisconsin to formally accept the party's nomination.

In June, plans for a scaled back gathering were announced: state delegates were told not to come to Milwaukee because of the virus, the location was changed to the much smaller Wisconsin Center venue and the party added satellite events around the country.

Jill and Joe Biden at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia

Delegates wave 'Joe' signs when Biden addressed the 2016 convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia

Coronavirus deaths across the United States have increased by 36 percent this week with states in the Sunbelt and Midwest seeing the largest weekly spikes.

Democrats aren't the only one changes their convention plans.

Republicans scrapped holding the main part of their convention in Jacksonville, Florida, after that state saw a spike in coronavirus cases.

President Donald Trump is now weighing giving his acceptance speech from the South Lawn of the White House.
Vishakhapatnam:

Only 1 per cent of the police personnel in Andhra Pradesh are aware of cybercrimes, said DGP N Sambasiva Rao on Monday.

Andhra Pradesh has about 65,000-strong force, but there are doubts whether even 1 per cent of the personnel are aware of criminal activities carried out by means of computers or the Internet, he said.

Rao was speaking after inaugurating a seven-day workshop on  Cyber Security and Ethical Hacking  , organised by the Department of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Andhra University College of Engineering.

Nearly 99 per cent of the personnel in the force are not trained to investigate or deal with cyber crimes, he said.

A high-tech lab, which will have facilities to detect various types of cyber crime and track cyber criminals will be set up in Visakhapatnam with an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore, the DGP added.

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Roger Stone spent a half-century honing his skills as a political operator and building a reputation as a stop-at-nothing dirty trickster, in support of a range of big-name politicians and causes, including Donald Trump and Richard Nixon.

Now, a report from the cybersecurity firm Graphika suggests that Stone  who in recent years has become one of Fort Lauderdales best-known residents  was able to translate his real-world approach to the online world, exploiting the social media platform Facebook as he pursued goals that included promoting Trump and himself.

A closer look at the document shows how the Sunshine State emerged as an epicenter for the disinformation network, which set out to meddle in Florida politics and beyond.

Last month, the social media giant took down a network of 54 Facebook accounts, 50 pages and four from Instagram, another social media site it owns. A map showed 15 locations of the accounts were in Florida, mostly along the coast from Vero Beach to Miami; a handful were elsewhere.

The disinformation network jumped into Florida politics, posting from an inauthentic account named Rob Kanter against Senate Bill 10, Graphika said. That legislation, which created a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, was fiercely opposed by Big Sugar. The bill passed in 2017, despite efforts on social media to defeat it.

Another example cited by Graphika: When a judge issued an order blocking Trumps order barring citizens from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States in 2017, a Stone Cold Truth post accused the judge of letting terrorists in the U.S. to kill your family. It published his work address and phone numbers and invited people to call or email him.

Some pages associated with Stone promoted Stone, and often his books. Some attempted to influence legislation and criticized enemies  including Hillary Clinton  sometimes with negative messages. Some used fake names and were illustrated with faces found on the internet.

Story continues

Our investigation linked this network to Roger Stone and his associates, Facebook said. Some had links to the far-right group Proud Boys, Facebook said.

The report tied one example of online harassment by the network to a Sarah Jameson Facebook account, which purported to be a woman living in Plantation.

Roger Shuler, who writes an online blog called Legal Schnauzer, said he received a barrage of profanity-laden emails from some claiming to be a Sarah Jameson in 2015 and 2016. The person emailing was upset over Shuler critical posts about then-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions and federal Judge Bill Pryor.

Shuler said he looked up Jamesons Facebook page and found a Roger Stone shrine. It seemed bizarre enough for him to write on his blog about the account with only 18 friends and posts promoting Stone.

I definitely had suspicions that it was a fake account or a false identity, Shuler said. It was kind of like a fan-girl page. Not much in-depth information. Whoever it was seemed to like Roger Stone for some reason.

It made me wonder: Roger Stone is known for dirty tricks. Was he involved in some of this? Shuler added.

Graphika, which says it uses artificial intelligence to analyze social media, said Facebook provided it with information to analyze before the takedown. The Graphika report was entitled Facebooks Roger Stone Takedown: Facebook Removes Inauthentic Network Attributed to Political Operative.

The accounts that were taken down, which included Stones Facebook and Instagram accounts, were most active from 2015 to 2017, especially around the time of the presidential election. Some were active as recently as this spring and advocated for a presidential pardon for Stone.

Graphika said many of the accounts carried discernible markers of inauthenticity, such as using profile pictures of other individuals.

For example, the accounts called Luciana Ramos (ostensibly based in Florida), Adrienne Leeann (no location given), and Jake Charles (ostensibly in Kahului, Hawaii), had profile pictures taken from, respectively, actress Christian Serratos in the Walking Dead series, a teenager whose story featured in the Des Moines Register in July 2016 (the account uploaded its profile picture five days after the story was published), and a Getty Images stock shot of surfing, Graphika wrote.

For people whove watched Stone over the years, the reports findings seem par for the course. For those who arent familiar with his long and colorful  some would say sordid  history, its a startling compilation.

Most werent major online presences, Graphika reported. Most pages had fewer than 5,000 followers and fewer than 200, although Stone had 60,000 followers each on Facebook and Instagram and 141,000 followers for his Stone Cold Truth page, Graphika said.

Stones social media activity had been limited.

In July 2019, while he was awaiting trial, a federal judge cut off Stone from social media sites Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who presided over the case against Stone in Washington, D.C., acted after Stone posted a picture of her on Instagram with an image that to many looked like the crosshairs of a gun next to her head.

Stone couldnt be reached for comment Thursday.

Stone told the Miami Herald that he planned to take action, saying Graphika are the con men I will be suing. Because he earns a substantial amount of income from the promotion of my books and my other products on Facebook I have damages and will be bringing appropriate legal action. He said it was completely totally and categorically false that he associated with inauthentic accounts.

A Graphika spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

For decades, Stone was known mainly to people in the political and media worlds.

He burst into broader public consciousness when his support for Trumps presidential campaign involved him in the special counsels investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, his eventual indictment and conviction on federal charges, and  finally  Trumps commuting the prison sentence of his longtime associate.

On July 10, Trump commuted Stones sentence, just days before he was supposed to begin serving a 40-month prison term for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the U.S. House investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, which meddled in the 2016 election.

Stone has consistently denied wrongdoing and said the prosecution was motivated by politics.

Trumps decision, which was criticized by many in the legal and political worlds, rewarded a longtime loyalist, who had promised that I will never roll on Donald Trump, regardless of any pressure applied to him.



2020 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

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India recorded more than 20.2 lakh cases of the novel coronavirus and 41,585 deaths, according to the Union health ministry's latest update.

Of these, 6,07,384 are active cases while 13,78,105 have recovered.

With more than 4.79 lakh COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections, followed by Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Delhi.

Globally, more than 1.9 crore infections and over 7 lakh deaths have been reported due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Here are all the latest updates:

>> The Ministry of Home Affairs permitted OCI cardholders to enter India who belong to countries with which 'air bubble' arrangements have been finalised by Ministry of Civil Aviation. It said that other foreigners from these countries have also been allowed to avail Indian visa facility for business, medical and employment purposes. Indian citizens have also been allowed to travel to such countries on any type of visa.

>> Congress MLA and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah said he has tested positive for COVID-19.

>> Serum Institute of India (SII) has tied up with Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to boost manufacturing and delivery of up to 10 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses for India.

>> The Madhya Pradesh government relaxes night curfews by two hours and partially lifts weekend lockdowns in coronavirus-affected districts of the state, official says.

>> India's COVID-19 management is marked by a rising recovery rate and falling fatality rate, health ministry said.

>> The US has lifted the highest level of its global health travel advisory for Americans due to the coronavirus pandemic and restored the previous country-specific system without changing the status of over 50 countries, including that of India and China.
Miner and commodities trader giant Glencore (LON: GLEN) posted a $2.6 billion loss for the first half of the year and scrapped its dividend, as the coronavirus pandemic dented global demand and lowered prices and production at its mining division. Despite the virus impact, the Swiss firm managed to remain profitable on an operating basis. Glencore posted $1.5 billion in adjusted earnings before interest and taxes, but booked $3.2 million in impairment charges.

The company said it was putting balance sheet strength ahead of shareholder returns, as net debt climbed 12% to $19.7 billion at the end of June.

The increase in borrowings came as Glencore tapped its credit lines to take advantage of falling oil prices in March and April  it bought cheap crude and sold it on the futures market for a profit. As a result, its marketing business performed especially well, with full-year earnings expected to come in at the top end of its $2.2-$3.2 billion range, after hitting $2 billion in the first half.

Chief executive Ivan Glasenberg said the board had concluded it would be inappropriate to make a distribution to shareholders in 2020. Instead, the firm will focus on debt reduction after pouring money into the oil trading business to cash in on volatile price swings.

Christopher LaFemina, an analyst at Jefferies, said the decision to cancel the dividend was disappointing in light of the strong performance from the companys trading arm.

We believe Glencore has missed an opportunity to send a strong message to the market about its dividend policy being robust through the cycle, he said.

BMOs Edward Sterck said the bank expected the trading divisions oil position profit to be booked largely in the second half of the year. It has clearly unwound some of the positions in H1 whilst still (looking at net debt combined with disclosures) retaining significant exposure, he wrote in a note to investors.

The mining and metals expert added the move could lead to a beat in expectations for the second half of the year, but noted the market was not given enough disclosure to forecast with confidence.

No change in succession plans

Glasenberg, who has led Glencore since 2002, added that covid-19 had not changed the timing of succession plans, but declined to give further details.

The executive, who is the companys second-biggest shareholder with a 9% stake, according to Refinitiv Eikon data, said in 2018 that he would step down in three to five years. At the time, he added the firm had begun training a small group of front runners to take over the post.

As we said before covid once the old guard is changed then I will move on, Glasenberg said on Thursday, adding that the head of coal trading, Tor Peterson, was still due to leave. Long-time Glencore executive Daniel Mate, who led its zinc business, left last month.

Glencore has been transitioning to a new generation of management over the past couple of years, appointing new division heads to cover marketing and assets for coal, ferroalloys, copper and oil.

Uncertain outlook

The Swiss giant mined 588,100 tonnes of copper in the first half of the year, 11% less than during the same period of 2019.

The company said global mine supply would likely keep hurting because of COVID-19 and new projects will experience delays. Aging equipment and declining ore grades are also likely to crimp global supply, Glencore said.

Related: COVID-19 Could Spark A Global Food Crisis

A rebound in demand, led by Chinese factories, would likely continue, supported by significant economic stimulus measures being undertaken globally, it said.

Glencore noted that the two key areas of cobalt demand, lithium-ion batteries for mobile phones and electric vehicles (EVs), looked promising.

The growing momentum evident across the [EV] sector, together with a recovery in mobile-phone demand, points to higher future cobalt demand, Glencore said.

On zinc, the company said it was still too early to tell what the metals supply balance would look like this year, with the scale of the pandemics effect on supply and demand still unknown.

By Mining.com

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday took exception to a Kerala-based activist uploading a video on social media of her two minor children painting on her semi-nude body.

A three-judge SC bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, remarked that such acts are in bad taste and give children the wrong impression about the countrys culture.

You might be an activist, but why do you do all these? What kind of nonsense is this? What impression will your kids get about the culture of the country? Justice Mishra asked.

The court was hearing an anticipatory bail by Fathima AS, who is apprehending arrest for offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, after she uploaded a video on social media of her two minor children painting on her semi-nude body in June.

The controversial video led to the registration of the case against her indulging in child pornography under the POCSO Act, 2012, and for publishing such content, which is an offence, under the IT Act, 2000.

The Kerala high court (HC) had rejected her anticipatory bail plea on July 24.

It is an obscenity. And you are spreading it. It will leave a very bad taste, Justice Mishra said.

Senior counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who appeared on behalf of Fathima, pointed out that provisions relating to child pornography have been invoked against her and not obscenity.

How can it be child pornography? The children are fully clothed, he submitted.

He argued that the petitioner is not someone, who will abscond, and there was no requirement of custodial interrogation.

The bench, however, dismissed the case stating the offences against the accused are prima facie made out.

Fathima, in her petition, had contended that female nudity, per se, will not constitute obscenity and children painting on their mothers body cannot be construed as child abuse.

The petitioner, while being semi-nude, has allowed her body to be used as a canvas for her children to paint on and there can probably be nobody, except a pervert, who would be aroused to sexual desire by seeing the nature of the work, advocate Renjith Marar argued.

Her message, accompanying the uploaded edited video, illustrated that she intended to normalise the female form for her children and not allow distorted ideas about sexuality to pervade their mind, Fathima submitted.

The petitioner feels that she should teach sex education to her children. For that purpose, she asks her children to paint on her semi-nude body and then uploading the same on social media. I am not in a position to agree with the petitioner that she should teach sex education to her children in this manner, the Kerala HC had said in its order.

She also cited two SC judgments in this regard to buttress her case.

The first was the 2014 judgment in Aveek Sarkar v. State of West Bengal in which the top court held that a photograph, taken by a father of his semi-nude daughter and nude son-in-law in black and white, respectively, was intended to convey an anti-apartheid message and cannot be dubbed obscene.

The second judgment referred to Bobby Art International v. Om Pal, or, what is famously known as the Bandit queen case.

In this case, the movie, Bandit Queen, which depicted the life of bandit-turned-politician late Phoolan Devi, had nude scenes. The apex court, however, held that nudity in the movie was not intended to arouse carnal desires, but should be considered in the context of the story and the situation in the movie.

Goddesses in Kerala are frequently depicted in idols and murals with bare breasts. When one prays at a temple, the feeling is not of sexual arousal, but one of divinity. The body painting of men is part of pulikali (a popular folk dance, where men dance with their bodies painted with tigers and leopard prints). It cannot suddenly become obscene, when the same is done on a woman, the plea stated.

Earlier, Fathima had courted controversy, when she attempted to enter the Sabarimala temple in 2018 after the SC had struck down a law prohibiting entry of women, aged between 10 and 50 years,

in the hilltop shrine in Keralas Pathanamthitta district.

She had to abandon her journey following massive protests by a mob, who had blocked her entry to the sacred shrine.
KAMPALA  President Museveni has said that he enjoys social media insultsdescribing it as an indicator that his administration is tolerant and that it has guaranteed the Freedom of speech.

I congratulate the NRM for guaranteeing freedom of speech were the social  media actors, for instance, can insult everybody with no repercussions, he wrote in a missive on Thursday August 7.

He said the kind of freedom his administration has allowed in Uganda is not very common in Africa but Bazzukulu should not go beyond their limits.

He said that he enjoys it except where the unwise want to cause insecurity and unconstitutionalism and those who say there is no danger from Coronavirus in Uganda.

The president who was responding to a number of issues raised on social media by his followers and critics also congratulated his administration for, in addition to immunization and the lockdown, defending the Ugandans and Bazukulu from war and terrorism so that, before the lockdown, they could have the bikesa (transnights).

You remember the Bijambiya? What happened to them? They were defeated.

He castigated critics over tribal debates involving armed forces and those who cast his administration as system monopolized by people from western Uganda.

They shared an unclear picture trying to show some army people. Kindly, leave our Armed Forces out of the nonsense of tribal debates.

He said they (armed forces) have serious work to do and they have done it well.

Leave them out of your confusion. The only point one can say about that is recruitment in the Armed Forces is by quotas per district. You check during the recruitment time, he added.

Related
Comedian Andy Dick is suing the man who punched him outside of a nightclub in New Orleans last year.

In the lawsuit, filed in Orleans Parish Civil District Court on July 29 and viewed by The New Orleans Advocate, Dick claims the assault left him with 'serious, permanent and disabling injuries.'

David Hale, 47, was reportedly watching 54-year-old Dick perform at a nightclub called One Eyed Jacks before the incident occurred around 2am in August 2019.

Hale claims he was provoked and that Dick grabbed his genitals prior to the incident.

Dick also filed a lawsuit against One Eyed Jacks, accusing the club of failing to provide him with adequate security.

Andy Dick (left) has filed a lawsuit against Paul Hale (right), who punched him outside of a nightclub in New Orleans in August 2019. Dick said he had just finished performing a show at One Eyed Jacks when Hale approached him from behind and knocked him to the ground

The comedian was taken to the hospital and treated for a 'possible brain bleed.' Pictured: Hale punching Dick outside One Eyed Jacks

According to the suit, Dick was standing outside One Eyed Jacks after he finished performing in a show on August 10, 2019, when Hale approached him from behind.

Hale 'violently and unexpectedly struck' Dick, and the comedian claims he was knocked unconscious for 15 minutes after hitting his head on the pavement.

Dick was rushed to a nearby hospital, and was observed for what he described as a 'possible brain bleed'

The comedian's tour manager, Robert Couvillion, told Fox 8 that Dick's injuries were severe.

'We thought he was dead, ' he said.

'Then, when he did get up, he thought he was in LA. He was unresponsive, his eyes were swimming in his head and it was really bad.'

Hale allegedly punched a second man before fleeing the scene. He was later arrested at his home on two counts of battery.

He alleges that Dick grabbed his genitals and winked at him, provoking the attack.

But the assault, which was was captured on CCTV footage, does not appear to show Dick groping anyone.

In the lawsuit, Dick says Hale and One Eyed Jacks owe him for damages including past and future medical bills, mental anguish, physical pain and wage loss, reported The Advocate.

On July 28, the Orleans Parish District Attorney Office announced it would not be following through with its charges against Hale because Dick was not cooperating with the investigation, according to the newspaper.

One day later, Dick filed his lawsuit and announced he would be reaching out to investigators again.

Dick is accusing Hale of leaving him with 'serious, permanent and disabling injuries' and is seeking an undisclosed amount. Pictured: Dick attends Debbie Durkin's EcoLuxe Lounge Honoring Film Nominees at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, February 2019

Dick is also suing One Eyed Jacks (pictured) for not providing him with adequate security

Dick has faced several controversies during his career, including numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior.

He was ushered off-stage during a performance for exposing his genitals in 2005, and has faced charges of sexual battery and drug possession over the years.

Additionally, in 2007, Dick groped Ivanka Trump during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Dick first rubbed his hands up and down Ivanka's thigh and knee before, less than a minute later, trying to grab her ponytail.

Kimmel and a security guard then lifted Dick off the couch and dragged him off the stage.
In an interview, James explained that WEG, which is part of a global firm based in Brazil, had to scramble when the 25% steel tariff went into effect. That had a significant impact on our business, he said. We put a tremendous amount of work into our electrical steel supply chain over the last two years.

One change was to import cores from Mexico, where producers can buy steel without paying the U.S. tariff. WEG competes with companies in Mexico and elsewhere that buy steel at lower world prices, so it had to keep its costs in line.

The trade case appears designed to protect a single company, AK Steel. Its the only domestic producer of grain-oriented electrical steel, the type of metal used in transformers.

AK Steel has more than 70% of the market for that product, and its already protected by the steel tariffs. James thinks another layer of tariffs would cause shortages.

The fact is, from an industry point of view, AK Steel does not have either the capacity or the full technical offering to meet all the needs of the transformer industry in the U.S., he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 15:22:21|Editor: huaxia

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Former Finance Minister of Malaysia Lim Guan Eng (C) leaves a court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aug. 7, 2020. Former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng was charged at a Kuala Lumpur court on Friday for allegedly soliciting gratification to help a company secure an undersea tunnel project. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng was charged at a Kuala Lumpur court on Friday for allegedly soliciting gratification to help a company secure an undersea tunnel project.

Lim, previously served as chief minister of Penang state from 2008 to 2018, was charged for helping the company to obtain a project in 2011, deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin told the court.

The charge, under the country's anti-corruption laws, provides imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the sum or value of the gratification, upon conviction.

Lim pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail.

Lim served as finance minister in the government led by Mahathir Mohamad since 2018 until Mahathir resigned as Prime Minister this February.
Mendy McNulty swabs the nose of her husband, Joe, in their home in Mount Juliet, Tenn., Tuesday, July 28, 2020. The family is participating in testing done twice a month to help answer some of the most vexing questions about the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

In a comfy suburb just outside Nashville, a young family swabs their noses twice a month in a DIY study seeking answers to some of the most vexing questions about the coronavirus.

How many U.S. children and teens are infected? How many kids who are infected show no symptoms? How likely are they to spread it to other kids and adults?

"The bottom line is we just don't know yet the degree to which children can transmit the virus," said Dr. Tina Hartert of Vanderbilt University, who is leading the government-funded study.

Evidence from the U.S., China and Europe shows children are less likely to become infected with the virus than adults and also less likely to become seriously ill when they do get sick. There is also data suggesting that young children don't spread the virus very often but that kids aged 10 and up may spread it just as easily as adults. The new study aims to find more solid proof.

"If we don't see significant transmission within households, that would be very reassuring," Hartert said.

Some 2,000 families in 11 U.S. cities are enrolled in the DIY experiment, pulled from participants in previous government research. In all, that's 6,000 people. They have no in-person contact with researchers. Testing supplies are mailed to their homes.

Mendy McNulty swabs the nose of her son, Andrew, 7, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in their home in Mount Juliet, Tenn. Six thousand U.S. parents and kids are swabbing their noses twice a week to answer some of the most vexing mysteries about the coronavirus. The answers could help determine the safety of in-class education during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

They collect their own nasal swabs for COVID-19 tests, and less often blood and stool samples. The specimens are mailed to the study organizers. Participants get text messages asking about symptoms and reminding them to test and they fill out questionnaires.

The study could help determine the safety of in-class education during the pandemic. But results aren't expected before year's end.

For Mendy and Joe McNulty and their two youngest sons in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, nasal swabbing at home is a family affair. Testing supplies are spread out on a carefully wiped down kitchen counter, where the four gather to perform what has become a ritual. Mendy McNulty helps the boys with their swabbing.

"We were excited to be able to feel like we could contribute somehow," she said, explaining why the family chose to participate. "This virus is so unknown. Any little bit we can do felt like we were doing something to help."

It's hard to pin down the exact number of COVID-19 cases in kids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least 175,000 cases have been confirmed in those aged 17 and under, accounting for less than 10% of all confirmed cases. But the true number is likely much higher because many kids have silent infections or only vague symptoms and don't get tested.

Mendy McNulty prepares test swabs for shipping as her son, Andrew, 7, watches after the family did a twice-weekly coronavirus test in their home Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in Mount Juliet, Tenn. Six thousand U.S. parents and kids are swabbing their noses twice a week to answer some of the most vexing mysteries about the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Data on kids and coronavirus spread is also murky. Hundreds of infections have been reported in children and staff members at U.S. day care centers, but whether kids or adults were the main spreaders isn't known.

The family study is also investigating whether children with asthma or allergies might have some protection against COVID-19. Anecdotal evidence suggests they might but "we don't know what the mechanism of that might be," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The institute is paying for the research.

As a mom, former school teacher and scientist, Hartert is anxious to help fill in the gaps. She acknowledges it's possible that none of the families will get infected, but given the number of COVID-19 cases around the country, she says that's highly unlikely.

Mendy McNulty says so far her family has remained healthy. She and her husband are both 39 and don't feel overly worried about getting infected.

She's interested in what happens when her kids return to school in mid-Augusttwo classroom days a week with masks and social distancing, three days online.

Mendy McNulty swabs the nose of her son, Hudson, 9, in their home in Mount Juliet, Tenn., Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Her husband, Joe, right, waits his turn. The family is participating in testing done twice a month to help answer some of the most vexing questions about the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Mendy McNulty gathers test swabs together for shipment after doing a coronavirus test on her family Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in their home in Mount Juliet, Tenn. Evidence from the U.S., China and Europe shows children are less likely to become infected with the virus than adults and to become seriously ill when they do get sick. There is also data suggesting that young children don't transmit COVID-19 very often but that kids aged 10 and up may spread the virus just as easily as adults. The new study aims to find more solid proof. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

"Schools are like little petri dishes anyway," said McNulty, also a former teacher.

"I am prepared to bring everyone home" if outbreaks occur, she said.

The boys7-year-old Andrew and 9-year-old Hudsonwere excited to take part in the study, McNulty said. She helps them do the nose swabbing, and they both say it doesn't really hurt.

"Sometimes it tickles," Andrew said. Other times, "it feels like she's sticking it up super far."

Dr. David Kimberlin says he and other infectious disease specialists have been waiting for the kind of data the study will provide.

"Generally speaking, the virus behaves differently in children than adults," said Kimberlin, a pediatrics professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Why is that? We just need to know so much more."

Explore further Is it safe to reopen schools during the pandemic?

 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Lam and 10 other individuals were blacklisted under an executive order issued by President Trump last month.

The administration of United States President Donald Trump on Friday slapped sanctions on Hong Kongs chief executive Carrie Lam as well as 10 other individuals for, undermining Hong Kongs autonomy and restricting the freedom of expression or assembly of the citizens of Hong Kong, according to a statement on the US Treasurys website.

The blacklistings are being implemented under an executive order Trump issued in mid-July aimed at punishing China over a new sweeping national security law.

The 11 individuals designated today have implemented policies directly aimed at curbing freedom of expression and assembly, and democratic processes, and are subsequently responsible for the degradation of Hong Kongs autonomy, the US Treasury statement said. The United States will use the authorities in the Executive Order to continue to pursue those that implement these nefarious policies.

Treasury accuses Lam of being, directly responsible for implementing Beijings policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes, citing her support for a change in the territorys extradition arrangements with mainland China that sparked months of massive protests in Hong Kong.

Other individuals blacklisted by the Treasury on Friday include Hong Kongs current police commissioner, Chris Tang, as well as his predecessor Stephen Lo; the territorys secretaries for security, justice, and constitutional and mainland affairs, and others.

The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

The sanctions issued on Friday freeze any US asset of the blacklisted individuals and generally bar Americans from doing business with them.

Fridays round of sanctions marks the latest escalation in tensions between Washington and Beijing.

With less than 100 days to go until the US presidential election, relations between the two countries have grown increasingly acrimonious as the Trump administration takes a hard line against Beijing over issues ranging from Hong Kong, to Chinas treatment of Uighurs, to Chinese tech firms and apps.

Last month, Washington sanctioned a member of Chinas powerful Politburo and three other senior officials, accusing them of serious human rights abuses against Uighur Muslim minorities in Chinas western Xinjiang region.

Late on Thursday, Trump issued executive orders that will ban US companies and individuals from engaging in any transactions with short-video app TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, as well as messaging app WeChat, which is owned by Chinas Tencent Holdings.

Chinas foreign ministry said on Friday it firmly opposes the executive orders.
Tensions between Portland police and a small group of protesters flared Thursday outside a Southeast Portland police precinct for the second straight night.

Police advanced on the demonstrators several times to keep them away from East Precinct, the site of a Wednesday night protest condemned by the citys police chief and mayor after protesters damaged the building in various ways.

Police deemed Thursday nights gathering unlawful soon after about 200 people converged outside the precinct. A few frontline protesters had splashed paint on the building, lit a fire in a trash can and argued with two bystanders who appeared to try to intervene.

Confrontations between police and protesters continued to unfold for more than three hours in the surrounding commercial and residential neighborhood. Police at one point set off stun grenades and smoke devices. Later, officers pressed protesters through two large shopping center parking lots.

Portland police ultimately closed 106th Avenue in front of the precinct early Friday morning. Police cited city code that gives officers power to close streets during emergencies.

The confrontations were not unexpected. Police and protesters traded barbs on social media earlier Thursday. A flyer for the direct action gathering circulated on Twitter among protest groups such as the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front. The group has routinely promoted protests in recent nights outside police buildings, instead of downtown where calls for calm took hold a week ago.

The police building protests have drawn out Portland police for several consecutive nights. A small faction in the crowd provokes police by throwing things or lighting small fires.

Portland police responded to the latest call for direct action Thursday by saying it will not go unanswered.

Mayor Ted Wheeler and Police Chief Chuck Lovell held a Thursday afternoon press conference to plead for the destructive tactics to end. They were reacting to Wednesday nights gathering at East Precinct, which quickly escalated to a riot declaration by police after a handful of demonstrators targeted the buildings entrance by ripping off plywood, using tools to crack windows and lighting a fire in a trash can next to the building. Portland police responded with crowd-control munitions and tear gas to break up the crowd.

Wheeler described the targeted damage of police precincts as a distraction from the Black Lives Matter movement.

Widespread protests against systemic racism and police violence began 71 days ago after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. The protest that attracted police attention was one of several throughout the metro area Thursday. All other gatherings are overwhelmingly peaceful.

The demonstration outside the East Precinct began around 9:30 p.m. Messages of support for police covered the boarded-up precinct. A few officers stood on the roof, surveying the crowd that slowly started to gather in front of the building.

A group of marchers arrived around 9:40 p.m., chanting the names of people killed by police in Oregon. Police immediately greeted the crowd with a warning.

We believe your intention is to vandalize or attempt to burn down East Precinct, an officer said on a loudspeaker. If you attempt to break into or burn East Precinct, you will be subject to arrest or the use of crowd control munitions.

The crowd of 200 continued to shout the name of police victims. Some people threw paint on the building, a security camera and the plywood surrounding it. Paint splattered on some people, including one of two women who appeared to be trying to stop protesters.

Around 9:50 p.m., less than 10 minutes after the crowd arrived, police deemed the gathering unlawful and ordered people to leave. The crowd stayed.

Protesters near the front of the group started a fire contained to a trash can near the brick building. One person painted graffiti on the building. Most people stood around or chanted as music played in the background. Police repeated the demand for people to leave.

Police in riot gear arrived at 10:20 p.m. to force people to go. An officer on a loudspeaker told people to leave or risk the use of force or arrest. As police moved east, officers appeared to slash the tires of a van that provided food and other types of resources to protesters.

Police pressed the crowd east on Stark Street, past cars blocked in the fray. Officers sometimes rushed toward the crowd to keep people moving. Some of the officers were state troopers, as identified on their uniforms.

Portland police said later on Twitter that some people threw pieces of twisted rebar into the streets, damaging the tires of at least two police vehicles. One officer was severely injured, police said, after a rock hit them in the shoulder.

The police push stopped at Ventura Park, about a half mile from the precinct. Police initially blocked protesters from walking back onto Stark Street, but most officers retreated around 10:35 p.m. They boarded vehicles made to transport several officers at once. Some people threw things at officers as they departed.

Another police line formed within minutes about a block east of the park. The line of police stretched into a residential yard. Police shouted at protesters to keep away. Officers set off stun grenades and devices that emitted smoke into the air. Police retreated from that area around 10:45 p.m.

The crowd soon began to slowly move west in the same direction as officers. Many people gathered around 108th Avenue, where Stark and Washington streets converge.

Police arrived just before 11 p.m. to break up the crowd in the surrounding area, this time pushing people west. Officers again ran and yelled at people. The group was split into at least two factions. Police faced off with some protesters at 102nd Avenue and Pine Street, then retreated around 11:10 p.m.

Protesters wandered through the streets. They eventually reconverged around 103rd Avenue and Washington Street. Officers also staged nearby.

The crowd started to march east around 11:40 p.m. Police arrived immediately after to press the crowd west. Officers pushed dozens of people through the parking lots of shopping centers, including Mall 205, past a Home Depot and Target.

Another face off was happening at the same time across 106th Avenue from the police precinct, according to live video by TeebsGaming.

Around midnight, many protesters who had been scattered by police also started to move back to the precinct. Police repeated their order for people to leave. Then police in riot gear formed a line and pressed the approaching crowd north. Police detained at least one person as they forced people to move.

Police and protesters ultimately stopped at 106th Avenue and Washington Street. As police retreated around 12:25 a.m., an officer encountered a person in the street and shoved the person to the ground.

About 100 protesters remained in the area.

Police used a loudspeaker to announce that under city code, they were closing 106th Avenue from Washington Street to Cherry Blossom Drive. Police said code, 14C.30.010, applies to everyone, including press. That section of the city code gives police the authority to close streets whenever a threat to the public health or safety is created by any emergency.

It gives police the power to deem any situation an emergency. It specifically defines several possible types of emergencies, including a riot, which police did not declare.

About 10 minutes after police announced the closure, officers in riot gear reemerged to form a line at Washington Street to keep people off 106th Avenue. They retreated within a few minutes.

By 1 a.m., several dozen people remained in the area.

Police said 12 adults and one juvenile were arrested over the course of the night, most on charges of interfering with an officer and disorderly conduct.

The Portland Police Bureau East Precinct sits a five-minute walk from a park where protesters have gathered for two nights straight.

Eder Campuzano, Beth Nakamura, Brooke Herbert and Mark Graves of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report.

-- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

-- Kale Williams; kwilliams@oregonian.com; 503-294-4048; @sfkale

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that without serious reforms Lebanon will continue to sink (Bilal Hussein/AP)

Lebanese officials targeted in the investigation into the massive blast that tore through Beirut have sought to shift blame for the presence of explosives at the citys port.

It comes as visiting French President Emmanuel Macron warned that without serious reforms the country will continue to sink.

The blast on Tuesday, which appeared to have been caused by an accidental fire that ignited a warehouse full of ammonium nitrate at the citys port, rippled across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 135 people, injuring more than 5,000 and causing widespread destruction.

It also may have accelerated the countrys coronavirus outbreak, as thousands flooded into hospitals in the wake of the blast.

Tens of thousands of people have also been forced to move in with relatives and friends after their homes were damaged, further raising the risks of exposure.

Mr Macron visited on Thursday amid widespread pledges of international aid.

But Lebanon, which was already mired in a severe economic crisis, faces a daunting challenge in rebuilding.

It is unclear how much support the international community will offer the notoriously corrupt and dysfunctional government.

Mr Macron, who viewed the devastated port and was to meet senior Lebanese officials, said the visit is an opportunity to have a frank and challenging dialogue with the Lebanese political powers and institutions.

He said France will work to co-ordinate aid but warned if reforms are not made, Lebanon will continue to sink.

Later, as he toured one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, an angry crowd vented its fury at Lebanons political leaders, chanting revolution and the people want to bring down the regime, slogans used during mass protests last year.

Mr Macron said he was not there to endorse the regime and vowed French aid will not fall into the hands of corruption.

Expand Close Lebanese soldiers stand guard at the blast scene (Hussein Malla/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Losses from the blast are estimated to be between 7.6 billion to 11.4 billion, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud told the Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath on Wednesday, adding nearly 300,000 people are homeless.

The head of Lebanons customs department meanwhile confirmed in an interview with LBC TV late Wednesday that officials had sent five or six letters over the years to the judiciary asking the ammonium nitrate be removed because of the dangers it posed.

But Badri Daher said all he could do was alert authorities to the presence of dangerous materials, saying even that was extra work for him and his predecessor.

He said the port authority was responsible for the material, while his job was to prevent smuggling and collect duties.

The judiciary and the port authority could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Government said on Wednesday that an investigation is under way and that port officials have been placed under house arrest.

The investigation into the explosion is focused on how 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilisers, came to be stored at the port facility for six years and why nothing was done about it.

The cargo had been stored at the port since it was confiscated from a ship years earlier.

Based on the timeline and the size of the cargo, that ship could be the MV Rhosus.

The ship was initially seized in Beirut in 2013 when it entered the port due to technical problems, according to lawyers involved in the case. It came from the nation of Georgia, and had been bound for Mozambique.

The stockpile is believed to have detonated after a fire broke out nearby in what appeared to be a warehouse holding fireworks.

Mr Daher said he did not know if there were fireworks near the ammonium nitrate.

Expand Close A Lebanese man stands next to his damaged house in Beirut (Hussein Malla/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Another theory is that the fire began when welders were trying to repair a broken gate and a hole in the wall of Hangar 12, where the explosive material was being stored.

Local news reports say the repair work was ordered by security forces who investigated the facility and were concerned about theft.

Security officials have declined to comment while the investigation is under way.

Port officials have rejected the theory in interviews with local media, saying the welders completed their work long before the fire broke out.

Dr Firas Abiad, director general of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, which is leading the coronavirus fight in the country, said he expects an increase in cases in the next 10 to 15 days linked to crowding at hospitals and blood donation centres after the blast.

The explosion was the most powerful blast ever seen in the city, which has survived decades of war and conflict.

Several city blocks were left littered with rubble, broken glass and damaged vehicles.

Authorities have cordoned off the port itself, where the blast left a huge crater and destroyed a large grain silo.
Actor Jaden Smith, Michigan church teaming up to fight Flint water crisis

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A charitable organization that's supported by actor and musician Jaden Smith is partnering with a Michigan church to help provide clean water to residents of Flint, Michigan.

Over the past few years, residents of Flint reported increasingly contaminated water, with residents reporting issues as early as 2014. By early 2016, then President Barack Obama declared an emergency for the area and ordered federal aid.

On Saturday, 501CThree, a philanthropic group Smith is part of, joined First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church of Flint to announce a partnership to help residents gain access to cleaner water.

Catrina Tillman, wife of the lead pastor at First Trinity who's been spearheading the project, told The Christian Post that they had heard about the work we were already doing in the city.

Our church has been on the front lines of the water crisis, explained Tillman, noting that her church has been distributing clean water to residents nearly every week for the past three years.

And thats sent by way of donations from other churches from all across the country, organizations, individuals, and companies. So weve been able to service the community for three years on a weekly basis.

Tillman said the partnership will specifically focus on distributing a device known as the Water Box, which is a portable system designed to filter out several types of bacteria, heavy metals, and sediments.

The plan is to, hopefully, one day have water boxes all across the city of Flint and in other cities as well, continued Tillman. Flint has been on the front lines of lead issues, but there are other cities as well that could utilize this filtration system.

In a statement posted to its Facebook page, First Trinity said they were still in awe of what took place this past Saturday when meeting with 501CThree members.

Serving is the greatest gift we can give to each other to express Gods love for one another. For the past three years First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church has done just that, stated the church.

This innovative box that weve created together is more than a Water Box. Its a box of pride, confidence, hope and ownership that the residents of Flint can ALL benefit from! No longer do we have to rely on an outside source to get the bare essentials of life such as clean water!
The story of Sunil Bharti Mittal  the Founder, Chairman, and Managing Director of Bharti Group, India's largest GSM-based mobile service provider, is arguably the most inspiring one in the history of entrepreneurship in India.

Sunil Mittal, born in Ludhiana, Punjab, was the second son of politician Satpaul Mittal. However, unlike his father, Sunil Mittal had no intention of venturing into the world of politics. As a teenager, Mittal was always inclined towards business. He stepped into the business world at the age of 18 by borrowing Rs 20,000 from his father to set up a small bicycle business back in 1979. Sensing that the business would remain small, Mittal moved out of Ludhiana to Mumbai.

It was during his Mumbai days when Sunil Mittal had to overcome extraordinary hardships. He would often work 16-18 hours a day, travel in trucks to deliver consignments as he could not afford trains or flights, would sit on low stools for hours inside small cubicles. These experiences led Sunil to discover the inner salesman within him.

"I did pick up very early signs that I had a way to charm the lenders or partners to come and join hands; and whether it was a bank manager or a partner from abroad, I could generally seek a lot of credit from them". "If they had made me a dealer, then I would have got rich and comfortable. Looking back, I think it was God's design that I should not get too comfortable. He had other plans for me," Mittal would later reveal in an interview back in 2005.

By 1982, Sunil Mittal had a full-fledged business up and running selling portable generators imported from Japan. The new venture gave him an immense exposure to activities such as marketing and advertising. The business was operating smoothly until the government banned the import of generators, giving two Indian companies license to manufacture generators locally.

The ban never de-motivated Sunil Mittal, as he got interested in push-button phones while on a trip to Taiwan. In 1982, he introduced push-button phones in India, replacing the old, bulky rotary phones. These events led to the incorporation of Bharti Telecom Limited that manufactured push-button phones in India. By the early 1990's Mittal was manufacturing fax machines, cordless phones, and other telecom gear.

The big break came in his entrepreneurial journey in 1992 when the Indian government was awarding licenses for mobile phone services for the first time. In 1995, Sunil secured the rights that led to the incorporation of Bharti Cellular Ltd under the brand name Airtel. The rest is history, as, within a few years, Airtel became the first telecom service provider to reach 2 million subscribers. Bharti Airtel was also instrumental in bringing down the STD/ISD cellular rates in India by rolling the nation's first private national, as well as, international long-distance service.

It was Sunil Mittal who broke up the 100-year monopoly of state-run companies to operate telecom services in India. At present, Bharti Airtel has a global reach operating in 16 countries across Asia and Africa. As of 2019, Bharti Airtel had a subscriber base of over 418 million. With a net worth of $10.8 billion, Sunil Bharti Mittal is ranked 157 in the Forbes list. Beyond the Telecommunication sector, Bharti Enterprise has ventured into several other ecosystems that include malls, real estate, insurance, food, agriculture, and hospitality over the last decade and a half.

Mittal is committed to the transformation of telecom into a lifestyle business, ranging from calls to games, from movies to music, making a big play for the Indian mind-share with Bharti Airtel Triple Play, Telephone, Broadband, TV, and many more.

From working 16 hours a day at the tender age of 18 to becoming the 'ring king' of the Indian telecom industry  Sunil Mittal's entrepreneurial journey is truly a story of turning rags to riches.
Ties have soured between China and Canada on a number of fronts

China sentenced another Canadian to death on drugs charges Friday, the second in two days to be handed the punishment, as tensions soar between Beijing and Ottawa.

The Foshan Intermediate People's Court in the country's southern province of Guangdong said Ye Jianhui had been sentenced for trafficking and manufacturing drugs, and would have all his assets confiscated.

According to the state-run Global Times, authorities seized more than 217 kilogrammes of white crystals containing MDMA from Ye and five others in 2016.

The rest of the group were also sentenced on Friday and one other death sentence was issued, while the others were given lesser punishments.

It comes a day after a court in the provincial capital Guangzhou handed a death sentence to Canadian national Xu Weihong on a charge of making drugs.

Last year, China also sentenced two other Canadians to death on drug trafficking charges as ties have deteriorated between the two countries on a number of fronts, including the arrest of top Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.

Canadian pleas for clemency for the pair, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg and Fan Wei, have so far not been successful.

On Friday, Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland told a news conference that Ottawa strongly and steadfastly "opposes the death penalty" on moral grounds.

"We oppose it clearly and always, everywhere around the world. We believe it is a cruel and inhumane punishment," she said.

When asked about the latest case Friday, China's foreign ministry said its "judicial organs handle cases independently in strict accordance with the law".

"We urge Canada to take immediate and effective measures to correct its mistakes and make concrete efforts to bring bilateral relations back on track," spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing.

- Deteriorating ties -

Relations have deteriorated rapidly between the two countries in a number of areas over recent years.

Story continues

Two other Canadian nationals have been detained by Beijing on spying charges -- including a former diplomat -- a move widely considered retaliation for Meng's arrest in Canada.

The United States wants Meng extradited to face trial on charges related to Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei's alleged violations of US sanctions against Iran.

In June, Beijing formally charged the two men with espionage.

Beijing keeps its data secret about the number of death sentences it carries out every year.

But according to Amnesty International, China is the world's top executioner, with thousands believed to be killed each year.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 15:08:00|Editor: huaxia

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LAGOS, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 21 people have been killed and many others injured in an attack carried out by gunmen in northern Nigeria between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, local police said Friday.

"There was an attack on some communities around (the) Zango-Kataf area. It took place on Wednesday night and about 21 persons lost their lives and others were injured," said Mohammed Jalige, a state police spokesperson, who confirmed the attacks to Xinhua.

The attack happened in some villages in Zango-Kataf area of Kaduna State. More policemen have been deployed to forestall further attacks in those communities, and other security agencies were on top of the situation, Jalige said.

The spokesperson did not reveal the identity of the gunmen.

The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, a local human rights group in Kaduna, said in a statement on Thursday that 33 people were killed in five villages of Zango-Kataf area of Kaduna by suspected Fulani militias.

In a statement made available to Xinhua, Simon Lalong, chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, expressed concern that the attacks on the villages were persistent in spite of all efforts by the state government and security agencies to end the violence.

He said the attacks in the villages showed the desperate attempt by criminals to not only cause pain and sorrow among innocent citizens, but also frustrate the efforts of the state government at fostering peace and harmony.

Northern Nigeria has seen a series of gunmen attacks in recent months, leading to deaths of troops and civilians. Security forces are engaged in several operations in that part of the country to root out illegal armed groups. Enditem
Canadian pastor jailed in Myanmar for holding church service amid lockdown

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A court in Myanmar has sentenced a Canadian pastor to three months in jail after he held in-person church services in defiance of a government-mandated ban on mass gatherings.

Pastor David Lah, 43, and his colleague, Myanmar national Wai Tun, were charged in April with violating Myanmars Natural Disaster and Management Law by holding services in the city of Yangon, the AFP reports. Though based in Toronto, Lah was born in Myanmar and often returns to his motherland to preach.

On Thursday, both men were convicted of breaking administrative rules and given a three-month hard labor sentence, Maung Soe, a judge at Yangon's Mayangone Township court, told reporters.

"The judge also took into consideration the time he's already spent in detention, so he could very well be released in the next few days or weeks even," Al Jazeera's Florence Looi said in her report from Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Myanmar imposed a ban on mass gatherings in mid-March in response to the novel coronavirus. However, footage emerged in early April of Lah holding a service in Yangon.

"If people hold the Bible and Jesus in their hearts, the disease will not come in," he said, according to video footage of the event. "The only person who can cure and give peace in this pandemic is Jesus."

Weeks later, about 20 people connected to his gatherings tested positive for the novel coronavirus, including Pastor Lah. However, it's possible that attendees contracted the virus elsewhere.

The preacher was arrested after recovering from the illness in May and faced up to three years in jail. On Thursday, a waiting crowd of the preacher's followers erupted into cheers and celebrations at the news of his reduced sentence, according to the AFP.

About 6% of Buddhist-majority Myanmar's population identifies as one of the various Christian denominations in the country.

Religious persecution watchdog International Christian Concern previously reported that because of Lahs actions, many Christians in Myanmar face criticism and have sensed hostilities toward them in the Buddhist majority country.

Christian leaders have appealed to citizens to work together to fight COVID-19 in unity and love as anti-Christian sentiment surges on social media, ICC said. They also urged people not to post and share fake news, photos and videos on Facebook that may be offensive to religion.

Open Doors ranks Myanmar at No. 19 on its 2020 World Watch List of the countries where it's most difficult to be a Christian.

Government restrictions on places of worship in the wake of COVID-19 have sparked controversy in recent months, with some pastors accusing civil leaders of usurping a role that they don't have.

Megachurch Pastor Ed Young previously told The Christian Post that while the issue is "complex," the spiritual ramifications of refusing to meet outweigh the hype of the coronavirus pandemic.

Look at our culture. There is so much going on right now spiritually, especially among young people facing depression, anxiety, and attempting suicide, the Texas-based pastor said. I have counted the cost of not opening our church versus opening, and I believe that risk and faith go hand in hand. Its critical to reopen churches.

The pastor cited Hebrews 10:25 which says, And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near, to encourage congregations to meet physically.

I just don't want us to lose our boldness and I don't want the church to mail it in," he said. "Throughout church history, the church has not mailed it in. We've stood in pandemics, we've stood during wars, and in all sorts of chaos and mayhem. Today, technology has allowed us to take the easy way out.

Just 12% of Americans said they attended a house of worship from mid-June to mid-July, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center. Among Evangelical Protestants, a 62% majority says houses of worship should be held to the same standards as other businesses and organizations.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Silvercorp Metals Inc. (Silvercorp or the Company) (TSX/NYSE American: SVM) reported its financial and operating results for the first quarter ended June 30, 2020 (Q1 Fiscal 2021). All amounts are expressed in US Dollars.

Q1 FISCAL YEAR 2021 HIGHLIGHTS

Mined 254,555 tonnes of ore, down 1% compared to the prior year quarter;

Sold approximately 1.9 million ounces of silver, 1,100 ounces of gold, 20.9 million pounds of lead, and 7.0 million pounds of zinc, representing an increase of 1%, 10%, and 17% in silver, gold and lead sold, and a decrease of 5% in zinc sold, compared to the prior year quarter;

Revenue of $46.7 million, up 2% or $1.1 million compared to $45.6 million in the prior year quarter;

Net income attributable to equity shareholders of $15.5 million, or $0.09 per share, compared to $12.6 million or $0.07 per share in the prior year quarter;

Cash cost per ounce of silver 1 , net of by-product credits, of negative $1.48, compared to negative $2.17 in the prior year quarter;

All-in sustaining cost per ounce of silver 1 , net of by-product credits, of $5.61, compared to $5.69 in the prior year quarter;

Cash flow from operations of $30.1 million, compared to $19.9 million in the prior year quarter;

Gain of $16.4 million on equity investments;

Receipt of $6.5 million (CAD$9.0 million) break fee from Guyana Goldfields Inc.;

Paid dividends of $2.2 million, or $0.0125 per share, to equity shareholders;

Invested $5.8 million in New Pacific Metals Corp. (NUAG) to maintain the Companys ownership interest at 28.8%;

Strong balance sheet with $178.4 million in cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments, an increase of $35.9 million or 25% compared to March 31, 2020; and,

Investment in NUAG with market value of $178.2 million and other investments of $7.4 million.

1 Alternative performance (non-IFRS) measure. Please refer to section 10 of the corresponding MD&A for reconciliation.

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FINANCIALS

Net income attributable to equity shareholders of the Company in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $15.5 million, or $0.09 per share, compared to $12.6 million, or $0.07 per share in the three months ended June 30, 2019 (Q1 Fiscal 2020).

The Companys financial results in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were mainly impacted by the following: i) an increase of 1%, 10% and 17% in the amount of silver, gold, and lead sold, respectively; offset by a 5% decrease in the amount of zinc sold; ii) an increase of 10% and 24% in the net realized selling prices for silver and gold, offset by a decrease of 19% and 14% in the net realized selling prices for lead and zinc; iii) gain of $16.4 million on equity investments, of which $5.5 million was reported in profit and $10.9 million was reported in other comprehensive income; offset by a $1.8 million increase in foreign exchange loss; and iv) a $5.9 million increase in income tax expenses.

Revenue in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $46.7 million, up 2% or $1.1 million compared to $45.6 million in the prior year quarter. The increase was mainly due to i) an increase of $2.4 million in revenue arising from the increase in the amount of silver, gold and lead sold; ii) an increase of $2.7 million in revenue arising from the increase in net realized selling prices for silver and gold; offset by iii) a decrease of $3.6 million in revenue arising from the decrease in net realized selling price for lead and zinc; and iv) a decrease of $0.2 million in revenue due to less zinc sold. Silver, gold and base metal sales represented $26.2 million, $1.5 million, and $19.0 million, respectively, compared to silver, gold and base metals sales of $23.6 million, $1.1 million, and $20.9 million, respectively, in the prior year quarter. Revenue from the Ying Mining District in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $39.7 million, up 5% compared to $37.8 million in the prior year quarter. Revenue from the GC Mine in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $7.0 million, down 10% compared to $7.8 million in the prior year quarter.

Production costs expensed in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $17.7 million, a slight decrease compared to $18.0 million in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The production costs expensed represent approximately 264,680 tonnes of ore processed and expensed at a cost of $67.05 per tonne, compared to approximately 261,440 tonnes at $68.85 per tonne in Q1 Fiscal 2020.

Mineral resource taxes in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $1.34 million, up 7% compared to $1.25 million in Q1 Fiscal 2020, and the increase was mainly due to higher revenue.

Government fees and other taxes in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $0.5 million, compared to $0.6 million in Q1 Fiscal 2020. Government fees and other taxes are comprised of environmental protection fees, surtaxes on VAT, land usage levies, stamp duties and other miscellaneous levies, duties and taxes imposed by the state and local Chinese governments.

Income from mine operations in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $19.3 million, or 41% of revenue, compared to $17.7 million or 39% of revenue in Q1 Fiscal 2020. Income from mine operations at the Ying Mining District was $17.6 million or 44% of revenue, compared to $16.0 million or 42% of revenue in Q1 Fiscal 2020. Income from mine operations at the GC Mine was $1.8 million or 26% of revenue, compared to $1.8 million or 23% of revenue in Q1 Fiscal 2020.

General and administrative expenses in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $4.7 million, an increase of $0.2 million compared to $4.5 million in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The increase was mainly due to an increase of $0.4 million in share-based compensation offset by a decrease of $0.2 million in salaries and benefits. General and administrative expenses include corporate administrative expenses of $2.7 million (Q1 Fiscal 2020 - $2.4 million) and mine administrative expenses of $2.1 million (Q1 Fiscal 2020 - $2.1 million).

Foreign exchange loss in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $2.7 million, an increase of $1.8 million compared to $0.9 million in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The foreign exchange loss is mainly driven by the appreciation of Canadian dollar against US dollar.

Property evaluation and business development expenses in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were a recovery of $3.8 million, compared to an expense of $0.1 million in Q1 Fiscal 2020. On April 26, 2020, the Company entered into a definitive agreement with Guyana Goldfields Inc. (Guyana Goldfields), subsequently amended on May 18, 2020 (collectively, the Arrangement Agreement) to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Guyana Goldfields. On June 10, 2020, Guyana Goldfield terminated the Arrangement Agreement and paid the Company a break fee of $6.5 million (CAD$9.0 million). Net of expenses of $2.5 million, a gain of $4.0 million on this transaction was recorded as a recovery of property evaluation and business development expenses.

Gain on equity investments recorded in profit in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $5.5 million, compared to $nil in Q1 Fiscal 2020. A total gain of $16.4 million on equity investments was reported in the current quarter, of which $10.9 million was recorded in other comprehensive income as the Company made elections to account for equity investments on an instrument-by-instrument basis.

Income tax expenses in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $5.4 million, an increase of $5.9 million, compared to an income tax recovery of $0.5 million in Q1 Fiscal 2020. In Q1 Fiscal 2021, the Company recorded current income tax expenses of $4.6 million (Q1 Fiscal 2020  $1.8 million), and deferred income tax expenses of $0.8 million (Q1 Fiscal 2020  deferred income tax recovery of $2.2 million). The current income tax expenses in Q1 Fiscal 2020 included withholding tax expenses of $1.1 million, which was paid at a rate of 10% on dividends distributed out of China. The deferred income tax recovery in Q1 Fiscal 2020 was mainly related to the tax benefit recognized arising from the disposal of the XHP Project.

Cash flow provided by operating activities in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $30.1 million, up $10.2 million or 51%, compared to $19.9 million in Q1 Fiscal 2020.

The Company ended the quarter with $178.4 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, an increase of $35.9 million or 25%, compared to $142.5 million as at March 31, 2020.

Working capital as at June 30, 2020 was $153.7 million, an increase of $23.4 million or 18%, compared to $130.4 million as at March 31, 2020.

OPERATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, on a consolidated basis, the Company mined 254,555 tonnes of ore, a slight decrease of 1% or 2,837 tonnes compared to 257,392 tonnes in Q1 Fiscal 2020. Ore milled was 262,326 tonnes, a slight increase of 1% or 2,784 tonnes, compared to 259,542 tonnes in Q1 Fiscal 2020.

The Company sold approximately 1.9 million ounces of silver, 1,100 ounces of gold, 20.9 million pounds of lead, and 7.0 million pounds of zinc, compared to 1.9 million ounces of silver, 1,000 ounces of gold, 17.8 million pounds of lead, and 7.3 million pounds of zinc in Q1 Fiscal 2020.

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, the consolidated total mining and cash mining costs were $73.91 and $54.97 per tonne, down 5% and 1% compared to $77.40 and $55.45 per tonne, respectively, in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease in cash mining costs was mainly due to a decrease of $3.70 per tonne in the cash mining costs at the GC mine, offset by an increase of $1.07 per tonne in the cash mining costs at the Ying Mining District.

The consolidated total milling and cash milling costs in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $11.04 and $9.58 per tonne, down 12% and 10% compared to $12.49 and $10.63 per tonne, respectively, in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease in per tonne cash milling costs was mainly due to a decrease of $0.2 million in labour costs.

Correspondingly, the consolidated cash production cost per tonne of ore processed in Q1 Fiscal 2021 was $67.05, down 3% compared to $68.85 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The consolidated all-in sustaining production costs per tonne of ore processed was $112.59, down 6% compared to $120.16 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease was mainly due to the lower per tonne production costs as discussed above and a $1.6 million decrease in sustaining capital expenditures.

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, the consolidated cash cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, was negative $1.48, compared to negative $2.17, in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The increase in cash cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, was mainly due to a decrease of $1.5 million in by-product sales.

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, the consolidated all-in sustaining cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, was $5.61 compared to $5.69 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease was mainly due to i) a $1.6 million decrease in sustaining capital expenditures, offset by ii) the increase in cash cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits as discussed above.

1. Ying Mining District, Henan Province, China

Ying Mining District Q1 2021 Q4 2020 Q3 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2020 June 30, 2020 March 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 September 30, 2019 June 30, 2019 Ore Mined (tonne) 174,176 69,379 176,149 176,085 176,584 Ore Milled (tonne) 177,689 69,188 175,488 179,147 177,681 Head Grades Silver (gram/tonne) 293 297 296 306 330 Lead (%) 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.5 4.6 Zinc (%) 0.8 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.9 Recoveries Silver (%) 94.7 95.3 96.1 96.2 95.8 Lead (%) 96.2 95.7 96.3 95.7 95.9 Zinc (%) 63.8 67.7 70.3 58.6 58.3 Metal Sales Silver (in thousands of ounce) 1,672 711 1,475 1,711 1,662 Gold (in thousands of ounce) 1.1 0.5 0.7 1.1 1.0 Lead (in thousands of pound) 17,779 8,322 14,912 16,389 14,835 Zinc (in thousands of pound) 2,037 865 2,882 1,428 2,090 Cash mining cost ($/tonne) 64.12 68.10 64.69 59.26 63.05 Shipping costs ($/tonne) 3.64 3.96 3.89 3.82 4.04 Cash milling costs ($/tonne) 8.45 11.53 10.99 9.81 9.15 Cash production costs ($/tonne) 76.21 83.59 79.57 72.89 76.24 All-in sustaining production costs ($/tonne) 116.99 195.78 126.43 117.37 129.41 Cash costs per ounce of silver ($) (0.87 ) 0.30 (0.72 ) (1.95 ) (1.44 ) All-in sustaining costs per ounce of silver ($) 4.14 11.86 5.57 3.40 4.82

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, the total ore mined at the Ying Mining District was 174,176 tonnes, a slight decrease of 1% or 2,408 tonnes compared to 176,584 tonnes mined in the prior year quarter. Ore milled was 177,689 tonnes, comparable to 177,681 tonnes in Q1 Fiscal 2020.



Head grades were 293 grams per tonne (g/t) for silver, 4.6% for lead, and 0.8% for zinc, compared to 330 g/t for silver, 4.6% for lead, and 0.9% for zinc in the prior year quarter. The variation in silver head grade is mainly related to the Companys planned mining sequence and is in line with Fiscal 2021 Guidance (defined below).

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, the Ying Mining District sold approximately 1.7 million ounces of silver, 17.8 million pounds of lead, and 2.0 million pounds of zinc, compared to 1.7 million ounces of silver, 14.8 million pounds of lead, and 2.1 million pounds of zinc in the prior year quarter.

Total and cash mining costs per tonne at the Ying Mining District in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $87.94 and $64.12 per tonne, respectively, compared to $91.47 and $63.05 per tonne in the prior year quarter. The increase in the per tonne cash mining cost was mainly due to a 2% increase in mining preparation costs.

Total and cash milling costs per tonne at the Ying Mining District in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $10.04 and $8.45, respectively, compared to $10.93 and $9.15 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease in per tonne milling costs was mainly due to a decrease of $0.39 per tonne in labour costs and a decrease of $0.23 per tonne in utility costs.

Correspondingly, the cash production cost per tonne of ore processed in Q1 Fiscal 2021 at the Ying Mining District was $76.21, compared to $76.24 in the prior year quarter. The all-in sustaining production cost per tonne of ore processed was $116.99, down 9% compared to $129.14 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease was mainly due to a $2.0 million decrease in sustaining capital expenditures.

Cash cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, in Q1 Fiscal 2021 at the Ying Mining District, was negative $0.87 compared to negative $1.44 in the prior year quarter. The increase was mainly due to a $0.5 million decrease in by-product sales resulting from a decrease in the net realized selling prices of lead and zinc.

All-in sustaining cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, in Q1 Fiscal 2021 at the Ying Mining District was $4.14 compared to $4.82 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease was mainly due to a $2.0 million decrease in sustaining capital expenditures.

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, approximately 28,485 metres or $0.8 million worth of diamond drilling (Q1 Fiscal 2020  23,648 metres or $0.6 million) and 6,207 metres or $1.8 million worth of preparation tunnelling (Q1 Fiscal 2020  6,395 metres or $1.7 million) were completed and expensed as mining preparation costs at the Ying Mining District. In addition, approximately 23,108 metres or $7.8 million worth of horizontal tunnels, raises, ramps and declines (Q1 Fiscal 2020  20,895 metres or $7.1 million) were completed and capitalized.

2. GC Mine, Guangdong Province, China





GC Mine Q1 2021 Q4 2020 Q3 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2020 June 30, 2020 March 31, 2020 December 31, 2019 September 30, 2019 June 30, 2019 Ore Mined (tonne) 80,379 37,216 86,437 83,172 80,808 Ore Milled (tonne) 84,637 33,243 89,372 86,134 81,861 Head Grades Silver (gram/tonne) 93 94 96 100 95 Lead (%) 1.9 1.8 2.0 2.0 1.9 Zinc (%) 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.4 Recovery Rates Silver (%) 82.8 80.7 78.0 75.9 76.8 Lead (%) 89.8 90.4 90.4 88.3 88.7 Zinc (%) 87.3 87.7 85.5 86.1 85.7 Metal Sales Silver (in thousands of ounce) 200 89 234 183 193 Lead (in thousands of pound) 3,106 1,332 3,867 2,680 3,007 Zinc (in thousands of pound) 4,921 2,194 5,471 5,227 5,244 Cash mining cost ($/tonne) 35.13 25.58 42.96 37.80 38.83 Cash milling cost ($/tonne) 11.95 16.36 14.01 12.72 13.85 Cash production cost ($/tonne) 47.08 41.94 56.97 50.52 52.68 All-in sustaining production costs ($/tonne) 65.84 88.18 71.03 62.94 67.33 Cash cost per ounce of silver ($) (6.59 ) (10.03 ) (4.33 ) (9.98 ) (8.38 ) All-in sustaining cost per ounce of silver ($) 2.41 8.31 2.18 (2.89 ) (0.96 )

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, the total ore mined at the GC Mine was 80,379 tonnes, a slight decrease compared to 80,808 tonnes in Q1 Fiscal 2020. Ore milled was 84,637 tonnes, an increase of 3% or 2,776 tonnes compared to 81,861 tonnes in Q1 Fiscal 2020.



Average head grades of ore processed at the GC Mine were 93 g/t for silver, 1.9% for lead, and 3.4% for zinc, compared to 95 g/t for silver, 1.9% for lead, and 3.4% for zinc in Q1 Fiscal 2020. Recovery rates of ore processed were 82.8% for silver, 89.8% for lead, and 87.3% for zinc, compared to 76.8% for silver, 88.7% for lead, and 85.7% for zinc in Q1 Fiscal 2020.

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, GC Mine sold approximately 200,000 ounces of silver, 3.1 million pounds of lead, and 4.9 million pounds of zinc, compared to 193,000 ounces of silver, 3.0 million pounds of lead, and 5.2 million pounds of zinc in Q1 Fiscal 2020.

Total and cash mining costs per tonne at the GC Mine in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $43.50 and $35.13 per tonne, a decrease of 7% and 10%, respectively, compared to $46.64 and $38.83 per tonne, respectively, in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease in the cash mining cost was mainly due to a $0.7 million decrease in mining preparation costs. Total and cash milling cost per tonne at the GC Mine in Q1 Fiscal 2021 were $13.14 and $11.95, a decrease of 17% and 14%, respectively, compared to $15.88 and $13.85, respectively, in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The decrease in cash milling costs was mainly due to a $0.1 million decrease in labour costs.

Correspondingly, the cash production cost per tonne of ore processed in Q1 Fiscal 2021 at the GC Mine was $47.08, a decrease of 11% compared to $52.68 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The all-in sustaining production costs per tonne of ore processed was $65.84, down 2% compared to $67.33 in Q1 Fiscal 2020.

Cash cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, at the GC Mine, was negative $6.59 compared to negative $8.38 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The increase was mainly due to a $1.0 million decrease in by-product sales resulting from a decrease in the net realized selling prices of lead and zinc.

All-in sustaining cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, in Q1 Fiscal 2021 at the GC Mine was $2.41 compared to negative $0.96 in Q1 Fiscal 2020. The increase was mainly due to i) the increase in cash cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits, as discussed above, and ii) a $0.3 million increase in sustaining capital expenditures.

In Q1 Fiscal 2021, approximately 8,212 metres or $0.3 million worth of underground diamond drilling (Q1 Fiscal 2020  7,970 metres or $0.3 million) and 3,458 metres or $0.8 million worth of tunnelling (Q1 Fiscal 2020  6,261 metres or $1.4 million) were completed and expensed as mining preparation costs at the GC Mine. In addition, approximately 3,267 metres or $1.2 million worth of horizontal tunnels, raises, ramps and declines (Q1 Fiscal 2020  497 metres or $0.3 million) were completed and capitalized.

3. Annual Operating Outlook

All references to Fiscal 2021 Guidance in this news release refers to the Fiscal 2021 Production, Cash Cost Guidance section in the Companys Fiscal 2020 Annual MD&A dated May 20, 2020 (Fiscal 2021 Guidance) filed under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com.

(i) Production and Production Costs

The following table summarizes the Q1 Fiscal 2021 production and production costs achieved compared to the respective Fiscal 2021 Guidance:

Head grades Metal production Production costs Ore processed Silver Lead Zinc Silver Lead Zinc Cash cost AISC (tonnes) (g/t) (%) (%) (Koz) (Klbs) (Klbs) ($/t) ($/t) Q1 Fiscal 2021 Actual Results Ying Mining District 177,689 293 4.6 0.8 1,544 16,941 1,920 76.21 116.99 GC Mine 84,637 93 1.9 3.4 209 3,135 5,613 47.08 65.84 Consolidated 262,326 228 3.7 1.6 1,753 20,076 7,533 67.05 112.59 Fiscal 2021 Guidance Ying Mining District 640,000 - 660,000 292 4.3 0.9 5,600-5,800 56,600-58,000 7,000-8,000 74.7-82.5 133.5 - 140.5 GC Mine 290,000 - 310,000 96 1.7 3.3 600-700 9,500-10,500 17,500-18,700 52.2-57.5 78.5 - 82.9 Consolidated 930,000 - 970,000 229-231 3.5-3.5 1.6-1.7 6,200-6,500 66,100-68,500 24,500-26,700 66.6-73.6 122.6-135.5 % of Fiscal 2021 Guidance* Ying Mining District 27% 100% 107% 89% 27% 30% 26% 97% 85% GC Mine 28% 97% 112% 103% 32% 31% 31% 86% 82% Consolidated 28% 99% 106% 97% 28% 30% 29% 96% 87% * Percentage caculated based on mid-point of the related Fiscal 2021 Guidance

Based on year-to-date production, production costs and the expected production for the remainder of the year, the Company reaffirms its Fiscal 2021 Guidance.



(ii) Development and Capital Expenditures

The following table summarizes the Q1 Fiscal 2021 development work and capitalized expenditures compared to the respective Fiscal 2021 Guidance.





Capitalized Development and Expenditures Ramp Development Exploration and Development Tunnels Equipment & Facilities Total (Metres) ($ Thousand) (Metres) ($ Thousand) ($ Thousand) (Metres) ($ Thousand) Q1 Fiscal 2021 Actual Results

Ying Mining District 2,218 $ 1,711 20,890 $ 6,110 $ 1,038 23,108 $ 8,859 GC Mine 309 256 2,958 912 193 3,267 1,361 Consolidated 2,527 $ 1,967 23,848 $ 7,022 $ 1,231 26,375 $ 10,220 Fiscal 2021 Guidance Ying Mining District 6,700 $ 5,500 81,300 $ 26,900 $ 4,600 88,000 $ 37,000 GC Mine 1,600 1,400 11,000 3,200 800 12,600 5,400 Consolidated 8,300 $ 6,900 92,300 $ 30,100 $ 5,400 100,600 $ 42,400 % of Fiscal 2021 Guidance

Ying Mining District 33% 31% 26% 23% 23% 26% 24% GC Mine 19% 18% 27% 29% 24% 26% 25% Consolidated 30% 29% 26% 23% 23% 26% 24%

Based on year-to-date capital expenditures and the expected capital expenditures for the remainder of the year (save for the capital expenditures to be incurred to build an aggregate plant as described below, which was not included in the Companys Fiscal 2021 Guidance), the Company reaffirms the Fiscal 2021 Guidance.



The Company is investing approximately $2.9 million (approximately RMB20.0 million) to construct a 1,000,000 tonnes per year aggregate plant to crush and recycle the waste rock from the Ying Mining District with the goal of supplying the resulting products to the local construction market. The plant is expected to be commissioned in October 2020, and its profits, after capital recovery, will be shared between the local government, the local communities, and employees. This investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment and efforts to minimize our operations impacts on the environment and our commitment to create a sustainable contribution to the communities where our people work and live.

(iii) Ongoing Exploration Programs

The Company is currently undertaking extensive drill programs at the Ying and GC Mines with two main objectives: i) areas with existing development and access are being re-examined to define more resources and reserves, which may lead to a substantial reduction in mining and sustaining capital costs associated with the tonnes identified, and ii) areas which may have been overlooked for potential gold mineralization are being tested for different alteration styles from the typical silver-lead zones.

Mr. Guoliang Ma, P.Geo., Manager of Exploration and Resources of the Company, is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and given consent to the technical information contained in this news release.

This earnings release should be read in conjunction with the Company's Management Discussion & Analysis, Financial Statements and Notes to Financial Statements for the corresponding period, which have been posted on SEDAR under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com and are also available on the Company's website at www.silvercorp.ca.

About Silvercorp

Silvercorp is a profitable Canadian mining company producing silver, lead and zinc metals in concentrates from mines in China. The Companys goal is to continuously create healthy returns to shareholders through efficient management, organic growth and the acquisition of profitable projects. Silvercorp balances profitability, social and environmental relationships, employees wellbeing, and sustainable development. For more information, please visit our website at www.silvercorp.ca.

For further information

Silvercorp Metals Inc.

Lon Shaver

Vice President

Phone: (604) 669-9397

Toll Free 1(888) 224-1881

Email: investor@silvercorp.ca

Website: www.silvercorp.ca

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER - FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws (collectively, forward-looking statements). Any statements or information 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, is expected, anticipates, believes, plans, projects, estimates, assumes, intends, strategies, targets, goals, forecasts, objectives, budgets, schedules, potential or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to, among other things: the price of silver and other metals; the accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates at the Companys material properties; the sufficiency of the Companys capital to finance the Companys operations; estimates of the Companys revenues and capital expenditures; estimated production from the Companys mines in the Ying Mining District and the GC Mine; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; availability of funds from production to finance the Companys operations; and access to and availability of funding for future construction, use of proceeds from any financing and development of the Companys properties.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks relating to: global economic and social impact of COVID-19; fluctuating commodity prices; calculation of resources, reserves and mineralization and precious and base metal recovery; interpretations and assumptions of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; exploration and development programs; feasibility and engineering reports; permits and licences; title to properties; property interests; joint venture partners; acquisition of commercially mineable mineral rights; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors affecting the Company; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into the Companys existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in China and Canada; environmental risks; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management; internal control over financial reporting; and bringing actions and enforcing judgments under U.S. securities laws.

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Companys forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in the Companys Annual Information Form under the heading Risk Factors. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

The Companys forward-looking statements are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this news release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or managements assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

SILVERCORP METALS INC.

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(Unaudited - Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars)

As at June 30, As at March 31, 2020 2020 ASSETS Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 94,024 $ 65,777 Short-term investments 84,362 76,742 Trade and other receivables 987 1,178 Current portion of lease receivable 195 186 Inventories 7,558 8,430 Due from related parties 62 1,519 Income tax receivable - 1,093 Prepaids and deposits 3,764 3,254 190,952 158,179 Non-current Assets Long-term prepaids and deposits 402 390 Long-term portion lease receivable 315 348 Reclamation deposits 7,695 9,230 Investment in an associate 51,332 44,555 Other investments 7,375 8,750 Plant and equipment 66,393 66,722 Mineral rights and properties 229,854 224,586 TOTAL ASSETS $ 554,318 $ 512,760 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 31,712 $ 23,129 Current portion of lease obligation 594 567 Deposits received 3,238 3,195 Income tax payable 1,676 937 37,220 27,828 Non-current Liabilities Long-term portion of lease obligation 1,425 1,502 Deferred income tax liabilities 36,664 35,758 Environmental rehabilitation 8,678 8,700 Total Liabilities 83,987 73,788 Equity Share capital 245,075 243,926 Equity reserves (4,270 ) (21,142 ) Retained earnings 159,211 145,898 Total equity attributable to the equity holders of the Company 400,016 368,682 Non-controlling interests 70,315 70,290 Total Equity 470,331 438,972 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY $ 554,318 $ 512,760

SILVERCORP METALS INC.

Consolidated Statements of Income

(Unaudited - Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for per share figures)

Three Months Ended June 30,

2020 2019 Sales $ 46,705 $ 45,576 Cost of mine operations Production costs 17,747 18,000 Depreciation and amortization 5,740 5,869 Mineral resource taxes 1,336 1,251 Government fees and other taxes 540 594 General and administrative 2,057 2,129 27,420 27,843 Income from mine operations 19,285 17,733 Corporate general and administrative 2,687 2,353 Property evaluation and business development (3,785 ) 66 Foreign exchange loss 2,670 854 Loss on disposal of plant and equipment 192 142 Gain on disposal of mineral rights and properties - (1,477 ) Share of loss in associate 161 281 Dilution gain on investment in associate - (723 ) Reclassification of other comprehensive income upon ownership dilution of investment in associate - (21 ) Gain on equity investments designated as FVTPL (5,466 ) - Other (income) expense (248 ) 199 Income from operations 23,074 16,059 Finance income 947 929 Finance costs (147 ) (175 ) Income before income taxes 23,874 16,813 Income tax expense (recovery) 5,382 (488 ) Net income $ 18,492 $ 17,301 Attributable to: Equity holders of the Company $ 15,491 $ 12,607 Non-controlling interests 3,001 4,694 $ 18,492 $ 17,301 Earnings per share attributable to the equity holders of the Company Basic earnings per share $ 0.09 $ 0.07 Diluted earnings per share $ 0.09 $ 0.07 Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding - Basic 173,997,464 169,991,268 Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding - Diluted 176,414,612 170,753,967

SILVERCORP METALS INC.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow

(Unaudited - Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars)

Three Months Ended June 30,

2020 2019 Cash provided by Operating activities Net income $ 18,492 $ 17,301 Add (deduct) items not affecting cash: Finance costs 147 175 Depreciation, amortization and depletion 6,148 6,220 Share of loss in associate 161 281 Dilution gain on investment in associate - (723 ) Reclassification of other comprehensive loss upon ownership dilution of investment in associate - (21) Income tax expense (recovery) 5,382 (488 ) Gain on equity investments designated as FVTPL (5,466 ) - Loss on disposal of plant and equipment 192 142 Gain on disposal of mineral rights and properties - (1,477 ) Share-based compensation 723 325 Reclamation expenditures (78 ) - Income taxes paid (2,749 ) (1,919 ) Interest paid (25 ) (73 ) Changes in non-cash operating working capital 7,215 155 Net cash provided by operating activities 30,142 19,898 Investing activities Mineral rights and properties Capital expenditures (7,851 ) (6,770 ) Proceeds on disposals - 4,691 Plant and equipment Additions (806 ) (2,171 ) Proceeds on disposals 1 1 Reclamation deposits Paid (250 ) (17 ) Refund 1,775 - Other investments - Acquisition (5,538 ) - Proceeds on disposals 16,574 - Investment in associate (5,805 ) (3,023 ) Net redemptions (purchases) of short-term investments 890 (24,075 ) Principal received on lease receivable 45 27 Net cash used in investing activities (965 ) (31,337 ) Financing activities Related parties Repayments received 1,423 - Bank loan Repayment - (4,369 ) Principal payments on lease obligation (132 ) (101 ) Non-controlling interests Distribution (3,239 ) - Cash dividends distributed (2,178 ) (2,125 ) Proceeds from issuance of common shares 832 220 Net cash used in financing activities (3,294 ) (6,375 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 2,364 (304 ) Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 28,247 (18,118 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period 65,777 67,441 Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period $ 94,024 $ 49,323

SILVERCORP METALS INC.

Mining Data

(Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for mining data figures)

Consolidated Three months ended June 30, 2020 2019 Changes Production Data Mine Data Ore Mined (tonne) 254,555 257,392 -1% Ore Milled (tonne) 262,326 259,542 1% Head Grades Silver (gram/tonne) 228 254 -10% Lead (%) 3.7 3.7 1% Zinc (%) 1.6 1.7 -4% Recovery Rates Silver (%) 93.1 93.5 0% Lead (%) 95.1 94.8 0% Zinc (%) 79.5 75.7 5% Cost Data + Mining cost per tonne of ore mined ($) 73.91 77.40 -5% Cash mining cost per tonne of ore mined ($) 54.97 55.45 -1% Depreciation and amortization charges per tonne of ore mined ($) 18.94 21.95 -14% + Unit shipping costs ($) 2.50 2.77 -10% + Milling costs per tonne of ore milled ($) 11.04 12.49 -12% Cash milling costs per tonne of ore milled ($) 9.58 10.63 -10% Depreciation and amortization charges per tonne of ore milled ($) 1.46 1.86 -22% + Cash production cost per tonne of ore processed ($) 67.05 68.85 -3% + All-in sustaining cost per tonne of ore processed ($) 112.59 120.16 -6% + Cash cost per ounce of Silver, net of by-product credits ($) (1.48 ) (2.17 ) 32% + All-in sustaining cost per ounce of silver, net of by-product credits ($) 5.61 5.69 -1% Concentrate inventory Lead concentrate (tonne) 1,338 4,247 -68% Zinc concentrate (tonne) 969 285 240% Sales Data Metal Sales Silver (in thousands of ounces) 1,872 1,855 1% Gold (in thousands of ounces) 1.1 1.0 10% Lead (in thousands of pounds) 20,885 17,842 17% Zinc (in thousands of pounds) 6,958 7,334 -5% Revenue Silver (in thousands of $) 26,185 23,558 11% Gold (in thousands of $) 1,477 1,082 37% Lead (in thousands of $) 14,374 15,178 -5% Zinc (in thousands of $) 4,155 5,152 -19% Other (in thousands of $) 514 606 -15% 46,705 45,576 2% Average Selling Price, Net of Value Added Tax and Smelter Charges Silver ($ per ounce) 13.99 12.70 10% Gold ($ per ounce) 1,343 1,082 24% Lead ($ per pound) 0.69 0.85 -19% Zinc ($ per pound) 0.60 0.70 -14%





SILVERCORP METALS INC.

Mining Data

(Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for mining data figures)

Ying Mining District Three months ended June 30, 2020 2019 Changes Production Data Mine Data Ore Mined (tonne) 174,176 176,584 -1% Ore Milled (tonne) 177,689 177,681 0% Head Grades Silver (gram/tonne) 293 330 -11% Lead (%) 4.6 4.6 0% Zinc (%) 0.8 0.9 -11% Recovery Rates Silver (%) 94.7 95.8 -1% Lead (%) 96.2 95.9 0% Zinc (%) 63.8 58.3 9% Cost Data + Mining cost per tonne of ore mined ($) 87.94 91.47 -4% Cash mining cost per tonne of ore mined ($) 64.12 63.05 2% Depreciation and amortization charges per tonne of ore mined ($) 23.82 28.42 -16% + Unit shipping costs ($) 3.64 4.04 -10% + Milling costs per tonne of ore milled ($) 10.04 10.93 -8% Cash milling cost per tonne of ore milled ($) 8.45 9.15 -8% Depreciation and amortization charges per tonne of ore milled ($) 1.59 1.78 -11% + Cash production cost per tonne of ore processed ($) 76.21 76.24 0% + All-in sustaining cost per tonne of ore processed ($) 116.99 129.14 -9% + Cash cost per ounce of Silver, net of by-product credits ($) (0.87 ) (1.44 ) 40% + All-in sustaining cost per ounce of Silver, net of by-product credits ($) 4.14 4.82 -14% Concentrate inventory Lead concentrate (tonne) 1,254 4,208 -70% Zinc concentrate (tonne) 177 200 -12% Sales Data Metal Sales Silver (in thousands of ounces) 1,672 1,662 1% Gold (in thousands of ounces) 1.1 1.0 10% Lead (in thousands of pounds) 17,779 14,835 20% Zinc (in thousands of pounds) 2,037 2,090 -3% Revenue Silver (in thousands of $) 24,107 21,730 11% Gold (in thousands of $) 1,477 1,082 37% Lead (in thousands of $) 12,346 12,693 -3% Zinc (in thousands of $) 1,371 1,664 -18% Other (in thousands of $) 385 605 -36% 39,686 37,774 5% Average Selling Price, Net of Value Added Tax and Smelter Charges Silver ($ per ounce) 14.42 13.07 10% Gold ($ per ounce) 1,343 1,082 24% Lead ($ per pound) 0.69 0.86 -20% Zinc ($ per pound) 0.67 0.80 -16%

SILVERCORP METALS INC.

Mining Data

(Expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, except for mining data figures)

GC Mine Three months ended June 30, 2020 2019 Changes Production Data Mine Data Ore Mined (tonne) 80,379 80,808 -1% Ore Milled (tonne) 84,637 81,861 3% Head Grades Silver (gram/tonne) 93 95 -2% Lead (%) 1.9 1.9 0% Zinc (%) 3.4 3.4 0% Recovery Rates Silver (%) * 82.8 76.8 8% Lead (%) 89.8 88.7 1% Zinc (%) 87.3 85.7 2% Cost Data + Mining cost per tonne of ore mined ($) 43.50 46.64 -7% Cash mining cost per tonne of ore mined ($) 35.13 38.83 -10% Depreciation and amortization charges per tonne of ore mined ($) 8.37 7.81 7% + Milling cost per tonne of ore milled ($) 13.14 15.88 -17% Cash milling cost per tonne of ore milled ($) 11.95 13.85 -14% Depreciation and amortization charges per tonne of ore milled ($) 1.19 2.03 -41% + Cash production cost per tonne of ore processed ($) 47.08 52.68 -11% + All-in sustaining cost per tonne of ore processed ($) 65.84 67.33 -2% + Cash cost per ounce of Silver, net of by-product credits ($) (6.59 ) (8.38 ) 21% + All-in sustaining cost per ounce of Silver, net of by-product credits ($) 2.41 (0.96 ) 351% Concentrate inventory Lead concentrate (tonne) 84 39 115% Zinc concentrate (tonne) 792 85 831% Sales Data Metal Sales Silver (in thousands of ounces) 200 193 4% Lead (in thousands of pounds) 3,106 3,007 3% Zinc (in thousands of pounds) 4,921 5,244 -6% Revenue Silver (in thousands of $) 2,078 1,828 14% Lead (in thousands of $) 2,028 2,485 -18% Zinc (in thousands of $) 2,784 3,488 -20% Other (in thousands of $) 129 1 12800% 7,019 7,802 -10% Average Selling Price, Net of Value Added Tax and Smelter Charges Silver ($ per ounce) ** 10.39 9.47 10% Lead ($ per pound) 0.65 0.83 -22% Zinc ($ per pound) 0.57 0.67 -15% * Silver recovery includes silver recovered in lead concentrate and silver recovered in zinc concentrate. ** Silver in zinc concentrate is subjected to higher smelter and refining charges which lowers the net silver selling price.


















NANJING, China, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On August 5, the 2020 Taihu Talent Summit officially started in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. With the theme of "New Era, New Talent, New Ecology", Wuxi, this Jiangnan ancient city, opened its arms to global talents.

Huang Qin, secretary of Wuxi Municipal Committee of CPC, said that Wuxi sincerely welcomes outstanding talents at home and abroad to release their innovative wisdom and entrepreneurial passion in this poetic Jiangnan land, and successfully realize their career ambitions and life values.

This summit is supported by many international and domestic institutions and associations. 20 Chinese and foreign academicians, more than 700 experts from colleges and universities, Top 500 companies, science and technology companies, and media institutions got together with talent representatives and sought common development, according to the organizing committee of Taihu Talent Summit 2020.

During this summit, there will be 2 industrial school-enterprise cooperation alliances, 10 launching ceremonies of major innovation platforms, 46 Industry-Academia-Research cooperation projects, and more than 200 scientific and technological talent projects will be promoted to Wuxi to negotiate and accelerate the gathering of scientific and technological resources.

Wuxi is known as the "Internet of Things Capital of the World" and has ranked first among the most livable cities in Mainland China three times in recent years.

SOURCE The Organizing Committee of Taihu Talent Summit 2020
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on Wednesday that he would allow the city to shut off power services to residents holding large parties for violating health orders to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The operation targeting parties will start on Friday night. If the Los Angeles Police Department is made aware of and has found proof that parties repeatedly occurred at certain properties, they may request the city to shut off power and water at the homes within 48 hours.

The order was meant to put a stop to parties or events in Los Angeles during the pandemic. California is still the leading state in the country with high number of coronavirus cases, a CNN report said.

Garcetti noted that while bars and nightclubs have already been closed in the city, the big house parties have "essentially become nightclubs in the hills."

In a Los Angeles Times report, Garcetti said these kinds of parties happen at homes vacant or used for short-term rentals.

"The consequences of these large parties ripple far beyond just those parties," Garcetti said, noting the effects of the pandemic "ripples" throughout Los Angeles as it can spread quickly and easily from person to person.

Garcetti clarified that the order is not focused on small and ordinary gatherings in people's home, but on the people who are firm on breaking the rules.

California has over 530,000 diagnosed with COVID-19, and over 9,800 of them have died. Four out of 10 cases come from Los Angeles, as per the public health department's data.

Large Parties Pose Problems in Los Angeles

City Councilman David Ryu said, "some homeowners choose to put everyone at risk" after letting their homes get rented out for big house parties. Ryu called the behavior "irresponsible bordering on deadly," the CBS reported.

Large, private parties were an issue of high controversy this week after a party at a Mulholland Drive mansion last Monday ended in a fatal shooting. Neighbors had complained about the number of party attendees. According to the police, around 200 people gathered that evening.

The officers impounded some vehicles parked illegally around the property but did not break up the party itself. Gatherings of any size are prohibited under the Los Angeles County's coronavirus health order.

A shooting at the mansion party was reported in the early hours of the morning or at about 12:45 a.m., said LAPD Lt. Chris Ramirez.

Ramirez said there were women and a man found with gunshot wounds. All the victims were taken to a hospital and were in critical or grave condition. Meanwhile, two of the victims were stable.

According to officials, a 35-year-old woman died following the shooting. Detectives are tying the shooting incident to gang-related activity.

Ryu announced Wednesday a motion to increase penalties and give more enforcement options against homeowners who defy the city's rules, including the 2018 party-house ordinance of Los Angeles.

Apart from the Mulholland Drive party, the county is also looking into a part thrown for "first responders" at a Hollywood bar on July 31.

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San Antonio police said Friday they believe Army Staff Sgt. Jared Esquibel Harless and his wife, Sheryll, murdered their four young children and killed themselves two months ago.

The cause of death: Carbon monoxide poisoning.

Harless, 38, and his wife, Sheryll Ann, 36, were found in the back of an SUV in the garage of their North Side home on June 4 along with their children, Esteban Lorenzo Harless, 4; Penelope Arcadia Harless, 3; Avielle Magdalena Harless, 1, and Apollo Harless, 11 months.

San Antonio Police Lt. Jesse Salame said investigators believe the couple both planned the killings.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio home where GI and family found dead was once owned by oil theft ringleader

Until now, Jared Harless had been suspected of killing his wife and the children. Salame said it was the worst murder-suicide in San Antonio in decades.

Police havent determined the motive, but Salame said it appeared to involve a combination of life stress that was exacerbated by some mental health issues, and the stress that is not uncommon with having children with special needs as well.

Toxicology tests are pending. Outside of a cryptic note they found on the front door, police havent uncovered anything from Jared Harlesss computer or family emails suggesting their intention to kill the children and then themselves.

Sheryl would have been the only one that would have been able to offer any sort of resistance. All the children were too young to offer any resistance, he said.

The only other thing that the toxicology report will tell us  is if theres any other foreign substances in the body that may have been used to incapacitate or render somebody unconscious, Salame added.

No one knew anything was amiss at the home until officers were called to the house on June 4 and found the note containing military jargon and a chilling message. It said, Bodies or people inside, do not enter, and continued, The animals are in the freezer.

Police said seven officers were overcome by what appeared to be carbon monoxide after they entered the two-story home on a welfare check. Salame said the officers quickly recovered after EMTs came to the scene.

Salame did not know whether the SUV was still running when the bodies were found that night and could not say how long the family had been dead.

Harless, a cryptologic cyberspace intelligence collector/analyst at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, had failed to check in with his bosses, prompting police to visit the rented home in the upscale Heights of Stone Oak.

He was a 10-year Army veteran working for the 470th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Sam and had served one tour in Iraq, in 2011.

The Harlesses had moved from Washington state to San Antonio in January, and were known by neighbors to be quiet and even reclusive.

Jared Harless was buried without receiving military honors  a rare rebuke in the armed forces. The Army said that honors were withheld due to the circumstances surrounding his death.

On ExpressNews.com: GI suspected in San Antonio family killing is buried without honors

Earlier this week, movers loaded the familys belongings into a large van.

Salame, the police lieutenant, said there were no reports of trouble at the home.

There was no warning and in these cases like that, especially when we see these mass incidents where whole families are killed, its often shocking to everybody, to people who knew them, people who worked with them, thats the part that is always so hard for people, he said.

Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe
Mr. Biden, a Catholic, described his faith as the bedrock foundation of my life that sustained him after he lost his first wife and daughter in a car accident, and later, his adult son Beau Biden to cancer.

For President Trump to attack my faith is shameful, Mr. Biden said, calling it beneath the office he holds. He added that the attacks show us a man willing to stoop to any low for political gain, and someone whose actions are completely at odds with the values and teachings that he professes to believe in.

Mr. Trump maintained that Mr. Biden frequently is confused about his whereabouts, during a speech in which the president mispronounced Thailand as Thighland, catching himself a short time later.

The president spoke as his aides struggled to get a deal for new legislation to help people suffering economic pain caused by the coronavirus, something Mark Meadows, his chief of staff, and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, have been scrambling to achieve in negotiations with Democratic leaders. Mr. Trump has not been a meaningful part of the talks, preferring to comment from the sidelines. After a fund-raiser on Thursday evening in Ohio, he will head to his private club in New Jersey and has fund-raisers scheduled this weekend.

Mr. Trumps swing through Ohio took him to Clyde, where he toured a Whirlpool factory. The president wore a mask as he walked through the plant, giving a thumbs-up sign to photographers nearby, a notable move given his longstanding resistance to the masks until the past few weeks. Mr. DeWine has been a proponent of masks; he issued a statewide order requiring them last month.

Then, standing at a lectern with the presidential seal, his face glistening with sweat, Mr. Trump delivered a winding series of remarks that were ostensibly about trade and the economy, but that took several detours into criticizing Mr. Biden and complaining about his political lot in life.

I had such a beautiful life before I did this, Mr. Trump said at one point.

The presidents inability to stick to his script has infuriated and exasperated his advisers, who believe he could be in a much stronger position in the campaign if only he would stop creating so much content for his critics and opponent.
The court rejects enforcing the European arrest warrant for former Catalan culture minister, Lluis Puig.

A Belgian court has rejected Spains demand to have a former high-ranking politician from the region of Catalonia extradited back to the country to be tried for his alleged role in an independence referendum that Madrid branded as illegal.

The Brussels prosecutors office said on Friday the court had rejected enforcing the European arrest warrant for the former Catalan culture minister, Lluis Puig, on the grounds that the Spanish authorities who issued the warrant are not competent to do so.

Puig has been living in exile in Belgium since he, former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and a number of their associates fled to Belgium in October 2017.

They were fearing arrest over the secessionist push he led and the holding of an independence referendum that the Spanish government said was illegal.

His lawyers had argued that Spains Supreme Court does not have the jurisdiction to judge Puig and that only a Catalan court is competent to do so.

The Brussels prosecutors office said it is deciding whether to appeal the Belgian court ruling.

Puigdemont has since been elected to the European Parliament.
SIOUX CITY -- With the Junior League Hands On! Gallery still closed, the Sioux Art Center was basically a touch-free environment in mid-July.

The Art Center reopened its doors July 7 after being closed since mid-March in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, but only the first floor galleries were accessible to a maximum of 10 people at a time.

Director Todd Behrens said the facility was "taking baby steps" to ensure that restrooms, the front desk area and the building's doors could be regularly disinfected.

Behrens said staff were wearing masks, social distancing is required and visitors were encouraged to mask up, as well. Hand sanitizer stations were located at both first floor entrances and outside of the restrooms.

"We will open up additional floors as we feel comfortable that we can keep up with the cleaning," he said.

"Local Perspectives," an exhibit that features the works of more than 40 artists from within 50 miles of Sioux City, is an opportunity for the artists to share their best work, but Behrens was unsure of when the public would get to see the artworks in person, since the exhibit is installed on the Art Center's third floor. It opened virtually on July 11.

"We're going to begin by celebrating it online and then hopefully ease the public's access to it as the summer progresses," Behrens said of the exhibit. "It's really disheartening, because it's a show that I'm really excited about."

One of the artworks featured in the exhibit is Jane Allard's piece "Swing'n Etude," which combines a piano key collage and encaustic painting, an ancient mixed media technique that involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments have been added. Allard, a pianist, piano teacher and church service organist, said using the piano as a mixed media for her artwork seems natural.

"I was given a damaged piano New Orleans from the Katrina hurricane disaster and have been doing these art pieces ever since," she said.

Allard said she likes the idea of a virtual tour of the exhibit, given the circumstances.

"It is a good safe answer; and this is no time to put our guard down. If I were making this decision that is what I would do," she said.

The Gilchrist Learning Center, and all of the Art Center's group activities remained closed or canceled until further notice.

"We're taking initial steps right now to reach out to some of our regular teachers to see what we might be able to implement online," Behrens said of classes. "I'm hoping to have something going by late summer."

ArtSplash, the Sioux City Art Center's annual fundraising event, which is held Labor Day weekend, was canceled due to the pandemic. The decision, which was announced following the July Art Center Association Board of Directors meeting, was under consideration for several weeks while the City of Sioux City and the Art Center explored protocols for festival guests, volunteers, vendors and staff.

The Art Center intends to host a "virtual" ArtSplash festival on its Facebook page. Art Center Development Coordinator Erin Webber-Dreeszen said the virtual event will span the week leading up to and including Labor Day Weekend.

"We will do our best to capture and share special parts of ArtSplash's history and experience by whatever means available until we can be together again in 2021," she said. "We are grateful to our many sponsors and volunteers for making ArtSplash possible, and with their help, we will return in a new, dynamic way, Labor Day Weekend 2021."

30 images of ArtSplash through the years

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New Delhi, Aug 7 : In order to address the major issues of the economy, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is taking suggestions from economists, experts and entrepreneurs from across the sectors on four major issues - industrial policy, retail trade, e-commerce and foreign trade policy.

Based on the suggestions, the party will prepare a report and submit it to the government. It is expected that the government will implement these suggestions and new policies will be formulated.

In the last one week, the BJP has held four meetings with the stakeholders from all the sectors regarding the same.

BJP's national spokesperson for economic affairs, Gopal Krishna Agarwal told IANS, "We are still continuing with the industrial policy of 1948. Minimal improvements have been made in subsequent years in the first industrial policy of 1948 which prove to be insufficient. Several changes were made in 1991 but now with changing times, big changes are required. In such a situation the party is brainstorming with experts. All the suggestions will be sent to the government." By improving the industrial policy, the BJP is trying to find a solution to the problems of retail, e-commerce, importers and exporters in foreign trade.

The Modi government, under its New India Mission is working to fulfil the dream of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. From areas of foreign trade policy to retail and e-commerce, the government is looking to draft a strong policy.

Agarwal said, "Just as the party interacted with all the stakeholders of the economy before the Budget and shared the suggestions with the government which were included, similarly we are taking suggestions on industrial policy, retail trade, e-commerce and foreign trade policy. Four meetings have been held so far. The report will be shared with the government after we complete the work."
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of National Accord (GNA) has stated that it will not allow any party to attack the country's maritime rights
Is the gut biome a heritable trait?

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- While it's long been said "you are what you eat," a team of animal scientists in the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is taking an in-depth look at how what you are is influenced by your ability to eat, at least in cattle.

Phillip Myer, an assistant professor and microbiologist in the Department of Animal Science, is leading a new study to determine how the rumen, the largest compartment of the cattle stomach, and the microbes that inhabit it affect the conversion of low-quality feedstuffs into usable energy for ruminants. Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the $500,000 study seeks to identify whether the genetics of a particular cow influences the rumen microbiome and whether that influence can be passed on to future generations. "The overarching hypothesis of this project," says Myer, "is that host beef cattle genetics are associated with the variation of microbes in the rumen, producing an individualized rumen microbiota among animals."

Myer believes that if certain microbes are significant for feed efficiency, disease resistance, and other desirable production traits in cattle, then ruminal microbes represent the greatest opportunity to rapidly improve beef cattle nutrition and influence growth to help producers meet future global protein demands.

Specifically, the three-year project seeks to determine the microbes and microbial interactions in the rumen of Angus cattle as well as the microbes' relation to feed efficiency. The scientists--including Jonathan Beever, director of the UTIA Genomics Center for Advancement of Agriculture; Brynn Voy, also a professor in the UT Department of Animal Science; and Larry Kuehn and James Wells, both with the USDA U.S. Meat Animal Research Center--also seek to estimate the heritability of the rumen microbes and microbial features and to identify host genomic markers that ensure heritability.

The goal is microbiome manipulation to enhance agricultural production. Says Myer, "This project will ultimately provide a means to increase food availability while lowering environmental impacts, develop more sustainable cow-calf production systems, and enhance Angus breeding programs."

The project will dramatically advance the field of beef production agriculture to sustainably meet the protein requirements of an ever-increasing global population.

The award is one of 23 that NIFA announced last month that should lead to better management strategies for animal production systems, enhance production efficiency, and further develop high quality animal products for human use. Each of the grants is part of NIFA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.

Through its land-grant mission of research, teaching and extension, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. utia.tennessee.edu.

###

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A soldier stands at the devastated site of the explosion. Photo: Thibault Camus/Pool via Reuters

A team of Lebanese firefighters have been acclaimed as heroes after pictures emerged of them heading into the Beirut warehouse storing 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate moments before it exploded.

At least 10 firefighters were dispatched to fight the blaze in Beirut's port that ignited the chemicals, leading to the blast that flattened the area and damaged half the capital.

They are all presumed dead, but only one of the team has so far been identified and added to the official death toll of 145.

A funeral was held on Thursday for firefighter Sahar Fares (25) whose body was recovered after the blast. Video shared online showed a crowd howling with grief and throwing flower petals as her coffin was carried from an ambulance while sirens wailed from a convoy of rescue vehicles.

Her fiance Gilbert Karaan posted an online tribute to his "guardian angel", calling her a martyr and saying they were engaged to be married next year.

"I've lost the will to live since you've been gone," he wrote. "They robbed me of your smile and tenderness. I love you and I will always love you until we meet again and continue our journey together."

Expand Close Firefighter Sahar Fares who died in the blast / Facebook

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Other photos shared online showed moments from the crew's final fatal mission to extinguish the warehouse fire that sparked the massive blast.

One picture shared online shows three firefighters using a crowbar to try and open a sliding warehouse door. Two of the men are in uniform, while a third is in civilian clothes. A hazardous chemical sign is visible on the door, which is marked as entrance 12. The men were identified as Jo Noon, Methal Hawwa and Najib Hitti by 'MailOnline', which reported that the man who took the photo died and the image recovered from his phone.

The team had been dispatched from a fire station in Karantina, a Beirut district close to the port. The station's fire chief said the crew were heroes.

"They were all good people, they were always willing to be first on the front line," he said, "What can be said of someone who sacrifices himself for the safety of others? They are all heroes and we are indebted to them."

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Another widely shared photo shows eight of the smiling firefighters sitting inside a rescue vehicle, apparently on their way to the fire at the port.

Ms Fares was seated in the middle, flanked by two men and with five more behind her.

International rescue workers poured into Beirut yesterday, where a two-week state of emergency has been declared.

A British military team was expected to arrive in Beirut to help co-ordinate the British response, but the Lebanese government reportedly turned down an offered search and rescue team, saying it had sufficient capacity already.

Expand Close A woman waits for news of her missing son. Photo: Hussein Malla/AP / Facebook

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Security forces have sealed a wide cordon around the blast zone, while rescue workers searched for bodies and survivors. The coast guard and navy have been searching the waters off the coast. Yesterday, they made a miraculous rescue, recovering a port worker from the sea, 30 hours after the explosion.

Amin Zahed, a 42-year-old father of two, was believed to have been blown out to sea by the force of the blast. He was bloodied but alive.

His brother, Mohammad, had shared a photo of him with an Instagram page created to help identify missing loved ones. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

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Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) on Friday said it has extended a USD 250-million (about Rs 1,870 crore) line of credit (LOC) to Mozambique for improving power supply quality in the country.

The agreement to this effect was signed on August 3 through exchange between Saroj Khuntia, general manager, Exim Bank, and Adriano Isaias Ubisse, national directorate of treasury, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Mozambique.

With the signing of this LOC agreement, Exim Bank till date has extended 14 LOCs to Mozambique, taking their total value to USD 772.44 million.

Exim Bank has now in place 264 LOCs, covering 62 countries across regions including Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with credit commitments of around USD 25.98 billion, available for financing exports from India.
When Springfield Public Schools reopen this fall, classes will be held fully remote.

The Springfield School Committee voted Thursday evening to start the 2020-2021 school year with remote learning, joining a growing number of school districts in shifting away from a push to return to in-person learning.

Of course, we want to get our children back in schools as soon as possible, but our decision must be based not only on educational aspects, but also public health, medical aspects and the science of COVID-19, Mayor Domenic Sarno said.

Schools may transition to a hybrid model after the first marking period. A hybrid model developed by district officials proposes assigning the majority of students into two groups: one to attend class in person Mondays and Tuesdays, and the second group to attend class Thursdays and Fridays. Days out of the classroom, students would learn remotely.

Siblings living in the same household would be prioritized to be in the same group.

Some students - special education and Level 1 English Language Learners - would be scheduled to attend class in-person Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Wednesdays would be reserved for buildings to be deep cleaned.

Due to the number of students in district and space available, Springfield - like the majority of Massachusetts school districts - could not implement required social distancing protocols if schools reopened fully in-person.

The Springfield School Committee voted last week to push back the start of the school year this fall by two weeks. The school year will start on Tuesday, Sept. 15 for students in grades 1 through 12, Sept. 21 for kindergarten and Sept. 28 for pre-kindergarteners.

Given the incredible number of moving parts that are necessary to safely open schools, an extra two weeks for educators to prepare is greatly needed and will be extremely valuable, Springfield Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick said of the decision last week. To try to think we could come back before that would be a mistake.

Warwick said families should expect to hear more details about school opening in coming weeks.

We will make sure parents know what to expect and how to make sure their student is equipped with the technology they will need, he said, adding that schools will reach out directly to families.

The district will provide laptops to students by the start of the school year. Springfield is entering into a sponsored service agreement with Comcast to offer internet access for families with limited to no current access. For families living outside the city, T-Mobile hot spot devices will be offered to provide internet access, if needed.

Remote learning for school-aged children this fall will look significantly different from remote learning offered by Massachusetts school districts this past spring.

Weve had time to write a plan that is much more streamlined, accountable and accessible for families and students, said Warwick. We were thrust into remote education in the spring, and we know the experience was more disjointed than we would have liked. Weve worked hard to address that.

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, state guidance on remote learning reads. 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.

As part of ensuring students are engaged, attendance will be taken daily for in-person and remote classrooms. For remote schooling, attendance may be traced by students submitting assignments online, logging onto online learning platforms or attending virtual check-ins. Parents and guardians are responsible for ensuring their child attends daily 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 urge schools to consider exemptions for students experiencing extreme circumstances - such as family members severely ill due to COVID-19 - and ensure they receive additional supports.

All students will be required to take the MCAS tests in the spring, according to the state guidance issued Friday.

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Taiwan Cement Corp announces 3% revenue decline in July

07 August 2020

Taiwan Cement Corp has seen a three per cent YoY decline in revenue for July 2020, falling to TWD10.18bn (US$346m) from TWD10.49bn in July 2019.



In the first seven months of 2020, revenue has decreased 6.8 per cent YoY to TWD62.6bn from TWD67.2bn.

Published under
70th Anniversary GP 2020

Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport

Lewis Hamilton (1st, 1:25.606): "It's been a good start to the weekend. We brought a lot of learnings over from last week and with just a few small adjustments to the set-up we've been able to fine-tune the car and make some progress, which is positive. Both the Soft and Medium tyres feel very similar out there and there's not a huge amount of time between them. We saw some overheating with the tyres, so they are going to take some nursing to get the best out of them. It was great to take the win here last weekend, but I know just how strong Valtteri is and as we saw last weekend, absolutely anything can happen in F1."

Valtteri Bottas (2nd, 1:25.782): "We learned a lot last week, so the starting set-up today was good. The car felt more comfortable than in the race or in qualifying, so the balance already feels pretty much there. We focused a lot on the tyres today and there doesn't seem to be a lot between the Medium and the Soft when it comes to single lap pace. The Soft is struggling with the high-speed corners, especially in these hot temperatures and if you're running on higher fuel. We'll look tonight at all the options and make sure we get the plan right for qualifying. It should be good fun tomorrow."

Andrew Shovlin: "It looks like everyone ran an unusual programme today in terms of tyres but we're all trying to get enough of the medium and hard into our qualifying and race allocation. The soft is a tricky tyre, it's working quite nicely on a single lap but on a long run it's not lasting long. We expect most teams will try to avoid that tyre in the race. The medium seems more durable and it's not much slower compared to the soft on a single lap. We've got a fair understanding of the track from last week, so we were able to use some of the running in free practice to sign off a few development parts and do some experiments. It's been pretty hot today but our pace looks reasonable for a Friday on both short and long runs which is useful as the hot weather looks like it will carry into Saturday and Sunday."

Scuderia Ferrari

Charles Leclerc (7th, 1:26.812): "It wasn't bad today, although a bit more difficult than last Friday. We are working to try and understand the tyres, as there's quite a big change of grip between the Medium and the Soft. We are a bit too slow on the Medium, which is unusual for us. The car balance feels pretty good, it's just the general performance which is not as good as we had hoped for on the Medium. There are still a few things to work on in view of qualifying tomorrow with the aim of going through Q2 on Medium tyres, which we think a lot of cars will try to do. Anyway, it'll be very interesting to see what compound everyone will start the race on and it should be an unpredictable race with many different strategies."

Sebastian Vettel (14th, 1:27.198): "We tried a couple of things today and overall I'm a little bit happier than last week, but we are not very competitive at the moment and we need to have a look at the data to see what we can work on. On the Soft tyre the car is good on the first lap, then it becomes a bit more difficult. We are trying to save the harder compounds for the race, so we need to see where we are in quali and then we will decide the strategy for the race. There are some key area where we need to try to improve the car. They are probably small things, but hopefully we will get a bit more competitive. On the engine failure I can say that it was very sudden. We have to see what it is but it will take some time, because the engine has to be sent to Maranello for analysis."

Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen (4th, 1:26.437): "We did everything we wanted to today so I'm pretty pleased with that and overall it has been alright. The gap to Mercedes last weekend was big, so of course I think it's quite normal that we can't magically change things within a few days, but we are doing what we can. We tried a few things with the car, I think some were really decent but we will of course have to go through it properly tonight and see tomorrow. I think it could be quite close in qualifying with the group behind but then in the race it could be quite lonely again. The softer tyres had a lot more degradation today and I think it's almost impossible to do a one stop now. I guess you will see a lot of two stop strategies in the race but I don't expect the change in tyres to really set the order any differently."

Alexander Albon (11th, 1:26.960): "We're making progress session by session in terms of trying to get what I want from the car and now we just need to do our homework tonight to come back stronger tomorrow. It was a pretty straightforward day and we played around with a few things to see what helped and what didn't. This weekend the tyre compounds are a step softer which I'm not a huge fan of as I think they're too soft for this circuit. Let's see what everyone does tomorrow but I think it's quicker to run on the mediums than the softs. The thing is we only have a certain number of medium and hard tyres for the weekend which means you're a little stuck with strategy, so it will be important tomorrow which tyre you decide to run in each qualifying session. It's only Friday and everyone's hiding something today so tomorrow we'll get a truer picture."

Renault Sport Formula One Team

Daniel Ricciardo (3rd, 1:26.421): "In the morning we did quite a bit of data gathering so we knew it wasn't going to be totally representative. For the afternoon, we had a bit of a warm-up, made a change to the car, which worked, and it felt great. We had a good run on the Hard and then on the Soft as well. On that Soft run, we still missed out a bit in some areas, so there's definitely more there. Our long runs also looked decent, so that's a good base for Sunday. I think the wind direction is changing tomorrow, so we'll see what happens there. Overall, it's been a good day for us."

Esteban Ocon (10th, 1:26.928): "The first thing we wanted to understand was the softer choice of tyres and that was an important area today. It looks positive and the car was clearly quite quick. Daniel's run on the Soft was certainly fast, which is good as we both tested different things and it'll be interesting to see the comparisons. Hopefully we can repeat that tomorrow. We had a few problems here and there, but nothing too crazy and the car generally felt reasonable all day."

Ciaron Pilbeam, Chief Race Engineer: "We've had quite a good day with both cars getting through their programs smoothly. Our focus in the morning was on various aero assessments and we spent some time in both sessions understanding the Soft tyre in particular, which is a step softer this week. We're pretty happy with our work today. Everybody ran the same tyres in the morning session, but we have done something different with our tyres compared to most others in the afternoon, and it will be interesting to see how the consequences of that shake out through the rest of the weekend. Both drivers are happy with their car and as normal for a Friday, we have some work to do to find a little bit extra for tomorrow. Daniel's Soft tyre run in the afternoon was quite quick, but it's only Friday, so we're not getting too excited!"

Haas F1 Team

Romain Grosjean (15th, 1:27.294): "It was a good Friday, you know, P13, P15  those are the positions we're fighting for. The car felt absolutely mega from the morning. We worked around tricky conditions with the hot, softer tires and then the wind also picked up a little more this afternoon, which made things a bit more interesting. Generally, I've been very happy with the car though. I think we've done a good job; I think we're moving in the right direction. Hopefully we can find a little bit more for the race on Sunday. We know what we have with our package and we always push as hard as we can."

Kevin Magnussen (18th, 1:27.582): "We couldn't really get the car working in FP1, but it was a lot better in FP2. We're lacking a little bit of straight-line speed compared to the other car. We lost a little bit of time, but we know it's got to be there somewhere. The car was much better in the corners, handling-wise, as a positive. It's tricky this time around as we have these softer tires. It's a challenge. The higher pressures aren't making it easier, it's tough, but I guess those things are the same for everyone. It's going to be interesting to see what we do with strategy and how to manage these soft tires on the track. Last week the car handled very well so we need to get it back into the same kind of handling. It's obviously slightly different with these tires, we at least have the C2 and C3 knowledge from last week, but the C4 tire is a completely different story."

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal: "I would say it was a good FP1 and FP2 for us  we had no problems, no issues, we found we had a good balance. For sure, there is more work to be done, but I think we got out of the car what we could, and we learned a lot in doing it. I think we've improved the car from where we were last week with all the team continuing to work here over the week. We just need a little bit more, we're trying to squeeze everything out of it that we can at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow we can make another step and get into Q2 in qualifying  that's our aim. Everybody's working hard to achieve that."

McLaren F1 Team

Lando Norris (8th, 1:26.867): "A tricky day, not as straightforward as last weekend. Trying to understand these tyres was a bit more difficult as they are quite soft. Obviously, everyone out there lapped pretty well on new tyres, but they degrade a lot in the high-fuel long runs. So, we're struggling with getting them to last, but at the same time I think we got a good understanding of the balance. Like last week, I think conditions are going to change quite a lot come tomorrow, so we'll wait to see what happens."

Carlos Sainz (9th, 1:26.918): "A bit of a different Friday, choosing to run only Soft tyres through the whole day. All cars seem to struggle with degradation, so it was important to gather as much information as possible to learn on that side. Tyre choice will play a big part for the rest of the weekend, so we needed as much data as possible in order to take better decisions. Generally, the feeling with the car in FP2 was quite decent. We need to double-check the speed on the straights, as usual in Silverstone, but in general the feeling was fine today."

Andrea Stella, Racing Director: "For the second week in a row, we had good conditions at Silverstone for Friday practice, and this allowed us to work uninterrupted on our objectives. This weekend, those were to find some incremental gains in our performance, and also to develop a better understanding of these tyres. Tyres, obviously, are a key topic this weekend  not just because of the failures during the British Grand Prix, but also because the allocation is a step softer, which is obviously quite extreme at a demanding track like this one. Our sessions went well, we have gathered good data and we'll analyse this overnight to give us the best of chance making Q3 and scoring good points in the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix on Sunday."

Racing Point F1 Team

Lance Stroll (5th, 1:26.501): "It was definitely a positive day of running and it's looking very tight between the teams. We've done plenty of laps around Silverstone now, which helps close all the gaps up, so it's about maximising everything this weekend. We'll go away tonight and make sure we come back tomorrow with the car dialled in and ready to go for qualifying. Pirelli has brought a softer range this weekend, which is giving all the teams a challenge because degradation is expected to be more of a factor in the race. Tomorrow's practice will be important to help us prepare for qualifying, and I'm expecting an exciting race on Sunday."

Nico Hulkenberg (6th, 1:26.746): "I'm feeling a lot more confident in the car: it helped that I was able to be in the simulator last week to prepare for the weekend. I'm much more familiar with how the team works and I'm more up to speed behind the wheel. It felt like a routine Friday and I was able to extract the pace of the car much more quickly today, which is a big positive. I'm pleased with today because we were able to try a few things with the set-up of the car, and it helped me adapt to the car. We were then able to work through today's programme effectively, which gives us a good starting point for the weekend. I felt that there was pace to be found on the medium tyre because I didn't have a totally clean lap, and I left some time on the table at the final corner, but all in all, it was a positive Friday."

Alfa Romeo Racing

Kimi Raikkonen (17th, 1:27.535): "The car felt a little bit better than last weekend but there's still plenty of speed to be found. It was a fairly straightforward Friday, we are working to get some more performance for tomorrow but we will only find where we really stand in qualifying. As always here, we will need to see what conditions we have tomorrow: hopefully we will make a little step forward and improve."

Antonio Giovinazzi (20th, 1:27.955): "It's always a bit of a challenge to come in after sitting a session out, but we have plenty of data from last week to help us out. We got good info from FP2, we managed to do at least one run during our qualifying simulation and a high-fuel run even though we had to stop the session with a minute to go due to a small technical issue. As always on Friday, we will need to go through all the data we collected and find the best way forward to be in a better shape come qualifying."

Robert Kubica: "Silverstone is one of the greatest tracks to drive an F1 car, especially in the fast corners. It was a bit of a shock coming in after racing in DTM last week, but it didn't take me long to settle in. The car feels pretty good, something I noticed since the tests in Barcelona, but there is still work to do to find more speed. We are working, trying hard to bring more performance but so is everyone: we will need to do our best to gain some ground on everyone else."

Red Bull AlphaTauri Honda

Daniil Kvyat (12th, 1:27.002): "It was a decent Friday and we did quite a lot of productive laps today. The C4 wasn't a big surprise, we will continue to make our tyre evaluation to understand what they like or dislike, and as usual, we will analyse all the data to come back tomorrow in the best possible shape for both qualifying and the race."

Pierre Gasly (13th, 1:27.128): "Today I didn't feel as good in the car as last weekend, so we've done many tests between FP1 and FP2. We wanted to try different set-up directions to improve the car but I didn't feel like we've found the best set-up yet. I was pretty happy straight away last weekend, so we'll need to analyse everything tonight and work from there. The gaps are really small but if we want to have a chance for Q3, I think we'll need to find a bit more performance for tomorrow."

Jonathan Eddolls, Chief Race Engineer: "We came to Silverstone for the second weekend in a row, which meant we could continue the set-up work that we started here at the last event, with the advantage that we know we have a good baseline to roll back on. We were able to be a bit braver with some of our set-up changes and we could push the envelope of the car a little bit more than you would on a normal Friday when you first hit the track for only one weekend, so we brought some new ideas on how to maximize the performance of the car that we've got. The cars started the day exploring different directions and the performance we showed in FP1 was promising, so we could build on that for FP2 and make some further changes. The tyres this weekend are going to be one of the biggest topics: the C4 is quite aggressive, and there does not seem to be a big lap time difference between the C3 and the C4 for qualifying. You could see from FP2 that there were a range of tyre strategies across the grid, with some using the base tyre and others only the options, I think that's going to make tomorrow very interesting. Now we have to look through all the data we gathered today to find the best tyre strategy and car set-up going into qualifying tomorrow and the race on Sunday."

Williams Racing

George Russell (16th, 1:27.320): "It was good fun out there and the conditions were very different to last week. It was very tricky on the C4 tyre, but I think everybody found that tough. At least a third of the grid set their quickest time on the medium tyre and not on the soft. I think it will be an interesting and tricky qualifying session. I think if you play it right you can set your quickest lap on the mediums, so there will be some interesting strategies tomorrow."

Nicholas Latifi (19th, 1:27.683): "Overall it was a positive day. Straight away coming back to the same track you already feel in the rhythm. FP1 was quite good and the balance was feeling nice on the new C4 tyre. In all honestly, I struggled to find a comfortable balance in FP2, but again we were just trying some different things. I think it's going to be quite an exciting and unpredictable race. I'm not sure how the tyre compounds are going to react so I'm looking forward to it. I think if we can show what we showed today, then we will be quite competitive."

Dave Robson, Senior Race Engineer: "We had another productive day, with both sessions providing some very useful testing opportunities. The change in tyre compound stiffness from last week  one-step softer  and the lighter winds have changed the car a little since last week. However, we were still able to evaluate some new parts and ideas whilst also understanding the behaviour of the soft tyre. The car continues to improve, and we are confident that we can consolidate the performance improvement seen last week. The next group of cars are still a little way down the road, but everyone is pushing hard to help us get closer to the heart of the midfield as soon as possible. Both drivers did well today and having back-to-back races at the same venue affords them a rare opportunity to complete some different tests. Both drivers have embraced the tests and provided us with valuable feedback, which will help us set the car ready for what looks likely to be two more warm days here at Silverstone."
New Delhi:

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, who suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday, continues to be very critical, Apollo Hospital admistration said on Monday.

A spokesperson from the hospital said that the CM is on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and other life support systems. He said that Jayalalithaa's health is being closely monitored by a team of experts.

The ECMO, also known as extracorporeal life support (ECLS), is an extracorporeal technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of gas exchange to sustain life.

The Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu who suffered a cardiac arrest yesterday evening, continues to be very critical. #GodblessAmma  Apollo Hospitals (@HospitalsApollo) December 5, 2016

She is on ECMO and other life support systems. The Honourable Chief Minister is being treated and closely monitored by a team of experts.  Apollo Hospitals (@HospitalsApollo) December 5, 2016

Jayalalithaa was readmitted to the critical care unit of Apollo Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest on Sunday evening.

Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao also visited the hospital and stayed there for about 10 minutes.

Read | Jayalalithaas rebirth declaration created wave of joy in state, says AIADMK

Jayalalithaa had spent the last three months at the same hospital due to a prolonged lung infection.

Thousands of supporters of the chief minister gathered outside to pray for her well being.

Read | DMK chief M Karunanidhi wishes Jayalalithaa speedy recovery

Here are the live updates:

17:00pm

# Our team of expert doctors continue to monitor & treat Honourable CM. However her condition remains critical: Apollo Hospital



16:30pm

The situation is extremely grave," says Dr #RichardBeale the specialist doctor from London, on #Jayalalithaa's health condition #JayaHealth pic.twitter.com/uyVJAWvluW  News Nation (@NewsNationTV) December 5, 2016

16:15pm

#WATCH: Supporters gather outside Apollo Hospital in Chennai (TN), where CM #Jayalalithaa is admitted, praying for her speedy recovery pic.twitter.com/EYdEezW7Qd  ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

Chennai: Latest visuals from outside Apollo Hospital where TN CM #Jayalalithaa is admitted. Heavy Police deployment & huge crowds present pic.twitter.com/aQVjeCSG2V  ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

16:10pm

# The best medical treatment has been given, we should not speculate anything; I wish she will come out of danger: Vaiko, MDMK Chief



# She detained me under POTA but apart from politics I treat her like sister. She will come out of crisis: MDMK chief Vaiko

15:51pm

# She is being cared for by a highly expert multidisciplinary team and is now on extra corporal life support: Dr.Richard Beale



15:50pm

# Situation extremely grave but can confirm everything possible being done to give her best chance of surviving: Dr Richard Beale



15.30pm

# Despite our best efforts, Jayalalithaa remains in a grave situation: Sangita Reddy, Exec Director Apollo Group



15.15pm

# Governor C Vidyasagar expected to reach Apollo Hospital in an hour

12.51pm

# Apollo Hospital spokesperson says CM Jayalalithaa remains very critical and is on ECMO and other life support systems, being closely observed

11.19am

# Jayalalithaa out of danger, says Union health minister JP Nadda: IANS

10.30am

# I have spoken to Tamil Nadu governor. There is no issue of law and order: Home minister Rajnath Singh

9.45am

# We are in regular touch with Apollo Hospital and Tamil Nadu government, have sent a team of doctors from Delhi AIIMS to Chennai: Union health minister JP Nadda

We are in regular touch with Apollo hosp & TN Govt; have sent a team from Delhi AIIMS to Chennai: Union Health Min. JP Nadda #Jayalalithaa pic.twitter.com/lzjWWbhKqm  ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

# Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan and BJP MP La Ganesan visit Apollo Hospital to enquire about Jayalalithaa's health

Distressed to hear about CM Jayalalithaa suffering a cardiac arrest, my prayers for her speedy recovery #PresidentMukherjee  President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) December 4, 2016

8.37am

# Traffic police blocks roads leading to Apollo Hospital to prevent traffic congestion: ANI

8.30am

# Karnataka State Road Transport Corp temporarily stops bus services to Tamil Nadu after incident of stone pelting on their bus near Tiruvannamalai

K'taka State Road Transport Corp temporarily stop bus services to Tamil Nadu aftr incident of stone pelting on their bus near Tiruvannamalai pic.twitter.com/XHsWNlC2kw  ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

8.19am

# A large number of AIADMK cadres, including women stay put outside hospital which has been covered in a thick blanket of security

# Heavy police deployment outside Apollo Hospital. 9 units of Rapid Action Force put on high alert to deal with any eventuality

# CRPF teams put on high alert in Chennai in view of Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa suffering cardiac arrest

CRPF teams put on high alert in view of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister #Jayalalithaa suffering cardiac arrest.  ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

Barricading, Police deployment outside Apollo hospital in Chennai where #Jayalalithaa is admitted. She suffered a cardiac arrest last eve pic.twitter.com/ze4TeRicOG  ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans are continuing to renounce their citizenship at the highest levels on record, according to research by the Enrolled Agents and accountants Bambridge Accountants New York.

Record levels of US citizens renouncing

5,816 Americans gave up their citizenship in the first six months of 2020

Showing a 1,210% increase on the prior six months to December 2019 , where only 444 cases were recorded

, where only 444 cases were recorded 2,072 Americans gave up their citizenship in 2019 in total

This is the second highest quarter on record; the record is 2,909 cases for the first quarter of 2020

It seems that the pandemic has motivated U.S. expats to cut ties and avoid the current political climate and onerous tax reporting

Americans must pay a $2,350 government fee to renounce their citizenship, and those based overseas must do so in person at the U.S. Embassy in their country.

There are an estimated 9 million U.S. expats. The trend has been that there has been a steep decline over the last few years of U.S. citizens expatriating - the first six months of 2020 is a huge increase in the number of Americans renouncing their citizenship.

Under the IRS rules (section 6039g), every three months the U.S. Government publishes the names of all Americans who give up their citizenship. The first six months for 2020 had 5,816 Americans renouncing their citizenship, far more than the total of the four quarters for 2019 (2,072 Americans renounced).

Alistair Bambridge, partner at Bambridge Accountants New York, explains: "There has been a huge turnaround during coronavirus of U.S. expats renouncing, where the figures have been in steep decline since 2017.

"The huge increase in U.S. expats renouncing from our experience is that the current pandemic has allowed individuals the time to review their ties to the U.S. and decide that the current political climate and annual US tax reporting is just too much to bear.

"For U.S. citizens living abroad, they are still required to file U.S. tax returns each year, potentially pay U.S. tax and report all their foreign bank accounts, investments and pensions held outside the U.S. For many Americans this intrusion is too complicated, and they make the serious step of renouncing their citizenship as they do not plan to return to live in the U.S.

"There has been a silver lining for U.S. expats that they have been able to claim the stimulus check of $1,200, and $500 for each child. For those individuals and families, the proposed second stimulus check will be very welcome once the HEALS Act is approved.

Contact Alistair Bambridge, [email protected], +1 646 956 5566.

Bambridge Accountants New York is a New York-based firm specializing in U.S. expat tax, U.K expats, actors, other creatives in the U.S. and U.K.

www.bambridgeaccountants.com

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Americans renouncing 2020

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Technavio has been monitoring the solenoid valves market and it is poised to grow by USD 596.20 million during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200807005030/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Solenoid Valves 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-

What was the value of the solenoid valves market in 2019?

Technavio says that the value of the market was USD 3,955.11 million in 2019 and it is projected to reach USD 4,551.31 million by 2024.

At what rate is the market projected to grow during the forecast period 2020-2024?

Growing at a CAGR of over 3%, the market growth will accelerate during the forecast period.

Who are the top players in the market?

AMISCO Spa, Christian Burkert GmbH Co. KG, CKD Corp., Curtiss-Wright Corp., Danfoss AS, Emerson Electric Co., Parker Hannifin Corp., Rotork Plc, SHAKO Co. Ltd., and Spectris Plc. are some of the major market participants.

Which region is expected to hold the highest market share?

APAC

What is the year-over-year growth rate of the global market?

The year-over-year growth rate for 2020 is estimated at 2.70%.

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. AMISCO Spa, Christian Burkert GmbH Co. KG, CKD Corp., Curtiss-Wright Corp., Danfoss AS, Emerson Electric Co., Parker Hannifin Corp., Rotork Plc, SHAKO Co. Ltd., and Spectris Plc 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.

Technological advancements have been instrumental in driving the growth of the market.

Solenoid Valves Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Solenoid Valves Market is segmented as below:

Product Two-way Three-way Four-way

Geography APAC Europe North America MEA South America

End-user Chemical Water and Waste Management Industry Oil and Gas Industry Power Generation Industry Others



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=IRTNTR43335

Solenoid Valves 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 solenoid valves market report covers the following areas:

Solenoid Valves Market size

Solenoid Valves Market trends

Solenoid Valves Market analysis

This study identifies the availability of customization options as one of the prime reasons driving the solenoid valves market growth during the next few years.

Solenoid Valves Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of vendors operating in the solenoid valves market, including some of the vendors such as AMISCO Spa, Christian Burkert GmbH Co. KG, CKD Corp., Curtiss-Wright Corp., Danfoss AS, Emerson Electric Co., Parker Hannifin Corp., Rotork Plc, SHAKO Co. Ltd., and Spectris Plc. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the solenoid valves 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

Solenoid Valves Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist solenoid valves market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the solenoid valves market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the solenoid valves market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of solenoid valves market vendors

Table of Contents:

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five Force Summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Product

Market segments

Comparison by Product

Two-way Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Three-way Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Four-way Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Product

Market Segmentation by End-user

Market segments

Comparison by End-user

Chemicals Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Water and waste water management Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Oil and gas Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Power generation Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by End user

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

North America 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 by geography

Volume Driver demand led growth

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

AMISCO Spa

Christian Burkert GmbH Co. KG

CKD Corp.

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

Danfoss AS

Emerson Electric Co.

Parker Hannifin Corp.

Rotork Plc

SHAKO Co. Ltd.

Spectris Plc

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200807005030/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/
The Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking NIA probe into the alleged 2008 agreement between the Congress and the of China.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde asked senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for PIL petitioners Shashank Shekhar Jha and journalist Savio Rodrigues, to withdraw the plea and approach the high court.

"Every relief which you are seeking, can be granted by the high court. Secondly, high court is a proper court. Thirdly, we will have the advantage of high court order also," said the bench which also comprised Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

The top court, in the hearing conducted through video conferencing, allowed the petitioners to "withdraw the petition with liberty to approach the high court."



At the outset, Jethmalani alleged that it was an "agreement between a political party of this country with the only political party in that country (China)" and the issue pertained to security.

"We find that there is something which appears to be, what might be called, unheard of and absurd in law. You are saying that China has entered into an agreement with a political party and not the government. How can a political party enter into an agreement with China," the bench observed.

On being stressed by the lawyer that this was the case, the bench said, "we will allow you to withdraw this and file a fresh petition. We will examine what you say in the petition and if we find any false statement, we may prosecute you".

The court said, "Within our limited experience, we have unheard of it that a political party is making an agreement with other country."



Jethmalani argued that the alleged offences, if any disclosed, will be under the NIA Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and it will be better if the examine this as it relates to security.

The submission was rejected by the bench. Amid India-China face-off on Line of Actual Control (LAC), a PIL was filed in the top court seeking NIA probe into the 2008 agreement between and the of China.

Despite of having a hostile relation with China, Respondent No.1 (Congress) had signed an agreement when it was running a coalition government and hidden the facts and details of the agreement from the country, the PIL alleged.

"The petitioners firmly believe that the Nation's security cannot and shouldn't be compromised by any one, the plea had said.

The said agreement was signed between Congress and of China in Beijing for exchanging high-level information and co-operation.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At a virtual roundtable organised by Business Today titled 'Leapfrogging Digital Infrastructure', K Ramchand, Member (technology) at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), said that the government is working on a bunch of policies to meet the needs of current COVID times. These policies include encouraging internet service providers (ISPs) and telecom service providers (TSPs) to install millions of Wi-Fi hotspots across the country, improving broadband connections at households, a new spectrum policy, and a new work-from-home policy.

"In the COVID situation, lots of people have started working from home. Everybody has realised the importance of the telecommunications infrastructure in the country. Some of the policies are at the drafting stage; some are at the approval stage," said Ramchand.

Ramchand also highlighted the DoT is considering the recommendations from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regarding infrastructure providers (IP-1) to provide both passive and active infrastructure without the need for a licence.

ALSO READ: Airtel needs to tackle AGR crisis, tepid revenues before taking on Jio

"We are considering that. There is a debate between TRAI and DoT on registration versus licence. I would like to assure everybody here. People should not be afraid of licence. It's not Licence Raj anymore. If I ask for a licence, people should not get scared and think that registration is much easier. In fact, licensing has become much easier. We have made the UL [unified licence] much easier. We have made it online," Ramchand said to the audience of Akhil Gupta, Chairman, Bharti Infratel; Anand Agarwal, Group CEO, STL; Manoj Singh, CTO, Indus Towers; and Parag Naik, CEO, Saankhya Labs.

Last August, TRAI had floated a consultation paper to review the scope of infrastructure providers (IP-1) following which it had released recommendations in March this year which broadly said that infrastructure providers can deploy both active and passive infrastructure on the current registration that they hold. This was also in line with the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) 2018. DoT, on the other hand, believes that to provide active infrastructure, these players must have a licence. Both DoT and TRAI are discussing on whether the scope enhancement of IP-1 should be done under existing registration or should be licensed.

As of now, infrastructure providers like Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers are not allowed to install active infrastructure such as antennas, radio access networks (RAN), Node B, and transmission systems. As per guidelines, they can provide passive infra such as towers, dark fibers, right of way to telcos on mutually agreed terms.

ALSO READ: More rural than urban internet users? PM Modi's statement contradicts TRAI's data

Infrastructure providers believe that without the need for a licence, they can provide pan-India (common) sharable active and passive infrastructure to all telcos in a faster way that will lower the overall duplication of telecom infrastructure in the county.

Indus Towers' Singh says that IP-1s can also play a vital role in providing unlit infrastructure for millions of Wi-Fi hotspots, as envisaged by the DoT. "The moment we say to provide the infrastructure as a licence, we are going into the micromanagement of licensing. To deliver the same set of services, multiple licences are there. I would request [DoT] to reconsider this that only the end-service provider should take a licence and everybody should rally behind to meet the service obligations," he says.

While Ramchand didn't agree to the request of infrastructure providers, he says that he will try his best to see that the digital infrastructure in the country improves during his tenure in DoT. "Depending upon the industry's feedback, we are always here to modify the regulations to improve the ease of doing business," says Ramchand.

ALSO READ: Triumph for net neutrality as TRAI bans Airtel, Vodafone Idea's priority services
New Delhi, Aug 7 : As India moves forward in the Unlock phases, there is a need to adapt to changing customer behaviour and align business operations with safety reassurance at the core, feels Robert Hunghanfoo, Head of CPRL, which operates McDonald's restaurants in North and East India. Noting a gradual, but slow return to normalcy, he says customers remain cautious about stepping out.

"The pandemic has had profound consequences on people at large and the pandemic induced lockdown has severely impacted many industries with restaurants being one of the worst affected businesses. Customer behaviour has changed significantly and they have remained cautious of stepping out to avoid risk of exposure. It will still take some more time for the F&B industry to get back to its pre-Covid-19 level," Hunghanfoo told IANSlife.

The popular fast food chain In India currently has close to 85 percent of their restaurants open, and is working with local authorities to open the remaining very soon. It has implemented nearly 50-plus process changes in its restaurant operations including temperature checks, PPEs (masks, gloves and face shields) for employees, social distancing and regular disinfection.

As 'contactless' becomes the new normal, the brand says it has also introduced 100 percent Contactless Ordering across select restaurants in Delhi NCR to ensure zero contact experience in dine-in and takeaway orders, by enabling access to the menu on mobile phones by scanning a QR code, offering pre-ordering option and cashless payment.

"At McDonald's, the decisions we have made through this unprecedented time has and will continue to define our business for years to come. We continue to operate with a long-term mindset," he concluded.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Maximising Days at Grass this Autumn Using the Pasturebase Grass Budget

Event Time 8pm

Venue Online



Join Micheal O'Leary and Donal Patton on Wednesday, 12 August at 8pm for a live interactive discussion on how to best use the Pasturebase Autumn Grazing Budget to maximise days at grass.

As we enter August, our focus turns to autumn grass management on Irish farms. What is the goal for autumn grazing management?

To increase the number of days at grass and drive animal performance from grass. Set the farm up during the final rotation to grow grass over the winter and provide grass for the following spring.

Every extra day at grass in the autumn is worth 1.80 per livestock unit and every day at grass in the spring is worth 2.70 per livestock unit, so the cost savings by managing grass correctly on Irish farms is huge.

A key tool to help map out autumn grazing on your farm is the Pasturebase Grass Budget. A grass budget is a plan for grass supply based on expected growth and animal requirements during the feed expensive months.

Next Wednesday 12th August at 8pm, Pasturebase Irelands Micheal OLeary and Teagasc Specialist Donal Patton will discuss the Grass Budget along with a guest dairy farmer.

Topics for discussion include:
BALTIMORE, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Dean, E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that Baltimore Real Estate Developer and Philanthropist, Howard S. Brown, has extended his long-time support of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), with a significant $2.5 million gift, bringing his total gifts over the years to $6.5 million.

Mr. Brown chose to name this distinguished professorship, the Thomas M. Scalea, MD Distinguished Professor of Trauma Surgery, in honor of Thomas M. Scalea, MD, the Honorable Francis X. Kelley Distinguished Professor in Trauma Surgery, in gratitude for the skilled and compassionate care Dr. Scalea provided for Mr. Brown's daughter, the late Ms. Esther Ann Brown Adler. Dr. Scalea is an internationally recognized innovator and leader in trauma care, enhancing and developing programs, processes and protocols that are recognized as best practices in the field. He has led the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center as its Physician-in-Chief for more than two decades. It is the only free-standing trauma center in the nation and the best-known center in the world, caring for more than 8.000 critically injured patients annually with a 96% survival rate. In addition, Dr. Scalea has led the most coveted and competitive fellowship programs in the country for trauma care training and provided time-sensitive critical care medicine to every patient in need of immediate care.

"I am humbled by Howard's generosity in establishing this distinguished professorship. He is truly one of Shock Trauma's most loyal supporters," said Dr. Scalea, who is the director of the Program in Trauma, and Physician-in-Chief, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, and System Chief for Critical Care Services, University of Maryland Medical System. "This professorship will empower us to attract and retain our new Chief of Trauma, an outstanding trauma expert and leader who will help inspire and mentor students and trainees, expand the frontiers of knowledge, make important discoveries through innovative research and provide expert clinical care."

Mr. Brown, who is Chairman of David S. Brown Enterprises, said, "I have always believed in taking an active part in the development of both the business and philanthropic community of Baltimore. Dr. Scalea is a selfless hero serving our community. His humanistic care has made an indelible impact on many families including mine. I am pleased to have this opportunity to honor him."

The newly created endowment is the seventh endowed professorship within the School of Medicine's Program in Trauma, and it will be awarded to the new Chief of the Trauma Division, David Thomas Efron, MD, who joins the UMSOM faculty on September 1, 2020. For the past 10 years, Dr. Efron has served as Chief of the Division of Acute Care Surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine. As a nationally recognized trauma researcher, he has made landmark findings in the regulation of inflammatory mediators of septic and post-injury states. He is particularly focused on the role that statins may play to reduce inflammation during trauma especially with regard to potential translational research from the bench to the bedside.

Mr. Brown's gift is the latest in a series of significant gifts he has made to the University of Maryland, Baltimore. These include his $1.5 million gift in 2007, which established the first trauma research professorship in the United States, the David S. Brown Professorship in Trauma, named in honor of Mr. Brown's late father. Mr. Brown also gifted $1.5 million to the Francis King Carey School of Law, his father's alma mater. In addition to his support for UMB, he also donated $1 million to the University of Maryland Medical Center in honor of his parents, David S. and Sara Brown.

"Endowed professorships in medicine are among the ultimate and most distinguished forms of tangible affirmation that the School of Medicine may give to its most accomplished faculty. Thanks to Howard Brown's loyal generosity, the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Program in Trauma will continue to be a national and international resource that attracts the best and brightest experts who will advance trauma and critical care here in Maryland and around the world," said UMSOM Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, University Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor. "This will further enforce our strength in taking on the most critical and challenging cases and employing path-breaking science to advance trauma care."

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 45 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished two-time winner of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research. With an operating budget of more than $1.2 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for nearly 2 million patients each year. The School of Medicine has more than $540 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total population of nearly 9,000 faculty and staff, including 2,500 student, trainees, residents, and fellows. The combined School of Medicine and Medical System ("University of Maryland Medicine") has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School of Medicine works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu



This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com.

SOURCE University of Maryland School of Medicine

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Kylie Gillies has showed off the most versatile outfit in her wardrobe.

The 53-year-old shared a number of photos to Instagram and Instagram Stories on Friday, introducing what she calls a 'Dacket'.

The Morning Show host explained that it's a garment which can be worn both as a dress and a jacket, making it ideal for going from day to night, or work and dinner.

That's clever! Kylie Gillies (pictured) has showed off the most versatile outfit in her wardrobe. The 53-year-old shared a number of photos to Instagram and Instagram Stories on Friday, introducing what she calls a 'Dacket'

Alongside two photos of the garment worn as a dress, and as a jacket, she wrote: 'Natalie Barr called this a 'Dacket' on Sunrise. A dress that's also a jacket.

'So here it is doing double duty. Worn as a dress this AM on the Morning Show and then thrown open over jeans and a tee heading home in the PM.'

Kylie told her fans that the Dacket is in fact the Stella Dusk Coat from Harris Scarfem which while normally priced at $179, is currently on sale for just $99.

Change up! The Morning Show host explained that it's a garment which can be worn both as a dress and a jacket, making it ideal for going from day to night, or work and dinner

She explained: 'Natalie Barr called this a 'Dacket' on Sunrise. A dress that's also a jacket.' The Dacket is in fact the Stella Dusk Coat from Harris Scarfem is currently on sale for just $99

She added: 'TIP - I'm a size 10-12 up top, so I got the size 12 to make sure it would fasten up to wear as a dress.'

Recently, the youthful journalist revealed that she doesn't need to hit the gym or roll out the Pilates mat to stay fit because her fast-paced family life is already keeping her in shape.

The Australian TV personality told WHO magazine last year that she 'doesn't feel a day over 30'.

Side by side: 'Here it is doing double duty. Worn as a dress this AM on the Morning Show and then thrown open over jeans and a tee heading home in the PM,' Kylie wrote

And that largely has to do with chasing around her two sons - Gus, 16, and Archie, 14 - and the family French bulldog.

Instead of pumping iron you'll find her jogging gently alongside her dog Pepe on their daily walks, or next to her sons as they cycle around a park.

'I don't go to Pilates and have some strict fitness regimen,' Kylie told Body and Soul. 'With two boys who never stop, and a dog who's a little ball of energy, there's no chance for me to sit down and take it easy'.
How CCTVs are helping government authorities in monitoring and managing cities in the times of new normal

The role of CCTV, as generally perceived by people as the crime prevention tool, has drastically evolved over the years. From being a mere crime prevention tool, it has proven to be a critical technology partner aiding government authority in performing difficult task of managing the city and traffic while adhering to the social distancing norms. We are seeing an increased demand in surveillance solutions by government authorities over the recent months with sophisticated technology solutions to help safeguard citizens.

Today, advanced technology solutions infused with CCTVS like cloud-based storage, thermal cameras, wireless technology helps in not just preventing crime but also acts as an effective weapon for the government authorities to better fight the pandemic and ensure that all citizens are abiding the government directed norms of crowd gathering, mask compliance among others. We are closely collaborating with various city authorities like Kolkata Police, Hyderabad, Junagadh, Kolhapur, Nanded to name a few to support them with top notch solutions to keep law and order under check in the current scenario. Our solutions are catered to addressing the current concerns with regards to an expandable storage system, protecting the systems from any potential cybersecurity threats and aiding in a stricter traffic management system.

We have recently announced our partnership with Kolkata Police with whom we have been closely working with to deploy 800+ fixed and PTZ cameras across the city. These installations support them in tracking vehicles, search for loopholes in the traffic management system round the clock besides managing crowd and identifying violators with regards to the ongoing pandemic guidelines and miscreants in public rallies and demonstrations. Moreover, our solution- Axis Zipstream Technology has helped to optimize and expand the bandwidth and storage requirements of the mass video being produced at all times thus aiding them in better tracking, monitoring and analyzing the video feed to detect violations, road congestion, and criminal activities.

How is CCTV helping different industry leaders in business resilience  education, retail, manufacturing, critical infrastructure, IT, healthcare etc.

The unprecedented crisis of COVID 19 has put forward a major challenge to all business leaders  maintain business resilience and be the caretaker of the employees. The ever-changing market dynamics have kept them on their feet to cater to the constantly changing situation.

As India is gradually opening up economic activities with some employees starting to get back to work, the topmost priority of all companies is employee safety. Companies are increasingly leveraging technology to ensure social distancing in the offices. The new normal has made mask compliance, crowding checks and temperature screening mandatory for all employees, and companies are installing high-tech solutions to avoid long queues outside their premises.

We, at Axis Communications, together with our system integrators, have come up with different solutions to support our customers and cater to the ultimate need of the hour. Perfectly suitable for to different verticals like retail, hospitality, commercial, education, healthcare and critical infrastructure.

People Counting : Our People Counting solution has been specifically curated for measuring and taking faster action to avoid congestion or a queue specially in office cafeterias or lift lobbies and maintain social distancing norms. It gives analytics and valuable insights such as  how many people are in an area at the same time, how they move, where they congregate, and periods of peak occupancy. These insights further enable the management to plan accordingly and take immediate action to make social distancing normal while improving service, operational efficiency, and profitability.

: Our People Counting solution has been specifically curated for measuring and taking faster action to avoid congestion or a queue specially in office cafeterias or lift lobbies and maintain social distancing norms. It gives analytics and valuable insights such as  how many people are in an area at the same time, how they move, where they congregate, and periods of peak occupancy. These insights further enable the management to plan accordingly and take immediate action to make social distancing normal while improving service, operational efficiency, and profitability. AXIS Occupancy Estimator: AXIS Occupancy Estimator offers a cost-efficient way to accurately estimate occupancy levels on office premises to understand visitor patterns better and how the space is used. It provides real-time data on how many people are present in the premises or in a certain area at a certain time. This valuable data helps in increasing operational efficiency to maintain the premises and avoid crowding, optimize workforce planning and opening hours and take necessary measures to adhere to the social distancing guidelines

AXIS Occupancy Estimator offers a cost-efficient way to accurately estimate occupancy levels on office premises to understand visitor patterns better and how the space is used. It provides real-time data on how many people are present in the premises or in a certain area at a certain time. This valuable data helps in increasing operational efficiency to maintain the premises and avoid crowding, optimize workforce planning and opening hours and take necessary measures to adhere to the social distancing guidelines Alongside, we have collaborated with Application Development Partners (ADP) to offer solutions such as Social Distancing solutions, Touch Free solutions, Body Temperature monitoring solutions, Mask Detection Solutions and Touch Free Attendance systems with Facial Recognition Capabilities to provide a safe working environment for the employees.

(ADP) to offer solutions such as Social Distancing solutions, Touch Free solutions, Body Temperature monitoring solutions, Mask Detection Solutions and Touch Free Attendance systems with Facial Recognition Capabilities to provide a safe working environment for the employees. Audio solutions and Public Announcementsolutions are gaining prominence too, in the light of the pandemic, to manage crowd and monitor employees so that they follow and adhere to the social distancing norms better

With the increasing sentiments on Chinese products how can CCTV with no back door policy can help regulate Indias data privacy

Cybersecurity has gained prime importance in todays world. We, at Axis Communications strongly believe in our No Back-Door Policy As a Swedish- engineered product and solutions company, we have always maintained a rigid No Backdoor Policy in all our solutions. Considering the present situation, we trust that CCTV with no back-door policy has an edge in terms of a strong competitive advantage as we are one of the few manufacturers with our very own system-on-chip  ARTPEC Chip. It directly complies with the Indias data privacy policy. This indicates that we have absolute control over each and every transistor in our solutions bringing in trust and a higher level of cybersecurity for our clients. Our no backdoor policy is one of the only network surveillance company in the world that is un-hackable. Thus, customers sensitive data, recorded by the camera, does not permit any 3rd party for exploitation. Additionally, it also helps in implementing these installations for national security as Axis solutions guarantees that other countries and foreign law enforcement (FBI, CIA, KIG) cannot surveil Indian citizens by hacking into the systems.

How is CCTV helping in market boom despite the pandemic woes

CCTV, over the years, has risen to be one of the most trusted technology across all works of life providing safety and security across the globe. The surveillance sector has formed a strong backbone offering solutions to aid all organizations and industries during this ongoing crisis. We had experienced a mild stagnation during the first few months of 2020, due to lockdown, in sectors such as retail, aviation, and hospitality. However, we have started to witness a high demand as India is opening up again in terms of economic activities, especially for technologies such as People Counting, Occupancy Estimator, Social Distancing solutions, Touch Free solutions, Body Temperature monitoring solutions, Mask Compliance solutions, thermal cameras, facial recognition to deliver a safe experience to the customers.

We also continue to experience a boom in the following sectors  manufacturing, critical infrastructure segments, data centers, healthcare and IT/ITes. The requirement for cameras for round-the-clock monitoring of the employee body temperature and premises to avoid crowd has taken the center stage. We have also seen an increase in government and healthcare projects where the demand for advanced technological solutions in CCTV has led to an exponential growth.

In our latest announcement, we spoke about our collaboration with Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, a medical college under KiiT university, which is a super specialty hospital with 2000 beds. They partnered with us for solutions to help them better monitor and secure their premises as well as further improve their healthcare management. Axis Zipstream technology has been deployed here to optimize bandwidth and installed on an open platform using third party VMS. Moreover, it utilizes our Lightfinder technology that delivers high-resolution, full colour video with a minimum of motion blur even in near darkness. Axis Lightfinder makes dark areas in a scene visible and catches minute details in very low light. The result is excellent image quality without the necessity of an external light source proving to be the largest surveillance system deployment in any healthcare facility in India.

We have also associated with Emami Group in Kolkata and installed about 200 + Fixed and Dome cameras to upgrade safety of the staff and facility and premises of the manufacturing unit to secure their products, employees and monitor processes.

We are also witnessing the demand to slowly moving back to the pre-Covid life with regards to business operations. In fact, most of our customers in commercial settings, smart city, city surveillance, critical infrastructure retail, etc., are investing on surveillance solutions for securing workforce and premise to rightly comply with the norms as people are returning back to work. Cyber security is another major aspect where we are seeing an increasing demand of our solutions as there had been a remarkable increase in cybersecurity threats due to the ongoing pandemic where organizations are opting for more reliable and robust surveillance solutions. With increase in data centres, more so the private data centres, organizations are looking at more robust and unified solutions that secure both premises and people as well as the data.

India surveillance market and key sectors/regions where implementations are going up- Roadmap to the in the COVID world

We remain optimistic in the coming months with the resumption of economic activities amidst Unlock 3.0. We have aligned our growth to the industrys overall growth as COVID has opened up several opportunities for us while posing certain challenges.

At Axis Communications, one of the first step towards supporting our customers is by briefing our employees to be responsive during this crisis. Internally, we are constantly available on calls, emails and other medium of communication. As part of our global organizational guidelines, being responsive to our customers, partners and distributors and the ecosystem is a prerogative. Along with that were keeping the continuity in terms of the technical support and ensuring that tech support is available 24*7 with our online chatbot. So that if there is a challenge with a camera, then the customers should not be impacted. Our tech support team is working from home and trying to resolve the problems to the best of their capacity. However, with reopening of courier services, the problem that we initially witnessed with solving hardware issues had been resolved at a domestic level. We have a team prepared to go to the field and work for any physical repairs, if needed. We have cautiously designed all the precautionary measures to deliver the best even during the lockdown. Even with the international cargo shipment running full swing, along with the manufacturers and Axis configuration and logistics centres, 80-90% of our supply chain has started back to normal. We also have maintained round-the clock correspondence with our distributors and top focused partners while keeping them updated with information to ensure a smooth business continuity. However, we also make sure that our partners and distributors have end-to-end information of the total functioning to maintain transparency, especially in cases where the lead time is more than usual. Starting from the phase 1 of lockdown our priority has been to be transparent in our communication with employees, channel partners, distributors, SI partners and even customers, as part of our business strategy

Coming to our operations and market conditions, we will be continue to offer solutions to organizations for employee safety and seamless business continuity. We will continue to see a rise in the manufacturing, government, smart city and critical infrastructure segments, where we might see a growth, for securing the premises. Smart city and government projects have been put on hold at the moment due to pending investments. Interestingly, taking into account the market segmentation, we might experience both a dip and a growth mainly because some organizations might opt for cost cutting solutions whereas some companies might prioritize quality. We hold a long heritage of delivering the highest standard products and solutions and hence the cost can be a parameter in the decision making for organizations. However, our Total Cost of Ownership are beneficial for reducing the operating and maintenance costs in the long term. Thus, organizations will be required to re-think in a digital-first approach by evolving and aligning to the industrys overall goals.
Justice For Assyrians: A Kurdish Perspective

Two young Assyrians sit next to the fence of a huge statue of the Holy Virgin Mary in Koysinjaq, Iraqi Kurdistan, in 2015. ( Christiaan Triebert/Shutterstock) August 7th marks Assyrian Martyrs Day, a time when we Kurds should focus on how we can help secure justice for the victims of the crimes committed against this persecuted community.

Assyrians, also known as Syriacs and Chaldeans, are an indigenous people of the Middle East, and heirs of the oldest civilization of the region. They are the first converts to Christianity. Their society has nurtured the Christian faith with its own cultural roots, and created original denominations.

However, Assyrians are also the nation that has lost the most territory in the Middle East. Throughout history, they have experienced the most dreadful massacres and genocides. They have severely suffered from persecution as a result of Islam's expansion by the sword.

For 300 years, Assyrian kings ruled the largest empire the world had yet known. After their empire fell, Arab, Persian, Mongolian, Turkish and Kurdish conquests turned Assyrians into a "dhimmi" community. They became second-class subjects of Islamic states, forced to pay a high jizya tax in order to survive. While the invaders dominated Assyrians, they also found it beneficial for them to turn Assyrians into a dependent society. Assyrians were masters in craftsmanship, creativity, and agriculture. They had a knowledgeable and gifted middle class. The bounty taxes collected from them were critical for the conquerors. They placed Assyrians, a cultured and resourceful society, under their rule while systematically confiscating their property and lands.

The reasons why Assyrians have become an oppressed nation in the face of Islamic expansionism are also worth analysis. A significant reason for this phenomenon is that they are stateless. They were caught unorganized and unprepared in the face of Islam's violent expansionism. They lacked armies, state structures, central organization, and alliances. Thus, there is a problem of multifaceted internal fragmentation which still continues today.

Historically, the reason for the major decline of the Assyrian population in the region is not only the actions of the Arab, Persian, and Turkish invaders. It includes the severe persecution that Kurds have put Assyrians through for centuries. It was the Kurdish principalities that most heavily imposed the Islamic sovereignty and status of dhimmitude on the Christian communities.

This situation was most visible during the Ottoman Empire, which left Assyrians to the control of Kurdish principalities after an agreement was reached in 1513. In this agreement, Kurds were recognized by the Ottoman rulers as the sovereigns of their own regions. This began the collapse of indigenous Christian communities, including Assyrians.

In villages, Assyrian family life and faith depended on the Church and clergy. Yet economically and politically, Assyrians were under the control of Kurdish principalities and Ottoman administrators. In the cities and towns, the situation was different. Assyrian culture, knowledge and craftsmanship sustained the life of regional cities. Their many skills were seen as a "service" to the empire. This relationship has been falsely idealized by many historians, who often say that Kurds and Assyrians are "peoples who have lived together peacefully for many years."

As long as the oppressed peoples obeyed this status of dhimmitude, no problems occurred. Official historians in Turkey argue that the so-called provocation of "external forces and especially Western missionaries" led Christian minorities to rebel. They say that the 1839 Tanzimat Edict recognized Christian and Muslim subjects as "equals." According to official historiography in Turkey, this "caused a deterioration" of the Christian-Muslim relations, for the ruling classes thought that if equality was achieved between Muslims and Christians, they would no longer be able to abuse and oppress Christians or collect the jizya tax from them.

As a result of the national awakening of indigenous Christian peoples, they no longer wanted to pay high taxes and tribute to the oppressors. They opposed the arbitrariness of the rulers. But their demands were met with violence. Their national awakening was unwelcomed not only by the Ottoman-Turkish ruling classes, but also by the Kurdish rulers and landlords.

For centuries, this situation forced the Assyrian people to decrease in number, to assimilate, and to become a dependent national-cultural community within their own ancient homeland. More importantly, they have been subjected to extensive genocidal campaigns.

For example, they were hit hard by the Kurdish Principalities in the region of Bohtan (eastern Anatolia). Over 20,000 Assyrians were massacred between the years 1843-1846. Thousands of women and children were captured. Their property was plundered during deadly attacks which were committed by Kurdish Bedir Khan Beg. Kurds targeted Assyrians who did not want to pay the jizya tax or tribute. In 1918, the Kurdish tribal chief, Ismail Simko, killed Assyrian Patriarch Mar Shimun XIX Benyamin and his entourage. The Assyrians were massacred by Kurds in many subsequent attacks, as well.

The worst genocide committed against Assyrians occurred between 1914-1925 in Ottoman Turkey. It is remembered as "Seyfo" or the "Sword." The Assyrians resisted and repelled attacks as much as they could. But central Ottoman and local Kurdish authorities did not recognize the Assyrian right to life.

During this and other genocides, it was mostly the Kurds who took the sword and used it against Assyrians. Kurdish society has largely participated in the process of Assyrian annihilation, and benefited from its consequences.

This genocide is not only a "historical injustice" that happened in the past; it is an ongoing crime, a political-social injustice that is still affecting hundreds of thousands of the descendants of the survivors.

Assyrian Christians also suffered as a result of the discriminatory anti-Christian state policies beginning from the early years of the Republic of Turkey. However, the source of persecution against Assyrians was not only the government. Their own Kurdish neighbors perpetually seized their lands and property. For decades after the founding of the republic, Kurdish citizens violated the rights of their Assyrian peers.

The PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) started its armed struggle in 1984 and Turkey formed its own Kurdish "village guard" in response. The Assyrian community was stuck in a triple fire between the Turkish army, the PKK, and the Kurdish village guards. Each party wanted to see the Assyrians on their side. As a result, the Assyrian people, who were unarmed and completely defenseless amid this war, were forced to leave their homes. In the 1990s, Assyrians were again the victims of such violence. Villages in the region were burned, destroyed and evacuated, and political murders abounded.

The armed struggle slowed down in the 2000s and Turkey's efforts to harmonize with the European Union paved the way for Assyrians to return to Tur Abdin. But this road was filled with challenges. Kurds did not intend to leave Assyrian lands, including those Church properties that they had seized and settled in. And this interim period was short-lived. Once again, the policy of violence reigned in the region as the war escalated between the PKK and the Turkish army. All these things contributed to the collapse of the Assyrian population in the region.

Hence, the Kurds and their political movements have a vital responsibility to right the wrongs of the past and help create a better future for Assyrians.

In order to secure justice for the victims, the Christian genocide that targeted Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks must be acknowledged by the perpetrator communities as well as by relevant political and cultural representatives. This is more than saying that "our ancestors have committed such a crime in the past, we are embarrassed, and we apologize." Justice requires these individuals and organizations have a serious campaign policy which removes those political gains and societal privileges obtained during the genocide. Such a campaign would relieve the wounds of the victims and their descendants. It would make actual amends.

Social-political relations between Kurds and Assyrians, as well as other victims of genocide, must be restructured in a spirit of equality and justice. Kurdish intellectuals must raise awareness about these issues within the Kurdish and other perpetrator communities. We must initiate a genuine dialogue between Kurds, Turks, Assyrians, and other peoples of the region.

Likewise, the international community (including universities and parliaments) should acknowledge the genocide. The world must also acknowledge the current problems faced by Assyrians and strive towards solutions. In this context, diplomatic activities which further the Assyrian freedom cause is critical.

Today, Assyrians are mostly surrounded by Kurdish communities. As such, the Kurdish political parties and organizations--including the PKK, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, and the HDP (Peoples' Democratic Party) in Turkey--should assume a historic responsibility. They should help solve the problems of Assyrians and place emphasis on the Assyrian plight as much as on their own political and national causes.

However, if historical facts, historical injustices and losses of persecuted nations are denied, justice can never be secured. Unfortunately, we do not yet see an open and honest acknowledgment of these crimes by Kurdish organizations.

Justice for the genocide survivors' descendants should include the creation of an Assyrian autonomous administration in Tur Abdin. This area must have a full "special status" as the last religious, cultural, and ethnic region left for Assyrians. It must be supported by the international community through treaties.

Kurdish political parties--particularly the HDP--should also adopt policies intended to stop the seizure of Assyrian lands and return confiscated properties to their Assyrian owners.

The return of the Assyrians to their lands will not be possible unless they are given the assurance of security. In other words, the Kurdish failure to return confiscated properties, and the Kurdish use of violence to keep those properties, should end.

An example from January highlights this need. Two elderly members of the Assyrian Diril family went missing in the city of Sirnak. The lifeless body of Aimuni Diril has been found, but her husband Hormuz remains missing. He has probably also become a victim of murder. These murders are likely meant to frighten Assyrians who remain on their lands and members of the diaspora who want to return.

The HDP should persistently focus on this issue. It does not matter whether those who have committed this crime are pro-government Kurdish village guards or members of the PKK. The actions by the HDP and other Kurdish national organizations are important. Do they provide Assyrians safety for their return and a genuine promise of peaceful coexistence? Or are they enabling the crimes committed against Assyrians?

Similarly, in Iraq's Nineveh region Assyrians should be given autonomy. Such autonomy should be recognized by the Iraqi Central Government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the United Nations. As the genocide in 2014 by ISIS once again demonstrated, if Assyrians are not protected militarily and politically, they face a threat of complete extinction.

Kurds who want national freedom should pursue the freedom and rights of other national, ethnic and religious communities, including Assyrians, as much as they pursue their own.

Recep MaraAlA is a Kurdish author, publisher, painter, and a poet who has been writing about history and politics for over five decades. He was selected as an Honorary Member of PEN International and received many awards. He was prosecuted for his writings and political advocacy and jailed in Turkey for 14 years. He took refuge in Germany in 1999 and has since been living in Berlin.
A scene from The Dawn Here Are Quiet [chncpa.org]

The Chinese-produced opera film The Dawns Here Are Quiet will be shown at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) on Aug 15.

Based on renowned Russian writer Boris Vasilyev's novel of the same title, the 4K-resolution production is adapted from a namesake opera produced by the NCPA.

In the production, a group of women soldiers, led by a sergeant in the Soviet Red Army, guard important railway facilities, courageously fighting off invading German troops during World War II.

The NCPA-commissioned opera was first staged in 2015 to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

(Source: Xinhua)
Travel curbs and border restrictions are upending lives around the globe, with some people resorting to chartering planes on their own or paying many times the regular ticket price to get back to their jobs and homes.

Eight months into the pandemic, the push to normalize is seeing some try to travel internationally again, whether for a long-delayed but essential business trip or to return to where they live. Yet with global coronavirus cases surpassing 18 million and rising, airlines are only reluctantly adding flights to their bare-bones schedules, and virus resurgences have some ...
New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday (August 7) evening expressed shock over the tragic mishap of the Air India Express at Kozhikode airport. The Chief Minister has asked all the government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities.

The CM Vijayan has also deputed A C Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations.

AC Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrissur. The CM also has deputed an IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two districts also have been engaged.

Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save the lives of victims.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about the Karipur plane crash.

The Chief Minister informed PM Modi that a team of officials including Kozhikode and Malappuram District Collectors and IG Ashok Yadav has arrived at the airport. They are participating in the rescue operation.

Meanwhile, two NDRF teams have been despatched for Kozhikode airport--from Mallapuram and Waynad, total 60 people with first aid and electrical equipment. They are expected to reach in the next 30 minutes, according to NDRF sources.
Eerie photographs have emerged of thousands of fresh graves in South Africa as its number of coronavirus cases take the country to fifth in the world.

Recently filled graves were photographed at Olifantsveil Cemetery outside Johannesburg preparing for the thousands of deaths the coronavirus pandemic is wreaking on the country.

Despite South Africa being Africa's most well-prepared country for the pandemic it currently has 538, 184 cases and 9,604 deaths, according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.

Horrifying photos have emerged of thousands of freshly dug graves at at Olifantsveil Cemetery outside of Johannesburg in South Africa

The country has 538, 184 cases and 9,604 deaths, according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre

Experts think the death rate is higher than the already large numbers being reported in South Africa

But the death rate is thought to be a lot higher as a South African Medical Research Council report last week showed many coronavirus deaths were going uncounted.

South Africa has conducted at least three million tests, more than any other country in the continent, but it is still not enough and supplies are constantly being snapped up by richer countries.

'We are fighting this disease in the dark,' International Rescue Committee expert Stacey Mearns said.

In addition, Africa has only 1,500 epidemiologists, a deficit of about 4,500 and Africa's younger population means that many infections will be asymptomatic.

Ridhwaan Suliman, a senior researcher at South Africas Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, thinks Africa has at least five million infections with South Africa accounting for at least three million.

Sema Sgaier, an assistant professor of global health at Harvard and director of the Surgo Foundation, thinks the number of infections across Africa could be more than nine million.

The U.S.-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation puts the number at more than eight million.

And Resolve to Save Lives, led by Tom Frieden, former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates it could be 14 million.

Preempting its disadvantage South Africa went into one of the world's strictest lockdowns early on, causing severe economic issues, but the country is still struggling to cope as hospital beds fill up.

The WHO Africa chief criticised the 'very distorted global market' in which richer countries have the bulk of testing materials while poorer ones scrape by on just hundreds of tests a day.

Amnesty International warned that African countries, including South Africa, were dishing out tough punishments for citizens during lockdown in April.

South African media has reported police beating up people for flouting lockdown rules and even destroying food.

One South African church has quietly been marking the countrys 'known' number of deaths by tying white ribbons to its fence.

The projects founders say each ribbon really stands for multiple people.

Already, the Rev. Gavin Lock wonders about what to do when the length of fence runs out.

They are considering changing the ribbons to represent ten or 50 people.
Days after Tropical Storm Isaias barreled through Massachusetts and caused widespread damages, the state was reporting thousands of residents and businesses still had no electricity Friday morning.

As of around 7:45 a.m., 12,574 households were still in the dark, the vast majority of them in Western Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Hampden County reported 8,258 electrical outages, Hampshire County 1,543 and Berkshire County 443, MEMAs data showed.

Central Massachusetts was hit hard by the storm as well. Worcester County continued to see the second-highest number of households without power for a fourth day in a row Friday, with 2,078 outages reported.

MEMA tracks the number of residents and businesses without electricity using data from the states four electrical providers. The agency updates its online map every 15 to 30 minutes.

National Grid, one of the biggest utility companies in Massachusetts, saw the most outages out of the states four electricity providers, with 10,458 of its roughly 1.3 million customers reporting they had no electricity Friday.

We currently still expect the last very last repairs might go into tomorrow, Christine Milligan, a company spokesperson, told MassLive Friday. We now have restored power to about 94% of the MA customers affected.

At the peak of the tropical storm on Tuesday night, nearly 190,000 National Grid customers were without power, according to Milligan.

Since Tuesday, more than 1,800 workers have been deployed to help repair damages that have ranged from utility poles that were split in half to entire trees that were toppled, the spokesperson said.

Although Isaias was a very quick storm, but it was hard-hitting, Milligan noted.

Today, we continue to focus on the safe restoration of those who remain without service, she said. The greatest number of outages remain primarily in Worcester and Hampden counties.

The Hampden County towns of Monson and Palmer were reporting the most power outages in the state Friday morning at 1,391 and 923, respectively.

Springfield, which saw the highest number of households without electricity multiple days in a row, reported 546 outages Friday, a far cry from Tuesday, when more than 10,000 homes and businesses did not have power.

A spokesperson for Eversource, which services Springfield and 219,295 total households in Western Massachusetts, said the utility company is working nonstop to get power back to its tens of thousands of customers.

Since Isaias battered Massachusetts on Tuesday, Eversource has replaced 210 broken utility poles, more than 50 miles of power lines and 95 transformers. It has also cleared around 235 blocked roads across the state, according to Priscilla Ress, a company spokesperson.

As of Friday morning, more than 2,000 of Eversources more than 1.4 million customers were still without power, according to MEMA.

In Western Mass., weve restored more than 60,700 customers since the storm began, Ress told MassLive on Thursday. Eversource crews are working around-the-clock to restore the remaining customer outages caused by Tropical Storm Isaias.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  The number of Filipinos who died in an explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital of Beirut a few days ago has risen to four, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

The tally of the injured persons also climbed to 31, the DFA said in a statement, citing information from the Philippine Embassy in Beirut. Two of them were seriously hurt and are currently confined at the Rizk Hospital in Beirut City, it added.

The higher figure comes as our Embassy personnel work to ascertain the condition of the Filipinos in its jurisdiction, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said in a statement.

Another Filipino, a household service worker, remains missing, the DFA said.

At least 137 people have died and 5,000 got wounded following a blast in Beirut, CNN reported.

The city is decimated with thousands of residents left homeless and up to $5 billion worth of damage, with the blast's impact putting further strain on a medical system already burdened by coronavirus, it added.
The new chairwoman of a federal agency that investigates major industrial accidents has an unusual problem: she's the only person on its five-member board, and President Donald Trump wants it shut down.

Katherine Lemos said she plans to continue the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's work after securing a legal opinion that she can operate as a "quorum of one."

In her first interview since taking office, Lemos vowed to get the roughly 35-person agency with a checkered-past "off the problem child list," while promising to be tough on chemical and petroleum industries it oversees.

"I'm not afraid of making recommendations that some people will be less pleased with," said Lemos, a Republican.

But the resignation May 1 of former interim chair Kristen Kulinowski left Lemos as the board's only member. That adds to a list of agencies as varied as the Federal Election Commission and the Merit Systems Protection Board whose work has been impeded by unfilled vacancies.

Typically, government commissions and boards need a majority of members present to conduct business. Lemos, citing a legal opinion from the agency's general counsel, contends she can proceed on her own. She intends to announce her plan to do so at the agency's next board meeting in September.

The White House has a pattern of not filling important positions, said Liz Hempowicz, director of public policy for the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight.

"The president is really starving many important agencies, offices and boards of the leadership they need to function efficiently and function well," said Hempowicz.

The FEC, which monitors campaign finance and other election laws, briefly had a quorum after Trump appointee James Trainor joined the agency in mid-May. But another Republican member resigned in late June, again leaving it unable to act.

"The White House always seeks to fill critical vacancies with qualified candidates who support the mission of the agency," the White House said in statement.

The Chemical Safety Board became operational in 1998 and has investigated incidents ranging from BP's 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blowout to a chemical spill that tainted drinking water for hundreds of thousands of West Virginian residents in 2014. But it's battled years of staff defections and allegations of dysfunction.

A 2014 congressional probe said the safety board was in disarray and had an "abusive and hostile work environment" that had spurred several staff to resign. It's also been rapped for moving too slowly on its investigations.

Among its 13 still-open investigations is a June 2019 explosion and massive fire at Philadelphia Energy Solutions Inc. oil refinery, the largest such plant on the East Coast, believed to have been caused by a corroded pipe that released a flammable vapor cloud. It's also looking into a 2018 fire at a Husky Energy Inc. refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, that injured multiple people.

Then-chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso stepped down in 2015 at the request of the Obama White House and congressional lawmakers from both parties, who cited concerns about retaliation against whistle-blowers and a "state of turmoil" on the board.

In each of his annual budgets Trump has proposed eliminating the agency, currently funded at $12 million -- a move a spokesman for the United Steelworkers union last year called "remarkably stupid." The administration has said the CSB's work duplicated that of other agencies, and that the board's focus on regulation had "frustrated both regulators and industry."

Still, Lemos, 52, who has worked in safety-focused roles at the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, and most recently in Northrop Grumman's aerospace sector, promises to press on. Despite the president's desire to kill the agency, Lemos said she's received nothing but support from the White House Presidential Personnel Office.

"The administration put me in here for a reason, and they gave me the mandate to make this a strong agency," she said.

A July Inspector General report cast doubt on her plan to carry on the board's work solo, saying that the "regulatory language lacks clarity" on the matter, and that doing so "impairs the CSB mission for reasons of both workload management and separation of duties."

Lemos has had bipartisan support. Her nomination was supported unanimously by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and she was confirmed for a five-year term by the Senate in March by voice vote.

"We were pleasantly surprised by her selection," said Jeff Ruch, a director with the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which has been critical of the Trump administration's efforts to kill the safety board. "She actually appears to care about industrial safety. It's better than it could have been; better than a lot of Trump appointees."
House Ethics Committee Finds Rashida Tlaib Violated Campaign Finance Rules

The House Ethics Committee found Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), a member of the so-called Squad, violated campaign finance rules by receiving a campaign salary after she was no longer a candidate.

The House Ethics Committee ordered her to pay $10,800 she drew as a salary from campaign funds after she won in 2018, ending a yearlong investigation. She was not penalized further because it didnt find evidence of ill intent on her behalf, according to the panel in a report (pdf).

These payments allowed her to forego her salary from her full-time employment so that she could fully participate in campaign activities, the report stated. However, because she received some of those funds, totaling $10,800, for time periods in which she was no longer a congressional candidate, those funds were inconsistent with FECAs personal use restrictions.

The committee, however, stipulated that her error was due to bad timing and was not done out of malevolence. It will take no further action other than demanding she pay back the thousands of dollars.

Representative Tlaib engaged in good faith efforts to comply with the relevant FECA requirements, the panel said. The Committee did not find that she sought to unjustly enrich herself by receiving the campaign funds at issue.

Tlaib has a year to pay back the money, according to the committee.

Denzel McCampbell, a spokesperson for her office, told local news website MLive that the congresswoman is pleased to see the matter resolved.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks as Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) listen during a press conference in Washington on July 15, 2019. (Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

As the Committee found, Representative Tlaib received a salary well below the amount she was able to receive, they said in a statement. The Committee noted that the FEC regulation was intended to ease the financial burden on candidates of limited personal resources like Representative Tlaib who wish to seek Federal office. In her effort to comply with the regulation, as the Committee noted, she regularly sought advice from counsel.

Tlaib, from Detroit, won her seat in 2018 in the midterms before becoming a member of the progressive Democrat Squad along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).

The Ethics Committee report comes just two days after Tlaib won her Democratic primary challenge, beating Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones.

After her win, Tlaib declared that the left-wing portion of the Democratic party is growing larger.

Let it be known that in the 13th District, just like in communities across our country, we are done with establishment politics that put corporations first, Tlaib said in a victory statement. If I was considered the most vulnerable member of the Squad, I think its safe to say the Squad is here to stay, and its only getting bigger.
Sombre Lauren Goodger seen for the first time since kicking Charles Drury out

Insiders told OK! Magazine that the devastated former TOWIE star, 35, has been left 'furious' following news Charles, 24, with whom she shares daughter Larose, six months, had a steamy fling with Amy Gilbert, 24, during their brief split last year.
The incidents occurred overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, according to police reports.

On Wednesday afternoon, police in Esch-sur-Alzette arrested a man for disorderly behaviour on Avenue de la Gare. The man, who was said to be heavily intoxicated, had attacked a person outside a cafe, although the latter escaped unscathed. The drunken man continued to fight even when police arrived, so he was taken to a cell to sober up after a doctor's check-up. The police report stated the man showed aggression towards both medical staff and officers, spitting at one of the latter.

On Wednesday evening a woman was attacked by a man on Rue du Commerce in Luxembourg City, shortly before 11pm. The attacker grabbed her by the neck and hit her in the face. The woman's partner intervened, hitting the attacker over the head with a glass bottle. The perpetrator then fled with a bloody head wound towards the station where he approached police. Both the assault victim and her partner also reported the incident. All three had been drinking prior to the assault, although the attacker later resisted medical treatment and behaved aggressively towards police. He was taken into custody for the night as a result. Both men involved will be prosecuted for the exchange of blows.

Finally, a man was assaulted shortly before midnight in the Gare district, after a group of people hit him with fists and an iron bar. They fled with the victim's valuables, including his mobile phone. Police have opened an investigation after they were unable to locate the perpetrators immediately following the incident.
Myanmar: Strives to save endangered Ayeyarwady dolphins

August 07,2020 | Source: Brink Wire

A total of seven endangered Ayeyarwady dolphins in Myanmar died in seven months from January to July of this year, state-run media reported on Wednesday. We have noticed that the death of endangered Ayeyarwady dolphins was caused by electrofishing along the Ayeyarwady river in Mandalay and Sagaing regions. In order to take actions effectively on killing of Ayeyarwady dolphins and to save Ayeyarwady dolphins, the two regions must cooperate for it, U Moe Kyaw Thu, Sagaing regional minister of Immigration and Human Resources recently said.



To take actions effectively against the electrofishers, we have already conducted surveys on the electrofishing areas and water condition along the Ayeyarwady river, he said. Meanwhile, patrolling operations for the conservation of endangered Ayeyarwady dolphins along the Ayeyarwady river will be increased from one time to three times per year starting from this year, according to the Myanmar Fisheries Department. According to the departments latest survey conducted in February this year, there were 79 endangered Ayeyarwady dolphins in the country, the department official said.
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland attends a news conference as efforts continue to help slow the spread of coronavirus disease in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 23, 2020.

Freeland said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will spend the next 30 days consulting with Canadian citizens and businesses on a broad list of aluminum-containing products. Canada's new duties on U.S. imports, she said, will total 3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.7 billion).

"We will impose dollar-for-dollar countermeasures in a balanced and perfectly reciprocal retaliation," she said. "We will not escalate and we will not back down."

"Canada will respond swiftly and strongly," Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a news conference.

Canada said Friday it will slap retaliatory tariffs on $2.7 billion worth of U.S. goods, the latest development in a new trade feud sparked by President Donald Trump 's decision to reimpose aluminum duties on the U.S. ally .

Trump, during a speech Thursday at a Whirlpool manufacturing plant in Ohio, announced that he had signed a proclamation reimposing 10% tariffs on aluminum imports from Canada that had been lifted more than a year earlier. The president complained that Canada was putting American workers in the aluminum industry at a disadvantage.

"The aluminum business was being decimated by Canada," he said.

Trudeau vowed to enact countermeasures against the U.S. just hours after Trump's announcement.

Trudeau TWEET

Neither the White House nor the Commerce Department immediately responded to CNBC's requests for comment on Canada's actions.

The text of Trump's proclamation says that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross informed Trump that Canadian aluminum imports "increased substantially" in the months after the decision to lift the tariffs in mid-2019.

That so-called surge "threatens to harm domestic aluminum production and capacity utilization," the proclamation said.

Freeland on Friday lambasted that assertion, arguing that the tariffs will hurt American consumers already suffering from the economic devastation inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic.

"In imposing these tariffs, the United States has taken the absurd decision to harm its own people at a time when its economy is suffering the deepest crisis since the Great Depression," Freeland said.

"These tariffs are unnecessary, unwarranted and entirely unacceptable," she added. "They should not be imposed. Let me be clear: Canadian aluminum is in no way a threat to U.S. national security, which remains the ostensible reason for these tariffs, and that is a ludicrous notion."

Freeland also noted that the new tariffs come just over a month after the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement  the Trump-backed trade pact that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA  went into effect.

"Now is the time to advance North American economic competitiveness, not to hinder it," she said.
The principal said she has heard white people say that they dont see color. They treat everyone the same, and not based on the color of their skin. But that overlooks the importance of seeing each person as they are. A white female student at South will have a different experience than a Black male student, Pokorny Lyp said. We want to encourage you to speak your truth and be your true authentic self.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 03:49:34|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Aug. 6, 2020 shows a view of Port of Tripoli, Lebanon. Lebanon's Port of Tripoli said Thursday that it is ready to temporarily replace the Port of Beirut which was devastated by two powerful explosions on Tuesday. (Photo by Khalid/Xinhua)

BEIRUT, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Port of Tripoli said Thursday that it is ready to temporarily replace the Port of Beirut which was devastated by two powerful explosions on Tuesday.

Ahmed Tamer, director of the Tripoli port, told Xinhua that the port has completed all its preparations to receive the aid ships sent to Lebanon and the vessels that transport products and goods.

"The port has witnessed during the past years the expansion work by Chinese companies, and it has received the largest ships from China, carrying a big number of containers," he said.

China Harbor had worked on the rehabilitation of the Tripoli port to prepare it to receive all types of huge ships, while creating a berth to receive containers equipped with advanced Chinese cranes capable of lifting and transporting more than 700 containers per day or 480,000 containers per year.

Tripoli, the largest city in northern Lebanon, is located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, about 80 km north of the capital Beirut and 30 km away from the Lebanese-Syrian northern border.

The port of Tripoli is expected to play a vital role in Syria's reconstruction as it is the only sea port connecting Lebanon with the outside world.

Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Tuesday evening, killing at least 137 people and injuring nearly 5,000 others, while causing massive damages in the city. Enditem
Marcus & Millichap (MMI) reported break-even quarterly earnings per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.17. This compares to earnings of $0.54 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 100%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this commercial real estate brokerage firm would post earnings of $0.34 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.33, delivering a surprise of -2.94%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.

Marcus & Millichap, which belongs to the Zacks Real Estate - Development industry, posted revenues of $117.40 million for the quarter ended June 2020, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 19.55%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $209.59 million. 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.

Marcus & Millichap shares have lost about 27.6% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 3%.

What's Next for Marcus & Millichap?

While Marcus & Millichap 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.

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Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Marcus & Millichap 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 breakeven on $131.20 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $0.56 on $620.50 million 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, Real Estate - Development is currently in the bottom 26% 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.



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Chennai:

Normal life remained largely unaffected in Tamil Nadu with the state reporting no untoward incident after chief minister J Jayalalithaa was readmitted to Apollo Hospital's critical care unit after suffering a cardiac arrest, police said on Monday.

Public transport like buses and train services plied as usual even as educational institutions remained open, police said, adding, no untoward incident has been reported.

Although the AIADMK government has not declared a holiday for educational institutions, some of them remained closed with the respective managements taking a decision in this regard. Even where schools were open, poor attendance was reported.

Read | Live updates | Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa on 'life support' for assisted breathing, being closely monitored by team of doctors: Apollo Hospital

Although, government and aided schools functioned normally. Commercial establishments, including petrol stations, many of which had closed on Sunday night following a setback in the chief minister's health, largely remained open, police said.

Hotels and restaurants served customers as usual. 68-year-old Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospital on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration, and later treated for infection and respiratory problems.

Read | With Jayalalithaa unwell, Chennai under thick security blanket, anti-riot police on standby

Jayalalithaa has been put on extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a heart assist device, and is at present under the watch of experts, including cardiologists. Meanwhile, AIADMK workers offered prayers in places of worship across the state for their leader's speedy recovery.

Read | Jayalalithaa suffers Cardiac Arrest: Centre dispatches team of AIIMS doctors to Chennai

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Mahinda Rajapaksa - AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksas party claimed a landslide victory as vote counting in the country's election came to a close on Thursday evening, prompting fears among minority groups.

Our biggest victory has been that people have trusted us and we are ready to uphold that trust, the Prime Minister told The Telegraph as the results came in.

However, critics worry that it further strengthens the hand of the Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist Rajapaksa family, with fears they could rewrite the constitution and further target minorities.

In November 2019, Mahindas younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa was voted in as president. Mahinda himself has previously served as president, and Gotabaya as defence secretary. The brothers remain under scrutiny for alleged war crimes committed during the fight against the Tamil Tigers and the family has been accused of corruption and nepotism. At least four members ran in Wednesdays parliamentary elections.

Still, the brothers' party - a new party called the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna - was expected to win by a large margin with about 80 percent of the votes counted, clinching the majority of the 225 seats in Parliament for Mahinda to return as prime minister.

The Rajapaksas were hoping for a two-thirds majority that will allow them to make a much debated constitutional amendment, giving them the power to revert to an all powerful executive presidency system.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic and political apathy created by a divided opposition, voter turnout was the lowest in decades. Nonetheless, more than 70 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.

The snap election was called after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dissolved Parliament in March, six months ahead of schedule, but was later delayed twice because of the pandemic.

Since his election in November, Gotabaya has spearheaded a campaign of fear, according to Human Rights Watch, targeting opposition lawyers, activists, and journalists, including earmarked arrests, intimidation, and threats. However, he has gained popularity with some for implementing a rapid lockdown and extended curfew to curb the coronavirus.

With a population of 22 million, Sri Lanka has officially recorded only 11 COVID-19-related deaths, although critics dispute the figures.

People in quarantine centres were not able to cast their votes on Wednesday. Although the election authorities set an advanced polling day for those under quarantine for July 31, it was later cancelled as there was no legal provision for advanced voting.
Things are about to get unreal for Courtney B. Vance, Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett in HBO's "Lovecraft Country." (Eli Joshua Ade/HBO)

That "Lovecraft Country," which premieres Aug. 16 on HBO, has something to say about the ordinary horrors of racism as well as the cosmic ones of fantastic fiction is mixed into its foundation.

Matt Ruff, on whose 2016 novel the series is based  sometimes closely, sometimes loosely  was inspired in part by Pam Noles' 2006 essay "Shame," about the unbearable whiteness of sci-fi and the difficulties it presents to what she calls a "FoP," as in, "Fan of Pigment," and in its particulars by "The Negro Motorist Green-Book" and by James W. Loewen's study "Sundown Towns," as in "get out by." (Ruff is white; series developer Misha Green, who previously wrote for the sci-fi series "Heroes" and "Helix" and created "Underground," as in Railroad, is Black.)

There is a natural temptation to compare "Lovecraft Country" to "Watchmen"  which also put Black heroes and Black history at the center of a genre piece  and, because Jordan Peele is an executive producer (along with J.J. Abrams and others), to Peele's watershed satirical horror movie "Get Out"  which, like "Lovecraft," is a tale of white people using Black people for their own ends. But, while not without interest, "Lovecraft" is something less than either.

The racism of H.P. Lovecraft, an influential writer of pulp fiction and weird tales, is well-known; indeed, it's a point the characters explicitly discuss. The difficulty he and other old-time genre writers present for FoPs, and more enlightened readers of lighter shades, is expressed by Atticus (Jonathan Majors), a Black science-fiction fan and Korean War veteran, to a fellow traveler on a bus home to Chicago. (They're in the back of the bus, being Black.) "Stories are like people," says Atticus. "The author doesn't make them perfect, you just try and cherish them, overlook their flaws." Still, both Ruff's book and Green's series function as much as critique as celebration; the mere fact that the series' heroes are all Black is in itself a riposte to the early 20th century author, spitting in his otherwise admired eye.

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Jurnee Smollett is a Chicago native headed into another world in HBO's "Lovecraft Country." (Elizabeth Morris / HBO)

Atticus, who is of a serious, somewhat dreamy disposition, has received a letter from his father, Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams), with whom he has issues, indicating the discovery of "a secret legacy, a birthright that's been kept from you" in a place Atticus first misreads as Arkham, the fictional Massachusetts town in which Lovecraft set many of his stories. It turns out the town is actually called Ardham, because Arkham is "fictional," or more fictional, in the context of the series, but it's a moot point: Here Be Monsters, including what looks to be a shoggoth, Lovecraft's own many-eyed blob.

He makes the trek into darkest New England in the company of his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance), a fellow sci-fi fan and publisher of the "Green Book"-inspired "Safe Negro Travel Guide," and childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett), whom the series promotes to a love interest for Atticus, not wanting the attractiveness of its leads to go to waste.

When, having braved racist townspeople, a racist gas station attendant, racist cops and the aforementioned blob, they finally come to the Gothic pile where they expect to find Montrose, they are greeted by a troika of characters (Tony Goldwyn, Abbey Lee, Jordan Patrick Smith) so pop culturally Aryan that one expects them to break any minute into a chorus of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." There are secret doors, magic spells and the familiar sight of rich old jerks in monkish robes conducting quasi-religious rites in the pursuit of unimagined power and some decadent idea of purity. Classic and evergreen.

This is only an opening chapter. Ruff's book is constructed as a set of linked short stories, and the series too has a semi-anthological structure that plays with different sorts of stories and moods  a haunted house, an underground quest, ancient texts, magical space travel  in and among the merely human intrigue, squabbling, family business and love stuff. (Even the "chosen one" status Atticus is accorded  I was going to write "enjoys," but "suffers" is closer to the mark  in the opening episodes subsequently fades.) Only the first five episodes, of 10, are out for review; so far, there is a substantial enough resemblance to the novel to suggest that the series will follow its arc, even as there are differences enough to suggest that it might not.

Jonathan Majors plays a young man with a special destiny in the HBO series "Lovecraft Country." (Elizabeth Morris/HBO)

There are departures from the page; fans of the novel, and I know they will be in the minority of viewers, will note some gender swapping, some new sexual identities. There is not much in the way of sex, or sexual identity, in the book, but this is premium cable television and so ... there is. And Green has made sure to interpolate or amplify other sorts of action  car chases, gun battles, flooding underground passageways, decapitation  to keep things lively. Smollett is especially good at taking a heroic stance. She is the character you most don't want to mess with, though it's Wunmi Mosaku, as her economically frustrated sister Ruby, who makes the greater impression, in a transmogrification storyline. (Jamie Neumann is also fine as the Hyde to her Jekyll, or maybe the other way around.) Ruby sings the blues, too, and rhythm & blues, and Mosaku should be first in line for the Sister Rosetta Tharpe biopic you can put on your schedule now, studio heads.

But the series can also feel overheated, over-motivated, muddled and unsubtle, and not just because every single white character is trouble, if not implausibly so, on a scale from casually clueless to actively evil. Its emotional volume has a way of drowning out its humor. "Watchmen" could be kind of a conceptual mess too, but it was impossible to miss its ambition  even its daffy obscurity had a way of coming across as gravitas  and arriving when it did in the life of the nation, it seemed to be not merely a harbinger of rising consciousness, but a contributor to it. "Lovecraft Country" has a sense of timeliness as well. When police arrive at the scene of a disturbance, the Black crowd adopts a "hands up, don't shoot" posture; taken into custody, Letitia is subjected to the sort of bruising police van ride that led to the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore in 2015.

There is much of interest in "Lovecraft." The set pieces are well done: Some money and care has been expended on staging, not just as regards the spookier special effects, but on some very nice period work, creating a corner of mid-1950s Chicago that feels inhabited and inhabitable; party and bar scenes are well-populated and choreographed. The monster attacks, crazy dream sequences, scenes that borrow with no embarrassment from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and the places "Raiders" borrowed from, all work as they're meant to.

"We need to follow the logic of adventure novels," Montrose declares at a critical junction, and they do.
We were a bit more affluent in the 1950s (Letters, August 7). We got two shillings for pocket money. We went downstairs to save threepence for interval, which included a bottle of Coke. The twopence return on the bottle paid for two potato scallops to eat on the way home. - Brian Collins, Cronulla And above all, Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys. Roy Rogers, Roy Rogers, oh you were our hero, so eloquently recalled by Eric Bogle in Front Row Cowboy. I grew up in a very isolated mining community in what was then Southern Rhodesia, and the weekly trip into town and the flicks was the highlight of our lives. - Penny Ransby Smith, Lane Cove Upstairs! Wow, what glamour. The Guildford Regent of my young days had front and back stalls only. And a shilling to spend? If we were lucky, my siblings and I had sixpence for front stalls and a penny for a block of honeycomb to suck through the second movie. So imagine how special I felt when my boyfriend bought upstairs tickets for the pictures at the Astra in Parramatta, on a Saturday night. I was impressed, even before he gave me a box of Winning Post chocolates: another first. We celebrate our 69th wedding anniversary next month. - Kath Hollins, Northmead Move to flexible working has allowed the virus to spread Sinclair Davidsons suggestion (Dont count on instant snap-back, August 7) that the economy needs less, not more, regulation flies in the face of reality. Labour market flexibility at the forefront of this policy has resulted in coronavirus mobility as casual and part-time workers have found it necessary to go to work despite the possibility of spreading infection.

Lack of proper regulatory practice initiated the global financial crisis and underwrote the falling standards in the building industry. Confidence in our institutions and practices is essential if the economy is to rebound strongly. - Michael Turner, Culburra Beach

Lost in the fog

David Neilson, as a frequent user of dark country roads, I am also alarmed at the dangerous practice of using headlights and fog lights at night (Letters, August 7). Under NSW regulations, it is illegal to have fog lights on unless there are adverse weather conditions, but is anyone ever fined for this offence? - Sandra Pertot, Diamond Beach Under a (mushroom) cloud

As we pause to remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Ross Butlers letter (August 7) brings to mind October 1962 and the Cuban missile crisis, when we were poised on the brink of a nuclear World War III.

London went quiet as everyone was inside glued to the BBC waiting to see what Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy would inflict upon us. There was a long distance telephone call to Germany for family goodbyes, just in case.

Amid it all, my father was trotting around bright and chirpy. He knew that a nuclear WWIII was unlikely because (this time) all the politicians, generals, financiers and aristocracy would also die, or face an excruciating death when they left their radiation shielding bunkers. Translated: We are all in this together. - Ronald Elliott, Sandringham (Vic) Shoots of hope

With so many koalas lost to indiscriminate shooting in Australias past, it is good to see that shooting of a different kind, new growth, is bringing hope for survival in areas devastated by bushfire (Green shoots as koalas yearn over new leaves, August 7) - Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills Essential, or expendable?

The social engineering involved in picking winners and losers in regard to the cost of a university degree is ill-conceived and makes no sense (Double and nothing: social worker exodus risk, August 5).

Why should the cost of a social work degree be increased by more than 100 per cent when the federal government itself names social work as an essential service? During the bushfires, who was there on the ground responding urgently to the crisis, co-ordinating help centres and providing mental health first aid?

People mistakenly believe psychologists are doing all the heavy lifting in the area of mental health. Maybe they dominate in private practice but in community services, you will find mostly social workers trying to support and advocate for the marginalised and vulnerable.

Social workers are mostly women and they are not well paid. Their clients are largely invisible. Here is an essential service the government is ensuring will not be done because there wont be enough qualified social workers to do the job. Does it want to privatise social work services, as in aged care? Many questions need to be answered about this ill-considered policy. - Josie McSkimming, Coogee Neglect about covers it

The interim report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, bluntly but appropriately titled Neglect, was tabled in Federal Parliament in October last year. What action, if any, have our politicians taken subsequent to those findings (Relatives say duty of care was breached, Aged care fault lines exposed, August 7)? - Peter Mahoney, Oatley

Chance gone begging

I disagree with Jim Lavis (Letters, August 7). If the CPRS legislation had come into effect, the coup would not have happened: Labor would almost certainly have won the 2010 election, instead of losing by a seat; and it would have had control of the Senate, which it previously lacked. There would have been a strong possibility of Labor then winning the 2013 election and, by the time the LNP was again in power, Australian action on climate change would have been firmly established, well accepted by the population and difficult to remove. - Brian Milton, Avalon Gloster fosters memories

Further to Deni McKenzies mention of Gloucester (pronounced Gloster) as an English place name pronounced differently to its phonetic spelling (Letters, August 7). Our family moved around NSW every few years and of all the towns we lived in, Gloucester, NSW, was by far the nicest and friendliest town we lived in. Sharing the name with an English town with a speech anomaly was no impediment. - David Gore, Old Bar Those were the daze

Remember before COVID-19, when our nightly news featured murders, car crashes, corruption, political chicanery, failed relationships and drunken footy louts? Wasnt it lovely? - Rosemary OBrien, Ashfield Thank you, NSW

I write to thank the government and people of NSW for the friendly, efficient and supportive way they are managing returning Australians. The respect and kindness I received was extraordinary, as was the good communication through my hotel quarantine. This was with everyone I had contact with: airport staff, police, army, medical personnel, hotel staff and NSW Health. May I continue to find this kindness as I head south to Tasmania. It is wonderful to be home. - Clare Sullivan, Hobart New court would deliver Indigenous justice

The target set for 2031 on Indigenous incarceration is too weak, and affirmative action is required (Need to set up special court urgent: Indigenous lawyers, August 7). The Walama Court proposal is needed to make inroads in narrowing this black and white gap. Once support services providing community, housing, employment and drug rehabilitation are set up, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders serving under 12 months should be released and assisted. This would cost nothing when the cost of incarceration is taken into account. - Steve Johnson, Elizabeth Beach With respect, really? Our Indigenous children need more educational and vocational opportunities than a new court. Without wanting to disparage them in any way, I point out that those calling for an Indigenous court are successful professionals. Perhaps the minority (of right-minded but single-focused individuals) could consider the opportunities that are denied to the majority and inspire us all to work on that. - Pasquale Vartuli, Wahroonga It is beyond belief that, with so many Indigenous lives being ruined by the justice system, action on alternatives to incarceration such as the Walama Court are stalled. - Andrew Macintosh, Cromer PostScript COVID-19 comes and goes in the letters page in much the same way as it does in the community. Its here, its almost gone, then, suddenly, here it is again. This week, its back with a vengeance. Letter writers are not in favour of it, obviously, but being against it takes many forms. First of all, everyone who comes within cooee of a COVID germ should stamp on it at once, anyone not wearing a mask in NSW (Premier Berejiklian, it is felt, should jump on this now and make them compulsory  if its good enough for Victoria, etc) is stupid and selfish, as is anyone who thinks COVID is a hoax.

Plus, please slam those borders shut, Madame Premier.

Away from disease, letter writers are furious about the way Parramatta is being treated. Willow Grove and St George Terrace Must Stay! is the consensus. As for the politician (oh, alright, well name names) Geoff Lee saying that only 11 protests came from the area so the rest can be discounted, well! That didnt wash at all. As Matt Petersen of Randwick says, That would have allowed the Franklin River to be dammed, the whaling industry to continue, and the Antarctic to be mined.

Phonetics was another popular topic. As a follow-on, there were many letters mocking English spelling and quoting George Bernard Shaw about spelling fish (youll have to look it up, its too long to explain here).

The last great explosion was for icare and everything about it  starting with its name (much mocked) and working through the way it has been run along to what should be done with it now.
The Ministry of Energy has rejected claims that almost GHS20 million out of the Public Lighting Levy collected between 2018 and 2019 cannot be accounted.

Some media houses had quoted the Energy Minister, Peter Amewu as indicating that almost GHS20 million out of the GHS273 million public lighting levy collected between 2018 and 2019 by the Electricity Company of Ghana, Volta River Authority and Northern Electricity Company of Ghana (NEDCO) had gone missing.

The Head of Communications at the Energy Ministry, Nana Damoah on Eyewitness News, however, said these reports were false.

He clarified that contrary to media reports, the Energy Minister had sought to only show the difference between monies received by the Ministry of Energy from the three power sector companies as Public Lighting Levy and monies that had been utilised.

That is not true, no money is missing whatsoever. What is being reported as missing is the difference between the monies received by the Ministry and monies utilized. So the difference between what was received and what was utilised is about GHS18 million.

Bear in mind the fact that we are accounting for what was spent in 2018 and 2019 so if the money was received quite close to the end of 2019, it will be rolled over to 2020 which is why the GHS18 million has come into question. It was received quite late, so it is not factual to say GHS18 million or so is missing.

GHS64 million out of the GHS273 million levy was transferred to the Ministry for the purpose of fixing and maintaining streetlights.

Energy Sector Levies Act 2017, requires a charge of 3% per kWh of electricity from all categories of consumers as shown in the Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Act 2017, (Act 946).

The levy is used to support maintenance and investment of traffic and street lights on highways by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and payment of energy bills consumed by traffic lights, among others.

---citinewsroom
Beirut: Lebanon's president said on Friday its investigation into the biggest blast in Beirut's history would examine whether it was caused by a bomb or other external interference, as residents sought to rebuild shattered homes and lives.

Rescuers sifted rubble in a race to find anyone still alive after Tuesday's port explosion that killed 154 people, injured 5000, smashed a swathe of the Mediterranean city and sent seismic shockwaves around the region.

"The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act," President Michel Aoun said in comments carried by local media and confirmed by his office.

Aoun, who had previously said explosive material was stored unsafely for years at the port, said the investigation would also weigh if the blast was due to negligence or an accident. Twenty people had been detained so far, he added.
Does A Long-Term Contract With China Serve Iran's Interests?

Behrouz Bayat August 06, 2020

Will a long-term contract between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People's Republic of China be consistent with Iran's national interests? What will Iran gain out of such a contract? How feasible it is? And what is wrong with the Iranian opposition's reaction to this contract?

Are bilateral cooperation contracts good for the age of globalization?

The fate of various countries are interwoven at the age of globalization. So, cooperation contracts can be good on the condition of legitimacy of the parties to the contract. In other words, such contracts are good if the parties involved represent their citizens and seek their interests in a win-win fashion.

Can Iran benefit from foreign investment?

At the globalization age, capital is stateless. Foreign investment can potentially bring technology and pave the way for development. Foreign investment can be good for Iran if there is a suitable environment for investment. But the Islamic Republic does not have such a potential and it has even wasted its own capitals needlessly.

Can Chinese investment serve Iranians' national interests?

Yes, but only if China acts transparently based on national interests within a win-win frameworks and if there are no unilateralism or exclusive link to China. Despite its non-democratic structure, China has taken long steps toward economic development, has dragged more than hundreds of million of Chinese out of poverty and is the world's second biggest economy. It can now export capital and transfer technology and in spite of what we see in China under Xi Jinping we can expect that economic development would lead to political liberties.

Can the Islamic Republic conclude a contract that serves Iran's interest?

It is highly unlikely. National interests are absent within the frameworks of the Islamic Republic. Its leaders prioritize their "revolution" and those it feeds over everything else. Furthermore, the regime is currently so desperate that that its only preoccupation is its survival. So, there is no likelihood for a good result for Iran. Besides, we are talking about two authoritarian regimes, that give way to corruption and bribery at different levels. Many of contracts between China and poor countries have been facilitated by corrupt rulers in those countries. The Islamic Republic is no exception.

From this perspective, even the 2015 nuclear deal was also the outcome of Iran's desperation as it handed over all the levers of pressure including the trigger mechanism to the other side.

So, why does Iran want a contract with China? Can China be a reliable partner?

Throughout its history, the Islamic Republic has paid the least attention to Iranians' national interests. It only wanted to exercise its supremacy over its people and create wealth to feed its supporters. Its foreign policy has led to a standoff against a large part of the powerful; world community that has a democratic structure and owns knowledge and technology. Chronic inefficiency, systemic corruption and the sanctions which are the outcome of Tehran's enmity with the United States and Israel have led to the Islamic Republic's isolation in the world community.

Entangled in the trap they have created themselves, Islamic Republic's leader are seeking a way out by turning to East in order to save the regime. The justification is that while the West is declining, Iran can rely on the East. The Islamic Republic would resort to anything for its survival and this is what makes us more suspicious. Iran desperately needs hard currency and China is not likely to be helpful in this regard in the short run. Investments on the infrastructure need a lot of time before they can create jobs for citizens.

However, because of the connectivity between Chinese and the Western economies, Iran's over-reliance on China can be a miscalculation. On the other hand, Iran's problem is simply not one of shortage of capitals. Only under President Ahmadinejad Iran sold around one billion dollars of oil and other products, but all that was wasted due to corruption and inefficiency.

What does China gain out if this contract?

China can find an ally through this contract. Xi's strategy is based on strengthening Chinese nationalism inside China and creating a bloc of authoritarian states outside the country in order to confront the Western bloc. Another possibility is that China can use its influence over countries such as Iran in its confrontation with the United States. Nevertheless, because of its intertwined dynamics with the West, China cannot be a reliable security support for Iran.

Is the Chinese model of authoritarian development useful for Iran?

It is neither ideal nor feasible for Iran. The Islamic Republic is haunted by backward ideological illusions. On the other hand it lacks the discipline that exists in the Chinese Communist Party.

Iranian opposition and the Iran - China contract

Although the controversy created by the opposition about this contract is understandable, yet its reliance on facts are questionable. For instance a statement by one opposition group wrongly suggested that the contract "commits" Iran to perform certain obligations while there is no such commitment mentioned for China in the contract.

On the other hand, some economists have accused China of using technologies belonging to others, but this cannot be true as China is a member of the World Trade Organization and is committed to respect others' intellectual property.

Conclusion:

A contract between Iran and China under the current circumstances will not serve Iran's interests.

The Islamic Republic's objective in concluding this contract is political and is meant to ensure its survival. It can even be a move to threaten the West.

The contract has very little chance to be finalized particularly by China as the Islamic Republic is in a unstable situation.

Iran's interests call for impartiality in the conflict between China and the West.

The opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views of Radio Farda

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-s -oil-exports-in-july-drop-to-around- 100-000-bpd/30769074.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Several Bachelor and Bachelorette rejects recently headed to Fiji for another shot at love.

And now it's been revealed how much the lovelorn reality stars earn for appearing on the franchise's spin-off, Bachelor in Paradise.

According to the So Dramatic podcast, the cast take home approximately $500 to $1,000 for a day's work, while the likes of Keira Maguire can demand up to $50,000 for an entire stint on the show.

REVEALED: How much the stars of Bachelor in Paradise are paid to go on the show... and you'll never guess the incredible amount Keira Maguire gets!

'I believe Paradise contestants are paid $500 a day,' the So Dramatic host claimed.

'Some contestants were able to bargain and get $1,000 a day... and then people like Keira can demand more.

'I heard Keira's fee was close to $50,000, but honestly that's just a rumour and not confirmed because contract negotiations are very confidential.'

How much? According to the So Dramatic podcast, the cast take home approximately $500 - $1,000 for a day's work, while the likes of Keira Maguire can demand up to $50,000 for an entire stint on the show

Not bad! Richie Strahan and Alex Nation were allegedly paid $4,000 a day for when they returned to Paradise last year

The host also alleged that Richie Strahan and Alex Nation were paid $4,000 a day for when they returned to Paradise last year.

'One contestant offered to do the show for free,' Megan added about the current season, keeping the said individual's name under wraps.

It comes after Brittany Hockley revealed on her Life Uncut podcast what it's really like filming the show.

The 32-year-old radiographer told her listeners that despite what they may think, 'It's not a holiday'.

Brittany said fans tell her she should look on the bright side after failing to find everlasting love on the show.

'It's not a holiday': It comes after Brittany Hockley revealed on her Life Uncut podcast what it's really like filming the show. Pictured with Timm Hanly

'The worst thing is people being like, ''oh, at least you got a holiday!'' she explained.

'I cannot stress this enough  [Paradise] is not a holiday,' she added, before insisting that it's actually a 'job' to film on set.

'It is constant, it's a show  you're working. Yeah, I'm not labouring all day, but it is a job,' she said.

'To be honest, there'd be moments when you'd be laying around, and the producer will come out and say, ''up you get, you're all boring, you have to get up and go and do something".'

Brittany also revealed that producers had strict rules for contestants when it came to drinking alcohol.

She explained that the cast could start drinking at lunchtime, but could only have two drinks an hour.

Take it slow! Brittany revealed that producers had some strict rules for contestants when it came to drinking alcohol. She explained that the cast could start drinking at lunchtime, but could only have two drinks an hour. Pictured is Ciarran Stott

If the producers thought you were drunk, they'd 'cut you off.'

'You can't start drinking until midday  the bar opens at 12  and then you get two drinks an hour and you can basically drink until midnight. That's a lot of drinks, and in the sun,' Brittany said.

'They have a duty of care, so while you're allowed that many drinks  the second they think you've had too many, or you're too intoxicated, they'll cut you off.

'It's different because on The Bachelor, you don't get a second alone with him  there's nothing that could possibly happen. But in Paradise, there's people everywhere, guys and girls  anything could happen, so they have to keep their eyes open.'

Brittany also spoke about the food available to contestants at the resort.

She explained that they could order anything they want, including burgers, chips and steaks.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted a Channel 10 representative for comment in relation to this article.
IDUKKI: At least five people were killed while dozens are feared trapped after a landslide triggered by torrential rains occurred in a residential area in Rajamala of Kerala's Idukki district on Friday (August 7).

Around 80 tea estate workers are feared trapped in the area, said sources.

As per reports, the landslide took place at Rajamala near Munnar, a popular tourist spot in the Idukki district. Superintendent of Police, Idukki said that the landslide occurred at a place where tea plantation workers reside and as many as three families are stranded there.

Take a look at the video below of the landslide-hit Rajamala area near Munnar, shared by ANI:

#WATCH 5 dead in landslide in Idukki's Rajamala, #Kerala; 10 rescued so far Kerala CM has requested assistance from Indian Air Force for the rescue operation. pic.twitter.com/yWmwXHUxEz  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

"Around 82 people were living there in four labour camps. We are not sure many people were present there at the time of the landslide. NDRF hasn't reached the spot yet. Airlifting of marooned people is not possible right now due to bad weather," Kerala Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan told ANI.

Meanwhile, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed to rescue the landslide victims in Rajamala. "Police, fire, forest and revenue officials were also instructed to intensify rescue operations," the CM said.

As per ANI, the Chief Minister's Office has contacted the Indian Air Force to provide helicopter services to Rajamala for rescue operations. It is expected to be available soon.

Heavy rains in several parts of Kerala have triggered floods and landslides which have wreaked havoc in the region over the past few days.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had on August 5 issued a red alert in Idukki, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.
Lockton, which undertook a vigorous interview process to fill the vacancy, said the appointment elevates the brokers capabilities with its clients and will ensure that their corporate private health employee benefits plans and organisational health and wellbeing programmes provide access to the very best products and services.

A board member of the Private Health Insurance Intermediaries Association, Cocca most recently served as general manager for domestic health at Mercer Marsh Benefits.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar and his US counterpart Mike Pompeo discussed the holding of a meeting of the Quadrilateral dialogue or Quad in the near future, against the backdrop of growing tensions with China.

The Quad, which also includes Australia and Japan, was upgraded to the ministerial level last September. China has always viewed the grouping with suspicion, though Indian officials have said it is not directed against any country.

The matter figured in a phone conversation on Thursday night between Jaishankar and Pompeo, the external affairs minister said in a tweet on Friday. He described the conversation with Pompeo as wide-ranging.

Exchanged views on responding to the Coronavirus challenge. Discussed meeting in the Quad format in the near future, Jaishankar tweeted.

A readout of the conversation from the US state department said the two leaders discussed efforts to address recent destabilising actions in the region  an apparent reference to the India-China border standoff and Beijings activities in the South China Sea  and that the two leaders were looking forward to Quadrilateral consultations.

The two leaders reviewed bilateral cooperation, including working of relevant mechanisms and shared assessments on regional and global issues including South Asia, Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific & beyond, Jaishankar said in another tweet.

The US readout said Jaishankar and Pomeo agreed to continue close cooperation on a full range of regional and international issues and look forward to Quadrilateral consultations and the US-India 2+2 ministerial dialogue later this year.

It added that Pompeo spoke to Jaishankar about bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of international concern, including efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, support the peace process in Afghanistan, and address recent destabilising actions in the region.

Pompeo and Jaishankar reiterated the strength of the United States-India relationship to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe, the readout added.

India is preparing to include Australia in this years edition of the Malabar exercise, which brings together the navies of India, Japan and the US. Experts have also called for greater cooperation between members of the Quad in the face of Chinas assertive actions across the region.

Australia has been critical of Chinas actions along the Line of Actual Control and in the South China Sea. After a recent meeting with Jaisshankar, Australian high commissioner Barry OFarrell said his country Australia opposes any attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo on the LAC, as this will only increase tension and the risk of instability.

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Keith Fogleman, co-chairman of the School Reopening Task Force and chief talent officer (personnel) for Hamilton County Schools, will retire in September.

At the same time, county school officials announced several new leadership changes, including the departure of Brent Goldberg, chief finance officer.

Mr.

Fogleman came to Hamilton County Schools in January 2018. Previously, he served as an executive human resources consultant providing HR services to major electric utilities in the United States and Japan. He was the vice president of Human Resources for Entergy until 2013, where he was responsible for providing strategic human resource and labor relations solutions for a multi-state Fortune 500 company with 10 business units and 14,500 employees.

Officials said, "Mr. Fogleman led the district to revamp teacher recruitment completely and implement a focus on teacher retention to keep our best and brightest educators working with children in Hamilton County Schools classrooms. A teacher mentoring program and new teacher induction program is helping teachers get off to a great start and continue success in the early years of a new teaching career."

Mr. Fogleman said, I have had the privilege to work with an outstanding senior leadership team and HR team that is focused on making HCS the best school district in Tennessee. Being a part of a district that became the fastest improving district in Tennessee has been exciting and fulfilling. I hope our community appreciates this significant accomplishment by our students, teachers, and school leaders and continues to support public education.

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) William T. Brooks, co-chairman of the School Reopening Task Force, will return to his full-time duty of leading the JROTC program for Hamilton County Schools. Lt. Col. Brooks is from Chattanooga and has held a variety of command and staff positions in his career. He served as the senior Army instructor at Chattanooga Central High School and a professor of Military Science at Grambling State University. A graduate of Chattanooga (City) High School in 1979, Lt. Col. Brooks attended Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree. He received his Masters of Public Administration degree from Central Michigan University. Lt. Col. Brooks received his commissioning from the Army ROTC program at Middle Tennessee State University.

Penny Murray, director of HR Operations, for Hamilton County Schools, will take over as chief talent officer. She has worked in the HR Department for Hamilton County Schools since January 2011 and assumed leadership of the department while Mr. Fogleman focused on the work of the School Reopening Task Force. She also served as interim assistant to the Superintendent for HR, and coordinator of Human Resources Operations for the school district.



Before coming to Hamilton County Schools, Ms. Murray worked with Sears Holding Corporation as the area human resources manager overseeing 58 multi-state units for the company. She also worked for Chattanooga General Services, Inc. as a human resources manager and EPB as a human resources generalist. Ms. Murray started her career in human resources as an HR specialist and corporate trainer for U.S. Xpress Enterprises.

Ms. Murray earned her bachelor's degree at Tennessee Tech, and she has an MBA from the University of Tennessee. She also holds a certificate in human resources development and training from the University of Georgia. She is affiliated with the Chattanooga Society for Human Resources Management, Association for Talent Development, Kappa Delta Sorority alumnae advisor, University of Tennessee Alumni Association Board, Junior League of Chattanooga, and the Tennessee Department of Education Effectiveness Advisory Council.

Jennifer Bronson, a major contributor to the School Reopening Task work this summer, will take over from Lt. Col. Brooks and Mr. Fogleman to serve as the leader for the districts COVID-19 response. She will continue the reentry work as part of the senior leadership team. Ms. Bronson has been with Hamilton County Schools since July 2019, when she launched the Student Success Planning pilot in partnership with Harvard Universitys Education Redesign Lab and the By All Means consortium.

Ms. Bronson has a public service background in education and law. She started her career in education, working as a first and fifth-grade teacher in Las Vegas, Nev. She was also a project facilitator working in talent and leadership development for Clark County Schools in Las Vegas, the nation's fifth-largest school district. Ms. Bronson served as an assistant public defender in the Missouri State Public Defender office and was admitted to the State Bars of Wisconsin and Missouri. In addition, she worked with the Wisconsin State Public Defender, Juvenile Unit, and was a judicial intern in the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

Ms. Bronson received her bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a master's degree in education from the University of Las Vegas. She earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she received the Wisconsin Idea Merit Scholarship, which is awarded to a student who seeks to improve the quality of life for citizens of the state.

Dr. T. Nakia Towns, chief of staff for Hamilton County Schools, will continue her support of the district as its deputy superintendent. Officials said this position reflects a change in her job function to provide supervision support to the superintendent, helping to lead and manage different departments across the school district. In her prior role, Dr. Towns supported all department heads in Hamilton County Schools to impact academic opportunities and achievement for children. Her leadership was instrumental in the districts ability to reach the goals outlined in the Future Ready 2023 plan and become the fastest improving district in Tennessee. In 2018, Dr. Towns was selected by Chiefs for Change as a Future Chief, a national talent identification program for executive educational leadership. She was also recognized as a national expert peer reviewer for the 2019 Promise to Practice assessment of ESSA state plans.

Over the past decade, Dr. Towns has a proven track record of raising the bar for all children, narrowing opportunity gaps, increasing graduation rates, and improving post-secondary readiness. She joined Hamilton County Schools in February 2018 from the Tennessee Department of Education, where she served as assistant commissioner of data and research. Before her work at the Tennessee Department of Education, Dr. Towns served as chief accountability officer, director of human capital strategy, and interim executive director of Human Resources for Knox County Schools in Knoxville.

Dr. Towns also has experience in the business sector, serving as vice president at Wells Fargo, investment banking associate with Bank of America, and senior product specialist at IBM. Dr. Towns holds an engineering degree and MBA from Duke University and a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Sonia Stewart joins Hamilton County Schools as the community superintendent for the MidTown Learning Community. Dr. Stewart is an educator, speaker, leader, and visionary. For the past two decades, her commitment to young people and the desire to spend her life invested in improved learning outcomes for students has directed her into areas of education and community revitalization. She has led and taught at the high school level in both the public and private school settings. During her six-year tenure as the Executive Principal of Pearl-Cohn High School, she was named Principal of the Year by both Metro Nashville Public Schools and The Academies of Nashville. Her commitment to excellence is evidenced through the local, regional, and national recognition that Pearl-Cohn received. Those accolades included the school being named a National School of Excellence by the Coalition of Community Schools, recognized as a model in urban education by the Institute of Urban Schools, and the school was featured on Edutopia's "Schools That Work" series.

While most recently serving as the executive officer for organizational development with Metro Nashville Public Schools, Dr. Stewart extended her reach by designing the MNPS Leadership Framework rooted in leadership standards, built robust leadership identification and development frameworks, collaboratively advanced work related to talent acquisition and retention, and enhanced district-wide equity frameworks. Stewart is passionately committed to providing just and equitable opportunities for youth who are deprived of the education, resources, and support that they need to reach their potential.

Dr. Stewart has a doctorate in education, leadership, and policy from Vanderbilt University, a master's in educational leadership from Trevecca University, and a bachelor's in mathematics from Biola University.

Brent Goldberg, chief financial officer, is leaving Hamilton County Schools to return to the private sector. Mr. Goldberg came to Hamilton County Schools in November 2018 and is responsible for streamlining the budget process for the district and moving toward multi-year budget planning. He is a product of Hamilton County Schools, having attended Lakeside Elementary, Brown Middle School, and Central High School.

Mr. Goldberg came to Hamilton County Schools from Lee-Smith, Inc., Lync America, LLC, and Idealease of Chattanooga, where he served as the chief financial officer and vice president. He was responsible for accounting and finance for the companies as well as the management of day-to-day operations for Lync America. He previously served as the chief operating officer for the city of Chattanooga. The district will immediately begin recruiting Goldbergs replacement, and he will provide transition support over the next several weeks until his successor is hired. Goldberg reflected, Hamilton County Schools has one of the most talented, cohesive and high performing leadership teams that I have ever worked with in my career. It has been my privilege to serve students as a part of this administration. While the discord around public education in our community sometimes loses focus, the teachers, staff, and leaders are always 100% focused on what matters most - what is best for students.

Tim Hensley, communications officer, will retire from the district in December. He came to Hamilton County Schools in 2017 and worked with Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson and the Communications Department team to build a communications program to strengthen the relationship between the school district and the community. The work became aligned to the district's Future Ready 2023 goal of an Engaged Community.

Hamilton County Schools was recognized by the National School Public Relations Association with a Golden Achievement Award in communications for the I Am Hamilton campaign to recognize staff, students, volunteers, parents, and alumnae for their efforts to prepare children in Hamilton County Schools for a bright future.

I saw Hamilton County Schools as a diamond in the rough with tremendous potential for positive change, and that is what attracted me to Chattanooga, said Mr. Hensley. It has been rewarding personally and professionally to work alongside a great team focused on the future of every child and to see the school district begin to realize the extraordinary possibilities for success that can be reached when the community works together for children.

Mr. Hensley spent more than 32 years in school communications in Georgia and Tennessee. He was elected president and Southeast Region vice-president of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) by his peers during his career. He was the recipient of the 2016 Barry Gaskins Mentor Legacy Award from NSPRA. The district will begin to recruit Mr. Hensleys replacement to lead the communications function for Hamilton County Schools.
When Martin Scorseses Goodfellas was released in cinemas 30 years ago, the verdict was unanimous: this was an instant, cast-iron classic. Scorsese was immediately credited with reinvigorating the gangster film, a genre that had been flogged nearly to death over the previous 80 or so years, since DW Griffiths The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912).

In the 1970s and 1980s, the era of The Godfather and Once Upon a Time in America, gangster films had become increasingly self-conscious, often turning into epic, sombre, decades-spanning sagas in which the heroes had a tragic grandeur. In Goodfellas, by contrast, the watchword was exuberance. Instead of a brooding, mumbling, and introspective don played by Marlon Brando, the film gives us Joe Pescis lowlife, Tommy DeVito. Hes a diabolical, hyperactive, and pint-sized psychopath who seems to have escaped from some nearby Looney Tunes cartoon. Instead of Al Pacino as a young, Hamlet-like outsider, reluctantly joining the family business, it has Ray Liotta as Henry Hill, the wise guy on the make, who thinks he is the luckiest kid in the world to be working for the mob.

Scorsese didnt skimp on the violence. The films famous opening scene  in which Liottas character looks on as Pescis Tommy and Robert De Niros James Jimmy Conway stab and shoot a man to death who has been making noise in the trunk of their car  sets the tone for what follows. There are corpses in garbage skips and meat freezers. Characters are whacked in ever more grotesque ways.
NEWINGTON  The Connecticut Humane Societys Lemonade Stand Challenge for kids has gone virtual this year. Each summer since 2014, youngsters across the state have held lemonade stands at home or at businesses in the community to fundraise for CHS pets in need. This year due to Covid-19 safeguards, the effort is all online, according to a statement.

Participants this summer will get their own lemonade stand webpage created by CHS, and, with the help of their family and friends, can fundraise for the pets, according to the statement. . They can ask for donations in honor of a birthday, or host a video meeting for friends and family while sharing a lemonade recipe, performing a song, doing a simple cooking demo, or showing off another talent.

Local businesses will match what they collect, meaning that kids will help twice as many pets. This years sponsors are Southport Veterinary Center and Cavanaugh & Company, LLC. Plus, Pottery Piazza in Plainville is donating gift certificates for all participating families, as well as fundraising prizes, members said.

Since its inception, kids participating in CHS Lemonade Stand Challenge have raised nearly $30,000 for medical care for pets.

Were thrilled to partner with our sponsor organizations as we encourage children to take action to care for animals in need, said James Bias, CHS executive director. Its a win-win for everyone involved, especially for the pets who directly benefit from the generosity and support in the community.

Parents of kids interested in joining the challenge  or companies who want to match donations  should contact Priscilla Clark, CHS Development Manager, at pclark@cthumane.org or 860-594-4502, ext. 6307, or visit CThumane.org/lemonade.

Barkhamsted leaders discuss hurricane season, COVID-19

BARKHAMSTED  The following is a statement from First Selectman Don Stein.

It has been a while since I have sent out an update, but things have been quiet and stable in town with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stein said. We have seen a few more cases listed on the state website lately, but according to the Farmington Valley Health District, that increase is due to cases that are 2-3 months old and the data is just getting entered now.

The biggest concern is that people get complacent about their safety and that of others, he said. The medical community is very concerned about a significant increase in the numbers as we get closer to the fall, so we must remain vigilant. The local schools are working very hard to come up with plans for re-opening for the fall, and the final plan will depend on the infection rate in the State and the towns around us.

For information on the pandemic, go to https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus

Our annual summertime concern is appearing to the south and that obviously is that we are entering hurricane season. The tropics have been active this year and we may see Hurricane Isaias early next week. The current forecast is that it will go east of us, but as we all know, that can change over the next few days, Stein said. The CT Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) has put together a comprehensive guide to help you be fully prepared for an emergency situation including hurricanes and extended power outages or the inability to travel on our roads.

Read and download the guide at: https://rb.gy/kqln7l

Society to hold Virtual ResearcHERS Celebration

Women make invaluable contributions to cancer research, yet they are consistently underrepresented in the field. Aiming to change that dynamic, the American Cancer Society launched the ResearcHERS: Women Fighting Cancer campaign. This movement brought together influential female leaders from Western Massachusetts down to New Haven, CT to fuel the work of women scientists, according to a statement.

The inaugural ResearcHERS of the Knowledge Corridor campaign is part of a national movement to engage women to raise awareness and funds to bolster women-led cancer research, members said. With support from our presenting sponsor Pfizer, female leaders from a variety of industries and sectors across the Knowledge Corridor, an area from Western Massachusetts and south through Hartford all the way to New Haven, have worked to ensure the unique perspective of women remains a powerful and growing force in cancer research, members said.

The 2020 ResearcHERS of the Knowledge Corridor Ambassadors include Anne Campbell Maxwell, ACS Board Member; Cara Cole, Team 413 William Raveis Real Estate; Carol Campbell, Chicopee Industrial Contractors; Deb Reardon, Boehringer Ingelheim & ACS Board Member; Debbie Allen Wright, Brand Spokesperson; Dr. Harriet Kluger, Yale Researcher; Heather Veach, Registered nurse; Kate Kane, Northwestern Mutual; Krissy Sullivan, FASTSIGNS; Lisa Verville, O'Connell Development ; Maitreyee Shah, American Cancer Society; Melinda Irwin, Yale Researcher; Molly Burich, Boehringer Ingelheim; Nicole Kuhnly, Nursing Researcher, ACS grantee; Sarah Rosecrans, Boehringer Ingelheim; Sneha Jayaraj, MetroHartford Alliance; and Wendy Matthews, American Cancer Society.

The society is holding a virtual event, 9-10 a.m. Aug. 14. The keynote speaker is national researcher Alpa Patel. There is no cost to attend, but donations are needed more than ever due to a cancer research funding crisis created by the pandemic, according to the statement. . To register, go to https://bit.ly/30oZL8g .
LONDON  Duty-free shopping is the new frontier for luxury brands in mainland China, as Beijing loosened regulations on this lucrative sector by granting a license to Wangfujing Group to enter the competition, and giving Hainan Island duty-free status, amid a slump on international travel due to COVID-19.

DFS Group, an Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned travel retail pioneer, is the latest global player to weigh in on this fast-growing market. It announced on Thursday that it has taken a 22 percent stake in Shenzhen Duty Free Ecommerce Co., which is majority-owned by Shenzhen Duty Free Group.

The two first began to collaborate in 2018, with DFS supplying merchandise and advising on store upgrades across Shenzhen Duty Frees network. Since Shenzhen shares a land border with Hong Kong, mainland customers can also preorder online before traveling to Hong Kong, and collect them on return to Shenzhen with little hassle.

Shenzhen Duty Free said the investment will help the company to further complement and improve its non-tobacco supply chain system, enrich its product categories, reduce procurement costs, improve its operational capabilities, significantly enhance its core competitiveness and brand awareness.

Our future is highly digital and very focused on China. Our customers associate shopping at DFS with a truly experiential level of luxury, and we are excited to mirror that experience for them digitally  pre-trip, in-market, in-store and once they return home. The opportunities are endless, a spokesperson from DFS said.

Shenzhen Duty Free Group is one of the six state-owned enterprises approved by the State Council to operate duty-free products in China. It has been in the business for 40 years and has a retail network in many major cities across the country. The rest of the players in the market include China Duty Free Group, Zhuhai Duty Free Group, China Expatriate Services Ltd., China Hong Kong and China Travel Asset Management Co. Ltd. and Wangfujing Group.

Founded in 1960, DFS Group operates 11 stores in Hong Kong and Macau. But with pro-democratic protests and COVID-19, travel retail has dried up completely in Hong Kong, where DFS is headquartered. Taking up a stake in Shenzhen Duty Free can diversify its revenue stream and safeguard its future in this turbulent time.

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Dr AK Singh Rana, the head of the department of surgery, who is the new medical superintendent (MS) of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, spoke to Anonna Dutt about learnings from the Covid-19 pandemic, the mortality rate in the hospital, resuming the care of non-Covid patients, and expansion plans.

Edited excerpts:

What lessons did you learn in the last six months of the Covid pandemic?

The invaluable lesson we have learnt is that everyone had to come together to enable us to take care of the patients with Covid-19. Patients suffering from the disease, including those suspected to have the infection, started coming to the hospital from March and health workers in respiratory medicine, internal medicine, and critical care medicine bore the brunt of it.

Doctors, nurses, paramedics and staff from across departments pitched in and worked with a lot of dedication.

In a recent review of Covid-19 deaths by the Delhi government, RML was one of 11 hospitals with the highest death toll. What is being done to reduce mortality?

One of the problems with the calculation of high mortality rate in comparison to the number of admissions is that the deaths of people admitted to the hospital prior to the selected period, but who died during the said period, were included. The number of admissions had reduced during that period, that is why the number of deaths appears to be higher.

Another issuewhich was pointed out by physicians from several other hospitalswas the delay in admissions. We have observed that the death rate is higher when patients report to the hospital late  it could be because people are scared of coming to a hospital, public transport has not resumed full throttle, and there is an inertia among people over the last few months.

The death rate is also high among old people with multiple comorbidities.

With the number of Covid-19 hospitalisations on the decline, are we looking at moving to non-Covid services now?

Now is not the time to rejoice; we cannot let our guards down. Other countries  like the US  saw a decline in the number of cases before the resurgence. But, yes, we need to look at how to go back to offering complete non-Covid treatment. Ever since the pandemic began, we have not closed our emergency services or the OPD at all.

Next week, I have a meeting with all the heads of the departments to discuss what can be done. I want to have a plan in place so that we can gradually and safely move to taking care of non-Covid patients whenever experts feel that it is the right time. We cannot de-escalate all our preparations in one go.

What are your plans for improving hospital infrastructure?

We have an ambitious redevelopment plan for the hospital. With the population of Delhi growing, the old infrastructure has become inadequate. Horizontal expansion is no longer possible, we are now looking at vertical expansion.

The construction of the super speciality block behind the trauma centre is about to start. It will have 332 beds; 68 with ventilators. The huge triangular area across the road  where the psychiatry department is located  will be used to construct the medical college (the hospital started an MBBS programme last year.) Then, an underpass will be constructed to connect it to the main building.

A 300-bed student hostel will be constructed on a vacant plot nearby  and this will be used to relocate the departments moved from the triangular areas. We also have 2.1 acres of land where a dedicated maternity and child health centre will be constructed. An 832-room doctors hostel is already under construction. The old emergency and the OPD building will be razed to create high-rise buildings.

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According to the National Tax Service, foreigners bought 23,167 apartments in Korea from 2017 to May this year worth a total of W7.67 trillion (US$1=W1,186). They are concentrated in the capital region with Seoul accounting for 4,473 or W3.27 trillion worth, Gyeonggi Province for 10,093 or W2.74 trillion and Incheon for 2,674 or W625.4 billion. Chinese nationals snapped up the lion's share with 13,573 or 58.6 percent worth W3.17 trillion.

They claimed that the government "is forcing people to throw away their dream of owning their own home by enforcing explosive regulations while being infinitely tolerant of foreigners."

The protesters argue that it is easier for foreigners to get their hands on loans than Koreans. Regardless of nationality, everyone here is subject to a loan-to-value ratio of 20 to 40 percent on loans to buy apartments in designated speculation zones, which now cover almost the entire Seoul metropolitan area. But of course those regulations do not apply when foreigners borrow money in their own country.

One Chinese person who is here on an exchange student visa and recently became the target of a tax probe by the NTS was found to have bought eight apartments in Seoul and other parts of the country and earn rent on them. Where the money came from is unclear. And while Koreans who own multiple homes now have to pay much higher taxes when buying or transferring them -- if for example four members of the same household each own one property -- the government cannot make an accurate assessment of foreigners' households.

Thus if a Chinese couple own one home each under their respective names, each is only a single-home owners unless tax officials can prove they married and cohabiting, so the taxes are lower. One banker said, "Not all real estate taxes are beneficial for foreigners, but they could be at an advantage when you look at multiple home owners."

Critics of the loophole are calling on the government to follow the example of Singapore, which charges foreigners an extra 20 percent acquisition tax on real estate. Hong Kong also charges foreigners a stamp tax of 15 percent on real estate purchases, and another special tax equivalent to 20 percent of the value of the property if they sell it in less than three years.

When property values surged more than 11 percent in 2016, the government of New Zealand passed a law allowing foreigners to buy only newly-built homes. Some countries do not allow foreigners to buy land at all.

So far the effect on the Korean market is probably minimal since a complex combination of factors are driving prices up. But Prof. Kwon Dae-jung at Myongji University said, "If we turn a blind eye to real estate speculation by foreigners, the market could overheat."

After mounting calls for change, the ruling Minjoo Party tabled a bill to tackle the problem last month that would levy an additional 20 percent-tax on foreigners who buy a home here but do not live in it within six months, but that may not be enough.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : After Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Kerala Chief Minister about the Air India crash, President Ram Nath Kovind too had a telephonic conversation with the Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan.

Ram Nath Kovind remarked, "Distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight in Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to the Governor of Kerala, Mr. Arif Mohammad Khan, and got information about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families." The Kerala Governor shared the details of the rescue work with the President, said a PRO of the Kerala Raj Bhavan.

Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to get a sense of the ground situation, soon after an Air India Express flight overshot the runway at the Kozhikode airport and crashed, killing at least 14.

The aircraft had 190 people onboard, including six crew members.

Those injured were rushed to various hospitals in Kozhikode and Malappuram. The condition of several passengers who were brought to a private hospital is reported to be serious.

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash
LUDLOW  Students returning next month will receive both remote and in-person education under a hybrid plan unanimously approved by the School Committee Friday night.

The Ludlow Education Association had favored starting the school year with what it called a robust remote learning model, saying that option would provide the same education as the hybrid model without any of the risks.

However, the School Committee opted, 5-to-0, to proceed with the hybrid plan over that all-remote learning option or going completely with traditional in-person classes.

There is no good fix... this is a good place to start, said School Committee Chairman Michael J. Kelliher before voting in favor of the hybrid plan. I wouldnt be voting for it if I didnt think we could do it safely.

Under the hybrid proposal, parents have the option to request remote-only education for their children, but must notify the system of their choice by Aug. 14, said Superintendent of Schools Todd H. Gazda.

Grades 1 through 12 will return on Sept. 15 with kindergarten and pre-kindergarten on Sept. 22.

Half of each class would attend school on Monday and Tuesday; and the remainder on Wednesday through Friday using a revolving schedule, Gazda said. When not in the classroom, students will receive remote learning via the internet.

The remote education offered in September will be more robust than what students received in the spring, Gazda said.

Among some of the measures planned in the fall:

Teachers and principals will enforce a strict mask policy at the schools

Students will be having lunch in their classroom, not the cafeteria

Bathroom sanitization and restroom breaks will be set by principals

Some of the questions submitted by parents to the School Committee ranged from grief counseling for students in the event of the death of a teacher from COVID-19 to the school systems liability for negligence.

Neighboring school systems have begun unveiling their plans for the fall amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Springfield, Granby, Northampton and South Hadley have opted to begin the 2020-2021 school year with an all-remote format.

Since Jan. 1, Ludlow has tallied about 135 cases of coronavirus with six COVID-10-related deaths, according to town and state reports.

Massachusetts has reported more than 120,000 cases of COVID-19 with more than 8,700 deaths.
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Linkedin Ghina Ghaliya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, August 8 2020

Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani, an executive of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), sat together on Thursday to discuss the two parties cooperation in the upcoming regional elections.

The PDI-P and Dems formed a coalition to nominate candidate pairs running for regional head posts in 28 of the 270 regions in the country that will participate in the elections, which are to be held simultaneously on Dec. 9.

"We have discussed the PDI-P and the Democratic Party's collaboration in the regional elections. Hopefully we can maintain the cooperation for the sake of the nation," Agus said after the meeting at the legislative complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Thursday.

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PORT AUSTIN - The shops of Port Austin's Village Green traveled back in time on Thursday August 6 with its 1920 Theme Thursday event, highlighting Port Austin's history with lawn signs showcasing photographs of the town 100 years ago as well as vintage cars parked on the Village Green lawn.

A decorated community space, live music, photo booth, and shopkeepers dressed to match the theme all contributed to achieving the 1920s lawn party aesthetic. While the outside event did not require masks, many customers supporting the shops attended the event in their own masks. Masks were also available for purchase for those interested.
(JNS) - According to the U.N. Trade and Development Commission, some 95 percent of Gaza's groundwater supply is found to be unfit for consumption. The Gaza Strip suffers from a water shortage in general and a drinking water shortage in particular.

Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, including the Watergen Company, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and Palestinian partners, delivered its first generator, which produces clean drinking water from the atmosphere, to the Municipality of Abasan Al-Kabira in Gaza in December 2019. It was inaugurated in February of this year. The secon...
As the adage goes: "when you are in a hole stop digging". Amended for Rio Tinto it would read "when you are in a cave stop blasting".

For the past few months the pressure has been mounting on Rios management and board. But on Friday, when a Senate inquiry heard that the miner annihilated 46,000 years of invaluable archaeological and Indigenous cultural history to derive $135 million worth of iron ore, Rio effectively detonated itself.

Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques...speaking at a federal inquiry reignites tensions between Mr Jacques and his predecessor Sam Walsh. Credit:Bloomberg

The long and rich history of listed companies making mistakes of this magnitude suggests heads must roll. It is a point that Rios current boss Jean-Sebastien Jacques has studiously avoided over the past couple of months. He has deadbatted all questions on board and management consequences begging instead that everyone hold fire until an internal investigation is completed as early as September.

When asked during the Senate grilling about whether any penalties had been imposed, Jacques said no single person was responsible and there had been no consequences to date.
Rhea, her aide, Sushants friend all set to be questioned by ED

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: The Enforcement Directorate will question a host of persons in connection with the Sushant Singh Rajput case.

On Friday, the ED summoned Shruti Modi, who is Rhea Chakraborty's business manager.

The ED will also question Rajput's friend Siddharth Pithani on Saturday. Rhea too has been asked to appear before the ED with relevant documents on Friday by 11 am.

Meet the two CBI officers who would probe the Sushant Singh Rajput case

She had requested the ED to put off the questioning in view of the Supreme Court hearing the matter, but the ED has not heeded to that request and says if she does not show up it would amount to violation of summons.

Meanwhile, the Bihar government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of coming in contact with Sushant Singh Rajput with an intention of grabbing his money.

The affidavit said that Rhea and her family came in contact with Sushant with the sole intention of grabbing his money and later painting a false a picture of his mental illness.

The affidavit was filed by senior superintendent of police. He said that Rhea took Sushant to her house and started giving him overdose of medicines.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The affidavit also said that despite total non-cooperation by the Mumbai Police, it has found several leads in the investigation. The Bihar Police also said that since the probe points are scattered at many places in India, it suggested a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Sushant Singh Rajput.
(Alliance News) - Finablr PLC-owner travel money firm Travelex has struck a deal to stay afloat, but with the loss of more than 1,300 jobs in the UK.

Administrators PwC said the impact of a cyber-attack followed by the coronavirus crisis had "acutely" hit the company.

It said that a complex restructuring deal completed on Thursday had delivered GBP84 million of new money through a "pre-pack administration sale" of certain entities and assets.

The purchaser is Travelex Acquisitionco Ltd, a special purpose vehicle controlled by the Noteholders to the global Travelex Group.

A pre-pack administration sale is when a company arranges a deal to sell its assets to a buyer before appointing administrators to facilitate the sale.

Toby Banfield, joint administrator at PwC, said the sale had saved 1,802 jobs in the UK, but 1,309 UK employees will be made redundant.

He added: "We would like to thank the employees, management team and all stakeholders who have been an integral part of the Travelex business for their tireless efforts.

"Against the challenging backdrop of the pandemic and current economic climate, they have helped to deliver a highly complex restructuring, enabling a core part of the business to continue operating under new ownership.

"The completion of this transaction has safeguarded 1,802 jobs in the UK and a further 3,635 globally, and ensured the continuation of a globally recognised brand.

"Unfortunately, as the majority of the UK retail business is no longer able to continue trading, it has regrettably resulted in 1,309 UK employees being made redundant today."

On New Year's Eve, Travelex was the target of a high-profile hack and reportedly paid out USD2.3 million in January to the notorious REvil ransomware gang.

The attack left its systems down for weeks, forcing the group to resort to pen and paper across its branches.

PwC said that the subsequent Covid-19 outbreak had created "considerable uncertainty" on future financial performance and the spread of the virus resulted in a sharp decline in air passenger numbers a impacting global travel.

The Travelex Group trades in over 80 currencies and operates in more than 50 countries, both online and through a network of more than 1,000 stores including major airports, with more than 1,000 ATMs around the world, PwC said.

The group also provides outsourcing services for partners including banks, supermarkets and travel agencies, extending its reach to more than 60 countries, it added.

The joint administrators will be writing to creditors in the next few weeks to provide further information on the restructuring and the impact on creditors, PwC said.

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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:

 490,554 cases in Texas, including 8,547 deaths.

 117,637 in the Houston region, including 1,997 deaths.

 More than 4.9 million in the U.S., including 161,328 deaths. Click here to see a U.S. map with state-by-state death tolls and the latest coronavirus case counts.

 More than 19.2 million in the world, with more than 718,851 deaths. More than 11.6 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:

9 p.m. The U.S. economy slowed in July as the pace of hiring eased from the robust rate of the previous two months, a victim of waning momentum and the resurgence of the coronavirus in many parts of the country, reports Nelson D. Schwartz and Gillian Friedman of the New York Times.

Employers added 1.8 million jobs, well below the 4.8 million jump in payrolls in June, the Labor Department reported, after virus-related restrictions caused some businesses to close for a second time. The unemployment rate fell to 10.2%.

7:15 p.m. The total number of cases in the state climbed to 490,554 Friday, a 1.5 percent increase, according to Chronicle analysis. Another 283 deaths were reported in Texas, bringing the state's total to 8,547.

The total confirmed cases in the Houston region is 117,637, up 1,814 from Thursday. There have been 1,997 total confirmed deaths in the Houston region, up 71 from yesterday.

Statewide, there are 8,065 patients hospitalized for lab-confirmed COVID-19. There are 56,367 total staffed hospital beds, 11,601 beds and 1,159 ICU beds available. There are 6,673 ventilators available.

-Reporter Jordan Rubio

5:30 p.m. As if San Antonio ranking No. 4 on the list of people looking for threesomes during the pandemic wasn't crazy, some residents are now being accused of throwing sex parties daily.

Residents of a northside neighborhood are voicing their concerns, telling KENS 5 that their neighbors  who have had police called to their home more than two dozen times since the start of 2020  are having the parties sometimes twice a day.

"According to daily social media advertisements and a flyer found crumpled in the yard of neighbors, the gatherings arent just any parties: They are sex parties," KENS 5 reported. "The [graphic] advertisements ask for a $10 donation and, in exchange, condoms, personal lubricant, towels, alcohol, snacks and more are provided. Social media advertisements indicate the parties happen sometimes twice a day from noon to 3 p.m. and from 5 p.m. until the evening hours."

-Reporter ShaCamree Gowdy

4:30 p.m. Emotions are mixed as students and instructors across Texas anticipate the fall semester, reports the Chronicle's Brittany Britto.

Faculty at Rice, the University of Houston, and the University of St. Thomas have been given full discretion on how they will teach their courses, as campuses grapple with the reality that resuming in-person activities could worsen the spread of COVID-19 and risk lives. Sam Houston State University is asking faculty to meet face-to-face with students weekly, a requirement thats prompting faculty to push back.

This is dangerous, SHSU math professor Ken Smith said of the requirement to teach in-person. People will die.

Even as students are in the process of moving into dorms, Rice University computing engineering professor Moshe Y. Vardi called the colleges decision to return a major risk, emphasizing in letters to the editor in Rices student newspaper The Rice Thresher that only those with an overwhelming need to return to campus should do so, such as those who need special equipment to conduct research. Everyone else, he said, should stay away from campus.

3:50 p.m. A district judge has ordered a Houston-area clinic to stop providing COVID-19-related testing and medical care and to secure a nearby dumpster where test results were allegedly being improperly disposed.

Clinica Hispana La Porte, at 9606 Spencer Highway, was administering antibody tests that were advertised to patients as COVID-19 infection tests, a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges. The suit further accuses the company of throwing away test results in an unsecured dumpster behind the clinic, which is a violation of Texas identity theft laws.

I will not allow anyone or any business to fraudulently represent COVID testing in our communities," Paxton said in a news release. "Patients must be assured that the tests they take and results they receive are accurate and their personal information will be protected."

-Reporter Rebecca Hennes

3:45 p.m. The symptoms between COVID-19 and influenza are similar, and knowing the parallels will be crucial as the Lone Star State prepares for flu season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Governor Greg Abbott had a roundtable discussion at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center on Tuesday, where he stressed the importance of getting your flu vaccine early and continuing to do everything you can to slow the spread of COVID-19.

"As we continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and prepare for the upcoming flu season, Texans must remain vigilant in our collective efforts to maintain infection control," Gov. Abbott said. "It is vital that every Texan continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid group gatherings, and frequently sanitize their hands. These best practices will aid in our efforts to reduce the spread of both COVID-19 and the flu."

-Reporter ShaCamree Gowdy

3:25 p.m. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn signaled Friday that hes willing to extend coronavirus relief checks to over 600,000 Texans  citizens and green card holders  who were edged out in the first round of payments because they are members of so-called mixed status households.

March stimulus payments did not go to citizens and permanent residents who file their taxes jointly with others in their households who are immigrants, including those who came to the country illegally.

Cornyn is calling for the next round of checks to go to any taxpayer with a Social Security Number, regardless of whether he or she lives with unauthorized immigrants.

-Reporter Benjamin Wermund

3:04 p.m. The costs of the novel coronavirus go beyond Americas economic collapse, a narrative told in GDP, unemployment figures, retail sales and stock prices. They are exacted in impossible choices and immeasurable losses, writes Chronicle reporter Sarah Smith.

Virus survivors leave the hospital behind on the basics (rent, groceries, utilities) and about to be hit with new medical costs (inpatient bills, home health aides, take-home oxygen masks). The families of the dead are left with funeral costs they didnt budget for.

3:01 p.m. In recent weeks, as public school districts surveyed families about their preferences for in-person or online classes, the level of comfort with face-to-face instruction appears to cut largely across the demographic and political lines that divide the highly diverse Houston region, writes Chronicle education reporter Jacob Carpenter.

In five districts serving large numbers of lower-income, Black, Latino and Democrat-leaning families, about 25 percent to 35 percent are choosing in-person classes. The districts include Aldine, Sheldon and Spring ISDs, as well as the KIPP Texas Public Schools and YES Prep Public Schools charter networks.

By contrast, about 55 percent to 70 percent of families in Clear Creek, Conroe, Humble and Spring Branch ISDs want to send their children to campuses to start the school year. All four districts are home to more affluent, white and Republican-leaning parents.

2:56 p.m. Late Thursday afternoon, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced a change that many family members and advocates had long been hoping for: Visitors were again being allowed at some nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

By Friday morning, however, that news became slightly tempered, writes Chronicle reporter Emily Foxhall. Visits were not to start immediately. The actual rules outlined in the news release had not yet been published for providers to see  much less ensure they could follow.

It remained unclear, too, how many nursing homes would even qualify.

Under the rules described in the news release, outdoor visits at nursing homes would be allowed only at facilities where no residents were currently infected with COVID-19 and where no staff member had tested positive in the previous two weeks.

2:22 p.m. The Alley Theatre is canceling all programs at its downstairs Neuhaus Theatre, citing compliance with social distancing guidelines by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the state of Texas, writes Chronicle theater critic Wei-Huan Chen.

As a result, the 2020-21 season is now six plays, down from the original 10-play season announced in April. Of the affected plays, Ken Ludwigs Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery and Sandy Rustins Clue are canceled, while Chisa Hutchisons Amerikin, Duncan Sheik and Kyle Jarrows Noir and Isaac Gomez's What-a-Christmas! are pushed to potential later seasons. The Alley All New Festival is canceled as well.

The company is adding Sweat, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lynn Nottage play, as a collaboration with the Ensemble Theatre.

2:01 p.m. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn signaled Friday that hes willing to extend coronavirus relief checks to over 600,000 Texans  citizens and green card holders  who were edged out in the first round of payments because they are members of so-called mixed status households, writes Chronicle Washington correspondent Benjamin Wermund.

March stimulus payments did not go to citizens and permanent residents who file their taxes jointly with others in their households who are immigrants, including those who came to the country illegally.

Cornyn is calling for the next round of checks to go to any taxpayer with a Social Security Number, regardless of whether he or she lives with unauthorized immigrants.

This pandemic has hit all Texans hard, and we shouldnt make it harder by withholding recovery resources based on the status of a U.S. citizens spouse, Cornyn said in a statement. The intent of these recovery checks is to provide a lifeline to as many U.S. citizens in dire need of support as we could, and this bill will allow us to help more Texans while we continue to fight the coronavirus.

1:55 p.m. Why is the housing market so hot during a pandemic and economic crisis? Chronicle real estate reporter talks to Nancy Almodovar, founder of residential real estate firm Nan & Co. Properties, about what's pushing people to buy.

Now Playing: Nancy Sarnoff and Nancy Almodovar on housing. Video: Houston Chronicle

1:15 p.m. A district judge has ordered a Houston-area clinic to stop providing COVID-19-related testing and medical care and to secure a nearby dumpster where test results were allegedly being improperly disposed writes Chronicle reporter Rebecca Hennes.

Clinica Hispana La Porte, at 9606 Spencer Highway, was administering antibody tests that were advertised to patients as COVID-19 infection tests, a lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleges. The suit further accuses the company of throwing away test results in an unsecured dumpster behind the clinic, which is a violation of Texas identity theft laws.

1:09 p.m. After the global pandemic slashed energy demand and sent prices for petroleum products plummeting -- forcing companies to cut spending, halt drilling projects and lay off thousands of employees -- EOG Resources says it will improve efficiency to allow it to produce oil at lower prices, writes Chronicle energy reporter Paul Takahashi. The company lost $909 million in the second quarter.

11:15 a.m. The University Interscholastic League has decreed that students who test positive for COVID-19 must be cleared by a doctor before they'll be allowed to participate in UIL activities.

As Texas school districts ramp up for the fall school year launch, athletic events are planned. Volleyball season starts Monday, for example.

10:38 a.m. The coronavirus has thrown a wrench into the operations of community centers such as Fifth Ward's Julia C. Hester House, which provides free meals to the neighborhood's most vulnerable residents. Social distancing restrictions meant suddenly the center could only serve a fraction of the people it could previously, writes Chronicle society reporter Amber Elliott.

Then in April, the Houston Food Bank and Harris County Precinct 1 stepped in. The two entities joined forces with Crowd Rescue to distribute 1,000 food boxes that are assembled at Hester House three times a week. Meal packages are delivered to Harris County senior citizens and residents who live in food deserts or are at an increased risk of suffering complications from COVID-19.

10:32 a.m. Testing positive for COVID-19 is anxiety-producing -- even more so if you aren't sure your doctors will discriminate against you based on your sexuality or gender identity, writes Eric Edward Schell in an opinion piece.

10:15 a.m. As students prepare to return to campuses, many are wondering about how to keep sports safe during the pandemic.

The Southeastern Conference announced plans to test its football players and staff at least twice weekly for COVID-19 during the season and has required masks for football coaches on the sidelines, writes Chronicle sports reporter Brent Zwerneman.

But one Chronicle reader, a former faculty representative on the University of Texas Men's Athletics Council, has written in calling for the university to cancel its football season. And the superintendents of Alief ISD and Northside ISD have written in saying that the failure of stringent health measures implemented in professional sports leagues to keep players safe should hold a lesson for local schools.

"If Major League Baseball, working with a small number of adults in a confined setting and with financial and medical resources, has been unable to prevent the spread of COVID-19, then it seems reasonable to think that it will be difficult to open schools for in-person instruction and not have COVID cases in our schools," they write.

9:59 a.m. The pandemic hasn't stopped people from getting married -- so churches have pushed on with their tradition of marriage-prep classes. Many have gone virtual, while the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston says retreats can proceed with extreme caution writes Lindsay Peyton.

9:51 a.m. Upset by politics, the economy and the pandemic? Chronicle columnist Chris Tomlinson asks voters to use that anger to demand economic justice instead of falling back on tribalism.

9:10 a.m. Could the world have seen this pandemic coming sooner? And how, in a high-tech world, should we keep watch for the next dangerous outbreak of disease?

Last week Andrew Natsios, director of Texas A&Ms Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs, called to create a new global early-warning system, saying aerial photos of Chinese parking lots could have flagged COVID last year. Natsios has deep expertise in addressing global disasters, including pandemics. Under President George W. Bush, he ran the U.S. Agency for International Development; and before that, during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, he led USAIDs emergency disaster management. Were he in that job now, hed be in charge of American pandemic response throughout the world.

Chronicle reporter Lisa Gray sat down to talk with Natsios how the world could have detected the novel coronavirus outbreak sooner.

9:04 a.m. The good news came in July: Moderna and Pfizer, two U.S.-based drug development companies, were ready to move into large-scale testing of their novel coronavirus vaccine candidates.

But to know whether the vaccines are effective, the companies are seeking people to participate in trials -- half of the participants will receive the investigatory shots, while the other half receives a placebo.

If youre interested in getting a COVID-19 vaccine in its earliest form for consumers, Chronicle "Houston How To" reporter Gwendolyn Wu writes what you need to know about qualifying for the trials.

8:52 a.m. It's tax-free weekend as families prepare to go back to school. But these year, the pandemic has shifted both the way people shop and what school will look like. Chronicle business reporters Amanda Drane and Paul Takahashi write about how stores prepared for the tax holiday during a pandemic.

8:45 a.m. When U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert tested positive for the coronavirus July 29, many of his colleagues in Congress were up in arms after spending weeks on Capitol Hill with the East Texas Republican who hardly ever seemed to wear a mask, writes Chronicle Washington correspondent Benjamin Wermund. Gohmert had a different take, wondering if it was the mask itself and his habit of fidgeting with it, that led to his being infected, a statement that drew even more groans and outrage.

Back in Texas, the distaste that some in the Swamp have for Gohmert has always been a part of his appeal.

8:30 a.m. Emotions are mixed as students and instructors across Texas anticipate the fall semester, writes Chronicle higher education reporter Brittany Britto. Faculty at Rice, the University of Houston, and the University of St. Thomas have been given full discretion on how they will teach their courses, as campuses grapple with the reality that resuming in-person activities could worsen the spread of COVID-19 and risk lives. Sam Houston State University is asking faculty to meet face-to-face with students weekly, a requirement thats prompting faculty to push back.

This is dangerous, SHSU math professor Ken Smith said of the requirement to teach in-person. People will die.

8:21 a.m. The conductor Nicholas McGegan will once again lead the Houston Symphony -- this time with a small group of socially distanced musicians and no audience. On Saturday, they will perform Mozarts lively Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Vivaldis vibrant The Four Seasons to kick off the symphony's lineup of livestream events, writes Lawrence Elizabeth Knox.

8:05 a.m. A week after a $600 weekly unemployment pay boost and other CARES Act obligations expired in late July, the Houston Chronicle editorial board argues congressional leaders and administrations must work around the clock to hammer out a new stimulus bill -- not just to ease the suffering of so many but to save the nation's economy from cratering to depths that could take decades to overcome.

7:50 a.m. The statewide positive COVID-19 test rate jumped to 17.05 percent Thursday, the second-highest positive rate since the pandemic began, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of state data.

Texas also saw 261 new deaths -- the 4th highest death increase to date -- for a total 8,264. Five of the last seven days have seen top ten days for death increases from COVID, the Chronicle analysis found.

The positive test rate Wednesday was 15.58 percent. The state also reported a case increase of 7,377, bringing the total number of infections to 483,224.

- Julian Gill and Matt Dempsey
Over 30 people lost their lives and many more were injured on Friday when Kerala was struck with twin disasters.

At least 15 people were killed and 50 others feared trapped in debris after a landslide triggered by heavy rains flattened a row of dwelling units of tea estate workers in Idukki district in the early hours of Friday. Nearly 250 km away, before the day ended, a pilot and 15 passengers were killed after an Air India Express plane with more than 180 on board skidded off the runway at the Karipur airport in Kozhikode. The toll is expected to rise.

The landslide is said to have occurred in the wee hours when a huge mound of earth fell on the "row houses". Two children and five women were among the deceased, most of whom were plantation workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Fifteen bodies have been recovered so far.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government will give Rs 5 lakh in compensation to families of those who died and the treatment cost of the injured will be borne by the state. Compensation of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) will be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the landslide and Rs 50,000 each to those injured.

While the state administration was reeling under a natural calamity, a man-made disaster jolted them late on Friday.

An Air India Express flight with 191 people onboard veered off the runway while landing at Kozhikode. One of the pilots of the Dubai-Kozhikode flight died while scores of passengers are feared injured. The incident took place around 7.45 pm at Karipur airport.

"A Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight fell down into the valley after landing at Runway 10 of Karipur Airport and broke down in two pieces," said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). "There were 191 people on board. Visibility was 2,000 metre at the time of landing.

The aviation regulator has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter.

Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said all 108 ambulances in Kozhikode and Malappuram are being rushed to the airport. The Government Hospital in Kozhikode is being readied to receive casualties and we have also reached out to Aster MIMS, she added.

Former Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons in a tweet said, "It was the second tragedy of the day."

Second tragedy of the day in Kerala : Air India Express skids off the run way at Kozhikode, front portion splits , pilot dies and lots of passengers injured . All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didnt catch fire @narendramodi @JPNadda  Alphons KJ (@alphonstourism) August 7, 2020

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor described it as a "tragic day" for Kerala and hoped that rescue efforts will succeed in saving all the passengers onboard the Air India Express flight.

"Tragic day for Kerala. First the deaths in Munnar & now this: I hear both pilots have died. Hope rescue efforts will succeed in saving all the passengers," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said in a tweet soon after the news of the accident broke.
Federal MPs are pushing to ramp up parliamentary scrutiny of Chinese Communist Party influence at Australian universities as concerns grow about the sector's reliance on revenue from Chinese students and research partnerships.

Education Minister Dan Tehan on Friday announced a review of the sector's efforts to protect free speech and academic inquiry on campuses after two universities were this week embroiled in controversy over their responses to Chinese student criticism.

Politicians from across the major parties and the crossbench are calling for separate probes to more comprehensively examine universities' reliance on China. Credit:Andrew Quilty

But politicians from across the major parties and the crossbench are calling for separate probes to more comprehensively examine universities' reliance on China, given growing fears about the risk to the integrity of higher education in Australia.

Crossbench MP Bob Katter welcomed the government's decision to review universities' implementation of a model code to protect free speech and academic freedom but said it would not go far enough and the government needed to "go for the whole hog".
LAS VEGAS  A U.S. appeals court refused Thursday to resurrect the criminal case against states' rights figure Cliven Bundy, family members and others stemming from a 2014 armed standoff with federal agents trying to round up Bundy cattle near the family ranch in Nevada.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in San Francisco denied prosecutors' efforts to overturn U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro's decision to stop a months-long trial in January 2018 for "flagrant" prosecutorial misconduct and her dismissal of the criminal indictment so it could not be re-filed.

"The judgment is affirmed," Judge Jay Bybee wrote for the three-judge panel that heard oral arguments May 29. The judges found Navarro properly identified violations of "recognized statutory or constitutional" rights, and she had the authority to punish the government "to deter future illegal conduct."

Bundy, his sons Ryan and Ammon Bundy, and Montana militia leader Ryan Payne had faced life in prison. But they were set free after nearly two years of detention ahead of trial that could have gotten them life in prison on charges including conspiracy and assaulting federal officers.

Their arrests, with a total of 19 co-defendants in the Nevada case, came in early 2016 after the Bundy brothers and Payne took part in a 41-day anti-government protest occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

The Nevada case stemmed from a years-long dispute between Bundy and the federal Bureau of Land Management over years of unpaid grazing fees. It grew to involve self-described personal militia members from 11 other states who answered a Bundy family plea for help in March 2014. It became a symbol for advocates of states' rights, anti-federal policies and the sovereign citizen movement.

"They still say I'm trespassing," Bundy, 74, said Thursday. He maintains the federal government has no authority and U.S. courts have no jurisdiction over state lands. He acknowledged he continues to refuse to pay fees for his cows grazing in the scrub desert of what is now Gold Butte National Monument.

"These feds came in here and overreached on my land and my ranch," he said. "We're willing to go through what we've had to to defend our rights and the constitution and freedom. I have no contract with the federal government."

U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich in Las Vegas declined immediate comment.

Ammon Bundy's attorney, Daniel Hill, dubbed the ruling "the Republic in action."

"We have courts so that someone can tell the government when it's done wrong. Judge Navarro's order dismissing the case was righteous, and the 9th Circuit agreed," Hill said.

Navarro found "deliberate attempts" by the FBI and prosecutors "to mislead and distort the truth." She blamed FBI agents for "reckless disregard" of requirements to turn over evidence relating to government snipers and cameras that monitored the Bundy homestead.

In a footnote, the appeals court judges agreed there was "a serious constitutional violation based on choices made by the government," but she did not find prosecutors' acts amounted to professional misconduct.

The court said pre-standoff "threat assessment" reports prepared by government agents should have been turned over from the FBI to federal prosecutors to defense attorneys.

"These documents could have helped bolster the defense's claim that the government had engaged in an overmilitarized impound operation that the Bundys claim fueled their fears of being surrounded by snipers," the court said.

"Someone in the government made a conscious choice to withhold these documents. It may not have been a malicious choice, but it also was not a matter of simple oversight."

Cliven Bundy's attorney, conservative activist Larry Klayman, said evidence showed government agents "threatened the Bundys' lives, killed their cattle, assaulted family members and perpetrated tyrannical executive power over them."

Prosecutors failed to gain full convictions in two earlier trials against six other defendants who acknowledged carrying assault-style weapons during the April 2014 confrontation outside Bunkerville, 80 miles (129 kilometers) northeast of Las Vegas.

None was found guilty of the key conspiracy charge.

Navarro separately dismissed charges against four remaining co-defendants who had been awaiting trial later in 2018.

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Two children and a brother of former Saudi intelligence officer Saad al-Jabri were detained in the kingdom in March.

The United States Department of State said in a letter it has repeatedly requested that Saudi Arabia clarify the status and nature of the detention of two children of a former top Saudi intelligence officer exiled in Canada who has alleged that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) wants to assassinate him.

The State Department letter came in response to one sent by four US senators last month, calling on President Donald Trump to help free the detained children of Saad al-Jabri, who has worked closely with the US.

For years, Dr. Aljabri was the US Embassy in Riyadhs counterpart on shared counterterrorism efforts and responded around the clock to threats against our Mission and personnel, stated the letter by Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Legislative Affairs Ryan M Kaldahl.

It says the US appreciates Al-Jabris contributions to keeping our citizens safe and absent sufficient and compelling justification will continue to advocate for the wellbeing of Al-Jabris children.

Saad al-Jabri and his daughter Sarah al-Jabri, who has been detained in Saudi Arabia since March [File: Khalid Al Jabri/via Reuters]

The joint letter  sent last month by Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy, Tim Kaine and Chris Van Hollen  said the Saudi royal family was holding the children of Saad al-Jabri, Sarah and Omar, as leverage to force his return to the kingdom.

The two adult children, and a brother of Saad al-Jabri, who is said to hold key state secrets, were detained in Riyadh in March.

Al-Jabri had earlier attempted to get his children to leave Saudi Arabia, but authorities had placed them under a travel ban, according to reports.

The former spy filed a lawsuit [PDF] in US federal court on Thursday that accused MBS of dispatching people to hunt him down in the US and sending a hit squad to kill him in Canada. The latter plot was foiled because the hit team, referred to as the Tiger Squad was denied entry to Canada, court documents said.

The suit claims that MBS has been trying to kill al-Jabri for the past three years, that Defendant bin Salman continues in his attempted extrajudicial killing to this day, and that MBS has obtained a ruling by religious authorities endorsing the killing of Dr. Saad [Al-Jabri].

The Saudi royal family is holding Sarah and Omar Aljabri as hostages. Hostage taking is never justified. For a government to use such tactics is abhorrent. They should be released immediately. https://t.co/wqr22IEX1S pic.twitter.com/VdCpp0NZxV  Sen. Patrick Leahy (@SenatorLeahy) July 9, 2020

It further alleges that al-Jabris close ties to the US Intelligence Community stand in the way of Defendant bin Salmans consolidation of influence and power among US government officials, and seeks a jury trial in the US.

Kaldahls letter said it was concerned about any alleged activities that led al-Jabri to go to exile in Canada and said accusations of wrongdoing by him should be addressed through legal channels.

Saudi Arabia, which has issued Interpol red notices seeking al-Jabris return that have since been dismissed as political, has urged other countries to send al-Jabri back to the kingdom, accusing the former senior intelligence officer of corruption.

Al-Jabri had access to the highest levels of information in decades as an intelligence officer working closely with US counterparts.

The four US senators who have sought to help him wrote last month: As a top intelligence officer in Saudi Arabia, Dr Al-Jabri has been credited by former CIA officials for saving thousands of American lives by discovering and preventing terrorist plots.

They said the US has a moral obligation to do what it can to assist in securing his childrens freedom.

The State Department reply said the US-Saudi partnership permits us to engage in frank discussions in areas where we disagree and that in coordination with the White House and other US government agencies it would continue to engage Saudi counterparts to resolve this situation in a manner that honors Dr. Aljabris service to our country.
The decision is a legal victory for House Democrats, but the ruling does not mean that McGahn will immediately appear on Capitol Hill. The court sent the case back to the initial three-judge panel, which had ruled against the House, to consider McGahns other challenges to the subpoena. The timeline makes it unlikely that the case will be resolved before Congress adjourns in January and the subpoena expires.
Bajaj sold his 18-month-old start-up WhiteHat Jr to Byju Raveendran for $300 million in an all-cash deal - over the video conferencing platform Zoom. The deal is the biggest in the Indian edtech sector by far.

Karan Bajaj is a well-travelled person.

His travels include solo backpacking across South America and eastern Europe, and taking trips with his wife from Europe to India by road.

He is also a big believer in a boundaryless world.

Bajaj is founder of Mumbai-based edtech start-up WhiteHat Jr, which teaches coding to children.

Bajaj has never met Byju Raveendran, founder & chief executive officer of education decacorn Byjus, in person.

A few weeks ago, when the country was under lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, Raveendran had reached out to Bajaj over WhatsApp and then a few more Zoom meetings had followed.

After that Bajaj sold his 18-month-old start-up to Raveendran for $300 million (approximately Rs 2,240 crore) in an all-cash deal - over the video conferencing platform Zoom itself.

The deal - the biggest in the Indian edtech sector by far - was announced by Byjus on Wednesday.

After we (Raveendran) connected, there was immediately a very strong feeling of mutual vision alignment, Bajaj said.

He has a very similar boundary-less vision of the world, where he believes that Indian education products can go anywhere in the world.

An alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology, Bajaj founded WhiteHat Jr in November 2018.

The start-up is backed by Nexus Venture Partners, Omidyar Network India, and Owl Ventures, which have made returns of over $140 million from this acquisition, according to sources.

What also caught the attention of Byjus to do this acquisition is that WhiteHat Jr reached a $150-million annual revenue run rate within 18 months since going live while utilising only a fraction of the $11-million cumulative funding.

The platform has introduced three million kids to coding, currently conducts 20,000 live classes per day taught by 5,000 teachers of WhiteHat Jr.

One of the other reasons was that the company had a successful pilot launch in the US. Its US business is growing at more than 100 per cent each month.

This has now given it the confidence to scale in major global markets.

The firm plans to expand to other global markets such as Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand after strong growth in the US.

We now have aggressive plans to expand in (global markets), said Bajaj.

I felt anything I could accomplish on my own, I would be able to do it faster and better with Byjus.

After announcing the deal, Raveendran said: WhiteHat Jrs coding product capabilities, combined with our pedagogy, expertise and scale, will help expand our learning offerings for school students.

Byjus also said the new education policy also stresses on teaching coding skills from early classes.

Bajaj also said he aims to create at least 100,000 teaching jobs in India in the next three years.

Lets bring back the golden age of the teaching profession, where teachers are paid well like an IIM or IIT graduate because of the fact that we are able to teach kids all over the world, said Bajaj, who will continue to lead and scale the business in markets such as the US and India.

It would leverage the expertise and resources of the parent company Byjus.

Bajajs start-up offers a range of artificial intelligence course options designed for children aged 6-14, thereby, preparing them for the new digital world.

It helps them build commercial-ready games, animations and apps online using the fundamentals of coding.

This includes focusing on using a systematic approach to help school-going children learn the fundamentals of AI programming and Python machine learning.

All classes are taught Live 1:1 online in the comfort of the childs home by certified teachers.

Born into an Army family and who spent his childhood in Shimla, Bajaj before starting WhiteHat Jr served as CEO for Discovery, where he led Discovery Networks (Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Discovery Kids ) in South Asia.

He was also a senior director at Krafts Food Group and project leader at the Boston Consulting Group. His early career stint included managerial role at Procter & Gamble.

Bajaj has also authored three contemporary Indian novels, Keep Off the Grass, Johnny Gone Down, and The Seeker.

His first novel, Keep Off the Grass, became a bestseller with more than 70,000 copies sold in the year of release.

Together his novels have sold more than 200,000 copies in India.

Our vision is to become the complete leaders in live tutoring and make the art of learning very creative and delightful for the kids, he said.

Photograph: Kind courtesy byjuslearningapp/Facebook.com
Five students in a south Alabama high school are now in quarantine after coming in close contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 after the first day of school on Thursday.

We had an individual who last night started developing symptoms of COVID-19, Saraland City Schools Superintendent Aaron Milner told AL.com. They had contracted it from a family member, it appears.

Milner said the individual called the principal of Saraland High, just north of Mobile, on Friday morning to report the illness. After receiving a positive COVID-19 test, the individual reported it to the school.

The district reported the case to the Mobile health department, he said. In consultation with them, we then began working on contact tracing.

Through careful tracing and examination of seating charts, they determined the individual had come into close contact with only five students at the high school. Those students were sent home, where they will now do distance learning during the 14-day quarantine.

All five of those students wore masks at school, Milner said.

Milner said faculty and staff have worked hard to social distance and set up a safe environment at school.

He said it was remarkable considering the circumstances. For the whole day, when you consider that we had some 3,030 individuals in all of our schools, due to our spreading out as much as possible, and we had only five that met the (close contact) criteria.

About the students, Milner said, By all indications, theyre a little upset about getting sent home.

We could not have asked for a more supportive response from (the students) guardians and parents, he said.

Milner said he is not surprised, and his faculty and staff are not shaken by the news.

This is making news because we were one of the first districts to open. Its going to be a broken record for this school year.

Saraland joined Enterprise City on Thursday as the first two school systems to restart in-person classes in Alabama. Three more districts opened on Friday.

This is just a challenge there were going to deal with, Milner said. Were going to continue to analyze cases, and if we need to make adjustments, we will.

Related: Alabama school system has first day of class: Heres what it looked like
(Natural News) The Oxford Internet Institute, a department of the University of Oxford, has released a new study claiming that it benefits society to censor conservative-leaning news websites like The Daily Caller and PJ Media because they publish junk news and disinformation.

Entitled, Follow the Money: How the Online Advertising Ecosystem Funds COVID-19 Junk News and Disinformation, the paper takes a closer look at what types of advertising and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) create funding for the types of websites that Big Tech has been censoring lately.

What Emily Taylor, Lisa-Maria Neudert, Stacie Hoffmann, and Philip N. Howard, the four co-authors, discovered is that about 61 percent of junk news & disinformation sources used Google ads to monetize their pages. Further, the rest utilize some other type of major advertising platform, which these authors find offensive.

They are hucksters, fraudsters, peddling misinformation, stated Howard, the only male who worked on the project, to The New York Times. It would be a public service to take them down, he added.

If it were up to Howard, both Google and Amazon, two of the worlds largest advertising mediums, should create internal blacklists to block false and misleading websites from being allowed to obtain any advertising revenue, which would effectively shut them down for good.

After Facebook announced a new partnership with The Daily Callers fact-checker, Howard also piped in that, If it helps Facebook re-evaluate this, @polbots research has consistently rated @DailyCaller junk news.

Howard is also quoted as saying on Twitter that he believes President Donald Trump, the Trump campaign, and Trumps supporters all rely on fake news to get their messages out on the internet.

These fact-checking censors are just fascists in disguise

If it were up to Howard, no conservative websites would be funded at all, which as we have pointed out many times in the past is a form of fascism  a digital book-burning, if you will, that seeks to abolish all opposing viewpoints and opinions that the left finds offensive.

In this case, Howard and his team are incensed that some news websites out there do not accept the official plandemic narrative hook, line, and sinker. Because of this, they are now seeking to stamp out all of these websites by cutting off their advertising revenue streams.

Google has been criticized for repeatedly serving up biased and misleading search results and driving traffic to junk news sources, which in turn can be monetized through advertising, their paper explains.

It also claims that the widespread availability of SEO tools is a bad thing because these tools are abused by bad actors to enhance the prominence of junk news in search results.

These are interesting claims to make, seeing as how a different study recently found that CNN articles are up to three times more likely to appear in Googles search results than Fox News articles. And other conservative-leaning websites such as Breitbart News no longer show up in Googles search results at all.

The truth of the matter is that conservatives are under relentless attack, not just by Big Tech but also now by academia. And unless people speak up against these attacks, they will only continue.

Contact Oxford Internet Institute and demand that platforms provide equal footing for conservatives: Companies need to make equal room for conservative groups as advisers to offset bias, writes Corinne Weaver for mrcTechWatch.

That same attitude should be applied to employment diversity efforts. Tech companies need to embrace viewpoint diversity. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

For more related news about far-left fascists who are obsessed with censoring opinions and beliefs that offend them, be sure to check out Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

Newsbusters.org

NaturalNews.com

MRC.org
North Korean newspaper Daily NK quoted a source stating the explosion appeared to be from a gas leak from a homes liquid gasoline tank, and the fires spread to dozens of nearby houses.

The source said that the serial fire caused by the gas explosion burned residential houses for about an hour, and the entire multi-family community was completely scorched in the explosion. Given the restrictive nature of reporting in North Korea, the true cause and scale of the explosion is still unknown.

And the typhoon is now hitting the city of Shanghai, where heavy rains have disrupted traffic, and led to pooling of water up to nearly four feet deep. Winds were estimated at around 85 miles per hour at the typhoons epicenter. More than 600 flights in Shanghai were disrupted, and travel by train, ferry, and bus has also been disrupted.

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
Flowers and tributes at the family home of Nadia Zofia Kalinowska in Newtownabbey

A couple accused of murdering their five-year-old daughter will not be together for the birth of their new child, it emerged on Friday.



Abdul and Aleksandra Wahab are currently in custody on charges over the death of Nadia Kalinowska at their home in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim.

The youngster was discovered at the Fernagh Drive address on December 15 last year.

Abdul Wahab, 32, was set to mount a bid for compassionate release to join his pregnant wife when she is due to go into labour later this month.

But a judge at Belfast Magistrates' Court dismissed the application on Friday due to current visiting restrictions in hospitals.

Two prison staff are already expected to accompany 26-year-old Aleksandra Wahab when she is admitted to give birth.

She and her husband - Nadia's stepfather - are jointly charged with her murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, and grievous bodily harm with intent over a year-long period.

Previous courts heard claims of neglect towards the youngster.

In June 2018 a health visitor allegedly referred the girl for treatment to black and decaying teeth.

Ten months later the referral ended when Nadia failed to attend appointments.

Police investigating the circumstances surrounding her death were said to have found no toys, dolls or teddy bears at the family home.

And school records revealed a 64% attendance rate, according to the prosecution.

Mr and Mrs Wahab, from Pakistan and Poland respectively, deny all allegations against them.

They claim Nadia sustained the fatal injuries falling down stairs in the middle of the night.

Both accused remain in custody following a series of unsuccessful bail applications.

They were refused amid fears of fleeing and not turning up for any trial.

With a final post mortem report still to be submitted, their cases were adjourned for another four weeks.
Dhaka, Aug 7 : Mahbub Kabir Milan, Additional Secretary of Bangladesh's Railways Ministry has been made an Officer on Special Duty (OSD), said that he will "not spare anyone" in his fight against all forms of corruption in the country.

"I will not spare anyone. I am honest and only accountable to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the people of Bangladesh," Kabir told IANS in an exclusive interview on Friday.

"The country that is stained with the blood of millions of martyrs, we have to repay the debt by working honestly and combating all corruption." Milan, an exceptional activist among government officials, has achieved the revolutionary goal in public affairs.

Always vocal against any anomaly, he has become a household name in Bangladesh as he has come up with initiatives to make the railways more passenger-friendly.

Milan recently placed a proposal to Hasina to form a wing consisting of 10 honest officials to eradicate corruption in all sectors of the country within three months.

"When I count the days, I have one and a half years of time on my hands. Every 1 hour I have to do a good deed for this country, my time is running out. I have now been made the OSD. I don't know if there will be a better time than this," he told IANS.

"The fraud of crores of taka through bkash has stopped. But, it was not my job; it is the job of the Ministry of Finance, the job of the Central Bank of Bangladesh." bKash is a mobile financial service in the country operating under the authority of Bangladesh Bank as a subsidiary of BRAC Bank Limited.

This mobile money system started as a joint venture between BRAC Bank Limited Bangladesh and Money in Motion LLC, US. It was founded in 2011.

"If I can alone can stop such a big racket, then I can do 10,000 times more if I get 10 honest officers. I will go door-to-door to solve problems," he said.

On achieving his goal, Milan told IANS: "I closed the door of the room and worked alone, the chairman of my department doesn't know - the colleagues don't know. I find out the culprit myself alone. I wrote the letter myself in the upper levels of different ministry to take action against the specific companies like 'bkash'.

"Find out the culprits and solve the problem myself. All the big companies are now fine. Every company knows - this man (Mahbub Kabir) can't be convinced with misleading or offering anything." "I wrote all letters with my signature and sent letters to the secretaries of various ministries. Every secretary knows me now. Everyone gladly received, took action.

He further said that everyone calls him "crazy" for breaking the norms.

"We have to work with integrity - we have to 'own' our duty and responsibility - My country, our children will get the benefit from this good work with commitment," he concluded.
An Air India Express flight IX 1344 from Dubai to Kerala's Kozhikode skidded off the runway while landing at the Karipur Airport on Friday night. The jet was carrying 190 passengers, including 10 infants, two pilots and four crew members at the time of the incident, ANI reported. The impact from the crash split the aircraft into two pieces with debris strewn all over the runway. Resuce operations are underway.

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has order a detailed investigation into the crash, ANI reported.

Home Minister Amit Shah expressed distress on the incident. "Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations," he tweeted.

In a tweet, former Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphons KJ informed that the pilot of the plane has died and lots of passengers have been injured. All passengers have been evacuated, he added.

Follow BusinessToday.In for LIVE updates on the Air India Express plane crash:

11.08 PM: A high-level meeting of Civil Aviation Ministry is underway at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan. DGCA Director-General and officials of the ministry, Airport Authority of India and Air India Express officilas are present.

10.51 PM: "Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families," tweets President Ram Nath Kovind.
BGCA drive-by parties and CMN Hospital visits took place at 88 locations in which Panda hosted the virtual storytime this week. As part of the celebrations, the organizations received a total of 88,000 books for the children, aimed at developing reading skills, enhancing critical thinking skills and broadening perspectives. In addition, curated through its Panda Cub Club  enrichment initiative established earlier this year, Panda provided fun at-home activities to encourage learning through play. Both CMN Hospitals and BGCA are longtime partners of Panda Cares and have enabled the foundation to support millions of children and families over the years.

"As a family business, we believe it is our responsibility to foster the spirit of kindness in our extended Panda family of guests and associates, and it has been an honor to witness everyone coming together to further our mission of inspiring better lives," said Dr. Peggy Cherng, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Panda Express. "Panda Cares Day has a special place in our hearts for many reasons. The number 8 is the luckiest number in the Chinese culture, representing prosperity. The number is thought to bring good fortune in life, which is why we established Panda Cares Day on August 8to share good fortune with the communities we serve."

Following a commitment of $25 million to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals to fund Panda Cares Centers of Hope in 2019, Panda Cares unveils its 8th Center of Hope on Panda Cares Day 2020 at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, which is serendipitously celebrating its 8th anniversary this year. The Panda Cares Center of Hope inspires hope and promotes healing by providing specially curated programs that address each child's entire well-being, including their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. Therapeutic play, art therapy, and counseling services are just a few examples of a wide range of offerings at Panda Cares Center of Hope designed to give children the courage and strength to thrive. Since last year, Panda and CMN Hospitals have debuted Center of Hope locations across several hospitals in the U.S. including California, Texas, Nevada, Hawaii, Washington D.C., and Arizona.

To extend the festivities to its guests, the American Chinese brand has organized a virtual fundraiser on August 8, to continue to drive donations to support children in underserved communities. When a guest places an order on the Panda Express mobile app or website using the promo code 'PandaCaresDay,' Panda Express will donate 28 percent of the pre-tax sales to their local CMN hospital.

Panda Cares is funded through the in-store and online donation box program and associates at Panda Express, Panda Inn, and Hibachi-San as well as Panda Restaurant Group partners and founders. The foundation provides food, funding and volunteer services to underserved youth, and disaster relief efforts. For more information about Panda Cares, please visit PandaCares.org. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

About Panda Express

On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express is the largest Asian dining concept in the U.S. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller the Original Orange Chicken and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has more than 2,200 locations and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to twelve international countries. Powered by this global family of associates, Panda Cares, Panda's philanthropic arm, has raised more than $216 million and dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 12 million youths, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2020, the organization established the Panda Cares Scholars Program to provide the necessary funding, academic support and leadership development to help high school and college students learn, lead and thrive towards a bright future. For more information about Panda, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

SOURCE Panda Express

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The COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent public health response of lockdown has brought into sharp relief the constraints faced by women across the board.

We have been keeping a keen eye on the impact it's having on women in academia  our field of work and research. What we're observing, and what's being backed up by research, is that women are facing additional constraints as a result of COVID-19.

These range from the added burdens and responsibilities of working from home, through to the fact that fewer women scientists are being quoted as experts on COVID-19, all the way to far fewer women being part of the cohort producing new knowledge on the pandemic.

None of these constraints are new. Earlier research confirms that women academics carry large teaching burdens , with relatively little time for research and publication compared to their male colleagues, many of whom do not carry equivalent domestic responsibilities.

Increased pressure on women academics caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is magnifying this fractured landscape of gender parity in academia. The impact is being felt in terms of productivity . This is manifesting itself in terms of public exposure, knowledge generation and who is being called on to provide advice.

Academic output

An article in the World University Rankings points to the bias towards men experts in media coverage of COVID-19. Written by a group of women scientists, the article points out that women are advising policymakers on the outbreak, designing clinical trials, coordinating field studies and leading data collection and analysis. But, when it comes to media coverage, there is a bias towards men. While epidemiology and medicine are women dominated fields, men get quoted far more often than women about the pandemic.

Read more: Africa's research ecosystem needs a culture of mentoring

A June 2020 article in the correspondence section of a leading medical journal, The Lancet , makes the same point. It points out that women have made up just 24% of COVID-19 experts quoted in the media and 24.3% of national task forces analysed.

Women's outputs are being affected in other ways too. A recent article in Science News shows that fewer women were first authors on articles related to COVID-19. This was especially so in the first months of the pandemic. They compared 1,893 articles published in March and April 2020 with those from 2019 in the same journals, and found that first authorship for women declined by 23%.

This they attribute to the increased demands of family life during the pandemic .

The Guardian newspaper also reported a decrease in women's academic outputs, with the journal Comparative Politics reporting that submissions by men went up by 50% in April .

The Lancet article makes the same point.

Recent data from the US, the UK and Germany suggest women spend more time on pandemic-era childcare and home schooling than men do. This is particularly difficult for single-parent households, most of which are headed by women.

Read more: A personal journey sheds light on why there are so few black women in science

Domestic constraints

The article by women scientists in The Lancet makes it clear that none of the challenges are new.

Challenges women in academia face are well documented in non-pandemic times. These challenges include male dominated institutional cultures, lack of female mentors, competing family responsibilities due to gendered domestic labour, and implicit and subconscious biases in recruitment, research allocation, outcome of peer review, and number of citations.

But, they write, COVID-19 has led to unprecedented day care, school and workplace closures exacerbating challenges.

For decades, women in academia and professional practice have striven to achieve work-life balance, juggling professional and domestic responsibilities .

Institutional support for women in terms of maternity leave, childcare facilities, lactation rooms, flexible working hours and protected research time varies across institutions in South Africa. It is lacking in many .

And now women are working from home, where they are also expected to take care of children and elderly parents, do home schooling , clean, cook and shop .

Addressing the problem

This disproportionate effect on productivity of women has the potential to bleed women from academia. This will have a negative impact on the diversity that is critical for excellence in academia and in civil society.

None of this is factored in to promotion criteria or performance assessments, when women in academia compete directly with their male counterparts. Consequently, women are seriously underrepresented in academic leadership, perpetuating a patriarchal institutional culture in tertiary educational institutions.

Some global funding agencies, among them the European and Developing Country Clinical Trial Partnerships and the National Institutes of Health, have recently started to consider constraints facing women scientists in grant applications . This effort needs to be seriously expanded.

This could be done via revisions to existing policies and proactive development of new policies to create optimal gender balance in research. Funders also have a responsibility to explore how institutions that financially benefit enormously from research funding via indirect costs support women scientists in academia.

Read more: Women scientists lag in academic publishing, and it matters

Scientific journals are becoming sensitive to gender balance and diversity with respect to authorship. But the requirement for gender equity in terms of participants included in research studies and authorship must be tightened .

Similarly, conference panels and keynote speaker selection are in dire need of appropriate representation of women, especially those from the global South, whose voices are underrepresented in international academic meetings and scientific conferences. Anything less than these efforts will perpetuate pre-COVID-19 levels of gender inequity and lack of diversity. Sadly, academia will be the poorer for it.

Keymanthri Moodley receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. She is affiliated with the Women's Forum, Stellenbosch University. All views expressed are her own.

Amanda Gouws holds a SARChI Chair in Gender Politics, funded by the NRF

By Keymanthri Moodley, Director, The Centre for Medical Ethics & Law, Stellenbosch University And

Amanda Gouws, Professor of Political Science and SARChi Chair in Gender Politics, Stellenbosch University
By Julie Ingwersen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday reported private sales of U.S. soybeans to China of 456,000 tonnes, the biggest single-day soy sale to the world's top buyer since June 11.

Smaller sales were reported on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as sales to unknown destinations on Monday.

The deals came despite rising political tensions between Washington and Beijing. U.S. President Donald Trump cranked up antagonism on Friday by banning U.S. transactions with two popular Chinese apps, WeChat and TikTok, rattling global equity markets.

"(China's) purchases of our products - corn, wheat, grain sorghum, soybeans, pork - are continuing at a rapid pace, without regard to any geopolitical tensions," said Bill Lapp, president of Nebraska-based Advanced Economic Solutions.

China's soybean imports rose 18% this year through July versus a year ago, as large volumes of soybeans from Brazil arrived, according to Chinese customs data.

The Asian country has increasingly turned to U.S. supplies in recent weeks, with the USDA reporting China bought nearly 5.2 million tonnes of U.S. corn, along with 3 million tonnes of soybeans and 320,000 tonnes of hard wheat since July 10.

But China is still far behind the pace needed to meet its commitment of buying $36.5 billion under a Phase 1 deal. The United States exported just $7.274 billion in agricultural goods to China in the first half of the year, according to U.S. Census Bureau trade data.

The benchmark November soybean futures contract on the Chicago Board of Trade fell to a five-week low of $8.69-1/4 a bushel despite the latest sale.

Lapp noted that the USDA has projected U.S. soybean exports for the 2020/21 marketing year, which begins on Sept. 1, at 55.8 million tonnes, up from 44.9 million tonnes in 2019/20.

"In terms of U.S. soybean exports rising ... you are going have to sell a lot more," Lapp said.

(Reporting by Julie Ingwersen in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
A missing Bergen County man was found dead in a car partially submerged in the Hackensack River, police said.

At 3:57 p.m. Thursday, River Vale Police got a call from Hillsdale Police to help them search for a missing person, River Vale Police Chief Sean Scheidle said in a statement. Hillsdale Police said that the missing person may have been near Rivervale Road and Piermont Avenue, in River Vale, the statement said.

Minutes later, officers from both police departments went to the area and found a mid-size SUV that had gone down an embankment and into the Hackensack River, according to the statement. Officers waded into the river and removed the man from the car and determined he was dead, the statement said.

The man was later identified as John Inserra, 48, the Hillsdale man who had been reported missing, confirmed Scheidle.

Police are considering the crash a single-car accident and it is still being investigated, according to the statement. Multiple law enforcement agencies assisted in the investigation, including the Bergen County Sheriffs Office, Bergen County Prosecutors Office and local police departments from Old Tappan, Montvale, Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake.

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.
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parkland Corporation ("Parkland", "we", the "Company", or "our") (TSX:PKI) announced today its financial and operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. Highlights from the second quarter (three months) include:



Adjusted EBITDA attributable to Parkland ("Adjusted EBITDA") of $191 million.





Net earnings attributable to Parkland of $32 million or $0.22 per share, basic.





Cash flow from operations fully funded capital expenditures, acquisitions and net dividend payments.





Fuel and petroleum product volume decreased by 14 percent relative to 2019 due to the impact of COVID-19.





Operating and marketing, general and administrative ("MG&A") costs decreased by a combined $80 million relative to 2019. The cost reductions and strong per unit fuel margins helped offset the impact of volume declines.





Refinery utilization was 64 percent for the quarter, reflecting the impact of the Burnaby refinery turnaround (the "Turnaround"). Post the Turnaround, utilization was between 75 - 80 percent to account for lower product demand.





Closed $400 million offering of Senior Notes due 2028 and subsequently redeemed $400 million of Senior Notes maturing in 2021 and 2022.





Improved liquidity of $1.6 billion and Total Funded Debt to Credit Facility EBITDA ratio of 2.7 times as of June 30, 2020.





Modest increase to expected 2020 capital expenditures of $50 million, to an expected total of $325 million +/- 5%.





Proudly supported our Canadian, US and International communities through the COVID-19 pandemic by donating over $4 million of fuel and premium food items.

"I would like to thank the Parkland team for safely serving our customers and delivering strong financial and operating performance, in what was the most challenging macro environment we have ever seen, said Bob Espey, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We delivered solid margins, won new business and successfully managed our cash flow by reducing costs and controlling capital expenditures. Our financial and operating performance through the second quarter demonstrates the flexibility and resilience of our diversified business model. While we remain nimble in light of ongoing COVID-19 uncertainty, we are confident in our ability to advance our growth agenda.

Q2 2020 Segment Highlights

Canada

Strong per unit fuel margins and convenience store traffic drove an over 30 percent increase in Adjusted EBITDA relative to 2019. We advanced key organic growth initiatives such as real-time pricing and enhanced digital analytics and continued to win new commercial business. We delivered our 18th consecutive quarter of Company C-Store same-store sales growth ("SSSG'), completed the roll out of our JOURNIE Rewards program and advanced our National Fueling Network ("NFN") to prepare for a second half 2020 launch. Second quarter highlights include:

Adjusted EBITDA of $93 million, an increase of $22 million relative to 2019. The increase was primarily driven by strong per unit fuel margins, higher convenience store baskets and lower operating and MG&A costs.





Fuel and petroleum product volume of 1.8 billion litres, a decrease of 24 percent relative to 2019 due to the impact of COVID-19. Retail fuel volume declined 28 percent while commercial and other volume declined 16 percent.





Company volume SSSG of negative 29.3 percent, reflecting the volume decline due to COVID-19.





Company C-Store SSSG of 12.1 percent, our 18th consecutive quarter of positive C-Store SSSG. The convenience store channel has been an attractive consumer option through COVID-19 and performed well despite the significant decline in forecourt traffic. The sales increase was driven by strong tobacco, alcohol, household essential, grocery and take-home format performance offset by lower car wash, fresh food and dispensed beverage offerings. Excluding the impact of cigarettes, Company C-Store SSSG was 7.3 percent.





Operating Costs decreased $25 million and MG&A costs decreased $11 million relative to 2019, reflecting the natural variability in our cost structure, proactive cost control measures and a benefit from relief provided under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy ("CEWS") program.





Completed the roll out of JOURNIE Rewards at over 900 sites under the Chevron, Pioneer and Ultramar brands in Canada. Initial results are encouraging, with increased convenience and fuel baskets and early momentum with CIBC linked customers. We plan to begin joint marketing efforts with CIBC later this year as market conditions warrant. For more information on JOURNIE, to save money on your fuel purchases and earn in-store rewards, please visit www.journie.ca.





Our Canadian Commercial team secured a series of new organic business wins, including multi-million litre cardlock customers.

International

The International segment delivered a strong quarter despite an extensive COVID-19 impact in the Caribbean and South American regions. Our geographic and product diversity underpinned performance, with natural resource sector activity in South America and diversified economies in the Spanish Caribbean helping offset significant declines in aviation and retail. In addition, we meaningfully reduced costs and completed some of our ongoing integration work. The International team grew market share with minimal capital investment, including an exclusive commercial fuel supply agreement in Guyana and continued growth in the commercial mining sector. Our second quarter results demonstrate a robust base business excluding tourism and reinforce the long-term potential for International. Second quarter highlights include:

Adjusted EBITDA of $54 million, a decrease of $20 million relative to 2019. The decrease was primarily driven by COVID-19 shutdowns, national curfew measures which required us to close certain retail gasoline and convenience stores, and lower aviation activity.





Fuel and petroleum product volume of 1.2 billion litres, a decrease of 4 percent relative to 2019 due to the impact of COVID-19. Retail fuel volume declined 35 percent while commercial and other volume increased 15 percent. While Commercial and other volumes have lower per unit margins, this organic growth helped mitigate the overall decline.





Reduced operating costs by $9 million and MG&A costs by $10 million relative to 2019, reflecting the natural variability in our cost structure, integration efforts and proactive cost control measures taken during the quarter.





Our International team secured a five-year marine fuel contract with an international energy company in Guyana and continues to grow our presence in the power, energy, mining and construction sectors across the region.

USA

Our USA business performed well, with strong fuel margins, recent acquisitions, organic national accounts growth and proactive cost management contributing to a year over year increase in Adjusted EBITDA. We closed our previously announced acquisition of ConoMart Super Stores in mid-May, bringing seven high quality corporate retail locations and expanding our presence in Montana. Our recent acquisitions continue to perform well, and in particular, Tropic Oil delivered a record quarter through organic growth initiatives, including joint business opportunities with International and strength in the marine bunkering business in Miami. COVID-19 volume declines were offset by strong per unit retail and marine fuel margins. Second quarter highlights include:

Adjusted EBITDA of $22 million, an increase of $9 million relative to 2019. The increase was primarily due to acquisitions, organic growth and strong retail and marine fuel margins.





Fuel and petroleum product volume of 626 million litres, an increase of 59 percent relative to 2019 due to the impact of acquisitions and organic growth, offset by the impact of COVID-19. Retail fuel volume declined 14 percent while wholesale and commercial volume increased 73 percent.





Operating Costs increased $15 million and MG&A costs increased $1 million relative to 2019, due to the impact of acquisitions.





Our US team continues to win new business in a tough environment, adding national accounts customers in seven states, including several multi-million litre customers.

Supply

The Supply team delivered a safe and successful restart of the planned Turnaround in late April and reliable fuel supply to our customers with no interruptions. Our integrated logistics business performed well despite COVID-19 supply and demand impacts which lowered overall system volume. Refinery utilization and margins increased through June as the market recovered and we exited the quarter with balanced crude and finished product inventory levels. Second quarter highlights include:

Adjusted EBITDA of $40 million, a decrease of $178 million relative to 2019 due to extended Turnaround timing driven by labour productivity challenges, some of which were COVID-19 related, reduced refinery utilization in response to lower product demand and strong refining crack spreads in the comparable 2019 period.





Refinery utilization was 64 percent, reflecting downtime in early April and a standard production ramp up process. Utilization was between 75 - 80 percent for the remainder of the quarter and was supported by our integrated marketing channels in British Columbia.





Invested $71 million of capital on the Turnaround during the six months ended June 30, 2020. Capital expenditures for the Turnaround were above original estimates of $60 million due to labour productivity challenges, some of which were COVID-19 related.





Reduced operating costs by $26 million and MG&A costs by $3 million relative to 2019, reflecting the variable components of production costs, proactive cost control measures and relief provided under the CEWS program.





We continue to pursue high-quality growth projects that extend our supply advantage, such as a fuel import terminal opportunity in the Port of Oshawa, Ontario, to provide a further cost-effective fuel supply source to our integrated marketing operations in the Greater Toronto Area.

Corporate

The Corporate segment includes centralized administrative services and expenses incurred to support operations. Second quarter highlights include:

MG&A costs of $17 million, a decrease of $12 million relative to 2019, reflecting the natural variability in our cost structure, deliberate cost control measures and relief provided under the CEWS program.





Adjusted EBITDA expense of $18 million, which includes MG&A costs and minor foreign exchange impacts during the quarter.





As a percentage of total adjusted gross profit, MG&A costs decreased to 3.5 percent (from 4.0 percent in 2019).





We continue to enhance base systems and processes to capture efficiency, limit costs from re-emerging in 2021 and position ourselves to scale the business without adding complexity. Examples include teaming up with Amazon Web Services to strengthen our customer value proposition and accelerate our digital transformation and process improvements to further simplify reporting and deliver efficiencies.

Consolidated Financial Overview

($ millions, unless otherwise noted) Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, Financial Summary 2020(4) 2019(4) 2018(4) 2020(4) 2019(4) 2018(4) Sales and operating revenue 2,704 4,854 3,783 7,032 9,069 7,125 Fuel and petroleum product volume (million litres) 4,757 5,525 4,202 10,684 10,861 8,413 Adjusted gross profit(1) 487 728 513 1,080 1,425 943 Adjusted EBITDA including non-controlling interest ("NCI") 208 370 249 422 709 402 Adjusted EBITDA attributable to Parkland ("Adjusted EBITDA")(1) 191 346 249 382 661 402 Supply 40 218 170 80 361 241 Canada(2) 93 71 100 195 188 207 International 54 74  121 145  USA 22 13 5 40 24 9 Corporate (18 ) (30 ) (26 ) (54 ) (57 ) (55 ) Net earnings (loss) 31 111 60 (43 ) 202 80 Net earnings (loss) attributable to Parkland 32 105 60 (47 ) 182 80 Net earnings (loss) per share ($ per share) Per share  basic 0.22 0.72 0.45 (0.32 ) 1.25 0.61 Per share  diluted 0.21 0.70 0.45 (0.32 ) 1.22 0.60 Dividends 45 45 41 90 88 79 Per share 0.3036 0.2985 0.2934 0.6038 0.5936 0.5836 Weighted average number of common shares (million shares) 149 147 132 149 146 132 TTM distributable cash flow(1)(5) 331 562 237 331 562 237 Per share(1)(3)(5) 2.24 4.04 1.81 2.24 4.04 1.81 TTM adjusted distributable cash flow(1)(5) 364 612 415 364 612 415 Per share(1)(3)(5) 2.46 4.40 3.17 2.46 4.40 3.17 TTM dividends(5) 179 168 156 179 168 156 TTM dividend payout ratio(1)(5) 54 % 30 % 66 % 54 % 30 % 66 % TTM adjusted dividend payout ratio(1)(5) 49 % 27 % 38 % 49 % 27 % 38 % TTM weighted average number of common shares (million shares) 148 139 131 148 139 131 Total assets 9,702 9,104 5,592 9,702 9,104 5,592 Total Funded Debt to Credit Facility EBITDA ratio(1)(6) 2.70 2.47 2.39 2.70 2.47 2.39 Interest coverage ratio(1) 5.40 6.47 6.08 5.40 6.47 6.08 Growth capital expenditures attributable to Parkland(1) 19 52 13 50 80 23 Maintenance capital expenditures attributable to Parkland(1) 50 45 31 168 95 107

(1) Measure of segment profit and Non-GAAP financial measures. See Section 12 of the MD&A.

(2) For comparative purposes, information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 was restated due to a change in segment presentation. Canada Retail and Canada Commercial, formerly presented separately as individual segments and Canadian distribution business, formerly presented in Supply are now included in Canada, reflecting a change in organizational structure in the first six months of 2020.

(3) Calculated using the weighted average number of common shares.

(4) 2020 and 2019 results reflect the adoption of IFRS 16 as of January 1, 2019. 2018 comparative figures reflect the accounting standards in effect for that year and are not restated to reflect the impact of IFRS 16, as is allowed under the modified retrospective approach for IFRS 16 adoption.

(5) Amounts presented on a trailing-twelve-month ("TTM") basis.

(6) Beginning in Q1 2020, Credit Facility EBITDA includes Adjusted EBITDA attributable to NCI and excludes IFRS 16 impact attributable to NCI, and Total Funded Debt includes long term debt attributable to NCI, letters of credit attributable to NCI and cash and cash equivalents attributable to NCI. The amounts presented for 2019 and 2018 have not been restated.





Update on COVID-19 Business Impacts

While the beginning of the economic recovery from COVID-19 has not been linear, we saw a steady increase in fuel volumes through the second quarter and into July. The potential for a COVID-19 second wave and associated economic impacts are difficult to forecast, however, our business has demonstrated tremendous resilience and flexibility through the uncertainty and these characteristics position us well for the future. Operational highlights subsequent to quarter end include:

Canada segment volumes steadily improved through the quarter and continued into July and are now trending approximately 15 percent lower relative to 2019, consisting of an approximate 15 percent decline in both retail volume and commercial and other volume. Retail volume continues to trend upwards, while the recovery in commercial and wholesale volume has slowed in-line with seasonal activity. Consolidated per unit fuel margins have moderated slightly from Q2 2020 but remain above prior year levels.





Canadian convenience store sales have remained robust through July. Convenience store margins have improved slightly relative to Q2 2020 as higher margin categories such as car wash and fresh food and beverage offerings recover.





Our International segment is entering a seasonal low period. Although many countries have begun to reopen their economies, certain key markets have temporarily increased their restrictions as a result of rising COVID-19 cases. Volumes are trending approximately 20 percent lower in July relative to 2019 as a result of lower wholesale and aviation volumes, consisting of an approximate 25 percent decline in the commercial lines of business and 10 percent in the retail line of business. Per unit fuel margins for the segment have modestly increased relative to Q2 2020 as a result of the shifting product mix.





Including the impact of acquisitions, US retail gasoline volumes in July are trending in-line relative to 2019 while preliminary wholesale and commercial volume continues to trend well above 2019. Per unit fuel margins have moderated from the historical strength in Q2 2020.





Refinery utilization has been between 80 and 85 percent through July 2020. We continue to optimize throughput rates and refinery yields to maximize margin within current market conditions.

2020 Capital Guidance

On March 30, 2020, Parkland took decisive action in response to COVID-19 and reduced its guidance for 2020 total capital expenditures to $275 million +/- 5%, a reduction of $300 million. This reduction was consistent with our priority to maintain financial flexibility and balance sheet strength. Based on stronger cash flow generation relative to our initial COVID-19 planning scenario, higher Turnaround costs and other maintenance spend, we have increased our 2020 total capital expenditure guidance (the "2020 Capital Program") by $50 million to $325 million +/- 5%. We remain flexible with our second half program to adapt to the economic environment. Details of our amended capital program are below:

Capital Expenditures ($ millions) Previous Updated Growth 85 105 2020 Refinery Turnaround Maintenance 60 75 Other Maintenance 130 145 2020 Capital Program 275 325 +/- 5%

Conference Call and Webcast Details

Parkland will host a webcast and conference call on Friday, August 7, at 6:30am MDT (8:30am EDT) to discuss the results.

To listen to the live webcast and watch the presentation, please use the following link:

https://produceredition.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1345078

Analysts and institutional investors interested in participating in the question and answer session of the conference call may do so by calling 1-888-390-0546 (toll-free) (Conference ID: 51995975). International participants can call 1-587-880-2171 (toll) (Conference ID: 51995975).

Please connect and log in approximately 10 minutes before the beginning of the call.

The webcast will be available for replay two hours after the conference call ends at the link above. It will remain available for one year and will also be posted to www.parkland.ca .

MD&A and Consolidated Financial Statements

The Q2 2020 MD&A and Q2 2020 Financial Statements provide a detailed explanation of Parkland's operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. An English version of these documents will be available online at www.parkland.ca and SEDAR after the results are released by newswire under Parkland's profile at www.sedar.com . The Q2 2020 French MD&A and Q2 2020 French Financial Statements will be posted to www.parkland.ca and SEDAR as soon as they become available.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information and statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). When used in this news release the words "expect", "will", "could", "would", "believe", "continue", "pursue" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, business objectives, estimated 2020 capital expenditures, the ongoing launch of the JOURNIE Rewards loyalty program, expected Burnaby refinery utilization rates, the expected launch of the National Fueling Network program in the second half of 2020, potential supply import opportunities, and Parkland's ability to advance its growth agenda. Additionally, this press release contains certain preliminary July results to illustrate the impact COVID-19 has had on our business. These numbers are preliminary, subject to finalization and quarter-end accounting procedures and do not constitute guidance.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Parkland does not undertake any obligations to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements except as required by securities law. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of numerous risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general economic, market and business conditions, including the duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; Parkland's ability to execute its business strategies; industry capacity; competitive action by other companies; refining and marketing margins; the ability of suppliers to meet commitments; actions by governmental authorities and other regulators including but not limited to increases in taxes or restricted access to markets; changes and developments in environmental and other regulations; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Parkland. See also the risks and uncertainties described in "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" included in Parkland's Annual Information Form dated March 20, 2020, and "Forward-Looking Information" and "Risk Factors" included in the Q2 2020 MD&A dated August 6, 2020, each filed on SEDAR and available on the Parkland website at www.parkland.ca . The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This news release refers to certain non-GAAP financial measures that are not determined in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). Distributable cash flow, distributable cash flow per share, adjusted distributable cash flow, adjusted distributable cash flow per share, total funded debt to credit facility EBITDA ratio, dividend payout ratio and adjusted dividend payout ratio are not measures recognized under IFRS and do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. Management considers these to be important supplemental measures of Parkland's performance and believes these measures are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry. See Section 12 of the Q2 2020 MD&A for a discussion of non-GAAP measures and their reconciliations to the nearest applicable IFRS measure.

Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted gross profit are measures of segment profit. See Section 12 of the Q2 2020 MD&A and Note 20 of the Q2 2020 FS for a reconciliation of these measures of segment profit. Investors are encouraged to evaluate each measure and the reasons Parkland considers it appropriate for supplemental analysis.

In addition to non-GAAP financial measures, Parkland uses a number of operational KPIs to measure the success of our strategic objectives and to set variable compensation targets for employees. These KPIs are not accounting measures, do not have comparable IFRS measures, and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers, as other issuers may calculate these metrics differently. See Section 12 of the Q2 2020 MD&A for further details.

Investors are cautioned that these measures should not be construed as an alternative to net earnings determined in accordance with IFRS as an indication of Parkland's performance.

Effective January 1, 2019, Parkland adopted the new accounting standard, IFRS 16 - Leases ("IFRS 16"). The adoption of IFRS 16 has a significant effect on Parkland's reported results. Due to Parkland's selected transition method, it has not restated its prior year comparatives. Certain financial statement measures are presented excluding the impact of IFRS 16 ("Pre-IFRS 16 measures").

About Parkland Corporation

Parkland is an independent supplier and marketer of fuel and petroleum products and a leading convenience store operator. Parkland services customers across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean region and the Americas through three channels: Retail, Commercial and Wholesale. Parkland optimizes its fuel supply across these three channels by operating and leveraging a growing portfolio of supply relationships and storage infrastructure. Parkland provides trusted and locally relevant fuel brands and convenience store offerings in the communities it serves.

Parkland creates value for shareholders by focusing on its proven strategy of growing organically, realizing a supply advantage and acquiring prudently and integrating successfully. At the core of our strategy are our people, as well as our values of safety, integrity, community and respect, which are embraced across our organization.

For Further Information

Investor Inquiries

Brad Monaco

Director, Capital Markets

587-997-1447

Brad.Monaco@parkland.ca

Media Inquiries

Leroy McKinnon

Senior Specialist, Corporate Communications

403-567-2573

Leroy.McKinnon@parkland.ca




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Market Research Future (MRFR) published its latest report specialty papers market 2020, states that across the review period (2017 and 2023), the global specialty papers market size can touch USD 28.7 Bn by 2023. The customization feature of specialty papers is the prime factor for the expansion of the speciality paper market. The easy availability of chemicals that converted normal paper into specialty paper can support its market expansion. MRFR findings reveals that the world specialty papers market can thrive at 5.7% CAGR on the conclusion of the assessment period. The prominent factors that boost the market are rise in the trend of online shopping and high for specialty paper in the cash rich food & beverages sector.

On the analysis of the specialty papers market, MRFR designed the report that offers insights on factors that can affect the expansion of the market. Historical aspects and forecast revenue are evaluated to predict the market size. On observing the major players of the market, the report covers the competitive landscape and contribution of joint ventures. Mergers and acquisitions, research and developments (R & D), new product developments, and strategic alliances are studied to estimate the market potential.

Market Segment

The world specialty papers market segment study is based on raw material, application, and type. The application-based segments of the specialty papers market are packaging & labelling, printing and writing, building & construction, industrial, and others. The raw materials based segments of the specialty papers market are additives, pulp, fillers & binders, and others. The types based segments of the market are flexible packaging papers, release liner paper, decor paper, printing paper, masking tape, and others.

Regional Analysis

Europe is known to head the world specialty papers market. The expansion of the F&B sector can prompt the rise of EU specialty papers market in the study period. Europe is likely to contribute considerably to the rise of the specialty papers global market revenue. France, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, and Spain followed by the rest of Europe are potential producers of specialty papers. Thus, leading the regional market.

Through 2017 and 2023, the rise of the specialty papers market in Asia Pacific is expected to be highest. Urbanization is observed to produce several growth prospects, thus rise in demand for specialty papers can boost Asia Pacific specialty papers market growth. The specialty papers market in regions, such as China, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and India, followed by the rest of the APAC region. In North America, the specialty papers market can rise significantly due to moderate industrialization. Canada and the United States of America (USA) are leading the regional market. Modern technologies and firm tech base allow the smooth run of different industries, plus the high demand for specialty papers can prompt the market growth.

Key Players

MRFR listed key players functioning in the specialty papers global market. They are Griff Paper and Film (USA), Domtar Corporation (Canada), Kanzaki Specialty Papers Inc. (USA), International Paper Company (USA), Munksjo Corporation (Sweden), Mondi Plc (Austria), Robert Wilson Paper Corporation (USA), Sappi Limited (South Africa), Nippon Paper Group, Inc. (Japan), and Stora Enso Oyj (Finland) among others. MRFR depended on industrial expertise, origin, product line, regional branches, and key innovations to identify these well-established specialty papers dealers. The report supplies indispensable data on the global market of specialty papers. Powers that influence the specialty papers market are elaborated and sustained by effective evidences, along with rational justifications. Key roles played by marketers that can define the specialty papers market progress are broadly explained in the report.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 16:07 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c5a5fc 1 City COVID-19,Greater-Jakarta,Independence-Day,75th-Indonesia-merdeka Free

In light of the upcoming 75th Independence Day celebration, the Greater Jakarta administration has restricted any events that attract crowds amid the surge of COVID-19 cases in the capital.

Any activity that involves crowds and at which it is impossible to implement health protocols will be canceled, Jakarta Gubernatorial and Foreign Affairs Bureau head Muhammad Mawardi said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the national flag-hoisting ceremony will still take place on Aug. 17 under strict COVID-19 health protocols.

Read also: Indonesia to hold digital celebration of 75th Independence Day amid COVID-19 concerns

In a circular distributed by the State Secretariat, it is stated that the ceremony this year will only be attended by six people, namely President Joko Jokowi Widodo, Vice President Maruf Amin, Peoples Consultative Assembly Speaker Bambang Soesatyo, Religious Affairs Minister Fachrul Razi, Indonesian Military commander Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and National Police chief Gen. Idham Aziz.

Three national flag-hoisting team members will also be involved in the ceremony. The circular also says that the State Secretariat urges flag-hoisting ceremony organizers in other regions to follow the State Palaces example. (dpk)
A 21-year-old man was rescued after being trapped in his car in an embankment off Interstate 91 following a serious crash near the Massachusetts-Vermont state line Friday morning, officials said.

The collision occurred around 6:15 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the highway in Bernardston, a Franklin County town that borders Vermont, according to Massachusetts State Police.

Authorities who responded to the scene found a 2008 Toyota Sienna with one person inside down an embankment roughly 20 feet off the roadway, state police said in a statement.

The driver, a 21 year-old Amherst man, was conscious and alert but trapped inside his car, according to the statement.

A medical helicopter landed on Kringle Road off Route 10 in Bernardston, and the right lane of I-91 was closed during the rescue operation, the statement said.

All lanes were reopened as of 8:28 a.m., according to authorities.
JACKSON, MI -- Today, its a welcoming spot in downtown Jackson, with a large mural and fireplace, green space and benches, performance stage and a city of Jackson gateway proclaiming itself to visitors.

But in the mid-1800s, Bucky Harris Park held bold Americans challenging United States slavery.

The National Park Service is adding the park at the corner of W. Michigan Avenue and N. Jackson Street, to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom for its significance in hosting anti-slavery newspaper buildings nearly 200 years ago.

Commercial buildings housing four newspapers, including Jacksons first, used to occupy the spot. Anti-slavery material was published in the Jacksonburg Sentinel, the American Freeman, the Michigan Freeman and the American Citizen. The American Freeman is considered Michigans first anti-slavery paper, according to a city of Jackson news release.

Peek Through Time: Early Jackson residents relied on Jacksonburg Sentinel for news 175 years ago

Research from Jackson resident, Linda Hass, found that the papers founders were involved in Underground Railroad activity in Jackson, according to the release.

The four Jackson residents who founded these papers faced persecution, destruction of property and financial hardships, but they persevered for a cause they strongly believed in, Hass said in a statement. Their legacy leaves an example of bravery that is relevant in all generations.

The state of Michigan Historical Marker will be unveiled in the park in September to note its history.

Bucky Harris Park joins another certified historical spot in Jackson, Mt. Evergreen Cemetery along Greenwood Avenue, which joined the Network to Freedom last year. Seven people involved in the Underground Railroad, including an escaped slave, are buried there.

Historic Jackson cemetery added to national Underground Railroad list

Peek Through Time: Jackson resident Seymour Boughton Treadwell was a leading abolitionist during the Civil War

MORE JACKSON NEWS:

Goose Lake Music Festivals 50th anniversary celebrates Michigans Woodstock

4 takeaways from Jackson Countys primary election

Bone Island Grille reopens after 15-day quarantine with no additional coronavirus cases, manager says

Hunt Elementary in Jackson opens for school year
" " Two elderly women in Tonghai, China wear tiny "lotus shoes" on their bound feet. Foot binding was a common practice in China for more than 1,000 years before it was outlawed in 1912. See more pictures of China.  Michael S. Yamashita/CORBIS

The mincing steps. The swaying hips. The little nubbins at the ends of women's legs, carefully tucked into miniature, ornate shoes. For 1,000 years, tiny, curved feet were considered the ultimate standard of feminine beauty in China, leading about 3 billion Chinese womento bind their feet during this time, despite the fact that foot binding was a long, extremely painful process that resulted in severely deformed feet for life [source: Ross].

Several stories exist as to how the practice got started, but the most popular and credible says it began with Emperor Li Yu, who reigned during the Southern Tang dynasty (937-975 A.D.). In 970, the emperor reportedly saw his favorite consort dancing on a golden lotus pedestal and was entranced by her feet, which she had wrapped in strips of cloth -- much like those of a ballerina dancing on pointe -- so her dancing appeared more beautiful. Seeing the emperor's pleasure, other court maidens similarly wrapped their feet. Soon upper-class women adopted the fashion, and eventually it spread to all women, no matter their social status. Only a few regions resisted, like the Manchu and those who hailed from Guangdong in southern China [sources: Holman, Ross].

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Unfortunately, as the custom took hold it morphed. Women wanted ever-smaller, more curved feet, and so the foot binding process was created to achieve highly arched, 3-inch (7.6-centimeter) feet. The practice thrived for 1,000 years until it was outlawed in 1912 after the revolution of Sun Yat-sen. However, women continued to bind their feet in parts of China until the late 1950s [sources: Evans, Minnesota-China Connection].

After the Communists came to power in 1949, women were forced to do hard physical labor like digging reservoirs, and those with bound feet found the work excruciating. They often went without food as they could not fulfill their daily production quota nor forage in the mountains for fruits like other women [source: Lim]. Today, foot binding is not practiced anywhere.

A 3-inch foot seems an impossibility. If you have the stomach, read on to see how it was achieved.
Europes longest serving leader Alexander Lukashenko has long worked hard to seem invincible. He has dominated past elections that the U.S. has deemed neither free nor fair and brokered no dissent and suppressed protests. Now, he is facing an unprecedented challenge as he runs for a sixth term as president of Belarus in elections on August 9. A former teacher and political novice, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has emerged as his main rival, pledging to topple Lukashenkos regime and restore democracy.

Tens of thousands have rallied across Belarus in some of the countrys biggest opposition protests in a decade, amid mounting frustration over the governments mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis, combined with grievances about the economy. Referring to Lukashenko, protestors chanted stop the cockroach and held placards reading change!.

For the first time in his 26-year rule, Lukashenko knows the majority dont support him, says Aleksandr Feduta, a former aide to the incumbent, who was imprisoned after supporting an opposition candidate in 2010, tells TIME.

The U.S., France, Germany and Poland have called on Belarus to ensure free and fair elections, but analysts say thats unlikely to happen and expect Lukashenko to declare himself a winner through vote-rigging and ballot-suffing, says Katia Glod, an independent expert on Belarus. But his problems wont end with a victory. He will have to grapple with economic difficulties, rising discontent at home, managing the countrys strained relationship with Russia, as well as condemnation from the West if a crackdown on critics continues.

Who is Alexander Lukashenko?

Lukashenko, a 65 year-old ex-collective farm director, has ruled the former Soviet country of 9.5 million people since 1994. Nicknamed Europes last dictatorship by the George W Bush administration in 2005, Lukashenkos regime has jailed opposition leaders, repressed opinion polls and held severely flawed elections, resulting in sanctions from the U.S. and European Union since 2004. Belarus is also the only country in Europe that has the death penalty with most executions carried out by a shot in the head. Prisoners are not told when they will be executed and data on capital punishment is treated as a state secret but according to Amnesty International more than 400 people have been executed since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Story continues

Reliable opinion polls are hard to come by, but one survey conducted by Sociological Institute put Lukashenkos approval rating at 24%. Analysts say Lukashenko has been weakened this year by his mishandling of COVID-19 crisis, which he dubbed a psychosis that could be cured by a vodka and a sauna visit despite recently contracting the illness himself. He refused to impose a lockdown against the virus that has infected more than 68,000 and killed 574 residents, according to Johns Hopkins University. The official line was that the virus does not exist and the Ministry of Health has more or less been obliged to stay quiet, says Glod. He made a lot of mistakes. People were left to deal with the crisis by themselves, says Feduta.

Discontent has been simmering for years. A decade-long economic stagnation and prospects of further economic integration with Russia  seen by many as threatening Belarus sovereignty  has weakened Lukashenkos image as the guarantor of stability.

Belarus relies on cheap Russian energy and loans to prop up its largely state-controlled economy. But over the past year the Kremlin has raised the pressure on Belarus, increasing energy prices and slashing subsidies. Russian officials said Minsk should accept deeper economic integration if it wants to continue to benefit from lower Russian energy prices. In recent years, Lukashenko has rejected a number of proposals from Moscow for closer integration, including a single currency and common legislative initiatives.

Who is Svetlana Tikhanovskaya?

Tikhanovskaya, 38, only stepped up after her husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky, a popular YouTuber who led rallies against the regime, was arrested and barred from registering in May.

The Belarusian Electoral Commission has blocked two other political rivals from running against the president. Viktor Babaryko was detained in June on what his supporters say are fake charges and Valery Tsepkalo, the countrys former ambassador to Washington, fled to Russia after alleged reports from security officials suggested he may be arrested and stripped of his parental rights. Amnesty International has called the men prisoners of conscience who were prosecuted for their political opinions. Tikhanovskaya sent her children to live abroad temporarily, after receiving threats they would be taken away unless she quits the race, an opposition journalist said.

Teaming up with Veronika Tsepkalo, the wife of Valery Tsepkalo and Maria Kolesnikova, Babarykos campaign manager, Tikhanovskaya has rallied record crowds throughout the country to support her campaign a country to live in (the same name as her husbands blog), which pledges to free political prisoners, reverse the authoritarian tide, and to run new, free elections within six months. Protests rarely happen outside of Minsk. The fact that theyre nationwide shows what a strong desire people have for change, says Glod.

Police have responded with typically heavy handed tactics, arresting over 1,000 protestors this summer alone according to the Minsk-based human rights group Viasna.

How is Russia involved?

In a dramatic turn, Belarus police on July 29 arrested 33 men they claimed were Russian mercenaries sent to destabilise the situation ahead of the election. They then accused Tikhanovskayas husband, and another prominent critic, Mikola Statkevich, of collaborating with the mercenaries. In his fiery address to the nation on August 4, Lukashenko claimed the detained men had confessed to being sent to Belarus to await instructions, and vowed to protect Belarus from opponents he portrayed as puppet masters controlled by foreign forces.

Russia has denied any involvement with the detained men, who investigators claimed were members of the Wagner group, a military contractor reportedly controlled by an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin that promotes Moscows foreign policy goals in Ukraine, Syria, Libya and various other countries. Maria Zakharova, Russias foreign ministry spokeswoman, said on August 4 theres no proof of the mens guilt and accused Belarus of staging a show ahead of the vote.

Wagner mercenaries often pass through Minsk, allegedly on their way to Sudan, Syria, Libya and other countries says Matthew Frear, a Belarus expert at Leiden University in the Netherlands, who calls the arrest a stunt to portray Lukashenko as a protector of Belarus under threat. Putin doesnt like Lukashenko at all. But Id argue that Putin would rather see a weakened Lukashenko stay in power than the unknown of protests or revolution, he says. It was done with the view to intimidate voters and to open a new criminal case against jailed opposition leaders, says Glod.

What could the results mean for Belarus and the rest of Europe?

Lukashenkos battles wont end with his almost certain victory in fraudulent elections. Protestors have no intention of backing down, says Glod, The momentum is there and people are really ready for change. Feduta warns, however, that the regime is ready to use force to silence the dissent.

A weakened Lukashenko will find it far more difficult to resist Kremlin influence. If he has to crack down on dissent he will lose the chance of turning to the West, leaving him with no choice but to work with Moscow, says Frear.

The surge in support for Tikhanovskaya has made clear that Belarusians are looking more westward than eastward, says Glod. They want democracy, the rule of law and European values. Belarus is not a backwater country as it has been perceived as up until now. Lukashenkos regime will collapse one way or another. Until then, the EU will live next door to a country experiencing a very deep political crisis, she says.
BY THE NUMBERS

Dow futures are pointing to an opening drop of almost 150 points at the bell, but the government's July employment report will likely determine the direction of Wall Street's open. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were also lower as investors reacted to President Donald Trump's executive orders on two major Chinese tech companies. (CNBC)



* Treasury yields fall ahead of key jobs report; stimulus talks continue (CNBC)



It has been an extremely bullish week for equities so far, with the Nasdaq coming off yet another record high and closing above 11,000 for the first time. The S&P 500 also closed within 1.3% of its February record high. The Dow and S&P 500 are riding five-day winning streaks, while the Nasdaq has been up for seven straight days. The S&P 500 is also on track for its 5th positive week in 6. The jobs report is out at 8:30 a.m. ET, with consensus forecasts expecting 1.482 million new non-farm payrolls jobs for July and the unemployment rate falling to 10.6% from June's 11.1%.



* Markets see a lot at stake in July payrolls report Friday (CNBC) There are no earnings reports of note out today, but Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB) is set to release its quarterly numbers tomorrow morning. Uber's (UBER) food-delivery business soared in the second quarter, with gross bookings from Uber Eats ($6.96 billion) more than doubling gross bookings in its core ride-hailing segment ($3.05 billion) as the coronavirus pandemic persisted. Revenue of $2.24 billion exceeded Wall Street expectations but its loss of $1.02 per share was 16 cents wider than analysts projected. Shares were down more than 3% in premarket trading.

IN THE NEWS TODAY

STOCKS TO WATCH

Booking Holdings (BKNG) lost $10.81 per share for its latest quarter, smaller than the loss of $11.50 predicted by Wall Street analysts. The parent of Priceline, Booking.com, Kayak and other travel services also saw revenue beat estimates, even as the pandemic caused a 91% drop in travel bookings from a year earlier. TripAdvisor (TRIP) reported a quarterly loss of 76 cents per share, wider than the 63 cent loss representing the consensus analyst estimate. The travel review site operator did see revenue beat forecasts, however, and the company said travel demand trends have been improving since the April low. T-Mobile US (TMUS) beat estimates by 2 cents with quarterly earnings of 9 cents per share, while the mobile operator's revenue beat estimates as well. T-Mobile also said it had overtaken AT&T (T) as the No. 2 mobile carrier in the U.S. behind Verizon (VZ) after adding a greater number of subscribers than expected during the quarter. Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) is buying mortgage technology platform provider Ellie Mae for $11 billion, including assumed debt. The New York Stock Exchange owner has made several mortgage-servicing acquisitions over the last few years in an effort to grow its business in that sector. Zillow Group (ZG) reported a surprise profit and better-than-expected revenue, with the digital real estate company benefiting from a rebound in the residential property market. Dropbox (DBX) beat estimates by 5 cents with adjusted quarterly earnings of 22 cents per share, as the file sharing service's revenue also beat forecasts. The company did benefit from the surge in demand from employees working at home, but average revenue per user fell from a year earlier. Separately, the company announced the resignation of Chief Financial Officer Ajay Vashee.

WATERCOOLER
The United States' decision to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan after 20 years of war against the Taliban will be an advantage for China to establish its influence in the region, according to a report in the US News.

IMAGE: Afghan Special Forces attend their graduation ceremony in Kabul. Photograph: Reuters

China and Pakistan have reportedly begun an unprecedented intelligence-sharing arrangement to secure Beijing's influence in Afghanistan.

"The reality is now dawning within the intelligence community...We are now leaving Afghanistan, but who are we leaving it to?," a source familiar with a US assessment, said on the condition of anonymity.

As China needs Pakistan's experience in Afghanistan as well as Islamabad's connections to the terrorist groups operating there, Beijing has reportedly invited a Pakistani general to sit in on its highly restricted meetings as an observer.

Meanwhile, China and Pakistan have secured a promise from Taliban leaders to not provide support to the Uyghur Muslims.

"The arrangement far exceeds any accommodation the Afghan insurgent network has ever afforded the US with regard to Washington's concerns about al-Qaida's presence in Afghanistan," the article said.

The current US government and officials disclosed how Pakistan fits into China's ambitions for its southern and western border regions and that shifting priorities in Beijing require greater collaboration with a limited number of outside countries.

"If the Chinese are bringing Pakistan more 'behind the curtain,' in terms of intelligence and military cooperation, it will be tailored to their common interests like confronting India over territorial disputes," Vikram Singh, a former top official at the Pentagon for South and South-East Asian affairs, was quoted as saying.

"Pakistan's leadership has really backed China on Uyghur internment, even though Pakistanis are upset by the repression of Muslims in Xinjiang," said Singh, who is presently a senior advisor at the US Institute of Peace's Asia Center.

The latest developments show how China-Pakistan partnership has seen a big boost in recent years.

This comes amid tensions with the US government over Islamabad supporting terror networks that Washington wanted to defeat in Afghanistan.

At that time, Pakistan was keen to cease intelligence sharing with the US, following which Washington retaliated by saying it would slash military aid amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars to Islamabad.

Amid the US-Pakistan tensions, Chinese President Xi Jinping faced massive pressure over China's investments in Afghanistan in the past few years, especially in mineral wealth amounting to billions of dollars but largely left inaccessible in view of the poor security situation.

Apart from that, Beijing was facing massive criticism for its mistreatment on Uyghurs in Xinjiang province of western China.

The Communist Party of China has turned the region into a "brutal totalitarian police state" and everything unique about Uyghurs is "systematically targeted".

Amidst growing calls for action against the Chinese officials involved in human rights violations in Xinjiang, the US had recently imposed sanctions and visa restrictions against high-ranking Chinese officials and firms over human rights violations in Xinjiang.
This month represents the 100th anniversary of the ratification fo the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. The city of Worcester has series of events planned in August that will celebrate the anniversary, it announced on Friday.

The events were planned through coordination with the Worcester Womens Suffrage Working Group, which has met regularly since January.

The group is comprised of local leaders, creatives and activists.

[The group] recognize the many challenges women have faced historically, and continue to face daily, to ensure their voices are heard, Yaffa Fain, the Program Assistant for the City of Worcesters Cultural Development Division said in a statement. The group is excited to celebrate Worcesters role in the suffrage movement and highlight contemporary activists from the community.

The main event is set to take place on Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. The hour-long presentation called, Worcester Women Changemakers: A Celebration of Womens Equality Day and Suffrage, can be viewed through the citys Facebook page and public access channels. It will be produced by community organizers, local leaders, cultural and historical institutions, artists and youth groups.

The program will feature a panel discussion, performances and a series of readings highlighting historical and contemporary voices. The content will focus on the Womens Suffrage Movement, voter registration and activation, female empowerment, and community activism.

Worcester played a unique role in the fight for womens rights, the Worcester Cultural Development Officer Erin Williams said in a statement. Thanks to our location and Worcesters long history with activism, Worcester County was home to many suffragists, and Worcester was the site of the first two National Womens Rights Convention in 1850 and 1851  70 years before the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Additional events from the Worcester Womens Suffrage Working Group include:

Aug. 12, 6 p.m. : Voting in 2020/Getting Out The Vote - The League of Women Voters, in conjunction with MA Women of Color Coalition, Worcester Voter Registration Initiative, and the City of Worcesters City Clerk, will present a webinar with speaker Senator Harriet Chandler.

Aug. 24, 7-7:30 p.m. : Madame Secretary, Francis Perkins - The Worcester Historical Museums fifth PRETTY POWERFUL program is a one-person show written and performed by Ann Marie Shea. During the Great Depression, the stock market crash of 1929 led to massive unemployment and foreclosures, and in 1933 the new president handed these problems to Frances Perkins  a woman. This engaging show highlights Perkins private and professional challenges, including her actual words and excerpts from The Roosevelt I Knew, by Frances Perkins.

Aug. 26, (Time TBA ): Suffrage100MA will host a virtual commemorative event with speakers including Gov. Charlie Baker, First Lady Lauren Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and more.

Aug. 27, 12 p.m. : Women at WAM, Highlights from the Collection - In honor of Worcester Womens Suffrage, the Worcester Art Museum has created a video with highlighting the artwork of women, as well as works of art that celebrate the powerful impact of women on our nations history in its collection.

Aug. 27, 6-7 p.m.: Women of Consequence Award Ceremony. - The City of Worcester Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (ACSW) celebrates the 2020 Women of Consequence. These awards are given in recognition of women who have shown great leadership and tangible results as an agent of change in Worcester. The 2020 Award recognizes Etel Haxhiaj as its Woman of Consequence, and Safiya Nafai as the Youth Woman of Consequence. Worcester Youth Poet Laureate Amina Mohammed will perform, and Boston City Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia will deliver a keynote address.

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Contact:

Oak Fund Services (Guernsey) Limited

Company Administrator

Attn: Mark Woodall

Tel: +44 1481 723450

Eurocastle Releases First Half 2020 Financial Results



Guernsey, 7 August 2020 - Eurocastle Investment Limitedhas released its financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2020.

Adjusted Net Asset Value ("NAV") of 13.4 million 1 , or 7.26 per share 2 up 0.48 per share vs. 6.78 per share at Q1 2020 (down 1.06 per share vs. 8.32 per share at Q4 2019) due to:

Valuation movements: 0.19 per share increase (4%) in Q2 2020 (1.43 per share decrease in H1 2020) on the remaining three real estate fund investments 0.05 per share increase (9%) in Q2 2020 (0.03 per share decrease in H1 2020) on the remaining three NPL and other loan interests

Positive reserve and legacy movements of 0.24 per share in Q2 2020 (0.40 per share increase in H1 2020)

of 13.4 million , or 7.26 per share up 0.48 per share vs. 6.78 per share at Q1 2020 (down 1.06 per share vs. 8.32 per share at Q4 2019) due to:

The table below summarises the movements in the Adjusted NAV for the quarter:

Q1 2020 Q2 Cash Movement Q2 FV Movement Q2 2020  million  per share  million  per share  million  per share  million  per share Real Estate Funds 9.9 5.32 0.1 0.06 0.4 0.19 10.3 5.57 Italian NPLs & Other Loans 1.0 0.56 (0.0) (0.01) 0.1 0.05 1.1 0.60 Net Corporate Cash3 1.6 0.90 0.1 0.05 0.5 0.24 2.0 1.09 Adjusted NAV 12.5 6.78 - - 1.00 0.48 13.4 7.26

The Company's current assets comprise:

Interests in two real estate redevelopment funds where construction is fully completed. The units are in the process of being sold but encountering delays due to the coronavirus outbreak. Both developments offer luxury residential apartments with high specification furnishings in Rome.



Interest in a public fund which is in the process of being liquidated and the assets of which predominantly comprise cash.



Residual minority interests in three predominantly secured NPL & Other Loan pools.





H1 2020 INVESTMENT REALISATIONS AND MARKET OUTLOOK

COVID-19 has had an extraordinary impact across all sectors of the economy. The Company's move to realise the majority of its assets in Q4 2019 and its prudent management of cash reserves have left the Company well placed to maximize the value of its remaining assets from a position of strength. This has been evidenced in the performance of its remaining assets where in the first half of 2020 the Company achieved the following milestones:

Closed or collected offers under contract on 25% of remaining real estate units available for sale as at 1 January 2020 in Real Estate Fund Investment II and 23% in Real Estate Fund Investment V. Assuming that all these offers close, only 19% of units in one building in Real Estate Fund Investment II (with the second building already fully sold) and 48% of the units in Real Estate Fund Investment V will remain to be disposed of. Since the end of the lockdown phase in Italy in May 2020 there has been renewed interest in the apartments due to pent-up demand in the market for quality, semi-central residential real estate in Rome.



Following the disposal of all of the assets in Real Estate Fund Investment I in 2019, the Company received 1.0 million, or 41% of its Q4 2019 NAV, in the first half of 2020. The fund is in the process of being liquidated and its assets predominantly comprise of cash. The fund is currently trading at a c.10% discount to its last published NAV.



The residual NPL & Other Loan interests, which are predominantly secured, have continued to generate cash proceeds, in spite of the turmoil created by COVID-19. In the first 6 months of the year the pools generated and distributed 0.1 million, or ~6% of the Q4 2019 NAV.



Following favourable outcomes on certain potential liabilities along with various cost savings, the Company was able to generate a total net reduction on reserves of 0.6 million in the first half of the year. Since implementation of the Realisation Plan in 2019, the Company has generated total savings of 0.8 million against these reserves. Part of these savings are as a result of the Board of Directors agreeing to reduce their annual remuneration from 0.2 million to 0.1 million.



The cash received in the first half of the year across the Company's investments, along with the current cash set aside for reserves as part of the Realisation Plan, leave the Company well capitalised and in a strong position to weather the uncertainty that COVID-19 has created.



Income Statement for the Six and Three Months ended 30 June 2020 (Unaudited) H1 2020 Q2 2020  Thousands  Thousands Portfolio Returns Italian NPLs & Other Loans (66) 91 Real Estate Funds (2,975) 351 Fair value movement on Italian investments (3,041) 442 Fair value movements on residual Legacy entities 207 216 Other income 16 16 Loss on foreign currency translation - (3) Total (loss) / income (2,818) 671 Operating Expenses Interest expense 42 17 Manager base and incentive fees 21 126 Remaining operating expenses 1,047 586 Other Operating expenses 1,068 712 Total expenses 1,110 729 Loss for the period (3,928) (58)  per share (2.12) (0.03)



Balance Sheet and Adjusted NAV Reconciliation as at 30 June 2020 (Unaudited)



Italian Investments

 Thousands



Corporate

 Thousands Total

 Thousands Assets Cash and cash equivalents - 20,663 20,663 Other assets - 47 47 Investments: Italian NPLs & Other Loans 1,120 - 1,120 Real Estate Funds 10,315 - 10,315 Total assets 11,345 20,710 32,145 Liabilities Trade and other payables - 1,547 1,547 Manager base and incentive fees - 138 138 Total liabilities - 1,685 1,685 IFRS NAV 11,435 19,025 30,460 Additional Reserves3 - (17,016) (17,016) Adjusted NAV 11,435 2,009 13,444 Adjusted NAV ( per share)4 6.18 1.08 7.26

PDMR UPDATE

The Company issued 1,000 ordinary shares to each of its three independent directors as part of their in-place compensation arrangements. By reference to its obligations under Article 19 of EU Regulation 596/2014, the Company is making public the following details of those dealings in its shares by persons discharging managerial responsibilities:

Name of the PDMR Financial Instrument Nature of Transaction Date and place of transaction Volume and price of transaction Dr. Simon John Thornton Ordinary Shares Acquisition for nil consideration as part of compensation arrangements 6 August 2020, Guernsey 1,000 shares

Nil consideration Mrs. Claire Elizabeth Ann Whittet Ordinary Shares Acquisition for nil consideration as part of compensation arrangements 6 August 2020, Guernsey 1,000 shares

Nil consideration Mr. Jason de Beauvoir Sherwill (via Forein Limited, Closely Associated Person) Ordinary Shares Acquisition for nil consideration as part of compensation arrangements 6 August 2020, Guernsey 1,000 shares

Nil consideration

As a consequence of the above:

The total number of Ordinary Shares of the Company in issue is 1,854,535; and

The total number of voting rights exercisable by holders of Ordinary Shares of the Company is 1,854,535.

NOTICE:

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of the Market Abuse Regulation 596/2014.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For investment portfolio information, please refer to the Company's most recent Financial Report, which is available on the Company's website).

ABOUT EUROCASTLE

Eurocastle Investment Limited.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements may relate to, among other things, future commitments to sell real estate and achievement of disposal targets, availability of investment and divestment opportunities, timing or certainty of completion of acquisitions and disposals, the operating performance of our investments and financing needs. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "potential", "intend", "expect", "endeavor", "seek", "anticipate", "estimate", "overestimate", "underestimate", "believe", "could", "project", "predict", "project", "continue", "plan", "forecast" or other similar words or expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, discuss future expectations, describe future plans and strategies, contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition or state other forward-looking information. The Company's ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is limited. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, its actual results and performance may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results or stated expectations including the risks regarding Eurocastle's ability to declare dividends or achieve its targets regarding asset disposals or asset performance.







1 In light of the Realisation Plan, the Adjusted NAV as at 30 June 2020 reflects additional reserves for future costs and potential liabilities, which have not been accounted for under the IFRS NAV. The IFRS NAV, as at 30 June 2020, is 30.5 million, or 16.45 per share.

2 Per share calculations for Eurocastle throughout this document are based on 1.9 million ordinary shares that were in issue throughout H1 2020.

3 Reflects corporate cash net of liabilities and additional reserves.

3 In light of the Realisation Plan, the Adjusted NAV as at 30 June 2020 reflects the additional reserves for future costs and potential liabilities of 17.0 million, which have not been accounted for under the IFRS NAV.

4 Amounts per share calculated on 1.9 million outstanding ordinary shares.
The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has today provided an update on her Departments work to realise her Departments plans to reopen schools fully at the end of the summer. The Minister, along with Taoiseach Micheal Martin TD and Minister for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan TD, last week published a detailed plan Reopening Our Schools: The Roadmap for The Full Return to School, along with details of a financial package of over 375 million to support its delivery.



Commenting today, Minister for Education Norma Foley TD said:

Last week we announced a comprehensive plan that will support our schools to reopen for the new school year. This week I am pleased to announce that a considerable portion of the funding due to schools has been paid, allowing schools to make vital progress in making the changes that are needed to safely reopen. For example, 102 million in funding has already issued to primary and post-primary schools to carry out minor works to create more space in the classroom or install additional handwashing stations. Funding has already been made available for schools to hire aides to help reconfigure classrooms and install hand sanitising stations. Guidance has also been circulated to schools detailing how they can best access PPE and hand sanitiser supplies. I wish to thank again all members of school staff and parents for the roles they are playing and will continue to play as schools return at the end of August. We will continue to communicate with schools, education partners, parents and students, as schools reopen, and keep a close eye to ensure that the supports are working as intended.



Updated Guidance around wearing of Face Coverings

The Minister also confirmed that she had been working with the public health authorities to ensure that the public health advice underpinning the safe reopening of schools is fully up to date. The HSEs Health Protection Surveillance Centre has confirmed that all recommendations published in the public health advice by the Minister at the beginning of July including physical distancing guidelines as set out in the recently published roadmap still apply in all schools, with the exception of the recommendations on face coverings which has been updated to reflect the latest research and expertise. It is now recommended that teachers and secondary school students wear face coverings, similar to those worn in shops or on public transport, when a physical distance of 2 metres cannot be maintained.



Minor Works Funding

To support the full implementation of the Roadmap, the Department brought forward to August the payment of the annual minor works grant to primary schools, totalling approximately 30 million, which is typically paid in either December/January each year. In addition, an enhanced minor work grant, which matches the 2019 payment, has also been issued to directly to schools. This amounts to 60 million which has now been issued directly to primary schools in minor works grants since the publication of the Roadmap.

In addition a new minor works grant, totalling approximately 42 million, has issued to post primary schools this week.



Support and Supervision

Funding of 4.2m for aide/s to assist with the logistical arrangements in advance of school reopening including physical reconfiguration measures and setting up hand sanitising stations, helping with signage, training and engaging with parents and students.

Funding of 40m has been made available for additional supervision at post primary level. Of this 12.3m has already been paid to schools for the first term with the balance payable in 2021.



Additional Cleaning and PPE

Schools have been provided a Covid-19 specific capitation payment will be used as the mechanism to support the implementation of enhanced cleaning regimes in schools. This is intended to allow for an extra 4 to 6 hours cleaning per day in schools.

Enhanced Covid-19 rates are payable in respect of students attending special schools and special classes attached to mainstream schools in order to assist with the extra costs arising from the cleaning of classrooms operating specialist provision. Initial funding to schools for cleaning for the first term is now with schools and further payments will issue in early 2021 for cleaning needs for the subsequent terms.



Teacher Supply

In addition, significant additional measures are being adopted to increase the supply of teachers at both primary and post-primary level, including offering additional hours to the 2,800 teachers who are working part-time in post-primary schools, allowing job-sharing teachers to work additional hours and making it more attractive for teachers on career break to provide substitution and supervision cover. Schools have been notified of these changes, allowing them to more easily hire additional teachers.

The Teaching Council is also working on a range of measures to increase the supply of registered teachers who may be available to fill posts to support the re-opening of schools for the 2020/21 academic term, including making contact with the 6,000 registered teachers who are not currently active in schools.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Reopening Our Schools: The Roadmap for the Full Return to School

Reopening Our Schools: The Roadmap for The Full Return to School and the supporting documentation is hosted on gov.ie/backtoschool. This site will be updated over the coming weeks as a live resource for schools and parents for practical guidance, support documentation and resources.

The financial package recognises the very significant challenges faced by schools in reopening and staying open as safely as possible for the entire school community. Supporting the implementation of the comprehensive public health recommendations for schools reopening requires additional resources to support additional staffing, reconfiguration of classes and a range of wellbeing and other supports to ensure a smooth transition back into school.

The package includes:

 An additional 1,080 teaching posts at post-primary level at a cost of 53 million,

 Additional funding, estimated at 84.7 million, so that schools can employ replacement teaching staff, SNA and administrative staff. This can occur where staff members are identified, in line with HSE guidance, as at very high risk of Covid-19 and advised to cocoon.

 Additional funding of 41.2 million, to provide primary schools with substitute staff.

 An additional 52 million for schools to put in place enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools.

 A 75 million capital grant funding to support schools to prepare their buildings and classrooms for reopening.

Public Health Advice

The Minister also confirmed that she had been working with the public health authorities to ensure that the public health advice underpinning the safe reopening of schools is fully up to date. Public Health Authorities have confirmed that the recommendations initially issued in July remain current, with the exception of changes to guidance on the wearing of face coverings in a school context. These recommendations from the HSEs Health Protection Surveillance Centre confirm that:

- All recommendations published in the public health advice by the Minister at the beginning of July including physical distancing guidelines as set out in the recently published roadmap still apply in all schools, with the exception of the recommendations on face coverings which has been updated to reflect the latest research and expertise.

- Face coverings are recommended that are reusable and washed once every day as is consistent with the recommendation to wear face coverings in other contexts such as on public transport, in shops and indoors where a 2m physical distance cannot be maintained.

- Students at post primary level, apart from specific exemptions will be required to wear face coverings in the classroom.

- All staff and students using the post-primary school transport service will be required to wear face coverings on the bus.

- Staff, including teachers at both primary and post primary levels, who cannot maintain a 2m distance from students or other staff will be required to wear face coverings.

- All SNAs will be required to wear face coverings, or in certain situations clear visors, in the classroom.

- Other staff, e.g. bus escorts, who have close contact with students will be required to wear face coverings.

- The Department has met with stakeholders today to reassure school staff, students, parents and management bodies that it is a key priority to support the school community in implementing all of the recommendations from the HSE. Schools will be provided with additional funding of more than 30 million for the period from re-opening to the end of the 2020 to cover costs related to hand hygiene measures and PPE needs through COVID-19 capitation grant. This capitation grant rate up to the end of 2020, reflects the fact that there are a number of once off type costs which schools face in implementing COVID-19 Response Plans (i.e. installation of sanitiser units, signage/posters etc.) which will be incurred upfront.

Procurement process completed for schools to access their PPE requirements

Following a centralised procurement process, the Department has established a multi-supplier arrangement from which schools can choose a supplier and select the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Consumables and equipment products that best suits their needs and the requirements under the Roadmap. This ensures schools will have access to, on a value for money basis, a secure supply chain of various PPE and consumables under the Roadmap and their COVID-19 School Response Plan including hand sanitisers, sanitiser fluids, face coverings/visors, gloves, wipes etc.

Guidance to schools on how to order products directly from suppliers, and the breakdown of the COVID-19 capitation grant will be available to schools from today

Teacher Supply

Information Note for the Recruitment of Teachers in Primary Schools for the upcoming school year (Information Note TTC 0006/2020 on Circular 44/2019)

The Department has published an Information Note for the Recruitment of Teachers in Primary Schools for the upcoming school year, which sets out changes that may be implemented by the Boards of Management of recognised primary schools/ETBS to facilitate the timely recruitment of teaching staff and the appointment of Principals/Deputy Principals (open Competition) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The information note is available at https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Employing-a-Teacher/Information-Note-TTC-0006-2020.pdf

At primary level:

Substitute Teacher Supply Panel Scheme in Primary schools

The Substitute Teacher Supply Panel Scheme was launched on a pilot basis in 6 locations (2 x Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Cork and Galway) in the 2019/20 school year. The scheme is being expanded nationwide for 2020/21 with up to 90 additional locations to meet the anticipated increase in demand for substitute teachers arising due to the Covid-19 emergency. Over 250 additional posts will be allocated to the new panels. Arrangements for the operation of Substitute Teacher Supply Panels are set out in Circular 0059/2019, available at https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0059_2019.pdf

 This scheme will be expanded nationwide for the 2020/21 schools year, with up to 90 additional locations catering for schools of different patronages, including special schools and Gaelscoileanna. A number of panels will also be established in Gaeltacht areas. Over 250 primary teaching posts will be allocated to provide substitute cover through these panels. This will support schools to manage sick leave and other absences by having a supply of teachers to meet substitution needs when required. The expansion of the Teacher Supply Panel Scheme will operate alongside normal teacher substitution arrangements for schools and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

 Agreed timelines in relation to recruiting primary teachers have been reduced in order to assist recruitment in that sector.

At post primary level, the range of measures being adopted include:

 Offering additional hours to teachers employed in the school with part-time hours. Some 2,800 teachers had part-time hours in post-primary schools in 2019/20.

 Following engagement with the Teaching Council, higher education institutions are adopting flexible arrangements for student teacher placement in post primary schools. This will enhance the availability of student teachers, while on placement in the school, to be offered additional paid hours in the classroom outside of their placement requirements. It is estimated that up to 1100 post graduate student teachers, in their final year of a teacher education programme for post-primary, would be available to schools.

 120 guidance posts have also been allocated to schools to support student wellbeing. These posts are allocated in a transparent manner and are ring fenced for guidance provision. Schools have flexibility to consider how best to align this resource with their School Guidance Plan. This allocation of guidance posts will bring guidance provision in schools back to the level last seen before the financial crisis in 2012.

In addition to the sector specific measures detailed above, the Department is also introducing the following measures in both primary and post-primary schools for the coming school year to make additional teaching resources available to all schools:

 Limits on employing teachers on career break are suspended. In 2019/20 approximately 2,030 primary teachers and 650 post primary teachers were on career break (excluding ETB post primary schools).

 Teachers who are job sharing will be allowed to work additional hours. This is an entirely new source of teacher supply for the 2020/21 year. In 2019/20 approximately 2,800 teachers were job sharing at primary level and 1,300 teachers at post-primary level (excluding ETB post primary schools).

The Teaching Council is also working on a range of measures to increase the supply of registered teachers who may be available to fill posts to support the re-opening of schools for the 2020/21 academic term.

These include:

 Making contact with the estimated 6,000 registered teachers who are not currently active in schools, to encourage their participation to support the return to school, if they are in a position to provide more substitution, supervision or to fill vacancies.

 Making regulations that will enable, on an exceptional time bound basis, teachers who are newly qualified, having studied abroad, to complete their induction in Ireland. This potentially makes 600 additional teachers available across the primary and post primary sectors.

Additional posts for Guidance

Approximately 120 posts has been allocated to schools for guidance provision. This allocation is provided separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the guidance needs of the school.

Minor Works Grant

75m additional funding for minor works in schools was also announced as part of the July stimulus programme to allow schools to make facilitate structural modifications needed to schools. This includes a reserve fund of 3m which is being retained by the Department, to be targeted at individual schools that require greater levels of re-configuration works, which will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Primary

An Enhanced Grant for Primary which is a doubling of the previous years allocation to each school.

For instance, a 60 pupil school which received 6,610 in 2019 will receive 13,220 in 2020, a 300 pupil school which received 11,050 in 2019 will receive 22,100 in 2020.

Post-Primary

A new, once-off minor works payment of 42m has been made available to all post-primary schools.

This measure will involve payment of a once-off minor works to schools ranging from circa. 30,000 to 110,000 for each school depending on overall enrolments.

For instance, a 600 student school would receive 70,000 and a 1,000 student school would receive 110,000.
Future of microcredit is part of the broader question of the future of financial system itself. Microcredit in India is still at an early stage of expansion, yet to overcome doubts and hesitations. Ultimately, the entire informal sector has to be addressed by microcredit, because there is no other financial service available for it. It should expand itself to formal labour, too, offering housing, education and insurance.

Access to financial services can dramatically change people's lives.

The mainstream financial system has turned into a vehicle for wealth concentration. It provides financial facilities to those who are already financially fortunate. It doesn't intend to get involved with financially unreached people.

Grameen Bank in Bangladesh challenged the system. It pointed out that the problem is not in the credit-worthiness of the people, as is usually explained. It is because of the absence of people-worthiness of banks. It developed a daring concept of banking - banking without collateral, defying existing banking norms. This came to be known as microcredit or microfinance. India adopted it and expanded to make it the largest microcredit programme in the world. Two basic features of microcredit were skipped in India, a) taking deposits, b) running it as a social business (i.e. a business without any intention to make personal profit out of it.) Now is a good time to integrate these two features in the Indian microcredit world.

The coronavirus crisis gave rise to a new question. Can microcredit in India survive this massive crisis? Given our experience in Bangladesh, the answer is a firm 'yes'. Bangladesh goes routinely through floods and cyclones, which destroy houses, possessions, animals, businesses, even takes lives. But microcredit always bounces back. Poor people's lives are woven with endless disasters. Coping with disasters is an integral part of microcredit. Grameen Bank made sure its staff understood that microcredit is about people, not about money. Money is a tool to give the people a chance to fight for their lives.

The coronavirus crisis revealed another aspect - helplessness of people in the so-called 'informal sector'. They constitute majority of the work force of India. With the attack of Corvid-19, income of daily earners disappeared, millions of migrant workers had to head home, thousands of miles away, on foot.

Economic theory has nothing to offer to people in the informal sector. Grameen Bank gave me the realisation that economic theory went completely wrong in understanding the people outside the formal sector. It saw them as people in the waiting room. I see this 'waiting room' as the powerhouse of the economy. I see the 'informal sector' as the 'micro entrepreneur sector'. This sector, consisting of both active micro entrepreneurs and potential micro entrepreneurs, is a hub of throbbing energy of human beings. It is the seed-bed of natural entrepreneurship.

Since micro entrepreneurs have never got recognition from academics, they remain unrecognised by political leaders, legislators and policymakers. On the other hand, labour got full attention from all sides.

They got their legal and political rights established long back. They even have the Ministry of Labour headed by a full minister. Nearest that micro entrepreneurs got was to have some limited recognition as 'self-employed'.

Covid-19 revealed how vulnerable micro entrepreneurs become in a disaster situation. It is very urgent to give full academic and political recognition to micro entrepreneurs. This is the base of the entrepreneurship pyramid of the economy. It should be seen as a part of the continuum of entrepreneurship, not a random piece. If we recognise it as such, then we have to extend all the legal, financial, institutional and policy support that is given to the rest of entrepreneurs in various layers of the same pyramid, by creating an appropriate delivery structure.

Lives of the most micro entrepreneurs start with loan sharks, since they cannot bring their own capital into the business. Once you get your business started with capital from loan sharks, you can hardly grow out of it. It turns out that under the cover of business, you become a slave of the loan shark. No matter how big the microcredit sector has grown in India, it is still touching the tip of the iceberg.

The entire micro entrepreneur sector will dramatically change if the RBI starts giving licences to set up social business small finance banks. In addition, the RBI may encourage all banks to create social business small finance banks as subsidiaries in each state.

In addition to social business small finance banks for micro entrepreneurs, there should be exclusively designed social business venture capital funds, social business investment funds, social business insurance companies, and so on, all dedicated to serving the micro entrepreneurs.

Micro entrepreneurs will have to be brought under a very friendly regulatory system step by step. Many micro entrepreneurs disappear from the market because they cannot cope with the existing legal and regulatory system designed for formal businesses. The government may come up with micro entrepreneur versions of all regulations so that they become appropriate for their levels of business. Parallel to creating a new regulatory system for micro entrepreneurs, there should be a separate government agency dedicated to helping micro entrepreneurs cope with all government agencies. This newly created government agency, which may be designed as the 'Agency for Assisting and Promoting Micro Entrepreneurs', will be dedicated to protecting the rights of micro entrepreneurs. If any micro entrepreneur or group of micro entrepreneurs have any problem in dealing with any regulation or any government office or agency, they will bring the problem to this office. This office will interact with all government offices on behalf of micro entrepreneurs. The staff of this agency should establish themselves as friends of micro entrepreneurs. They'll be two-way interpreters, so that communication between the government and micro entrepreneurs never becomes a problem.

Following the business practices, micro entrepreneurs will create their own 'Chambers of Commerce and Industry' for the micro entrepreneur sector to promote the interest of the sector, to negotiate with the government and other sectors of the economy, and propose appropriate policies for all tiers of the government.

The Ministry of Labour was created as a political and economic commitment for labour. It is very important to create a Ministry of Micro Entrepreneurs for exactly the same reasons. After all, they constitute more than half of the workforce of the country.

A Ministry of Micro Entrepreneurs will be responsible for bringing social and economic transformation of the sector. This ministry will also remain responsible for making sure that gradually all members of this sector graduate out of receiving any kind of traditional welfare payments for the poor.

Creation of the Ministry of Micro Entrepreneurs will be a strategic step in building the rural economy as a parallel economy.

It will help create an environment in the rural economy to slow down the migration of people and integrate women and neglected segments of the society into the mainstream economy.

This ministry will give a very important message to the nation about the commitment of the government towards bottom-most people - men, women, and particularly the youth.

Microcredit has a much bigger role to play in building a people-friendly economy. Now is the time to get it ready by sorting out all institutional issues.
Several weather stations in the west coast, including the Konkan region; parts of coastal and south interior Karnataka; the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu (TN), have received extremely heavy rainfall, measuring over 20 centimetres (20 cm), in less than 24 hours, triggering landslides, urban flooding and the largescale destruction of crops and properties since Monday (August 3).

Monsoon entered an active to vigorous phase over the west coast following the formation of a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday. The rain recorded in the past three days is unheard of, scientists said, even though they are yet to assess the historical data.

On Monday, Mumbais Dharavi got 38 cm rain; Santacruz and Colaba recorded 26 and 25 cm, respectively; and Hosanagar and Bhagamandala in Karnataka recorded 21 and 19 cm, respectively.

On Tuesday, Palghar recorded 46 cm; Talasari (39 cm); Dahanu (38 cm); Mahabaleshwar (32 cm); Khanvel (39 cm), while Vapi and Silvassa in Gujarat and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, respectively; Madikeri and Hosanagar in Karnataka; Jujumura and Nimpara in Odisha also recorded rainfall in excess of 20 cm.

On Thursday, Vaibhavwadi in Sindhudurg recorded 71 cm rain; Avalanchi in the Nilgiris recorded 58 cm; Bhagamandala (49 cm), Colaba 33 cm, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

These are examples of an exceptionally high volume of rain recorded in a very short span of time: between Monday and Wednesday (August 3 and 5). Monsoon trough was weak and north of the normal position during the first three days of August. With the formation of a low-pressure area, the trough shifted southwards and became active during the second half of the week. Stronger southwesterly winds prevailed over the Arabian Sea between Monday and Wednesday, with Mumbai reporting up to 107 kilometres per hour (kmph), said RK Jenamani, senior scientist, IMD.

While it is too early for an in-depth analysis of the ongoing floods, what we can say is that there is an increasing trend in heavy rainfall events on the west coast of India. In our analysis of rainfall data over the last 70 years, we find a three-fold rise in extreme rains along the west coast and central India. This is because the monsoon winds over the Arabian Sea are now exhibiting large fluctuations due to a warmer environment, said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, in a statement.

Occasional surges in the winds drive a huge amount of moisture supply from the Arabian Sea, across the entire west coast. These episodes result in an intense rainfall spread over three days. Besides, some of my colleagues at New York University have found a slight northward shift of the monsoon westerlies in recent decades. This could mean that the chances of heavy rainfall might be larger towards the north of Western Ghats  but that aspect is yet to be explored, he added.

Monsoon was in its vigorous phase in association with the development of a low- pressure area. Southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea were very strong. I cannot comment on each station but overall studies have shown that incidence of extremely heavy rain is increasing due to the impact of global warming, said Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general (D-G), IMD.

The monsoon trough is active and is south of its normal position (Ganganagar to the Bay of Bengal), according to IMDs latest bulletin issued on Thursday.

Its western end is very likely to shift northwards gradually towards the Himalayan foothills on Saturday.

Now, the low-pressure area lies over southwest Madhya Pradesh. It is very likely to become less marked by Friday.

A cyclonic circulation also lies at north Konkan. Strong southwesterly/westerly monsoonal flow over the Arabian Sea with winds speed reaching 50-60 kmph along and off the west coast will continue till Saturday.

Very heavy rain is expected over Gujarat, Konkan, Goa, and Madhya Maharashtra (Western Ghat areas) and isolated extremely heavy falls likely over Gujarat on Friday. Extremely heavy rain over coastal Karnataka, TN, Kerala, and Mahe is expected until Sunday.

Another low-pressure area is likely to develop over west-central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal around Sunday. Under its influence, rainfall activity is likely to increase over east and central India again.

There is a 1% rain deficiency over the country since June 1, with 22% deficiency over northwest India; 5% over central India; 16% excess over peninsular India and 9% excess over east and north-east India.
A resident of Lamashegu in the Northern Region, Madam Hajia Maria, heaved a sigh of relief as waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited (ZGL), in partnership with the sanitation ministry, embarked on a clean-up exercise to clear a heap of refuse in the community.



The exercise followed a virial video by Madam Hajia Maria, appealing to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the sanitation ministry to intervene in ensuring that a hump of refuse in the community which was posing health risks to the residents was cleared.



And following that appeal, Zoomlion responded swiftly by evacuating the refuse, bringing smiles to the faces of the community members. The exercise was carried ou



As early as 7:00 a.m., Zoomlion had deployed a wheel loader and 5 garbage trucks at the refuse location to facilitate the exercise.



The exercise, which lasted for five (5) hours, witnessed many of the community members expressing delight at the clearing of the refuse.



The assembly member for the area was equally glad and thanked Zoomlion and all the stakeholders who helped in the exercise.



Speaking shortly after the exercise, Hajia Maria, who was highly elated, expressed her gratitude to President Akufo-Addo, the sanitation minister and ZGL.



She gave the assurance that she will lead the attitudinal change in the community.

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
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - U.S. Senate candidate Marquita Bradshaw just had to look at her parents for inspiration to become a community activist in Memphis, Tennessee.

Bradshaw, who won Thursdays Democratic primary election over a well-funded opponent in the contest to replace Republican U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, grew up in a predominantly Black neighbourhood near an Army depot where waste disposal contaminated soil and groundwater. As residents got sick and died, her mother Doris and father Kenneth started the Defence Depot Memphis Concerned Citizen Committee, a group of teachers, business owners and professionals concerned about emerging health problems.

Bradshaw, who is Black, watched as her parents called attention to the dumping ground, which became a Superfund cleanup site after its closure in the 1990s. Shes using her experience as a community organizer to mount a grass-roots campaign that now turns its attention to Republican Bill Hagerty, a white former ambassador to Japan endorsed by President Donald Trump.

My environmental justice work has taken me all over the state where I have met and engaged with people who are concerned with labour, environment, education, taxes, trade, and social justice policies, Bradshaw says on her campaign website. I am ready to serve, engage, and represent the people of Tennessee.

The progressives win over a field of Democrats, including establishment choice James Mackler, has drawn national attention in a Senate race where the focus had been on a contentious GOP primary. Bradshaw is the first Black woman nominated for statewide office by either major political party in Tennessee, according to the state Democratic Party.

But she wants more. A single mother whose son is in college, Bradshaw, 46, has battled foreclosure and bankruptcy, and struggled with student loan debt while working jobs with no health insurance. She has also become a respected community leader in Memphis.

Shes just truly authentic, said political strategist Kenneth Taylor, who met Bradshaw when she went through a leadership program he helped put together last year. For those of us who were raised in the African American community, she is what we would call Auntie Marquita, that person who is generally going to step in, care for you, give you great advice.

Progressive Democrats have said recent protests over police brutality and racial injustice and a renewed focus on inequality have strengthened their movement.

People are tired of the status quo, and theyre tired of the same old same old, and theyre ready to vote people in that they can connect with very authentically, said Jamaal Bowman, a New York Democrat who defeated a 16-term incumbent last month, in an online discussion that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders hosted this week.

On fundraising alone, Bradshaw trailed Mackler, who raised more than $2.1 million and had support from party leaders. She raised less than $10,000 but used social media and other tools to reach voters.

From unofficial results, Bradshaw appears to have won more than 40 counties, including by a decisive 20 percentage point margin in her home county of Shelby.

Bradshaw came in second in Nashvilles Davidson County, but not to Mackler, who is from Nashville. Robin Kimbrough, a Black female attorney from nearby Hendersonville, won that county and finished second statewide.

In an interview with The Associated Press Thursday night, Bradshaw attributed her victory to her work on things people care about.

I have been working in community with other people addressing policy, not just environmental policy, but labour policy, tax policy, social justice issues and human rights, she said. With that framework, that was refreshing to voters.

With a platform that favours increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour, adopting the Green New Deal, expanding Medicare and requiring universal background checks for gun purchases, she spent about $5,800 through March, the last time she reported any campaign finance activity, records show. Now she faces a candidate who spent $9.6 million through mid-July.

Her fundraising is sure to ramp up. She said Thursday that her team will use every tool that we have in organizing to bring people in this process that have lost faith and want to secure the U.S. Senate seat for hardworking families.

On Friday, she tweeted a message to supporters: And dont worry, I hear yall asking about yard signs. Weve got you covered!

Bradshaw faces an uphill battle to wrest the Senate seat from the GOP in a state Trump easily won in 2016. Two years ago, Republican U.S. Sen Marsha Blackburn brushed off popular former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen.

Tennessee Democratic strategist Dave Cooley said Bradshaw was effective in organizing around issues that are just kind of smouldering in the hearts and souls of Tennesseans.

It is enormously impressive, Cooley said. I doubt you could show a case study anywhere to match this, from just my first take. Its a fascinating story about organizing principles in 2020 and the power of the internet, the power of social media.

___

Mattise contributed from Nashville. Associated Press reporter Sara Burnett contributed from Chicago.

___

The year Blackburn won the Senate seat has been corrected.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 7, 2020 - 05:27 | Coronavirus, All, World

The U.S. government on Thursday lifted its alert advising Americans to avoid all international travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, saying that the current situation does not warrant such an across-the-board advisory.

Upon withdrawing the "Do Not Travel" global health advisory that has been in place since March 19, the State Department said it is returning to the previous system of country-specific travel advice in order to give "travelers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions."

According to the department's website, the advisory for travelers to Japan has been set at level 3 on the four-tier scale, which advises U.S. citizens to "Reconsider Travel."

The advisory for China is at level 4, or "Do Not Travel," while that for South Korea is at level 3.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in China late last year and spread rapidly beyond, with the United States becoming the country with the highest numbers of confirmed infection cases and deaths from the pandemic in the world.

"We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic," the department said.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 PIEGES | 2X60' | NEW LIMITED SERIES| FRENCH | ITV STUDIOS Pieges is a breathtaking French drama thriller starring Odile Vuillemin (Profiling ) and Thierry Neuvic (Mafiosa). An ordinary woman discovers she's the lucky beneficiary of one million euros gifted to her by a stranger. But before she can touch it, she must complete one macabre task: "To kill a man who deserves to die."

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

GREYZONE | 10X60' | NEW THRILLER SERIES | DANISH | ITV STUDIOS

Birgitte Hjort Srensen, (Borgen, Game of Thrones) stars as a drone engineer taken hostage in her own home by a terror cell in this high-tech thriller. The terrorists are planning an attack on Scandinavia and have chosen Victoria because of her technical acumen and access to her company's assets needed to carry out their lethal mission.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

THE PASSION OF ANNA MAGNANI | 1x60'| DOCUMENTARY | ITALIAN | RAI COM

"Anna Magnani is the greatest actress I've ever seen." - Bette Davis

Using archival footage, some never-before-seen from Magnani's family, journalist Orana Fallaci paints a portrait of the Italian actress who became a symbol of neorealism and an icon of the film industry.

MERAVIGLIE| 6x60'| DOCUMENTARY | ITALIAN | RAI COM

Experience Italian art, architecture, history and natural wonders with commentary by acclaimed travel journalist Alberto Angela.

A NIGHT IN THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM| 1x60'| DOCUMENTARY | ITALIAN | RAI COM

A Night at the Egyptian Museum explores Turin's world-famous Egyptian collection with historical context from acclaimed travel journalist Alberto Angela.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

AGATHA CHIRISTIE'S CRIMINAL GAMES: SEASON 4 | 5x90'| MYSTERY | FRENCH | FRANCE TELEVISIONS

MHz Choice delivers the fourth tranche of episodes in this wildly popular series of Agatha Christie mysteries delightfully adapted into a series of French TV movies. Set in the 1950s, these iconic stories introduce new investigators in classic Christie style.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

TU ES MON FILS| 1X90' |TV MOVIE DRAMA | FRANCE | ITV STUDIOS

This chilling French remake of the British thriller, A Mother's Son, begins with the discovery of the body that triggers a murder investigation. Claire (Anne Marivin) begins to suspect that her son Raphael (Paul Bartel, Das Boot the TV Series) may be involved and soon she's torn between a mother's instinct to protect her son and the truth.

About MHz Networks

MHz Networks offers viewers access to a library of the best television mysteries, dramas, comedies and documentaries subtitled in English through its subscription streaming service, MHz Choice. Select MHz Networks content is also available on DVD and on its free ad-supported service MHz Now available on Samsung TV Plus.

New MHz Choice customers receive a free 7-Day Trial. For more information, go to mhzchoice.com

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Murder Charges Filed Against Man in Fatal Shooting Inside Seattles CHOP Zone

Homicide detectives are looking for an 18-year-old after prosecutors charged him with murder in the fatal shooting of another teenager inside the infamous CHOP zone in Seattle.

Marcel Long was charged on Wednesday with murder in the first degree, according to court documents obtained by The Epoch Times. Prosecutors said he planned the killing of Lorenzo Anderson in the lawless Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, later know as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, or CHOP, in late June.

The shooting was one of several that finally forced city officials to clear the zone, after weeks of tolerating its existence. Andersons mother blames Seattle officials for her sons death and filed a lawsuit against the city last month.

Detectives identified Long through video footage captured on the scene. Video showed him approaching Anderson and pulling out a handgun. When Anderson fled, the defendant chased him.

A group pulled Long aside but he broke free and continued to race after Anderson before ultimately extending his hand with the gun and firing multiple shots.

Anderson died from his wounds.

TJ Jenkins and Derel Jenkins pay their respects at a memorial near the site of where their cousin, Lorenzo Anderson, was shot dead, in the so-called CHOP area in Seattle, Wash., on June 20, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

Long was identified within a day of the shooting. Detectives received information that he immediately fled Washington state. All efforts to find him have been unsuccessful.

The defendants willingness to fire his weapon around crowds of people, in his effort to kill Lorenzo, demonstrates the severe danger to the community and the risk of harm to others. His immediate flight also demonstrates his desire to avoid being held accountable for this crime, Erin Ehlert, senior deputy prosecuting attorney for the King County Prosecutors Office, said in a court filing.

The state is requesting bail be set at $2 million.

A spokesman for the prosecutors office told The Epoch Times that prosecutors need investigation information from the police before filing felony charges and did not receive the information until Aug. 5.

A Seattle Police Department detective said in a court filing that police received reports of a shooting within CHOP around 2:20 a.m. on June 20 and responded 15 minutes later after gathering sufficient resources.

When officers entered the zone, they were confronted by an aggressive and volatile crowd who surrounded the officers and shouted at them to leave.

Security at Harborview Medical Center reported around 2:43 a.m. that a gunshot wound victim had just been dropped off.

Family members release balloons during a memorial and rally for peace in memory of Lorenzo Anderson, who was shot dead in the so-called CHOP area, in Seattle, Wash., on July 2, 2020. (David Ryder/Getty Images)

Police officers arrived at the center soon after and located the victim. Medical personnel told them he was pronounced dead at 2:53 a.m.

In a typical investigation of homicidal violence in Seattle, that is not within the confines of the CHOP/CHAZ, Seattle Police would quickly establish a perimeter around the crime scene and collect evidence and photo-document the scene. In this case, because Seattle Police had been excluded from this location, the scene was not contained for their investigation and crime scene investigators did not collect evidence, map out the location, take photos and videos, or talk to individuals who often remain near crime scenes to talk with police, the detective wrote.

However, police received tips from a number of citizens. For instance, one man, who said he was second-in-command for CHOPs volunteer security force, collected shell casings and bullet fragments and took photographs of blood stains on the pavement. Some of the callers identified the gunman as a black male who goes by the name of Celly Cell and was related to Marleco Green.

Using phone records and other information, detectives found Marcel Long is also known as Marcel Green and Celly Cell.

According to one witness, the shooting was the result of a long-running dispute, which began approximately a year ago when Long and the victim got into a fight which was reportedly recorded and posted on YouTube.

Police are asking anyone with information about Longs whereabouts to call their violent crimes tipline at 206-233-5000.

Detectives are still working on identifying the shooters in another shooting that took place in CHOP on June 20.

Long is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 19.
Birria Barrio food truck, which just began operations in June, opened a brick-and-mortar location Thursday on the city's South Side because business is booming.

The owners of Birria Barrio, Martin Bargas and his wife Sabrina Perez, told mySA.com they wanted to bring something different to the South Side - a restaurant specializing in the Mexican beef-based soup, birria de res.

Birria is a dish usually made with goat meat, but occasionally from beef. Birria Barrio also uses beef from its flavorful Mexican stew to make ramen, tacos and more.

Bargas said the demand for their birria dishes was so high they had to expand its business to include a restaurant less than two months after opening their food truck.
MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI  Michigans Adventures water park remains open a week after the governors shutdown order because officials there claim it is a swimming pool, according to the local health director.

Its been more than a week since Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an order specifically naming water parks as operations that must close due to the spread of COVID-19. Since then, the WildWater Adventure water park north of Muskegon has continued operating.

A Michigans Adventure spokeswoman reiterated to MLive on Friday, Aug. 7, that the WildWater Adventure park has not closed because we have not been asked. Meanwhile, Whitmers spokesperson told MLive the park must remain shut. It has been open since July 13.

The park was told to close by a health inspector who was on site, but park officials challenged that, Kathy Moore, Muskegon Countys public health director, told MLive.

Michigans Adventure sent Moore an email claiming that it operates as an outdoor swimming pool and not a water park so is not subject to closure. Under the public health code, water parks are considered in the same category as swimming pools, states the email, portions of which Moore shared with MLive.

Related: Executive order closing water parks sparks confusion at Michigans Adventure

Because of that assertion, the health department is continuing to seek clarification of Whitmers order, Moore said. That order was issued on July 29 and took effect July 31.

When MLive inquired whether the WildWater park is included in the governors order, Whitmers spokeswoman, Tiffany Brown, reiterated that the waterparks doors must remain shut.

Were in the middle of a pandemic with a virus that spreads in crowded places, Brown said in a written statement identical to one she sent when MLive inquired about Michigans Adventure on July 31. Amusement parks that allow large numbers of people to congregate, including waterslide parks, are precisely the kind of environment that could facilitate spread. If we want our schools to open, weve got to make tough choices about limiting our contacts.

Whitmers order was issued after water parks decided they were not part of an earlier executive order closing amusement parks, Browns statement says. Michigans Adventure has not reopened its traditional, carnival-style amusement park. It requires reservations to use the water park, which is only open Thursdays through Sundays.

Amusement parks have long been closed across most of the state, including in the Grand Rapids region, Brown repeated to MLive. Waterparks chose to read the governors prior orders, however, not to apply to (their) activities. This latest executive order clarified what should have been clear all along: their doors must remain shut for the time being to protect the public health of Michiganders.

Whitmers order includes water parks in a list of indoor and outdoor facilities that must be closed to entry. Other such facilities include amusement parks, bingo halls and bowling alleys. Outdoor pools are allowed to operate at 50% capacity, under the same executive order.

On its website, Michigans Adventure describes WildWater Adventure as the finest of water parks. It includes several wave pools, large water slides, a river to float down and a childrens water playground.

Were going to remain open, and weve not been asked to close, Michigans Adventure spokeswoman Laure Bollenbach responded when MLive asked why WildWater was still open. She had the exact same response when asked the same question on July 31.

Moore told MLive she asked for guidance from her contact with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, who told her the attorney generals office confirmed WildWater should be closed under the executive order. However, Moore said she was told the attorney generals office was going to confirm that with the governors legal counsel.

That was on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and Moore said on Friday she has yet to hear back.

I still have not been able to confirm if that executive order applies to them or not, Moore said of WildWater. Because its a state order, I defer to the state to interpret it.

Also on MLive:

Whitmer extends coronavirus state of emergency through Friday, Sept. 4

$1M to be spent on coronavirus testing through September 2021 in Muskegon area

Hundreds of kids may have been exposed to coronavirus at Michigan camp
A Russian court on Thursday convicted and sentenced several people on extremism charges widely seen by critics as fabricated.

Supporters of the New Greatness youth group stood outside a Moscow court and protested as the court found members of the group guilty of creating an extremist organization.

It sentenced three people to terms of six to seven years in prison, and gave four other members suspended sentences

"This is not a victory, this is a slight tactical odds (on our side). But I'm very glad that at least one more person is released," said Nikolay Fomin, the lawyer of Anna Pavlikova, one of the defendants who received a four-year suspended sentence.

They were arrested in March 2018 on charges of creating an extremist organisation aiming to overthrow the government.

Defense lawyers have maintained that an undercover police agent wrote the group's radical program, effectively fabricating the case against young people with opposition views who were just meeting to discuss politics.

Dmitry Gudkov, an opposition activist who stood outside the court, said they sought to show the government that New Greatness enjoyed pubic support.

"Those people with epaulets who make the decision should understand that civil society (in Russia) exists and will not forgive," Gudkov said.

The case has been criticised by human rights advocates as a glaring example of police abuse and politically motivated application of Russia's anti-extremism laws.

The arrests of the two youngest members  17-year-old Anna Pavlikova and 19-year-old Maria Dubovik  prompted a big protest in August 2018, after which the two teens were released under house arrest.

(Image Credit Pixabay)
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.

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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:



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Hong Kong: Two dozen people in Hong Kong, including pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, have been charged with participating in an illegal assembly at a vigil on June 4 commemorating the crackdown on protesters in and around Beijing's Tiananmen square in 1989.

It was the first time the vigil had been banned in semiautonomous Hong Kong, with police citing coronavirus restrictions on group gatherings in refusing permission for it to take place. Still, tens of thousands lit candles across the city in what was largely a peaceful event, bar a brief skirmish with riot police in one neighbourhood.

The anniversary struck an especially sensitive nerve in the former British colony this year, falling just as China prepared to introduce national security legislation later that month in response to last year's often violent pro-democracy demonstrations.

From left, pro-democracy activist Ivan Lam Long-yin, Agnes Chow Ting and Joshua Wong speak outside court in Hong Kong after their new illegal assembly charges. Credit:Getty Images

Pro-democracy activists see the new legislation as the latest attempt by Beijing to encroach on Hong Kong's freedoms.
America can be proud of many things: our innovation, generosity and entrepreneurial spirit are unsurpassed. Yet when it comes to our nation understanding one of the greatest gifts ever given to humanitythe Biblewe're moving from dumb to dumber, and it's no laughing matter.
President Donald Trump approved Connecticuts emergency declaration on Friday, hours before the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down briefly in Westport during Tropical Storm Isaias.

More than 300,000 utility customers across Connecticut are still without power as of around 8:50 p.m. Friday.

In an announcement late Friday afternoon, the NWS said the storm on Tuesday produced a waterspout, which made landfall as an EF1 tornado around 1:40 p.m.

The Enhanced Fujita scale classifies tornadoes into five categories; an EF1 tornado has winds between 86 to 110 mph and is considered weak.

The tornado was captured on video by a private meteorologist, the weather service said, as it was headed toward the Saugatuck shores in Westport.

The tornado produced severe damage to a house on Surf Road, with the roof being ripped off, as well as portions of the second floors supporting wall structure, the NWS said, adding that the debris was tossed about 50 feet.

The tops of several pine trees in the front and side yard of the home were sheared and snapped off, the weather service said.

The tornado likely quickly lifted and possibly tracked north as a funnel cloud for another 1 to 2 miles before dissipating, the NWS said. The funnel cloud couple have touched down as a watersprout on the Saugatuck River, south of Route 1, based on an eyewitness report from South Compo Road in Westport.

Trumps approval of the Connecticut emergency declaration allows the state to request federal aid as communities, including Westport, continue to recover from Tropical Storm Isaias.

This support is significant to supplement our ongoing restoration efforts, Gov. Ned Lamont said on Twitter Friday morning.

On Thursday night, the states two largest utility companies said residents could see their power restored as early as this weekend, and no later than Tuesday.

Eversource said it expects to make significant progress by the end of the weekend, with most of its restoration efforts substantially complete by midnight Tuesday. Fewer than 1 percent of customers may be without power for longer, they said.

Eversource spokesman Al Lara said the company has more than 700 crews working to restore power throughout the state, and they are expecting out-of-state reinforcements on Friday. By the start of the weekend, Lara estimates 1,189 crews will be deployed around Connecticut.

As of 9:50 p.m. Friday, Eversource reported 322,818 customers without power, while United Illuminating reported 31,569 outages. Both companies estimate that the height of the outages reached about 1 million earlier this week.

In an email obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media on Thursday, United Illuminated representatives told state officials that they expect most customers to have power back by midnight Saturday. At latest, they wrote in the email, all customers should have power back by midnight Monday.

We understand it may not be welcome news that some customers may still be without service this weekend, said a statement from Tony Marone, UI president and CEO. We ask customers to plan accordingly.

Additional crews, including personnel from sister company to UI Central Maine Power, will arrive in Connecticut soon to help the roughly 580 UI crews already working on getting power back.

Estimates indicate more than 100,000 UI customers lost power as a result of Tuesdays storm. Marone said about 50,000 customers have had their power restored while more than 73,000 remained without power still Thursday.

Marone said UIs response to the storm was consistent with the plans filed with the state for a storm of Isaias magnitude.

The storm we got was the storm we planned for, and we will continue to work that plan night and day until every last customer is restored, Marone said.

On Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont also approved the deployment of members of the states National Guard to help utility companies with the ongoing cleanup and repairs.

The governor said the initial phase of the National Guard deployment will involve four route clearance teams, which will help state and local authorities clear large debris from the roads. Each team will have three vehicles, including an excavator, and seven personnel.

In the beginning stages, Lamont said, two teams will help UI and two will help Eversource. He said more teams could be added in the next few days.

Connecticut Army and Air National Guard units will also be used to help the route clearance efforts, the governor said.

Maj. Gen. Fran Evon, adjutant general and commander of the Connecticut National Guard, said in a statement Thursday that the members are ready to help.

When called out to support in a time of need, we arent just performing a mission, were helping our families, our neighbors, our coworkers and our friends, Evon said. We are proud to train for missions just like this in an effort to remain always ready and always there to support our fellow residents during times of need.
DUBLIN, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "China Human Vaccine Industry Report, 2020-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Report Highlights



Human vaccine industry in China (environments, status quo, market demand, market size, import & export, competition pattern);

(environments, status quo, market demand, market size, import & export, competition pattern); Human vaccine market segments in China (market demand, lot releases, competitive landscape);

(market demand, lot releases, competitive landscape); 22 human vaccine companies (operation, vaccine business, etc.)

Conclusions and development tendencies

In China, the lot release for human vaccines plunged by 17.7% in 2018 when the production record fraud of rabies vaccines for human use, freeze-dried by Changsheng Bio-Technology was exposed. The impact fades away amid tighter control on human vaccines in China. In 2019, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) approved 570 million doses of human vaccine with a year-on-year increase of 5.4%, among which there was more lot release volume of diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis combined vaccine (adsorbed), recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine, and rabies vaccine for human use (freeze-dried), together sharing 33.9% of the total.



The Chinese human vaccine market is now occupied by local companies, where the state-owned enterprises command more than a half of the market. In the first half of 2020, the players had more lot releases, such as China National Biotec Group (CNBG), Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Walvax Biotechnology, Amy Biotech & Vaccine, Liaoning Cheng Da, NCPC GeneTech Biotechnology, and Sinovac Biotech, holding a combined 82.2% of the total. Noticeably, CNBG takes a lion's share 43.3%, leading the pack in the industry.



Although the Chinese human vaccine market is ruled by local companies, the imported vaccines are largely the extra EPI vaccines (not free, and residents can choose whether they want to be inoculated) such as 13-valent pneumonia vaccine, HPV vaccine and DTaP-IPV/Hib vaccine. Yet, the 13-valent pneumonia vaccine of Walvax Biotechnology and the 2-valent pneumonia vaccine of Xiamen Innovax Biotech are approved successively for general availability in the market, challenging the overseas vaccine giants at their games and scrambling for more market shares by price advantage, accompanied by the to-be-soon-launched vaccines like 13-valent pneumonia vaccine of Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co., Ltd., 2-valent/9-valent HPV vaccines of Walvax Biotechnology, 4-valent influenza vaccine and 15-valent pneumonia vaccine of Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co., Ltd.



The devastating COVID-19 in more than 100 countries causes a total of over 14.77 million cases infected and approximately 609,000 deaths. The mortality rate is high up to 4.1% and the overriding research about coronavirus vaccine and clinical trials get under way.



In at least 200 coronavirus vaccine programs worldwide to date, China stays ahead temporarily in the R&D progress. Seven coronavirus vaccines are in the clinical phase, and Ad5-nCoV, an adenovirus vaccine being co-developed by CanSino Biologics, Inc. and the team led by the academician Chen Wei at the Biological Engineering Institute of Academy of Military Medical Sciences, is advancing faster as its phase-III clinical trials are in place. To curb the pandemic, the related authorities of China will accelerate the examination and approval process for a shorter development cycle and a faster launch to save lives.



Key Topics Covered



1. Overview of Vaccine Industry

1.1 Definition & Classification

1.2 Industry Chain



2. China Human Vaccine Industry

2.1 Operating Environment

2.1.1 International Market

2.1.2 Policy Environment

2.1.3 Biopharmaceutical Market

2.2 Status Quo

2.3 Market Demand

2.4 Circulation Channels

2.5 Market Size

2.6 Import & Export

2.6.1 Import

2.6.2 Export

2.6.3 Average Price

2.7 Competition Pattern



3. Human Vaccine Market Segments in China

3.1 Hepatitis B Vaccine

3.1.1 Demand

3.1.2 Lot Release Volume

3.1.3 Competition Pattern

3.2 Meningococcal Vaccine

3.3 Hepatitis A Vaccine

3.4 Influenza Vaccine

3.5 Hib Vaccine

3.6 Human Rabies Vaccine

3.7 Varicella Vaccine

3.8 Pneumococcal Vaccines

3.9 DTP Vaccine

3.10 Poliomyelitis Vaccine

3.11 Hepatitis E Vaccine

3.12 HPV Vaccine Has a Rosy Prospect and Is Expected to Be Localized

3.13 Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) Vaccine



4. Major Human Vaccine Manufacturers in China

4.1 China National Biotech Group

4.1.1 Profile

4.1.2 National Vaccine & Serum Institute

4.1.3 Chengdu Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.1.4 Shanghai Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.1.5 Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.1.6 Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.1.7 Changchun Institute of Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.1.8 Changchun Keygen Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.2 Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. Ltd.

4.2.1 Profile

4.2.2 Operation

4.2.3 Revenue Structure

4.2.4 R&D and Investment

4.2.5 Production and Sales

4.2.6 Vaccine Business

4.2.7 Development Strategy

4.3 Hualan Biological Engineering Inc.

4.4 Chongqing Zhifei Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.5 Walvax Biotechnology Co, Ltd.

4.6 Liaoning Cheng Da Co. Ltd.

4.7 Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.8 Changsheng Bio-Technology Co. Ltd.

4.9 Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals Inc.

4.10 Sinovac Biotech Ltd.

4.11 Changchun BCHT Biotechnology Co. Ltd.

4.12 Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.

4.13 Tibet Amy Biotech & Vaccine Group Co. Ltd.

4.14 NCPC GeneTech Biotechnology Development Co. Ltd.

4.15 Dalian Aleph Biomedical Co. Ltd.

4.16 Beijing Minhai Biotechnology Co. Ltd.

4.17 CanSino Biologics

4.18 Chengdu Kanghua Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.19 Other Enterprises

4.19.1 Shenzhen Sanofi Pasteur Biological Products Co. Ltd.

4.19.2 Guangzhou Nuocheng Biological Products



5. Summary and Forecast

5.1 Summary

5.2 Development Trends

5.2.1 Human Vaccine Industry is Increasingly Concentrated

5.2.2 Two-child Policy is in Favor of Human Vaccine Industry Growth

5.2.3 Faster Aging of Population Boosts Human Vaccine Industry

5.2.4 Local Companies Invest More Heavily in Research and Development of Vaccine Products Which are Becoming More Various

5.2.5 Demand for Extra EPI Vaccines Is Growing

5.2.6 Coronavirus Vaccines Will Boom



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/up5szm

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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WATERLOO REGION  Parental concerns with the provincial governments strategy to reopen schools this fall are very valid at this point, according to a Wilfrid Laurier University epidemiologist.

Todd Coleman, an assistant professor of epidemiology and population health, said the plan to send elementary students back to school without reducing class sizes is particularly problematic.

He understands the need to get kids back to school, however in terms of what we know about transmission, not having reduced class sizes is not the wisest idea, Coleman said. We know the minimum is the two-metre rule ... and the fact students will sit half a metre apart probably isnt ideal.

Last week, the government announced its plans to get students back to school this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic after schools were closed in March. Its a plan that puts the health and safety of our kids first, Premier Doug Ford said of the plan.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the goal is for students to be kept one metre apart.

For elementary students, face-to-face classroom lessons will resume Sept. 8 for all five days of the week. Masks will be mandatory starting in Grade 4, but there will be no reduction in class sizes and schools will be asked to keep classes close to the elementary average of about 25 kids.

Efforts will be made to reduce interactions between students in different classes, and to stagger start and end times.

Parents will have the option of keeping their children home when the school year starts and complete class work online. They have until early next week to tell local school boards whether their children will return to the classroom Sept. 8 or pursue remote learning.

For high school students in Waterloo Region, the plan is for them to spend five days in school followed by five days at home, with classes restricted to 15 students to limit student-to-student contact.

High schools are preparing for a quadmester model that would see students take two classes at a time over four quarters, studying in school and then at home.

Masks will also be mandatory on buses for all students in Ontario.

In recent days, parents and educators have raised concerns with the plan, and some union leaders say they were not consulted. Patrick Etmanski, local president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, told The Record this week the proposed plan is full of holes.

The reopening of schools in other countries, including the United States and Israel, has quickly led to viral outbreaks among students and teachers.

Ontarios government has committed to spending $309 million to help stop the spread of the virus, including $60 million for masks, $30 million to hire more teachers, $50 million to hire up to 500 nurses, $75 million to hire more custodians, and $40 million to clean buses.

Last month, the Waterloo Region District School Board said it faces at least $7.6 million in unbudgeted COVID-19 costs. Much of that is for just the first three months of the school year.

As of 2018-2019, there were 3,948 elementary and 880 secondary schools in Ontario, and more than two million students, according to the Ministry of Education website.

Coleman said while the number of new daily cases in Ontario in recent weeks remains low at around 100, opening schools brings increased chance of virus transmission given the increased social contact between students, teachers, administrators, bus drivers, custodians and their families.

Its not a zero risk, he said. This is not a population of children isolated to each other; theyre going home to their families and interacting with people in their bubbles.

Hed like to see the reopening of schools delayed by a couple of weeks to give health professionals a better idea of whether or not the number of new cases will continue to decline, or hover around the 80 to 100 mark.

Were on a downward trajectory so it would be nice to see if that continues, he said. A couple more weeks would be nice.
Weekly, 26, was shot Tuesday afternoon while standing in line in front of one of the high-end retailers that line the first block of East Oak Street, according to police. Two cars, a dark Ford Fusion and a gray Chrysler 300, pulled up and four gunmen jumped out and opened fire about 4:30 p.m., police said.
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg became a centibillionaire on Thursday, after his fortune passed $100bn (76bn) for the first time.

Mr Zuckerbergs net worth increased after he announced the day prior that Facebook will be launching video-sharing app Instagram Reels, which the company hopes will rival TikTok.

The 36-year-old has a 13 per cent stake of the company, and his net worth passed $100bn as Facebooks shares rose six per cent after the announcement of the US roll-out of the new app.

Mr Zuckerberg joins Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Microsoft founder Bill Gates as the only people in the world to be centibillionaires, which the Bloomberg Billionaires Index defines as having a net worth of more than $100bn.

The launch of Instagram Reels came a day before President Donald Trump announced that he had signed an executive order to deal with the threat of TikTok, which will ban US companies from transacting with its parent company ByteDance when it comes into effect later in 2020.

Recommended Instagram launches its own version of TikTok

Despite launching a rival app earlier this week, Mr Zuckerberg said during a Facebook meeting on Thursday that he is concerned by a potential ban of TikTok, according to Buzzfeed.

I just think its a really bad long-term precedent, and that it needs to be handled with the utmost care and gravity whatever the solution is, he said.

I am really worried ... it could very well have long-term consequences in other countries around the world, Mr Zuckerberg added.

Facebook is currently banned in China, where ByteDance is based, alongside Google and other apps created by technology companies in the US.

The social media site, alongside Amazon and Google, have all seen a rise in users during the coronavirus pandemic, as people have had to work from home and minimise time outdoors.

The companies have also benefited financially, and Bloomberg reported that Mr Zuckerbergs personal net worth has risen by $22bn (16bn) so far in 2020, while Mr Bezos has increased by $75bn (57bn).

In order to make use of the extra revenue gained during the pandemic, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill in the Senate on Thursday to tax what he described as obscene wealth gains made by billionaires in the last few months.

Mr Sanders proposal, the Make Billionaires Pay Act, would tax 60 per cent of the increase in a billionaires net worth from the start of the pandemic until the end of 2020.

The senator suggested that the money made from the tax would go into funding healthcare for American citizens affected by the pandemic.
With any luck, the wine industrys looming loss of an important tax break  which it warns could see closures and large-scale job losses if no solution is found  could turn out to be a tempest in a teapot. Or a wine bottle.

As Niagaras daily newspapers reported this week, since 2006, 100 per cent Canadian wine has been exempt from a federal excise tax.

It took 12 years, but in an extremely competitive international market another country finally cried foul.

Australia challenged the exemption at the World Trade Organization. Basically, Canada knew it had a weak case and agreed to negotiate a settlement. In June 2022, it will repeal the exemption.

If thats how it ends, the outcome for the Canadian wine industry will be painful coast to coast.

The tax would add an estimated 50 cents to the price of each bottle, or about $6 per case. If the wineries absorb the cost, it will hurt a lot.

They could pass it on to the consumer, but thats risky in an international market where foreign producers can keep their prices low because they are often heavily subsidized by their governments.

If we dont have a replacement program, it will have a devastating impact on the wine industry in Canada and in Ontario, said Wine Growers Ontario president Aaron Dobbin this week.

The good thing is, time is on their side. The industry and the federal government have nearly two years to work out a solution.

Just a wild guess: The wineries end up absorbing the cost, then Ottawa finds a new tax break or subsidy for them to make up for it.

Basically, the money gets recirculated back to them, they arent forced to raise prices and industry employment isnt affected.

Another wild guess: It wasnt a coincidence Australia was the country that challenged Canadas tax exemption.

Dobbin noted that it, ironically, offers a subsidy to its wine producers that is similar to Canadas, which it fought at the WTO.

Under different circumstances, Canada might choose to go tit-for-tat and launch a similar challenge against Australia.

But Canada sells so little wine in the Australian market it wouldnt be worth the effort. In other words, Australia had nothing to lose.

Meanwhile, its easy to imagine a lot of other wine-producing countries watching this case unfold with some satisfaction, knowing a competitor has just lost its edge.

In Niagara, a lot of people will be closely watching as Canada Emergency Response Benefit winds down and people without work are shifted to Employment Insurance.

Most people will not receive as much as they did under CERB, which paid $2,000 a month. Currently, EI provides 55 per cent of a workers average insurable earnings, to a maximum of $573 per week.

Its an especially urgent question in Niagara, where so many are employed seasonally or juggle part-time jobs in our tourism and service-based economy.

Niagara was one of the hardest-hit regions and recovery has been slow.

Figures released Friday by Statistics Canada in its monthly labour market survey, showed only about 4,000 people here recovered their employment since mid-June.

The regions unemployment rate barely changed, dropping to 12.5 per cent in the week of July 12-18  just as Niagara was readying to move to Stage 3 reopening  from 12.9 per cent in mid-June.

A few weeks into Stage 3, we hope the employment picture has improved since the last survey was taken.

But Niagaras economy remains on shaky ground and the tourism industry lost some of its best months due to COVID closures.

Fingers crossed, we look to the near future.
Rhea Chakraborty Will Not Appear Before ED To Record Statement, Requests The Agency To Postpone Till SC Hearing
The book, years in the making, opens with a recently updated and urgent introduction that integrates the killing of George Floyd and the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus pandemic on communities of color as proof of an entrenched American hierarchy. In her exacting focus on words, Wilkerson avoids racism and white supremacy because, it is language that carries the freight of the past. Caste, because it hasnt been applied to the United States, allows us to see ourselves differently. It doesnt allow you not to see the structure of a thing, and its time to look at the structure.
SANTA FE, N.M. - The plan was to elope in April in New York City, where my fiancee, Julie Trolle, lived.

When the coronavirus hit, I cancelled my flight from El Paso, where I was covering immigration. Julie, a doctoral candidate in biology at New York University, walked to her lab each day passing rows of refrigerator trucks.

We are fortunate. We dont have underlying health conditions. Our jobs are secure and allow remote work. But as countries closed borders, we feared increasingly that we could be separated.

Julie is Danish. I am American.

On March 14, Denmark closed its borders to foreigners, including boyfriends like me. In July, the White House threatened to expel certain student visa-holders from the United States. Headlines from both continents made us check fine print to see if wed be prevented from living in the same country.

The global shutdown followed a century-long expansion of travel and intercultural exchange that had shaped our families lives.

Julie was born in Hong Kong, where her Chinese mother and Danish father lived until she was 7. She mostly grew up in Denmark, and left as a teenager to go to boarding school in New Mexico.

My Italian grandfather, a widower, met his second wife online in the 1960s. They were both Spanish-speaking phone operators; Giuseppe connected calls in Rome, Ruth in Manhattan. By 1967, my 12-year-old father was brought over and started to learn English and stickball.

In 2016, globalization also brought Julie and me together, also in Manhattan.

We met in a bar at an alumni happy hour. She attended the United World College of the American West, in my hometown of Las Vegas, New Mexico. I went to another branch of the same school  in Hong Kong.

New York City brought us together, but it couldnt marry us. In May, after the pandemic hit, I scheduled another trip, heartened by the announcement of Project Cupid, in which the city promised to marry couples remotely via video chat. But launch was just an appointment signup, and the appointments went fast. I didnt hear back until a few weeks later when a kind, overwhelmed clerk called to apologize. I was already back in El Paso.

Last month, we tried again  this time in New Mexico, where I had been assigned to cover education and where my family lives.

I rented a Mustang convertible and picked Julie up at the airport. Driving through the pine forests of the high desert we heard about the love is essential movement.

As we were sorting out our own marriage that would ensure Julie could stay in the U.S., and I would be able to enter Denmark, couples around the world were successfully lobbying for essential status. Denmark had carved out an exception for foreign partners, even the unmarried. A few days after Julie landed, the Trump administration abandoned its proposal to revoke visas for students who werent attending in-person classes.

I studied geography for six years. In textbooks, migration is often simplified as the tension between push factors like civil war or boredom, and pull factors like good schools or job opportunities.

Love is probably the most underrated.

The coronavirus has killed over 150,000 people in my country and more than 600 in Julies. In April, Ruth died in a care facility from COVID-19 complications. Because of the virus, our family couldnt be by her side.

But the virus has not stopped love.

On July 23, Julie and I were married in my mothers backyard with two witnesses, my best man-slash-photographer and our minister: my AP colleague Russell Contreras. Shortly after, Julie returned to New York.

Now, every night, Julie and I chat via video, watch our favourite shows together and play video games. We are together enough for now. Julie is chatting on the phone with her parents across an ocean. And I am with my last living grandparent, a 89-year-old Minnesotan, on Zoom calls and in emails.

Things could be better. But from where we stand, love is winning.

___

Virus Diary, an occasional feature, showcases the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of AP journalists around the world. Cedar Attanasio 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 under-covered issues. Follow Attanasio on Twitter at http://twitter.com/viaCedar
A new study tries to pinpoint the chances that students will show up to school this fall already infected with COVID-19. The study, in The New York Times from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, estimated how many students with coronavirus would likely arrive at school within the first week of reopening, depending on the size of the school.

"Based on current infection rates, more than 80 percent of Americans live in a county where at least one infected person would be expected to show up to a school of 500 students and staff in the first week, if school started today," the New York Times reported.

Teachers unions in New York have demanded that officials close the entire school for 14 days if a case of COVID-19 is confirmed in the building.

Keep scrolling to see estimates for the number of students in each Capital Region county who could be arriving at schools with the virus within the first week of reopening.
Bank Run in Northeast China Part of a Trend

A run on the Bank of Huludao in Chinas Liaoning Province began on Monday, Aug. 3, a day after the bank announced on its official website that its former president, Wang Xueling, is under investigation on suspicion of serious violations of the Communist Partys law and discipline.

The stage for a bank run may have been set when the banks 2019 annual report showed the total profit and net profit in 2019 fell 57.86% and 59.40% year-on-year, respectively.

Starting with a run on the Bank of Gansu in western China in April, bank runs have popped up in geographically dispersed points across the country, including in Hebei and Shanxi provinces, suggesting that this bank run on Bank of Huludao in the northeastern Liaoning Province is not an isolated instance.

On July 29, the 10th largest shareholder of the bank, ASEM Industry & Trade, put its 65 million shares of the bank equity up for auction. The company was listed as a dishonest entity subject to enforcement twice last year. Also, the banks 2nd largest shareholder, Shenyang Dajun Ceramic Industry Co., Ltd. was an entity subject to enforcement both in 2017 and 2018.

Bank Presidents Exile and Return

The Bank of Huludao, previously known as Huludao commercial bank, was founded in 2001, with a registered capital of 2 billion 5 million yuan (approximately $288.8 million). It is a regional share-holding commercial bank located in Huludao, Liaoning Province. In 2006, the China Banking Regulatory Commission exposed the Huludao bank bond case.

On Aug. 1, 2007, the Liaoning banking regulatory bureau made a decision on the case. Wang Xueling, the governor of the Bank of Huludao, was directly responsible for the misappropriation of treasury bond funds.

Wang was dismissed from office 14 years ago. However, he returned to the bank in August 2017, when he was appointed president by the board of directors, which was approved by the regulatory authority.

As of the end of 2019, the banks net profit was cut by nearly 60 percent and was believed to be attributed by the banks non-performing loan ratio rose to 3.73 percent, a year-on-year increase of 1.96 percentage points.

Trend of Bank Runs

Since the bank run on Gansu Bank in April 2020, there have been many bank runs inside China. The regimes general practice of maintaining so-called social stability is always to label them rumors by claiming the bank is financially well-managed, which is followed by a series of arrests by the police.

On July 12 when a bank run took place in Hengshui Bank Branch of Hebei province, local police arrested two citizens believed to be spreading rumors.

In June, there was a bank run on Bank of Baoding of Hebei Province, after which two people were arrested. Also in June, there was a run on Yangquan City Commercial Bank of Shanxi Province, with four arrests following.

According to an Aug. 4 report by Tencent News, the public security (akin to police) bureau of Huludao city is following the formula. According to the latest police report, the public security organs have punished the rumormongers in accordance with the law, and thus have administratively detained 4 people and conducted disciplinary talks to 13 people.
Channel 5's thriller The Deceived ended yesterday and left many fans hungry for more after numerous plot twists.

The show, which starred Emmett J Scanlan as Cambridge lecturer Michael Callaghan and Emily Reid as English student Ophelia Marsh, captivated audiences all week.

The finale confirmed what many fans had been suspecting all along: that Michael's wife Roisin (Catherine Walker) had not died in a fire the night he confessed to cheatingon her with his student Ophelia, but was alive and hiding in Donegal.

We also learned what happened to English student Annabelle, who was linked to a book manuscript Michael had stolen and hoped to pass as his own.

Fans were blown away by all the show's twists and turns and are already yearning for a second season.

The finale of the Deceived, which aired last night on Channel 5, confirmed what many fans had been suspecting all along: that Michael's wife Roisin (Catherine Walker) had not died in a fire, but was alive and hiding in Donegal

Fans loved every bit of the show's finale, relishing in its many plot twists and unexpected revelations

In last night's episode, many viewers finally had the definite answer on what had happened to Roisin, who had supposedly died in a house fire.

It was revealed the author was alive and hiding in her childhood home, and her fate was linked to English student Annabelle, who had also recently died.

Many fans had thought that dodgy Michael was responsible for Annabelle's death, but it turns out it was Roisin who had killed her.

It emerged that Annabelle had gone to the couple's home in order to retrieve a manuscript she had written that Michael had stolen from her in the hope of passing it off as his own.

We learned that Michael (Emmett J Scanlan) had stolen Annabelle's manuscript to pass it as his own work and had been manipulation Roisin for years

However, Annabelle met Roisin at the house. They fought, and Roisin accidentally killed Annabelle.

Michael and his wife then hatched a plan to conceal Annabelle's death. With the help of Roisin's mother Mary, they set fire to their house to hide evidence and pass Annabelle's body off as Roisin's.

Upon learning of the manuscript Ophelia ran to friend Sean McKeogh (played by Paul Mescal), but he did not believe her, and instead, took her back to Michael's house.

English student Ophelia learned that Roisin was still alive and had been hiding in her childhood home all this time

There, she met Roisin, which led to a series of flashback revealing what had happened to Annabelle in detail.

The English student understood that Michael had been manipulating and gaslighting his wife and tried to convince her to flee with her.

However, angry Michael returned to his house after realising Ophelia had stolen Annabelle's manuscript.

He attacked Ophelia, however, Roisin hit him in the head in an unexpected change of heart and Michael fell down the stairs, to his death.

Mary helped them leave Donegal after the three woman managed to incriminate Michael for Annabelle's death and destroy any evidence that Roisin had been involved.

Roisin's mother Mary (Eleanor Methven) had been in on the scheme all season's long and helped the two women escape Donegal

The two women then parted ways, and a jump in time found them a few months later.

Ophelia, having given birth, was back at Cambridge with her baby while, Roisin was living under a new identity abroad.

However, in an plot twist, Annabelle's brother Richard made an appearance at the end of the show, revealing he knew Roisin was indeed to blame for his sister's demise.

Fans were left speechless after an episode filled with twist and turns.

Fans loved the show and were left hungry for more after last night's finale, which was packed with revelations and plot twists

'Wow! That finale episode had more twists and turns! Brilliantly written. Loved it,' enthused another.

'How brilliant was #TheDeceived ?? Absolutely fantastic. Never disappoints and such great casting. Nothing else on TV measures up,' one asked.

'Omg #TheDeceived twisted so much I'm in shock Emmett J Scanlan you were incredible,' said another.

'Such a great finale of The Deceived. Such a gripping drama. Bravo to the cast and crew for a brilliant series,' another wrote.

'What an unexpected finish that was. An incredible thriller. Well done to all involved,' said another.
The White House wanted to send the second round of stimulus payment to Americans faster than the first round under the CARES Act that already helped millions of Americans.

Even before the first round of stimulus payment expired, President Donald Trump has announced his support for the second round of stimulus to support Americans and qualified individuals in the country that are heavily impacted by the global pandemic.

Trump recently said he would sign an executive order that centers house eviction protection and unemployment claims if the Congress does not act within this week. As the days progress, Republican senators are urging the Congress and the stimulus negotiators to close a deal.

According to a published article in CNET, Trump said he is ready anytime to act on his own by releasing an executive order to enact parts of the HEALS Act. He issued the statement following a series of talks between the Democrats and Republicans, who both failed to come up with weekly unemployment claims.

On Wednesday, Trump said his administration is looking for immediate actions to protect millions of Americans from being evicted from their homes.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday said his chamber will delay its August recess as scheduled to convene on Monday.

For his part, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could start printing a week after two sides reach an agreement. He added that the timeline would be much faster than the 19 days it took for the IRS to send out the first stimulus payment.

Here is the timeline for the second stimulus payment once it is signed into law:

If Senate will pass it on Aug. 10 and the House will pass it on Aug. 11, then this will be signed by Trump on Aug. 12. This means that you will receive your first check during the week of Aug. 17. The same situation if the negotiated bill would be passed on Aug. 11 and 12 in the Senate and Congress subsequently.

If the negotiated bill would pass in the Senate on Aug. 13 and the House will have it on Aug. 14. Trump will then sign it on Aug. 17, and you will probably receive your first check a week within Aug. 24.

If negotiations are still not closed, the Senate might have the bill on Sept. 8, and the House will have it on Sept. 9. The President will then sign it on Sept. 10. Thus, you might receive your check a week within Sept. 21.

Meanwhile, the IRS will use the same calculations and tools to send the second stimulus check during the first round. You can still use the "IRS Get My Payment" tool to track your stimulus check payment and sign up for a direct deposit.

According to the House Committee on Ways and Means, the IRS sent the first batch of stimulus checks to people who had filed 2018 or 2019 tax returns and had already provided the IRS with their direct deposit information.

This means the first batch of people who will receive the second stimulus payment are likely those who have already registered for direct deposits.
Sky News

The Duchess of Sussex has complained to the BBC after its media editor said she apologised for misleading a court during her legal case against the Mail on Sunday. Meghan asked for clarification from the corporation that she had actually apologised for "not remembering" that she knew a former aide had helped with controversial royal biography Finding Freedom. "The Duchess of Sussex has asked us to clarify that she apologised to the court for not remembering email exchanges with her former communications secretary, Jason Knauf, in her evidence, and said that she had no intention to mislead the court."
Tarn Taran : , Aug 7 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday announced an increased compensation of Rs 5 lakh instead of Rs 2 lakh to the families whose lost their kin in the hooch tragedy.

He said that survivors who had lost eyesight in the tragedy would also get Rs 5 lakh.

The Chief Minister, who visited Tarn Taran to sympathise with the bereaved families in the district, said that the culprits would not be spared at any cost and severest action taken against them.

Handing over cheques for Rs 2.92 crore meant to be given to the 92 bereaved families of Tarn Taran to the district Deputy Commissioner, Amarinder Singh said investigations are already underway and Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta has been directed to expedite the same.

Terming the hooch deaths as "murder", Amarinder Singh said it was a man-made tragedy.

The Chief Minister said that special prosecution teams would be deputed to vigorously pursue the cases to ensure exemplary punishment to those involved, adding that their properties too be confiscated.

He said the state was duty-bound to ensure strictest of punishments to the culprits to make it act as a deterrent for others.

Underscoring the need to refrain from politicking over the sensitive issue, Amarinder Singh reiterated his government's commitment to stand by the victim families by extending a helping hand in providing jobs, education, and other social security benefits to them.

Earlier, in his address, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Sunil Jakhar lambasted the SAD-BJP alliance for what he dubbed "nurturing the liquor mafia" which led to this tragedy.

Jakhar claimed the tragedy was an outcome of criminal negligence and merits exemplary punishment to the criminals involved.

A total of 111 persons have died in Punjab after drinking spurious liquor. The police has registered three FIRs in Tarn Taran, and one each in Amritsar Rural and Batala, in connection with the tragedy.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Aug 7 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has prepared a set of questions for actor Rhea Chakraborty and her family members in connection with the death of Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput which can spell trouble for the lot.

According to top ED officials, the probe agency has prepared a set of over 20 questions related to the financial transactions from the bank account of late actor, who was found dead on June 14 in his Bandra flat.

Rhea along with her brother Showik Chakraborty reached the ED office in Mumbai just before Friday noon, after the agency refused her request to postpone the questioning. Their queries will include details of moveable and immoveable properties, businesses, companies in which Rhea and her family members are stakeholders.

The official requesting anonymity said that the ED will first ask Rhea to furnish the details of her address, profession, family members, mode of income, details of bank accounts, credit cards.

She will be asked to furnish the details of how she knew Sushant Singh Rajput, and for how long. She will be asked to share the details of the financial transactions with Sushant, or if she had any contract with the late actor for her finances.

The source said that the ED will also seek the Income Tax Return (ITR) details of Rhea. He said Rhea will be questioned about the details of her properties including moveable and immoveable assets. They would like to know about two properties bought in Mumbai.

Rhea will be asked on whose name were these properties bought and from where the money was arranged to buy them.

The ED will seek the details if there was any will of inheritance left behind by Sushant, and whether she was also in touch with the family members of the late actor.

The source said that the ED will also seek the details of the income of her family members and if any of the members are dependent on her.

Rhea will be asked to submit the details of her bank statements and amount of money received from other bank accounts and if any transactions happened from Sushant's Kotak Mahindra bank account as alleged by his father K.K. Singh in his complaint to Patna Police on July 25.

Sushan't father in his complaint to Bihar Police has alleged that from Kotak Mahindra Bank account of his son which had Rs 17 crore, a total of Rs 15 crore was withdrawn or transferred.

The ED has registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Rhea and her family members on the basis of the complaint of Singh submitted at the Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna.

The ED will also ask the details of the financial transactions of the two companies in which she and her brother were directors along with Sushant.

According to the source, in Vividrage Rhealityx, Rhea is a director and in Front India For World her brother Showik is a director. The ED will seek the details of the kind of business of the two companies and the financial health and transactions of these companies.

The ED will also probe if Rhea and her family members invested the amount in any foreign countries.

On Thursday evening, the CBI has also taken over the probe against Rhea and her family members and others on the recommendation from the central government after the Bihar government requested for the central agency probe.

Sushant and Rhea were in a relationship before the actor's death. 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 her of keeping him away from his family.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)

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
His pants were unzipped, his midriff was out, and his glass was filled with a dark liquid he called "black water."

But Jerry Falwell Jr., one of President Donald Trump's loudest evangelical supporters, said the provocative vacation photo he posted and then deleted last weekend was little cause for concern - even after it drew both cries of confusion and charges of hypocrisy as it circulated around the Internet.

No matter that students at Liberty University, the Virginia school Falwell leads with a tight grip, are told to dress "modestly" and banned from consuming media that features nudity or sexual content. The university president said in an apology this week that he was merely taking part in a theme party on a yacht.

"I've promised my kids I'm going to try to be a good boy from here on out," he said Wednesday during a radio interview with WLNI, adding that the picture was "just in good fun."

That appeared to be that. Until Thursday, when Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., a Baptist minister and former Liberty instructor, said it was one too many scandals for the embattled president of the nation's largest Christian university.

"Jerry Falwell Jr's ongoing behavior is appalling," Walker, the vice chairman of the powerful House Republican Caucus, wrote on Twitter. "I'm convinced Falwell should step down."

Walker's statement marks the strongest rebuke yet by a Republican elected official, even as Falwell, Liberty's president since 2007, has faced repeated scrutiny over his leadership of the university and his personal choices off-campus.

Appointed president by the school's founder, his televangelist father, Falwell faced his first notable controversy during a speech in 2015. At a university convocation, he said the San Bernardino shooting that year would not have occurred if more people had concealed-carry permits to "end those Muslims before they walked in."

But charges of bad behavior came to a head after January 2016, when the prominent evangelical figure made a critical early endorsement of Trump in the Republican primary. Following the election, Falwell ramped up his attempts to silence any dissent from the school's staunch conservative positions, the former editor of Liberty's student newspaper wrote in an opinion piece for The Washington Post.

Meanwhile, Falwell was allegedly showing off racy photos of his wife to colleagues and having crude discussions about his sex life at work, journalist Brandon Ambrosio wrote in Politico Magazine, citing more than two dozen Liberty officials. Last year, amid reports of Falwell's business dealings with a former Florida pool boy, images emerged of him and his family partying at a Miami nightclub.

Then, he allowed students stay on campus during the coronavirus pandemic despite promises to local officials that he'd do otherwise, drawing condemnation and a class-action lawsuit.

In June, an attempted jab at Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam - and the governor's admission that he posed in blackface - led to an outpouring of criticism from Liberty's Black students and staff and prompted the school's diversity director to resign.

Barely two months later, he is again in hot water over a since-deleted social media post.

This time, the viral photograph featured Falwell, in a black rolled-up T-shirt and unzipped dark pants showing his underwear, with his arm around a woman in a reddish wig and unzipped shorts.

"More vacation shots. Lots of good friends visited us on the yacht," the caption on Falwell's Instagram post read. "I promise that's just black water in my glass. It was a prop only."

As that photo swirled around the Internet early this week, many across the political spectrum took to social media in response.

"Help! I tried to look anywhere not-alarming in this Jerry Falwell Jr. photo and I sprained my eyeballs!" wrote the actress Bette Midler.

"If you're running the largest Christian university in America," said Meghan McCain, co-host of "The View," "maybe don't put photos of yourself on social media with your pants undone on a yacht. ... So gross, so hypocritical."

As some pointed out, Liberty's strict code of conduct would bar students from dressing like Falwell did on his yacht - or perhaps even viewing the image. The rules say students must dress with "cleanliness, neatness, appropriateness, and modesty."

Speaking to WLNI, Falwell said the woman in the photo was his "wife's assistant" - and, it seems, the inspiration for undoing his pants zipper and showing off his midriff.

"She's pregnant, so she couldn't get her pants up," he told the Lynchburg, Va. radio station, as the host chuckled. "And I had on pair of jeans that I hadn't worn in a long time so I couldn't get mine zipped either. And so I just put my belly out like hers."

"She's a sweetheart," he added, "and I should never have put it up and embarrassed her."
An elderly Washington state resident has been arrested for allegedly bludgeoning his wife of 53 years to death with a hammer because he suspected her of cheating.

James Flora, 78, was booked into the Pierce County Jail on Monday evening on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of his spouse, identified as 74-year-old Ella Joyce Flora.

Officers with the University Place Police Department responded to the Flora family's home in the 5600 block of 61st Avenue West to perform a welfare check on the wife at the request of her husband at 12.45pm on Monday.

Ella Flora, 74, a wife, mother and grandmother from Washington state, was bludgeoned with a hammer on Monday. Her husband, James Flora, has been charged with her murder

A short time prior, James Flora walked into Tacoma General Hospital and told staff that he had choked his wife during a fight at their home.

Officers rang the doorbell, but no one answered, so they gained entry into the house through an open window. Inside, they found the 74-year-old victim dead.

An autopsy performed by the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office determined that the victim's cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

Investigators said that James repeatedly struck his wife with a hammer and then put plastic wrap on her mouth and nose until she stopped breathing.

According to charging documents cited by Tacoma News Tribune, the couple had a volatile relationship and their neighbors reported often hearing screams coming from their house, including last Sunday.

James claimed his wife had been cheating on him for years and said he 'knew it was occurring,' prosecutors stated.

On Sunday night, James and Flora got into an argument after the woman allegedly sneezed into her husband's dinner.

The pair eventually walked away from the fight, and James fell asleep in a chair.

During an interview with police, the 78-year-old claimed he woke up to find Ella trying to cut his dialysis tube and slit his wrist, inflicting two cuts.

James Flora went to the bathroom to tend to his wounds and returned brandishing a hammer, which he allegedly used to attack his wife.

'He continued to strike her with the hammer and said that he could not stop,' the court filings alleged. 'When asked why he was hitting his wife with the hammer, he stated that it was because his wife was a "ho.'

James Flora, 78, summoned police to his home in University Place after saying he had choked his wife

In an effort to muffle her screams, James said he put plastic wrap on her face.

'He also stated that he was sorry, but "a man can only take so much disrespect,' according to the records.

The couple have two grown daughters and several grandchildren.

One of their daughters, Patrice Flora, wrote on Facebook of her mother's killing: 'How can you have 53 years of marriage and kill them like a wild animal!! I pray the hell you put my mother through in her final minutes you will experience everyday until you die!!'
A new pandemic payments row could be brewing, this time in the childcare sector.

Civil servants working for Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman have promised a new 'compliance regime' to ensure creches and childcare facilities are not 'wrongly' claiming funding under Covid-19 subventions.

The introduction of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) in this sector to combat the effects of Covid-19 "poses a unique set of challenges and risks", Mr O'Gorman is told in a newly published document intended to help him get on top of his brief.

His briefing note refers to the shutdown of Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) schemes in facilities which have been forced to close - with claims then coming in on behalf of affected workers.

Mr O'Gorman is told: "To ensure that a service has not wrongly claimed funding, the department now envisages a compliance regime that will run in parallel to the existing compliance regimes."

Part of the sentence is redacted or blacked out, making it unclear whether the department has devised such a scheme, is preparing it, or sees it as necessary.

But Mr O'Gorman is warned about a high level of overclaiming of State supports and "non-compliance" by community childcare providers in particular.

And it extends across the whole sector, Mr O'Gorman is told. "The high degree of historical non-compliance is a source of concern."

This has to do with standards, training and services provided under the State-funded schemes in community and private childcare.

"The levels of overclaiming are also concerning, although there are now systems in place to recoup money, or to prevent it being paid out," it states.

A spokesman for Mr O'Gorman said last night: "The Temporary Wage Subsidy Childcare Scheme (TWSCS) was administered on the department's behalf by Pobal. Pobal built a compliance regime into it, as it does with all the Government funding schemes it administers, to ensure that State funds are spent as intended. "Pobal have completed compliance checks on applications for the TWSCS, which was concluded on 29 July, 2020.

"The department understands that Revenue are carrying out compliance checks on businesses which registered for the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme, which may include checks on childcare providers who are receiving TWSS supports. Any Revenue compliance checks are independent of the department.

"Pobal's Compliance Audit and Review unit visits services on a regular basis to review compliance with the conditions of department funded schemes, which will include the TWSCS for those services which signed up to it."

Meanwhile, the briefing also says a temporary scheme will be developed in the coming weeks to support the reopening of creches and larger numbers of full-day and part-time services from August 24.
When Gov. Charlie Baker first introduced his COVID-19 compliance portal in mid-July, he urged concerned customers and employees to voice their frustrations about safety violations to their local health officials and the state.

The state Department of Labor Services received more than 900 emails and calls from residents across the state in the reporting lines first week. The reports ranged from employees raising the alarm about coworkers not quarantining to customers reporting workers who didnt wear their masks over their noses  or in some cases, wear them at all  to opponents of the COVID-19 restrictions lambasting the governor.

The reporting line received so many messages in the first few days that DLS started notifying complainants through an automated reply that we are not able to reply to you personally at this time due to the volume of notices we are receiving.

The Baker administration had previously said it would contact complainants within 72 hours if their reports warranted an investigation.

More than three-quarters of the emails and calls were complaints from customers or employees, according to a MassLive review of the complaints. Some who complained thanked the state for launching the reporting system. Others expressed frustration or even embarrassment about reporting a local business but felt it was necessary. The majority of employees and even some patrons requested anonymity, fearing retaliation from company leaders.

I hate that I am being a whistleblower, but I dont want to get sick and I dont want others to either, one person wrote in a complaint, reporting several unmasked employees at the Star Market on Causeway Street in Boston.

Please help correct this, wrote another on July 15, claiming workers at a Dunkin in Attleboro had their noses exposed. A mask that isnt over the nose is worthless.

Dunkin was among the businesses with the highest number of complaints the week of July 13. Eighteen Dunkin locations in Massachusetts were flagged, and the state handled a separate batch of complaints the weeks before and after, according to records obtained by MassLive through a public records request.

Dunkin did not respond to requests for comment.

Shaws and Star Market believe the Causeway Street store report and the four other complaints the state received in mid-July were isolated incidents, but an official said the company will remind its employees about the importance of wearing a mask.

Throughout this pandemic, the health and safety of everyone who walks through our doors has been our top priority. We require our associates to wear masks, and across a majority of our stores we already require customers to wear face coverings to comply with local ordinances, the West Bridgewater-based company said in a statement.

Baker announced the COVID-19 compliance reporting line on July 13 after questions mounted about who would be watching businesses that dont follow workplace safety guidelines on social distancing, masks, sanitization of commonly used surfaces, temperature checks and other protocols to ensure businesses resuming operations dont become hotbeds for the virus.

People are working hard to be cooperative and creative, but if folks believe that a business or an employer is not observing the safety guidelines, weve set up a process for people of the public or employees to reach out and communicate that, the Republican governor said when he announced the new reporting channel.

Employees and patrons from across the state took advantage of that process. People reported bars opening early under the guise that they were selling food, gyms failing to keep people apart, retailers where employees either didnt wear masks or failed to cover their noses, restaurants seating tables and chairs closer than 6 feet apart indoors and a host of other violations.

There were also emails from health officials seeking advice on enforcing the ever-changing rules on the reopening economy. A Worcester County health official seeking help investigating violations at town hall. An Essex County health official asking about the latest guidance on in-person school graduations. A Berkshire County official asking whether emailing businesses accused of not making their employees wear face masks counts as an initial warning.

Employers responding to complaints also sought out the DLS directly to make corrections and others contacted the reporting line seeking advice on how to enforce the travel advisory at the time and other regulations.

The reporting line also brought in complaints from those who didnt believe the COVID-19 restrictions were necessary. Dozens reported Baker for not wearing a mask on television, though he stands at least 6 feet apart from others when he stands at the podium. Others called in profanity-laced tirades, compared the administration to Nazi Germany and submitted fake complaints.

Gov. Charlie Baker delivers COVID-19 updates Friday, July 31, from the Massachusetts State House.Sam Doran/State House News Service

Why people report

The reasons people complain can vary as much as the severity of the violations. Employees need the money but dont want to lose their lives over a paycheck. Doctors going food shopping dont want to risk infecting their patients as the state reopens. Customers confronted those who didnt wear masks but were told to mind their business.

Aaron Rosenberg said he didnt see any other choice. The Market Basket on Fletcher Street in Lowell is the only one within walking distance. In mid-July, he reported employees and customers were failing to wear masks in the store.

Rosenberg, 55, hasnt heard back since he filed the first complaint three weeks ago. He returned to the Market Basket and said he saw improvements, but some employees remained unmasked.

I feel dismayed that Im not seeing more people in my city taking responsibility for each others health, he said in an interview. This is in Market Basket on Fletcher Street in Lowell, but also on the streets in general.

I wish more people would wear masks, even though it doesnt feel like were doing anything, he added. I think theres a false sense of safety happening.

Rosenbergs report was among a half-dozen that came in about Market Basket. The company did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Then there are those trying to sound the alarm about potential clusters. DLS received a complaint in mid-July warning the Colonial Hotel in Gardner planned to host roughly 300 people for a wedding on Aug. 1. Surely, this is extremely dangerous and against any opening phases, the complainant wrote.

Colonial Hotel received a verbal warning on July 15 and a written warning a week later, according to state records.

The wedding proceeded as scheduled. According to state records, the Colonial Hotel hosted 240 guests and 70 staffers. The hotel was fined $300 and cited for dancing, bar, no masks, and having more than 100 people in an outdoor gathering.

The state indicated it will revoke the companys license if theres another violation.

In response to an email to General Manager Nicole Moorshead, the company issued a statement saying it has tried to comply with the evolving rules and regulations in response to the pandemic.

We take the health and safety of our guests and staff very seriously, and will continue to work diligently to ensure that we are operating in compliance with all rules and regulations, the statement reads. We look forward to working with local and state officials to address some misconceptions about our recent operations and clear up some inaccuracies that have been reported.

Cumberland Farms (MassLive file photo)

Unmasked customers spark complaints

Company executives hesitate to crack down on customers who enter their businesses without masks. And for good reason: fights over mask enforcement have broken out in retail stores across the country.

CNN reported in May that a man refusing to wear a mask in a Los Angeles Target was arrested after police say he broke an employees arm. In July, East Bridgewater police arrested a man on charges that he pulled a gun on a man who wasnt wearing a mask at the Walgreens Pharmacy.

Of the hundreds of complaints the reporting line received about mask avoiders, at least 100 referenced noncompliance among customers.

The managers would rather not cause an argument and just let them enter, one complainant wrote of customers without masks at a Big Y in Worcester.

The reporting line received more than a dozen complaints about Cumberland Farms stores in the first week, most of them saying the employees let customers shop without their masks. Some of the complaints claimed the employees instructed not to enforce the mask order.

Cumberland Farms said the company suggested employees avoid confronting customers who dont wear masks because of safety concerns, but added that the company requires employees to wear their masks.

If a guest is unable to comply (for reasons including an existing health condition), our Team Members will offer to assist them with their shopping needs, the company said in a statement. Please note, out of an abundance of caution for their safety, our Team Members have been given the guidance to avoid confronting guests that fail to comply and are encouraged to contact local authorities to report any violations.

Some of the complaints against Star Market raised questions about who was enforcing the mask order among customers. Shaws and Star Market started requiring customers as of July 21 to wear face masks in their stores.

The company policy has its limits. Store directors are expected to greet customers who arent wearing masks and inform them of Star Markets mask mandate, according to a company statement. Customers who claim a medical example are allowed to continue shopping. Customers who refuse to wear a mask and refuse to leave can also stay.

The company said, if a customer refuses to wear a mask and to leave the store, we permit the customer to continue shopping in order to avoid conflicts that would put the store director or other associates and customers at risk.

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Rishi Sunak was sent in to battle for the union today as he made his first visit to Scotland as Chancellor.

He was the latest minister to head north of the border in recent weeks as Boris Johnson attempts to cut off support for Nicola Sturgeon and independence in the wake of Brexit and coronavirus.

He played up the Treasury's help for Scotland during the pandemic economic collapse as he visited Glasgow, just weeks after Mr Johnson and other Cabinet ministers headed to the country.

Recent polls have suggested a majority support for independence for Scotland, which overwhelmingly voted against Brexit in 2016.

And elections for the Scottish Parliament next year are set to give a major sign of the strength of feeling.

Mr Sunak today highlighted the amount of money paid out to Scottish firms as well as the furlough scheme for jobs in Scotland so far.

The Treasury said UK Government schemes to support businesses recovering from coronavirus have paid out 2 billion in Scotland. The loan schemes have assisted some 65,000 businesses across Scotland.

But Mr Sunak justified the winding down of the Job Retention Scheme (JRS).

Mr Sunak played up the Treasury's help for Scotland during the coronavirus economic collapse as he visited Glasgow

Mr Sunak is by far the most popular senior Tory among Scots, a new poll suggested today, with a net positive rating that puts him well ahead of Boris Johnson

Mr Sunak today highlighted the amount of money paid out to Scottish firms as well as the furlough scheme for jobs in Scotland so far

The scheme that has so far cost 33.8 billion supporting the payrolls of 9.6 million workers during the coronavirus crisis has begun tapering off before ending completely in October.

But opposition parties are calling for the Government to extend it for the hardest-hit sectors and those plunged into local lockdown, warning the end to the scheme is a 'grave mistake'.

Speaking on BBC Scotland's Good Morning Scotland radio programme this morning, he said: 'This has been a very difficult decision, but if you look at it from start to finish, we've got a situation where the Government will be helping to pay people's wages for eight months, from start to finish, which I think is a very long period of time.

'And I think most reasonable people would agree that's not something we can carry on indefinitely. In common with most other countries around the world, their versions of these are coming to an end.'

He added there are other schemes in place to help support getting people back to work, such as the job retention bonus.

This gives companies a 1,000 bonus if they bring workers back from furlough and keep them employed until at least January.

Mr Sunak said: 'That will make a really big difference, especially to the small and medium-sized companies.

'But it's also wrong to keep people trapped in a situation to pretend that there is a job to go back to.

'That won't always be the case, and in those situations it's better that we look forward and provide those people with new opportunities, and that's what our plan for jobs does, here in Scotland in our support for apprenticeships, new training or the hospitality industry.

'All of that is designed to support new opportunities to provide them with hope at what is unquestionably going to be a very difficult time.'

Mr Sunak is by far the most popular senior Tory among Scots, a new poll suggested today.

Recent polls have suggested a majority support for independence for Scotland, which overwhelmingly voted against Brexit in 2016

And elections for the Scottish Parliament next year are set to give a major sign of the strength of feeling

The YouGov survey gave him a net favourability rating of just 7, but that put him miles ahead of Mr Johnson (-51) and Scots-born Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove (-57), among others.

Mr Johnson himself visited Scotland last month, as did Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay and Business Secretary Alok Sharma.

His trip north of the border was greeted by the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford warning 'thousands of people could lose their jobs unnecessarily'.

'Cutting the furlough scheme prematurely is a grave mistake. By removing this crucial support in the middle of a global pandemic, and withholding the financial powers Scotland needs for a strong recovery, the Tories are increasing the risk of mass redundancies,' he said.

With more than 6,500 jobs lost or put at risk just this week, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a targeted extension to prevent a 'jobs crisis on a scale not seen for generations'.

The jobs retention scheme, however, is not the only programme aimed at boosting employment amid grim predictions for the economy.

The Chancellor has set out a 'plan for jobs' which includes measures to boost apprenticeships, stimulate eating out and a job retention bonus of 1,000 for every furloughed employee retained in January.
The flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, has said the party is on a rescue mission and to also restore the confidence of Ghanaians.

According to the former President, a rescue mission by the party will help in salvaging the soul of the country, which, in his view, is being destroyed by the Akufo-Addo government.

The NDC flag bearer made the comments in a speech read on his behalf by a Deputy General Secretary of the party, Mr Peter Boamah Otukonor, at the launch of the partys campaign in the Volta Region on Friday, 7 August 2020.

Mr Otukonor said: The soul of our country is being destroyed; this is a rescue mission which will help save the soul of our country. Comrades, we have been tasked by destiny with nothing less than pulling Ghana back from the verge of disaster. We are faced with executing a rescue mission to alleviate the hardship and the suffering of our people.

It is a rescue mission to halt the corruption and collapse of our democratic institutions, and to restore hope and confidence in the future.

He urged the campaign team to work hard to ensure victory for the party in the December 7 polls by exhibiting the core functions and purpose of setting up the team.

Mr Otokunor also advised the supporters of the party, to do away with things that will not help their Fquest for victory.

For his part, the Volta Regional Chairman of the NDC, Mr Henry Ametepe, called on the leadership of the party to ensure effective disbursement of the party's resources for campaign activities.

He further blamed the party's defeat in the 2016 elections on the lack of inclusiveness and proper coordination of campaign activities and resources.

One of the things I want to leave for the national [leadership is that], we lost the election in 2016 because of lack of inclusiveness; constituency executives will come to meetings only to be told that this item has been given to the PC [parliamentary candidate]. It should never happen in my administration.

Thirty-one members were inaugurated to champion and spearhead the 2020 election campaign across the Volta region and will be led by Mr Henry Ametefe.

A delegation from the national headquarters of the party led Mr Otukonor is also expected to launch the Oti regional chapter.

----classfmonline
Maine Governor Cannot Assign Churches Second-Class Status

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Liberty Counsel

Aug. 7, 2020



BANGOR, Maine, Aug. 7, 2020 /Christian Newswire/ -- Liberty Counsel filed the reply brief to the First Circuit Court of Appeals regarding Calvary Chapel of Bangor's appeal in the lawsuit against Governor Janet Mills' unconstitutional orders against churches. Under the governor's challenged orders when the complaint was filed, no religious gatherings were permitted, including parking lot services.

Under the orders, the church can hold secular but not religious meetings. The church can feed, shelter, and provide social services to an unlimited number of people, but religious services are severely limited in the same building where non-religious services can be held.

Gov. Mills said that churches will only be allowed to meet in small numbers when she is satisfied with the "metrics," and when that happens, she will require churches to apply to reopen. Approved churches would then need to display a "badge" at the front door signifying they are approved to open. However, Gov. Mills has no process in place to begin the approval process and no application for the churches. Even the notion that churches would have to apply to reopen and display a "badge" signifying approval is offensive to the First Amendment.

So-called "essential" commercial and non-religious entities that include liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries, warehouse clubs, "big box" and "supercenter" stores that accommodate gatherings of people are currently allowed without threat of criminal sanctions. People may gather in these venues but not in churches. The governor's orders also allow people to gather in secular or commercial parking lots, but not in church parking lots to listen to a pastor.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said, "The First Amendment does not have a pandemic pause button. Churches are even more essential during this time when people need the community and spiritual support that only churches offer. Houses of worship have special protections under the First Amendment, and Governor Mills cannot favor commercial businesses while relegating churches to second-class status."

Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.



SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org



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Overland Park police search for people of interest in fatal hit-and-run crash KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Overland Park police are searching for two people of interest in a deadly hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian. The crash happened around 10 p.m. on July 29 near West 77th Street and Metcalf Avenue, when a driver struck 63-year-old Sherry J. Dunn as she was crossing the street.

Another glimpse that Golden Ghetto good life comes with a great deal of risk . . . Mugshots shared by police for perspective . . . Read more:
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - The Second Cup Ltd. plans to close more stores, sell more of its product in grocery stores and open gas station drive-thrus as it looks to recover from the deep hit absorbed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Second Cup Ltd. plans to close more stores, sell more of its product in grocery stores and open drive-thrus at Petro-Canada gas stations as it looks to recover from the deep hit absorbed during the COVID-19 pandemic. A detail shot of a flat white coffee at a Second Cup Coffee outlet in Toronto on Thursday, December 4, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - The Second Cup Ltd. plans to close more stores, sell more of its product in grocery stores and open gas station drive-thrus as it looks to recover from the deep hit absorbed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Mississauga, Ont.-based beverage company says a pilot program will see it open at three Petro-Canada locations in Ontario this year.

Second Cup says the retail sales will supplement its own e-commerce platform that launched in April as much of its coffee house network was forced to close.

It is also moving into "non-traditional" cafe locations like hospitals, airports, train stations and other transportation venues, with 14 locations scheduled to open across Canada in the next 18 months.

Second Cup says its net loss surged to $1.93 million or eight cents per share in the second quarter, from a loss of $783,000 or four cents per share a year earlier.

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.

Net revenue fell nearly 46 per cent to $3.5 million from $6.5 million in the prior year as system network sales decreased 68 per cent to $10.9 million from $34.4 million.

"With an increasing number of Canadians working from home, we know that the daily coffee experience is changing," says Steven Pelton, CEO of Aegis, the new corporate name for Second Cup.

"People want to be able to have a premium Second Cup coffee experience in their own kitchens, and we are going to make that easier for them, with the return of Second Cup coffee products to retail banners across Canada."

Same-store sales plunged 52.6 per cent compared with an 8.6 per cent decrease in the first quarter as all 19 Bridgehead coffeehouses in Ottawa and 130 of the 244 Second Cup locations across Canada closed in mid-March.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SCU)
China lodges solemn representations to U.S. over health secretary's planned Taiwan visit

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 08:27, August 06, 2020

China has lodged solemn representations to the United States regarding the scheduled visit of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to Taiwan, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a daily news briefing that China firmly opposes official ties between the United States and Taiwan, and the stance is "consistent and clear."

"The Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations, and the one-China principle is the political foundation of the bilateral relationship," Wang said, urging the U.S. side to abide by the one-China principle and the provisions of three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop all forms of official exchanges with Taiwan, and handle Taiwan-related issues prudently and properly.

The U.S. side should refrain from sending any wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces so as not to seriously damage China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, said the spokesperson.

Wang emphasized that the one-China principle is recognized by the international community, adding any attempt to ignore, deny or challenge it will end in failure.

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An official investigation into Beiruts devastating blast is barely into its second day, but there is already much about Tuesdays tragedy that has become clear.

The explosion that killed at least 145 and left hundreds of thousands homeless could not have happened without a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate.

It could not have happened without that explosive material being confiscated from, or possibly abandoned by, the Rhosus, a Russian-owned cargo ship.

And it could not have happened without the negligence of Lebanese authorities in allowing the dangerous cargo to sit in deteriorating conditions in the docks for six years.

The figure of Igor Grechushkin features prominently in the first two links of that hapless chain. A rough-and-tumble businessman from Khabarovsk in the far east of Russia, Grechushkin was on Thursday confirmed as the Rhosuss owner by Russian state media.

He had made contact with the Russian consulate in Nicosia, diplomatic sources said. Greek media have reported he is being sought by Cypriot police for questioning.

Grechushkin controlled the Rhosus from a company registered in the Marshall Islands. But he conducted his business from Cyprus, a traditional, low-tax base for all kinds of Russian business.

We already know much about the Rhosuss fateful last journey. Contracted to transport 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate from Batumi in Georgia to an explosive factory in Mozambique, the ship was abandoned after failing a safety inspection on a stop in Beirut in November 2013. The vessel, and part of the crew, were held in port as authorities worked out what to do.

The crew was only released 11 months later, in September 2014  the same time the dangerous cargo was unloaded to a warehouse in the docks.

In interviews with Russian media on Tuesday night, the captain of the vessel described how Grechushkin stopped paying the bills and left the Russian-Ukrainian crew to their fate. If we werent brought food by a certain Beiruti guy, we would have died, Boris Prokoshev told the Mediazona publication. Neither Grechushkin nor the intended recipients took any subsequent interest in the ships dangerous cargo, the captain added.

He wrote to President Putin to express his concern. The Independent has seen several pro forma replies sent from the Kremlin from April to August, 2014. Capt Prokoshev said he was told by a consul not to expect a "special forces" rescue.



Speaking to The Independent, the experienced sailor said he was initially encouraged by the prospect of working for Grechushkin, a fellow Russian. He says he met Grechushkin just twice. The first time was before the businessman took ownership of the ship, and was inspecting it in Lanarka port. The second, during a stopover in Piraeus, Greece, was when he realised his boss may not have enjoyed the soundest financial footing. The crew had ordered necessary supplies for the ship, but Grechushkin refused to pay for two thirds of them.

There were also problems with crews walking out. It would only be later that the captain realised they had not been paid for four months.

Capt Prokoshev says he gave up on an attempt to sue the absent owner for lost income after a Russian court in Khabarovsk advised him to pursue the claim in Cyprus. According to documents seen by The Independent, Grechushkin owed his crew over $200,000 by the time they were freed to travel home in September 2014.

Mikhail Voytenko, the editor of Maritime Bulletin who presciently referred to the Rhosuss cargo as a floating bomb six years ago, suggests no aspect of the story was particularly unusual.

Ammonium nitrate was a common enough cargo, he tells The Independent, used the world over for fertilisers and mining explosives, and this is likely what it was destined for in Mozambique. Chancer businessmen at the start of shipping careers often take on risky jobs without proper finance to back them up, he suggests. Meanwhile, port authorities around the world are guilty of negligence, corruption or both.

It was the confluence of all three factors together, Voytenko says, that made the events of Tuesday possible. In the search for fall guys, the media had arguably focused too much on Grechushkin, who had been deprived of his assets and had no obvious legal or factual obligation. The most important of the three factors was the negligence and corruption of Lebanese authorities, he suggests.

Whatever in the world made the port authorities keep the cargo for six years is beyond my comprehension, he says. It seems likely that authorities couldnt decide among themselves just how to split up the profits.

Voytenko says the sell-on value of the ammonium nitrate would be worth upwards of $1m.

According to Capt Prokoshev, that figure corresponds to the amount Igor Grechushkin took for payment for the shipment in Batumi. Grechushkin simply decided to dump the ship and pocket the million, the captain said in an interview with Radio Svoboda, without offering paper evidence of his claims.

The Independent was unable to reach Grechushkin to confirm this or other aspects of the story.

This article was updated on 7 August to reflect new material from an interview with Capt Prokoshev
Left: Butter wouldnt melt! A medal winner for Cork at the All-Ireland finals of the Community Games in Athlone in 2010, hed go on to play one of the citys most famous rogues.

Right: Hed go on to became a famous musician, but at 13 this was his first encounter with the media. The picture was taken on the roof of this newspapers office in Academy Street in Cork in 1961 after hed won a talent competition.
The human impact is likely to be much larger. In banning WeChat, the White House effectively cuts off the only widely used form of communication available to 6 million people of Chinese background in the US and their families in China. So integral is the app that Chinese students will reconsider their desire to study in the US and businesses will reassess their employees' futures in America. Loading The platform is also a key method of disseminating information to the Chinese-speaking population that might not be able to engage with mainstream media. In Australia, the app has delivered political messages in the lead-up to elections, translated news coverage and functions as a digital neighbourhood watch where language is a barrier to conventional services. Fundamentally, the Trump administration believes WeChat and TikTok pose a national security threat by collecting information that could be shared with the Chinese Communist Party and censoring content that is unfavourable to Beijing. "This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information," Trump said on Friday.

"In addition, the application captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States, thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives." The Australian government does not hold the same view and, while it had earlier raised concerns about both services, it no longer intends to kick either out despite Trump's executive order incorrectly claiming Australia had begun "restricting or banning the use of WeChat". Minister for Population Alan Tudge said on Friday that more than 800,000 people in Australia use WeChat. "It has become an important communication tool for many people," he said. "[Banning it] is not in our plan."

In the lead-up to the November election, the US has begun putting up its own Great Firewall as it pursues China over Hong Kong, the South China Sea, allegations of espionage on US soil and intellectual property theft. The White House calls its ally-friendly version of the internet the "clean network" purged from "un-trusted" Chinese apps. "With parent companies based in China, apps like TikTok, WeChat and others are significant threats to personal data of American citizens, not to mention tools for CCP censorship," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday. The Chinese Communist Party is the global censorship master. US social media giants Facebook, Google and YouTube are all already banned in China, the world's second largest economy. Its own authoritarian efficiency will make it difficult to find an app or piece of US technology that it can ban in retaliation.

Perhaps wary of another strike, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been attempting to cool diplomatic tensions in recent days. Loading "The development of China and of the US is not a zero sum game, and we should not reject each other," he said on Thursday. "What we should do is to draw on each others strength to achieve common development." But much of the US's recent action and rhetoric shows it appears determined to engineer irreversible changes in America's relationship with China ahead of November's poll. It is difficult to conceive how presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden, who has repeatedly emphasised he would be tough on China, would suddenly reverse the executive orders if he took office.
Before COVID-19, Pretzel sold about 40 per cent of its namesake product with cash, but like many other businesses during the pandemic, they locked up their registers over hygiene fears.

When WAs restrictions relaxed Pretzel began accepting cash again, but the food chains founder Brittany Garbutt, 26, said 85 per cent of customers continued to use card and that figure wasn't budging.

People are not going back to cash following the pandemic restrictions being lifted. Credit:Shutterstock

It is not an anomaly, and it is not happening for just a little while, she said.

It is just so commonplace for them to just use EFTPOS now and I think people are seeing health benefits of not touching money.
Anticipatory bail plea of Rehana who let minor children paint over semi nude body rejected

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: The Supreme Court has rejected a plea filed by an activist challenging an order of the Kerala High Court denying her anticipatory bail in a case related to her posting a video of her minor children painting on her body.

Rehan Fatima, an activist from Kerala had sought protection against arrest after she had posted a video of her minor children drawing on her body. Explaining her stand, her advocate told the court if a man stands with his dhoti tucked, there is no offence. If woman does it, then it is. She thought this was only way to sensitise her children, he also submitted.

Kabul Gurudwara-Jalalabad: ISIS terrorists from Kerala feature in the list again

Taking strong objection to the incident, Justice Arun Mishra said that this clearly spreading obscenity. What impression will be growing up children get of the entire culture of society, Justice Mishra observed while rejecting her anticipatory bail plea.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

On July 24, the Kerala High Court had rejected her anticipatory bail plea. Dismissing the plea, the court observed that it was not in a position to agree with the petitioner that she should teach sex education to her children in this manner.

In her bail plea, the activist, while justifying her act had submitted that so far as children are concerned, they need to be imparted sex education and made aware of the body and its parts as well enabling them to view it as a different medium altogether rather than seeing it as a sexual tool alone.

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan observed that the petitioner has got the freedom to teach her children according to her philosophy, "but, that should be within the four walls of her house and should not be forbidden by law."

The court also quoted verses from Manusmrithi and Holy Quran to explain the role of a mother in the life of children but directed the investigation officer to investigate the matter untrammelled by any of the observations in the order.

"The petitioner feels that, she should teach sex education to her children. For that purpose, she asks her children to paint on her naked body and then uploading the same in social media. I am not in a position to agree with the petitioner that she should teach sex education to her children in this manner", the judge said, resolving the contentions raised by the petitioner.

The allegation against Fathima is that she asked her children, a boy and girl aged 14 and 8 respectively to paint on her semi-nude body.

In the video, she was lying semi-nude and her two children painting on her body.

The video was shot by the petitioner and uploaded on social media.

The petitioner said she is teaching sex education to her children by uploading the video.

When the video was found by the Cyber Dome, Kochi City Police, a case was registered against the activist last month alleging offences punishable under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act), Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Earlier, the woman was also booked by police in Pathanamthitta district under the Information Technology Act and the Juvenile Justice Act on a complaint lodged by BJP OBC Morcha leader A V Arun Prakash.

The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which sought a report on the matter from Pathanamthitta district police chief, had also directed the police to register a case against the woman under various sections of the POCSO Act.

After the Supreme Court allowed women in traditionally barred age groups of 10-50 into the Sabarimala temple in September 2018, Fathima made an attempt to enter the hill shrine, but had to retreat following protests by Hindu activists and devotees.
Chinas island province Hainan attained 2.22 billion yuan ($317.45 million) from duty-free shopping between July 21 to 27, up 234.19 percent from the same period last year, said Chinas General Administration of Customs on July 30, about a month after the province made its sixth adjustment to its duty-free policy.

During the period, 281,000 tourists bought duty-free products on the island, 42.71 percent more than those from a year ago.

The unprecedented policy adjustment ignited a wave of offshore duty-free shopping in the province. The tax-free shopping quota for travelers has been raised to 100,000 yuan per person each year, and the 8,000-yuan duty-free cap for a single item is also cancelled. Besides, the number of categories with a single-purchase quantity limit is significantly reduced.

As Hainan is transforming itself into a high-level free trade port, the offshore duty-free policy is releasing new vitality, taking the province a step closer to its goal of becoming an international tourism and consumption center.

The policy adjustment significantly drove the sales of luxury watches, jewelries, mobile phones and liquors, said Xie Zhiyong, general manager of Hainan Duty-free Co., who attributed the sales rise to the competitive prices. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the company has offered huge discounts and attracted overseas consumption back home.

Xies point echoed with the statistics recently released by Hainan Provincial Bureau of Statistics which suggested an evident pickup in the provinces consumption market in the second quarter this year. In the first six months of 2020, Hainan recorded 8.57 billion yuan in duty-free shopping by tourists, up 30.7 percent from a year ago. Nearly 2.3 billion yuan was achieved in June, representing a year-on-year growth of 235 percent.

Though significant adjustment has been made to the duty-free policy, many tourists still complained about the inadequate categories and brands of offshore duty-free products.

The per capita consumption stood at around 7,800 yuan 27 days after the policy adjustment, which is far less than the per capita annual tax-free shopping quota of 100,000 yuan, said Liu Feng, director of the Research Center for Free Trade Port with Chinese Characteristics of Hainan Normal University. Liu said more entities need to be encouraged to compete in the business, expand their purchasing and sales channels, and increase the number of brands and categories.

Relevant departments of Hainan issued a joint declaration on July 10, announcing that they were selecting new business entities for offshore duty-free shopping through market-oriented competition, such as bid invitation. It would help build an encouraging and competitive environment to promote the backflow of overseas consumption. Service, brands and categories are key areas where duty-free shops shall make efforts, Xie said.

Chinas duty-free shopping is a vast blue sea waiting to be explored, said Xia Feng, a researcher with the School of Politics & Public Administration of Hainan University. COVID-19 lowered peoples enthusiasm for overseas traveling, but not that for shopping.

With the duty-free policy, as well as the fiscal and financial policies to build Hainan into a free trade port, the province is walking steadily on its path to become an international tourism and consumption center.
Not for distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States of America. Any failure to comply with this restriction may constitute a violation of U.S. Securities laws.

CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / Sparta Group (TSXV:SAY) (the "Corporation" the "Company", "Sparta Group", "Sparta Capital" or "Sparta") has signed a distribution agreement with SBL Technologies Incorporated ("SBL"), paving the way to supply fast COVID-19 antibody testing and analysis for truckers who are putting their lives at risk every day.

In a July 16, 2020 news release, Sparta announced that its "TruckSuite Canada division had assembled an exclusive, symbiotic suite of COVID-19 safety tools to assist the trucking industry". As an important component of that suite, "COVID-19 testing for truckers" was to be added; and thus, this agreement becomes the cornerstone of the testing program.

With headquarters in both Calgary and Austin, Texas, SBL is a well-established provider of on-site rapid testing technologies and support tools to help employers manage risk and maintain worker safety. SBL's COVID-19 Antibody Rapid Test can determine whether a person has contracted the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is actively producing IgM antibodies. In addition, it can indicate if a patient who may have previously contracted the virus and has since recovered, still has the disease-fighting IgG antibodies in their system. The rapid antibody tests can provide valuable information for contact tracing, which can pinpoint who else is at risk of infection, on-site, within fifteen minutes.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sparta will be able to start distributing the FDA Emergency Use Authorized ("EUA") COVID-19 Antibody Rapid Test Kits to truckers in the United States and will have full access to support from SBL, including laboratory testing and training on administration and interpreting results. Additionally, Sparta will have access to a dedicated mobile reporting App so that results can be monitored anywhere in real time and can be further integrated into the additional tracking Apps being assembled as part of the TruckSuite safety tools.

"The Antibody Rapid Test Kit is part of our TruckSuite division's COVID-19 Safety Program and can be very helpful when addressing front line workers like our truckers. With an industry as large as trucking, that employs more than 8.7 million workers across America, it really helps to be able to gather data so that we can improve strategies to curb the COVID-19 pandemic and make sure that truckers on the frontlines are safe. SBL is known for providing high quality tests to enterprise companies across a variety of industries, such as the energy, mining, manufacturing and agriculture sectors. We are pleased to be working alongside them as we now expand into the very important transport vertical." said Sparta President, John O'Bireck.

The suite of COVID-19 safety tools will be branded through the company's TruckSuite division, which was originally designed to look after the health of trucks but given the unusual times we are living in, has been extended to the health of truckers as well. On July 23, 2020 Sparta also issued a news release announcing a licensing agreement to distribute and co-develop a package of nanotechnology formulations aimed at killing harmful pathogens on the drivers and in their cabs. The Antibody Rapid Test Kits are an equally important part of the Sparta trucker safety program.

About SBL

With headquarters in Calgary, Alberta and Austin, Texas, SBL Testing Technologies is a provider of on-site rapid testing technologies and comprehensive support for workplaces to manage risk. SBL has partnerships with leading manufacturers worldwide to offer its clients the highest quality in workplace testing available, along with training and customized support services. You can learn more about SBL testing technologies through the following video link: SBL technology and by visiting www.sbltt.com.

About Sparta

Sparta Group (a.k.a. Sparta Capital Ltd.) is a technology-based company that owns or holds a controlling interest in a network of independent businesses that supply energy saving technologies designed to reduce energy inefficiencies, achieve reduced emissions and increase operating efficiencies in various industries. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Sparta has also expanded its scope to help facilitate supply of necessary materials while assisting talented inventors who are looking to introduce innovative technical solutions that will bring greater normalcy to the post COVID-19 world. Sparta's network of independent businesses provides a wide range of specialized energy capturing, converting, optimizing, and related services to the commercial sector. Sparta provides capital, technical and engineering expertise, legal support, financial and accounting knowledge, strategic planning and other shared services to its independent businesses.

Sparta is a publicly traded company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "SAY". Additional information is available on our website at www.spartagroup.ca or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com

For more information contact:

John O'Bireck, President & CTO

Email: jobireck@spartagroup.ca

Telephone: (905) 751-8004

Cautionary Statements:

This above may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. When used in this address, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although the Corporation believes in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information because the Corporation can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date of publication of this information and the Corporation undertakes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Furthermore, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of the Corporation. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release).

SOURCE: Sparta Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600687/Sparta-Secures-Agreement-to-Provide-COVID-19-Antibody-Testing-to-Trucking-Industry
Election 2020 Myanmar Election Officials Scramble to Correct Error-Riddled Voter Lists

Residents of Kyauktada Township in Yangon check voter lists posted outside a polling station on Wednesday. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

YANGONIn the run-up to the general election on Nov. 8, preliminary voter lists released to the public have been the focus of intense criticism, as the rolls are riddled with errors and inaccuracies.

Over the past two weeks, there have been many reports of flaws in the preliminary voter lists, ranging from incorrect names and national registration card numbers to the inclusion of deceased people and the omission of whole families. Released on July 25 and displayed publicly in various cities, the preliminary lists were initially scheduled to remain posted until tomorrow, but will remain on display until Aug. 14 to give voters enough time to submit correction requests.

Amid an outpouring of public complaints over the flawed voter-list rollout, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday instructed officials with primary responsibility for the election process to correct the lists, warning that failure to do so could deny many eligible voters their chance to cast ballots in the election.

Addressing the officials in a videoconference, she said, There are many reports of flaws in voter lists all over the country. This is a very important issue for us to take care of, she stressed as she discussed election preparations with the officials.

Minister of Labor, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe acknowledged the problem. He said that because this is the first time voter lists have been rolled out on such a wide scale, they contain many mistakes, including erroneous exclusions and inclusions, as well as incorrect data.

He vowed to work hard to ensure that the revised voter lists would incorporate all corrections forwarded by the public. The new voter lists are due to be displayed in October.

Continuing her criticism, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said that even some of those whose voter data were correct in the 2015 general election had complained of errors this time. In some cases, she said, the problem was not a mere typo, but involved entirely incorrect sets of data. She asked the officials to explain why the voter lists contained such serious inaccuracies.

Minister U Thein Swe acknowledged that even members of his own family had been affected by incorrect data.

The voter lists were compiled by sub-election commission members working with staff from the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population and the General Administration Department across the country. Some 37.5 million people are eligible to vote in the upcoming election.

U Thein Swe pointed out that the voter list in his area had given him a new wife. Even my son found that his mothers name was wrong, while my daughter-in-law found that her late grandmas name was still on the list, he said.

He admitted failings in the process of compiling voter data on the ground, in digitalizing voter data for display, and in the process of double-checking the compiled data.

However, Union Election Commission member U Myint Naing, who joined the videoconference, expressed confidence that the voter lists for this years election would be more accurate than those for the previous vote in 2015, despite the many errors being reported.

He insisted that the collection of information for voter lists focused on actual data of residents, rather than relying on outdated household registration lists.

U Myint Naing added that he was satisfied that more voters were checking the lists this time, compared to the previous election.

As of Aug. 4, more than 6 million [17.6 percent of eligible voters] had checked the lists. This is very satisfying. I have never seen a such large number of people checking the voter lists, said U Myint Naing, who was also a member of the former election commission that oversaw the 2015 election.

But his statement failed to impress the State Counselor, who responded, Thats because theyre afraid the voter lists contain many flaws, isnt it?

Evidence on social media suggests the State Counselor is right. In the days after the voter lists were released, many people posted notes online reminding their fellow voters to check that their names were on the lists, after finding their own information had been omitted or contained errors.

Ko Aung Htet, a native of Sanchaung Township in Yangon Region, wrote on his Facebook account that he was very surprised to discover that the voting list in his area omitted the names of his entire family and everyone living in his building.

He urged others to go and check to make sure their information was included in the list.

According to UEC data, ahead of the 2015 general election, 12.3 percent of eligible voters checked the preliminary lists. Yet, at the time, preliminary lists were only displayed in 10 townships in Yangon. This time, they are being displayed in most cities in the country, except in some conflict-affected areas in Chin and Rakhine states.

Despite the errors, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said it was still a good sign that a large number of people were checking the voter lists to see if their names were there, saying it showed that the people are interested in the election and recognized its importance.

Commissioner U Myint Naing said that so far, over 400,000 people had forwarded correction requests, including fixes for erroneous exclusions and inclusions, and faulty data.

On a different topic, the election commissioner was caught unprepared when asked what steps the UEC had taken to ensure the voting could be successfully held in line with COVID-19 preventive measures issued by the Health Ministry.

The State Counselor expressed concern that the polling stations opening hours would be insufficient to allow all voters to enter the stations compounds before closing at 4 p.m., given that they would have to follow social distancing rules while queuing outside. She asked whether the commission planned to extend voting hours, and whether wearing gloves would hinder voters ability to stamp their ballots.

The commissioner did not have a clear answer for either question.

During the videoconference, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also urged all citizens who were over the age 18, and therefore eligible to vote, to do their duty and participate in the election.

Criticizing the system without casting a vote is an irresponsible act, she said, adding that all citizens needed to perform their duty by voting, something that required only one day every five years.

Holding an election successfully is not just a matter of politics, but a very important matter for the nation, she said.

With just one day to go in the preliminary voter list display period, the commission decided to extend the period to give voters more time to make corrections, given the large number of errors and inaccuracies discovered in the lists.

Yangon Region sub-election commission chairman U Kyi Myint confirmed to The Irrawaddy that the voter list display period had been extended until Aug. 14.

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In 1941, the U.S. Navy began quietly recruiting male intelligence officers from elite colleges and universities around the country as it prepared for their inevitable involvement in World War II; they were specifically looking for codebreakers to aid in deciphering the enemy's cryptic language.

Just months before on July 9, 1941, Alan Turing and his team of 8,000 female ciphers broke the impossible German Enigma code at Bletchley Park; a feat that turned the tide of war in the Allies favor.

By 1942, male enlistment abroad created a shortage in manpower on the home front and President Roosevelt designated a new division in the Navy for women; they were known as WAVES or, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

One of these volunteers was Judy Parsons, a 21-year-old graduate of Carnegie Mellon University who signed up for the officer training school in 1942. She was sent to the Navy's intelligence headquarters in Washington DC where she was shuffled into a room among other WAVES graduates.

'Does anyone know German?' they asked.

Parsons had studied it for two years in high school and was immediately assigned to OP-20-G, a codebreaking division that became the US Navy's version of Bletchley Park. She is one of the 11,000 untold stories of American women responsible for some of the most impressive codebreaking triumphs of the war.

Judy Parsons, 99, is a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who worked as a codebreaker for the US Navy during World War II. She signed up for the officer training program after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 1942 and was sent to work in the 'OP-20-G' - a codebreaking division within the Navy's Office of Communications

Judy Parsons is one of the many untold stories of women who worked in America's top secret decoding program during WWII. Their work was kept secret for almost 70 years. 'I never told my husband, I never told anybody,' said Parsons to CNN

Decoders used a complicated machine known as a 'bombe' (above) to help decipher German Enigma-machine encrypted messages. The bombe was designed by British cryptologist, Alan Turing at Bletchley Park in 1939. Its function was to discover the daily key - wheel order, wheel settings and plugboard configuration of the Enigma coded messages

Women in the OP-20-G were recruited from elite colleges and universities around the country. They were tested with weekly numbered problem sets and less than half passed the initial recruitment stages. Those who succeeded were sent to work in the Navy's cramped downtown Washington D.C. headquarters that had been converted from a former seminary campus

Cryptographers, both male and female, were trained to decode German encrypted communications during World War II. Those selected for the clandestine work were adept at math, science and foreign languages

The surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 led to the United States' formal entry into World War II. Overnight, a sleeping nation was forced to wake up to the fact that it was woefully unprepared for war.

The home front mobilized its human and material resources for the war- effort which created an unprecedented opportunity for women to enter the workforce outside the domestic sphere. Epitomized by Rosie the Riveter, many women rolled up their sleeves to work in factories that built bombs, ships, tanks, and aircraft.

Far less known are the stories like Judy Parsons, who joined the WAVES after discovering that the Navy was accepting women for its officer training program in a newspaper ad.

By 1945, 11,000 women were hired to work as codebreakers for the Army and Navy but their work was to be kept entirely secret for almost 70 years. 'We were told that we would be hung at the gallows,' said Parsons to CNN. 'They really laid it on thick that we were not to talk.'

'I never told my husband, I never told anybody,' she said. It wasn't until the 1990s, when information became declassified that Parsons began discussing the work she did among friends and family.

If asked what they did, they were told to tell people that they emptied trash cans and sharpened pencils. 'It was kind-of a blow to my pride not be able to talk about it because everybody assumed I was a secretary,' said Parsons.

Others improvised a more cheeky response and said their job was to sit on the laps of commanding officers.

'I would love to have said, I had such a good job you wouldn't believe, but I couldn't say that,' lamented Parsons.

They worked hard at dispelling the myth that women were gossipy rumormongers and bad at keeping secrets. 'The top bananas said that women couldn't keep a secret and we showed them that we could,' said Parsons.

According to Politico, one team of women agreed that if anyone ordered a vodka Collins while out at a bar together - it would be a signal that someone was showing too much interest in their work and they were to scatter to the ladies room and flee the situation.

A photo of Judy Parsons after her graduation from Carnegie Mellon University in 1942. The following year, Parsons was one of thousands of women who joined the Navy's new WAVES division. She was placed in the clandestine codebreaking unit because she studied German for two years in high school

Parson focused primarily on decoding messages sent to German U-boats. Overtime, she developed kindred feelings for the submarine captains that she tracked so intimately. 'We really felt kind-of unhappy when they were killed, because we felt like we knew them. One of the skippers discovered he was a father just one week before his submarine was sunk. (Above). 'I felt so bad about that, he'll never know his father,' said Parsons to CNN. 'It was an odd feeling to know that you had part of somebody's death'

The Navy took possession of Mount Vernon Seminary, a girls' school in tony upper northwest Washington, adding hastily erected barracks to house 4,000 female code breakers by 1944. By the end of the war, there were 11,000 women who worked on Op-20-G

If asked what they did, they were told to tell people that they emptied trash cans and sharpened pencils. 'It was kind-of a blow to my pride not be able to talk about it because everybody assumed I was a secretary,' said Parsons

The WAVES decoded messages, translating documents and built libraries that kept track of shipping inventories, speeches, and important enemy names. Once a code was broken, it had to be exploited and re-broken daily as the German key was reset every 24 hours. Speed was always of the essence

The WAVES were not expected to succeed either. Virginia Gildersleeve, Dean of Barnard College, recalled to the Washington Post how some Naval officers believed that 'admitting women into the Navy would break up homes and amount to a step backward in civilization.'

Until 1942, all cryptoanalytic work was done by men and before arriving at their new job posts in Washington, the recruits received welcome packets that read: 'Whether women can take it over successfully, remains to be proved.' Adding later, 'We believe you can do it.'

A propaganda poster from WWII reminds servicemen and women to beware of unguarded talk. Military top brass believed that women were prone to gossip and couldn't be trusted with the clandestine nature of their work. Parsons' kept oath of silence for fifty years. 'The top bananas said that women couldn't keep a secret and we showed them that we could'

They were dressed in exquisitely tailored uniforms designed by the American couturier, Mainbocher and housed into hastily modified barracks throughout Washington D.C. and Arlington, Virginia. Years later, some remarked that it was 'the most flattering piece of clothing they ever owned.'

The WAVES got to work at the Navy's cramped, downtown intelligence headquarters that were converted from a former seminary campus on Nebraska Avenue. Within a year, 4,000 women worked in the U.S. codebreaking unit.

'There's a bit of a misnomer, in that Bletchley Park is often discussed as the primary center where German codes and ciphers were being broken down,' said Commander David Kohnen, a historian at the Naval War College to CNN. 'In fact, after 1943, most of that work was being done in Washington, DC, at Nebraska Avenue by WAVES like Judy.'

Historians estimate that the invention of the Enigma decoding 'Bombe' machine and the painstaking work done at Bletchley Park in the UK, shortened the war by two to four years. Without the Bombe machine (a hulking 5,000 ton computer designed by Alan Turing) - the odds of breaking the diabolically difficult German Enigma code were impossible: 1,600 million billion to one.

The Bombe was a boon for the Allies who were suffering under Hitler's unstoppable reach. It allowed them to access top-secret German intelligence that eventually resulted in an Allied victory.

Much like Bletchley Park, the WAVES worked around the clock in three rotating shifts to decipher German intelligence. Aided by the Bombe, teams of women unraveled coded messages, translated documents and built libraries that kept track of shipping inventories, speeches, and important enemy names.

All WAVES were issued exquisitely tailored uniforms designed by American couturier, Mainbocher (above, Judy Parsons showcases her jacket). Years later, some remarked that it was 'the most flattering piece of clothing they ever owned'

72 African-American women had undergone recruit training by July 1945. Those who stayed in the WAVES after the war were employed without discrimination, but only five remained by August 1946

A WAVE decoding unit poses for a picture while stationed at the Naval Communications Command Annex in Washington, D.C. 1945. If asked what they did, they were told to tell people that they emptied trash cans and sharpened pencils

Once a code was broken, it had to be exploited and re-broken daily as the German key was reset every 24 hours. Speed was always of the essence.

They also tested the security of America's own intelligence in what would be the precursor to what is now commonly known as 'information security.'

In the grand plot to fool German forces on D-Day, they created fake radio signals that fooled Hitler into believing the Normandy invasion would take place further up the coastline in Calais or far away places like Norway.

Parsons' unit focused primarily on decoding messages sent to the German U-boats that wreaked deadly havoc on the Allied forces at sea. Overtime, she developed kindred feelings for the submarine captains that she tracked so intimately. 'We really felt kind-of unhappy when they were killed, because we felt like we knew them. When somebody died in the family, they got a message, happy birthday type things.'

One of the captains was expecting a baby. 'It wasn't a week later that the submarine was sunk and I felt so bad about that. He'll never know his father,' said Parsons to CNN. 'It was an odd feeling to know that you had part of somebody's death.'

Intelligence acquired by the WAVES resulted in the entire fleet of German U-boats being sunk or captured by the end of the war - completely eliminating their ruthless control of Allied shipping channels.

In some ways, women were thought to be better suited for codebreaking work; but that 'wasnt a compliment,' explained Liz Mundy, author of Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II. It merely meant they were considered better at undertaking the boring tasks that required tedious attention to detail.

Women did the painstaking grunt work while the giant 'leaps of genius' were reserved for their male cohorts said Mundy. They 'came from a generation when women did not expector receivecredit for achievement in public life.'

One team of women agreed that if anyone ordered a vodka Collins while out at a bar together - it would be a signal that someone was showing too much interest in their work and they were to scatter to the ladies room and flee the situation.

Above, the former seminary campus in Washington DC that was converted during to serve as the Naval intelligence headquarters during the war. 'There's a bit of a misnomer, in that Bletchley Park is often discussed as the primary center where German codes and ciphers were being broken down,' said Commander David Kohnen, a historian at the Naval War College to CNN. 'In fact, after 1943, most of that work was being done in Washington, DC, at Nebraska Avenue by WAVES like Judy'

Cryptographer Genevieve Feinstein received an exceptional civilian service award from Brigadier General Peabody in May 1946. Feinstein was a junior cryptologist with the signal intelligence service and participant in solving the complex Japanese cipher machine known as 'Purple'

The Bombe machine stood seven feet tall and weighed around 5,000 pounds. Dozens were installed at the Nebraska Avenue complex in Washington D.C. to help with codebreaking. They ran 24 hours a day and were operated by the WAVES working in three shifts

Above, Judy Parsons it seen in old footage from her years as a WAVE. She said after the war, 'The Navy thanked us profusely, sent us home and it was back to the kitchen'

Men were considered to be more brilliant but impatient, volatile and a security risk when it came to women and liquor. According to Politico, when the Army began training young soldiers to work as radio intercept operators, a memo was sent out among top brass that read: 'youth is a time for sowing of wild oats and under the influence of women and liquor, much is said that the speaker would not dream of saying when uninfluenced.'

However, the WAVES were subject to stricter sexual and social punishments than enlisted men. Lesbianism, abortion were not tolerated and pregnancy, even for married women, resulted in a discharge.

American cryptoanalysts played a crucial role in shortening the war with Japan; an enemy that Mundy said 'was willing to fight to the death.' The WAVES intercepted 30,000 water-transport messages per month in 1944 and made sense of the jumbled numerical deluge by searching for patterns with a few 'golden guesses.'

Breaking the Japanese codes allowed Allies to destroy every single supply ship that attempted to forge through the Pacific; crippling the Imperial Army's troops.

After the war, the Army and Navy's clandestine communications operations merged to become what is now the National Security Agency

The WAVES, like so many other women who partook in the home front effort were expected to give up their jobs, go home and start having families. 'The Navy thanked us profusely, sent us home and it was back to the kitchen,' said Parsons.

New York Representative Clarence Hancock heralded the codebreaking forces as a great success in a rousing speech to the House on October 25, 1945. 'They are entitled to glory and national gratitude which they will never receive,' he said. 'I believe that our cryptographers ... in the war with Japan did as much to bring that war to a successful and early conclusion as any other group of men.'

'That more than half of those 'cryptographers' were women was nowhere mentioned,' said Liz Mundy.

Without the Bombe machine (above) the odds of cracking the German Enigma code were impossible: 1,600 million billion to one

WAVES also tested the security of America's own codes and intelligence in what would be the precursor to what is now commonly known as 'information security.' In weeks before the D-Day landing in Normandy, the women were also charged with creating phony coded American messages to deceive the Germans about the site of the invasion
HALIFAXNova Scotia says it will give $1 million to the Lebanese Red Cross in support of those affected by the Beirut explosion.

Premier Stephen McNeil said today in a news release the Lebanese community has deep roots in the province, adding Nova Scotians are keeping the people of Lebanon in their thoughts.

The province says Ottawa is contributing up to $5 million in humanitarian aid, including $1.5 million to the Lebanese Red Cross for emergency medical services, shelter and food.

It says United Nations agencies have warned of a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon following the devastating explosion at a portside warehouse on Aug. 4.

The blast was reportedly caused by the ignition of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used for explosives and as a fertilizer, which had been stored at the port.

Search and rescue teams from several countries have been sent to Beirut, where dozens of people are still missing.

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A ship that ran aground off the shores of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean, began spilling oil into the countrys famed blue lagoons this week, triggering an environmental crisis in a tiny island nation that relies on its waters for fishing and tourism.

The hull of the Wakashio, a Japanese-owned and Panama-flagged bulk carrier, was found to be cracked on Thursday, the Mauritian authorities said, 12 days after the ship became grounded off the islands southeastern coast with nearly 4,000 tons of fuel oil and 200 tons of diesel on board.

As the spill has expanded into the clear blue waters of nearby lagoons, the Mauritian environment minister, Kavydass Ramano, said at a news conference on Thursday that the country faced an unprecedented environmental crisis. The nation relies on its pristine lagoons for tourism and food.

This is the first time that we are faced with a catastrophe of this kind and we are insufficiently equipped to handle this problem, said Sudheer Maudhoo, the fishing minister.
She is one of Australia's most successful modelling exports.

And on Thursday, Jessica Gomes was back in the office and working her magic in a jewellery campaign, shot in Malibu, California.

The 35-year-old was styled for the shoot in a chic blazer with no bra underneath to draw attention to the luxury diamond necklaces that adorned her neck.

Taking the plunge! Jessica Gomes went braless underneath a chic blazer as she modelled jewellery during a shoot in Malibu on Thursday

Her look was completed with a pair of baggy blue jeans, and the backdrop was of the stunning Pacific Ocean.

She wore minimal makeup on her flawless visage and had her brunette locks coiffed in soft waves.

The exotic beauty is currently based in Los Angeles and is focusing on pursuing an acting career.

Stunning: The brunette beauty's neck was adorned with jewels by luxury jeweller Anita Ko Jewelery, worth thousands

She also has her own skincare line, called Equal Beauty.

In December last year, Jessica announced that she's stepping down from her role as brand ambassador for Australian retail giant, David Jones.

'Well, that's a wrap on eight amazing years as Brand Ambassador for David Jones,' the budding actress began her Instagram post.

'What a privilege and honour it has been to represent this iconic Australian brand that has and continues to be a pioneer in the world of retail and luxury experience.'

The brunette replaced Victoria's Secret model Miranda Kerr as the store's lead female ambassador back in August 2012.
New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday asked the government why a Defence ministry report mentioning Chinese 'transgressions' in eastern Ladakh in May was taken down with party leader Rahul Gandhi alleging that removal of the document from websites would not change facts.

The document, which was uploaded on the Defence ministry's website, was removed on Thursday morning following publication of a media report based on it.

"Forget standing up to China, India's PM lacks the courage even to name them. Denying China is in our territory and removing documents from websites won't change the facts," Gandhi tweeted while tagging the news report based on the Defence ministry document.

The ministry report for the month of June had also said the situation in eastern Ladakh arising out of "unilateral aggression" by China continues to be sensitive and requires close monitoring as well as prompt action. It added that the face-off on the Line of Actual Control(LAC) is likely to be "prolonged".

At an online press conference, Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken said the government should tell the country the truth about Chinese 'transgressions' at the border in Ladakh, adding there should be complete transparency on the matter.

"The monthly report of the Defence ministry which was withdrawn clearly says that Chinese Army had intruded into Indian territory," he said.

"What is the government's strategy in dealing with the Chinese. What is the future plan of the Modi government?" Maken asked.

Congress has raised the issue several times since violent face-off with Chinese troops in the Galwan valley which led to the death of 20 Indian Army personnel.
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Here is a scenario the European Union could face just across its eastern perimeter come Sunday, Aug. 9, after the polls close in Belaruss presidential election.

For the first time in 26 years, according to this turn of events, a Belarusian poll doesnt unequivocally confirm the iron-fisted rule of autocratic strongman Alexander Lukashenko. As usual, he still claims victory, having once again jailed or exiled his most prominent challengers, rigged the system and counted an official majority of votes for him. But this time, events unfold differently.

Two wives of the disbarred opposition candidates had stepped in for their husbands and formed a compelling alternative for voters. Before the election, tens of thousands of Belarusians had flocked to their rallies, which resembled rock concerts, and expressed their frustration with Lukashenkos corruption and his coronavirus antics  just drink vodka and drive a tractor and youll be fine, hed suggested.

Now, after the election, these enthusiastic Belarusians take to the streets, defying even the specter of Lukashenkos thugs, who are out in force as usual. What happens next?

Lukashenko considers his options. Hes tempted to crack down, as is his wont. He knows that this would invite further sanctions from the EU and high-minded lectures from Brussels, Berlin and other Western capitals about human rights and democracy. But Lukashenko has been dealing with those meddlesome western Europeans for years, and has always, quite adroitly, kept them at bay by turning for support to his eastern ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Glancing at Moscow now, however, Lukashenko is worried. Yes, hes nominally still pro-Russian. In 1999, in a nostalgic nod to the Soviet Union, he even agreed to merge huge Russia and little Belarus into a new union state. But that was on the assumption that he, Lukashenko  rather than the weak Russian president at the time, Boris Yeltsin  would become its head of state.

Story continues

That notion is long gone. These days Putin rules the Kremlin like a modern czar, having just changed Russias constitution to make his reign perpetual. In a new union state, Putin would be the alpha male, demoting Lukashenko to the status of a regional governor, or worse. So Lukanshenko is nowadays against his old idea of a confederation.

But that has caused rising tensions with Moscow. To keep Putin at bay, Lukashenko has therefore sought detente with, and support from, the EU, betting that Putin cant afford yet another confrontation with the West on top of his ongoing provocations in Ukraine. Hed rather not jeopardize this fragile rapprochement with the EU by cracking down too hard on the protesters.

Putin, for his part, looks at Minsk and sees both risks and opportunities. If the Belarusian protests escalate, they could turn into another color revolution, leading to yet another post-Soviet satellite state drifting further toward the West and away from the Russian world that Putin wants to reassemble.

In this sense, Lukashenko has been starting to remind Putin of Viktor Yanukovych, the feckless and corrupt but nominally pro-Russian former leader of Ukraine who was swept away in his countrys revolution of 2014, thus becoming useless to Moscow. That event prompted Putin to seize Crimea and subvert Ukrainian statehood with an ongoing war in the countrys east.

Putin could give Belarus a similar treatment. Its population is generally pro-Russian and mainly speaks Russian. And yet, there had already been stirrings of a new and separate national identity, with efforts to revive the use of Belarusian and evoke the countrys golden age under Lithuanian rule. Putin may conclude that he should intervene sooner rather than later.

He could also use another dose of the Crimea effect at home, where hes been losing popularity of late and facing protests in the countrys far east. In 2014, Russians rallied around him patriotically after he sent his little green men  Russian fighters in unmarked uniforms  into Crimea and stared down the West. To have that option in Belarus, he already appears to have dispatched scores of Russian mercenaries working for the Wagner Group, a private militia firm, to cause mischief, some 33 of whom Lukashenko arrested in July.

So the EUs leaders are potentially facing a familiar dilemma. They know that Lukashenko, unsavory as he may be, is the best guarantor of Belarusian independence from Russia, and thus of Belarus as a buffer zone. For the sake of the EUs own geopolitical interests, they should support him, at least tacitly.

At the same time, they wouldnt be able to cynically ignore democratic protests against Lukashenko, for that would mean betraying Europes values and losing credibility throughout the region and beyond. So the EU should support the opposition. But if the demonstrations were to become an all-out revolution, that would probably draw in Putin, in yet another round of hybrid warfare and geopolitical escalation that ultimately makes the EU look impotent.

As this plausible scenario right on the EUs doorstep shows once again, its hard to conduct foreign policy with only the soft power of values, when interests demand instead a realism thats wholly alien to EU diplomacy. For now, the EUs leaders can only hope that after Sunday things turn out differently in Belarus.

(This column was updated to correct the number of wives of opposition candidates who stepped in for their husbands, in the third paragraph. )

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreas Kluth is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He was previously editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist. He's the author of "Hannibal and Me."

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion

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Two online surveys conducted by Barna, a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization collected responses from 2,500 U.S. adults in the year of 2019 to determine who the mass thinks is best suited to solve local community problems and where the Christian Church would stand in this question.

One of the questions in the survey asked, "Who do you think is best suited to solve problems in your community?" The general population depended on the government whereas one in four looked towards churches and Christian organizations.

Regarding the position as the community's problem solver, 33% of Christians favored the church and Christian organizations which was not much different from the 31% of Christians favoring the government.

However, non-Christians selected the government or citizens as the most suited entity to solve local community problems. 42% of non-Christians chose the government and 26% chose citizens.

Non-Christians expressed their belief that the community will continue to maintain itself even without the aid of faith or religious organizations.

The survey yielded a result of about one-quarter of all respondents believing most good works would still persist even without faith groups.

In a survey question, "What, if anything, does your community need that churches or Christian organizations could provide?" a whopping 62% of Christians selected "homeless services" as their priority whereas only 42% of non-Christians did.

Rev. Dr. Tony Cook, the vice president for Glocal Ministries at Lutheran Hour Ministries believe that although individuals can do incredible things, the "sume is greater than the parts. "Truly, when we band together, there is a multiplied effort on those gifts," Cook said.

"A lot of times we think about ourselves as 'the Body of Christ' so we just talk about believers coming together, but I believe this works in a very similar way when we have 'the body of humanity,' when we have all people working together for the common good, working together for the betterment of mankind and for one another."
Kanye West makes his first presidential campaign appearance, in North Charleston, S.C., on July 19, 2020. (Lauren Petracca Ipetracca/The Post And Courier via AP)

Top Democrat: No Question Kanye West Campaign Is Meant to Take Votes From Biden

A top Democrat claimed on Friday that theres no question Kanye Wests 2020 campaign is aimed at siphoning votes from presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

I dont think theres any question about that, Clyburn said during an appearance on MSNBC.

We saw what was going on in Wisconsin where he was getting help getting on the ballot. But African Americans, most especially, know what this campaign is all about.

West, 43, is an artist known for his support of Republican President Donald Trump. He announced last month he was mounting a third-party bid for the presidency, saying he does not support Trump any longer and hoped both Trump and Biden dropped out.

West made it onto the Oklahoma ballot but has missed some deadlines, such as South Carolinas, and withdrawn filings for other states, including New Jersey.

West filed paperwork this week to get on Wisconsins ballot. Wests efforts have been aided by lawyers and others connected to the Republican party, but theres no concrete proof that he is running to split the vote. Asked about the notion, West told Forbes this week that hes in it to win.

Trump, asked about West, told reporters in Washington on Wednesday that he likes West. Hes always been very nice to me, he said, adding that hes not involved with Wests bid.

Clyburn said on Friday that black people have seen these kind of tactics before, citing a U.S. Senate race in his state.

House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) in Washington in a May 2019 file photograph. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

We fell victim to it when we didnt know where it was coming from or what was going on. We now know, and were not going to make that mistake again. If you fool me once, that shame is on you. You fool me twice, that shame would be on me. We aint going to be shamed in this election, he added.

West told a rally last month that it was racist to assume his bid is about diverting votes from Biden, who is white.

Im going to explain to you that Democrats aint get [expletive] for blacks. And the most racist thing thats ever been said out loud is the idea that if Kanye West runs for president, Im going to split the black votes, West said.

West couldnt be reached on Friday. He does not have an official campaign website.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission is still reviewing petitions to see who will be on the ballot.

Other officials have jumped onto the idea that Wests bid is for splitting votes from Biden.

Mandela Barnes, a Democrat who serves as Wisconsins lieutenant governor, accused the Republican Party of using West to meet their own goals, because they dont want to do the work.
Oilex Ltd - Aberdeen-based oil and gas explorer - Executes deed of settlement & release with Autoridade Nacional Do Petroleo E Minerais, a Timor Leste government department, to end ongoing arbitration proceedings arising from the termination of the 06-103 production sharing contract in East Timor by the ANPM in 2015, and settle all claims and counterclaims between the parties. Oilex has committed to settlement of USD8000,000 payable in the 2021 and 2022 financial years.

Current stock price: 0.11 pence

Year-to-date change: down 42%

By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
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Sneeze, and you miss it: the publics love for health care workers. This relationship has felt like a true Coronacoaster.

Pre-COVID: physicians were disparaged for the sins of insurers and hospital C-suites.

COVID appears: I was gifted a yard full of signage announcing Heroes Live Here.

COVID escalates: the World Health Organization is  defunded?

Were held in high suspicion, yet somehow were still inundated with unofficial pleas for our time. Physicians suddenly have friends-of-friends reaching out for antibiotics. Long-lost relations reappear with questions about rashes. People want medical advice without risking SARS-COV-2 infection.

This advice is impossible to give without some facsimile of the medical history and physical exam yet there is no end to the requests.

However, when we defend our training as scientists as the front line for interpreting and disseminating scientific data (something we began long before our first feeble steps with patients) we are dismissed. When we question the exactitude of statements and defend the right to follow changing evidence, we are dismissed.

We are dismissed, unless we play into the listeners preconceived political beliefs.

A brilliant pediatric specialist (with a masters in clinical research from UCSF) recently presented Harvard literature to a safe-school re-opening committee. Instead of being asked about her training, she was asked about her voting history. If youre a mother today, youre likely currently half bald from pulling out your hair over The School Question. I understand and will tip my hat-covered head to you in sympathy.

However, physicians have quite a lot of experience in difficult and frustrating decisions: our work is evaluating risk vs. benefit in light of insufficient data. We generally dont need to be told to Google it when we ask for citations.

Up until recently, Id chalked up these interactions to having a boring sample size.

Up until a congresswoman accused the surgeon general of being racist for directing health messages to those at high risk of dying. Until there was a call to oust a Black man for speaking his mind on a subject of his expertise.

Up until the president accused one of the greatest physicians of our time of ma[king] a lot of mistakes, for making evidence-based remarks. Until there was a call to oust our most prominent infectious disease specialist for speaking his mind on a subject of his expertise.

The government and the public must stop demanding that we cower in the face of politics. We are scientists, and we must be allowed the freedom to voice our evaluations and concerns.

This is an era of real-time change that requires a long relationship with the scientific method, with peer review, and with the vagaries of data interpretation.

The relationship with science, at least, is one that will survive the Coronacoaster.

Giannina L. Garces-Ambrossi Muncey is a critical care physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
PLA Rocket Force launches DF-26 'aircraft carrier killer' missile in fast-reaction drills

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/6 18:38:40

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Rocket Force recently launched a DF-26 intermediate-range anti-ship ballistic missile in an ongoing months-long exercise, after the US provocatively sent two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea for exercises and held joint naval drills with India, Japan and Australia in the Indian Ocean and Philippine Sea respectively in an attempt to contain China.

Capable of striking moving targets at sea, the DF-26 has been dubbed an "aircraft carrier killer," and its exercise launch again demonstrated its deterrence and China's firm will in safeguarding national sovereignty and security, experts said on Thursday.

A PLA Rocket Force missile brigade recently started a cross-regional confrontational exercise, as they maneuvered through complicated terrains such as forests, simulated hostile chemical attacks, disguised missile vehicles to avoid satellite detection and reached a desert area, where the troops received the order to launch a DF-26 missile, Chinese media reported over the past week.

The exercises honed the fast-reaction capabilities of the Rocket Force troops, and this kind of mission will continue in the next one to two months, CCTV reported.

Chinese military observers noted that this is a rare demonstration of a DF-26 launch. In January 2019, the launch of a DF-26 was shown to the general public in a China Central Television report for the first time.

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Thursday that the latest drills demonstrated that the DF-26 has gained a stronger capability in real combat scenarios, including cross-regional maneuvering, and is not dependent on a preset launch site.

Defense Ministry spokesperson, Senior Colonel Wu Qian said at a press conference in April 2018 that the DF-26 had been commissioned into the Rocket Force, and the missile can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and is capable of launching precision strikes on land targets and medium and large vessels at sea.

Song said that the DF-26 and the DF-21D, which can also target warships but at shorter range, have given the PLA the ability to effectively attack aircraft carriers at far and close ranges.

In July, two US aircraft carriers provocatively sailed into the South China Sea for exercises, after which they held joint exercises with India in the Indian Ocean and Australia and Japan in the Philippine Sea, which Chinese experts called US attempts to collude with other countries to contain China.

The live-fire DF-26 exercises showed that the US cannot use aircraft carriers to intervene in China's internal affairs and threaten China's national security anymore, Song said, noting that "the US should fully understand that the PLA is not what it was in 1995 or 1996  China has the capability to make the US lose its aircraft carriers, and this is a key deterrent China should display, and can show China's firm determination in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The DF-26 has an estimated range of 4,500 kilometers, according to a report by Chinese news site china.com.cn in 2015. This means it should be able to cover many regions of the vast waters in the West Pacific and Indian Ocean, and reach US military facilities in Guam, Darwin and Diego Garcia, the report estimated.

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Kevin Hart cruised the streets of Los Angeles on Thursday while decked out in clothing from his 2015 What Now? stand-up tour.

The 41-year-old comedian was spotted stepping out of his elegantly restored black Mustang convertible and into an office building in the middle of the day.

The Jumani: Welcome To The Jungle star was decked out in a black sleeveless hoodie that commemorated his stand-up set at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia, to which he sold more than 53,000 tickets.

City drive: Kevin Hart, 41, was spotted heading into an office building on Thursday after driving his elegantly restored black Mustang convertible through Los Angeles

Kevin paired the hoodie, which featured the stadium on the back, with a matching set of black shorts that were also from the successful comedy tour.

He rounded out his sporty look with chunky gray trainers and a gold luxury wristwatch.

The Night School star had been driving in his sleek black convertible, which featured a gorgeous red leather interior that made the car look more modern.

Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Kevin didn't bother to put on a mask when he walked into the building.

Big succes: The Jumani: Welcome To The Jungle star was decked out in a black sleeveless hoodie that commemorated his stand-up set at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia, to which he sold more than 53,000 tickets

Self promotion: Kevin paired the hoodie, which featured the stadium on the back, with a matching set of black shorts that were also from the successful comedy tour

Sporty style: He rounded out his sporty look with chunky gray trainers and a gold luxury wristwatch

He looked fit and healthy after suffering a serious injury in another of his classic cars.

On September 1, 2019, he suffered serious injury to his back after his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda rolled over into a ditch in the early morning hours.

The car was driven by Jared Black while Kevin and the man's fiancee were passengers, and it left the road after he accelerated too quickly.

Hart was the only person who was able to exit the vehicle on his own, and he left the scene and went home to seek medical care, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Health scare: In September, Kevin seriously injured his back when his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda rolled into a ditch

Getting help: The comedian wasn't driving and left the scene to get medical attention at his home, according to the California Highway Patrol

Helping a friend: Kevin was out and about after he publicly defended Ellen DeGeneres amid her ongoing workplace scandal

Kevin was out and about after he publicly defended Ellen DeGeneres amid her ongoing workplace scandal.

His fellow comedian was accused of allowing a toxic workplace culture that allowed her producers to allegedly sexually harass employees, while others complained of racist comments made on set.

Ellen has mostly escaped the most serious complaints, though former employees have claimed on social media that she required them to chew gum from a bowl before speaking with her to ensure that their breath was fresh, and others have said employees were required to go home and shower if she thought they smelled bad.

On Tuesday, Kevin joined celebrities defending Ellen on Instagram.

Toxic: He defended Ellen on Instagram on Tuesday after former employees accused her of turning a blind eye to producers who allegedly sexually harassed employees

'Its crazy to see my friend go thru what shes going thru publicly. I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that shes one of the dopest people on the f**king planet,' he wrote.

'She has treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1. The internet has become a crazy world of negativity....we are falling in love with peoples down fall. Its honestly sad...When did we get here? I stand by the ones that I know and that I love.

'Looking forward to the future where we get back to loving one another....this hate s**t has to stop. Hopefully it goes out of style soon....This post is not meant to disregard the feelings of others and their experiences....Its simply to show what my experiences have been with my friend. Love you for life Ellen,' he concluded.

Kevin's message was criticized by some on social media who pointed out that Ellen and her producers were accused of treating staff poorly, but no incidents have been reported of guests or celebrity friends being mistreated.

Not a fan: After social media users criticized him for sticking up for Ellen, despite claims that she was only mean to employees and not her peers, he returned to Instagram with a short video deriding social media

Later on Tuesday, Kevin filmed a short video for Instagram to complain about reception his initial post got on social media.

He was accused by some social media users of defending Ellen because she had publicly defended him in January 2019 and invited him on her program to smooth his image over after his past homophobic tweets resurfaced.

Hart previously stepped down from hosting the Oscars over the controversy, though DeGeneres' support seems to have helped cleanse his image at the time.
Furious students have descended on the Scottish exam board's headquarters today as they blast the marking down of more than 100,000 pupil's grades.

Hundreds of protesters pitched outside the Scottish Qualifications Authority office in Glasgow after the public body downgraded marks for tests that were not sat.

Demonstrators were armed with placards reading 'judge my work, not my postcode' and 'we have class, you have classism' after the poorest areas were hardest hit.

The students, who appeared to ditch social distancing rules, also swarmed on nearby George Square and raised their fists in defiance.

Scottish Qualifications Authority downgraded the students' marks for exams that were not taken - changing 93.1 per cent of all the moderated scores.

Chief Examining Officer Fiona Robertson said if the SQA had not stepped in pass rates would have risen at every level and would have been the highest on record.

But in the wake of the backlash, schools in England have been given new powers to appeal GCSE and A-level grades when they are released this month.

Hundreds of protesters marched outside the Scottish Qualifications Authority office in Glasgow after the public body downgraded marks for tests that were not sat

Demonstrators were armed with placards reading 'judge my work, not my postcode' and 'we have class, you have classism' amid claims the results were based on area

The students, who appeared to ditch social distancing rules, also swarmed on nearby George Square and raised their fists in defiance

Scottish Qualifications Authority downgraded the students' marks for exams that were not taken - changing 93.1 per cent of all the moderated scores. Pictured: Nora Mooney and her son Stephen

Erin Bleakley, who organised today's protest, said she wants the march to show how pupils from poor area have been hardest hit.

The 17-year-old, who was St Andrew's High School in Carntyne, said: 'We deserve the same life chances as young people in affluent areas.

'How can anyone expect to close the attainment gap when your hard work can be wiped out based on your postcode?

'There needs to be recognition that living somewhere that is termed an area of deprivation should not be something that prevents young people from progressing to further or higher education.'

The grades, which even after moderation saw a rise in pass rates across the board, were worked out by teachers based on pupils' achievements pre-Covid.

It saw the number accepted to university rise, with 28,970 to start in higher education this academic year after meeting entry requirements.

Chief Examining Officer Fiona Robertson said if the SQA had not stepped in pass rates would have risen at every level and would have been the highest on record. Pictured: The Glasgow protest

One demonstrator, Chloe Hally, at the protest today holds a sign which reads: 'Teachers know my potential'

Heather Barber from Fraserburgh joined protesters at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in Glasgow today

Four of the demonstrators today hold up signs as they vent their fury at the handling of their exam results

Ms Robertson said: 'There may be several reasons why estimates were above historic attainment, which has been relatively stable over time.

'Some teachers and lecturers may have been optimistic, given the circumstances of this year, or may have believed, correctly or incorrectly, that this cohort of candidates may have achieved better grades due to a range of factors.'

Moderation: how and why the results were marked down The Scottish Qualifications Authority received 653,000 entries or exams at the end of this academic year Of them assessors thought that a number of them - 26.2 per cent - looked irregular or out of step with expectations These were then taken out for moderation and anonymised for the start of the moderation process Specialists in the relevant subjects were brought in to help assess whether the papers should be marked up or down Of the 133,762 exams, a total of 124,564 were marked down by the authority They then had their names reattached and sent back to the relevant schools and colleges The remaining 73.8 per cent were awarded as estimated Advertisement

The exam results came out on Tuesday and showed the National 5 pass rate was 81.1 per cent, the Higher pass rate was 78.9 per cent and the Advanced Higher pass rate was 84.9 per cent.

They have rocketed up from from 78.2 per cent, 74.8 per cent and 79.4 per cent respectively last year.

In many cases the SQA knocked down the results down a grade, with a total of 45,454 entries moderated down from grades A-C to grade D or to no award.

More than a quarter - 26.2 per cent - of grades were moderated by the SQA, a total of 133,762, while 377,308 entries were accepted unchanged.

There were 653,000 entries or exams this year which went into the SQA. It flagged a number which looked unusual, which made up over a quarter of the sum.

They were then moderated and sent back to the schools.

Ahead of today's protest, Scottish Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said: 'The pupils, teachers and parents protesting today against John Swinney's disastrous stewardship of this year's results process have my full support.

'That pupils from more deprived areas have been penalised is a national outrage and those responsible must be held to account.

'The First Minister said yesterday that she would protest if this had been done to her as a pupil.

'This may have been intended to sound empathic, but to say it and then defend the Education Secretary and the SQA is pure hypocrisy.

'The young people of Scotland represent the future of our country. We cannot fail them after they have risen to the challenge of a school year like no other.

'It is time for John Swinney, the First Minister and the SQA to listen to pupils, parents and teachers and do right by the young people of Scotland before it is too late.'

England's Exam watchdog Ofqual was yesterday spurred into action by the outcry over the Scottish Highers.

This year's A-level and GCSE exams were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis, so teenagers are to be awarded marks based on their teachers' assessments.

The regulator admits 'high ability' students at poor schools could get worse-than-deserved results.

Q&A: What do the new measures in England mean? How will grades work? Teachers were asked to decide what their pupils 'were most likely to get if teaching, learning and exams had happened as planned'. Since then, exam boards have run a standardisation process to bring high or low results into line. A key part is looking at a school's past performance, which means talented pupils could be marked down. How will appeals work? Appeals can only be made by schools, not pupils. They were initially restricted to technicalities, such as basic mistakes inputting data, until Ofqual eased the system. Appeals can also be mounted if a school's past performance is unlikely to be an accurate guide. Examples include where a single-sex school changed to being co-educational or a new headmaster was appointed. For students who are told there is not enough evidence to appeal, they will have the option of sitting an exam in the autumn. They will then be able to use the higher of the two grades. In cases where students suspect bias behind teachers' decision-making, their only option is to raise a complaint. What will happen to university offers? The Education Secretary has said universities should 'be flexible and do all they can to support students and ensure they can progress to higher education'. Therefore students who miss out on an offer need to be ready to contact their university of choice and explain why they feel they should be admitted despite their marks. If students need to do resits, it may be possible to start their courses in the New Year after sitting exams in the autumn and getting fresh results before Christmas. But Ofqual has cautioned that such flexibility 'might only be possible in a minority of cases'. Advertisement

This is because exam boards will check whether their grades are out of step with their school's historic performance.

But rather than rectify the situation before marks are sent out, Ofqual says it will be up to schools to mount an appeal.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson welcomed the watchdog's decision on Thursday night.

Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said: 'It is a welcome about-turn by Ofqual in attempting to reduce the unfairness in awarding these grades.

'It would have been better if they had foreseen it at the outset.

'What it does once and for all is to show we really do need exams at GCSE and A-level... and it is very difficult to take what the teachers are saying and moderate it so it is fair to all pupils.

'You would have thought that the regulator, with all the experts it can call upon, would have thought of some of these things and avoided an about-turn at such a late date.'

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at Exeter University, added: 'It will be a national scandal if poorer pupils are disproportionately penalised by the system of calculated grades.

'It would be grossly unfair on poorer students if they are downgraded through no fault of their own  particularly if that damages their prospects of getting jobs or gaining places at universities.'

A-level results day is scheduled for next Thursday, while GCSE results come out a week later.

Under the new Ofqual rules, schools can now appeal if 'the grades of unusually high or low ability students have been affected by the model because they fall outside the pattern of results in that centre in recent years'.

Individual pupils will not be allowed to challenge grades themselves, so schools and colleges will need to appeal on their behalf.

In cases where students suspect racism or bias lies behind their teachers' decision, their only option is raise a complaint rather than access the appeals procedure.

Responding to the regulator's announcement, Mr Williamson said: 'It is vital that students with exceptional circumstances are not held back by the way grades have been calculated  including those who are highly talented in schools that have not in the past had strong results, or where schools have undergone significant changes such as a new leadership team.'

Tens of thousands have signed a petition calling for all students in Scotland to be re-evaluated.

According to the Scottish Qualification Authority's own analysis, the most deprived pupils had their marks reduced by 15.2 per cent, whereas the wealthiest had reductions of only 6.9 per cent.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon even admitted she would probably have protested if her grades had been downgraded while she was at school.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'It is vital that students with exceptional circumstances are not held back by the way grades have been calculated'

Ofqual denied its move on appeals was in response to the situation in Scotland  even though the meetings which led to the changes took place on the day Scottish results were released.

In a statement, it said: 'Students can appeal, through their school or college, if they believe an error has been made or that something has gone wrong in their case.

'If they are concerned that bias or discrimination has affected their results they can make a complaint.

GCSE and A-Level results will be decided by statistical modelling  not just teachers' predicted grades Statistical modelling will be used to determine the majority of this year's A-level and GCSE results as opposed to predicted grades from teachers. Exam regulator Ofqual announced the government u-turn in July after concerns regarding the reliability of teacher-predicted grades were raised. The new statistical model will take into account a number of factors, including pupils' previous attainment, results of previous students at the same school and the predicted grades teachers submitted in March. This will mean thousands of English pupils will avoid the disappointment experienced by thousands of their peers in Scotland. Advertisement

'Centres will also be able to appeal if they can show evidence an error has occurred  including where they can show students' grades are lower than expected because previous cohorts are not sufficiently representative of this year's students.'

Meanwhile, the boss of the National Education Union has urged schools to ignore 'threatening noises' from government and refuse to reopen if they feel is it unsafe.

Dr Mary Bousted told councillors in an online meeting that current guidance was 'unworkable' and schools should come up with their own plans.

'The latest iteration of government guidance is so unworkable that you can't trust it. Local authorities and schools should take the confidence to do what they can do and that will mean for many schools that they cannot have all children fully back in September', she said.

'Now, the Government's making threatening noises about that. But in the end, they won't be able to carry out their threats.' She said some schools might find it 'simply impossible' to operate safely and therefore could not have 'all children back', The Daily Telegraph reported.

Dr Bousted's Left-wing union has been repeatedly accused of using the Covid crisis as an excuse to bash the Tories.

A spokesman said: 'The NEU echoes the calls from the scientific community for a robust test, track, and trace to be in place in schools and colleges and for there to be a plan B in case of any regional or national spikes to ensure all students remain connected to learning.'

Schools and colleges can appeal if they were expecting results this year to 'show a very different pattern of grades' to results in previous years because of the ability profile of students this year.

If a school has had a 'significant change in leadership or governance' - and it can provide evidence that its previous grades are 'not a reliable indicator' of this year's results - it will also be allowed to challenge results.

If a single-sex school has changed to co-educational - or a school has experienced a 'monumental event' such as flooding or fire which meant it had to move and it affected previous exam results - then they can appeal grades.

Schools and colleges can appeal to the exam board if it believes it made an error when submitting a grade or if it believes an exam board made a mistake.

Pupils can ask their school or college to check whether it made an administrative error when submitting their grade - and they can ask them to submit an appeal to the exam board if it did.

Ofqual has advised students to complain to their college or school in the first place about potential malpractice. If their concerns are not addressed, pupils can formally complain to the exam board.

Students in England who are unhappy with their grades will also have the opportunity to take A-level exams in October and GCSE exams in November.

Not allowing pupils the right to appeal GCSE or A-Level exam grades they think are unfair had earlier been linked to imposing a 'life sentence'.

There are concerns that results day next week could be chaotic as thousands of teenagers may receive 'unfair' marks.

Dr Martin Stephen, the former High Master of St Paul's Boys' School told The Daily Telegraph the system was equivalent to 'imposing a life sentence, with no right of appeal'.

The new guidance comes after outrage in Scotland where the grade moderation process reduced the pass rate of the poorest Higher pupils by more than twice that of the richest.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority downgraded the students' marks for the exams that were not sat, changing a massive 93.1 per cent of all the moderated scores.

Chief Examining Officer Fiona Robertson said if the SQA had not stepped in exam pass rates would have risen at every level and would have been the highest on record.
The OPW says the population must be managed to keep the herd at a sustainable size and its culls are carried out in line with international best practice.

In a statement, it says if deer were not removed, food would become scarce and more animals would ultimately suffer.

Bernie Wright, of the Animal Rights Alliance, feels there are more humane ways of managing the herd of deer at Phoenix Park:

"The deer can't win and I think we just need a whole new attitude towards animals really.

"There are contraceptives you can use which I have researched. The contraceptive issue which they use in the US can keep numbers down.

"It would be a perfectly safe way to control the deer if the numbers are really the problem."
BAY CITY, MI  A Lewiston man is facing felony charges after police allege he tried breaking into a rural Bay County home and was caught in a stolen vehicle containing numerous stolen weapons and cremains.

Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly on Friday, Aug. 7, arraigned 32-year-old Thomas J. Nolan on six charges  breaking and entering with intent to commit a larceny, receiving and concealing a stolen firearm, receiving and concealing stolen property, carrying a concealed weapon, and two counts of felony firearm.

Appearing on Nolans behalf, attorney Brandon Poltorak said Nolan works for a construction company but has been laid off due to COVID-19.

The charges have their origin in a series of incidents that occurred the morning of Thursday, Aug. 6. Shortly after 8 a.m., the owner of a home in the 400 block of South Linwood Beach Road called Bay County Central Dispatch to report a breaking-and-entering in progress. The resident wasnt home at the time but saw live camera footage of his garage being broken into, said Bay County Sheriffs Lt. James Chlebowski.

The caller gave a description of the culprits vehicle as a red Chevrolet Silverado.

A short while later, a sheriffs sergeant was patrolling the area when he spotted a truck matching the description. The sergeant pulled over the truck at the Turkey Roost restaurant, 2273 S. Huron Road (M-13), Chlebowski said.

The suspect exited the truck and fled on foot, heading west across M-13. The sergeant chased after him, but lost him in Docketts Home Center, 2248 S. Huron Road, Chlebowski said.

Additional deputies responded and set up a perimeter. The sheriffs offices K9 was also brought in and tracked the suspect to a pole barn or garage on nearby Debra Court. Deputies found the man hiding there and he surrendered without further incident, the lieutenant said.

The man was in custody by about 10:30 a.m., Chlebowski said.

The Silverado the man had been driving had been reported stolen out of Lewiston, located in Montmorency County. In it, deputies found two handguns, a Taser, a knife, cremains in a decorative wooden container, and a large sum of cash, all believed stolen.

One of the guns had been stolen from Lewiston, the other from Fenton in Genesee County, Chlebowski said.

Appearing at the arraignment, Bay County Prosecutor Nancy E. Borushko said the video footage shows Nolan trying to enter the Kawkawlin Township home and then a detached garage.

The video is very clear, and its very easy to see the defendant in this case entering, or attempting to enter, Borushko said. This was at approximately 10 after 8 in the morning, so its broad daylight.

She added that after Nolan was pulled over by the sheriffs sergeant, he runs across a very busy roadway and also gets hit by oncoming traffic.

Police also found what Nolan admitted to be methamphetamine in the stolen truck, Borushko said.

Nolan has convictions in Florida, is on felony probation there, and is also wanted on a warrant for grand larceny there, Borushko said.

Borushko asked the judge to set bond at $100,000 cash-surety, which Kelly granted.

Nolans next court date is pending.

Read more:

Bay County deputies chase, arrest suspect driving stolen truck containing guns, cremains

Couple who won $500,000 lottery, now facing burglary charges, owe thousands in back property taxes

New police dog named Lincoln joins Bay County Sheriff's Office

Series of daytime burglaries reported in Bay County
Schools will defy the Governments promise to have children back in classrooms full-time in September by only opening for half-days.

Parents across the country may have been expecting to pick up their children at around the typical time of 3.15pm from Monday to Friday next term.

But many are being sent emails from schools telling them they will educate their children only until lunchtime on at least one day of the week. Some schools will be doing this twice a week, or even closing at an earlier time all five days of the week.

Some schools are saying they will have to send children home early so they can meet new deep cleaning standards. Ministers have been forced to admit that they are powerless to force schools to reopen in September if teachers refuse to go back to work (file photo)

Head teachers say they need to do this to meet extra safety requirements because of the coronavirus pandemic, including more time needed for deep cleaning.

It comes as papers from the Governments advisory group Sage revealed that only one teacher has died from the virus in the UK between June 1 and July 20  and they did not pick it up while at school. And the average number of confirmed cases among children is close to zero, and no child has needed hospital care with coronavirus since the start of June.

Just three teachers have needed hospital care in the same period.

Several schools say they will have to send children home at least one afternoon a week so that their teachers can be allowed their statutory time for lesson-planning and marking.

The average number of confirmed cases among children in the UK is close to zero, and no child has needed hospital care for coronavirus since the start of June. Schools in some other countries, such as the one in Godley, Texas, pictured here have students attending wearing masks as they resume in-person classes

They would usually do this while another teacher or a teaching assistant takes over their class for the afternoon, but schools say this is difficult to do given the requirement for teachers and pupils to remain within a constant social bubble.

They say they will make up for this lost time with shorter breaks.

But the arrangements will raise fears of children missing out on more classroom education after already losing, in many cases, half a year of schooling because of the lockdown.

They will also be a major inconvenience for many parents planning to return to their old patterns of work in the autumn.

Geoff Barton, of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: Teachers are entitled to an amount of planning, preparation and assessment time during the school week.

The Department for Education says that changes to the school day should not 'inconvenience' parents. Schools shouldn't shorten their days or limit the curriculum unless it is expected to help students, with fears many have fallen behind after more than five months off

However, the need to keep pupils and adults apart in consistent bubbles may make this harder, and some schools may decide to close earlier on one day a week. It is an example of the dilemmas facing schools in the new term.

Schools planning to stick to the their old closing times say they will meet safety requirements by having staggered start times for different year groups and scaling back breakfast and after-school clubs.

Adding to the potential confusion for parents, some teaching unions are still not backing any form of September reopening. The head of the National Education Union Dr Mary Bousted urged schools to ignore threatening noises from the Government and refuse to reopen if they feel is it unsafe.

A Department for Education spokesman said: The structure of the school day and week should not be a cause of inconvenience to parents, and schools should not shorten either the day or week unless it is... to support and enhance their pupils education.

British paediatricians warn that lockdown restrictions are likely to have killed more children than the virus itself. An article in the British Medical Journal claims at least nine children died of cancer or sepsis by the end of April after coming too late to hospital. This is higher than the total number of children who had died of Covid-19 across the UK by that point.
MBABANE  A teacher at Nhlangano Central High School has decided to invoke the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2001 by removing himself from the school as he deemed it unsafe to continue working there.



This piece of legislation allows an employee to withdraw from work in the event the environment is not safe or conducive. The teacher, *Musa, furnished the head teacher of the school with a notification of withdrawal from an unsafe and unhealthy work environment on July 29, according to an impeccable source.

In the letter which is in this publications possession, Musa wrote that after careful consideration of the threat to his occupational safety and health, which were posed by circumstances, some of which bordered around what he described as selective application of compliance with critical elements of the COVID-19 Regulations 2020, he decided to invoke this law.



He said: In both letter and spirit, I have since preferred to remove myself from the premises of my duty station of record and in accordance with Section 18 (2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2001 (as amended).



According to Musa in the letter, there were concerning developments including an increase in reportedly confirmed cases of COVID-19 with others in isolation among learners. His concern was that there were no attempts by the employer to establish possible causative factors for relevant collective mitigating action to be taken. He said the other reason for withdrawal was that all teachers were expected to remain on the premises of the school for the duration of a school day, whether or not having an assigned general duty or lesson on the day.



Such arrangement precipitates unnecessary congestion of the environment and exacerbates the possibility of infection as it militates against the requirements of infection prevention and control, he said. The fear and anxiety created by enforcing normal routine in an abnormal situation and to such extent as to employ unorthodox measures was another reason brought forth by the teacher for his withdrawal.

He alleged that there was failure to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) in the form of gloves for pupils to clean floors, in an environment that he said was already concerning.

Recourse

The employer has still not committed to providing reasonable recourse for employees with comorbidities like myself and as such, work environments like ours in its current state, remain a threat to life. I believe forcing employees to sign Absence From Duty forms even without affording them an opportunity to discuss possible arrangements or remedies in a forum that is not apprehensive, is wrong, Musa said.

The notification, according to Musa, was effective from July 30, 2020 as he stated that he refused to believe that the employer would suffer unfair prejudice during the subsequent period of temporary absence.When Musa was called, he confirmed to have written the letter. He stated that he was not going to work and was hoping to hear from his employer as he also sent the same letter to the Shiselweni regional Educational Office. I cannot say much as yet as the matter is still to be discussed by me and the employer but I did write the letter withdrawing myself from an unhealthy environment, he said. When the schools Head teacher Jabu Simelane, was called, she ended the call just after this reporter introduced herself and narrated what the call was about.

Meanwhile, Shiselweni Regional Education Officer (REO) Siboniso Gumbi confirmed to have received the letter and that he was yet to engage Musa before taking the letter to the Ministry of Education and Training. I will have a meeting with him tomorrow (today) to discuss the letter and if he knew the consequences of his decision, the REO said.

When asked what the consequences were, Gumbi said he did not know but: usually, a person who did not work, did not get paid. He said the matter was not the first as another teacher from Nkwene had furnished his office with a private doctors note, stating that he had underlying conditions. He said the teacher was also not going to work and was also going to engage him.

Gumbi said he had not reported the matter to the principal secretary as he was yet to address it at regional level.

President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Mbongwa Dlamini said they also received the letter from their member.

He said their Shiselweni office had been following developments at the school.

The ministry (of Education and Training) should take note that teachers are worried about their health, Dlamini said.

*Not real name

.
Kanye West has suggested he is running a spoiler campaign against Joe Biden, saying he is 'walking' for president.

The rapper was on Thursday approved for Colorados November 3 ballot, where candidates pay $1,000 and must get the backing of nine electors who are registered to vote in the state. At least four of those are Republican operatives; two Democrat, The Denver Post reports.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday denied any involvement in the effort by West to get on the ballot in presidential battlegrounds  amid a skein of revelations about GOP-connected officials aiding the effort.

When asked directly if he was running to hurt Democrat Biden's campaign West, running as an independent, had earlier told Forbes he was 'walking', adding: 'Walking...to win.'

The Grammy award winner was later probed on the fact it is not possible for him to win in 2020, suggesting he is running as a distraction. Vocal Trump supporter West replied: 'I'm not going to argue with you. Jesus is King.'

He did not confirm who was helping to run his strategy. But when asked about harming Biden's chances, West replied: 'Im not denying it; I just told you.'

West later tweeted his '2020 VISION' sharing a mood board of images including Jesus, an eagle and a map of the United States with West written across it. He wrote: 'THE GOAL IS TO WIN.'

Scroll down for video

Kanye West was on Thursday approved for Colorados November 3 ballot. He is pictured meeting with Donald Trump in the Oval Office on October 2018

West later tweeted his '2020 VISION' sharing a mood board of images including Jesus, an eagle and a map of the United States with West written across it. He then wrote: 'THE GOAL IS TO WIN'

West has suggested he is running a spoiler campaign against Joe Biden, pictured

A series of GOP officials have been tied to West's effort.

Top GOP lawyer Lane Ruhland was filmed and identified dropping off West's Wisconsin petitions at the state capital in Madison. She is a former general counsel for the state Republican Party.

Wisconsin is a critical swing state that Trump carried narrowly in 2016 where Biden is leading in public polls.

It appears that Kanye West made a smart decision by hiring an experienced election attorney, said state GOP spokeswoman Alesha Guenther told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

When asked directly if he was running to hurt Democrat Biden's campaign West, pictured with wife Kim Kardashian, had earlier told Forbes he was 'walking'

Another official, Gregg Keller, the former executive director of the American Conservative Union, was listed as a contact for West's effort to get on the ballot in Arkansas. Trump reportedly consider Keller to be chair of his 2016 campaign before settling on Corey Lewandowski.

Chuck Wilton is listed as a convention delegate for Trump in Vermont and an elector for West. His wife, Wendy is a Trump Agriculture Department appointee. New York Magazine identified officials assisting West with GOP ties.

The group Let The Voters Decide is also assisting West, who announced his campaign July 4th on Twitter, then filed papers in Oklahoma, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Vermont, and West Virginia.

Wests nominating petitions were dropped off with state regulators in Madison by Lane Ruhland before Tuesdays 5pm deadline. Ruhland, a top Republican lawyer and former general counsel for the state GOP, was filmed dropping off the signatures

'I'm not involved,' Trump said at the White House when DailyMail.com asked him about new disclosures about figures assisting West in his petition-drive to get on state ballots for his 11th-hour presidential campaign.

'I like him. Hes always been very nice to me,' Trump said, praising the rapper-producer who appeared with him at the White House in 2018 and sported his trademark red Make America Great Again hat.

Gregg Keller, the former executive director of the American Conservative Union, has been listed as a contact for Wests campaign in Arkansas

But Trump denied a role in West's latest actions.

'No, not at all. No, not at all. Other than I get along with him very well. I like him. I like his wife. His wife recommended certain people as you know for, including Alice Johnson whos a fantastic woman,' Trump continued, praising Kim Kardashian and pointing to her successful push for Trump to grant clemency for her life sentence on a drug conviction.

The president briefly veered into a discussion about prison reform.

'But his wife recommended certain people to get out of prison. They were in prison for a long time. A long, long time. And should have never happened. And I took what she said very strong  Kim Kardashian,' Trump continued. 'And she's got a good heart. A very good heart. And I like Kanye very much.'

Then he added: 'No, I have nothing to do with him getting on the ballot.'

West first announced his intentions to run for president in a tweet on July 4

Wests ties to four individuals has raised questions about the intentions of his White House bid and whether it is a GOP-designed effort to siphon votes from Joe Biden

The president briefly mulled how having West's name on the ballot might impact his race against Democrat Joe Biden, then stopped short.

'Well have to see what happens. We'll see if he gets on the ballot. But I'm not involved,' he concluded.

Trump's 2016 victory came in a year when Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Gary Johnson were on the ballot, with a late push by Evan McMullen to try to throw a wrench into the outcome.
Before Donald Trump came down his escalator, things were going just fine. Our economy was growing at a post-modern and sustainable 1.2%. Deficits were rising, but that was because we were investing to help people.

Congress passed the Affordable Care Act that subsidized health care for the poor.

We had elected our first black president, and then re-elected him for a second term, a clear signal that the United States was no longer a racist nation.

Manufacturing jobs were becoming a thing of the past, but factory work is hot and dangerous. Better to let poorer nations do that for us.

Undocumented workers were coming across the border by the millions, to do the jobs Americans didnt want to do.

Oil prices were at record high levels, so that meant Americans would be encouraged to buy more fuel efficient cars and help the environment. We signed the historic Paris Climate Accord to stop global warming.

Chinas economy was doing great. They were producing what we used to make in this country, and we were saving lots of money in our stores. Soon they would be the top economy in the world, so other nations wouldnt fear domination from the U.S.

We signed a great deal with Iran and they promised they wouldnt finish building their nuclear weapons for ten years.

And it looked like former First Lady Hilary Clinton would collect the second big milestone and become the first woman president and continue Obamas legacy. There were sixteen do-nothing Republican candidates running against her, and everyone said she was a shoe-in.

And then along came Trump.

He was quickly branded as a misogynist, racist, anti-Semitic homophobe who hated the handicapped. His sometimes foul speaking style was that of a common New York working man. No way would he get the nomination, and, if he did, Hillary was a sure thing.

The public on the Left was told to hate him, and on the Right, he was presented as a Democrat in Republican clothing.

But somehow, despite all their efforts, he won the nomination.

The outgoing Obama administration went into overdrive, manufacturing excuses to wiretap the campaign so they could dig up dirt to derail Trump. But they didnt find anything, even when they tried to blackmail insiders into to revealing damaging information, or making it up.

Still, all the polls showed Hilary would win in an electoral landslide. No problem.

Then Trump won.

The shock was cataclysmic. Not only did we miss out on a continuation of the Obama regime, our new president was a monster.

There was tremendous pressure to stop his presidency at all costs. Every word he said was twisted, every legislative proposal was opposed, even members of his own party, believing the media hype from the campaign and upset that political business as usual came to a halt, cooperated in the opposition.

But our brash new president changed our perspective. If you look back at what we were told about the Obama years you might realize that things werent that great after all

A 1.2% growth rate wasnt the best we could do. Trumps deregulation and tax cuts quickly led to high growth and record low unemployment, and manufacturing experienced a resurgence. We realized that the prior deficit spending did nothing the help the economy, just Obamas political allies.

The Affordable Care Act did cover pre-existing conditions and subsidize the poor, but the deductibles were so high that no one could afford to be sick and the premiums were raised for everyone else.

The final end to racial division never materialized, in fact, it had gotten significantly worse.

We started to add up the costs we were paying for illegal aliens entering the country  drug trafficking, sex trafficking, massive costs to states for health care, education and policing.

We learned that the Paris Climate Accord didnt apply to the worlds two largest polluters, China and India, and the massive transfer of wealth to implement the deal was projected to lower the earths temperature by only .7C in fifty years. Trump pulled us out.

Despite all the obstacles, Trump set about dismantling the Obama legacy and draining the swamp.

He ended thousands of excessive environmental regulations allowing the use of fracking and building new oil pipelines. This dramatically dropped the price of energy, further boosting our economy and cutting off the main funding source for our overseas enemies. The increased use of natural gas meant that our air was cleaner and our carbon emissions were cut by 25%, without the Paris Climate Accord.

Trump also pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, amidst intelligence that they were not keeping their end of the bargain.

We learned that the strong Chinese economy was being propped up by currency manipulation, illegal trade policies, and massive espionage and theft of trade secrets. Chinese expansion was revealed and opposed. And with the coronavirus we now know the full extent of the despicable nature of the China regime.

A Hillary administration would indeed have been a continuation of the Obama legacy  a weak United States, helpless before our enemies, and an ascending China, with their plans to control the entire world.

If you were happy before Trump you were believing the lies the media told you.

Now were faced with a choice in November between Trump and Biden. But were no longer looking at a possible return from Trump back to Obama. While you were sleeping, the Democrat party was totally taken over by the radical Left, communist/Marxists, and Black Lives Matter.

Despite all their promises, the new Democrat agenda would be worse than a return to the American weakness of Obama. It would be a complete dismantling of our society with government control from cradle to grave, racial division with our cities looted and on fire, and our economy in shambles because of massive tax increases and renewed government regulations. All of America would look like California and Democrat inner cities.

We would return to open borders, high unemployment, high energy prices, leaving foreign nations in control of critical resources, pharmaceuticals and strategic products. China would return to cheating, bullying and expansion, and a nuclear Iran would be blackmailing the rest of the world.

Yes, Trump is brash and unfiltered. We all wish he would think twice before tweeting. But he has done more for this country than we can imagine, while being attacked from all sides.

The Democrats dont care about the success of our nation, their only goal is power, and they will stop at nothing to regain it. This is why we are seeing a frantic call for mail-in voting (not the same as absentee voting), which will put millions of undeliverable blank ballots in the hands of political operatives to fill out for the candidate of their choice.

Their lust for power is most clearly shown by their new disdain for the filibuster rule in the Senate. If they win, the filibuster is going to be scrapped, and Democrats will be able to shove their radical agenda down the countrys throat with a simple majority in both houses. Our Founders warned us of the dangers of mob rule.

Independents and moderate Democrats, wake up. Look at what Trump does, not how he says it.

Look at what the Democrats do, not what they promise.

Don Rosenberg is a conservative political consultant for groups and candidates, recently working on the Ben Carson campaign and the Reopen movement. https://redamericaconsulting. com

Image credit: Steve Jurvetson, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0, enhanced with FotoSketcher.
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP  State Police arrested a township man Wednesday for his alleged role in a September 2019 ATV crash that left one man dead.

Michael Brown, 35, was charged with vehicular homicide after allegedly driving under the influence and fleeing the scene of a crash that killed Christopher Vasinda, 34, of Williamstown, Gloucester County. Brown was additionally charged with receiving stolen property, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death and causing death while driving while suspended.

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About 9:30 p.m. Sept. 20, 2019, troopers were dispatched to a crash on West Colton Lane, where Brown was driving a Honda all-terrain vehicle near West Cushman Avenue. Brown went off the road and struck a tree, ejecting himself and the passenger, Vasinda, from the ATV. Vasinda sustained fatal injuries during the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. After the crash, Brown fled to a home in the area, where he was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
She is set to welcome her first child with her rugby player boyfriend Matthew Sarsfield later this year.

And Charlotte Dawson proudly showcased her growing baby bump in a beige teddy bear co-ord in a series of stunning snaps shared on Instagram on Thursday.

The former Ex On The Beach star, 27, left her fans in stitches as she showed off her dance moves in a hilarious video.

Glowing: Charlotte Dawson looked glowing as she showcased her growing baby bump in a beige teddy bear co-ord in a series of stunning snaps shared on Instagram on Thursday

Charlotte looked radiant as she tenderly cradled her stomach while posing in the mirror in her fluffy crop top and matching shorts by JYY London.

The star then added a matching hoodie to her ensemble as she continued to pull off a number of poses.

Despite her casual outfit, the mum-to-be looked super glam with her brunette tresses blow-dried to perfection and a sleek palette of make-up.

She's got the moves: The former Ex On The Beach star, 27, then left her fans in stitches as she showed off her dance moves in a hilarious video

Charlotte then mixed things up as she later strutted her stuff in a humorous video in which she thrust her hips and pouted away while dancing along to the rift of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics.

At one point she even lifted up the back of shorts and revealed her behind as she wiggled her hips and larked about.

Captioning the clip, she wrote: 'When ya bump makes your no a**e even flatter.'

Despite her energetic routine, on Thursday Charlotte admitted she feels 'so tired all the time' and has a phobia of being sick as she revealed how pregnancy is impacting her.

Mum-to-be: Charlotte looked radiant as she tenderly cradled her stomach while posing in the mirror in her fluffy crop top and matching shorts by JYY London

Style: Charlotte looked radiant as she tenderly cradled her stomach while posing in the mirror in her fluffy crop top and matching shorts by JYY London

The TV personality confessed she's become 'obsessed with cereal' while discussing her pregnancy cravings.

The mum-to-be sat in a Christmas-themed onesie as she told her followers: 'Don't ask why I'm in a Christmas onesie but it's just really comfy.

'I just wanted to say: Loads of people messaged me like: "are you not feeling like s**t?" - I genuinely haven't really been sick.

'I just feel so tired all the time, and I'm just obsessed with cereal! I just can't stop eating cereal... Golden nuggets... obsessed!

Work it: Charlotte then strutted her stuff in a humorous video in which she thrust her hips and pouted away while dancing along to the rift of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics

Cheeky! At one point she even lifted up the back of shorts and revealed her behind as she wiggled her hips and larked about

'So yeah, I'm not feeling, like sick, I do feel a bit sick though but never actually sick. I've got a phobia of being sick, so I'm like "hold it back!" - I'm just so tired all the time.'

But later, Charlotte returned to her Instagram Stories and admitted: 'Spoke to soon... Feel so sick and tired,' as she rested on the couch in a pink hoodie.

On Wednesday, the daughter of late comedian Les Dawson brought some light relief to her social media followers as she thanked them for their support days after sharing the happy news.

The make-up artist cut a casual figure as she branded herself and sportsman Matthew 'MILFs and DILFs' from her bed.

Saying it how it is: Charlotte Dawson admitted that she feels 'so tired all the time' as she revealed how pregnancy is impacting her, on Instagram on Thursday

Yucky: The mum-to-be also confessed that she has a phobia of being sick

She revealed she's 'over the moon' and is due to give birth just a week before what would have been her father's 90th birthday in February 2021.

Charlotte said: 'I might have liked to go out and have a good time, but I know Im going to be an amazing mum and will do anything for my baby.

'We went for the first scan and my due date is actually the week before, but theres every chance I could give birth on his birthday. What a tribute that would be!'

Funnyman Les passed away from a heart attack aged just 62 when Charlotte was only eight months old.

Honest! 'I just wanted to say: Loads of people messaged me like: "are you not feeling like s**t?" - I genuinely haven't really been sick, I just feel so tired all the time!' she confessed
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She started crying. This tough, capable, juggernaut of an ICU nurse looked just a little broken for a second while she cried. Its not fair. Its immoralor unethical. I dont knowI know its the right thing. We have to protect the patients and staff but  if it were my dad! I just  I cant go tell them that she cant come see him when we know hes going to die. She wants to be there for him. I just cant do it.

I told her I could talk to the family. It would be okay. She looked at me, a general surgery resident on my sixth straight night of ICU call, shook off her tears, and told me she could do it. She left to go tell the family that the hospital isnt allowing visitors under any circumstances right now because of the coronavirus pandemic.

As health care providers, we learn to beto some degreeemotionally distant from the pain of our patients. Feeling the full weight of the grief we see every day is crushing. So, we all learn to compartmentalize those emotions at the moment; work through them laterwhen we have the time. At work, we must do our jobs. We must take care of the next patient.

But we are human beings. When I look at my patients, I see my mother, my brother, my children, myself. I put myself in their shoes to help them make decisions. That empathy helps me to be a better physician. But it also takes a toll. In this global pandemic, that toll has exponentially increased.

In the last several months, as the hospital has put in social distancing restrictions to protect staff and patients during the COVID-19 epidemic, I have found myself spending more and more time doing emotional work with my patients. Because family members cannot be there, health care providers act as surrogates, intermediaries, advocatesimportant roles that significantly contribute to patient care.

The patient with terminal cancer diagnosed on this hospital admissionafter placing an arterial line, I held his hand. I listened to his fears about dying; about the pain he would feel. I didnt know what to say, but I could listen to him; I could witness and sit with him.

Another patient came to our ICU after an accidental overdose of medication. Her daughter called me five times that dayshe was terrified that she couldnt be there for her mom. I did my best to describe her condition and show what I could through the phone camera, but nothing could replace the reassurance loved ones feel just being there.

My wife (also a physician) and I know the difference it makes to have a family member at the bedside in the hospital. A few years ago, her father developed Guillain-Barre syndrome that left him completely paralyzed for several weeks. Along with the rest of the family, we took turns staying with him in the hospital so that there was always someone with him. When I stayed with him at night, sometimes he would just call out to make sure I was there. That he wasnt alone. That someone was there for him.

I cant quantify it; I cant measure it; but I know that it made a difference for him, for my wife, for his entire family. The act of being there was an act of love. It was the thing that we could do. It was all that we could do.

During this epidemic, we have to deny families that last, only act of love left that they can givethe act of being there. Getting sick enough to be in the hospital right nowfor any reasonmeans being alone. Being sick and alone. Dying alone. Alone except for us; we are the ones that can be there.

Kathleen M. ONeill is a surgeon.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
New Delhi:

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won the online readeras poll for 2016 TIME Person of the Year. The Indian political supremo beat other major world leaders, artists and politicians as the most influential figure in 2016 among people who voted.A

The magazineas editors decide the final Person of the Year, but poll results provide a look at how the world sees these figures.

Modi won with 18% of the vote when the poll closed Sunday at midnight. He was well ahead of his closest contenders, including Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Julian Assange, who all received 7% of the ayesa vote. Modi also placed far ahead of other prominent figures of this year, like Mark Zuckerberg (2%) and Hillary Clinton (4%).

Ye to bas shuruwat hai, PM toh man of the century bhi honge aage: Uma Bharti,Union Minister on PM won TIME Magazine person of the year pic.twitter.com/s1MgkevENf a ANI (@ANI_news) December 5, 2016

In recent months, Modi's approval ratings as Indian Prime Minister surged, according to a September Pew poll, and ratified the Paris Climate Change Agreement. Modi has come under scrutiny recently for getting rid of 500- and 1,000-rupee notes, hitting cash-based businesses and shrinking Indiaas economy.

Current poll results, analyzed by poll host Apester, found that preferences differ across the world and the United States. Modi performed particularly well among Indian voters as well as those in California and New Jersey.

Every year, TIME selects the most influential person of the year, noting, for better or for worse, the person or group of people who have had the largest global impact over the past 12 months. In partnership with Opentopic and IBMas Watson this year, TIME editors were also able to see how candidates were influential on the Internet.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Christian athlete Katie Spotz to run 130 miles nonstop to bring clean water to Tanzania

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Katie Spotz pushed her mind and body to become the youngest person to row across the Atlantic Ocean for charity. That was a decade ago. And since then, she has continued to challenge herself with feats few have even attempted.

Now, with a revitalized faith in God, her next quest will come on land when she'll run nonstop across the state of Maine to bring clean water to Tanzanian communities.

Spotz, a Christian endurance athlete, will run 130 miles to raise money for Lifewater International on Sept. 5. Run4Water is her latest challenge benefiting clean water initiatives. As donations and efforts grow, Spotz's faith has also grown over time.

Ive done different challenges like swimming and rowing, and now its a chance to run for water, Spotz told The Christian Post. When God sees people having clean water, it brings a smile to His face. Providing clean water is an extension of how I believe God wants us to live.

Spotz said she originally ran and pursued endurance challenges as a means to fight anxiety and to feel accomplished. She enjoyed pushing herself to see how much success she could bring to herself and the charity.

I believe that were all created in Gods image and we all have value, were all loved, she said. Faith has been a big part of how I see clean water. Its an active obedience of God to share what weve been given.

When Spotz finished her row across the Atlantic in 2010, she received media attention from around the world. She said at first she saw the attention as a way to benefit her goals of clean water, but said she was "duped" by the attention at times.

"When you don't know God, something else becomes it. For me it was achievement, I bought the lies of achievement," Spotz, co-author of Just Keep Rowing, said. "I had this extreme thirst for more and this discontentment. I did not get that promise achievement could bring."

Spotz said she remembered a day she visited a museum with her friend, Meghan. As the friends walked through the museum, they discussed God, which led to Spotz attending church with her friend. Spotz has been growing in her faith ever since, and said it is clear that personal achievement will never earn a love similar to God's.

"When you're no longer attached to 'love is earned, it frees you to receive this never-ending love," she said. "Before I was running on fear. Now I'm running on joy. There's no words that can justify how good and amazing God is  we constantly witness God's goodness and love and if that's not an adventure, I don't know what is.

In speeches to children, the 33-year-old athlete shares with them the Gospel as well as the valuable outlook she learned as she started endurance challenges with a 1-mile run and continued to push for longer runs.

We are capable of more than we think, she has told audiences. It just requires taking one step after another.

Starting at the Canadian border and ending in Belfast, Maine, Spotz will be the first person to run across the state. She ran across New Hampshire and Vermont with the same initiative, and stands as the only woman to complete the two feats.

Billions without clean water

According to the World Health Organization, some 2.2 billion people (40% of the global population) do not have access to safe drinking water. Water insecurity may be assumed to only impact impoverished countries and communities, but Spotz has found the issue to be widespread, even in developed areas.

She said she learned how water insecurity can happen to anyone and any country while living through a drought in Australia. Despite wealth, technology and infrastructure, Spotz said she was surprised to see the limitations on life due to a shortage of water.

Australia is a developed, progressive nation and they had restrictions on when you could water your grass or wash your car, she recalled. That made me think, no one is exempt from something that can and does affect everyone. We even see it in the U.S.

An environmental science class extinguished any hesitation Spotz had about the importance of clean water after her experience in Australia. She said the class described how water could be the reason for a war in the future because it's so basic and fundamental.

Everyone could live in a world of clean water without huge sacrifice, she stressed. Water is the first step in medicine and education. Water affects everything.

Lifewaters Tanzania campaign is a new installment to provide clean water by the company that has been invested in the issue for the last 40 years. According to Lifewater, half of Tanzanias population does not have access to clean water, leading to nationwide illness.

Rural Tanzania communities receive little to no government help, according to Lifewater. Funds raised through Run4Water and the Tanzania campaign as a whole will be used for education, transportation and technology in addition to water.

Run4Water has already surpassed its original goal of $10,000 toward the Tanzania project, with a new goal of $20,000. All in all, Spotz has raised over $400,000 for clean water initiatives from previous challenges.
Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly invited, emboldened, and even tried to coerce foreign interference in American elections, Tony Blinken, a senior Biden campaign adviser, said in a statement. Joe Biden, on the other hand, has led the fight against foreign interference for years, and has refused to accept any foreign materials intended to help him in this election  something that Donald Trump and his campaign have repeatedly failed to do.
EIDSON, Tenn., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Blair Walsingham, Democratic Congressional nominee in Tennessee's 1st District will award two "Freedom Grants," $500/month for one year to district residents. Walsingham says that her Freedom Grant, not dependent upon a vote for her, is intended to "empower individuals to move beyond survival." If elected, she will seek legislation for a Freedom Dividend, a monthly basic income of $1000 to Americans 18 and over.

Walsingham says that corporations thrive on benefits from tax dollars, and says, "It's time for taxpayers to thrive too." Walsingham cites direct cash distributions by Dolly Parton following the Gatlinburg fires, and per capita distribution in the nearby Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, as models of basic income. "In the EBCI, this practice improved quality of life and increased opportunity," says Walsingham, who interviewed Principal Chief Sneed for her podcast.

While basic income plans vary, Walsingham's plan is universal. "This dividend unites Americans with a shared benefit of citizenship," she says, pointing out that while her plan could eradicate poverty, the advantages are not just for low income households.

"Middle class Americans," adds Walsingham, "are suffering from debt and healthcare bills." A common rationale for basic income is automation in the workplace, which the McKinsey Global Institute says may eliminate 73 million jobs by 2030.

Interest in basic income has grown during COVID-19 after Congress passed a round of stimulus checks. A trial UBI in Stockton, Calif., showed that recipients increased spending on food by 12% from the same time last year.

More money in the hands of Americans means more spending. Walsingham says we can "replace the cycle of poverty with a cycle of prosperity," and that her campaign's Freedom Grant initiative is a step in that direction.

If elected, Blair Walsingham would be the first Democrat to represent Tennessee's 1st District in over a hundred years.

To learn more, visit https://blairforcongress.com/

About Blair Walsingham:

Blair Walsingham, candidate for U.S. Congress, TN-01, is endorsed by key community and national organizations, including former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Running on a platform of health, freedom, and financial security, Blair is a veteran, small business owner, and resides in Hawkins County with her family.

*Images for media:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-0VA6dom6xN7b2b3_jR1dYE7eW01Vkhh

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A day after the physical attack on York City Hall, officials say the facility will need to remain closed through Friday to assess and repair the damage.

Kevin Isaiah Waller, 24, of Philadelphia was charged with breaking into the building and destroying everything from doors, to computers, to random property on Wednesday night.

On Thursday evening, officials released an update saying that that the property damage to the citys Information Technology department is forcing the extended closure.

We are actively working to assess and repair the damaged caused with the goal of restoring operations as soon as possible, official said. As of Thursday night, all York city landline phone numbers were still offline.

Other services on the citys website were still not operational, however individual email contacts and employee cell phones are operating normally.

The citys emergency and critical operations, including the York City Police Department, York City Department of Fire/Rescue Services and Wastewater Treatment Plant are still working, officials said. City employees are being contacted by their supervisor regarding work duties.

In the event of an emergency, residents should call 911. Non-emergency reports for the York City Police Department can be submitted through the departments CrimeWatch Website.

Read more on PennLive:
Drone footage captured on August 5 shows smoke rising from a port area of Beirut following a massive explosion the previous day.

Lebanese officials said around 145 people were killed and 5,000 were injured in the explosion, The Daily Star Lebanon reported. President Michel Aoun said the explosion was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse in the port area of the city.

This drone footage was captured by P Elie Korkomaz on Wednesday. Credit: P Elie Korkomaz via Storyful
A push is underway to force 'bungling' Premier Daniel Andrews to hand control of Victoria's COVID-19 crisis to the Commonwealth.

As hundreds of thousands of Victorians joined the dole queue on Friday, a petition has been established and backed by television news veteran George Donikian demanding Prime Minister Scott Morrison take control of the crisis, which has spiralled out of control under Mr Andrews' watch.

His petition calls on Victoria to become a territory and placed under the Federal Government's control.

The 68-year old who has appeared on three different networks since 1980, lashed out at the premier in a 11-minute video tirade that threatens to go viral.

Victoria recorded 450 new cases on Friday, with 11 deaths.

Veteran news presenter George Donikian has called for Victoria to become a territory and placed under Commonwealth control

Police and soldiers patrol the streets of Melbourne under new stage four lockdown conditions

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is under siege over his bungled handling of the COVID-19 crisis

'There are Victorians who want to be out. They want you out of office and they want Victoria to be declared a territory and to have the federal government take over the reins,' he said.

'COVID should never have been an issue in this country as we were well warned by a host of nations overseas about what to expect and what we should to to protect Australia and Australians.'

Donikian said Australia had become fragmented in its defence against the virus because of a 'flawed constitution' and called on a royal commission into the handling of the crisis in Victoria.

'It's incredible to think that we couldn't use a blanket strategy deployed by federal government for the whole of the country,' he said.

Poll Should Dan Andrews hand over control of the COVID-19 crisis to the Commonwealth? Yes No Don't know Should Dan Andrews hand over control of the COVID-19 crisis to the Commonwealth? Yes 1552 votes

No 571 votes

Don't know 59 votes Now share your opinion





'The federal government has been handcuffed at a time of national crisis. (Prime Minister) Scott Morrison should have been able to simply instruct all of the state premiers to follow a particular, unified approach and response to COVID.'

Donikian claimed Mr Andrews had 'blood on his hands'.

'He will be seen as responsible for the economic destruction of Victoria and for driving the levels of suicide, domestic violence and mental health to unprecedented levels. He has plenty of explaining to do,' he said.

Donikian told Daily Mail Australia the push to revert to federal control has been backed heavily by Victorian business owners, many of which have posted support for the move under his video.

'He could have saved the state millions on the inquiry,' one stated.

'He nailed it for the systemic and leadership failures,' another wrote.

Donikian compared Victoria's COVID-19 predicament to a hot mess served-up by a bungling and misguided premier.

Television icon George Donikian says Premier Daniel Andrews has blood on his hands

Premier Daniel Andrews' handling of the coronavirus outbreaks within the state's aged care network has been condemned

Flinders Street Station in the heart of Melbourne has become deserted under stage four restrictions

COVIDiot Eve Black would have been jailed under tough laws proposed by veteran news presenter George Donikian

The World According To George Jail anti-mask protesters and those that fail to self isolate Remove stage-four restrictions and allow businesses to re-open Make Victoria a territory under control by the Commonwealth Government Remove the entire Victorian government and bring on a royal commission into the handling of the COVID crisis Advertisement

'The premier has on his plate a bit of a kale pache - a stew. And it's one made from boiled cow or sheep parts. And that's what Victorians have been served and I've got to tell you, it's not a very tasty dish,' he said.

Donikian, who fronts online video news website The Informer, slammed the premier's handling of Victoria's COVID crisis and claimed history would condemn Mr Andrews.

'Victorians have fallen victim to a collective stupidity and we will have to endure a painful legacy because of it,' he said.

Donikian goes onto list a series of blunders he places at the feet of the Andrews Government.

'We were told that COVID was an old persons disease, yet the state government failed to safeguard our most frail in our aged care unit because of a lack of foresight and clear mismanagement,' he said.

Donikian hit out at the premier for lifting the initial restrictions that began in March too early.

'Hey, that was a major bungle. Then of course there was the inept quarantining of overseas travellers - another disaster and this one with quite serious implications,' he said.

Police in Victoria are expected to be out in force again on Sunday when more protesters have threatened to converge on the city streets

A man who failed to comply with new lockdown laws was taken away by police last week

Police have been apprehending people who get about Melbourne not wearing a mask

He further criticised the government's handling of the Black Lives Matter protest, the 'Cedar Meats fiasco', housing commission lockdown and allowing infected people to leave their homes.

The television presenter saved specific criticism for Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton.

Donikian attacked Mr Sutton for giving mixed messages on the wearing on masks, which went from 'not required' to 'mandatory'.

'Premier Andrews need not only to sack (Health Minister Jenny) Mikakos, (Housing Minister Richard) Wynne and Sutton, but he also needs to seek out the advice of experts - people who can properly steer a course that we can all follow,' he said.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has been criticised over his leadership of the state's COVID crisis

The premier's handling of the bungled hotel quarantining of international arrivals continues to haunt him

The premier's handling of an outbreak at Cedar Meats has been condemned by broadcaster George Donikian

Donikian conceded Victoria's COVID death toll was unacceptable, but claimed the stage-four restrictions threatened to do even greater harm.

Premier Daniel Andrews moved forward with the stage-four changes despite pleas from businesses to delay shutting down much of the state's economy.

'I don't think any business will be happy with the decisions that have had to be made,' he said on Thursday.

'I'm not happy to make these decisions of the but sadly we don't have the luxury of finding things, of that being the ultimate guide.

'The guide here has gotta be to drive down the amount of movement to then drive down the number of cases.'

Donikian claimed the people have spoken.

'Victorians have lost faith in you and your government,' he told the premier.

George Donikian is a highly respected news anchor who has been a journalist since 1975
Mumbai Ltd (AEML) has sold shares worth Rs 202 crore in

This was done through an open market transaction on Thursday. AEML sold off 15 crore shares which represented 1.19 per cent stake in for an average price of Rs 13.45 per share, according to data from NSE.

On the other hand, Life Insurance Corp of India had said that it has bought additional shares of the lender through open market purchases.

Last week, Moody's Investors Service upgraded YES Bank's long-term foreign currency issuer rating by a notch from Caa1 to B3 after the private lender raised Rs 15,000 crore in a follow-on public offer in July.



ALSO READ: How Mumbai raced to add more beds than patients after its June unlocking

Moody's said Yes Bank's successful equity capital raise of Rs 5,000 crore (about $2 billion) has bolstered its solvency and is the main driver of the ratings upgrade. The successful equity raising showcases Yes Bank's regained access to external market funds, which is a result of its improving financial strength and will support depositor confidence.

Given the improved solvency, Moody's has upgraded Yes Bank's BCA to caa2 from ca. The bank's B3 issuer rating is two notches above the bank's caa2 BCA, reflecting Moody's expectation of a high level of support from Government of India (Baa3 negative), in times of need.

Following the capital increase, the bank's Common Equity Tier 1 ratio will more than double to 13.4 per cent from 6.6 per cent based on the bank's capital position at the end of June 2020, bringing its capitalization largely in line with its private sector peers.



The significantly improved solvency ratio strengthens the bank's resilience to potential asset quality risks resulting from the ongoing impact of the economic slowdown and coronavirus-related disruptions on India's economy.
RICHMOND, Va. - The Virginia Parole Board and its former chairwoman violated state law and its own policies and procedures in the case of a man convicted decades ago of killing a Richmond police officer, the states government watchdog agency said in a report initially withheld from the public.

Republican legislative leaders on Thursday released the six-page report from the Office of the State Inspector General about the agencys investigation into the release of Vincent Martin. That came a week after the inspector generals office provided the media with an almost entirely redacted version of the report, making clear at least some allegations against the parole board had been substantiated.

The report said the inspector generals office found the board did not initially notify the Richmond commonwealths attorney of Martins release within the required time frame. It said the board also did not endeavour diligently as required by law to contact the slain officers family  who ultimately did have a chance to provide input. And it said the board declined to hear from two people with concerns about releasing Martin.

One of the sisters of slain Officer Michael Connors called the reports findings horrific and devastating.

Republicans legislative leaders lambasted the Parole Board, saying the report showed a pattern of wilfully ignoring state law and victims rights.

The degree to which the law was violated is shocking, House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert said.

GOP leaders said all current Parole Board members should resign, or be fired by Gov. Ralph Northam if they refuse. Republicans also want Martins parole immediately repealed and Martin returned to prison to await a new boards decision on whether he should be set free.

Alena Yarmosky, Northams spokeswoman, said the review was procedural and had nothing to do with the merits of the decision to release Martin, who served a 40-year sentence.

Governor Northam has spoken with the new Chair of the Parole Board, and reiterated that he expects all notification procedures to be followed, period, Yarmoskys statement said.

Parole Board Chair Tonya Chapman, who was not part of the decision to free Martin, provided a lengthy point-by-point response that said the reports findings were based on faulty assumptions, incorrect facts, a misunderstanding of certain procedures, and incorrect interpretations of the Virginia State Code. Her response noted Connors family was able to give input about parole for Martin, which was considered in the boards decision.

But according to the report, the boards former chair, Adrianne Bennett, was reluctant to contact the Connors family at all.

The Parole Report prepared by the Victim Services Coordinator noted that Bennett stated she had been working on this case for four years and the familys input was the last piece of the puzzle and the Board was reluctant to reach out, but is required by law, the report said.

Several Parole Board employees told the inspector generals office that state law and board policies and procedures regarding victim notification were not always followed under Bennetts tenure as Chair, the report said.

The employees stated that Bennett was vocal about not wanting to contact victims and particularly not in the (Martin) case due to the expectation of opposition because the victim was a police officer, it said.

Bennett and a victim services co-ordinator met with the family via a conference call March 26 after neither Bennett nor any other representative from the board showed up for a call scheduled earlier in the month, the report said.

Bennett, now a judge in Virginia Beach, did not respond to a request for comment.

She released a statement in April defending Martins release and saying Martin had demonstrated himself over the decades to be a trusted leader, peacemaker, mediator and mentor in the correctional community.

The report found that despite the fact that Martin, who was referred to in the report by his initials, first became eligible for parole in 1994 and received annual parole reviews, Connors family was never contacted for input before this year.

The board also declined to hear from a co-defendant of Martins who had concerns with his release, as well as an alleged prior shooting victim of Martins, according to the report.

On that issue, Chapman said the inspector generals office had confused what the board may do and what it must do.

The redactions in the initial report angered Republican lawmakers and law enforcement advocacy groups who called for all the findings to be made public. Northams administration declined requests from The Associated Press for a full copy of the report.

On the one hand, Id probably say that we are pleased that this has finally come to light. But at the same time, its devastating. ... The things she did, the things this parole board did to us, and theres no recourse, Maureen Clements, one of Connors sisters, said in an interview.

Beyond the Martin case, the board has recently drawn criticism from prosecutors, other victims families and members of law enforcement for both the types of offenders who were granted parole and allegations that proper notification was not provided according to the law.

The release of Martin, who has previously declined a request to speak with AP, drew particular condemnation from law enforcement groups.

Connors was fatally shot in November 1979 after pulling over a robbery getaway car.

___

Associated Press reporter Alan Suderman contributed to this report.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take stock of rescue and relief efforts being carried out at the crash site of an Air India Express flight from Dubai carrying 174 passengers, 10 infants, 2 pilots & 4 cabin crew that shot pas the runway in rainy conditions to fall into a valley leading to at least 16 deaths and injuries to 123 people, according to official information.

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected, the PM tweeted.

Kerala CMs office had also tweeted to say that Pinarayi Viajayan has informed the Prime Minister that a team of officials including Kozhikode & Malappuram district collectors and IG of Police, Ashok Yadav, have arrived at the airport and are participating in the rescue operations.

The state police and fire department had also been rushed for rescue and relief operations apart from NDRF teams that were pressed into the operation.

Home minister Amit Shah had tweeted that NDRF teams were reaching the site.

Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. I have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations,Shah tweeted.

Television pictures showed part of the fuselage of the jet ripped apart in the crash. Both the pilots have died.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, too, expressed shock at the news

Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured, he said on Twitter.

My thoughts are with the crew, the passengers and their families and friends at this time, he said.

Air India Express has set up help centres at Sharjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from where the ill-fated flight to Kozhikode took off on Friday afternoon. The carrier also issued a statement to express regret at the accident that has reportedly led to deaths of at least 11 people including two pilots and injuries to at least 40 passengers, according to preliminary information coming through official channels.

In a separate effort to provide information to kin of passengers-- some of who have been rushed to hospital while rescue and search operations for others continueKozhikode collector has set up a helpline number-- 0495  2376901for providing information related to the crash of Air India Express Flight (IX 1344).

The flight was one among the several being operated under the Vande Bharat Mission being run by the Indian government to bring home Indian citizens stuck abroad due to restrictions on international travel due to coronavirus pandemic. After the crash, Air India Express issued a statement of regret and added that the flights under the mission will continue.
3 1 of 3 Danny Zaragoza /Laredo Morning Times Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy photo /Secretariat of the National Defense Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Gunfire and blockades reported near the Mexican side of the World Trade Bridge caused the international crossing to shut down for approximately two hours, according to authorities.

The closure of the bridge caused traffic congestion on the U.S. side, Laredo police said.
On top of the penalty, Capital One was ordered to create plans to improve its security procedures within the next three months, a separate regulatory filing by the Federal Reserve said.

Capital One explained in a statement that it has worked on its cyber security measures since the hack.

Safeguarding our customers information is essential to our role as a financial institution, the bank said in a statement. In the year since the incident, we have invested significant additional resources into further strengthening our cyber defenses, and have made substantial progress in addressing the requirements of these orders.

Tatiana Stead, a Capital One spokeswoman, told The New York Times in another statement that the bank had put controls in place before the hack occurred. She also confirmed that Capital One has been working on its security measures.

In the year since the incident, we have invested significant additional resources into further strengthening our cyber defenses, and have made substantial progress in addressing the requirements of these orders, she said.

The hacker in the incident has been identified as Paige Thompson, a former Amazon employee who broke into Amazons servers on which Capital Ones cloud storage is based.

Read more: Capital One reports millions of US and Canadian customers' data was stolen by hacker

The data breach affected about 100 million individuals in the US, and another six million in Canada. Approximately 140,000 social security numbers were exposed as a result of the hack, as well as about 80,000 linked bank account numbers. Additionally, one million social insurance numbers of Canadian credit card customers were compromised.

Thompson was later arrested by federal authorities, and was charged with illegally accessing Capital Ones files.
Illegal mining case: ED recovers Rs 6cr in cash from CMs relatives during raids in Punjab

SAD starts first of its kind social media initiative to reach out virtually to people in each and every constituency
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Linkedin Nina Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7 2020

President Joko Jokowi Widodo is urging all parties to prioritize the health and safety of voters and polling station officers in the upcoming 2020 regional elections in December amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He conveyed his concerns that the election would spawn new clusters of the coronavirus disease, as people would gather in polling stations on voting day.

Health protocols should be implemented in every stage of the regional elections. We should have elections that are safe from COVID-19, Jokowi said on Wednesday.

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By Mark Hosenball and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON/BEDMINSTER, N.J. (Reuters) - The top U.S. counterintelligence official on Friday warned that Russia, China and Iran will all try to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, with Russia already trying to undercut Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

In an unusual public statement, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, said the three countries were using online disinformation and other means to try to influence voters, stir up disorder and undermine American voters' confidence in the democratic process.

President Donald Trump, asked at a news conference in New Jersey how he would respond to interference in the Nov. 3 vote, said: "We're going to watch all of them, we have to be very careful."

He added that he believed Russia, China and Iran all wanted him to lose the election.

Foreign adversaries also may try to interfere with U.S. election systems by trying to sabotage the voting process, stealing election data, or calling into question the validity of election results.

"It would be difficult for our adversaries to interfere with or manipulate voting results at scale," Evanina said.

Trump repeated his refrain that the biggest risk to the integrity of the election was mail-in ballots.

"It's much easier for them to forge ballots and send them in, it's much easier for them to cheat with universal mail-in ballots," he said, referring to foreign countries.

Trump has been attacking the idea of voting by mail ever since a resurgence in coronavirus infections made it less likely that people will want to vote in person in November, saying despite research to the contrary that mail-in voting is vulnerable to fraud.

Multiple reviews by U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia acted to boost Trump's 2016 campaign and undercut his rival Hillary Clinton's chances in that election. Trump has long bristled at that finding, which Russia denies.

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Evanina warned on Friday that Russia is already going after former Vice President Biden and what it regards as an anti-Russia U.S. "establishment."

In a statement, the Biden campaign said Trump "publicly and repeatedly invited, emboldened, and even tried to coerce foreign interference in American elections."

Evanina said Andriy Derkach, a pro-Russia Ukrainian politician, has been "spreading claims about corruption - including through publicized leaked phone calls" to undermine Biden's campaign and the Democratic Party.

Trump supporters in the U.S. Senate have launched investigations questioning Biden's son Hunter's involvement in alleged business activities in Ukraine.

Evanina said "Kremlin-linked actors" also are trying to "boost President Trump's candidacy via social media and Russian television."

He said his agency assessed that China would prefer that Trump not win re-election, because Beijing regards him as too unpredictable.

He said China has been expanding efforts to influence U.S. politics ahead of the election to try to shape U.S. policy, exert pressure on U.S. politicians it regards as anti-China, and deflect criticism of China.

Evanina said Iran is likely to use online tactics such as spreading disinformation to discredit U.S. institutions and President Trump and to stir up U.S. voters' discontent.

The leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Mark Warner, thanked Evanina for his warning in a statement and added that all Americans "should endeavor to prevent outside actors from being able to interfere in our elections, influence our politics, and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions."

Tim Murtaugh, a spokesman for Trump's re-election campaign, insisted that Trump has been "tougher on Russia than any administration in history."

"We dont need or want foreign interference, and President Trump will beat Joe Biden fair and square," Murtaugh added.

Many officials who oversee U.S. election technology and outside security experts now worry less about hacking in the elections than about misinformation and logistics such as a shortage of poll workers and slowdowns at the U.S. postal service.

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball and Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Scott Malone, David Gregorio and Sonya Hepinstall)
The COVID-19 virus has undoubtedly caused irreparable effects worldwide. And in Ghana, the fear of catching the virus has caused business owners and families to make drastic decisions intended to keep them safe and prevent them from catching the virus.

This virus has also affected the availability of employment opportunities and livelihoods of many in ways that hitherto, were unimaginable.

One critical sector which has been greatly affected with the spread of the coronavirus is the hospitality industry.

Three months after the partial lockdown has been lifted, business owners and workers across the hospitality industry are still recording very low patronage. This is because, almost all leisure and social activities have been brought to a standstill.

Over the past five years, domestic travel and tourism has contributed an average of 5.5 per cent to Ghana's GDP. And we are at the time of the year when the indigenes of the coastal areas celebrate most of their festivals.

But the expected business advantages to be made from the merry making, social gatherings and parties among others, cannot be sustained in this era of the corona virus and perhaps affect the national income as well. As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the projected GDP growth for 2020 which was 6.8 per cent at the beginning of the year, has now plummeted to 1.8 percent.

In March, when the President called for a partial lockdown, pubs, bars, hotels and restaurants were unable to offer services to the public, as such establishments usually house large crowds of people and are indeed designed to host for social gatherings.

And as a result of the lockdown, some beverage distributors have recorded an all-time low of barely 200 crates sold per day, as opposed to a normal day's sale of about 500 crates per day or the 1,500 crates often recorded during festive seasons in previous years.

Madam Bernice Sam, a liquor store entrepreneur in Cape Coast, she said she has had to let go of her employees, as she has been unable to pay them with the amount of money her business has been making.

She said, These days, no one comes here anymore. Once in a while, I would have a customer call me and order a few drinks and they would come by to pick up their order.

The tourism industry has also experienced a significant decline in patronage. Bars that have been strategically positioned next to prime tourist attractions such as the Cape Coast Castle, the Kumasi Arts and Cultural Centre and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum are recording unprecedented low levels of customers per day.

Some business owners in Tema have decided to run a shift system where workers come in one week and stay home the next. To business owners, this reduces the amount of money they have to pay workers, helping them reduce their overhead costs.

Adwoa Adomaa, the owner of Virgin City Pub at Mile 7, Accra, expressed worry that some fixed costs such as rent have not been reduced or waived, even though they have had their doors closed to the public for several months.

For some, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, pubs and bars were more than a place to purchase alcoholic beverages, it was also a place for socialisation and a much-needed avenue of social interaction.

One frequent customer of The Pantry  Cape Coast, expressed his frustrations saying, Before this pandemic, we used to come here and discuss work issues and find solutions for each other; but now, some of us can't even go to work. Those of us who go to work too, we have to go straight home, no social life.

---GNA
(@FahadShabbir)

Nairobi, Aug 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Aug, 2020 ) :Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye has rejected an olive branch from his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, describing his neighbour's offer to settle their differences and reset diplomatic ties as "hypocritical".

Ndayishimiye, who was elected in May, did not mention Kagame by name in a speech delivered near the Rwandan border on Thursday, and published on the president's Twitter account on Friday.

But it followed Kagame's call last month for a "turnaround" in the long-strained relationship between Burundi and Rwanda, and for the two leaders to chart a less hostile course under Ndayishimiye.

"We do not want to have such relations with a country that uses malice, a hypocritical country, which claims to want to restore good relations with Burundi, while placing a thorn under our feet," Ndayishimiye said in Busoni, near Burundi's northern border with Rwanda.

He said Burundian refugees in Rwanda were "being held hostage", and accused the government there of harbouring those behind a failed 2015 coup that plunged Burundi into violent chaos.

"If they really want to revive Burundi, let them hand these criminals over to us, so that we can judge them. Burundians will never be satisfied until those responsible for the 2015 crisis are punished," said Ndayishimiye.

Burundi has long accused Rwanda of interfering in its affairs, and using refugee camps to train its enemies. Last week, in an open letter to Ndayishimiye, a group of Burundian refugees in Rwanda alleged they were being held against their will.

Rwanda, too, has accused Burundi of sheltering armed rebel groups using its territory as cover to stage attacks over the border against the country's security forces.

Kagame, who has been in power since 1994, last month acknowledged long-running tensions between the east African nations.

"There have been problems... but the most important thing now is to look for solutions to end them," Kagame said.

"This is the objective we want to achieve with the new leaders of Burundi, and if President Ndayishimiye and his collaborators also choose this path, we are ready to reach an agreement with them."Observers have described Ndayishimiye, a former general and ruling party figurehead, as more tolerant and open than Pierre Nkurunziza, his predecessor who ruled for 15 tumultuous years that saw Burundi isolated on the world stage.

But Ndayishimiye's response to Kagame "shows once again that the regime's hardliners hold the upper hand", said one diplomat to AFP on condition of anonymity.
A high school in Georgia has reversed its decision to suspend a 15-year-old girl who posted photos of crowded hallways amid the COVID-19 pandemic - as the district's superintendent acknowledged the scenes didn't look good but said masks couldn't be mandated.

Hannah Watters was suspended from North Paulding High School for five days after she shared photos and video on Twitter on Tuesday of her classmates crowding into hallways during the first week back.

The 15-year-old tweeted on Friday morning that the school had decided to reverse the suspension.

'This morning my school called and they have deleted my suspension,' Watters said.

'To be 100 percent clear, I can go back to school on Monday. I couldn't have done this without all the support, thank you.'

Hannah Watters was suspended from North Paulding High School in Georgia for five days after she shared photos and video on Twitter on Tuesday of her classmates crowding into hallways during the first week back

Another North Paulding student, who has not been publicly named, was also suspended after a photo they took on Monday went viral.

It is not yet clear if that student's suspension has also been reversed.

Watters had earlier said the school told her she was being suspended for violating the code of conduct by using a cellphone and social media in school hours and violating student privacy by photographing them

Watters had earlier said the school told her she was being suspended for violating the code of conduct by using a cellphone and social media in school hours and violating student privacy by photographing them.

After the photos went viral, Paulding County School District superintendent Brian Otott sent a letter out to parents acknowledging it didn't look good.

'There is no question that the photo does not good,' he wrote.

'Wearing a mask is a personal choice and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them. What we will do is continue to strongly encourage all students and staff to wear masks.'

There is no statewide mask mandate in the state of Georgia.

Otott went on to say that the photos were taken out of context and defended the district's reopening plan, saying the protocols were in compliance with the state's rules.

'Under the COVID-19 protocols we have adopted, class changes that look like this may happen, especially at a high school with more than 2,000 students.

The 15-year-old tweeted on Friday morning that the school had decided to reverse the suspension

Watters had earlier said the school told her she was being suspended for violating the code of conduct by using a cellphone and social media in school hours and violating student privacy by photographing them

'Class changes at the high school level are a challenge when maintaining a specific schedule.

'Students are in this hallway environment for just a brief period as they move to their next class.'

The school district, which began in-person classes Monday with mask-optional policies, came under fire when the photos and video emerged showing students packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

In the photos, which were taken on Monday and Tuesday, fewer than half of the students shown are wearing masks.

Watters told CNN that she posted the photos because she worried about the safety of students and teachers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

'I was concerned for the safety of everyone in that building and everyone in the county because precautions that the CDC and guidelines that the CDC has been telling us for months now, weren't being followed,' Watters said.

She went on to reference the late John Lewis by saying: 'I'd like to say this is some good and necessary trouble.

'My biggest concern is not only about me being safe, it's about everyone being safe because behind every teacher, student and staff member there is a family, there are friends, and I would just want to keep everyone safe.'

After the photos went viral, Paulding County School District superintendent Brian Otott sent a letter out to parents acknowledging it didn't look good
Lynn Public Schools will be starting the new school year with remote learning amid an uptick in coronavirus cases in Massachusetts, Superintendent Patrick Tutwiler announced on Thursday.

The School Committee voted on the plan Wednesday evening. Officials said the plan will also provide in-person learning for students with special needs, and with an optional in-person orientation for all students.

Writing to the school community, Tutwiler said the specifics of the plan will be posted in the coming days, noting the district has invested significant resources into the remote learning model it implemented earlier this year at the onset of the health crisis.

Every teacher and student will be given a learning device, Tutwiler said. Officials have purchased an online learning platform to facilitate instruction, and faculty will be participating in 10 days of professional development before classes begin, he said.

Tutwiler cited the rise in coronavirus cases in Massachusetts as part of the decision.

The context in which we find ourselves now has factored significantly into this decision, Tutwiler wrote. As Massachusetts began its phased reopening, the state has tracked multiple indicators of community spread. According to the Massachusetts Department of Health, the number COVID-19 cases in our state are trending upward. Making this decision now allows for us as a school district to focus our efforts on ensuring the best possible remote learning plan, and allows for families time for planning and preparation as well.

Lynn joins Somerville in moving to hold classes remotely for the coming school term. Boston Public Schools released preliminary plans earlier this week, detailing two possible scenarios: fully remote learning, or a hybrid model with some in-person instruction and some remote learning. Officials in Boston have yet to decide on an exact plan.

Officials in Somerville said the move to remote learning represents only the first step in the citys reopening plan, noting that they hope to move toward in-person instruction eventually, after more safety measures are implemented to protect students and teachers from COVID-19.

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The Directorate of Kerala State Lotteries has announced the result of Kerala Lottery Nirmal NR-185. The first prize of Rs 70 lakh went to ticket number NR 466762, while the second prize of Rs 10 lakh was bagged by ticket number NV-542690.

The third prize worth Rs 1 lakh was won by ticket numbers NN-227005, NO-244987, NP-233282, NR-190167, NS-579064, NT-153905, NU-363501, NV-563705, NW-114775, NX-148560, NY-441739 and NZ-360433. On the other hand, 11 people have won consolation prize of Rs 8,000.

Those who have won will have to surrender their tickets and claim the winning amount within 30 days.

If the prize money is less than Rs 5,000, then winners can receive cash from any lottery shop by furnishing the lottery ticket. However, if the winning amount is more than Rs 5,000, a person has to submit a ticket and a valid ID proof at a bank or government lottery office to claim the prize money.

Kerala Lottery Nirmal NR-185 also offers prizes of small amount. Those who have bought the ticket of Kerala Lottery Nirmal NR-185 can check the result by visiting the official website of Kerala lotteries at http://www.keralalotteries.com/.

To view the result, just click on the result link on the homepage of the website and select the lottery name, Nirmal NR-185. The result will appear on the screen.

The Kerala lottery department last week held a draw for the Kerala Monsoon bumper lottery which offered the first prize of Rs 5 crore.

The next lottery result will be declared next week on Tuesday. The draw will be held for the Sthree Sakthi lottery.
South Africa: De Lille unveils second GBV advocacy artwork

As South Africa commemorates Womens Month, Public Works and Infrastructure Minister, Patricia de Lille, has unveiled a newly installed gender-based violence (GBV) advocacy artwork at the Manenberg police station in Cape Town.

The unveiling of the second mural artwork on Thursday follows a commitment made by De Lille during the Joint Sitting of the National Assembly on 18 September 2019, where she committed that the department would use State-owned properties to install anti-GBV messaging, as a campaign to show governments solidarity with communities and families who have been affected by the scourge.

The GBV messaging also demonstrates governments efforts in the fight against GBV and femicide (GBVF).

The first anti-GBV billboard was installed in Pretoria, a few meters from the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Centre in December 2019.

De Lille said that the department aims to expand the campaign to have anti-GBV messaging by government in all provinces.

A Cape Town mural artist, Zola Tsotetsi, has just completed artwork on the boundary wall of the Manenberg Police Station.

This initiative has been supported by the South African Police Service, especially Western Cape Police Commissioner, Yolisa Matakata, who approved the installation of the mural, De Lille said.

The Minister noted that the latest GBV artwork is ideally located on the corners of major thoroughfares (Klipfontein and Duinefontein Roads), where many residents pass by as they commute, but it is also located near communities which are ravaged by crime.

This year, government commemorates Womens Month under the theme: Generation Equality: Realising womens rights for an equal future.

De Lille emphasised that men and boys of South Africa are important role players in the mission to ensure that women are respected, protected and treated equally.

Gender-based violence and femicide is a horrific scourge where our women and children are being attacked and viciously killed. We need men to come forward and speak out, and help us end this scourge.

As we commemorate Womens Month, we must be reminded that it is all of our duty to work together to protect and cherish our women and children and to take action when we see abuse.

"Often, communities and family members are aware of abuse but are afraid to speak out for fear of tainting the name of the perpetrator or the perpetrator's family members, but we cannot be quiet and not act, the Minister said.

Speaking out potentially saves a life

De Lille believes that speaking out and helping to stop abuse can potentially save a life.

GBVF needs all our advocacy and action, and we must especially instil the values of gender equality and caring for our women and children in the minds of young boys so that they can grow up to be men who protect and nurture our women and children, De Lille said.

The Minister hopes that the mural and its message, which reads 'Men, violence does not look good on your hands. Violence and abuse are a poison to society. Lets make it stop', will land in the minds of all and propel society to take action to stop this scourge.

The gender-based violence toll-free helplines - 0800 150 150 and 0800 428 428 - have also been included in the mural.

De Lille has encouraged women to use the toll-free numbers if they need any help.

I encourage women to be brave and stand up for themselves and walk away from abuse. Too many of our mothers and sisters have succumbed to abuse, and it simply must not be tolerated.

Let us work together as the whole of society to do everything we can to protect women and children, and stop the monsters who abuse and kill our women and children, De Lille said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) has pledged to provide appropriate health and security measures for the 2019 Annual Performance Assessment of States (SFTAS) programme expected to start from Sunday.

The body said this in a communique issued after its 14th teleconference meeting and signed by its Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti.

The communique said that the 36 state governments would ensure a seamless exercise by the teams from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

The NGF Secretariat will provide Technical Assistance to the remaining five states yet to publish their Audited Financial Statement (AFS), it said.

The communiques said that state governments with unresolved issues with their resident doctors should meet with the association at local levels to agree on workable solutions in the face of the current challenges in the country.

Some of the issues include unpaid salaries for doctors and the non-domestication and non-implementation of the Medical Residency Training Act, 2017, it said.

The communique also stated that the NEC Ad-Hoc Committee on Security and Policing met on August 4 with heads of the security agencies to discuss and review the security challenges in the country.

According to the Chairman, resolutions reached will soon be presented to Mr President, it said.

The communique further said that all COVID-19 Task Forces in the various states would work closely with their Palliatives Implementation Committees to target the most vulnerable for the distribution of the CACOVID palliatives, particularly in local governments.

It added that the forum received further updates from Aliko Dangote on behalf of the Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID) on the flag-off and distribution of its palliatives to states.

It noted that the flag-off started on August 4 in Borno, Edo, Enugu and Kano states, adding that the launch was ongoing and would hold daily across one state each in the six geopolitical zones until August 11, when it would be concluded in all 36 states.

The communique said states would also take cognisance of the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 infection and start preparing for preventive measures.

It said the group would continue to engage with the federal government on the suspension of state counterpart funds required for accessing UBE funds.

The forum had adopted the report of the National Economic Council Ad-Hoc Committee on COVID-19 chaired by the Vice President which recommended the immediate suspension of the requirement for state governments to provide matching funds to access grants like UBEC, it said.

The communique said the Chairman of the NGF Sub-Committee interfacing with the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, briefed governors on the measures discussed with the PTF on reopening the economy.

His update highlighted concerns such as guidelines required to reopen schools; resumption of international flights, the need for increased testing capacity and sample collection centers in all local government areas in the country.

It also highlighted the disbursement of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and other health-related facilities; dissemination of guidelines for home care for COVID-19 cases and the non-availability of reagents in the country due to its high demand globally, the communique said.

The communique also said the Forum discussed the collaboration between the NGF and the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) to organise a Webinar on governance and security challenges in the country.

It said the Webinar would facilitate interaction between governors and the public to shed more light on some of the strategies deployed to tackle insecurity amidst the battle against COVID-19 in Nigeria. (NAN)
A security officer wearing a face mask to protect against the coronavirus stands outside the Canadian Embassy in Beijing on Aug. 6, 2020. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

China Sentences Fourth Canadian to Death on Drug Charges

BEIJINGChina has sentenced a fourth Canadian citizen to death on drug charges in less than two years following a sharp downturn in ties over the arrest of an executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei.

Ye Jianhui was sentenced Friday by the Foshan Municipal Intermediate Court in the southern province of Guangdong. Ye had been found guilty of manufacturing and transporting illegal drugs, the court said in a brief statement.

Another suspect in the case was also given the death penalty and four others sentenced to between seven years and life in prison, it said. Death sentences are automatically referred to Chinas highest court for review.

Ties between Canada and China have nosedived over Canadas late 2018 arrest of Meng Wanzhou, a company executive and the daughter of Huaweis founder, at Vancouvers airport at the request of the U.S., which wants her extradited to face fraud charges over the companys dealings with Iran. Her arrest enraged Beijing, which calls it a political move aimed at constraining Chinas rise as a global technology power.

Yes sentencing came a day after fellow Canadian Xu Weihong was given the death penalty by the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate Court, also in Guandong province. Convicted Canadian drug smuggler Robert Schellenberg was sentenced to death in a sudden retrial shortly after Mengs arrest, and a Canadian citizen identified as Fan Wei was given the death penalty in April 2019 for his role in a multinational drug smuggling case.

Police officers stand guard outside the Canadian embassy in Beijing on Jan. 27, 2019. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)

China also detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor weeks after Mengs arrest, accusing them of vague national security crimes. China has also placed restrictions on various Canadian exports to China, including canola seed oil, in an apparent attempt to pressure China into releasing Meng, who is residing in one of her Vancouver mansions under a form of house arrest.

The court statement gave no further details of the charges against Ye and the others. However, the website of the Yangcheng Evening News based in the neighboring metropolis of Guangzhou said Ye and co-defendant Lu Hanchang conspired with others to manufacture and transport drugs between May 2015 and January 2016.

Police seized roughly 218 kilograms (480 pounds) of white crystals infused with the designer drug MDMA from a room used by the two, and found another 9.84 grams of the drug in bags and residences used by Lu and others, the newspaper said.

China, like many Asian nations, hands out harsh punishments for making and selling drugs, and the countrys rising wealth and transformation into a center for world trade has attracted growing numbers of foreigners to its domestic market for illegal substances.

In December 2009, Pakistani-British businessman Akmal Shaikh was executed after being convicted of smuggling heroin, despite calls for clemency on the grounds that he was mentally disturbed.

China is believed to execute more criminals each year than all other nations combined. Although the actual figure is a state secret, estimates put it at around 2,000.
People wearing masks in downtown Los Angeles at Grand Central Market. The responsibility for enforcing mask requirements largely falls on employees. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

The alert went out to Johann Baqueiro: A customer was sipping her Starbucks coffee inside the Ralphs supermarket and she wasn't wearing a face mask.

As a meat department manager, Baqueiro usually is focused on keeping customers happy with just the right cut for that night's dinner. But the other day, Baqueiro found himself once again leaving the meat counter to deal with another barefaced customer.

The Ralphs grocery chain and its Kroger Co. parent last month established a policy requiring all customers to wear masks, as employees already had been doing. Yet at the market in Cypress where Baqueiro works, and at a host of other consumer-serving businesses, employees have few options to get recalcitrant customers to comply.

"We asked her, 'Ma'am, would you mind putting on your mask?' " Baqueiro said, hoping that the woman would down her drink outside and then return to finish shopping. "She goes, 'No, I just spent three bucks on this coffee, I'm enjoying it. I'm not going to put on my mask until I'm done with it.'"

Baqueiro said he then watched helplessly as the customer blew on the coffee to cool it, launching potentially virus-laden droplets in his direction.

Several of America's biggest brands have said they are now requiring customers to wear masks to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. But in many cases, the requirements are more like requests, not mandates that will be strictly enforced.

Moreover, the workers who must approach the maskless are often the same frontline clerks who have long been among those most exposed to the virus. And the new duties are amping up their already high stress level.

That's unacceptable, labor leaders say. Even though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health professionals agree that wearing masks is one of the best ways to fight the pandemic, the coverings have become the centerpiece of yet another highly political culture war.

"To help save lives, every retailer and grocery store across this nation must adopt a mask requirement, and enforcement must be done by trained professionals, not retail workers already stretched thin during this pandemic," said Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which represents 1.3 million members in the grocery, retail, meatpacking, food processing, distillery, cannabis and chemical industries.

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"COVID-19 cases will continue to skyrocket across the country until the president, mayors and governors step up and make masks mandatory at every supermarket and retail store," Perrone said. Otherwise, "this deadly pandemic will continue to cost workers' lives and wreak havoc on our economy."

Beyond state and local government mask mandates, face coverings are required at pretty much all of the well-known names among retail chains, fast-food restaurants, hotels and other consumer-serving businesses.

Walmart is handling the mask divide by creating the new position of health ambassador  employees in black polo-style shirts who are assigned to greet maskless customers, encourage them to cover up and provide a disposable mask if shoppers somehow don't have one at this stage of the pandemic.

The workers receive training that includes conflict de-escalation skills, Walmart said, but have no authority to prevent resistant customers from going about their shopping.

"We're trying to keep people safe from COVID, but we're also trying to keep our associates away from unreasonable people who may become physical with them," Walmart spokesman Casey Staley said. "We've seen that at our stores and local retailers across the country where there have been disputes over simply asking someone to wear a mask."

Ultimately, the customer prevails so that mask requests don't turn ugly, he said. "We're not going to bar entrance to anyone," Staley said.

McDonald's said it wants people to wear masks inside the company's fast-food eateries, but if that's not happening, the backup plan is to speed up and isolate.

A customer wearing a mask passes a McDonald's restaurant in Brooklyn that is open for takeout service. (Mark Lennihan / Associated Press)

If the customer declines to wear a mask, McDonald's policy is to expedite the order and guide the customer to a pickup spot at a safe distance from other customers.

McDonald's employee Jose Nunez isn't impressed.

"Its great that they have responded to our protests and finally required customers to wear masks. But how will that be enforced?" asked the Los Angeles resident, who is a leader in the Fight for $15 movement to improve fast-food worker wages.

"A company that makes billions of dollars a year is now expecting workers it pays minimum wage to police a culture war we are not trained for and that could put us in danger, Nunez said.

Mask disputes only add to an already high level of stress in pandemic-era customer and employee relations, experts say.

"A company must make employee safety a top priority, and putting them on the front lines of the battle over masks threatens their physical and emotional safety," brand consultant and author Denise Lee Yohn said. "Plus, they probably already have enough operational changes to deal with. Taking on one more responsibility can be overwhelming."

Operators of stores, restaurants and other businesses should consider hiring security guards to enforce mask and social distancing mandates, and to handle any backlash, said Yohn, who has written extensively about the importance of happy employees to brand performance, especially in times like these.

Raquel Solario, 55, works at a Ralphs store in San Diego. Four other household members also are employed by Kroger Co., which owns the Ralphs and Food 4 Less chains. All were heartened by an additional $2 an hour in "hero pay," which ended in mid-May, as well as additional thank-you bonuses paid in installments, but they are feeling anxious at work, she said.

"We are working longer hours under stressful conditions," she said. "When Kroger gave us hero pay, it felt like we mattered and they were recognizing the risks we are taking."

"You fear that you might take the virus home to your family. Ive had customers swear at me when we ask them to wear a mask," Solario said. "After work each day, I want to cry, but I dont have the tears to cry because its not going to make things better."

Kroger's approach of enforcing its mask policy using store workers rather than special security personnel is typical among consumer businesses.

Kroger responded to written questions with a statement detailing its mask policy and history of "hero pay" and bonuses, noting: "In the current environment some customers may react emotionally to our facial mask requirement. Our management team has been prepared to manage these tense situations as they occur and have been provided with de-escalation procedures."

The company is making mental health resources, emergency leave and financial assistance available to workers, Kroger said.

Even with policies and government mandates in place, potentially virus-spreading behavior is apparent even at places that have promised to prevent it.

Non-enforcement of mask and social distancing rules was on display during a July 18 rooftop pool party at the W Hotel in Hollywood, according to a video shot by a hotel employee. The video first aired on KNBC news July 30, which noted that the scene was recorded two weeks after a Los Angeles County health inspector made a surprise visit and found the hotel in compliance with county guidelines requiring that hotels ensure social distancing at their pools.

Dozens of people are seen clustered together around the pool in the video, even though operators are required to limit pool use so that swimmers and sunbathers can maintain a six-foot distance. Few are wearing masks. The W hotel, part of a luxury chain owned by Marriott International Inc., requires face coverings at all indoor public areas, according to its website.

Kurt Petersen, a co-president of Unite Here Local 11, which represents hospitality workers in Southern California, said the video shows disregard for the safety of workers and guests at the hotel.

"The W hotel management looked the other way because they value revenue more than employee and guest safety and because there are no consequences to flouting county safety directives," he said. "Our members want to work, but they dont believe management is serious about safety."

Mark Eberwein, the W hotel's general manager, said: "The well-being of our guests and associates is of paramount importance. We are aware of the situation, and we are looking into it."

Becoming a mask and distance enforcer is something grocery worker Baqueiro, 44, said he could never have imagined.

Baqueiro, who is a union shop steward, said he advises other union members to read from a card handed out by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union when they need to confront a customer who isn't following the rule.

"The card says, 'I'm exercising my legal right to a healthy and safe workplace by refusing service to any customer not wearing a mask. It is my right to insist on maintaining six feet between myself and any customer who is not wearing a mask,'" Baqueiro said.

In terms of family loyalty to a company, it would be hard to beat the Baqueiro clan and its ties to the Ralphs grocery chain. Johann has worked for the company since 1997. Wife Patricia is a Starbucks barista at a Ralphs store; son Johann Jr. is a Ralphs clerk; daughter Krystal is a Ralphs cashier.

As a Latino and a diabetic, Baqueiro said he is doubly worried about developing COVID-19. Both groups have been hit hard by the virus.

And then there's the elderly aunt he supports, who raised him when he was a boy. She is diabetic as well.

"If one of us brings the virus home, she's done," Baqueiro said.

Baqueiro said 14 co-workers at the two Ralphs stores where his family works have tested positive for the virus.

"Nowadays, it's like my wife and I put it, we're playing Russian roulette with four bullets."
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna ( SLPP) led coalition achieves a landslide victory in the General Elections 2020 with 151 seats securing a 2/3 majority in the Parliament.

















Meanwhile, issuing a statement US embassy in Colombo states that; " On August 5, the people of Sri Lanka exercised a fundamental democratic right and went to the polls to elect their next parliament. The United States congratulates Sri Lanka on conducting the elections in a peaceful and orderly manner despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the new parliament convenes, we hope the government will renew its commitments to building an inclusive economic recovery, upholding human rights and the rule of law, and protecting the countrys sovereignty. We look forward to partnering with the government and new parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed grief at the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai area of Idukki district in Kerala on Friday. Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, he said that the NDRF and the administration are working on the ground to provide assistance to the affected.

"Pained by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. NDRF and the administration are working on the ground, providing assistance to the affected, tweeted PM Modi.

At least five people were killed while dozens were feared trapped after a landslide triggered by torrential rains occurred in a residential area in Rajamala. Around 80 tea estate workers are feared trapped in the area, said sources.

Pained by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. NDRF and the administration are working on the ground, providing assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

As per reports, the landslide took place at Rajamala near Munnar, a popular tourist spot in the Idukki district. Superintendent of Police, Idukki said that the landslide occurred at a place where tea plantation workers reside and as many as three families are stranded there.

"Around 82 people were living there in four labour camps. We are not sure many people were present there at the time of the landslide. NDRF hasn't reached the spot yet. Airlifting of marooned people is not possible right now due to bad weather," Kerala Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan told ANI.

Meanwhile, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed to rescue the landslide victims in Rajamala. "Police, fire, forest and revenue officials were also instructed to intensify rescue operations," the CM said.

As per ANI, the Chief Minister's Office has contacted the Indian Air Force to provide helicopter services to Rajamala for rescue operations. It is expected to be available soon.

Heavy rains in several parts of Kerala have triggered floods and landslides which have wreaked havoc in the region over the past few days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had on August 5 issued a red alert in Idukki, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.
Lawyer Vikas Singh, who is representing the late Sushant Singh Rajput's father, raised concerns about the way Mumbai Police handled Sushant's death probe. He pointed at a few critical lapses in Mumbai Police's investigation, immediately following Sushant's death. He also had questions for Rhea Chakraborty, who has been named as the prime accused in Sushant's case.

Speaking to Republic TV, Vikas Singh pointed out that there is something fishy in the way Sushant's flatmate, Siddharth Pithani discovered the actor's body.

"Siddharth had lowered the dead body. He called a key maker to unlock the door but he was sent away before opening the door, so that the man could not see what was inside," he said, adding, "Pithani also did not wait for Sushant's sister Meetu to arrive even though she lived only 15 minutes away. He entered the room on his own. There is definitely something fishy in the case."

Talking about Mumbai Police's investigation, Singh said, "The inquiry regarding the victim's death should be done within 24 hours. But the police summoned the Bollywood industry and focused on points that are not directly related to the death. I have never seen any case being mishandled to this extent. Mumbai police has tried to deviate Sushant Singh Rajput's case to hide the truth. We will have to prove everything through electronic evidence now."

Regarding Rhea, he said, "When Rhea left the house for a few days on July 8 (as mentioned in her statement) why did she block her phone? And why didn't she try to contact Sushant again? Why did she not inform Sushant's family regarding his mental illness or his treatment and keep them away from Sushant? This clearly indicates that he forced Sushant towards suicide."

The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over Sushant's death case, after it was handed to them by the central government, on the recommendation of Bihar government.

ALSO READ: Industry Bifurcated Over Sushant Singh Rajput's Therapist Going Public With Details!

ALSO READ: CBI Files FIR Against Rhea Chakraborty In Sushant Singh Rajput's Death Case



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NJ Cannabis Insider produces premium, exclusive weekly content and monthly events geared toward those interested in the marijuana and hemp industries. Here are the headlines in Issue 126, published on Aug. 6. To subscribe, visit njcannabisinsider.biz

Can a franchising model offer new points of entry to non-license holders?

While many companies expand their footprint through licensing brands to state-based operators, some are looking to go one step further  franchising. Industry experts say well be seeing more franchising in the future as markets in the United States mature.

Yes, absolutely, Anthony Coniglio, CEO of NewLake Capital said. Im not saying it will be successful, but I think well see more and more people try.

Justin Livingston vice president of franchise development at Unity RdLivingston, was more optimistic: Franchising is such a brilliant way to get into business. (By Justin Zaremba | NJ Cannabis Insider)

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You want to reduce teenage use of cannabis? Simple: Legalize it.

Industry Lounge: Contrary to conventional wisdom, teenage use of cannabis actually goes down in states that have legalized it in one form or another.

Hard to believe, right? Well, not if you really think about it.

Drug dealers dont care if youre 12, 15 or 50. Conversely, you cant walk into a dispensary until youve already proven youre over 21. Drug dealers dont pay taxes and create jobs, dispensary operators do. (By Scott Rudder, New Jersey CannaBusiness Association)

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Taxes: How will the cannabis pie be sliced?

Looking to cannabis sales as a source of new tax revenue, some have begun to question the state sales tax the ballot question seeks to establish on recreational cannabis, and wonder how, and if, it could be changed to garner more revenue.

The ballot question approved by the state Legislature asks voters to legalize the plant for adult-use and establish an industry in which sales would see a 6.625% tax. That number falls far below many other states, which have tax rates between 15% and up to 41%, when both local and state are folded in. (D.C. falls into an odd, tax-free category, as the city does not control its own budget and cannabis remains illegal federally). The question gives municipalities the freedom to add their own tax, too.

But with the state now facing huge budget shortfalls due to the coronavirus, some in the industry hope the Legislature will impose a higher tax, or at least leave room for some flexibility down the road. (By Amanda Hoover | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Picking a fight with N.J.s Home Rule?

This one legal challenge could redefine the states role in regulating the industry, and even erode the heralded tradition of home rule in New Jersey.

There is no shortage of speculation on what the case might mean for the state of New Jersey and local officials if the plaintiff prevails.

The state must be allowed to regulate how and where cannabis businesses operate, and preserve the decisions made by local officials, said Michael Cerra, executive director for the New Jersey League of Municipalities.

The state realized to facilitate the process that (community) support was critical to get these dispensaries online. To say the governing body should have no say is contrary to basic home rule principles and contrary to common sense, Cerra said. (By Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Heres why this N.J. congressman voted against recreational weed

When the U.S. House last week voted on an amendment blocking the U.S. Justice Department from enforcing the federal ban on marijuana in states that have legalized the drug for recreational use, only six Democrats voted no.

One was from New Jersey, whose voters this November will decide whether to allow recreational cannabis.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., said his concern was allowing the widespread use of a drug when there are no reliable tests to determine whether someone is driving under the influence of cannabis. (By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

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Authorities from northwestern Mississippi discovered that a 3-year-old tested positive for amphetamines and methamphetamine. It prompted an investigation and has landed a woman in jail, while the man is still on the run.

Giving drugs to a child

The caretakers of the toddler, 35-year-old Cassie Neely, and 47-year-old Eric Leathers were responsible for giving drugs to the toddler. According to the Lee County Sheriff's Department, the two of them are also taking care of other children in their house.

All of the children who were in their care have now been removed from the home and are placed under the care of Lee County Child Protective Services.

The investigation of the incident revealed that Leathers and Neely had a long list of criminal histories and that both of them tested positive for methamphetamine, as reported by the department.

Also Read: Dog Finds Missing Baby and Mother on His First Day on the Police Force

The deputies immediately obtained warrants for both of them, for felony child abuse. Neely was taken into custody on August 4. Leathers, on the other hand, is believed to be driving a silver Ford F-150 pickup truck and he may still be in the Mooreville area, which is 8 miles from his home in Plantersville.

Leathers is now on the run, and authorities are still looking for him. Meanwhile, Neely is in the Lee County jail on a $100,000 bond. She also refused to give more information about where Leathers is or where he is going.

Similar incidents

In February 2020, a babysitter in Singapore was arrested after she gave medication that is used to treat insomnia and anxiety disorders to two babies under her care.

One of the babies was just 5 months old, while the other baby was 11 months old. The babies are not related to each other and the 11-month-old baby is the daughter of another woman.

According to reports, the 5-month-old baby was hospitalized for days after her mother found her to be cranky and drowsy. The mother, who was 29-years-old at the time the incident took place, testified that she called the police after the hospital reported that 10 substances were found in her daughter's body.

The record shows that some of the substances found were sleeping drug temazepam, antihistamine chlorpheniramine, and aprazolam, which is used to treat those with anxiety.

The babysitter, then 38-year-old Sa'adiah Jamari, is accused of two counts of administering poisons to the babies with the intent to harm them. The babysitter allegedly committed the offenses in November 2016 and December 2016.

The court documents did not state if there were any drugs found in the body of the 11-month-old baby. Jamari started taking care of the babies in November 2016.

After the first few visits, the mother noticed that her baby was cranky and would throw her bottle when she tries to feed her. She also found that the baby's eyes were swollen and were drooping down.

At first, she thought that her baby was teething and she would place a fever patch on her baby's forehead as she thought she was having a fever because of it. In late November, she took her child to KK Women's and Children's Hospital, and that was when they found out about the drugs in her system.

Related Article: Nurse Who Was Brutally Murdered Points Out Her Killer Minutes Before Dying

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MELBOURNE, Australia - The coronavirus infection rate in Australias hard-hit Victoria state has been relatively flat in the past week, a state health official said.

Victoria registered 450 new cases and 11 deaths on Friday.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton described the latest tally as reasonable, noting that numbers would fluctuate due to laboratory processes.

The trend overall is that were kind of sitting at 400 to 500 cases a day. That is relatively flat over the last week, Sutton said.

Melbourne University epidemiologist Tony Blakely said mandatory mask-wearing had started curbing the coronavirus spread.

The infection rate began to plateau at the end of July, a week after Melbourne residents risked fines if they left home without a mask, Blakely said.

Tougher lockdown restrictions came into force in Melbourne on Thursday for the next six weeks.

In other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:

 Beijing reported its first new case of COVID-19 from local transmission in a week. State media said Friday the case was linked to a recent outbreak in the northern port city of Dalian and the patient had been under monitoring for several days before testing positive. Chinas capital has registered only a few scattered new cases since bringing to heel a June outbreak linked to a wholesale food market that caused 335 infections and anti-virus restrictions have been relaxed. Overall, newly reported cases of COVID-19 in China remained level, with 37 reported on Friday by the National Health Commission. An ongoing outbreak in the northwestern region of Xinjiang accounted for 26 of them, while 10 cases were brought by Chinese travellers from outside the country. Hong Kong continues to deal with its latest outbreak, with 95 new cases and three additional fatalities reported.
A father-of-30 miner who became an overnight millionaire after digging up ultra-rare gemstones said he has found a third multi-million-pound lump of Tanzanite.

The third stone allegedly weighs six kilograms and has an estimated value of 1.5million ($2million).

Saniniu Laizer found Tanzanite, which has a deep violet-blue colour, near his home in northern Tanzania.

The 52-year-old, who has four wives and 30 children, previously vowed to use some of his earnings to build a school and a shopping mall.

The first two stones have an estimated value of $3.4 million.

Saniniu Laizer pictured last month holding up two of the precious gemstones. He has now found a third Tanzania stone weighing 6.5kg

The gem is found only in the East African country and is considered to be one of the rarest gemstones on earth.

Laizer waved the large stone over his head before handing it over to Tanzanian government officials who gave him a check to purchase it.

'I am begging my fellow miners, that we should patriotic by adhering to rule and regulations and committing ourselves to work hard so that we prosper,' said Laizer, in Swahili, referring to regulations that tanzanite stones should be sold directly to the government, rather than to illegal traders.

'We Tanzanians have decided that minerals should first benefit us as a country,' said the Minister for Mines Dotto Biteko.

'We have had enough of selling our gems to others who benefit while our communities remain poor.

Two of the Tanzanite gemstones previously sold by Laizer - the largest ever found, according to the Ministry of Mines - are pictured at a ceremony attended by senior government officials

'For example, in many mining areas business has gone up. Even areas where there was no business now things have improved.'

The small-scale miner found two other chunks of the gemstone last month in one of the tanzanite mines in the north of the country.

The mines are surrounded by a wall to control cross-border smuggling of the valuable mineral.

Last month, Laizer was pictured on Tanzanian television being presented with a large cheque, above, after the Bank of Tanzania bought the gemstones in a ceremony

Other miners were surprised by Mr Laizer's fortune but 'acknowledged perseverance may have something to do with it', according to the BBC's Aboubakar Famau.

What is Tanzanite? The ultra-rare gemstone Tanzanite is only found in northern Tanzania. It is possibly the rarest mineral in the world, found in an area just 2.5 miles wide and 1.2 miles long at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. The stones are priced depending on the rarity of their colour and clarity. Tanzanite slabs are often exported to India to be polished and transformed into decorative objects. Local geologists predict its supply could be depleted within 20 years, the BBC reported. The gemstone was named after its country of origin by Tiffany & Co. Advertisement

Mr Laizer insisted that his lifestyle would not change and that he would continue to look after his herd of 2,000 cows.

The first gemstone weighed 20lb while the second weighed 11lb, a mines ministry spokesperson said.

Before Mr Laizer dug out the chunks last week, the largest Tanzanite stone recorded was seven pounds.

Last month, Mr Laizer was pictured on Tanzanian television. He was presented with a large cheque after the Bank of Tanzania bought the gemstones in a ceremony.

President John Magufuli phoned to congratulate Laizer live on television.

'This is a confirmation that Tanzania is rich,' Magufuli earlier told minerals minister Doto Biteko.

Tanzania last year set up trading centres around the country to allow artisanal miners to sell their gems and gold to the government.

Artisanal miners are not officially employed by any mining companies and usually mine by hand.

Magufuli inaugurated the wall around tanzanite mining concessions in northern Tanzania in April 2018, in an attempt to control illegal mining and trading activities.

At the time he said 40 per cent of tanzanite produced there was being lost.
By Online Desk

With a single-day spike of 61,537 new COVID-19 cases and 933 deaths in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 tally surged to 20,88,612 on Saturday. The death toll due to the disease now stands at 42,518 in the country, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

The COVID-19 tally of 20,88,612 cases includes 6,19,088 active cases, 14,27,006 cured/discharged/migrated, stated the Union Health Ministry

Maharashtra with 1,45,889 active cases and 3,27,281 cured and discharged patients continues to be the worst affected. The state has also reported 17,092 deaths due to the infection. Tamil Nadu has 52,759 active cases while 2,27,575 patients have been discharged after treatment in the state. 4,690 deaths have been reported due to COVID-19 in the state.
Fianna Fail TD for Kildare North James Lawless has spoken last night with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD seeking a reopening of the COVID-19 test facility in County Kildare.

He commented: There has been a serious outbreak of cases in Kildare, and the wider region. Last night we learned of 80 new cases in Timahoe, County Kildare associated with a meat processing plant. In the past week a dog food plant in Naas was closed due to an outbreak of coronavirus. There have also been cases in Kildare Town.

It is expected that at least 60 of todays new cases will be from Kildare, Laois, and Offaly. We need urgent intervention to protect the community as a whole and the employees at the centre of these outbreaks.

Last night, I spoke to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD. I explained to Minister Donnelly that currently there is no testing centre in Kildare. I am aware of one family who had to travel to a testing facility at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, and others who were invited for testing but did not travel due to difficulties in getting to the stadium. This needs to change and I made this point to the Minister. Minister Donnelly committed to me that he would raise this situation with the Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn today.

I have also spoken to Minister for Agriculture Dara Calleary TD who assured me his Department are on top of the outbreak in the meat processing plant in Timahoe and the National Public Health Emergency team continue their work on dealing with this outbreak.

All supports in terms of testing, contract tracing, and medical care should be provided to the clusters in Kildare to ensure a full recovery of the employees infected with this virus, but also so it does not become a serious outbreak in the community. I will continue to engage with both Minister Donnelly, Minister Calleary and the public health team over the coming days, concluded Deputy Lawless.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday discussed ways to strengthen the relationship between US and India in order to work towards peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific region and in Afghanistan. The two leaders also reiterated their commitment to fighting Covid-19 pandemic which has taken the world hostage.

"Great speaking with Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar about the US-India relationship and our work to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We remain united to advance peace in Afghanistan, and to a secure and sovereign Indo-Pacific in which all countries can prosper," Pompeo said after his call with Jaishankar.

READ | Afghan Peace Talks: Mike Pompeo Holds Discussion With Taliban Leader Baradar Akhund

READ | US Secy Of State Pompeo, Indonesian Counterpart Review Defense Ties Over South China Sea

The two leaders agreed to continue close cooperation on a range of issues pertaining to regional and international prominence and look forward to Quadrilateral consultations and the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year, Principal Deputy Spokesperson, US State Department Cale Brown said in a statement.

Pompeo had recently spoken about the Chinese aggression on the South China sea which has ramifications on the Indo-Pacific waters, an international water body, and the formation of the Quad group to counter the Chinese aggression, coupled with the ASEAN nations having a similar say on the issue.

"We're proud to have stepped up maritime manoeuvres in that body of water alongside friends like Australia, India, Japan, and the UK," he said. He said all 10 ASEAN nations have insisted that the South China Sea disputes must be settled on the basis of international law, including UNCLOS.

China has been facing a flurry of criticisms from the international fora over the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic originating from its soil and its discreet way of handling the pandemic to allow its spread across the world. To add to it, Chinese aggression in the Indo Pacific waters by claiming sovereignty over the South China sea plus its violent aggression in Eastern Ladakh along the LAC with India has made many who share a border with China via land or sea, turn against the country. Besides the gross human rights violation of China by imposing the draconian national security law in Hong Kong threatening the autonomy of the city, and the genocide of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province has invited harsh reactions and criticisms from the international fora and brought the world's attention to the Chinese malpractices.

Also, the world is taking note of the security threat that the Chinese tech giants such as Huawei pose to the entire world by spying over other nations, hence Huawei has been officially barred by the US from the telecommunications and developmental projects and the other nations have also advised their 5G developers to chose alternatives to Huawei, citing security issues.

With regards to the peace process in Afghanistan, Mike Pompeo and Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had discussed the start of the intra-Afghan talks over a recent video call.

Also Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Mohammad Haneef Atmar met with Vinay Kumar, Indian Ambassador to Kabul, on Monday afternoon wherein the two sides deliberated importance of further strengthening regional consensuses on the Afghan peace process.

READ | Pompeo Says US To Submit A UN Security Council Resolution Next Week

READ | Beirut Explosion: Mike Pompeo Says US Ready To Assist Lebanon After 'horrible Tragedy'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he is fully committed to the National Education Policy (NEP), which was launched last month, as he assured it will be implemented fully.

PM Modi said while addressing the conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under NEP that the education policy was approved after extensive discussions for more than three to four years and taking over lakhs of suggestions into consideration.

It is natural for some people to question that after such a big reform was brought on paper, how will it be implemented at the ground level. That is, now everyones eyes are towards its implementation, PM Modi said.

All of you are directly involved with the implementation of the National Education Policy and therefore your role is very important. As far as political will is concerned, I am fully committed to it and I am with all of you, he added.

The Prime Minister said the NEP 2020 is being widely discussed across the country and that people from different fields and different ideologies are giving their views and reviewing the policy.

This is a healthy debate. The more it is, the more benefit the countrys education system will get, he said.

It is also a matter of happiness that after the National Education Policy was launched, no one raised any doubt whether it is biased or is leaning towards one side, he added.

The conclave is being organised by the ministry of education and the University Grants Commission (UGC) through video-conferencing. Union human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal and Union minister of state for communications Sanjay Dhotre were also present at the event.

A number of dignitaries, including the chairperson and members of the committee for draft NEP, as well as eminent academicians and scientists also attended the conclave.

The Prime Minister has said the Centres New Education Policy stressed on building job creators instead of job seekers and emphasised that the time had come for increased focus on learning, research and innovation in the field of education.

The 21st century is an era of knowledge. This is the time for increased focus on learning, research, innovation. This is exactly what Indias National Education Policy, 2020 does. We are focussing on the quality of education in the country. Our attempts have been to make our education system the most advanced and modern for students, PM Modi told students at a virtual interaction last Saturday.

The Union cabinet had passed Indias first new National Education Policy last month 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 in wide-ranging reforms aimed at making the Indian education system more contemporary and skill-oriented.

The policy also sets ambitious targets: increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) to 50% from the current 26%, creating an additional 35 million seats in colleges, and increasing the education budget to 6% of the GDP from the present 4%. The NEP lays down that by 2040, all higher education institutions (HEIs) shall aim to become multidisciplinary. It also says that by 2030 there will be at least one large multidisciplinary institution in or near every district. It also moots Special Education Zones (SEZ) in backward districts.

The policy, drafted by a committee headed by former Isro chief K Kasturirangan submitted its report last year.
More than 200 guests at a Spanish wedding are having to be traced and tested after a coronavirus outbreak just one day after the ceremony.

Health officials in Madrid say nine people have so far tested positive but they fear that number will continue to escalate.

The wedding ceremony was held in the district of San Sebastian de los Reyes and was attended by 207 people from various parts of Spain. In addition, 16 staff who helped at the reception are being tested.

Over 200 guests and 16 staff members that were at a wedding in the district of San Sebastian de los Reyes (pictured) are set to be tested for coronavirus

Madrid council has confirmed the outbreak but hasn't said if all 200-plus guests and workers have had to go into quarantine.

The coronavirus scare began just 24 hours after the wedding when one of the people who attended became ill and tested positive for the virus.

Heath chiefs say they do not yet know how the first person got coronavirus but they are concerned the outbreak will spread.

They have urged all residents to make sure they wear their masks at all times where it is mandatory, observe social distancing and use gel regularly.

Madrid is currently dealing with 30 outbreaks of coronavirus in the region with the wedding outbreak and two other clusters being the latest.

The two others are in social centres with ten positive cases and 37 contacts being tested.

This is not the first wedding in Spain to cause an outbreak. A wedding in Tudela in Navarre went horribly wrong when guests, including the bride and her mother, felt ill and tested positive for coronavirus.

More than 280 contacts also had to be traced and tested.

So far, more than 50 people either at the wedding or contacts have come down with the virus.

Over the the past seven days a total of 19,405 new coronavirus cases were recorded, with an average of 2,772 per day, according to the Spanish government's figures.

Spain has denied that it is battling a second wave of coronavirus despite a recent spike in new infections (graphic showing new daily infections in Spain)

But Spain insists it is not experiencing a second wave despite the previous week's lower average of 1,913 new daily cases with a daily figure of around 1,460 in mid-July.

Fernando Simon, head epidemiologist at the health ministry, said on Thursday: 'I wouldn't speak of a second wave' unless transmission rates were out of control.

'It is not clear that the increase in detected cases isn't simply due to the increase in testing,'

The country, which is currently the worst-hit nation in Europe at the moment, has registered a total of more than 310,000 cases and 28,500 fatalities from the start of the pandemic.

The country's worst hit areas are Catalonia, which recorded more than 5,100 new in the past week, and Aragon, which saw 4,100 infections over the same period.

The regional authorities in these areas have ordered new partial lockdown measures.

About 32,000 people have been ordered into lockdown in the central riverside town of Aranda del Duero.

A Spanish National Police agent speaks to a cyclist at a check point after isolation measures were put in place in Aranda del Duero

Spanish National Police agents staff a check point. People are not allowed to enter or leave the town

Known for its vineyards, Aranda del Duero residents are not allowed to enter or leave the town which lies 150 kilometres (90 miles) north of Madrid.

Police have set up check points around the town which will remain in lockdown for at least two weeks.

Local authorities have imposed different forms of lockdown, with Barcelona requesting residents not to leave their homes while Aranda del Duero citizens face police checks.

Germany, France, Britain, Switzerland and Austria have all taken steps to limit visitors from Spain.

In Britain, arrivals from islands including Ibiza, Majorca, Tenerife and Gran Canaria have been under orders to self-isolate for 14 days since the end of July, when they joined the Spanish mainland on the UK's red travel list.
(Newser)  The "pink dress effect" has consumed South Korean politics after the country's youngest member of the National Assembly wore a colorful wrap dress this week to a parliamentary session, and she's got both supporters and detractors. The South China Morning Postwhich deems the short dress worn by 28-year-old Ryu Ho-jeong red, not pinkreports her attire caused quite a stir Tuesday amid the usual dark suits and ties worn by the mostly male body. And it was a purposeful move by Ryu, a member of the minority progressive Justice Party, who is said to be "bemused" by the commotion over her outfit. "I am a legislative worker and the National Assembly is my workplace," she said. "The authority of the National Assembly is not built upon those suits." She told Yonhap she "wanted to shatter that tradition," per the Guardian.

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She also noted her experience with this unspoken dress code is exactly what other women in her country are going through in their respective workplaces. Backlash has already come her way, some of it misogynistic and sexist. One Facebook commenter said she looked like she was a bar hostess collecting drink payments, while another asked: "Are you doing an escort service?" But Ryu also has many lending support. Ko Min-Jung, a female member of the ruling Democratic Party, offered her thanks to Ryu for "shattering excessive rigorism and authoritarianism at the National Assembly." There are 57 female lawmakers now in the 300-seat assemblya record number for South Korea, but still lopsided by international standards, CNN notes. Meanwhile, the brand that sells Ryu's $70 dress sold out of it soon after pictures of her wearing it started circulating. (Read more South Korea stories.)
Why Resistance Remains Strong

Not Just Partisan Opposition

A Drag on the Economy

President Trump is not sold on the idea of helping states, cities and counties. In recent days, administration officials negotiating with congressional Democrats have apparently agreed to offer as much as $150 billion in state and local aid as part of the next coronavirus relief bill, but the president himself says it would be a bad idea to bail out poorly run states."We cant go along with the bailout money, Trump said during a White House news conference on Wednesday. Were not going to go along with that, especially since its not COVID-related.Since the pandemic began, Republicans have been skeptical about federal aid for states and localities. In April, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell floated the idea of letting states go bankrupt instead. The American Legislative Exchange Council has organized a letter-writing campaign among hundreds of legislators concerned about the federal deficit and other potential harms from a bailout.The bipartisan associations that represent state and local officials assume that this has all been political posturing. Federal-level Republicans may not agree to the $1 trillion in aid sought by congressional Democrats, but the expectation ever since the spring has been that eventually the two sides would meet halfway. Thats still not a bad bet.Estimates vary, but states and localities may end up collectively falling about $500 billion short of revenue projections over the next couple of fiscal years. A half-trillion dollars  the midpoint between the Democrats $1 trillion and the GOPs zero  would stave off major economic damage, says Dan White, director of government consulting at Moodys Analytics, an economic research group.$500 billion is not a bad place, White says. Quite frankly, I would be shocked if we dont end up somewhere around this point.Economists almost universally agree that direct aid to states and localities is one of the best tools the federal government has at its disposal to avoid a weak recovery or a dip back into recession. States and localities employ about one out of seven American workers. Every federal dollar sent their way contributes at least $1.30 to the economy.Federal aid to state and local governments has not been in question in prior recessions, says Chris Hoene, executive director of the California Budget & Policy Center, a nonprofit watchdog group. The surprise here is that theres even a debate about whether there should be additional aid to state and local governments when theres so clearly a need.States and localities have failed to convince their colleagues in Washington that they represent not just a good but necessary investment. Politically, theyve presented a less sympathetic face than others seeking assistance, including schools, small businesses and unemployed individuals. Some of this may be due to anti-government feeling, says Laura Curran, the Nassau County, N.Y., executive.Numbers are important, but behind the numbers are actual people and actual services being provided to people, she says. Whats lost is the human element  the contact tracing and the ambulances and the medics and the EMTs and all of the first responders.Curran says she shudders to think what kind of cuts shell have to make if federal aid is ultimately denied. The longer the negotiations in Washington drag out, the more nervous state and local officials are getting. They know that their revenue pictures are only going to grow worse.On Wednesday, Maine Gov. Janet Mills directed state agencies to come up with 10 percent budget reduction plans. Thats a lower percentage drop than some other governors are imposing.Were expecting states to have to go back and make adjustments to their fiscal 2021 budgets, says Brian Sigritz, director of state fiscal studies at the National Association of State Budget Officers. Were hearing that fiscal 2022 is likely to be as difficult, or more difficult, than 2021.An earlier aid package enacted in March, the CARES Act, provided $150 billion for state and local governments. McConnell and some other officials are unhappy that states and localities are asking for more money when they havent spent all of the CARES funding yet.The Treasury Department has given states and localities some wiggle room, but there are still issues with how freely the CARES money can be spent. It was originally intended for expenses directly related to the coronavirus, not backfilling budget holes. For the most part, unspent sums are being held for anticipated expenses.That money is already spoken for, says Tracy Gordon, a public finance expert at the Urban Institute. You cant spend the same dollar twice.Theres also a boy who cried wolf complaint. State and local revenues have yet to take a beating thats been as serious as their initial fears. To a large extent, thats because as late as July 15, they were still collecting taxes based on pre-pandemic income from 2019. Property taxes, of course, have not taken the kind of immediate hit that sales taxes have.That doesnt mean things wont get worse. Tax revenues are always a lagging indicator, taking time to be affected as the economy slows. I think the real pain youre going to see in a lot of states is at the end of this year and the start of 2021, when you start seeing the income earned in 2020 reflected, says White, the Moodys analyst.State and local officials are worried about the economy continuing to stall, or even reverse. The general economy has been propped up by the $2 trillion CARES Act, but its extra money for unemployment benefits and small business aid has run dry.Theres this coming economic cliff that could have a huge impact on future revenue projections, Hoene says.The question of aid for state and local governments has become a partisan question, with Democrats and Republicans by and large lined up on opposite sides. But there are other forms of political resistance making federal relief uncertain.During the debate over stimulus back in 2009, members of Congress were reluctant to send money out to other levels of government to spend. Its just human nature. No one likes handing over their checkbook for other people to spend money. Members of Congress push back, Gordon says. We raise the revenue and governors get to spend it.In the end, state and local spending under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was closely monitored by the federal government. The feds set up a reporting system, with each state designating an official who participated in weekly calls with the Office of Management and Budget. President Barack Obama called Joe Biden, then his vice president and about to be anointed the Democratic nominee against Trump, as  the sheriff  overseeing the effort.It may be more difficult to imagine such a cooperative effort taking place now. There have been moments of overt hostility between Trump and various Democratic governors recently, with constant friction over the years  including numerous lawsuits  between blue states and the administration.But if federal policymakers dont trust states and localities to spend the money wisely, they could send out money based on formulas  such as an increase in the Medicaid matching rate  while also demanding longer-term looks at issues such as pensions and guardrails against frivolous spending.Counties are looking for help for the coronavirus response, not money to build new courthouses, says Boone County, Ky., Judge-Executive Gary Moore, the new president of the National Association of Counties (NACo).We hear the stories that local governments might actually increase their revenues over last years budget, he says. Were not advocating for that. Were advocating for oversight.Rather than spending more, states and localities are looking at places they can cut. Most states had to draft budgets for the fiscal year that started July 1 without knowing what their 2019 income tax collections would look like or whether federal aid would be forthcoming. Many are placeholder budgets, that explicitly say theres too much uncertainty, so were going to pass a continuing resolution or include magic asterisks, says Gordon, of the Urban Institute.The most prominent example of the latter is California. Its budget includes dramatic cuts that will occur automatically if $14 billion in flexible federal aid is not forthcoming by Oct. 15. Its not clear what the cuts will look like if theres less federal aid than hoped for, but the scheduled cuts include $7 billion from K-12 and higher education and $2 billion from employee compensation, with smaller cuts to courts and the like.California began the year expecting to run a $7 billion surplus. Instead, it ended up facing a $54 billion shortfall. In contrast to the presidents complaints about mismanagement, the state entered the pandemic in sound financial shape. Its enacted budget includes $9 billion drawn from reserves. I would say that we certainly went into this recession, even as surprising and rapid as it came about, much better prepared than in prior recessions, particularly the Great Recession, Hoene says.Californias budget illustrates the kinds of cuts that will occur if federal aid is not provided to states and localities. Two-thirds of state and local budgets are spent on education, health and social services. To achieve substantial savings, thats what theyll have to cut.Many of those programs are, in fact, federal programs that the states and localities carry out. The fact that governments act in many ways as pass-throughs makes them less sympathetic, politically, than stand-alone entities such as schools and hospitals. People can visualize what it means, not having a teacher or not having police, Gordon says. Its tangible. But state and local governments, they're just something in the background.Sending aid to states and localities is a way to send money into every corner of the country. Failure to do so will not only hurt those governments, but the larger economy. The capital projects being put on hold all over mean vendors arent being hired. Yes, counties have their own employees, but typically private sector contractors are doing the job for us, says Matt Chase, NACos executive director.States and localities have shed 1.2 million jobs since February. Friday's job report showed some improvement, but absent federal aid, it could take years to recover those lost workers.Its the lesson from the last recession thats potentially being forgotten, when state and local governments acted as a drag on the economy. Balanced budget requirements mean those governments, absent outside revenues, have to cut spending or increase taxes just at the time the economy is already hurting.Theyre actually amplifying the business cycle and making it worse, White says. Its one of the significant reasons why the Great Recession was followed by the not-so-great recovery.
By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 34 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns.

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
PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Irion Ardwell made good on his promise to the people of St. Maarten by releasing the names of companies that received payroll support for the months of April and May 2020.

The Minister had to amend the regulation which allowed him to release the names of companies that applied and received support.

During the past months, several persons called on the Minister to publicize the names of the companies that were getting the support because too many workers were complaining that they have not been receiving their salaries.

While the Government of St. Maarten paid 80% of salaries the Dutch Government demanded that only 60% be paid out as of June 2020.

The list encompasses in its totality the employers that have received payroll support via the St. Stimulus and Relief Plan. An average of NAf 13,000,000.00 per month in payroll support was subsidized by the Government of St. Maarten which assisted in paying over 6,100 employees per month.

Once again the government would like to thank our executing partners SZV for their continued support through this process.

The Minister of Finance would like to remind the general public that the portal for the June Payroll Support is currently open and can be accessed through www.ssrp.sx or your employer portal, registration closes on August 14th, 2020.

Click here to view the names of companies that receive SSRP Support.
Colombian ex-president Alvaro Uribe Velez has tested positive for COVID-19, just one day after the country's Supreme Court issued a house arrest order for him., CNN reported.

"President Alvaro Uribe has tested positive for Covid-19. However, his state of health is optimal, he has not presented any major symptoms, or any respiratory difficulties," Gabriel Velasco, senator and spokesman for the Democratic Center party, said Wednesday.

Uribe is one of Colombia's most controversial political figures. His presidency followed decades of drug-guerrilla violence and a failed peace process between the government and the leftist guerrilla group FARC.

His "tough hand" approach to guerrilla groups has largely restored the country's economy and, most importantly, the Colombians' sense of security. But his tactics were also deeply outraged.

Colombia was shocked by the news of his house arrest. Supporters and opponents of the former president gathered in the capital, Bogota, following a Supreme Court decision.

Colombian President Ivan Duque, a protege of Uribe's, said on Tuesday he believes in the former president's innocence.
Amid a debate over what should be the medium of instruction in schools, the Lok Sabha secretariat is encouraging senior officials to learn foreign languages, citing Parliaments increasing engagement with overseas counterparts and international institutions. They are also being told to learn, at least at a basic level, local languages.

It has been decided to conduct beginner level learning courses in different foreign languages as well as scheduled Indian languages for the officers of Parliament. The duration of the programme would be three months with two classes per week, an internal circular Lok Sabha circular, a copy of which was accessed by HT, said.

Courses will be offered in four foreign languagesGerman, French, Russian and Spanish -- and may be expanded to cover other languages depending on the level of interest among officials in the Lok Sabha secretariat, according to speaker Om Birla. The French language course started on August 4.

An official enrolled in the French language course said, It will be very useful for us in our interactions with international hosts. French is a widely used language in Europe and also in Africa. The linguistic exercise comes amid a debate triggered by the new education policy approved by the Centre last month that stressed the need for students to be taught in their tongue although it stuck to the three language formula -- English, Hindi and a regional language. The policy said that since children learn and grasp non-trivial concepts more quickly in their home language, which is often the mother tongue, it should preferably be the medium of instruction.

Wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, will be the home language, mother tongue, local language or the regional language. Thereafter, the home or local language shall continue to be taught as a language wherever possible. This will be followed by both public and private schools, the policy stated.

This, however, led to concerns over the existence of thousands of English-medium schools across India. To ease the concerns in a country that has 22 official languages , officials said the policy does not aim to impose any language on anyone.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla wants senior officials in the lower house secretariat to hone their foreign language skills keeping in mind Parliaments increasing international exposure and its multilateral engagements, officials said. The French course is open to officers who are at least executive assistants. Fifty-seven officials have enrolled themselves in the course.

Parliaments secretariat is a mini India in its profile, comprising officials from different corners of the country. But with most day-to-day work being done either in Hindi or English, officials have had little incentive to learn new languages. Over the past few years, Parliament has been increasingly engaging with its international counterparts.

Apart from participating in multilateral forums such as Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Commonwealth Parliamentary Union, legislative delegations make overseas visits on goodwill missions and receive guests from other countries.

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BRIDGEPORT  Police say a city woman was found in possession of a stolen gun that had been recently fired after officers responded to a call about gunshots Thursday night.

Just after 11 p.m. Thursday, a call to 911 about shots fired sent city police officers to the 600 block of East Main Street, Capt. Lonnie Blackwell said. Preliminary reports indicated a female suspect, armed with a gun, had fired twice toward a building, he said.

When officers arrived, they checked the area to find the suspect and ensure no one was struck by the bullets.

They found the woman near the back of a building with both hands behind her back, Blackwell said. He said officers gave the woman loud verbal commands to put her hands up in the air.

Blackwell said a juvenile boy was there with the woman. He immediately complied. He was detained and released.

The woman, later identified by police as 33-year-old Iris C. Cruz, of Bridgeport, refused to cooperate and would only put one hand above her head, Blackwell said. He said Cruz then lifted her right hand, showing a gun. The officers shouted for her to drop the gun and she did before being taken into custody, Blackwell said.

Blackwell said the encounter happened in a dark alley, commending the officers for how they handled a non-compliant suspect.

They utilized tremendous restraint, and worked effectively as a team, to deescalate the situation, disarm the suspect and retrieve the firearm, Blackwell said.

When police seized the gun, they found it with the slide in the locked back position, with an empty magazine, indicating it was recently fired, according to Blackwell. He said a check on the gun showed it had been stolen from Westminster, Vt.

At the police station, Cruz was processed on charges of illegal discharge of a firearm, stealing a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, criminal possession of a pistol/revolver and second-degree criminal mischief.
A man in China has been arrested by police for allegedly killing his wife, cutting apart her corpse and flushing some of her remains down the loo in a gruesome case that has shocked the country.

Xu Guoli, 55, has been accused of murdering his partner when she was asleep due to 'conflicts in family life', according to a city's legal authority.

He allegedly dumped part of her wife's dissected remains in various locations and got rid of her body tissue partially through the toilet at their home in eastern China's Zhejiang Province.

Xu Guoli, said to be 55, has been accused of murdering his partner (left), Ms Lai, when she was asleep in the early hours of July 5 in Hangzhou, eastern China. Speaking to a local TV station on July 17, Mr Xu (right) said that his wife could have left with other individuals and gone missing

Ms Lai (circled) was last seen on security footage entering the lift with her daughter on July 4

Mr Xu was formally arrested yesterday in the city of Hangzhou on suspicion of intentional homicide.

In a statement, the city's legal authority said Mr Xu's method of crime was cruel, and the nature of his act was 'evil'.

The chilling case emerged when Mr Xu reported to the police last month that his spouse had left home in the middle of the night and 'mysteriously' gone missing.

Officers pinpointed him as the main suspect after discovering human tissue in the septic tank in their community, reported state broadcaster CCTV.

Mr Xu formally arrested yesterday in the city of Hangzhou on suspicion of intentional homicide. Pictured, the suspect was taken into police custody after admitting to his acts

According to the state-run media outlet, Mr Xu worked as a driver in Hangzhou before the case and his wife, 51-year-old Ms Lai, was a cleaner.

The couple had divorced for unspecified reasons before remarrying in 2008.

Mr Xu claimed he found his wife had vanished after waking up on the early morning of July 5.

He noted that the couple had spent a day 'happily and harmoniously' with their daughter the day before.

CCTV released the last surveillance footage of Ms Lai, which showed her entering the lift with her daughter at around 5pm on July 4.

Mr Xu and his daughter went to the police on July 6 to file a missing person report. Police conducted a thorough search in the community but failed to find any traces.

Officers also viewed around 6,000 hours worth of security camera footage, but could not see Ms Lai leaving the building.

Speaking to a local TV station on July 17, Mr Xu said that his wife could have left with other individuals in the middle of the night.

He also voiced concerns about the future of him and his daughter to reporters.

He said: 'What about my daughter's life? What about my life? When exactly will my wife return? [We] don't even know if she is alive or dead.'

The incident saw a breakthrough when police formed a special team to investigate the case on July 21 and decided to drain the septic tank of Mr Xu's residential compound.

Police spent 25 hours draining the septic tank in the couple's community to look for evidence

Lab workers identified suspected human tissue in the extracted waste on July 22

Officers spent 25 hours extracting the waste and transported it to a lab with 38 trucks. Lab workers identified suspected human tissue in the refuse on the next day.

Police summoned Mr Xu for questioning at 1am on July 23, and after nine hours of interrogation, the man admitted to murdering his partner and cutting her body into pieces.

Mr Xu confessed that he had felt dissatisfied towards Ms Lai due to 'conflicts in family life', leading him to kill her during her sleep in the early hours of July 5.

Last Thursday, the Hangzhou Public Bureau applied for permission to arrest Mr Xu.

The Hangzhou Municipal People's Procuratorate, the government organ for legal supervision, granted the request on August 6.

The case is under further investigation.
COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Authorization

The federal government has been working since the pandemic started to develop, manufacture, and distribute safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.

Years before the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists were already studying coronaviruses to find out how to protect against them. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, researchers were able to come up with vaccines for this new virus much faster because of work that was already happening.

FDA Authorization

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews and evaluates COVID-19 vaccines for quality, safety, and effectiveness. The FDA then issues Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for certain vaccines that meet rigorous, science-based standards. The FDA determines that these vaccines are safe and effective for public use.

CDC Recommendation

After the FDA authorizes the emergency use of a vaccine, an independent panel of medical and health experts called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) provides recommendations and guidance to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the use of the vaccine.

FDA Approval

When the FDA approves a vaccine, it must undergo the agency's standard approval process for reviewing the quality, safety and effectiveness. The FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research conducts an analysis of the benefits and risks to ensure the vaccine meets the FDA's standards for approval.
J oe Biden has tried to "clarify" his comments about diversity in African-American and Lationo communities following a backlash.

Speaking in an interview with a Latino reporter from National Public Radio, the Democrat, said: By the way, what you all know but most people dont know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things.

You go to Florida, Mr Biden continued, you find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places than you do when youre in Arizona.

So its a very different, very diverse community.

Mr Biden regularly condemns Mr Trump for pushing hate and division / REUTERS

The presidential candidate's comments came at a back-and-forth over US-Cuba policy during a series of interviews with Black and Hispanic journalists released on Thursday.

He later clarified his remarks on Twitter after an edited snippet of his interview was shared widely online.

In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolith  not by identity, not on issues, not at all, he wrote, adding that throughout his long political career hes witnessed the diversity of thought, background and sentiment within the African American community that makes our  country a better place." he wrote.

Mr Biden was alluding to the dozens of national origins that make up the US Hispanic population, especially in Florida, a presidential battleground.

But the suggestion of a lack of diversity in the African-American community was seen by many as the latest example of the candidate, who is white, drawing a negative spotlight when he is trying to convince voters he will make the nation "equal".

Earlier today, I made some comments about diversity in the African American and Latino communities that I want to clarify. In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolithnot by identity, not on issues, not at all.  Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 7, 2020

Symone Sanders, a top Biden adviser said, The video that is circulating is conveniently cut to make this about racial diversity, but thats not the case.

Earlier in May, Mr Biden faced the same criticism after he said that any black voter whos got a problem figuring out whether youre for me or for Trump  aint black.

Within hours he was on a call with US Black Chamber of Commerce members declaring he had been too cavalier.

I shouldnt have been such a wise guy, Biden said.

In June last year, Mr Biden reminded campaign donors that he had to work in the 1970s alongside segregationist senators, describing the civility of that congressional era even if we didnt agree.

He explained later that he was not praising racists but instead highlighting that Congress must get things done even with bad actors involved.
the coast of The holiday Paradise of Mauritius is an environmental disaster threatens. A freighter should be around two weeks before the island state and have lost Oil, said the Executive Director of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Deborah de Chazal, on the Friday of the German press Agency. So far, about a quarter of the 4,000 tonnes of Oil was run. With fears of an environmental disaster, she said. "We are very concerned about the impact of the Spill on marine and other Ecosystems."

It had already been Locking in place to contain the Oil in the vicinity of the wreck and to protect some important places, such as a nearby marine Park, said de Chazal. There is help from abroad, because Mauritius does not have enough equipment to handle the Spill alone. Also will consider whether the rest of the Oil that could be pumped from the cargo ship, she said.

At a Meeting on Friday, the Ministry of the environment wanted to work with organisations with a Plan, such as the Oil removed could be, reported the local newspaper "L'express". Also volunteers are needed. Also, the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation will help according to their own information.

The Worry about the impact on the environment are great. On the island a number of endangered and vulnerable animals lived. We are also very concerned about the Oil fumes, said de Chazal. Also the mangrove forests along the coast are threatened, as are sea creatures, such as fish, corals, and seabirds.

The cargo ship Wakashio was ran at Pointe d'esny on the East coast of the main island of Mauritius, on the basis, near the town of Mahebourg. How it came to the time of the accident, was initially unclear. According to shipping websites, the freighter went under the flag of Panama and was bound for Tubarao, Brazil.

Updated Date: 07 August 2020, 16:20
The spokesman for the Ethiopian foreign ministry said Addis Ababa remains committed to the negotiations

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan had been expected to sign an agreement over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during talks mediated by the US and the World Bank in February but Ethiopia skipped the meeting and only Egypt initialled the deal. Addis Ababa accused Washington at the time of favouring Egypt.

Renewed African Union-sponsored talks over the multi-billion project launched last month between the three countries, which the US and the EU attended as observers, stumbled earlier this week after Egypt called for the suspension of meetings for internal consultations after Addis Ababa proposed new draft of filling guidelines.

US pressure on Ethiopia in the GERD tripartite talks negatively impacts the bilateral relations between the two countries, said Dina Mufti, a spokesman for the Ethiopian foreign ministry, according to the Ethiopian Press Agency.

Not only do the US and World Banks acts hurt the bilateral relations, they also damage the ongoing trilateral talks, he said. No pressure would halt the construction of the dam. Ethiopia has resolve to realize its flagship project.

Egypt said earlier this week a draft proposal put forward by Ethiopia lacked guidelines on the operation of the dam, any elements indicating a binding deal, or a legal mechanism to settle disputes.

Addis Ababa announced last month it had achieved its first-year target for the filling of the dams reservoir due to the rainfall season. The move was condemned by Cairo and Khartoum -- both have sought a legally binding agreement before the dam is filled.

Egypt sent a letter on Wednesday to South Africa, which currently chairs the AU, reaffirming Cairos rejection of Ethiopias unilateral initial filling of the GERD and the new Ethiopian draft proposal.

In its letter, Cairo said the Ethiopian proposal, presented on Tuesday, violates directives by the AU in July calling on the three countries to swiftly finalise a legally binding agreement.

Sudan threatened to withdraw from the AU-sponsored talks if Ethiopia insisted on linking an agreement on the dams filling to negotiating a deal on sharing the waters of the Blue Nile.

The Ethiopian spokesman said during a media briefing Friday that his country remains committed to the talks.

Ethiopia is fully committed to resuming discussions and negotiations. There is no other way than conducting peaceful negotiations and peaceful dialogue to resolve the dispute.

The nearly $5 billion mega-dam, being built around 15 from the Ethiopian border with Sudan, has been a source of tension between the three nations. Cairo fears the project will significantly cut its water supplies from the Nile River, while Sudan fears it could endanger the safety of its own dams.

Ethiopia says the massive project, which it hopes will make it Africas largest power exporter, is key to its development efforts..

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More than two million reported Infected in India, more than a Million cases of infection in Africa, a total of 50,000 Dead in Mexico, about 2000 Dead within a day in the United States: The Numbers to the Corona-pandemic worldwide are growing more and more alarming. More than seven months after the first message about the outbreak of a novel Virus in China, Sars-CoV-2 in some countries, spreads rapidly.

According to a recent census of the American Johns Hopkins University from Friday (17.30 hrs CEST) reported the authorities around the world, more than of 715,000 deaths and at least 19 million Infected. The most affected region of the world is Latin America and the Caribbean, with almost 5.3 million recorded infections and nearly 212,000 are registered as death.

Alone in Mexico has now exceeded the threshold of 50,000 registered Corona deaths. According to information from the Ministry of health on Thursday were counted within 24 hours of 819 fatalities. Thus, Mexico is third in the world behind the United States of America (over 160,000) and Brazil (about 98.500). The Americans are the worst affected. The number of deaths within 24 hours exceeded, for the first time since the beginning of may, the brand of 2000, according to the Johns Hopkins University, rose on Thursday to around 2060. Almost 4.9 million people were infected so far, there.

this notwithstanding, picked up the American foreign Ministry since mid-March, current global travel warning for citizens. Now it wants to re-publish travel advice and travel warnings to various countries. Entry bans, such as from the Schengen area remain valid.

In India, the infection figures, meanwhile, dramatically. Within a day, more than 60,000 new infections had been reported, the total number of the country's registered infections has increased to more than two million, authorities said on Friday. Thus, the South Asian country, moved up to third place of the countries with the most Infected. Only three weeks ago, the officially registered infection had exceeded the numbers in India, the threshold of one Million. The dramatic increase is according to experts, the step-wise relaxations of a in March imposed lockdowns.

experts believe that the number of unreported cases in the infection and death cases in India, but also in other countries such as Brazil, is very high. In international comparison, is being tested in India is still relatively little. According to a study from last week, for example, were detected at around 57 per cent of all Slum-dwellers in Mumbai Coronavirus antibodies.

Updated Date: 07 August 2020, 14:19
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:07:56|Editor: huaxia

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A donation ceremony is held in Kunming of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 7, 2020. A batch of anti-pandemic medical supplies departed from Kunming on Friday morning, heading for Laos. The supplies, including two monitoring ambulances, four ventilators and 200 infrared frontal thermometers, were donated by Kunming to the Laotian capital Vientiane and the province of Luang Prabang, with a view to assisting in the battle against COVID-19. (Photo by Wang Guansen/Xinhua)

KUNMING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- A batch of anti-pandemic medical supplies departed from the city of Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, on Friday morning, heading for Laos.

The supplies, including two monitoring ambulances, four ventilators and 200 infrared frontal thermometers, were donated by Kunming to the Laotian capital Vientiane and the province of Luang Prabang, with a view to assisting in the battle against COVID-19.

Hu Baoguo, deputy mayor of Kunming, said that the city of Vientiane and various sectors of society had donated 261,000 yuan (about 37,500 U.S. dollars) worth of medical supplies to Kunming since the epidemic was first reported in the province.

"We will always remember and cherish this friendship of shared adversity, and hope the medical supplies can effectively help Laos' pandemic prevention and control work," Hu added.

The supplies are due to arrive in Laos by the end of August.

In March, Yunnan Province dispatched a medical team to aid the pandemic prevention and control efforts in Laos, and donated 4.17 million yuan worth of anti-pandemic materials. Enditem
The destruction in Beirut is nerve-wracking. Streets and sidewalks are piled with debris and shattered glass that have fallen from damaged buildings  many beyond repair. The Aug. 4 disaster has left at least 149 dead and 5,000 wounded, with others still missing and some 300,000 people displaced from their homes.

Beirut governor Marwan Abboud said damages from the explosion, linked to some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the port, could reach $15 billion.

Throughout Aug. 6, a stream of cars continued to flow to the capitals worst-hit areas, packed with aid workers and civil society activists scrambling to provide people with food and shelter.

For those on Beiruts Hamra street, some 4 kilometers (2 miles) from the port, the explosion first felt like an earthquake followed by a loud boom. The once-lively street was covered in glass and became nearly empty after experts warned people to stay home, seal their windows and wear masks when outside due to toxic gases released from the blast.

Tarek al-Hamish, a receptionist at Najjar Hospital in Beirut, described the aftermath of the explosion as a scenario that resembled a war. It was something you see in the movies, around 150 patients were given first aid on the street at a speed that Ive never seen before, Hamish told Al-Monitor,

The hospital suffered minor damages that prompted its staff to move some patients to other rooms. Ghazi Najjar, the CEO of the hospital, decided to provide free treatment to those injured from the blast, including patients who needed surgery.

The large explosion piled another tragedy on top of other crises already facing the country. Lebanon is suffering from an acute economic collapse, with its currency in free fall and an accelerating poverty rate, in addition to a coronavirus pandemic that has highlighted a health care crisis in the country.

The hospital was already struggling with medical equipment due to the economic crisis, but on this day I think a divine power has intervened for we had everything we needed to treat the injured, Hamish said.

In downtown Beirut, Martyrs Square  the space that has witnessed every major Lebanese protest, including the Oct. 17 uprising  drew volunteers from all areas of Lebanon.

Mohamad Daher, 28, and his friends were volunteering their time to help with anything they could  from cleaning the streets to helping residents, as well as supporting experienced organizations such as the Civil Defense, a public emergency medical service.

Now is the time to put everything aside and focus on helping the ones in need, said Daher, who came all the way from the town of Kfar Remmen in the south of Lebanon.

We were really hoping for a better Lebanon after the Oct. 17 revolution, but then came the coronavirus and then the economic collapse, and now this catastrophe, he told Al-Monitor.

Nada Nasif, 32, took a break from volunteering to speak with-Monitor. She was working with a group that was working late into the night and camping in the square. We are organized because unfortunately we have experience in rescue because of the fires that happened  and this made it easier to gather up quickly and work efficiently, said Nasif, referring to the massive wildfires the country experienced in October.

The real problem we are facing is that with the economic crisis, everyone is in need of donations but our priority now is to help people who are mostly affected by the explosion, she said.

Gemayzeh and Mar Mikhael, two adjacent neighborhoods that are the hub of Beiruts nightlife and lie within 2 kilometers (a little over a mile) from the port, suffered severe damage to homes and properties during the explosion. Almost all residents of the areas were displaced from their homes and the ones who stayed had to sleep in houses with no windows, not to mention possible danger from toxic gas.

Shad Rizk, a 36-year-old network engineer at Terranet, was in his office in Mar Mikhael when a building at the port caught fire prior to the explosion. He started recording a video of the flames on his phone just when the port exploded, and glass from his office shattered in his face, leaving serious wounds.

I will use this video when I apply for immigration, in the hopes that a country would give me a visa, Rizk told Al-Monitor. Rizk said people helped him go to the nearest hospital along with his five colleagues who were at the office and were seriously wounded themselves. The hospital was insanely crowded, my wounds were so severe that so I could not wait for an empty chair and since I could not see, I had to ask some people to call my parents and take me to another hospital where I had to stay in for the night and unfortunately pay, Rizk added.

The night of Aug. 5, Gemayzeh was uncharacteristically dark, with not a single light in the area. Shop owners used their phones flashlights to navigate the rubble and broken glass as they worked to clean up their businesses in the hopes that they would be able to reopen soon.

Nour Shamesdine, 25, was checking the wreckage with her friend as she was passing by Sip, a coffee shop she worked at in Gemayzeh.

Nour said she felt obliged to lend a helping hand to clean up what she could, especially knowing that the employees who were on shift when the explosion occurred were all seriously wounded.

I dont think the owners have any plans of opening soon, I also think no shop owner has the money to repair anything, Nour told Al-Monitor

Meanwhile, Al Roum Hospital, located around 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the port, collapsed and became completely unusable as a result of the explosion. The hospitals CEO, Eid Azar, said all the patients, including 19 coronavirus cases, had to be evacuated.

Hanna Nehme, a security guard at the hospital, told Al-Monitor that the real challenge was transferring coronavirus patients to other hospitals.

When I heard the sound of the explosion and saw the damage in the hospital, I thought it was the Israelis, he said. Initially there had been rumors that the blast may have been caused by an Israeli strike, following ongoing tensions between Lebanon's southern neighbor and Hezbollah.

I never thought our politicians would hurt us even more," he added.
KAMPALA  President Museveni has castigated critics asking them to leave Armed Forces out of the nonsense of tribal debates.

The president in statement on his social media aimed a dig at those who try to cast the NRM as a system monopolized by people from western Uganda.

They shared an unclear picture trying to show some army people. Kindly, leave our Armed Forces out of the nonsense of tribal debates.

He said they (armed forces) have serious work to do and they have done it well.

Leave them out of your confusion. The only point one can say about that is recruitment in the Armed Forces is by quotas per district. You check during the recruitment time, he added.

He also shared a list of none westerners but with top government position in his administration. He mentioned his State House aide Lucky Nakyobe, his PPS Omona among others and said Do not tell us about those cheap things of tribes and religious sectarianism.

Here in the Presidency, I am quite comfortable without many Banyankore, or, indeed,any munyankore around

See full statement

Negative responders tried to cast the NRM as a system monopolized by people from western Uganda. They shared an unclear picture trying to show some army people. Kindly, leave our Armed Forces out of the nonsense of tribal debates.

They have serious work to do and they have done it well. Leave them out of your confusion. The only point one can say about that is recruitment in the Armed Forces is by quotas per district. You check during the recruitment time.

However, you can look at your fellow civilian officers. Here in the Presidency, I am quite comfortable without many Banyankore, or, indeed, any munyankore around.

1) Mitala- Unless he became a munyankore today  Head of Civil Service.

ii) Katuramu- Westerner- Kabalegas land;

iii) Presidents Office  Kakande- only munyankore through enkaanda, otherwise muganda from Ddwaniro- Masuliita.

IV) State House Comptroller- Nakyobe  only guilty on the nkaanda side, muganda of some place.

v) PPS to the President- Omona  Originally Acholi, but somehow Kumamunized by residence.

I am quite comfortable without any big munyankore in the vicinity. Do not tell us about those cheap things of tribes and religious sectarianism. The LDUs that you are complaining about were all recruited from Kampala and Wakiso.

Are you trying to say that people of Wakiso and Kampala are bad because of mistakes of individuals against laid down laws, who are, moreover, punished for those mistakes?

Related
Chennai: DMK President M K Stalin on Thursday asked the AIADMK government not to create an "artificial barrier" for travel by people and demanded immediate cancellation of the e-pass system for inter- district journey.

Applications seeking passes even for emergencies have been rejected many times though the government had said permission would be given for inter-district travel for medical emergencies, deaths and marriages, he alleged adding "the e-pass system in the AIADMK government is a big failure."

Citing news reports on alleged corruption in issuance of e-pass in places including Chennai, he said, "extending the system and hasslingpeople is inhuman and counter-productive."

Since March 25, people could not make inter-district journeys even for emergencies and they were being harassed, he alleged.

When the Central government itself has announced that e-pass is not compulsory, the "AIADMK government continuing to have it with an ulterior motive will not be a solution for the affected people," he said.

While Chief Minister K Palaniswami maintained that the government acted according to the Centre's guidelines on COVID-19 management, "why did not he follow it on the e-pass system," Stalin, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, asked in a statement.

"On the one hand you allow relaxations, say that people can go for work and companies could open and on the other hand you say that e-pass is mandatory for inter-district travel confining people to their homes. What kind of Coronavirus management is this?" he sought to know from Palaniswami.

Asserting that this question crossed the minds of all the people, he wanted the government to respect the public sentiment and immediately rescind the e-pass system for inter-district travel.

"I ask Palaniswami to not create an artificial barrier for people who want to travel."

Also, he said by putting up such a barrier, "do not open up the door for corruption and hassle people...for the lockdown relaxations to benefit the public this step (cancelling e-pass regime) is immediately needed," he said.

So far, police have arrested at least eight men in Tamil Nadu for allegedly creating fake e-pass and luring people to approach them to get the passes.

While five including two government employees were held in Chennai, two were arrested in Tiruchirapalli and a man was held in Vellore.

Though the state government had announced several relaxations, e-pass is needed for inter-district travel.
The Irish Hotels Federation have labelled as "deeply regrettable" the lockdown restrictions on counties Kildare, Offaly and Laois.

Elaina Fitzgerald Kane, President of the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) said:

It is deeply regrettable that restrictions have to be reintroduced in Kildare, Laois and Offaly. "Undoubtedly this latest lockdown will have a significant impact on the morale of the people in these counties and across the country."

Read More

Ms Fitzgerald Kane stated while health and safety "must always be the number one priority" and "we recognise the difficult balance the Government has to achieve," the lockdowns would impact on businesses.

A number of hotels have already been affected with a high number of cancellations at at least one hotel in Kildare.

Read More

"These latest developments have highlighted the significant challenges and uncertainty facing Irish society and many businesses because of Covid -19," Ms Fitzgerald Kane said.

"The Government must take action now to provide longer term support for those sectors of the economy that are most adversely affected by this pandemic including the tourism industry.

However, earlier at the Covid-19 briefing Health Minister Stephen Donnelly stated there had been no package put together for the localised lockdown affected businesses.
A store clerk is accused of selling alcohol to a man charged in a drunken driving crash that killed four motorcyclists near Kerrville.

Ranelle Diane Welch, 37, of Center Point, is charged with sale to a certain person, which is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said.

Welch has since been released on a $2,000 bond.

Investigators said Welch was working at a Dollar General in Center Point around noon on July 18 when she sold beer to Ivan Robles Navejas, 28, who was already intoxicated.

State law prohibits the sale of alcohol to any person who exhibits signs of intoxication.

A short time later, Navejas drove head-on into a group of motorcyclists with the Thin Blue Line Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club, who were traveling in the opposite lane on Texas 16 south of Kerrville, authorities said.

The three motorcyclists killed were Jerry Wayne Harbour of Houston, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a retired pilot for Eastern Airlines; Chicagoans Joseph Paglia, a retired police detective and Michael White, a police officer and retired Army officer.

On July 31, a fourth motorcyclist identified as Sgt. Joseph Lazo, of the Niles Police Department in Illinois, died from his injuries.

Navejas remains in the Kerr County Jail in lieu of bail totaling more than $500,000. He also has an immigration hold placed by ICE because he is in the country illegally.

Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Jacob, become a subscriber. jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA
The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland.

A yellow alert - meaning disruption is expected - comes into force in the early hours of Monday and lasting the entire day and all of Tuesday.

The Met Office, however, said while some places will likely see "severe" thunderstorms, there is significant uncertainty in location and timing.

"Areas of thunderstorms are increasingly likely to develop over the south of the UK or nearby continent late in the weekend or early next week, and will generally track north or north-westwards, potentially affecting all parts of the UK," The Met Office said.

"Whilst the most intense thunderstorms, in some instances associated with large hail, will most probably be those triggered by the high temperatures of the day over England and Wales, other areas of storms producing heavy rainfall and frequent lightning could reach further north at times over Scotland and Northern Ireland.

"These could occur at any time of the day. Of the area highlighted, at present the west of Northern Ireland and west of Scotland seem less likely to be affected than other areas, but still could not be ruled out. Where the storms occur, rainfall totals of 30-40 mm could fall in an hour, with some locations potentially receiving 60-80 mm in 3 hours, although these will be fairly isolated."

Forecasters are warning of the potential of flooding and damage to building, power cuts and travel disruption.

Temperatures on Friday are expected to hit 22 degrees in NI although it could be much hotter in southern regions of the UK.

Clear skies are expected into the evening with the weekend expected to be dry with sunny spells.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:46:37|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The public debt of Laos may increase to as much as 65 to 68 percent of GDP in 2020 following a sharp fall in national revenue collection alongside an increase in loans due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a government official.

Revenue collection by Laos in 2020 will decrease by about 6,322 billion kip (some 696 million U.S. dollars), Finance Minister and Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somdy Douangdy informed the recent ninth ordinary session of the National Assembly's eighth legislature.

The value of exports during the first six months of 2020 were at a low level of around 2,600 million U.S. dollars, a decreased of 5.1 percent compared to the same period of 2019, according to an assessment by an agency of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

Important sectors, especially processing industries and construction, showed a decreasing trend. This included falls in cement, gold and copper production, local daily Vientiane Times reported on Friday.

The exports of several products, such as clothes, cassava, bananas, coffee, wood pulp, paper and electronic equipment, are expected to be heavily impacted.

Investments are expected to decrease. The value of approved investments through the concession system in the first five months of 2020 was only 151 million U.S. dollars, as against 2,383 million U.S. dollars for the same period of 2019.

The tourism sector too is expected to be further impacted during the last six months of the year, as the number of tourist arrivals in Laos in the first six months was only 887,447, a decrease of 60 percent compared to the same period of 2019. Enditem
Two people, one of them a railways employee, died of electrocution amid the record rain that slammed the city, according to officials.

Shambhu Soni, 38, a resident of Anand Nagar in Dahisar (East), was electrocuted by a short circuit at 9.46am on Wednesday and he was rushed to Bharat Ratna Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar hospital in Kandivli, where he was declared brought dead. A railway employee identified by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as Sanjeev, 22, was electrocuted to death while on duty near Masjid Bunder railway station on Wednesday.

Officials said the tracks at the station were submerged under 1.5 feet of water , following which Kumar got into the waterlogged area to inspect a pump placed by BMC. He was declared dead at the hospital.

The exceptionally heavy rain of 331.2mm rain in 24 hours, accompanied by chaotic winds ranging from 70-80kmph, between Wednesday and Thursday not only broke the record for this season, but was the highest monsoon rain record for south Mumbai in 46 years and second-highest all-time rain record during monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday.

The highest all-time record was on July 5, 1974 with 575.6 mm rain in 24 hours. The Colaba weather station, representative of south Mumbai, recorded 331.2 mm (exceptionally heavy) rain between 8.30am Wednesday and 8.30am Thursday. This was also the all-time high one-day rain in August.

Over the past 72 hours (August 3, 8.30am to August 6, 8.30am), Mumbai saw its heaviest rain spell this season with the island city recording 637.2mm rain in south Mumbai and 505.2 mm rain in the suburbs.

On Thursday, part of the second floor in a ground-plus-four-storey structure in Dadar collapsed afternoon. The incident was reported at 12.30 pm, no injuries were reported.

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 13:58:30|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, will convene its 21st session from Saturday to Tuesday in Beijing, a spokesperson said Friday.

The upcoming session will review a draft law on urban construction and maintenance tax, a draft law on deed tax, draft revisions to the law on preventing juvenile delinquency and to the law on animal epidemic prevention, as well as a draft amendment to the copyright law, said Zang Tiewei, a spokesperson for the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, at a press conference.

The session will also deliberate proposals put forth by the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee on amending the law on NPC organs, the NPC's procedural rules, the national flag law, and the national emblem law, Zang said. Enditem
An Air India Express aircraft flying from Dubai, UAE, crashed at its destination of Calicut, India, with at least 190 people onboard. The extent of casualties was not immediately known.

The Air India passenger jet appears to have skidded on landing and is now in several pieces. It was raining at the time of the crash, and the plane did not catch fire, according to reports.

NDVT, an India television station, is showing images of the plane apparently overshooting the runway. Officials are reporting on NDTV that all passengers have been evacuated and taken to the hospital, some with severe injuries.

PHOTO: A part of the Air India Express flight is seen through a broken wall after it skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP)

PHOTO: People gather around an Air India Express flight that skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP)

An Air India Express spokesperson confirmed that the passengers had been taken to the hospital. According to the company, 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew members were on board at the time.

"As per the initial reports rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care," the company said in a statement. "We will soon share the update in this regard."

PHOTO: A handout photo made available by the Indian Civil Defense shows the site of a plane crash at Calicut airport in Kozhikode, India, Aug. 7, 2020. (Indian Civil Defense/EPA via Shutterstock)

PHOTO: A handout photo made available by the Indian Civil Defense shows the site of a plane crash at Calicut airport in Kozhikode, India, Aug. 7, 2020. (Indian Civil Defense/EPA via Shutterstock)

The aircraft involved is a Boeing 737-800 -- an earlier model of the 737 Max with a generally strong safety record.

"We are aware of media reports from Kozhikode International Airport (Karipur Airport) in Calicut, India. We are gathering more information, and closely monitoring the situation. We have reached out to our customer to offer our assistance," a spokesperson from Boeing said in a statement.

PHOTO: Rows of ambulances are seen outside the Calicut International Airport where a passenger plane crashed after it overshot the runway in Karipur, in the southern state of Kerala, India, Aug. 7, 2020. (Reuters)

PHOTO: A person injured after an Air India Express flight skidded off a runway while landing at the Kozhikode airport is brought for treatment to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India, Aug. 7, 2020. (AP)

ABC News' Amanda Maile contributed to this report.

Air India plane crashes on landing with almost 200 onboard originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
07.08.2020 LISTEN

The Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi Honorable Elijah Adansi-Bonah on behalf of the Government presented start-up kits to over 200 people who have undergone apprenticeship training in Obuasi.

The items included Soap processing machine, Cassava Processing Machine, Baking and Confectioneries machine and Industrial Sowing machine.

Presenting the items, Honorable Elijah Adansi-Bonah praised the President His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo for the plethora of programs his Government has successfully implemented since assuming office in 2017. These, programs he said have given hope to those in the 'Small and Medium Enterprises' sector.

On the role of the Assembly in the area of skills development and training, the Mce said the Assembly since 2017 has trained between 300 to 400 who have been given start-up kits for a smooth take off of their businesses.

He said the tools and equipment presented would be given to four (4) communities in the Municipality namely; Mamiriwa, Anyinam, Sanso and Antoboase." All these communities have people who have been trained by the Assembly in Bakery, Soap making, Gari making and other vocations. The training will be extended to the other communities in the Municipality".

Honorable Adansi-Bonah admonished residents of the Municipality to take advantage of the numerous programs being rolled out by the National Board for Small Scale Industries.

The Director of the National Board of Small Scale Industries, Obuasi office Kelvin Ofori-Atta said the tools and equipment distributed as start-up kits will create more direct and indirect jobs in the Municipality." They will serve as Common User facilities which will be beneficial to the communities they will be sited" .

Mr. Ofori-Atta thanked the Municipal Chief Executive for the role he has played in developing the skills of the people in the Municipality since assuming office. Those who have been trained throughout the period, he said have created jobs for other people too.

YOUNG AFRICA WORKS

The NBSSI Director revealed that the Mastercard Foundation has partnered the NBSSI to come up with an Entrepreneurship Development and Employment program which is targeted at young people particularly young women in Ghana.

The partnership he emphasized will create employment and income generation opportunities for 39,000 young men and women in Ghana.

He again mentioned the three (3) components of the program namely; ICE ( Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship), A2E ( Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship) and MBA (MSME Business Acceleration) He appealed to Assembly Members to sensitize their people to go online and apply in order to benefit from the program.

Honorable Nathaniel Duncan, Assembly member for Antoboase on behalf of the beneficiary communities thanked the Assembly for the gesture and assured that the tools and equipment given them will be put into productive use for the benefit of the communities.
A QR code of the digital payment service WeChat Pay is seen at a shop, in Beijing

By Pei Li

HONG KONG (Reuters) - As Tencent <0700.HK> assesses how its business might be impacted by a U.S. decision to ban its messenger app WeChat in the country, American companies in China may become unintended casualties due to their heavy reliance on the app, experts said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled sweeping bans on U.S. transactions with owners of WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok, which his administration has called "significant threats".

It's not clear to what extent the executive orders, which go into effect in 45 days, would impact WeChat's business and whether Tencent's large fleet of investments in the U.S. and other parts of the world would come as collateral.

But if the ban covers U.S. companies doing businesses on WeChat, it would do more harm to U.S. firms such as Walmart <WMT.N> and Starbucks <SBUX.O> than to Tencent, said Chengdong Li, a Beijing-based tech analyst.

WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines services similar to Facebook <FB.O>, WhatsApp, Instagram and Venmo. The so-called super app is almost essential for daily life in China and boasts more than 1 billion users.

American brands, big and small, from Nike <NKE.N> to KFC <YUMC.N>, Starbucks <SBUX.O> and Amazon <AMZN.O> use WeChat's embedded 'mini-app' programmes to facilitate transactions and engage consumers in China.

Users of the mini-app programmes do not need to download such retail apps separately as they can access those apps stored in WeChat's cloud.

"The revenue Tencent got from these mini-apps for Walmart and Starbucks is minuscule in comparison to Tencents video games revenue domestically," Li said.

"The ban would hurt Walmart and Starbucks more significantly as they rely on Tencent to get traffic."

While Walmart's "Scan-and-Go" payment service is offered via its own app in the United States, the retail giant embedded the service into WeChat in China.

Story continues

Walmart said last year the service, which enables customers to pay with their smartphones by scanning the bar code on items and skip queuing up at the cash register, made more than 30% of its transaction in China.

It aligned itself with Tencent so much that in 2018 it dropped Alibaba-linked Alipay in all its stores in the western region of China.

While it's unclear whether and how much U.S. companies will be impacted, Raymond Wang, managing partner at Beijing law firm Anli Partners, said American businesses on WeChat might be able to survive the ban "as long as their entities linked to WeChat are registered outside U.S."

If the ban only covers WeChat businesses in the United States, it would inflict limited impact on both Tencent and U.S. companies relying on the app in China, as it is not heavily used by non-Chinese individuals in the United States.

"While we are not in a position to judge the future evolvement of this issue, we believe the current EO (executive order) seems to be targeting only WeChat, and if we are correct, the impact to Tencent's financials would be limited," Citi analysts wrote in a note Friday.

Yet Trump's order sent shares of Tencent, Asia's second-most valuable company with a $686-billion market capitalisation, tumbling as much as 10% on Friday.

(Reporting by Pei Li; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Nick Zieminski)
A multimillionaire businessman who threatened to take his parents' home away from them has lost a legal battle after they appealed against a High Court ruling granting him control of the family caravan empire.

Michael Loveridge, 50, and his parents Ivy, 75, and Alldey, 78, are fighting for control of the family's chain of caravan parks and caravan sales business based in Bewdley, Worcestershire.

The 50-year-old is a director of several of the family companies involved in the fight, one of which controls 5m worth of assets and another which has almost 5m more in capital, according to Companies House.

But his parents are majority shareholders in most of the companies, which, until earlier this year, gave them control over the empire.

Ivy, 75, and Alldey, 78, (both pictured) have succeeded in an Appeal Court fight to overturn a High Court ruling which gave Michael interim control over the family's caravan empire

50-year-old Michael Loveridge (pictured with his wife Suehelen) is a director of several of the family companies involved in the fight, one of which controls 5m worth of assets and another which has almost 5m more in capital

The High Court granted two court orders, in April and May, which gave Michael interim control over the three business partnerships and five family companies.

The court orders could also have seen Michael's parents sent to jail if they tried to interfere.

Now though, Ivy and Alldey have succeeded in an Appeal Court fight to overturn the High Court ruling.

Lance Ashworth QC, who represented Ivy and Alldey, said: 'In an email dated 10th June 2020, Michael's solicitor suggested that the eponymous site owned by Riverside 'should be sold first'...and said that Ivy and Alldey, Michael's parents, 'will be required to give up vacant possession' of their home, a bungalow located on the Riverside site, when that site was 'disposed of'.

At Birmingham High Court earlier this year, Michael's parents tried to have him removed as director of that company. It was during this court battle that he was granted interim control of the day-to-day running of the caravan empire

'This threat to take their home off them was undoubtedly an attempt to apply pressure on Ivy and Alldey and/or to provoke them. It is hardly the sort of act one would expect of a son towards his parents.'

Mr Ashworth argued that the High Court's decision to grant Michael sole interim control over the family businesses was baseless and that Judge McCahill had acted in 'a way no reasonable judge would have'.

He said: 'The Loveridge business empire was founded by Ivy and Alldey around 1973, when Michael was about three years old. Michael claims much of the credit for the businesses' growth and success.

'Ivy and Alldey deny Michael's version of events. A great deal regarding the history of the businesses, and the roles and conduct of various members of the family in relation to them, is hotly disputed.

'Michael has fallen out with Ivy and Alldey and his siblings. The reasons for this are again highly contentious.'

The court orders could also have seen Michael's parents sent to jail if they tried to interfere

However, David Stockill who represented Michael, said that Judge McCahill had made the right decision because his client was now the driving force behind the business.

He said: 'Michael was the driving force of the expansion of the business... Michael was the person who was exercising day-to-day control of the business and had principally been responsible for their strategic development.

'It is not that Alldey and Ivy have not contributed. So far as the acquisition, ownership and management of sites is concerned, Michael had a good starting point.

'His parents had thus contributed the 'seed capital'. They have been well rewarded with the significantly larger interests in the partnerships and companies which Michael allowed them, and does not challenge.

'He did this out of filial loyalty and family responsibility in circumstances where many other individuals would have considered their own interests further.'

The Loveridge family run a chain of caravan parks and caravan sales business based in Bewdley, Worcestershire. Pictured: Riverside Caravan Park

Despite this legal defeat, Michael still intends on going ahead with his attempts to have his mother, brother and sister sent to jail for allegedly breaching the partnership injunction while it was in place. Pictured: Bewdley Caravan Sales

Family Caravan Empire Court orders issued in April and May handed Michael control of the everyday running of the partnership and these companies: Kingsford Caravan Park Ltd

Breton Park Residential Homes Ltd

Quatford Park Homes Ltd

Bewdley Caravan Sales Ltd

Riverside Caravan Park (Stourport) Ltd Advertisement

The Court of Appeal ruled that both the partnership order and the companies order imposed by Judge McCahill were to be discharged.

Lord Justice Lewison, Lord Justice Floyd and Lady Justice Asplin will give their reasons at a later date.

Despite this legal defeat, Michael still intends on going ahead with his attempts to have his mother, brother and sister sent to jail for allegedly breaching the partnership injunction while it was in place.

Mr Ashworth said: 'Eighteen counts of contempt are alleged. Ivy denies that she is guilty of any of them.'

The fight for control of the empire is now set to go back to the High Court for a full trial on a date yet to be set.

Mr Ashworth said the bitter feud initially flared up when Ivy and Alldey accused Michael of having 'misappropriated' 1.25m from one of the family companies to purchase another caravan park for himself.

At Birmingham High Court earlier this year, Michael's parents tried to have him removed as director of that company.

It was during this court battle that he was granted interim control of the day-to-day running of the caravan empire - including the winding up of two business partnerships which would have seen his parents forced to leave their home, said Mr Ashworth.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey released a video today urging people to wear face coverings to help in the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

The governor referred to the sacrifices Alabamians made during World War II.

Now, we must answer todays call, Ivey said. By comparison, our sacrifice is small. But each of us can do our part.

The governor issued an order on July 15 requiring people to wear masks when in public and interacting within six feet with people from another household, with certain exceptions. The order is in effect until August 31.

Alabama has had almost 95,000 cases of coronavirus, with 1,674 deaths.

Related: Enforcing Alabamas mask mandate: No tickets or fines, but plenty of reminders
Speeding traffic along the northern reaches of Gratiot Boulevard in Marysville is causing a spike in accidents and endangering residents who live along the roadway.

Thats the allegation of Lori McNeely, who complained about the situation during the citizens-to-be-heard portion of the city councils July 27 regular meeting. Council member Dave Barber and City Manager Randy Fernandez echoed her complaints, and Fernandez and Public Safety Chief Tom Konik acted quickly to address them.

I just moved into 85 Gratiot Blvd. one month and a couple days ago, said McNeely. Since moving in, there have been three accidents right near my home. Last Sunday there was two.

I was not at home in the morning, but a car left the road, hit a fire hydrant two doors south of me, hit my neighbors porch, went airborne in towards my house, knocked the pole out, flower pots and car parts everywhere. Damaged my home, fencing, my brick. Ended up hitting my neighbor to the north right in the corner of her house and ended up (hitting) her SUV in her driveway.

This happened before 11 a.m. Sunday. It appeared that he was a drunk driver.  Im just glad that car didnt go through my house 

Her neighbors grandchildren had climbed into a vehicle and left for home in Ohio just before the crash.

Earlier that day, there was a car going northbound on Gratiot Boulevard that was a rollover, McNeely said. That was two within an hour.

The crashes occurred July 26.

Fernandez and Konik met on Aug. 4.

Tom has already ordered two more electric traffic signs, said Fernandez. When they come in, one will be stationed near the womans house on Gratiot.

At the meeting, council member Dave Barber echoed McNeelys complaints, saying he would like to see the city take some kind of action to knock down the speeding along the roadway.

Within an hour, there were two significant accidents on Gratiot Boulevard in the first block coming into town, said Barber. The first one, the young person was drag racing at 10 a.m. on a Sunday and lost control, went sideways over to the curb and rolled his car up to the restaurant thats there.

On the other side of the street, the river side, a drunk driver heading southbound lost it, went sideways into the hydrant, sheared the hydrant off, ran into my father-in-laws porch, tore the porch off, the one where Id just replaced the step the week before, hit his house, hit my neighbors house, the telephone post and SUV. The only thing that kept it from hitting my garage was her car.

People do speed on that street unbelievably.

Barber said cars, motorcycles and semis blast down the boulevard at up to 80 mph. The speed limit is 40 mph.

The problem is that there is a blind curve there. A school bus, when school is in session, stops right around there, said Barber. I expect someday that somebodys going to rear-end the school bus letting those kids off.

The problem has persisted despite stings by the local police and regular patrols by the state police, Barber said.

Fernandez concurred.

Ive delivered the last four council agenda packets to your homes, Fernandez said. The only home I dont like going to is councilman Barbers because of the cars and the parking, said Fernandez.

Speeding traffic makes entering and exiting the parking area in front of Barbers house hazardous.

You definitely have to look when youre pulling out there, Fernandez said.

Jim Bloch is a freelance writer. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
Trump Sanctions Hong Kong Leader, 10 Other Officials for Subverting Citys Freedoms

The Trump administration on Aug. 7 sanctioned Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and 10 other Hong Kong and Chinese officials for undermining the citys autonomy and freedoms.

Other than Lam, six other Hong Kong officials were sanctioned, including the current and preceding Hong Kong police chiefs, and the citys security and justice secretaries. Four Chinese officials were also targeted, including the head of the Liaison Office, Beijings representative office in the city, and the head of a central government office for handling Hong Kong affairs in Beijing.

The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets the officials possess, and generally bar Americans from doing business with them.

The measures were imposed in response to Beijings implementation of a national security law for the city, which has led to heightened authoritarian control over the city, the Trump administration said.

This law, purportedly enacted to safeguard the security of Hong Kong, is in fact a tool of CCP [Chinese Communist Party] repression, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a Friday statement, adding that it violated Beijings promise to uphold the territorys autonomy upon its transfer of sovereignty from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

In the month since the law went into effect, the Hong Kong government has escalated attempts to curb the citys freedoms. Authorities postponed a scheduled September legislative election for a year, citing COVID-19 fears, and disqualified 12 pro-democracy candidates who won votes in an unofficial primary.

Popular protest slogans were also outlawed.

On Aug. 6, the government charged 24 pro-democracy advocates who attended a vigil to commemorate victims of Beijings brutal crackdown of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, accusing them of knowingly taking part in an unauthorized assembly. Police had banned the vigil this year over the pandemic, though many Hongkongers still showed up at the scheduled location in defiance.

A number of pro-democracy advocates, including those residing outside Hong Kong, have also been charged for violating the new law.

Pompeo said that Lam and six members of her administration were sanctioned for their roles in developing and implementing the national security law, and also for coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning individuals under the law.

He said the Chinese officials, who are the CCPs top officials for enacting Hong Kong policies, were sanctioned for engaging in actions that threaten the peace, security, stability, or autonomy of Hong Kong.

Among those sanctioned are Zheng Yanxiong, Beijings appointee to head a new national security bureau in the city. The bureau was set up under the new law, and directly answers to Beijing. The bureau is exempt from the Hong Kong governments jurisdiction and exercises oversight on enforcing the law.

Another target, Zhang Xiaoming is deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, Beijings top agency for handling the territories affairs. He has repeatedly defended Beijings policies on Hong Kong and the national security law, calling it Chinas internal affairs.

In announcing the sanctions, Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement: The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy.

Riot police secure an area inside a shopping mall during a rally in Hong Kong, on July 21, 2020. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)

The sanctions were implemented to fulfill an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on July 16, which ended Hong Kongs special status with the United States, after the administration deemed the territory no longer sufficiently autonomous from mainland China. On that day, Trump also signed into law a bill that would sanction officials and banks involved in crushing the citys freedoms.

The Trump administration has recently stepped up its actions countering Beijings threats. In July, the United States sanctioned several Chinese Communist Party officials for their role in human rights abuses in the region of Xinjiang. On Aug. 7, Trump issued executive orders to bar U.S. transactions with Chinese owners of TikTok and WeChat, ByteDance and Tencent Holdings respectively. The ban will take effect in 45 days.

U.S. lawmakers welcomed the sanctions. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in a statement said Lam has repeatedly shown the world that she is a willing pawn of the Chinese Government and Communist Party rather than a protector of Hong Kongs autonomy.

Gordon Chang, China expert and author of The Coming Collapse of China, said that these officials are likely to have rearranged their affairs so that sanctions wont have a practical effect on them.

Despite this, the symbolic nature of this move is significant: What we have shown is that the United States is going to stand with the people of Hong Kong, he said.

Beijing absolutely hates this, Chang told NTD, an affiliate of The Epoch Times, in an interview on Aug. 7. Weve got to remember that for communist leaders, symbolism is sometimes more important than substance, and this is one of those cases.

Lam previously said at a July 31 press conference that she doesnt have any assets in the United States, and had no plans to travel to the country.

When asked about possible sanctions against Hong Kong officials, Lam replied that she would laugh off the idea and that such a move would be unreasonable and illogical.

Cathy He CHINA EDITOR Follow Cathy He is a New York-based reporter focusing on China-related topics. She previously worked as a government lawyer in Australia. She joined the Epoch Times in February 2018.
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Linkedin Maria Vasilyeva (Reuters) Moscow, Russia  Fri, August 7, 2020 10:30 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c42646 2 World Beirut,Lebanon,blast,explosion,Ammonium-nitrate,chemicals Free

The chemicals that went up in flames in Beirut's deadliest peace-time explosion arrived in the Lebanese capital seven years ago on a leaky Russian-leased cargo ship that, according to its captain, should never have stopped there.

"They were being greedy," said Boris Prokoshev, who was captain of the Rhosus in 2013 when he says the owner told him to make an unscheduled stop in Lebanon to pick up extra cargo.

Prokoshev said the ship was carrying 2,750 tons of a highly combustible chemical from Georgia to Mozambique when the order came to divert to Beirut on its way through the Mediterranean.

The crew were asked to load some heavy road equipment and take it to Jordan's Port of Aqaba before resuming their journey onto Africa, where the ammonium nitrate was to be delivered to an explosives manufacturer.

But the ship was never to leave Beirut, having tried and failed to safely load the additional cargo before becoming embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute over port fees.

"It was impossible," Prokoshev, 70, told Reuters of the operation to try and load the extra cargo. "It could have ruined the whole ship and I said no," he said by 'phone from his home in the Russian resort town of Sochi on the Black Sea coast.

The captain and lawyers acting for some creditors accused the ship's owner of abandoning the vessel and succeeded in having it arrested. Months later, for safety reasons, the ammonium nitrate was unloaded and put in a dock warehouse.

On Tuesday, that stockpile caught fire and exploded not far from a built-up residential area of the city. The huge blast killed 145 people, injured 5,000, flattened buildings and made more than a quarter of a million people homeless.

The ship might have succeeded in leaving Beirut, had it managed to load the additional cargo.

The crew had stacked the equipment, including excavators and road-rollers, on top of the doors to the cargo hold which held the ammonium nitrate below, according to the ship's Russian boatswain, Boris Musinchak. But the hold doors buckled.

"The ship was old and the cover of the hold bent," Musinchak said by 'phone. "We decided not to take risks."

The captain and three crew spent 11 months on the ship while the legal dispute dragged on, without wages and with only limited supplies of food. Once they left, the ammonium nitrate was unloaded.

"The cargo was highly explosive. That's why it was kept on board when we were there ... That ammonium nitrate had a very high concentration," Prokoshev said.

Bound for Mozambique

Prokoshev identified the ship's owner as Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin. Attempts to contact Grechushkin were unsuccessful.

The ammonium nitrate was sold by Georgian fertilizer maker Rustavi Azot LLC, and was to be delivered to a Mozambique explosives maker, Fabrica de Explosivos.

A senior representative for Fabrica de Explosivos did not immediately respond when sent a request for comment on LinkedIn.

Levan Burdiladze, the Rustavi Azot plant director, told Reuters that his company had only operated the chemical factory for the last three years and so he could not confirm whether the ammonium nitrate was produced there.

He called the decision to store the material in Beirut port a "gross violation of safe storage measures, considering that ammonium nitrate loses its useful properties in six months."

Initial Lebanese investigations into what happened have pointed to inaction and negligence in the handling of the potentially dangerous chemical.

Lebanon's cabinet on Wednesday agreed to place all Beirut port officials who have overseen storage and security since 2014 under house arrest, ministerial sources said.

The head of Beirut port and the head of customs said that several letters were sent to the judiciary asking for the material be removed, but no action was taken.

The ministry of justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to Prokoshev, the ship had been leaking but was seaworthy when it sailed into Beirut in September 2013. However, he said Lebanese authorities paid little attention to the ammonium nitrate, which had been stacked in the hull in large sacks.

"I feel sorry for the people [killed or injured in the blast]. But local authorities, the Lebanese, should be punished. They did not care about the cargo at all," he said.

The abandoned Rhosus sank where she was moored in Beirut harbor, according to a May, 2018 email from a lawyer to Prokoshev, which said it had gone down "recently".
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Global Healthcare Consulting Service Market is valued US$8.75 bn in 2017 and is estimated to reach US$20.6 bn by 2026 at a CAGR of 11.3%.



Healthcare consulting service market is segmented by Type of Service, by End-user & by Region. Types of services are Strategy Consulting, Digital Consulting, IT Consulting, Operations Consulting, Financial Consulting, and HR Talent Consulting. By End, a user is divided into Government Bodies, Payers, Life Science Companies, Providers. Region wise the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America.



Importance of growth in the global aging population, the rising value of value-based care, and technical advancements in the healthcare industry are factors driving the growth of the market. The problem of data confidentiality is expected to hamper the growth of the market to a certain extent during the forecast period.

Request for Report Sample: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/10789



Based on the type of service, Digital consulting segment accounted for the largest share of the market and it is also expected to register the second highest CAGR during the forecast period. Shift from paper-based healthcare models to digital models in developed markets and increasing healthcare spending for building intelligent hospitals are the main factors driving the growth of this segment.



On the basis of the end user, Government Bodies is the most dominating segment in the market.

Government Market consists of public sectors controlled by national, state or provincial, and local governments. Public sectors can include critical services such as national defense, homeland security, police protection, urban planning, and taxation. So, Government bodies have the resources to pay for more risk-based contracts and agreements, which is a key factor driving this market.



Region wise, healthcare consulting services market was dominated by North America, but Asia Pacific is estimated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period due to the increasing need for remote care and telemedicine in rural areas in the region. Government institutions in China and India are expected to witness a high demand for healthcare consulting services for bolstering the healthcare infrastructure in these countries.



Key players operate to, Accenture, McKinsey & Company, Cognizant, Deloitte Consulting, KPMG, McKinsey & Company, The Boston consulting group, Huron consulting and Ernst & Young.

Scope of Report Healthcare Consulting Service Market

Request for Report Discount: https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/discount/10789



Global Healthcare Consulting Service Market, by Type of Service:

Digital Consulting

It Consulting

Strategy Consulting

Operations Consulting

Financial Consulting

HR & Talent Consulting

Global Healthcare Consulting Service Market, by End-user:

Government Bodies

Players

Life Science Companies

Providers

Global Healthcare Consulting Service Market, by Region:

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Latin America

Key Players Analysed in Global Healthcare Consulting Service Market

Accenture

McKinsey & Company

Cognizant

Deloitte Consulting

KPMG

McKinsey & Company

The Boston consulting group

Huron Consulting

Ernst & Young.

More Info of Impact Covid19@ https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/covid-19-analysis/10789
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration will impose a fresh round of sanctions on 11 individuals, including Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, as tensions between the United States and China accelerate.

The Treasury Department designated Lam for her role in overseeing and "implementing Beijing's policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes."

According to the department, Lam, the city's chief executive, pushed last year to allow for extradition to mainland China, setting off a series of massive anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong.

"The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a release Friday announcing the sanctions.

The Trump administration has been critical of Beijing's recent decision to pass a sweeping national security law aimed at limiting Hong Kong's autonomy and banning literature critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has described the new law as an "Orwellian move" and an assault "on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong."

In a statement Friday, Pompeo said: "The Chinese Communist Party has made clear that Hong Kong will never again enjoy the high degree of autonomy that Beijing itself promised to the Hong Kong people and the United Kingdom for 50 years. President Trump has made clear that the United States will therefore treat Hong Kong as 'one country, one system,' and take action against individuals who have crushed the Hong Kong people's freedoms."

Along with Lam, Treasury is also sanctioning Chris Tang, Stephen Lo, John Lee Ka-chiu, Teresa Cheng, Erick Tsang, Xia Baolong, Zhang Xiaoming, Luo Huining, Zheng Yanxiong, and Eric Chan.

"As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the individuals named above, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, are blocked and must be reported to OFAC," according to the announcement, referring to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The new security law is the latest issue to cloud relations between Washington and Beijing. The Trump administration has blamed China for the health crisis caused by the coronavirus and has criticized Beijing for its territorial claims in the South China Sea, calling them illegal.

The world's two largest economies are also struggling to mend trade relations, with intellectual property theft proving to be a major sticking point.
Three north Wicklow groups have been announced as beneficiaries of the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Fund.

Purple House Cancer Support, Greystones Family Resource Centre and Lakers Social and Recreational Club are among 116 charities and community groups to receive a share of the 500,000 fund, which aims to help non-profit organisations to continue to serve their communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Each of the three Wicklow groups will receive up to 5,000 to support a range of projects and initiatives spanning mental wellbeing and physical wellbeing.

Bank of Ireland is working with The Community Foundation for Ireland, which is administering the fund, and a number of expert partners - the Society of St Vincent de Paul, Sport Ireland, Action Mental Health and Sport NI - who assisted in developing the fund's focus and social impact objectives.

Commenting on the announcement, Maria Coleman, Head of Bank of Ireland for Wicklow, said: 'As society begins to open up again, it's important to remember that charities and community groups have seen their income severely impacted by Covid-19 but the work they do is more important than ever. For that reason, I'm delighted that the Begin Together Fund is providing this timely support for these Wicklow projects.'

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of the Community Foundation for Ireland, said that the Begin Together Fund 'is a perfect example of partnership which can deliver real supports for people who have seen their home and work lives severely impacted by Covid-19. While this is a period of huge challenge, The Community Foundation for Ireland remains absolutely committed to working with its partners for a fair, caring and vibrant Ireland with thriving communities.'

Following the donation of 1 million in emergency funding to the Community Foundation for Ireland's Covid Response Fund in support of communities impacted by Covid-19 in March, Bank of Ireland is injecting a further 1 million (including this 500,000) into local communities and a range of organisations over the second half of the year.
A Belfast woman living in Beirut with her young family has said they are lucky to be alive after the massive explosion at the port destroyed their apartment.

Maxine Reid (44) has lived in the Lebanese capital for two years with her Dublin-born husband Colm (49) and their children Ethan (12) and Logan (9).

The blast on Tuesday, which appeared to have been caused by an accidental fire that ignited a warehouse full of ammonium nitrate at the city's port, rippled across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 135 people, injuring more than 5,000 and causing widespread destruction.

It also may have accelerated the country's coronavirus outbreak, as thousands flooded into hospitals in the wake of the blast.

Lebanese officials targeted in the investigation into the massive blast that tore through Beirut have sought to shift blame for the presence of explosives at the city's port.

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It comes as visiting French President Emmanuel Macron warned that without serious reforms the country will "continue to sink".

Tens of thousands of people have also been forced to move in with relatives and friends after their homes were damaged, further raising the risks of exposure.

Mr Macron visited on Thursday amid widespread pledges of international aid.

Mrs Reid's high rise apartment in the Acrifieh area is around 2km away from where the explosion took place, with the sheer force blasting their interior door off the wall and shattering every window.

By chance, she had decided to take her family to a hotel 15km north of the city after a spike in coronavirus cases.

"I didn't see the blast but I heard it because I was just getting out of the shower at the time. If we had been in our apartment we would not be here to be talking to you right now, it's completely destroyed," she told the Belfast Telegraph.

"It was horrendous, nobody knew what it was at first and we're all in shock at the moment".

Mrs Reid is liaising with the Irish embassy and has set up a WhatsApp group for anyone from Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic living in Lebanon.

"We've seen a few minor cuts and scratches but everybody is safe, which is good," she said.

Expand Close Scenes of devastation in Beirut Getty Images / Facebook

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Asked about the mood in the city, she said: "There's calls for blood, there's calls for food. There will be a lot of hungry people as well as it hit some of the poor areas which are the hardest hit at the minute.

"My husband has been back to our apartment, he said it would really shock you. You can't drive around because of the blast damage.

"It's a disaster site. I grew up during the Troubles and if one person died it was too much, but if you take the worst thing that ever happened which was the Omagh bomb and multiply that by about a hundred, that's what's just happened in Beirut.

"It's all high rise buildings with glass so it's just devastating. There's no infrastructure, no roads and people's livelihoods have just been taken.

"It was already bad because the economy was on its knees and it's completely worse now but the Lebanese people are resilient and it will be surprising at how fast they will rebuild the city."

Meanwhile, the British Red Cross have launched an emergency appeal to support the recovery effort in Beirut.

Lebanon Red Cross (LRC) has sent all of its emergency medical support to the scene, with over 75 ambulances and 375 emergency medical responders set to treat the injured and search through the rubble for survivors.

John Lyttle of Red Cross NI previously travelled to Lebanon in 2012 to see the work of LRC.

"They're a brave and resilient people who have been through a lot. I've often thought of them when you hear of events in Lebanon," he said.

"It's not an easy city in terms of infrastructure, there's no traffic lights and things like that. The volunteers work any time and anywhere and the amount of commitment they give is remarkable. Lebanon is a small country so they'll all be out there today to provide a service for people who are in need, injured, taking them to hospitals.

"They're also having to do that in the context of the pandemic so I think they've had to postpone another lockdown in order to get access to people.

"What always strikes me is that initial response is always an offer to send supplies, but money travels faster and can access local resources more easily where they need them."

Mr Macron, who viewed the devastated port and was to meet senior Lebanese officials, said the visit is "an opportunity to have a frank and challenging dialogue with the Lebanese political powers and institutions".

He said France will work to co-ordinate aid but warned "if reforms are not made, Lebanon will continue to sink".

Later, as he toured one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, an angry crowd vented its fury at Lebanon's political leaders, chanting "revolution" and "the people want to bring down the regime", slogans used during mass protests last year.

Mr Macron said he was not there to endorse the regime and vowed French aid will not fall into the "hands of corruption".

Losses from the blast are estimated to be between 7.6 billion to 11.4 billion, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud told the Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath on Wednesday, adding nearly 300,000 people are homeless.

To donate to the British Red Cross Beirut Emergency Appeal visit redcross.org.uk/Beirut
EAST HAVEN  The 2020 East Haven Fall Festival has become the latest cultural victim of the coronavirus pandemic, with festival President Noreen Clough announcing this week that the festival wont take place this September.

The popular Fall Festival, which normally takes place the weekend after Labor Day  and would have celebrated its 29th annual occurrence this year  just was too much of a risk given how big it has grown over the years, Clough said in a release.

Like so many of the spring, summer and early fall festivals this year, the East Haven Fall Festival has been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, Clough said in the release. Our committee had hoped and prepared to go forward with a modified version of the event due to health and safety concerns.

However, our festival has become one of our regions most attended events of the fall season. It draws vendors, volunteers, and patrons from all over the state, Clough said. Thousands gather annually on our historic East Haven Green to celebrate with us.

The fact that our festival does gather so many people was a critical tipping point in our discussions with the (East Shore District Health Department) as the committee evaluated holding this years event, she said. In essence, our festivals popularity actually works against us in this COVID-19 virus world.

Consequently, after extensive discussions with East Shore Health regarding the uncertainty of the COVID-19 virus, its possible resurgence during the fall time frame, and the health and safety of our volunteers, patrons and community, our committee has decided to cancel the 2020 East Haven Fall Festival, Clough said.

We look forward to returning next year, she said. Thank you for your understanding and continuing support. See you in 2021!

Last years 28th annual East Haven Fall Festival featured headliner The Grass Roots, among other acts. Clough said Friday that the festival never got the chance to book a headliner for this year because of the pandemic, and had been considering have a one-day festival featuring local talent before making the decision to cancel.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
Epic RecordsAfter teaming with J Balvin for the hit "Ritmo (Bad Boys for Life)" earlier this year, the Black Eyed Peas released Translation, an entire album of collaborations with major Latinx stars. But according to the Grammy-winning group, delving into Latin music isn't exactly a stretch for them.

"I'm inspired by the Latin movement. I was raised around Mexicans when I was growing up and so I've always been around Latin culture," front man Will.i.am tells ABC News. "So right now just seems the right time to collaborate and show, y'know, appreciation for what the world has to offer when it comes to Latin [sounds]."

The current hit from Translation, "Mamacita," features Ozuna; other Latinx stars on the album include Shakira, Nicky Jam, Becky G and Maluma. But as Taboo points out, working with Latin artists is something they've done for years.

"When you get to Elephunk, we had a song called 'Latin Girls' with Debbie Nova," he says, referring to the group's breakthrough 2003 album.



"We collaborated with Latin artists like Juanes...Will worked with Daddy Yankee in 2004," he adds. "So we've had affiliation and inspiration of the Latin world since the beginning."

"And now we just...laser focused...by collaborating with these amazing artists that happened to be Latin. We're just celebrating the culture and honoring them."

According to Taboo, there's no better music for our present moment.

"I think it's the perfect time for something that brings joy and happiness, because I think that's the thing that people are looking for, especially in these uncertain times," he explains.

"We've been blessed to be able to provide that, so I'm glad that Translation came out at the time that it did, because a lot of people need the healing. And I feel like this is therapeutic and...healing for everyone."

By Andrea Dresdale

Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
New York, Aug 7 : New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James has filed a lawsuit seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association (NRA) following an 18-month investigation that found the powerful gun rights group to be "fraught with fraud and abuse".

The lawsuit filed in a New York state court has alleged that the NRA and four of its top executives mismanaged funds and violated state and federal laws, resulting in the loss of more than $64 million for the organization over a three-year period, reports Xinhua news agency.

"The NRA's influence has been so powerful that the organization went unchecked for decades while top executives funnelled millions into their own pockets," James said on Thursday.

"The NRA is fraught with fraud and abuse, which is why, today, we seek to dissolve the NRA, because no organization is above the law." In the complaint, James laid out dozens of examples where the four individual defendants failed to fulfil their fiduciary duty to the NRA and used millions upon millions from NRA reserves for personal use, including family trips to the Bahamas, private jets, expensive meals, and other private travel.

The suit is the culmination of an investigation James' office launched in early 2019.

In addition to dissolving the NRA, she is also seeking to recoup the millions of dollars in lost assets.

The complaint will also be forwarded to the Internal Revenue Service.
Marathi actor Prajakta Mali celebrates her 31st birthday on August 8, 2020. Prajakta has churned out several television serials and movies. Even though she started her formal acting career in the year 2011, Mali's breakthrough performance was as Meghana in 2013's Marathi television serial Julun Yeti Reshimgathi premiered on Zee Marathi. Check out the top shows that Prajakta Mali won fans' hearts with.

Julun Yeti Reshimgathi

Julun Yeti Reshimgathi was one of Prajakta Mali's serials which got her into the limelight. The daily soap follows the story of a young couple, Meghana and Aditya. It's about their conflicts, their understanding, their maturity and their friendship. Julun Yeti Reshimgathi aired on Zee Marathi from 25 November 2013 to 26 September 2015. It features Lalit Prabhakar as Aditya and Prajakta Mali as Meghana in lead roles. The show was well-received by the audience.

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Mast Maharashtra

Mast Maharashtra is Prajakta Mali's travel show where she sets out to explore the state of Maharashtra and learns about its antiquated traditions and distinct culture. LF, the destination/TV channel for travel and food started this show in collaboration with Zee Marathi on July 3. The show follows the journey of host Prajakta Mali and her solo journey, driving in a Skoda, across the diverse regions of Maharashtra. Check out the theme song of the show.

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Maharashtrachi Hasyajatra

Maharashtrachi Hasyajatra is a comedy reality show hosted by Prajakta Mali. The show follows the performances of professional comedians from different regions of Maharashtra. These contestants perform in a series of entertaining acts and compete with one another in order to entertain the audiences and win the title. The show premiered on Sony Marathi in the year 2018.

Also Read | Rana Daggubati & Miheeka Bajajs Haldi ceremony: Kajal Aggarwal and others pour in love

Naktichya Lagnala Yaycha Ha

Naktichya Lagnala Yaycha Ha is a romantic serial drama premiered on Zee Marathi. It premises the story of a young girl Nupur, played by Prajakta Mali, whose marriage is fixed with Neeraj but things turn around when he calls the wedding off and Nupur's family members begin searching for a suitable groom for her. In this serial, Prajakta has romanced several leading Marathi male actors. Take a look at its first episode below.

Also Read | Bhojpuri actor Anupama Pathak dies by suicide in Mumbai; her last 10-min video goes viral

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RTHK: Pompeo showing signs of madness, says Global Times

Washington's plan to ban certain technologies of Chinese origin is a sign of "madness" in US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, China's state-backed tabloid Global Times wrote in an editorial on Thursday.

"Pompeo has uttered anti-China remarks almost every day, and constantly played tricks to intensify conflicts between China and the US, and display Trump administration's toughness toward China," the editorial read.

The US State Department on Wednesday published an expanded update of a plan called the "Clean Network" calling for telecom companies, cloud service providers, and mobile apps of Chinese origin to be kept out of the United States.

"From the long-term perspective, it's incredible that the US information industry could totally detach from the Chinese market," the Global Times wrote.

"It would pose a severe test for US companies if US chips, software, and terminal equipment become irrelevant to the Chinese market."

If enacted, the plan would mark an escalation in the ongoing tech spat between the United States and China.

Washington has already banned Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies Co Ltd from building out 5G telecommunications networks in the United States.

It is also in the process of forcing a sale of TikTok, a popular social media app created by Beijing-based ByteDance to Microsoft Corp.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Thursday called the Clean Network plan "preposterous and dirty-handed". (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
By PTI

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia was looking for a country except India to send Zakir Naik, but not many countries are willing to accept the controversial preacher, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has said.

Naik, a 54-year-old radical Islamic preacher wanted by the Indian authorities for alleged money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches, left India in 2016 and subsequently moved to the largely Muslim Malaysia, where he was granted permanent residency when Mahathir was the prime minister.

Claiming that the fugitive Islamic preacher "would not be safe from the Indian public", the 95-year-old politician, who is eyeing a comeback, said he would like to send Naik to some country "where we feel he will be safe."

"For the time being he (Naik) can stay here but we would like to send him to some other country where he would be safe. Unfortunately, not many countries are willing to accept him," Mahathir was quoted as saying by the WION news channel.

When asked whether he would extradite Naik if he becomes the Prime Minister of Malaysia again, Mahathir said, "Well, we would like to send him to some country where we feel he will be safe."

He once again refused to send Naik to India, saying "at this moment we feel that he would not be safe from the Indian public."

Naik has been banned from any public activities in the multi-ethnic country after his controversial remarks against Malaysian Hindus and Chinese last year.

When Mahathir was the prime minister he had said that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi did not request the extradition of Naik during a bilateral meeting in Russia in September 2019, a claim contested by India which has sought the extradition of the fugitive preacher.
Investigation into ex-policemen involved in Golunov case completed

 Moskva city news agency, Alexander Avilov

15:01 07/08/2020

MOSCOW, August 7 (RAPSI)  The Investigative Committee of Russia has completed investigation into five former police officers accused in a case over planting drugs on journalist Ivan Golunov, one of the defense lawyers Alexey Kovrizhkin has told RAPSI.

Golunov and his attorney are to begin reading case materials, he has added.

The lawyer also said that the defense had insisted on the questioning of the Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev but investigators refused to do it.

Four defendants, Igor Lyakhovets, Maxim Umetbayev, Akbar Sergaliyev and Roman Feofanov, are detained until September 7.

In late February, Alexey Kovrizhkin, the lawyer for Lyakhovets, told RAPSI that another defendant Denis Konovalov had testified against his client, saying it was him who had ordered to plant drugs on Golunovs bag and apartment. Investigators believe Lyakhovets, who does not admit guilt, is the organizer of the crime.

The defendants are charged with abuse of power, evidence tampering and illegal drug trafficking. Only Konovalov pleaded guilty. He was later released from detention and put under house arrest.

Investigators believe that they planted drugs on Golunov. Thus, they falsified the results of operative search activity that later became inculpatory evidence against Golunov in a drug dealing case; however, the drugs had been earlier illegally bought and kept by the police officers, according the Investigative Committee.

In late December 2019, investigators opened the case over arrest of Golunov. The journalist was recognized as an injured party. All five defendants in the case have been dismissed from police.

Golunov was arrested in Moscow on June 6, 2019. On June 8, the Nikulinsky District Court of Moscow placed him under house arrest for 2 months. According to the Interior Ministrys official statement, police seized nearly 4 grams of methylmethedrone from Golunov.

The journalist pleaded not guilty, insisted that the drugs were planted on him during the arrest and claimed that his prosecution is related to his journalistic investigations.

According to his defense, an examination showed no drugs in his biomaterial.

On June 11, 2019, charges against Golunov were dropped because of a lack of evidence that he participated in the crime, and the journalist was released. On June 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed two generals of police on the back of the arrest of Golunov.
An Air India Express plane from Dubai to Kozhikode skidded off the runway during landing at the Karipur Airport in Kerala on August 7.

A Vande Bharat Mission flight, it had 190 people onboard -- 184 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew members. Sources told Moneycontrol that both pilots -- the captain as well as the first officer -- have died in the crash. Fourteen people are dead and over 130 injured in the crash, Malappuram Superintendent of Police told news agency ANI.

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This is the second incident where a tabletop runway has been involved in an airplane crash.

There are three tabletop airports in India from where scheduled flights operate. These are Mangalore, Kozhikode and Lengpui. Due to the undulating terrain and constraints of space, these airfields require extra skill and caution while carrying out flight operations.

The hazard of undershooting and overshooting, in particular, can lead to grave situations, as was the case in the Mangalore airplane crash in 2010.

These table top runways also have a problem of access roads around the airfield, which may need to be used in case of aircraft accidents. The narrow and winding roads can delay and hinder the rescue operations.

The Mangalore Airport, which is situated on the western coast of India, is subject to active southwest monsoon conditions between June-September every year. In May, generally pre-monsoon weather conditions prevail with clouds and occasional thunder showers. The airport is situated on a tabletop plateau with surrounding undulating terrain and valleys.

The airport also witnesses phenomena like mist and low clouds at the edge of the airfield. However, in periods other than the SW monsoon, the weather is generally fair to fine with good visibility.

The short runway also restricted the type of aircraft operations. In view of incidents of overshooting the runway at Jaipur and Port Blair by Boeing 737-200 aircraft, it was decided to extend the runways at both these airports and at Mangalore.

A new runway was constructed in the available land adjacent to the existing runway. The length of new runway is 2,450 metres, which facilitates operations by aircraft such as Boeing 737-800 and Airbus 320. The new runway 24/06 provides night landing facilities and an ILS Cat-I from the earlier offset ILS. The rescue and fire fighting services were upgraded to category 7.
Alabama still trails much of the nation in response rates to the 2020 Census - and the state could suffer for the next 10 years or more because of it.

As of August 5, less than 61 percent of Alabama households had self-responded to the decennial census. Nationwide, 63 percent of the country has responded so far. And the deadline to respond just got moved up by a month. All counting must now be completed by the end of September.

But why does it matter? An undercount could mean significantly less federal funding for things like schools, roads, healthcare and much more, according to Assistant Regional Census Manager Marilyn Stephens. But it could also cost Alabama a congressional seat.

The primary reason we conduct the Census is for apportionment - the number of seats a state has in Congress, Stephens said in an interview with AL.com. Alabama is one of a handful of states that appears likely to lose a congressional seat following the 2020 Census.

And that might not be avoidable, even if everyone in the state is counted. Based on Census estimates throughout the last decade, Alabama just hasnt grown at as fast a rate as many other states. But its not all about congressional seats - theres a lot of money at stake, too.

There are $675 billion in essential resources and programs that people depend on every day, even if they dont know it, Stephens said. Where that money goes is determined by population formulas and based on the decennial census. Stephens said there are more than 140 programs - including healthcare services, rural hospitals, unemployment benefits, services for seniors and veterans, services for students and funds for highway planning and construction - that have funding determined by the census.

You have to ask, will our numbers support our needs over the next 10 years? she said.

Within Alabama, some areas have responded at much higher rates than others. Many of the states suburban areas are among those with the highest self-response rates so far.

The list is mostly led by a number of suburban cities in the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area, from the small city of Indian Springs Village, just south of Birmingham in Shelby County, to the larger Vestavia Hills, another Birmingham suburb to the south.

(You can search for your citys census response rate in the table below)

[Cant see the table? Click here.]

Indian Springs Village has the highest response rate of any city in Alabama so far, with nearly 86 percent of households responding. Trussville, another Birmingham suburb to the northeast of the city, is second at 84 percent. These two lead several Birmingham area cities with much higher response rates than the Magic City itself, which so far has a response rate of just over 52 percent.

But Birmingham suburbs arent the only ones with high response rates - Madison city, an affluent neighbor of Huntsville, has a response rate of almost 79 percent, compared to Huntsvilles 69 percent.

Among Alabamas four largest cities, Huntsville has the highest response rate, while Birmingham has the lowest. Mobile has a response rate of 61 percent, while some notable nearby cities have much higher response rates. Saraland, just to the north, is at nearly 70 percent, and neighbor Satsuma is at 78 percent. Across the bay, 71 percent of households in Daphne have responded.

In Montgomery, the smallest of Alabamas big four cities, 60 percent of households have responded, and the trend of suburbs having higher response rate continues. Prattville, to the north of Montgomery, has a response rate of almost 73 percent, and Pike Road, just to Montgomerys southeast, is at 75 percent.

Several areas have significantly lower response rates. Many of these are in rural areas, or areas with a lot of rental properties. Myrtlewood town, in the Black Belts Marengo County, has the states lowest response rate at just under 17 percent. Orange Beach, a popular beach destination in Baldwin County, is second to last at 18 percent - those two are the only incorporated places in Alabama with response rates lower than 20 percent.

Stephens said one a large number of rental properties could lead to a low response rate, as is the case in Orange Beach. The large college towns of Tuscaloosa and Auburn, which have a lot of rental properties, each have lower than average response rates, while their close neighbors, Northport and Opelika, are each above average. Meanwhile, the move to primarily online response could be causing some rural areas - many of which struggle with internet access - to lag behind in this stage of the census process.

Riding the boost provided by many of Birminghams southern suburbs, Shelby County leads Alabamas 67 counties in response rate. 74.5 percent of Shelby County households have responded so far. Madison County, home of Huntsville, is just behind, at 72.7 percent.

[Cant see the map? Click here.]

Many of the counties with the lowest response rates so far are in the Black Belt, a mostly poor region in the south-central part of the state. The Census Bureau knew this area would be hard to count.

So far, all responses have been voluntary, filled out either online, by mail or by phone. Starting next week, the Census Bureau will move to its next phase - knocking on doors. Its a process made more complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, but the Bureau is moving forward with safety concerns in mind, and despite an expedited deadline.

We know what it takes to do our field operations, Stephens said. We will complete the operations as originally scheduled. Those field operations include Census workers physically going to every household that hasnt yet responded. This year, it will look a little different. Census workers will wear masks, carry hand sanitizer and socially distance during the required interview, Stephens said.

But going door-to-door still carries some risk during a pandemic - and if a household wants to avoid the knock, as Stephens said, theres one easy way to do it - fill out the Census questionnaire online. The deadline is technically September 30, but she emphasized that people shouldnt wait to fill it out.

Workers will start going door-to-door on August 11.

There are three things to remember about the Census, Stephens said. Its important, easy and safe. And the way to avoid the knock on Aug. 11 is to self-respond today.

Do you have an idea for a data story about Alabama? Email Ramsey Archibald at rarchibald@al.com, and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more Alabama data stories here.
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Photo from the Washington State Historical Society [enlarge] A digital Suffrage Special Whistle Stop Tour is being offered this month to explore the history of the suffrage movement in Washington state.





TACOMA  In 1920 after a decades-long battle, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. On Nov. 2 of that year, more than eight million women voted in national elections for the first time.





. . .
It has been announced that Major General Tariq al-Khadra has died aged 80, after a long career serving in the Palestine Liberation Army reports Al-Masdar.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Palestine Liberation Army, Major General Tariq al-Khadra, passed away at the age of 80 in Damascus.

According to sources in Damascus, the long-time ally of the Syrian government passed away in Tishreen Hospital in Damascus, on Wednesday evening.

Khadra was born to a Palestinian family in the city of Safed (British Mandate of Palestine) in 1941.

The late general spend much of his childhood living in the coastal cities of Gaza and Haifa before the 1948 War displaced his family and forced them to travel on foot to nearby Bint Jbeil in Lebanon and eventually to Homs city in Syria.

He graduated from the Military College in Homs in 1962 with the rank of lieutenant.

After the founding of the Palestine Liberation Organization, he joined the Palestine Liberation Army in mid-1966 with the rank of first lieutenant and was appointed to the General Command of the Palestine Liberation Army based in Cairo.

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.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size NOTE: The Press Council has not upheld a complaint about this article. Read the full adjudication here. When NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet stood on the podium at a glitzy black tie awards night for the whos who of the $60 billion workers compensation sector in November 2019 and gushed about icares achievements, few were buying it. Apart from icares senior executive team and board directors, and a bevy of contractors and consultants who had done well out of the state government controlled workers compensation scheme, that is. Perrottets glowing speech was widely recognised as a signal to the industry regulator SIRA, which was preparing to release a damning review into icare. Draft copies of the review had already been handed to icare executives and directors, including then boss John Nagle, and Treasury, outlining serious concerns with icare's management. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet's steadfast support for icare has become a political problem. Credit:Steven Siewert To the astonishment of many, the Treasurer has continued to praise icare and its management team, despite mounting evidence of financial and operational mismanagement by the the workers compensation organisation. This week, that steadfast support began to cause Perrottet significant political problems, culminating in the resignation of his own chief of staff and calls for him to step aside. A joint investigation by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and Four Corners on July 27 revealed that icare is facing a looming financial disaster and that the regulator and bureaucrats in Treasury have been ringing the alarm bells about it since mid-2018. But the Treasurer, icare executives and the board insist the situation is not as dire as others say it is. "The icare team and the executive icare team do a superb job," the Treasurer said last week, the day after the joint investigation broke.

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Earlier this week Nagle resigned after a grilling in parliament, which revealed he had been sanctioned by the board last year for "deficient" disclosure of a contract awarded to his wife. He said he lost his short term bonus as part of the sanction and threatened to resign. In an attempt to silence the critics Perrottet announced a review of icare by a retired judge, but the lack of transparency over contracts it has awarded and its financial position mean many questions remain unanswered. On Thursday evening Perrottets office was thrown into turmoil and his chief of staff resigned after revelations the salaries of two of his personal ministerial staff were paid by icare and had not been documented as required by regulations. The resignation of Nigel Freitas followed a series of questions from the Herald about the pay details of senior policy adviser Edward Yap and an administrative assistant, whose salaries while on secondment were paid for by icare. Problems with the regulator When Nagle and his colleagues got hold of SIRA's draft report in late 2019 they were far from impressed. Internal emails sent from Nagle to the secretary of the Treasury indicate a growing frustration with the regulator, referring to questioning and scrutiny from key bureaucrats in Treasury as evidence of the one way nature of the 'whispering' campaign that comes from SIRA.

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SIRA's draft report outlined financial mismanagement by icare including incorrect weekly payments to injured workers, duplicate payments for diagnostic services and serious failures in its automated claims management system. This had resulted in almost 50 per cent of workers being incorrectly classified and was leading to delays in treatment of injured workers, internal Treasury notes say. The draft report said icare's move to a single claims agent, EML, was similarly problematic as EML staff lack the skills and experience for technical case management of personal injury claims and EML has been under-resourced since the inception of the new model and maximum caseloads have been exceeded which was impacting claimant outcomes. Shadow Minister Daniel Mookhey this week argued the Premier needed to stand aside the Treasurer while an independent investigation occurs. Employers pay their premiums to get sick and injured workers back to work, not to fund the board and managements delusions and the treasurers political operations, he said. NSW Greens MP David Shoebridge is also calling for the Treasurer to step aside until he has given a full explanation under oath at the parliamentary inquiry. We have heard case after case of injured workers thrown off the workers compensation scheme, struggling in poverty, and now we hear that hundreds of thousands of dollars are being bled from the scheme to pay for the Treasurers staff. Perrottets 'baby' Icare was set up in 2015 to replace the old WorkCover scheme and is considered Perrottets 'baby'. As finance minister he oversaw the new legislation, handpicked the board including its chairman, long time Liberal donor Michael Carapiet. Vivek Bhatia was appointed as the inaugural chief executive. When Perrottet was promoted to Treasurer in 2017 he retained ministerial responsibility for icare. Is there anything we cant do? Who will make it when pushed to the limit? Promotional video played to icare staff

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Insiders, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, said discussions about privatising icare were common. The organisation insures 284,000 NSW employers and their 3.4 million workers and protects more than $193 billion of NSW government assets, including the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, schools and hospitals. The plan was to transform icare into an ASX 50 company. The mantra was think big and dont behave like a public sector entity. To that end, almost $2 million was spent on putting a neon sign at the top of the Kent Street building, floors were renovated with expensive fitouts, an internal staircase built, and slick self-promoting videos made by professional film makers became the norm. Inspirational speakers were brought in to rally the troops, including a woman shortlisted to travel to space as part of a select group who would one day colonise Mars. Is there anything we cant do? Who will make it when pushed to the limit? the Mars 100 promotional video played. Bhatias lofty aspirations were shared with a group of executives who had worked with him at Wesfarmers Insurance and subsequently joined icare: John Nagle, Beth Uehling, Andrew Ziolowski, and Tony Pescott among them. The executives had no workers compensation experience but shared the vision and the big executive salaries and bonuses. They also wanted to make sure that although icare was a government-run entity, it would be a private enterprise in every other sense. An icare foundation was set up as a promotional vehicle with few checks and balances, and five insurance agents became one, EML, to manage all new claims.

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A new claims management system was built by CapGemini and spearheaded by Bhatia. The software platform was built by Guidewire, which took Nagle on a trip to Las Vegas to speak at a conference - a trip that wasnt declared in icare's annual report, according to Nagle's answers in parliament this week. The CapGemini and Guidewire contracts and related consulting costs totalled $360 million. The Herald can also reveal that icares then chief risk officer declared to icare that he went to Dallas, Texas with RSA Archer in October 2017 and stayed at the Hilton. According to an icare Gifts and Benefits declaration obtained by the Herald, the chief risk officer said RSA Archer software was purchased in early 2017. The form was signed by Bhatia. Internal emails reveal that a gift declaration was lodged months after the trip when compliance started querying it. I understand that RSA Archer paid for your flight and accommodation expenses. I have checked the Gifts and Benefits register and found in accordance with the icare policy you have not provided the compliance team with a signed declaration. A sticker on the floor in the foyer of icare's building in Sydney. Credit:Kate Geraghty The chief risk officers response was, yes, the international travel and offer to pay my expenses was discussed with Vivek [Bhatia] who, in accordance with our internal Travel Policy, informed the chairman of the board. Weeks after the launch of the new claims management system Bhatia quit icare and went to work at QBE Insurance, leaving behind Nagle and his Wesfarmers friends to continue their work. (On Friday Bhatia announced he had resigned from QBE Australia to become CEO of ASX-listed information solutions company Link Group, which is chaired by icare chairman Michael Carapiet and includes another icare director Peeyush Gupta, who also sits on the NAB board.)

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President Donald Trump is set to rake in $15 million dollars in campaign cash this Saturday in a series of fundraisers in the posh Southampton area of Long Island, including a stop at the home of Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle.

The fundraiser at the home of his son and his son's girlfriend is only one event in a series of fundraisers Team Trump has embarked on this month after trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden in second quarter fundraising.

Guilfoyle serves as the fundraising chair for the re-election campaign. She was seen getting her hair done at Blow, in Bridgehampton on Friday, ahead of the fundraiser.

President Trump will attend a fundraiser on Saturday at the Southampton home of Kimberly Guilfoyle (above) and Donald Trump Jr.

Kimberly Guilfoyle was spotted at Blow hair salon in Bridgehampton on Friday ahead of the fundraiser with the president

Her tenure with Team Trump came under fire when some staff complained to Politico and The New York Times about her management skills and her use of private airplanes.

But her defenders point to her successful fundraising record and her ability to reach new donors for the Republican Party. Plus she is close to the Trump family given her relationship with the president's eldest son.

The president will also attend an event Saturday at the Southampton home of billionaire former hedge fund manager John Paulson, one of Trump's closet allies on Wall Street.

Tickets for the dinner event are priced up to $500,000 per couple, according to an invitation obtained by CNBC.

The series of events is expected to raise $15 million for the Trump Victory Fund, a joint fundraising apparatus for the president's re-election campaign, the Republican Party and some state parties.

The Southampton area was celebrating Trump on Friday too when supporters staged a boat parade in the president's honor around the area.

It's unclear how restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic have impacted in-person fundraising.

New York only allows for gatherings of up to 50 people and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has encouraged people to wear masks, particularly when unable to socially distance.

Guilfoyle reportedly caused panic in the Southampton neighborhood, home to many wealthy and influential people, after her COVID diagnosis. Shortly before it, she and Don Jr. were spotted at an outdoor rooftop party where few people wore masks.

She tested positive for the coronavirus ahead of President Trump's July 3 celebration at Mount Rushmore. She and Don Jr. returned to New York instead of staying at the celebration.

President Trump also fundraised in Ohio on Thursday when he was in the state to visit a whirlpool factory

Donald Trump Jr and Kimberly Guilfoyle were in Washington D.C. on July 22 for fundraisers

The couple are popular surrogates for the president on the campaign trail and regular fundraisers for the Republican Party, using their big-name draw and down home style to raise money for state parties and GOP candidates across the country.

On July 22, both Don Jr and Guilfoyle posted photos to their instagram accounts of their time at the White House as part of a fundraising trip to Washington D.C.

Team Trump has stepped up its fundraising effort after Biden beat President Trump in second quarter fundraising: $282 million to $266 million.

The president made a comeback in July when his team raised $165 million that month compared to Biden's $140 million. The new totals have put the two campaigns essentially even when it comes to cash on hand.

But President Trump is spending this weekend focused on his campaign coffers. He attended a fundraiser at a yatch club on Lake Erie in a posh Cleveland neighborhood on Thursday that raked in $5 million for his campaign.

And Ivanka Trump brought in $4 million dollars for her father's re-election campaign in her first virtual fundraiser Wednesday that featured a surprise appearance from President Trump.

Ivanka Trump appeared on the zoom call with Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, a source with knowledge of the fundraiser told DailyMail.com.

During the fundraiser, President Trump made a surprise phone call to Ivanka and spoke briefly to her and the more than 70 donors on the call.

Ivanka Trump brought in $4 million dollars for her father's re-election campaign in her first virtual fundraiser Wednesday

President Donald Trump made a surprise call into the zoom fundraiser to speak to Ivanka Trump and the more than 70 donors - father and daughter are seen together at the White House at a June event

The money from the fundraiser went to the Trump Victory fund.

Ivanka Trump, who serves as an unpaid adviser in the White House, is the second highest requested fundraiser next to the president, according to the source.

She will be in Wyoming later this month for a high-dollar fundraiser with prominent GOP businessman Foster Friess.

Friess told CNBC the first daughter, her husband Jared Kushner, Donald Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle will all be at the August 10 event.

With the election less than 100 days away, the competition is heating up and the pressure to fill the campaign coffers is building on both presidential candidates.
Norwegians have been told to avoid all unnecessary travel abroad amid an 'alarming' surge in cases in the country.

The country's health minister, Bent Hoie, announced the tightening of rules, adding that it applied regardless of Covid-19 infection levels in their intended destination.

There have been 263 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the last week in Norway with a significant proportion of them coming from abroad, according to MSN.

'When Norwegians travel abroad, the risk of infections increases, regardless of what country they visit,' Hoie told reporters today.

Norwegians have been told to avoid all unnecessary travel abroad amid an 'alarming' surge in cases in the country. There have been 263 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the last week

'We are therefore recommending that Norwegian citizens dont travel abroad unnecessarily.'

The Scandinavian country also confirmed anyone arriving of the Czech Republic, France, Monaco and Switzerland from August 8 must undergo a 10-day home quarantine period, in addition the previously announced 'red' countries.

There have also been some changes to the quarantine-free travel from selected regions of neighbouring Sweden.

Earlier in the week, cruise ships were banned from Norwegian waters for 14 days following outbreaks on two voyages of the Hurtigruten vessel, MS Roald Amundsen.

Earlier in the week, cruise ships were banned from Norwegian waters for 14 days following outbreaks on two voyages of the Hurtigruten vessel, MS Roald Amundsen (pictured)

The ship made trips around the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, with boarding and disembarking in Troms. The first voyage between 17-24 July had 209 guests, and the second from 24 to 31 July had 178.

Despite the concerns for air travellers and cruise ships, the Norwegian Institute for Public Health (FHI) and the government are yet to enforce face covering on public transport.

It is believed they are considering putting in place the restriction during rush hour in big cities such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger.

'When Norwegians travel abroad, the risk of infections increases, regardless of what country they visit,' Hoie told reporters today

'We recommend that employers arrange for half of their employees to have a home office, where this is possible. Reducing the number of people traveling by public transit during rush hour is important,' said Norway's prime minister Erna Solberg.

Health minister Hoie said that further guidance on the use of face coverings would be issued by August 14.

There is also a new nationwide ban on serving alcohol after midnight in bars and pubs, with a maximum limit of 200 people at events set to remain.

Norway has had 9,468 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 256 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Company President and Employee Arrested in Alleged Scheme to Violate the Export Control Reform Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 6, 2020



Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, Audrey Strauss, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement (OEE), announced the arrests today of Chong Sik Yu, a/k/a "Chris Yu," and Yunseo Lee. Yu and Lee are charged with conspiring to unlawfully export dual-use electronics components, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act, and to commit wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Yu and Lee were arrested this morning and are expected to be presented later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox in Manhattan federal court.

"The Department's fight against illegal technology transfer to China is no more critical than in areas like those involved in this case  controlled items used in missile and nuclear technology," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. "We will do everything in our power to disrupt illegal exports like these that jeopardize our national security."

"Chong Sik Yu and Yunseo Lee are accused of violating U.S. export laws by sending electronics components with military applications to Hong Kong and China," said Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss. "Together with the Commerce Department and all of our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect our national security by preventing dual-use technologies from being sent abroad without the required licenses."

"A top priority of the Office of Export Enforcement is identifying and disrupting the illicit export of items to Hong Kong and China that undermine the national security of the United States," said OEE Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Carson. "We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners using criminal prosecutions to keep the most dangerous goods out of the most dangerous hands."

As alleged in the criminal Complaint,[1] unsealed today in Manhattan federal court:

Since at least 2019, a U.S. company named America Techma Inc. (ATI) has illegally exported electronic components from the United States to Hong Kong for apparent re-export to other countries, including China, in violation of the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (ECRA). Pursuant to the ECRA controls, the Department of Commerce administers export-licensing and other requirements for the export of goods, software, and technologies from the United States to foreign countries. These requirements restrict the export of items that could make a significant contribution to the military potential of other nations or that could be detrimental to the foreign policy or national security of the United States. The Commerce Department identifies the most sensitive items subject to EAR controls on the Commerce Control List (CCL), which is categorized by Export Control Classification Number (ECCN).

Yu is ATI's President, and Lee is an ATI Sales Representative. Yu and Lee worked together and with others to ship what they knew to be export-controlled items to Hong Kong and China. For instance, in June 2019, ATI obtained electronics components  which are export-controlled under the CCL for missile technology, nuclear nonproliferation, and anti-terrorism reasons from a U.S. supplier (U.S. Supplier-1), and then sent those components to a trading company in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Trading Company-1). In January 2020, ATI attempted to send to Hong Kong Trading Company-1 several electronic components, which are export-controlled under the CCL for anti-terrorism, national security, regional stability, missile technology, nuclear nonproliferation, and anti-terrorism. After the January 2020 package was detained by law enforcement, Yu and Lee discussed methods for evading future law enforcement scrutiny by, for instance, transshipping packages through South Korea, and by using a separate company based in New Jersey (the "New Jersey Reshipper") to send shipments to Hong Kong in an attempt to avoid customs scrutiny of ATI's shipments.

For instance, on Feb. 12, 2020, Lee sent an email to another ATI customer located in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Company-2) stating that: "[W]e had delivery issue currently with customs, so we've decided to release all items to South Korea first and release to HK from Korea temporarily." The next day, Lee received a response, which stated, in part, "Most of the items we buy from ATI are under ECCN restriction, so I guess ATI will stock in and release to [ATI's branch in South Korea], and then ship to HK . . . am I correct?" Lee replied, "Yes you are right."

On March 5, 2020, Lee responded to Hong Kong Company-2's inquiry regarding whether ATI could sell certain components to China. Lee's response, which copied Yu, stated: "We've sold" the requested parts "to China customer many times. . . But currently we have customs issue so we don't know how to handle it. [W]e are thinking we release all controlled parts to South Korea first then release to HK from Korea[.]"

Hong Kong Trading Company-1 also advised ATI on steps to take in order to evade U.S. export controls. For instance, Hong Kong Trading Company-1 advised Yu and Lee to use a marker to cover ATI's name on labels, to cover each component with an electro-static discharge (ESD) bag, to remove all original documentation from the package, and to use the New Jersey Reshipper to send the shipment. On March 14, 2020, Lee sent an email to Hong Kong Trading Company-1, copying Yu, stating: "We will follow your direction like adjusting invoice or removed label. But we do not have responsible if it will have problem during the transit to you. But for sure, we will do everything what you want for preparing shipments. We just hope that there is no more detained package."

In April 2020, ATI sent a package of components to Hong Kong Trading Company-1 using the New Jersey Reshipper. The package was inspected and detained by U.S. customs authorities. Consistent with Hong Kong Trading Company-1's instructions, the components had been placed in ESD bags labelled with part numbers different from the actual part numbers. One of the components in the April 2020 shipment was export-controlled under the CCL for national security and anti-terrorism.

Financial and shipping records establish that ATI has had a long-standing relationship with Hong Kong Trading Company-1. Between August 2016 and July 2020, ATI shipped more than 200 packages to Hong Kong Trading Company-1. In the one-year period between May 2019 and June 2020, Hong Kong Trading Company-1 transferred over $800,000 into ATI's bank account in the United States.

No one involved in any of these transactions obtained the licenses required under the ECRA to export these dual-use components.

Yu, 58, of Oradell, New Jersey, and Lee, 33, of Fort Lee, New Jersey, are charged with one count of conspiring to unlawfully export dual-use electronics components, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and one count of conspiring to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.

Assistant Attorney General Demers and Ms. Strauss praised the extraordinary investigative work of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office.

This prosecution is being handled by the Office's Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Michael K. Krouse and Michael D. Lockard are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney David Recker of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein are only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Attachment(s): Download yu_and_lee_complaint_.pdf

Topic(s):

Counterintelligence and Export Control

National Security

Component(s):

National Security Division (NSD)

USAO - New York, Southern

Press Release Number: 20-759

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The government has stepped into a High Court battle over whether casual workers that do regular shifts are actually permanent workers with a legal right to potentially billions of dollars in cumulative backpay for annual leave.

Attorney-General Christian Porter argues businesses that have paid those workers the typical 25 per cent extra casuals receive should be able to offset that against any leave payments they owe. He said employers should not have to "pay for the same entitlements twice" in what some business groups have branded "double dipping".

Attorney-General Christian Porter argues businesses should not have to pay for the same entitlements twice. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

At stake is up to $8 billion in back pay, employer body Ai Group has estimated, at a time when businesses are struggling  though unions argue workers need help too.

The Federal Court ruled in May that businesses cannot use mis-classified casuals' loading to make up for annual leave because the two things are for different purposes. Annual leave ensures workers can take time off to see friends and family while a casual loading compensates workers for lacking the same security as permanent staff.
Smoke rises from a burnt area of land in the Xingu Indigenous Park, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, in the Amazon basin, on August 6, 2020

More than 1,600 square kilometers of Brazil's Amazon rainforest were cleared in July, a significant reduction on the record 2019 numbersthough the total area deforested this year remains higher than 2019, according to official data published on Friday.

The monthly figure was an increase on the 1,000 km2 of deforestation in Junebut a decrease on the 2,250 km2 lost in July 2019.

However, the 4,730 km2 of deforestation in the world's largest tropical rainforest from January 1 to July 31 was slightly above the same period in 2019, 4,700 km2, the national space institute said.

The difference is much greater when examining the 12-month figures: For the period of August 2019 to July 2020, which is the year of reference in deforestation statistics, the total loss of 9,200 km2 was significantly higher than the 6,800 km2 cleared in the previous 12 months.

Vice-President Hamilton Mouraowho heads Brazil's National Amazon Council, which this year under international pressure launched an operation against illegal deforestationsaid the data showed that government efforts had achieved an "inversion of the trend."

Environmentalists said it was too early to start proclaiming success in combatting deforestation.

"We cannot celebrate that we haven't surpassed the 2019 record. That's positive, but it's important to understand that 1,600 km2 is a lot," Ane Alencar, science director at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, told AFP.

"Forest clearing is continuing at the same level, and there's a lot of combustible material to burn," added Alencar.

"The fires usually start in June, accelerate in August and peak in September."

Explore further Brazilian Amazon sees worst June in 13 years for forest fires

 2020 AFP
Biologists recently studied cryptobenthic reef fishes in the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman and found that the more thermally extreme coral reef habitat in the Arabian Gulf adversely impacted the diversity and productivity of these important fishes.

As global warming continues to escalate, there are lasting implications to consider, including the changes to biological communities in vital habitats such as coral reefs. A team of researchers, led by Simon Brandl (currently at the Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement, CRIOBE, France) and Jacob Johansen, an Assistant Research Professor at Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology (and previously a research scientist at NYU Abu Dhabi's Marine Biology Lab), recently studied cryptobenthic reef fishes (small, bottom-dwelling fish that are at the base of coral reef food webs) in the Arabian Gulf and the Sea of Oman and found that the more thermally extreme coral reef habitat in the Arabian Gulf adversely impacted the diversity and productivity of these important fishes.

In the paper, Extreme environmental conditions reduce coral reef fish biodiversity and productivity, published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers use a variety of techniques to compare organismal traits, diversity, and productivity of cryptobenthic reef fish in the environmentally extreme Arabian Gulf with those in the Sea of Oman.

"The Arabian Gulf is the world's hottest sea each summer with temperatures well beyond those experienced by fishes elsewhere in the tropics, while the adjacent Sea of Oman is considerably more benign. This makes this region a useful natural laboratory for understanding how climate extremes affect fish function and diversity," said senior author Associate Professor of Biology at NYU Abu Dhabi John Burt.

Fish communities in the Arabian Gulf were found to be half as diverse and less than 25 percent as abundant as those in the Gulf of Oman, despite broad similarities in the amount of live coral. Surprisingly, this does not seem to be related to absolute temperature tolerances of cryptobenthic fishes.

"We expected to see much lower temperature tolerances in species that occur in the Sea of Oman, but not in the southern Arabian Gulf," said Johansen. "Yet, the critical thermal tolerances of all species found in the Sea of Oman were, in theory, sufficient to survive even the maximum summer temperatures of 36C in the southern Arabian Gulf."

Instead, differences in prey eaten and body condition in the species present at both locations suggest that the thermal extremes of the Arabian Gulf are an energetically challenging environment for these smallest marine vertebrates. While hotter waters require more energy, a distinct, less diverse set of prey items in the Arabian Gulf may make it difficult for these small-bodied fishes to satisfy their energetic demands.

Importantly, the reduced diversity and abundance of cryptobenthic fishes greatly impairs the unique functional role of these animals. "These tiny fishes normally feed a lot of the larger, predatory animals on coral reefs by growing and dying rapidly, while constantly replenishing their populations," explains Brandl, "But on reefs in the southern Arabian Gulf, cryptobenthic fish communities provide only a fraction of the fish flesh that they can produce in more benign environments."

"Our findings highlight an imminent threat to cryptobenthic reef fishes and their essential role for coral reef functioning. These smallest marine ectotherms may struggle to compensate for increasing costs of growth and maintenance as they adapt to more extreme temperatures," said Johansen. "Extreme environmental conditions, as predicted for the end of the 21st century, could, therefore, disrupt the community structure and productivity of coral reefs in the Arabian Gulf and beyond."
KENNETT SQUARE  Nearly a-half-million people lost power in Chester County thanks to powerful Isaias, a tropical storm that brought 6.6 inches of rain, tornado warnings and winds up to 75-miles-an-hour to southeastern Pennsylvania.

During the heart of Tuesdays tropical storm, one Junior member of the Avondale Fire Co. No. 23 took it upon himself to brave the rain and take down the stations American flag to protect it from the wind, said Stephanie Biondi of West Grove.

The volunteer, Wesley Owen, attends Kennett High School.

Two days after Tropical Storm Isaias made landfall in Chesco, road and utility crews steadily and swiftly worked to clear debris and restore power.

After light rainfall on Thursday morning, the sun shone. In Newlin Township, a woman galloped with her thoroughbred horse as a light cool breeze filled the air near Unionville.

Kennett Square was one of many Chesco hotspots bustling with visitors and locals, including bountiful shoppers at community businesses, from restaurants to boutiques, alongside friends and family. Also, the borough held a sidewalk sale along State Street on Thursday.

The tropical storm hit Chester County Tuesday morning with 911 calls beginning to pour in at 10 a.m. There were 127 incidental water rescues and zero fatalities, as previously reported.

While 90 percent of Chester County residents who lost power due to the storm have their power restored, 20,132 PECO customers in Chester County are still waiting this morning, Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell shared on Twitter on Thursday.

There are over 300 local crews and 225 additional crews from out-of-state helping Chester County, Maxwell tweeted.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, 97 roads, of the 185 road closures caused by the storm, had reopened, according to Maxwell; 55 crews were dispatched at incident sites, with 33 more locations still remaining to be serviced.

According to PECO, from the Carolinas through New England, more than 3 million customers experienced outages in the wake of Tropical Storm Isaias which brought damaging winds and significant rain to southeastern Pennsylvania. Some parts of the region experienced wind gusts of up to 75 miles-per-hour and reported tornadoes.

Thursday, as of 3:15, approximately 14,900 of our 215,000 customers in Chester County are without service. A total of 425,000 customers were impacted by the storm, with 307,000 customers being impacted at one time during the peak of the storm, said Kristina Pappas, senior communications specialist for PECO in Philadelphia. The utility company is owned by Exelon based in Chicago. The transnational energy giant brings in more than $33 billion annually in revenues and employs more than 33,000 people worldwide.

We have restored service to more than 92 percent of customers affected, Pappas told the Daily Local News. We anticipate that we will restore about 95 percent of our customers by Thursday evening.

As for the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Isaias, PECO said crews from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas traveled to assist with power restoration efforts across the Delaware and Chesapeake Bay watersheds and along the Atlantic Coast.

People can stay alert to current outage numbers, including a breakdown by county and municipality via www.peco.com/outagemap. PECO said the data is updated every 10 minutes.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani urged thousands of prominent citizens gathered in Kabul on Friday to decide whether to release about 400 Taliban prisoners, including many involved in attacks that killed scores of Afghans and foreigners.

The prisoners' fate is a crucial hurdle in launching peace talks between the two warring sides, which have committed to completing a prisoner exchange before the talks can start.

The Afghan government has released almost 5,000 Taliban inmates, but authorities have balked at freeing the final prisoners demanded by the Taliban.

Ghani stressed that peace talks could begin in days if the prisoners were freed, while adding that he would "strongly endorse and support any decision".

"The Taliban said if these 400 are released, then within three days direct talks will start," Ghani said as he opened the three-day loya jirga -- a traditional Afghan meeting of tribal elders and other stakeholders sometimes held to decide on controversial issues.

"If they are not freed, not only would they continue the war but they would intensify it. But it was not possible to release them without consulting the nation."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed for the release of the detainees, while recognising the decision would be "unpopular".

"But this difficult action will lead to an important result long sought by Afghans and Afghanistan's friends: reduction of violence and direct talks resulting in a peace agreement and an end to the war," he said in a statement.

- Brutal attacks -

Lawmaker Belquis Roshan, a prominent women's rights activist attending the gathering, protested against the release of the prisoners.

As Ghani spoke, she stood in the hall and unfurled a banner that read: "Redeeming Taliban is national treason."

According to an official list of the Taliban prisoners seen by AFP, many of the inmates are accused of serious offences, with more than 150 of them on death row.

Story continues

The list also includes a group of 44 insurgents of particular concern to the United States and other countries for their role in "high-profile" attacks.

They include five insurgents linked to the 2018 attack against the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul that killed 40 people, including 14 foreigners.

A Taliban militant involved in the massive May 2017 truck bombing near the German embassy in Kabul is also on the list, which includes a former Afghan army officer who killed five French troops and wounded 13 in 2012 in an insider attack.

"There are definitely some prisoners that people don't want released, mostly because they are guilty of having killed coalition troops and nationals," a Western official familiar with the case told AFP on condition of anonymity.

- The loya jirga -

About 3,200 dignitaries are participating in the three-day assembly, Masoom Stanekzai, the head of the organising committee, said.

Abdullah Abdullah, who will lead peace talks with the Taliban, told the loya jirga that the decision was a "matter of life and death for people of Afghanistan", while also pledging to respect their recommendation which is not legally binding.

The Taliban, who have fulfilled their side of the prisoner swap, dismissed the jirga, saying it had no legal base.

"Seventy percent of the country is controlled by the Islamic Emirate. How can this jirga represent all Afghans?" Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told AFP.

According to the prisoner list, the Taliban are also demanding the release of an insurgent involved in a 2018 attack against British security firm G4S as well as several militants involved in the killing of US soldiers.

Two militants involved in a suicide attack targeting a NATO convoy in Kabul in 2015 that killed 12 people, including three Americans, were also among the 400.

Another pair on the list are serving time for the 2003 murder of Bettina Goislard, a French United Nations refugee worker.

str-mam-eb-jds/ecl/mtp
Mumbai: Mumbai's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday (August 7) released Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari from quarantine and asked him to return back to Patna and resume duty on August 8. The step comes two days after the Sushant Singh Rajput death case was handed over to CBI. Bihar police had put several allegations on Mumbai police and alleged that the Bihar IPS was not quarantined but was placed under 'house arrest'.

The BMS statement read, ''The Municipal commissioner of MCGM has is asking to exempt IPS officer Vinay Tiwari from home quarantine to facilitate his return to Patna to resume his duties.''

Soon after the IPS officer was released Bihar police chief Gupteshwar Pandey took to Twitter and said, ''Following the remarks of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, Bihar Police Headquarters wrote a letter to the Commissioner of BMC yesterday requesting them to release IPS officer Vinay Tiwari. He is released today and will return to Patna this evening. Thanks to BMC.''

 IPS Gupteshwar Pandey (@ips_gupteshwar) August 7, 2020

On August 6, Bihar police chief Gupteshwar Pandey had warned of legal action if the IPS officer, was not released from "forcible quarantine" by the end of the day. Pandey expressed bewilderment over no positive response from the municipal authorities in Mumbai, whom he accused of keeping IPS officer Vinay Tiwari in virtual house arrest, despite being informed about the adverse remarks made by Supreme Court against their action.

According to Bihar police, IPS mess was officially sought for the stay of Tiwari but the senior IPS officer was not provided this facility and when Tiwari himself arranged a guesthouse then he was taken by BMC officials for home quarantine.

It is to be noted that IPS Vinay Tiwari had gone to Mumbai to probe the actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case.Tiwari reached Mumbai from Patna on Sunday (August 2) to probe the case.

Also Read: Enforcement Directorate to question Rhea Chakraborty today

The case was handed over to India's premier investigation agency on Wednesday after Centre accepted Bihar government's request for a CBI probe. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recommended the CBI probe into the case after Sushant's father KK Singh spoke to state Director General of Police (DGP) and gave his consent for the same.

Family, friends, and fans of Sushant were demanding a CBI investigation after he was found dead on June 14 at his home in Mumbai's Bandra. The case was being investigated by the Mumbai Police. However, on July 25, his father KK Singh, who resides in Rajiv Nagar locality of the city, lodged an FIR against Sushant's actress girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty with the local police station accusing her of abetment to suicide and mentally and financially exploiting the actor.
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Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Dublin, Ireland  Fri, August 7, 2020 11:45 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c45a91 2 World Ireland,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

A rise in the COVID-19 infection rate in Ireland is a "serious concern" but the country has not yet seen a significant resurgence in infections outside of identified clusters, a leading health official said on Thursday.

Ireland, which for several weeks had one of the lowest infection rates in Europe, has seen a spike since last Thursday and has identified a number of clusters of infections in meat plants and accommodation for asylum seekers.

The reproduction rate, or the number of people who become infected from each positive case, has increased to 1.8 from 1.3 a week ago, Professor Philip Nolan, the chairman of the country's Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, told a news briefing.

"A reproduction number of almost 2 is a serious concern, and although we have not yet seen a significant increase in community transmission, there is a significant risk this could develop over the coming days and weeks," Nolan said.

Ireland reported 69 cases on Thursday and the average infection rate has more than doubled in recent weeks to around 50 per day. It also reported five deaths on Thursday after six days with no deaths.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Ronan Glynn said half of all recent cases had come from three adjoining counties - Kildare, Laois and Offaly - and that a cluster of 60 cases from the counties were set to be added to Friday's numbers.

He warned people from those counties to be particularly careful and said he could not rule out specific restrictions being imposed on those three counties.
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea  He was only 17 when Chinese troops backing North Korea overran a hill being defended by his South Korean Army squad and took him prisoner in the early hours of Dec. 28, 1951.

He spent the next 40 years toiling in North Korean coal mines as a prisoner of the war between the Koreas. We P.O.W.s lived inside a fenced-off camp guarded by armed sentries at four corners and were escorted to work by officers carrying pistols, he said.

We were nothing but slaves.

Decades later, the former P.O.W., now 86, scored a landmark legal victory when the Seoul Central District Court ordered North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-un, to pay him the equivalent of $17,600 in damages for holding him against his will and forcing him to work in the mines.  The verdict marked the first time that a court in the South recognized P.O.W.s who were illegally held in the North  an acknowledgment of their suffering there.

In its ruling, the court blocked part of the mans name from the public, and fearing that North Korea might retaliate against his children still in that country, the former P.O.W. spoke only on the condition that he be identified by his last name, Han, and that his face be partly obscured.


First Boorara Milling Campaign Completed Generating A$2.93M Revenue

Perth, Aug 7, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Horizon Minerals Limited ( ASX:HRZ ) is pleased to announce completion of the first milling campaign from the first stage of the Boorara Gold Mine, 10km east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the goldfields of Western Australia (Figure 1*).HIGHLIGHTS-First milling campaign comprising ore from the Regal East trial pit is now complete- Ore processed from the first milling campaign totalled 26,340t at a fully reconciled feed grade of 1.32g/t Au, in line with expectations for the upper oxide ore zones near surface- Mill performance exceeded expectations with excellent throughput rates, 40% gravity recovery and an overall calculated gold recovery of 93.8%- Gold production totalled 1,050 ounces generating A$2.93 million in revenue with an average sale price of A$2,791 per ounce- Faster mining rates achieved in the shallow, oxide zone will see mining completed in September 2020, five weeks ahead of schedule- Mined grade expected to increase with depth as mining advances into the larger, more consistent ore zones- The next milling campaign is scheduled to commence in late August, comprising ore from the Regal East and Regal West pits- Pit mapping and detailed geological monitoring is continuing to enable the compilation of an updated resource model and maiden reserve as part of the consolidated Feasibility Study due for completion in H1 2021- Monthly milling campaigns scheduled through to January 2021 to treat 159,000t of ore with a forecast mined grade of 1.86g/t Au for 8,700 ounces recovered generating $7m cash at current gold pricesCommenting on the successful milling campaign, Horizon Managing Director Mr Jon Price said:"It is extremely pleasing to see the first mine to mill reconciliation coming in within expectations for the upper oxide areas of the orebody. This completes a very successful first phase of activity with mining rates well ahead of schedule, mined grades increasing and completing our first gold sales into this very high Australian gold price environment.""This cash generating trial is an important step in the process of improving our understanding of this very large mineralised system at Boorara and de-risking the larger scale development being assessed as part of the consolidated Feasibility Study."The first milling campaign commenced on 16 July 2020 and ran for 12 days to 27 July 2020 with first gold poured on 23 July 2020. Milling performance has been excellent with throughput averaging 95tph, gravity recoveries at 40% and reagent consumption within expectations.Mill reconciliations have now been completed with 26,340 dry tonnes processing at a reconciled mill grade of 1.32g/t Au. The grade was in line with expectations for the near surface upper oxide zones of the orebody in the Regal East pit where the ore blocks are less consistent than the higher grade blocks presently being mined deeper in the Regal East pit (Figure 2*).Overall gold recoveries exceeded expectations with a calculated recovery of 93.8%, above the modelled recoveries of 91.0%.Gold produced from the campaign totalled 1,050 fine ounces with all gold sold at an average price of A$2,791 per ounce generating revenue of A$2.93 million. The next milling campaign comprising higher grade ore parcels from the Regal East and Regal West pits is scheduled for commencement in late August. The ore parcel from the Crown Jewell pit is scheduled to commence in October.*To view tables and figures, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited

Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines)  With safety in mind during this pandemic, Globe customers can still receive their updated monthly billing statements through the telcos reliable digital channels.

Globe Chief Finance Officer Rizza Maniego-Eala explained the shift is to keep their customers and messengers safe from the risk of COVID-19 caused by person-to-person or surface transmission.

She added that due to the re-imposition of the modified enhanced community quarantine in Mega Manila and nearby provinces, delivery services will also be limited.

We understand the need of our customers for updated billing information and we strive to serve them as best as we can," said Eala. "In view of the challenges that we are all facing, we deemed it necessary to shift to electronic billing for the health and safety of our customers.

All Globe postpaid customers, including business and enterprise clients, will be automatically shifted to paperless billing and will be notified of their monthly bill via text and/or their registered email address. This is in compliance with the National Telecommunications Commissions guidelines on electronic billing.

For customers to get their latest billing statement, Globe is encouraging customers to download from Google Play or App Store and install the GlobeOne app (for mobile and broadband) and Globe At Home app (for broadband only).

Globe Business and Globe myBusiness clients may update their contact details through their account managers. Globe myBusiness customers may also use the GlobeOne app.

Globe customers are requested to update their email address and other contact details using the same apps.

"We really need to work together so that the impact of these changes will be minimal," Eala added. "We are making this appeal so we can reach all our customers and provide billing services in a timely manner."

To know more about the apps, Globe customers may visit GlobeOne and/or Globe At Home.
North Koreans desperate to meet scrap metal quotas are plundering in the wreckage of the liaison office with the South that was blown up on Kim Jong-un's orders.

Residents of Kaesong are risking arrest by scavenging in the ruins of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office which was set up in a spirit of unity in 2018 but destroyed in a 'terrific explosion' on June 16.

Locals are resorting to desperate measures because of growing pressure to collect their 90lbs scrap metal quota after a shortfall in the first six months of this year.

Dissident media has reported that city officials were 'severely reprimanded' by the central government after Kaesong came last in the scrap metal collection drive.

The Inter-Korean Liaison Office building near the DMZ was blown up on the orders of the North Korean regime on June 16 (pictured)

Sources told the Daily NK news site that city leaders summoned those responsible for the scrap metal campaign to point out their failings.

They were ordered to make sure that Kaesong is in the top five districts of the country by the end of the year.

But there is growing resentment among citizens at the 'unreasonable' quotas being imposed on them - as well as speculation over what the metal is going to be used for.

Some people believe that the regime, which is under strict UN sanctions over its nuclear weapons and long-range missile programmes, is scraping together any materials it can lay its hands on to build weapons, including rockets.

Keen to avoid the attention of the central government for failing to reach their targets, many of Kim Jong-Un's subjects reached the conclusion that one part of the city with plenty of scrap metal would be the area surrounding the liaison office.

Experts believe that engineers used too much explosive material in an effort to make sure that the structure - built with South Korean taxpayers' money - was completely demolished.

The result was that the blast threw debris far further than anticipated, potentially making scrap metal available further afield.

The regime of Kim Jong-un (pictured with his sister Kim Yo-jong in the DMZ in 2018) has imposed draconian scrap metal quotas on its population

There are reports of residents roaming the area with wheelbarrows looking for shards of metal.

The authorities have responded, however, by placing a cordon around the site and deploying teams from the Ministry of State Security to stop anyone approaching.

Still, with quotas to meet, some people are becoming desperate, the source told Daily NK.

'Some people have decided that the best course of action may be a 'surprise raid' on the site at night to steal the scrap metal', the local resident said. 'They are making plans to do that'.

North Korea blew up the liaison office in June amid official anger at defectors who were sending propaganda leaflets into the North.

The liaison office in Kaesong - a gleaming blue-glass four-storey structure in an otherwise drab industrial city - was 'ruined with a terrific explosion,' state media said.

Referring to defectors, KCNA said the office was blown up to force 'human scum and those who have sheltered the scum to pay dearly for their crimes'.

Several defector-led groups have regularly sent flyers over the border, together with food, $1 banknotes, mini radios and USB sticks containing South Korean dramas and news, usually by balloon or in bottles by river.

South Korean conservative activists launch balloons carrying leaflets denouncing North Korea in this photo from 2010

The Kaesong building was originally used as offices in the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a venture between the two Koreas suspended in 2016 amid disagreement over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

South Korea spent at least 9.78billion won ($8.6million) to renovate it in 2018. South Koreans worked on the second floor and North Koreans on the fourth floor.

Destruction of the building, which had been empty since January due to coronavirus fears, represented a major setback to the South's efforts at co-operation.

State media today reported that Kim Jong-un had visited parts of North Korea where torrential rain has flooded hundreds of houses and vast areas of farmland.

The last time state media reported such a visit was in September 2015, according to Seoul's Unification Ministry.

Kim visited the scene and ordered shelters to be arranged for displaced people and residents to be supplied with grain from his own reserves, it was claimed.

The North's economic woes are believed to have worsened due to the coronavirus pandemic and flooding would only add to those troubles.

The pandemic forced North Korea to close its border with China, its biggest trading partner, although the secretive state has not officially admitted to having any cases.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.
Cardinal Dolan's Call for Political Unity Not Possible says Randall Terry

Protest led by Randall Terry in front of Joe Biden's home last week.

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Randall Terry

Aug. 7, 2020

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 7, 2020 /Standard Newswire/ -- President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden took shots at each other's faith on Thursday, staring with Trump telling Fox News' Geraldo Rivera that Biden is "against the Bible" and "against God."

Today as a guest on Fox News, Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Dolan called for unity.



Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, states,

"While most Americans would love a return to civil discourse and unity, millions fear it is not possible. The Democratic Party has now embraced aborting children into the third trimester, and Mr. Biden has promised if elected he will use taxpayer money to pay for these procedures. "For most Catholics and Evangelicals, unity with people of this ilk is simply a bridge too far."

Last week Terry led a protest in front of Biden's home: See video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YkVjQwa-x8

Randall Terry is on a 12-state tour titled "To Vote for Biden is a Sin Against God" stemming from Biden's hostility against the Catholic Church and his support of all abortions. Part of the touring protest is to hand out flyers that that declare it is a sin to vote for Biden because of his promotion of abortion.

SOURCE Randall Terry

CONTACT: 904-826-9989, RandallTerry2020@gmail.com

Related Links

www.randallterry.com/uploads/8/4/2/1/8421023/clearconscience.pdf

www.RandallTerry.com


Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) h...

Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have resolved to proceed on strike immediately schools reopen.

Samson Ugwoke, Chairman, Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the unions, made the disclosure at a press briefing on Thursday in Abuja.

Ugwoke, also SSANU President, and NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi, signed the resolution.

They are protesting the lingering Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) debacle, non-payment of arrears of earned allowance and minimum wage.

The unions are also aggrieved over alleged lack of seriousness by the Babalakin Committee renegotiating the 2009 FG/NASU, SSANU agreements, poor funding of universities, absence of visitation panels, among others.

Ugwoke lamented that after many other sectors had been paid minimum wage, university workers were still left out.

We find this development totally unwholesome. Given the time lag of over a year since it was implemented in other sectors, members of the public would agree that we have been patient enough in the university system.

The unions decried that despite series of letters by the IPPIS since February, members were still facing salary issues.

Pay us the arrears of both earned allowances and minimum wage, among others, Ugwoke told the government.

He warned that if schools are asked to reopen and the needful was not done, industrial conflict would be inevitable.
Subscriber content preview

NEW YORK (AP)  Stocks perked higher on Wall Street Thursday after a report showed the pace of layoffs across the country is slowing, though it remains incredibly high.

The S&P 500 rose 21.39, or 0.6%, to 3,349.16, as investors also waited for Congress and the White House to reach a hoped-for deal on more aid for the economy. It was the fifth straight gain for the index, which now hangs just 1.1% below its record set in February. Early in the spring, when panic about the pandemic was at its height, the S&P 500 had been down nearly 34%.





. . .
Dublin, Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Data Center Market in Africa - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Africa data center market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 12% during the period 2019-2025



Africa data center market size is expected to cross $3 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of over 12% during the forecast period. The Africa data center industry has witnessed a steady interest from major global cloud service providers such as AWS and Microsoft, along with Huawei over the last five years.



The increasing demand for cloud-based services and modular data center solutions among enterprises, especially in SMEs and government agencies, are expected to drive the market in Africa. It is expected that over 70% of organizations operating in the region will shift to the cloud region by 2025. South Africa, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt, and Nigeria are at the forefront of improving the digital economy. These countries, along with cloud-based service adoption, have also witnessed high usage of big data analytics.



Several African countries are yet to be cloud-ready, and the improvement in inland and submarine connectivity will see multiple enterprises migrating their workloads to the cloud during the forecast period. A majority of the investment in Africa is led by colocation and telecommunication service providers, followed by enterprises and government agencies due to the installation of modular data centers.



The rapid spread of COVID-19 has significantly increased data traffic since March 2020. To provide high availability services to end-users, operators are taking precautionary measures for their on-site employees. Colocation data center operators have taken steps to manage the available workforce to monitor their existing faculties without any service disruption. Construction projects in African countries have not been completed halted after the outbreak of the COVID-19. A reduced workforce followed restrictions imposed by the government on site. The impact of the pandemic in African countries is low-to-moderate.



In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included



The study considers the present scenario of the Africa data center market and its market dynamics for the period 2019-2025. It covers a detailed overview of several market growth enablers, restraints, and trends. The report offers both the demand and supply aspects of the market. It profiles and examines leading companies and other prominent ones operating in the market.



Key Questions Answered



1. What is the Africa data center market size and growth rate during the forecast period?

2. What are the factors impacting the growth of the Africa data center market share?

3. How is the growth of electrical and mechanical infrastructure affecting the growth of the Africa data center market?

4. Who are the leading vendors in the Africa data center market, and what are their market shares?

5. What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the South Africa data center market?



Africa Data Center Market Segmentation



The Africa data center market research report includes a detailed segmentation by IT infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, tier standards, and geography.



The server market in Africa is expected to witness significant growth in the next few years due to investments from major cloud service providers in the region. It is likely to grow with the increase in the physical presence of SaaS providers. These expansions will increase the demand for servers and promote the procurement of high-performance infrastructure solutions. The trend of adopting organization-specific software over the cloud platform will also increase the demand for high computing servers.



UPS systems are widely adopted to provide backup power for cooling systems installed in the region. Over the last five years, the operators have been laying higher emphasis on the monitoring of batteries in the UPS system. The adoption of lithium-ion batteries is expected to grow during the forecast period as their price will continue to decline. However, the use of lithium-ion batteries will be witnessed only after 3 to 4 years in Africa, as many operators start to build large and hyper-scale facilities in the continent.



Data centers in Africa support the use of free cooling systems as they take advantage of cold nights and winter seasons in the region. This will lead to the adoption of free cooling chillers. Operators in the African region are still dependent on air-based cooling techniques. Dedicated data center buildings, especially those operating at higher rack densities, are witnessing the use of chilled water systems. The operators are looking for efficient solutions to reduce their CAPEX and OPEX, maintain data center space, and reduce the power consumption of cooling units.



The greenfield development of data centers in South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt will continue to grow along with the installation of on-site renewable power sources such as solar energy to partially or entirely power the operations. Global construction contractors dominate the Africa data center construction market as principal contractors and local construction companies as sub-contractors. However, the increasing demand is prompting contractors to consider data centers as continuous revenue generators with a skilled workforce trained in building the facilities. Labor costs are low in the country. However, the demand for a skilled workforce will increase labor costs in the region. The growth in greenfield facilities will generate more revenue for installation and commission service providers.



The number of Tier I and Tier II data centers in Africa has reduced significantly over the last five years because of high awareness about the use of redundant infrastructure. UPS and PDU systems of Tier II facilities are equipped with a minimum of N+N redundancy. Most under-developed projects across the region fall under the Tier III category. This trend is likely to continue throughout the forecast period, with many operators expected to move to the Tier IV category based on the growth in rack power density and critical applications. Tier IV facilities are equipped with at least 2N+1 redundancy in infrastructure that makes the facility fault-tolerant, with UPS systems and PDUs having 2N+2 redundancy. In Africa, mostly enterprises offering cloud services are likely to develop Tier IV facilities during the forecast period.



Segmentation by IT Infrastructure

Server Infrastructure

Storage Infrastructure

Network Infrastructure

Segmentation by Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems

Generators

Transfer Switches & Switchgears

PDUs

Other Electrical Infrastructure

Segmentation by Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units

Chiller Units

Cooling Towers & Dry Coolers

Other Units

Racks

Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Segmentation by General Construction

Building Development

Installation & Commissioning Services

Building Designs

Physical Security

DCIM

Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II

Tier III

Tier IV

Insights by Geography



Data center facilities in South Africa are equipped with reliable power backup sources. The country suffers from non-reliability in the power supply. UPSs and generators will continue to grow due to the increasing construction of large and mega facilities and the inaccurate power grid connectivity. The increased need for data center solutions in the country is expected to fuel the demand for transfer switches and switchgear during the forecast period.



South Africa is likely to move to the adoption of free-cooling chillers or evaporative coolers. The market for cooling systems is likely to depend on the construction of mega and hyperscale data center, especially of 10 MW capacity. While several smaller facilities in Africa use DX-based CRAC units, medium and extensive facilities are installing CRAH units. The implementation of air-cooled CRAC systems with cooling units that use refrigerants or glycol-based cooling is expected to grow during the forecast period.



In terms of general construction, most colocation facilities in the country have installed physical security solutions, ranging from perimeters to rack-guarded through CCTV cameras and biometric systems. Companies have also adopted DCIM/BMS solutions that enable remote monitoring of entire operations.



Segmentation by Africa

South Africa

Morocco

Kenya

Nigeria

Other Countries

Insights by Vendors



The Africa market has a strong presence of leading IT infrastructure vendors - HPE, Dell Technologies, Cisco, Huawei, IBM, and Lenovo. The Africa data center market share is growing YOY due to the increase in digitalization initiatives. Schneider Electric, Vertiv, and Huawei are the major vendors in electrical infrastructure and have a strong presence in the market. In terms of generators, Cummins and Caterpillar have a strong market presence.



Multiple colocation providers are operating in this market with strong partnerships with facility operators. The market for mechanical infrastructure comprises multiple systems that provide sufficient cooling solutions for the growing rack power density. The market will witness intense competition owing to the growing construction of data centers over the next few years. The Africa data center market comprises several construction contractors, architectural and engineering firms, physical security vendors, and DCIM solutions providers.



Prominent IT Infrastructure Vendors

Arista

Broadcom

Cisco

Dell Technologies

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

Huawei

IBM

Juniper

Lenovo

NetApp

Prominent Data Center Support Infrastructure Vendors

ABB

Caterpillar

Cummins

Eaton

Shenzhen Envicool Technology

Legrand

MTU On Site Energy

Schneider Electric

STULZ

Rittal

Vertiv

Prominent Construction Contractors

Atkins

Aveng Grinaker

Concor

Edarat Group

Etix Everywhere

Future-tech

Huawei

ISG

Prominent Data Center Investors

Africa Data Centres (Liquid Telecom)

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Icolo.io

Internet Technologies Angola (ITA)

Inwi

MDXi (MainOne)

N+ONE

Orange

Raxio Data Center

Rayan Data Center

Teraco Data Environments

Market Dynamics



Opportunities & Trends



Availability of Renewable Energy Fuels Procurement Growth

Smart City Initiatives Fuel Data Center/Edge Deployments

Government Support to Boost Digital Economy

Increase in Adoption of All-Flash Storage Solutions

Faster Penetration of Converged and Hyperconverged Infrastructure Solution

Growth Enablers

Cloud Adoption Fueling Data Center Investments

Big Data & IoT Spending Fuel Data Center Growth

Migration from On-Premise Infrastructure to Colocation & Managed Services

Increased Investments in Fiber Connectivity

Data Traffic to Boost Data Center Development

Growth Restraints

Location Constraints for Data Center Construction

Lack of Skilled Workforce

Budget Constraints & Meager Investment Support

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/f4hhyk

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
Originally published March 11, 2008

The story so far: The men of Alpha Company are trying to fit into their old lives. Some fight with their wives, some wait for wounds to heal, some seek the comfort of a military setting. But a few are back on their feet, finding new jobs or grabbing opportunities with a firm grasp.

*

Twelve-year-old Lorimar Martinez stood terrified in the second-floor hall of her family's redbrick rowhouse on North Fifth Street.

Her dad, Lorenzo Martinez, imagined he had seen a sniper on a roof across the way. It was June 2006. His National Guard unit from Philadelphia had been home for seven months. For him, the battle lingered.

Martinez had barricaded himself in the blacked-out front bedroom, as if he were back in Iraq. He had threatened his son, who tried to get inside, and had punched a hole in the door.

In a panic, Martinez's wife, Maria, had called the police. Five police cars and a van screeched up to the house. A battalion of officers, it seemed, bounded up the steps.

Sgt. Anthony Villalobos, a member of Martinez's Alpha Company National Guard unit who lived up the street, came running over from his house when Maria called him. He pleaded with the officers to let him go into the room alone and calm Martinez down. The police said OK.

Villalobos shouldered his way past the bedding and furniture piled against the door. But then one of the officers tried to follow him. The officer's flashlight sent Martinez into a terrified rage.

Lorimar, clinging to the hall railing, saw her father "try to throw himself out of the window. "

Martinez, a bald 44-year-old with a paunch, grappled with the intruders. It took five officers to wrestle him to the floor.

One of the officers raised his stick to land a blow, but Villalobos implored: "He's a war veteran. "

Instead the officers bound Martinez, pulled him to his feet, and hauled him away.

Lorimar and her mother clung to each other in tears.

*

The last thing Martinez remembered, after arriving at nearby Episcopal Hospital, was looking up at a doctor or nurse.

"This will be good for you," she said, putting a needle in his arm.

He woke up later at the Kirkbride Center, a mental-health facility on North 49th Street.

"I thank God - and Villalobos - that I was taken to the hospital and not to jail," he said.

The police never pressed charges against Martinez. One of the officers he had wrestled with, a Navy veteran of the war in Iraq, apparently determined that the guardsman needed psychological help. Martinez knew the officer had given him a break.

Martinez, who liked to drink and party, had been avoiding getting help, although he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder at the Philadelphia VA hospital. Well before he flipped out that night at home, he had been exhibiting classic symptoms of PTSD: black moods, anger flashes, anxiety attacks.

He remained troubled by images of what he had seen in his 10 1/2 months in Iraq.

In a violent period in May 2005, he had twice had narrow escapes.

In the first, insurgents laid an ambush for an Alpha patrol as it passed through the village of As Saliyah. A bomb blew up underneath a humvee and crushed the legs of Spec. John Ashenfelder. Gunfire then hit Sgt. Michael Sarro in the leg. To Martinez, in another humvee, the firefight seemed to go on forever.

Three days after the ambush, Martinez was again on a patrol when he saw a suspicious-looking vehicle parked on the right side of the road. "My heart started to race faster," he remembered. A second later, the vehicle exploded, killing an Iraqi soldier riding with Alpha.

Flashbacks to these attacks haunted him. But more troubling were his memories of Alpha's six dead soldiers. Again and again, he could see their faces in his mind.

Now, at the Kirkbride Center, he finally submitted himself to obtaining help.

*

All 131 Alpha soldiers who came home from Iraq carried dark pictures in their minds.

In one case, a ghoulish scene was captured on video by an Alpha soldier with a digital camera. After the men came home, it was copied onto a DVD and then passed slowly from one man to another, week by week, month by month. Most of the Alpha veterans have seen it.

The short scene opens at the site of a recent suicide bombing. The noise and smoke have cleared, and the cleanup has begun.

The jittery, close-up lens shows a U.S. soldier kneeling, only his brown boots, rifle and elbow pads visible at first. Wearing hospital gloves, he picks delicately through what appears to be a purplish chunk of meat.

"Are you going to show the face?" asks a youthful voice in the background.

"There's the forehead," says another.

Then another: "There's his face - his nose - right there. "

Someone curses.

The soldier stands, and as the camera pulls back, he is revealed to be from Alpha Company, extending his hand, from which hangs what the men have found - the detached face of the suicide bomber.

*

By the summer of 2006, Mike Sarro, still laid up with his bum leg, was getting more bored by the minute.

He had plenty of time to watch TV news on Iraq, and much of what he saw he didn't like - especially what he considered the defeatist attitude of the Democrats then running for Congress.

His grandfather had written to Sen. Rick Santorum, a backer of keeping large numbers of troops in Iraq, and mentioned that Sarro was an Iraq veteran.

Soon thereafter, Sarro got a call from the Pennsylvania Republican's office. Would he help the senator's 2006 reelection campaign?

Sarro said he would.

Thus did the 26-year-old graduate of Pottstown's St. Pius X High School find himself - albeit, briefly - a figure in national politics.

The move didn't help Santorum win reelection - he lost to Democrat Bob Casey - but it gave an emotional lift to Sarro during his long healing.

Besides riding with Santorum on a campaign tour of the state, Sarro filmed a TV commercial for him - and found he was a natural on camera. John Brabender, Santorum's TV adman, said later: "He was just so sincere and so likable. "

In the commercial, Sarro talked about the Iraq ambush in which an AK-47 rifle bullet shattered his lower right leg. He said he remained a supporter of the war and urged Americans to have patience.

"Just hang tight," he said. ". . . It's going to take time. "

Through his Santorum connections, Sarro also appeared on FOXNews' The O'Reilly Factor, on which guest host Laura Ingraham questioned him about his Iraq experience.

"Would you do it all over again?" she asked.

Sarro, who served in the Marines before he joined the Guard, leaped to his answer.

"You know I would," he said. "Marines would always do it all over again."

*

Tony Villalobos remembers what he was thinking when he came to help a raving Lorenzo Martinez: "What does a guy who has post-traumatic stress do for another guy who has post-traumatic stress? "

As summer turned to fall in 2006, Villalobos was still coping with his own PTSD and taking antidepressants.

The two men didn't see much of each other. They'd wave on the street. That was about it.

But they had a lot in common. A year younger than Martinez, V - as almost everyone in Alpha called him - was born in New York to parents who had moved from Puerto Rico. Martinez was born on the island.

Both had long-term marriages. Each had a son and a daughter, of similar age. Both lived just off Erie Avenue. Both had spent two decades or so in the Guard.

And both, like nearly half of Alpha veterans, had had severe anxiety attacks.

Villalobos' episode occurred on his job as a state prison guard in Chester. Luckily, he wasn't among inmates.

He was in the prison control station, from which guards monitor the cell blocks, and he hadn't taken his PTSD medications.

A big, intimidating guy, Villalobos was cursing. He threw his walkie-talkie and handcuffs to the floor. He then found himself sitting in his car in the parking lot and realizing, "I don't know how to get home. "

He saw things in Iraq he didn't want to remember. One day, his platoon rushed to help a U.S. unit that had been in a suicide bomb attack. A soldier, just 18, had been burned to death in a vehicle. A fire truck had not yet arrived, and men were trying to douse the flames with water bottles.

"I have a lot of nightmares," Villalobos said.

One involves the night in August 2005 that four Alpha Company soldiers were killed in a mine explosion at a place called Smugglers Road. It was the deadliest incident the Pennsylvania National Guard had suffered since World War II.

Villalobos was not on that mission. But in a recurring dream, he is riding in a humvee. He looks out the window and sees another humvee going by. He can recognize one of the men killed in the attack, Spec. Gennaro Pellegrini.

"I am yelling out the window: 'Stop the vehicle! Stop the vehicle! ' I always see Pellegrini. Just before they look over, the vehicle explodes."

*

Staff Sgt. James Mostiller, a Philadelphia police officer with almost a dozen years in the military, was looking forward to an awards ceremony scheduled around Thanksgiving 2006. So he brought his whole family with him.

At the armory in Northeast Philadelphia, 13 months after Alpha got back, soldiers who had not yet received all of their Iraq medals were finally supposed to get them.

What Mostiller and other men wanted most was the Combat Infantryman Badge they were owed. Of all the medals the men could have earned, this was among the most significant. It indicated that a man had been in combat; he'd paid his dues. It linked him to the common soldiers of all the wars in the nation's history.

Many of the soldiers still hadn't gotten their "CIBs. "

Alpha didn't need another reason to feel angry at the military brass. The men believed they hadn't been used properly in Iraq. They had wanted to be more aggressive in rooting out the insurgents. They felt that as guardsmen, part-time soldiers, they had been disrespected by some in the regular Army.

"There was a chip on people's shoulders when they came back, and I think it was for a good reason," said Capt. Kenrick Cato, who succeeded Capt. Anthony Callum as company commander.

Mostiller, coming up on his 31st birthday and with a baby at home, was one who seemed upset at the whole Iraq experience.

"You get ripped out of your regular life - your job, your family," he said. "You're doing missions over there. You see very little progress. You see the American people turning against you, soldiers still dying. Everything about [the experience] was negative.

"And where are we at today?" he asked. "Is the war won yet? "

The night of the ceremony, each man stood and went forward to get his awards. But it soon became apparent that not everyone was going to get one. Some medals hadn't yet been approved at higher levels of command, but no one had forewarned the men.

Mostiller found out only when his name was passed over. He couldn't believe it.

In fury, he got up and stomped out.

*

On a bitterly cold morning last March, Sgt. Neill Coulbourn stood smoking - and shivering - in front of Building 8 at the Coatesville VA hospital.

The hospital, which opened in the 1930s to care for World War I veterans, sits on a leafy hill above the old Lincoln Highway. The white clock tower on the main building can be seen for miles.

Building 8 houses the inpatient PTSD program, which draws veterans from several states. The waiting list is often months long.

Coulbourn, on this day, had been in the program for about two months and had two weeks to go. He was among at least four Alpha veterans who spent up to 12 weeks there.

Fifty Alpha veterans said they had been treated as outpatients at VA hospitals and clinics, and 12 said they had received private care for PTSD. Some have had both.

Coulbourn, pacing in the cold, flicked away his cigarette. Things at home and in the Guard were bothering him, but he didn't say what. "I have issues to deal with; I guess that's all I can say. "

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans weren't the only ones in the program.

Many were Vietnam veterans who, according to former program director Steve Silver, himself a Vietnam veteran, hadn't ever dealt with the trauma they carried home from war. They were now in their 50s and 60s, often with histories of alcoholism, lost marriages and failed careers.

One good thing about the newest generation of war veterans, said Silver, a psychologist, is the unashamed desire to seek help for PTSD. The Army, wary of creating a generation of lost veterans, has drilled into their heads that they must seek help if they experience symptoms of PTSD - the disabling anxiety or rage or depression.

"They're more willing to step forward and nip it in the bud," Silver said.

Patients receive group therapy, recreational therapy and one-on-one therapy, he said. Antidepressant drugs are often part of the program.

Coulbourn, a gruff but genial sort, had been elected president of the patient group, which occupied a dormlike hall on a second floor. As the program's end neared, he said: "I think it's helped. " He was feeling more on an even keel.

Two weeks later, having been released, he sat down to talk at greater length.

Being home hadn't been easy, Coulbourn said. He and his wife, who had been having troubles even before he went to Iraq, had parted company. He had not gone back to his old job as a cook at Houlihan's in the Exton Mall, saying he wasn't sure he could handle the stress of restaurant work.

A Purple Heart recipient, he had been hit with shrapnel when a suicide bomber in a white hatchback laden with explosives attacked an Alpha patrol on June 9, 2005.

Coulbourn, a machine gunner, was in the humvee turret and saw the car coming at the last instant. He tried to get off a shot, but before he could, the driver blew himself up. A piece of hot shrapnel hit Coulbourn in the forearm, damaging his ulnar nerve.

A nearly 20-year Guard veteran, Coulbourn might have retired. But rumors were circulating that Alpha would be going back, perhaps in the fall of 2008, and he was excited.

He wanted to avenge the six men the company had lost, whether that was a healthy attitude or not.

"I want payback," he said.

*

On the afternoon of last year's Puerto Rican Day parade, the crowd was standing in front of Lorenzo Martinez's rowhouse on North Fifth Street.

Martinez was out on the street that June day, saying hello, when a motorcycle rider cranked the throttle. The motor's loud brrup, brrup, brrup sounded like bursts of gunfire.

Martinez dived behind a pole.

His friends laughed, and he felt a bit sheepish as he got up. It was a reminder of how far he had come in his recovery - and of how far he still had to go.

After the bad night in June 2006, he'd had no more flashbacks, no more of what he called "losing my mind. "

The antidepressants the Kirkbride doctors had given him had done some good. He had stopped drinking, thrown away the beer in the refrigerator, carried the Bacardi rum out of the basement.

Martinez had begun to realize what could happen if he didn't get his life back on track. Even more than when he was in Iraq, he saw just how fragile life is.

"I started to get afraid to die," he said. "Who is going to support my wife? Who is going to support my child? "

After many years of absence, he started going to church again.

The first time he attended the Iglesia Evangelica el Refujio, in a small blue-and-white building in an industrial area of North Third Street, the Spanish-speaking congregants seemed to stare at him as if he didn't belong.

But that was coming from within him, he saw, not from them. On his second visit, when the pastor called to the altar those who wanted to commit their lives to Christ, Martinez stepped forward.

How This Series Was Reported

Staff writer Tom Infield first reported on Alpha Company, a National Guard unit based in Northeast Philadelphia, in November 2004, when the soldiers were preparing to depart for Iraq. In the years since, he has revisited the company many times and written about the deaths of six members in 2005; deployment in Iraq at Forward Operating Base Summerall, which he visited in September 2005; the guardsmen's return to the United States; and the early readjustment at home.

Beginning last March, Infield, later assisted by correspondent Will Hobson, contacted 130 of the 131 survivors on the company roster; 126 agreed to be interviewed or to complete a survey of questions about how they were coping since coming home from Iraq. Some were interviewed more than half a dozen times.

In addition to the guardsmen, Infield interviewed wives, girlfriends, parents and children of the soldiers; experts and officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the National Guard; and medical authorities on post-traumatic stress disorder.
Advertisement

The leader of Hezbollah has strongly denied that his militant political group had stored arms at Beirut's port, describing the cataclysmic explosion there as 'a major tragedy'.

'We have nothing in the port: not an arms depot, nor a missile depot nor missiles nor rifles nor bombs nor bullets nor (ammonium) nitrate,' Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech three days after the blast in the Lebanese capital that killed more than 150 people.

He called the explosion a 'major tragedy and humanitarian catastrophe,' saying it required a kind of response that would match its 'exceptional' scale.

His retort comes amid claims that the 2,750 tonnes of explosive ammonium nitrate which caused the disaster may have been diverted to Lebanon on purpose, having been officially destined for Mozambique.

The horrific blast on Tuesday injured at least 5,000 people and devastated entire districts of the capital, leaving some 300,000 people temporarily homeless. An investigation by authorities has so far led to 21 arrests, as well as travel bans and asset freezes.

Authorities had said a fire at the port had ignited tonnes of ammonium nitrate which had been stored there for years, but President Michel Aoun said today it could have been caused by an attack.

Aoun rejected calls for an international probe while Nasrallah urged 'the army to investigate and announce its findings'.

He said the Lebanese military is in a prime position to do so because it is seen as a 'trusted' institution by people and politicians across the spectrum.

The Hezbollah leader warned against delays in the probe, saying: 'If the Lebanese state and the political class... do not reach a conclusion in the investigations this means... there is no hope to build a state.'

But questions have been raised President Aoun and others as to reason why tonnes of dangerous chemicals ended up being kept in the port for six years without proper safeguards in place.

Ammonium nitrate parcels stored in Beirut's ill-fated Warehouse 12 just day before the accident which has killed at least 154 people and sparked fury at the corruption and incompetence of Lebanon's elite

Pictures shared by Lebanese journalist Dima Sadek show the 'death bags' containing high-density ammonium nitrate piled up in Beirut's ill-fated Warehouse 12 shortly before the explosion

The shipment of ammonium nitrate was officially destined for Mozambique when it sailed on the cargo ship Rhosus in 2013, but the vessel made an unscheduled stop in Beirut where the chemicals were impounded

The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has strongly denied that his militant political group had stored arms at Beirut's port, describing the cataclysmic explosion there as 'a major tragedy'

Wreckage lies in front of destroyed grain silos in the port of Beirut today, three days after the devastating explosion in the Lebanese capital

Russian emergency personnel walk on the site of the explosion in the port of Beirut, where rescuers are continuing their recovery efforts three days after the blast

Explosion sparks panic over food shortages The annihilation of the port in Tuesday's explosion has further strained food access for a population that relies on imports for 85 per cent of what it eats. Some 15,000 tonnes of wheat, corn and barley were blasted out of the towering 55-year-old silos and a nearby mill was destroyed. At least one ship unloading wheat during the explosion was damaged, its stocks inedible. The day after the blast, hundreds of customers flocked to the Al-Kaboushieh Bakery in Beirut's Hamra district to stock up on bread. 'Were completely sold out. Everyone was buying five bags instead of one in case there'd be no more,' said employee Hayder Mussawi. Lebanese bread makers and consumers fear the loss of the 120,000-tonne capacity silos will compound months of wheat worries, making bread harder to produce and ultimately more expensive for a population that has already seen its purchasing power slashed. 'When we saw the silos, we panicked,' said Ghassan Bou Habib, CEO of Lebanon's Wooden Bakery pastry franchise. A liquidity crisis since the autumn saw banks halt dollar transfers abroad, which hampered imports. Container activity had already declined by 45 per cent in the first half of 2020 compared to last year, according to Blominvest Bank, while the staggering devaluation of the Lebanese pound led to major price hikes. 'We were already struggling with the (little) wheat and flour that were available. The mills weren't getting enough or they didn't have fuel to run,' Bou Habib said. Advertisement

The shipment of ammonium nitrate was destined for Mozambique when it sailed on the cargo ship Rhosus in 2013, but the vessel made an unscheduled stop in Beirut where the chemicals were impounded after the ship's owner declared himself bankrupt.

A Russian news outlet in Cyprus claims that the Rhosus was a piece of 'scrap' which would never have made it to Mozambique and that the businessman behind the voyage had no history as a ship owner.

Meanwhile the captain of the Rhosus claims he was told to stop in Beirut to pick up extra cargo - while Mozambique has denied all knowledge of the shipment.

The deepening mystery comes as worrying new pictures emerged of bags of chemicals piled high at the port of Beirut just days before the warehouse blast.

Pictures shared by Lebanese journalist Dima Sadek show the 'death bags' containing high-density ammonium nitrate piled up in Beirut's ill-fated Warehouse 12 shortly before the explosion.

Rescuers combed through the rubble of Beirut today in a search for survivors, with 154 people confirmed dead and protests erupting at the elite corruption and incompetence which are blamed for the disaster.

Lebanon's president Michel Aoun says the cause has not yet been determined but says there is a 'possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act' in addition to claims of negligence.

Early reports said fireworks stored near the warehouse or welders being used to repair a broken gate might to be blame, while the United States has not ruled out the possibility of an attack.

The son of an assassinated former Lebanese PM has separately pointed the finger at terrorist group Hezbollah, saying that nothing goes through the port without them knowing.

Cypriot police say they have questioned Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin over his alleged links to the ship and its cargo of ammonium nitrate.

A police spokesman said Grechushkin was not arrested, but asked specific questions relating to the ship's cargo as requested via Interpol Lebanon.

He has also made contact with Russian diplomats via his lawyers since the Beirut explosion, it is understood, but has not made any public comment on the tragedy.

A Russian news outlet in Cyprus has claimed that Grechushkin had no history as a ship owner, and that this was the only known voyage he had arranged.

He bought the Rhosus for 300,000 in Cyprus, which was 50,000 less than its scrap value at the time, it was claimed.

'Its technical state was exactly that, scrap,' said the report on Cyprus24 site. 'That ship would have definitely not have made it to Mozambique where the official buyer of the cargo is based.

The report claimed 'it was a single-use ship for a single journey', suggesting this was from Batumi in Georgia to Lebanon - and no further.

The report in Cyprus asked: 'Perhaps that cargo had a single purpose of being 'arrested' in Beirut and not to go any further.'

When it arrived in Beirut, the ship temporarily docked at the port but was later seized by authorities due to a lawsuit filed by a Lebanese company.

Emergency workers sent by Russia continue their search and rescue efforts in the ruins of a grain silo destroyed by the explosion in Beirut on Tuesday

A man wears a protective mask as he stands on rubble today at the site of the Beirut blast which has killed nearly 150 people

An aerial view of ruined structures at the port, damaged by an explosion which has devastated huge swathes of Beirut

Port authorities unloaded the ammonium nitrate and stored it in the run-down warehouse, while the ship sank sometime later because of damage, it is believed.

Mozambique port authorities yesterday denied any knowledge of the ship, which was officially bound for the African country's city of Beira.

'The port operator was not aware that the vessel MV Rhosus would dock at the port of Beira,' the city's port authority said in a statement.

It said typically the arrival of any ship at the port 'is announced by the ship's agent to the port operator seven to 15 days in advance'.

One official said the final destination of the cargo was not Mozambique but Zimbabwe or Zambia, because ammonium nitrate is used to manufacture explosive materials used in the mining industry.

The Mozambique company which was due to receive the order, Fabrica de Explosivos, has not commented on the explosion.

At least 154 people have so far been confirmed dead, with some 5,000 wounded, 300,000 homeless, and widespread damage which is estimated to total more than $5billion

Lebanese electricity workers fix power cables, next to the site of this week's massive explosion in the port of Beirut

Capsized and destroyed ships at the scene of Tuesday's explosion, which has devastated huge parts of Beirut

Israel shoots down drone coming from Lebanon The Israeli army shot down a drone coming from Lebanon last night with the border on heightened alert. Israeli troops took out a drone which entered their airspace in the Mount Hermon area, the army said. 'The drone was monitored and downed,' it said, adding Israeli troops were conducting searches in the area. Mount Hermon is a strategic and fortified outpost at the crossroads between Israel, Lebanon and Syria. An Israeli military official said that the drone had arrived from Lebanon. The army's statement said that troops were on 'elevated preparedness in the north and will not tolerate any violation of Israeli sovereignty'. It did not disclose the type of drone, its size or who it suspected of dispatching it. Israel's army has reinforced its northern frontiers with Lebanon and Syria in recent weeks, so as to ready itself for 'diverse' potential enemy actions. The Jewish state late last month said it had repelled an attempt by Hezbollah fighters to penetrate the border, but the Shiite Lebanese group denied any involvement in the incident. That border clash came a week after an alleged Israeli missile attack hit positions of Syrian regime forces and their allies south of Damascus, killing five. Advertisement

Initial Lebanese investigations into what happened have pointed to inaction and negligence in the handling of the potentially dangerous chemical.

Lebanon's cabinet has resolved to place all Beirut port officials who have overseen storage and security since 2014 under house arrest.

The 16 port officials arrested include Beirut Port General Manager Hassan Koraytem, according to a judicial source, while the central bank said his accounts had been frozen.

Shock has turned to anger in Lebanon since Tuesday's colossal explosion killed at least 154 people, with security forces firing tear gas at demonstrators who gathered near parliament late Thursday.

In addition to the dozens of deaths, the blast has injured more than 5,000 people, left 300,000 others homeless and sparked panic over wheat shortages after 15,000 tonnes of grains were blasted out of the silos.

At least one ship unloading wheat during the explosion was damaged, its stocks inedible.

The day after the blast, hundreds of customers flocked to the Al-Kaboushieh Bakery in Beirut's Hamra district to stock up on bread.

'Were completely sold out. Everyone was buying five bags instead of one in case there'd be no more,' said employee Hayder Mussawi.

Lebanese bread makers and consumers fear the loss of the 120,000-tonne capacity silos will compound months of wheat worries, making bread harder to produce and ultimately more expensive for a population that has already seen its purchasing power slashed.

'When we saw the silos, we panicked,' said Ghassan Bou Habib, CEO of Lebanon's Wooden Bakery pastry franchise.

Many Lebanese put the blame squarely on the political elite and the corruption and mismanagement that even before the disaster had pushed the country to the brink of economic collapse.

Lebanon is already seeking $20billion in funding from the IMF and now faces billions more in disaster costs, with losses from the explosion estimated to be between $10billion and $15billion.

Lebanese security forces faced off with dozens of anti-government demonstrators last night, angered by the devastating explosion widely seen as the most shocking expression yet of the government's incompetence

Tear gas was fired to disperse scuffles that broke out in ravaged streets in central Beirut leading to parliament, the wreckage from Tuesday's explosion still littering the entire area

UNITED STATES: People take part in a candlelight vigil for victims of the Beirut disaster in Los Angeles on Thursday night

BRAZIL: The Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up with an image depicting the Lebanon national flag in Rio de Janeiro last night

President rejects international probe Lebanon's president today said a missile or bomb could have caused the catastrophic port blast, while rejecting calls for an international probe into the disaster. President Michel Aoun said that 'the cause has not been determined yet' three days after the disaster which has killed at least 154 people. While authorities are investigating claims of negligence and have arrested 16 port officials, the president said there was also a 'possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act'. Aoun admitted that the 'paralysed' political system needed to be 'reconsidered' amid fury at the elite and its perceived corruption and incompetence. 'We are facing changes and reconsidering our system, which is built on consensus, after it was seen to be paralysed and incapable of swiftly executing decisions,' Aoun told reporters. He pledged 'swift justice' but rejected widespread calls for an international probe, telling a reporter he saw it as an attempt to 'dilute the truth.' 'There are two possible scenarios for what happened: it was either negligence or foreign interference through a missile or bomb,' he said, the first time a top Lebanese official raised the possibility that the port had been attacked. Advertisement

What ignited the 2,750 tonnes of fertiliser is still unclear. Officials have said work had recently begun on repairs to the warehouse, while fireworks were stored nearby.

Beirut has received a stream of international assistance since the blast, while French president Emmanuel Macron visited yesterday to demand deep reform of the country.

Mr Macron, who was mobbed by angry Lebanese during the first visit by a foreign leader since the explosion, promised to mobilise aid to the former French protectorate.

However, he warned there would be no blank cheque for leaders without serious reform, and at a press conference he called for an international inquiry into the explosion.

'If reforms are not carried out, Lebanon will continue to sink,' Macron said after being met at the airport by Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

'What is also needed here is political change. This explosion should be the start of a new era.'

He also promised that French aid would be given out with transparency and 'will not go into the hands of corruption.'

Lebanon's leadership was already deeply unpopular, with a wave of mass protests that erupted in October last year only abating in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

World leaders have joined the chorus of voices in Lebanon and the diaspora demanding an international inquiry into the cause of the devastation.

The UN children's agency UNICEF has said nearly 80,000 children are among the 300,000 people left homeless, including many who have been separated from their families.

The cost of the widespread damage is estimated at up to $15billion - including a 390ft cruise ship which capsized as a result of the blast.

The Orient Queen, which had capacity for up to 300 passengers, was not carrying any passengers on board at the time after summer cruising operations had been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A view of shipping containers at the damaged site of Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area today

Yesterday a crowd mobbed visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, demanding his help in overthrowing Lebanon's reviled leaders, with many chanting for 'revolution' and to 'bring down the regime'

One of the ship's crew was killed with another still missing. Several other members of the crew remain in hospitals across the city, according to the ship's operator Abou Merhi Cruises.

'It's a sad, sad day for all of us,' said the cruise operator on social media.

'Abou Merhi Cruises has lost a precious soul in the tragedy that took place at the port of Beirut. Heilemariam Reta (Hailey) from Ethiopia.

'Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of Mustafa Airout from Syria who was at the port and is still missing'.

Hospitals have also been badly damaged by the explosion, and medical centres were overwhelmed with cases other than Covid-19 for the first time in months with some having to turn away the wounded.

Near the disembowelled silos at the port of Beirut, Russian rescuers were ankle-deep in corn as excavators removed mangled shipping containers.

Civil defence teams anxiously watched a sniffer dog as he paced around a gap under a fallen crane. French rescuers said they had recovered four bodies, but had found nobody alive so far.

Relatives of the missing have been flocking to the port for days hoping to know the fate of their loved ones.

Lebanon's hospitals, already strained by a wave of coronavirus cases and a severe economic crisis, have been unable to cope with the number of casualties.

Relief flights from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were set to land in Lebanon on Friday, following others from France, Kuwait, Qatar and Russia.

Two days after the blast, Lebanese were flocking to a Russian field hospital newly established in the capital's largest sport stadium.

Medics were still erected nearly 20 medical tents when the first wave of patients started to arrive.

They included a 93-year-old man suffering back and chest pains after Tuesday's blast and a Syrian three-year-old whose scalp was scarred by a shard of glass.
Livia Pinheiro, who was born in Brazil, spent eight years in prison for first degree robbery and was then detained by ICE, which planned to deport her. It was during the initial days of the virus and she was housed in a crowded, roach-infested dormitory room in a county jail where the bunks were bolted to the floor, making social distancing impossible. She and other detainees were finally released after a coalition of legal organizations successfully argued that the conditions were unsafe during the pandemic.

Everybodys freaking out about sheltering in place, said Ms. Pinheiro, 40, who has to wear an ankle monitor while living in Long Beach. But I feel so free and liberated to be with a great group of girls in this house.

Ms. Burton served six prison terms for drug possession and intent to sell and was granted a pardon by Gov. Gavin Newsom last year for her work helping women attempting to pull their lives together. Her empathy for others was hard won. She endured years of childhood sexual abuse, compounded by a gang rape as a teen, during which she became pregnant with her first child, a daughter. Then Ms. Burtons five-year-old son, Marque, known as K.K., was killed crossing the street after being struck by an unmarked van driven by an Los Angeles police detective who she said never bothered to get out of the car. The vortex of grief that followed contributed to drug and alcohol addiction and a series of abusive relationships with sexually exploitative men.

Still, she became her sisters keeper. Ms. Burtons notion of houses as communal places for healing  sobriety being one of the rules  was inspired in part by the treatment center in Santa Monica that aided her own recovery. The experience, she said, also opened her eyes to profound inequities in the criminal justice system in which incarceration was the default for poor people of color in neighborhoods like hers, in Watts, while those committing similar infractions in places like Santa Monica were offered therapy, A.A. meetings, community service and parenting classes.
In 2019, the WHO considered the 2015 vaccine along with several others for use in Congo, but didnt pick it. It pointed out that it had been approved for emergency use after Phase 1 and 2 trials, but not Phase 3. According to ClinicalTrials.Gov, a website maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, a study among 2,000 people in Guinea and Russia was still ongoing last month.
The pandemic has shown that it can subvert the long-held narratives around the practice of classical dances, to have a critical self-reflective voice, which has remained largely absent thus far.

We must constantly remind ourselves that the curated lives we see online are but the tip of the iceberg; that like John Berger noted of the photograph being an image selected by the photographer over an infinite array of images that are possible, the lives we present online are equally selected and uploaded for a reason. In the case of artists, the need to remain in public memory drives the curation of what is uploaded. Classical dancers found a pliable platform in social media to increase their reach and audience, and took to it keenly around five years ago. What started as a trickle has been in full spate since the lockdown was announced.

Periodically, even before the pandemic, I would stop wanting to open my Facebook account because all I would be greeted by each day was a barrage of photos, videos, performance reviews, announcements of upcoming performances of the dancers on my friend-list. I would scroll through, and like countless pictures of exquisitely talented dancers, watch snippets of their videos, unknowingly make mental notes of performances coming up, but mostly, I would leave feeling more miserable than inspired. And even if I were largely content with how much I was dancing and where my life was going, these posts would make me jittery, and self-doubt would inevitably creep in. This feeling is not mine alone, countless conversations with dancers have revealed the same anxieties on opening a social media app like Instagram or Facebook. The Indian classical dance field is a highly competitive one, and with the advent of social media, it only seems to have become more so. The need to be constantly visible, to let those around you know that you are active, seems to have become an exhausting part of life in classical dance.

With the onslaught of COVID-19, and the cancelling of live performances and precariousness of livelihoods, I was interested to see how the conversation online would change. Instead of the constant self-promotion, which had become a bane of belonging to the classical dance field, perhaps there would be something more one would be privy to. Were dancers ready to be vulnerable with each other in the face of a global pandemic? Perhaps not, since all I saw was a shift from posts announcing offline performances, talks and events, to those inviting the audience to attend a plethora of Instagram, Facebook and YouTube lives, video recordings of poetry and music, and screenshots of those performances becoming the new photographs. Which is not to say this is bad. In the face of uncertainty at a scale most of us have never experienced before, there is no right way to respond. The shift online has meant that collaborations between dancers separated by geography have become possible; interactions with dancers and those in allied fields are facilitated through the virtual realm. It has made a larger variety of content accessible across the globe, and I get to witness all this sitting in my balcony, with a glass of chai in hand.

While not denying the trove of possibilities that the shift online has made possible, I still felt that the status quo in classical dance has largely remained unchanged. There were riveting performances I witnessed online, engaging talks, creative use of spaces, and an adapting to the new normal which was, for the lack of a better word, exciting to watch. But for a community that constantly refers to itself as a fraternity, I have always felt a lack of true fellow-feeling within it. The fraternity operates in cliques that promote each other, including some, but often excluding others. What better time than a pandemic, which forces us to be home, that gives us the time to reflect and fix the things ailing the 'fraternity'? With all eyes online, how do we evaluate and step up the role social media can play for the classical dance scene? If the USA and more parts of the world can galvanise and mobilise themselves bodily in the midst of a pandemic, towards a movement which ensures the safety and dignity of black lives, surely, the classical dance community can begin uncomfortable conversations deserving urgent redressing.

A Google search on the relationship between empathy and social media is confusing because there are results of both social media increasing our ability to feel empathy, as well as studies stating that there is a decline in compassion. For a moment, let's suppose that the former study is true, that it is indeed possible to engage with greater empathy due to social media with those around us. What does engaging with empathy look like within the field of classical dance? While an article already talks of how classical dance has always kept itself aloof from the politics of the time, what I find even more frustrating is the inability of this fraternity to look critically at itself without feeling threatened. As the pandemic progressed, I found myself in conversation with dancers for the dissertation I was writing. I realised that there were many things that were tangential to the classical dance world and were being mulled over by dancers. I began to pay closer attention to posts being put out by dancers on my friend-list, where conversations were being initiated. I began to put up longer posts on my social media hoping dancers would respond, and they did  largely from my own generation. But what it laid bare was that there was a need and want to have those conversations. There was a way to engage with the dance community, which was not based on exhaustion or competition, but instead a teasing out of the complexities of the classical dance world. That perhaps, it was possible to empathise and initiate dialogue, and empathise with those around us in this field, while accessing larger questions faced by the world.

Taught in a system premised on obedience, with questioning often deemed a sign of disrespect, the classical dance world can sometimes be a suffocating space to inhabit. Even many scholars and critics of dance, who often have been dancers themselves, couch all explanations and questions within rarefied realms of spirituality, around art having a higher purpose, or a similarly abstract explanation. Where, then, is the space for dancers to have critical dialogues about their own practice? Which is also not to say that I am calling for activism in the name of art, rather, I am asking that dancers make larger connections to the world outside the Indian classical dances, and begin to engage in more holistic and meaningful conversations vis-a-vis their practice. How do we frame questions of exclusion, gender, caste, or class with respect to classical dance?

Chirasri Roy, an Odissi dancer from Kolkata, raised a question around gender binaries on a Facebook post. Male dancers get criticised for being too feminine in their movements, or female dancers are called out for being too masculine. She further asks what it means for a dancer, who might inhabit alternate sexual identities or gender positions, to witness most traditional pieces reflecting only heteronormative and heterosexual relationships. As world over, when the conversations begin to represent gender identities over a spectrum, and sexuality moves beyond heteronormative desires, and there is a call for greater representation of these identities in our film and literature, classical dance needs to initiate these dialogues as well. Especially since it often distinguishes between the two traditional gender roles within the form itself, in terms of the difference in the stance of a male versus a female character, or even the expressions that male and female characters are meant to portray.

Sreelekshmi Namboothiri, a young Mohiniattam dancer, uses an Instagram post to question the constant control young dancers are subjected to, be it their adherence to certain bodily aesthetic of the classical dancer with long hair, or a certain kind of body-type  a constant making of aesthetic rules within dance circumscribes what it means to be a dancer. As we call out body-shaming in the world at large, hold our celebrities accountable for endorsing fairness creams while espousing #BLM, it is equally pertinent that we look at how the arts, especially the classical dances, constantly perpetuate and normalise certain ideals around the aesthetics of the body.

Ayushi Madan, an Odissi dancer, wonders in her DMs to me if we, in our everyday lives as independent women, forego a part of that identity by subscribing to the 'womanhood' inscribed within Indian classical dance, which is so firmly entrenched within Hindu nationalism. She asks if we are still playing out the Madonna and whore stereotype, wherein our class and caste identities, coupled with our learning of dance, places us within the Madonna realm  a binary that women are no longer interested in inhabiting, and are enraged at, in its continuing hold on the patriarchal imagination. As women activists are arrested under the draconian UAPA and defamed, is our bowing down to such conceptions of womanhood without question pardonable? I wonder in turn.

Mrinalini, a Delhi-based Kathak dancer uses her mudras to think about our new relationship to the state after the passing of the CAA. It is a sparse dance of just her fingers against a black background, bringing to mind the equally uneasy relationship that Indian classical dance has with the state, with its survival being dependent in part on state patronage. How, then, does the dancer begin to effectively criticise the state? This short clip asks effectively.

Siddhi Goel, a Kathak artist, questions the frenzy of performances on offer on social media, and if an artist is judged by numbers alone. Is output the sole parameter for appraising your artistry? The post touches upon what the consistent need to be seen has on our mental health. It is evident that there are many conversations and questions waiting to happen; the question that remains is how one could channel them into the wider classical dance discourse. It is important that such conversations begin from within the classical dance network, since largely, the space for critical reflection has been left to academic circles, with dancers at the periphery.

Social media can become a potent space for having the conversations we have been unable to have offline as classical dancers. Once these conversations are identified, perhaps it would be useful to have informal reading groups that address them through reading and discussion, in order to work through challenges dancers face. Talks or seminars, which encourage a critical paradigm on a performance practice that has kept itself largely insular from the world around it, would be similarly useful. It is important to allow people the time and space to reflect in order to respond to any paradigm shifts to be brought in. Many of these points of contention could be new for people  it could have never registered with them, or perhaps, they were thought to be unchangeable.

The pandemic has shown that while gatekeeping and access to opportunities may remain the same with regard to classical dance in both offline and online spaces, the online world holds potential to have the difficult exchanges we need to be having. It can subvert the long-held narratives around our practice to have a critical self-reflective voice, which has remained largely absent thus far. In fact, it is already doing so. The classical dance community urgently needs to be shown a mirror, for it often remains a bastion of regressive and oppressive thought and action, where social, cultural and economic injustices and disappointments we fight in our everyday lives make their appearances repeatedly. Ultimately, if we can react with empathy to the arguments and voices that are unable to find a foothold in mainstream classical dance circuits, we stand to gain a more inclusive space, where we can first acknowledge and then begin to address the problems plaguing a largely insular space. Perhaps it is too optimistic a view, but change does not happen overnight. Even a post here and a post there can light the way, stop our ship from sinking, and show us the entire iceberg, so we remember to navigate it with empathy and fellow-feeling.

Ranjini is a student at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education, doing her MPhil in Arts, Creativity and Education. Her research is focused on religious and social hierarchies repeatedly re-inscribed and transmitted through the practice and performance of Indian classical dance. She is also a Kuchipudi practitioner.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by FELIPE TRUEBA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (10729924ab) New pupil Angelina Bojahr (C) wears a sanitary mask during an enrolment ceremony in the Lankow elementary school in Schwerin, Germany, 01 August 2020. Thousands of children of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania celebrated their first day in school with classes resuming on 03 August. This federal state is the first in Germany to officially open the new school year complying with health protocols imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. Children have to wear mask in the common areas of the school buildings. First day in school for pupils of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin, Germany - 01 Aug 2020 - FELIPE TRUEBA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Two of the first schools in Germany to reopen following the summer holidays were forced to close on Friday after a teacher and a pupil tested positive for the coronavirus.

Authorities said there was no indication the infection had spread at either school but both were closed as a precaution.

Pupils and staff at a primary school were ordered to self-isolate for two weeks after a pupil tested positive.

Separately, a secondary school was closed for four days so staff could be tested after a teacher was found to be infected.

We said from the start that there would be suspected cases in schools, Bettina Martin, the regional education minister for Mecklenburg-West Pomerania said.

As long as the coronavirus has not been eliminated and there is no vaccine, we have to deal with it. The protection of pupils and staff comes first.

Schools have been open across Germany since May, after the coronavirus lockdown was lifted. Although several have closed for short periods after individual infections were detected, so far there has been no serious outbreak.

But many schools are returning to full class sizes for the first time following the summer holidays, and parents and teachers groups have expressed concern over the risk of transmission.

Before the summer break, schools in most regions divided classes into smaller groups so social distancing could be observed, but parents complained after that left many children only able to attend classes for a few days a week, and the German authorities have now ordered full classes to resume.

The primary school Ostsee Grundschule is pictured after it was closed following a positive coronavirus disease (COVID-19) tested pupil in Graal-Mueritz, Germany, August 7, 2020. REUTERS/Oliver Denzer - OLIVER DENZER/REUTERS

Summer holidays are staggered by region in Germany and schools in the north-eastern region of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania are the first to return this year.

The Ostsee primary school in Rostock is to close for two weeks from Monday after a pupil tested positive for the virus.

Classes were moved outdoors as a precaution on Friday until parents could pick their children up. Pupils and staff have been told to self-isolate at home for two weeks.

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The Goethe-Gymnasium secondary school in Ludwigslust-Parchim, more than 60 miles away, was also forced to close after a teacher tested positive.

The teacher had not taught any classes since the summer holidays, and the schools 800 pupils are thought to be unaffected.

But she had held meetings with fellow teachers and the school will remain closed until Wednesday next week so all staff can be tested for the virus.

Senior German virologists on Friday became the latest to join calls for facemasks to be worn at all times in schools.

A lack of prevention and control measures could quickly lead to outbreaks, which could force schools to close again, warned the German Society for Virology, whose leading members include Prof Christian Drosten, the chief advisor to Angela Merkels government on the crisis.

We urge caution against the idea that children do not play a role in the pandemic and in the transmission.

Anja Karliczek, the education minister, has previously called for facemasks to be worn in classes.

A study in Saxony, the only German region to resume full class sizes before the summer holidays, found no evidence schools play a major role in transmission.

Scientists from Dresden University tested 1,500 children and 500 teachers for the virus and found antibodies to the virus in only 12.

Children may even act as a brake on infection, Prof Reinhard Berner, the leader of the study said.
The impact of the occupation on Cafe Argento, Khans coffee shop on Capitol Hill, has been devastating. Very few people braved the barricades set up by the armed occupiers to come in for his coffee and breakfast sandwiches. At two points, he and his workers felt scared and called 911. They said they would not come into CHOP, said Khan, referring to one of the names that protesters gave to the occupied Capitol Hill area. It was lawless.
Unification Minister Lee In-young speaks while presiding over a meeting of a civic group-government committee on inter-Korean cooperation at the government complex in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap



By Yi Whan-woo



Proposals to provide government funding for humanitarian aid to North Korea are gaining momentum following the appointment pf Lee In-young, a former four-term ruling party lawmaker, as unification minister, July 27.



Led by Lee, a civic group-government committee approved, Thursday, a plan to offer $10 million for a World Food Programme (WFP) project to supply food to young children and women in the North.



The money will be used to provide nearly 9,000 tons of fortified food to children aged under seven and pregnant women in 60 North Korean counties.



The committee also approved a plan to spend nearly $2.4 million this year as part of a three-year project to turn the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a cultural zone.



In separate assistance, the government will provide 3,600 tons of food aid, including corn, beans and oil, to 26,500 North Koreans who take part in rural community projects.



More than 60 percent of them are women, who are mobilized to restore river banks, plant trees and do other physical work.



The ministry is also reviewing an agricultural federation's plan to barter sugar produced here for North Korean alcoholic beverages.



The government, either unilaterally or in cooperation with international organizations, sought to aid children and women in the North under Lee's predecessor Kim Yeon-chul but these moves were rebuffed by Pyongyang.



For instance, the WFP has sought financial support for food aid since January but government approval was delayed after the North ratcheted up rhetoric against President Moon Jae-in and blew up a liaison office in its border city of Gaeseong.



"Lee being the unification minister is a plus for cross-border humanitarian assistance to pick up speed," a ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) official said on condition of anonymity.



The official was referring to a lack of this under Kim, who expressed difficulty in leading inter-Korean affairs when he stepped down as unification minister in June, holding himself responsible for the strained relations.



Kim said he had too much of an administrative burden and limited authority.



Lee, who served as the DPK floor leader until recently, is known for his involvement in "peace-related" activities.



Against this backdrop, a ministry official expressed hope that the government will be able to "continue to provide humanitarian assistance regardless of the political and military situation."


The Defence Headquarters had on August 6 2020 said that Nigerians have no reason to fear the USA shout out that Al-Qaeda and ISIS are on a mission to settle in Southern Nigeria and that Al-Qaeda were already in the north-western part of the country.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, while fielding newsmen with questions in Abuja, characterised the USA outcry as a mere alarm, adding that the Nigerian security agencies were on top of the situation and are equal to the task.

The Army added that Nigerians had no reason to entertain any fear. But it is very disturbing that such a wishful hope could be given to Nigerians by the Army when combined security agencies in Nigeria were finding it very difficult to suppress internal security challenges, let alone, fighting such dreadful terrorists organisations such as the Al-Qaeda and ISIS, which have been giving international powers, with all their modern technologies in information gathering, some headache to eradicate.

While the Army was making a boast of having the wherewithal to fight Al-Qaeda and ISIS, on Wednesday and Thursday (Aug. 5-6) alone, police said that no fewer than 21 persons were killed by supposedly Fulani militia in some villages in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Contrary to that figure by the police, the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, a civil organisation in the area the shoddy incident happened, rebuffed polices information and said that it was 33 persons that were killed, not 21 persons.

The killings have been a recurring decimal in a country with trained military and also police. Anyway, the later has been on the truculent index with records of inadequacies, therefore the military has taken the place of police whereas police, have literarily taken the place of Boys Scout or Man-O-War. Nigerians continue to watch Nigeria ebbing into some ill-natured state in the history of the country.

As at the time of writing this piece, no arrest was so far made in connection with the killings; just as many other incidents before this were swept under the carpet. In Southern Kaduna, the affected communities left to nurse their wound were given as ApyiaShyim, APiako, AtakMawei, and Kibori, all in Atyap Chiefdom of Zangon Kataf LGA.

Governor Zulum of Borno state recently escaped attack by suspected terrorists (or was it soldiers?) Disturbed by that experience, the governor didnt hide his displeasure over military formation in his state but especially in Baga, hence he was pushed to state that he might establish hunters to fight terrorism in the area. This statement is too big to explain that the Nigerian Army might have been reduced to a level where hunters come first in discerning minds when the issue of fighting insecurity is mentioned.

The inconsiderateness of Maj-Gen Enenche on insecurity in Nigeria is second to none, given his Greek Gift called hope for Nigerians against Al-Qaeda, ISIS in Nigeria. By that, one wonders if the Army had also enlisted as a political party in Nigeria because their officers words were always semblance with those of typical Nigerian politicians. For instance, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai had in July said that the insecurity situation that was replete in the country was under control.

The President, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on July 31 dashed the remnant hope Nigerians had on security challenges, when he said after performing Eid prayers in Abuja that his government had done its best on insecurity. This typically translates that this government had exhausted every strategies on insecurity, but here was one Maj-Gen Enenche giving Nigerians hope against Al-Qaeda, ISIS in Nigeria. Hooey!

Even the Daura in Katsina, the home town and state of Buhari, were always under attack. This is to say, but the list, that Nigeria is under lock in the hands of terrorists or whatever name they are given. Nigerians still experience killings, kidnappings, bandits, cattle rustling upon many assurances the Army had given that Nigeria was safe. Nigerians witnessed an attack on a United Nation aid helicopter in North-east Nigeria by terrorists in July in which 2 persons lost their lives, upon assurances by not only the COAS, but, also, the presidency, saying that insecurity in Nigeria had been arrested.

The truth is that the authorities such as the Army and presidency will never give up in their rather misleading tactics by saying that terrorists are always fighting back to prove a point that they are on ground whereas they have been defeated. You wonder who has been defeated! It was such an excuse that Buhari gave when terrorists attacked peace-loving Nigerians and U.N. humanitarian workers. Buhari saw the attack as desperation by Boko Haram in making sure the world believe they are still on ground.

Juxtaposing to that, Nigerians without a doubt read in the news when Buratai said that he had relocated to Katsina in order to push and make sure that the new Operation Sahel Sanity was a success in curbing the killings of residents in Katsina communities suspected to be the handiwork of bandits who have in the recent times been a thorn in the neck of residents in the entire North-west region. Upon that, Nigerians have not woken up each day (after the political relocation of Buratai?) without hearing any forms of killings of hapless citizens either by Boko Haram, Bandits or Fulani Herdsmen.

In all of this, it is believed that the Army had gone through over 40 different operations and exercises in the last 5 years to fight security challenges to a halt, yet success seems some miles away to be recorded. Many of such operations by the Army were code-named, yet there is no maneuver of relieve that security is about to be sustained. What is happening in Nigeria, security-wise, is a testament that Nigeria is operating a flawed system in which corruption has eaten subterranean into the fabrics of all sections, including the Army.

Nigerians have watched video clips of soldiers in the warfront in the North-east crying over lack of logistics which resulted to the Army hierarchy disciplining such soldiers by means of transfer or absolute court marshal. The most recent one was a report in which a frustrated soldier said was in the frontline of the fight against Boko Haram fighters was delayed 'gate pass' hence he shot his superior, killing him, before he was arrested. Similar story with soldiers is replete in Nigeria.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.  Universal Electronics Inc. (UEIC) on Thursday reported second-quarter net income of $14.4 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.

The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company said it had net income of $1.02 per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were 89 cents per share.

The remote control maker posted revenue of $153.1 million in the period.

For the current quarter ending in October, Universal Electronics expects its per-share earnings to range from 87 cents to 97 cents.

The company said it expects revenue in the range of $150 million to $160 million for the fiscal third quarter.

Universal Electronics shares have dropped 10% since the beginning of the year. In the final minutes of trading on Thursday, shares hit $47.05, a rise of 13% 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 UEIC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/UEIC
Astronomers are rather excited to find what they believe is a neutron star that has survived a powerful supernova that was first detected in 1987, and if confirmed, would become the youngest one known to mankind.

Surviving a Powerful Event

In a report by Futurism, a team of astronomers observed what they believe is the youngest neutron star 170,000 light-years away from Earth in a satellite galaxy of our very own Milky Way, which is known as SN 1987A.

When the star was first detected until now, experts are still uncertain whether it was able to survive the event and didn't collapse to form a black hole.

Nevertheless, astronomers published a new paper in The Astrophysical Journal last week that it may have survived after all--and now, a team of astronomers made a discovery supporting it.

If proven, the newly discovered neutron star will be the youngest one known by humanity, beating the current youngest supernova remnant is Cassiopeia A, which is 330 years old that can be found 11,000 light-years away from Earth and can be found within our galaxy.

Read Also: NASA Discovers Jupiter Has Ammonia-Water Solution Leading to 'Shallow Lightning' and 'Mushballs'

Discovering the Youngest Star

So, how did the team of astronomers find this possibly youngest neutron star?

According to Astronomy, the team analyzed a high-resolution image of what was left behind SN 1987A after the supernova event, captured by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) located in Chile.

While checking the images, they found a hot "blob" within the core of the supernova.

The scientists believe that the blob was most likely a shroud of glass surrounding the neutron star. Without it, the astronomers would unlikely to discover the star in its center since it's incredibly dense and small, so it cannot be detected directly.

"We were very surprised to see this warm blob made by a thick cloud of dust in the supernova remnant," said Mikako Matsuura, an expert from Cardiff University who made the discovery using ALMA.

Matsuura further explained that they believed something is heating the dust, making it shine, which is why they suggested there could be a neutron star hiding inside it.

The team hypothesized that the newborn star has a temperature of around 5 million degrees Celsius, which is why it was extremely bright.

Waiting for Confirmation

"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," explained Dany Page, an astrophysicist from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the lead author of the paper.

The team of astronomers, as well as the public, will have to wait for a long time before experts can confirm whether there is indeed a neutron star in the middle of the blob and whether it is indeed the youngest neutron star to date.

To confirm, experts will have to wait until the shroud of gas and dust surrounding it dissipate so they could prove that the young millennial star does exist.

Read Also: WATCH! NASA-Monitored 'Asteroid Tsunami' Could Possibly 'Send 400 Feet Waves' into the US Coast

This article is owned by TechTimes.

Written by: Nhx Tingson

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
France and Germany have quit talks on reforming the World Health Organization in frustration at attempts by the United States to lead the negotiations, despite its decision to leave the WHO, three officials told Reuters.

The move is a setback for President Donald Trump as Washington, which holds the rotating chair of the G7, had hoped to issue a common roadmap for a sweeping overhaul of the WHO in September, two months before the U.S. presidential election.

The United States gave the WHO a years notice in July that it is leaving the U.N. agency - which was created to improve health globally - after Trump accused it of being too close to China and having mishandled the coronavirus pandemic.

The WHO has dismissed his accusations. European governments have also criticised the WHO but do not go as far as the United States in their criticism, and the decision by Paris and Berlin to leave the talks follows tensions over what they say are Washingtons attempts to dominate the negotiations.

Nobody wants to be dragged into a reform process and getting an outline for it from a country which itself just left the WHO," a senior European official involved in the talks said.

Asked to confirm the decision by Paris and Berlin, spokesmen for the government of G7 members Germany, France, Britain and Italy declined comment.

But Frances health ministry told Reuters: The U.S. should not take the lead in the WHO reform process after announcing their intention to leave the organisation."

Asked about the position of France and Germany, a senior Trump administration official said: All members of the G7 explicitly supported the substance of the WHO reform ideas."

Notwithstanding, it is regrettable that Germany and France ultimately chose not to join the group in endorsing the roadmap," he said.The talks on WHO reform began about four months ago. There have been nearly 20 teleconferences between health ministers from the Group of Seven industrialised nations, and dozens of meetings of diplomats and other officials.

A deal by the G7, which also includes Japan and Canada, would facilitate talks at the G20 and United Nations, where any changes would have to be agreed with China, Russia and other major governments not in the G7.

It is unclear whether a G7 summit in the United States, at which Trump hopes leaders will endorse the roadmap, will now go ahead in September as planned.

U.S. officials have not said what reforms Washington has sought. But an initial reform roadmap proposed by Washington was seen by many of its allies as too critical, with one European official involved in the negotiations describing it as rude".

Despite changes to the original text, Washingtons push remained unacceptable, mainly to Germany, sources familiar with the negotiations said.

FUNDING AND POLITICIZED MANAGEMENT"

In the weeks before the collapse of the talks, negotiators had told Reuters positions were getting closer as Washington softened its approach and European negotiators started to see the reform process as a means to make the WHO more independent from political pressure..

European governments had also began to make sceptical remarks about the WHO in public, with Germanys health minister urging the WHO to hasten a review of its handling of COVID-19..

In private, some Europeans have supported a tougher line, with some criticising WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and what they see as politicised management of the pandemic.

Everybody has been critical of Tedros," a negotiator from a European G7 country told Reuters.

A German government source said: It must  be ensured in future that the WHO can react neutrally and on the basis of facts to global health events."

But European governments want to make the WHO stronger, better funded and more independent, whereas the U.S. withdrawal of funds is likely to weaken it - Washington is the single largest contributor, providing 15% of the budget.

Some Europeans see Trumps criticism of the WHO as an attempt in the run-up to the U.S. election to distract attention from his handling of COVID-19, and Berlins ties with Washington have been strained by his decision in July to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Germany.

Plans to reform the WHO are unlikely to be definitively shelved, especially if Trump is defeated in the November election. European governments want Washington to remain a WHO member and a financial supporter, and they have shown an interest in boosting their own funding to the body.

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
Hong Kong: Govt deplores US comments

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today strongly deplored and opposed a statement issued by the US Consulate General Hong Kong & Macau on the National Security Law.

In its response, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the statement incorrectly and inappropriately commented that this law would affect Hong Kong residents freedom of speech.

Noting that safeguarding national security through legislation is in line with international practice, the Hong Kong SAR Government reiterated that the National Security Law only targets four types of acts and activities which endanger national security. The majority of Hong Kong residents who are law-abiding, including overseas investors, are not affected.

As for the US, it has at least 20 laws safeguarding national security and sovereignty. The Hong Kong SAR Government said the US inappropriate comments smack of political manipulation and double standards and are a gross interference in China's internal affairs as well as a grave violation of basic norms governing international relations.

The Hong Kong SAR Government pointed out that the National Security Law was enacted to ensure the resolute, full and faithful implementation of "one country, two systems", "Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy.

Hong Kong's capitalist system, high degree of autonomy and legal system will not be affected, while the executive, legislative, independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication, will also remain unchanged.

Additionally, the law does not affect the legitimate rights of Hong Kong residents to exercise freedom of speech, including criticising government policies or policies and decisions made by officials, as well as freedom of information, academic freedom, policy studies, personal data privacy and general business activities.

Given that Hong Kong has frequent exchanges and close liaison with other countries, regions and international organisations, the Hong Kong SAR Government assured such normal exchanges are protected by the Basic Law and the laws of Hong Kong and they are different from those regulated by the National Security Law.

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Vineet Upadhyay By

Express News Service

DEHRADUN: After Nepal installed omni-directional CCTV cameras on India-Nepal border near Champawat district of Uttarakhand, Indian authorities raised their objections in their recently concluded meet on Tuesday.

Omni-directional CCTV cameras provide 360 degree view which has become a concern to security agencies of the Indian side.

SN Pandey, district magistrate of Champawat district said, "The issue was raised with the Nepalese authorities to which they have assured to look into, along with other matters pertaining to border issues."

Nepalese authorities, responding to the objections of the Indians assured that all 'issues' will be resolved through talks.

Officials from the Sea Sashastra Bal which guards and patrols the India-Nepal border for India who were also in the meeting raised their concerns of this new installation of the cameras.

An official on the condition of anonymity said, "This seems to keep watch on movement of Indian border patrols. We have objected to the installation."

Authorities from India and Nepal after an informal meeting on Tuesday to 'maintain status quo', assured each other that no activity will be carried out on the 'No Man's Land' which has become a bone of contention near Champawat district.

From the Indian side, Champawat district magistrate, superintendent of police, and commandant of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) attended the meeting.

Earlier, last month, Nepalese people erected pillars for fencing the no-mans land near the border on July 22.

Nepalese residents reportedly built up around 23 wood and concrete structures in no man's land on Indian side last week which became a thorny issue between authorities and people of both countries.

The Nepalese people are claiming the land theirs contrary to the claims of India that the said land spanning about 150 square meters is 'No Man's Land'.

According to the Indian officials, Nepalese nationals had encroached upon area near Pillar 811 and Tanakpur barrage in Champawat district claiming to be theirs.

Meanwhile, Nepalese authorities have written to India to not stop their people's movement into Limipiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh areas which the Himalayan nation claims its own.

The letter, dated July 28, 2020 addressed to aunb-divisional magistrate of Dharchula in Pithoragarh district mentioning Sugauli treaty between Nepal and British East India Company in 1815 said that the movement of the Nepalese people in these areas are natural and Indian authorities should not obstruct them.

The letter written in response to a letter by Indian authorities dated July 14, 2020 asserting the treaty says that according to the treaty areas which are east to Kali (Mahakali) river- Limpiyadhura, Kalapani, Lipulekh, Gunji, Nabi and Kuti are Nepals.
Precautions taken because of the coronavirus pandemic kept high schoolers from going to Boston to compete in the NAACPs national ACT-SO Olympian competition, but more people now will be able to see the competition virtually.

The 42nd competition and awards ceremony features gold medalists from across the country, including seven from the Roanoke Valley, and can be seen Aug. 12-15 at https://ev12.perigonlive.com/1-evtac6e1b125d274fac9659a2d17504647a. You must register and use Zoom.

The Roanoke NAACP chapter is encouraging family members, churches and other supporters to watch and cheer for Roanokes Olympians.

The exact times for performances by Roanoke Valley teens have not been released, but the competition schedule is as follows:

Aug. 12, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., performing arts: Roanoke Olympians competing are Lynn Park, music instrumental classical; Kameron Washington-Brown, music/vocal contemporary; and Janiah Merchant, poetry performance.

Aug. 13, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., STEM, visual arts, culinary arts: Roanoke Olympians competing are London Paige, biology/microbiology; Uyen Tran, chemistry/biochemistry; Dylan Tran, engineering; Elyse McFalls, medicine and health.

Aug. 14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., humanities, business, culinary arts: Roanoke Olympian Janiah Merchant will compete in poetry/written.

For more information, call Gloria Randolph-King at 793-0811 or Sheila Herron at 521-5388.

Roanoke Chapter of Links Inc.names scholarship winners

The Roanoke Chapter of Links Inc., a branch of a national womens service and civic organization, has awarded scholarships to seven recent high school graduates.

The recipients are Jayden Akerson of Cave Spring High School, who will attend Virginia Commonwealth University, $1,000; Selna Shi, Blacksburg High School, VCU, $850; Cartlie Vincent, William Fleming High School, University of Virginia, $500; Maya Coles, Patrick Henry High School, Radford University, $500; Sharon Chen, Northside High School, Virginia Tech, $500; Natalie Love, Northside, St. Marys Indiana, $500; and Lauren Hale, Northside, Virginia Western Community College, $200.

New scholarship established for Black students at Ferrum

A new Black American Scholarship for Empowerment at Ferrum College will give an annual gift of $250 to one male and one female African American student.

The scholarship, established by Alumnus Rameer Roberts of Richmond, will be used for books and supplies. Recipients must live on campus, be enrolled full-time, be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and demonstrate a financial need.

Roberts, coordinator for student conduct at Virginia State University, graduated from Ferrum in 2013 with a degree in business administration.

He went on to receive his masters of educational leadership degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

He said national studies show that African Americans have the lowest graduation and retention rates in higher education among other ethnic groups, primarily due to financial stability and first-generation status.

Based on the current social climate of our country and the financial strain on our colleges and universities from the pandemic, I felt a need to assist African American students in their pursuit of a good, quality education, he said in a release announcing the scholarship.

Kiwanis Club of Roanoke announces scholarships

The Kiwanis Club of Roanoke recently presented six scholarships totaling $15,000.

The club has been granting scholarships for 75 years and this year received support from American National Bank and Pinnacle Financial Partners.

The recipients are Danielle Brock and Sharon Chen, Northside High School; Hannah Luviano and Stephanie Unur, Hidden Valley High School; and Cartlie Vincent and Deaquan Nichols, William Fleming High School.

Recipients of $2,000 scholarships are Brock, who will attend University of Virginia Wise; Chen, Virginia Tech; and Luviano and Vincent, University of Virginia. Unur, who will attend Georgetown University, received a $3,000 award. Nichols, who is already enrolled at James Madison University, received a $4,000 scholarship.

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China has boosted its efforts to influence the US presidential election in November and wants President Donald Trump to lose because it sees him as "unpredictable," a top US intelligence official said Friday.

"We assess that China prefers that President Trump -- whom Beijing sees as unpredictable -- does not win reelection," said William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.

"China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to China's interests, and deflect and counter criticism of China," Evanina said in a statement.

He pointed to China's criticism of Trump's handling of the coronavirus epidemic, of the US closure of China's Houston consulate, and of the US administration's stances on Chinese actions in Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

"Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race," Evanina said.

Evanina said Iran is using social media disinformation to divide the country and hurt Trump, while Russia is meddling to damage the campaign of his Democratic opponent Joe Biden.

"Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former vice president Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia 'establishment,'" Evanina said.

"This is consistent with Moscow's public criticism of him when he was vice president for his role in the Obama administration's policies on Ukraine and its support for the anti-Putin opposition inside Russia," he said.

Evanina, the top intelligence official monitoring threats to the election, gave no details on the outside interference.

A strong hacking and social media campaign by Russia in 2016 is credited by US intelligence with helping Trump to victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

"Foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections are a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy," he said.

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A brewery in Western Canada has apologized after it was learned that one of its brand name beer products used the Maori word for pubic hair.

Hells Basement Brewery in Medicine Hat, Alberta, last year started marketing Huruhuru, a craft ale made with hops, the flower used in the brewing process, from New Zealand.

The brewery picked the name because it understood the word meant feather or fur.

But Te Hamua Nikora, a Maori living in New Zealand who is a well known former television personality in the country, said that the word huruhuru also has an altogether different meaning for the Kiwi indigenous community.

The co-founder of a brewery in Western Canada has apologized after it was learned that a New Zealand craft ale sold by the company, Huruhuru, used the Maori word for 'pubic hair'

The brewers at Hell's Basement Brewery in Medicine Hat, Alberta, initially thought that the beer's name stood for 'feather' or 'fur'

Te Hamua Nikora, a Maori living in New Zealand who is a well known former television personality in the country, wrote a Facebook post on August 1 in which he said that while 'huruhuru' does mean 'feather,' it is most commonly used to refer to 'pubic hair'

Nikora called out the Canadian brewery as well as a leather shop in Wellington which also adopted the name huruhuru

Yes I know huruhuru means feather, fur and even hair of the head, he wrote in an August 1 Facebook post.

I know this. But it is most commonly used as hair from a person's privates.

Nikora called out the Canadian brewery as well as a leather shop in Wellington which also adopted the name huruhuru.

Both the Canadian brewers and the Turkish immigrant couple that runs the leather store in Wellington apologized after receiving backlash on social media, with users accusing them of cultural appropriation.

Mike Patriquin, the co-founder of Hells Basement, told RNZ that he was under the impression the term just meant feather and that he had no idea that it also referred to pubic hair.

Patriquin said he regrets not consulting with a Maori about the term. Instead, his company relied on an online dictionary when picking the name.

We did not realize the potential to offend through our artistic interpretation, and given the response we will attempt to do better in the future, Patriquin said.

We wish to make especially clear that it was not our intent to infringe upon, appropriate, or offend the Maori culture or people in any way; to those who feel disrespected, we apologize.

We also do not think pubic hair is shameful, though we admit it may not go well with beer.

We are all human after all!

Patriquin said the brewery would reconsider re-branding their Huruhuru Pale Ale.

Maori make up around 17 percent of New Zealands 4.8 million population, but languish at the bottom of most social indicators, such as life expectancy, income, employment and educational attainment.
Epidemiologist Chido Dziva Chikwari tells Mike Hove of VOA Zimbabwe Service's youth program The Connection, that for Covid-19 cases to come down in Zimbabwe, the government should launch a campaign to re-educate citizens on how to stop the spread of COVID-19 by social distancing and wearing masks.
We face the greatest economic crisis in this country since the Great Depression. Since March, 53 million workers have been laid off. Their families dont know if they will be able to pay the rent or buy food, or if they will ever have a job to go back to.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken nearly 150,000 precious lives and sickened millions, while those who lost jobs have also lost their health insurance.

There is also the deepening crisis of militarizing our police forces and training them to think and act like soldiers in wartime. Instead of protecting people who exercise their First Amendment rights and to whom the police took an oath to serve and protect, inevitably we see the dangerous pattern that the police act as occupiers of our community and look at our fellow citizens as enemy combatants and less than human.

These new crises of economic deprivation, pandemic and the police acting like an occupying army are piled upon the looming climate catastrophe and the growing threat of nuclear war, all exacerbated by U.S. government policies.

Yet instead of grappling with these ongoing and impending crises, on July 22 the U.S. House of Representatives voted to spend $741 billion in 2021 for more war and more weapons that are slaughtering our fellow humans across the globe and destroying their cities. That amount adds to well over half of the budget Congress annually decides on, the remainder of which must also pay for labor, health, education, environment, housing, transportation and more. The U.S. annual war budget exceeds those of our rivals and many of our allies altogether.

At the same time, the House rejected an amendment that would have redirected just 10 percent of that enormous figure to provide much-needed funds that could be used for human needs in our communities, such as funding COVID-19 protective gear for health care workers, ensuring safe schools, safe streets and preventing millions of evictions.

Even before COVID-19 and the economic meltdown, New Haven, along with so many other cities across America, was cutting its budget, laying off workers and raising taxes, because it lacks the resources to maintain a modern city. The state of Connecticut was doing the same. Since March the situation has now become far worse.

Where was New Havens Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in these decisions? Instead of taking $74 billion from the bloated Pentagon budget to apply to human needs at home, she joined the Republicans and 138 other Democrats to vote for more wars. She then voted with a majority of the House to feed the vast killing machinery of the whole Pentagon budget.

Of the five members of Congress from Connecticut, the only one with enough courage and foresight to support that 10 percent cut amendment was Rep. Jahanna Hayes of the Fifth District.

Amidst these crises, DeLauro chose not to provide desperately needed resources to keep our citys residents alive, healthy, housed and educated, but rather to give President Trump more money to use to maintain the industry that deals death and destruction.

She chose not to create a new green, peace economy with good steady jobs to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and the development and use of clean fossil-free energy systems.

DeLauro chose to continue U.S. attacks on countries around the world, countries mainly inhabited by people of color, to keep the guns, bombs and warships rolling off assembly lines, to keep our troops fighting endless wars and dying in faraway lands, and to spend nearly $2 trillion on new, catastrophic nuclear weapons systems.

The weight of continuing to feed a dead-end war economy is quickly sinking what is left of the American family.

What will it take to convince our representatives in Congress to stop enriching the war profiteers, and instead save our cities and uplift our people? What can we do?

The New Haven Board of Alders will soon be voting whether to place on the November ballot in New Haven a non-binding referendum with the question: Shall Congress prepare for health and climate crises by transferring funds from military budget to cities for human needs, jobs and an environmentally sustainable economy?

Past history suggests that New Haven voters will answer that question with a resounding Yes.

We urge our neighbors in New Haven to ask their alder to support this referendum. We urge voters to vote for it. And at the same time let our national representatives hear from us loud and clear.

Henry Lowendorf is chairman of the Greater New Haven Peace Council.
Seven is teasing new evidence in the Azaria Chamberlain case as part of its 7News Spotlight: The Lindy Tapes special.

The newly-formed Spotlight investigations division, led by Mark Llewellyn and Denham Hitchcock, will feature various reporters. The series, which will have no permanent timeslot, will focus on major breaking news events as well as long-form investigations.

Denham Hitchcock said, It may be late, but the truth always finds its way out. Finally, broadcast for the first time, the hard evidence the police at the centre of this original investigation were hell bent on locking up Lindy Chamberlain for life. Over a period of months our 7NEWS Spotlight team has tracked down the witnesses who have stayed silent for all these years, and uncovered shocking unseen camera tapes buried deep in the Channel Seven vault.

Network Director of News and Public Affairs Craig McPherson added: What Denham brings to the screen is an in-depth investigation into the Chamberlain injustice that has never been uncovered until now. Pouring over 80 hours of tapes from the time. The police interviews, secret recordings. News strands of evidence from all over Australia and more significantly the Spotlight is told through the eyes of the police as tainted as they were.

A dingos got my baby. Five words that will forever divide a nation. The tragic death of a baby girl in outback Australia that at one point in time became a T-Shirt slogan, a punchline.

The trial one of the most publicised in our history.

Ask most Australians and theyll tell you they know everything there is to about the Azaria Chamberlain case.

They dont.

Incredibly, crucial parts of this story remain untold.

Now, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of baby Azarias disappearance and the greatest miscarriage of justice in Australian criminal history, a major investigation from the 7NEWS Spotlight team unearths the secret police tape recordings never broadcast.

Hours upon hours of interviews and conversations that detail the elaborate plot by police to find an innocent, grieving mother guilty of murder.

And for the first time we hear from multiple key witnesses who came forward at the time but were turned away by police  their testimony ignored.

Sunday 16 August at 8.30pm on Seven.
One member who listened to the audiobook version expressed how much she enjoyed narrator Ellen Archer, who animatedly delivered a variety of British accents both male and female. We were happy to hear from that same member that Reggie returns in Big Sky, Atkinsons fifth book in the series.

The authors well-developed characters and her witty asides make this series stand out from other detective novels.

Bonus books

One of my book clubs took July off, giving me time for other titles on my radar.

 Lip. Dip. Paint. Those words will haunt you after reading The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of Americas Shining Women by Kate Moore. With her account of the real-life horrors of women who were hired to paint watch dials in the 1920s with a glittering chemical that made them light up like industrious fireflies, Moore draws you in with a style that is infused with emotion and doesnt read like nonfiction. The book will make you angry. It will make you furious. It will make you cry. It will also make you admire and love these women who fought for justice that still reverberates today.
Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins said Thursday that he and his running mate, Angela Walker, are making progress in getting on the ballot in several states.

Hawkins, a Syracuse resident, will appear on the ballot in 31 states and the District of Columbia. In five states  Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Ohio  voters can cast a write-in vote for Hawkins.

After winning the Green Party's presidential nomination in July, Hawkins said during a videoconference with reporters Thursday that ballot access has been the main focus. When Ralph Nader received nearly 3% of the vote in 2000, he appeared on the ballot or as a write-in candidate in 43 states and D.C.

"We're really busting our bottom right now," Hawkins said.

It hasn't been easy qualifying for the ballot in some states due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even with the ongoing health crisis, some states haven't adjusted their ballot access requirements. The Greens have been successful in getting states, including Maryland and New Jersey, to allow electronic signatures to be submitted.

But there are 14 states where Hawkins is facing hurdles to getting on the ballot. There are ongoing legal challenges in three states  Arizona, Nevada and Oklahoma. Additionally, in Oklahoma, independent candidates for president must submit at least 35,592 signatures of registered voters or pay a $35,000 filing fee.

Ballot access will remain the focus through Sept. 4, which is the filing deadline for Arizona, Kentucky and Rhode Island. Hawkins said they will also pursue independent progressive state party ballot lines.

Hawkins also commented on Kanye West's presidential bid. West, like Hawkins, is seeking to get on the ballot as an independent candidate in several states. West has already filed petitions to appear on the ballot in Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Ohio.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that West's petition effort is being aided by Republican operatives. West told Forbes that he's aiming to take votes away from former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

But Hawkins thinks the hip-hop mogul's candidacy may backfire on Republicans. Before West expressed interest in being a candidate, he supported GOP President Donald Trump.

"I don't think it's just potential Biden supporters that may give an F-you vote for Kanye West," Hawkins said.

According to reports, West  whose net worth is an estimated $1 billion  is using a petitioning firm for his signature-gathering operation. Hawkins said after winning the nomination, the Green Party put out eight bids to professional petitioning firms to assist with their ballot access effort.

In the past, that has cost $2 or $3 per signature, according to Hawkins. But this year, he said the bids came in at between $10 and $20 per signature. He believes the firms are charging a "COVID premium" because of the health crisis.

"If you got a 5,000-signature petition and you want to at least get 50% more, you're looking at a $75,000 bill, at least, with one of these firms," Hawkins said. "We are emphasizing hiring activists from the Green Party and others to get on the ballot. West apparently has a lot of money that somebody is spending."

Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.

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US Lying About Moscow's Links to Taliban, Russian Foreign Ministry Says

Sputnik News

13:07 GMT 06.08.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States is lying about Russia's alleged links to the Taliban, the deputy head of the press department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexey Zaitsev, said Thursday, regarding the comments of Robert C. O'Brien, a US national security adviser to the president.

"We have gotten used to the United States' groundless made-up stories. Russia has been accused of all manner of sins ... This time, Russian special services are accused of collusion with the Taliban who are allegedly supposed to attack US troops in Afghanistan. This is just another lie that does not merit a comment", Zaitsev told a briefing.

The diplomat remarked that such statements were hurting the Russian-US interaction on Afghanistan.

The original NYT article did not show any proof. Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, strongly refuted the allegations in it. At the same time, Moscow welcomes the US plans to decrease its military presence in Afghanistan to 4,000 troops, Zaitsev said.

"We consider [US President Donald] Trump's statement on this proof of his commitment to a campaign promise on withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan and the White House's firm resolve on its commitments under a peace deal with the Taliban", the diplomat said.

In this week's article for the Washington Post, O'Brien said that Russia would "pay a price" if its alleged collusion with the Taliban was proven. O'Brien was referring to an article in the New York Times, which claimed, citing an anonymous source, that Russia offered remuneration to the Taliban for attacking US soldiers.

 Sputnik

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A group of 20 Spanish epidemiologists and public health experts have published a letter in the scientific journal The Lancet asking for an independent review of the Covid-19 response in Spain, where coronavirus cases are soaring again in one of the worlds hardest-hit countries.

The letter notes that Spain had more than 300,000 cases, 28,498 confirmed deaths and around 44,000 excess deaths as of August 4. More than 50,000 healthcare workers have been infected, and nearly 20,000 deaths were in care homes.

With a population of 47 million, these data place Spain among the worst affected countries. Spain is also reported to have one of the best performing health systems in the world and ranks 15th in the Global Health Security index. So how is it possible that Spain now finds itself in this position?, ask these experts, some of whom work abroad at institutions such as Oxford University, Toronto University and Johns Hopkins University.

We encourage the Spanish government to consider this evaluation as an opportunity that could lead to better pandemic preparedness, preventing premature deaths and building a resilient health system, with scientific evidence at its core

It is a question that many Spaniards are asking themselves these days. On Thursday, the Health Ministry reported 580 active outbreaks across the country, and the Basque government admitted that it is already experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus epidemic.

Spain ranks eighth in the world for Covid-19 fatalities, taking into account the official figure of around 28,000 deaths. But the 45,000 calculated by EL PAIS based on regional and other records would put Spain in fifth place, with similar figures as the United Kingdom.

And the numbers get worse relative to the population: Spain has 61 deaths for every 100,000 people, higher than Italy (58), France (45) or Portugal (16). Within Spain, there have been huge differences between regions like Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and Cataluna, with over 30,000 fatalities, and other parts of the country with a much lower death count.

Potential explanations point to a lack of pandemic preparedness (weak surveillance systems, low capacity for PCR tests, and scarcity of personal protective equipment and critical care equipment), a delayed reaction by central and regional authorities, slow decision-making processes, high levels of population mobility and migration, poor coordination among central and regional authorities, low reliance on scientific advice, an ageing population, vulnerable groups experiencing health and social inequalities, and a lack of preparedness in nursing homes, posit the authors of the letter. These problems were exacerbated by the effects of a decade of austerity that had depleted the health workforce and reduced public health and health system capacities.

The experts who signed the letter include leading researchers such as Margarita del Val, a virologist at the Severo Ochoa Cell Biology Center; Manuel Franco, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in the United States; Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, a pharmacoepidemiologist at Oxford University in the United Kingdom; Rafael Bengoa, who served as an advisor for Barack Obama health reform; Carme Borrell, a manager at the Barcelona Public Health Agency, and Carles Muntaner, a professor of public health at Toronto University in Canada.

A comprehensive evaluation of the health and social care systems is now needed to prepare the country for further waves of Covid-19 or future pandemics, identifying weaknesses and strengths, and lessons learnt, says the letter. We are calling for an independent and impartial evaluation by a panel of international and national experts, focusing on the activities of the central government and of the governments of the 17 autonomous communities.

The authors underscore that the goal of this independent evaluation they are requesting is not to apportion blame.

You cannot conduct your own evaluation of your own actions Helena Legido-Quigley, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Rather, it should identify areas where public health and the health and social care system need to be improved. Although this type of evaluation is not usual in Spain, several institutions and countries, such as WHO [World Health Organization] and Sweden, have accepted the need for such a review as a means towards learning from the past and preparing for the future, they write.

The initiative was started by Helena Legido-Quigley, an expert in public health who is affiliated with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. It is important to know what happened, now that the situation is not as difficult as it was at first, especially so we can be ready for a potential second wave in the fall, she says.

It would be very good for Spain to do it, because right now things are still being done so-so by some administrations, and we need to be better prepared for the future, adds Legido-Quigley, who began contacting colleagues about her idea when she heard that the World Health Organization wanted to conduct its own evaluation.

This expert also stresses the importance of not politicizing the initiative. To bring home the point, the letter was signed by 20 people of varying political affinities, said Legido-Quigley. Some of these experts have worked for governments from across the political spectrum, both in Spain and abroad.

Ideally, the evaluation committee would be able to conduct anonymous and confidential interviews of individuals working at all levels of the pandemic management, in central and regional governments, says Legido-Quigley, who is also affiliated with the National University of Singapore.

This kind of evaluation has more negative overtones here, but it is customary at centers and institutions  you cannot conduct your own evaluation of your own actions, she notes.

The review of Spains response should analyze governance and decision-making, scientific and technical advice, and operational capacity. Moreover, the social and economic circumstances that have contributed to making Spain more vulnerable, including rising inequalities, must be considered.

The letter ends with a call to the executive of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez: We encourage the Spanish government to consider this evaluation as an opportunity that could lead to better pandemic preparedness, preventing premature deaths and building a resilient health system, with scientific evidence at its core.
Daiane Pelegrini in one of her daily video calls with her best friend Vivian Robain, who lives back in her native Lajeado, Brazil. Ms Robain said there was troubling news in recent calls

The best mate of a 'wonderful' Sydney mother who was allegedly murdered has recalled their harrowing final video calls about how a mystery man lurked outside her home for hours three days before she died.

Police allege Daiane Pelegrini, 33, was stabbed to death at her home in the city's north-west by David Tran, 25, on Monday. He has variously been described as the nursing student's ex-lover and friend.

Daiane had moved to Australia four years ago searching for a better life with her husband and her eight-year-old daughter.

But each day, she spoke on video chat with Vivian Robain, her best friend back in her hometown Lajeado, in the Brazilian countryside.

In an exclusive interview, Ms Robain told Daily Mail Australia those calls had recently taken on a worrying quality - including reports of a man outside her Oatlands house for more than three hours, three days before she died.

Daiane confided in Ms Robain that she was being 'chased' by a man, something that worried her best mate deeply. 'This she told me and we talked for days on the subject until she went to police and said I could be calm,' Ms Robain said.

The late Daiane Pelegrini (above) has been described as a 'wonderful mother' and 'warrior woman' by her grieving best friend, Vivian Robain

Ms Pelegrini was the mother of one girl, now aged eight. Above, the pair play by the water years before she was allegedly murdered in Sydney this week

Ms Pelegrini had moved to Sydney for a chance for a 'better and safer life' with her husband - who she has since separated from. Instead she found tragedy

Ms Robain said Daiane told her a man had been out the front of Ms Pelegrini's house for three hours last Friday.

'She reported (to police) that she was being chased,' said Ms Robain, who added she was 'afraid because someone was bothering her'.

'She said to me the day she (contacted) the police that (the man) was in front of the house for more than three hours.'

A New South Wales Police Force spokeswoman said: 'Police from Cumberland PAC were called to the woman's home last Friday, July 31 2020, after she reported an unknown man was outside the premises.

'Officers attended and spoke with the woman, where further detail was obtained. No threats were reported.

'The man had left prior to police attending and a subsequent patrol did not locate him.'

Daiane's grieving husband, Marcelo Atunes De Ataides, said he had recently learned there had even been an alleged threat against her, but the details of that were unconfirmed.

Mr Atunes De Ataides said that her devastated friend had told him: 'Marcelo, we never think it's gonna happen. It's Australia, it's not Brazil.'

Ms Robain declined to comment on that matter, saying she couldn't speak about some of her conversations with Daiane due to the NSW Police investigation.

'We never imagined that this could happen,' she said.

Ms Robain said she could 'never imagine' such a thing happening to her 'warrior' friend Daiane (above) in Australia

'Lying in wait': The alleged crime

Charged: David Tran, 25, allegedly climbed up the balcony of Brazilian Daiane Pelegrini's home before stabbing her in the chest when she walked in

On Monday afternoon, Daiane arrived home at her unit in Oatlands, in the city's north-west, with a man she had reportedly recently been seeing, Steven Qoqos.

In court documents, police alleged that student David Tran, had broken into her unit about 4.30pm intending to cause her 'fear of physical or mental harm'.

Within 20 minutes, Tran had allegedly stabbed Daiane to death, court documents claimed.

Tran allegedly injured Mr Qoqos during a scuffle but he managed to escape and raise the alarm with neighbours.

Police will allege in court that Tran had sent Ms Pelegrini threatening messages prior to the incident.

Mr Qoqos has declined to comment but has since changed his Facebook picture to a cryptic Christian message: 'Love is a sacrifice'.

Tran was arrested and charged with murder, using a carriage service to menace and harass, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and entering a dwelling with intent to cause a serious indictable offence - stalking or intimidating.

He did not apply for bail during a brief court appearance on Wednesday and it was formally refused. Tran will return to court in September.

Ms Pelegrini had reportedly started seeing another man recently, Steven Qoqos, who was allegedly injured during the incident on Monday (above, left)

Multiple emergency crews were called to a street in Oatlands on Monday night, where the mother was allegedly stabbed multiple times

Ms Pelegrini was separated from her husband, Marcelo, and he shared a powerful message about violence in the wake of her death

'She left this world in a terrible way'

Ms Robain and the late Daiane Pelegrini in a happy snap together. She describes her as a 'wonderful mother'

Daiane had moved to Australia for a 'better and safer life', Ms Robain said, and no one ever expected such a tragedy to befall her Down Under.

The homicide rate in Brazil is more than 30 times that of Australia's, according to a 2018 United Nations report.

In a moving message, Ms Pelegrini's ex-husband Marcelo said he urged people to call for help if they felt threatened by violence, and warned that it happens around the world.

'If you know something that's happening, don't think it's going to stop at that stage. It can be worse,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'Call the police. Call friends. Call many, many times. Call the police ten times a day if it happens, ten times a week if it happens.

'Thirty times a month if need be, but call the police every day that it happens.'

'I get the pain of never seeing my best friend again,' Ms Robain said

Ms Robain said she wanted Australians to know the kind of person that Daiane was.

'A wonderful mother, a struggling woman who went in search of the dream of having a college degree.'

She had been studying nursing part-time at the University of Western Sydney and worked at an aged care facility in Rooty Hill.

Ms Robain has vowed to make sure that Daiane's daughter 'will always know what a wonderful mother you were' - and is devastated she is unable to travel to Australia to comfort the family due to the coronavirus crisis.

'(Daiane) left this world in a terrible way and her daughter is struggling a lot,' Ms Robeiro said.

'I want justice,' she said. 'Brazil asks ... for justice'.
This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.

In her years with the New Orleans Police Department, Sharon Williams had an unusual way of dealing with the many troubled young women she came across, some of them homeless. She adopted them, her sister Jashawn Berry Lucius said.

Once she adopted you, you were in our family for life, Ms. Lucius said. The young women would be invited to social gatherings, kids birthday parties, Mom and Dads anniversary, she said. Ms. Williams often went to Walmart to buy clothes for them.

Be careful how you treat people, Ms. Lucius said her sister had warned her, because you could be entertaining an angel.
Queensland Police stop vehicles at a police checkpoint set up at the Queensland and New South Wales border near the Gold Coast on March 26, 2020. (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Queenslanders Making a Last-Minute Dash Across the Border to Return Home

Queenslanders are making a last-minute dash across the border to return home before the NSW border shuts this weekend.

More than 3000 travellers have flown into the state in the past 24 hours as they attempt to beat the hard border lockdown on Aug 8.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski expects two-hour delays at vehicle checkpoints up to the 1am deadline.

I know thats very tight for everybody, he told ABC radio on Aug 7.

About 6000 vehicles have been checked in the past day and 68 people have been turned around.

Gollschewski said 10 percent of the Sunshine States police force was on pandemic duties.

Queensland will close its border with NSW and ban ACT residents when Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young officially declares them coronavirus hotspots.

People returning to the state after the lockdown will have to return by air and enter a 14-day hotel quarantine at their own expense.

Road access will be blocked to all vehicles once the border closes with exemptions for border town residents and freight.

A map of communities eligible for special border passes has been posted to the Department of Health website.

It comes as the state waits anxiously to find out if efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus have been successful after two COVID-19-infected teens dodged quarantine and spent days moving about the community.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said the next few days would be crucial.

It only takes one or two people coming into Queensland and we could have a situation like is unfolding in Victoria, she said.

I do not want that to happen here.

The restriction on people travelling from Victoria remains in place.

People from non-hotspot locations will have to travel by air or via the Northern Territory border.

The decision to close the border will be reviewed at the end of August.

Sophie Moore in Brisbane
Alyssa Milano had the coronavirus last April, but she didn't know about it until she tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies.

With that said, the 47-year-old actress was not hhappy with what she called a flawed COVID-19 testing system in the U.S. Apparently, she received three false-negative results before only to find out that she really had the dreaded disease.

On Wednesday, Milano confirmed that she tested positive for coronavirus antibodies even after she received COVID-19 negative result prior to her diagnosis.

The actress, who was wearing a breathing apparatus on the photo she posted, wrote in the caption: "This was me on April 2nd after being sick for 2 weeks."

According to Milano, everything hurt her and she even lost her sense of smell. She then described the feeling as like having an elephant sitting on her chest.

She added that she could not breathe normally, so much so that it caused her to lose nine pounds in just two weeks. Apart from that, Milano had a low-grade fever and a terrible headache.

"I basically had every Covid symptom," she confessed. "At the very end of march I took two covid19 tests and both were negative. I also took a covid antibody test (the finger prick test) after I was feeling a bit better. NEGATIVE. "

Since the symptoms lingered for months, she opted to take another test, in which she finally got a positive result.

Milano then called out the government and warned everyone about the alleged flawed testing system. She also reminded her followers to always wash their hands, wear a mask, and practice social distancing as she does not want anyone else to feel that way.

furthermore, Milano pledged to donate her plasma to save other COVID-19 positive patients. Those who recovered from the coronavirus disease is believed to have the ability to develop antibodies that can ease the symptoms of the respiratory disease.

"Super Safe Mask" Failed To Protect Milano?

Previously, Alyssa Milano attracted online trolls after she flaunted her "super safe mask."

In May 2020, the "Who's The Boss" actress sported her do-it-yourself face mask on Twitter. However, her face mask seemed to have holes in it, appearing as if it was crocheted.

"Show me your masks! Masks keep people safe and healthy. Show me yours! Ready? Go!" she wrote in the caption while urging everyone to do the same.

But instead of getting support, netizens laughed and called her out since the cover most likely will not do anything for her at all.

One user said, "Are you SERIOUSLY wearing a KNITTED mask!!!!...as in A MASK WITH HOLES IN IT??"

"Your idiocracy really is the gift that keeps giving. Thank you. #crochet," another netizen exclaimed.

The photo, which now has 28,100 likes and 10,600 retweets, surely grabbed people's attention. Nonetheless, Milano defended that her mask is genuinely safe.

"A--holes, mask has a carbon filter in it. So, yes, it might be crochet but totally safe," Milano wrote. "Mask has a filter in it for f---'s sake. A carbon one. My mom makes them. #WearAMask"

One follower also shared that she uses the same mask and even showed how it looks inside.

A crocheted mask WITH a filter pocket sewn on that I made. Works perfectly. People are some seriously judgy f*ckwads. @Alyssa_Milano you do you. pic.twitter.com/bL29Sx3ORa  Stephanie Wilson (@Mrs_Kity) May 23, 2020

Currently, the U.S. is yet to flatten the curve. The country has 4.6 million confirmed cases; 159,000 of which have already succumbed to death

READ MORE: 'American Ninja Warrior' Faces Major Scandal After Champ's Arrest [REPORT]
Loading "It doesnt mean the proceedings collapse if there are still main parties interested in the outcome. "What brings proceedings to an end is if there ceases to be a genuine contest." Mr Dunning said the witnesses in the trial were the "courts witnesses" and could be recalled or subpoenaed in a retrial by Mr Palmer if required. The Commonwealth intervened in Mr Palmers legal bid to have WAs hard border torn down and in effect became a "co-plaintiff", with both parties claiming the states all-or-nothing approach to reopening was unconstitutional.

During a four-day trial heard in the Federal Court in late July, the Commonwealth produced evidence from two public health experts, Professor Peter Collignon and Professor Tony Blakely, cross-examined other expert witnesses and submitted reports. WA enlisted its Chief Health Officer Andrew Robertson and Associate Professor Kamalini Lokuge as its witnesses, while Mr Palmer relied on the evidence of Associate Professor Sanjaya Senanayake. Mr Thomson said that due to the nature of the combined expert witness evidence being heard throughout the trial, the entire proceedings ought to be disregarded as they disadvantaged the state. Commonwealth Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue QC said since the Commonwealth withdrew its interest the day after the trial, it was not appropriate it make any further submissions on whether or not the evidence it adduced be considered in the High Court other than to say it no longer relied on it.

It follows comments made by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Radio 6PR on Thursday that his government wished the legal action had never been brought in the first place. "I'm pleased we're out of it," he said. "We've got no issue with [the proceedings] being redone or restarted ... we don't have any objection to that." During the hearing, Judge Darryl Rangiah blasted Mr Donaghue after the Federal Court became aware of its withdrawal from the case through the media, with an application to the court not made for a further three days. "Was it more important to notify the media before this court?" he asked, arguing Fridays case management hearing should have been listed for Monday given the urgent nature of the application.

Mr Dunning said there was no authority for the Federal Court to disregard the Commonwealths evidence. "Submissions you should disregard part of that evidence are wrong, it would turn it into a game, it would diminish the whole process," he said. He said while the Commonwealth was abandoning its reliance on its evidence, Mr Palmer's case still relied on it and the court must consider the matter based on "the best available evidence". Judge Rangiah said his task was to determine what the status of the Commonwealths evidence was now that it had withdrawn, and that he was not concerned with the reasons for its withdrawal.

Loading In responding to Mr Thomson's analogy WA was attempting to "unscramble an egg" and remove the Commonwealth's evidence, Judge Rangiah replied, "The applicants have indicated they want to eat the whole scrambled egg". There was some legal argument about whether the Commonwealth was technically considered a 'party' to the action, or an intervener. If a party, it would need to seek leave to withdraw from proceedings. Mr Dunning argued if a party wanted to end proceedings, the application would have to be made in the High Court, not the Federal Court. Judge Rangiah has reserved his decision on the application.

He queried the Commonwealth about whether it would bear the costs of the hearing. After a brief pause, Mr Donaghue said it would. Premier Mark McGowan, in response to the hearing on Friday, said he would have preferred the Commonwealth had actively supported WA's application for a retrial. "The Commonwealth has withdrawn from the case but unfortunately did not support Western Australia's application to have the case struck out," he said. "With or without the support of the Commonwealth government, WA will keep fighting for what is our right and that is to protect the citizens of this state. We will continue our battle, in fact, our war with Clive Palmer." Following the four-day trial between Mr Palmer and the State of Western Australia in July, the Federal Court adjourned to determine the facts of the case.
The Motorola Razr 2 display size change may delay the phones launch. The Motorola Razr 2 will sport a larger display than expected, it seems. Were talking about the devices main display, and this information comes from Ross Young, a well-known analyst.

Back in June, Mr. Young reported that the phone will sport a 6.7-inch main display. Well, now hes back with yet another tip, as it seems like Motorola changed its plans in the meantime.

The Motorola Razr 2 display size change may affect its launch; still coming in Q1 2021 though

Now he says that the phone will sport a 6.85-inch main display. He does note that Motorolas plans may change further, though. Mr. Young also noted that this will delay the phones launch, but that the device is still expected to arrive in Q1 2021.

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Back in June, he not only shared the size of the phones inner display, but he also said that the outer display will be larger than on the original Razr foldable. He did not share the size, though.

The Motorola Razr 2 and Razr 5G are both coming, and it seems like those are two different phones. Mr. Young reported that the Razr 5G will be smaller than the Razr 2.

Were not sure when will the Motorola Razr 5G arrive, though. It may launch alongside the Razr 2, or before / after it, no information leaked regarding all that, so well have to wait a bit more.

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The Motorola Razr (2020) did leak quite recently, though that is not the Razr 2 it seems. Evan Blass shared the phones design, but he noted that were looking at the Razr 5G, not Razr 2.

Its chin will be a bit different, and the fingerprint scanner will no longer be placed on it. The phone will still retain that notch on the main display, and will look quite sleek as well.

The hinge will be quite similar to the first-gen model, and least by the looks of it. Motorola will probably make it better on the inside, though, to avoid getting dirt under the display.

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The Snapdragon 765G may fuel the Razr 2 & Razr 5G

The phone is rumored to ship with the Snapdragon 765G 64-bit octa-core processor. That information hasnt been confirmed by the company, but Motorola needs to deliver this time around.

The original Motorola Razr foldable shipped with somewhat outdated specs. That is something Motorola will definitely want to avoid this time around, so were hoping that the 765G will be included.

Both the Razr 2 and Razr 5G could ship with the same processor. They may even look quite similar, other than the size difference. Well have to wait and see, nothing is set in stone yet.
New online platform looks to reverse 70% faith dropoff for college freshman

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A new online platform has emerged with the goal of addressing the massive amount of Christian students who leave their faith during college by connecting them with other believers to establish or join Gospel-centered communities wherever they are.

The faith-based nonprofit group Campus Renewal has launched an initiative called Every Student Sent. According to the organization, the effort hopes to reverse a trend in which 70% of students abandon their Christian faith after entering college.

Every Student Sent replaces the previous platform of Campus Ministry Link, which was founded three years ago with a similar goal.

The initiative enables Christian college students to access a database with information about the campus ministries and Christian groups at nearly every school in the country.

John Decker, the strategic partnership director for Every Student Sent, told The Christain Post that the platform will enable rising college freshmen to apply to a college ministry. From there, students can join a social group around that ministry.

[The] students actually get to meet with each other and work together before they land on campus and work with a campus staff member, Decker said. Therefore, whether the college is virtual or physical this year, they can build a community long before they arrive on campus.

Decker believes that it is important to get students involved with campus ministries as early as possible in their college careers because the first 72 hours on a campus often dictate which crowd a student will tag around with. That crowd, he said, will usually define their college spiritual experience.

Every Student Sent works to reinforce the vision of Campus Renewal, which is to strengthen the influence of the body of Christ on campus by bringing students, campus ministries, and local churches together in prayer and evangelism.

To really grow as a Christian, your faith is cemented when  a student actually gets to lead another student to Christ, Decker proclaimed. We have seen that when students for the first time participate in leading their friends to Christ, their faith gets cemented.

While the target audience for Every Student Sent is college students, the platform also features special tools for Christian high schools and churches so they can upload all of their students and then check their progress, Decker added.

But helping students maintain their faith is not the only mission of Every Student Sent.

Its important that students find their correct career and major and calling. We have a growing set of resources to help them with that as well as helping students minimize student debt, he added.

When asked what caused the massive dropoff in faith among college students, Decker explained that students are not prepared with the right worldview.

They are not prepared for the social pressures that affect a young person, he said.

According to Decker, this problem appears to be getting worse, not better.

It used to be that 30% of students would come back to their church by the time they were age 30, the strategic partnership director said. But now because culture is becoming less Christian, these students are not coming back to church as much anymore.

Every Student Sent hopes to address the lack of preparedness among rising college students through an extensive learning management system that incorporates missional training for students so they are ready for college, he said.

In addition, Every Student Sent is working with major ministries and other leaders to develop a library of material to help make students college-ready.

Decker is optimistic about the influence that Every Student Sent will have on the youth of the United States.

The amount of interest between leaders of all faiths and ministries and denominations is a testament to the fact that Gods bringing unity to youth missions," he said. "And so, this seems like an opportune time for a national awareness so that it becomes normal for every student to prepare and connect for college using Every Student Sent.

In January 2019, LifeWay Research released survey data showing that about 66 percent of young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.
BENGALURU/MUMBAI Physical gold remained out of favour in most Asian hubs this week as a worsening pandemic kept retail buyers away with global benchmark spot prices at historic highs, while logistical challenges plagued the Indian market.

Spot gold scaled a record $2,072.50 per ounce on Friday.

Dealers in top buyer China offered discounts of $70-$60 per ounce against the benchmark versus last weeks record $88-$42 range.

Young people have no interest in buying gold jewellery and due to the pandemic, there are no tourists," said Peter Fung, head of dealing at Wing Fung Precious Metals.

In Hong Kong, dealers charged anywhere between $2 per ounce discount to a $1.5 premium.

Selling has increased and the Chinese are more willing to trade silver," said Samson Li, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Refinitiv GFMS.

In India, premiums eased to about $4 an ounce over official domestic prices, from last weeks $8.

Limited supplies due to suspension of international flights has been allowing dealers to charge premiums, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a bullion importing bank.

Local gold futures soared to a record 56,191 rupees per 10 grams on Friday.

A few investors are buying coins and bars, but their share is tiny in the overall market," said Harshad Ajmera, proprietor of JJ Gold House, a wholesaler in the city of Kolkata.

In Singapore, premiums were unchanged at $0.8-$1.50, while Japan saw premiums of $0.50.

Investors sold gold to take profits, while high net worth clients awaited a price correction to accumulate more metal, said Brian Lan of Singapore dealer GoldSilver.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Jewellers Association raised local rates to a new record of 77,215 taka ($912.38) per Bhori, or 11.664 grams.

Weve never seen such kind of demand destruction happening," said Dilip Kumar Agarwala, the associations general secretary.

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
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: YSRC MP K Raghu Ramakrishna Raju said that the Centre has informed him that he would be given central security after considering his request in which he alleged threat to his from some of his party men, who had burnt his effigies and issued threats.

The MP also announced that he would soon undertake a Manodhairya Yatra to extend moral support to the bereaved families who reportedly lost lives out of shock after the YSRC government announced capital relocation.

On June 18, I requested for central security cover and had given a representation to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, who in turn forwarded it to the Union Home Ministry. I have now been informed that my request has been considered. I thank the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Lok Sabha speaker On Birla for providing me central cover by CRPF, he said.

Later, talking about the issue of Amaravati, he said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy should visit the bereaved families of the farmers, who lost lives because of the capital relocation.

I, as an MP, will soon start Manodhairya Yatra as soon as the COVID-19 situation subsides, he added.
A four-year-old boy with a rare type of Parkinson's disease who needed pioneering surgery has died after his operation was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Little Jahleel, 4, was due to fly with his mum from their home in Melbourne to Poland to undergo the operation, but couldn't because of global travel restrictions.

Mother-of-two Rebecca Marsh said her final goodbye to Jahleel last week, after he suffered a cardiac arrest while in hospital.

Jahleel was diagnosed with Amino Acid Decarboxylase Deficiency (AADC) at just three months old - making him the youngest in the world with the brain disorder.

Ms Marsh, 41, had been fundraising to get her son to Poland in order to undergo pioneering surgery that was due to occur in May this year.

'If the pandemic didn't happen, Jahleel would still be here,' she said. 'We could have been in Poland in May and got the surgery he needed.'

Mother-of-two Rebecca Marsh (pictured, back) said her final goodbye to her son Jahleel, 4, (front) last week after he suffered a cardiac arrest while in hospital

Little Jahleel (pictured) was diagnosed with Amino Acid Decarboxylase Deficiency (AADC) at just three months old - making him the youngest in the world with the brain disorder

However, because of the strict travel restrictions imposed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the procedure  known as Gene Replacement Therapy - unfortunately had to be postponed

Because of the strict travel restrictions imposed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the procedure  known as Gene Replacement Therapy - had to be postponed.

But tragically Jahleel passed away last week after suffering a cardiac arrest due to complications with his condition  which his mum says could have been prevented if he had the chance to undergo the surgery.

WHAT IS LITTLE JAHLEEL'S ILLNESS The four-year-old had been diagnosed with Amino Acid Decarboxylase Deficiency. AADC is a genetic disorder that can impact how signals are passed between the brain and the nervous system. This can impact things such as the regulation of blood flood and temperature. Only one in 56 million people in the world have the disease. Toddlers who have it may have symptoms such as weak muscles, being lethargic, low appetite, bad sleep and startle easily. Source: U.S National Library of Medicines Advertisement

Jaheel was unable to travel to Poland to have his surgery due to travel bans put in place by the Australian government to stop the spread of COVID-19, his family said.

The surgery would have allowed doctors to replace mutated versions of Jahleel's genes with healthy copies.

Only specialists in Poland were able to perform the procedure.

Australians have been stopped from travelling internationally since March 18, and anyone wishing to leave the country must be granted an exemption from the Department of Home Affairs.

Poland also implemented a travel ban preventing all foreign citizens from entering the country.

European Union citizens have been allowed to travel to Poland since June 17 but must quarantine for two weeks upon their arrival.

Now his grieving mum, and his older brother Khaleed, 11, are sharing his story to help raise awareness of the condition  while also pleading with others to abide by COVID-19 regulations so other children can get the life-saving surgeries they need faster.

Ms Marsh, who has a background in hospitality, said: 'Jahleel was a bit sick for a month, but nothing was really adding up and he seemed okay.

Jaheel was unable to travel to Poland to have his surgery due to travel bans put in place by the Australian government to stop the spread of COVID-19, his family said. Pictured: All the drugs Jahleel needed to take per day to stay alive

Ms Marsh (pictured, back) said her son's decline in health was almost unexplanable

Jahleel's oxygen suddenly dropped while the family were at home and once he arrived at hospital he began to feel better. However doctors kept Jahleel (pictured) for observation

'His oxygen dropped suddenly at home, so we got an ambulance and took him to the hospital. He got better once there, but the doctors kept him in for observation.

'He was fine, the nurses said he was smiling and happy. Then on Monday he took a big breath and then stopped, he suffered a cardiac arrest.'

She said her son fought for a few more days and when he would open his eyes she would sing to him.

But it was a losing battle.

'Jahleel was fighting for a few more days, he opened his eyes a bit when I would sing to him,' Ms Marsh said.

'But the next day his blood pressure and heart rate dropped. I looked into his eyes and knew he was gone, although he was technically alive his spirit was gone.

Now Jahleel's (centre) grieving mum (right), and his older brother Khaleed (left), 11, are sharing his story to help raise awareness of the condition

She said her son fought for a few more days and when he would open his eyes she would sing to him

'On Saturday, we turned off the ventilator and he died five minutes later.'

She said she has seen the amazing things gene replacement therapy can do and she wished her son had gotten the chance.

Ms Marsh said that due to the pandemic, it made the horrible situation even difficult than it needed to be, causing extra stress on her and her son in their time of grief.

She said: 'People need to stop being so selfish when it comes to COVID-19 and stopping the spread.

Ms Marsh she said she turned off her son's life support last week after his blood pressure dropped

Khaleed was only allowed an hour with Jahleel extremely late at night after his blood pressure had dropped dramatically

Khaleed wasn't allowed to see his little brother while he was in hospital due to coronavirus

She said she has seen the amazing things gene replacement therapy can do and she wished her son had gotten the chance

Khaleed shares a moment with his brother Jahleel before the four-year-old passed away on August 1

'My son could only spend one hour with his brother because of the restrictions in place at the hospital, he did not have enough time to say goodbye.

'I don't think people realize that with the hospital policies in place at the moment, siblings and other parents are not allowed to say goodbye properly.'

Her other child hadn't seen his brother since July 24 and wasn't allowed into ICU or the ward unless something dire had happened.

Khaleed was only allowed an hour with Jahleel extremely late at night after his blood pressure had dropped dramatically.

Ms Marsh said she wants people to realise the impact of the pandemic on people who need medical treament

Ms Marsh (pictured with her son) said that due to the pandemic, it made the horrible situation even difficult than it needed to be, causing extra stress on her and her son in their time of grief

No friends were allowed inside the bereavement suite in the hospital to support them

The single mother (pictured) is raising money to help with the financial strain that comes with the sudden loss of a child  including funeral costs and to help give her and Khaleed time to grieve

No friends were allowed inside the bereavement suite in the hospital to support them.

'That week and the very last day I lost precious time with Jahleel because I was having meetings trying to get things in place. I walked out of the hospital completely alone,' Ms Marsh said.

The single mother is raising money to help with the financial strain that comes with the sudden loss of a child  including funeral costs and to help give her and Khaleed time to grieve.

'That week and the very last day I lost precious time with Jahleel because I was having meetings trying to get things in place. I walked out of the hospital completely alone,' Ms Marsh said

Ms Marsh said she feels lost and doesn't know what she should do to commemorate her son

She said she never expected she would lose his son and that he would never get to have his surgery in Poland.

Ms Marsh said she feels lost and doesn't know what she should do.

'We want to have a funeral, but we can't have any more than 10 people. It's really hard,' Ms Marsh said.

'I couldn't work before as I was a full time carer. But now my carers payments have stopped since Jahleel passed, and it is near impossible to find a job in the current situation.

'We want to have a funeral, but we can't have any more than 10 people. It's really hard,' Ms Marsh said

Ms Marsh took the chance to describe what a brilliant boy Jahleel was before he passed away

Ms Marsh said her son (pictured) was so special and that he was 'such a beautiful boy'

'When he smiled at you, his eyes were full of love. We miss and love him dearly,' Ms Marsh said

'I need the time to grieve with my son, not to stress about what we are going to do now. So any little donation anyone can give would be so appreciated.'

Ms Marsh took the chance to describe what a brilliant boy Jahleel was before he passed away.

'Jahleel was so special, there was something about him, he was such a beautiful boy,' she said.

'I miss his smile and his giggles, he lit up the world when he would laugh.

'When he smiled at you, his eyes were full of love. We miss and love him dearly.'

To help Rebecca in this heartbreaking time, you can donate here.
A Florida couple is suing a Tampa hospital for losing the body of their newborn son who died three days after his birth in February and still hasn't been found.

Kathryn and Travis Wilson, of Gibsonton, have filed a lawsuit against St Joseph's Hospital, claiming staff lost the remains of baby Jacob Wesley after he died on February 28.

The couple claims they had been making funeral arrangements for their son in March, when they received a phone call saying the baby's body had gone missing, The Tampa Bay Times reported.

Kathryn and Travis Wilson, of Gibsonton, have filed a lawsuit against St Joseph's Hospital in Tampa (pictured) claiming staff lost the remains of their baby boy who died three days after his birth

The boy's remains are yet to be found.

The hospital's parent company BayCare Health System issued a statement apologizing to the grieving parents, saying it has 'investigated all avenues and fully cooperated in all search efforts' for their baby.

'Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the Wilsons for the loss of their child. We also deeply regret not being able to account for the remains. St. Joseph's leadership and all personnel in our morgues are committed that this unforeseen situation will not happen again,' the company added.

According to the lawsuit, after baby Jacob died, St Joseph's hospital had hired Metro Mortuary Transport Inc to take his body to Orlando Regional Medical Center for an autopsy.

The body was then returned to the hospital wrapped in blankets and in a body bag and by March 5, hospital staff informed Kathryn that she could proceed with their funeral arrangements for the boy.

Baby Jacob Wesley Wilson died three days after he was born on February 28. The boy's remains were later lost in March and remain missing (stock photo)

The grieving parents met with Serenity Meadows funeral home the following day to plan a service for their son and called the hospital to provide them with the details later that day.

Five days later however, the couple received another phone call, this time informing them that their son's body had disappeared, the lawsuit states.

The Wilsons are now seeking more than $30,000 in damages for negligence and 'reckless infliction of emotional distress'.

The couple also claims they have suffered 'physical and psychological trauma' from the incident.
NEW YORK - President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping but vague ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of popular social media apps TikTok and WeChat on security grounds, a move China's government criticized as political manipulation."

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 6/8/2020 (530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he finishes speaking during an event at the Whirlpool Corporation facility in Clyde, Ohio, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

NEW YORK - President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping but vague ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of popular social media apps TikTok and WeChat on security grounds, a move China's government criticized as political manipulation."

The twin executive orders Thursday  one for each app  add to growing U.S.-Chinese conflict over technology and security. They take effect in 45 days and could bar the apps from the Apple and Google app stores, effectively removing them from U.S. distribution.

China's foreign ministry said it opposed the move but gave no indication whether Beijing might retaliate.

Earlier, Trump threatened a deadline of Sept. 15 to close down TikTok in the United States unless Microsoft Corp. or another company acquires it.

TikTok, owned by Beijing-headquartered ByteDance Ltd., is popular for its short, catchy videos. The company says it has 100 million users in the United States and hundreds of millions worldwide.

The Trump administration has expressed concern Chinese social media services could provide American users' personal information to Chinese authorities, though it has given no evidence TikTok did that.

Instead, officials point to the Communist Partys ability to compel co-operation from Chinese companies. U.S. regulators cited similar security concerns last year when the Chinese owner of Grindr was ordered to sell the dating app.

In a statement, TikTok expressed shock at the order and complained it violates U.S. law. The company said it doesn't store American user data in China and never has given it to Beijing or censored content at the government's request.

TikTok said it spent nearly a year trying to reach a constructive solution but the Trump administration paid no attention to facts" and tried improperly to insert itself into business negotiations. TikTok said it would pursue all remedies available to ensure the company and its users are are treated fairly.

Residents on a trike motorcycle by the Tencent headquarters in Beijing, China on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the U.S. WeChat is owned by Chinese company Tencent. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Tencent and Microsoft declined to comment.

On Friday, shares of WeChats owner, Tencent Holding Ltd., declined 5% in trading in Hong Kong. Tencent, Asias most valuable tech company with a market capitalization of $650 million, makes most of its money from online games and entertainment in China.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced an expansion of the U.S. crackdown on Chinese technology to include barring Chinese apps from U.S. app stores, citing alleged security threats and calling out TikTok and WeChat by name.

The Chinese foreign ministry accused Washington of political manipulation and said the moves will hurt American companies and consumers.

The United States is using national security as an excuse, frequently abuses national power and unreasonably suppresses companies of other countries, said a ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin. This is an outright hegemonic act. China is firmly opposed to it.

Wang, who didnt mention TikTok or any other company by name, called on the Trump administration to correct its wrongdoing but gave no indication how Beijing might respond.

Trump's orders say the Chinese-owned apps threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States." They cite the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act and call on the Commerce secretary to define the banned dealings by Sept. 15.

WeChat, known in Chinese as Weixin, is a hugely popular messaging app that links to finance and other services. It has more than 1 billion users. Around the world, many people of Chinese descent use WeChat to stay in touch with friends and family and to conduct business in mainland China.

Within China, WeChat is censored and expected to adhere to content restrictions set by authorities. The Citizen Lab internet watchdog group in Toronto says WeChat monitors files and images shared abroad to aid its censorship in China.

Tencent also owns stakes in major game companies such as Epic Games, publisher of Fortnite, a major video game hit, and Riot Games, which is behind League of Legends.

The Trump administration already was embroiled in a tariff war with Beijing over its technology ambitions. Washington has blocked acquisitions of some U.S. assets by Chinese buyers and has cut off most access to American components and other technology for Huawei Technologies Ltd., a maker of smartphones and network equipment that is China's first global tech brand.

China-backed hackers have been blamed for breaches of U.S. federal databases and the credit agency Equifax.

In China, the Communist Party limits what foreign tech companies can do and blocks access to the Google search engine, Facebook, Twitter and other social media, along with thousands of websites operated by news organizations and human rights, pro-democracy and other activist groups.

The ruling party has used the entirely state-controlled press to encourage public anger at Trump's actions.

I dont want to use American products any more, said Sun Fanyu, an insurance salesperson in Beijing. I will support domestic substitute products.

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.

Leading mobile security experts say TikTok is no more intrusive in its harvesting of user data and monitoring of user activity than U.S. apps owned by Facebook and Google.

The U.S. thinking is that anything that is Chinese is suspect, said Andy Mok, a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. Theyre being targeted not because of what theyve done, but who they are.

The order doesn't seem to ban Americans from using TikTok, which would be nearly impossible to enforce, said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame.

This is a pretty broad and pretty quick expansion of the technology Cold War between the U.S. and China, said Steven Weber, faculty director for the Berkeley Center for Long Term Cybersecurity.

___

AP reporters Barbara Ortutay in Oakland, Calif., Mae Anderson in New York, Frank Bajak in Boston, Joe McDonald in Beijing and Zen Soo in Hong Kong contributed to this article.
The Union Government has moved to the Supreme Court to make it party to the probe transfer plea of Rhea Chakraborty. On Friday (August 7), Centre told the top court that, The impleadment is in the interest of justice and would not cause prejudice to any of the parties in the present transfer petition.

The Department of Personnel and Training, that issued notification for a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe, too has added that the centre being a party in the case is necessary.

For the unversed, Rhea had moved to the Apex Court to challenge the case filed against her in Patna with regards to Sushant Singh Rajputs death. The actress wanted the case to be transferred to Mumbai, and the court is due to hear the matter again next week.

#SushantSinghRajputDeathCase: Centre moves Supreme Court in an impleadment application asking to be made a party in the case.  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

The Apex court, in the meantime, has provided all parties (Maharashtra, Bihar Police and Rajputs father) a few days to put on record their respective stand on Chakrabortys case transfer petition. Justice Roy had added that the Mumbai Police must submit its records of investigations done so far.

Meanwhile, Rhea along with her brother Showik Chakraborty and Shruti Modi (Rajputs former manager), have given their statements to the Enforcement Directorate, in regards to the money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

It must be recollected that following Sushants death on June 14 and while Mumbai Polices investigation was underway, the late actors father, K K Singh, lodged an FIR in Patna against Rhea and five others alleging that they had siphoned off Rs 15 from Sushants account in one year.

ALSO READ: Rhea Chakraborty's Lawyer Says CBI Inquiry Needs Maharashtra Government Consent

ALSO READ: CBI Files FIR Against Rhea Chakraborty In Sushant Singh Rajputs Death Case

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Though Mr. Cuomo has tried to assert his power over school closures throughout the pandemic, in some cases contradicting Mr. de Blasio on key decisions, he has signaled that his role in the debate over reopening for the fall will be limited to setting the threshold for a safe reopening, and unilaterally shutting down schools if that threshold is reached.

Mr. Cuomo frequently celebrates the states transformation from a global epicenter of the virus to one of the safest places in the country in terms of transmission levels, and has received accolades for his management of the crisis. New Yorks test positivity rate is now among the lowest in the nation; the rate in states like Florida where there has been enormous resistance to reopening schools reached as high as 20 percent last month.

The school reopening debate, however, presents the governor with a political conundrum from which it might be difficult to emerge unscathed.

If the city does reopen schools, it could alienate him from educators and the teachers union, a crucial ally. But if the city halts or delays its opening plan, it could leave over 1 million families in the lurch over child care, and hundreds of thousands of low-income children, homeless children, and students with disabilities without in-person learning for months to come.

Mr. Cuomo acknowledged those difficulties on Friday, saying that he had been deluged with calls from parents and teachers who have concerns about reopening.

If the teachers dont come back, then you cant really open the schools, he said. If the parents dont send their students, then youre not really opening the schools.

Union leaders who represent teachers in New York City and the rest of the state have raised alarms about reopening, saying they do not believe it is currently safe to do in-person instruction in at least some parts of the state. Mr. Cuomo has a political alliance with Michael Mulgrew, the president of the citys powerful United Federation of Teachers, which represents New York City teachers.
New Delhi: West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee on Friday said that none from the state consulted on the National Educational Policy.

In his reaction to NEP 2020, Partha Chatterjee said, "To my knowledge, nothing has happened, not even a single time, with respect to him (PM Modi), I can say with my full voice none from Bengal was included in the discussion and the draft resolution of national education policy where we have given our thoughts after discussion, point of discussion for 3 to 4 years may be with someone but not with us."

"We have formed a 6 member education expert committee they will give their views by 15th August, then after speaking with Mamata Banerjee I will speak on this issue," said the Bengal Education Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today delivered the inaugural address at the 'Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy' via video link. He said the new National Education Policy (NEP) focusses on 'how to think', while the education system till now in the country emphasised on 'what to think'.

Referring to the policy as the foundation of "new India," the Prime Minister asked all stakeholders to focus on the implementation of reforms laid down in the new policy.

PM Modi said, "NEP has given rise to a healthy debate, and the more we discuss and debate the more it will benefit the education department. It is palpable that questions will arise on how this huge plan will be implemented," adding "We all will together do this implementation. Each one of you is directly involved in implementation of the NEP. In terms of political will, I am totally committed and with you."

"In recent years, there have not been major changes in education and thus the values of curiosity and imagination were not given the thrust. Instead, we moved towards a herd community. The mapping of interest, ability, and demand was needed. We need to develop critical thinking and innovative thinking abilities in our youths. It will be possible if we have purpose, philosophy, and passion of education," he added.

The NEP allows top ranking institutes of the world to set-up campuses in India. Earlier, the HRD Ministry had introduced several initiatives under the Study in India programme.

The NEP approved by the Union Cabinet replaces the 34-year-old National Policy on Education framed in 1986. It is aimed at paving the way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems to make India a global knowledge superpower.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 09:56:54|Editor: huaxia

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YAOUNDE, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute on Thursday appealed for "more sustained" funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to support African countries striken by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ngute made the appeal at the start of a video conference with the African governors of the World Bank Group and IMF.

"It must be admitted that the crisis will have a significant impact on African economies. This is why I call on the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to take more sustained and ambitious actions in favour of Africa in terms of access to funding," he said.

He said African states need to develop strategies to be more resilient to future external shocks and crises by strengthening health infrastructure and putting human capital at the center of development policies.

Delegates, including ministers of finance and central bank governors from 54 African countries, have discussed issues related to the response to COVID-19 and the recovery strategies of various countries during the two-day conference hosted by Cameroon. Enditem
George W. Bush announced Thursday that he will publish a book of portraits of that he's painted to honor 43 US immigrants.

The former president, who is an avid painter, will be releasing 'Out of Many, One: Potraits of America's Immigrants' on March 2, with the featured paintings also set to be displayed in an exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

'Through powerful four-color portraitspersonally painted by the President himselfand their accompanying stories, OUT OF MANY, ONE reminds us of the countless ways in which America has been strengthened by the individuals who have come here in search of a better life,' a statement from Crown, the book's publisher, read.

Bush, who served as president from 2001-2009, has often praised the contributions of immigrants. During his White House tenure, he supported a partisan immigration reform bill that narrowly failed to pass in 2007, with opposition coming from both liberals and conservatives.

'While I recognize that immigration can be an emotional issue, I reject the premise that it is a partisan issue. It is perhaps the most American of issues, and it should be one that unites us,' Bush writes in the book's introduction.

'My hope is that this book will help focus our collective attention on the positive impacts that immigrants are making on our country,' he added.

The former president, who is an avid painter, will be releasing 'Out of Many, One: Potraits of America's Immigrants' on March 2, with the featured paintings also set to be displayed in an exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

Bush has become a dedicated portrait painter and best-selling author since leaving the White House in 2009

Bush, who has not offered endorsement for either Trump nor Joe Biden for the 2020 nomination, noted that he didn't want to release the book during election season.

The 43rd US President has routinely criticized the state of modern immigration discourse.

In 2018, the day after the Trump administration issued guidance for asylum seekers at the border that threatened turning thousands away before they could plead their cases in court, Bush said he was 'disturbed' by the immigration debate in the US.

Bush has also praised the US' immigration history as a 'blessing', while also calling for extensive reforms.

The book will serve as a companion to an upcoming exhibition at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.

'Both "Out of Many, One and the exhibition of the same name will include bold, principle-based solutions that comprehensively address the current debate on immigration,' according to Crown.

'At the heart of the recommendations is the belief that every year that passes without reforming the nations broken system means missed opportunities to ensure the future prosperity, vitality, and security of our country.'

Bush has become a dedicated portrait painter and best-selling author since leaving the White House in 2009.

Inspired by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who also painted religiously, Bush told friends and family that he found painting cathartic and hoped to inspire others to explore new interests.

Inspired by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who also painted religiously, Bush told friends and family that he found painting cathartic and hoped to inspire others to explore new interests

Paintings of wounded US military veterans painted by former US President George W. Bush hang in "Portraits of Courage", a 2017 exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Center

As his interest in the medium intensified, Bush hired an art teacher to help him finesse his technique, famously telling her he wanted to discover his 'inner Rembrandt'.

His artistic pursuits were first thrust into the public eye in 2013 when an email account belonging to his sister, Dorothy Bush Koch, was hacked and several images of his work were leaked.

Since the hack, Bush has relished making his paintings available for public consumption.

His memoir 'Decision Points' has sold more than 3 million copies, and his other books include '41,' about his father, former President George H.W. Bush; and a collection of paintings of military veterans, 'Portraits of Courage.'

With his new book, Bush will donate a portion of proceeds to organizations that help immigrants resettle. Financial terms were otherwise not disclosed.

Bush was represented by Robert Barnett, the Washington attorney whose other clients have included former President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton.

The book will be released as a standard trade hardcover and in an autographed deluxe edition, listed for $250, that will be clothbound and contained within a slipcover.
Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of AstraZeneca PLC

Global Credit Research - 07 Aug 2020

London, 07 August 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of AstraZeneca PLC 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.

AstraZeneca's A3 issuer rating reflects the company's strong and diversified product portfolio in prescription drugs with good geographic spread and one of the strongest pipelines in the industry, which supports product sales growth with expected operating leverage leading to an improvement in credit metrics.

The rating also considers the company's pure-play pharma strategy entailing a high level of business risk compared to some more diversified peers, certain execution risks in the pipeline and a degree of uncertainty on patent challenges. In addition, credit metrics are still weak for the A3 rating category but improving over the time through earnings and cashflow growth.

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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.

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The U.S. unemployment rate dropped from 11.1 percent to 10.2 percent in July, beating economists predictions even as many states have paused or reversed their reopenings in light of coronavirus case spikes.

Employers added 1.8 million jobs in July, according to the Labor Departments Friday jobs report, a significant slowing down from the 4.8 million jobs created in June, which was the highest recorded. While the economy has recovered 42 percent of the 22 million jobs it lost during the pandemic over the past three months, there are still 10.6 million more unemployed Americans today than there were in February.

Economists had expected unemployment to drop to 10.5 percent and for the economy to have added 1.6 million jobs in July, according to a survey by Refinitiv.

While these numbers are a bit better than forecast, there still isnt much to be upbeat about from this jobs report, Steve Rick, chief economist at CUNA Mutual Group, told Fox Business. Re-openings have been rolling backwards, weekly jobless claims are continuing to pile up and were still operating from a huge deficit compared to the beginning of the year.

As new outbreaks have led states to order the closure of bars and other businesses for a second time, consumers have limited their spending as the economy struggles to rebound from the devastating effects of the pandemic, which led the economy to shrink at a nearly 33 percent annual rate in the April-June quarter, the worst quarterly fall on record.

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New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Supreme Court on Friday told the Centre to let Italy pay the victims compensation in the Italian marines case, and then it could allow the withdrawal of prosecution. The top court insisted that it will have to hear the kin of the victims on adequacy of compensation and till then it would not close the case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice V. Ramasubramanian told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, "bring the cheques and the kin of victims here." The bench noted that the top court cannot think of any relief for the Italian marines till their prosecution is withdrawn in the Kerala court. Mehta replied the Centre is willing to file a petition for withdrawing prosecution of the two marines.

The Chief Justice replied "but the family of victims will have a problem. They will have to be heard." Mehta contended before the top court that the Centre is in favour of withdrawing the prosecution of the Italian marines in India, as Italy is ready to prosecute them. The bench noted that without hearing the kin of the deceased it cannot close the case.

The top court asked Mehta to file an application seeking impleadment of the families of the victims within a week. The top court adjourned the hearing on the pending petition filed by the two Italian marines - Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone.

On July 3, the Centre had informed the top court that it had accepted the international tribunal award in the killing of two fishermen by the Italian marines. The Centre asked the apex court to close the matter pending before it for eight years. The tribunal ruled for the trial of the marines in Italy. It said India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by the captain and other crew members of the Indian fishing boat 'St Antony'.

The Centre in the application filed in the top court said, "The applicant (Union of India) states and submits that the Republic of India has taken a decision to accept and abide by the award passed by the Tribunal which would have the bearing on the continuance of present proceedings before this court." On February 15, 2012, two Indian fishermen aboard the fishing vessel St Antony were allegedly killed by the two Italian marines aboard the Italian tanker 'Enrica Lexie' off the coast of Kerala.

The Indian Navy intercepted the Italian tanker and detained the two marines, triggering an international conflict over legal jurisdiction and functional immunity. The two marines were released and returned to Italy after two and four years, respectively. The Arbitral Tribunal of the United Nations was tasked to resolve the conflict over jurisdiction.
Nienke Cassidy's found her 'holy grail' jeans

An Australian mother-of-two claims to have found the 'best denim jeans ever', pointing to their ability to flatten her lower stomach region like shapewear.

Nienke Cassidy, from Brisbane, originally spotted the $25 Feel Good jeans from Kmart in a Facebook post which saw mothers raving about how comfortable they were.

'I kept them in mind ever since. I've always searched for jeans that are really high waisted and supportive in the front but couldn't find any I loved,' she told FEMAIL.

So when she spotted them in the discount retailer one day she purchased a pair, before returning for another. Nienke hopes to pick up all three colours before they sell out.

'These are my holy grail jeans. They have elastic in the waistband and they just suck everything in and up,' she said.

In her own social media ode to the jeans Nienke called them 'amazing' and was pleased to see many of the female commenters agreed with her.

The $25 Feel Good jeans (right) helped Nienke feel more toned in the midsection

'I've had quite a few women say they went and bought them and they love them, including my sister-in-law in New Zealand who is four weeks postpartum,' she said

'I've had quite a few women say they went and bought them and they love them, including my sister-in-law in New Zealand who is four weeks postpartum.'

'After seeing your post I couldn't help myself! I love them,' one woman replied to Nienke's post.

'Omg now I want to get a pair as I have the same lower belly since I gave birth to my son 19 months ago,' said another.

They are made from cotton with an extra high waist to suit those with a longer torso

On the Kmart website the product is described as being 'the perfect jean to dress up or down' with a four-way stretch fabric and seam details that will 'lift and shape your body' making you 'feel good' for any occasion.

They are made from cotton with an extra high waist to suit those with a longer torso.

While there are limited sizes left on the website customers might get lucky browsing through the brick-and-mortar stores, which Nienke says is 'worth it'.
In June, as the country reckoned very publicly with racial inequality and police brutality after the killing of George Floyd, PWs bestseller list offered a glimpse into Americans altered reading habits. Among the 10 books on overall bestseller list for the week of June 713, five dealt explicitly with race. They included So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo, White Fragility by Robin DeAngelo, and two by Ibram X. Kendi: How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped from the Beginning.

The list was remarkable for its cohesion, showing that race had become the central focus of the national consciousness. (Two months later, strong sales for several of the books continue.) It was also remarkable for including several backlist titles. White Fragility and So You Want to Talk About Race were both published in 2018 and Stamped from the Beginning in 2016. An even older title, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, was first published more than two decades ago. Clearly, backlist titles have as much capacity as frontlist titles to speak to present predicaments.

That idea is motivating publishers to put promotional efforts behind numerous backlist titles, particularly ones dealing with such pressing issues as race and climate change. The continued relevance of these books speaks as much to their staying power as to the dispiriting fact that the problems they address are still with us.

Unheeded warnings

With the worlds economy rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic, many have wondered, if perhaps overoptimistically, whether the lockdown might offer a chance to reconsider the environmental impact of business as usual. A June BBC headline, for example, called the pandemic a mass experiment for the climate. This fall, publishers are surfacing backlist titles that take on environmental matters, ranging from the broad effects of climate change to our daily interactions (or lack thereof) with nature.

In November, Algonquin will reissue, with a new cover, journalist Richard Louvs 2008 book Last Child in the Woods, along with the paperback edition of 2019s Our Wild Calling. In Last Child in the Woods Louv coins the term nature-deficit disorder to describe childrens increasing alienation from the natural world. Louvs concept figured recently in a New York Times article that suggested this alienation has only worsened amid the pandemic.

Amy Gash, executive editor at Algonquin, says the book continues to sell because the problem Louv diagnoses wont go away. Theres this deep human need for nature connection, she says. Our kids are losing out on something vital. She adds that encouraging children to spend more time in nature abets the broader climate change movement. If kids connect with nature when theyre young, if they appreciate the natural world, they will care about saving it. You dont care about saving things that you dont know.

Reuniting people with the outdoors is also a central concern of John Judge, president and CEO of the Appalachian Mountain Club and author of The Outdoor Citizen, which lays out a plan for how people can cultivate an outdoor lifestyle and how municipalities can frame the outdoors as a central component of their communities. Apollo published the title in December and will continue to promote it this fall.

Alex Merrill, Apollos publisher, says the book felt newly relevant after we started hearing about what was happening worldwide to the environment during quarantine as well as amid the focus on racial inequality and access to opportunities thats been taking place. In the September/October issue of Backpacker magazine, Judge will publish an op-ed in which he discusses how greater access to the outdoors benefits communities of color. The book features a blurb from Rue Mapp, the founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, a nonprofit organization that aims to connect Black communities with the outdoors.

This season will also see the paperback release of scholar and farmer Deborah Flemings 2019 book Resurrection of the Wild (Kent State, Sept.), a collection of climate essays that won the 2020 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. Kent State plans to promote the paperback release on social media and to bundle deeply discounted e-books with print copies when customers purchase the title from its website.

Other climate titles vying for a second look come from the deeper recesses of the backlist. In August, Chelsea Green will promote two books by science journalist Judith D. Schwartz, Cows Save the Planet (2013) and Water in Plain Sight (2016), in conjunction with the release of Schwartzs new book, The Reindeer Chronicles, which PWs review calls a worthwhile look at conservation thats bolstered by a hopeful tone. And in November the Experiment will release a 10th anniversary edition, with a new preface and new photos, of outdoorsman Tristan Gooleys The Natural Navigator, the first in the authors Natural Navigation series and a compelling guide, per PWs review. The anniversary edition will also be packaged with two other titles in the five-book series, in a boxed set due out the same month; the bestselling Natural Navigation title, The Lost Art of Reading Natures Signs, has sold 138,000 print copies since its 2015 paperback release.

Past is prologue

As more readers seek books about racial inequality and social justice in the U.S., publishers are refreshing and repromoting past-season titles that look at race relations and justice movements at different points in American history.

In August, as part of the commemoration of Feminist Presss 50th anniversary, the publisher is releasing a second edition of Celebrate Peoples History, a social justicefocused poster anthology edited by activist Josh MacPhee that was first published in 2010. The 2020 edition includes 92 new posters (along with the 100 from the first edition) by various artists and a new foreword by Charlene Carruthers, a Black queer feminist activist and organizer. It will also include the original foreword by Rebecca Solnit and a new introduction from MacPhee.

Lauren Rosemary Hook, senior editor at Feminist Press, says the books posters, which include one of a Confederate statue being pulled down in 2017 and another of a veteran who was injured by police at an Occupy protest in Oakland in 2011, will help readers contextualize current social justice movements. Whats the history there? Hook says. What came before?

Further historical context comes from Dixies Daughters (Univ. Press of Florida) by Karen L. Cox, a history professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The book, which was originally published in 2003 and reissued in 2019, tracks the history of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, a womens organization founded in 1894 that sought to preserve Confederate culture and whats known as the Lost Cause mythology, including by erecting monuments. The 2019 edition includes a new preface by Cox that addresses the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., which resulted in the death of a counterprotester, and the author recently published an op-ed on CNN asserting that Confederate statues represent the legacy of white supremacy. In recent weeks, BookScan has noted an uptick in sales.

Fiction and poetry, too, can illuminate the history of race relations, and in the coming months several publishers are paying extra attention to such titles on the backlist.

In January, Northwestern University Press will conduct a 10th anniversary social media campaign for Nikky Finneys poetry collection Head Off & Split, which won the 2011 National Book Award for Poetry. Finney focuses her verse on Black women who let no one tell them what to do, PWs review said. Northwestern is also discounting by 26% Finneys spring 2020 book, Love Childs Hotbed of Occasional Poetry, on August 26, the authors birthday, and will promote the sale on social media. The volume, PWs starred review said, sees Finney artfully interweaving memories from her life with episodes from throughout Black history.

The desire to resurface relevant storytelling has prompted Fantagraphics to reprint Bttm Fdrs, an Afrofuturist graphic novel set in Chicago, in October. Written by Ezra Claytan Daniels and illustrated by Ben Passmore, its a sharply observed satire, PWs review said, that stars a monstrous physical manifestation born of the evils of racism, gentrification, and cultural appropriation. Currently, the book, which was published in 2019, is available only digitally; to promote the new printing, Fantagraphics is planning virtual author-illustrator events, and Passmore has work forthcoming in such publications as the New Yorker and the Nib that connects to the books themes.

This season also sees the promotion of several novels that take on race. They include Bernice L. McFaddens Sugar (Plume), about characters in a Black community in Arkansas, which received a new cover to mark its 20th anniversary in June, and the August paperback release of Margaret Wilkerson Sextons 2019 novel, The Revisioners (Counterpoint), which PWs starred review called an excellent story of a New Orleans familys ascent from slavery to freedom. Catapult is promoting the paperback release on social media in the Bookstagram community, where it is the publishers most customer-requested title, and the author will be participating in the virtual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books in October.

At Anchor, this year marks the conclusion of a robust backlist project. The publisher has been reissuing the works of Black novelist and short story writer William Melvin Kelley, who died in 2017 and whose fiction explores race relations by means of surrealist plots and, in some cases, highly experimental language. Anchor began in 2019 with Kelleys first and most famous book, the 1962 novel A Different Drummer. The novels A Drop of Patience (1965) and Dem (1967) followed last month, and in September the publisher will release the remaining two books, his story collection Dancers on the Shore (1964) and his novel Dunfords Travels Everywheres (1970).

Kelley had been largely overlooked until a few years ago, when writers at publications such as Public Books and Okay Player began revisiting his work. Perhaps most notably, in 2018, New Yorker staff writer Kathryn Schulz published a profile of Kelley in which she reported (as earlier outlets did) that he is credited with coining the term woke. Until Schulzs piece ran, LuAnn Walther, editorial director at Vintage and Anchor, was unfamiliar with Kelleys work, even though A Different Drummer was still in print. It was deeply buried in the backlist, she says. Even academics who might otherwise be interested in Kelleys place in Black American literary history or his formal experimentations didnt know of him. Sales of A Different Drummer are now growing steadily, she says, but we still have our work cut out for us.

For Walther, the Kelley project ties in with a broader renewed interest in previously published titles amid the countrys reckoning with racial inequality. Its been very clear, during all this, that people are coming to the backlist, she says. After all, as she suggests, the average reader probably cares less than publishers do about the distinction between back and front: A book is new if you havent read it.

Correction: A previous version of this article listed the incorrect imprint for The Revisioners (Counterpoint).

Below, more on backlist titles.

Revisiting Brideshead: Backlist Backbones 2020

In November, Little, Brown will release the 75th anniversary edition of Evelyn Waughs Brideshead Revisited.

Orwell Aeternum: Backlist Backbones 2020

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Animal Farm, Berkley is giving the ever-contemporary George Orwell a fresh look

Big Ideas and Fresh Looks: Backlist Backbones 2020

Timely themes, cover makeovers, and creative promotions boost childrens backlist titles.
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Linkedin Anuj Chopra (Agence France-Presse) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  Fri, August 7, 2020 13:45 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c4cb06 2 World Saudi-Arabia,cyber-attacks,cyber-crime Free

Online armies of self-styled Saudi patriots riding a wave of state-led nationalism attack critics and what they call "traitors" of the kingdom -- but their growing clout has left the government uneasy.

Their rise has coincided with the ascent of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has overseen Saudi Arabia's shift from austere religion towards hyper-nationalism as he pursues an ambitious transformation of the petro-state.

Trolls distorting political discourse are common in many countries, but Saudi Arabia's so-called cyber "flies" -- feisty defenders of state policy who often choose pictures of Saudi rulers as their avatar image -- are an increasingly powerful force.

Their posts frequently tag Saudi security agencies, and their collective roar often leads to detentions, sackings and harassment.

These "phantom accounts" were long thought to be linked to the government, arising as part of a policy driven by former royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani.

Qahtani, sacked over the October 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, earned nicknames such as "Mr Hashtag" and "lord of the flies" for managing an electronic army to defend the kingdom.

But a rare debate on state television in June sought to distance them from the government.

"How dangerous are these accounts that use pictures of state symbols and deploy threats as if they are supported by the government?" asked a host on Ekhbariya television.

"They give the impression that they are a parallel government or even stronger than the government," replied Saudi academic Salih al-Asimi.

These accounts "gave themselves the right" to dig up dirt on those displaying insufficient patriotism, including excavating their old tweets as ammunition to attack them, Asimi said.

'Ultimate authority'

The debate, echoed by other pro-government media, was widely seen as a warning to nationalists to fall in line.

"These phantom accounts have proved to be valuable to Saudi Arabia's leadership," Annas Shaker, a Washington-based Saudi expert, told AFP.

"But as they become ever more powerful, the government wants to assert control and show that they are the ultimate authority."

However, the fact that Asimi himself got attacked online after the debate underscores the challenge of reining them in.

"What do they want us to do -- stop defending the nation?" one nationalist fumed on Twitter.

Many others, including a royal prince, sprang to their defense, using the hashtag "nationalist accounts are the nation's shield".

The accounts, which gained prominence in parallel with official crackdowns to smother dissent, evoke widespread fear.

Shaker recounted how they went after Huda al-Humood, a Saudi woman hired to lead an education ministry program in 2017, in a rare appointment.

They combed her Twitter account to dig up old posts they said were in favor of Qatar -- a rival of the kingdom -- and the banned Muslim Brotherhood. The witch hunt extended to her husband's account.

The campaign seemed to work, Shaker said. Within days of her appointment, Humood was sacked.

'Trojan Horse'

Many Saudi liberals have shut down their Twitter accounts, including those engaged in constructive criticism of Prince Mohammed's reforms.

Those who have not, tread with caution.

Before government job interviews, many say they scrub past references that could make them appear unpatriotic. In another extreme, it has encouraged fake displays of nationalism.

"Every day on Twitter I hurl an insult or two at Qatar," one government worker told AFP.

"I don't care about Qatar, but this way no one can accuse me of being unpatriotic if I speak out against other state policies."

Saudi Arabia, which accounts for the highest number of Twitter users in the Arab world, has faced accusations of trying to manipulate content on the platform.

Two former Twitter employees were charged last year with spying for the Saudi government.

Twitter has suspended hundreds of local accounts, some "linked to Saudi Arabia's state-run media apparatus" and engaged in coordinated efforts to "amplify messaging beneficial to the government".

The kingdom's sovereign wealth fund recently acquired a stake in Facebook, which last year said it dismantled a series of Saudi-linked propaganda accounts.

But while disabling computer bot activity may be easy, it will be harder to tame genuine accounts that experts say rose organically.

"Saudi views the online mobs as difficult to control," said Shaker.

"They attack foreign critics one day, senior government figures the next."

Their loyalty to the state could be further tested as Saudi Arabia enters a period of acute austerity, with the government chipping away at once-generous subsidies and handouts amid low crude prices.

"Nationalist sentiment advanced by the state may have created a Trojan Horse," said Eman Alhussein, a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

"These accounts... could become a challenge for the state."
Chennai:

Tamil Nadu government has announced Tuesday as a holiday for its offices under the Negotiable Instruments Act, as a mark of respect to late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

A Government Order (GO) said the notified public holiday will apply to all state government offices, undertakings, corporations and boards.

aUnder the Explanation to Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 read with Notification of the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs No.20-25-26, Public-1, dated 8th June 1957 the Government of Tamil Nadu hereby declares that Tuesday, the 6th of December, 2016 as a public holiday as a mark of respect to the late Selvi J Jayalalithaa, Honable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,a it said.

#FLASH Central Govt declares one-day mourning after the demise of #Jayalalithaa a ANI (@ANI_news) December 6, 2016

The day will be also treated as a paid holiday for all industrial employees on regular work charge and industrial establishments and the labour hired on daily wages, it said.

The government also issued another order declaring three days holidays for aall educational institutionsa starting today.

The holidays were being declared aas a mark of respecta to the late leader, the GO said.

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Ukraine hands over to Russia a list of 22 Crimean Tatars, whose release Zelensky discussed in his last conversation with Putin - Yermak

During his last telephone conversation with Russian President Volodymyr Putin, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the release of 22 Crimean Tatars illegally detained in occupied Crimea, said the head of the President`s Office Andriy Yermak.

"This list has already been handed over to the Russian side. And we expect that this issue will also be resolved," Yermak said during the working trip of the President of Ukraine to Donbas, the presidential press service reported.

Zelensky and Putin reportedly had a telephone conversation on July 26. Among other issues, the release of illegally detained persons, including a journalist and a defendant in Hizb ut-Tahrir case Ruslan Suleimanov, was also discussed in connection with the tragic death of his three-year-old son Musa Suleimanov who disappeared in the evening of July 24 in Crimea. On July 26, the Ministry of Emergencies of Russia in Crimea announced that the child's body had been found. The Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Crimea claimed that Musa Suleimanov died due to drowning. The boy's body was found in one of the cesspools near the family's house.

On the same day, Zelensky raised the issue of Suleimanov's release in a telephone conversation with Putin.
BAGHDAD  The heat wave in Iraq has raised the ire of citizens in the central and southern areas, pushing many to take to the streets once again. The popular protests in the squares had settled down due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the searing hot weather and declining hours of electricity supply have forced the new government to once again face the protesters.

Mustafa al-Kadhimis government was only formed less than three months ago and is now in the middle of the process of activating electricity interconnection agreements with Gulf countries and speeding up the cooperation agreement with Germany's Siemens AG.

Although he inherited a mess, and is taking action to fix it, there is no quick fix and the political blocs opposed to Kadhimi have tried to harness the protests to undermine his government and drag it into a bloody confrontation with the protesters, especially in Baghdad, Dhi Qar and Basra.

Clashes between protesters and security forces have resulted in three deaths and 21 injuries, according to the Iraqi Human Rights Commission.

Kadhimi has responded by reaching out to protesters and opening an investigation into the incidents that took place in Tahrir Square in Baghdad at the end of last month and referred the security officers accused of killing the protesters to Iraq's judiciary, stressing that he did not issue any orders to shoot.

Speaking about the electricity crisis, he noted during a televised interview broadcast by the government platforms on social media that it is not fair to ask a government, which has only been effective for two months, to pay for all the theft committed by previous groups and governments.

He added, I support the peoples demands to hold accountable those responsible for their suffering. I am waiting for the results of the parliament committee set up to investigate all the failures in the electricity file. I call on the legislative authority to expedite the submission of its report so we can add it to our investigations and present this file before the Iraqi people and the judiciary.

On July 11, the Iraqi parliament formed a committee headed by the first deputy speaker, Hassan al-Kaabi. It included the heads of the Commission of Integrity and the Financial Supervision Bureau, and four representative committees, which are Integrity, Services and Reconstruction, Economy and Investment, and Oil and Energy.

The committees mission is to investigate the contracts of the Ministry of Electricity between 2006 and 2020, but it did not announce when the investigation will end. Additionally, there are accusations claiming that previous governments have wasted over $60 billion on electrical energy without any satisfying results and deliberately building thermal generating stations that operate on gas while Iraq does not produce gas. Rather, it burns gas during oil extraction operations, which necessitated importing gas from Iran over the past years.

Member of the parliamentary investigation committee Saadoun al-Lami told Al-Monitor, The committee is in the process of presenting the corruption files in the Ministry of Electricity to the relevant technical authorities for scrutiny. We will then submit the final report to the parliament speaker. Lami noted, But we have not yet received all contracts, tenders, agreements and protocols that we had requested from the Ministry of Electricity, and we fear other ministries could be involved in this file.

Ahmed al-Abadi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Electricity, told Al-Monitor, The electrical interconnection project with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reached advanced stages that may be completed within a few months from Iraq's side. We are waiting for Riyadh to complete the work on Saudi soil and reach the Iraqi border.

Abadi added, The first connection line with Saudi Arabia will be toward Basra and will supply it with about 500 megawatts, and the second to Samawah governorate, with about 300 megawatts, which will reduce the hours of power cuts and reduce the pressure on Iraqi generation stations.

The United States is behind Iraqi-Saudi agreement. On July 17, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that representatives of the three parties  Baghdad, Washington and Riyadh  held a videoconference to discuss the issue. The joint statement indicated that the project will provide electrical energy to citizens and support economic development in Iraq, especially in the southern governorates.

However, it seems like it will be challenging for the current government to complete electrical projects during a record period and be able to satisfy the citizens protesting against deteriorating services.

According to Iraqi parliament member Mohamed Sahib al-Daraji, there is an Iranian and internal decision to keep the electricity crisis ongoing. In an interview with the Iraqi Al-Taghyir channel on July 26, Daraji noted, If electricity is available, the national industry will rise because we will not need to import materials from abroad; we would be producing instead. Work has been suspended in 45 factories in Iraq due to the lack of electricity and product protection.

Iraq imports from Iran food products and consumer goods in addition to the electric energy and gas needed to operate Iraqi power stations. But Iran is suffering under international sanctions and, thus, finds in Iraq an outlet to address its economic and political crises on Iraqi soil.

Meanwhile, Iraqi political parties close to Tehran are trying to show support for the popular protests against which they stood during resigned Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi's term, describing them as sabotage movements and agents for the West.

Kadhimi, for his part, is seeking to do what previous governments have not done to address Iraq's electricity crisis via the US-backed deal with Saudi Arabia, easing tensions with Iran, the upcoming second round of the strategic dialogue with the United States, and engaging and listening to protesters about their demands.

His political opponents, however, offer few solutions to Iraq's troubles, and seek instead to saddle the prime minister with the crises he inherited from previous governments.




Earlier this year the Indian Government banned 59 mobile applications, including TikTok and WeChat as well as some Xiaomi ecosystem apps. Today the smartphone manufacturer posted a message on Twitter, revealing a MIUI update is scheduled to hit all devices, removing all blocked apps and clarifying that MIUI Cleaner isn't among them.

The company also promised 100% of data by Indian users is stored on servers in India and none of the information is shared with anyone outside of India.

The new MIUI update will be built without any of the blocked apps being pre-installed, which is a massive step towards a world without bloatware. The update will be rolling out in a phased manner and should hit devices over the next few weeks.

Xiaomi decided to bring clarification about its MIUI Cleaner app because this is a feature widely used in India and other developing markets where phones with less RAM (and lower prices) are popular. The companys app is not banned as it's not using the banned Clean Master as was suspected.

Speaking about the data protection, Xiaomi also confirmed it has been complying with data privacy and security requirements even before India pushed for all the personal data to be moved to local servers.

Source
Ali Oetjen has revealed the incredible results of her lockdown workout regime.

The former Bachelorette, 34, flaunted her incredible six-pack abs on Instagram on Friday, and also shared the secret to achieving a toned stomach.

She showed off her figure in a white crop top and tiny grey shorts after completing an intense exercise session.

Ali Oetjen's revenge body: The former Bachelorette star showed off her incredible six-pack abs in a crop top and tiny shorts on Friday, after her split from boyfriend Taite Radley

'Ten-minute minute ab video recorded, beautiful light beings! It's 200 reps and three minutes' worth of plank holds,' she wrote in the caption.

The reality star let her natural beauty shine, opting to wear no makeup for the workout, and styled her blonde hair loosely.

On July 25, Ali announced she had split from her boyfriend, Taite Radley, after two years of dating.

That's how she does it! She also shared her go-to ab workout, revealing it involves '200 reps and three minutes' worth of plank holds'. Pictured in February

'It is with the heaviest heart that we want to let everyone know that we have decided to take time apart in order to give each other space and time to fully focus on our own paths,' Ali told her Instagram followers.

She continued: 'We both love each other deeply and only want the best for each other and both want the ultimate happiness for each other and hopefully our paths will reconnect again soon.

'We've decided to be open with this so there's no speculation and so we expect love, respect and kindness in return. I love you, Taite.'

It's over! On July 25, Ali announced she had split from her boyfriend, Taite Radley (left), after two years of dating

The former couple met on Ali's season of The Bachelorette in 2018.

Last month, they finally reunited after spending 88 days apart due to the coronavirus pandemic.

They had been forced apart by state travel restrictions since March. Taite remained in Victoria for work, while Ali went to Queensland to stay with her parents.
Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church, 1800 Fifth Ave., invites the public to participate in live worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. Social distancing will be practiced, and face masks are encouraged (but not required). The Sunday worship service will continue to be recorded live and can be viewed on the churchs Facebook page: Fifth Avenue UMC, Council Bluffs. The church office can be reached Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for prayer or other requests at 712-323-7374 or through our email: faumc@msn.com. The church is praying for the community and anyone affected by the virus.

Epworth United Methodist Church

Epworth United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B, is handicap accessible. Membership is not necessary to participate in any church activities. The church is open for worship at the regular time of 9:25 a.m. on Sundays, and the church will practice social distancing. Masks will be available for those who need one, and the church has plenty of hand sanitizer. Congregants will meet in the Fellowship Hall due to ease of sanitizing the facility. The weekly sermon will be posted on Facebook. The Scripture for this coming Sunday is Matthew 14:22-33. If you decide not to attend at this time, you can read some scripture, pray, and worship at home at the regular time so as not to get out of the habit of regular worship of our loving heavenly Father. The church is in prayer for all those affected by this virus. Worship services are also being held on Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. in Roberts Park, weather permitting. If you would like to host a service in your driveway on a Wednesday at 10 a.m., just let us know. Church office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The churchs phone number is 712-323-3124. Check out the church on facebook.com/pages/Epworth.

Fe y Esperanza United Methodist Church

Fe y Esperanza (Faith and Hope) United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B, is handicap accessible. The church is in prayer for all those affected by the corona virus. Bilingual worship in English and Spanish is held every Sunday in the sanctuary at the regular time of 12:30 p.m. The church is practicing safe social distancing and asks you to bring your own mask. Masks will be provided for those who dont have one. The churchs pastor can be reached at 712-828-1340. The church is on Facebook at Fe y Esperanza UMC.

Hazel Dell United Methodist Church

Hazel Dell United Methodist Church, 23109 205th St., is handicap accessible. Membership is not necessary to participate in any church activities. Due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, congregants will worship this Sunday outdoors at the regular time of 11 a.m. If you want to wear a mask feel free, and hand sanitizer will be available. The church is in prayer for all those affected by this virus. The weekly sermon will be posted on Facebook. The churchs phone number is 712-545-3021. Check out the church online at facebook.com/hazeldellumccb and at hazeldellumccb.wordpress.com.

Saint John Lutheran Church

Saint Johns Lutheran Church, 633 Willow Ave., has suspended all worship and activities through Aug., 9. Sunday services will be available live at 9:30 a.m., through their Facebook page, Saint John Lutheran Church Council Bluffs IA. You can call the church office with any questions at 712-323-7173, or the website SaintJouhnELCA.org. Beginning the weekend of August 15 and 16 in-person services will be offered at 5:30 pm on Saturdays and 9:30 am on Sundays. Social distancing guidelines will be followed and masks are required. There will be limited seating; reservations will be accepted starting on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Please call the church office (712-323-7173) to make reservations. Worship services will also be available to view on Facebook or YouTube.

Broadway Christian Church

Broadway Christian Church, 2658 Ave. A, will have Sunday service at 9 a.m., with Rev. Earlin Shanno. CDC guidelines will be followed and masks are required. Hearing loop is installed for those who need it and the church is handicapped accessible. For more information, call the church office at 712-323-7741, visit their website, www.bcccb.org or their Facebook page.

Timothy Lutheran Church

Timothy Lutheran Church, 3112 W. Broadway will hold traditional worship services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The services will also be livestreamed at the same times via the churchs Facebook page at facebook.com/timothy-lutheran-church-council-bluffs-94942511723/. If you do not have a Facebook account, connect with the church online at: Timothylutheran.net. The videos and services on the churchs website are offered to help all participate. Sunday school and adult Bible class have resumed. Midweek Bible study groups are cancelled until further notice. The churchs pastor releases Bible study videos via the website at timothylutheran.net/bible-studies.html. The church takes seriously the needs of all members. As some return, others will choose to wait. Those who do return will find new health measures taken to ensure safety. Timothy has an elevator for easy access to worship services and other activities.

Our Saviors Lutheran Church

Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 600 Bluff St., has resumed in-person worship services, Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. and Sundays at 10 a.m. Worship services can be found online on YouTube and the churchs Facebook page: facebook.com/Our Saviors Lutheran Church of Council Bluffs, and on the churchs website: oursaviorscb.org. Our Saviors Lutheran Food & Pet Pantry is open Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (you must call between 9:30 and 11 a.m. for same day appointment). The pantry is also open the third and fourth Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. (you must call between 4 and 5 p.m. for same day appointment). More events and information can be found on the churchs website or Facebook page.

New Horizon Presbyterian Church

New Horizon Presbyterian Church will not resume in-person services or activities for the next several weeks. The church will hold drive-in services at 10 a.m. Sunday. Check the churchs Facebook page for details. The service will also be posted on the churchs Facebook page facebook.com/newhorizonpc at 10 a.m. Sunday.

First Congregational Church, UCC

First Congregational Church, UCC, 611 1st, Ave., will have in-person worhsip Sunday at 10 a.m. Worship will also be on Zoom for those who prefer to stay home. The Rev. Dr. Tony Portero Paff will be leading the worship and providing the sermon reflection, In The Midst Of A Storm  Remember. All church activities are on hold until we can meet safely. The Community dinner is Friday, August 7 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and will be served to go from the West side of the church.

Faith Lutheran Church

Faith Lutheran Church, 2100 S. 11th St., will have worship services at Faith at 9 a.m. this Sunday with social distancing precautions in place. All attending must wear a mask from your car, through services and back to your car and should enter through the back entrance only. A volunteer will meet you at the back door for a temperature check, to sign in and direct you to your specific seat which will include social distancing and will answer any questions you have. Family members in the same household can sit together. Worship services will also continue to be available online on YouTube, on Faiths Facebook page and on Faiths new website at faithlutherancouncilbluffs.org. To locate the livestream, search Facebook, Faith Lutheran Council Bluffs. It will come up in the first few links. Then just click the live button. YouTube viewing is available by searching to Ron Rosenkaimer. Sunday streaming will start at 9 a.m. Members without social media are asked to send email addresses to Faiths office: office@faith.omhcoxmail.com for mailing of devotional materials and links to the uploaded videos. Members are also reminded to be faithful in supporting Faith with their regular offerings. For more information, contact the church office at 712-323-6445.

Community of Christ

Community of Christ Church, 140 W. Kanesville Blvd., normally holds Sunday school at 9 a.m. followed by worship at 10:30 a.m. The church also holds prayer meetings at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. The theme this week is God, Where Are You?, with Scriptures Genesis 37:1-4, 12-18; Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b. The church will not be having services until Sunday, Aug. 30. There are some virtual ministries out on our World Church Website just access ongoing ministries: cofchrist.org. Community of Christ Church welcomes you in the name of our Lord and Savior.
Chandigarh, Aug 7 : Concerned over the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered night curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the worst affected cities of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Patiala from Saturday, while directing all big cities and towns to prepare integrated management plan for treatment of the disease.

As cases in the state went up to 20,891, with 1,050 instances reported on one day on Thursday, the Chief Minister also announced a week-long trial of enforcement of the mandatory mask wearing rule by making offenders stand at the spot for an hour with a mask on.

He was of the view that making the offenders sweat it out might help check the violations on this count, which had crossed 3.82 lakhs.

Answering questions in his weekly #AskCaptain Live session on Facebook, which was advanced by a day to apprise the people about his visit to the hooch tragedy affected Tarn Taran district, Amarinder Singh also appealed to the people to get themselves tested early and start treatment in a proper hospital, urging them not to rush to private tertiary care facility directly since good treatment is available in government hospitals.

There were adequate testing facilities available in the state, he said, adding that four new testing labs would become operational on Monday.

Delay in going for testing and treatment was the main cause for increasing number of Covid-19 deaths, he said, pointing out that with 26 persons succumbing a day earlier, the death toll in the state had gone up to 517 (2.47 per cent).

Expressing concern over the steady increase in Covid-19 infections and positivity in the state, which reported 8.50 per cent cases in samples tested in past one week, the Chief Minister said with the peak projected to come in Punjab by end of August or early September, one could not be certain how high the peak of daily cases may go.

"Given the recent increase in cases in districts like Bathinda, Barnala, Ferozepur, we cannot afford to be complacent," he said, urging people to hold their nerve in these tough circumstances and fight the disease with strength and determination.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 18:50:08|Editor: huaxia

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JUBA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 150,000 people have been uprooted from their homes due to heavy flooding in the eastern Jonglei state in South Sudan, local authorities said on Friday.

Gabriel Deng Ajak, state director for Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, said thousands of people have been displaced in most parts of Jonglei region, which has also been experiencing inter-communal violence since July.

"It is terrible. People have been displaced in Bor town, Twic East due to flooding. The population in the Jonglei region in the places of Bor, Twic East, Duk and Ayod is about 150,000 people," Ajak told Xinhua by phone from Bor.

He said the water level has risen by 1.5 meters following heavy rainfall since July.

Inter-communal violence has affected 400,000 people in the region prior to flooding, Ajak said.

"We urge the national government and the aid agencies to help our people from this bad situation," he said.

United Nations agencies said last year that an estimated 900,000 people were displaced due to flooding in Jonglei, Pibor and Eastern Equatoria regions.

The World Food Program and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization recently warned that 60,000 people in South Sudan were staring at hunger due to inter-communal violence in Jonglei and Pibor regions.

The agencies said the violence in eastern South Sudan is making more people suffering from hunger, when the country is in its annual lean season, where at least 6.5 million people, or more than half of the country's population, are already facing severe acute food insecurity and in need of humanitarian assistance.

South Sudan is currently implementing a fragile peace deal signed in 2018 to end more than six years of conflict. Enditem
Bangladeshi Rayhan Kabir is taken into custody by Malaysian Immigration Department officers in Kuala Lumpur, July 24, 2020.

Updated at 10:30 p.m. ET on 2020-08-07

A Bangladeshi man interviewed in a media report about the plight of migrants in Malaysia during the pandemic has been detained and faces deportation, in what critics see as a double blow to press freedom and freedom of speech in the country.

Rayhan Kabir, 25, has been detained since July 24, blacklisted, and slated for deportation, although Malaysias immigration chief said he could not predict when.

The earliest flight to Bangladesh will be on Aug. 31, Immigration Department director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daul told reporters on Thursday when asked about Rayhan's repatriation.

An immigration official who asked to not be identified told BenarNews that Rayhan had violated his work permit and this was why it was revoked. But officials have also characterized him simply as unwanted in Malaysia.

Under the Immigration Act 1959/63, the Immigration director-general  can take action on any foreigner whom they feel is unwanted in our country, Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin said earlier this week, responding to an MPs question about why Rayhan had been detained.

We can send back anyone who is unwanted. He is unwanted, he said.

The son of a garment maker, Rayhan went to Malaysia six years ago to work and study, and got a degree and a full time job in 2019, according to his father.

But his life took a drastic turn after he was featured in a 25-minute Al Jazeera documentary alleging that the government, under the guise of providing aid and COVID-19 tests to migrants, instead handcuffed those without proper documentation and sent them to detention centers.

They made a trap for us. They may give food, they give medication. All these things they give, Rayhan told a reporter in Locked Up in Malaysias Lockdown. He is also seen trying to visit a friend in detention and talking to a lawyer about how to help him.

No one is expecting they are going to arrest people. Theyre not murderers. Theyre not criminals. Theyre just undocumented, he says.

Calling the program baseless and likely to tarnish the countrys image, Malaysian authorities launched an investigation against Al Jazeera, and a manhunt for Kabir. His address was released by immigration officials, and threats against him surged on social media. Rayhan was eventually arrested on July 24.

Rayhan Kabir (Courtesy Malaysia Immigration Department)

Ready to leave

A lawyer assisting Rayhan said his client has been treated well in detention, but was ready to go home.

We have been trusted by Rayhans family in Bangladesh to secure his return as soon as possible, Attorney C.R. Selvaraja said. We have sought a review for the courts decision on Thursday which has allowed the Immigration Department to remand Rayhan for another 13 days.

In Bangladesh, Shah Alam said his son, who traveled to Kuala Lumpur six years ago to go to law school after finishing secondary school in Bangladesh, had been a voice for others his entire life.

I very often told him not to be so outspoken. But he used to tell me, if you want to do something good for others, you have to speak the truth and endure some troubles, Alam told BenarNews about Rayhan. I am worried about my son, but I am proud too. My son has spoken for others, not for his personal interests.

Rayhan worked part time while studying commerce instead of law, sending money home each month, his father said. He went on to get his degree in 2019.

Three to four months ago, he got a full-time job at the accounts department of a company in Kuala Lumpur, Alam said.

Bangladeshs foreign minister said diplomats in Kuala Lumpur were assisting Rayhan.

Whenever a Bangladeshi is arrested in any country, we at the government through our missions seek consular access for the person and appoint a lawyer. The Malaysian government has given us consular access for Rayhan Kabir, Foreign Minister Abdul Momen told BenarNews.

Meanwhile, Shariful Hasan, the migration unit leader of the NGO Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), called Rayhan a stand out among Bangladeshis arrested overseas.

We have seen many Bangladeshi expatriates detained abroad, but Rayhan Kabir stands out in the crowd, Hasan told BenarNews. He was arrested not for any crime but instead he talked about the discriminatory policy of the Malaysian government against migrant workers. He talked for others.

We hope that the Malaysian authorities would release him and let him come back to Bangladesh with dignity, he said.

International groups have also taken note of Rayhans case, including Human Rights Watch, which said Malaysia should not only release him but also reinstate his work permit.

The Malaysian authorities actions against Kabir send a chilling message to all migrant workers that speaking out about rights abuses risks arbitrary arrest, deportation, and blacklisting, said Phil Robertson, HRWs deputy Asia director. The arrest of a source in a documentary adds to the devastating assault on free speech and media freedom in Malaysia.

Nani Yusof and Ashif Entaz Rabi in Washington contributed to this report.

An earlier version of this report contained an incorrect title for Home Minister Hamzah Zainuddin.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : As the world at large continues to lose people to the rising Covid-19 toll, the impact of the pandemic are exacerbated for women and girls. Restrictive social norms and global lockdowns have limited women's ability to access health services as well as make them more susceptible to health risks and violence, says a population expert, adding that the outbreak will likely not have a major impact on India's population projections in the next few years.

IANSlife spoke to Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of Population Foundation of India (PFI), a national NGO that works at the grassroots level with frontline health workers and rural communities on issues pertaining to the sexual health of women, reproductive health of all and use of contraceptives.

Excerpts:

Q: Sexual and reproductive health has taken a backseat during the pandemic. With unplanned pregnancies, little maternity facilities and lack of contraception, how will this reflect on population trends of India?

A: Evidence from past epidemics have shown that the emergency response lead to diversion of resources from routine health care services towards containing and responding to the outbreak. These re-allocations constrain already limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, such as clean and safe deliveries, contraceptives, and pre- and post-natal health care.

A similar trend is currently being observed in the aftermath of Covid-19 and lockdown measures. There have been several media reports quoting government sources stating that there have been an almost 40 percent decline in institutional deliveries in several states as a result of the lockdown. This data is however not available in the public domain.

Findings from a five-state study commissioned by Population Foundation of India to assess the impact of Covid-19 on young people, particularly young women and girls, suggest that nearly half (50 per cent) or more of frontline workers (ASHAs and ANMs) reported that women were not accessing ante-natal care services. Results from another three-state study by PFI indicate that young people in UP, Bihar and Rajasthan reported an unmet need for reproductive health services, sanitary pads during the lockdown.

A recent study by FRSHI India estimated that 26 million couples in India will have no access to contraceptives due to the disruption of family planning services due to the lockdown. Another study by IPAS has forewarned that nearly 2 million women will be unable to access abortion services in the near future due to Covid-19.

The long-term implications of limited availability of essential health services, including sexual and reproductive health services could be severe. UNICEF has estimated that India would have the highest number of forecast births, at 20 million, in the nine months span dating from when Covid-19 was declared a pandemic.

Q: India has a fairly young population, which is also a reason why the death toll is less. Is the demographic dividend coming to our aid?

A: It must be noted that mortality rates for those infected amongst the aged in India have also been low. Unlike many developed countries which have reported staggering number of infections in old age homes, older people in India mostly live at home and not in old age homes. This has accounted for lower risk of Covid-19 related mortality along with the fact that we are largely a young nation.

While older people and people with existing comorbidities such as asthma, diabetes, and heart conditions are more susceptible to becoming severely ill with Covid-19, WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves as anyone, regardless of their age, can be infected by Covid-19, given the highly contagious nature of the disease.

While the need of the hour is to combat Covid-19, this must not be done at the expense of other essential health priorities. In order to leverage our demographic dividend, we must invest in their health and well-being. There is a need to ensure uninterrupted provision of reproductive health services and step up investments in family planning. Studies from across the globe have revealed that investing in family planning is one of the most cost-effective public health measures and a development "best buy".

Women form a half of India's population and policies and public health efforts have not addressed the gendered impact outbreaks in the past. Across every sphere, from health to the economy, the impact of Covid-19 are exacerbated for women and girls. Restrictive social norms and global lockdowns have limited women's ability to access health services as well as make them more susceptible to health risks and violence. Multiple responsibilities have also put severe strain on their mental health. Going forward, we need effective solutions to ensure that women's health is adequately prioritized if we truly want to leverage India's demographic dividend.

Q: At the time of speaking, the death toll is 35K+ for India. How do you see Covid-19 altering India's population projections for the next few years?

A: According to the WHO, most people who get Covid-19 have mild or moderate symptoms and will recover from it. Therefore, going by the existing evidence, it is highly unlikely that Covid-19 would have a major impact on India's population projections for the next few years.

(Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- Syndicated from IANS
A man carries an injured child to safety following a massive blast in the port of Beirut, Lebanon.  Ritzau Scanpix

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and other humanitarian partners in Lebanon are rushing to support the government-led response following the deadly and devastating blast that ripped through Beirut this Tuesday (4 August).

Given the impact of the massive explosion, we fear that the casualties and injured may also include refugees living in Beirut. Some of the areas severely affected by the powerful blast included neighborhoods that hosted refugees and while we continue to assess the situation, we have received initial, yet unconfirmed reports of several deaths among refugees in Beirut. We work with the rescue teams and other humanitarian workers to help with identification and support to grieving families.

All UNHCR staff are accounted for.

Our immediate humanitarian efforts are focused on three key areas  shelter, health and protection.

Hundreds of thousands of people have had their homes completely or partially damaged in the explosion. The need for shelter is massive. UNHCR is making available its in-country stocks of shelter kits, plastic sheets, rub-halls, and tens of thousands of other core relief items including blankets and mattresses for immediate distribution and use.

UNHCR's ongoing health response for COVID-19 is continuing in this latest emergency. A first phase of expanding hospital bed and ICU capacity including with medical supplies and equipment, ventilators, and patient beds was completed last week. A second phase is being expedited in light of the saturation of hospitals. This support will help decrease the pressure on the currently overwhelmed hospitals and allow more patients to be treated promptly. These additional capacities are available to all those in need.

Protection is another critical area of intervention in the current emergency response, particularly mental health and psychosocial support. UNHCRs reception centres across the country, including in Beirut, are open for critical/emergency cases, with all COVID-related social distancing measures, and the national call centre as well as regional hotlines across the country been fully manned to respond to requests for assistance.

The massive explosion adds to the already severe economic crisis that had pushed many Lebanese and refugees there deeper into poverty, further aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. UNHCR calls on the international community to stand by Lebanon, show solidarity and provide timely and meaningful support to Lebanon and Lebanese people who have been generous hosts to refugees.

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(TNS) -- Days after Tropical Storm Isaias barreled through Massachusetts and caused widespread damages, the state was reporting thousands of residents and businesses still had no electricity Friday morning.As of around 7:45 a.m., 12,574 households were still in the dark, the vast majority of them in Western Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.Hampden County reported 8,258 electrical outages, Hampshire County 1,543 and Berkshire County 443, MEMAs data showed.Central Massachusetts was hit hard by the storm as well. Worcester County continued to see the second-highest number of households without power for a fourth day in a row Friday, with 2,078 outages reported.MEMA tracks the number of residents and businesses without electricity using data from the states four electrical providers. The agency updates its online map every 15 to 30 minutes.National Grid, one of the biggest utility companies in Massachusetts, saw the most outages out of the states four electricity providers, with 10,458 of its roughly 1.3 million customers reporting they had no electricity Friday.At the peak of the tropical storm on Tuesday night, nearly 190,000 National Grid customers were without power, according to Christine Milligan, a company spokesperson.Since Tuesday, more than 1,800 workers have been deployed to help repair damages that have ranged from utility poles that were split in half to entire trees that were toppled, the spokesperson said.Milligan told MassLive earlier this week that the company expected to have power returned to a majority of its customers by Thursday evening, though she noted some households may not see electricity restored until Friday or Saturday at the latest.Were doing our best, she said. It was a very quick storm, but it was a very hard-hitting storm.The Hampden County towns of Monson and Palmer were reporting the most power outages in the state Friday morning at 1,391 and 923, respectively.Springfield, which saw the highest number of households without electricity multiple days in a row, reported 546 outages Friday, a far cry from Tuesday, when more than 10,000 homes and businesses did not have power.A spokesperson for Eversource, which services Springfield and 219,295 total households in Western Massachusetts, said the utility company is working nonstop to get power back to its tens of thousands of customers.Since Isaias battered Massachusetts on Tuesday, Eversource has replaced 210 broken utility poles, more than 50 miles of power lines and 95 transformers. It has also cleared around 235 blocked roads across the state, according to Priscilla Ress, a company spokesperson.As of Friday morning, more than 2,000 of Eversources more than 1.4 million customers were still without power, according to MEMA.In Western Mass., weve restored more than 60,700 customers since the storm began, Ress told MassLive on Thursday. Eversource crews are working around-the-clock to restore the remaining customer outages caused by Tropical Storm Isaias.2020 MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass.Visit MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass. at www.masslive.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The ICMR proposed the solution as mentally ill homeless persons were not being tested for COVID-19 for the lack of a government issued identity card, an address proof or a mobile number as required under the testing guidelines issued by the ICMR

New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Friday told the Delhi High Court that a dummy phone number and the address of the lab or hospital can be used for COVID-19 testing of mentally ill homeless persons.

The country's top medical research body came out with the solution to address the issue of mentally ill homeless persons not being tested for COVID-19 for the lack of a government issued identity card, an address proof or a mobile number as required under the testing guidelines issued by the ICMR.

Taking note of the solution proposed by the research body, a bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan disposed of a PIL moved by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, seeking guidelines for COVID-19 testing of mentally ill homeless persons in Delhi.

It appears sufficient care has been taken by the authorities," said the bench.

It also asked authorities to consider Bansal's suggestion of using the identity documents of the police officer for mentally homeless persons in his area.

The court had on 24 July asked the ICMR to issue a clarification that mobile number, government issued identity card, photographs or even a residential proof ought not be insisted upon for COVID-19 testing of mentally ill homeless persons.

In its affidavit, the research body has said that states can issue their own guidelines for setting up camps to test such people and to ensure that the ''test, track, treat'' strategy is followed.

According to an ICMR advisory, dated 19 June, a government issued identity proof and a valid phone number were necessary for conducting the COVID-19 test, for the purpose of tracing and tracking.

Bansal had claimed in his petition that the Delhi government did not taken seriously the lack of testing guidelines for mentally ill homeless persons.

He had said the high court had on June 9 directed it to address the grievances raised by him in another PIL on the matter.

He had also said that on June 13 he had sent a representation to the Chief Secretary of Delhi government for providing treatment to mentally ill homeless persons in the national capital who have no residence proof.

However, nothing was done by the Delhi government, he had told the court.
F ilm star Eva Green has been accused in a High Court showdown of torpedoing a 4 million sci-fi thriller when her unreasonable demands were not met.

The former Bond actress agreed last year to star alongside Helen Hunt and Charles Dance in A Patriot, but production shut down when she allegedly abandoned the project.

Green, who was also the executive producer, wanted to be surrounded by an army of kind and talented people, according to film company White Lantern (Britannica) Ltd, despite being told it would blow the budget of the movie.

She is accused of demanding the hiring of a string of crew members, including visual effects supervisor George Zwier and her own team of personal assistants, stating: I cannot work without them.

Helen Hunt / Getty Images for Christian Siria

Green, who recently starred in BBC1s The Luminaries, launched legal action against White Lantern last month, suing for 800,000, the fee she says she is owed from the failed project.

The actress says she had a pay or play agreement, entitling her to payment even though the film failed to go ahead.

The film company insists Green owes it more than 1 million. It also wants the actress to make up for profits that the film would have generated, which could run to more than 100 million.

A deal was struck in May last year for the actress to play the part of Kate Jones, a Border Corps captain in a futuristic authoritarian state, with British writer Dan Pringle directing his own original screenplay with a 4 million budget.

In High Court papers, White Lantern set out how it believes the project came off the rails when production was switched from Ireland to Black Hangar Studios in Hampshire last summer.

Charles Dance / Dave Benett

Ms Green engaged in a course of conduct that demonstrated that she had no intention and/or desire to complete the production of the film, said Max Mallin QC, for White Lantern. [Her] demands were unreasonable  [They] created significant distraction, delay and additional costs to White Lanterns management and their progress of soft and hard pre-production.

The film company claims Green was told producer Paul Sarony would be incredibly expensive and largely redundant on set, but she allegedly insisted: We absolutely need him on board otherwise the ship will sink.

Green is said to have insisted that script supervisor Jeanette McGrath was hired too, saying: Please, we really need Jeanette on board for the quality of the film. The actress allegedly said of her team of assistants: They cannot work for less and I cannot work without them.

White Lantern claims Greens hiring demands would have added up to 250,000 to the budget, though she had offered to pay some of the bills out of her own fee.

In her writ, Green says Sherborne Media Finance took over White Lantern in February and purported to give notice of termination of the artist agreement, but she says it was issued too late.

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The claims have been lodged with the court, but have not yet gone before a judge.
Although now isn't the time for a victory lap, with clusters of COVID-19 cases popping up in the province, Premier Brian Pallister gave Manitoba a tentative pat on the back for having the lowest unemployment rate in the country in July.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Although now isn't the time for a victory lap, with clusters of COVID-19 cases popping up in the province, Premier Brian Pallister gave Manitoba a tentative pat on the back for having the lowest unemployment rate in the country in July.

"Our economic numbers released by StatsCan this morning show that we continue to be one of the leading provinces in Canada in terms of creating job opportunities, giving people their lives back across the province, and in suppressing the incidence of COVID among our citizens," he told a Friday news conference.

"The numbers released today show over 60 per cent of Manitobans who lost their jobs to COVID are now back to work," he said. "Our unemployment has edged down to 8.2 per cent, which is the lowest in Canada."

The national unemployment rate is 10.9 per cent.

There was an increase of 12,400 Manitobans employed from June to July  two per cent  as Manitoba's economy continued to reopen with Phase 4 of its recovery plan kicking in July 23.

Full-time employment was up 6,200  a 1.3 per cent increase, which is double the national average, Pallister said. Part-time employment increased five per cent.

There are still 34,265 Manitobans out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Visible-minority Manitobans, who are not white nor Indigenous, appear to be twice as likely to be unemployed, according to the survey taken last month. That is a larger discrepancy than the national snapshot.

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The province is extending its Gap Protection Program deadline from the end of this month to Oct. 31, the premier said. Businesses ineligible for federal support can apply for an immediate $6,000 under the program that has provided $51 million to 8,500 Manitoba businesses so far to help restart operations.

However, Manitoba's economic recovery could be wiped out if people aren't mindful COVID-19 isn't going away any time soon, Pallister warned.

"The progress we've made to date has been because we've been following the fundamentals, and that is what we must continue to do," he said.

The province is next week launching a public-awareness campaign to remind Manitobans to wash their hands, avoid touching their face, stay home when they're ill, and make sure they practise social distancing. Pallister said health security is necessary for economic recovery.

"There's a real danger that we'll let our guard down," the premier said, noting recent clusters of COVID-19 infections reported in Brandon and the Southern Health region. "It's obvious that guard has been let down."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Students at Corinth High School follow the directional signage posted on the floor and keep foot traffic moving in the proper direction as they change classes on the first day back to school Monday 27 July 2020: (2020 The Associated Press)

More than 100 people in a Mississippi school district have been instructed to self-isolate, due to an outbreak of coronavirus less than two weeks after they reopened.

At least 116 people in Corinth, a city in Mississippi, have been told to quarantine for two weeks, after six students and one staff member tested positive for Covid-19 over the past week.

Taylor Coombs, spokeswoman for the Corinth School District, told NBC News that any person who was considered to have been in close contact with the people who tested positive for Covid-19, have been instructed to self-isolate.

Five of the students who tested positive attend high school, one goes to a local middle school, and the other person is a teacher at an elementary school in the city.

The Corinth School District reopened facilities on 27 July, after a period of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, and parents were given the option to send their kids back or take virtual classes, with 85 per cent of them opting for in-person learning.

The students affected by the quarantine will now join the 15 per cent of children being taught virtually in the school district, until they can go back to class.

In an interview with Fox13 on Thursday, Corinth School District superintendent Lee Childress said that no major changes are planned, despite the outbreak of cases.

Its been interesting to watch unfold but its not something that was unexpected. We knew we would have positive cases. I dont think it matters if you open schools in July, August, September, or October.

Its something everyone is going to experience. The key is, we had the procedures in-place to do the screening at the schools need to take place prior to children coming.

In a later statement he added: We believe that most of these earlier cases are the result of community transmission, which further highlights the need for all community members to adopt and practice recommended safety measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Story continues

Schools will only be as safe as the community in which they operate.

Mississippi has seen a rise in coronavirus cases over the last month, and currently has the fifth highest number of Covid-19 cases per capita in the US.

The state currently has 63,444 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 1,804 deaths since the pandemic began, with its number of fatalities rising from an average of 10 a day in June to 30 in August, according to CNN.

In response to the rise in deaths in the state, governor Tate Reeves announced on Tuesday that face masks will be mandated in public and in schools for the next two weeks.

I (had) taken a piecemeal approach because I believe firmly that this was the best way to get the most number of people to participate, Mr Reeves told reporters.

However, he added: I believe that there is enough motivation to safely get our kids in school that we can really juice the participation of mask wearing throughout our state for the next two weeks.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, in the US as a whole, some 4.8 million people have tested positive for coronavirus. The death toll has reached at least 159,433.

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Pence absolutely would send his children back to school
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Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, August 8 2020

Indonesia should ratify a landmark United Nations treaty to consolidate its commitment to put an end to the use of nuclear weapons, a campaigner for a Nobel Prize-winning global cause has demanded, as the world commemorated 75 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The world saw its last nuclear attack in Japan in 1945, when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the two cities on Aug. 6 and 9, respectively, killing thousands of people in the span of three days.

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Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha has recently started a campaign titled Full Stop to Cyber Bullying to create awareness about cyberbullying and offers solutions to deal with online bullying and harassment. The Dabangg actress who recently released the promo of the third episode of her online series featuring Advocate Vaishali Bhagwat, online content creator Dhruv Shah, among others, shared the making of her next episode. This shows that the actress has tightened up her socks and is working sincerely to bring out the best in her amid the lockdown.

Sonakshi shares glimpse of her episode four of cyber-bullying campaign

Sonakshi shared the boomerang video of episode 4 making on her Instagram story where she can be seen flaunting her laptop where she was recording the promo along with the script of the next episode. While captioning the post, Sonakshi wrote, All set for episode 4 of ab bas. the third episode is already out and do let us know in the comments whether you benefitted from the information that was provided.

Read: Samir Sharma's Death: Shraddha Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha Offer Condolences

Read: Sonakshi Sinha Talks About Repercussions Of Cyberbullying In 3rd Episode Of Her Series

About the campaign

Sonakshi Sinha, who has often slammed cyberbullies in her real-life, recently joined Mission Josh's campaign- Full Stop to Cyber Bullying against online cyberbullying and harassment. As a part of the campaign, Sonakshi Sinha talks to different people from various walks of life every week. In the third episode of the campaign, Sonakshi Sinha was in talks with Advocate Vaishali Bhagwat and digital content creator Dhruv Shah about online bullying and harassment. Advocate Vaishali Bhagwat educated the viewers about the legal repercussions of cyberbullying, whereas, Dhruv shared his story of online bullying. Sometime back, she shared the promo of the third episode and wrote, Kya trolls aur bullies gender dekh Kar harassment Karte hai? Is it any easier for men? It's time we smash gender stereotypes around online harassment. #AbBas." (sic)

Earlier, Sonakshi teamed up with the cyber cell and had shared a video on the channel and captioned it as, AB BAS! It's time to stop the pandemic thats plaguing our online world- Cyber Bullying and harassment. Full Stop To Cyber Bullying is a campaign by Mission Josh, where I have teamed up with Special IGP Mr. Pratap Dighavkar with an aim to create awareness and educate people about online harassment, trolls, impact on the mental health of victims who have faced trolling. Ab bas, NO more online harassment!.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Sonakshi Sinha will be next seen in Abhishek Dudhaiya's Bhuj: The Pride of India. The movie, starring Sonakshi Sinha, Ajay Devgn, and Sanjay Dutt in the lead, narrates the tale of 300 Gujarati women who helped the Indian Airforce during Bangladesh and Pakistan War. The makers of the upcoming recently released the first look of Sonakshi Sinha from the upcoming, amping up the expectations of the moviegoers.

Read: Sonakshi Sinha Films That Have Completed More Than 5 Years; See List

Read: Sonakshi Sinha Flaunts Her Curls In A New Pic; Saqib Saleem Calls Her Huma Qureshi

(Image credit: Sonakshi Sinha/ Instagram)

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.
Much has happened in the two years since the Toronto flooding of August 7, 2018, as described in Moira Welshs 2019 investigative piece When the hard rains fall. The 45-minute downpour of heavy rain that caused extensive localized flooding in locations across the GTA was overwhelming. Businesses covering an array of industries from finance, retail and property management were left stunned at the scale of destruction caused from what seemed like such a short burst of rain.

Given the nature of the event, most affected areas were at street level or below. This meant below-grade promenades and PATHS, mechanical rooms, parking garages and pump rooms faced the most significant damage. Within mere hours, a team of more than 400 FirstOnSite frontline workers were tasked with mitigating the damage and ensuring business interruption was minimized.

From small- to large-sized companies, the need for restoration was dire. In one instance, an entire downtown complex had to be shut down for 48 hours, affecting 3,000 employees. Without quick and decisive action this could have taken much longer, dramatically impacting business operations.

The importance of being prepared for these events increases every day. As our climate continues to evolve, Toronto can no longer rely on historic flood models to determine its future. What was once termed a 100-year flood is something we are beginning to see once a decade. This frequency, along with the massive costs associated with business interruption and repairs, is a constant driver of better preparedness, but also innovation in how we plan for tomorrows disasters.

Historically, as Toronto grew in the 19th and 20th centuries, hundreds of streams, springs and marshes were filled or covered. This was done often with little thought to the natural drainage of the area. Along with this rapid growth and development of the city came a sewer system that by todays standards is decades behind in both capacity and proper maintenance.

Today, there is an increased appetite for disaster-preparedness planning from businesses. Five years ago, business continuity planning was more of an afterthought. More organizations are exploring and inquiring about business continuity planning, including flood preparation and response. This is a trend that needs to continue. Strategic partnering with response providers is key in minimizing downtime for any organization.

Canadian policy-makers, planners and business leaders need to discuss flooding at all levels. This threat has an impact on where we build and manage communities and businesses in the future. In order to succeed and grow we need to be ever vigilant and strive to shape sustainable and resilient communities.

Attitudes are changing, but we need to continually adapt and better prepare for this new reality. A failure to recognize the scale and threat that future flooding poses will be a detriment to us all in the future.
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 47F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies and rain later during the night. Snow may mix in late. Low 33F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan (C) poses for photographs with COVID-19 survivors who have donated plasma, on Monday. (PTI)

With a record single-day spike of 2,207 cases, Telangana's COVID-19 tally went up to 75,257 on Friday. With 12 more fatalities, the death toll rose to 601, the government data as of 8 pm on August 6 said.

Out of the 2,207 new cases, 532 were from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), followed by Rangareddy (196), Warangal Urban (142) and Medchal-Malkajgiri (136).

Except Nirmal, all the remaining 32 districts reported cases in double digits. While the GHMC has been the hotbed of virus spread since the pandemic outbreak, some of the districts, including Warangal Urban, Karimnagar and Sangareddy, have been witnessing a steady rise in caseload in recent weeks.

According to the bulletin, the case fatality rate in the state was 0.79 per cent, while it was 2.07 per cent at the national level.

The total number of people who recovered from the virus was 53,239, while 21,417 were under treatment. The recovery rate was 70.7 per cent in the state, while it was 67.62 per cent in the country.

The number of individuals in home/institutional isolation was 14,837. The number of asymptomatic cases (of those under home isolation) was 84 per cent, it said.

The bulletin said 23,495 samples were tested on August 6. Cumulatively, the number of samples tested was 5,66,984.

The state government on Wednesday decided to conduct 40,000 COVID-19 tests daily.

On age and gender wise COVID-19 positive details, it said 65.6 per cent were male, while 34. Four per cent were female.

The highest percentage of positive cases among various age groups continues to be in the 31-40 group which was 25 per cent (male-17.7 and female-7.3).

On comorbidities status among deaths, it said the percentage of deaths due to comorbidities was 53.87 per cent. The percentage of deaths due to COVID-19 was 46.13 per cent.

The number of vacant regular, oxygen and ICU beds in government facilities was 11,581 and 4,430 and 1,896 respectively, the bulletin said.

It said RT-PCR/CBNAAT/TRUENAT testing facilities in government were 16 and 23 in the private sector. It also said 323 rapid antigen testing centres have been set up by the government.

The bulletin provided a list of laboratories, list of rapid antigen testing centres, details on the status of beds in government and private hospitals, list of containmentzones in GHMC and in different districts.

The bulletin said the government has made elaborate arrangements for treating COVID-19 patients and that sufficient beds are available in government hospitals. The call centre number for helpline, telemedicine and grievances is 104. People can contact 9154170960 on WhatsApp for any grievances pertaining to private hospitals/laboratories, the bulletin added
In early July, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that Tehran is close to entering into a long-term strategic partnership agreement with Beijing. A few weeks later, Indian media reported that Tehran has "dropped New Delhi" from a key rail project along its border with Afghanistan after "it showed reluctance in investing fearing American sanctions", Al Jazeera writes in the article What the new Iran-China partnership means for the region.

Despite occupying headlines around the same time, the news of Iran's newly formed strategic alliance with China and its alleged cold-shouldering of India were not directly related. Nevertheless, viewed together in the context of the growing tensions between the US and China and the Himalayan border dispute between China and India, these two developments provide valuable insights into the new geopolitical realignments in Asia. It seems the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" policy against Iran has pushed the country into the arms of China and caused a significant strategic disadvantage to its long-term ally India.

According to a July 11 report by the New York Times, the not yet finalised agreement between Beijing and Tehran will see China invest a total of $400bn in banking, transport and development sectors in Iran. In exchange, Beijing expects to receive a regular, and heavily discounted, supply of Iranian oil over the next 25 years. The deal is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that aims to extend his country's economic and strategic influence across Eurasia.

Just a few days after the details of the proposed China-Iran deal were made public, on July 14, Indian daily The Hindu reported that Iran decided to exclude India from an extensive rail project that will connect the Iranian port city of Chabahar to Zahedan, a city near its border with Afghanistan. Indian consultancy IRCON had pledged to provide all services and funding for the project, estimated at about $1.6bn, according to The Hindu report.

The Iranian government swiftly denied the Indian newspaper's report, claiming it did not drop New Delhi from the project, as it had "not inked any deal with India regarding the Zahedan-Chabahar railway" in the first place.

Despite Tehran's denial, however, many viewed India's apparent removal from the railway project - which will eventually stretch to Zaranj on the Afghan side of the border - as a major setback to its plans to create an alternative trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia that bypasses Pakistan's Chinese-operated Gwadar port.

Chabahar is pivotal to the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-kilometre (4,473-mile) freight route connecting Mumbai to Moscow. For years, India had been enthusiastically promoting the project, which aims to increase connectivity in Eurasia, partially because it believed it could help keep Iran outside China's BRI, and cool down any cooperation attempts between Tehran and its primary regional rival, Islamabad.

Over the past 20 years, Iran had been supportive of India's plans to establish new trade routes and signed several deals to advance these initiatives. Last year, however, as New Delhi stopped purchasing oil from Iran to please Washington and further strengthened its military-strategic ties with its arch foe, Israel, Tehran's attitude towards New Delhi's regional connectivity project started to change. The news of New Delhi's interest in participating in the Israeli-led "Trans-Arabian Corridor" (TAP), which aims to connect India to Eurasia through Israel and several Arab states hostile to Iran, further encouraged Tehran to seek other regional alliances.

Iran's new partnership deal with China is indicative of its drift away from India. And this budding partnership between the two countries is likely to have significant consequences for New Delhi.

The new deal between Beijing and Tehran includes plans for China to develop several ports in Iran, such as the Bandar-e-Jask port which is strategically situated to the east of the Strait of Hormoz. This is significant as it gives Beijing control over one of the seven key maritime chokepoints in the world. This can potentially undermine the US naval dominance in the Middle East, as having a foothold in Bandar-e-Jask would not only allow China to monitor the US Navy's Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, but together with a presence in Gwadar and Djibouti ports, it would also augment Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean Region. All this could cause India to lose the leverage its close ties to the US provides against China.

Iran's inclusion into the BRI framework is also likely to cause India to lose ground against China in Afghanistan. After 9/11, Indian political and economic influence grew in Afghanistan under the US security umbrella. Since the February deal between the US and the Taliban in Doha, however, India's influence over the country has been shrinking. India was neither part of the US-Taliban deal, nor it has any significant role in the intra-Afghan peace process. After the US withdrawal, India's influence over the country will minimise further.

Despite Washington's prodding, New Delhi has been ambivalent about entering into dialogue with the Taliban. China, on the other hand, has long been engaging both with the Kabul government and the Taliban in an effort to not only secure its economic investments and interests in Afghanistan in the aftermath of US withdrawal, but also undercut those of India. This also gives China an edge to potentially connect the post-US Afghanistan in the BRI framework. China's growing ties to Iran - a country that has significant clout over and ties with Afghanistan - is likely to help it achieve this goal.

This new realignment in Asia provides new opportunities not only for China, but also for Pakistan. First, China's involvement in Iran would weaken Pakistan's main rival India, and open up strategic space for Islamabad to efficiently deal with political and security threats it is currently facing. Second, after fully integrating Iran into the BRI framework, Beijing could help Islamabad improve its relations with Tehran and assist the two countries in pacifying the ethno-separatist armed uprising in Balochistan. Third, Chinese presence in Iran would mean the Iranian port city of Chabahar would not compete with Pakistan's Gwadar, whose port is operated by China. Finally, India's ouster from Iran would mean the transit trade from Afghanistan and Central Asia would continue through Pakistani ports.

However, Pakistan will have to overcome its internal governance and security challenges to benefit from what is appearing to be a new, more favourable geopolitical environment.
The WeChat app is displayed in the App Store on an Apple iPhone in Washington on Aug. 7, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Following US Ban on WeChat, TikTok, Beijing Reacts Angrily While Chinese Users Ponder Uncertainty

President Donald Trump on Aug. 6 ordered a stop to all U.S. transactions with Chinese companies ByteDance and Tencent, effectively banning their popular developed apps TikTok and WeChat from the country. The ban will take effect in 45 days.

The Chinese regime responded angrily the following day, while Chinese users in the United States pondered what would happen to their transactions and communications with mainland China.

The Regime

Spokesman for Chinas Foreign Affairs Ministry Wang Wenbin said at an Aug. 7 press conference that Trumps decision was using state power to suppress non-U.S. companies unreasonably. Its obviously bullying. He repeated the statement twice.

Wang did not mention that the Chinese regime bans international websites, apps, and internet platforms from operating within its borders, such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Wikipedia, and Line. He also did not speak about Chinese authorities exclusion of foreign companies from their strategically important sectors, such as oil and gas, banking, and railways.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)s mouthpiece Peoples Daily published a commentary on Aug. 7, stating that Trump wanted to kill off TikTok with his intent of having an American company purchase its parent company, ByteDance.

Nearly all major Chinese media outlets, including the private-run ones, reposted the commentary.

Trump has given TikTok a Sept. 15 deadline to find an American buyer, or else face a complete ban. But he has never expressed intent to compel its Chinese owner to do so.

In this photo illustration, the TikTok app is displayed in the App Store on an Apple iPhone in Washington, D.C., on August 7, 2020. (Photo Illustration by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, pro-Beijing media in Hong Kong speculated whether Beijing would retaliate by not allowing Apple to supply WeChat on its App Store in mainland China. They quoted economists and estimated that iPhone sales would drop dramatically as a resultas many Chinese in the mainland rely on WeChat. In addition to being a messaging app, it also has e-wallet and banking features. The app is commonly used to make financial transactions in China.

China expert Gordon Chang noted that though the Trump administration has taken quickening actions to address threats posed by the Chinese regime in recent weeks, Beijings response has been muted.

China has screamed and yelled, but essentially has not retaliated, Chang told NTD, an affiliate of The Epoch Times.

Maybe theyre waiting for the August 15 meeting to talk about the phase one trade deal before they actually act. But right now, Beijing has been unusually quiet, said Chang, who is also the author of The Coming Collapse of China. The two sides were scheduled to meet this month to discuss progress on fulfilling obligations in the trade deal, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Chinese People

Because the Chinese regime bans nearly all international social media and communications platforms, overseas Chinese can only use WeChat and other Chinese-developed apps to communicate with their loved ones back home.

Overseas users also heavily use the apps online banking function to transfer money.

Chinese media reported on Aug. 7 that overseas Chinese were worried that their WeChat accounts might be closed soon, and began arranging their friends or relatives in China to transfer cash into their WeChat accounts.

Its unclear to what extent the executive orders, which go into effect in 45 days, would impact WeChats business and whether Tencents large fleet of investments in the United States and other parts of the world would come as collateral.

In the mainland, some WeChat users have started to share backup contacts for a limited number of apps that are still available in China. Others plan to do what they do at home to get around the Great Firewall, as the blockade of foreign apps and websites in China is known, by using virtual private networks (VPN) that mask a users identity on a public network.

Tencent, a company headquartered in southern Shenzhen city, has a total of 1,004 apps under its ownershipmost of them are mobile games.

According to Sensor Tower, Tencents mobile app revenue was $447 million in July 2020, including $427 million for iOS apps and $21 million for Android apps.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Jenelle Evanss career has been in a downward spiral for more than a year. After getting booted from Teen Mom 2, Evans tried her hand in the world of makeup. With a failed brow kit under her belt, she is ready to launch another venture. This time shes collaborating with a marijuana dispensary.

Jenelle Evans announces shell create a cannabis-based moisturizer

Evans took to YouTube to share a recent business trip with her fans. She and her husband, David Eason, left North Carolina to visit a cannabis farm in Oregon. While the majority of her meeting was not filmed, Evans did share that shell be partnering with Burnt River Farms Cannabis Company to develop lotions.

Recently, I had a very special business trip for more JE Cosmetics products! I uploaded our entire trip to my YouTube channel below! https://t.co/DPhcGdYBlc pic.twitter.com/wUqsAGQ9c0  Jenelle Evans (@PBandJenelley_1) August 6, 2020

Evans did not mention if the lotion will contain CBD, or if it will be hemp-based. She also didnt share how she connected with the company. A release date has yet to be announced.

Burnt River Farms Cannabis Company already canceled one event with Jenelle and David

While Evans has a partner in Burnt River Farms Cannabis Company for her moisturizer, the company tried to distance themselves from Evans and Eason in July. According to The Hollywood Gossip, the company announced a Meet and Greet with Evans and Eason, but pulled back amid backlash.

RELATED: Teen Mom 2: Jenelle Evans Might Have Just Lost a Sponsorship Due to an Instagram Post

Just like every other collaboration Evans has had in recent months, fans flocked to the companys social media pages to denounce the association. Initially, Burnt River Farms Cannabis Company insisted all was fine, and they planned to go ahead with the event. Shortly before Evans and Eason were set to arrive, the company issued a statement that insisted they did not condone child abuse, racism, or animal abuse. The event was promptly canceled.

Jenelles new business announcement comes just weeks after fans claimed JE Cosmetics brow kits contained mold

Evans might be pretty excited about her upcoming business venture, but fans arent sure it will be successful, or even safe. In recent weeks, consumers who purchased the brow kit Evans released last year have taken to social media to claim the kits contain fungus. Evans denied the claims.

RELATED: Teen Mom 2: Jenelle Evans Makeup Business Could Not Be Doing Any Worse

Consumers sounded the alarm about quality control on the brow kit when it initially launched, too. Several early buyers claimed the brow wax contained hair-like fibers. According to In Touch Weekly, XJ Beauty, the company that originally manufactured the kits, claimed the fibers were likely from the products velvet packaging. XJ Beauty and Evans have since parted ways.
At least 17 people are dead - including both pilots - after an Air India Express plane flying from Dubai to Calicut with 191 passengers onboard skidded on runway and crashed into a valley.

The two pilots tried to land in heavy rain after already aborting their first attempt and circling over the airport at its destination for 20 minutes.

The plane overshot the runway and skidded into a 30ft-deep valley at Calicut airport, in the Indian State of Kerala, at around 7.45pm (2.45pm GMT) today.

Images circulating on social media show an aircraft ruptured into two parts laying in a valley. Four passengers are thought to be trapped in the wreckage.

According to police reports, both pilots and 12 other individuals were killed in the disaster. Another 123 people were injured in the crash.

Scroll down for video.

The two pilots tried to land in heavy rain after already aborting their first attempt and circling over Calicut airport, in the Indian State of Kerala, for 20 minutes. Pictured, rescuers head inside the plane

Injured passengers have been rushed to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala

The Air India Express flight that skidded off a runway while landing at the airport in Kozhikode

According to police reports, the pilot Captain Deepak Vasant Sathe (pictured), and 15 others were killed by the impact of the crash

'I can confirm at least 14 deaths overall. Another 15 passengers have critical injuries. It is still a developing situation,' senior local policeman Abdul Karim told AFP.

'We have at least 89 people, many of them with serious injuries, admitted at different Kozhikode hospitals. The ambulances are still coming in,' said Sujith Das, another senior police official.

'We have been told that all those who have survived the crash also have some form of injuries.'

Shashi Tharoor, a Congress party lawmaker from the state, said the two pilots were killed.

The NDTV news channel said 30-40 people were hospitalized and that other passengers had been evacuated from the aircraft.

Amitabh Kant, who heads the government's planning commission, said the runway is on a hilltop with deep gorges on either side, making it difficult to land.

'The incident happened because of heavy rains and poor visibility. This is truly devastating,' he told NDTV.

An Air India Express plane flying from Dubai to Calicut, also known as Kozhikode, with 191 passengers onboard has crashed into a valley after overshooting the runway at its destination

Crowds gathered at the site of the crash in Kerala as 15 ambulances sped towards the scene. Injured passengers have been rushed to a nearby hospital

Images circulating on social media show an aircraft ruptured into two parts laying in a valley near Calicut airport, in the Indian state of Kerala

Pictured: An aerial view shows fire engines racing to the scene of the crash today near to Calicut airport in India's Kerala

A part of the Air India Express flight is seen through a broken wall after it skidded off a runway

Teams conduct search and rescue operation at the site after the Air India Express plane crash

Luggage was seen discarded by the crash site as injured passengers were pulled out of the wreckage and sent to hospitals

Rescue workers look for survivors after a passenger plane crashed when it overshot the runway at the Calicut International Airport

The plane was split in half by the impact of the 30ft fall into a valley after landing in heavy rain

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said in a tweet that he was 'distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft at Kozhikode.'

It was a repatriation flight carrying Indian citizens back to the country, officials said.

Regular commercial flights have been halted in India because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Air India Express said in a statement that there was 'no fire reported at the time of landing.'

It said there were 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft.

Television pictures showed part of the fuselage of the Air India Express jet ripped apart, although there was no sign of any fire, at Kozhikode airport in the southern state of Kerala.

First responders inspect the wreckage of an Air India Express jet, which was carrying more than 190 passengers and crew from Dubai

The two halves of the plane can be seen clearly in this picture. The aircraft nose dived into a valley after skidding off the runway

Part of the plant knocked a hole in a brick wall at the edge of the airport in Kerala on Friday

An ambulance carrying injured passengers leaves for a hospital as onlookers watch on

The wreckage of an Air India Express jet, which was carrying more than 190 passengers and crew from Dubai, is pictured after it crashed by overshooting the runway

Health workers transfer an inured passenger on a stretcher to take her inside a hospital in Kozhikode, Kerela

An injured passenger is surrounded by healthcare workers as they prepare to treat her

Medical personnel in personal protective gear stand as people injured are attended to at the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode

Medical personnel in personal protective wear stand next to bodies of victims after the Air India Express flight skidded off the runway

One television channel reported there had been a problem with the jet's landing gear.

'I am arranging hospitals for the injured passengers in the city and can confirm two deaths,' local police official Sujith Das told AFP.

'There are injuries too but we don't yet have a number.'

There were ten infants onboard, according to reports. A photograph of a young girl who was allegedly on the plane and was found without a guardian has been circulating on social media.

A post reads: 'This kid is found from spot where plane accident occurred. Nobody is with her and she is taken to Kondotty Hospital. Please share this.'

It is not known if the tweet is genuine but a second post claims the child has since been reunited with her parents.

Officials inspect the wreckage site of a plane crash at Calicut airport in Kozhikode, India

Ambulances were called to the site of the wreckage. Officials helped to rescue survivors from the crashed plane

One post claimed the plane was circling over the runway for 20 minutes before it made to land

Rows of ambulances are seen outside the Calicut International Airport where a passenger plane crashed after it overshot the runway in Karipur

One of the persons injured after an Air India Express flight skidded off a runway while landing at the Kozhikode airport is brought for treatment to the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode

Reports suggested the plane 'skidded' off the runway after trying to land in heavy rain

'Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) skidded during landing at Karipur Airport at around 7.45 pm (2.45pm GMT) today,' Kondotty Police told news agency ANI.

According to local media, 15 ambulances attended the crash and have rushed the injured passengers and crew to nearby hospitals.

'Second tragedy of the day in Kerala: Air India Express skids off the runway at Kozhikode, front portion splits, the pilot dies and lots of passengers injured,' wrote former Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons.

'All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didn't catch fire.'

Reports said dozens of passengers were taken to hospital and that there were at least 20 critically injured.

An aerial shot of the airport shows the runway. Amitabh Kant, who heads the government's planning commission, said the runway is on a hilltop with deep gorges on either side, making it difficult to land

A Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) statement confirmed the plane had landed in heavy rain before skidding into the valley

Data suggested the plane had already aborted its first attempt at landing. A figure showing the plane's flight path shows it was forced to turn around and try again

There were ten infants onboard, according to reports. A photograph of a young girl who was allegedly on the plane and was found without a guardian has been circulating on social media

'As per the initial reports, rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care,' it said.

An emergency services official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP: 'Rescue operations are on but the rains are making it difficult.'

Television pictures showed emergency services personnel working in the dark and spraying the wreckage with water.

Kerala has been battered by heavy rains in recent days. Monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, wreaks havoc across South Asia every year.

News18 reported that there was a problem with the aircraft's landing gear, citing unnamed sources.

The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2010, when an Air India Express Boeing Co. plane overshot the runway and burst into flames, killing 158 people.

That was the first fatal crash of a passenger aircraft in India in a decade.
Bollywood and TV actor Sunil Grover is all set to return to television with a new comedy show, says a report. The proceeds of the show will reportedly go towards Covid-19 relief.

The show is titled Gangs of Filmistan, Mumbai Mirror reports. It will air on Star Bharat. Speaking about it, Sunil was quoted as saying: I dont know how to make a vaccine, but I know how to entertain and thats what I aim to do.

The show will reportedly have no celebrity guests or live audience. Sunil will be seen playing a don who wants to be entertained - so people come and perform for him. For the first time I will be sitting on the other side and this way, will automatically observe social distancing.

The overall cast also includes Shilpa Shinde, Siddharth Sagar, Sanket Bhosale, Sugandha Mishra, paritish Tripathi and Jatin Suri.

However, he will not be revisiting the iconic characters, Gutthi and Mashoor Gulati, that he played on The Kapil Sharma Show. I will not be revisiting any of my iconic characters, like Gutthi and Mashoor Gulati. I come with a new character, but with same old intentions. I hadnt planned on doing a show, but the offer was too good to pass up.

Sunil was one of the most popular figures in The Kapil Sharma Show, till a fight between Kapil Sharma, the shows host, and him, while on a flight from Australia, made him quit the show. He has since gone on to make his film debut. He starred in Salman Khans Bharat.

Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs niece shares video of his pet Fudge: He does still look up hopefully every time the door opens

Speaking to Mid-Day last year, Sunil had said candidly, It is a Salman Khan film and nobody bothers if Sunil Grover is a part of it or not. People will throng theatres to watch him, but it excites me to be just part of this world and exploring genres.

Salman is a huge star. Whether Bharat is released with or without me, it wouldnt make a difference. If not me, somebody else would have done the role. I have put in my best for the film. I want to stay humble and just enjoy the moment, he had continued.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
McDonald's will only offer delivery service in Melbourne as the city goes under a strict night curfew as part of Stage 4 restrictions to halt the spread of COVID-19.

Those looking to satisfy their Macca's cravings will not be able to visit stores between 8pm and 5am across Melbourne for the next six weeks of lockdown.

The Stage 4 rules are in effect from Thursday as the city battles with a second wave of hundreds of new coronavirus cases each day, with another 471 cases, and eight fatalities, on Thursday.

Those looking to satisfy their Maccas cravings will not be able to visit stores between 8pm and 5am across Melbourne for the next six weeks of the high level lockdowns (pictured: Melbourne on July 23)

While the fast food franchise has been offering delivery for years, the stores will now move to a delivery-only method of operating - with customers needing to download an app to buy food.

'McDonald's has moved to delivery-only during curfew hours, in accordance with further guidance received yesterday afternoon from the Government.' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'We're all in this together and we expect our customers to comply with Stage 4 restrictions.'

'McDonald's continues to engage with the relevant Government Departments to ensure we are meeting all required standards regarding our contactless takeaway, drive-thru and delivery services.'

McDonald's temporarily stopped dine-in options in March in line with social distancing regulations, though customers could still order takeaway or from the drive-thru.

As restrictions were eased restaurants in some areas then began to open for in-house dining again - following the caps of numbers of patrons.

In wider Victoria, where Stage 3 restrictions are in place, McDonald's is currently offering the takeaway, drive-thru, and delivery options.

In New South Wales, McDonald's staff will now be required to wear face masks from Wednesday as a precautionary measure.

The store said while they were not required under regulations they were implementing them as a health and safety measure in addition to gloves and screens already in place.

While the fast food franchise has been offering delivery for years, the stores will move to a delivery-only method of operating in Melbourne for six weeks between 8pm and 5am
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday chaired a regular consultation on the work carried out by the Armenian government to assist the Lebanese government after Tuesdays powerful and deadly explosion in Beirut.

"We have gathered to discuss what to do next after the explosion in Beirut, in particular the situation in the [Beirut] Armenian community (). Three planes [from Yerevan] are currently scheduled to fly [to Beirut]. All three will be humanitarian aid: medicine, food," Pashinyan said.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan reported that the first flight is scheduled for Saturday at 9pm, the main purpose of which will be first of all to provide medical drug assistance. "The next flight is scheduled for August 11; one more flight will be operated next week. The process of collecting the goods is currently underway. We believe we will have up to 12 tons of cargo on the first flight, which will be transported to Lebanon," Avinyan said.

Also, representatives of the government and the National Assembly of Armenia, as well as of the Hayastan (Armenia) All Armenian Fund will visit Lebanon to review the situation on the ground, and to clarifywith the Lebanese government and the local Armenian communitywhat other resources are needed to assist the Lebanese government and the local Armenian community.

Then, issues related to the organization and coordination of these activities were discussed.
Even in the healthcare world, sexism and ageism are hot issues that need to be addressed. Female doctors are going through menopause with no support from supervisors or colleagues due to sexist and ageist attitudes, a new study finds.

The study by the British Medical Association (BMA), the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom, has found that females doctors going through menopause are reducing their houses, moving to lower-paid roles, or retiring early from medicine due to sexism and ageism in hospitals.

The BMA has tracked a strong pattern of highly experienced women leaving G.P. partnerships, leaving medicine early, and ending their positions as directors and clinical leaders, since they grapple to cope with menopause symptoms. They are also subjected to sexist and ageist attitudes when talking to their managers about their menopause.

What is menopause?

Menopause is characterized as the point in time when the menstrual cycle permanently ceases due to the natural depletion of ovarian oocytes from aging. A menopausal diagnosis is made retrospectively after the women have missed her menstrual flow for 12 consecutive months.

On average, most women have menopause in their late 40s to early 5-0s. In the U.K., the average age of a woman to experience menopause is 52 years old. Some women, however, may have it earlier in their 30s and 40s.

Women who go through menopause experience a multitude of symptoms that results from low levels of reproductive hormones, especially estrogen. Low estrogen levels can lead to vasomotor instability, which can cause night sweats and hot flashes. Some women also experience psychological changes, such as mood swings, difficulty concentrating, and depression.

The majority of the 3.4 million women between the ages of 50 and 64 in the U.K. will be suffering symptoms of menopause, including heart palpitations, insomnia, headaches, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal pain and dryness, recurrent urinary tract infections, and a reduced sex drive. Many women also experience mood changes, feelings of sadness, memory problems, inability to focus, and anxiety, among others.

The study findings

In the study, the researchers surveyed 2,000 doctors to shed light on the challenges for doctors working through the menopause. The team wanted to determine the experiences of doctors and the areas which could help support doctors during this time.

The researchers found that more than a third said they are willing to make changes to their working lives due to menopause but were not able to do so. Further, more than 90 percent of the respondents said their menopause symptoms had impacted their working lives.

About half of the respondents also said they wanted to discuss their symptoms to their employers, seeking support but did not feel comfortable in doing so. Man women also said that they would experience being laughed at or ridiculed by both their managers and colleagues if they spoke about the menopause. Only 16 percent of the doctors had discussed their symptoms with their managers or supervisors.

Almost half said they had wanted to discuss their symptoms and seek support but did not feel comfortable doing so. A significant number said they would be laughed at or ridiculed by both managers and peers if they spoke about the menopause. Only 16% of respondents had discussed their menopause symptoms with their manager.

It is extremely concerning to find that some women may be permanently stepping back from senior positions in medicine  a key cause of the gender pay gap  and the health service may be losing highly experienced staff because of inflexibility and a lack of support during a relatively short phase of life, Dr. Helena McKeown, BMA representative body chair, said. The health service is under immense pressure, and we cannot afford to lose experienced doctors because of a lack of flexibility and support, she added.

What can be done?

The report also emphasized ways to better support doctors who are going through menopause in the workplace. The researchers said that breaking the taboo should be done in the workplace, and the employers should take a pro-active approach to normalize the topic of menopause. Further, they said that disseminating information about this stage in a womans life may help the women feel more secure.

Spreading awareness of how menopausal symptoms impact their work will help other people understand the menopausal female doctors more. The team also recommends access to flexible working to help the symptoms of menopause more manageable and to improve the morale of female doctors.

Further, the team recommends adjustments to the workplace by improving room ventilation, support for mental health and well-being, and developing an inclusive culture to address sexist and ageist behaviors in the workplace.
DUBLIN, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry (Oil and Gas) Outlook to 2024 - Capacity and Capital Expenditure Outlook with Details of All Planned Terminals" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Globally, 189 new-build (planned and announced) liquids storage terminals are expected to start operations between 2020 and 2024. Of these, 67 are being proposed in Asia, 49 in North America, and 73 in the rest of the regions. China, the US, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia are the top five countries that are expected to contribute 65.9 percent to the global new-build liquids storage capacity by 2024.



Report Scope

Updated information on all planned and announced liquids storage terminals globally

Provides capacity data by commodity (crude oil, chemicals, and petroleum products) from 2020 to 2024

Provides key details such as terminal name, operator name, commodity type, terminal status for all planned and announced liquids storage terminals globally

Provides capital expenditure outlook at global as well as regional level by year and by key countries for planned and announced liquids storage terminals till 2024

Latest developments and contracts related to liquids storage terminals, wherever available

Reasons to Buy

Obtain the most up to date information available on planned and announced liquids storage terminals globally

Identify growth segments and opportunities in the industry

Facilitate decision making on the basis of strong historic and outlook of capacity data

Assess key liquids storage terminals data of your competitors

Key Topics Covered



1. Table of Contents



2. Introduction



3. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry

3.1. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Snapshot

3.1.1. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Overview of Liquids Storage Terminals Data

3.1.2. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Liquids Storage Capacity by Key Countries, 2020-2024

3.1.3. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Crude Oil Storage Capacity by Key Countries, 2020-2024

3.1.4. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Petroleum Products Storage Capacity by Key Countries, 2020-2024

3.1.5. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Chemicals Storage Capacity by Key Countries, 2020-2024

3.2. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Planned and Announced Liquids Storage Terminals

3.2.1. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Top 10 Planned and Announced Liquids Storage Capacity, 2020-2024

3.2.2. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Annual New-Build Capital Expenditure Outlook for Planned and Announced Liquids Storage Terminals

3.2.3. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Annual New-Build Capital Expenditure Outlook for Planned and Announced Liquids Storage Terminals by Key Countries

3.3. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Regional Comparisons

3.3.1. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Regional Comparison based on Contribution to Global Planned Liquids Storage Capacity, 2020-2024

3.3.2. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Capacity Additions Through New Storage Terminals by Region, 2020-2024

3.4. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Country Comparisons

3.4.1. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Country Comparison based on Contribution to Global Planned Liquids Storage Capacity, 2020-2024

3.4.2. Global Planned Liquids Storage Industry, Capacity Increase through New-Build Storage Terminals by Country, 2020-2024



4. Africa Planned Liquids Storage Industry



5. Asia Planned Liquids Storage Industry



6. Caribbean Planned Liquids Storage Industry



7. Europe Planned Liquids Storage Industry



8. Former Soviet Union Planned Liquids Storage Industry



9. Middle East Planned Liquids Storage Industry



10. North America Planned Liquids Storage Industry



11. Oceania Planned Liquids Storage Industry



12. South America Planned Liquids Storage Industry



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4qo3d9

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 16:27:42|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Australians have been urged to "stay calm" as state authorities undertake a large coronavirus tracing operation.

More than 1,100 South Australians have been ordered to self-isolate as the state tries to prevent a cluster of COVID-19 cases linked to a school from becoming a full second wave of infections.

Seventy adult students at the school have been put into isolation for 14 days under police guard while another 1,100 students and staff considered "casual contacts" have been ordered to self-isolate at home to stop the potential spread of COVID-19.

It comes after two adult students who attended classes at the school earlier in the week tested positive for the virus.

Nicola Spurrier, South Australia's chief public health officer, said the measures were taken as a "precaution," imploring those affected to "relax, stay calm, and enjoy a little bit of a break."

"We are not leaving any stone unturned ... because as people know we have really enjoyed a fantastic lifestyle here in SA with our lifting of restrictions," she told Adelaide's FIVEaa radio on Friday.

"Even just one case in the wrong place can get out of control very quickly.

"This is safest, not only for the young people who may develop symptoms, it means we can monitor them very closely every day, but also for their families as well."

With Victoria experiencing a second wave of infections significantly bigger than its initial wave authorities in the seven other states and territories have slowed the rate at which they are easing coronavirus restrictions over fears of outbreaks.

"The entire country is on high alert and Victoria is still not at its peak," Steven Marshall, premier of South Australia, said.

As of Thursday there have been 457 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Australia. Enditem
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From You're Not Enough (And That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love by Allie Beth Stuckey published by Portfolio, an imprint of The Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. copyright  2020 by Allie Beth Stuckey

Canceled is what happens to you when the court of public opinion (held primarily on Twitter) decides that something youve said or done at any time in your life is unacceptable by todays social and moral standards. Cancelers call for boycotts of your shows or products, demand that you be fired from your place of employment, command that you be deplatformed from social media and the apps that host your content, target your advertisers, and pressure organizations associated with you to disavow you. They take no prisoners.

Cancel Culture is the perfect depiction of how the secular world does morality without absolute truth: the boundaries of righteousness are ever changing based on the latest social whim. Because theres no objective standard of right and wrong, peoples feelings are all we can base morality on. That means the group with the most cultural sway is typically in charge. What was acceptable yesterday, then, wont be acceptable tomorrow, and so on.

Sometimes people are canceled for the right reasons. Consider Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer and accused serial sexual assaulter. In 2017, journalists at The New York Times uncovered three decades of substantial allegations of sexual misconduct that included offering movie roles to actresses in exchange for sex. Ronan Farrow reported for The New Yorker that thirteen women had accused Weinstein of sexual assault or harassment, and three women accused him of rape. Since these allegations surfaced, more than eighty women have claimed to be victims of Weinsteins predation.

The outcry against Weinstein was immediate and catalytic. The scandal catapulted the celebrity-led #MeToo and Times Up movements, which focused mostly on women sharing stories of harassment or assault. Since 2017, a number of prominent figures have stepped forward and revealed their experiences with sexual abuse. The rage against Weinstein and others like him is still the center of many cultural conversations about power and consent.

But theres still a problem with all of this. While Weinstein certainly deserves his cancellation, he didnt suddenly become a known predator. His reputation as a creep was an open secret in Hollywood long before the reports came out. Some celebrities  Gwyneth Paltrow, Courtney Love, and Seth MacFarlane  alluded to Weinsteins behavior publicly more than a decade earlier. In December 2017, The New York Times published a piece titled Weinsteins Complicity Machine, which analyzed Weinsteins wall of invulnerability built by powerful Hollywood elites and via his support of Democratic politicians, such as the Clintons and the Obamas.

For probably the first time ever, celebrities were speaking out about sexual ethics. The behaviors they suddenly found the courage to condemn have long been condemned by people outside of Hollywood. Suddenly it became trendy to care about sexual behavior and power dynamics. But those of us with a biblical worldview didnt need Hollywood to tell us what weve always known: actions like those of Harvey Weinstein are wrong.

I think a lot of good has come from the Me Too movement. Women previously too scared to come forward with their stories found the strength to speak up. Predators in Hollywood and in major media corporations have been held to account. But its also shown us the volatility of morality based primarily on outrage. Its standards are fickle and unreliable. Its swayed by my truths, which change, rather than the truth, which doesnt.

In 2018, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford brought a serious allegation of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh  that he had forced himself on her and presumably attempted to rape her at a party when they were seventeen. Ultimately the claims remained unverifiable, and Kavanaugh was confirmed.

The feminist mantra of the Kavanaugh saga was: believe all women. Not listen to all women. Not pay attention to their stories. Not take them seriously. But believe them. The standard shifted from hearing womens accounts to fully accepting them without question, as the outrage toward toxic masculinity, coupled with a fear of a conservative justice, dictated. No matter where you stood on the Kavanaugh debacle, its easy to see that that kind of mentality isnt based on truth, but on cultural trends, political expediency, and emotion. Thats not a just standard for anyone.

Without objective benchmarks for right and wrong, this is about the best a world ruled by subjective truth can do: accept morality defined by the mob. Whoever controls our means of communication and information arbitrates whats true and whats false, whats right and whats wrong, and whos canceled and whos not.

This is not a culture Christians should be a part of. We dont discern good and evil based on the latest rage trend. We dont use Twitter as our source of truth; we use Gods Word, which never changes. We dont have to be tossed by the waves of cultural relevance. We have Gods absolute truth as our anchor.

This doesnt mean Christians dont get it wrong. There were Christians who attempted to justify slavery by using the Bible. There are people today who may try to condone the abuse of women via the biblical command for wives to submit to their husbands. But these sinful misinterpretations speak not to Gods fallibility but ours.

No matter what the mainstream once believed, even those who identified as Christians, slavery was always wrong. It was always the objectification and degradation of people made in Gods image. Any kind of abuse, extortion, or injustice is and has always been wrong because God says so, not because celebrities or politicians or courts or influencers say so.

William Wilberforce, who led the way for the abolition of slavery in England, said it best: What a difference it would be if our system of morality were based on the Bible instead of the standards devised by cultural Christians. I would add, or by culture, period.

There is freedom in realizing that neither we nor anyone else has authority to determine truth and morality. My truth and societys truth are ever changing, arbitrary, and exhausting to keep up with. Sometimes outrage is justified, but that justification is not defined by people in power; it is defined by God.

Resisting the worlds fluctuating morality isnt easy, especially when the cause sounds good  even biblical.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian is displeased with the United States' presence in the South China Sea, flagging that these outsiders should stop "trying to make trouble" in the region.

The Chinese envoy on Friday blasted American presence in the disputed waters, saying it was disruptive to efforts among Asian neighbors to keep the peace.

"While we talk about as US outsiders, we expect outsiders to respect the efforts of regional countries in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. Its a regret that we have seen US meddling vigorously in the South China Sea issue," Huang told CNN Philippines' The Source on Friday, adding America broke its promise on not taking a side on the issue.

An international tribunal in The Hague invalidated Beiings sweeping territorial stakes in the South China Sea and recognized Manilas sovereign rights in areas within its exclusive economic zone which China claims.

The US Navy conducted two massive drills in the South China Sea in July, sending two aircraft carriers in a move condemned by China, which claims almost the entire global waterway. The Philippines did not participate in these joint exercises on President Rodrigo Duterte's order.

While the US does not claim any part of the South China Sea, it conducts freedom of navigation operations and recently tightened its policy on such international disputes. US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim wrote last month that it stands with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian partners in upholding a "rules-based order" which acknowledges the July 2016 tribunal ruling.

OPINION: The Philippines future floats in the West Philippine Sea

"We are making clear: Beijings claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them," US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo also said in a statement last month announcing the strengthening of US policy on maritime claims in the disputed waterway.

RELATED: Locsin and Pompeo talk 'shared interests' in South China Sea

For the Chinese diplomat, Washington has been hounding the South China Sea dispute by "showing its muscles" and taking the side of other claimant states.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and self-governing Taiwan also have their own territorial claims in the South China Sea.

"In the first half of this year, the US has come up with more than 200 military aircrafts to this region, not to mention its carriers and warships. Who is provocating the situation in the South China Sea? Its very clear," he said, adding the foreign power stands in the way of consultations for a common Code of Conduct in the disputed waters.

"China and the Philippines are like family members. It's normal for family members to have differences, but if an outsider, a neighbor comes to assist us thats fine... But if they come to say 'please fight against each other,' then we have to question their purpose. Do they want the peace in this region or they want to make South China Sea as a political game for the geopolitical purpose?," the Chinese official added.

Tensions between China and the US have been heating up in recent weeks, with the closure of consular offices in Chengdu as well as in Houston. Prior to the pandemic, the two nations were looking to resolve issues on a tariff war.

Meanwhile, Huang welcomed the Philippines' decision to sit out of joint naval drills in these waters. He again stressed that it is best for Beijing and Manila to "shelve" differences and agree to disagree about conflicting claims.

He again dismissed the validity of the July 2016 ruling of the "so-called" arbitral tribunal, disputing how it can be enforced.

"If we look at the arbitral ruling literally, what is arbitration? Arbitration is something agreed by both parties directly concerned  only by doing so it can be called arbitration. The ruling itself is a ruling without the agreement from the other side, so we may not call it arbitral ruling," the envoy said.

Duterte has maintained that his administration will keep an independent foreign policy, but he's been criticized for holding back on enforcing the arbitral award for the sake of warmer ties with China. Legal experts said going to war is not the only option as the President insists that the Philippines will just set aside its claims for now as it cannot afford an armed conflict with Beijing.

READ: Increased military spending, minimum credible defense pushed amid Chinas incursions in West PH Sea

In previous instances, China has been spotted building infrastructure on features claimed by the Philippines and turning away Filipino fishermen at sea. In June 2019, a Chinese vessel rammed the Filipino boat Gem-Ver and left the fishermen swimming for their lives, who were later on rescued by a passing Vietnamese vessel.

Compensation is yet to be given to the fishermen more than a year since the incident. Huang said authorities are still waiting for a counter-proposal from the Philippines as to how much reparations the fishermen should receive.

Meanwhile, Huang said he anticipates that by end-2021, long-delayed discussions can be wrapped up and an agreement can be reached on a code of conduct in the South China Sea. The code is expected to spell out what actions countries and vessels can or cannot do in in the South China Sea.
The one name missing from conversations around the Ram Temple ground-breaking ceremony was that of RSS pracharak Moropant Pingle, one of the foremost scholars of the Sangh.

Scholar Shridhar Damle argues that it was Pingle who prepared the ground on which LK Advani took out his Rath Yatra. He recalls Pingle telling him that the Sangh had taken Ayodhya before Mathura or Kashi, because among Hindus, Ram had a wider reach than Krishna or Shiv.

In an interview with News18.com, Damle talks about Ayodhya, the Uniform Civil Code, and the next big task that the Sangh has taken upon itself before completing 100 years in 2025.

A lot of people who were connected with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement werent part of the ceremony at Ayodhya. How do you feel about that?

Yes, the RSS chief in his speech mentioned LK Advanis name to remind people of his contribution, along with the names of former VHP president Ashok Singhal and Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas first president Ramchandradas Paramhans. But having seen the press coverage of the entire ceremony, I think the one name that the media forgot to mention was that of RSS senior pracharak Moropant Pingle. His role in the entire movement was forgotten by the media.

The RSS had played a major role in the anti-Emergency struggle and Pingle had a huge contribution in it. But his contribution towards Ram Janmabhoomi was even more substantial. It was he who arranged VHPs cross-country Ekatmata Yatras, mobilised hundreds of trucks bearing images that showed Ram lalla behind iron bars, and organised the shila pujan to galvanise support for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. It is he who prepared the ground on which Advani later took out his Rath Yatra.

I once asked Moropant Pingle why the Sangh chose to focus all its energies towards Ayodhya and not towards, say, the temples of Kashi and Mathura. In case of Ayodhya, there were no historical documents, for instance, which were readily available in case of Mathura and Kashi from the time of Aurangzeb.

Pingle told me that across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, there was lord Ram impact among people. But such a mass appeal was not there for lords Krishna and Shiva. The Hindu Mahasabha had made an attempt to stir a movement in Kashi, but it had fizzled out due to lack of common peoples participation. So, the Sangh wanted a movement only around lord Ram.

Pingle told me: let us build a grand temple at Ayodhya, the path to build temples at Mathura and Kashi will be cleared automatically.

Do you feel that Mathura and Kashi are next on the Sanghs agenda?

I dont think the Sangh is in a great hurry on this issue. Focus will be to build the grand temple, as promised, within three to three-and-a-half years. Maybe in time for Ram Navami. But the issue will, of course, be kept alive, meanwhile, by media, and ambitious leaders of the Hindu Right, which will benefit VHP and BJP.

 which is when Uttar Pradesh will go to polls and a year later general elections will be held...

AB Vajpayee, after becoming the PM in 1999, said during his visit to the US: give us two-thirds majority and we will build the temple at Ayodhya. Yes, the timing of the conclusion of the grand Ram temple construction could favour the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. And a pitch similar to what Vajpayee made then could be made again before 2024, this time for Mathura and Kashi.

Is the next big agenda before the Sangh the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code?

Again, I dont feel that the Sangh will be in a rush to get this done. Getting UCC implemented legally across the country was opposed by none other than MS Golwalkar, the second RSS chief. He said you cannot change people by law. He said that the change had to come from within the communities. For instance, he said that the anti-dowry law had become a mockery given how rampant the exchange of dowry was at that time.

Sangh would like a consensus to be built around the subject over time. And given the reaction of political parties on the issue of Ram Mandir, getting political support for UCC across party lines may anyway not be a difficult task for the BJP.

A year after the next general elections, in 2025, RSS will complete 100 years. Now that it has achieved its objective as far as the Ram Mandir is concerned, what other goals would the Sangh like to have achieved by then?

As of today, the RSS is working hard on expanding their footprint across the countrys 5 lakh villages. Today, they have a presence in nearly 3.5 lakh villages. There is a thinking in the RSS that the basic need is to change the economic model of rural India and to prevent the exodus of young people from the villages and make them self-sufficient. They feel that the Indian economy should ultimately function on the lines of the Japanese model of decentralised economy, in which the industries are fed raw material and other resources from its own villages. The big multinationals will exist but they will get everything from within the country. This will be the Sanghs priority for the next five years.
Social media in general has many different pros and cons. On the pro side of things, one example is that it is great for showing things to families that live far away. Not all families live close together all the time, so being able to share pictures, videos or even word posts online to thos
I have written many times that those on the left, because they believe they are on the side of all that is right and just, are willing to commit any depravity and injustice to gain the power they need to remake America.

Most Americans, however, do not understand this about the Democrats. People believe that all Americans have only the best intentions and would never deliberately harm the nation and its citizenry merely to obtain political power.

Therefore, people can only look on with incredulity as Democrats blatantly strive to keep Democrat-controlled state economies on lockdown  and, with the help of teacher unions, keep most schools closed in an attempt to deliberately immiserate Americans and their families in the hopes that their suffering can be used against Trump.

With schools closed, it's been estimated that as many as 20 million workers will not be able to return to employment because they lack childcare, not to mention the irreparable damage the children will suffer. Combined with the lockdowns, this will only aid in ensuring a hobbled economy with which they can blame and batter President Trump to deny him a second term as president.

And now, the Democrats are deliberately backing a candidate with not only obvious diminished mental capacity, but also clear signs of dementia, despite the danger a senile president might present to the country, the world, and humanity.

The Democratic Party platform ardently adopted by "Aphasic" Joe Biden would entail an abrogation of the Constitution; a gaming of the voting system and the addition of new states (D.C. & Puerto Rico) to guarantee the Democrats perennial electoral victory; and a complete revision of America's capitalist economy, transforming it into one based on the tenets of socialism as the stout pillars of a society ruled by critical theory.

These are positions a non-diminished Joe Biden might have considered not only anathema, but also political suicide.

Yet today, out-of-control Democrats are willing to do all this damage to a more than 200-year-old nation and its people because they believe they are on the right side of history. Leftists consider their laudable goals as in service of the betterment of humanity and believe that victory "by any means necessary" is justified. When you throw off the restraint inherent in our constitutional republic, no actions are off the table.

The left's plan has many stages. Keeping economies on lockdown and schools closed may not be enough. After failing so many times in the last few years to depose President Trump, leftists are leaving nothing to chance.

The past is prelude, and the Floyd riots (or the 1619 riots, if you prefer) were merely practice sessions, war-gaming, if you will, for what will come in the weeks preceding the election.

The rioting, arson, looting, and violence, now seemingly on the wane, will be redeployed by the left with ardor in the weeks running up to November's election. If the left is to be believed, rioters are immune to COVID, allowing the Democrats to marshal Antifa, the paramilitary arm of the party, and BLM, the ideological backbone of the party, into the streets, hoping the violence will frighten away Trump voters.

In a reverse of Trump's 2016 strategy to campaign strongly in battleground states, Antifa can be expected to turn those states into actual battlegrounds by massing at every polling place in these states to threaten Trump voters and prevent them from voting.

Media, the propaganda arm of the Democratic Party, will sell it 24/7 as "mostly peaceful" organic protests expressing the will of the people.

Still, even all that might not be enough to turn the tide against the president.

Recently, a group of Democrat grandees called the Transition Integrity Project convened to war-game the election. John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's former presidential campaign chair, acted as Joe Biden in a scenario where Trump wins re-election. In this scenario, Biden refuses to concede the election.

California, Oregon, and Washington then threatened to secede from the United States if Mr. Trump took office as planned. The House named Mr. Biden president; the Senate and White House stuck with Mr. Trump. At that point in the scenario, the nation stopped looking to the media for cues, and waited to see what the military would do.

You can also expect Antifa to play a prominent part in the aftermath of a Trump victory, only with a heavier emphasis on violence.

We know what will happen with a Biden victory: either an acquiescence of Americans to a "fundamental transformation of the United States of America" or a civil war.

We need only look at what is happening today, and what Democrats are already hinting, almost 90 days out, at what they intend to do when Trump wins.

At this point, an apocalypse is probably unavoidable.

The Democrats want it that way.

The author can be found on Twitter @williamlgensert.
No further deaths and 15 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has confirmed.

The death toll remains at 556 people.

After 2,153 people were tested 15 individuals were confirmed as positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections to 6,064.

On Thursday there were 43 new cases - the highest number since May.

Three patients with Covid-19 are in hospital, with two in intensive care.

There are three current outbreaks in care homes.

The latest NISRA figures show in the week up to last Friday, July 31, there was one death in which coronavirus was a factor. It has been over three weeks since the last death attributed directly to the virus.

Meanwhile, all those arriving in Northern Ireland from Andorra, Belgium and the Bahamas will be required from this Saturday to quarantine for 14 days.

The three countries have been removed from the travel corridors list due to a continued rise in Covid-19 cases.

The restrictions will take effect from 4am on Saturday August 8.

Read More

Meanwhile two countries are to be added to the travel corridors list. These are Brunei and Malaysia.

They will be added to the list from 4am on Tuesday August 11. As a result, quarantine will not be required for anyone arriving into NI from these countries.

It comes after the Executive agreed to make face coverings mandatory in shops and enclosed spaces from Monday.

Read More

Check out our live blog below to see how Friday's coronavirus developments unfolded:
Exactly 10 years ago, one of the most epic steps aimed at connecting West Africa to the rest of the world was taken. MainOne, a little-known company at the time, had just landed a state-of-the art 7, 000-kilometer submarine cable connecting West Africa to Europe, and by extension, the rest of the World, after a 10-month construction drive that cost an estimated $300million.



The vision of Ms. Funke Opeke who founded the company was clear - to bring the same quality of Internet access and connectivity that the rest of the world was already taking advantage of to Africa, in an efficient and affordable manner. West Africa was the launching pad from which the Internet penetration revolution envisioned by Ms. Opeke was to begin.



A daunting landscape



Back in 2010, West Africas broadband market was characterized by slow and exasperating Internet access; most of West Africas 307 million population had either no access to the Internet or had to visit retail cyber-cafe outlets to send a simple e-mail which in some cases, took over thirty minutes to complete. Ghana had recorded some progress in terms of broadband and voice service uptake, because of the liberalization of the telecommunications industry which began in 1994. However, the broadband industry in Ghana was witnessing challenges ranging from infrastructure to the high cost of delivery due to high prices of upstream providers.

Broadband penetration in Ghana was at an abysmal 7% in 2010 and this led to the National Broadband Policy in 2012. Other countries in the region, including the Republic of Benin, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, were not doing significantly better in terms of connecting their people to the Internet. Indeed, data from the International Telecommunication Union suggests that as at 2010, about 10% of Africas population were Internet users while 67% of Europes population had access compared to 49% of access in the Americas. It was against this background that MainOne began operations in 2010, with a clear vision to turn the tide.



Pouring out maps



In the 10 years following its initial launch, MainOne has implemented a policy that has driven broadband penetration in some of the most densely populated city centers in West Africa, while also paying attention to places less travelled. The company has invested an estimated $400million on various broadband penetration drives to meet the needs of the expanding business environment in West Africa. At present, MainOne delivers services to 10 West African countries. The company has also built Tier III data centers in Nigeria, Ghana (Q1 2020) and Cote dIvoire, hosting the largest institutions and global content in the region. Currently, it is engaged in an on-going expansion of its data center footprint in Nigeria and Ghana.



In 2018 and 2019, it pursued an aggressive strategic network expansion in the West African Region. Its submarine cable system was expanded to Cote dIvoire and Senegal in 2018 while in 2019, its data center was launched in Cote dIvoire. MainOne consolidated on its network expansion by launching its Managed Cloud Services and MDXi Azure Stack in 2020. By taking these steps, incrementally, Internet penetration grew from a trickle to a flood in West Africa. Indeed, MainOne played a critical role in enabling Internet access across West Africa where Internet penetration rates have grown from less than 10% in 2010 to close to 40% ten years later.

Data released by Renesys, a global broadband intelligence organisation, indicates that MainOne is the foremost Internet Protocol (IP) provider in the West African region, with majority of the Internet traffic coming out of West Africa on its network. All of this has had significant impact on the economies, businesses, and people of west Africa.



Beyond rhetoric



In 2010 MainOne began providing its services from its office at Airport residential Area. MainOne instantly revolutionized wholesale pricing and brought on board all major network players in the country due to its competitive pricing. It had built a robust network to ensure superior service delivery and reduce downtimes. MainOnes broadband services in Ghana fostered the growth of Internet Service Providers like Teledata, Surfline and Blu Telecoms.



MainOne currently serves customers across the various industries as it grew its operations to include enterprises in addition to its wholesale service. The company has also made remarkable territorial expansion in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, Takoradi and Paga with PoPs in all these locations. These investments continue to enable MainOne serve customers within these areas at competitive prices all in a bid to increase broadband penetration. The company also actively supports social entrepreneurship and start-up community by connecting technology incubation hubs, including, Hackerspace, Meltwater amongst others.



MainOne, as a player in this industry, has built an excellent relationship with the government and regulators, Ministry Of Communications, National Communications Authority (NCA), National Information Technology Agency (NITA) since inception to help build and develop the ecosystem: MainOne over the years has pushed Cable Awareness events to sensitize key stakeholders (GMA, Shippers, Fishing community, etc,) to regard submarine cables as Key National Infrastructure). MainOne also spearheaded legislation for cable awareness in Parliament.

A 2016 World Bank paper with the title Exploring the Relationship Between Broadband and Economic Growth, shows that there is a direct correlation between Internet penetration and economic growth. Using an econometric model and cross-sectional data drawn from 1980-2006 for 120 developing and developed countries, the author concluded that a 10%-point increase in fixed broadband penetration would increase GDP growth by 1.21% in developed economies and 1.38% in developing ones.



We started on this journey to deploy critical infrastructure to bridge the digital divide in West Africa, Ms. Opeke said in a statement to herald the 10th anniversary celebration of MainOne. While we are pleased that we have made an impact, there is so much more work to be done. The recent challenges we have faced with the COVID-19 Pandemic highlight the need for additional investment and smarter policies to deploy shared infrastructure required to make access to broadband a reality for more Africans at a price they can afford. MainOne has been leading that charge across West Africa for ten years and we are even more committed to realizing our vision today than we were 10 years ago, she said.



There is no doubt that MainOne has made significant impact on Africas digital economy in the last decade. While the company continues to pursue its dream, those who hold the reigns of policy have a major role to play so that when broadband penetration is evaluated in the next 10 years, West Africas story will be that of significant progress that has left no one behind.















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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Situation in Parts of Syria's Idlib, Deir Ez-Zor Tense, Russian Military Says

Sputnik News

21:23 GMT 06.08.2020

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A number of settlements on the east bank of the Euphrates are under the control of Arab militia opposed to the US-backed armed formations, the head of the Russian centre for Syrian reconciliation, Rear Admiral Alexander Shcherbitsky, said at a daily briefing on Thursday.

"There has been an aggravation of the situation in the areas of the province of Deir ez-Zor, which are not controlled by the government of the Syrian Arab Republic. A number of settlements on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River have been taken under control by Arab tribal militias that opposed the US-backed armed formations and authorities", the statement said.

The main reason for the protests of the local population is the difficult social and economic situation in the US-occupied areas.

The illegal presence of the United States on the east bank of the Euphrates in Syria has become the main factor of instability, hindering dialogue between the parties to the conflict, as well as peace, Shcherbitsky said.

A tense situation is also developing in the south of the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria, he noted.

"The Turkish command is taking certain measures to destroy the bandit formations along the M4 highway. But at the same time, the Turkish side has failed to ensure the creation of a 'security corridor'. In this regard, the next joint Russian-Turkish patrol is constantly being postponed", he added.

On 5 March, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on a ceasefire in Idlib, which started at midnight. The sides also agreed to create a security corridor six kilometres (3.7 miles) north and south of the M4 highway in Syria, which connects the provinces of Latakia and Aleppo.

A Sputnik

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If the idea of LWP scheme is to only weed out around 600 employees and subsequently save the carrier Rs 10 crore a month, the management could have easily laid off the retired employees, who had an advantage over others by dint of having connections internally and in the corridors of the ministry of civil aviation, say Air India staff.

As the battle to save jobs at the national carrier gets turbulent, a section of Air India employees (including pilots) says at least 202 retired staffers still on the payrolls and a potential 3,399 permanent workers on the cusp of retirement should be the first targets for the proposed leave-without-pay (LWP) scheme.

According to sources, if the idea of the new scheme is to only weed out around 600 employees and subsequently save the carrier Rs 10 crore a month, the management could have easily laid off the retired employees, who had an advantage over others by dint of having connections internally and in the corridors of the ministry of civil aviation.

It needs to be kept in mind that these 202 employees have already reached the end of their active working career.

"They still managed to inveigle themselves into getting extensions due to their connections, says a former chairman and managing director (CMD) of the airline, who, during his tenure, tried to curb this prejudicial practice but largely failed.

Calls and pressure to offer such contracts come from the very top, he says, and the airline simply gives in.

He argues that in the present scenario, even the expertise of these 202 retired employees is unlikely to add much value to the carrier and rescue it from the dire straits it finds itself mired in.

If the airline has to axe, this is certainly the first place to start, he adds.

If heads have to roll, start with the 750-odd permanent staffers across categories up for retirement in 2020-21, say sources.

They are financially secure, have few dependents, and are at the end of their working careers, they add.

A senior commander argues that instead of targeting pilots and others in their late 40s and early 50s, who in the present scenario may not have job options, the airline needs to begin with those on the doorstep of retirement.

A query sent to the Air India management remained unanswered till the time of going to press.

But an executive director of the airline went off record to state: Air India is unwilling to upset its senior order.

Many of the retired employees who got extensions are on the recommendations of the top management.

This option, however, he points out, would be rather unpalatable, as it would also include a few in the posts of directors and the very top management.

He adds that close to 36 per cent of the total permanent employee base of the airline (9,426 permanent employees) is expected to retire in the next five years.

Further, it is argued that there is a lot of fat in airlines in the middle management level (2,817 assistant to senior-level managers) and in the general category at the executive management level (456 in total).

It is this flab that should be removed first.

Even as the airline flip-flops on the controversial LWP scheme, insecurity at the airline has never been more intense.

Senior pilots and commanders, cabin crew, and engineers are confident that their skills will remain invaluable to the airlines continued operations, regardless of whether the carrier is owned by the government or any private entity.

The general category officers at the seniormost level are almost double (456) the pilots (281) and flight operations officers (41). Why? asks the former CMD.

He says the management and MCA need to answer questions first.

They need to confront their own deep-seated nepotism staring the airline in the face today and then come up with further schemes.

Photograph: Regis Duvignau/Reuters
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's residual fuel oil inventories were steady in the week to July 29 despite a jump in net import volumes, official data showed on Thursday.

Onshore fuel oil stocks rose 87,000 barrels, or about 14,000 tonnes, to a two-week high of 23.592 million barrels, or 3.715 million tonnes, in the week ended Wednesday, according to the Enterprise Singapore data.

Residual fuel stocks were up 24% from a year earlier.

Net import volumes were up 43% from the previous week to a seven-week high of 721,000 tonnes in the week to July 29 and were above the 2020 weekly average of 670,000 tonnes. Weekly figures, however, were volatile.

The largest imports into Singapore were from Malaysia at 361,000 tonnes, followed by Iraq with 204,000 tonnes, Denmark with 100,000 tonnes and the United States with 98,000 tonnes.

Imports from Denmark were at a six-month high.

Most of Singapore's fuel oil exports went to Saudi Arabia at 97,000 tonnes, followed by 57,000 tonnes to Bangladesh and 39,000 tonnes to New Caledonia.

Underscoring a new and unusual arbitrage flow in recent weeks, Singapore net exports to Saudi hit a fresh record high in the week to Wednesday.

The Kingdom typically exports residual fuel outside of the summer months to countries including Singapore and imports fuel oil for power generation, primarily from regional suppliers, during the hot summer months.

Fuel oil inventories in the neighbouring Fujairah storage and bunkering hub were at a two-week high of 14.552 million barrels, or 2.293 million tonnes, latest data showed.

(Reporting by Roslan Khasawneh; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
Union aviation minister Hardeep Puri has said that a formal enquiry will be conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the Kerala plane crash that has killed at least 20 people and caused injuries to 123 people, according to official information. Puri added that his ministry was in touch with local authorities and providing assistance in rescue and relief operations.

He also confirmed that Air India express flight number AXB-1344 on its way from Dubai to Kozhikode with 191 persons on board, overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down 35 ft. into a slope before breaking up into two pieces.

Relief teams from Air India & AAI are being immediately dispatched from Delhi & Mumbai. All efforts being made to help passengers, a statement from the minister said.

The announcement of probe comes almost at the same time when senior Congress leader K Venugopal demanded an inquiry into the incident and sought all measures be taken for rescue, relief and medical care for the affected.

According to the latest information, two passengers were still stuck inside the plane and rescue teams were trying to cut open the doors of the aircraft.

Also Read: PM Modi briefed on rescue operations by Kerala CM, expresses pain

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken stock of the situation and spoken to Kerala chief minister on rescue operations. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities.

He has also deputed A C Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations. AC Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrissur. CM also has deputed an IG of police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two districts have also been engaged.

Also Read: Helpline set up at Kozhikode along with help centres at Sharjah and Dubai

Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save the lives of victims.

The Dubai-Calicut Air India Express flight with 191 passengers and crew on board overshot the runway at Kozhikode and fell into a valley, breaking into two portions, on Friday evening. Television pictures showed part of the fuselage of the jet ripped apart in the crash. Both the pilots have died.
Dominic Cummings faced the media on May 25 to give a day-by-day account of his battle against coronavirus and his controversial journey to his parents' farm in Durham.

The Prime Minister's top aide faced an hour-long television grilling at Downing Street after it emerged on Saturday he had travelled 260 miles north from London with his family amid the coronavirus lockdown in March.

He recounted his own battle with the virus, which his wife Mary Wakefield also caught, while insisting he had acted 'reasonably and legally' in a 'very tricky, complicated situation'.

News of the trip sparked fury from NHS staff, bishops and Tory MPs, twenty of whom demanded Mr Cummings' resignation as Boris Johnson maintained his adviser acted 'responsibly and with integrity.'

Giving a timeline of events in his own words, Mr Cummings said:

March 26

At around midnight on Thursday, March 26, I spoke to the prime minister.

He told me that he tested positive for Covid. We discussed the national emergency arrangements for No 10, given his isolation and what I would do in No 10 the next day.

March 27

The next morning, I went to work as usual. I was in a succession of meetings about this emergency. I suddenly got a call from my wife who was at home looking after our four year old child. She told me she suddenly felt badly ill.

She'd vomited and felt like she might pass out. And there'll be nobody to look after our child. None of our usual childcare options were available. They were alone in the house.

After very briefly telling some officials in No 10 what had happened, I immediately left the building, ran to a car and drove home. This was reported by the media at the time who saw me run out of No 10.

After a couple of hours, my wife felt a bit better. There were many critical things at work and she urged me to return in the afternoon and I did.

That evening, I returned home and discussed the situation with my wife. She was ill. She might have Covid, though she did not have a cough or a fever.

March 27: Dominic Cummings is pictured running out of Downing Street on the day Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock test positive for coronavirus

At this point, most of those who I work with most closely, including the prime minister himself and others who sit within 15ft of me every day, either had had symptoms and had returned to work or were absent with symptoms.

I thought there was a distinct probability that I had already caught the disease. I had a few conflicting thoughts in my mind.

First, I was worried that if my wife and I were both seriously ill, possibly hospitalised, there was nobody in London that we could reasonably ask to look after our child and exposed themselves to Covid.

My wife had felt on the edge of not being able to look after him safely a few hours earlier. I was thinking, what if the same or worse happens to me?

There's nobody here that I can reasonably ask to help. The regulations make clear, I believe the risks to the health of a small child were an exceptional situation, and I had a way of dealing with this that minimised risk to others.

Second, I thought that if I did not develop symptoms, then I might be able to return to work to help deal with the crisis. There were ongoing discussions about testing government staff in order to keep people like me working rather than isolating.

At this point, on the Friday, advisers such as myself had not been included in the list of who were tested. But it was possible that this might change the following week. Therefore, I thought that after testing negative, I could continue working.

The Prime Minister's top aide faced an hour-long television grilling at Downing Street today after it emerged on Saturday he had travelled 260 miles north from London with his family

Third, there had been numerous false stories in the media about my actions and statements regarding Covid. In particular, there were stories suggesting that I had opposed lockdown and even then I did not care about many deaths.

These stories had created a very bad atmosphere around my home. I was subject to threats of violence. People came to my house shouting threats.

I was also worried that given the severity of this emergency, this situation would get worse. And I was worried about the possibility of leaving my wife and child at home all day and off into the night while I worked in No 10.

I thought the best thing to do in all the circumstances was to drive to an isolated cottage on my father's farm. At this farm, my parents live in one house.

My sister and her two children live in another house, and there was a separate cottage roughly 50 metres away from either of them.

My tentative conclusion on the Friday evening was this: if we are both unable to look after our child, then my sister or nieces can look after him. My nieces are 17 and 20. They are old enough to look after him, but also young enough to be in the safest category. And they had extremely kindly volunteered to do so if needed.

But, I thought, if I do not develop symptoms and there is a testing regime in place at work, I could return to work if I tested negative.

In that situation, I could leave my wife and child behind in a safe place, safe in the form of support from family for shopping in emergencies, safe in the sense of being away from home which had become a target and also safe for everybody else because they were completely isolated on a farm and could not infect anybody.

Parents' home: The home of Cummings's parents in Durham, 260 miles away, which he visited during lockdown

There are no neighbours in the normal sense of the word. The nearest other homes are roughly half a mile away. So in this scenario, I thought that they could stay there for a few weeks. I could go back to work, help colleagues and everybody, including the general public, would be safe.

I did not ask the prime minister about this decision. He was ill himself and he had huge problems to deal with. Everyday, I have to exercise my judgment about things like this and decide what to discuss with him. I thought I would speak to him when the situation clarified over coming days, including whether I had symptoms and whether there were tests available.

Arguably, this was a mistake, and I understand that some will say that I should've spoken to the prime minister before deciding what to do.

So I drove the three of us up to Durham that night, arriving roughly at midnight. I did not stop on the way.

March 28

When I woke the next morning, Saturday, March 28, I was in pain and clearly had Covid symptoms, including a bad headache and a serious fever.

Clearly, I could not return to work any time soon. For a day or two, we were both ill. I was in bed.

My wife was ill, but not ill enough that she needed emergency help. I got worse. She got better.

April 2

During the night of Thursday, April 2, my child woke up. He threw up and had a bad fever. He was very distressed. We took medical advice which was to call 999.

An ambulance was sent, they assessed my child and said he must go to hospital.

I could barely stand up. My wife went with him in the ambulance. I stayed at home. He stayed the night in the hospital.

April 3

In the morning, my wife called to say that he had recovered, he seemed back to normal. Doctors had tested him for Covid and said that they should return home.

There were no taxis. I drove to the hospital, picked them up, then returned home. I did not leave the car or have any contact with anybody at any point on this short trip.

A few days later, the hospital said that he tested negative.

After I started to recover, one day in the second week, I tried to walk outside the house.

At one point the three of us walked into woods owned by my father, next to the cottage that I was staying in. Some people saw us in these woods from a distance, but we had no interaction with them.

We had not left the property. We were on private land.

April 11

By Saturday, April 11, I was still feeling weak and exhausted.

But other than that, I had no Covid symptoms. I thought that I'd be able to return to work the following week, possibly part time.

I sought expert medical advice. I explained our family's symptoms and all the timings, and I asked if it was safe to return to work on Monday, Tuesday, seek child care and so on.

I was told that it was safe and I could return to work and seek childcare.

April 12

On Sunday, April 12, 15 days after I had first displayed symptoms, I decided to return to work.

My wife was very worried, particularly given my eyesight seemed to have been affected by the disease.

She didn't want to risk a nearly 300-mile drive with our child, given how ill I had been.

We agreed that we should go for a short drive to see if I could drive safely.

We drove for roughly half an hour and ended up on the outskirts of Barnard Castle town. We did not visit the castle.

We did not walk around the town. We parked by a river. My wife and I discussed the situation.

We agreed that I could drive safely, and we should turn around and go home.

I felt a bit sick. We walked about 10 to 15 metres from the car to the river bank nearby.

We sat there for about 15 minutes. We had no interactions with anybody. I felt better. We returned the car.

An elderly gentleman walking nearby appeared to recognise me. My wife wished him Happy Easter from a distance, but we had no other interaction.

We headed home. On the way home, our child needed the toilet. He was in the back seat of the car.

We pulled over to the side of the road, my wife and child jumped out into the woods by the side of the road.

They were briefly outside. I briefly joined them. They played for a little bit and then I got out of the car, went outside.

We were briefly in the woods. We saw some people at a distance. But at no point did we break any social distancing rules. We then got back in the car and went home.

'We drove for roughly half an hour and ended up on the outskirts of Barnard Castle town,' he said

Robin Lees says he saw someone who 'looked like' Mr Cummings here in Barnard Castle on April 12, and the 'distinctive' number plate he took down corresponds to Mr Cummings' car

April 13

We returned to London on the evening of Monday, April 13, Easter Monday. I went back to work in No 10 the next morning.

At no point between arriving and leaving Durham did any of the three of us enter my parents' house or my sister's house. Our only exchanges were shouted conversations at a distance. My sister shopped for us and left everything outside.

In the last few days, there have been many media reports that I returned to Durham after 13 April. All these stories are false.

During this two-week period, my mother's brother died with Covid. There are media reports that this had some influence on my behaviour. These reports false.

This private matter did not affect my movements. None of us saw him. None of us attended his funeral. In this very complex situation, I tried to exercise my judgment the best I could.

Mr Cummings (pictured today) recounted his own battle with the virus while insisting he had acted 'reasonably and legally' in a 'very tricky, complicated situation'

News of the trip sparked fury from NHS staff, bishops and Tory MPs, twenty of whom demanded Mr Cummings' resignation as Boris Johnson (pictured today) maintained his adviser acted 'responsibly and with integrity'

I believe that in all circumstances I behaved reasonably and legally, balancing the safety of my family and the extreme situation in No 10 and the public interest in effective government to which I could contribute.

I was involved in decisions affecting millions of people, and I thought that I should try to help as much as I could do. I can understand that some people will argue that I should have stayed at my home in London throughout.

I understand these views. I know the intense hardship and sacrifice that the entire country has had to go through. However, I respectfully disagree. The legal rules inevitably do not cover all circumstances, including those that I found myself in.

I accept, of course, that there is room for reasonable disagreement about this. I could also understand some people think I should not have driven at all anywhere.
(PHOTO: Getty Images)

By Yoolim Lee

(Bloomberg) -- Southeast Asia will be home to 310 million digital consumers by the end of this year, reaching a number previously forecast for 2025, as physical distancing measures imposed during the coronavirus pandemic accelerate the shift toward online spending, according to the latest annual Facebook Inc. and Bain & Co. report.

That means almost 70% of the regions population that are 15 years old and older will go digital by end-2020, and the average online spending per person will triple from 2019 to US$429 in 2025, according to the report released on Thursday. The study surveyed some 16,500 digital consumers in six countries including Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Southeast Asian digital consumers has grown exponentially and their consumption habits are shaping todays new norm, Praneeth Yendamuri, partner at Bain, said in an interview.

The study found that Southeast Asias online spending now accounts for 5% of the total retail market, surpassing Indias 4% rate. Its e-commerce gross merchandise value grew 23% per year between 2018 and 2020, faster than China, India and the U.S. during the period, it also showed. Even as lockdown measures ease, the regions total online retail spending is projected to reach US$53 billion this year before tripling to US$147 billion by 2025.

What we are seeing is that Southeast Asia is now striking out on its own, said Sandhya Devanathan, managing director of gaming for Asia Pacific at Facebook. If the last decade was about getting people online, this decade is about inspiring consumers to stay online.

Other insights from the study include:

Southeast Asian consumers are buying into more categories online, especially grocery, with 43% of respondents saying they now shop for packaged groceries via e-commerce.

Some 62% of consumers said social media, short videos and messaging are their most preferred online channels for discovering new brands and products.

E-wallets saw a surge in popularity, with 22% of consumers now saying its their preferred way to pay, compared with 14% in 2019.

 2020 Bloomberg L.P.
It all started Aug. 3, when Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman saw videos of Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu going to a street stand in Ramle to pick up a falafel. It was suddenly clear to Liberman that Netanyahu had decided to bring down the government and call a new election.

Liberman is probably the most senior Bibiologist in all of Israel. He is intimately familiar with the code of behaviors used by his former boss. He also knows that Netanyahu is a hypochondriac, so that if he takes to the street with the coronavirus raging all around him, and that if he is willing to expose himself to dozens of strangers, backed up by a cheerleading squad chanting, Bibi, we love you! the die is cast. Netanyahu is about to launch a new election campaign.

Only time will tell if Liberman is right. But he will not waste time waiting for that to happen. Instead, he has launched his own election campaign with one clear purpose in mind. He says as much openly, too: I have appointed myself to the post of project manager for removing Netanyahu from power, no ifs, ands, or buts. He seemed to enjoy saying it on a Aug. 5 morning interview with Army Radio. By using the title assigned to professor Ronni Gamzu, the coronavirus czar appointed by Netanyahu two weeks ago, Liberman was emphasizing just how much the prime minister really disgusts him.

When asked what he meant, Liberman responded sarcastically: First of all, we need to thank Netanyahu for everything he did, and then send him home. Thats it. Enough! What I think weve seen is a prime minister who failed to win an election on three separate occasions. He is a resounding economic and health failure.

Unlike the preceding elections, in which there was some doubt as to whether Liberman would sit in a Netanyahu government, he is now saying loud and clear that he would not sit in such a government under any circumstances. What this effectively means is that Liberman has withdrawn from the right-wing bloc. If he was considered an integral part of the right-wing bloc in 2019 elections, and if he still flirted with the right in the second election that year, it was only after the third election, in March 2020, that he crossed the lines officially by recommending to the president that Blue and White party Chairman Benny Gantz be asked to form the next government.

Over the years, Liberman has fought frequently with the Knessets Arab members, going so far as to call them traitors. Still, he was willing to cooperate with them just to bring Netanyahu down. This just shows how much he loathes the man to whom he once showed unconditional loyalty. But Libermans move was unsuccessful. Gantz failed to provide the goods, and the Blue and White party splintered. Gantz ended up joining the Netanyahu coalition, once again destroying Libermans plan to remove Netanyahu.

If there is, in fact, one more round of elections, as Liberman predicts, his campaign will be more lethal and clearer than ever, at least as far as Netanyahu is concerned. Liberman will present himself as the only candidate with a proven track record of being serious about taking Netanyahu down. What he is depending on is the intense anti-Netanyahu sentiment among the public, believing that this will give him the boost he needs. In other words, Liberman is convinced that he will be able to steal more than a few votes from among the large segment of the electorate that has grown disappointed with the Blue and White party.

Another major issue of his campaign will be his struggle against the ultra-Orthodox. He will promise to do everything he can to send them to the opposition. Here too, Liberman is hoping to convert antagonism toward the ultra-Orthodox, which has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, into political strength. In a Knesset debate Aug. 4 dedicated to the coronavirus crisis, he claimed that 70% of coronavirus patients in Israel are ultra-Orthodox.

The polls all show that the chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu would be unable to break the eight-seat barrier, which is the most his party has ever won in an election. On the other hand, the seats he does have are stable. In other words, he has a loyal solid and base, which Netanyahu has been unable to crack.

For years, Liberman has been an enigmatic figure in Israeli politics. He surprised everyone by joining and leaving coalitions, without always providing any real explanation for his decisions. He gave up the most senior positions in government on more than one occasion, the last time being when he resigned as defense minister in a Netanyahu government in November 2018. At the time, everyone was convinced that Netanyahus government would collapse like a house of cards as a result of Libermans sudden move. Everyone was wrong.

In retrospect, it became clear that Liberman had already decided then that he would bring down the Netanyahu government, but he played his cards close to his chest. The only person who knew exactly what he was trying to achieve was Netanyahu himself. After all, he knows Liberman just as intimately as Liberman knows him. Netanyahu was not surprised when Liberman left him without a government at the very last moment, believing that it would bring down the coalition. But knowing Liberman as he does, Netanyahu came prepared with a preemptive strike. He dissolved the Knesset in the middle of the night and called a new election. Since then, the war between these two men has only escalated. Liberman now claims that Netanyahu has been going after his sons, and that the prime minister is behind the complaints filed against him with the police.

Libermans Knesset speech Aug. 4 was prepared well ahead of time. He began his address by saying: The foundation of every free and democratic society is intense public debate over questions on the public agenda. Without such debate, there is no democracy. That is why violence and incitement to violence arent the only things to put a democratic regime at risk. No less dangerous to it is an atmosphere in which political rivals are silenced. That poses a genuine threat to any free society.

Ostensibly, what Liberman really wanted was to provide some backing to the demonstrations against Netanyahu. Knesset members from the Likud heckled and shouted at him to interrupt his speech. Then there was Netanyahu, who was also present. The prime minister immediately recognized what was going on, so he looked Liberman squarely in the eye and adjusted his mask enough to expose a bitter, cynical smile.

Apart from Netanyahu, however, no one realized what was really going on. Liberman seemed to enjoy the shouting from the Likud benches, saying, This speech was written by the best speechwriter in Israel, and it was delivered from this very podium. Word for word, this is a speech that Netanyahu gave on Dec. 25, 1995. I copied word for word everything that Netanyahu said right here in the Knesset.

Liberman did, in fact, take part of a speech delivered by then opposition chair and Chairman of the Likud Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu gave this speech two months after the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, when the right was under serious attack. Liberman was Netanyahus right-hand man at the time. Liberman well remembers the atmosphere in the country, which saw right-wing demonstrations delegitimized. Now, the roles have been reversed. Netanyahu is prime minister, the demonstrations are against him and Libermans heart is with the demonstrators.
(CNN)  The Brazilian government banned fires in the Amazon in mid-July  yet there were far more fires last month than the year before, further degrading one of the world's most precious natural resources.

Last year's destructive fires caused international alarm, and this summer could be even worse, according to experts.

The Amazon is considered vital in slowing global warming, and it is home to uncountable species of fauna and flora. Roughly half the size of the United States, it is the largest rainforest on the planet.

In July, the number of fires increased by 28% compared with the same month a year ago, according to Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), a federal institute that monitors fires and deforestation.

Such fires are typically used to clear any remaining vegetation from parts of the forest that have already been cut down  preparing the soil for illicit pasture planting and cattle raising. July's increase occurred despite a federal decree forbidding for 120 days fires for farming or other purposes in the Amazon and the tropical wetland area known as the Pantanal.

There were 6,803 fires in July, vs 5,318 a year ago, according to INPE, making it the worst July since 2017. When compared to the first six months of last year, the total fire rates for Brazil's Amazon habitat known as the biome, which spreads through 9 states, had actually dropped by 7.6% in 2020. But, data for the two largest states  Amazonas and Para  showed over 2,000 fires in the period, an increase of 35% from a year ago.

Since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019, deforestation has been on the increase with a nearly 30% jump in the number of fires compared to 2018, according to INPE.

The Bolsonaro administration has been under pressure to control deforestation since June, when 34 major international investors threatened to divest from Brazilian companies if the government didn't act to curb the destruction of the rainforest. In response, it issued the fires' ban on July 16.

Earlier in the year, the government launched the Green Brazil Operation 2, a military mission headed by the Vice President Hamilton Mourao with the aim of curbing illegal deforestation. "Our goal is to take the fires in the second half (of the year) to the minimum acceptable so that we make it very clear to the rest of Brazil and to the world our commitment to the preservation of the Amazon," Mourao said at a press conference in early June.

At the same event, the Vice President boasted about the partial achievements of the operation. "If we compare the rate of deforestation in May this year with May last year, the fall is almost total."

But he was wrong. According to INPE, 830 square kilometers (approximately 320 square miles) were deforested in May, a rise of 12% from a year earlier.

It mirrors an overall increase in the rate of deforestation, despite the government's claims of success.

The Army, citing its role in Green Brazil Operation 2, said it worked with an average of 3,000 people in the field, including federal and state environmental agencies and police forces, to complete nearly 18,000 inspections, patrols and searches at over 30 locations this year. The initiative led to the confiscation of 28,000 cubic meters of wood,180 vehicles, 25 boats, 12 aircraft, and the imposition of 407 million reais (about $80 million) in fines, the Army said.

Yet, since January this year, 34% more Amazonian land was deforested compared to the same period last year, according to INPE. It was the highest rate since 2015, with over 2,000 square kilometers of forest being destroyed, the equivalent of twice the area of New York City.

No trust in the government

Tasso Azevedo, coordinator of MapBiomas  an organization that maps the soil coverage and the land use change in Brazil  says the government cannot be trusted when it comes to protecting the environment.

In May, a video of a governmental meeting showed the Environmental Minister Ricardo Salles saying that the government should take advantage of the media's focus on the Covid-19 pandemic to loosen the environmental restrictions. The video from April 22 was disclosed during an investigation by the Supreme Court into allegations that Bolsonaro was trying to interfere with the Federal Police.

The quote from Salles caught the media's attention. "There is a need to have an effort on our side here, while we are at this moment of tranquility in terms of press coverage, because it only talks about Covid, and let the cattle herd run and change all the rules and simplifying standards," he said.

Azevedo recalled that a decree issued on August 29 of 2019 that prohibited fires in the Amazon for 60 days did have some results at that time. "But as the government has continued showing signs, consistently, that it doesn't want to control the Amazon deforestation [and] so apparently nobody is giving attention to the moratorium this year," Azevedo said.

That view is shared by Paulo Barreto, senior researcher in the Institute of People and the Environment of the Amazon (Imazon), one of the most important research institutes in the region.

Barreto said that even sending the Army to curb deforestation isn't enough at this point. "It isn't enough just to inspect. To be effective, it is necessary to inspect, to judge, and to apply the penalty, and these two final parts of the process have been weak," Barreto said.

Bolsonaro hasn't helped. The President has repeatedly mentioned he wanted to end the "fine industry" promoted by the government's environmental agency, Ibama.

"The countryman cannot be terrified by Ibama's inspection," he said at an event in June 2019. "We had the lowest percentage of fines [since he is in office] in the field and this will continue to decrease. We will end this fine industry in the countryside."

Ibama issues fines to farmers and others who light fires or use other tactics to clear the forest.

Bolsonaro's attitude "only embolden proponents of deforestation," Baretto said.

They also are bolstered, according to Baretto, by Bolsonaro's criticism of Ibama inspectors who burn loggers' equipment and vehicles.

Under a 2008 law, officials can burn forbidden equipment in isolated areas where it would be hard to remove it otherwise. But in November 2019, Bolsonaro met a group of illegal miners in front of the presidential residency and promised to forbid this practice. "We are going to fix this," he said. "If it got in (the machine), it will get out," he said in front of the Alvorada Palace.

Bolsonaro further questioned the group: "Who is the guy from Ibama who was doing this in that state? If you give me the information, I can..." said Bolsonaro, without completing the sentence.

The legislation authorizing Ibama to burn any equipment found in illegally occupied sites remains in effect, but the agency has been suffering severe cuts on their budget and staff, with high-ranking managers and coordinators being replaced.

It led to the Federal Prosecutor's Office opening an administrative misconduct action against Environment Minister Salles over the alleged monitoring and censoring of Ibama staff, budget cuts and harassment of inspectors.

According to Barreto, in order to truly protect the Amazon, Brazil's government must penalize major loggers. "It would be also important to start to use other kinds of sanctions, such as the blocking of bank accounts and assets," he added. However, according to a study by InfoAmazonia from October 2019 only 3% of the fines imposed by Ibama were actually paid.

CNN reached out to the Vice President office, which is responsible for the battle against deforestation, for a comment on the strategy but it did not respond.

However, in his weekly radio show on Monday, Vice President Mourao acknowledged the challenge posed by the fires in the Amazon.

"Every year, when the period of drought arrives the risk (of fires) increases," he said. "Besides destroying the native vegetation, it kills animals, causes problems to people's lives and here it causes respiratory problems. And at the moment we are facing this coronavirus pandemic, that can be aggravated by the smoke coming from the forests. And of course, serious financial damage not only to the people who live in the Amazon but our country as a whole."

And if July was bad this year, August will only be worse, experts predict. "We had more deforestation [in the last months], so the tendency is to have more fires also," Baretto said.

"The deforestation keeps rising for 14 months in a row, and all this material is ready to burn." Azevedo said.

"We can expect a lot of fires in the coming weeks. The conditions are there to the tragedy we feared, of mixing fire, smoke and COVID-19."

This story was first published on CNN.com "Fires are raging in the Amazon, despite a Brazil government ban. The destruction could be worse than last summer"
Belarusian authorities have detained three correspondents from Current Time in the capital, Minsk, just days before the country holds a crucial presidential election.

The three reporters -- Iryna Romaliyskaya, Yury Baranyuk, and Ivan Hrebenyuk -- were detained on August 7 at a Minsk hotel and taken to a nearby police station.

It was not immediately clear why they were detained.

Belarus Votes For President Read our ongoing coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election, widely seen as fraudulent.

Current Time, a Russian-language TV network led by RFE/RL with cooperation from VOA, had applied for accreditation for the reporters weeks prior to traveling to the country.

But the Belarusian Foreign Ministry had not responded to their applications.

Romaliyskaya and Hrebenyuk are citizens of Ukraine, while Baranyuk is a Russian citizen.

"Our Current Time journalists were detained in the course of professionally carrying out their work covering the Belarusian presidential election," Daisy Sindelar, RFE/RL's acting president, said in a statement.

"The failure by Belarusian authorities to grant credentials is yet another example of their contempt for the rights of a free press and the right of Belarusians to uncensored information," she said. "We are outraged by their detention and demand respect for the internationally recognized rights of journalists to do their work."

Aside from Current Time, RFE/RLs Belarus Service has several accredited reporters in the country as part of RFE/RLs coverage of the election.

The vote is shaping up to be among the biggest challenges to President Alyaksandr Lukashenkas 26-year rule.

Opposition candidates, including Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, have mustered sizable rallies in cities and towns across the country.

Thousands gathered in a Minsk park on August 6 in support of Tsikhanouskaya, with demonstrators later marching through the citys streets clapping and chanting "Long live Belarus!" and "Go away!

The latter chant was an apparent reference to Lukashenka.

Authorities have detained several members of Tsikhanouskaya's campaign team as well as supporters, accusing them of holding unsanctioned rallies.

Two sound engineers, who played a Soviet-era rock song that was popular around the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 at a rally, were detained on August 7 by police and charged with minor hooliganism and disobeying police.

They were sentenced to 10 days in jail.
Manchester City Council advertising regarding the guidelines on wearing masks on a billboard in Manchester (PA)

The Government is expected to make an announcement on Friday on the status of the local lockdown measures in the North West of England and Leicester.

Measures banning mixing between households were due for review on Thursday, a week after they were brought in for residents in Greater Manchester, parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire, as well as Leicester.

Local leaders in Preston warned on Thursday that it could become the latest area to face a Government intervention, amid rising infection rates in the Lancashire city.

Expand Close All passengers arriving at Birmingham Airport from Belgium, The Bahamas and Andorra will have to quarantine for 14-days from Saturday (Jacob King/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp All passengers arriving at Birmingham Airport from Belgium, The Bahamas and Andorra will have to quarantine for 14-days from Saturday (Jacob King/PA)

The rolling seven-day rate of new cases of Covid-19 in Preston has risen from 20.3 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to July 27 to 32.8 in the seven days to August 3. A total of 47 new cases have been recorded.

In Blackburn with Darwen, the rate has fallen from 88.8 cases per 100,000 people to 82.2, with 123 new cases. Oldham is in second place, where the seven-day rate has jumped from 55.7 to 67.9, with 161 new cases, while Pendle is third, where the rate has risen from 46.7 to 58.6, with 54 new cases.

The rate in Leicester continues to fall, down from 62.4 to 52.2, with 185 new cases.

According to new estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an average of 3,700 people per day in private households in England were estimated to be newly infected with Covid-19 between July 27 and August 2, down slightly from 4,200 per day in the period July 20 to 26.

An average of 28,300 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between July 27 and August 2, according to the new estimates, equivalent of about 0.05% of the population, or one in 1,900 individuals.

The ONS said that while recent figures had suggested the percentage of individuals testing positive for Covid-19 had risen since the end of June, there is now evidence to suggest that this trend may have levelled off.

Meanwhile, quarantine measures were announced on Thursday evening for travellers arriving into the UK from Belgium, Andorra and The Bahamas  with Britons advised against all but essential travel to the three countries.

The restrictions  which mean those arriving will have to self-isolate for 14 days  came into force at midnight in Wales, with the same rules applying in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 4am on Saturday.

The Times reported France could be next to face restrictions due to rising infections in the country.

The French health authority  Sante Publique France  reported cases of Covid-19 are up by a third (33%) in the week to August 6, and infection rates are increasing in all age groups, particularly 20 to 30-year-olds.

Expand Close Clinical staff as they care for a patient at the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge (Neil Hall/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Clinical staff as they care for a patient at the Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge (Neil Hall/PA)

In other developments:

 The latest Test and Trace figures showed that local health protection teams continue to be more successful than call centre workers at reaching close contacts of people who have tested positive for coronavirus.

 The Confederation of British Industry said businesses want better communication, extra support and improved coronavirus test and trace services to help cope with the impact of local lockdowns.

 Fifty million face masks bought by the Government as part of a 252 million contract will not be used in the NHS due to safety concerns.

The Government has also been urged not to shut down routine non-Covid care in hospitals again if a wider lockdown is imposed.

Professor Neil Mortensen, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, told The Guardian: The NHS must never again be a Covid-only service.

There is a duty to the thousands of patients waiting in need and in pain to make sure they can be treated.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul told the paper: We cannot have a situation in which patients are unable to access diagnostic tests, clinic appointments and treatment which they urgently need and are simply left stranded.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : With Sonia Gandhi completing one year as the Congress interim chief on Monday, the party's decision about the next Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting still hangs in balance, party sources said on Friday.

Earlier, sources had said that Sonia will likely continue as the interim President of the party, but it might need ratification from the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

"There were some internal discussions in the party about Sonia's extension but no decision has been taken yet", the sources added.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, however, said, "When the party decides to convene CWC meet it will be shared." Sonia Gandhi was appointed as interim President of the party in August 2019, and completes one year on Monday. She was appointed to the post after all the efforts to cajole Rahul Gandhi failed.

Congress leaders have also been demanding that Rahul Gandhi should be brought back as President of the party.
Like many Americans, Ive spent the past few weeks catching up on home-repair projects and brushing up on my backyard grilling skills. Indeed, my yard has never looked so good, and my friends and family have had their fill of burgers and hot dogs.

Standing in front of a kettle-type grill filled with glowing charcoal and flipping burgers in between sips of cold beer is as American as it gets.

As is often the case when I have free time, I ask myself, How did this get here? Specifically, how did cooking meat on a simple backyard appliance over burning chunks of compressed wood become an American pastime?

The story begins in 1919 in Michigan. By then, the Ford Motor Co. was producing up to a million cars a year thanks to the introduction of the assembly-line process. Each car included wood parts, so Henry Ford asked a relative, E.G. Kingsford, to help with sourcing enough wood. Kingsford acquired timberland in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and Ford built a saw mill there.

Ford eventually faced a problem common to all saw mills: what to do with all the scrap and waste material like sawdust. Specifically, how could he make extra profit from it? At the same time in Oregon  home to a huge timber industry  a chemist named Orin Stafford invented a way to bind sawdust and other materials into a block or briquette that could be safely burned for cooking.

Ford licensed the process, had none other than Thomas Edison design a factory next to the sawmill to make charcoal briquettes and started selling bags of Ford Charcoal at car dealerships right alongside Model Ts. Fords plan was to encourage people to buy more cars so they could drive to the countryside and have picnics where the charcoal would be used to cook the food.

Alas, the Great Depression and World War II put a damper on consumer spending, so Fords foray into grilling never quite took off. In 1951, an investor group bought the charcoal business from Ford and renamed it Kingsford Charcoal, after Fords relative who helped create it.

Around that same time, a salesman at Weber Bros. Metal Works in Chicago named George Stephen became frustrated with the grills he used to cook for his large family. Known as braziers, these are the grills you often see at parks with a box to contain the charcoal and a steel grate on top to hold the meat. The problem for Stephen was that without a top, cooking in inclement weather was impossible. Why not add a cover to the brazier?

At the time, Weber Bros. Metal Works was known for building buoys used for water navigation. The devices used half-domes of metal for the top and bottom. Stephen adapted the dome shape to a grill design, and the classic kettle-shaped Weber grill with a half-dome cover was born. He eventually bought the company and renamed it the Weber-Stephens Products Co.

Starting in the 1960s, the Mad Men of Madison Avenues advertising agencies took over the promotion of backyard barbecues on behalf of the grill and charcoal makers.

For example, in the July 13, 1967, Houston Chronicle, an article about grilling was conveniently located next to a Weingartens supermarket advertisement for all manner of beef roasts, Farmer Brown franks and Hormel sliced bologna.

The breathless article declared, The old barbecue kettle is the new status symbol! It has reached the top rung of the social ladder.

A barbecuing expert named Martha Weber who also happened to be the home consultant for the Weber-Stephens Products Co. proclaimed that the sale of charcoal briquettes mounted with the popularity of the covered barbecue kettle is indeed a new status symbol and (the kettle grill) has turned into a swank home furnishings piece to be used in the loveliest outdoor and indoor settings. No details were provided on how the grill might be used in indoor settings.

And so it went in the golden age of advertising of the 1960s and 70s: If you wanted to be a truly prosperous American, it was your duty to cook meat from your local supermarket in your backyard using a Weber kettle grill filled with Kingsford Charcoal. And its been that way ever since.

jcreid@jcreidtx.com

More Information Love the smell of wood smoke in the morning? Join J.C. Reid, Alison Cook and Greg Morago as they discuss barbecue culture with special guests by subscribing to the Chronicle's BBQ State of Mind podcast on Apple's Podcasts, or visit houstonchronicle.com/bbqpodcast. See More Collapse

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The Rapid City Police Department and a family are still searching for a 14-year-old wanted for questioning in a shooting that took place more than a week ago.

If his friends know where he is, tell him Im out here and Ill never give up on finding him, Thomasa Looking Horse said in reference to her son, Loyalty Morrison. Im not leaving until I know he is safe.

Looking Horse, who lives on the Cheyenne River Reservation, was visiting family in Nebraska when she learned Sunday that the Rapid City-Pennington County Special Response Team went to look for her son at a Crescent Drive home.

She arrived in Rapid City on Monday to search for Morrison, calling and leaving Facebook messages with his friends and even leaving hand-written notes at their homes. Morrisons grandmother has also been searching for Morrison, who she reported as a runaway several weeks ago.

Police say Morrison was present when another teenager was shot at a Hemlock Street home late in the evening on July 30. The shooting left the victim with serious, life-threatening injuries," according to spokesman Brendyn Medina.

We would like for that individual to just surrender, investigations Captain John Olson said of Morrison.

Were also asking for the publics assistance in bringing him safely into custody, he said. We are concerned about his safety, and we want him to be OK and we really need to talk to him.

Police are receiving multiple tips a day and following up on each lead, Medina said.

We know there are those in the community that are wiling to hide Morrison, he added.

The investigation

Officers found a handgun at the shooting and initially believed the gunshot may have been self-inflicted, Medina previously told the Journal. But after speaking with people in the area, officers learned Morrison was present at the shooting and it began looking more suspicious.

Olson said other teenagers were present at the shooting and police have spoken with  but not arrested  some of them.

Medina said he couldnt share what the teenagers said happened at the shooting since they are minors but also because police wont have the full story without hearing from Morrison.

Olson said officers have been stopping by homes that Morrison is known to frequent and using social media to try to track his whereabouts.

But police dont know if Morrison remains in Rapid City or has gone elsewhere, Olson said. They also dont know if hes traveling by car or foot and who hes with.

Morrisons mother and grandmother, Ruby Pederson, both believe he is with others. They say Morrison contacted Looking Horse on Facebook but must have used someone elses phone since he doesnt have his own.

Treatment

Looking Horse said her son only recently turned 14 and that they video-chatted nearly every day he attended Meadowlark Academy, a residential school and youth treatment center in Wyoming.

Morrison was sent to the center for five months after he stole a car and needed help with substance abuse and mental health, his grandmother previously told the Journal. The treatment included family therapy over video chat, Looking Horse said.

Hes a caring boy, he always took care of me and always made sure everything was OK, Looking Horse said of her son. In treatment, he said he was going to find a job, pay off his fine and he was going to try to help me get a house.

Pederson also said Morrison spoke abut finding a job and buying his own car. But she said the people Morrison hung out with before his treatment began stopping by her house soon after he came home on July 16.

He just slipped in with the wrong crowd again, Looking Horse echoed.

She said her sons friends share their problems with him he tries to be the big person, he always listens to them.

Police say Morrison may be armed with a handgun but Looking Horse says she cant imagine her son handling a weapon. She said he is friends with the person who was shot.

Mothers search

Looking Horse said she sent her son a Facebook message telling him he needed to return to his grandmother after learning he ran away a few days after he finished treatment. He called her on Facebook video chat to say he would and that he loves her.

I guess he never did go back. He was still hanging out with the boys, Looking Horse said.

The last time she heard from her son was on Aug. 1 during the response from the SRT, which has negotiators, military-style vehicles, communication devices and other advanced equipment used for armed and high-risk situations.

Looking Horse said her son contacted her by Facebook messenger during the SRT call out.

He was scared, he put one of those (emojis) with the crying face, she said.

Looking Horse said she told Morrison to come outside of the house the SRT was at, that his grandmother would meet him.

Mom Im not even there, she said he responded.

Looking Horse said Morrison said he couldnt share where he was but that Im going to keep in contact with you and Im going to make my way to you.

He told me that he loves me and to tell his grandma that he loves her too, Looking Horse said.

Pederson said Morrison later deleted his Facebook page. Looking Horse said calls and messages to Facebook messenger wont go through.

But Im still looking for him, she said.

Looking Horse says shes left physical notes at his friends homes that say, "Everything is going to be OK, just call.

She said some of her sons friends have told her to leave or wont speak with her on the phone.

Some of them have attitude but they dont scare me, Looking Horse said. A mother will do anything for her child.

Looking Horse said she thinks Morrison is afraid to go to prison or back to treatment, where she said a coach made him cry by saying he wont go far in life.

Once she finds her son, Looking Horse said, she plans to bring him to police with the help of Candi Brings Plenty, the Indigenous justice organizer at the ACLU who will serve as a liaison between the family and police. She also plans to have a lawyer on hand.

 Contact Arielle Zionts at arielle.zionts@rapidcityjournal.com.

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Citing coronavirus concerns, Princeton University will not offer on-campus learning for its undergraduates for the fall 2020 semester, the school announced on Friday. The university had previously said it would stagger its semesters, with freshmen and juniors returning in the fall and sophomores and seniors in the spring.

In brief, the pandemics impact in New Jersey has led us to conclude that we cannot provide a genuinely meaningful on-campus experience for our undergraduate students this fall in a manner that is respectful of public health concerns and consistent with state regulations, Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber said in a release.

Eisgruber cited the viruss spread around the country, even as things have improved in New Jersey, as a reason for the reversal.

When I last communicated with you, just over a month ago, we anticipated welcoming undergraduates from the Classes of 2022 and 2024 to campus in late August. We noted at the time, however, that we would continue to monitor the course of the pandemic, and that we might have to change our plans if it worsened, Eisgruber said. In the weeks that followed, infection rates soared around much of the country, with nearly 2 million new cases reported over the last month.

Princeton has worked hard to have students on campus, Eisgruber said, but that even those actions taken might not be able to stop the spread to the rest of the state.

People throughout this University have done outstanding work to prepare the campus to receive students safely, but the risk of widespread contagion and serious illness remains, Eisgruber said. Moreover, even if we successfully controlled on-campus spread of the disease, transmission rates might rise statewide or in our region. We might then have to send undergraduate students home again or impose exceptionally severe restrictions on their mobility and interaction with one another.

Eisgruber said he hopes students will return in the spring, with highest priority given to seniors set to graduate in 2021.

Princeton joins Rutgers University, The College of New Jersey, Ramapo College of New Jersey and Rowan University, all of whom announced in recent weeks they would also use mostly or all remote learning in the fall.

Monmouth University, Georgian Court University, Farleigh Dickinson University and others have so far adopted hybrid on-and-off-campus plans.

With September weeks away and coronavirus trending downward but still present in New Jersey, the conversation around the state has turned to education. In many cases, safety of students and staff returning to classrooms is still in question. Some districts have already announced they plan to be remote for the fall, while others are planning on going back with safety measures implemented.

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.
Trump to move ahead with executive action as stimulus talks collapse

President Trump will likely move ahead with executive orders to address the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus as talks between Democrats and Republicans collapsed today, the last day in principle to reach an agreement on a fourth stimulus package.

"We're going to take executive orders, to try to alleviate some of the pain that people are experiencing," White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would recommend that the president move ahead with executive orders. These could be signed this weekend, and will likely address unemployment benefits, that expired on 31 July, along with rental foreclosures and student loans.

Mnuchin and Meadows met Dems Leader of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority leader Charles Schumer earlier today in a bid to reach an agreement on a stimulus package, but made no progress.

The Democrats said they had offered to reduce their demands of a package of $3.4 trillion, but the Republicans were unwilling to raise their offer of $1 trillion, leading to stalemate and the only option now available being executive orders from the President.


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Linkedin (Reuters)  Fri, August 7, 2020 11:05 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c442bf 2 Entertainment Detail,Noel-Fisher,music,producer,rape,Sexual-assault Free

Grammy Award-winning producer Detail, who once worked with Beyonce, has been charged with raping five women and sexually assaulting a sixth, the Los Angeles District Attorney's office said on Thursday.

Detail, whose birth name is Noel Fisher, was charged with assaulting the women multiple times between 2010 and 2018, the District Attorney's office said in a statement.

The women were aged between 18 and 31, and most of the alleged assaults took place at Detail's home, the statement said.

Detail was arrested by the Los Angeles Sheriff's officials on Wednesday and is due to be arraigned on Friday. If convicted as charged he could face up to 225 years to life in prison, the statement said.

Read also: Grammy-winning producer 'Detail' arrested on sexual assault charges, LA Sheriffs Dept says

His attorney, Irwin Mark Bledstein, could not immediately be contacted for comment on Thursday.

After Detail's arrest on Wednesday, Bledstein said in a statement: "I am quite certain he will enter a not guilty plea and contest to the fullest all of these allegations."

Detail won a Grammy in 2014 for co-writing the Beyonce and Jay-Z hit "Drunk in Love". He has also worked with Jennifer Lopez, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.
Gov. Mike DeWine tested negative for the coronavirus hours after a positive rapid-result test had prevented him from welcoming President Trump to Ohio on Thursday, a whiplash reversal that reflected the nations increasingly complex state of testing.

In a high-profile example of a new testing frontier, Mr. DeWine first received an antigen test, which allows for results in minutes, not days, but has been shown to be less accurate. The positive result came as a big surprise, said Mr. DeWine, a Republican, who had not been experiencing symptoms other than a headache.

Later on Thursday, he was tested using a more standard procedure known as polymerase chain reaction, or P.C.R., an accurate but time-intensive method that requires samples to be processed at a laboratory. His wife, Fran, and staff members also tested negative.
The mixed-use property (803 South Avenue) is ideally located in the Netherwood section of Plainfield, NJ (Union County). Just walking distance to the Netherwood Train Station. The project will consist of 104 spacious market-rate apartments ranging from studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom options. The project will also feature 4,000 square feet of highly functional indoor amenity space adjacent to over 8,000 square feet of meticulously designed outdoor amenity space. Additionally, the project will include 870 square feet of commercial space to service the residents and immediate area as well as covered and secure on-site parking for 115 vehicles.

"Plainfield, NJ is experiencing an incredible renaissance and we are proud to be a big part of that. Their time has come. This marks our second multi-family development project within the Netherwood section of the City of Plainfield as we look forward to continuing our commitment and working closely with the City, who has been outstanding in supporting our vision for this project," Tyler Bennett, CEO and Founder of (BRD) said.

"What began five years ago is now coming to fruition. We are proud and excited to be part of the transformation of the Netherwood Train Station community and are truly blessed with the cooperation we have received from the City of Plainfield and the State of New Jersey," Dennis said. "We are anxious to deliver the final product here and to work on other transformative projects within this City of Plainfield." Dennis Cieri is the CEO and Founder of (EDEN).

About Bennett Realty & Development (BRD)

Bennett Realty & Development is a fully integrated boutique commercial real estate company with offices in New Jersey and North Carolina. With a focus on commercial and multi-family development, BRD has successfully completed multiple transactions throughout the New York region and continues to grow its platform through strategic partnerships and new projects. Visit bennettrealtyllc.com for more information on our team, services, and availabilities.

About EDEN Property Company, LLC (EDEN)

Since 2002, EDEN Property Company has been developing trophy assets throughout the New Jersey and New York Tri-State Area. EDEN has successfully completed dozens of single-tenant commercial and multi-family residential projects and currently has Transit Orientated Development (TOD) numerous projects in its pipeline. EDEN focuses on opportunistic situations where value can be added through creative ideas to improve both individual properties as well as neighborhoods within its areas of focus.

CONTACT:

Ray Martinez

Digital Marketing Manager

[email protected]

SOURCE Bennett Realty & Development

Related Links

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Joyners release has brought up memories of Armando Mendez for his father of their last week together. Like when they went to buy supplies to do work in their basement and the son wouldnt let his father pay. And Armando Mendezs hug, which his father still remembers. And the tremendous blow when police came to the familys door to deliver the news about his sons death, he said.
Its number, after all, had been registered with the International Red Cross and the Japanese government. Whatever may have happened in the Japanese submarine that night to cause it to fire on the Centaur, it was judged a war crime by the Australian government. 'There is something extra tragic about the killing of people who are actually trying to save lives.' Dean Bowen It is a special story, Bowen says. There are so many personal stories about war but there is something extra tragic about the killing of people who are actually trying to save lives. "Not even arriving in the battlefield, but to be snuffed out in the middle of the night, is a very powerful story. If you look at some of the photos of the nurses and think about the individuals involved, it is very emotional. Bowen returned to the story recently to make more drawings as part of a Shrine of Remembrance exhibition, Imagining Centaur. The exhibition includes new works, along with an animated centrepiece built around earlier drawings.

Dean Bowen, Sinking of the Centaur, 2013, charcoal on paper. Credit:Courtesy of the artist The animation was made by a Japanese artist colleague of Bowens, Ayumi Sasaki, featuring a soundscape and excerpts of an epic poem written in 1993 by Paul Sherman marking the 50th anniversary of the tragedy. As co-curator Neil Sharkey notes, the Australian-Japanese co-production of the animation is a wonderful symbol of reconciliation. Alongside photographs and memorabilia, the exhibition includes many of Bowens works, such as the charcoal drawing Nurse Savage Jumps into the Sea (2020), which probably captures what this woman was feeling at that dreadful moment, so soon after the torpedo hit: a sort of blank shock, her body going through the motions of escape while everything explodes about her.

Dean Bowen, Nurse Savage Jumps into the Sea, 2020, charcoal on paper (detail). Credit:Courtesy of the artist Bowen says none of his drawings were based on looking at real people, but more as an interpretation of emotions. Usually there is a strong optimism in my work, and colour is really important, he says. So it was different doing this work in black and white, which seemed to suit the tragedy of war. It was certainly tragic, but also a lesson in how random survival can be. Interviewed for the 1944 War Crimes Commissions in-camera inquiry, and in other media interviews, Savage told of how she had been immediately caught in the powerful vortex of the ship going down after she jumped. I just went with the suction and I went right down and was caught in the ropes, she says in the inquiry transcript. She thought that was the end of her. But then she seemed to suddenly be released: I shot up like a cork. She surfaced right next to Corporal Thomas Malcolm, and, together, they swam to the floating roof of a deckhouse. I noticed when I came up that the ship was completely gone.

Dean Bowen, Centaur Nurse II, 2013, charcoal on paper. Credit:Courtesy of the artist Later, Savage floated with about 30 others on a group of rafts, tending wounds and keeping spirits up even though she had fractures to her face, ribs and fingers, had ruptured her eardrums and suffered burns. While lauded for tending to others, she told one ABC interviewer she did exactly what any of the other 11 nurses would have done. The survivors were rescued by the destroyer USS Mugford 35 hours after the attack. Reporting on the sinking a few days after the event, The Age and The Argus expressed deep outrage. The country mourns, while it recoils aghast at what has been done, The Age stated, while The Argus quoted US General McArthur as saying: The Red Cross will not falter under this foul blow. Its light of mercy will but shine the brighter on our way to inevitable victory. For historian Dr Madonna Grehan, co-curator of Imagining Centaur, the story is full of complexity and insights, with many nuances expressed through some of the objects on display such as wartime posters, Savages George Medal for conspicuous service and high courage, lifebelt lights, photographs of the nurses and doctors, and a seamans rusted wrist-watch. Grehan first learnt about the Centaur in 2007 when she was on Melbournes Nurses Memorial Centre board. I knew nothing about it even though Id grown up in Queensland, she says.

Having trained as a nurse and midwife, she had later done a PhD in nursing/midwifery history. When awarded the John Oxley Library Fellowship at the State Library of Queensland in 2015, she worked on a history of the Centaur Memorial Fund (now the Centaur Memorial Fund for Nurses). The Centaur, docked in Sydney in 1943. This hand-coloured photograph was entered into evidence during a war crimes inquiry to demonstrate the ships unambiguous hospital ship paint scheme. Credit:National Archives During this research, she was struck by how a story  even one as tragic as that of the Centaur  can begin to disappear from memory when the people directly affected begin to die. The newer generations gradually lose a sense of the memory, Grehan says. People think we will remember the bushfires, but we dont; we think we will remember the [Spanish] flu, but we dont. So we rely on someone to keep telling the story. Imagining Centaur does that  and one of the most interesting items is the poster WORK SAVE FIGHT and so AVENGE THE NURSES! from 1943. It was printed hot on the heels of the event, taking advantage of overwhelming public sentiment in order to drive the war effort.

Full of drama with the exploding ship, it features what can only be romanticised versions of Sister Savage and Corporal Malcolm centre-stage. WORK. SAVE. FIGHT and so AVENGE THE NURSES!, 1943, by Arthur Bob Whitmore. Credit:Australian War Memorial In the days following the torpedo attack, Prime Minister John Curtin promised to avenge the deaths. Grehan has written about his impassioned plea on Empire Day, May 23, 1943, for more public support, in particular to hasten industry in mines, factories and wharves. Curtins War Cabinet authorised the Controller of Government Advertising Ian Hutcheson (a former advertising director) to commission posters  and WORK SAVE FIGHT was soon widely distributed. Killing female non-combatants was like the last straw, Grehan says. This was two-and-a-half years before the POWs were discovered in Sumatra  everyone had thought theyd died.

"So, with the Centaur, it was the fact they killed women. And of course, just like any good marketing campaign, they focused on the nurses  and one was there to tell the story. Ellen Savages account of the sinking was so clear they took her account as the correct one. The Centaur story became attached to those women, even though there were 257 other people killed. Centaurs crew consisted of 75 merchant seamen and a medical staff of 52 men and 12 female nurses, alongside 193 members of the 2/12 Field Ambulance being deployed to Port Moresby.

Grehan says that when she gives talks about the Centaur and notes that no one remembers the doctors, seamen or field ambulance officers, she is sometimes ticked off, such is the attachment to the nurse angle. She well understands this sentiment: with her extensive research on nursing history, she has come to a deep understanding not only of the horror of war, but also of how Australian military nurses such as those aboard the Centaur attended so skilfully to soldiers, with such great humanity. In this way, she also answers critics who say exhibitions like this are about glorifying war: for Grehan, it is about how we remember such sad and significant events, and how we honour service and sacrifice.

It is more about understanding how human beings go through these conflicts and come out the other side, she says. Then to try to do justice to honouring the memory. This is a time to recall the sacrifice that all these people made on our behalf. "You can talk about them fighting for our freedom  but it is actually about human beings responding, in the same way as with COVID-19, where people are volunteering and serving the nation in a way we have lost sight of. While Bowens work captures the horror and emotion of the event  such as Bodies and Debris Cover the Surface of the Sea (2020), Sinking of the Centaur (2013) or Centaur Sailor (2013)  the other Imagining Centaur curator, Neil Sharkey, is pleased the exhibition combines strictly historical material alongside Bowens art. Sharkey has made great use of the animation, along with a soundscape and lighting effects replicating lapping waves inside the exhibition space. Likewise, the walls bear the cross and colours painted on the side of the Centaur. Dean Bowen, Centaur Sailor, 2013, charcoal on paper. Credit:Courtesy of the artist
Ukraine hopes that the lists for mutual release of persons detained in the occupied territories of Donbas will be finally approved at the next meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group.

"We hope that the exchange lists will be finally approved at the next meetings of the Trilateral Contact Group. We hope that in a few weeks we will be able to talk about specific dates of the exchange," Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak said during a working trip of President Volodymyr Zelensky to Donetsk and Luhansk regions on August 5, the Presidents press service informs.

According to Yermak, Volodymyr Zelensky in a recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated discussions on the release of 22 Crimean Tatars illegally detained in occupied Crimea.

"This list has already been handed over to the Russian side. We expect that this issue will also be resolved, "Andriy Yermak said.

Zelensky also asked for the release of Crimean Tatar Ruslan Suleymanov, who had been illegally detained in Crimea and whose son had been found dead on July 26, Head of the President's Office reminded.

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BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks fell slightly on Friday as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of the monthly U.S. jobs numbers due tonight, expected to show U.S. jobs creation slowed in July from the previous month amid a resurgence in Covid-19 cases. The benchmark FTSE 100 dropped 25 points, or 0.42 percent, to 6,001 after declining 1.3 percent on Thursday. Commodity-related stocks were moving lower despite strong export data from China. Miner Anglo American fell over 1 percent and Glencore lost 2.7 percent as Sino-U.S. tensions escalated following a U.S. ban on transactions with China's tech firms. Oil & gas company BP Plc declined 2.6 percent and Royal Dutch Shell gave up 1.7 percent as oil dipped to around $45 a barrel on worries that a demand recovery would slow due to a resurgence of coronavirus cases. Rolls-Royce Holdings tumbled 3 percent. ValueAct, a California-based activist investor, has sold its full stake in the company, the Financial Times reported. Hikma Pharmaceuticals soared 10 percent. The manufacturer of non-branded generic drugs reported a 21 percent rise in first-half pretax profit. Property website Rightmove surged 8.5 percent. After reporting a 43 percent fall in first-half pretax profit, the company said it was helped by a post-lockdown surge of pent-up demand and a temporary lifting of the stamp duty threshold. 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.
Approve.com, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based modern procurement platform, completed a $5m seed funding round.

The round was led by Aleph.

The company intends to use the funds for global expansion, establishing US operations, investing in growth for its R&D team, and supporting new and existing accounts.

Led by Bar Winkler, Co-founder and CEO, Approve is a procurement operations platform for businesses to streamline purchasing workflows and vendor interactions, and gain critical insights into company spend. The SaaS platform creates custom automated workflows that streamline requests, orders and vendor onboarding. It plugs directly with existing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions and securely syncs with real-time budgets. There is a searchable vendor database that includes updated business information and spend volume as well as a unified dashboard that organizes all procurement-related data in one place.

FinSMEs

06/08/2020
There were no surprises at Sony's "Announcement for Music Lovers 2020". During the 17:07 minute livestream, the company only unveiled the WH-1000XM4. As expected, the new entry into the WH-10000XM series retails for US$349.99 and 349.99 in the UK, with pricing remaining unchanged in other regions too. The design of the WH-1000XM4 also remains true to its predecessor. Sony has made a few tweaks to the thickness of the headband and ear cups, along with some changes to the hinge design, but it would be hard to tell the WH-1000XM4 from the WH-1000XM3.
U.S.-backed deal to develop oil fields in northern Syria is helping the State and Defense departments push for a continued American troop presence in the area to counter the Islamic State, current and former U.S. officials told Foreign Policy.

The deal, in which the Delaware-based Delta Crescent Energy is to revamp Syrian oil fields in conjunction with Kurdish authorities, was first revealed during a Senate hearing exchange between South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week.

Current and former U.S. officials say the arrangement will both starve the Bashar al-Assad regime of money and give U.S. officials a way to make the case to keep troops on the ground in a still critical theater.

I think DoD and State can now make the argument to [President Donald] Trump that we have to stay and make sure the oil flows or the U.S. company will lose all their investment, a former senior Trump administration official told Foreign Policy. So its a gift for those who want us to stay in Syria.

One former official said the United States still has forces in Syria only because of the State Departments efforts to negotiate an oil deal. There is a balancing act: Turkey remains concerned that U.S. efforts to help the Kurds will legitimize the Democratic Union Party (PYD), an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization in the United States, Europe, and Turkey. But a U.S. official said the oil deal would help perpetuate the SDFs staying power in eastern Syria, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The U.S. official said the effort to develop Syrian oil fields, taking away refining dollars from the Assad regime and potentially taking away a long-standing backdoor for oil deals between the rebel-held northeast and regime-held areas, would help double down on pressure after the Trump administration first instituted sanctions under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act in June.

The United States has been laying the groundwork, with the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria building up an SDF force designed to protect petroleum fields in Hasakah and Deir Ezzor provinces, which are controlled by the Kurdish-dominated group.

The U.S. has been quietly moving the pieces in place to box Russia and Assad from Syrian oil, by trying to provide an alternate market to the regime, said Nicholas Heras, a Middle East expert at the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank. The effort requires an indefinite U.S. commitment to Syria, or it will collapse.

But even after the dust settled around the hearing, it remains unclear to Kurdish authorities and American observers how theyll be able to conjure a market for Syrian oil beyond the regime. Oil fields have sustained extensive damage from the conflict with the Islamic State as well as from the U.S.-backed coalition in air raids to root out the group.

More than 60 percent of eastern Syrian oil fields need to be repaired, said a source familiar with the matter, and providing for security expenses could wipe out any oil profits. The United States has agreed to provide two mobile refineries, the source added, but in the past, both the Kurdistan Regional Government across the border in Iraq and Turkey, a sworn rival of the Syrian Kurdish bloc, have balked at refining their oil.

The surprise news that Delta Crescent Energy had received a license from the Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control earlier this year, first reported by Al-Monitor, has left Kurdish authorities scrambling to come up with plans to refine the oil amid festering political tensions as Russian forces have expanded their reach further into the war-torn country.

The announcement was a little bit rushed. Some of the Kurds didnt like the fact it was announced in this way, said the source familiar with the deal. Now the Kurds are a bit confused, scared, I would say, due to the uncertainty. Are there any commitments that come with the announcement? Because there is nothing on the ground.

The source added that Graham, a Trump ally, had helped facilitate meetings between the politically connected Delta Crescent Energy and U.S. officials.

But as the Trump administrations Syria policy has twisted and turned since the president reversed an October 2019 withdrawal announcement during a Turkish incursion into the country, only to say that U.S. troops would stay to protect the countrys damaged oil reserves, experts have questioned the legality and efficacy of the new policy.

While the U.N. process has sought to keep a single government in Damascus, the deal cooked up by the Pentagon and State Department would seem to give the Kurdish authorities more autonomy and could potentially split up the country. And it may ignore that the Assad regime still has an upper hand over rebel groupsand over the ultimate destination for any Syrian oil.

You can get this dirty oil out of the ground, but you cant do anything with it, a former congressional aide told Foreign Policy. Really your choice is the Assad regime.
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Mall owners have definitely heaved a sigh of relief with the Maharashtra government allowing malls to reopen after more than four and a half months.

The government has allowed malls to open only when Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are followed. For this, mall developers or owners have to shell out a big chunk from their coffers to meet the SOPs.

The Phoenix Mills Ltd which runs three malls in Maharashtra including two in Mumbai and one in Pune will now have to incur Rs 20-30 lakh as operational cost every month for meeting the guidelines laid out by Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) and the government.

In a freewheeling chat with Moneycontrol, Rajendra Kalkar, President-West and Whole Time Director, Phoenix Mills Ltd, said, The capital expenditure has gone up to 70-80 lakh while the operational cost is about 20-30 lakh per month.

To stave off the ill-effects of the pandemic and reassure customers, retailers and shopping centre developers have gone the extra mile to re-align their strategies to meet the new normal and gain customer confidence.

The mall has put in place a slew of entry protocols for customers, such as UV (ultraviolet) scanner for disinfecting handbags and thermal scanners at entrances, sanitisation mats at mall entry points for sanitising footwear, and pedal sanitiser stands at all touchpoints.

The mall also ensures a unidirectional movement of customers (entry and exit) with the help of floor markers and signage -- in common areas, and contactless billing in retail stores. There are floor markers across the mall to ensure social distancing of 1.5 metres.

There are also pre-sanitised shopping bags, trolleys and baskets available to shoppers at all stores.

The mall management has provisioned for contactless digital payment methods at all touchpoints at stores, parking, F&B stores, and food courts. We have ensured all measures to ensure the safety of customers in a safe shopping zone. We also have a UV Box for disinfecting shopping bags after shopping, Rajendra Kalkar, President West, The Phoenix Mills, told Moneycontrol.

Usage of alternate urinals and washbasins, and sensor-based taps and soap dispensers are some of the other measures being adopted. Only a certain number of customers, based on the size of individual retail stores, are allowed inside.

Footfalls

Kalkar is of the view that most of the malls that in other parts of the country opened in June such as Lucknow and Bareilly have so far witnessed robust footfalls and performance.

In these places, customer confidence in the malls have gone up, businesses have also picked up. Although, it will take time to come to pre-COVID levels, said Kalkar, adding that in other malls footfalls have touched 50-60 percent pre-COVID levels.

Kalkar hopes that in Maharashtra too, footfalls will come back to 50 percent in the next 2-3 weeks.

Rental negotiations

In terms of rental agreement, The Phoenix Mills has concluded rental negotiation agreements with almost 90 percent of retailers and brands, Kalkar said.

When asked if a revenue-sharing model has been adopted with retailers, Kalkar said, We have been able to arrive at mutually acceptable terms. It is not one bill fits all. So depending on the ability of the group, the financial ability and viability of the retailer, the deal has been concluded.

He also said some rent waivers have also been given on a case-by-case basis.

Phoenix Malls has a tie-up with more than 1700 retailers and brands across all the malls.

According to Kalkar, a one-size-fits-all approach may not work as agreements with every tenant is different and therefore, there is a need for a mix of partial waiver, waiver of minimum guarantee, renegotiated rates and revenue-sharing arrangements with tenants to mitigate business loss for both the retailers and the malls.

Many retail tenants have restructured deals on revenue-sharing arrangements with mall owners to mitigate risks arising from a decline in footfalls due to COVID-19.

As per a report from ICRA, broadly the mall operators are agreeing to let go of the rents anywhere between 50 percent and 100 percent during the lockdown period and the quantum depends on the balance sheet strength of the mall operator, the competitive advantage of the property and the bargaining power of the retailer.

New Malls?

When the lockdown was lifted, Phoenix Mills launched a new mall in Lucknow and are further looking to expand the portfolio.

On the question of whether the company will be looking at any distressed property during these unprecedented times, Kalkar was quick to add that there was an exciting opportunity to expand the portfolio. "Depending on what comes our way. We are open to it. There is no concrete deal as of now on the table but it if comes we will definitely take the plunge," he said.

Revenue of mall operators is set to halve this fiscal because of the COVID-19 pandemic-driven lockdown, according to CRISILs analysis of the top 10 malls.
On August 7, China sentenced a fourth Canadian citizen to death on drug charges in less than two years. Ye Jianhui was sentenced by the Foshan Municipal Intermediate Court in the southern province of Guangdong. According to media reports, Ye had been found guilty of manufacturing and transporting illegal drugs, the court said in a brief statement. Another suspect in the case was also given the death penalty and four others sentenced to between seven years and life in prison.

Death sentences are automatically referred to as Chinas highest court for review. Canada and China's relations hit the rock in 2018, when Meng Wanzhou, a company executive and the daughter of Huawei's founder, was arrested at Vancouver's airport at the request of the U.S., which wants her extradited to face fraud charges over the company's dealings with Iran. This step angered China.

Read: Google Deletes 2,500 China-linked YouTube Channels For Spreading Misinformation

Read: Deadly Explosions Occurred In North Korean City Near The Border With China: Report

Ye's sentencing comes a day after fellow Canadian Xu Weihong was given the death penalty by the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate Court, also in Guandong province. Convicted Canadian drug smuggler Robert Schellenberg was sentenced to death in a sudden retrial shortly after Meng's arrest, and a Canadian citizen identified as Fan Wei was given the death penalty in April 2019 for his role in a multinational drug smuggling case. In apparent retaliation, China also detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor weeks after Meng's arrest, accusing them of vague national security crimes.

Read: China & Pakistan's Plot To Raise Kashmir At UNSC Fails Again; Global Community Backs India

Espionage case

On June 19, Chinese prosecutors charged two Canadians detained in the country since 2018 for suspected espionage that can result in life imprisonment. Accordion to international media reports, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that he is very disappointed with Chinas move and has informed that Ottawa would keep mounting pressure on Beijing to release its two citizens. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor were arrested in China towards the end of 2018 on charges related to security just after Canadian law enforcement officers detained Meng Wanzhou on American warrant and is the chief financial officer in the Chinese tech giant, Huawei. The Asian superpower has repeatedly stated that the detention of the Canadians is not related to Meng being in Canadas custody. However, international media agency has cited former diplomats and experts who have claimed that Kovrig and Spavor are being used to pressurize Canada.

Read: 'China's Geostrategic Statement': Manish Tewari Reveals Design Behind Pakistan's New Map

(With inputs from - AP)
Over these next 100 days, we will witness two candidates in the quadrennial contest over who has the better grip on that past, as they assure us they are the best equipped to consummate it in the future. To the younger generations, this campaign will be about the presidency of the United States. But to those of us who remember, it will be about the soul of the United States.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 09:59:28|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- South Africa on Thursday appealed to Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to continue discussions aimed at resolving the ongoing disputes over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River.

"As the parties engage in this critical phase of the negotiations, we would like to urge them to continue to be guided by the spirit of pan-African solidarity and fraternity, which has characterised the Africa Union-led negotiations process on the GERD," said International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor, who was speaking on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

"It is important that the parties should display magnanimity and understanding of each other's interests so as to move the process forward," she added.

Ethiopia, which started building the 4-billion-U.S. dollar GERD in 2011, is expected to produce over 6,000 megawatts of electricity to push the country's development.

Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country that relies on the river for its fresh water, is concerned that the dam might affect its 55.5-billion-cubic-meter annual share of water resources.

On Monday, Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia resumed a new round of talks on the filling and operation of the GERD, but Sudan rejected the Ethiopian proposal on Tuesday.

Pandor said that President Ramaphosa would be presented with a report about the discussions which would look at "outstanding technical and legal issues" in the coming weeks. Enditem
(Newser)  We've known for a while that George W. Bush took up painting after leaving the White House, but it's been some time since his art has made headlines. That's about to change with Out of Many, One: Portraits of America's Immigrants, a new book by Bush due out in March from Crown. It features 43 oil paintings of "new Americans" by No. 43, the Hill reports. "My hope is that OUT OF MANY, ONE will help focus our collective attention on the positive effects that immigrants have on our country," Bush wrote in a Thursday Facebook post. "As I said from the Oval Office in 2006, 'America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time.'" The book will pay tribute to immigrants "who have contributed to the cultural richness, economic vitality, entrepreneurial spirit, and renewed patriotism of our country."

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In the book's intro, seen by the AP, Bush writes that "while I recognize that immigration can be an emotional issue, I reject the premise that it is a partisan issue. It is perhaps the most American of issues, and it should be one that unites us." It's for that reason Bushwho hasn't said yet who will have his vote in Novemberdidn't want the book coming out during election season. Forbes notes each painting will be accompanied by a biographical essay of the painting's subject, written by Bush himself; a portion of the book's proceeds will go toward groups that help immigrants resettle. An accompanying exhibit will be held at the George W. Bush Presidential Center from March 2 through Jan. 2, 2022. Bush's book is available for preorder for $38, or $250 for a deluxe signed edition. (Read more George W. Bush stories.)
Kodagu District In-charge Minister V Somanna on Friday called the Brahmagiri landslide as the most unfortunate incident.

Another NDRF team from Bengaluru will arrive in Kodagu soon, to carry out rescue operations.

The minister, who is in the district to review flood situation, said he was shocked by the landslide incident in Talacauvery.

Had Talacauvery Kshetra Chief Priest Narayana Achar followed the advice of the district administration, the loss could have been avoided.

There have been 30 minor landslides in the district, Somanna said quoting DCs information.

Somanna said around 20 families had already been shifted to relief centres. Residents on Ayyappa hills in Virajpet will soon be shifted to the nearby relief centres as the hill has developed cracks. Residents of Karadigodu will also be relocated, he added.

The people will be tested for Covid-19 while accommodating them in the relief centres. Those who test positive for novel coronavirus will be admitted to the designated Covid hospital, he said.

Stating that he has spoken to the chief minister and the revenue minister regarding the calamities in Kodagu, the Minister said that the CM had asked him to set people's welfare as the main priority.

Meanwhile, Rs 15 crore has been released to provide basic facilities to flood-affected people, whose houses are under various stages of construction. Rs 200 crore has been released out of the Rs 500-crore flood relief package, Somanna said.

Water levels in reservoirs are being monitored constantly. All precautionary measures have been taken, he added.

Many electricity poles have been dismounted. CESC managing director has inspected the situation, he added.

The NDRF and SDRF teams are prepared to face tough situations. The people of the district do not need to panic, the minister said.

As Bhagamandala was totally inundated, V Somanna reached on the other side through a boat to inspect the situation in Talacauvery.

The minister, who arrived at Kushalnagar on Thursday evening, will stay in the district for two days to inspect the flood-hit regions.

Madikeri MLA Appacchu Ranjan, MLC Sunil Subramani, Zilla Panchayat President B A Harish, Vice President Lokeshwari Gopal, Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy and Superintendent of Police Kshama Mishra were present.

Additional rescue teams

Mysuru division Fire and Emergency Service official C Gurulingaiah said that the people in the proximity of Triveni Sangama would be shifted to safer locations. There is a 60-member team in the district and an additional SDRF team comprising 20 members from Mangaluru and 23 from Bengaluru will reach Kodagu soon.
- Small Size Connects the Great 5G Era

SHANGHAI, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 14th IOTE, SIMCom launched an ultra-small 5G module SIM8202G-M2 with the new 4-antenna design, to support the sustainable development of the industry.

SIM8202G-M2 is a small-size multi-band 5G module, which supports NSA/SA networking and covers all frequency bands of major network carriers around the world. It adopts the standard M2 interface and its AT command set is compatible with SIM7912G / SIM8200X-M2 modules, which can minimize the investment cost and speed up the market launch for customers. Compared with other 5G modules, it is greatly improved in the following aspects.

1. New 4-antenna design

SIM8202G-M2 adopts a new 4-antenna design, which effectively increases communication capacity, sends and receives data in an active manner, and maintains high data speed and stability.

2. Ultra-small size

The size of SIM8202G-M2 is only 30*42mm. The reduction in size brings great challenges to technology and process design. The increase in internal components leads to a denser component layout, causing limited power line routing width, harder isolation and protection of the high-rate signal line, RF-sensitive line, clock signal and harder controlled impedance routing. Therefore, SIMCom repeatedly optimized the design and deleted redundant design. Components with smaller package dimensions, higher performance and more reliable quality are adopted to effectively meet the multi-band/high-performance/high-bandwidth/multi-system requirements of 5G modules.

3. Large exposed copper area facilitates heat dissipation

The transmission rate of 5G modules is greatly increased. The increases in power consumption by CPU, RF transceiver and RF PA all generate more heat in modules. To ensure the module can work stably for a long time, the design of SIM8202G-M2 takes full account of the layout of heating components, making sure the main heating components have sufficient holes to base. At the same time, a large exposed copper area is designed on the back of the module to facilitate the heat dissipation of the module by silica gel.

SIM8202G-M2 features high-speed transmission and low latency. It can be widely used in terminals for VR, AR, CPE, IoV, IIoT and 4K/8K HD video.

About SIMCom

SIMCom Wireless Solutions Limited is a global leader in the cellular module space and fully committed to provide 2G/3G, LPWA, 4G, Smart Modules, C-V2X, 5G modules around the world.

For more information, you can visit www.simcom.com, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

VIdeo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1224912/SIMCom_5G_module_wireless.mp4
The latest update in Sushant Singh Rajput's death case is that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has rejected Rhea Chakraborty's plea to postpone the recording of her statement in connection with the money laundering case filed against her.

The actress had requested ED to delay the recording of her statement until the Supreme Court hears her transfer petition. Rhea's legal counsel Satish Maneshinde had said in a statement, "Rhea has requested that the recording of her statement be postponed till Supreme Court hearing."

However, Rhea's plea has been rejected and the actress has been asked to present herself for questioning before ED on August 7. According to a report in India Today, if the actress fails to appear before ED, then the probe agency may issue fresh summons to her.

Sushant Singh Rajput's father had registered an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and 5 other people in Patna, in which he had raised allegations of money laundering against the Jalebi actress. Sushant's family has accused Rhea of taking 15 crore from the late actor. They have also accused her of misusing Sushant's money and his credit cards.

Meanwhile, Rhea Chakraborty's transfer plea is likely to be heard next week. The SC has asked all parties involved to submit their replies within three days.

The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) has stepped in to probe Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. IPS officer Gagandeep Gambhir, along with senior IPS officer Manoj Shashidhar, will be supervising the CBI probe in the matter.

ALSO READ: Sushant's Death Case: DIG Gagandeep Gambhir And Manoj Shashidhar To Supervise CBI Probe Team

ALSO READ: Sushant's Friend Siddharth Pithani Reacts To Reports Of Pages Missing From Actor's Personal Diary

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
The death has occurred of Martin FOLAN

Barrettstown Road, Newbridge, Kildare / Connemara, Galway

FOLAN Martin (Barretstown Road, Newbridge and late of Connemara, Galway - 2nd August 2020 (suddenly); sadly missed by his loving wife Mary, sons Brian, Paraic and Niall, daughters-in-law Donna, Lisa and Stacey, grandchildren Jake, Zoe, Conor, Emma, Lilly and Alannah, brothers and sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews, extended family, relatives and friends.

May Martin Rest in Peace

A private family funeral will be held for a maximum of 50 people.

Reposing at the Anderson & Leahy Funeral Home, Newbridge on Friday from 4 o'clock until 8 o'clock. Prayers at 7.30pm. Removal on Saturday morning to arrive at St. Conleth's Parish Church, Newbridge for 11 o'clock Mass.

Mass will be live-streamed on the Newbridge Parish website: www.newbridgeparish.ie/webcam.

Burial afterwards in Barretstown Cemetery, Newbridge.

For those who cannot attend due to the current restrictions, can leave a personal message for the family on the condolence page below.

The family thank you for your co-operation, understanding and support during this sensitive time.

The death has occurred of Roy Hopkins

Beech Grove, Rathangan, Kildare

Roy Hopkins, Beechgrove, Rathangan, Co. Kildare, July 31st 2020. Predeceased by his father Aidan and sister Debbie. Will be very sadly missed by his loving mother, Catriona and Peter, brothers, Mark, Brian, Ian and Aaron, their wives and partners, nieces, nephews, cousins, Aunts, Uncles, extended family and friends.

May He Rest in Peace.

Following HSE and Government guidelines a private family funeral mass will take place in the Church of the Assumption & St. Patrick, Rathangan at 11 o'clock on Saturday morning (8th August) which can be viewed on Rathangan Parish Facebook page https://www.youtube.com/c/icatholicplayer Interment afterwards in St. Patrick's Cemetery, Rathangan.

Those who would like to leave a message may do so on the condolence page below.

Family request to adhere to Social Distance guidelines at Church and Cemetery.

Family Flowers Only.



The death has occurred of William (Willie) Sargent

Rathmore, Kildare / Blessington, Wicklow

Sargent William (Willie) Wolfestown, Rathmore, Naas, Co. Kildare and formerly of Blessington, Co. Wicklow. 5th August 2020. Passed away peacefully in Tallaght Hospital in the presence of his loving family. Age 63. Beloved husband of Rose and dear father of Conall, Aislinn and Anna. He will be sadly missed by his loving wife, family, brother Jim, sister June, grandson Jacob, nieces, nephews, extended family and a large circle of friends and neighbours. House private.

May Willie Rest in Peace.

Funeral to the Church of Our Lady of Mercy, Crosschapel on Friday arriving for 12.00 Funeral Mass for immediate family only (50 persons) followed by burial in Eadestown Cemetery. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to the Irish Cancer Society.

Given the exceptional climate and to protect everyone who knew Willie and would have liked to attend Willies funeral, but due to restrictions cannot, may leave a personal message for the family on the condolence page below. The family thank you for your cooperation and support during this sensitive time.



The death has occurred of Aubrey C Dutton

Assumpta Villas, Kildare Town, Kildare

Predeceased by his wife Kathleen. Peacefully at Naas Hospital. Sadly missed by his loving sister Muriel, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends.

May Aubrey Rest in Peace

Due to current government guidelines regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page below.

Aubrey's Funeral Mass in St. Brigid's Parish Church, Kildare Town can be viewed at mcnmedia.tv on Friday morning at 10 o'clock. Cremation afterwards in Newlands Cross Crematorium at 12 noon.

The death has occurred of Patrick HUGHES

Leixlip, Kildare / Monaghan



HUGHES (Leixlip, Co. Kildare and formerly of Cornasoo, Co. Monaghan) August 5th. 2020 (peacefully) at his home and surrounded by his family. Packie (Paddy), beloved husband of Nora, dear father of Anne, Olivia and Owen and a devoted grandfather of May Annie, Fiachra and the late Ruby and baby Aoife. Sadly missed by his loving family, sons-in-law Gar and Paul, daughter-in-law Mary, sisters Pauline, Joan and Bernie, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Rest in Peace

Due to Government advice and restrictions regarding public gatherings and to protect our most vulnerable family members and our friends, a private family funeral will take place. The family would ask you adhere to current HSE guidelines and restrictions at all times.

Those who would have liked to attend the funeral; but due to current restrictions cannot, please leave your personal message by selecting Condolences below or alternatively leaving a message at www.cunninghamsfunerals.com.

Packies Funeral Mass may be viewed by following the link below on Saturday afternoon (8th August, 2020) at 1pm.

http://oln.ie/site/live-webcam/

Family flowers only, please. Donations, if desired, to Friends of St. Brigids Hospice, The Curragh.



The death has occurred of Bro. Maurice MURPHY

Patrician Brothers Monastery, Naas Road, Newbridge, Kildare

MURPHY Bro. Maurice (Patrician Brothers Monastery, Naas Road, Newbridge) - 5th August 2020 (peacefully) in the wonderful care of the staff of Oakdale Nursing Home, Portarlington. Deeply regretted by his sister Mary, his Patrician Community, nephews and nieces, grandnephews, grandnieces, extended family, relatives and friends.

A private family funeral will be held for a maximum of 50 people.

Reposing at the Patrician Monastery, Naas Road, Newbridge on Thursday from 4 o'clock until 6 o'clock. Removal on Friday morning to arrive in St. Conleth's Parish Church, Newbridge for 11 o'clock Mass. Mass can be viewed on the St. Conleth's Parish webcam https://www.newbridgeparish.ie/webcam/. Funeral afterwards to St. Patrick's Cemetery, Abbeyleix.

Those who would have liked to attend the funeral but due to current restrictions cannot, can leave a personal message for the family on the condolence page below.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis



The death has occurred of Sinead Nic Eoin

Curragh Plains, Kildare Town, Kildare

Formerly of Maryville. Sadly missed by her loving daughter Saoirse, son Rauiri and his father Christopher, parents Brian and Bernadette, sisters Roisin and Lisa, brother Daragh, brothers-in-law Kevin and Fintan, nieces Eimear-Rose, Aria-star, nephews Fionn and Logan, aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, neighbours and friends.

May Sinead rest in peace

Due to current government guidelines regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral, but due to current restrictions cannot, please feel free to leave a message in the condolence page below. Removal on Saturday morning to arrive at The Carmelites Church, Kildare Town For Requiem Mass at 11o'clock. Burial afterwards in St. Conleth's Cemetery, Kildare Town.
The Leader of Risk Communication for National COVID-19 Response Team, Dr. Da Costa Aboagye has bemoaned the persistent agenda of some people to misinformed the general public about the treatment of the novel coronavirus.



According to the Director of Health Promotion at the Ghana Health Service, the government efforts in the fight against the deadly virus has become a major challenge by the continuous spread of misinformation and fake news to deceive unsuspecting Ghanaians.



Speaking in an interview with an Accra-based Kingdom FM News, Dr. Da Costa indicated that the issue of fake news and misinformation is a worldwide challenge that hinders the efforts of governments in the fight against the COVID-19.



the issue about fake news and misinformation has been a worldwide challenge that countries continue to fight against due to the negative impact they both have on the coronavirus fight, he bemoaned.



He, therefore, beckoned on the media to join forces with the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health to inform and remind the public about the existence of the coronavirus irrespective of the deliberate misinformation and the fake news about the pandemic.



He, however, believed that an alliance with the media to constantly educate the public about the existence of the new coronavirus will help the masses to understand and appreciate the need to protect themselves and also adhere to the safety protocols.



It is about time the media joined forces with the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health to inform the public about the continuous existence of the virus to enable people to understand the need to protect themselves and observe the safety protocols, he suggested.



Dr. Da Costa Aboagyes concern is borne out of the recent issue of a Nigerian Doctor based in the United States of America (USA) insisting that the use of Hydroxychloroquine, Zinc, and Azithromycin are the cure for the novel coronavirus which has claimed millions of lives in the world.



Doctor Stella Immanuel appeared in a viral video alongside some doctors in which she claimed to have cured over 350 coronavirus patients with hydroxychloroquine without losing any to death but the video was immediately pulled down from almost every social media platform and labeled as misinformation.



It is due to such misinformation by Dr. Stella Immanuel which went viral on social media and carried out by the mainstream media that the Director of Health Promotions at the Ghana Health Service is urging the media to always rely on information from the appropriate quarters.

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.

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Flossey is living a wonderful life on a beautiful farm in Millbrook, Ontario. It's what is knows an "ethical farm" where cows have space to roam and graze instead of being kept indoors for most of their lives. Flossey's farm has vast expanses of lush, green grass, rolling hills, ponds full of fresh water, and forested areas for shade. This is life as it should be for these gentle creatures. Dave is a farm hand who often helps out with some of the chores and animal care. He decided to take a break on this warm, summer day and he took a seat on the hill overlooking the pasture.
A low-security inmate, Taiwan Davis, was sent to the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 in the prison. His mother, Gwendolyn Davis, said she found out through an inmate that he had been taken to the hospital, and that she wasnt informed by the prison that he had tested positive until after he was at the hospital. She said that when she called the prison, officers told her he was fine.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a speech during the 75th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, on August 6, 2020 in Hiroshima, Japan. Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images

On the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of his city, the mayor of Hiroshima warned the world about the rise of "self-centred nationalism" and appealed for greater international co-operation to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking at a ceremony yesterday in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park - near the centre of the August 6, 1945, blast - Kazumi Matsui renewed a 'Peace Declaration' on behalf of the city and appealed to Japan's government to ratify a 2017 UN treaty proposing the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Seventy-five years after the bombing of Hiroshima, humanity struggles against a new threat: the novel coronavirus, he said.

"However, with what we have learned from the tragedies of the past, we should be able to overcome this threat," Mr Matsui said.

"When the 1918 flu pandemic attacked a century ago, it took tens of millions of lives and terrorized the world because nations fighting World War I were unable to meet the threat together," he said.

"A subsequent upsurge in nationalism led to World War II and the atomic bombings.

"We must never allow this painful past to repeat itself. Civil society must reject self-centred nationalism and unite against all threats."

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke of the "inhumanity of nuclear weapons".

The memorial events have been drastically scaled back this year because of the pandemic. Crowds usually reaching in the tens of thousands were kept away.

Just 880 seats, spaced six feet apart, were placed on the lawn of the park, reserved for dignitaries, children, survivors of the bomb attack and families of those killed.

Last year Mr Matsui also warned against rising nationalism, but his latest appeal takes on added significance.

The New START - or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia - is due to expire in February and there is speculation it may not be renewed, unwinding decades of efforts to limit nuclear arsenals.

That follows the US decision to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty last year, accusing the Russians of cheating.

Survivors of the Hiroshima blast also found common links between the threat of nuclear radiation and fears over Covid-19.

"People around the world must work together, must fight this disease, must learn together," said Keiko Ogura, who was just eight years old when the atomic bomb struck 2km from her home.

Ms Ogura has spent her life calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons, and says she sees encouraging signs that young people are taking up the campaign.

However, she warned against complacency.

"It's very much like the fear of the second or third wave of Covid-19," Ms Ogura said. "I feel the same sense of crisis."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 16:09:24|Editor: huaxia

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TOKYO, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Tokyo metropolitan government on Friday confirmed 462 new daily COVID-19 cases, falling just shy of its record of 472 confirmed cases on Aug. 2, with the capital's cumulative total reaching 15,107, the highest among Japan's 47 prefectures.

Amid concerns over a resurgence of the virus in urban areas in Japan, with Tokyo still the epicenter of the nationwide outbreak, Tokyo Governor Yoriko Koike has urged Tokyo residents to refrain from traveling to other prefectures during the upcoming Bon holidays.

With Tokyo's alert level being kept at the highest on its four-tier scale, meaning "infections are spreading," Koike said the situation in the capital was extremely severe and as such called on residents not to return to their hometowns to visit relatives during the holidays.

She urged people instead to remain in Tokyo and spend time with relatives on the phone or online and for Tokyoites to rally together so that "a return to a safe life" could be achieved as soon as possible.

"This year is a special summer. I want people to interact with their long-distance family over the phone or online," Koike said.

She also maintained that if the COVID-19 situation continues to worsen, then a state of emergency for the capital of 14 million would be declared. Enditem
Linda Arkin, 75, of Valencia, looks over the Festival of Books section of the Los Angeles Times on April 21, 2018. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)





The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is opening a virtual chapter this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

After being postponed from April to October, the 25th Festival of Books, Stories & Ideas will take place online instead of being held on the University of Southern California campus, The Times announced Friday.

The marquee event, a partnership between The Times and USC, will be reimagined as a virtual community-wide gathering.

The e-festival will still celebrate storytelling when it launches Oct. 18. It will continue over four weeks rather than two days. The Times will host author panels, readings and other events during that time.

The full programming schedule will be announced in mid-September.

"Over the years, festival-goers have listened to Eric Carle read about a ravenous caterpillar; the late Congressman John Lewis discuss his lifelong work for racial equality; Julie Andrews reminisce about the Swiss Alps; Luis J. Rodriguez wax poetic about life in Los Angeles; Viet Thanh Nguyen expound on reclaiming historical narratives; Padma Lakshmi dish on food and life; and gone home inspired," a statement from The Times read.

"This year, the festival will make that kind of inspiration accessible from home."

Winners of the festival's Book Prizes, which recognize outstanding literary works in 12 categories, were announced on Twitter in April.

Next year's festival is scheduled to take place back on the USC campus April 17-18, though The Times will continue monitoring public health and safety protocols before that and adjust accordingly.

More details can be found at latimes.com/FestivalofBooks and on the festival's social media pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (#bookfest).
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, Sept. 28, 2018. (AAP/David Crosling/via Reuters)

$15 Billion JobKeeper Extension Plan to Heavily Support Victoria

Australias Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has announced an estimated $15.5 billion extension to the JobKeeper business relief program as its southern state, Victoria, has slowed down the countrys economic recovery due to the second wave of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Speaking on Nines Today show on August 7 Frydenberg said that $13 billion of the extension would go towards Victorian business to help them get to the other side of the once in a century crisis.

Extending the program to $101 billion represents the single largest program that any Australian government [has] ever undertaken in terms of economic support.

The treasurer went on to say that an estimated 1.5 million Victorians will be on the JobKeeker program in the September quarter, which is 50 percent of the Victorias private sectors workforce.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a media release on August 7 that the new changes to JobKeeper were about saving lives and livelihoods, particularly in Victoria where more than 80 percent of the assistance will flow.

Australia is facing a situation that is constantly changing. Our response is to get the right support to all those Australian families, workers, and businesses that need us, said Morrison.

This means more support for more workers and more businesses for longer, as we battle this latest Victorian wave.

Changes to Cover Business Until After September

The Morrison government has adjusted the eligibility criteria for businesses that apply for JobKeeper payments past its original Sept. 27 deadline to the extended March 28, 2021 deadline.

Under the new changes, businesses will have to show that they have had a significant fall in turnover for the September quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

To qualify for JobKeeper under the new changes businesses and not-for-profits will have to prove that they have experienced a 50 percent loss of revenue for those that earn more than $1 billion.

Those with a turnover of less than $1 billion will have to show a 30 percent drop.

Australian charities and not-for-profit organisations and commission-registered charities (excluding schools and universities) will have to show a 15 percent loss.

The government has also covered employees who were hired after the original March deadline if they were on the business books by July 1.

According to Treasury, businesses and not-for-profits will be required to nominate which payment rate they are claiming for each of their eligible employees.

Nationwide, the treasurer reported nearly four million Australians were currently receiving JobKeeper payments.

JobKeeper Reduced From September

Frydenberg appeared on ABC News Breakfast and Sevens Sunrise program to confirm further details about the changes to JobKeeper, including the reduction in the payment ammounts.

From Sept. 28, the JobKeeper payments will reduce from $1500 per full-time employee, per fortnight to $1200; and drop further to $1000 from Jan. 4, 2021.

The treasurer pointed out that JobKeeper is a national program and not just targeted to Victoria, which is suffering a stage four lockdown due to a second wave of COVID-19 outbreaks.

The second wave in Victoria means Australia as a whole is recovering from the pandemic in two stages, with Victoria currently costing more money.

The treasurer noted that the federal government had spent more than $300 billion on economic support for the country. In comparison, the states had only paid $42 billion, and he would welcome more financial aid from them.
The leadership of the Coalition of Schools of Hygiene students says its members will not sit for the end of semester examination meant for final year students until their three-year unpaid allowances are paid.

The final year students on Thursday August 6 invaded the premises of the Sanitation Ministry to picket over government's failure to pay them their allowances.

The students argue that their allowances have been completely scrapped without reason although government has restored the allowances of their colleague nursing trainees.

The National Vice President of the Coalition, Kenneth Adongo says until they receive the funds they will not make themselves available for the exit exams.

We are indicating that without the allowance we will not write the exam. This will be until we receive the allowance.

Students of Schools of Hygiene were not included in the categories of trainees who had their monthly allowances from the government restored.

The situation saw the Principal of the School of Hygiene at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Mr Raphael Komla Nutsukpui in 2018 calling on the government to restore the allowances of the trainees.

In 2017, about 200 students of the School of Hygiene staged a demonstration on some principal streets in Accra to demand the restoration of their allowances.

The demonstration, which began from the Obra spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, ended at the Hearts of Oak Park near the Arts Centre.

The government said they will restore the allowances, but it seems it was just a partial restoration. The schools around Korle Bu have received theirs, but students from Accra School of Hygiene, Ho School of Hygiene, Tamale School of Hygiene, none of us has received anything. There are those who have received the allowances for two times, and they will soon receive a third one, but it seems the government has neglected those of us from the various schools of hygiene, one of the students lamented.

Another student bemoaned the delay in restoring their allowances, saying our allowances should be given to us, why are you [government] neglecting us?

We want our money, Nana wants to deceive us. We will not rest until we receive our money, one of the students stated.

---citinewsroom
- Chad has appointed a 29-year-old woman, Amina Priscille Longoh, as minister to head its women and protection of children affairs

- Longoh's robust profile and past humanitarian efforts in Chad in helping people without necessities speak volumes, making her the best fit

- Before her ministerial appointment, she had worked in the country's oil sector

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Amina Priscille Longoh, a 29-year-old journalist, has become Chads minister of women and protection of children. Her Network reports that she has a deep interest in humanitarianism. She is also the founder of Chad Helping Hands, an NGO that helps citizens in the country with basic needs.

Longohs appointment, according to reports, was based on her many humanitarian efforts in helping less privileged in Chad.

Before her appointment, she was the director-general of the national house of women. Added to that, she held the role of education and skills commissioner of the Pan African Youth Union.

African Shapers reports that she was in the oil sector before she switched careers to humanitarian aid. She studied communication in school.

READ ALSO: President Ramaphosa sends special envoy to Zimbabwe amid unrest

A collage showing the woman. Photos sources: Her Network/African Shapers

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Covid-19 update: Tobacco judgement reserved, KZN expected to peak soon

I think that access to basic amenities such as education, access to clean water and health services must be within the reach of everyone, regardless of social rank.

I would also like to help build a Chad in which each woman or young girl can create the way of life she wishes to adopt, without being marginalised. I am convinced that a society in which women are not socially and economically marginalised will be a fairer, more united and more prosperous society, she said.

Due to her many contributions, she was selected in 2019 to represent her country at the European Union Visitors Program which was held in Brussels in November of the same year.

READ ALSO: Yvonne Chaka Chaka and hubby serve some real OG marriage goals

Meanwhile, Briefly.co.za reported that Francisca Oteng, the daughter of Mrs Joyce Oteng and Dr Kwaku Oteng, a doctor and businessman who is the CEO of the Angel Group of Companies, is the youngest legislator in Ghana.

She is the member of parliament for Kwabre East Constituency in the Ashanti Region who was awarded as the ninth-best legislator in the year 2019.

Francisca entered parliament after the 2016 elections when she was only 24 years old by which time she was enrolled at the university and was in her final year pursuing LLB at the College of Humanities.

She beat the incumbent Kofi Frimpong with 321 votes in an area known to be a hub of the then-opposition party, and coincidentally gave the NPP a chunk of its votes.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

Source: Briefly News
Mass Humanities will be holding a virtual presentation of the Massachusetts Governors Awards on Oct. 25, the nonprofit announced on Thursday.

The Governors Awards in the Humanities is an annual fundraiser for the Northampton-based Mass Humanities meant to recognize people who exemplify an appreciation of the humanities through their actions.

Each year the Mass Humanities board of directors nominate several individuals who are chosen by Gov. Charlie Baker. This year, the presentation of the awards will be virtual.

We are thrilled to be presenting the Governors Awards in the Humanities, Brian Boyles, the executive director of the nonprofit, said, in a statement. While this year will be virtual, it will be nothing short of personal. After all, it is our duty as a humanities organization to celebrate those who continue to make a difference and make sure their story and work is heard.

This years recipients include:

Jessie Little Doe Baird, Indigenous Language Preservationist, co-founder and director of the Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project in Mashpee, Massachusetts.

Alfred Griggs, decorated Marine, director of the Beveridge Family Foundation and Leadership Pioneer Valley, philanthropist, and former Mass Humanities board member.

Lee Pelton, 12th president of Emerson College in Boston, nationally and internationally known speaker and writer on the value of a liberal education and the importance of leadership development, civic engagement, and diversity in higher education.

Fredericka Stevenson, chair emeritus and cofounder of Summer Search Bostonan organization whose mission is to identify low-income high school youth who demonstrate resilience in overcoming hardship and the desire to help others.

Those looking to attend the online ceremony must register here. The event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, from 5 to 7 p.m.
A Florida man was arrested on suspicion of spitting on a child's face at this restaurant in Treasure Island, Florida, on Sunday.

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Jason Andrew Copenhaver, 47, was arrested on charges of simple battery and disorderly conduct on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Times cited police records saying that Copenhaver grabbed a child who was wearing a face mask at a restaurant, got close to him, and told him, "You now have coronavirus."

The incident is said to have happened at a restaurant in Treasure Island, Florida, on Sunday night, according to the newspaper.

The Treasure Island police said the boy told them that Copenhaver "was in such close proximity that spit particles from [Copenhaver's] mouth landed in his face," according to the Times.

When he was arrested, Copenhaver told officers he did not know whether he had the coronavirus and had never been tested, the Times reported.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A Florida man has been accused of spitting in a boy's face and telling the child "You now have coronavirus," according to local outlets.

The incident is said to have happened at a restaurant in Treasure Island, Florida, on Sunday at about 9:30 p.m., according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Jason Andrew Copenhaver, 47, is accused of going up to a boy  whose name and age were not released  and getting angry with him for wearing a face mask, the newspaper reported.

The Times cited records from the Treasure Island police saying that the boy refused to remove his mask and that Copenhaver then grabbed the boy's hand tightly, got close to his face, and told him he now had the coronavirus.

The officers said the boy told them Copenhaver "was in such close proximity that spit particles from (Copenhaver's) mouth landed in his face," according to the newspaper.

The police records said that restaurant workers suspected him of being intoxicated, that he was not wearing any shoes, and that he tried to hit a staff member after being asked to sit down, according to the Times.

Story continues

He was later taken outside and pinned to the ground until the police arrived, the newspaper said.

Officers arrested him on charges of simple battery and disorderly conduct, the Times and Fox 23 News reported.

Officers said he told them he didn't know whether he had the coronavirus and had never been tested for it, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Copenhaver was booked into the Pinellas County Jail but was freed Monday after posting $650 bail, Fox 23 reported.

Florida is dealing with one of the biggest coronavirus outbreaks in the US. As of Friday, the state recorded more than 510,000 cases and 7,747 deaths attributed to COVID-19.

Pinellas County, where Copenhaver was arrested, has more than 17,000 cases and has recorded 469 COVID-19 deaths, according to data released by the state.

Read the original article on Insider
Ky. megachurch opening 2 new community campuses to improve outreach to different groups

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A multisite megachurch in Kentucky will soon be opening up two new community campuses aimed at improving outreach to assorted demographic groups.

Southeast Christian Church, an evangelical congregation based in Louisville, will be officially launching a Multination Campus on Aug. 16 and a Beechmont campus on Sept. 13.

Comprised largely of immigrants to the area, the Multination Campus is presently meeting, albeit under limited circumstances and following social distancing guidelines. The Beechmont campus stems from SECC's missional relationship with the HOPE Place, a local Christian nonprofit founded in 2018 that helps churches with ministry work.

SECC Associate Pastor Matt Reagan explained in comments emailed to The Christian Post the difference between his churchs regional campuses and the new community campuses.

A Regional Campus reaches a large area and broad demographic spanning multiple communities. While we have watched God do more than we could ever imagine, weve recently felt led to launch a new type of campus called a Community Campus, explained Reagan.

A Community Campus is a new type of campus thats an intentional effort to reach a focused demographic not currently being served by one of our Regional campuses due to barriers such as geography restrictions and or cultural differences.

Reagan added that he was hopeful that alongside our Regional Campuses, our Community Campuses will allow us to even better share the boundary breaking love of Jesus with our communities one person at a time.

At present, SECC lists 10 campuses on its website, which are located in Louisville proper or within 50 miles of the city, including nearby Jeffersonville, Indiana.

In May, U.S. District Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove ruled that churches were allowed to hold in-person worship services provided they adhered to social distancing guidelines.

In his decision, the judge concluded that Governor Andy Beshears orders restricting in-person services had been in violation of the constitutional rights of houses of worship.

Evidence that the risk of contagion is heightened in a religious setting any more than a secular one is lacking, read the ruling, in part.

If social distancing is good enough for Home Depot and Kroger, it is good enough for in-person religious services which, unlike the foregoing, benefit from constitutional protection.

Last week, Beshear had a phone conversation with Kentucky Council of Churches, asking the 1,100-congregation group to halt in-person services for two weeks.

A request rather than an order, the governors statement came in response to a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Kentucky, according to Kentucky.com.

SECC Executive Pastor Tim Hester explained in comments emailed to CP on Friday that his church was maintaining a posture of flexibility in determining how well continue to meet as a church and whether or not we actually launch on the proposed dates.

First and foremost, we continue to be motivated by the love of our congregation and our community and will continue to prayerfully make appropriate decisions that provide the safest experiences for all, said Hester.

The community campuses are coming at a time in which many are debating the state of race relations within the church and the broader United States.
Shocking security camera footage shows the moment an off-duty cop opens fire on two armed robbers on a bus in Mexico, before being fatally wounded when they return fire.

The incident occurred the evening of June 24, in Valle de Chalco Solidaridad, a municipality in the State of Mexico.

The bus' surveillance camera shows one of the two robbers ordering demanding passengers on board give up their valuable belongings.

He then assaulted the driver and told him to continue to his route along a stretch of a highway that connects the state of Puebla and State of Mexico.

The off-duty police officer, whose name was not released by authorities, is seen sitting by the window next to a passenger on the third isle.

The cop can be seen reaching for his weapon and firing several times at the robber, who was standing near the driver, and then turned around and firing at the second suspect who stood in the rear of the bus.

A police officer (circled) in Mexico stopped a bus robbery in June and engaged two muggers in a shootout inside a packed bus before he was shot dead. The two assailants were beaten to death by the angry passengers after they tried to escape

The hero officer fired at least two more shots at the mugger in the front of the bus before one of the two assailants fired the fatal shot at him.

The muggers tried to escape from the bus, but were caught by the passengers outside and beaten to death, local media reported.

Two passengers were also wounded.

A shooting aboard a public transportation bus in Mexico a police officer and two suspects dead June 24

Footage of a cellphone video that was leaked on social media and aired by media outlet ADN 40 showed how one of the two wounded suspects was lying on the ground being kicked.

The footage of the shoot out was leaked online and went viral Friday, as the authorities, government officials and residents cope with a wave of robberies that have taken place in recent days on the public transit vehicles.

Another foiled robbery on July 31 was captured by a bus' surveillance camera as it transited through Texcoco, a city in the State of Mexico.

At least six passengers came together and did not allow the mugger to flee from the bus after he stole a man's phone.

The group beat him inside the bus and then tossed him out on to the street and continued to attack him before they ripped off his clothes.

In a separate incident Wednesday in the State of Mexico municipality of Ecatepec, two armed suspects robbed bus passengers before they were chased away and beaten. Witnesses said the men rushed themselves inside a police vehicle after they were arrested in order to avoid the angry mob.

According to recent crime figures released by State of Mexico, there were 496 assaults that took place on public buses in the June, a 2.7 percent increase from May.

Bus robberies in State of Mexico accounted for 63 percent of such crimes committed throughout the country during the month of June.
Jaipur, Aug 8 : Union Minister Kailash Chaudhary has said that August 14 will bring freedom to people of Rajasthan from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's misrule.

Chaudhary on Friday said that the current crisis in the state is due to the Congress government in Rajasthan.

The Union Minister added that though the COVID-19 pandemic situation and criminal cases are rising in Rajasthan, yet the Congress MLAs can be seen busy in having fun in posh hotels.

"Ashok Gehlot and Congress leaders are blaming the BJP government for the situation while the reality is that this is the result of their internal conflict within the party. It is a mutual battle between Gehlot and Sachin Pilot due to which people of Rajasthan are suffering. Gehlot has lost the faith of his legislators," said Chaudhary.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-08 00:57:23|Editor: huaxia

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MAPUTO, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Mozambican Minister of Land and Environment Ivete Maibasse announced Friday that the institution plans to submit a law aiming to ban the use of plastic bags in the country as an effort to reduce harmful practices to public health, infrastructures and the environment.

The private sector will be given one year to prepare before the law is fully implemented, and there will also be some exceptions, said the minister during the opening of the National Council for Sustainable Development in Maputo.

"Exceptions will be for plastic bags used for food package, for conditioning solid waste as well as for the health, mining, agriculture and construction sectors," said Maibasse.

He said the ban will also exclude the plastic bags produced in the special economic zones as long as they are for export purposes.

In a previous campaign conducted to reduce the use of plastic bags in the country from 2015 to 2017, the ministry reportedly collected about 7,000 tons of plastic bags from warehouses and markets, which later were transformed into hoses, buckets and bowls for charity institutions. Enditem
Britain announced a 200 million pound scheme to help smooth post-Brexit trade disruption for businesses in Northern Ireland when European Union freedom of movement rules cease to apply at the end of the year.

Northern Ireland has Britain's only land border with the EU, making it a focal point for complex questions about how a new system of cross-border trade will work when more than 45 years of market integration with mainland Europe ends.

Senior minister Michael Gove will set out the new Trader Support Service during a visit to Northern Ireland on Friday, promising a free end-to-end service to deal with import and safety and security declarations on behalf of traders.

"It is a unique service that will ensure that businesses of all sizes can have import processes dealt with on their behalf, at no cost," Gove said in a statement ahead of the visit.

An additional 155 million pounds will be invested in the technology needed to make it work.

The support scheme is due to start in September and will help traders navigate the paperwork required under the terms of Britain's exit, which mean Northern Ireland is subject to both British and EU customs regulations.

The complex arrangement threatened to derail exit negotiations last year, with Brussels concerned that goods should not flow unchecked into the bloc via Britain.

Both sides agreed a compromise that avoids the need for a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland - something many feared could have threatened the peace deal that ended decades of sectarian violence in the region.

Gove and Northern Ireland Minister Brandon Lewis will also announce 300 million pounds of funding to programmes promoting peace and reconciliation. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
07.08.2020 LISTEN

The Chief Executive Officer of Think Twice Foundation Ghana, Mr. Ernest Birmeh, popularly known in the country as Dr. Think Twice, a Consultant and Activist on SOCIETAL PRESSURES, is calling on every adult or elderly to first of all rebuke themselves, before condemning the Senior High School who unfortunately insulted the President.

The student indeed aired and must be condemned by all standards. However, who did this young man learned from? We shouldnt forget, every child goes through normal learning processes immediately they found themselves into the world. They start with parents; sucks mothers breast, learn their language, starts observing their environment in a slow but systematic manner.

The moment immediate siblings form part of the family, they gradually adjust to them and because of immediate closeness, they start learning from them the same gradual steps.

At some stages, family members, friends, and others, who form a shield of the society, play a major role to shape the upcoming child including education in various forms, such as cultural norms and values of the parents and the entire society.

Foreign influence has its head in sharpening the poor child: this includes modern technology, movies, music, clothing, food, language, etc. all these mentioned need regulations from adults.

Today, Ghanaian children, huge numbers are born out of *SOCIETAL PRESSURES* and * self-imposed pressures.* Therefore, parents have no sufficient time for their wards and as adults, more stressed up. They further find themselves in various habits of indulgence in unwanted activities; the same children observed them slowly and copy them unnoticed. Adults are engaged in *destruction* of water bodies, *environment* are damaged by same adults, *corruption* , *insults*, littering of our environment, noise pollution, greed, selfishness, nepotism, fornication and thousands, are done by our eldest. Therefore, the youth have no choice than to copy their parents, uncles, chiefs, queen mothers, family heads, etc, in a direction thats not favorable for society.

The young man must be *condemned* for insulting the President, however, every adult must first ask themselves, did I contributed to the current situation consciously, must I be happy or sad with the state of our systems, what has been my influence on the current generation, is it positive or negative?

These are immediate questions, every adult needs to question themselves before nailing the poor *SHS* student.

DR. THINK TWICE

Contact: 0203003178/0507049954
The current battle within the party is seen as setting the stage for August 10 when Sonia completes one year of interim presidentship, and questions are being raised about a leadership vacuum.

For the first time, responsible quarters are suggesting that as Sonia cannot function as interim president indefinitely and Rahul seems to want power but not the responsibility, one way out is collective leadership, reports Aditi Phadnis.

IMAGE: With Sonia Gandhi's term as Congress's interim president coming to an end on August 10, there are expectations that Rahul Gandhi will step up. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi is out of hospital and on Rahul Gandhi's direction, the party's media spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala told squabbling colleagues to stop it immediately.

But there's no direct word from the top leadership about putting an end to the war of words in the Congress that continues to rage over why the party is where it is and who should be held accountable.

The current battle is seen as setting the stage for August 10 when Sonia completes one year of interim presidentship, and questions are being raised about a leadership vacuum.

For the first time, responsible quarters are suggesting that as Sonia cannot function as interim president indefinitely and Rahul seems to want power but not the responsibility, one way out is collective leadership.

"In the Congress, we have collective leadership in practice. Now it might be time to institutionalise it," said a top source in the party.

Those with proximity to Rahul are hoping he will change his mind and assume presidentship of the party -- this means their position in the Congress apparatus will be secure.

"The generational clash is exaggerated. It is mostly people who have individual problems with one another," said the source.

The issue erupted last week at a meeting of Rajya Sabha members of Parliament (MPs) called by Sonia.

A routine review meeting saw her in the vortex of a heated debate that touched on policy issues as well as personalities. And it shows no sign of ending.

At this meeting, several MPs, including Rajiv Satav and K C Venugopal, thought to be loyal to Rahul held the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) years responsible for the decline in the Congress' sfortunes.

By implication, this meant criticism of former prime minister Manmohan Singh's government and its policies.

Several leaders came out in public to say that while they respected Dr Singh, they had a view that needed to be taken into account.

Sushmita Dev, chief of the women's wing of the Congress, the Mahila Congress, said the Congress was a democracy and leaders had a right to say what they wanted to on an internal forum. The other side reacted instantly.

Congress leader and lawmaker Manish Tewari said: "The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was out of office for 10 years (from 2004 to 2014). Not once did it blame Atal Bihari Vajpayee or his government for its predicament then.

"In the Congress, unfortunately, some ill-informed Congressmen would rather take swipes at the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government than fight the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)/BJP. When unity is required, they divide."

Milind Deora, a junior minister in the UPA, said: "When demitting office in 2014, Singh said: 'History will be kinder to me'. Could he ever have imagined that some from his own party would dismiss his years of service to the nation and seek to destroy his legacy -- that too, in his presence?"

Chief ministers of the party, who hold the real power, are keeping absolutely quiet.

Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh), Captain Amarinder Singh (Punjab), and Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) have stayed out of the whole controversy.

The debate inside the party is not just on its current predicament, it is also on who the primary enemy of the party is.

Several leaders have advised Rahul that equivalence with Narendra Modi is a mistake as Modi's popularity is at its peak.

Instead the Congress should find blindspots within the BJP and the NDA government -- there are plenty -- and focus on those.

These leaders include R P N Singh, Jairam Ramesh and others. However, there is no evidence that Rahul is taking this advice.

August 10 will bring some clarity on the leadership muddle in the party.

The party constitution vests the Congress Working Committee with the authority to appoint someone who can run the organisation when faced with a crisis -- a decision that has to be ratified by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

However, an AICC session might not be possible in the midst of a pandemic.

Therefore, collective leadership might be the only answer.

But no one knows what shape this will take: an advisory committee, an executive group or some other body.

Till then, Congressmen want to be seen and heard.
Dressing up is being dressed down  and thats bad news for retailers that specialize in traditional office clothes.

After years of business attire becoming increasingly casual, the sudden transition to working from home for millions of Americans has undermined retailers that sell dress clothes.

Mens Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, Brooks Brothers, Lord & Taylor, Ann Taylor, Loft and Neiman Marcus are among the retailers whose parent companies have entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in recent weeks, having experienced a sudden drop-off in sales due in part to what industry leaders are calling casualization.

While most nonessential retailers have posted sales declines due to temporary store shutdowns and a sharp drop in foot traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies that specialize in dress clothes are in the worst shape  especially menswear shops.

Tailored Brands bankruptcy: Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank owner files for Chapter 11 protection

Brooks Brothers store closings planned: Retailer files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

Take Mens Wearhouse. In 2011, 1 in 5 suits sold in America were purchased at one of the companys more than 1,200 stores, according to a court filing.

Less than a decade later, demand for suits has collapsed. Tailored Brands, which owns Mens Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, filed for Chapter 11 protection this month. The retailer plans to close up to 500 locations.

The Men's Wearhouse flagship store in Manhattan in 2014.

Revenue for mens clothing stores is expected to decline by 13% in 2020, according to research firm IBISWorld, and continue falling for several years.

People are shopping more online, and men are just not buying suits, said Helena Song, an S&P credit analyst who tracks retailers, including menswear companies.

Jamie Johnston is among them. Johnston, a Toronto real estate agent, remembers a time not too long ago when the area surrounding his downtown office was swarming with people in suits. Those days now feel like a distant memory.

Now, he says, the agents he works with are dressing much more casually even when they make their way to the office for socially distanced work. Most of their client meetings are happening over video conference services like Zoom, which invites more casual attire.

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I used to always wear a jacket to the office, and now I dont, he said. Nobodys wearing jackets.

A trend long in the making

The pandemic has simply accelerated an ongoing pivot toward more casual wear in business, said Ray Wimer, an assistant professor of retail practice at Syracuse Universitys Whitman School of Management.

Instead of having casual Fridays, its become the casual workweek," he said.

Some retailers, such as womens apparel chain Chicos, say theyve benefited from earlier shifts toward more casual wear. The company says its White House brand is leading the way.

You really can't define what workwear is anymore, Chicos CEO Molly Langenstein said in a June 10 conference call.

But some retailers say the decline in celebratory events is hurting them more than the pivot toward casual wear in the work-from-home environment.

It's stemming from a "general lack of events and occasions from weddings (to) summer parties to company events as well as business trips, said Yves Muller, chief financial officer of luxury fashion brand Hugo Boss, on a conference call Aug. 4.

Many black-tie events have been dramatically scaled back, postponed or canceled altogether due to social distancing requirements. That's been devastating for companies like Mens Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, both of which had reliable tuxedo rental businesses until a few months ago.

Tailored Brands declined to comment for this story.

Think of all the junior high or senior high proms that got canceled, Wimer said. A good portion of their business dried up. For the foreseeable future, maybe you can have a wedding, but I dont see schools having proms or other formal events where you get a good portion of your revenue from.

Tailoring a new business strategy

Whats unclear is whether retailers that specialized in dress clothes have enough time to adjust their strategies and avoid going out of business altogether.

Brooks Brothers has done it before. The company has long claimed credit for inventing the button-down polo shirt around 1900.

Models showcase suits during a Brooks Brothers fashion show in Italy in 2018.

The company is expected to close at least 50 stores  and possibly more. Brooks Brothers recently announced it had arranged tentative deal to sell itself for $305 million to SPARC Group, a conglomerate including mall owner Simon Property Group and Authentic Brands, which used a similar strategy to rescue fashion chain Aeropostale. SPARC has said it plans to acquire at least 125 of Brooks Brothers 424 stores globally.

Brooks Brothers declined an interview request but said in a statement that our goal continues to be finding the right buyer and continuing our legacy as an institution of American fashion.

Mens Wearhouse has also made smart strategy changes in the past.

Founded in 1973 by George Zimmer in a Houston shopping strip, Mens Wearhouse grew into a retail powerhouse with 500 stores open by 2000 and more than 1,200 by 2011. Zimmer famously promoted the company in commercials with the tagline, I guarantee it.

A key to the Companys rapid growth and success throughout its nearly 50-year history is its ability to adapt to changing customer preferences, Tailored Brands chief restructuring officer Holly Etlin said in a court filing.

That included a move towards more casual business dress in the 1990s, during which Mens Wearhouse replaced about 60 suits with sport coats.

But the company fell on hard times after adding too much debt in a deal to acquire Jos. A. Bank in 2014. Tailored Brands sales fell 5.6% in the two years before the pandemic erupted, according to a court filing.

Will Americans go back to dressing up?

The obvious question thats looming for retailers is when buying habits will revert to pre-pandemic ways. Or, ominously, will the shift toward more casualwear be permanent?

Several executives have said in recent conference calls with analysts that they believe Americans will want to dress up again at some point.

We expect a clear and strong rebound once social life starts to normalize, Hugo Boss Muller said.

But analysts say that expectation may be off base.

It sounds like a little bit of wishful thinking that as soon as the pandemic is over, people will go out to buy three suits or five suits, S&Ps Song said.

Even if they do, many are likely to do so online, where many companies that have bet big on brick-and-mortar locations are not well-positioned.

The pandemic really accelerated the trend toward online purchasing, Song said. Our expectation is well continue to see that accelerating shift in customer behavior.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bankruptcy cases, store closings pile up for business wear retailers
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Rishi Sunak brought an abrupt end to an interview after he was asked if he fully supported Boris Johnson. (Watch the interview above). The Chancellor was giving an interview to Sky News over the future of the prime minister, who has been accused by his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings of lying to Parliament over allegations of lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street. Johnson rejected the claim in an interview on Tuesday afternoon, insisting he did not know in advance about the event in May 2020, adding that "no one told him" it was against the rules. Asked whether he backed his boss, Sunak replied: Of course I do. The prime minister set out his understanding of this matter in parliament last week and Id refer you to his words. Sue Gray is conducting an inquiry into this matter and I fully support the prime ministers request for patience while that inquiry concludes. Sunak then refused to comment on whether Johnson should quit following Cummings bombshell allegations. Im not going to get into hypotheticals. The Ministerial Code is clear on these matters. Pressed on whether he supported the PM unequivocally, Sunak promptly stood up, took off his microphone abruptly and walked off while his adviser stood in front of the journalist. Sunak is the bookies favourite to replace Johnson and has tried to distance himself from the scandal in recent days. He told Yahoo News UK last week that he had not attended the garden party. And he was noticeably absent from the House of Commons last Wednesday during the prime minister's apology for the anger sparked by the revelations. The Ministerial Code states that ministers who lie to Parliament and do not correct the record should resign. If Johnson is found to have lied, his position would become untenable.
With 71 homicides in the first six months of 2020, San Antonio is on track to have one of its deadliest years in nearly three decades, a San Antonio Express-News analysis found.

Homicides in the city increased from 53 during the same period a year ago, a jump of 34 percent.

Police Chief William McManus said no single factor could explain the uptick, but that family violence appears to play a significant role.

With everything combined  with people being stuck inside, with family violence, with loss of job opportunities  it truly is a perfect storm, McManus said in an interview. The COVID-19 pandemic has made matters worse for women and other victims who are in volatile and abusive relationships.

About 24 homicides  more than a third of the citys total through June  resulted from family violence, police say.

By comparison, San Antonio police recorded 24 family violence fatalities in all of 2019.

In unincorporated areas of Bexar County, homicides are on roughly the same pace as last year. There were 11 killings through July 2019, compared with 9 during the same period this year. Two additional deaths are under investigation.

Homicides have increased in many large cities this year, including Austin, Fort Worth and Houston. The nations 50 most-populous cities reported a combined 3,612 homicides from January through June, or mid-July in some cases  a 24 percent jump from the year before, a Wall Street Journal analysis found.

Even with killings on the rise, other large cities saw a decrease in other types of violent crime, including rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

San Antonio did not.

Overall, violent crime rose 9 percent in the city through June compared with the same period in 2019, the data show. Only reports of rape went down.

Robberies increased 23 percent, the biggest jump among the nations largest cities, according to the Journal.

Property crimes  including burglary, larceny and vehicle theft  dropped 14 percent.

Researchers who study crime long have debated why homicide rates rise and fall. They cite a variety of factors, including high unemployment, poverty, reduced police staffing, poor police-community relations and greater distrust of government in general.

On ExpressNews.com: Activists slam proposed boost in San Antonio police budget

Criminologists say many of those elements likely have contributed to the recent upsurge.

I dont think there is any time in our history where all these different factors were at play, said Robert Taylor, a professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas.

The political climate is the most divisive its ever been, said Taylor, a retired police officer. The impact of COVID-19 on our communities and economy  weve never seen anything like that before. And weve never seen this much pushback against the police.

But Taylor, like other criminologists, cautioned against rushing to conclusions. He said six months of data is not necessarily indicative of a larger trend.

Were only talking about a snapshot in the scope of history. We cant say a whole lot about this in a credible way, Taylor said. But boy, what a spike. I cant remember when weve ever seen a spike like that.

Defund the police

The increase comes amid a national debate over policing sparked by the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American, in police custody in Minneapolis in May.

Many activists have called on elected officials to defund the police  that is, reduce law enforcement budgets and redirect the money to other services to benefit underserved communities.

President Donald Trump has criticized those efforts as a radical movement that has led to a shocking explosion in crime.

In July, Trump unveiled a federal task force called Operation Legend that has sent hundreds of federal agents to American cities hard hit by crime, including Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit.

Those agents are supposed to help law enforcement interview suspects and sort through evidence. But some mayors have objected to the plan, expressing concern that federal agents would forcefully suppress political protests, as happened in Portland, Oregon, last month.

Some San Antonio activists have pushed city leaders to withdraw money from the police budget and use it to improve health care, job training and the quality of life in disadvantaged communities.

Some balked this week when City Manager Erik Walsh unveiled the citys proposed $2.9 billion budget for fiscal 2020-21, which includes an $8 million increase for the police department.

Frankly, I cant help but feel as though this proposed budget is a slap in the face, activist Celeste Brown told City Council Thursday. This is not OK.

City officials said the increase is primarily due to a 5 percent pay raise negotiated by the city and the police officers union, and to legally mandated changes in retirement and healthcare plans.

S.A. crime

Rates of violent crime in San Antonio have generally declined since the 1980s and early 1990s, when the city was dubbed the nations Drive-By Shooting Capital.

The decline was interrupted in 2016, when police reported 149 homicides, making it the citys deadliest year since 1995.

Doshie Piper, an associate professor of criminal justice at University of the Incarnate Word, said the 2016 increase and the current spike both can be attributed in part to The Ferguson Effect, a reference to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African American, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

The shooting led to clashes between police and protesters in Ferguson and other cities. A St. Louis County grand injury decided not to indict Officer Darren Wilson. A separate U.S. Justice Department investigation concluded that Wilson fired at Brown in self-defense. This year, a new St. Louis prosecutor re-examined the case and reached the same determination.

The Ferguson Effect is often cited to assert that increased scrutiny of police conduct after the Brown shooting caused officers to pull back, giving criminals greater rein.

Piper said the incident undermined law enforcement by damaging public trust in police departments.

Its not about demoralizing police officers, as the Trump Administration has likened it to, Piper said. Its about the community questioning police legitimacy based on what they have experienced, what they have seen, and how they have witnessed police officers kill unarmed individuals.

She added: As a result, police began cutting back services and stopped proactively policing.

In response to the 2016 homicide surge, McManus created a task force to go after repeat violent offenders  rather than simply focus on geographic hot spots, as the department had in the past. Around that time, then-Mayor Ivy Taylor established a police-community relations council.

On ExpressNews.com: Homicides in S.A. fall for third straight year

By the end of 2017, homicides had decreased 16 percent  though the year-end total was still the citys second-highest since 1995.

(Ten of that years homicide victims perished in a single incident. They were Mexican and Guatemalan immigrants who were smuggled across the border and held in an overheated semi-trailer in a Walmart parking lot, where they died of heat exposure and asphyxiation.)

San Antonio homicides decreased again in 2018 and 2019.

McManus has credited the drop to the work of the violent crime task force, a collaboration between local, state and federal agencies, and to improved police-community relations.

McManus said Friday that his officers remain dedicated to those efforts. But the Texas Department of Public Safety troopers who served on the task force have been transferred to other duties, he said.

We initially had around 45 troopers that worked with us on the task force, McManus said. Little by little, they got whittled away for a variety of reasons. We dont have any left now.

Family violence

Another source of the increase in homicides: family violence.

At least 32 people died from domestic violence in Bexar County in 2018  killed by boyfriends, spouses, ex-lovers or other members of their families or households, according to Express-News data. That was a 74 percent increase compared with 2014.

Although fewer people died from family violence last year in San Antonio, McManus said the problem persists. He said that this year, many fatal incidents of family violence have claimed multiple victims.

In one such case, a 19-year-old allegedly killed his mother and sister. In another, police say a 37-year-old woman killed her two children and her mother. In a third incident, a husband and wife killed their four children.

On ExpressNews.com: Family violence calls increase 18 percent as coronavirus stay-at-home orders issued

McManus said he was frustrated to see the numbers increase, despite redoubled efforts to control domestic violence. Last year, city officials unveiled a wide-ranging plan to treat domestic violence as a public health problem rather than purely a law enforcement one.

This year, the city received grant funding for a team of police, prosecutors and advocates who work together to help victims deemed at high risk of being killed by spouses or partners.

We are undaunted by the numbers, McManus said. We will continue to move forward with that. Hopefully, we will move the needle in another direction.

Reporter Madalyn Mendoza contributed to this report.

Emilie Eaton is a criminal justice reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Emilie, become a subscriber. eeaton@express-news.net | Twitter: @emilieeaton
TikTok is to establish its first European data centre in Ireland and IDA Ireland, the government agency responsible for attracting foreign investment, immediately welcomed the news.

However, the plan puts Ireland at the centre of a geopolitical row over the company's use of users' data and its possible links to the Chinese government.

On Wednesday night, TikTok said the 420m investment will create "hundreds" of jobs here. It added that the facility will play "a key role in further strengthening the safeguarding and protection of TikTok user data".

But with the video-sharing app's European user data to be stored in the Irish location, there are questions to be answered.

What data does it collect?

TikTok collects a huge volume of information alongside users' photographs and videos.

That includes information on a user's location, the rhythm of their typing, and information users share with it from third-party social network providers.

It also collects data contained in the messages people send through its platform.

In addition, TikTok collects information from users' contacts list, if they grant it access to the phone book on their mobile device.

TikTok also says it automatically collects browsing and search history - including content viewed in the platform.

Why is the company controversial?

In June, European Union data protection authorities announced an intention to take a closer look at TikTok's privacy practices. That came after a Dutch regulatory decision to open an investigation into the company's policies around protecting children's data.

Authorities in the US have expressed concern over TikTok's relationship with the Chinese government, as it is owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance.

There is currently a race to sell the company's US operations under threat of a ban there, with Microsoft among those tipped to buy it. President Trump has given the two firms 45 days to come to a deal.

Elsewhere, India has banned TikTok, along with a number of other apps that are made in China, amid security concerns.

However, the social media site has rejected accusations of interference from Chinese government authorities.

What presence does TikTok currently have in Ireland?

TikTok set up its EMEA 'Trust and Safety' hub in Dublin at the start of the year and announced plans to base all of its European privacy operations here in June.

Ireland is increasingly seen as the European country for tech giants to site their privacy governance operations due to the presence here of other tech behemoths like Google, Facebook, Twitter and Apple.

This puts Ireland's Data Commissioner, Helen Dixon, and her office under even more pressure.

And now TikTok is also establishing its first European data centre here.

As part of a blog post from the social media company regarding the data centre, IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said: "TikTok's decision to establish its first European data centre in Ireland, representing a substantial investment here by the company, is very welcome and, following on from the establishment of its EMEA Trust & Safety Hub in Dublin earlier in the year, positions Ireland as an important location in the company's global operations".

However, IDA Ireland yesterday said nobody was available for comment on the controversial company's expansion here.
By Gideon Levy

August 06, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - Official Israel presented itself as shocked at the disaster that struck its neighbor, Lebanon, yesterday. Almost everyone put on a sorrowful face. Except for Richard Silverstein, who writes a blog, Tikkun Olam, no one accused Israel of causing the disaster. Except for Moshe Feiglin and a few other racists, no one expressed satanic joy over it. Fortunately, former Israeli army spokesman Avi Benayahu ran Feiglin out of the race: With such statements, you dont belong to the Jewish people, declared Benayahu, the man of Jewish morality, and the stain was removed.

Benayahu is right: The Jewish state never caused such disasters, and when our enemies fell it never rejoiced. The Israel Defense Forces, whose voice Benayahu was, never such caused destruction and devastation, certainly not in Lebanon, certainly not in Beirut. What does the IDF have to do with the destruction of infrastructure? An explosion in the Beirut port? Why would the most moral army in the world have anything to do with bombing population centers? And so the countrys leaders hastened to offer help to the stricken land of the cedars, such a typical Jewish and Israeli gesture, human, lofty and moving to the point of tears.

True, the Israel Air Force thumbs its nose at Lebanons sovereignty and flies through its skies as if they were its own. True, Israel has devastated Lebanon twice in war, but whos counting. Israels president issued a statement of condolences to the Lebanese people, the prime minister and the ministers of foreign affairs and defense said they had given instructions to offer humanitarian and medical assistance to Lebanon.

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As if all this beneficence was not enough, the mayor of Tel Aviv ordered the municipality building illuminated with the colors of the Lebanese flag. Words fail. All past hatred has been set aside, Israel is now a friend in need to its suffering neighbor. Maybe it was Tu BAv, the holiday of love, marked yesterday. But still, a vague memory threatens to spoil the how-beautiful-we-are party, which we love so much around here.

Was it not that same defense minister that only last week threatened that same Lebanon with destruction of infrastructure? Didnt the prime minister also threaten Lebanon? And how does destruction of infrastructure look in Lebanon? Just like what was seen in Lebanon on Tuesday. The sound of thunder shook the city, black smoke billowed over it, destruction and devastation, civilian blood spilled, 4,000 injured at hospital doors, as described in horror by the ambassador of a European country in Beirut, who had previously served in Israel. She was injured Tuesday in the blast and was in shock.

Half of Israel and the entire IDF General Staff know how to recite the acclaimed Dahiya Doctrine. Every second politician has threatened to carry it out. That is our language with Lebanon and Gaza. Its the doctrine espoused by the Israeli Carl von Clausewitz, former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, the current hope of the Israeli left, when he was chief of the Northern Command.

And what is this sophisticated doctrine? Its the use of disproportionate, unbridled force against infrastructure, the sowing of destruction and shedding of as much blood as possible. Flattening  to teach the enemy a lesson once and for all. The IDF has tried this more than once in the past, in Lebanon and in Gaza, and it was a dizzying success story. It looks just like what was seen in Beirut on Tuesday.

Not a week had passed since Israel threatened to destroy infrastructure in Lebanon if Hezbollah dared avenge the killing of one of its fighters in a limited military action on the border, and Israel the destroyer becomes Israel the merciful. Would you accept humanitarian aid from such a country? Is there a more sickening show of hypocrisy?

When Israel demolished Dahiya and other neighborhoods in Beirut, the Tel Aviv Municipality building was not illuminated with the colors of the Lebanese flag. When Israel killed thousands of innocent women and children, old and young, in Gaza during the criminal Operation Cast Lead and Operation Protective Edge, the municipality was not lit up in the colors of the Palestinian flag. But on Wednesday we were all so humane, so Lebanese for a moment. Until the next Dahiya.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper spent an hour and a half on the phone Thursday with China's defense minister, calling for greater transparency on COVID-19 and expressing concern over Chinese military activity near Taiwan and the South China Sea.

In a briefing with reporters Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said Esper and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe discussed "destabilizing activity" by Chinese forces near Taiwan in the last few months, and the SecDef called on China to "honor its international obligations."

Read Next: US Military Gets 1st Black Service Chief as Gen. CQ Brown Takes Charge of Air Force

"Secretary Esper also communicated the importance that the [Peoples Republic of China] abide by international laws and rules and norms," Hoffman said.

Over the last several months, China has stepped up its navy and military activity in the South China Sea and near Taiwan -- operations that Taiwanese officials say threaten the island and its independence.

This all has taken place as relations between the U.S. and China have deteriorated. Last month, China ordered the U.S. to close its consulate in Chengdu after the U.S. accused Chinese diplomats of engaging in illegal activity and ordered the country to close its Houston consulate.

The relationship became further strained this week after the White House announced that Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is planning to visit Taiwan in the coming week, heading the first U.S. delegation to travel to the island nation in six years.

Last month, Esper announced that he hoped to visit China by the end of the year to "enhance cooperation on areas of common interest," including establishing needed systems for crisis communications.

But whether that visit will materialize is unknown; Hoffman said Thursday he did not have a date for the visit and could not provide any further details.

"We're still looking to have that complete this year to talk about, as the secretary discussed on his call today some of these incredibly important issues, which we are working through," he said.

The last visit to China by a U.S. defense secretary was in June 2018, when then-Secretary James Mattis spent three days seeking what he called an "open dialogue" with his counterpart and other Chinese defense officials.

A follow-up planned meeting several months later between Mattis and Chinese defense officials was canceled amid rising tensions between the two countries.

President Donald Trump has called his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping "extraordinary," saying in January that they "love each other" and work very well together.

After imposing several rounds of tariffs on Chinese goods during his presidency, Trump and Xi signed the first phase of a trade deal in January.

"Our relationship with China has probably never been better. We went through a very rough patch, but it has never, ever been better," said Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January.

Fast-forward six months and one pandemic later, however, and the relationship has soured. Trump blames China for unleashing what he calls the "horrible plague" of the coronavirus on the world and has said the country is not holding up its end of the trade agreement.

The president has stepped up efforts to ban Chinese technology firms and apps from doing business in the U.S., and he ended preferential economic treatment for Hong Kong in retaliation for Chinas decision to implement new national security laws in the city.

"I think our attitude on China has changed greatly since the China virus hit us. I think it changed greatly. It hit the world, and it shouldn't have. They should have been able to stop it. So, we feel differently," Trump said Tuesday during a press briefing.

As of Thursday, the U.S. had recorded 4.8 million cases of COVID-19 and 159,433 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

China reports having 88,423 total cases and 4,678 deaths. U.S. officials and many public health experts say, however, that those figures may be suppressed.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: 4th US Service Member to Die of COVID-19 Was Army Reservist, Christian Pastor
A Ladybird book about Captain Cook is unusual material for an artwork but Jenna Lee uses the children's classic to question the national mythologies that surround the British explorer.

Lee, 27, has been awarded the Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards, announced on Friday.

Australia's longest running Indigenous art awards, this year's event had 65 finalists with the works on display at Darwin's Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) and online.

Jenna Lee's work examines the concept of identity. Credit:Justin McManus

A Larrakia, Wardaman and Karajarri woman with Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and Irish heritage, Lee's winning piece, HIStory Vessels, refashions the pages and the cover of the book into traditional Larrakia objects and vessels. Lee says the Ladybird 1958 history book The Story of Captain Cook is one of many books written "like a greatest hits", almost reverentially about Cook.




OPPOSITION MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has blasted President Emmerson Mnangagwa for labelling innocent citizens as terrorists after they expressed anger over his maladministration.





Chamisa accused Mnangagwa of using a primitive way of governance.





Speaking for the first time after visiting a number of victims of State-sponsored abductions, torture and arrests in the last week, Chamisa said it was not proper for activists to stay in mountains fleeing the regime in a free country.





Chamisa, who has been on leave mourning the death of his mother who passed on last month, is expected back in office today at a time dozens of citizens are in hiding facing arrest for allegedly participating or calling for the July 31 protests .





It is not proper to have people in a supposedly free Zimbabwe who are not sleeping in their homes peacefully and are wanted not for anything criminal, but for demanding accountability and end to corruption, Chamisa said.





We have brutality of innocent citizens by State agents and it is sad. But we will smile soon. I sense victory, our sorrows will turn into joy, celebrations are not far away, and change is coming.





He said the country was faced with a multifaceted crisis including COVID-19 and corruption, adding that the centre no longer holds, hence the need for action to get Zimbabwe out of the woods.





How does a citizen who is asking for accountability get accused of being a terrorist? How do you say you want to flush out terrorists? How do you label Zimbabweans terrorists for differing with you?





This whole thing of abductions, torture and arrests are all primitive instruments of governance. Lets fix our legitimacy, reforms and define our solutions, Chamisa said.





He said the centre was no longer holding in Zimbabwe and people must work to ensure that things are back in line.





This is not time for brutality or violence against the people, Zimbabwean lives matter, now we cant breathe. We have a survival crisis, a livelihood crisis. Nothing is working and it is not a partisan issue.





It is not about MDC or Zanu PF; it is about Zimbabwe and our collective dignity as a people. It is our being that is under attack and there is no need for point scoring, the countrys main opposition leader said.





This is the struggle of being a Zimbabwean. We are hopeless, jobless, homeless, cashless and lifeless too. This must stop. We cant continue like this when young people are being robbed of their future.





He said Zimbabwe had everything good except leadership and that it was time to correct that without rancour or anger like what (Zanu PF acting spokesperson Patrick) Chinamasa and Mnangagwa are doing.





Finger pointing is never a solution in circumstances of national challenges, he said. Instead of shooting the messenger, they must understand the message. Zimbabwe cant breathe and Zimbabwean lives matter.




Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-08 00:33:28|Editor: huaxia

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BISHKEK, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan has resumed regular flights with Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the press service of the Ministry of Transport and Roads of the republic said on Friday.

The international regular flights will be resumed from Aug. 7, 2020 in accordance with the agreements between the aviation authorities of Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and the UAE, it said.

Flights from Bishkek to Istanbul will operate twice a week, from Istanbul to Bishkek - four times a week and on the Bishkek-Antalya-Bishkek route once a week. Dubai-Bishkek-Dubai will fly once a week.

Kyrgyzstan canceled all international and domestic flights since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March and resumed domestic flights on June 5. Enditem
(TNS)  As New Orleans students prepare for a school year that will start with lessons conducted over the internet instead of in a classroom, city officials said Wednesday they are pursuing a plan that could eventually provide wireless internet service across the city.Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration is planning to roll out a pilot program in the next 90 days that would offer WiFi service in a park or recreation facility, according to Jonathan Rhodes, director of Mayor LaToya Cantrells Office of Utilities, as part of a test aimed at evaluating the feasibility of a citywide network.Even if successful, the city's plan won't be in place in time for students this year. But the pilot could serve as a template for a program that could be in place a year later, Rhodes said.The most important thing is how can we bridge the digital divide, said Rhodes on Wednesday. We know that more than 30 percent of the city of New Orleans doesnt have access at home. The coronavirus pandemic and measures aimed at stopping its spread have demonstrated the stark divides among city residents when it comes to internet connectivity. After schools closed in March, students without access to the internet were left at a disadvantage against those who can learn from home, officials said. The same has been true for workers without access to technology that could allow them to keep working from their homes.Studies have estimated that somewhere between 22 percent and 33 percent of New Orleans households lack a broadband internet connection, according to the city, and New Orleans has regularly ranked as one of the worst cities for internet access. The city was rated the 14th worst-connected large city in the country in a 2017 report from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance.The Cantrell administration has been discussing the idea of a citywide network for years, according to Rhodes, after earlier attempts to create such a program never got off the ground. Former Mayor Ray Nagin pitched a free citywide WiFi system in the months after Katrina, though that effort fizzled.Municipally owned internet programs have had a mixed record of success, Rhodes said, but changing technology and cheaper equipment could change that.While many of the details are still being worked out, the current plan is to piggyback off city-owned fiber-optic cables, which are already used to connect the citys crime cameras and provide connections to other city services. If a full WiFi network were in place, it might also allow the city to expand its use of internet-connected equipment that could, for example, send information about traffic patterns or streets that are flooded.Rhodes estimated it would cost between $2 million to $5 million to add the access points needed to allow residents to connect.Exactly how the system would operate is still being worked out and its not clear whether an eventual network would require monthly bills, be ad-supported or use some other model, Rhodes said.The City Council is expected to vote on a resolution Thursday that would have its own utility staff come up with a citywide WiFi plan.I dont expect that itll be something that can be all rolled out all at once but I feel that there are pieces of it that could come together quickly, said Councilmember Helena Moreno, who brought the idea up at a hearing on the school district's response to the coronavirus pandemic on Monday. There are several groups, whether its cell phone companies or non-profits and lets see how much we can start piecing together now and eventually have it sooner or later.For the coming school year, the Orleans Parish school district has purchased 6,000 WiFi hotspots to give to students, in addition to the 8,000 it has already distributed, to help those without internet access at home. The district has also been distributing low-cost laptops to students without computers, an effort aimed at making sure every student is able to access remote classes.Superintendent Henderson Lewis, however, acknowledged that the district would have to do more to ensure those from disadvantaged households had the resources they needed.We are getting closer to closing the digital divide, Lewis said at a press conference on Wednesday. We know that there is more work to be done as our students return to school and as they prepare and come back, we have to continue to close that gap that still exists.Its relatively rare for large cities to get involved in providing internet access directly and only three municipalities in the U.S. with more than 100,000 people  including Lafayette  currently run their own broadband systems. All of those use fiber-optic connections to homes rather than WiFi, said Christopher Mitchell, director of the Community Broadband Networks Initiative at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, an advocacy organization that pushes for local control of utilities.Larger communities, including New York City and Boston, have been rolling out more targeted programs aimed at highly trafficked areas or neighborhoods where internet access is low, he said.Many other cities have toyed with providing internet access through WiFi only to abandon those efforts. In large part, the problem with wireless connections is that while good for outdoor areas, they dont provide strong enough penetration in homes to provide a fast enough connection.A pure wireless approach can give you a more rapid deployment but it will come at a cost of quality, Mitchell said.The Cantrell administration is looking to provide connection speeds of 5 to 25 megabits per second. That translates to a speed that's only 10 percent to 50 percent of what Cox offers through its basic internet service plan. The high end of the proposed range would be roughly in line with Coxs Connect2Compete plan, an option the company rolled out to provide low-cost internet during the coronavirus pandemic.Under that plan, residents receiving governmental nutritional assistance, housing assistance or live in public housing, have school-age children and are not a current Cox customer may qualify for free internet through September.Both Cox and AT&T, the two major broadband providers in the city, responded to questions about New Orleanss plan with statements about their low-cost options for students or the investments theyve made in city infrastructure.Were not trying to develop a luxury service, but trying to develop an essential utility that serves the public, Rhodes said.
The Faith of Phil Robertson

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Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the Robertson family whose Duck Commander business is the backdrop for A&E's hit program "Duck Dynasty" will release a new book on May 7 titled, Happy, Happy, Happy, in which he shares his faith in Jesus Christ, his knowledge about the founding fathers, and how he's grown Duck Commander into a multimillion dollar business.

The hour-long season finale of Duck Dynasty was the most-watched program on television Wednesday night, beating out American Idol with 9.6 million viewers, which is a record for A&E.

Robertson credits all of his family's success to their faith in Jesus Christ and their devotion to living a Christian lifestyle. He told CP on Thursday that his family has managed to stay humble, amid all of the fame, because they know that all blessings come from God; and in the end, everyone's going to the same place: a six-foot hole.

"Fame is rather fleeting, as you know, or should know," Robertson said. "Money can come and go, and fame comes and goes. Peace of mind and a relationship with God is far more important, so this is the precedent that we've set in our lives. The bottom line is, we all die, so Jesus is the answer. Many have told me through the years: 'I think I'll take my chances without Jesus.' And I always come back and say, 'so what chance is that?'"

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/duck-dynasty-star-fame-is-fleeting-what-matters-most-is-jesus-christ-94805/#uRmDmPuwww8GTVYb.99
Section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act defines "domestic terrorism" as activities involving acts in violation of state or federal criminal laws that are "dangerous to human life" and "appear to be intended" either to (i) "intimidate or coerce a civilian population," (ii) "influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion," or (iii) "affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping."

Intimidating a civilian population? Coercing government officials? Engaging in mass destruction and assassination of police? Ding-ding-ding! We have a triple-whammy here, and I'm not talking merely about the fascist "antifascists" or their compatriots who preach that only the lives of black Marxists matter. These are, after all, just front groups or paramilitary strike forces for the Grand Poobah of all anti-American hatred in the United States today  the Democratic Party.

Truth be told, there hasn't been anything remotely festive about that "party" for decades. Dour, angry, bitter, and dangerous sum up their whole operation. Initiated members leave joy at the door in return for the furrowed brows and frozen looks of permanent disappointment. They wear their scowls like some socialist disfigurement or mark of the beast. There isn't one "happy warrior" in the bunch.

Anything uplifting or aspirational about the Democrats died long ago. They turned their backs on civil political engagement for bloodlust and destruction. Domestic terrorism is all they have left.

Democrat domestic terrorists light fires everywhere they go, egg on violence against police and civilians, and threaten businesses who refuse to pay into their protection rackets by "donating" to their favorite money-laundering 501(c)(3)s; and our criminal justice system looks the other way or even actively abets the terrorists by releasing them from jail cells just as soon as they arrive, while leaving Americans to fend for themselves.

It's become so normal for Democrats to engage paramilitary "brown shirts" to intimidate voters and coerce government officials before any big election that nobody is surprised when American cities begin to explode right on schedule. For months, "blue" cities from Seattle and Portland to Minneapolis and New York have been little war zones, where Antifa insurrectionists throw Molotov cocktails and bricks at police officers by night and an apologetic army of Walter Durantys write glowing accounts of their revolution in the Democratic Party press by day. They block major highways and terrorize passing motorists and replace American law with their own, and Democrat prosecutors applaud their tactics, just as they did for the Ku Klux Klan a century before. Every election season, Democrats bring us Beirut, and every time, their organized violence goes unpunished.

If ISIS came to our shores, started setting neighborhoods on fire, burned out businesses, murdered citizens in the street, vandalized churches and synagogues, desecrated entire cemeteries, targeted Americans based on their race, and set up armed encampments as forward operating bases for planned assaults against America, I'd like to think elected officials and the "fearless Fourth Estate" might find the intestinal fortitude to resist the invaders, even if  as always  they turned to normal Americans to do their fighting for them. But here and now, an organized domestic terrorism offensive has set itself upon America, disguising itself behind nothing more than peaceful-sounding slogans, and government prosecutors and media cretins smile and welcome the terror.

"Oh, you're against fascism? Me, too. And you think the lives of black Americans should matter? Umm-hmm, that makes sense. And you wouldn't call yourselves Democrats if you weren't invested in democracy, would you? Come on in, you can roll your tanks right up Main Street. You're our kind of people."

It's sad that Hitler could so easily win over the American left today simply by rebranding and replacing his infantry with social justice warriors promising "Jewish Lives Matter" and "Death to Fascists." Such is the state of American education that the people in America doing the terrorizing are treated like heroes and too many of their victims find themselves to blame. That's the most threatening dimension of Democrat Domestic Terror  their success in so psychologically berating everyday Americans that normal people apologize to their tormentors for the beatings they are forced to endure. If that's not terrorism, then nothing else is.

Why must the Democrats always frame their political manifestos in terms of racial superiority and eugenics? During the last Civil War, they advocated for white supremacy and population control of black Americans. Nearly two centuries later, they blame every social ill on white supremacy...and still seem invested in using Planned Parenthood to keep America's black population in check.

Rep. Louie Gohmert, from the great state of Texas, recently argued that by any standard of the Democratic Party's 2020 Reign of Terror against citizens of the United States, the Democrats should be officially canceled by their own cultural revolution: "the time has come for Democrats to acknowledge their party's loathsome and bigoted past ... offensively tied to slavery, Jim Crow, discrimination, and the Ku Klux Klan[.] ... Whether it be supporting the most vile forms of racism or actively working against Civil Rights legislation, Democrats in this country perpetuated these abhorrent forms of discrimination and violence practically since their party's inception."

It's long past time for the Democratic Party to disappear, especially since it has become indistinguishable from the Socialist Party USA. Even more importantly, though, it is time that the criminal justice system stop treating Democrats as part of a normal and legitimate political organization when their operations meet the statutory definition for domestic terrorism. Weather Underground bombers all voted for Democrats because there was no Weather Underground Party on the ballot. The Democratic Party has embraced violence and destruction to intimidate both voters and government officials; their place on a ballot makes just as little sense. The United States has a long tradition of not negotiating with terrorists. Perhaps it's time America stopped putting them up for election, too.

Hat tip to "Sunshine" Wheeler from Montana.

Image: cantfightthetendes via Flickr (cropped).
They are among the most powerful people in the world  nine men and women with a sacrosanct duty, charged by the Founding Fathers to transcend politics when interpreting the law.

The U.S. Supreme Court has performed that task admirably, siding with President Donald Trump in some cases, against him in others  a shock to some who expected Trump appointees to pursue his political agenda on every issue rather than exert judicial independence.

SCOTUS, however, is one of those institutions that cannot win. A controversial ruling is bound to be condemned by one side. And, no doubt, Trump has scorned some of these decisions.

It is one thing to criticize a decision. Quite another, however, to undermine the consequences of that decision. This brings us to DACA, which remains in effect, and the Trump administration, which appears intent on narrowing the program.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which was created under President Barack Obama, allows some undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred deportation. The Trump administration has long sought to end the program, but to no avail.

While the recent Supreme Court ruling preserved DACA, providing relief to Dreamers across this nation, the Trump administration has been intent on eroding it.

The administration has decided to limit renewal applications for Dreamers, as the young immigrants are called, for one year rather than two; it is also refusing to accept new applications.

Supreme Court compliance is not a choice, Joseph Edlow, who runs the agency charged with processing DACA applications, said during a recent House hearing.

Edlow said he was not consulted on the decision, which came about a month after the Supreme Court ruling and has followed an order from a lower court saying new DACA applications should again be considered.

Administration officials claim these new limits on DACA are temporary, but to what end? The administration has said it is conducting a comprehensive review of DACA and is considering going forward with another attempt to scrap the program.

If the program is scrapped, it would be a disaster  not only for the Dreamers but also for the country they have come to call home.

There are an estimated 700,000 DACA recipients in this country, including about 107,000 in Texas. Dreamers have broad bipartisan support on a path to citizenship. Numerous studies have found Dreamers make positive contributions to the economy. They have deep connections in their communities and have been educated in U.S. schools. Many have college degrees. They earn higher wages than other immigrants, translating into higher tax revenues for their communities.

They have also earned the ultimate endorsement  positive marks from their employers. At least 72 percent of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies employ DACA recipients, according to a national study conducted by a number of organizations, including the National Immigration Law Center. These dreamers are realizing their dream  the American dream.

This dream encompasses far more than income and economic well-being. Dreamers were lured here for American ideals, and they deserve a path to citizenship instead of such relentless corrosive politics.
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Linkedin Nina Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7 2020

Airlangga University (Unair) in Surabaya, East Java, has officially expelled a student who had reportedly tricked multiple victims into performing an act known as bondage mummification under the pretense of academic research.

In a statement published on Wednesday, the university acknowledged that the accused student, Gilang, had committed sexual assault on the victims.

Prior to his expulsion, the Unair rector, Mohammad Nasih, and its ethics committee had conducted an online meeting with Gilang's family, in which the latter admitted his actions and expressed regret.

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Le Blanc Spa Resort reopens in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. (Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos)

Scores of hotels in Baja California have opened in recent weeks, betting that thousands of Americans are ready to head south. Airlines are adding Baja flights too, even as Canada and much of Europe have banned U.S. tourists, and the U.S. has banned tourists from much of Europe.

Heres how four hotels in Baja have gone about reopening during the pandemic. All closed between March 23 and April 1. All have opened since June 15. And all are operating under a state government recovery program that calls for maximum average occupancy of 30%.

These hotels say they have loosened their cancellation/rebooking policies; rearranged furniture to allow more distancing; begun to require guests to wear masks when not in their rooms; and boosted cleaning efforts. Typically, guests have their temperatures taken on arrival.

The state of Baja California Sur includes La Paz, Loreto, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo (together known as Los Cabos). That area's pandemic situation was classified in early August as "red"  the most serious category  by Mexican federal officials.

The state of Baja California, which includes Tijuana, Ensenada and Mexicali, was classified as "orange"  one step less severe  which permits less stringent restrictions on hotels, restaurants and other public spaces.

The information is based on answers supplied by hotel representatives.





Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos

Le Blanc Spa Resort's Blanc Terrace in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. (Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos)

Location: San Jose del Cabo, leblancsparesorts.com/los-cabos/en

Rooms: 369.

Rates for a standard room (two people) in September: The hotel is all-inclusive, adults only. A current sale lets visitors book the Royale Deluxe Partial Ocean View room, regularly $715 per night, for five nights at $571.67 per night. (In a second promotion, many guests can get a second room for no additional charge.)

Housekeeping service daily on multiple-night stays? Yes. But guests can decline.

Cooling off time between room guests? Yes, a minimum of 24 to 48 hours between guests. Cleaning includes electrostatic mist system. Guests can choose to check in and order meals using the resort app on their phones. When guest arrive, staff will ask permission to take and record each guests temperature as a preventive measure.

Story continues

Changes to pre-pandemic amenities? Swim-up bars and the business center are temporarily closed. The fitness center is open but limited to 20 people at a time. Buffets have been eliminated.





The Cape

The Cape, a Thompson Hotel in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Nick Hall)

Location: Cabo San Lucas, thompsonhotels.com/hotels/mexico/cabo-san-lucas/the-cape

Rooms: 161

Rates for a king room (two people) in September: $374-$443 per night, taxes and fees included. A third-night-free special now offered means guests would pay $293-$347, taxes and fees included.

Housekeeping service daily on multiple-night stays? Guests can decide in advance. If they want the service, they choose preferred hours for maid visits so contact is minimized.

Cooling off time between room guests? Yes, 24-48 hours. Guests are required to wear face masks in public areas.

Changes to pre-pandemic amenities? Spa services only in guest rooms. The gym is closed, but the hotel offers distanced outdoor fitness classes and options for in-room fitness equipment and virtual training with celebrity trainer/resort partner Modu Seye.





Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos

Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. (Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos)

Location: Cabo San Lucas, hardrockhotelloscabos.com

Rooms: 639

Rates for a standard room (two people) in September: From $270, taxes and fees included.

Housekeeping service daily on multiple-night stays? Rooms cleaned every other day to minimize interaction with guests or upon request.

Cooling off time between room guests? No set amount. A representative said: "Rooms undergo an extremely strict sanitization protocol," including "emphasis on high-contact surfaces such as doors, television, remote controls, phone, faucets, closet and drawer handles, curtains, light switches, air conditioning thermostats, balcony items."

Changes to pre-pandemic amenities: Buffet service replaced by a la carte dining. The in-room dining menu has been expanded and is now accessible by mobile phone. Swim-up bars are unavailable. The spa, gym and hair salon are by appointment only to allow time for disinfection between guests.





Hotel San Cristobal Baja

The Hotel San Cristobal Baja stands on the beach in Todos Santos, Mexico. (Nick Simonite)

Location: Todos Santos, about an hour north of Los Cabos; sancristobalbaja.com

Rooms: 32

Rates for a standard room (two people) in September: $406 to $832 a night, including taxes and fees.

Housekeeping service daily on multiple-night stays? By request only, and scheduled with the front desk to have rooms cleaned between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. while the guest is not in.

Cooling off time between room guests? Yes. Rooms are quarantined for a minimum of 48 hours.

Changes to pre-pandemic amenities: Snacks are individually wrapped. Instead of leaving guests wine or beer on ice, staffers leave a note to call front desk and a cold bottle will be delivered.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The government is planning to create a deposit-taking 'social microfinance organisation' to disburse loans of up to Rs 10 lakh to women and small entrepreneurs quickly, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said.

The idea came up during a discussion with Nobel laureate and Grameen Bank founder Mohammed Yunus of Bangladesh, and will be confirmed after discussions with the Finance Ministry and the "highest authority", the Minister for MSME and Road Transport and Highways said.

India already has dedicated micro-lenders serving in various parts of the country and some of them have already graduated to work as small finance banks, which gives them access to deposits. It can be noted that deposit acceptance is treaded with a lot of caution by policymakers.

Speaking at an interaction with Ficci FLO, Gadkari said the government is mulling over the idea where the finance of up to Rs 10 lakh can be availed by women entrepreneurs within three days.

Explaining the procedure for such a system, the minister said, "You (the financing entity) can register and you will get a license from RBI and you can accept deposits and giving loans to the small people. This type of mechanism we are developing for social micro & small institutions with a very simple procedure, without red tapism".

He said the Niti Aayog is taking initiative, and on the basis of inputs, a policy will be decided.

"All the small people will get finance. The idea is how we can create employment potential in the rural area," he said.

Acknowledging that there are challenges being faced by various sectors of the economy, the minister said there is a need to create industrial clusters across the country, and exhorted all for a special focus on handlooms, handicrafts, agro processing units to help people across the board.

While the problems posed by urbanisation are before us, we need to improve the lives in rural areas as well, Gadkari said, adding that there is a need to have a 'smart village' initiative just like the one focused on cities.

Accepting that this is not the appropriate time for such a law, Gadkari said timely payments to small business units is a very important aspect and the government is mulling a law to ensure they get payments at least from the state-owned entities in time.

Gadkari said, a few days back, he has asked global e-commerce major Amazon to increase its exports of Indian MSME-produced goods to Rs 3 trillion per year from the present Rs 60,000 crore in two years.

He said Rs 1.20 trillion has been disbursed to small businesses as part of the Rs 3 trillion government-guaranteed loans package in the aftermath of the pandemic, and asked enterprises facing problems at the bank-end to complain about the same.

Gadkari, who hails from Nagpur and has been a minister in the Maharashtra government in the past, said Pune is getting very congested and there is a need for a satellite city of 'New Pune' on the lines of Navi Mumbai.

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Traveling though Chicagos OHare Airport in 2017, on our way to our sons wedding in the San Juan Islands, I say to my husband, I have to stop here to buy a Spanx.

Whats a Spanx? Ben asks.

Its like a girdle, I tell him.

In my bag is a slim, silk, azure blue dress to wear, but my boobs are too small to cover my middle-aged stomach. Without trying anything on I buy a couple pairs of underwear and a body suit. Who knew I would wear that Eileen Fisher dress and feel so good, and that three years later Spanx would come to my stores aid?

With the onset of the pandemic in March, life in my bookstore changed overnight. Bookstores did not make the list of essential businesses. I contacted the state to ask that Connecticut bookstores remain nonessential, but be permitted to continue selling books with the doors locked and minimal staff for curbside pickup, shipping, and delivery. With the states okay, two managers, our new bookkeeper, and the event coordinator remained. Over 30 staff were furloughed.

First quarter in New England is habitually slow. This year, we owed thousands of dollars to our vendors. We asked publishers to hold shipments and cancel all forthcoming orders for spring and summer. A few other booksellers and I wrote a letter to the five major publishers in New York with a list of asks: better terms, longer dating on invoices, forgiveness of debt, and much more.

Life was tense. Fridays were especially tough. I looked back on each week wondering what I did. I delivered books in neighborhoods I never knew existed. If I didnt walk for miles every morning, I couldnt focus that day. Reviewing canceled summer orders was so depressing, looking at books that I loved but werent going to sell. My staff were exhausted, heading to burnout, working in the store with lights off and music on, just trying to keep up. Conversations with my bookkeeper were tough. She didnt see how we were going to make it through this. Neither did I. I googled how to declare bankruptcy. I have two bookstores. What would I do if we could save one store and not the other? Which one would we save?

We needed every cent we could find to make it through this crisis. We missed the first round of the Payroll Protection Plan payments, but did receive one in the second round. And then there were the SBA Disaster Loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. I pulled together P&Ls, personal financial statements, guarantees, and credit reports. One store received the $10,000 EIDL grant; the other store didnt. Bank Square Books received $34,000 from the CT Emergency Bridge Recovery Loan at 0% interest for 12 months. Savoy Bookshop & Cafe received an SBA Disaster Loan for $129,400. Where that amount came from, we arent sure, but at 3.75% for 30 years we can deal.

The SBA declined Bank Square Books Disaster Loan application, stating that we had no economic injury. We were told that it must just be a hiccup. I recalled meeting the interim director of the SBA for Connecticut and Rhode Island last fall; as he shook my hand, he had said, Let me know what we can do for you. I called him. He said because I am the owner of both bookstores, and despite being separate legal entities, the SBA was under the assumption only one store with the same owner would qualify. But after he looked into it, $149,900 was deposited into our account.

Meanwhile, I was negotiating rent with our Mystic landlords in April, and one of them told me about a grant that the founder of Spanx was offering. Sara Blakely, whod started Spanx with $5,000 in savings, was offering 1,000 grants of $5,000 each to women-owned businesses through the Red Backpack Fund. We applied. Why not? When we received an email saying that wed been awarded a $5,000 grant, I was overwhelmed. The money came, along with a red Herschel backpack that will make me smile each time it sits on my back.

The world now looks a little brighter. If I miss my walk or take a shorter one, I still feel okay. The salt water is now warm enough to swim. Zoom calls with other bookstore owners in Wichita, Kans.; South Hadley, Mass.; New York; and San Francisco keep us all going.

We are in business. Staff are back. Without them, our stores would not be here. The stores are openwith limited capacity, masks required, sanitized hall passes to keep track of how many customers are in the storeand things feel quasi-normal. Sales are stable. Web orders are 10 times what they were for 2019. Customers appreciate our diligence about keeping people safe. We will wear our masks, squirt sanitizer, wash our hands, and continue placing books into the hands of our loyal customers however we can.

Annie Philbrick is the owner of Savoy Bookshop & Cafe in Westerly, R.I., and Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn.
Visitors who stop by the Village of Stamford in Delaware County today would notice its quaint location with beautiful views of the Catskill Mountains.

You might be surprised that this sleepy village of about 1,000 residents once served as a bustling resort area for working-class families from New York City in the late 1800s. Known as The Queen of the Catskills, Stamford provided fresh air and relief for city dwellers during the summers. In its heyday, there were dozens of hotels and boarding houses for guests to choose from.

Mountain View House in Stamford, New York.Courtesy of Karen Cuccinello

Among those places include the Mountain View House. Built in the 1800, this four-story house sits on a large corner lot. It has more than 40 rooms including dining areas, palors, and guest rooms. The $89,000 building is about 10,000 square foot if you include its additions. Agent John Marinaccio says the property has operated as a hotel and a boarding house over the years. Fortunately, the building has never been divided up into apartments or separate units. Each individual boarding room and its door are original.

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

Although the trimmings, floors, and oak staircase that goes up four floors with long hallways, are all original, Marinaccio says the property needs a lot of renovation and updates. Among its bonus includes a view is from the stained glass windows in the cupola.

Its pretty spectacular up there and you can see the whole town and mountains, said Marinaccio. The house is a grand old gal that needs some t.l.c to bring it back to its glory. Its really quite unique compared to other houses in town. This is probably one of the few prominent homes left.

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

The current owner has lived in the house for about five years in one of the bedrooms on the first floor. Owner financing is possible, according to Marinaccio. The location of the house is a short walk to all stores, post office, and bus stop.

Benjamin McKillip built and owned The Mountain View House. After he died in 1914, he passed it on to his son Charles McKillip. According to an old brochure, the property advertised 200 feet of wide verandas, accommodations for 100 guests, and music daily. Cost was $10 per week and no Hebrews, Cubans, and those with pulmonary troubles were allowed.

Charles McKillip, owner of the Mountain View House in Stamford, New York.Courtesy of Karen Cuccinello

While the Borscht Belt provided hospitality for Jewish guests who were discriminated elsewhere, boarding places in Stamford did not welcome Jews and Cubans. According to village of Stamford historian Karen Cuccinello, it only changed in 1913 when NY state law required hotels in the Adirondacks and Catskills to accommodate Jews.

Mountain View House in Stamford, New York.Courtesy of Karen Cuccinello

Prior to the Borscht Belt hotel craze from the 1920s through the 1960s, overnights at hotels and boarding houses thrived in Stamford starting in 1883. Cuccinello said the village was a mecca for huge boarding houses. She said it all started when Dr. Stephen E. Churchill, owner of the Stamford Seminary, met two ladies in 1871 from Brooklyn who stayed in the female dorm of the Seminary. They told him that Stamford would make a great summer resort town. Churchill took that comment to heart and built Churchill Hall hotel in 1883 which was five-blocks long. After that, he built the luxurious Rexmere hotel which accommodated 350 guests. The Rexmere burned down in 2014.

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

Cuccinello said Churchill put in the village water and sewage system. He coined the phrase The Queen of the Catskills for Stamford. He spent a lot of time and money on advertising his hotels in NYC newspapers. Stamford was often advertised as a place with no mosquitoes and no malaria. According to Cuccinello, the Ulster & Delaware Railroad, Churchill, and Mt. Utsayantha, all helped boost Stamford into a tourist destination. Unfortunately, the Great Depression killed the hotel business, and trains became less exciting when Americans started buying automobiles. As Americans became more mobile, they had the ability to travel farther away. Stamford hasnt been the same since.

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

Details

Address: 7 Academy St., Stamford, N.Y., 12167

Size: 7,904 square feet (not including additions)

Acres: .75 acres

Built: 1800

Rooms: More than 8 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, agent says theres a total of 40 rooms total.

Taxes: $3,000

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

Agent information

The property is listed by John Marinaccio of Coldwell Banker Timberland Properties.

Contact: jmarinaccio@timberlandproperties.net or 518-441-6916

See the full listing

Check out more photos below

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

7 Academy St., Stamford, NY, 12167.Courtesy of John Marinaccio

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COLUMBUS, Ohio  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday hes stumped how he could have been exposed to the coronavirus, hours after he tested positive for COVID-19 while preparing to meet President Donald Trump in Cleveland.

Speaking in a Thursday teleconference from the front porch of his home in Cedarville, DeWine said hes mostly kept to himself, working mostly from home. He comes in close contact with a handful of staffers, and his personal security detail while driving twice a week to Columbus to broadcast public updates on the states coronavirus response. But he said hes cautious even interacting with family.

There are four or five people in the bubble that interact with in the office So as we rack our brains and try to figure out, we really havent figured it out, he said.

DeWine was tested Thursday as part of a standard protocol as he prepared to greet Trump at the tarmac in at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, according to a news release issued Thursday afternoon by the governors office. Trump was here to visit the Whirlpool manufacturing plant in Sandusky County with plans to attend a fundraiser near Cleveland later.

About five hours after the news conference, DeWine announced he tested negative for coronavirus. The second round of testing was performed through a more sensitive test called a polymerase chain reaction, or PCR test, which detects genetic material from the new coronavirus, the governors office said. The earlier test delivers rapid results by testing the blood for antigens, but is a relatively unproven technology.

DeWines positive test had come as a surprise, in part because of his visibility as a cautious voice for social distancing and mask wearing. DeWine said he got some not so nice texts from people.

We know youre always simply dealing with trying to improve your odds when you wear a mask, DeWine said. Youre improving your odds dramatically. But that doesnt mean you wont get it. There are no guarantees in life. I dont think people should read a whole lot into this, other than what we already know: this is very dangerous, and its very contagious.

Here are some questions you may have and answers:

In view of the fact that rapid tests can produce false positives or negatives, when is DeWine getting tested again?

DeWine underwent a second test Thursday afternoon, a traditional test thats viewed as more accurate, as has Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine. He said results could come as soon as tonight, and that he will share them publicly when they come in.

What happens now for state government?

DeWine said as long as hes well, he will be able to run the state remotely.

Im going to continue to be quarantined for at least 14 days. Well see how this goes. But anyone who knows me knows I will continue to do what I do. I spend most days right here anyway. Im on the phone a lot. Im on conference calls. So far, my work has not been impacted, he said.

Who else will have to get tested?

DeWine said the five employees who work with him to produce the states coronavirus briefings have gotten tested and gone into isolation while they await the results.

Sgt. Nathan Dennis, a spokesman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said the state troopers assigned to DeWines personal security detail are undergoing the same protocol.

Right now, its just a matter of waiting and seeing how those results come back and following the guidelines, he said.

What happens to the states coronavirus briefings?

DeWine had postponed a briefing scheduled for Thursday for the next day because of Trump's visit. He said he plans to continue with the Friday briefing as scheduled.

If DeWine becomes too sick to run the government, who steps up?

Under the Ohio Constitution, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would be next in line to run the state. The line of succession after that is as follows: the president of the state Senate, the Ohio House speaker, the secretary of state, the state treasurer, the state auditor and the state attorney general.

Will Husted be required to quarantine since he was with the governor on Tuesday?

Husteds staff hasnt said what his plans will be. But DeWine said because Husted tested negative, he continued with his day as planned, which included greeting President Donald Trump in Cleveland.

It was a negative test for him, DeWine said. There was no reason for him not to move forward, I guess.

Has DeWine been tested before?

DeWine notably in June received a nasal swab on live television in late June as a demonstration, trying to encourage the public to get tests themselves. He tested negative the next day.

DeWine said that test, and the two on Thursday, were the only coronavirus tests hes ever gotten.

Is DeWine in good health?

DeWine, 73, said Thursday hes had asthma for most of his adult life, but its under control and he occasionally uses an inhaler. He was hospitalized for six days with asthma symptoms in 2000 while he was a member of the U.S. Senate.

In 2014, he was hospitalized after he suffered a bout of vertigo, causing him to collapse during a public appearance in Cincinnati. He was hospitalized overnight and released.

DeWine said Thursday he feels fine, other than a headache, but he said thats not unusual for him.

Has he interacted with his family, other than Fran?

DeWine, who has eight children and 24 grandchildren, said his wifes brother has visited, but hasnt closely interacted with him.

DeWine said hes visited two daughters who live close by. But both are pregnant, and he said hes worn a mask when interacting with them.

Were very, very careful with who we see, he said.

Have any other states dealt with this?

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt tested positive for COVID-19 in mid-July. He had been working in the office, but converted to working at home while he waited to recover, according to spokesman Charlie Hannema.

Stitt never reported major symptoms, and returned to work 12 days later. Since he had been working in the office, and had a wife and five children living at home, upwards of 50 people were tested in the aftermath. None tested positive, Hannema said.

I think the biggest change was on his personal side, Hannema said. From a functioning side, we still had meetings, he was still able to participate via Zoom from his iPad. We kept everything moving.

Hannema said Stitts diagnosis was publicly politicized, since Stitt had been more aggressive in re-opening amid the pandemic, and since hed recently attended a Trump rally in Tulsa, although its believed he was infected weeks after the rally took place.

But Stitts takeaway is that because he was quickly tested after he felt slightly ill, he may have isolated quickly enough to prevent spreading it around.

If Ohioans can take anything out of that, its get tested. If youre worried about anything at all, make sure you quarantine and follow the precautions, Hannema said.
Mr Eugene Eshun-Elliot, the Odawna Ward Secretary of the opposition National Democracy Congress (NDC) in the Klottey Korle Constituency has called on members with the intention of contesting as Independent parliamentary candidates to rescind their decision.

He said the constituency executives had observed some posters of party members making rounds in the area as Independent candidates in the 2020 parliamentary elections, saying it comes to them as a surprise.

Mr Eshun-Elliot, who made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said last year the NDC at its primaries elected Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings, the incumbent Member of Parliament with an overwhelming endorsement as the party's candidate for the 2020 parliamentary election.

He said the members with their posters around were invited to a meeting for a decision to be taken on the issue, adding that; I sincerely believe that the matter will be resolved amicably by the Constituency Executive Committee for us to have a united front.

Mr Eshun-Elliot said the constituency had constituted an all-inclusive campaign team and that There is hope for victory for Dr Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings and former President John Dramani Mahama come December 7, 2020 elections.

---GNA
These are uncertain times for British holidaymakers, with air bridges being razed left, right and centre by the UK government in response to rising coronavirus infection rates abroad.

As a result, some are understandably dropping all their plans for a foreign trip, worried they'll be left out of pocket if they're forced to cancel a booking - unable to claim a refund or perhaps stuck with a travel voucher they don't want.

But there is a way of vastly improving the chances of getting everything reimbursed  and that's by making sure the trip is officially classed as a package holiday. Because package holiday providers are obliged by law to offer refunds if a trip is cancelled within 14 days.

These are uncertain times for British holidaymakers, with air bridges being razed left, right and centre by the UK government in response to rising coronavirus infection rates abroad

And this is still the case if the traveller cancels the trip in the event of an FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) warning being applied.

As moneysavingexpert.com says: 'With package holidays, if an FCO warning is put in place - as has now happened in Spain [and now Belgium and the Bahamas] - under the Package Travel Regulations you should be able to get a refund within 14 days - even if the trip's not been cancelled.

Even if you only need to rent a car for one hour, or a hotel for a night, adding a hotel or car to a flight booking can make all the difference in being entitled to a refund Travel expert and frequent flier Gilbert Ott

'The rules state if "unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances" occur which "significantly affect the performance of the package", you're due a full refund if you cancel. And while they don't specifically state that an FCO warning would count as one of these circumstances  though they do give as an example "the outbreak of a serious disease at the travel destination"  in practice travel trade body Abta says firms must refund you if the FCO warns against travel and you can't be given a holiday without "significant change".'

The most obvious route to a refund-friendly trip is to book a complete package holiday through an Atol-verified tour operator. Tui, for instance.

But there's also a way of turning a flight-only booking into a package holiday  by taking up the carrier on the offer of an extra, such as car hire or a hotel.

As travel expert and frequent flier Gilbert Ott, who runs the flight tips site God Save The Points, writes: 'Even if you only need to rent a car for one hour, or a hotel for a night, adding a hotel or car to a flight booking can make all the difference in being entitled to a refund, or stuck with a voucher, if anything.'

The key thing, though, is that the travel services are bought at a single point of sale, where all the elements are paid for in one go at an inclusive price.

A real-world example can be found on the British Airways site.

British Airways offers travellers the chance to book a package holiday - they just need to opt for flight + hotel or flight + car

At the very top of the homepage travellers are given three options  to book a flight, a flight + hotel or a flight + car.

Opt for one of the latter two, and you're booking a trip that's classed as a package holiday.

Further into the booking an 'Atol protected' sign will appear, then the following explanation regarding the refund rules: 'The combination of travel services offered to you is a package within the meaning of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations. Therefore, you will benefit from all EU rights applying to packages.'

If, during a booking, the traveller is directed away to a third party site to pay for the hotel and/or car hire, this is not a package booking, but a linked travel arrangement (LTA), which offers less protection.

Skyscanner, for example, only offers linked travel arrangements.

A further point to note is that some companies falsely claim to have Atol protection.

Visit www.packpeaceofmind.co.uk to check a company's claims.

Martin Nolan, Senior Legal Director at Skyscanner, said: 'Atol protection is a scheme which is run by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, and it's there to protect travellers in a few limited situations. The primary protection is where a supplier as part of your trip goes bust, to give you protection that you either get all your money back, or still get to go on your trip as planned.

Opt for a flight + hotel on the BA site and the Atol protected symbol appears (above). This indicates that your booking is shielded

Here BA explains that the flight + hotel offer is classed as a package holiday

ATOL'S BOOKING TIPS Look out for the Atol logo. This is usually found on your travel companys website, brochure or shop front.

Research the travel company to ensure their Atol protection is legitimate. Some companies may falsely claim to have Atol protection to appear more reputable. Visit www.packpeaceofmind.co.uk to check for Atol protection.

Watch out for hidden costs. Luggage and transfer fees that may not be included in the final bill and, when added up, can make your holiday significantly more expensive.

Check for financial protection if booking with a non-UK based company. There are some non-UK travel companies which offer travel to UK consumers, but these will often not be Atol protected. Do your research and check what financial protection they provide and, if in doubt, book using a credit card, ensuring you are protected up to the value of 30,000 under UK law.

Get travel insurance as soon as you book. You should consider taking out a policy as soon as you have booked your trip to ensure you are covered, should anything go wrong before you take off. Advertisement

'Where you book a "package holiday" in the UK, you will usually have Atol protection and you'll receive an Atol certificate at the time of booking. Package holidays are where you've booked a packaged-up deal from a single supplier all at once, including via online travel agencies.

'A new protection for "linked travel arrangements" was introduced in 2018, which does not offer the same protection as a package, but provides a little protection.

'Where you make a booking that constitutes an LTA, you should be made aware of this - in the terms and conditions or somewhere else in the booking process - that you might be booking an LTA. There are also requirements on the provider of the LTA to take out insolvency protections to cover their own insolvency.

'This is a very reduced protection compared to packages.'

Andrew McConnell, spokesman for Atol, said: 'The easiest way to protect yourself financially when booking a holiday is to confirm that the holiday is Atol protected. You can do this by looking out for the Atol logo instore or online, checking the booking details for Atol protection and researching the company on our website.

'Atol protection applies to flight-inclusive package holidays, so while booking flights and hotels separately can give you greater control over your holiday, you could be leaving yourself vulnerable without financial protection.'
Political leaders across parties reacted to the Air India Express aircraft crash, which took place on Friday evening at Kozhikode airport.

IMAGE: An Air India Express flight with passengers on board en route from Dubai skidded off the runway while landing, in Kozhikode. Photograph: PTI Photo

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish at the Air India Express aircraft accident in Kozhikode on Friday and said authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.



He also spoke with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in this regard.

"Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest," the prime minister tweeted.

Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected, Modi said.

"Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation," he said.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said he was deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane accident at Kerala's Kozhikode airport and his thoughts and prayers were with the affected passengers, crew members and their families.



Kovind said he spoke to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and enquired about the situation there.

"Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families," the President tweeted.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the National Disaster Response Force on Friday night to rush to the spot at Kerala's Kozhikode, where an Air India Express aircraft crashed, to assist in the rescue-and-relief operations.



"Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala.

"Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations," Shah tweeted.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote on Twitter, "Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also tweeted, "Deeply distressed to hear about the Air India Express tragedy at Kozhikode. Prayers are with the bereaved families and those injured. We are ascertaining further details."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is also the MP from Wayanad, wrote, "Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured."

And Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram also mourned over the tragedy. He wrote, "Tragic day for Kerala. First the deaths in Munnar & now this: I hear both pilots have died. Hope rescue efforts will succeed in saving all the passengers."
BNP data indicates that the Euro is vulnerable to a significant correction given the extent of long positioning while underlying Sterling sentiment is surprisingly strong given fundamental reservations.

Long Euro positions close to extreme levels

BNP Paribas has calculated its latest currency positioning matrix to assess whether markets are long or short in major currencies.

This global positioning is important in assessing underlying market dynamics and can also be used as a contrarian indicator. If traders and investors are very long, this indicates the potential for at least a short-term correction weaker.

BNP uses five factors to calculate the index with an element of subjectivity.

It takes the COT data from the CFTC which is often used as a proxy for hedge-fund positioning. The latest risk-reversals data is included which looks at the relative demand for calls and puts in the options market.

Estimates of client exposure, an in-house trending gauge and underlying selling pressure are also added in to give an aggregate score.

According to the methodology, readings above 40 and below -40 are considered extreme.

The latest data shows that the net US dollar short position has increased further in the latest week to -25, although the options market is not showing strong selling interest.

There remains a substantial long Euro position which is close to extreme levels at 32, increasing the risk of a Euro/dollar pullback. The data, however, suggests that clients have only a limited long position, strengthening the argument for longer-term gains.

Options market has faith in Pound Sterling

The data also suggests that there is a net long Sterling positon despite selling by hedge funds and a net short position by clients. The main pressure is being generated by stronger pricing for options calls. This suggests that valuations are playing a significant role and that funds are more concerned over potential upside surprises which could trigger a sharp Sterling rally rather than negative shocks.

The data also suggests that there is a very long Swedish krona position at 38 which will make it vulnerable to a correction.

Although both currencies are considered safe havens, investors are long Swiss francs and short Japanese yen which suggest that Swiss credentials are seen as much more attractive.
As Democrats and Republicans fail to agree on benefits, Trump claims he will use executive power to extend. Can he?

With congressional Democrats and White House negotiators so far unable to agree on a deal to salve the heavy economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic, United States President Donald Trump has threatened to bypass Congress with an executive order.

Some of his proposals exceed his legal authority and would face immediate legal challenges, though in at least one case, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the nations top Democrat, told him to just go ahead.

What does Trump want to do?

Trump said on Twitter he is considering executive orders to continue expanded unemployment benefits, reinstate a moratorium on evictions, cut payroll taxes and continue a suspension of student loan repayments amid a health crisis that has killed nearly 160,000 Americans.

He and administration officials negotiating with Congress have not provided specifics.

Does he have the power?

The constitution puts control of federal spending in the hands of Congress, not the president, so Trump does not have the legal authority to issue executive orders determining how money should be spent on the coronavirus.

Upon departing the Oval Office for Ohio, Ive notified my staff to continue working on an Executive Order with respect to Payroll Tax Cut, Eviction Protections, Unemployment Extensions, and Student Loan Repayment Options.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2020

Democrats said executive orders would prompt a court fight but legal action could take months.

Trump has sidestepped Congress on spending before. In 2019, he declared a national emergency at the border with Mexico to shift billions of dollars from the Pentagon budget to help pay for a promised wall that was the cornerstone of his 2016 election campaign.

Congress passed legislation to stop him but there were too few votes in the Republican-controlled Senate to override his veto.

There has to be a political will to do that and there has to be a priority given by members of Congress to assert their institutional interests, Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University in Virginia, told Reuters. And that just isnt there right now.

Any objections?

The $600 per week enhanced unemployment benefit in the $2.2 trillion Cares Act passed in March has been a major sticking point in negotiations.

Democrats want to continue the federal payment, which expired on July 24, to the tens of millions of people who have lost their jobs in the crisis and have rejected a short-term extension. Trumps fellow Republicans have argued that is too high a payment, contending it is a disincentive to work.

The moratorium on evictions was less contentious and could be covered by reprogramming money that Congress has already approved for housing that has not been spent. Pelosi on Thursday said an order extending the moratorium would be a good thing.

Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike reject cutting the payroll tax, which is collected from both employers and employees to fund Social Security and Medicare.





A cut would disproportionately benefit Americans with high salaries and threaten funding for the popular programmes for retirees. It also only benefits people still getting pay cheques, not those who have lost their jobs.

The parties are closer together on student loans. Democrats included a 12-month extension of the student loan payment suspension in a relief bill the House passed in May. Republican senators did not include student loan relief in the proposal they unveiled in July.

However, there is a Republican plan in Congress to extend the suspension for three months.
At least 18 people, including both pilots, were killed after an Air India Express plane with more than 190 on board skidded off the runway on Friday at the Karipur airport in Kozhikode in Kerala. Officials said 16 of the 172 injured are in a critical condition.

The plane, part of the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indian nationals from overseas during the coronavirus lockdown, skidded off the tabletop runway and fell into a 35-feet deep valley, breaking into two portions. Follow all the live updates here.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said he was deeply "anguished and distressed" at the accident and that relief teams from Air India and Airports Authority of India (AAI) have been dispatched from Delhi and Mumbai. "All efforts are being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau)," he said on Twitter.

"Because of the weather conditions, he could not land the first time, so he did a turnaround and tried to approach it from a different direction," Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told national broadcaster DD News, adding that the crash appears to have been caused by a slippery runway.

NDRF Director General SN Pradhan said we must remember that it is a tabletop runway at Kozhikode. There seems to have been injuries among all the passengers and some of them are unconscious," he said.

An air traffic controller said luckily the aircraft, which took off from Dubai at 2 pm and was scheduled to land in Kozhikode at 7.27 pm, didnt catch fire. We immediately started rescue efforts with the support of local people.

According to officials of the Kerala Police, all the 172 injured have been shifted to various hospitals nearby. It had been raining heavily at the time of the accident.

"Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode at 1941 hours tonight. No fire reported at the time of landing," Air India Express said in a statement. "There are 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and five cabin crew on board the aircraft."

"Due to crash landing of the flight, it may affect the network but the Vande Bharat Mission continues," the airline added.

India's top aviation body, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter. It said the plane broke into "two pieces" after landing at the airport.

The regulator said the flight -- IX 1344 -- continued running to the end of the runway amid heavy rain and "fell down in the valley and broke down in two pieces".

"The aircraft didnt land properly. It was raining heavily, it then skid off the runway and fell into a 35-ft valley. Two dead is what we know as per initial reports but the rescue operation is on," DGCA Director Arun Kumar told CNN-News18. "We are ascertaining the situation."

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he has instructed the police and fire force to take urgent action. "Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support," he added in a tweet.

Have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur. Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support.  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 7, 2020

The CM also said that minister AC Moideen will lead the rescue efforts at the Kozhikode International Airport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Vijayan on phone about the crash where he was informed that a team of officials, including the Kozhikode and Malappuram District Collectors and Inspector General IG Ashok Yadav, have arrived at the airport and are participating in the rescue operation, said the Kerala Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in a statement. Tweeting about the incident, Modi expressed anguish at the loss of lives.

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

The Kozhikode Collector said relatives of passengers onboard the flight can contact the following helpline for inquiries: 0495-2376901.

The Air India Express is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India and it has only B737 aircraft in its fleet.

The Indian consulates in Dubai and Sharjah have activated five helpline numbers to provide information to the family members of the flight.

"We pray for the wellbeing of passengers and crew and will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates. Our helplines +97156 5463903, +971543090572, +971543090571, +971543090575," said Aman Puri, Consul General of India.

The helpline number to call in Sharjah for updates is +97165970303.

He also said the Indian consulate will be available for any assistance it may be able to render at this time of grief.

(With inputs from agencies)
In 2006, McClatchy swallowed up the much larger Knight Ridder newspaper chain in a $4.5 billion cash and stock deal that added the Herald  its largest metro newspaper  and dozens of other titles to its portfolio. It also saddled the company with debt, which ultimately led to the bankruptcy filing in February. Chatham, which began investing in McClatchy in 2009, was the newspaper companys largest creditor.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 22:02:27|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least three students have been killed and two others seriously injured in a road accident in Tanzania's northern region of Arusha, police said on Friday.

Salum Hamduni, Arusha regional police commander, said the students from Olmoti Secondary School were killed on Thursday along the East Africa Community road.

Hamduni told a news conference in the city of Arusha that the students who were walking on a sidewalk were knocked by a car that veered off the road.

"The students were walking home from school when the grisly accident occurred," said the police officer.

He said the driver of the the car will appear in court after preliminary investigations.

Hamduni said the two injured students were rushed to nearby state-run Mount Meru Hospital for treatment. Enditem
Risque clothing is still dominating the world of fashion with high-waisted hot pants and plastic-strap bikinis among the hottest trends this year.

So perhaps it's no wonder that style-conscious women are now wearing flimsy strips of fabric tied with string as backless tops.

The silhouette, christened the 'napkin' by fashion website Who What Wear, is reminiscent of the '90s scarf tops which were square silk scarves folded into triangles and knotted around the bust.

But the modern reinvention is even riskier, held in place only by razor-thin straps looped around the neck and back.

Scroll down for video

Chicago fashion influencer Dana Nozime wears a 'napkin' top from Australian label All Things Golden in an Instagram photo on March 11

Not much there: French fashion blogger Marta Cygan wears a black 'napkin' top which exposes her back and sides

Not for the faint of heart, the skimpy cut exposes every inch of the back and a generous glimpse of the chest - ruling it out for conservative dressers.

Poll Will you be wearing a 'napkin' top this summer? Yes No Will you be wearing a 'napkin' top this summer? Yes 65 votes

No 90 votes Now share your opinion





Still, all the 'cool' labels are selling them, with daring designs available from I Am Gia, Trois and current 'It' brand, Cult Gaia in various flesh-flashing materials.

And all the 'cool' girls are snapping them up, including Melbourne model Shanina Shaik who paired a blush pink 'napkin' from Australian designer Natalie Rolt with white linen pants for a dinner in St Tropez on July 25.

That appears to be the sartorially accepted way of styling the trend, tempering its overt sexiness with tailored trousers or loose-fitting jeans.

Melbourne model Shanina Shaik wears a blush pink 'napkin' top from Australian designer Natalie Rolt with white Jacquemus trousers in St Tropez on July 25

Thai model Lena Helena Busch (left and right) wears a halterneck 'napkin' from Australian label I Am Gia

Dare to bare? French blogger Marta Cygan in another 'napkin' style silk top

'Napkin' tops don't need to break the bank either, with styles on offer for every budget.

Australian shoppers have a range to choose from on I Am Gia's website, where prices start from $30 with next-day delivery available to select regions.

Trendy US labels Reformation and Are You Am I stock styles starting from $120, while celebrity favourite Cult Gaia has intricate silk pieces for $240.

And for those still debating if they are daring enough to bare all in the 'napkin' design, Topshop has a simple tie-back halterneck for just $12 - perfect for testing the water without making an investment.
Joe Margolis has been the CEO of Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR) since 2017, and this article will examine the executive's compensation with respect to the overall performance of the company. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for Extra Space Storage.

See our latest analysis for Extra Space Storage

How Does Total Compensation For Joe Margolis Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

According to our data, Extra Space Storage Inc. has a market capitalization of US$13b, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$6.3m over the year to December 2019. We note that's an increase of 42% above last year. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at US$850k.

On comparing similar companies in the industry with market capitalizations above US$8.0b, we found that the median total CEO compensation was US$7.2m. So it looks like Extra Space Storage compensates Joe Margolis in line with the median for the industry. Furthermore, Joe Margolis directly owns US$14m worth of shares in the company, implying that they are deeply invested in the company's success.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary US$850k US$750k 14% Other US$5.4m US$3.7m 86% Total Compensation US$6.3m US$4.4m 100%

Speaking on an industry level, nearly 15% of total compensation represents salary, while the remainder of 85% is other remuneration. Although there is a difference in how total compensation is set, Extra Space Storage more or less reflects the market in terms of setting the salary. It's important to note that a slant towards non-salary compensation suggests that total pay is tied to the company's performance.

A Look at Extra Space Storage Inc.'s Growth Numbers

Extra Space Storage Inc. has seen its earnings per share (EPS) increase by 4.3% a year over the past three years. In the last year, its revenue is up 6.8%.

Story continues

We'd prefer higher revenue growth, but the modest improvement in EPS is good. So there are some positives here, but not enough to earn high praise. 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 Extra Space Storage Inc. Been A Good Investment?

Most shareholders would probably be pleased with Extra Space Storage Inc. for providing a total return of 48% over three years. So they may not be at all concerned if the CEO were to be paid more than is normal for companies around the same size.

To Conclude...

As previously discussed, Joe is compensated close to the median for companies of its size, and which belong to the same industry. However, the company's earnings growth numbers over the last three years is not that impressive. At the same time, shareholder returns have remained strong over the same period. We would like to see EPS growth from the business, although we wouldn't say the CEO compensation is high.

While it is important to pay attention to CEO remuneration, investors should also consider other elements of the business. We've identified 1 warning sign for Extra Space Storage that investors should be aware of in a dynamic business environment.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking at a different set of stocks. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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.
By PTI

KOLHAPUR: The Panchaganga river in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra is still flowing above the danger mark, but the rise in water level is slow and steady due to discharge of water from a dam, officials from the local administration said on Friday.

According to the officials, the water level of the Panchganga at the Rajaram weir (barrage) as on Friday morning (at 7) was at 44.7 feet, which is above the danger mark.

"The water level reached the danger mark (at 43 feet) on Thursday around 4 pm. Since then, the rise of water level at the Rajaram weir has been slow but steady," said a duty officer at the district disaster management cell.

He said the intensity of rains in the district has reduced, but intermittent showers are continuing.

"The reason behind the steady and slow rise in the water level of the Panchganga is discharge of water from the Radhanagari dam, which is filled to capacity due to rains in its catchment areas," said the officer.

Four gates of the dam, built on the Bhogawati river in Kolhapur district, has been opened so far to release excess water, he said.

As the water level was rising in the Panchaganga on Thursday, the district administration had shifted some 1,750 families from 23 villages to safer places.

"So far 4,413 people from 1,750 families in 23 villages in Gadhinglas, Panhala, Karveer, Gaganbawda, Ajara tehsils and Kolhapur city have been shifted," district collector Daulat Desai had said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has already deployed four teams in Kolhapur district to deal with any situation.

In Sagali, the district administration said it has distributed safety kits in 20 flood-prone villages.

The kits include life jackets, rope, torch and bag, among other things.

Last year, unprecedented rains had wreaked havoc in western Maharashtra, especially in Kolhapur and Sangli districts, claiming over 60 lives.
South Africa: Special official funeral for Nkadimeng

President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared a Special Official Funeral to honour the late struggle stalwart and esteemed member of the Order of Luthuli in Gold, John Nkadimeng.

Nkadimeng passed away on 6 August 2020 at the age of 93.

President Ramaphosa has expressed his deepest condolences to the family, friends and comrades of Nkadimeng, whom the President visited at home in Johannesburg in April 2019.

We have lost a remarkable veteran of our country's liberation struggle, who was a selfless, exemplary and courageous stalwart, who contributed immensely to South Africa's democracy," President Ramaphosa said.

Nkadimeng was among the 156 congress activists who were detained during the Defiance Campaign in 1952 and charged with treason in the 1956 Treason Trial.

He also went into exile, taking refuge in numerous neighbouring countries.

He served in the African National Congresss political and military council and served as the chairperson of the ANC's political committee.

He led the then underground South African Congress of Trade Unions (SACTU), where he also played an instrumental role in the formation of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

In August 1995, he was appointed as South Africa's Ambassador to the People's Republic of Cuba.

President Ramaphosa has declared a Special Official Funeral: Category 1 in honour of Nkadimeng.

The Category 1 funeral, to be held in Johannesburg on Friday, 14 August 2020, will entail ceremonial elements provided by the South African National Defence Force.

The President has directed that the National Flag be flown at half-mast at all flag stations until the evening of 14 August 2020.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
(Natural News) Mark McCloskey and his wife Patricia armed themselves and stood outside their home after a group of roughly one hundred protesters broke down their front gate and marched down their private road. They were successful at defending their property and their lives.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner didnt prosecute the mob for destroying property and threatening the McCloskeys lives. Corrupt Kim Gardner charged the McCloskeys with felonies, threatening them with prison time for unlawful use of a weapon.

Your right to self defense is on the line

The case against the McCloskeys is not just an assault against their rights, but it is also an attempt to set legal precedent against self-defense rights for all law-abiding Americans. George Soros sees an opportunity to enslave Americans by stripping them of their ability to confront destructive left-wing mobs.

This is exactly why George Soros donated $116,000 to the Missouri Justice and Public Safety Political Action Committee (PAC). The PAC allows George Soros to get money directly to Kim Gardner so she can continue with the prosecution against the McCloskeys. The PAC has already funneled $77,804 directly to corrupt Kim as part of her re-election campaign.

The Missouri Ethics Commission revealed the Soros scheme, which uses an obscure political action committee (that has never received any other donations) to get money directly to Gardner. This money transfer happened just eight days after Gardner filed the phony charges against the McCloskeys.

Since then, corrupt Kim Gardner mentioned the McCloskeys in her re-election campaign, using the innocent husband and wife as a prop to solicit money from her donors. The attorney for the McCloskeys, Joel Schwartz, filed a motion to dismiss Gardner and her prosecution because she is using the incident and the McCloskeys to further her own financial, personal and professional gain.

George Soros is the puppeteer who is financing anti-personal defense attorneys

Thanks to her political stunt and thanks to George Soros, corrupt Kim Gardner won the primary battle in St. Louis county and is set to win re-election in November in a district loaded with gullible democrat voters. This isnt the first time Soros funded Gardner to victory. In 2016, George Soros funded several PACS to help financially secure Gardners campaign, ensuring her path to victory.

How can any of this be legal? A Political Action Committee can be established for an activist prosecutor, and a globalist like George Soros can fund the prosecutors crusade against good Americans like the McCloskeys!

Soros knows exactly where to put his money, to ultimately take down Americans right to defend their property and their lives from the threat of mob violence. Wealthy financiers like George Soros (who seek to destabilize the United States) have the power to fund a prosecution and push felonies on innocent Americans who bravely defended themselves from mob violence.

This isnt the first-time corrupt Kim Gardner was used as a political weapon against good Americans. She filed criminal charges against former Republican Missouri Governor Eric Greitens. Under pressure, the governor was forced to resign but it was later revealed that Gardner had no evidence to substantiate her case. Gardner is under investigation for the swindle. Her former chief investigator is also under investigation for evidence tampering charges. Gardner ordered a crime lab to tamper with the weapon used by Patricia McCloskey, so she could convince a jury that the McCloskeys intended to use their weapons for lethal use.

Missouri Governor Michael Parson says he will pardon the McCloskeys. The husband and wife duo also have the support of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, Missouri GOP Senator Josh Hawley, and President Trump.

Check out more news like this at Corruption.News.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

NewsTarget.com

NewsTarget.com

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com
The Sea Hawks were playing their first game in three weeks, but were able to hold off the Panthers for the win.
CROWN POINT  When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the Region, Mackenzie Hein didn't fret about her two-piece navy prom dress or June graduation.

She was more concerned about wishing a final farewell to her senior year at the end of summer. The "one last hurrah," as Hein put it, is known as the Lake County Fair.

But this year, the final goodbye will look different. Though Hein is still able to show her four pigs in person at the Lake County Fairgrounds, it won't be the same.

In late May, the Lake County Fair was canceled because of concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The Porter and LaPorte County Fairs also were canceled.

The cancellation caused 4-H officials to get creative, with many exhibiting 4-H projects online through videos and hosting virtual animal auctions.

However, on Saturday and Sunday, Lake County 4-H'ers will be able to show their animals in person in an event that is closed to the public, said 4-H Livestock Superintendent Amy Hein, who is not related to Mackenzie Hein.

Amy Hein added 4-H'ers also can show their animals virtually.
Forget about the purported "white privilege" over which the left obsesses, the genuinely privileged class in America's big cities consists of radical progressives, who flout mask requirements at mass demonstrations, deface public property with graffiti, and riot and destroy while being called "mostly peaceful demonstrators."

Perhaps the worst example of open and sustained advocacy of this privilege can be found in a five thousand word-plus article that could be mistaken for a Babylon Bee parody. The "Intelligencer" column of New York Magazine seeks to excuse the crimes committed by two educated young lawyers who threw a lighted Molotov cocktail into a New York City police car during the Black Lives Matter riots the night of May 2930, following George Floyd's death. Author Lisa Miller obviously has no grasp of the progressive privilege for which she argues while excusing the actions of people with whose politics she agrees, endorsing the notion that they should be immune to the penalties of law others must face because they are special...and better.

The two rioters grabbed national attention when they were arrested because of their elite and privileged backgrounds.



Photo credit: U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Colinford Mattis, on the left, embodies elite credentials via affirmative action  "plucked" is Miller's word  from East New York and educated at elite St. Andrew's prep, Princeton (where he was a member of two elite eating clubs), and NYU Law. Urooj Rahman, born in Pakistan and brought to the USA at age 4 by her immigrant parents, made do with public high school and Fordham University for undergraduate and law school education, to become an officer of the court and thereby enjoy special privileges and obligations of members of bar, with a special obligation to uphold the rule of law.

So certain of her privilege was Rahman on the night of her firebombing that she gave an interview and allowed herself to be photographed with one of her two prepared Molotov cocktails in hand, sitting next to Mattis in his minivan.



Photo credit: U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

If you can suppress your gag reflex, reading Miller's entire article is a tour of the elite progressive mindset in which others are always to blame for their own misbehavior, and holding two officers of the court responsible for the crimes they allegedly committed is unfair.

More than 200 people were arrested in New York City on the night of May 2930, including Rahman, who is 31, and Mattis, who is 32. Most of the demonstrators were released the next day, but Rahman and Mattis were held for hours at the 88th Precinct in Clinton Hill, interrogated, taken into federal custody, and finally charged with seven federal crimes  including arson, conspiracy, and the commission of a "crime of violence" using a "destructive device," a charge that carries, if they are convicted, a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years. Altogether, Rahman and Mattis each face nonnegotiable sentences of 45 years to life. (snip) To be a lawyer is to agree to play by the rules, or at least to acknowledge that the rules exist, even as you seek to bend them. And it is this simplistic, romantic understanding of a lawyer's job that is part of what has the government so provoked, as if going to law school is or should be a safeguard against breaking the law. (snip) ... to work within that system is to understand just how capricious and brutal criminal justice can be  the enormous latitude given to prosecutors, the deference extended to judges and juries, and the procedural protocols and professional ethics that often merely cover for the status quo. And when a president and his advisers seem to regard the law as an obstacle course; when an attorney general metes out favors, not justice; and when immigrant children are held in cages and men are killed on video by police, some lawyers may want to embrace a more flexible definition of "lawless."

Progressive friends of the privileged miscreants agree that they are special and better than the rest of us:

... some of Mattis and Rahman's friends may concede in private that throwing a Molotov cocktail represents a lapse in judgment, but none are willing to discuss the degree to which their friends may have been ethically, professionally, morally, or legally out of bounds. Instead, they emphasize that violence against government property, especially in the midst of political upheaval, is not the same as violence against a person; that the prosecution of their friends for an act of what amounted to political vandalism is far more extreme than the crime itself; that it amounts to a criminalization of dissent and reflects a broader right-wing crusade against people of color and the progressive left  and, as such, demonstrates precisely the horror of the system they were out in the streets that night to protest. There is a version of the Rahman and Mattis story in which they are civil-rights heroes, even martyrs, instead of professionals who crossed a line. These are people the least deserving of this kind of treatment, their friends say, people who are unfailingly kind, gentle, and decent. Rahman gave a piece of her apartment floor in Athens, Greece, where she was working during the migrant crisis, to a queer Syrian refugee in an abusive relationship; Mattis turned around on his way to vacation to sit by a friend's hospital bed after she'd suffered a stillbirth. After college, Mattis worked for Teach for America in New Orleans and later won a prize for his pro bono work helping a single mother get child support. Rahman worked in Northern Ireland and on behalf of hill-tribe people in Thailand and was a student of South African apartheid. Over the past year, she started attending Friday-night meetings of an informal Sufi spiritual group and had recently given a short talk to a Muslim women's group about the sacredness of every single life, including those of animals  which is why she tried to be a vegetarian although sometimes fell short. She joked that she was a "slackaterian" or "vegetrying."

As law professor Glenn Reynolds notes:

The prisons are full of people who do something violent in a "moment of madness." And the cemeteries are full of their victims. These two were better prepared than most to act sensibly in the face of temptation, or should have been.

Violent, bloody revolutions are usually waged by ruthless educated people who become monsters because they are so convinced of their righteousness. Maximilien Robespierre, who had thousands executed during the French Revolution only to lose his own head to Dr. Guillotine's invention, was a lawyer. The highly educated are the most dangerous because they live in their heads and can convince themselves of anything.

I see the actions of Mattis and Rahman not as temporary lapses, but rather as the product of their warped and dangerous thinking, a serious danger to the public. Making a Molotov cocktail requires premeditation. Their very privilege and status argue for harsher rather than more lenient treatment for their planned and executed terroristic crime.

Let the wheels of justice turn, and the eventual verdict serve to, in Napoleon's words, "encourage the others."
The World Punjabi Organisation Friday said it is organising charter flights for evacuating over 400 Sikhs and Hindus from Afghanistan in coordination with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

All the Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan want to come back to India after the deadly terrorist attack on Gurdwara in Kabul on March 25, he said. The DSGMC will provide them temporary accommodation in Delhi at various Gurdwaras and after that all the families will be given funds by Sikhs based in the United States to meet their household expenses for a year, he said.

Sahney, a recipient of the Padma Shri, said his NGO, Sun Foundation, is setting up a special skill development centre at Jail Road to train young Afghan Sikhs and Hindus for free and assist them to get jobs.
We said a few days ago that even given the best case scenario of a stimulus deal by weekend, any compromise was certain to result in too little spending to do remotely enough good. And on top of that, with even that vote not happening until next week, any new unemployment supplement payments would not hit recipients wallets until the end of August.

The state of play is much worse. The Senate has been sent home, an admission that a deal is somewhere between remote and not happening. Mitch McConnell has sat out the talks, at least in part because the Republicans are so divided that they cant be herded anywhere. Oh, and needless to say, no one is betting on a breakthrough before the supposed deadline of Friday.

Some snippets from the press. First, The Hill:

Congress and the White House are barreling toward an end-of-the-day Friday deadline set by the main negotiators: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin We might not get a deal, said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). Theres a lot of pessimism here.  Are we too far apart? Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters it doesnt look like there will be a deal this week. And asked if he was optimistic there would be a deal, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) responded nope. In a sign that a breakthrough isnt imminent, senators were told Thursday they could go home, but to plan to come back if an agreement is struck.

From Politico:

Negotiations between the White House and Democratic congressional leaders on a new coronavirus relief package were on the brink of failure Thursday night, both sides said after a fruitless three-hour meeting in Speaker Nancy Pelosis office. After their 10th face-to-face session with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) blamed the White House for failing to reach a bipartisan agreement that would allow the resumption of federal unemployment payments or provide hundreds of billions of dollars in new aid to state and local governments. Democrats are pushing a relief package costing more than $3 trillion, while the White House and Senate Republicans want to keep the price tag closer to $1 trillion. We have always said that the Republicans and the president do not understand the gravity of the situation, Pelosi told reporters afterward. And every time we meet with them, it is reinforced. Right now, I would say the president only has two choices, Schumer said. The first is to negotiate with Democrats; he knows Republicans cant pass a bill, you probably cant even get a majority of Republican senators to vote for any bill, let alone the House.

And CNN:

A three-hour meeting Thursday evening between senior administration officials and Democratic leaders yielded little progress as both sides seemed resigned to the likelihood that Congress wont reach a major stimulus deal amid an economic crisis Its unclear if the two sides will meet on Friday. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plan to brief Trump later Thursday night and Friday morning as they decide whether to continue to negotiate with Democrats Democrats have argued that passing anything less than a large-scale package is a non-starter and have pushed back against the idea of passing anything piecemeal. But the two sides have been far apart on a top-line price tag for a stimulus package, making an overarching deal hard to reach. Pelosi told CNN this week that she wants a price tag of $3.4 trillion, a number that Republican negotiators have balked at. Meadows said earlier Thursday that the White House top-line number was now north of the initial GOP offer of $1 trillion. My frustration is that we couldve passed a very skinny deal that dealt with some of the most pressing issues, Meadows said Thursday evening. One of the biggest sticking points: aid to state and local governments. Democrats have made a boost in aid to state and local governments a key priority and a House-passed Democratic proposal provided $500 billion to states and $375 billion to local governments. In contrast, the initial Republican proposal didnt include additional funding for states or cities, but gave them more flexibility to use some of the $150 billion allocated in the CARES Act relief legislation for revenue shortfalls.

In the meantime, Trump acts as if he can adequately plug the growing hole in the economic dike with executive orders. With all spending bills having to originate in Congress, this is loopy. Trump can probably implement an eviction freeze, since courts have upheld state-level eviction freezes by governors. Trump also seems to think he can eliminate payroll taxes. Even his own team has doubts. From the Financial Times:

Mr Shelby said he thought Mr Trump could do a lot of things by executive order, including suspending the payroll tax. But Chuck Grassley, another longtime Republican senator, poured cold water on the idea. In addition to questioning whether Mr Trump had the legal authority, he said the idea made no economic sense.

And its not as if a payroll tax holiday accomplished much. Businesses hire based on demand, not based on comparatively small changes in net payroll costs. True, it could make a small difference in how long businesses struggling to make it hang on or delay headcount cuts, but another PPP jolt would be far better. Workers get a bit more net pay, but with Covid-19 grinding on, many will use any extra dough for savings (and paying down debt is a form of saving) rather than spending. And of course, you need to be employed to benefit.

In other words, the cynical take is the most accurate: this gambit has more to do with putting the Social Security trust in the appearance of distress faster than goosing the economy.

In the meantime, if and when there is a deal, the airlines are at the head of the line. Hubert Horan said at the start of the week that when the current airline payroll support ran out in October, the airlines would implement big schedule cuts. I flew at the end of March when airlines had reduced their flights to bare bone levels, and it was difficult to find anything more than one or two flights from A to B if either A or B was not a huge hub, and even then, with terrible layovers. Someone apparently got the memo. Again from the Financial Times:

Meanwhile, a union-backed push to extend payroll support for US airlines until the end of March is gaining steam. Sixteen Republican senators on Wednesday signed a letter supporting another $25bn for airlines to avoid mass furloughs. Their support for the additional aid, already backed by a majority of lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled House, raises pressure to include it in a final package. The airlines received $50bn in aid in March to keep pilots, flight attendants and other employees on payroll until September 30, with the expectation that passenger traffic would have recovered by then. But data from the Transportation Security Administration shows traffic is still down 75 per cent compared with a year ago.

I could go on about how disastrous a skinny deal, no deal, or even a better but late deal would be, but readers are very familiar with this terrain from their own information-grazing and personal knowledge.

It is conventional for accounts of political sausage-making to be almost entirely about the process at the expense of the ramifications. But the bloodless tone also reflects the fact that our supposed leaders are too far removed from any consequences to care, at least until it is way too late.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka have discussed the recent detainment of 33 mercenaries from the private Russian security firm Vagner Group in Belarus.

The Belarusian presidential office and the Kremlin said the two leaders had a telephone conversation on August 7, two days before the presidential election in Belarus, where Lukashenka, who has run the country with an iron hand for 26 years, is seeking another term amid protests.

Kremlin's press service said that during the talks "confidence was expressed that the situation [around the Vagner mercenaries] will be resolved in the spirit of mutual understanding."

Lukashenka's press service said that the agreement was reached "to investigate every detail in the case to find out the real reasons of the situation, find responsible ones and hold them accountable."

The press services also said other issues related to bilateral relations were discussed, with the Kremlin's stressing that Putin expressed hope that the August 9 presidential election in Belarus will proceed "in a calm atmosphere."

The telephone talk was held a day after Lukashenka ordered his government to invite Ukrainian and Russian prosecutors to Belarus to investigate the 33 mercenaries.

On August 5, Russian Security Council Deputy Chief Dmitry Medvedev warned Minsk that the arrest of the private security firm contractors could have grave consequences for Russian-Belarusian relations.

Lukashenka replied to Medvedev's remarks at the August 6 government meeting in Minsk, saying: "There is no need to scare us with repercussions. We are aware of all repercussions."

On July 29, Belarusian authorities announced they had detained 32 contractors from the Vagner Group near Minsk and apprehended another private security contractor from the firm in southern Belarus.

They were arrested on charges of trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said on July 31 that Kyiv would seek the extradition of 28 of the Vagner detainees on charges they had fought alongside Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. It said nine Ukrainian citizens are among the 28.

Moscow insists that all of the detainees are Russian citizens. It has called on Minsk to release the men and let them return to Russia.

According to the Russian authorities, the 33 men were traveling through Belarus on their way to Istanbul before flying to "a third country."

However, Lukashenka said Russia's claim about the mercenaries being en route to Turkey was "a lie."

Lukashenka suggested the detained men were plotting a "color revolution" in Belarus -- a reference to popular upheavals that have toppled governments in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan during the past two decades.

Lukashenka also reiterated his earlier warnings that he will not allow any "Maidan"-style anti-government protests in Minsk during the election or the day after the vote.

The head of the Belarusian Security Council, Andrey Raukou, said on July 30 that the authorities were continuing to search for "upwards of up to 200 militants" said to be part of the alleged destabilization plot.

Belarus's presidential election is shaping up to be a tough race for incumbent Lukashenka, an authoritarian leader who has been in power since 1994.

Lukashenka has cracked down on his political opponents during the election campaign, with the country's law enforcement agencies arresting hundreds of people -- including journalists, bloggers, and political activists.

Charges also have been pressed against two potential candidates from the opposition, effectively preventing them from competing against Lukashenka in the election.
CLIFTON PARK  The Saratoga County Sheriffs Office investigating a string of thefts from cars in town.

Sheriff Michael Zurlo would not comment on the ongoing investigation, but Supervisor Phil Barrett said it seems to be an issue every summer.

Its not something out of the ordinary this time of year, Barrett said. Basically people are checking cars to see if they are unlocked. They are looking for change, cash. Obviously, its very concerning.

The thefts have occurred over night.

A woman who lives in a neighborhood off of Van Patten Drive that has been hit said the thieves are keeping her up at night. She said she was awakened one night when she saw flashlights streaming into her windows. She suspects she was seeing the burglars at work.

Im exhausted from not sleeping, said the woman who asked to remain anonymous. I feel horrible. Im so stressed out. I have lived here 25 years and I dont remember things being so bad.

Last fall, the sheriffs office arrested a parolee for a string of burglaries in the homes around Exit 8 of the Northway. Authorities said some of those break-in happened while the residents were sleeping. Deputies said Tyler E. Lester would slip in through open garage doors or cut open screens to enter a dozen homes to steal wallets and purses. In May, Lester was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

In the spring of 2019, there was a spate of burglaries in the same neighborhood near Moe, Crescent and Grooms roads that were not connected. It is unclear if anyone was arrested and charged in those incidents.

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

Barrett said its difficult to stop and detect who is responsible.

Rummaging through unlocked cars is a terrible invasion of property, Barrett said. And to steal something that is valuable, its maddening. Unfortunately, this has been going on for decades. They move around from neighborhood to neighborhood. Its a very frustrating activity.

Malta Supevisor Darren OConnor said he knows about the problem too. It is happening along his towns border. He said he was told deputies are making good progress on identifying the cuprits. Meanwhile, he urges people to lock their cars.

If your car is in the driveway at night, lock it up until this gets resolved, he said.
In light of the unpredictable developments relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, many banks in Vietnam are attempting to raise capital but most of their plans have been delayed,

as investors are increasingly worried about the instability of the financial market, especially since investments in banks are long-term investments.

Dr. Nguyen Tri Hieu, a finance expert, stated that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the bad debts of banks to rise while the equity of owners has dipped sharply.

By raising capital, banks will be able to efficiently deal with the increasing bad debts and bolster lending capacity. It will also help them meet the financial safety requirements of Circular No. 41 and the international Basel II Accord, according to Hieu.

Leaders of some banks in Vietnam said the impact of the pandemic will be strongly felt later this year. Some experts believed the asset quality of banks is decreasing significantly although Circular No. 1 has allowed them to restructure their debts during the pandemic.

Nguyen Xuan Thanh, lecturer at Fulbright University Vietnam, said the possibility of a financial crisis in Vietnam will depend on the banking systems health. If the banking system is healthy, the economy will remain resilient until the pandemic is contained. The unimpeded capital flow will help the economy recover, he noted.

The State Bank of Vietnam has allowed several banks to raise their chartered capital. Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank has plans to increase its chartered capital from VND16.6 trillion to VND21.6 trillion. Southeast Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank has been allowed to raise its chartered capital from some VND9.4 trillion to VND12 trillion, while Bac A Bank is seeking to raise its chartered capital from VND6.5 trillion to VND7 trillion.

Some banks have been successful in raising their capital. The Saigon Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank has increased its chartered capital to some VND17.6 trillion after issuing more than 550 million shares, while the Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank has raised its capital from VND7.9 trillion to some VND8.8 trillion by issuing shares for Japanese partner Aozora Bank. In February, the Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank earned more than VND1.7 trillion by issuing shares, raising its chartered capital to VND24.37 trillion.

According to the SSI Securities Corporation, there were five listed banks that successfully raised their chartered capital in 2019, including the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam. SGT

All banks to list shares in 2020? Impossible mission Not all commercial banks will list their shares on the bourses by the end of the year as required by the government.
WATERLOO REGION  The province is joining with the federal government to provide $234.6 million in funding to support the reopening of Ontario child care centres in September.

In a news conference Friday morning, Premier Doug Ford outlined a plan that would provide financial support to child care operators, EarlyON Child and Family Centres, and First Nations Child and Family Programs to increase cleaning and infection control and ensure staff have access to personal protective equipment.

The provincial plan is to have child care centres open at full capacity with additional safety measures, starting in September.

Were confident these plans will allow both schools and child care centres to reopen safely, Ford said, noting the plan is based on advice from medical experts.

The additional measures include frequent cleaning of the centres, screening children and staff, requiring staff to wear masks, maintaining records and ensuring frequent hand washing and hygiene.

Child care centres will also need to have a plan in place for what to do in case of an outbreak, Ford said.

The money is part of the Safe Restart Agreement announced by the federal government last month. On July 16, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more than $19 billion would be given to provinces to support restarting the economy.

Of that pool of money, $7 billion was to be given to Ontario to support families and communities, Ford said.

Minister of Education Stephen Lecce said the funding will flow in short order, allowing child care operators to open at full capacity with these additional safety measures in place by Sept. 1.

Child care centres can also use the funding to help offset any revenue lost due a lack of capacity, Lecce said.
The House of Representatives on Thursday summoned a former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, her successor, Zainab Ahmed, and the Humanitarian Minister, Sadiya Umar Farouq, over the spending of N1.7 trillion on the implementation of the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) between 2016  2019.

Also invited are the current and former permanent secretaries including desk officers at the National Social Investment Office (NSIO) involved in the budgetary execution of the social intervention programmes within the four-year period review.

They are all to appear before the House Committee on Public Procurement headed by Oluwole Oke, PUNCH reports.

In his presentation, the Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, who appeared before an investigative hearing into the audit queries on the financial activities of the NSIPs, said before the scheme was moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, payment for the programmes were signed from the National Social Investment Office.

Mr Agba, however, gave a breakdown of the N1.7tn appropriated for the NSIPs, saying that only N619.142bn was released and N560.914bn was utilised.

According to him, a balance of N58.227bn was handed over to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.

He also explained that N32.088bn was released for Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, (GEEP); N20.59bn for Conditional Cash Transfer, (CCT); N149.965bn for Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, (HGSFP) N355.846bn for Job Creation Unit, while N2.428bn was released for Social Investment Programme (General).

READ ALSO:

Prior to the handing over to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, requests for payments for all types of expenditures in respect of any of the programmes of NSIP emanated from the National Social Investment Office situated under the Office of the Vice President.

Nigerias finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed [PHOTO: Pulse.ng]

Requests for payments from the NSIO office were signed by the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment. Funds for the programmes are domiciled in (the) Central Bank of Nigeria Account Number 0020208461037, Mr Agba said.

The official, however, stated that he was not the finance minister between 2016 and 2017.

Dissatisfied, the house committee chairman summoned the current and former minister over the negligence by all the desk officers to provide the procurement records.

Mr Oke also alleged that the Special Assistant to the President on Home School Feeding Programme, Dotun Adebayo provided misleading information on the NSIP account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

We gave you powers, pursuant to our various appropriation Acts, to spend money, no problem. We are only asking you, based on the project audit, to retire. Give us records. It is as simple as that, Mr Oke said.

Youve given us records of N-Power. Nobody is arguing with you over N-Power. We can see the names of beneficiaries of N-Power; nobody is making noise about it.

As members, we can feel the N-Power beneficiaries in the various local government areas and constituencies; nobody is asking you questions about it. But Dotun claimed that (the) Auditor-General said they spent N191bn and we are asking him to retire same. It is as simple as that.

Sadiya Umar-Farouq [PHOTO: Vanguard]

Give us records, what you did with N191bn. Who did you pay to? That is the question we are asking. We should be able to report to Nigerians. That is what we are asking for. Give us the procurement report and that ends there.

Mr Oke also said the committee members will, as from next Monday, visit their states and federal constituencies to verify the beneficiaries of various NSIP programmes and submit their reports.

The NSIP include the school feeding programme for primary school pupils, the N-Power for jobless graduates, the conditional cash transfer for elderly vulnerable Nigerians, and the government empowerment programme that includes tradermoni  giving microloans to small-scale traders.

The programme started under the control of the Vice President but since the commencement of the second tenure of the Buhari administration, Ms Sadiya has been in charge.
The head of the World Health Organization hopes the United States leadership will reconsider its departure from the UN health agency.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the US was well recognized both for its generosity and support of global health projects in the past.

You cannot defeat this virus in a divided world, Tedros said of a country that contributes more than $450 million to the agency every year.

Also read| Covid-19: What you need to know today

When I was a minister in Ethiopia, when HIV/AIDS was ravaging the whole continent of Africa...its the U.S. generosity and leadership that gave hope to individuals, gave hope to families and gave hope to nations, Tedros said.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused WHO of botching its response to the coronavirus and said it colluded with China in the pandemics early stages to cover up the extent of the outbreak.

WHO had denied that and recently start a probe into the global response to the pandemic.
In the latest development regarding Sushant Singh Rajputs case, the CBI has registered an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty, her parents, and her brother Showik, apart from two others for suspected offences of criminal conspiracy, abetment of suicide, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal intimidation.

CBI registers FIR against Rhea Chakraborty, Indrajit Chakraborty, Sandhya Chakraborty, Showik Chakraborty, Samuel Miranda, Shruti Modi, and others in connection with #SushantSinghRajput's death case. pic.twitter.com/KEy7iCegcv  ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2020

Meanwhile, on Friday, as per reports, Rhea's plea to postpone her questioning in the Sushant Singh Rajput investigation was rejected by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which said it would wait for her till 11.30 AM and put out fresh summons if she didn't show up.



The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating the money-laundering angle in Sushants case and has also claimed that she has crores worth of property under her name.

Rhea had made a plea for her questioning to be deferred citing an ongoing Supreme Court hearing on her petition.

"She has requested a postponement of the recording of her statement because of the Supreme Court hearing,"

Rhea Chakraborty's lawyer Satish Maneshinde said this morning. Citing sources, NDTV reported that Enforcement Directorate said the request had been turned down.

Earlier, Sushants father had registered an FIR against Rhea accusing her of having a hand in Sushant's death, which includes allegations of extortion of money and abetment of suicide among others.

"I tried many times to reach out to my son but Rhea and her family members did not allow me to talk,"

Sushant's father had also said this in his FIR.

Sushant died by suicide on June 14 at his Mumbai residence, according to the Mumbai police.

The Enforcement Directorate had asked Rhea Chakraborty to appear by 11.30 am today in Mumbai for questioning in the money laundering case it has filed over what it calls "suspicious transactions" worth Rs 15 Crore. The agency, which investigates financial crimes, took note of an FIR by Bihar Police based on a complaint by Sushant's family.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is hearing Rhea's petition to transfer the Bihar case to Maharashtra. The Mumbai Police has questioned over 50 people on allegations that the actor was suffering from depression and had felt sidelined in the Bollywood industry.

A crack CBI unit that has investigated high-profile crimes like the Vijay Mallya case has taken charge of this case and has named Rhea among five accused. The FIR read as, The investigation of FIR No. 241/2020 dated 25.07.2020 registered u/s 341, 342, 380, 406, 420, 306, 506, 120B IPC, PS- Rajiv Nagar, District-Patna, related to the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has been transferred to Central Bureau of Investigation for investigation.

A regular case is therefore registered u/s 341, 342, 380, 406, 420, 306, 506, 120B IPC against (1) Rhea Chakraborty and her family members (2) Shri Indarjit Chakraborty, (3) Smt. Sandhya Chakraborty, (4) Sh. Showik Chakraborty, (5) Sh Samuel Miranda, and (6 ) Mrs. Shruti Modi and others, the CBI FIR states further.

Well, whats worth pointing out is that Rhea Chakraborty, who has denied all charges, had called for a CBI probe earlier but said yesterday that the agency's investigation at this point will be "totally illegal and beyond any known legal principles, affecting the Federal Structure of the Nation."

Now, only time will bring out the truth in this case.
Students of Caleb University who paid accommodation fees are to be reimbursed in full, the university has said.

Addressing a press conference in Lagos Friday, Nosa Owens-Ibie, the vice-chancellor, said the universitys e-portal had been opened earlier in the year in anticipation of resumption.

But when it became apparent that schools would not resume physically due to the pandemic, students were told to stop paying, Mr Owens-Ibie, a professor of communication, told journalists.

Anybody that paid for accommodation can have their money back or carry it forward. The records are there, he said.

There are a number of students who have not paid a kobo of the tuition fee and we granted them access. Some have paid only N50,000 some have paid half and we granted them access. When we started, every student was mandated to join the platform whether they had paid or not.

The vice-chancellors position came following the complaints of parents of more than 100 students in the university over the fees paid by their wards.

Last month, PREMIUM TIMES reported how the parents wrote to the university questioning the payment for hostel accommodation and other services that were not provided as a result of the COVID -19.

READ ALSO:

Other issues raised by the parents include the demand for payment of full of tuition fees during the pandemic, migration of students to the online platform without the knowledge of parents, and making decisions on a Parent Forum which comprises less than 7 per cent of the university among others.

Mr Owens-Ibie said the school has only one parent forum which every parent is encouraged to be part of.

We cant have two. As we speak, the parents forum is building a medical centre for us and that is what we are saying, the parents should be our partner in progress.

He said the school has created some applications on Google Play store to further bridge the communication gap between the school and the parents. He said the applications will soon be available on Apple store.

As at July 9, we launched two apps on Google Play store, Caleb Watch and Caleb Comment. The Caleb Watch is a health and security app. Every staff and student is supposed to download it. It also serves to protect our students because there is a whistleblower feature there.

The Caleb Comment is for communication for parents and Alumni. Any parent who wants to get across to the school can use those apps that we have thought about since last year, he said.

E-learning platform

On the e-learning platform, the vice-chancellor said it was created to avoid interruption with the institutions academic calendar during the Coronavirus lockdown.

The e-learning platform is a product of necessity but we are happy that we did not miss a school day out of the semester. We started on schedule and will be ending the semester on schedule. We had all our classes online, both undergraduate and postgraduate classes.

Apart from academic activities, Mr Owens-Ibie said the students carried out some of their extracurricular activities online.

On July 17, we inaugurated out SRC. The campaign, manifesto, election and all that are things we believe students should engage in, even though we are a private university. We did all of it online.

Theres something our Final year students do. The final year thanksgiving service. They did it. The choir performed and everything was done online, he said.

He added that the platform had only 8% of the students population when they started but has grown to almost 100% now, despite the glitches of network irregularities and other technical issues.
The findings have implications in many countries including India, where new reported cases are fluctuating, but overall, still on the rise.

In a new study of over 300 COVID-19 patients in South Korea, researchers have found that those with and without symptoms are equally likely to transmit the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. They found roughly the same amounts of SARS-CoV-2 virus in the noses, mouths and lungs of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients as they did in others with cough and fever.

The researchers studied 303 patients, with a median age of 25, that were in isolation at a treatment facility in Cheonan, South Korea. The participants were all isolated when they tested positive for the virus, and were monitored for symptoms of COVID-19 like fever, as well as how much virus was in their sputum  an indication of the lungs in the nose, throat and lungs.

Based on their findings, reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, the researchers suggest that infected people should be isolated regardless of how weak or severely the external symptoms of COVID-19 manifest.

The study offers evidence in the consequential debate about how contagious asymptomatic COVID-19 patients really are. Currently, most health experts working around COVID-19 are doing so with the notion that symptomatic people are more contagious.

Theres been this big question pretty much since January, since data started coming out of China, about people that were asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic," Jason Kindrachuk, a virologist at the University of Manitoba told the New York Times. "What we havent really had any clue of yet is what role people who are asymptomatic play in transmission of disease."

There has also been much debate and confusion around the two subgroups that fall under the COVID-19 "asymptomatics" category  the "pre-symptomatic" group that is infected but yet to manifest symptoms, and the "asymptomatic" who seem healthy throughout the course of a COVID-19 infection.

The difference between these two camps is highlighted by the researchers for the first time in such a large study  truly asymptomatic people shed as much virus from their nose, throat and lungs, and for almost as long, as symptomatic COVID-19 patients.

Since asymptomatic patients contained as much of the virus in their noses and throats, they were just as likely to spread the infection  a finding that has important consequences in guidelines and policymaking around COVID-19 transmission and prevention.

"The real strength of the study is, they have a very large number of patients, and they have very good follow-up," Marta Gaglia, a virologist at Tufts University in Massachusetts who was not involved in the work told NYT.

The findings emphasize the importance of ramping up testing and contact tracing so people without symptoms can isolate sooner, and stop the chain of transmission. This is a concern in many countries including India, where the number of new cases being reported every day is in fluctuation, but overall, still on the rise.
The crash of Air India Express flight IX 1344 has again brought the DGCA under the scanner. The industry regulator, aviation experts say, has been guilty of addressing the symptom, but not the cause.

"Aviation safety in India is truly at the nadir with the unfortunate accident," said Amit Singh, an industry veteran and Fellow of London's Royal Aeronautical Society.

Writing about the incident in his aviation blog Avobanter, Singh pointed out that the accident is a culmination of flawed investigations.

"After 22nd May 2010 when the Air India Express B737 crashed at Mangalore, there was a thorough investigation with numerous recommendations. Unfortunately, a year down the line all was forgotten," he said.

The 2010 crash in Mangalore, which like Kozhikode has a table-top airport, had left more than 150 people dead.

Singh pointed out that during the 2019 monsoon, there was a spate of runway excursions. Moneycontrol reported that 41 pilots had been suspended for their actions that led to 'serious accidents.' That was a huge jump from just 11 suspensions over the same period in 2018.

"Instead of determining the root cause, the regulator decided to address the symptom. They cracked the whip and suspended more than 40 pilots. A proud regulator made a statement that cracking the whip worked and there were no SOP violations in December 2019," says Singh.

He listed the problems:

1. The policymakers have no understanding of risk analysis and safety management systems.

2. Investigations are flawed and no action is taken against the real culprits.

3. There are no human factor experts to understand why the error passes through all the barriers to end up in an accident.
Prince Andrew's ex-girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey today claimed Ghislaine Maxwell used her as 'bait' to entertain Jeffrey Epstein's friends, saying the paedophile 'kind of sat back and sort of waited for her to sort of go fishing'. The 44-year-old socialite and former 'It Girl', who is the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol and the Duke of York's former love interest, first met the pair 20 years ago and said she was 'really young and naive' at the time. ITV released a clip to MailOnline ahead of tonight's 'Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile' documentary which also featured Lady Victoria describing Maxwell and Epstein as like 'Batman and Robin' and a 'double act'. She said: 'Jeffrey was really the frontman and Ghislaine was the accomplice. It was kind of like a Batman and Robin, and they were a double act. I don't think Jeffrey could have done any of it without Ghislaine.' Presenter Ranvir Singh said: 'And Ghislaine was crucial to getting those girls, was she, do you think to those dinners?' Lady Victoria replied: 'I think he just kind of sat back and sort of waited for her to sort of go fishing and go find however many girls were needed, you know, to entertain his friends. I think I was pretty much used as bait. You know, looking back at, you know I was really young and naive, and she's entertaining these, you know, big businessmen. So I didn't realise it of course at the time, but looking back...' Also pictured: Lady Victoria with Prince Andrew in London in 2002, and with Ghislaine Maxwell in Hollywood in 2004.
A new military alliance of rebel groups in northern Syria aims to consolidate military control over Idlib province, the western part of Aleppo province and parts of Latakia province, according to a Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander.

Two sources from FSA have confirmed to Al Jazeera that the new military operation room, under discussion, will be supported by the Friends of Syria  a coalition of the US, Turkey, Western European and Gulf states  which have supported the Northern Fronts operations room, known by its Turkish acronym MOM.

The commander said that the rebel forces will fight against the Syrian regime in northern Syria. He denied media reports that their goal would be to attack Hayet Tahrir al-Sham, a Salafist alliance dominated by Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS, formerly known as al-Nusra Front) which formally renounced its affiliation to al-Qaeda in 2016.

The FSA commander confirmed that the funding and logistical support for rebel factions in northern Syria which the CIA froze in February have been restored to a certain extent.

Another FSA source told Al Jazeera that Turkey and the US are still to decide what form the new rebel command will assume and added that pressure is exerted on other rebel factions to join it. He also said that in January the CIA told FSA factions it was funding not to join the Moscow-sponsored Astana talks in which Turkey participated along with Russia, Iran and the Syrian regime. High-level US officials did not attend the talks.

READ MORE: The battle for Raqqa explained

The FSA is a loose umbrella of what are seen as moderate rebel groups. Previous attempts to establish unified command failed as the FSA succumbed to factionalism and internal disagreements.

Among the groups joining the new formation are Failaq al-Sham as well as FSA-affiliated Tajamo Fastaqim, Jaish al-Mujahideen and Jaish Idlib. Fadlallah Haji from Failaq al-Sham has been chosen as its leader.

In January, a number of these groups, including Tajamo Fastaqim and Jaish al-Mujahideen, joined the ranks of the influential Islamist Ahrar al-Sham movement seeking its protection from attacks by JFS.

While Ahrar al-Sham has not yet clarified its position on the newly formed unified command, according to Syrian analyst Ahmad Aba Zeid, those factions will continue their association with the movement.

Syrian analyst Mohamed al-Abdullah told Al Jazeera that Ahrar al-Sham might be a key factor in the success of the unified command.

Ahrar al-Sham will be the factor making or breaking this unification. If Ahrar al-Sham refuses to join, I dont think this [unification attempt] will be successful. As we all know, Ahrar al-Sham is the main military force in the region, he said.

Abdullah also explained that the rebel factions do not have much of a choice about joining the new operations room and that not doing so would mean a confrontation with the US.

The move to unify rebel factions in northern Syria came just a few days after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Turkey. Earlier last week, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced the end of Turkeys Euphrates Shield operation in Syria, suggesting there might be future operations with Turkish involvement in Syria.





According to Aba Zeid, it is possible that the new unified command is part of negotiations between the US and Turkey in which the participation of Turkish-backed Syrian forces in the battle for Raqqa is also on the table.

Ankara and Washington have disagreed on how to proceed with the anti-ISIL operation in Syria and specifically the capturing of Raqqa. Turkey has protested US support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and their likely alliance for the battle for Raqqa. Ankara considers the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), which dominates the SDF, a terrorist organisation and has argued that Kurdish domination of Raqqa would be problematic for the majority of Arab residents of the city.

OPINION: Implications for a Syrian transition under Assad

In March, US troops were deployed in Manbij, east of the territory controlled by Turkish forces and their FSA allies in northern Syria, in order to stop their progress eastward and prevent clashes with the SDF.

Abdul Majeed Barakat, political adviser of FSA forces which were included in the Euphrates Shield operation, told Al Jazeera that Turkey had planned a unified rebel army under the name Al Jaish Al Watani or Jaish Al Tahrir. That force was supposed to lead a second phase of Turkeys operations in Syria which was to focus on Idlib province. Barakat said that a number of meetings were held in Ankara between the Turkish authorities and rebel commanders to discuss the issue.

According to the FSA commander, an agreement could not be reached on how to form an army out of all the factions that participated in the meetings and, therefore, the decision was made to have a unified command under the support of the MOM.
Lixian Yu has been the CEO of China Nonferrous Gold Limited (LON:CNG) since 2017, and this article will examine the executive's compensation with respect to the overall performance of the company. This analysis will also look to assess whether the CEO is appropriately paid, considering recent earnings growth and investor returns for China Nonferrous Gold.

View our latest analysis for China Nonferrous Gold

How Does Total Compensation For Lixian Yu Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?

Our data indicates that China Nonferrous Gold Limited has a market capitalization of UK61m, and total annual CEO compensation was reported as US$228k for the year to December 2019. That's a notable decrease of 23% on last year. Notably, the salary of US$228k is the entirety of the CEO compensation.

For comparison, other companies in the industry with market capitalizations below UK153m, reported a median total CEO compensation of US$196k. From this we gather that Lixian Yu is paid around the median for CEOs in the industry. Furthermore, Lixian Yu directly owns UK47k worth of shares in the company.

Component 2019 2018 Proportion (2019) Salary US$228k US$296k 100% Other - - - Total Compensation US$228k US$296k 100%

On an industry level, roughly 64% of total compensation represents salary and 36% is other remuneration. On a company level, China Nonferrous Gold prefers to reward its CEO through a salary, opting not to pay Lixian Yu through non-salary benefits. If total compensation veers towards salary, it suggests that the variable portion - which is generally tied to performance, is lower.

A Look at China Nonferrous Gold Limited's Growth Numbers

Over the last three years, China Nonferrous Gold Limited has shrunk its earnings per share by 7.6% per year. Its revenue is up 174% over the last year.

The decrease in earnings could be a concern for some investors. But on the other hand, revenue growth is strong, suggesting a brighter future. It's hard to reach a conclusion about business performance right now. This may be one to watch. 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 China Nonferrous Gold Limited Been A Good Investment?

Since shareholders would have lost about 7.9% over three years, some China Nonferrous Gold Limited investors would surely be feeling negative emotions. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.

In Summary...

China Nonferrous Gold rewards its CEO solely through a salary, ignoring non-salary benefits completely. As we noted earlier, China Nonferrous Gold pays its CEO in line with similar-sized companies belonging to the same industry. However, revenues have increased over the past year, a positive sign for the company. In contrast, over the same time span, shareholder returns are negative. EPS growth is also negative, adding insult to injury. We'd say CEO compensation isn't unfair, but shareholders may be wary of a bump in pay before the company substantially improves overall performance.

We can learn a lot about a company by studying its CEO compensation trends, along with looking at other aspects of the business. That's why we did our research, and identified 4 warning signs for China Nonferrous Gold (of which 2 make us uncomfortable!) 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.
TEHRAN, Iran Irans foreign ministry on Friday expressed indifference to the change in the Trump administrations top envoy for Iran, alleging that the new U.S. official in the post would be no different from his predecessor.

The envoy, Brian Hook announced his departure on Thursday, a day after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. would call for a U.N. Security Council vote next week on a resolution to indefinitely extend the arms embargo on Iran, which is due to expire in October.

That resolution is expected to fail amid widespread international opposition, setting the stage for a showdown between the U.S. and the other Security Council members over the reimposition of all international sanctions on Iran.

Hook, who gave no reason for his stepping down, is to be replaced by Elliott Abrams, a noted hawk on numerous policy issues who is the U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, a close Iran ally.

Irans semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the foreign ministrys spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, as saying Friday that there is no difference between Brian Hook and Elliott Abrams."

Where the U.S. policy toward Iran is concerned, American officials have bitten off more than they can chew, Mousavi said.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, also welcomed Hooks departure. Iranian officials routinely claim President Donald Trumps maximum pressure" campaign on Iran has failed.

Since withdrawing the U.S. from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal two years ago, Trump has steadily ratcheted up pressure on Iran by imposing penalties on countries importing Iranian oil, declaring its Revolutionary Guard a foreign terrorist organization and killing a top commander of the paramilitary organization this year in a missile strike in Iraq.

Sanctions on Iranian crude exports, the main source of foreign revenue, have sent Irans economy into free fall.

On Friday, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, vice-president in charge of the budget and planning, said that Iran has in recent months met only 6% of its goal for oil revenue. He did not give further details.

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
To Poppy Noor at The Guardian:

Dear Poppy: I just read your article regarding the Billionaire Calculator. I would like to offer you a new perspective. I am not a billionaire, nor have I met one but I want to assure you that as one of 328.4 million Americans you wield as much power as any billionaire on the planet. Here's how:

$1 billion  328.4 million Americans (current U.S. population) = $3.05

You are part of a collective! So is Mr. Bezos. He is one person - period. If there is a worthy cause that you hold dear - and you need to raise $1 billion - ask others to donate their fair share - $3.05 - and provide a link to an official donation site.

Not every American will be able to donate - some are children and unless they want to contribute from their baby college fund, weekly allowance or paper route earnings they won't be contributing. Some Americans are incarcerated, they are unlikely to have income available. Some are in nursing homes whose earning years are past now. Today there are millions of Americans who are unemployed - many or most of whom face food insecurity. In no way does any of that lessen your ability to effect change!

I would appreciate it if you could use your platform to share that formula for success. Each of us are wealthy - most never know it.

Very kindest regards,

Connie Jackson


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Linkedin Made Anthony Iswara (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 10:04 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3f32a 1 World COVID-19,pandemic,UNESCAP,Armida-S-Alisjahbana,poverty,health,vulnerable,vulnerable-groups Free

The United Nation's secretary-general issued a policy brief on Thursday commending Southeast Asia for acting swiftly against COVID-19. But it warns that these early successes must be translated into addressing the serious socioeconomic setbacks that threaten to further deepen inequalities across the region. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) executive secretary Armida S. Alisjahbana talked with The Jakarta Posts Made Anthony Iswara through a teleconference call about the reports findings and recommendations for Indonesias COVID-19 response.

Question: UNESCAP's latest report highlights the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on vulnerable groups in Southeast Asia. What are some of your concerns for Indonesia, specifically, on how the pandemic will affect the country in the months to come?

Answer: The impact, especially the socioeconomic impact, hits the vulnerable groups the hardest.

Vulnerable groups are those that are just a little above the poverty line and are prone to falling into poverty due to external shocks from the pandemic. It also includes women because not only do they work in the informal sector but they also have to share the burden of taking care of the family.

Other groups include people with disabilities and migrant workers, who are returning to the villages because there are no jobs in the city. And you can imagine, this is not only in Indonesia but also in all countries.

The pandemic might also have an extraordinary impact on education in Indonesia. Imagine how many students there are who have to suddenly go online but are not ready because they do not have access to enough electricity for their laptop use. Some of them do not even have mobile phones.

So aside from the socioeconomic impact, I specifically highlight that education especially concerns the younger generation  not only for Indonesia, of course. If it is prolonged with inequality in access to information and technology infrastructure, this pandemic will have a big impact. Therefore, we must pay special attention to this.

The report includes Indonesia among countries that are vulnerable in times of viral outbreak due to its weak health system. What are some of the flaws that Indonesia's health system still needs to work on in the face of the pandemic?

I refer to the indicators in the report for the health system, including the number of doctors, nurses, midwives and hospital beds per 10,000 people and health expenditure as of 2016. We are at the lower-medium or the low category in terms of COVID-19 preparedness.

The reason why containment in Indonesia and many other countries is still unsuccessful is because of population mobility issues, and it is very difficult for large countries like Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to contain the virus. These are countries with a large population, a health system similar to Indonesia, high population mobility and high population density in cities. As a result, the virus easily spreads, so as long as they do not overcome these issues, it will be difficult for them to contain the virus.

It can also be compared with Southeast Asian countries that are doing better and have a large population, such as Thailand, which has been relatively good at handling COVID-19. Malaysia, even though at the beginning there was a grand tabligh (religious gathering) that worsened the virus spread, had since overcome it well too. Then, theres also Vietnam.

Taking into consideration the local context, how should Indonesia plan its recovery for a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive future?

In the national context, Indonesia has to prepare itself  and I think this is very clear in the policy brief  to seek ways to tackle inequality. Simply put: Go back to the basics. This pandemic teaches us to go back to the basics and address them.

Therefore, all basic infrastructure services have to be addressed and this is all included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For example, how can you ask someone to wash their hands regularly if they don't even have clean water? How can people carry out online learning without enough access to electricity?

Then theres the digital divide. This includes infrastructure access and literacy among small and medium enterprises so that they can sell their products online, as well as teachers for education, and the change of mindset. And this needs investments.

There is also greening the economy at all levels. It needs to be internalized starting from the planning. Specific to Indonesia, green recovery can include oceans in addition to land as it is a country with an archipelago.

Going forward, how should Indonesia approach its regional partnerships to accelerate the containment of COVID-19 in the region?

We appreciate Indonesia for taking many initiatives, including in the ASEAN context. And ASEAN has also been doing well. Indonesia has also partnered with a number of groups of countries that have the same interests and commitments as Indonesia for breakthroughs, such as vaccines.

There's also a broader context of Indonesia, ASEAN and the rest of the Asia-Pacific. As the regional commission for the Asia-Pacific, we are welcoming, inviting and looking forward to Indonesian leadership and participation for several of our initiatives, especially to build back better on the way to recovery.
More Freebie Bus Money

KCATA receives nearly $8 million grant to update operations facility KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is getting a boost from the Federal Transit Administration to the tune of nearly $8 million. Officials announced the grant, which totals $7.98 million, on Thursday. The money can be used to "replace, rehabilitate and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities."

Recount Across The Bridge

Clay County initiates election recount after 'programming error' The Clay County election directors on Thursday initiated a machine recount of roughly 44,000 ballots after errors in at least six races from Tuesday's election.

Rock Chalk Testing Ordered

KU will mandate initial COVID-19 testing for campus community, Girod says Story updated at 7:24 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5: The University of Kansas will mandate that all students, staff and faculty members who are able to return to campus take a free saliva-based COVID-19 test, Chancellor Douglas Girod announced Wednesday. The tests, which will be administered before the semester begins Aug.

Hottie Summer Celebration

Kimberley Garner is a dream in tangerine as she hits St Tropez beach She jetted to the sun-soaked South of France last week after lockdown travel restrictions eased. And Kimberley Garner looked as though she was having a ball on her European summer jaunt as she cooled off at a bar on Pampelonne Beach in St Tropez on Wednesday.

Former First Lady Feeling Kinda Blue

Michelle Obama says she has 'low-grade depression' Former US First Lady Michelle Obama has said she is suffering from "low-grade depression" because of the pandemic, racial injustice and the "hypocrisy" of the Trump administration. She said managing "emotional highs and lows" required "knowing yourself" and "the things that do bring you joy".

TKC Fact Check: Prez Winner Will Likely Start New War

Trump advisers hesitated to give military options and warned adversaries over fears he might start a war Amid escalating tensions with both North Korea and Iran, President Donald Trump's advisers hesitated to give him military options fearing the President might accidentally take the US to war and deliberately informed their counterparts in both countries that they did not know what the President would do next, multiple former administration officials tell me.

Veep Confronts Cognitive Questions From Conservatives

Joe Biden unable to answer softball questions and media's silence is 'mind-blowing,' says Sarah Sanders It is "shocking" how quiet the mainstream media has been in covering presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's incoherent answers to "softball" questions, former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told " Fox & Friends" Thursday.

USA Awaits Free Money

McConnell believes Dems, GOP will reach virus relief deal 'in the near future' Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not say Thursday when he expects Congress to strike a deal on a fifth coronavirus relief package, but said both Democrats and many Republicans have a "desire" to boost an economy and health-care system ravaged by the pandemic.

Retro TV Comeback

'Who's the Boss?' reboot confirmed by Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano We are waiting on you, Judith Light. Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano say that a reboot of "Who's the Boss?" is in the works.

Summer Tradition Cancelled

Deanna Rose Farmstead will not open in 2020 due to COVID-19 Organizers for a favorite Kansas City-metro area family attraction say because of the coronavirus, it's not safe for them to open this year.The Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in Overland Park, Kansas, announced online Thursday that the farmstead will not open its doors to the public in 2020."The Farmstead is a regional facility that draws visitors from all over," organizers said in a post online.

KC Accepts Care Package

Kansas City's sister city in Taiwan donates masks to Truman Medical Centers KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City, Missouri's sister city in Taiwan presented Truman Medical Centers with a mask donation Thursday morning to help slow the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Tainan is one of a dozen members of the Sister City Association of Kansas City.

Summer 2020: Kansas City Fatty Swim Time For Those With Private Pools!!!

Elephant dives head first into new swimming pool at Kansas City Zoo on live TV KANSAS CITY, Mo. - People aren't the only ones soaking up a little time at the pool this summer. A new exhibit just opened at the Kansas City Zoo, and one elephant is taking full advantage of the featured swimming pool. "He's like any teenage boy.

Hottieis 29 but that's 72 in modeling years, nevertheless we admire her swagger as she inspires this update regarding pop culture, community news and info from across the nation and around the world . . .And this is thefor tonight . . .
Five Factors That Ensure Lukashenka Wins Every Election In Belarus

By Tony Wesolowsky August 06, 2020

Huge crowds of passionate supporters and interested voters greeted Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya across Belarus as her campaign gained momentum ahead of the country's presidential election on August 9.

But few doubt when the election results are announced, the official winner will be Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has won five elections so far -- none but the first deemed free and fair by credible international observers -- and ruled the country for 26 years.

RFE/RL looks at five factors that make Lukashenka virtually impossible to beat.

Early Voting

The Belarusian presidential election is officially slated for August 9, but voting actually started five days before.

The Central Election Commission said on August 4 that all of the country's nearly 7 million eligible voters could vote early, casting ballots at 5,767 polling stations set up in public spaces, including medical facilities and army barracks, and at 44 polling stations abroad.

Early voting by students, soldiers, teachers, and other state employees is encouraged -- sometimes enforced -- and critics says it allows more time to tamper with ballots cast and manipulate the outcome.

The parliamentary elections in November 2019 provided a glaring glimpse of alleged fraud in early voting: An independent observer filmed a woman who tried to stuff a pile of ballots into a box at a polling station in the western city of Brest.

The video sparked outrage, but nothing was done. The observer who did the filming, however, was sharply criticized by Central Election Commission (TsKV) chief Lidzia Yarmoshyna.

Commission Control

Yarmoshyna has headed the TsKV for 23 years. She has presided over the process each time Lukashenka, first elected in 1994, has secured a new term: in 2001, 2006, 2010, and 2015.

Yarmoshyna replaced Viktar Hanchar, who was fired by Lukashenka in 1996 after he refused to certify results of a referendum that expanded Lukashenka's power. Hanchar disappeared in 1999, one of up to 30 Lukashenka opponents or perceived foes who went missing around that time. In 2001, the U.S. State Department said it found "credible" allegations that Lukashenka or those close to him had been involved in the disappearances. The cases have never been solved.

When confronted with the news of the alleged ballot box stuffing attempt in Brest in the 2019 parliamentary elections, Yarmoshyna expressed outrage, saying the observer who filmed the video should be stripped of his accreditation. "It doesn't matter what an observer says," she said. "The most important thing is the ballot box. The truth is determined by the vote count."

During those elections, the opposition did not win any seats. Two opposition members who did have seats in the lower house of the National Assembly -- Hanna Kanapatskaya and Alena Anisim -- were barred from running.

Yarmoshyna's TsKV holds the power to determine who does and who doesn't get on the ballot. In the current presidential campaign, all those would-be candidates said to be the most serious challengers to Lukashenka -- vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, former bank executive Viktar Babaryka, ex-ambassador to Washington Valer Tsapkala, and opposition stalwart Mikalay Statkevich -- were all left off the ballot for reasons their supporters said were trumped up.

Monitors Or No Monitors

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) vote-monitoring arm, ODIHR, announced in July that it would not send a mission to observe the presidential election process because of the lack of a timely invitation from the Belarusian authorities.

It's the first time the ODIHR won't be monitoring a nationwide election in Belarus since 2001.

In past elections, international observers have said they have faced problems, including being blocked by Belarusian officials from carrying out their jobs.

Katia Glod, a political-risk analyst who has been an OSCE monitor at previous Belarusian elections, told Euronews that it was hard to figure out what was going on at polling stations, especially when ballots are being counted.

"You can't see much even at the polling station, you need to be 5 meters away from the counting table," she said. "You don't get to see the ballots because they are encircled by a group of people and counted secretly."

While the OSCE will not have observers on the ground, there will be international monitors from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a Russian-led grouping of former Soviet republics. In the past, CIS observers has never observed an election in Belarus they didn't like.

Belarus will also have its own monitors as well -- more than 48,000 of them, according to the Belarusian rights group Vyasna (Spring). Most are from state-run or state-controlled bodies.

But a few dozen independent observers, including 47 from the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, have been allowed to monitor polling stations. But according to Vyasna, some independent monitors have been blocked and at least 11 reportedly detained since early voting began.

Media

Lukashenka dominates state-run media outlets, which convey his message to the public uncritically.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Lukashenka has used TV appearances to downplay the scale of the problem, dismissing it as a "mass psychosis" and rejecting calls from the World Health Organization (WHO), among others, to institute social-distancing measures.

"The Soviet Union has survived on television," Nadia Buka, a former journalist at Belarusian state-run Capital TV, told Current Time, suggesting that blatant propaganda remains the norm.

Fear

During the current presidential campaign, Lukashenka has suggested that both Russia and Western powers have been plotting to interfere in the election and destabilize Belarus.

In a speech on August 4, he claimed forces abroad had been cooking up plans for a "color revolution" -- a reference to the protests that have toppled governments in Ukraine, Georgia, and other former Soviet republics.

Lukashenka has hinted he would be ready to use the armed forces to stay in power. On June 23, he called on the military to be prepared to suppress civil unrest and "protect sovereignty" from "hybrid threats."

In the past, Lukashenka has repeatedly calling out security forces to quell any postelection unrest -- with "Bloody Sunday," the crackdown that followed the 2010 presidential election, especially violent. More than 600 people were detained, including seven of the candidates.

One of them, Uladzimer Nyaklyaeu, 64, was arrested while lying in a hospital bed after being beaten unconscious by security forces during the protests.

That Was Then

These methods have worked for Lukashenka in the past, but a changed landscape seems to make their reliability this time around less certain.

State media appears not to be the factor it once was, having been left behind by many Belarusians who use and consume social and independent media instead.

The large crowds that have turned out for rallies addressed by Tsikhanouskaya, who has teamed up with the quashed campaigns of Babaryka and Tsapkala, make the election and its aftermath less predictable.

Lukashenka faces a changed populace, one that wants fair elections and responsible governance, Belarusian writer and Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich told RFE/RL's Belarus Service in a recent interview.

"A new generation has grown up [and] middle-aged people have regained their consciousness," she said. "These are not the same people who existed 26 years ago, when Lukashenka began to rule."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/five-factors -that-ensure-lukashenka-wins-every- election-in-belarus/30769963.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Gagged: US President Donald Trump wears a Covid-19 face mask as he talks with workers while touring a Whirlpool washing machine factory in Ohio yesterday. Photo: Joshua Roberts/Reuters

Donald Trump accused social media companies of unfairly censoring him yesterday after Twitter and Facebook removed a video in which he said that children are "almost immune" to Covid-19.

Facebook removed the clip, taken from a Fox News interview, which was posted on the president's official account while Twitter said the Trump campaign's account would be suspended until it took down the footage.

The moves come just three months before the US presidential election and reflect the companies' increased willingness to act on Mr Trump's controversial rhetoric when it breaches their rules as the campaign heats up.

In the Fox News phone interview, Mr Trump said: "If you look at children, children are almost - and I would almost say definitely - but almost immune from this disease."

While children are widely believed to be at lower risk of catching Covid-19 than adults, they are not immune, with close to 2pc of early cases in the US being found in people aged under 18.

Mr Trump lashed out at social media companies for forcing the removal of the video, accusing them of double standards in an interview on Ohio's WTAM radio station.

Asked by the host, Geraldo Rivera, if he thought he was being unfairly censored, Mr Trump replied: "Oh, of course."

He added: "But they are doing [it to] anybody on the right, anybody, any Republican, any conservative Republican is censored.

"And look at the horrible things they say on the left, they say things that are shocking, I mean shocking how horrible, and they're not censored, they're not talked about. They're able to go ahead and do whatever they want to do, say whatever they want."

A similar critique was heard from Courtney Parella, the White House deputy national press secretary, who said the episode showed "Silicon Valley's flagrant bias against this president". She said Mr Trump "was stating a fact that children are less susceptible to the coronavirus".

Mr Trump's Twitter account has been one of his most prominent means of communication while in office and when running for office. The president has more than 80 million followers and often writes the tweets himself.

But Twitter has shown an increasing willingness to sanction the 74-year-old when he posts something that is deemed to overstep its rules.

In recent weeks, it blocked a Trump tweet that claimed postal or "mail-in" ballots would lead to election fraud and it barred his son Donald Jr from tweeting for 12 hours over a misleading post featuring hydroxychloroquine misinformation.

Facebook has been more reticent in removing Mr Trump's posts, with founder Mark Zuckerberg initially criticising Twitter for similar moves - making the latest decision to remove the content especially notable.

Both companies appear to be sensitive to misleading information about the coronavirus, given the threat the deadly virus poses to Americans.

Explaining the decision to remove the video, Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said: "This video includes false claims that a group of people is immune from Covid-19 which is a violation of our policies around harmful Covid misinformation."

Twitter spokeman Liz Kelley said the tweet was "in violation of the Twitter rules on Covid-19 misinformation". She added: "The account owner will be required to remove the tweet before they can tweet again."

While many children have had milder symptoms from the virus, researchers have found they are able to catch and spread it to other people.

"They get it and can transmit it, but they get it less and transmit it less than adults," said Dr Theodore Ruel, chief of the Division of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the University of California. He said the word "immunity" is incorrect in this context but that children, especially younger ones, are at less risk than adults. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Do you remember reading these words here last week?: I wouldnt want to be a school administrator, even for a million bucks. Wouldnt want to be a school board member either. No matter what they decide, the heads of about half the population are going to explode.

Yes, I was right, although I may have landed a bit shy on the numbers. From what I read, see and hear, Id estimate about 90% of parental heads are exploding.

In this corner are parents who want their kids in school five days a week. Over here sit the parents who dont intend to allow their kids in germ-filled classrooms. Theyre intent on tackling education at home.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

Trend:

Several Armenians who committed provocations against Azerbaijanis in foreign countries have been arrested, the State Committee on Affairs with Diaspora of Azerbaijan told Trend.

The diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan in Belgium and the US are directly involved in bringing the Armenians who committed provocations against Azerbaijanis to criminal responsibility.

In this regard, appeals were accordingly submitted to law enforcement agencies. In the countries where the incidents occurred, there are arrested among the Armenian provocateurs, said the committee.

"The State Committee on Affairs with Diaspora maintains regular contacts with representatives of the diaspora who suffered during the action. Diaspora organizations also spoke out to law enforcement and other relevant bodies about the events, the committee added.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Can Nepal cope with the return of migrant workers? | Richa Shivakoti

by Richa Shivakoti *

With thousands of Nepali migrant workers forced to return home because of COVID-19, the country is facing serious challenges.

29 July 2020

COVID-19 is forcing an unprecedented level of reverse migration of Nepali migrant workers from around the world. The underlining problems related to the dependence on temporary labor migration and remittances is being revealed as the government grapples with immense short and long-term challenges.

Nepali migrant workers have played a vital role in keeping the national economy afloat during times of political instability and conflict as the remittances they send become an essential source of income. Nepal is the fifth-most remittance-dependent economy (in terms of equivalence to GDP) in the world with remittances accounting for 28% of the GDP in 2018 and this pandemic will directly hit this source.

A remittance-based economy has its pitfalls as it is dependent on various local and global issues such as xenophobia, the economy, price of oil, geopolitical tensions and now a global pandemic. COVID-19 is likely to induce a long and pervasive global economic crisis, which will have disastrous consequences for low-paid migrant workers and the welfare of their families, as their source of income dries up.

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The World Bank projects a 20% decline in remittances globally. The targeted growth rate for Nepal has been revised from 8.5% to slow down to 1.5-2.8% for 2020 because of COVID-19. Other impacts will include decreasing foreign exchange earnings for the country, a halt in the tourism industry, increased inequality, and an influx of unemployed migrant workers. The Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (private recruitment agencies) estimates 20-25% of the current Nepali workers abroad to likely return home due to the pandemic.

For Nepali labour migrants, the social and human costs of migration have always been high with reports of 3-4 dead bodies of migrant workers arriving daily. The current global pandemic is magnifying the health and safety risks. There are reports of workers being unemployed, unpaid, and at the mercy of the employers, resulting in them living off their meager savings. The cramped and unsanitary living conditions in the dorms have also come into the limelight as they have proved to be fertile ground for the disease as seen in Singapore and some Gulf states.

The Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies estimates 20-25% of the current Nepali workers abroad to likely return home due to the pandemic

Several destination countries have started offloading foreign workers at this critical time. Amnesty International reported that Qatari authorities detained dozens of Nepali migrant workers in March telling them they were being held for coronavirus tests before deporting them to Nepal. Kuwait is providing amnesty to undocumented workers and will sponsor their tickets back home and waive overstay fines. The United Arab Emirates recently warned of the imposition of strict future restrictions on recruitment of workers from mainly South Asian countries that refuse to take back their nationals. They are also considering suspending signed memoranda of understanding.

As fears of the pandemic grew, the Nepal government announced a nationwide lockdown on March 24 to curb the spread of COVID-19. The government recently announced its decision to lift the nationwide lockdown from July 21, with the resumption of domestic and international flights from August 17. By July 27, there were 18,613 confirmed coronavirus cases and 45 deaths in Nepal.

The two main avenues for returning Nepali migrants are either though the international airport in Kathmandu or via the open border between Nepal and India. The policies and support in place for these two groups have been considerably different so far.

Nepali migrant workers coming from India struggled to get back as India announced its own nationwide lockdown from March 25. Many walked hundreds of miles through the Indian lockdown and finally came to the border towns but were then denied entry to Nepal. The government belatedly (after two months) designated 20 border points to enter the country.

The inability to have suitable quarantine facilities for returning migrants also means that the virus is spreading to remote corners of the country

The governments policy has been to transport them to their home districts, where they are expected to be quarantined in camps run by local authorities. However, municipal and provincial governments have been overwhelmed and state that they do not have the resources and personnel to create quarantine facilities according to the WHO standards.

For migrants returning via the airport, 20 holding centers have been set up in Kathmandu, after which they will be transported to their home province for further quarantine and self-isolation. Repatriation of Nepalese stranded abroad started from June 5 and the first phase expects to bring back 25,000 Nepalis with priority given to vulnerable groups. The governments announcement that migrant workers wanting to return have to pay for their own tickets and for quarantine costs was criticized and challenged at court. The Supreme Court issued an interim order to the government to use the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund (a collective insurance program) to repatriate Nepali workers stranded abroad. In response, the government has finalized guidelines to repatriate stranded workers and will pay for the return tickets through the fund.

For an airborne disease that can rapidly spread in crowded and closed spaces, the long difficult journeys though different modes of transportation make migrants more vulnerable to it. The inability to have suitable quarantine facilities for returning migrants also means that the virus is spreading to remote corners of the country, which will have disastrous consequences for the rural countryside with poor health systems in place.

More needs to be done to support both shortterm and long-term reintegration of migrants as Nepal and all destination countries are simultaneously affected by this pandemic and its rippling shocks.

* (Author: Richa Shivakoti is a senior research associate at the CERC in Migration and Integration at Ryerson University)

(Courtesy OpenDemocracy | This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence)
Fotolia

A Houston stepmom and her son have been ordered to pay nearly $13 million in restitution after they were convicted of an elaborate scheme to swindle a California bank out of more than $6 million, U.S. Attorney Ryan K Patrick announced in a Thursday press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office

Southern District of Texas. The scheme resulted in the bank's largest fraud loss in the bank's 113-year history.

United States Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez said in the press release the high-profile Houston case was a tale of "greed and deception." If you've ever heard the words "what a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive," this bank fraud case takes that sentiment to a whole new level.
Grass Valley, California--(Newsfile Corp. - August 7, 2020) - Rise Gold Corp. (CSE: RISE) (OTCQX: RYES) (the "Corporation") announces that it intends to raise US$250,000 through the issuance of an additional 333,333 units (each a "Unit") upon the same terms as provided for in the recently concluded private placement on July 31, 2020, with each Unit comprising one share of common stock (a "Share") and one-half of one share purchase warrant at a price of US$0.75 per Unit (the "Private Placement"). Each whole warrant (a "Warrant") entitles the holder to acquire one Share at an exercise price of US$1.00 for a period of two years from the date of issuance.

The issuance of the Units is contingent on the approval of an increase to the Corporation's authorized capital from 40,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001 per share to 400,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001 per share. The Corporation is holding a special meeting of holders of shares of common stock to approve the increase to its authorized capital on September 18, 2020, as disclosed in a separate news release disseminated August 7, 2020.

All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to statutory hold periods in accordance with applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. The securities offered have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold absent registration or compliance with an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

About Rise Gold Corp.

Rise Gold is an exploration-stage mining company incorporated in Nevada, USA. The Corporation's principal asset is the historic past-producing Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine located in Nevada County, California, USA. The Idaho-Maryland Gold Mine produced 2,414,000 oz of gold at an average mill head grade of 17 gpt gold from 1866-1955. Historic production at the Idaho-Maryland Mine is disclosed in the Technical Report on the Idaho-Maryland Project dated June 1st, 2017 and available on www.sedar.com.

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On behalf of the Board of Directors:

Benjamin Mossman

President, CEO and Director

Rise Gold Corp.

For further information, please contact:

RISE GOLD CORP.

333 Crown Point Circle, Suite 215

Grass Valley, CA, USA 95945

T: 530.433.0188

info@risegoldcorp.com

www.risegoldcorp.com

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are 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.

Although the Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitation, the impact of the COVID-19 virus and amendments to reporting and other applicable requirements as a result thereof, obtaining all necessary approvals, meeting expenditure and financing requirements, compliance with environmental regulations, title matters, operating hazards, metal prices, political and economic factors, competitive factors, general economic conditions, relationships with vendors and strategic partners, governmental regulation and supervision, seasonality, technological change, industry practices, and one-time events that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information contained in this release. Rise undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements or information except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/61327
PORTLAND, Ore. - Portlands nightly protests turned violent again even after the citys mayor pleaded for demonstrators to stay off the streets and a police officer hit by a rock early Friday suffered what was described as a serious injury.

The protesters who came out Thursday night clashed with officers near a police precinct station and also used metal bars to disable police vehicles, police said in a statement.

The nightly clashes this week have ratcheted up tensions in the city after an agreement was reached last week between state and federal officials for federal agents to pull back from their defence of a federal courthouse that was prevously the focus of the protesters rage.

The strategy initially appeared to calm down the protesters, but violent demonstrations re-emerged on the streets this week, miles away from the courthouse - marking a new phase in the nightly protests for Portland that have happened since May 25, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Tear gas was used by Portland police on protesters Wednesday for the first time since the U.S. agents left the city. On Thursday, Mayor Ted Wheeler warned the protesters clashing with police that you are not demonstrating, you are attempting to commit murder.

He predicted that there would be more attacks on public buildings and the protests then turned violent again Thursday night, with officers lobbing smoke canisters to try to break up the demonstrations.

Officers declared one assembly unlawful, ordering protesters to leave the area around a police precinct station after police said the crowd wanted to vandalize and burn the station.

Two elderly people who tried to stop vandalism at the station were hit with paint, police said in their statement, and media images showed another person trying to prevent the protesters from starting a fire at the station.

During the mayhem, protesters hurled bottles and rocks at officers and demonstrators laid ties made of rebar on the street that caused damage to police vehicles after they ran over them, the police statement said. Several people were arrested, including one person who had a loaded handgun, the statement said.

The officer who was hurt was hit by what authorities described as a large rock. The police statement described the officer as severely hurt but provided no further details.

Wheeler, who was tear-gassed several weeks ago with protesters as he stood with them outside the federal courthouse, warned the demonstrators that they are now reinforcing President Donald Trumps message that anarchists have gone wild in Portland.

Dont think for a moment that if you are participating in this activity, you are not being a prop for the reelection campaign of Donald Trump  because you absolutely are, he said. If you dont want to be part of that, then dont show up.

But the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front, which advertised the Wednesday rally on social media, used Twitter to announce Round 2 of the same demonstration on Thursday night with the slogan No cops. No prisons. Total abolition.

The group, which described itself as a decentralized network of autonomous youth collectives dedicated to direct action towards total liberation, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The clashes between thousands of protesters and U.S. agents sent by the Trump administration to guard the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse stopped after an agreement between Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that called for the agents to begin drawing down their presence in Portlands downtown on July 30.

But after a brief weekend reprieve, protest activity has continued nightly in other parts of the city, with Portland police, local sheriffs deputies and, in some cases, Oregon State Police troopers on the frontlines as demonstrators demand an end to police funding.

Thursday nights protest was in a residential neighbourhood 6 miles (over 9 kilometres) away from the federal courthouse.

Protesters gathered in the same area Wednesday night and shined lasers in officers eyes, disabled exterior security cameras, broke windows and used boards pulled from the building to barricade the doors and start a fire, authorities said. There were 20 sworn officers inside, as well as civilian employees, said Capt. Tony Passadore, who was the incident commander.

____

Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus

Associated Press writer Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.
People waited almost two hours to vote at UCLA Hammer Museum in March 3, 2020. Almost all California counties will offer in-person voting locations on Nov. 3 but with very different rules in response to COVID-19 fears. (Howard Lipin / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Even as California elections officials prepare to mail ballots to all of the state's 21 million voters this fall, they do so with the expectation that some portion of the electorate will still choose to participate in person during the pandemic, requiring a delicate balance between voting rights and public health.

"We are preparing for, I think, the most unprecedented election in modern history," Secretary of State Alex Padilla said. "This is an all hands on deck moment."

After Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order in June outlining new voting location rules  a plan ratified on Thursday by the Legislature  county officials have scrambled to determine how many in-person locations they can muster and how many days they can keep them open. Added to that is uncertainty over whether there will be enough short-term workers who are willing to work more than a single day and also enforce strict coronavirus safety measures.

"I think all counties have struggled a bit," said Brandi Orth, registrar of voters in Fresno County and president of the state association of elections officials. "It is an extreme, additional lift."

Few problems are more pressing than finding locations that meet strict guidelines for physical distancing. The tradition of cramming ballot-marking booths into a neighbor's garage or a room at a senior care facility is, at least for this election, a nonstarter.

A detailed set of instructions written by state officials last month urges at least six feet of space between voting equipment and voter check-in locations. In some tight spots, the guide urges the use of plexiglass partitions. And marked spaces on the floor, similar to those in retail and grocery stores, should be used for voters waiting to cast a ballot.

"There will be lines because you just cant physically put all of those people together," Orth said.

To lessen the chance of long lines, state officials have encouraged counties to offer four days of in-person voting, from Saturday, Oct. 31 through election day. But this too presents problems for communities that have traditionally relied on places of worship or a variety of public buildings for voting locations.

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With physical space and extra time as the primary requirements, some counties are far from securing what they need. Janna Hayes, a spokesperson for Sacramento County, said elections officials have so far found fewer than half the number of voting locations used in the March presidential primary.

"We continue to need community partners, businesses  both public and private locations  school districts, to step up and offer services and locations," Hayes said.

Fifteen California counties, including Sacramento, Los Angeles and Orange, had opted for multi-day voting before the outbreak of the coronavirus. Voters in those counties can use in-person sites for a variety of elections services. But most are unlikely to offer 15 days of in-person voting and focus time and resources on the final leg of the election cycle instead.

"When you look at the data, voters' habits do not change," said Neal Kelley, the registrar of voters in Orange County. "They wait until the weekend before and they go out."

Kelley says his voting centers will be open for five days  in part, to limit the potential coronavirus risks to election workers.

"It doesnt make sense to expose my staff," he said.

Election workers will be expected to follow strict public health rules, including sanitizing voting equipment at each site and wearing gloves and other protective equipment.

But that won't be required of voters.

"Election workers must not turn a voter away for lack of face covering," says the 52-page guide compiled by Padilla's office for local officials. "The right to vote takes precedence."

Voters who arrive without a mask will be offered one, as will anyone wearing a mask with a slogan of support for a candidate, a violation of rules banning electioneering at the polls. And for those who refuse a mask, election officials are expected to designate at least one voting booth far from the others.

With mask mandates sparking angry outbursts in a number of California communities, election workers will be trained in how to limit conflict and ensure safety at the voting site.

"Election workers should be provided with instructions to call the county elections office if they feel threatened or intimidated, if voters feel threatened or intimidated, or if a disturbance of any kind occurs," the state guide says. "Election workers should be instructed to call local law enforcement first if they believe the safety of any person in the polling place is in jeopardy."

In Orange County, a hotbed of anti-mask sentiment, Kelley says he has ordered some 300,000 masks for voting locations and is producing training videos for election workers with detailed instructions on easing any tensions that arise.

"The last thing I want is our staff having to get into a conflict," he said.

Coronavirus precautions will also require a new focus on protecting paper ballots. State officials are asking local workers to post a reminder on signs inside voting locations: Your ballot is fragile; make sure your hands are dry and your sanitizer has evaporated.

In-person voting is not the only challenge for local election officials who expect high turnout and a deluge of absentee ballots dropped off at local drop boxes and election offices or sent in the mail. A special provision has been made for the November election allowing ballots postmarked by election day to be counted even if they arrive 17 days late.

Election workers, who often work in pairs to retrieve ballots from drop boxes as a security measure, will be asked not to travel together and instead follow one another in their own cars. Those paired workers should be kept together to avoid additional mixing, the state guide says, and the keys that open the drop boxes should be disinfected.

Additional space to process and count ballots is also needed, state officials said. In Fresno County, Orth said she's already secured more warehouse space to spread her staff out for the ballot counting process.

There are also fears that election workers might contract COVID-19 either right before or after the election, leading to a slowdown in work or the need for well-trained backup employees.

Orth's team got a preview of what that could look like late last month, after three Fresno County government employees who assist with candidate campaign documents had to quarantine at home for up to two weeks after possible virus exposure.

"We worked long hours to make up for their absence," she said.

The challenges in planning for in-person voting have received little attention, overshadowed by California's high-profile push to encourage as many voters as possible to cast their ballots from home. But some, particularly those who speak a language other than English and those with physical limitations, are still likely to seek out an in-person voting location.

"I dont think those people are going to change just because were mailing them a ballot," said John Gardner, the assistant registrar of voters in Solano County. "Some people like normal. And you dont like making a lot of changes [to election rules] in a presidential election year."

Padilla, whose office championed the effort to mail a ballot to all registered voters, said it's important to make sure everyone finds the manner of voting that suits them best.

"Out of respect to California's large, diverse electorate, we know that in-person options are necessary. They're not optional."
She recently surprised her boyfriend Sam Thompson with a lavish birthday bash.

Yet Zara McDermott hung up her party planning boots on Thursday to return to her favourite pastime - posing for and posting sexy snaps on Instagram.

The Love Island star, 23, looked phenomenal as she showcased her cleavage in a series of bikini-clad shots before also appearing on Sam's grid in a throwback shot from their recent Spanish holiday, in which they put on a steamy display.

Wow! Zara McDermott hung up her party planning boots on Thursday to return to her favourite pastime - posing for and posting sexy snaps on Instagram

Zara and Sam looked like loves young dream in the latest sexy snap as she draped her legs around the hunk while he held on appreciatively.

While standing under the shower, the stunning pair looked incredible, with Sam stating: 'Couldnt wish for a better travel buddy'.

Taking to her own Instagram on Thursday, Zara then posed up a storm in four sexy snaps while sporting a cleavage-boosting white bikini.

Last week, Sam was delighted when Zara arranged a lavish 28th birthday bash for him on a boat in London, after which she bragged of the stunning details.

Wow! Taking to her own Instagram on Thursday, Zara then posed up a storm in four sexy snaps while sporting a cleavage-boosting white bikini

The media personality declared how 'proud' she was of herself for pulling off the Spanish-themed party complete with 'personalised cocktails' and a 'tapas dinner'.

Zara shared a collection of snaps from the boat including blue and gold balloon arches, branded with 'Sam turns 28', and a lavish table complete with flower arrangements and cocktails.

The Love Island contestant tagged the businesses in the Instagram post, including a private chef and bespoke cake company, for helping her organise the birthday bash.

Wow: Over the weekend, the TV star ensured the good times kept rolling on as she threw her boyfriend Sam a lavish 28th birthday party on a boat on London 's River Thames

Things look like they could be getting more serious between Sam and Zara in the not too distant future, amid claims he is planning to propose.

The Sun reports during a screening of Celebs Go Virtual Dating with the cast, agent Paul Brunson told the hunk: 'I have one question, have you proposed to your girlfriend?

'Sam, this is very important, you two are perfect, make that happen, put a ring on it. You need to propose by the end of the year.' The former contestant of the E4 show reportedly replied: 'I will. I actually will.'
Forsan Al-Sharq for Heritage Company will perform their latest work, Raya we Sekina (Raya and Sekina), at the Cairo Opera House's open-air theatre on Tuesday 18 August.

The performance revolves around the famous serial killers, two women who, together with their husbands (and other conspirators), robbed and killed many wealthy women in Alexandria in the early 1900s.

Presented by Egypt's Forsan Al-Sharq Heritage Group and directed by Karima Bedair, the performance premiered in December last year on the stage of Cairo's El-Gomhouria Theatre.

Forsan Al-Sharq (The Knights of the Orient) dance troupe was established in 2009, on the initiative of Farouk Hosni, then minister of culture, with Esmat Yehia as its first artistic director, followed by Walid Aouni. The aim was to introduce Egyptian dance theatre performances that would revive gems from popular heritage, competing with troupes such as Lebanese Caracalla Dance Theatre.

Today, Forsan Al-Sharq operates under the joint supervision of the Cultural Development Fund and the Cairo Opera House.

Programme:

Tuesday 18 August, 8.30pm

Cairo Opera House, open-air theatre, Zamalek, Cairo.
LEBANON  Managers at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home self-reported a suspected case of COVID-19 among staff members on Monday, leading the state Department of Human Services' Office of Aging and People with Disabilities to implement an executive order that includes heightened daily protocols and visitor restrictions.

The test was negative, and the executive order was lifted on Thursday.

A sign on the entry door of the veterans home caused concern among some Lebanon residents, since the facility was the site of the first known COVID-19 cases in Linn County and eight of the countys 10 deaths have been among its residents.

There has not been a confirmed case of COVID-19 at the facility since mid-April.

According to DHS spokeswoman Elisa Williams, staff members who have a suspected COVID-19 infection are placed on leave. Williams said that comprehensive testing is not required until there is a confirmed case, although the facility can choose to initiate staff-wide testing at any time.

If there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 among a direct-care employee, the facility must initiate testing of all staff and residents within 72 hours, Williams said in an email to the Democrat-Herald. Results of any documented testing that is completed after June 1 will also be counted toward the states requirement for a baseline test.

Although the 13-acre complex is owned by the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, it is managed by WestcareHealth Care Management Services, based in Salem. Staff are employed by the management service.

The governors executive order mandates that:

 100% of staff and residents be tested for COVID-19 within 72 hours when a resident or staff member has tested positive for COVID-19.

 Pre-approval is required for admissions and readmissions. Residents cannot be admitted or readmitted without written prior approval of the Department of Human Services' Safety, Oversight and Quality Unit.

 Visitors will be restricted from entering the facility to prevent further spread of the virus and to ensure the health and safety of all residents and the broader community.

 Congregate activities must be restricted.

 Health Care Management Services must provide training on the veterans homes infection control policies and procedures such as how COVID-19 is transmitted from person to person, signs and symptoms of COVID-19, safe coughing and sneezing practices, proper hand washing and hand-sanitation techniques and proper use of personal protective equipment.

 The facility must notify the Department of Human Services any time a resident or staff members COVID-19 status changes.

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MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - England roared back into contention with the ball but Pakistan remained in the driving seat following an intriguing third day of the first test at Old Trafford on Friday.

Pakistan closed the day on 137 for eight in their second innings, an overall lead of 244 on a wearing wicket where the tourists spinners bowled England out for 219 earlier in a fast-moving contest.

Yasir Shah (12 not out) and Mohammad Abbas (0 not out) will look to build Pakistans lead further on the fourth morning and take the game away from their hosts.

Only once before in 81 tests has more than 244 been successfully chased to win at Old Trafford, when England reached 294 for four to defeat New Zealand in 2008.

Centurion from the first innings, Shan Masood was out for a duck second time round, caught behind down the legside off Stuart Broad (2-23), who also removed Shadab Khan (15).

Chris Woakes (2-11) got among the wickets early, picking up captain Azhar Ali (18) and dangerman Babar Azam (5), but was only used for five of the 44 overs in the second innings by captain Joe Root.

Ben Stokes, who did not bowl in the first innings with a quad injury, dismissed Mohammad Rizwan (27) in what was an important breakthrough late on.

Yasir (4-66) was the stand-out performer with the ball during the England innings as he produced prodigious turn that will have him licking his lips for more when England bat last.

The hosts had resumed the day on 92 for four and Ollie Pope (62) looked relatively assured as he moved to his fifth test half-century before 17-year-old Naseem Shah got a delivery to rise sharply off a length, catching the bat and providing a catch for Shadab Khan in the gully.

Yasir bowled Jos Buttler (38) between bat and pad, caught the edge of Dom Bess (1) for a fine catch at slip by Asad Shafiq, before a skidding delivery castled Woakes (19).

Only a late cameo from Broad (29 not out) helped England past 200, with the second leg-spinner in the Pakistan side, Shadab (2-13), wrapping up the innings.

(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Pritha Sarkar)
Transgender adults are up to six times more likely to be diagnosed as autistic than those whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex, researchers claim.

University of Cambridge analysed data from 600,000 adults drawn from five different datasets, including over 500,000 individuals questioned as part of the Channel 4 documentary 'Are you autistic?' which aired in 2018.

They found that rates of autism among transgender adults far surpassed the numbers for the British population as a whole.

While just over 1 per cent of the UK population is estimated to be on the autistic spectrum, up to 6.5 per cent of gender-diverse adults are on the autistic spectrum.

Transgender and gender-diverse individuals were also more likely to indicate that they had received diagnoses of mental health conditions, particularly depression.

A better understanding of gender diversity in autistic individuals will help provide better access to health care and post-diagnostic support, the experts say.

Pictured, a person in the US holding the transgender flag. The new study at the University of Cambridge investigates the co-occurrence between gender identity and autism

'This finding, using large datasets, confirms that the co-occurrence between being autistic and being transgender and gender-diverse is robust,' said study lead author Dr Varun Warrier at the University of Cambridge.

'We now need to understand the significance of this co-occurrence, and identify and address the factors that contribute to well-being of this group of people.'

Gender-diverse is the umbrella term used to describe those whose gender identity or gender role does not correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth.

For example, 'agender' describes someone who does not identify as having a gender identity, while 'two spirit' refers to someone who identifies as having both a masculine and a feminine spirit.

Cisgender describes a person whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex.

While several studies have investigated rates of autism in cisgender individuals, there is limited information on rates of autism in transgender and gender-diverse individuals in the general population, the Cambridge team say.

A shot of the Channel 4 documentary 'Are you autistic?'. Georgia Harper (right), a trainee human rights lawyer and Sam Ahern (left), an artist, who present the programme are both autistic. They stand with University of Cambridge professor, Simon Baron-Cohen

SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS OF AUTISM According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with autism have trouble with social, emotional and communication skills that usually develop before the age of three and last throughout a persons life. Specific signs of autism include: Reactions to smell, taste, look, feel or sound are unusual

Difficulty adapting to changes in routine

Unable to repeat or echo what is said to them

Difficulty expressing desires using words or motions

Unable to discuss their own feelings or other peoples

Difficulty with acts of affection like hugging

Prefer to be alone and avoid eye contact

Difficulty relating to other people

Unable to point at objects or look at objects when others point to them Advertisement

Individuals who took part in the Channel 4 documentary provided information about their gender identity and if they received a diagnosis of autism or other psychiatric conditions such as depression or schizophrenia.

Participants also completed a measure of autistic traits, which included difficulty with social interaction and resistance to changing routines.

Across all five datasets, transgender and gender-diverse adult individuals were between three and six times more likely to indicate that they were diagnosed as autistic.

This was compared to people whose gender identity corresponds to their sex at birth, commonly known as 'cisgender'.

While the study used data from adults who indicated that they had received an autism diagnosis, it is likely that many individuals on the autistic spectrum may be undiagnosed.

As around 1.1 per cent of the UK population is estimated to be on the autistic spectrum, this result would suggest that somewhere between 3.5 per cent and 6.5 per cent of transgender and gender-diverse adults are on the autistic spectrum.

'Understanding how autism manifests in transgender and gender-diverse people will enrich our knowledge about autism in relation to gender and sex,' said Dr Meng-Chuan Lai, a collaborator on the study at the University of Toronto.

'This enables clinicians to better recognise autism and provide personalised support and health care.'

On average, transgender and gender diverse people scored higher on measures of autistic traits, regardless of whether they had an autism diagnosis.

They were also more than twice as likely as to have experienced depression.

The study did not investigate whether gender identity causes autism or the other way round, however.

'Both autistic individuals and transgender and gender-diverse individuals are marginalized and experience multiple vulnerabilities,' said Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge.

'It is important that we safe-guard the rights of these individuals to be themselves, receive the requisite support, and enjoy equality and celebration of their differences, free of societal stigma or discrimination.'

The study has been published in Nature Communications.
Ontarios child-care centres will be receiving about three per cent of a major influx of cash from the federal government meant to help cope with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the provinces premier said Friday.

Doug Ford said $234.6 million would start flowing to licensed daycare providers, First Nations Child and Family Programs and other child-care operators in the coming weeks. The money comes as part of the Safe Restart Agreement, a $19-billion deal between Ottawa and the provinces and territories, of which Ontario will receive $7 billion.

This is about giving parents certainty, Ford told a news conference. This is about giving their employers certainty. And above all its about protecting our kids and the staff who care for them.

Ford said the money will be used to allow the province to provide face coverings for staff in child-care settings, hire new employees if needed and otherwise bolster cleaning and public health protocols.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce, who oversees the provinces child-care portfolio, said the money could also be used to retrofit school-based daycare locations to make them safer, as well as offset revenue losses from the months when child-care centres were closed or operating at a limited capacity.

It can be used ... to make up those dollars, to really help those operators get through the worst of it, Lecce said.

He said the money would flow in short order, but did not provide a specific date.

Ontarios child-care centres, shuttered during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, have been gradually ramping up operations since June, when the province began moving regions into Stage 2 of its pandemic recovery plan.

The government has said that daycares have the green light to operate at 100 per cent capacity once again as of Sept. 1.

Child-care providers have previously said they were not receiving promised funding on time, leaving staff either unable to open their facilities or to safely care for as many children as they wished.

Andrea Hannen, executive director of the Association of Day Care Operators of Ontario, said thats still the case in many areas across the province.

She blamed the bottleneck on municipalities, who are responsible for distributing child-care funding under the terms of the provincial Child Care and Early Years Act.

We need the province to investigate why it is taking some municipalities so long to provide child-care licensees with the provincial funding they have been promised, Hannen said in a statement.

Without this funding, a lot of licensed child-care centres are likely to remain closed even once schools have reopened. Some municipalities started flowing the promised funds weeks ago, others are still telling centres that it wont be paid out until at least September.

That simply isnt good enough, according to the minister of families, children and social development.

Ahmed Hussen called for greater collaboration between all levels of government to ensure that the sector can play its intended role as a vital part of the countrys economic recovery plan.

Its not a luxury, its a necessity, Hussen said. Were doing everything that we can to actually exercise federal leadership, but provinces and municipalities also have to work with us to make sure that we all prioritize the sector.

Hussen said Ontario is receiving a large proportion of the child-care funding allocated under the Safe Restart Agreement, which earmarked $625 million for such settings across the country.

He said the federal government is also in the process of renegotiating Ontarios share of a $400-million, bilateral contract to support child-care centres across the country. Details of Ontarios funding allocation, he said, should be finalized in the coming days.

Doly Begum, child-care critic for the provincial opposition New Democrats, said the Ontario government should do its part by matching the newly announced funds from Ottawa.

The federal contribution to reopening Ontarios child-care centres is simply not enough to support the thousands of centres across Ontario struggling to reopen safely, Begum said in a statement. The Ford government must pitch in and ... bring that funding up to a level that helps centres hire more early childhood educators, get additional spaces in place and ensure cohorts are smaller and safer.

The latest announcement came as Ontario recorded its fifth straight day of fewer than 100 new COVID-19 cases. The province reported 88 new cases and no new deaths associated with the virus Friday morning.

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A black civil servant who 'feared for her life,' following a row with a white van man who accused her of trespassing says she was 'racially profiled,' by a police officer who threatened to arrest her.

Dr Andrea Charles-Fidelis, has received an apology from Kent Police after she claimed she was racially profiled and threatened with arrest by an officer while out jogging in Swanley, near Sevenoaks in March.

The Ministry of Justice worker told Good Morning Britain there was a 'presumption of guilt,' against her after she ran to a nearby train station following an altercation with a neighbour, who accused her of being on his driveway and trying to steal his car while she was out for a jog.

The mother-of-three said: 'When he first approached me I was confused and said I don't know what you're talking about, I was in fear of my life he wasn't in a position to be spoken to and he wasn't leaving either.

'I was just beside myself, really really upset.'

Dr Andrea Charles-Fidelis comlpained to police following the incident in Swanley, Kent in March

The 41-year-old said she ran to a nearby train station, before police arrived.

But when officers came, they instead questioned her over trying to steal the neighbour's vehicle.

She told the BBC earlier this week the officer said: 'The profile fits you, you tried to steal his car, why wouldn't he chase you, what would he do to you, if he was going to do anything he would have.

'Your'e fit and safe, you can defend yourself.'

She later lodged a complaint against the officer, who she claimed has been 'biased and discriminatory'.

Speaking to GMB today, the doctorate said: 'Beyond my story I want to use this platform to promote better policing because what about young black men and I put in a complaint and this was seen as acceptable and I think police judging themselves need to think about racial profiling.

The mother-of-three told GMB viewers, officers 'have to be able to say "I've made a mistake"'

'The police officer in his statement said he has no doubt that I was on the man's drive, you have to be able to say "I've made a mistake" and say that no crime has been committed this is your neighbour maybe you owe her an apology.'

In a statement, Kent Police Deputy Chief Constable, Tony Blaker said: A complaint from Dr Charles-Fidelis was received by Kent Police on March 29 which was investigated in line with the Independent Office of Police Conduct guidance.

During the enquiries into the complaint, the officer provided a full explanation for his actions; he was responding to a call he had been sent to and he felt the incident had been a misunderstanding on behalf of the owner of the vehicle.

Nearly six months after the incident, Dr Charles-Fidelis has received an apology from Kent Police

Dr Charles-Fidelis concerns regarding the way in which the officer spoke to her were upheld by the Inspector investigating the complaint and dealt with by asking the officer to reflect and consider the way he had initially engaged with her after she had been distressed by the incident.

'The complaint alleging the officer had been biased and discriminatory was not upheld.

The Ministry of Justice worker told Good Morning Britain presenters Adil Ray and Ranvir Singh she wanted to promote 'better policing'

Dr Charles-Fidelis was further invited to attend the police station, where on 12 June, the Inspector explained the outcome of his investigation and apologised for the way the officer had spoken to her. His contact details were also provided should she have any further concerns.'

DCC Blaker added: We are sorry Dr Charles-Fidelis had this experience and await the IOPC decision on her appeal before progressing any further action.

'In any case, Kent Police would want to learn from this incident and ensure that any lessons are learned and our service to the public is improved.

We aim to give a first-class service to all those we serve and have interactions with.

'As a force, we take racial equality and discrimination of any kind very seriously and strive to ensure fairness and diversity across the force.

'In this instance, we are sorry that we failed to leave Dr Charles-Fidelis with a positive impression of Kent Police and will work to restore her confidence in us.
A radical Buddhist monk accused of instigating hate crimes against Muslims has won a seat in Sri Lanka's parliament, results showed Friday.

The Our Power of People party led by Galagodaatte Gnanasara, who has vowed to fight Islamic extremism, won one seat in Wednesday's election which was decided by proportional representation.

The party central committee nominated Gnanasara, who was standing for the first time, to take a seat in the 225-member assembly, a spokesman told AFP.

Gnanasara served nine months of a six-year jail term for intimidating the wife of a missing cartoonist and contempt of court until he was given a presidential pardon in May last year.

Gnanasara has close ties with Wirathu, an extremist monk in Myanmar whose outbursts have stoked religious tensions there.

Wirathu visited Sri Lanka as a guest of Gnanasara shortly after 2014 anti-Muslim riots. The duo vowed to fight what they called the threat from Islamic jihadists but Gnanasara denied any role in the riots that left four dead.

Gnanasara accused the government of ignoring his warnings after Muslim radicals staged suicide bombings on Easter Sunday last year that left 279 people dead.
I participated in WE programs throughout my teenage years, including Take Action Camp and WE Day, and I fundraised and travelled on volunteer trips to India and Tanzania. I have seen the incredible positive ripples of change from these programs, which were led by amazing staff. These experiences transformed my life and taught me to believe in myself and that youth can make a difference.

I had signed up for the Canada Student Service Grant program. It is sad and frustrating to see the political agendas of Parliament Hill being used to discredit WE. Although it is not a perfect organization and there are issues that need to be addressed, WE is doing important work around the world. I am concerned about the unfair negative impact this controversy will have on communities overseas and Canadian youth.
THE government must immediately put support in place for Shannon Airport and embark on an aviation policy to provide balanced regional development.

Thats the view of the Limerick Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan who was speaking in the wake of news that Aer Lingus is considering closing its base in Clare.

Staff at the flag carrier are bracing themselves for 500 redundancies following a collapse in demand for travel during lockdown  and only a slow return to the market thus far.

Aer Lingus chief executive Sean Doyle said these will be compulsory if needs be.

Ms Ryan said if Aer Lingus did reduce its base in Limericks local airport, it would be a devastating blow for the region.

Direct connectivity to the regions has been cited by all major foreign direct investors as a key decision maker for them in terms of their commitment to invest in this region. Daily US as well as international hub connectivity through Heathrow are critical for enabling the Mid-West and West compete on a European scale so anything that would jeopardise this has to be averted, she said.

She said the Chamber wants to send a very clear signal to Aer Lingus that its services will be fully supported out of Shannon once some level of post-Covid normality returns.

Aer Lingus has operated successfully across US, UK and European services since they began operations at Shannon, right back to its earliest days. The airport and region have made a lot of revenue for the airline, with very high yields and huge loyalty over the decades and will continue to do so. We trust that the airline will not turn its back on that loyalty and that the relationship is deep and successful enough to see off the current challenges, she added.

If Aer Lingus did quit Shannon, it would leave behind the link to Londons Heathrow Airport, as well as a variety of others including regional British cities, and Paris.

Labour councillor Conor Sheehan has urged minister responsible for aviation Hildegarde Naughton to intervene.

For more Limerick news, click here
All the ingredients for an Afghan peace deal are now in place, but the various stakeholders must show themselves to be ready and willing to work hard for it to succeed, writes Amina Khan

Statements coming from former Afghan government chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and, more importantly, the Taliban have been expressing the view that the much-awaited intra-Afghan talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government may finally take place, a key component of the peace process that has been designed to bring stability to Afghanistan.

The fact that the Taliban have expressed their willingness to engage with Kabul is a significant development considering that they have refused to do so in the past, including up until recent weeks. According to the US-Taliban Agreement made in February, the intra-Afghan talks were meant to begin on 10 March, and it has been unclear since if they would in fact begin.

While no specific date has been given, it is evident that the groundwork has already been laid in anticipation of the much-needed talks, such as the appointment of Abdullah as chair of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) that will spearhead the Afghan peace process on Kabuls behalf. Moreover, like during the previous three-day Eid ceasefire declared by the Taliban from 24-26 May, the group recently declared another three-day ceasefire to respect the Eid Al-Adha.

But while steps are being made in the right direction, issues revolving around the release of Taliban prisoners continue to be contentious. While the Taliban claim to have fulfilled their part of the US-Taliban Agreement by releasing all the 1,000 Afghan government prisoners they held, the Afghan government has yet to fulfill its part by releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

Time and time again, President Ghani has caused unnecessary delays in the release of Taliban prisoners, which has led to a delay in the intra-Afghan talks. However, according to the Afghan government, so far 4,600 Taliban prisoners have been released, including the recently freed 500 Taliban prisoners in response to the groups three-day ceasefire announcement. The fate of the remaining 400 remains unclear although Ghani has said that a loya jirga, or community meeting, will be convened to discuss their release.

While news of the intra-Afghan talks is no doubt a much-needed move in the right direction, it is only the beginning of a highly sensitive and complex process that will require patience and compromise from all sides. After all, as the recent past has shown, highs can quickly be replaced by lows, and a number of hurdles continue to stand in the way of peace.

While the Taliban finally appear to have abandoned their previous rigidity of not engaging with Kabul, their reluctance to abandon or reduce the use of violence against Afghan government forces continues to be a stumbling block in the way of peace. Sustained efforts on all fronts must thus be carried out before optimism can take over.

Due to the language used in the US-Taliban Agreement that says that international forces will not be targeted, the Taliban have halted attacks against these forces. However, they have continued to target government forces. For any meaningful progress towards peace to take place, the Taliban will have to revisit this strategy and realise that they can no longer rely on violence as a means to further their goals.

If the Taliban truly want peace, they must honour their commitment across the board and not differentiate between those they can kill and those they cannot. Their justification for attacking government forces is weak, since no attacks can be condoned. Moreover, they must begin to see the government as an equal. If they can accept the US, their erstwhile primary enemy, as an interlocutor, it is not far-fetched to imagine that they can, and should, also accept the government as an equal.

Moreover, this is a historic opportunity for the Afghans to rewrite their history. For the Taliban, it is a unique and timely moment as well since the group is suffering from war fatigue, and it must desire an end to the decades of bloodshed in the country. The group can also present itself as a responsible and mature stakeholder and secure for itself a legitimate place in the Afghan polity, which is not something that has always been on the cards.

At the same time, Ghani and Abdullah also have the chance to play active and meaningful roles to deliver peace to the Afghan people, who have waited for far too long and gone through far too much violence and trauma. All the ingredients for a peace deal are in place; it is now up to the stakeholders to show themselves as both ready and willing to work hard for it to succeed.

US ROLE

The US, a major stakeholder and signatory to the deal, has a responsibility as well. It must push all sides to fulfill their part of the agreement and ensure a credible and workable peace deal, one that is acceptable to all stakeholders and that is for the benefit of the Afghan people.

As has been seen in the past, haphazard and hasty compromises that are prone to collapse need to be avoided at all costs. Instead, Washington will need to play a proactive role, ensuring it allows the Afghans to come up with their own plans, but knowing when to intervene and put pressure on all sides, particularly the Taliban regarding a reduction and eventual halt in their attacks.

Washington will also have to make sure that the Afghan government does not create hurdles to the implementation of the agreement, such as causing delays in the exchange of prisoners or in the holding of the intra-Afghan talks as it has done in the past.

An important concern that has been missing so far from the discourse about the peace process has been the question of national and social healing as well as national reconciliation and reintegration. Afghanistan needs to see concrete steps made on these fronts. Political and national reconciliation have time and time again posed challenges to pursuing peace talks with the Taliban, thus highlighting the fact that the major threat is not external but internal.

Strategies involving civil society, government bodies and external support must all accompany any political moves for peace. The ownership and desire for it must come from the Afghans themselves, and the countrys political leadership must provide support and a suitable platform. The Afghans have to try and overcome the past, as bloody and difficult as that may be, and forget previous enmities by focusing instead on creating a new history for themselves that must be based on inclusiveness.

But for this to happen, Kabul and the Taliban must move beyond petty politics and think about the people of Afghanistan who have suffered for far too long and who they both claim to represent. The need of the hour is for all Afghans to unite and call for a peaceful and stable future. Without this, the countrys potential that is now often being touted  of mineral resources, of its strategic geographical location in the region, and as a conduit for the whole of South and Central Asia  will be a moot point.

While the results of the intra-Afghan talks will only start to show themselves later, it is important to recognise their occurrence as historic. After all, this will be the first time the Taliban has met with the Afghan government since 2001. Important questions need to be answered, primarily about the desired outcome of the talks.

Now that the intra-Afghan talks are finally on the verge of occurring, critical aspects essential for peace that were overlooked in the US-Taliban Agreement need to be addressed and focused on in the upcoming talks, including the US troop withdrawal. For its part, the US needs to ensure the responsible withdrawal of its forces without undue haste. A hasty withdrawal could have consequences leading to the collapse of the government in Afghanistan and the outbreak of a civil war that could make the country the perfect refuge for terrorists. For now, any reduction in US troops should depend on the outcome of the intra-Afghan talks.

Even though the Taliban have continued to emphasise the need for the withdrawal of the US forces, at the same time the group has stated that it would like to have friendly ties with the US and would like to see the US help to rebuild the country through reconstruction and development, clearly indicating that any remaining US soldiers and contractors could continue to operate in the five military bases in Afghanistan. This highlights the Talibans inclination to accept a continued US presence in the country on their terms.

A ceasefire remains the most difficult pre-requisite for any durable peace process to begin. Therefore, securing a sustained ceasefire and one that holds should be the main focus of the upcoming intra-Afghan talks. Counter-terrorism guarantees by the Taliban have also been a critical condition for the US for any peace deal, and for the most part these have been achieved. The Taliban have not been collaborating with any terrorist groups, and this has been exemplified by their resistance to the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Afghanistan, with which they have fought since the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) group in Afghanistan in 2014/2015.

So far, little to no progress has been made on what kind of political set-up Afghanistan will have in the future after the intra-Afghan talks. It is therefore essential that this future political set-up, together with power-sharing arrangements between the different political factions, the question of a new constitution for Afghanistan and the rights of women, are sincerely addressed in the intra-Afghan talks and not overlooked as they were in the US-Taliban Agreement.

Without addressing such pivotal questions, the talks will be merely an exercise in futility. It is Washingtons responsibility to ensure relative stability in the country before it withdraws its forces, including the creation of an inclusive political set-up that is acceptable to all.

One option could be to push for the continuation of the current political structure and accommodate the Taliban within it. Another option could be for an inclusive interim set-up, an idea which was largely supported by all the Afghan political factions at the 2018 Moscow talks.

Afghanistan has suffered from decades of war, political instability and corruption. The new challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has already claimed more than 1,200 lives in the country, is a huge test for its political leadership but also an opportunity for all Afghans to come together, to accommodate each other and to take a chance on peace.

The aim now more than ever should be to focus on achieving peace in Afghanistan. As a first positive gesture, the Taliban must demonstrate a visible reduction in violence, not as a means of weakness or surrender, but rather as an opportunity to further their cause through political engagement. This should be accompanied by the upcoming intra-Afghan talks, which should lead to a timeframe for a gradual and responsible US troop withdrawal, leading to a sustained and credible ceasefire that is not prone to collapse.

*The writer is director of the Centre for the Middle East and Afghanistan at the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Gov. Tony Evers has announced $32 million in funding for the University of Wisconsin System to implement COVID-19 testing on campus and personal protective equipment.

As campuses across the UW System prepare to have students return to campus, it is critically important that every campus has the resources it needs to help keep our students safe, said Gov. Evers. The COVID-19 pandemic brings great uncertainty and having robust testing efforts is one of the most important tools we have to help box in this virus and make sure our students stay healthy and safe.

The money is from the federal CARES Act. It was unveiled Thursday by Evers and UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson.

Funding from the governors office and the federal government will help us provide the kind of testing we need at our universities when students return this fall, said Thompson. Students and families can be confident in this testing program.

The UW-System says $18 million will go toward testing more than 350,000 students. Six million dollars will be spent on PPE and testing equipment.

UW-Parkside Chancellor Deborah Ford reacted to the news on Thursday.

At UW-Parkside, our top priority remains maintaining the health and safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors while delivering our academic mission. The funding provided by Governor Evers and President Thompson positions UW-Parkside to deploy COVID-19 testing protocols to monitor both symptomatic and asymptomatic students and to purchase the necessary personal protective equipment, Ford said.

UW-Parkside Campus Health Services in partnership with the Kenosha County Health Department will administer the testing for students showing symptoms of COVID-19 and for students living on campus. The details and testing protocols will be announced prior to the start of the fall semester.

We thank Governor Evers and President Thompson for these strategic investments as we begin the fall 2020 semester, Ford said.

Students and staff will be required to wear face masks in classrooms, residence halls and other campus buildings.

The program announced by the governor will fund efforts at 12 campuses. The plans exclude UW-Madison, which has already announced its own testing plan with $8 million in funding.

It will include:

Testing of up to 34,000 students who show COVID-19 symptoms, similar to tests now being administered in medical and community settings. Approximately 28,000 tests will be distributed to universities and about 6,000 will be held in reserve by the UW System for future allocation.

An additional 317,000 tests for students living in residence halls, given every two weeks with a rapid turnaround of results, and for close contacts of symptomatic students.

Optional flu testing.

Up to 52 staff located at the universities to assist with testing.

Testing would be conducted by university student health services and local health partners.

We have been following the guidance offered by my friend Dr. [Anthony] Fauci and other experts and believe we are on track for on-campus instruction, Thompson said. Our mask-wearing requirement will help prevent the spread of the virus while our testing program will help identify cases and help contain them.

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14 Baptist church members killed during suspected Fulani massacre in Nigeria

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Fourteen members of a Baptist church in the Kogi state of Nigeria were reportedly killed during a raid by suspected Fulani radicals last week. Residents have since fled the area as farming communities in Nigerias Middle Belt continue to be targeted.

As alleged genocide has reportedly claimed the lives of more than 1,400 Christians in Nigeria this year, the attack last Wednesday is the latest reported massacre of Christians in Nigeria.

Kogi State Command Commissioner of Police Ede Ayuba told the nonprofit persecution news outlet Morning Star News that an attack was carried out in the Agbadu-Daruwana area of the Kogi state around 2 a.m. on July 29.



Ayuba explained that killed in the incident were 13 members of one family, leaving only one surviving member.

The survivor lost his wife, mother, all of his children and the rest of his extended family, including an aunt, uncle and sister-in-law.

According to Morning Star News, leaders of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship posted on the groups Facebook page that the victims in the Agbadu-Daruwana attack are all congregants of Bethel Baptist Church, a member of the Lokoja Baptist Association.



They have since been buried, the All Africa Baptist Fellowships Facebook post is quoted as explaining. All the community members, mainly Christians, have all fled. Please pray for Gods intervention against antichrist in the land.



According to a resident of the area, a Fulani language was spoken during the attack.

The Fulani people group, which consists of millions across Africa, are predominantly Muslim cattle herders. Some have been radicalized to carry out heinous attacks on farming villages across Nigeria's fertile Middle Belt states in recent years as land resources have become increasingly scarce.

The attack took place in a predominantly-Christian village, near other villages that have been victims of attacks.

They invaded the village armed with guns and riding motorcycles, the resident named Rachael Nuhu claimed. They were speaking in the Fulani language as they attacked our people. This is not the first time theyre attacking our communities, as other villages around us had been attacked in a similar way by these herdsmen.

The attack comes as human rights groups have sounded the alarm that the atrocities committed against Christians in Nigeria  both by Fulani herdsmen and Islamic extremist groups in Nigeria's northeast  are reaching the standard for genocide.



On Jan. 30, Christian Solidarity International issued a genocide warning for Nigeria after the Jubilee Campaign issued a similar warning last year in a report to the International Criminal Court.

The U.S. State Department placed Nigeria on its special watch list of countries that engage in or tolerate severe violations of religious freedom last December.

Last week, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law estimated that no less than 1,421 Christians have been killed in the first seven months of 2020, with Fulani radicals reportedly responsible for 1,027 deaths. Meanwhile, extremist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province in the northeast Lake Chad region are responsible for 310 deaths.

The Intersociety report provides a state-by-state breakdown showing that 54 have been killed in Kogi state this year. Violence has hit harder in other states as 363 Christian lives were taken in the Kaduna state, 158 in Pleatue state and 152 in Benue state.



Thousands of defenseless Christians who survived being hacked to death have also been injured and left in mutilated conditions with several of them crippled for life, Intersociety stated in a July report. Hundreds of Christian worship and learning centers have been destroyed or burnt; likewise thousands of dwelling houses, farmlands and other properties belonging to Christians.



Intersociety, which is headed by Christian criminologist Emeka Umeagbalasi and based in Anambra state, also reported a rapid increase in young women being abducted in Nigeria. Sometimes, women are forced into sex slavery and rarely returned to their communities.

Intersociety estimated in July that 1,000 Christian citizens have been abducted in Nigeria this year.

Nigeria ranks as the 12th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USAs 2020 World Watch List.



According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 10 women, an infant and an elderly man were reported to have burned to death inside a home during a suspected Fulani attack in settlements close to Chibwob in early July.



All the areas under Jihadist Herdsmen attacks are Christian communities, as to date," Intersociety explained in its July report. "There are no pieces of evidence anywhere showing killing of Muslims and taking over of their lands, farmlands and houses or destruction or burning of Mosques by the Jihadist Herdsmen."



The frequency and severity of attacks towards Christians reached the level of genocide in Nigeria more than a year ago, according to the Jubilee Campaign, which advocates on behalf of religious minorities across the globe.
Copyright  2020 Albuquerque Journal

Before Operation Legend came to town, igniting protests and concerns from activists and politicians, Operation Relentless Pursuit had its own short stint here.

Operation Relentless Pursuit, planned as an injection of grant funding and a permanent enhancement to federal law enforcement agencies in Albuquerque, was aborted months after it began due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place is Operation Legend, announced last month, which officials say involves more than 25 federal officers coming to town to combat violent crime.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office said Operation Relentless Pursuit started in early 2020 and resulted in 41 prosecutions. So far the U.S. Attorneys Office has announced one arrest in Operation Legend.

Like Operation Legend, the goal of Operation Relentless Pursuit was to reduce violent crime, and gun violence in particular, spokesman Scott Howell wrote in an email. Although there are no hard and fast criteria for which federal prosecutions were designated as Operation Relentless Pursuit, we generally selected those cases that we believed would contribute to a reduction in violent crime in Albuquerque.

Several defense attorneys had not known their clients were being prosecuted under Operation Relentless Pursuit until they were contacted by a Journal reporter.

Attorney Joel Meyers said in general he thinks there is a disturbing trend of federalizing local crimes  meaning those who are charged in federal court face much longer sentences than those charged with the same crime in state court. Meyers, a former federal and state prosecutor, said some of the cases are low-hanging fruit rather than serious offenses.

We should think about the notion of what is a federal case?' Meyers said. Is a federal case John Doe with a firearm who has a felony conviction? What rises to the federal level of that incident? I think it should be the actions of the person, not necessarily some artificial notion of how to do enforcement around things.

He said he thinks bringing in outside law enforcement for the operation can erode the communitys trust in its police department.

It destroys this notion of community policing and the real positive effects of community policing, Meyers said.

District Attorney Raul Torrez, on the other hand, has previously advocated for more local cases to be tried federally and wrote in a letter to the U.S. Attorney last month that he was pleased to hear that the agents involved in Operation Legend will be engaging in classic crime fighting rather than the tactics used to quell protests in Portland.

However, he asked the U.S. Attorneys Office to carefully monitor the operation to ensure it isnt targeting certain populations unjustly.

As you well know, when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted its worst-of-the-worst campaign several years ago, it allowed agents with little or no understanding of this city to engage in enforcement activities that disproportionately impacted the African American community, Torrez wrote. You and I have spent the last several years trying to repair the damage done by that ill-conceived operation, and I trust that you will use your oversight authority to make sure that the agents assigned to Operation Legend do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

$9.7M not received

In December, when Attorney General William Barr announced Operation Relentless Pursuit was coming to Albuquerque, he cited violent crime rates that were 3.7 times the national average. Most categories of violent crime spiked a couple of years ago in Albuquerque and have since remained at about the same level, according to Albuquerque Police Department data. There was a record number of homicides  80  in 2019, but so far there have been fewer this year compared to last.

The Relentless Pursuit initiative planned to send federal officers to six troubled cities, and to offer them grant funding in order to hire more officers to replace veteran officers who were drafted into federal task forces.

APD already has 19 officers from specialty units like Robbery, Narcotics and the Gun Violence Reduction Unit serving on federal task forces, according to a department spokesman, and has worked with federal agencies on 66 criminal cases so far this year. Its unclear how many of those cases, if any, are associated with Operation Relentless Pursuit.

A Mayors Office spokeswoman said the U.S. Attorneys Office sent an email in early January notifying the city that grant funding was available. She said in late February APD received a draft of a Memorandum of Understanding and negotiated the terms with the Department of Justice before Albuquerque Police Chief Michael Geier and John Anderson, the U.S. Attorney for New Mexico, signed it in late May.

The MOU states that one of the main goals of Operation Relentless Pursuit was to increase the ability to prosecute cases in federal court.

According to the MOU, depending on the funding APD received under the grant it would assign the required number of APD personnel as task force officers to either the Federal Bureau of Investigation Albuquerque Violent Crime Task Force or the FBI APD Safe Streets Task Force.

APD was awarded $9.7 million in grant funding to pay for the salaries and expenses for 40 police officers, but it has not yet received it.

Howell, the spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office, said in order to accept the grant the city needs to abide by all of its conditions, including a provision in the law that makes it illegal to prohibit employees from sharing information about an individuals immigration status with federal law enforcement. The city is operating under an immigrant-friendly resolution and the city attorney has told the Department of Justice it has a different interpretation of that condition following a recent court ruling out of California.

The Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office was awarded $1.4 million in grant funding and Anderson said it has received enough to hire five deputies.

Bernalillo County also has an immigrant friendly resolution, but the Sheriffs Office has said it was able to certify that it will comply with the conditions.

COVID ends effort

In an interview last month, Anderson said Operation Relentless Pursuit was terminated early because of the COVID-19 pandemic and concerns about agents traveling. He said Operation Legend, which replaces it, will be a short-term infusion of federal agents.

Although federal agents were scheduled to arrive in Albuquerque in early summer for Operation Relentless Pursuit, that did not end up happening.

I think there was a sense that COVID would pass much more quickly than we all recognize now is the reality of the situation, Anderson said. I think at some point everyone realized this was not going to pass, that we were going to have to weather the COVID storm and resume our law enforcement operations despite it.

At a news conference in the White House on July 22, AG Barr said 35 federal officers from the FBI will be coming to Albuquerque for Operation Legend. The U.S. Attorneys Office has since revised that figure to more than 25. A spokesman would not say how many are already here.

At this time we will refrain from identifying the number of agents who have arrived in Albuquerque, Howell wrote.

While Mayor Tim Keller, Chief Geier and other local and state politicians expressed concerns about Operation Legend leading up to its announcement, Bernalillo County Sheriff Manuel Gonzales traveled to the White House to attend the news conference. The widower of Jacqueline Vigil  who was shot and killed in the driveway of her West Side Albuquerque home last year  also attended the news conference and pleaded for help in solving that crime.

Drug, gun crimes

Although the U.S. Attorneys Office for New Mexico said there were 41 prosecutions under Operation Relentless Pursuit, it only provided the names of 11 defendants. They are all charged with gun or drug crimes.

A handful of the men charged have previously been in the news, including Pedro Escalante who was shot and injured by an APD officer last year after fleeing from a stolen car. The officer said Escalante had pointed a gun at him, although lapel camera footage doesnt show the gun or the shooting. Escalante had pleaded guilty to aggravated assault on a peace officer and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, both fourth-degree felonies, and received a three-year suspended sentence and probation.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for New Mexico, in February an officer with the Rio Rancho Police Department assigned to a federal task force learned Escalante had violated probation. He was told Escalante was near the Home Depot on Coors and was eventually able to arrest him. Escalante was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and a drug user in possession of a firearm after he was found with a revolver and admitted to using heroin and methamphetamine, according to the complaint.

Another defendant, Michael Lollis, was charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, an extremely potent synthetic opioid, and methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, on June 29, a confidential source told a special agent that Lollis had a large amount of fentanyl pills. Agents surveilled his home and then APD officers pulled him over, finding 508 gross grams of pills packaged in two approximately 1,000-pill bulk packages consistent with the appearance of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and a Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver, according to the complaint.

Attorneys for Lollis and Escalante did not respond to requests for comment on the cases.

As for Meyers client, Juan Antonio Martinez, he is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to the criminal complaint, he is a validated member of the Syndicato de Nuevo Mexico prison gang and a suspect in a series of drive-by shootings in Albuquerque in early January. He also has felony convictions for larceny, breaking and entering and forgery in 1993 and 1994, according to the complaint.

So far, Martinez doesnt appear to be facing charges related to the shootings, but agents surveilled his home on Jan. 16, followed him to a Belen Walmart and arrested him after finding a pistol under the hood of his car and two grams of cocaine in his pocket, according to a complaint.

Meyers said he could not talk about the specifics of the case, but he said it doesnt really matter that the prosecution is under Operation Relentless Pursuit.

At the end of the day, for both Juan and me, it doesnt make much of a difference when youre staring at federal charges, Meyers said.
In its adult stage, the New World screwworm appears harmless. But it's at this stage that female insects lay eggs in wounds of warm-blooded animals. The insect's pink tinge comes from powder. When sterile flies are released from a breeding facility in Panama, they are sometimes coated in different colored powders. That way, those who check insect traps can tell their age. Credit: Zohara Scott

Scientists have long had a name for a gruesome insect that feeds on the live flesh of warm-blooded mammals: C. hominivorax, Latin for "man eater." But now, they have the parasite's number.

In a paper published this week in the journal Communications Biology, researchers from across the United States and beyond describe the assembly and analysis of the New World screwworm's genomea map of the fly's 534 million DNA base pairs.

Max Scott, a North Carolina State University professor of entomology, is the lead author of the study. He said the research not only sheds light on the insect's biology and evolution, it also identifies genes that could be targeted to develop control measures that are less expensive than the sterile insect technique that now keeps the insect out of North America.

A threat to livestock, wildlife, pets and humans

New World screwworms are native to the Western Hemisphere, posing a serious threat to livestock, wildlife, pets and even humans. The flies lay eggsup to 400 at a timein wounds and other openings of the skin of warm-blooded mammals.

The fly larvae then bore into the host's flesh, causing painful lesions as they feed for about five to seven days. Other parasites will feed on tissue that the screwworm kills, and, left untreated, the infections can cause the host to die.

Each year, the screwworm causes billions of dollars in losses for South American and Caribbean farmers.

Effective, but costly, controls

To eradicate the pest from North America, an international insect control program released billions of sterile screwworm flies in the United States, Mexico and Central America over a 50-year period.

A joint program between the United States and Panama has successfully stopped the screwworm from returning by creating a barrier at the border between Panama and Colombia.

The flies prefer to travel over land, so the program saturates the isthmus of Panama with sterile males. About 15 million sterile screwworms are released each week by airplanes over the rainforest that divides the two countries. Wild female screwworms only mate once in their three-week lifetime, and if they mate with a sterile male, they won't have any offspring.

While the program is effective, feeding millions upon millions of screwworm larvae daily is expensive.

Bringing Down the Cost

Insects' lifecycles include four stagesembryonic, larval, pupal and adult. Scott said that the cost of producing so many flies could be cut significantly if scientists could figure out how to prevent female offspring entirely or to keep females from maturing beyond the embryonic stage.

Scott and other scientists previously developed a strain of screwworms where females die at the pupal stage, but he said they didn't have the genetic information they needed to stop female development at earlier stages.

"We needed to identify genes expressed in the embryo, genes that promote cell death and genes that might be involved in sex determination," Scott said. "We thought it would be a much easier go if we had a whole genome assembly and the genes annotated.

"Along the way," he added, "we collaborated with other people to see if we could get any insight into the biology of the fly."

Scott worked closely on the study with scientists from NC State's Bioinformatics Research Center, as well as institutions in Ohio, New Mexico, Kentucky, Maryland, Texas, Brazil and Panama. The NC State team did all the DNA and RNA sequencing.

Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service stationed in Texas and Panama led efforts to create the highly inbred strain of flies used in the study, and researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute assembled the genome sequence.

Researchers led by Josh Benoit at the University of Cincinnati conducted what's known as a developmental gene expression study on RNA sequences from male and female screwworms at different stages in their lifecycle.

A group at the University of Kentucky identified genes involved in smell and taste. And scientists from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, identified genes that appear to be evolving quickly and, thus, could be important in the evolution of the fly as an obligate parasiteone that can't complete its lifecycle without exploiting a host animal.

Scott said the knowledge gained and genetic tools developed through the study have already yielded scientific results. In as-yet-unpublished research, Scott and others have developed strains of New World screwworms where the females don't survive the embryonic stage.

"With the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tools we have developed for screwworm, we are now well placed to determine the importance of specific genes for the screwworms parasitic lifestyle," Scott said. "We also now have the genes identified that were needed to produce efficient genetic systems for suppression of the pest."

More information: Maxwell J. Scott et al. Genomic analyses of a livestock pest, the New World screwworm, find potential targets for genetic control programs, Communications Biology (2020). Journal information: Communications Biology Maxwell J. Scott et al. Genomic analyses of a livestock pest, the New World screwworm, find potential targets for genetic control programs,(2020). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01152-4
Harvest Crusade, a large-scale evangelistic event that is held in the Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Southern California every year, has modified its tradition for the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead of the grandeur in-person stadium event, Harvest Crusades is expected to be streamed as a cinematic film titled "A Rush of Hope." The film is scheduled to be released on Labor Day weekend on social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Roku, and Apple TV Channels.

The Harvest Crusade, founded by Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie and late pastor Chuck Smith, has maintained its tradition for more than 3 decades and was even acknowledged as the last of the big Billy Graham-style crusades in the U.S. in which thousands of people accept Christ each year.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown mandate that prohibits in-person gatherings of more than 60 people in an outdoor setting required the Harvest Crusade tradition to be administered differently this year.

Pastor Greg Laurie's narration starts off the film trailer, "Our life is like a movie. It has a beginning, middle, and end. Full of surprises, with twists and turns."

"We all have questions about this movie that we're in. Is this movie a tragedy? Is it a love story? Or is it a comedy even? Do we win in the end? Why am I here? What is the meaning of my life? And what happens after I die? There are answers to these questions," Laurie narrates.

In an interview with Religion News Service, Laurie shared that the film is a "part movie, part evangelist event."

Laurie expressed the effect of the coronavirus pandemic had on the initial Harvest Crusades event. "It just seemed this was not the right time to do a stadium event. Now, looking back, I realize it was the right decision, and therefore we pivoted and started putting our energy and creativity into something different."

"When we can meet in person again, then we'll do that. In the meantime, we're not going to sit around and twiddle our thumbs," Laurie said.
The Cray Media team plan on collaborating immediately to begin the development of new episodes and in the assistance of procuring additional content advisors.

In addition to his numerous film and television roles, Laurence Fishburne also serves as host to the educational program "In Depth". The series highlights changes in industry and various organizations dedicated to making positive change around the world. Recently, Cray Media group of Miami, FL both joined the In Depth creative team in an effort to develop innovative new content for the series. Through this collaborative partnership, "In Depth" will be able to further expand upon the show's mission.

The educational program features industry innovators and emerging technologies that are changing the world for the better. With the introduction of further creative development and direction from Cray Media, the "In Depth" series anticipates an influx of unique storylines and additional content contributors for the program. Said a representative of "In Depth", "we're excited as always to expand our creative partnerships, and we're looking forward to additional input from members of Cray Media. This gives us an opportunity to expand on our development and distribution footprint, and seek out stories that fit our show's unique educational goals."

In Depth is a nationally distributed program with many esteemed guests featured. The program and its development team have won numerous Telly Awards for their work and programming. The Cray Media team plan on collaborating immediately to begin the development of new episodes and in the assistance of procuring additional content advisors.
Mount Hermon is a strategic and fortified outpost at the crossroads between Israel, Lebanon and Syria

The Israeli army said it had shot down a drone overnight Thursday into Friday that came from Lebanon, a border on heightened military alert due to recent skirmishes.

Israeli troops overnight "identified a drone which infiltrated into Israeli airspace in the Mount Hermon area, along the Israeli side of the Blue Line" demarcating Israel and Lebanon, the army said.

"The drone was monitored and downed," it said, adding Israeli troops were conducting searches in the area.

Mount Hermon is a strategic and fortified outpost at the crossroads between Israel, Lebanon and Syria.

An Israeli military official told AFP that the drone had arrived from Lebanon.

The army's statement said that troops were on "elevated preparedness in the north and will not tolerate any violation of Israeli sovereignty".

It did not disclose the type of drone, its size or who it suspected of dispatching it.

Israel's army has reinforced its northern frontiers with Lebanon and Syria in recent weeks, so as to ready itself for "diverse" potential enemy actions.

Israel late last month said it had repelled an attempt by Hezbollah fighters to penetrate the border, but the Shia Lebanese group denied any involvement in the incident.

That border clash came a week after an alleged Israeli missile attack hit positions of Syrian regime forces and their allies south of Damascus, killing five.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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A complaint from human rights groups prompts Belgium to suspend arms export licences for some shipments.

Belgiums top legal authority has suspended arms export licences for shipments to Saudi Arabias National Guard after a complaint from human rights groups.

The Council of State granted an injunction on Friday as the contracts did not meet the standard for human rights in the end-user country and its respect for international law.

Nevertheless, the council decided not to block shipments to the Saudi Royal Guard, a separate unit.

In February, the southern Belgian region of Wallonia halted weapons sales to Saudi Arabias defence ministry and air force over concerns about the conduct of its war in Yemen.

But it said it would continue to supply the two Saudi guard units, arguing that they were more focused on legitimate internal security and bodyguard roles.

Civilian deaths

Saudi Arabia intervened in the almost five-year civil war in its southern neighbour to support the government side, but the conflict has killed tens of thousands of civilians.

The kingdom is one of the worlds biggest arms purchasers, spending billions with the United States and the United Kingdom, in particular.

Riyadh depends less on Belgian arms, but is nevertheless Wallonias number one customer, accounting for 225 million euros ($247m) in a 950-million-euro ($1.04bn) industry in 2018.

FN Herstal, which makes rifles and machine guns, and John Cockerill (CMI), which specialises in gun turrets for armoured vehicles, employ 4,400 Belgians between them.

The Wallonia regional government is FN Herstals sole shareholder.
When Smithsonian magazine published a series of portraits in July featuring descendants of famous historical figures alongside their forebears, the reaction was swift, with readers expressing both praise and surprise.

One of the portraits is of Shannon LaNier, a Black descendant of former President Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson is known as one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence but not as many people might know about his legacy as the owner of 600 enslaved people and the father of Black children.

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"Wow that's crazy and interesting at the same time. I learned something new today," wrote one commenter after LaNier shared a video clip of the portrait series on his Instagram page.

LaNier, 41, a news anchor in Houston, is Jeffersons sixth great-grandson and a descendant of Jefferson and Sally Hemings, one of the hundreds Jefferson enslaved. He wrote in his Instagram caption, "The @smithsonianmagazine is helping hold a mirror to #America & reflect how #President #ThomasJefferson not only took part in creating this country but also it's people... black, white, brown, yellow & red!"

Although he wore a period outfit to resemble his ancestor, LaNier chose not to wear a wig for his portrait. It's a choice British photographer Drew Gardner, who shot the portraits, told TODAY he could understand.

"I kind of understood where he was coming from," Gardner said. "He felt very uneasy about dressing up to look like somebody who had used his (slave). She was 16 when he started sleeping with her, maybe even younger who knows. If you're a slave, you have no right to decline sexual attraction or sexual advances, you couldn't say no as a woman or a man."

Gardner, 55 and a photojournalist-turned-photographer, started his "Descendants" project about 15 years ago. Fueled by his passion for history, he said he wanted to "tell stories of the past beautifully" and started focusing on famous British and European subjects. But, he recalled, one day, I was looking at the sets of photographs and I just kind of felt very uncomfortable that there were no faces of color, there were no Black people in there.

Story continues

Photographer Drew Gardner has been shooting portraits of descendants of historical figures for about 15 years. (Drew Gardner)

"So I stopped to look around and America is going through a lot of change at the moment, he said. That got me thinking more because in the past 200 years, so many Americans of color have achieved so many different things ... this could be the time to do an American version ... to show that history isn't necessarily white males, that history is diverse."

The feature in the July/August issue includes portraits of three Americans: LaNier, Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. and Elizabeth Jenkins-Sahlin. Morris is a descendant of abolitionist Frederick Douglass and is his third great-grandson, while Jenkins-Sahlin is a descendant of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and is her third great-granddaughter.

The final presentation showcases each descendant side by side with their ancestor. The descendants are dressed in period costume and each portrait re-creates a historical painting or vintage photograph, illustrating striking resemblances and modern-day differences between each ancestor and descendant.

In an email, Gardner explained how he came to choose the three American figures. The Jefferson family, I had been aware of for around 5 years and it has always interested me, Frederick Douglass was such a remarkable man and he is still not very well known in the U.K. and Elizabeth Cady Stanton ... was such an early women rights activist (predating the U.K. Pankhurst family by 80-ish years).

Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. (Steven James Collins)

For Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., one of the co-founders and president of the nonprofit Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, his response was not an immediate yes when Gardner approached him with the project.

"When I was growing up, I didn't really embrace my heritage a whole lot and there were a lot of reasons for that," Morris, 58, explained. "I'd seen what the pressure had done to those that had came before me. And also, I think my parents made a concerted effort to not put any pressure on me to try and live up to these two great heroes." (Morris is also a descendant of educator Booker T. Washington.)

He eventually came around to Gardner's idea. "It was a combination of his extraordinary talent and being able to re-create these portraits and Smithsonian (getting) involved for me to say, 'OK, this is, this is something that I can really get behind.'"

According to

Morris wore a custom wig in addition to a full outfit for his portrait and focused on channeling his ancestor for the project. "Frederick Douglass is known for his hair and he was very deliberate. He was deliberate in the way he presented himself through pictures. He was the most photographed American of the 19th century."

As for the timing of the release of "The Descendants" project, following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Morris said, "I think it's an excellent point and the timing, I don't think is coincidental and it's not by accident.

"This country obviously is very divided right now. And people ask me all the time, 'What do you think Frederick Douglass would do or say if he were here today?' and it's really hard to answer that question because nobody really knows, but because his blood flows through my veins, I do take some liberty and I would say, he, I'm sure would be happy to see that the country had elected an African American president."

Morris added, "There's still so much work to do, but I've always felt like (Douglass') spirit lives in all of us. And I believe that he could be a unifying spirit, for what we're going through right now."

Elizabeth Jenkins Sahlin (Smithsonian Magazine / drewgardner.com)

Elizabeth Jenkins-Sahlin, 35, who sat for Gardner's re-creation of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was also hesitant to participate when Gardner reached out to her with his idea, but later changed her mind.

She told TODAY via email, "Once I saw Drew Gardner's work and understood his vision and saw the image of Elizabeth Cady Stanton that he had selected, I realized that it was up to me to represent for my family and that it was important for me to do so. I did not want to be the reason that Elizabeth Cady Stanton was not included in the project or the reason that the project did not include any famous historical figures from the women's rights movement in the United States."

Elizabeth Jenkins-Sahlin (right), a descendant of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (left), is the only woman photographed for the American series of

Jenkins-Sahlin wore her hair in curls, a white blouse and blazer instead of a full outfit for her headshot. She wrote that she hopes "the image of Elizabeth Cady Stanton circa 1854 and the image of me at the age of 35 will serve as a reminder that women of all ages have shaped this nations history and that its never too early or too late to get involved, take a stand, and to shape history."

The choice to include both Douglass and Stanton is particularly interesting as the two activists were alive during the same time period and even became friends for some time. Morris and Jenkins-Sahlin touched on this friendship in a behind-the-scenes video for Smithsonian. They pointed out that Stanton and Douglass both attended the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, and Morris recounts how Douglass helped Stanton advocate for the inclusion of womens suffrage in the Declaration of Sentiments.

But later on, Stantons views on womens rights came to usurp her view on suffrage for others, including Black people, pitting her against her former friend. In a 2011 interview, Lori Ginzberg, a historian and a professor of history and women's studies at Penn State University, said, She also descended to some rather ugly racist rhetoric along the lines of, 'We educated, virtuous white women are more worthy of the vote.' ... She talked about how much worse Black men would be as voters than the white women about whom she was concerned, and she was really quite dismissive of Black women's claims.

In response, Gardner wrote in an email to TODAY, We are all flawed and many, if not all of the historic figures, whom I have portrayed have made some big mistakes in their lives with serious consequences for others and taken actions which had a profound impact on many which was not always positive but for good or ill, they have shaped our history. For me, it is learning from their mistakes and hopefully growing. My intention is to encourage debate on this and ultimately encourage a curiosity in the past.

Gardner said the "Descendants" will continue with more historical figures from other countries and likely "follow me into the grave." After all, he said, "it's the most popular thing I've ever done."
Television presenter Caroline Flack took her own life at home after discovering she was definitely going to be prosecuted for assaulting her boyfriend and feared press intrusion, a coroner has ruled.

Coroner Mary Hassell said the fact the alleged assault case was "played out in the national press" was "incredibly difficult for her", and she feared the loss of her hard-fought career.

The 40-year-old former Love Island and X Factor host was found at her home in Stoke Newington, north-east London, on February 15, 2020.

The previous day, she had discovered prosecutors were going to press ahead with the assault charge after she hit Lewis Burton with her phone while he slept, over concerns he had been cheating on her.

Friends said she was expecting the case to be dropped after her lawyers applied for it to be thrown out.

Returning a determination of suicide at Poplar Coroner's Court yesterday, the coroner said: "Although her general fluctuating (mental) state was a background and important in her death, I find the reason for her taking her life was she now knew she was being prosecuted for certainty, and she knew she would face the media, press, publicity - it would all come down upon her. To me that's it in essence."

Weeping, Flack's mother Chris Flack told the coroner via videolink: "I totally agree, I think you got it spot on."

In a statement after the hearing, Mrs Flack hit out at those who "took advantage" of her "loyal" daughter.

She said: "Many people loved and supported Caroline, they know who they are and I thank them all. Many people pretended to love Caroline and took advantage of her kindness and they know who they are. Caroline, you were loved. I love you. Those that would have harmed you can't touch you now."

Mrs Flack had accused the police and prosecutors of having it "in for" her daughter, accusing them of taking her to court due to her "celebrity status". She said her daughter killed herself as a consequence of Detective Inspector Lauren Bateman's personal decision to appeal against the plan to give Miss Flack a caution for assault.

Mrs Flack accused prosecutors of wanting to proceed with the case, despite concerns about the 40-year-old's mental health.

Mrs Flack told deputy chief Crown prosecutor Lisa Ramsarran yesterday: "After listening to you and the first lady (Ms Bateman), I feel even more that you had it in for Caroline.

"I now know how Caroline felt and it is not very nice."

Ms Ramsarran said the code for prosecutors was correctly applied, while both the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said they would not do anything differently.

Miss Flack admitted hitting Mr Burton when officers were called to her home in London in December 2019, saying she did so because she found out he was cheating on her, the inquest heard.

Prosecutors decided to charge Miss Flack with assault after Ms Bateman, the Metropolitan Police inspector on duty at the time, contested their initial decision.

The inquest heard prosecutor Kate Weiss reviewed the decision to charge Flack a week after the assault.

She cited various factors, such as the violence involved, that Mr Burton was sleeping, that a caution is rare for a domestic violence case, and that police said Miss Flack showed no remorse in interview, when coming to the conclusion that a caution was not appropriate.

Ms Weiss wrote: "In light of these factors, I believe a caution is not appropriate."

Coroner Ms Hassell said she understood if Miss Flack's family saw the review document and thought it "gives a flavour of wanting to find reasons to continue the prosecution rather than looking at this afresh".

The coroner said: "It would be easy to gain an impression from this that for whatever reason Caroline isn't liked - 'She's a celebrity and she must be dealt with severely.'

"I can understand why that impression could be gained by this document."

Ms Ramsarran replied: "I don't share your view that we are treating this defendant any different from anyone else."

The inquest heard Miss Flack's mental health deteriorated and she killed herself in February 2020, weeks before she was due to stand trial.

In an impassioned examination of Ms Bateman's evidence, Mrs Flack told Ms Bateman: "If it had been an ordinary person, you wouldn't have prosecuted. This girl killed herself because you put an appeal through."

Ms Bateman denied the coroner's suggestion that she was motivated by Miss Flack's celebrity status to charge her.

Ms Bateman said: "I was not biased and I treat everyone the same."

On Wednesday, friends described how Miss Flack had serious concerns about her trial in March, but had met with her lawyers on February 14 when she thought the case might be dropped.

However, it was then that her legal team outlined the CPS's decision, made the previous day, to go ahead with court action. Miss Flack was found dead the following day.

Prosecutor Ms Ramsarran said the CPS looked at Flack's mental health when the case was first reviewed, including evidence that the television personality self-harmed at the crime scene when she allegedly assaulted Mr Burton.

However, it was decided it was in the public interest to authorise a charge of assault by beating, particularly considering the domestic violence allegation.

If you have been affected by any issues raised in this article, you can contact Samaritans helpline 116 123 or Aware helpline 1800 80 48 48 or Pieta House on 1800 247 247.
New Orleans restaurants could soon have more tables on sidewalks, in tented parking lots and even in empty parking lanes officials hope to transform into parklets and streateries for open-air dining.

It all comes through a bundle of city programs and policies meant to help restaurants in the coronavirus crisis, though some facets could also permanently change the ways New Orleans restaurants operate outdoors.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell first sketched out the forthcoming programs on July 24, at the same time she announced tighter restrictions that effectively shut down New Orleans bars. The first measures are slated to begin next week, with more rolling out through August.

They arrive in the midst of the steamy summer, normally the worst time for al fresco anything in New Orleans. But these programs look beyond the weeks and even months ahead.

+18 50% closure rate feared for New Orleans restaurants as crisis lengthens: Were teetering At various points during the coronavirus crisis, New Orleans restaurants have figured out the shift to takeout-only, how to manage limited oc

Jeff Schwartz, the citys director of economic development, said the aim is to use the public right of way to help businesses immediately as they contend with the pandemic.

Public health officials say outdoor settings are safer for containing virus spread than indoors, which is why outdoor spaces have fewer restrictions in the coronavirus fight.

We know well be in this for an indefinite amount of time, Schwartz said. If we enable (restaurants) to set up more tables now, it might be the difference in helping them get through this.

At the same time, Schwartz said the city is looking to the future and how to make the framework for businesses more versatile and pedestrian friendly.

New Orleans knows how to be in the street and have community and commerce and celebration better than anywhere else, he said. This is about asking how do we use public space to support our business community, our residents, our culture bearers, not just for COVID times but for better times ahead.

How it starts

The citys new plans are multi-faceted, and they will begin in different phases.

First up: a grant program to help restaurants augment sidewalks and off-street parking lots for service, like buying furniture, fans or sun shields. These grants would be up to $2,000 each, and available for 50 restaurants.

+22 Can restaurants thrive right now? Barrows Catfish shows how, mixing tradition, safety This column is part of an ongoing look at how New Orleans restaurants are contending with the pandemic.

While thats a small number of available grants, to qualify restaurants need to have permits to use sidewalk or parking lot spaces for dining. Schwartz said roughly 100 restaurants have such permits now. In May, the city waived fees and zoning restrictions on such uses to encourage outdoor service.

Grant applications are available online at outdoordiningnola.com.

Parklets and streateries

A second program, slated to begin later this month, will turn parking lanes into parklets where restaurants can add tables.

The city will position water-filled street barriers around sections of the parking lane and disable any related parking meters. From there, it will be up to the restaurants to outfit the newly designated parklets with tables and amenities for customers.

Schwartz said the city is now finalizing their selections for the first round of parklets. It will begin with about a half-dozen sites in business corridors that meet city criteria, with high business density and low traffic speeds. Schwartz said the city should be ready to announce locations and begin creating these by late August.

Were only doing this in areas where our public works and public safety people feel comfortable with the ability to do it safely, he said.

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Schwartz said these programs are all voluntary, and businesses can opt out.

If a business doesnt want this, even if that business is in a corridor where its happening, they can keep the parking spaces and nothing would change, he said.

+28 Brigtsens shows what changes, what endures as classic New Orleans restaurants fight on The menu at Brigtsens restaurant has always told stories. Between the brown butter, bright remoulade and smoky gumbo you can read the heritag

The pilot program phase will last for perhaps a month. By the fall, the city hopes to expand the concept to more areas.

For a second phase of the parklet program, the city will make grants available to restaurants to help further develop these spaces with furnishings and amenities. These future grants would likely be for up to $6,000 each, Schwartz said.

A related program takes the parklet idea further to create temporary streateries.

This concept entails closing off traffic on small portions of selected streets, again in neighborhood business corridors, and then allowing restaurants to use the whole width of the street for outdoor seating. These streateries could span two to three blocks, in the manner of normal street closures for special events.

Unlike parklets, which are conceived as a permanent change, Schwartz said the city sees streateries as temporary, short-term additions to boost business in the crisis.

Questions, expansions

Restaurant operators have been eager to learn how the new programs will work, though some in the industry are leery of how City Hall will manage them.

Were interested in anything thats going to help restaurants and bars, but we really need to see guidelines from the city, said Stan Harris, president and CEO of the Louisiana Restaurant Association.

Information for restaurants has been scant thus far, he said. Some concerns are how sanitation and trash collection will work with the new framework, and if the city will seek to generate fee revenue from such programs in the future.

These are all good ideas, but there are operational realities the restaurants have to deal with, Harris said. Id be more engaged on it if the city had consulted with us beforehand. We would have put together a task force of our members. Now, well end up working backwards.

Many other cities have enacted new programs or relaxed regulations to encourage more outdoor dining. Schwartz said these plans have been slower to materialize in New Orleans because the city has been approaching them as long term additions to the permitting structure, rather than just an emergency response.

The city went through the legwork at the front end, he said. Were actually creating something that in 10 years restaurants could still be using.

All of these programs are focused on restaurants for now. Thats a reflection of how important restaurants are in the citys culture, Schwartz said, and how uniquely impacted the industry has been by the crisis.

However, Schwartz said the program could expand to other types of businesses that would benefit from outdoor service.

If theres not a health or safety concern, I dont think theres a reason why other businesses couldnt participate in this in the future, he said.

Note: this story has been updated with the city's new web site for grant application information

+6 Keep fighting or close? For some New Orleans restaurants, reinvention shows another path A social media post from Namese this week brought the news that the Vietnamese restaurant had permanently closed, another in a drumbeat of suc

+15 How birria tacos keep a Metairie tortilla bakery going, and a family dream alive This story is part of an ongoing look at how New Orleans restaurants are contending with the pandemic.
R ishi Sunak vowed today to give people hope for new jobs after it emerged that more than a million posts could go by Christmas.

The Chancellor admitted there was hardship ahead for many when the furlough scheme supporting millions of workers ends in October.

He argued that the state should not continue paying the bulk of the wages for so many, including some jobs which would not exist once the scheme ends.

What we need to do now, its to look forward, provide the opportunities for tomorrow, he told Sky News, as he highlighted the Governments 30 billion jobs plan to try to limit the impact of Covid-19.

Yes, there is hardship ahead for many people ... but they shouldnt be left without hope.

On a visit to Glasgow, amid Tory worries over a rise in support for Scottish independence, Mr Sunak said he had no desire to be prime minister.

He sidestepped a question on whether furlough could be extended if there is a second coronavirus wave.

Labour is calling for a targeted furlough scheme to continue to protect jobs because tens of thousands are already being lost, particularly on the high street and in the hospitality and transport sectors.

Yesterday a Bank of England report suggested that more than one million jobs could be lost by Christmas.

The nation is split over ending furlough in October, with 48 per cent backing this timing, and 43 per cent saying it is too soon, according to an exclusive Ipsos MORI survey for the Evening Standard.

Younger people are generally more reluctant to see it go, while older individuals are supportive of the Chancellors timetable in larger numbers.

The survey also found at least eight out of 10 people are not confident the situation in Britain will be close to normal by Christmas. Boris Johnson raised the prospect in mid-July that a more significant return to normality may be possible by the end of the year if coronavirus could be contained.

However, the poll showed that at best 18 per cent of adults are confident this will happen.

The survey of more than 1,000 adults had a split question on this topic. Half the sample were asked how confident they were about life in the country being mainly back to normal by Christmas. Only 10 per cent were confident and 89 per cent were not.

The Prime Minister, though, appears to inspire some confidence. When the second half of interviewees were asked specifically about his comment, the findings were more positive.

Eighteen per cent were confident Britain will mainly be back to normal by Christmas, while 82 per cent were not confident. Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said: Britons remain concerned about coronavirus, and are preparing for a long haul with few expecting a return to normality any time soon.

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The survey also showed economic optimism still in the doldrums, with 68 per cent expecting the countrys general economic condition to get worse over the next 12 months, and 20 per cent believing it will improve, giving a net score of minus 48.

In June the score was minus 47.

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Six out of 10 people support the plans to fully re-open schools by September, with 54 per cent saying it is about the right time and seven per cent believing it is too late. However, there is still a significant number of adults, 32 per cent, who believe it is too soon for all pupils to go back to the classroom.

Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,019 adults across Great Britain by phone between July 30 and August 4. Data are weighted. Full details at Ipsos-Mori.com
Malaysia's former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng arrives at Kuala Lumpur High Court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Lim Huey Teng/Reuters)

Malaysia Charges Former Finance Minister With Corruption

KUALA LUMPURMalaysia on Friday charged former finance minister and senior opposition leader Lim Guan Eng with corruption for seeking a bribe on a $1.5 billion infrastructure project, a move slammed by his supporters as political persecution.

The charges against Lim, who was minister in the Mahathir Mohamad-led coalition that collapsed in February, comes amid speculation that elections could be imminent due to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassins slim majority in parliament.

Lim was charged at a Kuala Lumpur court session for seeking a bribe to appoint a company to manage an undersea tunnel project in Penang state, which he led as chief minister from 2008 until his appointment as finance minister in 2018.

Lim, arrested on Thursday night, pleaded not guilty to the charge, according to state news agency Bernama. Lim and his lawyers could not be immediately contacted.

If found guilty, Lim faces a jail term of up to 20 years and heavy fines. Anti-graft officials have said Lim will face two more charges next week.

Malaysias opposition leaders said the charges against Lim were politically motivated.

There is not a single bit of evidence that suggests wrongdoing. Political persecution by Perikatan Nasional has begun, opposition lawmaker Teresa Kok said, referring to the ruling coalition.

Charles Santiago, another opposition lawmaker, called the charges a dirty ploy to destroy the opposition bloc.

The prime ministers office did not respond to a request for comment.

Lim leads an ethnic Chinese-dominated party, which had drawn some backlash in the Mahathir coalitionincluding from prime minister Muhyiddin and his alliesdue to concerns that the alliance was not doing enough to protect interests of the countrys majority Malays.

Lims appointment as finance minister in 2018 was the first time in 44 years that the ministry was headed by a member of the ethnic Chinese community and was met with some resistance.

Muhyiddin was in Mahathirs coalition before he switched alliances to form a government with parties that were voted out in the 2018 election.

By A. Ananthalakshmi
Denim done right means blue jeans are green, according to Australian-based Outland Denim. And thats why the premium denim brand  known for its global mission to fight against human trafficking  released its first annual Sustainability Report, which details a unique eco-strategy and explains how its employees benefit from a social enterprise business model.

The 82-page report, which is separated into social, environmental and economic impact, is a reflection of the brands philosophy that true sustainability encompasses all three [of these] elements.

More from WWD

James Bartle, Outland Denims founding chief executive officer, said The repercussions of COVID-19 for people working across the fashion value chain have too often been devastating. Our ongoing commitment is to ensure that we represent and speak for the most vulnerable, while making continual improvements to our business to ensure equity for all.

Authors of the report said 750 people, including staff and household members, benefit from stable, life-changing employment with the brand, citing that 85 percent of its formerly at-risk staff report a reduced level of risk to exploitation after six months of employment at Outland Denim.

Our customers arent just buying a pair of jeans; they are investing in positive change, Bartle explained. They are taking us up on our promise to create an impact on their behalf. We hope that our customers read this report and feel empowered that despite the challenges COVID-19 has presented to the world, purpose-driven-business that puts people and the planet first is the way forward.

Founded in 2011, Outland Denim has seen steady growth in the U.S. market, partnering with major retailers such as Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and select boutiques across the U.S., Canada and Australia. The brand is a rising star in the sustainability space and recently received the Thomson Reuters Foundation 2020 Stop Slavery Award for SME.

Story continues

Bartle told WWD that its Sustainability Report aims to communicate the brands impacts mainly to its customers. As a purpose-driven brand, we are no strangers to reporting; however, we felt it was important for there to be a public-facing avenue to benchmark our impact and communicate this to our customers. The report is a chance to celebrate the wins and also set our goals for the future.

Its successes by the numbers point to impressive stats regarding its overall processes, as the brand uses up to 86 percent less water, 57 percent less energy and 83 percent less chemicals in its Wash and Finishing facility, in addition to 94 percent of its direct supply chain traceability effectively meeting strict social and environmental criteria.

From a material perspective, measured by weight, 93 percent of the raw materials used by Outland Denim in the past 12 months were natural, and the brand proudly shared that its Amy Former Jean is the most sustainable vintage-wash denim available in the market. The brand uses organic cotton, vegetable dyes and employs washing technologies such as laser, Ozone and E-Flow.

For Outland Denim, its all about the details: 550 pounds of its biodegradable cassava bags replaced its plastic poly bags for international garment transport, and, the brand is going vegan, as it has committed to transitioning all of its leather patches that adorn the back pockets of its jeans to jacron paper over the next 12 months.

And the brands decision to open its manufacturing facilities to other brands under the name Maeka offers the opportunity for other brands to produce in its facilities. [For brands to use] the socially, environmentally and economically sustainable facilities that we have established and become known for, we can stretch our impact and grow our business, the report said. Its first designer working with Maeka is Karen Walker, and product is already in development.

Bartle told WWD, We know that our customers are deeply interested and invested in how their garments are made and who makes them. Not only do we believe our customers deserve this level of transparency and accountability, we believe its completely essential in a time when consumers are being subject to so much greenwashing.

Its garments are constructed at its stand-alone cut-and-sew facility based in Cambodia  which recently launched an on-site Health Clinic and Education Center  where its employees are offered fair, safe and fulfilling employment, the brand said, emphasizing that many of its staff members come from vulnerable and exploitative situations.

Without clearly communicating our impact and sustainability journey, we are essentially asking consumers to take our word for it, and thats not good enough.

Our primary goals in releasing this report are to further foster consumer trust and set sustainability benchmarks which we can improve upon in the same way a business would set financial benchmarks. We hope that our report encourages other businesses to pursue similar reporting.

For more Business news from WWD, see:

Outdoor Brands Talk Coronavirus Impacts

Brick-and-Mortar, Digital Retailers Adjust Strategies in Wake of Coronavirus

Field Notes: How Fabric Is Helping Save the Planet
The health officer for Montgomery County, Md., issued an executive order on Friday allowing private schools in the county to open for in-person classes, following pressure from the governors office as well as a looming lawsuit.

Health officer Travis Gayles issued an order last week mandating that all schools in the county, including private schools, conduct remote learning until at least October 1. While Gayles said that coronavirus transmission in the county was too high to reopen schools, Governor Larry Hogan issued his own executive order earlier this week allowing schools themselves to decide whether to reopen on a case-by-case basis.

I continue to strongly believe that based on the current state of surveillance and epidemiological data, it is neither safe nor in the interest of public health for any school to return for in-person learning this fall, Gayles wrote in his Friday order. Local officials wanted to allow schools to open once the county reported about ten new coronavirus cases per day, while as of Friday the rate was roughly 76 per day.

However, Gayles continued, the Maryland Health Department issued a memorandum announcing that it is a health policy of the State to not issue blanket orders closing nonpublic schools, and Montgomery County would follow that memorandum.

Several parents of private school students in the area had sued the county over the closure.

This Countys order targeting religious and private schools for closure was the only one of its kind in the entire country, Timothy Maloney, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said on Tuesday. It was plainly unconstitutional. It disrupted the lives of thousands ofA Montgomery County families.

More from National Review
A Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson had said that withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir did not serve peace or stability in the region

New Delhi: India on Thursday called as factually "incorrect, biased and unwarranted" Turkey's comments that removal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir has not contributed to peace and stability in the region.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also asked Turkey to refrain from interfering in internal matters of India.

"The statement is factually incorrect, biased and unwarranted. We would urge the government of Turkey to get a proper understanding of the situation on the ground and refrain from interfering in matters internal to India," he said at an online media briefing.

A Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson on Wednesday said that withdrawal of special powers of Jammu and Kashmir has further complicated the situation and that it has not served peace and stability in the region.

The criticism came on a day marking first anniversary of India's decision on Jammu and Kashmir.

On 5 August, India announced its decision to withdraw special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories.
Chennai Customs Department said on Thursday that it would be auctioning and safely disposing off 740 MTS of seized ammonium nitrate in light of the massive explosion in Lebanon's Beirut affecting at least 3000 people after the chemical stored in the warehouse exploded.

A total of 740 MTS of seized imported ammonium nitrate is in safe custody at a container freight station here and will be disposed off shortly in an e-auction following all safety measures, Chennai Customs said.

This announcement comes in the backdrop of the massive explosion leading to deaths and widespread damages to property and injuries to people in the Lebanese. The blast was said to have been triggered by the explosion of the chemical stored in a warehouse in the port capital Beirut.

Office of the Commissioner of Customs Chennai on Thursday said, Chennai Customs has seized 740 MTS imported Ammonium Nitrate due to import policy restrictions prescribed by the Government of India under the Customs Act 1962 read with Explosive Act, 1884 and Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012.

Also read: Day after resigning as J&K L-G, GC Murmu appointed as new CAG

Also read: Delhi minor rape case: Arvind Kejriwal visits victim at AIIMS, announces Rs 10 lakh aid to family

The cargo was kept in safe custody at a Container Freight Station (CFS) in Manali, Chennai.

The seized cargo is securely stored and safety of the cargo and public is ensured considering the hazardous nature of the cargo. Concerned CFS is located approximately 20 kms away from the city and there is no residential locality within the vicinity of 2 kms from this CFS. All safety measures are being taken by the aforesaid CFS and monitored by the Customs to ensure public safety, Customs Dept said.

Also the process of disposal of the said cargo is taken promptly by the Customs & e-auction has already been completed. The disposal of the said cargo will be done within a short period following all safety measures, it added.

At least 137 people died and some 5,000 were injured in a massive explosion that rocked Beirut on Tuesday. The ammonium nitrate blast at the seaport was felt far across the city, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

Also read: Bihar floods: 33 NDRF, SDRF teams deployed; death toll rises to 19
Leave it to Prince Harry to give the sweetest gifts for his wife, Meghan Markle, on her birthday.

The Duchess of Sussex, who turned 39 on Tuesday, marked the day with an intimate family gathering with the Duke, their son Archie Harrison and Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland.

They celebrated her birthday at the couple's rented mansion in Los Angeles.

According to a source who told Us Weekly, the 35-year-old Prince surprised his wife, a birthday gift that had a personal touch.

"He wanted the gift to be personal, so he surprised Meghan with a necklace that he designed."

Aside from the necklace, Prince Harry also gave Meghan Markle a framed photograph of the two.

"It was a picture he took himself," the source shared.

After Meghan's birthday celebration, the source revealed that Doria looked after her grandson while the former "Suits" star and the royal spent a romantic evening together.

Not only did Prince Harry give Meghan Markle thoughtful gifts, but he also cooked for the Duchess - with a little help from Doria.

As per the source, the dad-of-one cooked his wife a three-course dinner.

"While Harry has become a better cook since marrying Meghan, he still has a long way to go."

Prince Harry didn't just prepare dinner and give great gifts, as he also had another surprise for his wife.

The source shared that he also ordered a massive chocolate birthday cake covered in icing and balloons for Meghan Markle's 39th birthday.

All over the UK, some establishments and charities also celebrated Meghan's birthday.

Luminary Bakery, which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited before, commemorated her birthday by auctioning off a cake.

The bakery decided to make a "lemon celebration cake." For every $13 donation to the shop, the donor's name will be added to a raffle.

The $13 donation will be donated to women who are homeless, just got out of prison, victims of domestic violence, or sexual abuse so they could learn how to bake and look for jobs.

The winner of the raffle will take home the delicious dessert.

The royal family also greeted the Duchess.

On the Royal Family's Instagram account, they posted a photo of Meghan and Queen Elizabeth II with the caption, "Wishing The Duchess of Sussex a very happy birthday!"

Us Weekly's source further shared that after choosing to celebrate her birthday low-key this year, the Duchess is planning to have a grand and glamorous birthday party next year to invite all of her friends.

Next year, Meghan turns 40 years old.

Meanwhile, it's not just Prince Harry, who goes the extra mile for his loved one.

Meghan Markle also gave Prince Harry a very special gift for his birthday last year.

An insider told to People Magazine and revealed that the American-born Duchess celebrated the red-headed Prince's 35th birthday by bringing back memories from their memorable 2016 trip to Botswana.

They reportedly camped in their backyard as Meghan recreated the entire thing.

"It's a place that means so much to them - and to Harry in particular."

The source added, "So Meghan wanted to bring that happy place to him on his day, so she set up a tent, got sleeping bags, cooked dinner."

READ MORE: Meghan Markle Strategy: Duchess Used Prince Harry's Weakness To Manipulated Him, Critic Claims
He drives too fast, and his cars too loud, Mr. Perry told the court. And they resolved in their mind that theyre going to fix his wagon, theyre going to straighten him out.

The Durhams lawyers, who want the charges against their clients dropped and Mr. Latham charged with first-degree murder, have a provocative theory for what happened: Mr. Latham, they say, deliberately drew Mr. Durham to his death in a bid for social media celebrity.

In a June letter to Ms. Webb-McRae, the lawyers, Diane M. Ruberton and Robert R. Simons, noted that Mr. Lathams wife, Sarah Latham, recorded the brawl on her phone and said she did so because it was her and Lathams intent to post these videos to TikTok and become TikTok famous.

For that reason, the lawyers argued, the self-defense claim does not hold up.

If Latham was in fear for his or Sarahs safety, they both would have retreated inside, called police and stayed there, they wrote. They did not because their intent was to lure the Durhams there, attack them and record it for TikTok.

In the letter, which was first reported by nj.com, the lawyers recounted what they said were the results of their inquiry into the events preceding, and surrounding, Mr. Durhams killing.

The interactions began two years ago, when Mr. Durham approached Mr. Latham not long after the teenager moved into his grandparents house on Thornhill Road in Vineland, about 40 miles south of Philadelphia, to complain that he was driving recklessly.

Mr. Latham, who was 16 at the time, came to the Durhams home later to apologize, the letter said, but he continued to drive erratically.
Fifteen passengers and a pilot have been reported dead after an Air India Express flight skidded off the runway at Calicut international airport in Kerala.

According to Indian media, the plane with nearly 200 people on board from Dubai, broke into two upon landing.

The incident happened around 19:00 local time (14:30 BTS) amid heavy rainfall in the region.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about the plane crash, saying he was pained by the accident.

My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest, he wrote.

Also, Kerala governor, Arif Mohammed Khan, sent condolences to the families of the deceased.

READ ALSO:

My heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives following the crashlanding of #AirIndiaExpress flight at Karipur. My prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured, he wrote on Twitter.

He said the government was taking all steps to rescue other victims.
- Willie Revillame was evidently touched by jeepney drivers who are begging for money amid the pandemic

- He vowed to donate 5 million pesos to help them and their families with everyday needs

- The TV host tapped the help of Presidential spokesman Harry Roque in giving his big-time donation

- According to the Palace official, the money will be given to appropriate agencies for distribution

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Willie Revillame is now the talk of the town in the online world because of the huge amount that he donated to jeepney drivers who are affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

KAMI learned that the prominent television host has pledged 5 million pesos to the drivers of public utility vehicles who were seen begging for money on the street.

Filipino jeepney drivers begging for help (Photo from Getty Images)

Source: Getty Images

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He even sought the assistance of Presidential spokesman Harry Roque in giving his big-time donation to the target beneficiaries.

Nabanggit ko sa inyo dati na gusto kong tumulong. Ngayon, sa sarili kong pinag-ipunan dahil ako naman po ay may trabaho ngayon, syempre napakahirap, gusto kong tumulong una doon sa mga jeepney drivers, Willie quipped.

I am willing to give sa aking naipon, at hindi naman po ito pagmamayabang no, ito lang ang pwede ko maitulong sa gobyerno kasi hindi naman ako pwede lumapit kay Mr. President na ito ang ibibigay ko, hindi maganda tignan. Siguro sa inyo na lang, ang balak ko po ay magbigay ng P5 million ngayon sa araw na ito at handa ako, at ibibigay sa mga jeepney driver na talagang namamalimos na, he added.

With regard to how the money will be distributed to jeepney drivers, Roque revealed that it will be turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Aside from the said huge amount of donation, Willie also stated that he will give 100 thousand pesos each to the families of four Filipinos who succumbed to the explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.

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Willie Revillame is undoubtedly one of the richest showbiz personalities in the Philippines. He is always willing to help the less-fortunate members of society.

Recently, he talked about Eat Bulaga and the trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon while he was hosting Tutok to Win.

The celebrity also uttered the words, Salamat, SONA! while interviewing a lucky winner on his show.

POPULAR: Read more news about Willie Revillame!

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Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.
I have no special insight into whom Joe Biden will pick as his running mate. The conventional wisdom seems to be that he likely will select Kamala Harris. I have no reason to disagree. But if Biden makes his selection based on comfort level and personal taste, he probably will reject Harris and perhaps pick Susan Rice.

Rice has serious flaws, but also one virtue that the other contenders on Bidens artificially limited list lack. She has some sense that the world is a dangerous place.

Bidens selection decision takes on particular importance because there is a much larger than normal chance that, if elected, he wont last four years. If that chance is 50-50, and if his chance of defeating Trump is also 50-50, then theres a 25 percent probability that Bidens running mate will become president before 2025.

The last time the stakes were so high was in 1944. At that time, President Roosevelts prospects of lasting four more years were practically nil. In addition, his prospects of defeating Republican Thomas Dewey were better than 50-50.

Roosevelts selection process was a convoluted one, like much else in FDRs presidency. Henry Wallace, the incumbent vice president, was one of Americas leading experts on agriculture and had served as Secretary of Agriculture under Roosevelt. But Wallace was a hard leftist with abundant sympathy for the Soviet Union. In 1948, he would run for president on the Progressive ticket.

Roosevelt liked Wallace, and organized labor loved him. However, the party bigwigs couldnt stand him, and feared that, with Wallace on the ticket, FDR might struggle to win the South in what was expected to be a fairly close election. The bosses worked tirelessly to thwart his renomination.

The logical choice to replace Wallace was James Byrnes. He had been a Senator, a Supreme Court Justice, and the head of the Office of War Mobilization during World War II. Roosevelt regarded him as the person best able to serve as president in his place, and it was difficult to dispute this assessment.

However, Byrnes had two problems. He had converted from Catholicism and become an Episcopalian when he married. This raised concerns that he might cause Roosevelt to lose the Catholic votes he needed in big cities.

Byrnes, a South Carolinian, had also opposed civil rights legislation including anti-lynching laws. This raised concerns that he might cause FDR to lose the Black votes he needed to carry states like New York. Byrnes insisted, probably correctly, that Blacks idolized Roosevelt to the point that it didnt matter who was on the ticket with him. However, the concern persisted.

To one degree or another, the anti-Wallace bigwigs liked Harry Truman as an alternative to Wallace and Byrnes. For his era, Truman had a good record on civil rights. He was a solid supporter of the New Deal, but no fire brand. He seemed to get along with everyone.

The popular perception is that Truman was a non-entity, plucked from obscurity as a compromise choice, But thats not accurate. To be sure, Truman lacked the credentials of Wallace and Byrnes. However, he had served with distinction in the Senate for almost ten years. And he had made a name for himself through his tireless work as head of the Truman Committee that ferreted out waste, inefficiency, and corruption in military procurement during World War II, saving the government billions of dollars.

Other contenders included Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, longtime Senate Majority Leader and future Vice President Alben Barkley, and Supreme Court Justice and former SEC Chairman William Douglas. The Justice would have been an out-of-the-box selection, but Roosevelt seemed partial to him and made sure his name kept cropping up in speculation over the selection.

Contemplate this list and compare the credentials of its members with the credentials of those said to be on Bidens shortlist. Biden should be embarrassed.

The process through which Truman gained the nomination is too byzantine to relate in full, but can be summarized as follows:

In 1944, the Convention selected the vice president. However, had FDR firmly endorsed a candidate, that candidate would almost certainly have been selected.

Roosevelt stopped short of endorsing anyone. However, he did praise Wallace and say that if he were a delegate, he would vote for Wallace.

This was vintage FDR. In effect, he kept the door open both for Wallace and for the anti-Wallace crowd.

The anti-Wallace crowd lobbied Roosevelt relentlessly. According to some accounts, at one point the bosses got him to say he preferred Truman. But when it came time to get something in writing, Trumans leading backer was only able to get a note with two names  Douglas and Truman (probably in that order, although the note was long ago discarded, so we dont know for sure).

Trumans backers were reluctant to show anyone the note because it seemed to favor Douglas. However, the Justice, who apparently had no idea he was under serious consideration, was hiking somewhere in the West during the convention.

At the convention, party bigwigs and bosses met in a room, probably smoke filled, to figure out how to put Truman over the top in the looming floor battle with Wallace. They faced a problem, though. Truman kept saying he didnt want the job. Its possible that he did want it, but if so he was putting on quite a good act.

A phone call from Roosevelt, who wasnt at the convention, beat Truman into submission. He would accept the nomination.

The night before the VP balloting, Wallaces supporters nearly stampeded the convention into renominating him. Thousands of extra tickets had been handed out so people could hear Roosevelts acceptance speech, which he delivered remotely, in the convention hall. Organized labor made sure that nearly all of the extras were Wallace supporters.

They clamored to proceed directly to the VP voting. Claude Pepper, the leftist New Dealer from Florida, pushed his way to the rostrum to try to move that the voting commence. But he was spotted, and before he could do so, the convention was adjourned for the night.

The next day, admission was limited to delegates and the press. On the first ballot, Wallace held the lead. But on the second ballot, when the favorite sons withdrew, things went according to plan. Truman surged past Wallace and gained enough votes to secure the nomination.

There are no Trumans among todays crop of Democrats, and certainly none among those whom Joe Biden reportedly is considering.
Hon. Abdul Aziz Futa, the New Patriotic Party (NPPs) National Nasara Coordinator has promised to deliver at least three parliamentary Zongo seats for the party in the forthcoming December polls.

The Nasara Coordinator even though was tight lipped on the constituencies, he mentioned the Ayawaso North in the Greater Accra Region as one of the areas to be delivered.

Hon. Aziz Futa was speaking to the media at Mamobi, in the Ayawaso North Constituency at the end of his nationwide tour, when he made the promise on Thursday.

The tour which took him and his entourage to the Western Region, Tema West, Ashiaman, Akatamanso, Madina amongst others and ended at Ayawaso North was to canvass support for the NPP.

He was very optimistic the good people of Ghana and Zongos for that matter will vote massively for President Nana Addo to continue with his good work.

He noted that the Zongos will surely vote for the NPP because of the tremendous achievements of the government in its three and a half year into office.

Mr. Aziz Futa pointed out the establishment of the Zongo Ministry, Zongo Development Fund ( ZDF) Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) as some of the indelible successes chalked by the Akufo Addo government that has benefited the people of the Zongo enormously.

The Free Senior High School, Planting for Food and Jobs, construction and refurbishment of roads, hospitals, schools etc that were undertaken by the government, he noted has benefited the people so much that, he was very confident they will retain the government to continue with its good work.

He maintained his stance to chase the NDC out of the Zongos. "We shall chase the NDC from the Zongos not with violence but with prudent and appealing political ideologies and programs. There is no Zongo in Ghana that has not benefited from the NPP government's flagship programs such as Free SHS, NABCO, 1D1F, Astro Turfs etc."

The NPP government according to Mr. Abdul Aziz Futa has for the first time absorbed the examination costs for students sitting for both the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), as well as the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE). "In all about 450,000 for the WASSCE and around 350,000 for the BECE in addition to the paying of salaries for Muslim teachers in the various Islamic schools, popularly referred to as Makaranta had and are still benefiting from these packages."

The Ayawaso North for instance, he intimated has benefited from the NPP's developmental agenda by upgrading the Mamobi General Hospital. According to him, the Hospital was recently through the Zongo Ministry fitted with lifts to carry patients, visitors and workers from and to various wards of the health center."

Mr. Abdul Aziz Futa indicated that the zongos have seen rapid changes and are feeling the changes and will therefore endorse the candidatures of Akufo Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamud Bawumia to continue.

On the just ended voters registration exercise, hon. Aziz Futa expressed his satisfaction on the way and manner the exercise went on smoothly.

He commended the people for conducting themselves very well and expressed the hope that same will be done during the election time in December contrary to the notion by the opposition NDC that conducting a new voters registration was a conspiracy by both the Electoral Commission (EC) and the ruling government to deny the people of the Zongos their voting rights based on the requirements prescribed by the EC.

"Was anyone from the Zongos denied the right to register? Hon. Aziz Futa asked. Many people from Zongos possess passports, Ghana Cards and Birth certificates which automatically guarantees their rights as Ghanaians to register and vote."

He expressed his parties readiness to support the EC to undertake its core mandate as stipulated in the constitution.

On his part, the NPP 2020 Parliamentary Candidate (PC) for Ayawaso North Constituency, Alhaji Manaf Mohammed Osumanu thanked the Nasara Coordinator for chosen to end his nationwide tour in the constituency.

He also expressed the utmost optimism that the people of Ayawaso North will vote massively for the NPP in the coming elections. "The dynamism of politics has changed rapidly in the constituency due to the achievements of the government and that he was upbeat the pendulum will swing this time in their favour."

He promised to create jobs for the people, offer scholarships for the brilliant but needy students and also bring development for the people if voted for as the next MP for the area.

Alhaji Manaf Mohammed also expressed his satisfaction for the conduct of the just ended voters register. He applauded the people for the mature and peaceful manner in which they conducted themselves.
Air India unions write to Centre demanding urgent resolution of six issues

Procurement of expensive aircraft parts to be done after approval of senior official: Air India

Govt clarifies on PF benefits to Air India employees after privatisation

Centre opposes Subramanian Swamy's plea in HC seeking to set aside Air India disinvestment process

Operations from India to US to be curtailed/revised from Jan 19 due to 5G roll-out: Air India

Air India Express crash: What we know about flight IX 1344

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Aug 07: An Air India Express plane coming from Dubai overshot the runway at Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday evening, an airline spokesperson said. The flight -- IX 1344 -- landed at the airport at around 7.40 pm.

Kerala plane overshoots runway, splits in 2 | Oneindia News

The pilot who lost his life in the ill-fated Kozhikode air crash

Here's what we know so far details

An Air India Express flight with 191 passengers and crew skidded off the tabletop runway and fell into a 50 feet valley breaking into two portions while landing.

The flight from Dubai was part of the Centre's repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission.

Many people have been rushed to the nearby hospitals,the condition of some of them is said to be serious.

After landing at Runway 10, the flight continued running to end of the runway and fell down in the valley and broke into two portions, a statement by DGCA said.

The passengers include 174 were adults, 10 children, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew.

The Chief Minister has asked all the government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities.

The CM Vijayan has also deputed A C Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations.

AC Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrissur. The CM also has deputed an IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two districts also have been engaged.

2 NDRF teams have been despatched.

11 people have died in Kerala air crash, including a mother and a child, says Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja.

We are deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Express Flight No IX 1344 at Kozhikode. MEA helplines are open 24x7: 1800 118 797, +91 11 23012113, +91 11 23014104, +91 11 23017905. Fax: +91 11 23018158. Email: covid19@mea.gov.in.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about the Karipur plane crash.

According to Air India, there were 190 people on board the Air India Express flight AXB1344 including 174 passengers, 10 infants and four crew members. Air India Express is a subsidiary of state-run airline Air India.

"Air India statement: Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode at 1941 hrs tonight. No fire reported at the time of landing. There are 174 passengers, 10 infants, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew on board the aircraft," the national transporter said in a statement.

Home Minister Amit Shah, who is recuperating at a Gurugram hospital, ordered National Disaster Response Force teams to rush to the airport to help with the rescue operations.

Four hours after the crash, Kerala police officers said two people were still trapped and the operation to pull them out was still on.

Confirming that there were 17 deaths, Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan told the media that 110 people were admitted to hospitals in Kozhikode and 80 to hospitals in Malappuram.

The civil aviation ministry's accident investigation division Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct a detailed investigation into the Air India Express flight crash at Kozhikode airport in Kerala.
A 107-year-old Chinese woman has revealed her secrets to longevity: doing stretching exercise and drinking water mixed with vinegar and honey.

The great-great-grandmother has stuck to the daily routine for decades and does not have major illnesses at her advanced age, according to local media.

She reportedly stretches her arms and legs around 100 times every day.

Liu Caiqin who lives in Xianyang, China's Shaanxi Province stretches her body 100 times a day

Footage shows the energetic woman lifting her arms and kicking her legs while lying in bed

Liu Caiqin, the head of a five-generation family, lives in the city of Xianyang in Shaanxi Province, north-western China.

Footage released by Shaanxi Radio and TV station shows the energetic centenarian lifting her arms and kicking her legs while lying in bed.

She is also filmed squatting and stretching her body while holding on to the bed frame and massaging her limbs and back using a rolling stick.

According to Huashang Daily, Ms Liu was born in June 1913, to an impoverished family in the county of Liquan.

She was a farmer before getting married and has two children. Her elder daughter is now 79 years old, and her younger son is 76.

Ms Liu drinks a cup of water mixed with vinegar and honey as part of her daily health routine

Ms Liu was born in June 1913, to an impoverished family in the county of Liquan in Xianyang

Her son, Zhang Jing, told reporters that her mother found it a little difficult to hear, but her health was good in general.

Mr Zhang said the readings of her blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol were all normal.

Apart from an hour of physical exercise every day, Ms Liu drinks a cup of water mixed with vinegar and honey.

'Do not look down upon this vinegar honey water. It is my mother's favourite. She cannot live one day without drinking it,' said Mr Zhang.

He noted that his mother could consume more than 11 pounds of honey a year due to the habit.

Ms Liu is pictured with her family, which has five generations and is headed by the centenarian

It is said that Ms Liu is a fan of light-flavoured dishes. She keeps a positive and optimistic mentality and doesn't like holding grudges.

Besides, she loves chitchatting, listening to opera and playing cards with her friends in the neighbourhood.

Ms Liu is a devoted Buddhist.

She told Huashang Daily while holding her prayer beads: 'This is a string of 108 Buddhist beads. Every day, I need to count it for 100 times - that is to count about 100,000 beads. It helps me exercise my mind and my hands.'

After being asked about her tips on living a long life, Ms Liu said the most important thing is to be kind, earnest and generous.
Heartland Home Health & Hospice serving Northeastern Michigan donated $10,000 to the United Way Midland Countys Rise Together Fund through the Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund.

In May, two dams failed and flooded Midland causing extreme damages. Heartland Home Health & Hospice wanted to plan a fundraiser to help their community recover from the damages so the team reached out to Melanie Maraugha, donor relations manager, grants officer with ProMedica Foundation, to find out what they could do to for a fundraiser and she informed the agency that through the Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund and ProMedica Foundation they could donate $10,000 to their community.

The Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund donation was distributed between Riverside Place of Midland, Great Lakes Bay Veterans Coalition and United Way of Midland Countys Rise Together Fund. When Heartland found out that Riverside Place of Midland had to immediately evacuate their residence due to the flooding, they felt it was important to help them with some of the donation funds.

Heartland also partners with the We Honor Veterans Program. Kendall MacConnell, veteran volunteer, mentioned he had volunteered with the Great Lakes Bay Veterans Coalition handing out food to those who were in need after the flood, the team knew this was an organization they also wanted to help. The Heartland team learned the Great Lakes Bay Veterans Coalition matches their donations to help restore the homes of veterans that were damaged by the flood. Another vital organization Heartland wanted to give to was the United Way of Midland Countys Rise Together Fund, as it continues to help those affected by the flood.

Representatives from the organizations attended the check presentation that was held on July 24 at the Heartland Home Health & Hospice office.

I honestly tear up trying to put into words what it means to the Heartland team to be able to support our community. We are blessed to work within an organization that truly shares our mission of serving others and with these local organizations serving those who need help the most during this natural disaster. We are so very thankful to Melanie and the Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund for helping our agency give back to others. I feel great about working for an organization that is proven to be as they claim: Helpful, Caring and Responsive, said Administrator Julie Rousse.

 Processed by Victoria Ritter, vritter@mdn.net
WASHINGTON  Kremlin-linked operatives are trying to boost President Donald Trump's candidacy while China wants to see him defeated, the top U.S. counterintelligence official said Friday in a strikingly detailed update on American intelligence assessments about foreign preferences in the upcoming presidential election.

Bill Evanina, a former FBI agent who is leading election security efforts at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, provided new information about what U.S. intelligence analysts have determined regarding the election interference goals of China, Russia and Iran.

Evanina said the Russians, in a reprise of the 2016 presidential election, were once again trying to help Trump by sabotaging his opponent.

Image: Trump meets with Putin in Helsinki, Finland (Kevin Lamarque / Reuters file)

"We assess that Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia 'establishment,'" Evanina said, adding that a pro-Russia Ukrainian parliamentarian, Andriy Derkach "is spreading claims about corruption  including through publicizing leaked phone calls  to undermine former Vice President Biden's candidacy and the Democratic Party."

Evanina added that "some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trump's candidacy on social media and Russian television."

Derkach has met with Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to discuss his claims about Biden, and a Republican senator, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, has sought to draw attention to those claims in congressional inquiries.

The statement by Evanina marks the most detailed assessment yet by a Trump appointee of Russian activities designed to damage Trump's opponent and boost his election prospects. Trump has dismissed the idea that Russia tried to help him, and at times has questioned whether Russia intervened in the 2016 election at all.

In a statement, National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said, "As the President has said, the United States will not tolerate foreign interference in our electoral processes and will respond to malicious foreign threats that target our democratic institutions."

Story continues

"President Trump and this Administration continue to demonstrate an enduring commitment to protecting the integrity of United States elections. The United States is working to identify and disrupt foreign influence efforts targeting our political system, including efforts designed to suppress voter turnout or undermine public confidence in the integrity of our elections."

The Trump campaign also responded to the release of the intelligence assessment. "We don't need or want foreign interference, and President Trump will beat Joe Biden fair and square," said the campaign. "The intelligence community's assessment that both China and Iran are trying to stop President Trump's re-election is concerning, but clearly because he has held them accountable after years of coddling by politicians like Joe Biden."

Tony Blinken, a Biden adviser, said, Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly invited, emboldened, and even tried to coerce foreign interference in American elections  Joe Biden, on the other hand, has led the fight against foreign interference for years, and has refused to accept any foreign materials intended to help him in this election - something that Donald Trump and his campaign have repeatedly failed to do.

China and Iran

Evanina wrote that China, which intelligence officials say does not interfere as actively or as purposely as Russia, "prefers that President Trump  whom Beijing sees as unpredictable  does not win reelection."

"China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to China's interests, and deflect and counter criticism of China," Evanina added.

Iran, he said, "seeks to undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections."

Iran will do so, he said, by "spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-U.S. content. Tehran's motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trump's reelection would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change."

Evanina's statement did not describe Russia and China's activities in similar detail.

As a general matter, he said, foreign governments "will continue to use covert and overt influence measures in their attempts to sway U.S. voters' preferences and perspectives, shift U.S. policies, increase discord in the United States, and undermine the American people's confidence in our democratic process."

These campaigns "may also seek to compromise our election infrastructure for a range of possible purposes, such as interfering with the voting process, stealing sensitive data, or calling into question the validity of the election results," he added, but "it would be difficult for our adversaries to interfere with or manipulate voting results at scale."

The heads of the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a bipartisan statement praising Evanina's disclosures. That was in contrast to the reaction to a far less detailed statement Evanina released last month, after which Democrats accused him of underplaying the threat from Russia.

"NCSC Director Evanina's statement today builds on and provides additional context to his previous statement two weeks ago," said the statement from acting chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and vice chairman Mark Warner, D-Va. "We thank him for providing this additional information to the American people, and we look forward to his continued engagement, along with other members of the Intelligence Community and the Administration, with the public over the next 87 days."

Rubio and Warner added: "Evanina's statement highlights some of the serious and ongoing threats to our election from China, Russia, and Iran. Everyone  from the voting public, local officials, and members of Congress  needs to be aware of these threats. And all of us should endeavor to prevent outside actors from being able to interfere in our elections, influence our politics, and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, both California Democrats, were less positive about Evanina's statement.

Unfortunately, todays statement still treats three actors of differing intent and capability as equal threats to our democratic elections.

We have been clear with the Intelligence Community that the American people must be provided with specific information that would allow voters to appraise for themselves the respective threats posed by these foreign actors, and distinguish these actors different and unequal aims, current actions, and capabilities.

We hope and expect that the Intelligence Community will be even more forthcoming with the public moving forward, and we will continue to press for greater transparency.
BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Germany's exports and imports grew at faster rates in June, data from Destatis showed Friday. Exports advanced 14.9 percent on month, following May's 8.9 percent increase. Shipments were forecast to grow 13.3 percent in June. At the same time, imports growth advanced to 7 percent from 3.6 percent in May. However, this was slower than economists' forecast of 10.9 percent rise. The trade surplus rose to a seasonally adjusted EUR 14.5 billion from EUR 7.5 billion a month ago. The expected level was EUR 10.1 billion. On a yearly basis, exports decreased 9.4 percent in June versus a 29.8 percent decline in May. Likewise, the fall in imports eased to 10 percent from 21.7 percent. The current account surplus increased to EUR 22.4 billion from EUR 19.5 billion registered in the same period last year. 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.
President Donald Trump has decided to stop paying the full cost of deploying New Jersey National Guard troops to help fight the coronavirus, a move that could add $3.5 million to the cash-strapped states pandemic bill.

The president said he would continue to allow federal funds to be spent on National Guard troops through the end of the year, but require most states, including New Jersey, to shoulder 25% of the cost after Aug. 21, his original date for ending the deployment.

The White House decision adds another cost to a state already planning to borrow to pay its bills as the coronavirus-caused recession sapped tax collections, and seeking billions of dollars in additional federal aid to make up the loss in revenues.

The Guard troops have been used to help staff long-term health facilities, particularly those for veterans, in the state.

Gov. Phil Murphy faced blowback from some members of the states congressional delegation when ordered the states National Guard to Washington in response to protests over police brutality in June following the death of George Floyd. Murphy said the New Jersey troops were assigned to protect federal monuments, not to join federal efforts to rein in protesters near the White House.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Washington had been paying 100% of the entire cost since April 3 under a provision that allowed the state to oversee the Guard but tap federal funds to pay for them. The state paid $750,000 for the National Guard from March 14 until April 2 as New Jersey became one of the first states slammed by the virus.

As Governor Murphy has repeatedly stressed, federal funding to states remains critical as we continue to battle COVID-19, spokeswoman Alyana Alfaro Post said. The National Guard is an integral part of our ongoing fight against this pandemic and we will continue to pursue a 100 percent cost share for our National Guard troops, as well as for FEMA, the assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

During a national public health and financial crisis, the federal government should not be asking states to foot the bill on critical and previously collaborative initiatives, she said.

National Guard Bureau spokesman Nahaku McFadden said he didnt know why the funding was cut.

The National Guard is prepared to support COVID missions at the request of the governors for as long as we are needed, he said.

Depending on how many troops are deployed, the bill to the state could be $3.5 million, the governors office said. No decision has been made as to how many Guard members will be used.

States and territories will have to look at their missions and look at the resources they have, said John Goheen, a spokesman for the National Guard Association, which lobbies on behalf of the Guard. This virus affects different states differently. The missions have varied around the country but clearly the Guard has been doing so many things.

Under Trumps order, the federal government will continue to pick up the total deployment cost in only two Republican-run states, Florida and Texas, a policy Goheen called unusual.

We dont know definitely the thought process on that, Goheen said.

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com.
The three travelers start running for their lives long before the monsters appear to chase them. Having recently survived a shotgun-wielding militiaman in a pickup truck, they were racing to reach the county line before sunset with a bloodthirsty cop on their tail, eager to pounce if they didnt make it. But seconds after crossing the border, with no time to spare, they roll up to a roadblock: more police, more squad cars, more guns. A failed escape into the woods leaves them on the ground with barrels aimed at their backs. Thats when, in a blur of motion, an enormous, lizard-like creature leaps out of the darkness and chows down on one of their captors.

These motorists arent criminals or fugitivesthey are a young, Black Korean War veteran named Atticus (The Last Black Man in San Francisco star Jonathan Majors), his childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance), on the last leg of a cross-country roadtrip in the 1950s. And the sudden intrusion of the supernatural into Americas regularly scheduled racism both heightens the absurdity of humans inciting violence over skin color and puts the police in the same predicament as the innocent people theyve been hunting for sport. Of course, the travelers are better equipped to survive the monsters; they have been defending themselves all their lives from the monster that is white supremacy.

Such is the nightmare logic of Lovecraft Country, a smart, gripping and wonderfully wild 10-episode drama that debuts Sunday, Aug. 16 on HBO. Adapted by showrunner Misha Green from Matt Ruffs 2016 novel, it shares her fellow executive producer Jordan Peeles fascination with examining race, and Blackness in particular, through the lens of horror. But it is specifically concerned with how the values of influential storytellers like H.P. Lovecraftthe father of cosmic horror and an author known for exploring the decline of civilization, the apathy of the universe and a fictionalized New England landscape nicknamed Lovecraft Country, as well as for his virulent racisminteract with the diverse world their works are released into.

Story continues

Lovecraft would surely have been flummoxed to learn that Atticus is a fan of his work. In fact, Atticus father Montrose (the great Michael Kenneth Williams) failed in a long-ago attempt to cure the boy of his pulp-fiction habit by forcing him to memorize the writers heinously racist poem. So its ironic that Montroses disappearance during a trip to Massachusettsto investigate some kind of secret legacy involving the ancestors of Atticus late motheris what sends his son, Leti and George on a search-and-rescue mission from their Chicago home to, yes, Lovecraft Country. George, who writes guidebooks for Black motorists with his wife, brings deep knowledge of the open road and its perils. Bold, beautiful Leti is a footloose love interest with street smarts of her own. The trio is prepared for the dangers lurking in the sundown counties of the supposedly progressive North. Its the monsters hiding in the forest that kick off a series of genuinely surprising, not to mention life-changing, horrors.

Courtney B. Vance, Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett in 'Lovecraft Country' | Elizabeth Morris/HBO

The shows overarching plot, like the overarching story of race in America, concerns the festering historical wounds of slavery, dramatizing how cultural memories of servitude, poverty and sexual violence continue to afflict Black families. But each episode occupies its own spectacularly bizarre corner of the horror, sci-fi and fantasy universes, with its own genre tropes and thematic resonances. One centers around a haunted mansion; another takes viewers on an underground adventure in the style of The Goonies and Indiana Jones. In the half-season sent for review, there are creepy rich people, secret societies conducting occult rituals, kids messing around with Ouija boards, some of the ickiest body horror this side of David Cronenberg.

To say that Lovecraft Country is a whole lot of show would be an understatement. Blood and jump-scares aside, the scripts pack in transcendent musical numbers, parties teeming with guests, sex both tender and terrifying, cinematic car chases that hit the spot in a summer without blockbusters. Greenwhose great, prematurely canceled WGN America series Underground infused heart-pounding action sequences and contemporary pop and hip-hop into a period drama that followed slaves escaping from a Southern plantationdoesnt discriminate between high and low culture. The soundtrack includes Rihannas scathing Bitch Better Have My Money, Gil Scott-Herons spoken-word classic Whitey on the Moon and a raucous performance of Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On by Leti and her sister Ruby (standout Wunmi Mosaku). There are audio snippets from the writings of James Baldwin and Ntozake Shange. Books fill the frame: Dracula, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lovecrafts short-story collection The Outsider and Others.

Some messiness comes with the territory, though, unlike most seasons of Ryan Murphys American Horror Story, Green rarely lets the spectacle of it all overshadow her insights. Whether you think of it as postmodern or simply maximalist, the shows cultural collage serves the purpose of forging connections between eras, identities and artists. (A masterly fifth episode directed by Cheryl Dunye, the filmmaker behind 90s indie classic The Watermelon Woman, underscores its celebration of pioneering Black creators.) Beyond explicit references, Green is in conversation with many of the most important recent works of fiction on Blackness in America: Peeles Get Out, Brit Bennetts The Vanishing Half, the filmography of Ava DuVernay, the novels of Colson Whitehead. Its bound to earn the most comparisons to HBOs similarly dense, unpredictable 2019 hit Watchmen, which in many ways did for the superhero genre what Lovecraft Country does for horror and sci-fi. Both shows wrestle with how pop culture shapes our understanding of raceand are well aware that painful subjects dont preclude enjoyable stories.

Stories are like people, Atticus tells a new acquaintance in the premiere. They may not be perfect, he says, but you just try and cherish them, overlook their flaws. Hes defending his enjoyment of Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars, whose hero is a Confederate Civil War vet. Yeah, but the flaws are still there, she replies. As in real life, this familiar conversation solves nothing. But thankfully, Lovecraft Country is not a show about problematic faves. Its a show that demonstrates how a societys fears and prejudices get tangled up in the stories it tells. And it reminds us that the people a culture demonizesthose who spend their lives on the run from monsters hidden in plain sighthave more reason to be afraid than anyone.
The National Youth Wing of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) has observed with shock the indiscipline exhibited by some final year SHS students currently writing the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

"We condemn their actions and caution them not to engage in such uncivilized behaviours. Destroying school property will not give you good grades, but deny others the opportunity to benefit from those facilities.

"These beneficiaries of Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy should not feel entitled to automatic passing of their WASSCE, but should rather be indebted to the country for investing so much in their education.

"We urge them not to lose hope because of poor performance in the examinations.

A statement signed by Mr Clement Boadi, the National Youth Organiser of the LPG, noted that there were many people who failed their school examinations but became successful people in society.

It said the WAEC system provided candidates the opportunity for re-sit of failed examination papers and, therefore, advised the students to exercise restraint and obey examination rules and regulations.

It urged the school authorities to apply the appropriate corrective sanctions on the students who blatantly destroyed school property and verbally insulted the President of the nation for their inability to answer the Integrated Science paper.

"We also call on parents and guardians to offer these young adults moral support and counselling to help them fit well into the society," it said.

---GNA
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Geely Automobile Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the "Group") sold 105,218 new vehicles in July, a year-on-year jump of roughly 15%. However, it posted an approximately 4% decrease from the previous month, the automaker said on July 6.

Last month, the Group's export volume rose about 13% over a year ago to 4,523 units, and its domestic sales leapt around 15% to 100,695 units.

The automaker was still bruised by a 14% year-over-year decrease in the Jan.-Jul. sales, versus 19% decline in the sales for the first half of the year. With 635,664 units sold as of July, the Group has completed 45% of its 1.41 million-unit annual sales target.

(Geometry, photo source: Geometry Auto)



Among the vehicles sold last month, 6,401 units were the so-called new energy and electrified vehicles (NEEVs), including the Geometry A, the Emgrand EV and the Emgrand GSe, which tumbled 26.85% compared to June.

Geometry, Geely's BEV-focused brand, unveiled its second mass-produced model the "Geometry C" at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) International Auto Show 2020. The new all-electric model is to hit the market today with two NEDC-rated ranges400km and 550kmto be offered.

During the same month, the automaker sold 35,581 sedans, 66,387 SUVs and 3,250 MPVs respectively.



(Haoyue, photo source: Geely Auto)



On June 23, Geely put its all-new SUV Haoyue onto the market, thus enabling its SUV lineup to cover such powertrain types as fuel-powered, plug-in hybrid and all-electric versions. The sales of the SUV boasting spacious seating room amounted to 3,027 units in July.

Lynk & Co saw its July sales soar roughly 78% to 15,331 units, hitting the brands record high monthly sales volume.
She's been soaking up the sunshine in the French Riviera, making luxurious stops in Monte Carlo and Saint-Tropez.

And Anna Vakili looked sensational as she flaunted her peachy derriere in a thong bikini while stopping for lunch at La Guerite in Cannes.

The Love Islander star, 30, also put on a busty display in a leopard print bikini as she shared another glimpse into her getaway on Instagram.

Poser: Anna Vakili looked sensational as she flaunted her peachy derriere in a thong bikini while stopping for lunch at La Guerite in Cannes on Friday

Anna made sure to work all her angles as she span around for the snap and draped a sheer white beach coverup around the bottom part of her legs.

The brunette beauty tied her long locks up into a bun and added a pair of mirrored sunglasses to complete her laid-back beach look.

While in another glimpse at her trip to France, Anna showed her followers that she had met up with another Love Island alum Francesca Allen.

Wow! The Love Island star put on an eye-popping display in another sexy bikini pic from France

The duo along with some other pals appeared to have partied the day away on Thursday, sharing snaps of them dancing on tables and enjoying some drinks.

However it looked like Anna was paying the price on Friday as she relaxed on a sun lounger while holding a wet towel to her forehead.

It comes after Anna shared a plethora of snaps and video clips of herself partying at hugely popular local restaurant L'Opera earlier in the week.

Stunning: While in another snap she let her long locks cascade over her shoulder as she put on a busty display in a gold bikini

Among the footage, Anna was seen holding onto the arm of a mystery man donning a white top, whose face she ensured wasn't shown on camera.

While his face wasn't shown, Anna panned the camera over their appetisers and main courses, showing that she was dining with one other person at the eatery.

On Monday Anna raised eyebrows when she shared bikini snaps of herself with the caption: 'The only pictures my man takes for insta are my ones' suggesting she may be enjoying her summer break with a new beau.

Sore head? Anna held a wet towel to her forehead in an Instagram Story post shared on Friday, after partying with her pals the day before

Reunion: During Anna's trip to Cannes she met up with Francesca Allen, with the pair dancing on a table at their lunch spot

Having fun: Francesca joined Anna for lunch in St Tropez on Thursday

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Anna Vakili for comment.

Anna also treated her Instagram fans to a series of scantily clad snaps after posing up a storm in blue lingerie on her hotel balcony in Monte Carlo.

The star flaunted her curves in the cornflower blue thong and lacy balcony bra on Monday, captioning the images: 'Life's sweet baby.'

Stunning: The brunette beauty looked flawless in a floral top as she enjoyed a cold cocktail and some lunch on Friday

Beau? Anna shared footage of herself enjoying a night out with a mystery man, whose face she ensured was kept away from the camera, earlier in the week

Hint hint: On Monday, the reality star appeared to suggest she's embarked on a new romance

She took the sultry snaps from her hotel balcony, offering her fans a stunning view of the French Riviera while she enjoyed a continental breakfast.

The beauty bundled her hair into a white towel turban and shot the camera a playful glance over her shoulder from behind her round-framed shades in the first picture.

Anna's luxury location is home of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the model shared a number of snaps and clips to her stories following Lewis Hamilton's win on Sunday.

Anna appeared on ITV2's hit show Love Island in 2019, but had little luck in the villa, as two days after coupling up with Jordan Hames, he made moves on India Reynolds.
If the day our children are born is always unique and unforgettable, when it happens during lockdown, it has to be worthy of a mention in the history books. Meet the quarantennials  a term coined for babies born during quarantine.

Bruno, Miguel Angel and Loto all made their debut in the world during the toughest months of the pandemic. Now, they have had their first vaccines, pediatric check-ups, and like all newborns, they are beginning to explore their environment. It is one that is distinctly different; a reality that still feels like fiction in which visits are restricted and hugs and kisses confined to next of kin. The adoring looks  the due of all babies  are concentrated in the eyes of their admirers. There are no smiling mouths or grimaces; the voices are muffled behind the face masks. Now, in the lull after the storm, the parents of these babies talk about their singular experience.

Pregnancy and childbirth

The situation these families went through during the lockdown from March to June was totally unnatural and abnormal and was accompanied by a feeling of uncertainty and danger, says Jesica Rodriguez Czaplicki, president of the Spanish Association of Perinatal Psychology. It is not that the lockdown multiplied the cases of anxiety and postpartum depression; rather it produced an acute reaction to what is already a highly stressful event, and there are a significant number of cases where the emotions have been intensified. We have to be on the look out now for anything that might tip the emotional balance of the mother and assess whether symptoms are disappearing or persisting.

Barbara and Pablo welcomed their son Loto on May 3, at Puerta de Hierro University Hospital in Madrid. When you are suddenly told that you cannot go out in the final stretch of your pregnancy, that you must move, but do so at home, that there will be no preparation for the birth, that the midwife will not be checking your progress, and that there will be no more contact with the hospital, you feel lost, says Barbara. I had to go for my check-ups alone and I was very nervous. They were very matter-of-fact: just telling me that the child was fine. In fact, at the last one, they saw me outside of the doctors consultancy, gave me the slip of paper and sent me home.

Support in the delivery room

During the birth, a woman needs continuous support, obviously from professionals, but above all from her partner, who is her security figure, says Rodriguez Czaplicki. The fact that the fathers could not enter the delivery room was one of the most common concerns among the medical teams.

Miguel Angel was lucky enough to be at the birth of his son, who is also named Miguel Angel. Two weeks earlier, they wouldnt let anyone in, says Carla, the babys mother. We only knew that he was going to be able to be there at the last moment. Wed been in lockdown for two months and were beginning to fear the worst. Everything was suddenly at a standstill.

After the birth, we were kept in confinement in the hospital for three days. We showed the baby to my father through the window of the room Carla, mother of Miguel Angel

On May 15, at HM Monteprincipe Hospital in Boadilla del Monte, Carla gave birth with her mask on after 22 hours of labor. They put the baby on me for two seconds and then took him away, she says. Everything happened very fast. After the birth, we were kept in confinement in the hospital for three days. We showed the baby to my father through the window of the room. The last time my parents had seen me, I barely had a bump.

Susana and Davids case was more complicated, perhaps because the lockdown had just begun. Bruno  Susanas first child and Davids third  arrived in the world on April 14 at the Maternity and Childrens Hospital in A Coruna. As Susana says, It was the beginning of everything and we were very ignorant about Covid-19; we didnt think it was important. Then we started to see what it meant. My husband couldnt be there at the birth, I couldnt do skin-to-skin contact with my baby and I didnt see him immediately; he was born at 7am and I didnt see him until 3pm. I remember it was awful and I cried a lot.

Hospital policy

The Spanish Health Ministry produced a document titled Information and General Guidelines for Pregnant Women during the lockdown, and each hospital and center created its own criteria based on these guidelines. Things changed a lot from one day to the next, explains Dr Tirso Perez de Medina, head of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Puerta de Hierro Hospital, where up to 700 pregnancies were handled between April and May, 90 of which were Covid-19 cases.

We have worked with the scientific evidence we had at hand, he adds. And there were three cornerstones: the first was to do the PCR test on all pregnant women going into labor; the second was to establish a floor of the hospital for pregnant women with the disease. Finally, in accordance with neonatal practice, we decided to keep the babies with their mothers and implement special precautions such as washing the breast and hands, wearing a mask and having the cradle two meters away unless breastfeeding.

We have worked with the scientific evidence we had at hand Dr Tirso Perez de Medina, Puerta de Hierro Hospital

At that time, it still seemed unlikely that the disease could be passed from mother to baby but, a few days ago, a group of Parisian obstetricians detected the first case of transmission, through the placenta, which changes the outlook.

There has been a positive aspect to bringing home a newborn during lockdown, however. For example, parents have been able to dedicate 100% of their time to their babies. The first thing we, in perinatal psychology, advise in normal conditions is having quiet, calm, free time, with few visits so that space and time can be dedicated to the arrival of the new baby, says Jesica. But that space is only good if its voluntary, rather than forced.

New normality

The new normality is not what these families had envisaged for themselves either. And even less so now, when the disease seems to be spreading again.

Carla and Miguel Angel are still taking the same precautions they took during lockdown. With a small child, its hard to return to the normality we had before, says Carla. Youre afraid youll catch it and something will happen to the little one. We continue to shop online, wear masks whenever we go out and only go out for the babys walk. The grandparents take him in their arms, but with a mask on, and they dont kiss him; the relatives who come into our house need to come in clean clothes. And as soon as we come indoors, we disinfect everything.

Susana and David spent the first two months of their sons life with regular hospital visits as he had to have an operation for an inguinal hernia a month after his birth. Although Galicia has been less affected than other regions by Covid-19, the hospitals dealt with numerous cases and any visit to the doctor was a risk.

Its a bit brutal to tell someone you care about that you dont want them to touch or hold the child Susana, mother of Bruno

Aside from the anxiety of the operation, David and Susana say they have missed seeing their families. But there was no choice, says Susana. We have had some relatives visit now, and others are still to come. Our day-to-day life at the moment is not much different from how it was when we were in Phase 3. We have more visitors, and things are relaxing with the closest family members. But with friends who come for the first time, we tell them to wear a mask. Its a bit brutal to tell someone you care about that you dont want them to touch or hold the child.

Barbara and Pablo, meanwhile, say they are careful without being fearful; one of their concerns was that the babys interactions with people were confined to their cell phones. So many video calls, videos, photos, says Pablo. We had the screen on before, but now we only let him hear the audio. And its better this way. Were living a normal life  weve been out for walks and seen the grandparents  always with a mask, respecting the safety distances, and avoiding very crowded places. We dont usually go out that much because the three of us have gotten used to living quietly at home.

Fortunately, so far, the children are unaware of the strangeness of the environment they have been born into. In fact, they will probably only realize how odd it is when they are older and see photos of their first months of life. No doubt they will wonder then why their grandparents always wore masks and did not take them in their arms and why there were so many bottles of hand sanitizer everywhere with everyone washing their hands feverishly. Only then will they grasp just how surreal their first impressions of the world were.

English version by Heather Galloway.
The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has found sufficient evidence to charge a Winnipeg Police Service constable with perjury  and yet the provincial Crown will not move forward with the case.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 6/8/2020 (530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has found sufficient evidence to charge a Winnipeg Police Service constable with perjury  and yet the provincial Crown will not move forward with the case.

Following a seven-month probe into a 2014 event, IIU civilian director Zane Tessler (a former Crown prosecutor who has the authority to lay criminal charges himself) determined the necessary grounds to proceed with charges had been met. However, following a conversation with the Crown office, Tessler agreed to forward his agencys file to Manitoba Prosecution Service for a second opinion.

Roughly seven months later, the IIU was told no charges should be laid against the officer  Const. J. Macumber  since a conviction was unlikely, according to an IIU news release and final report on the case Thursday.

The Independent Investigative Unit of Manitoba was told no charges should be laid against the officer since a conviction was unlikely. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press files)

The provincial watchdog's investigation stems from an incident Dec. 26, 2014, when four Winnipeg police officers responded to a disturbance complaint at the Clarion Hotel in Winnipeg. The City of Winnipeg and Macumber were later sued in civil court.

In a May 27, 2019, decision, Court of Queens Bench Justice Jeffrey Harris ruled four police officers unlawfully entered a familys hotel room, breached their charter rights, assaulted multiple people, seized recording devices without cause and falsely imprisoned two suspects.

Harris ruled the officers  chief among them Macumber  provided misleading information on an internal police report and during civil court proceedings in order to "backfill" the evenings events and cover up their unlawful actions.

In his decision, Harris said Macumber pushed a woman without provocation and repeatedly punched a second woman in the face, knocking her unconscious. He also said Macumber seized multiple recording devices to stop the plaintiffs from documenting his conduct.

The court ruled two of the plaintiffs had been charged with assaulting a police officer without cause, and as a result had been subject to "malicious prosecution." The Crowns office later stayed the charge in both cases.

The plaintiffs were awarded $95,000 in damages.

"Once in the room, their conduct was malicious and high-handed. It offends the courts sense of decency, and must be deterred and punished."  Court of Queens Bench Justice Jeffrey Harris on the conduct of four Winnipeg police officers

The City of Winnipeg, which is on the hook for legal costs stemming from lawsuits against its police officers, has appealed the ruling.

"Once in the room, their conduct was malicious and high-handed," Harris wrote. "It offends the courts sense of decency, and must be deterred and punished."

Three days after Harriss ruling came down, the WPS notified the IIU about the case, roughly 4-1/2 years after the night in question. The IIU went operational in June 2015; the incident happened in December 2014.

The scope of the IIU investigation appears to have been limited to an accusation of perjury against Macumber. It remains unclear why the IIU did not investigate the full scope of unlawful conduct by officers, as determined by Harris.

"The civilian director was satisfied that grounds to lay a perjury charge existed. However, in discussion with Manitoba Prosecution Services, it was agreed that the file be forwarded to MPS for a full review on whether a reasonable likelihood of conviction existed," reads the IIU news release.

"MPS advised IIU that a conviction was unlikely, and it would not proceed with any prosecution against the subject officer."

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A recent Free Press investigation determined the IIU has forwarded an investigative file to the Crowns office for review on at least 19 occasions.

In every case, the Crowns office has recommended no charges be laid.

Download IIU final report

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
Delhi HC refuses to stay release of movie 'Nyay: The Justice', purportedly based on Sushant Singh Rajput's lif

Sushant Singh Rajput Death Anniversary: A Timeline of the of events that have transpired so far

Relief for Rhea Chakraborty, Court allows de-freezing of actress' bank accounts after a year

At least 6 members of Sushant Singh Rajputs family killed in road accident in Bihar

Sushant probe was quarantined says Bihar IPS officer

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: The Sushant Singh Probe was quarantined, I was not, Bihar cadre IPS officer Vinay Tiwari said.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

Tiwari was in Mumbai to probe the death of Sushant, but was asked by the civic body to remain under 14-day quarantine as per the Maharashtra government's rules for domestic air travellers. He was however allowed exemption after the Bihar police wrote a letter to facilitate his return.

"I would say I wasn't quarantined, the investigation was quarantined. Investigation of Bihar police was obstructed," Tiwari told ANI.

Rhea grabbed Sushants money, gave him overdose of medicines: Bihar cops tell SC

Tiwari was in Mumbai after the Bihar police registered an FIR in the case, following a complaint by Sushant's father K K Singh.

Tiwari's quarantine led to a turf war between the Bihar and Mumbai Police. The Supreme Court said that the BMC's move had not sent the right message. The Mumbai Police too is probing the case after the actor was found dead in his apartment on June 14.
Americans are becoming less comfortable with the idea of driverless transportation.

A new report from an American Automobile Association (AAA) indicates that consumer trust in these vehicles has quickly eroded over the past few years. Today, three-quarters (73 percent) of American drivers report they would be too afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle, up from 63 percent in late 2017.

Additionally, two-thirds (63 percent) of U.S. adults report they would actually feel less safe sharing the road with a self-driving vehicle while walking or riding a bicycle.

The survey comes after several high-profile accidents involving autonomous vehicle technologies. A 2018 Uber crash in Arizona that killed a pedestrian and several Tesla fatal crashes caught media attention and the attention of government safety regulators.

Greg Brannon, AAAs director of Automotive Engineering and Industry Relations, thinks the attention paid to incidents has an impact.

This technology is relatively new and everyone is watching it closely. When an incident occurs, it gets a lot of media attention, and people become concerned about their safety, said Brannon.

Despite their potential to make our roads safer in the long run, consumers have high expectations for safety, he added. Our results show that any incident involving an autonomous vehicle is likely to shake consumer trust, which is a critical component to the widespread acceptance of autonomous vehicles.

Surprisingly, AAAs latest survey found that Millennials  the group that has been the quickest to embrace automated vehicle technologies  were the most impacted by these incidents. The percentage of Millennial drivers too afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle has jumped from 49 percent to 64 percent since late 2017, representing the largest increase of any generation surveyed.

While autonomous vehicles are being tested, theres always a chance that they will fail or encounter a situation that challenges even the most advanced system, said Megan Foster, AAAs director of Federal Affairs. To ease fears, there must be safeguards in place to protect vehicle occupants and the motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians with whom they share the road.

The technologies might not be quite as safe as some claim.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) analyzed 5,000 U.S. crashes and concluded that only a third of all U.S. road crashes could be prevented by driverless cars. It reported that only those caused by driver perception errors and incapacitation are likely to be prevented by self-driving cars.

Autonomous carmakers criticized the IIHS for underestimating the safety effects. Partners for Automated Vehicle Education, a group of self-driving technology companies, claims 72% of crashes can be avoided.

AAA said it supports thorough testing of automated vehicle technologies as they continue to evolve. The group also advocates for a common consumer nomenclature and classification system for the various driver assistance technologies.

There are sometimes dozens of different marketing names for todays safety systems, said Brannon. Learning how to operate a vehicle equipped with semi-autonomous technology is challenging enough without having to decipher the equipment list and corresponding level of autonomy.

Topics Autonomous Vehicles
Health officials are still warning against even small gatherings, and states with relatively low spread are ordering visitors from hot spots to self-quarantine.

But come Friday, about 250,000 people from across the country are still expected to start descending on a roughly 7,000-person community in South Dakota for one of the biggest motorcycle rallies in the world, a 10-day extravaganza so deeply rooted that Sturgis calls itself the City of Riders.

The mayor of Sturgis says there's not much to do but encourage "personal responsibility," set up sanitation stations and give out masks - though face coverings won't be required.

"We cannot stop people from coming," Mayor Mark Carstensen said Thursday on CNN.

Worried residents, however, say officials should have canceled the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in a state where Republican Gov. Kristi Noem resisted stay-at-home orders and mask rules - and last month welcomed another mass event, President Donald Trump's Fourth of July weekend speech at the foot of Mount Rushmore. A city survey found that more than 60 percent of Sturgis residents wanted the event postponed, the Associated Press reported.

"This is a huge, foolish mistake to make to host the rally this year," Sturgis resident Linda Chaplin warned city counselors earlier this summer, as a debate raged, according to the AP. "The government of Sturgis needs to care most for its citizens."

"My grandma is absolutely terrified because she has diabetes and is in her 80s and has lupus," another resident told CNN. "If she gets it, it's a death sentence."

But the spectacle in South Dakota's Black Hills is hugely important to the local economy, bringing in $1.3 million in city and state tax revenue last year, according to the Argus Leader. A mayor's letter overviewing Sturgis describes how the city "comes alive" with half a million visitors during a typical August rally, suddenly transformed into "the largest community in the state" with concerts and races.

On June 15, city council members voted 8 to 1 to forge ahead with the 80-year tradition, local news outlet NewsCenter 1 reported, albeit without the usual seating in a plaza.

Speaking Thursday to CNN, Carstensen said that keeping the rally has been "a difficult decision."

He noted that the city will be expanding a program to deliver supplies to the homes of those worried about the virus. But there are no quarantine recommendations for bikers from hot spot states, the mayor said, and leaders are just "hoping people make the right choices." Visitors have already been flocking to the Black Hills amid the pandemic, he said.

Backing up local leaders' decision is the governor, who has been disdainful of coronavirus restrictions throughout the pandemic. Noem said on Fox News on Wednesday that her state has successfully held other large gatherings, including Trump's event at Mount Rushmore.

"We hope people come," Noem said of the motorcycle rally. "Our economy benefits when people come and visit us."

As governor after governor - Democrat and Republican - turned to stay-at-home orders earlier this year, Noem denounced "herd mentality" and said such a move was not right for her rural state: "South Dakota is not New York City," she said. A South Dakota pork-processing plant soon became one of the country's biggest coronavirus clusters in the spring - but cases eventually dipped and the sparsely populated state did not shatter daily records this summer like many Southern and Western states.

Average new daily cases reported in South Dakota have risen in recent weeks but remain under 100, and the state records an average of one or two covid-19 deaths a day.

The concern: What happens when tourists pour in from around a country where the virus is still spreading out of control?

Benjamin Aaker, the president of the South Dakota State Medical Association, told CNN on Thursday that he's worried but insisted the rally can be held safely if people follow recommendations such as social distancing, hand-washing and wearing masks.

Aaker stopped short of calling for those precautions to be mandated, though.

"We're the physicians to the state of South Dakota," he said of his organization, "much like the physician is to the person that comes in to see him or her, and we make recommendations."

"It's already here," he said of the coronavirus, "but is it going to get worse with an event such as this? . . . If we don't take those proper precautions, it will."
Zuckerberg is now one of just three 'centibillionaires' in the world. (CNP/SIPA USA/PA Images)

Mark Zuckerbergs fortune surpassed $100bn (76bn) for the first time on Thursday, joining the ranks of Microsoft (MSFT) founder Bill Gates and Amazon (AMZN) boss Jeff Bezos as one of three centibillionaires in the world.

The Facebook (FB) founders wealth has skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased Facebook engagement in lockdown collecting more than $5bn in profit and boosting share prices by 65% since March 23 to a high of $245 per share. This alone has added about $22bn to Zuckerbergs wealth since late April.

The companys growth revenue declined, only gaining 11% compared to 25% the four previous quarters, but was well above analysts expectations of just 3%.

READ MORE: Highest earning TikTok influencers 2020

Facebooks share rose again by 6% on Thursday as Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, on Wednesday rolled out the US version TikTok competitor Reels  a short-form video feature that allows users to make short, looped videos with music and special effects. The feature was launched in Brazil in November 2019.

"Reels invites you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram. Record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools," the company said in a blog post about the new Instagram feature.

This is perfect timing for Instagram and Zuckerberg, which TikToks 100 million US users potentially up for grab as president Donald Trump seeks to ban the hit Chinese app if it isnt bought by a US firm. However, parent company ByteDance is currently in talks to sell its US, Canada, Australian and New Zealand business to Microsoft.

READ MORE: TikTok to invest almost $500m in its first EU data center in Ireland

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg said banning Tik Tok in the US would set a really bad long-term precedent for companies in countries around the world, with Facebook products potentially becoming targets at some point in the future.

Listen to the latest podcast from Yahoo Finance UK
A situation involving a person in crisis Wednesday night in Welland was resolved peacefully, say Niagara Regional Police.

Media relations officer Const. Jesse Vujasic said uniformed officers were called to the area of Brant and Trent avenues at about 12:23 p.m.

Police locked down the neighbourhood east of First Avenue as crisis negotiators, a canine unit and members of the emergency task unit responded.

Trent from Green Pointe Drive to just west of Brant Avenue, and Brant, which winds its way from Trent to First Avenue, were closed during the situation.

On its official Twitter account Wednesday, police said there were no public safety issues but asked people to stay out of the area.

Niagaras armoured-rescue vehicle was in the driveway of a home on the east side of Brant Avenue with ETU members behind it and other police vehicles in the area.

One ETU member was in the hatch of the armoured-rescue vehicle.

Police had a command post set up in the parking lot of Wesley United Church, at the corner of Brant and First avenues, as crisis negotiators spoke with the person in crisis.

Niagara Emergency Medical Services and Welland Fire and Emergency Services staged in the parking lot with police in case their services were needed.

Vujasic said no charges were laid in the incident, which wrapped up just after 7 p.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Bowling Green State University is advising students to find alternative arrangements to living on campus and to complete coursework remotely or online due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

To incentivize that plan, BGSU offered a $1,500 credit to the first 2,000 students to cancel their housing contracts. The school will also offer $1,500 in emergency assistance to those who have been fiscally affected by the coronavirus pandemic and who have already canceled their contracts.

Students should cancel housing contracts through an online form by noon on Aug. 10.

The schools housing page encourages students who need to be on campus for in-person or hybrid classes or other reasons to either commute or consider off-campus housing.

The university could move students who opt to stay in on-campus housing to single rooms. Students who chose rooms with multiple people would not pay more to live alone if a room assignment is changed.

BGSU is not the only school to adjust on-campus living arrangements because of the pandemic. Case Western Reserve University announced on Thursday that officials would limit student housing to select groups of students and would automatically cancel housing contracts that did not apply.

Other schools, like Cleveland State University, have already announced housing will be limited to reduce density.

Ohio reported an increase of 1,166 cases on Thursday, slightly below the 21-day average. Wood County remains in Level 2, or orange risk alert status on the states color-coded coronavirus alert system.
The city said they would like the legislature to give officers a way to petition for reinstatement if they are found not guilty. The proposal also asks that police leaders be given authority to suspend officers without pay if they cannot be terminated for misdemeanors.
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has called for closer collaboration between state governments and the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, to boost gold exploration and trade in the country.

Mr Ganduje made the call in a statement by Hassan Fagge, Chief Press Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, on Friday in Kano.

The governor, represented by his Deputy, Nasiru Gawuna, spoke at the investiture of the Kano Gold Durbar initiative, on Thursday in Kano.

Mr Ganduje said that such collaboration between the Federal and State Governments would fast-track effective utilisation of gold deposits in their respective states for sustainable economic development.

He said: I commend the Federal Government on the Presidential Gold Mining initiative. What is more interesting is the aspect of jobs creation whereby an estimated 250,000 jobs will be provided under the initiative.

The governor said his administration had established the office of the Special Adviser on Solid Minerals, as part of measures to create an enabling environment for investments in gold mining and other mineral deposits in the state.

Mr Ganduje reiterated commitment to partner with the Federal Government to boost gold trade in the country.

READ ALSO:

The statement also quoted Olamilekan Adegbite, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, as saying that the Kano Gold Durbar was a private sector initiative designed to showcase possibilities in the state to promote sustainable gold businesses in the country.

Mr Adegbite noted that Nigeria was a top contender as the largest emerging market for gold and luxury goods in Africa.

Sabon Gari Market in Kano State is the first place where women who serve as brokers with more than 2,000 distinctive visitors daily from across Africa, conducted conventional businesses in precious stones, he said. (NAN)
China's trade surplus with the United States stood at $32.46 billion in July, Reuters calculations based on Chinese customs data showed on Friday, up from a $29.41 billion surplus a month earlier.

For the first seven months of the year, China's trade surplus with the United States totalled $153.58 billion.

U.S.-China tensions have been rapidly escalating ahead of the United State's presidential election. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that President Trump will shortly take action on Chinese software companies that pose a risk to U.S. national security.

Also read: Trump administration seeks crackdown on Chinese companies listed in US
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- William La Salle III, J.D. has joined the law firm of Thrive IP as a Patent Attorney Trainee. Will is a Registered Patent Agent and will begin his practice of law with Thrive IP pending his admission to the bar in Virginia. He will practice from Smithfield, Virginia, in the heart of Hampton Roads and conveniently situated near the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, under the supervision of Thrive IP's Virginia-barred attorneys.

Will holds a B.S. in Applied Science and Technology with a focus on Nuclear Energy Engineering Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He acquired his J.D. cum laude from Charleston School of Law. A native of Philadelphia, PA, Will enlisted and served in the United States Navy as a Nuclear Mechanical Operator prior to spending several years as a nuclear test engineer before transitioning to a career in law.

Will's intellectual property practice will focus on the protection of intellectual property including the preparation and filing of patent and trademark applications, global coordination of IP portfolios, infringement clearance, patent validity opinions, patent and trademark licensing, and copyright registrations.

Thrive IP is an intellectual property boutique serving clients from offices in South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. The firm's clients are located throughout the United States and the world.

For more information, please visit www.Thrive-IP.com .

SOURCE Thrive IP

Related Links

https://thrive-ip.com


Elle Fanning is set to star in a new limited series from Hulu. (Richard Shotwell / Invision / Associated Press)

Actress Elle Fanning has been cast as Michelle Carter, the Massachusetts woman convicted of involuntary manslaughter after she urged her boyfriend to take his own life via phone calls and text messages.

Hulu announced Friday that its forthcoming limited series, "The Girl From Plainville," will chronicle Carter's relationship with 18-year-old Conrad Roy III, the events leading to Roy's death and the suicide investigation that resulted in Carter's 2017 conviction.

Fanning, who currently leads Hulu's royal satire "The Great," will also executive produce "The Girl From Plainville," based on the 2017 Esquire article of the same name by Jesse Barron. Showrunners Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus will also serve as executive producers on the series.

Michelle Carter is seen in court in Taunton, Mass., on June 12, 2017. (Faith Ninivaggi / Associated Press)

Roy's suicide drew national attention in 2017 after disturbing text messages from Carter that included, "Just do it, babe," were released to the public.

She later became the subject of a two-part HBO docuseries, "I Love You, Now Die," featuring Barron and directed by Erin Lee Carr  both of whom will be consulting producers on Hulu's scripted adaptation. Carter, who was 17 at the time of Roy's death, was released from jail in January of this year  more than three months short of her sentence  and is now serving five years probation.

Other Hulu projects in the works include the documentary "I Am Greta," centering on youth climate activist Greta Thunberg; an animated comedy series, "Woke," starring Lamorne Morris; and the culinary docuseries "The Next Thing You Eat"; as well as sophomore seasons for "Love, Victor" and Padma Lakshmi's "Taste the Nation."
Shiv Panikker, a seasoned Producer, Director & Screenwriter from the Bollywood industry recently launched his first-ever graphic novel 'Gone Case', a horror/mystery comic book that Indian audiences would be able to relate to.

Published by Blue Rose Publishers, 'Gone Case' is a series of events all connected together after tumbling down the rabbit hole that connects to one big case.

A Mumbai based cop with a dark past is tasked with escorting an escaped inmate back to the asylum. Along the way, he suspects that the inmate might be a serial killer & the asylum may be haunted.

"Two years ago while working on Ryan Reynolds & Michael Bay's film set for Netflflix's 6 Underground, I got inspired to write my own story. Just the scale of what a Netflix production could be in today's day and age made me believe that anyone can do it in their own little way if they have a good content-driven story. After pitching the script to a producer, I was told to reduce the intensity, add a couple of songs and a love story arc to Gone Case, that's when I realized that Gone Case isn't ready for the screen as yet," said Shiv while speaking on how he came up with Gone Case.

"In 2019 I fell victim to debit card theft while living in Bangkok. Living in a foreign country with your only source of finances blocked was one of the most nightmarish experiences I've ever faced. I was later informed that debit card theft is not uncommon & that the information is sold on the dark web. To my amazement, I then found out that 98 per cent of the card information being sold online was Indian. I knew I had to talk about this and bring awareness about the dark web in my own little way and that is one of the main reasons why I refused to commercialize the story," added Shiv.

"I've always been a lifelong fan of comic books. Living in Bangkok, and seeing the street artists make their own Batman and Spiderman stories inspired me to take the leap and turn my story into a comic book of my own. Thus, was born the idea of 'Gone Case'. It is a book that I've put a lot of thought and heart into and a book that I believe a lot of Anime & comic book lovers are going to enjoy," said Shiv, speaking on the launch of his book.

Two weeks into the launch, the trailer for the comic went viral on Shiv's social media and the comic book became Amazon's #1 hottest new release and even debuted in the top 50 bestselling comics list. Since then, the book has garnered critical praise for it's the dark and mysterious storyline, with critics calling it a new alternative for Indian comic book fans.

Gone Case, published by Blue Rose Publishers & is available in paperback & digital format on:

Amazon: tinyurl.com/yb88ycss | Kindle: tinyurl.com/y57bd8t7 | Flipkart: tinyurl.com/yyokhkn7

"It was a pleasure working with a creative personality like Shiv on this book. It is an honour to have him join our existing family of 5000 plus authors. The moment we read the storyline for the first time, we knew instantly that it is one that would change India's comic book industry forever. The characters will connect with every comic book lover on many different levels. Gone Case is a must-read and I am confident it will leave a long-lasting impact," said Syed Arshad, Director of BlueRose Publishers.

As a fan of the hugely successful Marvel & DC universe, Shiv felt that Indian comics and characters lacked the recognition they deserved. He looked to create an enthralling experience that would keep readers hooked onto the story and illustrations which would immerse them into the world of the characters.

For this, he chose to work with the best graphic designers and illustrators.

Gone Case has a blend of different styles. The illustrator Karan Danda has given an Anime vibe to the illustrations, while the colourist, Warrens Rojas who hails from Venezuela added a commercial 'action-packed comic book' feel to the colours. The editor is Shiv's long time collaborator Myron D'silva. Myron & Shiv started their careers together as assistant directors seven years ago.

Recently, Shiv also launched the first look of the Gone Case action figure line, for which he has partnered up with a Malaysian toy company. Over the past few days, pictures of the collection have garnered quite a response on social media in the Malaysian & Indian toy collector community.

While the initial idea for the author was to pitch 'Gone Case' as a feature film, he decided to maintain a comic book feel as it allowed him to tell the story in the most authentic way possible, with no alterations to the plot.

However, the author is currently working on Gone Case 2 and has already penned down an entire universe with a live action film & an anime series around the franchise.

This story is provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.

DISCLAIMER

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi:

A man was arrested for allegedly raping and murdering a seven-year-old girl in Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Monday.

The girl had gone to the accused, a cobbler, to mend her school shoes.

The girl's body was found on Sunday, police said.

The cobbler, Sant Kumar, was booked under relevant sections of IPC and POCSO Act. He was later arrested and produced before a court, police said. The court has sent the accused to 14 days judicial custody.

(With inputs from agencies)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
As part of its lanch for Toon Boom Harmony 20, the software publisher invited seven artists and teams to produce the official demo video, each contributing scenes inspired by a short prompt. These teams were drawn from both the Toon Boom Ambassador Program and our international community of artists, and were given total creative freedom to make a splash with their scenes.

Gonzalo Azpiri is the owner and general producer at Hookup Animation in Buenos Aires, a company that produces high-quality promotional animation for companies around the world.

Toon Boom interviewed Azpiri about the scene he contributed to the demo pack for Harmony 20, as well as the process of including animating characters in live-action scenes. Below, were happy to share this interview with Cartoon Brews community. First, you can watch Azpiris contribution at the 28-second mark in the video below:

Toon Boom: What was the prompt that you were given, and how did you interpret it for this project?

I chose the line Every creative dream, every style, and I used animation mixed with live action footage.

For the first part of my scene, I knew I wanted dynamic action with an animated background and end with live-action footage. My character runs through the woods, jumps over a car, slides on a hill and dives in the ocean. All in six seconds!

What are some of the elements you needed to consider when approaching a project like this?

Well, the mix with live action during the quarantine was tricky because, in order to work properly, the footage has to be planned and shot with the animation in mind. As there was no possibility to shoot anything, I had to search for suitable stock video footage.

Usually many artists are involved in a professional scene that blends animation with live action: rotoscoping, camera tracking, animation, and compositing, so I needed to balance the time I was allocating for preproduction, production, and post.

The main character in your sequence appears to be a humanoid ferret wearing a tracksuit. What inspired this design?

In fact, it is not specifically a ferret. Im not sure what it actually is! Maybe a fox? That face mask might be confusing. Anyway, I wanted to have an urban-fantasy kind of character. I was inspired by the design of a bear I did a few years ago for a short film.

In regard to the costume, I drew inspiration from tracksuit photos from online stores. I wanted very vivid colors. Even though the scene is set during the night, the character and the background are lit as if they were in plain daylight, which I think gives it a dream-like feeling. That was part of the text I drew from for inspiration.

Which features in Toon Boom Harmony were most useful on this project?

The main Toon Boom Harmony feature that I used was deformers, which is something you cant find in other software. Although that was my main tool, there are so many other invisible effects such as cutters for masking, color selectors, and blending options, among others.

I also used some other subtle options like artistic brushes and tools for time-consuming tasks that make the work so much faster and fun.

These kinds of scenes with animated backgrounds end up being quite complex due to the many elements involved, but Harmony has put together a lot of friendly aids to organize the work, which made my scene easier to handle.

How did this sequence compare in scope with other projects that you and your studio have worked on in the past? Was there anything that surprised you?

The challenging and most fun part or this project was that I had the chance to come up with the character, idea, animation, art style everything! Thats a rare case in this industry where usually clients provide a lot of this stuff  and we usually take it from there.

It was also awesome that this was a collaborative project between Toon Boom and animators from so many different places.

Did you have the opportunity to try new features in Harmony 20 that you would be interested in using in your work?

Yes! Although I was more focused on the scene itself, I tried to explore the new features.

I used the scene markers, which helped me keep track of different parts of the project, the new renaming options, the Set Ease option for keyframes, the undoable selections, the cable cutter mode and many others.

Theres so much left Id like to try. With the way I like to animate, the Deformer on Deformer wizard sounds incredible.

Hookup Animation is a well-regarded animation and VFX studio in Buenos Aires. as a studio owner, what advice do you have for aspiring animators and artists in Latin America?

I would tell them to keep improving. For this, I would recommend them to study the work of the professionals they like. To find that thing that engages them and to go ahead and try to do it themselves. To compare their work with those of whom they admire, allowing them to spot the skills they need to work on. If you love animation this is a lot of fun and rewarding.

And also, although the artistic skills are the most important ones, they should try to be on the same page with the industry regarding the technology they use and the professional procedures.

Want to dive deeper into of Gonzalo Azpiris work? You can find Gonzalo on Instagram and be sure to visit Hookup Animations website and follow the team on Instagram and Facebook.

For more behind the scenes on this Toon Boom project, watch this Twitch interview with Azpiri.
Mark Gray, 39, has been charged with breaking into an Iowa bank and stealing hand sanitizer during an early-morning crime spree

Police in Iowa have arrested a man who they say burglarized a Sioux City bank and got away with only a bottle of hand sanitizer.

Mark Gray, 39, was booked into a county jail on Tuesday in connection to a crime spree, which included a stop at Security National Bank on Pierce Street.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Smoking Gun, shortly after midnight on Tuesday, Gray used an unspecified tool to smash the glass door of the bank, which was closed for the night.

Gray 'entered into the lobby area and stole the hand sanitizer from the bank. He then fled,' the document summed up.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus earlier this year, hand sanitizer has been in high demand in the US and around the world because it allows people to maintain hand hygiene whenever water and soap are not readily available.

Apparently unsatisfied with his pitiful haul, Gray headed over to Counseling and Support Services on Nebraska Street, where he allegedly broke the glass door and climbed inside looking for cash.

Gray allegedly used an unspecified tool to smash the glass door of Security National Bank on Pierce Street in Sioux City early Tuesday morning

Instead of stealing cash, Gray grabbed a bottle of hand sanitizer and fled (stock image)

Police said it is unknown if the suspect stole anything during the second break-in.

Gray's third and final stop that morning was Trattoria Fresco, an Italian restaurant on 4th Street, where police busted him at around 5.45am.

Under questioning, Gray allegedly told investigators he 'searched around for things of value, specifically money in order to take it,' according to the affidavit, which quoted the suspect as saying that he committed the burglaries because 'he needed money.'

Gray was charged with three counts of third-degree burglary. At the time of the crime spree, the suspect was on probation stemming from a 2019 burglary conviction.

Gray remained jailed on Friday on $6,000 bond. He is due back in court on August 14.
Representative image

Many recovered COVID-19 patients are suffering from heart problems and lung diseases after beating the novel coronavirus infection.

After recovering from COVID-19, some of the patients come to doctors with reduced heart function and heart attack or even stroke, Dr Yatin Mehta, critical care specialist at Medanta Hospital, was quoted as saying in a Hindustan Times report.

According to the report, these health problems could be owing to the damage to the small vessels caused by COVID-19 that leads to excessive clotting during the course of the disease.

COVID-19 disease is said to be attacking the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels, leading to clotting across the body of the patients, the report suggested.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has been in the country for over five months, the healthcare experts need to start looking at post-COVID-19 rehabilitation, said Dr Suranjit Chatterjee who himself felt increased heart rate while walking soon after getting recovered from COVID-19. On testing, reports revealed that he had developed myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscles), the report 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

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

According to the doctor, recovered patients come back to hospitals with symptoms such as lethargy, body aches and itchy throats even four to six weeks later. Some people even get heart attacks or strokes after recovery, said the doctor, adding that a scientific link on COVID-19 causing it is yet to be established.

Now, the doctors need to look out for neurological symptoms such as the Guillain-barre syndrome wherein the bodys immune system attacks the nerves, leading to weakness and tingling in the extremities, Dr Chatterjee told the publication.

Some recovered patients are also coming back to hospitals with complaints of lung diseases  from fibrosis (formation of hard fibrous tissues as the lung heals from an injury) to secondary infections and pneumonia, said the report citing Dr Sandeep Jain, head of the department of emergency medicine at Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi.

Follow our full coverage on COVID-19 here
Mumbai, Aug 7 : Bombay High Court on Friday permitted actors above 65 to resume shooting, dismissing the regulation issued by Maharashtra government that bars senior actors above that age limit from shooting, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

A press note issued in this matter reads: "This is to inform that though under the unlock conditions the State of Maharashtra had allowed the shooting of films and serials but had imposed condition that the persons above the age of 65 and above will not be entitled to participate in the shooting process either as Artist or as crew members." "IMPPA alongwith one Mr. Pramod Pandey had challenged the validity of the said directions before the Hon'ble High Court Mumbai and accordingly, by an order passed today the said Petition has been allowed by the Hon'ble High Court by holding that no such restriction could be imposed on the basis of age of the persons and clarified that only precautionary guidelines which are applicable to all other business shall be applicable and no specific condition can be imposed in respect of a particular section. Copy of the order is awaited and in the meanwhile the present press release is being issued. Advocate Ashok M. Saraogi appeared for IMPPA in the matter. Dated this 7th day of August, 2020."

Image Source: IANS News

A petition was filed by senior Bollywood actor Pramod Pandey on July 21 challenging the government directive that actors above 65 years cannot shoot owing to the pandemic.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 12:13:39|Editor: huaxia

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MANILA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The number of Filipinos killed in the Beirut explosions rose to four, the Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.

The country's Foreign Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said that the Philippine Embassy to Beirut has also documented a total of 31 Filipinos who were injured while one remains missing.

Quoting Philippine Embassy Beirut Charge d'affaires Ajeet Panemanglor, she said that two of the 31 injured Filipinos "remain in critical condition."

"Our Embassy officials shall continue to ascertain the condition of our community in Beirut," Arriola said.

The DFA earlier reported that the missing 11 seafarers that jumped off the ship docked some 400 meters away from the blast zone have all been accounted for.

The DFA said there are a total of 31,916 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Lebanon so far. There used to be 33,424 OFWs in December 2019 but many of them have been repatriated.

According to Arriola, majority of the Filipinos in Lebanon work as household service workers.

The Philippines has an ongoing repatriation of OFWs not only in Lebanon but also in many countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DFA said more than 120,000 overseas Filipino workers, both sea-based and land-based, have been repatriated since February due to the pandemic. Around 100,000 more displaced OFWs are waiting to be repatriated in the coming weeks, it added. Enditem
submitted

On the same day Missouri City officials reported a nursing home facility suffered 17 COVID-19 related deaths and the countywide death count reached 155 with a fatality rate to 10.19 fatalities per 1,000 residents, Fort Bend County officials remained guardedly optimistic as the number of active cases declined to 3,478 on August 5, down from 3,816 reported July 20 according to statistics provided by the Texas Health and Human Services Department on Wednesday (Aug. 5). Although the decrease is welcome news, its too early to know if a downward trend could be emerging, Dr. Jacqueline Minter, director of Fort Bend County Health and Human Services told reporters at a press conference in Richmond.

We saw continuing increases for some time and then we saw our cases start to level out a little bit, but not over enough time yet to call it a true trend. But, we are hoping to see that things continue going down, Dr. Minter said Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Jennings Social Media & MarTech, jsmmtech.com Our agency vision has always been ahead of the trends. We are proud to be positioned as a digital leader  the digital landscape drives our future at JSMM.

As industries are finding ways to pivot during a global recession, Jennings Social Media & MarTech (JSMM) has taken bold steps to reinvent the digital agencys brand.

Were really excited to launch our agencys new brand, starting with our website: jsmmtech.com, said CEO Valerie Jennings.

Weve shifted our color palette away from the original red branding to a more vibrant palette of magenta pink, yellow, black and white. This really speaks to our fresh creative approach.

The updated brand is influenced by 2020 design trends, recognizing the primary shifts from traditional branding to color pop trends that are more appealing to Gen Z. The agencys primary reason for a shift in branding comes from trends that were gaining popularity prior to the pandemic. We took note of the extreme 2020 design changes and started pivoting our brand, said Jennings.

In addition to a new website and branding across social media platforms, the agency continues to reinvent its approach to reflect new creative opportunities in digital. Jennings Social Media & MarTech provides clients with a full-service approach to social media that considers digital trends including Instagram grids, custom photography, enhanced emphasis on influencer marketing and comprehensive brand redesigns. As influencer marketing continues to grow and evolve, the agency has dramatically increased its services focused on customized business-to-consumer strategies.

The team at JSMM created a custom influencer marketing program for our kitchen remodeling business. The influencers have introduced our brand to and reached a much wider audience than we could ever have done alone, said Rachel Rubin, owner of Midwest Kitchens, LLC. We enjoy the opportunity to support local influencers, who are also small business owners in our community. We appreciate the relationships and unique programs the agency has created for us to cater to our specific business.

The agency has also launched additional startup brands in the fashion and beauty industry using a unique approach of creative brand direction coupled with data-driven MarTech solutions, including CRM implementation and automation. The agency has onboarded about 80 percent of its clients to a CRM.

MarTech and creative go hand-in-hand. We cant have one without the other, Jennings emphasized. Our agency vision has always been ahead of the trends. We are proud to be positioned as a digital leader  the digital landscape drives our future at JSMM.

An early adopter of social media since 2005, Jennings founded Jennings Social Media & MarTech (JSMM) in 2003 and founded a second creative agency, Viral Bolt Media (VBM), in 2012. As a business leader, entrepreneur and influencer, she has positioned her agencies for rapid growth and early adoption of new marketing technology and cutting edge creative solutions for global clients.

Jennings was recently featured in Forbes as a top innovator. This year, she was honored as a FOLIO: Top Women in Media honoree and Marketer of the Year by DMN. Amidst the changing times, Jennings has invested much time and many resources to educate the community and industry at large on the latest marketing trends through hosting numerous webinars through local chambers, moderating a digital panel for the 2020 Midwest Digital Marketing Conference and presenting the keynote for the KC Tech Summit. Additional accolades include being named DMN 40Under40 Class of 2018, Kansas Citys Most Wanted Class of 2015 and Most Influential Women in Business Class of 2014.

ABOUT JENNINGS SOCIAL MEDIA & MARTECH

Founded by Valerie Jennings in 2003, Jennings Social Media & MarTech is a full-service digital marketing agency, representing global clients from animal health to technology, and automotive to manufacturing. JSMM is an award-winning, early-adopter agency, leading the industry into the future of digital advertising, using artificial intelligence to drive business objectives among B2B and B2C clients worldwide. JSMM has offices in Overland Park, Kan., Irvine, Calif. and Miami Beach, Fla.
Actors Jennifer Garner and Bradley Cooper have been the subject of dating rumors in the past, and now, in August 2020, theyre facing them again. While theres no evidence to substantiate these claims, both have been linked to other celebrities in the past. Here are the rumors and a look at their romantic histories.

Jennifer Garner and Bradley Cooper sparked dating rumors

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Garner Enjoy Flirty Beach Day in Malibu https://t.co/O7Rpaz4ZMu  TMZ (@TMZ) August 6, 2020

The rumors about the celebrities came from TMZ. The outlet shared photos of Garner and Cooper at the beach, writing, The 2 have been seen together over the years, but now that theyre both available  who knows? But, if you can glean anything from a few snapshots  sure looks flirty.

However, this was all speculation. And hours later, the publication edited the article with a comment from a source with direct knowledge, who said, Jen and Bradley have been close friends for years, and they have spent time together with their significant others at dinners and other occasions.

The Alias co-stars have stayed friends

(L-R) Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner in the Alias episode Theres Only One Sydney Bristow | Scott Garfield /Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

For those more familiar with Cooper and Garners movie careers, it may come as a surprise to learn that they acted together on the ABC action series Alias in the early 00s. Garner portrayed the lead, Sydney Bristow, a spy in the CIA. Cooper played Will Tippin, a reporter and, later, a researcher with the CIA, who is Sydneys close friend.

The co-stars on-screen relationship was emulated in their off-screen one. Theyve done many Hollywood things together  attending fashion shows, presenting one another with awards, etc. Garner and Cooper even worked on the same movie, Valentines Day, but they didnt share any scenes.

Garner was married to Ben Affleck

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck in 2013 | Dan MacMedan/WireImage

RELATED: How Did Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner Meet?

The rumors about Garner and Cooper came about amid reports that the former had split from her boyfriend of fewer than two years, businessman John Miller. She began dating Miller after spending more than a decade with actor Ben Affleck, who she was married to from 2005-2018. They have three children together.

Before getting together with Affleck, Garner dated two other previous co-stars. First was Scott Foley, who she met while playing his characters girlfriend in a few episodes of Felicity. They were married for a couple of years. After that came Michael Vartan, who starred alongside Cooper and Garner in Alias.

Cooper has several famous ex-girlfriends

Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana | Lester Cohen/WireImage

Garner isnt the only one of the pair who has dated people in the public eye. Cooper was married once, to actor Jennifer Esposito. They divorced after less than a year. He went on to date his Case 39 co-star Renee Zellweger, followed by Zoe Saldana. (He and Saldana broke up before working on Guardians of the Galaxy.)

Cooper then went on to date Suki Waterhouse around the time she transitioned from model to actor. They were together for two years. Coopers longest-known relationship to date was with model Irina Shayk. The couple was linked from 2015-2019. Together, Cooper and Shayk have a daughter, who may be the child in the recent photos of Cooper and Garner.
The unprecedented tug of war between Mumbai and Bihar Police over actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case seems to have finally reached its fate. On Thursday evening, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered FIRs against actor Rhea Chakraborty and five others. The CBI took over the case after much deliberation, appeal from fans, petitions on social media and mounting political pressure. There are several key questions expected to be answered in the case that has captured the nations imagination over the past month. We bring you a compilations of ten unsolved puzzles in the case, floating about in media platforms, and in the minds of millions of the fans of the late actor.

Question 1. Why was no action taken when Rajputs family had alerted in February that his life could be in danger?

On August 3, Rajputs father, KK Singh, released a video stating that he had informed Bandra Police (Mumbai) on February 25 that he was worried for his sons life. To substantiate the claim, the family released transcripts of chats between Rajputs brother-in-law, OP Singh and Mumbai Police, where it was mentioned that Sushants girlfriend Rhea Chakrabortys family had taken the late actor to a resort near the airport, kept him there for three months and had been managing his business affairs since. To this claim, Mumbai Police responded in a statement that, ...no such written complaint has been addressed to Bandra Police Station on that date... OP Singh wanted this to be resolved informally to which the then DCP Zone 9 clearly told him that it was not possible. It is left for CBI to now decide if cognizance could be taken of the claim.

Question 2. What came of the probe in Rajputs former manager, Disha Salians, case who died six days prior to Sushant under mysterious circumstances?

Many have been wondering if theres a link between Rajput and Salians death, as both were told off as deaths by suicide, fairly early on. On August 1, when the Bihar Police team reached the Malwani Police Station in Mumbai seeking details about Salians death, they were reportedly informed that the folder having details of Salians case has been deleted by accident and cant be retrieved. However, on August 2, Mumbai Police officials denied it, and said that they have everything on record and all documents are available with them. ...family (Dishas) has given no complaint against anyone, said the officials. Will the mystery behind Salians death be finally solved to further prove if it had any connection with Rajputs case?

CBI Enquiry is the answer to the prayers of the whole nation who stood together as a family and kept fighting for justice. I Salute each and every one of you  #Strengthandunity #GodIsWithUs #SatyamevaJayate #JusticeForSushant  shweta singh kirti (@shwetasinghkirt) August 5, 2020

Question 3. Why is no one talking about the missing CCTV footage, the duplicate keys, and the 50 SIM cards?

It has been reported widely on various media platforms that the CCTV footage of Rajputs building from the night before he died isnt available  whether that is indeed the case or not has not been clarified. Also, the duplicate keys of his room were allegedly missing, and hence a locksmith had to be called in the morning during the lockdown to break the door open. And then it was reported that the keys were found soon after.

Also, there are reports that the Sushant changed over 50 SIM cards in his phone in the last one month. It remains to be seen if the details of all those have been taken out, and the call history traced. Several in the know of legal and criminal investigative procedures have pointed out to the ligature mark on his neck not matching with the cloth used for hanging, and several bruises on his body. All these would make for key potential evidence before the CBI investigators.

Question 4. Are Rajputs flatmate Siddharth Pithanis statements inconsistent with the household staffs?

There have been alleged inconsistencies in the statements given by Pithani and what Rajputs staff members have said. During an interview with news channel Republic TV, while Pithani said he didnt know anything about the actors mental health, he also admitted to giving him two tablets of some medicine every day. However, Rajputs bodyguard, on the condition of anonymity, told the channel that he would fetch the prescription drugs from the store, and Chakraborty would give them to Rajput. The late actors cook, Neeraj Singh, too, confirmed to the channel that it was Chakraborty who had been administering medicines to Rajput that led to him being asleep for the most part of the day.

Question 5. How did Rhea manage to hire the most expensive lawyer to take her case?

Soon after Rajputs father filed an FIR in Patna against Rhea Chakraborty, she hired celebrity lawyer, Satish Manshinde, to represent her. However, questions are being raised about how the actors hiring of one of the most famous and expensive criminal lawyer in Mumbai, who had earlier represented Sanjay Dutt in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case and Salman Khan in the hit-and-run case. Moreover, the developments of financial irregularities in Rajputs bank statement where Rs 15 crore were transferred from his account have also posed serious doubts. Chakraborty has already been summoned by Enforcement Directorate in case of money laundering.

Question 6. Did Rhea resist Bihar Polices involvement, and was Maharashtra government against CBI probe?

After Rajputs family filed an FIR in Patna against Rhea for abetment of suicide among other charges, Bihar Police got involved in the investigation and in turn, Rhea moved Supreme Court to seek transfer of FIR lodged in Patna on ground of jurisdiction. Also, Maharashtra Home Minister, Anil Deshmukh said that Mumbai Police is capable of doing the investigation and are going in right direction and no CBI enquiry is needed. Does this reluctance, and the eventual intervention of the Supreme Court make investigation in the case more complicated?

Question 7. Why is the IPS officer sent from Bihar kept in quarantine?

The news of senior IPS officer Vinay Tiwari being sent to 14-day quarantine by the BMC soon after his arrival in Mumbai on August 2 in Rajput death probe, was received with scepticism by some. Questions were raised that when the Mumbai Police was informed well in advance about his arrival, why was he put into quarantine? According to IANS, the Bihar DGP had alleged that Tiwari was put under house arrest in Mumbai on the pretext of quarantine. On August 5, the SC also stated that the incident has not sent a good message. On the same day, a tweet by Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Gupteshwar Pandey claimed that despite a letter from the Patna Inspector General, the BMC has refused to exempt their IPS officer from being quarantined.

Question 8. Is there political involvement in the case beyond mere suspicion?

Over 50 days in the Rajput death case, more than 50 people have been questioned - from former girlfriend, best friends, to family and relatives and members of the film fraternity. However, several questions have been raised about the presence of Maharashtra cabinet minister Aditya Thackeray at a party attended by Disha Salian just prior to her death. The charge has since been denied by Thackeray. The reported allegation also stated that the party took place at actor Sooraj Pancholis residence, a charge which has since been denied by Pancholi in an interview to India Today.

Question 9. Why was it declared a open and shut suicide case within minutes of Rajputs body was found?

On June 14, when Rajput was found dead in his rented apartment in Bandra, everything seemed to have happened in so much of a hurry that nobody  including the police, witnesses, hospital authorities  even suspected it could be homicide. Several questions were raised thereafter - why didnt everyone wait for forensic reports, why wasnt Rajputs room sealed immediately after the police arrived, how could pictures of his body and other details from the room be soon after available on social media?

Question 10. Why are details of Rajputs medical and treatment reports available in the public domains?

When Chakraborty in her statement to Mumbai Police stated that Rajput was suffering from mental health problems and was on medication, which he had stopped taking for the last couple of weeks, it was speculated that he took his life owning to depression. However, soon after his medical reports were shared on social media platforms, then the fact that antidepressants were found in his room was widely shared on news channels. Recently, Mumbai based therapist, Susan Walker, spoke to journalist Barkha Dutt and claimed that Rajput was her client and was bipolar and suffered from clinical depression. This posed a big question on the dire need for breach of patient confidentiality, and could become one of the points for a possible investigation into Rajputs state of mental health.

Interact with the author on Twitter @monikarawal
(TNS)  Ron Dock was careful. He stocked up on supplies to weather the pandemic. When he had to go out, he wore a mask and gloves. But he rarely left the house.As cases in Florida remained low through May, Dock thought he may have made it through. But the 70-year-old veteran began having headaches, then fatigue.Overnight, his sense of smell disappeared. Perplexed and alarmed, he tried waving ammonia under his nose  but could detect nothing.Finally, he began coughing.In the first week of June, Dock tested positive for the coronavirus. His symptoms were mild, but he quarantined alone in his room for four difficult weeks.I had panic attacks every day, Dock said. I had visions of being on a ventilator, of dying in the hospital alone without my wife.Dock is one of nearly 3,000 Black residents in Pinellas County to test positive for the coronavirus.In Pinellas, Black residents are 2.5 times more likely to contract the coronavirus than white residents, state data shows.Thats one of the largest disparities in Florida. Among the 12 counties with over 500,000 people, only Duval has a similar gap.The infections are centered in a handful of neighborhoods on the south side of St. Petersburg, where most of the citys Black residents live.The communities have been among the worst-affected in the state.I fear we may be an epicenter in the United States right now, said Jabaar Edmond, a Pinellas-based organizer for Florida For All. When you drill down, Florida is now the epicenter. And St. Pete is one of the epicenters of Florida.Theres not one clear reason why the virus has spread so quickly among Pinellas Black residents. But experts and community leaders like Edmond point to a history of systemic neglect and failure on the part of state and local government that has left Black residents in jobs that expose them to the virus, in dense housing that spreads the infection and with pre-existing conditions that make getting an infection all the more dangerous.Those factors  and a history of segregation that forced a majority of Pinellas Black residents into close proximity  can make it easy for the virus to spread quickly through the larger community, experts say.COVID took a community that was already injured and in distress and kicked them while they were down, Edmond said. It shouldnt have taken a genius to see that COVID was going to hurt us.By the first reports that cases were creeping up in Florida, the coronavirus was already sweeping through Pinellas Countys Black community.The infection rate in the Black population spiked early in June, and has remained high ever since. At its worst, the infection rate among Black residents reached 55 infections per 100,000 people every day. The rate among white residents never reached half that number.Today, although Black residents make up 11 percent of the population in Pinellas County, they account for more than 23 percent of infections and 22 percent of hospitalizations, in cases where race is known.Thats an important note about the data. Race is unknown for over one-third of infections in Florida. In Pinellas County, race is unknown for 24 percent of cases. However, race is known for almost all hospitalizations and deaths.The majority of deaths in Pinellas have been among white residents over the age of 65. But 11 of the 36 residents under the age of 65 who died due to COVID-19 were Black  a rate three times higher than white residents, when accounting for population.In total, 2.7 percent of Pinellas Black residents have tested positive for the coronavirus. Its the highest infection rate among Floridas 12 largest counties. And 2.5 times the infection rate of white residents.In recent weeks, the number of new cases seems to be stabilizilizing for Black residents. The number fell to 34 per day for every 100,000 people, on average over the past week.The infection rate among white residents is also coming down but at a slower rate than for Black residents, so the gap between the two groups is falling. In the last week, 17 out of every 100,000 white residents were infected each day, on average.In other parts of the state, the disparity is getting bigger. In the past week, the number of new cases among Black residents has exploded in smaller counties in the Tampa Bay region, including Sarasota and Citrus, where Black residents are 2.7 times as likely to be infected.The gap between Black and white residents has remained lower in Hillsborough County, but Black residents there are still 60 percent more likely to be infected than white residents.The legacy of redlining has made Pinellas among the most segregated counties in the state, according to analysis from the University of Wisconsins County Health Rankings  condensing 50 percent of the Black population into just four zip codes in the southern tip of St. Petersburg.Those zip codes  33701, 33705, 33712 and 33711  make up only 9 percent of the countys population, yet contain 18 percent of its infections When a substantial percentage of the population in a small area is infected with a highly contagious virus, people can be easily exposed, despite their best efforts to stay safe.Two weeks after Dock tested positive, Marilyn Bell started to feel unwell. The retired school teacher, 65, developed symptoms in a familiar pattern: headache, fever, loss of smell and then coughing.Bell believes she caught the virus at a city rec center where she volunteers with the childrens program. She took every precaution but thinks a sick co-worker may have infected her.At one point, her cough became so bad that she thought her chest would cave in. She drove herself to the hospital, where she spent two days. I was miserable, the sickest I had ever been, Bell said.Although Bell has mostly recovered, she still occasionally has trouble breathing. Shes taken four coronavirus tests, but they keep coming back positive. More than six weeks later, she remains quarantined alone in her home.Experts and community organizers point to a number of factors that may have exacerbated the spread of the coronavirus among Black residents.The workplace can be a major source of exposure, especially when you look at the workforce in south St. Petersburg and the type of jobs theyre in, said Nikki Capehart, the director of urban affairs for the city of St. Petersburg.Census data shows that nearly half of Black workers in Pinellas are employed in health, education or service industries  where the CDC has noted that workers have more chances to be exposed to the virus. Close contact with the public or other workers, not being able to work from home and not having paid sick days make these jobs particularly dangerous in a pandemic.That alone is a major part of exposure, Capehart said, when you have so many in the Black community in south St. Petersburg that are in the service industry and couldnt necessarily stay home because they were essential workers.Ebony Haugabook, who works as a shift manager at a local fast-food chain, said her biggest source of anxiety is contact with co-workers.You have people coming in to work, they have a rasp in their voice, theyre coughing and sneezing, and then they have their mask halfway on, Haugabook said. Any you ask if theyre sick, and theyre like: No, I always sound like this. And its because they cant miss work.Once a family member is infected on the job, it is easy for the virus to spread, especially in homes with multiple generations living together, said David Vlahov, a professor of epidemiology and public health at the Yale School of Nursing.In Pinellas, Census data shows that 47 percent of Black families live in multi-family buildings, compared to just 34 percent of white residents. Nationally, Black families are twice as likely to live in homes with three or more generations, according to analysis from the Economic Policy Institute.In our community, many of us cannot afford rent, said Maria Scruggs, the head of the St. Petersburg chapter of the NAACP. What you find, unofficial, is many households doubling or tripling up on people who live there. And when you have three or four generations of people in the same house, that just doesnt allow for the type of distance between even close family members.Being exposed to the coronavirus doesnt always lead to infection, Vlahov said. But the virus can easily overwhelm an immune system weakened by pre-existing health issues.Data from the Florida Department of Health indicates that, adjusting for population age, Black residents in Pinellas have a significantly higher risk of heart disease, lung disease and diabetes  all of which can be fatal in conjunction with a COVID-19 infection.Look at AIDS, hepatitis, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol that are affecting the St Pete Southside community right now, Edmond said. I dont want to minimize the seriousness of COVID-19, but I do want to emphasize the seriousness of these seven or eight medical conditions that Black people are even more susceptible to COVID.City officials say they are paying attention to the community. Early on, two temporary pop-up testing sites were set up in Childs Park and Bartlett Park, in the heart of the worst affected communities. But we didnt see a lot of turnout at either, said Amber Boulding, the emergency manager for St. Petersburg.She acknowledged, though, that we didnt have a lot of testing early on, so people didnt know their status, and then they were spreading  whether it was at home or at work or at the playground.Some community leaders expressed frustration with residents for not heeding medical advice until it was too late.Until it started to hit home for folks  until Ive actually known someone who contracted it or lost their life  I dont know that people were convinced, said Jason Bryant, a co-founder of 100-Plus Black Men , a community group that works to promote a positive image to St. Petersburgs Black residents.That skepticism is rooted in a history of race-based medical injustice, according to community leaders and experts.One frequently cited example is the Tuskegee syphilis experiments. In 1932, the U.S. Public Health Service infected 399 Black men so that researchers could observe the course of the disease if left untreated.Research by Harvard economist Marcella Alsan found that a decade after the experiments were uncovered by reporters in 1972, demand for medical services among Black men fell drastically, decreasing life expectancy as a result.The skepticism that Alsans research predicted is tangible in St. Petersburg.Its a lack of education, but its also the history of Tuskegee and the historical traumas of the experiments done on us, said Antonio Brown, another co-founder of 100-Plus Black Men.People here are not so trusting of testing and vaccines, Brown continued. The medical community failed our community. Thats why theyre not taking precautions.The NAACPs Scruggs said COVID-19 is just the latest in a long history of events to disproportionately hurt St. Petersburgs Black residents.You have the data over time to look at the gaps in income, the health outcomes, the economic outcomes, said Scruggs. All of this is well-documented, and thats why COVID-19 is rampant in my zip code.This story is part of a collaboration with Frontline, the PBS series, through its Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.2020 the Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.)Visit the Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.) at www.tampabay.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Imagine if there were, say, 600 species of giraffes: some the size of a shrew, some three stories tall, some with purple spots. Of course, many giraffes could be found in Africa, but suppose there were reports of rare ones, wandering high in the mountains of the remote tropical island of New Guinea.

And also imagine that no one studied any of these species, that there were no giraffe experts anywhere. Now substitute "fern" for "giraffe" and you have some rough sense of the work of fern expert and University of Vermont research professor Michael Sundue--and why he's traveled to New Guinea on three expeditions to look for ferns.

In a study published August 5, in the journal Nature, Sundue, and three other UVM plant scientists, joined a global team of researchers from 56 institutions to present the first expert-verified checklist to the vascular plants of New Guinea and surrounding islands. So much uncertainty surrounded the number of New Guinea plants known to science that estimates ranged from 9,000 to 25,000. The researchers pored through digital records and plant collections scattered around the world, drawing on the expertise of 99 specialists--to tally 13,634 species in 264 families, with thousands yet to be discovered.

The team's work--supported by the US National Science Foundation and other funders--reveals that New Guinea is the world's richest island for plants.

BLACK HOLE

In his office, at The University of Vermont's renowned Pringle Herbarium, Sundue holds up a dried plant mounted on newsprint. "Oh that's sexy; that's a Selaginella," he says, pointing to a comely frond that looks a lot like a fern, but more technically is a lycophyte. "I'm not an expert on this. No one else studies this group of plants. There's no Selaginella expert on Earth--and there are 600 species worldwide."

Sundue is an expert on two other groups of ferns--which is why he was called in on the new Nature study. But his goal is not simply to count and identify plants. "The bigger question is where are biodiversity hotspots in the world--and why?" he says. "I've been trying to address that for ferns." New Guinea has been a "black hole," Sundue says, for many plants including ferns. "It's remote, dangerous, hard to get to with almost no roads. You can't just check an app or look at a museum collection--a lot of species have almost no records. So how are you supposed to interpret the evolution of plants on Earth--if you have missing pieces?" he says. "You have to go there and collect."

He holds up the dried plant from New Guinea in the bright Vermont sunshine. "That's a pretty handsome Selaginella," Sundue says. "It's one of the most ancient surviving lineages of plants on Earth."

MEGA-DIVERSITY

When the eighteenth-century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus set out to catalog all the world's plants and animals, he proposed their origin was a high mountain in Paradise: an island on the equator revealed when the primeval waters started to subside. "While his notion of one source area for all organisms was soon abandoned," says Rodrigo Camara-Leret--from the University of Zurich and the lead author on the new study--if he were alive today, Linneaus "would likely choose New Guinea as his symbol of a Paradise island teeming with life."

Except for the frozen rock of Greenland, New Guinea is the largest island in the world, just north of Australia and near the equator. Shaped like a crook-necked bird, it covers more than 300,000 square miles--nearly twice the size of California--with a huge spine of mountains that rise to over 16,000 feet. With very complex geology, New Guinea supports a dazzling array of ecosystems--some of the best-preserved on the planet--from mangrove jungles to alpine grasslands to ice-covered mountaintops. It's not surprising that its size and geographic diversity yields the world's richest island flora.

From his work in New Guinea and other places, "we can clearly see now that ferns are most diverse in tropical mountains," Sundue says--largely because "there are so many niches stacked on top of each other combined with the fact that there's low seasonality." This lets the ferns specialize on one habitat and climate type, genetically isolated from each other by rugged topography, leading to species formation.

Since the 17th century, botanists have described and named plants collected in New Guinea. Thousands of plants from the island are stored in herbaria there as well as the Netherlands, Great Britain and the US--including UVM. But despite advances in the past decades in clarifying the taxonomy of many New Guinea plants, publications about these plants have remained scattered, as botanists worked mostly independently from each other. "Great uncertainty remained as to how many plant species grew in New Guinea," says Camara-Leret. "Effectively, compared to other areas, like Amazonia which had plant checklists recently published, New Guinea remained the 'Last Unknown'"-- until the publication of this new study in Nature.

MORE TO DISCOVER

The results show that New Guinea has 19% more species than Madagascar and 22% more species than Borneo--making it the richest island in the world for plants. Also the new research shows that 68% of New Guinea's plants are only found on that island; this high level of endemism is unmatched in tropical Asia. "And it reveals the value of experts," says Sundue, including fellow fern experts--David Barrington, chair of UVM's Department of Plant Biology; recent UVM doctoral student Weston Testo; and Pedro Schwartsburd, a long-term visitor to Sundue's lab from Brazil--and co-authors on the new Nature study. Using online taxonomic platforms alone, the scientists estimate, would have inflated the species count in New Guinea by 22%--many thousands of false data points or confused names.

"The study also shows that we need to invest in training a large group of young and resident taxonomists in New Guinea," says Sundue. New Guinea plants have been mainly studied by non-resident experts, of whom 40% are retired or within ten years of turning 65 years old. But the team estimates that 3-4,000 new plants could be added to their checklist in the next few decades if there is long-term support for developing a new generation of local experts. "Land-use change is an increasing threat so more botanical exploration is therefore urgently needed if unknown species are to be collected before they disappear," the team writes in the new study.

"A checklist may not seem that interesting," Sundue says, "but it's foundational"--giving future studies greater accuracy and clearer targets, like focusing DNA work on species in particularly rich groups and "identifying blank spots on the map to go explore," Sundue says. "Biologists are trying to put together the history of life on Earth and that is done by examining all of the constituent organisms that live here," he says, "not just the ones that are easy to find."

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AMHERST  Citing worsening conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic nationally, the University of Massachusetts on Thursday reversed course on a plan to allow students to live on campus this fall while taking courses remotely.

While we remain committed to our previously announced instructional plan, regrettably, we are reversing our previously announced offer to provide on-campus housing for students whose coursework is entirely remote, Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy wrote in a message to the campus community.

Only students enrolled in essential face-to-face classes, including laboratory, studio and capstone courses will be allowed to live on campus and have access to dining halls and other campus facilities, the message said. All other students should plan to stay home.

Subbaswamy also urged students with plans to live off campus not to return to the Amherst area for the fall semester.

We recognize there are some students who are dependent on campus housing and dining, and others, including some international students with specific visa requirements and students in healthcare fields, who will need to reside on campus, the message said. These situations will be handled on a case-by case basis, and in most instances will be accommodated.

A reopening plan released in June called for most fall semester classes to be taught remotely, but gave students the option to live on campus under strict public health guidelines. Subbaswamy said at the time that employees were reaching out to students to gauge their interest in living on campus while taking classes remotely.

In Thursdays message, Subbaswamy said administrators determined the risk of a mid-semester closing of the campus is real  and that changing plans now is better than sending students home amid an outbreak.

Quite simply, when we make a clear-eyed assessment of the public health data and comparable reopening attempts that are playing out across the country, we feel that we have no choice but to make the difficult decision to enact these changes to our fall plan, he wrote. Our deliberations were also informed by the health and safety concerns expressed by our faculty and staff and by the citizens and leadership in our host community, Amherst.

Smith College this week also modified its fall semester plans, announcing that classes will be held remotely. Smith President Kathleen McCartney cited national infectious disease experts who recently said COVID-19 is extraordinarily widespread, as well as an uptick in cases in Massachusetts.

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NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Famed New York and East Hampton Entrepreneur, Antonella Bertello has joined the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation's Hamptons Happening as Co-Chair for 2020. This is the 16th annual event in the foundation's history with it set to take place on August 8th holding an exciting concert lineup of performances, mentions and celebrity guest appearances. Bertello was honored in 2019 as the distinguished Business Honoree, known for her multiple ventures including owning Hamptons luxury Bed & Breakfast icon The Baker House 1650, Executive Director for Marina Coast Peru, International Real-Estate Developer and Broker with the Corcoran Group, Board Member of the East Hampton Chamber of Commerce and co-founder and Board Member of Discover the Hamptons.

This year's much-anticipated summer charity event support the groundbreaking research of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) and honor COVID-19 first responders. The performer lineup includes Sophie Beem, Caly Bevier and Rufus Wainwright who return to the Hamptons Happening from prior-year performances. Also performing will be Grammy-Award nominated popstar Sophie B. Hawkins, Constantine Maroulis, the Tony-nominated star of Rock of Ages, and Steven Reineke, musical director and conductor of the New York Pops. Chris Wragge, anchor of CBS 2 News New York returns as master of ceremonies. The presentation will feature special appearances by celebrities, SWCRF leadership, and the Director of Infectious Disease at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, Rajeev Fernando, M.D. who will talk about the challenges providing emergency care to patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.

This year, some supporters will host viewing parties throughout the Hamptons area while observing social-distancing guidelines. Viewing parties receive gourmet boxed dinners by celebrity chef Peter Ambrose and wine and cocktail baskets by Out East Rose and Simple Vodka.

Bertello who will also make an appearance in the evening's fundraiser notes, "It's all of our responsibilities to do as much as we can to help put a stop to this disease that has claimed the lives of so many that we know, care about and love."

Bertello is joined by fellow Co-Chair Chris Arlotta and Hamptons Happening Committee Members Randy Schatz, Maria Fishel, Michael Snell, Laurie Schaffran, Jessica Mackin, Erica Fineberg and Karen Amster-Young.

For more information, to view or to donate to the 16th Annual SWCRF Hamptons Happening, visit www.waxmancancer.org/hamptons.

Contact:

Michael Snell

(347) 695 7764

[email protected]

SOURCE The Baker House 1650

Related Links

https://www.bakerhouse1650.com


Ouattara rejects claims by his opponents who say a two-term limit in the constitution bars him from running again.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara has said he would seek re-election in October, formally accepting the governing partys nomination to be its candidate and defying opponents who say the constitution forbids a third term.

Ouattara, who has governed since 2011, said in March he would not run again. But his preferred successor, then-Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, died in July, leading the party to ask Ouattara to reconsider.

The election is seen as the greatest test yet of the tenuous stability achieved since a brief civil war in 2010 and 2011 killed about 3,000 people following Ouattaras first election win.

I have decided to respond favourably to the call of my fellow citizens, Ouattara said in a televised speech on Thursday. Given my previous promise, this decision represents a real sacrifice for me.

His opponents say the two-term limit in the constitution bars him from running again, but Ouattara has said his first two mandates do not count under the new constitution adopted in 2016.

The opposition party, the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), called his decision to run deplorable.

FPI spokesman Issiaka Sangare added: Ivory Coast could have given another signal that would have allowed democracy to continue.





FPI is the party of Ivory Coasts former president, Laurent Gbagbo.

On Saturday, it named his one-time Prime Minister Pascal Affi NGuessan as its candidate, ending speculation Gbagbo might return from abroad to stand.

Gbagbo, freed conditionally by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity, has applied for a passport so that he can return home for the election.

Gbagbo was acquitted of four counts of crimes against humanity over the 2010-2011 bloodshed: murder, rape, persecution and other inhumane acts.

Prosecutors at the ICC are appealing his acquittal.

Ouattaras other main challenger will be Henri Konan Bedie, who was president from 1993-1999 and is the confirmed candidate of one of the countrys largest parties, the PDCI.

The race is expected to be the most hotly contested since 2010, when Gbagbos refusal to step down after Ouattaras victory sparked the deadly conflict.

Bedie has said he and Gbagbo have agreed that their parties would back the others candidate in the event of a second-round runoff against Ouattara.

The first round of polling will be held on October 31.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > August 5, a Blot on our Secular Democracy | Sukumaran C.V.

August 5 will be written as the most bizarre day in the history of secular democratic India. On August 5, 2020, the Prime Minister of secular democratic India was seen kneeling down, participating in the foundation laying ceremony of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, and performing the Hindu religious rituals. Temples were built in ancient and mediaeval times and the driving force was devotion, not politics. The grand temples of South India were built in the mediaeval times by the Chola, Pallava, Kalinga and Vijayanagara Kings. As the agrarian economy of those times was mainly temple centred, temples fulfilled many socio-economic functions. But to build a temple today is anachronism at its peak.

Of all the politicians of India till date, there is no better religiously oriented man than Gandhiji. We cant find a politician who was/is more deeply religious than Gandhiji in the whole world. And yet he didnt use religious sentiments in politics. That is why he becomes one of the great symbols of Indian secularism. In his autobiography, the Mahatma describes his experience of visiting the Viswanatha Temple in Benares: Where one expected an atmosphere of meditation and communion, it was conspicuous by its absence... I went near the Jnana-vapi (Well of Knowledge). I searched here for God but failed to find him...How much hypocrisy and irreligion does the Prince of Yogis suffer to be perpetrated in His holy name? (The Story of my Experiments with Truth, Part III, Chapter 20In Benares).

On August 5, what India witnessed at Ayodhya was not connected with religion but irreligion. It tarnished not only the image of Indian secular Democracy but also the image of Hinduism. Indias PM participating in the foundation laying ceremony of a temple can be seen only as a new low of our democracy. We have to delve on it very seriously to find out why Indian democracy became so meaningless and (ir)religious. It may be the commissions and omissions of our secular parties that helped the Hindutva politics to defile our democracy. After Gandhi, Nehru and Azad, we didnt have real secularists to make our democracy more and more democratic, inclusive, plural and secular. That may be the reason the BJP could win elections democratically to damage the democracy which was painstakingly built by the true secular democratic heroes. It may be technically not right to accuse the BJP of undemocratically building the temple, because the party promised the people in its election manifesto the construction of the Ram Temple and it is fulfilling its promise. But the pertinent question is why a party that promises a temple in its election manifesto is voted to power in the largest democracy of the world?

To find a plausible answer to this question, I once again went through The Discovery of India and Nehrus observations on the General Election of 1937 seem to have some insights for the dilemma Indian democracy has been facing since 1992. In the third chapter of The Discovery, under the subtitle General Elections, Nehru says: Votes and elections would not take us far; they were just small steps in a long journey, and to delude us with votes, without intelligence of what they signified for subsequent action, was to play us false and be untrue to our country....We wanted no change of masters from white to brown, but a real peoples rule, by the people and for the people, and an ending of our poverty and misery.

Under the British rule, votes and elections didnt take us far. Today, democracy being manipulated for the undemocratic activities of temple building and strengthening the majoritarian ethos indicates that votes and elections havent taken, and dont take, us far in Independent India too.

In his autobiography I am not an Island: An Experiment in Autobiography, Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, one of the great writers of India, says:

India was killed by the British and their Divide and Rule policy. But not by the British alone. India was killed by fanatical Muslim Leaguers who played upon the communitys apprehensions and fears to produce in them a peculiar psychosis which was a dangerous combination of inferiority complex, aggressive jingoism and religious fanaticism.

India was killed by the fanatical Hindus, the Hindu fascists and Hindu imperialists, the dreamers of a Hindu empire, the crusaders of Hindu Sangathan, who provided the ideological fuel for the fire of Hindu communalism and fanaticism.

India was killed by the Communist Party of India which (during the days of its Peoples War and pro-Pakistan policies) provided the Muslim separatists with an ideological basis for the irrational and anti-national demand for Pakistan.

India was killed, and stabbed in the heart, by every Hindu who killed a Muslim, by every Muslim who killed a Hindu, by every Hindu or Muslim who committed or abetted, or connived at, arson and rape and murder during the recent (and earlier) communal riots. (Chapter 27Who Killed India?)

K. A. Abbas wrote about the India of 1947. Forty five years later, in 1992 the Secular Democratic India witnessed the fanatics demolish a medaeval edifice and ignite large scale communal riots; fifty five years later in 2002, the Secular Democratic India witnessed genocide committed by fanatics in Gujarat. And sixty five years later in 2012 January, the Secular Democratic India connived with religious fundamentalists to scare off a famous writer from attending the famous Jaipur Literature Festival. And, in 2019, the nation witnessed the grand old secular party joining hands with those who unleashed communal riots in Mumbai in December 1992 and January 1993, to form government and share power in Maharashtra. And two days ago, on August 5, 2020, the Secular Democratic nation witnessed its Prime Minister performing religious rituals in the foundation laying ceremony of a temple where the medaeval edifice was demolished in 1992.

Secular India stands ashamed and crestfallen 10 days before it celebrates the 74th Independence Day.
South Africas financial watchdog is consulting with lawyers and the insurance industry on a potential test case to clarify whether insurers should pay rejected claims from firms hit by the impact of the coronavirus, it told Reuters on Thursday.

Several lawsuits have been filed by individual firms, mostly in tourism and hospitality, after they were told by insurers that their policies did not cover coronavirus lockdowns.

A test case would aim to provide legal certainty in the matter, said Makgompi Raphasha, head of insurers and retirement fund administrators at the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA).

It is too early for the FSCA to say when the case will be heard or when legal certainty might be achieved, he said in an emailed response to questions, adding consultations with various stakeholders needed to conclude first.

Britains Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has already taken a group of insurers to court as part of its own test case  that could affect 370,000 policyholders  and there have been questions as to whether the FSCA would take a similar approach.

Cases brought by individual firms turn on specific policy wordings, and are sometimes seen as applying to only one particular insurer or even one particular claimant.

A South African court already found in favor of claimant Cafe Chameleon in a case against the countrys fourth-largest non-life insurer Guardrisk. But the insurer is appealing and others say the judgment is not applicable to their policies.

Two other big South African insurers, Old Mutual and Santam, have told Reuters previously they would be open to participating in a test case if the FSCA was to launch one.

They, as well as others in the sector, have offered either interim relief payments or settlements for clients, many on the brink of failure, amid pressure from the FSCA and reputational damage over their stance.

(Reporting by Emma Rumney Editing by Promit Mukherjee and Susan Fenton)

Photograph: Demonstrators working in the hospitality industry protest against lockdown regulations in the streets close to Parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday July 24, 2020. People from various hospitality or restaurant establishments marched on parliament to raise awareness about the industrys declining revenues amid the COVID-19 lockdown. Photo credit: AP Photo/Nardus Engelbrecht.

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Topics Carriers COVID-19 Claims
Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on Friday announced a further extension of the date for the House to adjourn sine die, and appealed to colleague Members of Parliament (MPs) to endure two more sitting days to complete outstanding business before adjournment.

Right Honourable Speaker, having regard to the tall order of outstanding business earlier alluded to, Hon Members are entreated to endure just two more suiting days in order to dispose of all the important business pending before the House, the Leader said.

Originally, the House was scheduled to adjourn sine die on August 3, 2020, but the date of adjournment was rescheduled to August 10, 2020.

The date is now rescheduled again to August 14, 2020, as announced by the Majority Leader on the floor of Parliament in Osu-Accra, in the Business Statement for the Thirteen Week Ending, Friday, August 14, 2020, but expected adjournment can earlier subject to completion of business.

The House is expected to adjourn sine die on Friday, 14th August 2020. Let me add that, if the House is able to finish the listed programmes ahead of Friday, 14th August 2020, the House shall adjourn before then, Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu added.

The Majority Leader recalled having intimated to the House when announcing the re-scheduling of the original date that a number of critical businesses were still pending and might not be completed by the said Monday, 10th August 2020, and yet required parliamentary approval before adjournment sine die.

Such businesses, he said, included; the Development Finance Institutions Bill, 2020, University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development Bill, 2020 and Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2020, and a number of agreements already presented to the House.

The House is also expected to consider the Receivables-backed Trade Finance Facility for the purchase of cocoa beans for the 2020/21 crops season.

According to the Majority Leader, when there came the recommendation to the Business Committee to adjourn on August 14, the Minority Members indicated that the House should endeavor to complete the outstanding business and adjourn on Wednesday, 12th August, 2020.

The Majority Leader underscored the need to work on critical legislation before the House goes on recess, because at the time it would come back from recess, the nation would be in the heat of 2020 electioneering campaign.

He gave thumbs-up to colleague members for exerting themselves in the tenure of the Seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic, with the careful scrutiny of legislation that led to the passage of bills as the Companies Bill and Corporate Insolvency Bill, which he described as monumental.

There was work on some legislations since 1998, the Majority Leader said.

We'll not just keep members here for nothing, the Majority Leader, who is also Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and MP for Suame Constituency said, and appealed to members to remain in the chamber when the House gets to the Consideration Stage of proposed laws.

How many people are in the House, when it comes to the Consideration Stage? he asked, and responded, the usual people who helped me in fashioning out the bills.

---GNA
The same pattern has persisted in heavily state-controlled programs like welfare: The larger a states Black population, the less generous its benefits.

Yesterdays racist system becomes todays incidental structural racism, said Kathryn Edwards, an economist at the RAND Corporation.

She has found that the geographic concentration of Black workers in stingier states means that the average maximum unemployment benefit a Black worker in America can receive per week is about $40 less than the average maximum benefit a white worker can get. That number might sound small, but Ms. Edwards points out that it adds up over 26 weeks of unemployment to a median rent payment in many states, or nearly the size of a $1,200 pandemic stimulus check.

If policymakers wanted to reduce racial disparities in what seem like race-neutral unemployment programs, William Spriggs, a Howard University economist, said they would want to do precisely the two things Congress did: expand the categories of covered workers, and increase the benefits they receive.

What I did not anticipate fully and was shocked by, Mr. Spriggs said, was the South is also bad about running these programs.

The most complicated part of the federal expansion was the entirely new program, called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, meant for workers who wouldnt normally qualify for state unemployment. This is the benefit that covers Uber drivers, self-employed hair stylists, and tipped servers or part-time retail workers whose reported earnings were too low to qualify normally.

Georgia and Florida were among the last states to begin making payments through that additional program (Floridas labor force also has one of the highest shares of self-employed workers). And last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida publicly acknowledged that the states deeply troubled unemployment system introduced under the previous governor, Rick Scott, had been set up to frustrate workers and make as few payments as possible.
In a good year, Cairns generates $3.5 billion in tourism dollars for far-north Queensland. Thanks to COVID-19, in 2020 it is tipped to earn just $1.3 billion.

"We are predicting in the 2020 calendar year a $2.2 billion loss," Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said on Friday.

Cairns was a popular destination for domestic and international tourists, but numbers have slumped. Credit:Glenn Hunt

"That is how bad we are predicting 2020 will be."

Tourism executives told Tourism Minister Kate Jones of the unfolding disaster on Thursday, as attention was diverted by the effects of this weekends border closures on the Gold Coast.
Britain's biggest gambling firms have dozens of offshoots in tax havens, a Mail audit has found.

Paddypower's owner Flutter, Bet 365 and William Hill all list subsidiaries offshore in locations such as Guernsey, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man in their annual accounts.

The complex corporate structures have raised concerns that the taxman could be losing out.

Tax havens: Paddypower's owner Flutter, Bet 365 and William Hill all list subsidiaries offshore in locations such as Guernsey, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man in their annual accounts

This week, a report by public policy think-tank, the Social Market Foundation, said most online companies operating in the UK are headquartered in tax havens, and claimed some do not pay corporation tax in full.

In the last two years Bet 365 paid an effective tax rate of 12.7 per cent on profits of 1.4billion.

The rate of corporation tax in the UK is 19 per cent. In its accounts, the online group said the rate was lower because of the 'difference in tax rate of overseas subsidiaries'.

Four of the firm's licences to operate in the UK are registered in Gibraltar or Malta, where the effective rate of corporation tax is 10 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.

William Hill, which has six subsidiaries in Gibraltar, said it expected to pay around 12 per cent in corporation tax on its profits in 2020.

Winnings: Bet365 founder Denise Coates took home 323m in pay and dividends last year

Ladbrokes Coral is not required to disclose its tax rate, but one of its two licenses to operate in the UK is registered in Gibraltar.

Its parent GVC paid an effective rate of 3 per cent on profits of 81.5million between 2012 and 2015.

Despite growing into a 4.2billion company, it has booked losses in the last four years.

In 2019 Paddypower and Betfair's owner Flutter, which was based in Ireland ahead of its merger with the Stars Group, paid 15.9 per cent in tax.

There is no allegation that the firms have broken the law, but the opaque web of companies they deploy makes it almost impossible to check if firms are paying the correct amount.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of campaign group Clean Up Gambling, said: 'This sector is extracting massive profits from Britain while leaving the rest of the country to pick up the bill for the damage.'

Last year the Mail revealed that 32 Red, which is based in Gibraltar, paid just 812,000 in corporation tax in the ten years to 2016  an effective tax rate of 3 per cent.

To counter the bookmakers' tactics, the Government brought in remote gaming duty in 2014  now levied at 21 per cent on revenue.

32 Red's owner gambling operator Kindred said: 'Kindred Group and all our brands  including 32Red  pays all taxes required in every market we operate including the UK.'

William Hill said any claim it is avoiding tax is ' inaccurate and highly misleading'.

Bet365 said it is a global business headquartered in the UK. It added that its majority shareholders and Bet365 were together the country's largest tax payers and contributed 446million in tax last year.

A GVC spokesman said: 'GVC is a global business. Nevertheless, group companies paid more than 2.5billion of UK taxes from 2015 - 2019 , making it one of the top 20 largest taxpayers in the country.'

Flutter declined to comment.
By Express News Service

In Keralas biggest plane accident, an Air India Express aircraft carrying 190 people on board, including crew, from Dubai to Calicut airport skidded off the table-top runway while landing in bad weather, fell 35 feet onto a road below and split into two at 7.41pm on Friday.

At least 19 persons, including pilot Commander Deepak Vasanth Sathe and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar, died while 40 suffered grievous injuries.

The injured have been admitted to nearby hospitals.

An official statement by the airline said the flight IX 1344 from Dubai to Kozhikode was a part of the ongoing Vande Bharat mission to bring stranded Indians from abroad.

There were 184 passengers, including 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew members on board the aircraft. No fire was reported at the time of the landing, the statement said.

Rescue operations were launched with the help of local residents who gathered after hearing the loud noise.

Fire and rescue teams of Kozhikode and Malappuram districts also rushed to the spot soon after the incident.

The plane had overshot runway at 1941 hrs Friday night, according to a statement from Rajeev Jain, Additional DG, Media, Ministry of Civil Aviation

After skidding, it fell onto the side of the nearby Cross Belt Road along the Kondotty-Kunnumpuram stretch.

The aircraft had a 35-meter deep fall, splitting it into two pieces, leaving the debris all over the runway. Though a thick smoke came out from the cockpit, no fire was reported.

The passengers who suffered major injuries were shifted to Kozhikode and Manjeri medical college hospitals. Rescue work got over at midnight.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it would investigate the crash. The flights scheduled to land at the Kozhikode airport were diverted to Kannur and Kochi. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed shock over the tragedy.

Arrangments have been made at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, Beach Hospital, Farooq Hospital and other private hospitals, said Health Minister K K Shailaja.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who represents Wayanad in Parliament, said he was shocked by the accident.

Deepest condolences to the friends and families of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured, he said.

A spokesman said he can't reveal the names of the dead as their families need to be informed first.

Details of the deceased #Karipur #airindia #planecrash



Of the 11 died, bodies of six identified.



1. C P Rajeevan (61), Cherikka Parambil, Kokkallur, Kozhikode. 2. Sharafudheen (35), Mele Maruthakottil, Kunnamangalam, Pilasserry, Kozhikode. (1/n)  TNIE Kerala (@xpresskerala) August 7, 2020

"As per the latest information from state authorities, search and rescue operation is over and all injured have been shifted to various hospitals. Air India Dubai helpline is +97142079444. CGI Dubai expresses its deep condolences for deceased passengers", informed Indian Embassy in Dubai.

IN PICS | Kozhikode tragedy - Air India Express flight crash lands leaving at least 17 dead, over 40 grievously injured

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter.

Such runways, which are located on hilltops, create the optical illusion of being at the same level as the plains below when a pilot comes in for a landing.

The Kozhikode airport landing strip is a tabletop, like the one at Mangaluru. If the engine of the plane had caught fire, the devastation would have been massive, said Kondotty MLA T V Ibrahim.

As per the initial assessment, the table-top runway along with bad weather resulted in the unusual landing, leading to the mishap, the MLA said.

The incident brought back the nightmares of the May 22, 2010 crash of Air India Express flight IX812 at Mangaluru airport when the plane, after unable to land on the table-top runway, fell off the cliff and burst into flames, killing 158 people.

A control room has been opened at the airport. The helpline number is 04832719493.

Visuals from Calicut where the Dubai-Kozhikode #AirIndia flight carrying more than 180 passengers on board skidded during landing.@xpresskerala pic.twitter.com/pHysg2JtJ7  The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) August 7, 2020

It had been raining heavily at the time of the accident.

Chief Minister also asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all facilities.

He instructed AC Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations and deputed Kozhokode IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation.

Health authorities also have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save the lives of victims.

"Distressed to learn of this accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and their families," Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to the United Arab Emirates said while reacting to the mishap.

"Deeply anguished and distressed at the air accident in Kozhikode. Air India Express flight number AXB-1344 from Dubai to Kozhikode, overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down 35 ft. into a slope before breaking up into two pieces," said Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

"Two investigation teams of professionals from Air India, Airports Authority of India & AAIB will leave for Kozhikode at 02.00 hrs & 05.00 hours. Rescue operations are now complete. Injured being treated at various city hospitals," he further said.

"PM Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on phone about Karipur plane crash. CM informed PM that a team of officials including Kozhikode & Malappuram District Collectors & IG Ashok Yadav have arrived at the airport & participating in the rescue operation," Kerala CMO said in a statement.

The Civil Aviation Ministry did an urgent meeting which is underway at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan. DGCA Director-General and officials of the ministry, Airport Authority of India and Air India Express were in the meeting.

"Deeply saddened to hear about the accident of Air India Express flight IX1344 upon landing at Kozhikode airport. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this accident," International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in its reaction.

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

LANDING ON A TABLETOP RUNWAY

Runways located in high altitude with one of both ends adjacent to a drop are known as tabletop runways.

Such runways create the optical illusion of being at the same level as the plains below when a pilot comes in for a landing.

The incident brought back the nightmares of the May 22, 2010, crash of Air India Express flight IX 812 at Mangaluru International Airport. The plane slipped off the tabletop runway, fell off the cliff and burst into flames killing 158 passengers.

Shah asks NDRF to assist the rescue efforts

Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Friday night to rush to the spot at Kerala's Kozhikode to assist in the rescue-and-relief operations.

"Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations," Shah tweeted.

"We must remember that it is a tabletop runway at Kozhikode. There seems to have been injuries among all the passengers and some of them are unconscious. An NDRF team has been rushed to the spot and should be reaching any time there to join search &rescue operation," said NDRF DG SN Pradhan.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, also tweeted his condolences.

Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 7, 2020

Kerala CM asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his shock at the tragic mishap.

The CM asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities.

The CM has deputed A C Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations. AC Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrissur.

CM also has deputed an IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two district's also have been engaged.

Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save lives of victims.

President Kovind, Kerala Governor and Union Minister offer condolences

"Deeply distressed to hear about tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families", said President Ram Nath Kovind.

"My heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives following the crashlanding of Air India Express flight at Karipur. My prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured", Kerala Arif Mohammed Khan said.

"It's a sad and unfortunate incident. Perhaps, because of heavy rain in Calicut, it seems the pilot could not land and then in second attempt he landed but there was hard landing, after which aircraft skid off beyond runway," MoS MEA V Muraleedharan said while reacting on the plane crash incident.

Among those died, six bodies have been identified.

1. Mohammad Riyaz VP (24), Palakkad

2. Shaheer Ziyad (38), Malappuram



3. Lailabi K V (51), Malappuram

4. Rajeevan Chekkaraparamabil (61), Kozhikode



5. Manal Ahammad (25), Kozhikode

6. Sharafuddeen (35), Kozhikode



7. Janaki Kunnoth (55), Kozhikode

8. Azam Mohammad Chembayi (1), Kozhikode



9. Shantha Marakkat (59), Malappuram

10. Akhilesh Kumar (crew member)



11. Deepak Sathe (crew member)

12. Sudheer Variyath (45), Malappuram



13. Shaiza Fathima (2), Malappuram

14. Ramya Muraleedhran (32), Kozhikode



15. Ayisha Dua (2), Palakkad

16. Shivathmika (5), Kozhikode



17. Shenobia (40), Kozhikode

18. Shahina Bhanu (29), Kozhikode

(With Agencies' Inputs)
E arly indications have shown the R rate of coronavirus transmission in the UK may now be as high as 1.

Figures published on Friday by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) revealed the reproduction number, referred to as R, for the UK as a whole is between 0.8 to 1.

In England, the R is between 0.8 and 1, but Sage has indicated it is not confident that R is currently below one in the region.

The R value also appears to be close to 1 in all the other regions.

The R number represents the number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect.

The estimates for R and growth rate are provided by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M), a subgroup of Sage.

Meanwhile, the figures show the growth rate to be between minus 0.5 per cent to 0  slightly up from between minus 4 per cent to minus 1 per cent last week.

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

The SPI-M said: We are starting to see early indications that these values may be increasing.

This is not yet reflected in these estimates because the data used to calculate R and growth rate reflect the situation from a few weeks ago.

A time delay between initial infection and the need for hospital care usually means it may take between two to three weeks for the changes in the spread of Covid-19 to be reflected in the estimates.

But models that use Covid-19 testing data, which have less of a time delay, indicate higher values for R in England, the Government Office for Science statement said.

It added: For this reason, Sage does not have confidence that R is currently below one in England.

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We would expect to see this change in transmission reflected in the R and growth rate published over the next few weeks.

However, the Government officials and advisers said is also important to recognise that these are estimates, and there is a high degree of uncertainty with them.

The growth rate reflects how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day and, as the number of infections decreases, it is a way of keeping track of the virus.

If it is greater than zero, and therefore positive, then the disease will grow, and if the growth rate is less than zero, then the disease will shrink.

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The South West has seen the growth rate jump slightly from between minus 4 per cent and plus 1 per cent last week to between minus 3 per cent and plus 3 per cent.

Its R value is also above one, with a range of 0.8-1.1. In the East of England, the growth rate has changed from minus 6 per cent to plus 1 per cent last week, to minus 4 per cent to minus 1 per cent. The R number is 0.7-0.9.

In London, the growth rate is between minus 4 per cent and plus 1 per cent, compared with minus 4 per cent and 0 last week. The capital has an R value of 0.8-1.1.

The Midlands has a growth rate of minus 3 per cent to 0, compared with minus 6 per cent to minus 2 per cent last week. Its R value is 0.8-1.

In the North East and Yorkshire, the growth rate is between minus 4 per cent to 0, up from between minus 6 per cent to minus 2 per cent last week. Its R number is 0.8-1.

The growth rate in the North West is at minus 3 per cent to plus 1 per cent, compared with minus 5 per cent to plus 1 per cent last week.

The region also sees the R value above one, with a range of 0.8-1.1.

The South East has a growth rate of minus 4 per cent to 0, compared with minus 3 per cent to 0 last week. The R value in the region is 0.8-1.

Across England, the growth rate is between minus 3 per cent and 0, compared with between minus 4 per cent and minus 1 per cent last week.

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Meanwhile, statisticians at the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge, which feeds information feeds directly to the SPI-M, said on Thursday the R value was now likely to be close to 1 in most regions, with the South West potentially above 1, although the low number of overall infections makes it difficult to be accurate about the spread of the disease.
US lawmakers have tried before to rein in Trump administration plans for arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Republican and Democratic senators introduced legislation on Thursday that would block international sales of United States-made drones to countries that are not close US allies, mentioning Saudi Arabia in particular.

Reuters broke the news in June that President Donald Trumps administration planned to reinterpret the Missile Technology Control Regime, a Cold War arms agreement between 35 nations, with the goal of allowing US defence contractors to sell more drones to an array of nations.

Senator Rand Paul after leaving a Republican meeting on efforts to pass new coronavirus aid legislation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, the US [Tom Brenner/Reuters]

Republican Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul, Democratic Senators Chris Murphy and Chris Coons, and Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, introduced the measure.

It would amend the Arms Export Control Act to prohibit the export, transfer or trade of many advanced drones except to countries that are NATO members and to Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and Israel, they said in a news release.

US lawmakers have tried before to rein in Trump administration plans for arms sales, particularly to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for use in the war in Yemen. The measures have passed with bipartisan support, but failed to get enough Republican support to override Trumps vetoes.
India is today the second-largest telecom market in the world with over a billion customers and close to 600 million Internet users.

New connections are available on the tap, calls are virtually free and it's hard to imagine anyone without a mobile phone today.

Globally, there would be few parallels to this success story that truly democratised telephony and empowered a billion-plus people, observes Airtel's Sunil Bharti Mittal.

IMAGE: Girls in Agra check their board exam results on a mobile phone. Photograph: ANI Photo

One thing that everybody acknowledges today is the stellar contribution made by the telecom industry to keep India running during the COVID-19 lockdown and after.

A nation of one billion connected 24x7 by seamless networks at the most affordable tariffs globally is no mean feat. And I take this opportunity to commend everyone across the telecom ecosystem -- the operators and their partners, the government and the regulator for having made this possible.

25 years ago, when the Indian telecom sector was liberalised and players including Airtel emerged on the scene, no one had imagined we would come this far.

Waiting for a few months to get a landline connection was the norm. With the advent of mobile telephony, high call charges and expensive handsets meant that this service was still limited to a select few.

What a transformation it has been over the past two decades-and-a-half, led by private telcos.

India is today the second-largest telecom market in the world with over a billion customers and close to 600 million Internet users.

New connections are available on the tap, calls are virtually free and it's hard to imagine anyone without a mobile phone today. Globally, there would be few parallels to this success story that truly democratised telephony and empowered a billion-plus people.

At Bharti, we are truly proud to have been at the forefront of this revolution. And more importantly, taking India's unique telecom model global with our foray into Africa and South Asia, where Airtel is as much a household name as it is in India.

Today, Airtel is amongst the top three mobile operators globally and serves over 400 million customers, which is more than the population of many large countries.

Over the years, the telecom sector has seen its share of regulatory challenges and legal battles, perhaps, more than any other industry.

One thing I will say is that all this time and resources should have been better spent focusing on serving the customer better and strengthening the network.

Coming back to where we are today, the telecom market is settling down to a 3+1 structure, which I must highlight is important for serving a large market like India.

Over the past five years, in particular, the industry has operated at below cost of providing services and yet ploughed billions into new networks.

Much of these investments have turned into bad debts as several operators have folded up due to a brutal phase of hyper-competition.

The utmost priority today, therefore, must be to make the industry sustainable and build on what has been achieved over these past 25 years.

While some price correction has happened recently it's a long way from where it should be and we need an industry ARPU of at least Rs 300.

If telecom is an essential service, it must not be taxed like tobacco and liquor. And spectrum should not be treated as a source of exchequer, at least in the near to medium term.

This will set the course for enabling the industry to invest in new technologies like 5G and build the foundation for serving a digital India over the coming 25 years.

And it's the 25 years ahead of us that make us at Bharti really excited.

Telecom and ultra-fast, low latency data networks will become all pervasive and be the bedrock of all connected things -- from smart factories and grids to smart homes and even flying cars.

We are already putting in place several building blocks even beyond 5G and ORAN with potential satellite-based networks through ventures likes OneWeb, where Bharti is a controlling shareholder along with the UK government.

As always, our focus will be on delivering best-in-class experience to customers. And we will do this by building an open and vibrant digital ecosystem through strategic investments and world-class partnerships.

To wrap it up, I would add that the Bharti story is a reflection of India's telecom success story of the past 25 years.

We have the distinction of being the only company to have weathered the highs and lows of this phase. I can only express my gratitude to our customers, partners and employees who have supported us all along.

I promise you that we are all charged up for the coming 25 years and will continue to delight you and serve a digitally connected and empowered India.
Malaysian authorities have refused to renew the work visas of two of Al Jazeeras journalists. It follows a police raid of the global broadcasters office in Kuala Lumpur on August 4. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) remains critical the heavy-handed actions of the authorities and calls for respect of media reporting.

Al Jazeera English managing director, Giles Trendle, confirmed that Malaysian authorities refused to renew the work visas of Australian journalists Drew Ambrose and Jenni Henderson. The two are among seven Al Jazeera journalists being investigated for sedition, defamation and violation of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

The visa rejection comes after police, together with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) raided Al Jazeeras office in Kuala Lumpur four days ago. The raids also involved Astro, which runs a satellite TV service, and Unifi Internet TV service. The two broadcasting companies offer Al Jazeeras program.

Malaysian authorities have continued to probe Al Jazeera over its 101 East investigative report that highlighted treatment of undocumented migrant workers amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Police have summoned Al Jazeeras team involved in production of the program. Mohamad Rayhan Kabir, a Bangladeshi man featured in Al Jazeeras report, was arrested and is to be deported. Al Jazeera Malaysia staff have since been subjected to online attacks, including death threats and doxing.

Al Jazeera has urged authorities to cease the criminal investigation into its journalists, reiterating that it stands with the team and their reporting. In its statement, Al Jazeera said: the staff did their jobs and theyve got nothing to answer for or apologise for.

The Al Jazeera case is just one of a rising number of media freedom attacks in the country since the Pakatan Harapan coalition government was forced from power in February and replaced by a new ruling coalition government comprising the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).

The IFJ said:The authorities in Malaysia must stop treating the media and journalism as a crime. Al Jazeeras journalists endeavoured to seek inputs from the government in producing this program but were denied. This is a clear case of payback to silence critical reporting but common sense and media freedom must prevail.
An Air India Express flight IX 1344 from Dubai to Kerala's Kozhikode skidded off the runway while landing at the Karipur Airport on Friday night. The jet was carrying 190 passengers, including 10 infants, two pilots and four crew members at the time of the incident, ANI reported. The impact from the crash split the aircraft into two pieces with debris strewn all over the runway. Resuce operations are underway.

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has order a detailed investigation into the crash, ANI reported.

Home Minister Amit Shah expressed distress on the incident. "Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations," he tweeted.

In a tweet, former Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphons KJ informed that the pilot of the plane has died and lots of passengers have been injured. All passengers have been evacuated, he added.

Follow BusinessToday.In for LIVE updates on the Air India Express plane crash:

11.08 PM: A high-level meeting of Civil Aviation Ministry is underway at Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan. DGCA Director-General and officials of the ministry, Airport Authority of India and Air India Express officilas are present.

10.51 PM: "Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families," tweets President Ram Nath Kovind.

Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families.  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 7, 2020

10.43 PM: Four passengers are still trapped under debris and are being rescued. Two NDRF teams - one from Malappuram and second from Wayanad - have been dispatched for the site.

10.38 PM: 14 dead and 123 injured in Kozhikode plane crash incident at Karipur airport, Malappuram SP told ANI. 15 are severely injured.

14 dead, 123 injured and 15 seriously injured in Kozhikode plane crash incident at Karipur Airport: Malappuram SP to ANI. #Keralapic.twitter.com/QfFZxHDkVx  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

10.32 PM: Kozhikde Collector has floate a helpline number, 0495-2376901, for enquiries related to the Air India Express flight crash.

10.31 PM: Air India Express has set up help centres in Sharjah and Dubai.

10.16 PM: One NDRF team rushed to site of accident, says NDRF DG SN Pradhan.

We must remember that it is a tabletop runway at Kozhikode. There seems to have been injuries among all the passengers & some of them are unconscious. An NDRF team has been rushed to the spot & should be reaching any time there to join search &rescue operation: NDRF DG SN Pradhan https://t.co/Vgtq7UJuRCpic.twitter.com/Jo4cckfNmk  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

10.07 PM: "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected," tweets Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

10.04 PM: Visuals of emergency operations at Karipur airport.

#WATCH Kerala: Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) with 190 people onboard, skidded during landing at Karipur Airport today. (Video source: Karipur Airport official) pic.twitter.com/6zrcr7Jugg  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

10.03 PM: The flight was being operated in a Boeing 737 aircraft.

10.01 PM: PM Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan about the Air India Express flight crash. CM Vijayan informed PM Modi that a team of officials, including Kozhikode and Malappuram District Collectors and IG Ashok Yadav have arrived at the airport and are participating in the rescue operation, informed Kerala CMO.

9.54 PM: Visuals from outisde of Karipur airport where Air India Express flight IX 1344 crash landed with 191 passengers

9.50 PM: "Deeply distressed to hear about the Air India Express tragedy at Kozhikode. Prayers are with the bereaved families and those injured. We are ascertaining further details," tweeted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Deeply distressed to hear about the Air India Express tragedy at Kozhikode. Prayers are with the bereaved families and those injured. We are ascertaining further details.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) August 7, 2020

9.48 PM: Consulate General of India in Dubai has floated helpline numbers after the incident.

Air India Express Flight No IX 1344 from Dubai to Calicut skidded off the runway.We pray for well being of passengers and crew and will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates.Our helplines 056 546 3903, 0543090572, 0543090572, 0543090575 @MOS_MEA@IndembAbuDhabi  India in Dubai (@cgidubai) August 7, 2020

9.41 PM: "Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala," tweets Home Minister Amit Shah. "Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations."

Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala.



Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 7, 2020

9.35 PM: Diretorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a thorough investigation in the matter.

9.25 PM: "Air India Express skids off the run way at Kozhikode, front portion splits , pilot dies and lots of passengers injured. All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didn't catch fire," tweets former Union Minister of State for Tourism Alphons KJ.

Second tragedy of the day in Kerala : Air India Express skids off the run way at Kozhikode, front portion splits , pilot dies and lots of passengers injured . All passengers evacuated. Very lucky the aircraft didnt catch fire @narendramodi@JPNadda  Alphons KJ (@alphonstourism) August 7, 2020

9.17 PM: Total 190 passengers were on board Air India Express flight IX 1344 at the time of crash, including 174 passengrrs, 10 infants, two pilots and four other crew members.

#UPDATE There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and 6 crew members, including two pilots, onboard Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) that skidded during landing at Karipur Airport today: Air India Express pic.twitter.com/vcGRBdlyRR  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

9.15 PM: The crash occured at 7.45 PM, informs local police.

Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) skidded during landing at Karipur Airport at around 7.45 pm today: Kondotty Police. #Keralapic.twitter.com/UaXZuGrvhB  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

9.01 PM: Air India Express flight IX 1344 skidded off runway at Karipur airport, Kozhikode with more than 190 passengers.
Malaysian authorities have refused to renew the work visas of two Australian journalists who are being investigated for a documentary they made for the Al Jazeera news network.

Filmmakers Drew Ambrose and Jenni Henderson are two of five Australians among seven journalists being investigated for sedition, defamation and violation of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

Australian Al Jazeera journalist Drew Ambrose, right, leaves the Bukit Aman police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur after being questioned by police over the documentary on July 10. Credit:AP

Their documentary, Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown, aired by the 101 East program on July 3, examined the harsh treatment of undocumented migrant workers in the country during COVID-19 lockdown.

Earlier in the week, police raided the Al Jazeera offices in Kuala Lumpur and seized and seized two hard drives.
On Friday, Gov. Ned. Lamont signed into law HB 6004, An Act Concerning Police Accountability.

Since the bills passage, Democrats have shared misinformation about what the bill does. Many Democrats who promised to eventually revise the bill in the same breath they voted yes are now scrambling to spread these myths to rationalize their votes and deflect criticism.

The reality is the Democrat bill will damage public safety and policing in Connecticut. If Democrats are so proud of this bill, they should be honest about what they voted for and stop spreading the following falsehoods:

Myth No. 1: Good police officers have nothing to fear.

The Facts: Democrats have now allowed officers, even when doing nothing wrong, to be personally sued in state court under state law for the first time in Connecticuts history. The bill deliberately removes the ability to have frivolous lawsuits dismissed early. Every frivolous case will move forward with no protections, putting good officers personally at risk and taxpayers financially at risk for legal fees and forced settlements for even baseless claims.

Myth No. 2: This bill was crafted with everyones input.

The Facts: While there were conversations between lawmakers, Republicans never endorsed the bill and were always clear about what should be changed, but our voices were ignored on the larger issues. Also ignored were Connecticuts police officers. New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes explains: The passing of this bill was done in haste. ... The elected officials that were a driving force behind this bill, particularly those that represent the New Haven community, crafted this bill without input from me as the chief of police in New Haven. They were in such a rush to pass legislation, that they gave little to no consideration to the negative impact it could have on good police officers.

Myth No. 3: The bill doesnt eliminate qualified immunity for police; only towns will be liable and only if someone commits a crime.

The Facts: Qualified immunity for good police officers is effectively gone. Police officers can be personally sued if a court determines they acted in a willful, wanton or reckless manner. The definition of willful is completely open to interpretation by the court, putting officers at risk for lawsuits with no ability to dismiss frivolous claims early. Even if an officer is found to have not acted willfully, wantonly or recklessly, the municipality  and therefore taxpayers  will still be held liable. Faced with large legal fees even in frivolous cases, municipalities will be economically forced to settle many cases, leaving blemishes on good officers records without ever giving them the chance to prove no wrongdoing.

Myth No. 4: The bill wont hurt officer recruitment or increase retirements.

The Facts: It already has. We began hearing accounts of young officers giving up their careers and older officers rushing to retire when the legislation was only a proposal. Now that its law, police departments are worried about understaffing and longer response times. Connecticut is already facing recruitment issues. This year New Haven saw fewer than 300 new police applicants. Waterbury, which saw 1,000 applicants last year, had only 400 this year after extending their deadline. This bill worsens the situation.

Myth No. 5: The bill wont impact good policing.

The Facts: Police will be forced to stop proactive policing. Protective policing will be a significant liability, therefore Democrats are forcing police to only be reactionary. This bills deadly force standards will unfairly limit officers ability to save the public and themselves, in complete conflict with the long-established rules by the U.S. Supreme Court. These new standards will chill police officers ability to save lives and will put lives at risk.

Myth No. 6: The bill wont defund police.

The Facts: The bill doesnt directly defund the police, but its severe financial impact on cities and police departments achieves the same result. Increased costs for things such as insurance and legal fees coupled with a crippled economy will push municipalities to cut back on policing. The Democrats plan of choice.

Myth No. 7: It will make bad cops accountable.

The Facts: This bill does nothing to make it easier to fire bad actors or hold them accountable. Eliminating qualified immunity doesnt make it easier to hold officers criminally accountable, because qualified immunity doesnt protect officers when they commit a crime. The bill does contain a new decertification component, but it does nothing to change the collective bargaining arbitration process that can supersede other laws and continue to block the firing of bad officers.

To learn more about these issues visit ctsenaterepublicans.com/myth-v-fact.

State Sen. Len Fasano serves as the Connecticut Senate Republican Leader. He represents the 34th Senate District, including Durham, East Haven, North Haven and Wallingford.
TipRanks

Lets talk about quality stocks. Of course, this is the direction that every investor wants to go; but the question is, how to recognize them? Do we go all-in on the big-value, big-name giants? Or do we dig a little deeper, and find the high-end nuggets that are hiding in the sandheap? Weighing in from investment bank Morgan Stanley, chief investment officer Lisa Shalett recommends the latter. She recommends investors to look for beaten-down stocks, equities that have lost value recently  but t
Capital One Financial Corp will pay an $80 million penalty to a U.S. bank regulator after the bank suffered a massive data breach one year ago.

The fine, announced Thursday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, punishes the bank for failing to adequately identify and manage risk as it moved significant portions of its technological operations to the cloud.

Safeguarding our customers information is essential to our role as a financial institution, said a bank representative in a statement. In the year since the incident, we have invested significant additional resources into further strengthening our cyber defenses, and have made substantial progress in addressing the requirements of these orders.

In July 2019, the bank disclosed that personal information including names and addresses of about 100 million individuals in the United States and 6 million people in Canada were obtained by a hacker. The suspected hacker was a former employee of Amazon Web Services, a cloud provider where the bank had moved some of its data.

The OCC said in its consent order that the bank failed to identify and manage risks leading up to the move to cloud storage, and lacked sufficient network security and data loss prevention controls. The regulator also said that when internal auditing did identify issues, the banks board failed to hold management accountable.

The 2019 breach did not expose credit card account information, but about 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 linked bank account numbers were compromised.

The OCC also ordered the bank to overhaul its operations to ensure it is adequately guarding against general cybersecurity risks and risks specific to cloud operations, and submit those plans for review. The bank faces similar heightened oversight from the Federal Reserve.

(Reporting by Pete Schroeder in Washington Editing by Chris Reese and Matthew Lewis)

Topics Cyber
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 18:24:27|Editor: huaxia

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Visitors view former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's portrait during the exhibition "America's Presidents" at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., the United States, on Feb. 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"This engagement has enabled us, as well as the Asia Pacific region and the world, to enjoy unparalleled peace and prosperity," said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in a letter to participants of a virtual dialogue on U.S.-China relations.



WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has said that the engagement between the United States and China contributed to global peace and prosperity, urging the two countries to cooperate against the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Wednesday letter to participants of a virtual dialogue on U.S.-China relations, Carter recalled his decision with China's former leader Deng Xiaoping in late 1978 to establish diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing.

"This engagement has enabled us, as well as the Asia Pacific region and the world, to enjoy unparalleled peace and prosperity," he said.

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2015 shows the national flags of China (R) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington D.C. on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)

The former president expected the virtual dialogue, held by the Carter Center and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, to help ease the bilateral tensions.

"While our nations have their differences, I trust you will use this discussion to determine which differences must be overcome to foster our bilateral relationship," he said.

Carter also noted that Washington and Beijing could work together on many issues, such as climate change, preventing nuclear proliferation and counter-terrorism.

"And most urgently, a collaboration to effectively address the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuild shattered economies and communities," he said.

As the 39th U.S. president who served between 1977 and 1981, Carter oversaw the normalization of diplomatic ties between the United States and China 41 years ago. 
The water-level of the Bheema river in Karnataka's Kalaburagi is now flowing at a high level leading to a rise in water level at the area. Other rives like Cauvery and Lakshmanatheertha is also flowing at a high level while the Sayi layout and Kuvempu layout Kushalnagar is inundated and the affected residents were shifted to safer location.

Several parts of Kodagu district are facing flood-like situations due to incessant heavy rainfall.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team is deployed at the flood-hit districts. On Thursday, the NDRF rescued a pregnant woman and shifted her to a hospital in Kodagu.

Karnataka: National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel rescued a pregnant woman and shifted her to a hospital in Kodagu. (06.08.2020) Several parts of Kodagu district are facing flood-like situation due to incessant heavy rainfall. pic.twitter.com/kSnBVsVkLk  ANI (@ANI) August 6, 2020

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday (August 6) directed officials to provide relief to the people affected by floods. As immediate relief, an assistance of Rs 10,000 will be given to the families affected by rain and Rs 5 lakhs for completely damaged houses, the CM directed.

He also ordered that if the house is partially damaged then relief must be distributed as per the damage. The CM also directed the officials to conduct a survey regarding crop loss and submit reports. A daily report on total loss must also be updated.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological department has issued a red alert on heavy rains in the affected districts of Kodagu, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Uttar Kannada in the coastal region and in Shivamoga, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Haveri in the Malnad region.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has decided to allow students, who had opted for basic mathematics in the class 10 examination this year, to pursue the subject in senior secondary classes in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The relaxation, the CBSE stressed, is only for the current academic year.

The CBSE had for the first time introduced the option of basic and standard mathematics in the class 10 exams this year. Basic maths was for those who do not want to pursue the subject further and the standard math was for those who want to study mathematics as a subject in classes 11 and 12.

Students who had qualified basic mathematics were given an option of appear for the standard math paper during compartment exams, in case they wanted to pursue the subject further.

In a notification issued on Friday, CBSE controller of examination Sanyam Bhardwaj said, Because of spread of Covid-19 and thus the delay in the conduct of the compartment examination 2020, it has been decided that students who have appeared for mathematics (basic) in class 10 exams and are desirous of pursuing mathematics in class 11, can opt for it, but only for the session of 2020-21.

Before permitting mathematics in class 11 to such students, the head of the institution should be satisfied that the student has the aptitude and ability to pursue mathematics. This exemption is being given as a one-time measure to facilitate the present batch of students, Bhardwaj added.

Principals said the decision will be a huge relief to students who were waiting to take the math standard test during the compartment exams. Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu School in Rohini, said, Keeping the present situation in mind, the CBSE has taken a student friendly decision.

Heads of Delhi government schools, where 73% of students had opted for basic mathematics this year, expressed reservations over the move. AK Jha, the head of Sarvodaya Co-ed Vidyalaya in Rohini, said, Many students who had opted for basic mathematics are those who did not want to pursue the subject in higher classes. Now that there is an option, many parents may compel schools to allow their children to pursue the subject. This will be very challenging for principals.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Fareeha Iftikhar Fareeha Iftikhar is a principal correspondent with the national political bureau of the Hindustan Times. She tracks the education ministry, and covers the beat at the national level for the newspaper. She also writes on issues related to gender, human rights and different policy matters. ...view detail
The United States on Thursday lifted a Do Not Travel Global Health Advisory for Americans but retained it for India saying that not only does the risk of contracting Covid-19 remain high there but, most alarmingly, if you get sick in India and need medical care, resources may be limited (and overwhelmed).

The state department announced the lifting of the global travel advisory for Americans saying in a statement with health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others it was switching back to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice (with Levels from 1-4 depending on country-specific conditions).

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

For India, the country-specific advisory was Level 4: Do Not Travel. The state department said in the updated advisory, Do not travel to India due to COVID-19.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which guided the state department revision, said on its own updated travel webpage Americans should avoid all non-essential travel to India as the risk of contracting Covid-19 is high and, it added, most significantly if you get sick in India and need medical care, resources may be limited.

Also read| Covid-19: Tracing Indias journey to two million cases

In an interactive cartographic representation of its assessment on the pandemic, the CDC framed its India warning a little differently: If you get sick in India and need medical care, healthcare resources may be overwhelmed.

But this advisory can change. CDC continues to monitor every country in the world, and as they identify that a country is either improving or that a country may be going in the other direction, they will let us know and we will, in turn, make the adjustment, Karin King, deputy assistant secretary for overseas citizen services, told reporters at a news briefing.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

Of the more than 19 million Covid-19 infections worldwide, nearly a fifth  close to 4.9 million  are in the United States, followed by Brazil with 2.9 and India with 1.9 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker.

Of the 713,406 global fatalities, nearly a fifth once again by the same count  over 160,000  were in the US. Brazil was next with 98,000 deaths and India fifth with 40,699.

Pakistan, by comparison, was safer at Level 3  reconsider travel  in Americas estimation. Nepal and Sri Lanka were both at Level 3. Bangladesh was the same as India at Level 4.

Also read: Recovered Covid patients return to hospitals with respiratory illnesses

India is resuming limited international travel through bilateral arrangements with other countries under a new set of guidelines that go into effect Saturday, specifying a seven-day institutional isolation for all incoming travellers, followed by another sevens days of isolation at home.

The Trump administration issued a travel advisory on March 19 asking Americans to avoid all international travel. It had begun banning incoming travellers from certain countries in January starting with China, where the epidemic had started with first human-to-human transmission reported in December.

Also read: 3 Covid-19 vaccine candidates set to enter final stage of trial

Over succeeding weeks travellers were banned from Iran, European Union countries, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil. These orders remain in force.

Travellers from the United States were banned from EU countries subsequently and they remain on the unwelcome list because of the resurgence of infections.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) quite often uses unofficial nicknames to identify distant cosmic objects like planets, galaxies, and nebulae.

Recently, the space agency realised that some of the nicknames that they have been using are insensitive and can be actively harmful.

As a result, NASA is currently examining the usage of unofficial terminology for cosmic objects

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASAs Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters, Washington in a statement on the space agencys official website said, "I support our ongoing reevaluation of the names by which we refer to astronomical objects.

Our goal is that all names are aligned with our values of diversity and inclusion, and well proactively work with the scientific community to help ensure that. Science is for everyone, and every facet of our work needs to reflect that value."

The statement also clearly states that the agency will now be working with diversity, inclusion, and equity experts in the astronomical and physical sciences. This is being done so that they can get recommendations for better nicknames and terms for review.

Elaborating upon the issue, Stephen T. Shih, Associate Administrator for Diversity and Equal Opportunity at NASA Headquarters, said:

"These nicknames and terms may have historical or cultural connotations that are objectionable or unwelcoming, and NASA is strongly committed to addressing them. Science depends on diverse contributions, and benefits everyone, so this means we must make it inclusive."
Actions speak louder than words, even in outer space.

Proof of this came 51 years ago this summer when, after proclaiming that his footsteps on the moon represented one giant leap for mankind, astronaut Neil Armstrong planted the Stars and Stripes firmly into lunar soil.

Despite Armstrongs verbal insistence that becoming the first person on the moon was an achievement shared by humanity, his flag signalled this was essentially a victory for the United States of America, unmistakable proof it reigned over all  including its Cold-War rival, the Soviet Union  as the worlds pre-eminent power.

More than a half-century later, extraterrestrial exploration remains a bastion of nationalism, as the three missions to Mars launched in quick succession last month will attest.

On July 23, just three days after the United Arab Emirates sent a spacecraft that it hopes will eventually orbit Mars, a Chinese mission that consists of an orbiter, lander and rover took off for Utopia Planitia, an impact basin on the Red Planet.

Then, on July 30 and, as always, not to be outdone, Americas space agency, NASA, fired off Perseverance, a $3.4-billion (U.S.), one-tonne, six-wheeled rover, to search for signs of life, past or even present, on Mars.

When you consider these three missions, its hard, particularly in these gloomy pandemic times, not to experience a heady mixture of elation, wonder and even pride at what the human mind can achieve. So much planning, so many calculations and so much meticulous engineering went into sending these spacecraft on a 505-million-kilometre (314-million-mile) journey that will take nearly seven months. A tiny virus has turned humanity upside down on Earth; it cant stop us from reaching to the heavens.

And yet, as we wish the best for these three Mars missions and the nations behind them, we cant help but think it would be better for our species if we could co-operate more in our forays into space.

To be fair, NASA is collaborating with the European Space Agency on this and other missions to Mars. In turn, the European Space Agency is working with Russia to send yet another spacecraft to Mars in 2022.

Even so, Mars is emerging as just the latest ground where the U.S. and the worlds one other superpower  China  are meeting as rivals. Its not enough that theyre constantly striving to outdo each other in economic, military and geopolitical matters here on Earth. Theyre taking this competition to another world.

Yet the arguments for more international co-operation on Mars are overwhelming. Space exploration is hugely expensive. While sending the first humans to Mars  as the Americans vow to do in the 2030s  would bring prestige to whoever does it, it will involve costs that many will deem prohibitive. This will especially be so in a world struggling to recover from COVID-19.

In this environment, splitting the Mars-exploration bills between several nations would make them more affordable. By contributing to workforce stability, cost-sharing would also make such ventures more sustainable. Just as important, increased co-operation in space would foster stronger international relationships on Earth and make our often fraught political world more stable.

The International Space Station proves how well joint efforts can succeed. Its brought together the space agencies of Russia, the U.S., Canada, Japan and Europe and has been continuously occupied by scientific researchers for nearly 20 years.

Mars could become a planetary space station for the same kind of international teamwork. Its time for people to stop planting flags in new territories and claiming them for their own little tribe. The human race should run the space race  together.
New Delhi: India on Thursday lambasted Pakistans close friend Turkey and asked it to refrain from interfering in Indias internal affairs on the Kashmir issue. Soon after Turkey reportedly said the revoking of Article 370 a year ago was not conducive to peace and security in the region, MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday termed Turkeys views as factually incorrect and biased.

Wednesday had seen the first anniversary of Indias revoking of Article 370, a Constitutional provision that had granted special status to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). India had also split the erstwhile State of J&K into the two union territories of J&K and Ladakh last year.

It may be recalled that India had lashed out in February this year at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogans extremely controversial remarks supporting Islamabad on the Kashmir issue while on a visit to Pakistan then. India had then also summoned the Turkish envoy in New Delhi and had issued a strong demarche, saying the remarks are one more example of a pattern of Turkey interfering in the internal affairs of other countrieswhich India finds completely unacceptable.

New Delhi had also said the Turkish Presidents remarks reflect neither an understanding of history nor of the conduct of diplomacy and that these distort events of the past to advance a narrow minded view of the present. New Delhi had also rejected the repeated attempts by Turkey to justify the cross border terrorism practiced so blatantly by Pakistan, adding that these developments have strong implications for our bilateral relationship.

Much to New Delhis dismay and anger, Turkish President Erdogan has been extremely critical of India while supporting Pakistan, after India revoked Article 370 last year. In an apparent response, India had also last year said it was deeply concerned at the unilateral military offensive by Turkey in north-east Syria, asking Turkey to exercise restraint and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and adding that Turkeys actions can undermine stability in the region and the fight against terrorism which has the potential for causing humanitarian and civilian distress.
New York City has permission to become the only major U.S. school system to hold in-person classes this fall, after Gov. Andrew Cuomo said classrooms statewide could remain open with tight precautions.

Parents of pupils in New York City have until Friday to decide whether to opt out and begin the year with all remote learning.

"By our infection rates, all school districts can open," Cuomo said Friday on a conference call with reporters. "Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established, which is just great news."

The state conducted 70,000 tests on Aug. 6, of which 1% were positive, Cuomo said. There were 5 virus-related fatalities and 579 hospitalizations as of Aug. 6, according to the latest state data.

The largest U.S. system, with 1.1 million students, is defying a national rush to online education. The spring's scuttled semester had parents struggling to work and teach their children simultaneously, forced businesses to navigate those conflicts, and kept the virus-wracked country that much further away from normality.

Major school districts that have opted for virtual instruction for at least the start of the year include Los Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta and Houston. But Cuomo said New York is ready.

"We are probably in the best situation than any other state in the country right now," Cuomo said. "If anybody can open schools, we can open schools."

The decisions about travel, business and education are being made against unrelenting pressure from Trump, whose theories on the topic aren't always supported by his own health experts.

"This thing's going away -- it will go away like things go away and my view is that schools should be open," Trump said Wednesday on Fox News. Children "are virtually immune from this problem. And we have to open our schools."

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has rejected this claim. There are parts of the country where schools shouldn't open to in-person teaching, the doctor told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday, and testing for the disease needs to improve, especially in the speed to obtain results.

A New York City Department of Education survey to which 400,000 parents responded said 75% wanted their children to return to school. Mayor Bill de Blasio had said New York City wouldn't open schools unless the city remains below a 3% citywide infection rate over a seven day rolling average.

"We are trying to maximize in-person learning for the good of our kids because we know it makes a world of difference," de Blasio said during a news briefing Monday Aug. 3. "Nothing replaces in-person learning."

A city plan called for cleaning schools during the day and at night, with enforced social distancing in classrooms and hallways, mandatory face coverings for all, featuring hand washing and hand sanitizer stations. "I feel like we're where we need to be to get ready for opening day," de Blasio said during an interview on NY1, a local all-news cable channel.

There is conflicting data about how covid-19 is transmitted to and from children.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last month suggests infected kids with even just mild symptoms can still have 10 to 100 times the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in their noses and throats as older kids or adults, making them more likely to spread it. An earlier Chinese study, however, found that most children with Covid-19 admitted to a hospital lived in households with previously infected adults, indicating the child caught the virus from the adult rather than transmitting it.

A small number of kids have died or required intensive care as a result of either the respiratory failure commonly associated with the virus or an inflammatory condition sometimes described as similar to Kawasaki disease that causes heart or circulatory problems.

That leaves school officials largely at the mercy of their local health officials for guidance. In Chicago, the district will work with the city Department of Public Health to assess if it is safe to open with hybrid learning in the second quarter on Nov. 9.

The economic effects of keeping children out of school go beyond matters of convenience and pocketbook. They also expose imbalances in the economy, with some children unable to access the Internet as easily as others.

"The first-order short-term economic impacts will be likely centered around what this does to families needing childcare; loss of school meals for the kids making hunger worse; and whatever furloughing the district is doing," said Diane Schanzenbach, professor at the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. "Long term, the costs of all of this lost learning will be with us for decades."

Senate Republicans have proposed a bill that would provide $70 billion to K-12 schools, but that may not be enough to safely reopen, or even to go remote and provide needed tech to low-income families. More than $116 billion will be needed to safely reopen the nation's public schools, according to an estimate from the American Federation of Teachers union.

The teachers' unions have been lobbying heavily against in-person school, citing budget restraints and health risks for staff and pupils.
The funding, announced by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove, will help firms deal with the paperwork associated with bringing goods in from the UK and the rest of the world.

The new Trader Support Service is aimed at addressing concerns from Northern Ireland businesses that 'red tape' could disrupt the flow of goods from the UK.

An initial 50 million (55 million) will set up the service, with the full contract worth up to 200 million (221 million).

It will provide end-to-end support to deal with import, safety and security declarations on behalf of traders.

Businesses in Northern Ireland can sign up for further information about the scheme from August 7th, before it becomes operational in September.

A 155 million (171 million) investment will fund the development of new technology to ensure the process can be fully digital and streamlined.

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The measures were deemed necessary as the Northern Ireland protocol requires it to remain in alignment with EU rules on goods, effectively creating a regulatory border in the Irish Sea from January 1st after the transition period ends.

Subsequently, digital import and safety and security declarations will be needed to avoid tariffs on trade within the UK and that goods destined for the Republic of Ireland or the EU pay tariffs when they should.

Officials have pointed out that the support should be seen as an enduring commitment rather than a short-term fix.

The new service is outlined as part of the publication of new guidance on the protocol for businesses moving goods into and from Northern Ireland.

Further support could be provided to cover health certification requirements for agrifoods.

Todays investment underlines our absolute commitment to the people and businesses of Northern Ireland as we move towards the end of the transition period, Mr Gove said.

As part of our ongoing engagement with Northern Ireland businesses and the executive, we are also publishing further guidance for businesses on the operation of the protocol.

As we continue to engage with businesses and our discussions with the EU proceed, we will update these resources to ensure that traders are ready for the end of the transition period.
BEIJING, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- 58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA) ("58.com" or the "Company"), China's largest online market place for classifieds, today announced it has called an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the "EGM"), to be held on September 7, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. (Beijing time), at Building 105, 10 Jiuxianqiao North Road Jia, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China, to consider and vote on, among other things, the proposal to authorize and approve the previously announced agreement and plan of merger (the "Merger Agreement") , dated June 15, 2020, among the Company, Quantum Bloom Group Ltd, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the law of the Cayman Islands ("Parent"), and Quantum Bloom Company Ltd, an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the law of the Cayman Islands and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent ("Merger Sub"), the plan of merger required to be filed with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands (the "Plan of Merger") and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger (as defined below).

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement and the Plan of Merger, at the effective time of the Merger, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company and cease to exist, with the Company being the surviving company and becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (the "Merger"). If consummated, the Merger would result in the Company becoming a privately held company and its American depositary shares (each representing two Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share) (the "ADSs") would no longer be listed or traded on any stock exchange, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Company's ADS program would be terminated. In addition, the Company's ADSs and Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs will cease to be registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 following the consummation of the Merger.

The Company's board of directors (the "Board"), acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a committee of the Board, composed solely of directors who are unaffiliated to the management of the Company, or to any person participating as a buyer or rollover shareholder in the Merger, authorized and approved the execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, and recommends that the Company's shareholders and ADS holders vote FOR, among other things, the proposal to authorize and approve the execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger.

Shareholders of record at the close of business in the Cayman Islands on August 14, 2020 will be entitled to attend and vote at the EGM and any adjournment thereof. ADS holders as of the close of business in New York City on August 10, 2020 will be entitled to instruct Citibank, N.A., the ADS depositary, to vote the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs at the EGM.

Additional information regarding the EGM and the Merger Agreement can be found in the transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 and the definitive proxy statement attached as Exhibit (a)-(1) thereto, as amended, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which can be obtained, along with other filings containing information about the Company, the proposed Merger and related matters, without charge, from the SEC's website www.sec.gov. Requests for additional copies of the definitive proxy statement should be directed to Morrow Sodali, the proxy solicitor, at +1 (800) 662-5200 (U.S. Toll-Free) or +1 (203) 658-9400 (Non-U.S. Direct), or by email at [email protected].

SHAREHOLDERS AND ADS HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY THESE MATERIALS AND OTHER MATERIALS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, THE PROPOSED MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS.

The Company and certain of its directors and executive officers may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders with respect to the proposed Merger. Information regarding the persons who may be considered "participants" in the solicitation of proxies is set forth in the Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement relating to the proposed Merger and the definitive proxy statement attached thereto. Further information regarding persons who may be deemed participants, including any direct or indirect interests they may have, is also set forth in the definitive proxy statement.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities or a solicitation of any proxy, vote or approval with respect to the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall it be a substitute for any proxy statement or other filings that have been or will be made with the SEC.

About 58.com Inc.

58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA) operates China's largest online market place for classifieds, as measured by monthly unique visitors on both its www.58.com website and mobile applications. The Company's online marketplace enables local business users and consumer users to connect, share information and conduct business. 58.com's broad, in-depth and high quality local information, combined with its easy-to-use website and mobile applications, has made it a trusted marketplace for consumers. 58.com's strong brand recognition, large and growing user base, merchant network and massive database of local information create a powerful network effect. For more information on 58.com, please visit http://www.58.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about 58.com's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: uncertainties as to how the Company's shareholders will vote at the meeting of shareholders; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the possibility that financing may not be available; the possibility that various closing conditions for the transaction may not be satisfied or waived; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in documents filed with the SEC by the Company, as well as the Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement and the proxy statement filed by the Company. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and 58.com does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

For more information, please contact:

58.com Inc.

[email protected]

Christensen

In China

Mr. Eric Yuan

Phone: +86-10-5900-1548

E-mail: [email protected]

In the U.S.

Ms. Linda Bergkamp

Phone: +1-480-614-3004

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE 58.com Inc

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www.58.com


Police officer Mark Gribble pulled into a shopping center parking lot for the most routine of patrol duties: checking in on merchants at a shopping center in the middle of Potomac, Md.

Gribble's police radio broke the silence.

"Robbery. PNC Bank. 10150 River Road," he heard. "The subject has a small gun. . . . Complainant is hiding in the bathroom."

Gribble had worked the area for 26 years. He knew he was just 100 yards away.

What he couldn't have known - but what would later become the conclusion of detectives - was that police finally caught an aging, aggressive and armed bank robber who had hit a spate of area banks from 2012 to 2016 before apparently going silent for four years and resurfacing this week.

The suspected robber, James Clyde Wersick, 71, was ordered held without bond Thursday after police filed 16 felony counts against him on accusations that he stole $52,334 from six banks in affluent parts of Montgomery County, including his latest alleged heist at the Potomac PNC Bank on Tuesday morning.

A master electrician, Wersick's work has been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic, his attorney said in court at an earlier bail review Tuesday. He also suffers from chronic diabetes and colitis, she added.

In Wersick's interview with detectives, they allege in court records, he said he robbed the banks because he was hungry and had bills to pay. He is also suspected of robbing a bank in neighboring Prince George's County five years ago, police said in court records.

In at least three of his robberies, detectives allege, Wersick pointed his gun at bank employees while implying he knew where they lived and could hurt their families. On Tuesday, he greeted a teller by her first name, according to prosecutors.

"'I've been watching you,' " the man said, according to prosecutor George Simms, who added, "He personally menaced and threatened a victim."

Little could be learned about Wersick or any family he may have in the area. When detectives visited the address on his driver's license this week, they arrived at a P.O. box in the middle of a shopping center in Germantown, according to court records. They soon learned he had applied for the box in 2003 and could not find a permanent address for him.

Simms said Wersick holds a previous conviction for assaulting a federal agent, though no details were provided in court or available in online filings.

Wersick's attorney during the hearing, Selena Alonzo, said her client's only previous criminal offense dates to 1979. She did not address the new allegations.

Those allegations, spelled out in two affidavits signed by Montgomery County detectives and filed in court this week, start on a winter morning in 2012 inside an M&T Bank branch, also in Potomac.

A man walked inside wearing a stunning outfit: white jacket with hood, brimmed cap under the hood and a white, mime-styled mask under the cap. He carried a small umbrella and a compact semiautomatic pistol, the court documents said. He demanded money, handed the teller a green mesh bag and left with $3,444, according to one of the affidavits.

In early 2014, a similarly behaved robber hit a Capital One branch in Bethesda, and then 11 months later an M&T branch in Kensington - this time in a black balaclava. In the Kensington heist, detectives say, the man also had a slender leather case hanging from his neck, possibly holding a police scanner, with a wire leading to an earpiece.

Fourteen months later, police said, the man struck again - this time at a PNC branch in Bethesda and in a manner suggesting that he was ratcheting up efforts not only to intimidate tellers, but also customers. He pointed his gun from person to person, detectives alleged in the affidavit, and yelled "at everyone in the bank to sit down or, if not, he would shoot them."

Then, as the robber spoke with a teller, he saw two $50 bills, became suspicious she was trying to furtively hand him a tracking device and demanded she hand the bills over. The robber quickly found a GPS tracker device that had been concealed in the money, pulled it out, broke it apart and threw it on the floor, police said. He left that bank, police said, with $679.

Just 30 minutes later - and just three miles away - the robber entered the same M&T branch in Kensington he had robbed years earlier, police said. He wore a hooded jacket, a camouflage scarf and sunglasses. He pointed his gun, demanded large denominations and said he knew how to get to the teller's relatives, police said in court records.

"Hundreds, fifties and twenties!" the robber yelled, according to a court affidavit. "I know where you live! If you give me a dye pack, bait or GPS, I'll get you and I'll get the whole family!"

The man walked out with nearly $5,600, police said, but was followed into downtown Kensington's historic district by a brave customer trying to call 911. As that customer rounded the sharp corner of a building, he was confronted by the man pointing a gun at him, police said.

"Come here!" the man shouted.

The customer ran back toward the bank.

Then, just like that - the morning of Feb. 13, 2016, according to the affidavits - the robber stopped. Detectives worked up the best description they could of the similar robberies: White male, about 6 feet tall, average weight and around 50 years old.

Media outlets covered their search, including accounts in The Washington Post and on NBC4, where longtime reporter Pat Collins assigned possible names for the robber: "Mime man," "Umbrella man," "Bundled-up man."

Then, Tuesday morning - four years later - the longtime patrol officer in the Potomac parking lot, Gribble, heard the armed robbery call. He zipped out of the parking lot he was in, blipped his siren to get across Falls Road and pulled up to the PNC parking lot within 30 seconds.

"I'm on scene," Gribble said into his radio, according to police audio recordings captured by OpenMHz.com and confirmed as accurate by Gribble.

The officer saw a man fitting the robber's general description exit the front door of the bank. The man took a quick right and slowly walked down a long ramp. He wore a large black hood, eyeglass and what looked to be a white N95 mask.

The officer didn't see a gun but said he saw the man repeatedly reach into his pocket.

"Get your hands up!" Gribble yelled. "Get on the ground!"

"I'm a customer," the man said, according to Gribble.

"I'm sorry, sir. I need you to listen," Gribble responded, his words picked up on the police radio.

Gribble wrestled the man to the ground, he recalled, and a small pistol fell from the man's pocket to the pavement - a weapon later described in police records as a Walther 6.35 mm.

A person exited the bank and helped Gribble get the man into handcuffs. The officer found several knives the robber had stored inside a Lowe's Home Improvement apron that he was wearing, Gribble said.

"It happened pretty quick," Gribble said. "And he wasn't moving very fast."
MONTREALIts highly unlikely Quebec will reimpose a partial lockdown on its citizens this fall if there is a second wave of COVID-19, the provinces top doctor said Friday.

Horacio Arruda, director of public health, told reporters that forcing people to stay home can have negative consequences on society, including for children and the elderly.

We saved a lot of lives, but when we confine people, especially young people, there are consequences, he told reporters in Montreal. They need to go to school, they need to socialize. Elderly people can have significant cognitive and physical losses.

Arruda said health officials now know more about COVID-19, especially the role of asymptomatic transmission.

But he warned the province is at the cusp of a second wave and the population needs to follow health directives to reduce the number of cases and avoid overloading the health-care system.

We cant go back to the way it was before COVID, he said, warning hes seen some people grow lax about certain health measures such as hand-washing. The virus is in Quebec, its here, its here to stay.

Arruda was in Montreal alongside local health officials to present a summary of the first wave of the novel coronavirus.

Montreals health director, Mylene Drouin, said the city was hard-hit by the pandemic, especially in long-term care homes and seniors residences, which accounted for 88 per cent of deaths. Health-care workers also suffered, she said, accounting for 22 per cent of infections.

But Drouin said the city recorded some successes, particularly when it came to limiting community transmission.

The province reported 108 additional COVID-19 cases Friday and no new deaths linked to the novel coronavirus. Quebec has had a total of 60,241 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5,687 deaths attributed to the disease.

Drouin said the city needs to be ready for a second wave, especially as university and college students return to school in the fall. If infections surge during that period, health officials, she said, will prioritize testing, contact tracing, and protecting seniors residences.

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The executive order, which takes effect in 45 days, bars anyone under US jurisdiction from doing business with the owners of TikTok or WeChat

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered sweeping restrictions against Chinese-owned social media giants TikTok and WeChat that could strangle their ability to operate in the United States.

The executive order, which takes effect in 45 days, bars anyone under US jurisdiction from doing business with the owners of TikTok or WeChat.

It heaps pressure on ByteDance, TikTok's parent, to close negotiations to sell to Microsoft and further escalates the Trump administration's multi-front confrontation with Beijing.

Trump's order cites a threat to "national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States", as the president seeks to curb China's power in global technology.

The move sent shares in the parent company of WeChat into a spin, with the issue tanking as much as 10 percent at one point in Friday trade, wiping almost $50 billion off Tencent's market capitalisation.

It also adds to a laundry list of issues that have ratcheted up tensions between the superpowers, including Hong Kong, trade, Huawei, the South China Sea and the spread of the coronavirus.

Last month Washington ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston -- accusing it of being a centre for spies. China hit back by shutting the US mission in Chengdu.

The two sides have also been engaged in a war of words over who is to blame for the coronavirus since Trump first described it as a "Chinese" illness in March.

On Wednesday tensions were further stoked when the US announced its highest-level visit to Taiwan since Washington switched diplomatic recognition to China in 1979, a move blasted by Beijing, which views the self-ruled island as a breakaway territory.

"TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories," Trump's order said.

Data could potentially be used by China to track the locations of federal employees and contractors, build dossiers on people for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage, it alleged.

Watershed moment

The TikTok mobile app has been downloaded some 175 million times in the US and more than a billion times around the world.

The US Senate voted Thursday to bar TikTok from being downloaded onto US government employees' telephones, intensifying US scrutiny of the popular app.

The bill passed by the Republican-controlled Senate now goes to the House of Representatives, led by Democrats.

Several US agencies already bar employees from downloading TikTok onto their phones.

"This is yet another watershed moment in the US-China technology cold war," Paul Triolo, head of global technology policy at Eurasia Group, told Bloomberg.

"It shows the depth of the US concern."

India last month also outlawed TikTok along with 58 other Chinese apps, citing data security fears.

Trump has set a deadline of mid-September for TikTok to be acquired by a US firm or be banned in the United States.

Microsoft has expanded its talks on TikTok to a potential deal that would include buying the global operations of the fast-growing app, the Financial Times reported Thursday.

Microsoft declined to comment on the report, after previously disclosing it was considering a deal for TikTok operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Keeping tabs

TikTok's kaleidoscopic feeds of short video clips feature everything from hair-dye tutorials to dance routines and jokes about daily life.

The company on Thursday announced plans for its first data center for European users, to be set up in Ireland.

WeChat is a messaging, social media, and electronic payment platform and is reported to have more than a billion users. It is not widely used in the US but in China it is difficult to function without it as the platform is used by nearly all businesses instead of email.

Trump's order contended that WeChat captures user data that could then exploited by the Chinese government but provided no evidence that is happening.

"WeChat captures the personal and proprietary information of Chinese nationals visiting the United States," the order read, "thereby allowing the Chinese Communist Party a mechanism for keeping tabs on Chinese citizens who may be enjoying the benefits of a free society for the first time in their lives."

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 22:22:38|Editor: huaxia

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SINGAPORE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Singaporean President Halimah Yacob said in her National Day message here Friday that as long as Singaporeans unite, Singapore will be able to overcome the challenges from the COVID-19 crisis and emerge stronger.

In a video posted on Facebook, Halimah said that since the start of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions to various aspects, from healthcare and economy to work arrangements and social activities in Singapore.

"This is not just a health, but also an economic crisis," she said.

While Halimah credited the relentless efforts of its frontline fighters in helping stabilize the situation in Singapore, she said the pandemic is "far from over."

She noted that companies, workers and families will face difficulties ahead, and urged everyone to find ways to overcome the challenges individually and collectively.

Halimah said she was heartened to see how many Singaporeans came together and mobilized resources to help one another during the difficult period.

Noting that while Singapore's progress as a nation over the years has been a strong buffer against this upheaval, she said, "Even so, we have had to muster all our strengths and resources to mount an emergency response to this global challenge."

The road ahead will not be easy, but Halimah stressed that Singaporeans will need to stay together and mount a united front. "I am confident that together we can emerge as a stronger Singapore," she said.

She added that Singapore's 55th birthday would have been a "milestone year" and a cause for great celebration, if not for the COVID-19 pandemic. But she hoped that people's spirits will not be dampened, despite the fact that the upcoming National Day festivities will be very different from the year before.

Singapore reported its first COVID-19 case on Jan. 23. As of noon on Friday, the total number of cases in the country reached 54,797. Enditem
HEIDELBERG  Marilyn Farquhar is frustrated that an investigation has been prolonged into her brothers shooting death by the RCMP while he suffered a mental-health crisis.

A decision was expected Thursday from the Independent Investigations Office, the civilian oversight agency in British Columbia thats similar to Ontarios Special Investigations Unit which looks into incidents involving police officers.

Kitchener-born Barry Shantz died on Jan. 13 in Lytton, B.C., after the woman he was living with called for help because he seemed suicidal and had a gun. A six-hour standoff with the RCMP ended with Shantz, 63, being fatally shot.

Heidelbergs Farquhar filed a complaint with the Independent Investigations Office, which now says it needs to investigate further and a decision is expected in early September.

Seven months have already passed since her brother was killed on his front porch, and Farquhar cant get any details about the police response while the investigation is underway.

That whole time I dont know what happened to my brother, Farquhar said. They havent given me anything meaningful yet to prove to me my brothers death was justified and now theyve just added on a time delay.

Reportedly, the RCMP response included about 30 officers, a helicopter and a canine unit.

I know what the media has figured out and the people that were there, Farquhar said.

She questions why the extra month is needed, and if the delay is legitimate or just window dressing because of public attention on the case. She wants to think the delay means theres a glimmer of hope that theyre taking this seriously, but so far the process doesnt seem fair or transparent to her.

Farquhar also filed a complaint with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP, an independent agency created by Parliament to ensure public complaints made about the conduct of RCMP officers are examined fairly and impartially.

She has more hope that investigation may bring about change in how officers deal with someone like her brother who is suicidal, rather than using lethal force when someone is in distress.

The RCMP are paid by us to protect us. Not shoot us.
JOHANNESBURG - The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has declared a state of environmental emergency after a Japanese-owned ship that ran aground offshore days ago began spilling tons of fuel.

Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced the development late Friday as satellite images showed a dark slick spreading in the turquoise waters near environmental areas that the government called very sensitive.

Mauritius has said the ship was carrying nearly 4,000 tons of fuel and cracks have appeared in its hull.

Jugnauth said his government had appealed to France for help, saying the spill represents a danger for the country of some 1.3 million people that relies heavily on tourism and has been been hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Our country doesnt have the skills and expertise to refloat stranded ships, he said. Bad weather has made it impossible to act, and I worry what could happen Sunday when the weather deteriorates.

Jugnauth shared a photo of the vessel, the MV Wakashio, tilted precariously. Sea rough beyond the reefs with swells. Ventures in the open seas are not advised, according to the Mauritius Meteorological Services.

Videos posted online showed oily waters lapping at the shore, and a man running a stick across the waters surface and lifting it, dripping black goo.

The French island of Reunion is the closest neighbour to Mauritius, and Frances Foreign Ministry says France is Mauritiuss leading foreign investor and one of its largest trading partners.

When biodiversity is in peril, there is urgency to act, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted Saturday. France is there. Alongside the people of Mauritius. You can count on our support dear Jugnauth.

A separate French statement from Reunion said a military transport aircraft would carry pollution control equipment to Mauritius and a navy vessel with additional material would set sail for the island nation.

We are in a situation of environmental crisis, the environment minister of Mauritius, Kavy Ramano, has said.

After the cracks in the hull were detected, a salvage team that had been working on the ship was evacuated, Ramano told reporters Thursday. Some 400 sea booms were deployed in an effort to contain the spill.

Government statements in recent days said the ship ran aground July 25 and the National Coast Guard received no distress call. The ships owners were listed as the Japanese companies Okiyo Maritime Corporation and Nagashiki Shipping Co. Ltd.

A police inquiry has been opened into issues such as possible negligence, one statement said. Online ship trackers showed the Panama-flagged bulk carrier had been en route from China to Brazil.

A statement by Nagashiki Shipping Co. Ltd. said that due to the bad weather and constant pounding over the past few days, the starboard side bunker tank of the vessel has been breached and an amount of fuel oil has escaped into the sea.

It added: Nagashiki Shipping takes its environmental responsibilities extremely seriously and will take every effort with partner agencies and contractors to protect the marine environment and prevent further pollution.

Tons of diesel and oil are now leaking into the water, environmental group Greenpeace Africas climate and energy manager Happy Khambule said in a statement.

Thousands of species around the pristine lagoons of Blue Bay, Pointe dEsny and Mahebourg are at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for Mauritius economy, food security and health, Khambule said.

A government environmental outlook released nearly a decade ago said Mauritius had a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan but equipment on hand was adequate to deal with oil spills of less than 10 metric tonnes.

In case of major spills, it said, assistance could be obtained from other Indian Ocean countries or from international oil spill response organizations.

___

Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed.
The California Labor Commissioner has sued Uber and Lyft for alleged wage theft as reported by the LA Times. The state claims both companies willfully misclassified drivers as independent contractors instead of employees. This deprived them of basic worker protections and wages.

Uber has been busy over the past few weeks and had its business heavily impacted by the pandemic so this is the last thing it needs. In July, the company managed to acquire Postmates after failing to purchase GrubHub. Before this, Uber had to suspend Uber Pool due to restrictions imposed by the pandemic.

California becomes the latest state to try and take gig economy companies to task. Despite a hefty fight from the companies in question this legislation looks to be ploughing onwards.

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Uber and Lyft sued over alleged wage theft

The suit was outlined on the labor commissioners website this week. It detailed that the commissioner wished to stop the two companies from misclassifying their drivers. This would allow the drivers to recover unpaid wages and other compensation

Assembly Bill 5, escalated the battle over contractor classification at the start of this year. It established stricter standards by which workers can be treated as independent contractors rather than employees.

Companies such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash are continuing to fight this legislation. So far, between them, they have poured in millions of dollars during this fight.

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These companies are aiming to establish a third category for drivers. They are funding a ballot measure called Proposition 22. If successfully, this would essentially give them exemption from Assembly Bill 5 as outlined above.

This suit comes one day before a hearing on another similar state lawsuit. The cities attorneys of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego are seeking a temporary injunction to classify drivers as employees before their case proceeds.

Naturally, this announcement has received praise from various labor groups. They support the move for standing up for their workers. Transport Workers Union International President John Samuelson made a statement on the topic.

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He said, for years Uber and Lyft have been stealing wages and exploiting every legal loophole they can to avoid paying drivers what they deserve.

Uber defend their position over wage theft

Uber spokesman Davis White defended his companys actions in an email. He said that the vast majority of California drivers want to work independently, and weve already made significant changes to our app to ensure that remains the case under state law.

He went onto lay into the labor commission. Pointing out that given there are high levels of unemployed they should focus on creating work rather than shutting down their industry.

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Uber and Lyft claim that independent contractor is of benefit to drivers. For those that want flexible hours and need the work it fits well. Some drivers support the companies stance, however, others do not.

Since February, more than 2,000 California ride-hailing drivers have filled complaints against the companies. They allege the companies owe them more than $630 million in wages, expenses and damages.

Lyft argues this suit was filled purely to reduce the workload involved in processing these claims. However, Uber has set up shell companies to act as intermediaries between themselves and their drivers.

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The complaint alleges that Uber use this setup to to obfuscate the evident conclusion that Ubers drivers are its employees. The complaints against both companies also note that California Public Utilities Commission said Uber and Lyfts drivers were their employees.

The suit, therefore, argues that Uber and Lyft failed to pay drivers minimum wage, overtime, compensation for rest periods and business expenses, among other damages. The suit also makes each defendant liable for $10,000 for each driver who has been misclassified.

How this situation resolves itself will be an interesting one. Uber and Lyft, clearly, have the determination to fight this case. However, the state case does not look as if it will let up any time soon either.
TEL AVIV - Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, one of the most important scholars focusing on the Talmud, died Friday at age 83 in Jerusalem.

The announcement was made by the hospital Shaare Zedek, in which he had been hospitalised in recent days.

Steinsalz is known mostly for having translated the holy Jewish text the Talmud into modern Hebrew over a period of decades, finally completing it in 2010.

Winner in 1988 of the prestigious Israel Prize for Jewish studies, the highly esteemed rabbi in 2012 received the President's Medal and in 2017 the Yakir Yerushalaim Prize.

Steinsaltz was highly respected in Italy, where he met Pope Francis and where his work on the holy text was used as the source for the first translation of the Talmud into Italy, published in 2016 by Giuntina.

The head rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni - who promoted the translation in Italian and who edited the parts on 'Rosh HaShana' (Jewish New Year) and 'Qiddushin' (Weddings) - called him ''an important scholar who left his mark on an entire epoch''.

Steinsaltz was also the friend of Giulio Andreotti, who he called on for support to open the first rabbinic college in Moscow, Russia, when Mikhail Gorbachev was in charge.

Israeli president Reuven Rivlin underscored his ''deep knowledge and thought, which Brough the Talmud to the people of Israel in a clear and accessible Hebrew and English''.
Nearly all of the Harrisburg residents who called into a city council meeting Thursday night wanted more teeth in a proposed bill to create a law enforcement advisory board.

The callers asked for a review board with investigative powers and access to subpoena necessary witnesses and documents to hold officers accountable.

The board needs power, one resident said. If not, Id say its pointless.

But the states laws dont support municipalities in creating citizens boards with such power, Harrisburg Solicitor Neil Grover explained during the virtual town hall meeting on YouTube.

Police incident reports and investigative records are protected by current laws from disclosure and officers cant be compelled to make statements.

Review boards dont have the power to make decisions on officer discipline either. Current laws only grant the mayor and police chief that power, which is why many oversight boards created in Pennsylvania are simply advisory in nature.

Thursdays meeting on YouTube represented the second in a series of public meetings to discuss a bill to create a police advisory board in the wake of local and nationwide protests for police reform. Callers were able to dial in and ask questions. Additional public meetings are set for 6 p.m. Aug. 11 via videoconference and Aug. 18, likely at Reservoir Park.

As it stands, a draft of the bill to create the advisory board says its intent is to foster improved relationships with law enforcement and promote public safety.

Several callers Thursday night objected to the focus on improving relationships and said they instead wanted more transparency and accountability from police.

How can we strengthen this, one caller said. So the residents have the right and authority to hold police accountable, not for the board to improve relations or explain what the police are doing.

The bill currently calls for the police commissioner to sit on the board, which drew objections from some callers who said the board needed to be completely independent from the police department.

The bill also said members of the advisory board must attend either a citizen police academy or ride-along during a shift with a police officer, both of which drew objections about the necessity and concerns about COVID-19.

It does not make sense to have members forced to interact with the people they are regulating, one caller said. I dont know why thats necessary.

Another caller said: I wont accept this board as legitimate without subpoena power.

Grover explained that state law doesnt give citizens administrative subpoena power, because the board would be acting on behalf of the city just like the police department.

So it would be like the city suing itself, Grover said.

A series of state laws conceal most information that comes up in police investigations, Grover said, and if officers are compelled to tell the truth about an incident to their superiors, those statements are sealed under law as well.

We have a lot of impediments with what we can release, Grover said.

There are other records that are public, including statistical reports, but those reports are only available to the public if they already exist. That means, if a department doesnt have a document that tracks officers use of force, for example, a public request cant compel the department to create one.

But if the department monitors use of force, or response times to 911 calls, etc. then those reports would be public.

City council is currently working to compel the police department to create more such reports to increase transparency, Grover said.

The only way a powerful review board could be created for a third-class city would require numerous changes in state law, or a change in the states Constitution, Grover said. There hasnt been a Constitutional Convention in 52 years, he said.

Changes to the Constitution could improve the rights and powers that citizens have to police records and could limit or expand municipal powers.

Its a different world, Grover said. But the Constitution is still giving us the same structure from more than 50 years ago.

READ: Harrisburg legislator wants citizen oversight of Dauphin County prison
In the early 90s, when I attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, a guy on my dorm floor asked if he could leave his black Honda CRX at my parents house in St. Louis instead of taking it back to Chicago, where he was afraid it would be stolen while he went out of town. I agreed and bragged that he wouldnt even need to lock it in my neighborhood because nothing ever happens there. Being a Chicagoan, he thought I was joking. He left his locked car in my parents garage for five days, unscathed.

Not for the first time, a rash of vehicle burglaries and thefts riddled Glen Carbon last month. Victims and neighbors took to social media to vent, rant and charge the police with not doing enough to stop the criminals. In every July case police documented, residents failed to do what my dormmate did; they did not secure their vehicles.
After a bruising and bitter campaign to replace retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Republicans picked the candidate backed by President Donald Trump while Democratic voters shunned the party pick in a surprise upset.

Bill Hagerty, Trump's former ambassador to Japan, won the endorsement of the president, who had tweeted his support and appeared at a tele-town hall in support of the candidate Wednesday night. With Trump since 2016, Hagerty served as a high-dollar fundraiser for his campaign and later on Trump's transition team.

But Nashville surgeon Manny Sethi gained traction in the primary by challenging Hagerty's conservative credentials, pointing to his early support for Jeb Bush in 2016 and his prominent role on Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Trump noted the victory for the candidate he endorsed as he arrived in Bedminster, N.J., from Ohio on Thursday night, walking over to the media to say: "Hagerty won the race in Tennessee. They just announced." The Associated Press had called the race just a few minutes earlier.

Democrats, who had not considered the race a top pickup opportunity, were dealt a surprise as environmentalist Marquita Bradshaw defeated Army veteran and attorney James Mackler. That marked the first primary loss for a candidate endorsed by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee since 2010.

Mackler, a Nashville attorney and Army veteran, had briefly run for Senate in 2018 before former governor Phil Bredesen jumped into the race. Mackler bowed out, and Bredesen repaid him with an endorsement when Mackler ran again.

With national party support, Mackler had raised $2.1 million for his race. Bradshaw did not file a report with the Federal Election Commission, making it unclear how much she raised or spent. A Memphis activist who traveled to Ferguson, Mo., to join the 2014 protests there, Bradshaw dominated the vote in her city and across western Tennessee.

"People of color, Black people, brown people, indigenous people and poor white people are not experiencing the same set of laws as everybody else when it comes to the environment," Bradshaw told Nashville's WPLN News last month.

Mackler, who had entered the race first, reacted to Bradshaw's entry by insisting "there's no longer a pathway forward for a Democratic primary challenger," according to the Nashville Scene.

In the 5th District, Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper fended off Keeda Haynes, a public defender who was formerly incarcerated for a crime she has denied committing. Haynes spent less than $100,000 on her race but was winning more than 40 percent of the vote.

On the GOP side, the primary received national media attention and big-dollar donors. Hagerty had raised $8.3 million as of July 17 and has about $2.7 million in cash on hand, according to opensecrets.org. Sethi raised $4.6 million, which includes a $1.9 million contribution from his own pocket. He had around $386,000 in cash on hand.

Running as the outsider candidate against the Washington establishment - #MannyvstheMachine was his hashtag - helped Sethi earn the endorsements of Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Cruz visited the state to campaign for Sethi, telling a crowd, "We need a conservative warrior in the Senate representing Tennessee."

Despite Sethi's pitch as the better ally of Trump, the president stood by Hagerty, tweeting that he's "an outstanding man and one of the best Ambassadors ever (Japan) . . . He loves Tennessee and loves our Country. We need him badly in Washington. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!"

Both candidates rejected mandates on mask-wearing. Last week, they attended a Republican Party dinner event with hundreds in attendance where, according to photos, many were maskless. On Wednesday it was revealed that one of the guests had since tested positive for the coronavirus.

The state saw an increase in early and absentee voting, with about 578,250 people casting votes early or by absentee ballot as of Aug. 1, compared with about 251,380 at the same point in 2012, according to data published by the secretary of state's office. The data did not break down how many votes were early in-person and how many were by absentee ballot.

Voting in the state appeared to proceed smoothly Thursday, an improvement over the state's March presidential primary, when voters encountered lines and polling locations were shuttered by damage from a tornado.

Although anyone could vote absentee for Thursday's primary, rules for absentee voting will be tightened for Tennesseans in November. The state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that fear of coronavirus exposure at in-person voting locations does not count as a blanket excuse to obtain an absentee ballot for the general election. Only voters with an excuse permitted under state law may vote by mail, the court ruled.

- - -

The Washington Post's Elise Viebeck contributed to this report.
DETROIT, MI  On Aug. 17, around 1,600 Detroit nursing home workers will go on strike because of concerns about the safety of residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Theyre citing unfair labor practices that illustrate the industrys failure to keep workers and residents safe, Click On Detroit reports.

Workers at 18 homes across Metro Detroit -- all but two of which are represented by for-profit nursing home chains Villa, Ciena, Charles and Dunn -- claim staffing ratios put residents at risk.

They want nursing home owners to provide adequate personal protective equipment for the rest of the pandemic, pay frontline workers a living wage and take responsibility for the crisis of COVID-19 within nursing homes, Click On Detroit reports.

Striking workers in Detroit plan to draw attention to racial disparities inherent to the nursing home crisis.

The overwhelming majority of us are Black, and we are being forced to work through the crisis on poverty wages and without sufficient PPE at a time when Black people are getting sick and dying at higher rates, said Lisa Elliott, a nursing assistant at Regency at St. Clair Shores.

Were called essential, but were treated like were expendable. Were calling on nursing home owners to pay us a living wage so we can afford to get healthcare just like we provide it, and put in place proper safety protocols and guarantee PPE throughout the pandemic.

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 nosewhile 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:

Whitmer and Trump have different ideas about if and how to reopen schools. But in Michigan, plans are ultimately local.

Michiganders are bitterly divided on the coronavirus response. Could Whitmer have done more to win Republicans over?

How accurate is Michigans COVID-19 death total?

Are masks bad for your health?, plus 8 other coronavirus myths and truths

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Palestinian health ministry says Dalia Samudi was in her home when she was hit by a live round.

A Palestinian woman has died of a gunshot wound after being shot near the site of clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli troops in the illegally occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said.

Dalia Ahmed Suleiman Samudi, 23, died of serious injuries sustained by bullets from the occupation forces, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement on Friday, using the term used by Palestinian officials to refer to the Israeli army.

Palestinian security sources said that clashes between young Palestinian men and Israeli forces erupted overnight from Thursday near the city of Jenin in the north of the West Bank.

An Israeli army spokesman said a riot erupted while troops were operating in Jenin.

Palestinians fired live fire, hurled rocks and explosive devices towards the troops. The troops responded with riot dispersal means, the spokesman said, denying that the soldiers had used live ammunition.

Residents said Palestinians had not used guns. They said people were throwing stones at Israeli forces that raided the area.

The Palestinian health ministry said Samudi was in her home when she was hit by a live round which wounded her. She was rushed to a local hospital where she died in intensive care.

The Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Mahmoud al-Saadi said that the Israeli forces opened fire on the ambulance that was trying to reach to Samudis house, with two bullets penetrating the vehicle, news agency WAFA reported.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza  besieged since 2007  during the six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967. Numerous United Nations resolutions in the years since have declared Israels occupation illegal.

The Palestinian Authority exerts sovereignty on limited parts of the occupied West Bank, but the Israeli army routinely enters the Palestinian-controlled areas for raids and searches.

Palestinian leaders want the territories to be part of their future state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, while Israel considers the entire city of Jerusalem to be its capital.
State

State exports 7.5 mt pineapples to Assam

Dr R Elithung Lotha flagging off the pick-up truck carrying pineapples. (DIPR)

DIMAPUR, AUG 7 (NPN) | Publish Date: 8/7/2020 12:53:20 PM IST

Three vehicles carrying 7.5 metric ton (mt) of Nagaland Pineapple were jointly flagged off for Assam from Nagaland Gate on Friday by horticulture director and mission director of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) Dr R Elithung Lotha.

Speaking on the occasion, Elithung termed Nagaland Pineapple as one of the signature crops of the State and is considered as one of the best and sweetest world over.

He regretted that due to the present COVID situation, supply chains have been disrupted and feared that farmers would be in distress with lack of proper planning. But he claimed that due to constant inspiration of advisor Horticulture, Mhathung Yathan, chief secretary, agriculture production commissioner and horticulture commissioner & secretary, the farmers are benefiting even during such extraordinary times.

Observing that organic fruits and vegetables were found in every nook and corner of the State due to involvement of self-help groups, societies and individuals, the mission director acknowledged the support of administration and municipal bodies to the farming community in transporting their produce to markets.

He said There is surplus of pineapples production, thats why we are sending these to Assam. These pineapples are fully organic and certified.

He said more consignments would be sent out to various districts of Assam and beyond as per demand. Elithung congratulated the farmers, especially Molvom and Bungsang under Molsang Organic Pineapple Farmer Producers Company.
Outcome Health installs screens in doctors offices and waiting rooms that combine health information with drug advertising. Pharmaceutical companies pay Outcome to run the ads and other content on the screens. The company was founded in 2006 as ContextMedia, when Shah and Agarwal were students at Northwestern University.
Black Lives Matter is painted on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, N.Y., July 9, 2020. (Mark Lennihan/AP Photo)

Kansas City Council Votes in Favor of Painting Black Lives Matter Street Murals

Kansas City officials on Aug. 6 adopted a resolution that would allow Black Lives Matter street murals to be painted at six locations in the Missouri city.

The resolution, introduced by Kansas City Councilman Eric Bunch, will see Black Lives Matter murals painted on six streets in the city. They will be painted by local artists and volunteers with the backing of city staff and local organizations.

The streets include Briarcliff Parkway and North Mulberry Drive, Baltimore Avenue and 10th Street, 18th and Vine streets, Troost Avenue and 31st Street, Brookside Boulevard and 63rd Street, and Meyer Boulevard and Troost Avenue.

City Council members on Thursday voted 12-1 in favor of the resolution, saying the city recognizes the importance and significance of the Black Lives Matter movement and desires to commemorate the message through painting street murals.

Bunch said that the legislation is a symbolic step and a step forward towards helping elevate the conversation and bring more light to this very important issue.

No amount of paint on the streets, murals on the street  are going to create systemic change, he acknowledged, while carrying the resolution on the city council floor.

Black Lives Matter murals have been painted on street surfaces across the nation in response to the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Voting against the legislation, Councilwoman Heather Hall said she was worried it would have a slippery slope effect about what is allowed on the citys streets. She was also concerned about public safety if vehicles were to confuse boundaries between traffic lanes.

As soon as somebody crosses that line and they hit another car, then who is at fault? Hall said, reported The Kansas City Star. This is a slippery slope because now theyve opened up the floodgates for anybody to put anything on the streets.

Elsewhere, city councilors in Tulsa, Oklahoma, agreed on July 29 to remove a Black Lives Matter mural that was painted without a city permit from its Greenwood District.

A woman walks past a Black Wall Street mural during Juneteenth celebrations in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, the site of the 1921 race massacre, on June 19, 2020. (Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images)

During a Tulsa City Council last month, councilors were reminded that street paintings arent legal in the city. Markings on public streets are prohibited under federal traffic laws due to safety issues.

They were also told that if they allowed the mural to remain in the district, requests from other groups to write their own messages would have to be granted, given they do not incite violence or are not sexually explicit in nature.

According to Public Radio Tulsa, Councilor Cass Fahler said that he had received requests from several pro-police groups about painting the words Back the Blue in another area in the city, in support of the Tulsa Police Department.

Councilors agreed Wednesday that allowing the Black Lives Matter mural to remain on the citys street surface would grant other groups the right to express themselves on city streets with their own messages.
Workforce Readiness

Education Design Lab Fund to Help Community Colleges Develop Workforce-Relevant Credentials

Nonprofit Education Design Lab has launched a $2.5 million Community College Growth Engine Fund, devoted to helping community colleges across the United States create short-term credentials that connect workers with in-demand jobs and industries.

"The pandemic has given rise to both a heightened sense of urgency, and an openness to innovation among institutions of higher education on the frontlines of our unemployment crisis," said Kathleen deLaski, founder and CEO of Education Design Lab, in a statement. "This fund will help supercharge the work of these forward-leaning community colleges  and their employer partners  as they design new 'micro-pathways' that are more agile and responsive to the needs of the labor market."

In partnership with the League for Innovation in the Community College, Education Design Lab will bring together a national cohort of community colleges and systems and provide each with a startup award of $100,000 as well as hands-on support. The cohort will "draw upon real-time labor market data to identify the most in-demand careers in their regions and create 'micro-pathways' that lead to earnings at or above the median wage," a news announcement explained.

"Community colleges need to reinvent themselves as we move to a skills-based hiring ecosystem," commented Rufus Glasper, CEO of the League for Innovation in the Community College. "They have always demonstrated agility in responding to the needs of their region's employers. This effort will test new models  and help to codify new best practices  for creating micro-pathways that best serve learners and employers."
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli appeared to have bought some time, sealing the locality that is home to his prime rival Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda after six guards on his security detail tested positive to the coronavirus disease.

The precautionary measure helps PM Oli avoid any meeting with Prachanda who has lately, amped up his attacks on the prime minister and this week told party workers to prepare for the worst. It was a message that Dahal had conveyed to PM Olis emissary, the Nepal Communist Partys deputy leader in parliament Subas Nembang, also on Thursday.

That is before authorities sealed off parts of Khumaltar, the neighbourhood outside the capital city that Dahal shifted to in 2017 when he couldnt find a house in Kathmandu with enough parking space for his security entourage. Six security guards deployed to protect Dahal had tested positive. In a Facebook post, Dahals daughter Ganga, who assists her father, said everyone else in the family and the secretariat had tested negative. The order to seal off the area around the Dahal residence came soon.

Kathmandu watchers say the Covid order issued by the Oli government offers a reprieve to the prime minister who has been at his wits end trying to bunk party meetings. Last month-end, the NCPs standing committee had gone ahead to hold its meeting without PM Oli after the prime minister postponed it once again.

Dahal, who had been negotiating a way out to end the deadlock with PM Oli, last month reversed his stand after reports that the Oli camp may have quietly registered his old party - CPN-UML - with the Himalayan nations election commission. The ruling Nepal Communist Party was formed in 2018 with the merger of PM Olis CPN (Unified MarxistLeninist) and the Dahal factions CPN (Maoist Centre).

The Dahal faction suspects that PM Oli was preparing to break up the NCP at a time of his choosing. That the wily Oli had no plans to strike a compromise with detractors who want him to give one of his two positions - PM or the NCP co-chairman - became clear this week when during a visit home, he declared that there was no question of resigning in the middle of the journey.

Dahal responded the next day, Wednesday, with a long statement to a select group of journalists, asking party cadres to prepare for the worst. At the briefing that he addressed jointly with three senior party leaders Madhav Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal and party spokesperson Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Dahal said: Our main concern is not about gaining power, what we want is to follow the proper procedure while running the NCP. We are not focusing on gaining any position, but our fight is against the wrong trend developing in the party.

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New Delhi, Aug 8 : Air India Express accident in Kozhikode on Friday might seem similar to another such tragedy in Mangalore, 10-years-ago, however, industry insiders cite vast technical differences between the two.

In 2010, a Boeing 737 aircraft of Air India Express operating an incoming flight to Mangalore had overshot the runway while landing at the 'table-top' airport.

The pilots of that doomed aircraft tried to power-up the plane in an attempt to take-off before running out of tarmac.

Unfortunately, the aircraft plunged into a valley below and exploded.

Almost similar scenes were witnessed on Friday, when a Dubai-Kozhikode flight overshot the runway and fell down a slope.

Fortunately enough, the aviation turbine fuel this time did not ignite.

According to experts, some of whom are serving commanders in reputed domestic airlines, Friday's incident has little resemblance to the one that occurred in Mangalore.

"In Mangalore, pilots had landed the aircraft in the middle of the runway. Then they quickly tried to take-off again, thereby using thrust and power," a senior commander told IANS from Mumbai.

"However, their attempt failed and at the peak power, the aircraft hit antennas at the end of the runway and dived into the valley." He pointed out that Mangalore incident was an 'high intensity' one which ignited the on-board fuel, thereby, causing a heavy toll on life.

Only a handful of survivors had escaped the Mangalore accident.

A senior aviation safety professional, who headed the training department of a leading low cost carrier, told IANS, that the speed of impact in Kozhikode incident seems to be slower than that of the one in Mangalore.

"Only an investigation can bring out the entire fact and the story behind today's incident, however, on the face of it, pilots seem to have tried to slow down the aircraft (in Kozhikode)," the aviator told IANS in New Delhi.

"The impact of the crash would have been more contained. Plus, commercial airliners use aluminium and light metals which can not withstand these kinds of impacts." Even the fact that the aircraft in Mangalore accident plunged way more deeper than the Kozhikode one is another technical factor that experts cite.

In Friday's incident, the aircraft fell down a 35 feet slope.

"No matter, how different these accidents might be, the loss of life and property is a tragic site," the commander said.

On Friday, one of the worst air disasters in Kerala took place, as an Air India Express flight returning from Dubai under the 'Vande Bharat' mission skidded off the runaway at the 'table top' airport in Kozhikode, leaving at least 17 people dead, including the pilots Captain D.V. Sathe and co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar.

Expressing deep anguish over the incident, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said a formal enquiry will be conducted into the incident by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).

The AAIB was formed in 2012 as an independent accident probe committee under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Describing the incident in a tweet, the minister said the aircraft overshot the runway in rainy conditions and plunged 35 feet into a slope before breaking into two pieces.

Puri added that relief teams from the Air India and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) have been rushed to the accident spot from Delhi and Mumbai.

On Friday evening, the ill-fated AI Express aircraft skidded off the runway after landing on its second attempt amid heavy rains and plunging 35 feet into the valley below.

As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Air India Express aircraft landed on Runway 10 amid visibility of 2,000 metres in heavy rain, but overshot and nosedived into the valley and broke into two pieces.

(Rohit Vaid can be contacted at rohit.v@ians.in)

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash
Unlike with the law enforcement certifications, USCIS has not publicly confirmed whether it is systemically applying its no-blanks policy to medical forms, or if those denials were perhaps the action of a rogue official. Alerts on USCISs website flag the no-blanks policy only for asylum, crime-victim and trafficking-victim visas, despite rejections lawyers have received for blanks on other types of applications. The agency did not respond to questions about how or when it was deciding to enforce the policy.
SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / TPT Global Tech, Inc. ("TPTW, the Company or TPT Global Tech") (OTCBB:TPTW) announces a correction or clarification in its June 18, 2020 Press Release: "TPT Global Tech's Medical Division Completes Manufacturing of the First of Its Kind QuikLab, A Mobile Turkey Covid 19 Testing and Monitoring Lab."

The company's QuikLab and SaniQuik products are not FDA approved. Our QuikLab staff will only use EUA listed and FDA approved Covid 19 test kits for Antibody and PCR testing. Our SaniQuik Products use an FDA registered solution that kills viruses and bacteria on vegetables and surfaces where applied. Also, in the June 18 press release we discussed the QuikLab and SaniQuik two-step process. First you go through the QuikLab testing facility and get tested for Covid 19 and then as a secondary procedure you walk thru our SaniQuik sanitizer cabin. This is an attempt to establish the best possible protection for individuals who use our two-step process. In no way does our QuikLab or SaniQuik products cure Covid 19 and should not be construed as such. QuikLab is not FDA approved, and there is no process for QuikLab to be FDA approved.

"It is important that the market and our shareholders have a clear understanding of our products and services. We are taking the necessary actions to correct any misunderstandings that may have occurred from June 18 2020 Press Release," says Stephen Thomas CEO of TPTW.

About TPT Global Tech

TPT Global Tech Inc. (TPTW) based in San Diego, California, is a technology-based company with divisions providing telecommunications, medical technology and product distribution, media content for domestic and international syndication as well as technology solutions. TPT Global Tech offers Software as a Service (SaaS), Technology Platform as a Service (PAAS), Cloud-based Unified Communication as a Service (UCaaS). It offers carrier-grade performance and support for businesses over its private IP MPLS fiber and wireless network in the United States. TPT's cloud-based UCaaS services allow businesses of any size to enjoy all the latest voice, data, media and collaboration features in today's global technology markets. TPT Global Tech also operates as a Master Distributor for Nationwide Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) and Independent Sales Organization (ISO) as a Master Distributor for Pre-Paid Cellphone services, Mobile phones Cellphone Accessories and Global Roaming Cellphones.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of various provisions of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, commonly identified by such terms as "believes," "looking ahead," "anticipates," "estimates" and other terms with similar meaning. Specifically, statements about the Company's plans for accelerated growth, improved profitability, future business partners, M&A activity, new service offerings, and pursuit of new markets are forward-looking statements. Although the company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Such forward-looking statements should not be construed as fact. The information contained in such statements is beyond the ability of the Company to control, and in many cases, the Company cannot predict what factors would cause results to differ materially from those indicated in such statements. All forward-looking statements in the press release are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and by reference to the underlying assumptions.

CONTACT:

Frank Benedetto

619-915-9422

SOURCE: TPT Global Tech, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600766/CORRECTION-TPT-Global-Techs-QuikLAB-and-SaniQuik-FDA-Correction
On Tuesday, Richard Lapointe died at age 74 of coronavirus-related complications. Lapointe, who suffered from Dandy-Walker Syndrome, a malformation of the brain that results in physical and intellectual disabilities, was convicted and sentenced to life without parole in 1992 for the sexual assault and murder of Bernice Martin, his wifes 88-year-old grandmother, in Manchester in 1987. He was convicted largely on the basis of a false confession  several incriminating statements he made in the course of a 9-hour police interrogation two years after the crime.

During the interrogation, which wasnt recorded, the Manchester police fed him facts and conjectures about the case and told him they had evidence proving he committed the crime. At one point in the interrogation, according to notes taken by a detective, Lapointe said, I was responsible for Bernice Martins death and it was an accident. At another point, he said, If the evidence shows that I was there, and that I killed her, then I killed her, but I dont remember being there. At still another point, after saying he had assaulted her in the bedroom, then taken a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her, he said, The rest of the incident I do not recall although I admit to having strangled her. Many of the details he recounted were inconsistent with the facts in the case. He recanted all of the incriminating statements at the trial. When asked why he signed the statements the detectives prepared, he said, I figured if I signed the statements, I could leave.

In its analysis of the factors that contributed to the first 325 convictions that were subsequently thrown out on the basis of DNA evidence pointing to someone else, the Innocence Project found there was a false confession in 27 percent of the cases. Even more tellingly for the Lapointe case, the National Registry of Exonerations has found that 81 percent of those having a mental illness or an intellectual disability who were accused of committing a homicide and were convicted but later exonerated gave a false confession.

In 2011, after a habeas judge rejected his petition for a new trial, Lapointe, represented by Centurion Ministries, which is dedicated to reversing wrongful convictions, appealed the decision and in 2012 the Appellate Court reversed the judge and ordered a new trial. It concluded the states suppression of a detectives notes about the burn time of a fire set by the murderer in Martins apartment violated the U.S. Supreme Courts prohibition in Brady v. Maryland (1963) against the suppression of evidence that, had it been made available to the defense, might have resulted in a different trial outcome. In 2015, the state Supreme Court, in an opinion written by Justice Richard N. Palmer, upheld the Appellate Courts ruling and several months later the state moved to dismiss the charges, acknowledging there was no forensic evidence linking Lapointe to the assault and murder.

Lapointe is dead but the question that has always haunted the case remains: Who killed Bernice Martin? A woman told the police that, as she drove by Martins apartment complex around 8 p.m. that evening, a man came out of the driveway into the street running like he was being chased by a pack of dogs. She had to swerve to avoid hitting him. The man was 35 to 40, 5 feet 10 or 11, medium build, wasnt wearing glasses, and had straight disheveled black hair. Lapointe was significantly shorter and smaller, wore thick glasses and couldnt run fast if at all.

Three days later, a man broke into a home in South Windsor three miles away and assaulted a woman in a manner that was strikingly similar to the Martin assault. The next day the police arrested a man who had a lengthy criminal record that included a number of violent crimes. The man had been seen a few days earlier at a bar in Manchester near where Martin lived and resembled in height, build and hair the man seen running from the apartment complex.

The Manchester police intended to interview him but before they could do so he escaped. Many years later, after a long incarceration in Canada, the man was returned to the state, pleaded guilty to the South Windsor assault, and in 2003 was sentenced to 20 years. He was granted parole in 2012 but in 2014 was remanded to prison after failing to register as a sex offender.

A pair of black knit gloves was found in Martins bedroom, one on the bed and the other on the floor beside it. Both had head hairs from Martin on them. A DNA specialist at the habeas trial testified she scraped the inside layers of the gloves and, using an advanced technique that can produce a DNA profile from a small number of skin cells, found a mix of at least three partial DNA profiles, none of which matched Lapointes. Another DNA specialist testified that mitochondrial DNA  the DNA contributed by an individuals mother  in a hair found on the sweater Martin had been wearing came from someone other than Martin or Lapointe.

We still dont know, and perhaps never will know, who killed Bernice Martin. But one thing is clear: Richard Lapointe didnt. Rest in peace, Richard.

David R. Cameron is a professor of political science at Yale.
Personnel from various paramilitary forces deployed in the north-east have contributed to a significant chunk to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) viral caseload in the region, comprising seven states, excluding Sikkim.

All states in the region have boundaries with other neighbouring nations and several of them are also battling insurgency and heavy deployment of armed as well as paramilitary forces are common in most of the seven states.

The north-east has recorded around 68,000 Covid-19 cases to date.

Assam tops the regions viral caseload with 52,817 Covid-19 cases, followed by Tripura (5,743), Manipur (3,217), Nagaland (2,580), Arunachal Pradesh (1,948), Meghalaya (990), and Mizoram (539).

In Nagaland, over 40% of the total Covid-19 cases are detected among the personnel of paramilitary forces. We held a meeting with various security forces on Thursday, where they themselves decided to reschedule the entry of their personnel to the state until September or such time the situation stabilises, said Abhijit Sinha, principal secretary (home), Nagaland.

Of the 2,580 positive cases detected in Nagaland until Thursday, 1,117 were from paramilitary/military personnel.

While testing is done by the state health department, the Covid-19 patients management is done by the paramilitary forces themselves.

Faced with an increasing number of Covid-19 cases among paramilitary forces, the Mizoram government on Tuesday imposed a ban on the entry of the security forces personnel to the state until August 15.

Around 250 of the total 539 Covid-19 cases in Mizoram are from paramilitary forces.

The development came a day after Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to temporarily withhold inter-state movement of paramilitary personnel in August to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the state, whose healthcare infrastructure is less than basic.

A large number of Covid-19 cases have been detected among paramilitary forces in Manipur. The government has regulated the entry of paramilitary forces into the state and those who enter will have to follow the Covid-19 safety protocols, said Manipur health minister L Jayantakumar Singh.

Of the 3,217 Covid-19 cases detected in Manipur until Thursday, 536 were from security forces.

Since we share a border with China, we cant stop the entry of paramilitary or defence forces to Arunachal Pradesh because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But we are conducting rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests of all those security personnel, who is entering the state, said Arunachal Pradesh health minister Alo Libang.

Those found asymptomatic are sent to facilities managed by paramilitary forces, while the symptomatic Covid-19 patients are shifted to government-run hospitals, he added.

In Arunachal Pradesh, of the total 1,948 cases detected until Friday morning, 738 were from the military and paramilitary forces.

Meghalaya also has seen a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases among paramilitary personnel, including 80% of them have reported to the states viral caseload to date. We are conducting RAD tests in all the six border entry points to the state, said Meghalaya health minister AL Hek.

Until Thursday, 248 personnel from various armed forces have tested Covid-19 positive in Meghalaya, including 201 from the Border Security Force (BSF) alone.

Indian Army and BSF officials in Assam failed to provide details of Covid-19 cases detected among their personnel in the north-easts most populous state.

According to Assam Polices additional director-general of police (ADGP) (law and order) GP Singh, 2,078 personnel from Assam Police has been found to be infected with SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease, until Thursday.

While 1,495 of them have recovered from their viral infection, five have died due to Covid-19.

Of the 5,743 Covid-19 positive cases detected in Tripura until Thursday, 306 were BSF personnel.

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PEOPLEaS UNION FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES

332, Patpar Ganj, Opposite Anand Lok Apartments, Mayur Vihar I, Delhi 110 091

Phone 2275 0014 PP FAX 4215 1459

Founder: Jayaprakash Narayan; Founding President: V M Tarkunde

President: Ravi Kiran Jain; General Secretary: Dr. V. Suresh

E.mail: puclnat [at] gmail.com & pucl.natgensec [at] gmail.com

07th August, 2020

PUCL Welcomes the NHRC directions to the Chhattisgarh Government,

Ordering one lakh rupees compensation to those wrongly booked and illegally arrested.

The PUCL welcomes the decision of the NHRC against the State of Chhattisgarh on its complaint number 667/33/20/2016 filed in 2016, which directs the Government of Chhattisgarh to pay compensation of Rs. one lakh each, to 13 members of two fact-finding teams, who were maliciously prosecuted under various false and fabricated FIRs by the Chhattisgarh police. Acknowledging that these FIRs against the Human Rights Defenders were indeed false and fabricated, and therefore malicious, the NHRC has also held that mental trauma constitutes a serious human rights abuse, and that these 13 lawyers, academics, writers, activists, who were subjected to police highhandedness, harassment and loss of their liberty need reparation.

The NHRC case was registered at the instance of a PUCL complaint in November 2016, decrying the patently false FIR that had been registered against six academics and rights activists implicating them for various offences including murder. Investigation against Prof. Nandini Sundar, Dr. Archana Prasad, Vineet Tiwari, Sanjay Parate, Ms. Manju and Mangla Ram Karma in this FIR was dropped in 2019, after a change in the state government. During the hearing in Feb/March 2020, the Chhattisgarh DGP reported to the NHRC that there was no evidence at all against any of them.

Other cases of false FIRs registered at the instance of the Chhattisgarh police against Human Rights Defenders were added by the NHRC to this complaint later a including that of seven members of a fact-finding team from the Telangana Democratic Front, namely CH Prabhakar, B Durga Prasad, B Rabindranath, D. Prabhakar, Lakshimaya, Mohd. Nazir and K Rajendra Prasad, who were illegally arrested and charged under the draconian Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act. They were granted bail after seven months in prison, and after trial, later acquitted by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Sukma. The NHRC has also recommended the State Government to pay compensation of Rupees One Lakh each to the 7 members of this fact-finding team noting that the case against them was based on a afalse FIRa and they would definitely have undergone amental traumaa . .

We are dismayed to note that four weeks have passed since the order was issued on 7th July, 2020, but till now the State Government appears to have taken no further steps to comply with the NHRCas order and actually grant this compensation. We request the NHRC to take note of this and ensure that its recommendations are complied with by the State Government forthwith. We also urge the State Government to honour and comply with the recommendations of the NHRC in this matter thereby setting a new precedent that the Government will not permit egregious and brazen violation of law and human rights by its police forces, whatever the circumstances.

While the PUCL applauds this unprecedented step of compensating Human Rights Defenders for facing false charges foisted against them by the police, we are disappointed that the NHRC was not inclined to consider two other cases of fake FIRs under its purview: that of the Bastar journalist Santosh Yadav, and of Dr. Lakhan Singh, the former President of PUCL Chhattisgarh, now deceased. Santosh Yadav spent nearly 18 months in prison, and has also since been acquitted by the Bastar courts in what was a blatantly false case aimed at silencing him. The FIR against Lakhan Singh, which was registered by a member of the police-sponsored vigilante group, Agni, was withdrawn only after the local Bastar police officials were shuffled at the instance of the NHRC and the Agni group was disbanded. Both of these individuals and their families were subjected to anxiety and trauma, and we hope that the NHRC will review its order in these cases and ensure the payment of Rs. one lakh of Reparation / compensation to Santosh Yadav and Dr. Lakhan Singhas legal heir.

While complimenting the NHRC for recognizing the legal principle of awarding `reparationa to people falsely implicated by the police, PUCL would equally like to record our strongest regret that the NHRC after coming to a finding and conclusion that the 2 FIRs filed in the case against the 13 academics, rights activists and lawyers were aFALSEa did not go to the next logical conclusion a to order criminal prosecution of the police officials concerned. By not doing so the NHRC has let the errant police officials of Chhattisgarh police named in our complaint go scot free and escape criminal prosecution for malicious use of power. The NHRC has thereby condoned egregious abuse of power and brazen violation of rule of law and constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of citizens by the security forces.

It has been the consistent stand of the PUCL that the then Inspector General of Police, Bastar, SRP Kalluri, was clearly involved in lodging these false cases, and had also openly threatened and intimidated the Human Rights Defenders, as indicated in the original PUCL complaint. We are dismayed to note that the Government of Chhattisgarh has not taken, nor has it been directed by the NHRC to take, any punitive criminal action against Mr. SRP Kalluri or any other police officer involved in these criminal actions of malicious prosecution, which are evidently meant to punish those speaking out against atrocities committed by the Chhattisgarh police and other armed forces. Till such actions are not recommended by the NHRC, the impunity of the Police force in the name of combating insurgency in the state of Chhattisgarh and other states will continue unabated. We also urge the Government of Chhattisgarh to proactively pursue these cases of malicious prosecution and send a strong message to the public that it will not hesitate to take action against its officials, howsoever senior the officer, if they are found to violate the law of the land.

Mr. Ravi Kiran Jain, President, PUCL

Dr. V. Suresh, General Secretary, PUCL
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John Laxon, Regional Director for Asia at Education New Zealand (ENZ)

What are the most remarkable achievements that Vietnam and New Zealand can look back on in their cooperation in education?

The education relationship between New Zealand and Vietnam has grown remarkably in recent years, with the number of Vietnamese students in New Zealand increasing by 44 per cent since 2015 to 2,700 students in 2018. Much of this growth can be attributed to New Zealands strong education system which takes a high-quality, innovative teaching approach, enabling all students to gain the skills and knowledge to have a successful global career. For example, for the past two years, New Zealand has been ranked as the worlds top English-speaking country in the Economist Intelligence Units Educating for the Future Index.

The New Zealand Schools Scholarships (NZSS) 2019 is the largest New Zealand school scholarship initiative offered anywhere in the world, and is dedicated exclusively to Vietnamese students. NZSS 2020 has seen an increase in the number of New Zealand schools offering scholarships  from 36 (2019) to 40 (2020)  as well as the value (all scholarships providing 50 per cent off tuition fees of first year study in New Zealand). NZSS 2020 has already finalised 22 winners for the first round with 18 scholarships still available for when international travel resumes.

Approximately 330 Vietnamese students have received New Zealand Scholarships for postgraduate study since the scheme started in 1994.

Since the 1990s, New Zealand has provided high-quality training for about 560 Vietnamese officials under English Language Training for Officials (ELTO) scholarships. Meanwhile, 11 Short-term Training Scholarships (STTS) have been offered to Vietnamese participants from both the public and private sector since 2016.

Since 2013, 143 New Zealand students have travelled to Vietnam and have undertaken internships as part of the Prime Ministers Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) programme, demonstrating the interest of New Zealanders in a Vietnamese study and cultural experience.

This is the third time New Zealand and Vietnam have renewed their strategic engagement on education. What are the key areas of collaboration in the renewed plan?

The renewed Plan reflects the significant growth in the education relationship between New Zealand and Vietnam since 2015, and takes into account the changing international education landscape created by COVID-19. For example, the plan includes support for innovative education models in blended and online delivery, continued collaboration to improve institution-to-institution partnerships for English language training, and alumni engagement.

The plan continues New Zealands long-term commitment to support Vietnams efforts in achieving its 21st-century education objectives to produce well-trained, work-ready graduates with the skills necessary to compete in a rapidly-changing global market.

The signing ceremony of Strategic Engagement Plan on Education between Education New Zealand (ENZ) and Vietnam Ministry of Education & Training

There are many New Zealand scholarships for Vietnamese students, but what about the reverse direction? Also, which programmes and initiatives would New Zealand implement to contribute to promoting the image of Vietnam to New Zealand students?

The Prime Ministers Scholarship for Asia (PMSA) is a programme funded by the New Zealand government for New Zealand students and administered by Education New Zealand. The scholarship is awarded to individuals and currently covers costs relating to study, internships, or research in Asia. 143 students have received PMSA for their internships in Vietnam since 2013.

The New Zealand Government-funded Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (SEA CAPE) will offer a range of opportunities for enhanced educational engagement between New Zealand and Vietnam. These will include SEA CAPE Fellowships funded by SEA CAPE with other sponsors to support engagement and the sharing of knowledge by experts from Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries in New Zealand.

Additionally, there are immersion programmes to Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries for New Zealand tertiary and senior high school students with a view to identify business and entrepreneurial opportunities between New Zealand and Vietnam, as well as building mid-term and longer-term ties through interactions in the market will be organised.

Moreover, universities across New Zealand are encouraged to include Vietnamese university students in cultural knowledge sharing with New Zealand students.

New Zealands countermeasures to the COVID-19 pandemic have proven effective. Does the country plan to ease entry restrictions? Will there be priority for Vietnamese student cohorts?

At this stage, our borders remain closed for international visitors and the government is currently exploring options to bring international students back into the country in 2021. We look forward to welcoming more Vietnamese students back to New Zealand when its safe to do so.

In the meantime, New Zealands institutions are offering co-delivered programmes in partnership with their Vietnamese counterparts, which enable Vietnamese students to start their New Zealand education experience in Vietnam, given COVID-19 restrictions. These programmes range from Economics-Management, Computer Sciences, Biotechnology, and Food Technology to Arts & English Language Teaching.

During the pandemic, we have conducted market sentiment research across a number of our key partner countries and across the board,New Zealands attractiveness as a study destination remains high. We have always been viewed as a warm, welcoming society and a safe place to study. This perception has only strengthened following our governments response to COVID-19 and more specifically, the support provided to our international students during such a challenging time.

The New Zealand Schools Scholarships (NZSS) is the largest New Zealand school scholarship initiative offered anywhere in the world, and is dedicated exclusively to Vietnamese students

How did New Zealand support international students during and after the crisis? What is New Zealand doing to recover from the COVID-19 crisis?

The New Zealand Government has a long-standing commitment to the welfare of our international students, being the first country in the world to legislate for a pastoral code of care to support international students.

The government and education providers acted quickly with many initiatives to support students during this time, including a Government NZD$1 million ($665,000) International Student hardship Fund for international students who were experiencing unusual hardship due to the global impacts of COVID-19, supplemented by hardship funds offered by individual institutions.

The government also extended flexibility to visa policies, with students in New Zealand being able to have their visas automatically extended at no additional cost.

Work-rights for students were relaxed to allow international students to work in essential services (such as supermarkets and the healthcare sector) to support the countrys public health response to COVID-19. Students employed in an essential services role were also able to work for more than 20 hours in certain circumstances.

The government also introduced a COVID-19 wage subsidy to support employers and their employees affected by COVID-19. International students whose visa allows them to work in New Zealand and whose employment has been affected by COVID-19 were able to go through their employer to check whether they are eligible for a wage subsidy.

People in New Zealand, including international students are eligible for free, public healthcare to treat any COVID-19 symptoms.

What prospects for education collaboration do you see between New Zealand and Vietnam?

New Zealand is extremely proud of our future-proof education offering and we continue to be recognised worldwide for an education system built for the future. Through our ongoing education collaboration, New Zealand will continue to play a part in producing Vietnamese leaders of the future.

This education collaboration builds on a strong partnership between our countries and peoples, reflected by the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year between Vietnam and New Zealand, and the signing of a strategic partnership between both countries in July 2020.

We look forward to another productive 45 years of relations between our countries, and education partnerships that allow our young people of Vietnam and New Zealand to thrive on the global stage.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:56:13|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations refugee agency on Friday called on the international community to support relief efforts in Somalia where floods have displaced more than 650,000 people since January.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it has received only 33 percent of the 154.4 million U.S. dollars needed for its humanitarian efforts in Somalia, including for about 2.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 30,000 refugees and asylum-seekers being hosted in the country.

"The latest floods point to a worrying pattern where extreme weather conditions are increasing in frequency and intensity," the UNHCR warned in a statement.

According to the UNHCR, more than 150,000 Somalis have been forced to flee their homes since late June, including some 23,000 in the last week alone, due to flash and riverine flooding in the southern regions of Somalia.

The UNHCR said its rapid assessments indicate that communities in Hirshabelle and South West states are amongst the worst hit, noting that the year has seen extreme flooding.

It said many of the newly displaced are now living in over-crowded, makeshift shelters constructed from old clothes, plastic bags, cardboard and sticks in already dire sites for the IDPs.

"Such shelter provides little protection from the harsh weather, and leaves families exposed to increased risk of crimes like robbery and rape," the UNHCR said, warning that more people risk being displaced as flooding is likely to continue in some regions.

According to the latest flood advisory report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the Shabelle River's water levels will continue to rise due to heavy rains.

Prior to June, flash floods and riverine flooding caused by seasonal rains already displaced more than 450,000 in Somalia.

"With floods in 2018 and 2019 displacing 281,000 and 416,000 persons respectively, the flood-based displacement figures demonstrate a rising year-to-year trend," the UNHCR said.

It said Somalia's re-occurring climate-related emergencies result in devastating impact on communities who heavily rely on farming and livestock for their livelihood.

The surging flooding and displacement take place against the backdrop of Somalia's ongoing fight to curtail the spread of COVID-19, which has a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable, including the displaced.

The UNHCR called on landlords in the country to uphold a moratorium on evictions in these extremely challenging circumstances.

The UN agency said food is in short supply and many are going hungry with rising malnutrition in children.

In some areas, basic food items, particularly milk and vegetables, have increased in price between 20 and 50 percent.

Health partners have warned of risk of diarrhoea, vector-borne diseases, respiratory-tract infections and other communicable diseases rapidly spreading among the displaced population.

"While there has been no reported major COVID-19 outbreak, testing remains extremely limited and congestion and unsanitary conditions are risks for wide-spread transmission," the UNHCR said. Enditem
The Mail Force charity is today celebrating two truly outstanding achievements.

Thanks to our generous readers and supporters, donations have hit an astonishing 11million  and it has now provided more than 30million pieces of personal protective equipment to the nation.

The landmarks were reached just 100 days after its first delivery to the coronavirus front line.

Whats more  as of this weekend  the majority of the PPE that the charity is handing over is being produced in the UK. Yesterday, a fleet of forklifts began loading the first truckload of British-made Mail Force masks at a new plant near Rotherham.

Until now, the vast majority of these essential products have had to be flown in from China, the only nation manufacturing them in sufficient quantities. In the coming weeks, however, the charity will be delivering no less than six million Yorkshire-made Type 2R masks to the NHS.

Thanks to our generous readers and supporters, donations have hit an astonishing 11million  and it has now provided more than 30million pieces of personal protective equipment to the nation

Type 2R  the all-important R stands for fluid resistant  must conform to the highest hospital standards. At the same time, 500,000 Mail Force face shields  ordered from another Yorkshire manufacturer  are also on their way to the NHSs main distribution centre.

It means that after just 100 days, the charity  created by this newspaper and backed by its readers  is now at the forefront of the Governments attempts to build up a sustainable home-grown PPE industry.

While Mail Force has been proud to arrange several airlifts and convoys of masks and coveralls from all over the globe, these new acquisitions  worth more than 1.5million  mean that more than half of our PPE will have come from these shores.

Next week, for example, workers at Griffin Mill in Blackburn will complete their final batch of Mail Force hospital aprons. Our original request was for 1.5million but they proved so useful the charity increased the order to 15million.

And throughout it all, the level of donations has exceeded all expectations. To put this in context, Civil Society News, the voice of the charity sector, reports that the combined total raised by all British newspapers in last years Christmas appeals came to 4.5million. With 11million raised, Mail Force has now more than doubled that sum.

Machine operator Hannah Walsh at Bluetree Group in Rotherham that produces masks for the NHS through the Mail Force Charity prepares a wagon load of masks for delivery to hospitals

Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, applauded the charitys latest venture. He said: The generosity of Mail Force will be hugely appreciated by all those who receive this British-made kit across the heath service.

While the majority of our PPE has been delivered to the NHS, millions of items have also been despatched to charities like Mencap and the Salvation Army. Karl Wilding, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations thanked readers.

He said: Charities have been squeezed hard for cash during Covid. Every penny counts more than ever, so getting help from Mail Force with the PPE they need to do their work makes a real difference.

Mail Forces new masks are being made by Bluetree, a fast-growing printing company based near Rotherham. It is one of the businesses selected by the Governments PPE tsar, Lord Deighton, to boost home-grown provision of essential kit.

Yesterday, health minister Edward Argar paid tribute to Mail Force and revealed the Government would be putting in its own order to Bluetree. This comes as a further boost to the ongoing national efforts to continue delivering the PPE our front line needs, he said. It is great to see UK manufacturers once again rising to the challenge.

As of this weekend, the majority of the PPE that the charity is handing over is being produced in the UK. Yesterday, a fleet of forklifts began loading the first truckload of British-made Mail Force masks at a new plant near Rotherham

Bluetree staff voiced their delight at their venture. Theres a great team spirit and Mail Force donors can rest assured that these really are the best masks you can get, said machine operator Hannah Walsh, 25.

Mail Force has also ordered 500,000 face shields from Doncaster-based Kingsbury Press, another printing company which is retraining staff to provide quality equipment for healthcare workers both at home and abroad.

Like every piece of Mail Force PPE, they have been approved and pre-tested by Department of Health inspectors.

The Government has come under fire for some contracts awarded for PPE at the height of the pandemic, notably a 150million order for FFP2 respiratory masks. Unlike surgical masks, which come with ear loops, FFP2 masks must come with head loops. However, a cargo of 50million arrived without them.

It is impossible to quantify the number of doctors, nurses, care workers, charity professionals and volunteers who have benefited from Mail Force. It has certainly been an extraordinary 100 days. And while no one has the faintest idea what is coming next, donors can be in no doubt about one thing: the nation is all the stronger and safer for your generosity.

Made in Britain, the heroes who rose to the PPE challenge

Had it not been for the coronavirus, the shiny new building on the edge of Rotherham would be busy churning out vast quantities of glossy promotional material for shops and trade fairs.

Instead, it is now one of the fastest-growing manufacturers of personal protective equipment in the UK.

This weekend, Bluetree will have more than 100 staff  most of them new recruits  working round-the-clock on several production lines producing top-quality fluid-resistant surgical masks. By the end of next month, the plan is to have 400 employees churning out many millions of them every week.

And at the front of the queue for their first major consignment, I am glad to say, is Mail Force.

At a time of relentless doom and gloom on the commercial front, it is truly uplifting to see so much activity here on this sprawling business park in Wath upon Dearne.

The Bluetree workforce are not just pleased to be gainfully employed in a time of uncertainty. They are delighted to be part of a major new push to make Britain more self-sufficient in PPE ahead of that dreaded second wave of infections.

My brother works as a paramedic with the local ambulance service. So it feels good to be doing my bit too, says project manager Becky Taylor, 28. Its certainly made my Mum pretty proud  and she works for the NHS too.

One of the recurring grumbles from the army of generous readers who have backed the Mail Force campaign to provide crucial PPE for Britains health workers is that the vast majority of this equipment has to be imported  mainly from China. It is an unavoidable fact of life. However, Mail Force has always been keen to buy British when we can.

Having proudly provided more than 15million hospital aprons to the NHS from a factory in Blackburn, the charity is now delighted to be procuring truckloads of quality masks  six million of them  from the other side of the Pennines. And they all come from a new print works the size of an airport terminal which has been transformed into a mask factory.

The interior is divided into a series of hermetically-sealed clean rooms with several machines in each one and two or three people in sterile clothing operating each one. I can only watch through an observation window as the men and women in white coats box up the finished products.

It looks like a relatively simple weaving process involving three giant loo rolls. Each feeds a strand of material into a central belt where they are pressed together. Somewhere along the way, the string ear loops are attached and out come finished masks in batches of 50. It is the job of one person to run a gloved finger through the 50 loops on either side and give them a gentle twang to ensure a firm connection.

The three loo rolls are all very different. One provides the blue outer layer  the hydrophobic splash-resistant coating designed to repel droplets on the outside. The inner hydrophilic layer absorbs the wearers own moisture  saliva and so on.

In between is the crucial melt-blown layer which acts as the filter. A non-woven polymer, it contains an electrical charge which must catch at least 98 per cent of particles (the filtration rate is actually 99.9 per cent for these masks).

All three layers, it turns out, are welded together not by heat or by pressure but by microwaves. And these masks have had to go through exhaustive quality tests at laboratories in the UK and all over Europe to ensure compliance with NHS standards.

Those who think that one blue mask looks much like another will soon notice the difference when they have to wear one all day.

My brother says he much prefers our masks because the ear loops are softer than the imports, says Becky Taylor. I myself notice these masks make my glasses less prone to steaming up.

With a whole new workforce hired in addition to the existing 350 employees, Bluetrees latest challenge is not PPE production but parking.

Were just trying to work out where everyone is going to put their cars, says James Kinsella, co-founder of what is now a major northern enterprise. Not bad for an operation which kicked off with a single computer printer back in 2009.

James and his business partner, Adam Carnell, both 32, have been friends since boyhood (both attended Uppingham, the public school which also produced Sir Charles Dunstone and David Ross, billionaire co-founders of Carphone Warehouse).

Both went on to Bristol University and, after graduating, they decided to set up in business together. They drew up a shortlist of possible commercial opportunities, including a half-baked plan to start a canal boat delivery service. In the end, they settled on printing and bought a discounted printer in a sale at PC World.

Having spent 500 on the domain name instantprint.co.uk, they set to work in a tiny office in Newcastle upon Tyne producing cut-price flyers for small businesses.

Just three years later, having acquired bigger and better machines and a workforce of 20, they joined forces with Bluetree, a Rotherham-based printer of larger formats such as exhibition stands. While the old management retired, the two young entrepreneurs kept expanding with new machinery and product ranges.

Some people go to business school to learn this stuff. There just wasnt time for that, laughs Adam, adding that there is even less time now that he has two small children.

At the start of this year, the plan was to double the size of the site by opening a new 45,000 square feet unit for larger products. When the entire market disappeared, James and Adam did not sit around feeling sorry for themselves.

HERE'S HOW TO DONATE Mail Force Charity has been launched with one aim to help support NHS staff, volunteers and care workers fight back against Covid-19 in the UK. Mail Force is a separate charity established and supported by the Daily Mail and General Trust. The money raised will fund essential equipment required by the NHS and care workers. This equipment is vital in protecting the heroic staff whilst they perform their fantastic work in helping the UK overcome this pandemic. If we raise more money than is needed for vital Covid-19 equipment, we will apply all funds to support the work of the NHS in other ways. Click the button below to make a donation: DONATE NOW If the button is not visible, click here Advertisement

While their smaller printing presses were turned over to producing Covid literature  Stop the Spread leaflets and millions of those One Way stickers we see on floors everywhere  the two directors also began looking at face masks.

The chief obstacle to producing them in large quantities was sourcing the necessary amounts of melt-blown. It was only made in relatively small quantities by one Scottish company and the Government quickly snapped up the lot.

So James and Adam set about finding their own supply lines in  where else?  China. It wasnt easy, says James, so we decided to look at making our own.

They have now invested in new machinery which does exactly that. A separate section of the new plant has been set aside and the machines are currently being installed.

By next month, Bluetree will be importing melt-blown not from China but from the other side of Unit B in Wath upon Dearne. As the signs all over this place say in big bold letters: Made In Yorkshire.

There is the same can-do sense of Yorkshire pride a short drive away near Doncaster. I visit Kingsbury Press, another resourceful printing company which has turned its hand to meeting the needs of the moment  in this case, face shields. Before the pandemic, the company was producing high-end books and literature for some of the worlds grandest brands, like Claridges and Graff Diamonds.

Now, they are cheerfully mass-producing face shields  adjustable visors  for Mail Force and the NHS.

They use a clever design which minimises the amount of plastic and avoids fiddly elastic at the back. Instead, the shield is adjusted by a laminated fastener while a layer of air-tight foam holds the screen away from the face.

Again, the production line is staffed by locals who are pleased to be doing something to make a tangible difference. I was a recruitment consultant until I got let go and I didnt qualify for furlough, says Jack Bentley, 26, from Newark, as he separates blocks of adhesive foam. But its nice to be doing something worthwhile.

Production is up to 300,000 a week with the capacity for many more. We sent some over to the USA. Its surprising that there are very few people making these things to FDA (US government) standards so we are now looking to start exporting, says director Clive Wickland.

Time and again during this pandemic, I have stood on windy British runways watching PPE coming in to land. It will certainly be a wonderful moment to see some of it going in the opposite direction.
Ukraine Tells Zarif Iran Must Provide Full Explanation For Downed Airliner

Radio Farda August 06, 2020

Ukraine expects to receive full information from Iran about the circumstances in which Iranian forces shot down an airliner in January, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, told Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Wednesday, August 5.

The report should respect all international standards, Kuleba reminded Zarif.

The ministers also discussed the results of the first round of negotiations on compensation to the crash victims' families that ended August 2.

"The Ukrainian foreign minister stressed that at the next round of talks in October, Ukraine expects to receive all the necessary information about the circumstances of the plane crash from the Iranian side. According to him, after establishing all the facts about the tragedy, it will be possible to start calculating the amount of compensation," Ukraine Foreign Ministry reiterated in a report.

Meanwhile, Kuleba and Zarif agreed that their forthcoming meeting in October should be fruitful, after which it would be possible to assess and calculate compensation from the Iranian government.

Speaking to Kuleba on the phone, Zarif also voiced Iran's readiness to pay compensation to the families and relatives of the plane crash victims. Zarif described the settlement as a step to alleviate their grief.

As Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 took off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini international airport on January 8, heading to Kyiv, two missiles were fired at the plane. The three-year-old Boeing crashed near the capital city, killing all 167 people aboard.

After three days of secrecy and denial, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps ascribed the incident to "human error".

Iran refused for months to hand over the doomed plane's black boxes for deciphering, while repeatedly admitting that it was not capable of reading the flight recorders.

However, under international pressure, the crashed Boeing's black boxes were delivered to France on July 17.

Tehran still insists that a "human error" had led to the tragedy, a claim that Ukraine and Canada have dismissed. They say the Islamic Republic must provide an accurate report and a convincing explanation. Furthermore, Ukraine seeks maximum compensation for the victims' relatives.

The appointment of expert groups to investigate the tragedy and the timing of the second round of talks in Tehran next October were among the most important agreements reached during the first round of negotiations, the Islamic Republic's official news agency, IRNA, reported on August 5.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/ukraine-tells- zarif-iran-must-provide-full-explanation- for-downed-airliner/30769597.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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New Delhi, Aug 8 : The Congress has demanded an "immediate enquiry" into the Air India Express mishap that killed at least 17 people including the pilot and co-pilot.

"The accident at Karipur is a shocking incident. The government must take all necessary measures for emergency rescue and help. I have already requested the Ministry of Civil Aviation to order an immediate enquiry to find out the exact reasons behind the shocking accident," Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said.

He also added that emergency medical care and assistance should be ensured for the injured and financial assistance should be declared for the deceased.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri already declared that Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will hold a detailed enquiry into the accident.

Meanwhile, Congress's communication department incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted: "Hope missing passengers are found soon. Wishing a speedy recovery to those injured. Deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the souls of the departed RIP." In one of the worst air disasters witnessed in Kerala, an Air India Express flight, returning from Dubai under the Vande Bharat mission, crashed at the "table top" Kozhikode airport on Friday evening, leaving at least 17, of the 190 people aboard, dead including pilot, Capt. D.V. Sathe and his co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar.

The plane skidded off the runaway as it landed on its second attempt amid heavy rain, plunged 35 feet into the valley below, and broke into two pieces.

Following the accident, which occurred at 7.41 p.m., the Kozhikode airport has been closed and the flights scheduled to land there have been diverted to Kannur airport, about 80 km away.

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash
As many of you probably already know, Samsung tends to use two different processors in its flagship smartphones. In some markets, the company uses Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, while in others, its very own Exynos chips. Well, that managed to cause quite a bit of controversy over the years, and users are quite fed up by Samsungs very own chips. I, personally, do believe that Samsung should use Snapdragon SoC worldwide, even though I understand why that may not happen. On one hand, including Snapdragon SoCs everywhere would certainly benefit users, but the same cannot be said about Samsung as a company. Well talk more about that later.

Why is it a problem to begin with?

First things first, why do we even bring it up? Well, Exynos processors are quite powerful, dont get me wrong, but it seems like they trail behind Qualcomms chips every year. Every year we see some deficiencies that should not be in the picture. Well focus on flagship phones here, as thats the best way to explain things, and also the point where such deficiencies are most notable. Lets take the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra as an example, as its the freshest example I can think of. Before we begin, do note that some of these issues have been fixed by now, to a degree.

That phone launched with the Snapdragon 865 in the US and China. On the flip side, it came with the Exynos 990 in Europe and India. On paper, both the Snapdragon 865 and Exynos 990 are great chips, no doubt about that. In real life, well, the Galaxy S20 Ultra with the Exynos 990 is just not up to the task. Quite a few reports surfaced of issues that the Exynos variant is facing. Those issues become a lot more apparent when you compare it to the Snapdragon model. To make things worse, the Exynos model is more expensive in Europe, than the Snapdragon one is in the US. So you see the issue, right?

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The Galaxy S20 Ultra issues are a prime example of Exynos deficiencies

To be more specific, the Exynos 990 variant of the Galaxy S20 Ultra faced various issues, including poor battery life, overheating, poor autofocus performance, and rather strange compatibility bugs. That is not something you want to hear when you pay almost $1,500 for a smartphone. Battery life was considerably worse than on the Snapdragon 865 model, while the compatibility issues were with some games, first and foremost. Pokemon Go is a good example, as that game did not run properly, it was crashing quite frequently. Granted, that wasnt Samsungs fault, but it would not have happened if not for two different variants of SoCs in the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

This actually makes me wonder how will the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra perform. The phone has been announced already, and we do know that it will be fueled by the Exynos 990 in Europe and India, two huge markets. Some rumors are claiming that the phone will be far more optimized than the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and that the Exynos 990 will run great on it. Those are just some wild rumors at this point, and it remains to be seen if theyre true. If the phone ends up being on the same level as the Snapdragon 865 Plus variant, then the chip itself is not to blame, but Samsungs optimization, but well see.

Im quite skeptical, to be quite honest, as Samsung has been promising such performance for years now. Exynos chips have been training behind Snapdragon competition for quite some time now. Samsung should either offer the same level of performance on both SoC variants, or use Snapdragon processors in all of its flagships. Things actually got so bad, that users had enough, and started a petition for Samsung to stop using Exynos processors. That petition wont force Samsung to do that, of course, but it may make the company improve their Exynos chips, or optimization of the same.

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Samsung should use Snapdragon SoCs worldwide, but it probably wont

Theres a good reason why Samsung almost certainly wont give up on its SoC. If Samsung gave up on its processors, that basically means it wasted a lot of time and energy on developing them. Exynos chips have been around for a long time at this point. In addition to that, the company wants to have an alternative for Qualcomms chips, if things go south. Those are both valid reasons, to be quite honest. Well see if Samsung managed to deliver those much-talked-about optimizations to the Galaxy Note 20 series of devices. Those phones are extremely expensive, and people will have little tolerance for any issues that may occur. So, the bottom line is, as things stand right now, Samsung should use Snapdragon SoCs worldwide. Will it happen? Probably not, but that doesnt mean it shouldnt.
The havoc wrought

More details have emerged on how an armed Fulani militia group bypassed several military checkpoints to kill 33 persons in four communities in the Zango Kataf area of Southern Kaduna on Wednesday night.

SaharaReporters gathered that the attackers stormed the communities at about 11:00pm with trucks and made their way through the military checkpoints despite the curfew in place to unleash terror on the residents, who were already sleeping.

During the attack, six people were killed in Apiashyim Village while 20 houses were burnt.

Another seven villagers were murdered in Kibori Village.

The bandits were said to have moved to Atakmawei around 12:00am where 12 persons were killed and 10 houses burnt.

SaharaReporters also gathered that the assailants moved to Apyiako Village, killed three persons and set houses ablaze including the home of late Col. Bobai Ishaku.

The bandits also attacked Magamiya Village and killed five people while also looting properties.

In a statement on Thursday, spokesperson for Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, Luka Binniyat, said that the attackers operated between 11:00pm and 4:00am unchallenged.

The statement reads, In Apiako, scared villagers who hid under grown maize crops said they saw what looked like an armoured military truck pulled up at the village square followed by familiar military motorbikes while the attackers were busy killing but never made any attempt to stop them.

For the records, we want to say that Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has tied up our law-abiding people under an irrational, protracted curfew which is obviously intended to cause maximum harm to our communities.

According to survivors, the Fulani militia include Fulani youth born and raised in the affected villages.

They would come to a compound and shout out the name of the occupants challenging them to come out and face them.

The statement added that many residents were still trapped in their homes and no one could risk the brutality of the military enforcing the curfew.

The group called on the international community to come to their aid against sponsored genocide on Southern Kaduna communities.

***

Source: SaharaReporters
People in Ho Chi Minh City who choose to spend mandatory COVID-19 quarantine at hotels, rather than free quarantine centers, should expect to pay an average fee of VND13.5 million (US$583) for the service.

A total of 371 people had paid for quarantine at three- to five-star hotels in the southern metropolis as of Thursday, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

Most of those quarantiners are investors, technical experts, skilled workers, and business managers who are in Ho Chi Minh City for work.

Eight hotels in District 1, District 4, District 5, District 7, Tan Binh District, and Can Gio District have been reserved for paid quarantine, boasting a combined capacity of 1,485 rooms.

A 14-day quarantine period at these hotels costs an average of VND13.5 million per person.

More experts and foreign workers are expected to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City as Vietnam works with local companies to import workers for filling shortages.

Per procedures, the entry of new arrivals must first be approved by the Immigration Department under the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.

The municipal Department of Health will then ensure these arrivals undergo thorough health check sat Tan Son Nhat International Airport before being transported to local quarantine facilities. All will be tested for COVID-19.

Statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism showed that 207 accommodation facilities in 25 localities across the country are now approved to offer paid quarantine services.

These facilities provide a total of 18,486 rooms with 23,248 beds.

Vietnam is currently quarantining 178,451 people who had close contact with confirmed patients or entered the country from virus-hit regions.

The nation has kept its borders closed to foreigners since March to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Foreign experts and skilled workers are still allowed to enter the country, though they are subject to government approval and mandatory quarantine.

Vietnamese returnees from abroad arriving on government-sanctioned flights must undergo compulsory collective isolation as well.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Maharashtra government announced a partnership with Google that will enable 2.3 crore students andteachers to access the technology giant's blended learning programmes that combine classroom approach with online learning. As part of the tie-up, which has come at a time when online classes have become a norm due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Google will deploy free tools like G Suite for Education, Google Classroom and Google Meet to facilitate remote learning.

Speaking at the virtual launch of the partnership, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said, "Maharashtra is the first state in the country to launch G Suite for Education and Google Classroom. I request Google to help use their technology for work from home."

The partnership will enable 2.3 crore students and teachers in the state to access blended learning programmes that combine classroom approach with online learning, including free tools like G Suite for Education, Google Classroom, Google Meet to facilitate remote learning.

Under it, the School Education Department will provide individual educators and students with their own G Suite ID to ensure every student - irrespective of their location - experiences continuity in learning. Google for Education solutions help teachers provide excellent educational experiences and enable students to learn better by nurturing individual needs.

"Each solution has been designed to be easy to use, flexible and scalable. They will now be available to scores of teachers and students across Maharashtra, for free," school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said. Speaking further, Thackeray said, in such a crisis when the world is at a standstill, how to restart education is one of the primary concerns we face today.

"We often say this proverb, "Instead of tomorrow do it today"; I feel this global crisis (COVID-19) has led us from the present into the future." Gaikwad said the government looks forward to a long- term partnership with Google in building the digital education ecosystem.

Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and Vice-President, Google India, said, Since the COVID-19 outbreak, over 32 crore children in India have been impacted by school closures, making access to quality education even more critical."

Also read: Coronavirus in India: Case tally crosses 2 million mark
Technavio has been monitoring the instant soup market and it is poised to grow by 2.86 bn during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of over 3% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200807005179/en/

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Instant Soup Market 2020-2024

Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. B&G Foods Inc., Campbell Soup Co., Conagra Brands Inc., General Mills Inc., Nestle SA, NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS Co. Ltd., Shandong Subo Food Co. Ltd., The Hain Celestial Group Inc., The Kraft Heinz Co., and Unilever Group 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.

New product launches have been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, product recalls might hamper the market growth.

Instant Soup Market 2020-2024: Segmentation

Instant Soup Market is segmented as below:

Distribution Channel Offline Online

Geography North America Europe APAC South America MEA



To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR43495

Instant Soup 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 instant soup market report covers the following areas:

Instant Soup Market size

Instant Soup Market trends

Instant Soup Market industry analysis

This study identifies the growing preference for convenience food products among the working population as one of the prime reasons driving the instant soup market growth during the next few years.

Instant Soup Market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis

We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the instant soup market, including some of the vendors such as B&G Foods Inc., Campbell Soup Co., Conagra Brands Inc., General Mills Inc., Nestle SA, NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS Co. Ltd., Shandong Subo Food Co. Ltd., The Hain Celestial Group Inc., The Kraft Heinz Co., and Unilever Group. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Instant Soup Market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support.

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Instant Soup Market 2020-2024: Key Highlights

CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024

Detailed information on factors that will assist instant soup market growth during the next five years

Estimation of the instant soup market size and its contribution to the parent market

Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

The growth of the instant soup market

Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors

Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of instant soup market vendors

Table Of Contents :

Executive Summary

Market Landscape

Market ecosystem

Value chain analysis

Market Sizing

Market definition

Market segment analysis

Market size 2019

Market outlook: Forecast for 2019 2024

Five Forces Analysis

Five forces summary

Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of suppliers

Threat of new entrants

Threat of substitutes

Threat of rivalry

Market condition

Market Segmentation by Distribution Channel

Market segments

Comparison by Distribution channel

Offline Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Online Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Market opportunity by Distribution channel

Customer Landscape

Geographic Landscape

Geographic segmentation

Geographic comparison

North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024

APAC Market size and forecast 2019-2024

South America Market size and forecast 2019-2024

MEA Market size and forecast 2019-2024

Key leading countries

Market opportunity by geography

Market Drivers

Market Challenges

Market Trends

Vendor Landscape

Overview

Vendor landscape

Landscape disruption

Vendor Analysis

Vendors covered

Market positioning of vendors

B&G Foods Inc.

Campbell Soup Co.

Conagra Brands Inc.

General Mills Inc.

Nestle SA

NISSIN FOODS HOLDINGS Co. Ltd.

Shandong Subo Food Co. Ltd.

The Hain Celestial Group Inc.

The Kraft Heinz Co.

Unilever Group

Appendix

Scope of the report

Currency conversion rates for US$

Research methodology

List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200807005179/en/

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STAMFORD  U.S. Department of Justice officials are reportedly seeking up to $18 billion from bankrupt OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma, which is trying to settle thousands of lawsuits that allege its marketing fueled the national opioid crisis.

The Justice Department has valued its civil claims at $2.8 billion  an amount that could be legally tripled  and it could also seek a multibillion-dollar fine and a forfeiture worth several billion dollars if the company were criminally charged and convicted, according to yet-to-be submitted filings that were seen by The Wall Street Journal.

Reuters first reported on the Justice Departments criminal and civil claims in Purdues bankruptcy and the amounts. U.S. prosecutors are pursuing nearly $13 billion of claims, Reuters reported Tuesday.

In comparison, Purdue has offered a comprehensive settlement of the pending lawsuits that it has valued at more than $10 billion since it filed for bankruptcy last September.

As Purdue Pharma has previously stated, the company is cooperating with investigative demands by various components of the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with criminal and civil investigations of the company, Purdue said in a statement Thursday. Purdue Pharma is engaged in ongoing discussions with the Department of Justice regarding a potential resolution of these investigations, and therefore the company has no comment at this time.

A message left Thursday for the Justice Department was not immediately returned.

Last year, reports emerged that the talks between Purdue and Justice Department officials were focusing on civil and criminal probes that have examined Purdues possible failure to report doctors who were illegally prescribing opioids and the firms order-monitoring systems.

In October 2017, Purdue confirmed it was under investigation by the U.S. attorneys office in Connecticut and said it was cooperating with the inquiry. A spokesman for the Connecticut USAO declined to comment Thursday.

In 2007, a Justice Department-led investigation of Purdue produced the most-severe sanctions of the company. In that case, it pleaded guilty in federal court to misbranding OxyContin, resulting in $635 million in company and individual penalties.

Negotiating a payout to the Justice Department could hinder Purdues efforts to settle the approximately 3,000 local and state lawsuits that allege the company fueled the opioid crisis with fraudulent OxyContin marketing. It put its settlement offer on the table when it filed for bankruptcy in U.S. District Court in White Plains, N.Y.

Since seeking Chapter 11 protection, Purdue has incurred about $277 million in litigation and bankruptcy fees, surpassing comparable expenditures that it made last year.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
Tropical Storm Isaias rips steeple off historic chapel in New Jersey beach town

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The strong winds from Tropical Storm Isaias, which has left millions across the East Coast without power and has taken the lives of at least eight people, knocked the steeple off of a historic chapel in Ocean City, New Jersey, on Tuesday morning.

WPVI reports that the steeple that was sitting on top of the interdenominational Central Ocean City Union Chapel was ripped off the church building around 11:30 a.m. as the area felt the effects of the tropical storm that hit the northeast region on Tuesday.

A video posted online by Action News Julianna Torres shows the white steeple being ripped from its position at the top-front of the chapel and then sliding down the churchs sloped roof, as onlookers watched in shock.

Oh my God, one onlooker said in the video as others shouted.

The Central Ocean City Union Chapel was founded in the early 1900s to serve vacationing ministers. Funds for the building and the property were raised by Christian ladies of the community who held Strawberry Festivals and sold ice cream during the summer seasons, according to the chapels website.

A group of five women, consisting of both cottagers and residents, incorporated the chapel as a nonprofit organization in September 1915. The chapels corner lot at 32nd Street and Central Avenue was bought on Sept. 20, 1915. The building was completed and opened to the community in August 1916.

Today, a board of trustees that consists of mostly laypeople continues to provide worship and study for those vacationing in the beach town. The chapel is supported through free will offerings.

The Christian Post reached out to the chapel for comment. A response is pending.

The chapel is far from the only victim of Tropical Storm Isaias.

According to the New York Police City Department, 60-year-old Queens man Mario Siles was found inside of a 2014 Dodge van "with trauma about the head and body after a tree fell on top of his car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Delaware State Police told CNN that an 83-year-old woman was found Tuesday under a large branch in a pond near her home.

In Southern Marylands St. Marys County, a driver was killed Tuesday morning when a tree fell on his car. According to the Baltimore Sun, it took rescuers several hours to extract the drivers body from the car.

In Naugatuck, Connecticut, a man was killed Tuesday afternoon by a falling tree when he got out of his car to move debris, local police told NBC Connecticut.

Early Tuesday morning, a tornado-ravaged a mobile home park in Bertie County, North Carolina, killing at least two people, according to a county official.

A driver in Allentown, Pennsylvania, died after he was swept away during the storm Tuesday, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.

In New Hampshire, a woman was found dead inside her house after it was crushed by a tree, according to police.

In Cape May County New Jersey, across the bay from Ocean City, a tornado struck down reportedly pushing cars together, causing property damage and forcing trees to topple, WPVI reported.

According to PowerOutage.us, over 2.4 million homes are without power as of Wednesday afternoon, including nearly 850,000 homes in New Jersey. As of late Tuesday, as many as 3.7 million customers suffered from power outages.

Isaias made landfall as a Category 1 Hurricane in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, on Monday but was downgraded to a tropical storm Tuesday.
There have been no known deaths among meat workers due to Covid-19 but the hold the virus has taken on their industry has raised fears of a second lockdown countrywide.

The number of staff from the big processing plants of the Midlands that are currently hospitalised is believed to be in double digits.

More cases were revealed this evening following a spike in positive tests among staff at factories in Kildare and Offaly.

Read More

Im waiting for a test result, said a worker at Kildare Chilling last night, who did not want to be named.

A good few of the boys in the beef end are positive and it seems to be going through the whole place. It started in the lamb boning hall and progressed from there. We made a huge effort with handsanitising and wore masks and visors religiously in beef, but it got in.

No one has shown symptoms, apart from one man who found it hard to breathe and is in hospital. There were barriers put up between us, but some people were lackadaisical and went to house parties.

Read More

Another six staff out of 42 tested positive at the family business OBrien Fine Foods, which produces Bradys Ham. The new cases were revealed after almost a third of the workforce tested positive on Thursday, triggering the shutdown of the processing plant.

From the start of this pandemic, Covid-19 has become a scourge in meat plants.

The industry that accounts for almost 4bn of food exports into the UK, EU and world markets and employs 16,000 people at 50 major processing sites was one of the few sectors to remain open during the lockdown.

The first case at a plant was recorded on St Patricks Day and there have been a number of clusters since, most notably outbreaks at Rosderra Irish Meats plants in Roscrea and Edenderry.

Siptu forecast in June that if there is a second wave during the pandemic it will originate in a meat plant.

Cormac Healy of Meat Industry Ireland told a Dail committee that he disagreed with the union last month.

Other industry representatives assured politicians they had reached a point of perfection with no active cases.

Their members factories were gearing up to deal with heightened demand from their main markets following the shutdown.

These recent outbreaks will not encourage people to rush out to buy their big brands although there is no evidence of any danger.

Read More

When asked about the risk of contamination to food, an OBriens Fine Foods spokesperson referred to a statement by a professor of microbial diseases at UCD.

On food safety, Id refer you to Paddy Mallons comment today who said theres no risk of infection transfer from meat packing, she said.

The meat processing bosses insist they have taken drastic measures to prevent outbreaks, and signalled that transmission is likely to be happening outside the workplace.

At OBriens Fine Foods in Timahoe, daily temperature tests have been taking place since April.

Like other employers in the industry, they list a litany of measures taken to tackle the virus.

These include the installation of Perspex screens between workers who bone meat in big halls, staggered shifts, information bulletins in a variety of languages, mandatory PPE and deep cleaning routines.

Expand Close A sign outside the OBrien Fine Foods plant in Timahoe Co KIldare where a coronavirus outbreak was confirmed. Photo by Steve Humphreys, 7th August 2020 / Facebook

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Whatsapp A sign outside the OBrien Fine Foods plant in Timahoe Co KIldare where a coronavirus outbreak was confirmed. Photo by Steve Humphreys, 7th August 2020

But unions claim sone working conditions have helped create the perfect storm for the spread of the virus. They say that key among these is the fact that 95pc of workers - who earn little more than the 10.10 an hour minimum wage - do not have sick pay schemes.

The upshot, they claim, is that they will show up for work despite not feeling the best. Being on a tight budget encourages car pooling, sharing accommodation and even rooms.

Unions claim many staff are still working in close proximity in the boning halls and production lines. They talk about bottlenecks in narrow corridors near canteens and toilets in factories that were designed in the 60s and 70s.

Noise pollution as production line staff use their saws, they say, forces them to shout, spewing out droplets that may be pumped around by industrial air cooling systems.

Less than a third of the total workforce are Irish nationals. Many are Brazilians, South Africans and Eastern European employees. Unions claim the variety of languages makes public health messaging and contact tracing more challenging.

Temperature testing did not prevent the latest outbreaks and a high portion of cases were asymptomatic.

Siptu divisional organiser Greg Ennis sees one main solution - repeated, blanket, mandatory testing.

At OBriens Fine Foods, management brought in a private firm to get the testing done quickly because of a lack of HSE resources.

Siptu officials claim they have highlighted the vulnerability of the meat trade since Michael Creed was Minister for Agriculture but got a negative response.

Mr Ennis said some meat employers provide better conditions than others and said so far there have been no meat worker deaths in the Republic. However, a Brazilian women who worked at a Moy Park plant in Northern Ireland passed away due to the virus.

In total, nine percent of meat workers have been infected with Covid-19 during the pandemic.

We need immediate shut down of factories where there are cases, without loss of earnings, said Mr Ennis.

Mandatory testing, unannounced inspections by the Health and Safety Authority and improved sick pay is key to winning this battle with Covid.

At the moment, we are losing it and so, Im not surprised by the number of infections.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (https://compare-autoinsurance.org/) has launched a new blog post that presents the advantages and disadvantages of usage-based car insurance programs.

For more info and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.org/drivers-can-get-cheaper-car-insurance-if-they-install-telematics/

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of all Americans. Given the current situation, most Americans are doing their best to save money. Nowadays, more and more drivers are switching to usage-based insurance programs. The surge in popularity for usage-based car insurance policies in this period is not surprising. Drivers who were affected by the current crisis can save money on their car insurance if they switch to a usage-based program.

To find out more about telematics, read the following:

Many insurance providers are offering discounts for using telematics . Telematics are devices that track the driver's behavior, allowing the insurance company to provide a customized quote based on the driver's measured risk factor. Insurers like Allstate or Progressive are offering discounts of at least 5% just for agreeing to install a telematics device. However, drivers who have a very low measured risk factor can get a discount of up to 40% or 50%. Drivers who drive fewer miles than average drivers, or drive outside of busy rush hour traffic, might be considered to have a lower risk factor.

How telematics work. There are several types of telematics. Some telematics are tracking devices installed by the insurer inside the vehicle. However, most insurance companies are now using an app or a dongle attached to a smartphone. The app uses the phone's location tracking and other sensors to determine the policyholder's driving habits. Based on the customized driver profile created by the app, some drivers might have a lower measured risk factor and pay lower insurance premiums.

Which providers are offering telematics car insurance programs. Most major insurance companies are offering this type of insurance. Progressive is offering Snapshot where a telematics device is used to monitor the times of the day drivers use their cars, any sudden changes in speed, hard braking, and rapid acceleration, and other metrics. Low-risk drivers can save 10-30% with Snapshot. Allstate Drivewise program lets drivers view their last 100 trips and a breakdown of their driving behavior. On average, drivers can save about 10% to 25% using Drivewise. Besides large car insurance providers, some smaller companies or regional insurers are also offering telematics car insurance programs.

Disadvantages of telematics devices. The first disadvantage is data privacy. Insurance companies can collect data like the places where policyholders go, how often they go there, how long they spend there, and other intimate details. Most providers have detailed data privacy terms attached to each telematics device. However, some providers might sell the collected data to third parties or use it in different ways. The second disadvantage is the difficulty to compare insurance quotes. Insurance providers want to make it as difficult as possible for policyholders to compare insurers and switch. For example, switching from a customized $90 per month plan to an unknown customized plan from another provider might be harder for most policyholders.

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.

"Telematics devices can help drivers save money during these difficult times. Safe drivers who are driving fewer miles than average drivers can save up to 50% on their car insurance if they agree to install telematics devices", 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





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https://www.accesswire.com/600602/How-To-Get-Better-Car-Insurance-Premiums-With-The-Help-Of-Telematics




Transportation Security Administration agents help travelers place their bags through the 3-D scanner at the Miami International Airport on May 21, 2019 in Miami, Florida.

The State Department has lifted its advisory against international travel for U.S. citizens after nearly five months, saying it instead would evaluate each country.

"With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice," the State Department said in a statement late Thursday. "We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic."

While the State Department lifted the blanket advisory against trips abroad, U.S. citizens still face a number of travel restrictions as other countries seek to stop the spread of Covid-19.

For example, Canada has barred most nonessential travel by noncitizens, and U.S. citizens still aren't allowed into the European Union. The U.S. isn't allowing foreign nationals into the country if they have been in the European Union, China or Brazil for the previous 14 days.

The State Department still has the highest-level advisory against travel for U.S. citizens to more than 30 countries because of the coronavirus.

In addition to international restrictions, states like New York have ordered travelers from certain states to quarantine on arrival, new rules that airline executives have said stifled demand.
Starting in late summer 2014, a protest movement known as Black Lives Matter convulsed the country. Triggered by the fatal police shooting of a black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, the movement claimed that blacks are still oppressed by widespread racism, especially within law enforcement. The police subject black communities to a gratuitous regime of stops and arrests, resulting in the frequent use of lethal force against black men, according to the activists and their media and academic allies. Indeed, Americas police are the greatest threat facing young black men today, the protesters charged. New Yorks mayor Bill de Blasio announced in December that he worries every night about the dangers his biracial son may face from officers who are paid to protect him. Less than three weeks later, a thug from Brooklyn, inspired by the nationwide anti-cop agitation, assassinated two New York police officers.

The protest movements indictment of law enforcement took place without any notice of the actual facts regarding policing and crime. One could easily have concluded from the agitation that black and white crime rates are identical. Why the police focus on certain neighborhoods and what the conditions are on the ground were questions left unasked.

The year 2014 also saw the publication of a book that addressed precisely the questions that the Black Lives Matter movement ignored. Alice Goffman, daughter of the influential sociologist Erving Goffman, lived in an inner-city Philadelphia neighborhood from 2002 to 2008, integrating herself into the lives of a group of young crack dealers. Her resulting book, On the Run, offers a detailed and startling ethnography of a world usually kept far from public awareness and discourse. It has been widely acclaimed; a film or TV adaptation may be on the way. But On the Run is an equally startlingif unintentionalportrait of the liberal elite mind-set. Goffman draws a devastating picture of cultural breakdown within the black underclass, but she is incapable of acknowledging the truth in front of her eyes, instead deeming her subjects the helpless pawns of a criminal-justice system run amok.

At the center of On the Run are three half-brothers and their slightly older friend Mike, all of whom live in a five-block area of Philadelphia that Goffman names Sixth Street. Sixth Street, we are told, isnt viewed as a particularly high-crime area, which can only leave the reader wondering what an actual high-crime area would look like. In her six years living there, Goffman attended nine funerals of her young associates and mentions several others, including one for three kids paid for by local drug dealers, eager to cement their support in the community.

Goffman contends that it is the legal system itself that is creating crime and dysfunction in poor black communities. Young men get saddled with a host of allegedly petty warrants for having missed court dates, violated their parole and probation conditions, and ducked the administrative fees levied on their criminal cases. Fearful of being rounded up under these senseless procedural warrants, they adopt a lifestyle of subterfuge and evasion, constantly in flight from an increasingly efficient and technology-enhanced police force. Once a man fears that he will be taken by the police, it is precisely a stable and public daily routine of work and family life . . . that allows the police to locate him, Goffman writes. A man in legal jeopardy finds that his efforts to stay out of prison are aligned not with upstanding, respectable action but with being a shady and distrustful character.

Goffmans own material demolishes this thesis. On the Run documents a world of predation and law-of-the-jungle mores, riven with violence and betrayal. Far from being the hapless victims of random legal entanglementsGoffmans euphemism for the foreseeable consequences of lawless behaviorher subjects create their own predicaments through deliberate involvement in crime.

In 2002, when Goffman began her acquaintance with Sixth Street, the half-brothers Chuck, Reggie, and Tim were 18, 15, and nine, respectively. All had different fathers by the same crack-addict mother, Miss Linda. Their Section 8subsidized house reeked of vomit, alcohol, and urine; roaches and ants crawled over the inhabitants as well as the furniture; cat feces covered a kitchen corner. Chucks and Reggies arrest records had begun in their early teens; Tim would graduate from middle school to the juvenile courts when he turned 12. Fatherlessness is a virtually universal condition among the young men in Goffmans tale, but gradations exist within it. Chucks father came around during his early years, which helps explain, says Chuck, why [Chuck] knew right from wrong and his young brothers did nota poignant acknowledgment of the role of fathers in raising sons, even if its premise (that Chuck knows right from wrong) is questionable.

On Sixth Street, drug dealing is tantamount to a bourgeois occupation. Chuck complains that his middle brother, Reggie, lacks the patience for making slow money selling drugs hand to hand. Instead, Reggie favors armed robberies, to the admiration of his mother, Miss Linda. He fearless, she says. A stone-cold gangster. It would be a mistake, however, to think of drug dealing as a peaceful activity. Early on, a disgruntled supplier firebombs Chucks car. Chuck responds by shooting at the suppliers home. In 2007, at the end of Goffmans chronicle, Chuck is fatally shot in the head while standing outside a Chinese restaurant, one of three shootings that night in Philadelphia. The killer, Goffman writes, was trying to make it at the bottom rung of a shrinking drug trade.

Accompanying this drug-related violence is a more random violence that springs from dog-eat-dog exploitation and lack of impulse control. In an earlier incident, Goffmans fourth main character, Mike, another crack dealer, is walking home one night with a large wad of cash from a dice game. An armed robber accosts himpresumably tipped off to Mikes stash by the other players. Mike tries to pull his own gun but gets shot in the hip first. Several days later, Mike sees the gunman in a Buick and opens fire. Two days after that, Mike and his attacker drive past each other, guns blazing. Mikes car takes seven bullets, and he starts wearing a bulletproof vest. During another dice game, a young thug from Sixth Street named Tino puts a gun to a fellow players head and demands his money. His target, Jay Jay, refuses, so Tino, who is high on PCP, kills him. Jay Jays fellow crew members take to driving up and down Sixth Street firing at residents. Chuck gets shot in the neckthis time, not fatallyand his friend Steve is hit in the thigh.

Ned, 43, supports himself in part by stealing credit cards and intercepting checks in the mail. When he and his girlfriend Jean, a crack addict, need money for property taxes, they lure a cousin of Reggies (Miss Lindas second son) to their house with the promise of gossip about a former girlfriend. Waiting there is a man in a hoodie, who robs the cousin at gunpoint. The unintended punch line of the story: Ned and Jean also get income from working as foster-care parents, a fact that does not apparently give Goffman pause but that speaks volumes, sadly, about the quality of parenting in the area.

Theft is constant among Sixth Street residents. Mike invited a man he met in prison to play video games at his mothers house. The guest steals the stereo, DVD player, and two TVs. Anthony, another Sixth Street resident, was thrown out by his mother for stealing from her purse. He was turned in to the police by neighbors on a warrant, after stealing their shoes. When he stayed at Miss Lindas, he grumbled that he couldnt save money because she would steal from him while he slept. Mike gives Anthony crack to sell, but he could not shoot his fellow dealers when they stole from him, since his usual whereabouts at night were widely known, making him an easy target. As a result, he was not a very effective drug dealer.

The characters mishaps often resemble farce. Reggie, on the run for a drug crime, takes refuge in his mothers house. Miss Linda had instructed him to leave before midnight, but he falls asleep. When a SWAT team arrives, Miss Linda persuades them not to go upstairs, and Reggie jumps out the bedroom window and flees into the alley, like Cherubino leaping from the Countesss window in The Marriage of Figaro. Mike gives himself a birthday party, and the guests start stealing liquor bottles. He sets up sentry on the windowsill, gun on his lap, threatening to pistol-whip the next guy who takes a bottle. But he, too, falls asleep, and a guest lifts a wad of cash from his pocket.

After the police find Reggie cowering in a shed one day, he is sent to the county jail. He wallows in self-pity because his Sixth Street male friends are not visiting him or putting money into his commissary account. Niggas aint riding right! Niggas aint got no respect, he complains to Goffman. When I come home, man, Im not fucking with none of these niggas. Where the fuck they at? They think its going to be all love when I come home, like, whats up, Reggie, welcome back and shit . . . but fuck those niggas, man, they aint riding for me. I got no rap for them when I touch.

The residents chaotic sex lives generate further farcical situationsif one can overlook for a moment the consequences for their children. Virtually every male has a baby mom and a simultaneous collection of girlfriends; the females have children and their own series of boyfriends. After a prison term, Mike is sentenced to a halfway house in North Philly. He starts sleeping with a caseworker there named Tamara. Mike violates curfew and winds up back in prison. He tries to ensure that Tamaras visits are on different days from those of Marie, the baby mom of his two children. One day, however, Tamara shows up unexpectedly, ostensibly, Goffman qualifies, to visit her inmate brother. Tamara sees Marie and Mike sitting across from each other and says hello. Marie sizes up the situation and announces loudly: I aint drive five fucking hours for this shit. Mike tries to quiet Marie downlike Don Giovanni trying to hush up Donna Elvirabut she retorts: You fucked her, didnt you. Tamara announces loudly to her brother that she really likes Mike and hopes that he is not still messing with his baby mom, while Marie conspicuously plays with Mikes hair. Mike starts talking loudly to cover up Tamaras monologue to her brother while looking desperately at Goffman to rescue him. Marie stands up and leans in for a kiss, which Mike, cornered, supplies. Tamara ends up in tears.

But the sexual complications usually take on a more depressing aspect. At the hospital where Chuck has died after his head wound, his on-again-off-again girlfriend, Tanesha, shows up, but everyone wonders where the hell Chucks baby-mom Brianna was. Miss Linda asks Goffman to give the Pampers money, which the author had promised her, to Tanesha, who is looking after Chucks two daughters until Brianna can be located. This is not an arrangement likely to end well.

False incriminations are pervasive. When Mike was 24 and his children were three and six, he started dating a woman from North Philly named Michelle. He had high hopes for her, he tells Goffman, since, as a Puerto Rican, she should be more loyal than the black chicks who love the cops and turn in their boyfriends. Moreover, Michelles father and brothers sold drugs, so she was well accustomed to criminal proceedings. Michelle said that she loved Mike more than any man she had ever met, including her three-year-olds father, then serving a ten-year federal prison sentence for an undisclosed crime. But Mike misses a court appointment, and a warrant issues for his arrest. The police find drugs and a gun in his apartment, which he tries to pin on Michelle and her father. The police show Michelle Mikes statement against her, as well as his texts and phone calls to Marie that indicate that he is still involved sexually with his baby mom. Indignant, Michelle tells the police everything she knows about his drug dealing. Mike writes her from jail: Dont come up here, dont write, dont send no more money [this last mandate entailing heroic self-sacrifice, no doubt]. . . . You thought I wasnt going to find out that you a rat? . . . Fuck it. I never gave a fuck about you anyway. You was just some pussy to me and your pussy not even that good!

But Mike is the victim of double-crossing as well. He acts as godfather to a young, hoodie-wearing tough named Ronny, a close competitor to Miss Lindas son Reggie for the status of Sixth Streets most loathsome figure. Ronny started carrying a gun at 13 and shot himself in the leg while boarding a bus at 15. He periodically gets kicked out of school for such offenses as hitting his teacher and trying to steal his principals car. He brags to Goffman that he has slept with women older than she (she was then 21). Most of his days are spent running from truant officers and serving suspensions. One night, when Ronny was 16, he and some Sixth Street associates try to break into a motorcycle store on the outskirts of Philadelphia to steal motorbikes. They fail to get in to the store and, when their Pontiac doesnt start, are unable to make their getaway. Ronny calls Goffman and Mike at 2 AM to pick him up. (Mike is, at that point, living in Goffmans apartment, along with Chuck.) The silent alarm in the motorcycle dealership has already alerted the police. They arrest Ronny and Mike, and in the stationhouse, Ronny falsely incriminates Mike as the mastermind behind the break-in. The police let Ronny go and charge Mike with attempted breaking and entering. Mike spreads the word that Ronny is a snitch. Eager to redeem his reputation, Ronny burgles a house in Southwest Philly with Mikes gun and pays Mikes bail with the proceeds from the stolen TV, stereo, and jewelry.

This lawlessness cascades into the legal economy as well. Health-care workers steal antibiotics and medical supplies from their employers to provide to their fugitive friends who are fearful of being apprehended at a hospital. University of Pennsylvania law professor Regina Austin has approvingly referred to such pilfering employees [who] spread their contraband around the neighborhood as occupying the good middle ground between straightness and more extreme forms of law-breaking.

Goffman looks at this unending stream of lawless behavior and sees only the helpless pawns of a mindlessly draconian criminal-justice system: Since the 1980s, the War on Crime and War on Drugs have taken millions of Black young men out of school, work, and family life, sent them to jails and prisons, and returned them to society with felony convictions. Actually, it is these mens own consistently bad decisions that remove them from lawful society. Felony convictions do not simply fall from the sky; they result from serious criminal activityand persistence at criminal activity, at thatrequired to induce a district attorney actually to seek a felony charge and possibly a trial. If any of Goffmans subjects made a disciplined effort at school, work, and family life, she forgot to include that detail.

Revealingly, Goffman explains how she arrived at her incongruous interpretation of Sixth Streets malaise. As a graduate student at Prince-ton, she had been casting about for a theme for her still-growing ethnographic material. Princeton was a hotbed of mass-incarceration theory, she says, which holds that American prison practices have cease[d] to be the incarceration of individual offenders and [have become] the systematic imprisonment of whole groups, in the words of sociologist David Garland. Eureka! Under the tutelage of Bruce Western and other criminal-justice critics (and with obvious influence from the writings of Michel Foucault), Goffman comes to see that her project could be framed as an on-the-ground look at mass incarceration and its accompanying systems of policing and surveillance. I was documenting the massive expansion of criminal justice intervention into the lives of poor Black families in the United States.

Yet Goffmans material refuses to conform to this template. To her credit, she devotes a chapter to clean peopleindividuals who have no dealings with the criminal-justice system. A group of young men on Sixth Street try to steer as clear as possible from the dirty people. They remain at home at night, playing video games together. They drink beer, rather than smoke marijuana, because there are drug tests at their jobs, which include security guard, maintenance man, and convenience-store clerk. If they lose their jobs, they dont start dealing drugs; they rely on friends and family until they find another position. When they break traffic laws, they pay off their fines and recover their driving licenses before they start driving again. Their unassuming rejection of criminality comes as an enormous relief after the squalid behavior of Goffmans closest associates. Their respect for the law should be celebrated and studied, as Robert Woodson has long advocated.

Remarkably, however, Goffman tries to shoehorn even these law-abiding individuals into her mass-incarceration framework, resulting in the most incoherent passage in the book: In a community where only a few young men end up in prison, we might speak of bad apples or of people who have fallen through the cracks, she writes. Given the unprecedented levels of policing and imprisonment in poor Black communities today, these individual explanations make less sense. We begin to see a more deliberate social policy at work. In that context simply bearing witness to the people who are avoiding the authorities and the penal system seems worth a few pages. The people featured here are all, in a variety of ways, leading clean lives in a dirty world. In so doing, they demonstrate that the criminal justice system has not entirely taken over poor and segregated Black neighborhoods like Sixth Street, only parts of them.

It would be more accurate to say that the clean people demonstrate that lawless behavior and moral breakdown have not entirely taken over poor and segregated Black neighborhoods like Sixth Street. The fact that the criminal-justice system distinguishes people who break the law from those who do not shows precisely that individual explanations for who gets incarcerated are accurate, not mystifying. The clean people do not run from the police because they are not wanted by the police. Even more absurd is Goffmans ascription of a deliberate social policy of oppression to the prosecution of crime. If such a policy existed, there would be no reason to make exceptions for anyone.

Goffmans thesis that the supervision of offenders creates more crime also lacks support in her reportage. She claims that the enforcement of warrants for missed court dates, probation violations, and unpaid court fees drives the Sixth Street drug dealers and thieves underground, preventing them from joining the clean world. But she never reveals why her subjects miss their court dates. Do those court obligations inflexibly interfere with job schedules in the legal economy? She would have said so. Instead, these drifting drug dealers most likely simply lack the organization and will to make their court appointments. Goffman herself notes that many a Sixth Street resident who blamed his joblessness on his fugitive status made no effort to find work when he had no outstanding warrants. As for testing dirty for drugs in violation of parole or probation conditions, no one forces a parolee to take drugs. Goffman gives us no reason to think that these thugs would behave better with less supervision; nor does she suggest what a courts response should be when they go AWOL. (UCLA professor Mark Kleiman advocates the use of flash incarceration for parole and probation violationsshort stays in a local jail, rather than prison, swiftly meted out. It is not clear that such an option was not available to Philadelphia prosecutors and judges. In any case, flash incarceration possesses little deterrent value for seasoned criminals.)

Goffmans most persuasive critique of the justice system is that court fees are imposed on defendants who lack the means to pay them, resulting in a vicious cycle of judgments for nonpayment and further warrant enforcement and incarceration. (A U.S. Justice Department report, written in the aftermath of the police shooting of Michael Brown last August, lodged this complaint against Ferguson, as well, and it is a growing focus of academic attention.) Here, too, though, Goffman shows no instance of someone making a good-faith effort to pay his fees. While her young men are not prosperous, she mentions Mikes sizable collection of worldly possessions, which include cars, motorbikes, sneakers, speakers, jewelry, and CDs. Some men may indeed lack the resources to pay their court fines, in which case the system is self-defeating; but it is also quite possible that they choose to spend their money on other things, such as drugs and sneakers.

On the Run unwittingly demonstrates why police presence is heavy in black inner-city neighborhoods. Goffman mentions just one fatal police shooting: Anthony had shot at undercover officers in an alley, thinking that they were gang rivals; they returned fire and killed him. Otherwise, and contrary to the claims of the Black Lives Matter movement, her young black men overwhelmingly die at one anothers hands, such as a friend of Chucks, shot while exiting Goffmans car outside a bar. The clean people of Sixth Street do not complain about the police; indeed, Miss Lindas father, a retired postal clerk, regularly calls the cops on his grandsons and welcomes the heavy police activity in the neighborhood. Even the Sixth Street criminals try to get themselves arrested when the local gang violence becomes too hot; prisons and jails are the only place they feel safe.

Goffman claims to have witnessed officers beating up suspects 14 times in 18 months of daily observation and asserts that the Philadelphia Police Department has an official, if sub rosa, policy of pummeling suspects who so much as put a finger on an officer. She also claims, without a source, that the cops routinely steal cash during drug raids. (She doesnt mention the alleged deficiencies in the departments deadly force training, for which it is criticized in another recent Justice Department report, which also noted that black and Hispanic officers were far more likely than white officers to shoot black civilians based on a mistaken perception of threat.) Such brutality and corruption, if true, must be punished and eradicated. (One should note, though, in assessing Goffmans credibility in such matters, that her loathing of the police is such that she develops a fear of white men in particular, and white people more generally.) But such police misconduct, if it existsas it did in North Charleston, South Carolina, where Walter Scott was shot to death in wholly unjustified circumstancesdoes not mean that lawful police activity is any less needed in neighborhoods still plagued by violence and other forms of disorder. Philadelphias high crime rate has been a perennial drag on its economy. Data-driven policing and the incarceration buildup that Goffman and her mentors so decry resulted nationally in the steepest crime drop in modern history (especially in New York), saving countless inner-city lives, both clean and dirty. At the end of the book, Reggie and Tim are serving long prison sentences. We have no reason to believe that those punishments were not deserved.

It is remarkable enough that Goffman, seeing the lawless behavior of Sixth Streets dirty people, still views them as helpless victims of a racist criminal-justice system. She has clearly been captured by her subjects. After Chuck is killed, she chauffeurs Mike around the neighborhood, Glock in his lap, as he seeks to find and gun down the murderer. She feels ashamed and sorry about being white, when Miss Lindas extended family complains about there being a white girl in their midst. (Such pervasive antiwhite antagonism is perhaps the best-kept secret about black inner-city culture.) Goffman refuses to give the police information about the crimes she has witnessed.

But it is even more remarkable that so many influential readers have bought Goffmans thesis that law enforcement is the predominant source of trouble in her subjects lives. Journalist Malcolm Gladwell, lauding the book in The New Yorker, draws the conclusion that the criminal-justice system blocks black criminals and their progeny from entering the middle class, unlike its earlier treatment of the Mafia. Harvards Christopher Jencks, writing in The New York Review of Books, rues the terrible collateral damage inflicted on the young black men of Sixth Street by their interminable struggle with the policeechoing Goffmans contention that such struggles simply happen, rather than being the result of voluntary behavior. Like Goffman, her well-placed readers focus on the consequences of crime for the criminal and ignore the crime itself. On the Run could have been a needed corrective to the post-Ferguson conceit of a racist justice apparatus arbitrarily descending on helpless black communities. But it is not being received that way. Instead, the books reception has demonstrated how ineradicably committed liberal elites are to the belief in black victimhood. And that belief, continuously fed to the street by the advocates and the media, means that police-community relations in New York and other American cities will continue to be fraught with tension and danger.

Photo: A December 2014 protest against the police in New York City (Q. SAKAMAKI/REDUX)
Operators of eight fitness centers in Eastern Washington face fines totaling more than $77,000 for being open in violation of the states Safe Start order.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries recently cited the companies for potentially exposing employees to the coronavirus under Gov. Jay Inslees Safe Start plan to reopen business.

Most of the gyms are Anytime Fitness franchises owned by two separate entities. Its the second time in a month that one of the facilities, Anytime Fitness Selah, has been cited and fined.

L&I has cited Bradshaw Development Inc. for operating the Selah location, along with Anytime Fitness gyms in Union Gap and Yakima, when inspectors found all three open on July 15.

The three fines total $28,917. Thats on top of the initial citation and fine of $9,639 for the Selah gym violation in June. Bradshaw is appealing that citation.

L&I also issued four citations to Fit City NW LLC for operating Anytime Fitness gyms in Moxee, Wapato, Toppenish and Granger when inspectors found them open on July 14. The citation fines amount to $38,556.

In addition to the Anytime Fitness citations, L&I cited a separate company, Double Down CrossFit Co-CrossFit Reformation, for operating Double Down CrossFit in Yakima on June 24. The employer is appealing the citation and $9,639 fine.

L&I cited the businesses after receiving multiple complaints that they were serving customers when they should not be. Before issuing the violations, the department warned the employers to comply with the state order, and visited each site in person.

Each citation is a willful general violation, meaning the employer knew about the safety requirements, but refused to follow them. Each violation carries a penalty of $9,639.

The governors emergency proclamation prohibits most businesses from operating unless their county is in the appropriate phase of the statewide plan to reopen, and the businesses follow specific safety requirements.

Along with the fitness centers, a Kennewick tanning salon has been cited for a Safe Start violation.

Tri Cities Tan LLC was recently fined $9,639 for operating Golden Palm Tanning in late June in violation of the governors order.

The tanning center is in Benton County, which was in Phase 1 at the time of the violation.

Topics Washington
Cat owners will know that when a feline doesn't get what it wants, things can get intense.

Pet owners from Indonesia to the US and Germany and more have shared hilarious pictures of their furry friends mid-meltdowns, and revealed the reasons behind their distress.

The snaps, shared in an online gallery on Bored Panda, showed one crafty cat who attempted to hide in his owner's suitcase as they were driving to the vet.

Meanwhile, in America In the US, a cat spent the duration of bath time hissing angrily - making for a rather amusing snap.

FEMAIL takes a look at the cats who win the crown for being drama queens.

Feline grumpy? Cat owners have shared the best pictures of their pet's meltdowns, including a Portuguese feline was not amused by their owner's attempt at crafting a cat from its fur

In the US, this poor cat was understandably not pleased after getting caught between the door and the glass window - making for an amusing snap

This kitten, believed to be from the US, was furious after the family dog tried to show them affection with a big lick across its face

Fur god's sake! Meanwhile, in the US, one cat did not seem to enjoy their owner's petting, and responded with a quick backhand and their best offended look

In Germany, this cat hid in their owner's suitcase and looked terrified as they drove to the dreaded vet - clearly knowing what was in store for him

Cat got your tongue? We don't know what this fluffy beauty from an unknown location saw through the window, but there is no doubt it was shocking

In Indonesia, a cat really should have been nominated for an Oscar, after putting on this very convincing performance that it was stuck underneath a car's wheel

In the US, one cat was particularly dismayed when their owner attempted to cuddle him, and sulked in the sofa's pillow until they were left alone

On strike! This feline, believed to be from the US, missed his owner and made it known by howling from the cupboard - much to the petsitter's horror

This cat, believed to be from the US, gave up on walking in the middle of a stroll with his owner - proving that leads may just be reserved for the dogs of this world

Elsewhere, this US cat hung on for dear life to this tree during a walk in the woods, with the owner unsure over whether the cat was terrified or excited

What was that, human? This cat was startled by their owner's sudden sneeze and could not stop staring at them for several minutes

A sensitive soul! This cat's owner, thought to be from the US, revealed how their pet seemed heartbroken after watching a particularly shocking news segment

Caught red handed! This kitty could not believe it when their owner found them in this cardboard box - matching the expression of the cat mask rather precisely

Cat-astrophe! In the US, a cat made sure to warn their owner about the dangers of bathtubs by meowing loudly during the whole duration of the bath time

In the US, this same cat who did not want to go to the vet caused a scene in the professional's office by climbing on its cupboard - perhaps spurred on by the statue of the dog

In Virginia, this cat owner explained it just took them slightly longer than usual to serve their very hungry cat - with the feisty feline immediately turning into a drama queen

Leave meow alone! We would not want to get on the bad side of this ferocious feline, who was all teeth and claws during its walk

In California, a cat who had been pestering their owner to get in their car was less than impressed when his wish was granted, acting startled when they actually did
Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at this hour. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

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When Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, 55, thought of returning to work after recovering from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), he realised that he could not walk even small distances without his heart rate increasing.He had to be readmitted in hospital for an echocardiogram to check his heart health. Read more

Covid-19: Tracing Indias journey to two million cases

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Govt gone missing: Rahul targets Centre as India crosses 2 mn Covid-19 cases

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday once again attacked the Centre as India became the third country in the world, after the US and Brazil, to report more two million cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Read more

Kia Sonet set for premiere today, promises to hot up sub-compact SUV war

Kia Sonet was first presented in concept form at Auto Expo 2020 back in February and now, the company is finally set to showcase the production version of the much-awaited sub-compact SUV on Friday. Read more

Twitter accidentally tells iOS users they can limit replies to their tweets

Twitters iOS app users saw an update on Wednesday that they could now limit who gets to reply to their tweets. However, it looks like Twitter made a mistake here. Read more

Dog and duck have been best friends since the day they met. Their tale is all about love

If youre someone who enjoys knowing about beautiful stories of interspecies friendships, then this tale of a dog and a duck will make your lips curl up in a smile. In fact, whats even more adorable is that they have been best friends since the day they met. Read more

Ricotta Records: Anonymouse artists install miniature, mouse-themed record store in Sweden

The artistic collective, Anonymouse, that creates and exhibits miniature mouse-themed artwork unveiled their latest artwork on Nygatan Street in Lund, Sweden. Read more
Can't allow every person who thinks of some solution to COVID-19 to file petition: SC

Faith vs safety in burials: COVID-19 remains in dead bodies for 9 days says Centre

'Nothing Changes': SC on new J&K Lt Governor while hearing 4G plea

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 07: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to explore the possibility of restoring 4G services in certain areas.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration sought time to take instructions on the restoration of high-speed internet service, saying a new Lt Governor has been appointed in the Union Territory.

Manoj Sinha has been appointed the new LG of Jammu and Kashmir after G C Murmu resigned from the post.

Manoj Sinha takes charge as LG of Jammu and Kashmir

High speed Internet service in J-K has been suspended since August last year when the Centre had announced the revocation of its special status and bifurcation of the state into two UTs -- Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The top court told the administration that with the change of LG, nothing changes as the special committee is there to look into the issue.

A bench of Justices N V Ramana, R Subhash Reddy and B R Gavai adjourned the hearing for August 11, on the contempt plea filed by an NGO seeking restoration of 4G internet service in the UT.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The top court was hearing a plea of the NGO seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the Union Home Secretary and Chief Secretary of J-K for their alleged "wilful disobedience" in complying with the court's May 11 order.

At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the J-K administration told the bench that he needs to take instructions as the LG has changed there and new LG has taken over yesterday.

The bench said that with the change of LG, nothing changes as the high powered committee is there to look into the issue.

It said that the court cannot say what the situation is on the ground level but the issue is that the matter should not be delayed.

The bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to take instructions on whether 4G services can be restored in certain areas.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that there is no intention to delay the issue as the top court's order has been complied with in letter and spirit and he would take instructions.

The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that he has to explain as under what circumstances the LG had reportedly said that the 4G internet service can be restored and what was the basis of that statement by the LG.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the petitioner NGO raised the issue of time sought by the respondents repeatedly in the matter.

The bench told Ahmadi that he must also be aware about the changes and asked him to wait for two more days.

It said that strictly speaking, the matter can be disposed of but the court needs to see under what circumstances that statement was reportedly made (by the LG).

The bench told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that there is no question of further adjournment and he should take instructions on the issue.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said earlier they had filed a response to the petition and then there was some subsequent interview given by the LG.

On July 28, the Centre and the J-K administration had told the top court that it will verify reported statements made by the Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir and BJP leader Ram Madhav that 4G Internet service can be restored in the Union Territory, and sought time to file a reply to the rejoinder affidavit filed by an NGO.

A contempt plea has been filed by an NGO Foundation for Media Professionals seeking action against authorities for not complying with the top court's direction on the restoration of 4G internet services.
Miki Fukui observes five minutes of silence during a vigil at Park Square in Pittsfield, Mass., Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, on the 75th anniversary of the day the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing over 100,000 people. At 8:15 a.m., the time that the bomb fissioned above Hiroshima in 1945, the gathered participants held five minutes of silence in remembrance. (Stephanie Zollshan/The Berkshire Eagle via AP)



Survivors of the world's first atomic bombing gathered in diminished numbers near an iconic, blasted dome Thursday to mark the attack's 75th anniversary, many of them urging the world, and their own government, to do more to ban nuclear weapons.



An upsurge of coronavirus cases in Japan meant a much smaller than normal turnout, but the bombing survivors' message was more urgent than ever. As their numbers dwindle _ their average age is about 83 _ many nations have bolstered or maintained their nuclear arsenals, and their own government refuses to sign a nuclear weapons ban treaty.



Amid cries of Japanese government hypocrisy, survivors, their relatives and officials marked the 8:15 a.m. blast anniversary with a minute of silence.





People pray for the atomic bomb victims at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park marking the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan on Thursday, August 6, 2020. The ceremony this year was scaled down a precaution to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. An American B-29 Superfortress flew from Tinian in the Mariana Islands dropping the bomb called "Little Boy", killing approximately 75,000 people, some 30 percent of the population. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI/





Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Thursday, August 6, 2020. The ceremony this year was scaled down a precaution to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19. An American B-29 Superfortress flew from Tinian in the Mariana Islands dropping the bomb called "Little Boy", killing approximately 75,000 people, some 30 percent of the population. Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI/





Volunteers release paper lanterns along the Motoyasu River in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. in Hiroshima, western Japan. Japan marked the 75th anniversary Thursday of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The official lantern event was cancelled to the public due to coronavirus but a small group of local representatives released some lanterns. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)



The United States dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. It dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000. Japan surrendered Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.



But the decades since have seen the weapons stockpiling of the Cold War and a nuclear standoff among nations that continues to this day.



Amid the solemn remembrances at Hiroshima's peace park, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was confronted Thursday by six members of survivors' groups over the treaty.



''Could you please respond to our request to sign the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty?'' Tomoyuki Mimaki, a member of a major survivors' group, Hidankyo, implored Abe. ''The milestone 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing is a chance'' to change course.



Abe insisted on Japan's policy not to sign the treaty, vaguely citing a ''different approach,'' though he added that the government shares the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons.



''Abe's actions don't seem to match his words,'' said Manabu Iwasa, 47, who came to the park to pray for his father, a bombing survivor who died at age 87 in March. ''Japan apparently sides with the United States, but it should make more efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons. It's frustrating, but there is not much we individuals can do.''






China and Iran are working to sway U.S. voters against President Donald Trump while Russia is working against his rival, Joe Biden, intelligence agencies said Friday.

"Many foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements; covert influence efforts are rarer," National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina said in a statement.

The statement provides the latest intelligence-community assessments of threats by foreign actors to disrupt and influence the election less than three months ahead of the vote.

At the top of the list is China, which sees Trump as "unpredictable" and has been increasingly critical of the president on covid-19, Hong Kong and TikTok.

Iran also sees a second Trump term as a threat to its regime, and will use online influence to spread disinformation about the election, Evanina said.

But the assessment says Russia, which worked on behalf of Trump and against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 campaign, sees Biden as part of an anti-Russia establishment and will use social media and television to denigrate his candidacy.

Evanina said the intelligence community's assessments were objective and nonpolitical and that it was briefing both candidates and members of Congress about threats.

Chris Krebs, director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said "Americans should rest assured that we are working to ensure our elections remain secure."

National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said the U.S. "will respond to malicious foreign threats that target our democratic institutions."

"The United States is working to identify and disrupt foreign influence efforts targeting our political system, including efforts designed to suppress voter turnout or undermine public confidence in the integrity of our elections," he said.

Democratic senators like Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal who received classified intelligence briefings on foreign election interference in recent days have been alarmed and had demanded a public release of information they received.

Blumenthal had called the secret briefings "terrifying."

Acting Senate Intelligence Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., warned Thursday that foreign actors including Russia and China would try to exploit a chaotic vote-counting process for mail-in ballots.

Rubio called on Congress to extend the deadline for states to count their ballots to January and to pass his bill to sanction countries found to interfere in future American elections.

Rubio and the senior Democrat on the committee, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, put out a joint statement calling for the release of all possible information about election interference to fight it.

"And we encourage political leaders on all sides to refrain from weaponizing intelligence matters for political gain, as this only furthers the divisive aims of our adversaries," they said.

Evanina said foreign actors may try to disrupt election equipment in order to call into question the legitimacy of the election, but concluded "it would be difficult for our adversaries to interfere with or manipulate voting results at scale."

Amid voting in the 2020 primaries, senior national security officials observed that Russian disinformation was ongoing and that foreign actors were using disinformation to influence the public and weaken confidence in democratic institutions.

The November election will also take place during the coronavirus pandemic -- a crisis that has seen hacking and disinformation by U.S. Competitors. The State Department has warned that foreign adversaries have used the outbreak to spread disinformation to advance their priorities. Meanwhile, cybersecurity experts have seen a spike in hacking during the pandemic, which has included a Chinese government attempts to access valuable research on coronavirus vaccines and treatments.
Photo: (Photo : unsplash)

This very unusual year has presented us with a lot of changes - working from home, virtual schooling, no extracurricular activities - and a lot of the same with lockdowns and quarantine. These changes and being cooped up can be tough for kids to cope with.

As many have been spending more time at home, they are realizing that their current accommodations aren't fitting for spending so much time at home together as a family. In fact, even amid the pandemic, the Pew Research Center found that 1 in 5 American adults moved because of the pandemic or know someone who did.

Moving in itself is one of the most stressful life events, but moving during COVID-19 adds more anxiety and strain, and kids are very receptive to how parents are feeling in addition to having their own feelings about making changes.

So how can you stay positive with your kids as you're planning a move? Below, you'll find a few tips for keeping your kids' spirits up as you plan and execute your move.

Watching for stress signs

New York Times writer Cheryl Lock wrote a piece about moving with kids during a pandemic after she moved her young children. She spoke to Beth Peters, Ph.D., from Dandelion Psychology, in Arvada, Colorado.

Peters said that some stress signs children might exhibit include body pains, such as headaches and stomach aches, and reverting to baby talk. But it's more likely that non-verbal cues, such as thumb-sucking, bed-wetting or being extra clingy, will clue you in.

Getting ready for the move

Lock suggests paving the way for the move by involving your kids as much as possible in the planning stages. Include them in the discussions about moving as much as possible. Bring them on walk-throughs, show them virtual tours or photos on Google Earth, and talk through what will be the same and what will be different. And for school-aged children, it's a good idea to show them what their new school will look like, even if in-person classes aren't in the cards right away.

Use picture books and favorite television shows or movies to acclimate your kids to what moving looks like and will entail, especially with younger children.

Global Van Lines suggests taking it a step further and over-communicating. "Even young toddlers pick up on anxiety or stress. Sometimes, parents don't realize how little they have communicated to the littler family members," the post reads. It suggests taking time to discuss the move with children daily in preparation for the move. But equally important is taking time to stop and listen to what children are saying, both verbally and non-verbally.

When planning your move, be sure to consider any transitional times such as school, potty training, etc., and try not to move during a time that would interrupt those transitions if possible.

Packing

A big part of staying positive for your kids is managing your own stress. So when it comes time to move, make a plan that will help you manage your anxieties. Here are HomeLight's top tips for packing during COVID-19. They range from finding alternatives to used boxes to moving into a disinfected home.

Also, agree in advance on a few comfort items with your children that you can pack for the car ride so that they'll be the first items to arrive with you.

Getting closure

Allowing the children to have touchpoints into their former homelife is a nice way to give them closure. They can take a memento from the old house, or you could make a picture book of their favorite things from the old house so that they can look back on their memories.

Dr. Peters says that it helps to create a goodbye ritual for saying goodbye to the old home and their friends around it. Include saying goodbye to the neighbors and friends and let them keep whatever momentos they decide to take with them close.

Moving day

When planning the day, include some padding for being upset, and have your comfort items ready to go. In two-parent households, switching off parent responsibilities with moving responsibilities is an effective way to manage all the moving parts. In a single-parent household, find a close friend or relative to help.

Whether you're traveling across country or just a few miles, Global Van Lines suggests capitalizing on special treats such as picking up food from your kids' favorite restaurants or letting your kids make pillow forts in the hotel or in their new rooms.

Dr. Peters says that the more control you can give your kids, the better.

Maureen Healy, author of The Emotionally Healthy Child, told Lock that keeping the messaging consistent and clear can help kids focus on the positives of the move, such as their new bedroom or the nearby park, while letting them know it's OK to have their own emotions.

Healy suggests connecting with the people they love soon after the move as well as finding ways to connect with their new community as safely as possible.

But perhaps the best thing you can do to help make the move positive for your kids is to spend a little more quality time with them to listen and help them cope along the way.

For more on COVID-19 and real estate, check out HomeLight's Top Agent Insight Survey from Q2.
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Linkedin Roxanne Liu and Ludwig Burger (Reuters) Beijing, China/Frankfurt, Germany  Fri, August 7, 2020 10:50 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c43402 2 World AstraZeneca,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,drugmakers,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products will produce AstraZeneca Plc's potential COVID-19 vaccine in mainland China, the British drugmaker said on Thursday, its first deal to supply one of the world's most populous countries.

The deal underscores Astra's frontrunner position in a global race to deliver an effective vaccine, given that Chinese ventures are leading at least eight of the 26 global vaccine development projects currently testing on humans.

Under the agreement Shenzhen Kangtai, one of China's top vaccine makers, will ensure it has annual production capacity of at least 100 million doses of the experimental shot AZD1222, which AstraZeneca co-developed with researchers at Oxford University, by the end of this year, AstraZeneca said.

The Shenzhen-based company must have capacity to produce at least 200 million doses by the end of next year as part of the exclusive framework agreement, its statement on the Chinese social media site WeChat said.

The two companies will also explore the possibility of cooperation on the vaccine candidate in other markets, AstraZeneca said.

They did not respond to requests for further comment.

There are no approved vaccines for COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

AstraZeneca has signed manufacturing deals globally including the United States, Britain, South Korea and Brazil, resulting in a target to make more than 2 billion doses of the vaccine.

For China, this marks another major deal to secure access to a COVID-19 vaccine developed by a foreign company as the country's other potential shots under development enter late stage of human trials.

Other collaborations between Chinese and Western players include a tie-up between Germany's BioNTech and Fosun , as well as one between Inovio Pharma and Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology.

The scramble for treatments and vaccines to curb the pandemic has boosted global pharmaceutical companies' shares, particularly those in China.

Shenzhen Kangtai's market value has surged almost 90% to about $20 billion over the past month, with shares hitting all-time highs on Tuesday. The Shenzhen-listed stock was down 10% on Thursday.

In 2019, the company, whose main products are vaccines for Hepatitis B, flu and measles and rubella, reported net profits of 574.5 million yuan ($82.68 million) on revenue of 1.94 billion
Eight new wolf puppies are now roaming the wilds of Lassen and Plumas counties, an indication that Californias only known wolf pack is thriving and likely to stay, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A video taken in July of the newest members of the Lassen Pack was released this week on the Fish and Wildlife website. It shows six black puppies and two lighter-colored lobos sniffing around in a field. Biologists have genetically identified four males and two females.

The Lassen Pack, which has staked out territory in western Lassen and in the northernmost portion of Plumas County, has produced puppies every year since 2017, but this years litter was fathered by a different wolf.

The wolf that started the pack in 2016 was the son of the famous wolf known as OR-7,who made the historic first pilgrimage through California in 2011, 87 years after the states last native wolf was killed.

Fish and Wildlife biologists have confirmed through fieldwork and genetic analysis of scat that a black male wolf replaced OR-7s son last year as the packs breeding male. The new leader is not related to other known California wolves, officials said. It is not known what happened to the former pack leader.

Two of the six adult Lassen pack members, a yearling male and the breeding female, were fitted with radio collars this summer and are now being tracked. Many lone, uncollared wolves have been detected in Northern California over the past decade, but the Lassen Pack is the only documented family group.

The presence of Canis lupus in California is considered a milestone in the steady movement of wolves across the Western United States. Up to 2 million gray wolves once lived in North America, but ranchers and bounty hunters drove them to near-extinction in the lower 48 states.

California wolves are now protected under the state and federal endangered species acts, but some ranchers and hunting groups are not happy. State wildlife officials have documented several instances of livestock being attacked and killed by wolves and are working with agricultural officials on nonlethal ways to halt that behavior.

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 Lassen Pack is actually the second pack to establish territory in California. The first, called the Shasta Pack, was documented in eastern Siskiyou County in 2015 and was believed to be responsible for the first reported case of livestock depredation by wolves in the state.

The seven members of the Shasta Pack  which sported distinctive black coats  disappeared shortly after that incident,and some wolf advocates feared they had been killed in retalitation. One member of the pack was later confirmed in northwestern Nevada.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @pfimrite
Wing Commander Deepak Vasant Sathe, the captain of the ill-fated aircraft that crashed at Calicut on Friday, was a top-notch Indian Air Force fighter who learnt his trade flying the Soviet-origin MiG-21 fighter planes during his 22-year IAF career, people who have known him said.

Sathe, 59, was awarded the coveted sword of honour (a recognition of his skills) when he graduated from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal near Hyderabad in June 1981. The former IAF fighter, an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, was also an accomplished test pilot.

Also read: Twenty dead in Kerala as repatriation flight skids off runway, breaks in two

This is sad. Sathe was a comrade in arms at the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment STE (IAFs flight testing establishment) with me. RIP Tester. The call signs of all test pilots have the Tester prefix, said Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

Sathe joined the air force in June 1981 and quit the IAF prematurely in June 2003, said another ex-IAF pilot who knew him.

Also read: All passengers evacuated from crash site, urgent meeting called in Delhi

He was an extremely skilled pilot who loved flying. He was a mentor to many young pilots, he said.

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From the beginning of the ceasefire regime on July 27 till 19:30 on August 5, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) recorded 251 ceasefire violations.

The OSCE SMM said this in a report issued on August 6, based on information from the monitoring teams received as of 19:30 on August 5, 2020.

Following agreement reached at the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on July 22 regarding additional measures to strengthen the ceasefire, from 00:01 on July 27 until the end of the reporting period, the SMM recorded a total of 251 ceasefire violations, both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions (including 45 explosions, two projectiles in flight, three illumination flares and 201 bursts and shots of small-arms fire), the report reads.

The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Inside the latter two areas, an SMM long-range UAV observed people during evening and night hours.

The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to localised ceasefires to enable the repairs to, maintenance and operation of critical civilian infrastructure.

The Mission visited four border crossing points in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians amid the COVID-19 outbreak, including at an entry-exit checkpoint in Luhansk region.

The Missions freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including near Korsun and Kreminets, and at a border crossing point near non-government controlled Izvaryne.

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I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes; and they will know that I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance on them. (Ezekiel 25:17; NASB Translation)

There are a handful of Bible verses that most Christians probably know by heart.

-I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

-for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

-Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

-For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Short, iconic, and easy to memorize, these are just a few foundational verses to the Christian faith that are often seen printed on bumper stickers or t-shirts or showcased on Twitter feeds.

Ezekiel 25:17, however, is one verse that most Christ-followers and Bible readers may draw a blank on; and yet, its one of the most popular and highly searched Bible verses in pop culture.

Why Is Ezekiel 25:17 So Popular?

Ironically, its the movie buffs that have committed Ezekiel 25:17 to memory and elevated it to the top of most online search engines.

Thats because a version of Ezekiel 25:17 is famously quoted by hitman Jules Winfield, played by Samuel L. Jackson, in Quentin Tarantinos 1994 cult classic, Pulp Fiction.

In one of Quentin Tarantinos first feature films, the character Jules Winfield recites a modified version of Ezekiel 25:17 right before he shoots and kills one of his intended targets. According to Jules, hes been saying it for years.

But how does the famous movie monologue compare to the actual verse that inspired it?

In Pulp Fiction Jules says,

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness, for he is truly his brothers keeper and the finder of lost children and I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers and you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you!

Ezekiel 25:17, however, says,

I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes; and they will know that I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance on them. (Ezekiel 25:17)

Its safe to say that Pulp Fiction definitely took some liberties.

But what does the real, biblical Ezekiel 25:17 actually mean? Why is the Pulp Fiction version so different?

And why is so important for believers to know what the Bible really has to say?

Photo Credit: Sparrowstock

Understanding the Context of the Book of Ezekiel

The book of Ezekiel was written by the prophet Ezekiel, who had ministered to Gods people from 592 B.C. to 570 B.C. and warned of the eventual destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of Babylon in 586 B.C.

Ezekiel himself wrote most of his message from captivity as one of 10,000 Jews taken by King Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C.

In fact, Nebuchadnezzar had previously carried off a number of high-level Jewish hostages in his first invasion of Judah in 605 B.C. Among this first group of captives was the prophet Daniel, who resided in the palaces of Babylon and ministered to the king himself, while Ezekiel lived in the countryside.

For years, God warned the people of Israel and Judah, through prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, that if they didnt turn from their idolatry, He would discipline them for their disobedience and unfaithfulness. Unfortunately, the people of Israel did not heed the warning and were taken captive by the Babylonians as a result.

It would take 70 years in captivity for Gods message to finally get through and the hearts of Israel to return to God.

This was the very idea behind Jeremiahs most quoted verse: for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

As it was written in the Proverbs, my son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, for whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

The captivity and exile of Israel were all part of Gods plan for His people, who He had chosen to discipline because of His love. By the time the captives of Israel returned to Jerusalem, the people had been cured of their idolatry. From that moment on, the children of Israel would look to God and God alone. Gods plan had worked.

In fact, one of the recurring themes of the book of Ezekiel can be found in the phrase, and they will know that I am the Lord, which is repeated on several occasions.

Not only was this a message to the people of Israel, it was a warning to the enemies and surrounding nations who wanted to destroy Israel.

God Disciplines, but He Also Protects

God may discipline His children, but He also defends and protects the ones He loves.

This is where Ezekiel 25:17 comes into play.

Where most of Ezekiels writings are directed to the people of Israel, chapters 25 through 32 are written to the enemies of Israel, warning them of Gods coming judgment.

Ezekiel 25 specifically looks to the nations of Moab (Ezekiel 25:8-11), Edom (Ezekiel 25:12-14), and Philistia (Ezekiel 25:15-17) for their treatment of Israel.

So when Ezekiel writes, I (the Lord) will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes; and they will know that I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance on them. (Ezekiel 25:17), he is writing specifically about the Philistines, who had been a major adversary of Israel going all the way back to the time of Samson and King David.

The point here is that God remembers those who wrong His people and promises here to avenge Himself on one of Israels greatest tormentors.

It is not mans vengeance that Ezekiel highlights, but Gods, specifically targeted at the Philistines. And by His miracles, all nations will see and know that He alone is God!

How Does Pulp Fiction Misinterpret Ezekiel 25:17?

By his own admission, Quentin Tarantino modified Ezekiel 25:17 to make Jules killer mantra sound more intimidating. It wouldnt be the first time that a movie or fictional character altered, misinterpreted, or misappropriated a passage of Scripture. It happens in real life, too.

And yes, the Bible has a few things to say about adding to, twisting, or changing the meaning of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:5-6).

In this instance, however, Pulp Fictions Jules Winfield is portrayed as a violent, spiritually-minded, and entirely fictional character who frequently contemplates social norms and the deeper meaning of mercy, redemption, and the condition of his own soul.

Interestingly enough, Jules does eventually choose to walk away from his life as a hitman to walk the earth, transformed by what he believes was divine intervention. And while his transformation isnt necessarily aligned with the biblical concept of redemption, the character does address several biblical themes through his actions and dialogue.

His famous slogan is a patchwork of several prominent Bible verses loosely sewn together to form the characters mantra.

For instance, the line, the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men is derived from verses like Proverbs 2:20, Proverbs 8:20, and Proverbs 11:5, which says, the righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.

Shepherding the weak through the valley of darkness no doubt draws from the Shepherds Psalm, Psalms 23, and even Ezekiel 34, where Ezekiel prophesies against the shepherds and spiritual leaders of Israel for failing Gods people.

The term brothers keeper comes from Genesis 4:9 in which Cain responds to the Lord, asking, am I my brothers keeper? after he had murdered his brother Abel.

Referencing lost children could be a connection to the Parable of the Lost Sheep (Luke 15) and other passages of Scripture where God refers to His children as lost sheep in need of rescue (Jeremiah 50:6, Matthew 15:24).

Even the quoting of Ezekiel 25:17 isnt a faithful representation of the biblical text in that it adds extra words.

So, unfortunately, while Jules Winfields quote does reference parts of Scripture, the character ultimately conflates and confuses the meaning of the passages he has cobbled together.

What Do Different Bible Translations Say in Ezekiel 25:17?

"I will carry out great vengeance on them and punish them in my wrath. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I take vengeance on them.'" (NIV Translation)

"I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.'" (ESV Translation)

"I will execute terrible vengeance against them to punish them for what they have done. And when I have inflicted my revenge, they will know that I am the Lord.'" (NLT Translation)

God, the Master, says: Because the Philistines were so spitefully vengefulall those centuries of stored-up malice!and did their best to destroy Judah, therefore I, God, the Master, will oppose the Philistines and cut down the Cretans and anybody else left along the seacoast. Huge acts of vengeance, massive punishments! When I bring vengeance, theyll realize that I am God. (Ezekiel 25:15-17, The Message)

What Christians Need to Remember About Gods Vengeance

While Pulp Fiction references vengeance, Ezekiel 25:17 is quoted as a justification for mans violence, not Gods.

The Bible, however, is clear that vengeance belongs to the Lord and that He alone is judge.

It is written:

- And he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. (Psalms 9:8)

- I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. (Isaiah 13:11)

- Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

- You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18)

- See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

The important thing to remember from all of these verses is that God alone is just, and He alone has the right to judge. He is the good shepherd responsible for disciplining and defending His sheep. Vengeance is His, never ours.

So when movie buffs recite Jules Winfields monologue or tattoo Ezekiel 25:17 onto their forearms, theres a pretty good chance they arent really quoting Scripture. Theyre quoting Pulp Fiction, and yes, theres a big differenceone that Christians should definitely be aware of!

Photo Credit: GettyImages/diego_cervo

Joel Ryan is an LA-based childrens author, artist, professor, and speaker who is passionate about helping young writers unleash their creativity and discover the wonders of their Creator through storytelling and art. In his blog, Perspectives off the Page, he discusses all things story and the creative process.

This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.

"Be Still and Know that I Am God"

"Pray Without Ceasing"

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

"All Things Work Together for Good"

"Do Not Fear"
HISTORY

Under Fire: How Australias Violent History led to Gun Control

Nick Brodie

Hardie Grant, $29.99

An almost immediate effect of the coronavirus pandemic in Australia was the re-emergence of gun control, an issue more or less dormant in this country since the 1990s. A reported spike in demand for guns in reaction to COVID-19 was swiftly met with a total ban on sales by governments in states such as Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

As historian Nick Brodie demonstrates in this fascinating book, gun control has been an area of unresolved tension in Australian history going back to European settlement. Founded as a penal colony on what was perceived by the colonists as a wild frontier, the Australian authorities have always had a twofold attitude towards firearms.

Prime Minister John Howard addresses a gun rally wearing a bulletproof vest. Nick Brodie says the move to limit gun ownership following the Port Arthur massacre was hugely important. Credit:Colin Murty

On the one hand, individual settlers found plenty of uses for guns in their efforts to bend the landscape to their will, including ruthless dispossession of the Indigenous people. On the other hand, governments have long been wary of allowing too many weapons to circulate without restriction among Australians, or at least certain groups within society, lest they become a threat to public safety and political stability.
Jamie Frey of Fox River Grove has a daughter starting third grade and twin girls starting kindergarten in the Barrington school district. With the three of them being at home for school theyre going to need their own space to work, she said. I cant have them all at the dining room table on an 8 a.m. Zoom call at the same time, so I got my third grader a desk so that she can work in her room. Im hoping that she will have more freedom to get her work done with some support from me, and Ill be in the dining room with the twins.
Some leaders of opposition SAD including Bikram Singh Majithia were briefly detained here on Friday by the police as they tried to stage a protest near the Punjab Raj Bhawan demanding dismissal of the Congress government in the state over the hooch tragedy.

Talking to reporters at the protest site, Majithia dubbed Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's visit to Tarn Taran to meet families of the victims as a mere photo op.

Demanding a CBI probe into the incident which has so far claimed 121 lives, the senior Akali leader said, "Our party demands justice for the victims. We will continue our fight till they get justice.

Another senior SAD leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder said the chief minister made a show of visiting the victim families.

The truth is that he paid a twenty minute visit to the police lines in Tarn Taran which was heavily guarded as the Congress government feared a backlash from the people," he said.

People were summoned to be present like they are in a durbar due to which a large number of them refused to come despite intense pressure from SPs and DSPs deputed specifically for this purpose," he said.

"The chief minister also refused to visit Amritsar and Batala  the two other sites of the hooch tragedy..., he added.

The Akali leaders demanded a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for each family of the victims.

Bhunder said since there was no scope of justice from the Congress government, the SAD leaders had come to the Raj Bhawan as they wanted to request Governor V P Singh Badnore to take action on the representation submitted to him on Thursday by a SAD-BJP delegation led by Sukhbir Singh Badal and Manoranjan Kalia.
Preble, N.Y. -- A woman is in serious condition after a Wednesday car crash in Preble forced her to be flown to Upstate University Hospital, New York State Police said Thursday.

Troopers responded to a two-car crash at 9:40 p.m. on Wednesday near exit 13 of Interstate 81in the Town of Preble, police said.

A Chevy Colorado with two people in the car was being driven northbound on Interstate 81 when it was rear-ended by a Hyundai Elantra, police said.

The Chevy left the road, hit a guardrail, sign for exit 13, and ended up in the grass next to the highway, police said.

The Hyundai also left the road, hit the exit 13 sign and ended up in the grass, according to police.

The woman driving the Hyundai was thrown from the car because of the impact of the crash, police said. She was flown by helicopter to Upstate, police said.

No one in the Chevy was injured, according to police.

Police are still investigating the crash.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
British Airways plans to 'fire and rehire' thousands of cabin crew. Photo: Frank Augstein/AP

More than 10,000 workers at British Airways are currently being made redundant, on a day unions at the airline have dubbed Black Friday.

British Airways said on Friday that around 6,000 staff have applied for voluntary redundancy, while union Unite has said that a further 4,000 workers are being forced out.

Noting that the consultation process was ongoing, the airline said it was not in a position to confirm the total number of redundancies. But unions said that staff were told to either accept a voluntary redundancy package or to risk losing their jobs by applying for new roles with lower pay.

Just two-thirds of cabin crew workers are expected to be retained at the airline as part of the process.

READ MORE: US-China tensions weigh on European stocks

British Airways has told its senior cabin crew that they will have to change their working patterns and take a 20% cut in their basic pay if they are rehired.

This is a very bleak day for the incredible BA workforce and will go down in the history of the airline as the day that it put the interests of the boardroom ahead of its passengers and workforce, said Howard Beckett, the assistant general secretary of Unite.

Make no mistake, 4,000 loyal workers are being forced out of the jobs that they love today by naked, company greed, he said.

A spokesperson for British Airways owner IAG (IAG.L) said that its half-year results, which saw the group post a pre-tax loss of 4.2bn (3.8bn), clearly show the enormous financial impact of COVID-19 on our business.

We are having to make difficult decisions and take every possible action now to protect as many jobs as possible, they said.

Pilots at the airline last week voted to accept a package that will temporarily cut jobs and pay to avoid a larger number of redundancies.

The British Airline Pilots Association said that 85% of its members voted in favour of the deal.

There will be around 270 jobs axed and temporary pay cuts starting at 20%, the association said.

Story continues

The pay cuts will eventually drop to 8% over the next two years and pay will return to current levels over the longer term.

READ MORE: British Airways pilots vote to accept job and pay cuts package

IAG came under heavy fire from unions and MPs after announcing the cost-cutting measures.

The company warned in April it had run out of other ways to save cash as the pandemic has hammered its revenue.

The transport committee of the House of Commons dubbed the way British Airways was treating employees during the crisis a national disgrace.

Referencing the airlines cost-cutting measures, the committee said in a report that British Airways was engaged in a calculated attempt to take advantage of the pandemic.

The committee said the behaviour falls well below the standards we would expect from any employer, especially in light of the scale of taxpayer subsidy, at this time of national crisis.

In April, British Airways used the governments wage-subsidy scheme to furlough 30,000 staff until the end of May.

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On the Departure of Brian Hook

Press Statement

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

August 6, 2020



Brian Hook has decided to step down from his role as the U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary. Special Representative Hook has been my point person on Iran for over two years and he has achieved historic results countering the Iranian regime.

He successfully negotiated with the Iranians the release of Michael White and Xiyue Wang from prison. Special Representative Hook also served with distinction as the Director of Policy Planning and set into motion a range of new strategies that advanced the national security interests of the United States and our allies. He has been a trusted advisor to me and a good friend. I thank him for his service.

Following a transition period with Brian Hook, Elliott Abrams will assume the position of Special Representative for Iran, in addition to his responsibilities as Special Representative for Venezuela.



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There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on a cattle market in the village of Fada NGourma.

Unidentified gunmen have killed about 20 people in an attack on a cattle market in eastern Burkina Faso, the government said in a statement.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the village of Fada NGourma, around which the army is carrying out a search operation.

Unidentified armed individuals burst into a cattle market in Namoungou village in the region of Fada NGourma and attacked the population, the governor, Colonel Saidou Sanou, said in a statement on Friday.

According to an initial toll, around 20 people have been killed and numerous others wounded.

Gunmen killed 25 people in an attack on another cattle market in the eastern village of Kompienga in May.

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Burkina Faso has been battling armed groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) since 2017.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the past year in the Sahel nation, and more than half a million have fled their homes due to the violence, which has also raised ethnic and religious tensions.

In the past five years, more than 900 people have been killed by armed groups, while some 860,000 people have fled their homes.

The Sahel country is taking part in a regional effort to battle an armed uprising along with Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Chad.

Their militaries, under-equipped and poorly trained, are supported by 5,000 French troops in the region.

Unrest in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger killed approximately 4,000 people last year, according to United Nations figures.
Indian Youth Congress workers stage a demonstration against the BJP-led Central Government over the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, mocking Minister of State Arjun Ram Meghwal who reportedly claimed that the ingredients of Bhabhi ji papad will boost a persons immunity and help defeat the novel coronavirus, in New Delhi on Aug, 2, 2020.
Take John Candys lonesome Del Griffith in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, put him through the gritty filter of prestige TV, and pair him with an equally troubled teenage girl (instead of Steve Martins upstanding family man)  and bam, youve got a good idea of what to expect in Upright, Chris Taylors Sundance Now road show about a washed up pianist who has to drive across Australia with a teenage stranger. Upright fits snugly within the confines of a genre still indebted to John Hughes classic comedy, even if its more of a drama, a touch heavy on the twists, and not once does anyone mistake someones butt-cheeks for pillows.

Tim Minchin, who also serves as a co-writer, co-director, and composer, plays Lochlyn Lucky Flynn, an aptly down-on-his-luck ex-member of an Aussie Christian rock band who  through a series of events drip-fed to audiences over eight, half-hour episodes  is now penniless and alone. With nothing but an old piano in tow, Lucky sets off to drive from Sydney to Perth (roughly 2,400 miles) in order to see his dying mother one last time. But before he can get far  and before the audience learns any of this information, including his name  Lucky gets sideswiped by a runaway teenager named Meg (Milly Alcock). The collision breaks the axle on his trailer, and Megs arm, so Lucky has no choice but to drive the young lady to the nearest hospital (and toss his piano in the back of her truck).

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From there, the two form a reluctant partnership of necessity (just like Del and Neal): He needs a lift across the continent, and she needs someone with two functioning arms to drive. Why, exactly, Meg is also headed to Perth isnt revealed right away, though audiences will likely figure it out faster than Lucky does. That goes for many of the shows minor mysteries, many of which are held back as long as possible to keep viewers asking questions instead of accepting these two troubled souls for the familiar folks they prove to be. What is the pianos significance? Whats wrong with Megs father? Who keeps sending Lucky cryptic text messages? What can these two strangers possibly learn from each other? All of the answers are a little less extraordinary than the buildup warrants, though theyre grounded enough to keep the show from spinning out of control.

Story continues

One of the final and biggest reveals gives our odd couple pairing an added significance that wouldve been worth dropping sooner, if only so there was a little more time to explore those themes onscreen. The same could be said for much of Upright. While curiosity is an effective teasing technique  and there are easily enough secrets to fill the four-hour series  some of the human richness to Luckys story is lost in hiding his motivation (and Megs). Upright shines when its two leads are allowed to develop and explore their disparate depression, rather than simply wallow in it. If theyd been given more time to talk openly to one another, perhaps the series would feel more substantial, especially since the chemistry between Minchin and Alcock is entertaining on its own.

Instead, Upright stands as a slender work. Enough hijinks ensue to entertain, but youre rarely given time to appreciate the weight of each regrettable secret. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles understood what it was and made the most of it; the comedy came first, the relationship second, and the moral was saved for the very end. When Neal puts the pieces together about Dels past, the impact of that moment comes from Neals choice to invite Del to dinner more than the reveal of what happened to Dels wife. The film was about where theyre going, not just where theyve been. Upright maintains that forward momentum, but each shrouded piece of the past can feel like a speed bump, and the finale is so overloaded with melodrama, it threatens to topple the whole endeavor. The journey is what matters, and Upright is a little too reliant on getting to its destination.

Grade: C+

Upright premiered July 21 through the ATX TV Festival. Its first two episodes will be released Thursday, August 6 on Sundance Now. Two new episodes will debut each following week.

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Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
It has emerged that there were Ghanaian casualties in the explosion that occurred in the Lebanese city of Beirut on Tuesday, August 5 ,2020.



The Beirut Disaster as it has come to be known, happened after explosions in a warehouse at the Port of Beirut.



Videos on social media capture horrific scenes of human bodies torn apart by the blast.



Though government officials are yet to confirm a Ghanaian victim, www.ghanaweb.com has sighted a video that suggest that some Ghanaians were caught in the explosions.



The video has some Ghanaian women carrying another woman who appears to be severely injured.



The women were praying and wailing as they sent their injured friend to a health facility.



CNN reports that over 137 deaths and 5,000 injuries have so far been recorded in the explosion.



It further states that over 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes.



Lebanon's President, Michel Aoun, blamed the explosion on 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that he said had been stored unsafely at a warehouse in the port.



Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs say they are in constant engagement with the Ghanaian consulate in Egypt who has oversight responsibilities in Lebanon for a report on the matter.





Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Joe Biden on Thursday attempted to 'clarify' his comments suggesting the Latino American community is more diverse than African Americans.

The presumed Democratic nominee wrote on Twitter: 'Earlier today, I made some comments about diversity in the African American and Latino communities that I want to clarify. In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolithnot by identity, not on issues, not at all.'

In an interview with NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro had asked Biden if he would stop Cubans from being deported if he became president. It sent Biden into a confusing comment about race in America.

'And by the way, what you all know, but most people don't know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things,' Biden said, receiving a slew of backlash for his wording.

By Thursday evening Biden had responded to the criticism. He did not use the word 'sorry' but added: 'Throughout my career I've witnessed the diversity of thought, background, and sentiment within the African American community. It's this diversity that makes our workplaces, communities, and country a better place.

'My commitment to you is this: I will always listen, I will never stop fighting for the African American community and I will never stop fighting for a more equitable future.'

'What you all know, but most people don't know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things,' Biden said during an interview

His response came after he was asked by NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro if Biden would put a stop to deporting Cubans from America if he became president

By Thursday evening Biden had responded to the criticism on Twitter

Donald Trump criticized his rival for 'totally disparaging' black people in the slip-up.

'Wow! Joe Biden just lost the entire African American community. What a 'dumb' thing to say!' Trump tweeted along with a link to a right-wing news website with coverage of the gaffe.

Before departing from the White House for a trip to Ohio Thursday, Trump ripped into Biden for the comments, which were aired Thursday during a pre-recorded interview with the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

'I just watched the clip, and Joe Biden, this morning, totally disparaged and insulted the black community,' Trump told reporters gathered on the South Lawn.

'What he said is incredible,' the president continued. 'And I don't know what's going on with him, but it's a very insulting statement he made.'

Biden is heads and shoulders above the president when it comes to popularity among the black community, with almost every poll on the matter showing the presumed Democratic nominee ahead by several dozen percentage points.

President Donald Trump said before departing the White House Thursday that Joe Biden 'totally disparaged and insulted the black community' with his comments that aired earlier

In a follow-up tweet to his White House remarks, Trump claimed Biden 'just lost the entire African American community' with those comments

The interview, which aired in full on Thursday, was conducted by different journalists part of the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists

During that same interview, Biden stunned Garcia-Navarro's co-interviewer CBS News' Errol Barnett when he made the comment 'Are you a junkie?'

The remarks came after the former vice president said he would not take a cognitive test despite goading from Trump that his Democratic rival wouldn't be able to beat his score.

'Mr. Vice President, your opponent in this election, President Trump, has made your mental state a campaign topic,' Barnett posed. 'Have you taken a cognitive test?'

'No, I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test?' Biden said to Barnett during the interview, which aired in full Thursday, but clips were released Wednesday.

'Come on man. That's like saying, before you got in this program, did you take a test where you're taking cocaine or not. What do you think? Huh? Are you a junkie?,' the presumed Democratic nominee added with a laugh.

Barnett appeared confused by the response.

'What do you say to President Trump, who brags about his test and makes your mental state an issue for voters?' Barnett asked.

'Well, if he can't figure out the difference between an elephant and a lion, I don't know what the hell he's talking about,' Biden said.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the test in question, is a ten-minute test of cognitive abilities, which includes a question where it has the taker identify an animal such as an elephant, lion or camel  but the president assured that the further along the test goes, the harder it gets.

Trump bragged he has 'aced' the cognitive test and has challenged Biden to take it, claiming he wouldn't pass.

'Joe should take that test, because something's going on. And, and, I say this with respect. I mean  going to probably happen to all of us, right? You know? It's going to happen,' he told Fox News last month.

The president's test was given at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in early 2018 by Navy Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, who was then a White House physician but is not running for a Texas House seat as a Republican, The Washington Post reported.

Biden said he is looking forward to meeting the president in their three debates, where voters would be able to judge both candidates' mental fitness for themselves.

His confirmation that he will participate comes as some Democrats have suggested Biden should set them out.

'I'm so forward looking [sic] to sit with or stand with the president in debates. There's going to be plenty of times,' Biden said. 'I am very willing to let the public to judge my physical as well as my mental fitness and, well, you know, to make a judgement about who I am.'

In an interview with 'Fox News Sunday' last month, host Chris Wallace told the president he also took the test and it wasn't the 'hardest.'

'Well, it's not the hardest test,' Wallace said. 'They have a picture and it says, 'What's that?' And it's an elephant.'

Trump shot back: 'Yes, the first few questions are easy, but I'll bet you couldn't even answer the last five questions.'

'I'll bet you couldn't,' Trump challenged. 'They get very hard, the last five questions.'

Trump often brags about his mental prowess and has called himself a 'very stable genius.'

Medical experts said the test does not measure a person's IQ or intellectual abilities but is designed to flag the beginning of cognitive decline that could come with age or a medical condition such as Alzheimer's or a stroke.

And the White House has not said why the president needed to take a test of his cognitive abilities.

Trump and his campaign have pushed for questions of Biden's mental abilities - at age 77 Biden is three years old than Trump - but it's the president who has faced health questions, particularly after his commencement speech at West Point in June where he had difficulty walking down a ramp and had to use two hands to lift a glass of water.

President Trump defended his score on a cognitive test last month in an interview with Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday'

Jill Biden dinged President Donald Trump for criticizing her husband's cognitive ability during an interview with Fox News

Meanwhile, Jill Biden has come to her husband's defense, dinging the president for questioning Joe Biden's cognitive abilities.

She told Fox News on Tuesday that it was 'surprising' the president would say that and argued the two men are close in age.

'I think Donald Trump is really about Joe's age right? I think there's like two or three years difference. It's surprising that he would say Joe wouldn't be up to it and made those comments,' Jill Biden said.

She also disputed Trump's characterization that Joe Biden is hiding in the basement. Trump has repeatedly gone after Biden for hiding in his basement after Biden cut down on his campaign rallies because of the coronavirus pandemic.

'You know, Joe is anything but that characterization. You know we've been campaigning, we've been listening to the experts, the scientists, and the doctors, and they have told us stay home and be safe,' she said.
By Tova Cohen and John Geddie

TEL AVIV/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Beware, Singaporeans standing too close, automated drones might be keeping an eye on you from above.

Singapore's police have been trialling two pilotless drones developed by Israel's Airobotics to help enforce social distancing measures aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19.

The small machines weigh 10 kg (22 pounds) and are programmed to track anomalies such as gatherings and stream footage to the police.

The three-and-a-half-month trial, over an industrial estate in the west of the city, is the first time automated commercial drones have been approved to fly over a major metropolis, according to Airobotics.

"Specifically for COVID, what we are doing is helping them maintain normal operations," CEO Ran Krauss told Reuters. "The pandemic created a situation where it might be difficult for police to maintain operations."

Singapore government's Home Team Science & Technology Agency (HTX) said it had trialled the drones with police.

They can pinpoint locations and zoom into areas that might not be visible to police officers on foot or in vehicles, Senior Engineer Low Hsien Meng from HTX's Robotics, Automation & Unmanned Systems Centre, said.

Airobotics, which has raised $120 million in funding, said it had invested some $100 million to develop the drones. It was leasing them to HTX and also for business and industrial use in Israel and the United States, it said.

Airobotics and HTX have begun the next, year-long stage of the project to explore further capabilities, including using the drones to deliver defibrillators where needed, the company said.

Airobotics said the social distancing aspect of the trial was still ongoing. HTX did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

The tiny island nation, known for its strict laws and widespread surveillance, initially won global praise for containing virus spread before mass outbreaks in cramped migrant worker dormitories saw its caseload climb sharply.

Krauss said Airobotics is in talks with other cities to deploy the drones.

(Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 09:55:22|Editor: huaxia

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TRIPOLI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The National Center for Disease Control of Libya on Friday reported 404 new COVID-19 cases, binging the national count to 4,879.

The center said in a statement that it had received a total of 2,144 suspected samples, 404 of which tested positive.

Up to 652 recoveries and 107 deaths from COVID-19 have so far been reported, the center said.

The UN-backed government on Thursday decided to extend its pandemic curfew by 10 days, and made it mandatory for people to wear face masks in public, adding that violators will be fined.

As well as the curfew, Libyan authorities have closed the country's borders, shut down schools and mosques, and banned public gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus.

China donated medical aid to Libya in June to help the country's pandemic battle, including 834 nucleic acid diagnostic kits, 5,000 medical protective suits, 15,000 N95 face masks, 100,000 surgical masks, 5,000 pairs of goggles and 5,000 pairs of medical gloves. Enditem
In brief: Google has settled a class-action lawsuit over the leaking of Google+ user data. The search giant has agreed to pay $7.5 million to resolve the dispute. Claimants are entitled to $12 from the settlement pool, although it could be less depending on the number of claims made.

The leak was caused by what Google called a "flaw" in its "People APIs." The company found and fixed the bug in October 2018, but it had potentially been leaking data since 2015. Google claimed at the time that it did not believe that any developers were aware of the flaw and doubted that any data had been compromised. The incident prompted the company to initiate plans to shut down the service. It stated that its user base was dwindling, and it was time to wind it down.

Me after collecting my $12 settlement from google because I had a google plus account pic.twitter.com/3rvKM09WAJ  Steve Hozella (@SteveHozella) August 7, 2020

Two months later, another leak was discovered that had exposed user names, email addresses, occupations, and ages, regardless of the users' privacy settings. This time it was estimated that a total of 52.5 million users were potentially affected. Although the exposed information was not vitally damaging, Google decided to step up its shutdown schedule by four months. The search titan finally shuttered Google+ on April 2, 2019.

Despite having settled, Google denies any wrongdoing and does not believe any members of the class nor the named plaintiffs suffered any harm or damages from the security lapse.

Those who held a Google+ profile between January 1, 2015, and April 2, 2019, and had their data exposed are eligible to file a compensation claim. Requests must be submitted by October 8, 2020. After a November 19 fairness hearing, the settlement will be distributed through PayPal or Digital Check. Other claimant options are listed on the settlement website.

Editorial credit: Mehaniq
President Trump has passed executive orders which ban any dealings with the owners of TikTok, WeChat. The first deals with TikTok specifically. Whilst the second addresses its parent company, WeChat.

AP News reports that the ban is sweeping in scope but very unspecific in nature. Reports had hinted that this ban has been coming for some time now. Given Trumps previous treatment of Huawei, this is probably not something we should be surprised about. However, it could still have wide-ranging impacts on foreign relations as well as the technology sector.

The two executive orders take effect in 45 days. They state that they are necessary as these apps threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.

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Trump bans Tiktok and WeChat

The wording of both orders appears very vague in exactly what it entails. This means that some experts believe they have been rushed out to some degree.

However, the overarching aim appears to be attempting to remove the apps from popular app stores. Thus, essentially removing their distribution in the U.S.

Eurasia Group analyst Paul Triolo said in an email has pointed out the unprecedented nature of such a move. He says the orders constitute a ban on the ability of U.S. app stores run by Apple and Google to include either mobile app after 45 days.

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Triolo argues that the orders are likely to face many legal challenges. He also notes that Beijing is likely to respond harshly if only in rhetoric.

Trump administration continues to fight China

This is the latest attempt from the Trump administration to hold back the growing economic superpower of China. Over recent years, actions taken have included blocking mergers with Chinese companies, stifling Chinese businesses and waging a trade war.

Trump has also blamed Chinese hackers for data breaches of U.S. federal databases. In response, the Chinese government strictly limits what U.S. tech companies can do in China.

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Given this is an election year in the U.S. it looks as if Trump is trying to leverage anti-Chinese feeling to drum up support.

Concern around the running and administration of TikTok exist across the political spectrum in America. Politicians from all sides worry about its vulnerability to censorship and misinformation campaigns.

However, they are yet to find any concrete evidence that U.S. users data has been given to the Chinese government. The threat lies more in the hypothetical idea that the Chinese government could demand cooperation from Chinese companies.

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Trump has already threatened to close down TikTok unless another company acquires it before this ban. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then announced a further crackdown on Chinese technology.

This includes barring Chinese apps from U.S. app stores and in this calling out TikTok and WeChat by name. None of the companies involved in this has commented on the issue.

Andy Mok, a senior research fellow at the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing believes the U.S government thinks anything from China is suspect. He said companies such as TikTok are being targeted not because of what theyve done, but who they are.

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Thus far there is no evidence to suggest TikTok itself is a security risk which makes the ban itself somewhat questionable.

No ban on Americans using Tiktok

As far as we can discern these orders do not ban Americans from using Tiktok. Kirsten Martin who is a professor of technology at the University of Notre Dame pointed out that a ban of that sort would be nearly impossible to enforce in any case.

She noted that almost every teenager knows how to use a VPN so there would be little point in trying to stop Americans using TikTok. It would also be tricky to ban the app itself especially as many people already have it.

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TikTok insists that the company does not store U.S. data in China. Instead, it claims that it caches the data in the U.S. and Singapore. It also says it would not share that information with the Chinese government.

Reports suggest that TikTok has a massive user base in the U.S. so this ban is significant. Estimates indicate that as many as 50million active users exist in the U.S.

WeChat and its sister app is also hugely popular and between the claim around 1 billion users. It is generally used for messaging and financial transfers. Many people of Chinese descent use the app to stay in contact with mainland China

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WeChat is heavily censored within China and users are expected to adhere to strict guidelines. The app also monitors files and images shared abroad to aid its censorship in China.

This is clearly a pretty bold and important step in escalating the technology Cold War between China and the U.S. Trump is often the aggressor in these situations so how this ban on TikTok plays out across the globe could be fascinating.
While Japan is widely considered to be a safe society to live in, the problem of achikana (gropers and perverts who engage in lewd behaviour like taking photos up womenas skirts) still persists in crowded spaces like trains and train stations.

Itas an issue that many women in Japan say theyave sadly experienced at some point in their lives, and itas so prevalent there are now scams out there that seek to profit on this despicable behaviour.

One such scam was uncovered in Tokyoas Ikebukuro area recently, when a woman in a short skirt was arrested by police after a man took a photo up her skirt. This isnat the usual order of proceedings for a case of upskirt photography in Japan, as the woman is usually the innocent victim. However, this was no ordinary case, as it was found that the woman was intentionally waiting for someone to take a peep at her privates.

According to police, the woman in question, 35-year-old Rui Miyanishi, was operating with 34-year-old Teru Omata, with whom she lived in Isesaki City, Gunma Prefecture. Investigations revealed that Omata instructed her to wear short-hemmed clothing in order to attract the attention of possible chikan and get them to photograph up her skirt.

When the couple were in Ikebukuro in May, Omata watched Miyanishi from a distance and after a man in his twenties took an upskirt photo of the woman, Omata appeared and said aThatas my woman youave photographeda. He then demanded the chikan hand over 1.1 million yen (US$10,425) in cash by the end of the day to avoid being reported to the authorities.

While itas unclear how the authorities became involved, the duo were arrested by Tokyo Metropolitan Police officers on 2 August. Omata denies trying to extort the individual, however Miyanishi has confessed to the scam, saying she couldnat stop Omata because she didnat want to ruin their lives together.
Ben Folds 2020: A Case Study For Indie Musicians

As with so many artists, indie musician Ben Folds was mid-tour in Australia when the pandemic hit. Here we look at some important lessons other artists can take away from his tragi-comic recording project, undertaken while isolated in a rented Sydney apartment.

By Michael Gallant from CD Babys Disc Makers Blog

From songwriting ideas to recording techniques, theres a lot you can learn from the songwriters tragi-comic recording-in-quarantine project.

Ben Folds was touring in Australia when COVID-19 shut down the world. With his concert dates canceled for the rest of the year, he wrote, recorded, and released a new single from his rented Sydney apartment.

The song is called 2020 and deals, bluntly and hilariously, with how messed up this year has been. As Folds describes in a media alert:

We seem to be currently reliving and cramming a number of historically tumultuous years into one. For a moment it was all about the 1918 pandemic. Then we began seeing hints of the Great Depression before flipping the calendar forward to the Civil Rights protests of the 1960s. Running beneath this is the feeling that were in the Cold War, while seeing elements that brought us to the Civil War rearing their head, making us wonder if weve learned a damn thing at all.

Beyond offering commentary on our current situation that feels both heartbreaking and hilarious, the song offers valuable lessons in creating music under insane circumstances.

Embrace the chaos  and turn the moment into music

Folds described how the pandemic affected his creative process as a songwriter:

Theres the sense that time is accelerating by the day. Its personally disorienting, and also artistically disorienting. It actually stifles expression in that what you express in the morning may be out of date or even inappropriate by noon. It used to be oh, thats so 2008! Now its oh, thats so 1:30 PM! How can you write a song in which the whole landscape has shifted by the time youve written the third verse?

These are weird times for sure  but instead of choosing to go silent given the dissonance of current events, he decided to loop it into his songwriting as best he could:

All I could think to do was to write a song about this very phenomenon. The cramming of multiple (and not so fun) years into one. And about the worry of how many more there may be to come.

Indie artists everywhere can follow the same strategy. New songs written mid-pandemic can capture our current reality through direct commentary on the state of the world, like Folds single, or they can go in different directions entirely. As long as your creativity channels some reaction to this chaotic moment in time, no matter how abstract it may be, go with it and see what powerful stuff you end up with.

Honesty is powerful

Folds lyrics are blunt and unpretentious and, from his commentary on the songwriting process, seem to directly reflect his raw feelings about the tumultuous year 2020 has been. Likewise, in your own music, dont shy away from expressing your own truth about life today  as unusual or seemingly messy as that perspective might seem.

Humor is powerful

Laughter can be an antidote to pain, in music and in everyday life, and Folds weaves a wonderful flavor of dry and sincere humor into this track. Indie artists of any genre should consider doing the same. Theres no rule stating that art dealing with deadly serious topics has to be deadly serious itself; if your creativity allows you and your listeners to smile at the mess were all in, thats a pretty clear win.

Less can be more

The recording is simple in production  acoustic piano, solo voice. But it works beautifully. While many popular tracks add layers upon layers of instruments, harmonies, and electronics, those elements arent necessary to create a song that touches listeners. Instead of focusing on crafting complex harmonies or adding that fifth track of electric guitar overdubs, consider spending your time crafting the fewest and most fundamental elements necessary to make your track a true conduit of what you are thinking and feeling.

Work with what you have

Folds recorded his work with the microphone, digital piano, and recording gear he had access to from his Australian apartment, rather than the full suite of pristine gear normally available in a top-notch recording studio.

In your own work, remember that you dont need the highest-quality monitors, the most cutting-edge soft synths, or the fanciest guitars to make music that resonates. Far more important than any particular tool is the vision that you funnel through it.

Embrace remote collaboration

Folds recorded the track in Australia, but it was mixed by his longtime collaborator, Nashville-based engineer Joe Costa. Even if youve never tried internet-based musical collaboration and are intimidated by the prospect, now is the time to dive in. And making music with people miles, countries, or oceans away may be easier than you think. For tips on getting started, check out Remote music collaboration: Create great music with partners anywhere and Remote collaboration: Nine tips for sharing music tracks.

Enjoy the catharsis

Pouring your feelings, no matter how messy or dark or complicated, into music can clear much-needed space in your head. Folds commentary suggests he may have found comfort, grounding, and even a path towards optimism in creating this track.

Heres to hoping for some stability in 2021, he said, and to eventually looking back and understanding that it took this year, uncomfortable as it has been, to get us to a better place. Until then, hold on to our hats.

Michael Gallant is a musician, writer, and entrepreneur living in New York City. His debut album for the Steinway & Sons label, Rock Rewind, features solo piano reinventions of Pearl Jam, U2, Halestorm, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, and more. Read his recent article for the National Endowment for the Arts and follow Michael on Twitter at @Michael_Gallant and Facebook.com/GallantMusic.



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Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, center, and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, left, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday. A major pain point in Congress current stimulus negotiations is whether the feds will provide any additional money to states. 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.

A version of this story first appeared in our free weekly newsletter. Sign up here.

HARRISBURG  Theres roughly $1 billion in unspent federal aid sitting in Pennsylvanias coffers. Yet key players in the Capitol say they wont make any decisions about how to spend the cash until Washington makes up its mind on a second coronavirus relief package.

As congressional lawmakers and the White House negotiate, the list of industries calling for immediate help is growing. Last week, state House Republicans heard from restaurant and bar owners pleading for a bailout.

As much as we hate to ask, because we are proud business owners that go out there and do it on our own  we need financial assistance, Rui Lucas, general manager at NaBrasa Brazilian Steakhouse in Horsham, told lawmakers. If we do not get grants or loans to pay our mortgages, employees, and local taxes, we will not survive.

Democrats and Republicans in the state Capitol have put forth their own relief packages for small restaurants. One bill from Rep. Todd Stephens (R., Montgomery) would create a program to award grants of up to $50,000 to cover operating expenses including payroll and rent.

Restaurants arent the only ones struggling. Consumer advocates say thousands of utility customers are also in need of financial help.

At the moment, customers statewide are protected from utility shutoffs because of a moratorium tied to Gov. Tom Wolfs disaster declaration. But as the pandemic continues  and unpaid bills pile up  the state Public Utility Commission is considering how and when to end that protection.

PennPIRG, a nonpartisan consumer advocate, is calling on state lawmakers to appropriate $150 million in remaining stimulus money to alleviate the financial strain. The commissioners have endorsed the idea of the legislature using these dollars to assist customers unable to pay their bills.

Despite the growing need, leaders in Harrisburg say they wont do anything until Washington makes a move.

We need to see what, if any, additional relief Congress allocates so that we can make wise decisions that protect taxpayers and help those Pennsylvanians most impacted by the pandemic, said Neal Lesher, a spokesperson for House Appropriations Chair Stan Saylor (R., York).

Bill Patton, a spokesperson for House Democrats, likewise said there likely wont be any movement until the federal government makes a decision.

One major pain point in Congress current negotiations is whether the feds will provide any additional money to states. Democrats in Washington want around $1 trillion in state and local aid, while the White House has offered $150 billion, the Washington Post reported.

An earlier proposal from the Senate GOP contained no additional money. In an interview with CNBC, Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) pointed to the $1 billion Pennsylvania still has in reserves, with a U.S. Treasury report finding that many states have spent less than a quarter of the direct aid provided in the first stimulus.

But a group of organizations led by the National Governors Association argued the report failed to paint a complete picture, as it did not note that funds arrived in late April or account for money allocated but not yet spent.

With this time frame in mind, we strongly hold that state and local governments have moved expeditiously and responsibly in the use of funds and their timely deployment, the groups said in a statement.

Beyond more funding, states are also waiting to see if the feds will change course and allow them to use the first round of stimulus money to replace lost revenues. Pennsylvanias got plenty of that  up to $5 billion in losses through next June.

As of Wednesday, there seemed to be some agreement in Washington that states need greater flexibility to spend remaining funds, the Associated Press reported. But as of Friday, the parties involved were still far from a deal.

While what happens next is murky, one thing is clear: All CARES Act funds must be spent by the end of the year.

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.
Sendje Berge update

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For a few nights in late 1991, a 74-year-old army veteran, newly arrived in Los Angeles and looking for family members, needed to sleep outside. Pastor Amarillento was a recently naturalized Filipino American, based on a 1990 law granting citizenship to Philippine Army soldiers from World War II. Amarillento had fought at Bataan. But after being naturalized in San Francisco, his money had been stolen on the bus down to Los Angeles.

Thus Amarillento had "marched under General Douglas MacArthur, only to find himself, 50 years later, sleeping in MacArthur Park," writes MIT historian Christopher Capozzola in a new book about the unique relationship between the Philippines and the United States.

Amarillento soon found relatives in Orange County, thanks to help from a shelter in the Filipinotown neighborhood, near downtown Los Angeles. Still, this episode symbolizes some contours of the larger Filipino American experience. Filipinos have long been staunch U.S. military soldiers, sailors, and servicemembers while receiving modest, belated rewards for their efforts. The countries' ties have led to extensive immigrationthere are 4 million Filipino-Americans in the U.S.but even for decorated veterans, entry into U.S. society has not always been easy.

Capozzola's new book, "Bound by War: How the United States and Philippines Built America's First Pacific Century," published by Basic Books, details both the military relationship between the countries, from the U.S. conquest of the Philippines in 1898 onward, and the way that military engagement shaped social connections between the nations.

"This is not a book about foreign policy, but foreign relations," Capozzola says. "Not just what generals and presidents were doing, but what ordinary soldiers and immigrants were doing."

New beginnings

After winning the Spanish-American War in 1898, the U.S. was granted control of the Philippines, a long-time Spanish possession. Then it squelched a Philippine independence movement, in what Capozzola calls a "very intense and brutal war." It was a huge imperial leap across the Pacific for the U.S., which eventually installed over 20 military bases in the Philippines and ruled the land as a colony until 1946.

"This is really the heart of the relationship between these two countries," Capozzola says.

Before long, Filipinos started enlisting in the U.S. army and navy, and Filipinos soon had new immigration opportunities as well. For a spell after 1924, the Philippines was the only country in Asia from which the U.S. allowed immigration. The number of Filipinos in the U.S. swelled from 5,600 in 1920 to about 56,000 in 1930, with substantial Filipino-American communities springing up near San Diego, in the Bay Area, and around Norfolk and Virginia Beachclose to Navy bases.

But while many Filipinos had come to the U.S. hoping to acquire more education and better work, they often landed on farms, in fisheries, or in service jobs, as Capozzola documents.

"When Filipinos migrated to the United States in the early 20th century, they faced the same forms of discrimination that most Asian immigrants did: restrictions on housing and education and the professions, [while] being relegated to low-status, low-paying jobs," Capozzola says. "It could have been otherwise. And that's a running theme throughout the book as well. There is a series of broken promises."

Still, as Capozzola writes, the military service of many Filipino men gave their familes "a language of patriotism and sacrificeand therefore of equality." That sense of belonging helped spur battles for civic justice. It was Filipino grape pickers who initiated what became famous as the United Farm Workers strike of the 1960s.

In the sphere of veteran's rights, 64,000 of the 76,000 prisoners on the Bataan Death March had been Filipinos, fighting for the U.S.yet they did not receive equitable military benefits. Only after a concerted effort, including a year-long vigil in MacArthur Park in the 1990s, was compensation folded into the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Only about 12,400 Filipino veterans realized those payments, leading one advocate for Filipino veterans to call the settlement "yet another beginning" in the battle for Filipino-American rights and benefits. There may be similar fights for inclusion in the future: In the Iraq War, about 31,000 U.S. troops were not citizens, and 20 percent of those were Filipino.

"The book is a way to think about who serves in and with and for our armed forces, [and] to ask what we owe them in return," Capozzola says. "If we really want to understand big forces like war and globalization, we need to look at that full frame."

With or without the U.S.?

While it explores immigration and social integration, "Bound by War" also examines politics in both countries after 1946, when the Philippines gained independence but remained in the U.S. sphere of influence.

"In many ways the Philippines enters the community of nations on the back foot," Capozzola observes. "It's devastated by the war, its economy is destroyed, and there is an emerging Cold War threat. This requires Philippine politicians to maintain ties to the U.S. in order to protect their country."

But many voices have criticized that arrangement, Capozzola notes: "If there's one central question in Philippine foreign policy that's consistent from 1946 to the present, it is this: Are we better off with the Americans, or without them?"

President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in the Philippines in 1972 and ruled over a police state until the "People Power" movement ousted him in 1986with the U.S. only belatedly grasping the strength of opposition leader Corazon Aquino. Yet despite solid U.S. backing, Marcos actually made rhetorical overtures to China in the 1970s, perhaps trying to play off the two powers against each other. In 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte surprised the U.S. by announcing the Philippines would "realign" with China, but has not followed through on the idea.

On the ground, the U.S.-Philippines relationship evolved again in 1965 when U.S. immigration law allowed Asians back into the countryespecially white-collar workers. In the 1970s, Filipinos were the second-largest group immigrating to the U.S., behind only Mexicans.

Today Filipino emigration is worldwide, with workers settling in the Gulf States, elsewhere in Asia, and some parts of Europe. Overall, Filipino immigrants sent an estimated $10 billion in remittances back home in 2005.

"The core aspects of the U.S.-Philippine military relationship are remarkably unchanged from the early 20th century to today," Capozzola says. "What has changed is the power of Filipinos themselves. The economy is substantially different and not as tied to the United States. Filipino migrations are global, and the United States is not by any means the largest recipient country. Through their everyday choices, the relationship is being remade. And I think ultimately that will shift the U.S.-Philippine military relationship."

So while it is important to know formal military history, Capozzola thinks, it is also vital to regard military history as something more than wars and strategies.

"To understand 20th-century America, you need to understand the U.S. military," Capozzola says. "Not only as a [fighting] force, although of course that's what it was designed for, but also a generative force that transforms social relationships, immigration patterns, ideas about race and culture. This book is a way to bring that to the center of the story."

More information:

Book: "Bound by War: How the United States and Philippines Built America's First Pacific Century" www.basicbooks.com/titles/chri  41618268/Christopher Capozzola history.mit.edu/people/christopher-capozzola

Provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
Guinea's President Alpha Conde picked to run for third term

Al Jazeera News :

Guinea's governing party nominated President Alpha Conde to stand for a third term, taking advantage of a new constitution to circumvent a two-term limit on presidential mandates.

Conde, 82, stopped short of formally accepting the nomination in a speech on Thursday. Talk of his running again has sparked widespread protests that have killed at least 30 people over the past year.

"Today you have all spoken, allies, parties and others - I take note," Conde told party members.

He did not say when he would formally respond to the nomination.

Conde, a longtime opposition leader, came to power in a 2010 vote that raised hopes for democratic progress in Guinea after decades of authoritarian rule. He was re-elected in 2015.

But his efforts to stay in power have raised concerns that Guinea will go the way of other African countries whose rulers have refused to step down long after their mandates expired.

Conde's supporters say the constitutional change, approved in a referendum in March that was boycotted by the opposition, acts as a reset button on the two-term limit.



Guinea is Africa's largest producer of the main aluminium ore, bauxite. It also has significant reserves of iron ore, including the giant Simandou reserve, the largest known deposit of its kind with more than two billion tonnes of high-grade ore.




President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order to ban the social media app, TikTok, from operating in the United States from the next 45 days if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance, CNN reported.

The order does not state that a certain amount of money from the sale needs to be sent to the U.S. Treasury Department, which the president has been insisting on for several days.

According to CNN, the order alleges that TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information  potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.

It also claims that the platform censors content that the Chinese Communist Party deems politically sensitive and may also be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, such as when TikTok videos spread debunked conspiracy theories about the origins of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

The order states, The following actions shall be prohibited beginning 45 days after the date of this order, to the extent permitted under applicable law: any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with ByteDance Ltd. (a.k.a. Zijie Tiaodong), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in which any such company has any interest, as identified by the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) under section 1(c) of this order.
The Police at Ajumako-Beseasi in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Region have mounted a search for eight hooligans suspected to have assaulted three registration officials and one resident in the area.

The dreaded hoodlums, wielding cutlasses, guns and other offensive weapons, physically assaulted the three people at the Christ Apostolic Church Voters Registration Centre at Ajumako-Beseasi, creating fear and panic among the applicants.

Central Regional Police Public Relations Officer Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Irene Serwaah Oppong, who confirmed the attack on Thursday, gave the assurance that the perpetrators of the crime would be brought to book to deter others.

She said on Wednesday, August 5, at the said Registration Centre, Kwabena Seidu, a registrant, reported to the police at about 1400 hours of physical assault on him by a group of men numbering about 15.

Seidu alleged that he was attacked together with seven others.

He said in the course of the unprovoked attack, the thugs caused severe damage to the tent hosting the EC registration officials among other things.

They also threatened to cause mayhem if the exercise was not discontinued.

Thereafter, the registration officials proceeded to the police station to make an official complaint and police reinforcement was sent to the centre to maintain law and order.

DSP Oppong said all the eight persons assaulted were given police medical forms to seek treatment and assured that the police had mounted a search and investigations into the matter to arrest the perpetrators.

---GNA
Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg is now officially a centibillionaire. This means that the Facebook owner is now worth $100 billion, at least. Amid pandemic wherein the economy is not working pretty well, this is a magnificent jump from his net worth. All thanks to a surprising factor like the Aug. 6 TikTok ban. Here's why.

Welcome to the centibillionaires' club, Zuckerberg

The 36-year-old Facebook CEO is now richer than before. On Friday, Aug. 7, CNN reported that Zuckerberg has finally surpassed its net worth into becoming a $100 billion-worth tech CEO.

This means that Zuckerberg is now joining Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Microsoft founder Bill Gates into the home of centibillionaires' club.

According to Bloomberg Billionaires' Index, Zuckerberg gained nearly 30% in 2020, resulting in an additional $22 billion to his net worth.

This news is actually a surprising one. Since the COVID-19 pandemic happened, the United States has already been facing a recession due to the impact of the virus. In fact, a global recession may even be expected until 2024, according to studies.

But all these things seemed to be more beneficial for the multi-billionaire. So, how did he make it?

Thanks to China!

On Thursday night, Aug. 6, the U.S. President Donald Trump finally signed the Executive Order documents, applying the rule of the TikTok ban in the country. It was argued that the Chinese apps pose a threat to the country's national security, therefore needing to be removed.

"The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People's Republic of China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," the executive order reads.

Meanwhile, ByteDance has also released their statement about the issue, saying that they were shocked by the sudden announcement. Zuckerberg even said that he was 'really worried' about the TikTok ban.

"I just think it's a really bad long-term precedent, and that it needs to be handled with the utmost care and gravity whatever the solution is," he reportedly said. "I am really worried...it could very well have long-term consequences in other countries around the world."

Though this was bad news for the Chinese company, Zuckerberg's pockets may be delighted with this news.

Here comes Zuckerberg's TikTok copycat

One of the biggest factors for how the Facebook CEO received the $100 billion, is through its TikTok-like app called Reels.

As Tech Times reported, Instagram Reels has the same function as TikTok. It allows users to create short videos that you can edit, put the filter, and anything you like.

When the TikTok banned was announced, Facebook's stocks increased to 6.5% on Thursday.

ALSO READ: Jeff Bezos Sold $3.1B Amazon Stocks to Fund Space Initiative Blue Origins; Now Left with $174 Billion Net Worth

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Jamie Pancho

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A policeman checks a motorists documents in the outskirts of Quezon City, a suburb in northern Manila, Philippines, after the government re-implemented a strict lockdown to control rising coronavirus cases in the country, Aug. 4, 2020.

The Philippines said Friday it had received samples of the Japan-developed anti-viral drug Avigan and could soon begin clinical trials on COVID-19 patients in the country, which now has the highest number of cases in East Asia.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire told a virtual news conference that clinical trials of the drug would be carried out soon after some documentation issues were sorted out. She did not elaborate what those were.

The medicine is already here, and we are starting soon, Vergeire said.

On Thursday, the Japanese Embassy in Manila said Tokyo had already delivered Avigan tablets for some 100 patients as part of emergency aid to nations heavily affected by the virus.

Avigan is the brand name for favipiravir, an anti-viral drug made by a unit of Japanese giant Fujifilm Holdings Corp. that is being touted as a likely treatment for COVID-19, as the world waits for development of a vaccine capable of preventing it.

It is among more than a dozen therapeutic drugs being tested or used to fight the virus, according to The New York Times, which lists it among a group of treatments that show some promising results in cells or animals that need to be confirmed in people.

On Friday, the Philippine health department reported 3,379 new infections, bringing the total number of COVID-19 positive cases here to 122,754  the highest in the region so far, overtaking Indonesia. There were also 24 new deaths, with the toll now at 2,168.

Vergeire downplayed public concerns that hospitals might soon be so filled with infected people that doctors would need to begin prioritizing patients more likely to survive.

"We are doing everything possible so that we will not reach that point where we are going to decide who lives and who will not live," Vergeire said.

Regional epicenter?

Earlier this year, Manila asked Tokyo to expand its clinical research on Avigan to the Philippines in its effort to find a potential treatment for COVID-19.

The government has been forced to re-impose a lockdown in Manila amid the rising cases here, and the extended closure of businesses caused the economy to shrink by 16.5 percent in the second quarter, its worst performance in decades, officials announced this week.

But presidential spokesman Harry Roque refused to accept the country as the new regional epicenter of the disease, saying that the high number of infections only meant that the government had been besting more.

Because we have intensified our testing capacity, its not true that we have more cases than Indonesia, Roque said. He said that Manilas testing capacity was three times more advanced than that of Indonesia, which had recorded 121,226 cases and 5,593 deaths as of Friday.

It's just that Indonesians don't know yet who among them are roaming with the virus, Roque said. At least, for us, we already know. So there is a basis for us (to say) it is false and inconclusive to say that the Philippines has more cases compared to Indonesia.

He stressed that currently the Philippine has about 100 government-accredited COVID-19 testing laboratories, and that the total number of those tested has already reached 1.64 million.

With this increased capacity, Roque said the government can now isolate those already infected, and contact-tracing could be quickly done as well.

Meanwhile, we are building more isolation centers, he said, noting that many people who are infected may not have adequate spaces at home to self-quarantine.

As Donald Trump said, for those who want to see lower figures, lets stop testing, he said. But that is not our policy. Our policy is to further intensify testing so we can identify those with COVID-19 and isolate them, trace their contacts and heal them.
Mark Makela/Getty ImagesBy MOLLY NAGLE and JOHN VERHOVEK, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) -- Former Vice President Joe Biden joined the American Federation of Teachers virtual convention on Thursday and addressed the ongoing debate over reopening schools and COVID-19 vaccine development.



Former Vice President Joe Biden has come under fire for comparing diversity in African American and Latino communities during an interview released Thursday.



The former vice president was asked about his view toward normalizing relations with Cuba and pivoted into an explanation of his belief on the differences of opinion between the two communities.



"And by the way, what you all know but most people don't know, unlike the African American community with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things. You go to Florida you find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places than you do when you're in Arizona. So it's a very different, a very diverse community," Biden told a panel of journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists-National Association of Hispanic Journalists 2020 virtual convention.



President Trump quickly seized on the comments, telling reporters that the remarks were "incredible."



"I just watched a clip and Joe Biden this morning totally disparaged and insulted the Black community," Trump said. "I don't know what's going on with him, but it was a very insulting statement he made."



The Biden campaign said that the former vice president does not view the African American community as a monolithic one and stressed that Biden was referring to a diversity of outlooks on immigration policy within the Latino community.



"If you look at the full video and transcript, it's clear that Vice President Biden was referring to diversity of attitudes among Latinos from different Latin American countries. The video that is circulating is conveniently cut to make this about racial diversity but that's not the case," Symone Sanders, a senior adviser to Biden told ABC News.



Despite the campaign's comments, Biden again compared the diversity of Latino and African American communities geographically during remarks at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials conference.



"We can build a new administration that reflects the full diversity of our nation. The full diversity of Latino communities. And when I mean full diversity, unlike the African American community and many other communities, you're from everywhere. From Europe, from the tip of South America, all the way to our border and Mexico, and in the Caribbean. And different backgrounds, different ethnicities, but all Latinos, we're gonna get a chance to do that if we win in November," Biden said Thursday afternoon.



The presumptive Democratic nominee also faced blowback for comments he made in May during an appearance on "The Breakfast Club," which some argued reflect the same attitude Biden expressed in his appearance at the panel that aired Thursday morning.



"Well, I'll tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't Black," Biden told radio personality Charlamagne tha God, who hosts the program -- particularly popular among young Black Americans.



The former vice president later apologized for the comments, saying that he was too "cavalier" with his language and insisted that he does not take their support for granted.



Biden has long touted his support in the African American community, which helped propel him to a landslide victory in the South Carolina Democratic primary, jumpstarting his campaign and placing him on the path to becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.



That support, however, has placed increased pressure on the former vice president to show his commitment to the African American community -- particularly in discussions around his long-awaited vice presidential pick, with Democrats urging Biden to choose a woman of color to join him on the ticket.



Despite the repeated calls, Biden has not committed to the idea, but has continually promised that his administration will "look like the country" in its makeup.



The controversy sparked by the latest comments also come as the Biden campaign announced specific advertising investments to woo African American voters, including a new national ad released Thursday specifically targeting Black voters.



"Just like our ancestors, who stood up to the violent racists of a generation ago, we will stand up to this president, and say no more," the narrator of the new ad, which will air on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), BET, TV1, CNN and MSNBC.



MORE: Joe Biden launches new national ad aimed at Black Americans

As part of their newly announced $280 million television and digital advertising reservations for the fall, the Biden campaign included a specific slate of investments targeting Black voters that they say is a "bold statement about the seriousness of our efforts to reach Black voters and earn their vote in this election."



Despite his reelection campaign's efforts to amplify the comments and claim that he's "done more for African Americans than any president with the possible exception of Abraham Lincoln," President Trump has a long history of controversial comments regarding race.



During a January 2018 meeting regarding immigration, Trump reportedly grew frustrated at a proposed bipartisan immigration plan that would scale back the visa lottery program, but not eliminate it, asking those in the room why they would want people from "s---hole countries" like some in Africa coming to the United States, multiple sources either briefed on or familiar with the discussion told ABC News at the time.



The president also drew widespread criticism recently when he retweeted a video that showed one of his supporters in Florida yelling "White power!" Trump took down the retweet later that day, and the White House argued he was unaware of the offensive content it contained.



ABC News' Mary Bruce contributed to this report.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
When I tested positive for the coronavirus, I went straight to Google and read articles and personal essays about the varying degrees of symptoms individuals had. The takeaway was that this virus affects everyones body differently. For three weeks this virus physically debilitated me, but the greatest impact was how it affected my mental health.

I am very lucky to have health insurance and a doctor who can monitor my health in the future, but my anxiety was worsened by the fact that I am visibly queer and a Latinx individual. I personally identify as a gay, trans-non-binary person. I have 10 tattoos and five of them are LGBTQIA+ inspired. Most recognizable are a rainbow band around my bicep and a heart with the transgender flag colors on my leg.

In Texas being gay is still a reason to be cautious and being part of the transgender community is sometimes a death sentence for people of color. In 2019 we saw 27 murders of trans and gender non-conforming humans in the U.S., and most of those deaths were Black trans women. In 2020 we have already seen 26 murders. As recently as 2019, Donald Trumps administration introduced a proposal that allowed for health care workers to cite religious reasons to deny care to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This hostility is very anxiety inducing when looking for a doctor who is competent and affirming of all humans.

Trans and non-binary people often deal with a great amount of anxiety, apprehension and sometimes fear when seeing a new doctor for the first time. Far too often we are met with non-affirming language in regards to our gender identity which can create debilitating dysphoria and trigger past trauma. According to a survey from the Center for American Progress, 23 percent of trans folks said they were misgendered or their birth name was used during office visits. During a pandemic, its disheartening to know that some folks might not be seeking medical care because of these barriers. Now more than ever is the time for health care providers to make sure they are taking steps to be as inclusive as possible.

I cant tell you the number of times Ive had to educate my doctor on how to best care for me when it concerns my sexual health. I find it hard to believe a straight individual would be told they must get an HIV test when they are at a doctors visit for a common cold. I spend extensive amounts of time researching doctors before I make an appointment. I often have to make a choice about which parts of my identity are needed at appointments. If Im there for a cold or something pretty common, I tend to check the boxes indicating Im male and anything related to sexuality or gender identity, I leave blank. This usually makes for an uneventful visit free from discrimination. However, I am not showing up wholly.

There are private Facebook groups I am a part of that are really helpful to find out whos had a good experience at a doctors office and which offices to avoid. Health care providers need to realize we are not asking for extra treatment, we are asking to be treated with respect and dignity. The knowledge we expect the doctor to have is not something that takes years of training to understand. It shouldnt have taken me five years and several different doctors to finally feel comfortable with my current health care at Legacy Community Health in Montrose. Even adding pronouns to intake forms and or your email signature are simple and effective clues that your offices are informed and inclusive.

I am 35 years old, and aside from the occasional cold or very rare flu, I am fortunate to have good medical history. I have no underlying conditions and am not immunocompromised. As lucky as I was during the active virus days, I felt like a human time bomb. I was convinced that at any moment one of the harrowing accounts I had read about would become my kismet. That feeling has subsided substantially now that I have tested negative. The one worry I do have is the unknown of any long term effect that the virus has on the human body.

This virus is very real and wreaks havoc on our bodies and our minds. Those of us who are systemically othered for simply existing as our true selves in a heteronormative, cis society have added weights on our shoulders. For trans and non-binary folks, dont be afraid to reach out to others for advice on where to seek care. For medical providers, I can not stress enough the need to be LGBTQIA+ competent and affirming. As a medical professional, I am sure you are aware of the language in the Hippocratic oath you took. The oath tells you to not be afraid to say I know not, and seek more education on a subject. Most importantly, leave your personal beliefs and biases at the door and do your job. Trans and non-binary folk are counting on you.

Schell is the founder and president of PridePortraits.org. Schell has partnered with Facebook, Chevron, The FBI, Nancy Pelosi and many other organizations and individuals advocating for a more inclusive world for LGBTQIA+ people.
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Hundreds of homeless people who have been put up in luxury hotels on Manhattan's Upper West Side by the city as part of its efforts to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in shelters are terrifying residents by urinating, sleeping and taking drugs in the streets.

In July, it emerged that 139 of the city's iconic hotels - which had been forced closed for months - had agreed to take in homeless people for $175 per person, per night as part of a scheme by the city to try to avoid a breakout of COVID-19 in homeless shelters.

The city has not released a list of the hotels but a source told The New York Post the scheme will run until October.

Among the hotels on the list are The Belleclaire, The Lucerne and The Belnord on the Upper West Side.

Large numbers of homeless men have been moved into three hotels in New York City's Upper West Side, much to the dismay of local residents, who have complained of drug use, public urination and cat calling. Pictured: A group of people who appear to be homeless loiter at Broadway and West 95th

Homeless men were moved from dorm-style accommodation to the hotels in recent weeks so that they could have one or two people to each room - limiting the spread of Covid-19.Pictured: A group of men loiter at Broadway and 79th Street

Upper West Side residents have reported seeing homeless men around the hotels urinating in public, openly using drugs and passed out on the sidewalk

Local Upper West Side residents fear that the homeless situation in the area is a ticking time bomb, with it costing authorities $175 a night to house a single person in the hotels

This week, residents of the neighborhood complained online about the people who are being housed in those hotels who they say are terrorizing the area. Pictured: Two people who appear to be homeless on the Upper West Side

This week, residents of the neighborhood complained online about the people who are being housed in those hotels who they say are terrorizing the area.

Police sources also told The New York Post that many of them are sex offenders.

The homeless-in-hotels scheme set up by de Blasio is one of many components to an escalating downward change in the city.

Many of New York's wealthy residents fled months ago - taking their disposable income and their tax dollars with them - and there are fears they may never come back.

Crime is on the up but de Blasio has stripped the police force of $1billion in response to Black Lives Matter protests.

Local residents have reported seeing fights, have been verbally abused or harassed, seen people spitting - despite the ongoing pandemic - and have also seen people looking for, or using drugs. A homeless person is seen sleeping on a couch on the Upper West Side

Two homeless people are pictured on the affluent Upper West Side, where many transients have been moved into hotels

Belonging and trash are seen piled up in the wealthy Upper West Side. Garbage has been piling up across the city after the sanitation department's budget was cut

FACEBOOK ANNOUNCES MAJOR NYC INVESTMENT Facebook has announced the first major reinvestment in New York City real estate since the coronavirus lockdown Monday by signing a lease in the landmark Farley building. The social media giant has leased all of the 730,000-square-foot office space at the 1912 Beaux Arts former post office in Manhattan, in a deal that marks a major expansion of the company's business operations in the city. The Farley building is pictured According to AMNY, the move could boost the number of Facebook employees in NYC to 10,000. It comes as much of the Big Apple's office space lies empty with many employees still working from home and wealthy New Yorkers having fled the city. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio heralded the company's investment in the city as 'part of our economic rebirth', despite smaller businesses in the Big Apple continuing to go out of businesses post-lockdown. Advertisement

Some retailers and restaurants have been forced to close permanently and those who are hanging on face continuously changing and difficult rules, like having to sell 'substantial' amounts of food to customers to avoid crowds gathering.

De Blasio and Cuomo are enforcing checkpoints to stop tourists from 35 COVID hotspot states from entering the city without quarantining for 14 days too.

A Facebook group, in which residents have shared pictures of men urinating, masturbating and laying sprawled out on sidewalks near the hotels, has been set up and there are other complaints on Twitter.

'Our community is terrified, angry and frightened,' one organizer of the 1,700 member group, Dr. Megan Martin, told The Post.

The homeless were moved from dorm-style accommodation around the city to the hotels so that they can be housed one or two to a room in order to protect them from Covid-19 more effectively, officials have said.

Department of Homeless Services (DHS) Commissioner Steven Banks said Thursday: 'In order to defuse that ticking time bomb, we implemented a massive emergency relocation of human beings from those congregate shelters throughout the city, more than 10,000 in about eight weeks.'

However, local residents fear that the situation around the three hotels could be spiraling out of control.

The hotels in the Upper West Side are three out of 139 in the city housing homeless people according to a source cited by The Post from the Hotel Association of New York City.

The initiative is costing hundreds of millions of dollars according to the source, with FEMA covering 75 per cent, and the other 25 per cent being paid for by the city. Officials have reportedly confirmed this breakdown.

According to The Post's source, the contract to accommodate the homeless in hotels is set to run through until October, but is expected to be renewed.

One local community board member told the website that the DHS, who is handling the distribution of the funds, have not been transparent with the local neighborhood about the details of the scheme, and locals have been given little to no input or notice.

The board member, who chose to stay anonymous, said that they had been told the city was paying hotels $175 per day, per person, or $350 a day for housing two people in a room.

'You do the math,' the board member said to The Post. 'It's a lot of money,' adding 'It feels like the 1970s. Everyone who can move out is moving out.'

Local parents are particularly concerned with the ten registered sex offenders that have been accommodated in the Belleclaire as of Thursday, according to the state sex offender registry.

Pictured: The Belleclaire on Broadway, one of the three hotels in the Upper West Side being used as homeless shelters for men during the coronavirus crisis in New York City

A room at The Lucerne Hotel, one of the 139 where homeless people are being housed. It's unclear how many people are involved and what the arrangement is for their meals

A Facebook group has been set up by local residents to share pictures of homeless people in the Upper West Side as the crisis continues to grow. Pictures shared on the group have shown a number of homeless men sleeping on the streets in the local area around the hotels

Included in those ten are Luis Martin, 44, who assaulted and raped a woman in 1995, Roland Butler, 62, convicted in 2013 of raping a 16-year-old girl, Eddie Daniel, 59, convicted of abused a 10-year-old in 2011, Jonathan Evans, 29, convicted of abusing a 6-year-old, and Michael Hughes, 55, convicted of possessing child pornography in 2007.

Local residents have reported seeing fights, have been verbally abused or harassed, seen people spitting - despite the ongoing pandemic - and have also seen people looking for, or using drugs.

Nearly 300 homeless drug and alcohol addicts have reportedly been living at the Lucerne alone since last week, with one homeless man -Angel Ortiz, 60 - telling The Post 'whatever drug you can imagine is done there.'

Garbage piles on NYC sidewalks attracting rats and raccoons after the sanitation department's budget was cut by $106million

Trash has been accumulating across New York City after the budget of the sanitation department was cut by more than $100million.

Photos show bags filled with leftover food scraps, cans and bottles piled high on sidewalks or overflowing out of corner litter baskets.

Dead rats have been found among the waste and raccoons have been spotted climbing out of garbage cans.

It comes after City Hall slashed $106 million from the sanitation department's budget, which reduced pickup for trash cans by 60 percent, reported CBS 2 New York.

Soho, Manhattan: Cardboard boxes and black trash bags line a sidewalk on Broadway and Bleecker Street on July 31

Chelsea, Manhattan: An overflowing garbage can is pictured on W. 21st Street and 7th Avenue Friday

According to Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, the city is facing a huge deficit and needed to make significant cuts to lower costs.

'We have a lot less resources than we did in the prior fiscal year,' she told CBS 2 New York.

Although there have been no changes to curbside trash and recycling pickups, Garcia says more rubbish has been left out than there was pre-pandemic.

'Our trucks are filling up very quickly as we make it around the route in some neighborhoods because people are home,' she said.

Gravesend, Brooklyn: Overflowing trash waiting for pick up covers the sidewalk near 86th Street under the El train

Flatbush, Brooklyn: Piles of garbage and recycling are pictured overflowing on the sidewalk outside buildings on Friday

Midtown Manhattan: New York City slashed $106 million to the sanitation department's budget to get costs under control. Bags of garbage litter the sidewalk outside a Whole Foods Market on July 30

However, litter baskets on street corners will no longer be emptied on Sundays, and there will be fewer truck pickups on weekdays and holidays.

'One of the things we did with our reduced number of basket trucks is really take a look at how we were distributing them,' Garcia told the station.

'We tried to go in and make sure we were distributing by the number of litter baskets any one has and match the service to the number of basket.'

The organics collection program will be suspended for a year and officials are planning to eliminate the curbside collection program of electronics.

Midtown Manhattan: Trash bags line the corner of West 26th Street and 7th Avenue in New York City on July 31

Dead rats have been found among the waste-covered sidewalks (left) and raccoons have been spotted climbing out of garbage cans (right)

Chelsea, Manhattan: Garbage, some of it collected by the homeless, is seen on West 15th Street and 7th Avenue on July 31

Street cleanings, which have been suspended for the last three months, will return but will only be once a week instead of the typical twice a week.

The department is also reducing collection services in rat mitigation zones - areas meant to reduce the city's rat population by 25 percent, from four days a week pick-up, to three days a week pick-up.

However, the return of outdoor dining combined with fewer trash pickups have led to an excessive rat problem.

City data shows that rat sightings increased from less than 1,000 in April 2020 to 1,658 in June 2020.

Rats, which like to eat garbage, carry bacteria and viruses that can cause serious illnesses such as fever, diarrhea and food poisoning.
The "Europe Inflight Catering Market Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2020-2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Europe inflight catering market is projected to grow with a CAGR of more than 3% during the forecast period.

In Europe, the focus on food quality and offerings is more pronounced towards the economy class of airlines, which has become notorious for serving sub-standard food over the years. Economy class passengers contribute to most of the airline revenue, and they continue to be the most important class of passengers for carriers.

To maintain their shares, most carriers are in the process of improving the quality of food served. The quality of food served to the economy class passengers has improved substantially, and it is expected to continue witnessing the same trend during the forecast period.

Key Market Trends

Meals Segment Expected to Dominate Over the Forecast Period

Meals are expected to be the dominant food type in the European inflight catering market during the forecast period. However, their share is not far from the bakery and confectionery segment, whose share in the European inflight catering market is particularly more than that of the other regions, as the passengers from the region prefer bread and other baked items in most of their dining.

The inflight dinners for most of the European airlines include meat (most commonly chicken or beef), a salad or vegetable, a small roll, bread, cheese, and a dessert. During morning flights, cooked breakfast or a lighter, continental-style meal is provided. On certain long-haul flights (and short/medium-haul flights within Europe), breakfast usually includes confectionaries like pancakes, along with eggs and other traditional breakfast foods, such as sausages, fruits, and grilled tomatoes.

Airlines are investing significantly in inflight meals and many airlines are offering a choice of pre-bookable inflight meals and discounts for early booking by the passengers. European airlines such as British Airways, Air France had been hiring high-profile chefs specifically responsible for overlooking the meals productions, designing menus and quality of dishes prepared to meet the increase in passengers' demands over the quality of the meals. Such developments are expected to further bolster the prospects of the meals segment during the forecast period.

United Kingdom Held the Largest Market Share in 2019

The United Kingdom held the largest share in the market in 2019. UK based airlines transported 153.7 million passengers in 2019. The presence of major airlines, like British Airways and EasyJet which are currently increasing their global connectivity with the introduction of new destinations, is expected to bring new menus onboard the aircraft. As the airlines in the country look to improvise their food offerings based on season and flight destination, partnering with star chefs is helping them to modify their dishes without incurring too high costs.

In July 2019, British Airways partnered with Michelin-starred British chef, Tom Kerridge, to design gourmet menus for customers traveling with the airline throughout August. The new menus, which featured great British flavors, were available in every cabin on all of the airline's long-haul flights, providing customers with the option to enjoy a dish designed by Tom Kerridge for each course.

Major companies are investing significantly to strengthen their presence in the United Kingdom, for instance in November 2019, Newrest opened a new production unit in Gatwick for British Airways. According to the company the unit will supply up to 80 flights per day in a high season divided into long and medium-haul flights, VIP flights, and sales services on board.

Similarly, in March 2020, Alpha LSG signed an agreement with Emirates to cater six daily flights out of London-Heathrow airport to Dubai airport. The company already services the airlines regional operation in the UK from London to Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, and Glasgow. Such developments are expected to help the growth of revenues from the country during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The inflight catering market in Europe is matured and is primarily dominated by a few major players, LSG Sky Chefs, gategroup, dnata, DO CO, and Newrest Group Services SAS. These companies have increased their market presence in the past through the acquisition of local restaurants and other smaller catering companies.

The acquisition of LSG's European operations by gategroup will result in gategroup holding a major share in the Europe inflight catering market. Post the acquisition, Lufthansa and Gategroup are expected to establish a joint venture to service the core hubs in Frankfurt and Munich wherein, Gategroup is expected to introduce a new Lufthansa-dedicated Studio 50/8, a culinary think tank, and an exclusive house of inspiration and co-creation, which is expected to set a new standard for the airline catering industry.

Key Topics Covered

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Study Assumptions

1.2 Scope of the Study

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Market Drivers

4.3 Market Restraints

4.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Food Type

5.1.1 Meals

5.1.2 Bakery and Confectionary

5.1.3 Beverages

5.1.4 Others

5.2 Flight Type

5.2.1 Full Service Carriers

5.2.2 Low Cost Carriers

5.2.3 Hybrid Others

5.3 Aircraft Seating Class

5.3.1 Economy Class

5.3.2 Business Class

5.3.3 First Class

5.4 Geography

5.4.1 Countries

5.4.1.1 United Kingdom

5.4.1.2 Germany

5.4.1.3 France

5.4.1.4 Russia

5.4.1.5 Italy

5.4.1.6 Spain

5.4.1.7 Rest of Europe

6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Company Profiles

6.1.1 Flying Food Group

6.1.2 DO &CO

6.1.3 gategroup

6.1.4 LSG Sky Chefs

6.1.5 Journey Group PLC

6.1.6 Emirates Flight Catering

6.1.7 Newrest Group Services SAS

6.1.8 dnata

6.1.9 SATS Ltd.

6.1.10 IGS Ground Services

7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/1m544y

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A hotel staffer has been arrested for allegedly raping a 40-year-old foreign national in her room at a hotel in Hisar late on Thursday, police said. The woman is from Thailand.

Hisar superintendent of police Ganga Ram Punia said the hotel worker has been arrested and the womans statement has been recorded.

A case under Section 376-D (gangrape) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the hotel staffer and an unknown person.

The womans medical examination has been conducted and the report is awaited, the SP said.

A police official, requesting anonymity said the woman, who had come from Delhi, had checked into the hotel three days ago. The woman has identified a hotel staffer. We are checking the CCTV footage of the hotel to identify the other accused, he added.
NASA's Curiosity rover has been on Mars since August 2012 and in that time it has shared some stunning images of the Red Planet during its 14 mile journey.

It has seen a lot in that time as part of its mission to find out whether Mars has any water or the chemical building blocks that could point to evidence of ancient life.

To mark eight years since the rover landed NASA has shared eight 'postcards from Mars' showing a selection of panoramas captured by the vehicle.

Among the pictures shared by the NASA JPL team are a selfie taken during a dust storm, the ripples of a sand dune and clouds seen in the sky above the rover.

The 1.9 billion machine was the first to take a 'selfie' on Mars during its mission to collect rock samples, study the atmosphere and look for water.

self-portrait taken by NASA's Curiosity rover taken in June 2018 as a global dust storm enshrouded Mars, filtering sunlight and obscuring the view

This image, taken back when NASA's Curiosity rover was at the base of Mount Sharp on March 24, 2014 and shows just how far Curiosity has traveled in a little over six years

The Mast Camera, or Mastcam, on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its telephoto lens to capture Mount Sharp in the morning illumination on October 13, 2019

The car sized rover has 17 cameras and a robotic arm that it can use to study the air, ground and find its way around the surface and across different terrains.

NASA shared the image a week after it launches the next generation rover - Perseverance - on a spaceflight that will land on Mars in February 2021.

It will join Curiosity in a search for signs of ancient life and water - and will also collect rock samples that will eventually be returned to the Earth.

In its eight year mission - and counting - Curiosity has travelled about 14 miles and has drilled 26 rock samples - finding that Mars was indeed suitable for life.

Studying the textures and compositions of ancient rock strata is helping scientists piece together how the Martian climate changed over time.

It is letting them know how it lost lakes and streams to become a cold desert.

The Curiosity mission is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, and involves almost 500 scientists from the United States and other countries around the world.

It launched for the Red Planet in November 2011 and touched down inside the 96-mile wide Gale Crater on August 5, 2012.

The rover is nuclear powered and found that at various points in the ancient past - possibly stretches of a million years at a time - the planet was host to water.

It has detected complex organic chemicals - the building blocks of life - during its slow drive across the surface of the planet.

For the past six years the rover - about the size of a MINI Cooper - has been climbing up the foothills of Mount Sharp - stretching 3.4 miles into the sky from Gale Crater.

This wide panorama was taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover on December 19, 2019. On the righthand foreground is Western Butte; the ridge with a crusty cap in the background is the Greenheugh pediment, which Curiosity ascended in March of 2020

These 26 holes represent each of the rock samples NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has collected as of early July 2020. A map in the upper left shows where the holes were drilled along the rover's route, along with where it scooped six samples of soil

Two sizes of ripples are evident in this December 13, 2015, view of a top of a Martian sand dune, from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover

Here you can see clouds in the Martian sky captured by NASA's Curiosity rover.

Mount Sharp is one of the images shared by NASA to mark the anniversary of Curiosity landing on Mars - the image is actually 44 pictures stitched together.

Curiosity will never venture to the upper portion of the mountain; instead, it's exploring the many layers found lower down.

Each has a different story to tell about how Mars, which was once more like Earth (warmer and wetter), changed over time and will reach the next layer in 2021.

'I love this image because it tells two stories  one about the mission and one about Mars,' said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity's project scientist at JPL.

Another image - called 'You Are Here' - was shot near the base of Mount Sharp on March 24, 2014 and is a panorama showing how far Curiosity travelled in six years.

A photo from 2015 showed the surface of a Martian sand dune, with two types of ripples clearly evident in the picture.

The final image, from July 2020, featured pictures of all the holes Curiosity has dug into the Martian surfaces since it first landed eight years ago.
The scale of destruction from the Beirut blast is unprecedented, Shahan Kandaharian, editor-in-chief of the Azdak newspaper published in Lebanon, told Armenian News - NEWS.am.

According to him, even those who saw the war are shocked by what happened.

The death toll of Armenians may rise as there are missing and badly injured people, he added.

Almost all houses located in the port area were damaged.

"There are no doors and windows. Prompt first aid needed. There are also those left without housing at all. Now the country's authorities are discussing the issue of providing housing and settling those left homeless in empty hotels. Schools and churches were damaged. The port area has been declared a disaster zone. Various states already declare their readiness to help, they are already helping, we expect help from Yerevan," he noted.
A whistleblower in the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has exposed a violent right-wing extremist gang operating within the Compton station known as the Executioners.

The Executioners network, according to a report on July 30 in the Los Angeles Times, is composed of sworn law enforcement officers who all have matching tattoos featuring a skull with Nazi imagery and an assault rifle. The gang celebrates deputy shootings and the induction of new members with inking parties.

An estimated 20 deputies are members of the Executioners network, most of whom work at night. According to the whistleblowers claim, which was submitted on June 23 and more recently came to light, the Executioners do not allow African-American or female members.

The tattoo of a Los Angeles police Executioner

Instead of using official police channels, the gang members communicate with each other through WhatsApp. Members become inked as Executioners after executing members of the public, the whistleblower complaint states with emphasis, or otherwise committing acts of violence in furtherance of the gang.

According to the whistleblower complaint, the gang wields vast power at the Compton station, which covers an area of Los Angeles that is historically home to a large proportion of working-class black residents.

The whistleblower, deputy Thomas Banuelos, was targeted, threatened, and attacked by a member of the Executioners. It was a very serious, violent and bloody assault which could have killed Deputy Banuelos, the whistleblowers attorney Alan Romero reported. A member of the Executioners had him on the ground and was literally just bashing his head in with his elbow over and over and over again.

When another deputy attempted to anonymously report the attack on Banuelos through an internal tip line, his identity was exposed and turned over to the Executioners, and he found graffiti scrawled on the keypad in front of the station accusing him of being a rat.

I think the scariest thing, Romero said, is that he did what he was supposed to do. He called the authorities, and they betrayed him. They turned him right over to the gang. Its a whistleblowers worst nightmare.

On the website WitnessLA, an inside source identified the three deputies in this video as members of the Executioners gang. On the video, which was published in June, the deputies savagely beat a man who is pinned to the ground.

We have a gang here that has grown to the point where it dominates every aspect of life at the Compton station, Romero told the Los Angeles Times. It essentially controls scheduling, the distribution of informant tips, and assignments to deputies in the station with preference shown to members of the gang as well as prospects.

When members of the right-wing extremist Executioners network do not get what they want within the sheriffs department, the gang members threaten work slowdowns  which involve ignoring or responding slowly to calls. In addition, they set illegal arrest quotas.

The Executioners are only the latest subject of a string of exposures of right-wing extremist gangs, networks, and cliques operating in California police stations.

Also in recent weeks, an occult tradition of bending badges by police officers in Vallejo, California was exposed by the website OpenVallejo.

According to the initial report on July 28: a secretive clique within the Vallejo Police Department has commemorated fatal shootings with beers, backyard barbecues, and by bending the points of their badges each time they kill in the line of duty. This ritual was considered a badge of honor for the police officers in question.

The ritual was exposed when police captain John Whitney tried to put a stop to the practice and was fired, according to an unlawful retaliation claim he filed.

At the time of the captains firing, according to the OpenVallejo report, nearly 40% of officers on the force had been in at least one shooting. .. More than a third of those had participated in two or more. The department employs about 100 sworn personnel.

According to OpenVallejo, the departments most prolific shooters are officers Sean Kenney, Joe McCarthy and Steve Darden, who together account for nearly a third of the departments 30 fatal shootings of the past two decades.

The cops who shoot someone bend the tabs on their badges, stated one anonymous message received by OpenVallejo, which is believed to be from a high-ranking Vallejo official with knowledge of the badge-bending tradition.

Kind of like a notch on the bedpost. Its an indicator to each other how many hoodlums theyve shot. They think its funny.

According to the report, For those invited into the group, a fatal shooting  their own or a colleagues  is often followed by a barbecue or other celebration, according to current and former police department employees. The actual bending of badges occurs there or at roll call, an official law enforcement briefing that takes place at the beginning or end of a shift. Photographs indicate the first bend is often applied at the 4 oclock point of a new initiates badge.

The fascistic culture that surrounds these secretive networks has deep roots in California police departments. The Vikings police gang, which was exposed in Los Angeles during the 1990s, likewise featured tattooing rituals and was responsible for racist attacks on minorities.

The Banditos, Spartans, Regulators, and Reapers are literal gangs that are claimed to exist within the Los Angeles law enforcement agency, according to a 2019 report in Law Enforcement Today. All members of the Banditos have tattoos of a skeleton wearing a sombrero, bandolier, and pistol.

Other Los Angeles police gangs that have operated or are currently operating include the Hats, the Little Devils, the Jump Out Boys, the Grim Reapers, the 2000 Boys, and the 3000 Boys.

The Jump Out Boys were exposed in 2012 and earned international notoriety for their distinctively morbid tattoos and celebration of shootings.

A Jump Out Boys leaflet that was distributed to other deputies stated, We are alpha dogs who think and act like the wolf, but never become the wolf, and We are not afraid to get our hands dirty without any disgrace, dishonor or hesitation... sometimes (members) need to do the things they dont want to in order to get where they want to be.

When a member of the Jump Out Boys shot someone, that members tattoos would be modified to feature smoke coming out of a gun.

It is significant that Californias city, county, and state government bodies are generally controlled by the Democratic Party, which has pledged nominal sympathy with the George Floyd protests and with the overwhelming popular sentiments against police brutality and racism.

These same Democrats have failed for years to root out the violent, fascistic, racist networks of police officers operating in their own communities.

The fascistic culture that has developed among police officers alongside the epidemic of brutality is not an accident, but is bound up with the role of the police in capitalist society. These contingents of degraded and desensitized brutes are being recruited and cultivated for a specific purpose: the violent suppression of the class struggle.

According to the whistleblower complaint regarding the Executioners, the members of the fascistic network target other deputies for recruitment based on the prospects use of violence against suspects or other Deputies. Nearly all the CPT [Compton station] Deputies who have been involved in high-profile shootings and out-of-policy beatings at CPT in recent years have been inked members of the Executioners.

The Executioners use violence against other Deputies and members of the public in order to increase their standing within the criminal organization.

Emboldened by Trumps call to dominate and to use overwhelming force, the police in America constituted the shock troops of the nationwide efforts to suppress the mass demonstrations that broke out following the police murder of Floyd at the end of May.
Condemning the molestation of a minor girl in Andhra Pradesh, Opposition Leader and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has expressed that ruling party goons were audacious to threaten the girl's parents when they made a police complaint.

Opposition Leader and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu strongly condemned the molestation of a minor girl by YSRCP activists under Rajahmundry rural police station limits.

Mr. Naidu expressed concern that the ruling party goons were audacious to threaten the girls parents when they made a police complaint. The reason for these atrocities was the absence of response from the Government. He asked how these gangsters could resort to such heinous offences without fear of law.,

In a statement here, the TDP chief demanded the AP police to wake from their slumber and initiate deterrent action against the culprits. The Government should explain to the people whether the Disha Act was in force or not. So much campaign was carried out about Disha police stations but there was no justice to the victims of atrocities anywhere till now.

Also Read: TDP alleges Andhra govt failed in Covid-19 control

Also Read: Innovative Idea- One scan a QR code to check availability of beds in Andhra Pradesh

Mr. Naidu recalled how the offences against women continued unchecked in the past 14 months of Jagan Reddy regime. Over 12 miscreants kidnapped and raped a 16-year-old Dalit minor girl. They had no fear of the law going by how they left the girl at the police station after perpetrating the crime. In Kurnool, a tribal woman was gang-raped right in front of her husband.

The former CM alleged that the gangsters and miscreants were getting bold in view of negligence of the Government and the police. The law and order situation was deteriorating day by day.

Also Read: Indias Covid-19 toll crosses 2 million mark, spike of 62k+ cases in 24 hours
The World Punjabi Organisation Friday said it is organising charter flights for evacuating over 400 and Hindus from in coordination with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

World Punjabi Organisation president Vikramjit Sahney said the arrangements for chartered flights have been made in coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

All the and Hindus in want to come back to India after the deadly terrorist attack on Gurdwara in Kabul on March 25, he said.

The DSGMC will provide them temporary accommodation in Delhi at various Gurdwaras and after that all the families will be given funds by based in the United States to meet their household expenses for a year, he said.

Sahney, a recipient of the Padma Shri, said his NGO, Sun Foundation, is setting up a special skill development centre at Jail Road to train young Afghan Sikhs and Hindus for free and assist them to get jobs.

(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.)
(Natural News) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  In June, Americas mass media propaganda machine endangered the public by spreading insidious disinformation  while purporting to debunk disinformation.

(Article by Michelle Malkin republished from WND.com)

The New York Times, NBC News, CNN and the Associated Press converged nine weeks ago to persuade readers and viewers that neither Antifa rioters nor Black Lives Matter militants were fanning out from major urban areas into flyover country. Law enforcement bulletins and citizen alerts about the metastasis of violent demonstrations all amount to misinformation, bad information, false information, unfounded rumors and conspiratorial content, the Gray Lady scoffed.

NBC News and CNN exploited a single fake Antifa Twitter account to dismiss nationwide concerns of domestic terrorism as viral misinformation.

The AP blasted baseless theories about encroaching violence and castigated conservative news outlets and pro-Trump social media accounts for reporting on them.

In short: Dont worry. Be happy. Blame Righty.

The progressive Anti-Defamation League  headed by Jonathan Greenblatt, a Clinton/Obama official and former George Soros-funded operative  amplified the fraudulent media campaign. There has been no evidence of Antifa or Black Lives Matter organizing or carrying out attacks on suburban or white communities, the ADL declared, and the large-scale protests following the murder of George Floyd were overwhelmingly peaceful.

Fact check: ADL = All Damned Lies. AP = Anarchist Propaganda. CNN = Chaos-Nurturing Network.

Since this agitprop campaign two months ago, armed extremists allied with Antifa and BLM have indeed staged escalating incursions into the heartland. Yes, the mob is on the move. Yes, the mob is targeting suburban neighborhoods and white communities. Yes, the mob could turn up at your home at any time.

And no, in the age of American anarchotyranny, you cannot rely on the police, nor elected officials (Democratic or Republican), nor even mainstream Second Amendment organizations in Washington, D.C., like the National Rifle Association to stand with you in your time of need.

Just two weeks after the Denver police purposely stood down and watched my friends and I come under attack by BLM and Antifa at a Back the Blue rally, Colorado Springs police sat by and did nothing on Monday night as a residential neighborhood was shut down by cop-hating provocateurs. Toting AR-15s, carrying walkie-talkies and openly defying state laws prohibiting targeted picketing, the mob marched unobstructed into the streets of Pulpit Rock to the private home of a Colorado Springs Police Department officer. He had been cleared by a grand jury a year ago in a police-involved fatal shooting of an armed robbery suspect.

Local news outlets filmed black-clad BLM menaces in camo and combat boots ignoring cops orders to stop blocking motorists. Militants cursed, threatened and waved their weapons at law-abiding citizens, one of whom called 911 for help once the mob let him through. No officer came to assist. Instead, CSPD officials posted on Twitter that they were reminding the mob to not block the streets and were issuing two shelter in place orders advising residents to stay indoors; please lock and stay away from windows and doors.

Protect and serve has been replaced with Tweet and retreat. Run and hide. Kneel and grovel. If its coming to my once-solidly conservative community, its coming to your town, too.

Former City Councilman Sean Paige condemned the fecklessness: We have a law and order mayor in Colorado Springs, right? So why is John Suthers letting thugs get away with this kind of dangerous/threatening nonsense in residential areas?

Twitter user Sandi K. responded to the CSPD police posts: Announcements? Reminders? How about arrests? Pathetic response by law enforcement. Unbelievable!

Another enraged citizen asked CSPD: (H)ow are the masked protesters who are in full tactical gear and standing down vehicles with their hands on the stocks of their rifles not menacing?

I asked Lt. James Sokolik, CSPD public information officer, why no one was arrested. We monitored the protest extensively, he told me, and made an ultimate decision not to intervene because it took care of itself. That passive language echoes Denver Police Chief Paul Pazens diffident downplaying of the riot at the Back the Blue rally as having devolved on its own, with no one and no entity actually accountable. But I dont want to give the impression that this was some sort of blase thing, Sokolik warbled.

Oh, no. Who would ever get that impression? After all, the situation was being monitored.

Colorado Springs native and Benghazi Marine hero John Tig Tiegen, who works with the nonprofit Faith Education Commerce United, rejects such abject passivity in the face of extreme aggression. You shouldnt have to hide in your own house and be held against your will for fear of bodily harm or death, he told me. He issued a call to action when he heard of the mob hijacking of Pulpit Rock. A large group of his friends joined him to defend and protect the homeowners from direct assault: We were definitely a force, and the neighbors were glad we were there.

Its time to stop living in utopia instead of reality, Tiegen counsels. Amen. Reject the lies. Ignore the smears. Lock, load and lean on each other. Domestic tranquility, like anarchotyranny, doesnt just happen on its own.

Read more at: WND.com
LATEST Aug. 7, 2:50 p.m. California Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Friday the state's coronavirus pandemic is improving and the downward trends are real, despite a technical glitch in the data-reporting system that caused a lag in collecting test information for days.

Ghaly noted that hospitalizations and ICUs continue to drop, and these are independent of the broken computer reporting system.

Read the full story on SFGATE.

Aug. 7, 2:45 p.m. The San Francisco Unified School District and the United Educators of San Francisco announced Friday that they reached a tentative agreement for distance learning for the upcoming school year.

The memorandum of understanding between the two parties was necessitated by the COVID-19 coronavirus that is preventing much of the state from starting fall semester classes in person.

Read the full story on SFGATE.

Aug. 7, 1:30 p.m. Big Sur Fire announced Friday it's closing four roads in the region on the California coast due to an "overwhelming increase in visitors, which has caused extensive damage to many areas and become a significant risk to public safety."

The impacted roads are: Central Coast/Cone Peak Road, South Coast Ridge Road, Los Burros/Willow Creek Road and Plaskett Ridge Road. Learn more about the closure here.

Aug. 7, 12:40 p.m. San Quentin Prison announced the 24th inmate death due to complications with COVID-19 Friday.

The Marin County facility said the unnamed individual passed away on Aug. 6. San Quentin currently has 177 inmates with active infections and 1,968 who have recovered from COVID-19.

Aug. 7, 12:33 p.m. California's COVID-19 death toll surpassed 10,000 Friday as the state continues to struggle with a widespread pandemic.

Johns Hopkins University reported a total of 10,024 fatalities in California. The state now has the third-highest number of deaths in the country since the start fo the pandemic.

Read the full story on SFGATE.

Aug. 7, 9 a.m. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington is now projecting the death toll from COVID-19 in the United States could reach 300,000 by Dec. 1. The latest forecast, issued Thursday, estimates that between now and Dec. 1, 137,000 people will die in addition to the roughly 160,000 fatalities reported so far.

Aug. 7, 7:15 a.m. Following a spirited debate, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors unanimously authorized administrative enforcement of public health order violations on Thursday.

Effective immediately, under an "urgency ordinance," county personnel may fine individuals and businesses for violations like holding a large gathering, not wearing a mask or not following physical distance guidelines in a business.

A non-commercial violation is subject to a civil penalty of $100. Commercial violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty for the first violation, $5,000 for the second violation and $10,000 for the third violation by the same responsible party.

In passing the urgency ordinance, Sonoma County joins neighboring Marin, Mendocino, Napa and Yolo counties.

Aug. 7, 7 a.m. Recent issues with the California Department of Public Health's electronic reporting system have led San Francisco to temporarily suspend posting some COVID-19 data online, city officials said Thursday.

Counties across the state announced underreported COVID-19 case numbers early this week due to a glitch in the California Reportable Disease Information Exchange (CalREDIE) disease reporting system.

In response, CDPH has directed all laboratories to report positive COVID test results directly to county health departments until the issue is fixed.

Bay City News contributed to this story.

Coronavirus in the greater Bay Area: Links you need

COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

Alameda County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Contra Costa County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Lake County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Marin County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Monterey County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Napa County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

San Benito County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

San Francisco County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

San Mateo County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Santa Clara County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Santa Cruz County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Solano County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

Sonoma County: Find the latest COVID-19 numbers and health order.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Here are answers to your most frequently asked questions about coronavirus

Lasting heart damage could be COVID-19's legacy for some non-hospitalized survivors

Bay Area had avoided spikes until shutdown fatigue, early reopening and prison outbreak

WHEN WILL THE BAY AREA REOPEN?

Is it less dangerous to reopen elementary schools than high schools?

Solano County health chief: It may be impossible to get off state watch list

San Mateo County added to state COVID-19 watch list, faces business closures
NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hunt Companies Finance Trust, Inc. (NYSE: HCFT) ("we", "HCFT" or "the Company") today reported its second quarter 2020 results. GAAP Net income attributable to common shareholders for the quarter was $1.87 million, or $0.08 per share. Core earnings for the quarter was $2.19 million, or $0.09 per share. The Company has also issued a detailed presentation of its results, which can be viewed at www.huntcompaniesfinancetrust.com.

Conference Call and Webcast Information

The Company will also host a conference call on Monday, August 10, 2020, at 8:30 AM ET to provide a business update and discuss the financial results for the second quarter of 2020. The conference call may be accessed by dialing 1-877-870-4263 (US) or 1-412-317-0790 (International). Note: there is no passcode; please ask the operator to be joined into the Hunt Companies Finance Trust call. A live webcast, on a listen-only basis, is also available and can be accessed through the URL:

https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2022/36493

For those unable to listen to the live broadcast, a recorded replay will be available for on-demand viewing approximately one hour after the end of the event through the Company's website https://huntcompaniesfinancetrust.com/ and by telephone dial-in. The replay call-in number is 1-877-344-7529 (US) or 1-412-317-0088 (International) with passcode 10147140.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this release, the Company presents certain financial measures that are not calculated according to generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). Specifically, the Company is presenting core earnings, which constitutes a non-GAAP financial measure within the meaning of Item 10(e) of Regulation S-K and is net income under GAAP. While we believe the non-GAAP information included in this press release provides supplemental information to assist investors in analyzing our results, and to assist investors in comparing our results with other peer issuers, these measures are not in accordance with GAAP, and they should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, our financial information calculated in accordance with GAAP. The methods of calculating non-GAAP financial measures may differ substantially from similarly titled measures used by other companies. Our GAAP financial results and the reconciliations from these results should be carefully evaluated.

GAAP to Core Earnings Reconciliation





Three months Ended







June 30, 2020



Reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP Information







Net Income (loss) attributable to common shareholders

$ 1,874,953



Adjustments for non-core earnings







Unrealized (Gain) Loss on mortgage servicing rights

375,176



Subtotal

375,176



Other Adjustments







Recognized compensation expense related to restricted common stock

6,512



Adjustment for (provision for) income taxes

(68,271)



Subtotal

(61,759)













Core Earnings

$ 2,188,370













Weighted average shares outstanding - Basic and Diluted

24,939,575



Core Earnings per weighted share outstanding - Basic and Diluted

$ 0.09





About HCFT

Hunt Companies Finance Trust, Inc. is a Maryland corporation focused on investing in, financing and managing a portfolio of commercial real estate debt investments. The Company primarily invests in transitional floating rate commercial mortgage loans with an emphasis on middle-market multi-family assets. Hunt Companies Finance Trust is externally managed and advised by OREC Investment Management, LLC. For additional information about OREC Investment Management, LLC, please see its form ADV and brochure (Part 2A of Form ADV) available at https://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

Investors, security holders and other interested persons may find additional information regarding the Company at the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov/ or the Company website www.huntcompaniesfinancetrust.com or by directing requests to: Hunt Companies Finance Trust, 230 Park Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10169, Attention: Investor Relations.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release, any related webcast / conference call, and other oral statements made by our representatives from time to time may constitute forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans and objectives. You can identify forward-looking statements by use of words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "may," "will," "seek," "would," "could," or similar expressions or other comparable terms, or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Statements regarding the following subjects, among others, may be forward-looking: the return on equity; the yield on investments; the ability to borrow to finance assets; and risks associated with investing in real estate assets, including changes in business conditions and the general economy. Forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future performance, taking into account all information currently available to us on the date of this press release or the date on which such statements are first made. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this press release and/or any related webcast / conference call and should consider carefully the factors described in Part I, Item IA "Risk Factors" in our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other current or periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), when evaluating these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond our control. Additionally, many of these risks and uncertainties are currently amplified by and will continue to be amplified by, or in the future may be amplified by, the COVID-19 outbreak. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors are contained in our 2019 10-K which is available on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by applicable law, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Hunt Companies Finance Trust, Inc.
Researchers have matched the tinting of semi-transparent PV modules with the bandwidth of light that plants absorb for photosynthesis. A promising trial with basil and spinach has opened up economic opportunities for farmers.PV project owners could ramp up their financial gains by harvesting crops and generating solar power from the same land, with gross financial gains of 2.5% for basil and 35% for spinach grown in greenhouses with tinted semi-transparent PV modules. Researchers from the University of Cambridge described the potential gains in "Tinted semi-transparent solar panels allow concurrent ...

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.
Face masks will be mandatory in shops here from next Monday as the Executive delayed the reopening of alcohol-only pubs to ensure children can return to schools full-time starting from August 31.

The significant announcements follow a meeting of Stormont ministers on Thursday amid news that our R-rate is highly likely to be over 1 and 43 new Covid-19 cases were reported  the highest daily increase since May 13.

Health Minister Robin Swann warned the rise in positive cases was a wake-up call for the complacent.

Read More

First Minister Arlene Foster explained the decision to delay the reopening of so-called wet pubs until September 1 was down to the R number, which she said could be as high as 1.3.

The R-rate is the reproductive rate at which one infected individual goes on to infect others they are in contact with.

Expand Close Three girls wear face masks in downtown Belfast Photopress / Facebook

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The Department of Health on Thursday stressed the R number becomes a less reliable measure when community transmission of the virus is very low, and will be heavily influenced by small local clusters.

Mrs Foster explained: Because of the concern around the level of community transmission and the desire to prioritise the reopening of our schools, we have decided that it is prudent to pause the reopening of our public houses, and we have set a new indicative date of September 1.

All primary and secondary pupils, including those who attend special schools, will return to the classroom with protected bubbles in place for years one to 10, and minimised movement for years 11 to 14.

Theatres and concert halls can reopen for rehearsals from Saturday ahead of welcoming audiences back for performances on September 1.

And spectators can attend indoor sporting venues from August 10.

Education Minister Peter Weir hailed the reopening of schools as positive news for parents and teachers.

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All the other protective measures that we have put in place and suggested to schools previously remain in place, so we are looking after the health and safety of our young people, he explained.

Full guidance will be issued to schools next week.

The idea is to try and have the maximum level of social distancing.

But the overriding issue is to ensure we have full classes. Teaching unions, however, have called for further clarity from Stormont.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday night by the Northern Ireland Teachers Council, Irish National Teachers Organisation and NASUWT, they said concerns about the safety of staff and pupils remained.

NITC said that it fully supported the minister in seeking a full return to normality for all pupils as soon as its safely possible, but the Department of Education had not supplied updated information which brought a change in the guidance originally issued in June.

Justin McCamphill of the NASUWT added: The statement from the minister, as usual, lacks sufficient clarity and detail.

The changes to the New School Day Guidance announced (on Thursday) will force principals and teachers to again redraft and unpick physical changes which they have already laboured to put in place.

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The introduction of compulsory face coverings for shops and all public enclosed spaces has been welcomed by the British Medical Association.

This virus is still very much circulating in the community and the most recent statistics from the Department of Health tell us that the number of positive tests per-day has increased three-fold from early July, said Dr Alan Stout, chair of BMAs Northern Ireland general practitioners committee,

The recent relaxation of social distancing rules from two metres to one metre means people are at greater risk of being exposed to Covid-19. It is vital that we dont become complacent.

The Executive had this week launched a public information drive to raise awareness of the benefits of face coverings.

The Wear One For Everyone campaign will now be rolled out over the coming weeks and will help inform the public why they must wear a face covering to help stop the viruss spread.

Mrs Foster said: Retail workers will not have to wear masks, its those people coming in to the shops that we are asking to wear masks.

Its about trying to give confidence to people who feel vulnerable and maybe have been shielding and we are asking the public to work with us and listen to what we are asking them to do.

The First Minister also announced a high street task force to help the sector, which was last night welcomed by Retail NI.

On Thursday the Public Health Agency (PHA) revealed that 23 coronavirus clusters had been identified in Northern Ireland since May 25, when the test and trace programme began.

Currently 11 of these clusters remain open and some 168 cases of Covid-19 have been associated with these clusters.

Nine of the clusters have had five or more cases associated with them.

Earlier this week two businesses in Newcastle, Co Down  a sweet shop and an amusement arcade  closed temporarily following virus outbreaks among staff.

The 43 new cases on Thursday brings the total to 6,049. No further fatalities were reported, leaving the death toll at 556, according to departmental figures.

A total of 118 people have tested positive for the virus in the last week.

Thirty-eight of these were in the Newry, Mourne and Down council area, 19 in Mid and East Antrim, and 17 in Belfast.

There are currently two Covid-19 inpatients in hospitals here, with two being treated in intensive care units.

In care homes there are currently three active outbreaks of the virus.

Addressing the clusters, Dr Gerry Waldron, head of health protection at the PHA, said: In the past seven days five clusters have been identified. Thirty-five cases have been associated with these clusters, with 239 close contacts.

This should act as a timely reminder that we must not become complacent.

Coronavirus remains in circulation and we have seen an increase in cases in recent weeks.

Mr Swann added: This figure (of 43) underlines the fact that the threat from the virus remains very real.

If anyone still thinks Covid-19 is going to fade away, let them think again.

We must all do everything we can to stop the spread of this virus.
GORE TWP, MI  A Northville man is in custody after police allege he repeatedly fired a gun at vehicles in rural Huron County.

About 9:45 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 6, troopers from the Michigan State Police Caro Post responded to North Lakeshore Road (M-25) and Lawitzke Road in Gore Township for reports of a man shooting at vehicles. Huron County Central Dispatch had received two 911 calls from different victims reporting this.

The victims reported a vehicle was disabled in the roadway and, at different times, each stopped to check on it. The first victim said that as they slowed down to check on the parked car, a man jumped out of the nearby ditch and began firing a gun. The suspect then pointed his gun at them and was demanding a ride.

The second victim saw the vehicle in the road and slowed to go around it. As this occurred, a man again ran out of the ditch and pointed a handgun at them.

Each victim was able to drive away and call 911. No one was injured, though one victims vehicle was struck by a bullet.

Harbor Beach Police, Port Austin Police, Huron County Sheriffs deputies, the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team, MSP K9s, and a MSP helicopter responded to the scene and established a perimeter. When police arrived in the area, they could see the suspect, who was still armed, near the disabled vehicle.

Around 3:15 a.m., Emergency Support Team members approached the vehicle, but the suspect had already fled into the woods.

An hour later, a K9 tracked the suspect to a two-track trail northeast of the vehicle and he was arrested. The suspect received minor injuries from the K-9 and was treated at a local hospital.

The 42-year-old man was lodged in jail on numerous felony charges.

The suspects name is being withheld pending arraignment in Huron County District Court.

Read more:

Bay County deputies chase, arrest suspect driving stolen truck containing guns, cremains

Couple who won $500,000 lottery, now facing burglary charges, owe thousands in back property taxes

New police dog named Lincoln joins Bay County Sheriff's Office

Series of daytime burglaries reported in Bay County
Two decades ago, British oil giant BP spent millions to rebrand itself in an environmentally friendly light, with a sunflower logo and a Beyond Petroleum slogan, symbolizing a commitment to cleaner energy.

Still looking to make good on its vision and under pressure from environmental activists and investors, the company this year announced plans to become a net-zero emitter by 2050. The companys plan calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and offsetting the rest. In doing so, BP became the first energy major to acknowledge that it must produce less oil and gas over time to meet its net-zero goal.

It took a step toward that goal Tuesday, announcing it will cut oil and gas production by more than 1 million barrels a day, about 40 percent, to 1.5 million barrels from 2.6 million by 2030. It also said it would cut emissions from operations by 30 to 35 percent by 2030. BP also said it will accelerate its investment in renewables and biofuels by 10-fold to around $5 billion per year by 2030.

The transformation will create challenges for many of BPs 70,100 workers around the globe, including 4,000 in the Houston area. But CEO Bernard Looney, who succeeded Bob Dudley in February, says a diminishing supply of carbon fuels makes it necessary.

The worlds carbon budget is finite and running out fast; we need a rapid transition to net zero, Looney said shortly after taking the helm of BP. We all want energy that is reliable and affordable  but that is no longer enough. It must also be cleaner. To deliver that, trillions of dollars will need to be invested in replumbing and rewiring the worlds energy system. It will require nothing short of reimagining energy as we know it.

BP under Looneys leadership has moved aggressively toward achieving its net-zero ambitions, shifting its influence and spending away from its traditional oil and gas business to renewable energy sources.

In February, it pulled out of three trade groups, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, Western Energy Alliance and the Western States Petroleum Association, because the company said their policies no longer align with its views on climate change.

Luke MacGregor / Bloomberg

In June, the company announced plans to sell its petrochemicals business to Ineos for $5 billion in a move that strengthens its balance sheet during the coronavirus-driven oil downturn, but also transitions the company away from oil and gas.

In July, BP said it will acquire full ownership of Fowler Ridge 1, a wind farm in central Indiana with 162 wind turbines and a generation capacity that could power as many as 60,000 Texas homes on a summer day. BP Wind Energy operates wind farms in six states that generate enough electricity to power 450,000 homes annually. BP also donated $2 million to the city of Houston and will serve as a strategic partner to help the Houston city government become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050.

BP is moving beyond petroleum, said Karr Ingham, petroleum economist with the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. Its something of a bet that theyre placing. Their assessment of the marketplace is one that is a changing energy scenario.

Crude is still king

To be sure, BP doesnt plan to get out of the oil and gas business entirely. The company made a $4.9 billion profit off its upstream business and a $6.5 billion profit off its downstream business in 2019. By contrast, the company lost $2.8 billion in its alternative energy and other corporate businesses last year.

Still, BP aims to cut the rate of carbon dioxide emissions of its products by 50 percent, halve the rate of its methane emissions of its operations, and shift its energy portfolio away from oil and gas. The company said it plans to outline its plans to get to net-zero in September.

BP has already made moves in recent years to increase its investment in renewable energy. The company owns 50 percent of Lightsource BP, Europes largest solar developer, in a joint venture started in 2017. Last year, BP partnered with Chinas Didi Chuxing to build an electric vehicle charging network in China, the worlds largest market for EVs. The company also owns Charge Master, the largest EV charging provider in the U.K.

The companys shift toward becoming a more sustainable company comes as the oil and gas industry is struggling to weather the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The company earlier said it plans to lay off nearly 10,000 workers, 14 percent of its workforce, by the end of the year, and cut $2.5 billion from its operating budget by the end of 2021.

Despite the current economic challenges, Looney has said that BP is a believer in a low-carbon future and plans to maintain its $500 million investment in low-carbon businesses.

Hollie Adams / Bloomberg

The companys own review of global energy data found that electricity generation from renewable energy sources, led by wind and solar power, grew by a record 40 percent last year while oil consumption grew by 0.9 percent and natural gas consumption grew by 2 percent. A little more than 10 percent of the worlds power plants use renewable energy, surpassing nuclear for the first time in 2019.

BP scientists last year predicted that global energy demand will grow by a third through 2040, largely driven by natural gas and renewables. The company expects oil demand to peak around 108 million barrels per day in the 2030s.

As you look out into the future, is oil demand going to grow at 3, 4, 5 percent per annum for the next 20 or 30 years? Looney said in an interview with IHS Markit vice chairman Daniel Yergin published last month. No. Oil demand growth is probably slowing.

Looney, who joined BP as a graduate engineer 28 years ago, has said the companys net-zero ambitions also were guided by his meetings with investors, non-governmental organizations or NGOs, academics, the United Nations and environmental activists. BP declined to comment for this story, citing a Securities and Exchange Commission-mandated embargo on promotional publicity by publicly traded companies in the so-called quiet period running up to its second-quarter earnings release this month.

Investors, of course, want a financial return, but they also want to invest in companies that are having a positive impact on our world, Looney said in the IHS Markit interview. I believe that we can satisfy our carbon expectations and satisfy our investors expectations around value better this way.

Industry trend  or not

Analysts say BPs pivot from fossil fuels opens up investment opportunities from potential environmentally conscious investors as well as current investors under public pressure to divest from oil and gas companies. It is also putting pressure on the rest of the industry to reduce greenhouse emissions and transition away from fossil fuels. European oil and gas companies including Royal Dutch Shell, French major Total and Spains Repsol have set similar net-zero targets, following BPs lead.

By contrast, U.S. energy companies such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron have resisted efforts to set emissions targets, as they expect demand for oil and gas to rise with the worlds growing middle class. The companies are members of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, an international consortium of some of the largest energy companies, which recently announced plans to reduce the emissions rate of their oil and gas production to address climate change. Exxon and Chevron have not set net-zero targets as their European counterparts have.

David Zalubowski, STF / Associated Press

Its clear the oil and gas business is not sustainable environmentally or financially. Companies that arent seriously looking to diversify their business model arent doing any favors to shareholders, said Ben Ratner, senior director of the Environmental Defense Funds business and energy transition group. The energy transition creates challenges but also creates a lot of opportunities. Were hopeful companies like BP will be successful and bring along other players in the industry.

Although there is societal pressure on oil and gas companies to shift from petroleum, Ingham, the petroleum economist, said the market and the worlds growing middle class suggest increasing demand for fossil fuels, which are in abundant supply and relatively affordable. Pivoting from petroleum could lead to higher energy costs, he says, which would pose hurdles for low-income households.

I think we underestimate what our economy will look like if we force a move away from petroleum-related products, Ingham said. This shift should be entirely market-driven. The market will tell us how and when to do it.

Skeptical view

Environmental groups welcome BPs goals but are skeptical that the company will live up to its goal set 20 years ago. They said they are eager to know how oil and gas companies intend to meet their net-zero targets, and worry that companies may be greenwashing, or giving a false impression of their oil and gas business. Energy companies will have to set clear benchmarks and provide evidence of their emissions reductions, Ratner said.

No doubt, net-zero is the right North Star, but now the question is what is BPs credible road map to get there? Ratner said. The onus is on BP to develop a clear and comprehensive plan with actions at a scale that demonstrably lives up to its net-zero commitments. Its going to take more than a few million dollars here and a few windmills there.

DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS, Contributor / AFP via Getty Images

Some environmental groups are skeptical of oil and gas companies leading the energy transition, but Looney said the energy industry is uniquely qualified to move the world toward renewables. BP has about 6,000 engineers and 2,500 scientists, and operates in 78 countries. Oil and gas companies have the resources to help make the transition, Looney said.

Im sure there are a lot of people who would prefer if you could transition without oil and gas companies, Looney said. I understand that point, but I obviously dont agree with it.  I do believe we have something to add.

paul.takahashi@chron.com

twitter.com/paultakahashi
Cuomo touted New Yorks statewide success in authorising a return to classrooms for the start of the new school year.

Children in New York state, including in the largest school district in the United States, will be allowed to return to classrooms for the start of the new school year, New Yorks governor said on Friday, citing the states success in battling the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo clears the way for schools to offer at least some days of in-person classes, alongside remote learning.

Everywhere in the state, every region is below the threshold that we established, Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters. If theres a spike in the infection rate, if theres a matter of concern in the infection rate, then we can revisit.

Many New York school districts have planned to start the year with students in school buildings only a few days a week while learning at home the rest of the time.

In the largest school district in the US, New York Citys more than one million public school students had their last day of in-class instruction on March 13, just as waves of sick people were beginning to hit city hospitals. All schools statewide were closed by March 18.

The citys mayor, Bill de Blasio, has been saying since the spring that his goal for fall (autumn) was to bring students back on schedule, with as much classroom time as possible while still allowing for social distancing.

That plan has looked exceedingly ambitious as other large school systems have backed away from in-person instruction in recent weeks.





Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Houston, among other places, all announced they would start the school year with students learning remotely.

De Blasio, while cautioning that he could change course at any time, had expressed hope that the relatively low rate of transmission of the virus in the city would allow students and staff to return safely.

He had also said a return to classroom instruction is vital to jump-starting the citys economy, now hobbled by parents being forced to stay home with their children.

School reopening plans, though, face enormous hurdles.

The outbreak, while reduced, is not over in New York. About 10,000 New York City residents tested positive for the virus in July.

On Wednesday, two unions, New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers, demanded clearer health protocols dictating that schools should shut down immediately for two weeks if any student or member of the staff contracts the virus.

Teachers are banned from striking in New York, but it has been unclear whether large numbers would either opt out of classroom instruction for medical reasons or simply refuse to work.

Social distancing is just one challenge schools will have to tackle to bring children back to the classroom [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

Parents, too, have struggled to decide whether to send their children to school or opt solely for online instruction at home.

Schools have spent the summer coming up with safety plans, securing protective gear and figuring out how to fit fewer students into classrooms and school buses.

Cuomo required all school systems to submit plans detailing their reopening plans, saying that the state would not allow any district with an unsafe plan to bring students back to classrooms.

State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker warned this week that an ill-prepared reopening could put students, staff and parents in peril.

Earlier this summer, Cuomo set a general metric to help measure when it was safe to bring students back, saying the state would allow a return in regions where fewer than 5 percent of people tested for COVID-19 came back positive.

The entire state has been well under that threshold all summer, but Cuomo had also recently stressed that, even if he allowed schools to reopen, it would not work if parents and teachers were not sure they are safe.
OSLO, Norway, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Asetek will release its financial results for the second quarter of 2020 on Wednesday, 12 August at 10:30 AM CEST.

CEO Andre Sloth Eriksen and CFO Peter Dam Madsen will present the Company's results at 11:30 AM CEST and invites investors, analysts and media to join the presentation. The presentation is expected to last up to one hour, including Q&A, and can be followed via live webcast or conference call.

Webcast - audio and slide presentation:

Please join the results webcast via the following link:

https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/wdjy2yyg

Conference call - audio only:

Please dial in 5-10 minutes prior using the phone numbers and confirmation code below:

Copenhagen, Denmark +45 3272 8042 Oslo, Norway +47 2396 0264 London, United Kingdom +44 (0) 8445 7188 92 Paris, France +33 (0) 1767 00794 New York, United States of America +1 631 5107 495 Confirmation Code 5081646

The second quarter report and presentation will also be made available online at www.asetek.com and www.newsweb.no, as well as through news agencies.

A recorded version of the presentation will be made available at www.asetek.com approximately two hours after the presentation has concluded.

Q&A: The conference call lines will be opened for participants to ask question at the end of the presentation. Questions can also be submitted through the online webcast during the presentation.

For further information, please contact:

Peter Madsen

Chief Financial Officer

Mobile: +45-2080-7200

[email protected]

About Asetek:

Asetek, the creator of the all-in-one liquid cooler, is the global leader for liquid cooling solutions for high performance gaming and enthusiast PCs, and environmentally aware data centers. Founded in 2000, Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in China, Taiwan and the United States. Asetek is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ASETEK.OL).

www.asetek.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/asetek/r/asetek-presents-second-quarter-2020-results-on-wednesday--12-august,c3165418

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Mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, have increased among Americans over the course of the pandemic. Read more

As the United States works to stop the rise in coronavirus case numbers, behavioral health professionals warn that mental health will continue to deteriorate as a result of the pandemic.

Between March and May, one-third of Americans reported experiencing stress, anxiety and sadness that was difficult to cope with by themselves, according to a survey published this week by the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation focused on promoting a high performing health-care system, and Social Science Research Solutions, a market and survey research firm. The survey, which interviewed 8,259 adults in the U.S. and abroad, found that when compared with other high-income countries such as Canada, Australia, and France, the rate at which Americans experienced mental health symptoms was significantly higher.

Researchers suggested that the countrys lack of universal health insurance coverage, financial difficulties, and leadership response to the pandemic has negatively affected the mental well-being of Americans.

The findings reflect a similar report released in May by the American Psychological Association, which found that 70% of Americans cited the government response to COVID-19 as a significant source of stress. The same percentage of respondents said that the economy was a significant source of stress.

Donna Sudak, professor of psychiatry at Drexel Universitys College of Medicine, said that while its important to recognize the toll the virus has taken is greater here than in some other countries included in the survey, there are cultural customs that can make coping harder for Americans as well.

Were a country that is accustomed to a lot of independence and the ability to be autonomous, Sudak said. Many people have a sense of well-being when they can go anywhere they want to. Were accustomed to the escape value of that, and now thats gone.

The survey also found that despite heightened mental health symptoms, Americans are less likely to receive care during the pandemic  just one in three adults reported being able to get help from a professional, compared with one in two adults in Australia and Canada.

Eric Schneider, the senior vice president for policy and research at the Commonwealth Fund and an author of the report, said that could be because other countries are more likely to provide citizens with access to a trusted source of primary care.

Primary care is often the first point of contact for people with mental health concerns, Schneider said. It is the main source of care for common mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

Sudak also said Americans may hesitate to seek help because mental health care is not covered in the same way other forms of health care by insurers.

Insurers have traditionally divided mental health and physical health, Sudak said. But we know that the body and mind are intertwined.

Additionally, there is a stigma that exists when it comes to accessing mental care, she said.

Wei Du, chair of the psychiatry department at Drexels College of Medicine, said another possible reason that fewer Americans are reaching out to behavioral health professionals could be that until very recently, most mental health concerns were addressed in person. Although the use of teletherapy and telepsychiatry has increased exponentially in the past few months, Du said, some people may feel uncomfortable seeking therapy from their homes because they dont want family members to find out about their struggles.

A lot of people have begun to describe what theyre calling a post-COVID mental health surge, Du said. Its going to come soon, and probably from a new population, such as professionals who have lost their jobs, or young adults in the transition group.

Sudak said she would not be surprised if people felt worse now than they did in March. Many Americans feel disappointed that the country has not been able to tame the virus despite the sacrifices that have been made by the public.

In the beginning, it looked like we were able to flatten the curve, Sudak said. Many people thought that flattening the curve had to do with making the virus go away. Everybody did what they were supposed to do then, and now people want to go out and do what they used to do, but the virus hasnt gone away.

Because cases across the U.S. continue to spike, she said, people are still dealing with a tremendous amount of uncertainty, which is the thing thats been the most distressing. Human beings are wired to dislike uncertainty, she said.

People have really been wanting a sense of certainty about being safe, and we did all the right things like social distancing from each other to get that, Sudak said. But we still dont have a sense of security and safety as we should. Theres likely a tremendous amount of disappointment about that.
She's been modeling for more than 40 years.

And on Thursday, Iman, who celebrated her 65th birthday last month, took part in a photo shoot on the streets of New York City.

The Somali-born beauty rocked a leopard print jacket and statement reflective shades for the occasion.

At work: She's been modeling for more than 40 years. And on Thursday, Iman, who celebrated her 65th birthday last month, took part in a photo shoot on the streets of New York City

The widow of David Bowie wore a black blouse underneath the unfastened zipper jacket and a pair of blue jeans.

She sported a long golden blonde wig and accessorized with a gold necklace.

Iman, who was born in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, in 1955, turned 65 on July 25.

To mark the occasion, she posted a stunning selfie to Instagram displaying her flawless features.

Posed: She wore a black blouse underneath a leopard print jacket with blue jeans. She sported a long golden blonde wig and statement reflective shades for the occasion

Ageless beauty: The widow of rock superstar David Bowie marked turning 65 on July 25 by posting this stunning selfie to her Instagram showing off her flawless features

Iman was married to rock superstar Bowie from 1992 until his death from liver cancer in January 2016 at the age of 69.

The couple shared a daughter Lexi, now 19.

In addition to her successful modeling career, Iman founded her own cosmetics company in 1994 focused on beauty products for women of color.

She is also actively involved in several charities including Save the Children, UNICEF Go  2  School Initiative/Somalia and Hope for Congo and this past February, she was honored at the annual amfAR New York Gala for her commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 05:11:23|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Aug. 6, 2020 shows an explosion during an airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia. Israel's military said on Thursday that it carried out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in response to the launch of balloons carrying incendiary devices from the Palestinian enclave. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military said on Thursday that it carried out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in response to the launch of balloons carrying incendiary devices from the Palestinian enclave.

An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that a fighter jet and an aircraft struck an infrastructure in northern Gaza Strip used for "underground activities" by Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian movement that runs Gaza.

The attack was a response to "explosive balloons" that were launched from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israeli during the say, according to the spokesperson.

Israel's Hebrew-language media reported that at least three brush fires were ignited on Thursday by the so-called incendiary balloons launched from Gaza.

The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli and Egyptian blockade since 2007, with occasional tensions rising between Israel and the militants in the coastal Palestinian enclave. Enditem
A pub in regional New South Wales has blacklisted residents from the country's worst coronavirus hot spots, banning all Sydneysiders and Melburnians.

The Bayview Hotel in Woy Woy, on the Central Coast is barring anyone who lives in Sydney or Melbourne from entering the business.

The ban came in place from 7am on Friday, after a decision by the owners Gary and Kerry Navo.





A post on Facebook detailed the reason for the announcement, including fears residents could bring the deadly virus to the small regional community.

The Bayview Hotel in Woy Woy (pictured), on the Central Coast is barring anyone who lives in Sydney or Melbourne from entering the business

A post on Facebook detailed the reason for the announcement (pictured), including fears residents could bring the deadly virus to the small regional community

'I have owned and operated the Bayview Hotel for over 18 years and like us all I have never seen nor lived through such a pandemic,' the owners wrote.

'I take our responsibility whilst operating in these times very seriously and the safety of my customers and staff are the forefront of my concerns.

'We are a community hotel and must at this time do what I believe is best for our community.

'As of 7am Friday, for the time being all customers whom reside from Sydney or Victoria will not be allowed to enter our business until further notice, in the interest of the health and wellbeing of our local community.'

Pub owners Gary and Kerry Navo (pictured) have been praised for the decision to ban people from Covid hot spots

Hotel manager Chris Mills said the decision 'put the community before back pockets'.

'In the current climate we feel it's responsible for us to look after our community, and look after our customers that live in our immediate area,' he told Nine News.

He said a tough call had to be made to prevent the virus spreading after what had unfolded in Victoria, with 7,367 active coronavirus cases after a deadly second wave.

'We don't want to end up with a situation like Melbourne where nobody is allowed out of their house come 8pm,' he told the Central Coast Express Advocate.

'We certainly hope this doesn't go on for too long. But most people get it and are acutely aware of what's going on in Melbourne.'

Hotel manager Chris Mills (pictured) said the decision was about putting the community over their back pockets

A COVID marshall in a high visibility vest will be responsible for enforcing the new rule.

They will be checking IDS to make sure Sydneysiders don't slip through the gaps, as well as recording details of names and addresses at the entry.

While the venue is a popular watering hole for locals it also attracts significant numbers of Sydney residents, particularly over weekends.

The announcement on Facebook attracted more than 200 comments, the majority from supportive locals.

'It is obvious you care about the community and a very good decision. Stay safe all,' one woman wrote.

But others thought the restrictions may not go far enough.

A COVID marshall in a high visibility vest will be responsible for enforcing the new rule at the pub's entry in Woy Woy (pictured)

'Great plan and one that definitely needs to happen to ensure the safety of everyone,' one patron said.

'I do just need to ask what about Newcastle? They have had a few cases/suspected cases lately.'

Dozens of other pubgoers were concerned about whether they would be banned as Central Coast residents who lived locally but commuted and worked in the city.

'Good idea in theory but totally useless in practise, but for people who live in Woy Woy and commute to work in Sydney, how's this going to work?' one man wrote.

'You won't know if these people have been in contact with COVID cases in Sydney.'

A sign on the pub door advises patrons of the new ban in place from 7am on Friday August 7

The New South Wales border with Victoria was closed on July 8 for the first time in 100 years.

The decision to shut the border was agreed by both premiers and the Prime Minister in a three-way phone call after NSW Chief Medical Officer Dr Kerry Chant recommended the move.

The hard border has been enforced by New South Wales Police and the Australian Defence Force with roadblocks and drones to keep Victorian officers free to battle the state's outbreak.

Since then, more drastic action has been taken, with any New South Wales residents returning from Victoria now having to undergo a two-week stay in hotel quarantine.

As of Friday, any returning travellers from the coronavirus-hit state will be required to go through Sydney Airport unless they live in NSW border towns.

Residents will then isolate in a government approved hotel for 14 days and will cover the cost themselves with fees starting at $3,000 for one adult.
I just want to know what happened to you?

A shaken Katie Louis made the public plea Thursday to the still-unidentified person who gunned down her son, 22-year-old Jordan Lee Louis, in an ambush-style shooting near Woodlawn Park on July 28 just steps away from the popular Breakside Brewery on North Dekum Street.

What traumas did you have to endure to be able to brutally murder my child in broad daylight in front of tons of witnesses? she asked, fighting back tears as she held a photo of her son as a smiling young boy. What happened to you?

Louis joined with community activists in North Portland to decry the recent burst of shootings in Portland and demand that city leaders take steps to address the violence and acknowledge gang violence remains a problem in Portland.

They also called on parents to hold their own children accountable if theyre walking around the streets with a gun.

Portland police recorded 10 killings by gunfire among 15 homicides in July. The total is the largest number of homicides in a single month in the city in more than three decades.

Joe McFerrin, president and chief executive officer of Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center, said hes not calling for the return of the Police Bureaus now-disbanded Gun Violence Reduction Team, but for new approaches to stem the tide of violence in the last month.

McFerrin urged city leaders to set aside political posturing and placating and focus on keeping our community safe.

Kimberley Dixon, who lost her son in a shooting seven years ago and is now a volunteer with the Police Bureaus Crisis Response Team, said the loss of seasoned detectives from the Gun Violence Reduction Team has hurt the city. They built relationships with families and knew the players on the street, she said.

You took away the expertise and relationships that were there, said Dixon, who responds to shooting scenes to support families of victims.

Directing her comments to Mayor Ted Wheeler, Dixon asked, When you disband, what did you rebuild? ... Now you leave a fractionalized community left to care for the grieving.

The mayor, who serves as police commissioner, and City Council voted unanimously in June to remove funding for the 34-member gun violence team amid concerns that it disproportionately targeted Black people in traffic stops. The teams officers returned July 1 to patrol positions among the bureaus three precincts and its detectives were sent downtown to the main detectives assault detail.

Police Chief Chuck Lovell said he has pulled six more patrol officers and a sergeant to assist homicide detectives in investigating killings and shootings in the city. But he said the teams loss has made it harder to respond to the shootings.

The mayor, in a call with media later Thursday, said he intends to seek additional money in the fall to support a more focused and a more comprehensive approach to targeting the gun violence.

He said his office is also plans to announce changes next week regarding the investigative side and potentially increasing use of community partners to deescalate problems on the street.

Later, the mayor clarified he is not planning to recreate a specialized police team, but instead will focus on preserving the important coordination and communication between the citys Office of Violence Prevention, which supports outreach workers, and the Police Bureau and seek more authority and funding for the violence prevention office.

Officer Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, said requests for more money in the fall would be too late,' as the summer isnt quite over and the shootings are continuing nightly.

Elmer Yarborough, also a volunteer with the Crisis Response Team, said he headed to a shooting in June only to learn his cousin, DeAnnzello McDonald, 28, had been shot and killed outside a Northeast Portland apartment on June 11.

Four weeks later, on July 25, two of his nephews were shot outside a strip club at Southeast Division and 158th Avenue, leaving one dead, Tyrell Penney, 27, and the other paralyzed, Masico Mase Laveral Walker Jr., 28.

This violence is more of a pandemic to me than the coronavirus, said Yarborough, whose aunt was shot and killed in Delta Park in the 1970s and mother survived a shooting.

He said hes going to Sacramento on Friday to attend a memorial for Penney, who was visiting family in Portland for three days when he was killed.

We have a problem in Portland. Weve had a gang problem for many years,' he said. For those who say theres no gang problem, shouldnt hold office.  Our babies are dying and it hurts every single day.

Its not time for any more conversations, he said.

Whatever we have to do, he said, we have to do it fast.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
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The Beirut disaster could have been caused by a 'rocket or bomb', Lebanon's president said today after protests erupted at the elite corruption and incompetence which is widely blamed for the disaster.

President Michel Aoun said that 'the cause has not been determined yet' three days after the disaster which has killed at least 154 people and devastated large swathes of the city.

While authorities are investigating claims of negligence and have arrested 16 port officials, the president said there was also a 'possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act'.

Aoun also said that Lebanon's 'paralysed' political system should be reconsidered in the nod to the protests which blame Tuesday's explosion on years of mismanagement and corruption.

He pledged 'swift justice' but rejected widespread calls for an international probe, telling a reporter he saw it as an attempt to 'dilute the truth.'

Early reports said fireworks stored near the warehouse or welders being used to repair a broken gate might to be blame, while the United States has not ruled out the possibility of an attack.

The son of an assassinated former Lebanese PM has pointed the finger at terrorist group Hezbollah, saying that nothing goes through the port without them knowing.

Separately, claims emerged today that the cargo of ammonium nitrate which exploded in Warehouse 12 might have been diverted to Beirut on purpose despite officially being destined for Mozambique.

Lebanese security forces faced off with dozens of anti-government demonstrators last night, while tear gas was fired to disperse scuffles that broke out in ravaged streets in central Beirut leading to parliament, the wreckage from Tuesday's explosion still littering the entire area.

In addition to the 154 deaths, the blast has injured more than 5,000 people, left 300,000 others homeless and sparked panic over wheat shortages after 15,000 tonnes of grains were blasted out of the silos.

Many Lebanese put the blame squarely on the political elite and the corruption and mismanagement that even before the disaster had pushed the country to the brink of economic collapse.

A man wears a protective mask as he stands on rubble today at the site of the Beirut blast which has killed nearly 150 people

Russian emergency personnel walk on the site of the explosion in the port of Beirut, where rescuers are continuing their recovery efforts three days after the blast

Emergency workers sent by Russia continue their search and rescue efforts in the ruins of a grain silo destroyed by the explosion in Beirut on Tuesday

Lebanese security forces faced off with dozens of anti-government demonstrators last night, angered by the devastating explosion widely seen as the most shocking expression yet of the government's incompetence

Tear gas was fired to disperse scuffles that broke out in ravaged streets in central Beirut leading to parliament, the wreckage from Tuesday's explosion still littering the entire area

Many Lebanese put the blame squarely on the political elite and the corruption and mismanagement that even before the disaster had pushed the country to the brink of economic collapse

The blast, caused by a stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate which caught fire, has threatened to reignite anti-government protests in Lebanon that have been ongoing since last year

Explosion sparks panic over food shortages in Lebanon The annihilation of the port in Tuesday's explosion has further strained food access for a population that relies on imports for 85 per cent of what it eats. Some 15,000 tonnes of wheat, corn and barley were blasted out of the towering 55-year-old silos and a nearby mill was destroyed. At least one ship unloading wheat during the explosion was damaged, its stocks inedible. The day after the blast, hundreds of customers flocked to the Al-Kaboushieh Bakery in Beirut's Hamra district to stock up on bread. 'Were completely sold out. Everyone was buying five bags instead of one in case there'd be no more,' said employee Hayder Mussawi. Lebanese bread makers and consumers fear the loss of the 120,000-tonne capacity silos will compound months of wheat worries, making bread harder to produce and ultimately more expensive for a population that has already seen its purchasing power slashed. 'When we saw the silos, we panicked,' said Ghassan Bou Habib, CEO of Lebanon's Wooden Bakery pastry franchise. A liquidity crisis since the autumn saw banks halt dollar transfers abroad, which hampered imports. Container activity had already declined by 45 per cent in the first half of 2020 compared to last year, according to Blominvest Bank, while the staggering devaluation of the Lebanese pound led to major price hikes. 'We were already struggling with the (little) wheat and flour that were available. The mills weren't getting enough or they didn't have fuel to run,' Bou Habib said. Advertisement

Lebanon is already seeking $20billion in funding from the IMF and now faces billions more in disaster costs, with losses from the explosion estimated to be between $10billion and $15billion.

A crowd had earlier mobbed visiting French President Emmanuel Macron, demanding his help in overthrowing Lebanon's reviled leaders, with many chanting for 'revolution' and to 'bring down the regime'.

The explosion has reignited anti-government protests in Lebanon that have been ongoing since last year amid anger at entrenched incompetence and corruption.

The feeling of resentment and anger towards the government is palpable in the words of those protesting, and the Arabic hashtag 'Prepare the nooses' trending on social media.

Anthony Elghossain, a Lebanese-American lawyer, said: 'Lebanese leaders have killed a country, buried it and p****d on its grave. That's what people are feeling right now.

'For 30 years people have been telling themselves it can't get much worse but look at it now ... they played hot potato with a megabomb,' he said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Macron, who was mobbed by angry Lebanese during the first visit by a foreign leader since the explosion, promised to mobilise aid to the former French protectorate.

However, he warned there would be no blank cheque for leaders without serious reform, and at a press conference he called for an international inquiry into the explosion.

'If reforms are not carried out, Lebanon will continue to sink,' Macron said after being met at the airport by Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

'What is also needed here is political change. This explosion should be the start of a new era.'

He also promised that French aid would be given out with transparency and 'will not go into the hands of corruption.'

In one powerful moment the French leader stopped and offered a hug to a distraught woman in the crowd who was heard shouting: 'You are sitting with warlords. They have been manipulating us for the past year.' Macron replied: 'I'm not here to help them. I'm here to help you'.

Hours after Macron left Gemmayzeh, Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm tried to visit, only to be driven out by protesters.

Bahaa Hariri, whose father, Prime Minister Rafiq, was assassinated in 2005, said last night everyone in the city knew Hezbollah controlled Beirut's port and airport and it was inconceivable that the authorities did not know the deadly ammonium nitrate was stored in a warehouse there.

Speaking for the first time Mr Hariri, 54, said: 'The question we have to ask is how come for six years this combustible material was allowed to remain in the middle of this city of two million people?'

'It is crystal clear Hezbollah are in charge of the Port and the Warehouse where the ammonium nitrate was stored.

'Nothing goes in and out of the Port or the Airport does so with them knowing. Nothing.

'Their decision to put it there in the middle of a city of two million people was an utter disaster. And now we have a destroyed city centre.'

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which has been investigating the assassination of Rafiq Hariri for the last 15 years, was due to announce its judgment on Friday. This has now been postponed until August 18.

An injured man who was pinned under a vehicle following the explosion is rescued alive from the rubble on Tuesday. The man was subsequently taken to hospital

At least 145 people have so far been confirmed dead, with some 5,000 wounded, 300,000 homeless, and widespread damage which is estimated to total $5billion

A view of shipping containers at the damaged site of Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area today

UNITED STATES: People take part in a candlelight vigil for victims of the Beirut disaster in Los Angeles on Thursday night

BRAZIL: The Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up with an image depicting the Lebanon national flag in Rio de Janeiro last night

Witness feared Beirut was being hit by an earthquake When he first felt the ground shaking, Reuters photographer Mohamed Azakir thought Beirut had been struck by an earthquake. Then he heard the explosion. Grabbing his camera, Azakir rushed out into the streets, trying to locate the source of the blast. When he reached the port, he realized he was close. Dead bodies lay everywhere, and people were screaming. Azakir saw one man, pinned under a vehicle, covered in a thick film of rubble and blood. At first, Azakir thought the man was dead. But then the man opened his eyes and began waving his arms and asking for help. Azakir called over some rescuers who were nearby. In a series of dramatic photographs, he recorded the rescue of the man, while also helping the rescuers move the car to free him. He took pictures of the man being transferred to a stretcher and taken away, black smoke still billowing from wrecked silos in the background. 'It was like a horror movie filmed in a devastated city,' said Azakir, who has covered Lebanon since 1981. Advertisement

There are now thought to be 300,000 left homeless and widespread damage estimated at up to $15billion - including a 390ft cruise ship which capsized as a result of the blast.

The Orient Queen, which had capacity for up to 300 passengers, was not carrying any passengers on board at the time after summer cruising operations had been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the ship's crew was killed with another still missing. Several other members of the crew remain in hospitals across the city, according to the ship's operator Abou Merhi Cruises.

'It's a sad, sad day for all of us,' said the cruise operator on social media.

'Abou Merhi Cruises has lost a precious soul in the tragedy that took place at the port of Beirut. Heilemariam Reta (Hailey) from Ethiopia.

'Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of Mustafa Airout from Syria who was at the port and is still missing'.

Hospitals have also been badly damaged by the explosion, and medical centres were overwhelmed with cases other than Covid-19 for the first time in months with some having to turn away the wounded.

A military judge leading the investigation into Tuesday's blast said 16 employees of Beirut's port, where the explosion took place, had been detained. He said 18 had been questioned, including port and customs officials, according to the state news agency.

Cypriot police say they have questioned a Russian man over alleged links to a ship and its cargo of ammonium nitrate said to have caused the devastating explosion.

The dangerous load of ammonium nitrate is understood to have been abandoned by Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin in September 2013, according to two letters issued by the director general of Lebanese Customs.

A ship carrying the load was detained en route from Batumi, in the ex-Soviet republic Georgia, to Mozambique, and never recovered.

For reasons that are unclear, dockworkers unloaded the chemical, which can be used to make fertilisers and explosives, and put it into storage at the port where it remained for six years.

A leading Lebanese opposition figure has blamed Hezbollah, along with the country's government, for the devastating explosion in Beirut on Tuesday which capsized a cruise ship (pictured) and has so far claimed 137 lives

Dozens of funerals have now begun across the city after the explosion killed at least 137. Pictured: Carole Helou hugging the coffin of her sister Nicole, 25, who was killed in the massive blast two days ago

There are now thought to be 300,000 left homeless and wide-spread damage estimated at up to $5billion - including a 120-metre long cruise ship which capsized as a result of the blast

The explosion on Tuesday night, which was reportedly the size of a small nuke, has left at least 137 people dead and a further 5,000 wounded. Pictured: Wreckage of a ship devastated in the explosion

There are now thought to be 300,000 left homeless and wide-spread damage estimated at up to $5billion - including a 120-metre long cruise ship which capsized as a result of the blast. Pictured: A soldier walks at the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut

The explosion has 137 people dead, at least 5,000 people wounded and 300,000 homeless as dozens of funerals begin across the city. Pictured: Men carry the coffin of Nicole Helou, 25, a Lebanese woman killed in the blast on Tuesday

The explosion has threatened to reignite anti-government protests in Lebanon that have been ongoing since last year amid allegations of entrenched incompetence and corruption (aftermath of the blast pictured)

Cargo ship 'would not have reached Mozambique' The shipment of ammonium nitrate linked to the explosion was destined for Mozambique when it sailed on the cargo ship Rhosus in 2013, but the vessel made a stop in Beirut where the chemicals were impounded. Cypriot police say they have questioned Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin over his alleged links to the ship and its cargo of ammonium nitrate. A Russian news outlet in Cyprus has claimed that Grechushkin had no history as a ship owner, and that this was the only known voyage he had arranged. He bought the Rhosus for 300,000 in Cyprus, which was 50,000 less than its scrap value at the time, it was claimed. 'Its technical state was exactly that, scrap,' said the report on Cyprus24 site. 'That ship would have definitely not have made it to Mozambique where the official buyer of the cargo is based. The report claimed 'it was a single-use ship for a single journey', suggesting this was from Batumi in Georgia to Lebanon - and no further. Grechushkin has also made contact with Russian diplomats via his lawyers since the Beirut explosion, it is understood, but has not made any public comment on the tragedy. When it arrived in Beirut, the ship temporarily docked at the port but was later seized by authorities due to a lawsuit filed by a Lebanese company. Port authorities unloaded the ammonium nitrate and stored it in the run-down warehouse, while the ship sank sometime later because of damage, it is believed. Advertisement

The chemical was being kept in Warehouse 12 next to a series of other structures where Customs kept commercial cargo and personal belongings of people who had shipped them to Lebanon.

It has been reported that in order to retrieve any belongings from the port bundles of money were needed to pay off different factions among the port's bureaucracy.

Lebanon has placed every official responsible for the security of Beirut's port for the last six years under house arrest as it investigates the explosion.

But the head of the Beirut port, Hassan Koraytem, told pro-government broadcaster OTV that the Customs department, as well as state security, had wanted the material to be exported or removed, but that 'nothing happened'.

The country's political leaders vowed those responsible for the tragedy would 'pay the price', but customs officials pointed the finger of blame back at them - saying they were repeatedly warned of the danger but failed to act.

Raghida Dergham of the Beirut Institute yesterday said: 'Storing Ammonium Nitrate in a civilian port is a crime against humanity that must not go unpunished.

'Condemnations are not enough. I'm safe but devastated. I lost friends. I lost my apartment. Had I been home, I would have lost my life.'

An official source familiar with preliminary investigations blamed the incident on negligence. Lebanese citizens directed anger at politicians who have overseen decades of state corruption and bad governance that plunged the nation into financial crisis.

Director General of Lebanese Customs Badri Daher said the country's judiciary was told six times about the hazardous chemicals stored in a warehouse in the Lebanese capital.

Customs officials are understood to have asked authorities to move the dangerous substance from Hangar 12 due to the danger they believe it posed to the city and given to the army or sold to an explosives company.

'We requested that it be re-exported but that did not happen. We leave it to the experts and those concerned to determine why,' Daher said.

Another source close to a port employee said a team that inspected the ammonium nitrate six months ago warned that if it was not moved it would 'blow up all of Beirut'.

The blast threatens to reignite anti-government protests in Lebanon that have been ongoing since last year amid allegations of entrenched incompetence and corruption (aftermath of the blast pictured)

Lebanon is highly dependent on imports, and the destruction of the port, along with the worsening cash crisis, have raised fears of shortages. Pictured: Buildings demolished in the explosion at the port of Beirut

Prime Minister Hassan Diab vowed those responsible will 'pay the price' as he declared a two-week state of emergency to deal with the crisis, urging all world leaders and 'friends of Lebanon' to donate aid to the country, adding: 'We are witnessing a real catastrophe.'

Documents published online suggested it could be given to the army or sold to an explosives company, but did not receive any replies, leaving the explosive cargo languishing in the now destroyed port area of the capital.

Ammonium nitrate is a chemical used in fertiliser bombs and is widely used by the construction industry but also by insurgent groups such as the Taliban and the IRA for improvised explosives.

Authorities have cordoned off the port itself, where the blast left a crater 200 yards across and shredded a large grain silo, emptying its contents into the rubble. Estimates suggested about 85 per cent of the country's grain was stored there.

Lebanon is highly dependent on imports, and the destruction of the port, along with the worsening cash crisis, have raised fears of shortages.

Other countries, including Greece, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkey and the European Union, have dispatched medical supplies, humanitarian aid and search-and-rescue teams.

It comes after a tragic photo emerged showing the final moments of firefighters sent to tackle a blaze at Warehouse 12 in Beirut's port before the chemicals stored inside exploded with the force of a small nuke.

The image - verified by MailOnline - shows firefighters trying to pry the lock off a door beneath a sign that reads 'entrance 12', along with signs warning of hazardous chemicals inside.

The person who took the photo has been confirmed dead with the photo found on his phone, while Beirut's governor has said 10 firefighters are missing after the blast, sparked when 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in the warehouse caught fire.

The image was being widely-circulated on Arab-language twitter accounts on Wednesday as people paid tribute to the firefighters, who are assumed to have perished.

Jo Noon, Methal Hawwa and Najib Hati were part of a 10-person rapid response team. Nine of them are still missing while one female colleague, 25-year-old Sahar Faris, has been confirmed dead.

Ms Faris, who has since been dubbed 'the bride of Beirut' on social media, was engaged to be married in June next year. Yesterday, her fiance, Gilbert Karaan, posted a tribute saying, 'you broke my back, you broke my heart'.

It comes after a tragic photo emerged showing the final moments of firefighters sent to tackle a blaze at Warehouse 12 in Beirut's port before the chemicals stored inside exploded with the force of a small nuke

Video taken of the area around the same time shows fire crews at the scene along with heavy grey sliding doors. Beirut's governor has confirmed that 10 firefighters are missing following the blast

More footage of the burning warehouses taken from the roof of the building opposite shows the same warehouses on fire before they are blown to smithereens

An image of the warehouse taken some time before the blast shows the same sliding doors and white patch - though without writing on it - along with what appear to be the chemicals that exploded stored inside

Sahar Fares, who was one of the 10-person rapid response team, has been confirmed as killed during the blast and has since been dubbed 'the bride of Beirut' on social media

The ten firefighters who were first on the scene. All of them are missing, with one, Sahar Fares, top centre, confirmed dead. Top left to right: Ralf Mallahi, Sarah Faris, Najib Hati. Middle left to right: Ellie Khuzami, Charbel Hati, Jo Noon, Charbel Karam. Bottom left to right: Jo Bou Saab, Methal Hawwa, Rami Kaaki

IRAQ TAKES STOCK OF CHEMICALS AFTER BEIRUT BLAST Iraq announced Thursday it will create an inventory of all hazardous materials at ports and airports after the ignition of ammonium nitrate fertiliser at a portside warehouse levelled swathes of Beirut. An emergency committee chaired by the head of Iraq's border agency said it had been tasked with carrying out the work and had given itself 72 hours to complete it. The goal was to 'avoid any repetition of what happened in Lebanon' in Iraq, the panel said. Lebanon's government, already seen as incompetent and corrupt, is now facing renewed protests as anger turns on politicians for failing to store the explosive chemicals properly. Iraq has also seen mass protests over the past year against a political system based on confessional quotas that is seen as corrupt and incompetent. The searing summer heat in Iraq makes it even more vulnerable to the danger of accidental explosions of poorly stored hazardous materials. The accidental ignition of munitions stocked in residential areas has caused deadly explosions in Iraq in the past. Advertisement

The three firemen were photographed in an iconic picture putting their lives on the line to prevent the catastrophe. One of them, Najib Hati, did not even have time to put on his uniform.

They had been dispatched with another colleague, thought to be Ms Faris, from the fire station in La Quarantaine, northeastern Beirut, in an emergency response vehicle and were first on the scene, fire chiefs said.

The six other firefighters followed in a fire engine. 'As the fire service, we have the authority to open any door without the approval of any ministry or military,' a fire service official, who asked not to be named, said.

'When the smoke first started gathering, we sent a unit of 10 people. Six were in the fire engine and four in the emergency response car. The three men in the famous photograph were first on the scene trying to unlock the door to Warehouse 12.

'Following them were the colleagues in the other vehicles. The blast hit all of them. Nine are still missing and one, Sahar Faris, has been found and declared dead. Her family mourned here yesterday. Her fiance is devastated.'

Details from the image - such as the heavy grey sliding doors and white sign with Arabic writing - were also visible in a video taken outside the flaming warehouses as a fire, thought to have been sparked by a welder, took hold.

The video shows firefighters in similar uniforms to those seen in the photo as they assess the scene, seemingly unaware of the danger.

More footage taken from the roof of a building across the street shows identical warehouse buildings being consumed by smoke and flames, along with similar-looking signs on the warehouse doors.

That footage can be verified as genuine because it features a large metal support strut, that can be seen on the roof of a building opposite the warehouse in Google Satellite images.

Meanwhile a photo taken of the warehouse some time ago shows the same grey sliding doors, high square windows and white sign, though without an writing on it. That photo also purports to show sacks filled with ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion.

The second video also features other corroborating details seen in multiple pieces of footage from around Beirut, such as small explosions from what appear to be fireworks moments before the main blast takes place.

That video also features the moment the blast happens, obliterating the warehouse, badly damaging grain silos opposite, and sending out a shockwave that flattened nearby buildings and blew out windows across the city.

Hero Methal Hawwa, front left, is seen here posing with fellow firefighters in this group photograph

2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored within the burning warehouse exploded shortly after the images and footage were taken, leaving behind little more than a watery hole in the ground

The blast sent out a shockwave that pulverized nearby warehouses (pictured), shredded the interior of nearby buildings, and blew out glass panes across the city

An aerial image showing the devastation caused to Beirut's port by the blast, with costs estimated at up to $5billion

The blast almost completely destroyed the port along with a grain silo (pictured centre), which were an economic lifeline for Lebanon which was already suffering through an economic crisis

Port worker is found bloodied but alive 30 hours after being blown into the sea by Beirut blast A man who was blown into the sea when a devastating chemical blast tore through downtown Beirut yesterday has been found alive after 30 hours. Port of Beirut worker Amin al-Zahed, whose photo was posted on an Instagram page dedicated to locating missing residents, was found in the Mediterannean sea, 30 hours after the blast which rocked the city yesterday. An image posted on social media shows a member of a rescue team holding a man covered in blood, who is said to be al-Zahed, on the deck of a ship. Ameen Zahid who was reported missing for 30 hours was found in the sea and he is still alive. He was caught in the Beirut explosion and thrown into the Mediterranean Sea The port worker was rushed to Rafic Hariri University Hospital in Beirut after his rescue, Al-Arabiya reported. Port of Beirut worker Amin al-Zahed Al-Zahed's condition, and how he managed to survive his ordeal, is currently unknown. Shortly after the explosion, an Instagram page was set up to try to help locate missing persons in the aftermath of the blast, which shows hundreds of people whose family's are unaware as to their whereabouts. One young girl, who was missing, was found alive in Beirut after spending 24 hours under the rubble. As a frantic hunt for missing people continued in the Lebanese capital tonight, footage emerged of rescue workers finding the child lodged between debris. By torchlight, the crew are seen trying to shift the rubble from around the girl, whose head pokes out from what appears to be the debris from a collapsed building. Local media report the video was from tonight and that she spent 24 hours buried following yesterday's massive blast. Dozens are still unaccounted for in Beirut, which officials have called a 'disaster city' following the huge blast at the city's port after 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate went up in flames. At least 135 people have died, although this figure is expected to rise, and 5,000 have been wounded, the health minister said tonight. By torchlight, the crew are seen trying to shift the rubble from around the girl, whose head pokes out from what appears to be the debris from a collapsed building Advertisement

A view of the destroyed grain silo is visible through a blown-out window close to Beirut's port on Wednesday

Destroyed warehouses are seen near the port area in the aftermath of a massive explosion in downtown Beirut

Workers remove rubble from damaged buildings near the site of an explosion which brought devastation to central Beirut

People pick their way through the remains of their destroyed office building after a massive explosion in Beirut

'Lebanon was a heaven, they made it hell': Anger mounts in Beirut as activists vow anti-government protests after blast which killed at least 137

Anger is mounting against Lebanon's government following the massive blast in Beirut which has killed at least 137 people and wounded more than 5,000 as activists vowed to take to the streets as soon as the clean-up is over.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab has vowed that those responsible for the explosion - triggered when 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate being stored at the port caught fire - would 'pay the price', but the blame is increasingly being turned against the political class.

Lina Daoud, 45, a resident of the Mar Mikhail which was all-but destroyed in the explosion, described politicians as 'enemies of the state', saying: 'They killed our dreams, our future. Lebanon was a heaven, they have made it hell.'

Politicians were viewed as corrupt and incompetent even before the explosion, with tens of thousands taking to the streets in demonstrations that started in October last year - and now threaten to return with fresh intensity.

But marches will have to wait, at least for now, since many activists are busy cleaning up their city, rehousing the homeless and repairing damaged buildings amid a near-total absence of state support.

A massive cleanup operation is underway in Beirut after a massive explosion at the port levelled the surrounding neighbourhoods and left half of city's buildings with damage

An army of volunteers have taken to the streets to sweep up glass, clear away rubble, rehouse the homeless and repair buildings amid a near-total absence of state support

Activists have vowed to restart anti-government protests which have been ongoing since last year, once they have finished cleaning up a city that was once known as the Paris of the Middle East

People donate items of clothing, water and food in Martyrs Square in Beirut in an attempt to help those who were injured and left homeless following the huge explosion

Youth volunteers inspect damage to buildings in neighbourhoods close to the site of the blast, triggered when a warehouse filled with 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate caught fire

'What state?' scoffed 42-year-old Melissa Fadlallah, a volunteer cleaning up the hard-hit Mar Mikhail district of the Lebanese capital.

The explosion, which hit just a few hundred metres (yards) away at Beirut's port, blew all the windows and doors off Mar Mikhail's pubs, restaurants and apartment homes on Tuesday.

By Wednesday, a spontaneous cleanup operation was underway there, a glimmer of youthful solidarity and hope after a devastating night.

Wearing plastic gloves and a mask, Fadlallah tossed a shard of glass as long as her arm at the door of the state electricity company's administrative building that looms over the district.

'For me, this state is a dump - and on behalf of yesterday's victims, the dump that killed them is going to stay a dump,' she told AFP.

The blast killed more than 110 people, wounded thousands and compounded public anger that erupted in protests last year against a government seen as corrupt and inefficient.

Volunteers help remove fridges from a destroyed store as a massive cleanup operation gets underway in Beirut

A young man armed with a broom and a rake walks down a destroyed street in Beirut, amid a massive cleanup operation

Military personnel stand amid debris from nearby structures, caused by an explosion at Beirut's port late on Tuesday

'We're trying to fix this country. We've been trying to fix it for nine months but now we're going to do it our way,' said Fadlallah.

'If we had a real state, it would have been in the street since last night cleaning and working. Where are they?'

A few civil defence workers could be seen examining building structures but they were vastly outnumbered by young volunteers flooding the streets to help.

In small groups, they energetically swept up glass beneath blown-out buildings, dragging them into plastic bags.

Others clambered up debris-strewn stairwells to offer their homes to residents who had spent the previous night in the open air.

'We're sending people into the damaged homes of the elderly and handicapped to help them find a home for tonight,' said Husam Abu Nasr, a 30-year-old volunteer.

Macron's moment amid cheering crowds in devastated Beirut

White shirt sleeves rolled up, Emmanuel Macron waded through cheering crowds in the devastated streets of Beirut earlier today where disaster survivors pleaded with him to help get rid of their reviled ruling elite.

Doing what no senior Lebanese leader had done since the deadly explosion at Beirut port two days earlier, the French president allowed himself to be thronged by residents of one of the capital's worst-hit neighbourhoods.

Dozens of people chanting 'revolution' and pleading with him for help pressed against his phalanx of bodyguards as he walked through the Gemmayzeh area for around 45 minutes.

White shirt sleeves rolled up, Emmanuel Macron waded through cheering crowds in the devastated streets of Beirut earlier today where disaster survivors pleaded with him to help get rid of their reviled ruling elite

Long simmering anger against Lebanon's leaders has flared since the blast, which appears to have been caused by negligence and is widely seen as the most tragic manifestation yet of the corruption and incompetence of the ruling class.

Some welcomed Macron like a saviour, while only a few heckled him, arguing that his mere presence in Lebanon would only serve to legitimise a political system they want to kick out wholesale.

'Help us, you are our only hope,' one well-wisher shouted as Macron stopped to meet residents, while neighbours applauded from flats with broken windows and crumbling balconies.

A woman wearing a face mask and heavy duty gloves cut through the crowd to catch the attention of the French head of state before clenching his hands firmly to make an impassioned plea for help.

Under the nervous gaze of his suited bodyguards, Macron hugged her in a prolonged embrace that triggered wild cheers from the crowd.

Throughout the dramatic walkabout, Macron appeared to savour the moment. His moment.

Doing what no senior Lebanese leader had done since the deadly explosion at Beirut port two days earlier, the French president (pictured waving centre) allowed himself to be thronged by residents of one of the capital's worst-hit neighbourhoods

The scene was reminiscent of Jacques Chirac's legendary 1996 walk through the Old City of Jerusalem, a moment that came to define his style as a president and contributed greatly to his popularity.

'My home in Gemmayzeh has vanished and the first person to pay me a visit is a foreign president,' well-known actor Ziad Itani wrote on social media, telling Lebanese leaders: 'Shame on you.'

'It seems this is more than a visit. What's happening on the streets of Gemmayzeh is historical.'

Clamouring around Macron, people chanted slogans made popular during the country's October popular uprising, launching insults at the political leaders he was to meet hours later.

Macron, when pressed by residents - some bearing the bandaged wounds of the cataclysmic explosion that disfigured their neighbourhood - vowed to be tough and push for reforms.

'I understand your anger. I am not here to endorse ... the regime,' Macron assured the crowd. 'It is my duty to help you as a people, to bring you medicine and food.'

Some welcomed Macron like a saviour, while only a few heckled him, arguing that his mere presence in Lebanon would only serve to legitimise a political system they want to kick out wholesale

One woman implored Macron to keep French financial assistance out of the reach of Lebanese officials, accused by many Lebanese of rampant graft and greed.

'I guarantee you that this aid will not fall into corrupt hands,' Macron said.

He promised to pitch a 'new political deal' to the country's leaders, and to press them to deliver sweeping change.

'I am going to talk to them ... I will hold them accountable,' Macron said before getting into a black limousine headed for the presidential palace.
At least 17 people were killed and 50 others feared trapped in debris after a landslide triggered by heavy rains flattened a row of dwelling units of tea estate workers at Pettimudi in the high-range Idukki district in Kerala early on Friday, police and officials said.

The incident is said to have occurred in the wee hours when a huge mound of earth fell on the "row houses" and two children and five women were among the deceased, most of whom were plantation workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Fifteen bodies have been recovered so far and five injured have been rushed to the Tata General Hospital.

Fifteen relief camps were opened in Idukki by Friday evening, with 513 people from 147 families being shifted there.

Police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and the district administration has asked hospitals in the region to stay prepared. The state government said teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have been deployed for the rescue operations and also sought an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government will give 5 lakh as compensation for families of those who died and the treatment cost of the injured will be borne by the state.

Compensation of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) will be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the landslide and Rs 50,000 each to those injured, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a tweet.

"May the injured recover quickly. NDRF and the administration are working on the ground, providing assistance to the affected," PM Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

Pained by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. NDRF and the administration are working on the ground, providing assistance to the affected.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 7, 2020

Idukki District Collector H Dinesh said the bodies of the victims had been retrieved and 12 have been rescued with injuries and shifted to hospital. "Most of the people are plantation workers and from neighbouring Tamil Nadu," he said. The state Health department has dispatched 15 ambulances and a special medical team to provide medical assistance to those affected by the landslides in Idukki.

#WATCH 5 dead in landslide in Idukki's Rajamala, #Kerala; 10 rescued so far Kerala CM has requested assistance from Indian Air Force for the rescue operation. pic.twitter.com/yWmwXHUxEz  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

The tragedy came to light after a forest watchman informed authorities about the landslide as communication lines have been down in the area since the past three days. Police and fire force personnel and local residents first took up the rescue operations amid the rains while the NDRF teams were deployed soon.

Munnar MLA S Rajendran earlier said it was difficult to reach the spot as a bridge providing access to the area was washed away in the rain.

"At least 200-300 people live there. There are many lanes and a canteen at the location. Since one of the bridges to that area was destroyed last night, it has become difficult to access the region," he said.

The office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it has contacted the IAF seeking its helicopter for the rescue mission.

"The NDRF has been deployed for the rescue operations in Idukki. The team was already stationed at the district. Another NDRF team is also being moved to Idukki," Vijayan said in a Facebook post.

The rains in hilly areas have caused a sudden rise in the water level in rivers Periyar and Muvattupuzha flowing through Ernakulam district, which was among the badly hit during the 2018 deluge that claimed over 400 lives and left lakhs of people homeless in the state.

(With inputs from agencies)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 20:13:32|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko discussed the recent detention of 33 Russian citizens in Belarus during a phone call Friday.

The presidents expressed confidence that the situation will be resolved "in the spirit of the amicable characteristic of cooperation between the two countries," the Kremlin said in a press release.

Putin emphasized that Russia is interested in maintaining a stable political situation in Belarus and holding the Belarusian presidential elections in a calm atmosphere, the Kremlin said.

Putin and Lukashenko also discussed issues pertaining to the further development of "fraternal" Russian-Belarusian relations, it added.

Last week, 32 militants from the private Russian military contractor Wagner Group were detained near the Belarusian capital Minsk, with another detained in the south of the country, the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported.

Belarus accused the detainees, along with many others at large, of attempts to destabilize the situation ahead of the country's presidential elections on Aug. 9, an accusation which Russia has denied. Enditem
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Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on Thursday took a phone call from U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper upon invitation.

The two sides exchanged views on the bilateral ties and military relations, as well as the bilateral military exchanges in the next phase.

Wei stated China's principled position on questions including the South China Sea, Taiwan and the U.S. stigmatization of China, and urged the U.S. side to stop erroneous words and deeds, improve the management and control of maritime risks, avoid taking dangerous moves that may escalate the situation, and safeguard regional peace and stability.

Esper said that amid tensions between the two countries, the two militaries should maintain dialogue and consultation to manage crises, avoid misjudgment and reduce risks.
Its an app for posting video clips of up to 60 seconds that has been downloaded more than 2 billion times since its launch in 2016. The app, called Douyin in China and previously known as Musical.ly in the U.S., is a popular platform for lip-syncing videos. Users can film and edit clips inside of the app and share them immediately. TikToks central feature is the ForYou page, where algorithms generate an infinite scroll of videos based on a users behavior. Fans consider TikTok special because of the sense that anything can show up on your page.
Alexandria police say Ibrahim E. Bouaichi, 33, fatally gunned down Karla Dominguez outside her apartment in the early morning hours July 29

A Virginia man who was accused of raping a woman in October but released from jail over concerns surrounding COVID-19, has shot dead his accuser.

Alexandria police say Ibrahim E. Bouaichi, 33, fatally gunned down Karla Dominguez outside her apartment on July 29. The Venezuelan native was found dead outside her home with multiple gunshot wounds at around 6.20am.

Bouaichi had been in jail since October after Dominguez accused him of raping her, but he was released in April on bail, amid fears he could contract coroanvirus.

He shot his accuser just a few months later.

Police issued a video news release asking for the public's help finding him after the attack, calling him 'armed and dangerous,' the Washington Post reports.

Two days later, federal marshals and police found Bouaichi in Prince George's County and chased him, causing the suspect to crash. Authorities share that the found Bouaichi with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

As of Thursday, he was listed as being in grave condition. He also now has a murder charge.

Bouaichi was indicted on rape, strangulation and abduction charges after Dominguez testified that he sexually abused her during a violent incident last October.

Last December, Dominguez testified that she was sexually abused by Bouaichi during a violent incident in October

He was ordered in jail without bond, with his next court appearance scheduled for March 30.

Lawyers for Bouaichi claimed that the pair were boyfriend and girlfriend and were preparing to use that in their defense in court.

But when the pandemic hit, Bouaichi's lawyer argued that the virus was a danger to both them and to their client as he awaited trial.

On April 9, Circuit Court Judge Nolan Dawkins released Bouaichi on $25,000, on the condition he only leave his home in Maryland to meet with lawyers or pretrials services officials.

Alexandria prosecutors had argued against the release.

In their motion's, Bouaichi's lawyers argued that 'social distancing and proper disinfecting measures are impossible while incarcerated... Simply put, the risk of contracting Covid-19 in a jail is exceedingly obvious.'

Manuel Leiva and Frank Salvato, his lawyers, also said that they were at risk while visiting their client in jail. They added that the contact visit would 'also expose themselves to contaminated air and surfaces.'

Pertaining to the killing, the lawyers said that they were 'certainly saddened by the tragedy both families have suffered here.'

They added that they 'were looking forward to trial. Unfortunately the pandemic continued the trial date by several months and we didn't get the chance to put forth our case.'

Bouaichi did have another run in with the law prior to the shooting, when in May he was arrested by Greenbelt police after they received a holdup alarm at a Wendy's restaurant.

Responding officers say Bouaichi was acting strangely in the drive-thru and became uncooperative with police.

He was arrested and charged with two count of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, harming a law enforcement dog, resisting arrest, driving while intoxicated and multiple traffic charges.

He was released from Maryland jail on May 11, with Alexandria officials saying that they would have revoked his bond had they known about the incident.

A GoFundMe was made for Dominguez, whose entire family lives in Venezuela.
The Northern Governors Forum on Thursday condemned the recent attack in Southern Kaduna in which about 22 persons were reportedly killed on Wednesday night.

The Chairman of the Forum, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau, via a statement issued by his spokesperson, Makut Macham, described the attack as unfortunate.

He expressed concern that the yet to be arrested gunmen, attacked four Atyap villages in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Mr Lalong expressed worry that the attacks on the villages were persistent in spite of all efforts by the Kaduna State Government and security agencies to end the violence.

He said the attacks in the villages showed the desperate attempt by criminal elements to not only cause pain and sorrow among innocent citizens, but also frustrate the efforts of the Kaduna State Government at fostering peace and harmony.

We are deeply saddened by this cycle of violence and blood-letting that is carried out against unarmed and helpless people. This is reprehensible and regrettable.

While we call on the security agencies to rise up to the occasion and apprehend these criminals, we also encourage the citizens to assist with relevant intelligence that will lead to the arrest of these blood thirsty people, he said.

He said any group or individual aggrieved should seek redress through official channels than resorting to actions which lead to crisis and instability.

The chairman commiserated with the victims of the crisis and the Government of Kaduna State, while promising to support Governor Nasir El-Rufai in working with all stakeholders to bring the incessant crises to an end. (NAN)
In the northern suburbs of tech city Shenzhen, a forest of tower cranes stand at the site of a cow farm that is being transformed into a national scientific engine.

Here, the Guangming Science City is taking shape. The cluster of scientific facilities and universities now lies at the heart of China's ambition to build the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into a science and innovation center.

According to the local government, the Guangming Science City has launched construction of 60 projects, involving total investments of 140 billion yuan (20 billion U.S. dollars).

The Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, which focuses on biomedical research, is among the latest to settle in the tech park in June. So far, the lab has assembled 49 teams to carry out COVID-19 research, including on virus sequencing and antibodies, said Zhan Qimin, director of the lab.

Labs and basic science facilities are also prospering in other parts of Guangdong Province, helping the manufacturing heartland in south China rise as a new destination for the country's, even the world's, researchers.

In 2018, the China Spallation Neutron Source, the first neutron source facility in developing countries, opened in Dongguan as a "super microscope" to observe the microstructure of matter. A neutrino observatory is under construction in Jiangmen City, and a high-intensity heavy-ion accelerator is being built in Huizhou City.

China has been promoting joint development in the bay area, which comprises Hong Kong, Macao and nine cities in Guangdong. Last year, China issued a more specific development plan for the area. One of its major aims is to build an international innovation and technology hub.

Zhong Hai, an official in charge of Shenzhen's technological sector, said the construction of basic science installations will improve the overall innovation capacity of Shenzhen, which is better known for housing China's many tech firms like Huawei and Tencent.

"The city will enter a new stage of 'two-wheel drive,' with continuous breakthroughs in both scientific and industrial innovation," Zhong said.

The construction of the innovation hub has already lured in many graduates from Hong Kong, which neighbors Shenzhen and boasts many universities.

Sing Chan, who launched an e-commerce platform in Shenzhen, is busy assisting Hong Kong entrepreneurs who wish to set up their businesses on the Chinese mainland.

Over half of the Hong Kong teams came to the mainland for software and engineering hardware projects, according to the young entrepreneur from Hong Kong, who has helped bring over 200 Hong Kong-invested companies and entrepreneurial teams into Shenzhen.

Peter Ding, who founded a high-tech firm on robotic applications in Shenzhen, noted the bay area's manufacturing prowess, which can help high-tech firms efficiently realize their brainchild.

"They (tech firms) can rely on Shenzhen as a research and development center, assemble products in cities like Foshan and Dongguan and benefit from basic science research in Hong Kong's universities," Ding said.

"Hong Kong and Macao boast advantages in internationalization, while Guangdong has a perfect industrial chain and a vast market," said Guo Wanda, executive vice president of China Development Institute. Guo urged the three places to deepen their cooperation in innovation.
A major change to UK planning law coming into force at the end of this month allows more non-residential premises to be converted into housing without planning permission. Achieved through the expansion of highly controversial permitted development (PD) rights, this will open the floodgates for more substandard, rabbit-hutch housing to be created. Developers will use their vacant and redundant office and commercial buildings to profit from the wave of working-class people who are losing their homes along with their livelihoods due to the COVID-19 crisis.

On August 23, the moratorium on new evictions in England and Wales ends, threatening homelessness for the near quarter of a million people who have fallen behind with their rent since the start of the pandemic. On August 31, PD rights will be extended, as part of what Prime Minister Boris Johnson has called the most radical reforms to the planning system since the end of the second world war, which, he boasts, will scythe through red tape.

PD was introduced in 1948 as a bypass for the normal planning process, intended for minor property modifications such as the installation of fences, porches, and small home extensions. In recent years, it has been extended far beyond this purpose and, since 2013, has allowed the conversion of entire office blocks into housing. Since 2015, more than 60,000 flats have been created through PD in England, with almost 90 percent coming from office conversions.

Now, a wider range of commercial and industrial buildings will be allowed to switch to residential use, such as empty premises on Britains ailing high streets, including the 245 department stores that have closed over the past eight years.

Defunct buildings may also be demolished and rebuilt as housing, again with no need for planning permission or accompanying scrutiny. Permission is granted directly by parliament, and local authorities may only assess limited issues, such as flood risk, the impact on transport and highways, and external appearance.

Upward expansions of up to two storeys on existing buildings will be approved via the same route.

On the same day the government made its announcement, it published a report exposing the appalling quality of new housing created via PD. Research into the quality standard of homes delivered through change of use permitted development rights was carried out by University College London and the University of Liverpool on 3,156 housing units across 11 local authorities. The study concluded that PD creates worse quality residential environments than planning permission conversions in relation to a number of factors widely linked to the health, wellbeing and quality of life of future occupiers.

The housing units studied were found to be incredibly small. Only 22.1 percent complied with the nationally described space standard, which states that a single unit must not be smaller than 37m2. Many were well below half that size, at 16m2, which Labour MP Clive Betts pointed out is about the size of the base of the ministerial limousine that [Johnson] gets driven around in each day.

The flats often had poor window arrangements and little natural light. Some had no windows at all. They were more likely than planning permission schemes to be situated in desolate, under-resourced areas, such as business parks or industrial estates, and just 3.5 percent had access to any private amenity outside space.

In response to the announcement to extend PD rights, the author of the report, Dr. Ben Clifford, said, We could see even more poor-quality, tiny flats being crammed into commercial buildings lacking amenities and green spacewhat others have rightly called the slums of the future.

An infamous example of an office-to-residential PD project is in Harlow, a town in which over half of all new homes in 2018/2019 came from office conversions. With its 214 units, Terminus House is referred to as a human warehouse, where a double studio starts at just 14.7m2. This is only marginally larger than the 10m2 recommended by the Association for the Prevention of Torture as the minimum size of a double prison cell. With no room to move, many residents liveeating, drinking, sitting, and sleepingin their beds. Crime, violence, drug abuse, and all the other brutal, tragic social problems that come with poverty and inhumane living conditions are rife. Suicide is common. Last June, a man was found in his room in a state of decomposition, five to six weeks after he had taken his life.

In Watford, the Wellstones PD site had been an upholstery firm, warehouse, and petrol station. A typical industrial building with concrete structure, corrugated roof, and tiny slit windows, directly abutting main roads on three sides, it was approved to be turned into 15 flats, ranging from 16.5m2 to 21m2. Seven flats would have no windows whatsoever, and those on the upper floors no means of escaping in the event of a fire.

It was only with the outpouring of public outrage over Wellstones and other such projects that the government made the reluctant caveat that PD flats must have adequate natural light.

PD schemes are exempt from contributing to social or affordable housing, making them an even more profitable option for developers, while further starving communities of housing for those who urgently need it, including the nearly 277,000 recorded homeless people in England.

The government announced yesterday that it was extending this exemption to all small sites, not only PD developments.

Several MPs have expressed outrage about PD and its effects, and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would scrap it altogether. But despite the handwringing, all three major parties have worked together to destroy social housing protections for working people over the past 40 years. Since Margaret Thatchers opening shot in the 1980s, with her boast of creating a home-owning democracy, the attack on social housing has continued unabated.

Fewer council homes were built during the New Labour years than in a single year of Thatchers government. Instead, the door was opened to the private sector in the form of non-profit housing associations. With the Housing and Regeneration Act of 2008, it was Gordon Brown who welcomed profit-making in social housing. Since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition came to power in 2010, the building of housing for social rent has dropped by 80 percent, and PD has expanded. Johnsons further deregulation of the private rental sector completes the handover of societys most vulnerable individuals and families to some of its most cutthroat capitalists.

Labours hypocrisy knows no bounds. Croydon Central Labour MP Sarah Jones has called on the government to scrap PD, despite Croydon having the largest number of office-to-residential conversions in the country, some of which have been commissioned by the council itself. Its cabinet member for housing, Alison Butler, recently said the council is considering further such conversions.

The Socialist Equality Party advances a genuinely socialist housing policy. The SEP insists that everyone has the right to a safe, affordable, and comfortable homeone that promotes, rather than destroys, physical and mental wellbeing. The profits of property developers, along with those of the entire ruling class, are squeezed directly from the lifeblood of the poor. Their billions must be expropriated and used to fund decent homes, quality public services, and infrastructure that meets 21st century needs, and provides a high standard of living for every member of society.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 12:38:57|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The director of the Port of Beirut has been detained following the devastating explosion there earlier this week, according to local reports, saying he was aware of the ammonium nitrate stored at the port.

According to primary information, over 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate stored since 2014 in a warehouse at the port may have caused the explosions on Tuesday, leaving nearly 150 dead and 5,000 injured, and causing heavy damage across the city.

Ammonium nitrate is a colorless crystalline substance, which is highly soluble in water. It is a common industrial chemical used mainly for fertiliser because it provides nitrogen for plants.

Meanwhile, because solid ammonium nitrate can undergo explosive decomposition when heated in a confined space, it is also one of the main components in mining explosives.

Government regulations are usually imposed on its shipment and storage. However, the chemical has previously caused deadly explosions.

On Aug. 12, 2015, a massive warehouse explosion rocked the port city of Tianjin, China, killing at least 165 people. Investigators found the blast was caused by a fire started in a container through the auto-ignition of nitro-cotton, which then ignited other chemicals, including ammonium nitrate.

On April 17, 2013, a fire intentionally started at the West Fertilizer Co. facility in U.S. state of Texas caused at least 28 tons of ammonium nitrate to explode, killing 15 people, injuring at least 236, and leveling part of the Texas town of West.

In May 2004, at least 17 people were killed at Mihailesti, Romania, when a truck carrying 20 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer ran off the road, catching fire and exploding. Firefighters and two television journalists were among the dead.

On April 22, 2004, a massive blast occurred at the Ryongchon railway station in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's North Phyongan province after an oil tanker collided with a train loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer, leaving at least 161 people dead and more than 1,300 injured.

On Sept. 21, 2001, a chemical plant explosion occurred in a hangar containing 300 tons of ammonium nitrate in Toulouse, France, killing 31 and injuring some 2,000. Eleven years after France's worst chemical accident, the former head of the company involved was convicted of negligent homicide by a court in Toulouse.

In April 1947, in Texas City in the United States, an explosion of two ships in a port containing over 2,000 tons of the chemical killed nearly 600 people and injured over 5,000.

In September 1921, an explosion of 4,500 tons of ammonium sulphate and nitrate fertiliser at a plant in Oppau, Germany, killed 565 people and injured almost 2,000. The massive blast left an 18-meter-deep crater. Enditem
To the Editor: The city of Allen Park recently published an update of its budget for fiscal year 2020-2021. Missing from the update, however, was the fact that the previous City Council has thrown away over $1 million in legal fees and court costs to disrupt the health insurance of its retirees.

The state put the city into receivership in 2012. On July 1, 2013, the states emergency manager terminated retiree health insurance and substituted policies with far higher costs and fees. This was financially devastating to many of the retirees. Many of the retirees have a retirement income at or below the federal poverty level.

The Allen Park Retirees Association was formed in 2013 because of the health insurance changes. The association met with the state and city to reach some agreement. But both the city and state rejected any agreement, and thereby forced the association to file two separate lawsuits in the Michigan courts. This was something that not one single retiree wanted to do.

We had no other alternative, especially after the state appointed financial manager said at a meeting with retirees: How about we dont give you any health insurance. Try getting some on your own.

The state removed the city from receivership in January 2017 and declared that the insurance changes were only temporary. The city, however, continued to file appeals at various courts claiming that the insurance changes were permanent.

In September 2018, the association petitioned the Wayne County Circuit Court to send the lawsuits to mediation, in order to reach a fair settlement. The previous City Council, however, refused the offer, and continued to throw the city budget into the wind.

The citys 2018-2019 audit, for instance, admitted that it went $350,000 over-budget to pay for the retirees lawsuits, spending nearly $500,000 in a single year.

As of May of this year, however, both the Michigan Court of Appeals and the (Michigan) Supreme Court have rejected the citys claims and sent both cases back to the Wayne County Circuit Court for trial.

The city is now back to the same place as it was on June 30, 2013, one day before the state terminated and changed retiree health insurance.

With a new and forward-looking City Council in place, it is now time for both sides to sit down in good faith and resolve these lawsuits in a fair and permanent settlement as we have suggested, numerous times, from the beginning.

As president of the Allen Park Retirees Association, I look forward to working with the city to achieve that goal.

Dale Covert

President, Allen Park Retirees Association
McKenzie Meadows is occupied territory once again.

One day after police forcibly removed self-styled Six Nations land defenders from a construction site in Caledonias south end, the group is back reasserting their claim to what they say is Haudenosaunee territory.

We have retaken 1492 Land Back Lane, said Skyler Williams of Six Nations, referring to the groups name for the disputed land, which is slated for development as 218 detached homes and townhouses.

In response to the police raid on the camp, protesters lit fires on Argyle Street in Caledonia and blocked a rail line, while using social media to call in supporters.

I warned them before they came in that this was going to happen, Williams said.

When you take guns and weapons to peaceful people reclaiming their land, this is the result. They brought the violence to us and our community responded unarmed, but with the intent to make their voices heard. Now, highways and train tracks running on the outskirts of our community are shut down.

Nine people were arrested and have since been released, said Const. Rod LeClair of the OPP, who did not comment on whether charges were laid.

The situation escalated as demonstrators at the site failed to comply with the injunction and reacted by throwing large rocks at police, which struck several officers. For their personal safety, OPP members were required to use appropriate, non-lethal force in response, said LeClair, adding that a single rubber bullet was fired.

No injuries were sustained by demonstrators, he said.

LeClair defended officers actions.

Police are required to respond to the behaviour presented to them in the safest manner possible, and the use of force is always a last resort, he said.

Demonstrators were back at the site by Thursday afternoon, where their tents remain 18 days after first taking over the property owned by Foxgate Developments but claimed by the group as Six Nations territory.

Open dialogue continues today in an effort toward a peaceful resolution, LeClair said.

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Premier Doug Ford lambasted the occupation at McKenzie Meadows and the subsequent protests.

Im just so disappointed, said Ford, who said his government has a phenomenal relationship with the provinces Indigenous chiefs and referred to protesters as a couple bad apples who want to create problems.

You get a few of them out there that want to do these things, Ford said.

And whats really so disturbing is people put their whole life savings to buy a home, and then someone comes in and just says Im taking over. Thats just wrong. Theres one country. One law. Respect each other.

Ford said he was dismayed at reports of protesters throwing rocks at police cars and fire trucks, and throwing a porta-potty onto a police car from a railway bridge.

Were there to support (Indigenous communities) and help them. But it has to be a two-way street here. You just cant go in and take over peoples future homes. Its wrong, he said.

Im just losing my patience. I cant direct the police, and I wont direct the police. But enough is enough. People have to obey the rules. I dont care where you come from, what race, creed, colour, whatever. We have one country, one rule, and that is it. Simple. Respect each other.

Highway 6 remains closed between 4th Line and Greens Road, while police have also set up barricades on Argyle Street between Braemar Avenue and Highway 6.

The Superior Court injunction preventing the Six Nations group from occupying McKenzie Meadows remains in force, with a hearing scheduled for Friday.
(L) The logo of the social network application TikTok on the screen of a phone. (R) The logo of the Chinese instant messaging application WeChat on the screen of a tablet. (Martin Bureau/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump Orders Ban on Transactions With TikTok, WeChat Parent Companies

President Donald Trump on Thursday issued executive orders to ban transactions with popular video sharing app TikTok and social media app WeChat in 45 days. The executive orders also ban transactions with the two social media applications parent companies, Chinese-owned ByteDance and Tencent Holdings.

The executive order for TikTok said that any transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States would be prohibited with ByteDance Ltd. (a.k.a. Zijie Tiaodong), Beijing, China, or its subsidiaries, in 45 days after the order, which is after Sept. 20.

The executive order for WeChat said that any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States would be prohibited with its parent company Tencent Holdings Ltd. (a.k.a. Tengxun Konggu Youxian Gongsi), Shenzhen, China, or any subsidiary of that entity, in 45 days after the order.

Trump issued the orders under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will define the transactions covered by the prohibition.

Both executive orders said that the United States must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok and WeChat to protect U.S. national security. Both orders also noted that the applications automatically capture vast swaths of information from its users, amounting to actions that threaten to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information.

Such information captured from users include Internet and other network activity information, such as location data and browsing and search histories, the executive order for TikTok stated. The data collection potentially allows China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage, according to the order.

A researcher in March 2019 had found a Chinese database that contained billions of WeChat messages sent from users in not only China but also the United States, Taiwan, South Korea, and Australia, Trumps executive order for WeChat noted.

President Donald Trump arrives to deliver remarks on economic prosperity, at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, on Aug. 6, 2020. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The president also noted in both executive orders that the applications reportedly censor content that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) deems politically sensitive. Furthermore, the applications may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party. TikTok, for example, had reportedly censored content about protests in Hong Kong and Chinas treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, and TikTok videos had spread debunked conspiracy theories about the origins of the CCP virus, also known as the novel coronavirus.

The orders come just days after Trump threatened to ban TikTok and said that he would allow Microsoft or another U.S. company to buy TikTok.

I suggested that he could go ahead  I set a date of around Sept. 15, at which point its going to be out of business in the United States, he said on Aug. 3. But if somebodywhether its Microsoft or somebody elsebuys it, thatll be interesting.

The orders also come after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the administrations expansion of its Clean Network initiative to secure Americans most sensitive information from the CCPs surveillance state, and called on American tech companies to remove untrusted Chinese apps from their stores.

Both WeChat and TikTok made the list of 59 mostly-Chinese applications that India had banned in late June because the apps threaten the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.

ByteDance and Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) today announced its support of the Disaster Savings and Resilient Construction Act of 2020. This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Tom Reed (R-NY), Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), would establish a tax credit to incentivize home and business owners to build or rebuild to higher construction standards after a natural disaster. The tax credit, valued up to $3,000 for homes and $25,000 for businesses, is intended to encourage property owners to rebuild more resiliently.

"Severe weather disrupts lives, displaces families and drives financial loss so individual homeowners and businesses must lean forward and own their resilience," said IBHS President and CEO Roy Wright. "Decades of research at IBHS have identified practical, real-world solutions to help property owners prevent avoidable losses. Our research has demonstrated small changes in construction yield scientifically stronger, disaster-resilient homes at an affordable cost. This bill nudges Americans to invest their own resources with a federal tax incentive."

IBHS translated research into FORTIFIED, the national standard for resilient construction, as a set of beyond-code construction upgrades to improve a building's performance during severe weather. If passed, homeowners and business owners could earn the tax credits allowed by the Disaster Savings and Resilient Construction Act of 2020 by building to one of the three FORTIFIED Home or FORTIFIED Commercial standards. The tiered structure of the FORTIFIED program allows families and small business owners to select the level of protection that meets their individual budget and needs. The most financially accessible way to protect a home or business is with FORTIFIED Roof, which strengthens the roof as the first line of defense against severe weather. Homeowners and business owners should talk to their insurance agent about additional financial benefits of FORTIFIED.

Stronger homes and commercial buildings, like those built to FORTIFIED, have proven to reduce damages caused by storms, and the National Institute of Building Science found that federal mitigation grants provide $6 of benefit for every $1 spent. This exemplifies why in 2012, the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated similar legislation would save taxpayers millions of dollars.

"IBHS has been on the ground after storms, and we have seen the devastation and displacement natural disasters cause families," explains Wright. "At no cost to taxpayers, this bill can encourage home and business owners to take action to reduce this avoidable damage and limit the impact natural disasters have on our lives."

For more information on FORTIFIED, visit FORTIFIED.org.

About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more about IBHS at DisasterSafety.org.

SOURCE Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

Related Links

www.disastersafety.org


The Demagogue's Playbook

By Eric A. Posner

All Points. 310 pp. $28.99

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In the 1990s, when liberal democracy seemed to have triumphed over its Cold War rivals, Americans and West Europeans sought to understand the pathologies of the ethno-nationalists, neo-Nazis, demagogues and authoritarian populists of Eastern Europe to better assist their assimilation into the new world. History had ended, and the U.S. model was the future.

Less than two decades later, Westerners are again studying the underlying forces of fascism in an effort to save liberal democracy from an authoritarian tide that has swept from Moscow and Budapest to Ankara and Hong Kong. Nationalist and far-right parties have won double digit-shares of the vote in a dozen European countries. Undemocratic regimes such as China, North Korea and Saudi Arabia have bolstered their positions. And the United States is led by a president who flouts democratic conventions, unleashes federal agents on peaceful demonstrators, and assails independent institutions and checks on his power.

Scholars have analyzed threats to democracy from various angles. Princeton political scientist Jan-Werner Muller has argued that populism, often presented as an appeal to the broad interests of the people, in fact rejects pluralism and veers toward authoritarianism that excludes people deemed unacceptable. In his latest book, "The New Despotism," John Keane, a professor at the University of Sydney, takes aim at the political tools that modern authoritarians have mastered to assert power.

Now Eric Posner, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, centers his analysis on demagogues. In his new book, "The Demagogue's Playbook: The Battle for American Democracy From the Founders to Trump," Posner takes us through the dangers of the charismatic, amoral, institution-destroying firebrands of American history to help us understand the specific threat that President Donald Trump poses to the republic. His conclusion: Trump's threat is a dire one.

In Posner's telling, demagogues have always been "crude, vulgar, and violent," gathering popular support "through dishonesty, emotional manipulation, and the exploitation of social divisions." In populist fashion, they blame political elites "for everything that has gone wrong" and try "to destroy institutions - legal, political, religious, social - and other sources of power that stand in their way." Once in power, they seek to interfere in elections, undermine constraints on their activities and create division within the population to serve their "ultimate goal . . . personal power and glory."

Posner reminds readers that when the founders were creating our constitutional order, they feared that the very nature of democracy might destroy their experiment in self-government. A charlatan seeking absolute power might lead the common people - ill-informed and easily manipulated - to achieve his goals. "There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide," John Adams said. Alexander Hamilton feared politicians "paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing [as] demagogues, and ending tyrants."

Fearing that demagogues would use democratic structures to manipulate the public to lift them into power, the founders built an elaborate set of impediments to a pure democracy: The electoral college was originally intended to ensure that the president was not popularly elected; the Senate was first designed to have its members chosen by state legislators; the establishment of property requirements to vote or hold office was based on the rationale that economic and political independence were linked; and the separation of powers was meant to check a potential demagogue's power. "For the Founders, nothing could be more obvious than that educated, experienced people should lead the government," Posner observes. "The Founders created a 'natural aristocracy' of 'virtue and talents,' as Jefferson called it: rule by the elite."

Since the nation's founding, these bulwarks against the rise of a ruling demagogue have been dismantled, bit by bit, usually for very good reasons. The ideal of popular self-government always sat uneasily alongside the notion of a ruling natural aristocracy, particularly when the elite discredited themselves or abused their power. During the Jefferson administration, America's western expansion eroded the property requirements to vote, and in the early republic states passed laws to ensure that electoral college electors voted in accordance with state-sponsored popular presidential elections. Parties rose up and ensured elite vetting of candidates in backroom deals, but by the early 20th century some of their power was being delegated to the electorate through primary elections. In the Gilded Age, industrial interests exerted significant influence over party leaders and elected officials, paving the way for ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, which sought to break plutocratic control over the Senate by instituting the popular election of senators. Technological changes helped candidates communicate with the electorate through daily newspapers, radio, television, Twitter, while the population of voters expanded to include people of color, women andyounger adults.

Demagogues were part of the political scene - Louisiana governor and senator Huey Long, Mississippi governor and senator Theodore Bilbo, Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy, to name a few - but only one, by Posner's criteria, made it to the White House before 2016. Andrew Jackson was "a White Christian nationalist" with "a serious authoritarian and violent streak," who had fought duels, beaten enslaved people, imprisoned a federal judge, slaughtered Native Americans and thrilled his base, Posner writes. In office he destroyed the independent civil service in favor of a spoils system that lasted for a half-century; crushed the independent central bank which, Posner argues, set the financial system back decades; and presided over a political system that swapped aristocrats for party bosses, who controlled the selection of presidential candidates and the spoils. The presidency was left diminished, and common people, instead of being empowered, found themselves under a new form of elite control.

Assessing the presidents who followed Jackson, Posner finds no demagogues until the arrival of our current chief executive. Trump gained the presidency, Posner writes, because conditions were propitious for such a candidate: The ruling elites had thoroughly discredited themselves through their mismanagement of the Iraq War, the eruption of the 2008 financial crisis, including the unpopular bailouts for those who caused it, and the long stagnation of wages for most Americans. Meanwhile, the final safeguard that might have stopped Trump - elite control of the party nomination process - had collapsed over the previous generation.

Posner asserts that his goal is to warn Americans of the danger Trump represents, not to put forth a prescription for addressing the republic's vulnerabilities to demagogic rule. "We need to see Trump not merely as a poor choice for the presidency," he concludes. "We need to see him as a political monstrosity who should be repudiated by the body politic, so that politicians who eye the presidency in the future will be deterred from using Trump's ascendance as a model."

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Woodard is the author of six books, including "American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America" and "Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood."
While it's a rough time for everyone, it's especially difficult to run a business that requires people to cram into a confined space for 15-20 minutes at a time. In a pandemic, when people aren't traveling, or going to movies, or commuting to the office, or really going anywhere, ride-sharing is not exactly a thing. At least not a profitable thing, according to Uber's earnings report on Thursday.

You can imagine, then, that companies like Uber are having a particularly tough time. Uber was already having a tough time, though. It has faced intense criticism over how it treats its drivers. California just filed a lawsuit earlier this week that accuses Uber of wage theft as a result of how it classifies drivers. Last year, that state passed a law that forces companies to classify gig workers as employees, not contractors. In New York, a judge ordered the company to pay drivers unemployment benefits.

Then there was the fact that it has historically had a hard time finding a way to make money, preferring instead to spend on things like driverless cars. Apparently, if the drivers complain enough about how they're treated, the easiest thing to do is find a way to no longer need drivers? I guess that makes sense--it just doesn't make money.

Those challenges have only increased over the past few months, which means that the fact Uber lost only $1.8 billion last quarter is actually good news. Sort of. That is, if by good, what you really mean is not catastrophic. That is exactly what it could have been considering ridership is down 75 percent in the past three months compared with last year.

In the previous quarter, for example, when most people were under stay-at-home orders, Uber lost $2.9 billion. It's true, $1.8 billion is less than $2.9 billion.

The company's revenue was also slightly higher than analysts expected, which, again, is good.

While the number is a big deal, more important is the reason. As Uber's ride-sharing business has fallen, its delivery service has seen tremendous growth, doubling year over year. That makes a lot of sense: People aren't taking an Uber to go out to dinner--they're just having the driver bring dinner to them.

Again, though, Uber still hasn't found a way to make Uber Eats, the food-delivery part of its business, profitable. It's getting there, and its announcement last month that it was buying rival delivery service Postmates is a step in that direction.

It's hard to know in the middle of a pandemic what anything will look like in the future, but I'd be willing to guess that for Uber, it will include a lot more delivering food than sharing rides. Focusing on that part of the business is a great example of understanding a challenge and positioning your company in a way that allows you to adapt and grow.
There wasnt a presentation of colors, nor an honor guard carrying their flags, but seven military veterans received a virtual salute and their own United States flag Thursday to commemorate their graduation from Felony Veterans Treatment Court.

This was the second class to graduate from the specialty court, which launched officially on Veterans Day in 2017.

The specialty court is an intense program run by Judge Jefferson Moore in the 186th state District Court and Judge Lori Valenzuela in the 437th state District Court.

They graduated four men in their inaugural class last October. The program focuses on former servicemen and women who suffer from drug or alcohol abuse, issues with mental health or PTSD, and have specified felony offenses pending. The court requires each participant to attend weekly meetings with the judges and a team of professionals, and includes counseling, therapy and weekly urinalysis testing.

There is a similar court for those facing misdemeanor charges that has operated for years and has graduated more than 500 people.

Because most of the participants in Felony Veterans Treatment Court suffer from some sort of mental health issue or PTSD, they did not want to be identified for this story.

The ceremony for the seven participants, all male, was initially planned for April. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed all of that, said John Herman, Felony Veterans Treatment Court coordinator.

They havent seen us since March, he said. This is for them. They made it through. Its a special day, and we wanted to make it special.

At least 12 people were on the Zoom panel on Thursday: the judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, veterans advocates and mentors. In Moores courtroom, the court coordinator, case worker and probation officer escorted participants, who all wore masks, one-by-one up to a large TV monitor.

Valenzuela and Moore, the jurists who run the court, each took turns wiping away tears as they congratulated the veterans. Valenzuela is the daughter of a U.S. Army veteran and Moore is a former judge advocate general who retired after serving 20 years in the U.S. Army Reserves and active duty in the National Guard.

The judges each personally greeted the graduates, recalling their emotional and physical conditions when they entered the program and reminding them of their journey.

I want to congratulate you on all the hard work youve done with this program, Moore told a graduate, recalling the man was one of the first to enter two years ago. Look at your face, it is so much different, and I am very, very proud of you.

Although the man wore a face mask, his smile was still visible underneath the covering.

I dont know where Id be without your help, he told the Zoom panel. He thanked his wife for sticking by him. Im a better man, father, and husband.

Another graduate recalled how he was trying to cope with alcohol when he entered the program. Through the program, he was able to start making better decisions in his life, he said.

I have seen you more eager, stronger, better than before, Valenzuela told the man, recalling his transformation.

After the program is completed, Herman said the participants are evaluated using other pre-trial and diversion programs and alternatives. The Bexar County District Attorneys Office will then review the case and decide how to proceed on the original charges against the men.

One man who graduated Thursday not only celebrated the completion of the program, but also the dismissal of his original charges. His record has been expunged.

You have come so far, probably more than any other participant, Moore said. This completely wipes out the cases in this court, you no longer are a felon, you are free and clear.

Expunction is a big deal, Moore said, adding that with a clear record, the man can now work toward getting his commercial drivers license.

Elizabeth Zavala covers county and state courts in San Antonio. To read more from Elizabeth, become a subscriber. ezavala@express-news.net | Twitter: @elizabeth2863
After the border incident with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the Indian Navy's aggressive deployment of its units signify defiance against the Chinese Communist Party.

According to Times Now, recent border action resulted in conflict between both nation's troops. This has brought a new dimension to the tension in the Indian Ocean that is close to the South China Sea. The exact place of contact is in eastern Ladakh, which earned a demonstration of India's resolve to push back against Beijing.

India will not allow its territory or any inch of land to be invaded by the communists, according to its defense sources. An array of naval weapons are deployed by the Indian Navy, including warships and submarines which are sent to the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) as a serious signal. India also does not take lightly of the Galwan Valley incident on June 15, according to Hindustan Times.

Press Trust of India (PTI) claimed that the government is attacking the Chinese threat with the army, Indian Air Force (IAF), and the Navy with the diplomatic corps and economic measures.

The heads are working together to ensure a unified approach to coordinate all three branches. They do not want to end up like other nations that have been at the mercy of the CCP that got trampled by the bullies in Beijing. India will give China something to think about and regret that the Ladakh adventure will not come without a price.

According to sources, the three branches are consolidating their response into one response on the border dispute.

Also read: US Navy Sends Two Carrier Strike Groups as Show of Force Against PLA Naval Exercises

The naval command has expanded the operation in the Indian Ocean, which has several warships and subs to bring a bottleneck in the Malacca straight.

This is a key territory that China wants to seize as part of domination in the South China Seas. Control of the Malacca and SCS give the CCP unbridled power over who gets to pass this strait. One source said that China has gotten India's hint, and Beijing is definitely not happy.

Why is there no increase in the Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean? One speculation is that the PLA Navy is sending more ships to the South China Sea. The attack on the Chinese co-opting of the SCS has drawn the US Navy to conduct a massive show of force that the CCP has a knee-jerk reaction to.

The U.S. Navy is showing that it will support other countries with grievances against the CCP in Beijing. Now, the Indian Navy is forging links with the Japanese Navy and the U.S. Navy in crushing China's grip of the SCS.

After the border clash, IAF sent their Sukhoi 30 Mki and other frontline attack planes to bases in Ladakh and the Line of Actual Control (LAC). These airbases will launch counter strikes when the PLA attacks the border again, according to Indian Express.

IAF conducts night combat air patrols (CAP) to tell the CCP it is no pushover. Army deployments have been beefed up in the Galwan Valley wherein 20 soldiers were killed. China had 35 casualties, but Beijing has no comment.

Related article: Indian Navy and US Warships Hold Joint Naval Drills in the Indian Ocean

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Dozens of tents were removed in the capital Sofia as well as Varna, Plovdiv and an interstate road in the south.

The Bulgarian police has cleared unauthorised protest camps that were blocking roads and enraging citizens during weeks of anti-government demonstrations.

Two dozen tents were removed from three main intersections in the capital Sofia, which were erected a week ago without authorisation in order to block traffic, police said on Friday.

The police reacted to hundreds of citizens complaining they could not use private or public transport.

We are not going to permit new blockades of intersections, said Toni Todorov, vice chief of police.

At least 12 protesters were also arrested and fined in Sofia. One protest group immediately called for new protests after the removal of the tents.

The police also cleared similar blockades in the seaside city Varna and in Plovdiv, as well as a blockade of an interstate road in the south of the country.

The government declared it would not stand down under pressure from street protests [Nikolay Doychinov/AFP]

Protesters have called for the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisovs government for a month.

The demonstrators, supported by the opposition Socialists and Bulgarias President Rumen Radev, say the government is corrupt and has links to oligarchs.

The government, a nationalist-conservative coalition which has been in power since 2017, declared it would not stand down under pressure from street protests.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new group of environmental champions are stepping forward to take action for the health of our planet! EarthEcho International and Aramco today announced the three middle school teams selected as the grand prize winners of the OurEcho Challenge. The winning teams were part of the new competition that equips U.S. middle school students to tackle the decline in biodiversity by proposing solutions to support robust ecosystems at a community level.

"EarthEcho applauds all of the finalist teams who demonstrated dedication, passion and drive in finding actionable solutions to support critical native wildlife and habitats," said EarthEcho founder Philippe Cousteau. "Our grand prize winners impressed the judges with their ingenuity and grasp of the complex issues that they chose to address. We are inspired and energized by their vision for a brighter future."

The OurEcho Challenge, made possible through Aramco, supports three grand prize winners that were selected from 10 finalist teams competing for $10,000, $5,000 and $2,000 grants to further the work of their projects to protect and restore biodiversity.

The OurEcho Challenge winning teams are as follows:

$10,000 Grand Prize Winner

TEAM CRAYFISH ; Medea Creek Middle School ; Oak Park, CA

Team Members - Pasha Heydari, Cheng Ning, Benjamin Rassibi

Mentor - Katie Wilsker , Science Teacher

; ; Team Members - Pasha Heydari, Cheng Ning, Benjamin Rassibi Mentor - , Science Teacher $5,000 Grand Prize Winner

TEAM SUPER PLANTS ; Proof School; San Francisco, CA

Team Members - Harper Fortgang , Lucia Greenhouse , Parley Marvit

Mentor  Dr. Michael Yetman, Biology & Neuroscience Teacher

; Proof School; , , Parley Marvit Dr. Michael Yetman, Biology & Neuroscience Teacher $2,000 Grand Prize Winner

TEAM AQUABOTICS; Bednarcik Jr. High School; Aurora, IL

Team Member - Jensen Coonradt

Mentor - Laurel Coonradt

Team Crayfish, Team Super Plants and Team Aquabotics were selected after presenting their projects virtually in front of hundreds of attendees from 44 countries and territories during the 5th Annual EarthEcho Youth Leadership Summit on August 6. A panel of judges comprised of youth, environmental and corporate leaders, engineers, scientists, educators and celebrity advocates reviewed presentations from 10 finalist teams and selected the three grand prize winners based on the following criteria:

INSPIRATION  How well the entry draws from local community issues or resources as evidenced by personal experiences and local connection.

SCIENTIFIC RIGOR - The use of evidence and scientific research to select the target issue to ensure the action plan adheres to the scientific method and, as appropriate, incorporates good engineering design process.

FEASIBILITY - The students' understanding of how realistic or "doable" their solution is to implement. The project addresses the resources required and the complexity of their solution, giving consideration to timeline, scalability, costs, cultural and social responses.

For more information and updates about the OurEcho Challenge, visit www.OurEchoChallenge.org or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/earthecho Twitter: www.twitter.com/earthecho and Instagram: www.instagram.com/earthecho/.

For more information about EarthEcho International, visit www.earthecho.org.

For more information about program sponsor Aramco, visit https://americas.aramco.com/.

SOURCE EarthEcho International

Related Links

https://www.earthecho.org


South Africa: President Ramaphosa receives report on 4IR

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to place 4IR at the centre of South Africas economic recovery.

This is to enable the country to emerge from the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Africa must be a more technologically driven country that finds solutions that move us forward, with 4IR as a pivot for economic recovery, said President Ramaphosa.

The President said digital transformation has to be harnessed to change the way we live, learn, work and govern.

President Ramaphosa made the remarks, when he received the recommendations contained in the report of the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala presented the report to the President on Thursday.

The Commission including leaders from academia, business and civil society, began its work in May 2019, combining research and stakeholder engagements to generate a comprehensive view of South Africas current conditions as well as the prospects in the 4IR.

The Commission has since its establishment deliberated on the opportunities that enable South Africa to craft a shared 4IR future, as well as the constraints that are currently in place.

These deliberations have included international benchmarking which has delivered insights into the possibilities for the competitive positioning of South Africa in the 4IR landscape globally.

The Commission has also examined the role of the state, as well as key institutional actors, in leading and resourcing the work that must be undertaken to ensure success.

The Commission has made recommendations spanning such strategic areas as the countrys investment in human capital; artificial intelligence; advanced manufacturing and new materials; the provision of data to enable innovation; future industries and 4IR infrastructure.

President Ramaphosa welcomed the report, which the Commission will shortly present to Cabinet before the report is published.

Following its publication, the report will form the basis of a national discussion on how all sectors of society can contribute to a technologically enabled future that brings about greater economic and social inclusion, and enhances the competitiveness of the South African economy.

In this effort, South Africa will be positioned as both an adopter and innovator of solutions that will have impact and relevance nationally and globally.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to provide food and shelter for hundreds of families who lost their homes in floods, the KCNA state news agency reported on Friday.

Heavy rain across the Korean peninsula has brought flooding to both North and South Korea in recent days, and concern is growing about damage to North Korean crops and its potential impact on food supplies.

KCNA claimed: 'It is of priority importance to quickly supply sleeping materials, daily commodities, medicines and other necessities to the flood-affected people to stabilize their living.'

North Korean despot Kim Jong un visted areas in the southern regions of North Korea which have been hit by flooding destroying almost 180 houses

Inclement weather has affected the hermit state for several days leading to flooding (pictured, three women crossing a road in the capital Pyongyang

Officials from the state Hydro-meteorological administration, pictured, monitored the storms

Kim made the remarks while inspecting a flood-hit part of North Hwanghae Province, on the border of South Korea, as he 'clarified tasks' for recovery work with officials there.

Torrential rain for several days has inundated more than 730 single-story houses, destroying 179 of them, and flooded rice-growing land, KCNA said.

There were no reports of casualties.

State television footage showed Kim visiting rural areas where a flooded river devastated farmlands and the roofs of some houses had collapsed.

Kim would also mobilise the army for rehabilitation, in particular work on homes and roads, and he called on architects to build 800 model houses in a badly hit farming village in Unpha County, KCNA said.

The rain during the harvest season in the rice-growing area is raising concern about North Korea's food security.

North Korea's ruling party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, cited a study that said rice and corn would suffer if the crops were under water for just two or three days.

Officials fear that crops in the impoverished nation could be wiped out by the flooding, pictured, North Korea's capital Pyongyang on August 5 during a torrential downpour

'The fate of this year's farming depends on how to protect farmland and crops from the flood,' the newspaper said.

South Korea on Thursday donated $10 million to the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) for its efforts to help North Korean children and women.

Parts of South Korea have seen more than 40 consecutive days of rain, the longest monsoon since 2013, and more is expected across the peninsula.

President Moon Jae-in on Friday designated seven hardest hit cities and counties as special disaster zones, which allows the areas to get more government aid.
The Adamawa State House of Assembly has granted the approval of N550 million Agricultural loan to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the loan was to enable the state government to procure 5,000 metric tons of NPK fertiliser for the 2020 farming season.

The approval followed a letter sent to the house by the governor, read and considered at the special plenary session summoned by the Speaker of the House, Aminu Abbas, on Friday in Yola.

The house considered the letter following a motion by Majority leader, Hammantukur Yetisuri, member representing Jada  Mbulo and seconded by Muhammed Mutawali, member from Girei.

The governor, in the letter, explained that the State Executive Council at its 8th meeting held on June 24 ratified the approval by the governor to the ministry of agriculture for the procurement of the fertiliser.

He said the sum of N450 million out of the total amount would be used for procurement of 5,000 metric tons of NPK 20-10-10.

He said the money would be paid through Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO).

READ ALSO:

Mr Fintiri said the remaining N100 million would be used for logistics to the ministry of agriculture and urged the house to approve it.

After long deliberations on the letter by the lawmakers, Abdullahi Yapak and Kate Mamuno of Verre and Demsa constituencies, moved and seconded the approval of the letter to enable the government procure and provide the fertiliser for farmers in time.

The speaker, therefore, directed the Clerk to communicate the resolution of the house to the executive.

(NAN)
By Business Made Easy Nigeria

President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) on August 7, 2020. The new CAMA is Nigerias most significant business legislation in three decades and it introduces new provisions that promote ease of doing business and reduces regulatory hurdles.

1. Provision of single-member/shareholder companies  S.18(2) of the new CAMA now makes it possible to establish a private company with only one (1) member or shareholder.

2. Introduction of Statement of Compliance  S.40 (1) of the new Act introduces the Statement of Compliance which can be signed by an applicant or his agent, confirming therein that the requirements of the law as to registration have been complied with. This serves as an alternative to the requirement to submit a Declaration of Compliance, which must be signed by a lawyer or attested to before a notary public. A Statement of Compliance need not be signed by a lawyer.

3. Replacement of Authorized Share Capital with Minimum Share Capital  The concept of authorised share capital has now been replaced in S.27 of the Act with the concept of minimum share capital. With minimum share capital, promoter(s) of a business need not pay for shares that are not needed at a specific time.

4. Procurement of a Common Seal is no longer a mandatory requirement  The procurement of a Common Seal is no longer a mandatory requirement according to

S.98 of the new CAMA: Every company is required under the previous Act to have a common seal, the use of which is to be regulated by the Articles of Association. This amendment is in line with international best practices as most jurisdictions around the world have expunged the requirement from their respective laws.

5. Provision for electronic filing, electronic share transfer and e-meetings for private companies  The new CAMA makes provision for electronic filing, electronic share transfer and e-meetings for private companies. S.861 of the new CAMA provides that certified true copies of electronically filed documents are admissible in evidence, with equal validity with the original documents. S.176(1) also provides that instruments of transfer of shares shall include electronic instruments of transfer.

6. Provision for virtual Annual General Meetings  The new CAMA also provides for remote or virtual general meetings, provided that such meetings are conducted in accordance with the Articles of Association of the company. This will facilitate participation at such meetings from any location within and outside the shores of the country, at minimal costs. This is especially relevant today given the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to company operations around the world.

READ ALSO:

7. Exemption from appointing Auditors  Small companies or any company having a single shareholder are no longer mandated to appoint auditors at the annual general meeting to audit the financial records of the company. S. 402 of the new CAMA provides for the exemption in relation to the audit of accounts in respect of a financial year.

8. Exemption from the appointment of company secretary  The appointment of a Company Secretary is now optional for private companies. According to S. 330 (1) of the new CAMA, the appointment of a company secretary is only mandatory for public companies.

9. Creation of Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) and Limited Partnerships (LPs)  The new CAMA introduces the concept of Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) and Limited Partnerships (LPs). This combines the organisational flexibility and tax status of a partnership with the limited liability of members of a company.

10. Reduction of Filing Fees for Registration of Charges  Under S. 223 (12) of the new Act, the total fees payable to the CAC for filing has been reduced to 0.35% of the value of the charge. This is expected to lead to up to 65% reduction in the associated cost payable under the regime.

11. Merger of Incorporated Trustees  S. 849 of the new Act provides for merger between two or more associations with similar aims and objects under such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the CAC.

12. Disclosure of persons with significant control in companies  S.119 of the new Act introduces new transparency provision with an obligation for entities to disclose capacity in which shares are held, either as a beneficial owner or as a nominee of an interested person.

13. Restriction on Multiple Directorship in Public Companies  S.307(1) of the Act prohibits a person from being a director in more than five (5) public companies at a time.

14. Business Rescue provisions for Insolvent Companies  The new Act introduces a framework for rescuing a company in distress and to keep it alive as against allowing such entity to become insolvent. Provisions were made with respect to Company Voluntary Arrangements (S.434 to S.442), Administration (S.443 to S.549) and Netting (S.718 to S.721).

15. Enhancement of Minority Shareholder Protection and Engagement  S. 265 (6) restricts firms from appointing a director to hold the office of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a private company.
U.S. to present UN resolution to extend arms embargo on Iran

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:55, August 06, 2020

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the United States would present a resolution in the United Nations Security Council next week to extend an international arms embargo on Iran despite lukewarm support for the bid.

"We're not going to let the arms embargo expire on Oct. 18 of this year," Pompeo said at a press briefing.

He also threatened to trigger the snapback mechanism in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to reimpose UN sanctions against Tehran.

Despite his threats, the United States appears to be isolated on the issue. Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said in late June that the United States is no longer a participant of the Iran nuclear deal, thus has no right to trigger the snapback mechanism at the Security Council.

Foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany also noted in June that they would not support any unilateral attempt to trigger UN sanctions snapback.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last month that any attempts to extend the arms embargo against Iran indefinitely are illegitimate.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the arms embargo will be lifted this October. Tehran said it would not accept a renewal of the embargo.

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Dr. Eric Coe jumped at the chance to help test a COVID-19 vaccine.

At his urging, so did his girlfriend, his son and his daughter-in-law. All received shots last week at a clinical research site in central Florida.

"My main purpose in doing this was so I could spend more time with my family and grandchildren," Coe said, noting that he's seen them only outside and from a distance since March.

"There's a lot less risk to getting the vaccine than contracting the virus," said Coe, 74, a retired cardiologist. "The worst thing that can happen is if I get the placebo."

The Coes' eagerness to offer up their bodies to science reflects the widespread public interest in participating in the pivotal, late-stage clinical trials of the first two COVID vaccine candidates in the United States.

Those trials began rolling out July 27. During the next two months, vaccine makers hope to recruit 60,000 Americans to roll up their sleeves to test the two vaccines, one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, a German company, and the other by biotech startup Moderna. While small tests earlier this year showed the preventives were safe and led to participants developing antibodies against the virus, the final phase 3 testing is designed to prove whether the vaccine reduces the risk of infection.

Amid a pandemic that in the U.S. has caused roughly 5 million infections and nearly 160,000 deaths while decimating the economy, the vaccine trials have drawn far more interest than is typical for a clinical trial, organizers said.

Also, the test sites pay volunteers as much as $2,000 for completing the two-year study.

"We have no shortage of volunteers and we have thousands of people interested in participating," said Dr. Ella Grach, CEO of M3-Wake Research of Raleigh, North Carolina, which is conducting vaccine trials at six sites.

Eric and Lisa Coe volunteered for a COVID-19 vaccine trial at a clinical research site in central Florida last week, after Eric's father, also named Eric, recommended it. During the next two months, vaccine makers hope to recruit 60,000 volunteers to test two vaccines - one made by Pfizer and BioNTech, a German company, and the other by Moderna, a biotech startup. (Mary Shambora)

Paul Evans, president of Velocity Clinical Research in Durham, North Carolina, said his company plans to recruit more than 10,000 volunteers in seven states to test COVID vaccines. At least four of Velocity's sites - in Ohio, California and Oregon - have already started injecting volunteers with the Moderna vaccine.

"It's been phenomenal," he said. Patient recruitment is one of the biggest challenges to running trials, but this time patients have been eager to sign up.

"I've been working in this business for 30 years," said Evans. "Outside of a COVID study, you might have to reach out to four or five, up to 10 people to find [one person] who is suitable."

Other vaccine candidates are being tested abroad and more tests will be launched in the U.S. later this year.

People 18 and older are eligible to participate in the trials, and Moderna and Pfizer are pushing to include high-risk individuals such as health workers, the elderly and people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma. Organizers are also seeking to enroll Blacks and Hispanics, groups hit hard by the virus.

The vaccine makers have contracted with dozens of clinical research sites across the country. About 15 have started inoculating, and it will likely take until September for all volunteers to get their first shot. The participants will get a booster shot about a month later. They are asked to keep an electronic diary to record any symptoms. Because the virus is widespread across the country, the studies are expected to be able to note differences between infection rates in those who got the vaccine and those who received a placebo.

Government health experts say they hope to know if the vaccines are working by this fall. If the trials are successful, it would likely take until early next year before a vaccine could gain federal approval to start widespread distribution.

To determine effectiveness, half of the trial participants will receive the vaccine and half a placebo.

Dr. Eric Coe jumped at the chance to help test a COVID-19 vaccine at a clinical research site in central Florida. "There's a lot less risk to getting the vaccine than contracting the virus," says Coe, a retired cardiologist in Leesburg, Florida. "The worst thing that can happen is if I get the placebo." (Eric Coe)

Coe, of Leesburg, Florida, said that several hours after getting his shot on Saturday he developed chills and was tired, symptoms that lasted until Sunday afternoon. "I'm virtually certain that I did not get a placebo because normal saline would not do that," he said. His daughter-in-law, Lisa Coe, 46, said she did not have any reaction other than soreness at the injection site.

"We are eager to get the vaccine and get on with the normal course of our lives," she said. "I'm not too worried about my own health, but I am worried about unknowingly transmitting it to anyone at risk."

Dr. Bruce Rankin, a physician investigator at Accel Research Sites in DeLand, Florida, where the Coes got their shots, said more than 1,000 adults have volunteered there already.

Accel recruits on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. It prescreens volunteers to make sure they understand what's expected, to learn their basic health history and get other demographic information such as race.

"I thought the opportunity to be part of something like this would be very cool," said Ginny Capiot, 45, of Fayetteville, North Carolina. "I believe it's pretty safe and there wasn't much to lose."

Capiot works in the marketing department at a hospital, where her diabetes puts her at increased risk of serious complications from the coronavirus.

Her visit to the test site last week lasted about three hours. After she filled out paperwork, health workers registered her temperature and other vital signs, gave her a COVID-19 test via a nasal swab and then took some blood. After Capiot was inoculated, she had to wait in a room in case she had any reaction. She did not.

"My arm is not even sore," she said a couple of days after the vaccination.

Volunteers in DeLand are paid as much as $1,200 over the course of the two-year trial. Participants in the Velocity-run trials will each receive $1,962 in compensation for time and travel. But Evans said many are motivated by altruism.

Ginny Capiot, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, is participating in one of the COVID vaccine trials. She works at a local hospital and also has diabetes, putting her at increased risk for COVID-19 complications. "I thought the opportunity to be part of something like this would be very cool," she says. "I believe it's pretty safe and there wasn't much to lose." (Rachael Santillan)

"They understand a couple of things," he said. "This has to happen for us to get a resolution or a solution to the pandemic. They also understand that there's a chance if they get the active vaccine and it works, they will benefit."

Not everyone is excited to test the unproven vaccine.

Dr. Atoya Adams, principal investigator for AB Clinical Trials, which is testing the Moderna vaccine in Las Vegas, said recruiting efforts there found that some people were confused or skeptical. They mistakenly worried they could contract COVID-19 from the vaccine.

The vaccines do not include any live virus. Earlier, smaller studies showed few major safety issues.

Adams has spent a lot of time on the phone, explaining that the vaccine appears safe and that volunteers are needed to see whether it's effective. "I've literally had to tell patients in prescreening, it's something I would feel safe giving to myself or my family," she said.

George Washington University in Washington, D.C., hopes to enroll 500 people at its testing site, and it received inquiries from at least that many in just the first week of recruitment.

"It's been overwhelming and really highlights that everyone understands the need for a vaccine," said Dr. David Diemert, professor of medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

To gain an ethnically and racially diverse group, the university reached out to food banks, senior living communities and churches looking for volunteers. Participants can get paid nearly $1,100.

In Mississippi, the Hattiesburg Clinic has generated strong interest among potential volunteers, especially among health care personnel.

"People who care for these COVID patients have a very healthy fear of this illness," said Rambod Rouhbakhsh, chief investigator with MediSync Clinical Research, whose Moderna vaccine trial site is the only one in Mississippi.

He expects no trouble reaching people who would be at high risk of COVID complications, including those who are obese or have diabetes or heart disease. "In southern Mississippi, there are plenty of people who meet the high-risk categories," he said.
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Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market Research Report by Type (Epoxy Resin and Polyurethane Resin), by Application (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul and Original Equipment Manufacturer) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market Research Report by Type, by Application - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913898/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market is expected to grow from USD 1,576.10 Million in 2019 to USD 2,060.12 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.56%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Commercial Aerospace Coatings to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Type, the Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market studied across Epoxy Resin and Polyurethane Resin.



Based on Application, the Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market studied across Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul and Original Equipment Manufacturer.



Based on Geography, the Commercial Aerospace Coatings 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 Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market including Akzo Nobel, BASF SE, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Hentzen Coatings, Hohman Plating and Manufacturing, IHI Ionbond AG, Mankiewicz Gebr. & Co., PPG Industries, Inc., The Sherwin-Williams Company, and Zircotec Ltd..



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Commercial Aerospace Coatings 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 Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Commercial Aerospace Coatings Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913898/?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.



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SRINAGAR: Pakistan troops violated ceasefire at three places in north Kashmirs Kupwara and Baramulla districts on Friday (August 7, 2020) evoking a sharp response from the Indian Army. At least six civilians have been injured in the cross-border firing by the Pakistani troops.

According to reports, the Pakistani Army violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in two sectors - Tangdar and Nowgam - of Kupwara district of north Kashmir targeting forward posts of the Indian Army.

Confirming the reports of ceasefire violation and shelling in Tangdar area of Karnah sector by the Pakistani troops early morning, Kupwara SSP earlier said, no loss of life was reported till now. However, shelling is still going on. The Indian Army is giving a befitting reply.

Another ceasefire violation was reported in the Nowgam sector of Kupwara. A top official said that  Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in the Nowgam sector by firing mortars and light arms. A befitting response is being given.

SP Handwara confirmed the ceasefire violation in the Nowgam sector by saying, ceasefire violation is going on but no casualty has been reported, a befitting reply is been given by the Indian army.

Apart from Kupwara, Pakistan also violated the ceasefire in the URI sector in Uranbuwa village of the Boniyar area in Baramulla.

Pakistani Army used heavy mortar for shelling and targeted the forward posts of the Indian Army.

Senior Superintendent of Police Baramulla said, Pakistan violated ceasefire in Uranbuwa village of Uri, the firing was going on till last reports came. However, there is no loss of life so far.

Till last reports came, shelling from the Pakistani side was going on in all three places. The unprovoked and indiscriminate firing by the Pakistani troops triggered panic among the civilians in the Indian side of the border.
Washington, DC  Repairing U.S. relations with key African countries must be a priority for the next administration, if Joseph Biden wins the November election, senior Democrats said during an online fundraiser last week.

Speakers representing the campaign included two women under consideration by Biden as his vice-presidential nominee  national security and international diplomacy expert Susan Rice and House of Representatives member Karen Bass, who has focused on Africa policy in the U.S. Congress.

The fundraiser  one of a series organized as part of pandemic-time electioneering  is believed to be the first Africa-focused event held by any presidential campaign.

This administration has done so much damage in so little time, Rice told participants, speaking not only of American ties with Africa but also about broader global relationships. We need to recognize that we have a stake in Africas success, she said.

Bass, current chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who has represented the Los Angeles area since 2011, characterized current U.S. Africa policy as incoherent. She was in Khartoum with a Congressional delegation in January, working to support Sudans transition to democracy, when the administrations travel ban on Sudan was announced. It was the wrong message, she said.

Bass chairs the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.

Mentioning the widely reported Trump reference in 2018 to African shithole countries, Bass said restoration of Africas trust is essential. We have a lot of clean-up to do. She said building relations and repairing Americas reputation starts with demonstrating commitment to the rule of law and to fighting corruption.

The hour-long session on July 28 was moderated by Brian McKeon, a longtime Biden adviser who, during the Obama administration, held posts at the Pentagon and the National Security Council and served as the Vice Presidents deputy national security adviser. In his first question to Rice, McKeon asked how to restore Africa ties that have been significantly and substantially damaged by what President Trump has done.

Rice, who served as UN ambassador and national security advisor under President Obama, called for engaging with Africa in a respectful way  on issues ranging from innovation to immigration, education, investment and infrastructure. We have to be in Africa because we understand that it matters to us, she said.

The fundraiser was spearheaded by volunteers active in the campaigns Africa policy group, part of what Foreign Policy dubs a sprawling structure that includes some 2,000 people and 20 working groups.

Ambassador Michael Battle  one of the co-leads for the Africa group  said the event raised more the four times the fundraising target. Our goal was $50,000, he said in a Tweet, [but] we exceeded the goal raising $202,600. Instead of the 300 persons expected at the fundraiser, 598 took part. The call drew participants from 39 states and 14 countries, organizers said, and included a number of retired U.S. diplomats and a broad-range of other Africa-interested individuals.

The fundraiser idea was hatched during a telephone conversation several months ago that included Rice, Johnnie Carson, senior advisor at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Witney Schneidman, senior advisor for Africa at the law firm Covington & Burling LLP. Carson, who was Assistant Secretary of State for Africa during the first Obama term after serving as ambassador to three African countries, was Rices principal deputy when she was assistant secretary for Africa under President Clinton. Schneidman served as a deputy assistant secretary in the Africa Bureau at the same time.

As Obamas national security advisor, Rice was instrumental in organizing the 2014 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit that brought 50 African presidents and senior officials to Washington for three days of meetings. A similar top-level initiative will be part of the outreach to Africa that Biden will undertake, according to Senator Chris Coons, who represents Delaware and was the third speaker on the Africa fundraiser call.

There will be regular travel by the President and senior administration officials to the continent, he said, as well as a push to send appropriately skilled ambassadors to embassies across Africa. Coons, who serves on the Foreign Relations Committee and formerly chaired the Africa Subcommittee, said the new administration will need to demonstrate respect for Africa  and for our own African diaspora and its strengths and talents.

One way to do this, he said, is to support high-quality, high-standard development projects working through the recently established Development Finance Corporation (DFC), a consolidated agency launched with bipartisan support in 2018 to partner with private investors on development projects in Africa and other regions.

All the fundraiser speakers stressed the importance of youth-focused initiatives. On a continent of 1.3 billion people, where the median age is 19, Rice said demographics represent both a huge opportunity and a major test.

Coons said the Young African Leaders Initiative (Yali), launched by Obama in 2010, should be expanded. The 10 classes of Yali fellows from across the continent are a remarkable force for good, and promoting networking among these alums can benefit both Africa and the United States, he said.

Africa is rarely mentioned in U.S. presidential campaigning, and that has been true in 2020. Bidens online foreign policy statement makes passing reference to Africa. His most substantive on-the-record statement was a response to a questionnaire submitted to all Democratic Party contenders a year ago by the Council on Foreign Relations. The only Africa question posed by the Council asked how the United States should adjust our policies in response to Africas projected population growth.

The United States cannot afford to miss this moment to engage with African youth and to offer them a window into the American model of democracy, Biden said in his response. Working with African partners, he said, the United States should prioritize economic growth by strengthening trading relationships; empower African women because we know that educated and empowered women are key to development; start an urbanization initiative, including partnerships with U.S. cities, to help African cities plan for their growth; and demonstrate the American model of democracy and economic development.

Along with Battle, Bidens Africa policy working group is led by Nicole Wilett and Allison Lombardo, with Coons senior policy aide Thomas Mancinelli playing a key role. Wilett, chief of staff at the Open Society Foundations, worked previously at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Albright Stonebridge Group and served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff and at the White House, twice as NSC director for African affairs during the Obama Administration. Lombardos experience includes a stint as NSC Africa director, working on the Yali initiative and on South Sudan, and senior posts at the State Department and USAID.

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Bidens choice of advisers has drawn criticism from some quarters. Huffington Post this week reported a letter from more than 275 Democratic Convention delegates  most of whom had pledged to support Sen. Bernie Sanders  criticizing Bidens foreign policy aides, including Rice and chief adviser Antony Blinken, who served as both deputy secretary of State and deputy national security advisor during the Obama presidency. Also named in the complaint is Avril Haines, a former CIA deputy director, who is heading foreign policy on the transition team and has been criticized for her role overseeing redactions in the Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture.

Howard W. French a veteran foreign correspondent who reported for more than a decade from Central America, Africa and Asia for the New York Times, fears that Biden will return to the traditions of American foreign policy, which include placing Africa lowest on the totem pole. In his latest World Politics Review column, French asks whether Bidens team is up to reinventing relations with regions that Washington is used to ignoring, or will they still treat them as second-tier interests?

During the fundraising call, Coons spoke of the need to restore the bipartisan cooperation that has often coalesced around support for such issues as public health, childhood development and good governance. Democrats and Republicans have backed major Africa initiatives by presidents from both parties  including the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the Presidents Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, the Presidents Malaria Initiative, Power Africa and Yali. But a playbook from the past seems unlikely to guide policy in a time of polarization and pandemic.

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The fundraiser lends credence to the view  expressed by Riva Levinson in her column last month for The Hill  that Africa is on the political agenda in 2020. On the Trump side, she points to the Development Finance Corporation announcement last month of expanded engagement on the continent, including deployment of investment advisors in Africa. If the trend towards greater Africa interest persists, she says, there is hope for more vigorous and comprehensive U.S. support for Africas response to the coronavirus crisis.

Trump Africa policy to date has been largely driven by U.S.-China rivalry. Perhaps as a counter to Chinas aggressive outreach across the continent, DFC CEO Adam Boehler floated plans for an investment summit in Washington next month attended by African heads of state, if it can be done safely  which seems unlikely. Boehler also chairs Prosper Africa, the cornerstone of the administrations Africa policy aimed at boosting American two-way trade and investment with the continent.

On the fundraising call, Rice warned against putting everything in a U.S.-China competition frame, saying what is needed is competition where required and cooperation where possible.

A new U.S. policy must see Africas progress and setbacks in a global context, tearing down Washingtons siloed approach to the region, writes Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former U.S. government intelligence analyst, in a policy brief published today. It is time to marshal new arguments about Africas significance, refresh tired U.S. programmatic and diplomatic gambits, and focus on the global implications of U.S. engagement in Africa.

If Biden wins in November, the Africa-interested community in the United States and internationally will be watching to see how much attention Africa will receive amid many competing issues. Among the most critical questions is whether a more cooperative relationship will be forged with the countries of the worlds second largest continent, where Covid-19 poses major challenges and could benefit from a robust U.S.-Africa partnership, particularly in coordination with the World Health Organization, which is coordinating the global response.

For the first time is 25 years, Africa is headed into recession, the World Bank reports. The poverty rate for Sub Sahara Africa is projected to rise by over two percent in 2020, increasing the number of people living below the poverty line by 13 million  with many more millions to follow as the Covid-19 crisis expands. Knock-on effects from the pandemic include a doubling of malaria rates, as the SarsCoV2 interrupts malaria prevention and treatment efforts.

Nobel Prize-winning former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is co-chairing with former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark an independent panel to evaluate the worlds response to the Covid-19 pandemic. When asked what the United States can most effectively do to help Africa survive the economic crisis the World Bank and other international financial institutions predict, Johnson Sirleaf, a former investment banker, has a consistent answer  invest, invest, invest.

Although the pandemic in Africa did not feature prominently in the Biden fundraiser, that appeal to invest in Africa may resonate with the candidate and his Africa team.
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FRANKFORT, IL  The number of coronavirus cases in the Frankfort area has increased by 43 cases over the past week, according to data from the Will County Health Department. Frankfort (ZIP code 60423) has 295 cases as of Aug. 6, compared to 252 cases on July 29, which represents a 17 percent increase.

Attendees of a private prom are being advised to self-quarantine after cases of the coronavirus were reported. The Will County Health Department said contact tracers spoke to residents from the Frankfort area who had tested positive for the coronavirus and discovered they had attended a gathering in Indiana.

The gathering was a private prom in Hobart, Indiana, organized by Lincoln-Way East graduates. The health department said it discovered that up to 270 people, including high school age students and chaperones, had attended the event.

Here is the growth in the coronavirus case numbers for the past six weeks in Frankfort. The data comes from the Will County Health Department and the number of cases reported in ZIP code 60423.



Health authorities do not provide the number of deaths or recoveries by municipality.



July 1 172 July 8 193 July 15 212 July 22 229 July 29 252 Aug. 6 295

Since testing began, IDPH reporting a total of 4,693 tests have been performed for ZIP code 60423.

In nearby towns in the Lincoln-Way area, both Mokena (ZIP code 60448) and New Lenox (ZIP code 60451) have fewer cases, with 225 and 272 cases, respectively, as of Aug. 6. Manhattan (ZIP code 60442) has 79 cases, according to data from the county health department.

As of Friday, Illinois' coronavirus case count was 190,508 and the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 7,613 Illinois residents. In Will County, there have been 9,013 cases of the coronavirus and 345 related deaths.



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The state recently developed new resurgence criteria to identify early but significant increases of coronavirus transmission. With the new criteria, the state also developed new emergency management regions, and Will County is now part of region 7.

According to IDPH, as of data available on Aug. 7, region 7 has had four days of test positivity increases and four days of hospital admission increases. Hospital availability for region 7, which includes Will and Kankakee counties, has 34 percent of medical-surgical beds available and 36 percent of ICU beds available.

For more news and information like this, subscribe to the Frankfort Patch for free. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. Don't forget to like us on Facebook.





This article originally appeared on the Frankfort Patch
Whats new: Chinas ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, has dismissed speculation about an imminent extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to the United States, after the Canadian attorney-general, David Lametti, said in a court document released last week that the requirements for extraditing Meng had been met.

When asked about Lamettis statement, Cong said in an interview with Chinese national broadcaster CCTV Thursday that: Regarding to the issue of the extradition [of Meng Wanzhou], for now it is still a hypothetical question. Cong added that Lamettis lawyers had already concluded that Meng would be eventually extradited since the Huawei chief financial officers was first arrested at the request of the U.S. on charges of bank fraud in 2018.

The background: The Canadian attorney-generals court documents, which were released on July 31, are a precursor to the formal hearing on Mengs extradition case, which will take place in April 2021.

The evidence demonstrates that Ms. Meng deliberately made dishonest representations to HSBC in an attempt to preserve Huawei's relationship with the bank, lawyers for Lametti wrote, according to Reuters. Since Ms. Meng concedes that she is the person sought for prosecution for the conduct set out in the extradition request, all of the formal requirements for committal are established, documents said.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)
When the Rev. Dr. William Barber II saw that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was the first to eulogize the late John Lewis as he lay in state inside the Capitol rotunda on July 27th, the civil rights leader thought of Jesus admonishing the Pharisees. We love the tombs of the prophets, said Barber, paraphrasing Jesus in the New Testament. We dont need to be talking about how hard and how great it was that John Lewis stood so firm against injustice. What we need to be doing is repenting and saying, Were going to make it so nobody ever has to give their life for basic racial justice. 

It would be easy if McConnell, a man who was blocking a fix to the very Voting Rights Act for which Lewis had risked his life, could wipe his hands clean on the flag that draped the congressmans coffin. The Kentucky Republican tried to do so, waxing on about how history only bent toward whats right because people like John paid the price to help bend it. But McConnell, ideological heir to the cops who swung the nightsticks at Lewis in Selma, Alabama, on that bloody Sunday in 1965, remains one of the reasons that there is a price at all.

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I worry, for this reason, about the rush to rename things after Lewis as a method of honoring him. In the wake of his death, there were many calls to re-christen Selmas Edmund Pettus Bridge. Democrats renamed the voting rights bill after Lewis before trying once again to pass it. But as Barber noted, He would want us to be careful of giving people who may diametrically oppose everything he stood for opportunities to stand at a bridge or a statue or something of that nature, and claim that they loved him and loved his legacy.

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The bottom line is, Sen. Kamala Harris says, if you really want to honor John Lewis on the issue of restoring the impact of the Voting Rights Act, pass the bill. Im sure John Lewis would say, Look, naming it after me versus passing it? Every day of the week, pass the darn thing. 

Lewis wasnt about ceremony so much as he was about the work. One of the biggest disappointments, says former South Carolina state legislator Bakari Sellers, is that a part of John Lewis legacy thats not talked about often is his work as a young man between 63 and 66, when he was a member and chairman of SNCC [the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]. And they went to Mississippi and Georgia and Alabama and South Carolina, and they registered so many voters, which is why we have so many black elected officials throughout the South.

Before taking over the chairmanship of SNCC, Lewis had been one of the original 13 Freedom Riders in 1961, a multiracial group of activists challenging segregation on public buses. Already experienced with sit-ins in Nashville, where he went to college, Lewis was the first of the Riders to be attacked, in Rock Hill, South Carolina, when he tried to enter a whites-only waiting room. Just two weeks later, Lewis was on another Freedom Ride bound for Jackson, Mississippi, still nursing a beaten face and ribs.

The same determination could be found in Lewis posthumous essay, published in The New York Times on the morning of his funeral, in which he issued a set of final marching orders to the American public. 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, he wrote. He added, 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.

The 2020 election is one that Lewis himself called the most important ever. Rep. James Clyburn said that he wanted Americans to honor his friend by voting like we have never voted before. That may be difficult in a nation still plagued with all manner of voting rights calamities. A 2019 report found that states had removed at least 17 million voters from their rolls between the 2016 and 2018 elections. According to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice at NYU, 25 states have introduced measures that will make it more difficult for people to vote in 2020. Then there are the dangers created by the metastasizing pandemic. Few states have either universal vote-by-mail or have shown they have the infrastructure to carry it off efficiently, and congressional Republicans, led by McConnell, have blocked funding to help states prepare in time for the election.

As Harris tells me, The symmetry of this moment, where we are honoring the life of an American hero for his fight against injustice, and that injustice is front and center in America, as we were mourning his loss  that should not be lost on any of us.

So what needs to be done, now that Lewis, this patriot and American prophet, is gone?

We first need to recall, on an elementary level, what elections are for. They arent only about showing up, particularly for marginalized communities; the people from those areas dont get honorary mention in Congress if their candidate doesnt win. It also is not about the mere honor of exercising the franchise. Voting is not about participation. Voting is about power. And we have got to reframe that, says Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown.

We have seen truth and reconciliation about atrocities in other nations because there has been a change in power. The process helped South Africa strike down the political remnants of apartheid; Rwanda established a National Unity and Reconciliation Commission to heal the nation after the 1994 genocide. No such things happen in America, however. How do we ever get to our truth and reconciliation if all we ever do is celebrate the most moral of us, like a star well never reach?

We never demanded that people actually be held accountable for the Native genocide, for slavery, for lynching, for segregation, says Bryan Stevenson, executive director and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, which erected the memorial to the legacy of American lynching victims, in Montgomery, Alabama.

Its this American history, says Stevenson, that is so vital to understand in the context of continuing Lewis struggle. The North wins the Civil War, but the South wins the narrative war, he says. Because the 13th Amendment doesnt say anything about ending white supremacy. . . . What John Lewis does in 1965 is try to help America recover from a century of distortion and abuse and discrimination, and he got bloodied for it.

Of course, in 2020, blood is still being spilled in American streets in the name of black freedom. Lewis, suffering from stage 4 pancreatic cancer, made it out to Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., on June 7th, less than a week after the president had peaceful protesters tear-gassed  protesters carrying out Lewis marching orders: Get in the way, he would always say, and into good trouble for the sake of holding this nation accountable. But the change that he and modern organizers seek wont come without the kind of political shifts that go well beyond electing a black president.

Were in this unique role of trying to recover from systematic human rights violations without a change in power, says Stevenson. Thats the brilliance of people like John Lewis, Rosa Parks, and Dr. King, is that they engaged in a kind of moral reckoning. And they were able to use that moral witness to shift the assessment of whats right. But because the power hasnt changed, we have to carry forward this commitment to truth and justice. Thats, for me, central to what has to happen in America.

There are particular challenges to achieving that power shift. McConnell recently told The Wall Street Journal that Democratic complaints about voter suppression were nonsense. And the deployment of unmarked federal forces to suppress civil rights protests in cities like Portland, Oregon, are perhaps only a harbinger of what Trump is willing to do to stay in office. On July 30th, the morning of Lewis funeral, Trump even floated the decidedly unconstitutional idea of delaying the election.

The severity of Trumps threat is why the celebration of Lewis legacy cannot be limited to commemoration. If you have a law that means black voters are having their ballots rejected at twice the rates of whites, thats a problem, says Marc Elias, a voting rights lawyer. Thats a legal problem. Thats a moral problem. Thats a legislative problem. We need to start treating it as such.

Lewis understood better than most that the depth of the problem meant it had to be fought on multiple fronts  in the streets, in the statehouse, in the courthouse, everywhere. He realized shortly after the assassinations of his friend Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that he could pursue politics without disempowering his activist voice.

I think thats whats powerful about his legacy, Stevenson says. People hear Malcolm X say By any means necessary, and they always assume something violent and destructive, when in fact, by any means necessary means some of us have to actually become lawyers and advocate within the strictures of the legal system. Some of us have to become journalists and give voice to important perspectives that have never been heard. Some of us have to become teachers and help at-risk children.

Not only did Lewis model how to maintain an activist spirit on Capitol Hill  arrested twice for protesting the Darfur genocide and later leading sit-ins advocating for immigration reform and gun control legislation  but he also showed how to remain scrupulous, maintaining his integrity throughout his more than three decades in a town known for stripping it away.

Moreover, Lewis was about refocusing Americans on the fact that there is, inherently, an idea worth saving at the root of this great and terrible nation, fraught with faults, created by people whose prejudices withheld the United States from maximizing its own potential. The founders of this country created a new nation that was based on the ideas of this thing called a democracy,  says Brown. When in fact, none of them had internalized the true meaning and value of democracy.

Spotlighting that contradiction and correcting it encapsulates Lewis work, and is why President Obama, in his eulogy at Lewis funeral, rightly said that 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.

In the wake of his loss, we have a new standard by which to judge not just ourselves but the candidates who claim the intent to represent us. If we dont have elected officials who understand and embrace the Lewisian framework of American redemption, one that demonstrates the conviction behind their words and prioritizes morality and compassion in the policy they create, then why support them? Rev. Barber said that we should apply a moral filter to forthcoming bills, and if its killing peoples dreams and killing peoples hopes and killing peoples equal opportunities and civil rights, and literally killing people because that bill limits or destroys access to opportunities of justice, then like John Lewis, while we are living, we have to be against it.

The example of John Lewis was not set to invite idolatry, but emulation. He wanted fellowship, not followers. Elias, the voting rights lawyer, seemed a bit staggered, and rightfully so, when asked how we might all go about walking shoulder to shoulder with Lewis. I sometimes ask what I would be willing to sacrifice to move the country forward, he says. Most people, its easy to be in the comfort of your home and air conditioning and internet service, [and] to say that you are committed to something. But what John Lewis taught us was that to really be committed, you need to be willing to sacrifice. Not in an abstract way, but a real concrete way. As we face down the fall election, that is what I think about. If he was willing to do everything that he did, then what are the rest of us doing that were willing to sacrifice?

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  Clinical trials for four of China-made vaccines for COVID-19 have been yielding good results so far, the Chinese ambassador said Friday as he affirmed that the Philippines is on the priority list once the drug is cleared for sale.

Ambassador Huang Xilian expressed confidence in the progress in finding a vaccine for COVID-19, a disease first discovered in Wuhan City in the mainland in late 2019.

The virus was declared a pandemic months later, and has now infected more than 19 million people globally and led to over 700,000 deaths.

"I think the third phase of trial is going well smoothly, and we are looking forward to the early success of those vaccines," the diplomat told CNN Philippines' The Source, citing "little negative reaction" so far.

"Its quite difficult for me to predict but according to the assessment of some scientists, it is likely that the vaccine could be developed before the end of this year or early next year," he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said that he was expecting a drug that would prevent COVID-19 to be ready by December, even as medical experts said vaccines may not be ready until early 2021.

RELATED: Vaccine will not ensure elimination of COVID-19 risk  health expert

Huang named China National Biotec Group and Sinovac as among the drug manufacturers on the final stage of vaccine trials, which involve testing doses on humans. He vowed to allot supplies first to the Philippines when they receive the go signal for commercial use.

"As a close neighbor and friend of China, we consider the Philippines the priority once we successfully develop our vaccines," the envoy said, adding that the cure will be "affordable and accessible" especially to developing nations.

Vaccines have to go through multi-phase trials to ensure they're effective and safe, and typically take years to develop.

Meanwhile, Huang said the Philippines should focus on improving quarantine protocols for suspected patients and better protect its frontliners as the country grapples the coronavirus battle drags on.

"According to the assessment of Chinese medical team who visited your country, they feel that your measures are reasonable, comprehensive and vigorous," he said.

"Vigorous quarantine measures are very important, second is the protection of medical professionals. You will need to take measures to separate those medical professionals from patients in hospitals in different areas so they will be well protected," added the official.

Metro Manila and four nearby provinces returned to a two-week lockdown in response to the call of health workers for a timeout as hospitals are overwhelmed with patients, along with an appeal to revisit protocols to contain the disease.

RELATED: Why do Filipino health workers keep getting infected with COVID-19?

Meanwhile, Huang said China is sending more help to the Manila through additional ventilators and nasal cannullas, on top of thousands of test kits and protective gear they earlier provided. He appealed for a green lane to fast-track the delivery of donations and medical supplies sent to the country.

The pandemic has driven the Philippines and many other countries into recession. Lockdowns to contain the virus have rendered more than 7 million Filipinos jobless as of April, data showed.
Prince Charles is offering some of his tenants reduced rates of rent as they recover from the impact of the coronavirus lockdown.

Yahoo UK has learned that the Duchy of Cornwall will take applications from tenants with commercial premises for rent abatement, meaning they could get reduced rents or even rent-free periods.

The duchy previously offered tenants a rent holiday from the period of 22 March to 24 June, as they braced for a quiet Spring.

Under that deferral scheme, the tenants would have had to pay the rent eventually, but would have two years interest free to do so.

The Duchy of Cornwall includes land in 21 counties mostly in the South West of England and provides an income for the heir to the throne. Last year Charles made 22.2m from it.

The abatement news comes as Charles, who is the Duke of Cornwall, sent a message to duchy tenants, to offer his support and to praise the work of the communities during the pandemic.

He said: Now, whilst, I must confess, feeling rather demoralised after hearing about of some of these difficulties within the Duchy of Cornwall family, I have been much heartened to be told some of the many tales of altruistic behaviour and goodwill around the Duchy estate.

For example, The Brace of Butchers shop in Poundbury providing hardship meals for struggling families and, nearby, Hall and Woodhouse from the Duchess of Cornwall pub delivering hot meals to NHS workers in various Dorset hospitals over the Easter weekend.

Then there were the new tenants of the Post Office, high up on Dartmoor at Postbridge, who were not to be defeated by restrictions and managed to remain open for a few hours a day and offered a new doorstep delivery service.

At a farming level, one of our energetic and selfless new entrant farm tenants in Herefordshire, Sam Stables, not only took on an entire flock of sheep from Yorkshire and lambed them for a friend stricken by the virus, but also started a charity to help with mental health issues amongst the farming community.

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As you can perhaps imagine, I am extremely proud of him.

Read more: Private royal garden where Queen grew veg in WWII opens to public for first time in 40 years

Charles and Camilla on a duchy visit in 2019. (Getty Images)

The Duchy of Cornwall estate has a net value of 909m. Charles is the longest serving Duke of Cornwall, marking 50 years last year.

The surplus is how Charles makes money, and much of it goes to funding the work of other royals. For example, 95% of the funding Prince Harry and Meghan had was from Charles via the duchy, and its thought he may still be helping them to some extent as they start life in Los Angeles.

Last year his income rose by 3% to 22.2million, but there was a stark warning that it may not last.

Alastair Martin, the Duchys Secretary and Keeper of the Records, said: The lockdown resulting from COVID-19 was only in place for one week of the financial year that this report covers.

There is therefore very limited financial impact on these results.
OTTAWAThe director of a group that reports on Canadian charities told a parliamentary committee Thursday that it was easy to find information about WE Charitys debt, as opposition MPs argued the federal government should have seen red flags before it outsourced a $544-million grant program to the Toronto-based organization.

Kate Bahen, managing director of Charity Intelligence Canada, described to the House of Commons finance committee how she used easy-to-access financial information to report on her groups website that WE Charity had $13.7 million in bank loans in 2019, and that the organization was in breach of its financial covenant on this debt.

Audited financial statements were posted on WE Charitys website, and we believe that due diligence starts with the audited financial statements, Bahen said. So it would be clicking, receiving those documents and reading through.

Greg Thomson, director of research at Charity Intelligence, later added: Anyone with financial knowledge could have seen what we saw.

Opposition MPs asking questions during the committee hearing said the information should have given the Liberal government pause before it awarded the large grant program to WE Charity, especially after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he asked the public service for further due diligence on its recommendation to outsource the program to WE.

Trudeau said last Friday that the due diligence was really about defending himself against questions about his familys ties to WE.

It seems awfully concerning that all of these red flags were ignored, Conservative MP Marty Morantz said Thursday. It just seems to stretch credulity that the federal government, during their due diligence, wouldnt have been able to also find this information given their vast resources.

Liberal MPs on the committee questioned the reliability of a small outfit like Charity Intelligences reporting on organizations like WE and scores of others across Canada.

My job is not to defend WE here, theyll do that themselves. But I do have concerns about subjectivity, said Liberal MP Peter Fragiskatos. Its hard for me to understand how an organization of four people can judge 250 organizations on a range of criteria.

The federal government has been rocked with controversy over its decision to award the Canada Student Service Grant program to WE, an organization that has given Trudeaus wife, brother and mother tens of thousands of dollars in fees and expenses. Finance Minister Bill Morneaus daughter has worked for WE, while Morneau has recently repaid more than $41,000 to the organization for trips abroad that he and his family took with WE in 2017.

Trudeau and Morneau are now facing investigations by the House of Commons ethics commissioner, and both have expressed regret for participating in the Liberal cabinet decision to award the program to WE on May 22.

Trudeau has already broken the Commons ethics law twice as prime minister.

During his own testimony to the finance committee on July 30, Trudeau was asked whether WEs financial situation meant it had the capacity to deliver this large government program. The prime minister said the public service  which the Liberal government says recommended outsourcing the program to WE was the only way to deliver it this summer  has a rigorous and strong process in which he is confident.

WE co-founders Marc and Craig Kielburger told the committee two days earlier, on July 28, that they were in breach of their bank covenant because of how they changed their fiscal year in 2019 and that WE was in a very solid operational state when it was awarded the grant program.

Earlier that day, WE Charitys former board director Michelle Douglas told the committee she was asked to resign in March after asking for financial details as the organization planned to lay off hundreds of employees. The Star previously reported that two sources said the program was seen within the organization as a way to keep the lights on during the pandemic.

The finance committee is now expecting to receive a range of documents related to the contract and has asked the government to provide them before the weekend.

The Star has been asking the government since Tuesday for the exact text of the public service recommendation on the program but has not received a response.
Canadian organizations providing humanitarian relief in Lebanon are asking for financial donations to provide crucial assistance on the ground in Beirut following this weeks devastating explosion that killed at least 135 people and injured more than 5,000.

Here are a few groups you can donate to, with a web link to their donation page:

Islamic Relief Canada says local hospitals in Beirut have been overwhelmed, and 200,000 people have been left homeless. The non-profit group based in Burlington has been working for years in Lebanon providing food, water and shelter. It has around 40 staff members on the ground.

The group believes the destruction of Beiruts port will devastate the country further as it relies heavily on imports for its essential supplies.

This is yet another tragedy for a country that is already deep in crisis on multiple fronts. The economy is the worst it has been in decades, with nearly half the population living below the poverty line and 35 per cent of people out of work, the groups country director Nidal Ali said in a statement from Beirut.

Many of Lebanons population are refugees who have struggled for a long time. But now even middle-class families have been fighting to put food on the table. For nearly a year, all people have been concerned with, how am I going to eat tomorrow? 

Last year, the group had to put all its long-term programs on hold and prioritized food parcels as the economic crisis became a humanitarian emergency  and that was before COVID-19 hit the country harder than many of its neighbours, he added.

Canadians can help by donating to the group to provide food for a month, emergency health assistance or hygiene kits to those in need.

Doctors without Borders (MSF) has health workers on the ground to volunteer at local hospitals in Beirut. The group is also organizing the donation of first aid kits to support the Lebanese Civil Defense.

What we can say today is that the situation in Beirut is still completely catastrophic  with people that are still missing. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing, looking for people that are still trapped in the rubble of their homes, Emmanuel Massart, co-ordinator of MSF operations in Lebanon, said in a statement.

Hospitals in Beirut are still completely overwhelmed, not being able to cope with the thousands of wounded that have come to the hospitals in the last 12 hours.

In addition to providing medical supplies, N95 masks and surgical masks to people helping out, the group is assessing the needs of people whove lost shelter as well as those in need of mental health care.

The Canadian Red Cross has been working with its Lebanese counterpart to provide help.

Money raised for this appeal will enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help individuals in Lebanon affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis, as well as the recent explosion, the Canadian Red Cross said in a new release. The cost of fundraising, such as processing donations, issuing receipts, or reporting back to donors will not exceed five per cent.

Lebanese Red Cross has been providing paramedic and ambulance services in Beirut as well as managing blood donations and search and rescue operations.

Ottawa had announced on Wednesday that it would be committing $5 million in aid efforts for Lebanon, with all the money going to trusted humanitarian organizations, with the first $1.5 million flowing through the Canadian Red Cross to its Lebanese counterpart.

GlobalMedic, a Toronto-based disaster relief organization mostly made up of volunteer paramedics and other first responders, is jumping in to help but its response is different this time because of the pandemic.

If we were not living in the time of COVID, we would have boots on the ground already, Rahul Singh, a Toronto paramedic and the founder of GlobalMedic, told the Star.

The organization has been known for sending front-line volunteers to disaster zones around the world. It has conducted over 200 operations, and previously worked in Lebanon is the wake of its civil war and the Syrian refugee crisis.

But for this operation, GlobalMedic is collecting donations to prepare emergency kits rather than sending volunteers because of the pandemic.

Distrubition of the kits will be handled by GlobalMedics partners in Lebanon. The kit will include a water purifier, hygiene items, a solar light and 10 kilograms of dried food.

Singh said his groups primary aim will be combating food insecurity in Beruit, which will worsen given the compounding effects of the explosion, COVID-19 and the ongoing economic crisis that predated the pandemic.

We try to put in the kit solutions to the problems that we know families will face following disaster, said Singh.

UNICEF, the United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian aid to children, has been working to provide clean drinking water and helping to reunite kids with their families following the explosion.

The organization already had a presence in Lebanon co-ordinating vaccinations. But UNICEFs warehouse near the Beiruit port, where vaccines and other medical supplies were stored, suffered severe damage.

UNICEF has been assisting with cleanup efforts, helping children deal with bereavement and trauma. It is also providing temporary housing assistance for families who lost their homes.

The organization says it needs nearly $5.8 million for its efforts in Beirut. Canadians can send donations to UNICEF Canada.
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maxim Power Corp. ("MAXIM" or the "Corporation") (TSX: MXG) announced today the release of financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020. The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements, accompanying notes and Managements Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) will be available on SEDAR and on MAXIM's website on August 6, 2020. All figures reported herein are Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.



COMMISSIONING THE MILNER 2 DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

MAXIM successfully commissioned its 204 MW natural gas-fired power plant (M2) near Grande Cache, Alberta, on the existing H.R. Milner (Milner) site. M2 began generating electricity to the Alberta power grid on May 8, 2020. During commissioning, M2 successfully demonstrated its maximum generating capacity and environmental compliance. M2 has been operating as expected.

MAXIM completed construction and commissioning of M2 despite challenging construction conditions related to both weather and the Coronavirus. This project represents an industry leading 16-month construction duration and 21-month total project horizon (from equipment procurement to project completion). M2 is the largest simple cycle natural gas-fired power plant in Alberta.

The M2 project is a testament to the Government of Albertas ongoing commitment to promote economic development by creating a stable and attractive investment climate. The project created more than 120 jobs during construction and now provides ongoing employment and support of local businesses in the Grande Cache area of Alberta. The government's work to ensure federal carbon policy does not inhibit investment and its introduction of the made-in-Alberta Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction Regulation program are important to this project and to MAXIMs significant commitment to investing in Albertas power infrastructure.

The existing Milner facility is currently offline while MAXIM operates M2, however, Milner is permitted to operate at an annual capacity factor of up to 9% until 2029, which is approximately 113,500 MWh per annum.

AUC LOSS FACTOR DECISION

MAXIM continues to expect the Line Loss Proceeding claim payment from the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). The estimate of $53 million, comprised of $40 million of overpayments and $13 million of interest, is based on information currently available on the public record and the Corporation expects to receive these funds over the next twelve months.

The AESO calculated and released a preliminary adjustment, on July 7, 2020, related to years 2014, 2015 and 2016 of the Line Loss Proceeding, payable to Milner Power LP in the amount of $6.5 million, which is in line with the Corporations estimates. The AESO has disclosed that payment of the $6.5 million is expected to occur before the end of 2020.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Three Months Ended

June 30, Six Months Ended

June 30, ($ in thousands except per share amounts) 2020 2019 2020 2019 Revenue $ 4,460 $ 6,676 $ 11,718 $ 14,875 Adjusted EBITDA (1) (1,589 ) (785 ) 606 (1,819 ) Net income (loss) (1,167 ) (4,087 ) (161 ) (5,881 ) Net income (loss) per share  basic and diluted $ (0.02 ) $ (0.08 ) $ (0.00 ) $ (0.11 ) Total generation  Milner (MWh) - 96,575 42,301 218,292 Total generation  M2 (MWh) (2) 107,501 - 107,501 - Average Alberta market power price ($ per MWh) 29.90 56.37 48.47 63.56 Average Milner realized power price ($ per MWh) - 69.08 171.45 68.08 Average M2 realized power price ($ per MWh) (2) 41.48 - 41.48 - Total debt 68,970 - 68,970 - Total assets $ 241,896 $ 168,599 $ 241,896 $ 168,599





(1) Select financial information was derived from the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and is prepared in accordance with GAAP, except adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA). Adjusted EBITDA is provided to assist management and investors in determining the Corporation's approximate operating cash flows before interest, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization and certain other income and expenses. (2) Generation and realized power prices for M2 relate to June 2020 only as the asset was commissioned on June 1.



OPERATING RESULTS



During the second quarter of 2020, Adjusted EBITDA decreased as compared to 2019, primarily due to lower revenues as a result of commissioning M2, which reduced both M2 and Milners ability to operate during the second quarter of 2020 and higher per unit fuel costs, partially offset by carbon tax savings from the operation of M2 and lower operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. Net loss decreased in the second quarter of 2020, primarily due to the recognition of a future tax benefit, partially offset by the higher operating costs, one-time costs to restructure operations and finance expenses.

During the first six months of 2020, Adjusted EBITDA increased as compared to 2019, primarily due to realizing power prices of $171.45 per MWh at Milner in 2020, as compared to $68.08 per MWh in 2019, fuel and carbon tax savings as a result of lower generation volumes, lower O&M costs and gains from commodity swaps. Net loss decreased, due to these same factors and the recognition of a future tax benefit, partially offset by one-time costs to restructure operations and finance expenses.

OTHER DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

MAXIM has permits to construct and operate electric power projects totalling 536 MW of generating capacity in Alberta, which are in addition to M2. Of this amount, 346 MW of generation capacity is at the Milner site and the remaining 190 MW of generation capacity is for the peaking station at Deerland. MAXIM also has a wind power development project, Buffalo Atlee, which has the development potential of up to 200 MW of wind generation capacity. As at the date of this press release, no definitive commitments have been made on these projects.

About MAXIM

Based in Calgary, Alberta, MAXIM is one of Canadas largest truly independent power producers. MAXIMs focussing on power projects in Alberta. Its core assets includes, the 204 MW natural gas-fired power plant near Grande Cache, AB, commissioned in 2020, and the adjacent 150 MW H.R. Milner Plant. MAXIM is exploring its option to increase the capacity of M2, in conjunction with increasing the overall efficiency of the facility, by upgrading M2 into a combined cycle plant. In addition, MAXIM continues to explore development options, including its currently permitted gas-fired generation capacity in Alberta and permitting of its wind power generation project in Southern Alberta. MAXIM trades on the TSX under the symbol MXG. For more information about MAXIM, visit our website at www.maximpowercorp.com .

For further information please contact:

Hansine Ullberg, CFO, (403) 263-3021.

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively "forward looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to MAXIM's plans and other aspects of MAXIM'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: anticipated profitable earnings from development of generation capacity at the Milner site, the anticipated time periods of continued generation of electricity from Milner, the initial generation capacity of the Corporation's new facility at its Milner site, current development cost estimates to complete the same and anticipated completion dates, the Corporation's current estimate of the proceeds payable to the Corporation from the outstanding compliant relating to the AESO Line Loss Proceeding and the timeline to potentially receive any proceeds therefrom.

Forward-looking statements regarding MAXIM are based on certain key expectations and assumptions of MAXIM concerning, among other things, construction timelines and costs, regulatory decisions (including with respect to the AESO Line Loss Proceeding), the ability of MAXIM to reliably generate electricity from its projects in the timelines and manners currently contemplated, current and future commodity and electricity prices, the price of MAXIM's common shares, regulatory developments, tax laws, future operating costs, the performance of existing and new facilities, the sufficiency and timing of budgeted capital expenditures in carrying out planned activities, the availability and cost of labor and services, the impact of increasing competition, conditions in general economic and financial markets, , effects of regulation by governmental agencies, the ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms which are subject to change based on commodity prices, market conditions, and potential timing delays.

These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond MAXIM's control. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: construction delays, cost overruns, adverse regulatory decisions, the impact of general economic conditions; pandemics, volatility in market prices electricity and other commodities such as natural gas; industry conditions; currency fluctuations; environmental risks; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; competition from other producers; the lack of availability of qualified personnel, changes in income tax laws, environmental laws or changes programs relating to the electricity industry in Alberta; hazards such as fire, explosion, and ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources.

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 MAXIM's future plans and operations and such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

MAXIM'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 MAXIM 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 MAXIM 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.
Someone argues gun rights are important. You know everybody gets one single bolt action rifle. Now you go hard to reload. Cant do a whole lot of damage with that, unless youre very well trained. Nobody gets handguns semiautomatic weapons, et cetera, et cetera. We make that deal down. People need to be able to deal with vermin I suppose in rural areas. But obviously, we have a problem too. The countries have with guns indeed feral hogs. They surround your kids. The only thing the Catholic church concerned with is the communist pope that it has. Other than that buddy I wish we had a communist pope shouldnt we disarm the police before we disarm ourselves or with those happen at the same time, you know I mean, the police should definitely need your help. So for instance, the Dallas cops who used a bomb removal robot to actually carry a bomb to a wounded criminal who was lying in a parking garage bleeding to death and then blew him up despite the fact that he was shortly going to be unconscious from blood loss. I mean, I dont think cops should have execution robots right. I think that there are some squads that obviously need to be armed. Thats how it is in the UK in the UK when you would see cops dealing with like you know bicycle altercations as I saw outside my house one time. They usually werent like pulling guns on people. They didnt have guns on them. Indeed They were dealing with bicycle altercations. So you know, I think that you can make those kinds of distinctions. Does the Roman Catholic church have any Im sorry. And is that thoughts on the accusations by moralist catholics that we shouldnt support Black Lives Matter because its marxist. I never know what people mean when they say marxist. I think probably a good 50% of people who have marxist in their Twitter bios dont know what they mean when they say theyre marxist. The term has become so vast its called calm says concept creep. Right critique drift. I have no idea what people mean when they say its Marx as they say its atheistic. I would say this at the March for Life there are atheists there are atheists who come for the March for Life and make a big deal of being atheists and catholics embrace them. There are Mormons at the March for Life. Right There are evangelicals at the March for Life. There are all kinds of people at the March for Life and the catholics. They have no problem with it because theyre like, look, this is a cause right. And the cause is this particular thing were focusing on here. So if you can link arms with people who are secular or people of different faiths for a cause which it seems we can because it happens every year in January at the March for Life then I dont understand why you cant at least identify that this organization, whatever else its intentions or its agenda is the agenda that you know, police should not be killing black people. You know in the street ally George Floyd Orlando Castile and I think you know you can agree on that. And that can be an issue of shared advocacy. Its not just me. This has this has come up again and again from officials in in the church right. This is actually the view of the hierarchy itself. So if you go and read the letter that we have posted on Catholic social action a letter to all of the United States bishops you can see all of the church figures who we have quoted in favor of this very idea. Right So you know go check it out. Go to Catholic social action see whats up. Im not asking you to affirm everything that every organization that is involved in this effort believes. Im just asking you to affirm this one thing. And I think we can reasonably do that. Yeah police are not allowed to execute criminals. Thats where I kind of disagree with rod Dreher a little bit is just because youre resisting arrest doesnt mean the police can execute. You on the spot. Normally we have a trial for that kind of thing. And we put people to death with you know Chinese horse tranquilizers instead of shooting them in the back of the head or whatever crushing their necks and says, how we do things around here arent trials overrated. I mean trials have problems you know. But I think that, you know in absence of a better solution youve got to render the punishment after the trial would be my perspective. And I dont think thats too crazy. I like Coke. I dont know why people in Texas. Usually like Dr. pepper. Its not bad. Ill drink it. But I also call every brown soda Coke. Do you think the left has a problem with tactical unity with other culture factions. Yes well Space Jam to be good while space down line was pretty good. I really, really like Space Jam. Ill still watch Space Jam. Have I ever tried meditation. Yes, I do every day. Yeah dude, what the hell is up with that Dreyer post. That guy was practically salivating for death. I would recommend reading Alan Jacobs response on his blog. Snakes and ladders a.j. he had a very good kind of you know temperate but I think reasonably alarmed response and you know since then rudd has done a few edits where he expands on you know feeling a little less comfortable with what he originally said than he did at the time. Any words of wisdom on this anniversary of the atomic bombing. Yeah, it was a sin and a crime. All right incinerating thousands and thousands of innocent civilians and also poisoning the ground and many, many people who survived including unborn children in such a way that they would be disabled and maimed for the rest of their lives in the very earth itself would be poisonous. Seems like something thats pretty diabolical in nature. I did see a guy on Twitter yesterday say that the atomic bombs arent real that it was just like a fake like we used conventional bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and somehow faked everyone out into believing we had nukes and then everyone else also started pretending to have nukes. Thats a conspiracy theory thats obviously wrong, but its one Im going to dig deeper into because its kind of amusing and considering the existence of actual nuclear weapons is extraordinarily disturbing. I am a nuclear weapon abolitionist very much in favor of disarmament. Check out the documentary countdown to zero. Very much very much in favor of that. I saw it twice in theaters. Do you believe that the Cardinals only elected Francis because they expected him to die soon. Possibly there is this great verse in Jeremiah the heart is deceitful above all things and wicked beyond compare who can understand it. This is like triply true for Catholic Cardinals. Lets see how can a formal religious organization. So closely tied to imperialism be liberator free. Well hope springs eternal right. There is such a thing as liberation theology where the colonized peoples of Latin America who had been evangelized and converted to Catholicism by those very Spanish missionaries who showed up centuries before use that same theology to argue for their own liberation. America, of course violently suppressed a lot of that revolutionary activity and the church itself came out against it at the time. Pope Francis has been warmer to liberation theology and liberation theologians than other popes. And I think with good reason for one he is from Latin America. And so hes seen it on the ground. But obviously, I strongly support that approach. And I do think that this is a fundamentally laboratory faith. Liz can you address the fact that Matt looks exactly like Martin Luther cant say that I have ever noticed that you have to think about that to get in one of those like strange kind of early modern hats and to take a look. Will my toddler be going to school this year. Its not up to me now Ill listen to the local authorities. Do you think that more black people than what is publicized or victimized by police on the daily. I mean, probably right. I gather thats something that lots of black people deal with. I mean, you know if theyre not reporting it, then we dont have statistics. So I wouldnt doubt it. What are you working on these days. Oh, you know this and that. And the other. Im going to have a couple pieces. God willing about the conventions as they happen later this month. Do I like writing books. No, there are too long. I am sure that one day I will do that. But yes you should keep reading Gustavo the person who is asking about liberation theology. Are you moving to Texas perhaps. How are you, Elizabeth. Have you had your coffee yet. Well, because I think I grew up in an extremely hot climate in Texas. I dont drink coffee. I dont drink any hot drinks actually when I get up in the morning for my shot of caffeine I have an icy cold Coca-Cola product. They should pay me at least $1,000 for saying that. All right, you guys can hear the orb. Does Jane support abolishing the snack please. Well Jane. Shes figured out how to drag chairs and into the kitchen get into the high cabin and she can also pick the cabinet locks. So were a little bit at a loss of what to do. Your article didnt say much about st John of apparel Sarah statues being destroyed right. I mean. And that was intentional right. So if you look at what Gloria Purves says she is a devout Catholic. She is a black woman. And she was at the canonization of Saint junipero Serra. She was at the canonization in Washington d.c. during pope Francis first visit to the United States. She was there right. She is not saying tear down statues and burn churches. Quite the opposite. What shes saying is every time we say police killings of black people extrajudicial executions of black people are not good or bad should stop. That there is systemic racism in the United States. We should not have to then before we deal with that issue deal with this question of statutes. She is saying, can we please prioritize such that we are dealing with the issue of human lives before were dealing with the issue of statute. Shes not saying its unimportant. Right just saying that these statues in many cases can be replaced can be rebuilt and she supports that right. Its just that its frustrating to her as a black woman. And I fully understand this. And I think its fairly reasonable that every time she brings up these killings of black people by police instead of having that discussion or feeling solidarity from her co religionists on that front, she has to get into a discussion about statues right. Exactly we can walk and chew gum at the same time. And you know, I think in some situations in order to establish trust and good faith you have to have the one conversation before the other. How do you square your radical democratic politics and economics with the Episcopal sea. Well, I have my techniques I would not describe them as maybe radically democratic. You know I believe in democracy. The church has democratic functions inside of it. So the church is not like wholesale opposed to democracy. In fact, I think there are quite a few encyclicals that encourage it. So is there one piece of writing that you think would be beneficial for all humans to read. I mean, you know, the Iliad is good tells you many things worth considering. I dont l everybody should read the hobbit. Its a lot of fun doing that to my kids. Whos my favorite mystic. I say dog cross really and Gregory Anissa are you in a new place. Yes, I am at my friends house because Im in the process of moving. And so everything is sort of in a big tizzy right now. How do you square Black Lives Matter anti church rhetoric again right. You dont have to pay it to eat. Youre not being asked to affirm everything said by every single person in a broad coalition or movement. Right look at this in 1963 archbishop Patrick Boyle of Washington gave the prayer invocation at the March on Washington. Standing next to Martin Luther King jr. Do you think that he believed and agreed with and affirmed every single thing every faction in that coalition believe. No, I mean, it was interfaith right. There were people of all faiths there were Jewish people there are Catholic people there were Protestant people there secular people no doubt. So obviously saying that the principles at hand here are worthwhile principles that our faith demands. We respect is not the same thing as affirming every single message that comes out of a coalition movement. Right this is very, very easy. What is more essential reading Greek mythology or the Bible. I know you know I mean, I like them both. OK Bible is hard to read. Very difficult to read. Yeah You know people need help. I needed help. I went to school for it. So you know important and good. And I think the parts that are necessary are quite obvious. But you can also kind of guilt turned around in there is it similar to how one can promote the ideas of socialism, communism while acknowledging yes. Elizabeth its a core principle of BLM. Oh my god. Guys stop paying attention to the organization. OK Just dont worry about the Black Lives Matter global network. No one is asking you to affirm everything thats in their agenda statement of principles or what theyre asking to affirm the principle that police should be killing black people right. Thats all you have to. Thats all you have to do here. Or I mean, you dont have to I cant make you Im trying to write a persuasive article. But if what youre saying is this organization thats involved in a vast coalition or movement, which includes people who are in the organization, and like a huge majority of people who are not in the organization. If youre saying that you cant affirm the principles there of this huge coalition movement that is not strictly or I would even say mainly the organization Black Lives Matter global network. Youre saying you cant affirm the principle that there shouldnt be extrajudicial killings of black people, mainly because theyre black because there is an organization involved in this movement that is atheistic or anti church. I dont know what to tell you dont go to the March for Life. For sure, because there are secular people there every year they make a huge deal of it. Right So I dont know what to tell you. St. Thomas Aquinas or st. Augustine st. Augustin. Answer the question. Banana pudding or peach cobbler peach cobbler within the ice cream opinion on baking with soda like baking soda is oftentimes very important. Favorite Ben and Jerrys flavor Cherry Garcia Liz whats the best southern food. Fried chicken. Any tips on homemade pecan pie. Dude I dont like to comply. I dont know. Its not great. Its not great. I dont know. Maybe its just that they comply Ive had. I like the cons a lot. I love the cons. But you know, I like chopped up in oatmeal or something. But to come by. Its not me. I its extra thing. And its sort of like really kind of gooey stuff going on under the Yeah. I dont know. Yes Patrick OBoyle did tell John Lewis to change the speech because he thought it was too militant. The fact that Patrick OBoyle still showed up is evidence that you do not have to agree with everything in a coalition or movement right to agree with the core principles. In fact, you can state. I disagree with this. I disagree with that. But I agree with this. Youre entitled to do that. Thats fine. For instance, I will state. Now I disagree with anti church rhetoric and anti theistic and anti religious rhetoric that comes out of this anti-racist movement. But I affirm that catholics Christians should absolutely be opposed to police killings of black people. Favourite bill Murray movie. Thats a good question. Bill Murray is such an interesting actor. I really, really like lost in translation. I mean caddyshack is very, very hard to beat as well. Have you ever been to Ireland thoughts or opinions. I have never been to beautiful Ireland. I would love to go one day someone says, why just black people again, because that is the issue at hand right. It doesnt mean that every other issue every other killing is extraneous. The question. I think that frustrates so many black catholics and I know Gloria Purvis is when you say, look should police stop killing black people. Should the extrajudicial killings of black people stop when some other conversation has to come before that like what about police killings of other people. What about nuclear disarmament. Isnt it more important that we pull out of Iraq. I mean, yes, these are all conversations that are worth having. But can you just say yes to that one question first, I dont understand why not. Can you explain the Texas expat mindset. I mean, you know, you always miss Texas. I love Texas right. MacIntyre good. Great MacIntyre its great. I love Alice. MacIntyre a key element to examine is is there injustice present. If so Christians must be on the side of justice. I agree. Thoughts on Corrie bush went congratulations been on board since the beginning whataburger order. Oh my god. I mean, I always get fries no matter what else Im getting I like I like a lot of burger junior with everything I like. They like a moderate chicken mouth is really good. I like their barbecue chicken sandwich. The honey butter chicken biscuits you can get at breakfast are so good. I mean, I used to in the summer when I was a short window after I was diagnosed with epilepsy. Before I lost my drivers license that I could drive and when my parents would leave for work in the morning. I around like 745 I would get in my car and put my cat in there with me. I had a siamese at the time. And we would drive to water burger. And I would get a honey butter chicken biscuit and share some of it with them. Because good times miss that someone also asked about I am from Texas. Im from Arlington Texas. And someone asked me, what is my jack in the box order. Much easier. I like the chicken strips. The tacos curly fries with ranch and almost all of their like money boxes are really good. Do I live in Texas. Not currently unfortunately favorite legit Chinese restaurant in d.c. There was a really good place out in Falls Church called peking and gourmet. Its like its quite fancy and the family that owns it is really fantastic. And its great. I love it. Why do Christians have a hard time separating church from state. Well, because you know, Christians feel its only one source of morality. And politics is just a branch of ethics right. Thats just Aristotle so youre from edinburg Texas. Welcome how can the church push priest to support the Black Lives Matter movement, not necessarily organization and church pro-life issues. I think its just a matter of talking the people around you. Only 3% of American catholics are black. There are not many. And oftentimes American catholics are still sort of siloed and mainly black parishes. So I think its a matter of you know bringing people like Gloria in and just having conversation, talk to them as human beings. Do I have a seminary degree. No, I didnt go to seminary because I cannot be clergy. I have a masters of philosophy from Cambridge university and Christian theology. Do people at the New York Times ever say failing New York Times for locals. I know that my parents often say that to me for locals. Also the lying New York Times. So it is what it is. Lets see Miss you on left, right, and center. Miss you too makes for a good breakfast burrito. Well, thats another thing about water bird or whatever your breakfast iquitos is freaking amazing. Theyre awesome. I love them. Like sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast ticky iquitos from whataburger. There is no limit to how many of those. I can eat. I could eat them until I physically injured myself is football or baseball more popular in Texas Well probably football in terms of watching it. But you know people like baseball and my husband played football and baseball bets on the next pope. I cannot I cannot begin to predict. Thoughts on the space trilogy by c.s. Lewis. Freaking awesome. Actually I was talking to someone else yesterday about the sparrow. All all of the catholics in space books are amazing. And there are many of them. Yeah, I love them all. What position did mat play in baseball Matt. What position did you play in baseball all except catcher. He says, do you think you can be Christian while thinking the Bible is not such an essential tax. Read evil Christians. Yeah Well, mean, you know, it. We are. We are not you know as people of the book right. I mean, we havent we have a living faith. Thats still in development right. There are still revelations happening. So the bibles obvious extremely important foundational pillar of the faith. But there are also other things. And so its a matter of discernment and being together in our faith. Its very hard to do Christianity alone. Mainly what you need are other Christians. I think you can probably the orb is the orb is in containment. Would you like to see the orb. Someone asked why have you prioritized Black Lives Matter over COVID. I have written several articles on cove. In fact, I have written at least two reported articles on catholics and copied. So I am paying attention to the plague. All right, I am going to try summoning the orb back. Do you want a green cleric here. Shes going to sleep. Im sorry. Thats why shes calling for me to rescue her because shes being put down for a nap. So shes you know my mother. Come get me out of my baby cage. Why is Christian dating so hard. I cannot even imagine. He is very angry. The orb is furious. Objects are about to start flying off the walls and the electricity is going to go out as she uses her giant mind to tell the kinetically manipulate our surroundings. Do I like Joni Mitchell. Yeah, I really do. I love folk music. I listen to it a. I love Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. I love Neil young on his own you know helplessly hoping as maybe one of my favorite songs of all time. I love a case of you love Stevie Nicks a big fleetwood Mac fan. Very, very often very often listen to Joni Mitchell Joan Baez whos just unrivaled in my opinion. Can we get Ross to march. We can try. You know Gordon Lightfoot love Gordon Lightfoot. Actually theres a great cover of Gordon Lightfoot. I think that Sarah McLachlan did of if you can read my mind, which is like this extremely heartbreaking song he wrote about his divorce. The beautiful, beautiful stuff. I love Gordon Lightfoot. In the early morning rain with a buckle in my hand. Also Steve Wynwood blind faith right. Cant find my way home. Awesome Good stuff too late to help out people. Course all right. So Texas is all about thoughts on southern Baptist dominance in Texas Well you know. I mean, Ive written on Texas in evangelicals several times. And you know I think theres nuance there. And so forth. Thoughts on cardinal Burke always well dressed thoughts on Morgellons. No we get to hear both sides know about that on live. Should I have a kid. Yeah, sure. You know, Im quite attached to mine. I think you know, you know maybe enjoy enjoy it. Ive enjoyed my right. Lets see. Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas. Take that. Thats true. Alaska is bigger in terms of landmass but not in terms of spirit. The Texan soul is enormous. Yeah And you know Texans like that. While the biggest in the continental unites a contiguous United States a kid scares the shit out of me. Oh, it scared the shit out of me. Certainly not wrong about that. My favorite Western. Thats a good question. I like a lot of them. Well, there was this late great period in the 70s where, you have a bunch of fantastic westerns that also have like just amazing soundtracks. Like knockin on heavens door Butch Cassidy and Sundance kid. I mean, all of that John rough sort of dark 1970s westerns with these amazing folk soundtracks. Just kill it. For me personally, we have a Canadian trying to own Texas, which I will I will allow because you know Texas is big enough to sustain some minor distance from our friendly neighbors up north. I dont mean Oklahoma. Oklahoma is absolutely never allowed to diss Texas who is my favorite rapper. Please dont say M&M. Yeah, I know that shes been canceled although Im not sure why, but Im a big Nicki Minhaj fan pills and potions. Great song. I mean, honestly, Ive not heard many songs of hers. And I dont really like John Lee is great. I mean, big Nicki Minhaj fan. This has been the hope this has been a useful chat sort of winding down a bit here. Headwinds book this life. Yeah Im partially through it. Have you seen the pic of big tax on for her. Yes, it was funny. They had him in like a party. It was a bit of a law. Thoughts on the discourse around cultural appropriation. Im not really the best person on it. I havent read deeply enough into it. Sorry I thought is a useful occasionally interesting is seen in 8 or is it something thats learned tendency to sin. Did I grow up in a Texas suburb. Yes, I did. I grew up in a suburb of Dallas and also kind of a suburb of Fort Worth in between the d and the fw Arlington. Who do I need to bribe to get you back. Im left, right, and center. I have no idea. I have no idea. No idea. Where did you cut your posting teeth before Twitter. Well, I dont really remember life before Twitter. I dont know. Thats a good question. Any pub dates puppy updates. Yeah, weve promised the children a puppy. So were trying to figure out how to do that. If CBS offered you Allens job would you take it, absolutely an instant. And I actually am nice right. Im way too passive, to be mean to staff right now. There was someone who tweeted one time that like when a waitress says, do mind if I reach over you. They think to themselves maam you can shoot me with a gun right now. Oh been kind of very similar in dealing with the waitstaff or anyone whos working with me. If you cant be nice to people who are helping you do your job, then you know you need to not have a job. But he got his name the New York Times many crossword. When will you get your name in there. I dont know. I guess when I earn it. Thoughts on corgis. I saw a corgi in a shopping cart yesterday at a Home Depot. Thought it was really cute. I have not read Kennedys head to be an anti-racist though Ive read like a million reviews of it at this point. There was a good one that ran in the Atlantic and there was a good one in The New Yorker. I sometimes end up reading more book reviews than books and unfortunately, some of time you know some navy seals. No, Im not sure that I do. But I would welcome getting to know a navy seal it sounds like an interesting job. Cormac McCarthy fan O my idol right. Enormous Cormac McCarthy fan. I would give anything to have 20% of the writing acumen of Cormac McCarthys. Every time I try to write something in in or manage to Cormac McCarthy I feel like you like ash and the Royal Tenenbaums, You know the frisky leading dusk just comes up really absurd. And he deeply reported pieces upcoming. Oh, Yeah, absolutely. What are you and Frank Czech going to do a podcast called living it up. Thats a good question. Favorite brunch drink. I dont drink alcohol. So at brunch. I usually just have the cold. Frankly not very interesting. Doesnt CarMax sort of lead you to the water and then turn around and walk you away. Yeah well hes a very hes a very interesting sort of poet of moral ambiguity. I think thats what makes him. So great. Right anybody can be didactic and I. I guess my great goal as a writer is to not necessarily be so obviously didactic but to point to moral ambiguity because I think exposure to moral ambiguity develops your moral capacities right. Ultimately you have to develop an internal moral sensibility yourself and only exposure to ambiguity where you have to sort out morality in difficult situations is going to build that capacity that skill set. Whats your disassociated style and poppet troll comes on just like pass out while Im still awake. I mean, I had dreams about puppetry like this. Its just when Paul patrol comes on. I mean, I lose like 10% of my will to live. But you know. You know its better than some alternatives. So have you been in the k hole. What is the k hole. Is that like the k hive. No lose you are one of my favorite whites. Thank you. My friend but the troll for the troll. Yes someone is now posting that. No, I have not been on ketamine. Why am I being asked that. Is this a meme or am I doing something that suggests that Im on ketamine. Is Texas barbecue supreme. Yeah, I mean, I think Texas barbecue is what I was raised with. So of course, Im going to be pretty pretty dedicated to it. How are things going with the peoples policy project. I think its good. Am I a junkie. Biden is curious. No, I dont think so. OK So youve got some kind of ketamine thing going here. No, Im off on the ketamine means cycle IV. Im too old. What do you imagine the heavenly kingdom is like. Yeah, thats a good question. I think Gregory Agnes says God is so infinite right. That your understanding of him and love for him is permanently evolving and always changing. So I imagine heaven as this circumstance of infinite discovery. So think of every time you ever learn something new and felt the pleasure of understanding and the curiosity of searching and the satisfaction of discovering. I think heaven is that over and over and over again about the nature of God. And then also, its a situation where youre permanently loving and growing and love all the time. And you know anyone whos ever been in love knows thats emotional and thrilling and also deeply peaceful. My favorite Japanese kit Kat. Yeah, so theyre like ones youre supposed to put in the oven that are like cheek ache. I think, or something or like a custom I mean, obviously, I cant read the KNG on there. My friend sent them to me when she was living in Japan for a while. But was really good. What is my favorite film that deals with faith. Silence Scorsese Daisy right now. Quite like that one. Its very explicit. Can you cancel my meeting. So I can keep hearing you talk. Yeah post your bosss number right now. This is the New York Times and I need you to release your employees from meetings. This is important. Were talking about my water burger order. Weve talked about liberation is charcuterie Bourgeois. Probably although Matt likes meats on a plate. Some meetings are canceled. What is your opinion on Florida. I think its fine. I mean, you know, it draws heat away from Texas in terms of the press. So you have to appreciate that. Lets see is it true. You can dunk a basketball. No no those reports vastly exaggerated. Did you have, especially memorable pregnancies. I had very easy pregnancies very, very blessed by that easy pregnancies easy deliveries. Would you accept a Joe Rogan invite. Yeah, absolutely. Talk to whoever wants to talk to me, honestly. All right. So my position has always been and always will be that anyone who honestly wants to have a conversation really interested in talking its not just like a bad faith dunk fast or something. I will talk to them. It doesnt matter who they are right or where theyre coming from always willing to talk. All right. How tall am I I am four foot 11. Someone says hello hello what did you think of the Bill Maher movie religious. I remember at one point religious bill Ma goes to like a Christian theme park. And he gets owned by a theme park Jesus because hes like the Trinity doesnt make any sense. And then this guy whose job is to dress up like Jesus and walk around a theme park is like, well, you know think of it like water you have water, but it can also be a gas. And then you have ice and its a solid sea of solid liquid gas. So the Trinity is similar to that though Mars has nothing to say to it. Hes like. And then the next day hes like in a car and hes like, you know it looked like I was owned but actually, I was not. Which I found really entertaining. You know eternity is hard to explain. But the guy did an OK job and the point is whether or not it was like a theologically astute description of the Trinity kid owned by a few for Jesus. Its really enjoyable. Favorite recently published novels. Yeah, Ive been trying to read my year of rest and relaxation. I just havent had a whole lot of time. But you know one of these days. I hope to get through it. I try to keep abreast of the new books the kids are all talking about, and so on. All right or winding down here. Did I ever get into Game of Thrones. I also, it should be said that I was like kind of like in a transitional phase in my life when Game of Thrones was happening, I was like in college and my family got really undo it. So I was home for I think Christmas. It could have been the summer. But I know we got Olive Garden to go for some reason. So like Im standing in the kitchen from which there is a view of my familys TV. My familys all the living room watching TV and Im like standing there eating my you know tour of Italy or whatever. And theres like a little girl being burned to death. And I was like, what the hell is this. And my parents are like, no trust. Trust me, you trust me. Its you know the plot. Its important to the plot. But since that was pretty much my first experience of the show. I tagged out. But I know I know the general plot because it was it was around in the other three minutes 3 minutes of questions and really important stuff for the last three minutes. I cant tell if Matts a baseball fan or cynic is he either. Yeah Matts a fan of all sport. But hes not a fan in the usual sense where he follows teams he just enjoys what he calls good game play. So he likes weird, interesting trick players who used to like Boise State a lot. You know he just likes bizarre things happening in sports, that kind of play with the limitations of the rules. Would you try ketamine with me. Is that not like a veterinary drug. No you guys need to stop stop taking ketamine and stop trying to imitate ketamine. Thoughts on Schwarber. Very good. Favorite sport. I dont know. You know. You know I find football is nice. It reminds me of fall. Raising hay while Boise State a favorite spiritual works on dark knight of soul confessions. Those are you know the showings. Julian Norwood to Norwich very, very important, if not the US. Where would you live and why Canada. Because its nice and everyone is nice there. Do you think Garfield is bad in silence. If so do you think thats the point. A county and Dracula. OK So Bram stokers Dracula is one of the greatest movies of all time. I freaking love that movie because its like just pure 100% kitsch like top to bottom. Total kitsch. It is self-aware. Its got always was its guy Anthony Hopkins doing it kind of a strange cookie monster that voice. Its got Keanu Reeves Winona Ryder I mean, it is bananas and I love that movie. I have it on all the time when company is over because no matter where theres a breaking conversation theres something insane happening in that film. And Garfield I mean, I thought the problem with him in silence was that he basically is just weeping from like frame one through the very end and may you know I suppose thats not too terribly difficult that it is you know or too terribly different than the character of Rodriguez in the novel although I think that Rodriguez in the novel takes a lot longer to kind of collapse and its really that sort of scene in the river where you start to see things go awry. But Yeah, I think its a good film for lunch. Im going to have I think breakfast for lunch. All right. I think Ive got to take off. Get back to work and follow up with you guys later. I hope you have a good day. Thank you for tuning in, and Yeah. OK So one more question would you recommend any other of work. Yes read the C and poison but shes lucky Linda. All right love you guys have a good day. Bye bye.
A Chinese envoy said on Thursday that it is imperative to enhance actions and synergy at international and regional levels to fight terrorism and organized crime more effectively.

"As international terrorism, transnational organized crime and other global security issues grow increasingly connected and diversified, no country can stay immune from the scourge of these common threats," Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council high-level open debate on addressing the issue of linkages between terrorism and organized crime.

"It is of utmost importance to further promote multilateralism and international cooperation to tackle the new and evolving challenges of terrorism, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic," said the ambassador.

"The international community must actively support regional and sub-regional organizations in playing their important roles and conducting effective regional cooperation, in the field of counter-terrorism and fight against organized crime," he added.

China supports closer coordination between UN agencies such as the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and Interpol, among others, in accordance with their respective mandates, and regional organizations, to bring forward their respective strengths and expertise, Zhang said.

Talking about how counter-terrorism should be conducted, the envoy said that it must be carried out by upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter while respecting the central coordinating role of the United Nations and adhering to unified standards.

"Member states have the primary responsibility in countering terrorist acts. The sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the countries concerned should be fully respected," he said.

Countries must strictly implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly in this regard, including Security Council Resolution 2482, while abiding by and implementing international laws on combating organized crime, said Zhang.

"Tangible and comprehensive measures must be taken to counter the linkages between terrorist organizations and organized crime in areas such as trafficking in arms, persons, drugs, artefacts, cultural property, the illicit trade in natural resources and wildlife, the abuse of legitimate commercial enterprise, non-profit organizations, among others," the ambassador added.

Referring to capacity building, Zhang said that it is important to support domestic efforts of member states and build up their capacities to address the most prominent challenges.

The international community must provide tangible assistance to member states, especially developing countries and African countries, considering the different security situations and their distinctive culture and history, in their capacity-building efforts in areas such as border control, customs, drug enforcement and judiciary matters, said Zhang.

"We should effectively combat terrorism financing, stop internet-based terrorism and illegal activities by terrorist and organized crime groups, so as to sever the linkages between terrorism and organized crime," he said.

"We must follow international law and relevant UN resolutions, support member states to take measures of de-radicalization, enhance prevention and keep organized crime groups from resorting to extremist and terrorist means," the ambassador added.

On the importance of solidarity and cooperation in counter-terrorism, Zhang said that facing the threat of terrorism, "we must stand united with solidarity."

"Terrorism is our common enemy, and there is no such a difference between so-called good or bad terrorists. Double standard and politicization must be avoided," he said.

"China will always side with multilateralism and international justice," the ambassador said. "China has been rigorously implementing all UN counter-terrorism resolutions and actively engaging in counter-terrorism cooperation at the global and regional levels."

As a state party to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, China has been actively fulfilling its obligations under the Convention with an all-fronts approach across legislation, law enforcement and judiciary sectors, he added.

"We will continue to conduct bilateral and multilateral exchanges and cooperation of capacity building with all member states, developing countries in particular, including African countries, on issues related to counter-terrorism and combating organized crime," he said.

The ambassador noted that "we will also continue to support the UN efforts of counter-terrorism, politically and financially, in a joint endeavor to maintain international peace and stability."
In the summer of 1972, the Independent Press-Telegram published a long profile of eight homicide detectives in the Long Beach Police Department. In it, a reporter asks the detectives if they have any function beyond investigating murder. A few, one replies. Such as cases involving attempted murder, officer-involved shootings, mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, illegal abortion, wife beating, child beating, battery on police officers, common assaults, firing into an inhabited dwelling, and drawing and exhibiting a firearm in a rude and threatening manner. Its quite the quote, not least for this: it contains what is likely the first use of the phrase officer-involved shooting in a US newspaper.

The reporter might be excused for letting such an ambiguous phrase sneak into newspaper copy for the first time. By 1974, according to a Los Angeles Times story, the Los Angeles Police Department had apparently institutionalized the phrase, with a Lt. Bob Helder holding the title of supervisor of the Officer-Involved-Shootings Sectiondescribed as the most sensitive, difficult job on the force. A story the next year in the Times begins with the lede, an unidentified man was shot to death by police. That information was attributed to a police spokesman [who] would confirm only that a police-involved shooting had occurred.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Officials say

We cant know for sure when it was first used, but it probably spread from the LAPD to other police departments around the country, says Ben Zimmer, a lexicographer and chair of the New Words Committee at the American Dialect Society, which often uses large databases of digitized newspapers to track new words and phrases, and helped me track down the examples above. The phrase, which was largely absent from the lexicon until 1971, rises dramatically in use thereafter, according to Google n-grams. (The n-grams database draws on books, not newspaper archives, but provides supporting evidence of the phrases recent ascent.)

Over the next half century, versions of the phrase officer-involved shooting spread rapidly. Journalists stopped putting it in quotes. Theres no shortage of examples; see here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. And those are from just the past few weeks.

Recently, in a widely read New York Times column, Wesley Lowery singled out the phrase as a clunky euphemism used to sustain journalisms persistent objectivity myth. Moral clarity, and a faithful adherence to grammar and syntax, would demand we use words that most precisely mean the thing were trying to communicate: the police shot someone.  And yet, in March, the Times published this lede: An armed man who entered a Southern California church in between Masses died on Sunday after an officer-involved shooting, the authorities said.

Months into this profound reckoning, news outlets still reflexively use officer-involved shooting.

WE ARE AN INDUSTRY OF STYLEBOOKS and conventions. We engage in fierce debates about the Oxford comma and the use of over instead of more than, and even visibly flinch at impact used as a verb. As an industry, we are now capitalizing the B in Black, ending mug shot galleries, and reckoning with the consequences of a lack of diversity on coverage of racism and police violence. These are hopefuland overduesigns of progress.

Yet months into this profound reckoning, news outlets still reflexively use officer-involved shooting. In the 2015 essay An Interactive Guide to Ambiguous Grammar, published in McSweeneys, Vijith Assar described the phrase as the ultimate in passive voice, an example of the past exonerative tenseso named, Assar writes, because culpability is impossible when actions no longer exist. In 2015, Craig Martin, a professor of law at Washburn University, argued it is time to kill the term. In 2018, Adam Johnson, writing for fair about copspeak, decried the linguistic gymnastics needed to report on police violence without calling up images of police violence.

In September 2016, during #APStyleChat on Twitter, someone asked: Speaking of police jargon, does AP offer guidance on officer-involved shooting? The AP Stylebook account replied: We dont have a style rule on officer-involved shooting yet but we are discussing it.

We don't have a style rule on officer-involved shooting yet but we are discussing it. #APStyleChat https://t.co/3Ic3ClfnM3  APStylebook (@APStylebook) September 13, 2016

In 2018, I asked the AP about how those discussions ended, and was referred to the AP Stylebook, where officer-involved shooting was added in 2017 as a reference in the Cliches, jargon section, within the category POLICE AND COURTS, and only as an example of what not to do: Police say an intoxicated person of interest suffered self-inflicted gunshot to his left foot in an officer-involved shooting after being pulled over The stylebook didntand still doesntinclude an outright stricture against the phrase, which the AP has recently used in headlines.

Asked to clarify whether the 2017 addition represented a style-rule change, Lauren Easton, the APs global director of media relations and corporate communications, wrote in an email to CJR: While formal entries have more prominence and often more detail than examples included in the jargon and cliches entry, the intent is the same: Avoid the term. We make many updates throughout the year every year and its to be expected that some updates arent as widely known or remembered. AP may consider a separate entry on the term officer-involved. 

THE ANATOMY OF THE PHRASE is worth exploring. Officer-involved shooting is a noun phrase. In more technical terms, it is a deverbal nouna noun or phrase derived from a verb, which is where the problem arises: if you dont have a verb, no one is doing anything, so its impossible to assign agency. A noun phrase strips the subject and object of agency.

In the case of the verb shoot, the way we tell who is doing the shooting and who is getting shot is by knowing which person is the subject and which is the object, explains Claire Moore-Cantwell, assistant professor of linguistics at UCLA. We dont have a smooth way to take both the subject and object and put them in a noun phrase. Theres no way to say, John police shooting. Any way we do it, you cant tell who is the subject. You still dont know who is doing the shooting.

The most obvious alternativepolice shootingdoesnt fix the problem. Its still ambiguity all around: Is the shooting by a police officer, or was it a police officer shot? A passive sentence makes the agent less prominent, Curt Anderson, an assistant professor of linguistics at the University of Toronto Scarborough, writes in an email. I think this is where the sense that the passive exonerates someone might come from, at least in some cases; by rephrasing an active sentence like a cop shot and killed a boy as a passive sentence like a boy was shot and killed, the speaker can de-emphasize the contribution the agent, the cop, had in the shooting.

There are more precise phrases. The Washington Post maintains the Fatal Force database, which logs every fatal shooting by an on-duty police officer in the United States. A recent AP story, published July 2, avoids the passive voice and decisively links subject with verb: A Wisconsin police officer shot and killed a Black man on Thursday. The headline is also unambiguous: Wisconsin officer shoots Black man brandishing knives. Such examples are a reminder that as journalists, we serve readers best when we tell stories straight, at the sentence level.

RECENTLY: Taking shots in Portland

This story has been updated to clarify the publication date of Assars column.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Mya Frazier is a business and investigative journalist based in Columbus, Ohio.
A Beatrice man who was distributing methamphetamine while on parole was sent to prison for up to 30 years on Thursday.

Russell A. Pacha, 59, was sentenced to 25-30 years in prison in Gage County District Court by Judge Rick Schreiner for possession of 10-27 grams of methamphetamine. The charge was a class 1D felony, with a possible sentence of 3-50 years.

Prosecutors were seeking a sentence of 3-10 years in the case, though Schreiner cited Pachas lengthy criminal history as a factor in the higher sentence.

IN 2007, Schreiner said Pacha was sentenced to 20-28 years and served 10. He was on parole at the time of his arrest.

It appears to me that you were drawing disability and dealing methamphetamine, and you had a significant quantity of methamphetamine, Schreiner said. This isnt three or four grams, you had a significant quantity of methamphetamine. Its obvious to me that the rehabilitation at the department of corrections was not effective. Your criminal history indicates to me that if you are in the community you will deal methamphetamine and continue to be a part of the problem in this community.

Pacha was arrested last August after a search was conducted of his apartment.

Multiple baggies of methamphetamine, hundreds of baggies, a digital scale, pills, and numerous items of drug paraphernalia were found during the search.

Six additional charges were previously dismissed in the case as part of an agreement.

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New Delhi, Aug 7 : The Supreme Court on Friday told the Centre to let Italy pay the victims compensation in the Italian marines case, and then it could allow the withdrawal by the prosecution. The top court insisted that it will have to hear the kin of the victims on adequacy of compensation and till then it would not close the case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice V. Ramasubramanian told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, "bring the cheques and the kin of victims here".

The bench noted that the top court cannot think of any relief for the Italian marines till their prosecution is withdrawn in the Kerala court. Mehta replied the Centre is willing to file a petition for withdrawing prosecution of the two marines.

The Chief Justice replied "but the family of victims will have a problem. They will have to be heard". Mehta contended before the top court that the Centre is in favour of withdrawing the prosecution of the Italian marines in India, as Italy is ready to prosecute them.

The bench noted that without hearing the kin of the deceased it cannot close the case.

The top court asked Mehta to file an application seeking impleadment of the families of the victims within a week. The top court adjourned the hearing on the pending petition filed by the two Italian marines - Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone.

On July 3, the Centre had informed the top court that it has accepted the international tribunal award in the killing of two fishermen by the Italian marines. The Centre asked the apex court to close the matter pending before it for eight years. The tribunal ruled for the trial of the marines in Italy. It said India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by the captain and other crew members of the Indian fishing boat 'St Antony'.

The Centre in the application filed in the top court said, "The applicant (Union of India) states and submits that the Republic of India has taken a decision to accept and abide by the award passed by the Tribunal which would have the bearing on the continuance of present proceedings before this court." On February 15, 2012, two Indian fishermen aboard the fishing vessel St Antony were allegedly killed by the two Italian marines aboard the Italian tanker 'Enrica Lexie' off the coast of Kerala.

The Centre submitted that on August 24, 2015, International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS), on the request of Italy, rendered an order prescribing provisional measure stating that Italy and India shall both suspend all court proceedings. On August 26, 2015, the apex court, in view of the pendency of the issue before International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS), stayed the proceedings pending before it and before any other court. "The Tribunal upheld the conduct of Indian authorities with respect to the incident and highlighted the material and moral harm suffered by the Indian fishermen on board the St. Antony on 15 February 2012. It held that the actions of the Italian Marines breached India's freedom and right of navigation under UNCLOS Article 87(1)(a) and 90," said the Centre citing salient features of the internal award.

The Indian Navy intercepted the Italian tanker and detained the two marines, triggering an international conflict over legal jurisdiction and functional immunity. The two marines were released and returned to Italy after two and four years, respectively. The Arbitral Tribunal of the United Nations was tasked to resolve the conflict over jurisdiction.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Hungary's trade surplus increased in June, amid a fall in both exports and imports, data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office showed on Friday. The trade surplus increased to EUR 697 million in June from EUR 496 million in the same month last year. A moderate decline was observed in both directions of euro-denominated external trade in goods than in April-May as the direct negative impacts of coronavirus pandemic eased, the agency said. Exports fell 3.1 percent year-on-year in June, following a 28.6 percent decrease in May. Imports decreased 5.7 percent annually in June, following a 24.5 percent fall in the preceding month. 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.
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a virtual meeting today between Cabinet members and leaders of 12 cities and provinces that have reported COVID-19 cases over the past three weeks.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the meeting

The PM warned of the high risk of community transmission over at least the next two weeks, as such cases have risen by 298 since July 23.

He emphasised that social distancing must be strictly implemented in all COVID-19 hotspots and that quick and accurate testing is key to containing the spread of the virus.

He asked ministries, sectors, localities, and citizens to remain calm, fully follow disease prevention and control measures, and mobilise all possible resources for the task, especially in central Da Nang city and Quang Nam province, where a large number of infections have been recorded in recent days.

It is necessary to intensify communications to maintain public vigilance and awareness about prevention and control, he stressed, adding that any ministry, locality, or citizen that does not follow regulations will be punished strictly.

He requested that localities continue contact tracing and quickly conduct tests and concentrated quarantine to contain the outbreak.

The PM asked the Health Ministry to provide assistance in terms of equipment and personnel for disease-hit localities and to prevent the risk of corruption related to medical biddings.

He also stressed the need to wear a face mask in public, to manufacture ventilators, and to remain prepared to set up field hospitals in localities such as Da Nang and Quang Nam.

The Ministry of Education and Training was urged to adopt specific measures to ensure the safety of students and teachers during the upcoming high school graduation examinations.

Strict punishment must be imposed on those who produce or supply fake, low-quality medical equipment, he insisted.

A report from the Health Ministry shows that, since July 23, Vietnam has reported 335 COVID-19 infections, including 37 imported cases, in 13 localities. All cases of community transmission are related to the Da Nang outbreak./.VNA
Kerala plane crash: Political leaders offer condolences for those killed in tragic incident

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kozhikode, Aug 07: At least 16 people died and 123 others injured after an Air India Express plane with 191 passengers on board skidded off the runway at Calicut International Airport, also known as Karipur Airport, in Kerala's Kozhikode. The incident took place around 7:45 pm on Friday, when the Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) was attempting to land amid heavy rainfall.

Kerala plane overshoots runway, splits in 2 | Oneindia News

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with leaders from across the political spectrum expressed anguish on Friday over the Air India Express aircraft accident in Kozhikode and offered condolences to the families of those killed in the tragedy.

Air India Express plane crash: The victims of flight IX 1344

President Kovind said he was deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane accident and his thoughts and prayers were with the affected passengers, crew members and their families. Kovind said he spoke to Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan and enquired about the situation there. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said he was deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the tragic air mishap. "My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their dear ones in the crash & prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed anguish at the Air India Express aircraft accident and said authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected. He also spoke with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in this regard.

"Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest," the prime minister tweeted. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected, Modi said.

Rahul Gandhi expresses condolences: Shocked at the devastating news of the plane mishap in Kozhikode. Deepest condolences to the friends and family of those who died in this accident. Prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Chief Ministers of Puducherry and Karnataka have expressed shock over the Air India Express plane skidding on the runway in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Friday killing two persons.

In his Twitter handle, the Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said, "It is shocking that the Air India Express flight skidded on the runway and was severely damaged while landing in Kozhikode killing two people, including the pilot." He said he was praying for the speedy recovery of the injured in the mishap. "I offer my prayers to the dead in the air-crash," he added.

Ill fated Air India plane tried to land twice before crash



Congress general secretary, in-charge organization, K C Venugopal described it as a "shocking incident" and said the governments must take all necessary measures for emergency rescue and help.

"I have already requested the Ministry of Civil Aviation to order an immediate enquiry to find out the exact reasons behind the shocking accident. Emergency medical care and assistance should be ensured for the injured and financial assistance should be declared for the deceased," he said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "My heart goes out to the crew and passengers of the Air India plane that has crashed in Calicut and to their families. Our prayers are with you at this tragic and painful moment." BJP leader and former Union minister Alphons K J said this was the second tragedy of the day in Kerala after the landslide in Rajamalai.

In Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa also expressed shock over the accident. In his message, he said, "Shocked to hear about Air India Express plane skidding off the runway at Kozhikode airport. My thoughts are with the passengers, crew and their loved ones." The plane coming from Dubai to Kozhikode with 191 people on board veered off the runway and broke into two after falling into a 50-foot deep valley.
At least 50 African migrants have drowned after their boats sank on their way to Spains Canary Islands, according to news reports released on Thursday.

One of the vessels broke down off the coast of Mauritania, resulting in at least 40 deaths. The second shipwreck took place near the coast of Western Sahara, and left at least 10 people dead.

The Atlantic route is the most dangerous way into Spain for migrants because of its length, the presence of undercurrents, and limited coast guard resources in the area.

Our boat broke down. For a long time we did not receive aid. It was every man for himself Shipwreck survivor

Last year 170 people died along this route, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The first vessel had a breakdown and spent several days adrift before being found, a Mauritania security source told Spains Efe news agency. According to this source, the occupants of the vessel jumped into the sea and drowned. The tragedy took place in international waters, according to Agence France Presse (AFP). There was one survivor who was found by chance by Mauritanian authorities along the coast near Nouadhibou.

The survivor, a citizen of Guinea, was taken to hospital and has stated that the vessel had departed from Morocco on its way to the Canary Islands. He was unable to recall the date that they set off, or how many days they were out at sea.

Our boat broke down. For a long time we did not receive aid. It was every man for himself, he said in statements reported by AFP. I think they are all dead. I am the only survivor.

Increased border controls in northern Morocco are pushing the migration routes to the Atlantic side

Vincent Cochetel, the Special Envoy of the UNHCR for the Central Mediterranean, lamented the tragedy on Twitter, and said that UNHCR and IOM along with authorities and partners are trying to step up efforts to prevent such tragedies, but traffickers keep lying to their clients.

The bodies of the victims who set off in the second vessel were found on Wednesday by Moroccan fishermen and by members of the Royal Navy, according to Efe reports. Ten survivors were rescued.

Helena Maleno, a human rights activist and spokesperson for the Spanish non-profit Caminando Fronteras, wrote in her Twitter account that 27 people drowned in the second boat, not 10 as reported, and that an unknown number of people are still missing.

Increased border controls in northern Morocco are pushing the migration routes to the Atlantic side, where the nearest of the Canary Islands lies around 95 kilometers west of the Moroccan coast. In order to avoid being caught, the boats are starting off from increasingly faraway spots. The rickety vessels are sent off without enough fuel and no navigation instruments.

There have been three shipwrecks in the area this week alone. On Monday, Moroccan authorities found seven bodies and rescued 40 migrants who were trying to reach the Canary Islands.

The largest tragedy of recent times on the Atlantic route took place in December 2019, when 60 citizens of Gambia drowned on their way to Spain.

English version by Susana Urra.
The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Friday remanded Hany Babu Musaliyarveettil Tharayil (54), an associate professor in the department of English with the Delhi University (DU) and a co-accused in the Elgar Parishad/Bhima Koregaon case, to judicial custody until August 21.

Tharayil, who was arrested on July 28, was produced before the special NIA court on Friday morning following the lapse of his NIA custody.

NIA, which took charge of the Elgar Parishad/Bhima Koregaon case from the Pune Police in February, did not seek the DU associate professors further custody and requested the court to remand him to judicial custody.

The court acceded to NIAs plea and remanded him to judicial custody until August 21.

The prosecution has alleged that Tharayil is one of the co-conspirators in the Elgar Parishad/Bhima Koregaon case.

NIA has also claimed that Tharayil was in touch with those connected to the Manipur-based insurgent group Kangleipak Communist PartyMilitary Council (KCP  MC).

The central agency has reportedly found that the accused was in contact with Paikhomba Meitei, secretary, information and publicity, military affairs, KCP (MC), an organisation banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amended Act, 2019.

NIA has reportedly recovered data from the DU academician, which showed that Meithei had shared the interview with the former general secretary of CPI (Maoist), Muppala Lakshman Rao, alias Ganapathi.

The agency also claimed that Tharayil was actively involved in raising funds to help the outlawed Maoist rebels release from prisons.

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The civil aviation ministrys Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will conduct a detailed probe into the Air India Express flight crash at Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday.

In a statement, Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri said he is deeply anguished and distressed due o the accident that killed at least 20 of the 190 people on board the plane.

...All efforts being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by AAIB, he added.

Later, in another tweet, he said two investigation teams comprising officials of Air India, the Airport Authority of India and AAIB will leave for Kozhikode at 2am and 5am, respectively.

Everyone has now been rescued from the aircraft. Rescue operations are now complete. Injured being treated at various city hospitals, he said.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is a division of the civil aviation ministry that investigates aircraft accidents. Its role is to obtain a preliminary report on an accident and assist in setting up of an inquiry committee for a formal investigation in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules.

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it was raining heavily when pilots of the Boeing 737 plane from Dubai tried to land. The visibility was 2000 meter amid heavy rain. After landing at Runway 10... (the plane) overshot the runway and broke down in two pieces, a DGCA official said.

According to Air India, there were 190 people on board the Air India Express flight AXB1344  174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four crew members.

The flight from Dubai was part of the Centres repatriation programme called the Vande Bharat Mission, which was launched on May 6 to evacuate citizens stranded due to the Covid-19-prompted lockdown.

Several passengers part of the flight from Dubai to Kozhikode had cited loss of jobs as the reason to travel back home, according to their repatriation flight list reviewed by HT. A large number of workers based in the Gulf has lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
Job Title: Community Mobilization (CCM) Coordinator

Organization: Living

Water International (LWI)

Duty Station:

Uganda

About US:

Living Water

International (LWI) is a global Non-Governmental organization that exists to

demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed

clean water, and to experience living water- the gospel of Jesus

Christ  which alone satisfies the deepest thirst. Living Water International

Uganda (LWIU) was formed in 2009. LWIU is an affiliate of Living Water

International based in Houston, Texas, USA that was founded in 1990 and

currently works in over 20+ countries across Latin America, the Caribbean,

Sub-Saharan Africa, and India. LWI Uganda runs an integrated Water Sanitation

Hygiene (WASH) program in South Western Uganda & we partner with other

like-minded organsations to provide safe drinking water, Community Mobilisation

& Gospel Proclamation, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion to communities

across Uganda.

Job Summary: The Community Mobilization (CCM) Coordinator

will mobilize and build capacity of community churches for WASH focused

transformation, provide support for them to work with

communities in taking effective action in water, sanitation and hygiene

programs as an expression of integral mission of the Church; and also

strengthen effective discipleship strategies for program staff. Promote Kingdom

oriented relationships among church and ministry partners for effective

networking for the common good through expressions of integral mission and

WASH. This position reports to Church Community Mobilization (CCM) Manager to

develop capacities, best practices and passionate commitment to the Christian

life and LWIs core values centered on demonstrating a quality and exemplary

life.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:



The

applicant must be a university graduate in Community Development/Social

Sciences or related field with PGD in Biblical studies/Theology OR a University

graduate in Theology with PGD in Community development/Social Sciences.



Proven

experience working with churches and organizations to develop strategic

missions



Four (4)

or more years relevant experience as a Program Coordinator/Officer



Experience

in promotion, equipping and ongoing encouragement of the practice of integral

mission/holistic ministry at the local church level



Knowledge

and application of tools and methods that support Church and Community

Mobilization



Spiritual

leadership to support WPA staff spiritual growth



Computer

skills in Microsoft, Word, Excel and PowerPoint



Understanding

and practice of integral mission



Coordination,

facilitation and people management skills



English

and local (Lusoga/Luganda) language skills at an advanced level.



Ability

to present the Gospel across different denominations at different community

opportunities



Networking

and building networks of alliances at district and local level



Report

writing skills



Driving

and riding skills with at least 4 years experience

How to Apply:

All interested and

qualified candidates should send a one-page motivational letter and not

more than 4 pages of CV (please dont attach certificates) to: HR & Admin. Manager:

lwiugandarecruitment@water.cc. Also, attach a reference letter youre your

church leader and LC1. If you do not hear from us within 2 weeks of the

deadline, consider yourself unsuccessful. All offers of employment are subject

to successful completion of all applicable background checks.

Deadline: 13th 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






Primary school children will be sectioned off into pods of between four and six pupils in classes and separated by at least a metre from their classmates. Photo: Jacob King/PA Wire

Schools are not a major driver of transmission of the Covid-19 virus, latest research from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) suggests.

The risk of infection appears to be no higher in schools than other workplaces or leisure settings with similar densities of people, once appropriate control and prevention measures are in place, it found.

The COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in COVID-19 transmission report is based on studies in 15 European countries, including Ireland and some countries where schools did not close or reopened after an initial closure.

The report takes on a key significance as the Government presses ahead with plans for a full return of Irelands 4,000 schools within the next three to four weeks, for the first time since March 12.

Read More

There is conflicting published evidence on the impact of school closure/re-opening on community transmission levels, although the evidence from contact tracing in schools, and observational data from a number of EU countries suggest that re-opening schools has not been associated with significant increases in community transmission, the report states

Overall, fewer than 5pc of COVID-19 cases reported in 31 EU/EEA countries and the UK have been in persons under 18 years of age.

According to the report, the role of children in transmission remains unclear, especially in the context of educational settings.

When symptomatic, children shed virus in similar quantities to adults and can infect others in a similar way to adults, it says.

However, it found that the evidence available strongly suggests that transmission resulting in symptomatic infection of either children or adults is uncommon in schools.

But in a cautionary note, it points to children being more likely to have a mild or asymptomatic infectionwhich may go undiagnosed or undetected - and it is not known how infectious asymptomatic children are.

Very few significant outbreaks of COVID-19 in schools have been documented, but the report states that they do occur and may be difficult to detect due to the relative lack of symptoms in children

While it found limited evidence to indicate that schools were driving transmission within the community, it notes indications of community transmission being imported into or reflected in the school setting.

The study looked at evidence of Covid-19 transmission between key groups and key findings include:

*child to child transmission in schools is uncommon and not the primary cause of infection in children whose onset of infection coincides with the period during which they are attending school, particularly in preschools and primary schools.

*children are not the primary drivers of transmission to adults in the school setting.

* while there is evidence of transmission from adults to children in household settings, there is little evidence of this occurring within the school setting.

*adults are not at higher risk within the school setting than the risk in the community or household.

Clusters in educational facilities were identified in several of the 15 reporting countries, however those that occurred were limited in number and size, and were rather exceptional events, the report states.

Several countries specifically said that they had no indication that school settings played a significant role in the transmission of COVID-19. Secondary transmission in schools, either from child-to-child or from child-to-adult, was perceived to be rare.

Countries where schools had re-opened by the time of the survey stated that they had not seen an increase in cases in these settings. Responses from the countries suggest that, so far, schools have not been a major outbreak environment for COVID-19 in the EU/EEA and UK.

In its conclusions, the report states that available evidence indicates that closures of childcare and educational institutions are unlikely to be an effective single control measure for community transmission of Covid-19 and such closures would be unlikely to provide significant additional protection of childrens health, since most develop a very mild form of Covid-19, if any.

It also recommends that decisions on control measures in schools and school closures/openings should be consistent with decisions on other physical distancing and public health response measures within the community.

By the end of July, 21 of the 31 EU/EEA countries and the UK had reopened their primary schools and preschools at least partially, although in many countries school summer holidays were still ongoing.

Estonia, Finland, Iceland and Sweden never closed preschools and two never closed primary schools - Iceland and Sweden.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 16:02:53|Editor: huaxia

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MINSK, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Belarusian Central Election Commission (CEC) said Friday 22.47 percent of eligible voters have cast their ballots after three days of early voting in the presidential elections.

The turnout in the Brest region stood at 20.45 percent, 21.18 percent in the Vitebsk region, 30.22 percent in the Gomel region, 20.05 percent in the Grodno region, 20.84 percent in the Minsk region, 26.14 percent in the Mogilev region and 18.89 percent in the city of Minsk, the CEC said on Friday.

Early voting in the presidential elections is taking place from Aug. 4 to Aug. 8.

A total of 5,767 polling places have been set up for the 2020 presidential election, including 44 abroad.

The main voting day is Aug. 9. Enditem
Hairdressers and barbers should wear face coverings and not just visors in order to help curb the spread of coronavirus, scientists advising the Government say.

The experts warn that plastic face shields being used in hair salons are unlikely to be an effective control for aerosol transmission of Covid-19 - which scientists fear is one way the disease spreads.

In the latest batch of documents released by SAGE today, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) says the guidance needs to change.

Another report released today revealed an estimated one million Covid-19 patients could have died had there not been efforts to protect the NHS.

They are among dozens in a tranche of papers presented to SAGE, the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, over recent months to help guide ministers through the crisis.

The newly-released papers released today also revealed:

It's possible humans could end up getting both coronavirus and seasonal flu at the same time amid concern a 'second wave' of Covid-19 will occur in the winter;

More than half of all Covid-19 patients who have been hospitalised in the UK have been discharged;

An estimated 6,000 people in the UK died as a result of avoiding A&E during the height of the pandemic, which could raise to 16,000 by March 2021;

A recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will cause around 25,000 deaths in the long-term, it is estimated;

Up to 5,500 people could still be catching the coronavirus every day in England alone.

Hairdressers and barbers should wear face coverings and not just visors in order to help curb the spread of coronavirus, scientists advising the Government say. Pictured: Northampton, July 4

An estimated one million Covid-19 patients could have died had there not been efforts to protect the NHS. Pictured: Members of the public at Wexham Park Hospital on the NHS 72nd birthday, July 5

Hairdressers should wear face coverings because there is 'no evidence' shields protect against Covid-19

ARE FACE SHIELDS PROTECTIVE? In a scramble to find ways to protect people from catching the coronavirus, masks, goggles, visors and gloves have all been touted as possible layers of protection. Some people have even been seen with homemade attempts, such as wearing lunchboxes or water bottles over their faces. But do visors work? Some research has shown that people are at risk of becoming more seriously ill with COVID-19 if they receive a larger 'viral load' - the first dose of viruses that they are infected with. Epidemiologist Dr Eli Perencevich and a team of scientists at the University of Iowa said a visor could reduce the amount of virus someone inhaled by up to 92 per cent form 2m away from the source. They said: 'Face shields... should be included as part of strategies to safely and significantly reduce transmission in the community setting.' Dr Robert Glatter, a doctor at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said that early data was 'promising'. But research carried out before the pandemic does not show any clear benefits of using visors on their own, other scientists say. A study by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) done in 2016 found there is no proof to back up claims that face shields work on their own. He said viruses or bacteria could come in through around the edges of the visor and still cause infection  and said they should only be used in addition to other PPE. Lawrence Young, a virologist and oncologist, University of Warwick, told MailOnline: 'I dont know of any systematic studies properly evaluating the benefits of face shields.' He noted an 'interesting' review led by the University of Hong which comprehensively explored the different types of facial protection measures, including masks. The team highlighted the fact that strong evidence is lacking in terms of the effectiveness of face shields against the transmission of viral respiratory diseases'. Writing in the journal Oral Diseases, the team add: 'Because most face shields do not form a tight seal around the side of the face and chin area, they do not offer protection against aerosols leaking in from the margins of the face shields.' Advertisement

Ministers were told hairdressers should be advised to wear face coverings because there is 'no evidence' face shields protect against Covid-19.

A paper published today, but presented in July, said: 'It is recommended that guidance for settings where people are in close proximity for a long duration (e.g. hairdressing), and that currently only require face shields to be worn, should be changed to include the wearing of face coverings.'

The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) and the Environmental and Modelling group (EMG) presented the evidence on July 23, almost three weeks after hairdressers re-opened on July 4.

In order to open welcome back clients, hairdressers, barbers, nail technicians and tattooists were told by the government that clear visors would be adequate enough to protect against Covid-19. It is not clear what this guidance was based on.

SAGE said face shields are 'likely' to protect the wearer against large droplets  the most common route of Covid-19 transmission  but there is no hard proof that this is the case.

Similarly, there is no evidence  and it is 'unlikely'  that face shields are an effective control against aerosol transmission.

It is currently unclear if the virus is spread through aerosols  which are tiny particles that linger in the air for long periods of time.

But NERVTAG and EMG admitted it is possible airborne transmission plays a part in the spread of the coronavirus, but only in areas that are poorly ventilated.

The paper said: 'Based on the current evidence, it is possible that transmission through aerosols could happen where a person who generates significant amounts of virus is in a poorly ventilated space with others for a significant amount of time.'

The World Health Organisation said last month it is looking over evidence that the coronavirus is airborne, and if found to be true, it could mean a change in course for trying to control the disease.

Adults could get infected with flu and Covid-19 at the same time this winter

It is possible that humans could end up getting both coronavirus and seasonal flu in the near future, scientists admitted, amid concern a 'second wave' of Covid-19 will occur in the winter.

In a report admitted to SAGE on July 23, Public Health England warned that having both viruses at once could exacerbate disease and make people sicker.

But the agency admitted it's possible that being infected with both illnesses at the same time wouldn't be dangerous and would be a rare event.

The paper revealed today said: 'It is foreseeable that individuals may experience simultaneous or sequential exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal influenza virus in the near future.'

So scientists at Porton Down, PHE's laboratory near Salisbury, have suggested that ferrets should be used to test how the viruses could spread and what their effects may be.

Ferrets are often used in scientific tests of viruses because they are very susceptible to becoming infected with human pathogens and even display some similar symptoms.

PHE has suggested that ferrets should be infected with both influenza and the coronavirus to work out what the possible effects of having them both together could be.

They advise that the lung tissue of ferrets should then be examined to work out any respiratory issues.

And they added that the test is a 'mild challenge model' that shouldn't be fatal.

It is possible that humans could end up getting both coronavirus and seasonal flu in the near future, scientists admitted, Public Health England. Pictured, a woman in Manchester wears a face mask, August 3

More than 38,000 hospitalised Covid-19 patients in the UK have been discharged

More than half of all Covid-19 patients who have been hospitalised have been discharged home, SAGE were told on July 23.

The COVID-19 Clinical Information Network (CO-CIN) collects information from the all people admitted to hospital in the UK.

In total up until 23 July 2020, CO-CIN has recorded 74,421 patients with confirmed Covid-19. This means it only covers people who have received a positive test result, missing some people out.

It means of the 300,000 cases reported by the Government by that date, a quarter are admitted to hospital.

Of those people, 38,156 people have been discharged since March.

The average length in time in hospital was nine days, and despite people with pre-existing health condition proving to be more vulnerable to the disease, a quarter of patients admitted do not have underlying disease.

Some 20,794 patients had died in hospitals by July 23, the data said. It may be lower than expected (the Government official tally was 45,554 on this date) because it only accounts for those in hospital with a confirmed test and who had treatment.

NHS England's own tally for hospital deaths in the country has been around 29,000 for some weeks, but this includes both confirmed and suspected Covid-19 deaths.

Of all patients, 9,226 have required ICU, which was more common in those aged between 50 and 75 years old.

More than half of all Covid-19 patients who have been hospitalised in the UK have been discharged home, figures revealed today show. Pictured: Patient's outcome depending on their age and gender

There could have been one million Covid-19 deaths without protecting the NHS

An estimated one million Covid-19 patients could have died had there not been efforts to protect the NHS, according to a paper called 'Direct and Indirect Impacts of COVID-19 on Excess Deaths and Morbidity'.

The report, considered at a SAGE meeting on 23 July, gave a scenario which could have feasibly happened had no measures been taken to prevent the outbreak spiralling out of control.

Experts used infection levels in March to predict how many patients would have required a hospital bed if none of the some 50,000 in the NHS were available.

For these patients, the study assumed a 60 per cent mortality for patients requiring non-critical care beds, and 100 per cent mortality for patients requiring critical care beds.

It showed that, without social distancing, hand-washing and lockdowns to prevent surging cases, some 1.1million additional fatalities would have over a 12-month period.

The figure is even after taking into account the thousands of additional beds that were inside the hastily put together Nightingale hospitals.

The paper, prepared by government bodies including the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), said the peak of an unmitigated pandemic would have been so high that 'no health service could come close to providing the necessary staffing and ventilated beds to treat every patient that would require it'.

In March, the government's strategy was focused on protecting the NHS from reaching breaking point.

Although it broadly succeeded, with only a handful of the 4,000 London Nightingale hospitals used, there has been criticism it has come at a cost of the social care sector, which saw tens of thousands of deaths in care and residential homes due to Covid-19.

One million Covid-19 patients could have died had there not been efforts to protect the NHS, estimates show. Pictured: Health Secretary Matt Hancock opening the NHS Nightingale Hospital in London in April

Around 6,000 patients died from not going to A&E during the pandemic in March and April

An estimated 6,000 people in the UK died as a result of avoiding A&E during the height of the pandemic, one scientific paper led by the DHSC suggested.

THREE IN TEN ADULTS WON'T GO TO A&E Roughly three in 10 adults would not feel comfortable attending A&E for urgent care if they needed it, a survey has found. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows a fifth of respondents (21 per cent) would feel uncomfortable attending. Another eight per cent admitted they would be 'very uncomfortable', according to the results of the poll. Experts fear the knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic have been lethal after routine care was disrupted, and amid concerns that patients were reluctant to seek treatment. Advertisement

The 'stay at home' message was driven hard throughout March, April and some of May, and statistics show A&E attendances dropped massively as a result.

Government bodies now estimate that 6,000 'excess deaths' occurred as a result, which are deaths that wouldn't have been expected had the pandemic not occurred.

An additional 10,000 could occur by March 2021 because footfall is still slow to pick up again.

The paper did not mention if this would be as a result of a feared 'second wave', or as the after effects of the current Covid-19 outbreak.

On top of that, delay in getting treatment could cause some 12,500 excess deaths in the next five years.

The paper, which was provided to SAGE on July 23, read: 'Emergency attendance and admissions have decreased since the start of the pandemic; people may have been reluctant to attend accident and emergency departments because of fears or perceptions that they should remain at home, and some causes may have decreased due to lockdown measures.'

March and April were the quietest month in A&E since NHS records began because of Britain's coronavirus crisis, figures show.

Casualty departments in England recorded just 1.53million attendances in March, down 22 per cent on February and 29 per cent on March 2019.

A&E visits were 57 per cent lower in April 2020, when up to 1,000 Covid-19 deaths were being reported per day, compared to April 2019.

Emergency medics have repeatedly warned patients must come forward if they have medical concerns because delaying treatment can be deadly.

An estimated 16,000 people in the UK will die as a result of avoiding A&E during the height of the pandemic, papers revealed today said (grey column, Category C i). On top of that, delay in getting treatment could cause some 12,500 excess deaths in the next five years (pink column, Category C iii)

A lockdown-induced recession will cause around 25,000 deaths in the long term

A recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will cause around 25,000 deaths in the long-term, it is estimated.

The economic hit caused by several months in lockdown means the UK and several other countries are heading towards the worst recession in decades, the effects of which will be felt in a vast number of ways.

More than half  around 14,000  of the expected lives lost will be attributed to an increase in cardiovascular diseases, such as a heart attack, within the next two to five years, it is predicted.

The 'Direct and Indirect Impacts of COVID-19 on Excess Deaths and Morbidity' paper said about 18,000 deaths will occur as a result of the recession within the next five years.

Some will be the result of an increase in musculoskeletal conditions, a number of conditions which can lead to disability and are related to inadequate physical activity and poor nutrition  both of which are expected to rise in the UK population due to lockdown  as well as obesity and smoking.

Around 14,600 deaths are thought to occur in the long-term future  more than five years away  but it is too far away to predict where these will come from.

The DHSC and writers calculated this using two different approaches, including one which assessed the impact of a recession on 15 to 24 year olds' lives.

It also said that mental health disorders and self harm will increase in adults within the next few years, but did not estimate this will lead to deaths.

The pandemic-induced recession is expected to have a huge knock-on effect on people's mental health due to financial worries.

Currently less people are dying right now than would be expected for this time of year, so in the short-term aftermath, the pandemic has caused a drop in deaths.

That's because Covid-19 likely sped up the deaths of people with conditions like dementia and heart disease, so the year's fatalities have been front-loaded.

Up to 5,500 people could be catching the coronavirus every day

Up to 5,500 people could be getting infected with coronavirus every day in England alone, a paper admitted to SAGE on July 23 has revealed.

An ongoing surveillance study ran by the Office for National Statistics suggested that during the week of July 13-19 there were an estimated 2,800 new infections per day, but this number could have been as high as 5,500.

However, The Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M-O) said combined estimates from four models found it was more likely that between 2,000 and 5,000 people were being infected with Covid-19 every day.

It comes as it was revealed today that the UK's R number  the average number of people each Covid-19 patient infects  could be as high as 1.

Experts say the R needs to stay below one or Governments risk losing control of the epidemic and the virus could spiral back out of control.

England as a whole has remained the same at 0.8 to 1.0, but the East of England is the only region in the entire UK where scientists can say with certainty that the R is below one.

However, the SPI-M-O report noted that extra care should be taken when interpreting the R numbers for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, East of England, London, North West, South East and the South West because the estimates are based on such low case numbers.

And the report added that because numbers of coronavirus cases in the UK are so low, surveys such as the ONS swabbing survey could be overestimating levels of infections because of false positive results.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-08 01:49:16|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi said on Friday that China and the United States should assume a strategic height and long-term perspective and keep their relations in the right direction with a sense of responsibility for history and the people.

He made the remarks in a signed article titled "Respect History, Look to the Future and Firmly Safeguard and Stabilize China-U.S. Relations," which was published Friday.

Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said that the United States should work with China to develop a bilateral relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability, so as to bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track.

China and the United States should respect each other's core interests and major concerns, said Yang, stressing that China's resolve to defend its sovereignty, security, and development interests is unshakable.

He said that China and the United States should avoid strategic miscalculation and manage well their differences. "China is always open to dialogue and communication with the United States. The two sides should enhance cooperation through communication, and properly address differences through dialogue."

China and the United States should also expand mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields, and cement popular support for their relations, said Yang.

"To safeguard and stabilize China-U.S. relations is the call of the people and the trend of the times," Yang said. "We urges U.S. decision-makers to respect facts of history, recognize the trend of the times, heed the visionary calls in the United States, and listen to the voice of the international community."

"We urge them to redress mistakes and change course, and work with China to manage differences on the basis of mutual respect, expand cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit, and bring China-U.S. relations back to the track of sound and steady development," he said. Enditem
After an Air India Express flight from Dubai carrying 190 people met with an accident at the Kozhikode airport on Friday, the Civil Aviation Ministry said that no fire was reported during its landing. "Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode at 1941 hrs tonight. No fire reported at the time of landing," the ministry said in its statement.

Those onboard included 174 passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew, the ministry said. "As per the initial reports, rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care," the ministry noted.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said he is deeply "anguished and distressed" at the accident and relief teams from Air India and Airports Authority of India (AAI) are being immediately dispatched from Delhi and Mumbai.

"All efforts are being made to help passengers. A formal enquiry will be conducted by AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau)," he said on Twitter.

RELATED NEWS Wet Runways Contribute to 75 Percent of Overrun Events by Flights: Airbus Study

The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the flight  IX 1344  continued running to the end of the runway amid heavy rain and "fell down in the valley and broke down in two pieces".

The Air India Express is a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India and it has only B737 aircraft in its fleet.

Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, since May 6, special repatriation flights have been operated by Air India and Air India Express 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.

A spokesperson for the Air India Express said that help centres are being set up at Sharjah and Dubai for affected people. "We regret that there has been an incident regarding our aircraft VT GHK, operating IX 1344," the spokesperson added.

(With PTI inputs)




File photo

Fresh attacks on communities in four villages of Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State by have left 22 persons dead.

According to The Nation, the gunmen launched what sources described as coordinated attacks on ApyiaShyim, APiako, AtakMawei, and Kibori villages, all in Atyap Chiefdom of Zangon Kataf.

Zango-Kataf is one of the recently troubled local government areas in the southern part of Kaduna State.

The situation had forced the state government to impose a 24-hour curfew since June 11.

A source todl TheNation that, the attackers operated unchallenged, having taken advantage of the all-night rain.

According to the source, It rained all through the night in the area and the attackers had unchallenged operations from around 10 pm Wednesday which entered early hours of Thursday.

By the time they were done, 22 corpses have so far recovered at about 12pm today (Thursday) while the search is still on. They also burnt several houses, the source said.

A resident of Atakmawei village in Zamandabo ward, Irimiya Gandu, said no fewer than 13 persons have been killed and many houses were burnt down in his community.

According to him, around 1:00am, I was already asleep when I heard the sound of gunshots. I stepped out from our compound we could hear the sound of gunshots from Apiaakum Community and far Kibori village were already under attack. I rushed into my house and brought out my families and ran to a safer place.

So far, 13 persons are killed mostly Children and women. We are still looking for more. Many houses were burnt also, he said.

Also, a survivor from Apiaahko village, Samson Alat said, an aged man, a little child and youth were killed when armed men invaded the village. They burnt the house of late Col. Bobai and five important houses and stole from the village, he said.

According to him, soldiers came on motor bikes and an armoured tank, but they could not stop these wicked people. We were hiding inside maize farm and we saw them. This was around 1am last night. We are still looking for more missing people.

A resident in Apiashyim, Jonathan Ishaya said six persons were killed during the attack in his community and the village almost entirely razed.

He said the armed men invaded the Community heavily armed at around 11:00pm of Wednesday, shooting sporadically.

Secretary, Atyap Traditional Council, Mr Stephen Akut, also confirmed the development to journalists that, the attackers were said to be in large numbers and that the casualty figures are still sketchy. Security operatives have been mobilize to the affected communities.

Chairman of Zango Kataf Local Government Area, Dr Elias Manza on his part, confirmed that three corpses were recovered in Kurmin Masara, six in Apyia Shyam (Asha a Wuce) and 10 in Takmawai where the destruction of property was massive.

Meanwhile, several calls put across to the Police Public Relations Officer for Kaduna State Police Command, ASP Muhammad Jalige, were not responded to as at the time of filing this report.
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Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom  Fri, August 7, 2020 14:04 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c4d662 2 News Britain,Belgium,Bahamas,travel,quarantine,coronavirus,COVID-19 Free

Britain on Thursday reimposed quarantine for travelers from Andorra, Belgium and the Bahamas following a spike in coronavirus cases in these countries.

"People arriving in England from Andorra, Belgium and the Bahamas from 4:00 a.m. Saturday August 8 will need to self-isolate for two weeks," the transport ministry said in a statement, about a month after lifting these measures.

"There has been a consistent increase in COVID-19 cases per 100,000 of the population in Belgium since the middle of July, with a fourfold increase in total cases over this time period.

"In Andorra, new cases per week have increased 5-fold over the same time period, while in the Bahamas the weekly case rate peaked at 78.6 last week, up from 3.1 in mid-July," it said.

The Scottish government later tweeted that the three countries were being removed from its "quarantine exemption list".

Read also: Heathrow tells UK: Do passenger testing or lose 'quarantine roulette'

Brunei and Malaysia have been added to the corridors of both England and Scotland from August 11 after being assessed as posing a lower infection risk.

With over 46,000 deaths due to COVID-19 disease, the United Kingdom is the country in Europe most affected by the pandemic and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been strongly criticized over his handling of the crisis.

Since relaxing the lockdown, "the government has made consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, including removing countries from the travel corridors list rapidly" if the public health risk becomes too high," said the ministry.

By the end of July, the United Kingdom had already reintroduced an unannounced quarantine for travelers arriving from Spain, catching the airlines by surprise and thousands of Britons leaving for their holidays there.
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The Steelers quarterback is headed to the Hall of Fame. But he was unloved outside Pittsburgh for understandable reasons Ben Roethlisberger almost certainly played his final game in the NFL on Sunday. Photograph: Ed Zurga/AP Ben Roethlisberger is lucky that football legacies are not decided by finales. If Sunday night was indeed Big Bens last ever NFL game, as he has strongly hinted, it wasnt exactly a mic drop. In the 42-21 beatdown by the Chiefs, Roethlisberger struggled with rollouts, and l
Over 80 per cent of Canadas COVID-related deaths are associated with nursing homes, with the majority of them being older persons living with dementia.

Moreover, recent international research suggests that COVID-19 public health restrictions have contributed to tens of thousands of additional deaths among people living with dementia in nursing home settings as a result of barriers in access to care and social isolation.

This is a national atrocity, and worse, one largely of our own making.

From the beginning of the pandemic, what has been striking for us is how little mention there has been in the media regarding the role of stigma in shaping care practices and public health response strategies to COVID-19.

We are critical social scientists with expertise in dementia, ethics, and long-term care. Collectively our work is motivated by a shared concern about how stigma associated with dementia consistently enables and legitimizes restrictions on the freedom of individuals living with dementia, and denies them the opportunities to pursue life-enhancing relationships and activities.

We have traced this stigma to two cultural narratives about dementia: with memory loss there is a total erasure of the self; and the medicalization of memory loss, which reduces nursing home care to supporting basic physical safety and comfort. Together these narratives perpetuate a collective representation of persons living with dementia as non-persons.

This highlights the inherent ableism and ageism that dehumanizes and demarcates the lives of people living with dementia as disposable. Critique of this representation of people living with dementia as disposable must be a central part of public discussion and debate. Without that critical assessment, reform strategies are doomed to fall short of achieving the radical change that is needed.

The toll of COVID-19 in Canadas long-term care homes is the result of structural conditions that have long been identified by researchers in the field of aging studies. COVID-19 has efficiently exploited these conditions, most notably the heavy reliance of nursing homes on a temporary and casual workforce, low staffing levels and inadequate care supplies.

Analyses of these structural conditions have featured prominently in media coverage and related reform strategies including: non-profit public provision; permanent employment and benefits for providers; minimum provider-resident ratios and integrating long-term care into the federal health portfolio.

While such analyses and reform strategies are critically important and are not to be disputed  indeed, we too have argued the need to address these structural conditions  our analysis pushes further.

To achieve real transformation, we need system-level efforts to improve structural conditions in nursing homes, but we also need a new ethic of dementia care.

Specifically, we need an ethic that challenges stigma by broadening the duty of care to include fully supporting the capacity of individuals living with dementia for creativity, imagination and other positive potentialities. This would require the provision of life-enriching opportunities for persons living with dementia, and the support of their engagement with social life to the fullest extent possible.

This is consistent with Canadas National Dementia Strategy to eliminate stigma and create dementia-inclusive communities. It is a call for creative, visionary and transformative reform at a time of moral urgency.

It is our argument that a new ethic of care is urgently needed to ensure that the goals and standards of dementia care focus on supporting the life enrichment of persons living with dementia. This requires a model that draws on the fields and sub-fields of human rights, citizenship, political economy, feminist care ethics and embodiment, a field that aims to understand bodily experiences as ways of knowing.

This model is well suited to address the stigma associated with dementia and the structural inadequacies of nursing homes that are responsible for the neglect and harms that we have seen in this pandemic, as well as before COVID-19.

The model also recognizes that our bodies  our capacities, senses and socio-cultural dispositions  are central to self-expression and to our engagement with the world. With cognitive impairment, embodied self-expression becomes the primary means of communication and as such it is a matter of social justice. Consequently, this model holds states responsible for supporting these rights in practice through regulation and redistribution of social and economic resources.

We hope that social and health scientists, gerontologists, ethicists, policy-makers and care providers who are equally committed to revisioning nursing home care will agree, and devote resources to this collective effort. Its time for a new ethic of care to replace the stigma of dementia.
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Linkedin Mardika Parama (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 15:35 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c550e3 1 Business holding-company,aviation-industry,tourism-industry,COVID-19,Jokowi Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo announced on Thursday that he is considering forming a holding company for aviation and tourism state-owned enterprises (SOEs), as well as developing international hub airports, to help revive the industries, which have been battered by the COVID-19 health crisis.

Jokowi said he aimed to integrate SOE management to improve consolidation and boost tourism, including airlines, airport management, tourism destination operators and hotels.

I think the current tourism downturn is the right moment to start a consolidation and transformation in the tourism and the aviation sectors, and we could establish an SOE holding firm [for] a unified vision, he said during a limited Cabinet meeting in Jakarta.

Jokowis proposal comes after the country saw its economy contract 5.32 percent, for the first time since 1999, with the transportation and warehousing sector suffering a 30.84 percent decline from last year, the steepest drop of all sectors.

The pandemic has depressed both the aviation and tourism industries, as people stay at home amid social restrictions. The tourism sector is estimated to have lost Rp 85 trillion (US$5.87 billion) in revenue so far this year as the pandemic unfolds, according to data from the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI).

According to the associations data, the hotel and restaurant industry has lost nearly Rp 70 trillion in revenue, while aviation and tour operators have lost Rp 15 trillion in revenue as leisure travel ground to a halt.

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has also reported a loss of $712.73 million in the first half of this year after booking a net profit of $24.11 million in the same period last year.

As part of the transformation effort, President Jokowi said he would also like to reduce the number of international airports in Indonesia and establish a number of international hubs.

We currently have 30 international airports, but 90 percent of flight traffic occurs in just four airports, which are Soekarno-Hatta International Airport [in Tangerang, Banten], [I Gusti] Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, Juanda International Airport in Surabaya [East Java] and Kualanamu International Airport in North Sumatra, he said.

I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport and Soekarno Hatta airport are the dominate points of entry for foreign arrivals, with 6.2 million and 2.4 million arrivals in 2019, respectively.

The President intends to evaluate the international status of several airports, while transforming eight airports into international hubs, which will include the four airports with the highest traffic.

The remaining four airports are Kulonprogo International Airport in Yogyakarta; Sepinggan International Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi; and Hasanudin International Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Responding to the Presidents statement, Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the ministry was in talks with the SOE Ministry regarding the matter.

We fully support the Presidents idea and will take further action to realize it. Currently, we are in discussions with the SOE Ministry and other stakeholders, she said via text message.

Former state-owned enterprises minister Rini Soemarno had previously proposed the formation of an aviation holding company while she was part of the Cabinet.

The proposed company was designed to integrate Garuda Indonesia with two state airport operators, PT Angkasa Pura I (AP I) and PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II), but the plan never materialized.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  A majority of Filipinos agreed that it is "dangerous" to print or broadcast anything "critical" of the administration even if the information is true, a recent national survey said Friday.

The Social Weather Stations said it found that 51 percent of Filipinos agreed with the statement "It is dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration, even if it is the truth," of which 23 percent strongly agreed and 27 percent somewhat agreed. Some 30 percent disagreed with the statement while 18 percent were undecided, the survey report said.

SWS said there is stronger agreement with the danger of criticizing the government among residents of Mindanao and Visayas than those in Metro Manila and Balance Luzon, or Luzon provinces outside the capital region. There is also strong agreement among respondents in the 35-44 age group, it noted.

The survey results also pointed out "stronger net agreement" from people who also said that Congress's decision to deny a new franchise to broadcast network ABS-CBN was a "major blow to press freedom." President Rodrigo Duterte had repeatedly lashed out against the network though the Palace maintained he was neutral on the issue.

SWS conducted the special survey from July 3 to 6 via mobile phone with 1,555 adults  306 in the National Capital Region, 451 in Balance Luzon, 388 in the Visayas and 410 in Mindanao. It has sampling error margins of 2% for national percentages, 6% for Metro Manila, and 5% for Balance Luzon, 5% for the Visayas, and 5% for Mindanao.

This study also comes as several petitions were filed at the Supreme Court against the controversial Anti-Terror Act, which critics said is prone to abuse due to its warrantless arrest provision against suspected terrorists.

Fresh criticisms also surfaced as a top military official floated regulating the use of social media. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had already assured that would not be the case since it would violate freedom of speech and discourse.
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Local shoppers can take advantage of budget-conscious finance incentives at Earnhardt Hyundai

Shoppers throughout the Avondale and Phoenix areas who are looking to purchase a new Hyundai vehicle will find the financing opportunities at Earnhardt Hyundai fit the bill. From now until September 8, Earnhardt Hyundai is taking part in the Hyundai Epic Summer Sales Event.

This limited-time sales event is offering shoppers no-interest financing on select vehicles. Families looking for a spacious SUV may be drawn towards the 2020 Hyundai Tucson or 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe. During the Hyundai Epic Summer Sales Event qualifying buyers can purchase a new 2020 Hyundai Tucson SE and receive 0% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) financing for 72 months and take 90 days before the first payment is due. This same offer is available for new 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe SE models.

Those leaning towards a smaller sedan option may be interested in the 2020 Hyundai Elantra SE or 2020 Hyundai Sonata SE. Both of these models are available with 0% APR for 60 months. Select 2020 Sonata SE models add on an additional $1,000 Hyundai Motor Finance (HMF) bonus cash for buyers.

In order to take advantage of these financing incentives shoppers must be approved by Hyundai Motor Finance prior to signing. Additional terms and conditions for promotions during the Hyundai Epic Summer Sales Event may apply.

Interested individuals can view the entire lineup of in-stock Hyundai vehicles and finance opportunities on the dealerships website, https://www.earnhardthyundai.com/. A member of the Earnhardt Hyundai sales team can be contacted by phone, 833-331-0148, any time during normal business hours for specific inquiries. Earnhardt Hyundai is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The Hyundai dealership is located at 10401 W Papago Fwy, Avondale, AZ 85323.
Cliven Bundy talks to reporters outside Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Headquarters in Las Vegas, Nev., on Jan. 10, 2018. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

US Appeals Court Denies Bid to Resurrect Bundy Standoff Case

LAS VEGASA U.S. appeals court refused Thursday to resurrect the criminal case against states rights figure Cliven Bundy, family members, and others stemming from a 2014 armed standoff with federal agents trying to round up Bundy cattle near the family ranch in Nevada.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in San Francisco denied prosecutors efforts to overturn U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarros decision to stop a months-long trial in January 2018 for flagrant prosecutorial misconduct and her dismissal of the criminal indictment so it could not be re-filed.

The judgment is affirmed, Judge Jay Bybee wrote for the three-judge panel that heard oral arguments May 29. The judges found Navarro properly identified violations of recognized statutory or constitutional rights, and she had the authority to punish the government to deter future illegal conduct.

Ryan Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, walks to a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Jan. 7, 2016. (Rick Bowmer/AP Photo)

Bundy, his sons Ryan and Ammon Bundy, and Montana militia leader Ryan Payne had faced life in prison. But they were set free after nearly two years of detention ahead of trial on charges including conspiracy and assaulting federal officers.

Their arrests, with a total of 19 co-defendants in the Nevada case, came in early 2016 after the Bundy brothers and Payne took part in a 41-day anti-government protest occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

The Nevada case stemmed from a years-long dispute between Bundy and the federal Bureau of Land Management over years of unpaid grazing fees. It grew to involve self-described personal militia members from 11 other states who answered a Bundy family plea for help in March 2014. It became a symbol for advocates of states rights, anti-federal policies, and the sovereign citizen movement.

They still say Im trespassing, Bundy, 74, said Thursday. He maintains the federal government has no authority and U.S. courts have no jurisdiction over state lands. He acknowledged he continues to refuse to pay fees for his cows grazing in the scrub desert of what is now Gold Butte National Monument.

These feds came in here and overreached on my land and my ranch, he said. Were willing to go through what weve had to to defend our rights and the constitution and freedom. I have no contract with the federal government.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich in Las Vegas said he respected the decision; noted the appeals court called it a difficult and trying case; and pointed to a footnote in which the appeals court judges said misjudgments by prosecutors did not rise to professional misconduct.

The judges said they found a serious constitutional violation based on choices made by the government.

Ammon Bundy, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, arrives for a news conference at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Jan. 6, 2016. (Rick Bowmer/AP Photo)

Ammon Bundys attorney, Daniel Hill, dubbed the ruling the Republic in action.

We have courts so that someone can tell the government when its done wrong. Judge Navarros order dismissing the case was righteous, and the 9th Circuit agreed, Hill said.

Navarro found deliberate attempts by the FBI and prosecutors to mislead and distort the truth. She blamed FBI agents for reckless disregard of requirements to turn over evidence relating to government snipers and cameras that monitored the Bundy homestead.

The appeals court said pre-standoff threat assessment reports prepared by government agents should have been turned over from the FBI to federal prosecutors to defense attorneys.

These documents could have helped bolster the defenses claim that the government had engaged in an overmilitarized impound operation that the Bundys claim fueled their fears of being surrounded by snipers, the court said.

Someone in the government made a conscious choice to withhold these documents. It may not have been a malicious choice, but it also was not a matter of simple oversight.

Cliven Bundys attorney, conservative activist Larry Klayman, said evidence showed government agents threatened the Bundys lives, killed their cattle, assaulted family members and perpetrated tyrannical executive power over them.

Prosecutors failed to gain full convictions in two earlier trials against six other defendants who acknowledged carrying assault-style weapons during the April 2014 confrontation outside Bunkerville, 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

None was found guilty of a key conspiracy charge.

Navarro separately dismissed charges against four remaining co-defendants who had been awaiting trial later in 2018.

By Ken Ritter
Her two sisters, her aunt, uncle and grandmother remain in Doris Miller, but she resorted to reburying her mother in Oakwood Cemetery in Waco.

Ive been fighting with the owner for six years and there was no resolution, no improvement, so I just decided to remove my family, Mays said.

Mays started the Waco Cemetery Facebook page, which has more than 550 members, as a hub for families going through the same thing and a place to plan protests and further action.

Mays said legally, there is nothing the state can do if the perpetual care funds have all been used. She said the cemetery should either improve its upkeep or stop charging the fees and formally make families responsible for the maintenance.

Patricia Brooks, who came to Thursdays protest from Dallas, said her grandmother, mother, father, daughter, nephew, and her sister who died in June are all buried in the cemetery. Brooks, along with other protesters, said the owner has not kept in contact and has been slow to respond.

We do come out here on holidays to check the gravesites, for sure, Brooks said. But the things have been exposed on Facebook have been just disrespectful.
A MAN has been arrested and charged following a significant drugs seizure in County Limerick earlier this week.

Cannabis worth an estimated 115,900, was seized on Wednesday during joint operation involving gardai and customs officers

Gardai from the Limerick divisional drugs unit and officers from Revenues Custom Service carried out a search at a house in Castleconnell on August 5. During the course of the search gardai seized 22,000 of cannabis herb, said a garda spokesperson.

As part of the operation, gardai searched a car that was parked in the locality which resulted in the seizure of a a further 93,900 worth of cannabis products.

"This operation was part of Revenues ongoing joint investigations targeting the importation, sale and supply of illegal drugs. If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding drug smuggling, they can contact Revenue in confidence on confidential phone number 1800 295 295," said a Revenue spokesperson.

A man, aged in his 20s, was arrested at the scene and detained at Henry Street garda station under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice (Drug Trafficking) 1996.

He has since been charged and is due to appear before a vacation sitting of Loughrea District Court this Friday afternoon.

All of the suspected drugs will now be sent to Forensic Science Ireland for analysis.

For more Limerick news click here
Spain on Friday surpassed the United Kingdom in terms of Covid-19 infections, becoming the Western European country with the highest case count (309,855 compared with 309,796 in the UK), according to a global dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

The Health Ministry on Friday reported 4,507 new cases, of which 1,895 were diagnosed in the last 24 hours Cases are surging in the northern region of the Basque Country, where health authorities on Friday reported 428 new positives, a 26% rise from a day earlier. Most of the new infections, 311, were reported in the province of Bizkaia.

In Aragon, the European region with the highest Covid-19 incidence according to an analysis by The Economist, authorities said they will begin conducting home visits to check that infected individuals are observing the quarantine. Violators will face sanctions.

The program will begin on Monday in the Delicias district of the city of Zaragoza, an area that is home to nearly 100,000 people and where coronavirus prevalence is high. Authorities said they will offer alternative accommodation to people whose living conditions are unlikely to end the chain of transmission.

And in Madrid, another one of Spains most affected regions, the night-time entertainment industry is planning to shut down bars, nightclubs and flamenco tablaos between Friday and Sunday to protest the arbitrary and disproportionate restrictions recently introduced by the regional government in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19. Entrepreneurs say that earlier closing times, reduced capacity and the ban on using dance floors are making drinks bars lose an average of 25,000 a month while clubs are losing over 100,000.

580 outbreaks

There are up to 580 active Covid-19 outbreaks in Spain with 6,900 associated cases. Thats according to the latest figures released on Thursday by the Spanish Health Ministry. This represents a rise of nearly 100 outbreaks since last week, when the figure was 483.

Speaking at a government press conference on Thursday, Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts, said that an increasing number of outbreaks are related to social gatherings and nighttime venues. Other significant outbreaks have been recorded among workers in the horticultural sector and at food processing companies. The Health Ministry has recorded around 30 outbreaks in these workplaces, with 500 related cases, which equates to 17 infections per episode.

Fernando Simon, the director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts, on Thursday. Jesus Hellin (Europa Press)

A total of 46 outbreaks, with more than 1,500 cases, have been detected in Spains nightlife venues. This equates to 32 infections each  nearly double the figure in the workplace.

Although transmission in social gatherings, such as parties among family and friends, is on the rise, it is proportionally less dangerous, said Simon. Of the 106 outbreaks in this category, 980 cases have been detected; with an average of nine infections in each.

An outbreak is defined by the ministry as a group of three or more infections with an epidemiological link, and it is considered active if there has been transmission within the last 14 days. In the case of infections detected in senior centers, one positive case is considered an outbreak. Simon did not provide details on the other types of outbreaks detected, for example, those recorded in care homes and healthcare centers.

The rise in outbreaks has been accompanied by community transmission of Covid-19, when the origin of the infection cannot be determined. This has led to a general rise in all basic indicators of the pandemic  the number of diagnoses, hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and deaths.

According to the latest report, 1,683 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed in the past 24 hours. While this is down from Wednesdays figure of 1,772, the total number of new infections  cases which were not diagnosed the day before  rose from 2,953 to 4,088. This represents the difference between the total number of infections reported by Spains regions on the respective days. The daily report indicates that the discrepancy between the total and the daily number of cases is due to ongoing reviews of the data provided by the regions.

Now we are detecting 60 to 70% of all infections; during the peak, we were detecting less than 10% Fernando Simon, director of the Health Ministrys Coordination Center for Health Alerts

Despite the rise in new cases, Simon explained that the current situation is far from what it was in the beginning of March. Although Spain is recording a similar number of cases, at that point only 10% of detected cases were asymptomatic; now the average is 50%. This may be because the Spanish healthcare system is less overwhelmed, meaning it can detect infections that used to stay under the radar. It also means that asymptomatic cases are now aware of their condition and can self-isolate to avoid spreading the disease  something that did not happen in March when only people with clear coronavirus symptoms were being tested.

Now we are detecting 60 to 70% of all infections; during the peak, we were detecting less than 10%, said Simon. Our objective this summer is to reach September with the lowest community transmission possible.

But, as with all the parameters, there is a big difference between how many asymptomatic cases are being detected by the regions. In the Basque Country, for example, 81% of asymptomatic infections are tested, compared to 15% in Madrid, a percentage that has fallen in recent days. Simon said he would meet with health authorities in the Madrid region to understand why this is the case.

Young people out at night in Magaluf on the Balearic island of Mallorca on July 16. Joan Mateu (AP)

The number of hospitalizations has also risen. According to Thursdays report, 673 people were admitted into hospital with Covid-19 in the past seven days, compared to 636 on Wednesday. In total, 2,647 coronavirus patients are in hospital in Spain, of whom 292 are in intensive care (ICU). Simon said that, with the exception of Zaragoza in Aragon, which admitted 203 patients in the past week, hospitals in Spain are not under pressure. According to The Economist, Aragon is the region with the highest cumulative incidence of Covid-19 out of all areas in Europe. But Simon said that the number of cases in the region are beginning to stabilize. Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 127,815 people have been hospitalized with the coronavirus.

According to Thursdays report, 41 patients were admitted into ICU in the last seven days, up from 38 on Wednesday. The number of hospitalizations and ICU admissions reflect the evolution and seriousness of the pandemic, but with a delay with respect to new cases, given it can take up to 14 days for a patient to start experiencing symptoms.

This lag also affects the number of fatalities. According to the latest figures, 22 people died in the last week from Covid-19, down from 19 on Wednesday. Given new infections are rising, it would follow that coronavirus-related deaths would also rise. But there is another factor to take into account: the age of Covid-19 patients. According to Simon, the average age fell to below 40 in the last week. Although young people are not immune to the disease, they are more likely to experience less severe cases. This has led to a dramatic drop in the case fatality rate of the coronavirus in Spain (the percentage of people who die from the disease out of total confirmed cases). Simon said that the average in Spain had fallen from more than 10% to under 1% in the last seven days.

English version by Melissa Kitson.
First Minister Arlene Foster has said that she is "disappointed" by comments from Taoiseach Micheal Martin around his Government's Shared Island Unit.

In an interview with the Irish Independent Mr Martin said the unit is getting ready for the possibility that England may get turned off Northern Ireland.

Read More

His comments came after the first North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meeting in more than three years last week.

Responding to the Taoiseach Mrs Foster said that a "good neighbourly north-south relationship requires consistency".

The DUP leader said his comments were disappointing coming "after a positive NSMC meeting".

"The principle of consent determines Northern Ireland's place in the UK," Mrs Foster said.

"Northern Ireland will keep moving forward by respecting our diverse identities not dubious theories."

A good neighbourly N/S relationship requires consistency.

After a positive NSMC, the Taoiseachs comments are disappointing.

The principle of consent determines NIs place in the U.K.

NI will keep moving forward by respecting our diverse identities not dubious theories. https://t.co/v8pP8HwJzn  Arlene Foster #ProudofNI. (@ArleneFosterUK) August 7, 2020

In the interview the Taoiseach stated that he accepted the Good Friday Agreement had created "two distinct political jurisdictions".

He expressed hope that the Shared Ireland Unit could lead to greater north-south cooperation on infrastructure projects

What happens if England gets turned off Northern Ireland? Weve got to be thinking all this through, he said.

Mr Martin said he was opposed to holding a border poll now as it would be too divisive and too threatening.

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement the Northern Ireland Secretary must call a border poll if its believed the majority of people in Northern Ireland are in favour of Irish unity.

Sinn Fein upped their calls for a border poll during the fractured Brexit process.

Despite the party's strong showing in the last Irish General Election, a government was eventually formed by Mr Martin's Fianna Fail, Leo Varadkar's Fine Gael and the Greens.

Last week Mrs Arlene Foster said she did not feel threatened by the Shared Island Unit.

It does not threaten our constitutional position or what we believe in, so I dont feel threatened at all by the Shared Island Unit, she explained.
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP >> The Delaware County Black Caucus will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. in front of the township building on MacDade Boulevard today to discuss the events surrounding a Black Lives Matter protest and march that took place last Saturday.

Tomorrow is a statement about what we believe in as a society, as a state and as a country, for those people with good intentions to shine a light of goodwill and humanity upon all people  and certainly to call out those who know their actions were racist, said state Sen. Anthony Williams, D-8 of Philadelphia, who will be speaking at the event.

Williams was alluding to Interboro School Board member Christine Alonso, who has been accused of shouting racist invectives during the march. Alonso, the mother of four biracial children, has denied those accusations and resisted calls that she step down. Williams was joined in denouncing the actions of counter-protesters by Delaware County Council and state Rep. Leanne Krueger, D-161 of Swarthmore, both of whom issued statements expressing horror and sadness at the reception BLM protesters received, including being met with a Confederate flag at the Herbert W. Best VFW Post 928.

In the state of Pennsylvania, there is no claim of heritage where the Confederacy is concerned, said the county council statement. Regardless of the intent with which it was displayed, anyone marching to confront racism would reasonably interpret it as a symbol of white supremacy and racial intimidation.

The BLM protest, organized by the grassroots organization Delco Resists, began at noon Saturday at the Frederick L. Mann Memorial Park. Marchers then went down Academy Avenue to Holmes Road before walking along MacDade Boulevard to the township police station.

The diverse group of BLM protesters, which included children and senior citizens, were met by a group at the VFW who shouted racially charged invectives, slurs and threats at the protesters, such as, Black lives splatter, and Run them n- over, which was documented by video footage of the event.

Things escalated from there, as motorcyclists drove by the BLM group revving their engines and two pick-up trucks stopped in front of marchers to belch black smoke in their faces. There were also reports of various motorcycle clubs in the area, including the Pagans.

By the time the protesters reached the police station, there was a fairly large crowd waiting for them. That group rushed to meet the Black Lives Matter protesters as they turned to head toward the station and a scuffle broke out before police separated the two sides.

It was the most confrontational BLM march the county has seen and its aftermath has raised several questions from organizers and Krueger. Chiefly: Where were the police prior to the confrontation at the station?

They were not at the place where the rally occurred, they were not on Macdade Boleuvard, they did not do any traffic control  they did not do any of the things that you normally associate with a municipal force when something like this occurs, said state Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26 of Swarthmore, who attended the rally and march. Ive never experienced that before and Ive done several of these rallies.

The Ridley Township Police Department handled this protest differently than every other police department in Delaware County, it appears, said Krueger, who is seeking an immediate and transparent investigation into the actions of law enforcement.

My office had been tracking this carefully for about two weeks prior, when we first learned about it, said Krueger. We saw the counter-protestors organizing on social media, we saw them encouraging people to come with weapons, and I reached out to Ridley Township Commissioner Bobby Willert about a week ahead of time to voice my concerns about public safety.

Township Manager and former head of the County Criminal Investigation Division Joe Ryan said Thursday that any claims about police not being present were entirely untrue.

We had officers from the beginning to the end, he said. We had a lot of plain clothes officers  theyre not to have a police presence where people could get agitated by the police, but there were a lot of plain-clothes officers all the way down MacDade Boulevard to the township building.

Willert, the president of the Board of Commissioners, said he was aware of the counter-protest before Kruegers call and that there were 23 officers on duty during the protest.

Ten or 12 were undercover, or plain clothes, and they were all along the different routes, he said. I was in a car with a plain-clothes car next to me right behind theprotest, just to make sure nobody got past, nobody hurt them. If we saw something on the side, I called ahead to Joe, or the captain, and the plain clothes guys were in the middle of any altercations and they broke them up.

Delco Resists organizers Taylor Shiflett of Sharon Hill and Ashley Dolceamore of Glenolden said they had a contentious discussion about the event with township Director of Code Enforcement John Ward a few days prior and were told they would receive a call back.

I left my phone number and never received a call, said Shiflett. They never followed up with us.

Dolceamore said Ward told them the township was not aware of the BLM protest, but was aware of the counter-protest, which she said made no sense. Ward also reportedly said the township would need 45 days notice of an event, though Dolceamore disputed whether that was necessary for a protest.

Willert said organizers arrived after 4 p.m. the Wednesday before the march and provided few details on the route, refusing to cooperate with township officials. He also noted the township needed more notice if it was going to effectively police the event.

Regardless of the townships code, Dolceamore said Ridley was at the very least notified that the march would be taking place and that a counter-protest had been organized.

I said there are people on the counter-protest page happily touting the fact that it is gun friendly, said Dolceamore. Like they were advertising, Bring your guns. I brought that up. You would think that would be a safety concern. They pretty much just looked at me.

Willert said he had been made aware of guns being promoted by VFW protesters, but he told them to squash that and did not see any guns displayed. Willert also said he did not see trucks buffeting protesters with black smoke.

I really dont see how thats possible, said Williams. Facebook showed the belching into the face of the public, Facebook showed two smaller, I think they were females, being surrounded by a group of intimidating people shouting out the n-word. Maybe he was on the wrong block, I dont know, but to suggest that wasnt obvious means you just really werent connected with that crowd, you were housed somewhere else. If you were doing undercover work, I guess that would be rated as an F. If that was undercover for the president of the United States, he would be dead. If that was undercover work to protect anybody, that was a failure.

Chuck Fitzgerald, president and founding member of Stars, Stripes, Bars & Pipes, told the Daily Times Saturday that the counter-protest was organized to support veterans and first responders, and to protect the VFW against vandalism.

But many of those in attendance for the BLM demonstration said they got the palpable feeling that the other group was only in attendance to harass, intimidate and provoke a confrontation.

It was actually the first time ever  Ive been involved in political things since the 80s, and Ive never got that sort of sense that this could go really wrong as I did (Saturday), particularly when we were approaching the VFW hall along MacDade, said Kearney. Some of the stuff I heard, I couldnt believe it The worst language I heard was reserved for a young Black man marching with the American flag. They were incensed that he would have the effrontery to march with the American flag.

Kearney said he agrees with Krueger that an investigation into the police presence that day is warranted.

They didnt even care to be there for of us. Any of us, said Dolceamore. Some of us were having to literally dodge cars and dodge these huge trucks and it was honestly atrocious. There was nobody in sight. Instead, these racist crazy people were able to drink out of red solo cups  they were drinking alcohol on the VFW lawn, they were clearly intoxicated on Ridley Township Police Department grounds. Isnt that breaking the law?

Willert denied there was open drinking on township property, saying a beer can was confiscated from one man.

Shiflett said when BLM protesters reached the police station, the other group already assembled there began shoving them. Police did not intervene until a larger confrontation began, she said.

I did not even notice any police officers standing out front, either, said Shiflett. When we arrived and saw the counter-protesters, I did not see a police presence at all, and all the counter-protesters were just hanging out on the lawn.

Willert also disputed that, saying police worked to get between the two groups and keep them separated.

The people at the protest knew about the undercover (officers), because they made some comments about the undercover (officers), but they were there to protect, to help, not hurt them, he said. Having all those people and not one fist being thrown, or a fight breaking out, they did a very good job.

One of the marchers, Stewart Holcomb, said that when he tried to report an assault in front of the police station, a police sergeant refused to take any information until Holcomb identified a BLM protester blocking traffic.

To hear someone say that just made me sick to my stomach, he said. I know some people in law enforcement, so I know thats generally not how it works.

Willert disputed Holcombs account of trying to report an assault, saying he was brought right back by a detective to file his complaint.

Willert said people tend to post things on Facebook that are inaccurate, especially those who werent at the event. He added that there is blame to go around for any verbal confrontations on both sides.

For the most part, both sides had peaceful people protest that were doing the right thing, said Willert. Both sides had a handful of people that I witnessed that were antagonizers that were a little bit out of line.
SEOUL Hundreds of South Korean trainee doctors went on strike on Friday to protest a government plan to boost the number of medical students in the country, arguing it would be a poor use of additional funding for the sector.

The government said its goal to increase the number of medical students by 4,000 over the next 10 years is necessary to better prepare for public health crises like the coronavirus pandemic.

The student doctors, however, say that funding would be better spent improving the salaries of existing trainees, which would encourage them to move out of Seoul to rural areas where more professionals are needed.

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun had urged the intern and resident doctors to call off the 24-hour strike, which comes as South Korea battles smaller but persistent clusters of COVID-19 infections.

It is very concerning that medical gap will occur in ERs and ICUs that have direct links with the citizens lives", Chung said in remarks posted online.

Chung asked the striking doctors to instead talk with the government, although did not offer any concessions.

Severance Hospital, one of the big five hospitals in Seoul, told Reuters a majority of its 90 interns and 370 residents were taking part in the strike. It added that other doctors would fill the gap to prevent disruptions.

The government announced in July that it planned to boost the usual medical school quota of 3,058 admissions each year by around 400, or 13%, over the next decade. The quota had been fixed since 2006.

Incentives will be offered for students majoring in less lucrative specialities such as epidemiology and those who volunteer for public health work in rural areas.

The country has fewer than 300 infectious disease specialists, representing less than 1% of its 100,000 doctors. And while Seoul has three doctors for every 1,000 people on average, the ratio in North Gyeongsang province, for example, falls to 1.4, said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo.

The main reason for promoting this policy is to secure doctors where they are needed," Park said. Our goal is to first increase the number of doctors in rural provinces, so that those who live in even the countryside could get proper treatment."

The government plans to send three quarters of the additional trainees to rural provinces, in exchange for tuition waivers and scholarships. If the 10-year stint is not completed, their medical license will be revoked.

NOTHING TO LOSE"

The trainee doctors taking strike action maintain South Korea already has enough medical professionals, and they should be better paid to encourage a wider geographical spread.

We, young doctors, are paid at the minimum wage and work 80 hours a week, twice what the labour law stipulates," the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) said. We have nothing to lose."

The association, which has 16,000 members, estimated it costs up to 300 million won ($253,000) to train a doctor, meaning the governments program will cost more than 1 trillion won.

Park Jee-hyun, 29, KIRA president and a fourth-year resident in general surgery, said the government should arrange more meetings with young doctors to listen to their demands before drafting medical legislation."

Park Yoon-hyung, professor of preventive medicine at Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, said more efficient use of military doctors already assigned to regional areas - but mostly not actively involved in public hospitals or health centres - would also help.

A petition with almost 20,000 signatures calls for funding to be diverted to financially strained rural hospitals so they can offer stronger job security to medical staff. It also urges the government to make use of the around 700 doctors who retire from university hospitals and private clinics each year.

Trainee doctors are planning a second strike next weekend.

($1 = 1,184.3600 won)

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
Aside from Instagram, TikTok has been massive platform for aspiring influencers over the pas few months. In fact, it has even launched several famous figures like Charli D'Amelio, Chase Hudson, and twins Alan and Alex Stokes.

Unfortunately, the 23-year-old Stoke brothers made it to the headlines for the wrong reasons after a bank robbery prank gone bad.

Tiktok Twins Alan and Alex Stokes Charged With Felony and Misdemeanor

The wildly popular TikTok twins, who currently have 25 million followers on the video-sharing app, were arrested for staging two fake bank robberies for their viral video.

The California natives were charged with one count of felony for false imprisonment, as well as one count of misdemeanor over reporting a false emergency.

If proven guilty, the Stokes twins might face up to four years in state prison.

According to the press release by the Orange County District Attorney, the said charges were linked to their prank which was committed in October 2019.

"Twin brothers who star in YouTube videos featuring pranks on unsuspecting people have been charged with false imprisonment and swatting," the statement read. "Alan and Alex Stokes, 23 of Irvine, have been each charged with one felony count of false imprisonment affected by violence, menace, fraud, or deceit and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an emergency in connection with the October 15, 2019 pranks."

As part of their social media spoof and to gain millions of views, the duo -- who were dressed in black while wearing ski masks -- pretended to run from a bank with a duffel bag filled with money.

The TikTok stars then called an Uber but the driver, who was completely unaware of their act, thought that it was a real robbery and refused to accept the ride.

Moreover, a witness called the police assuming that there was an ongoing crime and that the twins were attempting to carjack the Uber.

The Irvine police then arrived and held the driver at gunpoint before being released later on.

Stokes Twins Staged Second Bank Robbery Prank

The officers gave the Youtube stars a warning over their spoof. They were also released the same day.

Hours after, the police received several calls and learned that the Stokes twins staged a similar prank at the University of California campus.

In the same statement, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer pointed out that "these were not pranks" but crimes.

"These are crimes that could have resulted in someone getting seriously injured or even killed. Law enforcement officers are sworn to protect the public and when someone calls 911 to report an active bank robbery they are going to respond to protect lives. Instead, what they found was some kind of twisted attempt to gain more popularity on the internet by unnecessarily putting members of the public and police officers in danger," he mentioned.

The then-deleted Youtube video tiled "BANK ROBBER PRANK! (gone wrong)" gained over 1 million views before being flagged by the site.

READ MORE: Bella Hadid Shames NYPD Police for Not Wearing Masks
The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Mr. McGahn in April 2019 as part of its investigation into possible obstruction of justice by Mr. Trump. He was a key witness for the inquiry conducted by the former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into the possible obstruction of justice and Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mr. McGahn told the special counsel that the president ordered him to have the Justice Department dismiss Mr. Mueller, and when he refused and threatened to quit, Mr. Trump backed off. Later, the president ordered him to deny that he had ever asked and to issue a memo saying as such. He threatened to fire Mr. McGahn if he failed to comply.

The committee sued Mr. McGahn, who left the White House in 2018, when the administration directed him not to appear, asking the court to quash the claims that Mr. Trumps aides are absolutely immune from its subpoenas.

The decision was a major loss for the Trump administration, which has sought to stonewall subpoenas issued by Congress since Democrats assumed control of the House in 2019. The lawsuit against Mr. McGahn was the first of several last year in which Congress asked the courts to compel the administration to cooperate with its oversight requests. Although the Senate acquitted Mr. Trump of the Houses impeachment charges in February, the House has persisted in its subpoena lawsuits.

Judge Rogers wrote that presidents have long cooperated with subpoena enforcement, but Mr. Trump had taken an unprecedented categorical direction when his administration refused to cooperate with the impeachment investigation. Enforcement lawsuits may be an essential tool in keeping the executive branch at the negotiating table, she said.

In the wake of the courts decision, congressional Democrats celebrated the ruling. Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it a victory for the rule of law. In a statement, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Representative Jerrold Nadler, said it was a blow against the wall of impunity that President Trump has tried to build for himself.
India: Aquaconnect launches Aquaconnect HUBS for Fish Farmers

August 07,2020 | Source: Krishijagran

Indias Leading Aquaculture Technology Company, Aquaconnect announced the launch of Aquaconnect HUBS, a first of its kind Direct to Farmer initiative. The integrated HUBS will help to accelerate the technology adoption with aqua farmers, improve last-mile connectivity and also source feed, health products & farm equipment. The first HUBS have been launched in the coastal cities of Andhra Pradesh - Bapatla, Ongole, and Avanigadda.



The company plans to launch 25 HUBS in the next two years in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat and aims to engage more than 45000 farmers. Aquaconnect HUBS will also enable direct connection to Banks for farmers to secure loans. The company has empanelled leading Banks and facilitates aquaculture loans to the fish and shrimp farmers. The HUBS will provide farm advisory solutions and act as a diagnostic centre for aquaculture.



Aquaconnect witnessed 10 x growths during the pandemic. Agri sector had a limited impact of COVID - 19 and it is the right time to improve the ecosystem for aqua farmers according to the company. The hubs will improve the support system for farmers and provide services on the ground today. The company will, directly and indirectly, employ 700 plus people via the HUBS. A World Economic Forum - Young Global Leader, Rajamanohar Somasundaram, CEO and Co-Founder of Aquaconnect said, It is exciting to nurture a much underserved aqua-farmer market. A brick and mortar approach will bridge and accelerate technology adoption for aqua-farmers and encourage sustainable growth of the Seafood industry.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has called Iran "the worlds No. 1 sponsor of terrorism," a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States plans to hold a UN Security Council vote next week to extend an arms embargo against Iran.



Ambassador Kelly Craft also warned Russia and China that they will become "co-sponsors of the No. 1 state that sponsors terrorism" if they use their veto to block the resolution to extend the embargo.



The United States hopes Russia and China "will see the importance of peace in the Middle East," Craft said. But she added that the partnership between Russia and China was clear: "They're just going to be promoting chaos, conflict, and mayhem outside their borders, so we have to just corner them."



Craft and Brian Hook, the top U.S. envoy for Iran, briefed a group of reporters following Pompeo's announcement on August 5 that the United States will call for a Security Council vote next week on a U.S.-drafted resolution to extend the arms embargo that is due to expire in October.

Hook announced hours after the briefing that he was stepping down.



The foreign ministers of Russia and China have indicated they intend to veto the resolution if it gets the minimum nine votes in the 15-member council. In letters last month to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council the two countries were sharply critical of the U.S. effort.



Pompeo told reporters on August 5 that there were countries "lining up" to sell weapons to Iran and warned that this would further destabilize the Middle East, put Israel and Europe at risk, and endanger U.S. lives.



If the Security Council doesn't prevent Iran from buying and selling weapons when the embargo ends, Washington has said it will trigger a "snapback" of all UN sanctions on Iran. The snapback mechanism was included in the 2015 nuclear agreement in the event Iran was proved to be in violation of the accord, which provided sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.



Russia and China, as well as European allies that signed the pact, have questioned the U.S. claim it is still a participant able to trigger the snapback mechanism. The United States quit the deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually started breaching its nuclear commitments.



Pompeo and other Iran hard-liners in Washington claim the United States remains a participant in the accord because it was listed as such in the 2015 resolution that enshrined the deal and can therefore bring back sanctions since Iran has not fully complied with its nuclear commitments.



Britain, France, and Germany are concerned about the arms embargo being lifted but have said they are trying to reach a compromise out of concern Iran will completely exit the nuclear deal and act on threats to pull out of a key nonproliferation treaty.

With reporting by AP
(Natural News) Big Tech was taken to task during a recent hearing put on by the House Judiciarys Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law. But entirely missing from the conversation was the active role that Wall Street and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) played in paving the way for Big Tech to become the monopolistic behemoth that it is today.

Were it not for Wall Street underwriting the mountains of debt that Big Tech firms like Amazon and Facebook were able to acquire, allowing them to engage in potentially illegal share buybacks and spiking their stock prices to unfathomable levels, to quote Pam and Russ Martens from Wall Street on Parade, then Big Tech would not even exist, at least not like it does currently.

Despite the serious conflicts of interest involved with this process, major Wall Street banks for years have been putting out buy ratings on stocks for all of the major tech giants. This, in effect, has encouraged retail stockbrokers connected with these banks to continue buying up these stocks, driving up their values to obscene levels.

Wall Street banks have likewise been actively trading the stocks of tech giants in what are known as Dark Pools, or unregulated stock exchanges that the SEC allows to operate internally within these same banks. Though there is no valid reason to allow such internal trading, the SEC has been sanctioning it for quite some time now, unbeknownst to most average Americans.

For all anyone knows, these banks could be making a two-sided market in these stocks, the Martens further write. But Congress will never be able to figure that out because the Securities and Exchange Commission has been stalling for years to complete its work on a consolidated audit trail (CAT) that could monitor and catch manipulations of stock prices.

Occupy Wall Street was right; too bad it was co-opted by far-left extremists

In other words, Big Tech is a product not simply of itself, but of the entire corrupt financial system that basically dictates life here in America. Wall Street, the federal reserve, and the federal government have essentially been conspiring all these years to grow and empower Silicon Valley into a certifiable beast system, which will never go away unless the snake is cut off at its head.

Until these Wall Street issues are addressed, monopolistic policies and practices will continue unabated in America, including among the largest Wall Street banks, which are also allowed to trade their own bank stock in their own Dark Pools, the Martens explained.

So while it is encouraging to see companies like Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and Amazon face much-needed scrutiny by our elected officials, the missing Wall Street component almost ensures that nothing will ever actually be accomplished other than a lot of bellyaching and unfulfilled promises.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, for instance, has been calling out Big Tech for years, while accomplishing next to nothing in terms of actually reigning it in and putting a stop to widespread censorship. He and other have also systematically ignored the Wall Street and SEC component, which is rotten to the core and directly responsible for all of the problems we now face with Big Tech.

While a few Republicans showed sincere concern in the monopoly power of these tech giants, the majority of Republicans wasted their time whining about a liberal bias at the four tech companies, the Martens explain about how the Republican probe into Big Tech is largely misplaced because it is inherently focused on the wrong target.

To keep up with the latest news about Big Tech, be sure to check out Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

WallStreetOnParade.com
View of a car reading "The commission is a sham" during a protest against a judicial reform bill announced by the government, in front of the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, on August 1, 2020, during the COVID-9 pademic. Argentina's government opposition has fiercely criticised the reform bill on grounds that it would grant impunity to former government officials facing corruption allegations, including now vice president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. (Photo | AFP)

Buenos Aires: Former Argentinian president Cristina Kirchner announced on Thursday that she has filed a defamation lawsuit against internet giant Google after its engine search allegedly identified her as a thief.

The complaint stems from May 17 when a Google search into Kirchners name returned a result with Thief of the Argentine Nation in the place where her political positionshe is currently the countrys vice-presidentshould have been, local press reported.

Today I filed a request for technological expertise against Google that will form evidence for a lawsuit, Kirchner, who is facing charges from nine separate cases, some for corruption during her time as president, wrote on Twitter.

She has twice been ordered into pre-trial detention, although her parliamentary immunity has spared her actual jail time.

When lies and defamations are fired from massive platforms, theres no limit to their circulation, they cannot be contained and the damage they do to the defamed is incalculable, added Kirchner, who has been accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes.

Kirchner said her lawsuit aimed also to determine whether there was any kind of possible defense for people who are victims of this type of action perpetrated by technological giants like Google.

Her lawyers are seeking information about how long the alleged search result remained in place and how many times it was viewed.

The lawsuit states that it would be difficult to calculate how much damage had been done to Kirchners reputation without the answers to those questions.

It said the alternative job title appeared directly on the Google platform without referring to a website of any third party but under its sole orbit and responsibility.

Kirchner, 67, who succeeded her late husband Nestor as president and served two terms from 2007-15, claims she is the victim of political persecution.

The cases against her were brought during the tenure of her successor as president, Mauricio Macri (2015-19) and mostly by the late anti-corruption judge Claudio Bonadio, who died of cancer in February.

One of his most famous cases against Kirchner was the so-called corruption notebooks scandal.

It revolves around meticulous records kept by a government chauffeur, Oscar Centeno, of cash bribesallegedly worth $160 million between 2005 and 2015he is said to have delivered from businessmen to government officials.

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Canada-China Committee Reconvenes as Fourth Canadian Citizen Sentenced to Death in China

The recently formed Special Committee on Canada-China Relations convened this week for the first time since COVID-19 put Canada on lockdown, just as a fourth Canadian citizen was sentenced to death in China.

Escalating tensions between the two countries and how the Canadian government has handled them was the subject of a hearing at the committee on Aug.6.

Earlier that day, China sentenced Canadian citizen Xu Weihong to death on drug charges. Ye Jianhui was sentenced on Aug. 7the fourth Canadian to be given the death penalty on drug charges in China since Canada detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018.

David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, told the committee that since Mengs arrest, Canada has entered a China crisisstarting with Beijings detainment of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor over 600 days ago in apparent retaliation for Mengs arrest. The Huawei CFO is facing extradition to the United States on fraud charges over the companys dealings with Iran.

Beijing has also placed restrictions on various Canadian exports to China, including canola seed oil, in an apparent attempt to pressure Ottawa into releasing Meng, who is residing in one of her Vancouver mansions under a form of house arrest.

Mulroney said he had hoped the federal government would use the period of increased tensions to rethink Canadas relationship with China and more realistically assess the Chinese regimes strategy to suppress human rights domestically and exert economic and diplomatic blackmail to expand its influence on global affairs.

But old approaches die hard, he told the cross-parliamentary committee, which met virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Its not clear that the government has completely given up the fiction that China is our friend, nor has it consistently summoned the courage to speak and act with integrity.

Referring to a letter signed in June by former federal ministers, diplomats, and academics urging the government to release Meng in exchange for the freedom of Kovrig and Spavor, Mulroney said, Powerfully placed Canadians continue to argue that if we appease China just one more time, all will be well.

Dangerous myopia about China is also evident among provincial and municipal governments, he said, noting the Ontario city of Markhams decision last year to raise the Chinese flag on that countrys national day.

Somethings wrong here and it has to change. People need to remember that the ultimate objective of foreign policy is not to flatter, not to obscure inconvenient truths, but to advance and protect Canadian interests and values.

Mulroney said hes not suggesting Canada should provoke or insult China. But he said Canada should reduce its dependence on Chinese trade by working with allies to establish new supply chains in vulnerable sectors and launching trade diversification efforts.

Ottawa should also take steps to combat Chinese interference in this country, adopting something like Australias Foreign Influence Transparency Act, he said. The act requires any citizen who chooses to work for a foreign entity and former politicians and diplomats who do anything to share their expertise with a foreign country to publicly report their activities.

Two other former ambassadors to China, John McCallum and Robert Wright, declined the committees invitation to appear. Committee members voted unanimously to summon both men at a later date.

Dr. Lobsang Sangay, president of the Central Tibetan Administration, spoke to the committee at length, outlining the threat the Chinese regime poses not only to Tibet but to the rest of the world.

The challenge posed by the Chinese Communist Party is very serious, he said. Either we transform China or China will transform us.

Sangay warned that some of tactics the CCP used to take control of Tibetsuch as influencing elites and institutions to ensure Beijing-friendly positions on pivotal issuesare now commonplace around the world.

What happened in Tibet could happen to you, he said.

Elite co-optationinfluencing politicians, influencing business people, intellectuals, mediaall these things are taking place. Having travelled from Ottawa to Norway to Sweden to Australia, I see this over and over again.

He cited the United Nations as an example of Beijings infiltration. China is the second-largest donor to the U.N. after the United States, and was recently appointed to a seat on the UN Human Rights Council despite being one of the worlds most prolific human rights abusers.

Sangay warned that China hopes to use its influence to restructure the United Nations so that key Beijing-friendly positions can influence policy.

They are trying to redefine human rights, he said. And if that is to continue then the human rights that we knowrights [that] are considered keywill be diluted.

Since Chinas appointment to the Human Rights Council in April, the regime has twice tried to deflect criticism on its human rights record at council sessionsonce over the arbitrary detention of 1 million Uighurs in reeducation camps in Xinjiang, and during another session that saw delegates from Beijing disrupt a discussion on Hong Kong.

With files from the Canadian Press
SINGAPORE Indian oil explorer ONGC has sold a Russian Sokol crude cargo loading Oct. 10-16 at a spot premium of around 70-80 cents a barrel to Dubai quotes, the lowest since May, trade sources said on Friday.

The buyer was a trading house, they said.

Asias physical oil market has weakened since last month due to weak demand including from China, with Cash Dubai and DME Oman prices flipping into discounts to Dubai swaps for the first time since end-May.

In the second half of last month, ONGC and ExxonMobil sold September-loading Sokol crude cargo at spot premiums of around $2.10-$2.50 a barrel to Dubai quotes.

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 white paper showed that China would focus on cyber and space warfare and joint military operation; develop 'long-range, precise, smart, stealthy and unmanned weapons'; and prioritise local and informationisation wars as 'in the foreseeable future, a world war is unlikely'

"War is a mere continuation of policy with other means" - Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz, Vom Kriege (On War)

Tweak this eternal definition of war by the Prussian general and military theorist a little, and the geopolitical and military strategy of the People's Republic of China is evident. 'Local' war is a mere continuation of 'geopolitics' with other means  this has become the guiding principle of China under President Xi Jinping.

The current Ladakh imbroglio and the past incursions by Beijing in the freezing heights, the increasing Chinese belligerence towards Hong Kong and Taiwan in recent years, and the continuous fierce military expansion in the oil and gas-rich South China Sea have their roots in China's 2015 White Paper on Defence.

The writing was on the wall in 2015. But the Pakistan-obsessed Narendra Modi government ignored the 2015 defence White Paper in particular and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in general.

In fact, the 2013 defence white paper was a precursor to Xi's intentions, specific emphasis on the modernisation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), alarm on the increasing US presence in the Indo-Pacific, and special mention of Taiwan and Tibet in the 2015 document. The document, released after Xi was elected president in 2013, stated the PLA will "win local wars under the conditions of informationisation"  increased use of information technology in short localised wars.

The 2015 white paper and transformation of PLA

The document was completely ignored by New Delhi and its generals, who were naive enough not to realise its significance. The PLA was tasked to "resolutely safeguard the unification of the motherland". To jog the Narendra Modi government's memory, Mao Zedong considered Tibet China's right palm and intended to liberate  rather, unite  its fingers: Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and the North East Frontier Agency (now Arunachal Pradesh).

The paper showed that China would focus on cyber and space warfare and joint military operation; develop "long-range, precise, smart, stealthy and unmanned weapons"; and prioritise local and informationisation wars as "in the foreseeable future, a world war is unlikely".

In the very same year, Xi carried out two major changes in PLA. He reduced the number of troops by 300,000 to two million to modernise the military and established the PLA Strategic Support Force (PLASSF), the cyber, space and electronic warfare service branch.

The following year, Xi reduced the number of PLA Theatre Commands from seven to five  Eastern (Nanjing), Southern (Guangzhou), Western Theater (Chengdu), Northern (Shenyang) and Central (Beijing)  to bring the military firmly under the control of the Party and the Central Military Commission, headed by him, and to "elevate its capabilities for precise, multi-dimensional, trans-theatre, multi-functional and sustainable operations".

The Western Theatre Command is the biggest with the Tibet Military Command (TMC) coming under the jurisdiction of the PLA. In an article published in 2016, Global Times said, "The Tibet Military Command bears great responsibility to prepare for possible conflicts between China and India.

One year after the reorganisation of the Commands, and putting the TMC under the PLAGF's jurisdiction, the Doka La stand-off occurred with India napping. Though Beijing blinked first and withdrew from the China-India-Bhutan tri-junction, it occupied the rest of the plateau and constructed permanent military structures and stationed troops.

Major Chinese future threats ignored

Local informationised war: Around four decades ago, Deng Xiaoping had predicted the unlikeliness of major wars or nuclear attacks; instead, he foresaw local wars  for example, the Kargil War  and wanted the PLA to transform accordingly. His successor, Jian Zemin, called for the PLA's transformation to win such wars under modern technology and preferring quality to quantity  as implemented by Xi.

Had India launched a military offensive against the PLA in eastern Ladakh after the Galwan River Valley clash, it would have been a "local informationised war" fought by China  geographically limited, speedy, short, with rapid integration and mobilisation of forces, highly destructive using lethal weapons and using C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance). China would have also used its anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks to cripple Indias weapons command and control systems, power and communications grids, and integrated cyber attacks that can hack our banks, government institutions and our emails. It would be a platform-integated war with PLAGF, PLA Navy, PLA Air Force, PLA Rocket Force and PLASSF networked closely.

" the [Chinese] armed forces will adhere to the principles of flexibility, mobility and self-dependence so that 'you fight your way and I fight my way'," the document says.

Western Theatre Command, especially TMC: The Western Theatre Command and the TMC should have raised a red flag in New Delhi for it was formed with the primary focus on India. It's not a coincidence that the Theatre Command chief General Zhao Zongqi is the architect of Doka La and the current Ladakh crisis.

Around 200,000 PLA combat-ready troops stationed in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) are fully acclimatised to the freezing weather, the artillery guns are calibrated according to the high altitude and China has built a complete ecosystem unlike the Indian Army, which has now moved its troops to the border areas of eastern Ladakh. It will take several months for our troops, primarily used to patrolling the LAC, to build an ecosystem and get acclimatised if India too wants to station them there permanently.

China has been conducting major training and sophisticated multi-dimensional military exercises involving the PLAGF and PLAAF in TAR for the last several years, even after the Ladakh crisis, that have strangely not rattled LoC- and counterinsurgency-obsessed India.

Global Times reported on 31 July that the TMC "recently conducted artillery exercises in high-altitude areas to test the army's long-range precision strikes and fire-assault capabilities in plateau environments," quoting Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Ren Guoqiang.

China also conducted integrated, joint and comprehensive drills on the Qinghia-Tibet plateau involving the Central Theatre Command, PLAGF, PLARF, armoured vehicles, Type 15 lightweight tanks and anti-tank HJ-10 missile systems, attack helicopters and an airborne brigade. "The main threat China faces on its border with India comes from Indian tanks and armoured vehicles, but the Type 15 tanks and HJ-10 anti-tank missiles are very strong counters," Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told Global Times.

Obviously, such massive integrated drills are precisely aimed at thwarting an Indian offensive. Thousands of troops from the Southern and Central Theatre Commands are now deployed in western China. According to Global Times, Chinese military experts say the drills showed that "the PLA can crush any aggression with land-air integrated joint operations". Forces from other theatre commands can also support the Western Command in case of an emergency, Song said.

Chinese cyberspace and electronic warfare capabilities: The 2015 paper further emphasised the importance of cyber warfare. "As cyberspace weighs more in military security, China will expedite the development of a cyber force". It is believed that China has around 50,000 cyber warriors to "ensure national network and information security, and maintain national security and social stability". According to reports, 40,000 cyber attacks were launched against India within days of the Galwan clash.

The PLA's Integrated Network and Electronic Warfare (INEW)  an integration of cyber warfare and electromagnetic warfare  aims to seize and cripple the enemy's information network at the beginning of a war. In all probability, the INEW will collect India's data, process it, paralyse our military's command and control centres  affecting our launch of ground- and sea-based missiles and jamming communication with fighter jets  and also launch kinetic attacks, like the Stuxnet virus that substantially damaged Irans Natanz uranium enrichment facility in 2010.

Non-nuclear EMP (NNEMP) attack: The 2015 document mentioned that China "will intensify training in complex electromagnetic environments". EMPs are massive bursts of electromagnetic pulses emitted during a nuclear or non-nuclear explosion  for example, the American Starfish Prime nuclear explosion over the Pacific in 1962, which knocked out streetlights and telephone lines and triggered radio blackouts as far as 1,400 km in Hawaii.

Since using a nuke would trigger global opprobrium, an NNEMP bomb or missile is the best option to jam radars, tanks, missiles, ships and planes by affecting their circuit boards.

When ships from the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier group sailed to the South China Sea in March, Song told Global Times that China could use electromagnetic weapons to temporarily paralyse their weapon and control systems.

According to a June 2020 report titled 'The People's Republic of China Military Doctrine, Plans, and Capabilities for Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack', issued by Peter Vincent Pry, executive director, EMP Task Force on National and Homeland Security, "China is on the verge of deploying or has already deployed hypersonic weapons that could potentially be armed with nuclear or non-nuclear EMP warheads, greatly increasing the threat of surprise attack against US forces in the Pacific."

China is the only country to have a naval railgun, which uses electromagnetic energy instead of gunpowder. The railgun can strike targets 124 miles away at a speed of up to 1.6 miles per second, CNBC reported in 2019.

Superiority in outer space weaponisation: China began focussing on developing superior space capabilities after noticing the US use of GPS in the 1991 Gulf War, known as the first 'space war'. Beijing had started developing its space capabilities much before releasing the 2015 document, which says, "China will keep abreast of the dynamics of outer space, deal with security threats and challenges in that domain."

In 2007, Beijing launched the SC-19 anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon, a modified form of its DF-21 missile, which destroyed a redundant Chinese FY-1C weather satellite at an altitude of 865 kilometres. The 2013 launch of China's ASAT missile Dong Neng-2, which almost reached the geosynchronous orbit by climbing about 30,000 kilometres, alarmed US.

India's latest test of an ASAT, as late as 2019, the Prithvi Defence Vehicle Mark-II, which can destroy satellites only in low earth orbit, shows how New Delhi lags Beijing in space weaponry. "It [the Indian ASAT weapon test] will not suffice to protect India's space assets during any major conflict with China," according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

In 2016, China launched the Aolong-1 satellite on 7 March reportedly to clean space debris. However, a researcher with the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing told the South China Morning Post that the satellite has the "potential to act as an anti-satellite weapon".

China is also developing laser systems to incapacitate enemy satellites in lower orbits. According to the report 'China Dream, Space Dream Chinas Progress in Space Technologies and Implications for the United States', prepared for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the Department of Defence concluded in 2006 that China had "at least, one ground-based laser designed to damage or blind imaging satellites".

Views expressed are personal 
KT said Friday its second-quarter net income rose 2.2 percent from the previous year on the back of reduced costs amid the pandemic and growing demand for its non-mobile services.







Net income reached 207.6 billion won ($174.7 million) in the April-June period, compared with 203 billion won the previous year, KT said in a regulatory filing.







Sales stood at 5.88 trillion won in the second quarter, down 3.6 percent year-on-year, weighed down by poor performances from its major subsidiaries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.







Cost-cutting efforts, however, helped offset the sales decline, according to the company, with operating expenses falling 4.7 percent to 5.5 trillion won over the same period.







KT's business-to-business service remained strong, with related sales standing at 701.1 billion won in the April-June period, up 2.4 percent year-on-year.







Sales from the company's artificial intelligence and digital business, which includes internet data center and cloud services, rose 16 percent to 139.4 billion won over the same period.







Its mobile business saw sales edge up just 0.6 percent year-on-year to 1.7 trillion won in the second quarter despite the number of 5G subscribers reaching 2.24 million as of the April-June period, from just 419,000 the previous year.







The mobile carrier said a decline in roaming plan sales was responsible for the weaker-than-expected result, as the pandemic halted air travel.







KT's credit card subsidiary BC Card reported 867.1 billion won in sales, down 1.5 percent over the same period, as consumers spent less during the pandemic.



Real estate subsidiary KT Estate Ltd. also saw sales fall 7.9 percent to 104.4 billion won. (Yonhap)


Christian athlete, Katie Spotz, 33, is known for being the youngest person to row alone across the Atlantic ocean. She has attempted great feats and now is planning to run 130 miles non-stop across the state of Maine to raise money for Lifewater International.

Spotz's challenge will take place on Sept. 5. She testified how her faith in God has fueled her adventures with a new meaning.

"I've done different challenges like swimming and rowing, and now it's a chance to run for water," Spotz said in an interview with The Christian Post. "When God sees people having clean water, it brings a smile to His face. Providing clean water is an extension of how I believe God wants us to live."

Spotz admitted that her motivation to attempt great feats were a means to ease anxiety and feel justified. She sought a sense of accomplishment through the success of her challenges.

"When you don't know God, something else becomes it. For me it was achievement, I bought the lies of achievement," Spotz said. "I had this extreme thirst for more and this discontentment. I did not get that promise achievement could bring."

Spotz concluded that the sense of achievement is nothing next to God's love. She became a Christian after having a conversation about God with a friend and later being invited to church by that same friend. It completely changed her life.

"When you're no longer attached to 'love is earned,' it frees you to receive this never-ending love," she said. "Before I was running on fear. Now I'm running on joy. There's no words that can justify how good and amazing God is ... we constantly witness God's goodness and love and if that's not an adventure, I don't know what is."

Spotz will be the first person to run across the state of Maine. She is currently the only woman to have run across New Hampshire and Vermont.
TAIPEI, Taiwan  In China, WeChat does more than any app rightfully should. People use it to talk, shop, share photos, pay bills, get their news and send money.

With much of the Chinese internet locked behind a wall of filters and censors, the countrys everything app is also one of the few digital bridges connecting China to the rest of the world. It is the way exchange students talk to their families, immigrants keep up with relatives and much of the Chinese diaspora swaps memes, gossip and videos.

Now, that bridge is threatening to crumble.

Late Thursday, the Trump administration issued an executive order that could pull Chinas most important app from Apple and Google stores across the world and prevent American companies from doing business with its parent company, Tencent. Light on details, the decree could prove cosmetic, crushing or something in between.

If enforced strongly when it takes effect in 45 days, the order will take dead aim at Chinas single most groundbreaking internet product, which 1.2 billion people use every month. An effective ban on the app in the United States would cut short millions of conversations between investors, business partners, family members and friends. The threat alone will likely start a new chapter in the deepening standoff between China and the United States over the future of technology.
Joan Schumaker-Chaddes body of work is a lot like Lake Superior: the list of attributes, no matter how complete, cant fully articulate its depth and breadth.

Chaddes 25-year history of serving teachers and students across the state of Michigan with original and impactful outreach has been recognized with the 2020 Michigan Tech Diversity Award.

About the Award Established in 2014, Michigan Techs Diversity Award showcases Michigan Tech faculty and staff who demonstrate exemplary commitment to initiatives that forward diversity and inclusion. Their contributions come in many forms, including recruitment, retention, teaching, research, multicultural programming, cultural competency and community outreach. The Diversity Award winner receives a $2,500 award and is honored during the annual Faculty Awards celebration in September. All are welcome to submit Diversity Award nominations, which are due by late May each year.

As a founding member of both the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the statewide Michigan Alliance for Environmental & Outdoor Education (2016-present), and the Michigan Tech Civil and Environmental Engineering Diversity and Inclusion committee (2018-present), Chadde is most in her element when shes outdoors. But her work also requires resourcefulness and tenacity in the office: Its one thing to craft and operate programs and another thing entirely to fund them. Chadde excels at both.

As Director of the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach for the past 25 years, Chadde expands Michigan Techs educational influence far beyond our campus boundaries, said Diversity Council Chair and Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Audrey Mayer. Her Centers programming for K-12 students from Calumet to Detroit draws new generations to STEM fields every year.

She has ensured that all K-12 students can see a STEM future for themselves by connecting them with Michigan Tech student members of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Hispanic Engineers, Mayer said, referring to Chaddes organization of Michigan Techs Alternative Spring Break projects, in which students flip the traditional beach vacation script to embark on social justice, humanitarian and educational missions.

About the Awardee Joan Chadde-Schumaker jchadde@mtu.edu

906-487-3341 Areas of Expertise Great Lakes education and stewardship

Watershed management ; stream monitoring

Environmental education

Elementary engineering and STEM education

K-12 science education

K-12 teacher professional development

Communicating Science to a lay audience Researcher Profile

In this Q&A, Chadde reflects on more than two decades of raising STEM education awareness and bringing environmental and engineering programs to underrepresented communities  an apt illustration of how a body of work speaks volumes.

Q: What's your personal definition of diversity and inclusion?

JSC: Diversity means having people of diverse backgrounds  cultural, racial, ethnic, economic and other experiences  participate and/or benefit in whatever the activity or community might be. Diversity suggests a wealth of new ideas that enrich and improve our lives. Inclusion means making people feel welcome and valued.

There is an additional dimension to both diversity and inclusion: equity. Equity is vital to diversity and inclusion because it connects to justice. Places, programs and opportunities need to be equally accessible to all, and all participants must have an equal chance of success.

Q: What is the work you do, specifically related to diversity and inclusion?

JSC: I've worked on a range of programs focused on diversity and inclusion for K-12 teachers and students in Michigan and enlisting MTU students to help since 2008. As the director of a wholly grant-funded Center established in 1991, Ive had the opportunity to design my own projects and then seek funding. We focus on environmental and STEM education.

I began increasing our concentration on reaching underrepresented students in 2008  its grown to be a large part of my work. In the past 12 years, we have delivered programs to Native American students in the Upper Peninsula, and Black and Latinx students in downstate urban areas where there are more people and a great need. Weve provided dozens of programs for students and teachers in Detroit.

"We are so lucky to have Joan Schumaker-Chadde, a passionate and successful STEM outreach professional. By 2019, her programs had reached more than 10,000 K-12 students, teachers and community members per year." Audrey Mayer, Michigan Tech Interim Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Diversity Council Chair

Teaching the Teachers For young people, the opportunity to see someone who looks like you leading and succeeding opens the doors to possibilities. When it comes to recruiting and retaining Black, Indigenous and other people of color into the teaching profession, Chadde says progress has been made, but more needs to be done. As an example, consider Michigans largest city, Detroit  most recent population estimate 667,272 and three times larger than the second-largest city, Grand Rapids. Detroits 2014-15 school year demographics were 83% Black, 13% Hispanic, 2% white and 2% other, while Michigan's overall student population is 18% Black. Like the rest of the U.S., the state of Michigans teaching force is predominantly composed of white teachers (92%), with the next largest group, Black/African American teachers, comprising only 6% of teachers and all other underrepresented groups (1% or less). In Detroit schools, 82% of the students are Black compared with 67% of teachers.

Q: You work with both educators and students. Whats most rewarding about each? Whats challenging?

JSC: At a virtual meeting just last week, a Detroit public school teacher commented, Joan Chaddes workshops and field trips inspired me to start teaching outside the walls of my brick and mortar classroom. Another Detroit teacher who has participated in several of our environmental education workshops at the Belle Isle Nature Center in Detroit beginning in 2014 has grown immensely professionally, presenting at education conferences and taking on other leadership roles as well attending teacher trainings from Maine to Wyoming. Shes applying to PhD programs  I wrote her a letter of recommendation!

Its very satisfying to see underrepresented students get excited about outdoor recreation. Some have never had the opportunity to mountain bike, kayak and hike  spending time outdoors can help get them interested in natural resource or engineering careers theyve never been exposed to before. As a teacher friend says, We have to get students to love the resource before they will want to protect (steward) it.

I work with two Black natural resource professionals from Detroit who come to MTU to mentor high school youth during a week on campus. This is a huge value-added opportunity, as they provide continuity by continuing the mentoring relationship when they return to Detroit. Also, because MTU has few faculty and staff who look like the students, its critical for them to have role models that they can relate to.

"I find myself playing the role of facilitator. I am not the best messenger, but I can connect the students to a person they can trust." Joan Schumaker-Chadde

Last summer, we had an amazing group of 13 high school STEM interns at Michigan Tech who participated in the five-day internships on a wide variety of topics. Many kudos to the faculty, graduate students and departments and colleges who helped to make this possible. On the last day, the students gave short presentations about what they learned. Their grasp of the subjects were sometimes over my head!

Chadde and the 13 high school STEM interns from across Michigan celebrate after their last-day presentations describing their research and campus experiences. (All story images courtesy Joan Chadde-Schumaker)

"From Detroit to the Western UP, Joan has worked tirelessly to bring opportunities to underserved students and educators in her work directing the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach. The Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative is only one part of her work. She's worked hard to expand learning about Anishinaabe culture, natural resources and history through several LSSI workshops and has secured funding to transport students from L'Anse, Baraga, Watersmeet, Hannahville, etc. to campus for LSSI's Water Festival."



Lloyd Wescoat, K-12 Education Programming, Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative

Q: What are the challenges the programs face?

JSC: It is always challenging to find the necessary funds to do these programs  a lot of grant writing is essential. I am grateful to the many Michigan Tech departments and colleges who provide financial support and cost share when asked. In addition, many of my programs depend upon Michigan Tech faculty to be presenters. MTU faculty were essential in being able to provide five-day STEM internships on campus. It was a big ask, because they had to host the interns. Each department provided $600 per intern to cover rooms, meals and transportation.

"Joan's passion, creativity and perseverance are clearly demonstrated by the wide variety of programming, audiences, geographic areas and partners she has touched." Beth Lunde, Executive Director, MTU Office of Institutional Equity

Her own love and respect for the environment has guided Chadde's educational outreach mission. "The natural resource career path is the least diverse," she notes. "It's essential to inspire youth to consider careers in water and air quality, forestry, wildlife, fisheries, environmental engineering and more."

Q: Youre also Michigans 2020 Informal Science Educator of the Year. Ive experienced firsthand that you know how to organize an outstanding field trip! What are some of the most interesting excursions youve organized for educators? For young people?

JSC: The most interesting excursions I organized for educators were the five-day traveling summer institutes. I organized at least a half dozen Maritime Transportation Teacher Institutes  every summer from 2006 to 2013. For a few years, I conducted two per summer! I moved the institutes around, from Duluth, Minnesota, to Door County, Wisconsin, to Toledo, Ohio, and the eastern UP.

"I'd pile 12 teachers in a MTU van and it felt like we were off on vacation!" Joan Schumaker-Chadde



It was all super fun! Its enjoyable to reflect on these now, but they were a ton of work! I was pretty much a one-person show to keep costs down: making all of the arrangements, planning the itinerary, managing the budget, recruiting the teachers, grading their lessons and writing the grant report. But it was all worth it for the teachers and for me!

Natural resources and engineering educators atop the Keweenaw Peninsula's Brockway Mountain.

For young people, I felt the six-day Natural Resource and Engineering Exploration Program (2015-2019) was very worthwhile. I worked with Detroit partners Lisa Perez with the U.S. Forest Service Urban Connections Program and Mike Reed with the Detroit Zoological Society as well as Bruce Ross in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to bring 20 underrepresented high school students to the Upper Peninsula and Michigan Tech to explore STEM career opportunities. Again, it was a lot of work to raise the funds, recruit the students, design the program, invite the presenters and coordinate the program on campus.

"I have always believed in respecting and working to ensure all people's rights to live in an equitable society." Joan Schumaker-Chadde

Mike Reed, shown here with Cass Tech students, is a long-time colleague as well as an inspiration for Chadde about the power of connecting young people with mentors who look like them.

Q: What (or who) inspires you to dedicate time to improving diversity and inclusion at Michigan Tech, and across the state and nation?

JSC: Mike Reed, curator of education and informal programs for Detroit Zoological Society (DZS), has been a terrific partner and colleague for more than 10 years. He was the director of the DZS Belle Isle Nature Center when we first met. Weve hosted more than three dozen teacher workshops there. Mike is a window into the reality that Black people face each day. It is strange (shocking!) to realize that people of color and women are still having to break glass ceilings in the United States in 2020. Mike has helped recruit Black high school students to participate in the six-day Natural Resource and Engineering Career Exploration at MTU for the past five years. He is a super Michigan Tech cheerleader, who has been attending the MTU A-4 (African American Alumni Association) Picnic in Detroit for the past five years at the Detroit Yacht Club. The picnic is attended by African-American alumni, current students and prospective students and their parents. Mike advises that it's important to remember that were recruiting parents as much as students. Parents have to feel confident that MTU is a welcoming place for their child.

Its essential that students can see themselves in engineering and natural resource careers, and feel welcome. Detroit has both the largest number and largest percentage of Black residents in the U.S. I am hopeful that Michigan Tech will have an office in Detroit sooner rather than later to be more visible to parents and students. Many other Michigan Universities have a presence in the D.

Q: What opportunities does this award open up?

JSC: This award is affirming of the work that Ive done for the past decade and longer. I am appreciative of Michigan Techs acknowledgement and support. I hope this opens some doors and that the publicity spawns some new partners.

About MTU Diversity Initiatives From student groups to University-wide councils, Michigan Tech is committed to furthering diversity and inclusion. Learn more about the Tech Forward initiative, and review these diversity and inclusion opportunities and programs showcased by the College of Engineering.

Q: Diversity and inclusion are as much a part of the public dialogue as theyve ever been. Were at a moment in time when theres a discernible shift in acknowledging systemic racism and taking action to make permanent change. How can we as a campus community move forward?

JSC: We need more Black, Latinx and Native American students on campus  and they have the same need as the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach  funding! Incoming students need to receive full scholarships. A college education is a ticket to a better future, but not if it means going into debt in a big way. Students from groups who have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education can find it harder to get a job due to systemic racism in the workplace, so for them, pursuing a college degree has the potential to be an even greater financial risk.

Systemic racism is a centuries-old problem that is going to take a long time to fully address. We need to keep working diligently. Many students are the first in their family to attend college. They need support getting to college, staying in college and navigating careers after college.

Communication is key: Providing programs to help faculty, staff and students look inside themselves and gain a greater understanding of their role in continuing racism is an essential step.

And, finally, its also vital to work with our youngest children and provide opportunities for elementary students to have diverse teachers and presenters, and interact with diverse students, so they are comfortable and see it as the norm. Teachers can post diverse faces of scientists, engineers, writers, artists, etc. in their classroom. The message is powerful: Showing a greater variety of people provides more perspectives, creativity and a more effective team to tackle our country and the worlds challenges.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, the University offers more than 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
Joe Biden is reportedly considering Barack Obamas former national-security adviser Susan Rice to be his running mate. National Reviews Jim Geraghty recently told us 20 Things You Probably Didnt Know About Susan Rice.

I worked with Rice during the Clinton administration and have five more things the public needs to know.

1. Rice was obsessed with U.N. peacekeeping to solve world conflicts. Rice was a key architect of a disastrous Clinton-administration policy  Presidential Decision Directive 25. PDD-25, as the document was called, sought to implement assertive multilateralism to address all global conflicts with U.N. peacekeepers. This concept, the brainchild of Rices mentor Madeleine Albright, former ambassador to the United Nations, rested on the assumption that due to the end of the Cold War, the U.S. and U.N. peacekeepers could be used to address global conflicts instead of U.S. troops. PDD-25 was so radical that at one point an early draft advocated giving the U.N. the ability to tax international phone calls to pay for new peacekeeping missions. Assertive multilateralism was a spectacular failure since it led to the deployment of lightly armed, often poorly disciplined U.N. peacekeepers in war zones such as Bosnia, Haiti, Liberia, and Somalia, where many were killed or taken hostage.

2. Rice disliked hearing opposing views. As part of my duties as a CIA analyst covering U.N. issues, I briefed Susan Rice on classified and unclassified information related to her job. It was clear that she was not interested in  and objected to  hearing intelligence that contradicted her personal views. She and her NSC boss Richard Clarke were determined to ram through PDD-25 and tried to silence officers from other government agencies (including myself) who expressed skepticism about deploying U.N. peacekeepers to war zones and civil wars. Rice also made clear to me that she did not want to hear about U.N. waste and corruption. During the one occasion when I tried to brief her on an incident of serious U.N. corruption, she cut me off by saying, Do you know how much a B-1 bomber costs? Her point was she did not care how much money the U.N. wasted because she believed the U.S. government wasted more.

Story continues

3. Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice did not get along because Rice refused to abide by the State Departments chain of command. There were many reasons for tension between thensecretary of state Hillary Clinton and Rice, who at that time was U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Rice had been a close adviser to Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, when Clinton ran against him. Obama gave Clinton the post of secretary of state, but the two were not close. Rice, on the other hand, received the plum job of ambassador to the U.N., maintained her close relationship with Obama, and was given cabinet rank equal to that of Clinton. Rices tendency to go around Clinton and the State bureaucracy to work directly with the White House caused considerable tension with the secretary of state and her staff. A State Department officer who worked with Rice in the 1990s told me that the relationship between Clinton and Rice and their staffs was poisonous.

While its easy to understand why anyone would have poisonous relations with Hillary Clinton, this high-stakes history raises questions as to whether Rice would assume the proper back-set role of a vice president under Joe Biden, or whether she would seek to usurp the mentally declining presidential nominee and use him as a Trojan horse to make herself de facto president in terms of foreign policy and national security.

4. Rice, not Clinton, took the fall for the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi because Clinton outsmarted her. One of the low points of Susan Rices career was when she appeared on five Sunday-morning talk shows on September 16, 2012, and made several inaccurate claims about the attack five days before on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the death of U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens and others. Rices disastrous conduct included making the widely discredited, false claim that the attack was in response to an obscure anti-Muslim video and was not a pre-planned act of jihadist terrorism intended to coincide with the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacks on the United States. Rice received so much criticism for these farcical interviews that they scuttled her bid to be nominated to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Geraghty quoted an unnamed Obama official who said Rices interviews were dishonest and driven by ego. From my own experience, I believe this was the case. Its also important to note how unusual it was for the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. to do these sensitive interviews instead of the secretary of state. Clinton declined to respond when invited, almost certainly because she knew that such an interview was a hopeless assignment. She also did not warn Rice  effectively letting her rival walk into this media trap. Rices mother, Lois Dickson Rice, realized this before the interviews and told her daughter: Why do you have to go on the shows? Where is Hillary? I smell a rat.

Clintons outmaneuvering of the egotistical and intemperate Rice on the Benghazi interviews raises serious questions about how Rice would fare in dealing with wily and cunning U.S. adversaries such as Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un, especially since she could be running U.S. foreign policy as vice president with Bidens mental decline.

5. Rice was a key player in the Clinton administrations bungling of African conflicts and genocide. Geraghty recounts how Rice suggested during a teleconference that the U.S. government should not use the term genocide to describe the 1994 massacre of about 800,000 ethnic Tutsis in Rwanda because of the effect this term could have on the 1994 midterm election. I worked on related issues for the CIA at the time and remember the CIA being pressured not to call these killings genocide. While I dont doubt that Rice made this argument, I remember other Clinton officials also said this at the time. Rice and other Clinton loyalists also prevented the U.N. from taking any action in Rwanda  contrary to what Rice would have argued in PDD-25  because they feared it would play into the hands of congressional Republicans who had harshly criticized the Clinton administrations series of U.N. peacekeeping fiascos.

Rice also has been accused of condoning an invasion of the Democratic Republic of Congo led by Rwanda and supported by Uganda in the late 1990s. In response to concerns about this intervention in Congo and reports of genocide, Howard W. French, a former correspondent for the New York Times, wrote that Rice said, the only thing we have to do is look the other way.

Geraghty wrote that Rices mishandling of Rwanda and Congo continued during the Obama administration, when she softened the U.S. response to mass killings in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and [Rwandan President Paul] Kagames support of violent rebel forces.

Although Rice later expressed regret over her poor judgment on the 1994 Rwanda genocide, she played a central role in two other major African humanitarian catastrophes. Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens wrote in 2012 that Rice tried to mediate a peace agreement in 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea, its former province. After she announced a final peace plan that Eritrea had not agreed to, the peace talks broke down and each country bombed the others capital. This was such a diplomatic disaster that Rice reportedly was summoned back to Washington and put on probation by a furious Secretary of State Albright. According to Stephens, an estimated 100,000 people would perish in the war that Ms. Rice so ineptly failed to end.

Rice also played a central role in an absurd and deadly peace plan in Sierra Leone that released a psychotic rebel leader named Foday Sankoh from prison and made him Sierra Leones vice president under the Lome Agreement of 1999. Sankohs rebel group, the RUF, which had a reputation for mass rapes and amputations, was given amnesty for all crimes. The agreement resulted in a catastrophe because Sankoh immediately began to reorganize his rebel force after he was released from prison and his fighters resumed killing and maiming civilians. The RUF refused to allow a U.N. peacekeeping force into rebel-held areas and took 500 peacekeepers hostage. The Clinton administration was afraid to resolve the disaster, so the U.N. turned to the United Kingdom, the former colonial power. British troops routed the RUF and arrested Sankoh. A fragile democracy was created in the country, and it endures today. Former U.K. prime minister Tony Blair is regarded as a hero in Sierra Leone for ousting Sankoh and his bloodthirsty thugs.

It is hard to imagine that any national-security official who played a role in just one of these humanitarian disasters would ever serve in government again. But Susan Rice is a Democrat and the mainstream media will never hold her accountable.

Rices career shows over 20 years of bad judgment and ill-informed policy positions that have damaged U.S. national security and contributed to humanitarian disasters and genocide.

Rice as vice president under a doddering President Biden could be a recipe for national-security chaos and disaster.

More from National Review
DMK president M K Stalin and party leaders paid floral tributes at the memorial of M Karunanidhi here on Friday on the leaders second death anniversary.

Stalin, flanked by senior leaders including Duraimurugan, andT R Baalu showered flower petals at the decked up memorial of Karunanidhi on Marina beach.

The DMK chief also visited the Gopalapuram residence of the late leader here, party headquarters Anna Arivalayam, and garlandedthe decorated portraits of the former Chief Minister.

Stalin, through a virtual link, unveiled a statue of Karunanidhi at hisnative Tirukkuvalai in Tiruvarur district and distributed welfare assistance to anti-COVID frontline workers including nurses.

Party MP Kanimozhi, former State Minister K N Nehru were among those who participated in the anniversary event.

In Puducherry, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy led the Union Territory to pay tributes to the DMK patriarch on the occasion.

Karunanidhi died in Chennai on August 7, 2018.
Maybe it will come as a huge relief to learn that the Bank of England is no longer forecasting the worst downturn in 300 years and only the biggest for a century but then again maybe not.

Doomy historical comparisons are one way of illustrating the scale of the crisis. But our economy, from Amazon to Zoom, bears very little resemblance to that in the reign of King George I.

Though I suppose in fairness I should point out that 1720 was the year of the South Sea Bubble, a story of crazy government borrowing, boom and bust that has been a template for financial folly ever since. Things have also changed a bit since 1920.

An audit by the Daily Mail has found that since lockdown began more than 130,000 jobs at leading firms are facing the axe, and those are just the ones we know about

In the here and now, the Bank is warning that vulnerable firms face a formidable cash-flow crisis, and that there will be more insolvencies and more job losses.

An audit by the Daily Mail has found that since lockdown began more than 130,000 jobs at leading firms are facing the axe, and those are just the ones we know about.

Most people are employed by small and medium-sized companies where redundancies slip below the radar and only show up later in the statistics.

The Bank's prognosis for unemployment of 7.5 per cent is actually quite optimistic and lower than in the aftermath of the financial crisis when it ran above 8 per cent. Most other analysts are pitching higher.

The Bank's forecasting is based on input from a network of regional agents and must be taken seriously, but it is not infallible.

Early in his tenure, Mark Carney, the previous governor, was way off in his expectations for unemployment, which fell far faster than he anticipated.

Economic predictions have less chance than usual of being even vaguely accurate under current conditions.

It isn't just economists being incompetent. The data is not as comprehensive as it usually is because fewer firms are responding to surveys.

Government policy is in crisis mode and harder to predict than normal and, of course, much depends on the behaviour of the virus.

Which is all a rather long way of saying: everyone knows the economy will take a horrible hit, but no one knows exactly how horrible.

What we do know is that if we want to reduce the level of job losses and economic harm, we need to get back to work.

And, as far as is safely possible, this should be in offices, factories and shops, not attics and kitchen tables.

Viva Amanda

More than half a million private investors in Aviva are pinning hopes on new boss Amanda Blanc.

The company, and its shares, have struggled in the past five years.

Previous chief executive Maurice Tulloch failed to articulate a distinctive strategy as did his predecessor.

The plan from Blanc is to become Britain's leading insurer and to focus on Aviva's strongest markets, namely the UK, Ireland and Canada. Other parts of the international empire will be scaled back.

She won't, as some have speculated, split the UK general insurance business from the life assurance side.

That's an idea that has done the rounds for some time, but diversification is more efficient from a capital point of view.

Aviva, which was formed out of a constellation of businesses including Norwich Union and General Accident, has a great heritage and has been doing a good job for customers.

It has not managed so far to convert that into a payday for investors, who will also be disappointed at hints the dividend will be cut. It will be a tough job to succeed where her male predecessors have stumbled, but Blanc has already injected a dose of energy and verve.

Ivan's lost divi

Not much sympathy, I expect, for Ivan Glasenberg, the chief executive of commodities giant Glencore, who has missed out on around 180million of dividends and who yesterday made paper share losses of around the same again.

His pay arrangements are, however, amongst the most sensible in the FTSE 100. Indeed, his package, which all told adds up to a relatively modest 1.1million, puts him at the bottom end of the remuneration league.

As one of the architects of Glencore, he has a substantial shareholding in the business and relies on that for his rewards, so his interests and those of other investors are far better aligned than in many big companies.

He may be a billionaire, but he is an entrepreneur and not your conventional fat cat.
New Delhi: At least 15 people were killed and several others injured when a Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight with 190 passengers and crew skidded off the runway at Karipur airport in Kozhikode, Kerala on Friday (August 7) evening. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan deputed state minister A C Moideen to coordinate the rescue operations.

Helpline numbers have been issued by the Kerala government, Air India, and other agencies to assist people to seek information about the travelers on the board.

Air India Express established helpline number in Sharjah --0097165970303 for people to get updates.

The helpline numbers released in Dubai are 056 546 3903, 0543090572, 0543090572, 0543090575.

A helpline Control room activated for information at the Karipur Airport after the plane skidded off the runway.

The people can call up at 04832719493.

In a tweet, the Kerala Chief Minister released helpline numbers saying "These numbers will assist you in providing information about passengers who were on the Air india Express AXB1344 from @DXB to CCJ."

The numbers are:

Airport Control Room - 0483 2719493

Malappuram Collectorate - 0483 2736320

Kozhikode Collectorate - 0495 2376901

Helplines are open. #CCJaccident These numbers will assist you in providing information about passengers who were on the Air india Express AXB1344 from @DXB to CCJ. Airport Control Room - 0483 2719493

Malappuram Collectorate - 0483 2736320

Kozhikode Collectorate - 0495 2376901 pic.twitter.com/aPjh8ujav4  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 7, 2020

Kozhikode Collector said that relatives of passengers on board the flight can contact the following helpline for inquiries: 0495-2376901.

Accident victims may contact the two numbers below to know the hospitals in which injured are admitted:

Kozhikode Medical College - 8547616121

Baby Memorial Hospital - 9388955466, 8547754909

Mims Hospital - 9447636145, 9846338846

Maithra Hospital - 9446344326

Beach Hospital - 9846042881, 8547616019

The Kerala Chief Minister released three more numbers to help people. He tweeted, "Three more helpline numbers have been added. Contact these numbers for information on passengers of Air India flight AXB1344 (@DXB to Kozhikode International airport - CCJ) "

Three more helpline numbers have been added. Contact these numbers for information on passengers of Air india flight AXB1344 (@DXB to Kozhikode International airport - CCJ) Kozhikode Control Room

0495 2376900

0495 2376901

0495 2376902 pic.twitter.com/BNUJ1zR3kw  Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) August 7, 2020

The Civil Aviation Ministry, however, said the flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai overshot runway at Kozhikode at 7.41 PM on Friday. "No fire reported at the time of landing," it noted.

The ministry said that there were 174 passengers, 10 Infants, 2 Pilots, and 5 cabin crew onboard the aircraft, adding "As per the initial reports rescue operations are on and passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care. We will soon share the update in this regard."

Help centers are also being set up in Sharjah and Dubai, the statement added.
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Linkedin Jeffrey D. Sachs (The Jakarta Post) Project Syndicate/New York  Fri, August 7, 2020 08:26 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3586f 3 Opinion united-states,China,Mike-Pompeo Free

Many white Christian evangelicals in the United States have long believed that America has a God-given mission to save the world. Under the influence of this crusading mentality, US foreign policy has often swerved from diplomacy to war. It is in danger of doing so again.

Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched yet another evangelical crusade, this time against China. His speech was extremist, simplistic, and dangerous  and may well put the US on a path to conflict with China.

According to Pompeo, Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China (CPC) harbor a decades-long desire for global hegemony. This is ironic. Only one country  the US  has a defense strategy calling for it to be the preeminent military power in the world, with favorable regional balances of power in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the Western Hemisphere. Chinas defense white paper, by contrast, states that China will never follow the beaten track of big powers in seeking hegemony, and that, As economic globalization, the information society, and cultural diversification develop in an increasingly multipolar world, peace, development, and win-win cooperation remain the irreversible trends of the times.

One is reminded of Jesuss own admonition: Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye (Matthew 7:5). US military spending totaled US$732 billion in 2019, nearly three times the $261 billion China spent.

The US, moreover, has around 800 overseas military bases, while China has just one (a small naval base in Djibouti). The US has many military bases close to China, which has none anywhere near the US. The US has 5,800 nuclear warheads; China has roughly 320. The US has 11 aircraft carriers; China has one. The US has launched many overseas wars in the past 40 years; China has launched none (though it has been criticized for border skirmishes, most recently with India, that stop short of war).

The US has repeatedly rejected or withdrawn from United Nations treaties and UN organizations in recent years, including UNESCO, the Paris climate agreement, and, most recently, the World Health Organization, while China supports UN processes and agencies. US President Donald Trump recently threatened the staff of the International Criminal Court with sanctions.

The world took relatively little notice of Pompeos speech, which offered no evidence to back up his claims of Chinas hegemonic ambition. Chinas rejection of US hegemony does not mean that China itself seeks hegemony. Indeed, outside of the US, there is little belief that China aims for global dominance. Chinas explicitly stated national goals are to be a moderately prosperous society by 2021 (the centenary of the CPC), and a fully developed country by 2049 (the centennial of the Peoples Republic).

Assuming that Trump loses in Novembers presidential election, Pompeos speech will likely receive no further notice. The Democrats will surely criticize China, but without Pompeos brazen exaggerations. Yet, if Trump wins, Pompeos speech could be a harbinger of chaos. Pompeos evangelism is real, and white evangelicals are the political base of todays Republican Party.

Pompeos zealous excesses have deep roots in American history. As I recounted in my recent book A New Foreign Policy, English protestant settlers believed that they were founding a New Israel in the new promised land, with Gods providential blessings. In 1845, John OSullivan coined the phrase Manifest Destiny to justify and celebrate Americas violent annexation of North America. All this will be our future history, he wrote in 1839, to establish on earth the moral dignity and salvation of man  the immutable truth and beneficence of God. For this blessed mission to the nations of the world, which are shut out from the life-giving light of truth, has America been chosen [...].

On the basis of such exalted views of its own beneficence, the US engaged in mass enslavement until the Civil War and mass apartheid thereafter; slaughtered Native Americans throughout the 19th century and subjugated them thereafter; and, with the closure of the Western frontier, extended Manifest Destiny overseas. Later, with the onset of the Cold War, anti-communist fervor led the US to fight disastrous wars in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) in the 1960s and 1970s, and brutal wars in Central America in the 1980s.

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the evangelical ardor was directed against radical Islam or Islamic fascism, with four US wars of choice  in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Libya  all of which remain debacles to this day. Suddenly, the supposed existential threat of radical Islam has been forgotten, and the new crusade targets the CPC.

Pompeos inflammatory anti-China rhetoric could become even more apocalyptic in the coming weeks, if only to fire up the Republican base ahead of the election. If Trump is defeated, as seems likely, the risk of a US confrontation with China will recede. But if he remains in power, whether by a true electoral victory, vote fraud, or even a coup (anything is possible), Pompeos crusade would probably proceed, and could well bring the world to the brink of a war that he expects and perhaps even seeks.

-------

Professor of sustainable development and professor of health Policy and management at Columbia University, and director of Columbias Center for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
07.08.2020 LISTEN

The Proprietor of the Bright Senior High School in Kukurantumi, Bright Amponsah has been granted bail following his allegedly inciting of final year students to attack WAEC officials invigilating the ongoing WASSCE examination at the school.

He was picked up together with four teachers of the school by police officers from the Koforidua Divisional Command assisted by the Tafo Police.

The Eastern Region Police Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Gyabah David told Citi News the suspects have been granted bail with a surety each to reappear at the Regional Police Command where the necessary charges will be levelled against them.

Due to the incident that happened yesterday in which there were some disturbances by the students and some other workers on the WAEC officials, today the Police went there and we have been able to arrest the proprietor and four others.

We have cautioned them on assault and causing damage and we have granted them bail to report on Monday and then we will look at the appropriate charges for them so that they can be arraigned.

Meanwhile, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has relocated the examination centre at the school to Ofori Panin Senior High School.

This is to ensure the integrity of the examination and safeguard the lives of examination officials according to WAEC.

The Council also promised to take legal action against any person involved in compromising the integrity of the examination in any manner in future incidents.

WAEC wishes to use this opportunity to encourage all supervisors and invigilators to continue to be vigilant and carry out their duties diligently and without fear.

---citinewsroom
This article was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has canceled its coming quarterly visit to the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, citing the perils of travel during the pandemic, making for its longest absence from the prison since it opened in January 2002.

The humanitarian organization, based in Geneva, last visited the 40 wartime detainees in early March. A delegation typically includes a medical officer and delivers mail, relays messages from families and raises concerns with the American military through confidential conversations.

But Elizabeth Gorman Shaw, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Washington, said on Friday that it had made the difficult choice of canceling its second quarterly visit of the year due to increased risks of Covid-19.

The record-high infection rate, coupled with international air travel risk and logistical constraints, were major concerns that led the I.C.R.C. to make this decision, she added.
The University of Arizona has identified at least 12 coronavirus metrics that will help it decide whether activities should be ramped up or ultimately shut down, officials say.

Internally, the UA will address: seven-day averages of confirmed coronavirus cases and positive diagnostic tests from on-campus random sampling; percentage of tests returned in 48 hours or less; percentage of Campus Health appointments completed in 24 or less; percentage of contract tracing investigations started within 48 hours of identifying a case; and percent of dormitory isolation space.

The external factors are: seven-day trends of confirmed cases and inpatients in county hospitals; the use of intensive-care unit and non-ICU beds occupied in Pima County; the countys testing capacity with results in around 48 hours; and the seven-day average of positive diagnostic tests reported to Pima County.

These are the kinds of issues we knew we had to track, but now were getting better at tracking them because our public-health scientists have put a lot of effort into defining those trigger points that will help us decide do we move forward or do we stop right now because maybe it isnt safe to move forward, said Richard Carmona, leader of UAs reentry taskforce, during a press conference Thursday.

Both Carmona and President Robert C. Robbins shared their optimism about the downward trend in positive cases week-over-week.
He produced a performance chart showing how the Vietnamese fresh graduates started at about 70 per cent the level of their Japanese experienced programmers. Then after three years training by Japanese experts including a year in Japan, the chart showed the Vietnamese programmers well over 90 per cent. I asked him that if that performance line progressed and the Vietnamese overtook the Japanese, would the training program be reversed and the Japanese would be taught by the Vietnamese? He thought I was joking, but I was absolutely serious.

By Colin Blackwell - Founder at Enablecode and chairman of HR Committee Vietnam Business Forum

I know many of the top global multinational companies whose best performing country in the world is Vietnam. They totally attribute this to the performance of their Vietnamese staff being better than anyone else. Hence they have delegations of Americans, Europeans and yes Japanese coming to Vietnam on fact-finding missions to see how the Vietnamese perform so well. I have heard of this especially in sectors such as technology research, financial services and software.

So what combination of factors leads to such excellent people performance in Vietnam? For that we have to look more closely into the Vietnamese character and how that translates into business strengths. After over twenty years of observing this as an expatriate human resources specialist, my theory is that there are three layers to the Vietnamese character

The foundation of that character is East Asian. Culturally, linguistically and ethnically the Vietnamese have much more in common with people from for example Korea and Japan than from Thailand or the Philippines. This provides an underlying aptitude which is seen in Vietnamese characteristics of being intelligent, hardworking, structured, disciplined, determined, focused, with a strong emphasis on communities and families. It is these characteristics that make East Asia one of the most dynamic places in the world.

But nobody is perfect, and listening to many people across East Asia they often seem to me stressed out and complaining. Whilst much of the world looks enviously upon their success, my conversations with them are often along the lines of the cost of going out for a coffee in Shanghai is ridiculous or my colleagues are upsetting me about this, that and the other. All of that drive and ability crowded together can turn into over-competitiveness and unhappy teams.

But Vietnam is different. People are relaxed, smiling and having a great time together as friends in offices. They are individually strong, but come together in teams to be even stronger as a unit, rather than turn competitiveness inwards. This is the first way Vietnamese can outperform other East Asians as they gang up in a positive way towards a common purpose and success.

So where does that come from culturally? My theory is that they were fortunate to have assimilated all of the best parts of Southeast Asian culture and layered that on top of that East Asian foundation. Over the course of millennia, the original Vietnamese in the north moved south along the coast, benefitting from the rich cultures such as the Chams that were already there. From these cultures came the characteristics of friendliness, calm, teamwork, being caring, balanced, harmonious and having a positive outlook.

So this combination is already as you can imagine powerful in itself. But there is more. There are some truly unique things about the Vietnamese. The final third layer of the Vietnamese character is a special adaptability. This can be seen in their ability to respond resiliently, cheekily, creatively and with humour to rapid change. In the age of transformation, it is this last characteristic in particular which will propel the Vietnamese to be potentially the most successful in the world.

Now I have been telling many Vietnamese for over twenty years that they have the potential to be the best in the world. Many Vietnamese and foreigners think I am misreading the situation or exaggerating. They point out Vietnams relative poverty in comparison to other countries and think that is something justified or permanent. But it is a mistake to blame past poverty on the ability of the Vietnamese people. Vietnam, through no fault of its own, has had a challenging recent history which put the economy on a very low, war damaged base to build on. The Vietnamese have always been smart, but circumstance temporarily set them back. They are now reclaiming their deserved place amongst the more affluent successful economies of the world.

This potential and assured economic success was the first thing I recognised when I arrived here in 1995. The poverty rate was indeed over 60 per cent then, but the strength of the Vietnamese character always shone through the hardship. Others mistook the poverty for inability. I remember vividly an occasion back then, where an Asian expatriate invited me to a very pleasant meal of his national cuisine. In all seriousness, he cautioned me do not eat the local food as it will make you stupid. Naturally I politely told him off for his own stupidity and maintained my unwavering view that there was a massive potential here. We cordially agreed to disagree, but my parting words were just you wait and see...

That was a long time ago and whilst I remember the discussion, the other person is long gone and no longer in contact. But if I did meet him again today, I would proudly champion Vietnams outstanding achievements since then, that justified my faith in the potential of the Vietnamese. Over the last twenty years, Vietnam has had the fastest rate of wealth creation in the world. It is also projected to have the fastest wealth creation in the world for the next twenty years as well. The world is a competitive place and this does not happen by accident. It is only possible with the amazingly successful Vietnamese character.

Vietnam is now officially a middle income country, but to me at least, will inevitably become a first world country quicker than most people expect. This view is supported by Vietnams performance in a number of leading indicators that are a positive sign of continued future potential. For example; school level academic performance using the global PISA measures has the average Vietnamese smarter than the average person in my own country Britain; Vietnams export performance makes it the most internationalised large economy the world has ever seen; and Vietnam has the second highest rate of adoption of consumer artificial intelligence devices in the world.

So Vietnam is following the same inevitable path to being an advanced economy as its East Asian neighbours, albeit later due to the history imposed upon it externally. But what does this mean in practice for a foreign investor looking to ride upon this path of success? The booming Vietnamese consumer market is evident from the still growing spending power of local consumers. It is widely recognised that Vietnam is one of the largest most attractive markets to sell goods into, so investors in this category need no further encouragement to come here, as they are most likely here already. But what about those looking to set up manufacturing or services export here?

It is true enough that Vietnam took is first steps on the path to economic growth with cheap labour. It is also true that there remain large low skilled production industries in Vietnam. But many people would be surprised to know the level of artificial intelligence powered robotic automation happening in the new factories. Much of the new manufacturing is literally the most advanced technology in the world. This is made possible by not only the modern equipment but by the excellent ability of the Vietnamese workforce. Investors these days are more often coming to Vietnam for is high skilled workforce rather than low cost advantage.

As the world is transformed by technology, the jobs of the future are increasingly requiring the exact combination of characters and skills the Vietnamese excel at. This is great not only for the well deserving Vietnamese, but also for those investors who appreciate the true advantages of this exceptional country.
STAMFORD  Three days after Isaias stormed through Stamford, leaving 144 roads blocked and roughly 10,000 customers without power in its wake, work continued Friday to open roads, remove downed trees from snarled power lines and reintegrate frustrated residents onto the power grid.

Thirty-one roads still remained blocked around the city Friday afternoon, and 5,100 customers were without electricity to power their lights, refrigerators and air conditioners.

Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross vowed that the vast majority of customers without power around the state will have their power back on by late Tuesday night.

The utility came under fire Thursday by Stamford Mayor David Martin, who called for a state investigation its response to Isasis. Martin blasted the utility for its performance in preparing for and responding to the storm, and for what he said was its poor communication and cooperation with city officials.

If Eversource is unwilling to provide information to the Public Safety team of one of Connecticuts largest cities, I can only imagine the frustration and outrage our residents are experiencing  many of whom have no power and no estimate for when it will return, the mayor said in a statement.

Gross said he was unable to provide any time estimates for Stamford, but said Eversource continues to pour resources into state restoration efforts.

We continue to press on. We understand the urgency to get the power back on for our customers and we are pushing as hard as we can, he said.

Public Safety Director Ted Jankowski said the city still has many 911-priority incidents and blocked roads that require an Eversource response to ensure safety. Trees and other rubble entangled with power lines cannot be remedied until the utility cuts power. Jankowski said ETAs have yet to be provided by the company.

We continue to demand that Eversource provide more Utility Crews dedicated to Stamford, to respond to the numerous 911 priority incidents that require utility company response, Jankowski said in a statement.

Jankowski said that Eversources work center on Glenbrook Road, which covers Stamford, Greenwich and Darien currently has 31 tree crews assigned to it.

Westhill High School continues to be used as a charging station for residents without power and will be open between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
Though only a few African countries are now growing genetically modified (GM) crops commercially, governments across the continent are increasingly recognizing the crucial role that biotechnology could play in improving food security on the continent.

Consequently, African governments are moving to establish an enabling policy framework to support the adoption of biotechnology, including GM crops and derived products.

According to a paper published in Frontiers in Plant Science by John Komen and five other scientists working in Africa, while modern biotechnology and, specifically, genetic modification are subject of debate in many parts of the world, an increasing number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa are making important strides towards authorizing general releases of genetically modified (GM) crop varieties for use by farmers and agribusinesses.

Scientists in Ghana have already started research on GMOs and educating the public to get them prepared for the eventual adoption of the technology and its implication for food security in the country.

One such organization is the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) that has researched extensively on GMOs and educating the public through the Open Forum for Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) on the role of GM technology for human survival.

The National Coordinator of OFAB, Dr. Richard Ampadu-Ameyaw, noted that although genetically modified technology had not been adopted in Ghana yet, it would serve as one the best tools in achieving food security.

The research scientist made these observations in an interview talking about Ghanas Agricultural Sector, challenges smallholder farmers are facing and the Role of Modern Technology in improving Agricultural productivity and livelihood.

GMO will save farmers money as they will not have to spray their crops against diseases and pests. Currently, we are polluting the environment with the spraying of chemicals to prevent crops from being attacked. With GMO, the production cost of farmers will go down and their yields will go up, he said.

Dr. Paul Boadu, Research Associate with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) said that the new cowpea & rice varieties will help Ghana save over GH 800 million annually.

the country stood to gain GH 230 million annually if she adopted the nitrogen efficient rice as the crop will boost rice production which hitherto will be impacted by low nitrogen nutrients in the soil, he said.

He said adopting this rice would offer a lot of benefits to farmers as their incomes would improve while consumers also stood to gain as prices would reduce and consequently save them money.

The Director-General of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr. Kodjo Essien Mensah-Abrampa said that the NDPC is developing a policy document on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for Ghanas agriculture sector.

Innovation in agriculture is instrumental in achieving broad-based social and economic growth in developing countries like ours, he stated.

A report released last week by Graham Brookes, Director of PG Economics said farmers who planted genetically modified (GM) crops increased their incomes by almost $19 billion in 2018 and reduced carbon emissions by 23 billion kilograms or the equivalent of removing 15.3 million cars from the roads that year.

The report adds that the higher income represents $4.42 in extra income for each extra dollar invested.
A court in the Axarquia has confirmed that it will summon the mayor of Nerja and one of his councillors to stand trial over the illegal tipping of rubbish by a local river bed.

The investigation involves seven people from the building trade as well as the mayor, Jose Alberto Armijo of the PP party, and his councillor for Planning and Housing, Mari Nieves Atencia. The accusations focus on the illegal dumping in an old quarry by the Miel river in Nerja from June 1998 to September 2016.

The judge said that Nerja town hall, which also is liable, and the two politicians must deposit almost 10.8 million euros to cover any possible public liability payments for the supposed environmental damage. Some 800,000 cubic metres of waste is alleged to have been left at the site without any controls or operating licences in place.

The Torrox-based judge also said that the case was being provisionally and partially shelved against Rosa Arrabal, the former PSOE mayor, and two other local, and one regional, politicians initially under investigation.

AGRECA, a regional association of waste management firms, said it welcomed the move to a trial.

It explained that it would set an example and put an end to, what it says, is the culture of councils in Spain turning a blind eye when illegal tipping of waste and building materials is carried out in their areas.
Action Sequences Of Master Is Vere (Another) Level!

As per the stunt choreographer of the movie, Siva aka Stunt Siva, a total of six high-octane action sequences featuring Vijay have been executed in the movie. He revealed that Vijay has worked dedicatedly for Master in a similar way as he did for the 2006 film Aathi, which was also choreographed by Siva. Reportedly, he further added that Master's action sequence will have a surprising element in each and every frame that will surely take the movie to another level.

Sivas Camaraderie With Vijay

Siva added that though the fight sequences and vigorous punches of Vijay in the movie might look violent on-screen, in real life the actor is warm towards his co-stars. Talking about his friendship with Thalapathy, he said that the Bigil actor has been very much like an elder brother to him.

Master Release

There have been several speculations about Master's release on OTT platforms owing to the COVID-19 outbreak. Recently, the producer of the film, Xavier Britto cleared the air stating that the movie will get massive theatrical release as they promised the fans and followers, once everything goes back to normalcy. Master was earlier slated to be released on April 9, 2020.

Cast And Crew Of Master

Helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the highly-anticipated movie will feature Vijay Sethupathi, Malavika Mohanan, Nassar, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Sriman, Andrea Jeremiah Sanjeev, Srinath, VJ Ramya and Azhagam Perumal essaying key roles. Master is bankrolled by Xavier Britto under the XB Film Creators in association with Seven Screen Studio. The lens for the film is cranked by Sathyan Sooryan while the music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander


Review for Walsingham Shrine development plans

Plans for a major re-development of the Catholic National Shrine at Walsingham in North Norfolk are to be reviewed after concerns were raised about its effect on the Grade I Listed Slipper Chapel and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on future visitor numbers and finances for the project.

The Trustees of the Catholic National Shrine have decided to withdraw its current planning application to North Norfolk Council in order to carry out a review of the plans.



The decision to look again at the development comes after the Diocese of East Anglia Historic Churches Committee expressed concern about the impact of the new development on the setting of the historic chapel and advised a rethink. Historic England also indicated reservations as part of the current planning process.



The Bishop of East Anglia, the Rt Rev Alan Hopes, Chairman of the Walsingham Trust, said: We are very positive about the future of the Catholic National Shrine at Walsingham, which is a place of great devotion for around 250,000 Catholics and other pilgrims and visitors every year.



The Trust seeks to both preserve the Shrines unique character and serve the needs of pilgrims whilst ensuring that it continues to make a positive contribution to the local community.



There is no doubt that many of the current facilities do need to be improved and developed, but we must ensure that the solution to the practical problems of the Shrine do not harm its unique and special nature.



The Trustees have listened to the many contributions to the recent application for planning consent and have decided to review the objectives of the project and potential options in the light of recent concerns, said Bishop Alan.



The current Rector of the Shrine, Mgr John Armitage (who leaves at the end of August), has helped achieve tremendous things over the past five years, including its designation by Pope Francis as a Minor Basilica, the recent Rededication of England as the Dowry of Mary, the development of accommodation facilities for pilgrims in nearby Walsingham itself and the huge growth of interest in the Shrine online through live streaming.



Pictured above is the Slipper Chapel at the Catholic National Shrine at Walsingham. Picture by Alex Ramsey.

Keith Morris, 07/08/2020
The Armenian government clarified on Friday that it will send three planeloads of humanitarian aid to Lebanon following a massive explosion in Beirut which killed at least 154 people and injured thousands of others.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian said that about 12 tons of medication, foodstuffs and other vital supplies will be delivered to the Lebanese capital on Saturday evening. Two more such flights will be carried out from Yerevan in the following days, Avinian said at a meeting of senior government officials chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

The government pledged to provide relief aid immediately after Tuesdays explosion at Beirut port warehouses. Pashinian described Lebanon as one of Armenias closest friends, alluding to the existence of a sizable and influential Armenian community in the Middle Eastern state.

At least 11 members of the community were reportedly among the victims of the explosion. The devastating blast wave also destroyed or seriously damaged many Lebanese Armenian homes.

Avinian said that several Armenian government officials and lawmakers, including Zareh Sinanyan, the commissioner of Diaspora affairs, will also fly to Beirut on Saturday on board the transport plane. He said they will try to ascertain other needs of Lebanons government and Armenian community.

Sinanyan told reporters that Yerevan was also prepared to send rescue teams and medics to Beirut. He said the Lebanese authorities turned down the offer because the Armenian side could not airlift the kind of heavy machinery that is used by rescuers from other countries sent to Beirut.

The blast and its devastating consequences have led to calls for the evacuation of Lebanons ethnic Armenian nationals willing to relocate to Armenia. Some opposition politicians and public figures as well as Lebanese-born citizens or residents of Armenia have urged the Armenian government to launch special Yerevan-Beirut flights for that purpose.

Zulal Tsaturian, a Lebanese Armenian woman, immigrated to Armenia with her husband and children three years ago. Her parents and brother lived until Tuesday in an apartment located just a few hundred meters from the Beirut port. It was seriously damaged by the blast.

They are still in shock, Tsaturian told RFE/RLs Armenian service.

Now that they are homeless, they would love to come and join me here and start a new life in the homeland, she said. There is no life there anymore. Lebanons decline began a long time ago.
Health experts are also looking at whether cases increased after weeks of protests in the region around the death of George Floyd, but Monroe said initial findings indicate that there wasnt a surge of positive cases. She noted that some people who didnt show symptoms or get tested still could have passed the virus to others.
At least three civilians were injured as Pakistan Army resorted to ceasefire violation in Karnah sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmirs Kupwara district on Friday.

A defence spokesperson said that Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and resorting to the shelling of mortars along the LoC in Karnah, 210 km from here, resulting in injuries to three persons. (Indian) Army gave a befitting reply, he added.

The injured civilians were identified as Mohammad Arif, Mohammad Yaqoob and Syed Rafaqat, who were shifted to hospital. The condition of one among them is stated to be critical.

Earlier in the day, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the LoC in Boniyar sector of Uri in Baramulla district by resorting to unprovoked firing. As per the officials, the Pakistani troops fired small arms and mortar shells towards Indian positions in the sector. However, there was no loss of life or property reported.

There has been a huge surge in ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir this year. Between January-June 2020, there have been 2,300 ceasefire violations by Pakistan against 1,321 in the same period last year. In 2019, there were around 3,168 ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

An official in the security grid said that the ceasefire violations are expected to increase in the coming months as summer is the peak infiltration period from across the LoC in J&K.

He said besides helping infiltration, Pakistani troops repeatedly target forward posts and villages along the LoC and the International Border (IB) to create fear psychosis among the people.
Zoetis Inc (NYSE:ZTS)

Q2 2020 Earnings Call

, 8:30 a.m. ET

Contents:

Prepared Remarks

Questions and Answers

Call Participants

Prepared Remarks:

Operator

Welcome to the Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results Conference Call and Webcast for Zoetis. Hosting the call today is Steve Frank, Vice President of Investor Relations for Zoetis. The presentation materials and additional financial tables are currently posted on the Investor Relations section of zoetis.com. The presentation slides can be managed by you, the viewer, and will not be forwarded automatically. In addition, a replay of this call will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of this call via dial in or on the Investor Relations section of zoetis.com. [Operator Instructions]

It is now my pleasure to turn the floor over to Steve Frank. Steve, you may begin.

Steve Frank -- Vice President of Investor Relations

Good morning, everyone. And welcome to the Zoetis Second Quarter 2020 Earnings Call. I'm joined today by Kristin Peck, our Chief Executive Officer; and Glenn David, our Chief Financial Officer. Before we begin, I'll remind you that the slides presented on this call are available on the Investor Relations section of our website and that our remarks today will include forward-looking statements and that actual results could differ materially from those projections.

For a list and description of certain factors that could cause results to differ, I refer you to the forward-looking statement in today's press release and our SEC filings, including, but not limited to, our annual report on Form 10-K and our reports on Form 10-Q. Our remarks today will also include references to certain financial measures, which were not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or U.S. GAAP. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measures is included in the financial tables that accompany our earnings press release and in the company's 8-K filing dated today, August 6, 2020. We also cite operational results, which exclude the impact of foreign exchange.

With that I will turn the call over to Kristin.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Thank you, Steve. Good morning, everyone. I hope you and your loved ones remain safe and healthy as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect all of our professional and personal lives. On the call today, we will provide additional context around the impact of COVID-19 is having on our business, summarize the quarterly financial results, update you on our outlook and leave plenty of time to address your questions. In the second quarter, we delivered better-than-expected results given uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic. And I want to thank all of our Zoetis colleagues who have shown amazing resiliency, customer focus and perseverance throughout the year in a response to these challenging times.

In terms of numbers, our revenue grew 4% operationally, with the U.S. segment up 6% and International up 3%. Our companion animal products continue to drive our business performance, with 13% operational growth, while livestock products declined 5%. Our adjusted net income increased 4% operationally in the second quarter. We have built a very strong companion animal portfolio over the last several years based on our internal innovation. And these products helped offset some of the deeper market challenges in the livestock market today. Our recently launched parasiticides, Simparica Trio, ProHeart 12 and Revolution Plus as well as our key dermatology portfolio of Apoquel and Cytopoint, provide a solid foundation that has continued to perform well this year.

We continue to be very pleased with the performance of our new triple-combination parasiticide for dogs, Simparica Trio as well as the strength of the overall Simparica franchise. Glenn will share more details in his remarks. Our continued focus on meaningful innovation and the diversity of our portfolio across species, products and geographies remain core advantages for Zoetis during times of economic uncertainty. And we've also seen the essential nature of animal health playing an important role in the resiliency of our business and our industry at this time. In terms of COVID-19, our veterinary and producer customers are under increased pressure to deliver critical animal care and maintain a reliable global food supply, and we are fortunate to be able to support them in this mission.

We continue to put the safety of our colleagues and customers first during this pandemic, and we've been very pleased with our team's ability to maintain productivity, even with safety and social distancing adjustments at our facilities as well as the ongoing use of remote work arrangements for the majority of our colleagues. Our field force has returned to meeting with customers in many geographies based on local guidance and practices. We monitor and adapt these plans on a daily basis based on local feedback and adjustments in markets that may be experiencing increased COVID-19 cases. Our teams are excited to be back out with our customers, but we're also preserving the lessons we have learned from effective online interactions, webinars and e-commerce to evolve our sales and support.

In terms of supply chain, Zoetis has maintained a reliable inventory of critical medicines, vaccines and diagnostics to our customers and distributors in more than 100 markets around the world. And our research development programs remain on track in terms of filings, clinical trials and interactions with regulatory agencies. We remain confident in the progress of regulatory reviews of our monoclonal antibody candidates for pain in cats and dogs. Our submissions are proceeding as expected. This year continues to be uncharted territory due to COVID-19 and the related trends affecting our customers.

However, the underlying demand for healthy pets and a reliable source of protein remains fundamental to the global economy. In the second quarter, we benefited from the veterinary clinics in the U.S. recovering much more quickly from the COVID-19 impact than we anticipated. Veterinary practices in the U.S. adapted quickly to curbside visits and mobile clinics to deliver critical care and maintain relationships with their customers. We also saw an acceleration of companion animal product sales through e-commerce channels as a result of the lockdowns in many states. Veterinarians and pet owners are adapting more quickly to these online options as a way to fill prescriptions for parasiticides and other medicines. We also know people are spending more time at home with their pets. They may be observing conditions such as itchiness or pain, which have previously gone unnoticed. And so we are actually seeing an increase in spend per visit in U.S. clinics.

Meanwhile, outside the U.S., companion animal veterinary clinic performance has been in line with expectations despite wide market-by-market variations based on local dynamics. For Zoetis, we expect our overall revenue growth for the remainder of the year to be driven largely by companion animal products, especially our parasiticides and key dermatology portfolio. We plan to continue investing in direct-to-consumer advertising and digital marketing to support these products. Livestock is a very different picture and remains very challenged by the pandemic, especially in the U.S. Producers are adjusting to new market demands and distribution needs from foodservice and restaurant channels to more grocery and retail channels, while also managing ongoing labor, safety and trade issues.

As expected, U.S. livestock in the second quarter saw a significant downturn as we expect that to remain a challenge for the rest of the year. The pace of return to more foodservice and restaurant demand, along with increased export opportunities, will be the most significant factors in the recovery of livestock producers in the U.S. Internationally, livestock grew and performed in line with expectations across a diverse set of markets. We saw very positive results in places like China, where they're further along in their COVID-19 recovery, but we will be sensitive to see how Latin America and markets like Brazil perform in the remainder of the year due to COVID.

As we look ahead, we remain focused on advancing our five key priorities to ensure our long-term success, driving innovative growth, enhancing customer experience, leading in digital and data analytics, cultivating a high-performing organization and championing a healthier, more sustainable future. We've continued to make important investments in products and innovations across the continuum of care from prediction and prevention to detection and treatment of disease, Supporting successful launches as well as new life cycle innovations and expansions of major products into new markets continue to be the cornerstones of our durable and steady performance. In the second quarter, we expanded major vaccine franchises with the approval of our Vanguard B Oral for dogs in Brazil and our Fostera Gold PCV MH and Fostera Gold PCVMetastim for vaccines for pigs in Australia.

We also continue to strengthen our diagnostic and digital capabilities, building on recent acquisitions in point-of-care and reference labs, along with additional investments. We plan to launch a new diagnostic platform for pet care in the third quarter called VetScan Imagyst. We are very excited about the potential for this disruptive innovation, which will be the first system to bring clinical pathology right to the point of care. This new multipurpose platform uses a combination of image recognition technology, algorithms and cloud-based artificial intelligence to deliver rapid testing results to the clinic. Its first indication will be for testing fecal samples for parasites, making it quick and easy to test and treat pets in the same visit.

We'll have more to say in the coming weeks as we prepare for a global launch. We also view diagnostics as playing an important role in the continuum of care for fish. In the second quarter, we acquired Fish Vet Group to add more diagnostic tools to our aquaculture portfolio, including environmental testing, which is critical to fish farming. Finally, at Zoetis, our key priority around high-performing teams is tied to creating a culture where all colleagues feel valued and included and is reflected in our commitment to promoting inclusion, diversity and equity across our organization.

Our leadership and Board are dedicated to being a force for positive change across the globe to drive greater equity and inclusion. And we have dedicated financial and people resources to do so. As part of this plan, we have made commitments to publish our diversity statistics and to increase our representation of black colleagues and people of color overall in the U.S. As the world leader in animal health, we are committed to demonstrating our leadership on this important business and social issue.

Now let me hand off to Glenn, who will speak more about our second quarter results and updated guidance for the full year. Glenn?

Glenn David -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Thank you, Kristin, and good morning. I hope everyone is safe, healthy and adapting to what is certainly an unprecedented time for all of us. Today, I will provide additional commentary on our Q2 financial results, provide an update on our liquidity position and review our improved full year 2020 guidance. Beginning with the second quarter results. We generated revenue of $1.5 billion, which was flat on a reported basis and 4% growth operationally. Adjusted net income of $427 million decreased 2% on a reported basis and increased 4% operationally. Foreign exchange in the quarter had an unfavorable impact of 4% on revenue. This was driven primarily by the U.S. dollar strengthening against the Brazilian real, Australian dollar, Mexican peso and euro.

Operational revenue growth of 4% was driven by 2% price and 2% volume. Volume growth of 2% includes 3% from new products, 3% from key dermatology products, 1% from acquisitions and a decline of 5% in other in-line products. Companion animal products led the way in terms of species growth, growing 13% operationally, while livestock declined 5% operationally. Companion animal performance was driven by our parasiticide portfolio, which includes sales of Simparica Trio in the U.S., Canada and certain European markets and our key dermatology products, Apoquel and Cytopoint. Revenue from the acquisition of Platinum Performance and its nutritional products, acquired in the second half of 2019, drove the growth in equine. Livestock declines in the quarter were driven by challenges to our U.S. livestock portfolio.

Supply chain disruptions caused by reduced animal processing capacity and shifts in consumer demand from restaurant and foodservice to grocery stores affected our customers' purchasing decisions. This decline was partially offset by strong performance internationally with growth in swine, fish and poultry. New products contributed 3% to overall growth in the quarter, driven by Simparica Trio, ProHeart 12, Revolution Plus and our Alpha Flux parasiticide for salmon in Chile. We remain excited by the launch of Simparica Trio and are reaffirming the range of $100 million to $125 million for full year incremental revenue. While vet clinic penetration is occurring at a more moderate pace as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, prescriptions in those clinics that have adopted

Trio have been more robust and cannibalization of Simparica has been less than we anticipated. Global sales of our key dermatology portfolio were $224 million in the quarter, growing 24% operationally and contributing 3% to overall revenue growth. Recent acquisitions contributed 1% growth this quarter, which includes Platinum Performance and our reference lab expansion strategy. Now let's discuss the revenue growth by segment for the quarter. U.S. revenue grew 6%, with companion animal products growing 19% and livestock products declining by 18%. Companion animal growth in the quarter was driven by sales of the Simparica franchise, our key dermatology products and the impact of recent acquisitions. U.S. key dermatology sales were $160 million for the quarter, growing 26%.

The continued strength of this portfolio was driven by expanded usage of both Cytopoint and Apoquel benefiting from our direct-to-consumer campaign, uptake in e-commerce channels and pet owners spending more time with their pets as a result of COVID-19. Simparica Trio performed well in the U.S. with sales of $36 million despite challenging market conditions in Q2. We are observing several positive trends, including rapid uptake in clinics that have adopted Trio, smaller-than-expected cannibalization of Simparica, sales coming from new patients to the category and taking share from current oral flea and tick competitors. Diagnostic sales increased 18% in the quarter, largely driven by our reference lab acquisitions. In addition, previous instrument placements created a solid foundation for consumables growth in the second quarter. U.S. livestock declined 18% in the quarter, driven by lower sales across all species.

In the second quarter, we faced challenges with significant declines in feedlot placements, reduced demand from the foodservice industry and the effects that had throughout the food supply chain and our customers, in addition to increased competition. To summarize, U.S. performance was strong in a difficult market environment. And the diversity of our portfolio, again, proved beneficial as growth in companion animal offset the challenges faced in the U.S. by our livestock portfolio. Our International segment had operational revenue growth of 3% in the second quarter, with more balanced performance across our companion animal and livestock portfolios. Companion animal operational revenue growth was 2% and livestock operational growth was 4%.

Increased sales in companion animal products was a result of growth in our key dermatology portfolio and our Simparica franchise, including the launch of Simparica Trio in Canada. While European markets were impacted significantly by COVID-19, the decline was offset by significant growth in other markets, including Japan and China. Diagnostics had a difficult quarter as wide-scale clinic closures resulting from COVID-19 limited the ability to place instruments and negatively impacted consumable usage. International livestock growth in the quarter was driven by swine, fish and poultry. Swine grew double digits in the quarter, primarily driven by China, which grew 25%, as key accounts continue to expand their herds and production shifts from smaller farms to larger-scale operations.

Our fish portfolio delivered another strong quarter. We saw favorable conditions in Chile and Norway that resulted in vaccinations being accelerated into Q2. In addition, we continue to see an uptake of the Alpha Flux parasiticide in Chile. Overall, our international segment was again a positive contributor to revenue growth, with performance in swine, companion animal, fish and poultry more than offsetting decline in cattle resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Now moving on to the rest of the P&L. Adjusted gross margin of 71.1% increased slightly on a reported basis compared to the prior year due to price, favorable manufacturing costs and product mix, which were partially offset by foreign exchange, recent acquisitions and higher inventory charges.

Adjusted operating expenses were flat operationally. The incremental advertising and promotion expenses related to Simparica Trio, recent acquisitions and R&D increases were largely offset by reductions to T&E and compensation-related costs as a result of COVID-19. The adjusted effective tax rate for the quarter was 22.3%. The increase versus prior year is driven by the jurisdictional mix of earnings and the impact of discrete tax benefits recorded in Q2 2019. Adjusted net income for the quarter grew 4% operationally, primarily driven by revenue growth, and adjusted diluted EPS grew 6% operationally. Next, I'd like to cover our liquidity position and our capital allocation priorities. We ended the second quarter with approximately $3.4 billion in cash and cash equivalents, including the proceeds from our $1.25 billion long-term debt issuance in May, of which $500 million is earmarked for repayment of our November 2020 maturity.

We have access to a $1 billion revolving credit facility and a coinciding commercial paper program, both of which remain undrawn. Given our strong cash flow and balance sheet, we remain committed to our capital allocation priorities for internal investment, M&A and returning excess cash to shareholders. Consistent with what I mentioned last quarter, we still anticipate elevated capital expenditures this year to support investments in manufacturing, information technology to support our recent acquisitions and capabilities in digital and data analytics. With regard to returning excess cash to shareholders, we remain committed to our 2020 dividend, which represents a 22% increase over 2019. In Q1, we repurchased $250 million in Zoetis shares before suspending the program in the second quarter in order to conserve cash. We have approximately $1.4 billion remaining under our multiyear share repurchase program.

Now moving on to our updated guidance assumptions for 2020. Our past performance has always given us confidence that the essential nature of our business, our diverse portfolio and the innovation we consistently bring to our customers would position us well during difficult market conditions. After assessing recent trends and our performance in the second quarter, we are further refining and raising our full year 2020 guidance. We expect recent positive companion animal trends in the U.S. will continue, although vet clinic revenue may moderate somewhat as pent-up demand works its way through the system. Alternatively, we believe social distancing measures are negatively impacting the foodservice recovery and will continue to present challenges to our livestock business in the U.S.

The more recent resurgence of COVID-19 cases in parts of the U.S., and expanding rates of infection in international markets continues to create uncertainty around the duration, scope and economic impact of the pandemic. Please note that our guidance reflects foreign exchange rates as of mid-July. And given our global footprint, movement in foreign exchange has had an impact on revenue and adjusted net income since we issued our prior guidance in May. Our current guidance includes favorable foreign exchange revenue of approximately $50 million and approximately $10 million at adjusted net income versus May guidance. For revenue, we are raising and narrowing our guidance range with projected revenue now between $6.3 billion and $6.475 billion and operational revenue growth of between 3% and 6% for the full year versus a negative 2% to positive 3% we had in our May guidance.

Adjusted net income is now expected to be in the range of between $1.685 billion and $1.765 billion, representing operational growth, a positive 1% to positive 5% compared to our prior guidance of negative 9% to negative 2%. Adjusted diluted EPS is now expected to be in the range of $3.52 to $3.68 and reported diluted EPS to be in the range of $3.14 to $3.32. In closing, while the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly presented a set of challenges we have not seen in the past, we are extremely proud of our colleagues and the commitments they have shown toward our customers, our company and animal healthcare. During this time, we have demonstrated the diversity and durability of our portfolio, the resiliency of our industry. And we have confidence in our ability to continue to execute on our strategy during these uncertain times.

Now I'll hand things over to the operator to open the line for your questions. Operator?

Questions and Answers:

Operator

[Operator Instructions] We'll take our first question from Jon Block with Stifel. Please go ahead.

Jon Block -- Stifel -- Analyst

Hey, thanks guys. Great. I guess I'll try to just load everything upfront. Glenn, I think op margins were at an all-time high in the midst of a global pandemic, so congrats. But some of that was likely eaten by mix. Yet, it seems like that mix may remain, as you mentioned, intact or favorable for the next couple of quarters. So as we think about margins into the back part of the year, is there anything to call out overall? And what about the cadence of 3Q versus 4Q?

Kristin, for you, just to shift over there, maybe if you can just talk to what you're seeing for a competitive response on Trio? And just a clarification, the new platform for diagnostics of the new offering, is that an entirely new VetScan analyzer that displaces the old one? Or is it a different unit specific for pathology? A lot there. But thanks for your time.

Glenn David -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Okay. So Jon, I'll just address the first part of your question with operating margins and mix. So as you say, we have very favorable gross margin in this quarter as well as the first half of the year. As we look into the second half of the year, we do expect there to be some deterioration in gross margin. And that does come from product mix, right? The separation that we've seen in performance in the quarter, livestock declined 5% operationally. Companion animal growth grew 13%. We expect that to narrow in the second half of the year, the differential in performance between companion animal and livestock.

So that will negatively impact mix. The other component is that we generally have a larger portion of livestock sales in the second half of the year than we do have in the first half of the year. The other component to consider is opex, right? As we move into the second half of the year and our field returns more and more to visiting clinics, T&E expenses, which has been very favorable, particularly in Q2, will rise as we go into Q3 and Q4. In terms of the dynamics between Q3 and Q4, don't really see any big differential in terms of the dynamics between Q3 and Q4.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay. Jon, with regards to your question on competitive response to Trio. It's been the response that we largely expected. Obviously, this is an innovative product. They were very aware it was coming. They're obviously running promotions. You probably saw some stock-ins as we probably saw as you move from Q1 to Q2, but we're really not seeing anything that we weren't expecting overall. And to address your other question with regards to Imagyst, it's a completely separate product. It is actually a scanner and a microscope that then uploads to the cloud for analysis. So it is completely separate than VetScan. And it's a platform. And the first product, as we mentioned, will be around fecal but it is not a replacement at all of the VetScan machine. It's a separate one that is both a scanner and a microscope.

Operator

And our next question comes from John Kreger with William Blair. Please go ahead.

Jon Kaufman -- William Blair -- Analyst

Hi, good morning. This is Jon Kaufman on for Kreger. I'd like to focus a little bit on livestock here. It'd be great to get a sense of your expectation for what the outlook looks like, not just in the coming quarter or two, but really into 2021 and over the medium term. So I guess a couple of questions within that. First, how much of a residual impact will the processing capacity issues have? And then second, on the lower foodservice demand, let's just say, hypothetically, the U.S. consumer really isn't ready to go out to restaurants until spring or summer of 2021, do you expect producers to exit and then you're serving a smaller end market? Or is it more of producers realize this is a period of limited profitability, but they don't adjust herd sizes and they stay in the market? Thank you.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Sure. Thanks, Jon. A few things on that. I think the two big trends you're seeing in U.S. livestock and I say you have to look at livestock. 60% of our livestock business is actually outside the U.S. And it grew at 4%. So again, this speaks to the diversity of our portfolio. But if you look at the sort of global trends you're talking about with regards to the movement from eating out to eating in, we do expect that to continue. And the guidance we've given for the rest of the year is that, that largely doesn't change too dramatically. It's obviously too early to tell in 2021 how that ultimately adjusts. The second factor to consider in the livestock overall is the packing plants, which have been an issue in the U.S. Packing plant capacity in the U.S. still looks to be about 95% to 97%.

And in some businesses, that may be good, but that does continue to back up animals. But again, this is mostly a U.S. trend, although we have seen a few isolated issues outside of the U.S. and Europe, Australia and some other markets. But again, I think what producers are doing are doing their best to actually alter where they can the flow of animals. This is much easier for poultry to do, given they only have to make decisions on 45 days. Pigs can do it over six months. So I think you will see a slight reduction in the U.S. in pork. It is much harder for cattle producers. Most of the animals are already here. So we do see cattle probably continuing to struggle probably through the first half of next year.

But I think the third factor besides the dine in, dine out and packing plants to consider is actually the export market. What has really helped maintain a lot of the U.S. livestock flows has been the export market, with the largest player there clearly being China. And given ASF, they are still in need of a tremendous amount of pork. So those are the three factors that we're considering that gives us confidence that, to your question, in the short to medium term, in general, livestock has grown around 5%. Obviously, it's been a little lower in the last few years. And I think, again, International was 4%. We were negative in the U.S. We do think in the medium term, it goes back to normal levels, but we do think livestock will continue to be challenged certainly this year and likely at least to the first half of next year. Thanks, Jon.

Operator

Our next question comes from Michael Ryskin with Bank of America.

Michael Ryskin -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Hi. And thanks for taking the question. Just two sort of quick ones for me. First, on the guide, for revenues and guidance of 3% to 6% core growth. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything. You did 4% in the second quarter, you're over 5% year-to-date, or end of the range actually implies pretty meaningful deceleration from the second quarter, and yet most trends are pointing upwards. So I'm just wondering if you could go into that sort of what points you to 3%, what points you to 6%. When you guided in the first quarter you talked about a second wave in the fall and winter. Is something like that in your assumptions now? Or is there anything underlying going on there?

And then the second question, again, on the digital VetScan pathology instrument you talked about. Just a little bit of a follow-up. Is it an instrument-only product? Will there be consumables attached to it. And are you planning any different rollout in the U.S. versus International?

Glenn David -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

So Mike, just in terms of your first question in terms of the guidance in revenue of the 3% to 6% growth. So to your point, in the first half, we grew 5% with a limited impact from COVID-19 in Q1. That would imply a second half of 2% to 7% growth essentially. I think, a, it's first important to understand that, in the first half, that 5% growth did have a contribution from acquisitions of about 1%, which we won't have that same contribution in the second half of the year because of when the timing of those acquisitions occurred last year. So that really brings you to organic growth of about 4% in the first half of the year, which is the real comparator for that implied 2% to 7% growth in the second half of the year.

So really pretty balanced between first half and second half organically, with the first quarter not really having a significant impact from COVID-19. To your question about what brings you to the low end of the range, that would be a more severe impact of COVID-19 than we're seeing today across our markets. What takes you to the higher end of that range is things sort of stabilizing as they are for the rest of the year without a more rapid or more significant impact of COVID-19.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Sure. And to take the second half of your question, Mike, on Imagyst, we will be launching the U.S. and a few markets outside of the U.S. as we move into the end of Q3 to Q4. And there are consumables, but the consumable the consumables, obviously, reagents there, but there's also a read. So obviously, with every test that's done, the read that's done in the cloud is also a fee. So there are both some products you use to prepare the specimen. But there's also more importantly, the read of each test in the cloud. So it's a consumable, I suppose, but it's almost like a different way of looking at it, which is a cost per read. I hope that answers it. Thanks, Mike.

Operator

Our next question comes from Chris Schott with JPMorgan. Please go ahead.

Analyst

[Technical Issues] for Chris. And the first one is on African Swine Fever. You've touched upon this in your prepared remarks, but talk about where we are in terms of the recovery in China. How much of the herd has been rebuilt? And would you expect this to represent a tailwind in the second half of the year?

And then another one on livestock. It seems a part of the dynamic that COVID is creating is producers switching to lower-cost alternatives. To what extent is this happening? And how sticky do you think this dynamic is as we think about recovery in 2021 and beyond? Thank you.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Sure. So we'll start with your question with regard to African Swine Fever in China. What we've been seeing in China overall is that the larger, more sophisticated integrated producers are starting to rebuild their herd. As you saw, very strong growth in our China business of 24%. What you're seeing underlying this is the beginning of the rebuild of these herds. This is more isolated to sophisticated producers who can ensure biosecurity. Because to be clear, there's still African Swine Fever present in China. So I think what you're seeing is some of the smaller backyard producers are not rebuilding there, but we are seeing some of the more sophisticated ones doing so. And that is a positive trend for us because they would be more likely to use our products overall.

But if you look at African Swine Fever, we are still predicting that China will have to continue to import pork, a significant amount for the next few years. So this rebuild is slow because, as I said, there is still African Swine Fever in China and a few isolated markets as well outside of China. So I suppose, if you look at that, for China, it will continue to be a tailwind for us, continuing to drive the China business as that herd rebuilds. And with regard to your second question on livestock and whether we're some people are switching to lower-cost alternatives. Historically, that has been the case. So people will trade down. What's slightly different is that this is a pandemic with a recession.

And I say that because, as long as there's more protein than people need, the price goes down. So hamburger meat right now is actually still pretty cheap. So historically, we would see in a recession, people trade down from beef to pork to chicken's egg. So we think that's still a longer-term trend. But with the disruption right now and the overcapacity, you are still seeing some other proteins still in certain markets on a relative basis not be that expensive. So I think it's I would say your overall hypothesis over the medium to long term is true, although in certain markets, given overcapacity, the difference in price is not as dramatic as it normally is.

Operator

And we'll take our next question comes from Louise Chen with Cantor. Please go ahead.

Louise Chen -- Cantor -- Analyst

Hi, thanks for taking my question. So I wanted to ask you how COVID-19 has changed the way you do business on both the livestock and companion animal side? What efficiencies have emerged? And what could be here to stay? Thank you.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Sure. Thanks, Louise. I mean I think similar to all businesses, we are we've had to adjust the way we operate, and I've been incredibly impressed as the resilience of our colleagues and our customers and their creativity. So the first trend is we've obviously moved a lot more to doing virtual seminars or webinars to handling orders and things like that by phone. Our customers have adopted to more telemedicine in certain markets around the world. And if you look at more broadly in the U.S. and in certain markets outside the U.S. to e-commerce. So that is, obviously, for us, it's supporting our producers, our veterinarians and pet owners to make sure they can access our products wherever they need.

But I think some of the skills that our field force is now learning will be one that will help us in the future, obviously reduce some of the travel that some of them had to do. But our field force across the world, where businesses are allowing, are actually back seeing customers. Now it's not as many customers as they saw before in a day, and that has to be both a customer and a colleague feeling comfortable in a given market. But it also has to flex, obviously, given some of the flare-ups in the U.S. geographically and across the world, a lot more flexibility there. So I think it's both our customers getting creative and flexible and our field force and some of our capabilities overall as a company to be able to meet our customers where they are. So I think I'm quite impressed at how our colleagues and our customers have adapted.

Operator

Our next question comes from David Westenberg from Guggenheim. Please go ahead.

David Westenberg -- Guggenheim -- Analyst

Hi, thanks for taking the questions and congrats on a great quarter. So for my first question, are you anticipating any kind of competitive launch in derm in the next year, say, 2021? I know we've heard about potential competitive launches for five probably five years now, but this time, it kind of feels a little bit different. And then for my second question was on the diagnostic platform. Is there any limitation to the sample type, say, blood, fecal, urine, even maybe physical tissue, etc.? And is there a component that might have a reagent to it? Thank you.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Sure, sure. So I'll start, David, with your first question on the derm portfolio. We were obviously quite pleased with this performance in the quarter, growing 24%. This is now obviously a blockbuster product as well as category. And to your point, we have expected competition for a while given the attractiveness of the sector. At this point in time, we have very little intelligence, as you know, in our industry with regards to competitive launches. But based on what we know today, we are not expecting a competitive launch in the rest of 2020 and likely the first half of 2021. Obviously, that's always subject to change since we don't know exactly what our competitors are doing, but we continue to believe that we will have competition in the space. But we, at this point, do not believe it's in the next six to 12 months.

So our focus right now in our derm portfolio is building those brands as big as we can. And as you saw in the quarter, our focus on direct-to-consumer advertising in the U.S. to continue to grow our share and to build the market itself. So your second question with regards to the platform, the Imagyst platform, what we're saying is it's the first fecal will be the first. Obviously, it could look at lots of others. I mean that's still a product that is still in our research and development to look at other types such as, obviously, blood and other types. But those are not things we are prepared at this point to discuss. But obviously, the platform lends itself to be able to do multiple different tissue types. Thanks so much.

Operator

Our next question comes from Balaji Prasad from Barclays. Please go ahead.

Balaji Prasad -- Barclays -- Analyst

Hi, good morning and thanks for taking my question. So two parts. Firstly, Kristin, there's a material change in the competitive landscape with the new number two company. So I would like to understand your thoughts on what the Elanco and Bayer merger means for the industry and for Zoetis specifically as the number one company?

Secondly, you've been championing technology adoption of the firm. So I want to explore one of the priority areas mentioned, digital and data analytics. And what does this mean in actual terms? Is it a revenue driver? Is it an operational efficiency measure or a mix of both? Thank you.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Sure. Thanks, Balaji. For starters on the combination of Elanco and Bayer. As we said previously, we don't really see this as changing the competitive landscape in any dramatic way. We've competed against both of them many times before. Obviously, the acquisition of Bayer by Elanco will increase their business in the OTC space, where we, honestly, don't really operate. We do in the direct-to-consumer side, but not in the over-the-counter. So it's not a space that's important to us, especially with our focus on the veterinarian, where that's more of a retail market there. So we don't foresee that changing it. They've both have been well-capitalized competitors historically. So we don't see that as a major change. With regards to digital and data analytics, I think it's an and, it's both.

It is both a revenue driver, as we announced today, with Imagyst certainly looking at products that drive revenues such as platforms such as that. We've also spoken about precision livestock farming. So there's a numbers of ways in both companion animal and livestock, that this continues to help us drive revenue in but it's also an area where we can also be much more efficient, better targeting our customers, looking at new ways through e-commerce and other channels. We've done some quite exciting things. In China, for example, launching our own Revolution pets there and leveraging different tools in digital and data to just also make us more efficient, so to drive revenue and just increase our efficiency. So I think it's both. Thanks Balaji.

Operator

Our next question comes from Nathan Rich with Goldman Sachs. Please go ahead.

Nathan Rich -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Good morning, thanks for the question. I wanted to start with Simparica Trio. You mentioned the clinic penetration is occurring, I think, at a more moderate pace than what you initially anticipated. Kristin, it'd just be great to get your view on kind of what you've seen so far and maybe what factors have had the biggest impact on pace of uptake? And do you think that we'll see this typical seasonality that you usually see in the parasiticide business? Obviously, a lot different about this year than maybe past year. And then the second question, if I could just ask it upfront. On the vet channel overall, how much of the strength do you think kind of might be backlog or pent-up demand versus what might be more sustainable as we think about trends in that part of your business over the over the balance of the year?

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Thanks, Nathan. So as we look at Trio, we started shipping to distribution in late March and launched the product in April right at probably the height of the pandemic, at least in the U.S. What we've seen to date is that, that it was more difficult for clinics to take on new products. That's often something that requires an in-person meeting, training of staff, etc. So we saw a slight versus what we expected, fewer penetration of clinics. But what we've been incredibly pleased about, and it's why we've given the guidance of $100 million to $125 million is that for the we've been quite successful in corporate accounts, ones that we engaged quite early on this, larger clinics. And the ones we penetrated, our share in those clinics has grown faster than we expected.

So I think that's been a positive. So again, we're continuing to grow our penetration of clinics, but we're quite pleased with the share. And what we're also pleased about is it has less of an impact certainly in cannibalizing Simparica, which has been great. So we've certainly taken share from others. But our data also suggests we're also getting new people back to the category of oral parasiticides, which we think is pretty exciting there. So I think whether this will be a typical season, if you look at some of the data with regards to vet visits, Q2 year-over-year, they're still down, I think, about 3%, but it's a significant improvement from the negative 20 to negative 30 you saw in the U.S. in the beginning of the quarter.

But what's really interesting and what might affect your question there is that the spend per visit, however, is up dramatically. So latest data, I will say, it's maybe up about 7%. We do think that's going to moderate over time. This is probably people buying more of the products so they don't have to return to the vet in case there's something. So we do expect that to moderate some in the coming quarters, but that might mean that people may, versus the normal historical six months, six or so, six or seven months of buying a parasiticide, maybe they bought more. So we'll see how that goes, but we are expecting that to moderate. So I think, overall, we're looking for continued positive trends in companion animal, but I think it will be dependent geography by geography.

Operator

And our next question comes from Kathy Miner with Cowen & Company. Please go ahead.

Kathy Miner -- Cowen and Company -- Analyst

Thank you, good morning guys. I have two questions. First, just going back to the dermatology business. Given that we've talked about the trends were good and people are staying home with their pets more, could we anticipate greater near-term sales for both Apoquel and Cytopoint? And would this be true in both the U.S. and OUS?

Second question just on companion animal vaccines. When you talk about the vet visits and the greater revenue per visit, have you seen a catch-up in vaccines? And is this still working its way through the system? Or do you think we're already there? And just a clarification on the share repurchase, I just want to clarify that is, in fact, still on hold. Thank you.

Glenn David -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Yes. So Kathy, I'll take the questions on dermatology and on share repurchase. So in terms of the derm portfolio, if you look back to last year, we had over $750 million in sales, and we grew 29%, right? Obviously, with a bigger base of revenue, we were expecting that growth rate to slow down. When you look at year-to-date, however, we've grown 25%, and that has exceeded our expectations. And there's been a number of drivers in that. We've continued to invest behind the portfolio to drive growth, and we've seen a very positive return on that.

So we do expect to see better-than-expected performance in the derm portfolio than we would have when we started out the year, which is really pretty impressive, considering the impact of COVID-19 as well. And it's a franchise that we will continue to make sure that we invest behind the growth then. In terms of share repurchase, we did mention on the last call that we were suspending our share repurchase for Q2. We are also suspending for Q3, and we'll continue to evaluate that throughout the year.

Operator

Our next question comes from Gregg Gilbert with Truist Securities. Please go ahead.

Gregg Gilbert -- Truist Securities -- Analyst

Thanks, Chris, another question. I'm sorry if this came up, I don't think it did. But about insurance, both the company's involvement in and then a broader industry question. So first question is, what have you learned about pet insurance and what went well and what did not go so well in your launch in that space? And separate from Zoetis' involvement in that space, longer term, do you see broader-based interest in pet owners buying insurance? It seems like everyone with pets sort of gripes about. They're out-of-pocket yet utilization of insurance is quite low. Do you think that's an employer-mediated phenomenon that needs to be jump-started? Or what are your thoughts on increasing penetration of insurance in the pet space over time? Thanks.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Sure. Thanks, Gregg. When we entered the space, it was really about assisting the pet owner and getting the care and increasing access to care and supporting the vets and providing the best care they can. And oftentimes, one of the challenges there is the sort of unexpected expense, so our focus really has been in this to get a product that's more attractive to the consumer. So to your point, the U.S. versus the rest of the world is underpenetrated in pet insurance. But we think the primary reason there is not because of employers or anything other than we think some of the products have not been as attractive to pet owners. So we really felt that the way we launched this, the focus on the pet owner, would be attractive. We are pleased with our performance to date of our product with regards to Pumpkin, which is our pet insurance.

As we look at that, what's going to drive that and what's feedback, we did get some feedback from veterinarians and they had concerns with regards to the inclusion of parasiticide. So we did change the that program a little bit to look focus more on diagnostics. And this is part of continuing to launch a new product, and we iterate with our customers, both the pet owners and vets, to make it as attractive as we can. This is still a very, very small business relative to the rest of our business, to be perfectly honest with you. It's not totally material, but we are very pleased with how the company has been doing to date and most specifically in the number of new policies they continue to attract. And our goal is that we can make insurance grow the overall market, which is not hard to do since in the U.S., I think it's only 2% to 3% versus other markets outside the U.S. We'll take our next question from Navin Jacob with UBS. Please go ahead.

Prakhar Agrawal -- UBS -- Analyst

Hi. This is Prakhar Agrawal on behalf of Navin Jacob. My first question is on your clean antibodies. How do you see these products being differentiated versus some of your competitors such as Elanco's Galliprant? And how are you thinking about the market opportunity here? And second question is did increase in alternative channels have a material impact on your margins this quarter? And longer term, with continued increase in alternative channels, how should we think about the impact on your margin profile? Thank you.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Sure. I'll start with the first question on the monoclonal antibodies, and I'll let Glenn take the second question with regards to the alternative channels. Obviously, we don't have an approved product. So it's hard to say exactly how it would stack up. But the focus on monoclonal antibodies is really a focus on a product with strong efficacy, with a strong safety profile and these are large markets, for example, in the canine space. We think that sort of have gotten really comfortable with monoclonal antibodies, as is evidenced by our performance on Cytopoint. It really also addresses the strong compliance issue, which is you remember to give the product to your dog every day.

But I would say, if you think about the feline or the cat monoclonal antibodies, there really aren't any products out there today in the cat space. So we think this is quite innovative in the cat monoclonal antibody space with really very little existing products that cat owners or vets can use. So we're quite excited. But until we have a profile, it will be hard to say very specifically. But certainly, from a compliance and safety perspective and efficacy, we think these will be very strong products that we think both vet and pet owners will be quite excited about. So Glenn, do you want to take the second question?

Glenn David -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Sure. So in terms of the impact of alternative channels on our margins, it did not have a material impact. And that's just based on the overall size of our sales in those channels, right? It really is limited to our U.S. companion animal business. So while the channel has expanded significantly in the quarter, it still represents less than 3% of our sales. So it's still not a big impact on the overall margin. But just to give a sense of the growth that we have seen, in 2019, in our U.S. companion animal business, the alternative channels represented about $100 million of sales for the year. In this quarter alone in Q2, that number was about $50 million. So that gives you a sense of the rapid increase we're seeing in these channels, but it's still small of an overall portion of our business to really impact our overall margins.

Operator

And there does appear to be no further questions at this time. And I'll turn the call back over to the speakers for any additional remarks.

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Okay. Well, thanks, everybody. I want to thank you for your questions and for your continued interest in Zoetis. While there's still many uncertainties around the impact and the resolution of COVID-19, the fundamental strength of our business and industry, we believe, are proven and unchanged. And we remain very confident what Zoetis can achieve this year based on the diversity of our portfolio, the resiliency of our business and certainly the spirit of our colleagues. So thanks for joining us today.

Operator

[Operator Closing Remarks]

Duration: 54 minutes

Call participants:

Steve Frank -- Vice President of Investor Relations

KristIn Peck -- Chief Executive Officer

Glenn David -- Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Jon Block -- Stifel -- Analyst

Jon Kaufman -- William Blair -- Analyst

Michael Ryskin -- Bank of America -- Analyst

Analyst

Louise Chen -- Cantor -- Analyst

David Westenberg -- Guggenheim -- Analyst

Balaji Prasad -- Barclays -- Analyst

Nathan Rich -- Goldman Sachs -- Analyst

Kathy Miner -- Cowen and Company -- Analyst

Gregg Gilbert -- Truist Securities -- Analyst

Prakhar Agrawal -- UBS -- Analyst

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Source: Facebook

With so many high-end smartphones laden with features in the market, why should you go for this mid-tier? Of course, you do not expect the smartphone to feature the most fabulous camera or the best display, but whatever you get at the budget is fantastic. At only GH 408, you can get your hands on this excellent smartphone.

The itel s15 price in Ghana is one of the best things about the phone. Simply put, it is one of the best-looking smartphones in Ghana when you consider the price and provides more features than the competition. Indeed, the phone costs a small fortune.

itel S15 overview

It is usual for your imagination to run wild when looking for the ideal smartphone. Today, with the sophistication present in the smartphone arena, it is never a good idea to get a mediocre device. And with itels impressive mid-range releases, more so their s15, you can be sure to get a device that meets your intent. What are the pros and cons of the phone?

The good

Bright 16MP selfie camera that shines in low light.

Gallery Go software for more natural and smarter photo editing.

AI for facial recognition.

Waterdrop fill screen.

Long-lasting battery.

Support for the 4G network.

Better storage.

Great gradient paint job.

The bad

Low RAM and ROM for a 2020 handset.

Low video resolution at 720p@30fps.

A handful of pre-installed software that slows down the phone.

itel s15 pro specs

As mentioned earlier, according to the itel s15 pro price in Ghana, it is a budget phone. Therefore, they load most of their phones with fantastic features that you would find on high range phones of other manufacturers. However, before making your final buying decision, it would be great if you knew what you are getting from the phone. Even though it is an affordable gadget, what does it offer to satisfy its price?

Image: droidafrica.net

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Tecno phones prices in Ghana 2020

Hardware

How does the hardware of the itel s15 compare with other smartphones of the same budget in the market? Do you think you will immediately fall in love with the phone after seeing it?

Design

You do not expect a budget smartphones body to be made out of metal. The itel s15 has a plastic body that is well-designed, and out of the box, you would easily mistake it as a flagship device. The colourful aqua Blue, champagne gold, deep grey gradient gives this mid-tier impressive looks.

The beauty of nature inspires the eye-catching gradient colour on the back of the phone. The phone has a plastic build around the edges which makes it comfortable on your hands and in the pocket.

Display

Among itel s15 specs, the display was undoubtedly the most anticipated upon launch. The smartphone comes with an IPS LCD screen with a 720p resolution, an excellent feature for a phone in this price range. The display is bright enough for the outdoor and indoor environment, comparable with flagship phones dominating the high-end market.

The waterdrop design on the 6.1 inches HD+ screen has allowed the manufacturer to increase the screen to body ratio to 86%. Therefore, the phone offers users a vivid broad view creating an engaging and captivating video viewing and gaming experience.

Processor,storage & performance

Don't expect any miracles here from the 2GB RAM you get from the phone. However, the phone's performance surpasses many others on its level. The phone comes with a quad-core Unisoc Spreadtrum processor that clocks at 1.6GHz.

Additionally, itel s15 has an in-built memory of 16 or 32GB that can be expanded to 128GB. These processing and storage options mean that it has mid-range processing speeds, something that you can live with at the budget-friendly price.

Battery

The battery life on the itel s15 is quite impressive. The phone has a 3000mAh battery that can efficiently deliver a full day's performance on a single charge. That is if you do ordinary tasks on your phone like texting, calling, and regularly checking your social media messages.

Speaker & call quality

The smartphone has a loudspeaker located below the display at chin level. Users also get the ordinary 3.5mm audio jack for connecting their headsets to listen to quality music. The itel s15 doesnt come with any sound enhancements, but you can always install software to improve your listening experience. The phones call quality is above average.

READ ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G release date, specs, review, price

Software

Image: facebook.com, @itelMobileKenya

Source: Facebook

Software is one of the most significant features of a phone as it supports the hardware components. When you have inferior sound software, then even if you have great hardware, the phone will sound awful.

OS & features

The itel s15 comes with Android 9 pie installed with a handful of pre-installed apps that many users probably do not love. These include:

Accelerate

App Freeze

Calculator

Calendar

CarlCare

Gallery

Palmstore

Phone Manager

Power Master

Smart Transfer

If you find the pre-installed applications irrelevant, you can easily remove them, but some can create a significant challenge when uninstalling.

Camera, video, and image quality

The phone comes with a 16MP selfie camera that captures precise facial details. With a combination of other essential hardware elements in the camera, the phone performs quite well in various light environments. The itel s15 has a triple primary camera at the back that produces excellent shots as well.

Reviews

What do reviewers say about this mid-range phone from itel? First, it is an incredible phone from a manufacturer that concentrates on producing phones for the middle-income market. The following reviews have this to say about the phone:

mobilityarena.com: itel S15 is easy to describe: it is the best-looking entry-level Android phone in the market and offers more features than the competition. Simply put, it is a good value.

droidafrica.net: iTel S15 is the latest smartphone from iTel Mobility, launched in August 2019. This is the first iTel mobile phone to feature a waterdrop notch cut-out over the display. The device comes with a 6.1-inch HD+ display, with 720 x 1520 pixels resolutions

Verdict

itel s15 is undoubtedly a great budget smartphone. Of course, it lacks in certain areas, but have tried to meet all demands that an average phone user is looking for. You probably will not get any well-designed and packaged mid-tier at this price.

Yen.com.gh on July 31 highlighted the rich features of the Samsung A30 phone in Ghana as well as its price. The smartphone is a great release for the Galaxy A series with impressive features for Samsung phone lovers.

Not only does the smartphone run on Android 9, but it also has a super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen and an incredible battery life at 4000mAh. It is ideal to know everything about the phone before making a buy as the features are the most integral.

READ ALSO:

Samsung A10 price in Ghana, specs and review

iPhone 11 Pro Max price in Ghana, specs, review, availability

Infinix note 4 price in Ghana, specs and review

Source: YEN.com.gh
Two officials, including one from the police, were shunted out from Madhya Pradeshs (MP) Khargone district late at night on Thursday following a protest by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and traders over the alleged manhandling of youths by the district and police authorities, who were celebrating the bhoomi pujan ceremony for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya on the previous day.

The youths, who were celebrating after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday presided over a bhoomi pujan ceremony in Ayodhya for the construction of the Ram temple on the site of the 16th Century Babri Masjid, was allegedly manhandled following the district and police authorities orders.

Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Abhishek Gehlot and sub-divisional officer of police (SDoP) Gladwin Edwardkar have been shunted out to the state secretariat and police headquarters, respectively, by the Shivraj Singh-led government in MP.

The transfer order was issued after angry traders downed shutters in Kharogone town and took out a protest march on Thursday, demanding action against the alleged errant officials.

BJPs Gajendra Singh Patel, who represents Khargone constituency in the Lok Sabha, and the partys national general secretary, Kailash Vijayvargiya, also demanded action against the two officials for their alleged out-of-line action.

The members of jewellers association in Khargone alleged that the police officer beat the youths in Sarrafa Bajar while they were celebrating by

bursting firecrackers, as the centuries-old dream of constructing the Ram temple in Ayodhya became a reality on Wednesday.

SDM Gehlot allegedly misbehaved with the youths. While police seized the firecrackers, beat a section of the youngsters and took around 10-11 of them to the local police station, leading to mob fury, allegedly unleashed by unidentified goons, in the town at night on Wednesday.

Vallabh Bhandari, a member of jewellers association in Khargone, narrated the sequence of events.

A section of youths, including an employee in my showroom, Neeraj Joshi, were celebrating at Sarrafa Bazarthe on the occasion of bhoomi pujan for the Ram temple in Ayodhya. However, two officials, along with a team of police personnel, reached the spot and thrashed some of the youths, who were in a joyous mood. They took around 10-11 of them to the police station. None of the elected public representatives came to our help. The youths were released after around 700 people reached the police station. The district and police administrations reckless act emboldened a mob that went on a rampage at night in our locality, where a number of local residents sustained injuries. However, no first information report (FIR) was filed regarding the mob fury, Bhandari said.

He maintained that the local residents have protested, as the district and police authorities manhandled the youths for celebrating a momentous joyous occasion.

The district police authorities, however, joined issued with Bhandaris assertions.

There is a ban on the bursting of crackers in Khargone, a communally-sensitive town. The situation could have snowballed into a communal conflagration had timely action was not taken, said a police official, requesting anonymity.

State Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta was quick to wade into the row and blamed the ruling BJP for the incident.

Similar incidents have been reported from Guna, Dewas, and other places, where district authorities have a free hand to run amok and harass locals. Officials have been transferred to divert the publics attention from the issue. The BJP is responsible for a spike in such incidents, Gupta alleged.

State home minister Narottam Mishra justified the officials transfer.

Prima facie, the SDM and SDoP were found guilty and they have been transferred. The state government is in control of maintaining law and order Khargone town, Mishra told media persons.

SDO Gehlot evaded his transfer issue and said that he is busy in a meeting and will speak later. While SDoP Edwardkar was not available for his comment, despite repeated attempts.

KS Sharma, ex-chief secretary, MP, said, The district authorities need to do a tightrope walk between maintaining law and order and taking actions that come across as prudent and efficient for the larger community good.

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Some Voltarians in the diaspora have condemned what they described as the harassment and intimidation of indigenes of the Volta Region during the just-ended voter registration exercise.

In a statement signed by Dr Nat Abotchie and Prof Anthony Mawuli Sallar among a raft of others, the diasporans said: We, sons and daughters of the Volta Region resident in USA, Canada, Germany, UK, Australia and New Zealand, wish to express our grave concerns on recent developments in our country, with particular reference to our region.

We are opposed to the deployment of extra military and other security detachments to our border areas, resulting in a high level of intimidation, harassment, and disrespect of our people in this dire period when COVID-19 has already destabilised the lives and livelihoods of our people. The heavy-handed nature of the deployment and the reported cases of intimidation and branding of Ghanaians as Togolese is simply deplorable, offensive, and deeply unfortunate. We add our voices to the chorus of condemnation from chiefs and politicians as well as many well-meaning ordinary citizens.

Read the full statement below:

VOLTARIAN ASSOCIATIONS IN THE DIASPORA CAUTION AGAINST HARASSMENT AND SUPPRESSION OF GHANAIAN CITIZENS

We, sons and daughters of the Volta Region resident in USA, Canada, Germany, UK, Australia and New Zealand, wish to express our grave concerns on recent developments in our country, with particular reference to our region.

We are also offering recommendations and measures to address certain intractable problems which threaten the very survival of Ghana as a united nation state that is made up of various ethnic groups, put together by the colonial rulers.

We are opposed to the deployment of extra military and other security detachments to our border areas, resulting in a high level of intimidation, harassment, and disrespect of our people in this dire period when Covid-19 has already destabilised the lives and livelihoods of our people. The heavy-handed nature of the deployment and the reported cases of intimidation and branding of Ghanaians as Togolese is simply deplorable, offensive, and deeply unfortunate. We add our voices to the chorus of condemnation from chiefs and politicians as well as many well-meaning ordinary citizens.

We observed the garrulous and flippant comments of the prominent Adansi constituency MP, K.T. Hammond, who claimed openly that the militarization of our homes and communities was an attempt to prevent Togolese from registering to vote in Ghana. His false and misguided utterances follow the lines of the old, ignorant and tired refrain of a group of politicians that people from the Volta Region are not

Ghanaians. We are convinced that these last claims are not limited to a small group of politicians like K.T. Hammond but are beliefs shared and fueled by some ignorant and bigoted politicians for far too long.

The incessant demonisation of Voltarians must cease immediately. We are concerned that Ghana, with the victimisation, marginalisation, and intimidation, is headed in a dangerous direction.

We are therefore offering the following statements and recommendations to produce a lasting solution to the current situation:

We detest vehemently the militarisation and weaponisation of the Volta Region especially the border towns and villages; from Aflao to Wli, and call on the President of Ghana, and the security services to bring it to a stop immediately. Reasonable people are at a loss as to why military personnel are manning some registration centres and intimidating villagers in a civilian government.

We note that the Government has made arrangements to evacuate stranded Ghanaians from high COVID-infected countries in Europe and North America. As recent as last week several flights sponsored by the Government of Ghana departed European and US cities carrying Ghanaian citizens. We have also observed that the government led a convoy of fisherman to enter Ghana through the Togo border with police escort back to their hometowns in Central and Western Regions. One would have expected that concrete steps would be taken to avail other Ghanaians in Togo of the same opportunity but this was not to be. Why is the government evacuating some Ghanaians and discriminating against others who need the same help to come home from neighboring countries like Togo?

The opaque ignorance which clouds the minds of some fellow Ghanaians about Voltarians must be tackled at its roots: the school system. The school curricula in history and geography from the basic to the tertiary level must be updated to include accounts of how the nation of Ghana was put together. At the moment, it is a pity that many Ghanaians are not taught that over half of the VR was part of the Gold Coast colony proper from the 19th century before the Asante and Northern Protectorates were added.

We were reliably informed through first-hand accounts that the military forces deployed in Ketu South have been invading peoples homes without a court order and with military assault rifles demanding and seizing registration cards under the pretext that the holders were Togolese. We demand from the President of Ghana who is the head of the security services that such dehumanizing treatment of Voltarians in their own country must cease.

We view with utmost concern the blatant militarisation of areas outside the Volta Region where Voltarians are resident. We refuse to accept that these are coincidences. In a video that most Ghanaians have watched, the Ewe residents of Banda (Bono Region) are being harassed and denied the opportunity to exercise their constitutionally-mandated right to obtain a voters ID. We wish to place on record that some of the affected families have been resident in the area for almost a hundred years.

We view with disgust a military vehicle with assault rifle mounted and blocking the road in a rural area preventing Ewes from registering for a voters ID card.

While these blatant acts of discrimination against Ewes may be viewed by some as normal, it evokes sad memories of Apollo 568 which was implemented by Dr. Abrefa Busias government which culminated in the wholesale dismissal of Ewes from the civil and public services.

We condemn, in no uncertain terms, some Voltarians, who have found it necessary to join in the harassment of their own people in the name of party politics.

These are some measures we would like to bring to the attention of the whole nation of Ghana. We hope these would set the tone for future dialogue and actions to bring peace and development not only to the VR but Ghana as a whole.

We look forward to a fruitful engagement with all relevant parties, bodies and persons.

Long live the Volta Region. Long live Ghana.

Signed:

1. Kossi Nutekpor; One Volta Group, USA.

2. Dr. Tsatsu Nyamadi; Council of Ewe Associations of North America (CEANA).

3. David Abusah; Anloga Development Association of North America (ADANA).

4. Togbe Aglasu Henyo III; Aflao Association of North America.

5. Belinda Bugadam; Mid-Volta Association of Canada.

6. John Kamasah; South Volta Association of Canada.

7. Patrick Adzadu, Tongu Citizens Abroad.

8. Emefa Manteaw; Norvihaborbor of Australia.

9. Frank Dake; Norvihaborbor of New Zealand.

10. Daniel Torkornoo; Ewe Dukor Germany

11. Prof Anthony Mawuli Sallar (Ghana Rep)

12. Dr Nat Abotchie (USA)

---classfmonline
The UFC has released Ray Borg, the Albuquerque MMA bantamweight confirmed on Friday.

Borg said in a phone interview that he preferred not to say anything more.

Honestly, I dont really know if I can discuss it without my managers consent, just because of what happened, he said.

A message left on social media for Ali Abdelaziz, Borgs manager, was not returned.

Borg (13-5) was scheduled to fight on an Aug. 1 UFC card but withdrew for reasons still undisclosed. Hed withdrawn from a June 13 UFC card due to concerns about the health of his 2-year-old son, Anthony.

He also has failed to make weight on several occasions, though those fights took place as scheduled.

Borg, who turned 27 on Tuesday, is 7-5 in UFC competition, his most recent fight a loss by split decision to Ricky Simon in Jacksonville, Florida on May 13.

He said he had no immediate plans to seek a spot with another organization and held out hope he could re-sign with the UFC at some point.

With the way things were talking about are shaping up, I dont really have any plans to make a big jump to (another) organization, he said. Im just gonna take care of a couple of things and hopefully get right back to the UFC.

The story was first reported by mmafighting.com.

Borg trains at Jacksons Acoma.

MEANS BACK: Before his last fight, Tim Means was still dealing with the recent deaths in a car crash of two friends from his hometown of Moriarty.

His plan, he said three days before his Feb. 15 fight against Daniel Rodriguez on a UFC card the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, was to fight for his departed friends, Pedro and Mateo Sandoval, and use the emotion of the moment to his advantage.

Its a good time for a fistfight, he said.

It wasnt, at least not for Means. Battered by Rodriguezs fists, he fell victim to a standing guillotine choke in the second round.

Nonetheless, for Means, theres never been a bad time for a fistfight. Hell be back in the Octagon on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada against Argentinas Laureano Staropoli (9-2).

It will be Means 22nd UFC fight since making his debut with that organization on Feb. 15, 2012, eight years to the day before the Rodriguez fight. Hes 11-9 (with one no contest) in UFC competition, 29-12-1 overall.

In a highly unusual occurrence, both fighters initially failed to make weight on Friday. Means weighed in at 172 1/2 pounds, a pound-and-a-half over the allowable welterweight limit of 171; Staropoli came in at 174 1/2.

On a second try, Means hit 171. Staropoli, having failed to do so, will forfeit to Means 20 percent of his contracted pay.

Means trains in Albuquerque at FIT-NHB.

GARCIA OUT: Rio Rancho lightweight Steve Garcia (11-4) has withdrawn from a scheduled fight against Peter Barrett on Saturdays card. No reason for Garcias withdrawal has been given.

Garcia made his UFC debut in Norfolk, Virginia on February 29, losing to Luis Pena by unanimous decision. He trains at Jackson-Wink.

RIVERA REVISITED: This is pure speculation, but it perhaps was only the quality of his opposition that prevented Santa Fe flyweight Jerome Rivera from getting a coveted UFC contract.

On Tuesday, Rivera (10-2) defeated Mexicos Luis Rodriguez (11-2) by unanimous decision on Dana Whites Tuesday Contender Series.

Riveras performance, however, was not judged by White  the ultimate if not sole arbiter  as good enough to earn a contract.

The three other winners on Tuesdays card  light heavyweight Dustin Jacoby, lightweight Uros Medic and lightweight Jordan Leavitt  all were awarded contracts.

Medic and Leavitt won by first-round stoppages over Luke Flores and Mikey Gonzales, respectively. Jacoby was dominant in winning by unanimous decison over Ty Flores (no relation to Luke).

Rivera, in contrast, got all he could handle from Rodriguez. The judges scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, all for the Santa Fean, did not reflect how competitive the fight was, round by round.

And that was Whites complaint.

I absolutely disagree with the judges, White said at end of the espn+ streaming of the card. And how two judges could have that fight 30-27 is insanity.

I think both (fighters) are talented guys.  Both of these guys will be in the UFC someday, I think. Just not tonight.

All the same, Rivera has turned his career back around.

After winning his first nine fights (two amateur, seven pro), he lost to Roberto Sanchez by third-round submission (arm bar) on an LFA card in June 2017. In his next fight, he suffered a gruesome injury  a dislocated elbow in a loss to Brandon Royval.

Since then, Rivera is 3-0.

I went out there and I fought my ass off against a very tough and game opponent, he posted on Instagram after the DWTCS victory.  Time to get back to the grind, make the adjustments and keep getting better.

Rivera trains in Albuquerque at Luttrell-Yee.

Saturday

UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs. Aleksei Oleinik, Tim Means vs. Laureano Staropoli, 10 other fights, UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada. Streaming: espn+, 4 p.m. prelims (Means-Staropoli), 7 p.m. main card (Lewis-Oleinik)
The European Council recently adopted a decision to authorize the signing of an agreement between the European Union (EU) and China on geographical indications (GIs).

Workers pick jasmine flowers for a jasmine team at a planting base in Yongtai county, Fuzhou, southeast Chinas Fujian province. (Photo courtesy of Fujian Chunlun Group)

It is Chinas first comprehensive, high-level bilateral agreement on GIs, and the first major trade agreement between China and the EU in recent years, which marks a significant milestone in the deepening of China-EU economic and trade cooperation.

The agreement will protect each sides 100 GIs, prevent counterfeiting of GIs, and enable consumers on both sides to buy authentic high-quality products.

Four years after coming into force, the agreement will cover an additional 175 GI names from both sides.

According to the China Chamber of Commerce to the EU, Chinese GIs have the right to use the official certification mark of the EU, which will help them gain recognition among local consumers, facilitating the export of Chinese products to the EU, and promoting bilateral trade of agricultural products and food.

This is an important opportunity for Chinese agricultural products to boost their brand influence in the world, said Fu Tianlong, president of the Fujian Chunlun Group, a leading tea company in China, adding that Fuzhou jasmine tea from southeast Chinas Fujian province is well received in Europe.

Europes recognition of Chinas GI products such as Fuzhou jasmine tea will make it easier for Chinese products to enter the European market, Fu noted.

China is a high-growth potential market for European food and drinks. This agreement will therefore benefit European producers and should be a boost to rural areas where these products are made, the European Council said in a statement.

According to Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Trade, the agreement will strengthen the EU-China trading relationship, and benefit agricultural and food sectors, and consumers on both sides.

By the end of June, a total of 2,385 geographical indication products were approved in China, 5,682 geographical indication trademarks registered, and 8,811 enterprises with special marks of geographical indication products approved, according to the National Intellectual Property Administration.

Bernard Dewit, chairman of the Belgian-Chinese Economic and Commercial Council, said the number of geographical indications has increased steadily in China, reflecting the Chinese governments growing emphasis on intellectual property protection.

The agreement demonstrates Chinas wish to promote the construction of an open world economy, said Ye Bin, a research fellow specializing in EU laws at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.

Ye added that Chinas increased economic and trade cooperation with Europe and both sides improved mutual intellectual property protection will further promote bilateral trade and send a positive signal of multilateral cooperation.
The mail isnt coming on time. From Maryland to Wisconsin to Montana, residents and proprietors of businesses are complaining to elected officials and the press that it now takes multiple weeks for items to be delivered. The reason this is happening isnt a secret, either: In mid-July, postmaster general Louis DeJoy reduced the amount of overtime hours that postal employees are allowed to work and ordered them to stop making extra trips to distribution centers to retrieve mail that was processed after scheduled pickup times. Less work = slower mail delivery.

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Given that this slowdown coincided with Donald Trumps campaign to convince the country that mail-in voting (by Democrats) is fraudulent, its natural to suspect that DeJoy, a major Trump donor, has been ordered to sabotage the mail system on purpose in order to make it more difficult to cast and tabulate mail ballots. (DeJoy was appointed by the USPS Board of Governors, but the members of that board are appointed by the president.)

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Trump has, on more than one occasion, demonstrated that having a functioning government is less important to him than advancing his personal interests. If it turns out that he leaned on DeJoy to screw up the post office, no one would be surprised. No one at all! But a statement that DeJoy gave today also suggests another possibility: that he is screwing up the post office on his own because he thinks that one of our most stable and enduring national institutions requires immediate visionary reorganization using Business Principles and Efficiency.

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Look at this paragraph, for example:

During the early days of my tenure we have also taken a fresh look at our operations and considered any necessary organizational and structural adjustments that will best position us to maximize our core competencies and key strengths. We are highly focused on our public service mission. However, we collectively recognize that changes must be made, and for that reason we will implement an organizational realignment that will refocus our business, improve line of sight, enable faster solutions, reduce redundancies, and increase accountability. This realignment will strengthen the Postal Service by enabling us to identify new opportunities to generate revenue, so that we will have additional financial resources to be able to continue to fulfill our universal service obligation to all of America.

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Line of sight? What?

DeJoys career experience is in the shipping business, so one can assume that he is more familiar with his subject matter than real-estate heir Jared Kushner is with any of the many critical government tasks he has been put in charge of reinventing using his entrepreneurial mindset, or whatever. But the private-sector profit incentive can come into conflict with goals like paying sustainable wages and providing universally accessible services, goals which are foundational for a public operation like the postal service. Even if DeJoy is a shipping efficiency geniusand, given the ratio of jargon to insight in the statement above, that doesnt seem to be a sure thingan unprecedentedly mail-reliant national election being held during a pandemic might be the wrong time to launch the destruction phase of creative destruction. (For the record, it appears that line of sight, as a shipping term, means something like being cognizant that your ultimate goal is the timely delivery of an item. Which would seem to be the opposite of telling mail carriers not to deliver items on time if it means they have to work more hours!)

There is good news, in the Trump administration sense of good news, which is that the mail delays have gotten so bad that two rock-solid Montana RepublicansSen. Steve Daines and Rep. Greg Gianforteare complaining about them publicly, which means its a problem that might actually get addressed, rather than exacerbated to own the libs, like all the other problems are.

For more of Slates political coverage, subscribe to the Political Gabfest on Apple Podcasts or listen below.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China May 13, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Lee - RC19959C6A40

While we remain focused on the India-China confrontation and on the Sino-Iran deal, another alliance is in the making which India should be watching closely  the Sino-Turkish alliance.

Over the years China and Turkey have been cementing ties which have often been constrained by the United States and by Turkey's membership of NATO. However, the bilateral ties got a fillip since China launched its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clutched at the opportunity as he struggles to consolidate his AKP Party and reclaim for himself the glory of Turkeys Ottoman past. Another reason was that Erdogans ambitions to anoint himself as the leader of the Muslim world saw Turkey embroil itself in wars in foreign lands, thus putting Ankara in financial straits. Here also, China has not disappointed. Bilateral trade, which was at $1 billion in 2000, stood at $23 billion in 2018, with Chinese investments of around $2 billion.

Straddling two continents, Turkey is strategically important for China's BRI, as a trade and transport hub, significantly cutting down freight transportation time from China to Europe and Africa. Turkey had also launched its own connectivity project to access the Caucasus and Central Asia through the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway, known as the Middle Corridor.

In November 2016, Beijing and Ankara signed a memorandum of understanding on harmonising their BRI and Middle Corridor Initiatives. As investments from the EU and West Asia shrink, Turkey is increasingly turning to China for investments in infrastructure development, which is one of the promises to countries signing on to the BRI.

Thus, for instance, in 2014, Chinese State-owned companies completed the second session of Turkeys Ankara-Istanbul High-Speed Railway with the assistance of $720 million loans from the China Exim Bank. Chinese State-owned shipping and logistics companies have invested $940 million in obtaining a 65 percent share of Kumport, Turkeys third-largest container terminal. In November 2019, the first freight train from Xian in China arrived in Ankara.

Turkey is a priority country with the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The bank is helping in the construction of the Salt Lake underground gas storage facility project, said to be the world's largest storage project. Turkey is also an observer at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

So eager is Turkey for its partnership with China, that Erdogan who is positioning himself as the modern day Caliph of Muslims worldwide has turned a blind eye to China's oppression of its Uighur Muslim community. In fact, it recently took steps to assuage China's concerns by first, announcing the East Turkestan Islamic Movement as a terrorist organisation and, more recently, by deporting Uighur Muslim dissidents back to China via third countries such as Tajikistan.

However, Turkey's religion-oriented expansionist foreign policy also makes it imperative to court Pakistan, as a plank of the Muslim ummah, and reach out to Indian Muslims.

Hence, while turning a blind eye to Uighur duress in China, Turkey has been upping the ante on Kashmir. On August 5, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the revoking of Article 370, Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement "... practices implemented over the last year.have further complicated the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and not served peace and stability in the region."

Turkey was one of the three countries, with China and Pakistan, to condemn India's decision to revoke J&Ks special status. Erdogan raised the issue in the UN General Assembly. During his February visit to Pakistan Erdogan compared the struggle of Kashmiris with the Ottoman Empire's fight during World War I. Even as his regime clamps down on liberties, minorities, and the media inside Turkey, the State-controlled Turkish media has kept up a steady diatribe against India.

Turkey provides Pakistan the emotional, ideological, and political support, while China is providing both with material and political support. With China's support, the Kashmir issue has thrice been discussed in the UN Security Council since August 5, 2019. Pakistan's insistence and Turkey's focus has also seen the Organization of Islamic Cooperation raising the Kashmir issue more than it normally would have.

Considering Erdogan and his party's Islamist orientation and well-documented support to radical and terror groups, together with Pakistan's support and sponsor of cross-border terror, and China's expansionist tendencies, the China-Pakistan-Turkey nexus is one India needs to watch out for.
Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) has entered into a new partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to speed up the process of manufacture and delivery of up to 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines for India and other third world countries, SII said in a statement.

I would like to thank @BillGates, @gatesfoundation and @GaviSeth for this key partnership of risk sharing and manufacturing of a 100 million doses, which will also ensure equitable access at an affordable price to many countries around the world, Adar Poonawalla, CEO and Owner, Serum Institute of India tweeted on Friday.

The countrys drug regulatorthe Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had earlier granted permission to the Serum Institute to conduct phase 2 and 3 human clinical trials on the potential vaccine for the viral infection.

ALSO READ | Who should be the first in line for Covid-19 vaccine? Experts debate

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, via its Strategic Investment Fund, will provide at-risk funding of USD 150 million to Gavi, which will then be utilized to support the Serum Institute to manufacture the potential vaccine candidate. The potential Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by SII is likely to be made available to at least 92 countries.

The funding will support at-risk manufacturing by SII for candidate vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax, which will be available for procurement if they are successful in attaining full licensure and WHO prequalification, the SII statement said.

ALSO READ | Goldman warns Covid-19 vaccine approval could upend markets

On Thursday evening, Indias Covid-19 count crossed the 20-lakh mark and recorded the highest single-day spike of 62,538 cases on Friday, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data showed.

The countrys infection tally has now climbed to 20,27,075 including 6,07,384 active cases and 13,78,106 patients who have been cured and discharged. India has so far reported 41,585 deaths due to the viral infection, according to the Health Ministry.
(Newser)  Jerry Falwell Jr. has agreed to take an indefinite leave of absence as president and chancellor of Liberty University, the private school his father founded. The university said Friday that it made the request of Falwell, to which he has agreed, effective immediately." No reason was given, the AP reports, but Falwell has been under criticism and faced calls to resign over a vacation photo showing him with his arm around a woman, both of whom have their pants unzipped. "I've apologized to everybody," he said this week. But on Thursday, a member of Congress who's also a Baptist minister and used to be an instructor at Liberty, joined the calls for Falwell's resignation, per the Washington Post. Rep. Mark Walker, a North Carolina Republican, said that for him, the photo was the last straw. "Jerry Falwell Jr's ongoing behavior is appalling," Walker tweeted. "I'm convinced Falwell should step down."

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Among the criticisms was that Liberty wouldn't put up with students acting like that. Falwell, who has been the president of the largest Christian university in the US since 2007, has dealt with a series of scandals, per Forbes. In 2015, he called on students to carry concealed weapons so they could "end those Muslims before they walked in," alluding to a deadly a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. Photos from 2014 showed him and his family partying at a nightclub. There were questions about the personal and business relationship Falwell and his wife had with a 21-year-old pool attendant, per BuzzFeed. In the past few months, per the Post, opposition to Falwell has been building among students and alumni. "None of us are perfect," Walker posted, "but students, faculty, alumni and @LUPraise deserve better."

(Read more Jerry Falwell Jr. stories.)
If Beirut has a beating heart, it is not the soulless downtown district in the centre of the city; gleaming and empty, often closed to the public to allow the wealthy to browse the designer shops unbothered.

That title, instead, belongs to the neighbourhood of Gemmayze.

In Gemmayze, there is life. Or at least there was. On Tuesday, more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate being held in a warehouse in Beiruts port exploded and sent shock waves through the city.

At least 145 people died and 300,000 were made homeless. Gemmayze, a mile-long corridor that stretches east from downtown, lay right in the path of the destruction  less than 800 metres from the site of the blast.

To look at what was destroyed in Gemmayze is to go some way to understanding what Beirut has lost: Not only lives, family members, friends, but part of the soul of the city. Homes, bars, restaurants, art galleries, livelihoods and historic buildings, all gone in an instant.

Recommended Anger mounts over Beirut explosion failures

Gemmayze is freedom. Whatever you wanna wear, whatever you wanna say, whoever you wanna kiss, whatever you wanna do. Its a beautiful place. Thats why I chose it, says 33-year-old Hala Okeili, who lives and works in the neighbourhood.

Okeili was driving towards her home when the explosion struck. Her whole life was there: her husband, her home, her business, her husbands business. Her partner survived, the rest did not.

I arrived and everything was destroyed, she says. People bleeding. Our neighbours, faces I recognised. Young people bleeding from every single part of their bodies.

Okeilis story, like the neighbourhood in which she lived, is one of hope and renewal, and now loss. She is like so many young Lebanese who had the education and means to do anything, go anywhere, but chose instead to pour their hearts into Beirut, their home.

After this explosion, we dont have any dreams. We dont have any feelings. We cant do anything. We are like visitors in our country Charbel Bassil, head chef at Le Chef

After training as a lawyer in France and working as a corporate lawyer for eight years, Okeili quit the profession to open a yoga studio in the centre of the neighbourhood in 2016. Sarvam Yoga was busy and thriving. So too was the coffee shop started by her husband, Omar, just down the road. Omar wanted to cater to a new generation of coffee connoisseurs and brought beans to Lebanon from around the world.

We had the choice to leave but we chose to stay and make a change, says Okeili. Im a lawyer, I quit my job. I said to myself I want to open a yoga studio because people here need it. They need that piece of mind.

They knew the risks. Building a business from the ground up anywhere in the world requires a special kind of bravery. In Lebanon, with all its dysfunction and corruption, it is the pursuit of pioneers.

Gemmayze was full of pioneers. Restaurants were opening all the time  young Lebanese who had travelled and brought back cuisine from around the world. Art galleries, new bars with speciality cocktails. It was a testing ground for entrepreneurs and dreamers  as daring and diverse as any New York street.

In the evenings, Gouraud Street, which runs through the centre of the neighbourhood, was an intoxicating buzz of people spilling out of bars and onto the street. Often it wasnt clear where the pavement ended and the road began. Steep steps, painted in bright colours, lead off from the main road up the hill. In the summer, they play host to concerts and outdoor film festivals.

I said to myself I want to open a yoga studio because people here need it (Courtesy/Sarvam Yoga) (Courtesy / Sarvam Yoga)

Mixed in among the gleaming, hopeful shop fronts were the remnants of the citys gloried past. Stunning Ottoman-era mansions with balconies that hung over the street. Ornate townhouses with large windows from the French mandate, when the city earned the nickname the Paris of the Middle East. Some of these homes had been in the same families for generations. Elderly, working-class grandparents lived alongside young professionals.

Okeili lived in one of those houses. A 300-year-old building just off the main street, which was destroyed. In the past two days, strangers have been helping her pull her belongings out from the shaky structure. Many of them are too damaged to be repaired.

Were ashamed to talk about the materialistic losses, because a lot of people died. We know some who died, she says. But its a beautiful place. All the heritage, all the beautiful buildings are gone. We know they will just destroy them because no one is there to fix it. Gemmayze as we know it will no longer be the same.

Heba Kanso, who has lived in Gemmayze for three years, was out of the country when she received a call from her cousin on the day of the explosion.

He kept repeating everything is gone, everything is gone. I was in shock, the 33-year-old says.

Bar Torino in Beiruts Gemmayze (Cathy Adams)

After checking in with her family to make sure they were safe, she started to run through a list of all the places in the neighbourhood she visited every day that would no longer be there anymore, and the people who might be hurt.

I can go down my list but there is simply too much destruction and too many people hurt by this, she says. I realised that this area will be forever changed, including my home which was destroyed. Every single building is damaged and so much incredible historic architecture is destroyed.

Gemmayze felt like any street in a cosmopolitan city, but it had a distinct neighbourhood feel. Everyone knows each other. It had characters.

In the centre of it all stood Le Chef, a decades-old restaurant serving Lebanese fare. The no-frills restaurant would fill up every night with locals and foreign visitors alike. Anyone who passed by the store would be beckoned by the booming voice of head chef Charbel Bassil: Welcome, welcome, he shouted, as he attempted to draw them into the brightly lit cafe.

Bassil was in his restaurant when the explosion shattered the windows to Le Chef. He was injured, along with two of his staff and a customer.

We saw hell on earth, he says, but we thank God that were alive.

Now recovering at home, Bassil is not sure if, or how, he will reopen.

After this explosion, we dont have any dreams. We dont have any feelings. We cant do anything. We are like visitors in our country. [We have] no future.

Okeili feels the same. Like many others, she doesnt trust Lebanons leaders enough to put her efforts into rebuilding all over again. Even before the explosion, Lebanon was teetering on the edge  its economy ruined by years of corruption by the countrys political class.

Theyve taken everything away from us. Our money, our dreams, even our buildings  our souls. And we keep on fighting, she says.

But this explosion may be the final straw.

The people of this country deserve a better life. They are creative, talented, resilient, they are happy people, full of life and love, she says.

In one year we lost all our savings, our house, our business. I almost lost my husband. What more can I lose? If theres no miracle my plan might be to leave. I dont have the energy anymore. I might lose this again and again.

Bassil and Okeili, Beiruts past and future, symbols of its hope and resilience, are now devoid of both.
OTTAWA  The federal Liberals have delayed the implementation of their 2018 push to bridge the gender pay gap, the Free Press has learned. The decision comes during a pandemic disproportionately pushing women out of the workforce.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 6/8/2020 (530 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA  The federal Liberals have delayed the implementation of their 2018 push to bridge the gender pay gap, the Free Press has learned. The decision comes during a pandemic disproportionately pushing women out of the workforce.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, resources and regulatory priorities have shifted to address the pressing needs of Canadians and Canadian businesses, Dustin Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for federal Labour Minister Filomena Tassi (pictured), wrote Thursday. (Adrian Wyld / The Canadian Press files)

"In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, resources and regulatory priorities have shifted to address the pressing needs of Canadians and Canadian businesses," Dustin Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for federal Labour Minister Filomena Tassi, wrote Thursday.

"The government will look to a potential coming-into-force date for the Pay Equity Act later in 2021."

Parliament passed that legislation in December 2018, which will require most federally regulated workplaces to collect data on the wage gap between male and female employees, and develop plans to fix those disparities.

Despite hiring an ombudsman 10 months ago to help workplaces abide by those rules, the Trudeau government says companies need more time to prepare for the law.

That troubles one local activist.

"Its really important to have enforcement and implementation mechanisms in place; ways that we can actually measure progress," said Leah Wilson, the advocacy co-chair of Manitoba's chapter of the Institute for International Womens Rights.

"Without having even the (passed legislation) in place, it partially falls onto the government that we see some of these drastic losses."

Statistics Canada says female workers aged 25 to 54 made just 87 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2018.

That year, the Liberals said in a press release their new legislation would "bring about a dramatic shift in how the right to pay equity is protected."

The law applies to federally regulated employers with at least 10 staff, such as railways, banks, radio stations and Crown corporations.

When you're dealing with a crisis, you need to be taking even more substantive action to address inequity.  Leah Wilson, the advocacy co-chair of Manitoba's chapter of the Institute for International Womens Rights

Those firms would have three years to analyze their gender breakdown by seniority and pay, and come up with plans to rectify gaps, which would be revised every five years. Larger firms would have to publicly report data, and form committees to oversee the plans.

As part of the legislation, the Canadian Human Rights Commission appointed a pay equity commissioner last September to help firms and Ottawa follow the law.

At the time, Service Canada said the legislation "is expected to come into force in 2020." On Thursday, Tassis office claimed the law remains "a key priority" but needs more time before implementation.

"To allow workplaces more time to participate in consultations and plan for the coming into force, the government is targeting late fall 2020/winter 2021 for the supporting regulations to be pre-published," wrote Fitzpatrick.

That starts a consultation period, after which the government will finalize and implement the regulations.

Bureaucrats warned of such a delay in April, telling Justice Minister David Lametti in an internal briefing note that the implementation could be "potentially delayed by COVID-19 closures."

Wilson said a pandemic is no time to put gender equality on the backburner.

"When you're dealing with a crisis, you need to be taking even more substantive action to address inequity," she said.

Manitoba has followed national trends in the monthly labour-force survey, which shows women are disproportionately losing both work hours and jobs.

Wilson said thats largely because women are overrepresented in the "5 Cs" of caring, cashiering, catering, cleaning and clerical functions, all of which took a hit due to physical-distancing measures.

Now with workplaces reopening, ambiguity around child care and school returns has economists worried that Canadian womens presence in the workforce will revert to rates last seen in the 1980s.

What is the most worrisome is that weve seen a backsliding of human rights and gender equality.  Leah Wilson

"What is the most worrisome is that weve seen a backsliding of human rights and gender equality," Wilson said.

"It's quite alarming and I think it should be just ringing bells for our nation."

Ottawas consultation period and subsequent analysis will likely take months, with the legislation touching numerous departments and agencies.

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The finance minister tabled the legislation as part of an omnibus budget bill; it has been promoted by both the status-of-women and inclusion ministers while the arms-length administering body, CHRC, reports to the justice minister. But implementing the bill falls to Tassi, the labour minister, who was not available Thursday afternoon for an interview.

Manitoba was the first province to implement proactive pay-equity legislation, in 1986. The law requires public-sector employers to ensure work "of equal or comparable value" is compensated without a difference along gender lines.

However the Manitoba law does not cover private workplaces, nor people employed by municipalities and arms-length commissions.

"Despite progress on the front for gender equality in Canada in other areas, this is something that we have to do some substantial work on," Wilson said.

"Without implementing the Pay Equity Act, we actually cant say that those substantive measurements or enforcement mechanisms are in place."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
New Delhi: Minutes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) rejected actress Rhea Chakraborty's request on Friday seeking postponement of her recording the statement till her Supreme Court plea hearing, the actress reached ED office.

Her counsel, Satish Maneshinde stated: "Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen. In view of the fact that ED has informed the media that the request to postpone the attendance is rejected, she has appeared in the ED at the appointed time and date."

#SushantSinghRajput death case: Rhea Chakraborty arrives at Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Mumbai. ED rejected her earlier request that the recording of her statement be postponed till Supreme Court hearing. pic.twitter.com/MIWYlYMXhT  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

After her request was rejected the ED reportedly had asked Rhea Chakraborty to join the probe. Her request was denied and no exemption given. Rhea was accompanied by her brother Showik Chakraborty to the ED office. Later, her manager Shruti Modi was also seen entering the building.

In an email sent to the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday night, Rhea had urged the financial probe agency to defer its inquiry in the case since the matter is still pending in the court. In a statement, Rhea's counsel Satish Manshinde said: "Rhea Chakraborty has requested that the recording of her statement be postponed till Supreme Court hearing."

Also, it has been learnt from sources that ED will now quiz Sushant's friend Siddharth Pithani, who is in Hyderabad on Saturday (August 8, 2020). He has been asked to come down to Mumbai for questioning.

The Enforcement Directorate had registered a money laundering case against Rhea under Personal Money Laundering Act (PMLA) involving the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, a team of the financial probe agency reached the residence of Chartered Accountant Sandeep Sridhar and quizzed him a few days back.

Rhea's associate Samuel Miranda and her CA Ritesh Shah were also probed in relation to the death of the actor. The ED came into action after the case was registered by the ED against Rhea and her family members. It was over Rs 15 crore amount which was allegedly spent by Rhea. The sum was withdrawn from Sushant's account, reportedly. It was after Sushant's father KK Singh had filed an FIR against Rhea in Patna. The ED has named Rhea and her family members in the case on the basis of the Bihar Police FIR.

However, sources close to Rhea inform that the Khar property in question was purchased in 2018 way before she met Sushant Singh Rajput. The flat was purchased from her remuneration from her film Jalebi. The payment was made through her bank account to the builder.
Philadelphia firefighters battle a multi-alarm fire at North Broad and Chew Streets on June 1. Officials said there were several arson fires in Philadelphia during civil unrest following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Read more

Philadelphians whose properties were damaged by arson during the recent civil unrest may be able to obtain low-interest loans from the federal government if the U.S. Small Business Administration approves a request from Gov. Tom Wolf to issue a disaster declaration for the protests following the police killing of George Floyd.

Wolfs request would cover arsons during a 10-day period beginning May 30, the day the nationwide protest movement reached Philadelphia. On that day, a peaceful march on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway gave way to a night of looting along Chestnut and Walnut Streets in Center City. The next day, chaos spread to neighborhoods across the city, including the 52nd Street corridor, where businesses along the so-called Main Street of West Philadelphia were damaged.

Mayor Jim Kenney greatly appreciates Wolfs request, said spokesperson Lauren Cox. But Cox said the Kenney administration advocated for a disaster declaration for all businesses affected by the unrest, not just those which were affected specifically by arson fires.

Limiting eligibility to just those who suffered from arson would severely curtail the number of entities eligible, Cox said Friday.

More than 30 fires between May 30 and June 8 are being investigated as arsons, Cox said. The Philadelphia Fire Department responded to at least 95 fires between those dates.

 READ MORE: George Floyd protests quickly overwhelmed Philadelphia police

The Fire Department cannot definitively say how many were directly connected to the unrest, Cox said.

Wolf said the damage from the arsons totaled in the millions of dollars.

City officials do not have a total monetary estimate for the damage caused by the unrest, Cox said.

Wolf, in a letter sent to the SBA on Thursday, said many buildings in Philadelphia sustained significant damages caused by numerous arson fires during the civil unrest. He said the damage met the minimum SBA requirement of at least 25 homes or businesses with uninsured losses totaling 40% or more of their market value.

The SBA offers low-cost loans to property owners affected by catastrophes that meet certain benchmarks, usually following natural disasters such as hurricanes or floods. For those events, governors typically also request assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which can reimburse state and local governments for infrastructure repair and provide payments to people impacted by the disaster through its Individual Assistance program. Wolfs request, though, applies only to the SBA loans for property owners in Philadelphia.

Other governors also have asked the SBA to provide loans for arson damage sustained during the protests. The agency announced this week that businesses in eight counties, including the one that contains Minneapolis, could apply for SBA loans.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz had also asked for a major-disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which would have allowed local governments to receive reimbursement for cleanup and rebuilding in the wake of the unrest. FEMA denied the request, but Walz is appealing.

The SBA also is accepting loan applications from business owners who suffered losses due to civil unrest in several counties in California. Similar assistance has also been approved for Cook County, Ill., which includes Chicago, and surrounding counties in Illinois and Indiana.
The Uttarakhand tourism development corporation is likely to develop a Ramayana circuit comprising all holy sites linked with Ramayana in the state to boost religious tourism.

Under the initiative, officials are keen to bring holy sites associated with Ramayana and build them for tourists to visit and learn about. We have some holy sites and temples in the state which are linked with Ramayana. We will develop all of them and bring it under our initiative of Ramayana circuit to boost religious tourism in the state, state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said. The minister was among the saints present in Uttar Pradeshs Ayodhya during the foundation stone-laying ceremony.

We have some holy sites and temples in the state which are linked with Ramayana. We will develop all of them and bring it under our initiative of Ramayana circuit to boost religious tourism in the state, Satpal said.

Revealing more details on the concept, Satpal said, We have Bharat and Shatrughan temple in Rishikesh where it is believed that the two met Lord Ram to urge him to return to Ayodhya from his sojourn in the forest. Apart from this, we also have Raghunath temple in Devprayag which was visited by Lord Ram.

We will link all of these places and develop them. It will help the people know about the significance of Uttarakhand in Ramayana as well as attract them to visit, said Maharaj.

The tourism minister also said that he had discussed the concept with Union minister of tourism Prahlad Singh Patel a few days ago.

I urged him to assess the possibility of developing similar circuits in all those states which have some connection with Ramayana. I also urge him to get a study done on the significance of Ramayana on some of the South East Asian countries where it is a part of their culture, said Maharaj.

Uttarakhand tourism department has also been developing Mahabharat circuit and Sita circuit in the state to boost religious tourism.

We are already working on them. This new circuit will also open new avenues of religious tourism in the state, said Maharaj.

In November last year, chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had announced that the state government will be developing a Sita Mata circuit in Pauri Garhwal district to attract pilgrims and tourists from across the world. It is in this part of the Himalayas, according to Hindu tradition, Sita went inside earth.

It is believed that Goddess Sita went inside the earth in the Phalswari village of Pauri Garhwal district where a small Sita Mata temple stands to mark the event. The village is situated at a distance of 15 km from the Pauri town, which witnesses a Sita Mata fair every year for three days in the month of May.
WASHINGTON - The House Committee on Homeland Security Friday asked for records related to a widespread covid-19 outbreak inside a Virginia immigration detention center after a 72-year-old detainee there died while hospitalized with the disease earlier this week.

Also on Friday, Virginia Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam's office said the nation's top public health agency has agreed to conduct widespread coronavirus testing at the facility located in Farmville.

The site is home to the nation's largest covid-19 outbreak inside a detention center, with 259 detainees - most of the population - being monitored for the disease, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In a letter to Immigration Centers of America, the company that operates the Farmville facility, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said his committee is concerned about how the outbreak has been handled since the first coronavirus infection was recorded there in late April.

"Farmville detainees report that they have been pepper sprayed and fired at with a 'noise-distracting round' in response to their protests on the spread of the coronavirus inside the facility," Thompson wrote. "This is dangerous, as the use of irritants such as pepper spray can induce coughing, increasing a person's chance of catching a respiratory illness such as COVID."

Those allegations also were included in a lawsuit filed in federal court last month. That suit was filed a few days before Northam and both of Virginia's U.S. senators asked President Donald Trump to allow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get involved.

Thompson's letter requested, among other things, details about the transfer of 74 detainees into the facility in June who the lawsuit claims were not tested for covid-19 beforehand.

Immigration Centers of America referred questions from The Washington Post to ICE, which declined to comment on Thompson's letter or the CDC's involvement.

But ICE officials confirmed that James Thomas Hill, a Canadian national held at Farmville since the spring, died Wednesday night, nearly a month after he was hospitalized with covid-19 in Lynchburg.

ICE officials said the cause of Hill's death is still under investigation, though he had been experiencing shortness of breath when he was hospitalized. The agency said no other Farmville detainees are currently hospitalized.

"ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive, agencywide review of this incident, as it does in all such cases," the agency said in a statement.

The death sparked a fresh wave of outrage among immigrant advocates over how the pandemic has been handled inside the Farmville facility and other immigrant detention centers.

In particular, ICE's willingness to transfer detainees between facilities during the pandemic has allowed the disease to spread, those advocates said.

"That is directly what led to this man's death," said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, legal director of the Immigrant Advocacy Program at the Legal Aid Justice Center, which is representing some of the plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit filed in Alexandria's U.S. District Court.

Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said the CDC agreed last week to conduct widespread testing at the facility after the governor appealed to Trump for assistance. CDC officials didn't immediately respond to messages on Friday.

"While the state is unable to enter this property without permission from the facility, the Governor has pushed for months to gain access for increased testing and disease management," Yarmosky said. "In fact, the Department of Health has repeatedly attempted to assist with testing but has been denied by this center."

ICE has said it's taken "extensive precautions" to limit the spread of coronavirus among its detainees, including regular testing and adding more hand-washing stations inside its facilities.
Since 1947, August has been an inauspicious montha month of disempowerment and suppressionfor the people of Kashmir.

The most recent setback came a year ago, on Aug. 5, 2019the day the Indian government revoked Kashmirs special status by abrogating Article 370 and 35A, diluting whatever limited autonomy still existed on paper. (Indias military presence had already gave them a lot of control.) Article 370 allowed Indian-administered Kashmir to retain control over all areas barring defense, communication and foreign policy. Article 35A ensured that only Kashmirs permanent residents could own property.

The revocation was yet another step towards completely annexing Kashmira move used to garner popular support in India at the expense of Kashmiris. The consent of the governed, which is essential in a democracy, is not at all a concern for the Hindu nationalist government of India when it comes to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which includes the Kashmir valley.

Kashmir was under a lockdown long before COVID-19. For weeks last year, all phone lines and internet services were cut off by the Indian government. Basic mobile-phone connectivity took months to be restored and a ban on high-speed 4G internet continues till this day.

Still, Indias government has made full use of coronavirus lockdowns by passing the domicile rule, which has caused alarm because of its potential to change the demography of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. The measure grants a right to residency and government jobs to anyone from India who has lived in the state for 15 years or more, studied there for seven years and taken certain exams, or served in its state government for 10 years or more. In just more than a month, around 400,000 people have already acquired domicile certificates. It could alter the results of any referendum seeking peoples opinion for the resolution of the larger, international dispute over control of the territory.

Story continues

It was in 1947in Augustthat India and Pakistan gained their independence and failed to reach an agreement on the sovereignty of Jammu and Kashmir, most of which remained with India. Kashmiris were never consulted. They were made invisible.

Later that year came the first attempt to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir: the Muslim-majority district of Poonch in Jammu faced a siege, which resulted in a massacre of Muslims across Jammu. It is unclear exactly how many people died, but estimates put the casualty count between 20,000 to even more than 200,000with half a million being forced to migrate to Pakistan.

In August 1953, Sheikh Abdullahwho became Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in 1948was arrested and jailed. Dozens of people were killed in protests following his incarceration.

In August 2008, Kashmiris protested the blockade of a key highway in the state by Hindu nationalists. As tens of thousands of protesters marched towards the city of Muzaffarabadthe capital of the Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the other side of the Line of ControlIndian security forces fired upon them.

All told, since 1990, more than 70,000 people have been killed, at least 8,000 have disappeared, hundreds have been tortured and thousands detained by Indian authorities . Official Indian figures put the death toll much lower (citing 41,000 deaths between 1990 and March 2017).

Elections have been rigged and laws have been imposed by twisting the local governments arm; anyone who opposes the Indian governments writ was jailed or killed. There has been absolute lawlessness as structures of accountability have been rendered dysfunctional. Not one armed forces personnel has ever been prosecuted in civilian courts for their involvement in human rights violations.

Promises of a referendum allowing Kashmiris to decide the territorys fate, made by then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947, have been buried and replaced by a new narrative that Kashmir is an integral part of India. With every passing day, Indias stand on Kashmir has grown more rigidand violence against people of Jammu and Kashmir has become a norm.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came into power in 2014, the policies of aggression became even more crude. The only difference was that the deceptive sophistication of the secular Congress government was replaced by the brazenness of the Hindu-majoritarian BJP.

The international community has expressed but mild concern about the recent situation in Jammu and Kashmir, likely out of desires to retain trade and strategic relationships with India. But are international agreements merely words intended to make the leaders who sign them feel morally just?

The unilateral and undemocratic changes governing Jammu and Kashmir, unabated human rights violations, denial of basic facilities and land-grabbing due to militarization are all in violation of international law, UN resolutions, Indias own constitutional framework and Indias commitment to Kashmiris. India can only feel encouraged to continue its violent policy because of the lack of international moral leadership.
A man walks at the site of the explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, on August 6, 2020, two days after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. (AFP)

Moscow: The chemicals that went up in flames in Beiruts deadliest peace-time explosion arrived in the Lebanese capital seven years ago on a leaky Russian-leased cargo ship that, according to its captain, should never have stopped there.

They were being greedy, said Boris Prokoshev, who was captain of the Rhosus in 2013 when he says the owner told him to make an unscheduled stop in Lebanon to pick up extra cargo.

Prokoshev said the ship was carrying 2,750 tonnes of a highly combustible chemical from Georgia to Mozambique when the order came to divert to Beirut on its way through the Mediterranean.

The crew were asked to load some heavy road equipment and take it to Jordans Port of Aqaba before resuming their journey onto Africa, where the ammonium nitrate was to be delivered to an explosives manufacturer.

But the ship was never to leave Beirut, having tried and failed to safely load the additional cargo before becoming embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute over port fees.

It was impossible, Prokoshev, 70, told Reuters of the operation to try and load the extra cargo. It could have ruined the whole ship and I said no, he said by phone from his home in the Russian resort town of Sochi on the Black Sea coast.

The captain and lawyers acting for some creditors accused the ships owner of abandoning the vessel and succeeded in having it arrested. Months later, for safety reasons, the ammonium nitrate was unloaded and put in a dock warehouse.

On Tuesday, that stockpile caught fire and exploded not far from a built-up residential area of the city. The huge blast killed 145 people, injured 5,000, flattened buildings and made more than a quarter of a million people homeless.

The ship might have succeeded in leaving Beirut, had it managed to load the additional cargo.

The crew had stacked the equipment, including excavators and road-rollers, on top of the doors to the cargo hold which held the ammonium nitrate below, according to the ships Ukrainian boatswain, Boris Musinchak. But the hold doors buckled.

The ship was old and the cover of the hold bent, Musinchak said by phone. We decided not to take risks.

The captain and three crew spent 11 months on the ship while the legal dispute dragged on, without wages and with only limited supplies of food. Once they left, the ammonium nitrate was unloaded.

The cargo was highly explosive. Thats why it was kept on board when we were there ... That ammonium nitrate had a very high concentration, Prokoshev said.

BOUND FOR MOZAMBIQUE

Prokoshev identified the ships owner as Russian businessman Igor Grechushkin. Attempts to contact Grechushkin were unsuccessful.

Cypriot police questioned Grechushkin at his home in Cyprus on Thursday, a security source said. A Cyprus police spokesman said an individual, whom he did not name, had been questioned at the request of Interpol Beirut in relation to the cargo.

The ammonium nitrate was sold by Georgian fertiliser maker Rustavi Azot LLC, and was to be delivered to a Mozambique explosives maker, Fabrica de Explosivos.

A senior representative for Fabrica de Explosivos did not immediately respond when sent a request for comment on LinkedIn.

Levan Burdiladze, the Rustavi Azot plant director, told Reuters that his company had only operated the chemical factory for the last three years and so he could not confirm whether the ammonium nitrate was produced there.

He called the decision to store the material in Beirut port a gross violation of safe storage measures, considering that ammonium nitrate loses its useful properties in six months.

Initial Lebanese investigations into what happened have pointed to inaction and negligence in the handling of the potentially dangerous chemical.

Lebanons cabinet on Wednesday agreed to place all Beirut port officials who have overseen storage and security since 2014 under house arrest, ministerial sources said.

The head of Beirut port and the head of customs said that several letters were sent to the judiciary asking for the material be removed, but no action was taken.

Reuters could not immediately reach Lebanons justice minister for comment. The Justice Ministry is closed for three days of national mourning.

According to Prokoshev, the ship had been leaking but was seaworthy when it sailed into Beirut in September 2013. However, he said Lebanese authorities paid little attention to the ammonium nitrate, which had been stacked in the hull in large sacks.

I feel sorry for the people (killed or injured in the blast). But local authorities, the Lebanese, should be punished. They did not care about the cargo at all, he said.

The abandoned Rhosus sank where she was moored in Beirut harbour, according to a May, 2018 email from a lawyer to Prokoshev, which said it had gone down recently.
To date, the Tulsa County Sheriffs Office has had five COVID-19-positive inmates, with all of them since having been discharged or kept in negative airflow cells until subsequently recovering.

Sheriff Vic Regalado said he attributes the low number to great work from Turnkey Health, the jails contracted medical provider, but a new machine announced Friday will make the testing process more efficient.

Regalado said Turnkey recommended the BD Veritor Plus system, a portable machine that can produce COVID-19 test results in 15 minutes.

We believe this enhances our response to COVID-19 within the David L. Moss (Criminal Justice Center) so we can continue to keep those numbers low and continue to keep the citizens of Tulsa County we serve safe from infection, Regalado said.

The system uses a nasal swab, and Regalado said the Sheriffs Office purchased 2,000 test kits as a starting point. At about $35 per test, the machine was included at no extra cost as part of the $70,000 purchase, Regalado said.
For many reasons other than regulation, farmers have switching to using urea over ammonium nitrate over the years, analysts say.

The storage of ammonium nitrate, the substance behind the deadly explosion in the port of Beirut on Tuesday, has come under increased regulation in recent years to avoid involvement of the ubiquitous product in accidents which, although rare, can be devastating.

Widely used and produced

The world's annual production of ammonium nitrate is over 20 million tonnes, which means the amount that exploded in Beirut (2,700 tonnes) is made almost every hour.Storing hundreds or even thousands of tonnes in the same place is frequent, and a single farmer can easily use several tonnes a year.

Analyst firm IHS says just over three quarters of the world's supply goes to agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertiliser for crops.The rest, in a higher and more volatile concentration, is used for explosives, particularly in mining and construction.

The substance can be found in its natural state, particularly in Chile, where it used to be mined.But it has been synthesised since the early 20th century and is now almost exclusively produced in factories.

Accidents rare, but terrible

There have been a few dozen accidents over the past century, with appalling consequences.One of the earliest, at a BASF plant in Oppau, Germany, resulted in 561 deaths in 1921. In 1947, in Texas City, an explosion of two ships in port carrying 3,500 tons killed 581 people.According to a European Commission memo, accidents have been recorded at production sites, warehouses and during transport.

"Even small storages of ammonium nitrate fertilisers, defined as low as 10 tonnes in some legislations, may place the population at high risk if proper safety measures and procedures are not fully in place," the memo said.

Industry representatives say however that the risk is minimal when safety protocols are respected and point out that the substance needs to reach a temperature of just under 200 degrees Celsius before it can combust.

Ammonium nitrate is "not toxic to handle and cannot burn or explode spontaneously," said a spokeswoman for Yara, one of the world's leading producers along with Russia's Eurochem, CF Industries of the US and Chile's Enaex. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Russia is the world's leading producer.

"Insensitive to shocks and friction, ammonium nitrate is a mediocre explosive unless it is mixed with fuels such as hydrocarbons, or if it is melted and put under pressure during, for example, a violent fire," the French chemistry organisation Societe Chimique de France said.

Stricter regulation

According to the IHS, "there is continuous pressure around the world to regulate use and trade of ammonium nitrate because of its potential for misuse as an explosive in terrorism or for accidental detonation."

The organization also said that countries including Afghanistan, China, Colombia, the Philippines, and Turkey "have banned the sale of ammonium nitrate as a fertiliser". In Europe, stockpiles are regulated by the Seveso 3 directive, which was strengthened following an accident at the AZF plant in Toulouse, France, in 2001.

"The EU regulation does not regulate nor impose limits on the storage of ammonium nitrate. Instead, the Seveso directive has in place a tiered approach to the level of controls: the larger the quantities of dangerous substances present within an establishment, the stricter the rules," Lukasz Pasterski, spokesman for Fertilizers Europe, told AFP.

By contrast in the US it is forbidden to store more than 2,500 tonnes in a building not equipped with automatic sprinklers.China tightened security measures after an explosion in a warehouse storing ammonium nitrate, among other chemicals, in the city of Tianjin, killed at least 165 people.

Ammonium nitrate, which is widely available and cheap, has often been used in bomb attacks.Two tonnes of the product, combined with gasoline, was enough for American extremist Timothy McVeigh to damage several housing blocks in Oklahoma City in 1995, and kill 168 people.

Using the same modus operandi, Norwegian far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik damaged Oslo's government district in 2011. As a result of increased regulation farmers have started switching to another fertiliser, urea, according to analysts.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Though this weeks storm hit Staten Island in the middle of hurricane season, leaving behind destruction and tens of thousands of homes without power, Tropical Storm Isaias had weakened by the time it got to New York.

Yes, hurricane season is here.

It officially began on June 1 and wont end until Nov. 30, and September is typically the busiest month. Forecasters predict 20 named storms this season, citing the likely absence of El Nino as a primary factor.

Here are 10 things to know as we make our way through hurricane season:

1. What is a hurricane?

A hurricane is a tropical storm that has sustained wind speeds of 74 miles per hour or more -- along with thunderstorms. The hurricane season runs from June through November -- with peak season being roughly eight weeks from mid-August to mid-October.

2. What is expected this season?

Colorado State University hurricane researchers predict 20 named storms, a slight increase from the early April prediction of 16 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes.

3. What are the impacts of Tropical Storm Isaias?

More than 3.1 million homes and businesses were left without electrical power after the powerful storm whipped through the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Monday and Tuesday, with outages most concentrated in the Tristate area.

The storm killed several people after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., on Monday.

As of Wednesday morning, power was out for close to a million people in New Jersey, about 775,000 people in New York, and about 700,000 in Connecticut, reports indicated. In all, outages stretched from North Carolina up to Maine.

Con Edison reportedly announced that the number of outages caused by Tropical Storm Isaias was its second largest in its history. In the United States, the outages were concentrated in the Tristate area.

Over 50,000 homes were without power across Staten Island at one point, officials said.

As of Thursday, Con Edisons outage map showed that approximately 13,000 Staten Islanders were waiting to have power restored.

There were more than 900 reports of downed trees on Staten Island, a Parks Department spokesman told the Advance/SILive.com.

These photos show how Staten Island is dealing with the aftermath.

4. Why do storms become severe?

The severity of a hurricane is dependent on weather temperatures. Tropical cyclones gain strength from warm waters, moist air and converging winds.

The warmer the water, the moister the wind becomes. With the right combination of the two, the storm increases in strength.

Major hurricanes are defined as being Category 3, 4 or 5, in regard to wind strength. Category 3 hurricanes are comprised of winds gusting between 110 and 129 miles per hour, with Category 4 spanning from 130 to 155 miles per hour, and Category 5 exceeding 156 miles per hour.

5. Could another Hurricane Sandy hit Staten Island?

While most experts agree that another storm like Hurricane Sandy could strike the New York City area again, many disagree on how soon we could be in for such a severe weather occurrence.

Climate experts' estimates from recent studies range from a similar storm returning every 23 years to every 260 years.

National Hurricane Center Senior Hurricane Specialist Dr. Michael Brennan told the Advance in 2017 that its nearly impossible to predict when we might experience a storm of this nature again.

6. The dangers of storm surge

The storm surge is the greatest threat to life and property along the coast, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), even more destructive than high winds.

Storm surge is water that is pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds swirling around the storm. The surge combines with the normal tides to create the hurricane storm tide, which can increase the mean water level 15 feet or more. This high rise in water can cause severe flooding in coastal areas, according to the Weather Channel.

7. What about tropical waves?

Tropical waves are part of the formation of hurricanes. Also known as African Easterly waves, these are not waves in the ocean -- they are an atmospheric trough of low air pressure or air boundary that creates thunderstorms and can develop into a named storm.

The waves can be seen on a pressure map and don't always become a hurricane. These tropical waves create the ideal weather condition for the cyclones to form.

8. How are hurricanes named?

There is a strict storm-naming process established by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization.

For Atlantic storms, there are six lists of names that are cycled each year. On the seventh year, the committee restarts with the first list and repeats the cycle. The 2020 list will be repeated in 2026.

Storms are given short, distinctive names to make them easier to talk and write about and to reduce confusion when discussing multiple storms, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

In 2020 the names are Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred.

This file photos shows a home at the corner of Maple Terrace and Cedar Grove Avenue in New Dorp Beach after Hurricane Sandy. (Staten Island Advance) Staten Island Advance

9. Deadly names

The only time there is a change in the rotating list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity, according to NOAA. Sandy is a good example of this, as are Harvey and Florence.

When this happens, the name is stricken from the list during the annual meeting of the World Meteorological Organization, primarily to discuss other issues. Heres a list of all stricken names since 1954, provided by NOAA.

10. How should I prepare?

Preparing for a hurricane begins long before newscasters and newspapers begin coverage of impending storms, according to the national website, ready.gov.

Since they can happen along any U.S. coast and can affect areas more than 100 miles inland, residents in a huge portion of the country should all have an emergency plan that includes:
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration on Friday targeted 11 Hong Kong officials, including its chief executive, Carrie Lam, for restricting freedoms and undermining the territory's autonomy.

In a step that is certain to further increase tensions between Washington and Beijing, the Treasury Department said the sanctions were because of the "draconian" national security legislation China has imposed on Hong Kong, which lays the groundwork to jail protesters and censor voices critical of Beijing.

The sanctions, including against current and former police commissioners, also mark a clear shift in the way the semiautonomous territory's leadership is viewed by Washington - as entirely subservient to Beijing and its intentions for the city.

U.S. policymakers as recently as November were focused on finding evidence of direct involvement by China's army, the People's Liberation Army, or by the People's Armed Police in the Hong Kong Police Force before considering a reworking of policy against the territory. Now, the Trump administration has taken this step even without clear evidence of that, a reflection of how quickly perceptions of Hong Kong's autonomy have changed.

The most prominent target of the U.S. sanctions is Lam, who was responsible for implementing the national security law and other acts that have ignited large opposition protests in Hong Kong. The Treasury Department said that she was "directly responsible for implementing Beijing's policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes."

Other targets included the current and former police commissioners of Hong Kong and other officials responsible for supervising security measures.

The Trump administration said the sanctions are being issued under an executive order signed by the president last month in response to China's ongoing crackdown on Hong Kong.

"The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement announcing the sanctions.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a statement saying the 11 officials sanctioned had all "crushed the Hong Kong people's freedom" by working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to adopt and implement the national security law.

"This law, purportedly enacted to 'safeguard' the security of Hong Kong, is in fact a tool of CCP repression," Pompeo said. Among the restrictions in the law is a ban on literature critical of the CCP.

Pompeo accused China of abandoning its treaty commitments to maintain Hong Kong's autonomy and personal freedoms for 50 years after the British relinquished power in 1997 and Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty.

The Hong Kong pro-democracy movement overwhelmingly celebrated the sanctions, which many have been clamoring for as a token of justice after the crackdown on the city's freedoms. Street protests last year specifically called on the United States to pass legislation in support of Hong Kong's protesters and to sanction the city's leadership, especially its police.

In a video posted on YouTube, Joshua Wong, a leading activist, praised the U.S. sanctions and called on other nations to follow.

"It's time for the world to realize that they need to reassess their foreign policy to Hong Kong and China" he said. "Otherwise, Hong Kong will still escalate. It's time for the world to stand with Hong Kong."

Under the new national security law, speaking in support of sanctions could be a crime of "foreign interference," punishable by life in prison.

The sanctions allow the United States to seize any property the designated officials may have in the United States, though it is unclear whether any of them have any assets subject to seizure.

Lam and others in the Hong Kong establishment had dismissed the risk of sanctions. Regina Ip, a member of Lam's executive council who was not included in the list of officials sanctioned on Friday, said the Hong Kong government and officials should not be sanctioned by the U.S. since it was Beijing that had spearheaded the national security legislation.

In a news conference last Friday announcing the postponement of legislative elections in Hong Kong, Lam said she "dismissed the threat of sanctions with a laugh" and said it was something she and her government "could handle." In an earlier television interview, she said she had no assets in the United States.

Among those named in the sanctions was Chris Tang, the current police commissioner and his predecessor, Stephen Lo, both of whom oversaw the arrests of thousands of protesters and violent street clashes between police and protesters. As well as other security and political officials, the sanctions also targeted Luo Huining, mainland China's top official in Hong Kong.

- - -

Mahtani reported from Hong Kong.
New Delhi: India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart Mike Pompeo spoke over the phone and held discussions on a host of topics including bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of international concern, efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and the Indo-Pacific region, a senior US official said.

Both Jaishankar and Pompeo reiterated that the strength of the India-US relationship to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe, Cale Brown, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department said on Thursday.

Taking to Twitter Pompeo wrote: "We remain united to advance peace in Afghanistan, and to a secure and sovereign Indo-Pacific in which all countries can prosper.

India and the US have explored ways to boost cooperation in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region where China has been trying to spread its influence while the US has been pushing for a broader role by India in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region.

India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military maneuvering in the region.

"Both leaders agreed to continue close cooperation on a full range of regional and international issues and look forward to Quadrilateral consultations and the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year," Brown said in a readout of the telephonic conversation.

During the call, Jaishankar and Pompeo also discussed on support to the peace process in Afghanistan, and address recent destabilising actions in the region.

The two leaders have been in regular communication during the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 7 lakh lives and infected nearly 19 million people worldwide.
Bags of fireworks were stored alongside highly explosive ammonium nitrate at Beirut's port, a former worker has claimed.

Yusuf Shehadi said dozens of fireworks were stored in the same hangar as thousands of tonnes of the powerful chemical compound in the port of Beirut, Lebanon.

Meanwhile, people were out hurling stones at riot police outside Lebanese parliament ahead of a major protest planned in downtown Martyrs' Square on Saturday.

Critics call for an end to the country's political system after Tuesday's blast killed 137 people and wounded more than 5,000.

Mr Shehadi, who emigrated to Canada in March this year, told The Guardian he was instructed by the military to store 2,750 tonnes of the chemical in Warehouse 12.

Scroll down for video.

Yusuf Shehadi said dozens of fireworks were stored in the same hangar as thousands of tonnes of the powerful chemical compound ammonium nitrate (pictured) in Beirut, Lebanon

Footage taken by a woman living near the warehouse showed thousands of sparks shooting into the air as plumes of black smoke rose above the port

Search and rescue operations continue to sift through the mangled wreckage of cars and warehouse structures near to the site of the explosion on Tuesday

Warehouses full of goods including cars in the immediate area surround the blast were completely destroyed by the impact of the explosion the size of a small nuclear bomb

On top of the dangerous chemicals, fireworks were confiscated by customs in 2009-10 and sent to be stored in the same hangar.

'There were 30 to 40 nylon bags of fireworks inside warehouse 12,' he said, adding that he had personally seem them being delivered on a forklift.

'They were on the left-hand side when you entered the door. I used to complain about this. There was also humidity there. This was a disaster waiting to happen.'

Mr Shehadi said customs complained every week about the dangers of storing the chemicals so close to peoples' homes - but the army refused to move the ammonium nitrate.

He revealed his former colleagues told him workers were trying to fix a gate outside warehouse 12 with an electrical tool just 30 minutes before the blast.

Mr Shehadi said he thought it was this work that caused the tragedy.

Protests are expected tomorrow as anger builds in the city against officials who critics say did nothing to prevent the disaster.

Anti-government protesters hurl stones at Lebanese riot police during a protest against the Lebanese politicians who have ruled the country for decades, outside of the Lebanese Parliament in downtown Beirut on Friday evening

People were out hurling stones at riot police outside Lebanese parliament ahead of a major protest planned in downtown Martyrs' Square on Saturday

Damaged cars are seen at the site of Tuesday's blast, at Beirut's port area, Lebanon, August 7

Several firefighters tragically seen attempting to stop a fire at the port moments before the devastating explosion are believed to have died in the blast

The impact of the blast shook buildings, blew out windows for miles around and even threw cars metres into the air

A satellite image made available by MAXAR Technologies shows capsized Orient Queen ship after the major explosion

Lebanese Red Cross members walk amongst the rubble at the site of Tuesday's blast

Burned-out cars. Two massive explosions in the port area of Beirut on August 4 resulted in a shockwave devastating multiple nearby neighborhoods, with more than 100 citizens killed

Hospital capacity was reduced by 500 beds, shipping containers filled with personal protective equipment were destroyed and the homes of 100,000 children faced significant damage in the blast.

Footage taken by a woman living near the warehouse showed thousands of sparks shooting into the air as plumes of black smoke rose above the port.

Crackles that sounded like fireworks could be heard just seconds before an already blazing fire erupted into an explosion as the ammonium nitrate was set alight.

The woman was sent flying backwards by the force of the shock wave as buildings were destroyed and glass shattered.

On Thursday evening Lebanese police officers fired tear gas near parliament as protests mounted.

Lebanese security forces faced off with dozens of anti-government demonstrators as the wreckage from the explosion still littered the entire area.

Anthony Elghossain, a Lebanese-American lawyer, said: 'Lebanese leaders have killed a country, buried it and p****d on its grave. That's what people are feeling right now.

People help to clean debris after a fire at a warehouse with explosives at the Port of Beirut led to massive blasts

An aerial view of ruined structures at the port, damaged by an explosion a day earlier

Shipping containers filled with personal protective equipment were destroyed and the homes of 100,000 children faced significant damage in the blast

Members of Qatar's Internal Security Force's search and rescue unit joined their Lebanese counterparts in looking for survivors on the site of the massive blast at the Beirut port

The Lebanese Red Cross estimated dozens of people could still be buried under debris and wreckage, estimated to total $5billion in damage

In an instant, the blast left destruction likened to that caused by the country's 1975-1990 civil war, levelling buildings several hundred metres (yards) away

Emergency workers sent by Russia continue their search and rescue efforts in the ruins of a grain silo destroyed by the explosion in Beirut on Tuesday

'For 30 years people have been telling themselves it can't get much worse but look at it now ... they played hot potato with a megabomb,' he said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The Lebanese investigation into the disaster is expected to be ready by Sunday but some sixteen people linked to the port including its general manager have already been placed under house arrest.

The country's president, Michel Aoun, said the cause of the blast was still unclear and did not rule out the possibility of a hostile act.

'The cause has not been determined yet,' Aoun said. 'There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act.'

Aoun also said that Lebanon's 'paralysed' political system should be reconsidered in the nod to the protests which blame Tuesday's explosion on years of mismanagement and corruption.

The blast, caused by a stockpile of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate which caught fire, has threatened to reignite anti-government protests in Lebanon. Pictured, riot police in the early hours of this morning

Many Lebanese put the blame squarely on the political elite and the corruption and mismanagement that even before the disaster had pushed the country to the brink of economic collapse. Pictured, demonstrators in the early hours of Friday

The Lebanese Red Cross estimated dozens of people could still be buried under debris from the blast.

Lina Daoud, 45, a resident of the Mar Mikhail which was all-but destroyed in the explosion, described politicians as 'enemies of the state', saying: 'They killed our dreams, our future. Lebanon was a heaven, they have made it hell.'

Politicians were viewed as corrupt and incompetent even before the explosion, with tens of thousands taking to the streets in demonstrations that started in October last year - and now threaten to return with fresh intensity.

'What state?' scoffed 42-year-old Melissa Fadlallah, a volunteer cleaning up the hard-hit Mar Mikhail district of the Lebanese capital.

The explosion, which hit just a few hundred metres (yards) away at Beirut's port, blew all the windows and doors off Mar Mikhail's pubs, restaurants and apartment homes.

Tear gas was fired to disperse scuffles that broke out in ravaged streets in central Beirut leading to parliament, the wreckage from Tuesday's explosion still littering the entire area

Lebanese security forces faced off with dozens of anti-government demonstrators last night, angered by the devastating explosion widely seen as the most shocking expression yet of the government's incompetence

An army of volunteers have taken to the streets to sweep up glass, clear away rubble, rehouse the homeless and repair buildings amid a near-total absence of state support

A massive cleanup operation is underway in Beirut after a massive explosion at the port levelled the surrounding neighbourhoods and left half of city's buildings with damage

By Wednesday, a spontaneous cleanup operation was underway there, a glimmer of youthful solidarity and hope after a devastating night.

Wearing plastic gloves and a mask, Fadlallah tossed a shard of glass as long as her arm at the door of the state electricity company's administrative building that looms over the district.

'For me, this state is a dump - and on behalf of yesterday's victims, the dump that killed them is going to stay a dump,' she told AFP.

'We're trying to fix this country. We've been trying to fix it for nine months but now we're going to do it our way,' said Fadlallah.

'If we had a real state, it would have been in the street since last night cleaning and working. Where are they?'

A few civil defence workers could be seen examining building structures but they were vastly outnumbered by young volunteers flooding the streets to help.

The cost of the explosion is thought to have topped $3billion, with 300,000 people left homeless, at least 137 dead, and more than 5,000 people injured

A view through a blown-out window shows a destroyed grain silo that is located opposite the burning warehouse - which is now no more than a hole in the ground

In small groups, they energetically swept up glass beneath blown-out buildings, dragging them into plastic bags.

Others clambered up debris-strewn stairwells to offer their homes to residents who had spent the previous night in the open air.

'We're sending people into the damaged homes of the elderly and handicapped to help them find a home for tonight,' said Husam Abu Nasr, a 30-year-old volunteer.

In an instant, the blast left destruction likened to that caused by the country's 1975-1990 civil war, levelling buildings several hundred metres (yards) away.

Livia Caruso, 30, an Italian national who grew up in Britain, described scenes of blood everywhere 'gaping wounds' and people 'screaming and crying' as the explosion hit, with her husband fainting.

A man picks through the ruins of blown-out buildings in central Beirut following a massive explosion at the city's port

Volunteers help remove fridges from a destroyed store as a massive cleanup operation gets underway in Beirut

A young man armed with a broom and a rake walks down a destroyed street in Beirut, amid a massive cleanup operation

Her apartment and her husbands bar, Riwaq Beirut, were destroyed in the blast.

She said she was with her Lebanese husband, Hussein Farran, at the bar about 2km from the port when they felt a bomb had dropped on them.

Explosion sparks panic over food shortages in Lebanon The annihilation of the port in Tuesday's explosion has further strained food access for a population that relies on imports for 85 per cent of what it eats. Some 15,000 tonnes of wheat, corn and barley were blasted out of the towering 55-year-old silos and a nearby mill was destroyed. At least one ship unloading wheat during the explosion was damaged, its stocks inedible. The day after the blast, hundreds of customers flocked to the Al-Kaboushieh Bakery in Beirut's Hamra district to stock up on bread. 'Were completely sold out. Everyone was buying five bags instead of one in case there'd be no more,' said employee Hayder Mussawi. Lebanese bread makers and consumers fear the loss of the 120,000-tonne capacity silos will compound months of wheat worries, making bread harder to produce and ultimately more expensive for a population that has already seen its purchasing power slashed. 'When we saw the silos, we panicked,' said Ghassan Bou Habib, CEO of Lebanon's Wooden Bakery pastry franchise. A liquidity crisis since the autumn saw banks halt dollar transfers abroad, which hampered imports. Container activity had already declined by 45 per cent in the first half of 2020 compared to last year, according to Blominvest Bank, while the staggering devaluation of the Lebanese pound led to major price hikes. 'We were already struggling with the (little) wheat and flour that were available. The mills weren't getting enough or they didn't have fuel to run,' Bou Habib said. Advertisement

Glass exploded everywhere and we lunged for the stairs to make our way to safety downstairs but it was complete mayhem, blood everywhere, people screaming, crying and panicking,' she said.

I was in shock, I could barely move or say anything.

She added: My husband was covered in blood and fainted momentarily before we helped him come to with the smell of alcohol.

There was a girl with a gaping wound in her leg, and others with all kinds of non-critical injuries, including myself.

She said the emotional trauma had not set in yet as she explained how she was desperately trying to raise funds to rebuild their bar and home.

City mayor Abboud said the devastation may have left 300,000 people temporarily homeless, adding to the cash-strapped country's economic misery with an estimated $3 billion in damages.

'Even in the worst years of the civil war, we didn't see so much damage over such a large area,' said analyst Kamal Tarabey.

The disaster came with Lebanon already on its knees with a months-long economic crisis and currency devaluation sparking spiralling poverty even before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

The embattled government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab vowed that 'those responsible for this catastrophe will pay the price'.

The ammonium nitrate had been stored in a rundown port warehouse with cracks in its walls, officials told AFP.

Security forces launched an investigation in 2019 after the warehouse started to exude a strange odour, concluding the 'dangerous' chemicals needed to be removed, but action was not taken.

Analyst and Georgetown University professor Faysal Itani was not optimistic that anybody would be held accountable.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization warned Wednesday that the destruction of the port and grain silos would cause critical severe flour shortages, in a country heavily reliant on imports.

Social media user voiced outrage at the government, saying such a disaster could only strike because of the ineptitude and corruption riddling Lebanon's institutions.

Hospitals already stretched to the brink by a spike in coronavirus cases were pushed to new limits by the influx of wounded and were forced to turn many away.

Lebanon has recorded 5,417 cases of COVID-19, including 68 deaths.

'We've had some dark days in Lebanon over the years but this is something else,' said Rami Rifai, a 38-year-old engineer.

He spoke to AFP from a hospital where his two daughters were receiving treatment after sustaining cuts despite being half a kilometre from the seat of the blast.

'We already had the economic crisis, a government of thieves and coronavirus. I didn't think it could get worse but now I don't know if this country can get up again,' he said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart Mike Pompeo have spoken over phone and discussed the bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of international concern, including efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and the Indo-Pacific region, a senior US official has said. The two leaders reiterated the strength of the India-US relationship to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe, Cale Brown, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department said on Thursday.

India and the US have explored ways to boost cooperation in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region where China has been trying to spread its influence. The issue was discussed extensively during the third round of the India-US Maritime Security Dialogue which took place in Goa in 2018.

The US has been pushing for a broader role by India in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military maneuvering in the region.

"Both leaders agreed to continue close cooperation on a full range of regional and international issues and look forward to Quadrilateral consultations and the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year," Brown said.

In November 2017, India, the US, Australia and Japan had given shape to the long-pending Quadrilateral coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of Chinese influence. The first 2+2 dialogue was held in New Delhi in September 2018 after the mechanism was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

During the call, Jaishankar and Pompeo discussed the ongoing bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of international concern, including efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, support the peace process in Afghanistan, and address recent destabilising actions in the region, Brown said in a readout of the telephonic conversation. The two leaders have been in regular communication during the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 7 lakh lives and infected nearly 19 million people worldwide.
Kena Betancur

I dont like to lose, famed criminal defense attorney Jose Baez allegedly told his client, actress and #MeToo activist Rose McGowan, as she sought reassurance two years ago that hed never work with disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, the man she had accused of raping her.

However, Baezwho got accused child-killer Casey Anthony acquitted and homicidal New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez cleared of two murders days before his apparent suicidejust did lose, and rather definitively.

A Cook County, Illinois, circuit court judge just dismissed his defamation lawsuit against McGowan and her new Chicago-based attorney, Julie Porter, over several sharp comments McGowan madeincluding to The Daily Beastafter learning that Baez had indeed signed on to Weinsteins defense team not long after representing her, briefly, in a misdemeanor drug-possession case.

This is a major conflict of interest but I knew there was shadiness going on behind the scenes, McGowan told The Daily Beast in January 2019one of the statements that Baez claimed had defamed him. This is why my case didnt go to trialmy instinct was my lawyers had been bought off, McGowans quote continued. I thought Harvey would get to them behind the scenes and I wouldnt have fair representation. I asked Jose Baez directly if he would ever work with Harvey and I told him it was my fear that he would be bought off while representing me. He responded by saying, I dont like to lose. This does not happen overnight they have been planning it for sometime [sic].

In his 14-page order throwing out Baezs claim that McGowan had defamed him in multiple media interviewsand that Porter also did so by publishing McGowans lawsuit alleging the violation of federal corruption statutes by Weinstein and his lawyers Lisa Bloom and David Boies, among othersJudge James E. Snyder wrote: It is not defamation per se to state that someone is a terrible human being or is a disgrace of [a] lawyera reference to McGowans comments to The New York Times. And even if it were, McGowans statements are made as her opinion.

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Citing another of McGowans statements to The Daily Beast, Snyder added: The Court finds as a matter of law that the statement, Im not even surprised by the level of fuckery going on hereis not defamation per se. The Court offers no definition of the term fuckery, but it is clearly a matter of opinion.

McGowan, who was defended in the lawsuit by Chicago attorneys Natalie A. Harris and Brendan J. Healey, emailed The Daily Beast: This is a bravura opinion. I howled, I fist-pumped. I got yet another Pigs foot off my neckReading the Judges opinion is making me feel reflective. And quite victorious.

Julie Porter, McGowans attorney who was a defendant in the lawsuit, declined to comment on the favorable outcome, and Baez didnt respond to a message sent by The Daily Beast to his Miami law firm.

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By Krystal Hu

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trumps ban on transactions using popular Chinese messaging app WeChat will cut ties to families and friends in China, millions of users in the United States fear, as they become the latest casualties in the standoff between the two nations.

WeChat, owned by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd <0700.HK>, is popular among Chinese students, expats and some Americans who have personal or business relationships in China. Most popular messaging apps in the United States, including Facebook Messenger <FB.O>, Whatsapp and Telegram have been blocked in China.

I came to the U.S. for free access to information. I feel Im targeted by Trump," said Tingru Nan, a Chinese graduate student at the University of Delaware. "Im living in constant fear now thinking I might get disconnected with friends and families.

The ban will cut off far more than the up to 6 million Chinese people who live in the United States. In the past three months, WeChat has had an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, according to analytics firms Apptopia.

Expats, who are adept at working around oppressive firewalls in their home country, are preparing backup plans while in America.

Some WeChat users have started to share backup contacts for a limited number of apps that are still available in China, including Microsoft Corp's <MSFT.O> Skype and LinkedIn.

Others plan to do what they do at home to get around the "Great Firewall," as the blockade of foreign apps in China is known, by using virtual private networks (VPN) that mask a user's identity on a public network.

"When in China I need to use VPN to make Gmail and Instagram work. I've never imagined that I need to do similar things in the U.S.," said Tao Lei, a Philadelphia-based tech worker.

Allison Chan, a Chinese-American in Florida, uses a VPN every time she visits China to access U.S. sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter, which have been blocked by the Chinese government.

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"After the 45-day period is up, I'll experiment with it and see if we can still use WeChat," Chan said.

She said WeChat has been a major tool for her and her parents to communicate with her grandparents in China.

"I understood the argument about security, but for me, it was more about how I'm going to talk to my family," Chan said. My parents are worried about my grandparents because their health has been declining and they want to get constant updates about them."

Some Chinese expats in America worry that this is only the latest salvo in a worsening U.S.-China relationship.

My parents are more worried than me when they saw the news, said Yun Li, a User Experience (UX) designer in Boston who is from Guangdong, China. They also asked me to seriously consider moving back to China given the current political environment, she added.

(Reporting by Krystal Hu; additional reporting by Echo Wang; Editing by Ken Li, Leslie Adler and Marguerita Choy)
A group of protesters dressed in black military-style uniforms march in tight formation through the streets of London.

They are led by strapping men who bellow orders such as 'Atten-hut!' and 'Right face!' and look like a highly trained group of soldiers out on parade.

Some have dark berets, gloves and knee-high leather boots. A few carry walkie-talkies. At least one is wearing an IRA- style balaclava.

In some ways the scene appears to echo the 1930s, when Oswald Mosley's 'Blackshirts' took their ugly brand of fascism to working-class neighbourhoods of our capital city. But this was Brixton, last Saturday.

A group of protesters dressed in black military-style uniforms march in tight formation through the streets of London. They are led by strapping men who bellow orders such as 'Atten-hut!' and 'Right face!' and look like a highly trained group of soldiers out on parade

The occasion was a march for African Emancipation Day, held on the first day of August each year to mark both the anniversary of the date in 1834 when the Abolition of Slavery Act came into force, and to campaign for Britain to pay reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade.

The protesters in their stab vests and paramilitary-style fatigues belonged to a strange new organisation that calls itself the Forever Family Force.

Formed last month, to pursue what its social media feed has described as 'the battle against racism, inequality and injustice', it seems to have been conceived as a sort of British version of the Black Panthers, the radical far-Left protest group which wore similar garb as it campaigned against police brutality in 1960s America.

In keeping with this tradition, Forever Family has already sparked controversy.

To critics, the group appears to be importing an inflammatory brand of American-style identity politics  given oxygen by the Black Lives Matter movement  in which people of colour are encouraged to believe that society is so intrinsically racist, their only hope is to mount an organised resistance against the ruling class.

Those who see them as divisive and intimidating include Nigel Farage, who circulated images of last Saturday's protest on Twitter, saying: 'Terrifying scenes in Brixton today. A paramilitary-style force marching in the streets. This is what the BLM movement wanted from the start and it will divide our society like never before.'

Supporters, for their part, point out that the Brixton event was largely peaceful, with just three arrests, and argue that Forever Family is a harmless, if somewhat eccentric, group of well-meaning activists who enjoy dressing up.

In some ways the scene appears to echo the 1930s, when Oswald Mosley's 'Blackshirts' took their ugly brand of fascism to working-class neighbourhoods of our capital city. But this was Brixton, last Saturday

This camp includes Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, who responded to Farage by declaring: 'You are just trying to create division. But these people in Brixton today know that love and justice will conquer the fear and hate you peddle. Hope is what people need right now and they are showing the pathway towards it.'

So, what is the truth? Well, here is where it starts to get interesting.

Despite Mr Bartley's remark about 'love and justice', I can reveal that Forever Family is led by a highly controversial musician who has recently used social media to voice vile slurs against other minority groups.

Among other things, he has shared deeply anti-transgender 'memes', circulated bizarre anti-vaccination conspiracy theories and suggested that Bill Gates has killed tens of thousands of children in Third World countries and is somehow responsible for the coronavirus pandemic.

Forever Family's leader has also made a series of anti-Semitic remarks blaming Jews for slavery.

In a series of Instagram posts this month, he described the Jewish community's alleged role in the slave trade as 'the original holocaust', criticised 'devils' who campaigned against Left-wing anti-Semitism on social media, and advanced a further selection of conspiracy theories claiming that Jews 'own' the banking system via what he calls the 'Rothschild bloodline'.

It is a wholly revolting world-view for anyone to hold, especially the leader of a group that purports to campaign against racism.

Indeed, some might argue that the real agenda of this militaristic protest group is not so far removed from that of the Black Panthers, the leaders of whose unofficial successors have denied the Holocaust and called Jews 'hook-nosed' impostors and 'bloodsuckers of the poor' who profiteer from the black community.

Perhaps that explains why, despite Forever Family's highprofile protests, its founder appears to have taken extensive steps to keep his identity secret.

On paper, the organisation is opaque. Its website consists of an image of a clenched fist, along with links to Twitter and Instagram accounts that have been set to 'private', so they can be read only by approved users.

A Facebook page, which can also be accessed from the website, allows viewers to watch two short videos which claim the organisation exists to 'mobilise, organise and centralise community initiatives to empower and support organisations with similar objectives' and say it is 'united in building a self-sufficient and stable community'.

What these vague mission statements mean, and how the group proposes to actually achieve its aims, are unclear.

Neither its social media accounts nor its website contain any information about who is behind it.

The only supporter who has made his identity publicly known is a musician called Mega  not the leader of the group referred to above  who performs with the hip-hop collective So Solid Crew. He used Twitter to declare that he took part in last Saturday's protest, boasting: 'We locked down Brixton today.'

Ironically, given this secretive modus operandi, the films circulated by Forever Family also claim that its values are 'integrity, transparency and accountability'.

One thing Forever Family is keen to get its hands on, though, is money. And that is what allows us to trace its founder: several of its social media pages carry links to a PayPal site where supporters can donate to the cause.

Contributions are then, according to PayPal, passed to a company called Forever Family Limited, which was incorporated on June 20 and operates out of a service address in Hoxton, East London.

Companies House records show the firm's secretary is a 27-year-old woman from Wandsworth, South London, called Rachelle Emanuel. The only director  and the group's leader and founder  is a 28-year-old resident of Ilford, East London, called Khari McKenzie.

Neither has responded to a request for comment.

Little is known about Ms Emanuel. However, McKenzie, who is listed as having 'significant control' over Forever Family, is a rap artist who performs under the stage name Raspect.

He appears to have become politically active in 2011 after the police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old gang member whose death sparked the riots in London and elsewhere that year.

In more recent years, McKenzie has been active in a community group called 'GANG', whose supporters arrive at incidents of gang violence wearing stab vests and using loudhailers to encourage locals onto the streets to 'reclaim the space'.

In early 2018, McKenzie made a series of appearances on Victoria Derbyshire's BBC chat show to discuss race relations following the death of Edson Da Costa, a 25-year-old from East London who died after swallowing plastic bags of heroin and crack cocaine when his car was stopped by the police.

In one bizarre interview with Derbyshire that year, he urged viewers not to call the police to incidents of crime, saying: 'Don't call 999, call the g-line,' an apparent reference to GANG's contact number. At around the same time, he was photographed shaking hands with London mayor Sadiq Khan at City Hall.

The only director  and the group's leader and founder  is a 28-year-old resident of Ilford, East London, called Khari McKenzie

More recently, McKenzie filmed himself being, as he put it, 'rudely interrupted, harassed and threatened' by police officers, who asked why he appeared to be breaking lockdown rules to socialise with a group of acquaintances in a park at the height of the Covid epidemic.

And in early June, soon after the killing of George Floyd in the U.S., he began taking photographs of himself in military clothes at Black Lives Matter protests in London.

In more recent times, McKenzie's public statements  particularly since Forever Family came into being  have become more volatile, not to mention offensive.

Last year, for example, he used Instagram to share a transphobic joke suggesting that people who identify as female but are born male are likely to be sex offenders.

'A man followed a young girl into Asda toilets in London, saying he identifies as a woman,' it read. 'The man's teeth were knocked out by the girl's father, who said he identifies as the tooth fairy.'

In spring this year, he uploaded several posts to Instagram making various claims about Bill Gates, suggesting that the Microsoft founder is somehow exploiting the Covid crisis to try to force mandatory vaccinations on the world.

This odd conspiracy theory  doing the rounds in corners of the internet popular with the anti-vaccination movement  reflects the senseless belief that Mr Gates has established that vaccines will kill people who take them, and is therefore endorsing them as part of a plot to reduce the global population.

'The same guy who says we need to depopulate suddenly wants to save everyone with his vaccines,' read one such post by McKenzie.

Another claimed, wrongly, that 48,000 children in India had been 'paralysed by Bill Gates's polio vaccine'. A third post called him a 'documented thief' who 'owns vaccine companies' and 'visited [Jeffrey] Epstein's pedo [sic] island countless times'.

In fact, there is no evidence that Mr Gates is a criminal, nor that he ever visited Mr Epstein's private island (although he did meet him and once travelled on his private jet).

McKenzie isn't just posting paranoid content on Instagram, however. He also uploads blatantly anti-Semitic content.

In June, he began using the network to attack the Jewish community, sharing a false conspiracy theory that the restraining technique of kneeling on the neck, as used by the police officer who killed George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, had been learnt during secret seminars with Israeli security forces.

'Research who funded the transatlantic slave trade biggest holocaust and crime against humanity, with no reparations,' he declared in one Instagram post, illustrated with images of the Israeli Defence Force. 'Look who is behind training police in the USA and the UK to put there [sic] legs on our necks.'

Similar sentiments were voiced, at around the same time, by the Corbynite actress Maxine Peake, leading to the sacking of Shadow Cabinet minister Rebecca Long-Bailey, who described her as 'a diamond'. Peake later apologised.

Last week, McKenzie continued in this questionable vein by using Instagram to share a video of himself giving a rambling speech about Zionism.

'Every Zionist is an Islamophobe,' he said. 'It don't make me anti-Semitic if I don't agree with the oppression in Palestine. That's foolishness, yeah.

So when we're talking about Zionists, and even talking about if I don't agree with the people that run the banks, yeah, and by them running the banks the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, if I don't agree with that, that don't make me anti-no one. I'm just anti-oppression.

'If I look in my history book and see there were people with Zionist blood that were heavily involved in the transatlantic slave trade, me pointing that out doesn't make me anti-Semitic...'

The next day, McKenzie attacked the 'devils' who had successfully persuaded Instagram, YouTube and Twitter to close the accounts of a rap artist called Wiley, who had made a series of highly anti-Semitic attacks on the Jewish community.

As well as circulating a petition calling for Wiley's reinstatement, his posts attacking the move carried a series of anti-Semitic hashtags, including #Rothschildbloodline and #whoownsthebanks, advancing the Nazi-era slur that Jews are in control of all international finance.

In response to those posts, a spokesman for the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism tells me: 'There is no justification for using anti-Semitic tropes to commemorate the horrors of slavery or protest [against] ongoing racism in society today.

'Forever Family should appreciate that, for ordinary decent people, and the Jewish community in particular, seeing a paramilitary [group] wearing black shirts and marching through the streets of London led by a man who rails against 'Zionist bloodlines' is frighteningly reminiscent of humanity's darkest hour and does nothing to further the noble cause of fighting racism. Prejudice cannot be beaten by more prejudice.'

To put things more bluntly, the group that dressed up in uniform to 'reclaim' the streets of Brixton a week ago  and was so publicly endorsed by the co-leader of the Green Party  has rather too much in common with those fascist blackshirts who paraded through London in similar garb more than 80 years ago.
Yesterday, President Trump issued a pair of executive orders aimed at banning transactions related to TikTok and WeChat, a pair of popular social-media apps owned, respectively, by the Chinese companies ByteDance and Tencent. The orders are scheduled to take effect forty-four days from today, but its not yet clear what effect means. The orders are vaguely wordedthey seem intended to block TikTok and WeChat from app stores maintained by US companies, and yet, as is so often the case with Trumps whims, its not clear that he has authority to execute them. Whatever happens on our phones, Trumps announcement of the bans has already had its desired effect: ratcheting up tensions between the United States and China. Early today, Chinas foreign ministry accused Trump of a nakedly hegemonic act.

The executive orders capped a week in which Trump made a string of legally- and politically-dubious statements about TikTok. Last Friday, he told reporters of his intention to completely ban TikTok from the US. That pronouncement appeared to be a victory for the administrations China hawks, including Peter Navarro, Trumps trade adviser, and Matthew Pottinger, who once worked as a reporter in China and is now deputy national security adviser. Rival advisers, however, quickly persuaded Trump to soften his positioncampaign aides, for example, told him that a TikTok ban would be unpopular among young votersand the president has since said that he will permit TikTok to stay active if it can be transferred to acceptable new owners: namely Microsoft, which is very interested in the acquisition. Trump also said that he will attach conditions to any such deal. He expects the US Treasury to receive a substantial financial cut. Antitrust experts pointed out that a demand like that is unprecedented, and seemingly baseless; a startup investor told CNN that it looked like a shakedown. And the deal has to be wrapped up within forty-five days. Yesterdays executive orders seemed designed to formalize that timeline.

ICYMI: As election looms, a network of mysterious pink slime local news outlets nearly triples in size

In the TikTok order, Trump characterized its presence in the US as a national emergency, citing, in part, its role in spreading disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Partyincluding around the origins of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. (This from a president who has repeatedly dismissed the notion of foreign powers meddling in Americas information ecosystem, and who was himself just censured by Facebook and Twitter for spreading COVID misinformation.) The order also claimed that China has the power to force TikTok to collect data on American citizens and relay it back to Beijing. The Trump administration has repeatedly voiced such fears. Others have, too: the Democratic National Committee and Joe Bidens presidential campaign have advised staffers not to use TikTok, and parents of young users are suing the company, alleging that it has already sent their childrens data to China. TikTok denies doing so, and privacy experts in the US have thus far not found conclusive evidence to support the allegations. Geoffrey A. Fowler, a tech columnist at the Washington Post, wrote recently that we should be wary of xenophobia dressed up as privacy concerns. Still, he acknowledged that China could tell TikTok to farm US user data in the future, and its unlikely that the company would be able to say no.

While TikTok has grabbed more headlines, Trumps threatened ban on WeChat could be even more consequential, especially for people in China. WeChat is an essential conduit linking the countrys residents to family, friends, and businesses overseas, and vice versa. (By contrast, TikTok is not available in China.) As Mia Shuang Li has reported for CJR and the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, WeChat is also a key source of news both for Chinese people domestically and in the diaspora. That has come with downsidesif worries about manipulation on TikTok are murky, on WeChat, theyre well-established. The app is heavily censored by the Chinese state, which uses WeChat to surveil both dissidents in China and accounts registered overseas. As Chi Zhang has reported for CJR and Tow, WeChat is a prolific vector of misinformation among Chinese communitiesand first-generation immigrants, in particularin the US. WeChat has also been a vector of Islamophobia and other forms of hateful rhetoric.

Trumps executive orders are intended to exacerbate stark, simple geopolitical divisions, but the reality is more complicated. In many ways WeChat, in particular, is a genuine threat to free expressionbut so is Trumps move to ban it. Yuan Yang, a China tech correspondent for the Financial Times, argued yesterday that it would be a good thing if more members of the Chinese diaspora abandoned WeChat for encrypted apps such as Signal; she also pointed out that the Trump administration recently fired leaders of the Open Technology Fund, a nonprofit that has provided support to developers of encrypted apps. Grantees of the OTF recently told The Verge that they fear their funding is at risk.

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Until the bans show some concrete effect, its best to view them as yet another Trump campaign stunt. As Emily Bell, Tows director, observed last night, the executive orders look like an economic dog whistle to Trumps blue-collar base. Games developers and teenagers dont vote for Trump, Bell wrote, and by the time the order unravels/is implemented/is struck down as unlawful, the economic threat of China will be properly established as an election talking point. In the meantime, however, Trumps campaign stunts have the real consequence of impeding free expression. A previous escalation with China, related to press freedom, led correspondents for major US newspapers to be expelled from the country; closer to home, Trump deployed federal agents to assault protesters and journalists in American cities. Thats not an accidental side effect, of courseits an end in itself.

Below, more on China and social media:



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: It is possible to compete with the New York Times. Heres how.



Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
WASHINGTON - Nearly 80% of Veterans Affairs employees surveyed by their workers union in July said endemic racism within the federal government's second-largest organization is a moderate or serious problem, with more than half reporting they have witnessed discrimination against the former military personnel whom the agency serves.

The independent nationwide survey of approximately 1,500 VA staff members was conducted by the American Federation of Government Employees. Its findings were disclosed to The Washington Post in advance of a planned public release Friday.

"VA leadership has to work with us and with their employees to change that culture and cultivate an environment where employees feel confident that when they report acts of racism and other types of discrimination, their claim will be taken seriously, prompt action will be taken to address the issue, and they will not be punished for speaking out," Everett Kelley, the union's president, said in a statement. He added that VA employees have faced retaliation for raising complaints.

Christina Noel, a VA spokeswoman, criticized the workers union in response, calling its survey a "desperate attempt" to distract from a lawsuit alleging sexual assault and harassment by its former president J. David Cox, who resigned in February. He has denied the allegations.

"VA does not tolerate harassment or discrimination in any form," Noel said in a statement, adding that VA has risen past other federal agencies in "best places to work" surveys. In 2019, the agency substantiated 70 claims of equal opportunity violations, she said, noting VA's workforce includes about 400,000 employees.

While the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police has incited a nationwide reckoning over racial injustice and overt racism, VA workers who were surveyed said that such issues have run deep within their workplace since long before Floyd's death in May.

At the Kansas City VA Medical Center, Black employees have held occasional protests over alleged discrimination, with more than 100 complaints filed to the local NAACP chapter as of June.

At an event to mark Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, Black employees became "living display" pieces, performing as Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman and Floyd, according to two medical center staffers and internal emails obtained by The Post.

One staffer, speaking on the condition of anonymity over a fear of retaliation, told The Post they were urged by senior leaders at the medical center to dress as their characters in period clothing and that one supervisor, who is white, suggested in a conference call that they serve watermelon and fried chicken during the event. The supervisor later apologized, the staffer said.

Theresa DiMaggio, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City medical center, denied the employees' claims and described the event as "voluntary."

Other staffers at the facility said a nurse, who is white, used the n-word in a public outburst overheard by multiple VA workers, and that another employee who is white, used the n-word on a conference call after he mistakenly believed his phone was on mute.

DiMaggio said the nurse resigned during an investigation into the incident. The other employee no longer works at VA, DiMaggio said, but she declined to confirm the incident occurred.

Minority staffers at other VA facilities also spoke of being insulted by colleagues and patients, and facing barriers to promotion that they felt were tied to race. About 12.3 percent of white VA workers hold senior leadership roles, compared with 3.8 percent of Black workers, according to 2018 government data, the most recent figures publicly available.

Geddes Scott, president of AFGE local 1988 and a licensed practical nurse at the St. Albans Community Living Center in New York City, said Black veterans who reside at the facility have been cast out for behavior that can go overlooked for White veterans.

"The excusing of physical aggression from a white man is more tolerable than that of a Black man," he said. He declined to provide specifics, citing a concern of retaliation from management.

Michael Drake, a spokesman for the VA medical system in New York, said the system is proud of its diverse workforce and that it does not tolerate discrimination. A third of senior leadership positions there are held by minorities, he said.

Nuwanna Franklin, an Army veteran and vice president of the AFGE union local 1985, which represents the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Ga., said minority staffers, including her, have been retaliated against for raising complaints.

She said a dearth of Black leaders there is a significant concern. A regional VA spokesperson said the facility does not tolerate discrimination and that two of the five senior officials there are , along with 55 percent of the workforce.

Franklin countered that many are relegated to lower-paying jobs.

"The higher it goes," Franklin said, "the whiter it goes."

Multiple VA staffers said Black veterans screened for mental health issues are diagnosed with service-connected post traumatic stress at smaller rates than Whites, a trend substantiated previously by medical researchers.
Prominent Democrats have pushed a conspiracy theory that the Postal Service is implementing cost-cutting changes to its service in order to bolster President Trumps reelection prospects, despite the agencys insistence that a recommitment to existing operating plans will not affect its ability to meet the 2020 election demand.

Last week, Barack Obama claimed during a eulogy for the late congressman John Lewis that those in power are undermining the Postal Service in the run-up to an election thats going to be dependent on mail-in ballots.

This week, Hillary Clinton tweeted that reports of slower Postal Service delivery times amounted to a Republican sabotage of the USPS and a Trump strategy to make voting by mail more difficult this fall. And on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said it was a sine qua non for the USPS to reverse a slowdown in delivery times amid negotiations over a new coronavirus relief package.

Senator Gary Peters (D., Mich.) also told the Washington Post that he would open a probe into the matter.

But when asked about the allegations, USPS spokesman David Partenheimer categorically denied the nefarious characterizations of the agencys longstanding service problems. We are not slowing down Election Mail or any other mail, David Partenheimer told National Review in an email. Instead, we continue to employ a robust and proven process to ensure proper handling of all Election Mail consistent with our standards.

Partenheimer explained that the agency has taken immediate steps to better adhere to our existing operating plans, and acknowledged that temporary service impacts can occur.

But any such impacts will be monitored and temporary as the root causes of any issues will be addressed as necessary and corrected as appropriate, he explained. On Monday, USPS said in a statement that it has ample capacity to adjust our nationwide processing and delivery network to meet projected Election and Political Mail volume, including any additional volume that may result as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The majority of the attacks on the USPS have ignored a damning audit conducted by the Government Accountability Office, which was released in May and detailed the numerous inefficiencies within the agency that have led to its insolvency and poor service.

Absent congressional action on critical foundational elements of the USPS business model, USPSs mission and financial solvency are increasingly in peril, the report states. USPSs growing difficulties to provide universal postal service in a financially self-sustaining matter provide Congress with the need to consider fundamental reform of the entire framework of postal services in the United States.

Experts have warned that the Postal Service will be out of funds within the next year without action, and Partenheimer told National Review that it is imperative for the Postal Service to operate efficiently and effectively.

While Democrats have called for additional funding of the Postal Service, the resistance to any attempt to implement cost-saving efforts runs against the sustainability goals of the agency.

High quality service and efficient service are not mutually exclusive, but in fact necessarily go hand-in hand if we are to be self-sustaining as required by law, Partenheimer explained. Indeed achieving both is the only way that the Postal Service can continue to survive as a self-funded entity and to provide prompt, reliable, and reasonably-priced universal postal services for all Americans over the long-term.

Ultimately, much of the conspiratorial noise appears to stem from two alleged USPS memos that were leaked last month, which were widely taken as fact, even by some Republicans. The first, titled New PMGs expectations and plan, detailed policy changes for the agency, including cutting employee overtime, with the goal of making the USPS financially solvent. The second, called Pivoting For Our Future, warns that new policy directives could result in temporary situations where mail is left behindon the workroom floor or docks (in P&DCs), which is not typical. Followup coverage by mainstream outlets detailed anecdotal reports of delays, without confirming whether the USPS had actually implemented agency-wide changes.

The Post, which first reported the memos, said they were verified by the American Postal Workers Union, even as the USPS told the paper its plan was not finalized, while the New York Times emphasized the political leanings of USPSs new postmaster general Louis DeJoy, a longtime Republican donor, implying that he was acting at the behest of President Trump.

Partenheimer pushed back on allegations of political interference, saying that the notion that the Postmaster General makes decisions concerning the Postal Service at the direction of the President is wholly misplaced and off-base. Regardless of his proximity to Trump, DeJoy is not an appointee of the president, as that authority does not fall under presidential purview.

According to Ronnie Stutts, president of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, DeJoy vehemently denied that his role was being influenced by Trump, saying my relationship with the president is not going to have anything to do with me doing my job.

Following news of the memos, House Oversight Committee chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D., N.Y.) sent a letter to DeJoy, demanding answers over the alleged changes. According to a USPS response, however, the memos that were leaked to the press should not be described as official Postal Service memoranda and did not come from DeJoy.

The document entitled PMGs Expectations and Plan was prepared by a mid-level manager in one district, and the stand-up talk was prepared by Southern Area leadership and was distributed in the Southern Area, the USPS explained. Therefore, the documents should not be treated as official statements of Postal Service policy.

So far, the USPSs clarification to Maloney has received very little attention from the press and politicians.

More from National Review
North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region confirmed Thursday that one person had died after contracting an intestinal type of plague, according to local health authorities.

The patient was from a village in the Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner, which is administered by the city of Baotou.

Local authorities in the banner on Thursday issued a third-level warning for plague prevention and control from now to the end of 2020.

Nine close contacts of the dead patient and 26 contacts of the nine close contacts have been put under isolated medical observation. All of them tested negative for plague and none of them showed abnormal symptoms such as fever.

The village where the patient lived has been closed off. All villagers tested negative and none of them showed abnormal symptoms.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday emphasised the importance of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction until Class 5, and said the new National Education Policy (NEP) that the Union Cabinet cleared on July 29 -- it has a recommendation in this regard -- is free from any bias or inclination.

The first such policy in at least 28 years recommends primary education in local languages, but does not make it mandatory. It also seeks to increase public spending on education to nearly 6% of GDP from around 4% now, change the structure of board exams, and shift the pedagogical structure from a 10+2 system to 5+3+3+4, as part of a series of reforms to make the education system more contemporary and skill oriented.

There is no debate that children when taught in school in the same language that is spoken at home; their pace of learning becomes faster. This is a major reason, wherever possible, permission has been granted to teach students till Class 5 in their mother tongue, Modi said in his address to educationists at a conclave on reforms in higher education.

The medium of instruction has been a contentious issue, and the Centre has tried to avoid controversies by repeatedly emphasising that no language would be imposed on any state or region. The Centre in June 2019 dropped a controversial clause in the draft NEP that mandated the compulsory teaching of Hindi in schools across the country after protests by southern states over the alleged imposition of the language.

Modi said there has been no allegation from any region or segment of the society that NEP has any kind of bias or inclination. He called it an indicator that people have seen the changes they wanted for years in the education system. Modi added the route to good, quality education falls somewhere between autonomy and government control.

However, Kerala education Minister Prof C Raveendranath said the new education policy will destroy the federal structure of education system and snatch the power granted to states to design their syllabus. We have reservations over several proposals. We have suggested many recommendations but they were overlooked, he said. Telangana Congress leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the Prime Ministers talk on the new education policy was more of an emotional appeal, rather than logical thinking. While Modi talks of the NEP laying foundation for new India of 21st century, in reality, it appears he is taking India into medieval periods, Vikramarka said.



Modi on Friday said the policy could even lead to changing the way the society thinks, rather than just effecting changes to the teaching and learning system. He added that he is totally committed to NEP and has the political will to see it through.

Modi said every country aligns its education policy with its values and carries out reforms keeping in mind the national goals, and NEP will lay foundation of the 21st century India.The aim is to ensure the education system can make coming generations future-ready... For a long time, there were no major changes in our education system. Rather than promoting curiosity and imagination, the emphasis was on a rat race whether it was to become doctor, engineer.

The PM said that a new world order is evolving, and India has to make its students global citizens who stay connected to their roots. In the new policy, the focus is on how to think, he said.

We are also moving towards an era where a person may not stick to a profession throughout life and re-skilling and up-skilling are important aspects, he added.

Welcoming the policy, Dr Inder Mohan Kapahy, a former University Grants Commission member said It [NEP] aims at rebooting the entire education system from pre-primary to advance research stages. Emphasis upon teaching in the mother tongue or the local language, is one of the most potent step in this direction.
The Heart of the Matter in the South China Sea By Pepe Escobar August 06, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - When the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz carrier strike groups recently engaged in operations in the South China Sea, it failed to escape cynics that the US Pacific Fleet was doing its best to turn the infantile Thucydides trap theory into a self-fulfilling prophecy. The pro forma official spin, via Rear Admiral Jim Kirk, commander of the Nimitz, is that the ops were conducted to reinforce our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, a rules-based international order, and to our allies and partners. Nobody pays attention to these cliches, because the real message was delivered by a CIA operative posing as diplomat, Secretary of State Mike We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal Pompeo. The PRC has no legal grounds to unilaterally impose its will on the region, he proclaimed, in a reference to the nine-dash line that lays claim to most of the disputed sea. Once again, nobody paid attention, because the actual facts on the sea are stark. Anything that moves in the South China Sea  Chinas crucial maritime trade artery  is at the mercy of the PLA, which decides if and when to deploy their deadly DF-21D and DF-26 carrier killer missiles. Theres absolutely no way the US Pacific Fleet can win a shooting war in the South China Sea. Electronically jammed A crucial Chinese report, unavailable and not referred to by Western media , and translated by Hong Kong-based analyst Thomas Wing Polin, is essential to understand the context. The report refers to US Growler electronic warplanes rendered totally out of control by electronic jamming devices positioned on islands and reefs in the South China Sea. According to the report, after the accident, the United States negotiated with China, demanding that China dismantle the electronic equipment immediately, but it was rejected. These electronic devices are an important part of Chinas maritime defense and are not offensive weapons. Therefore, the US militarys request for dismantling is unreasonable. No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter It gets better: On the same day, former commander Scott Swift of the US Pacific Fleet finally acknowledged that the US military had lost the best time to control the South China Sea. He believes that China has deployed a large number of Hongqi 9 air defense missiles, H-6K bombers, and electronic jamming systems on islands and reefs. The defense can be said to be solid. If US fighter jets rush into the South China Sea, they are likely to encounter their Waterloo. The bottom line is that the systems  including electronic jamming  deployed by the PLA on islands and reefs in the South China Sea, covering more than half of the total surface, are considered by Beijing to be part of the national defense system. I have previously detailed what Admiral Philip Davidson, when he was still a nominee to lead the US Pacific Command (PACOM), told the US Senate. Here are his Top Three conclusions: 1) China is pursuing advanced capabilities (e.g., hypersonic missiles) which the United States has no current defense against. As China pursues these advanced weapons systems, US forces across the Indo-Pacific will be placed increasingly at risk. 2) China is undermining the rules-based international order. 3) China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States. Implied in all of the above is the secret of the Indo-Pacific strategy: at best a containment exercise, as China continues to solidify the Maritime Silk Road linking the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean. Remember the nusantao The South China Sea is and will continue to be one of the prime geopolitical flashpoints of the young 21st century, where a great deal of the East-West balance of power will be played. I have addressed this elsewhere in the past in some detail, but a short historical background is once again absolutely essential to understand the current juncture as the South China Sea increasingly looks and feels like a Chinese lake. Lets start in 1890, when Alfred Mahan, then president of the US Naval College, wrote the seminal The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783. Mahans central thesis is that the US should go global in search of new markets, and protect these new trade routes through a network of naval bases. That is the embryo of the US Empire of Bases  which remains in effect. It was Western  American and European  colonialism that came up with most land borders and maritime borders of states bordering the South China Sea: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam. We are talking about borders between different colonial possessions  and that implied intractable problems from the start, subsequently inherited by post-colonial nations. Historically, it had always been a completely different story. The best anthropological studies (Bill Solheims, for instance) define the semi-nomadic communities who really traveled and traded across the South China Sea from time immemorial as the Nusantao  an Austronesian compound word for south island and people. The Nusantao were not a defined ethnic group. They were a maritime internet. Over centuries, they had many key hubs, from the coastline between central Vietnam and Hong Kong all the way to the Mekong Delta. They were not attached to any state. The Western notion of borders did not even exist. In the mid-1990s, I had the privilege to encounter some of their descendants in Indonesia and Vietnam. So it was only by the late 19th century that the Westphalian system managed to freeze the South China Sea inside an immovable framework. Which brings us to the crucial point of why China is so sensitive about its borders; because they are directly linked to the century of humiliation  when internal Chinese corruption and weakness allowed Western barbarians to take possession of Chinese land. A Japanese lake The Nine Dash Line is an immensely complex problem. It was invented by the eminent Chinese geographer Bai Meichu, a fierce nationalist, in 1936, initially as part of a Chinese National Humiliation Map in the form of a U-shaped line gobbling up the South China Sea all the way down to James Shoal, which is 1,500 km south of China but only over 100 km off Borneo. The Nine Dash Line, from the beginning, was promoted by the Chinese government  remember, at the time not yet Communist  as the letter of the law in terms of historic Chinese claims over islands in the South China Sea. One year later, Japan invaded China. Japan had occupied Taiwan way back in 1895. Japan occupied the Philippines in 1942. That meant virtually the entire coastline of the South China Sea being controlled by a single empire for the fist time in history. The South China Sea had become a Japanese lake. Well, that lasted only until 1945. The Japanese did occupy Woody Island in the Paracels and Itu Aba (today Taiping) in the Spratlys. After the end of WWII and the US nuclear-bombing Japan, the Philippines became independent in 1946 and the Spratlys immediately were declared Filipino territory. In 1947, all the islands in the South China Sea got Chinese names. And in December 1947 all the islands were placed under the control of Hainan (itself an island in southern China.) New maps duly followed, but now with Chinese names for the islands (or reefs, or shoals). But there was a huge problem: no one explained the meaning of those dashes (which were originally eleven.) In June 1947 the Republic of China claimed everything within the line  while proclaiming itself open to negotiate definitive maritime borders with other nations later on. But, for the moment, there were no borders. And that set the scene for the immensely complicated strategic ambiguity of the South China Sea that still lingers on  and allows the State Dept. to accuse Beijing of gangster tactics. The culmination of a millennia-old transition from the maritime internet of semi-nomadic peoples to the Westphalian system spelled nothing but trouble. Time for COC So what about the US notion of freedom of navigation? In imperial terms, freedom of navigation, from the West Coast of the US to Asia  through the Pacific, the South China Sea, the Malacca Strait and the Indian Ocean  is strictly an issue of military strategy. The US Navy simply cannot imagine dealing with maritime exclusion zones  or having to demand an authorization every time they need to cross them. In this case the Empire of Bases would lose access to its own bases. This is compounded with trademark Pentagon paranoia, gaming a situation where a hostile power  namely China  decides to block global trade. The premise in itself is ludicrous, because the South China Sea is the premier, vital maritime artery for Chinas globalized economy. So theres no rational justification for a Freedom of Navigation (FON) program. For all practical purposes, these aircraft carriers like the Ronald Reagan and the Nimitz showboating on and off in the South China Sea amount to 21st century gunboat diplomacy. And Beijing is not impressed. As far as the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is concerned, what matters now is to come up with a Code of Conduct (COC) to solve all maritime conflicts between Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and China. Next year, ASEAN and China celebrate 30 years of strong bilateral relations. Theres a strong possibility they will be upgraded to comprehensive strategic partner status. Because of Covid-19, all players had to postpone negotiations on the second reading of the single draft of COC. Beijing wanted these to be face to face  because the document is ultra-sensitive and for the moment, secret. Yet they finally agreed to negotiate online  via detailed texts. It will be a hard slog, because as ASEAN made it clear in a virtual summit in late June, everything has to be in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). If they can all agree on a COC by the end of 2020, a final agreement could be approved by ASEAN in mid-2021. Historic does not even begin to describe it  because this negotiation has been going on for no less than two decades. Not to mention that a COC invalidates any US pretension to secure freedom of navigation in an area where navigation is already free. Yet freedom was never the issue. In imperial terminology, freedom means that China must obey and keep the South China Sea open to the US Navy. Well, thats possible, but you gotta behave. Thatll be the day when the US Navy is denied the South China Sea. You dont need to be Mahan to know thatll mean the imperial end of ruling the seven seas. Pepe Escobar is correspondent-at-large at Asia Times . His latest book is 2030 . Follow him on Facebook. - " Source " - The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House. Post your comment below See also US Navy Deployed New Ship killer Missile to South China Sea The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
By Trend

Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations (UN) Yashar Aliyev sent a letter to the UN Secretary General regarding the ongoing aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

The letter said that on July 12, 2020, the Armenian armed forces, grossly violating the norms of international law and using heavy artillery and mortars, launched an attack in the direction of Azerbaijans Tovuz district.

In the following days, Azerbaijan's densely populated villages of Aghdam, Dondar Gushchu and Alibeyli of the Tovuz district were shelled, the letter reads.

"As a result of the Armenian aggression, a 76-year-old resident of Aghdam village Aziz Azizov was killed. Moreover, 12 soldiers and officers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were killed, numerous Azerbaijani citizens were injured. Serious damage was caused to civilian objects in Tovuz district," wrote the Azerbaijani representative.

The letter said that the purpose of these malicious actions of the Armenian armed forces is to expand aggression, gain control over heights on the territory of Azerbaijan, and thus create a threat to Azerbaijani settlements, as well as oil and gas pipelines of strategic importance, including those in the immediate vicinity to the military escalation zone (at a distance of 15-25 and 10-12 kilometers, respectively), the Southern Gas Corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

"With this act of aggression, the Armenian leadership is trying to divert the attention of the Armenian public from the deepening economic, financial and political crisis in Armenia due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic," the letter said.

The attack of Armenia on Azerbaijan was undertaken after provocative statements and actions of the official Yerevan against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Aliyev stated adding that its enough to revisit some of these statements, which are vivid examples of the constant aggressive policy of a UN member state.

He noted that back in 2013, then Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, when asked whether the armed forces of Armenia can strike first, answered as follows: "I dont rule out anything, because the doctrine of using the armed forces to defend the country envisioned a number of measures, both defensive and preventive ones."

Aliyev also reminded that former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, in his interview in August 2014, threatening to launch short-range ballistic missiles at large cities of Azerbaijan said: "The Azerbaijani leadership is well aware of the resources available in the arsenal of the Armenian armed forces. They know very well that we have effective ballistic missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometers at our disposal, which can turn any prosperous settlement into ruins like Aghdam."

On September 21, 2017, the former Chief of the General Staff of Armenia, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan, admitted that "we really need more territories to better ensure the security of our republic," the letter of the Azerbaijani representative to the UN read.

The letter also quoted Lieutenant General Levon Mnatsakanyan, who was a leader of Armenian occupation forces at a press conference on July 24, 2018 and was threatening to launch missile strikes on the civilian infrastructure of Azerbaijan and saying that "This is part of our tactical plans. In general, in case of resumption of hostilities the ability to conduct combat operations requires striking these targets, as well as military targets. This will damage the economy of the enemy and prevent adequate supply of the armed forces. I do not see the need for this yet ... but if the need arises to hit these targets, we will hesitate not a second."

The author of the letter also refers to the statement made by Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan on March 30, 2019.

"As Defense Minister, I declare that it was me who presented the format of the territory in the name of peace. We will do the opposite - a new war for new territories. We will get rid of this situation, of the situation of constant defense, and we will admit into the army units that can fight on enemy territory," Tonoyan said, the letter reads.

Two days prior to the July 12 attack, Armenia adopted a new national security strategy. This strategy confirmed the policy of aggression and annexation, the letter emphasized. During a phone talk to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk on July 13, 2020, that is, the day after the attack, Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan threatened to take new positions.

The letter further reads that even the devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent Armenia from committing armed provocations.

"It's obvious that Armenia's statement that it allegedly supports the call of the UN Secretary General for a global ceasefire as well as its adherence to this call is a lie," the letter said. "Undoubtedly, Armenia's goal is not to save those in need and alleviate their suffering, but to expand its policy of aggression and annexation."

"Instead of preparing the population for peace, the current leadership of Armenia continues the annexation policy of its predecessors in word and deed. With the recent escalation, Armenia is challenging the negotiation format and disrupting the peace process, violating the norms and principles of international law, distorting the essence of the UN Security Council resolutions and other documents on the settlement of the conflict," Aliyev pointed out.

The letter also said that with the provocation, Armenia is prolonging the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, consolidating Armenia's military presence in these territories, as well as change them from demographic, cultural and physical points of view.

"Such actions have nothing to do with a peaceful and agreed settlement of the conflict," the diplomat wrote. "Azerbaijan has repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community to the fact that the ongoing aggression of Armenia and its illegal presence in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are the main causes for the war and the repeated escalation of the conflict on the site."

"We regularly declare that Azerbaijan, as a country suffering from the occupation of its territories and the forced resettlement of hundreds of thousands of its citizens, is most interested in an early and long-term settlement of the conflict," Aliyev stated.

"However, Azerbaijan wont passively wait and stand by idly; Azerbaijan will adequately respond to the provocations and the violation of the ceasefire caused by Armenia," the letter said.

The armed forces of Azerbaijan, in order to repel the recent armed attacks of Armenia, took necessary countermeasures aimed at ensuring the safety of the country population, neutralizing the fire and support points of the Armenian side, forcing it to stop acts of aggression and an attempt to take the situation under control, said the letter.

"The determination and courage of the armed forces of Azerbaijan once again demonstrated that Azerbaijan will not tolerate the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, will not reconcile with the occupation of its territories," Aliyev wrote. "Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan acts exclusively within the framework of the right to self-defense in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international legal practice."

It would be appropriate to stress again that aggression and its military consequences are not a solution to the conflict and will never lead to the political results that Armenia is striving for, the letter read.

"The settlement of the conflict is possible only on the basis of the norms and principles of international law with full respect for Azerbaijans sovereignty and territorial integrity. Azerbaijan does not consider it possible to resolve the conflict outside this framework and participates in the settlement process on the basis of this conception," the diplomat concluded.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Four months ago, Michigan glowed red on COVID-19 maps. Hundreds of patients packed hospital intensive care units in the southern part of the state, and hospitals statewide rapidly put strict new visitor policies in place to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. ICU teams had to scramble to connect with the families of critically ill and dying patients in new ways.

Now, a new study documents how 49 of those hospitals reacted, and how those efforts varied. It finds that virtually all hospitals put in place a "no visitors" blanket policy. But 59% of hospitals did allow some exceptions to this rule, most often for end-of-life visits, even at the pandemic's regional peak in April and early May.

Meanwhile, ICU teams that had spent years increasing the involvement of family members in care decisions and patient support turned to telephones and video chats, including on newly purchased tablets and critically ill patients' own smartphones.

The new findings may hold lessons for hospitals in current and future COVID-19 hotspots, as they try to strike a balance between safety and human connection. The study, performed by a University of Michigan team, appears in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The authors say that as the pandemic continues, more studies are needed on how visitation and communication changes affect patients, families and care team members -- especially when patients can't communicate by themselves. They also point to the potential for restrictive visitor policies and virtual presence options to widen already stark health disparities.

Looking back

Lead author Thomas Valley, M.D., M.Sc., remembers all too well what those intense weeks of Michigan's peak were like, when the state had the fifth-highest ICU occupancy in the nation and hospitals stopped providing all but the most essential care.

He's an intensive care physician who was one of the first to work in a special COVID-19 ICU opened by Michigan Medicine, U-M's academic medical center.

On his first day, he took care of a patient who was clearly about to die, and whose daughter might have been able to come visit under Michigan Medicine's policy. But the daughter didn't want to risk exposure, so Valley found himself holding the patient's smartphone so the daughter could see her parent. She didn't want the patient to be without a family presence, even a virtual one, as they died.

Talking with her was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do as a physician, and I can't imagine what her family and so many others affected by this situation are going through. Conversations with families about critical care and the end of life are never easy, but it's so much harder to have them over the phone. For instance, I never thought about how important nonverbal cues are to these discussions." Thomas Valley, M.D., M.Sc., Lead Author

This experience is what prompted him and colleagues, including U-M medical sociologist Katie Hauschildt, Ph.D., to perform the study by surveying ICU leaders in hospitals in urban, suburban and rural areas across the state by phone and computer in April and May.

More findings

While one hospital maintained a policy of allowing one visitor per ICU patient throughout, the rest of the state's hospitals cracked down hard on visitation. Nineteen of the hospitals surveyed were not allowing any visitors, without exception, at the time of the survey.

Of the 29 hospitals that allowed exceptions, 15 let visitors in to see patients at the end of life only. In another 13 hospitals, there were a few other exceptions besides end-of-life, including births, surgery and pediatric patients. One hospital considered each case individually.

Nine of the hospitals that allowed visitors only allowed one per patient, while 20 hospitals allowed more, often within a certain limit. A few hospitals required visitors to wear PPE or test negative for COVID-19 before coming to see their loved one.

More than 80% of the hospitals changed the way that ICU clinicians communicated with family members of critically ill patients. For the 17 hospitals that provided information about exactly what had changed, most said they were focusing on telephone - but 6 had started using video conferencing.

In addition, ICU leaders from two-thirds of all surveyed hospitals said they were encouraging video communication between patients and their family members using the patient's own tablets or smartphones.

As the pandemic continues, Valley and his colleagues continue to do research, even as Michigan's hospitalized COVID-19 cases remain much lower than in spring.

"These rules were put in place for good reasons, to keep patients, family and health care workers safe in the face of a new virus," he says. "But now we have the opportunity to reexamine and see if these restrictions really kept us safe, to see how common infection is when family comes to visit, and to evaluate what the other impacts were."

If hospitals implement exceptions to their no-visitation rules, or set other conditions, it's also important to be transparent and even-handed about how they're applied to each patient. For instance, defining which patients are now at the 'end of life' is not clear cut. And implicit biases may affect how clinicians decide to offer or grant visitation options to some families over others.

As visitor restrictions continue, and hospitals ramp up care for patients who do not have COVID-19, the importance of virtual communications facilitated by hospital teams will continue, says Valley.

"In normal times, most of our serious conversations except the most time-sensitive ones would be in person, and we might wait for the visitors to arrive before initiating the communication," he says. "In our study, we found that many hospitals were proactively calling their ICU patients daily, just to give updates."

Valley notes that previous studies have shown that more than a third of family members of ICU patients experience depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress symptoms - and the inability to be with their loved one in person may make that more likely, whether or not their loved one has COVID-19. The same may be true for care team members who are used to speaking with families in person, especially if they need to communicate to a family member they've never seen that their loved one is near the end of life and discuss their wishes.
I got up on stage in my home city Philadelphia, in front of a crowd of just over 500 people to talk to a group of aspiring authors about leveraging the power of the internet to spread their message. I didnt have sweaty palms or a cracking voice, and the talk went very well.

Im not saying this to brag. For whatever reason, speaking in front of groups is easy for me. Im lucky that way.

But plop me in the middle of a small group where Im expected to interact and I am super shy... I never quite know what to say until I warm up a bit.

However, my business requires me to be able to interact with people on a regular basis, sometimes without much notice, and often in small groups. Quite often, I have to be able to seem at ease in situations with people who are new to me  no matter how uncomfortable I feel on the inside.

To learn these particular social skills (which dont come naturally to me), one of the things I did was watch the master, Regis Philbin.

Regis was a master at putting people at ease, and he logged more hours on broadcast television than anyone else in history. His recent death was a loss to the TV landscape, and a loss to me personally.

Here are five lessons I learned watching Regis over the years.

Related: The 5-Hour Rule Used by Bill Gates, Jack Ma and Elon Musk

Always be ready to go

A great portion of Regis career in front of the camera was live and unscripted. And he made it look EASY. That was because, for him, it was. Regis was always prepared to do his job in front of the camera  no matter the subject or circumstance.

Watching him on Live! With Regis and Cathie Lee and later on Live! With Regis and Kelly was watching a master at his craft. He was always able to be funny at just the right moments while giving serious subjects their due gravitas.

Watching how prepared he was in every situation helped me to prepare better myself.

Use stories to make a connection

Philbins co-host Kelly Ripa is quoted in the New York Times as saying, I think he is the worlds greatest storyteller.

Storytelling is an underrated art form, but extremely important for setting people at ease and creating rapport and Regis was a master at it. One of his favorite stories involved the astrologer Sydney Omar, who was the first guest on his first national television show. Omar predicted that Regis would fail that time around and he did, only to come back and become a household name (which Omar also predicted).

Learning how to tell stories well has helped me talk with strangers with a great deal more ease. Its also helped me land new clients and make more sales. People relate to stories at a visceral level. Facts and figures just dont work in the same way.

Related: 10 TV Shows Every Entrepreneur Should Watch on Netflix

Cultivate long-term relationships

One of the many talents of Regis Philbin was his ability to cultivate long-term relationships. Michael Gelman, the producer on the Live! shows, worked with Regis for 29 years.

Having solid, long term relationships like this requires integrity and trust  traits that Philbin had in abundance. Gelman told the New York Times the key to the show was to, Let Regis be Regis.

Ive found that one of the keys to business is the ability to develop relationships where people know you and trust you to deliver a quality product every time you do business with them. If your colleagues trust you then you will get much further than if you try to hustle them and your business will have much more staying power.

Make people comfortable

Regis was a master at making people feel comfortable when he had them as guests on his show.

Regis good-natured joking put people at ease and let them reveal more of themselves than they might have otherwise. According to The Washington Post, part of Regis' appeal was his ability to make fun of his own enthusiasms.

Using gentle humor also works wonders in business settings. You need to be careful how much you use, but humor can put people at ease and make them comfortable like almost nothing else. As Jimmy Kimmel said in a tweet, Philbin was a "great broadcaster, a good friend and a tremendous amount of fun."

Have a great work ethic

Plenty of dubious sales letters depict people frolicking on the beach and working maybe an hour a day, but real business almost always requires a serious work ethic. You have to show up day after day and put in the hours to move your business forward one step at a time.

Sometimes its boring, but thats usually what it takes.

Regis Philbin was the master of work ethic, as proven by his Guinness World Record for the most hours on US television. He clocked in an astounding 16,746.50 hours in front of audiences. Thats someone who showed up ready to work.

Regis Philbin had tremendous talent and work ethic to rival anyone in the industry. He played to his personal strengths and had great character. If we're ever looking to learn more from him, he kindly left behind 16,746.50 hours of lessons.

Related: Ayesha Curry Has Built a Business Empire -- and She's Still Learning

Related:

5 Skills I Learned From the Prolific Regis Philbin

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The number of recoveries in Moscow after treatment for the coronavirus infection has increased by 1,353 over the past 24 hours to reach 187,576, Deputy Moscow Mayor Anastasia Rakova said.



"The number of recoveries in Moscow keeps growing. Over the past day another 1,353 patients recovered after undergoing treatment. The total number of people who recovered from the infection has risen to 187,576," TASS cited her as saying.



According to the deputy mayor, doctors conduct special tests after treatment to confirm the absence of the disease. She reiterated that upon discharge, all patients who need to remain under observation receive appropriate recommendations. Moscow residents, who have recovered, have been asked to donate their plasma.



People aged 18 to 55 can become blood plasma donors, provided they do not have chronic illnesses and test negative for HIV, and Hepatitis B and C. They may also become social volunteers and help those who are being treated for the infection at home.
Ellie Slama remained in the hunt for the 2020 U.S. Womens Amateur title Friday morning after the Oregon State senior upended Phoebe Brinker of Delaware 3 and 2 during the round of 32 in Rockville, Md.

Slama took control of the early morning match at Woodmont Country Club on the back nine. Slama, the No. 29 seed, advances to the round of 16, where she faces Malaysias Alyaa Abdulghany at 10:05 a.m. today.

Slama trailed only once in her match, falling 1 down on the second hole to Brinker, the No. 4 seed and bound for Duke this fall. Slama quickly recovered, winning three of the next four holes to take a 1-up lead. The match was tied heading into the back nine, but Slama won 11 and 12 for a 2-up lead, then increased her lead to 3-up with a birdie at 15.

Slama closed out the match at 16 by halving with a par. Slama was 1-under over 16 holes.

Slama, a Salem native, has some familiarity with her round of 16 opponent as Abdulghany is a senior at USC.

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
PRESCOTT, Ariz.  A former Prescott-area man suspected of calling in a bomb threat in July has been arrested in Colorado, according to authorities.

Yavapai County Sheriffs officials said 29-year-old Jake Ruether is facing charges of making terrorist threats, false reporting, threatening and use of an electronic device to terrify.

They said the charges stem from threatening calls Ruether allegedly made to the Prescott dispatch center on July 26 along with other government buildings.

Authorities said someone called the Yavapai County Sheriffs Office Dispatch Center and said there is a bomb in the building and hung up.

Investigators eventually linked the call to Ruether, who allegedly made previous bomb threats against jails, police departments and court houses in Kansas where he also has ties.

Sheriffs deputies worked with the U.S. Marshals Service to locate Ruether in Trinidad, Colorado.

Authorities said Ruether was found at a house Wednesday and he was taken into custody after a brief struggle.

Ruether is being held in Colorados Las Animas County Jail awaiting extradition to Yavapai County.

It was unclear Thursday if Ruether has a lawyer yet who can speak on his behalf.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Contempt of Court | Barun Das Gupta

In a democracy, no institution of the State  the judiciary included  can or should be above public scrutiny and criticism. Criticism is not contempt. Contempt is when the judiciary as an institution is sought to be brought into public disrepute and its integrity as an institution is sought to be questioned.

It was Lord Acton who said: Authority that does not exist for Liberty is not authority but force. He also famously said: Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.

The very idea that in a democracy some people are above the ordinary citizenry is antithetical to the concept of democracy. What makes an ordinary person important is seldom because of his intrinsic qualities of character. It is the office that he holds that makes him important and powerful. Divested of the office he becomes just an ordinary citizen. Like any other human being a judge also suffers from the same frailties and foibles ingrained in human nature, while an individual judge may also suffer from folie de grandeur.

P. B. Sawant, himself a retired judge of the Supreme Court, has rightly observed in his book A Grammar of Democracy Although the judges are supposed to keep their prejudices and biases outside the Court, it cannot be gainsaid that the judges social, ideological and personal outlook do have a bearing on his decisions. His upbringing, education, social surroundings and economic and social class, do influence his thinking. That is why oftentimes we have dissenting judgments written in the same framework of law. (P.. 125)

Judges can make mistakes in interpreting a law and the common citizen has no remedy against it because it is his fellow judges who will decide whether the particular law was misinterpreted or misapplied. People of every profession have a strong fellow-feeling and a tendency to stand by one another. The judiciary is no exception. Years ago, in a financial scam case, the Supreme Court directed the inquiring officer to submit all his reports to the court and not to the minister concerned or the Union Government. Later, however, the Supreme Court rescinded its own order.

It was a right decision. The Constitution has defined the jurisdiction of the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. Just as the Executive cannot interfere in matters that fall exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Judiciary, the Judiciary also cannot usurp the functions of the Executive.

The ground situation is that when a judge has committed a professional misconduct or has deported himself in a manner that brings the judiciary into disrepute, there is a great unwillingness on everybodys part to proceed against him as the law ordains. But there have been instances that when a High Court or Supreme Court judge was about to be impeached in Parliament, he chose to resign rather than defend himself in the impeachment proceedings.

The Contempt of Court law of the United States says that A person shall not be guilty of contempt of court on the ground that he has published (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representations, or otherwise) any matter which interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct the course of justice . . .

In England, the Contempt of Court Act, 1981, says:

The strict liability rule.

In this Act the strict liability rule means the rule of law whereby conduct may be treated as a contempt of court as tending to interfere with the course of justice in particular legal proceedings regardless of intent to do so.

2 Limitation of scope of strict liability.

(1) The strict liability rule applies only in relation to publications, and for this purpose publication includes any speech, writing, or other communication in whatever form, which is addressed to the public at large or any section of the public.

(2) The strict liability rule applies only to a publication which creates a substantial risk that the course of justice in the proceedings in question will be seriously impeded or prejudiced.

(3) The strict liability rule applies to a publication only if the proceedings in question are active within the meaning of this section at the time of the publication.

The law in England is much more liberal than in India.

In a democracy, public perception matters. One must not only be honest but must be seen to be honest. When the people find that the judiciary is showing a tendency to fall in line with the decisions of the Executive, whatever these decisions are, doubts are bound to occur whether the judiciary is acting under pressure. The expression of this doubt, by word of mouth or in writing, should not be construed as contempt of court. Rather, the judiciary should make an honest introspection whether it has lived up to the standard of independence and objectivity it is expected to rise to.

The law on the contempt of court should not be used to suppress criticism which is justified and does not purport to bring the judiciary as an institution to public ridicule and raise doubts about its integrity. The Supreme Court as an institution is different from the body of individual judges that constitutes it. Criticism of individual judges on valid grounds should not be construed as an affront to the institution of the judiciary as such.
On 18 March, five days before the UK-wide lockdown, education secretary Gavin Williamson announced that all schools and colleges were to close and examinations, including A-Levels and GCSEs, would be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More than half a million young people were due to sit their GCSEs and around 300,000 were meant to be taking A-level exams, leaving the government to come up with an alternative.

There was some speculation that students could sit the exams remotely and officials were discouraged from relying on predicted grades: Juliana Mohamad Noor, vice president for further education at the National Union of Students (NUS) warned that using the method would rob thousands of students who outperform their predictions.

The government confirmed on 27 March that students were going to be given speculative grades, rather than sit exams at home or elsewhere. Exam boards were to work with teachers to come up with a calculated grade, to be given to students in the summer.

But on 11 August, 36 hours before A-Level results were due to be released, the government performed a U-turn allowing students in England to use grades from mock exams. This is following problems with grades in Scotland, which saw 120,000 students downgraded in the moderation process.

So how are exams now being graded this year? What do you do if you dont get the results you want? And what is the appeal process? Here is everything you need to know.

How will exams be graded this year?

The idea was that this year teachers would predict GCSE and A-level grades for their students, a process which would be externally monitored by the exam boards.

At the request of the government, all schools were asked by Ofqual (the office of qualifications and examinations regulation) to send exam boards two pieces of information for each subject, by 29 May.

This information included:

 The grade schools believe students would have most likely got if exams had happened as planned (these are referred to as CAGs or Centre Assessed Grades).

 A ranked list of all students within each grade for each subject. For example: If a school or college had 30 pupils for GCSE English Language with a centre assessment grade of 6, they should be ranked from 1 to 30, where 1 is the most secure/highest attaining, 2 is the next most secure, and so on.

Every school was asked to consider a wide range of evidence, including classwork, non-exam assessment, mock exams, and previous results. Teachers were told to be fair, objective, and carefully considered when submitting the grades.

Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Show all 30 1 /30 Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute's silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute's silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak. PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Shoppers observe a minute's silence in Tescos in Shoreham Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Firefighters outside Godstone fire station PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Salford Royal Hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Salford Royal Hospital PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute's silence at University College Hospital in London AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A school children's poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute's silence Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A man holds a placard that reads "People's health before profit" outside St Thomas hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute's silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus University College Hospital, London Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute's silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus London An NHS worker observes a minute's silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London AFP via Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Belfast, Northern Ireland NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Plymouth NHS workers hold a minute's silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute's silence Getty Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Mater Infirmorum Hospital People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Waterloo Station, London AP Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew's House in Edinburgh to observe a minute's silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus London Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy's Hospital Reuters Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Royal Derby Hospital PA Silence for key workers who lost lives to coronavirus Leicester, NHS workers during a minute's silence outside Glenfield Hospital Getty

The Department for Education said that exam boards will then combine this information with other relevant data, including prior attainment, and use this information to produce a calculated grade for each student.

And if grading judgments in some schools or colleges appeared to have been more severe, or more generous than others across the board, then the exam boards will adjust grades accordingly, the regulator said.

But this process in Scotland lead to thousands of students having their results downgraded by the exam board - eventually meaning they were scrapped.

The students will now received the original results estimated by teachers.

This meant a policy shift in England - where students get their results later than Scotland - that means students can use their teacher-predicted grades instead or resit the exam in autumn if they are not happy.

Were there concerns about this system?

The NUS was not the only body to express concerns about the emergency system. Ex-Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw said predicted grades could be affected by unreliable assessment in weak schools. And Baroness Blackstone, in the House of Lords, said she believed cancelling exams was a mistake and that teacher assessment does lead to questions about accuracy and fairness.

Research by the Equality Act Review suggests that black, Asian, or minority ethnic students, and those from working class families are disproportionately affected by the prediction of grades. It said: The current grade predictions system does not account for learning style, mitigating circumstances or BAME bias.

Those with special educational needs could also be unfairly treated, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said. Research suggests there may be patterns of conscious or unconscious race bias when predicting grades. With this in mind, there is a danger that predicted grading may have an adverse impact on some disadvantaged groups.

Students are concerned too: the Student Room carried out a snap poll of more than 750 teenagers on whether they thought they would be given a fair grade this summer: 66 per cent said no and only a third said yes. The Equality Act Review also found 80 per cent of students were concerned about predicted grades.

What do I do if Im unhappy with my grade?

On the day of grade collection some students will be able to go into schools and colleges to collect results. But most students will receive them via email.

If you are unhappy you are allowed to request to view your CAGs, which were submitted to the exam board. This can be done using the Ofqual CAG request form, which you can get from your school. Students must request these, not parents. Most schools plan to release the CAGs (to those who request them) a week or so after results day anyway.

If you are still not satisfied with results, you will not be able to appeal on behalf of yourself but can speak to your school and teachers who can do so if they agree with you.

But students can only appeal a GCSE result if they have a valid mock grade higher than their awarded grade - and it must be done within 15 days.

The government says: "Students can ask their school or college to check whether it made an administrative error when submitting their centre assessment grade or position in the rank order and if it agrees it did, to submit an appeal to the exam board."

If a student does not feel their grade from the summer reflects their ability, then they have the opportunity to take their exam in autumn, or next summer...

Williamson has repeatedly said if students feel they did not get fair predicted grades, there will be a chance to take an exam at a later date to rectify this. In a written statement on 23 March, he said: There will also be an option, for students who do not feel this grade reflects their performance, to sit an exam.

Ofqual has also repeated this, saying: If a student does not feel their grade from the summer reflects their ability, then they have the opportunity to take their exam in autumn, or next summer. If they choose to do this, both grades will stand.

What are your options now?

As of 2016, for GCSE students, the government requires pupils in England to get at least a 4 grade in GCSE English and maths. If this does not happen you have to resit your exams. If you get a 1,2 or 3 grade then you also have the chance to resit whether you wish to or not.

If you achieve the required grades at GCSE you have the option to go down the apprenticeship route.

Instead of taking A Levels, students can take BTECS, which give students the skills they need to enter higher education or employment, obtained through practical, work-related activities, allowing the students to apply what they have learned.

If your grades are too low to get into your chosen college or sixth form, it is advisable to contact them immediately to see if they may still offer you a place. It is possible they will allow you to transfer to a similar course or provide information about other colleges.
The U.S. economy added 1.8 million jobs in July and unemployment fell to a still-high 10.2%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

In July, the unemployment rate declined by 0.9 percentage point to 10.2%, and the number of unemployed persons fell by 1.4 million to 16.3 million, the federal government said. Despite declines over the past 3 months, these measures are up by 6.7 percentage points and 10.6 million, respectively, since February.

But worryingly , the pace of new job creating is slowing.the economy added 4.8 million jobs in June and 2.7 million in May., BLS said.

In July, notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, government, retail trade, professional and business services, other services, and health care.

The economy has recovered only about 42% of the 22 million jobs even accounting for job gains over the past few months.

Local jobless numbers for July won;t be available for a few weeks.

But the unemployment rate for the city of Springfield was 25.3% in June, up from 22.5% in May and 20.8% in April  and well above the 6.4% unemployment rate here a year ago in June 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic and shutdowns to stop its spread closed businesses and threw folks out of work.

Nationally, the number of unemployed persons who were on temporary layoff decreased by 1.3 million in July to 9.2 million, about half its April level. In July, the number of permanent job losers and the number of unemployed reentrants to the labor force were virtually unchanged over the month, at 2.9 million and 2.4 million, respectively, BLS said.

The largest employment increases in July occurred in leisure and hospitality, government, retail trade, professional and business services, other services, and health care.

Employment in leisure and hospitality increased by 592,000, BLS said, accounting for about one-third of the gain in total nonfarm employment in July.

Employment in food services and drinking places rose by 502,000, following gains of 2.9 million in May and June combined.

Employment in food services and drinking places is still down by 2.6 million since February despite those gains.

.Over the month, employment also rose in amusements, gambling, and recreation by 100,000).

Government employment rose by 301,000 in July but is 1.1 million below its February level. Typically, public-sector education employment declines in July. However, employment declines occurred earlier than usual this year due to the pandemic, resulting in unusually large July increases in local government education (+215,000) and state government education (+30,000) after seasonal adjustment, BLS said.

A July job gain in federal government (+27,000) reflected the hiring of temporary workers for the 2020 Census.

The jobs report comes from two sources. one is a survey of households to determine unemployment. the other is a survey of workplaces to determine the number of jobs.

A business confidence survey released earlier this week shows that local employers may be reluctant to hire.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index fell 3.2 points to 45.8, showing a predominantly pessimistic outlook among businesses throughout the commonwealth, according to a news release Tuesday. Confidence was 16.2 points less than in July 2019.

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If you know anything much about Wet Willie, the Southern rock band from Alabama whose Keep on Smiling and Country Side of Life remain evergreen anthems, you know Mama Hall was a big part of the story.

Now Jack Hall Jr., best known as Wet Willies bassist, is revealing a song he wrote in tribute to his mother, LaVera Hall. As of Friday, the world can listen to Let Me Sing, which Jack Hall has released on YouTube with a scrapbook video of family photos.

Well shes getting on in years/ Shes gone past 89/ When I ask her how shes feeling/ She says I guess Im doing fine/ Better than I thought I would/ Since your daddy passed away/ But his Azaleas are in bloom now/ And I miss him so much today

Members of the Wet Willie family have spoken often over the years about how LaVera Halls love of music and encouraging spirit played a big part in the course of their lives. Two of her three sons, Jack and Jimmy, were among the founders of Wet Willie, and one of her three daughters, Donna, sang backup as an original Williette.

After the band moved to Macon, Ga., and became part of the Capricorn Records roster, Jimmy co-wrote Same Ole Moon, a song inspired by the parting with family patriarch Jack Virgil Hall. Recorded by the Marshall Tucker Band, the tune became a staple of Wet Willie and Jimmy Hall shows. (Jack Virgil Hall died in early 2007, a few months before what would have been the couples 61st anniversary. Among those who sent flowers were Charlie Daniels and Hank Williams Jr.)

Jack Hall said that in the years that followed, the idea that his mother deserved a song of her own grew on him. He wanted something that would serve as a tribute to her as the center of our Hall family musical universe and inspiration that ultimately led to Wet Willie.

He said that the pivotal moment came after a series of minor strokes and other health issues left her unable to play piano or sing. When she said to him, When I get to Heaven I hope they let me sing, he knew he had the seed hed been looking for.

This wasnt his first tune: He co-wrote or wrote a few Wet Willie songs, including Walking by Myself and Its Gonna to Stop Raining Soon. He also contributed Easy Street to Jimmys first solo album. Still, he got stuck after the first verse, he said.

The next key moment came in 2019, when he showed that verse to a friend, Larry Rose. Rose, who runs a recording studio in Phenix City, where Hall lives, told him to get on with it.

Hall himself cant sing anymore, the aftermath of a battle with throat cancer. But he could still imagine a melody and puzzle out the arrangement on guitar. Finally, after much trial and error, I had a complete song that I thought might be worthy of Mom.

From there it snowballed. Hall and Rose began laying down tracks in Roses studio. Multitalented Georgia-based musician Lloyd Buchanan, whose credits include serving as touring keyboardist for the Alabama Shakes and singing for Sun on Shade, a project involving several Shakes members, played keyboards and sang the lead vocal. He nailed it to say the least, hitting a high A at the end that gave us goosebumps, said Hall. David White of the gospel group Reunion added some harmonies to the Phenix City sessions.

We were pleased with the tracks we had done in Phenix City, but agreed we needed a gospel choir to make the song complete, Hall said. And I knew where I could find one.

I really wanted to add my sisters -- Donna, Cindy and Susie, who harmonize like, well, sisters -- so I contacted [founding Wet Willie guitarist] Ricky Hirsch to ask if we could prevail on him to record the harmonies at his studio in Mobile. He agreed, so we took our tracks down and added the girls, plus Donnas husband Stan Foster on bass vocal, and of course they sang like angels. Hall is credited as a producer on the finished song, along with Jack Hall and Rose.

A montage of family photos makes up the video for "Let Me Sing," Jack Hall's tribute to his mother, LaVera Hall. Many show LaVera Hall with her husband of 60 years, the late Jack Virgil Hall.Courtesy of the Hall Family

Hall said that when LaVera Hall, now 96, first heard the song at a Mothers Day family gathering, she immediately said we must play it at her funeral.

So when its time for leavin'/ She hopes for just one thing/ That when she gets to heaven/ She hopes they let her sing

Jack Hall said a friend in the music industry, Andreas Werner, suggested he consider a public release. He produced the Alabama Music Hall of Fame ceremony where Wet Willie was inducted several years ago, said Hall, so his encouragement meant a lot to me.

Sister Cindy and her son Justin McQuillen went through family albums for the photos used in the slideshow, which was assembled by Jack Halls son Bryan and a friend, Mike Lowry.

To be clear, Let Me Sing isnt a Wet Willie song. Its not Southern Rock. It has the feel of classic Southern gospel, with Buchanans vocal adding a lot of soul. Hall has credited it to Joyful Noise of Alabama, his name for the virtual, ad hoc group that made it real. The joyful noise part comes from a line in the song, he said, and the of Alabama is a tip of the hat to a group he loves, the Blind Boys of Alabama.

It may not be a Wet Willie song, but its definitely a part of the Wet Willie story. And for those who felt, like Jack Hall, that Same Ole Moon needed a bookend, its bound be a joyful one.
Justice Minster Choo Mi-ae leaves the ministry's headquarters in Gwancheon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, after filling key posts in the prosecutors' office with pro-government officials./ Yonhap



By Kim Se-jeong



Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae filled key posts in Korea's prosecutors' office with pro-Moon Jae-in officials, Friday, a move expected to further chip away at the power of Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl.



The minister kept Lee Seong-yoon as head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, one of the most important positions at the prosecution. Lee recently made headlines by standing up against Yoon publicly in dealing with a case involving a journalist and a prosecutor who is one of Yoon's close supporters.



The minister moved Lee Jong-geun who used to work closely with former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, a close ally of President Moon Jae-in, to head up the Criminal Investigation Division, and Shim Jae-cheol to lead the Human Resources and Budget Division. Shim made headlines last year for his support of Cho, currently on trial with his wife on corruption charges.



Prosecutors close to the prosecutor general were excluded from the "reshuffle," according to experts.



There was no immediate reaction from Yoon.



Friday's announcement was anticipated as it came right after another round of clashes between Choo and the prosecutor general.



Earlier this week, Yoon indirectly likened the Moon administration to a totalitarian regime during a speech at a welcoming event for new prosecutors. He also encouraged them to put pressure on people in power by conducting thorough investigations, instead of kneeling down before them.



For decades, prosecutors often had ties to corrupt politicians and were often involved in cases brought against them, which they dealt with favorably. President Moon took office with a pledge to reform the prosecution and kept this pledge by getting a reform bill passed by the National Assembly.



Moon appointed Yoon to oversee the reforms but he quickly became a headache when he launched investigations into corruption allegations made against people who were close to the President.



One example was former Minister Cho, while another was Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho who allegedly won the 2018 election through illegal help from Cheong Wa Dae. Both Cho and Song are close allies to Moon.



Moon and his supporters said the investigations into Cho and Song were politically motivated.



The clash between Yoon and Choo started in January when she was appointed justice minister.



In addition to moving prosecutors around against Yoon's wishes, Choo has pushed to reduce his power. Against this backdrop came a case involving Han Dong-hoon, Yoon's ally, in which Han allegedly conspired with a cable news channel journalist to blackmail a businessman to get information about one of Moon's allies. The Seoul District Prosecutor's Office indicted the journalist earlier this week, but failed to find any evidence against Han.



The rift between Yoon and Choo was made public and continues.



In late July, an ad hoc committee within the ministry made recommendations that would further reduce the power of Yoon in handling individual cases.


There are roughly 13,355 nuclear weapons in the world, with 91% of them belonging to Russia (6,370) or the U.S. (5,800), according to estimates from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

What to watch: Chinas stockpile of around 290 warheads is likely to grow further over the next decade and put it firmly in the third spot among the worlds nuclear powers, according to analysts Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda.

France (300) and the U.K . (215) both have significant stockpiles, as do rival nuclear powers Pakistan (150) and India (130).

(300) and the . (215) both have significant stockpiles, as do rival nuclear powers (150) and (130). Israel has never confirmed or denied possessing nuclear weapons, but is believed to have secured the bomb in 1966 or 1967 and possess around 80 warheads.

has never confirmed or denied possessing nuclear weapons, but is believed to have secured the bomb in 1966 or 1967 and possess around 80 warheads. North Korea, meanwhile, has embraced its status as a new nuclear power since conducting its first test in 2006. In 2019, the analysts put its stockpile at between 20-30 warheads.

Timeline: The U.S. was first to the bomb, conducting its Trinity test 75 years ago last month.

The Soviet Union conducted its first nuclear test in 1949, far earlier than U.S. officials had expected. President Harry Truman attempted to downplay public fears, saying: The eventual development of this new force by other nations was to be expected.

The nuclear club grew as the U.K. (1952) and later France (1960) conducted tests.

The Chinese, after initial Soviet help, tested a nuclear weapon in 1964. A wary U.S. considered plans to sabotage Chinas nuclear program.

The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) helped drive the U.S. and U.S.S.R. to the nuclear negotiating table, though the U.S. had far more nuclear weapons at that time and the Soviet stockpile continued to grow into the 1980s.

The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has helped limit the size of the nuclear club, though India (1974), Pakistan (1998), and North Korea (2006) brought the membership to nine, including Israel.

South Africa is the only country to develop nuclear weapons and then dismantle them, in 1989.

Go deeper:
F ormer Labour MP Eric Joyce has been handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence for downloading a video of child sexual abuse.

The 60-year-old, who was MP for Falkirk between 2000 and 2012, admitted having the 51-second clip on his computer, which was said to include the abuse of a 12-month-old child.

Ipswich crown court heard Joyces life spiralled downwards towards the end of his political career, as he was convicted of drink driving, investigated over an alleged assault in the House of Commons, and prosecuted for a brawl in a Camden shop.

Joyce was arrested in November 2018 over the child abuse video, and police then discovered evidence to suggest he had made other searches for indecent images of children online.

This morning, Mr Justice Edis handed Joyce an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years, with orders to complete community service and go into rehab.

Joyce was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service as part of the sentence / PA

He told Joyce child abuse videos are made because there are people like you who want to watch these films.

If there was not the market, those children would not be subjected to these very serous offences. You are part of the reason why it happens.

The judge said the background material found by police showed downloading the clip was not an isolated incident but part of a pattern.

However he ruled Joyce should not go straight to prison as there is a chance of rehabilitation, he has given up drinking since his arrest, and has sought medical help.

Joyce was ordered to complete 150 hours of community service as part of the sentence, as well as attend rehab sessions.

Prosecutor Michael Proctor said Joyce told police he had browsed online for adult heterosexual pornography, but insisted he had not seen child abuse material he is suspected of looking at.

He was intoxicated... He couldn't remember looking at that kind of material

However he did accept that the video  in the highest category of seriousness  had been on his computer.

He told police he was intoxicated when involved in that activity, said Mr Proctor. He couldnt remember looking at that kind of material.

The court heard Joyce had sent himself a link to the abuse clip via email but could not explain to officers why he did it.

He told police he was not sexually attracted to children, and since his arrest he has sought help, added the prosecutor.

He said police found around 2000 "peer to peer files indicative of downloading or looking at images of child abuse, dating back to June 2014.

Joyce, a former Labour politician, gave up his seat in Parliament after a highly publicised incident in a Westminster bar when he was arrested on suspicion of assault but did not face charges.

He was convicted of breaching the peace following a May 2013 fracas at Edinburgh airport, and he was handed a ten-week suspended prison sentence for an October 2014 assault on a teenager in a Camden shop.

Mark Shelley, representing Joyce today, told the court: The pre-sentence report gives his background, his time in the army, time as an MP, then something happened and it all imploded.

A clever, hard-working man, taken to drink, and his life is destroyed by behaviour you have seen in his previous convictions.

Since that time, he has given up drinking, found a partner that he loves, she loves him and they have made a life together.

Joyce, a former Army major from Worlingworth, Suffolk, pleaded guilty to making an indecent image of a child.

He stood with his hands clasped in front of him as sentence was passed, nodding and thanking the judge as he was released from the dock.

Joyce did not oppose the making of an indefinitely sexual harm prevention order, and was ordered to pay the prosecution costs of the case.
(Newser)  Mickey Mouse had grandma arrested, and now she wants payback. Hester Burkhalter of Hickory, NC, is seeking $6 million in compensatory damages and $12 million in punitive damages, plus several million more for her family, following her April 2019 arrest at Disney World, per CNN. The Orange County Sheriff's Office responded after Burkhalter was found in possession of cannabidiol oil during a bag check at Magic Kingdom. Burkhalter said her doctor had prescribed the "federally legal CBD oil," which is derived from the cannabis plant, to soothe her arthritis. But police said the oil contained THC, the psychoactive property in cannabis, and arrested the 69-year-old for possession of hashish; the one-ounce bottle was labeled "zero THC." The charge was dropped days later, but not before Burkhalter was told to strip naked and "bend over" for a body cavity search during a 15-hour ordeal, her lawsuit reads.

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"It was the most humiliating day of my life," Burkhalter said at a Wednesday news conference. Her complaint naming the sheriffs office and the Walt Disney Company further claims she was denied medical care during a panic attack she suffered in the police vehicle that caused her to vomit. "I even told them that I could not breathe, said Burkhalter. "The only comment was that one officer who said, 'She's throwing up,' like it was no big deal." She's represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who also represents the family of George Floyd. He says Burkhalter was arrested in front of young family members, who asked, "Why would Mickey Mouse arrest grandma?" The defendants "cannot give back what they stole ... her dignity, her sense of pride, and her esteemed role as matriarch of her family," he adds, per the Orlando Sentinel. The outlet reports the oil was technically illegal in Florida at the time, though it was legal at the federal level. (Read more Walt Disney Co. stories.)
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Indian oil explorer ONGC has sold a Russian Sokol crude cargo loading October 10-16 at a spot premium of around 70-80 cents a barrel to Dubai quotes, the lowest since May, trade sources said on Friday.

The buyer was a trading house, they said.

Asia's physical oil market has weakened since last month due to weak demand including from China, with Cash Dubai and DME Oman prices flipping into discounts to Dubai swaps for the first time since end-May.

In the second half of last month, ONGC and ExxonMobil sold September-loading Sokol crude cargo at spot premiums of around $2.10-$2.50 a barrel to Dubai quotes.
Other signatories to the agreement have questioned whether the United States gave up its right to change its terms when President Trump withdrew from the deal  insisting he could negotiate a better arrangement with Tehran  more than two years ago. Russia and China are both expected to veto any resolution. China recently drafted a $400 billion investment agreement with Iran that is believed to include some weaponry.
Victoria has recorded 450 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths as hundreds of anti-maskers vow to attend a rally this weekend.

The figure announced by Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday marks a dramatic decrease from the record 725 cases on Wednesday.

Mr Andrews said seven of the 11 deaths are linked to aged care.

The dead include a woman in her 50s, two men in their 70s, six people in their 80s as well as two women in their 90s.

The embattled premier added 607 Victorians are in hospital with the virus and 41 of them are receiving intensive care.

He said 196 fines have been issued in the last 24 hours for COVID-19 breaches - with 51 for not wearing a mask and 43 for breaching curfew.

Two men have already been arrested in relation to the so-called 'freedom rally' which is planned to take place on the steps of Parliament on Sunday.

Signage for stage four lockdown restrictions, implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease, is seen in Melbourne

Education minister James Merlino also announced on Friday all Victorian students studying for their VCE will be individually assessed for any adverse impacts from COVID-19 - which will then be reflected in their ATAR score.

'This is quite an extraordinary change. So every single student will be individually assessed,' he said.

'Well look at things such as school closures, well look at things such as long absences.

'Well look at things, for example, such as significant increase in family responsibilities as a result of COVID-19 and well of course consider the mental health and wellbeing of students during this period.'

Premier Andrews meanwhile revealed health officials in the state were door-knocking every single confirmed COVID-19 case.

He said 1,000 of the 1,150 cases visited on Thursday were isolating within the rules, while the 150 who were not have been referred to Victoria Police.

The scheduled protest for Sunday would be in breach of the Chief Health Officer's directions which bans gatherings of more than two people in public places.

The arrests of the men, both aged 41, came after police searched two homes in Mooroolbark and Chirnside Park on Thursday.

A worker wearing a face mask and protective clothing attends to members of the public at a pop-up COVID-19 testing clinic

A 41-year-old male from Mooroolbark was charged with incitement. He was bailed and is due to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates Court in January next year.

A 41-year-old male from Chirnside Park was also arrested but was released with intent to summons. He is expected to be charged on Friday with the same offences.

More than 400 people have expressed interest in attending the protest but police have warned they will be dishing out $1652 fines and making arrests.

'This selfish behaviour will absolutely not be tolerated,' Victoria Police said.

'Be assured Victoria Police will be responding and will take appropriate action.

The Flinders and Swanston Street intersection, which is usually filled with thousands of commuters, was almost empty on Thursday

'There will be a highly visible presence in and around the city to ensure the community is complying with stage four restrictions.'

Police have issued 196 fines in the past 24 hours for breaching the Chief Health Officer directions.

There were 51 fines dished out for failing to wear a face mask, 11 fines came from vehicle checkpoints and 43 for curfew breaches.

Melbourne has been under a police enforceable curfew since Sunday.

Melburnians can only leave their homes between 5am and 8pm for work, care-giving, medical reasons or on compassionate grounds.

A Melburnian in a face mask walks in front of closed Luna Park in St Kilda during Melbourne's lockdown (pictured on Wednesday)

Melbourne is now enduring the country's most restrictive virus-control measures (Pictured: Police officers and soldiers patrol a popular running track in Melbourne)

The city's 4.9million residents have also been banned from travelling more than 5km from home to do their shopping - and only one person from each household can leave at any time.

Melburnians allowed to work on-site now have to show a permit or official work ID if they are by stopped police to prove they can leave their homes, or face fines of up to $99,123 for businesses and up to $19,826 for individuals.

Since the Stage 4 restrictions were brought into Melbourne by the Victorian government on Sunday, there's been rising confusion about who can and cannot leave home for work in metropolitan Melbourne.

The government had promised to provide more details ahead of the restrictions coming into effect from Thursday but business groups say it came very late in night, leaving business scrambling to make adjustments.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said nothing was made available by the Department of Health and Human Services until after 11pm Wednesday - 59 minutes before Stage 3 restrictions came into effect across the entire state.

A police car is pictured parked outside Flinders Street Station in Melbourne on Thursday morning

Victoria has confirmed eight more deaths from coronavirus as Melbourne suffers its fourth day of stage-four lockdown. Pictured: Commuters on Thursday

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos tweeted a public link to the updated guidelines at 1am Thursday.

'It's still a bit of a disaster,' Mr Willox told Nine's Today show on Thursday.

'We're now on the first morning of the new lockdown, and businesses still aren't clear on what they can and can't do.

Mr Willox said businesses were 'flying blind', particularly on issues like warehouses, noting that 'reducing numbers of staff in warehouses would impact on food supplies, among many other things', he told ABC radio.

Retailers across the city will largely be closed to customers and construction and manufacturing is also being scaled back to help slow the virus spread. Workers in meat processing and abattoirs would be reduced amid the changes to businesses.

Premier Daniel Andrews moved forward with the changes despite pleas from businesses to delay shutting down much of the state's economy.

'I don't think any business will be happy with the decisions that have had to be made,' he said on Thursday.

Victoria has reported 471 new cases of coronavirus. Pictured: A cyclist in Albert Park, Melbourne on Wednesday

'I'm not happy to make these decisions of the but sadly we don't have the luxury of finding things, of that being the ultimate guide.

'The guide here has gotta be to drive down the amount of movement to then drive down the number of cases.'

'I'm not for a moment saying businesses are happy about this. They're not, I'm not, workers are not. This is not the position we wanted to find ourselves in.'

The Morrison government has raised fears the reduction in warehouse and distribution capacity could sap supply in other parts of Australia.

But Mr Andrews is adamant he has struck a delicate balance as the state enters the country's harshest lockdown.

'A lot of work has gone into driving down staff levels but, at the same time, protecting the amount of product that will be on supermarket shelves,' he said.

'That's our aim. That's what we think we can confidently deliver.'

Business leaders held crisis talks with the state government on Wednesday night over fears the clampdown on warehouses could trigger national food shortages.

In response, supermarket distribution centres and medical warehouses will have an extra two days to comply with restrictions.

From midnight on Sunday they will be forced to reduce capacity by a third.

Harsher restrictions includes an 8pm until 5am curfew and a ban on leaving your home unless for essential reasons (pictured: The Bolte Bridge during the first night of curfew on Sunday)

A lone shopper walks down the usually busy Degraves Street, laneway famous for its coffee, on Wednesday morning (pictured)

Red meat processors will switch to 66 per cent, while abattoirs with 25 or fewer staff will be exempt.

Poultry will only fall to 80 per cent capacity in a bid to avoid birds being destroyed but not processed, which would have sparked significant chicken shortages.

Police and ADF personnel have been seen trudging the streets of Melbourne throughout the state's deadly second wave of infections, making sure residents are following the public health advice and covering their faces.

Amid the outbreak, regional Victoria has entered Stage 3 restrictions, with residents only able to leave their homes for four reasons: to shop for food and essential items, to provide or receive care, exercise, and work and study if they can't from home.

What is open in Melbourne Stage 4 Supermarkets, bottle shops, petrol stations, pharmacies, post offices, banks Retailers working onsite to fulfill online orders Hardware, building an garden supplies for trade Specialist stationery for business use Motor vehicle parts for emergency repairs, mechanics Locksmiths, laundry and dry cleaners, maternity supplies Disability and health services and equipment, mobility devices Farms and commercial fishing Vets, pounds and animal shelters Supermarkets will stay open Construction of critical infrastructure and services to support those projects Critical repairs to homes where required for emergency or safety Cafes and restaurants for takeaway Media Critical service call centres Medicare Law enforcement and courts for urgent matters Prisons, facilities for parolees, adult parole board, youth justice facilities Emergency services Essential maintenance and manufacturing FULL LIST Advertisement
The four astronauts-elect for Indias first manned space mission Gaganyaan have completed training in Russia on crew actions in the event of an abnormal descent module landing, Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russian space organisation Roscosmos said on Thursday.

The astronauts were in good health and determined to continue their training, it said.

To date, Indian cosmonauts have completed training on crew actions in the event of an abnormal descent module landing: in wooded and marshy areas in winter (completed in February 2020), on the water surface (completed in June 2020), in the steppe in summer (completed in July 2020), Glavkosmos said.

In June 2020, they passed training in short-term weightlessness mode aboard the IL-76MDK special laboratory aircraft, and in July, they were trained to lift aboard a helicopter while evacuating from the descent module landing point, it said on its website.

The programme also included training in a centrifuge and in a hyperbaric chamber to prepare their organisms for sustaining spaceflight factors, such as G-force, hypoxia and pressure drops, it said, adding that these training are to be held in the near future.

Four Indian Air Force fighter pilots are currently under training in Moscow and are likely to be potential candidates for Gaganyaan, initially planned around 2022.

However, the city-based Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has indicated the mission may be delayed due to Covid 19 pandemic and the lockdown induced by it.

The Indian astronauts are undergoing training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) following the courses of the general space training programme and of the systems of the Soyuz MS crewed spacecraft.

The completion of their training at GCTC is scheduled for the first quarter of 2021, it said.

The contract for the training of Indian astronauts between Glavkosmos and the Human Spaceflight Center of ISRO was signed on June 27, 2019, and their training in Russia started on February 10 this year.

The entire process of preparation and training takes place in Russia, Glavkosmos said, it included a number of courses necessary for prospective Indian cosmonauts.

The regular courses comprise medical and physical training, learning Russian (as one of the main international languages of communication in space), and studying the configuration, structure and systems of the Soyuz crewed spacecraft.

Glavkosmos said the trainees health status is monitored on a daily basis, and once every three months, highly professional GCTC doctors conduct their thorough medical examination.

The GCTC instructors praise the effort and high motivation of the Indian cosmonauts. They also note their extremely serious and very professional attitude to the training process, it added.

Indian officials had earlier said that after training in Russia, the astronauts will receive module-specific training in India. In that, they will be trained in a crew and service module designed by ISRO, learn to operate it, work around it and do simulations.
A third county Kildare meat processing company is now dealing with a coronavirus outbreak among employees.

O'Brien Fine Foods in Timahoe said they took the decision to test all of its employees following a confirmed case of the virus on 30 July. The company said this was their third case at the facility at that point.

In a statement the food company said it engaged with the HSE and a private testing provider to "expedite" testing, RTE News reported.

"Of 243 tests completed, 80 have been confirmed as positive for Covid-19. Of the 80 confirmed, the level of asymptomatic infectivity appears to be very high."

A further 42 employees are to be tested.

The company has strong links with Kildare GAA through a major sponsorship deal.

On July 29 the Irish Dog Foods plant in Naas has shut its doors temporarily due to an outbreak of Covid-19 among its workers.

The individuals concerned are self-isolating, and a deep clean is being carried out on the premises at the Naas Industrial Estate.

The company would not be drawn on how many employees were affected, or when the factory will reopen.

In a statement to the Leinster Leader/KildareNow, Irish Dog Foods said that it had been informed that a number of its Naas employees have tested positive for Covid-19, and they remain in contact with the affected employees.

Meanwhile the Kildare Chilling Company in Kildare town yesterday issued a statement on the reported cluster of Covid-19 cases at its factory in Kildare town.

The firm has not confirmed the number of confirmed cases at the plant on the Dublin Road.

It's understood that the cluster is confined to a specific section of the sprawling factory.

The gates remained open this morning to the premises.

The short statement from the firm said:

"Kildare Chilling Company is working closely with the HSE following confirmation of a number of Covid-19 cases.

"Full contact tracing has been undertaken, affected staff are isolating and further testing is being undertaken in line with HSE recommendations."

It is understood the Kildare Chilling company was initially dealing with 19 cases.
Maria Ines brought this antique four-poster bed, which she has dressed with embroidered linen and lace, from her former home at Whitfield Court

Maria Ines Dawnay in her drawing room with some furniture from her previous home. The grand piano belonged to Hugh. The top of the piano is covered with photos from his polo-playing days

The family room is furnished with comfortable white sofas, while the walls are covered with photographs of Hugh and Maria Ines, their children and grandchildren. Its my life with Hugh, she says simply

The elegant hallway is typical of a Georgian hallway, with its cross motif. It is floored in Portland stone

Maria Ines Dawnay in her library. The sculpture of the horse is just one of many equine motifs in the house because of Hughs passion for polo. He once offered me a horse and I asked, Do you really want me to ride? He said, Yes, so I said, Give me your best horse. He never mentioned it again, she says

While the colour of the front door is something most of us agonise over when decorating our homes, visitors often don't even notice it. If one is left waiting for a knock to be answered, it's the outside one turns to, and in the case of the home of Maria Ines Dawnay in Co Waterford, the exterior is wonderful - acres of rolling lawns and mature trees surround her stunning stand-alone Georgian-style home.

However, the colour of Maria Ines's front door is particularly striking and it transpires it was chosen for a very romantic reason - it's the colour of the uniform her late husband, Major Hugh Dawnay, was wearing when this bubbly Argentinian first clapped eyes on the dashing officer of the British Army. His regiment was the 10th Hussars.

That was in the early 1970s, and since then, Maria Ines has lived in Waterford. For much of their marriage, the couple lived in a magnificent period mansion called Whitfield Court, her beloved Hugh's ancestral home. Hugh ran a large farm and a world-renowned polo school there, and as well as looking after their two children, Sebastian and David, who are both now grown up, Maria Ines herself operated the house as a Hidden Ireland for paying guests.

In 2006, the couple built their current home. It was a downsizing move as Hugh, then in his mid-70s, was finding it hard to manage everything. This house is big by most standards, but compact compared to Whitfield Court, which had 17 bedrooms.

Expand Close Maria Ines Dawnays country-style kitchen decorated in cream. The table and Aga are from her late husband Hughs ancestral home / Facebook

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Whatsapp Maria Ines Dawnays country-style kitchen decorated in cream. The table and Aga are from her late husband Hughs ancestral home

Maria Ines also ran an interiors shop in Waterford city for many years, and her innate talent and interiors knowledge are evident in the many beautifully furnished rooms in the house, which are filled with things she picked up over the years, as well as some pieces from her previous home.

Hugh's mother was Lady Katherine Beresford, daughter of the then Lord Waterford, so there are some family heirlooms, including magnificent sets of china. "She had one set for lunch and another for dinner and chided me if I used the wrong one. She was a lady, that's the way she was brought up," Maria Ines notes with a laugh.

Maria Ines herself was born in Salta in the Andes between Bolivia and Chile, the daughter of a doctor who served two terms as Argentinian minister for health. The family moved when she was 12 to Buenos Aires, and after completing school - Maria Ines went to an English-speaking school as her mother was determined that she would learn English - she studied museology with a view to a career in museums.

However, no sooner had she qualified than she met Hugh. "He came with the British Army to Buenos Aires to play polo with the Argentine Army. A friend of mine, the daughter of a general, brought me to a lunch party and Hugh was there. He was following a blonde lady at the lunch and sat next to her, but she didn't talk to him so he decided to talk to me. I wasn't going to play second fiddle, so I hit him on the head with a polo whip. It's true," she recalls with a laugh."We both started laughing and then we knew we had the same sense of humour."

Despite their age and religious difference - Maria Inez was 22 and an Argentinian Catholic and Hugh was 17 years older and an Anglo Irish Protestant - they fell in love and married a year later.

Hugh left the British Army and the couple moved to Ireland. Shortly after, Hugh took over the family farm at Whitfield Court in Waterford as his father had died just before the wedding. "I was very homesick at first. My mother-in-law, Lady Katherine, lived with us," Maria Ines volunteers.

Expand Close Maria Ines Dawnay in her drawing room with some furniture from her previous home. The grand piano belonged to Hugh. The top of the piano is covered with photos from his polo-playing days / Facebook

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Whatsapp Maria Ines Dawnay in her drawing room with some furniture from her previous home. The grand piano belonged to Hugh. The top of the piano is covered with photos from his polo-playing days

"She was very Victorian, quite different to me; sometimes she didn't approve of me and she would go 'tsk, tsk'. For example, when there was a storm, I would hide with my children under the stairs so I wouldn't hear it; she would disapprove of that.

"Looking back, I have no regrets - she was wonderful, I'm glad I had her. And she gave me the history of the family, because she knew I was going to carry it on. I have her diaries, I hope to write her biography."

Learning how to live with Lady Katherine was one task, finding like-minded people with whom to be friends was another. "When I came to live here, it was funny, they thought I was going to be an incredible rider because I came from Argentina. All the Anglo Irish, the only thing they did was ride. They were so different," Maria Ines says. "The people who became my first friends here were the cook, Paddy the handyman, and the housekeeper, I followed them everywhere and I learned Irish ways."

However, when Maria Ines became pregnant for the first time, she made friends with other expectant mums, many of whom are still among her core group of friends, and in her book club.

"It's wonderful, they are still all my best friends," she says in her charmingly accented English. "What helped me too was the ICA, the Irish Countrywomen's Association. I was with them briefly. We did all sorts of crafts, patchwork and the like, and I gave a lecture about Argentina. The ICA was wonderful."

Once her sons - Sebastian, now a professional polo player, and David, who's in pharmaceuticals - arrived, she was well settled in Waterford and she and Hugh had a busy life running the farm and the polo school. Through the polo, they met an international set and there are many photos of Hugh with the royal family. To cater for the polo players and the Hidden Ireland guests, Maria Ines actually went to the trouble of becoming a professional cook by doing the full-time, three-month Ballymaloe course.

Expand Close The family room is furnished with comfortable white sofas, while the walls are covered with photographs of Hugh and Maria Ines, their children and grandchildren. Its my life with Hugh, she says simply / Facebook

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Whatsapp The family room is furnished with comfortable white sofas, while the walls are covered with photographs of Hugh and Maria Ines, their children and grandchildren. Its my life with Hugh, she says simply

She became very involved in the Chernobyl Children's Project International with Adi Roche and Ali Hewson and travelled several times with them to Belarus. She held a big ball at Whitfield Court for the charity, raising money for an incubator and an ambulance, with the help of her friends.

Along with all these activities, she opened an interiors shop, The Country House, in Waterford, which she ran from 1979 until 1990. She started it again in 2012, this time calling it Country House Design. Maria Ines credits the shop with helping her to cope with Hugh's death eight years ago.

"When my husband died, my world fell apart, but the shop kept me going," she says. "I loved the furnishings I brought from France, I loved the French country look. I used to go to Paris, Milan and Madrid to buy for the shop; my customers loved what I bought. My customers and I had so much in common; I loved it."

She only retired from the shop early this year; she was thrilled to find a lovely young woman, Sinead Gunnigle, to take on the lease and Sinead has now opened Nest, also an interiors shop, to continue the tradition.

Maria Ines also found great comfort in her lovely home, which she shares with Carlitos, her dog.

When she decided to move from the old house, she wanted to combine, within the new build, the best of Georgian design and modern conveniences.

The hall is the epitome of the period's design. "The Georgian design is normally in the form of a cross, with rooms off it," she says. The house has high ceilings, beautiful hand-made mouldings on the ceilings and antique mantlepieces, but unlike most Georgian buildings, the house has lots of useful rooms - utility rooms and bathrooms - and masses of storage.

Her own en suite and dressing room are huge. "When you're building your own house, you can do that," she says with a laugh, adding that she was able to make her own bedroom, one of four, identical to her bedroom at Whitfield.

As well as a beautiful country-style kitchen, complete with Aga, Maria Ines has a light-filled conservatory, two drawing rooms, a dining room and a wonderful library full of historical and non-fiction tomes. And needless to mention, there are many Waterford Crystal chandeliers from the old house.

The many tabletops are covered with family photos - particularly Hugh and Sebastian at polo events with Prince Charles, Prince Philip, even Prince William - and the walls are covered in landscapes and still lifes. Soon, Maria Ines's own paintings will also hang on the walls; she started doing watercolours during the lockdown and already she has become very proficient with delicate images of hydrangeas and tulips.

"My motto is: 'If you're determined, you can do it'," she says.

Given Maria Ines's happy, successful, productive life so far, it's a motto which obviously has stood to her.

Edited by Mary O'Sullivan

Photography by Tony Gavin
US Sends Relief to Lebanon Via Military Cargo Planes

By Carla Babb August 06, 2020

The United States is sending to Lebanon three C-17 aircraft shipments of relief aid following the massive explosion at Beirut's port that killed at least 137 people, with the first plane filled with food, water and medical supplies arriving Thursday.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the first C-17 had delivered 11 pallets of aid from a U.S. military base in Qatar, with the two other plane shipments expected to provide more food and water within 24 hours.

"We are closely coordinating with the Lebanon armed forces and expect that we will continue to provide additional assistance throughout Lebanon's recovery effort," CENTCOM's chief, Marine General Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie, who oversees military operations in the Middle East, said Thursday.

McKenzie spoke with the commander of Lebanon's armed forces, General Joseph Aoun, to express his condolences for the loss of life and devastation caused by the blast, according to the command.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden expressed sympathy for the victims of the explosion and urged the Trump administration and the international community "to immediately mobilize assistance to the thousands injured in the blast."

Sending aid to Lebanon is politically tricky because the government is dominated by Hezbollah, which the U.S. and several other nations have designated as a terrorist organization. The Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim political party's militant wing has a history of carrying out global terror attacks and is motivated by its opposition to Israel and its resistance to Western influence in the Middle East.

Working with USAID

"We're well aware of some of the concerns with whom the aid would go to, and ensuring that the aid gets to the people of Lebanon that need it most," chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters Thursday, noting that the military was working with the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development on the aid delivery.

A day earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper told the Aspen Security Forum that the U.S. had reached out to the Lebanese government and was positioning its military to assist the Lebanese people.

Esper clarified that there was nothing to suggest the explosion was triggered on purpose.

"Most believe it was an accident, as reported," he said, adding, "It's a shame to see it happen. When you see the video, it's just devastating."

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had "heard it both ways"  that it could have been an accident or "a bomb."

The U.S. is willing to help with the investigation into the explosion should the Lebanese government request it, according to Hoffman.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had reaffirmed Washington's "steadfast commitment to assist the Lebanese people" to Prime Minister Hassan Diab.

National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin and State Department Correspondent Nike Ching contributed to this report from Washington.

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By PTI

KANPUR: Before he was killed along with seven colleagues during a raid on Vikas Dubey's hideout, Deputy SP Devendra Mishra had suggested that the then Kanpur SSP was "protecting" the then station officer of Chaubeypur who had links with the gangster, audio clips of his purported phone conversations show.

Three audio clips of Mishra's purported phone conversations -- one with then Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Rural) Brijesh Srivastava and two with Chaubeypur SO Vinay Tiwari -- have surfaced on social media.

After the killing of eight policemen during the July 2 raid in Bikru village, Tiwari was suspended and later arrested, while Kanpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and Deputy DIG Anant Deo Tiwari was shunted out.

Asked about the audio clips, Kanpur SSP Preetinder Singh said the matter is being "looked into" and that it is too early to say anything about the clips and the allegations made therein.

Singh told PTI that the commission headed by a former Supreme Court judge and the special investigation team headed by the Additional Chief Secretary are already inquiring into the case and they would check the veracity of the audio clips as well.

During his first conversation with SO Tiwari, DSP Mishra, who was posted as the Circle Officer (Bilhaur), was being apprised about a complaint filed by Rahul Tiwari, a resident of Jadepur-Ghassa, Chaubeypur.

In the clip, Mishra asks Tiwari "whether or not the crime occurred and charges levelled in the complaints were true or not".

ALSO READ | Gangster Vikas Dubey's close aide Gopal Saini surrenders in UP court

When Tiwari admitted "manhandling" of the complainant by Dubey, the deputy SP asked him to "take the complainant to police station, lodge his complaint and apprise the SP (Rural) about it".

In another clip, of his purported conversation with the SP (Rural), Mishra reports that SO Tiwari "is saying that I (Mishra) have to go, only then a raid will start and I have agreed to go to supervise the police raid".

Mishra further said that the SO touches the feet of gangster Dubey.

"When he touches his feet, what else we can expect", Mishra says and adds, "Once I told him that if he will keep his relations with him then it might lead to 2-4 murders, but he said that only a criminal can give tips about other rewarded criminals."

"SO said that he (Vikas Dubey) got arrested a criminal carrying a cash reward of Rs one lakh. I asked him (Tiwari) to run the police station smoothly, otherwise there will be murders inside the police station," Mishra told Srivastava.

Mishra also alleged that then Deputy DIG/SSP Tiwari, referring him only by his surname, had been protecting the SO.

ALSO READ | Vikas Dubey encounter: Fresh plea in SC seeks removal of members of inquiry commission

"SO had been extorting money of Rs 1.5 lakh per month and allowed gambling in his area and despite my warning, he did not stop it. I had to nab the gamblers with the help of police personnel of other police stations. After that I was asked by the then DIG/SSP to give a report against the SO," Mishra is heard saying in the clip of about five minutes.

"Tiwari took Rs 5 lakh from arrested gamblers on the pretext of protecting them from police action, gave it to the then DIG/SSP who dropped all inquiries against the SO," Mishra told Srivastava in the audio. Mishra also said that the "SO must have informed him (Vikas Dubey)" and he would have fled before the raid began.

In the third audio Clip, Mishra was heard berating SO Tiwari over gambling in his jurisdiction.

Eight policemen, including Mishra, were killed in the ambush in Bikru village on July 2 night.

Later, the police killed gangster Vikas Dubey and some of his aides in separate encounters.
By PTI

COLOMBO: When two-time president Mahinda Rajapaksa lost Sri Lanka's presidential elections in 2015, many thought the shrewd leader, who crushed the Tamil Tigers in a brutal military campaign, was a spent force.

But five years later, the 74-year-old has returned to power, with his newly-formed Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) scripting history by becoming the political party with the shortest life span to gain absolute power in the island nation's political history.

The SLPP bagged a total of 150 seats with its allies in the 225-member assembly, securing two-thirds majority in Parliament needed to effect key constitutional changes to consolidate the powerful Rajapaksa clan's control on power.

The Rajapaksas want to repeal the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which had curbed the presidential powers.

Thank you to @PM_Nepal KP Sharma Oli for your call, warm wishes and the invitation to visit Nepal. Sri Lanka values its friendly relations with your country & will always stand by the people of Nepal in times of need. I look forward to further enhancing our cooperation.  Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) August 7, 2020

When he takes the oath of office next week, Rajapaksa will become prime minister for the fourth time in his career.

However, it has not been a smooth sailing for Rajapaksa, a street-fighter politician who entered Parliament when he was just 24, becoming the youngest lawmaker.

After losing the seat in 1977, he focused on his law career until reentering Parliament in 1989.

He served as labour minister (1994-2001) and minister of fisheries and aquatic resources (1997-2001) under President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who appointed him as prime minister after the general election of April 2004, when the United People's Freedom Alliance won a majority.

He was chosen as the Sri Lanka Freedom Party's presidential nominee in November 2005.

Shortly after his victory in the election, Rajapaksa announced his intention to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which had established a de facto government in northern Sri Lanka.

Ending the nearly 30-year-long bloody civil war with the LTTE, where all his predecessors had failed, Rajapaksa became a hero and used it to return to power with a thumping win in 2010, leading to political analysts labelling him "a man with a midas touch."

He had acknowledged a number of times that his crowning moment in his over four-decade political career was the victory against Tamil Tigers.

However, he was accused of condoning sexual violence and extrajudicial killings allegedly by Lankan security forces during the civil war, which ended in May 2009.

He was also accused of approving a crackdown on dissent.

During his presidency from 2005 to 2015, Rajapaksa consolidated his position.

The Constitution was changed to allow him to serve a third term, and his three brothers - Gotabaya, Basil and Chamal - were awarded influential positions, leading to accusations that he was running the country like a family firm.

His domestic popularity appeared to wane during 2014 because of rising prices and concerns of corruption and abuse of power, and, in an attempt to secure another presidential term before losing support, he again called for an early presidential poll.

But his political gamble backfired and he was defeated by former ally Maithripala Sirisena in the elections in 2015.

During his tenure as president, Rajapaksa concluded several key infrastructure deals with China, raising concerns in India and the West.

Critics say it was due to Rajapaksa that the country has fallen into the "Chinese debt trap".

The strategic Hambantota port, which was funded by a Chinese loan during his regime, was leased to Beijing on a 99-year debt-for-equity swap in 2017 after the country failed to pay off the debt.

In 2015, Parliament restored a constitutional two-term limit on the presidency barring Rajapaksa from contesting again.

In August, Rajapaksa was elected to Parliament.

After their defeat in 2015, the Rajapaksas were battling arrests and corruption cases in court.

There were scores of graft cases filed against them.

Three years later, Rajapaksa was briefly appointed as the prime minister in October, 2018 by then President Sirisena, who sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in a controversial move that plunged the country into a constitutional crisis.

Rajapaksa resigned on December 15 after the Supreme Court declared that the dissolution of Parliament by Sirisena was "illegal".

Later, Rajapaksa and his supporters in Parliament defected from the ruling party and joined the SLPP, founded by his brother Basil, and he formally became the Leader of the Opposition.

The Easter bombings on April 21, 2019 that killed over 250 people was a turning point in Lankan politics as the then government appeared to have failed to act though it had advance intelligence report of an impending terror attack.

The Rajapaksas lambasted the government of President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe for the failure on the security front.

The SLPP also announced the presidential candidacy of Rajapaksa's younger brother Gotabhaya, who had served as his defence minister in the final years of the civil war against the LTTE.

The brother-duo promised security to Sri Lankans who became worried about Islamic extremism in the Buddhist-majority country.

Gotabhaya won the presidential election in 2019 and appointed Rajapaksa as the prime minister of the caretaker cabinet until the general election.

Rajapaksa visited India in February on his first official visit abroad after being appointed to the office.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first world leaders to congratulate Rajapaksa on his victory on Thursday and said the two countries will work together to further advance all areas of bilateral cooperation and to take their special ties to ever newer heights.
By Associated Press

BEIRUT: The UN human rights office is calling for an independent investigation into the Beirut explosion, insisting that "victims' calls for accountability must be heard".

Spokesman Rupert Colville of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights cited the need for the international community to "step up" to help Lebanon with both a quick response and sustained engagement.

He said Lebanon is facing the "triple tragedy of a socio-economic crisis, COVID-19 and the ammonium nitrate explosion" that devastated the capital on Tuesday.

Colville also called for the poor and most vulnerable to be respected as Beirut and Lebanon rebuild, and urged Lebanese leaders to "overcome political stalemates and address the grievances of the population".

That was an allusion to large protests that broke out in Lebanon in October.

ALSO WATCH:
The Delhi international airport has developed an online portal that will allow international arriving passengers to fill a mandatory self-declaration form and eligible passengers to apply for exemption from compulsory institutional quarantine for coronavirus, said its operator DIAL on Friday.

In a press release, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said the portal will make passengers' journey contactless as they won't have to fill physical copies of a self declaration form and a quarantine exemption form at the time of arrival in India.

From Saturday, a total of five categories of passengers can get exemption from the mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine -- pregnant women; those who have suffered death in the family; those suffering from a serious illness; parents accompanying children below 10 years of age; those who have COVID-negative certificate from a test done 96 hours prior to the journey.

Passengers who are allowed the exemption would have to undergo 14-day home quarantine. All other international passengers arriving in India have to follow the usual process of undergoing mandatory seven-days institutional quarantine, at their own cost, followed by seven days of home quarantine.

The DIAL said, "Passengers seeking exemption under the five specific categories will need to fill the e-form available on the website of Delhi airport www.newdelhiairport.in. They will have to submit it along with supporting documents, including a copy of their passports, at least 72 hours before boarding their flights."

"However, there is no such time capping for passengers filling for the self-declaration form," it added. As per the rules, every passenger has to submit a self-declaration form that they have not tested positive for COVID-19 during the three weeks prior to the flight.

A copy of approval or rejection of exemption requests on specific grounds will be emailed to the passengers. "Those who would be given exemption from mandatory institutional quarantine can show the same at the transfer area after landing at their respective airports, and walk out hassle-free," said the DIAL.

"This process would not only help the flyers, who can seek exemptions, but also the authorities in completing the requisite formalities faster, and reduce congestions at the arrival hall of the airports," it added. The DIAL said the portal has been termed "Air Suvidha" and it can be accessed through Delhi airport's official website. This facility will be available for all international arrival passengers from Saturday.

It said the online forms have been developed in collaboration with various state governments, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of External Affairs. Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, special international repatriation flights and international charter flights have been permitted by the aviation regulator DGCA.

Since May 6, special international 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. Last month, India formed bilateral air bubbles with countries like the US, the UAE, France and Germany under which airlines of both the countries are allowed to operate special international flights with certain restrictions.

Domestic flights resumed in India from May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown.

Also read: Debt-ridden Virgin Australia to cut one-third workforce, focus on short haul
A key component of the Gulf Stream has markedly slowed over the past century--that's the conclusion of a new research paper in Nature Communications published on August 7. The study develops a method of tracking the strength of near-shore ocean currents using measurements made at the coast, offering the potential to reduce one of the biggest uncertainties related to observations of climate change over the past century.

"In the ocean, almost everything is connected," said Christopher Piecuch, an assistant scientist in the Physical Oceanography Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and author of the study. "We can use those connections to look at things in the past or far from shore, giving us a more complete view of the ocean and how it changes across space and time."

Piecuch, who specializes in coastal and regional sea level change, used a connection between coastal sea level and the strength of near-shore currents to trace the evolution of the Florida Current, which forms the beginning of the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream flows north along the Southeast Atlantic Coast of the United States and eventually east into the North Atlantic Ocean, carrying heat, salt, momentum, and other properties that influence Earth's climate. Because nearly continuous records of sea level stretch back more than a century along Florida's Atlantic Coast and in some parts of the Caribbean, he was able to use mathematical models and simple physics to extend the reach of direct measurements of the Gulf Stream to conclude that it has weakened steadily and is weaker now than at any other point in the past 110 years.

One of the biggest uncertainties in climate models is the behavior of ocean currents either leading to or responding to changes in Earth's climate. Of these, one of the most important is the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, which is a large system or "conveyor belt" of ocean currents in the Atlantic that includes the Gulf Stream and that helps regulate global climate. Piecuch's analysis agrees with relationships seen in models between the deeper branches of the AMOC and the Gulf Stream, and it corroborates studies suggesting that the deeper branches of AMOC have slowed in recent years. His method also offers the potential to monitor ocean currents like the Gulf Stream from the coast, complementing existing but difficult-to-maintain moored instruments and expensive research cruises.

"If we can monitor something over the horizon by making measurements from shore, then that's a win for science and potentially for society," said Piecuch.

###

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit http://www.whoi.edu.

Key Takeaways

The Florida Current, which forms the start of the Gulf Stream, has slowed over the past century and is the slowest it has been at any point in the past 110 years.

Historical analysis of the current was made using sea level records from Florida and the Caribbean.

Slowing of the Florida Current relates to the strength of the Gulf Stream and the much broader system of currents known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) that helps regulate global climate.

Understanding past changes in ocean currents helps reduce one of the biggest uncertainties in observations of climate change over the past century.
Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Naugam sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday by opening fire at Indian positions, an Army official said.

He said a befitting response was given to the Pakistani aggression.

Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation (CFV) along the LoC in Naugam sector, in Kupwara (district of north Kashmir) by firing mortars and other weapons, the official said.

There were no reports of any casualties so far.
The press service of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has distorted the words of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

A statement from the Serbian President's press service on the recent incident on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border said that Serbia was in favor of dialogue and a peaceful settlement of the conflict through respect for the agreements reached.

The Azerbaijani version, however, mentions "provocations" by Armenia, and the latters use of weapons manufactured by Serbia in those clashes.

Vucic then allegedly states that he would soon send a Serbian delegation to Azerbaijan to investigate the situation.
Bird poop is said to be good luck, but a new study suggests it is worth much more.

A new report calculates that feces from seabirds, like Seagulls and pelicans, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Formally known as guano, the waste is used in commercial fertilizer and nutrients found in the 'white gold' contributes to the health of coastal and marine life.

Scientists suggest the new findings could save gulls, pelicans, penguins and other species of conservation concern.

Bird poop is said to be good luck, but a new study suggests it is worth much more. A new report calculates that feces from seabirds, like Seagulls and pelicans, is worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually

Ecologist Professor Marcus Cianciaruso, of the Federal University of Goias, Brazil, described the result as 'staggering'.

'Guano production is a service made by seabirds at no cost to us,' he said.

'I can go to an island, collect the guano, and sell it at market price as fertilizer.'

Cianciaruso and his team set out to raise awareness of how crucial seabirds and their habitats are by investigating the cost of their declining populations by calculating the value of these birds' waste.

A huge amount of nutrient deposition happens in Antarctic ecosystems and penguins contribute half of the nitrogen and phosphorous deposited by seabirds every year

Researchers estimate seabird poop generates more than $473 million each year and the amount could be more.

'Because there is this scientific and biological importance, it's possible to quantify seabird ecosystem services in a language that the general public and policymakers can begin to understand,' said Cianciaruso.

There is only a handful of seabird species that produce guano for commercial use, with a majority of them residing in Peru, Chile.

The team wrote in the study published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution that seabirds poop acts as nature's of returning nutrients back and forth 'between marine and terrestrial habitats,' wrote Cianciaruso and his coauthor, Daniel Plazas-Jimenez, a doctoral student at the Federal University of Goias.

'They release high concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) through their faeces, causing important environmental changes in these ecosystems,' reads the study.

Plazas-Jimenez said: 'We made a very conservative estimate that 10% of coral reef fish stocks depend on seabird nutrients.'

'According to the United Nations and the Australian government, the annual economic returns of commercial fisheries on coral reefs is over $6 billion.

'So, 10 percent of this value is around $600 million per year.'

Combining these values with the estimated guano amount of nearly $474 million, the value of seabird poop increases to an $1 billion.

Mr Plaza-Jimenez said: 'The example of coral reefs is just for a little group of seabirds.'

'A huge amount of nutrient deposition happens in Antarctic ecosystems.'

'Penguins contribute half of the nitrogen and phosphorous deposited by seabirds every year.

'However, 60 percent of this contribution is made by penguin species with declining populations, and these contributions will decrease in the future if no conservation activity is taken.'

The researchers hope the groundbreaking paper will shed light on how valuable these species are on a global scale.

Climate change and loss of habitat may wipe many out.

The researchers hope the groundbreaking paper will shed light on how valuable these species are on a global scale. Climate change and loss of habitat may wipe many out

'Seabirds have a lot of importance to people. Being able to calculate a monetary value of an ecological function made by a particular species is just another tool in the conservation toolbox,' said Plaza-Jimenez

Not only do the birds produce white gold, but the value increases as they contribute to other markets, birdwatching and tourism, which also raises their value.

It also does not account for the local importance of the birds.

For many coastal communities, the direct and indirect benefits of living with them are essential.

Mr Plaza-Jimenez added: 'In some areas, fishermen follow seabirds to find places to fish. To that fisherman, seabirds are everything.'
The City of Frederick commissioned Griffin & Strong, P.C. (GSPC) to conduct a Disparity Study to determine if there is equity in City contracting. In addition, the Study will independently assess current and proposed minority and women owned business enterprise programs, policies, and procedures.

A Disparity Study is an objective research tool whose findings of discrimination, if any, are a prerequisite to any race or gender based remedial program. GSPC, a law and public policy consulting firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a nationally recognized expert in disparity research. Public participation in the Study is critical to the accuracy of the Study findings which will result in policy recommendations to the City of Frederick.

In the interest of preserving public health amidst COVID-19 concerns, GSPC will be hosting two virtual community engagements on September 1, 2020 and September 2, 2020. These online sessions will provide the public with the opportunity to share their experiences, both positive and negative, doing business with and attempting to do business with the City of Frederick. We encourage your participation and look forward to your feedback on how the City of Frederick can improve diverse representation in public contracting. The meetings will be hosted:

Tuesday, September 1st, 2020

1:00 pm  2:30 pm

Please RSVP at this link https://bit.ly/2P488iM

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020

5:00 pm  6:30 pm

Please RSVP at this link https://bit.ly/3f6yjjN

Note: Registration is free and advanced registration is recommended but not required to participate.

Once you register via Zoom, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the webinar. Use that link to join the Virtual Community Engagements on the meeting date you selected.

Meetings are facilitated and led by GSPC on behalf of the City of Frederick. As a part of the public record, all comments will be recorded and may be used as anecdotal evidence for the 2021 Disparity Study. For questions or concerns, please email Griffin & Strong at FrederickStudy@gspclaw.com. In addition, GSPC is conducting a survey of all business owners in the marketplace. Please take time to fill it out to further assist us with the collection of evidence for the Study at this link: https://s-us.chkmkt.com/?e=202334&d=e&h=F9E08952DCC20EB&l=en

Griffin & Strong, P.C. is a law and public policy consulting firm based in Atlanta, GA. Since 1992, the firm has represented individual clients, small businesses, corporations, and government entities in public policy consulting, legislation, contract compliance, supplier diversity consulting, and disparity research.
Ali Abdel-Aal, the speaker of the House of Representatives, spoke about domestic and foreign issues in a wide-ranging interview with Alaa Thabet, the editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram daily

At the time when Egypt is readying to vote for its new upper parliamentary chamber, the lower house has been keeping a close eye on two major national security threats that have posed grave challenges to the government: the expected shortage in the water supply because of the intransigent stance taken by Addis Ababa on its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and Turkeys interference in Libya.

But these two threats, although serious and unprecedented, should not obscure the strenuous efforts exerted over the past seven years to secure a better economic and social future for Egyptians, Ali Abdel-Aal, the speaker of the House of Representatives, told Al-Ahram daily newspaper.

According to the speaker, the economic policies adopted over the past few years have been the safe haven which have helped Egypt survive the current COVID-19 crisis. Although 2021 was expected to be the year of the countrys economic take-off, the outbreak of the coronavirus proved that, were it not for such harsh economic reform policies, the country would have turned into a failing state, Abdel-Aal said.

Feeling the heat of the negative impact of the pandemic, the head of the parliament's lower chamber told Al-Ahram that the pandemic was not the only challenge that Egypts leadership has faced.

On the western borders, radical armed militias have devastated Libya, which has had strong ties with Egypt for centuries. In most cases, Abdel-Aal said, these groups fight for their own interests, be they financial or political.

The planned target, which has become clear to almost everyone now, is to divide that country into cantons led by armed militias serving foreign interests, he said.

Two memorandums of understanding have been signed by Turkey and the Libyan Government of National Accords Prime Minister Fayez Al-Sarraj in Tripoli, illegally designating maritime zones of influence for the Turks, who will in turn enhance their military presence in Libya.

Thousands of armed militiamen have been shipped from Syria to Libya via Turkey, bringing about the same destruction and fears and heightening the differences between Libyans, as well as creating a firewall on the western border of Egypt. When national security is threatened, then the leadership should look deeper into the evolving crisis before the flames reach Egypts doorstep.

Egypt has always sided with the Libyans aspiration to maintain the unity of their lands. We believe that a fair and solid settlement of the Libyan issue will not be viable but through Libyans themselves, he said.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced the Cairo Declaration in June, which aims to settle the Libyan conflict.

The initiative, according to Abdel-Aal, supported a ceasefire, starting on June 8, that obligated foreign powers in Libya to withdraw and dismantle the armed militias.

Our country has enough means to deter and enforce its will when decided. Soft and hard powers are envisaged and exchanged when necessary to help Libyans reject the Turkish interference in their internal affairs. Turkeys primary target is to divide and lead Libya, and to blur the peoples identity to levy its tight grip over the countrys resources. Therefore, the parliament in Egypt has called upon Libyans to unify their ranks, and to do away with the political and armed conflict, he said.

The international community should also face their responsibilities and confront Turkeys interference, which has escalated tensions regionally and has negative repercussions for efforts to reach a political settlement in Libya, he argued.

In an unprecedented step, Egypts parliament has unanimously approved sending troops outside the countrys borders to support national security. The voting echoed two major issues, Abdel-Aal said.

The first issue is related to the size of anger Egyptians felt due to the Turks presence in Libya, while the second should be seen within the framework of the Egyptians full and unlimited trust of their armed forces and its political leadership.

The second national security issue which Abdel-Aal highlighted is the expected shortage of water because of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Egypt has never stood against the aspiration of an African nation, not to mention a Nile basin country, he said.

We do recognise those countries' right to establish their own dams, to produce power and build developmental projects on the Nile. But this great river is an international source of water and the downstream countries have equal rights to development. As much as we recognise other peoples rights, no one should ignore ours, which have been acknowledged historically through binding international treaties, Abdel-Aal said.

He added that Egypt has helped establish several dams in Nile basin countries to enhance means of development in the continent.

Cairo spent eight years in futile negotiations with Addis Ababa in an attempt to create a joint vision to tackle the repercussions of the GERD and to avoid a shortage of water in downstream states.

The negotiating efforts were based on the simple fact that it should be a win-win situation. But unfortunately, the Ethiopian side has abused its position as an upstream state, acknowledging its sole interest in filling the dam and ignoring the unprecedented negative impact on downstream countries, said the speaker.

The abusive use of Ethiopias right to unilaterally fill the dam was behind Egypt's complaint to the UN Security Council in June. As described by Abdel-Aal, going to the Security Council was the right step on the path to securing Egypts right to the Nile water and avoiding tension in the region.

The parliament has been supportive of Egypts political leadership, which has had multiple issues to deal with, especially the economic reform programme and developing the health system -- overburdened because of the pandemic -- and the social and security issues that have resulted from COVID-19.

The states development projects, which have touched all facets of Egyptians lives, have clearly shown that El-Sisi is determined to build a modern state that has strong infrastructure.

Accordingly, when time came to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the June 30 revolution, the people were able to recognise these multiple achievements.

That date is seen by Abdel-Aal as a turning point in the countrys history, a date when Egyptians managed to salvage their identity, achievements and freedom.

At the time, the country was about to slip into an unprecedented dilemma. Only God knows when and how we would have been able to get out of it, he said.

The state has to confront and stand against countries that have been financing several attempts to bring it down. The government and the Egyptian people stood side-by-side with their leadership to peacefully establish the new basis of security, reform the economy and usher in the process of recovery, said the speaker.

What is more significant is that individuals now have full recognition of their rights and responsibilities, and the country has therefore managed to become the hub for investments, launching giant national projects and ushering in a new era of hope for a better future, Abdel-Aal continued.

The challenge was as big as Egypt itself. Consecutive governments have had to carefully diagnose the chronic issues at all levels and prescribe the right treatment, the speaker said. Integrating this treatment was not easy, but the outcome has become obvious in the mega-projects such as the road and electricity networks, the development of slum areas, and, above all, the economic reform programme that the government has pursued.

Floating the local currency and eliminating some government subsidies were two of the most significant decisions that should have been taken long ago, the speaker said.

Abdel-Aal believes the two decisions were vital and if they had been taken earlier, their impact would have been softer. Though fundamental, no one had the courage to take such decisions, [instead seeking] to maintain their popularity. The fact is that both the leadership and the people of Egypt have been through very difficult times, but they have both successfully managed to overcome the difficulties and the most serious threats, working their way to stability and security, he said.

Developing slum areas has been a major challenge, both socially and economically. The government has adopted a preventive policy; these areas have had negative social and health effects and upgrading them has therefore been essential.

Creating a healthy and clean environment in the slums has been recognised and appreciated by the residents. Yet, once those areas are well-developed and renovated, there should be a harsh stance taken against violators, and a strict implementation of the law and regulations for a clean environment, to maintain the peoples and the states efforts, he said.

The countrys leadership believes that the individual is the cornerstone of developmental efforts, and within this context several decisions were taken to eliminate these slum areas. When the government exerts such strenuous efforts to realise these dreams, strict measures should be in place to protect the new realities, Abdel-Aal stressed.

Citing what was known as the Maspero Triangle in Downtown Cairo, Abdel-Aal said the decision to eradicate the slum area there should have been taken in 1968. There were a lot of plans to develop this area, but none were executed until recently, which was also the case with the Baron Palace in Heliopolis, which was recently turned from a deserted building into a touristic site, he said.

Government officials must therefore be up to the huge responsibilities they bear, the speaker said, adding that there is now no place for officials who are incapable of translating the peoples dreams into realities.

The parliament, which has borne the responsibility of being the countrys sole legislative body for almost five years, is due to end its current term in January. Until that time, the body will continue to pursue its duties, welcoming members of the upper house when they are elected this autumn, and ensuring a fair election for next session of the House of Representatives.

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" " A malachite butterfly lands on the face of a girl during a photo shoot to highlight the 'Sensational Butterflies' exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, in 2015. Carl Court/Getty Images

If you thought the butterfly effect was just a terrible 2004 movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart, think again. The film was just a new take on a much older concept.

The butterfly effect is the idea that small, seemingly trivial events may ultimately result in something with much larger consequences  in other words, they have non-linear impacts on very complex systems. For instance, when a butterfly flaps its wings in India, that tiny change in air pressure could eventually cause a tornado in Iowa.

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In the aforementioned film, Kutcher's character finds a way to travel back in time to his childhood. Every time he makes this journey, he does small things differently  but those tiny changes wind up having major (and horrifying) effects on his adult life.

The term "butterfly effect" was coined in the 1960s by Edward Lorenz, a meteorology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was studying weather patterns. He devised a model demonstrating that if you compare two starting points indicating current weather that are near each other, they'll soon drift apart  and later, one area could wind up with severe storms, while the other is calm.

At the time, weather statisticians thought you should be able to predict future weather based on looking at historical records to see what had happened when conditions were the same as they are now. Lorenz was skeptical. He was running a computer program to test various weather simulations and he discovered that rounding off one variable from .506127 to .506 dramatically changed the two months of weather predictions in his simulation.

His point was that long-range weather forecasting was virtually impossible, in large part because humans don't have the ability to measure nature's incredible complexity. There are simply too many minute variables that can act as pivot points, cascading into much bigger consequences.

As science journalist Peter Dizikes wrote in the Boston Globe:

"The 'innumerable' interconnections of nature, Lorenz noted, mean a butterfly's flap could cause a tornado  or, for all we know, could prevent one. Similarly, should we make even a tiny alteration to nature, 'we shall never know what would have happened if we had not disturbed it,' since subsequent changes are too complex and entangled to restore a previous state."

So, while people often think the butterfly effect means that tiny changes can have big consequences (and we can track this progression to see what change caused what), Lorenz was trying to say that we can't track these changes. We don't really know exactly what would cause a weather pattern to go one way over another.

Lorenz called this "sensitive dependence on initial conditions" when he introduced his work to the public in a 1963 paper titled, "Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow." (The term "butterfly effect" he coined in later speeches about the topic.) The paper was rarely cited by other researchers  at least, at first.

The Butterfly Effect and Chaos Theory

Later, other scientists realized the importance of Lorenz's discovery. His insights laid the foundation for a branch of mathematics known as chaos theory, the idea of trying to predict the behavior of systems that are inherently unpredictable.

You can see instances of the butterfly effect every day. Weather's just one example. Climate change is another. Because, as it turns out, warming climates are impacting  appropriately enough  species of alpine butterflies in North America.

"Climate change is expected to have some large impacts, such as too hot for some species or too dry for others, but there are a nearly infinite amount of smaller, indirect effects that will also occur," emails Alessandro Filazzola, a community ecologist and data scientist, and post-doctorate fellow at the University of Alberta.

"In our research, we looked at one of those indirect effects and saw how future climate will slowly cause mismatch in spatial location of a butterfly and its host plant. As a caterpillar, this butterfly only feeds on this type of plant species so any mismatch in range will cause a decline in the butterfly."

He adds that if we were to pause for a moment and think of all the other species in a food web, suddenly there is the potential of many species being affected  not just one small butterfly. That's the butterfly effect in action, on a large scale.

"For instance, the animals that feed on that butterfly and the animals that feed on those animals, or what about other insect species all together, or even other butterflies? Our project was quite controlled because our butterfly species only eats the one type of plant, but the logic is maintained when you consider the entire ecosystem (just trickier to measure)."

When we start to consider how one small change can quickly result in a lot of unintended consequence, there's naturally cause for concern.

For example, limiting the construction of hydroelectric dams might reduce certain types of environmental damage. But in eliminating this potential source of clean energy, we tend to fall back on fossil fuels that accelerate global warming. Biofuel subsidies, meant to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, have increased rainforest destruction, freshwater waste and food price increases that have affected the poorest segments of the human population.

How can we possibly do much of anything in our lives, then, without fear of causing harm? Filazzola returns to the butterflies as an example.

"Better understanding of indirect effects is probably one of the most important steps in trying to mitigate these effects. More simply though, just keeping nature as close to its original state is really the most important thing," he says. "Ecosystems are vastly complex, and the loss of a single species might not have a perceived effect, but it could have cascading effects on the entire system." For instance, re-introducing the wolf to Yellowstone Park increased beaver populations, increased the numbers of willow and aspen plants and provided food for birds, coyotes and bears, among other benefits.

Then, we consider how the butterfly effect can play into our individual lives. With nearly 8 billion humans on the planet, can just one person make changes that echo around Earth?

Filazzola says that he does wonder about the indirect effects of his personal actions.

"The items I buy, the people I interact with, the things I say, I believe can each have their cascading effects that ripple through society," he says. "That is why it is important to try and be a good person, to create a positive influence. One thing I also think about is how these indirect effects are often not as small and removed as I believe many would think."

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING NASA leverages the butterfly effect to guide spacecraft. Launched in 1978, the International Cometary Explorer became the first spacecraft to intercept a comet, passing through the tail of comet Giacobini-Zinner and collecting valuable data. They harnessed chaotic systems, calculating that just a tiny bit of fuel, used at an exact moment, would zip the craft at high speed to the right place at the right time  and it worked perfectly.
He is not happy, Ms. Stidolph, 54, said of her father, who lives alone.

Mr. Nadler previously lost electricity on Tuesday afternoon; his service was restored almost 24 hours later.

Having a second outage within three days meant Mr. Nadler was again facing concerns over the loss of his refrigerator, where he stores insulin required for his diabetes, and the chairlift he needs to move between the floors of his home.

Still, Ms. Stidolph, who lives a mile away and did not lose power, said her father was fortunate compared with some of his immediate neighbors.

I feel bad for the block because there are so many elderly here and they live alone, she said. They have home aides come in for a few hours, and thats it.

Even as the outage on Friday morning was resolved, much of Queens remained without power  more than 28,000 customers, which accounts for more than half of the citys outages.

Across the region, utility companies have said that some businesses and homes could be in the dark into next week, as part of what is emerging as the worst natural disaster to hit the area since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

After the storm, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York called for an investigation into the states utilities, accusing them of not adequately preparing.
Iran's Oil Exports In July Drop To Around 100,000 BPD

Radio Farda August 06, 2020

The latest data provided to Radio Farda by Kepler, an international data intelligence firm to Radio Farda, show that Iran's crude oil exports in July reached 101,000 barrels per day. Before the United States imposed sanctions in 2018, Iran used to export 2.5 million barrels per day.

Reuters has also reported that Iran's oil production dropped to 1.9 million BPD last July. That is half the volume before the U.S. sanctions and is used domestically or stored.

Iran has more than 120 million barrels of unsold crude stored on land and oil tankers anchored in the Persian Gulf.

Based on Kpler data, the average daily export of Iranian oil in the first seven months of 2020 was 223 thousand barrels per day.

Iran exports oil only to China and Syria. China's customs statistics show that it did not import oil from Iran in June, but Kpler data reveals that the Iranian tanker Giessel delivered its cargo to Chinese ports on June 13 with two million barrels.

An informed source, who did not want to be named, told Radio Farda that the cargo was delivered to China disguised as "Indonesian oil."

Kepler statistics also show that Iran shipped 60,000 barrels of oil per day to Malaysia in the first five months of the year, but Malaysian customs data show that these shipments did not enter the country. The is further evidence that the shipments might have been diverted to China as Malaysian oil.

Reuters had earlier reported that Venezuelan oil shipments were also going to China under "Malaysian" oil.

Kpler's new report shows that the total oil exports of OPEC members by sea reached 17 million 757 thousand barrels per day in July, which is an increase of 576 thousand barrels compared to June.

Reuters report also shows that Saudi oil production increased by 850,000 barrels last month compared to June.

OPEC's total oil production last month reached 23.32 million BPD.

Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-s -oil-exports-in-july-drop-to-around- 100-000-bpd/30769074.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Sony has launched the new iteration of its popular noise-cancelling cans, the WH-1000XM4. The headphone is priced at $350 (approx Rs 26,200).

Sony has launched the new iteration of its popular noise-cancelling cans WH-1000XM4. The over-ear headphone is the company's fourth addition to the series after the 1000XM3 and a direct competitor to Bose 700. The headphone is priced at $350 (approx Rs 26,200) and will go on sale starting this month in global markets.

The company has not revealed details about the Sony WH-1000XM4's availability for the Indian market. As per the rumours, the headphones should arrive in India around September. Going by how Sony has priced its predecessors, the 1000XM4 is likely to be priced around Rs 30,000 in India.

Sony WH-1000XM4 specifications and features

The Sony WH-1000XM4 has similar looking design as XM3, and it's powered by the QN1 noise cancellation chip that was praised by many in the XM3. While the NC processor remains the same, it does get a new Bluetooth audio SoC that is said to analyze music and surrounding ambient noise 700 times per second.

The headphones have 40mm drivers like the M3s, and the company has not been making much noise about audio quality enhancements on this one. Although, it does say that its audio upscaling feature has been improved over the last time. Even the battery life is still the same offering 30 hours of continuous playback with NC on.

Similar to its predecessors, the WH-1000XM4's features can be accessed and controlled using Sony Headphone Connect app. It lets users set noise cancellation levels, set up adaptive sound controls, and adjust equalizer and more. All the other controls and buttons remain unchanged from the M3s.

It retains the touch-sensitive earcup that lets you control music and volume, and also offers Quick Attention mode that can be used to hear the surrounding by covering the earcup with your palm. Additionally, a new 'speak-to-chat' feature debuts, which pauses the music when it recognizes that the user is conversing.

A new multi-point connectivity feature comes as a welcome change, which essentially allows the headphone to connect to two sources simultaneously. These headphones also support Sony's own 360 Reality Audio format for spatial sound, but there's unfortunately not a lot of content available in that format. It now supports LDAC but misses Qualcomm's aptX codec support as it uses a new Bluetooth chip to aid the noise-cancelling performance.

Sony is currently selling the WH-1000XM3 in India for as low as Rs 18,500 on the Prime Day sale. It's a great deal if you've been eyeing the popular headphones.
US president says TikTok may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party.

US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order banning any transactions with the Chinese owners of the apps TikTok and WeChat, starting in 45 days.

The orders on Thursday came as the Trump administration said it was stepping up efforts to purge untrusted Chinese apps from US digital networks and called the Chinese-owned short-video app TikTok and messenger app WeChat significant threats.

The TikTok app, owned by ByteDance, may be used for disinformation campaigns that benefit the Chinese Communist Party, and the US must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security, Trump said in one order.

In the other, the US president said WeChat, owned by Chinas Tencent, automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users and that this data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information.

The moves come as Washington and Beijing clash on an array of issues, ranging from the novel coronavirus pandemic and Beijings policies in the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, to the USs support for Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

TikTok said on Friday it was shocked by the move and it could go to US courts to ensure it was treated fairly.

We will pursue all remedies available to us in order to ensure that the rule of law is not discarded and that our company and our users are treated fairly  if not by the [Trump] Administration, then by the US courts, TikTok said on its website.

China accused the United States of arbitrary political manipulation and suppression after Trump ordered the sweeping restrictions.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular press briefing the US move came at the expense of American users and companies.





Earlier this week, Trump said he would support the sale of TikToks US operations to Microsoft Corp if the US government got a substantial portion of the sales price but warned he will ban the service in the US on September 15.

The app has come under fire from US legislators and the Trump administration over national security concerns because Chinas ByteDance owns the technology. They claim the Chinese government could access US user data as a consequence of TikToks ownership by ByteDance.

TikTok has repeatedly denied the claims.

Microsoft is currently in talks with ByteDance to buy TikTok operations in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the Financial Times earlier on Thursday reported the US tech giant is now chasing a deal to buy all of the apps global business.

Jim Anderson, CEO of social media marketing firm Social Flow, said Trumps decision to ban TikTok and WeChat was rooted in the distrust between the worlds biggest economies.

TikTok has gone to great lengths to try to assure people that the Chinese government has never requested that TikTok provide information of users, certainly not on US citizens, he told Al Jazeera.

The real concern is that the fact they havent done that yet doesnt mean they wont do so in the future. If the application is owned by a Chinese company, they really arent going to be able to refuse a request like that from the Chinese government. Combine that with the escalating tensions thats been going on between the US and China the trade front and others leads us to where we are now.

Anderson said while Microsofts reported bid to buy TikToks global operations made a lot of sense, there were many challenges ahead.

Microsoft is a big enough company to be able to fund that kind of acquisition globally. The question is whether ByteDance would want to slice off the US markets and some others globally, and that obviously presents tremendous technical challenges and theres no way that could happen in the next 45 days.

Meanwhile, the US Senate on Thursday unanimously voted to approve a bill from Senator Josh Hawley banning federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 22:43:23|Editor: huaxia

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RIGA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- For the first time since the coronavirus crisis broke out in Latvia in March this year, the Baltic country has recorded a slight drop in unemployment, the Baltic country's employment authority said Friday.

Evita Simsone, head of the State Employment Agency, said that the number of jobless people in Latvia reduced from 78,266 at the end of June to 77,998 at the end of July. Joblessness declined across Latvia, except the less economically prosperous region of Latgale.

Between June 30 and July 31, the unemployment rate dropped 0.1 percent in the western Latvian region of Kurzeme and 0.2 percent in the central region of Zemgale.

The number of vacant jobs also grew during the summer, Simsone said. In addition to demand for seasonal workers in the agricultural and tourism sectors, demand for workforce remained strong also in transport and construction, she said.

She also noted that the spike in unemployment triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant change in unemployment demographics, as layoffs and furloughs affected primarily well-educated and young people residing in the capital city Riga and surrounding areas. On the whole, collective layoffs affected some 5,000 employees during the COVID-19 crisis, Simsone said.

In June 2020, Latvia's unemployment rate hit 10.1 percent, which was well above the EU average rate of 7.1 percent, according to Eurostat data. Enditem
In the latest attack, shortly before 3:15 p.m., a 26-year-old and an 18-year-old man were shot while they were walking in the 900 block of North Harding Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. The older victim suffered a wound to the upper arm, and the other victim was shot in the lower right leg, police said.
09:05 | Lucerne (Switzerland), Aug. 7.

The ceremony was held on July 25 in Lucerne and organized by PromPeru's commercial office for France and the Swiss Confederation.





It took place within the framework of the South American country's gastronomy festival, which allowed attendees to get to know and taste dishes, drinks and other national products.





This event, launched with the support from the network of Inca product importers and distributors in the Swiss country, was designed to commemorate Peru's 199th Independence Anniversary . It became a display of solidarity with exporters who continue to supply top quality food to the European market.





The gastronomic festival





For the festival, a street market was set up where Swiss-Peruvian importers and distributors representing Tumi de Oro specialist in fresh, dry and frozen products, Latin Flavors offering typical Peruvian cheeses made in Switzerland and Makumayu which sells alpaca clothing and accessories addressed the attendees. The latter even offered a parade.





There were also representatives of Cafe Viajero, with its special coffees and chili chocolates with Peruvian cocoa; Inkaru, craft beer based on quinoa; Pisco Mundo; as well as Import Drinks. Silver jewelry artisan Isabel Ramos and bartender Jesus Peruvian Pisco were also present at the event.





The Peruvian gastronomy has received multiple international recognitions. With the granting of the country brand license to Pikante restaurant, the delicious national cuisine will be further promoted in the demanding European market.





Our country brand includes identity and national pride, and allows Peru to properly position itself worldwide thanks to the goods and services it offers through a unique, relevant and consistent identity.
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Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 15:40 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c561fc 1 Business Vice-President-Maruf-Amin,Islamic-bank,state-owned-banks,BRI-Syariah,Bank-Syariah-Mandiri,BNI-Syariah,Maruf-Amin,COVID-19,pandemic Free

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has said the government is mulling merging several state-owned Islamic banks  banks that offer services that are sharia-compliant  to unify their power and boost their global rating.

The state-owned Islamic banks in talks to be merged are PT Bank BRI Syariah, a subsidiary of Bank BRI, PT Bank Syariah Mandiri, a subsidiary of Bank Mandiri, and PT Bank BNI Syariah, a subsidiary of Bank BNI.

The Vice President, who previously chaired the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), expressed hope the merger would also boost the national economy and speed up the economic recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"[The banks] have been in talks to strengthen [Islamic banks] because we don't have a large Islamic bank that ranks in the top 20 internationally," Ma'ruf said Thursday during a discussion hosted by news publication Media Indonesia.

"We are also doing this so that we don't have too many banks with small potentials," he continued, expressing hope that a sizeable Islamic bank could also support the country's domestic and foreign interest.

Read also: Indonesias global bonds spike in popularity amid uncertainty: Mandiri Sekuritas

In early July, State-Owned Enterprise Minister Erick Thohir detailed plans to merge the Islamic banks by February next year to provide more options to customers seeking sharia-compliant funding.

However, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) deputy commissioner for banking, Teguh Supangkat, said in late July that the minister had not discussed the merger in-depth with the agency.

The Vice President also said the government would improve the country's halal industry and other Islamic financial services to support the goal of making Indonesia the center of the global Islamic economy.

He noted that while Indonesia had become a reference for halal product certification, homemade halal products still trailed behind the global competition. Additionally, he said that maximizing Islamic social fund services, such as for zakat and waqf, could also uplift the national economy.

However, Ma'ruf said the country was a leader in global sukuk (sharia-compliant bonds), claiming that the country's sukuk surpassed those offered by the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Bexar County continues to rise, brushing closer to 42,000 since the pandemic started in mid-March, with the number of deaths now surpassing 400.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported 325 new cases Thursday. So far, 41,939 people have tested positive for the virus, up from 41,614 reported Wednesday.

The number of deaths soared to 406, after 12 new deaths were reported Thursday, including four residents of the Landing at Stone Oaks assisted living facility who died during the past two weeks.

On ExpressNews.com: Advocate explains why nursing homes became hot spots for coronavirus

Nirenberg urged residents to continue precautions to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus: wear masks, maintain at least a 6-foot social distance from people not from your household, wash your hands regularly, and avoid large gatherings.

Prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people can be reported by calling 210-207-SAPD (7273).

The curve doesnt go down nearly as fast as it goes up, Nirenberg said at the daily city-county briefing with County Judge Nelson Wolff. Weve got to keep our efforts up to get these numbers down, but they are starting to trend in the right direction.

No matter how strictly rules are enforced, voluntary compliance and best practices are whats needed most to win this pandemic and restore the economy, the mayor said.

If we focus on the punitive and simply on enforcement, then were missing the point. We have to get people to understand that this is behavior change that were after. And if you dont get the message that the virus is transferred from my mouth or my nose to your mouth or your nose through droplets  it can simply be blocked by keeping distance and or wearing a mask  then were missing out, he said.

The deaths involved six Hispanic men, one in his 50, one in his 60s, two in their 70s, one in his 80s and one in his 90s; four Hispanic women, two in their 50s, one in her 60s and one in her 70s; one white man in his 80s; and one white woman in her 90s. Overall, the number of people infected with COVID-19 in the hospital dropped again, from 817 Wednesday to 801 Thursday. Those in intensive care stayed the same at 345, as did those on ventilators at 238, the mayor said. About 50 percent of ventilators and 13 percent of staff hospital beds remains available.

There were 79 new COVID-19 admissions to local hospitals Thursday, slightly above the latest seven-day average of 72, Nirenberg said.

Were not out of the woods yet, he said.

With colleges and universities about to resume classes, Dr. Junda Woo, medical director of Metro Health, said health officials are concerned about what students do outside the classroom setting.

Its the get-togethers and parties, other kinds of congregations that we would worry about the most in a college or university setting, Woo said.

Wolff said countywide, there are fewer residents testing positive; the percentage has been reduced to just under 15 percent, down from 18 percent last week. But he said that needs to be reduced to about 5 percent.

Also, the doubling time  the number of days it takes to double the number of people who test positive for the virus  needs to be stretched out from the current 21 days to 30 days.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

In other coronavirus-related news, Wolff noted that Texas Health and Human Services issued a new directive allowing outside visits at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, limited to outside visits with no contact, and only in facilities with no confirmed cases in the last 14 days and no active positive cases with residents.

You can check with the nursing home or long-term (care) facility to see if they meet that criteria, and youll be able to go and see your loved one, he said.

A full list of sites providing testing for COVID-19 can be found at covid19.sanantonio.gov.

For more information, call 311 or the citys COVID-19 hotline, 210-207-5779, or email COVID-19@sanantonio.gov.

Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA
08:14

The Union health ministry has asked states and UTs to take up coronavirus testing of grocery shop workers, vegetable and other vendors, stating if undetected they can potentially spread the infection to a large number of people.

In a letter to states and UTs, secretary in the health ministry, Rajesh Bhushan also stressed the need for operationalising ambulance transport system with oxygen facility and quick response mechanism.

He underlined that refusal rate of ambulances must be monitored at a daily basis and brought down to zero.

With the COVID-19 pandemic now spreading to newer areas in the country, Bhushan said there are likely to be scattered cases, cluster of cases or large outbreaks in districts and that the primary aim is to control outbreaks especially in new locations.

"The focus at the same time should be to save lives at all cost," he said.

"While we have so far done better than many other countries in this respect, our aim should be to further reduce mortality and ensure that it does not cross the 1 per cent mark," Bhushan said in the letter, addressed to additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries (health).

Bhushan pointed out that early detection of cases through aggressive testing, prompt isolation or admission in a healthcare facility and ensuring proper clinical management are major components of mortality reduction.

"Early detection of cases is the most crucial element to ensure that the case fatality is reduced. It helps in terms of not only identifying the case before it may become critical but also supports in terms of checking the spread of infection," he said in the letter.

He stressed on enhanced surveillance for influenza like illness, severe acute respiratory illness as their symptoms are mostly the same as COVID.

Once a positive case is identified, a prompt contact-tracing should be undertaken and at least 80 per cent of the contacts must be identified and quarantined within 72 hours, he said.

Normally, a person would have an average of 30 contacts for a period of tracking that two days before the symptom onset, Bhushan said.

"There can be potential hotspots for spread of infection like industrial clusters with closed work environment, people coming from high prevalence areas, other high density areas such as slums, prisons, old age homes etc.

"In addition, grocery shops, vegetable and other vendors etc can be potential spreaders of infection to a large number of people. Testing in such areas and of such people should be taken up proactively as per ICMR guidelines," Bhushan underscored.

He also asked states and UTs to undertake weekly death audits to assess the determinants of death such as age differentials, comorbidities, late reporting to hospital and clinical protocols that were followed.

"This will help identify challenges to be addressed and will facilitate effective case reporting and ensure timely and required medical interventions," Bhushan highlighted.

In the letter, Bhushan also said that a regular house-to-house search must be done periodically to identify those who are at high-risk that is the elderly, people with comorbidities and pregnant women among others.

Alongside this exercise, containment and buffer zones should be set up and the perimeter of the containment zone must be properly secured.
Image credit: FoodForward

Global hunger epicentre

NPO-private sector collaboration vital

Future of CSI

Held in May every year, as an extension of World Hunger Day, the in-store Hunger Month campaign is Food Lovers Markets flagship CSI project. By purchasing any of the specific partner products, customers contributed the required 85c needed to provide one meal to a hungry person through FoodForward SA. This years supplier partners included Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, ZZ2, Westfalia Fruit, Simpl Juice and Crestshelf.FoodForward was established in 2009, and aims to address widespread hunger in SA by recovering quality edible surplus food from the supply chain environment and distributing it to registered community organisations that serve the most vulnerable. The meals generated through this years Hunger Month initiative were distributed to a range of childrens homes, old age homes and other beneficiaries of the Food Forward programme.In a webinar held last week to reflect on the campaign and thank partners for their buy-in, Food Lovers Markets CSI facilitator Kate Marais said the initiative has always had a wonderful impact, but she never realised how vital it would prove to be in 2020.We all know that there have been hungry people in the country for a long time, but this pandemic has exposed the issue ever more. This is a time when everybody has to step up and do what they can, Marais said.Andy Du Plessis, managing director of FoodForward SA, also noted the timeliness of the campaign hitting the 1 million meal milestone. I cant believe we hit 1 million in the middle of this pandemic. Covid-19 took the rug out from everyones feet. We had a desperate food security issue before, and Covid has exacerbated the problem."A recent Oxfam report warned that South Africa is joining the list of global hunger epicentres. "Middle-income countries such as India, South Africa, and Brazil are experiencing rapidly rising levels of hunger as millions of people that were just about managing have been tipped over the edge by the pandemic," it said.The report revealed that even before the pandemic, 13.7 million people did not have access to enough food in South Africa due to high levels of unemployment, lack of access to assets such as land or fishing permits, and rising prices.Unemployment in South Africa rose to 30.1% in the first three months of 2020, according to Statistics South Africa, and it could soar to over 40% as a result of the pandemic and related lockdown.Du Plessis highlighted the plight of workers in the informal sector particularly, many of whom depend on a daily income to survive and were therefore severely affected during the stricter levels of lockdown. There are more people on grants in South Africa than there are formally employed.He warned that as hunger and poverty grows over the coming months, unrest in the country will too, and this impacts everybody, including the food secure. Unrest will increase, so the safety of the middle-class and upper-class is also affected by food insecurity. Its in everybodys interest to address the problem.Du Plessis added, Healthy food is not affordable for the poor. People have to scrape together what they can to eat anything at all. That means we wont have a healthy workforce; and those people depend on a failing healthcare system.As demand for food has soared in recent months, resources for non-profits like FoodForward have dwindled. And according to Du Plessis, they cant rely on government intervention. Under these circumstances, the need is greater than ever for NPOs and the private sector to collaborate on addressing social issues.Food Lovers Markets director of HR and sustainability, Andrew Milson, was also present during the webinar. He said that were living in a time where many people are desperate to work, but cant, and he urged people and organisations with a common vision to come together to improve lives.Food poverty is a symptom of inequality. How do we tackle that? he questioned.Sharing his thoughts on the future of CSI, Milson said that while providing meals is incredibly important, he recognised that we cant give our way out of our countrys problems, we have to build a way out of it.How do we encourage more business development? How do we encourage more small businesses to get into our supply chain? How do we give talent opportunities in the workplace, especially people who may not look like us? How do we give social enterprises a foot into the door of our organisation so that they can supply products and services to our businesses?
Vertiv introduced Vertiv Environet Alert, a new software offering that brings enterprise-level infrastructure monitoring and management capabilities to smaller data centers and edge facilities. Vertiv Environet Alert is affordable and easy to use, eliminating the two most common barriers to the deployment of monitoring and management tools for in these type of environments. It is available globally through Vertiv and numerous channel partners.

Vertiv Environet Alert delivers real-time, vendor-agnostic monitoring of critical infrastructure systems and alerts the appropriate personnel immediately when those systems are at risk. The software acts as a single pane of glass, with a new, modern and intuitive user interface that delivers visibility and data to users. Users can customize the data points that are monitored and reported to focus on what they need to most effectively protect and optimize their business.

Steve Lalla, executive vice president for service and software solutions at Vertiv, said, SMBs often lack robust visibility over their networks because monitoring and management solutions for critical infrastructure have not been able to economically scale for smaller operations. This lack of purpose-built monitoring has an impact on business functionality by increasing risk and costs. Vertiv Environet Alert provides the required functionality to stay connected with critical infrastructure and ensure necessary business continuity.

Smrutiranjan Das, country head, IT& Management Systems business for Vertiv, India, said, The new remote working models, in India and throughout the world, have increased the work load in data centers, especially with regard to essential verticals and edge applications like healthcare, education, financial and government services, among others. Vertiv Environet Alert enables SMBs to connect their Data Center Infrastructure Management operations to increase visibility, manage threats efficiently and ensure high availability readiness. By introducing this affordable and easy to use solution, we continue to provide innovative solutions for the growing needs of our customers.

Vertiv Environet Alert provides superior monitoring, alerting, trending and data organization capabilities for companies in such verticals as healthcare, financial services, government, education and other industries that rely on smaller data centers and edge facilities. It is compatible with SNMP devices and integrates via a published API with other network management tools, data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software, and building management systems to enable a complete view of network operations and streamline management of those systems.
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K Raheja Corp and Blackstone-backed Mindspace Business Parks REIT listed with a 10.55 percent premium over its issue price of Rs 275, at Rs 304 on BSE on August 7.

The stock was trading at Rs 304 on the BSE, up 10.55 percent over issue price, with volumes of 13.99 lakh units at 11:31 hours IST.

On the National Stock Exchange, it traded with volumes of 1.85 crore units, rising 10.48 percent to Rs 303.83.

Mindspace Business Parks REIT public issue had received a good response from institutional as well as non-institutional investors.

This is the second REIT listing on the exchanges, after Embassy Office Parks REIT which was listed in March 2019 following fundraising of Rs 4,750 crore via IPO.

The public issue of Rs 4,500-crore by Mindspace Business Parks REIT IPO consisted a fresh issue of Rs 1,000 crore and offer for sale of Rs 3,500 crore, which was subscribed 13 times during July 27-29, 2020.

Sharad Mittal, CEO at Motilal Oswal Real Estate Fund feels from Mindspace, investors can earn a return of 11-12 percent of which 7-8 percent which accrues from rental yield is as stable as debt. "Combining the stability of debt and upside of equity, REITs are a must-have in any investor portfolio."

Mindspace REIT is the owner of a high-quality office portfolio in four key markets in India  Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai - that serves as essential corporate infrastructure to multinational tenants and has significant embedded growth prospects. Mindspace portfolio consists of five integrated business parks with superior infrastructure and amenities and five quality independent offices aggregating to 29.5 million square feet of total leasable area.

Its portfolio assets are well diversified across 172 tenants with no single tenant contributing more than 7.7 percent of the Gross Contracted Rentals. Approximately 84.9 percent of the Gross Contracted Rentals were derived from leading multinational corporations and approximately 39.4 percent from Fortune 500 companies (as on March 31, 2020).

Mindspace has a high-quality tenant base with 92.0 percent Committed Occupancy along with long-term contracted rentals which provide long-term visibility of revenue.
Image: Beth McCann, Paul M. Pazen (David Zalubowski / AP file)

A 77-year-old prison escapee who had been on the run for nearly half a century was captured this week in New Mexico, the FBI said.

The retired police officer who Luis Archuleta was convicted of shooting in the stomach in 1971 said Thursday he tracked down Archuleta after receiving a telephone tip this summer.

"Im reveling in the fact that I got him," former Denver police Officer Daril Cinquanta told NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver.

Cinquanta said he passed his tip along to the FBI. With the help of Espanola, New Mexico, police and a SWAT team, Archuleta was captured at home Wednesday. The station reported Archuleta was living with a wife who was not aware of his criminal past.

"Mr. Archuleta will at long last be held accountable for his actions," Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said in a statement.

Archuleta, also known as Larry Pusateri, was convicted in 1973 of shooting Cinquanta, according to the FBI. He escaped from a Colorado state prison facility the next year, the bureau said.

In 1977, he was named as a federal fugitive.

Cinquanta retired from the force, but he continued to hunt for the fugitive as he set up his a private investigation firm, he said. This summer he got a key phone call.

"This person says, 'I thought about it, and Im going to tell where the guy is that shot you,'" the former officer said. "Of course I was skeptical. This person gives me his address, his alias and other facts."

Cinquanta looked the man up and found that he had been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, he said. His mug shot appeared to match the appearance of Archuleta, and he started to think he had his man, he said.

The man's tattoos matched the fugitive's, Cinquanta told the Denver station.

"I would love to sit down and talk to him," the former officer said.

The U.S. District Court in Colorado on June 30 re-issued the federal arrest warrant for Archuleta, which had expired in 2018, the FBI said in a statement.

He was wanted again "for the charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution/confinement and his associated escape from a Colorado Department of Corrections facility," the bureau said.

Story continues

Archuleta lived in Espanola for four decades under the alias Ramon Montoya, the FBI said. He was being returned to Colorado, the bureau said.

"We are grateful to all of our law enforcement partners who helped bring Mr. Archuleta back to Colorado to serve his sentence for this serious crime," Dean Williams, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, said in a statement. "We hope that this arrest will help bring some peace to the victim in this case."

Video: Hostage taker captured on live TV in Ukraine
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Indian Youth Congress (IYC) activists on Friday staged a protest outside Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs residence over the disappearance of a report from the Ministry of Defences website which admitted to intrusions by Chinese troops in Indian territory in eastern Ladakh.

The protest was led by IYC General Secretary Harish Pawar as hundreds of IYC activists raised slogans against the government.

IYC's national media co-ordinator Rahul Rao questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the all-party meeting on June 19 had claimed that there was no intrusion by Chinese troops in Indian territory.

The IYC leader said that this demonstrates a clear attempt by the Ministry of Defence to save the Prime Minister from embarrassment and questioning on account of the MoD report.
The US government has urged its citizens to 'exercise increased caution' travelling to New Zealand due to its 23 cases of COVID-19 - despite America recording nearly five million infections.

The official U.S. travel advice website upgraded New Zealand to a 'level two' warning level with citizens warned about travelling to the country.

It noted that the warning level was due to 'health risks' and 'disease outbreaks', with the US embassy in New Zealand providing an update on Thursday.

The U.S. has warned its citizens about travelling to New Zealand due to the 23 active cases despite recording almost five million in the states (pictured, President Trump on Thursday)

'As of August 7th 2020, New Zealand has had 1,569 confirmed & probable cases of COVID-19 within its borders,' it said.

'Currently, there are 23 active cases in New Zealand.'

The U.S. has had almost five million cases of coronavirus and 160,000 deaths since the pandemic began.

All of the 23 cases of coronavirus in New Zealand are in quarantine hotels, with no people in hospital.

New Zealand is set to achieve 100 days without a case of community transmission of coronavirus on Sunday.

America's level two advisory level is a half way point on the scale, with the remaining two stages being 'reconsider travel' and 'do not travel'.

The official website listed New Zealand as a level two country and told people to 'exercise extreme caution' (pictured)

The current rating puts New Zealand at the same level as Hong Kong, which has more than 1,300 active cases.

Current travel restrictions mean that the only New Zealand citizens and those with valid visas, meaning most people from the US would be blocked regardless.

On Monday, Ms Ardern called off plans for a trans-Tasman travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia.

The prime minister said flights between the two nations was out of the question as Victoria struggles to contain a coronavirus outbreak.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a stage four lockdown on Sunday as his state recorded 671 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths.

The amount of community transmission has delayed the possibility of travel between New Zealand and Australia by several months.
"Patient support programs, such as AbbVie's Humira Complete Nurse Ambassador program, are important for helping patients access and adhere to the life-changing treatments their doctors have prescribed," the statement said. "Although federal courts have considered the issues raised in this proceeding and have dismissed parallel cases, this resolution allows us to proceed with our important programs and focus our efforts on enhancing the lives of the patients we serve."
In addition to their pioneering role as women on the jazz circuit, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were an interracial band in the era of Jim Crow. Their extensive itinerary through the South, where they traveled by sleeper bus, reportedly inspired jazz piano giant Earl Hines to call them the first Freedom Riders. They also toured Europe, playing in occupied Germany for American soldiers  both white and Black, though not at the same time. (After the band broke up in 1949, Woods, who was biracial, joined the Omaha Symphony  and was fired after her first concert when management saw her Black father pick her up.)  WBGO (Newark, NJ)
By PTI

NEW DELHI: British Airways said on Friday it will operate multiple weekly relief flights between four Indian cities and London from August 17 as per a bilateral arrangement signed with the Indian government.

In a press release, the airline said it will operate five flights a week from Delhi and Mumbai to Heathrow airport in London.

There will be four flights per week from Heathrow airport to Hyderabad and Bangalore, it added.

"British Airways will be able to take all customers eligible under the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs nonstop to London and beyond on British Airways' current flight network," it stated.

Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

However, since July, the Indian government has formed bilateral 'air bubbles' with some countries including the USA, the UK, France and Germany under which airlines of both the countries can operate international passenger flights.

On board, all cabin crew will wear PPE and a new food service has been introduced which reduces the number of interactions required with customers, the airline said in the press release.
Nearly four months after a 16-year-old female was shot and killed by Winnipeg police, the citys police force has refused to disclose the use-of-force report related to her death.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly four months after a 16-year-old female was shot and killed by Winnipeg police, the citys police force has refused to disclose the use-of-force report related to her death.

Releasing information now about the shooting of 16-year-old Eishia Hudson could hurt an investigation into the case, the Free Press was told after it requested the report through freedom-of-information legislation. In response to the FIPPA request, staff consulted a Winnipeg Police Service sergeant and determined disclosure of the report could be harmful to a law enforcement matter, so access was denied.

SUPPLIED Eishia Hudson

Winnipeg officers are required to document their use of force, including any time they present or discharge a weapon. The reports typically contain the reason for the use of force, information about injuries sustained by all of those involved, and what kind of resistance the police officers were facing when they used force.

Police shot Eishia near Lagimodiere Boulevard and Fermor Avenue on April 8 during the pursuit of a stolen vehicle. Police said she was driving the stolen vehicle, which she and four other teenage suspects used to get away from a Sage Creek liquor store after allegedly stealing alcohol and threatening workers. Police shot Hudson after the stolen vehicle crashed into other cars, just after 5:30 p.m.

Manitobas police watchdog, the Independent Investigation Unit, is investigating. Manitobas childrens advocate announced it will conduct an independent investigation into Eishias death once criminal proceedings have ended.

In the meantime, Eishias family is waiting for answers. Her father, William Hudson, has been outspoken about issues of police brutality at local rallies organized to call for justice in his daughters death, but he said hes been told to sit tight until the watchdogs investigation is done, and he wants to respect that process.

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"Im kind of in the dark like everybody else right now," he said.

"I get asked all the time, but I give the same answer, no comment here, because I dont want to jeopardize anything. I want it to be fair on my end, because I dont know what the outcomes going to be, and I dont want to hurt anything (with the investigation)."

Eishia, one of seven siblings, was "always the loudest one, always the one joking around, always the one attending to her nieces and nephews," her father said, adding he thinks of her as "always smiling." "She was very lovable, kind."

The teen was one of three Indigenous people to be shot dead by Winnipeg police within a 10-day period in the spring. Hudson said hes organizing another peaceful rally on Aug. 21.

"I want her to be remembered... I want things to change. I hope it opens up eyes, all over (not just in Winnipeg)," Hudson said. "Things have got to change."

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca
August 06, 2020 " Information Clearing House " - The struggle against Covid-19 has often been compared to fighting a war. Much of this rhetoric is bombast, but the similarities between the struggle against the virus and against human enemies are real enough. War reporting and pandemic reporting likewise have much in common because, in both cases, journalists are dealing with and describing matters of life and death. Public interest is fueled by deep fears, often more intense during an epidemic because the whole population is at risk. In a war, aside from military occupation and area bombing, terror is at its height among those closest to the battlefield.

The nature of the dangers stemming from military violence and the outbreak of a deadly disease may appear very different. But looked at from the point of view of a government, they both pose an existential threat because failure in either crisis may provoke some version of regime change. People seldom forgive governments that get them involved in losing wars or that fail to cope adequately with a natural disaster like the coronavirus. The powers-that-be know that they must fight for their political lives, perhaps even their physical existence, claiming any success as their own and doing their best to escape blame for what has gone wrong.

My First Pandemic

I first experienced a pandemic in the summer of 1956 when, at the age of six, I caught polio in Cork, Ireland. The epidemic there began soon after virologist Jonas Salk developed a vaccine for it in the United States, but before it was available in Europe. Polio epidemics were at their height in the first half of the twentieth century and, in a number of respects, closely resembled the Covid-19 experience: many people caught the disease but only a minority were permanently disabled by or died of it. In contrast with Covid-19, however, it was young children, not the old, who were most at risk. The terror caused by poliomyelitis, to use its full name, was even higher than during the present epidemic exactly because it targeted the very young and its victims did not generally disappear into the cemetery but were highly visible on crutches and in wheelchairs, or prone in iron lungs.

Parents were mystified by the source of the illness because it was spread by great numbers of asymptomatic carriers who did not know they had it. The worst outbreaks were in the better-off parts of modern cities like Boston, Chicago, Copenhagen, Melbourne, New York, and Stockholm. People living there enjoyed a good supply of clean water and had effective sewage disposal, but did not realize that all of this robbed them of their natural immunity to the polio virus. The pattern in Cork was the same: most of the sick came from the more affluent parts of the city, while people living in the slums were largely unaffected. Everywhere, there was a frantic search to identify those, like foreign immigrants, who might be responsible for spreading the disease. In the New York epidemic of 1916, even animals were suspected of doing so and 72,000 cats and 8,000 dogs were hunted down and killed.

The illness weakened my legs permanently and I have a severe limp so, even reporting in dangerous circumstances in the Middle East, I could only walk, not run. I was very conscious of my disabilities from the first, but did not think much about how I had acquired them or the epidemic itself until perhaps four decades later. It was the 1990s and I was then visiting ill-supplied hospitals in Iraq as that countrys health system was collapsing under the weight of U.N. sanctions. As a child, I had once been a patient in an almost equally grim hospital in Ireland and it occurred to me then, as I saw children in those desperate circumstances in Iraq, that I ought to know more about what had happened to me. At that time, my ignorance was remarkably complete. I did not even know the year when the polio epidemic had happened in Ireland, nor could I say if it was caused by a virus or a bacterium.

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So I read up on the outbreak in newspapers of the time and Irish Health Ministry files, while interviewing surviving doctors, nurses, and patients. Kathleen OCallaghan, a doctor at St. Finbarrs hospital, where I had been brought from my home when first diagnosed, said that people in the city were so frightened they would cross the road rather than walk past the walls of the fever hospital. My father recalled that the police had to deliver food to infected homes because no one else would go near them. A Red Cross nurse, Maureen OSullivan, who drove an ambulance at the time, told me that, even after the epidemic was over, people would quail at the sight of her ambulance, claiming the polio is back again and dragging their children into their houses or they might even fall to their knees to pray.

The local authorities in a poor little city like Cork where I grew up understood better than national governments today that fear is a main feature of epidemics. They tried then to steer public opinion between panic and complacency by keeping control of the news of the outbreak. When British newspapers like the Times reported that polio was rampant in Cork, they called this typical British slander and exaggeration. But their efforts to suppress the news never worked as well as they hoped. Instead, they dented their own credibility by trying to play down what was happening. In that pre-television era, the main source of information in my hometown was the Cork Examiner, which, after the first polio infections were announced at the beginning of July 1956, accurately reported on the number of cases, but systematically underrated their seriousness.

Headlines about polio like Panic Reaction Without Justification and Outbreak Not Yet Dangerous regularly ran below the fold on its front page. Above it were the screaming ones about the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian uprising of that year. In the end, this treatment only served to spread alarm in Cork where many people were convinced that the death toll was much higher than the officially announced one and that bodies were being secretly carried out of the hospitals at night.

My father said that, in the end, a delegation of local businessmen, the owners of the biggest shops, approached the owners of the Cork Examiner, threatening to withdraw their advertising unless it stopped reporting the epidemic. I was dubious about this story, but when I checked the newspaper files many years later, I found that he was correct and the paper had almost entirely stopped reporting on the epidemic just as sick children were pouring into St. Finbarrs hospital.

The Misreporting of Wars and Epidemics

By the time I started to research a book about the Cork polio epidemic that would be titled Broken Boy, I had been reporting wars for 25 years, starting with the Northern Irish Troubles in the 1970s, then the Lebanese civil war, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the war that followed Washingtons post-9/11 takeover of Afghanistan, and the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. After publication of the book, I went on covering these endless conflicts for the British paper the Independent as well as new conflicts sparked in 2011 by the Arab Spring in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

As the coronavirus pandemic began this January, I was finishing a book (just published), War in the Age of Trump: The Defeat of Isis, the Fall of the Kurds, the Confrontation with Iran. Almost immediately, I noticed strong parallels between the Covid-19 pandemic and the polio epidemic 64 years earlier. Pervasive fear was perhaps the common factor, though little grasped by governments of this moment. Boris Johnsons in Great Britain, where I was living, was typical in believing that people had to be frightened into lockdown, when, in fact, so many were already terrified and needed to be reassured.

I also noticed ominous similarities between the ways in which epidemics and wars are misreported. Those in positions of responsibility -- Donald Trump represents an extreme version of this -- invariably claim victories and successes even as they fail and suffer defeats. The words of the Confederate general Stonewall Jackson came to mind. On surveying ground that had only recently been a battlefield, he asked an aide: Did you ever think, sir, what an opportunity a battlefield affords liars?

This has certainly been true of wars, but no less so, it seemed to me, of epidemics, as President Trump was indeed soon to demonstrate (over and over and over again). At least in retrospect, disinformation campaigns in wars tend to get bad press and be the subject of much finger wagging. But think about it a moment: it stands to reason that people trying to kill each other will not hesitate to lie about each other as well. While the glib saying that truth is the first casualty of war has often proven a dangerous escape hatch for poor reporting or unthinking acceptance of a self-serving version of battlefield realities (spoon-fed by the powers-that-be to a credulous media), it could equally be said that truth is the first casualty of pandemics. The inevitable chaos that follows in the wake of the swift spread of a deadly disease and the desperation of those in power to avoid being held responsible for the soaring loss of life lead in the same direction.

There is, of course, nothing inevitable about the suppression of truth when it comes to wars, epidemics, or anything else for that matter. Journalists, individually and collectively, will always be engaged in a struggle with propagandists and PR men, one in which victory for either side is never inevitable.

Unfortunately, wars and epidemics are melodramatic events and melodrama militates against real understanding. If it bleeds, it leads is true of news priorities when it comes to an intensive care unit in Texas or a missile strike in Afghanistan. Such scenes are shocking but do not necessarily tell us much about what is actually going on.

The recent history of war reporting is not encouraging. Journalists will always have to fight propagandists working for the powers-that-be. Sadly, I have had the depressing feeling since Washingtons first Gulf War against Saddam Husseins Iraq in 1991 that the propagandists are increasingly winning the news battle and that accurate journalism, actual eyewitness reporting, is in retreat.

Disappearing News

By its nature, reporting wars is always going to be difficult and dangerous work, but it has become more so in these years. Coverage of Washingtons Afghan and Iraqi wars was often inadequate, but not as bad as the more recent reporting from war-torn Libya and Syria or its near total absence from the disaster that is Yemen. This lack fostered misconceptions even when it came to fundamental questions like who is actually fighting whom, for what reasons, and just who are the real prospective winners and losers.

Of course, there is little new about propaganda, controlling the news, or spreading false facts. Ancient Egyptian pharaohs inscribed self-glorifying and mendacious accounts of their battles on monuments, now thousands of years old, in which their defeats are lauded as heroic victories. What is new about war reporting in recent decades is the far greater sophistication and resources that governments can deploy in shaping the news. With opponents like longtime Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein, demonization was never too difficult a task because he was a genuinely demonic autocrat.

Yet the most influential news story about the Iraqi invasion of neighboring Kuwait in 1990 and the U.S.-led counter-invasion proved to be a fake. This was a report that, in August 1990, invading Iraqi soldiers had tipped babies out of incubators in a Kuwaiti hospital and left them to die on the floor. A Kuwaiti girl reported to have been working as a volunteer in the hospital swore before a U.S. congressional committee that she had witnessed that very atrocity. Her story was hugely influential in mobilizing international support for the war effort of the administration of President George H.W. Bush and the U.S. allies he teamed up with.

In reality it proved purely fictional. The supposed hospital volunteer turned out to be the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador in Washington. Several journalists and human rights specialists expressed skepticism at the time, but their voices were drowned out by the outrage the tale provoked. It was a classic example of a successful propaganda coup: instantly newsworthy, not easy to disprove, and when it was -- long after the war -- it had already had the necessary impact, creating support for the U.S.-led coalition going to war with Iraq.

In a similar fashion, I reported on the American war in Afghanistan in 2001-2002 at a time when coverage in the international media had left the impression that the Taliban had been decisively defeated by the U.S. military and its Afghan allies. Television showed dramatic shots of bombs and missiles exploding on the Taliban front lines and Northern Alliance opposition forces advancing unopposed to liberate the Afghan capital, Kabul.

When, however, I followed the Taliban retreating south to Kandahar Province, it became clear to me that they were not by any normal definition a beaten force, that their units were simply under orders to disperse and go home. Their leaders had clearly grasped that they were over-matched and that it would be better to wait until conditions changed in their favor, something that had distinctly happened by 2006, when they went back to war in a big way. They then continued to fight in a determined fashion to the present day. By 2009, it was already dangerous to drive beyond the southernmost police station in Kabul due to the risk that Taliban patrols might create pop-up checkpoints anywhere along the road.

None of the wars I covered then have ever really ended. What has happened, however, is that they have largely ended up receding, if not disappearing, from the news agenda. I suspect that, if a successful vaccine for Covid-19 isnt found and used globally, something of the same sort could happen with the coronavirus pandemic as well. Given the way news about it now dominates, even overwhelms, the present news agenda, this may seem unlikely, but there are precedents. In 1918, with World War I in progress, governments dealt with what came to be called the Spanish Flu by simply suppressing information about it. Spain, as a non-combatant in that war, did not censor the news of the outbreak in the same fashion and so the disease was most unfairly named the Spanish Flu, though it probably began in the United States.

The polio epidemic in Cork supposedly ended abruptly in mid-September 1956 when the local press stopped reporting on it, but that was at least two weeks before many children like me caught it. In a similar fashion, right now, wars in the Middle East and north Africa like the ongoing disasters in Libya and Syria that once got significant coverage now barely get a mention much of the time.

In the years to come, the same thing could happen to the coronavirus.

Patrick Cockburn is a Middle East correspondent for the Independent of London and the author of six books on the Middle East, the latest of which is War in the Age of Trump: The Defeat of Isis, the Fall of the Kurds, the Confrontation with Iran (Verso).

Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Books, John Feffers new dystopian novel (the second in the Splinterlands series) Frostlands, Beverly Gologorsky's novel Every Body Has a Story, and Tom Engelhardt's A Nation Unmade by War, as well as Alfred McCoy's In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power and John Dower's The Violent American Century: War and Terror Since World War II. - " Source " -

Copyright 2020 Patrick Cockburn
The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia says the Nana Addo-led government has been served right with what they deserve by candidates sitting for the WASSCE exams.



This years WASSCE examination has been marred with some demonstrations by final year students over strict invigilation and supervision during the sitting of the Integrated Science paper.



The students in a viral video said they could not write the paper because none of the things they had studied featured in the exam questions.



Some rained insults on the first gentleman of the land, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his bad educational system that has affected their academic learning after threatening to vote against him on December 7, polls.



Johnson Asiedu Nketia who was speaking on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie sided with the aggrieved students describing the country's education system as bogus.



I have said this before, I have raised questions concerning the path this government is taking our education system. That is the result we are seeing today. You cannot ask students to sit for exams when there is a lack of tuition. What he [Nana Addo] deserves is what he has gotten, he said.



Adding that, They did not teach the students [final year] anything prior to exams. That is why you are seeing what you are seeing.











Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Iraqi security sources reported July 30 that unidentified drones had been seen near Hit district in Anbar province in the west of the country. The sources said that the fixed wing drones are the property of the Islamic State [IS].

It is likely that IS is using these drones. In the Mosul battles, IS often used drones to strike Iraqi security forces by loading the drones with missiles that it would then drop on Iraqi military complexes.

However, IS apparently is not the only nongovernmental group using drones in Iraq. On July 23, a drone carrying a 2-kilogram (4.4-pound) missile was found in Jadriyah in central Baghdad. The party owning it was not revealed, which raises concerns in Baghdad, which is already struggling with security and political crises.

The Iraqi authorities did not disclose any information about the drone that was found in a presidential area only a few hundred meters from the governmental Green Zone. It landed at a complex adjacent to the house of President Barham Salih. Hussein Allawi, national security professor at Al-Nahrain University in Baghdad, said he considered the incident a huge breach of Iraqi national security.

On the same day, an unidentified drone landed in Seneia town in Beiji district in Salahuddin province. Seneia is a small town in the middle of the desert linking the province to Anbar province. IS regularly uses this area for training and other terrorist activities.

Spokesman for the Joint Operations Command in Iraq Tahseen al-Khafaji told Al-Monitor, We forbid any plane from flying in Iraqi airspace unless it coordinates with the Joint Operations Command and receives its approval.

He added, The Joint Operations Command then notifies the air defense command, and any plane flying in the Iraqi skies without the governments approval is considered an enemy plane. We are arresting anyone using drones without approval. IS has often resorted to drones, and we can still stop them in their tracks remotely. Sometimes we manage to down them.

Iraq does not have a law against the use of drones. Drones are mostly imported and often bought as photography tools and then sold illegally, out of sight of the authorities and without approval.

Most of the nongovernmental drones in Iraq today are not military aircraft like the ones used to assassinate Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani. They are used to take photos and are developed locally for other purposes.

Hakem al-Zamili, head of the Security and Defense Committee in the former Iraqi parliament, said July 26, The drones in Iraq are used to smuggle drugs and might be used for assassinations.

Zamili insinuated that political parties and armed factions use the drones in smuggling operations, and an Iraqi senior intelligence source in the Ministry of Interior told Al-Monitor about the mechanism involved for using the drones.

The drones are used by gangs and tribes as well as IS. Some tribes carrying out the smuggling operations in southern Iraq use the drones for reconnaissance before any operation, the source said.

He added, Tribes use the drones solely for reconnaissance and gangs smuggling drugs use the drones as a means of transportation. IS uses them for reconnaissance for the entry and exit of its members into and out of Iraq and Syria.

Fadel Abu Raghif, security commentator close to the Iraqi intelligence, told Al-Monitor, Drones are used extensively in Iraq. The negative usage is due to a lack of control of the borders in the past and the entry of drones through official outlets.

He added, Another reason is that the Iraqi security intelligence is not using its techniques to deactivate the drones. Gangs use them to smuggle drugs, because they are a safer way than risking the lives of their members. However, drones fly at close range and are thus easy for security forces to control.

Iraqi security forces have arrested journalists and photographers for taking photos with drones; they justified these arrests because no approval had been given to use the drones.

On June 30, the Iraqi Al-Sumaria channel reported that shepherds in Baiji district carried the debris of a drone. Then another drone pursued and killed them. The debris belonged to an aircraft of the international coalition.

For a country like Iraq, which does not have an air defense system, drones can find their way easily into Iraqi skies, and many videos have documented unidentified drones.

In early April, Osbat al-Thaeerin, a group that seems close to Iran, published a video of a drone hovering over the US Embassy in Baghdad in an unprecedented incident. On Dec. 7, 2019, an unidentified drone launched a missile at the house of leader of the Sadrist movement Muqtada al-Sadr.

Experts expect the armed factions close to Iran to adopt new techniques to target US interests in Iraq, i.e., with drones  as was the case in Yemen that successfully accomplished goals the Houthis could not obtain through ground strikes.

In the future, Iraq is likely to witness a significant increase in the use of drones for political or tribal purposes, and anti-US armed factions in Iraq might use them, too. This will make it harder for Iraqi forces to determine which party the unidentified drones belong to.
Though conversations via Zoom and other online platforms can have all the ambiance of a hostage video, the format seems to help me focus. No pesky architectural masterpieces or elegantly dressed passersby to distract me. Or so I tell myself. Whats more, the intimacy of chatting with someone from his or her living room makes for a more relaxed setting than a classroom. And if during your lesson a tutors neighbor knocks on the door to borrow coffee or a husband happens to stroll through the room  as have happened to me  you may luck into impromptu conversations with them, too.
When I was a child, Mammoth Lakes, Calif., was my annual escape from hatchet-faced bullies, geometry quizzes and Los Angeles County smog.

At 7,881 feet, at Sierra Nevada's eastern edge, the informal and slightly run-down ski town always made me breathless and dizzy for the first couple of days. But I loved the cinder cones, the lupine fields, the eerie moonscape of Obsidian Dome and the flat-bodied bugs that jumped over my boots on the Shadow Lake trail.

But when my wife and daughter asked if we could take a vacation to Mammoth Lakes this July, as a break from sheltering at home in Santa Cruz, I refused.

Since I have asthma, I've mostly secluded myself during the pandemic. Besides, I've avoided Mammoth since 2016, when my father died. I didn't want to risk nostalgia or virus exposure. Then my daughter Julianna, 11, started texting me photos of Chocolate Frosted Flakes and Cocoa Krispies.

I understood the reference. Julianna longed for the freedom I'd told her I had at Mammoth, where my parents let me binge on any sickeningly sweet '80s cereals I chose. I could also stay up late and float in the hot tub all day.

Julianna deserved a reprieve. My family prevailed. We agreed to stick to the woods and wide open spaces, avoiding restaurants, steering clear of public restrooms and keeping away from crowds as much as possible. And we arranged to stay at a condo unit that had been left vacant for a minimum of 24 hours before our arrival.

As we rolled into Mammoth Lakes, Belding's ground squirrels ran across the asphalt with their tails held high. Nostalgia set in when I saw the jagged wall of Mammoth Crest, and the Minaret peaks, which look like a pointier and more fragile version of Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona.

There were gaudy newer elements, including the Village at Mammoth, an upscale complex near the ski slopes, but the town's layout hadn't changed. Gift shops still sold scratchy souvenir T-shirts with smiling mammoths on skis.

It was easy to believe no time had passed. Our Snowcreek Resort condo rental evoked childhood trips, from the dinged-up board games to the framed bathroom poster of a skier plunging spread-eagle from a frosted cliff.

The resort launched contactless check-in as lockdown was lifted. My wife was emailed the key code to the condo before our arrival.

We'd brought disinfectant and planned to wipe down all the surfaces, but it didn't seem necessary. Cleaners had already disinfected all "high touch" surfaces, including the entry keypad, doorknobs and bathroom fixtures. All towels and bedding had been washed and placed in a hermetically sealed bag.

In some ways, the virus threat contributed to the time warp. Because of coronavirus concerns, the usual shuttle down Reds Meadow Valley Road, which runs close to the middle fork of the San Joaquin River, wasn't operating. The rangers let me drive my car down that narrow strip of asphalt, just as my father used to do in the early '70s. When we stopped by Sotcher Lake near the road, Julianna learned to skim stones and ducked to avoid dragonflies, just as I've done on the same shoreline.

A grocery trip brought me back to reality. The town was overrun despite the virus threat.

Mammoth's main visitors' website has a clear message to tourists: "Mammoth Is Open,'' as long as visitors take precautions including masks and social distancing. But now I was part of a growing horde.

Tourists thronged the sidewalks and lined up 50 deep for outdoor dining. Most wore masks, but "social distancing" was sometimes a matter of millimeters instead of feet. Later, I would read news reports that Mono County - which includes Mammoth Lakes - had been placed on the California coronavirus watch list because of a surge in cases. According to a Los Angeles Times report, the surge was tied mostly to Mammoth Lakes restaurants.

Some waterfronts were also jam-packed. When I tried to revive an old tradition of taking a pedal boat out on Lake Mary, we had to swerve to avoid armies of paddle boarders, pontoon boat operators and annoyed fishermen.

On most visits to Mammoth, I felt unfulfilled unless we checked off a list of "must-dos" - drink a sunset beer at a bar with a viewing deck, eat pastries at Shea Schat's Bakery, go out for a fancy meal on the last night. I tore up the list. It was time for the backwoods.

On the second day, after packing turkey sandwiches, we hiked toward Sky Meadows. Ponderosa pine trees smelled like raw cookie dough. We saw a few backpackers, but few people were out exploring the fields of corn lilies.

When we reached Emerald Lake, my daughter scrambled up unstable-looking boulders and returned 10 minutes later. "Come with me," she said. I heaved up the slope, my fitness tracker flashing 143 heartbeats per minute. I had to catch my breath. Julianna waited by the drop, the lake far below us.

"Look,'' she said, pointing to the plates, ridges and fans of a mountain, with forests and rockfall along the massive base. I didn't think Mammoth held surprises for me, but that vantage point was a shock. It was as if I'd entered a landscape I'd never seen.

At the end of the trail, Sky Meadows was deserted. Across the creek, the sheer and ominous form of Blue Crag rose above patches of ice, snow and scree. My parents did this steep trail late into their 70s. I used to race ahead, stacking cairns at tricky intersections so they would not get lost. Now my daughter was watching out for me.

On the way down the slope to the trailhead, she handed me a branch. "Use it as a walking stick,'' she said. Her offer made me feel grateful and proud, but also elderly and enfeebled.

On the last day, we wanted an easy hike to TJ Lake. Muddle-headed, I went to the wrong parking lot. We wound up on the steep trail to Crystal Lake, which I'd never seen. The wind kicked up, and the altitude got to my wife. "This is the wrong path to the wrong lake," Amy complained.

I expected Julianna to be annoyed, too. She dislikes changes of plans. But she's becoming rougher lately, scrambling up trees, dunking into creeks, leaping off rocks, and getting stung by bees and wasps without crying. She raced up switchbacks over exposed roots. "It will be worth it,'' she said.

The slope dropped us into a rocky bowl containing Crystal Lake. It was strange to come across a Mammoth landmark that was not a storehouse of old memories. A young boy stood on a rock island, casting his line. The virus has winnowed our options and limited our movements, but somehow we'd found a way to surprise ourselves in a familiar place I thought I'd never go again.

Later, we were on a narrow meadow in front of the Snowcreek condo village, watching mountains turn pink and orange, when someone called our names. We turned to see Justin and Marissa, whose son is in our daughter's class. After getting over the shock of this random encounter, we chatted.

Turns out Marissa's parents have been visiting Mammoth since 1963. She's been going as long as she can remember, watching fireworks at Crowley Lake outside Mammoth on the Fourth of July (canceled this year because of the pandemic) and taking countless hikes.

"One summer, two sisters who lived in town scattered their leftover Halloween candy throughout the woods that used to be in the center of town and christened it Candyland,'' she recalled. "All the kids in town hunted down candy all that summer."

In July, they were sustaining their Mammoth traditions with their two sons. But this year felt different, Justin told me. He felt sheepish about being part of the crowd at a jam-packed grocery store. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel guilty and a little bit selfish for coming this year."

His concerns reflect one of the realities of life in California during a pandemic. Try to "get away from it all" as safely and respectfully as you can, but when travel is limited and options are few, you may find crowds wherever you roam.

Still, I was grateful for the trip's quieter moments. At Mammoth, you normally can't pause near a meadow for long because of biting insects. This time, a bat hunted and scooped up the mosquitoes.

The bat kept flapping as the dark closed in. We walked back to the condo, making our way without a flashlight. Listening to the disembodied voices, I could almost convince myself it was my parents, my brothers and my sister beside me, taking one last stroll around the neighborhood before turning in and getting ready for the long trip home.
The two incidents have caused panic among the BJP activists and supporters in the entire south Kashmir region

CRPF vehicles stationed at Lal Chowk on the first day of the two-day curfew in Srinagar. PTI photo

The killing of a village-head associated with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in southern Kulgam district by suspected militants earlier during the day on Thursday triggered a new wave of resignations by party activists in restive Kashmir Valley.

At least, half a dozen BJP workers took to social media platforms to announce their disassociation from the party and some of them even seeking forgiveness from militants.

The police said that at about 9.30 am militants shot and critically wounded BJP sarpanch Sajad Ahmad Khanday in Vesoo village of Qazigund area in Kulgam. He was immediately evacuated to Anantnags Government Medical College (GMC) hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, the police said. The hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Sofi, however, said that Mr. Khanday was brought dead to the hospital.

The police said that the slain sarpanch had been in view of threat to his life from militants provided accommodation in a secured camp set up for Kashmiri Pandit migrants at Vesoo but today he went to his (native) house without informing the police.

On the August 4 evening, a BJP Panch Arif Ahmad was critically wounded after militants fired upon him in nearby Akhran village.

The two incidents have caused panic among the BJP activists and supporters in the entire south Kashmir region. While half a dozen of them have already announced their resignations from the party, many others have gone underground to evade physical harm coming to them from militants, the reports received here said.

The prominent among those who have quit BJP are Subzar Paddar, Nisar Ghani Wani, Ashiq Abdullah Palla, Shabir Rasool Khan, Reyaz Aziz Rather and Khaliq Subhan Sheikh.

On Thursday evening, a BJP sarpanch Muhammad Iqbal from Chandan Pajan area of Devsar (Kulgam) uploaded a video on social media announcing his resignation. We dont want to die and we havent earned anything. I have nothing to do with BJP and I resign, he says in the purported video.

Another party office-bearer of Anantnag district Rafiq Bhat while announcing his resignation said, Ive nothing to do with BJP and I resign from the party. I request people to forgive me, if my actions have hurt them.

A similar situation had emerged after the militants killed a local BJP leader Sheikh Waseem Bari along with his father and brother in northern Bandipora district on July 8. As several party workers immediately announced their resignations, the BJP leadership began a concerted effort to dispel the fear instilled among the party cadres in the Valley. On its request, more than 100 party activists were provided security cover by the J&K police even though Mr. Bari and his kin had been targeted by the militants despite him being provided with ten Personal Security Officers (PSOs) who are now facing action over their negligence from duty.

BJPs national general secretary, Ram Madhav, had after visiting the slain party leaders home on July 12 demanded enhanced and proper security to the party workers in J&K in view of constant threat to their lives from separatist militants. The partys vice president Avinash Rai Khanna had said that the party stands by its workers in Kashmir and was working for the solution of their problems.

Were solving the problems of workers whether it is at their personal level or administrative level. A party worker should talk to the party before he chooses to resign, he had said.
A destroyed silo is seen amid the rubble and debris following yesterday's blast at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut, on August 5, 2020. - Rescuers worked through the night after two enormous explosions ripped through Beirut's port, killing at least 78 people and injuring thousands, as they wrecked buildings across the Lebanese capital. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Beirut Explosion Caused by Negligence or Missile, Bomb: Lebanon President

The president of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, said there are two possible causes of Tuesdays blast that killed at least 150 people and leveled neighborhoods in Beiruit: either negligence or a bomb or missile.

The cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act, Aoun said, describing an investigation into the explosion at a port warehouse, as reported by Al Jazeera TV.

First, how the explosive material entered and was stored  second whether the explosion was a result of negligence or an accident  and third the possibility that there was external interference, he said.

Earlier in the week, officials said that hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical used in fertilizer, was being stored at the warehouse for several years. But the cause of the fire that sparked the blast is not known.

Aoun also said Friday that he asked France for satellite images to determine if warplanes or missiles were in the area around the time of the explosion, reported USA Today. He also told reporters that on July 20, he received information about the store of ammonium nitrate and immediately ordered security and military officials to secure the material, without elaborating. Officials in Lebanon have received warnings about the stored chemicals since 2013, he said.

An aerial view shows the massive damage done to Beirut ports grain silos (C) and the area around it on August 5, 2020, (AFP via Getty Images)

The destroyed silo sits in rubble and debris after an explosion at the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 5, 2020. (Hussein Malla/AP Photo)

Earlier in the week, President Donald Trump described the explosion as a terrible attack, prompting Pentagon chief Mark Esper to tell reporters that it was likely caused by an accident of some kind.

I met with some of our great generals and they just seem to feel that it was [an attack], Trump also said earlier this week. This was not some kind of a manufacturing explosion type of eventthey would know better than I would. They seem to think it was an attack, it was a bomb of some kind, yes.

On Friday, a top Pentagon spokesman, Jonathan Hoffman, also said that it might not be an accident.

The situation has been fast-evolving. On Tuesday and Wednesday we saw different information come to light, he told reporters at the Pentagon. [Defense Secretary Mark Esper] and the president have been consistent that weve reached no definitive cause for the explosion. Information is continuing to come in.




NZ is becoming increasingly aware of the risks from cyber attacks. The security alliance with Five Eyes and protection from multinational cybersecurity providers are incredibly important if we want to minimise risk from attacks.

While we can safely assume our customers, vendors, and staff are ethical and play by the rules, hackers and criminals do not. They will find and exploit any weaknesses and flaws in the system. Whether they are doing it for notoriety, money, retribution, or fun, people who play outside of the system dont respect laws.

Worldwide, there has been a succession of attacks on governments and businesses, and that is reflected in NZ. While theres a lot being done to counter these, its not enough to keep pace with these intelligent and tech-savvy criminals.

Five Eyes (FVEY), Cortex and AI For Good

FVEY is the intelligence alliance of five countries, NZ, Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. Its a joint initiative where there is shared information about signals, defence, human, and geospatial intelligence. These five countries work together to identify groups and individuals who are involved in the War on Terror, as well as intel on North Korea, China, Russia and other threats.

Five Eyes does give us lots of insights and understanding and we can share ideas in the things that we do, said Sir John Keating who was speaking alongside Microsoft Managing Director, Vanessa Sorenson, at the launch of Umbrellar Connect.

This network is crucial to provide context that help to evaluate and respond to potential threats. There are increased complications as the lines between state sponsored cyber warfare and crime driven by profit are increasingly blurred.

AI For Good is a Microsoft initiative that uses artificial intelligence to protect individuals and organisations. Using AI, they can quickly identify cyber attacks, allowing immediate action. It can also help to prevent cyber attacks by watching behaviour online and identifying patterns of problematic behaviour. It uses Microsofts Intelligence Security Graph to analyse billions of data points across major services, hunting for anomalies and suspicious activity.

In NZ, there has also been Cortex developed, which is a government initiative security platform for large Kiwi businesses and infrastructure. This has been highly tested by black ops hackers who stress tested the firewalls and cloud security, looking for weak spots and security flaws.

Despite thorough testing during development, cybersecurity needs to move fast to keep up with constantly evolving criminals and external threats. Increasingly intelligent and sophisticated scams and techniques mean that nothing is safe for long.

Educating companies on the risks

People write up to hundreds of emails every day. But within businesses and government, many of these communications are off-the-cuff, and the sender- or receiver- would have ever expected they become public consumption.

The other fear is not of being exposed, but of ransom demands. Big businesses and Governments need to make sure they arent open to huge ransom demands when hackers infiltrate their systems. Baltimore local government ended up making an expensive mistake and paying $10 million in ransom money to get their systems back. Can you afford that, with all the risk it carries?

Hackers are determined and highly capable, and many have huge resources to hand. How can you, and NZ, counteract this?

Minimising risk of cyber attacks

Data security is the highest concern, and local infrastructure helps this. With Cortex, having data within NZs shores means sensitive information from government departments, banks and other large institutions, no longer needs to be sent overseas to massive data centres. This makes this data subject to NZ law, an added layer of security.

While there are steps being taken by the government and overseas companies, individual people and companies must take steps to protect themselves. A company is only as strong as its weakest password; and some employees may struggle to feel the importance of this. Multi-layer security systems needing verification from external devices to log on, combined with ever-changing passwords is just a first step.

Education of staff about what a phishing email might look like, or the importance of not writing your password on a post-it note on your monitor are vital. While top-down strong systems and intelligence are important, its useless if bottom-up education isnt carried out.

All businesses should take this seriously. The risks are huge to data for yourself and customers, and the financial risk even larger. While you pay insurance and prepare for a natural disaster, the same should happen for cyber security. Would you leave the front door of your business unlocked, and the security alarm off? Why dont you have two-factor staff authentication for accessing the cloud computer system when you expect it in the physical space?

Companies that dont take cyber security seriously will suffer the consequences. Its just a matter of time.
A senior Iranian official said on Friday there was no difference between the outgoing and incoming U.S. special envoys for Iran because American officials bite off more than they can chew.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Thursday that the top U.S. envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, was leaving his post and the U.S. special representative for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, would add Iran to his role.

Hooks surprise departure comes at a critical time when Washington has been intensely lobbying at the United Nations to extend an arms embargo on Iran and as the U.N. Security Council prepares to hold a vote on the U.S. resolution next week.

Pompeo did not give a reason for the change but wrote in a tweet that Hook was moving on to the private sector.

Theres no difference between John Bolton, Brian Hook or Elliott Abrams, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a tweet under the hashtag #BankruptUSIranPolicy.

When U.S. policy concerns Iran, American officials have been biting off more than they can chew. This applies to Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump and their successors, Mousavi added.

President Donald Trump last year fired his national security adviser, John Bolton, a veteran hardliner on Iran who advocated military action to destroy Tehran's nuclear programme.

Hook, 52, was named to the top Iran role at the State Department in late 2018 and has been instrumental in a U.S. "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran, including sanctions on its vital oil exports, since Trump pulled Washington out of the world powers' 2015 nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.

Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht, Iran's top budget official, said on Friday the country had only realised 6% of its planned oil income in the first four months of its current fiscal year but that higher tax revenue and sales of state assets had allowed it to partly recoup a budget shortfall, state media reported.

Abrams, 72, a Republican foreign policy veteran, was named U.S. special representative for Venezuela in January 2019 and has led a hawkish approach aimed at removing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

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The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday revealed that the number of COVID-19 cases across the African continent surged to 992,710.

The Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of the 55-member African Union (AU) Commission, in its latest situation update issued on Thursday, said that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across the continent rose from 976,028 on Wednesday to 992,710 as of Thursday afternoon, registering about 16,682 new COVID-19 cases across the continent.

The Africa CDC report also said that the number of deaths related to the COVID-19 pandemic rose to 21,617 deaths on Thursday, up from 21,050 on Wednesday.

The continental disease control and prevention agency further noted that some 673,757 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have recovered across the continent so far, registering about 22,302 new recoveries as compared to Wednesday's 651, 455 report.

South Africa, which has so far reported about 521,318 confirmed COVID-19 cases, is Africa's highest affected country in terms of positive cases, followed by Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco, it was noted.

In addition to the rapid spread of the virus across countries in the African continent, the Africa CDC said that some eight African countries have reported higher COVID-19 fatality rate as compared to the global average.

The Africa CDC, in its latest weekly COVID-19 situation update issued on Wednesday, stressed that some eleven countries are reporting case fatality rates comparable or higher than the global case fatality rate of about 3.8 percent, from which eight of them reported higher than the global average.

According to the Africa CDC, the countries that have reported case fatality rates higher than the global case fatality rate include Chad with about eight percent, Sudan, Niger and Liberia about six percent each, as well as Egypt, Mali, Burkina Faso and Angola about five percent each.

Three African countries that are Algeria, Sierra Leone and Tanzania have also reported case fatality rates comparable to the global case fatality rate of about 3.8, according to the Africa CDC.

The Africa CDC also warned that a few African countries are reporting the largest share of Africa's confirmed COVID-19 cases.

According to the Africa CDC, six African countries have reported about 80 percent of the new COVID-19 cases since July 28 that are South Africa with 59 percent, Morocco with 5 percent, as well as Algeria, Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia each reported four percent of the total cases reported last week, respectively.

Amid the rapid spread of the virus across countries in the African continent, South Africa, Djibouti, Sao Tome and Principe, Cabo Verde and Gabon are reporting the most cumulative COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in Africa, it was noted.

Meanwhile, the AU Commission has warned that the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent could be long-lasting as the spread of the virus, coupled with the eventual economic lockdown imposed across the continent, exacerbate the already fragile socio-economic and healthcare of the continent.

"The consequences of the pandemic could be long-lasting," Smail Chergui, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security told a report launching event entitled "The Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Governance, Peace and Security in the Horn of Africa."

He also emphasized the need to exert concerted efforts across various sectors in order to effectively minimize the impacts of the pandemic in Africa.
Landslides killed 17 people and trapped 60 others under a mound of slush and debris across Kerala and Karnataka on Friday as torrential rainfall pounded Indias western coast.

In Keralas Idukki district, three days of heavy showers triggered landslides in the early hours of the morning that razed a tea plantation workers settlement. Fifteen were declared dead and 60 were missing  most of whom were sleeping. Idukki district collector H Dineshan said the downpour and mist hampered rescue even as the showers snapped communication lines.

I heard a deafening sound and came out of the two-room house. I saw a big portion of the mountain coming out with a heavy flow of water and slush. I ran outside but got into the swirl of waters, said Deepan, who was admitted at a hospital in Munnar.

In neighbouring Karnataka, two people died in the Malnad region and another five reported missing. Rescuers were also searching for five people missing at Talacauvery, the origin of Cauvery river, where massive landslides and floods inundated villages on Wednesday night.

Pained by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted. Heavy rains would continue in the region till Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday.

This is the heaviest rainfall this monsoon in the two states, where massive floods have killed 803 people and displaced 12.8 million, according to home ministry data.

Our analysis of rainfall data over the last 70 years, show a three-fold rise in extreme rains along the west coast and central India. This is because the monsoon winds over the Arabian Sea are now exhibiting large fluctuations, thanks to a warmer environment, said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune.

According to IMD, average rainfall in the coastal regions of Karnataka and Kerala in the past 24 hours was 20 cm with Idukki receiving 26 cm and Malnad receiving 23 cm. At the almost half-way mark of the monsoon this year, Karnataka received excess rainfall by 53% and Kerala by 102%, whereas states in northern and central India have rainfall deficiency of 56% to 95%.

The eastern states have received heavy rainfall in the latter part of July and first week of August, causing massive floods. At least 239 deaths have been reported from West Bengal, the highest for any state.

Rainfall has subsided in the worst-affected northern districts of Bihar, where close to 6.9 million people have been affected, according to the state disaster management department. Sixteen districts remain flood-hit. The situation may worsen in many districts if it rains heavily in the catchment areas of rivers such as Gandak, Bagmati and Kamla Balan, which are still flowing above the danger mark.

In Assam, where close to 200 animals in Kaziranga National Park and 136 people have died, the flood situation has improved in the past few days.

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Amid complaints that Covid-19 patients were being denied admission in government and private hospitals citing non-availability of beds, Andhra Pradesh administration has come up with a digital solution to help ease the situation.

The state medical and health department has developed a QR code to help find available beds in 138 hospitals across the state. The people can scan the QR code and check for availability in their respective areas.

The code will disclose which hospital has how many beds and how many of them are available for admission, an official in the chief ministers office familiar with the development said on Friday.

According to the official, the QR code facility has been created in the wake of several complaints about non-availability of beds, forcing the Covid-19 patients to run from one hospital to another.

This initiative to use the QR code technology is an attempt to not only diversify the options but also reduce the response time in case of emergencies, the official said.

Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has instructed that the patients must be provided beds in hospital within 30 minutes of contacting the authorities on toll-free numbers 104 and 14410.

The CM warned of stringent action against hospitals that deny admission to people who contracted coronavirus. He also asked the medical and health department officials to monitor the facilities available in the hospitals and see that the bed availability be displayed online.

The officials said there are about 32,000 beds in the 128 district Covid-19 hospitals, and 8,000 in 10 state-level Covid-19 hospitals, and patients are admitted to either of these facilities based on their health.

With the rise in the number of cases the workload on the state-level helplines has been increasing. So, the QR code facility will help people get access to the information about hospital beds, the official said.

The total number of positive cases for Covid-19 in the state is nearing two lakh and the number of deaths has mounted to 1,753. However, the state government has claimed that the positivity rate for the disease and the mortality rate in the state are less than the national average.

While the national average of Covid-19 positivity is 8.87 per cent, Andhra Pradesh average has been 8.56 per cent, while that of Karnataka is 9.88 per cent, Tamil Nadu 9.26 per cent, Maharashtra 19.36 per cent and Delhi 12.75 per cent. When it comes to mortality rate, the national average is 2.07 percent while the state average is 0.89 per cent, said an official to CM Reddy at a review meeting earlier today.

Stating that the state had conducted more than 2. 3 million tests till now, Jagan said about 85 to 90 per cent of the tests are being conducted in the containment areas. He also directed that the authorities ensure timely admission of Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms in the hospitals so as to reduce the mortality rate.
"You must reside in Ward 3, and have been a resident in Ward 3 for at least a year," said borough Manager Christine Hart.
Friday, 07 August 2020 17:19:13 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

Algerian Qatari Steel (AQS), one of the major investments for steel production in Algeria, has temporarily halted operations at its steel melt shop and rolling mills for both wire rod and rebar. The stoppage will last throughout August and may take until mid-September, SteelOrbis has learned. The company is expected to resume operations once it receives the earlier booked raw material cargoes.

The key reason is that the startup of the 2.5 million mt per year DRI-unit has again been delayed for an indefinite period of time, and so the company has taken the decision to stop rolling operations for now. AQS is capable of 500,000 mt wire rod and 1.5 million mt rebar production per year.
I never thought of myself as having a killer instinct, but this summer, Ive learned that I do. Im in an all-out war against the ravaging spotted lanternflies. You can tell when Im going into battle because Im wielding the spray bottle in one hand and a mallet in the other, growling and grimacing ferociously.

If you havent been following the threat from this invasion, Ill summarize: These planthopper non-beetles (that nevertheless look like beetles) entered the United States inadvertently from their native lands several years ago, and  not unlike one of Americas other current threats, COVID-19  have no natural predators here. So they breed and reproduce without control. Fortunately, they dont hurt humans. But this scourge does decimate crops and weaken and kill trees that may be already compromised by other factors. One egg mass produces up to 50 new suckers; who even knows how many egg masses one spotted lanternfly produces!

Oh, and in case thats not motivating enough, these intruders excrete a goo, which, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, promotes the growth of a black sooty mold.

 READ MORE: Spotted lanternfly invasion of South Jersey has begun

It gets even yuckier: The adults are quite large and plump for common insects. To say theyre an inch long doesnt adequately represent their disturbing presence  say, on your patio, windshield, or Frisbee. Their wings seem to expand their width by about threefold, so theyre disgustingly ginormous. And when you cross paths when theyre in flight, you feel assaulted. Dont let their exotic design and colors fool you. These guys arent the size for shooing away; to rid them requires a courageous stand.

Im not some crazed outlier vigilante. Counties and municipalities across our region have been exhorting residents to do their part. Im boldly performing my civic duty. A recent social media post in our neighborhood proposed a competition among families armed with salt guns. That post suggested recruiting the children to help with the spotting, if not the execution. Points would be awarded according to stage of spotted lanternfly life cycle and location.

During a period of what may feel like national impotence, eradicating spotted lanternflies is empowering. Ann L. Rappoport

But I have my own strategy for protecting my trees. Based on advice from similar-thinking tree huggers, Ive commandeered a buddys recipe for Secret Death Formula in my squirt bottle. Consisting of highly diluted dish soap and cooking oil with water, I spray to dampen the nymphs hopping and then play whack-a-mole with the critters.

Thats won me scores of skirmishes. Even on the adult spotted lanternflies, who are now reaching their season. Sometimes, however, they hop faster than I can spray or smack. Fortunately, I can remember childhood lessons about keeping my eye on the ball. Now, I keep my eye on the fly.

 READ MORE: Spotted lanternfly killing: the pandemic hobby we all need right now

Responsible Americans have our hands full fighting to fix coronavirus, climate change, racism, and abuses of power. I dont know about you, but my efforts on those four critical agenda items havent yet been effective enough to make a measurable difference.

But spotted lanternflies! Those, I can measure. I can actively improve our community one smooshed fly at a time. In less time than one hour a day, I can prevent the maturation of dozens of adult spotted lanternflies, along with untold generations of progeny. Heres a lively  or deadly  activity I can perform outdoors in the fresh air, with responsible social distancing. During a period of what may feel like national impotence, eradicating spotted lanternflies is empowering. During a period of frustration, this rescue mission for our flora is a public service.

Ann L. Rappoport is in her second term as a Cheltenham Township commissioner after a career as an educator and writer.
No provocative fire was reported on Friday.

Russia's hybrid military forces in Donbas on August 6 did not resort to provocations amid the recently-agreed ceasefire.

At the same, the Joint Forces complied with the ceasefire, being ready to adequately respond to possible insidious actions by the adversary, the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation wrote in a morning update on Facebook on August 7.

However, since Friday midnight, enemy troops have opened fire twice, using small arms to stage an act of provocation near the village of Novoluhanske, as well as an under-barrel grenade launcher near the village of Shumy.

Read alsoUkraine expects to swap 100 prisoners with Russia-controlled Donbas within weeks  media

"Isolated random shots posed no threat to life and health, so our soldiers held fire," reads the report.

No casualties were reported among Ukrainian troops over the period under review.

The situation is under full control of Ukrainian military.

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"We're delighted to be part of the summer prize draw series with Vype," said The Fratellis lead singer and guitarist and Vype partner, Jon Fratelli. "These branded prizes look great- do we really need to give them away?! If not I'll take the Raybans, Baz wants the Adidas Gazelles and Mince loves the Beats headphones!"

The prizes awarded will be available in three different customized designs. Followers can visit Vype's Instagram page @Vype_worldwide daily to check out which prize will be featured on that day.

Entering for a chance to win is free and easy. Follow @Vype_worldwide on Instagram and comment under the daily post to be entered into the daily prize draw, and you must be 18 years or older to qualify. Eligible entrants are able to participate once daily, giving fans thirty (30) different opportunities to win, with one winning prize per person permitted. Winners are chosen at random and will be notified via Instagram direct message within fourteen (14) days for acceptance of their prize.

For information on terms and conditions or to learn how to enter, please visit www.promoterms.com/Vype30days.

More information is also available on http://www.govype.com.

ENDS

About The Fratellis:

The Fratellis are a multi-platinum, multi-award-winning Scottish rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, bassist and backing vocalist Barry Fratelli, and drummer and backing vocalist Mince Fratelli. The Fratellis have announced that their sixth studio album, titled Half Drunk Under a Full Moon, will be released later this year with full UK, US and European tours to follow.

About British American Tobacco:

About BAT: BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business, established in 1902. Our purpose is to build A Better Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of our business through offering a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky products for our consumers. Our ambition is to increasingly transition our revenues from cigarettes to non-combustible products over time. We employ over 55,000 people, with market leadership in over 55 countries and factories in 48. Our Strategic Portfolio is made up of its global cigarette brands and an increasing range of potentially reduced-risk products, comprising vapour and tobacco heating products, as well as traditional and modern oral products

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This award is a testament to the incredible research driven and supported by the DARPA Cyber Genome Project. The IP developed under that project by our CTO, Dr. Arun Lakhotia, drives our innovative new platform which detects and attributes zero-day malware faster than any other solution.

Cythereal, cybersecurity industrys most innovative malware detection company, today announced that it has been named a Top 100 Cybersecurity Startup for 2020.

Cythereal competed against many of the industrys hot startups in cybersecurity for this prestigious award. Cyber Defense Magazine searched the globe and found over 3200 cybersecurity companies with nearly 30% in the startup range having been incorporated within the last 36 months or releasing their first round of innovative cybersecurity products and services.

Were pleased to name Cythereal as a winner among the Top 100 Cybersecurity Startups for 2020 in our second annual Black Unicorn awards. This award showcases those companies like Cythereal with this kind of incredible potential in the cybersecurity marketplace, said Judges Robert R. Ackerman Jr. of http://www.allegiscyber.com, David DeWalt of http://www.nightdragon.com, and Gary Miliefsky of http://www.cyberdefensemediagroup.com.

This award is a testament to the incredible research driven and supported by the DARPA Cyber Genome Project. The IP developed under that project by our CTO, Dr. Arun Lakhotia, drives our innovative new platform which detects and attributes zero-day malware faster than any other solution. Our capability for automated custom countermeasures, developed by Dr. Lakhotia, will be launched later this year. Im pleased to say our initial deployments have demonstrated that we give Cythereal customers a marked advantage in their speed of analysis and creation of predictive protection, said James Hess, CEO of Cythereal.

About Cythereal, Inc.

Cythereals purpose is to secure businesses worldwide from the rising threat of targeted cyber-attacks, so they can focus on what they do best  run their business. Our vision is to neutralize the attackers asymmetric advantage by extracting intelligence from the attackers failed attempts using the most recent advances in mathematical and statistical reasoning.

Our mission is to be the leader in predicting and preventing advanced malware based attacks by leveraging code sharing and reuse in malware. Our products and services are developed on research that was sponsored by the US Department of Defense and independently evaluated by MIT Lincoln Labs. Learn more about us at https://www.cythereal.com

About Cyber Defense Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazines 8th year of honoring cybersecurity innovators, in this case the Black Unicorn Awards for 2020 on our Cyber Defense Awards platform. In this competition, judges for these prestigious awards include cybersecurity industry veterans, trailblazers and market makers Gary Miliefsky of CDMG, Robert R. Ackerman Jr. of Allegis Cyber and David DeWalt of NightDragon with much appreciation to emeritus judge Robert Herjavec of Herjavec Group. To see the complete list of Top 100 Cybersecurity Startups for 2020 please visit https://cyberdefenseawards.com/top-100-cybersecurity-startups-for-2020/

About Cyber Defense Magazine

Cyber Defense Magazine was founded in 2012 by Gary S. Miliefsky, globally recognized cyber security thought leader, inventor and entrepreneur and continues to be the premier source of IT Security information. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and limited print editions exclusively for the RSA, BlackHat and IPEXPO conferences and our limited edition paid reprint subscribers. Learn more about us at http://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com. Cyber Defense Magazine is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group.

For Media Inquiries:

James Hess, CEO

james.hess@cythereal.com

Cythereal, Inc.
Britains Tate museum said it was considering how to address deeply problematic racist imagery in a restaurant at one of its London galleries, as anti-racism campaigners called for the art to be removed or the restaurant relocated. The museum also said in a statement that it will make the dining room more welcoming and inclusive

Tate, a network of four government-sponsored art museums, said it was weighing options on Wednesday as Black lawmaker Diane Abbott added her voice to calls to move the restaurant out of a room that is painted with such a repellent mural.

The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats (1927), which is the title of the artwork at the Rex Whistler restaurant, by celebrated 1930s artist Rex Whistler, is a specially commissioned mural portraying the enslavement of a black child who is running behind a cart with a chain around his neck, the pain of his mother by the eponymous British artist. It was commissioned in 1927, a year after Whistler was a student at the Slade.

ALSO READ: Statue of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid replaces toppled UK slave trader, Edward Colston

People are seen inside the Rex Whistler Restaurant before it closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Twitter)

The mural also features the same boy chasing a horse and cart to which he is attached by a chain around his neck. The previous description of the restaurant on Tates website described it as the most amusing room in Europe. It read, Originally opened in 1927, the Rex Whistler Restaurant was described as The Most Amusing Room in Europe, owing to its specially commissioned mural, The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats. It has been the site of political and social intrigue over the decades, as well as gaining a reputation for having one of the capitals finest wine cellars.

The previous description of the restaurant on Tates website described it as the most amusing room in Europe. (Twitter)

However, now the text says that the gallery is working to become a space that is more relevant, welcoming and inclusive for everyone... Whistlers treatment of non-white figures reduces them to stereotypes.

Tate has been open and transparent about the deeply problematic racist imagery in the Rex Whistler mural, a Tate spokesman said in a statement.

We are continuing to actively discuss how best to address the mural and we will keep the public updated over the coming months, he added, giving no further details.

Another portion of The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats shows the little boy being dragged on a leash. (Twitter)

The restaurant is currently closed due to the pandemic.Hundreds signed a petition launched this week calling on the central London Tate Britain to remove The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats mural or change the restaurants location.

The reality of the room is truly grotesque, the petition said.

ALSO READ: All lives matter? Heres why Sara Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Tamannaahs posts are tone deaf

Abbott, a member of the main opposition Labour party and the first Black woman in Britain to become a member of parliament, also spoke out against the notion of fine dining amongst such repellent images.

Museum management need to move the restaurant. Nobody should be eating surrounded by imagery of black slaves, she posted on Twitter.

A statement on the restaurant website acknowledges the 1927 mural includes offensive and unacceptable content, which it says reflected common attitudes in Britain at the time.

We hope to tell a more inclusive story of British art and identity and confront these difficult and offensive histories, it added.

The row comes as Black Lives Matter protests around the world demand fresh scrutiny of statues, art and artefacts that campaigners say uphold the legacy of slavery and colonialism.

Campaigners have felled monuments to disgraced white leaders and want others removed, while critics say such works should be recognised as part of a nations heritage and left to stand.

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Since returning to their classrooms to prepare for the opening of in-person instruction next week, a handful of Jefferson Parish teachers have tested positive for the coronavirus, a newspaper reported this week, citing school officials.

The exact number of infections were not released by the Jefferson Parish school district, according to the report in The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.

Since the return to school on August 3, there have been a handful of cases brought to our attention out of approximately 7,000 employees, the district said Wednesday in a statement, according to the newspaper. We must all do our part by staying home if we show symptoms of COVID-19.

The districts administration and most of the School Board support beginning with students in classrooms on Wednesday, Aug. 12, despite the fact that public schools in Orleans and St. Tammany parishes will wait until after Labor Day.

The safety of our students and employees is our top responsibility, the district said. Jefferson Parish Schools continues to work closely with local public health officials to implement safety protocols that minimize exposure to COVID-19 in our schools. Following guidance from the (Louisiana Department of Education), we expect there to be cases in our schools throughout the year given the levels of COVID-19 in our communities.

Two School Board members said last week that the parish should also wait until after Labor Day, and many teachers have also spoken out against what they say is a dangerous rush back to in-person learning.

Kesler Camese-Jones, president of the Jefferson Federation of Teachers, said one major problems with the start of school as it stands now is that teachers, technology and facilities arent ready for either online or in-class learning.

There are webcams that arent there or dont work, schools without running water and instructional materials that havent been distributed yet, among other deficiencies. She said her office has been slammed with calls from teachers who say there is no way they can be ready for either in-class or online learning next week.

Our educators are up in arms; they are upset, Camese-Jones said. We have to delay.

Camese-Jones said delaying until Labor Day would be ideal to help teachers get ready for online learning.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Louisiana
Even teleprompter could not take so many lies: Rahul's dig at PM Modis Davos speech

PM CARES Fund: No curb on use of PM's name, photo, image of flag, emblem, PMO tells HC

PM Modi to deliver inaugural address at conclave on higher education

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Aug 07: Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will today deliver the inaugural address at the Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under the National Education Policy through video conference. The PM's address would take place at 11 am.

The event is organised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and University Grants Commission. A release from the Prime Minister's office said that the conclave will have sessions dedicated to significant aspects of education covered under the National Education Policy, 2020 like holistic, multidisciplinary and futuristic education, quality research, and equitable use of technology for better reach in Education.

Smart India hackathon 2020: NEP will transform job seekers into job creators, says PM Modi

The conclave will be attended by HRD Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal and MoS HRD Sanjay Dhotre. Several dignitaries including the chairman and members of the Draft NEP, eminent academicians and scientists will also speak on the different aspects of the NEP 2020.

The NEP which was last week approved by the Union Cabinet was announced by Pokhriyal in a press conference. Through the NEP, the government aims at increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education to 50 per cent by 2035 and 3.5 crore seats are to be added for this purpose.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The MHRD had said, 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
Rosalind Gray, 56, who pushed her friend, 60, down the stairs after they fell out over a cancelled holiday to Morocco has been convicted of her manslaughter

A 56-year-old woman who pushed her friend, 60, down the stairs after they fell out over a cancelled holiday to Morocco has been convicted of her manslaughter.

Rosalind Gray, 56, allegedly owed 200 to grandmother Linda Rainey, 60, after their trip to Marrakesh was cancelled due to a flight mix-up.

The two women exchanged messages in which mother-of-five Ms Rainey asked for her money back and Gray called her a 'nasty old troll'.

They allegedly argued again when they unexpectedly met up at the home of mutual friend Adrian Lawrence, 54, in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Gray pushed Ms Rainey in the chest as she stood at the top of the stairs sending her flying backwards and causing her to suffer a brain injury.

Prosecutor Andrew Jackson said Ms Rainey's death would have been an 'undetected perfect murder' if it had been put down to a tragic accident.

Ms Rainey died two days after the incident on August 7 last year without regaining consciousness after having her life support turned off in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.

Gray, of Great Yarmouth, and Lawrence set out to pretend her death was an accident and tried to silence witness Emma Walker who had been in the flat.

But Ms Walker spoke to police three days after her death on August 10 and revealed what happened.

Gray and Lawrence had told Ms Walker to hide in another room when paramedics arrived to treat Ms Rainey as she 'couldn't be trusted to stay quiet'

Gray allegedly owed 200 to grandmother Linda Rainey, 60, (pictured) after their trip to Marrakesh was cancelled due to a flight mix-up

Ms Rainey died on August 7 last year without regaining consciousness after having her life support turned off in Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge

Gray was cleared of murder after she denied the charge, but a jury took less than two hours to find her guilty of manslaughter on Thursday.

She and Lawrence were also convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice between August 5 and August 12 last year after a two week trial.

Judge Stephen Holt adjourned sentencing until September 10.

But he warned her she faced prison, saying: 'The jury has convicted you of a very serious offence.

'I have to consider whether you fall to be sentenced under the dangerousness provisions and are considered a real danger to the public.'

The jury were told of some of the 5,493 text messages exchanged between Gray and Ms Rainey from December 24, 2018, until July 31 last year.

One message allegedly sent by Gray described Ms Rainey as a 'nasty old bag'.

Another sent by Gray at 10.11pm on July 30 called her former friend 'vile' and a 'nasty old troll' and urged her to 'enjoy your lonely life'.

Ms Rainey replied that Gray owed her 200. In the last message between them at 12.02am on July 31, she said: 'Come on sweet, bring it on'.

Lynette King told the court how witness Emma Walker confided in her about being in the flat when she saw Gray pushing Ms Rainey, which caused her to fall down the stairs.

Police at the scene after grandmother Ms Rainey suffered fatal injuries when she was pushed down a flight of stairs in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

She said Ms Walker was frightened of Gray but she urged her to tell the truth, saying she would phone the police herself if Ms Walker didn't.

The court heard how Gray had once carried out an arson attack and on another occasion had held a knife to the throat of Ms Walker's boyfriend.

Ms King said in the end she phoned police with the agreement of Ms Walker and told them what had happened between Gray and Ms Rainey.

Detective Chief Inspector Mike Brown of Norfolk Police said after the hearing: 'Rosalind Gray and Adrian Lawrence immediately knew the seriousness of Rosalind's actions and went to great lengths to cover it up, even after Linda died.

'I would like to thank the witness for their bravery and assistance throughout our investigation and during the trial. Without their honest and consistent account of the circumstances leading up to, and during the days after the incident, we may not have ever known the truth behind Linda's untimely and tragic death.'
Deepak Nitrite tumbled 7.4% to Rs 595.40 after the chemical maker posted a 24.8% drop in consolidated net profit to Rs 98.95 crore in Q1 June 2020 from Rs 131.61 crore in Q1 June 2019.

Consolidated net sales stood at Rs 674.49 crore in Q1 June 2020, falling 36% from Rs 1050.98 crore in Q1 June 2019. The result was announced after market hours yesterday, 6 August 2020.

Profit before tax came at Rs 132.64 crore in Q1 June 2020, falling 34% from Rs 201.23 crore in Q1 June 2019. Total tax expense for Q1 June 2020 stood at Rs 33.69 crore, declining 51% from the year ago period.

Meanwhile, Deepak Phenolics, a wholly-owned subsidiary, is expanding its capacity of production of lsopropyl Alcohol (lPA) at its manufacturing facility situated at Dahej, Gujarat from 30,000 Tonnes Per Annum (TPA) to 60,000 TPA. The company said that the existing capacity utilization for manufacturing IPA is above 100%. IPA is a solvent and majorly used by pharma companies and is also used in manufacture sanitizer.

The company said it expected to commission the capacity expansion in the first quarter of financial year 2021-22 for an approximate cost of Rs 50 crore. The demand of IPA in India is around 1,80,000 TPA. While domestic manufacturing capacity is around 100,000 TPA with 80,000 TPA being imported. The capacity addition will also help in further reducing dependence on imports of IPA.

Deepak Nitrite makes chemical intermediates. It has a diversified portfolio of intermediates that cater to the dyes and pigments, agrochemical, pharmaceutical, plastics, textiles, paper and home and personal care segments in India and overseas.

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Will come back to haunt you: Jaishankar in veiled reference to Pakistan

India-Central Asia dialogue: Need to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Afghan, says Jaishankar

Jaishankar, Pompeo discuss security in Indo-Pacific region, Covid-19 over phone

International

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 07: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his American counterpart Mike Pompeo have spoken over phone and discussed the bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of international concern, including efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and the Indo-Pacific region, a senior US official has said.

The two leaders reiterated the strength of the India-US relationship to advance peace, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe, Cale Brown, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department said on Thursday.

Future of India-China ties depends on reaching 'some kind of equilibrium: Jaishankar

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

India and the US have explored ways to boost cooperation in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region where China has been trying to spread its influence. The issue was discussed extensively during the third round of the India-US Maritime Security Dialogue which took place in Goa in 2018.

The US has been pushing for a broader role by India in the strategically important Indo-Pacific region. India, the US and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military maneuvering in the region.

"Both leaders agreed to continue close cooperation on a full range of regional and international issues and look forward to Quadrilateral consultations and the US-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue later this year," Brown said.

In November 2017, India, the US, Australia and Japan had given shape to the long-pending Quadrilateral coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of Chinese influence.

The first 2+2 dialogue was held in New Delhi in September 2018 after the mechanism was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.

Transformation underway in J&K says Jaishankar

During the call, Jaishankar and Pompeo discussed the ongoing bilateral and multilateral cooperation on issues of international concern, including efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, support the peace process in Afghanistan, and address recent destabilising actions in the region, Brown said in a readout of the telephonic conversation.

The two leaders have been in regular communication during the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed over 7 lakh lives and infected nearly 19 million people worldwide.
Qatar Airways adds resumes more flights to Africa. Image: Qatar Airways

With the addition of Kigali and Nairobi, the airline now operates 33 weekly flights to eight destinations in Africa including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Tunis.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: We are delighted to resume flights to Nairobi and Kigali, totalling our flights to 33 weekly flights into Africa with eight destinations. Qatar Airways continues to maintain an expanding schedule with now more than 500 weekly flights to over 75 destinations. During the pandemic, Qatar Airways have become the largest global carrier to maintain its schedule in taking people home with the highest safety measures. Our wide network of flights during these challenging times has ensured we have kept up to date with the latest in international airport procedures. We also implemented the most advanced safety & hygiene measures on board our aircraft and in our home and hub at Hamad International Airport which was recently voted the Best Airport in the Middle East for the sixth year in a row. Qatar Airways has been the most reliable airline during the pandemic and will continue to ensure its promised five-star service and hospitality is delivered across its network. We hope to see many people come visit Kenya and Rwanda and explore the worlds stunning wildlife and more.
The federal government says it will give $276 million to support the development of affordable housing units and shelter beds in Peel over the next eight years, a significant injection of funding for the regions master housing plan.

Families, Children and Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen made the funding announcement Friday in Brampton.

The money will come through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, and along with support from the province and regional council, is aimed at the development of 2,240 affordable rental units and shelter beds across sites owned by the region.

Peels regional council last summer endorsed a housing master plan  the keystone of its 10-year housing and homelessness plan, which began in 2018  laying out the development of 5,700 affordable rental and emergency units over 15 years on regional surplus land.

Under that plan, 5,364 rental units, 226 supportive housing units and 60 emergency beds were to be developed by 2034.

But Regional Chair Nando Iannicca acknowledged this fall that it couldnt happen without significant funding from Ottawa and Queens Park.

As of late November, the region said that 965 affordable housing units were in development.

According to Hussens office, the funding announced Friday is separate from previous affordable housing announcements in Peel Region, including a one last week that promised $23.5 million in federal and provincial money for two specific housing developments.

A breakdown of the individual projects that Fridays funding will support was not immediately available.

Peel, like many other jurisdictions, has seen its affordable housing shortage brought into sharp relief by the coronavirus pandemic.

Experts have pointed out that a shortage in affordable housing stock can lead to overcrowding, with underhoused populations facing steeper challenges if they needed to isolate or physically distance to curb the virus spread.

If we want to protect our communities, we need urgently to increase access to affordable, healthy housing, Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of the Wellesley Institute, urged last week, while pointing out that racialized and low-income households are more likely to be underhoused.

Tenant advocates and legal experts have warned that homelessness could rise in the months ahead, due to the economic turmoil of pandemic-related lockdowns, coupled with a recent change to provincial laws for tenants and landlords and the end of an eviction moratorium in Ontario.

Between March 17 and July 19, Ontarios Landlord and Tenant Board processed 6,083 applications to evict tenants for not paying their rent. As of Thursday, Tribunals Ontario said those cases hadnt yet been scheduled for hearings.

The news release Friday noted that Peel has had one of the highest growth rates in the Greater Toronto Area over the last two decades. From 2011 to 2016, Peels population went up 6.5 per cent. At the same time, Peels housing and homelessness plan notes that their number of low-income households grew by eight per cent.

Peels vacancy rate for market rental housing, according to Fridays release, is just 1.2 per cent. A healthy rate, according to the regions 10-year housing and homelessness plan, would be three per cent.

At the time of the 10-year plans publication, in 2018, the regions analysis showed that 70 per cent of Peels lowest income earners were living in unaffordable housing  meaning 90,000 individual households making $59,156 or less were spending more than 30 per cent of their income on shelter.

For middle-income households, making between $59,156 and $106,002 per year, the gap is smaller  with 29 per cent in the category. Fifteen per cent of renters in Peel, or roughly 17,000 households, live in community housing, Fridays announcement notes.

The wait list for housing subsidies in Peel, as of late November 2019, was at 13,597 households; 903 households were placed into affordable housing in Peel from the wait list in 2018.

With files from Jennifer Pagliaro
The new school year has seen students attending classes online due to the COVID restrictions. The limiting of engagement between the educational institutions and students has inspired Notebook, Indias first after-school learning app to launch the Notebook Zero Hour, the largest online inter-school public speaking event for school students. Powered by Stayfree, Indias leading sanitary napkin brand, Zero Hour is the largest competitive public speaking event ever held for schools in India and abroad, where schools have a chance to pit themselves against the best speakers from other schools from India and across the world.

In its first edition this year, the online debates commenced from July 18th with 64 marquee schools from India and abroad ready to face off against each. Played in a league format, the initial face-offs will see 8 schools proceeding to the quarter-finals. The winners of the 4 quarter-finals will participate in 2 semi-finals and the subsequent winners will face off in the Grand Finale to be held on August 15, 2020 to mark Indias 74th Independence Day.

Manoj Gadgil, Vice President Marketing, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Division said, We are glad to be associated with Notebook Zero Hour. With students stuck at home, the online debate competition offers the youngsters an opportunity to enhance their communication skills through fruitful interactions with their peers. It helps them overcome fear, encourages them to express their opinion and increases their self-confidence. Stayfree has been driving safe menstrual health and hygiene education and adoption initiatives in schools and Notebook Zero Hour gives the brand a platform to continue to encourage young girls to be informed, feel confident, pursue their dreams and not let anything hold them back.

The first online face-off on July 18th saw a scintillating debate between Orchids The International School Thane and Indian School, Al-Ghubra that was won by the team from the Muscat-based school. The quality of the debate and those that followed were indicative of the high level of preparation that the students had undergone with facts and figures backing the emotionally charged discussions.

Achin Bhattacharyya, Founder and CEO, Notebook said, We at Notebook are extremely humbled at being able to host Zero Hour for students, powered by Stayfree and also supported by Save the Children. Our Together for Education webinars for esteemed educators and parents have already been a huge success with more than 12,000 attendees from more than 50 countries during our last 27 sessions. Notebook Zero Hour is our effort to provide a platform to encourage young school-goers from across the nation and also from Middle East, Nepal and Africa to engage in meaningful discussions. Its very important to encourage students during this hour of pandemic when they are confined to their home for months, away from their schools, friends, and outdoor sports. Hence we wanted to connect all these isolated centres of excellence, to form a virtual community of like-minded educators and students through Notebook Zero Hour debates. We have been thrilled to have more than 300 schools registering, but could accommodate only 64 in the current format. We are very happy with the enthusiasm that we have seen in students and teachers who have worked hard to make this event a huge success. The art of public speaking is an indispensable asset in todays fast paced world and irrespective of any profession that a student wants to pursue its role in ensuring career growth is unquestionable. Also debate, discussion and public discourse are at the heart of any vibrant democracy and hence it is very important that we encourage our future leaders to not only have articulate speaking skills but also tolerant listening skills and hence the format of the debate has been customised accordingly for rebuttals which also tests listening skills.

The debate topics cover contemporary and relevant issues and range from online privacy to international trade that motivate the young students to research and widen their knowledge base while developing critical thinking skills. The debates will be moderated by Subhayu Roy, Co-founder, Notebook and judged by esteemed educators, eminent thought leaders and other luminaries from various walks of life.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Cloudy with gusty winds. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 38F. Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. Low around 10F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 8:30 am ET Friday, the U.S Labor Department will release non-farm payrolls data for July. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major counterparts. While the greenback rose against the franc and the pound, it was steady versus the yen and the euro. The greenback was worth 105.69 against the yen, 0.9143 against the franc, 1.1815 against the euro and 1.3076 against the pound as of 8:25 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.
W anted: comfortable residence with no signs of subsidence at a reasonable price.

If this was the demand from investors, property site Rightmove appeared to fit the bill today. The FTSE 100 firm gave cheer to housing market followers, reporting 65 days of record traffic.

The company reckons that, as well as pent up demand, Brits have reassessed their living arrangements during lockdown, and are scoping out the market.

Demand for new homes for sale in June and July was 50% above the same period last year. A shift in interest to larger properties in more rural areas has been reported by agents. Rightmove shares, which plunged to 400p in April, rose 7% to 618p.

However, Ed Monk at Fidelity warned that a long-term trend for estate agents quitting the site was still a worry. He said: The challenge for Rightmove is that its dominant position  listing 50% more properties than any other portal  stands to be eroded.

Rightmove revenues fell 34% to 94.8 million and operating profits dropped 43% to 61.7 million in the first-half due to lockdown. Halifax reported house prices pushed to a new high, increasing 3,770 month on month to a UK average of 241,604 in July.

Events across the Pond dominated trading, as US President Donald Trump signed an order banning US residents from doing business with the Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat apps beginning 45 days from now.

The move sent Asian markets falling, and the FTSE 100 was subdued, up just 9.59 points at 6036.53 as traders awaited US non-farm payroll data. Jitters over a second Covid wave across Europe were weighing on travel and consumer stocks, Cineworld was off 8% at 32p, easyJet tumbled 5% to 561p and IAG, which today began cutting jobs at British Airways, fell 4% to 178p.

The Covid crisis has lit a match under pharma shares and Hikma up around 30% this year  lifted 11% to 2386p, valuing it at 5.5 billion. The FTSE 100 drugs firm posted rising first-half profits and raised its interim dividend by 14% after strong demand for its injectables business. It is working on a Covid-19 treatment with Americas Gilead.

Telecoms testing firm Spirent bounced 6% higher to 291p as it saw first-half revenues increase by 7% to $233.7 million while profits doubled. Chief executive Eric Updyke said it had demonstrated a resilient business model at a time when remote connectivity is critical.

Small-cap spotlight

The Covid-19 bounce in a cluster of AIM-listed stocks continued apace today, as Avacta saw shares step up. The firm specialises in biotherapeutics  medicines produced from biological sources such as living organisms  and said it had entered into a collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The institution, which studies infectious diseases, will clinically validate Avactas saliva coronavirus test, which it is developing with life sciences firm Cytiva. The stock rose 5.7p or 4% to 139.7p.
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot resigned abruptly on August 4 after months of conflict between her department and Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio related to the citys response to the coronavirus pandemic. While conflicts between de Blasio and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) have been glaring since May, it appears that the impending reopening of the citys public schools as soon as September 10 was the final straw that prompted Barbots departure, reportedly because she expected to be fired shortly.

In early March, Barbot and other top DOHMH officials were among those urging de Blasio to adopt measures to combat the pandemic earlier and more consistently against the urging of, among others, Dr. Mitchell Katz, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H), responsible for the citys public hospitals. De Blasio apparently retaliated by moving COVID-19 contact tracing from DOHMHwhich contact traces for HIV and other communicable diseasesto H+H.

Dr. Oxiris Barbot (Credit: Twitter/@michcoll)

Barbots replacement, Dr. David Chokshi, has worked for six years in senior roles at H+H. He has endorsed the reopening of schools, saying that New York City is one of the only places with an infection rate low enough to do so. His new role was announced rapidly, illustrating that Barbot was indeed forced out and did not resign of her own volition.

In point of fact, while new cases in the city are in the low hundreds daily, a far cry from the April 6 peak of 6,377, the proportion of tests coming back positive remains above one percent, and tests still take days to return results. With the pandemic surging nationally and with much of the New York economy reopened, a second wave in the state and city is inevitable, especially if the schools reopen as planned.

Official data for the city indicates 18,938 confirmed COVID-19 deaths and an additional 4,625 probable deaths. The staggering 23,563 total is certainly an undercounting of deaths directly and indirectly caused by the pandemic.

There is every indication that Barbots forced departure is an attempt to neuter an agency that has advocated for generally more stringent public health measures than de Blasio, a tool of Wall Street despite his progressive posturing, has been willing to adopt. This conflict dates back to before the pandemic, with the mayor and DOHMH squabbling over the 2015 Legionnaires disease outbreak in the Bronx.

However, this pales in comparison to the row that began at the beginning of this year. Barbot, who became health commissioner in 2018, and her staff were arguing for the closure of schools and businesses much earlier than the mayor was willing to consider and earlier than their counterparts in H+H were.

As early as March 10, DOHMH officials were urging de Blasio to close the citys public schools, with some even threatening to resign in the face of the mayors intransigence, according to the New York Times.

On the very same day, H+Hs Katz was emailing top mayoral aides recklessly promoting a murderous herd immunity approach. He claimed that there was no proof that closures will help stop the spread, despite the experience of Hubei Province in China, and worried about the economic impact of any serious public health measures, according to the Times.

He then declared, We have to accept that unless a vaccine is rapidly developed, large numbers of people will get infected. The good thing is greater than 99 percent will recover without harm. Once people recover, they will have immunity. The immunity will protect the herd.

This perspective guided the citys response for the following week, needlessly condemning tens of thousands to an early grave in New York City and in areas across the US where the virus spread from New York.

De Blasio only ended up closing the schools days later above all due to threats of a mass sickout by rank-and-file teachers. At this point, further shutdowns at the city and state levels were inevitable, especially under conditions in which workers nationally were engaged in job actions against the spread of the virus and when the Wall Street bailout had not yet been passed in Congress.

His reluctant coming around to public health measures did not mend the relationship with DOHMH or Barbot. In early May, de Blasio handed control of the citys COVID-19 contact tracing program to H+H, despite DOHMH overseeing contact tracing measures for other diseases like HIV. Public health experts at the time roundly condemned the decision, and de Blasio officials privately told the media the decision was outrageous.

The contact tracing program began, in the understated words of the New York Times, with a rocky start. Despite supposedly being chosen because it can rapidly hire people, H+H has outsourced call center management to a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, and fewer than half of those contacted have provided the necessary information to contact tracers.

Dr. Neil Vora, director of the contact tracing efforts, admitted in an internal meeting, Right now, cases are popping up all over the place, and we are not linking them to known contacts except in a small proportion of cases.

The dirty tricks against Barbot did not end there, however. In particular, this was demonstrated in a confrontation that allegedly occurred in March between Barbot and New York City Police Department Chief of Department Terence Monahan which surfaced later in May.

NYPD officers had been attempting to strong-arm half a million surgical masks from the DOHMH stockpile but were promised a lower amount due to shortage of supplies. Barbot allegedly said, according to the New York Post tabloid, I dont give two rats asses about your cops. (NYPD officers have been ostentatiously violating state mandates and departmental policy by eschewing masks, including during the violent crackdown on protests against police violence.)

While no doubt garnering her sympathy among health care workers and workers more broadly in New York City, who loathe and fear the NYPD, the leaking of the conversation sparked a firestorm in the media and among the police, particularly among the fascistic police union officialdom.

At that point, Barbot seemed firmly on the outs, appearing at fewer news conferences, and the Times notes that de Blasio again turned to Katz for advice.

Recent weeks have seen lower-profile friction between de Blasio and DOHMH about how to reopen the schools, including what containment measures are appropriate when a student tests positive.

Barbots being forced out occurs during a relative lull in the citys coronavirus cases, but also at a critical moment which will determine how the next phase of the pandemic will affect the city. With caseloads overwhelming hospital systems across the country, it is only a matter of time before there is a resurgence in New York City, especially within the schools.

As of this writing, the citys public school district, the largest in the country, is the only district among the six largest in the US preparing to resume in-person instruction at the beginning of the school year. All of the other largest, including Chicago and Miami-Dade, have had to bow to the reality of the expanding pandemic and the immense opposition among educators and parents to the resumption of classes, for at least a few weeks.

However, forcing students back to school is the linchpin of the back-to-work campaign in the US. Millions of workers are unable to return to full-time work if their children are being taught remotely. That such a policy will result in the infection and deaths of an untold number of children, educators, staff and parents, along with an acceleration of the pandemic, is small potatoes to President Donald Trump as well as Democratic officials like de Blasio.

It is under these conditions that Barbots position at DOHMH became untenable. For all of de Blasios blathering about teamwork, his decision was driven by Wall Streets profit interests.

Thanks to the herd immunity position adopted for a few days in the largest city in the country, New York City was the undisputed epicenter of the pandemic globally for weeks. The return to such policies signaled by Barbots ouster, on the eve of the return to in-person instruction, will spell an even worse bloodbath, unless halted by the independent action of the working class, guided by a socialist program.
BEIJING, Aug. 7 -- The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is going to conduct series of maritime live-fire training exercises in waters of Zhoushan Islands, East Chinas Zhejiang Province, respectively in Huang Dayang area from August 11st to 13rd, and in northern waters of the Daishan waterway from August 16th to 17th, according to the navigation notices released on the website of the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) on August 6, 2020.

During the time periods, no vessel shall be allowed to navigate within the above water areas and all vessels have to follow the guidance of the guarding ships on site.

The details are as follows:

[2020] 0097, Live-fire training exercises in waters off Huang Dayang Islands in Zhoushansea area

August 6, 2020

I. Training Schedule: 06:00 A.M to 12:00 P.M per-day, from August 11st to 13rd, 2020.

II. Training Site: Military exercises in waters off Huang Dayang Islands in Zhoushan Sea Area, bounded by the lines joining (Adopting China Geodetic Coordinate System 2000):

1300902N/1222120E

2300644N/1222601E

3300319N/1222313E

4300021N/1222112E

5300320N/1221756E.

III. Announcements:

1.During the training period, no irrelevant vessel shall be allowed to navigate, execute operations or anchor and moor within the above lines.

2. Guard ships and vessels will be deployed to implement alert in the scene (Contact via Channel VHF16), all vessels close to waters within the above lines have to follow the guidance of the guarding ships on site.



Website screenshot of the announcement published by the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) on August 6, 2020.

[2020] 0098, Live-fire training exercises in northern waters of the Daishan waterway in Zhoushan Sea area

August 6, 2020

I. Training Schedule: 06:00 A.M to 12:00 P.M per-day, from August 16th to 17th, 2020.

II. Training Site: Military exercises in northern waters of the Daishan waterway in Zhoushan Sea area, bounded by the lines joining (Adopting China Geodetic Coordinate System 2000):

1301928N/1221314E

2302236N/1221720E

3301907N/1222022E

4301816N/1221457E.

III. Announcements:

1.During the training period, no irrelevant vessel shall be allowed to navigate, execute operations or anchor and moor within the above lines.

2. Guard ships and vessels will be deployed to implement alert in the scene (Contact via Channel VHF16), all vessels close to waters within the above lines have to follow the guidance of the guarding ships on site.



Website screenshot of the announcement published by the Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) on August 6, 2020.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Senik and Japan's Ambassador to Ukraine Takashi Kurai discussed the preparation for the next meeting of the Coordinating Council on Economic Cooperation.

They discussed this issue during a meeting on August 6, the Foreign Ministrys press service reported.

Ukraine is interested in dynamic development of cooperation with Japan, particularly in economic and investment sectors. In this context, the preparation for the next meeting of the Coordinating Council on Economic Cooperation with Japan and Keidanren Committee on Ukraine was discussed, the report says.

The sides also discussed issues of strengthening cooperation in the IT sphere, in particular cybersecurity and e-governance.

The interlocutors noted the high level of bilateral partnership, trust and mutual respect in Ukrainian-Japanese relations.

Senik renewed the invitation to Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi to visit Ukraine at his convenience.

He also thanked the Japanese side for its consistent support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and separately noted the importance of financial and economic assistance provided to Ukraine by the Japanese side.

As reported, since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Japan has provided Ukraine with assistance worth more than $3.2 billion through concessional loans, technical and grant assistance.

ish
NEW YORK, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gold prices have continued to hit all-time record highs, with December gold reaching an astounding $2,027 on Tuesday as traders assessed the weakening dollar, continued monetary stimulus and of course, the ongoing pandemic. The gold frenzy is helping boost profitability for major gold producers and is starting to benefit mid-tier and junior gold exploration companies, particularly those in prolific gold regions across Canada. While some mining regions faced pandemic-related setbacks, miners in Canada continued with operations. Gold producer Yamana Gold (TSX:YRI) (NYSE:AUY), which owns one of Canada's largest gold mines with Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX:AEM) (NYSE:AEM), just exceeded production expectations and increased its annual dividend by 12%. Centerra Gold Inc. (TSX:CG) also boosted its quarterly dividend by 25% after reporting record Q2 net earnings of $80.7 million. Meanwhile, Pretium Resources (TSX:PVG) (NYSE:PVG) has continued to have steady production at its Brucejack Mine in British Columbia and remains on track to meet 2020 production guidance. Then, there is gold exploration company Portofino Resources Inc. (TSXV:POR) and its two very promising projects in one of Canada's largest and highest-grade gold producing districts.

The Red Lake Mining District in northwestern Ontario has produced approximately 30 million ounces of high-grade gold, most of which came from the iconic Campbell and Red Lake gold mines. However, a series of recent discoveries in the region suggest that miners have just barely scratched the surface of what Red Lake has to offer.

Unlocking the Potential of the Red Lake Mining District

Renewed interest in the Red Lake Mining District came after Great Bear Resources made multiple discoveries of high-grade gold at its flagship Dixie Project, which has been touted as one of Canada's largest new gold discoveries. Now, Portofino Resources Inc. (TSXV:POR) has begun exploration on two promising gold projects in very close proximity.

Located just 9 kilometers east of the Dixie Project is Portofino's South of Otter Property, which comprises 5,363 hectares and shares similar geology and structures. Then, there is the company's recently acquired 1,428-hectare Bruce lake property, which is located only 1.5 km northeast of Great Bear's Pakwash Property and 11 km southeast of Dixie.

Since acquiring the South of Otter property in 2019, Portofino Resources Inc. (POR.V) has been hard at work exploring and mapping the area and has already garnered some positive results. On August 5, the company reported impressive assay results from 12 samples taken from its South of Otter property during recent exploration, which identified two gold-bearing quartz veins sampling 18.0 grams per tonne (g/t) and 8.19 g/t gold.

The company also just increased the size of its South of Otter property from 5,207 hectares to 5,363 ha. by staking 2 additional, (contiguous) mining claims. The South of Otter property contains excellent targets for Red Lake-style gold mineralization and gold-bearing base metal prospects.

Just days later, Portofino announced an exciting milestone with the receipt of drill permits for the South of Otter property. The field crew has now mobilized to siteand is focused on expanding the new gold zone.

Apart from its work at South of Otter, Portofino Resources Inc. (POR.V) has also just completed initial exploration work at Bruce Lake, which included prospecting, rock, soil and glacial till sampling, and geological mapping.

Gold Mines Across Canada

Another highly gold-endowed region in Canada is the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, which is home to one of Canada's largest gold mines, the open pit Canadian Malartic. The open pit mine was jointly acquired by Yamana Gold (TSX:YRI) (NYSE:AUY) and Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX:AEM) (NYSE:AEM) and has continued to deliver strong production and cash flow, with the potential to expand both the mineral resources and mine life.

Despite experiencing a temporary suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Malartic ramped up faster than expected and exceeded production expectations with mill throughput in both May and June surpassing 60,000 tons per day.

Across the country in northwestern Canada is Centerra Gold's (TSX:CG) Mount Milligan property, which is located in the easy-access mining-friendly region of Prince George, British Columbia. The project contains 2.4 million ounces of gold and 959 million pounds of copper in proven and probable reserves and has an estimated 9-year mine life.

Also in Canada's northwest is Pretium Resources' (TSX:PVG) (NYSE:PVG) Brucejack mine, a high-grade gold underground mine that contains total mineral reserves of 4.2 million ounces of gold. In Q1 2020, gold production at the Brucejack mine was 82,888 ounces of gold at all-in sustaining costs of $996 per ounce of gold sold. Pretium expects to produce 325,000 to 365,000 ounces of gold in 2020 at all-in sustaining costs between $910-$1,060 per ounce.

It's evident that Canada's rich gold regions offer investors a chance to capitalize on rising gold prices and protect themselves from stock market volatility. From established gold producers like Pretium Resources and Agnico Eagle Mines to junior exploration companies like Portofino Resources Inc. (.VPOR), which is on the edge of the next big discovery in Ontario, there are plenty of opportunities to get in on Canada's booming gold market.

For more information about Portofino Resources Inc. (TSXV:POR), click here .

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The countries on the UK's quarantine exemption list have changed again. (Getty Images)

The list of countries from which Britons have to quarantine for 14 days after returning has changed again.

Here is everything you need to know about the latest coronavirus travel corridor developments.

Which countries are the latest to have been removed from the quarantine exemption list?

On Thursday, transport secretary Grant Shapps announced travellers arriving in the UK after 4am on Saturday (29 August) from Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic will have to quarantine for 14 days.

It comes after Croatia, Austria and Trinidad and Tobago were also removed from the exemption list on 22 August.

Other places to have been removed in recent weeks include: Aruba; France; Malta; Monaco; the Netherlands; Turks and Caicos Islands; Andorra; The Bahamas; Belgium; Luxembourg; and Spain.

Which countries are the latest to have been added to the quarantine exemption list?

At the same time as removing Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic, Shapps added Cuba to the list for the first time.

It follows Portugal, Brunei and Malaysia, which were also added to the safe list earlier this month: meaning people dont have to quarantine when they arrive in the UK.

Which other countries are on the quarantine exemption list?

As of 4am on Saturday (29 August), people arriving in England from the following countries and territories do not have to quarantine for 14 days:

Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; Barbados; Bermuda; Bonaire; St Eustatius and Saba; British Antarctic Territory; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Brunei; Cayman Islands; the Channel Islands; Cuba; Curacao; Cyprus; Denmark; Dominica; Estonia; Falkland Islands; Faroe Islands; Fiji; Finland; French Polynesia; Gibraltar; Germany; Greece; Greenland; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; the Isle of Man; Italy; Japan; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Macao (Macau); Malaysia; Mauritius; Montserrat; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Norway; Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands; Poland; Portugal; Reunion; San Marino; Seychelles; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Korea; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; St Barthelemy; St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia; St Pierre and Miquelon; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Taiwan; Turkey; Vatican City State; Vietnam.

Story continues

Follow the links for guidance on Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Why are countries removed from the quarantine exemption list?

Following the removal of Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic on Thursday, Shapps said: The decision on whether to add or remove a country is carefully made after research from the Joint Biosecurity Centre.

A lead indicator is 20 cases per 100,000 over seven days but they take into account a wide range of factors: including level, rate and speed of change in confirmed cases.

What does it mean for holidaymakers  can I still travel to countries not on the exemption list?

Yes, you can, though the 14-day quarantine on your return might have consequences for your work.

The government has reminded people that travelling abroad at the moment comes with a risk, warning circumstances can change quickly.

Shapps, who had to quarantine for 14 days after a holiday in Spain, had previously warned: As with all air bridge countries, please be aware that things can change quickly.

Only travel if you are content to unexpectedly 14-day quarantine if required (I speak from experience!).

What about travel insurance?

Following Thursdays announcement, Patrick Ikhena, head of travel insurance at comparethemarket.com, warned: The restrictions apply to the whole country, even those areas with low infection rates, and as a result this unfortunately means that most travel insurance policies will no longer provide cover to Switzerland, Jamaica and Czech Republic.

He added a decision to cancel a trip to avoid the mandatory quarantine rules would be considered a disinclination to travel and many policies would be unlikely to pay out.

Coronavirus: what happened today

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 09:18:52|Editor: huaxia

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BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Argentina on Thursday said it is extending COVID-19 treatment and isolation measures to those who have lived with a confirmed patient and showed two or more symptoms of the disease before test results are reported.

The goal is to tackle new cases and better contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the country's ministry of health said in a statement.

Prior to the decision, health authorities focused only on those whose diagnosis was confirmed by test results, Alejandro Costa, undersecretary of health strategies, told reporters at a news conference.

The new strategy targets probable cases in areas with community transmission presenting two or more symptoms, such as fever, cough, sore throat, breathing difficulties, or vomiting.

Argentina has reported over 220,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 4,000 deaths from the disease so far. Enditem
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Brussels, Belgium  Fri, August 7, 2020 16:00 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c590ee 2 World Lebanon,EU,European-Union,emergency-aid Free

The European Union announced Thursday that it had released 33 million euros to finance emergency aid for Lebanon and mobilized material resources, including an Italian hospital ship, to help relief efforts in Beirut after this week's devastating explosions.

A donor conference is also planned to mobilize additional funding for reconstruction after an assessment of what is required, said a EU source.

The release of the 33 million euros ($39 million) should make it possible to cover the immediate needs of the emergency services and hospitals in the capital, said the European Commission.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke by phone with Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Thursday to talk about European Union assistance.

In a letter to the 27 EU members released on Thursday evening, von der Leyen and Charles Michel, President of the European Council, called on member states to "contribute to the road to recovery that lies ahead".

"We... invite you to intensify your support to Lebanon both on the immediate needs, but also with a view to the longer-term reconstruction of the country," the leaders wrote.

"In order to ensure efficiency and swift delivery, we stand ready to ensure the synergy of the aid that you and the EU as a whole will provide to Lebanon, through a coordination mechanism that the EU institutions will put in place."

They reminded the 27 member states of the "strong partnership" between the EU and Lebanon, "a country of strategic importance which hosts the largest number of refugees per capita".

"We have a common interest in acting now to limit the fall-out of this tragedy," they said.

European countries have mobilized quickly with the Italian navy making available a ship with helicopter medical evacuation capability and a flight containing 8.5 tons of medical equipment.

"We are at the side of the Lebanese people and we will work in the coming days to give them the greatest possible support," said Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio on Thursday.

"What happened... is a tragedy that has struck the Lebanese people, and from our point of view helping a friendly country like Lebanon also means stopping a process of destabilization and instability which risks having an effect on migration."

Di Maio said Italy had sent "firemen, soldiers, specialists... and eight tons of medical aid".
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities gave exemption from home quarantine to Bihar-cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vinay Tiwari, who had come to the city for investigation into actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death, allowing him to return to Patna before Saturday. The decision was taken following a letter by Bihar Police to facilitate Tiwaris return to Patna to resume his duty.

Tiwari had arrived in Mumbai on Sunday evening and was asked by the civic authorities to remain under 14-day quarantine until August 15, as per the rule for domestic air travellers. Tiwari was quarantined at the SRPF camp in Goregaon, where he had put up upon his arrival to Mumbai. On Thursday, four other personnel of Bihar Police, who were in Mumbai since July 27 to investigate Rajputs death, flew back to Patna.

Bihar Polices letter came in the backdrop of the Nitish Kumar-led government giving its consent to transfer the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) earlier this week. CBI registered a first information report in the case on Thursday.

Mumbai Police is probing the case after the actor was found dead in his Bandra apartment on June 14 and Maharashtra government ordered an investigation into his death.

P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, responded to Bihar Polices letter.

It is surprising and unfortunate to note that a visiting senior officer before proceeding to Maharashtra has not acquainted himself with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) quarantine guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government to arrest the spread of the pandemic in the state. It may be noted that the guidelines are available in the public domain, the BMC letter stated.

Considering that it is only the fifth day of his arrival, and since the request to exempt from home isolation to go back to Patna has come from Patna police, and considering the provision in the SOP (standard operating procedure) to exempt passengers on a short duration visit, it is hereby decided to exempt Mr. Vinay Tiwari from home quarantine subject to fulfilling the following conditions. He shall leave Maharashtra before the seventh day of the start of quarantine (before August 8), the letter stated.

Tiwari left for the Mumbai airport on Friday afternoon.

While speaking to the media, Tiwari said, I was not quarantined, but the investigation was quarantined. We did whatever we could do, and definitely there were hurdles in our investigations. Now, the investigation is with the CBI, and I cannot comment on it. But we will submit all investigation-related details we did in the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, BMC on Friday also tweeted a notification reading, Some instances have come to notice that some government officials after landing in Mumbai show their government ID card and secure exemption. By this order, it is clarified that any exemption for government servant contributing for its office has to be made in writing to BMC two days in advance justifying the reason for exemption for home quarantine. All exemptions will be given in written by BMC, and BMC officers at the airport shall not give any exemptions.
Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar flags off India's first 'Kisan Rail' from Deolali

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Mumbai, Aug 07: Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday flagged off the country's first "Kisan Rail" train from Deolali in Nashik to Danapur in Bihar, through video-conferencing. Speaking on the occasion, the Union minister for agriculture and farmers welfare said Kisan Rail will help in transporting agricultural produce, especially perishable commodities, at cheaper rates and aid farmers in getting the right price for their crops.

Tomar, who also holds Rural Development and Panchayati Raj portfolios, said the Indian Railways had operated 4,610 trains on 96 routes, ensuring supply of food items across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cord blood to be used to treat COVID-19 patients, says Mamata Banerjee

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who presided over the event, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had planned various measures to free farmers from years of bondage and these will make farmers of the country "atmanirbhar" (self-reliant) and prosperous.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

Minister of state for railways Suresh Angadi, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra assembly Devendra Fadanvis, Maharashtra Minister Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Chhagan Bhujbal were among the dignitaries who attended the virtual ceremony.

Jaishankar, Pompeo discuss security in Indo-Pacific region, Covid-19 over phone

"Kisan Rail" is a weekly service that will depart from Deolali every Friday at 11 am and reach Danapur the next day at 6:45 pm. On the return journey, the train will depart from Danapur every Sunday at 12 pm and reach Deolali at 7:45 pm the next day.

The train will cover a distance of 1,519 kms in 31.45 hours on a single trip and will halt at Nashik Road, Manmad, Jalgaon, Bhusaval, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Itarsi, Jabalpur, Satna, Katni, Manikpur, Prayagraj Chheoki, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay junction and Buxar stations.

"The Kisan Rail will provide a good market to the farmers for their produce. Aggressive marketing is being done by the Central Railway in coordination with local farmers, businessmen and the APMC to ensure farmers get maximum benefit," the Central Railway stated.

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Story first published: Friday, August 7, 2020, 14:21 [IST]
Tata Nexon EV | The Tata Nexon EV has been doing fairly well. A really good choice in the EV segment when it comes to price, the Nexon EVs higher variants got a spike of Rs 26,000. The base price, however, remains the same.

The Tata Nexon EV went on sale in India in January, this year. But for people who dont want to buy the car outright, the company is now providing subscription plans on the electric SUV.

Tata Motors has partnered with Orix to offer the Nexon EV on subscription basis across five cities  Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

Only the mid-spec XZ+ variant will be available on subscription for tenures of 18 months, two years and three years. There is a fixed rental fee that one would have to pay depending on the rental period.

A minimum refundable deposit of Rs 50,000 will have to be made at the start after which Rs 47,900, Rs 44,900 and Rs 41,900 will have to be paid monthly for the 18 month, 2-year and 3-year tenures. 18 months is also the lock-in period. A customer returning the car before the period ends will have to pay a cancellation charge.

There are other factors involved, of course. For the price you pay, Orix provides the car, a home wall charger with upto 15 metres of wiring and routine maintenance schedules. The car is also allowed only 1,500 km a month after which the customer will be charged at a rate of Rs 7/km.

The Tata Nexon EV is not the companys first shot at an electric car. It does get a lot of class leading features however. The Nexon is powered by a 30.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack connected to a 129 PS electric motor. The Nexon EV can fast-charge up to 80 percent in under an hour but can also use a standard 15A AC charger for a total of 8-9 hours of charge time.
AMHERST  The Planning Board on Wednesday unanimously approved new headquarters for Amherst Media.

The towns community access television station, currently located at 246 College St. purchased a

0.55 acre parcel at the corner of Main and Gray Streets in 2013 for $340,000.

The planning boards site plan and special permit approvals on Aug. 6 means Amherst Media can begin construction of a new facility.

When the organization presented their plans to the board July 1, Planning Board Chair Christine Gray-Mullen said: This is a well thought out, well engineered (and) very modest design.

The Historical Commission had previously granted Amherst Media permission to build, a requirement, since the location is in one of the communitys historic districts.

Related:
07.08.2020 LISTEN

MTN Group today reported encouraging results for the first half of 2020, navigating well through the economic crisis brought on by COVID-19.

MTN reported service revenue growth of 9,4% to R80 billion and EBITDA growth of 10,9% to R42 billion as efficiency initiatives saw its profit margins continue to improve. Headline earnings per share after non-operational impacts grew by 54%, operating free cash flow increased by 117,8% and ROE improved further to 14,1%.

MTNs first half performance affirmed the resilience of our people and business model as we delivered strong results against the backdrop of unprecedented socio- and macroeconomic uncertainty and challenges, said MTN Group president and chief executive officer Rob Shuter.

As we navigate the pandemic and its effects, we have prioritised looking after our people, customers and networks while focusing on efficiencies, he said, adding that work-from-home programmes continue for MTN staff; Yello Hope Packages are helping ease customers financial pressures; and MTNs support for various other initiatives aims to limit the impact of COVID-19 on society.

MTN also announced it was focusing its strategy in future on the African markets: As part of our ongoing portfolio review, we believe the group is best served to focus in the future on our pan-African strategy. We will therefore be exiting the Middle East in an orderly manner over the medium term. As a first step we are in advanced discussions to sell our 75% stake in MTN Syria, said Shuter.

Inspired by the groups belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life, MTN added 11 million subscribers in the first six months of the year to reach a total base of 262 million. By end June 2020, MTN had 102 million active data users and 38 million active Mobile Money users.

Despite lockdown restrictions impacting network rollout, MTN Group invested R10 billion in capital expenditure across our markets and brought a further 54 million people into 3G and 4G coverage. The focus on the affordability of data saw the average rate per megabyte reduced by 34%.

The group made progress on the asset realisation programme, concluding the disposal of the tower company investments in Ghana and Uganda for R8,8 billion.

MTN did not declare an interim dividend given the continued uncertain impact of COVID-19 on the operating environment but will consider a final dividend should conditions warrant.

While we expect the remainder of the year to be shaped by the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, we believe that MTN will remain comparatively resilient and is poised to sustain its growth over the medium term, said Shuter.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator with a clear vision to lead the delivery of a bold new digital world to our customers across our markets. We are inspired by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code MTN. We are pursuing our BRIGHT strategy with a major focus on growth in data, fintech, and digital businesses.
"As we have said all along, we will continue to do what is necessary to cushion the blow and help Australians get to the other side," Mr Frydenberg said. Loading The JobKeeper payment rate will fall as planned from $1500 to $1200 from the first week of October and the scheme will run as announced until the end of March, but the latest changes mean more companies and their staff will qualify. Treasury estimates the cost of the changes at $15.6 billion this financial year and expects $4.5 billion of this to come in the seven weeks to the end of September as companies seek help from the latest shutdowns. The new spending takes the total cost of the JobKeeper scheme to $101.3 billion.

A crucial change also updates the pool of employees who can receive the payment by changing the "reference point" for their employment. Loading Previously, an eligible employee must have been employed on March 1. This will be changed to July 1, so new staff would be able to receive the payments if business suffers. The expenditure review committee approved the changes on Thursday afternoon amid anger and confusion among companies rushing to comply with the Victorian economic closures to apply for at least the next six weeks. Business chiefs remain frustrated with the Victorian rules after a teleconference with Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas on Wednesday night, amid concerns food supplies will be at risk from rules that will cut staff by 33 per cent at warehouses and transport companies.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will convene a national cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders on Friday with an agenda that covers freight issues, aged care policy, the Victorian outbreak, skills reforms and the federal review of hotel quarantine breaches. Loading JobKeeper will still drop from $1500 per fortnight today to $1200 from the first week of October and $1000 from the first week of January, before it stops at the end of March. The announcement does not change the earlier plan to cut the payment for anyone working fewer than 20 hours per week to $750 from October and $650 from January. Employers qualify for the scheme if they have annual turnover of up to $1 billion and they experience a 30 per cent fall in the quarter, while companies with higher turnover have to show a 50 per cent fall.

The rules announced on July 21 were especially strict for companies that wanted to receive JobKeeper from January through to March, requiring them to show a fall in turnover in the June, September and December quarters of this year. The new rules will simply ask them to show a fall again in the December quarter. A government background document says the changes mean employers will only be assessed on actual turnover in the previous quarter before the next phase of the payment. "As a result, organisations that are able to demonstrate the requisite decline in turnover in the September 2020 quarter will be able to access the JobKeeper extension in the December 2020 quarter," the document says. "Similarly, an organisation able to demonstrate the requisite decline in turnover in the December 2020 quarter would be able to access the JobKeeper extension in the March 2021 quarter."

Labor treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers called on the government on Tuesday to reconsider its JobKeeper changes, saying the deterioration in Victoria meant workers would need more help. The urgent changes appear unlikely to help big companies that have seen national revenue hold up but their Victorian operations shut down, with Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott warning this week that workers would have to be laid off. Not-for-profit organisations (excluding schools and universities) will continue to have to show a 15 per cent fall in turnover. Treasury has warned federal ministers that a further 530,000 Victorians are expected to qualify for Jobkeeper in the September quarter, an increase from 970,000 to 1.5 million workers across the state. The statewide total will fall to 1.36 million by the end of December but the proportion of Victorians receiving the wage subsidy will be much higher than the forecasts before the Stage 4 restrictions.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Contractual workers of the Centre-run Lady Hardinge Medical College (LHMC) on Friday protested at the hospital's gate against non-payment of salaries in the last two months.

About 70 workers raised slogans against the hospital management on various issues, including their pending salaries.

The employees of Lady Hardinge had recently returned to work following an order from the Delhi High Court. The contractual workers were allegedly terminated earlier.

"Even during the pandemic, the attitude of both the Centre and the state government regarding the salaries and security of the employees in many hospitals in Delhi has not been right," said a statement by the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), which also took part in the protest.

The workers alleged that they have not received their salaries for months.

"During the lockdown, we were asked not to come and for two months we didn't receive any salary. But even after we joined back and started working in covid wards, we didn't receive any salary. So we had to raise our voice," said Sudha, one of the protesters.

Meanwhile, Surya Prakash, the President of AICCTU, who was present at the protest, blamed the government for their negligence over the issue.

"Since the beginning of August, the campaign has been carried out by the workers and employees of different sectors. But the government is not listening. Labour laws are being abolished at a rapid pace. The AICCTU appeals to the justice-loving and democratic people of Delhi to stand firm against the attacks on the people and ensure their participation in the struggle to save the country," he said.

A week ago, dozens of aggrieved protesters had gathered outside the LHMC, a dedicated Covid-19 facility, and protested against the hospital administration. They said that over 75 Multi Tasking Staff (MTS) at the hospital were "illegally" asked to leave from August onwards.

However, the Delhi High Court had dismissed their termination after hearing the matter on July 31.

The court had also directed a senior official of the Health Ministry to look into the matter and submit a report before the next date of hearing on October 5.
Radio producer Jana Hocking (pictured)

A single Australian radio producer has detailed the nine men you're likely to come across if you're swiping on dating apps, from the 'puppy' guy to the man who only has solo selfies on his profile.

Triple M radio employee Jana Hocking, 36, has made no secret of her use of Bumble and Tinder, but so far hasn't found her match made in heaven.

What she has found is a collection of 'stereotypes' from the men she swipes left and right for, including the '5ft 10in man' who lies about his height and 'the alpha' masculine man, both of which should be approached with caution.

Do you recognise any of these dating app disasters?

1. The I'm Just Out of a Relationship Guy

These men are particularly easy to spot because there is a passive aggressive nature to their biographies that will leave most potential partners raising their eyebrows.

Some of their favourite one-liners include 'if you can't handle me at my worst you don't deserve me at my best' or 'prove to me that all women aren't jealous'.

Naturally they have their guards up after being let down by someone else and will generally be difficult to crack even if you go on a date, but they have the potential to open their hearts in time.

'Take a week off hon and work on yourself first before you jump right back into dating,' Jana told news.com.au.

2. The 45-Year-Old Guy

Don't be fooled, that may not be his actual age, Jana said.

If an older man is claiming to never have been married or have any kids make sure you do a check of his social media profiles if possible - there is a good chance he's lying.

And the foundation of a solid relationship shouldn't begin with a lie, so it's best to cut these suitors to the curb.

Which guy would you date? 'Take a week off hon and work on yourself first before you jump right back into dating,' Jana said

Louanne Ward: The five different types of people you will find online dating right now Perth relationship coach Louanne Ward Time wasters, con artists and unhappy partners seeking superficial validation outside their relationship are scrolling dating apps in droves during lockdown, a relationship coach has warned. 1. THE MICRO-CHEATER 'Micro-cheating' - the blanket term for behaviours that flirt with the line between faithfulness and unfaithfulness without involving physical infidelity - existed long before the emergence of COVID-19, but Ms Ward warns that isolation will cause rates to soar. 2. THE TIME WASTER While 'happily ever afters' have always been the exception rather than the rule for online dating, Ms Ward says apps are now crawling with more bored singles than ever before as lockdown leaves people with little to do but scroll through their phone. 3. THE 'PREDASEXTER' The 'predasexter' - a predator who gets a thrill from sending and receiving sexually explicit messages - connects with singles online and quickly builds trust through persuasive language, before dropping sexual innuendo into conversation. 4. THE COVID CONNER Australians lost more than $28.6million in online dating scams in 2019 alone, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, but Ms Ward warns this year's figure could be twice that thanks to COVID-19. 5. THE HOPEFUL SINGLE STILL LOOKING FOR LOVE Despite all this, it's not all doom and gloom as Ms Ward says there are still many people genuinely looking for love online. Advertisement

3. The Entrepreneur Guy

If he paints himself as an entrepreneur trying to build his 'dream business' it's best to acknowledge him for what he truly is: Jobless.

While he might one day crack whatever market it is he's seeking to be involved in, that day is yet to come, and your conversations will centre around 'the future' like it's just out of reach.

You can easily support a man like this by encouraging him to achieve his dreams but be wary that he's not totally 'off with the fairies'.

4. The Just Solo Selfies Guy

Jana told the publication that she once fitted into this category before a friend reminded her that it didn't look like she had any friends or a life.

If they only have photos of themselves that might say something about their personality - and the friends, or lack thereof, they keep.

Mixing selfies in with group photos is a good way to balance your profile out.

Jana told the publication that she once fitted into this category before a friend reminded her that it didn't look like she had any friends or a life

5. The All Group Photos Guy

On the opposite side of the spectrum there is a man who makes you work hard to figure out who he even is.

'This profile is basically like a game of Where's Wally. Which one is he? You will honestly be hoping he is the hot one. He won't be,' she said.

Smaller group photos with two or three people are easier to digest and won't confuse people as to who you are.

6. The Puppy Guy

This is the one that holds anything cute and cuddly up for a photo - whether it be a dog or a baby - to attract a female audience.

He's really looking forward to being a dad himself and will tend to post heartwarming quotes to his biography to show how serious he is about love and starting a family.

While this might be a green light for some ladies, others will be wondering if he's a little too clucky, and would prefer some time to get to know him before they 'settle down'.

7. The Guy With the Same Girl in Every Photo

The other woman will be his girlfriend - and they're looking to add another person to their 'open' relationship.

Be wary of this arrangement unless it's what you're looking for, you're signing up for two people in this case, not one.

Calling them 'cheeky rascals', Jana said they're one of the 'friskiest' options on the market so handle with care.

The other woman will either be his sister or his girlfriend - and they're looking to add another person to their 'open' relationship

8. The Alpha Guy

This man is attempting to show off his masculinity at every turn and isn't shy about it.

'You will recognise him by the giant dead fish he is holding up, or the poor doped-out, chained up lion he is patting, or the obnoxious gym selfie,' Jana said.

While he might be flaunting a six-pack in photos, remember that it's his personality you'll have to spend time with as well.

9. The 5ft 10in Guy

We've got another liar on our hands with this man, who likely doesn't stretch any higher than 5ft 8in.

While there is a stereotype in the online dating world that all men need to be 6ft or taller to get a match, that shouldn't be the case, Jana said.

Bolster his self confidence by asking HIM out on a date.
Colonoscopy Device Market Research Report by Component (Colonoscope and Visualization Systems), by End User (Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, and Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgery Centers) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Colonoscopy Device Market Research Report by Component, by End User - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913890/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Colonoscopy Device Market is expected to grow from USD 1,696.59 Million in 2019 to USD 2,430.15 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.17%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Colonoscopy Device to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Component, the Colonoscopy Device Market studied across Colonoscope and Visualization Systems.



Based on End User, the Colonoscopy Device Market studied across Clinics, Diagnostic Centers, and Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgery Centers.



Based on Geography, the Colonoscopy Device 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 Colonoscopy Device Market including Avantis Medical Systems, Boston Scientific, Endomed Systems, Fujifilm Holdings, Getinge Group, HOYA Group, KARL STORZ, and OLYMPUS.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Colonoscopy Device 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 Colonoscopy Device Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Colonoscopy Device Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Colonoscopy Device Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Colonoscopy Device Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Colonoscopy Device Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Colonoscopy Device Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913890/?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.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Delegates attending a traditional council on Friday in Afghanistan's capital were tested for the coronavirus, with those testing positive separated from others to prevent the virus from spreading.

Jawad Osmani, the Afghan Health Minister, urged people at the gathering to use masks.

Hundreds are meeting in Kabul to decide whether to release a final 400 Taliban prisoners, the last hurdle to starting negotiations between Kabul's political leadership and the Taliban under a peace deal with the U.S.

The negotiations are a critical step toward lasting peace in Afghanistan.

The talks will decide what a peaceful Afghanistan might look like, what constitutional changes will be made, how the rights of women and minorities will be protected and the fate of the tens of thousands of heavily armed men on both sides of the conflict.

Besides Taliban fighters, warlords in Kabul maintain thousands of armed militias loyal to them.

The Taliban in a statement Friday rejected the Kabul gathering, saying it had no legal status.

The traditional council, or loya jirga, will cost an already poor Afghanistan $4.5 million.

It is being attended by several thousand people even as the Health Ministry earlier this week said as many as half of Kabul's residents have been infected by the coronavirus.

Official figures of nearly 37,000 confirmed cases are a woeful under reporting of the infection rate, according to the health minister.

He said 10 million people - a third of Afghans - have been infected.

Abdullah Abdullah, who was made head of the High Council for National Reconciliation to end political infighting in Kabul, took over the leadership of the traditional council from its previous head, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a warlord and close ally of Ghani's.
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San Francisco, 7 Aug 2020: The Report Aerospace Insulation Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Thermal, Acoustic, Electric), By Material, By Application, By End Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027

The global aerospace insulation market size is expected to reach USD 12.28billion by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., expanding at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2020 to 2027. Surge in aircraft deliveries and growth in MRO activities owing to surging passenger and freight movement across the globe are expected to drive the market over the forecast period.

Majority of the manufacturers choose to independently distribute their products in order to better serve their customers in case of customized products, which helps them to increase their profit margin. Manufacturers also establish strategic relationship with tier 1 suppliers and provide solutions to the end users through direct or third-party distribution.

The market is characterized by the presence of established players with a strong financial base, thereby presenting high entry barriers in the market. Moreover, the aircraft manufactures usually opt for reliable suppliers with high goodwill on account of past product procurement, thus making it difficult for the new entrants to establish their business. Hence, the threat of new entrants is anticipated to be low as high initial capital investment is required.

Key players in the market are focused on increasing their market share through new product developments, rather than mergers & acquisitions. Companies in the market are focusing on expanding their product portfolio by developing cost-effective insulation products with enhanced properties.

Access Research Report of Aerospace Insulation Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/aerospace-insulation-market

Aerospace Insulation Market Report Highlights

Ceramic materials are expected to witness the fastest growth from 2020 to 2027 on account of high product penetration in engine application

By product, thermal insulation dominated the market with a share of 66.3% in 2019 owing to the extensive use of thermal insulation in aircraft manufacturing as well as aftermarket

Based on end use, the military segment is expected to reach USD 3.02 billion by 2027 on account of rise in military spending by NATO countries to deal with growing threat of terrorism

North America held the largest share of 40.74% in 2019 owing to increasing demand from the established aircraft industry in the region

Key industry participants are focused on building long-term contracts with the end users in order to gain a competitive edge over their competitors.

Browse more reports of this category by Grand View Research at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry/automotive-and-aerospace-interior-materials

Grand View Research has segmented the global aerospace insulation market on the basis of material, product, application, end use, and region:

Aerospace Insulation Material Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Ceramic Materials

Mineral Wool

Foamed Plastics

Fiberglass

Others

Aerospace Insulation Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Thermal

Acoustic

Electric

Aerospace Insulation Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Engine

Aerostructure

Aerospace Insulation End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

Commercial

Military

Business & General Aviation

Others

Aerospace Insulation Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2027)

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Central & South America

Middle East & Africa

List of Key Players of Aerospace Insulation Market

Duracote Corporation

Rogers Corporation

Dupont

BASF SE

3M

Esterline Technologies Corporation

Triumph Group Inc.

Zodiac Aerospace

Evonik Industries

Polymer Technologies Inc.

Zotefoams

UPF Corporation

Boyd Corporation

Johns Manville

Orcon

AVS Industries

Access Press Release of Aerospace Insulation Market @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-aerospace-insulation-market

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.

For More Information:www.grandviewresearch.com
NEW HAVEN  A federal grand jury has indicted five Bridgeport men on racketeering charges in connection with the January Bridgeport court shooting that injured four and forced people to flee for their lives.

Prosecutors said the five, Marquis Israel; Asante Gaines, 23; Destine Calderon, 25; Diomie Blackwell, 23; and Laheem Jones, 25, were members of the Bridgeport gang called The Green Home Boyz, also known as The Hots, which is allegedly locked in a war with groups from Bridgeports East Side.

The shooting occurred in the middle of the afternoon on Jan. 27, outside the Golden Hill Street courthouse.

Approximately 23 shots were fired. There were four victims: one was paralyzed, one sustained multiple gunshot wounds and two others were less seriously wounded, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Markle told U.S. District Judge-Magistrate Holly Fitzsimmons during an arraignment hearing by video conference Thursday afternoon.

Many more people were endangered, Markle continued. The victims were shot in their car outside the courthouse.

He said the arrests were the result of a partnership between the U.S. Attorneys Office, Bridgeport States Attorney Joseph Corradino, Bridgeport Police, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Each of the men is charged with multiple counts of committing a violent crime  such as assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder  in aid of racketeering.

The defendants, who watched the proceeding from jail cells, pleaded not guilty to the charges. All five are being held without bond pending a hearing before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton.

These are very serious charges. The penalty and the consequences to you if there is a conviction could be very, very serious, the judge told them.

Each defendant faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted of the crimes. Each one separately told the judge they understood the charges against them. Calderon wanted to say more but was stopped by his lawyer, Robert Golger.

Golger and the other attorneys representing the men were not immediately available for comment.

According to the indictment, the Green Homes Boyz formed alliances with other groups such as ONE, the Original North End gang, to engage in narcotics distribution and acts of violence including acts involving murder and assault.

Last month, five alleged members of ONE, Henry Floy, Shakale Brantley, Antoine Sistrunk, TaRon Pharr and Jaylen Wilson, were arrested as part of the same investigation, police said.

My hats off to U.S. Attorney John Durham, said Bridgeport Police Chief Armando Perez. He really stood by his commitment to the citizens of the City of Bridgeport. These guys have caused a lot of the violence in our city and Im glad they have been taken off the street.

Continued cooperation among local, state and federal agencies is essential to stem the rising tide of violence in our community so that our youth can avail themselves to opportunities in education and employment, and all residents can enjoy peace and security, said States Attorney Corradino. I look forward to more successful interagency coordination and express my appreciation to all of the outstanding work by all those involved in this investigation.

Police said shortly after noon on Jan. 27, Shot Spotter activation detected approximately 20 shots being fired in front of the state courthouse.

Upon arrival, officers discovered that four men  Trevon Wright, Khalil Heard, Jaffar Ali and Jaheim Warren  had been shot while sitting inside a black Chevrolet Impala.

Wright was shot in the side of his chest, and has been left paralyzed, police said. Heard sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his back, shoulder and wrist. Ali was grazed in the head and shot in the left thumb, and Warren was grazed in the ribs, police said.

The mens vehicle had approximately 23 entry bullet holes in the drivers side and windshield area, reports at the time said.
 Flash

Flash floods caused by seasonal rains have affected about 191,800 people in Somalia since May and July, causing a humanitarian crisis in the regions affected, the UN humanitarian agency said on Thursday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said residents have been displaced by floods across the Horn of Africa nation since late June.

"In many areas of southern and central Somalia, the ongoing Hagaa season rains have been heavier than previous years, with strong winds and lower temperatures reported," OCHA said in its latest report on floods.

Residents have been affected by flash and riverine floods in Hirshabelle, SouthWest and Jubaland states.

Observed river levels along the Shabelle River are expected to continue rising further in the coming week following the foreseen rains.

The OCHA said nearly 147,579 hectares of farmland has been inundated in some 100 villages in Balcad, Jowhar and Mahaday districts. In the Banadir region, four internally displaced people died and hundreds have lost shelters, said the UN humanitarian agency.

Somalia is already struggling with COVID-19 and an invasion of desert locusts in the northern parts of the country which aggravate the situation by putting pressure on the country's fragile health system, thereby causing a major public health crisis.

On July 21, the government called on aid agencies to swiftly respond to the humanitarian needs caused by the flash and riverine flooding in Lower and Middle Shabelle.

The government said the affected local population who fled their homes to the dry and high ground are now in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

The OCHA said humanitarian partners have ramped up responses to the triple threat by expanding flood assistance, but gaps remain in food, shelter and non-food items among others.

It said 15 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund has been allocated to support a series of anticipatory action interventions in Somalia over the next 18 months.
The 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) was held from July 25 to August 2 in Shanghai, with both online and offline activities, which marked a major innovation in the history of the event.

This years SIFF highlighted the theme reunion on its poster, indicating that the film industry is trying its best to ensure the reunion between audiences and movies and boost confidence in the industry.

Movie theaters in low-risk areas across China have reopened since July 20, when the tickets for the 23rd SIFF were released. Since movie fans have been eager to enjoy a movie in a cinema for so long, all the tickets were immediately sold out.

According to relevant requirements for epidemic prevention and control, audiences were asked to have their body temperature taken and recorded before entering the auditoriums and wear face masks the whole time during the screening.

A 15-minute opening ceremony of the 23rd SIFF was held on the morning of July 25, followed by a summit of the Chinese film industry.

The SIFF is the only A-category international film festival in China. This years event has had a huge influence on the film industry at home and abroad, boosting morale and pooling strength for the resumption of work and production in Chinas film industry.

Activities of this years SIFF were adjusted to Chinas regulations on epidemic prevention and control, cancelling certain activities that involve congregation, such as the red carpet and award presentation ceremony.

The event recognized the outstanding achievements of Chinese and foreign film industry during the past year by announcing the titles of the officially selected movies.

A number of Chinese and foreign heavyweights in the film industry were also invited to give lectures and communicate with filmmakers via online platforms during the 23rd SIFF.

Over the past decades, the film panorama section of the SIFF has won wide praise from movie fans across the country. This years panorama section of the SIFF once again witnessed great enthusiasm of audiences since the tickets were made available.

The 23rd SIFF innovated its film panorama section, showing movies in auditoriums, outdoors, and on online platforms, for the attendance per show must not exceed 30 percent, according to a document on the resumption of business in movie theaters during the normalized epidemic prevention and control released by China Film Administration.

The movies shown outdoors were all provided for audiences for free based on real-name reservations. Besides, strict epidemic prevention and control measures were taken to ensure peoples safety at all sites screening movies outdoors.

The number of seats at each site was restricted to 100, and audiences were asked to keep a distance of at least one meter from each other. Besides, body temperatures and health QR codes of the audiences were checked before they entered the sites.

All the movie screening sites prepared anti-epidemic supplies such as disinfectant, hand sanitizer, alcohol cotton balls, non-contact thermometers, face masks, and disposable gloves.

The 23rd SIFF and the 26th Shanghai TV Festival (STVF), which was held from August 3 to 7 in Shanghai, made joint efforts to facilitate the exhibition of works as well as communication and negotiations between exhibitors by sharing online platforms with each other for the first time, helping Chinese and foreign companies and organizations in the film and television industry take part in the two events in a more efficient and convenient way.

Last year, the SIFF and the STVF were joined by a total of 580 exhibitors.

Although it was announced late, the online market for films and TV programs launched as part of the 23rd SIFF and the 26th STVF attracted more than 700 exhibitors from five continents in less than ten days, with the proportion of overseas exhibitors surpassing 50 percent for the first time in history.

After finishing simple registration, exhibitors and personages from relevant organizations in the film and television industry at home and abroad could conduct online negotiations over various topics, from distribution of works to co-production, and from film and television production services to copyrights.

According to credible sources, Shanghai Film Group initiated a bailout fund worth 1 billion yuan (about $144 million) with the support of local government during the epidemic, intending to help movie theaters pull through the tough time.
DJ Erick Morillo has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman he met at a party last year after a test kit identified his DNA, police say.

The arrest stems from an allegation made in early December, when a woman called Miami Beach Police to report that she had been sexually battered at Morillos house, according to a police report.

Morillo created the hit song I Like to Move It for DreamWorks Madagascar, a childrens movie from 2005. He has also toured the United States and has won several awards from the DJ Awards, including Best International DJ.

The woman, who was not identified, said at a party in December -- its location was not mentioned in the police report -- a woman accompanying Morillo told her that she was invited to go to his place and have some drinks in his pool, according to the report. An Uber drive later, the woman who made the accusation against Morillo said, she was given a bathing suit and had drinks with him.

This is what the accuser said happened, according to the police report:

She said that Morillo tried to make advances toward her several times, some sexual. She refused his advances, told him she felt disrespected, and changed back into her clothes. She said Morillo apologized and asked her to stay.

The woman then found a room that she believed to be Morillos, and feel asleep on a bed, fully clothed. She said she woke up naked and with Morillo also naked next to her; she began having flashes of Morillo having sex with her.

She then left the home and called police. She was taken to the Roxcy Bolton Rape Treatment Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment and an evaluation.

An officer took a DNA sample from Morillo the day after. Morillo denied having sex with the woman but did say that he had walked into his bedroom naked and was startled to find her on his bed, the police report said; he said he was standing near the bed when she woke up.

On July 2, the results of Morrillos DNA test kit came in, and police said the results indicated that Morillos DNA was on swabs collected from the woman while she was at the rape treatment center in December.

Story continues

Morillo was arrested Wednesday and charged with sexual battery.

His attorney, John Priovolos, said there is more to the story.

It is important the public understands that the police report contains mere allegations and Mr. Morillo is presumed innocent, Priovolos said. There is more to the story than what is in the initial police report, and I look forward to sharing this evidence as I defend Mr. Morillo in court. Our system of justice requires that an accused is treated fairly and with due process.

Miami Beach police recommends any potential victims of sexual assault call 911 immediately, whether it happened to them or someone they care about. Victims can receive confidential online support on the National Sexual Assault Hotline at online.rainn.org.
Rishi Sunak fueled fears of looming tax hikes today as he vowed to balance the books once the coronavirus chaos eases - but insisted public spending will keep rising.

The Chancellor admitted that the economy will be smaller in future due to the dramatic impact of the pandemic, which is expected to cause the worst recession in 100 years.

He said the government was in 'crisis mode' and borrowing huge sums but would need to put the public finances back on a 'sustainable' footing in the medium term.

However, he made clear that government spending will not be curbed in order to clear out the shortfall - seemingly leaving tax rises.

The comments came after the Bank of England predicted that GDP will slump 9.5 per cent this year with unemployment rising by more than a million - although the hit might not be quite as bad as initially feared.

Rishi Sunak (pictured on a visit to Glasgow today) said the government was in 'crisis mode' and borrowing huge sums but would need to put the public finances back on a 'sustainable' footing in the medium term

Mr Sunak went to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute as he visited Scotland making the case for the UK's response to coronavirus

The Chancellor was accosted by separatists during his trip but laughed off the episode

Mr Sunak donned a mask when he went into a cafe on the Isle of Bute during his trip today

'Tired' Rishi Sunak insists he has 'no desire' to be PM Rishi Sunak today admitted he is 'tired' - and denied he has any desire to take over from Boris Johnson. The Chancellor - consistently one of the most popular members of the Cabinet - was asked during an interview on Times Radio whether the extreme workload of the crisis had dampened his desire to be PM one day. 'Oh gosh, I don't have that desire,' he said. Mr Sunak said it was 'fair' to say he was tired after months of dealing with the fallout from Covid. 'It's not just me lots of people, not just in government, but up and down the country in all their different ways have been working around the clock  people on the frontline through to the prime minister himself,' he said. 'We're all dealing with something we haven't had to deal with before. 'It's hit us at extraordinary speed and severity and everyone in their different way is trying to do the best they can. 'That often requires working very hard, and it is stressful because it is very uncertain.' Advertisement

The government is expected to borrow 300billion this year, with the national debt soaring over 2trillion and being bigger than the whole economy for the first time in decades.

Experts have warned that the Treasury is likely to need to raise an extra 35billion a year once the immediate crisis subsides - broadly equivalent to an extra 7p on the basic tax rate.

In a round of interviews on a visit to Scotland this morning, Mr Sunak said that the government was right to borrow 'a significant amount of money' this year to prop up businesses and households.

'That said, without question the virus has taken a toll on our economy and that will have a long run impact over the next few years,' he told Sky News.

'Our economy will likely be a bit smaller than it otherwise would have been. That obviously has implications for what we can afford to do.

'Our public finances have taken a significant hit and over the medium term we will obviously need to put our public finances on a sustainable footing.

'We cannot continue to operate in the way that we have done this year in crisis mode.'

Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Sunak spelled out that public spending will keep going up despite the constraints.

'What we've said, in all cases, there won't be a return to austerity,' he said.

'Public spending will continue to grow in real terms, so people should know that. We will continue to invest in our public services. Money going into public services will go up, it won't go down.

'But our public finances have taken a significant hit alongside the economic shock we're currently experiencing and that will mean we will need to make some difficult decisions going forward.'

Mr Sunak - consistently one of the most popular members of the Cabinet - was also asked whether the extreme workload of the crisis had dampened his desire to be PM one day.

'Oh gosh, I don't have that desire,' he said.

Mr Sunak said it was 'fair' to say he was tired after months of dealing with the fallout from Covid.

'It's not just me lots of people, not just in government, but up and down the country in all their different ways have been working around the clock  people on the frontline through to the prime minister himself,' he said.

'We're all dealing with something we haven't had to deal with before.

'It's hit us at extraordinary speed and severity and everyone in their different way is trying to do the best they can.

'That often requires working very hard, and it is stressful because it is very uncertain.'

Mr Sunak promoted his Eat Out to Help Out campaign during his visit to Scotland today
Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused of abetting suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Friday in connection with the money laundering case lodged by it.

The ED has also summoned for questioning Shruti Modi, who is Chakraborty's business manager, and Rajput's friend and roommate Siddharth Pithani in connection with the money laundering probe stemming from a complaint filed by his father with the Bihar Police in connection with his death, officials said.

They said the two are accused in their case and their statements will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) once they appear on their scheduled dates for Friday and Saturday respectively.

Pithani is stated to be out of Mumbai at present and he has said in various news channel interviews that he was present in the Bandra flat on June 14 when the 34-year-old actor hanged himself.

The IT professional, stated to be living with Rajput for about an year, had earlier recorded his statement with the Mumbai Police as part of their accidental death report (ADR) probe in the case.

Chakraborty (28), accused by Rajput's father of abetting his son's suicide, appeared before the ED at the agency's office in Ballard Estate here on Friday after initially refusing to do so, citing her appeal pending before the Supreme Court.

"In view of the fact that the ED has informed the media that the request to postpone her attendance is rejected, Rhea has appeared before the ED office," her advocate Satish Maneshinde said.

She was accompanied by her brother Showik.

Chakraborty has filed a petition in the apex court requesting that the case lodged by the Bihar police against her be transferred to the Mumbai police. The plea will be heard next week.

The agency is expected to question Chakraborty, , who stated in her petition to the court that she was in a live-in relationship with Rajput, about her friendship with the actor, possible business dealings and the developments that took place over the last few years between them and record her statement under the PMLA.

It is expected that the ED's line of questioning would revolve around Chakraborty's investments, business deals and professional deals and links.

A property located in the Khar area of the city, linked to Chakraborty, is also being probed by the ED for the source of its purchase and ownership.

The agency has already questioned Rajput's Chartered Accountant (CA) Sandeep Shridhar and his business manager and staffer Samuel Miranda twice in the case.

Rajput's father had, in his complaint, alleged that Miranda was hired by Chakraborty after she allegedly fired the staff hired by his son.

The ED has also summoned Chakraborty's CA Ritesh Shah for questioning.

Rajput's 74-year-old father K K Singh, who resides in Patna, had on July 25 filed a complaint with the Patna police against Chakraborty, her parents (mother Sandhya Chakraborty and father Indrajit Chakraborty), brother Showik, Miranda and Modi and unknown persons accusing them of cheating and abetting his son's suicide.

The CBI had re-booked this FIR as a fresh case on Thursday and named as accused the same persons.

The Mumbai police has been carrying out a separate probe in Rajput's death and has questioned a number of prominent film producers and directors till now.

The father had also alleged financial irregularities in bank accounts of his son.

In the complaint, Singh alleged that Rs 15 crore was siphoned off from Rajput's bank account in one year to accounts of persons not known or connected to the late filmstar.

Under the ED's scanner are at least two companies linked to Rajput and some financial deals involving Chakraborty, her father and Showik who are stated to be directors in these companies.

'Don't waste our time': SC junks 'unnecessary' PIL for CBI probe

The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a PIL seeking a CBI or NIA probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, saying "strangers" are "unnecessarily" coming when his father is pursuing already pursuing the case.

Mumbai police has been probing the case and recorded statements of 56 people including Bollywood directors like Aditya Chopra, Mahesh Bhatt and Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian junked the PIL filed by Mumbai-based law student Dwivendra Devtadeen Dubey on the issue.

"Deceased father is pursuing the case. There is no reason that he will not pursue it properly. You are a stranger in this matter and you are unnecessarily coming in this. We will not permit this," the bench said.

"Don't waste our time. Dismissed," it said.

During the brief hearing conducted through video conferencing, the apex court was informed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the CBI has taken over the investigation in Patna case.

"One case is lodged in Mumbai and other in Patna. The Bihar government had requested for CBI probe and we agreed," he said, adding that the Mumbai case has not been transferred to the CBI so far.

Dubey, a law student, had sought the transfer of the FIR, lodged by Sushant's father Krishan Kishore Singh at Rajiv Nagar police station in Patna either to the CBI or the NIA to ensure that the investigation is carried out impartially, effectively and efficiently.

Earlier during the day, the Bihar government filed an affidavit in the apex court seeking dismissal of Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty's plea for transfer of the Patna FIR against her to Mumbai in actor Rajput's death case terming it "premature, misconceived and non-maintainable".

The apex court had on July 30 junked a similar PIL seeking transfer of probe into Rajput's death case from Mumbai police to the CBI.

"Go to Bombay High Court if you have anything concrete to show," the court had said while dismissing the PIL.
" " Many professionals such as doctors are required to take continuing education classes.  Somos/Veer/ Getty Images

When you go to the emergency room, you expect the doctors and nurses to have the latest information and skills available. If you need a lawyer, you want that person to be up to date on precedents, case law and trends. Change is a certainty, especially in professional fields such as medicine, law and finance. Their dynamic nature demands continuous education for the people who practice them. That's where continuing education classes come in.

In many fields, continuing education isn't an option. But, Lawyers, doctors, nurses, architects, teachers and many other licensed professionals must complete a certain number of credit hours to maintain their professional certification. Licensing boards, often set up by state government agencies, set standards and ensure that individuals comply. The license holder is responsible for finding and completing courses -- and then providing proof to the licensing agency.

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Continuing education protects everyone. It protects professionals by ensuring they keep their skill sets current, preventing those skills from becoming obsolete. Professionals also have the ability to network with each other.

At the same time, continuing education protects clients by making sure the professionals they hire are proficient, competent and familiar with the latest advances in their fields. Doctors, for instance, might be required to take a continuing education course on advancements in antibiotics, increasing their knowledge about specialty drugs they might need to prescribe. Dentists, on the other hand, might learn about advances in pain control so that their patients can undergo more pain-free procedures.

Advancements would work their way into the mainstream much more slowly without continuing education, and both professionals and their clients would suffer consequently. In recent years, the growth of the Internet has resulted in the availability of online courses, which makes it easier for professionals to acquire this valuable training.

In this article, we'll talk about finding courses online, how these courses work and the pros and cons of this type of continuing education
STORY LINK Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) Exchange Rate Flat as German Data Confirms Expectations of V-Shaped Recovery

Pound Sterling Euro (GBP/EUR) Exchange Rate Muted as German Exports Jump 14.9%

All in all, todays data confirm that at least the rebound after the lifting of the lockdown measures is v-shaped. With all the risks of a second lockdown wave, an increase of permanent unemployment and structural changes to the economy stemming from Covid-19, it is however very unlikely that this v will last for long.

Sterling (GBP) Muted as Sunak Say Hardships Still Lie Ahead

Its an improvement from when they last did their forecast. But [...] they are right to say that hardship lies ahead.

Its wrong to keep people trapped in a situation and pretend that there is always a job that they can go back to.

Pound Euro Outlook: UK Unemployment and German ZEW in Focus

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The Pound Sterling Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate remained flat on Friday, leaving the pairing trading at around 1.1074.The Euro received some support this morning after data revealed that overall export demand in Germany increased.Demand from China helped manufacturers in the blocs largest economy recover from the coronavirus lockdown for the second month in a row. However, output remained far below levels seen just a year ago.Industrial output from Germany jumped 8.9% in June which was fuelled by the 14.9% jump in exports, the largest monthly increase in almost 30 years.The latest data from the bloc confirmed economists expectations of a v-shaped rebound in the bloc.However, the country still has a way to go before growth returns to pre-coronavirus levels, as the current data brings industrial production back to 85% of its pre-crisis level.According to INGs Chief Economist for the Eurozone and Global Head of Macro, Carsten Brzeski:The Pound remained flat against the single currency on Friday, just a day after making significant gains following a surprisingly upbeat Bank of England (BoE).On Thursday, the BoE said that while the economy would not recover until the end of 2021, its short-term projections were far more optimistic compared to Mays meeting. This boosted the Pound, although the currency retreated today.However, Sterling remained flat today after Britians finance minister, Rishi Sunak said that while the forecasts represent an improvement on the old ones, the predictions still show hardships lie ahead for the UK.Speaking to BBC News, Rishi Sunak said:Added to this, the Chancellor commented on the governments furlough scheme. He noted that it was wrong to keep people trapped by the false hope of the scheme.When questioned whether he would extend the scheme for the worst-hit sectors he said:Looking ahead to next week, the Pound (GBP) could suffer losses against the Euro (EUR) following the latest UK employment data.If Britains unemployment rate jumps higher than expected in June thanks to the coronavirus crisis, it will send Sterling lower.However, the pairing could be left flat on Tuesday following disappointing German data.If Augusts ZEW Economic Sentiment Index tumbles further than expected as markets focus on the risks of a second wave of the virus the single currency will slump. This will leave the Pound Euro (GBP/EUR) exchange rate largely flat.

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.

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Plea to find missing Brit last seen in Phuket

PHUKET: A niece in England has made a plea to find her missing uncle, Peter Murray, 60, who was last reported to be in Phuket.



By The Phuket News

Friday 7 August 2020, 05:04PM

Peter Murrays last known location was The Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town on July 27. Photo: Courtesy of Shannon Murray

Mr Murray is about 5ft 8in (about 172cm) tall. He has short grey hair and wears glasses, his niece, Shannon Murray, told The Phuket News by email today (Aug 7).

He also has a distinctive skull tattoo on his upper right arm (see photo).

Mr Murrays last known location was The Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town on July 27.

Mr Murray has been reported as a missing person to the West Midlands police in the UK and also to the British embassy in Bangkok.

They have taken his details including passport information etc, Ms Murray wrote.

Peters sister, Sonia brother explained that Peter was supposed to arrive in Bulgaria last Sunday (Aug 2) after traveling from Phuket to Bangkok, Bangkok to Vienna, Vienna to Varna.

"I spoke to him last on the 27th July and the flights had not been cancelled yet he did not give me the flight times so I could pick him up this side in Bulgaria," Sonia explained.

"He has not answered his phone in a week and I believe if he lost his phone he would of replaced it within a couple of days. I know he spent time at the back of The Metropole Hotel in Phuket at a shop called Mels where he would meet with John Paul (a Frenchman), Phil (English) and Michel (German) and drink with them," she added.

Peter has been living in Phuket Town for at least four years, she noted.

"It is out of character for Pete not to take the flights he has already paid for and not to get in touch. I am worried for his safety," Sonia said.

Any persons who believe they have accurate information that may lead to locating Mr Murray are urged to contact his sister Sonia by email at soniamurray48@yahoo.com
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Air Force selected United Launch Alliance (ULA) as one of two launch service providers under the National Security Space Launch Phase 2 Launch Services Procurement (LSP). Aerojet Rocketdyne will provide two RL10 rocket engines to power the upper stage of ULAs Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, as well as the thrusters that control the stage while in flight and the composite overwrapped pressure vessels that store gases required for operation of the launch vehicle.



Aerojet Rocketdyne congratulates ULA on its selection and we look forward to providing our highly reliable RL10 engine on the Vulcan, said Eileen P. Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. Aerojet Rocketdyne has supported the nations most important national security space missions for decades. We will now bring the RL10 engines tremendous record of mission success to support the next generation of American National Security Space Launch missions.

Under the LSP contract, ULA will support approximately 60% of missions starting in 2022 and continuing through the next five years.

The RL10 engines outstanding performance and reliability has made it the upper-stage engine of choice for the nation. Built in West Palm Beach, Florida, the RL10 engine is currently used to power the upper stages of ULAs Delta IV and Atlas V rockets, and has supported earlier versions of those vehicles dating back to the early 1960s.

The flight-proven RL10 engine provided the upper-stage propulsion to place hundreds of military, civil and commercial satellites into orbit and has sent spacecraft on their journeys to explore every planet in our solar system. The RL10 engine has been continuously upgraded throughout its service life with recent efforts focused on incorporating additive manufacturing to enhance affordability while maintaining its unequaled performance.

With 500 engines flown in space, the RL10 has an unmatched reputation worldwide, added Drake. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with ULA as we provide an advanced RL10 engine for Vulcan.

The Vulcans Centaur upper stage will also include 12 Aerojet Rocketdyne MR-107 thrusters, built in Redmond, Washington, that are used to control vehicle orientation and trajectory during the latter stages of the launch sequence. ARDE, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne located in Carlstadt, New Jersey, will also build the composite overwrapped pressure vessels that support operation of the launch vehicle.

About Aerojet Rocketdyne: Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion systems and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, and tactical systems areas, in support of domestic and international customers. For more information, visit www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com . Follow Aerojet Rocketdyne and CEO Eileen Drake on Twitter at @AerojetRdyne and @DrakeEileen .
Jihadis continue to tell infidels what they wish to hear, and the latter continue to eat it up -- to their own, often fatal, detriment.

This is one of the findings of a July 22, 2020 study titled Prisons and Terrorism in Western Europe, an updated version of a long-term study first begun in 2010. Published by Kings College Londons International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), it finds that False compliance seems to have become more widespread, especially among jihadist prisoners, though its true extent is unknown. This can be a major issue in relation to risk assessment and release arrangements.

The ICSR report documented several examples of jihadi prisoners pretending to have reformed and deradicalized. One of the two Muslims who beheaded 85yearold Catholic priest Jacques Hamel in his church in France in 2016 had twice earlier been apprehended for trying to go to Syria and fight for the Islamic State. All he had to do, however, was tell the judge what he wanted to hear: I am a Muslim who believes in mercy, in doing good, Im not an extremist  I want to get back my life, see my friends, get married. Based on these words, the judge released him, and soon thereafter this Muslim who believes in mercy slaughtered the aged priest.

After being imprisoned for his involvement in a bombing plot, Usman Khan -- who was considered a success story of an extremist turning their life around -- was released early. Not long thereafter he too went on a stabbing rampage that killed two and injured three on London Bridge.

Similarly, many of the 40 female inmates in FleuryMerogis prison in Paris have joked about how they tricked the judge or magistrate -- by eating pork, for example, which is forbidden in Islam -- to receive more lenient sentences.

Sadly, the only ones learning from the interaction between Muslim prisoners and European authorities are the terrorists themselves:

From their perspective, prison is also an opportunity to understand how the authorities operate, and -- in a sign of their growing awareness of counterintelligence and countersurveillance -- jihadists have actively looked to pass their time in prison without incident or arousing the suspicions of the authorities.

Relatedly, the incarcerated terrorists see prison as a test of their commitment to the cause and a place to recover from Islamic States battlefield losses and the wider upheaval in the jihadist scene.

The ICSR report goes on to invoke the word taqiyya -- Islams premiere doctrine of deceit:

[O]ffenders may try to game a risk assessment if they are in contact with other inmates who have already participated in the process. Part of this involves knowing what to say to tick the right boxes. Much of this is seemingly the use of what is referred to as taqiyya, which is a (mostly) Shiite concept used to describe deception and dissimulation to hide ones true intentions. [T]he true scale of taqiyya may be greater than commonly understood Yet the assumption that jihadists are more willing to engage in deception than nonterrorist prisoners can pose a conundrum, whereby anything less than admitting to holding jihadist ideas and intentions is thought of as a form of taqiyya.

It is, admittedly, somewhat surprising, refreshingly so, to see a normally politically correct Western think tank even use the term taqiyya. For example, after Islams Doctrines of Deception -- an article that Janes Islamic Affairs Analyst (a defense intelligence agency founded in 1898) had commissioned me to write on taqiyya -- was published in September 26, 2008, its (since fired) editor called me in a panic: his superiors were outraged that he had allowed such an article to appear; part of their damage control was to publish another article refuting mine.

The great crime of my article was that it went against academic orthodoxy on taqiyya, which has long insisted that the doctrine permits Muslims to deceive others only when their lives are under threat. My article argued what the ICSR report is now saying -- 12 years later: that the application of taqiyya is hardly limited to life-threatening situations and is often employed in any way that can be seen as helping Muslims against non-Muslims.

As for the typical (and wrong) caveat offered by the ICSR, that taqiyya  is a (mostly) Shiite concept, this is not true -- as evidenced by the simple fact that the prison subjects in ICSRs own study are overwhelmingly if not entirely Sunni. This is because, as Dr. Sami Nassib Makarem, the foremost authority on taqiyya, wrote in his seminal book, Al-Taqiyya fil Islam (Taqiyya in Islam):

Taqiyya is of fundamental importance in Islam. Practically every Islamic sect agrees to it and practices it We can go so far as to say that the practice of taqiyya is mainstream in Islam, and that those few sects not practicing it diverge from the mainstream Taqiyya is very prevalent in Islamic politics, especially in the modern era.

Taqiyya was associated with Shiites because, historically, they had more reason to employ it, being minorities surrounded by hostile Sunni majorities. Today, however, Sunnis in the West are the primary Muslim minorities surrounded by their historic enemies -- infidels -- and thus they, no less than Shia, employ taqiyya.

At any rate, it is good that modest portions of the establishment are finally beginning to acknowledge the role of taqiyya in modern day terrorist activities. (For those interested in more detailed expositions on Islams doctrines of deceit, see here, here, and here.)

Raymond Ibrahim, author of Sword and Scimitar, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, and a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
When we talk about the frontline workers during COVID-19 it usually means the health workers, police, and others.

But there is a group of women who have been doing equally or in some cases an even bigger role in containing the spread of the virus.

BCCL

They are the ASHA workers who have been engaged in ground-level works like house-to-house surveys and screening of COVID-19 suspects, even inside containment zones, often putting themselves at risk due to the lack of protective gear.

This is in addition to the fact that they are paid hardly anything when compared to the risk they take.

For their work, the Union Government was paying Rs 1,000 per month to every worker since January and the payment from states was also almost the same.

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Fed up with their demands falling in deaf ears, about 600,000 ASHA workers are going on strike for two days starting August 7.

The strike was called by a platform affiliated to ten central trade unions that will also join a Jail Bharo Satyagraha.

The unions and federations of scheme workers (anganwadi, ASHA, Mid-Day Meal, NHM, Samagra Sikksha etc) affiliated to the central trade unions (INTUC, AITUC, HMS, CITU, AIUTUC, TUCC, SEWA, AICCTU, LPF, UTUC) will go on two days strike on August 7-8, 2020, the joint statement by ten central trade unions said.

Scheme workers, who are among frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19, are forced to take this step after four months of the outbreak of the pandemic and the lockdown because none of the minimum requirements for them  safety, insurance and risk allowance- is provided by the government, they alleged.

BCCL

Many of the workers have died due to coronavirus during this period and even their monthly wages are not paid for months together, the unions claimed.

They asked the government to clear all pending dues of wages and allowances etc of all scheme workers immediately.

The unions said that strikes and struggles are going on in different parts of the country. In Bihar, ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers went on strike from Thursday. In some states and areas where the COVID-19 situation is very bad, scheme workers will work wearing black badges.

They will join the Satyagraha/jailbharo called by the central trade unions on August 9, 2020, Quit India Day, with the slogan of Save India Day (keeping physical distance and all norms by WHO), the statement said.

BCCL

The unions are demanding safety gear for all frontline workers, especially ASHA and anganwadi workers and those in the health sector who are engaged in containment areas and red zones. They are also seeking frequent, random and free coronavirus tests of all frontline workers.

They also demanded a Rs 50 lakh insurance cover to all frontline workers covering all deaths on duty and pension/jobs for the dependants of the workers and also coverage of treatment for COVID-19 for the entire family.

A minimum compensation of Rs 10 lakh be given for those who got infected while on duty, the unions demanded.

Additional COVID Risk Allowance of Rs 10,000 per month should be provided for all the contract and scheme workers engaged in COVID-19 duty, especially ASHA and anganwadi workers and workers in NHM, they added.

The unions are also pressing for including scheme workers in the category of workers, give free ration /food for all the needy and Rs 7,500 per month for all non-tax paying families for six months, ensure jobs and income for all.

They are also demanding implementation of the recommendations of 45th and 46th ILC (labour conference) for regularization of scheme workers as workers and minimum wages of Rs 21,000 per month and pension Rs 10,000 per month.

BCCL

Besides they are also asking the government to provide ESI (employees state insurance) and EPF (employees provident fund) benefits to all scheme workers.

The existing insurance schemes Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Anganwadi Karyakarti Bima Yojana must be implemented properly with universal coverage applicable to all scheme workers, it said.

Mid Day Meal Workers must be paid Rs 10,000 per month for the period when the schools are closed including the summer holidays and besides there should be no contractorisation or centralised kitchen, the stated.

BCCL

Scheme workers are also demanding withdrawal of proposals for privatization of basic services including health (including hospitals), nutrition (including ICDS and MDMS) and education, the statement said.

They will also press for making centrally sponsored schemes like ICDS (integrated child development scheme), NHM and MDMS permanent with adequate budget allocation.
Elected GOP women are more measured in their criticism of the rhetoric. I think the tone that weve had . . . is costing us, I think, women voters in some ways, said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), one of nine female Republican senators. Instead of finding common ground, [were] always fighting. Certainly, we see that here in the Senate, but we also see it on the other side of the aisle over in the House, and we also see it at the presidential level.
Michelle Obama said this week that she was experiencing "low-grade depression" and seemed to suggest that it was because of a combination of quarantine, racial unrest and the Trump administration's response to the pandemic.

In the second episode of her new podcast, which was released on Wednesday, Obama, the former first lady, told Washington Post columnist Michele Norris that she has had low points recently.

Michelle Obama has reflected on the emotional roller-coaster of quarantine in a new podcast. Credit:Getty Images

"There have been periods throughout this quarantine where I just have felt too low," Obama said, adding that her sleep was off. "You know, I've gone through those emotional highs and lows that I think everybody feels, where you just don't feel yourself."

"I know that I am dealing with some form of low-grade depression," she added. "Not just because of the quarantine, but because of the racial strife, and just seeing this administration, watching the hypocrisy of it, day in and day out, is dispiriting."
(ANSA) - ROME, 07 AGO - The CTS panel of experts advising the government on the coronavirus emergency suggested sealing off two Lombardy towns that were among the first to be hit by the pandemic on March 3, according to newly released documents.

Bergamo prosecutors are investigating if any felonies were committed in the failure to promptly set up 'red zones' at Nembro and Alzano Lombardo by sealing them off and locking them down.

The CTS proposed adopting "the appropriate restrictive measures already adopted in municipalities of the red zone" at Nembro and Alzano Lombardo during a meeting at the civil protection department on March 3, according to the minutes, "in order to limit the spread of infection in neighbouring areas".

The government initially sealed off several towns in the province of Lodi and one in Veneto, Vo, in the early stages of the COVID-19 emergency here.

The same measures were not applied to Nembro and Alzano Lombardo though and later in March the government imposed a national lockdown.

Under that, all but essential activities were halted and people were only allowed out of their homes to get provisions, or for health reasons or for work, if their job was among those considered essential.

There were cases, however, of regions intervening to set up red zones when outbreaks occurred, without central government making the call.

Matteo Salvini, the leader of the opposition League party, said Premier Giuseppe Conte and his government should be "taken to an international court for holding captive half of Italy" by imposing a national lockdown rather than sealing off these towns.

The minutes of the meeting at which the CTS suggested setting up red zones on Nembro and Alzano Lombardo were obtained by Lombardy regional councillor Niccolo Carretta after he made a request on April 6 for this documentation.

Conte was questioned for three hours by Bergamo prosecutors in June in relation to the case.

The prosecutors also questioned, as "persons informed of the facts", health and interior ministers Roberto Speranza and Luciana Lamorgese "I acted according to science and my conscience," Conte said at the time when asked the probe.

Prosecutor Maria Cristina Rota told journalists outside the premier's office she had never said the responsibility for setting up red zones was Rome's.

She said Conte and the ministers had shown "the utmost collaboration" with the probe. (ANSA).


Caprice's Ibiza holiday home has been robbed and 'tens of thousands of pounds' worth of jewellery owned by her guests stolen in a daylight raid.

The model, 48, has owned a property on the Spanish island for years, spending her summers with friends and family at the house.

Caprice and her family, as well as her guests, are not believed to have been at the villa at the time of the burglary.

The TV personality has been left 'shaken up' during her current trip, where she has holidayed with WAG Rebekah Vardy and her family, after the traumatic robbery.

Robbery: Caprice's Ibiza home has been robbed and jewellery owned by her guests stolen in the daylight raid, the model was pictured at the courthouse on Thursday to file a police report

'Caprice and family are a little shaken up after her Ibiza house was robbed in broad daylight,' an insider told MailOnline.

'She has been coming to Ibiza with friends and family for the past 20 years and has never had any problems. It was her guests who were robbed and tens of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery was taken.'

Caprice was pictured at the island's courthouse on Thursday as she arrived to file a police report.

Dressed in tie dye trousers and a crop top and wearing a face mask, the model looked distressed as she left the courthouse with paperwork.

Second home: The model, 48, has owned a propety on the Spanish island for years, spending her summers with friends and family at the house

'She went straight to the courthouse to file a police report. A lot was stolen,' the insider added. 'You just don't expect it in broad daylight!'

'Caprice never brings her jewellery or anything of value when the family goes to Ibiza nor does she keep cash around just to be safe. She feels awful and a bit frightened this has happened'.

Caprice is currently caught up in the coronavirus chaos after the government pulled its air bridge with the Spain following a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Trauma: Insiders say the star has been left 'shaken up' during her current trip, where she has holidayed with Rebekah Vardy and her family, after the traumatic robbery

Police report: Dressed in tie dye trousers and a crop top and wearing a face mask, the model looked distressed as she left the courthouse with paperwork

Stolen: 'She went straight to the courthouse to file a police report. A lot was stolen,' the insider added. 'You just don't expect it in broad daylight!' the insider said

The government introduced a mandatory 14-day quarantine on anyone returning to Britain from Spain in a hastily announced change in the rules.

The rules apply to all regions of Spain, including the Canary and Balearic islands - though politicians in the latter say they are trying to thrash out a regional air bridge.

Spain was one of the worst hit countries in Europe by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 290,000 cases and over 28,000 deaths, however it imposed very strict lockdown measures to contain the spread, gradually easing them earlier in the summer.
Lukashenko on extradition of 'Wagner members' to Ukraine: no one extradites anyone until asking country to first establish guilt

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko says that in order to extradite the fighters of the Russian private military campaign "Wagner" detained in Belarus to Ukraine, the Ukrainian side must prove their guilt.

"I have never had such a question to and I think it never will," Lukashenko said in an interview published Thursday, August 6 on the YouTube channel "Visiting Gordon," when answering the question whether he will transfer the detained fighters to Ukraine at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"We have an international agreement with Russia and Ukraine. The bottom line is that the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the Prosecutor General of Belarus, Russia, the law enforcement systems are in contact, they are working - I just told Zelensky about this, Ill take an interest, I promised him that Ill take an interest - they are working to ensure that there is a clear picture: no one will extradite anyone until the country that is asking, proves the guilt of these people, that this one killed someone, that they shot him, and so on," Lukashenko said.
I fled from the aftermath of the same kind of "revolution" as that of Antifa in my motherland, Iran.

They marched, looted, set the buildings, police stations, and movie theaters full of people on fire. They pulled down the statues and demanded "revolution." Some members of academia and politicians, also announced their solidarity with a revolutionary's rented crowd.

Iranians were living in prosperity, women were senators, cops, business-owners, and actresses. We had free kindergarten through Ph.D. education, free health care, laborers and employees were shareholders of the companies, we had Cyrus the Great's law of freedom of worship, and respect for all. However, their political leaders Ayatollah Khomeini, his prime minister to be, Mehdi Bazargan, many intellectuals, and others promised that every family would get a check, the oil income would be divided fairly among the citizens. Everyone would have a house, and there would be fairness, justice, and equality for all citizens.

The majority remained silent.

What they delivered was an ideological system of totalitarianism, discrimination against the large majority of population that became accused of varieties of "unlawfulness." A peaceful, prosperous country became a gender apartheid practitioner, an imperialist war-monger, and a corrupt inhumane system of the religious elite against all.

Today, the people who marched regret what they did and their victimized children blame them for not making the changes by having a civilized conversation instead of barbaric destruction of the motherland.

No, please do not say that what happened in a small "third-world" county in the Middle East does not apply to America. That is what we, the client majority of Iran, said: "It will not happen in an educated, prosperous, peaceful member of the international community."

We have also learned that behind such revolutions there have always been power and money, to motivate the destructions of certain societies, even here and now in America.

If you succeed in changing America, as we did in Iran in 1979, be prepared to have a logical answer for your future generations.

Please think before you get the "revolution" that you will regret. I have been there and have heard the cries of remorse.
This is where the parties discover what is in the common interest, whats negotiable and what is not, while the talks themselves provide a calming environment to what could be an explosive situation. However, we are in an entirely different negotiating environment today than in the 1960s and 70s. Whereas it was sufficient for the two superpowers, the U.S. and the USSR, to settle on numbers of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that were in fixed sites, making compliance easy to verify, we now are talking about complex systems, easily hidden, requiring invasive means of compliance verification.

Additionally, it no longer is a problem to be settled by two nations. There are at least seven nuclear capable nations and two more  North Korea and Iran  that are striving to join the group. What slim hope that the denuclearization of North Korea could become a reality seemed to be dashed by the apparent ill health of Kim Jong Un and the rise in influence of his sister, Kim Yo Jong. Meanwhile, Iran continues its march to a nuclear weapon capability, and it seems unlikely that the European members of the treaty will do anything about it. Such a disturbing picture leads to the natural question: What do we do about it?
Nguyen Canh Han, one of the thousands of students who have returned to Vietnam because of the COVID-19 pandemic, plans to apply for admission to International University,

one of the members of Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM).

Students at International University, a member of the Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM). VNS Photo Gia Loc

My parents advised me that I should apply at a university in Vietnam so that I can continue learning. My parents are worried if I return to the US, Han said.

Han, who completed one year of university study in the US, wants to transfer to a local university as a second-year student.

Dr Ha Viet Uyen Synh, head of the undergraduate training division at International University, said that admission should be based on each university's enrollment criteria and students' capabilities. Students may be able to transfer earned credits from overseas universities, but they could also lose credits as well, depending on requirements.

International University said it would enroll students with an international baccalaureate or those graduating from high schools in other countries.

International University will enroll them in international training programmes taught in English or in joint training programmes that we have with foreign universities, Synh said.

The university will admit these students as transfer students from their university or as students of foreign universities with which we already co-operate, he added.

If students want to study in a different major from the one they chose abroad, they will have to pass the universitys interview round.

International University has joint training programmes in which students study at universities in the US, Australia and New Zealand after they complete two years of study at the university.

The university said it had received 15 applications from overseas students.

Other members of VNUHCM such as the University of Natural Sciences, University of Technology, University of Economics and Law, University of Information and Technology, and University of Social Sciences and Humanities will also admit students from overseas.

Speaking at an online forum on overseas students held last month, Dr Nguyen Thu Thuy, acting head of the Tertiary Education Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, said that 352 joint training programmes would help overseas students continue their study in Vietnam.

Many reputable foreign universities have invested in Vietnamese higher education and their joint training programmes meet international standards, Thuy said.

Dr Nguyen Tien Thao, deputy head of the training division at Vietnam National University in Hanoi, said that training programmes at the countrys universities were the same as foreign programmes.

Because of global integration, Vietnamese universities have quickly accessed new training programmes, Thao said, adding that their joint training programmes meet international standards.

With more than 200 universities in the country, overseas students need to identify which university programmes are most suited to their needs.

International degrees are also offered at some universities in the country.

Vietnam National University in Hanoi said it would provide information about detailed procedures and its training programmes to overseas students.

Dr Nguyen Phong Dien of Hanoi University of Technology said the university has many options available for overseas students. VNS

Many returning students want to study at domestic schools More Vietnamese and foreign students want to transfer from schools overseas to schools in Vietnam.
E vents across the Pond are set to dominate trading today, as US president Donald Trump pumps up the pressure on China, and keeps a keen eye on unemployment levels in the States.

Overnight the Trump administration stepped up its attempts to depress business with Chinese tech companies. The president signed a pair of executive orders prohibiting US residents from doing business with the Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat apps beginning 45 days from now.

Trump claims the pair are a national security risk of leaving Americans personal data exposed to being shared with Chinas government. The companies deny they share the data.

Trump is also pushing for the sale of TikTok to an American company, and his administration is pushing for US businesses to take the two Chinese apps off their app stores.

The move hit trading in Asian equities overnight, with WeChats owner, Chinas Tencent Holdings, falling as much as 10% in morning trading.

Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote Bank, said: Trumps growing attack on Chinese tech sent Asian stock indices lower on Friday, as the escalating tensions between the US and China also threatens the trade agreement that the two countries spent two years getting signed.

Traders will also be closely watching the US non-farm payroll data, due at 1.30pm UK time. Analyst expect the US added 1.65 million non-farm jobs last month, against 4.8 million a month earlier. The unemployment rate is tipped to be slip from 11.1% to 10.5%.

Ozkardeskaya added: A fairly positive read should keep investors optimistic about the future: a lower-than-expected positive number would enhance the chances of getting the additional fiscal stimulus passed, while a better-than-expected figure would boost the idea of a solid economic recovery.

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In the UK, investors will get a read on the housing market with an earnings update from property site Rightmove and house price data from Halifax. Industry watchers are hoping that a cut in stamp duty announced by Rishi Sunak will have helped boost house sales with the market now reopened after its Covid shutdown. Any evidence that house buyers are looking to sell up in cities and move to the suburbs or countryside will also be closely examined by property developers and agents.

There are also updates from investments specialist Hargreaves Lansdown and broker TP Icap, which should show the impact of choppy markets of late. Stock markets crashed on the Covid outbreak but have surprised many analysts in the strength of their bounceback.

The FTSE 100 is expected to follow Asian markets down, opening off a modest eight points at 5993.
hmm. the clothes are poppin, but not obsessed with the pics. But I feel that way abt white photogs all the time so i'm unbothered.



Is jacob a nice guy from what yall have heard. His face bothers me.



Also, v happy that terry is no longer the go to for a lot of mags, even though I know the abuse in the industry is rife

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I don't even think they're together anymore, but the vitriol that man gets for breathing...it must be Nate because I truly don't get it.

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Those are some excellent shots. Love the vibrancy.

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I'm always in the fence about this. Of course I'm happy black creatives get more opportunities but it really had to take a filmed public lynching.

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yeah.



It's still so unfathomable that it took his murder to tip things over for some ppl.



I can't imagine what his loved ones are going through.



Also, it's wild bc if he weren't filmed, the cops would not have faced any criticism just as it's always been.



Iirc, the Black young woman that recorded it was and is incredibly fucked up by it all. I hope she is also being cared for.

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That's pretty fair though.



A lot of people I've seen get great opportunities seems to be because of what happened. :/

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also, the september issues are considered a big deal, no?



good for her <3

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They are!

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Is she really dating that tall Australian? I saw a clip of his video with GQ or sth and he has a mullet???? Hes ugly she could do so much better



Wtf is that second pose do they want her to channel a camel

Or



Edited at 2020-08-07 12:12 am (UTC)

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well she def was because there was pics of them kissing on the lips in NYC, but now I don't know 'cause he's been in quarantine in Australia and she's... not in Australia lol

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There was a cute picture of them riding an airport cart with matching yellow manicures.

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that red/yellow/blue photo is confusing my brain

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I absolutely love this shot/pose/dress. Straight up a sucker for colorblocks. I absolutely love this shot/pose/dress. Straight up a sucker for colorblocks.

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Those boots are awesome

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love all these pics, the red dress on the cover is stunning



also blowing my mind that she is the same age as me, damn

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She seems incredibly self aware & humble. I love her hair too.

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I always thought it was cute that Celine Dion hired her stylist after seeing pics of Zendaya because she liked hot cute and fun she looked! 

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Awesomeness

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God she's stunning

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Beautiful. Law Roach always does right by her.

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Law Roach was pretty insufferable as judge on Legendary, but he's great at what he does.

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General Motors is trying to revive an incendiary lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles with explosive new allegations including bribes paid from secret offshore bank accounts and a union official acting as a double agent between the two automotive giants.

Why it matters: The extraordinary legal battle is occurring amid earth-shaking changes in the global auto industry that threaten to turn both litigants into dinosaurs if they aren't nimble enough to pivot to a future where transportation is a service, cars run on electrons and a robot handles the driving.

GM contends former FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne, who died in 2018, orchestrated a multimillion-dollar racketeering conspiracy  including bribes  that corrupted labor negotiations with the United Auto Workers for more than a decade.

The reason: An attempt to financially weaken GM and force it into a global merger it had twice rejected, in 2008 and again in 2015.

Driving the news: GM this week asked a federal judge to reinstate its unprecedented lawsuit against FCA, citing new information about the tactics it says FCA used in order to gain a substantial labor cost advantage over GM.

Just last month, U.S. District Judge Paul Borman threw out GM's lawsuit, which had shocked the tight-knit industry when it was filed in November 2019.

Now GM says the alleged scheme is much broader and deeper than previously suspected or revealed" and the judge should reconsider his dismissal.

GM's stunning new allegations include a claim that a top UAW official serving on GM's board of directors as a representative of the union's retiree health benefits trust was actually a "mole" who was being paid by FCA to feed them information about GM's business strategy.

GM also claims its investigators discovered evidence of offshore bank accounts in Switzerland, the Cayman Islands and other countries that were linked to senior UAW officials and Fiat Chrysler's former head of labor relations.

Of note: GM's lawsuit runs parallel to an ongoing corruption probe by the U.S. Justice Department that has already resulted in guilty pleas and jail terms for at least 10 former UAW and FCA officials.

What they're saying: FCA officials privately say they believe GM's legal bombshell was intended to disrupt FCA's pending merger with another global automaker, France's PSA Groupe.

"As we have said from the date the original lawsuit was filed, it is meritless. ... FCA will continue to defend itself vigorously and pursue all available remedies in response to GMs attempts to resurrect this groundless lawsuit."

 FCA statement

"The UAW is unaware of any allegations regarding illicit off-shore accounts as claimed by GM ... nor has the U.S. Attorney's Office, or anyone else, ever raised this type of allegation with the UAW. If GM actually has substantive information supporting its allegations, we ask that they provide it to us so we can take all appropriate actions."

 UAW statement

The big picture: For legacy automakers, the stakes have never been more dire.

Desperate carmakers are scrambling for every advantage as they confront changing consumer habits, disruptive advances by new competitors and the crushing burden of future technology investments.

Between the lines: Traditionally, U.S. automakers and the UAW have adhered to so-called pattern bargaining, which means wages and benefits negotiated by one carmaker are typically matched by the others.

Since the 2009 bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler, however, labor terms have diverged among Detroit automakers (including Ford) to the point that GM's total labor costs are about $8 per hour more than FCA's, potentially worth billions of dollars.

A detailed analysis by labor consultant Colin Lightbody (notably, FCA's former labor economist) attributed the cost gap to strategic decision-making by both companies.

GM's lawsuit contends it was because Marchionne had his foot on the scale.

The intrigue: Marchionne had been a thorn in GM's side for more than 15 years.

In 2005, as head of ailing Fiat SpA, he extracted a $2 billion payment from GM to settle a contract dispute between the one-time partners and then used it to fund the Italian carmaker's comeback. GM, meanwhile, went bankrupt in 2009 and required a taxpayer bailout.

By 2009, Marchionne had positioned Fiat as Chrysler's White Knight, taking control of the smallest U.S. carmaker using American taxpayers' money and later merging it into Fiat to create a global powerhouse.

But in a rapidly changing industry, Marchionne felt it wasn't enough, so in 2015, he proposed a merger to GM CEO Mary Barra, who rejected the overture.

A month later, Marchionne made his famous "Confessions of a Capital Junkie" presentation to analysts, an impassioned plea for industry consolidation, citing a wasteful duplication of capital and resources among automakers.

Where it stands: FCA has until Aug. 10 to respond to GM's latest charges, after which Judge Borman will decide whether to allow the case to proceed. If not, GM could appeal to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.

My thought bubble: Exploiting rivals' weaknesses to gain advantage is nothing new in the auto industry. But whether GM's lawsuit is a paranoid fantasy or the manifestation of a simmering grudge between two long-term rivals, the stakes couldn't be higher in an industry being turned upside-down.
tech2 News Staff

Over a month ago, the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps citing security issues. Among the apps were also a few owned by Xiaomi, some of which come pre-installed in the brand's smartphones.

On Friday, Xiaomi has released a statement clarifying its status on the banned apps.

As per a tweet by Xiaomi India Head, Manu Kumar Jain, none of the blocked apps are available on any Xiaomi smartphones launched in India. Jain confirmed that the company is working on a new MIUI update, in which none of the blocked apps in India will come pre-installed. This MIUI update will be rolled out in a phased manner in the next few weeks, he said.

(Also read: Boycotting Chinese products: Brands like Vivo, OnePlus unaffected but may severely hurt employment in India)

In addition to this, Xiaomi also clarified that MIUI has its own Cleaner app and it is not the Clean Master app that was banned in India earlier. According to the company, the Mi Cleaner app was "only using the definitions that are vital to the functioning of our cleaner app". To avoid any confusion, Xiaomi will be removing those definitions from the updated app.

Users can also update the app manually by going to Settings> App system updater.

It further adds says that 'Clean Master' is a common industry name used by multiple app developers.

We have also noticed some stray instances of misinformation being spread regarding the above points. Xiaomi reserves the right to take legal action against false accusations of its non-compliance with Government orders. We are and will be 100% compliant with the Indian Govt. https://t.co/w3AmFc2Wqs  Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) August 7, 2020

As for user privacy and security, Xiaomi explained that "since 2018, 100 percent of data from Indian users is stored in servers located in India and none of this data is shared by anyone outside of India."

Xiaomi Head also tweeted saying that "some stray instances of misinformation are being spread regarding the above points." He added that "Xiaomi reserves the right to take legal action against untrue accusations of its non-compliance with government orders. "

In addition to this, Poco which is now an independent company has also released a statement regarding the same saying, "Neither POCO X2 nor POCO M2 Pro feature any apps that are blocked for access by the Government of India. As a proactive measure, MIUI for POCO is updated with its own definition of the Cleaner app. The update started rolling out in July 2020 and has now covered all POCO smartphones."
Mass testing of residents and staff at a direct provision centre is to take place today after a number of confirmed coronavirus cases were detected.

Residents of the Montague Hotel centre in Laois have received official notification, and the company Safetynet Primary Care will carry out testing.

The Department of Health has carried out similar operations in factories and building sites where they fear an outbreak may have occurred.

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Bulelani Mfaco, spokesperson for the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI), said at least 31 cases had been confirmed at three direct provision centres in the area.

Mr Mfaco said: "Some of the cases would be linked to the outbreak in the dog food company because some of the people would've been working there but some who tested positive were not working there."

Mr Mfaco added that the residents who contracted the virus have been transferred out of the three centres and placed in isolation units.

"People who would have gone with them to these places are their close contacts. Once the HSE established who they were, they took them too," he said.

However, the spokesperson pointed out that this has proven to be a difficult task in the centres as people have been sharing bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens.

Mr Mfaco added: "Basically, everything is shared and in that environment it is difficult to say who is your close contact.

"So that is why they have carried out mass testing in some of the centres, to determine who has the virus and who doesn't."

Mr Mfaco explained how living conditions within direct provision centres make social distancing or self-isolation impossible.

The Irish Independent contacted the HSE, the Department of Health, a representative for the Irish Dog Foods factory in Naas and the Department of Justice, which is responsible for the direct provision centres mentioned. Safetynet was also contacted.

None had responded at the time of going to press apart from the Department of Justice and Irish Dog Foods, which said it would not be commenting.

A Department of Justice spokesman said: "The department is supporting the health response and all positive cases and their close contacts have either been moved off-site or are self-isolating in accordance with advice received from public health officials.

"In accordance with best practice, contingency planning is also in hand to address any issues arising in the centres, should circumstances change. This includes procedures for isolation, should that be required.

It added: "The testing of residents and confirmation of cases is a matter for the HSE. It should be noted that no International Protection applicant is obliged to remain in IPAS accommodation and people who are working may wish to live in private accommodation."

In a statement, Safteynet advised those living in 'congregated settings and the wider community... to self-isolate if you test positive or if you have Covid-19 symptom'.

"Where the accommodation is unsuitable for self-isolation, referral to isolation facilities specifically established for this purpose is recommended.

"People should not go to work if they test positive, if they have symptoms or if they are a close contact of someone who has had a positive result. This is for the protection of the community at large. People who have to stay off work for these reasons should be compensated with the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP)."
(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, AUGUST 7 - The Tunisian interbank guarantee fund for bank deposits is up and running. Created on the basis of Article 149 of Law 48/2016, the new public body is managed by the Tunisian state and the central bank and is taken part in by the 29 banks operating in the country. Similar to the interbank deposit protection fund, the bank deposit guarantee fund serves to provide reimbursements in cases provided for by law and up to a maximum of 60,000 Tunisian dinars (about 19,000 euros) in case of default or forced administrative liquidation of a bank. The mission of the fund is to protect the savings of bank clients, reimburse them if their deposits become unavailable and contribute to the stability of the Tunisian financial system, by intervening in the restructuring plan or forced administrative liquidation of a bank in difficulty. Its main aim is to have a permanent availability of funds and a financial and operating capacity that allows it to play its role in reimbursing eligible bank clients as well as, if necessary, contributing to the restructuring or liquidation plan of a participating bank.



(ANSAmed).
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 7

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Kazakhstans KAZAKH INVEST and Association of European Businesses in the Russian Federation (AEB) defined main cooperation areas, AEB representative told Trend.

The parties signed a bilateral Memorandum of Cooperation in Mar. 2020, confirming the intention to strengthen cooperation in order to improve the competitiveness of business in Russia and Kazakhstan.

Thus, the AEB official said that the main directions of cooperation within the framework of which joint projects and initiatives implementation is overseen, AEB and KAZAH INVEST have determined as follows:

1. Exchanging information about new promising areas of mutual cooperation;

2. Carrying out continuous interaction and coordination of efforts within the framework of the Memorandum;

3. Periodic analysis of the cooperation results within the framework of the Memorandum, exchange of information on the achievements, development and submission of recommendations for improving the interactions.

The official also noted that the Memorandum does not provide for financial or legal obligations, or obligations before third parties.

Currently, the Memorandum was signed for next three years.

The Association of European Businesses is the main representative body of foreign investors in Russia. Founded in 1995, the AEB is an independent non-profit organization of over 500 European and Russian companies.

Kazakhstans KAZAKH INVEST National Company JSC was established to promote sustainable socio-economic development of Kazakhstan by attracting foreign investment in priority sectors of the economy and comprehensive support of investment projects.

---

Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh
After the government of India recently added 15 new Chinese apps to the banned list, Xiaomi's MD for India, Manu Kumar Jain, took to Twitter to ease the fears of its millions of users in India.

In a tweet sent out to his thousands of followers, and the vast Mi Fan community in the country, he clarified that none of the blocked apps will be available on Xiaomi phones going forward. He also tried to clarify through the tweet that the MIUI Cleaner app is not using the Clean Master app banned by the Indian government.

Additionally, he also took the opportunity to again reaffirm the promise the company's promise that "100% of Indian user data stays in India", as opposed to the belief that the data from Xiaomi and Redmi phones in India is being sent to third-party servers in China. Some of these changes, as Jain explains, will be introduced with a new version of MIUI which will be extended to users in the weeks to come.

While we're not sure what exactly this new, cleaner version of the MIUI will bring with itself, but if Manu Kumar Jain's statement is anything to go by, then all MIUI apps and services that have been banned by the government will see themselves being removed from the software in the future. However, it will be interesting to see how this works out as some of these apps come pre-loaded on Xiaomi phones and form the core of the existing MIUI versions.

Important news about #Xiaomi phones in #India:



1) None of the blocked apps will be available.

2) MIUI Cleaner app is not using Clean Master app banned by Indian Govt.

3) 100% of Indian user data stays in India.



A new version of MIUI coming soon! Please read & be informed. pic.twitter.com/2tYHFwKjTG Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) August 7, 2020

This announcement by Manu Kumar Jain comes after the government of India on Wednesday banned a number of apps, some of which are by Xiaomi. These apps include photo editor AirBrush, video tool MeiPai and camera editor BoXxCAM among others. The aforementioned apps will no longer find a place on Google Play Store.

A Xiaomi spokesperson had earlier told India Today, "Xiaomi continues to comply and adhere to all data privacy and security requirements under the Indian law. We are working towards understanding the development and will take appropriate measures as required. As part of the process, we will work with key stakeholders for an opportunity to make our submissions."

Interestingly, this is the second round of app ban by the government. Earlier last month, India had banned 47 apps that were clones of the 59 Chinese apps that were first banned over security concerns.
The government has announced new and specific Covid-19 public health restrictions for Offaly, Laois and Kildare after a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team on Friday.

This decision comes in the wake of a spike in Covid-19 cases in the three counties.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said on Thursday that there had been 226 cases of Covid-19 in the last 14 days in Laois, Offaly and Kildare, almost half of all cases in Ireland during that period.

Offaly accounted for 22 of the 69 new cases announced on Thursday evening, the most of any county in Ireland, with local lockdowns now being considered by NPHET. Most of the cases are associated with clusters in meat factories and direct provision centres across the three counties.

26 new cases were also confirmed in Offaly on Friday evening. 35 were diagnosed in Kildare and 5 in Laois. 98 cases were confirmed nationally on Friday.

What are the new restrictions?

Offaly, Laois and Kildare will have to follow a series of public health guidelines separate from the rest of the country from midnight on Friday, August 7. These restrictions will remain in place for two weeks.

- Residents in each of the three counties will not be allowed leave their county unless for medical reasons, work or other essential reasons like caring for a relative or animals

- Outdoor gatherings limited to 15 people. Indoors gatherings limited to six people from three different households

- Vulnerable people (over 70s and those with medical conditions) are to reduce their contacts

- Cinemas, theatres and swimming pools are also to close

- Playgrounds outdoors can remain open with social distancing

- Hotels will be limited to non-social and non-tourism operations

- Pubs serving food, cafes and restaurants may only operate takeaway services unless they have outdoor seating. This seating will be restricted to 15 people at a time.

- Retail outlets will remain open with relevant social distancing measures in place and adherence to public health guidelines

- People who can work from home should do so

- Visits to prisons, hospitals and nursing homes will be postponed unless on compassionate grounds

- Sporting events to be cancelled. Professional teams and elite athletes are permitted to train

- Non-contact sports can continue in groups up to a maximum of 15 people

- Childcare facilities can remain open

- Funerals will once again be reduced to gatherings of 25 people in churches

- People from outside the counties may travel through them but are not permitted to leave their vehicles.

CONCERN

Chairman of the NPHET Irish epidemiological modelling advisory group, Professor Philip Nolan, described the three counties on Thursday as a very large reservoir of disease, adding that there was, therefore, a "real risk" of community spread.

More than 60% of the most recent cases are close contacts of confirmed cases, but the mode of transmission is unknown or cannot be established in 20% of them. The new cases mean the R number, which shows how many people will become infected by one confirmed case, has risen to 1.8 having been below 1 last month. Professor Nolan described this rise as a "serious concern."

He revealed that the number of new cases per day had doubled in a week.
Nationalist demonstrators welcomed Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, - Jeff J Mitchell/PA

Rishi Sunak has said Scotland has a crucial role in driving the UKs economic recovery from coronavirus, as he called for the divisive issue of Scottish independence to be set aside.

The Chancellor, who visited Glasgow and the Isle of Bute on Friday, described Scotland as one of the UKs power brands in the tourism sector and said the last few months offered a good example of the union working well.

He was the fourth prominent UK minister to travel to Scotland within the last three weeks, as part of a deliberate strategy designed to highlight the work of the British Government and turn the tide against a rise in support for independence and the SNP.

Asked about the recent rise in support for independence, he said: I don't think now is the time to be talking about these constitutional questions, I think everyone's sole focus and certainly my sole focus right now is doing what we can to protect people's jobs and their livelihoods at what is an incredibly difficult time for our economy.

"That's what I think everyone should be focused on, let's not focus on these divisive constitutional questions, let's focus on rebuilding for the future."

Mr Sunak highlighted the levels of financial support provided in Scotland during the crisis, with almost a third of jobs supported through the furlough scheme and almost 2.5 billion provided in loans for businesses. He also highlighted a UK-wide approach to providing PPE, deploying the army to carry out coronavirus testing and cross-border efforts to develop a vaccine.

The chancellor visited a cafe in Rothesay - Jeff J Mitchell/PA

He added: "Tourism is a really important industry for the United Kingdom and Scotland is one of our power brands when it comes to UK tourism, and Scotland can help drive our recovery in that regard.

The visit follows widespread evidence that the Scottish economy is recovering more slowly than in the rest of the UK, in part due to the slightly slower emergence from lockdown, as well as a greater reliance on tourism and a downturn in the oil and gas industry.

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Keith Skeoch, the chief executive of Standard Life Aberdeen, said: The furlough scheme has been very effective, but the industries in Scotland are very different to the UK. Its very dependent on oil and gas, it has a very strong presence in financial services, then theres a broader thrust of manufacturing.

So I think we are going to see a structural rise in unemployment in Scotland and I think the recovery here is going to be very slow. I think it wont be until late 2021 if not early 2022 before the Scottish economy gets back to its previous level of output. So its going to be tough.

Reacting to Mr Sunaks comments, opposition parties expressed disappointment that he once again ruled out extension of the furlough scheme, currently due to expire in October.

The Chancellor said it would not do people any favours to extend the scheme if their jobs were not sustainable. He said: It would be easy to tell people its going to be all fine and that job will be there. That wont be true for everybody.

People not being attached to a workplace is not good for their long term prospects. So, if its not going to be the case that that job is going to be there, we are better off providing new opportunities and different types of support for those people.

Wendy Chamberlain, the North East Fife MP and constitution spokeswoman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, said: Despite warnings of mass unemployment, the Chancellor is taking a huge risk pressing ahead to end the furlough scheme, pulling the rug out from under countless households.

"Almost a million people in Scotland have benefited from the various support schemes. Many of them will be thrown back into chaos unless the Chancellor changes course and ensures that support continues for the worst-hit sectors and areas still in lockdown.
An employee wears protective gear while working at the Azcapotzalco crematorium in Mexico City, on August 6, 2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday defended his government's record fighting the coronavirus and ruled out a change in strategy after the official death toll surged past 50,000.

The Latin American nation recently overtook Britain to become the third hardest-hit country in terms of total virus deaths, after Brazil and the United States.

On Thursday the Mexican health ministry reported a total of 50,517 deaths and 462,690 infections in the nation of more than 128 million.

But Lopez Obrador said that in terms of deaths relative to population size, "we have not been so hard hit."

He said that while the situation is painful, on that basis Mexico ranks fifth in the Americas, behind the United States, Brazil, Chile and Peru.

"And if we compare ourselves with Europe, there are more deaths in Spain, France and England than in Mexico," he told a news conference in the northwestern state of Baja California Sur.

Critics say the Mexican authorities have not done enough testing to establish the true extent of infections and deaths.

But Lopez Obrador defended his team in charge of fighting the pandemic, including his coronavirus czar Hugo Lopez-Gatell.

"There is no change" in strategy, said the leftist leader when asked about demands from his opponents for a shift in tactics and the resignation of Lopez-Gatell.

Lopez Obrador added that his government had increased the number of intensive care beds to 12,000, from 2,800 at the start of the crisis.

"No one has been left unattended," he said, while offering condolences to families of the victims.

"Every loss of human life is a tragedy. It is a family, they are not numbers, they are not data," he said.

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Rep. Will Dismukes, a Republican, was charged with first-degree theft of property in Alabama on Thursday

An Alabama lawmaker who faced calls to resign after he attended a celebration to mark the birthday of an early Ku Klux Klan leader has now been charged with stealing thousands of dollars from his employer four years ago.

Rep. Will Dismukes, a Republican, was charged with first-degree theft of property on Thursday.

Dismukes turned himself into authorities soon after the Montgomery County District Attorney announced the warrant for his arrest.

He is accused of stealing the money from a flooring company where he worked before being elected to the Alabama House of Representatives.

Prosecutors allege that he stole the money between 2016 and 2018.

District Attorney Daryl Bailey would not say how much Dismukes was accused of stealing but said it was in excess of $2,500.

Bailey said his office started investigating back in May after receiving a complaint from Weiss Flooring that an employee had stolen money.

Dismukes' lawyer Trey Norman told WBTV they were only notified of the investigation five days before the arrest warrant was issued.

Dismukes (pictured before his arrest) is accused of stealing the money from a flooring company where he worked before being elected to the Alabama House of Representatives

Dismukes' arrest comes two weeks after he was slammed for participating in a celebration marking the birthday of a Confederate general who was also an early Ku Klux Klan leader

He added that Dismukes had never been given any indication by his employer at the time that he had been accused of any wrongdoing.

'I don't think any money was taken by anyone,' the lawyer said.

'Second of all, if I worked for someone and they accused me of taking money, I wouldn't expect four years to go by before anyone said anything to me. If someone worked for me and I thought they were taking money, I wouldn't wait four years.'

Dismukes' arrest comes two weeks after he was slammed for participating in a celebration marking the birthday of a Confederate general who was also an early Ku Klux Klan leader.

He attended a gathering on July 25 to remember Nathan Bedford Forrest and posted a photo from the event on his Facebook page.

The photo showed Dismukes speaking in front of several Confederate flags.

'Had a great time at Fort Dixie speaking and giving the invocation for Nathan Bedford Forrest annual birthday celebration. Always a great time and some sure enough good eating!!' he wrote in a post that is no longer visible on his public page.

The post came on the same day that the state was honoring the late John Lewis, an Alabama native who served for decades in Congress and had a long record of fighting for civil rights. Lewis died July 17 at the age of 80.

Dismukes - who is chaplain of a chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans - later posted that it was not his intent to disrespect Lewis or glorify the Klan.

The lawmaker was condemned by both Democrats and Republicans.

Dismukes turned himself into authorities soon after the Montgomery County District Attorney announced the warrant for his arrest

Dismukes, above with his wife, turned himself into authorities soon after the Montgomery County District Attorney announced the warrant for his arrest

Wade Perry, executive director of the Alabama Democratic Party, called on Dismukes to resign.

'Will Dismukes has demonstrated yet again why he is unfit to hold public office. Americans don't celebrate racists or traitors. Nathan Bedford Forrest was both. And a founder of the Klan... It's 2020 and it's time for racial extremists like Will Dismukes to go away,' Perry said in a statement.

The Republican House whip later tweeted a statement that, while not naming his Republican colleague, said he could not fathom celebrating a Klan leader.

'I cannot fathom why anyone in 2020 celebrates the birthday of the 1st KKK Grand Wizard. And while the body of a civil rights icon beaten by the Klan lies at state Capitol being honored by GOP/Dem leaders from all over the state. This mentality does not rep my party or my faith,' Rep. Danny Garrett tweeted.

Dismukes posted a lengthy statement after, saying: 'My post was in no way glorifying the Klan or disrespecting the late Rep. John Lewis.'

He said his regret was that it put a negative light on his legislative colleagues.

'I am a transparent person. To the point that as a public official I lay it all there for the people to see for better or for worse at times. The post was in no way intended to seem as if I was glorifying the Klan or any party thereof. The very atrocities and actions they committed are a disgrace to our country,' Dismukes said.

Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan called Dismukes explanation 'shallow in understanding' about why it was offensive to many.

'Rep. Dismukes offered no explanation for why he participated in a birthday celebration of Nathan Bedford Forrest. Additionally, I find his statement to be shallow in understanding why his activities are deeply offensive to so many Alabamians. His constituents will be the final decision makers of his political future,' Lathan said.

'It is one thing to honor one's Southern heritage, however, it is completely another issue to specifically commemorate the leader of an organization with an indisputable history of unconscionable actions and atrocities toward African Americans,' Lathan said.
An executive order signed by US President Donald Trump requiring that the federal government buys essential drugs solely from American companies will have a minimal impact on India, government sources have said, claiming that it was mainly aimed at hurting China.

The so-called Buy American order could lead to a seismic shakeup of the drug industry as the US is the biggest export market for the Indian pharmaceutical sector. Government officials, however, said the latest measures are targeted mainly at China due to ongoing US-China hostilities and may even benefit India strategically.

They said the Trump administration order mainly targets procurement in high-tech areas like fermentation-based API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient), for which China has been the single source of global supply, and not low-cost generics, where India holds the edge.

If US reduces dependence on China for development of API and critical medicine manufacturing, it could provide India a non-China source for procurement and this will be a strategic positive in terms of national security considerations, officials said.

According to Bloomberg, 70 per cent of India's imports of APIs come from China, and the government has been looking for ways to reduce this dependence.

The government also looked to downplay the impact on Indias own pharmaceutical industry, which had in 2019 exported drugs and pharmaceutical products to the US worth almost six billion US dollars, accounting for a third of the total global exports in the sector.

The order encourages the production of certain drugs and medical supplies in the US, following shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic. It also loosens federal drug-safety and environmental regulations that the Trump administration says disadvantages domestic producers, among other measures.

Were dangerously overdependent on foreign nations for our essential medicines, for medical supplies like masks, gloves, goggles and the like, and medical equipment like ventilators, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Thursday.

President Donald Trump also said US will end its reliance on foreign nations for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, but he had singled out China. Trump asserted that Beijing would have to pay the price for the wound it has inflected on America and the world by spreading the deadly coronavirus.

It remains unclear how broadly the order will be implemented. The order does not specify what drugs it covers, and instead, directs the US Food and Drug Administration to decide which medicines will be subject to the new requirements.

Citing the recent export of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to the US to aid the fight against Covid-19, the government sources said it reflected the close and positive relationship between Indian pharma companies and the US.

Officials also said that it would be difficult to move generic manufacturing to the US. Due to cost differential, it will be difficult for US to move sizeable generic manufacturing to US, something Indian pharma specialises in. Hence, the impact will primarily be in high tech areas like API manufacturing coming from China, an official said.

They also said major Indian pharmaceutical players such as Cipla, Sun Pharma, Dr. Reddys etc have a substantial manufacturing as well as Research and Development presence in the US, and hence, they will continue supplying to US markets irrespective of the current order with partial manufacturing in India.
FILE PHOTO: Women chant slogans as they gather to protest against sexual harassment in front of the opera house in Cairo

By Mai Shams Eldin

CAIRO (Reuters) - When dozens of Egyptians began posting accounts of sexual assault on social media last month, activists sensed a "#MeToo" moment in a nation where women have long felt disadvantaged.

Like high-profile trials in the United States where the now global women's rights hashtag took off, prosecutors launched charges in Egypt's best-known recent case: a student from a wealthy background facing multiple accusations.

To encourage victims to come forward, the government approved a bill to better protect their identity.

Yet when the administrator of the Instagram page that attracted the first testimonies tried to expose a second high-profile case, death threats came and she suspended the account at the end of July out of fear, she said.

Furthermore, in what activists see as a move undercutting women's rights, prosecutors have recently charged several women for "inciting debauchery" with songs and dances in TikTok videos.

One had posted a video saying she had been raped and blackmailed and appealing for help.

Campaigners say there remains a deep-rooted bias in the conservative, Muslim-majority nation to place more blame on women for behaviour deemed provocative than on men for sex crimes.

A United Nations' survey in 2013 found that 99% of Egyptian women had experienced harassment.

"We are always told that we are the reason for all the wrongdoing happening to us ... whether it's because of what you are wearing or the place you went to," said Amina Salah El-Din, a 25-year-old internet content creator who says she was a victim of assault last year.

The recent testimonies stemmed from the case of Ahmed Bassam Zaki, a former student at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in his early 20s, who was charged last month with indecent assault against at least three women.

Allegations against Zaki were posted in previous years on a private Facebook group run by AUC students. Authorities reacted after the accusations surfaced on an Instagram account named @assaultpolice.

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The volume of testimonies, and the fact they targeted someone from an elite background, was unusual.

"There is this stereotype that sexual harassment only happens in certain (poorer) environments," said Azza Solaiman, an activist and lawyer who helped document the complaints.

Zaki has not addressed the accusations publicly but denied some of them during questioning, according to a prosecution statement. Contacted by Reuters, his father declined comment.

GROWING CASELOAD

After Egypt's top Sunni Muslim authority - known as Al-Azhar - and the state-run National Council for Women urged more victims to come forward, accusations surfaced against three rights activists, one of whom publicly confessed and was fired, and a Coptic Church priest who was also dismissed.

Attention also fell on an alleged gang rape at a luxury Cairo hotel in 2014, with more testimonies on @assaultpolice, before it was taken down. Accounts continued on other pages, however, and the public prosecutor's office announced an investigation on Wednesday.

Even so, judicial authorities remain ill-equipped to deal with harassment and assault crimes, according to activists, some of whom have been highlighting Egypt's assault problems since long before #MeToo trended in the West.

Egypt did introduce jail terms of at least six months or fines of at least 3,000 Egyptian pounds ($188) for harassment in 2014, after attacks on women near Cairo's Tahrir Square during celebrations for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisis inauguration.

Female police officers now patrol on public holidays or celebrations. But the definitions of rape, assault and harassment still often let defendants get off lightly, campaigners say.

Only forced vaginal intercourse is considered rape, with other forms defined as sexual assault.

"The problem is largely related to the legislative environment, which makes the system unable to deal with this issue," said Mohamed Fouad, a member of parliament who pressed for action on Zaki's case.

A Justice Ministry spokesman was unavailable to comment and Egypt's state press centre and an Interior Ministry spokesman did not respond to questions.

With their pursuit of the TikTok stars, prosecutors have called themselves "guardians of social morality" in targeting women deemed to be wearing suggestive clothes. Activists say the prosecutions violate freedom of expression.

Salah El-Din's case shows how women who confront social stigma by coming forward seldom have it easy.

Chasing the man who assaulted her outside her apartment in a working-class Cairo neighbourhood, she said she had to accuse him of theft to encourage bystanders to catch him.

She then battled to persuade police to take on the case, though the man eventually got a three-year prison sentence.

"They see it's rare for women to report sexual harassment and that no one follows this through to the end, so they thought it only natural that I would drop it, or file a robbery complaint instead," she said at an interview at a friend's home.

(Editing by Aidan Lewis and Andrew Cawthorne)
KOCHI, India - The plane swayed violently as it approached a hilltop runway soaked by monsoon rain, and moments later the special return flight for Indians stranded abroad by the pandemic skidded off, nosedived and cracked in two, leaving 18 dead and more than 120 injured.

Among the injured on Friday night, at least 15 were in critical condition, said Abdul Karim, a senior police officer in southern Kerala state. The dead included both pilots of the Air India Express flight, the airline said in a statement, adding that the four cabin crew were safe.

The 2-year-old Boeing 737-800 flew from Dubai to Kozhikode, also called Calicut, in Kerala. There were 174 adult passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew on board.

In a telephone interview from his hospital bed, Renjith Panangad, a plumber who was returning home for the first time in three years after losing his job at a construction company in Dubai, said the plane swayed before the crash and everything went dark.

He said he followed other passengers who crawled their way out of the fuselage through the emergency exit.

A lot of passengers were bleeding, said Panangad, who escaped without major injuries. I still cant comprehend what happened. As I am trying to recall what happened, my body is shivering.

He said the pilot made a regular announcement before landing, and moments after the plane hit the runway, it nosedived.

There was a big noise during the impact and people started screaming, he said.

As the rain stopped Saturday morning, searchers recovered a flight data recorder as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau started work on the wreckage. Air India Express said its teams also reached Calicut to support and assist families of the victims.

The wreckage of the plane was resting below a flat hilltop, its nose crashed through a wall. The aircrafts fuselage was split in two and cables dangled from the wreckage and luggage and seats were strewn around.

A similar tragedy was narrowly avoided at the same airport a year ago, when an Air India Express flight suffered a tail strike upon landing. None of the 180 passengers on that flight was injured.

Kozhikodes 2,850-meter (9,350-foot) runway is on a flat hilltop with deep gorges on either side ending in a 34-meter (112-foot) drop.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri said in a statement that the flight overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down the slope, breaking into two pieces upon impact.

Questions dogging investigators would include not only the aircraft, weather and pilots but also the runway itself. Its end safety area was expanded in 2018 to accommodate wide-body aircraft.

The runway end safety area meets United Nations international civil aviation requirements, but the U.N. agency recommends a buffer that is 150 metres (492 feet) longer than that at Kozhikode airport, according to Harro Ranter, chief executive of the Aviation Safety Network online database.

The Press Trust of India news agency reported that the countrys aviation regulator had sought an explanation from the director of the Kozhikode airport in 2019 on finding various critical safety lapses, which included cracks on the runway, water stagnation and excessive rubber deposits.

In a tweet, Puri denied the allegations and said the flagged issues were addressed and rectified.

Officials from the aviation regulator said it was too early to tell at this point whether the accident was a result of a technical error or human error.

Dubai-based aviation consultant Mark Martin said annual monsoon conditions appeared to be a factor, though it was too early to be certain of the cause.

Low visibility, wet runway, low cloud base, all leading to very poor braking action is what looks like led to where we are at the moment with this crash, Martin said, calling for the European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to assist with the Indian governments investigation.

Kerala state Health Minister KK Shailaja asked local residents who joined the rescue effort to go into quarantine as a precautionary measure. The survivors were being tested for the virus, officials said.

The Air India Express flight was part of the Indian governments special repatriation mission to bring Indian citizens back to the country, officials said. All of the passengers were returning from the Gulf region, authorities said. Regular commercial flights have been halted in India because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The passenger manifest of the flight, a copy of which was seen by the AP, showed that a large number of passengers were stranded tourists and workers reuniting with their families after months away.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode, and that he had spoken to Keralas top elected official.

Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India.

The worst air disaster in India was on Nov. 12, 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight collided midair with a Kazakhastan Airlines Flight near Charki Dadri in Haryana state, killing all 349 on board the two planes.

___

Sheikh Saaliq reported from New Delhi.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  Four hundred Filipinos are expected to arrive home by next week following the Beirut blast, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Friday.

Philippine Embassy Beirut Charge daffaires Ajeet-Victor Panemanglor said 230 Filipinos were initially scheduled to fly home but 170 more OFWs have also expressed desire to be repatriated.

The DFA is in contact with the Lebanese government to expedite the processing of the exit visas for more charter flights to be arranged by the Philippine government.

Panemanglor said in an online town hall meeting that the embassy in Beirut is now focusing on assisting the 34 Filipinos who were injured during the massive explosion that rocked Lebanons capital on Tuesday.

Four Filipinos have died, while one is still missing.

At least 149 people died and more than 5,000 were injured in the tragedy.
TCN News

Over 1300 professionals have signed an open letter condemning interrogation of Prof Apoorvanand by the Delhi Police on August 3 in connection with Delhi pogrom.

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A well-known writer, public speaker and Professor of Hindi at Delhi University, Prof Apoorvanand was called by the Special Branch of Delhi Police on August 3 where he was questioned for 5 hours about the February northeast Delhi pogrom. Reportedly, the police have seized his phone. The letter mentions that Prof Apoorvanand has been summoned under section 43F of UAPA, 19 sections of the IPC, two sections each of the Prevention of Damage of Public Property (PDPP) Act, two sections of the Arms Act, and under four different sections of the UAPA. The open letter seeks to oppose the interrogation of several other activists and their intimidation by the BJP government.

The signatories of this letter include renowned academicians, journalists, filmmakers, lawyers, activists and many known professionals from across the country who have raised alarm against a time like this when authorities feel free to haul in the nations leading public voices to police stations, merely because they speak against the policies and ideology of the ruling government. It discusses how the Indian democracy faces its most serious crisis since independence, far more critical than Indira Gandhis Emergency 45 years ago, indicating that as concerned citizens who love and value democracy, must speak out before it is too late and all voices of freedom are silenced forever.

It is not unusual, or even improper, for the police to ask citizens to cooperate in the crime they are investigating; what matters is the context and manner in which this is happening, said the statement. It went on to sound danger against the increasing witch hunt of dozens of scholars and activists in the past two months under the pandemic lockdown, stating that this is not a normal enquiry or police businessbut a clear strategy by the Delhi Police to present protests against the CAA as a conspiracy to plan and stage the communal riots that shook Delhi in late February. The signatories accuse the Centre of constructing a larger design to shut down all dissent in the country so that no one dares question authority.

Over the past several months, students, activists, writers, artists, journalists and other commoners who had participated in the anti-CAA protests have been targeted for repeated inquiries, and many have been arrested. Under the omnibus FIR 59 of 2020 alone, more than 17 arrests have taken place under the UAPA while over two hundred have been arrested under sections of the IPC. In relation to this, the letter states that the intense activity of the Delhi Police in pursuing this line of inquiry is in marked contrast to their inaction in investigating leaders associated with the BJP who were seen inciting violence on public television. The pattern is identical to that in the Bhima-Koregaon case, the letter continues, where the BJP government is launching a nationwide hunt against alleged Urban Naxals, while those who were so clearly responsible for instigating riots after the Elgar Parishad meeting in January 2017 are being allowed to go scot-free.

The signatories have reiterated that the crusade to silence dissent has been gathering momentum over the past two years with public figures like Prof Apoorvanand, and many others, known for their unwavering stand against violence and the politics of hate, are being targeted for their dissenting views. All of this is being done under the absurd pretext that these were the masterminds who instigated the Delhi riots. By attempting to silence people like this, the government intends a chilling effect on all democratic dissent and discourse. It resonated that such systematic harassment of voices critical of the government and the blatant misuse of the law and the state apparatus be stopped immediately.

If we fail to protest the muzzling of our democracy today, there may be no democracy left tomorrow, the letter concluded. Expressing deep concerns about the rising clampdown of expression in the Indian democracy, the letter has urgently requested citizens to overcome all fear and stand up for each individuals right to disagree and dissent. It has also demanded groups, organizations and individuals to resist the ongoing attempt of BJP to turn India into a police state where all dissent is criminalized under the most draconian laws.
Three U.S. senators have issued a dire warning to operators of a small German port, threatening them with crushing sanctions for allegedly providing supplies to Russian vessels involved in a pipeline project the United States vehemently opposes.



The letter sent by Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. Ron Johnson targets Faehrhafen Sassnitz GmbH, which operates Mukran Port located in German Chancellor Angela Merkels constituency on the Baltic Sea island of Ruegen.



The port is a key staging post for ships involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline thats intended to bring natural gas from Russia to Germany.



The three senators say their letter "serves as formal legal notice" that the port operator, its board members, corporate officers, shareholders, and employees risk crushing legal and economic sanctions unless they stop providing goods, services and support for the Nord Stream 2 project. This includes providing storage areas for the pipelines steel sections and provisions for the Russian-flagged vessels Fortuna and Akademik Cherskiy, The Washington Post reported.



"The only responsible course of action is for Faehrhafen Sassnitz GmbH to exercise contractual options that it has available to cease these activities," the senators add in their letter. It describes the nearly complete pipeline as a "grave threat to European energy security and American national security."
CANBERRA, Australia - Australias prime minister on Friday rejected demands from within his own conservative party to publicly attack the centre-left Victoria state government over its flawed handling of the nations worst coronavirus outbreak and an economically damaging lockdown.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been widely applauded for attempting to rise above party politics in the national response to the pandemic. State governments ruled by the conservative Liberal Party as well as those governed by the centre-left Labor Party are sending nurses and other medical resources to Victoria, the only state struggling to curb a second wave of infections.

But Victorias decision to throw 250,000 people out of work in Australias second-most populous city, Melbourne, with the countrys toughest lockdown threatens to fracture the fragile political truce.

Morrison said while his Liberal-led coalition tried to influence Victorias Labor government in confidential meetings on its pandemic responses, states have compIete and total control over those types of restrictions.

I dont see a great advantage of engaging in that process in some sort of public spectacle, Morrison said. I dont think that would be good for public confidence. I dont think that would be good for public assurance.

Compared to the United States, Australia has largely succeeded in keeping partisan politics out of the nations pandemic response.

Morrison has formed what is called a National Cabinet to seek the co-operation of Liberal and Labor state and territory leaders in pandemic decision making.

David Kemp, a former Liberal government minister who remains influential in the party, wrote in The Australian Financial Review newspaper on Thursday that the National Cabinets unity is a pretense that is dividing the Liberal Party and demoralizing its supporters.

Premier Daniel Andrews is responsible for the worst administrative failure in Australias history, Kemp wrote of the Victorian leader. The federal government is making a great mistake if it does not call this out.

Kemp described the Melbourne lockdown as an authoritarian outrage and gross policy overreach that lacks coherent justification.

Morrison has been riding high in public opinion polls with his bipartisan approach since the pandemic began.

Monash University political scientist Nick Economou, who is locked down in Melbourne, said Morrisons popularity reflects Australias success outside Victoria in containing the virus. It also reflects that the federal government had been spared many of the politically hard pandemic decisions, he said.

The commonwealth clearly has been frustrated with not just this premier, but other premiers at various times, but the constitutional reality that only Australian politics students understand is that the state is the most important level of government where it comes to the delivery of services such as a pandemic response, Economou said. Im shocked at how impotent the federal government has been.

Victoria has ordered an inquiry into breaches of Melbourne hotel quarantines that were possibly the source of the hundreds of new COVID-19 cases recorded in Victoria each day. Travellers to Australia are required to isolate for 14 days in hotels on arrival.

Media reports have alleged that security firms charged the Victoria government for hotel guards that were not provided. Guards also allegedly had sex with quarantined hotel guests and allowed families to go between rooms to play cards.

Sydney, Australias largest city, which in the early days of the pandemic had the countrys highest number of daily new cases, chose to use police and the military to provide hotel security, with greater apparent success.
Read more: Broker on his can do approach

Supporting the business from a global perspective amid the pandemic, she says, forced the technology strategy to accelerate rapidly. The work Doble had planned for the business in 2021 and 2022 was brought forward to this year because they needed to be more globally competitive for when the markets reopen.

We were focused on how do we get the products were selling in Ireland over to Australia and vice versa? she explained. We needed to diversify our sales channels and also ensure that if were doing something good in one region, are we replicating that in other regions?

While the products were there to be sold, Doble says the sheer demand for them presented a problem for sales, with technology unable to keep up.

Weve got a propriety software called Impulse which we use with our partner websites and essentially demand was up we couldnt develop fast enough to meet what the sales team were asking us to do and that was because there was probably a bit of an old fashioned approach with IT as to how to do that, she said.

We went towards more of a continuous delivery type of technology model. That reduced a lot of the inefficiencies that were happening, which meant that we were able to release large technical releases two to three times a week, or on demand, as opposed to once a month.

Read next: HBF undergoes digital transformation with new partner

But spearheading such a global transformation, especially during a global health pandemic, requires a clear vision.

To succeed, you need to create a culture of change and you absolutely need to make sure people know what your vision is, what youre going to do to help them get there, and they need to know that youve got their best interest at heart, Doble said.

Coming in and going this is where were going to go and, as an executive, Im going to provide you with that cover in order for you to get there is vital because often when we try and change, if an organisation is not ready for it or they dont have the stomach for it, usually the first thing that goes wrong, it becomes a bit of a blame culture.

Once people know youre there not to harm them but to protect them, people very happily adapt and change because they want to make their company better they want to see the company become successful, so they want to believe that someones going to help them do that.
Credit: Pixabay

In a new research review, to be published on Friday 7 August 2020 in the Journal of Human Lactation, Adjunct Associate Professor Karleen Gribble from the University's School of Nursing and Midwifery presents the impact of COVID-19 on infants in multiple countries.

She said various studies indicate that neonatal COVID-19 is uncommon, and almost never symptomatic, and that the rates of infection are no greater if the baby is breastfed or allowed contact with the mother.

"So far, we have every indication that it is rare for infants to contract the virus and  if they are COVID-19 positive  they tend to only experience mild symptoms and recover well," said Associate Professor Gribble.

"In contrast, research clearly demonstrates there are significant, ongoing health and psychological implications if infants are separated from their mothers. So what the research overwhelmingly demonstrates is that, while infants generally fare well against COVID-19, what they cannot withstand is separation from their mother."

Associate Professor Gribble said the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that, when a mother is suspected or confirmed as having COVID-19, infants should still be placed skin-to-skin after birth. It is also recommended that infants remain in close proximity to their mother, and for breastfeeding to be initiated.

"WHO weighed up the risks and benefits and concluded that  so long as the mother practices good hygiene; wears a mask, if one is available; cleans the surfaces she has been in contact with; and washes her hands regularly  COVID-19 infection is unlikely and mothers and infants should be kept together," she said.

Despite the WHO recommendations, Associate Professor Gribble said some governments, professional organizations and hospitals  including in Australia  have implemented policies that are restricting mothers' access to their babies, and are impeding their ability to establish breastfeeding.

"Some policies are advising against skin-to-skin contact, or are requiring mothers' skin to be washed first. Even more concerning are the policies that advise against breastfeeding, or are keeping mothers separated from their infants," she said.

"The intent of such policies is to protect infants, but the research is clear that the overall result is harm."

Associate Professor Gribble said any policy that restricts maternal-infant proximity is deeply concerning, and does not acknowledge the importance of developing the early mother-child relationship or the importance of breastfeeding in achieving good health and developmental outcomes for infants.

"The time that an infant spends with its mother in the hours, days and months following birth is critical for developing a maternal bond; establishing breastfeeding; and for developing the child's immunity through receiving their mother's milk," she said.

"Mothers who are deprived of breastfeeding and close proximity with their infant in the days after birth can find caring for their infant more difficult, resulting in higher rates of inadequate caregiving. The physiology of mothers and infants are entwined with one another. If this important process is interrupted, the implications for both mother and baby can be severe. If it is unavoidable that mothers and infants are separated from one another, hospitals must provide psychological support to both until and after reunion."

Also in the Journal of Human Lactation article, Associate Professor Gribble highlights a wealth of research evidence which shows that:

Frequent breastfeeding is necessary to successfully establish and maintain breastfeeding.

Isolating infants from mothers impacts the ability to establish a sufficient milk supply.

Fewer breastfeeds during the first day of life have been associated with an increased risk of breastfeeding difficulties.

Close physical contact is necessary for mothers to identify and respond to their infant's feeding cues, and to feed frequently.

Prohibition of skin-to-skin contact impedes breastfeeding.

Washing mothers' chest before skin-to-skin contact or breastfeeding may increase breastfeeding difficulty.

When infants are skin-to-skin with their mothers and initiate breastfeeding immediately after birth, mothers experience a surge of oxytocin, a hormone implicated in facilitating maternal behaviors.

Inability to suckle during skin-to-skin, after birth, has implications for breastfeeding success and for development of the mother-child relationship.

Skin-to-skin contact reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol in women for at least two days.

Separating infants from their mothers for the first few days disturbs maternal attachment development, and impacts the ability for mother's to develop responsive care for their infant.

Lack of responsive care is traumatic for infants and has been associated with poor outcomes across multiple life domains.

Absence of close contact between mothers and infants and short duration of breastfeeding undermine maternal caregiving capacity and results in higher rates of child neglect.

Nursery care for infants results in increased rates of maltreatment, inadequate caregiving, and child protection involvement when compared to rooming-in care.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: Karleen Gribble et al. Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response for Breastfeeding, Maternal Caregiving Capacity and Infant Mental Health, Journal of Human Lactation (2020). Journal information: Journal of Human Lactation Karleen Gribble et al. Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic Response for Breastfeeding, Maternal Caregiving Capacity and Infant Mental Health,(2020). DOI: 10.1177/0890334420949514
Deputies have arrested two men accused of slicing into the piping and metal fittings at Metairie businesses, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

Scott Elmer, 39, was arrested after Crimestoppers tipsters identified him as the suspect in surveillance video of the thefts, according to the Sheriff's Office. Another man, 54-year-old Robert Walters of New Mexico, was arrested after detectives said they determined he was with Elmer for one of the thefts.

Watch: Man with cordless saw slices pipes at Metairie business, JPSO says A thief wielding a cordless saw has been slicing into the piping and metal fittings at Metairie businesses, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Off

The string of thefts happened over three nights last week.

In video surveillance released by the Sheriff's Office, a man driving a gray Volkswagen Passat can be seen using a cordless saw to cut some sort of piping under a staircase. The man then returns to his car as water sprays from the pipe.

One of the businesses impacted was Shipley's Do-Nuts. According to the store's Facebook page, the pipe thefts left the business without water for the day.

Elmer was booked with two counts of attempted theft, two counts of simple criminal damage, and one count of theft. Walters was booked with one count of theft. Deputies estimate the damages at around $5,000.
The Marine Corps will overhaul its mission in Norway this fall, swapping its yearlong presence for shorter stints in the Scandinavian country that will put as many as 1,000 troops there at once.

Hundreds of Marines have been deploying to Norway every six months for nearly four years. Starting in October, though, the rotations will be switched to what the Marine Corps is calling an "episodic deployment model" that will align with major Norwegian military training events.

The decision was made in close consultation with the Norwegians and will improve the overall readiness of the Marine Corps, Maj. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, said in a statement. The changes are unrelated to the recent announcements about withdrawing nearly 12,000 troops from Germany, he added.

"This change in deployment models will enable U.S. Marine Corps forces to achieve the appropriate balance between Arctic warfare training in Norway and large-scale unit training as a naval expeditionary force," Rankine-Galloway said.

Read Next: There Are No Women Leading Marine Infantry Platoons. The Corps Wants to Change That

He stressed that the Marine Corps is not drawing down its presence in Norway since, at times, it will have a greater presence in the country than it does now. About 400 Marines will be deployed to Norway from October to December, he said. But the next rotation, scheduled from January to March of next year, will include about 1,000 Marines.

"Additionally, as in years past, we expect U.S. Marines will participate in even larger numbers in Norway's major exercises," Rankine-Galloway said.

The Barents Observer, an English-Russian online newspaper, reported the shift "inevitably will affect the military situation in the region."

The Marine Corps' presence in Norway, which is near the Russian border, has for years rankled officials in Moscow. When the service doubled the size of its biannual rotation in 2018, Russian leaders called the move "clearly unfriendly," and have even threatened possible retaliation.

Rankine-Galloway said close defense and security cooperation between the U.S. and Norway is not ending.

"This new deployment model contributes to a more lethal and capable Marine Corps, which supports the National Defense Strategy and, by extension, the capabilities of the NATO Alliance to defend against threats from peer competitors," he said.

The Marine Corps is undergoing a host of changes tied to Commandant Gen. David Berger's planning guidance, which emphasizes a return to sea-based operations in preparation for possible conflict in the Asia-Pacific region. The service is downsizing and folding its tank battalions and some other units as leaders prepare the force to face off against a near-peer adversary.

"This new deployment model will allow us to train as we intend to fight in any location, as an integrated Navy-Marine Corps force," Rankine-Galloway said.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Related: Norway Confirms Plan to Double Number of Marines Near Russian Border
By ANI

MANCHESTER: After booking a spot in the quarter-finals of Europa League, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that now they are going to move forward approaching "one game at a time" in the competition.

Manchester United completed an impressive 7-1 aggregate victory over LASK in the round of 16 on Thursday, after Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial added their strikes to the five goals which had already been scored in the first leg back in March.

"Let's see how long it lasts - hopefully more than two days, hopefully up to 12 days. We're going to approach it one game at a time. Everyone's going to travel on Sunday morning or Saturday night and we'll stay together for as long as we're in the tournament," the club's official website quoted Solskjaer as saying.

The Solskjaer-led side will now head to Germany where they will take on Copenhagen on August 11.

The final of the tournament is scheduled to be played on August 22.
Women across Saudi Arabia have joined a social media campaign calling for the end of the guardianship system.

People took to Twitter, using the hashtag #TogetherToEndMaleGuardianship, to show their support and demand social reform.

Currently women are not allowed to make major lifestyle decisions without the permission of their male guardians. The prohibition covers issues such as travelling abroad, getting married and wanting to work.

After the initial success of the English hashtag, an Arabic translation soon followed. The pair have since been used in over 170,000 tweets, causing both to trend on Twitter in Saudi Arabia, according to Vocativ.

The campaign was promoted by Human Rights Watch (HRW), who authored a report claiming the state directly enforces the guardianship system.

The male guardianship system is the most significant impediment to realising womens rights in the country, effectively rendering adult women legal minors who cannot make key decisions for themselves, HRW said in a report on the issue.

Under increasing pressure from womens rights activists, the Saudi government agreed to get rid of male guardianship in 2009 and again in 2013 but the system remains mostly intact.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

HRW is calling for the abolishment of the system and says Saudi Arabia is legally obligated to end discrimination against women without delay.
Mumbai, Aug 7 : Actress Rhea Chakraborty is a law-abiding citizen who duly met with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at the appointed time, her lawyer observed on Friday.

Rhea arrived at the ED office to be questioned over financial dealings and investment into properties, pertaining to the investigation into the death of her late boyfriend, actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The directorate is questioning her about financial transactions from Sushant's bank account over the last one year.

The ED on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Rhea and her family members. The case pertains to alleged "suspicious transactions" worth Rs 15 crore from the late actor's account.

"Rhea Chakraborty is a law abiding citizen. In view of the fact that the ED has informed the media that the request to postpone the attendance is rejected. She has appeared in the ED at the appointed time and date," said the actress's lawyer Satish Maneshinde.

Rhea arrived at the ED office here along with her brother Showik Chakraborty at 11.50 am for the questioning. The ED will record her statement under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

This comes after the directorate rejected Rhea's request for deferring her questioning earlier in the day.

"Rhea Chakraborty has requested for a postponement of recording her statement till the Supreme Court hearing," her lawyer had said previously.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear next week Rhea's plea seeking transfer of the Bihar Police probe to Mumbai Police.

Last month, it was revealed that Sushant's father KK Singh has filed an FIR in Patna, accusing Rhea, her father Indrajit Chakraborty, mother Sandhya Chakraborty, brother Showik Chakraborty, house manager Samuel Miranda and business manager Shruti Modi of abetment to suicide, fraud and holding Sushant hostage.

Sushant was found hanging on June 14 at his Bandra apartment. The post mortem report has stated the actor committed suicide. CBI has currently taken over investigation into the death.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery
I am a native New Mexican and work at New Mexico Heart Institute and the Lovelace Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center. One of my partners and close friends is in the intensive care unit (ICU) at an area hospital with COVID-19 fighting for his life. He is a brilliant, gentle, steady physician who has been called, often in the middle of the night, to save our neighbors lives from heart attacks for more than 20 years.

During COVID-19 this often meant putting his life at risk as well. Alongside nurses, medical assistants and technicians, he and my partners risk their health and their familys health at the hospital and office every day. This risk has not decreased since the first day of the pandemic. This danger has been well documented in the media, yet they all still come to work. My partner, like all of us, took every precaution that we currently have. Unfortunately, he is one of the 16 million people who got COVID-19 from another person.

One of the dangers we now face is the undermining of critical medical resources when we become overwhelmed by fear.

Fear causes sick patients to stay away from the hospital, only to get sicker. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we have seen delays in care result in preventable deaths and disabilities. Fear mongering, misinformation and lack of a federal public health response and slow adoption of technology are all factors that have stymied our ability to get people to access the care they need.

Masks, handwashing and social distancing are our only imperfect daily defenses to protect each other and our community. When we have symptoms, we need to seek care promptly to prevent downstream complications and disability. Luckily for all of us, our institutions are taking this seriously and have proven their ability to deliver care effectively and safely under challenging circumstances.

Despite the fragility of our medical system in New Mexico  we have the second-fewest ICU beds per capita in the country, one of the oldest physician populations, significant difficulty recruiting physicians and health care workers  we should all be proud of the work our medical community and local governments have done during this pandemic.

Our area hospitals and local governments have led the country in their response to this illness both in ICU care and in the state public health response through extensive testing. The area hospital administrators meet regularly to make sure patients and staff are protected to the best of their abilities. All of our local facilities have continued to provide all types of care under very challenging conditions. Our governor and her team have done a great job creating the social environment that holds the number of the cases below the systems maximum capacity.

This teamwork to create solutions and support the medical community and the health of New Mexicans is laudable and is a story that we should be proudly sharing.

We must continue to support all of our front-line workers who take risks and in some cases, also get sick.

As a physician, I encourage those in our community not to delay care out of fear when the greater risk could be from avoiding treatment. The medical community is ready to safely provide the care you need.

Above all, as New Mexicans, we must remain clear that while individuals are affected, no one person is to blame. We are all in this together.
In a bid to allay the fears of locals, the Centre is likely to bring a new law which will protect the land rights of the people belonging to Jammu and Kashmir, an official said on Friday.

A senior government official privy to the development said the new law will be passed in parliament as election to the newly created Union Territory of is yet to be held.

"Land rights for the locals in is coming up. Workis on for enacting a new law that will allay all fears of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," the official said.

Once the legislation is passed by parliament, the fear of losing rights over land will be over in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said.

The fears of domicile people arose after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 5, 2019, which ended the exclusive rights of the locals over lands or immovable property and jobs.

In April, theUnion Home Ministry had reversed its order on new domicile rules for Jammu and Kashmir within a week after the amendment triggered protests in the Valley.

Under the revised order, only domiciled residents of the Union Territory will be eligible to apply for recruitment there.

The fresh order, issued on April 3, made government jobs in the Jammu and Kashmir administration out of bounds for non-residents.

Earlier, in the order issued on March 31, the home ministry had reserved jobs for domiciled residents only in Group D and non-entry gazetted government posts.

This meant that people from any part of the country could apply for jobs in the higher categories.

Under the new definition of domicile for Jammu and Kashmir, a person residing there for at least 15 years will be eligible to be a permanent resident of the Union Territory.

The government notification also extended domicile rights to central government employees who have served in the state for ten years and also to their children.

Before August 5, 2019, when the government abrogated the erstwhile state's special status given under Article 370 and divided it into two Union Territories, the Jammu and Kashmir assembly was constitutionally empowered to define a resident of the erstwhile state.

These defined residents were alone eligible to apply for jobs or own immovable property.

However, the home ministry amended a 2010 legislation the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Decentralisation and Recruitment Act) on March 31 by substituting the term "permanent residents" with "domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir".

(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 COVID-19 pandemic has sparked an unprecedented economic crisis, during which more than 30 million Americans have relied on state and federal unemployment benefits as a lifeline. While states have delivered hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to the jobless, almost everyone would admit that the process was something like a catamaran sailing during a hurricane. Millions of claimants had to wait weeks to receive their payments, and new benefits promised by the CARES Act to gig workers, students, and others typically ineligible for aid took weeks, even months, to set up and deliver.

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As a new data dashboard from the Century Foundation and New America makes clear, only 60 percent of unemployment claims submitted by mid-June were paid by June 30better than in the spring, but still far below historical averages. (Disclosure: One of us works at the Century Foundation and one of us at New America; New America is a partner with Slate and Arizona State University in Future Tense.) While some of these claims were made by workers that may be eventually declared ineligible, for many more, its been a purgatory of pending status. In usual times, states decide 80 percent of disputed claims within three weeks, but in May, less than one-quarter of cases were decided in a matter of weeks. As Ross, an independent contractor in Milwaukee, told one of us in an interview with Project Redesign, an effort by the National Conference on Citizenship to improve confusing, rigid, and cumbersome unemployment insurance systems: The biggest discouragement is not that its 10 or 11 weeks. Its that it could be another 10 or 11 weeks.

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Last week, the HEALS Act presented by Senate Republicans proposed that states dramatically restructure the largest, and most successful, aspect of the CARES Act: pandemic unemployment compensation. They want to take it from a flat $600 per week to a capped benefit equal to the difference between state benefits and 70 percent wage replacement. Its a recipe for disaster, so much so that the White House is already backing down from it. This is in large part because states have underinvested in unemployment insurance systems, which are mostly still running on decades-old computer platforms, using outdated languages like COBOL, with hard-coded calculations so convoluted and fragile that changes like this could easily crash entire sites. Additionally, most states calculate unemployment insurance benefits based on an analysis of quarterly wage record, and dont have records necessary to calculate a weekly wage on which to base a 70 percent wage cap. Moreover, to expedite processing, states paid out a flat minimum benefit to gig workers newly eligible for UI and are still catching up on the laborious process of collecting tax returns from each recipient to determine their prior earnings and proper benefit amount. Inaccurate calculations are no small matter for unemployment, as workers typically would be responsible for repaying any overpayments even if they have already spent the money on basic needs. Its no wonder that the association representing states has estimated it would take up to five months to program this changewhich would take it beyond the Dec. 31 expiration of the HEALS Act.

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Even if the HEALS Act and its complicated formula dont come to fruition, the pandemic has shined a spotlight on the brokenness of state UI systems, which are in desperate need of help. They are some of the most antiquated and least adaptable among our public agency systems. Just this week, Floridas Gov. Ron DeSantis admitted that his states system was definitely [designed] in a way to lead to the least number of claims being paid out, by frustrating people until they give up on filing a claim.

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The Great Recession should have provided a warning, as many states struggled with phone system and application backlogs in the wake of the financial crisis. Researchers at the Upjohn Institute concluded that paying out a seemingly simple $25 per week additional payment as part of the 2009 Recovery Act presented enormous administrative challenges. Still, little changed. Lawmakers and state officials have long known UI systems are in need of serious upgrades. In 2017, one state official described Pennsylvanias system as being held together with chewing gum and duct tape. In 2013, the Government Accountability Office warned Congress that limited funding in state budgets and a lack of expertise among state staff was complicating efforts to modernize UI system technology. A report on unemployment modernization found that only 20 percent of projects started were completed, 60 percent were challenged, and 20 percent failed.

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Leaders in Congress and the states made a conscious policy choice to underinvest in IT systems for UI, which stands in stark contrast to the billions of dollars made available in health care IT following the passage of the Affordable Care Act. In 2016the most recent year modernization grants were announced by the Department of Labormost states received less than $500,000 in funds. Pick any state that has launched a UI modernization project and you are likely to find news about delays and cost overrunsa problem since most states have balanced-budget requirements and cant go into debt to modernize their systems. Some attribute this to a lack of vendors who know how to build the new systems. Furthermore, state unemployment insurance laws are extremely complicated and make building a new system challenging, to put it mildly.

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Not only has IT been underfunded, the federal drive and funding for redesign came out of its fraud prevention allocations, leading to spectacular failures. In Michigan, from 2013 to 2015, tens of thousands of workers were wrongly denied aid and accused of fraud by algorithms. UI websites have the feel of a system designed for staff, not consumers, one in which jobless workers are guilty until proven innocent. The current crisis has been a wake-up call for many states that now recognize the need for human-centered design and modern development best practices to improve their UI systems. In just a matter of weeks, states have used artificial intelligence to answer and process claims faster, deployed new mobile phone friendly web applications, and unveiled call-out and email-out procedures to resolve backlogs.

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Despite these nascent and valiant efforts, we are demanding our UI enterprise systems and software deliver far more than they were designed for or can handle in the long term.

Given the current state of unemployment systems in this country, Congress made the right choice in setting up pandemic unemployment compensation as a flat dollar amount. Continuing that is our only option if we want to keep delivering critical benefits that sustain familiesand our economyin a manner that respects the urgency of the moment at hand. But what this crisis also makes plain and simple is that our nations UI infrastructure is inadequate by design. The federal government and states have chosen to underinvest in crucial unemployment insurance systemsand now, the victims of a volatile and uncertain economy are paying the price.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
LOS ANGELES  An oil and gas exploration company in Los Angeles has been charged with more than two dozen criminal counts after allegedly flouting a state order and failing to properly abandon its oil wells.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said Tuesday that Allenco Energy will not be allowed to continue allegedly defying the law and disregarding its neighbors when it comes to environmental safety and health protections, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Chief Executive Clifford E. Peter Allen and Vice President Timothy Parker were also targeted in the misdemeanor charges filed this week. An Allenco representative reached Tuesday declined to comment.

The city attorneys office said that the executives could face jail time if convicted.

California regulators ordered Allenco earlier this year to plug its wells and decommission the drill site, which would permanently close the inactive facility. But State Oil and Gas Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntu said the company deserted the site.

The facility continues to be a potential risk to public health, safety, and the environment, Ntuk said.

The criminal complaint says Allenco and its leaders failed to comply with a state order requiring the firm to plan out how to stop well operations to address potential leaks from deteriorating wells.

Allenco appealed, but Feuer said it was ultimately affirmed and to date, Allenco has not complied.

Allenco had agreed to suspend its operations at the site nearly seven years ago, after federal and local investigations were launched and an environmental team touring the site had been sickened by toxic fumes.

Feuer then sued and obtained a court order imposing new requirements if the company was to restart operations. Parker told state regulators in February that Allenco planned to sell its portion of the drill site, complaining that the state had made it too difficult to reopen it.

We have spent tremendous amounts of capital trying to be compliant and prove that we are good stewards of compliance, Parker said at the time.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
School buildings should be off-limits to students, except for kids who most need personal instruction, while the coronavirus is spreading at its current pace in Bexar County, according to guidelines from the medical director of the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

Dr. Junda Woos recommendations, released Friday as local districts prepare to start the fall semester this month with remote instruction only, outlines a path for gradually bringing all students back to classrooms as transmission of the virus subsides.

The guidance relies on three color-coded zones  red, yellow and green  indicating infection risk levels and identifies the metrics for determining when Bexar County reaches each zone. Now, the county is in the high-threat red zone.

To start, only students who receive special services, who are deemed at-risk and who dont have the resources to conduct their studies at home should be allowed in schools and only under extremely limited conditions, Woo said.

Special needs services for the students should not involve prolonged close contact, defined by Woo as within six feet and for 15 minutes or more.

Woos recommendations, which are nonbinding and apply to public and private schools, are designed to help superintendents and school boards decide whether and how to reopen. Local districts plan to postpone in-person instruction until the week of Labor Day at the earliest. That delay could be extended, and at least two districts  South San Antonio and Edgewood  have chosen to remain in full remote learning until October.

She drew on input from the local COVID-19 PreK-12 Consultation Group, an advisory panel on school reopenings that includes students, parents, medical professionals, educators and school leaders.

I think what we have here is a very scientific, very well thought out, type of guidance where we really have put together all the input that has come in so far to try and make the very best recommendation, Dr. Sandra Guerra, assistant medical director of Metro Health, said during the city and county daily COVID-19 briefing Friday evening.

School leaders can choose whether to follow the guidance, but most districts are opting to work with Metro Health, County Judge Nelson Wolff said at the briefing.

While strongly worded, these are recommendations, Woo said to the Express-News on Friday. Just as individual patients don't always follow a doctors recommendations, I would expect there are schools that would do the same. It's my job nonetheless to recommend whats safest.

Woos color-coded zones are based on benchmarks, including:

The percentage of people tested for the virus whose results come back positive, known as the positivity rate. The goal is 5 percent or lower. On Thursday, the rate was just under 15 percent, down from 18 percent last week.

The number of days it takes for the cumulative case total to double. The goal is more than 18 days and Metro Health has been reporting a doubling time of 21 days, which Woo recently noted was a good sign.

A decline in new positive virus cases for 14 consecutive days. The countys daily count has gone up and down, without any consistent decline. On Friday, Metro Health reported 360 new cases, up 35 from Thursday.

According to Woos guidelines, when the county reaches the yellow zone, more students could be brought into schools for longer periods of time but in-person instruction should still be limited to the students who most need that.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

No more than six students should be allowed in a classroom and they should be in fixed cohorts, to prevent mixing kids. Buildings and room occupancy should not exceed 25 percent and could be more stringent, depending on the quality of ventilation and the capacity to maintain a physical distancing of at least 6 feet between people.

Sports practices may be allowed during the yellow zone but should be limited. Only practices that can be no-contact and allow athletes to socially distance should be permitted. Student athletes should also be in fixed cohorts of no more than six children, Woo advised.

Once the county is in the green zone, in-person learning for larger groups of students would be permitted. But everyone in the building should still adhere to physical distancing and wearing masks.

Woo said each school district should create a seven-member panel, which would provide advice about reopening, with the following members: a student, a teacher, a parent, a non-instructional staffer such as a custodial worker, a medical person such as a school nurse or pediatrician, a human resources representative, and someone from a subset community, such as the immigrant or disabled communities.

The panel should report to the superintendent and school board trustees. In addition, the panels medical member should report weekly to Metro Health about positive cases and absences related to the coronavirus and to flu-like illnesses. Mayor Ron Nirenberg said schools have to follow the reporting requirement that is part of the guidance.

On ExpressNews.com: Coronavirus outbreaks will occur in schools, San Antonio Metro Health official says

The guidelines issued Friday replaces an order Woo signed July 17 that prohibited schools in Bexar County from opening for in-person learning at least until after Sept. 7, Labor Day.

She had to scrap that approach after Gov. Greg Abbott said local health districts do not have the authority to close schools preemptively. They can do so only in response to an outbreak of COVID-19.

If an outbreak occurs, the campus may close for up to five days for cleaning, the Texas Education Agency has said.

Neither state or local officials have defined what will constitute an outbreak, and Guerra said Friday that closure decisions would be made on a case by case basis and as the science continues to advance.

I think those decisions will be made in a very collaborative approach, the same way that this tool has been developed, she said.

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
Rhea Chakraborty and her brother, Showik Chakraborty, reached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office on Friday morning to record her statement in the money laundering case lodged against her. She has been accused of misappropriating funds to the tune of Rs 15 crore from her boyfriend, the late Sushant Singh Rajputs bank account.

The ED rejected Rheas plea to postpone her questioning till her plea in the Supreme Court is heard. She had filed a petition in the apex court, seeking that the case lodged against her by the Bihar Police be transferred to the Mumbai Police. The Bihar government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, seeking to dismiss Rheas plea and calling it premature, misconceived and non-maintainable.

A money laundering case was lodged against Rhea by the ED after Sushants father, KK Singh, filed an FIR accusing her of cheating and siphoning off the late actors funds for her and her familys personal expenses. Rhea and her family members have also been accused of abetting Sushants suicide.

#SushantSinghRajput death case: Rhea Chakraborty arrives at Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Mumbai.



ED rejected her earlier request that the recording of her statement be postponed till Supreme Court hearing. pic.twitter.com/MIWYlYMXhT  ANI (@ANI) August 7, 2020

According to legal experts, an ED probe differs from the one conducted by local police. Under PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act), a person is presumed guilty until he proves his innocence, unlike normal criminal law, which presumes innocence until proven guilty.

Also read: Amitabh Bachchan apologises after wrongly crediting father Harivansh Rai Bachchan for Prasoon Joshis poem

Rhea has not commented on the allegations levelled against her. However, she shared a self-made video, in which she expressed her faith in the judiciary. I have immense faith in God and the judiciary. I believe that I will get justice. Even though a lot of horrible things are being said about me on the electronic media, I refrain from commenting on the advice of my lawyers as the matter is sub-judice. Satyameva jayate, the truth shall prevail, she said in the video.

Meanwhile, Sushants death will now be probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a move that has been welcomed by his family members. The investigating agency has registered a case against Rhea, her family members and two of her associates.

Sushant was found dead at his Mumbai home on June 14. The Mumbai Police have said that it was a case of suicide and a post-mortem report revealed the cause of death as asphyxia due to hanging.

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

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Kate Langbroek nearly lost her eldest son Lewis after he was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2009.

And on Friday, the radio personality reflected on her son's good fortune and recovery on his 17th birthday.

In a touching Instagram post, the 54-year-old wrote: 'Today is an important day. It is my eldest sons birthday; 17, which seems like a miracle because in 2009, when he was 6, Lewis Lewis nearly died.'

Reflection: Kate Langbroek looked back on her son Lewis' battle with leukaemia in a touching post on his 17th birthday on Friday. (Pictured together)

She continued: 'He had leukemia, and it was a grueling, terrible, frightening and painful three and a half years before he returned to health.'

Kate said that her son has come along way since then, and is now 'tall and strong and healthy'.

The star thanked the doctors and nurses who helped in Lewis' recovery, and also paid tribute to children who had died from the disease.

In an Instagram post, Kate wrote: 'Today is an important day. It is my eldest sons birthday; 17, which seems like a miracle because in 2009, when he was 6, Lewis Lewis nearly died'

'And yes, we think of those little ones who have fallen, for whom medical breakthroughs did not happen soon enough,' she wrote.

Kate then thanked the Children's Cancer Foundation for supporting her throughout Lewis' treatment, before asking her fans to donate to the foundation.

'Research is the reason my son has lived. You can help others live, too.'

Diagnosed at the age of six, Lewis battled leukaemia for three and a half years before reaching full recovery in 2013.

Throwback: Diagnosed at the age of six, Lewis battled leukaemia for three and a half years before reaching full recovery in 2013

During his ordeal, his sight deteriorated in one eye and he was told by doctors that he would potentially lose his battle to cancer.

Kate did not reveal her son's illness to her radio listeners until after he had been given the all-clear in 2014, four years after his initial diagnosis.

Last year, Kate revealed that Lewis' recovery was one of the main reasons why she and her family had decided to move to Italy.

Kate, her husband, Peter Lewis, and their children have been living in Bologna since January 2019.

The couple are parents to Lewis, Sunday, 14, Artie, 12, and Jan, nine.
(Alliance News) - The UK's trade negotiations with Japan have been "positive and productive" and both countries hope to achieve a formal agreement in principle by the end of the month, Liz Truss has said.

The International Trade Secretary said the two countries have "reached consensus on the major elements of a deal" and share an aim "to reach a formal agreement in principle by the end of August".

Truss added that the UK and Japan have agreed "ambitious provisions" in areas including digital, data and financial services "that go significantly beyond the EU-Japan deal".

Free Trade Agreement negotiations began with Japan in June.

The negotiations come as London and Tokyo work towards replacing the agreement the UK currently has with Japan through the EU.

Without a new deal by January 1, 2021 the two countries would default to World Trade Organisation trading terms.

That would mean tariffs and obstacles to commerce between the UK and its fourth-largest non-EU trading partner.

Issuing an update on proceedings, Truss said: "Negotiations have been positive and productive, and we have reached consensus on the major elements of a deal a including ambitious provisions in areas like digital, data and financial services that go significantly beyond the EU-Japan deal.

"Our shared aim is to reach a formal agreement in principle by the end of August.

"The UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement will forge stronger ties between two democratic island nations with a shared commitment to free and fair trade, and strengthen the global consensus for open markets at a time of heightened protectionism.

"It will deliver more trade and investment that will benefit businesses and consumers across the whole of the country and help level up our UK."

Truss said the government has been very clear that any deal must work for the whole UK.

According to UK government figures, trade between the two countries totalled GBP31.4 billion last year, with 9,500 UK-based businesses exporting goods to Japan.

The Department for International Trade said the new agreement is expected to increase trade with Japan by around GBP15 billion a year in the long run, boosting wages across the UK by GBP800 million.

Since the beginning of June when negotiations with Japan began, more than 100 negotiators have met and discussed the agreement.

source: PA

Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
This hire provides additional support to our operations as we continue to expand our footprint.

Leading laundry service provider, FMB Laundry, is proud to announce a new addition to their award-winning team, Einar Kvandahl. Kvandahl will be serving as Vice President of Operations to the ever-expanding company.

Charles McCurdy, Executive Vice President of FMB Laundry, is always looking for ways to grow the company and enhance the customer experience. This hire provides additional support to our operations as we continue to expand our footprint. FMB Laundry now serves eight states and the District of Columbia, said McCurdy. FMB has also recently opened a Southeast regional office in Norcross, GA.

About Einar Kvandahl

Einar Kvandahl brings with him over sixteen years of experience in the laundry industry. These years were spent mainly in product management, where Kvandahl worked closely with control development and technology.

For the last six years, he has worked with FMB directly, as a Speed Queen manufacturing representative. As a manufacturing representative for FMB, I was able to view the company up close. I was drawn in by the values they possess as a family-run business, as well as the excellent service they provide their customers, said Kvandahl.

We know that Einar shares the same commitment to prompt, professional service that our customers expect from FMB Laundry, McCurdy stated. His technical and customer service background is a natural fit for our company goals of creating amenity value in the laundry room through technology-driven solutions.

Kvandahl is eager for the opportunity to work closely with customers. I strive to make everyone happy, every day. Einars passion and determination will be a great asset to the FMB Laundry team.

About FMB Laundry

FMB Laundry, Inc. is a locally owned, technology focused laundry equipment and service provider. They are dedicated to providing the highest levels of prompt and professional service to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast markets. FMB Laundry, an authorized Speed Queen distributor, combines equipment sales, leasing, and service with the Clothesline Mobile Laundry App to deliver a state-of-the-art laundry room experience at apartments, condominiums, college and universities, hotels, government agencies, and more. Please visit our website to learn more.
This is the terrifying moment a bloodied and dazed truckie was saved by police and quick-thinking strangers after a horror crash sparked a 50 metre fire wall.

Officers were called to the crash on the Bruce Highway in Gindoran, north-east Queensland, at 11:15am on Wednesday after three trucks and a ute collided.

Horror footage showed officers arriving to the scene with the road covered in fog and witnesses quickly rushing to tell an officer that a truckie was laying close to huge flames.

When police arrived on the Bruce Highway at 11:15 on Wednesday they were confronted with a huge wall of flames (pictured)

The police officer approaching the truckie who put out his bloodied hand, before they realised he wasn't able to move.

'We need to get further away from this truck, we're going to have move you okay,' the officer said.

'You'll be alright mate, you're going to make it.'

The driver was then carried by several good Samaritans and an officer using a large blanket as a make-shift stretcher.

With the first driver safe, police located a second man just metres from the flames and lifted him into the back of a 4WD before driving him to safety.

Both drivers were airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital with one man, 42, in a critical condition and another man, 54, in a serious condition.

As police approached the bloodied truckie he put out his hand to the officer (pictured) before the cop told him 'you'll be alright mate, you're going to make it'

A veteran truckie, who was on the scene even before police arrived, described the moment he came across the terrifying scene decided to take action.

The man, who wished to remain anonymous, pulled one of the burning truckies out of the flaming wreck 'cause it's just what you do,' according to The Observer.

'Me and a few other drivers went down there and got him out of the cab and the other driver crawled out of his truck but he was burning, he was alight.

'We dragged him around and back up through to the top of the road and went to help the other bloke, who was still burning but we managed to put him out.

He said emergency services arrived moments later and they took over.

Queensland Police praised motorists first on the scene for providing urgent first aid to the injured.

Passing motorists and police helped move a driver away from the flames using a blanket as a make-shift stretcher (pictured)

Police said the crash first began when a ute towing a caravan slowed down in heavy fog and pulled over to the side in an attempt to get out of the way.

A truck towing two trailers and travelling in the same direction clipped the ute and the caravan and the pair pulled over before moving off.

But as the truck moved off a second, which was also carrying two trailers, ran into the back of it.

A third truck then smashed into the rear of the second truck and they both caught fire which then erupted into a huge blaze.

Police are now urging anyone who witnesses the crash to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Letters: Our family is counting on help from U.S. Congress
DURHAM, N.C. - Despite international travel for The Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement Program (ACE) being canceled for the summer of 2020, the ACE Program has multiple past participants who continue to demonstrate the values ACE taught them as part of being an ACE Ambassador. This week, we highlight Veronica Brtek .

In February 2014, Duke's Board of Trustee's, chaired by Duke alumnus David Rubenstein, traveled to Palo Alto, Calif., and met with officials from Stanford to determine opportunities for collaboration between the two institutions. The challenging schedules of student-athletes, which make participating in off-campus activities such as study abroad programs difficult, was identified as an issue the two universities could work together on in order to develop a solution, leading to the genesis of ACE. The ACE program was officially announced in Spring 2015.

Recent Duke graduate and member of the cross country and track & field team, Brtek traveled to China in 2018 as part of the ACE Program.

"ACE provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will allow me to serve others while also challenging me to grow as an individual," Brtek said. "Through this [experience], I will be able to experience a new culture, create lasting memories, and leave a positive impact on a community."

Brtek's past experiences with service included volunteering alongside her team at the Ronald McDonald House and serving community meals with Urban Ministries. During her undergraduate career, she was a member of Athletes in Action, a Christian student-athlete group. She also advocates for greater inclusivity for LGBTQ student-athletes by participating in Athlete Ally.

ACE in China provided the perfect opportunity to serve a community while also allowing her to learn a great deal about the Tibetan region's rich culture. Brtek's experience in China continues to reshape how she approaches situations, and it helped her make a bigger commitment to serving the Durham community. She also continues to stay engaged globally, as she worked in both Guatemala and Uganda. She keeps in close contact with the other participants from the ACE program, and she continues to use what she learned to better herself, her team, and her school.

"This experience was one of the most amazing things I will likely ever do," Brtek said. "It has taught me so much and allowed me to meet so many wonderful people, so I want to do what I can to help others have the same experience."

Brtek is looking into global health related masters degrees and research programs with the hopes of better preparing herself to pursue a PhD.

#GoDuke
Baker Hughes (NYSE: BKR) announced today that the Baker Hughes international rig count for July 2020 was 743 down 38 from the 781 counted in June 2020, and down 419 from the 1,162 counted in July 2019. The international offshore rig count for July 2020 was 183, down 11 from the 194 counted in June 2020, and down 72 from the 255 counted in July 2019.

The average U.S. rig count for July 2020 was 255, down 19 from the 274 counted in June 2020, and down 700 from the 955 counted in July 2019. The average Canadian rig count for July 2020 was 32, up 14 from the 18 counted in June 2020, and down 89 from the 121 counted in July 2019.

The worldwide rig count for July 2020 was 1,030, down 43 from the 1,073 counted in June 2020, and down 1,208 from the 2,238 counted in July 2019.

July 2020 Rig Counts

July 2020 June 2020 July 2019 Land Offshore Total Month

Variance Land Offshore Total Land Offshore Total Latin America 43 31 74 3 40 31 71 168 33 201 Europe 82 23 105 -5 85 25 110 148 52 200 Africa 55 1 56 -4 57 3 60 92 19 111 Middle East 277 38 315 -28 299 44 343 367 57 424 Asia Pacific 103 90 193 -4 106 91 197 132 94 226 International 560 183 743 -38 587 194 781 907 255 1,162 United States 243 12 255 -19 262 12 274 930 25 955 Canada 31 1 32 14 16 2 18 118 3 121 North America 274 13 287 -5 278 14 292 1,048 28 1,076 Worldwide 834 196 1,030 -43 865 208 1,073 1,955 283 2,238

Beginning September 2020, the monthly international rig count will be distributed using the same email alert-based subscription system as the weekly North America rig count. A monthly press release will no longer be distributed following the August 2020 rig count. The subscription system is available free-of-charge and is available by clicking here to join on the rig count website.

About the Baker Hughes Rig Counts

The Baker Hughes rig counts are counts of the number of drilling rigs actively exploring for or developing oil or natural gas in the U.S., Canada and international markets. The Company has issued the rig counts as a service to the petroleum industry since 1944, when Hughes Tool Company began weekly counts of the U.S. and Canadian drilling activity. The monthly international rig count was initiated in 1975.

The North American rig count is scheduled to be released at noon Central Time on the last working day of each week. The international rig count is scheduled to be released on the last working day of the first week of the month at 5:00 a.m. Central Time. Additional detailed information on the Baker Hughes rig counts is available on our rig count site.

About Baker Hughes:

Baker Hughes (NYSE: BKR) is an energy technology company that provides solutions to energy and industrial customers worldwide. Built on a century of experience and with operations in over 120 countries, our innovative technologies and services are taking energy forward making it safer, cleaner and more efficient for people and the planet. Visit us at bakerhughes.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200807005011/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Jud Bailey

+1 281-809-9088

investor.relations@bakerhughes.com

Media Relations

Thomas Millas

+1 910-515-7873

Thomas.millas@bakerhughes.com
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The Covid-19 pandemic and tensions with China have trained the spotlight on the USs heavy reliance on imports for generic drugs. In an effort to end this dependence, US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order directing federal agencies to buy certain essential medicines solely from US factories.

Trump's order does not mention the specific names of the drugs; instead it directs the USFDA to decide on the list based on new requirements.

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro explained that government agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs can opt out of buying American drugs if the product is not produced in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities in the US or buying the product locally would raise procurement costs by 25 percent.

The latest order, called Buy American, comes less than two weeks after the US governments drug pricing executive orders, in which it proposed the creation of an international pricing index that will seek to cap pricing of drugs under Medicare Part-B to the lowest price available in economically comparable countries. That move could impact Indian companies adversely.

Whats behind the Buy American order?

Over 90 percent of US prescriptions are generic medicines, and their supply chain is directly or indirectly linked to China and India.

Concerns have been raised by US Congress members across the political divide about the countrys reliance on China for drugs, which was seen as a threat to national security during public health emergencies.

The US government's $765 million loan to Eastman Kodak, which once made cameras and films, to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients of generic drugs is also being seen as an attempt to cut down on imports.

The Buy American order also proposes to provide some relaxations to US manufacturers on USFDA and Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

Impact on Indian drug companies

The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, the main lobby representing large Indian drug makers, said it is keenly watching the developments, as the US is a key market for pharmaceutical exports. We are studying the executive order, so we can't comment at the moment, said Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance.

India exported drugs worth about $6.7 billion in FY20, which constitutes about one-third of the countrys pharmaceutical exports.

Uday Bhaskar, Director General, Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil), a trade body under the Ministry of Commerce, said the impact of the executive order would be limited. Out of the US generics market of $65-$70 billion, India's contribution is only about 10 percent, and Indias cost of production is 40 percent lower than North America and Europe. The US market has become highly price sensitive for generic drugs, Bhaskar said.

Other industry sources echoed Bhaskar, saying it would be challenging for the US government to bring a significant chunk of generic manufacturing to its shores, due to significant difference in cost overheads compared to India.

The measures are targeted mainly at China due to the ongoing US-China hostilities and may even benefit India strategically, sources told Moneycontrol, pointing out that China is almost the only source globally for fermentation based API, and the order targets such procurement.

In fact, development of APIs and critical medicine manufacturing in the US may be a strategic positive for India, in terms of national security considerations, and providing non-China sources, one source said.

Many Indian pharmaceutical companies such as Cipla, Sun Pharma, Dr. Reddys, Lupin, and Aurobindo Pharma have a substantial manufacturing presence as well as research and development operations in the US.

Hence, they will continue supplying the US market irrespective of the current order, with partial manufacturing in India.
(Photo : Screenshot From pxhere official website )

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is one of the stages that the brain goes through while sleeping. Specific regions of the brain show high electric activity, yet scientists know very little of the significance of these active neurons. Researchers from Switzerland discovered a link between REM sleep and eating behavior.

A team from the University of Bern and the school's hospital (Inselspital) observed that the same neural circuits are highly active during REM sleep and eating behavior. Their findings have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Previous research on REM sleep determined which regions of the brain are activated during this phase of sleep. For the first time, scientists discovered that suppressing neuron activity in the lateral hypothalamus results in decreased appetite.

Typically, the stages of sleep are light sleep, deep sleep, then REM sleep. The process repeats itself through the night with the REM stages getting longer and more intense each time.

The last round of REM usually lasts up to an hour, accompanied by vivid dreaming, eye movement, increased heart rate, and high activity in specific brain regions.





REM Sleep and Appetite

One active brain region during REM sleep is the lateral hypothalamus. This region responds to feelings of hunger and sends signals when enough food is consumed.

The lateral hypothalamus is also associated with memory functions and emotions. Behavior such as motivation and addiction are also regulated by this small region in the brain.

Professor Dr. Antoine Adamantidis said that their discovery, 'suggests that REM sleep is necessary to stabilize food intake.' To understand how neural activities during REM sleep impact daily behavior, Dr. Adamantidis, and his team used mice models.

Using a technique called optogenetics, the team used light pulses to turn off or shut down specific, active neurons in the lateral hypothalamic during REM sleep in mice. When they woke up, the researchers observed that their behavior changed - the mice consumed less food than usual.

Lukas Oesch said that they were surprised at 'how strongly and persistently our intervention affected the neural activity in the lateral hypothalamus and the behavior of the mice.' Even after four days of regular sleep, he added, the decreased appetite was still present. The results suggest that neural activity during REM sleep is essential for regulating feeding behavior in mammals.

Read Also: Lack of Sleep May Cause Dandruff, Study Says





Sleep Quality

The results show that a substantial amount of sleep is not the only significant factor for overall health and well-being, but more importantly how sleep quality affects eating behavior too. Adamantidis explained, 'This is of particular relevance in our society where not only sleep quantity decreases but where sleep quality is dramatically affected by shift work, late-night screen exposure or social jet-lag in adolescents.'

Associating brain activity during REM sleep and eating behavior can also help develop new therapies for people with eating disorders, addiction, and mood disorders where motivation is a major problem. Adamantidis expressed how they still have a lot of research to do with their discovery before expanding their data to therapeutical approaches.

Read Also: A Reduction in REM Sleep Could Increase Mortality Rate Among Adults, Study Suggests
NEW DELHI  At least 17 people were killed and 123 injured when a special return flight for Indians stranded abroad because of the coronavirus skidded off a hilltop runway and cracked in two while landing Friday in heavy rain in the southern state of Kerala, police said.

Among the injured, at least 15 were in critical condition, said Abdul Karim, a senior Kerala state police officer. Rescue operations were over, he said.

The dead included both pilots of the Air India Express flight, the airline said in a statement, adding that the four cabin crew members were safe.

The 2-year-old Boeing 737-800 flew from Dubai to Kozhikode, also called Calicut, in Kerala, Indias southernmost state, the airline said. There were 174 adult passengers, 10 infants, two pilots and four cabin crew on board.

Kozhikodes 2,850-meter (9,350-foot) runway is on a flat hilltop with deep gorges on either side ending in a 34-meter (112-foot) drop.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep S. Puri said in a statement that the flight overshot the runway in rainy conditions and went down the slope, breaking into two pieces upon impact.

A similar tragedy was narrowly avoided at the same airport a year ago, when an Air India Express flight suffered a tail strike upon landing. None of the 180 passengers of that flight was injured.

An inquiry will be conducted by the ministrys Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.

The airports runway end safety area was expanded in 2018 to accommodate wide-body aircraft.

The runway end safety area meets United Nations international civil aviation requirements, but the U.N. agency recommends a buffer that is 150 meters (492 feet) longer than what exists at Kozhikode airport, according to Harro Ranter, chief executive of the Aviation Safety Network online database.

Dubai-based aviation consultant Mark Martin said that while it was too early to determine the cause of the crash, annual monsoon conditions appeared to be a factor.

Low visibility, wet runway, low cloud base, all leading to very poor braking action is what looks like led to where we are at the moment with this crash, Martin said, calling for the European Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to assist with the Indian governments investigation.

Kerala state Health Minister KK Shailaja on Saturday asked local residents who joined the rescue effort to go into quarantine as a precautionary measure. The survivors were being tested for the virus, officials said.

The Air India Express flight was part of the Indian governments special repatriation mission to bring Indian citizens back to the country, officials said. All of the passengers were returning from the Gulf region, authorities said. Regular commercial flights have been halted in India because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode, and that he had spoken to Keralas top elected official.

Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India.

The worst air disaster in India was on Nov. 12, 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight collided midair with a Kazakhastan Airlines Flight near Charki Dadri in Haryana state, killing all 349 on board the two planes.

___

Associated Press writers Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi and Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar, India, contributed to this report.
At meeting held on 07 August 2020

The Board of T.V. Today Network at its meeting held on 07 August 2020 has approve to suspend print publication of English Daily Newspaper "Mail Today" with effect from 10 August 2020, for now, given the viability of print media in the current situation. The content shall continue to be published in digital format.

The Newspaper "Mail Today" comprises of insignificant portion of business of the Company (Mail Today newspaper in physical mode contributed less than 2% to the total revenues of the Company during the quarter ended 30 June 2020), therefore the said suspension shall not have any material impact on overall business of the Company.

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China, Russia, and Iran are attempting to influence the U.S. general elections via propaganda and other means, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

While China and Iran are trying to sway the outcome against President Trump, Russia is attempting to prevent a victory for Joe Biden. The conclusions are based on assessments from the U.S. Intelligence Community.

We assess that China prefers that President Trump  whom Beijing sees as unpredictable  does not win reelection, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, a branch of the ODNI, said in a statement on Friday. China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to Chinas interests, and deflect and counter criticism of China

However, Evanina continued, Russia is using a range of measures to primarily denigrate former Vice President Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia establishment.Some Kremlin-linked actors are also seeking to boost President Trumps candidacy on social media and Russian television.

Meanwhile, Iran is spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-U.S. content in order to undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country.

Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), acting chariman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said earlier on Friday that the specific efforts by Russia were aimed at dividing the country.

The election landscape, the interference landscape, has gotten incredibly complex  none of these people are Republicans or Democrats, Rubio told CNN. They want us to get us to fight against each other. There are multiple nations now involved in this. And stay tuned.

More from National Review
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates urged the government to address climate change with the same "sense of urgency" as it has the coronavirus crisis. If the proper measures arent taken, he wrote in a blog post this week, then the impact could be far more devastating.

Gates put the mortality rate of coronavirus at about 14 deaths per 100,000. By the end of the century, if the emissions growth rate stays its current course, he said we could be faced with an extra 73 deaths per 100,000 people due to rising global temperatures.



"As awful as this pandemic is, climate change could be worse," he wrote. "If you want to understand the kind of damage that climate change will inflict, look at COVID-19 and spread the pain out over a much longer period of time. The loss of life and economic misery caused by this pandemic are on par with what will happen regularly if we do not eliminate the worlds carbon emissions."



Gates projected that, within 20 years, the economic damage from climate change will be as bad as having the equivalent of a COVID-19 pandemic every decade, MarketWatch reported.
The term affirmative action has appeared in legislative and governmental documents going back to the 1930s and was specifically applied in reference to racial discrimination in the John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson administrations more than a half-century ago. It has been a consistent presence in discussions of discrimination and diversity across the decades since. As a case in point, voters in California will see Proposition 16 on their November ballot -- the "Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment," which would undo a 1996 law that said "the state cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to persons on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin in public employment, public education and public contracting."

The fact that there is now a proposition related to affirmative action designed to overturn a previous proposition related to affirmative action underscores the complexity and controversy surrounding the idea. Similarly, a highly publicized lawsuit against Harvard University's affirmative action policies, having been rejected by a federal judge, is now wending its way to the Supreme Court. The suit argues that Harvard's affirmative action admission policies, designed to provide advantages to certain groups defined by their race and ethnicity, ends up disadvantaging other groups defined by their race and ethnicity.

Affirmative Action More Important Than Ever

Now, in the context of Black Lives Matter and the renewed societal emphasis on discrimination, affirmative action remains a core part of the focus on reducing racial inequities. But the application of the concept appears destined to remain controversial.

The concept of affirmative action itself seems fairly straightforward. The idea is to affirmatively take action to address the problem of racial inequity. As is often the case, complexity (and in some instances, controversy) arises when attention turns to the details -- the specific policies that are enacted in the name of affirmative action.

The focus of equal opportunity programs, including the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1965, is on making sure there is no overt discrimination in hiring and promotion -- that is, removing race as a factor in hiring and promotion decisions. On the other hand, affirmative action usually connotes a more active effort to promote racial equality, often explicitly including race as a factor in hiring and promotion decisions in order to reach desirable and appropriate racial proportionality. This latter approach is at the crux of both the California and Harvard situations.

Conceptually, Americans Are Positive About Affirmative Action

Americans' top-of-mind reactions to the term affirmative action are generally positive. Gallup asks a straightforward question about affirmative action without a definition or explanation -- "Do you generally favor or oppose affirmative action programs for racial minorities?" -- and as of Gallup's last asking in 2018, 61% of Americans were in favor, while 30% were opposed. Support has increased from the range of 47% to 50% who were in favor in 2001, 2003 and 2005, and from a slightly higher 54% in 2016.

Americans are also solidly behind the broad concept of equal opportunity and improving the position of racial minorities in society -- the underlying rationale for affirmative action.

Pew Research, for example, in a 2019 survey found that 75% of Americans said it was very or somewhat important for "companies and organizations to promote racial and ethnic diversity in their workplace." Only 12% said it was not at all important. Quinnipiac (June 11-15, 2020) recently found two-thirds of Americans agreeing that discrimination against Black people in the United States today is a serious problem. A CNN poll (June 2-5, 2020) found two-thirds saying that racism is a big problem in our society today. Gallup polling shows that over half of Americans say racial minorities do not have equal job opportunities as whites.

Lower Support for Explicit Use of Race in Hiring and Promotion

Despite this majority consensus for the general concept of affirmative action and the need for more action on reducing racial inequities, public support appears significantly lower when questions ask about policies that explicitly take race into account to achieve these objectives.

As noted, Pew Research in 2019 found broad support for the importance of the concept of promoting racial and ethnic diversity in the workplace, but also found significant disagreement with the concept of using racial accounting as a means to accomplish that objective. Pew's question: "When it comes to decisions about hiring and promotions, do you think companies and organizations should take a person's race and ethnicity into account, in addition to their qualifications, in order to increase diversity in the workplace (or) should only take a person's qualifications into account, even if it results in less diversity in the workplace?" The results: 74% chose the latter alternative.

A trend question last asked by the NORC General Social Survey in 2018 focuses on the same idea:

Some people say that because of past discrimination, blacks should be given preference in hiring and promotion. Others say that such preference in hiring and promotion of blacks is wrong because it discriminates against whites. What about your opinion -- are you for or against preferential hiring and promotion of blacks? IF FAVORS: A. Do you favor preference in hiring and promotion strongly or not strongly? IF OPPOSES: B. Do you oppose preference in hiring and promotion strongly or not strongly?

The results show that 72% of U.S. adults oppose giving preference to Black Americans in hiring and promotion, including 43% who say they oppose strongly.

These attitudes were measured prior to the increased focus on race relations over the past several months since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. It is possible attitudes have changed in today's environment. But these results highlight the complexities of public opinion when considerations of affirmative action get down to specifics.

Bottom Line

A great deal of detailed statistical analysis in recent months has highlighted the social and economic inequities facing Black Americans. And polling shows that Americans clearly favor the idea of remedying this situation and reducing inequalities of outcomes. But when it comes to policies that explicitly take race into account in making hiring and promotion decisions in order to remedy past discrimination and overcome implicit bias, the public demurs. These nuanced attitudes are, in turn, reflected in such things as the affirmative action proposition facing California voters this year and the differing legal arguments surrounding competitive colleges' use of race in admissions decisions.

As is true with much current sociological analysis (my discipline), it is easier to highlight discrepancies, inequities and disproportionate outcomes across race categories than it is to devise interventions and strategies that can meaningfully address the issues. Americans are on board with the push for racial equality in the country, but politicians and policymakers face significant challenges in developing ways of achieving this objective.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 23:12:44|Editor: huaxia

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-- China is unswervingly improving its business environment, nurturing fertile ground for the growth of various companies and injecting vitality into the domestic and global economy.

-- Local authorities have taken a slew of measures to help businesses tide over the uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 epidemic.

-- According to a World Bank report, the proliferation of e-government services is one of the key factors driving China's success in improving the business environment.

SHANGHAI, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, new headquarters, factories and industrial projects of various international giants as well as local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), have been mushrooming across China.

The world's second-largest economy is unswervingly improving its business environment, nurturing fertile ground for the growth of various companies and injecting vitality into the domestic and global economy.

WIDER OPENING-UP COMMITMENT

U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill on Wednesday announced the opening of the Asia Pacific headquarters of its agricultural supply chain in Shanghai, further demonstrating the company's continued commitment to China's market.

"We are grateful for the strong support from the Shanghai municipal government with this strategic location," said Robert Aspell, president of Asia Pacific for Cargill. He added that Shanghai would play a crucial role in the company's efforts to better serve customers in both China and other parts of the Asia Pacific region.

"We will unswervingly welcome international enterprises and investors to invest and run business in Shanghai. We will create a world-class business environment and expand development space for all enterprises," said Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai, during a video call with Cargill.

A woman shops at Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trade Center in Shanghai, east China, April 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

Despite the COVID-19 epidemic, foreign investors have increased their investment in Shanghai in a bid to cash in on the business opportunities in China. The city received 10.28 billion U.S. dollars in foreign investment in the first half of 2020, up 5.4 percent year on year.

While foreign businesses beef up presence in the Chinese market, domestic firms have accelerated business resumption as the epidemic waned.

Tianjin Golden Wheel Bicycle Group Co., Ltd saw its exports in the first half of 2020 recover to the level in the same period last year.

"China continues to create an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment, offering more opportunities to the world, thus helping stabilize the unsettled global economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a key factor for global companies to find the Chinese market attractive," said Quan Heng, secretary of the leading Party members' group at Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations.

COMPREHENSIVE AND TARGETED REFORMS

According to the World Bank's Doing Business 2020 report, China made significant progress in the 2005-2020 period, compared to any other large economy in terms of facilitating the ease of doing business.

"We were happy to see measures including trimming the negative list, optimizing business environment and strengthening intellectual property protection," said Ker Gibbs, president of the American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai.

Since 2018, Shanghai has taken 286 targeted measures to improve the business environment, unveiling more than 70 reform policies and launching over 20 new public service systems, according to the municipal government.

Reforms have also been adopted in other parts of the country.

"Since Tianjin implemented the 'shipside delivery' reform to reduce customs clearance time, a container of imported goods can be picked up within three hours, saving some 300 yuan (about 43 U.S. dollars) per day," said You Tingguang, manager with a Tianjin-based trading company.

A crane loads a container onto a truck at Tianjin port container terminal in Tianjin, east China, Aug. 4, 2020. (Photo by Zhao Zishuo/Xinhua)

Local authorities have also taken a slew of measures to help businesses tide over the uncertainties caused by the epidemic. According to the Tianjin Golden Wheel Bicycle Group Co., Ltd, as 10 customs authorities have piloted cross-border B2B e-commerce exports nationwide, the company received approval for doing business within a day, thereby buying it more time to seize business opportunities during the epidemic.

"We have also received subsidies for water, electricity consumption and employment stabilization, as well as low-interest loans to help ease operation costs," said the group's general manager Yang Yufeng.

TECHNOLOGY DRIVER

According to the World Bank report, the proliferation of e-government services is one of the key factors driving China's success in improving the business environment.

Wang Qingyuan, 30, who owns a hair parlor, found it far more convenient than before when she recently applied to cancel the license of her shop's old address.

Upon reaching the government service center at Beijing's Daxing District, she logged into a mobile app through Alipay. The app ran facial recognition using her cellphone camera, enabling the staff to check all her information instantly.

A staff member helps a citizen deal with affairs at the government affairs service center of Daxing District in Beijing, capital of China, May 22, 2020. (Xinhua)

Corporate information and certificates can now be checked online as they are digitally stored. Besides, with the application of blockchain technology, one cannot tamper with the data, thus assuring authenticity.

In Beijing, some 140 e-government service centers have adopted blockchain technology, which can reduce paper use by an average of 40 percent.

Shanghai officially launched a comprehensive portal for administrative services in October 2018, which applied technologies such as blockchain, AI and big data.

Since its launch, the service has registered more than 29 million individual users and 2 million legal person users. The portal has handled over 60 million cases.

"China leads the world in the application of blockchain technology," said Huang Zhen, a professor with the Central University of Finance and Economics. "The technology is widely used not only in the financial sector but also in government services, which has become a key driving force for improving the business environment."

(Reporting by Chen Aiping, Li Meng, Zhang Yuqi, Xu Xiaoqing, Ni Yuanjin, Wang Junlu, Luo Xin, Wang Jinghuai and Li Baojie; Video reporters: Pan Xu, Chen Jie and Di Chun; Video editor: Jia Xiaotong)




President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother register huge victory. So, what does this election result mean?

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother, former two-term President Mahinda Rajapaksa, are celebrating a landslide win in Sri Lankas parliamentary election, according to results released by the countrys election commission.

The brothers Sri Lanka Peoples Freedom Alliance (SLPFA), of which their Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is a majority stakeholder, stormed to victory in districts across the island of 22 million people, winning at least 150 seats, out of a total of 225 in the unicameral legislature.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the younger of the two brothers, was elected as president in a similar landslide victory in November, campaigning on a platform aimed at stoking ethnic Sinhala nationalism, promising strong security policies and centralised leadership.

Mahinda, the elder brother, is expected to be elected prime minister when Parliament convenes following the election.

So, what does this election result mean?

The Rajapaksa family strengthens its grip on power, with constitutional amendments in the offing

While an SLPP win was largely expected, there was some uncertainty over whether they would be able to achieve the two-thirds majority required to amend the constitution right off the bat, or if they would need to make deals with other parties while forming a coalition.

Critics fear the Rajapaksas want to end presidential term limits, bring the judiciary and police under their direct control, and extend their dynastic power to a new generation [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]

Wednesdays resounding victory means the SLPP no longer needs to enter into compromises with other parties. It has the numbers to deliver sweeping constitutional changes to increase the executive authority of the presidency, as promised by the Rajapaksas in both this and the earlier presidential election.

Possible removal of a two-term limit on the presidency, which would allow Mahinda to run in the next election four years from now, is also under consideration.

Their focus, however, will be on the 19th amendment to the constitution, passed in 2015 after Mahinda was voted out of office following nearly 10 years in power. That amendment vastly reduces the executive powers of the president, distributing them more evenly between the prime minister, Parliament and other democratic institutions.

The Rajapaksas contend the weakening of the presidency led to inefficient governance and weak security policies.

Gotabaya, who was defence minister during his brothers presidency, and Mahinda are credited with bringing an end to the more than 30-year civil war with armed Tamil separatist rebels in the north and east of the country.

The end of the war saw a series of brutal battles, with rights groups alleging widespread killings of civilians. Gotabaya has long been accused of possible war-crimes during that period.

Continuing centralisation of power, rights groups warn of rising authoritarianism

Since Gotabaya assumed office in November, political analysts have noted a rising centralisation of power, with the younger Rajapaksa appointing many serving and former military officials to key bureaucratic posts, and creating presidential task forces to take on governance issues, in some cases bypassing ministries.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, centre, greets Buddhist monks at his home in the southern town of Tangalle [Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP]

In March, President Gotabaya dissolved Parliament, on the earliest date allowable by law, calling elections in April. Due to health concerns around the coronavirus pandemic, however, the election commission said holding a poll at that time would be impossible, leading to a constitutional crisis wherein there was no parliamentary oversight over presidential power for a potentially indefinite period.

In May, the countrys Supreme Court ruled in favour of the president in a case lodged by activists and the political opposition, allowing Gotabaya to continue to rule directly until the August 5 poll, well past the constitutionally prescribed three months he would normally be allowed to do so.

Gotabayas rule has been marked, rights groups say, with a widespread crackdown on political and other dissent, with lawyers, activists and journalists harassed, intimidated and arrested when they have questioned the governments policies.

The relative freedom and civic space that was enjoyed in the past few years was increasingly at risk under the new government, said Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, South Asia researcher for Amnesty International. Critics and dissidents ranging from civil society activists, social media commentators, lawyers and journalists were all at risk for being outspoken against government decisions.

Potential flashpoints of tension with minority communities

In November, Gotabaya ran on a platform explicitly aimed at the islands 70 percent ethnic Sinhalese majority, most of whom are Buddhist. His campaign was based on promising strong security policies, and it empowered several hardline Buddhist monks who had often made statements targeting the countrys Muslim minority.

The SLPPs parliamentary election campaign promised much of the same, and came on the back of a controversial decision by the government in April to mandate the forced cremation of all COVID-19 patients who died of the coronavirus.

Sajith Premadasas (right) newly formed Samagi Jana Balawegaya party came in second with 54 seats [File: Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]

That decision, avowedly made on health grounds, was decried by rights groups and the islands two million-strong Muslim community as being aimed at denying them burial rights, as required under Islam. The World Health Organization has said burying those who die of the virus did not increase the likelihood of infection.

Through this election, the SLPP and its allies have frequently used much of the same rhetoric, with the islands Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) noting several significant instances of hate speech at SLPP and SLPFA campaign events.

Tamil citizens, who form more than 10 percent of the population, meanwhile, continue to feel at risk following the Rajapaksas pardoning of many military officers being investigated for alleged war crimes during the end of the civil war.

Fractured, and decimated at the polls, what next for Sri Lankas opposition?

The United National Party (UNP), led by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, entered the polls on the back of years of misgovernance and, more recently, infighting that saw it split into two separate parties ahead of the polls.

In February, the UNPs presidential candidate in the November presidential election, Sajith Premadasa, formed the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, breaking away from the UNP and taking the majority of the partys members of Parliament with him.

Sri Lankas former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes United National Party suffered humiliating defeat winning just one seat. It had106 seats in the outgoing parliament [File: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]

Both parties, however, fared poorly at Wednesdays poll, with the SJB coming in second with 54 seats, and the UNP winning just one seat, according to preliminary results.

The UNP has long seen a tug of war between Premadasa, the son of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, and Wickremesinghe, the partys long-standing leader.

The party, analysts say, is now at a crossroads, following two crushing electoral defeats.

Will Ranil Wickremesinghe eventually fade away, or will Sajith prove not to have what it takes? says Alan Keenan, a senior consultant on Sri Lanka for the International Crisis Group. Or maybe Ranil is finally displaced or forced to retire  although he does seem indefatigable.

An economic crisis on the horizon

Whatever the political landscape looks like, the Rajapaksas immediate concern will be the island nations economy, struggling under the burden of low tourism numbers, coronavirus pandemic induced economic inactivity and crushing foreign debt.

This year, the World Bank estimates that the countrys economy could contract by as much as 3 percent. The only other time the countrys economy has contracted in its 72-year history was in 2001, during the height of the war with Tamil rebels.

The coronavirus pandemic could not have come at a worse time for Sri Lanka: Tourism numbers, already down precipitously after the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 260 people, had just begun to tick upwards again.

Compounding the problem has been foreign debt taken on by the government to fund development projects and governance, mainly from multilateral financing agencies, but also including debt owed directly to foreign governments and the capital markets.

At the end of 2019, the countrys external debt stood at 67 percent of its $84bn GDP.

Many of those debts in the public sector are due later this year, at a time when slowing economic growth and consistently high imports have meant the countrys foreign reserves are limited.

Starting last year and into this year, we are having to repay a lot of that external debt, and in that context, with COVID-19, the tourism sector is completely shut down, and foreign remittances are declining and exports are disrupted, says political economist Ahilan Kadirgamar.
Exploration of Ornamental Rocks in Angola



This is an article contributed by the Embassy of Angola in Korea  ED.





Map of Angola
<! Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, acting Managing Director, NDDC >

By Okafor Ofiebor

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has said it would soon release another list of defaulting high profile contractors.

It said the list in circulation was just that of 2018, saying that the list of 2019 had not been released yet and that when it is released, people would be shocked.

Acting Executive Director, Projects, NDDC, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh Ojougboh stated that change had come to the NDDC and that things will never remain the same again.

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari worked for the change in NDDC and even when we leave here, other people coming in would be more careful.

As for the list of contractors we published, that was for 2018 alone. By the time we publish that of 2019, a lot of things will come out to the open.

Some persons claim they did not benefit from NDDC but we have documents linking them to those contracts. The forensic audit is unearthing a lot of things, 2016, 2017 and 2019 list are ready. But we have decided we would not be distracted again.

He also said the Interim Management Committee, IMC, had saved N35 billion for the Commission after its verified payments to contractors.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the inauguration of the Committee for the completion and commissioning of NDDCs 13-floor new permanent headquarters at the Eastern By-Pass, Port Harcourt, Ojougboh said that the Commission had also verified payments for N1.5 trillion for other projects.

Ojougbo, who is the Chairman of the committee, affirmed that work on the office complex was at 98 per cent completion.

He said: As you can see, the lifts and escalators are working, the lights and the central air conditioners are functioning. You have seen the external works, so I want to tell you that what is left is the ancillary building, the windows are already in place. You have also seen the asphalts, so we are good to go.

Nobody believed that it was possible to achieve what we have achieved. There were lots of booby-traps which made it impossible for this building to be ready before now. But we thank God for the successes we have recorded.

He lamented that the NDDC budget for 2019 was distorted to the detriment of regional projects, citing the example of regional hospital projects that were starved of funds.

We made provision for hospitals in all Niger Delta states as our regional projects but it was removed and replaced with supply of chairs to schools in the region, he said.

Ojougboh said that the NDDC had written letters to the National Assembly to explain why N11.6 billion budgeted for the completion of hospitals was removed and replaced with supply of chairs and desks.

He asked: Is that what we deserve in Niger Delta?

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Burma Myanmar Human Rights Body Investigates Deaths of Two Teens at Mandalay Youth Center

Family members of Khine Zaw Tun mourn at his funeral on Thursday in Mandalay. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

MANDALAYThe Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) is investigating the deaths of two teenagers from the Mandalay Youth Center after their family members alleged that center authorities were involved.

MNHRC officials arrived at the center on Friday morning but journalists were not allowed to ask questions of the officials or center authorities nor to enter the center compound.

The two 17-year-olds, Pyae Phyo Maung and Khaing Zaw Tun, were from Monywa Township and were sentenced along with three other youth to two years in prison over a robbery case from 2018. Because they were under 18 years old, they were sent to Mandalay Youth Center on July 26.

According to the centers authorities and the teenagers parents, all five of them tried to run away from the center during lunchtime on July 31 and were then beaten up by the other youth at the center.

Pyae Phyo Maung died on Wednesday and Khaing Zaw Tun died the next day. According to their parents, their bodies were bruised and injured, mainly to their heads.

The center told us to come to Mandalay and said that my son had drowned and died, said Daw Myo Myo Htwe, mother of Pyae Phyo Maung. We are not allowed to bring the body back or bury it. The school authorities there said they must cremate the body and did it regardless.

The parents of the deceased youth said the center told them their sons were being beaten up by the other youth after the two were caught running away from the center.

Khaing Zaw Tuns parents said they were given little information about what happened to their son after he was admitted to Mandalay General Hospital.

When we heard about Pyae Phyo Maung, we worried about our son so we also went to Mandalay, Daw Khin Cho Oo, mother of Khaing Zaw Tun told The Irrawaddy. The center gave no information but just said our son was hospitalized. He died the next day.

According Khaing Zaw Tuns parents, the doctors at the hospital explained that their son had suffered brain injuries, a broken neck and one broken rib, which had pierced his lungs.

The head of the center, U Nay Aung Kyaw, met with journalists on Thursday and admitted that the youth were beaten up by others at the center after they were caught and brough back. He said that the three other youth who attempted to run away and survived are in good health.

However, the head of the center refused to provide further information on Friday, saying the incident is under investigation.

According to one local source, police filed a complaint at police station No. 2 in Mandalay and are also investigating the incident.

Both teenagers parents said they will file complaints with the police after they receive the medical treatment records and the notes of the forensic doctors on Aug. 26.

My son said, before he died, that he could not live in the center because they were being beaten up sometimes, so when some of their friends said to run on that day, he followed his friends, Daw Khin Cho Oo added. When they were caught and brought back, the teachers there and other older youth beat them with canes and pipes.

The center should be a place to retrain the youth to be good people, not a place to allow youth to fight each other and beat one another to death, she added.

Three other youth who ran away from the center at the same time are now receiving medical attention. One of them, Htet Lin Chit, age 15, is still receiving treatment at Mandalay General Hospital.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 7)  United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. discussed on Thursday the two nation's "shared interests" in South China Sea, a day after Beijing called for resumption of talks on a Code of Conduct in the disputed area.

A statement released Friday by the US State Department said during their phone call, Locsin and Pompeo talked about the recent change in US policy on maritime claims in the South China Sea and opportunities for further US-Philippine maritime cooperation.

The US voiced support for the sovereign rights of Southeast Asian coastal states, like the Philippines, as China continues to claim almost all of the South China Sea as its territory.

The discussion between Locsin and Pompeo came a day after the Chinese government called for the resumption of talks on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea. Amid Beijing's allegations that US is "sabotaging" negotiations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China should finalize agreement on what actions countries can take in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

The top US diplomat in July called China's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea as "unlawful" and criticized Beijing's "campaign of bullying to control" other claimants. He said the US is aligning with the 2016 decision of an international tribunal in The Hague that rejected China's maritime claims and recognized Manila's sovereign rights in areas of the sea within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

RELATED: US declares 'most' of China's maritime claims in South China Sea illegal

The United States does not claim any part of the disputed territory but conducts freedom of navigation operations in South China Sea, a strategic and major trade route.

Aside from China and the Philippines, the other South China Sea claimants are Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

President Rodrigo Duterte has pushed for an independent foreign policy and non-confrontational stance on the maritime dispute, in what critics see as a pivot to China. They have slammed his statement that he could not go to war against China, pointing out that the government could assert the countrys sovereign rights without resorting to arms.
Tien Giang province is becoming increasingly attractive to domestic and foreign investors (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Tien Giang - As a gateway linking the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, and the southeastern region, Tien Giang province with its role as an important part of the southern key economic region is becoming increasingly attractive to domestic and foreign investors.

Capital flows from non-State economic sectors play an important role in local socio-economic development. The locality has issued a number of policies to draw investment, upgrade infrastructure and stay ready to capitalise on new investment opportunities.

It also has modern roads and maritime routes, as well as an abundant workforce with over 1.13 million at the working age.

The Prime Minister has given the green light to the zoning of seven local industrial parks covering a total area of over 2,000ha in Tien Giang. The province is also home to 27 industrial clusters under planning, four of them now operational, and over 5,900 operating companies, 454 of which are new.

Tien Giang drew 24 new projects worth over 9.5 trillion VND (413 million USD) in seven months of this year, raising the total revenue to more than 10.3 trillion VND - 93.6 percent of the same period last year.

Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee Pham Anh Tuan said Tien Giang has so far issued nearly 240 documents to step up administrative reform in the fields of construction, land, investment, business and health care, and set up a team to approve projects using non-State capital.

According to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment, authorities handled 99.93 percent of investment procedures ahead of schedule and 0.06 percent of others on schedule in seven months of this year.

The province also issued a resolution on urban-economic development for three regions till 2020 with orientations to 2030.

The eastern region, including Go Cong township, Go Cong Dong and Go Cong Tay districts, holds the potential for maritime economy, shipbuilding, seaports, maritime transportation, processing of aquatic products, tourism, and fishing logistics services.

The western region, including Cai Lay township, districts of Cai Lay, Cai Be and Tan Phuoc, is strong in food production, especially fruits in combination with farm produce processing and services, and tourism.

The central region, with My Tho city, Chau Thanh and Cho Gao districts, plays an important role in promoting socio-economic development and integration with the southern key economic region, urban areas of Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta.

Tuan said the province prioritises competitive projects using advanced pollution treatment technology.

Between now and the years end, as well as years to come, Tien Giang will lure in projects in clean industry with high added value, mostly hi-tech aquaculture and agriculture in Tan Phuoc, Chau Thanh, Tan Phu Dong districts.

It will also pitch for investment in waterway tourism in Cai Be district, sea tourism in Go Cong Dong and Tan Phu Dong districts, ecological and spiritual tourism in Tan Phuoc district, finance-banking in My Tho city, and logistics in Go Cong Dong district.

Acting Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment Nguyen Dinh Thong said Tien Giang has set the goal of attracting 30 projects worth over 11.1 trillion VND into three key economic-urban regions.

Attention will be paid for supporting production and trade, trademark building, consumption expansion, and especially facilitating start-ups amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the first half of this year, the public investment disbursement reached over 77 percent - the second highest rate nationwide. The figure is expected to hit 100 percent in late November.

This year, Tien Giang has over 5.71 trillion VND in public investment capital, up 37.4 percent year-on-year.

Chairman of the Management Board of the Dong Giao Foodstuff Export JSC (DOVECO) Dinh Cao Khue said the company plans to build a plant to preserve and package fresh fruits for export, as well as a processing plant in My Phuoc commune, Tan Phuoc district, Tien Giang province with a designed annual capacity of around 200,000 tonnes of fresh fruits and 150,000 processed products.
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The World Health Organization on Thursday warned against "vaccine nationalism," saying vaccine-hogging richer countries would not be safe coronavirus havens if poor nations remained exposed.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it would be in wealthier nations' interests to ensure that any vaccines eventually produced to protect against the new coronavirus were shared globally.

"Vaccine nationalism is not good, it will not help us," Tedros told the Aspen Security Forum in the United States, via video-link from the WHO's headquarters in Geneva.

"For the world to recover faster, it has to recover together, because it's a globalised world: the economies are intertwined. Part of the world or a few countries cannot be a safe haven and recover.

"The damage from COVID-19 could be less when those countries who... have the funding commit to this."

He said the existence of the deadly respiratory disease anywhere put lives and livelihoods at risk everywhere.

"They are not giving charity to others: they are doing it for themselves, because when the rest of the world recovers and opens up, they also benefit."

The United Nations health agency also said that multiple different types of vaccines would likely be needed to combat COVID-19.

Twenty-six candidate vaccines are in various stages of being tested on humans, with six having reached Phase 3 wider levels of clinical trials.

"Phase 3 doesn't mean nearly there," explained the WHO's emergencies director Michael Ryan.

"Phase 3 means this is the first time this vaccine has been put into the general population, into otherwise healthy individuals, to see if the vaccine will protect them against natural infection.

"We've got a good range of products across a number of different platforms, across a number of different countries," he said of the leading candidate vaccines, which use different methods to provide immunity.

However, "there's no guarantee that any of these six will give us the answer -- and we probably will need more than one vaccine to do this job."

The novel coronavirus has killed over 708,000 people and infected more than 18.8 million since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

"The Americas remain the current epicentre of the virus and have been particularly hit hard," said Tedros, with the United States, Brazil and Mexico suffering the most deaths.

Asked about the virus raging in the Americas, Ryan said no country had always found all the right answers, and a vast expansion of the public health workforce was required.

"We need to take a step back, we need to look at the problem again and we need to go at the problem again," he said.

"That requires strong, sustained and trusted leadership."

US President Donald Trump has accused the WHO of being a "puppet" of China and mismanaging its handling of the global pandemic.

Washington last month handed in its 12-month notice to leave the WHO, depriving the UN organisation of its biggest donor.

Tedros said the biggest "problem" with the US departure was "not about the money" but the fracture in international solidarity in fighting the virus.

"We hope the US will reconsider its position," he said.

The Ethiopian former health minister claimed any problems Washington had with the WHO could be resolved without the US leaving.

"I hope the relationship will return to normal and be a stronger relationship than ever before," he said.

"I urge all leaders to choose the path of cooperation... it's the only choice we have."
The Meade County criminal justice system is taking precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus during the motorcycle rally, but it doesn't include requiring jail staff and detainees to wear masks while inside Sturgis jails.

Deputies also wont be required to wear masks, but Sturgis police officers must wear them whenever they are within six feet of others.

More than 250,000 people from across country  and some international travelers  are expected to attend the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally from Friday to Sunday, Aug 16. Thats half the usual amount of motorcycle enthusiasts of some past years, but it still may be the largest gathering in the U.S. since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Sheriff Ron Merwin said deputies, jail staff and inmates are provided masks that they are encouraged to wear  while patrolling, when inside the two jails or when asking suspected drunken drivers to blow into preliminary breath tests (PBT). Masks are required when sheriffs office staff, detainees and visitors are in the jail lobbies and court.

Part of me thinks this is America, were all adults and we can make our own choices, Merwin said when asked about the optional mask policy.

Many of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the country have been in jails and prisons, but South Dakota has not reported any large outbreaks. Five prisoners and seven staff members have contracted the virus as of Thursday morning, but there has not been widespread testing, according to data on the Department of Corrections' website.

Masks can help prevent asymptomatic people from infecting others and are most effective when everyone or most people wear them, according to the Mayo Clinic's website on the topic.

Merwin acknowledged the science, but he said it can be difficult for deputies and jail staff to work while wearing masks.

The Sturgis Police Departments mask policy is more strict.

If officers cant practice social distancing and theyre within six feet of people, then they need to wear their masks, said Police Chief Geody VanDewater.

Both agencies are providing hand sanitizer and encouraging staff to stay at least six feet away from others while patrolling.

Were just trying to get by and stay out of large groups if we can," but its kind of dictated by the crowd, Merwin said.

Jail, court policies

While deputies, jail staff and detainees arent required to wear masks within the jails, there are precautions in place to prevent the virus from spreading.

The Sheriffs Office uses its normal 80-person jail  two-bunk cells and common areas available during the day  and the old jail, which has four large shared cells.

The old jail in the basement of the courthouse across the parking lot from the new one typically houses up to 40 people a day during the rally, but Merwin hopes to limit that to 25 with new DUI and court policies.

Were hoping that theres not a lot of people actually having to stay in jail very long, he said.

Those arrested for DUI during the rally are usually held in jail for eight hours to sober up. This year, they will have their bond set once their PBT registers below the legal limit of a .08 % blood alcohol content.

Court will be open seven days a week like it usually is during the rally, but judges have agreed to be on call 24/7 to set bonds once detainees arrive in jail, rather than waiting until they appear in court the next day.

Merwin said judges will set most bonds this way, but detainees accused of more serious crimes will have to stay in jail until the daily 9 a.m. court hearing set aside for initial appearances.

Court will be held remotely this year, with inmates appearing before a judge via a video feed from within the jail. The judges will work from court, which the public is still welcome to attend as long as they wear masks. Visitors will have their temperatures taken before entering the building.

Merwin said jail staff usually brings up to 45 people to court each morning but expects only 10 inmates will have to appear each day this year.

All detainees will have their temperatures taken and answer coronavirus-screening questions before being booked into jail, Merwin said. Anyone with symptoms will be quarantined in one of the new jail cells.

No inmates or jail staff have tested positive for the virus so far, Merwin said.

Meade County is not offering post-rally mass testing for the Sheriff's Office or any other county staff but anyone with symptoms can use their health insurance to get tested for free, said Jerry Derr, human resources manager. Police officers will be given COVID-19 tests as part of Sturgis' post-rally mass testing plan.

Staffing issues

Merwin and VanDewater say the pandemic has made it a bit harder to hire extra jail staff, deputies and officers for the rally this year.

VanDewater said he never shares how many extra people he hires to protect officer safety, but well actually be a few (officers) short because some are not allowed to come this year.

He said some law enforcement officials arent allowed to attend because their own departments are suffering from shortages due to the pandemic. Others have workplace policies that require them to quarantine for two weeks after the rally.

But officers are still coming from across South Dakota, neighboring states, and as far away as Arizona, Illinois and Utah, VanDewater said.

Merwin said hes doubled his deputy staff by hiring 15 more people, all from South Dakota. He said a Wyoming deputy who usually helps out during the rally isnt coming this year because his workplace would make him quarantine afterwards.

The jail staff has probably been the hardest staff to hire since it requires working in a lot more confined space, Merwin said.

Merwin said the the jail, which has about 15 corrections officers, hires extra officers and civilians who help with laundry, meals and other tasks. He said many teachers used to work the civilian jobs but are afraid to do so this year because they dont want to get sick before school starts.

Merwin said hes hired about 25 extra correction officers and civilian staff this year when he usually hires between 30 and 35.

Like last year, the Rapid City Police Department is not hiring any extra staff.

The Pennington County Sheriffs Office is having its reserve deputies work full-time during the rally but is not hiring additional staff, a change from last year when it hired eight extra deputies to help with DUI and traffic issues.

There was uncertainty whether the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally would occur this year. We would have needed to let people and agencies know much earlier in the year to make plans to join us, said spokeswoman Helene Duhamel. The other thing is even if a rally did occur, we anticipated it would be a smaller rally that our deputies could handle on their own.

Merwin and VanDewater say their staff always have discretion in how they handle criminal behavior and they haven't instructed them to be more lenient during the rally in order to reduce contact between the public and those who work within the criminal justice system.

We address every issue no matter how major or minor the incident but how that officer addresses it is up to them, VanDewater said.

He said officers options include verbal warnings, citations, fines and arrests.

This is Sturgis, but there are rules and regulations that need to be followed, VanDewater said.

 Contact Arielle Zionts at arielle.zionts@rapidcityjournal.com.

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Chinese Leader Xi Obstructed Student Democracy Movement During 1989 Protests: New Report

Xi Jinping, current leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has a track record of closely following directions from the central government during his rise to power.

When the Tiananmen Square Massacre took place on June 4, 1989, Xi was the local CCP committee secretary of Ningde City in Fujian Province.

Xi assumed his post in Fujian in 1988. The following year, the student democratic movement broke out in China. They called for democratic reforms in the Chinese government and staged mass protests near Tiananmen Square in Beijing. On June 4, Beijing sent troops to quash the protests, resulting in the deaths of thousands, according to rights groups estimates.

Recently, a CCP official website published an interview by the Fujian radio and television bureau in July 2017. The interviewee, Chen Youcheng, revealed how Xi responded to the student movement.

Xis Reactions to Student Movement

Chen Youcheng was then public security director in Ningde City. He said the student movement also affected the local area. A group of students in the neighboring province of Zhejiang was going to enter Fujian through Ningde. The vehicles were painted with slogans.

Xi Jinping, then Ningde Party committee secretary, gave the following instructions: First, we must recognize and follow the instructions of the central government and the party. Second, we must resolutely stop students from entering Fujian, and the slogans shall not enter Ningde or Fujian.

Chen said checkpoints were set up according to Xis instructions at the provincial boundary Fenshuiguan. On the one hand, they persuaded students to return to their schools, and on the other hand, they washed all signs off the vehicles.

During the politically sensitive time, Chen said that Xi had given out multiple instructions to ensure stability and maintenance by the public security in the entire region.

On July 30, 1989, Xi also met local police and took photos in his address to maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party and resolutely obey the command of the Party.

The next year, Xi was promoted to the municipal Party secretary of Fuzhou. 1993, he became a member of the provincial Party committee of Fujian. In 1996, Xi was promoted to vice secretary of the Fujian provincial Party committee, and in 1999, to deputy provincial governor and interim governor, and finally in 2000 to governor of Fujian Province.

Consequences

Officials who disagreed with Beijings suppression of the student movement were either dismissed or marginalized. The typical example would be Zhao Ziyang, then the general secretary of the CCP. His opposition to then-paramount leader Deng Xiaopings suppression of the student movement led to his dismissal and house arrest for 15 years until January 2005, when he passed away.

Bao Tong, Zhaos policy secretary, was dismissed and arrested before the June massacre, and imprisoned for seven years. Bao was the highest-ranking official sentenced during the 1989 student democracy movement.
A 44-year-old sweeper of a private hospital in Chhattisgarhs Raipur was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a nine-year-old patient of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), on Thursday.

Police have arrested the accused and booked him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act.

As per the complaint, the accused, Kankhaiya Nishad, used to stalk the minor in the hospital. On Thursday, when the minor went to brush her teeth the accused molested her in the bathroom, Ajay Yadav, Raipurs superintendent of police (SP), said.

Yadav said the girl was admitted to the private hospital and was to be discharged on Thursday evening.

The girl told her parents about the attack and the matter reached to the police. As soon as the issue reached the police, we booked him under Section 354 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and POCSO act and later he was arrested, Yadav said.

In another incident related to a Covid-19 patient, a 40-year-old man was found dead in a toilet at a Covid care centre in Janjgir-Champa district on Thursday. The centre, set up at a school in Janjgir town of the district, is located 250km away from the state capital of Raipur.

The man from Jamgahan village in Dabhra development block of the district had recently returned from Gujarat, a police official said.

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Two scenarios seem certain to play out in school districts throughout New Jersey when school buildings reopen in September.

A parent signs a child up for all-remote learning from home. They try it for a while, decide it isnt working, and want to switch to classroom instruction.

Or, a parent sends a child to school, then decides against it and wants to keep them home for full-time virtual instruction.
(Natural News) Scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are investigating alien oceans in three moons in the outer solar system in search of the origin of life on Earth.

The moons in question  Jupiters Europa, Saturns Enceladus and Neptunes Triton  are different from the rest of the more than 200 moons in the solar system in that they hide oceans beneath their icy surfaces. Scientists are particularly interested in whether these oceans feature hydrothermal vents  underwater hot springs which form at locations where seawater meets magma.

Hydrothermal vents on Earth were first discovered in 1977 during an expedition to an oceanic spreading ridge near the Galapagos Islands. Scientists were surprised that the vents were teeming with never-before-seen organisms.

Theories on the origin of life also argue that hydrothermal vents and other water features may be responsible for life on Earth.

We have numerous hypotheses for how life originated on Earth. For instance, it may have originated in the hydrothermal vents of our ocean or in warm tide pools on the continents of an ancient Earth, said Kevin Hand, head of NASAs Ocean Worlds Lab.

Hydrothermal vents: point of lifes origin?

Scientists suggest that the three moons have oceans that are covered by ice. Recently, for example, NASAs Hubble Space Telescope detected evidence of water vapor that appears to have been spewed from a plume on Europa. Scientists behind the study also found a significant amount of the vapor, estimated to be enough to fill an entire Olympic-size pool, eliminating the possibility that the vapor came from an outside source. Plumes, on the other hand, occur when seawater gets blown back toward the ocean through hydrothermal vent fields.

Hand said that in the three moons in which hydrothermal vents could exist, finding a living organism could mean that life came from hydrothermal vents.

On Earth, hydrothermal vents are located at extreme depths of more than 3,700 miles in vast trenches below oceans surfaces. Scientists previously believed that these trenches were too dark for any life forms to exist. But recent oceanographic research and commercial expeditions have shown that hydrothermal vents host rich microbial life.

NASA scientists are looking at the possibility that the same is true on the three moons.

Thats not to say wed be able to cross off the potential for the origin of life in tide pools on ancient Earth, but if we found life in hydrothermal vents on these moons, we would at least have another data point, Hand added.

He also said that its important to look for a second origin of life  life beyond Earth that developed through its own natural processes. Such findings will tell scientists much about diversity in life forms not just in the solar system but also in the rest of the universe. (Related: Microscopic metal orb discovered in Earths stratosphere could be origin of terrestrial life.)

NASA space missions to probe moons

Hand is currently involved in a planned mission to Europa through the Europa Clipper. Although its launch date is still undetermined, the spacecraft will conduct about 45 flybys around the moon that will take high-resolution images of the moons surface and look for organic compounds such as salt. Furthermore, it is equipped with ice-penetrating radar and spectrometers that could detect any plumes erupting out of Europa.

NASA is also considering another moon mission that will probe Neptunes moon, Triton. If it gets the go-signal, the mission, called Trident, will launch in 2025 or 2026 and will similarly investigate the potential existence of water on the moon. Previously, the 1982 flyby of the Voyager 2 spacecraft found evidence that Triton has plumes shooting up from its icy interior.

One of the people working on the project is Yohai Kaspi of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. He says that Triton has a very interesting atmosphere, which is just as important in maintaining life as oceans for originating life. (Related: NASA planning space expedition in 2069 to search for life on Earth-like planets.)

Enceladus is too small to have an atmosphere and Europa barely has an atmosphere, he said.

While Tritons atmosphere is not as dense as the one on Earth, its sufficient to transport material around. Kaspi is therefore interested in how Tritons atmosphere interacts with the possible subsurface oceans.

The proposed mission can hopefully answer Kaspis question and provide insights as to how and where life began.

Space.news has more on the planned space missions of NASA.

Sources include:

EcoWatch.com

OceanService.NOAA.gov

Space.com

PMEL.NOAA.gov

Voyager.JPL.NASA.gov
Indonesian fishers who fought off tin miners prepare to battle all over again

by Nopri Ismi, translated by Basten Gokkon

August 07,2020 | Source: Mongabay

Fishers in Sumatra have joined forces in opposition to a government plan to allow coastal mining that they say will destroy their fisheries.



The government of Bangka Belitung province, a group of islands off the southeastern coast of Sumatra, recently approved a zoning plan that designates the southern subdistrict of Toboali as open to tourism, capture fisheries, and tin mining.



How could tourism and fisheries stand together in one area with tin mining? Joni Juhri, chief of the Batu Perahu Fishers Association, told Mongabay in late July. Itd be a sore sight if a tourist site had tin mining as a view. In addition, imagine the impacts to the fishers. Weve opposed this for a long time.



Mining for tin has long been the leading industry in Bangka Belitung province, which produces 90% of Indonesias tin. (The company that would go on to become BHP Billiton, the worlds second-biggest miner, started out mining tin in Belitung and was named after it.) The province is a key hub in the global trade of tin, which is used in alloys, conductors and, recently, as solder in consumer electronics, such as smartphones.



But the mining has proven deadly to the workers and the marine ecosystem. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the countrys biggest green NGO, recorded 40 deaths linked to the tin mines between 2017 and 2020, more than half of them in 2019 alone. In 2014, a BBC documentary traced the solder used in Apples iPhones to tin mined by children in Bangka. Walhi also found that tin mining had degraded 5,270 hectares (13,022 acres) of coral reef and 400 hectares (988 acres) of mangrove forest.



Mining in the marine ecosystem is strengthened by the approval of Bangka Belitungs zoning plan, said Jessix Amundian, who heads the Bangka Belitung chapter of Walhi. This means theres a complacency toward ecological destruction.



This isnt the Toboali fishers first fight against mining. In 2018, they won a years-long battle against artisanal tin mining that had significantly reduced their catch. Since the small-scale mines were shut down, fishers havent had to go as far out to sea as before, and their catches have increased, they say.



The livelihoods of many people here depend on marine resources, Joni said. Thats why we strongly oppose all tin mining activities.



The Bangka Belitung government says the zoning plan was approved by all parties, and the interests of fishing communities had been considered. Fishers will still be able to freely access the marine ecosystem, said Arief Febrianto, the secretary of the provincial marine affairs and fisheries agency.



It will streamline the process of permit issuance for any activities that take place in the coastal area, he added.



But fishers like Joni say they will continue to stand against mining in Toboali to prevent the environmental damage associated with the activity. They say they have received support from fishers in other parts of Bangka Belitung who are concerned that similar zoning plans will be introduced across the rest of the province.



Weve just been free from tin mining, Joni said, and now theres this zoning plan that threatens the sustainability of our ocean and the source of income for local people.

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
The ex-partner of a man who was allegedly savagely attacked by a group of private schoolboys leaving him in a coma, has revealed what his daughter asks every day.

Brett Halcro was riding his bike through a park in Pyrmont, Sydney on the night of July 31 when he was set upon by a group of teenagers in an apparent random attack.

A court heard how the group allegedly knocked him unconscious with a bottle, before stabbing him in the stomach and slashing his face with a knife so badly he is expected to be left blind in one eye.

Theresa Keecherer, Mr Halcro's former partner with whom he shares a four-year-old daughter, said she has trouble explaining to her daughter where her father is because it is 'too traumatic'.

'She asks after him everyday. It breaks my heart,' Ms Keecherer told News Corp.

Theresa Keecherer, Mr Halcro's former partner with whom he shares a four-year-old daughter (pictured), said she has trouble explaining to her daughter where her father is

Mr Halcro is from Melbourne but was in Sydney when the borders closed in July

Mr Halcro would Skype with his daughter every day, she explained, and she idolised the 36-year-old calling him her superhero.

'They would often play superhero make believe games together where he would refer to her as his 'SuperBatGirl',' she said.

'Now that he is left with horrific facial injuries, sadly the Skype calls won't be happening again, or at least for a long time.'

She said when her daughter asks after him she can only tell her that he had an accident and needs to sleep a lot to get better so will talk to her later.

Ms Keecherer said she praying her former partner makes a full recovery or at least enough to enjoy being a father again.

Another family member provided an update to a GoFundMe page, saying Mr Halcro is making a steady recovery in intensive care with doctors hoping to wake him from an induced coma in the next week.

'Brett is making steady improvements in ICU. He is still heavily sedated and on a respirator, but doctors are hopeful to be able to wake him up in the coming days.'

They said while the injuries to Mr Halcro's face were 'substantial and confronting' the surgeons had done an impressive job.

'Bless them and all the medical staff for their ongoing efforts. Subsequent surgeries will be very likely and I shall keep this page updated'.

A group of nine teenagers have been arrested over the disturbing attack where they allegedly knocked the father-of-one from his bike, before stomping on him and stabbing him in the eye

A number of the youths are due to reappear before Surry Hills Children's Court (pictured) on September 29

Mr Halcro is originally from the Gold Coast but moved to Melbourne and had been visiting Sydney working for his father when the borders closed.

Ms Keecherer said he had been severely injured once before when he was hit by a car in Melbourne about four years ago, leaving him with leg injuries and PTSD.

Nine teenage boys have been arrested over the shocking July 31 attack with at least one reportedly attending Sydney private school Barker College.

Court documents include text message allegedly sent by members of the group after the attack that reveal disturbing details.

A drug-addicted 15-year-old (left) had his actions slammed as 'vile' by a magistrate, while a 16-year-old who was allegedly wielding a knife (right) was refused bail by the children's court

'I put the shattered bottle in his stomach and then (another boy) slit his face like 15 times and stabbed him in the eye.' one text allegedly read.

So far nine teenagers (one pictured) - some of them students at elite Sydney private schools - have been charged over the attack, but because of their age none can be identified

'He stuck it in his eye. Put it in deeper. And swivelled the knife around. So funny.'

It is then understood he was asked if they knew the victim.

'Nah mate. Ahahahaha he was in the wrong place at the wrong time,' he allegedly replied.'

Surry Hills Childrens Court heard that only one boy appeared to show remorse after the attacks and cooperate with police.

He was allegedly then sent death threats by one of the group.

Eight of the nine boys arrested, who are aged between 15 and 18, are charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The maximum penalty for that offence is 25 years in jail.
(PHOTO: Getty Image)

SINGAPORE  A man who fed elderly woman drugs in order to steal their belongings was sentenced to seven years of corrective training on Friday (7 August).

Oh Koon Shin, 59, targetted three women in their 70s, two of whom he had approached in Queenstown Polyclinic and convinced to take Zopiclone, a drug used to treat insomnia. It causes sleepiness and leaves a bitter taste with dryness in the mouth.

He approached the last woman at her residence and convinced her that his drug could treat her leg pain.

Oh had earlier admitted to three counts each of theft and causing hurt by poison. Another five charges, including theft, were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Corrective training is usually imposed on repeat offenders and involves a period of incarceration of between five and 14 years. Such detainees are not typically given early release for good behaviour.

Oh is a habitual offender with 11 convictions dating back to 1977. In 2013, he was jailed for two years for an offence with a similar modus operandi to his current offences.

Then, he stole from two women over two days at Jurong Polyclinic in December 2012. He drugged one of the women, a 62-year-old retiree, before pocketing her belongings.

Current offences

On 6 September last year, a 73-year-old woman, who worked as a bus attendant, visited Queenstown Polyclinic for a medical check-up. As she waited for her prescription, she spoke to her friends there about her neck pain. Oh, who was at the polyclinic despite not having any appointments, overheard the conversation and approached the victim. He was eyeing the jade pendant on the victims neck.

Oh then offered the woman Zopiclone, convincing her that it would ease her pain. The woman took the medication and became light-headed. Oh brought the woman out of the clinic and stole her valuables, including the pendant, two gold rings, several cards, and a bunch of keys. As the woman felt drowsy, Oh asked a passer-by to help call an ambulance. The woman was then conveyed to hospital, where she noticed that her valuables were missing.

Story continues

The next day, the womans granddaughter reported seeing Oh outside her residence with a bunch of keys, but he was unable to find a key that matched the doors lock. A police report was lodged on 8 September.

Victim thought Oh was polyclinic staff

Three days after the first offence, Oh targetted a 71-year-old woman, who worked as a hawker. The woman went to Queenstown Polyclinic for a medical checkup on 9 September last year and waited for the clinic to open. Oh, who was also waiting at the polyclinic, spied a stack of cash in the womans handbag and decided to steal from her.

Oh followed her into the polyclinic and approached her as she awaited her turn to see the doctor. He then took her money, which amounted to $2,000, when she was not looking. In order to distract the woman, Oh offered her Zopiclone. He convinced her that she should take the drug before her checkup.

Believing that Oh was a polyclinic staff member, the woman consumed the medication and became drowsy. He then stole a gold-coloured bracelet from the woman and brought her out of the polyclinic. He sent the woman to National University Hospital in a taxi after observing that she was losing consciousness.

The victims son lodged a police report the next day. The womans cash and the bracelet were later recovered from Oh.

Fed victim Zopiclone at her house

On 6 July last year, Oh approached a 72-year-old retiree and obtained her address after claiming he had medication for her leg pain. He visited her house on 9 July when the woman was alone and fed her Zopiclone.

The woman became dizzy and tired after eating the medication. She fell asleep on the sofa in the living room while Oh ransacked the drawers in the house and stole several items. The victim woke up hours later.

When the victims daughter returned home, she discovered that $1,000 in cash, along with money in other currencies and some jewellery, were missing, and called the police.

For causing hurt through poison, Oh could have been jailed up to 10 years, and fined or caned. For theft he could have been jailed up to three years, or fined, or both. For theft in a house, Oh could have been jailed up to seven years, and fined.

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DENVER The president of Senegal offered his condolences via Twitter on Thursday after five people who immigrated to Colorado from the West African country were killed in a suburban Denver house fire that authorities say they suspect was intentionally set.

President Macky Sall tweeted in French that he was also monitoring the investigation closely, and he wished the surviving victims a speedy recovery. Three people escaped Wednesday mornings fire by jumping from the homes second floor and are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators say a toddler, an older child and three adults were killed in the fire in the Green Valley Ranch neighborhood, a relatively new development of tightly packed homes near Denver International Airport.

Police, fire officials and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the fire because there are indications that it may have been arson, said Joe Montoya, division chief of investigations for Denver police. Montoya would not elaborate Wednesday on the evidence because he said he did not want to compromise the investigation.

The Denver coroners office has not released the names or ages of the victims, who immigrated from Senegal in recent years.

Senegal Consul General Elhadji Ndao flew to Denver on Thursday at the request of his countrys leaders and said he is looking forward to the investigation.

We trust and have confidence in the legal system in this country and this city, and we have confidence that the investigation will take its course and what is proper in terms of diligence will be done, he said, standing in front of the remnants of the charred home.

Ndao, who was joined by members of the Senegalese community who gathered to mourn the victims, added, Its unfortunate that a whole family was gone in this tragic event.

Denver Fire Department Capt. Greg Pixley said the victims bodies were discovered after firefighters extinguished the fire, which was first reported by a police officer at 2:40 a.m. Wednesday.

Neighbor Maria Mendoza said she was awakened by noise and someone screaming, Get the baby out! Get the baby out! about that time. She ran to a window and saw flames and plumes of smoke rising from the home just down the street.

I awoke my husband, and he ran outside to see if he could help. But there was nothing he could do. The fire was too big, Mendoza said.

A police officer trying to rescue people was pushed back by the fires heat. It appears that those who died were all on the first floor.

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
EU To Amend VAT Rules For Trade With Northern Ireland

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

07 August 2020

The European Commission has proposed changes to the EU's VAT rules in respect of Northern Ireland, in preparation for the end of the Brexit transition period with the UK.

The proposed amendment to the EU VAT Directive would introduce a special identification number for businesses in Northern Ireland. This would mean that EU VAT provisions can be properly applied to goods, in line with the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, agreed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement on the UK leaving the EU.

Under the Protocol, EU VAT legislation will continue to apply when it comes to goods traded in Northern Ireland. Goods sold and transported from Northern Ireland to the EU, and vice versa, will be treated the same as cross-border supplies of goods within the EU, including for VAT exemptions and deductions.

These provisions will not apply to supplies of services in Northern Ireland, which will be subject to UK VAT rules after the transition period ends. Supplies of goods and services made elsewhere in the UK will also be subject to UK rules for VAT.

The Commission said that these changes to the VAT Directive will require some IT adjustments from member states. It urged member states to rapidly agree to the proposal, so that it can be implemented as quickly as possible.

The VAT provisions in the Protocol are due to enter into force on January 1, 2021.

Work is ongoing on similar legal changes in the field of excise duties.
GODFREY  Get to know what college will look like this fall at a virtual Trailblazer Talk recruitment event Tuesday at Lewis and Clark Community College.

Take the opportunity to speak with enrollment and financial aid representatives and learn more about attending college, especially during a pandemic.

Lewis and Clark is the safe, smart choice for these uncertain times, said Assistant Director of Admissions, Records and Recruitment Ryan Hodge. We are here to help in any way that we can. These events are opportunities to come and hear great information about attending L&C or just to get quick questions answered by college staff.

The event will take place on Zoom beginning at 4 p.m.

Topics will include:

Enrollment process during COVID

Application Process

Benefits of Attending L&C

New Student Orientation during COVID

Financial Aid

Scholarship Opportunities

Student Support Services

What campus looks like during COVID

 Participant questions

Participants are being asked to RSVP for the event ahead of time and will receive login instructions via email prior to the event. Reserve a spot at https://bit.ly/RSVP-TBTalk.

Parents attending on behalf of a student or students should register each student individually.

Lewis and Clark has more than 40 career and technical education programs from Dental Hygiene to Truck Driver Training, starting salaries for some of which can run as high as $50,000-100,000 annually.

The college also has numerous transfer options and agreements at a variety of four-year colleges and universities across the country. Simply by attending L&C for two years, transfer students can save an average of $18,396 on a bachelors degree, compared to students who attend Illinois colleges and universities for all four years.

L&C is offering courses this fall through five instructional modes which emphasize flexibility and safety for students, faculty and staff. More information can be found at www.lc.edu/coronavirus.

For more information, contact Hodge at rhodge@lc.edu or visit www.lc.edu/admissions to apply or enroll today.
Triller, the Los Angeles-based music video-sharing app backed by celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne, has been making gains  thanks, at least in part, to TikTok's troubles.

But the app, which launched in 2015 (two years before TikTok in 2017) wants new users to know that it isn't looking to be a TikTok clone.

We see "ourselves as the adult version," Triller co-owner and Hollywood producer Ryan Kavanaugh tells CNBC Make It.

"We look at [TikTok] like a stepping stone to Triller," he says, adding that the app's content is "a little more risque" and meant for a slightly older crowd.

President Donald Trump's threat to ban TikTok in the U.S. over privacy concerns (as Microsoft explores buying its business in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand), along with some TikTok stars decamping, has resulted in more than 35 million downloads for Triller in just the last few days alone.

Kavanaugh says he and the Triller team have been working nonstop to build out camera features for the app's new social feature. "We've been getting two hours of sleep a night, but I definitely can't complain," he says.

To date, the app has been downloaded more than 250 million times worldwide and has roughly 65 million active users, according to a Triller spokesperson. That's a huge increase from October of last year, when Triller reported 13 million active monthly users and 60 million total downloads.

And while Triller executives are enjoying the rapid boost, they never set out to be dubbed as "TikTok's rival."

"Before all of this, we used to tell people we're not competitive with TikTok," Kavanaugh says.

Triller originally launched as a short music video app, where users and musicians could post and browse videos of themselves singing along to their favorite song. Then in 2016, it became a full-fledged social media network  allowing users to follow and be followed by others.

Triller is still committed to being a music video platform. But amid TikTok's security woes, it has added several new features that are similar to TikTok (e.g., users can post funny videos of themselves singing, dancing and giving lifestyle tips).

Kavanaugh says the additional features were added when TikTok megastar Josh Richards and others approached Triller about switching over to the platform amid security concerns.

Still, the company has no plans of following TikTok's formula.

"We have a big sign on our wall in the office that says, 'TikTok is for kids,'" says Kavanaugh, whose company Proxima Media (which produced films like "The Fast and the Furious" and "Immortals") acquired a majority stake in Triller last year for an undisclosed sum.

Kavanaugh says the sign isn't meant to be "condescending." It's meant to serve as reminder to staff that Triller wants to be different.

"Our whole thing is like, TikTok trains the audience that we don't want to have, which is the 8- to 14-year-old audience," he says. However, Triller says its age minimum to sign up for the app is 12.

And according to Wallaroomedia, a social media advertising agency, an estimated 60% of TikTok's billions of users are between the ages of 16 to 24, with 26% between 25 to 44.

Kavanaugh says Triller wants to avoid the younger audience due to online child privacy laws, which protects children under the age of 13 from companies collecting personal information without their parents' consent.

That problem is an issue TikTok has run into. According to Reuters, The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Justice Department are looking into allegations that TikTok violated a 2019 children's privacy law by collecting personal information from kids under 13 without their parental consent. TikTok adamantly denies the claim.

Kavanaugh says Triller first saw a boost in downloads in March, when it partnered with Snapchat to integrate content into the Snap story feed.

In July, TikTok superstars Josh Richards and Noah Beck announced that they are leaving TikTok for Triller. Richards has been named Triller's chief strategy officer and Beck will serve as an advisor for the app. Both are equity shareholders. (Triller would not disclose how much of a stake the stars hold.)

Despite any gains, Triller still has a lot of catching up to do if it wants to get as big TikTok. In April, TikTok surpassed two billion downloads worldwide, according to Sensor Tower, and has about 800 million monthly active users.

But both TikTok and Triller are facing more competition these days. On Thursday, Instagram launched its own short-form video platform called Reels. In 2018, Facebook (which also owns Instagram) tried to launch a TikTok version of its own called Lasso, but shut it down last month, according to TechCrunch.

On Wednesday, TechCrunch reported that Triller is seeking a new funding round of $250 million that would push its valuation to over $1 billion.

CNBC Make It is NOW STREAMING on Peacock. Find our original programming in the Channels section.
What The Study Did: This survey study of U.S. physicians examined whether there were differences by race/ethnicity in burnout, symptoms of depression, career satisfaction and work-life balance.

Authors: Magali Fassiotto, Ph.D., of the Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California, is the corresponding author.

To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.12762)

Editor's Note: The article includes conflicts of interest and funding/support disclosures. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

###

The full study and commentary are linked to this news release.

Embed this link to provide your readers free access to the full-text article This link will be live at the embargo time http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.12762?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=080720

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is the new online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.
The ark of the covenant is more than Biblical history; it is mythical. Elevated to soaring heights of fantasy and legend after disappearing centuries ago, people have long sought to discover the truth about it. Hollywood even elevated it to superstardom by making it the primary focus of the Stephen Spielberg blockbuster "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." While a fun time, the film fails to capture the spiritual significance of the golden chest. Because it disappeared, many misconceptions about Gods ark arose.

While the Bible is silent on the arks ultimate fate, there are still centuries of history covered in the Bible that detail its construction, use of worship, and how its presence testified to the power of God.

What Is the Ark of the Covenant?

Before we dive into some facts you may not know about the Ark of the Covenant, we first have to establish what it is. The Ark of the Covenant was a housing vessel for the Lord. Depictions of this rectangular container often had angels atop it with their wings touching. The top of the Ark was known as the Mercy Seat.

Priests would often have to carry the Ark with long poles. If they accidentally touched it, they would instantly die. The reason for this is because God's glory and presence cannot be touched by man. Our sinful natures cause us to keel over if we come into the presence of the Lord, without the Holy Spirit residing within us.

Inside the Ark sat the Ten Commandments, Aaron's staff, and a jar of manna. Each of these represented something important (the law, the priesthood, and God's provision, conjectured by theologians).

What Is the History of the Ark of the Covenant?

Most of the time, since its creation, the Ark of the Covenant stays within the Tabernacle (a moving temple) and later the temple. But sometimes, throughout Israel's history, the Ark goes on the move.

For instance, the Philistines manage to capture the Ark during Samuel's childhood and take it to their god Dagon, until the Ark causes a plague in their land and breaks their idol statue. During another instance in David's reign, the Israelites attempt to return the Ark, but because a man tries to stop the Ark from falling with his bare hands, he dies.

Sadly, the Ark disappears from the narrative when the Babylonians sack Jerusalem and destroy the temple. The Ark goes missing from the narrative then.

Now that we've established the identity and historical context of the Ark, are six facts about the Ark of the Covenant:

Specification and Dimensions

Much like we have the exact dimensions and instructions for Noahs ark in Genesis, Exodus 25:10-22 describes the process and the parameters for the creation of the chest. The chapter begins, The Lord said to Moses, and begins to outline Gods specifications for the creation of objects to be used in worship. The ark is the first one described.

Made from a base of acacia wood - a hardwood, scratch-resistant, and known for its durability - it had a gold overlay. The poles used to carry the ark were of the same material. On top of the ark, was the mercy seat, or kapporeth in Hebrew. The Lord commanded: You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold...And you shall make two cherubim of gold...Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends (Exodus 25:17-19). Gods presence settled on the mercy seat when it came into the tabernacle to be with the nation of Israel.

The Three Important Artifacts inside the Ark

These were the Ten Commandments, Aarons budded staff, and manna. As a container vessel, the ark carried artifacts that spoke to key moments during Israels time in the wilderness. The second set of stone tablets represented the law - the Old Testament standard of righteousness. Moses smashed the original tablets in Exodus 32 after the Israelites made the golden calf to worship.

The rod of Aaron was the same rod which God turned into a serpent before Pharaoh. However, the moment noted more significant by the writer of Hebrews, was the budding and flowering of the rod. In Numbers, the people of Israel began to grumble against Moses and Aarons leadership, and the Lord had just struck down a group of rebels. To prove the chosen priesthood of Aaron and his line, the Lord commanded the tribes of Israel to set out twelve staffs, with Aarons representing the tribe of Levi, the tribe God appointed to the priesthood. They left them out overnight, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds (Numbers 17:8). For the Israelites, this rod represented the line of the priesthood.

Finally, the cup of manna was clear evidence of Gods provision for His people. Manna sustained the Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness after they fled Egypt. The word manna appears to express their confusion about what it was, as they exclaimed upon seeing it for the first time, what is it? Every morning for forty years, the sweet, flaky, white substance that was similar to coriander kept the Israelites fed, combined with quail in the evening. The Israelites honored God for His kept promises and miraculous provision by keeping a sample of manna in the ark.

Was it Holy?

It can be easy to assume the gold-plated, special vessel that held the law, the symbol of the priesthood, and the proof of Gods provision held a special, perhaps mystical status. However, what truly made it special - what made it important - was the actual manifestation of Gods presence. The mercy seat served as an actual seat for the Lord in the Tabernacle, and eventually in Solomons temple. Here, the Lords Spirit indwelled and filled the space as a cloud. The true power of God rested upon the Ark.

What Was the Purpose of the Ark?

Because the Lords Spirit came in all His glory, few could come into its direct presence. Once a year, on the High Holy Day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the temple and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice upon the cover of the ark. This action atoned for the sins of the whole nation. The priest who went into the temple during the time of Yom Kippur had to be fully right with God, lest he be struck dead. Today, Christians believe Jesus Christ serves as our High Priest and as the sacrifice. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of Gods grace (Ephesians 1:7).

Who Stole the Ark?

The Philistines captured Gods Ark after the battle of Shiloh, where the sons of the High Priest Eli - Hophni and Phinehas - were killed. It did not stay in any one place for very long, as disaster seemed to strike the Philistines whenever they moved what they believed to be a war prize. From hemorrhoids, to mice, no matter where the Philistines moved the Ark, trouble followed. It culminated in them putting the Ark in their pagan temple, and the statue of their false god Dagon was found prostrate before the Ark twice - the second time, broken. 1 Samuel 5:4 says, ...and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. The Philistines only kept it seven months according to 1 Samuel 6:1, because of all the troubles that befell the cities that held the Lords ark.

Why Did David Dance before the Ark?

The last years of King Sauls reign were tumultuous and bloody. When David came to the throne of Israel, he had to take Jerusalem from the Jebusites and fight back an attack from the Philistines. After these victories, David felt led to bring the ark of the covenant to the capital city. Though it had a brief three-month stay in the house of a man named Obed-edom, it was finally ushered to Davids city. So joyful was David, the Bible records, And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment (2 Samuel 6:14). The Lords presence should still inspire us to rejoice like David today, for today we do not need the ark to experience it; He lives within us!

So where does the ark of the covenant get its fearsome reputation that lead to its portrayal as a weapon in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"? There are two incidents in its history that most likely informed this portrayal where the Lord struck down people who did not treat the ark with appropriate reverence. Once in the town of Beth-Shemesh, and once with a man named Uzzah. In the book of Numbers, the Lord gives an explicit command that only Levites may handle the ark, and that, ...if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death (Numbers 1:51). In both instances, Israelites who knew the law chose to disobey, and interacted with the ark of the covenant contrary to Gods word.

The ark of the covenant acted as the symbol of Gods holiness, and not abiding by the rules set forth brought about His wrath. The power of the ark was not in the thing itself, but in the wonder and majesty of Jehovah, whose presence once rested there, but now indwells within each believer.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain/Benjamin West
Joe Biden took President Donald Trump to task on Friday for cutting back federal funding for National Guard coronavirus relief efforts in most states, and only fully supporting the troop deployments in a small number of states.

"At a time when the states are suffering dramatic revenue losses as a result of Trump's catastrophic COVID-19 response, this is no time to place new fiscal burdens onto the states by reducing federal funding for the National Guard," the former vice president and presumptive presidential nominee said in a statement to POLITICO, in his first public comments on the controversy.

Trump on Friday directed the federal government to continue covering all the costs of National Guard relief efforts in Arizona, California and Connecticut though Sept. 30. Earlier this week, however, he directed that Texas and Florida will be fully covered through the end of the year, while announcing that all other states and territories will have to begin kicking in 25 percent later this month.

The new directives do not explain why the three states were selected, or why the extension is set to terminate earlier than Texas and Florida's.

An estimated 25,000 Guard troops are deployed nationwide in the coronavirus response, running testing sites, conducting contact tracing and building hospitals.

The 75/25 burden-sharing formula was announced Monday when Trump extended the nationwide National Guard mission until the end of the year. It sparked an outcry from leaders in both parties and Guard advocates at a time when many state governments are in dire financial shape. Trumps decision to spare Texas and Florida, meanwhile, also drew accusations that he was playing favorites with two must-win battleground states in the November election.

The White House maintained on Thursday that only Texas and Florida's governors appealed directly to the president for full funding  a claim other states dispute. Now, many other governors are requesting calls with Trump to make their case to be spared from the impending funding cut.

Story continues

On a call with officials from the White House, Defense Department, and FEMA with the National Governors Association's Council of Governors, multiple governors complained that states are not being treated equally, according to a readout provided to POLITICO.

On the call, the White House encouraged other governors to "send a 'demand signal' and inform the President as to why authorization and the cost share are uniquely needed."

The decision to now shield five states from federal funding cuts has only amplified questions and concerns surrounding the process the Trump administration is using to distribute federal aid in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

California has the highest total number of coronavirus cases, but not the highest number per capita. Arizona, which Trump recently praised as a model, has improved in recent weeks, but continues to struggle with a high case count, a high percentage of people testing positive, and nearly full ICUs in its hospitals. Connecticut this week saw zero new deaths and its lowest test positivity rate in months -- less than a quarter of one percent -- indicating the state is doing well suppressing the virus.

The National Governors Association on Friday demanded the administration provide 100 percent federal support for all states through the end of the year.

"This will ensure a fair and equitable response from the federal government to state and territorial needs during this ongoing national crisis, which knows no borders or boundaries," the group wrote.

The governors added that the President's plan would place a substantial new burden on states to pay 25 percent of the cost of the Guard deployments "while also executing unprecedented responsibility to protect the public health and well-being of constituents."

The administrations seemingly haphazard approach is also raising more eyebrows in Congress.

First, the Administration inexplicably singles out Florida and Texas, forcing the other 47 states and territories to pay up, Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL), said in statement Friday. Now, a few days later, the Administration singles out three more states with no more rhyme or reason than in its previous arbitrary decision.

Biden on Friday also called on his challenger to cover all states and territories with National Guard troops on virus duty.

"I welcome that five states will continue to receive 100% reimbursement," he told POLITICO in the statement. "The Trump administration should extend that coverage to the dozens of other states that are deploying the Guard for pandemic response."

"We face a national crisis; it deserves a national strategy, Biden added. Nearly six months into this crisis, why doesnt President Trump understand that?"
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Linkedin Diego Ore (Reuters) Mexico City, Mexico  Fri, August 7, 2020 08:35 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3697a 2 World Mexico,healthcare-workers,frontline-workers,health-worker,coronavirus,COVID-19,medical-practitioners,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

When the coronavirus epidemic began to intensify in Mexico at the end of March, Doctor Jose Garcia said his bosses at a public trauma hospital in Mexico City denied his request for masks, gloves and disinfectant.

They argued such protective equipment was only necessary for those working directly with coronavirus patients, Garcia said. Unconvinced, he bought it himself.

The hospital's director disputes this, saying all staff received protective equipment. Either way, Garcia had already contracted the virus and infected his wife and one-year-old daughter.

Garcia is one of over 70,000 medical workers to catch the coronavirus in Mexico, where the pandemic death toll is now the third-highest worldwide, behind the United States and Brazil.

Government data indicates that healthcare workers' risk of dying is four times higher than in the United States, and eight times higher than in Brazil.

"The coronavirus has hit healthworkers all over the world, but it's been especially bad in Mexico," said Alejandro Macias, an epidemiologist who spearheaded Mexico's response to the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

Staff have had to buy their own equipment, often in informal marketplaces and of substandard quality, Macias said.

The government has said there were shortcomings in equipment provision early on but says it has worked hard to protect workers and flown in vital equipment from China and the United States. It also accuses past administrations of letting the health service deteriorate.

Mexico's deputy health minister and coronavirus czar, Hugo Lopez-Gatell, said in July that many of the nurses and doctors who died of the virus had pre-existing medical conditions, and that some did not use protective gear in "optimal fashion."

In Mexico, 19% of confirmed infections are of medical staff, almost three times the global average, according to figures from the International Council of Nurses and the Mexican National Association of Doctors and Nurses.

The plight of healthworkers is complicating efforts to contain the outbreak, which has killed close to 50,000 people in Mexico, battered the economy and cost millions of jobs.

Garcia, 48, said in an interview that he believes he was one of about a dozen medical staff indirectly infected by a patient who arrived at the Lomas Verdes hospital with coronavirus symptoms and later died.

"They've been very irresponsible with us," he said, referring to his employer and its alleged failure to provide protective equipment.

The hospital's director, Gilberto Meza, said that 213 Lomas Verdes staff had contracted the virus. Citing an epidemiological study he said the hospital had conducted, he said that all were infected outside the facility.

He said all staff had received goggles, face shields and masks. He declined to say when they were provided.

Garcia and his family survived and he is now back at work. But the two weeks they had coronavirus symptoms were, he said, "hell": headaches, fever, diarrhea and shortness of breath.

As of July 24, 72,980 Mexican medical staff had caught the coronavirus, and 978 died, government figures show.

In the United States, which has a population 2.5 times that of Mexico, 123,738 medical personnel have tested positive for coronavirus and 598 have died, according to the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures.

The health ministry of Brazil, which is about two-thirds more populous than Mexico, had reported 189 deaths of medical practitioners by end-July. Some private data in Brazil give higher figures, but still well below Mexico.

Over a dozen nurses and doctors interviewed by Reuters said they got the virus in part because they did not receive timely information or protective equipment.

Many have protested about having to reuse disposable gear and launched petitions for better kit.

In one public hospital in northern Mexico, medical workers told Reuters in April their managers told them not to wear protective masks to avoid unsettling patients.

Zoe Robledo, head of Mexico's main public health service, IMSS, said in April that it had suffered equipment shortages, as well as "delays, oversights, and errors that needed correcting."

Low spending

Mexico's spending on health as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the lowest in the 37-member Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

A recent study by the OECD put Mexico's health spending at 5.5% of GDP, compared to 9.1% in Chile and 7.3% in Colombia in 2019. In Brazil it was 9.4%, though the latest data available were from 2017.

Nurses often work in multiple hospitals to supplement wages of about 8,500 pesos ($377) per month, according to Mexico City's government. Movement between hospitals heightens the contagion risk, said Oliva Lopez, the city's health minister.

"Our health personnel combine multiple jobs and are exposed in multiple spaces," Lopez told Reuters, saying her ministry had gone to great lengths to get staff protective equipment, and blaming previous governments for "pauperizing" the profession.

More than 600 nurses had died by the end of June in some 30 countries surveyed by the Geneva-based International Council of Nurses. Mexico accounted for 160 of the deaths, or over a quarter.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one nurse at a Mexico City public hospital said she felt "abandoned" by authorities.

"But we can't say: 'Now I can't work, or don't want to'," she said. "This is what we trained for."
By IANS

MUMBAI: Bombay High Court on Friday permitted actors above 65 to resume shooting, dismissing the regulation issued by Maharashtra government that bars senior actors above that age limit from shooting, owing to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

A press note issued in this matter reads: "This is to inform that though under the unlock conditions the State of Maharashtra had allowed the shooting of films and serials but had imposed condition that the persons above the age of 65 and above will not be entitled to participate in the shooting process either as Artist or as crew members."

"IMPPA alongwith one Mr. Pramod Pandey had challenged the validity of the said directions before the Hon'ble High Court Mumbai and accordingly, by an order passed today the said Petition has been allowed by the Hon'ble High Court by holding that no such restriction could be imposed on the basis of age of the persons and clarified that only precautionary guidelines which are applicable to all other business shall be applicable and no specific condition can be imposed in respect of a particular section. Copy of the order is awaited and in the meanwhile the present press release is being issued. Advocate Ashok M. Saraogi appeared for IMPPA in the matter. Dated this 7th day of August, 2020."

A petition was filed by senior Bollywood actor Pramod Pandey on July 21 challenging the government directive that actors above 65 years cannot shoot owing to the pandemic.


(Photo: 3 Things to Know Before Visiting Canada)

Canada is known for its friendly inhabitants, gorgeous nature, and French roots. Although Canada shares a border with the United States, not all of its laws and cultural customs are the same. Keep these things in mind when you're ready to venture up north.

Basic Information About Canada

Canada is made up of 10 provinces and three territories. The territories are ruled by the federal government, while the provinces have a bit more say in how they exercise their constitutional powers. Each province and territory has its own attractions, so it's important to do some research before your trip. For example, if you are looking for the hustle and bustle of the city, travel to Montreal or Quebec City in Quebec. If you want to explore the great outdoors, then British Columbia is a good bet.

When booking your trip, know that the weather varies greatly by region, though they all experience the four seasons. There is also a wide variance in culture. Canada is an English and French-speaking country. Travel to Quebec or the East Coast to find more French-inspired culture, and travel to the rest of the country to find English speakers. A final thing to note is how spread out the population is in Canada. About 37.7 million people live here, which is about the same population as California.

Travel Tips for Canada

Before heading to the airport or hopping in your car, make sure you have the proper documentation to cross the border. You must have a current passport, passport card, or NEXUS card. If you plan on driving through Canada as an American, you're in luck. Your U.S. driver's license is valid while driving here, though you must adhere to Canada's driving laws and conditions. For instance, you may not smoke in your vehicle if a minor is present.

Although a U.S. driver's license works, it's unlikely that your cash will. Only certain establishments will accept U.S. money, so make a trip to the bank to convert your cash into Canadian dollars. When buying goods or services in Canada, you must pay an additional 5% goods and services tax (GST). Some provinces have an additional sales tax that they combine with the GST to make the harmonized sales tax (HST). Finally, tipping is a custom in Canada. Similar to America, you are also expected to tip around 15-20% in Canadian restaurants.

Canadian Laws You Should Know

Knowing Canadian laws in advance can help you cross the border with ease. When entering Canada with a DUI, know that you may be denied entrance. How long you plan to stay, when the DUI occurred, the seriousness of the offense, and your record moving forward are all factors Canadian officials consider if you have a DUI on your record.

Knowing what you can legally bring over the border is important, too. Dog lovers should be happy to know that their pet can come along as long as you have the proper documentation. This typically includes a valid rabies vaccination certificate. One thing you may not bring in is fresh fruit.

Traveling to Canada can be a breeze if you know a few things in advance. Make sure to prepare for your trip by keeping this information in mind.

See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018
New research shows that 3 in 4 working Aussies are enjoying not having to commute to work since the covid-19 outbreak disrupted normal office work; as a result, urban planner Mike Day, is calling for more self-contained, walkable neighbourhoods.

At the height of the pandemic, 46 per cent of employed Australians were working from home. New research has revealed that avoiding the commute, more time in the day, and better work-life balance were among the most positive aspects of the new working arrangement.

On the back of the research, one of Australias leading urban planners is calling for more self-sufficient, walkable, and liveable mixed-use and mixed-income neighbourhoods to facilitate working-from-home as a permanent workforce option.

Mike Day is Co-founder and Director of RobertsDay, an urban planning and design practice with offices in most major Australian cities. Data from a new survey  exclusive to RobertsDay  sheds light on what employees most enjoy about their remote working experience.

The independent survey was made up of nationally representative panel of 1000 Australian employees who have been working from home  full-time or part-time  during the pandemic.

On average, Australian workers normally spend 4.5 hours a week commuting to and from their workplace. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, 72 per cent of Aussies working from home said the biggest benefit was avoiding the commute and thereby gaining more time in the day. In the ACT, this constituted 94 per cent of respondents.

Mike is of the view that, because Canberrans are largely car-dependent  approximately 75 per cent rely on the car as their method of travel to work  they would have found the switch to remote working a welcome change from driving each day.

The car is the primary mode of transport for many Canberra commuters, due to the citys dispersed suburban pattern. However, as the survey results suggest, Canberrans enjoyed the time they spent working from their homes, probably because they reclaimed time they would normally spend driving.

He added, The ACT Governments promotion of urban infill  which is resulting in more connected, compact homes in existing walkable neighbourhoods  may be an additional reason why a significant number of Canberrans enjoyed not commuting.

In fact, residents living in the areas where urban renewal is occurring  including Civic, Tuggeranong, Dickson, Kingston, Manuka and Gungahlin  no longer need to rely so heavily on the use of vehicles. Essential amenities, including schools, dispersed workplaces and a diverse range of natural, open spaces in close proximity, are giving residents independence of movement without having to rely on using cars. Moreover, it is these households that dont need a second car which, in turn, can save them $10,000-$12,000 per year owning and maintaining a car. This significant savings can service $300,000 of a mortgage.

The survey also revealed that work-life balance was the second-most enjoyable aspect of working from home for nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of respondents  and a possible reason why many would want to continue working from home more regularly.

More than half (57 per cent) loved not having to dress for work, while 36 per cent of respondents most enjoyed having fewer distractions in their home office environments as it enabled them to be more productive.

In fact, older employees were most likely to enjoy working from home for this reason: 44 per cent of over-50s cited they had less distractions and felt more productive when working from home, compared with 28 per cent of younger employees (under-30s).

When asked why else they enjoyed working remotely, a third (33 per cent) of respondents revealed it was being able to see more of their kids or other family members, 32 per cent said it was not being micro-managed, and more than a quarter (26 per cent) said it was because they had fewer meetings, and were, therefore, more productive.

Mike said, Overall, these survey results show just how much Australian workers believe they can achieve while working from home  especially if they are not spending an hour or two commuting to and from the workplace every day.

If employers listen to what their employees most enjoy about working from home, we may see a decentralisation of much of the workforce from the cities to the metropolitan growth areas  a key reason why we should embrace the concept of living and working locally.

At RobertsDay, we believe the pandemic-led switch to remote working has reaffirmed that our urban growth areas should be guided by the principles espoused in the Victorian Governments 20-minute neighbourhood Report, in which workplaces and essential services, such as schools and grocery shops, are accessible from home on foot or by bike.

Some organisations have even found that working from home was so effective and productive for their employees that they are shifting, or have shifted, to permanent arrangements. For this reason, its even more crucial that we consider the urbanisation of our suburbs, so that communities can access most of their daily needs, within a 20-minute return walk from home.

As NSW, Queensland, and the ACT face the possible prospect of a lockdown similar to that of Victoria, it presents an opportunity for all levels of government to embrace the 20-minute neighbourhood initiative and, in turn, deliver more equitable, sustainable and affordable contemporary communities that can provide a much more resilient and sustainable living environment during prolonged periods of remote working.

Survey results
A 4 million ($5.23 million) project in southwest England has secured funding to help pilot the extraction of lithium for use in technologies such as electric vehicles and batteries.

In a statement earlier this week, Cornish Lithium said the new funding would be used to support the construction of "Europe's first geothermal lithium recovery pilot plant." The amount of investment has not been disclosed.

Over the years, lithium has become an increasingly important cog in modern life: lithium-ion batteries, for example, are used in everything from laptops and cellphones to electric cars.

According to the British Geological Survey's Centre for Sustainable Mineral Development, MineralsUK, it can be extracted from two key types of deposits: minerals and brines. The methods used to extract lithium can range from the mining of hard rock deposits to, in the case of brines, pumping from wells.

Cornish Lithium's work is centered around the extraction of lithium from geothermal brines. It said its project would be trialing Direct Lithium Extraction, or DLE, technology and "its suitability to extract lithium from Cornish geothermal waters."

The company added that the "optimal DLE technology for Cornish waters" was still being selected, but said that "the processes being considered utilise technologies, such as nanofiltration, to selectively remove lithium compounds from the water, rather than relying on evaporation and other less environmentally friendly methods."

The scheme is a collaboration with Geothermal Engineering, a company developing geothermal facilities in the county of Cornwall. It will be located at the United Downs Deep Geothermal Project near the town of Redruth.



Described by the U.S. Department of Energy as a "vital, clean energy resource," geothermal energy refers to underground heat which can be used to produce renewable energy. The DOE adds that geothermal energy "supplies renewable power around the clock and emits little or no greenhouse gases."

The funding for the Cornish project comes from a larger 14.3 million pot of cash provided to the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership from the U.K. government's Getting Building Fund, a 900 million initiative focused on job creation and the development of infrastructure and skills.

Famed for its beautiful coastline and picturesque scenery, Cornwall was once home to a large number of mines extracting materials such as tin and copper. The county's last mine shut in 1998.

Cornish Lithium is not the only company looking to extract lithium in Cornwall. Another firm, British Lithium, drilled six "exploration holes" in the area around St Austell last year.



The CEO of Cornish Lithium, Jeremy Wrathall, said the newly announced funding would "significantly accelerate our work to demonstrate that lithium can be produced in a sustainable, zero-carbon manner and will enable us to fast-track similar projects in other locations across Cornwall once the plant has been completed."



"We believe that Cornwall has the potential to become the 'battery metals hub' for the U.K., thus continuing a 4,000-year history of metal production and industrial innovation."
A desperate search is underway for a young mother who disappeared with her toddler and baby more than a month ago.

Tiegan Carr was staying in the rural Victorian town of Wangaratta, just south of the NSW border, with her two children up until early July.

Soon after the 26-year-old fled the town and took her three-year-old daughter Kelahni and two-month-old baby Freya with her.

Police are searching for Tiegan Carr, 26, (left) and her two children, three-year-old daughter Kelahni and two-month-old baby Freya (right), who disappeared in early July

Ms Carr has had limited contact with authorities but police believe she has crossed state lines and is now staying in Albury, an hour north-east on the New South Wales border.

Victoria Police said they hold concerned for the the welfare of the young mother and her two children.

It is understood the Ms Carr is also dealing with a medical condition.

Police have urged anyone who has seen the family or has any information on their current location to ring Bendigo Police Station on (03) 5448 1300.
You only have to visit Reed Colleges MacNaughton Hall to understand that the upcoming academic year is like no other in modern history.

Reed, like most colleges in the state, intends to reopen its campus this fall even as the number of COVID-19 cases have spiked in recent weeks to unprecedented levels. But its doing so only after extraordinary precautions, some of which recall the great cholera, flu and diphtheria epidemics of an earlier era.

MacNaughton will be Reeds COVID-19 isolation ward. Students who test positive will be separated from the general population and required to quarantine in MacNaughton. Theyll be allowed to rejoin the campus only when they test negative.

There is big risk here and were very mindful of that, said Hugh Porter, Reeds vice president for college relations and planning. Were lucky we have a big endowment -- we can afford to take some significant precautions.

Whether to open schools this fall is a difficult issue requiring school and government officials to balance public health concerns with the financial and practical impact on students, their families and their colleges.

Many of the largest K-12 school districts have opted to remain virtual this fall after Gov. Kate Brown issued strict new safety standards.

But Oregon colleges, which shut down in the spring by state order, are taking a different tack. From Salem to McMinnville to Forest Grove to Portland, most of Oregons public and private colleges are tentatively planning to open their campuses in the fall.

Both OSU and the University of Oregon announced in the spring their tentative plans to open their respective campuses and employ a hybrid approach. Some classes would be held in traditional classrooms while others would remain virtual.

Now, Oregon officials say they wont make a final decision until Aug. 26.

OSU officials said they too are closely watching infection numbers to determine whether the fall quarter will be predominantly virtual or traditional.

In the meantime, OSU leaders have tentatively scheduled a phased move-in day for students living on campus starting Sept. 18.

Either way -- on-campus or online -- its been a gut-wrenching decision for university leaders. The recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Oregon to record levels convinced two major colleges to change course.

Portland State University backed off its so-called Fall-Flex mix of online and classroom instruction and announced in July the vast majority of classes would be online.

Last Thursday, the University of Portland Board of Regents followed suit and announced it will remain a virtual campus until at least the spring 2021.

We just said the top priority was going to be the safety and well-being of our staff, faculty and students, said Father Mark Poorman, president of the Catholic university in North Portland. It breaks my heart. We started the summer confident that we would be able to open the campus, even if we had to make accommodations.

Poorman understands better than most the practical challenges facing administrators. As an up-and-coming academic, he lived in student housing for more than two decades. Social distancing and isolation -- the backbone of any public health battle against an infectious agent -- are difficult to enforce, he acknowledged. Many students go to college craving the exact opposite.

Theres a lot of social gathering going on, Poorman said. Thats natural behavior.

After last springs shutdown order, colleges moved quickly to support students and establish online classes.

It wasnt a perfect solution.

The decision disrupted the higher-education experience of thousands of students. In a recent survey, Oregon students said they preferred traditional classrooms to virtual sessions, which many complained were too easy.

Plus, going virtual put a significant dent in college-town economies and many colleges finances. Universities had to make do without hundreds of millions of dollars in student room and board fees as well as sports-related income.

But it proved an effective strategy. The number of new cases remained low. Brown left it to individual colleges whether to reopen in the fall. Shes stuck with that position even as the cases soared to record levels last month.

We are continuing to have conversations with higher education officials as the academic year approaches and the COVID-19 situation in the state develops, said Liz Merah, Browns press secretary.

A Benton County public health study has raised questions about the impact of reopening.

In a county that has had just six COVID-19 fatalities since the pandemic began, the study reports that number of cases and deaths will increase significantly in the next 12 months. The study claims the increase in Benton County cases will begin in September, the month thousands of students are expected to arrive in Corvallis to attend Oregon State University.

OSU resuming could introduce many new cases to our community, over a short period of time, because of the number of people joining our geographical community, said county spokeswoman Alyssa Rash.

Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, said she spoke this week with F. King Alexander, Oregon States new president, to share her extreme concern about what reopening campus to in-person classes could mean for the community.

Gelser said King told her school officials dont have to make a decision until the end of the month and they will be monitoring August reopenings at campuses in other states.

This is the first time I felt like there was actually consideration of not doing the full reopening, she said.

College officials across the state said theyre taking strenuous precautions to keep students and staff safe and are remaining flexible about the plan this fall.

Linfield University will require all of its 1,700 students and staff to wear masks inside and outside if they cant maintain six feet of distance from others. The McMinnville university is limiting enrollment in most classes to 25 or less.

George Fox in Newberg is adopting similar measures. It will reduce capacity in its dorms by 20% to allow for better social distancing. School officials are also tinkering with the schedule. The fall semester will begin Aug. 24, a week earlier than usual, and will end at the Thanksgiving break.

George Fox spokesman Rob Felton said the goal is to keep students at home during as much of the winter as possible, when viruses are most likely to spread.

Reed hopes comprehensive testing will help prevent outbreaks. All students will be tested for the virus upon their arrival. The Southeast Portland college is also erecting four large, heated tents on campus that will effectively enlarge the dining hall and three classrooms, which will allow proper social distancing.

Lewis & Clark will offer both in-class and virtual classes. The college will bring testing to a new level when it begins monitoring the sewage discharged from college dorms for the virus, said to be one of the most efficient and quickest ways of determining the presence of the virus.

For all the extensive protocols adopted by the college, President Wim Wiewel conceded with 2,000 undergrads on campus, its very unlikely we wont have some cases.

That grim reality poses a daunting challenge for even veteran administrators.

These have been the most difficult four months of my professional life, Wiewel said.

Jeff Manning

971-263-5164

jmanning@oregonian.com
A 32-year-old man in Sikkim, a state that celebrates 'Kukur Tihar' (Dog Puja), was arrested by police on charges of brutally killing a dog leading to locals demanding for justice.

A complaint was filed by the owner of the dog and later by the People For Animals (PFA), Sikkim, following which the police took action against the man. However, he was later released on bail.

"We were informed about the incident by our local police who said that the owner wants to withdraw the complaint on pressure from family. We immediately lodged a complaint at police station in Gangtok," said Srijana Khaling, PFA member who filed an FIR along with Deepika Pradhan and Anu Thami. A case under IPC sections 428, 429, 201 has been registered against the man.

The accused identified as Naren Tamang, a contractual driver and resident of Rongyek in East Sikkim's Maney Dara village allegedly killed his cousin's pet dog on Monday, August 3, following a squabble between the two.

Tamang later tried to hide the evidence by throwing the dog's body off a cliff. With the help of police, the PFA team found the body of the dog in a jungle below the cliff. A post mortem was then conducted at Sarah hospital. He reportedly committed the crime in order to send a message across to his relatives as to how dangerous he can be.

"He did not just kill the dog but he also tried to hide evidence. The post mortem report left us numb. The man stabbed Bacha (the dog) on his head, mouth until his tongue was cut into pieces. Bacha struggled for his life, he cried for help but unfortunately only its lady owner was there, who was too scared to stop Tamang. Bacha at his half conscious state tried to run away but failed. The man again caught him and cut his ear and continuously hit him on his head. After that he dragged him and threw him off the cliff nearby his house," said Khaling.

Hailing the police for its prompt action, Khaling said, "We must mention Sikkim police that did a commendable job by arresting the culprit the same day around 10 pm, but we can't let him get away." Justice must be served, she added.
The government of Kuwait owes some of the United States' top hospitals nearly $700 million in unpaid bills for sophisticated medical care provided to Kuwaiti nationals, a debt the frustrated institutions have spent years trying to collect.

The 45 medical centers - which include Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MD Anderson in Houston and others - have worked unsuccessfully on their own and through the State Department to recoup payment for specialized cancer, heart, pediatric and other care provided to thousands of people from the Persian Gulf nation, one of the wealthiest in the world.

In June, the facilities banded together in an unprecedented group effort to seek repayment of the $677.4 million debt. In July, they enlisted the aid of a congressman to insert a "Sense of Congress" amendment seeking Kuwaiti repayment into defense authorization legislation.

"U.S. hospitals have provided care in good faith to your government based on your government's guarantee of payment," the U.S. Cooperative for International Patient Programs wrote to the Kuwaiti ministers of health, finance and foreign affairs on June 11. "Our members expect payment of these bills in good faith as well."

Noting the financial damage to hospitals wrought by the covid-19 pandemic, the organization wrote that "with . . . individual hospitals having to bear the burden of maintaining multimillion-dollar balances over multiple years, the current system has become impractical and unsustainable for hospitals across the United States."

Kuwaiti officials did not respond to calls and an email to the country's Washington embassy this week.

The State Department said in a statement that "it has raised this issue with the Kuwaiti government and is working to find a resolution."

It is unclear why Kuwait - a staunch U.S. ally of about 1.4 million citizens and 3 million expatriates, controlled by the ruling al-Sabah family - would fall so far behind on its bills. Several hospital officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of their effort, said they had become accustomed to payment delays from Kuwait, possibly because of bureaucracy or an antiquated system for paying overseas obligations. The country pays only for its own citizens.

Still, the current backlog has lasted much longer than any previous one, said Jarrett Fowler, director of the international patient cooperative, who wrote the letter to Kuwaiti officials. Previous debts have been outstanding for as long as a year, he said. Kuwait is alone among nations who send patients to U.S. hospitals in its extended failure to pay.

"Me writing that letter is evidence that we're in extraordinary circumstances," Fowler said in an interview. "I've never done anything like this before." He said the Kuwaiti debt "continues to rise as they continue to not pay the bill. . . . We currently don't have any indication from them as to when it will be paid."

Fowler's letter called the $677 million "a conservative estimate" of the amount owed. It may not include doctors' fees or ancillary services for some medical centers. He listed more than $183,000 owed from 2017; $172.8 million from 2018; $414.9 million from 2019; and $89.4 million so far in 2020.

The effort to recoup the money is led by Massachusetts hospitals, which are owed nearly a quarter of the total, Fowler said.

As oil prices fell in recent years, Kuwait saw its first budget deficit in a decade in 2015 and announced cuts to fuel subsidies in 2016, according to the CIA's World Factbook. In January, the country announced it expected a budget deficit of more than $30 billion for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

But Kuwait continues to pour billions into a sovereign wealth fund that Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who is aiding the hospitals' effort, told Congress is the fifth-largest in the world at $592 billion. In his remarks to Congress, McGovern said, "The Kuwaitis say this matter is pending in their parliament."

One expert consulted by The Washington Post said the debt could just be the result of an administrative problem.

Unpaid bills have plagued U.S. patients and hospitals for years as the cost of medical care here has soared. The pandemic has made that situation much more critical for hospitals. With patient volume down and lucrative elective procedures canceled or postponed, U.S. hospitals and health systems could lose $323.1 billion in 2020, according to the American Hospital Association.

The mounting Kuwaiti debt, though small in comparison, is a problem for some hospitals. "It does affect, overall, our financial outlook and our ability to plan," said one official from a major hospital, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the negotiations.

Foreign nationals represent a relatively small income stream for elite academic medical centers that provide specialized care that may not be available in other countries. That can include proton beam and immunotherapy for cancer, organ transplants or advanced diagnostics and treatment for people with multiple underlying conditions, experts said.

A 2017-2018 survey conducted by the U.S. patient cooperative showed that 57,190 foreign patients produced about $2 billion in gross revenue for the 50 medical organizations that reported their data.

Kuwait sent the fourth-largest number of adult patients to the United States, after Canada, China and Mexico, and the tiny nation's citizens received more inpatient care than people from any other country. Kuwait sent the second-largest number of pediatric patients, behind the United Arab Emirates.

According to a report in the Arab Times, Kuwait authorized 3,900 visits for overseas care in the first half of 2018.

McGovern said it is time for the Kuwaitis to pay their bills, or face increased pressure from the United States.

"There's a thousand different excuses out there and none of it is resulting in our hospitals getting paid," he said. "Friends do not treat friends like this. All we're saying is, 'please pay and if not, we will look at further legislation that quite frankly won't be as polite as the Sense of Congress resolution.' "
Montreal homicide investigators are trying to determine whether the violent deaths of two seniors in different parts of the city are connected.

Police say an 80-year-old man found badly injured Thursday morning in a building in the Montreals Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood died in hospital overnight.

His death has been ruled a homicide, the 12th on the island of Montreal this year.

The investigation led police to an address in the citys Ahuntsic neighbourhood, about 10 kilometres to the north.

Early this morning, they found the body of a 68-year-old man who had suffered serious injuries to his head and was declared dead at the scene.

Neither man was known to police, who are continuing their investigation.

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By Ayya Lmahamad

Some 334 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 August 7.

All 334 were fined according to Article 211.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences. Of them 221 were drivers who failed to follow the quarantine regime requirements and 112 were citizens not using facial masks in the public transport. One citizen was subject to administrative liability.

In the meantime, 870 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 47,182 citizens were fined in the period of June 21 and August 5 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. On August 3 the decision was taken to extended until August 31 the strict coronavirus quarantine regime that is in force in the country, while cancelling the SMS permit system that will allow citizens leave their homes without obtaining electronic permission.

The strict special quarantine regime will remain in force until 00:00 on 31 August in Baku, Jalilabad, Ganja, Masalli, Mingachevir, Sumgayit, Yevlakh, Absheron, Barda, Goranboy, Goygol, Khachmaz and Salyan regions.

Within the rules established by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Executive Power of Baku city, citizens will be allowed to visit beaches without obtaining permission as of August 5.

The movement of public transport will remain restricted on weekends during the August - from 00:00 on August 8 to 06:00 on August 10; from 00:00 on August 15 to 06:00 on August 17; from 00:00 on August 22 to 06:00 on August 24; from 00:00 on August 29 to 06:00 on August 31.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava accused Pakistan of denying religious rights to its minorities and asked it to avoid interference in India's affairs

New Delhi: India on Thursday strongly rejected Pakistan's criticism of the launch of construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and asked the neighbouring country to refrain from "communal incitement."

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also asked Pakistan to desist from interfering in India's affairs.

"We have seen the press statement by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on a matter internal to India. It should desist from interfering in India's affairs and refrain from communal incitement," Srivastava said.

"While this is not a surprising stance from a nation that practices cross-border terrorism and denies its own minorities their religious rights, such comments are nevertheless deeply regrettable," he added.

Pakistan on Wednesday criticised the foundation laying of the Ram temple.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 18:37:48|Editor: huaxia

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MOGADISHU, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Somali National Army (SNA) on Thursday killed six al-Shabab militants in an operation in the outskirts of Kismayo, a town in the southern region of Lower Juba, a military officer confirmed on Friday.

Isma'il Abdi Malik Malin, commander of the SNA's 16th Unit, said the army also destroyed bases used by al-Shabab cells as hideouts and recovered weapons and ammunition during the operation.

"There was resistance from the militants who were hiding in the area, but the forces overpowered them, killing six of them and our forces also forced the militants out of the area," Malin told journalists.

Locals told Xinhua that heavily armed government forces attacked al-Shabab extremists in villages in the outskirts of Kismayo.

They said there was an exchange of fire between the two sides, resulting in casualties on both warring sides.

Government forces have in recent days intensified operations in the southern regions against al-Shabab extremists, who have been hiding in rural areas and conducting ambushes and planting landmines. Enditem
Mumbai, Aug 7 : The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has released Bihar IPS officer Vinay Tiwari from home quarantine of past 6 days which sparked off a huge row, officials said here on Friday.

In a late night order, BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner P. Velrasu has permitted Tiwari to be released from home quarantine.

The development came after the Bihar Police wrote to the BMC on Thursday that Tiwari should be exempt from home quarantine to facilitate his return to his home state to resume duties.

The Bihar Police also pointed out that he was no longer required in Mumbai and his arrival period was within 7 days.

The BMC has asked Tiwari to leave Mumbai by August 8.

Tiwari, an IPS officer of 2015 batch, had arrived here from Patna on August 2, to probe the case of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death.

However, as per the Covid-19 protocols, he was shunted to home quarantine at the SRPF Guest House in Goregaon as Bihar Police cried foul and the BMC said it was merely following due procedures ergency response.

"We do have teams who are specialists in search and rescue who are on the ground for the current phase, which involves trying to find the people who are still missing following the blast," he added.

"With the Beirut Port inoperable, the UN and its partners are looking to adjust logistic networks to ensure sustained operations," Haq said. "Humanitarian materials will likely be redirected through the Tripoli Port." The port, where the blasts took place on Tuesday killing 135 people and injuring thousands others, in the north of the country is a little more than 80 km north of Beirut.

"The change may have adverse consequences for some supply chains, as Tripoli Port has a lower capacity than Beirut Port," he said.

"Beirut International Airport remains open for passenger and cargo flights." is being repaired," he said.

The leadership of the UN Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) visited the Maritime Task Force ship that was damaged in the explosion on Tuesday and visited the injured peacekeepers from the vessel who were injured in the blast, the spokesman said.

A total of 23 UNIFIL peacekeepers from Bangladesh had been admitted to hospitals, of whom 18 have been discharged, he said.

Two peacekeepers remain in critical but stable condition.
HZSS--Wonderful Preview of CRH 2020

On August 19-21, 2020, at China Chongqing International Expo Center, HZSS and everyone will meet in Chongqing and meet at China Refrigeration Exhibition.

The 2020 CRH has the theme of "Seek Progress in Stability, Overcome Hardships Together, Lead Quality, and Innovative Development". Since its establishment, HZSS has always insisted on "Smart solution for you", always implementing "quality assurance" and attaching great importance to "innovative research and development". It coincides with the theme of this China Refrigeration Exhibition.

CRH is an industry benchmark exhibition, gathering heating and heating, renewable sources, air conditioning equipment, air conditioning equipment and parts, air conditioning equipment and ventilation equipment and related accessories, refrigeration equipment/refrigeration/cold chain logistics, and refrigeration equipment And related accessories. It provides a professional platform for industry colleagues to discuss and communicate on industry hotspots and cutting-edge issues.

HZSS (Booth No. N3E49) will bring a variety of products to the 2020 China Refrigeration Exhibition, and we sincerely invite you to come to the exhibition!

1. This time we carry conventional products: 1+1P ground source coal to electricity, 6HP cooling and heating, 15P heating & hot water, special carbon dioxide, mosquito perfume ground source, double circle water ground source, ice machine heat exchanger, stainless steel heat exchanger, titanium heat exchanger for sea water.

2. At the same time, there is the same 1M small Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger of the "HZSS's Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger" that won the 2020 China Refrigeration Exhibition.

3. 3 There is also a miniature environmental control system that debuted in the public.

4. 4.Plus several micro-channel heat exchangers: hybrid heat exchanger, hydrogen liquefaction plate-fin heat exchanger, plate-fin heat exchanger, titanium alloy heat exchanger core, supercritical CO2 regenerator, LNG titanium alloy heat exchanger, ship intercooler, etc.

HZSS's coaxial and shell & tube heat exchanger technology has become mature, and its products are widely used in water and ground source heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, pool heat pumps, marine air conditioners, food grade water purifiers, dishwashers, washing machines and other battery cooling systems , And all kinds of cold and hot water units, modular units and other fields.

The integrated micro-channel high-end equipment developed by HZSS adopts micron-level channels and diffusion welding technology. It has the advantages of non-contact thermal resistance, compact structure, small size, light weight, high temperature resistance, high pressure resistance, corrosion resistance and long service life. Widely used in: aviation, aerospace, gas turbine, shipbuilding, nuclear industry, LNG oil and gas platform, solar thermal power generation, hydrogen energy and many other fields.

HZSS takes science and technology as the guide, innovation as the driving force, and insists on quality assurance. Shenshi provides customers with increasingly energy-efficient heat exchange products, services and system solutions. You are sincerely invited to visit our booth, HZSS (Booth No. N3E49), See you on 8.19-8.21.
ALTON  Alton High School has created the Pathway to Equity Plan, an idea brought up two years ago in the high school after reviewing enrollment numbers of minority and low-income students in Advanced Placement and dual honors classes.

Those number were not reflective of our overall student population, said district Superintendent Kristie Baumgartner, who has worked for the Alton School District for 21 years and recently accepted the superintendent position.

We wanted to try to figure out what barriers there are and how we should break down those barriers, Baumgartner said.

The idea became a plan of action as the high school entered into a partnership with Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS), a group based in Seattle, Washington. Equal Opportunity Schools has worked for the past 12 years to develop the best tools, analysis, and services to discover and enroll minority and low-income students. Today, the group has served more than 600 schools and 200 districts across 30 states with personalized solutions to address the issue of college-readiness courses lacking these students.

Baumgartner said that AHS received a grant from EOS, as well as created an equity team to help with the enrollment of these students in advanced courses.

In addition, the Pathway to Equity Plan will included training for staff and teachers for when students return after dealing with isolation due to pandemic-related issues and seeing the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter events over the past five months. Training will include removing implicate bias from the classrooms and how to offer therapeutic support for students dealing with trauma, anger and other emotions.

At first, this plan was originally meant for the high school level, but Baumgartner said that this plan needs to be district wide.

It just cant be words on a paper, these have to be actionable and operationalized, not just at the district level but across all schools, Baumgartner said.
Press Release

August 7, 2020 Gatchalian calls on government to give financial support to LGUs under MECQ Senator Win Gatchalian is calling on the government to provide financial support to Local Government Units (LGUs) after Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan reverted to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ). Gatchalian said officials of Local Government Units (LGUs) -- from the mayors down to the "barangay tanods" are themselves front liners because they are at the forefront of delivering services to their respective constituents and the most vulnerable to contract the virus. "Marami sa mga taga LGUs, lalo na ang mga tanod, ay nahahawaan na rin ng virus. Importanteng matulungan sila ng gobyerno dahil sila ang direktang nakikisalamuha sa mga residente at pumupunta sa mga bahay sa komunidad," Gatchalian said. The Bayanihan To Recover As One Act (Bayanihan 2) is expected to capacitate LGUs, according to the senator, as it allows them to exercise autonomy while fully cooperating with the national government towards a unified, cohesive, and orderly implementation of the national policy to address CoViD-19. Bayanihan 2 authorizes all LGUs to have 5% of the amount allocated for their calamity fund subject to additional funding and support from the National Government. "Kailangang maaprubahan na ang Bayanhan 2, yan ang schedule namin sa lalong madaling panahon. Kailangang may basehang batas para maibigay ang buong suporta sa mga LGUs," said Gatchalian. Aside from its involvement in the distribution of cash aid to the people in their localities, community and barangay officials help in the delivery of goods and other essential services. LGUs have also been tasked to carefully issue Quarantine Passes anew just to ensure that only one person per household would be allowed to go out to avail of basic goods and services. While barangay health workers share in the rigid process of proper contact tracing, local police commanders have started to man checkpoints round the clock at the boundary of towns and cities under MECQ or within the National Capital Region (NCR), Rizal, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite in order to contain the movement of the people. "They are always in the first line of defense that is why it is important that the national government recognizes the significant role of the LGUs in the COVID-19 response and recovery," Gatchalian stressed.
Since the weekend, Juan Carlos disappeared. Now, the Spanish newspaper ABC reports that the retired Monarch had travelled on Monday in the Gulf Emirate of Abu Dhabi. First of all, the newspaper had reported that he was flown after his announcement to leave Spain, in the Dominican Republic. There was also speculation that he could stay in Portugal, where once his family was in exile. There, too, he has good friends. Until Friday, neither the government, nor the Royal family wanted to confirm his whereabouts.

According to ABC, the former king flew on Monday with a private airplane from the airport of Vigo in Galicia to Abu Dhabi. There, he logiere in the luxury Hotel "Emirate Palace". He was there several times in formula 1 racing guest. Its former "intimate friend" Corinna Larsen  Sayn divorced Princess Wittgenstein had said that Juan Carlos had earlier returned from a Visit in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain with suitcases with a million Dollar home. Well shielded from the paparazzi, he could wait in the Gulf, in the Caribbean the hurricane season is over, and then in the Dominican Republic to continue in ABC. There, the friendly sugar billionaire Pepe Fanjul has one luxury resort and several villas.

Updated Date: 07 August 2020, 09:20
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tested negative for COVID-19 on Thursday after testing positive earlier in the day before he was to meet with President Donald Trump, according to a statement from his office.

His wife, Fran DeWine, also tested negative, as did staff members. They underwent a different type of test in Columbus; one considered to be more accurate than the rapid-result test which showed DeWine to be positive for COVID-19 just ahead of a planned meeting with Trump in Cleveland.

The conflicting results underscore the problems with both kinds of tests and are bound to spur more questions about them. Many people in the U.S. cant get lab results on the more accurate version for weeks, rather than the few hours it took the governor to find out.

The governor and first lady plan to undergo another test Saturday, according to the statement.

DeWine, an early advocate among Republicans of wearing masks and other pandemic precautions, said he took a test arranged by the White House in Cleveland as part of standard protocol before he was to meet Trump at an airport. He had planned to join the president on a visit to the Whirlpool Corp. plant in northwest Ohio.

Instead, he received the news he tested positive, called his wife, and returned to central Ohio where he took the other test that showed him to be negative.

The positive result from the first test was a big surprise to our family, DeWine said at a late afternoon news conference broadcast from his porch on his farm in Cedarville in southwestern Ohio, where he planned to quarantine for 14 days.

Dewine, 73, said he didnt know how he would have contracted the coronavirus and that hes already been spending much of his time at his farm, keeping his distance from family members and staff.

DeWine said he feels fine with no symptoms. His only health concern is asthma hes had since he was a teenager, for which he uses an inhaler daily.

He said hed already received some not nice texts Thursday from people claiming the news proves that mask-wearing is pointless.

The lesson that should come from this is that were all human, this virus is everywhere, this virus is very tough, DeWine said before the negative result. And yes you can contract it even when youre being very, very careful and even when youre wearing a mask.

But, the governor said, the odds are dramatically better of avoiding a positive test if people wear a mask.

DeWine, in his first term as governor, is one of Ohios most familiar politicians, previously serving as a U.S. congressman, two-term U.S. senator, Ohio attorney general and lieutenant governor.

Trump offered DeWine his best wishes and said hell be fine in remarks after arriving at the airport, where he was greeted by Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who tested negative.

A very good friend of mine just tested positive, Trump said. He added that DeWine has done a fantastic job.

Husted said hes been talking with DeWine via teleconference for weeks, and doesnt expect changes in that routine or other aspects of DeWines job.

Trumps visit to Ohio comes amid signs that he faces a tight race with former Vice-President Joe Biden in a state he carried by 8 percentage points in 2016.

DeWine was the second U.S. governor to test positive for the coronavirus after Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced he contracted the virus last month.

The number of positive cases in Ohio had decreased after the first surge, hitting a low in late May. But numbers again began to rise in mid-June as Ohio began to reopen businesses. More than 3,600 Ohioans have died.

In recent weeks, DeWine has pleaded with Ohioans to take personal responsibility over the virus spread across the state. He had resisted a statewide mask mandate until July 23. DeWines first try at a statewide requirement for wearing masks inside businesses  back in April  drew backlash that led him to rescind that directive the following day, a stutter among the aggressive moves that had won him early praise in his efforts to curb the virus.

Mask-wearing also has been a point of contention at the Statehouse, where many Democratic lawmakers have donned masks while many Republican lawmakers have not. DeWine has often found himself at odds with members of his own party on the policy.

DeWines key health adviser during the pandemic, Dr. Amy Acton, left government this week. In the early months, she joined DeWine at daily briefings and was a popular figure. However, backlash against state restrictions helped lead to a protest at her home and her decision to step away from the spotlight.

Since early in the pandemic, DeWine has hosted his daily briefings from a room separate from where the press corps gathers at the Ohio Statehouse. He would appear on a television in front of the reporters, who could step up to a microphone and ask questions.

DeWine held one of those briefings Tuesday but no other public events had been announced for this week besides his meeting with Trump. DeWine said he planned to give a previously scheduled coronavirus update Friday.

In at least two briefings, DeWine has shared how several friends had died from the virus, urging the public to think about their loved ones, especially grandparents. The governor has 23 grandchildren.

Notably, DeWine and his wife had avoided political rallies or meeting with members of the White House since the pandemic began. In June, the governor was scheduled to appear at a former General Motors plant in Lordstown but decided against it when Vice-President Mike Pence announced he was going. The facility is now occupied by Lordstown Motors, which plans to build electric pickup trucks there.

Quite candidly, throughout this pandemic, (first lady) Fran and I have avoided crowds, DeWine said. We have not gone out to be close with a lot of people. So were not going to do that.

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Sewell reported from Cincinnati. Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Bexley, Ohio, 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.

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This story has been corrected to show the Lordstown plant is a former General Motors plant, not a current GM plant.
Artists and crew members aged above 65 years are now free to resume shootings for films, television serials and over-the-top media, after the Bombay high court (HC) on Friday struck down a condition imposed by the Maharashtra government in view of the Covid-19 pandemic prohibiting them from attending studios and outdoor shootings.

The bench of justice SJ Kathawalla and justice Riyaz Chagla struck down the condition on the grounds that it was discriminatory and arbitrary. In our view, there is discrimination in the disparate treatment of persons who are 65 years of age or above in the film or television industry and in other permitted sectors and permitted activities, said the bench.

The condition formed part of a government resolution (GR) issued on May 30, the day on which the state government allowed resumption of shootings for films, television serials and over-the-top media series, and pre-production and post-production works after a gap of over two months.

The bench said if there was no general prohibition on persons above 65 years from working or practicing their trades and businesses that were allowed to operate, an age based prohibition in only one industry, namely the film industry / television / OTT would constitute an unreasonable restriction.

HC said it would be a different matter if for policy and health considerations, the film industry would not be allowed to operate or open for filming and other related activities. However, having permitted the film industry to operate and open, introduction of the condition that places an absolute restriction on persons above 65 years from carrying out their occupation and trade, would amount to an unreasonable restriction, and hence a violation of their right under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.

Pramod Pandey, an actor by profession, who has been earning his livelihood by performing small roles in films and TV serials since the past 40 years, and the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association had challenged the validity of the condition before HC. They opposed the condition primarily on the grounds that it was discriminatory and imposes unreasonable restriction on their right to carry on their trade and occupation.

HC accepted their contentions and held that the absolute prohibition on cast and crew above 65 years who earn their livelihood from the film industry was a measure that violated the right of the petitioners to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
By Trend

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has described Russian President Vladimir Putin as his elder brother, Trend reports citing TASS.

"I regard Putin as my elder brother, and I sincerely believe that he is my brother," Lukashenko told Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon in a TV interview. "Not in the sense one in command as a senior and the other is junior. He is really like an elder brother in terms of age and [political] weight An elder brothers role is to help, support and advise. Not to make you stumble, but to provide support."

Lukashenko acknowledged that certain tensions in his relationship with Putin did exist.

"Yes, there are certain tensions, because both of us are persons of strong character, if you dont mind my saying so," Lukashenko said.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
WASHINGTON  A federal appeals court in Washington on Friday revived House Democrats lawsuit to force former White House counsel Don McGahn to appear before a congressional committee, but left other legal issues unresolved with time growing short in the current Congress.

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 7-2 in ruling that the House Judiciary Committee can make its claims in court, reversing the judgment of a three-judge panel that would have ended the court fight.

The matter now returns to the panel for consideration of other legal issues. The current House of Representatives session ends on Jan. 3. That time crunch means the chances that the Committee hears McGahns testimony anytime soon are vanishingly slim, dissenting Judge Thomas Griffith wrote. Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson also dissented.

A separate case in which the House is suing to stop the Trump administration from spending billions of dollars that Congress didnt authorize for the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border also was returned to a lower court.

Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the administration would continue to seek dismissal of both cases.

While we strongly disagree with the standing ruling in McGahn, the en banc court properly recognized that we have additional threshold grounds for dismissal of both cases, and we intend to vigorously press those arguments before the panels hearing those cases, Kupec said.

The administration could eventually appeal the outcomes to the Supreme Court, which last month rejected arguments by President Donald Trump to invalidate other congressional subpoenas for his financial records.

Court cases over the testimony of presidential advisers are rare because the White House and Congress typically reach an agreement, and Fridays ruling, if left undisturbed, could enhance congressional leverage in future disputes.

The Judiciary Committee first subpoenaed McGahn in April 2019 as it examined potential obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump during special counsel Robert Muellers Russia investigation. Trump directed McGahn not to appear and the Democratic-led panel filed a federal lawsuit to force McGahn to testify.

A trial judge ruled in November that the presidents close advisers do not have the absolute immunity from testifying to Congress that the administration claimed. Griffith and Henderson formed the majority when the appellate panel said in February that the Constitution forbids federal courts from refereeing this kind of dispute between the other two branches of government.

On Friday, the full court said the panel reached the wrong decision. Lawmakers can ask the courts for judicial enforcement of congressional subpoenas when necessary, Judge Judith Rogers wrote.

Congress needs detailed information about the executive branch for both oversight and impeachment, she wrote.

Ben Berwick, counsel for the nonpartisan Protect Democracy, said in a statement that Trumps attempts to ignore lawful congressional subpoenas threaten the checks and balances upon which our democratic system relies. No branch of government can stand above the lawTodays decision is a repudiation of the Presidents claims. Protect Democracy had urged the appeals court to rule for the House.

House lawmakers had sought McGahns testimony because he was a vital witness for Mueller, whose report detailed the presidents outrage over the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trumps efforts to curtail it.

In interviews with Muellers team, McGahn described being called at home by the president on the night of June 17, 2017, and being directed to call the Justice Department and say Mueller had conflicts of interest and should be removed. McGahn declined the command, deciding he would resign rather than carry it out, the report said.

Once that episode became public in the news media, Muellers report said, the president demanded that McGahn dispute the news stories and asked him why he had told Mueller about it and why he had taken notes of their conversations. McGahn refused to back down.

If McGahn is ever to testify, its unclear his testimony would include any new revelations beyond what Mueller has already released. Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice but also that there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal conspiracy between Trumps campaign and Russia.
Rice University rising senior Anna Margaret Clyburn said it felt like a breath of fresh air to return to campus earlier this week after COVID-19 forced a months-long hiatus.

The president of the universitys Student Association feels confident about the semester ahead, despite uncertainty still being the reality. Rice is conducting rapid coronavirus testing for returning students and building outdoor structures to host classes and activities.

Its sort of an unknown what it will be like when we resume with our full student population that plans to return, Clyburn said. Im not sure what the feeling will be like  but Im confident that everyone on campus who feels comfortable (being here) are dedicated to the procedures put in place to keep us safe.

Emotions are mixed as students and instructors across Texas anticipate the fall semester. Faculty at Rice, the University of Houston, and the University of St. Thomas have been given full discretion on how they will teach their courses, as campuses grapple with the reality that resuming in-person activities could worsen COVID-19s spread. Sam Houston State University is asking faculty to meet face-to-face with students weekly, a requirement thats prompting faculty to push back.

This is dangerous, SHSU math professor Ken Smith said of the requirement to teach in-person. People will die.

Even as students move into dorms, Rice University computing engineering professor Moshe Y. Vardi called the colleges decision to return a major risk, emphasizing in letters to the editor in Rices student newspaper The Rice Thresher that only those with an overwhelming need to return to campus should do so, such as those who need special equipment to conduct research.

We need a rationale of why were going back on campus, he said. Theres no need for us to go back to campus. Its nice to meet our students back on campus, but we can meet on Zoom.

Rice University officials said they are giving faculty and students the chance to decide whether they feel comfortable returning to campus, and that those who dont can stay online.

Weve undertaken every recommended health safety measure, including comprehensive testing, reduced density and physical distancing, and we have made substantial investments in online teaching as well, a statement from the university said. We will continue evaluating the situation as the semester moves forward.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Texas colleges use testing as one method to ensure safe return to campus this fall

A difficult balancing act

Vardi said the university should put more emphasis on improving remote teaching and technology.

Rice is making a substantial investment in outdoor tents, plexiglass partitions, massive testing, and the like, which have no real long-term utility, all for holding in-person classes with a few hundred students. But high-quality remote teaching requires more resources than in-class teaching, Vardi wrote. Thus, we should provide more resources to the faculty for remote teaching, considering that most of the classes will be online.

He argued that hybrid formats wont be easier or more effective than teaching solely online. Helena Michie, professor of English and director of Rices Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality, backed Vardis opinions in her own letter to Threshers editor.

When we talk about a return to campus, we must be clear that it is not in any sense a return.  The classroom to which about half the faculty has agreed to return will not be the classroom we left in March, Michie wrote. It is an illusion to think that we can provide a robust in-person intellectual and social environment on campus under COVID-19, Vardi said.

Social distancing guidelines typically mean students and faculty, both required to wear masks, are spread out across larger spaces, which could make communicating difficult, Vardi said. Instructors who are also required to simultaneously teach online and in-person will face a difficult balancing act.

To me, its worse than online, Vardi said of asynchronous learning. How do you talk to 25 students when you spread them across a room?

At St. Thomas, 75 percent of instructors opted to teach online, and at UH, many professors are also taking the remote route.

Sally Connolly, an associate professor of contemporary poetry at UH, said faculty are choosing what they are most comfortable with, and on UHs campus, which typically serves around 45,000 students on campus, there just isnt enough space.

I dont think there will be many face-to-face options being offered, she said.

Juan Juarez, rising junior and business major at UH, said hes taking all five of his courses online and decided not to live on-campus. You dont know how each individual socially distances or their hygiene. Its risky to go on campus with so many people, he said.

As corporate development director of UHs Hispanic Business Student Association, Juarez sees the coming semester as an opportunity to take on a leadership position and to serve a typically close-knit community in a remote way.

We go for a familia kind of vibe, he said of the student group. To get that across virtually has been interesting.  In terms of classes, its not the best option, but you gotta do whats necessary.

Mixed messages

Meanwhile, at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, some faculty say the college administration has given mixed messaging about teaching this fall  first offering multiple options of delivery before reducing it to a hybrid mode that requires in-person teaching each week, a decision that the faculty senate members have deemed unsafe.

On HoustonChronicle.com: UT tops list for most COVID-19 cases on a college campus, report says

In a July 22 letter to faculty, Richard Eglsaer, SHSU provost and vice president for academic affairs, wrote that instructors will be required to maintain weekly-in person contact with students, a condition that Smith said faculty had not agreed to.

Elgsaer wrote that he could not guarantee social distancing would be possible at all times or that the college will meet CDC guidelines to the letter in all situations. The college is reducing density by splitting classes into smaller cohorts, marking furniture with social distancing guidelines, increasing cleanings, requiring masks and securing 1,000 face shields for faculty.

Smith said instructors, who spent weeks during the summer planning for a variety of hybrid methods, were shocked when they received Eglsaers letter. Faculty Senate members pushed back in a letter on July 22, noting several miscommunications on reopening policies and practices and calling the requirement of in-person classes unwise.

Elgsaer and Sam Houstons President Dana G. Hoyt responded in a letter on July 31, stating the question of course delivery remains a point of contention, but that in-person teaching still be required unless the number of active COVID-19 cases overwhelm the institutions ability to execute on quarantine protocols.

Sam Houston State spokeswoman Stephanie Knific said in an email to the Houston Chronicle Tuesday that all previously proposed forms of hybrid and blended courses required a minimum of weekly face-to-face engagement of students.

Sam Houston State University has always been committed to providing students a modality of instruction that maximizes engagement. The hybrid/blended model, including its variations, allows us to continue to provide both choice and opportunity while reducing risk during the pandemic, Knific wrote.

But Smith, who said he planned to teach a split semester, said he and other faculty members are still puzzled by the administrations decision, especially with Huntsville being a hotspot for COVID-19 cases. The New York Times reported last week that Sam Houston State has had 88 cases of the virus , and while the number of coronavirus cases and deaths are decreasing in Huntsville, the city still has nearly 3,000 cases.

Were professionals, and we love to teach. Were not trying to not teach. We want to teach but we want to be safe, Smith said. We worked hard to create these models, and now, suddenly in the last week weve gone off the rails to (hosting) an environment that is dangerous for the community and with little justifications.

Vardi added that a push for in-person classes at colleges around the state and country is likely driven by not only a desire for human interaction, but also by economics. Delivering classes completely online could cause a drop in tuition revenue, lowered enrollment, or a decline in revenue from housing.

brittany.britto@chron.com
Egypt and Greece on Thursday signed a maritime deal that sets the sea boundary between the two countries and demarcates an exclusive economic zone for oil and gas drilling rights.

The deal is a response to a similar agreement between Turkey and Libyas Tripoli-based government last year that has spiked tensions in the East Mediterranean region. The Turkey-Libya deal was widely dismissed by Egypt, Cyprus and Greece as an infringement on their economic rights in the oil-rich sea. The European Union says it's a violation of intentional law that threatens stability in the region.

Greece and Turkey have been at odds for decades over sea boundaries but recent discoveries of natural gas and drilling plans across the east Mediterranean have exacerbated the dispute.

This agreement allows Egypt and Greece each to move ahead with maximizing their benefits from resources available in this exclusive economic zone, namely promising oil and gas reserves, said Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry after Thursday's brief signing ceremony in Cairo.

He added that Egyptian-Greek relations have been crucial to maintaining security and stability in the East Mediterranean region and for countering threats caused by irresponsible policies that support extremism and terror, a reference to Ankara's support for the Tripoli government.

In Libya's proxy war, Egypt has been on the opposite side from Turkey and has backed the rival administration based in eastern Libya and the east-based military commander Khalifa Hifter. Cairo claims Turkey is backing extremists on behalf of the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli.

With Turkish military support, the Tripoli government has repelled Hifter's 14-month-long military campaign to capture the Libyan capital. After Turkey turned the tide in the Libyan war, Egypts President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi threatened a military incursion into Libya, leading to concerns of a direct Egyptian-Turkish confrontation.

Greece's Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias hailed the Egypt-Greece deal as as an exemplary agreement." However, neither minister revealed any details of the deal.

It is the complete opposite of the illegal, invalid and legally non-existent memorandum of understanding between Turkey and Tripoli, Dendias added.

Turkey argues that Greek islands should not be included in calculating maritime zones of economic interest  a position Greece says violates international law. Greece has around 6,000 islands and smaller islets in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, more than 200 of them inhabited.

Last month, the Greek government was alarmed by plans by Turkey to proceed with an oil-and-gas research mission south of Greek islands in the eastern Mediterranean.
Benghazi liar and former U.N. ambassador Susan Rice has seemingly risen to the top of Joe Bidens VP list, which would make a unique pairing of someone who cant tell the truth and someone who cant remember the truth.

One of the chief unmaskers of Trump officials caught up in deep state surveillance of the 2016 Trump campaign and an architect of the attempted coup against Trump, Rice recently lied again by pushing the false claim that Trump ignored reports of Russian bounties for the killing of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and was doing Putins bidding by callously letting American soldiers get killed. As reported by Axios:

Former national security adviser Susan Rice says President Trump sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin following news that Russia allegedly offered bounties for those who targeted American soldiers in Afghanistan. Rice said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday: "And now we learn that even when it comes to the blood of American service members, this president picks Putin over our troops."

This was, as Trump says, fake news. The Russians have little money to throw around and the Taliban is trying to kill our troops anyway, for free, troops Trump is bringing home. Yet the woman who went on five talk shows to spread the lie that an Internet video got four Americans killed, including a U.S. Ambassador, at a Benghazi compound that Obama/Biden/Rice left unprotected, has the chutzpah to express concern about the safety of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

Of course, she has said that she wants to see Joe Biden elected and would willingly be his VP. She would be Bidens Rasputin, pulling his strings, completing the fundamental transformation of America begun by Obama. So she ignores Bidens culpability for Benghazi, as she ignores her own, and ignores Bidens key role in getting Navy Seal Team 6, the unit that killed Bin Laden, slaughtered in a revenge ambush in Afghanistan.

Biden is not above exploiting the sacrifice of our young men and women who put themselves in harms way on our behalf. Hes done it before and gotten them killed in the process. Yet while critics of President Trumps foreign policy accuse him of recklessness and immaturity that place the nations security at risk, Bidens service in the Obama administration provides us with an example of why he should not be trusted with the nations security or the lives of its heroes. That example is the tragedy of an operation known as Extortion 17.

As author and attorney David Shestoksas points out in his review of Betrayed: The Shocking True Story of Extortion 17 as told by a Navy SEAL's Father, Biden betrayed the heroes that killed Bin Laden to further his political ambitions.

Vice-President Joe Biden, at an awards banquet on May 3, 2001,[2] remarked: Admiral James Stavridis  can tell you more about the incredible, the phenomenal, the just almost unbelievable capacity of his Navy SEALs and what they did last Sunday Id be remiss also if I didnt say an extra word about the incredible events, extraordinary events of this past Sunday. As Vice President of the United States, as an American, I was in absolute awe of the capacity and dedication of the entire team, both the intelligence community, the CIA, the SEALs. Less than a day after Bidens remarks [SEAL team member] Aaron Vaughn called his mother Karen: Theres chatter and all of our lives are in danger including yours, Mom. On August 6, 2011, in the Tangi River Valley of Afghanistan, Aaron Vaughn and 30 other Americans,[3] including 15 members of SEAL Team VI[4] were killed when their fifty year old helicopter, designated Extortion 17, was hit by a rocket propelled grenade.

Joe Bidens loose lips got members of Seal Team 6 targeted for revenge and killed in an Afghan mission known as Extortion 17. As Investors Business Daily recounted on May 28, 2013:

Extortion 17 was the call sign of a special operations mission in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011, that responded to an Army Ranger unit engaged in a firefight with the Taliban and in need of backup. The Chinook helicopter carrying the rescue team was shot down by a Taliban-owned rocket-propelled grenade over the Wardak Province on Aug. 6, 2011, killing 38, including 30 Americans and 15 members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the unit that killed Osama bin Laden just three months prior. The shoot-down was described at the time as a "lucky shot," but the families of the dead SEALs believe that, like Benghazi, it was a pre-planned operation of revenge facilitated by a government that put them in harm's way without adequate support and with a bull's-eye painted on their backs. At a Pentagon briefing on Monday, May 2, 2011, a senior defense official was asked if it was a Navy SEAL team that found and killed the world's most wanted man. The terse and proper response was: "Not going to comment on units or numbers." Then on May 3, Vice President Joe Biden got up to speak at a dinner at Washington's Ritz Carlton Hotel marking the 50th anniversary of the Atlantic Council to spill the beans about Adm. James Stavridis and "the incredible, the phenomenal, the just almost unbelievable capacity of his Navy SEALs and what they did last Sunday." From that moment, the families believe, the Taliban looked for an opportunity for revenge, and a government more concerned with politically correct rules of engagement than victory helped them get it.

Credit: Wallpaper Flare

Biden skated on the leak that got SEAL Team 6 targeted for revenge. Like Hillary Clinton at Benghazi, he put lives in jeopardy and got men killed.

The deaths of more than 20 Navy SEALs from the unit that took out Osama bin Laden is connected to a loose-lipped vice president who sometimes likes to pose as a presidential action figure.

To be a politician takes more chutzpah than courage. The chattering class, as the mainstream media is sometimes called, were more worried about how the successful Bin Laden raid by Navy SEALs might affect President Obamas reelection chances in 2012. So did administration officials, as the leaks and chest-thumping began almost immediately.

SEAL missions depend on bravery, courage, skill, daring -- and secrecy. Initially, when President Barack Obama announced that a small team of Americans had killed Osama bin Laden, he did not identify that it was the SEALs.

Karen Vaughn, the mother of slain SEAL Aaron Vaughn, blames Joe Biden for her sons ambush and death:

On May 3, at an event in Washington, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. did the unthinkable: He publicly revealed the identity of the special-operations unit responsible for bin Ladens killing. His reckless action put at risk the lives of every member of SEAL Team 6. The Taliban and other jihadists eager to avenge bin Laden now knew which unit to target. Stunned and shocked, SEAL members immediately realized they were going to be hunted by al Qaeda sympathizers. Karen Vaughn, the mother of slain SEAL Aaron Vaughn, says that within hours after Mr. Bidens comments, her son called to tell her to wipe away every piece of information regarding the family on social media, Facebook and Twitter. I never heard Aaron that afraid in his life, Mrs. Vaughn said in an interview. He told me: Mom, were picking up chatter. Were not safe. Youre not safe. Delete everything. According to Mrs. Vaughn, Mr. Biden essentially placed a bulls-eye on her sons back -- and that of all the other SEALs. He leaked classified information. SEAL Team 6 is a covert unit, which is supposed to operate in the shadows. This is how they are able to conduct deadly raids on terrorist groups. Their reward, however, for killing the worlds foremost terrorist mastermind was to be outed by their own government.

In a damning video speech, Charles Strange, the father of Navy SEAL Michael Strange, also lays the ambush of Extortion 17 right at the feet of Joe Biden.

The RPG that felled the SEALs could have just been a random act of war. The Taliban could have just gotten lucky. Or they could have been plotting and waiting for revenge, looking for helicopters that might be carrying more SEALs on another mission, a big bullseye painted on their backs by a vice president who forgot that loose lips can sink ships, and can get Navy SEALs killed.

Daniel John Sobieski is a free lance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
Malaysia was looking for a country except India to send Zakir Naik, but not many countries are willing to accept the controversial preacher, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has said.

Naik, a 54-year-old radical Islamic preacher wanted by the Indian authorities for alleged money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches, left India in 2016 and subsequently moved to the largely Muslim Malaysia, where he was granted permanent residency when Mahathir was the prime minister.

Claiming that the fugitive Islamic preacher would not be safe from the Indian public, the 95-year-old politician, who is eyeing a comeback, said he would like to send Naik to some country where we feel he will be safe.

"For the time being he (Naik) can stay here but we would like to send him to some other country where he would be safe. Unfortunately, not many countries are willing to accept him, Mahathir was quoted as saying by the WION news channel.

When asked whether he would extradite Naik if he becomes the Prime Minister of Malaysia again, Mahathir said, Well, we would like to send him to some country where we feel he will be safe.

He once again refused to send Naik to India, saying at this moment we feel that he would not be safe from the Indian public.

Naik has been banned from any public activities in the multi-ethnic country after his controversial remarks against Malaysian Hindus and Chinese last year.

When Mahathir was the prime minister he had said that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi did not request the extradition of Naik during a bilateral meeting in Russia in September 2019, a claim contested by India which has sought the extradition of the fugitive preacher.

(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.)
While it may well again be a very controversial decision but Google has again decided to start the practice of making its human employees listen to the voice recordings of users in order to evaluate the audio transcribing ability of its line of products.However, this time Google has things under control as they have shut down the particular service for all users and will only listen to the audios from users who have chosen to opt-in beforehand.Google sent an email on Wednesday to all the users who have been using the companys products that are based on voice commands including Google Maps and the extremely popular Assistant now. The email told the users that all of them have been automatically opted out from the option of letting Google listen to their personal audios and therefore if anyone wants to participate in audio sharing, Google further gave a link where people could register.According to a spokesperson from Google, the search engine has updated its settings and are now in the process of improving its products like Google Assistant. So, to add up more features and make the interaction more human-like, the developers are required more audio recordings for which the company has chosen to ask for preference.Till last year, Google was relying on the bad option of third-party human listeners who kept on listening to audio recordings on behalf of Google to evaluate the AI transcribed audio. But after the widespread backlash, the company was forced to stop the practice in last September. Hence, this time Google though to add every little detail for the users who are opting in to contribute so that they dont have to face any problem in the near future.Google is not alone that has been continuing with this kind of privacy breach for quite a long time now. Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon faced the similar criticism on the issue last year.In the email, Google has openly stated that people who are ready to opt-in will have their audio recordings connected to the account for 18 months. After that, the recordings will vanish and be submitted for human review.H/T: TheVerge Read next: Googles new Chrome extension gives some insights about ads to the users
DALLAS, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), the leader in cloud security, today announced its CEO and co-founder Eva Chen has been recognized as one of the most influential women in the cybersecurity industry.

Eva Chen sits alongside many of the industry's most respected and well-known figures on Cyber Defense Magazine's Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity for 2020 list, which acknowledges those who've displayed outstanding leadership skills and cybersecurity expertise over the past year.

"It's an honor to be placed in such illustrious company among so many other strong women in security," said Eva Chen, chief executive officer and co-founder of Trend Micro. "In reality, there are many more than 100 outstanding women working in our industry today, and it's my mission to ensure we encourage even more women to consider careers in cybersecurity going forward. I'm pleased to accept this recognition on behalf of our more than 6,700 immensely talented and passionate Trend Micro employees who have helped this company continually anticipate trends and redefine the market."

Chen's latest award comes just weeks after she was named on CRN's Top 100 Executives list for 2020, which recognizes individuals who have "demonstrated exemplary leadership and innovative ideas."

Trend Micro's executive leadership has driven numerous projects to further the company's technology leadership over the past year, including the acquisition of Cloud Conformity to provide cloud security posture management capabilities, and the launch of the company's unified security platform Trend Micro Cloud One, which offers protection across workload, container, file object storage, serverless and application, and network environments.

Eva Chen has also remained dedicated to Trend Micro's philanthropic initiatives, including a new Girls in Tech partnership to help reduce the gender gap in cybersecurity, and has been vocal in her advocacy of greater diversity  both within the industry and society at large.

She remains as committed as ever to steering Trend Micro and its customers through a period of unprecedented global uncertainty and heightened cybersecurity risk.

Chen will also be speaking at the Girls in Tech Conference on September 9, 2020. To learn more and sign up for the conference, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-girls-in-tech-conference-tickets-105402642140?aff=odeimcmailchimp&mc_cid=cb77eef672&mc_eid=d90412d9df.

To see the full list of the women recognized by Cyber Defense Magazine, visit https://cyberdefenseawards.com/top-100-women-in-cybersecurity-for-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.

About Cyber Defense Awards

This is Cyber Defense Magazine's 8th year of honoring cybersecurity innovators, in this case the Black Unicorn Awards for 2020 on our Cyber Defense Awards platform. In this competition, judges for these prestigious awards includes cybersecurity industry veterans, trailblazers and market makers Gary Miliefsky of CDMG, Robert R. Ackerman Jr. of Allegis Cyber and David DeWalt of NightDragon with much appreciation to emeritus judge Robert Herjavec of Herjavec Group. To see the complete list of Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity for 2020 please visit: https://cyberdefenseawards.com/top-100-women-in-cybersecurity-for-2020.

About Cyber Defense Magazine

Cyber Defense Magazine was founded in 2012 by Gary S. Miliefsky, globally recognized cyber security thought leader, inventor and entrepreneur and continues to be the premier source of IT Security information. We are managed and published by and for ethical, honest, passionate information security professionals. Our mission is to share cutting-edge knowledge, real-world stories and awards on the best ideas, products and services in the information technology industry. We deliver electronic magazines every month online for free, and limited print editions exclusively for the RSA, Black Hat and IPEXPO conferences and our limited edition paid reprint subscribers. Learn more about us at http://www.cyberdefensemagazine.com. Cyber Defense Magazine is a proud member of the Cyber Defense Media Group.

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated

Related Links

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Bailyns seminar was at once mystifying and elating, Stanford University history professor Jack N. Rakove wrote in a 1998 essay in Humanities magazine. For the first half of the course, we were never quite sure what the subject was. Each weeks readings were so eclectic that we went to class wondering what we would possibly discuss. . . . Bailyn left us to puzzle things out for ourselves, goaded only by his critical eye and his alarming propensity to call us short with the most famous of all his questions: So what? 
Srinagar, Aug 7 : Six civilians were injured in Pakistani shelling along the LoC in North Kashmir's Kupwara district on Friday, officials said.

According to reports, Pakistan resorted to shelling in Tangdhar and Rangward injuring three civilians in each of the two sectors.

"The six injured civilians have been evacuated and moved to a hospital," Shriram Ambarkar, SSP Kupwara, told IANS.

The conditions of some of those injured is said to be critical.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation using long-range mortars and small arms to target defence positions and civilian areas close to the LoC in Kupwara's Naugam sector.
Russia spends billions of dollars on international conferences in the occupied Crimea, trying to attract foreigners to tell about a "good life" on the peninsula.

First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar said this in an interview with Turkeys Demiroren News Agency.

The Russian Federation, having occupied Crimea, seeks to legitimize its crimes with hybrid war tools. It spends billions of dollars on international conferences in the occupied Crimea. Inviting people from different countries to the peninsula, forcing them to tell about how good life is in Crimea to create an illusion, Dzheppar said.

She pointed out that Russia is trying to destroy the heritage of Crimean Tatars, as it has done historically.

Dzheppar, on behalf of Ukraine and herself, thanked the Turkish state for supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Crimea and Crimean Tatars, and the President of Turkey for assisting in the release of political prisoners.

She recalled Turkey's intention to build 500 apartments for Crimean Tatars in the Kherson region and added that these initiatives could be extended to other regions of Ukraine.

As reported, Russia's planned armed aggression against Ukraine began on February 20, 2014 with a military operation by the Russian armed forces to seize part of Ukraine's territory - the Crimean Peninsula.

On March 16, 2014, a "referendum on the status of Crimea" was held on the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol, as a result of which Russia annexed Crimea.

At the same time, Ukraine, the European Union, the United States and other countries did not recognize the results of the voting in the "referendum" and imposed sanctions against Russia.

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One motorist was clocked doing three times the speed limit in Kilkenny, travelling at 151 km/h, in an area where the signposted limit is 50.

Another driver was caught doing over 200km per hour on the M1 at Drogheda.

There was also 160 suspected instances of driving under the influence recorded- 55 for suspected drug driving and 105 for drink driving.

A joint operation between Kildare based units saw gardai in Naas record 19 offences in just one day, while the Cavan-Monaghan division also arrested nine people for driving under the influence.
The document acknowledged that the Chinese transgressed into Indian territory in Ladakh

A satellite map of the Chinese buildup on the Line of Actual Control between India and China. (AP)

New Delhi: The Defence ministry on Thursday pulled down a document from its website that had for the first time officially acknowledged that Chinese troops had transgressed in at least three places in Ladakh. It also said the situation in the area due to aggression by China is sensitive with the standoff likely to be prolonged.

There was no official word why the document which was uploaded on Tuesday was removed after two days.

This comes when the fourth and fifth round of talks between the corps commanders talks of India and China seem to have been unable to achieve a breakthrough on further disengagement in Pangong Tso and other friction areas.

The government is yet to come out with a formal statement on the outcome of the fifth meeting that took place last Sunday, indicating differences between China and India on disengagement.

China has refused to move out its troops from the finger area in Pangong Tso and the Depsang-Daulat Beg Oldie sector, putting a break on the disengagement process.

The Defence Ministry document had said that Chinese aggression has been increasing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), particularly in Galwan Valley since May 5, 2020.

The Chinese side transgressed in the areas of Kugrang Nala, Gogra and north bank of Pangong Tso lake on 17-18 May, 2020, it said.

It also said that while engagement and dialogue at the military and diplomatic levels was continuing, the present standoff is likely to be prolonged.

It added, The situation in Eastern Ladakh arising from unilateral aggression by China continues to be sensitive and requiring close monitoring and prompt action based on evolving situation.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi continued with his attack on Modi government over its handling of situation with China in Ladakh sector. Denying China is in our territory and removing documents from websites wont change the facts, tweeted Gandhi.

According to sources, China has built up its forces not only in Ladakh but all along the LAC with India.

The Army is now preparing for a stand-off with China to continue for a long period and has started to outline stocks and materials needed for winter deployment of troops at high altitude. It is in the process of placing orders for additional tents and shelters from indigenous as well as foreign vendors.

The Chinese are occupying the finger 5 area in the Pangong Tso and are still continuing to hold the ridges in the finger 4 area. During the initial phase of disengagement, Chinese troops had vacated the banks of Pangong Tso lake in finger 4 area on July 9 and gone back to finger 5.

But Chinese troops still have to vacate area between finger 5 and finger 8, which India claims is its territory. Satellite images have shown huge build-up by Chinese at Pangong Tso including the building of permanent bunkers, huts, installation of artillery guns and stationing of boats. These indicate the Chinese are preparing themselves for a long haul in the area.

In May 2020, Chinese troops in an aggressive move occupied the area between Finger 4 to Finger 8 and prevented Indian troops from patrolling. In the Hot Springs general area, Chinese troops have reportedly not moved back to that extent in the first phase as was agreed in the agreement of June 6 and has still some presence. Galwan Valley is the only friction point where Chines have completely disengaged as per the agreement as there is around 4 kilometer distance between the two armies.

China has brought a large number of troops estimated to be around 40,000 soldiers in the front and depth areas at the LAC in the Ladakh sector where they have also amassed tanks, artillery, aircraft and radars, jammers. India has also done mirror deployment of its troops in Ladakh to counter the Chinese. India has also deployed tanks, heavy artillery and air defence system in the Ladakh sector to counter any Chinese challenge.
Issuing the first response over US President Donald Trump signing an executive order banning American transactions with WeChat and TikToks parent company ByteDance in 45 days, Beijing on August 7 accused Washington of political manipulation. The orders came after Trump administration said earlier this week that it is gearing up to purge the untrusted Chinese apps from Americas digital networks and called Chinese-owned video-sharing social networking service and messenger app as significant threats.

Chinese foreign ministry said that it firmly rejects the Trumps executive orders and accused the latter of political manipulation. According to reports, Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a media briefing that Beijing will protect the nations legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses.

But, Trump, on the other hand, has said in one order that TikTok can be used for disinformation campaigns that favour the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) adding that the US must take aggressive action against the owners of TikTok to protect our national security.

Read - Trump Signs Executive Order Banning Transaction With TikTok, WeChat In 45 Days

In a separate order, US President said that WeChat "automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information". This executive order signed by Trump would ban the apps in the US after 45 days "to the extent permitted under applicable law, any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd".

Read - TikTok's Sale To US-based Company May Alleviate Security Concerns: Tech Expert

Microsoft in talks with ByteDance

Trump's executive order came when American tech giant Microsoft is already in discussion with China's ByteDance to reach an agreement over the sales of TikTok's US operations. US Senate on August 6 had unanimously passed a bill banning the use of Chinese-owned video application TikTok by federal employees on government devices. Meanwhile, TikTok has invested a huge amount in Ireland to open a new European data collection centre amid growing scrutiny over its practices across the world.

In June, India had also banned the Chinese-owned video-sharing app citing national security and privacy as reasons following a violent military clash at the Himalayan border with the People's Liberation Army (PLA). India was reportedly TikTok's largest market.

Read - US Senate Unanimously Passes Bill Banning TikTok On Government Devices

Read - Chinese-owned TikTok Invests 420 Million For New European Data Centre In Ireland

(With inputs from agency)
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 19:35:19|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Lao government on Friday urged people countrywide to remain vigilant and step up efforts to stop the spread of dengue fever as the rainy season approaches.

Lao health authorities advise that if people fall ill, they should suspect that dengue may be the cause of their illness and get a blood test at a hospital, according to a report from the Lao Ministry of Health.

Five simple measures are advised as being the most effective method of dengue control. These measures consist of closing and sealing all unused containers, flushing out all water vessels, placing small guppy fish in water jars as these eat mosquito larvae, cleaning areas around homes, and finally remembering to do these four tasks each week.

As of Friday, 4,513 people has been diagnosed with dengue fever and nine deaths were recorded.

The highest number of dengue patients is reported in the Lao capital Vientiane at 1,027, while 532 cases were recorded in Bolikhamxay province, and 465 cases in Vientiane province.

The nine deaths included four in Vientiane, two in Bolikhamxay and one each in Khammuan, Xayaboury and Xieng Khuang provinces.

According to the World Health Organization, dengue fever is one of the fastest emerging infections, with Thailand, Laos, the Philippines and Singapore also seeing high incidence. The number of cases in the Western Pacific Region has more than doubled over the past 10 years. Enditem
SCHENECTADY  The path toward state-mandated reforms within the Schenectady police department is coming into sharper focus.

Police Chief Eric Clifford said the steering committee or advisory board will be sending out letters to several groups in the community, including one inviting them to take part in planned meetings hosted by the task force.

He said the groups will be urged to meet internally and then settle on what they consider the most pressing police matters before selecting two representatives to speak on their behalf at the task force meetings.

It will be at those meetings that we take notes, do surveys, and draw conclusions from, said Clifford.

At the outset, the task force consisted of Clifford, Mayor Gary McCarthy, Odo Butler of the Schenectady NAACP and Ravi Ishmael, president of the Schenectady Hindu Temple/Guyanese Community Center.

Over time, its expanded to now include members of the Schenectady Clergy against Hate, millennials and Generation Z, two members of the Schenectady Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) as well as at least one person with local activists group, All of Us among others and the Schenectady Police Benevolent Association.

Dick Shave, review board chair, said Friday he has high hopes for the panel.

Shave, who is also part of the League of the Women Voters, said the booard still needs to hold its retreat via Zoom to discuss the issues they want to bring to the table.

"I've made it clear to the chief that I don't want to do any FOIL-ing, when we want to see a personnel record, we want to see a personnel record," added Shave in talking about police disciplinary records that the state recently opened up to the public.

He personally wants a prohibition on no-knock warrants and for the police department's use of force paperwork that the CPRB already has access to be broken down along racial lines.

"It's the only way to see racism," said Shave. "The only real way to prove this is, what was the race of the person arrested, how many of them overall?"

Shave and others in the task force met Thursday and are slated to get back together Aug. 26.

From there, Clifford said they will reconvene for weekly gatherings in September with a series of community conversations tentatively set for early October.

For example, there will be upwards of eight separate sessions with neighborhood associations, youth-oriented groups and those who do community outreach, education among others, added Clifford.

We dont want to mix the youth community with the business community because policing to each of them might be different so lets talk about whats important to each of them, he said. We recognize these are going to be uncomfortable conversations but we want people to be able to speak freely.

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

Clifford said he and McCarthy will be in the audience at the community conversations more as casual observers instead as of active participants in the dialogue.

The city is partnering with the John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety in Albany will be tasked with helping them parse all information from the more targeted series of meetings, which will be moderated by the Capital Region Chambers Jason Benitez, said Clifford.

Benitez was previously associate dean/director of Diversity and Inclusion at Union College.

The Finn Institute is not charging the city. The city police department's crime analyst will be working alongside the institute, said Clifford.

Once the community meetings wrap up around Thanksgiving, surveys will be distributed in the community and all the information received can be packaged in a form that can be reported.

Then in either January or February, Clifford said, the steering committee will begin talking in earnest about what they gleaned from the gatherings and what kind of reform we really want to implement. He said the resulting data and conclusions will guide their decision making on the final document.

It will validate any reforms that we do or dont make, he said. If we dont make any reforms in an area, we can say heres the data and this is why we didnt do it.

He said the meetings will be recorded and them posted on line for public consumption.
Some key events in Canada-U.S. trade relations since 2017:

Aug. 16, 2017 - Canada, Mexico and the United States commence the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which U.S. President Donald Trump had called the worst trade deal in history while campaigning for the role in 2016.

March 14, 2018 - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada wont be bowled over at the NAFTA talks by Trump. Trudeau makes the remarks while visiting steelworkers in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

May 31, 2018 - The U.S announces tariffs of 25 per cent on imports of Canadian steel and 10 per cent on aluminum to take effect the next day. Lack of progress in NAFTA renegotiations was cited by Washington as the reason for the tariffs.

In retaliation, Canada later the same day announces plans to impose taxes of up to $16.6 billion on steel, aluminum and hundreds of other products from the United States.

June 7, 2018 - Trump hurls a series of personal insults at Trudeau from Air Force One after a G7 summit meeting in Quebec. The president calls Canadas prime minister dishonest and weak after Trudeau repeated his objections to massive steel and aluminum tariffs.

Aug. 27, 2018 - Mexico and the United States announce their own bilateral trade deal after weeks of negotiations that were supposed to be specific to the automotive industry. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland cancels a trip to Europe and diverts to Washington, D.C., starting a month of intense negotiations to bring Canada into the agreement.

Sept. 30, 2018 - Trumps and Trudeaus teams work out last minute details that bring Canada into a renewed continental trade pact.

Oct. 1, 2018 - Trump declares victory on a renewed NAFTA in Washington, D.C. The president refuses to be pinned down on whether he intends to ease tariffs on Canadian exports of steel and aluminum.

Nov. 30, 2018 - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his counterparts from the United States and Mexico sign a new three-way trade agreement in Buenos Aires, on sidelines of a meeting of G20 countries, in spite of continued U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Dec 18, 2018 - Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says Donald Trumps steel and aluminum tariffs contradict what was negotiated in the new North American Free Trade Agreement.

May 17, 2019 - Canada and the U.S. reach an agreement that ends the 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent levy on aluminum. Canada had said the measures stood in the way of ratifying the new NAFTA agreement.

Oct. 30, 2019 - A U.S. watchdog criticizes the way the Trump administration handles taxes on imported steel and aluminum, saying a lack of transparency on the tariffs imposed in March 2018 creates the appearance of improper influence.

July 1, 2020 - The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement in place since 1994, takes effect.

July 8, 2020 - Presidents of the United States and Mexico meet at White House to celebrate new North American trade deal. Trudeau declined Trumps invitaton, citing the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and parliamentary business.

July 13, 2020 - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urges President Donald Trump to think twice before imposing new tariffs on Canadian aluminum.

Aug. 6, 2020 - U.S. President Donald Trump announces plans to reimpose a 10-per-cent tariff on Canadian aluminum, saying Canada was taking advantage of us, as usual. The tariff had previously been imposed in 2018 and suspended in 2019.

Deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, who played a pivotal role in negotiating with the United States as foreign minister, issues official statement saying Canada would swiftly impose countermeasures on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

Aug. 7, 2020 - Freeland says Canada will hit back with $3.6 billion in tariffs of its own. She says the government will consult with the domestic industry to determine which items to target. She says the goal is to inflict the least damage on Canada and the strongest possible impact on the United States.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has voiced support for Trump in the past, accused the president of slapping the Canadian public in the face with the renewed tariffs. We will come back swinging like theyve never seen before, Ford says.

 With files from The Associated Press
"The global pandemic created a huge increase in people seeking help and it is critical that we support people who cannot afford food. Significant donations like this help build healthy, caring, inclusive communities," said Kim Winchell, senior director, strategy & operations, community impact and investment at United Way of the Lower Mainland.

United Way of the Lower Mainland has helped to identify and distribute funds to communities across the province and to its network of Local Love Food Hubs in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. The Food Hubs provide people with food supports closer to home, and in some instances, deliver food safely to peoples' doors. The United Way is working to expand this network and keep the hubs open at least until the end of the year.

"We appreciate FortisBC for stepping up to support our COVID-19 relief efforts," said Winchell. "Their contribution aids our Local Love Food Hub efforts to feed children, families, seniors and others in crisis."

In addition to financial support, FortisBC is helping fill the gap for volunteer resources. Its eight-person Street Team is spending two to three days a week sorting and delivering food to hubs and community kitchens on behalf of the United Way. They are also delivering Meals on Wheels packages to vulnerable, homebound seniors in Vancouver and Richmond on behalf of the Health & Home Care Society of B.C. Street Team staff typically attend community events to help customers learn about saving energy and the many other programs FortisBC offers. Distributing food to people in need is keeping the Street Team busy doing meaningful work while events are on hold.

"Our staff live and work in communities across B.C. and are seeing firsthand how hard these organizations are working to keep up with demand, even as resources get tighter," said Jody Drope, vice president, human resources, environment and health & safety for FortisBC. "We want to do what we can to support them."

"This experience has provided me with a firsthand look at the enormous need in our community," said Shawn Tie, Street Team, FortisBC. "I really appreciate the work these organizations are doing to address it, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to dedicate time to help. It's been really gratifying."

FortisBC invests in a number of grassroots community initiatives that contribute to a stronger and healthier B.C. This year, FortisBC has directed much of this investment towards programs that help people access food during this difficult time. While this support will extend these organizations' resources a little longer, the need remains high. People who have the means to contribute or volunteer are encouraged to get in touch with their local food program providers to find out ways they can help. Other organizations looking to support the United Way Local Love Food Hubs, can learn more at uwlm.ca/action.

FortisBC is a regulated utility focused on providing safe and reliable energy, including natural gas, electricity and propane. FortisBC employs more than 2,400 British Columbians and serves approximately 1.2 million customers in 135 B.C. communities. FortisBC owns and operates two liquefied natural gas storage facilities and four regulated hydroelectric generating plants, approximately 7,200 kilometres of transmission and distribution power lines, and approximately 48,700 kilometres of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines. FortisBC Inc. and FortisBC Energy Inc. do business as FortisBC. FortisBC is indirectly, wholly owned by Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American electric and gas utility business. FortisBC uses the FortisBC name and logo under license from Fortis Inc. Additional information can be accessed at fortisinc.com or sedar.com.

SOURCE FortisBC

For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: Nicole Brown, Corporate Communications Advisor, FortisBC, 250-469-6078, [email protected], fortisbc.com; 24-hour media line: 1-855-322-6397

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Montreal dock workers plan to launch a port-wide strike without an end date starting Monday, the latest move in an escalating standoff between the union and the Maritime Employers Association.

The announcement Friday builds on a series of temporary strikes by the Canadian Union of Public Employees over the past month that have diverted several ships to ports in Halifax, New York City and Saint John, N.B.

The ball is in the bosses court, union spokesman Michel Murray said at a press conference Friday, several hours after CUPE filed notice of the indefinite general strike.

The plan will be set in motion if no truce agreement is reached by Sunday, he said.

The Maritime Employers Association said in a release it is disappointed that even after 65 negotiation sessions since September 2018, we are still at an impasse.

Association CEO Martin Tessier said he has proposed a counter-offer to negotiate in good faith over the next 45 to 60 days, culminating in binding arbitration if the two sides remain at loggerheads.

The union has rejected the offer, he said.

Union members say they will not provide mooring services during the work stoppage, except for grain vessels and supplies to Newfoundland and Labrador in order to comply with the federal labour code and a decision rendered by the Canada Industrial Relations Board, respectively.

A port shutdown would disrupt the flow of medical supplies, automotive parts and myriad other goods and wind up raising prices for consumers, Tessier said.

The auto industry, they are yelling big-time right now. And even safety equipment linked to COVID-19, the PPE  the personal protective equipment  and drugs and medical equipment will slow down.

The fast-paced, tightly synchronized flow of just-in-time logistics could magnify the impact of any derailments for shippers.

Instead of going through the Port of Montreal you need to go through New York. Then you need to use longer routes, trains. That is going to increase the costs, Tessier said in an interview. Whos going to pay at the end of all that? Probably you and I.

The CUPE labour action revolves largely around wages, scheduling and work-life balance, with longshoremen routinely working 19 days out of 21 due to heavy traffic through the port, according to the union.

The 1,125 longshoremen, foremen and maintenance workers on the waterfront in Montreal have been without a collective agreement for nearly two years.

The port has hired about 300 workers over the past 18 months to handle the volume increase, Martin said. Those who do not wind up working all 19 days are compensated for the time they are on call.

In 2015, longshoremen across Quebec earned an average of $110,000 before benefits, according to figures from the provinces labour ministry. The benefits package for Montreal longshoremen amounts to $22,000 annually, including a defined-benefit pension plan paid for by the employer.

Tensions between the two parties have ratcheted up in July and August.

On Monday, the employer association informed the union it would cut overtime rates for work during evenings, weekends and nights, as the number of those shifts had increased due to daytime strikes in the preceding weeks.

Last week, police launched an investigation into a confrontation between dock workers and port managers that erupted in violence at a parking lot where executives were exiting a shuttle bus.

Montreal police received a call at around 7 p.m. on July 29 and said several managers were punched and had phones or wallets stolen.

The broader showdown between management and union follows a 21-month battle over the definition of essential service amid negotiations for a new collective agreement.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board concluded in June that the employers association had not demonstrated imminent and serious risks to the health and safety of the public  the criteria for an essential service  in the event of a strike.

The Maritime Employers Association had asked the board in October 2018 to review whether longshoremen carry out essential work in a bid to shield the docks from strike threats.

Margot Young, a law professor at the University of British Columbia, said the employers are trying to have it both ways.

If its such essential, important work, then the pay should actually reflect that, Young said. Youre overpaid, so dont ask for more. But oh, youre so essential that you cant go on strike.

Its a demanding job, and theres some risk involved, she added.

Tessier of the employers association said Labour Minister Filomena Tassi told him a federally appointed mediator was not an option at the moment.

She told me she would not get involved. Work harder, be more focused and negotiate a deal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2020.

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So while there are positive trends in the numbers in Cabarrus County, Cabarrus County Schools is not near where it needs to be to go back to in-person learning. They will not go back to school until it has approval from the CHA.

Keeping these numbers moving in the right direction will be pivotal in getting children back in schools.

With the opening of schools, people will move around more and so will the virus, Cooper said at Wednesdays news conference. Other states that lifted restrictions quickly have had to go backward as their hospital capacity ran dangerously low and their cases jumped higher. We wont make that mistake in North Carolina.

The opening of schools and colleges is an important one  education must go on, even in a pandemic. In-person learning has benefits. But it means challenges for our state, especially as our higher education campuses draw students from around the country and the world.

Our success at returning thousands of students, teachers and staff safely to classrooms this month depends on us doing what works.

While these are positive results for schools getting back to where they need to be, there is also a bad trend that has hit the county.
The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has disagreed with the National Assemblys call for sack of the countrys head of security agencies.

The governor argued that the present service chiefs are committed to defending the territorial integrity of the country.

He spoke in Abakaliki on Friday during the groundbreaking ceremony of Nigerian Army Reference Hospital.

The National Assembly had passed a resolution recently calling on President Mohammadu Buhari to sack the service chiefs for non-performance.

They cited rising cases of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other acts of criminality across the country for their reasons for the call.

But Mr Umahi, in his speech at the groundbreaking of the reference hospital, opposed the National Assemblys call.

I want to disagree with the National Assembly in my own view about the change of service chiefs. One thing I have realised is that we like change too much in this country. We want everybody to taste every seat, he said.

That is not what we need at this critical time of our security challenges. What we need is cooperation with the security agencies.

Without undermining the former inspectors general, this Inspector General is a very different human being. He is a very stubborn man but stubborn to the policies and law of the land. And that is the person this country needs.

The Chief of Army staff is also a very committed person. Very friendly to the civil society, the governor said.

Mr Umahi said what the service chiefs require at the moment is more information from the populace and increased funding and logistics support from the government.

He said sacking the service chiefs now may derail the fight against insurgency and criminality as their successors may take some time learning the ropes.

So what these people need is cooperation, information. It is difficult for people to do anything without information. This is very important. And at this stage even when you change, whoever you bring is going to learn the ropes. And I believe that whatever decisions the service chiefs are not taking by them alone they are taken by also the senior officers, he said.

Governor Umahi(in fez cap), Deputy Governors of Ebonyi, Abia and Anambra, Lt Gen Adeosun and others at the ground breaking of Army Reference Hospital in Abakaliki.

So I will be suggesting to Mr President in support of his retaining the service chiefs that we should increase their funding of the armed forces, we should increase their logistics, we should increase the programme that will bring information to the security agencies, he said.

So I support Mr President that instead of changing the service chiefs to rather increase their funding and increase the frequency of his meetings with them. And also encourage civil society to come up with information that will assist the security agencies.

READ ALSO:

Mr Umahi also described as unfortunate the recent attack on the convoy of Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum by insurgents.

It is very unfortunate that my colleague was ambushed and I thank the Army for the way they responded with a very high level of humility and great understanding, he said.

The Chief of Army staff, Tukur Buratai, commended the officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army for their gallantry in operations across the country.

Governor Umahi with Lt Gen Lamidi Adeosun performing the ground breaking of the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Abakaliki yesterday.

He said the military has made remarkable progress in the fight against insurgency, militancy, oil bunkering, kidnapping and other acts of criminality across the country.

While praying for the souls of the departed officers who lost their lives in defending the country, Mr Buratai urged the officers to remain professional in performing their duties.

The Chief of Army Staff, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Lamidi Adeosun, said the Reference Hospital, when completed, will reduce the loss of valuable time and stress usually experienced in transporting injured soldiers to tertiary hospitals outside the zone.

The hospital, according to him, will provide tertiary care to all formations of the Army within the Southeast and South-South zones of the country.
MINSK, Belarus - Loading of nuclear fuel started Friday at Belarus first nuclear plant, which has raised concern in neighbouring Lithuania.

The plant in Astravets near the border has been built by Russias state nuclear corporation Rosatom. Rosatom and Belarusian authorities have insisted that the 1,200-megawatt reactor is safe, but Lithuania has described the plant as a threat to the environment and public health.

The loading of uranium fuel will last about three months before the reactor starts generating electricity. Rosatom said the construction of the plants second reactor will be completed by mid-2022.

The construction of a nuclear plant in Belarus was planned during Soviet times, but the plans were cancelled after the April 26, 1986 explosion at the Chornobyl nuclear plant in neighbouring Ukraine. Belarus suffered badly from the worlds worst nuclear accident that rendered vast portions of its land uninhabitable and unsafe for agricultural production.

The Chornobyl explosion forced 138,000 Belarusians closest to the plant to be resettled, while 200,000 others living nearby moved out voluntarily.

The radiation fears caused by the Chornobyl catastrophe have gradually subsided, and there havent been any protests against the nuclear plants construction in Belarus.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump holds press briefing on coronavirus response at the White House in Washington

By Cate Cadell and Ben Blanchard

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) - China on Thursday threatened to take countermeasures over a trip to Taiwan by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, as the Chinese-claimed island geared up for its highest-level U.S. official visit in four decades.

The visit, which begins on Sunday, adds to tensions between Beijing and Washington over everything from trade and human rights to the novel coronavirus pandemic. China calls Taiwan the most sensitive and important issue in its bilateral ties with the United States.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a daily briefing in Beijing that any attempt to deny or challenge the "one China" principle, which states that Taiwan is part of China, would end in failure.

"China will take strong countermeasures in response to the U.S. behaviour," Wang said, referring to Azar's visit.

While he gave no details, China last month said it would impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin for involvement in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

Taiwan has batted away China's criticism, saying Beijing has no right to comment.

Washington broke off official ties with Taipei in 1979 in favour of Beijing. The Trump administration has made strengthening its support for the democratic island a priority, and boosted arms sales.

Azar, who is scheduled to meet President Tsai Ing-wen, is coming to strengthen economic and public health cooperation with Taiwan, and support Taiwan's international role in fighting the pandemic.

Taiwan is locked out of most global agencies, such as the World Health Organization, due to the objections of China, which views the island as a Chinese province that is not entitled to any of the rights that statehood confers.

Taiwan Centres for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang said Azar and members of the U.S. delegation would be tested for coronavirus before leaving for Taiwan, and again upon entry at the airport.

Story continues

Only if they are negative will they be allowed in.

"They must wear masks at all times," Chuang said.

"There are rules on where they can go," he added, saying that Taiwan's often-crowded night markets would not be on the list for private visits.

The members of the U.S. delegation will also have to maintain social distancing when meeting government officials, Chuang said, adding they would use dedicated elevators "to avoid any risks".

Taiwan has won praise for its steps to control the coronavirus, including strict border quarantine controls and the widespread wearing of masks, which have won broad public support.

It has reported 477 cases of the coronavirus and seven deaths. Most cases have been imported, and only a small number of people remain in hospital or isolation.

The United States has had more coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country, and the wearing of masks has become a heated political issue, with some people objecting to what they see as an infringement of personal freedom.

(Reporting by Cate Cadell and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Israeli fighter jets struck underground Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip on the night of Aug. 5. The Israel Defense Forces did not offer any other details on the nature of the target.

The strike came hours after several explosive-laden balloons were launched from the Strip. A spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Service said that the balloons started at least three fires. They were apparently small and posed no real danger, though one of them spread rather quickly. The fires were brought under control and no injuries were reported. Publications later in the day referred to five bush fires sparked by the incendiary balloons. Another balloon that carried a suspected explosive device was found near the southern city of Arad by police and detonated in a controlled explosion.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned Hamas over continuing the balloon attacks, tweeting, The State of Israel wont accept any violation of its sovereignty or harm to residents of the south. Gaza must realize that there is no other solution  only returning the boys [the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul] and quiet will offer the Strip economic growth. If the terror organizations still dont understand, whoever tests Israel will be hit hard.

For a rather long period until this week, the border had been quiet. Yesterdays incendiary balloons were the first to be launched from Gaza in nearly six months. Israel now fears that the quiet might be over. On Aug. 3, a rocket was launched from the Strip toward Israel. It was intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system and caused no harm. The IDF retaliated by attacking several Hamas targets in central and southern Gaza, reportedly hitting a cement factory allegedly used in the construction of underground infrastructure.

The balloons suggest that the rocket might not have been an isolated episode. Tensions have been growing on Israel's northern borders with Lebanon and Syria and Israel has deployed extra forces in the Galilee region. The army now faces the possibility of a conflagration near Gaza as well. Adding to tensions on both fronts, Israeli troops clashed today, Aug. 7, with Palestinians in the West Bank. According to the IDF, a riot erupted while troops where operating in the city of Jenin, with Palestinians opening fire and hurling explosives. A 23-year-old Palestinian woman was reportedly killed during the riots under circumstances that are still unclear.
The Trump administrations move to ban US residents from doing business with Tencent Holdings Ltd.s WeChat app rippled through Chinese markets, erasing $46 billion from the Internet giants market value and sending the yuan to its biggest slump in two weeks.

The U.S. presidents executive order fueled concern that the deteriorating U.S.-China relationship will weigh on companies, economies and markets. Confusion over the scope of the order led to volatile trading on Friday, with Tencent plunging more than 10% before paring its loss to 6.8% at the midday break. A U.S. official later clarified the ban will only cover WeChat.

Chinas largest gaming and social media company cratered after the vaguely worded executive order raised concerns a ban could hammer not just the use of WeChat and WeChat Pay in the U.S. but extend to business relationships with some of Americas largest corporations. The worlds biggest games publisher by revenue in 2019, according to Newzoo data, it collaborates with U.S. industry leaders like Activision Blizzard Inc. and Electronics Arts Inc. It also holds a large stake in Fortnite maker Epic Games Inc. and owns League of Legends developer Riot Games Inc.

Before Fridays drop Tencent was worth $686 billion, making it the worlds eighth-largest company by market capitalization and bigger than Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Its huge size means it occupies a dominant position on global indexes. The firm accounts for more than 6% of MSCI Inc.s developing nation gauge and 4% of its Asian Pacific measure.

Trumps order on WeChat came after a similar injunction against ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok, the viral video service the White House accuses of jeopardizing national security. But Tencent is at the heart of communications between people and businesses within China and abroad, as the operator of WeChat.

The U.S. government is expected to follow up with more measures targeting Tencent," said Steven Leung, executive director at UOB Kay Hian (Hong Kong) Ltd. Tencents overseas expansion map now looks a bit uncertain, since some M&A deals, especially if its targets are based in the U.S., will face challenges."

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

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Pfizer has agreed to manufacture and supply Gilead Sciences' antiviral drug remdesivir, the pharmaceutical giant announced Friday.

The multiyear agreement will support efforts to scale up the supply of the intravenous drug, which has been shown to help shorten the recovery time of some hospitalized coronavirus patients, the company said. Pfizer will manufacture the drug at its McPherson, Kansas, facility.

"From the beginning it was clear that no one company or innovation would be able to bring an end to the COVID-19 crisis. Pfizer's agreement with Gilead is an excellent example of members of the innovation ecosystem working together to deliver medical solutions," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. "Together, we are more powerful than alone."

There are no FDA-approved drugs for the coronavirus, which has infected more than 19 million people worldwide and killed at least 715,163 in about seven months, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

But doctors have been using remdesivir on Covid-19 patients in recent months. In May, the Food and Drug Administration granted remdesivir an emergency use authorization, allowing hospitals and doctors to use the drug on hospitalized Covid-19 patients even though the medication has not been formally approved by the agency.

Pfizer declined to comment, saying it does not disclose agreement terms. Gilead did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A day earlier, Gilead said it would be able to make enough of its antiviral drug remdesivir to meet global demand due to the pandemic in October.

Additionally, Gilead said it plans to produce more than 2 million treatment courses of the drug by the end of the year and anticipates being able to make "several million more" in 2021, adding it has increased supply of the drug more than fiftyfold since January. Its manufacturing network now includes more than 40 companies in North America, Europe and Asia.
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Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), the maker of Bharat Benz trucks and buses, has entered the used-truck market. The company has also started a vehicle-exchange programme.

Satyakam Arya, managing director and CEO, DICV, said: Fleet owners have affordability issues, given the slowdown, and they are looking for reliable and quality-assured used vehicles rather than a new truck. The introduction of BS-VI norms has pushed costs higher.

How does the market work?

The market works in two ways: selling an old truck and exchanging an old truck for a new one.

In the first instance, a Bharat Benz truck owner can take his old truck to any DICV outlet, where the company will refurbish the vehicle, provide warranty, certify it and offer funding support to the buyer. The company will also transfer the residual warranty of the vehicle to the new buyer.

The exchange programme will function very much like a car exchange programme - evaluation of condition of the truck, price offer to the buyer, and finally the sale. The sale amount will be adjusted with the price of the new DICV vehicle.

Only trucks in the Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicles (M&HCV) segment and Bharat Benz brands will be accepted by the company initially.

Used-truck market in India

Like the used-car segment, this is a highly unorganised market, though as per estimates, for every new truck, three old ones are sold.

With around 100,000 trucks and 3,000 buses on Indian roads, DICV is trying to create a new stream of business and strengthen its brand image in the market, heavily dominated by Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra and Ashok Leyland.

DICV, which has products in the M&HCV segment, designed and developed in-house by the company, will restrict the used-vehicle business to the truck segment.

In FY20, the M&HCV truck segment clocked sales of 184,648 units, a fall of 47 percent, compared to FY19, as per data shared by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

Chennai plant production

Arya said that DICV will very likely start its second shift in production from its Chennai plant next week. The company has seen green shoots in the construction, mining and infrastructure segments.

In 2019, DICV saw its wholesale volumes plummet 36 percent to 14,474 units, compared to 2018. Retail sales dipped by 29 percent to 15,196 units during the same period.

Its market share in the over 9-tonne category slipped 5.8 percent to 14,474 units in 2019 from 22,532 units in 2018. The company says it is its worst market share in five years.

In May, the company signed an MoU with Tamil Nadu to invest an additional Rs 2,277 crore for expanding production capacity in Chennai and for developing new vehicles.
Deputy General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Obiri Boahen has laid the blame at the doorstep of every authority and individuals in the country for the lynching of the 90-year-old Akua Dentah at Kafaba near Salaga in the Savanna Region.



According to him, the lynching which led to the death of the 90-year-old woman is shameful and wrong as men stood by and watched the defenseless old woman went through this horrific experience due to ancient custom and tradition.



Speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, Nana Obiri Boahen said that the blame should not be placed on only those at the scene of the incident, but leaders and politicians who did nothing against the establishment of the witch camps in the country.



We are all guilty of what has happenedwe have villages created by NGOs as witches camps. We did not see the need to abolish those camps. This means that we have accepted them into our system, he accused.



We always talk about NPP, NDC, Kotoko, and Hearts of Oak and other things and we still have witches camps in existence and who do you think are supposed to go there? Witches will go there; we should rather have dissolved the so-called witches camps in the first place...



If in America, Black life matters, then in Ghana the likes of Akua Dentahs lives matter, he made the clarion call.



Nana Obiri Boahen wondered why it has to take the death of Akua Dentah before the country can realize how wrong it is to label someone a witch; alluding to the fact that there are many more similar incidents which have sadly gone unnoticed.



He added that politicians will take advantage of the election year to go to the witches camps to gift them items as they need their votes in the upcoming general elections.



....the existence of witches camps is an insult to us as a nation. It should not end with Akua Dentahs case. We should use Akua Dentahs case to close down all the witches camps, he fumed.



To him, common sense should have informed the powerful Chief Priestess who was able to identify the 90-year-old woman as a witch to deal with Akua Dentah spiritually since it is a matter of spirituality.



These are the things that show that we are lagging behind as Africans. If the Chief Priestess claimed to be so powerful to fight witches, she should have fought Akua Dentah spiritually; this is common sense, he stated.

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.

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A peerage awarded to a politician whose former party supported the IRA bombing of Warrington has been branded a double slap in the face as a charity set up after the attack faces a funding crisis.

Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Louise Haigh called the peerage for Claire Fox "astonishingly offensive" as she visited the headquarters of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation in Warrington, Cheshire, on Friday.

The charity, set up after three-year-old Johnathan and 12-year-old Tim were killed in the attack on March 20 1993, had its government funding stopped in March and will face a decision at the end of the month about whether it can continue to provide support to victims of terror attacks.

Warrington North Labour MP Charlotte Nichols, who was also on the visit, said the appointment of the former Brexit Party MEP to the House of Lords had caused "absolute revulsion" in the town.

She said: "The fact these things have come at the same time is a double slap in the face, not only for the people that the peace centre supports, but the families of the Warrington bombing victims themselves, but also the whole community because I think it speaks to a real insult to Warrington."

Mrs Fox, who represented the Brexit Party in Brussels, was formerly a senior activist in the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP).

At the time of the attack, an RCP newsletter stated that the party defended "the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures necessary in their struggle for freedom".

Mrs Fox, who has not apologised for her position at the time but has said she does not condone violence, is due to head to the Lords after being included on a 36-strong peerage list.

Ms Haigh said: "I have heard very clearly the deep upset and frustration that that appointment has caused and it is wholly within Boris Johnson's gift to both block Claire Fox's peerage and to deliver security for the invaluable work that the peace centre does here in Warrington.

"I think it is really hurting the people that are doing the work here, but more importantly it's hurting the victims of terrorism that the Peace Centre have been supporting."

Chief executive Nick Taylor said the charity had only been able to continue its work since March because of a donation from the Steve Morgan Foundation, a trust set up by the Redrow founder.

Mr Taylor told the PA news agency: "The Claire Fox situation just doesn't help. The level of upset it creates to our founders and people affected by the Warrington bombing is off the scale."

He said between 150,000 and 200,000 a year of government funding is needed for the foundation, which saw 1,000 referrals in the wake of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, to carry on.

In March, Mr Johnson pledged that the Government would do everything it could to keep the foundation going but since then there has been no confirmation of funding, Mr Taylor said.

"I think the Prime Minister, from what we can see of him, if he saw the Peace Centre and experienced the work we do our situation would be sorted within minutes," he said.

"It is such a shame we are having to push like this."
The enterprise, excellence and energy of the people and businesses of Northern Ireland are recognised not just across the United Kingdom but the world.

Whether it is family-owned firms like Ulster Carpets we're visiting today, Bushmills whiskey-making at the world's oldest licensed distillery, or the diagnostic pioneers at Randox, Northern Ireland has a long, proud and enduring tradition of impressive and innovative industries.

Enterprising businesses like these are the backbone of Northern Ireland. Their success reflects the progress made by Northern Ireland's people since the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement was signed 22 years ago.

The era of peace and reconciliation that subsequently took root helped support existing businesses and allowed new firms to flourish. We want to build on this progress for the future and ensure there is no place for a return to the violence and divisions of the past.

NI businesses benefit from the stability and strength of the UK as well as the unique links they enjoy with our friends and neighbours in Europe. That is why we are committed to implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that respects and protects Northern Ireland's special circumstances and its integral place as part of our United Kingdom.

So today, as well as confirming our commitment to around 300m for the PEACE Plus programme over the next seven years to support ongoing peace and reconciliation projects on the island of Ireland, we are also announcing a major package of investment and support to help Northern Ireland's traders.

We want to make sure that businesses in Northern Ireland have the information they need to prepare for next year and to thrive beyond it.

As we set out in our approach to the Protocol published in May, Northern Ireland, as part of the UK's customs territory, will continue to have unfettered access to the rest of the UK. Trade in goods on the island of Ireland will also continue unaffected - with no change at the border, no new paperwork, and no tariffs or regulatory checks. And as we conclude free trade agreements with other nations, Northern Ireland's businesses and citizens will benefit from those too, and the lower tariffs that come with them.

To help traders prepare, we have been engaging closely with, and listening to, the business community in Northern Ireland, for example through our Business Engagement Forum.

Today we are setting out further online guidance for how goods will move into and out of Northern Ireland. Our new free-to-use Trader Support Service, backed by up to 200m of funding, will also deal with all of the formalities on behalf of traders importing goods from Great Britain or the rest of the world.

Ahead of the service going live next month, firms can register their interest from today. It will be supported by a 155m investment in the technology that will deal with goods movements, ensuring that the process is streamlined to the maximum possible extent.

Today's guidance is not the final word: there will be further details to come as we continue to work with businesses and progress discussions with the European Union. However we hope these new resources, and the launch of the Trader Support Service in particular, will help traders to continue their preparations for the end of the transition period.

Today's announcements will help support the many thousands of diverse businesses across Northern Ireland as they continue to showcase and sell their innovative products across the rest of the UK and the world.

They will also further ensure that the hard won gains of the peace process and the progress made over the last 22 years are secure, not just next year, but for generations to come.
Churches see greater family involvement with drive-thru VBS summer programs

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Churches across the United States are holding a drive-thru version of Vacation Bible School this summer in response to social distancing safety guidelines meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 and are reporting more family involvement in response.

One of these congregations is Owosso First Church of the Nazarene, located in Owosso, Michigan, which began its drive thru VBS program on Monday.

Brett Meyer, head of Discipleship Ministries at Owosso, told The Christian Post about how they adjusted VBS programming in light of canceling indoor mass gatherings.

During a normal VBS inside the church, children would travel around to different stations where they would get a Bible story, learn a verse, do a craft, eat a snack, and then worship together, explained Meyer.

We created stations in our parking lot for worship with our songs being transmitted to the car using an FM transmitter, Bible story using actors at several stops, prepackaged snacks to go, a take home craft and Bible verse.

Meyer also noted that they added an extra station at the end where they had volunteers present to pray with the family in the car if they had any requests.

One of the benefits of the drive-thru model is we now have greater family involvement, he said. Instead of dropping the kids off and picking them up, parents now get to experience the story themselves and hopefully interact with their children after they leave the parking lot.

The first day of VBS had 67 kids take part, which was less than half of the normal attendance for them. However, Meyer said that it was still an overall positive experience for all involved.

I believe our volunteers had just as good a time if not more so than our families that came through, he said. Our teens also came out to help so it was a great multigenerational gathering reaching out to the community we are called to serve.

While we were limited in what we could physically offer, there was certainly no limit to the blessings that came through our gathering.

Another congregation that opted to do a drive-thru VBS this summer was Huguenot Road Baptist Church of North Chesterfield, Virginia, which held its summer kids event last month.

Amanda Lott, associate pastor for Children and Family Ministries at HRBC, reported that they had 83 participate this year, which was a little over half of their average of 160.

We contemplated in-person in various forms, but none of those was deemed a safe option for students and leaders, recalled Lott.

Drive-thru gave us the flexibility to see the families in person at pick up and get Bible materials and fun activities in their hands.

The church had what Lott described as VBS in a bag, with a large bag that had all lesson materials and a snack divided up into each given day.

There was no worship gathering, no rotation to classrooms, no decorations in rooms. But there was a lot of energy from leaders who adapted materials, packed bags, decorated the drive-thru route, and welcomed families for pick up, she explained.

When asked by CP what she hoped participating families took away from the experience, Lott replied that she was hopeful for a greater impact in the long run on those involved.

We are excited for the long-term impact the learning time can have on the whole family, not just the child who was in the classroom. We are pretty certain that there are families who have never opened the Bible with their children and will now have done so at least once during their learning time, said Lott.

I am also hopeful that our leaders take away a new appreciation for the value of being nimble and flexible  this could have long-term impact on our ability to act quickly and creatively in the future.
DUBLIN, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market by Offering (Hardware, Software, and Services), Technology (Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Context-Aware Computing, and NLP), Application, End-user Industry and Region - Global Forecast to 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The AI in the manufacturing market is expected to be valued at USD 1.1 billion in 2020 and is likely to reach USD 16.7 billion by 2026; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 57.2% during the forecast period.

The major drivers for the market are the increasing number of large and complex datasets (often known as big data), evolving Industrial IoT and automation, improving computing power, and increasing venture capital investments. The major restraint for the market is the reluctance among manufacturers to adopt AI-based technologies. The critical challenges facing the AI in the manufacturing market include limited skilled workforce, concerns regarding data privacy, and significant financial and operational impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on manufacturing.



The machine learning technology is expected to account for the largest size of the AI in manufacturing market during the forecast period.



Machine learning's ability to collect and handle big data and its applications in real-time speech translation, robotics, and facial analysis is fuelling its growth in the manufacturing market. AI constitutes various technologies that play a vital role in developing its ecosystem. As AI enables machines to perform activities similar to those performed by human beings, enormous market opportunities have opened.



The predictive maintenance and machinery inspection application of the AI in manufacturing market is projected to hold the largest share during the forecast period.



The predictive maintenance and machinery inspection application held the largest share of the AI in the manufacturing market in 2019. Extensive use of computer vision cameras in machinery inspection, adoption of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and use of big data in the manufacturing industry are the factors driving the growth of the AI in the manufacturing market for predictive maintenance and machinery inspection application. The increasing demand for reducing the operational costs and machine downtime is also supplementing the growth of predictive maintenance and machinery inspection application in industries.



The automobile industry held the largest size of the AI in manufacturing market in 2019.



The extensive use of computer vision cameras in machinery inspection and adoption industrial IoT are the factors driving the growth of the AI in the manufacturing market for the automobile industry. The application of AI to boost employee productivity, improve quality control, and gain better control over business support functions is supporting the growth of AI in the automobile industry.

Impact of COVID-19 on the AI in the manufacturing market



The market is likely to witness a slight plunge in terms of year-on-year growth in 2020. This is largely attributed to the affected supply chains and limited adoption of AI in manufacturing in 2020 due to the lockdowns and shifting priorities of different industries. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in economies. It is likely to cause supply chain mayhem and eventually force companies and entire industries to rethink and adapt to the global supply chain model.

Many manufacturing companies have halted their production, which has collaterally damaged the supply chain and the industry. This disruption has caused a delay in the adoption of AI-based software and hardware products in the manufacturing sector. The industries have started to restructure their business model for 2020, and many SMEs and large manufacturing plants have halted/postponed any new technology upgrade in their factories in order to recover from the losses caused by the lockdown and economic slowdown.



Research Coverage

The AI in the manufacturing market has been segmented based on offering, technology, application, industry and region. It also provides a detailed view of the market across 4 main regions: North America, Europe, APAC, and RoW.



Key Topics Covered



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary

3.1 COVID-19 Impact Analysis: AI in Manufacturing Market

3.1.1 Pre-COVID-19 Scenario

3.1.2 Post-COVID-19 Scenario



4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Opportunities in AI in Manufacturing Market

4.2 AI in Manufacturing Market, by Offering

4.3 AI in Manufacturing Market, by Technology

4.4 APAC: AI in Manufacturing Market, by Industry and Country

4.5 AI in Manufacturing Market, by Country



5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Increasingly Large and Complex Dataset

5.2.1.2 Evolving Industrial IoT and Automation

5.2.1.3 Improving Computing Power

5.2.1.4 Increasing Venture Capital Investments

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Reluctance Among Manufacturers to Adopt AI-Based Technologies

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Growth in Operational Efficiency of Manufacturing Plants

5.2.3.2 Application of AI for Intelligent Business Process

5.2.3.3 Adoption of Automation Technologies to Curb Effects of COVID-19

5.2.4 Challenges

5.2.4.1 Limited Skilled Workforce

5.2.4.2 Concerns Regarding Data Privacy

5.2.4.3 Significant Financial and Operational Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak on Manufacturing

5.3 Value Chain Analysis

5.4 Case Studies

5.4.1 Siemens Gamesa Uses Fujitsu's AI Solution to Accelerate Inspection of Turbine Blades

5.4.2 Volvo Uses Machine Learning-Driven Data Analytics for Predicting Breakdown and Failures

5.4.3 Rolls-Royce Using Microsoft Cortana Intelligence for Predictive Maintenance

5.4.4 Paper Packaging Firm Used Sight Machine's Enterprise Manufacturing Analytics to Improve Production

5.5 Adjacent and Related Markets



6 Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market, by Offering

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Hardware

6.3 Software

6.4 Services

6.5 Impact of COVID-19 on Various Offering of AI Technology for Manufacturing



7 Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market, by Technology

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Machine Learning

7.3 Natural Language Processing

7.4 Context-Aware Computing

7.5 Computer Vision

7.6 Impact of COVID-19 on Various Technologies of AI in Manufacturing



8 Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market, by Application

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Predictive Maintenance and Machinery Inspection

8.3 Material Movement

8.4 Production Planning

8.5 Field Services

8.6 Quality Control

8.7 Cybersecurity

8.8 Industrial Robots

8.9 Reclamation



9 Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market, by Industry

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Automobile

9.3 Energy and Power

9.4 Pharmaceuticals

9.5 Heavy Metals and Machine Manufacturing

9.6 Semiconductors and Electronics

9.7 Food & Beverages

9.8 Others



10 Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Market, by Region

10.1 Introduction

10.2 North America

10.3 Europe

10.4 APAC

10.5 RoW



11 Competitive Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Ranking of Players, 2019

11.3 Competitive Leadership Mapping

11.3.1 Visionary Leaders

11.3.2 Dynamic Differentiators

11.3.3 Innovators

11.3.4 Emerging Companies

11.4 Competitive Scenario

11.4.1 Product Launches and Developments

11.4.2 Collaborations, Partnerships, and Agreements

11.4.3 Acquisitions & Joint Ventures



12 Company Profiles

12.1 Key Players

12.1.1 Nvidia

12.1.2 Intel

12.1.3 IBM

12.1.4 Siemens

12.1.5 General Electric (GE) Company

12.1.6 Google

12.1.7 Microsoft

12.1.8 Micron Technology

12.1.9 Amazon Web Services (AWS)

12.1.10 Sight Machine

12.2 Other Companies

12.2.1 Progress Software Corporation (DataRPM)

12.2.2 AIbrain

12.2.3 General Vision

12.2.4 Rockwell Automation

12.2.5 Cisco Systems

12.2.6 Mitsubishi Electric

12.2.7 Oracle

12.2.8 SAP

12.2.9 Vicarious

12.2.10 Ubtech Robotics

12.2.11 Aquant

12.2.12 Bright Machines

12.2.13 Rethink Robotics GmbH

12.2.14 Sparkcognition

12.2.15 Flutura



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/erpy1o

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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New Delhi, Aug 7 : The National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Friday submitted a memorandum to Union ministers Smriti Irani and Nirmala Sitharaman, seeking action against Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) national president Subbiah Shanmugam for his involvement in a harassment case.

NSUI General Secretary Nagesh Kariyappa along with NSUI members went to the offices of the two Union ministers on bicycles to mark their peaceful protest against the ABVP leader. The NSUI activists submitted the memorandum to the two Union ministers demanding action against Shanmugam.

NSUI requested the ministers to provide justice to the 52-year-old victim in Chennai. The ABVP leader has been charged with allegedly harassing the woman. The case was registered after the family of the woman alleged that the Chennai police did not file a First Information Report (FIR), triggering a controversy.
Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 07.08.2020:

At least 154 have been killed in Beirut blast. Over 5,000 people have been injured.

Al Jazeera, citing the Lebanese health ministry, said that the condition of another 120 victims was assessed by doctors as extremely serious.

According to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, "the cause has not been determined yet. There is a possibility of external interference through a rocket or bomb or other act."

In the meantime, the UN human rights office is calling for an independent investigation of the Beirut bombing, insisting that "victims calls for accountability must be heard," AP reported.

The number of Armenians killed in Tuesdays explosion in Beirut has risen to 13, Armenian MFA spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan, told Armenpress.

According to Shahan Kandaharian, editor-in-chief of the Azdak newspaper published in Lebanon, 'the scale of destruction from the Beirut blast is unprecedented.'

He added that the death toll of Armenians may rise as there are missing and badly injured people.

Armenia will organize three flights to Lebanon with humanitarian aid, said Zareh Sinanyan, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia, on Friday.

The first of these flights will take place on Saturday, and Sinanyan will travel to Beirut on that flight to assess the scale of devastation on the spot. Representatives of the Hayastan (Armenia) All Armenian Fund and a parliamentary group will also be part of this delegation.

As of Friday morning, 166 new cases COVID-19 were confirmed in Armenia, and the total number of infected people has reached 39,985.

In the past one day, five people have died of the coronavirus, and the overall respective death toll is 777 now.

The total number of people have recovered so far is 32,008. A total of 172,994 people have been tested to date.

American billionaire Bill Gates claims that a climate disaster will kill 5 times more people every year than the COVID-19 pandemic, which has already killed 700,000 people in six months.

"Within the next 40 years, increases in global temperatures are projected to raise global mortality rates by the same amount14 deaths per 100,000. By the end of the century, if emissions growth stays high, climate change could be responsible for 73 extra deaths per 100,000 people. In a lower emissions scenario, the death rate drops to 10 per 100,000. In other words, by 2060, climate change could be just as deadly as COVID-19, and by 2100 it could be five times as deadly," he said.

The outpost cabins installed by Lydian Armenia company have been removed from the area of the Amulsar gold mine project.

Those who have been protesting for the past three days are following this process. The demonstrators had three demands: To move 30 meters from the area the outpost cabins new security service which Lydian Armenia has hired, to remove the companys security team from the Amulsar area, and to make a clear decision on Amulsar by the government.

The Amulsar gold mine has been in development by Lydian International since 2016. According to the company, the project meets all the requirements both legal and environmental and could open hundreds of jobs and generate millions of dollars in tax revenues. However, some local residents and activists are protesting the decision.

Robert Nazaryan, former mayor of Yerevan and ex-chairman of the Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of Armenia, has been charged with abuse of power, the Special Investigation Service (SIS) press service reported.

They added that a motion had been filed with the court in order to have Nazaryan arrested as a pretrial measure.
REGINA - Concerns about Saskatchewan's back-to-school plan are legitimate, the premier said Friday as doctors added to calls for more safety measures when schools reopen in September.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Saskatchewan's provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa, Monday July 6, 2020. An association of doctors in Saskatchewan is urging the provincial government to apply more caution when it comes to reopening schools.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

REGINA - Concerns about Saskatchewan's back-to-school plan are legitimate, the premier said Friday as doctors added to calls for more safety measures when schools reopen in September.

Premier Scott Moe said the province's chief medical officer and his team are looking at whether wearing masks should be mandatory for students and staff because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There's a large number of people that want mandatory masks in schools. There's also a large number of people that don't want mandatory masks in schools," Moe said in an interview Friday. "It's a very divisive conversation."

Moe said that when complaints were made in the past about the province's plan to reopen businesses and services during the pandemic, Dr. Saqib Shahab was open to making changes addressing the worries.

"I would expect no less of his recommendation in this situation," Moe said, adding that the province's back-to-school plan was designed to be adaptable.

The plan announced earlier this week will send students back to class in as normal a way as possible. There are some added restrictions, such as staggered start times and preventing physical contact, but masks are not mandatory and class sizes won't be reduced.

Other provinces, including Alberta and Ontario, are requiring staff and students in Grades 4 to 12 to wear masks when schools reopen in the fall.

Saskatchewan's Ministry of Education has encouraged teachers and parents to take a look at more detailed safety plans developed by school divisions in the province. Some boards are also encouraging students to wear masks when physical distancing isn't possible.

The Saskatchewan Medical Association said Friday that its leaders recently met with Shahab and other officials to discuss the plan. It said doctors have concerns and want to see more clear direction about wearing masks.

"Saskatchewan doctors think it's prudent to set the safety bar higher at the outset, then lower it when we know what we are dealing with," association president Dr. Barbara Konstantynowicz said in a news release.

"Closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded spaces with many people, and close-contact settings with close-range conversations are not uncommon in schools and these realities need to be front and centre in back to school plans."

Education Minister Gord Wyant said Friday that, in response to the association's concerns and recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada, the province is looking at making masks mandatory.

Wyant defended the government's current plan as safe for staff and children, but he said six million masks have been ordered and will be available for the school year should they be required.

"We've always said that this is a very fluid situation."

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.

Wyant said the government strongly believes in the advice of the chief medical health officer.

"We'll continue to look for advice. ... Dr. Shahab is the chief medical health officer in this province and the advice he's been giving us so far has been very good and I have no reason to doubt the advice he's giving us now," Wyant said.

The Opposition NDP has slammed Saskatchewan's back-to-school plan as one of the worst in Canada for failing to address the concerns of families and teachers. The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation has also said it believes masks should be mandatory.

Some sit-ins were held Friday at the offices of Saskatchewan Party legislature members by parents who said they want more safety precautions implemented and smaller class sizes.

The province reported 23 new cases and an additional death from COVID-19 on Friday. Thirteen people were in hospital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2020
(Newser)  "I went to Linda's house, and I intentionally killed her and then hid the body," Rebecca Lynn O'Donnell told a court in Arkansas Wednesday, pleading guilty to the 2019 murder of former state Sen. Linda Collins, KATV reports. O'Donnell, a former campaign aide who associates said was a "good friend" of the senator, was sentenced to 54 years in prison under a plea deal; ABC News calls it a "bombshell plea" and a "surprise twist" in the case, as O'Donnell had originally pleaded not guilty. She had been charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and attempting to hire two fellow inmates to kill Collins' ex-husband and make it look like a suicide. Collins' body was found by her son outside her home in June last year under a tarp in her driveway, so badly damaged that authorities initially could not identify her.

story continues below

Though the "why" of the murder remains unclear, Collins' son, Butch Smith, told the court that he believes O'Donnell, 49, had been stealing money from his mother and "snapped" and stabbed her when she was confronted about it. After O'Donnell was arrested on her way to the memorial service last year, her fiance, Tim Loggains, said the women had been "like sisters" and there was "not a chance" she was guilty. On Thursday, he released a statement describing Collins as a "dear friend." "To accept that I lived with someone so deviant, someone who could not only take a life but the life of someone who helped her in so many ways, without any indication of the darkness in her heart, was heartbreaking," he said. (Read more Arkansas stories.)
Alabama State Rep. Will Dismukes, R-Prattville, who last week came under fire for attending a birthday party for the Ku Klux Klans first leader, has been charged in connection with a theft at a business where he worked.

Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey made the announcement of the first-degree theft of property charge at a press conference this afternoon.

Bailey said his office launched an investigation after a May 20 complaint from the owners of Weiss Flooring about alleged theft of a large sum of money by an employee.

After countless hours of investigation, which consisted of witness interviews, obtaining bank records and gathering other evidence, a decision was made by myself and prosecutors in my office, along with these investigators, that probable cause existed that a crime had been committed, Bailey said.

A few minutes ago, a warrant for theft of property in the 1st degree, was signed by a representative of that business and issued by a Montgomery County magistrate for the arrest of Alabama state representative Will Dismukes.

Bailey said he was limited in what he could say about the circumstances of the alleged theft. He noted that the arrest is only an allegation.

Dismukes could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bailey said Dismukes attorney had been notified of the charge.

Thursday afternoon, the Montgomery County jail inmate search log showed Dismukes was arrested for first-degree theft with a bond amount of $5,000.

State Rep. Will Dismukes arrives at the Montgomery County Jail to turn himself in on felony theft charges. His attorney said he did not have any comment at this time. #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/u2aBSj7Z0c  Todd Stacy (@toddcstacy) August 7, 2020

Bailey did not disclose the amount of the alleged theft but said the charge of first-degree theft applies to amounts exceeding $2,500.

I will tell you that the alleged amount is a lot more than that, Bailey said.

Bailey said the time frame of the alleged theft was 2016-2018.

If convicted of the crime, a felony, Dismukes would automatically be removed from office. He was first elected to the seat in 2018.

Dismukes entered the race for Congress in Alabamas 2nd District last year, but dropped out in October.

Gov. Kay Ivey issued a statement after todays arrest. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and this is a process that will need to play out, Ivey said. However, if true, it is disappointing when a public official, elected with the confidence of the people, abuses that trust. I support the letter of the law, and no one is above it  especially those in public office.

Last week Dismukes stepped down as pastor of a Baptist church after a controversy over his recent 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 after backlash resulting from a Facebook post highlighting his attendance at the birthday party for early KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was grand wizard from 1867-69.

Dismukes gave the invocation at the party held July 25 at Fort Dixie in Selma, an event that coincided with ceremonies honoring the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an Alabama native and longtime Georgia congressman who was a leader in the civil rights movement and was badly beaten at the Bloody Sunday march in Selma in 1965.

The Alabama Democratic Party called for Dismukes to resign over the Forrest celebration incident, as did Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville. The Republican Party called the appearance improper.

As Alabama honored the late Rep. John Lewis, state Rep. Will Dismukes attended a birthday party for the founder of the KKK.

We present to you State Representative Will Dismukes in all his mugshot glory. Dismukes is an embarrassment to this... Posted by Alabama Rally Against Injustice on Thursday, August 6, 2020

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BLACKFEET NATION, Mont., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Creatures, a story of the smallpox pandemic that decimated Native American tribes across the Western American territories, is currently being filmed on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, with shooting scheduled to wrap during the second week of August for a Winter 2020 international theatrical and streaming release. Creatures is a powerful reminder that what we are coping with as a world, is truly ancient history.

"Creatures": Filming is underway at the Blackfeet Reservation in Northern Montana "Creatures" Movie about a Pandemic being filmed during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Creatures is developed in cooperation with the Blackfeet Tribe of Montana, with a full cast of Indigenous actors, and several Blackfeet producers and crew members. The story is told through adventures of several youths from warring tribes who wrestle with the spread of the disease and the introduction of the horse, called "Creatures," that hold the promise of power.

"Our film follows the story of one Blackfeet man and his response to the same kind of issues that we, as a unified American people, are addressing today: how do you collectively manage a mysterious and deadly pathogen that rapidly spreads from person to person? The Blackfeet Nation has kept these stories alive for generations and now we are sharing them with the rest of the world. If there is one lesson that our past holds for this future generation, it's that fear is the deadliest weapon of all. "Conquer that, and logic will save you," says Pat "Judge" Hall, Producer and Locations and Wrangler for Creatures.

Smallpox was brought to the New World by the Spaniards and was later spread from tribe to tribe, as a deadly bioweapon. Smallpox was responsible for decimating entire tribes from the planet. It is estimated that over two thirds of the Blackfeet Tribe alone were killed in the first wave. The course of the disease vector across the Great Plains was accompanied by the proliferation of horses, called "elk-dogs," also imported by the Spanish, and came to represent a powerful weapon in the fight to conquer enemies and gain territory. The profound impact of the horse and its nascent relationship with the Blackfeet is a powerful metaphor woven through the tapestry of this gritty, personalized slice of Native American history.

Creatures is produced by KK Productions and is directed by Kristian Kery. It features a completely Native American cast and is shot on location in Blackfeet Nation, Montana.

For more information: www.creaturesmovie.com

Claire Richards: [email protected], (312) 576-8593

SOURCE Blackfeet Reservation
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has embarked on a three-district tour of western Uttar Pradesh to review the Covid-19 situation in view of the increasing number of cases of the Coronavirus.

He will review the pandemic situation in Bareilly, Meerut and Saharanpur divisions, and visit Bareilly, Saharanpur and Noida on Friday and Saturday.

Adityanath took a review meeting on the entire situation in the state on Friday before leaving for his tour.

According to the official spokesman, the chief minister will be hold a meeting with officials in Bareilly on Friday evening, and inaugurate a Covid-19 care hospital in Noida on Saturday. He will then proceed to Saharanpur for a meeting.

Adityanath will return to the state capital on Saturday evening.
Grand jury indicts man in overdose death

A Henderson County Grand Jury indicted a 24-year-old Swannanoa man on second-degree murder charges in the overdose death of a Flat Rock man last December.

Brandon Keith Morris is charged in the death of Joshua Wayne Hawkinson Dec. 4. The death was investigated by and presented to the grand jury by detectives of the Henderson County Sheriffs Office Major Crimes Unit. Morris is currently incarcerated at a North Carolina state prison and will be served with the indictment at a later date, the sheriff's office said.
Lebanon security forces fired teargas at demonstrators in Beirut, as Lebanon's government ignited their ire after a massive explosion on Tuesday.

According to the state media, security forces tackled dozens of anti-government demonstrators in central Beirut with some in the small protest being wounded.

The protesters made attempts to force their way through security barriers barring access to Parliament.

Also, demonstrators reportedly started a fire, hurled stones at the police, vandalized shops, made efforts for their entry into Nejmeh Square. Activists have called for more protests on Saturday, the 8th of August, in the wake of demands for accountability of the Lebanese government after the Port of Beirut explosion, reported Garda World.

The protesters who took to the streets of Beirut demanded that top officials should tender their resignation in the aftermath of at least 145 fatalities and around 5,000 injured.

According to government officials, the blast, which shattered windows miles away from the explosion site and leveled buildings, was caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stockpiled unsafely since 2013, reported Yahoo News.

The wreckage from Tuesday's blast in Beirut is still littering the whole area as the scuffles in central Beirut took place in a devastating street leading to Parliament.

The blast posed questions as to how a large cargo of the extremely explosive substance could have been left unbarred in a span of years, reported The New Arab.

The total number of fatalities was expected to increase as rescue workers dig through the debris. While neighborhoods were destroyed, the blast zone is currently a wasteland of blackened ruins.

The protestors whom were fired teargas by the Lebanese security forces call for further protests.

Also Read: Mother Safely Delivers Baby As Catastrophic Blast Ripped Beirut

The cause and aftermath of the explosive substance being left unsecured for a long time broadly appear as the most stunning expression of the Lebanese government's incompetence.

The blast came as Lebanon is fazed with its worst economic crisis since the civil war from 1975 to 1990.

Also, the blast added to the atrocity of a protest movement that surfaced in October to request] from across Lebanon to remove dust and debris from the neighborhoods skirting the explosion site. Some locals returned to their damaged homes and shops for the first time since the fatal incident.

Lebanon security forces responded with teargas to disperse the small but adamant crowd.

On Wednesday, August 5, a state of emergency was announced. Sixteen officials held accountable for the port's operation have been placed under arrest.

Accusations of mismanagement of the substance's stockpiling came amid sustained unrest since October 2019 over corruption and economic adversity within Lebanon. Demonstrators have asked for reforms to the country's governance.

Customs and port officials have affirmed that they requested numerous times for the ammonium nitrate, commonly used in explosives and fertilizer, to be traded internationally.

Two Lebanese government officials have tendered their resignation since Wednesday: the ambassador to Jordan, Tracy Chamoun, and a member of parliament, Marwan Hamade.

Related Article: How to Help Beirut, Lebanon Explosion Victims, and Other Causes

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


Pyongyang should stop irresponsible act



President Moon Jae-in expressed regret over North Korea's recent discharge of water from its dam just north of the inter-Korean border. "If North Korea notifies us in advance of its plans to release water from Hwanggang Dam, it would help us manage water levels in the Gunnam Dam," Moon said. It is rare for the President to voice a complaint about the actions of North Korea, as he has been pushing policies aimed at reconciliation and cooperation with the North despite resistance from the main opposition party and its conservative supporters.



Ruling Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon also criticized Pyongyang, saying, "The North's decision to discharge water from the dam without warning put the lives of our citizens at risk." The discharge prompted the local authorities to raise its disaster warning to the highest level, urging residents near Yeoncheon, Paju and the Imjin River, all in Gyeonggi Province to evacuate. Kim called on the Ministry of Unification to lodge a complaint and urge Pyongyang to not repeat such actions, while calling for closer inter-Korean cooperation to jointly tackle any disastrous flooding.



The North's action was completely inappropriate given the already serious flooding in the South and it violated the inter-Korean deal made in 2009 agreeing on the need for prior notice from the North when it discharges water from Hwanggang Dam. The agreement came in the wake of the deaths of six people in Yeoncheol when the North previously discharged water without informing the South in advance. Hwanggang Dam, located 40km north of the Military Demarcation Line was built to generate electricity and has a 350 million ton reservoir.



We believe Pyongyang was desperate to release the water as Hwanghae and Pyeongan provinces there have seen heavy downpours over recent days. But it cannot avoid responsibility for any damage caused by the discharge. It is all the more regrettable as the discharge came at a time when the unification ministry decided to offer $10 million in aid via the World Food Program to help North Korea's women and children.



The North should bear in mind that public opinion is a major factor in the South in determining national policy, including inter-Korean issues. If Pyongyang repeats such improper behavior, it will trigger unfavorable opinion here and could lead many to turn their back on the North.



South and North Korea need to find breakthrough in their stalled relations by expanding mutual cooperation in the health and anti-infectious disease areas as well as disaster relief. Such cooperation is essential in light of the persisting COVID-19 pandemic and the recent flooding in both halves of the peninsula. In addition to the assistance offered through the international organization, the Moon administration has also been active in pushing diverse inter-Korean projects including, for instance, the construction of cultural facilities for the promotion of peace and unification within the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Such projects will gain momentum only with an affirmative reaction from Pyongyang. The regime needs, for one thing, to abide by the 2009 agreement.




The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported on early Friday morning for the second Time in a row, more than 1000 Covid-19 infections in Germany. The RKI said the number 1147, in total, there are 214.214 confirmed cases. The number of deaths in connection with the Coronavirus rose by eight to 9183. On the day before the health authorities had reported to the RKI 1045 new infections within 24 hours.

Among the Federal States of North Rhine-Westphalia registered a 444, most of the new cases. It Hesse with 158 and Bavaria, with 128 new infections impact. The threshold of 1000 new Corona cases was last updated on August 7. May have been exceeded. After that, the number was decreased in tendency, since the end of July, the values rise again. The peak in new infections was achieved in early April with more than 6000.

The reproduction number, in short the R-value, according to the RKI estimates at 0.99 (before: 0.9) of. This means that an Infected in the Mediterranean infects about one other people. The R-value in each case forms the infection from happening about a week and a half before.

in Addition to the RKI, a so-called Seven-days-R. It refers to a longer period of time and is therefore subject to less current fluctuations. This value was 1.06 (previous day: 0,97). He shows that the Infection occurred from 8 to 16 days.

Spahn: With 1000 new infections can be avoided

the Federal health Minister Jens Spahn made it clear that he could see currently, there is no critical threshold is exceeded. "At the Moment we are, in each case, in a size order, with the health care and the public health service deal with it," said the CDU politician on Thursday night, the ZDF"heute Journal". "If we can stabilize us now, on a certain level, then we can deal with it. If the Numbers continue to rise, then it's up to us all to pay attention in everyday life to each other and to not make further measures necessary.

Spahn underscore the line, in the case of the cases, especially on regional measures. On the question of when a type of Lockdown will be necessary, he stressed, there was "a number that everything can be reduced". "It is the increase in factor  how much the dynamic of the infection is going to happen? It is the absolute number of infections. With the 1000 new infections per day, the health care system can handle.

rigor required

SPD-Secretary-General Lars Klingbeil called for a stricter crackdown against people who violate the mask duty. "Those who threaten lightly, not at a distance, and the mask of duty to ignore, so that the children go back to school and jobs can be saved", he is the editor-in network in Germany. "This is inconsiderate and irresponsible. However, we must speak. He expects, for example, of Deutsche Bahn, that she sets the mask duty on their trains consistently. Several States have recently announced to tighten their gait against the mask objectors.

With a view to the increased Numbers Klingbeil warned: "If we are not careful, are at risk the successes of the past months in the fight against Corona." All would have to maintain a mask of duty and clearance rules. "It is not in the interest of all, that Germany will slip into a second wave."

Updated Date: 07 August 2020, 06:19
Coronavirus test Germany Poland border

Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images

Germany recorded more than 1,000 daily new coronavirus cases for the first time in three months.

There were 1,045 new infections in Germany on Thursday, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

One in five new cases in Germany are believed to originate from abroad.

Merkel's government is making tests compulsory from all arrivals from "risk zone" countries and regions.

They include the US, Turkey, and parts of Spain and France. Those who refuse will be fined up to $29,500.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Germany will test all arrivals from "risk zone" countries like the US in an attempt to quell a second wave of the coronavirus that scientists say is already underway.

Health minister Jens Spahn on Thursday said that Germany would make testing compulsory for all arrivals from "risky" countries. These include the US, Turkey, and most countries outside of the European Union, as well as regions within the EU that are witnessing a spike in COVID-19 cases, like Luxembourg and parts of France and Spain.

German authorities will set up testing facilities at airports and where roads and railways cross the country's borders. Those who do not take a test will be fined up to 25,000 ($29,500), Spahn warned yesterday.

Germany like other countries of Europe is witnessing a steady but consistent rise in new coronavirus cases.

On Thursday it recorded over 1,000 daily new cases of the COVID-19 virus for the first time since May 7.

There were 1,045 new infections yesterday, according to the Robert Koch Institute, which this week said the upward trend in the recent COVID-19 case numbers was "very concerning."This number is up significantly since mid-July, when Germany was recording daily new cases fewer than 400.

The institute estimates that one in five of Germany's coronavirus cases originates from abroad, compared to just one in 250 cases three months ago, The Times of London newspaper reports.

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Marburger Bund, the trade union for doctors and medical students in Germany, this week warned that the country was showing signs of a second wave of the coronavirus after effectively suppressing the virus earlier in the summer.

President Susanne Johna told German media: "We are already in a second, shallow upswing."

Johna emphasised that the second wave was not as severe as the first in March and April, when Germany's health authorities recorded thousands of new cases every day.

However, she warned that the situation would escalate unless people continued to practise good hygiene, wear masks, and observe social distancing, amid warnings that the public was losing interest in adhering to the measures.

"There is a danger that we will lose the successes that we have achieved in Germany so far in a combination of repression and longing for normality," she said. "We all long for normality. But we are in a state that is not normal."

German Health Minister Jens Spahn.

Henning Schacht - Pool/Getty Images

Germany was praised for its early efforts in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. It had recorded 9,175 deaths as of Wednesday morning, a far lower figure than other European countries including France, Spain, Italy, and the UK.

However, the country is bracing itself for the number of cases to continue increasing over the next few weeks, amid concerns that warm weather predicted over the next few days will lead to large crowds of people.

The Times of London this week reported that German hospitals were bracing themselves a challenging autumn as the new cases of COVID-19 rise again, with some regions warning that non-urgent operations may have to be postponed.

Read the original article on Business Insider
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus honored its Family of the Year and councils throughout the world with international service awards during a virtual awards ceremony at the Knights' 138th annual convention this week. In addition to recognizing its Family of the Year, the awards recognize outstanding programs in the categories of Faith, Family, Community and Life.

In a year of extraordinary challenges, we witnessed extraordinary achievements by our Knights of Columbus family," said K of C Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. "The work of these awardees especially stands out. By putting their faith in action, they show how each of us can help our neighbors, serve God, and bring relief in a turbulent world."

The award categories and this year's recipients include:

Family of the Year: The Family of Jaime and Laura Morales, Cody, Wyoming

Jaime Morales, his wife Laura and their four daughters have faithfully served their parish and community in Cody, Wyoming, by providing extensive service and support to the parish, Bishop Maurice F. Burke Council 4031, and local community. They have helped minister to a growing Hispanic population in the Catholic community, starting a Cinco de Mayo fundraising dinner, planning a feast day Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, and helping to incorporate La Posada into the parish Christmas celebrations. Their pastor, Father Vernon Clark, calls the Morales family "truly one of the finest families in our parish."

Faith: St. Francis of Assisi Council 16356, Kings Bay, Georgia

The St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Community, which serves the spiritual needs of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, was without a full-time priest for more than three years. To continue providing for the spiritual needs of the community in the absence of a chaplain, Council 16356 put their faith to work in service to their fellow Catholics by overseeing a weekly Eucharistic Holy Hour and a monthly Family Prayer and Movie night to bring together the community's Catholic families. When the base received a full-time Catholic chaplain in October 2019, he was able to step into his duties immediately, thanks to the devotion of Council 16356.

Life: Blessed Mykolay Charnetsky Council 16848, Zolochiv, Ukraine

When children with special needs require help, Blessed Mykolay Charnetsky Council 16848 in Zolochiv, Ukraine, responds with the power of fraternity. Whether it's a child with cerebral palsy in need of a walker or a family in need of life-saving medicine, Council 16848 heeds the call to serve. One council member even traveled across Europe to purchase needed medicine in Germany for a child in Ukraine. In total, the council provided support for 50 children with special needs during the 2019-2020 fraternal year.

Family: Council 15672, Czestochowa, Poland

To celebrate International Women's Day in a distinctly Catholic way, Council 15672 in Czestochowa, Poland, focused on the role of women in families and consecrated all the families of their parish to the Holy Family. In March 2020, the Knights hosted a gathering for families where they reflected on the model of the Holy Family, listened to a lecture on modern day obstacles that Catholic families face, and made special time for husbands and children to celebrate their wives and mothers. The following day during Mass, families consecrated themselves to the Holy Family and a collection was taken up for a parish family that has a child with special needs.

Community: Council 5468, Campbell River, B.C.

Since 1972, Council 5468 has served the less fortunate of Campbell River, British Columbia, with their annual Christmas Hamper Fund. Last year, the Christmas Hamper Fund collected donations from the community and provided 1,154 "hampers" filled with food and other basic necessities for families and individuals facing financial difficulties. The council even provided toys for children and gives special attention to senior citizens and those with mobility limitations. The Council 5468 Hamper Fund is a massive aid to those in need today.

About the Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus is one of the world's leading fraternal and service organizations with 2 million members in more than 16,000 parish-based councils. During the past year, Knights around the world donated more than 77 million service hours and $187 million for worthy causes in their communities. The organization also provides financial services to groups and individuals, resulting in more than $112 billion of life insurance in force, and through its money management firm, Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors, it invests in accord with Catholic social teachings. From helping children in need, to providing wheelchairs for the disabled, to helping stock food banks, to offering top-rated and affordable insurance products to its members, the Knights of Columbus has supported families and communities for more than 138 years.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus

Related Links

www.kofc.org


New Delhi:

Heavy rush is expected at ATMs as banks will remain closed on on account of BR Ambedkar's death anniversary.



Banks were opened on after a day-break. On too, people faced hard time as people thronged banks counter to withdrawal money. By evening, ATMs at most of the places run out of cash.



On 2 December, AIBEA and the All India Bank Officers' Association wrote a letter detailing the hardships that were being faced by banks employees.



The letter detailed the problem of cash crunch at banks. "While RBI is repeatedly making statements that ample currency is being given to banks, the reality is otherwise. The public feels that RBI is supplying cash to Banks and bank employees are deliberately not extending payments," it read.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
The Centre has asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to approach the city government for financial assistance for repayment of the soft loan it had taken from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for various projects.

The DMRC had received a total loan of Rs 35,198 crore from JICA.

We have received such a communication from the ministry recently. The same is being examined and processed, said Anuj Dayal, Executive Director, DMRC.

He responded to a query over reports that the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has directed all metros to write to their respective state governments for assistance regarding repayment of loans taken from external lending agencies.

The loan was given to the Delhi Metro at a concessional rate of interest varying from 1.2 per cent to 2.3 per cent, and was repayable in 30 years with a moratorium of 10 years.

Till now, the DMRC has repaid Rs 3,337 crore to JICA, and the balance liability was of Rs 31,861 crore.

Delhi Metro operations have been closed for the public since March 22 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to curb the spread of the disease.

This closure of services in the past few months has led to a loss in revenue for the urban transporter worth around Rs 1,300 crore.

On Friday, sources said, the DMRC has not yet approached the Delhi government on the loan issue.

For financial year 2020-21, DMRC is required to pay Rs 1,242.83 crore (Rs 434.15 crore interest and Rs 808.68 crore principal) to the Centre towards JICA loan for the loan.

The DMRC has paid Rs 79.19 crore on account of interest during this year, and a balance of Rs 1,163.64 crore (Rs 354.96 cr interest and Rs 808.68 cr principal) is yet to be paid during the current financial year, sources said.
What just happened? What do Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and now Mark Zuckerberg have in common? In addition to making their fortunes in the tech industry, they are the only people in the world to be worth over $100 billion. Zuckerberg joined the centibillionaire club after shares of Facebook, of which he owns a 13 percent stake, surged on news of Instagrams new TikTok-style Reels feature.

According to Bloombergs Billionaires Index, Zuckerbergs wealth now exceeds $100 billion, putting him behind Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ($120 billion) and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, whos now worth an incredible $190 billion.

Zuckerberg attained centibillionaire status after Facebooks shares jumped by more than 6 percent yesterday on the back of news that Instagram, which the social network owns, has launched its Reels feature. Much like TikTok, users can record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools before sharing them.

Facebooks shares will likely continue to rise after Donald Trump signed an executive order banning US transactions with TikTok. It comes into effect on September 20, which means that unless Microsoft does acquire its US operations, the app faces an uncertain future in the States.

Back in June, Zuckerberg found himself $7 billion poorer, but remained the fourth-richest person in the world, after a number of companies took part in a Facebook boycott over the platforms inaction against hate speech. Across the entire year, however, the CEO has seen his wealth grow about $22 billion. Thats small change to Bezos, though, whos become $75 billion richer in 2020 so far.

US senator and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said he plans to introduce a tax on obscene wealth gains made by the super rich during the Covid-19 crisis. The Make Billionaires Pay Act would put a 60 percent tax on the increase in billionaires net worth from March 18 through to the end of the year.
New Delhi, Aug 7 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the new National Education Policy (NEP) will change the focus from 'What to Think' to 'How to Think'.

Outlining the major shift in the education policy, Modi said, "In our education system the focus has been on 'What to Think' while the new Education Policy will emphasise on 'How to Think'." He said that the National Education Policy is set to lay the foundation of new India of 21st century

Transformative reforms in higher education under the NEP were discussed in the virtual conference on Friday. Union Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal, National Education Policy Preparation Committee chairman Dr K Kasturirangan, vice-chancellors of universities, directors of institutions and principals of colleges participated in the conference.

Addressing all stakeholders in the meeting, Prime Minister Modi said that an effort is being made to ensure the talent in India is retained to keep developing the country for the generations ahead.

"There is a lot of emphasis on teacher training under the National Education Policy. An effort has been made on constantly updating teachers' skills. We all must work together to implement the National Education Policy," Modi added.

The Prime Minister said, "A new era of dialogue and coordination with universities, colleges, school education boards of different states involving various stakeholders is going to begin. Dignity of teachers has been taken special care under the National Education Policy." On the issue of language in the education system, Prime Minister Modi said, "There is no doubt that if the language spoken by the children and the language of learning in school are same, it will improve the speed of learning in children. Hence, it has been agreed to teach children in their mother tongue till the fifth grade." Modi said in the present world there is no shortage of information and content. The effort now is to emphasise on 'Inquiry, Discovery and Analytics' based methods for children to learn.

This will increase the urge for learning in children and increase their participation in the classes.

The Prime Minister said every student must get this opportunity to follow their passion. A student could follow any degree or course according to his convenience and need and, if they like, they can leave it as well. This is the thinking behind freeing education from choosing streams, multiple entry and exit as well as following a credit-based system. We are moving towards the times where a person is not restrained to one profession throughout their life. For this it is a must for children to constantly upgrade their skills and learn new skills, too.

Addressing academicians, the Prime Minister said that the world has high expectations from 21st century India. India's ability to deliver talent and technology solutions to the whole world is also included in our new education policy.

Describing the features of the new education policy, Modi said the virtual lab concept is going to realise the dreams of better education for millions of children who could not read such subjects in which lab experiments are necessary. When these reforms are seen in institutions and infrastructure, only then can the National Education Policy be implemented at a more effective and rapid pace.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Does the August share price for Tribal Group plc (LON:TRB) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

See our latest analysis for Tribal Group

Step by step through the calculation

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Levered FCF (, Millions) UK9.60m UK10.3m UK10.8m UK11.2m UK11.6m UK11.8m UK12.1m UK12.3m UK12.5m UK12.7m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 4.9% Est @ 3.8% Est @ 3.02% Est @ 2.48% Est @ 2.1% Est @ 1.84% Est @ 1.65% Est @ 1.52% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 6.8% UK9.0 UK9.0 UK8.9 UK8.6 UK8.3 UK8.0 UK7.7 UK7.3 UK6.9 UK6.6

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK80m

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We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.8%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2030  (1 + g)  (r  g) = UK13m (1 + 1.2%)  (6.8% 1.2%) = UK232m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK232m ( 1 + 6.8%)10= UK121m

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is UK201m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK0.6, the company appears quite undervalued at a 40% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

The assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Tribal Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. What is the reason for the share price sitting below the intrinsic value? For Tribal Group, there are three essential aspects you should look at:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Tribal Group that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does TRB's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the AIM every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
CLEVELAND (AP)  A lengthy FBI agent affidavit detailing an alleged $60 million corruption scheme led by one of Ohio's most powerful elected officials provides painstaking detail about groups and individuals who played roles in spending mostly corporate cash.

Only one of those groups is specifically named: Generation Now, a purported slush fund controlled by since-ousted Republican House Speaker Larry Householder and his closest political adviser, Jeffrey Longstreth.

Householder, Longstreth, three other individuals and Generation Now were indicted on federal racketeering charges last week, the same day Householder's House colleagues removed him as speaker.

Prosecutors allege nearly all of the money spent to get Householder elected speaker, push a $1 billion corporate bailout through the Legislature and fund a dirty tricks campaign to kill an anti-bailout voter referendum touched Generation Now in some way.

The $60 million came from what the affidavit and indictment describe as Company A, an obvious reference to FirstEnergy Corp. and its various affiliates. But there are a number of other groups that played key roles that are not identified. Using public records, media reports and clues in the affidavit, here are the names of the groups and a synopsis of the roles they played:

GENERATION NOW

The affidavit and indictment detail how Householder and Longstreth used this dark money group as the main conduit for $60 million in payments from FirstEnergy Corp. affiliates to return Householder to power, push a $1 billion bailout for two aging nuclear plants through the Legislature and keep an anti-bailout referendum off the Ohio ballot.

Generation Now was incorporated in Ohio on July 26, 2017, to promote social welfare and economic development. Incorporation papers were signed by D. Eric Lycan, a Lexington, Kentucky, attorney who served as counsel for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's 2014 re-election campaign and was formerly counsel for the Kentucky Republican Party, leaving that position in April 2019.

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Lycan did not return repeated messages seeking comment.

COMPANY A

Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp. has acknowledged it is Company A that is referenced throughout the affidavit and indictment. FirstEnergy officials have long been aggressive in differentiating between the corporation and its affiliates, including one that operated two Ohio nuclear plants.

A FirstEnergy subsidiary called FirstEnergy Services Co. wired and wrote checks for most of the money sent to Generation Now, according to the affidavit. FirstEnergy Service Co., provides the corporation with "legal, financial and other corporation support services."

First Energy Corp. CEO and President Chuck Jones serves in the same leadership role for FirstEnergy Service Co.

FirstEnergy spokesperson Jennifer Young said Wednesday that the corporation is conducting a thorough review of everything cited in the affidavit to determine the facts.

We believe the facts will become clearer as the investigation progresses, Young said.

PAC

This is the unnamed political action group that helped Householder-supported House candidates win primaries in 2018 as part of the alleged scheme to further his aims of being elected House speaker and getting the the bailout legislation approved.

By matching descriptions in the affidavit with public records and media reports, the unnamed group is Growth & Opportunity PAC, incorporated in July 2015 by Lycan. Identified as the attorney in the affidavit, Lycan served as treasurer for Generation Now, according to incorporation records, Growth & Opportunity PAC and a related coalition.

The PAC spent $1 million funneled from Generation Now to aid Householder-backed candidates during the 2018 primary and another $1 million Generation Now wired to another organization tied to Lycan to help Householder candidates in the April 2020 primaries, according to the affidavit.

COALITION

Descriptions in the affidavit show this unnamed group is Coalition for Growth & Opportunity, which Lycan incorporated in Delaware the day after he incorporated the similarly named PAC in 2015.

Lycan is listed as treasurer, and the affidavit said he controlled its bank account, although a resume for Longstreth obtained by FBI agents states he oversaw the coalition's political activities.

Earlier this year, the coalition received $1 million from Generation Now that was passed on to Growth & Opportunity PAC for House primary races. According to the affidavit, the coalition was used to fund PAC spending this year because of negative publicity surrounding Generation Now's spending efforts and the reluctance by Householder's candidates to be associated with Generation Now.

DARK MONEY GROUP 1

A dark money group separate from Generation Now, his was an organization that was used by Householder's enterprise to conceal money on media buys during the 2018 general election, according to the affidavit.

The group was incorporated in Ohio on Sept. 21, 2018, which matches state records and reporting by The Columbus Dispatch as a for-profit company called Hardworking Ohioans Inc.

Dark Money Group 1, The Dispatch, reported, was run by a Columbus lobbying firm and formed by two former Ohio House Republican senior staffers.

According to the affidavit, Dark Money Group 1 received nearly $1.5 million, including $670,000 from Generation Now, $500,000 from Company A and $300,000 from other corporate interests.

ENERGY PASS-THROUGH

This is a group described in the affidavit as a nonprofit incorporated in Ohio on Feb. 8, 2017, two days after it was incorporated in Delaware. According to the affidavit, Its role was to funnel millions of dollars from Company A to Generation Now in 2018 and 2019.

The Cincinnati Enquirer identified the group two days after the release of the FBI affidavit as Partners for Progress and reported that former FirstEnergy lobbyist, Dan McCarthy, was the group's president.

McCarthy said he served as board president for Partners for Progress until he became Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's legislative director in late 2018.

Any insinuation I was involved in this disgusting scheme is without merit, McCarthy told the newspaper.

The affidavit indicates that Partners in Progress continued to work with Generation Now and Company A to successfully quash the anti-bailout referendum effort in the fall of 2019 after McCarthy went to work for DeWine.

___

This story has been corrected to report that D. Eric Lycan is the former, not current, counsel for the Republican Party of Kentucky.
I ve got to admit, I didnt know how to answer the question. A doctor  how do I put this delicately  had his finger up my bum the other day and asked if I was feeling sensitive. In the end I nodded Yes, then tried to lighten the mood by asking if we got to cuddle now.

For some reason, the doctor didnt laugh at my hilarious quip. Instead he took off his latex glove and told me I had prostatitis, meaning my prostate has temporarily swollen to the size of a 90-year-olds  which explained why Im currently waking up several times a night to go to the bathroom.

When I asked the doctor what might have caused it, he said it was almost certainly due to tension  and he recommended that I try to relax. Fat chance, I thought.

Its an incredibly stressful time to be an entrepreneur  Ive had to furlough most of my team in London and Lisbon, and lay off the majority of my staff in Los Angeles.

Retail needs therapy: shoppers return to Oxford Street  but many consumers have got used to buying online in lockdown and may no longer rely on the high street / AFP via Getty Images

Im one of the lucky ones. Ive cut my own salary by 20 per cent to help the company, but thats nothing compared with the anguish of losing your job altogether. And at least my company Second Home will survive  our biggest investors are putting in extra funding to help us weather the storm, which sadly isnt the case for many small firms.

But heres the toughest part: the worst is yet to come. You might think thats overly pessimistic, seeing as the British economy is already roughly 25 per cent smaller than it was in February  and the slump weve just experienced is the deepest recession for 300 years.

However, the fact is the full impact of the Governments blanket lockdown strategy has been masked by the Chancellor Rishi Sunaks generous wage support scheme, which has been helping millions of furloughed workers over the past few months.

That scheme is now coming to an end, as it has to. But tragically, the scale of job losses is likely to be vast. According to the Resolution Foundation thinktank, we could see a million British workers lose their jobs in the hospitality and leisure sectors alone.

More than half of all UK manufacturers expect to cut jobs over the next six months. And unemployment could hit three million this year  its highest level for decades. As Frances OGrady, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, rightly puts it: Theres a national disaster unfolding.

The harsh reality is that many of the jobs that will be lost in the coming months may never come back. Take retail, for example  plenty of consumers have got used to buying online during lockdown, and might not rely on shops in the same way again.

So what will happen to those shop workers? If you look at previous recessions and economic ruptures, you find that lots of people who lost their jobs never found new ones. Just think of the closure of the coal mining industry in the Eighties, or the decline of manufacturing in northern towns  huge numbers became permanently unemployed.

Are we doomed to repeat the pattern of the past? Or was the late Clive James onto something when he wrote that history is the story of everything that neednt have been like that?

One radical idea to break the cycle would be to introduce a Danish-style skills training programme, in place of the wage support scheme. Let me explain. In Britain today, if you lose your job and want to retrain, youre likely to have to spend a lot of money yourself  often by borrowing money and going into debt. If you think about it, thats pretty tough  youve lost your job through no fault of your own, and you need to reskill, but you get little or no government help, even though its in societys best interests that you improve your skills and find employment.

In Denmark the state not only pays for your training but you get a decent wage while you are studying

Thats very different to Denmark, where the state not only pays for your training, you also get a decent wage while youre studying.

Thats vital if you want to encourage people to get additional qualifications  its hard enough to go through the struggle of learning something new, without the added burden of having no salary and racking up debts while youre doing it.

Just imagine if this policy was applied to the UK. If everyone who ends up losing their job also has the chance to upskill  or retrain for a different career entirely  future generations might look back and say we used this crisis to structurally improve the skills base of the country, and emerged from the pandemic stronger than before.

None of this will come cheap, but one way of paying for it would be to tweak the Treasurys accounting rules so that adult skills training gets treated as capital spending  exactly like investment in infrastructure.

That might sound hellishly boring, but bear with me. Because the capital budget is typically underspent each year, theres potential for billions of pounds to be freed up  and theres a solid intellectual justification for this change: investing in human capital is a long-term investment in much the same way as building railways or roads, and can similarly boost economic growth for years to come.

My worries at work might have caused my prostate to go haywire, but at least Im still working. Those facing a difficult future across the country deserve more than just welfare payments  they should have the chance to learn new skills and find a fulfilling new career. This is one of those moments when government policy could make a profound difference. Lets hope we make the most of it.
Pope appoints 6 women to previously all-male Vatican council

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Pope Francis has appointed six women to a high-level group that oversees financial matters in Vatican City that was previously only comprised of men.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church appointed the six women to the Council for the Economy, which was created in 2014 by the pontiff.

Announced Thursday, the new female appointees are Charlotte Kreuter-Kirchhof and Marija Kolak of Germany, Maria Osacar Garaicoechea and Eva Castillo Sanz of Spain, and Ruth Kelly and Leslie Ferrar of the United Kingdom.

Kelly and Ferrar each have public service experience, with Kelly having served as a minister in the government of former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Ferrar being a former treasurer for the Prince of Wales.

It is wonderful to see the pope's commitment to promoting women to decision-making posts in the Vatican, said Kelly to the National Catholic Reporter.

In addition to the six women, the membership will include one male lay leader and eight cardinals, among them Cardinal Joseph Tobin of New Jersey.

I see their nomination as an effort by Pope Francis to ensure greater opportunities for women to offer their gifts in service to the church, stated Tobin to the NCR.

He clearly considers the academic formation and vast experience of these colleagues as crucial contributions to one of his cherished priorities, the ongoing reform of the financial administration of the Holy See.

While stopping short of supporting female ordination, Francis has had a record of appointing women to prominent leadership roles within the Catholic Church.

In April 2018, Francis appointed three female theologians to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is tasked with defending Catholic doctrine.

The 2018 appointments marked the first time that women and laity were represented in the CDF, a move that the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano labeled "historic."

Later that year, Francis was asked about opening the door to female ordination, but he rejected the idea, while stressing that there is no Church without women.

With sacred orders, you can't do anything because dogmatically it doesn't go  and John Paul II was clear and closed the door, and I won't turn on this. It was a serious thing, not capricious, said the pontiff at the time, as reported by Crux.

But we mustn't reduce the presence of the women to their role ... No, it's a thing that man can't do. Man cannot be the bride of Christ. It's the woman, the Church, the bride of Christ.
Atlanta City Councilman Antonio Brown, leader of a group that is bringing bus loads of people to Louisville and Chattanooga today (Friday) for racial protests, was indicted last week by federal authorities on multiple fraud charges.

Prosecutors said it was in connection with Browns attempts to defraud several financial institutions by taking out loans and making credit card purchases  and then falsely claiming that he was the victim of identity theft and was not responsible for the charges or repaying the loans.

"For years, Antonio Brown allegedly sought to defraud a number of banks and credit card companies by falsely claiming that he was the victim of identity theft," said U.S.

Attorney Byung J. "BJay" Pak. "Browns scheme was eventually brought to light, resulting in his indictment by the grand jury."

"We are committed to working with our Federal law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue those who falsely claim their identity was stolen in an attempt to defraud financial institutions," said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General of Social Security. "I thank the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS Criminal Investigation for their efforts in this case, and the United States Attorneys Office for bringing these charges."

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and other information presented in court: Beginning in 2012, Antonio Brown opened a number of credit cards, which he then used to make thousands of dollars worth of purchases for his own personal benefit. Brown also obtained over $60,000 in automobile loans to finance the purchases of a Mercedes C300 and a Range Rover. Despite opening and using these credit cards and despite taking the money for the two automobile loans, Brown allegedly falsely claimed that his identity had been stolen and that someone else had made the credit card purchases or had taken out these loans.

The indictment further alleges that Brown provided false information to Signature Bank when applying for a $75,000 loan in August 2017. During the loan application process, Brown provided a personal financial statement falsely claiming that he earned $325,000 per year and had $200,000 in available cash or assets. Brown allegedly knew this information was false because he had recently submitted other loan applications reporting far less income and available cash or assets. For instance, in a July 2017 loan application to another bank, Brown submitted a 2016 federal income tax return reporting that he earned $125,000 per year (which was $200,000 less than what he represented that his income was to Signature Bank). Further, in an August 2017 loan application to yet another bank, Brown claimed he had an annual salary of $175,000 (which was $150,000 less than what he told Signature Bank), and only had $25,000 in available cash and assets (which was $175,000 less than what he told Signature Bank).

U.S. Attorney Pak noted that the charges in the indictment all relate to conduct that occurred before Brown was elected to the Atlanta City Council.

On July 29, the Grand Jury charged Brown, 35, with wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, and making false statements on a bank loan application.
When she began her career in the late 1950s, years before universities began offering computer science degrees, software programmers working on room-size mainframe computers were hampered by having to hand-code programs line by line and spend time figuring out how to adjust slow software to run faster. These tweaks often led to more complexity and bugs in the software. The advent of software compilers allowed for the automatic optimization of software, which freed up valuable time for programmers and resulted in more-powerful and more-useful software.
The lawsuit contains a revelatory allegation about why Aljabri was fired in September 2015 after a decade as one of the CIAs most valued contacts on counterterrorism. That complaint alleges that Aljabri had met that July with John Brennan, then head of the CIA, to warn him that MBS was encouraging Russian intervention in Syria. Two months later, Russia sent troops and, according to the lawsuit, Aljabri was sacked in reprisal for talking to Brennan.
- S. Korea reports 20 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 14,519

- 1 more coronavirus deaths, death toll at 303

- 42 more patients released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 13,543



South Korea's new virus cases fell sharply on Friday as local infections grew again in a single-digit figure. But new cluster infections at restaurants and churches are still straining the country's anti-virus fight.



The country added 20 cases, including nine local infections, raising the total caseload to 14,519, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).



On Thursday, the new virus cases rose above 40 for the first time since July 29, when the figure reached 48, with domestic cases outnumbering imported ones for the first time in 13 days.



South Korea added just 23 total cases on Monday as local infections reached a three-month low. But sporadic cluster infections have led to yet another uptick in the number of local cases. Of the locally-transmitted cases added on Friday, six were from the capital city of Seoul.



A total of 15 cases have been traced to a coffee shop and a restaurant in southern Seoul as of Thursday, up two from a day earlier.



One more patient was traced to a church in the eastern Seoul ward of Songpa on the previous day, bringing total infections from the church to 22 as well.













Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul added three new cases.



Health authorities said 336 people who attended an Islamic festival in Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul where six virus patients were confirmed Wednesday, tested negative for COVID-19. More investigation is underway.



Cases coming in from overseas have risen by double-digit numbers for 43 consecutive days. Among the 11 additional cases, five were detected at quarantine checkpoints at ports and airports.



The daily imported cases reached a record on Feb. 25 by reaching 86.



The country suffered a sharp increase in the number of such cases due to South Korean workers returning home from Iraq, along with sailors from Russian ships docked at its port.



Since June, 94 seafarers from nine Russia-flagged ships docked in Busan have tested positive for COVID-19.



The country reported one more, keeping the number of fatalities at 303, according to the KCDC.



The number of patients fully cured of the virus reached 13,543, up 42 from the previous day. (Yonhap)
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The United States has recorded more than 2,000 COVID-19 deaths in a 24-hour period as the death toll surpassed 160,000 and Dr Anthony Fauci warned there is 'trouble ahead' for some cities if they don't act now to stop the spread.

Deaths in the US exceeded the grim 160,000 mark on Friday, which is nearly a quarter of the global COVID-19 death toll. The number of positive cases across the US is now at nearly 4.9 million.

The US added 2,060 deaths in 24 hours as of 8.30pm on Thursday, AFP reported, citing the Johns Hopkins University live tally. The last time the US recorded more than 2,000 deaths in a 24-hour period was on May 7.

Deaths have increased by 10,000 in just nine days. On a per-capita basis, the US now ranks 10th highest in the world for both cases and deaths.

Coronavirus deaths are still rising in 23 states, while cases are increasing in 20 states, according to a Reuters analysis comparing data from the past two weeks to the previous two.

Deaths in the US exceeded the grim 160,000 mark on Friday, which is nearly a quarter of the global COVID-19 death toll, after increasing by 10,000 in just nine days

Many of the new deaths have come from the hotspot states of California, Florida and Texas, which are also the top three states for total cases.

While infections appear to be declining in those states, new outbreaks are emerging coast-to-coast.

White House coronavirus task force coordinator, Dr Deborah Birx, warned this week that the cities of Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Washington could face outbreaks due to an uptick in the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive.

Following her warning, fellow task force member Dr Anthony Fauci said on Thursday: 'This is a predictor of trouble ahead.'

Fauci was asked on CNN about Birx's comments identifying new areas of concern in major cities, even as authorities see encouraging signs across the South.

Even in cities and states where most people are doing things right, Fauci said, a segment of people not wearing masks or following social distancing remains vulnerable to infection and can keep the virus smoldering in US communities.

'Unless everybody pulls together, and gets the level way down over baseline, we're going to continue to see these kind of increases that Dr Birx was talking about in several of those cities,' Fauci said.

New cases are now starting to decline across the country after a surge in July

The number of positive cases across the US is now at nearly 4.9 million

Many of the new deaths have come from the hotspot states of California, Florida and Texas, which are also the top three states for total cases. While infections appear to be declining in those states, new outbreaks are emerging coast-to-coast

Public health experts have in recent days sent regular warnings to cities and states not to relax anti-coronavirus measures too much before the virus is under sufficient control.

On average, 1,000 American are dying each day from COVID-19.

President Donald Trump, in contrast, has played down the staying power of the virus, saying on Wednesday 'it will go away like things go away' as he urged US schools to reopen on time for face-to-face lessons.

Fauci has also said children should be sent back to class as soon as possible.

It comes as a new forecast predicted the US death toll would almost double by the end of the year but 70,000 lives could be saved if everyone wears a mask.

The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics revised its death toll forecast on Thursday to predict nearly 300,000 deaths by December 1.

Researchers say that 70,000 lives could be saved if 95 percent of Americans wear masks from today when they leave their homes.

IHME Director Dr Christopher Murray acknowledged there appears to be fewer transmissions of the virus in the hotspot states of Arizona, California, Florida and Texas but said deaths are rising and will continue to rise for the next week or two.

CHICAGO: In Chicago, there are an average of 294 new cases and two deaths every day. As of Thursday, there were 62,797 cases of COVID-19 and 2,798 deaths among Chicago residents

WASHINGTON: The total number of positive cases in Washington DC is now at 12,589 and deaths are at 589

BOSTON: In Boston, the number of infections has now reached 14,323 and the death toll is at 735

DETROIT: In Detroit, there have have been 12,914 confirmed cases and 1,493 deaths

He put the drop in infections down to a combination of local mandates for mask use, bar and restaurant closures and more responsible behavior by the public.

'The public's behavior had a direct correlation to the transmission of the virus and, in turn, the numbers of deaths,' Murray said.

'Such efforts to act more cautiously and responsibly will be an important aspect of COVID-19 forecasting and the up-and-down patterns in individual states throughout the coming months and into next year.

'We're seeing a rollercoaster in the United States.

'It appears that people are wearing masks and socially distancing more frequently as infections increase, then after a while as infections drop, people let their guard down and stop taking these measures to protect themselves and others  which, of course, leads to more infections. And the potentially deadly cycle starts over again.'

Murray said that based on cases, hospitalizations and deaths, several states are seeing increases in the transmission of COVID-19, including Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Virginia.

'These states may experience increasing cases for several weeks and then may see a response toward more responsible behavior,' Murray said.
Donald Trumps executive order that bans the video-sharing app TikTok borrows from India's rationale to act against controversial apps. The order makes the US only the second country after India to ban the popular Chinese app.

Referring to India's stance on the ban, the order issued early morning on August 7 stated:

The Government of India recently banned the use of TikTok and other Chinese mobile applications throughout the country; in a statement, Indias Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asserted that they were stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.

India had banned TikTok along with 58 other Chinese-owned apps noting that they are engaged in activities which are prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.

Also Read: Donald Trump signs executive orders banning TikTok, Wechat

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had also said that it had received many complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India.

"The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures," the statement issued on June 29 had said then.

After Indias ban, TikToks parent company ByteDance reportedly went on a lobbying spree in the US to ensure it doesnt lose ground in an effort to convince lawmakers and administration officials that its allegiance lies with the United States, not China.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is in talks to buy TikTok from ByteDance. As per latest reports, the US-based tech giant wants to take over its operations in India and Europe as well apart from the US.

A separate executive order has banned WeChat, Chinese tech giant Tencent-owned messaging app.

The executive order will come into effect in 45 days.

The US governments order may force other countries into considering a ban on Chinese apps that are detrimental to security.
India put international spotlight on Pakistans continued patronage to terrorism and terrorist organizations with a special mention to the D-Company-- headed by Mumbai blast accused Dawood Ibrahimduring a debate at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday.

Hitting out at Pakistan after it unsuccessfully tried to internationalize the Kashmir issue at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, India pointed out the neighbouring country role in arms trafficking, narcotics trade and in harbouring terrorists and terrorist entities proscribed by the UN.

An organized crime syndicate, the D-Company, that used to smuggle gold and counterfeit currencies transformed into a terrorist entity overnight causing a series of bomb blasts in the city of Mumbai in 1993. The attack resulted in the loss of more than 250 innocent lives and damage to property worth millions of dollars. The perpetrator of that incident also, unsurprisingly, continues to enjoy patronage in a neighboring country, a hub for arms trafficking and narcotics trade, along with other terrorists and terrorist entities that have been proscribed by the United Nations, India said during the debate.

Watch: Absurd, obsessed: India slams Pakistan over map claiming Gujarat, J&K parts

Indian agencies believe that Dawood Ibrahim is being protected by Pakistans ISI, which has further used his network for its own objectives. Pakistan, aided by China had attempted to raise Kashmir issue at the UNSC for the third time since last August to coincide with the anniversary of the revocation of the Article 370, but UNSC rebuffed the attempts calling it a bilateral issue.

During the discussions, India called out Pakistan for cross border terrorism and stressed that there can be no justification of any form of terrorism to counter Pakistans narrative on Kashmir.

Terrorism is one of the most serious threats that mankind faces today. The scourge of terrorism does not distinguish between countries and regions. It is the grossest affront to the enjoyment of the inalienable human right to life and to live in peace and security. India strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. There can be no justification of any form of terrorism. And looking for root causes for terrorism is akin to finding a needle in a haystack, India said at the UNSC debate.

New Delhi highlighted that it has been a victim of terrorism sponsored from across the border and explained in detail the linkage between transnational organized crime and terrorism, stating that it had first hand experience of the cruel linkage.

Also Read: Reject Chinas interference in internal affairs: India

India also urged the United Nations to enhance its coordination with bodies like Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which have been playing a significant role in setting global standards for preventing and combating money laundering & terrorist financing.

The FATF is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. If Pakistan fails to comply with the FATF directive by October, there is every possibility that the global body may put the country in the Black List along with North Korea and Iran.

Four of the five permanent members  the US, UK, France and Russia  had firmly sided with India against Pakistan and Chinas joint attempt to raise the Kashmir issue.

On Thursday, India had asked Beijing to draw proper conclusions from such infructuous attempts and firmly rejected its interference in the countrys internal affairs.
Drive-through swab collection sites -- like this one outside the Miami Beach Convention Center -- are part of what makes the current coronavirus testing approach so unwieldy and inadequate. Convenient, fast, at-home diagnostic tests could be a solution . (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File) Read more

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tweeted early Thursday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus and would not be greeting President Donald Trump. Hours later, DeWine announced that two different tests had come back negative.

There, in a nutshell, is the nations next pandemic testing dilemma.

DeWine first had an antigen test  fast and convenient, but not very reliable. Then he had two high-accuracy, lab-based molecular tests  the kind that have been a technical, logistical, and public health nightmare in the United States. Most molecular test results now are so delayed that they are practically useless in curbing the spread of the virus.

 READ MORE: U.S. bungles coronavirus testing again, this time with delayed results due to hotspots, lack of federal coordination

Is it possible to find a risk-benefit balance between accuracy and convenience? Some governors, including DeWine, and prominent scientists believe the answer is yes.

Simple at-home tests for the coronavirus, some that involve spitting into a small tube of solution, could be the key to expanding testing and impeding the spread of the pandemic, Harvard Medical School epidemiologist and testing expert Michael Mina wrote in a New York Times op-ed. The Food and Drug Administration should encourage their development and then fast track approval.

Point-of-care tests

When a virus invades the body, it starts producing a signature protein  an antigen  to which the immune system responds by making disease-fighting antibodies. Antigen tests work well when lots of antigen is present. But in the early days of an infection, when the viral load is low, an antigen test may be no better than a coin flip.

Molecular tests, in contrast, can detect minute quantities of fragments of viral genetic material in a nasal swab. Yet even this technology misses as many as 30% of infections, studies suggest.

So far, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two coronavirus antigen tests, one made by Becton Dickinson (BD), the other by Quidel. While the tests can provide results in as little as 15 minutes using a nasal specimen, they are not home tests. These are point-of-care tests that have to be done in a clinic, nursing home, or doctors office that has installed the companies testing platforms.

Even so, a bipartisan group of seven governors, including DeWine, is banking on point-of-care antigen testing to expand and speed diagnosis. This week, the governors partnered with the Rockefeller Foundation to pursue a deal for 3.5 million antigen tests. Discussions are underway with BD and Quidel.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services plans to send antigen tests to nursing homes throughout the country, according to Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine.

Thats going to be a challenge, and what were concerned about is the sensitivity and the specificity of those tests, meaning the false negative rate and the false positive rate, Levine said this week.

As easy as a pregnancy test

Mina, at Harvard, envisions the next innovation: cheap, at-home antigen assays that are as easy to use as a pregnancy test. That would enable people with no COVID-19 symptoms  or no symptoms yet  to know they are infectious and need to self-isolate for 10 days.

One variety, paper-strip tests, are inexpensive and easy enough to make that Americans could test themselves every day, Mina wrote in the Times. You would simply spit into a tube of saline solution and insert a small piece of paper embedded with a strip of protein. If you are infected with enough of the virus, the strip will change color within 15 minutes.

He believes the speed and frequency of such testing would offset the chance of error. Even if an at-home antigen test is 1,000 times more likely to miss an early infection than a molecular test, the virus is reproducing so rapidly that the antigen test would probably turn positive if repeated within 24 hours.

Other experts see antigen testing as promising, but not a panacea. False alarms could be almost as bad as missed infections. DeWine, for example, was going to self-quarantine until he discovered it wasnt necessary.

Not there yet

A number of companies and academic labs are racing to develop at-home tests. These include E25Bio, Sherlock Biosciences, Mammoth Biosciences, and OraSure, based in Bethlehem, Pa.

Whether the lower reliability of home tests will be an obstacle to FDA approval remains to be seen. The FDA has relaxed its requirements because of the public health emergency. But in guidance issued last week, the agency said non-prescription, at-home tests should be only 10% less accurate than molecular tests at detecting an infection, and 1% less accurate at ruling it out.

As of now, I really havent seen FDA stand in the way, E25Bio executive Carlos-Henri Ferre told 360DX, a diagnostics industry news website.

But he also said regulators will have to wade into uncharted territory, including whether positive home test results should be reported to public health authorities, and safe disposal of potentially infectious test specimens.
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a petition seeking a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Congress and the Communist Party of China in 2008.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, asked the petitioners to approach the high court first before moving the Supreme Court. The petitioners subsequently proceeded to withdraw the petition.

How can a political party enter into an agreement with China. It is unheard in law, the bench remarked.

The petitioners - Shahshak Shekhar Jha, a Delhi-based advocate and Savio Rodrigues, the editor of Goa based online news portal, Goa Chronicle - submitted that the MoU raises concerns regarding national security and should be investigated by the NIA for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) or the CBI.

Senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani, representing the petitioners, submitted that there are sinister motives behind the agreement and it should be brought out in public domain.

He also asked for permission to amend the petition.

The court, however, asked the petitioners why they have not approached the high court first.

The case involves issues relating to national security, Jethmalani replied.

Responding to it, the bench said that is not a bar to file the petition before the high court.

The petitioners had alleged that the Congress had signed the MoU when it was leading a coalition government at the centre and it also failed to disclose the facts and details of the agreement to the public.

Petitioner No. 2 (Savio Rodrigues) had demanded the respondents to make the said MoU public, however no heed was shown in that respect which shows the malafide intention of the Respondents (Congress party and its leaders), the petition stated.

Both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi have also been made party to the case apart from the Congress party.

Issue an order directing NIA to investigate the said agreement under UAPA, it was prayed by the petitioners.

The UAPA is a law aimed at punishing those involved in terrorist activities and activities intended to bring about secession of any part of the country from the union of India.

As an alternative, Jha and Rodrigues sought a court-monitored probe by the CBI.

After the recent faceoff between Indian and Chinese armies at Ladakh, the Congress party had stepped up its attack on the Narendra Modi government alleging that the government failed on diplomatic and military fronts.

The ruling BJP, on the other hand, countered by pointing out the MoU signed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on behalf of the Congress with the Chinese Communist Party. The MoU was signed at Beijing in the presence of Sonia Gandhi, who was then the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) headed by the Congress.

Placing reliance on media reports, the petitioners submitted that at least 600 incursions happened from the Chinese side into Indian territory between 2008 and 2013.

The Congress party brought the Right to Information Act during its rule, yet it failed to be transparent in this matter which is of national importance, the petition said.
Iraqi PM listens to protesters' demands at sit-in site in Baghdad

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 06 August 2020 9:16 AM

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has for the first time met with anti-government protesters in central Baghdad, renewing his pledge to deliver on their rightful demands.

On Wednesday, Kadhimi visited a group of young demonstrators, including college graduates, during a sit-in in the center of Baghdad and listened to their demands and proposals, according to a statement by his office.

The Iraqi prime minister promised to "meet all their rightful demands," saying that "the government faces cumulative problems, caused by years of mismanagement of the decision makers, and the absence of long-term plans," the statement said.

Kadhimi described the protesters' demands as "legitimate" and in line with the country's constitution and his government's agenda.

He said that measures taken by the government against corruption and mismanagement would have a positive impact on the overall performance of the country and the government apparatus.

Iraq has been the scene of protests over the past months, with young crowds demanding jobs, services, and urgent action against alleged rampant corruption.

Former Iraqi prime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi stepped down under the pressure of the rallies, which were sometimes marred by deadly violence

Kadhimi, who took office following a political consensus in May, has promised to fulfill key demands of anti-government demonstrators.

Furthermore, Kadhimi has promised dialog with protesters and has requested comprehensive lists of all those who have been killed and wounded throughout the months-long protests in a bid to put those accountable on trial and bring about compensation.

Last week, Kadhimi proposed that parliamentary elections be held next June, a year earlier than scheduled, a key demand of anti-government protesters.

The next legislative elections had originally been due for May 2022. After the date was drawn a year closer by the prime minister, it is now the parliament's turn to officially vote on the new date.

However, it is not yet clear under what electoral law the early elections will be held.

Late last year, a new electoral law was passed, aiming at giving political independents a better chance of securing seats in parliament and weakening the hold of the ruling elites, but political differences prevail over the implementation of the legislation.

If the new law is implemented, it would change each of Iraq's 18 provinces into a number of electoral districts, with one lawmaker elected per 100,000 people, meaning that it would practically bar parties from running on unified lists, which in the past has helped them win all the seats in a certain province.

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NSP Consultants was started by Nishi Singh after she noticed the incredible potential South African businesses have to go from good to better.

Nishi Singh, managing director of NSP Consultants

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

You're the MD of NSP Consultants. Tell us more about your role here

In the course of running my business, which was a security company at the time, I would find myself advising and assisting other business people (mostly females) however best I could because I realised the need was there, but not always the channels.

What is the core function of NSP Consultants?

Do you have any role models? If so, who?

You've recently been appointed as chairperson of IBASA KZN. Tell us how this came about?

I discovered that IBASA is the only accredited professionally recognised business consultants' association in South Africa and so I became a member and sought how to make a contribution to strengthening its position.

You're a successful businesswoman. How do you keep a balance?

When work gets very busy, I give it my all and dip into my life reserves. When it settles, I put back double what I took out.

What can governments do to help drive women entrepreneurs in SA?

Women empowerment should also be a priority element built into management planning at all levels, from government to the private sector, and it should be monitored for progress.

How is IBASA empowering women entrepreneurs in building successful businesses?

How do you think South Africa can help in the fight against GBV?

It has to start with a shift in mindsets and culture and what is encouraged and entrenched, in our homes and within society at large.

As we celebrate Women's Month in South Africa. Do you have any words of encouragement for all the women out there?

We need to encourage, promote and empower each other, and together we will make it a better world for female generations to thrive and succeed in.

As we celebrate #WomensMonth , Nishi Singh is the managing director of NSP Consultants and recently appointed chair at IBASA KZN, shares what it takes to help push the boundaries of other businesses.I'm a proud Durbanite. I am happily married and have two beautiful daughters. I am an avid reader and who loves to travel. Growing up, I watched my father, also a businessman display a great work ethic and that resonated with me. I have a business career spanning 17 years, and still going strong.I'm an academic at heart which I believe put me in good stead with interacting with a diversity of people as well as presenting and engaging well. I am constantly learning new things and I've set a goal to add at least one new course or qualification to my knowledge base, every year. I'm also very spiritually grounded in my faith.I'm passionate about outreach activities, so I love helping where I can. My family has nicknamed me "The Fixer" as I get great joy from empowering, uplifting and helping people from all walks of life.From my early days in business, I found that practical assistance was not easily come by, and I had to wear many hats and self-taught by default to stay on top of my game (so to speak).After I succeeded in this male dominated industry, earned my stripes, got the awards, I exited for something more fulfilling, that I was passionate about, and thats how NSP Consultants was born  out of a desire to help businesses succeed and grow through both major, but also incremental changes and improvements.NSP Consultants exists to add value to businesses and assist them to achieve their maximum growth potential. Business is tough and my experience has been that business executives are so busy working in their businesses, that they dont have the time to work on their businesses and miss many great opportunities to increase profitability and impact, without necessarily toiling so hard at the grinding mill.Taking a step back and doing an audit of whats working and whats not; what can work better and what should be aborted completely  is what we do and the results have been phenomenal so far. Its about having a fresh perspective, which you cant necessarily get from within the business. We also approach each business we work with, as a unique entity and not a generic one-size-fits-all solution.Great question. I have several because I believe that no-one, no matter how great they are, or what amazing achievements they have attained, has it all together. I prefer to extract and follow the areas that the person is strong in and clearly winning at, and not necessarily follow one person for every area that I want to develop and grow in myself. So, my list would include my mum, my husband, Thuli Madonsela and so many unsung heroes who rise above adversity and come out stronger and better. I greatly admire ordinary people who do extraordinary things.When I entered the consulting industry, I was looking for an association that would lend credibility and accreditation to the role. As we all know, consultants dont generally have a good rep out there and my reputation of integrity is paramount to me.When the opportunity to serve arose, I accepted it wholeheartedly.That depends on what you define as balance. I dont see it as giving equal time to work and life, but rather see it as an account of deposits and withdrawals, with the goal of a positive balance at the end.As a cardinal family rule, we prioritize an international holiday together at least twice every year, and commit to maximize personal and family time over weekends as well.Where theres a clash between an important work matter and a significant family engagement, I choose to prioritize family. From experience, businesses come and go, but family remains as a constant.I think they have made strides but certainly more can be done. For one, remove the red tape to access opportunities and also make it more visible. In engaging with businesses about opportunities available, many are unaware or simply dont know how to access them, yet they exist.Its not enough to have a plan and approach it as a guideline only  it needs to be aggressively pursued to ensure the tide turns and more women get their seat the at the table. After all, we are the majority of the population and that needs to reflect accurately in business as well.I am glad to say that gender representation is part of the transformational policy of the Board, as well as having robust discussions about womens contributions to the SMME landscape. As with all other sectors, theres always more that can be done and I am confident they are working well toward that.Education. Both government, through various awareness initiatives, but also, each one of us, in what we portray and teach our children. It's an issue that has existed for too long and wont be solved in a short space of time, or through regulations and legislation only.If a boy is raised to feel superior, more powerful and authoritative over a female, when he is just a boy, no law will change that in his perception of his role, as a man. Its a collective responsibility that we all have to embrace to see meaningful change come about.Its an indictment to be labelled a femicide nation and one that we all need to work with great urgency, to change.Believe you have a right to make a meaningful contribution  in your work, business, family and society. And when you start breaking barriers and reaching higher ground, lift other women up with you.
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Linkedin Samia Nakhoul and Ellen Francis (Reuters) Beirut, Lebanon  Fri, August 7, 2020 12:30 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c48059 2 World Emmanuel-Macron,Lebanon,France,Beirut,blast,explosion Free

French President Emmanuel Macron called for urgent support for Lebanon where he arrived on Thursday, two days after a devastating blast ripped through Beirut, killing 145 people and generating a seismic shock that was felt across the region.

Dozens are still missing after Tuesday's blast at the port that injured 5,000 people and left up to a quarter of a million without homes fit to live in, hammering a nation already reeling from economic meltdown and a surge in coronavirus cases.

A security source said the death toll had reached 145, and officials said the figure was likely to rise.

Macron, making the first visit by a foreign leader since the explosion, promised to help organize international aid but said Lebanon's government must implement economic reforms and crack down on corruption.

"If reforms are not carried out, Lebanon will continue to sink," Macron said after being met at the airport by Lebanese President Michel Aoun. "What is also needed here is political change. This explosion should be the start of a new era."

Wearing a black tie in mourning, Macron toured the blast site and Beirut's shattered streets where angry crowds demanded an end to a "regime" of Lebanese politicians they blame for corruption and dragging Lebanon into disaster.

"I see the emotion on your face, the sadness, the pain. This is why Im here," Macron told one group, promising to deliver "home truths" to Lebanon's leaders.

The government's failure to tackle a runaway budget, mounting debt and endemic corruption has prompted Western donors to demand reform. Gulf Arab states who once helped Lebanon have baulked at bailing out a nation they say is increasingly influenced by their rival Iran and its local ally Hezbollah.

One man on the street told Macron, "We hope this aid will go to the Lebanese people not the corrupt leaders." Another said that, while a French president had taken time to visit them, Lebanon's president had not.

'Scapegoat'

At the port, destroyed by Tuesday's giant mushroom cloud and fireball, families sought news about the missing, amid mounting public anger at the authorities for allowing huge quantities of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, used in making fertilizers and bombs, to be stored there for years in unsafe conditions.

The government has ordered some port officials be put under house arrest and promised a full investigation.

"They will scapegoat somebody to defer responsibility," said Rabee Azar, a 33-year-old construction worker, speaking near the smashed remains of the port's grain silo, surrounded by other mangled masonry and flattened buildings.

With banks in crisis, a collapsing currency and one of the world's biggest debt burdens, Economy Minister Raoul Nehme said Lebanon had "very limited" resources to deal with the disaster, which by some estimates may have cost the nation up to $15 billion. He said the country needed foreign aid.

Offers of medical and other immediate aid have poured in, as officials have said hospitals, some heavily damaged in the blast, do not have enough beds and equipment.

Many Lebanese, who have lost jobs and watched savings evaporate in the financial crisis, say the blast is symptomatic of political cronyism and endemic corruption among the ruling elite.

'Crooks and liars'

"Our leaders are crooks and liars. I don't believe any investigation they will do. They destroyed the country and they're still lying to the people. Who are they kidding?" said Jean Abi Hanna, 80, a retired port worker whose home was damaged and daughter and granddaughter injured in the blast.

An official source familiar with preliminary investigations blamed "inaction and negligence" for the blast.

A Lebanese security source said the initial blaze that sparked the explosion was caused by welding work.

Some local media reported sightings of suspected Israeli drones or planes flying in the area shortly before the explosion and some Beirut residents said they saw missiles fired.

But officials have denied the incident was caused by any attack. Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, denied any involvement.

Veteran politician Walid Jumblatt, leader of Lebanon's Druze community, called for an international investigation, saying he had "no trust" in the government to find out the truth.

The White House said the US government had still not ruled out the possibility that Tuesday's explosion was an attack.

People who felt the explosive force said they had witnessed nothing comparable in years of conflict and upheaval in Beirut, which was devastated by the 1975-1990 civil war and since then has experienced big bomb attacks, unrest and a war with Israel.

"All hell broke loose," said Ibrahim Zoobi, who works near the port. "I saw people thrown five or six meters."

Seismic tremors from the blast were recorded in Eilat on Israel's Red Sea coast, about 580 km (360 miles) away.

Operations have been paralyzed at Beirut port, Lebanon's main route for imports needed to feed a nation of more than 6 million people, forcing ships to divert to smaller ports.
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Estonia's consumer prices continued to decline in July, data from Statistics Estonia showed on Friday. The consumer price index fell 0.9 percent year-on-year in July, following a 1.0 percent decrease in June. Consumer prices were affected the most by a price decrease in motor fuel. Petrol prices decreased 7.7 percent and diesel fuel was 23.7 percent cheaper, Statistics Estonia analyst Viktoria Trasanov said. 'Another significant contributor to the index change was housing services, as electricity that reached homes was 16.1% and rent 8.9% cheaper than last year,' Trasanov said. 'Accommodation services prices dropped by nearly a quarter,' Trasanov added. Prices of transportation declined 3.7 percent yearly in July and those of housing fell 5.7 percent. Prices for alcoholic beverages and tobacco fell 1.0 percent. Meanwhile, prices for education grew 3.7 percent and those for clothing and footwear increased 3.2 percent. Prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages rose 2.4 percent. On a monthly basis, consumer prices remained unchanged in July, after a 0.9 percent rise in the previous month. 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.
Hudson County plans to distribute about $12 million in rental assistance to residents throughout the county, using funding it received from the federal coronavirus relief package, a spokesman said.

Officials hope to begin accepting rental assistance applications by the end of the month, but are first conducting a survey to understand the varying situations renters are experiencing across the county, said spokesman Jim Kennelly.

Statewide, 40% of renters say they cannot make their payments this month, according to a study conducted by Stout Risius Ross, an advisory firm.

Hudson County received about $117 million total in CARES Act funding. It divided $70.8 million among the countys municipal governments and about $36 million for small business relief, Kennelly said. The $12 million for rental assistance is the remainder of the federal funding.

To put $12 million into context, that represents six months of rent for about 680 families, based on the average rent in Jersey City.

Racially, the disparity between who can and cannot pay rent is stark. Nearly half of African-American renting households in the state said they could not make the payment, compared to 18% of white renter households, according to the Stout study.

About one-third of households nationwide did not make their full July rent payment, according to rental website Apartment List.

You have a distinct population thats on the margins in Hudson County, Kennelly said. These are folks who are struggling to stay out of shelters and  that group has only expanded because of the impact (of the coronavirus).

County officials are in the process of determining the logistics of the program, such as how much each grant will be worth, who will be eligible and how the money will be awarded, Kennelly said. The digital survey that the county is encouraging renters to fill out will help shape those policies, he said.

Questions on the survey, available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HCCOVIDRentalAssistanceSurvey, include how much you owe in back rent, whether you have been able to negotiate with your landlord and what your current monthly income is. It is in English and Spanish.

The county plans to have the survey open until the end of next week, then hopes to reveal the official rental assistance program on Aug. 17 and open it for applications Aug. 24, Kennelly said.

The state recently conducted a $100 million rental assistance program as a lottery. Of 60,000 people who applied, about 8,000 people were awarded up to six months of rental assistance.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Hong Kong  Fri, August 7, 2020 16:30 529 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c5b20b 2 World Hong-Kong,journalists,Visa,Hong-Kong-activist,Hong-Kong-autonomy,US-China,US-China-Hong-Kong-tension Free

Hong Kong's foreign press club said Thursday that reporters in the territory were experiencing "highly unusual" visas problems, and called on China and the United States to stop using the media as a political weapon.

Journalists have been caught up in spiraling US-China tensions, with both sides placing limits or expelling reporters from their territories in recent months.

Now the spat is filtering into Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous city and regional press hub nominally in charge of its own immigration policies.

In a statement released Thursday the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong (FCCHK) said multiple media outlets had reported delays getting visas in recent months.

"The delays have affected journalists of multiple nationalities and in some cases have prevented journalists from working," the FCCHK said.

"The delays are highly unusual for Hong Kong, a city with historically robust press protections," it added.

Hong Kong's government has not explained any change to its policy despite multiple enquiries from media.

On the authoritarian Chinese mainland, where the press is heavily censored, foreign journalists must apply for specific visas and face routine harassment.

Reporters only need a regular business visa to work in Hong Kong, however.

China promised key liberties and autonomy to Hong Kong ahead of Britain's handover, and the city has free press protections enshrined in law, something that has helped it become a regional media hub.

The New York Times, AFP, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and the Financial Times are among multiple media organizations with regional headquarters there.

But multiple news outlets are now reporting issues getting or renewing visas for staff -- something they have not experienced before.

Last month the New York Times was the first to go public with its difficulties, announcing it would relocate some of its Asia hub to South Korea after multiple delays and at least one outright rejection.

The difficulties come as Washington and Beijing clash over reporter credentials.

The Trump administration placed visa and headcount restrictions on some Chinese media in the US, all of whom are state-controlled.

Beijing responded with tit-for-tat restrictions, including expelling a group of reporters from multiple US outlets who were also banned from working in Hong Kong, an unprecedented move.

On Tuesday Beijing's foreign ministry warned "necessary and timely countermeasures" would be taken if the US continued to limit Chinese reporters.

Hu Xijin, editor of China's state-owned tabloid Global Times, said Beijing would "retaliate, including targeting US journalists based in Hong Kong".

The FCCHK condemned the restrictions placed by both sides.

"The FCC opposes using journalists' visas as a weapon in international disputes and also opposes taking action against journalists for the decisions made by their home countries," it said.

"This downward spiral of retaliatory actions aimed at journalists helps no one, not least of all the public that needs accurate, professionally produced information now more than ever," it added.
'A Win That Weakens': What Does Russia Want From Belarus's Election?

By Mike Eckel August 06, 2020

About two-thirds through his 90-minute speech before a hall packed with the Belarusian political elite, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka turned his attention away from the candidates challenging him in the August 9 election and focused on another player with a stake in the vote.

"Russia is afraid of losing us," he said. "After all, apart from us, it has no truly close allies left."

Then he addressed the mysterious appearance of 33 Russian mercenaries who were arrested at gunpoint at a health resort near Minsk and accused of plotting terrorist acts. Foreign forces, Lukashenka claimed, were trying to destabilize the country. "It's a very dangerous and strong signal," he said. "These people were specifically sent to Belarus and given the command to wait."

"They've decided to try out new forms of 'color revolutions' against us," he said, referring to anti-government protests that pushed presidents from power in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia over the past two decades. "It won't work."

The election is shaping up to be the biggest challenge to Lukashenka's rule in his 26 years at the helm of the country of 9.5 million.

A series of rallies in support of opposition candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya have drawn unprecedented crowds in recent weeks. Moreover, the sizable rallies are taking place in regions far from Minsk, where the population tends to be older, poorer, and often supportive of Lukashenka's command-economy policies and Soviet-tinged nostalgia.

Lukashenka's staying power has been due in no small part to Russian subsidies and trade policies that have helped buoy the Belarusian economy. But Moscow has scaled back that support in recent years and Lukashenka has pushed back against the Kremlin's efforts to secure closer integration, sometimes accusing Moscow of seeking to swallow his much smaller country up.

What Does Moscow Want?

So, does Moscow want Lukashenka to win the election and stay in power? Or does the Kremlin want a new hand on the Belarusian tiller? What does in fact Russia want from the Belarusian election?

"The geography, the significance, the symbolism of Belarus means that what happens there means a lot more for those in charge in the Kremlin" than other places, said Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus. "Belarus hasn't seen this sort of moment since the mid-90s."

"What does it look like to Moscow if a long-serving authoritarian leader in a Slavic state, whose economy is in decline, gets into trouble, and faces an opposition movement? And a free and fair election?" he said. "That sets a bad example" for Putin.

Lukashenka's August 4 speech was the latest gauntlet to be thrown, said Dmitry Trenin, a longtime Moscow analyst and director of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

The speech "formally marks an end to special relations between Minsk and Moscow," he said on Twitter. "Rather than humoring its disloyal former ally, the Kremlin will now look beyond him. With or without Lukashenko, Belarus is becoming a tug of war."

Push For Integration

A Soviet-era state-farm boss, Lukashenka was first elected in 1994 and managed to steer the country through the shoals of the post-Soviet collapse. His success came in part by spurning the deeper liberal economic reforms that Russia embraced while at the same time benefiting from Moscow's subsidies.

He has also authorized brutally repressive police and security tactics that have marginalized opposition groups, wiped out civil-society organizations, and shut out independent media.

In recent years, he's allowed small-scale entrepreneurship, particularly the IT sector in the capital. One of his would-be challengers in the election, who was barred from running on grounds supporters say were fabricated, helped build a software and technology park in Minsk.

But the economy is heavily reliant on agricultural exports to Russia, and, more importantly, cheap imports of oil from its eastern neighbor, which Belarusian refineries then process and resell at a significant markup to European markets.

Moscow has wanted Minsk to integrate with Russia, pushing for tighter ties under a union state that was created in the 1990s but exists largely on paper. Lukashenka showed little enthusiasm for the effort, mainly because of expectations he would lose his job, or worse.

Like other ex-Soviet leaders, Lukashenka was spooked in 2014 when Russia seized Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and stoked a still-ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 13,000 people and displaced more than 1 million.

Last year, the Kremlin made a new push for integration, and in December, Lukashenka and Putin met in St. Petersburg to sign documents to that effect.

It didn't happen, and since then, Russia has turned up the pressure, turning off oil exports on New Year's Eve, then partly restarting them five days later. Minsk then turned to Norway for oil. Lukashenka embraced visits by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and then-White House national-security adviser John Bolton.

"It's obvious that they don't support Lukashenka; he is standing in their way," said Yury Tsarik, a Minsk-based political analyst. "But they also don't support civic opposition candidates."

"A strong candidate who gets a strong win in the election -- assuming Lukashenka concedes -- would possibly become the next Lukashenka," he said, suggesting the election could produce a leader with a firmer mandate to defy Moscow, not unlike Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

"If he or she is legitimate, gets wide support, like Zelenskiy, there would be strong temptation to become an authentic state, and to cut ties with Russia," he told RFE/RL.

Overall, what the Kremlin wants from Minsk is pretty much what it has always wanted, said Artyom Shraibman, a Belarusian political commentator: to keep it squarely in its sphere of influence, as a security buffer with NATO and a transit conduit for goods to the European Union.

"On a more tactical level, I don't think that there is a detailed, either/or list of bullet points of what the Kremlin wants from Belarus each and every day," Shraibman told RFE/RL. "I think the less noise Belarus makes the better, and the less problems are created, because Kremlin has a lot to worry about besides this usually troublemaking ally."

Tourists At A Sanatorium

As if the economic pinch from Russia cutting subsidies and oil supplies wasn't bad enough, Lukashenka has also struggled with the country's response to the coronavirus. He's repeatedly belittled the dangers of the virus, even as he announced recently that he himself had become ill but was now recovering.

At least some part of the large turnout at rallies for opposition challengers has been motivated by Belarusians' unhappiness with the government's response to the coronavirus, with the case count mounting to more than 68,000 as of August 6 -- only a few thousand fewer infections than neighboring Ukraine, whose population is four times larger. The official death toll of 577 is widely seen as a major undercount.

In his August 4 speech, Lukashenka tried to put a positive spin on relations with Moscow, even as he sent clear signals that things weren't what they used to be.

"Russia has always been, is, and will be our closest ally, no matter who is in power in Belarus or in Russia," he said. "This is an insurmountable factor, it is deep within our peoples. Even in spite of the fact that brotherly relations with us have been changed to become a 'partnership'," he said.

Over the past year, Belarusian authorities have made clear moves targeting Russian interests in the country, kicking out the Russian ambassador, for example, and arresting a crew from Russian state TV.

And then there are the 33 Russians who turned up at a sanatorium outside of Minsk last month. Belarusian security agents raided the sanatorium, arrested the group at gunpoint, and broadcast evidence of the arrests on state TV on July 29.

Lukashenka and top security officials said the men were from the Kremlin-linked private military company Vagner, and suggested they were on a mission to destabilize Belarus and possibly undertake sabotage, depending on the election's outcome.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the allegations, and insisted that Moscow was not interfering "in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state." Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova demanded that the Russians be released from detention. The deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, threatened "sad consequences" if they weren't released.

Gould-Davies, now a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, placed blame for the deteriorating relations on Moscow. "It's Russia's great-power demands that have damaged this relationship," he said. "It's a mark of incompetence, though that may be too strong a word -- a mark of how difficult Russia makes it for its neighbors, that it manages to have a bad relationship even with someone like Lukashenka."

Ken Yalowitz, a former U.S. ambassador to Minsk, said Russia did not want chaos or uncertainty. But, he said, Moscow also didn't want a reformer who would present a dangerous contrast with Putin, who has held power for over 20 years and now has the option of seeking to remain president until 2036.

"I think they would prefer Lukashenka to win, using a heavy hand, and as long as Lukashenka confines his criticism of Moscow to just rhetoric, to get himself through the election, they would turn the other cheek at this point," he said.

Shraibman agreed. "Russia wants a win for Lukashenka but one that weakens him and a win that is also marked by protests, crackdown, and deterioration of relations with the West," he said.

"Russia is not really keen on having the neighbors revolting, having revolutions around its borders because it's the kind of chaos Russia cannot actually master and manage with any degree of certainty," he said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/what-does-russia-want -from-belarus-election-/30769686.html

Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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(Photo : Facebook: Steve Wahl) (Photo : Twitter Adrian Norman (@AdrianNormanDC)) (Photo : Twitter Adrian Norman (@AdrianNormanDC))

Facebook recently banned hashtag and keyphrase "Save The Children" (#SaveTheChildren) for some accounts and users, saying that they "go against our community standards". Rumors even spread that links to a major conspiracy that it is allegedly created by QAnon and somehow links a photo of Hollywood actor, Tom Hanks, as a culprit involved.

Heavy reported that the ban mysteriously ran from August 5 until early August 6, 2020, as users who were using or following the hashtag were given a broken status. The hashtag seems to have shown posts related to it for some at around 12 A.M., Eastern Time, but for others, the post is still unavailable or broken since Wednesday.

There are also a variety of messages that appear when hashtag #SaveTheChildren is clicked. One proceeds to show that a "technical error" occurred and that the social media application's servers are trying to fix it, and for some, it reveals a "Keeping our Community Safe". The latter pop-up suggests that the hashtag and its content are violating Facebook's post standards, so they are hidden.

Save the Children is believed to be a movement that protects children's rights. This occurrence led many people to question Facebook, and some even believe that it is protecting child traffickers as they bring to Twitter their grievances. Several posts portraying dismay with the social media giant were made.

Rumors also stated that QAnon, a notorious conspiracy theorist in social media, is behind this hashtag. Additionally, QAnon hashtags are sometimes seen to be included with #SaveTheChildren posts, and this led many users to believe that the latter is a conspiracy movement.

Facebook still has not given their side regarding the issue as several people and companies ask why this occurred.

ALSO READ: Twitter Security Bug May Expose Some Android Users' Private Messages, Company Reveals

Tom Hanks, pedophile?

Tom Hanks is being linked to this issue as several photos of him, and his memorabilia are being branded as 'pedophile'. In a Facebook post, one image showed a picture of a child with text beside him, stating that a child is more likely to be sold to human traffickers rather than die of COVID. Alongside this shows a picture of Tom Hanks' Hollywood star being violated with the actor's name being crossed out and replaced with a written "pedophile" in it.

The post of the original person who published those photos garnered 120 shares as of this moment with several more hashtags like #savethekids,

#Pedowood, #hollywood, #whereistheoutrage, #BillGates, #wwg1wga, and #whereisthemedia

What is QAnon?

BBC sheds light to the bugging question about who or what QAnon page really is. QAnon is a social media conspiracy theory page that is popular in the country. Their posts generate engagements that a lot of people consider and believe.

QAnon became famous because of their posts believing that President Donald Trump is on the works in combating a secret group of elitists, pedophiles, and Satan worshippers hidden in the government, media, and business industries.

The group surfaced around 2017 showing off a large Q that is rumored to be a level "Q" security clearance within the U.S. government. "Where We Go One We Go All" or "WWG1WGA" is one of QAnon's most famous slogans that many people reuse and believe.

Twitter is on the works in cracking and shutting down QAnon and anything related to them, especially in their website and apps.

ALSO READ: Israeli Hackers' New Apps May Help Prevent Domestic Violence by Alerting Women For Potential Signs of Future Violence





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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on August 6, 2020

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

China News Service: US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said during a virtual discussion in the 2020 Aspen Security Forum on August 5 that "I don't see China right now as an inevitable threat, that we're going to have a fight with them, whatever the case may be, but we do have to compete and we have to be much more vigorous in all domains if you will, whether it's diplomatic, informational, military, political." Do you have any comment?

Wang Wenbin: We noted relevant reports. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi gave an exclusive interview to Xinhua News Agency yesterday, during which he stated China's position and propositions on China-US relations. He stressed that faced with the most complex situation since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US, we need to put in place a clear-cut framework for the relationship. The full text is available on the website of our foreign ministry in case you may want to read that carefully.

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang pointed out that for China-US relations to develop soundly, the most critical thing is mutual respect. The US move to turn China into an adversary is a fundamental, strategic miscalculation. It means that the US is funneling its strategic resources in the wrong area. We are always ready to develop a China-US relationship featuring no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation based on coordination, cooperation and stability. In the meantime, we will firmly defend our sovereignty, security and development interests.

I want to stress that the steady development of China-US relations serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples and meets the common aspirations of the international community. For some time, however, driven by selfish gains, some US politicians have undermined China's interests and China-US relations in words and deeds. These unconstructive acts are unpopular and have been and will continue to be reprimanded and rejected by visionary and peace-loving people from both sides and around the world. We urge the US side to discard its outdated Cold War mentality, arrogance and prejudice, view China and China-US relations in an objective and rational way, and meet China half way to bring bilateral relations back to the right track of coordination, cooperation and stability.

RIA Novosti: US Secretary of State Pompeo said yesterday that the United States would present a resolution to the United Nations Security Council next week to extend an international arms embargo on Iran. He also threatened to trigger the snap-back mechanism in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal to reimpose UN sanctions against Iran. I wonder if China has any comment to this?

Wang Wenbin: China firmly upholds the authority of the Security Council resolution and the efficacy of the JCPOA. We don't agree with the US in pushing for the extension of the arms embargo against Iran in the Security Council. All the provisions of Resolution 2231, including the relevant arrangements with regard to arms embargo, should be implemented in earnest. China will continue to work with relevant parties and the international community to maintain the JCPOA and Security Council resolution, uphold multilateralism and promote the political and diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue.

Beijing Daily: Australian Prime Minister said at the 2020 Aspen Security Forum on August 5 that building an Indo-Pacific alliance with like-minded nations will be a "critical priority" for his government. Australia welcomes a rising China and hopes it will play a role in regional and global stability. He added there is no reason for them to restrict TikTok at this point. Do you have any response?

Wang Wenbin: We noted relevant remarks. I want to point out that China is committed to the path of peaceful development and will never seek hegemony or engage in confrontation. China always believes that peace, cooperation, development and win-win results are the irresistible trend of the times and the common aspiration of people worldwide. Any strategy for regional cooperation should conform to the general trend and meet people's desire. Otherwise, it will not be supported by regional countries. We note that the Australian side said it welcomes China's development and hope it will translate its words into concrete actions and do more things that are in line with the spirit of China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership and conducive to regional peace and stability.

Reuters: Canadian Xu Weihong was sentenced to death on Thursday by the Guangzhou intermediate people's court. It's his first trial for producing drugs. Considering the political backlash in relation to death penalties facing foreigners in China recently, does the ministry have any comment on this or whether it could potentially worsen relations with Canada?

Wang Wenbin: I noted the information released by the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court.

Drug-related crimes are considered serious crimes worldwide. Chinese law retains death sentence and controls its application strictly. Death sentence for drug-related crimes that are extremely dangerous will help deter and prevent such crimes. Chinese law stipulates that every criminal is equal in the application of the law. China's judicial authorities handle cases involving criminals of different nationalities in accordance with law.

I want to stress that Chinese judiciary independently handles the case in strict accordance with Chinese law and legal procedures. I don't see any impact on China-Canada relations.

Reuters: Ecuadorian foreign minister said the country will be surveilling Chinese fishing fleets near the Galapagos Islands and that they expect to hold bilateral talks with the Chinese side over Chinese fishing activity near the Galapagos Islands. What's the ministry's comment on this?

Wang Wenbin: China and Ecuador are in friendly communication these days through bilateral channels. On August 6, the fishery authorities of the two countries also held a special video teleconference, which led to positive consensus and good results. Meanwhile, to contribute our efforts in the protection of fishery resources in the region, China's fishery authority has decided to ban fishing in the high seas west of the Galapagos Islands Marine Reserve from September to November this year, which has been appreciated by Ecuador and other relevant countries. I would like to reiterate that China, as a responsible major fishing country, attaches great importance to the protection of the marine environment and resources and implements the strictest monitoring and control measures on overseas fishing vessels. We will continue to require enterprises engaged in deep-sea fishing to strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations.

We have noticed that some US politicians have been making irresponsible remarks on this issue, discrediting China while sowing discord between China and Ecuador. It should be pointed out that the United States has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) so far, and we wonder how the US is qualified to make accusations against other countries' maritime affairs. We urge the US side, instead of trying desperately to stir up trouble for other countries, to focus more on its own affairs.

Bloomberg: We know that August 6 is the deadline for extensions of visas for Chinese journalists in the US. We are wondering if you have any updates on this and what kind of countermeasures China may consider if these visas are not extended?

Wang Wenbin: I already stated China's position the other day. On May 8, the US limited visas for Chinese journalists to 90 days, requiring them to apply for visa renewal every 90 days. As we understand, relevant Chinese journalists already applied for visa extension but none of them has received reply from the US side.

For a while, the US, entrenched in the Cold War mentality and ideological bias, launched one round of political suppression after another against Chinese media. The relevant US actions have severely disrupted Chinese journalists' normal reporting activities, gravely damaged the reputation of the Chinese media and affected the normal people-to-people exchanges between the two sides. While priding itself on freedom of the press, the US now willfully obstructs the Chinese media from doing their job. Such a two-faced behavior exposed its hypocrisy in so-called freedom of the press, and is nothing short of double standards and hegemonic bullying.

We said many times that the US caused the current situation and is responsible for it. The US should immediately correct its mistakes, stop its political oppression on the Chinese media and journalists and protect the safety, property and other lawful rights and interests of Chinese journalists from infringement and ensure their normal reporting activities are not impacted. If the US is bent on going down the wrong path and doubles down on its mistakes, China will be compelled to make necessary and legitimate reactions to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

AFP: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the so-called "Clean Network" program yesterday and said he wants to eliminate some Chinese apps from US app stores. He is especially targeting WeChat, but there are other apps like Alibaba or Baidu. What's China's reaction?

Wang Wenbin: Pompeo and his likes have time and again abused state power to bring down Chinese high-tech companies under the pretext of national security, to which China is firmly opposed. The US practice has no factual basis at all and is sheer malicious slander and political manipulation in an attempt to maintain its high-tech monopoly. This is a typical hegemonic behavior that runs against market principles and international trade rules and severely threatens the security of global industrial and supply chains.

I want to stress that many Chinese companies subject to US unilateral sanctions are innocent, who just provide safe technologies and products. Not a single cybersecurity incident like those revealed by Edward Snowden or WikiLeaks has there been, still less a single tapping or surveillance operation like PRISM, Equation Group or ECHELON. It is preposterous for the dirty-handed US to preach a "clean network".

We urge the US to rectify its wrongdoing, create conditions for the normal trade and economic cooperation between companies from different countries and restore a free, open and safe cyberspace to the world. China stands ready to continuously work with other countries to safeguard a fair, just, open and non-discriminatory business environment, promote international science and technology exchange and cooperation and ensure that safe, reliable and high-quality information technology will serve as an emerging driving force for global economic recovery and better life for people around the globe.

Beijing Youth Daily: Many countries pledged to provide humanitarian assistance after the massive explosion in the Lebanese capital. As you mentioned yesterday, China will provide Lebanon with assistance within its capacity. Could you give us some details? What assistance has China provided or will provide to Lebanon?

Wang Wenbin: Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence to Lebanese President Michel Aoun after the massive explosion in the Lebanese capital Beirut. The Chinese peacekeeping medical team dispatched to Lebanon will bring medical supplies to Beirut to provide medical assistance. As a friendly country to Lebanon and according to its needs, China will stand by Lebanon and help it tide over these difficult times.

Bloomberg: Regarding the US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar's upcoming visit to Taiwan, we are wondering if China plans any measures in response to this?

Wang Wenbin: I stated China's position yesterday. China firmly opposes any official interactions between the US and Taiwan. We urge the US to adhere to the one-China principle and the three joint communiques, and stop making official interactions of any kind with Taiwan. Any attempt to ignore, deny or challenge the one-China principle is doomed to fail. China will take firm countermeasures in response the US wrong move.

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New policy provides financial incentive over and above central government's FAME subsidy

Incentives upto Rs 30,000 for two-wheelers, auto & e-rickshaw & freight carriers and Rs 1.5 lakh for four-wheelers.

EVs to be exempted from registration and road tax. Commercial vehicles to also get interest waiver on loans.

Scrapping incentive also introduced for buyers looking to replace old traditional vehicles with new electric vehicles

India's nascent electric vehicle industry has hailed Delhi government's new electric vehicle policy that was announced by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. Companies said the policy had many pathbreaking ideas and lays the template for other states in the country to emulate.

The new policy provides a host of financial incentives for buying electric vehicles in the capital, over and above the subsidies already being provided under the central government's FAME scheme. Delhi regularly features in the list of most polluted cities in the world and a need to reduce vehicular pollution has been felt for long.

"I would like to congratulate the Delhi government on launching the new electric vehicle policy that will go a long way in boosting Delhi's economy, creating jobs and reducing air pollution in the national capital. The incentives declared under this policy will be beneficial to the customers and will certainly help Delhi achieve its goal of electrification of vehicles," said Naveen Munjal, MD, Hero Electric - India's largest electric two-wheeler maker. "I hope that it will inspire other states in India to adopt similar measures."

Electric vehicle sales have flip-flopped in India over the last few years due to uncertainty in policy and lack of incentives from the government. In 2019-20 industry volumes were at 1.56 lakh units as compared to 1.3 lakh units in 2018-19. Two-wheelers accounted for a vast majority of it at 1.52 lakh units. Sale of conventional vehicles that run on petrol and diesel were 21.5 million units.

"It is a holistic policy that addresses core EV challenges of subsidizing cost differences with respect to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, financial incentives on loans, creation of charging stations and skill creations. Covid-19 gave us a rare glimpse into clear sky and low AQI air to breathe. We believe that accelerating Electric Vehicles will bring health, geopolitical and economic benefits to India," said Saurav Kumar, CEO &

Founder, Euler Motors, a Delhi-based EV Start-up, which already has over 200 light commercial electric vehicles deployed in the NCR.

"We believe this policy will help India's capital emerge as an example to other cities across the world in the long run - and not only reduce reliance on ICE but also deliver near term impact in the form of a safer environment."

The Delhi government said it will also set up a separate state EV board, EV Fund and EV Cell to boost the usage of electric vehicles in the state. The focus will also be on infrastructure development as the government expects 5 lakh vehicles to be registered in the next 5 years. Delhi plans to set up 200 charging stations in one year and install an electric station every 3 km.

"Beyond just incentives, the policy goes a step further and talks about strengthening the infrastructure by setting up 200 charging stations. This will go a long way to create a sustainable ecosystem that will impact us and the next generation in a positive way," said Nagesh Basavanhalli, MD & CEO, Greaves Cotton Limited.

Also Read: How governments across the world are reacting to TikTok ban

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Delhi HC refuses to stay release of movie 'Nyay: The Justice', purportedly based on Sushant Singh Rajput's lif

Sushant Singh Rajput Death Anniversary: A Timeline of the of events that have transpired so far

Relief for Rhea Chakraborty, Court allows de-freezing of actress' bank accounts after a year

At least 6 members of Sushant Singh Rajputs family killed in road accident in Bihar

Sushant Rajput death case: Rhea Chakraborty appears before ED after request is rejected

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Aug 07: Actor Rhea Chakraborty, accused of abetting suicide of filmstar Sushant Singh Rajput, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here on Friday in connection with the money laundering case.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The ED had summoned Rhea Chakraborty for questioning on Friday (August 7), but she had requested the agency to postpone recording of her statement pending hearing of her plea filed in the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case lodged by the Bihar police to Mumbai.

However, the ED rejected her request. "In view of the fact that the ED has informed the media that the request to postpone her attendance is rejected, Rhea has appeared before the ED office," her advocate Satish Maneshinde said.

Sushant Singh Rajput case: Mumbai police opposes CBI probe in SC

Chakraborty had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking for the case lodged by the Bihar police against her to be transferred to the Mumbai police.

Rajputs father K K Singh had on July 25 filed a complaint with the Patna police against Chakraborty and a few of her relatives, accusing them of cheating and abetting his sons suicide.

Chakraborty will be questioned and her statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Rajput, 34, was found hanging in his apartment in Mumbai's Bandra area on June 14.

Based on the complaint, the Patna police had filed an FIR against Chakraborty, Rajputs girlfriend, and others.

'Only property of Sushant I possess': Rhea Chakraborty shares two photos

The ED had on July 31 registered a money laundering case against Chakraborty and her family, and directed her to appear before the central agency's Mumbai office on Friday (August 7).
Bobby Cannavale travelled to Byron Bay with his wife Rose Byrne and their two sons Rafa, two, and Rocco, four, on Tuesday.

The 50-year-old actor looked unrecognisable with a long bushy beard and kept a low profile in a white cap as he departed Sydney Airport.

Bobby is heading to the coastal town to film the Hulu limited series Nine Perfect Strangers, which is produced by Nicole Kidman.

Looking unrecognisable! Bobby Cannavale donned a long bushy beard as he travelled to Byron Bay with wife Rose Byrne and their two sons on Tuesday

The Ant-Man star wore a casual white T-shirt, jeans and completed his ensemble with a pair of white comfortable sneakers.

Bobby carried a blue backpack and also held a large white tote bag in his hand as he arrived to the private jet terminal at Sydney Airport.

His wife Rose, 41, looked comfortable in black leggings, a striped T-shirt and a black jumper.

The Australian actress tied her brunette hair in a low bun and also wore a protective face mask as she carried her son.

Back to work: Bobby has travelled to Australia to film the Hulu limited series Nine Perfect Strangers, which is produced by Nicole Kidman

Style: He wore a casual white T-shirt, jeans and completed his ensemble with a pair of white comfortable sneakers

Bobby, Rose and their family had been quarantining in a Sydney hotel for 14-days upon arrival into NSW.

Meanwhile, the new series Nine Perfect Strangers is based on the 2018 novel by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty.

Last month, Nicole Kidman told The Daily Telegraph, that she's 'thrilled' to be able to bring hundreds of jobs to the local film industry after it was sent crashing down by the coronavirus pandemic.

Comfortable: His wife Rose, 41, looked comfortable in black leggings, a striped T-shirt and a black jumper

Protection:The Australian actress tied her brunette hair in a low bun and also wore a protective face mask as she carried her son

'It is a great opportunity for me to give back to the community that nurtured me through so much of my career,' she said.

The limited series is being produced by Nicole's production company Blossom Films, alongside Big Little Lies collaborators Bruna Papandrea (Big Little Lies, Gone Girl) and David E. Kelley.

Nicole will also star in the series alongside an A-list Hollywood cast including Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans and Manny Jacinto.

Filming will begin on August 10 and will run for 19 weeks.

Pandemic: Bobby, Rose and their family had been quarantining in a Sydney hotel for 14-days upon arrival into NSW
Russia To Terminate Cyprus Double Tax Agreement

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

07 August 2020

The Russian Ministry of Finance has announced that it will seek to terminate the country's double tax agreement with Cyprus, after negotiations broke down on a revision to increase tax on cross-border dividends and interest income.

In an August 3 statement, the Russian Ministry of Finance disclosed it had been engaged in discussions with its Cypriot equivalent entity with a view to amending the pact to introduce withholding tax of 15 percent at source on dividends and interest income.

The Russian Ministry disclosed that the Cypriot side put forward its own proposal that was not accepted, with the Ministry considering it would result in continued erosion of the Russian tax base.

The Ministry said they would "facilitate tax-free withdrawal from the territory of the Russian Federation through Cyprus jurisdiction of significant financial resources of Russian origin."

The Ministry said termination of the agreement will deliver on calls from Russian President Vladimir Putin to ensure that payments of income overseas to low-tax territories should be taxed at least at a 15 percent rate.

The Ministry said: "The existing tax agreement with Cyprus provides very attractive conditions in terms of taxation. The rate for the payment of dividends to Cyprus can be reduced to five or 10 percent, and interest on loans to zero percent. This is more than two times less than the corresponding rate in Russia (13-15 percent)."

"The Ministry of Finance proposed to colleagues in Cyprus to raise rates to 15 percent on both dividends and interest, but the negotiations were unsuccessful: the partners tried to dilute the effect of the initiative for the Russian treasury as much as possible with various exceptions. The Russian department was forced to begin the procedure for submitting a federal law on denunciation to the State Duma."
A man wearing a protective face mask passes an estate agents window in Knightsbridge, London. Photo: Dominic Lipinski/PA via Getty Images

House prices reached an all-time high in July, thanks to a post-lockdown mini-boom in the property market.

The average house price hit 241,604 last month, according to Halifaxs long-running House Price Index. The average price was 1.6% higher than in June and 3.8% higher than in July 2019.

Following four months of decline, average house prices in July experienced their greatest month on month increase this year, up 1.6% from June and comfortably offsetting losses in 2020, said Russell Galley, managing director at Halifax.

The average house price in July is the highest it has ever been since the Halifax House Price Index began, 3.8% higher than a year ago.

On a quarterly basis, prices were down just 0.2%.

Galley said the data pointed to a mini-boom in the property market, fuelled by pent up demand and a six month stamp duty freeze announced by chancellor Rishi Sunak last month.

The latest data adds to the emerging view that the market is experiencing a surprising spike post lockdown, Galley said. As pent-up demand from the period of lockdown is released into a largely open housing market, a low supply of available homes is helping to exert upwards pressure on house prices.

New buyer enquiries rose to the highest level since 2013 and the number of new listings and agreed sales also rallied strongly.

The temporary nature of the stamp duty holiday has unsurprisingly encouraged many people to buy property, said Anna Clare Harper, author of Strategic Property Investing.

Throw six months worth of pent-up supply and demand and lockdown-led lifestyle changes into the mix, and, anecdotally, you have a frenzy in the housing market.

Galley said the outlook for the house market was brighter than many might have expected three months ago but warned: There is still a great deal of uncertainty around the lasting impact of the pandemic.

As government support measures come to an end, the resulting impact on the macroeconomic environment, and in turn the housing market, will start to become more apparent, he said.

Story continues

In particular, a weakening in labour market conditions would lead us to expect greater downward pressure on prices in the medium-term.

The government is also planning a radical overhaul of Englands planning system in a bid to speed up the building of new homes. If successful, the added supply could also weigh on prices.

We dont know how long this flurry of activity will continue, especially as the furlough scheme comes to an end, but for now things continue to move in the right direction, said Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients.

Listen to the latest podcast from Yahoo Finance UK
Workers are seen in silhouette near a liquefied natural gas storage tank at PetroChina's receiving terminal at Rudong port in Nantong, eastern China's Jiangsu province, Sept. 4, 2018.

China's biggest energy shakeup in years has turned into a guessing game as analysts wonder why the state agreed to pay so much for assets that it already owns.

On July 23, PetroChina, the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), announced an agreement to transfer its oil and gas infrastructure to the recently-formed China Oil & Gas Piping Network Corp., known as PipeChina, for 268.7 billion yuan (U.S. $38.3 billion).

The sale of PetroChina's domestic pipelines, storage facilities and import terminals will include a cash payment of 119.2 billion yuan ($17 billion) in addition to a 29.9-percent stake in the new pipeline authority.

The news was quickly followed by reports that Sinopec, the second-largest national oil company (NOC), had struck a deal to sell its pipelines and related "midstream" assets to PipeChina for 122.7 billion yuan ($17.5 billion).

Sinopec will receive 52.7 billion yuan ($7.5 billion) in cash and a 14-percent stake in the new company, Argus Media said.

Taken together, PipeChina was expected to shell out some $56 billion by Sept. 30, with yet another deal to come for midstream assets of the third-ranked NOC, China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC).

In broad brush strokes, the long-awaited rebundling of transport assets represents a major reform that was designed to end the NOCs' control over pipelines, opening access for independent investors to increase China's oil and gas production.

The government's push for third-party access is part of a larger plan to spur domestic output, particularly for gas, at a time of growing dependence on imports and energy security concerns.

In the process, the three state-owned NOCs are expected to refocus their efforts on the upstream segment for exploration and development of resources and the downstream segment for distribution and sales.

Political backing

Since 2014, the National Energy Administration (NEA) has issued a series of measures to ease the NOCs' grip over pipeline access without success, according to a recent research paper on China's energy transition.

The slow pace of reforms has been seen as a sign of the NOCs' political power despite the state's ownership and ultimate control.

"It would appear that strong support for the NOCs persists at the highest levels of government, most probably because of the non-commercial obligations they retain," said co-authors Sufang Zhang of the North China Electric Power University's School of Economics and Management, and Philip Andrews-Speed at National University of Singapore's Energy Studies Institute.

The PipeChina plan announced last December could be a breakthrough for independent energy development, but the limited details released last month raise more uncertainties.

At the outset, the value of the deals has been open to question, as numerous reports have cited the premiums that PipeChina would pay to the NOCs.

According to Bloomberg News, PetroChina will be paid 1.2 times the book value of its assets while Sinopec will get 1.4 times the asset value.

The government has given no explanation for the windfall payments to the NOCs for the state-owned assets that are being transferred to PipeChina, another state-owned enterprise (SOE).

"It is unclear why PipeChina may have overpaid," said another Argus Media report that estimated the premium for Sinopec's assets as 43 percent.

In an email message, Andrews-Speed said the deals seem to be the product of complex negotiations with the NOCs, which will hold 46.8 percent of PipeChina, and the state-owned funds that own the remaining 53.2 percent.

"If this was in the 'real world.' the valuation would be based on present value or net present value. Since we have been given no information on future pipeline tariffs, I guess this was not possible to do," Andrews-Speed said.

Some of the long-distance pipelines have probably been operating at a loss, potentially affecting their value and demands for compensation, he suggested.

"Though, why did Sinopec get a higher percentage of book value? I do not know," he said.

Last December, the Communist Party-affiliated Global Times quoted a PetroChina official as worrying whether asset transfers "can go forward smoothly, without encountering opposition from the SOEs."

Internal opposition to both asset transfers and third- party access suggests that the high premium payments may have been needed to overcome the resistance.

The bonuses could also be seen as a front-loaded subsidy to compensate for costly energy reforms to come.

In a statement, PetroChina said it expects to book a gain of 45.82 billion yuan ($6.5 billion) from the asset sales, which it will use to pay dividends and for capital expenditures, Reuters reported.

Shareholder reorganization

The list of shareholders in PipeChina comes as something of a surprise, since previous reports had cited only the three NOCs and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), the primary overseer of China's centrally-administered SOEs.

Instead, the shareholder roster includes a range of state- owned holding companies, investment funds and even the national social security fund with stakes ranging from 2 percent to 12.87 percent.

The diversification suggests that the government was forced to dip into various pockets to make the payments to the NOCs.

How much has been accomplished remains to be seen, however, since CNPC PetroChina will be PipeChina's largest shareholder by far. SASAC will hold only 4.4 percent.

"Upon completion of the transactions..., PipeChina will become an associated company of (PetroChina)," according to PetroChina's statement.

Not only assets are to be transferred, but the entire business units that run them along with the personnel, potentially leaving the door open to continuing NOC influence over decision-making despite the state's ownership.

Some industry reports raised doubts about whether the goal of third-party access would be achieved.

"Emerging LNG (liquefied natural gas) buyers, including city gas distributors and gas-fired power plant owners, currently buy gas from the majors, and the Big Three do not want to lose that business and see these players become competitors," International Oil Daily said.

The effects of restructuring may become clearer when the government gives a fuller account of its energy reforms in its 14th Five-Year Plan for the 2021-2025 period.

Market reforms for energy pricing have been promised, but pipeline tariffs and PipeChina's midstream profitability could be important variables to keep consumer costs under control.

In the parallel development of electricity reforms, the government has turned at times to the State Grid to deliver lower rates to industrial consumers as part of its effort to spur economic growth, leaving the midstream segment to absorb the costs.

The government has yet to make clear whether or how it plans to make PipeChina profitable.

Analysts have also questioned whether a change in the form of pipeline ownership will lead to the boost in domestic oil and gas output that state planners seek.

Possible import increase

China's production has been hampered by high costs and difficult geology that make imports more attractive. Reorganization under PipeChina may only open the door to more imports, experts say.

"The launch of a new national pipeline firm ... may encourage an increase in LNG imports if third-party access does become more available and affordable," Argus said in an analysis in December.

Michal Meidan, director of the China Energy Program at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, also sees imports as having a potential advantage with open access.

"Third-party access could increase import dependence as new entrants will want to import natural gas, especially if they can secure contracts based on current spot prices," Meidan told RFA earlier this year.
COVID-19 deaths, hospitalisations and lockdowns could be over this year, says WHO

How 'Vande Bharat' mission is beating tough flight restrictions in COVID-19 era

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Aug 07: The "Vande Bharat" mission, the largest global evacuation mission in well over a 30 years, by the Indian government to bring back stranded Indians in different parts of the world was a resounding success in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the airline industry due to travel restrictions, Vande Bharat mission has been seamless in its execution, notwithstanding the umpteen adversities due to a lockdown, in most parts of the globe.

Rahul Gandhi slams Centre as India crosses 2 million coronavirus cases

Nearly 9.5 lakh Indians stranded abroad have returned under Vande Bharat Mission so far, announced Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday.

The Mission has become the largest sustained operation of repatriation of stranded Indians.

"We are nearing 1 million-mark in Vande Bharat Mission making it the largest sustained operation of repatriation of stranded Indians. As on date nearly 9.5 lakh Indians has returned home under this mission," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.

Airlines hit hard by coronavirus

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The pandemic has pushed significant reductions in passenger and has resulted in flights being cancelled or planes flying empty between airports, which in turn massively reduced revenues for airlines and forced many airlines to lay off employees or declare bankruptcy. Some have attempted to avoid refunding cancelled trips in order to diminish their losses. Airliner manufacturers and airport operators have also laid off employees.

With COVID-19 cases hitting new peaks every day, travelling has become a big concern.

However, several countries gradually opening their air space and lifting lockdown restrictions, 'non-essential' travel is slowly gaining traction as major airlines ramp up their services in time for the peak holiday season.

India is implementing "travel bubbles" or air bridges between countries, allowing citizens to travel freely between specified nations. India has implemented a temporary reciprocal arrangement with the US, Germany and France and more countries like the UK and Canada will soon be added to the list.

Globally, the number of international flights to the U.S., Australia and Japan has fallen more than 80% from a year ago, while flights to China are down by more than 94%, according to aviation industry database Cirium.

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Story first published: Friday, August 7, 2020, 15:57 [IST]
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has expressed surprise that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will support its candidate in the Edo State governorship election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu despite the weighty allegations against him.

Speaking as Guest on a Live Television Programme, Wike said it is difficult to contemplate that the leadership of APC are still standing with Osagie Ize-Iyamu to canvass votes for him.

He said anybody with conscience and truly loves democracy cannot be proud to support a man who is facing corruption charges of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC).

President Muhammadu Buhari administration claims to fight corruption. But the APC candidate is facing corruption charges. Except they are saying he was charged before because he was of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) then.

I dont think that anybody with conscience, integrity, and love for democracy in Nigeria can openly support Ize-Iyamu when the allegations against him have not been refuted. If Adams Oshiomhole is supporting him now, then he must apologise to Edo people, tell them that he told a lie about him four years ago.

Godfatherism is playing out again. It hampers performance in government and Edo people must rise to stop it, and then other Nigerians will begin to emulate such courage, he stated.

Speaking on the threat of violence during Edo State election, Wike wondered why the Nigerian Police have not invited the APC candidate over the viral video showing his meeting with questionable characters described as lions and tigers of Edo state.

Wike who is the chairman, PDP National Campaign Council, noted that in that viral video, the APC candidate reiterated visiting violence on Edo electorate.

Violence is both when you issue threat and give directives. In that video, he told the boys to move from unit to unit, from ward to ward. This is a violation of the provisions and guidelines of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Governor Godwin Obaseki has always preached peace and has urged his supporters not to retaliate. But when people come to snatch ballot boxes in order to stop you from exercising your fundamental right, certainly, you will protect your votes.

Taking away the mandate of the people is an unforgivable sin. It denies the people good governance that they seek and should enjoy.

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Mukesh Ranjan By

Express News Service

RANCHI: In another incident of mob lynching in Jharkhand, a man was beaten to death and another person critically injured after villagers accused them of stealing vegetables from their fields early on Wednesday in Jamtara, around 225 kilometres from the state capital Ranchi.

Police said six persons have been arrested in this connection after an FIR was registered at Karmatar Police Station, while one of the accused is still at large.

The deceased has been identified as Saykul alias Fahwa Ansari while Binod Mondal, who received critical injuries, has been admitted to Patliputra Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) in Dhanbad.

After being informed about the incident on Wednesday, we rushed to the spot and found Binod Mondal, 50, screaming with pain inside the bushes near the fields in Karmatar. He said that he along with his friend, Sayakul, 46, had been thrown into the nearby well after being thrashed brutally by the villagers, said the officer in charge of Karmatar Police Station Ram Sarik Tiwari. Both of them belonged to Kashitanr village near where the incident took place, he added.

According to Tiwari, standing vegetable crops were being stolen by someone for the last few weeks which prompted villagers to keep a close watch around their fields in the night. On Tuesday night, they spotted four people entering into their fields and an alarm was raised, following which they succeeded in nabbing two of the intruders.

They allegedly were thrashed brutally with bamboo sticks and canes and thrown into a well after falling unconscious. Later, according to Binod, somehow he managed to climb out of the well but Sayakul succumbed to his injuries, said Tiwari. The body of Sayakul was recovered from the well and sent for postmortem, while Binod was rushed to Sadar Hospital from where he was referred to PMCH, he added.

Tiwari said an FIR under Section 302 (murder) along with other sections of the IPC against the accused persons has been lodged.
If these talks materialise then Microsofts investment in ShareChat will be a third of what this local social media platform was looking to raise in its latest funding round.

Microsoft is in talks with Indian social media platform ShareChat for an investment of around $100 million, according to reports. Sources in the know have told Mint that if the deal materialises then Microsofts investment will be a third of what ShareChat was looking to raise in its latest funding round.

However, it is likely that Sharechat will raise funds from existing investors before closing deals with new ones, another source said. This deal with Microsoft might take a few months to close and the talks are in very early stages, sources said.

Microsoft is currently negotiating the purchase of TikToks operations in the US and a few other markets from Chinese company ByteDance and reports have it that Microsoft might also be looking at acquiring TikToks India market and the European market.

While the news about Microsoft looking into the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand operations of TikTok are confirmed, reports about the Indian and the European markets are reported to be very preliminary.

A Financial Times report says that if Microsofts deal does not work out then ByteDance might sell the India business to other foreign investors or Indian buyers.

Microsofts interest in ShareChat while negotiations with TikTok/ByteDance are still on is all the more interesting since ShareChat has a TikTok rival too. ShareChats Moj, a video-sharing service, was launched just a day after the Indian government banned TikTok in the country. ByteDances Helo also competes with ShareChat.

Neither Microsoft nor ShareChat have commented on this yet.
Chattanooga's Street Grace, a faith-based organization with a mission to end Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children throughout the U.S., has been tapped to lead the training for the National Beer Wholesalers Associations more than 140,000 beer distribution employees in the U.S. to help them recognize and report signs of human trafficking.NBWA and National Association of Attorneys General Human Trafficking Committee Co-Chair Sean Reyes and committee member Maura Healey recently announced the new initiative to help combat human trafficking in the U.S.To help distributors understand human trafficking, identify the signs and respond if they suspect exploitation is taking place, NBWA partnered with Healy, Reyes and Camila Zolfaghari, executive director of Street Grace and a former human trafficking prosecutor, to produce a training video.Street Grace values collaboration with the business community, and we know theres a real benefit of non-profit, business, and government working together, said Bob Rodgers, president and CEO, Street Grace. Camilas leadership of this training video will impact tens of thousands of families by creating extra sets of eyes and ears with lifesaving knowledge about the signs of human trafficking in communities nationwide.The launch of this initiative coincided with the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30.Americas beer distributors are in every community across the country, said Craig Purser, NBWA president and CEO. These men and women not only live and serve in the communities where they work, but they visit 640,000 licensed retail locations each week. Distributors are uniquely positioned to help fight this heinous crime given their level of access in locations often unseen by the public. NBWA and our members are proud to work alongside Attorneys General Healy and Reyes to identify criminal traffickers and, ultimately, we hope to help save lives.Through NBWAs human trafficking initiative, beer distributors will provide the Street Grace-led training sessions to employees to recognize possible signs of exploitation, including common red flags and behaviors associated with human trafficking. Distributors will also be equipped with contact information to alert authorities if they spot suspicious behaviors.We are excited about this collaboration between Georgia-based Street Grace, the National Association of Attorneys General and the National Beer Wholesalers Association, said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Training saves lives, especially targeted trainings for uniquely positioned groups like the beer distributors. Now we have even more eyes and ears helping us identify and report instances of human trafficking and rescue victims. Great work by all involved.Human trafficking continues to be a major issue in the United States. According to a study from the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually exploited before the age of 18. Annually, The International Labour Organization found that human trafficking is a $150 billion illegal industry, and $99 billion comes specifically from sex trafficking.Learn more about how businesses can partner with Street Grace to help end sex trafficking at streetgrace.org.
The Supreme Court made clear to the Centre on Friday that it would not pass any order on the plea seeking closure of cases against two Italian marines, accused of killing two Indian fishermen, without hearing the victims' families. A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde allowed the Centre to file fresh plea making the victims' family members parties to its application for seeking closure of Italian Marines case.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench, also comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, that Italy has assured the Indian government that it would prosecute the Marines. When the bench insisted that adequate compensation should be paid to the family members of the victims, Mehta said the Centre will ensure that maximum compensation is given to them.

At the outset, the bench said it appreciates the steps taken by Italy to prosecute these marines but the court is on the issue of adequate compensation which should be paid to the victims' family. It said, "We want that adequate compensation be paid to the victims' family."

The top court referred to the case against the Italian Marines pending before the special court and said that without applying for withdrawal of prosecution there how the Centre can come here seeking the closure.

Mehta replied the top court had earlier said that proceedings on the special court be kept in abeyance.

The bench said, "You can apply for withdrawal of prosecution there. The victims' families will have the right to oppose it. The victims' families are not even a party here."

It said, "We will not pass any order without the victims' family being heard," and allowed the Solicitor General to implead family members of the victims as party in its closure application. The top court said the Centre should file a fresh application for impleading of the victims' kin within a week.

On July 3, the Centre moved the top court seeking closure of judicial proceedings here against the two Italian marines accused of killing Indian fishermen, off the Kerala coast.

The Centre said it has accepted the recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at the Hague which held that India is entitled to get compensation in the case but can't prosecute the marines due to official immunity enjoyed by them.

In February 2012, India had accused two Italian marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, on board the MV Enrica Lexie -- an Italian flagged oil tanker -- of killing two Indian fishermen who were on a fishing vessel in India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The Centre said the arbitration under United Nation Convention on the Law of Sea (UNCLOS), which was instituted on a request from Italy, has delivered its Award on May 21, 2020. It said the Tribunal upheld the conduct of Indian authorities with respect to the incident and highlighted the material and moral harm suffered by the Indian fishermen on board the St. Antony on February 15, 2012.

"It held that the actions of the Italian Marines breached India's freedom and right of navigation under UNCLOS Article 87(1)(a) and 90," the application said, adding, as argued by India, the Tribunal observed that, in principle, India and Italy had concurrent jurisdiction over the incident and a valid legal basis to institute criminal proceedings against the Marines.

It said that the Tribunal took note of the commitment expressed by Italy to resume its criminal investigation into the events of February 15, 2012 and decided that India must take necessary steps to cease to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over the marines.

"The Tribunal decided that India is entitled to payment of compensation in connection with loss of life, physical harm, material damage to property and moral harm suffered by the captain and other crew members of "St. Antony".

Latorre, who had suffered a brain stroke on August 31, 2014, was first granted bail and allowed by the apex court on September 12, 2014 to go to Italy for four months and after that, extensions for his stay have been granted to him.

In Italy, Latorre had to undergo a heart surgery after which the top court had granted him extension of his stay in his native country.

On September 28, 2016, the apex court had allowed Latorre to remain in his country till the international arbitral tribunal decided the jurisdictional issue.

On May 26, 2016, Girone was also granted bail with conditions and allowed by the top court to go to his country till the jurisdictional issue was decided. The complaint against the marines was lodged by Freddy, the owner of fishing boat 'St Antony' in which the two Kerala fishermen were killed when the marines opened fire on them allegedly under the misconception that they were pirates.

The top court was earlier informed by the Centre that the international arbitral proceedings would be completed by December 2018 before the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Germany.

The apex court had earlier stayed all criminal proceedings, including the trial of the two marines. While allowing the joint request of India and Italy, the apex court had said the proceedings would remain stalled till the jurisdictional issue about which country has the right to conduct trial was decided through international arbitration.

(With inputs from PTI)
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday said it cannot rush into hearing pleas seeking transfer of probe in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case to the CBI as the Supreme Court is seized of the matter as the Centre questioned the way the Maharashtra government was handling the case.

The CBI has already taken over the probe into the 'abetment to suicide' case filed with the Bihar police by Rajput's father. The Mumbai police are separately probing a case related to the death of Rajput (34), who was found hanging in his suburban Bandra apartment on June 14.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice A S Gadkari was hearing two petitions raising concerns over the manner in which the Mumbai police were investigating the case and the media reporting on it.

The pleas - one filed by Nagpur resident Sameet Thakkar, and another by Priyanka Tiberwal, a lawyer practising in the Calcutta High Court sought the Bombay HC's direction to the CBI to probe the case.

The bench also issued notices to two organisations dealing with the media.

"The Supreme Court is already seized of the matter and has also sought a status report from the Maharashtra government on the probe being conducted by the Mumbai police. Hence, we cannot rush into hearing the pleas, Chief Justice Datta said.

Chief Justice Datta added that while hearing petitions seeking transfer of probes to the CBI, courts must be cautious and has to use its discretion (to transfer probe) sparingly.

The Mumbai police had registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) case related to Rajput.

On July 25, Rajput's father KK Singh lodged a complaint with the Bihar police accusing his son's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and her family members of abetting Rajput's suicide.

The HC was on Friday informed by Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the central government, that the CBI has registered a case against Rhea Chakraborty and five others based on the complaint of Rajput's father.

The additional solicitor general, however, told the court that the manner in which the Maharashtra government was handling the matter was "questionable" and that it would be in everyone's interest that the CBI takes over the case.

An IPS officer from Bihar who had come to Mumbai to supervise the probe was put in quarantine by the Maharashtra government.

"However, just a month back when some policemen had come to Maharashtra to arrest a few accused in the slain gangster Vikas Dubey case they were not asked to quarantine themselves, Singh told the court.

The court, however, noted that it does not find it appropriate to express any opinion at this stage when the Supreme Court is already seized of the matter.

We will hear these pleas on August 21. We are informed that the Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter (Rhea Chakrobortys plea) on August 18, the court said in its order.

After the Bihar police lodged the FIR, Rhea Chakraborty approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case from Bihar to Mumbai and said that the Bihar police does not have the jurisdiction to probe the case.

The bench, while hearing another petition filed by an advocate seeking raising concerns over the manner in which media was reporting the Sushant death case, issued notices to the Press Council of India and the News Broadcasters' Association.

"It is an important matter," Chief Justice Datta said and posted the petition for hearing on August 18.

The plea, filed by advocate Asim Sarode, said there are guidelines issued by the Press Council of India on how media should report cases pertaining to suicide of people due to mental health issues.
At least 15 people are dead after an Air India Express plane carrying 191 passengers and crew skidded off the runway and broke apart while attempting to land in southern India.

The Boeing Co. 737 operating Flight 1344 from Dubai came to rest in a valley near a hilltop airport in Kozhikode, India. The plane touched down with a tail wind, according to archived data of the airports weather. The area surrounding the airport has been hit by torrential rains since Thursday, Indias weather office said.

Most passengers were workers returning home after losing their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, while some others were visitors who were stranded. India has banned scheduled international commercial service because of Covid-19 and only allowed repatriation flights with special permission from regulators.

Rescue personnel were on the scene and survivors were being taken to the hospital for treatment. No fire was reported at the time of landing.

We regret that there has been an incident regarding our aircraft, Air India Express said in a statement. Help centers were being set up in Sharjah and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Aviation regulators in the UAE had no immediate comment.

Table-Top Airport

The plane operated by Air India Ltd.s overseas, low-cost unit overshot the runway at 7:41 p.m. local time. According to a playback on flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the plane circled the airport in the southern state of Kerala several times before attempting to land.

The so-called table-top airport is located on a hill with limited space at the end of the runway, and several international airlines had stopped flying bigger aircraft including Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 jets into Kozhikode due to safety issues over the length on the runway.

The Hindu newspaper reported in 2018 that authorities ignored a proposal to install a system to stop planes from plunging off the edge.

The last fatal plane crash in India was in 2010, when an Air India Express Boeing plane overshot the runway at Mangalore -- also a table top -- and burst into flames, killing 158 people. That was the first fatal crash of a passenger aircraft in India in a decade.

Common Accidents

While not as deadly as some types of crashes, accidents during landing are among the most common, according to statistics compiled by Boeing.

Almost half of all fatal crashes from 2009 through 2018 occurred during final approach and landing, according to Boeing.

Such accidents have mostly occurred as a result of actions by pilots, such as touching down too far along a runway, approaching at higher speeds or failing to properly slow a plane, according to accident reports.

Weather can sometimes play a role, such as when runways are wet and braking is less effective. However, standard flight procedures are designed to take weather into account, so landings are only permitted when conditions are safe.
The new version of MIUI will roll out in the few weeks in a phased manner, and is likely to be made available for all Xiaomi smartphones.

With all the flak Xiaomi and other Chinese OEMs are receiving on social media in India over shipping banned apps in newly launched smartphones. And to assuage users over the debacle, Xiaomi said it will launch a new version of MIUI for India, which wont have the banned apps preinstalled.

Xiaomi India MD, Manu Kumar Jain published an open letter on Twitter which makes it clear how Xiaomi is ensuring none of the banned apps are installed on their devices. Interestingly, there are more than one Xiaomi apps in the list of banned apps. Jain also made it clear that the MIUI Cleaner app is not the same as the Clean Master app banned in India.

Xiaomi is working on an India-specific version of MIUI

The new version of MIUI will roll out in the few weeks in a phased manner, and is likely to be made available for all Xiaomi smartphones. As for the Clean Master app, Jain wrote please note that Clean Master is a common industry name, used by multiple app developers. MIUI has its own Cleaner app and we are not using the Clean Master app that has been blocked by the Indian Government.

In fact, Jain claimed Xiaomi was only using the industry definitions that are vital to the functioning of such an app. And in the coming update, Xiaomi will remove all traces of clean master from its cleaning app. It also plans on making it uninstallable.

Xiaomi also promised that all upcoming smartphones from Xiaomi will come with the updated software, and that since 2018, 100% of data from Indian users is stored on servers located in India and none of this data is shared with anyone outside of India.

You can read the full letter in the Tweet embedded below 

IMPORTANT news about #Xiaomi phones in #India:



1) None of the blocked apps will be available

2) MIUI Cleaner app is not using Clean Master app banned by Indian Govt.

3) 100% of Indian user data stays in India



A new version of MIUI coming soon.

Please read & spread the news. pic.twitter.com/I1WPAkXVWi  Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) August 7, 2020

The development comes days after the Government showed renewed focus on banning even more Chinese apps, including some by Xiaomi like the Mi Browser Pro, leaving the company no option but to comply with the order and remove them.
A teenager was shot Thursday night in Worcester, according to police.

Authorities received a call about a person shot on Valley View Lane shortly after 11 p.m., according to Lieutenant Sean Murtha of the Worcester Police Department.

When officers arrived at the scene, they entered a second-floor apartment and found an 18-year-old woman who had been shot, Murtha told MassLive.

The woman was brought to the hospital. Her injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, police said.

Anyone with information about the shooting can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD or an anonymous online message at worcesterma.gov/police, the department said in a statement.

Calls can also be made to the Worcester police detectives at (508) 799-8651.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
(Newser)  French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut Thursdayand after Tuesday's devastating explosion, more than a few Lebanese were ready for him to take over as their president. A petition circulating on Avaaz calling for the former colonial power to take charge of Lebanon for the next 10 years now has around 60,000 signatures, Deutsche Welle reports. "Lebanons officials have clearly shown a total inability to secure and manage the country," the petition states, denouncing corruption and other issues. "We believe Lebanon should go back under the French mandate in order to establish a clean and durable governance," it says. France ruled Lebanon from 1920 to 1945 under a post-WWI settlement.

story continues below

With almost 150 people confirmed dead, around 5,000 injured, and hundreds of thousands homeless, Beirut residents are furious at authorities who ignored warnings about thousands of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored at a port building for years. During his visit Thursday, Macronunlike Lebanese leaderstoured devastated neighborhoods, the AP reports. After a crowd gathered shouting "Revolution" and other slogans, he promised to push for a "new political pact" in the country and vowed that French aid "will not go into the hands of corruption." On Thursday night, after Macron departed, tear gas was fired as anti-government protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces, the BBC reports. (Read more Lebanon stories.)
BERLIN - Top European officials urged Belarusian authorities Friday to ensure a free and fair presidential election this weekend and denounced unacceptable restrictions ahead of the vote.

President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist for 26 years, is seeking a sixth term in Sundays election. In recent months, the 65-year-old leader has been a target of opposition protests fueled by the worsening economy and his governments botched response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Election officials have already barred Lukashenkos two main challengers from running, but remaining candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, 37, the wife of a jailed blogger, has managed to unite the fragmented opposition. A recent Tsikhanouskaya rally in the capital attracted an unprecedented 60,000 people.

The campaign chief for another opposition candidate in the five-way race was arrested and sentenced Friday to 10 days in jail. Mikhalai Lysenkou, who was leading the campaign of presidential candidate Sergei Cherechen, was detained outside a polling station where he had gone to observe early voting.

Cherechen, who is considered a minor player in the contest, said in a video statement that Lysenkou was sentenced to 10 days after being found guilty of organizing an unauthorized mass gathering.

Also Friday, a court sentenced Deutsche Welle journalist Aleksandra Burakova to 10 days in jail for hooliganism.

The peaceful mobilization of (Belarusian) society has been met so far with unacceptable further restrictions on freedoms of media and assembly, as well as with detentions of peaceful protesters, domestic observers, journalists and activists, the European Unions foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said. The countrys sovereignty and independence can only be strengthened by peaceful, free and fair elections.

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland voiced concern in a separate statement that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and others werent invited to observe the election.

We urge Belarusian authorities to conduct the upcoming presidential election in a free and fair manner, including ensuring independent monitoring by local observers, they said. We have taken note of worrying reports of electoral irregularities during early voting.

Both statements urged Belarusian authorities to release all prisoners detained on political grounds.

Opposition activity has been unusually strong in the tightly controlled country as the economy deteriorates and Belarusians question Lukashenkos dismissal of the coronavirus threat and refusal to impose restrictions.

Since his election as independent Belaruss first and so far only president, Lukashenko has retained much of the Soviet-era planned economy, and stifled opposition and independent news media.

Read more about:
New Delhi: India on Thursday said it expects China to work sincerely with it for complete disengagement and de-escalation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Ladakh sector to ensure full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas. This comes amid reports of a stalemate in the Sino-Indian military de-escalation in the Pangong Tso lake region due to the reported reluctance of Chinese PLA troops to pull back.

MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, The Special Representatives of India and China had a telephone conversation on July 5, 2020 where they discussed the situation in the India China border areas. The two Special Representatives had agreed that early and complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and de-escalation from India-China border areas in accordance with bilateral agreement and protocols and full restoration of peace and tranquility was essential for the smooth overall development of bilateral relations.

In response to a question from the media on another matter of whether the Indian Government is reviewing the activities undertaken by Confucius Institutes at various Indian universities, the MEA Spokesperson indicated that the government would check to see whether MEA approval was sought as per guidelines prior to any pact between a Confucius Institute and an Indian educational institution. The Confucius Institutes  named after ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius  were reportedly established across the world with Beijings assistance as centres to propagate Chinese culture and Mandarin (Chinese) language-learning.

The MEA Spokesperson said, The Ministry of External Affairs had in 2009 issued detailed guidelines for establishment and functioning of Foreign Cultural Centres. These guidelines apply also to any cultural centre that is supported/sponsored by an autonomous foreign organisation, including any Confucius Centre. Under these Guidelines, approval of MEA is required for any MoU/Agreement that such Centres might wish to enter into with an Indian organisation. Naturally, if any Indian institution were to enter into or has entered into an arrangement which would come under the purview of these guidelines, then it would require the approval of the Government. And as a corollary if the approval was not taken when establishing such Centers then it was not in conformity with the Guidelines.

It may be recalled that an upset China had recently asked India to avoid politicising normal cooperation in the education sector and to treat Confucius Institutes and China-India higher education cooperation in an objective and fair manner. The latest Chinese reaction had been in response to media reports that the Indian Government is reviewing the activities undertaken by the Confucius Centre at various Indian universities. According to recent media reports, there are only two functional Confucius Institutes in India, one at Mumbai University and the other at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Tamil Nadu.
A cruel driver and his friend pretended to offer an elderly homeless man a $20 note before snatching it away and speeding off when he tries to take the money.

The sneering pair were parked outside a chicken takeaway in Michigan when the driver pretended to offer a homeless man a $20 note through the car window.

The yobs filmed themselves teasing the desperate man in a 'disgusting clip', which was posted on social media on Monday.

A shameless driver and his friend teased a homeless man outside a chicken drive-thru in Michigan, by pretending to offer him a $20 note before speeding away laughing

In the video, the driver dangles the money out of the window and tells his friend 'I got a twenty for him', before calling out to the homeless man.

The driver, 21, tells the man 'you've got to walk faster' as the man begins walking slowly over to the car.

The shameless driver then whips the money out of the man's reach, just as he reaches out to grab the note.

Both men begin laughing as the driver accelerates and speeds away from the homeless man.

In the video, the driver also appears to have even more money on his lap as he teases the man with the $20 note.

The 'disgusting' video was posted on Snapchat on Monday, before it was shared by horrified viewers on Facebook, where it has since been viewed more than 100,000 times.

The driver, from Michigan, tried to wriggle out of blame after receiving abuse by claiming he had already purchased chicken for the man before mocking him.

The cruel pair filmed themselves offering the man $20 before speeding away, while the driver sat with more money on his lap, and posted the video on Snapchat on Monday

But thousands of social media users appeared to remain sceptical and argued there was 'no justifying this type of behaviour'.

The driver's mother claimed her son thought the video was 'funny at the time' but has since received a 'backlash', and even death threats, from those who have seen the clip.

Student Maddi Letwinski, 21, knew the prankster from school and shared the 'disgusting' video to warn others from their town about the construction worker.

Maddi, from Belleville in Michigan, said: 'When I first started watching it I thought "oh, that's very nice. He's about to give him some money" - because he had a bunch of money in his lap.

'Then when he snatched it away I thought "no way - that did not just happen". That's so disgusting. The response has been overwhelming.

'I've been friends with him for probably 10 years. I went to school with him. I haven't talked to him in a while but I saw it on his Snapchat story.

Student Maddi Letwinski, 21, (above) saw the video on Snapchat and shared it on Facebook to warn others in her town about the construction worker

Maddi, from Belleville in Michigan, said the driver asked her if she could delete the video, which she shared on Facebook (above), but she refused saying his behaviour 'is not OK'

'I ended up replying to it and said "this isn't funny - why did you post this?"

'His response was "I already gave him food and money before and he still begged me for money".'

Maddi added that the driver messaged her asking if she could delete the video, which she shared online, but she refused, saying his behaviour 'is not OK'.

She said: 'He thinks he can do this because he'd bought the guy food. This is when I thought "this isn't okay at all".

'He messaged me yesterday and asked if I could delete the video but no, I'm not deleting it.

'I didn't expect it to go viral. I just posted it so people could see it in my town.'

Maddi, who knew the prankster from school, said he thought he could do this as he claimed he had already bought the man chicken before mocking him

After seeing Maddi's post, social media users shared their disgust at the driver's behaviour, with some even offering to find the homeless man to 'give him some money'

On Facebook, people shared their disgust and some even offered to find the old man themselves to 'give him money and pay [their] respects'.

Cailyn Quinn said: 'His replies back to people are so ignorant.

'Just because you give someone something, whether that be money or food, gives no justification to suddenly treat them however you please.

'He's acting like because he's supposedly done nice things before to the man that it makes this action justifiable. It's so wrong & makes me sick.'

Another social media user, Mily Casey, slammed the behaviour of the driver as 'disgusting'.

Madison Thomas said: 'Wow this is disgusting. Terrible thing to do. People are so cruel.'

Both men involved in the incident were approached by Kennedy News for comment.
Belfast solicitor Ian Coulter and businessman Frank Cushnahan have said they will plead not guilty to fraud charges arising from Project Eagle - the sale of Nama's property loans in Northern Ireland.

Mr Coulter (49), a former managing partner of commercial law firm Tughans, and Mr Cushnahan (78), a one-time chairman of Belfast Harbour, face charges over the 1.2bn sale of the toxic property loans, which had been held by the Republic's bad bank, Nama.

Nama was set up in 2009 to cleanse the Republic's banks of property loans which had collapsed in value in the economic crash. Banks such as Bank of Ireland, the now-defunct Anglo Irish Bank and AIB had all lent extensively to borrowers in Northern Ireland.

The sale of the loans to the US investment fund Cerberus Capital Management was announced in April 2014, and was our biggest ever property transaction.

As well as three counts of fraud, including a joint count with Mr Cushnahan, Mr Coulter also faces two counts of concealing criminal property.

Mr Cushnahan, who had been a member of Nama's Northern Ireland advisory committee, is charged with two counts of fraud in total.

The Public Prosecution Service announced the charges yesterday after taking over from the National Crime Agency, which investigates economic crime. Allegations of impropriety were first raised in July 2015.

John Finucane, Mr Coulter's solicitor, said: "The PPS have confirmed that Mr Coulter will face a total of five charges arising out of the sale of the Nama loan book, known as Project Eagle.

"This follows a police investigation which has lasted in excess of four years.

"My client now enters into what will undoubtedly be a lengthy court process lasting years, where he will maintain his innocence to the offences alleged, as he has throughout this drawn-out process."

Joe Rice, solicitor for Mr Cushnahan, said: "We are extremely disappointed that the PPS has decided to prosecute. We will be pleading not guilty to both allegations at any forthcoming trial."

Mr Coulter is still on the Northern Ireland Roll of Solicitors. A spokesman for regulatory body the Law Society said it would not be commenting but had noted the PPS decision.

Another six people who were also investigated by the PPS under the same file will not face charges. The PPS said: "After consideration of a complex and substantial file submitted by NCA investigators, it has been decided that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute two suspects in connection with alleged activity around the property deal known as Project Eagle.

"A 78-year-old man is to be charged with one count of the offence of fraud... involving a failure to disclose information between April 1, 2013 and November 7, 2013. The 78-year-old and a 49-year-old man are also to be jointly charged with one count of fraud... involving a false representation made on or around April 3, 2014."

The PPS added that the 49-year-old is also charged with two more counts of fraud.

One count involves a false representation made on or around September 11, 2014 while another count involves making an article in connection with a fraud on or about August 13 the same year.

He faces another two counts of the offence of concealing criminal property between September 15, 2014 and December 1, 2014.

In total, nine people have been investigated over both the Cerberus deal, and an attempt to sell the loans to another investment firm.

But Mr Coulter and Mr Cushnahan are the only two to be prosecuted, with the PPS saying there was not enough evidence to prosecute the others.

A decision was previously taken not to prosecute one other suspect in November 2018.

The PPS said the NCA is also investigating "additional matters" which could result in more decisions to prosecute.

NCA deputy director of investigations Craig Naylor said: "This operation has been and remains an incredibly complex investigation, which is of enormous importance to the public in Northern Ireland and beyond.

"Today's announcement is therefore a significant milestone."

He added: "The investigation is not over yet. We have further lines of inquiry to follow up and we will continue to liaise as appropriate with PPS colleagues."

Profile Frank Cushnahan

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Frank Cushnahan has been a well-known figure in business for a long time, and chaired Belfast Harbour for eight years until 2006. He has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing in connection with Project Eagle.

He was involved in the deal which led to the setting up of Titanic Quarter. His period as chairman was commemorated in the naming of a piece of land as Cushnahan Quay.

He was awarded a CBE in 2001. He has held about 30 company appointments and many public sector roles, including chairman of the audit committee and non-executive board member at the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister.

He had been a member of the NI Nama advisory committee since 2010, and he and other members were praised by Nama chairman Frank Daly for "extremely valuable input". In 2011, he joined agency colleagues at a dinner at Hillsborough Castle hosted by the Secretary of State Owen Paterson.

In October 2015, then First Minister Peter Robinson called Mr Cushnahan a "pillar of the establishment" when giving evidence to a Stormont committee about the deal.

Profile Ian Coulter

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Ian Coulter was a high-profile figure in the world of Northern Ireland business. He has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing in connection with Project Eagle.

He was managing partner for Tughans, one of Northern Ireland's top commercial law firms. But he left in January 2015 six months before allegations of impropriety around the deal were first made by Independent TD Mick Wallace.

The 49-year-old also served as chairman of business lobby group the CBI in Northern Ireland. In that role, he spoke out to encourage government to make conditions more favourable for business, including through the devolution of corporation tax. He was a frequent guest at corporate dinners and awards events and named Dealmaker of the Year at the Insider NI Dealmaker Awards in 2012.

His citation described him as "a hard-working and popular member of the business community, specialising in international mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital transactions".

Mr Coulter, a former pupil at Coleraine Academical Institution, is still on the region's Roll of Solicitors.

Nama: How the controversy over Project Eagle sale unfolded

2009: Nama is established to cleanse the Irish banking system of toxic property loans that had plummeted in value during the property crash.

May 2010: Frank Cushnahan is among a number of appointments made to a Northern Ireland Nama advisory committee. In 2012 he is reappointed for another two years. However, he then resigns in November 2013.

September 2010: Nama says it expects that the nominal value of loans secured on Northern Ireland assets will be approximately 3.35bn.

December 2013: Nama puts its Northern Ireland portfolio on the market and US fund PIMCO submits a bid on the condition that Eagle comes off the market, but Nama says loans must be sold to the highest bidder.

March 2014: PIMCO withdraws.

April 4, 2014: Cerberus Capital Management is named as the purchaser of the Project Eagle loan portfolio. Nama says it followed "an extensive and competitive sales process involving bidders from Europe and the United States".

July 2015: Under Dail privilege, the independent Wexford TD Mick Wallace makes allegations of impropriety, stating that business and political figures in Northern Ireland were to profit from the sale.

July 2015: Stormont's finance and personnel committee and the Dail's committee of public accounts launch inquiries.

2016: The National Crime Agency (NCA) launches a probe into the deal, arresting Mr Cushnahan and another person. Mr Coulter is questioned.

2019: The NCA sends a file on possible charges for eight potential suspects to the Public Prosecution Service.

July 2020: The Public Prosecution Service announces fraud charges against both Mr Coulter and Mr Cushnahan, but there is not enough evidence against the others. Mr Coulter additionally faces charges of concealing criminal property.
6 pro-democracy activists living in exile, including U.S. citizen Samuel Chu, former U.K. consulate worker Simon Cheng, activists Nathan Law and Ray Wong Toi-yeung, have been issued arrest warrants by police in Hong Kong.

The activists are being punished for fighting for Hong Kong's democracy when China aggressively imposed a new national security law in Hong Kong.

The new national security law states four categories of crime: succession, subversion of state power, local terrorist activities, and collaborating with foreign or external foreign forces to endanger national security.

The 6 activists have been charged for taking part in secession efforts for Hong Kong and colluding with foreign powers.

Wong, who currently resides in the U.K. expressed his feelings on being exiled and being arrested, "I think they want to cut off our connection with people in Hong Kong...it will make people fear that they may violate the national security law by contacting us."

Nathan Law who is also residing in the U.K. shared his frustration in a statement, "That Hong Kong has no place for even such moderate views like ours underscores the absurdity of Chinese Communist rule."

China Aid, a U.S.-based group expressed the extremity of the new national security law in a statement, "The law also positions Beijing as over the Hong Kong judicial system in cases deemed related to national security. This means that the judges in these cases must be Beijing-approved. Hong Kong residents can now also be taken to China, where they will face a courtroom with allegiance to the government."

A U.K.-based group called Hong Kong Watch shared similar views as China Aid on a Twitter post that read, "This law fundamentally compromises one-country, two-systems, and breach of the handover agreement. The details emerging put human rights in jeopardy."

The new national security law breaks the 1997 agreement between China and Hong Kong when China agreed to a "one country, two systems" arrangement to allow certain freedoms for Hong Kong when it received the city back from British control which lasted from 1841 to 1997.
The wait is over.

For stargazers in North America, one of the most highly anticipated and reliable meteor showers will peak this week. The Perseid meteor shower will peak on Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, a reliable meteor shower that puts on a show year in and year out.

"The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere," the American Meteor Society (AMS) explained on its website.

This year, spectators across the Northern Hemisphere can expect to see between 50 and 75 meteors an hour under dark skies, which averages about one meteor every minute. Areas south of the equator will still be able to see some of the Perseids, but the hourly rates will be lower.

"The Geminid meteor shower in December produces about the same number of meteors. Both showers produce about four times more than any other shower during the year typically does," AccuWeather Astronomy Blogger Dave Samuhel said.

One big difference between the Perseids and the Geminids is the weather.

August typically features more comfortable stargazing weather for the Perseids compared to December's cold and often cloudy conditions around the peak of the Geminids.

As with every meteor shower, the best time to look is when the shower's radiant point is highest in the sky. The number of meteors able to be seen will gradually increase as the radiant point moves higher in the sky.

"They are called Perseids since the radiant (the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate) is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus," the AMS explained.

Contrary to popular belief, skywatchers do not need to look at radiant point to see the meteor shower -- shooting stars will be visible streaking across all areas of the sky.

The radiant point for the Perseids will rise above the horizon by around 11 p.m. local time and will continue to climb higher in the sky as the night progresses. However, the moon is set to rise by around 1 a.m. local time and will bring with it natural light pollution, making it more difficult to see some of the fainter meteors.

Story continues

Because of this, the best window for viewing this year's Perseid meteor shower will occur between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. local time.

"Even though the Perseids will be most active after midnight, I encourage people to start looking once it gets dark in the evening," Samuhel said.

"You will be more likely to see a long-lived, bright meteor fly across a large portion of the sky during the evening."

A meteorite of the swarm of meteorites Perseida illuminate at the sky above Salgotarjan, Hungary, early Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year in August when the Earth passes through debris and dust of the Swift-Tuttle comet. (Peter Komka/MTI via AP)

Onlookers staying out after 1 a.m. to watch the celestial light show should look to the darkest part of the sky away from the moon.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

This year, most of the western and central United States will have cloud-free conditions for the peak of the Perseids. Favorable weather is also in the forecast for much of western Canada and the Canadian Prairies.

Folks east of the Mississippi River may have some clouds to contend with, especially across the Ohio Valley to the coast of the mid-Atlantic.

Other areas, such as the Deep South, northern New England and into the St. Lawrence River Valley will have some breaks in the clouds which could provide opportunities to spot a few shooting stars throughout the night.

Meteors will continue to be visible in the nights following the peak, so those that find themselves under clouds on Tuesday night should plan for a night under the stars later in the week when weather conditions improve. However, the number of meteors visible will gradually decrease each night.

In addition to needing clear weather, a little patience is also required for watching the Perseids.

"Dedicate a solid hour to doing nothing but looking for meteors," Samuhel said. "If you look for only a few minutes, you might not see any."

It is important not to look at any source of light while out looking for shooting stars; this includes cellphone screens.

"Make yourself comfortable. Lay back on a lounge chair or a blanket on the grass. Don't sit in a normal chair and look up; your neck will quickly get tired," Samuhel said.

After the Perseids pass, the next moderate meteor shower will not occur until mid-October with the peak of the Orionids.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Missiles hit US base in northeast Syria after report of oil 'theft' plan

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 06 August 2020 2:28 PM

Multiple missiles have struck a US-occupied military base in Syria's northeast where Washington seeks to control and loot crude resources in the war-torn Arab country.

The base came under fire by a barrage of missiles in al-Shaddadi of northeastern Syrian province of al-Hasakah, Syria's al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday.

There has been no immediate report of casualties or any claim of responsibility for the attack.

US military vehicles transporting American troops and their bases have been attacked several times over the past few years across the troubled region.

In recent months, the US military has reportedly sent a new convoy of trucks carrying military and logistical equipment to Hasakah.

The military buildup is reportedly part of Washington's cutthroat rivalry with some of its regional allies to maintain control over oil reserves in Syria and plunder its natural resources.

Since late October 2019, the United States has been redeploying troops to the oil fields controlled by its Kurdish mercenaries in eastern Syria, in a reversal of President Donald Trump's earlier order to withdraw all troops there.

The Pentagon has said the US wants to "protect" the fields and facilities from possible attacks by the Daesh terrorist group. Trump has said that despite a military pullback from northeast Syria, American forces would remain "where they have oil".

Syria, which has not authorized the presence of the US military in its territory, says Washington is "plundering" its oil.

The presence of US forces in eastern Syria has particularly irked civilians, and local residents have on several occasions stopped American military convoys entering the region.

The United States has long been supplying the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with arms and training, calling the Kurdish militant group a key partner.

Many observers see the support in the context of Washington's scheme to carve out a foothold in Syria.

The support has especially infuriated Washington's NATO ally, Turkey, which views militants from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG)  the backbone of the SDF  as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been engaged in a destructive war inside Turkey for decades.

Turkey earlier this week denounced a deal recently signed between the SDF and an American company aimed at stealing oil in northeastern Syria, describing it as equivalent to "financing of terrorism".

The Turkish foreign ministry accused the US of advancing the SDF's "separatist agenda by confiscating, with this step, Syrian people's natural resources."

Damascus says the deal is an affront to its national sovereignty and amounts to "theft." The Syrian foreign ministry has also slammed Washington for hindering the country's efforts to rebuild what has been destroyed by the foreign-led terrorism, which is "mostly backed by the US administration itself."

US oil deal with SDF militants akin to piracy: Analyst

Commenting on the deal, Dean Henderson, an author and geopolitical analyst from Missouri, said that the deal between an American firm and Kurdish militants to develop and export the Arab country's crude was akin to piracy.

"This deal is akin to a pirate stealing a ship then hiring a contractor to 'modernize' it. This oil belongs to the Syrian people and not to an American multinational and their CIA-backed henchman," Henderson told Iran's Tasnim news agency in an interview on Wednesday

"Foreign policy by theft has been a pillar of US 'diplomacy' since the Monroe Doctrine and can be traced back to the Crusades of the Holy Roman Empire and even the imperatives of the pharaohs.

"'Might is right' has unfortunately been the modus operandi on this earth for thousands of years. The international organizations are beholden to these powerful interests, so the best Syria can do is to continue to drive the neocolonialists from their land by force."

On July 30 and during his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hardline US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed for the first time that an American oil company would begin work in the SDF-controlled northeastern Syria.

Syria has been gripped by unrest since 2011, when militancy first began in the country. Foreign states opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have since been funding and providing weapons to militants, among them thousands of paid foreign terrorists.

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Marijuana sales in Illinois have been spiking during the coronavirus pandemic, raking in millions for dispensaries and the state alike.

Since cannabis became legal in the Land of Lincoln on New Year's Day, recreational sales have surpassed $300 million in 2020 - $225 million since the pandemic began in March, reported the Chicago Tribune.

Of that total, $61 million - or about one-fifth - worth of weed was sold in July alone, more than in any month this year.

The Illinois government has also brought in $66.8 million in tax revenues from cannabis sales in 2020.

Since recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois on January 1, sales have surpassed $300 million. Pictured: Illinois Lt Gov. Juliana Stratton reacts after purchasing recreational marijuana at Sunnyside dispensary, January 1

At least $200 million has been made since the coronavirus pandemic began in March and $61 million was sold in July alone. Pictured: Customers shop for a recreational marijuana at Dispensary 33 store in Chicago, Illinois, January 1

From April to June, the average transaction was about $150 up from an average of about $126 from January to March. Pictured: Customers show their purchases after shopping at Sunnyside Cannabis Dispensary, January 1

Using figures from New Frontier Data, the Tribune found that the amount Illinoisans are spending at marijuana dispensaries has increased.

From April to June, the average transaction was about $150, up from an average of about $126 from January to March.

This is similar to increases seen in other states. In Colorado, for example, pot sales were up 17 percent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same time last year, the Tribune reported.

Experts say there are a number of reasons for the increase in marijuana sales.

They say people may have turned to cannabis to cope with the financial and health crises.

When lockdowns were imposed, dispensaries were deemed essential businesses.

The Tribune said the online ordering many dispensaries have in place have also kept their number of sales steady, particularly when customers couldn't shop in person.

Katie Johnston-Smith, 33 who lives in Roscoe Village, a neighborhood of Chicago, told the newspaper, she began feeling anxiety when the coronavirus pandemic first struck. She said edibles helped her sleep.

'It was pretty nice, because it did help me mellow out,' Johnston-Smith told the Tribune.

'I was like: "Oh, this is way better than mellowing out with a glass of wine."'

Experts say this is partly because Americans are turning to cannabis to cope and because dispensaries were deemed essential businesses. Pictured: Customers wait in line outside Sunnyside Cannabis Dispensary in Chicago, January 1

State officials believe cannabis sales could generate $250 million for Illinois. Pictured A food truck sits outside the Sunnyside Cannabis Dispensary on January 1

It's hard to tell whether the spike is directly to the pandemic or not, but state officials estimate cannabis sales could generate $250 million for Illinois by 2022.

Medical marijuana is currently legal in 33 states and the District of Columbia.

Eleven of those states - Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington - and DC have also legalized recreational use.

A 2018 poll from the Pew Research Center found that 62 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, double the number from two decades ago in 2000.

Opinions of legalization differ by political party, with 69 percent of Democrats supporting it compared with 75 percent of Independents and just 45 percent of Republicans.
WASHINGTON  U.S. intelligence officials believe that Russia is using a variety of measures to denigrate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ahead of the November election and that individuals linked to the Kremlin are boosting President Donald Trumps reelection bid, the countrys counterintelligence chief said Friday.

U.S. officials also believe that China does not want Trump to win a second term and that Beijing has accelerated its criticism of the president and its efforts to shape American opinion and public policy.

The statement from William Evanina comes amid criticism from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional Democrats that the intelligence community has been withholding from the public specific intelligence information about the threat of foreign election interference in the upcoming election.

On Russia, U.S. intelligence officials assess that it is working to denigrate Biden and what it sees as an anti-Russia establishment among his supporters, Evanina said. He said that would track Moscows criticism of Biden when he was vice president for his role in Ukraine policies and his support of opposition to President Vladimir Putin inside Russia.

The latest intelligence assessment reflects concerns to varying degrees about China, Russia and Iran, warning that hostile foreign actors may seek to compromise election infrastructure and interfere with the voting process.

Those concerns are especially acute following a wide-ranging effort by Russia to interfere in the 2016 election on Trump's behalf through both the hacking of Democratic emails and a covert social media campaign aimed at sowing discord among U.S. voters.

Many foreign actors have a preference for who wins the election, which they express through a range of overt and private statements; covert influence efforts are rarer, said Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence Security Center. We are primarily concerned about the ongoing and potential activity by China, Russia and Iran.

China views Trump as unpredictable and does not want to see him win reelection, Evanina said. China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of the November election in an effort to shape U.S. policy and pressure political figures it sees as against Beijing, he said.

Although China will continue to weigh the risks and benefits of aggressive action, its public rhetoric over the past few months has grown increasingly critical of the current administrations COVID-19 response, closure of Chinas Houston consulate and actions on other issues, he wrote.

On Iran, the assessment said Tehran seeks to undermine U.S. democratic institutions as well as Trump and divide America before the election.

Irans efforts along these lines probably will focus on online influence, such as spreading disinformation on social media and recirculating anti-U.S. content, Evanina wrote. Tehrans motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trumps re-election would result in a continuation of U.S. pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change.

--The Associated Press
Madrid: Spain's former king, Juan Carlos, has been staying at Abu Dhabi's exclusive Emirates Palace Hotel since leaving Spain aboard a private jet amid a financial scandal, Spanish daily newspaper ABC reported on Friday.

United Arab Emirates officials were not immediately available for comment. The Emirates Palace Hotel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Spain's former King Juan Carlos last year. Credit:AP

Dogged by mounting corruption allegations, Juan Carlos abruptly announced his decision to leave Spain on Monday but there has been no official confirmation of his whereabouts, setting off an international guessing game.

The royal familys website published a letter from the former monarch to his son, King Felipe, on Monday saying he was leaving Spain to live in another country.
A New York judge knocked down President Donald Trump's bid to delay a lawsuit from a woman who accused him of rape, ruling in a decision released Thursday that the presidency doesn't shield him from the case.

Pointing to a recent US Supreme Court ruling that the president isn't immune from a New York prosecutor's criminal investigation, Manhattan judge Verna Saunders said the same principle applies to E Jean Carroll's defamation suit, in which Trump's lawyers have argued that the Constitution bars presidents from being dragged into lawsuits in state courts.

No, it does not, Saunders wrote.

The decision allows Carroll who's seeking Trump's DNA as potential evidence to keep pursuing her suit. She says he slurred her in denying her claim that he raped her in the 1990s.

"We are now eager to move forward with discovery so that we can prove that defamed E. Jean Carroll when he lied about her in connection with her brave decision to tell the truth about the fact that had sexually assaulted her, said her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan.

Email and phone messages were sent to Trump's lawyers about the ruling.

Carroll, who was a longtime Elle magazine advice columnist until December, went public last year with an allegation that Trump raped her in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. She said it happened after they ran into each other and bantered about trying on a bodysuit.

Trump said Carroll was totally lying to sell a memoir and that he'd never met her, though a 1987 photo showed them and their then-spouses at a social event. He said it just captured a moment when he was standing in a line.

Carroll is trying to get a DNA sample from Trump to see whether it matches as-yet-unidentified male genetic material found on a dress that she says she was wearing during the alleged attack and didn't don again until a photo shoot last year.

Trump's lawyers have argued the suit shouldn't proceed at least until New York's highest court decides -- in a separate case -- whether an incumbent president is shielded from all state-court suits unrelated to his official duties.

Previous U.S. Supreme Court decisions have said incumbent presidents can't be sued anywhere over official actions so as to prevent the prospect of suits from influencing their decision-making but they are subject to federal civil suits regarding private behavior.

The high court hasn't specifically addressed whether suits over a president's private conduct can unfold in state courts.

Carroll's lawyers, however, have argued the justices essentially settled the question when they ruled last month on Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.'s ability to subpoena Trump's tax records for a state grand jury investigation.

We cannot conclude that absolute immunity is necessary or appropriate, the Supreme Court said.

The ruling left leeway for Trump's lawyers to challenge Vance's subpoena on other grounds, and they are doing so. Trump, a Republican, has called the Democratic DA's inquiry into his financial dealings a pure witch hunt.

Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz has contended that the Supreme Court's ruling was limited to the criminal context, and its reasoning does not extend to civil actions. Carroll's suit seeks damages and a retraction of Trump's statements, saying they hurt her career and reputation.

(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.)
Rodney English knew right away that something was very wrong. He had known Alonzo Brooks all of his life. The two had grown up alongside each other in Topeka, Kansas and were more like brothers than friends.

There was, 'no way in hell,' that the friend that English knew would go out to a party and just not come home without so much as a call to his mother. But on April 4, 2004 that is exactly what happened.

It is 16 years since 23-year-old Brooks disappeared from a party in rural LaCygne, Kansas after confusion over his ride home saw him abandoned by the friend with whom he had traveled the previous night. One month later his body was found, tangled in brush and branches, at the edge of a creek that runs through the remote property.

More than a decade later, the mystery of what happened to Brooks has been thrust into the spotlight as one of six unsolved cases featured on Netflix's 'Unsolved Mysteries.'

Alonzo Brooks, 23, disappeared from a party in rural LaCygne, Kansas 16 years ago on April 4, 2004

Justin Sprague, who was Alonzo's ride the night of the party, appeared on the Netflix show to give his sparse accounts of the evening. He says he's received death threats sicne the documentary aired

Last month the FBI reopened the case which they are investigating as a possible hate crime and offered a $100,000 reward. Making the announcement US Attorney Stephen McAllister stated, 'It is past time for the truth to come out. The code of silence must be broken.'

Witnesses have been re-interviewed. Hundreds of pages of the original investigation have been reviewed. And on Tuesday authorities took the extraordinary step of exhuming Brooks's body from the grave in Topeka in which he has lain all these years.

Unsolved Mysteries episode, 'No Ride Home' has pushed for the FBI to reopen Alonzo Brooks' case

Now, amid real hopes that the case may soon be solved, DailyMail.com has spoken to some of Brooks' closest friends and people central to the original investigation into this death.

We have uncovered a twisted tale of conflicting accounts, identified significant omissions from the Netflix re-telling and can reveal previously unreported details that shed new light on the night of the party, its immediate aftermath and the thwarted investigation that followed.

Little is known with certainty other than the fact that Brooks got a ride to the party an hour or so south of his home in Gardner, Kansas, with his friend Justin Sprague. They were part of a group of friends who traveled in convoy that night and whom Brooks, the youngest of five, had known since his mother moved from Topeka to Gardner four years earlier.

Sprague and two other friends appeared on the Netflix show to give their sparse accounts of the evening. Daniel Fune and Tyler Broughard recalled tensions and a brief fight between Brooks and another partier in which 'racial slurs' were hurled. Both Fune and Broughard left the party after only a couple hours.

Sprague, who claimed not to witness any fight, stayed but stated that he got lost when he left to get cigarettes for himself and Brooks later that night. He called another friend, Adam (who does not appear on the show) to say he wasn't coming back and to ask him to give Brooks a ride home. Somehow, he said, the two must have missed each other.

But according to Rodney English that story is 'totally different' from the one that Sprague told him and Brooks' older brother, Billy Brooks Jr, the day after the party when all three drove back to LaCygne to search for their missing friend and brother.

English told DailyMail.com, 'He didn't say anything about getting lost. He said his car had broke down and he had to fix it at the side of the road. It was something you couldn't even fix like that by yourself in the dark  like a broken axel or something. Justin is full of s***.'

Rodney English, Alonzo Brooks's best friend from Topeka, Kansas where they grew up together and regarded each other as family. Rodney traveled to LaCygne to search for Alonzo the same day that he failed to come home after friends left him at a party in a remote farm in the small Kansas town

Maria Ramirez, pictured with her son Alonzo Brooks, hopes the Netflix series provides answers. She told DailyMail.com that Sprague had, 'changed his story six times,' since the night of the party

Sprague said, 'It is my fault. I left him. I don't have any right to be angry about anything his family feels about me' adding that he's received death threats

Brooks' mother, Maria Ramirez, also told DailyMail.com that Sprague had, 'changed his story six times,' since the night of the party.

Her anger towards Sprague and all of the friends who left her son stranded that night is clear and undimmed by the years.

DailyMail.com has learned that 35-year-old Sprague, an army veteran, has been the target of death threats since the Unsolved Mysteries episode, 'No Ride Home,' aired. But according to one close to him, though he bears no ill will towards English, Sprague feels used and let down by the filmmakers who, he has told friends, cut significant parts of his account.

According to the source, 'The FBI have told him not to speak publicly because they're doing their investigation but it's frustrating for him.

'Justin doesn't know why Rodney is saying what he's saying but memory is a strange thing and he doesn't think Rodney's lying so much as that he just remembers bits of the story.

'His car breaking down has always been part of it as well as him getting lost. It's what he told the cops and the FBI repeatedly down through the years. It's on the original police report. The version on Netflix is very misleading and he gets why people think it doesn't make much sense.

'The truth is Justin wasn't even alone in the car that night when he left and his story is backed up by surveillance cameras and phone records.'

According to the source Sprague did leave the party to go and get cigarettes but he did so with another friend. He was 18 years old, drunk and high. They got lost, ploughed their car into a ditch and abandoned all plans of returning that night. Sprague had just enlisted and feared a DUI might end his army career before it began.

DailyMail.com has been told that telephone records support Sprague's claim that he called Adam  and while internet rumors questioning the existence of this friend abound, he was one of the friends who hung out at Brooks' house earlier that day.

The source claimed that three surveillance cameras at gas stations confirm Sprague's account of his journey as well as the fact that he withdrew $200 from an ATM when he, and the friend with him, decided to go to a strip-club from which they were ejected.

Another notable discrepancy between English and Sprague's recollections  not acknowledged in the Netflix documentary  concerns the scene at the farm the day after the party.

According to English one of Brooks' boots was lying in grass on one side of the highway at the end of the farm's long driveway, and the other was found across the road next to his discarded hat.

Brooks' body was exhumed from a cemetery in Topeka, Kansas on Tuesday after the FBI reopened the investigation into his death

The FBI is now offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to arrest and conviction

Brooks, the youngest of five, was one of only three black men there that night and became the target of racial slurs and aggression

But another source familiar with the scene that day told DailyMail.com that while Brooks' hat was discarded where English had said, his boots were neatly lined up together, side by side across the road from the farm. Their toes were facing towards the creek below. The source said, 'It was eerie. It didn't make any sense.'

To this day English does not understand why Brooks was at a party so far from home in the first place. He said it was out of character and stated, 'I don't know how they got Alonzo there. He must have been drinking. He must have passed out [on the way there] for him to be in a car more than 45 minutes to go to some place he'd never heard of.'

Brooks' body was found on May 1, 2004, one month after it went missing

In fact, DailyMail.com has been told, that Brooks and his friends had been drinking since noon and had heard about the party through a loose connection with one of the men living in the remote farm who had gone to the same high school.

The men were evicted after Brooks went missing but according to local sources the farm had become well known as a site for huge parties and underage drinking. On the night in question there were around 200 people there.

The vast majority were not locals but kids who, like Brooks and his friends, had traveled considerable distances from neighboring towns.

Brooks was one of only three black men there that night and, it is clear, that he became the target of racial slurs and aggression.

Today Sprague has acknowledged that there were people there that night who had 'a problem with the color of Alonzo's skin.'

But according to one close to him, 'They wouldn't have been there in the first place if they'd had any idea it was going to be like that.'

Sprague has always insisted that he did not witness any racial hostilities towards Brooks though he does not doubt that they happened. The source said, 'Fighting was kind of part of all of their lives and Justin was no different. He would have gone down fighting with Alonzo if he'd seen anything. He sure as hell wouldn't have left him if he'd known.'

Fune and Broughard, the friends who did see and hear racism directed at Brooks, claimed on camera that, 'Alonzo wasn't going to let it ruin his night.'

English has angrily dismissed that notion. He told DailyMail.com, 'Somebody calls Alonzo the n-word and he's ready to go or ready to fight. Alonzo was a beast. It would take a lot to put him down but he's not staying there happy, partying after that. That's b******t. Something happened that night and somebody knows and isn't saying.'

Official searches had found nothing when the family were finally allowed onto the farm to conduct their own. They found him within one hour, in plain sight, at a part of the creek that had already been searched several times

DailyMail.com can reveal that, according to one close to the investigation and familiar with the terrain, the creek had flooded three times in the weeks between the original searches and the discovery of Brooks's body

In the absence of information rumors of a local conspiracy of silence have spread down through the years and the town of LaCygne has found itself painted a small racist enclave that harbors a dark secret.

But DailyMail.com has learned that investigators from Linn County Sheriff's Department, the KBI and ultimately the FBI, who interviewed more than 125 partygoers had a working theory of what happened that night and believed that the secret to Brooks's fate did not lie in LaCygne.

DailyMail.com has been told that authorities were given the names of two young men who were overheard talking about Brooks and planning to hurt him and, 'f*** up a n*****' that night.

DailyMail.com has also been given a name of one out-of-towner who, several different sources have claimed, was identified by multiple witnesses as a guy who picked a fight with Brooks. Law enforcement at the time knew him as someone who, 'liked to fight,' and told DailyMail.com that the young man in question left the party that night and made a drive of close to two hundred miles out of state. When investigators caught up with him he refused to talk or take a polygraph test and, DailyMai.com has been told, swiftly 'lawyered up.'

It is my fault. I left him. I don't have any right to be angry about anything his family feels about me Justin Sprague

He was not the only partier to refuse to speak or enlist a lawyer. One involved in the original investigation admitted that they were powerless in the face of uncooperative witnesses and their task was further hampered by the fact that the party took place on the night the clocks changed to Daylight Savings Time.

They revealed, 'We couldn't nail down a timeline. You've got hundreds of kids, most of them drunk and they have no concept of time. They give a time and they can't say if its Daylight Savings or not. That's an hour out, all over the place.

'We couldn't say for sure when Alonzo was last seen alive or who was still there. We tried to make a timeline and it was horrible.'

When Brooks' body was found his autopsy returned no forensic evidence and a cause of death could not be determined. There were no penetrative wounds and no way of knowing whether or not he had drowned. The soft tissue of his neck was all but gone making it impossible to rule out strangling but impossible to prove it and if he had suffered a head injury it had not fractured his skull.

The Medical Examiner found that the body's decomposition was consistent with having been in water for close to a month. Brooks' family dispute this. They maintain that his body was kept somewhere else and then moved to the site where they found him on May 1, 2004.

Official searches had found nothing when the family were finally allowed onto the farm to conduct their own. They found him within one hour, in plain sight, at a part of the creek that had already been searched several times by both local officers with cadaver dogs and a Rescue and Dive Team out of nearby Lee's Summit, Missouri.

None contest the fact that his body was not where it was ultimately found leading many to conclude that Brooks was kept somewhere  alive or dead - and placed on that spot by whoever caused his death.

But DailyMail.com can reveal that, according to one close to the investigation and familiar with the terrain, the creek had flooded three times in the weeks between the original searches and the discovery of Brooks's body.

It is a crucial piece of the puzzle because, they said, 'When that creek floods it rises out of the ground right over the road so that it cuts it off entirely  it's impassable. When that happens everything upstream is 'flushed' downstream. That's what happened to Alonzo.

'He didn't go in where he was found. He absolutely wasn't there. The creek rose and fell several times and he was placed where he was found but it wasn't by a person. It was the creek.

Now, with his body exhumed, and 16 years of medical advances, investigators hope that a second autopsy may reveal some detail that the first did not.

Sprague says he will always carry the guilt of having left his friend behind that night even while he protests his innocence as far as any involvement in or knowledge of what led to his death

The town of LaCygne, Kansas has a population 1,122 and is now the focus of Netflix series, 'Unsolved Mysteries' as the site of Alonzo Brooks's disappearance and death

One involved in the original investigation told DailyMail.com that they are convinced that, 'when all is said and done, the answer will come out of the north.' They continued, 'It's not in LaCygne it's with someone who came from out of town that night. Someone out there is looking over their shoulder and they have been for a very long time.

'I hope for the family's sake that their wait is about to end and that they see justice done.'

For English the pain of Brooks' loss is only compounded by not knowing what happened and not knowing who was responsible.

He said, 'I've buried many people over the years, but I know how they died, and I know it doesn't make a difference  it doesn't change things  but it wasn't his time to go. He didn't deserve whatever happened to him. What happened to him wasn't right.'

For his part, Sprague will always carry the guilt of having left his friend behind that night even while he protests his innocence as far as any involvement in or knowledge of what led to his death. He knows he is the focus of suspicion, anger, even hatred. But that, he said, doesn't matter.

Approached by DailyMail.com he said, 'It is my fault. I left him. I don't have any right to be angry about anything his family feels about me and regardless of how Netflix portrayed it and the truth not being shown 100 per cent, that doesn't matter either.

'Regardless of the death threats, and all the b******t, the fact of the matter is that it gets this back out into the public eye which will eventually get it solved.

'Nothing else matters besides getting 'Zo and his family the justice they deserve.'

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the FBI at 816-512-8200 or 816-474-TIPS or submit a tip online at fbi.tips.gov.
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Linkedin Riska Rahman and Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 07:35 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c308e0 1 Business social-aid,stimulus-package,tax-incentive,electricity-billing,COVID-19,household-consumption,economic-contraction,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,erick-thohir Free

The government is planning to expand its social aid program and incentives for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in an effort to boost consumer spending and revive the sluggish economy in the second half of this year, as fears of a recession loom.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Wednesday the government would reallocate around Rp 70.8 trillion (US$4.85 billion) from existing ineffective stimulus packages to fund the social aid expansion and new incentives so that the government would not need to increase its COVID-19 response budget, already worth Rp 695.2 trillion.

This will include extending the social aid program period to December to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said during a livestreamed press conference.

Indonesias gross domestic product (GDP) shrunk 5.32 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the second quarter as all components except for net exports fell annually as a result of the pandemic.

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than half of GDP, fell 5.51 percent yoy in the second quarter, while investment, the second-largest contributor, contracted 8.61 percent.

Sri Mulyani expects the economy to grow at no more than 0.5 percent, or even contract further, in the third quarter, which would mean a recession for Indonesia, while fourth-quarter GDP growth is projected to be near 3 percent, making for a full-year expansion of zero to 1 percent.

Under the plan, the government will allocate Rp 4.6 trillion to increase the amount of rice for the 10 million recipients of the Family Hope Program (PKH) to 15 kilograms per month. It would also disburse Rp 500,000 to 10 million Staple Food Card recipients this month.

The government is preparing aid for workers with salaries lower than Rp 5 million per month and allocating an estimated budget of Rp 31.2 trillion for such aid.

State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, who serves as executive chairperson for the national economic recovery and COVID-19 response team, further explained in a statement on Thursday that the aid for workers would be in the form of direct cash transfers.

The aid would be focused on 13.8 million workers registered on the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) database who are not civil servants or SOEs employees.

The workers will receive Rp 600,000 per month for four months, disbursed directly to each workers bank account every two months to prevent misuse, said Erick. This program is currently being finalized so it can be carried out by the Manpower Ministry this September.

Sri Mulyani also said the government would offer electricity and tax incentives for businesses and industries as well as productive aid for ultra-micro and micro businesses to support the supply side and help businesses to reduce their production costs.

The electricity incentive will be in the form of a minimum billing waiver for businesses, industries and social sectors while the tax incentive will take the form of 50 percent corporate income tax discount from the previous 30 percent cut.

We will also disburse aid to 12 million MSMEs with a total budget of Rp 30 trillion, she said, stressing that the aid was meant for productive use and was not in the form of loans.

The expansion, however, comes with a drawback as the government will reduce the amount of cash transfers for underprivileged families by half to only Rp 300,000 per month per family.

The expansion in social stimulus would boost purchasing power and bolster household spending in the second half of the year, said Bahana Sekuritas economist Satria Sambijantoro, despite projecting that Indonesia's economy would likely see another contraction in the third quarter.

The possible backload of stimulus could be a blessing in disguise for the economic outlook in the second half of 2020, he wrote in a research note.

The inclusion of low-income formal workers in the social aid program, along with the distribution of salary bonuses for civil servants and low-income formal workers, would cut through the red tape in budget disbursement, he said.

We think household spending growth will continue to surpass investment growth for the rest of 2020, said Satria.

SMERU Research Institute researcher Ruhmaniyati, however, frowned upon the idea of aiding formal workers with monthly fixed income as the government should help informal workers instead.

There are still a lot of families with an income of less than Rp 5 million a month that work in the informal sector and need the aid, she told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Institute for Development on Economics and Finance (Indef) executive director Tauhid Ahmad echoed the sentiment, saying the aid for low-income workers was mistargeted.

They are not poor. The aid could potentially sit in saving accounts as those workers hold back on spending," he said. "This can create a detrimental effect on the economy and trigger a recession in the third quarter."
Detail, whose real name is Noel Christopher Fisher, is alleged to have raped five women and sexually assaulted another in incidents said to have taken place between 2010 and 2018, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office.

Fisher, 41, is set to be arraigned on Friday. He was arrested on Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department said, and held on nearly 6.3 million dollar (about 4.8 million) bail.

The producer, known for his work on hits including Beyonces 2013 song Drunk In Love, has been accused of attacking women who were aged between 18 and 31 at the time of the alleged assaults.

He allegedly attacked a woman in October 2010 and is said to have raped another victim in May 2015, according to prosecutors.

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Other alleged attacks took place in 2017 and 2018, according to the District Attorneys Office. Most of the alleged incidents took place at Details home, prosecutors added.

If convicted as charged, he faces a maximum sentence of 225 years to life in state prison.

Fisher, from Detroit, Michigan, first found fame as a producer while working with R&B star Ray J in the mid-2000s, earning his first hit with 2007 single Sexy Can I.

His other songs include Lil Waynes 2011 single How To Love and Beyonce and Jays Drunk In Love, which won him a Grammy.

Fisher has also worked with stars including Wiz Khalifa, Nicki Minaj, Future, Jennifer Lopez and Kelly Rowland.
The White House COVID-19 pointman Dr. Anthony Fauci stated on Wednesday that he and his family has been inundated by death threats.

NY Daily News reported the 79-year-old doctor saying, "The unseemly things that crises bring out in the world; it brings out the best of people and the worst of people. And getting death threats to my family and harassing my daughters to the point where I have to get security -- it's amazing."

The family have been forced to hire a security team since at least early April.

The government's top infectious-disease expert stated on Wednesday at a public forum hosted by the Harvard School of Public Health, "I wouldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams that people who object to things that are pure public health principles... that to me is just strange," reported ABC 30.

The doctor claimed that his three daughters to wife, bioethicist Dr. Christine Grady, have been subjects of harassment.

Fauci who is facing intimidation has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 and is on the White House coronavirus task force, indicated Trib Live.

Regarding matters of public health, he has advised six presidents but recently occasionally made statements contravening US President Donald Trump.

Amid the 1980s HIV/Aids epidemic, Fauci has been embroiled before during a public health crisis, reported BBC.

Also Read: Fact Check: Fauci, Obama, and Gates Appeared in Wuhan Lab in 2015?

Notwithstanding the death threats, in the course of Anthony Fauci's five decades as a medical researcher, he had been called a "murderer" by demonstrators, has witnessed his effigy burnt, and had smoke bombs launched outside his office window.

Fauci wishes his family did not have to go the ordeal. He did not go into detail regarding the mounting threats.

He is not the only one in receiving intimidating threats for his work in the public health response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Local health officials across the nation have also reported receiving bullying comments online.

The Trump government has consistently underestimated the public health threat of the coronavirus, but Fauci has staunchly rejected such actions. Fauci has provided straightforward assessments of the global health crisis since the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in media appearances and in remarks at the White House. However, this has been less regular in the latest months.

According to Johns Hopkins University, the United States has registered over 158,000 COVID-19-related fatalities and beyond 4.8 million confirmed cases. The US has outnumbered any other country across the globe.

Fauci clarified regarding the threats against his family and stated that he had worked to ignore online conspiracy theories about him in an interview with Politico's Pulse Check podcast released on Thursday.

Anthony Fauci's three adult daughters who received intimidation are Jennifer, 34, Megan, 31, and Alison, 28. He said that his family was fine but stressed by the death threats.

Preventive measures including physical distancing, donning face masks, and restraining mass gatherings to mitigate the prevalence of the infection has drawn flak from a number of Americans who think the administration has no right to impose them.

Related Article: Japan Secures 120 Million Doses of Probable COVID-19 Vaccine



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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities have exempted Bihar-cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Vinay Tiwari from mandatory 14-day home quarantine by allowing him to return to Patna before Saturday (August 8).

The decision was taken following a letter from the Bihar Police to facilitate Tiwaris return to Patna for resuming his duty.

Bihar Polices letter came in the backdrop of the Nitish Kumar-led government giving its consent to transfer actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) earlier this week.

CBI registered a first information report (FIR) in the case on Thursday.

Mumbai Police is probing the case after the actor was found dead by suicide in his Bandra apartment on June 14 following which Maharashtra government ordered an investigation into his death.

P Velrasu, additional municipal commissioner, BMC, has responded to Bihar Polices letter.

It is surprising and unfortunate to note that a visiting senior officer before proceeding to Mumbai has not acquainted himself with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) quarantine guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government to arrest the spread of the pandemic in the state. It may be noted that the guidelines are available in the public domain, the BMC letter stated.

Tiwari had arrived in Mumbai to investigate Rajputs death on Sunday (August 2) evening and was asked by the civic body authorities to remain under a 14-day quarantine, as per the state governments rule for domestic air travellers.

Considering that it is only the fifth day of his arrival and since the request to exempt from home isolation to go back to Patna has come from Patna Police, and considering the provision in the SOP (standard operating procedure) to exempt passengers on a short duration visit, it is decided to exempt Mr. Vinay Tiwari from home quarantine subject to fulfilling the following conditions. He shall leave Maharashtra before the seventh day of the start of quarantine (before August 8), the letter stated.

Tiwari was quarantined at the SRPF camp in Goregaon, where he had put up upon his arrival to Mumbai.

On Thursday, four personnel of Bihar Police, who was in Mumbai since July 27 to investigate Rajputs death, also flew back to Patna.

Tiwari has been advised to travel to the domestic airport in Mumbai while using precautionary measures against the raging viral outbreak, including personal protective equipment (PPE) items.
Mr. Trump also brushed off past declarations by his own commanders that Russia had been providing weapons and cash to the Taliban for years, but the commanders did not specifically cite any bounty program.

He later told reporters during a trip to Florida that the intelligence was another Russia hoax.

Theyve been giving me the Russia hoax  Shifty Schiff, all these characters  from the day I got here, he said, using his nickname for Representative Adam B. Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

Mr. Schiff complained on Friday that U.S. intelligence officials had so far failed to provide more detailed information about the suspected Russian payments, as lawmakers were promised in early July. We have yet to receive this information, Mr. Schiff said in a statement.

The bounties operation is overseen by a Russian military intelligence unit, U.S. officials said. An obvious channel the Americans could use to address the issue is an important one between the top military officers in both nations, said Andrew S. Weiss, a former American official and Russia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. But it is not known if the current officers, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian general staff, have spoken of the bounties via that channel.

Delivering a very clear and credible message that we will use all means to protect our people is the only thing that gets the Russians attention, Mr. Weiss said. Sadly, neither Pompeo nor Trump are credible messengers in that department.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin have spoken eight times this year, according to a Kremlin list of the Russian presidents diplomatic activity  twice as many times as they spoke in all of 2019.

Soon after The Times first reported the intelligence assessments about the suspected Russian bounties on June 26, the State Department prepared a series of talking points warning Moscow against making payments to Taliban-linked groups in Afghanistan to kill American soldiers there, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations on the matter.
(Photo : (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)) JOHNSON CITY, TN - OCTOBER 01: Supporters of President Donald Trump wearing 'QAnon' t-shirts wait in line before a campaign rally at Freedom Hall on October 1, 2018 in Johnson City, Tennessee. President Trump is holding the rally to support Republican senate candidate Marsha Blackburn. (Photo : (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)) PORTLAND, OR - AUGUST 17: A person holds a banner referring to the Qanon conspiracy theory during a alt-right rally on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Anti-fascism demonstrators gathered to counter-protest a rally held by far-right, extremist groups.

Social Media enterprise, Facebook, shuts down the largest QAnon conspiracy theory group as it violates, yet again, a series of the website's company policies and community standards.

According to a spokesperson from the social media company, the Facebook group named "Official Q/Qanon" is shut down. The said group had nearly 200,000 members that share posts regarding speculations and conspiracies that form an opinion leading to belief.

Reuters' report stated that a Facebook spokeswoman shared the cases that led to the group's dissolving. The said cases include Facebook users sharing posts concerning bullying and harassment, hate speech, false information, and even posts that could lead or suggest harm to a person.

The Facebook official wished to be nameless and added that the social media network is closely monitoring groups that relate to QAnon or are even believed to be managed by QAnon. Facebook took down the group last Tuesday, August 4, and is currently enforcing a stricter rule over those related to it.

Earlier in May, Reuters said that Facebook already removed a similar group with fewer members and followers. This particular QAnon group spread misleading information about the current global crisis, the COVID-19.

QAnon is recently linked to numerous controversies, including the #SaveThe Children issue that Facebook also banned.

ALSO READ: Wonder Why #SaveTheChildren Was Blocked on Facebook? Check out This Altered Photo of Tom Hanks

QAnon, a Threat?

QAnon led many to believe a lot of issues and controversies that surround the everyday lives of Americans. As its supporters perceive them as a truth-spitting collective, many are led to believe that they are a harbinger of false news.

New York Times expressed on an opinion piece on their website just how dangerous this group is. The United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) even claims the group, QAnon, "one of the most dangerous conspiracy theories posing a domestic threat to the United States."

Conspiracy theories bring little to no truth as they base on speculations and prejudices by a specific person. This collective of people harnessing the power of words to create a different reality and amassing a massive load of followers is sometimes considered a cult.

The organization continues to grow in following and believers as they gather followers through their mass appeal and the use of 'memes.'

QAnon Conspiracies

The group became famous through social media by presenting conspiracy theories that are gravely appealing to the American audience. QAnon cited various conspiracies that revolved around the government, media, and business sectors that riles up the belief of anyone who gets to read their literature.

QAnon grew famous as the group promised people of "the Great Awakening." Atlantic cited that this movement will round up elites and remove them from their spots. After then, the truth will be revealed as no one controls certain places anymore.

The group also conspired about certain Hollywood elites and artists that are claimed to be sexual predators and child molesters. Tom Hanks was recently branded a 'pedophile' and had his Hollywood star vandalized.

Apart from Facebook that made this notable action against QAnon, Twitter is also making a stand in destemming the web of conspiracies that the group shares in their platform. Twitter is direct and vocal in this course of action as the social media company will not tolerate the proliferation of specific content in their platform.

ALSO READ: Twitter Security Bug May Expose Some Android Users' Private Messages, Company Reveals





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The head of Hospitality Ulster has urged pubs across Northern Ireland to "respect the rules" amid reports that some bars are allowing people to drink on their premises without ordering food.

Since July 3, only pubs, restaurants and hotels selling food have been allowed to serve alcohol.

Remaining pubs that do not serve food - 'wet pubs' - will not now be allowed to open from Monday as planned, and instead have been given an indicative reopening date of September 1.

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Stormont ministers agreed the move during an Executive meeting on Thursday.

First Minister Arlene Foster said the decision was taken because of a rise in the 'R' number, which indicates the likelihood of coronavirus transmission.

However the Belfast Telegraph understands that some businesses have been found to be not complying with the current Covid-19 legislation.

In some outlets, customers have been able to have a drink in a bar even when not ordering food, in breach of the regulations.

This newspaper has also been told of one social club which tried to get around the rules by ordering in fish and chips for patrons.

Hospitality Ulster chief Colin Neill said he would support the power of closure being brought in for "rogue premises" that do not comply with the rules.

Read More

"There is a difference between some premises bringing in measures and then making a mistake and those that are blatantly ignoring the guidance," he said.

"There is no room for complacency or just thinking that this virus has gone away so they can do as they please.

"We don't want to see anybody breaking the law and we would urge these rogue premises to please respect the rules.

"We are dealing with a very dangerous situation and we have a responsibility to do all we can to stop the spread of this virus."

Meanwhile, some wet pubs in Armagh city, which had been preparing to reopen on Monday, decided that "enough is enough" and said they will proceed by serving hot food.

Among them is Red Ned's on Ogle Street, whose owner Malachy O'Neill says he will open next week and shared his decision on social media.

He wrote: "As the goalposts for wet only pubs reopening have been moved yet again I've decided enough is enough, I'm opening on Monday 10th August (serving light bar snacks) and I can't wait."

McKenna's Bar at Lower English Street in the city had launched a petition seeking a date for when bars could reopen.

Its owner Frankie McKenna is also pressing ahead on Monday.

"After a very long five months McKennas Bar are ready to open Monday 10th August, we have waited long enough," he posted on social media, confirming that his premises will have new temporary opening times and "hot food available".

"See you all on Monday for a cold one," he added.

Mr Neill, who says Stormont's decision to keep wet pubs shut until at least next month will mean financial ruin for many, understands the publicans' "desperation and frustration".

"The wet pubs can put the same safety measures in place as a food pub but it's not the pie and chips with your pint that's going to protect you, it's the safety measures.

"I can see why they will be thinking that they can implement exactly all the same rules as food-let premises and wonder why they can't open," he said.

Following the Executive's decision, Hospitality Ulster has launched a redundancy helpline for those worried about navigating the legal aspects of employment and contractual issues.

"Regrettably we have had to react quickly to emotional calls from our members seeking urgent guidance as they deal with the harsh reality now facing them," Mr Neill said.

Delivered in partnership with employment specialists McCartan Turkington Breen Solicitors, the helpline can be accessed by calling 07736284764.
Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices fell slightly on Friday August 7 following the latest transactions, while market participants analyzed the possible reasons for the decrease, Fastmarkets heard.

Fastmarkets indices

Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $104.56 per tonne, down by $1.35 per tonne

Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $115.88 per tonne, down by $0.50 per tonne

Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $88.02 per tonne, unchanged

Hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $98.96 per tonne, unchanged



An 85,000-tonne cargo of premium mid-volatility hard coking coal, with September 16-30 laycan, was traded at $109 per tonne cfr China on Thursday August 6, with an option to replace it with another brand of premium mid-volatility hard coking coal at $107.50 per tonne cfr China.



Also on Thursday, a 50,000-tonne cargo of premium mid-volatility hard coking coal, with August 25-September 3 laycan, was traded at $100 per tonne fob Australia, Fastmarkets learned on Friday.



Premium mid-vol hard coking coal prices in the fob market went down a bit, a trader source in India said, which he attributed to overall weak demand. India isnt buying large volumes of seaborne coking coal in monsoon season, he added.



One buyer source from East Asia mentioned that Indian steel mills had been bargaining with miners for premium mid-volatility hard coking coal at $100 fob Australia.



One reason for the decrease in the premium mid-vol hard coking coal price is rather weak demand from China, which is largely due to the countrys stringent import restrictions on coking coal, a trader in Singapore said.



I'm not surprised at the transaction price [of premium mid-vol hard coking coal in the cfr market]. Its a normal price compared with the price of premium low-volatility hard coking coal, and from what I learned, buyers bids were at around $106 per tonne cfr China, he said.



Dalian Commodity Exchange

The most-actively traded September coking coal contract closed at 1,216.50 yuan ($175.04) per tonne on Friday, down by 3 yuan per tonne.



The most-actively traded September coke futures contract closed at 2,072 yuan per tonne, up by 30 yuan per tonne.
















Four final year SHS Students who are currently writing their WASSCE examination have vented their anger at President Akufo Addo in a video available to

The unidentified students, who are all clad in red pour libation on the ground as they rain curses on the President whose Free Senior High School Policy they are beneficiaries of.

According to the students, they have been in school for three years and were given past questions from 2013 to 2019 to solve only for them to be slapped in the face with questions they are not expecting.

The students were further heard in their native Twi language at the latter part of the video saying "John Mahama should come back."

There has been widespread vandalism being exhibited by some WASSCE candidates in some SHSs citing strict invigilation by examination officers and tough questions.

In some schools, students vandalized school properties as they protest against authorities for the tough invigilation stance of some invigilators.

Watch the video below;

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Holidaymakers had a lucky escape from death after a car plunged 20ft over a cliff and landed on their beach tent.

A driver failed to take a corner and lost control of a black car, hurtling 20ft over a cliff on to Mawgan Porth beach, near Newquay in Cornwall, on August 6, much to horror of nearby sunbathers.

The car landed upside down on a tent on the busy beach, but luckily the holidaymakers had gone for a paddle in the sea, or they would have been killed.

A driver failed to navigate a corner and plunged 20ft over a cliff on to Mawgan Porth beach, near Newquay in Cornwall, on August 6 - much to the horror of nearby sunbathers

The car landed upside down on a beach tent, but luckily the holidaymakers had gone for a paddle in the sea, leaving the tent empty

The car continued to roll over, but miraculously did not squash or injure any other nearby beach-goers.

The shocked driver was helped from the wreckage and escaped with minor injuries, including cuts and bruises, the driver was taken to Treliske Hospital as a precaution.

Luckily, nobody else was injured in the incident.

Coastguard rescuers, police, firefighters and paramedics were all called to Mawgan Porth just before 3.30pm.

The driver was reported for driving without due care and attention, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Newquay Police tweeted: 'Just dealt with an incident where a driver had failed to negotiate the corner to Mawgan Porth.

'Lucky driver with minor injuries and lucky that no one was seriously injured on the beach.

'Car and driver had quite a drop, beach users shocked!'

Emergency crews righted the badly-damaged small black car, so it was back on its wheels, and removed it from the beach.

A South Western Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'South Western Ambulance Service was called on Thursday at 3.15pm about an incident at Mawgan Porth beach.

The driver escaped with minor injuries, including cuts and bruises, and nobody else was injured in the incident

'We were informed that a car had been driven off a cliff and landed on the beach below.

'We dispatched land ambulance crews and a critical care team to attend the incident. They treated one patient at the scene and transported them to hospital by land with minor injuries.'

The coastguard said there were 'no safety, pollution or medical concerns and it was a very lucky outcome for the driver and beachgoers'.

Writing on Twitter, a coastguard spokesman added that the fall was slow enough not to activate the car's airbags.

The spokesman said: 'Padstow Coastguard requested to assist Newquay Coastguard, alongside South Western Ambulance NHS Service Trust, Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service & Devon & Cornwall Police, with a car that had landed on the beach.

Coastguard rescuers, police, firefighters and paramedics were called to Mawgan Porth and emergency crews righted the badly damaged black car (above) and removed it from the beach

'Initial reports of the vehicle driving off a cliff and landing on a beach tent were confirmed, however it had left the B3276 road, and dropped approximately 20ft, thankfully onto what was at the time, an empty beach tent.

'With no other casualties other than minor injuries on the driver only, Padstow team were then stood down.

'Two team members had already arrived on scene, and remained, assisting the remaining emergency services to right the car back on to its wheels, and remove it from the beach.

'The cause of the vehicle to leave the road is not known, but it was slow enough not to activate the on board airbags.

'With no medical, safety or pollution concerns, the emergency services removed various pieces of debris from the incident, and were able to depart the scene as requested.

'Excellent multi service operations, and an extraordinarily lucky outcome for the driver and beachgoers.'
As Trump attacks mail ballots, Republicans see their own prospects damaged FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Residents decorate their U.S. postal mail boxes with U.S. flags during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in California

By Jarrett Renshaw

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With less than 90 days until Election Day, Republicans are scrambling to counter the effects of Donald Trump's verbal war on mail ballots amid growing evidence that it has helped Democrats heading into the crucial Nov. 3 contest.

The U.S. president's unsubstantiated attacks on mail voting as vulnerable to fraud have soured many of his supporters on this alternative to in-person balloting as coronavirus sweeps the country, more than two dozen Republican officials from six politically competitive states told Reuters. Democratic voters, meanwhile, are embracing mail ballots at rates well ahead of their Republican counterparts, according to data from recent state and local elections.

The trend has alarmed them, the Republican officials said. They worry Democrats will bank significantly more mail votes by November, a deficit that may be tough to overcome if the pandemic depresses turnout on Election Day.

Fearful of losing the White House and getting thumped in down-ballot races, party operatives quietly are taking matters into their own hands. Local Republican candidates are recording phone messages promoting mail balloting as safe and reliable, officials said, while volunteer door knockers have memorized talking points to persuade skeptical voters that their state's system is fraud-proof.

There is a real concern that (Trump's actions) will end up suppressing the Republican vote," said Amy Koch, a Republican strategist in Minnesota who is working on several races there. "We are trying to tell voters that mail voting here in Minnesota has safeguards, but I worry that Trump has the biggest megaphone and can blow the whole thing up."

The Trump campaign would not comment specifically on the assertion of Koch and other Republican officials that the president is undermining turnout efforts. Campaign spokeswoman Thea McDonald said "President Trump has consistently and rightly said that where a voter cannot make it to the polls, they should request an absentee ballot.

Story continues

Knowing that many of the president's supporters trust only what he says, the party has taken to using Trump's own words to tout mail voting. In key battleground states, including Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, officials last month sent fliers to millions of Republican voters urging them to request absentee ballots for November's election.

The mailers featured part of a Trump tweet from June 28: Absentee Ballots are fine because you have to go through a precise process to get your voting privilege."

But it obscured the remainder of that message: Not so with Mail-Ins. Rigged Election!!! 20% fraudulent ballots?", according to a copy of the mailer seen by Reuters whose content was confirmed by the Republican National Committee.

The RNC defended this selective use of Trump's words as "completely in-line with President Trumps message," spokesman Mike Reed said.

LAGGING IN BATTLEGROUNDS

The terms absentee voting and mail-in balloting have become synonymous in most U.S. states; both generally mean filling out a ballot at home, then dropping it in the mail or returning it in person. Trump has tried to draw a distinction. Sixteen states require an excuse to vote absentee, such as illness or travel. The other 34 states allow any registered voter to request a mail ballot. Trump has claimed, without evidence, that the latter system is prone to fraud. Election experts who have studied decades of U.S. elections say such chicanery is rare.

What's clear is that mail ballots drive turnout in states that have made it easy to vote this way, and Democrats are far outstripping Republicans in embracing it this year.

In competitive Pennsylvania, which last year began allowing anyone to request an absentee ballot without a reason, a record 1.28 million Democrats requested mail ballots for its primary elections in June versus 526,706 Republicans, a two-to-one edge that dwarfs their 55% to 45% voter registration advantage in the state, election data show.

Looking ahead to November, the battleground state of North Carolina points to a continuation of that pattern. Voters there are already able to request mail ballots for the presidential contest. As of Thursday, the 121,717 applications recorded are running 10 times higher than the total at this time in 2016, according to data from the North Carolina Board of Elections. Of those, Democrats requested 60,502 compared to 18,974 for Republicans, a three-to-one advantage.

Republican concerns also run deep in coronavirus-ravaged Florida, the biggest prize among battleground states with 29 Electoral College votes. Trump narrowly won the state in 2016, partly on the strength of a Republican edge in mail balloting and support from older, white voters who embrace this style of voting.

But that advantage has evaporated heading into the upcoming August 18 primary elections featuring state and congressional races, seen as a bellwether for November. Democrats account for 47% of the record 2.9 million absentee ballot requests versus 30% for the Republicans, state data as of Thursday show.

Republican officials are so concerned about the trend that they, too, sent a mailer to Florida party members last month featuring an edited Trump tweet purporting to show the president's support for mail balloting.

"The presidents base skews older - this is the same population at high risk for COVID and most worried about in-person voting," said Dan Eberhart, a Republican fundraiser. "If I was the president Id be making sure these people had ballots in the mail and could safely vote at home."

Florida is among the states that allow mail voting without an excuse, the system Trump has derided as fraudulent. Still, on Tuesday he took to Twitter asking Florida supporters to vote by mail, saying the state's process is "Tried and True."

Florida is a must-win state for Trump to have a shot at a second term. Trump himself has voted absentee there since he became a Florida resident last year.

Steve Simeonidis, Democratic chairman of Miami-Dade County, the largest in Florida, said his party is dominating mail ballot requests in the state thanks in part to aggressive outreach to its voters. He said Trump's attacks are a "farce" aimed at suppressing turnout among his opponents, a strategy that appears to have backfired.

"Ive never seen a more disorganized messaging strategy," Simeonidis said. "Hes doing our work for us.

'WE HAVE MADE OUR BED'

Many of the two dozen Republican officials who spoke with Reuters said they shared some of Trump's concerns that the system is vulnerable to tampering. But they said his efforts to clarify his message in support of mail balloting in certain circumstances has only sewn confusion.

Republican officials working to promote mail balloting on social media have been met with resistance from Trump supporters. Eight in 10 Republicans surveyed said that increased voting by mail will lead to widespread fraud in the Nov. 3 election, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on July 31 showed.

By contrast, a far smaller percentage of Democrats - three in 10 - agreed that expanded mail voting could lead to fraud. They also have more trust in the system. Some 80% of Democrats said their ballots would be accurately counted if cast by mail, compared to 60% of Republicans who agreed, the same poll showed.

Republican consultant Charles Hellwig in North Carolina is working with several state and congressional candidates to record phone messages encouraging people to vote early, including voting by mail.

We are doing our best to inform people that North Carolina has important safeguards. Some don't want to hear it," Hellwig said. "The question is will these same people show up on Election Day if we are still seeing a surge in coronavirus cases. We have certainly made our bed in this."

(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw, Editing by Soyoung Kim and Marla Dickerson)
Recently, 100 junior reporters from the Nanning Radio and Television Station in south Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region experienced military life at the Nanning detachment of the Guangxi Armed Police Corps to inspire their sense of patriotism. After soldiers showed them what they did in military training, children rushed to "compete with them.
As promised, Facebook has released its Gaming app on iOS, but it sure isnt happy about it. In fact, the app has no games at all on iPhones and iPads, meaning functionality is limited to game streams and social functions. Thats because Apple wouldnt approve the app with any games, for some of the same reasons that it has denied approval to Googles Stadia and Microsofts xCloud, among other services.

Unfortunately, we had to remove gameplay functionality entirely in order to get Apples approval on the standalone Facebook Gaming app  meaning iOS users have an inferior experience to those using Android, said Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg in a statement.

Facebook was planning to launch the iOS app at the same time as the Android app in April. However, Apple rejected it numerous times for violating its App Store rule on third-party software. That rule states that HTML5 games are permitted as long as code distribution isnt the primary purpose of the app.

Facebook countered that around 95 percent of app activity on Android is from hosting and watching game streams, so gaming itself isnt the primary purpose of the app. It appealed the rejections, but Apple ignored them, so Facebook elected to launch the app anyway while informing users what was going on. As such, the Go Live and other social features are available, but the casual HTML5 games you can play on Android are nowhere to be found on iOS.

With Facebooks Gaming app, some major players are fighting Apples strict store policies over gaming. Microsoft and Google were forced to delay or compromise on their xCloud and Stadia apps, and NVIDIAs GeForce Now service has yet to launch on iOS, either. A reckoning could come soon, though, one way or the other. Microsoft has brought all this to the attention of the US House antitrust committee, and the EU recently launched an antitrust probe into the Apples App Store.

Correction, 2:45PM ET: This story originally misspelled. Sheryl Sandbergs first name and referred to her as CEO rather than COO. We apologize for the error.
Front, John Durham and deputy Nora Dannehy, left, a Democrat.

By Paul Sperry, RealClearInvestigations

August 6, 2020

While much speculation inside the Beltway says U.S. Attorney John Durham will punt the results of his so-called Spygate investigation past the election to avoid charges of political interference, sources who have worked with Durham on past public corruption cases doubt he'll bend to political pressure  and they expect him to drop bombshells before Labor Day.

AG William Barr was asked, "Under oath, do you commit to not releasing any report by Mr. Durham before the November election? His reply: "No.'

Durhams boss, Attorney General Bill Barr, also pushed back on the notion his hand-picked investigator would defer action. Under Democratic questioning on Capitol Hill last week, he refused to rule out a pre-election release.

"Under oath, do you commit to not releasing any report by Mr. Durham before the November election? Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-Fla.) asked Barr, citing longstanding Justice Department policy not to announce new developments in politically sensitive cases before an election.

No, the attorney general curtly replied.

Justice Department policy prohibits prosecutors from taking overt steps in politically charged cases typically within 60 days of an election. Accordingly, Durham would have to make a move by the Friday before Labor Day, or Sept. 4.

Sidebar: A Brief History of the '60-Day Rule Paul Sperry, RealClearInvestigations

A low-profile prosecutor, Durham has kept a tight lid on his investigation into the origins of the specious Russiagate investigation of Donald Trump and his 2016 campaign, leading to rampant speculation about who he might prosecute and whether he would take action ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Former Vice President Joe Biden: Durham's probe involves officials in two administrations, including Trump's presumptive Democratic opponent.

That could well be of historic consequence, since his probe involves both the Trump administration and high-level officials in the previous administration, including Trump's presumptive Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. Recently declassified FBI notes show Biden offered input into the investigation of Trump adviser Michael Flynn in early January 2017. Another declassified document reveals that Biden was among those who requested Flynns identity be unmasked in foreign intelligence intercepts around that same time.

If Durham announces criminal indictments or plea agreements involving former officials operating under the Obama-Biden administration, or releases a report documenting widespread corruption, independent voters could sour on Biden and sympathize with Trump. On the other hand, kicking the ball past the election could dispirit Trumps base.

I would find it hard to believe that he punts under any circumstances, said former assistant FBI director Chris Swecker, who knows Durham personally and has worked with the hard-nosed prosecutor on prior investigations.

He pointed out that Durham would risk throwing away 16 months of investigative work if he delayed action beyond the election.

Chris Swecker, ex-assistant FBI director: No question that if Biden is elected, everything Durham has done at that point will be canceled out.

Theres no question that if Biden is elected, everything Durham has done at that point will be canceled out, Swecker explained, adding that Biden would replace Barr and possibly even Durham. But by putting indictments and reports "into the public arena before the election, Durham would put a Biden administration in the position of either taking further action or closing down his probe.

It would make it very difficult for Bidens appointees to undo his charges or bury the results of his probe, he said. John knows this and I fully expect he will take action before the election.

Swecker, whos also a former prosecutor, anticipates Durham will deliver criminal charges, a written report or some combination of the two around the first week in September, if not sooner. He must get his work done and out to the public by Labor Day, he said. "That way he avoids any accusations that he was trying to impact the election.

Democracy 21, a liberal Washington watchdog group, has already cited the department policy in recent complaints to Barr demanding he suspend Durham's investigation and place on hold any further actions or public comments about it until after the election.

If Barr allows indictments from the Durham investigation to come out during the presidential election campaign, he would be abandoning longstanding DOJ policy by misusing the departments prosecutorial power to support Trump's reelection campaign, Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer argued.

Swecker, who served 24 years with the FBI before retiring as assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division, said he expects Durham to take more action than just issuing a report similar to the 500-page document issued in December by Justices inspector general, Michael Horowitz. The IG made criminal referrals to Durham, including against an FBI attorney accused of altering evidence used to support a surveillance warrant on a former Trump adviser.

I know John Durham. I worked under him on the Whitey Bulger case, which resulted in indictments of [corrupt FBI] agents, Swecker said. I dont think hes the least bit squeamish about bringing indictments if there is criminal exposure.

John Brennan: Indictments of the CIA boss, James Comey and James Clapper are not expected. Says ex-FBI official Swecker: Its hard to prove criminal intent at their level, and unless theres a smoking gun, like an email or text, theyll probably get off with a damning report about their activities.

Swecker says hes confident Durham has uncovered crimes. He's onto something, Im convinced of it, otherwise he would have folded up his tent by now, he asserted in a RealClearInvestigations interview.

The lack of media leaks coming from Durham's office is another sign he is building a serious corruption case, Swecker said. Targets and witnesses have largely been kept in the dark about the scope and direction of his investigation, encouraging cooperation and possible plea deals. And the secrecy of grand jury proceedings has been fiercely protected.

Im impressed with the discipline his team has shown, Swecker said. "Theres been no leaks. The investigation has been very close-hold.

Durham, a Republican, has been known to threaten to polygraph investigators whenever he suspected a leak.

His team is led by his deputy, Nora Dannehy, who specializes in the prosecution of complex white-collar and public corruption cases. A Democrat with a reputation for integrity, she left a high-paying corporate job to rejoin Durhams office in March 2019, the month after Barr was confirmed.

Barr officially announced in May 2019 that he had put Durham in charge of looking into what he called the government's spying" on the Trump campaign in 2016. Was that surveillance justified? Or was it done to smear Trump and sink his campaign -- and when that failed, his presidency? Durham is exploring a host of other questions, including: What role did the CIA play? Did it monitor Trump advisers overseas? Were U.S. laws restricting spying on U.S. citizens broken? Did the spy agency slant U.S. intelligence on Russian election interference to justify the anti-Trump operation?

As a former CIA analyst, Barr recognized that this is the biggest thing since Watergate in terms of the abuse of the intelligence community, Swecker said. This is a huge, huge intelligence scandal."

Swecker named former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith among officials most vulnerable to possible criminal charges in Durhams investigation of the investigators. Justices watchdog made a criminal referral pertaining to his conduct  specifically, that Clinesmith forged an email in a way that hid the fact that former Trump adviser Carter Page had been a cooperating CIA source on Russia. The information, if disclosed to the FISA court, would have weakened the FBIs case that Page was a Russian agent.

On the other hand, Swecker does not expect Durham to indict former FBI Director James Comey, nor former CIA Director John Brennan or Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. None of these central figures in the scandal has been interviewed by Durhams office, according to recent published reports, though Durham reportedly is working out details with Brennans lawyer for a pending interview. Durhams investigators have already reviewed Brennan's emails, call logs and other records.

Its hard to prove criminal intent at their level, and unless theres a smoking gun, like an email or text, theyll probably get off with a damning report about their activities, Swecker said.

Durhams portfolio also includes exploring the extent to which Ukraine played a role in the counterintelligence operation directed at the Trump campaign during the 2016 election. Officials from Kiev, the Democratic National Committee and the Obama administration reportedly coordinated efforts to dig up dirt on Trump  and Biden was Obamas point man in Ukraine at the time.

Though Biden may factor into Durhams probe, dont expect him to appear in any pre-election report. Another longtime Durham colleague noted that political candidates cannot be part of indictments or any report on investigative findings, according to Barrs own rules.

The policy says you cant indict political candidates or use overt investigative methods targeting them in the weeks before an election, said the former federal prosecutor, who requested anonymity.

Barr has publicly acknowledged the policy. The idea is you dont go after candidates, he said in an April radio interview. You dont indict candidates or perhaps someone thats sufficiently close to a candidate within a certain number of days before an election.

The former prosecutor, whos worked with Durham, said his old colleague may start revealing developments from his case weeks in advance of the 60-day cut-off, or ideally right after the political conventions. The GOP convention, which follows the Democrats gathering, ends Aug. 27.

They are nervous about affecting the election, so timing is everything, he said. It will be tricky."

At the same time, the former Justice official said Durham could exploit a loophole in the department rule, memorialized in memos dating to 2008, that allows for action closer to the election. It states that law enforcement officers and prosecutors may never select the timing of investigative steps or criminal charges for the purpose of affecting any election, or for the purpose of giving an advantage or disadvantage to any candidate or political party. Such a purpose is inconsistent with the Departments mission. (Emphasis added.)

The operative phrase  for the purpose of  leaves leeway for actions close to an election that arent taken for the purpose of affecting the election. In other words, Durham wouldnt necessarily have to lie low for the two months in the run-up to the election.

Testing that loophole with an "October surprise would almost certainly send Democrats and the Washington media into high dudgeon.

Some are skeptical Durham will deliver at all, regardless of the deadline, while others question his reputation as a fierce prosecutor. They point to his nearly three-year investigation of CIA officials who destroyed videos of terrorist detainees allegedly being tortured. Congress had sought the evidence, but Durham closed the case in 2012 without filing any criminal charges. And his final report about what he found remains classified. In a 2018 criminal case, moreover, he cleared Comeys general counsel, James Baker, of unauthorized leaks to the media.

The Senates top FBI watchdog, Chuck Grassley, has grown frustrated with Durhams lack of progress. Durham sh[ou]ld be producing some fruit of his labor, the Iowa senator groused in a recent tweet.

Swecker attributes the sluggish pace of Durhams sprawling probe to the COVID-19 health scare, which has restricted travel and grand jury meetings in the D.C. area. Durhams team of investigators, who include retired FBI agents, has been operating out of his New Haven, Conn., offices. Besides Washington, they have taken trips abroad. Before the coronavirus outbreak, they interviewed authorities and other sources in Italy, Britain and Australia.

In addition, Durhams agents have been slowed by an avalanche of subpoenaed electronic media, including emails, texts and direct messages, which are incredibly difficult and time-consuming to sort through, Swecker said. Such evidence is not limited to FBI, Justice and CIA officials. Durham also has reportedly obtained, for instance, data and meta-data contained on two BlackBerry cellphones used by Joseph Mifsud, a shadowy Maltese professor who some believe was used by the FBI to create a predicate to open the original case against the Trump campaign.

During last weeks House hearing, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., asked Barr if he would be able to "right this wrong against Trump before the election.

I really cant predict that, the attorney general answered. "John Durham is looking at all these matters. COVID did delay that action for a while. But he's working very diligently.

Added Barr: "Justice is not something you can order up on a schedule like you're ordering a pizza.

McClintock warned Barr that if he is succeeded by a Biden appointee, Durhams investigation will simply go away.

"I understand your concern, Barr sighed.
There have been no new cases of COVID-19 reported in New Zealand's managed isolation and quarantine facilities today.

There was no conference from officials for the update today. In a statement, the Ministry of Health says there are still 23 active cases in this country.

It has been 98 days since the last case of COVID-19 was acquired locally from an unknown source.

The number of confirmed cases remains at 1,219.

Yesterday laboratories processed 4,014 tests, bringing the total number of tests completed to date to 486,943. There were 282 swabs taken in managed isolation and quarantine facilities.

The ministry says people should continue to seek advice on getting a test if they have cold or flu-like symptoms.

Mask advice

The Ministry has also recommended New Zealand's households add masks to their emergency kits.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield announced the updated ministry advice yesterday, saying use of masks would be advised if alert level 2 came into play again.

The ministry now recommends households have sufficient masks for every member of the household should the need arise.

Ashley and the Ministry's Chief Science Advisor Dr Ian Town also spoke at a Facebook session and say it is not necessary for the public to wear masks at alert level 1 because there is no evidence of community transmission in this country.

"Masks will be most useful when COVID-19 is present in our community and people are in situations where they are in close proximity to each other."

The Ministry says reusable fabric masks or single use disposable masks are suitable for most people, but those at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 were recommended to wear a medical-grade mask to help prevent infection.

"We know that from time to time, there may be temporary stock issues but that doesn't mean cause for alarm. Remember there is no evidence of community transmission in New Zealand, so there's time to shop sensibly and just purchase what you need or place an order if necessary.

"We will provide further advice on where medical-grade masks can be sourced," says the ministry.

A trial is underway in Rotorua for a new proposed system to supplement contact tracing efforts.

The CovidCard system could possibly be better used than the NZ Covid Tracer app, because it didn't require people to download or do anything for data to be registered, an academic told RNZs Morning Report.

The minister of health Chris Hipkins and Ashley Bloomfield have been appealing to the public not to be complacent about using the app as regular use of it has been slow to catch on, with Ashley warning community transmission is inevitable.
Kerala's Kumbalangi to be first synthetic pad-free village in India

How Kerala Police CCSE under Cyberdome is fighting crimes against children

Kerala Landslide: PM Modi expresses grief at loss of lives, announces Rs 2 Lakh compensation

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Idukki (Ker), Aug 07: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed grief at the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai area of Idukki district in Kerala on Friday.

Taking to Twitter,Modi wrote,''Pained by the loss of lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. NDRF and the administration are working on the ground, providing assistance to the affected.''

Kerala Rains: Death toll in Munnar landslide rises to 13, several trapped

He also said that the NDRF and the administration are working on the ground to provide assistance to the affected.

Torrential rains pounded Pettimudi in Rajamala in the high range Idukki district, triggering a landslide early Friday morning with several estate workers of a tea plantation feared trapped.

Communication links to the area have been affected as the power lines have snapped in the rains.

At least 70 people are suspected to be trapped under soil, burying nearly 20 houses of plantation workers.

Police and Fire service personnel have rushed to the spot and the district administration has asked hospitals in the region to stay prepared.

Kerala landslide: Red alert in Idukki, Wayanad & Malappuram | Oneindia News

Karnataka rains: CM announces Rs 10,000 relief to families affected

The India Meteorological Department has sounded a red alert in the region.

In Ernakulam district, as the water level in the Periyar river rose, the famous Shiva temple on the river bank has been almost submerged.

Shutters of various dams have also been opened causing water level in the Periyar river to rise.
The prosecutor in the Russian city of Perm has called for prison sentences for three activists accused of involvement in erecting an effigy of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2018.

The Apology Of Protest rights group said on August 7 that the prosecutor asked the Lenin district court to sentence Aleksandr Shabarchin to three years, Aleksandr Kotov to two years, and Danil Vasilyev to 18 months in prison.

The prosecutor alleged that the three activists disrupted social order by actions motivated by political, ideological, and social hatred.

Shabarchin is a supporter of Russian opposition politician and anti-corruption campaigner Aleksei Navalny.

The three were arrested and charged in January 2019 over an effigy that was placed in Perm's central Lenin Street in November 2018.

The effigy was draped in a black-and-white prison robe and affixed with signs saying War Criminal and Liar.

With reporting by Mediazona
India's Covid-19 cases doubled to more than two million in just 21 days as the virus moved deeper into the remote countryside after ravaging larger cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, federal health officials said on Friday.

India posted 62,538 new Covid-19 infections for the first time in a single day with 886 fatalities that pushed the nationwide tally of confirmed cases to 2,027,074 with 41,585 deaths, the world's fifth-biggest total.

The country of 1.3 billion people had been reporting a little over 50,000 confirmed infections every day since July 30.

The Hindustan Times daily citing public health experts said India's next million Covid-19 cases may come in just over two weeks.

India is now the third country after Brazil and the United States to cross the two-million mark.

Pandemic's shifting geography

Experts said the pandemic, which has scarred larger cities, seemed to reached the countryside which has scared health facilities.

"This upward graph is alarming and it is easy to see the virus is now targeting the hinterland and the southern peninsula," a scientist from the policy-making Indian Council of Medical Research told RFI.

"Almost 38 percent of all new cases since July 17, when India's Covid-19 tally crossed the one-million mark, were reported from five of India's 29 states," he added.

The pandemic's shifting geography was also underlined by Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

"It has moved to new areas and we need to have aggressive strategies in these areas so that the number of cases there can come down," Guleria told NDTV station.

Despite such warnings, cities and towns have started to reopen, often at the cost of social distancing rules and safety precautions.

"People are rapidly shifting to low-cost face masks and sanitizers because they think they are in it for the long haul but they don't realize the risks they may be taking," Delhi-based pharmacist Sanjeev Singal told RFI.

"See? Our counters are empty," added the drug store owner.

Herd Immunity

The federal health ministry however said a total of 1,378,105 Covid-19 cases patients had recovered so far.

It attributed the high recovery rate of coronavirus patients to "ramped up hospital infrastructure, widespread testing combined with supervised isolation and effective treatment."

"These have ensured declining percentage in active cases," the ministry said in a statement as experts such as critical care specialist Vivek Nangia suggested so-called "herd immunity" may have contributed.

"Whatever cases that we are getting, mostly are milder now and that is because of herd immunity that people are developing from their neighbors or friends, who might have been asymptomatic carriers," the Delhi-based physician said.

Is India under-reporting Covid-19 deaths?

India's government face charges of under-counting Covid-19 deaths. Some 200 people including epidemiologists, demographers and activists in a joint letter this week sought details of the pandemic.

"This letter is really a cry from the academicians who are engaged with wanting to look at the data of how is Covid rolling out, how is it presenting itself, how is it evolving as an infection that is effecting almost every country," said K. Sujatha Rao, a former government health secretary.

"There is just no data available for India to make any meaningful analysis," Rao told a TV station.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a public interest litigation seeking National Investigation Agency probe into the alleged 2008 agreement between the Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of China.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde asked senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for PIL petitioners Shashank Shekhar Jha and journalist Savio Rodrigues, to withdraw the plea and approach the high court.

"Every relief which you are seeking, can be granted by the high court. Secondly, high court is a proper court. Thirdly, we will have the advantage of high court order also," said the bench which also comprised Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

The top court, in the hearing conducted through video conferencing, allowed the petitioners to 'withdraw the petition with liberty to approach the high court'.

At the outset, Jethmalani alleged that it was an 'agreement between a political party of this country with the only political party in that country (China)' and the issue pertained to national security.

"We find that there is something which appears to be, what might be called, unheard of and absurd in law. You are saying that China has entered into an agreement with a political party and not the government.

"How can a political party enter into an agreement with China," the bench observed.

On being stressed by the lawyer that this was the case, the bench said, "We will allow you to withdraw this and file a fresh petition. We will examine what you say in the petition and if we find any false statement, we may prosecute you".

The court said, "Within our limited experience, we have unheard of it that a political party is making an agreement with other country."

Jethmalani argued that the alleged offences, if any disclosed, will be under the NIA Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and it will be better if the Supreme Court examine this as it relates to national security.

Amid India-China face-off on Line of Actual Control (LAC), a PIL was filed in the top court seeking NIA probe into the 2008 agreement between Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of China.

'Despite of having a hostile relation with China, Respondent No 1 (Congress) had signed an agreement when it was running a coalition government and hidden the facts and details of the agreement from the country,' the PIL alleged.

'The petitioners firmly believe that the nation's security cannot and shouldn't be compromised by any one,' the plea had said.

The said agreement was signed between Congress and Communist Party of China in Beijing for exchanging high-level information and co-operation.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda cited some observations of the SC on the PIL, to seek explanation from Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi.

'Even the SC is surprised at the MoU signed by the Congress party with the Chinese Gov... Mrs Gandhi & her son, who led the signing, must explain. Does this explain donations to RGF and opening Indian market for the Chinese in return, which affected Indian businesses?' Nadda tweeted.
The Way I Speak

To the Editor:

My personal experience countermands John McWhorters contention, in his Aug. 2 review of Katherine D. Kinzlers How You Say It, that the way we talk is largely out of our control. In order to fit in better and not stick out like a sore thumb, some immigrants reject their heritage to adopt the values and lifestyles of the dominant society. However, ideas of the superiority of Western culture can do lifelong harm and inculcate hatred of ones origins.

As a heavily accented Chinese-Malaysian student at an Australian medical school, I once took it upon myself to adopt the plummy, sophisticated English accent Id encountered in Merchant Ivory films. I had hoped this would help me fit in with my peers from elite private schools once I graduated into medical practice.

One day, a senior surgeon even mistook me for a graduate from the hallowed University of Cambridge. This surreal episode made me feel as if I had adopted a fabricated identity. But I have long since chosen to abandon this fake accent, resolving to be my own singular person.

Joseph Ting

Brisbane, Australia

More Noir

To the Editor:

I was very impressed with your highly informative and quite thorough listing of Nordic noir books in the July 26 issue (Northern Exposure). However, Id like to add a non-Scandinavian author: Torquil MacLeod is a Scot who lives in England, but his books feature a middle-aged female detective named Anita Sundstrom and are set in Malmo, Sweden. All of his books have Ms in the title  e.g., Murder in Malmo, Menace in Malmo, etc.  and while somewhat similar in style to Henning Mankells Wallander series they delve far more into the detectives personal life and, in a very effective way, weave these elements into the mystery and criminal aspects of each of the books plots.
Shortly after Tristanos indictment in 2005, Daniels announced he would retire from his remaining position as a state representative. Daniels was not implicated in Tristanos indictment, and he was never charged with wrongdoing. But he left anyway. A top GOP party and policy leader in the state who once held three positions of power was gone, pushed out by his own members and a nudge from the previous GOP attorney general, Jim Ryan, who had forwarded corruption allegations to federal investigators.
Acting chief medical office Ronan Glynn, said that, over the past two weeks, 226 cases have arisen in the three Leinster counties, almost half of all cases in Ireland in that time.

GPs in the three counties have been written to in order to highlight concerns, Dr Glynn said.

"We are now advising that everyone in Kildare, Laois and Offaly needs to pay particular attention to any new symptoms they make have such as cough, fever, shortness of breath or loss of sense of taste or smell," he said.

People in the region should now double down on basic public health behaviour such as avoiding crowded spaces and keeping two metres from others, he added.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre was told on Thursday that five patients died and 69 confirmed cases. However, four of those deaths were in previous months and only now being added.

While clusters of cases were prominent rather than wider community infections, Department of Health doctors told the health briefing, that did not mean people were safe from contracting the "lethal" disease.

People have to be "exceptionally careful", said the chairman of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group of National Public Health Emergency Team, Philip Nolan.

The reproduction figure - which indicates the average number of people that those infected will pass on - is near 2, Dr Nolan said.

There was "no excuse" for Ireland to go back to where it was at the peak of the pandemic, he said, urging people to avoid house parties.

"A reproduction number of almost 2 is a serious concern, and although we have not yet seen a significant increase in community transmission, there is a significant risk this could develop over the coming days and weeks, emphasising the need for each of us to be extremely cautious that we do not contribute to the transmission of the virus," he said.

A house party was the "perfect way" to spread the disease in the community and subsequently onto vulnerable people, said Dr Nolan, and restraint was really needed right now.

Dr Glynn said there was a perception before that Covid-19 was a Dublin-centred disease but this was not correct. Everyone needed to stay the course now, he added.
By Elena Rodriguez and Nathan Allen MADRID (Reuters) - Frustrated Spaniards are demanding to know the whereabouts of former king Juan Carlos after he abruptly left the country amid a cloud of scandal. With no word from officials on where he is, the 82-year old's dramatic exit, announced on Monday, has triggered an international guessing game, but also anger at home at the mystery. 'They should come clean, they should say where he is,' said Jorge Llubero, an 18-year-old student in Madrid.

By Elena Rodriguez and Nathan Allen

MADRID (Reuters) - Frustrated Spaniards are demanding to know the whereabouts of former king Juan Carlos after he abruptly left the country amid a cloud of scandal.

With no word from officials on where he is, the 82-year old's dramatic exit, announced on Monday, has triggered an international guessing game, but also anger at home at the mystery.

"They should come clean, they should say where he is," said Jorge Llubero, an 18-year-old student in Madrid. "There shouldn't be so much secrecy."

Spanish media have reported the ex-king, who abdicated in favour of his son Felipe in 2014, may have left the country as early as Sunday.

Some say he is now in the Dominican Republic and others have placed him in Portugal, where he spent much of his youth. But officials in both countries have said they have no knowledge of him arriving.

"We should be more aware of his situation, I think it's pretty serious," said Madrid tour guide Gabriel Alonso.

Juan Carlos said he was leaving Spain so that his son's reign wouldn't be troubled by his personal affairs.

In June, Spain's Supreme Court opened a preliminary probe into Juan Carlos' involvement in a high-speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia, after Switzerland's La Tribune de Geneve newspaper reported he had received $100 million from the late Saudi king over a multi-billion high-speed rail contract. Switzerland has also opened a probe.

A steady drip feed of leaks followed, with Spain's El Confidencial news site publishing documents that appeared to show regular cash withdrawals of hundreds of thousands of euros from a Swiss account signed by Juan Carlos.

The former monarch is not formally under investigation and through his lawyer has repeatedly declined to comment on the allegatons. His lawyer, the royal palace and the government have all declined to say where he is.

"It goes against the goal of calming the situation," Ignacio Jurado, a political science professor at Madrid's Carlos III University, said of the secrecy.

"Probably the king (Felipe) would have liked to handle it another way but out of respect for his father he wanted to let him have the final say," said Jurado, suggesting the secrecy was likely the result of internal palace dynamics.

Juan Carlos came to the throne in 1975 after the death of General Francisco Franco and was widely respected for his role in helping guide Spain from dictatorship to democracy. But his popularity sank in later years.

(Reporting by Elena Rodriguez, Nathan Allen and Guillermo Martinez; Writing by Nathan Allen; Editing by Ingrid Melander and Alexandra Hudson)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A swimmer has died after getting into difficulty off the Antrim coast.

The woman was airlifted to hospital yesterday after being pulled from the sea off the coast near Brown's Bay, off the Islandmagee peninsula.

On Friday morning, police said the woman's death was not being treated as suspicious and that a post-mortem examination would be held in due course.

Stevie Lee, RNLI press officer for the Larne lifeboat, said the vessel had been called out after reports of an overdue swimmer sparking an operation involving the RNLI and Coastguard around 5.30pm on Thursday.

"Both Larne lifeboats - a small inshore lifeboat and larger all-weather lifeboat - were launched and the casualty was spotted," he added.

Coastguard helicopter 199 from Prestwick in Scotland was also scrambled to the scene to aid Coastguard teams from Larne, Portmuck and Ballycastle.

A paramedic was winched down from the chopper onto the Larne lifeboat and the casualty then flown to Antrim Area Hospital.

The Coastguard said it was alerted to a swimmer who had been seen to enter the water 90 minutes earlier but had not been seen coming back out.

It added: "The Coastguard tasked Larne RNLI all-weather lifeboat and inshore lifeboat, Larne, Portmuck and Ballycastle Coastguard rescue teams, a Coastguard rescue helicopter and K9 search and rescue unit. After an extensive search of the area a person was recovered from the water by Larne lifeboat and taken to Antrim Area Hospital by the helicopter."
The general election is three months away, and unprecedented is not a big enough word to encompass the known and unknown events ahead. Most troubling is what will be happening with the virus in November in each state and voting district.

The past week foreshadows how wild the ride ahead could get. Within the space of a few days, the president condemned the governor of Nevada for signing a mail-in voting law and threatened a lawsuit, then encouraged voters in Florida to vote by mail despite months of tweets and public statements asserting that mail votes could not be trusted. Along the way, members of both parties expressed trepidation about the Post Office's ability to handle massive increases in mail ballots.

Election officials are determined to do their part, and to learn from one another and the difficulties experienced in COVID-era elections. A recent primary in Missouri went smoothly enough that the governor congratulated all involved for a job well done.

In the meantime, states continue to fine-tune the guidelines for their elections, attempting to identify and address vital details. Here are a few examples from scores of bills introduced since June:

H4820 , enacted in July as an emergency law, establishes that any form of written request for a mail ballot will be treated as valid, requiring that any application be received on or before the seventh day preceding an election. It requires the Secretary of State to mail an application for early voting by mail by July 15, to every voter registered before July 1. It mandates a second mailing in September that includes all voters who registered before the beginning of that month, excluding those who have already applied for ballots. Among other provisions, it allows the use of secured municipal drop boxes for receipt of ballots.

Severalbills address election issues. S0977 makes it a felony to request an absent voter application using the name of another person, or to attempt to obtain multiple ballots for one person. HB5991 lays out procedures to be followed if the signature on a ballot application does not match the signature on file, or it the application is unsigned. HB6001 sets out guidelines for the receipt, transfer and counting of ballots, including what is to be done if counting cannot be completed on election night.

HR2 , inurges the governing authority of each public high school to organize a voter registration drive, underscoring the importance of citizen participation in representative democracy. It states that these drives can help students understand that voting is both a right and a responsibility, with registration drives providing an opportunity to bring civics to life.

HB1802 establishes a pre-election day voting period beginning 20 days before any election held in 2020, as a means of reducing opportunities for exposure to COVID-19. It also calls for extended hours at polling places during the last full week preceding an election.

is another state with numerous bills on the table. For example: S8846 notes that allowing electronic application for absentee ballots is efficient and convenient, and proposes that it should be allowed even after the period of the pandemic. A10724 requires the board of elections to provide a secure web-based system that voters can use to track the progress of absentee ballots, from the moment of request to the counting of the ballot. S8506 aims to prevent ballot harvesting by establishing what is required if a person wishes to apply for an absentee ballot pm behalf another voter. It would make ballot harvesting a class D felony.

BR158 relates to campaign finance transparency. It would create public disclosure requirements regarding funding sources for internet announcements that advocate for the election or defeat of political candidates.

HR0352 seeks support for the position that an order from Chancellor Ellen Hobbs Lyle allowing all registered voters to vote absentee is an unconstitutional usurpation of legislative authority.

HF116 inwould restore the right to vote to persons convicted of a felony when they have completed their sentence, or in cases a sentence does not include incarceration. If the individual is subsequently convicted of another felony, the right to vote will only be suspended during the period of their incarceration.
Air Serbia is further adjusting its route network with the suspension of another three routes for 2020 due to low demand and travel restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier is terminating its seasonal flights to Pula and Zadar for this year and has also dropped plans to restore operations to St Petersburg in September. All three are expected to resume in 2021. It comes after the airline previously announced the suspension of flights to Madrid, Kiev and Nice until next year. Air Serbia continues to fly to Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia and intends on resuming operations to Moscow and Krasnodar in Russia once foreign carriers are permitted to restore flights to the country, which is expected in September.





Despite the further reduction in its network size, Air Serbia plans to increase frequencies on several routes from Belgrade this month. Starting August 17, the airline will grow operations to Athens from the current eight weekly to ten weekly flights, services to Dubrovnik will increase from two to three weekly, while operations to Paris will return to pre-pandemic levels, from the current ten weekly to double daily. Flights to Tirana will also be increased from nine to eleven weekly rotations, to Vienna from five to nine weekly, to Skopje from eight to nine weekly and to Sofia from four to five weekly. Towards the end of the month, from August 24, operations to Larnaca will be increased from two weekly services to three. Changes remain highly likely.





Subject to the relaxation of existing flight bans, Air Serbia plans to restore services to Rome and Milan on August 16 and to Venice on August 31. Following a short break, operations will also resume to Barcelona, Brussels and Bucharest during August. Air Serbia previously indefinitely discontinued its flights to Helsinki, Malta, Cairo, Beirut and Rijeka but launched operations to Oslo. As of this morning, the Serbian carrier serves 27 destinations out of Belgrade and three out of Nis. Services from Kraljevo have been temporarily suspended until September. The carrier offers the most frequencies out of the Serbian capital to Zurich, with eleven weekly rotations as of next week.



Commenting on its current operations, Air Serbia's CEO, Dunvan Naysmith, said, We are continuously monitoring the situation, and we hope that the travel restrictions will be lifted in due course, as we are unable to operate normally. We remain focused on gradually ramping up operations where possible, whilst protecting the health of customers and employees.
SYDNEY Nearly half the workers at private firms in Australias Victoria state, around 1.5 million people, will receive a federal wage subsidy as a surge of coronavirus cases forces a near total lockdown in the state, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Friday.

The figure illustrates the economic pain of a six-week lockdown of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria and the countrys second largest city, which will see shops and businesses shuttered and five million inhabitants required to stay home.

With Australia making it easier to qualify for wage subsidies, Frydenberg said half of the private sector labour force in Victoria will receive a two-weekly payment of A$1,500 ($1,085), a programme known as JobKeeper.

Australias wage subsidy scheme, which is scheduled to run until March 2021 and cost more than A$32.4 billion, is among measures seeking to prop up the economy, which is entering its first recession in nearly three decades.

Its heartbreaking, its very challenging but unless we drive down movement, the number of people moving around Victoria, we dont drive down the number of coronavirus cases, and then we will remain in these terrible conditions," Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said unemployment was forecast to peak at 10%, with effective unemployment closer to 14% when counting workers in the wage subsidy scheme.

But authorities say the lockdown of Melbourne is the only way to contain the second wave outbreak of COVID-19 which has infected thousands in recent weeks.

Victoria, the countrys second most populous state, reported on Friday 450 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths in the previous 24 hours. Victoria has nearly 8,000 active COVID-19 cases.

Having seen stabilisation in numbers, thats a positive. We do expect, within 14 days of a really significant intervention, that well see a change in numbers," Victoria states Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton told reporters in Melbourne.

Australia has reported just over 20,000 cases of the virus, of which Victoria has reported 13,400. Nationwide, deaths total 266, still far fewer than many other developed nations.

But authorities worry that the outbreak in Victoria could spur a nationwide second wave despite stringent restrictions on cross border travel.

Australias most populous state New South Wales (NSW), the second worst hit by coronavirus, said on Friday it had found 11 new cases in the last 24 hours, with particular concern around a case in Newcastle, the states second largest city. NSW has just over 800 active infections.

A third person from a family in Newcastle has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and authorities said they are still unsure how they cluster contracted the virus.

Authorities also warned patrons from five pubs in the area to self-isolate after the man in his 20s visited a string of venues while potentially infectious.

While Queensland state, which did not report any new cases on Friday, will close its border with NSW on Saturday, after already banning residents from Victoria.

($1 = 1.3820 Australian dollars)

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
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jerry Garcia, guitarist, and cofounder of the Grateful Dead, referred to himself as "an artist who played music."

Today, his visual art maintains a following of its own. As part of a COVID-19 relief project, the Jerry Garcia Foundation presents the artist's "California Mission," a watercolor painting, available as a limited edition giclee on the Charity Buzz website.

Jerry Garcia Band - My Sisters And Brothers 9/1/1990 "California Mission" watercolor Artist: Jerry Garcia Jerry Garcia 1978 Photo courtesy of Elliott Newhouse

The fine art is released in conjunction with "My Sisters and Brothers," a compilation album of Jerry Garcia's recordings that is available on digital music streaming platforms. A liner notes art booklet is available at the Terrapin Gallery.

"Just listening to the music supports pandemic relief," said a spokesperson for the Foundation. "It's something simple we can do now."

All proceeds from the "My Sisters and Brothers" art and music project will be distributed as individual grants to assist with pandemic relief from the Foundation's OnlyLove Relief Fund. MusiCares , WhyHunger, and the International Bluegrass Music Associations' IBMA Trust Fund are designated grant recipients.

Jerry Garcia attended the San Francisco Art Institute as a teenager and created over 1,000 original works throughout his prodigious music career. His visual art has toured in exhibitions worldwide since 1990. In 2014, the virtuoso's art was included in the Art in Pop exhibition at Le Magasin, Centre National d'Art Contemporain, an art museum in Grenoble, France. Twenty-one pieces of Garcia's art were donated to the museum.

In 2015, the Jerry Garcia Foundation established a charity arts program to support its humanitarian environmental and artistic mission.

For further information, please visit https://www.jerrygarciafoundation.org/

SOURCE Jerry Garcia Foundation
More adventurous visitors can scuba dive to get an even better view of the sites offerings. Or spend time on land with a beach and playground, perhaps taking some time to splash around in the shallows. Fishing is also allowed from the fishing pier and boat ramps are available at the park.
Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput could not sleep at nights when he was accused of sexual harassment in October 2018, in the wake of the MeToo movement.

On Thursday, Kushal Zaveri, one of the directors of the popular daily soap "Pavitra Rishta", took to Instagram and recalled the late actor's state of mind during that phase.

Zaveri, who stayed with Sushant back then, detailed how the late actor suffered when a section of the media made #metoo allegations against him, claiming he had misbehaved with his "Dil Bechara" co-star Sanjana Sanghi.

Sushant was so disturbed that he could not sleep for four nights till Sanjana came out and denied the allegations, revealed Zaveri's Instagram post.

"I stayed with Sushant from July 2018 to Feb 2019... the most vulnerable I have seen him was during the #metoo movement in Oct 2018... the electronic media was targeting him without any solid proof... We tried our best to contact Sanjana Sanghi but it seems she was in the USA and was not available for any comment (strange coincidence). Sushant knew back of his mind who was targetting him but didn't have proof to call them out... I remember how Sushant couldn't sleep for 4 nights waiting for Sanjana to clear the allegations... Finally, she cleared his name on the 5th day and it all seemed like a hard-earned victory as if the battle was over," Zaveri shared on Instagram.

He added: "I am putting this here out not only for closure's sake but to also find out if the people Sushant thought were targetting him Were actually behind this. #justiceforsushantsinghrajput".

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kushal Zaveri (@kushalz) on Aug 5, 2020 at 11:00pm PDT

"Pavitra Rishta" was Sushant's second outing as an actor, and his role of Manav Deshmukh made him a household name on television before Bollywood stardom beckoned.

Sushant, 34, was found dead inside his apartment in Mumbai on June 14. Sanjana Sanghi was Sushant's co-star in "Dil Bechara", his last release, which premiered on OTT on July 24.

This news piece may be triggering. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata).
Vietnam is ready to join other UN member states and sides involved in fighting terrorism and organised crime for peace and stability regionally and globally, stated Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu (Photo: VNA)

Vu made his statement while attending an online ministerial-level open debate of the UN Security Council on the linkages between terrorism and transnational organised crime held on August 6.

At the debate, Vu shared the common concern of impact of terrorism and organised crime on peace, security, and sustainable development of UN member countries, given the complex developments of COVID-19.

The diplomat noted the member countries hold the top responsibility in the fight against these forces, adding that their responses should respect the UN Charter, international law, and involved nations independence and national sovereignty, while following the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and other related resolutions by the UN General Assembly and Security Council.

He said in such a process, the UN can play an active role in building an overall approach to tackle the root causes of the problem like poverty, inequality, and unemployment.

Vu highlight a need for increased international and regional cooperation, particularly in curbing terrorism financing and recruitment, while supporting the engagement of UN anti-terrorism agencies and regional organisations in the fight.

He called on the international community to increase assistance for countries, particularly developing ones, in information exchange, anti-terrorism capacity improvement, and relevant legal development.

Vu informed participants that Vietnam has made efforts in completing its legal, economic, and financial systems to mitigate the risk of terrorism financing, prevent international organised crime, and carry out its missions in line with international standards.

ASEAN, meanwhile, always considers the terrorism fight a top priority in intra-bloc collaboration, the diplomat stated./.VNA
DHAKA: The Bangladesh police's elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Detective Branch (DB) arrested eight members of two human trafficking rings in separate drives in the capital city of Dhaka.

According to the RAB, the arrests took place on Wednesday night in Dhaka's Hatirjheel and Paltan areas.

The DB is currently trying to locate is a Libyan national named Sameer Ahmed Omar Fara, deemed to be the mastermind.

On June 6, a case was filed against 27 people under the Prevention of Human Trafficking and Anti-Terrorism Act.

The Libyan national has been sending Bangladeshis illegally to Libya since 2010 with the help of another accused, Abdul Gofran's Paltan-based manpower recruiting agency named Sufi International Limited, said RAB-3 Commanding Officer Lt Col Rakibul Hasan.

RAB officials said that they would interrogate the suspects and further investigate the matter to find out if there were any more people involved.

Meanwhile, a DB team arrested two most wanted human traffickers named Monir Hossain and Selim Sikder from Jatrabari area of the Capital.

DB Deputy Commissioner Mashiur Rahman told IANS that the two mean were the prime accused in a human trafficking case filed with Motijheel police station last June.

"Monir mostly targets the poor people in Shariatpur, Madaripur, Feni, and Tangail. This trafficking ring used to charge a person seeking to go abroad Tk4 lakh to Tk5 lakh.

"Monir, who is one of the leaders of the ring, went to Libya to work for a construction company but soon allied himself with a Libyan militia and local police to carry out his illegal deeds, " said the police official.

"Later, with their help, he directly conducted trafficking camps in different places of Libya.

"Monir so far has sent hundreds of people to Libya through Shadhin Travels, run by two of his accomplices named Sharif and Kabir, " he added.

This ring also used to extort money from the victims' families.
Thursday, August 6, 2020

One of the saddest things about getting old is seeing the departure of ones friends and family. Most recently for me, it was the passing, at age 98, of long-time friend and colleague John Papworth. John, an ordained Anglican priest, was a staunch advocate for peace and indefatigable proponent of community empowerment and human scale.

As I recall, I first became aware of John and his work in the early 1980s through my association with the School of Living, then a bit later we met face to face on one of his tours of the United States when he came to Rochester to meet with a group of us who worked with the Peace and Justice Education Center. John, at the time was publishing The Fourth World Review, a periodical that promoted decentralism and the idea that the gigantic size of nation states, mass media, and allied institutions makes democratic government and world peace unattainable. John argued that, The way forward is not through mass party machines, but through the development of local community governing powers to a maximum level to ensure we have government not from the top down but as much as possible from the base up, A Fourth World of peoples power.

Villages and small communities are the bloodcells of civilisation, if they are free and fully empowered they can yet halt the current Gadarene rush to collapse and enable civilisation to flourish in peace and plenty and a splendour to match the achievements of the human-scale world of the Renaissance.

Searching the Web today, youll not find much about it, but I consider Johns Fourth World Review and Fourth World Assemblies to have been extremely important elements in the ongoing efforts toward community empowerment and a new, more peaceful society. In 1986 I travelled to Zurich, Switzerland to participate in the 5th Assembly of the Fourth World, and then took it upon myself to organize the 6th Assembly of the Fourth World in San Francisco the following year. Under the aegis of the School of Living of which I then served as President, together with affiliated groups, the next three annual Assemblies were held in Raleigh, Toronto, and Dallas, respectively.

I did find a post about the Fourth World Review on the website of the UK National Liberal Party at http://nationalliberal.org/liberty-wall-3/fourth-world-review, from which the above quotes were taken. That post also contains links to two issues of The Fourth World Review (#153, winter 2011: click here, and #154, spring 2012: click here) that were published under the new editorship of Wayne John Sturgeon and Graham Williamson after John stepped aside. Ive found no evidence of its continued publication after that.

In this photo below, taken in September 2001 at Papworths home in Purton, England, I am with John P. (center) and self-sufficiency advocate and prolific writer, John Seymour (right). At that time, Donna, my then partner and I, were there to participate in the Radical Consultation, a Fourth World event that was held in nearby Swindon. As it turned out, we were staying with John at his home on the very day that the World Trade Center in New York was attacked and destroyed. After Johns son Pierre phoned to alert us to what was happening, we watched on the tele, as did millions of others, the unfolding horrors of that day.

You can find Johns obituaries in The Times of London, the Telegraph, and the Church Times.

# # #
Four more workers at Maple Leaf's pork processing plant in Brandon have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the union that represents employees.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/8/2020 (529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Four more workers at Maple Leaf's pork processing plant in Brandon have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the union that represents employees.

The announcement was made in a post to the website of United Food and Commercial Workers local 832 early Friday morning.

That brings the total number of COVID-19 cases among workers at the plant to eight, a day after it was announced that there were 18 new cases in Brandon connected to a 28-person cluster.

In the post to the union's website, president Jeff Traeger again called for a temporary shutdown of the plant. On Thursday, Maple Leaf said it did not think a shutdown was warranted. During a media briefing the same day, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin implied that the plant would be shut down if Public Health felt it was necessary.

Roussin also said that it is not believed that the cases in the Brandon cluster were transmitted at a workplace.

Both Manitoba NDP leader Wab Kinew and Manitoba Liberal leader Dougald Lamont agreed with the union's calls for a temporary work stoppage.

Manitoba Public Health and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency conducted an inspection of the plant on Thursday, Maple Leaf's vice-president of communications Janet Riley told the Sun in an email late Thursday night. The union's post from Friday said they are looking forward to hearing the results of those inspections.

Another issue raised in the union's post is whether workers are allowed to refuse to go to work by exercising their legal right to do so as written in Manitoba's labour laws.

"This is not a simple answer, the Government of Manitoba has deemed food production workers as essential, and Public Health monitors the protocols that Maple Leaf has put into place," the post reads. "If they are following these rules to lower the risk, then your workplace is ruled as safe by the Manitoba government, and also as 'low-risk' by Public Health."

The union also clarified its statement from earlier in the week saying that workers would continue to get paid while self-isolating. According to the Friday post, workers sent home must apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

If they are eligible, Maple Leaf will top-up workers to 75 per cent of their gross salary upon their return to work. If deemed ineligible for the CERB, Maple Leaf will still pay 75 per cent of a worker's gross salary. In any case, workers will not be paid until they return to work.

"The Union believes that you should be 100% paid throughout their self-isolation, and this pay should not be used as an incentive to return to work," the post said.

 cslark@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ColinSlark
Police and protesters clash at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Salt Lake City: AP

A group of Black Lives Matter protesters in Salt Lake City who allegedly splashed paint and smashed windows at a district attorneys office could be facing life in prison.

The charges brought against the protesters have been given a so-called gang enhancement, a legal device introduced in the 1990s allowing authorities to add years of extra jail time to underlying sentences where people have committed a crime together.

Civil liberties watchdogs and the citys mayor have called the potential sentences excessive. However, the district attorney himself has said the protesters are unlikely to face jail time.

The protest occurred in July after district attorney Sam Gill ruled that two police officers had been justified in shooting dead 22-year-old Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, whom they chased down an alleyway after responding to a report of an armed man at a Salt Lake City motel.

Mr Palacios-Carbajal, who was found to have been carrying a loaded handgun, was shot 13-15 times, dying of his injuries.

When Mr Gill announced his finding that the killing was lawful, hundreds of people arrived at a protest outside his office building. Some of them began painting the street and building red, while others broke windows and scuffles broke out with police.

According to the Salt Lake City police, four people were arrested: 39-year-old Ryan Moore, 32-year-old Mercedes McKinley, 21-year-old Emmanuel Hill and 18-year-old Sofia Alcala.

In a Twitter thread earlier this week, Ms McNeil wrote: Proud to confirm that I have been charged with felony shifting my weight in front of a cop.

What we have all failed to consider is that (allegedly) bracing yourself to be hit by a riot shield is actually much more violent than hitting someone with a riot shield. Perhaps the DA is right: anyone who braces themselves for a physical attack may deserve life in prison 

Incredible that Sam Gill not only excused but commended the behavior of the officers who shot a 22 year old in the back, but is willing to throw a group of teenagers and 20-somethings in prison for life for allegedly *checks notes* painting a building.

Story continues

The charges levelled and the potential sentence they carry have already attracted plenty of criticism, including from local authorities.

In a statement, Salt Lake City mayor Erin Mendenhall said the prospect of such harsh sentences was clearly alarming. If a crime is committed, there should be a consequence, she said, but that consequence needs to be proportionate to the crime itself.

And in this case, where were seeing the potential for an individual to spend a lifetime in prison for buying paint, that is too extreme.

I dont agree with the extent and the potential of these charges, and I hope that the criminal justice system wont take it that far.

However, Mr Gill told the Associated Press that I dont think anyone is going to be going to prison on this, pointing out that it is common for cases to end with pleas to lesser counts that carry non-custodial penalties.
Governor Whitmer Extends Declaration of Emergency As Michigan Continues to Fight COVID-19

Governor Whitmer Extends Declaration of Emergency As Michigan Continues to Fight COVID-19

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 7, 2020

Media Contact: Press@Michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Extends Declaration of Emergency As Michigan Continues to Fight COVID-19

Governor remains committed to keeping Michiganders safe and saving lives

LANSING, Mich. -- As Michiganders across the state continue working to protect themselves and their families from the spread of COVID-19, Governor Gretchen Whitmer today took swift action by signing a new executive order to save lives. Executive Order 2020-165 extends the governors emergency and disaster declaration until September 4, 2020 at 11:59pm.

We are in a crucial time in our fight against COVID-19, and we must do everything we can to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and the brave men and women on the front lines of this crisis from a second wave, said Governor Whitmer. Today, I signed new emergency and disaster declarations using independent sources of statutory authority to continue saving lives. I will continue to use every tool at my disposal to protect Michiganders from the spread of this virus. I want to remind everyone in Michigan to wear a mask, practice safe physical distancing, and do everything in your power to fight COVID-19.

Every region in Michigan has seen an uptick in new cases over the past several weeks, and daily case counts in late July exceeded 50 cases per million statewide. Michigans statewide positivity rate has also increased, from a low of 2% in mid-June to 3.5% in late July. The increase in cases reflects a national trend: COVID-19 cases are growing or holding steady in 40 states and deaths from COVID-19 are increasing in most of those states as well. While cases in Michigan have increased since June, our numbers are below the national average, with roughly a 3.5% positivity rate in Michigan compared to 9% nationally, and considerably lower than surrounding states.

COVID-19 is still devastating families across Michigan, and its crucial that Governor Whitmer continue to take swift action to save lives, said Chief Medical Executive and MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. I will continue to work alongside her as we make decisions to protect families health and safety. Michiganders should still do their part by wearing a mask and practicing safe physical distancing. Be smart, and stay safe.

Even as Michigan experiences unemployment rates not seen in decades, federal pandemic unemployment assistance has expired, with Congress deadlocked over a renewal. Until it is renewed, the additional $600 federal pandemic benefit will no longer flow to Michigan families. Without that money, many families in Michigan will struggle to pay their bills or even put food on the table.

In addition to these challenges, many Michigan students will return to in-person instruction over the next month, increasing the risk of outbreaks. States that have reopened schools have already begun to see new casesa second-grader in Cherokee County, Georgia, a middle schooler in Greenfield, Indiana, and a high schooler in Corinth, Mississippi, have already tested positive for COVID-19 having attended school in person, triggering quarantines in those districts.

The health, economic, and social harms of the COVID-19 pandemic remain widespread and severe, and they continue to constitute a statewide emergency and disaster. Though local health departments have some limited capacity to respond to cases as they arise within their jurisdictions, state emergency operations are necessary to bring this pandemic under control in Michigan and to build and maintain infrastructure to stop the spread of COVID-19, trace infections, and quickly direct additional resources to hot-spots as they emerge.

To view Executive Order 2020-,165 click the link below:

###
Wall Street got a fresh look at U.S. employment on Friday, with new data from the Department of Labor showing 1.76 million jobs were added in July, amid rising infection rates and renewed virus-related shutdowns. The economy added 4.8 million jobs in June. Though the jobs recovery may be slowing, other areas of the economy are gradually returning to a level of normalcy. Home renovations have boomed as Americans stayed indoors, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave every school district in the state the green light to reopen for in-person learning in the fall.

Here are some of today's big developments:
READING THAT our attorney general has filed to force compliance of the Lea County sheriff spurred a re-reading of Gov. (Michelle Lujan) Grishams July 8 op-ed column. Lujan Grisham has apparently moved forward on the closing, (that) my administration will take a long hard look at how the state can ensure that those local officials  no longer have the opportunity to fail them.

Our government has been set up with checks and balances. Top executives are balanced by a group of legislators who make laws. Both of these are accountable to a written Constitution enforced by the courts. We have elections ranging from local to national to ensure the interests of one people to do not take precedence over those of another.

Lujan Grisham sees the role of the state as protector, her orders curbing the wayward who might cause danger. Some citizens, however, dont see themselves as dependent on a benevolent leader. Rather, they hold to the view that leaders are dependent on the people for permissions and power. The resistance she addresses stems not from a criminal mindset, but from questions of the legality of mandates.

In her COVID-19 response, the governor has appropriated provisions from three different laws and enacted them as one, which she equates to a new law. She has declared a prevailing health interest over constitutional rights. News reports demonstrate she has broken certain provisions of the original laws in her spending and has skirted the bounds of her own orders over patronizing businesses. The representation of legislators has been overridden by vetoes of their decisions in the special budget session.

Elected officials at any level are bound by the wishes of constituents. They can be removed through recall or impeachment demonstrating illegal action on their part.

For one elected official to force compliance from another smacks of dictatorship. Whether the individuals addressed by the governor are in the right or the wrong is not an issue solved by overriding checks and balances. I can only hope the courts will uphold the structure that protects liberty as well as life.
(Natural News) Recognizing that presidential hopeful Joe Biden is beyond the point of mental unfitness, and is thus unable to participate in them, The New York Times is now calling for presidential debates to become a thing of the past.

The Times of course is framing the issue around the idea that presidential debates are meaningless, but we all know the truth  that Biden is simply incapable of stringing together a cogent sentence. The minute he faces President Donald Trump, in other words, Biden will fold like a losing Poker hand.

Writing on behalf of the Democrat Party, Times journalist Elizabeth Drew insists that she is not at all worried about Biden losing the debates, should he actually make it to one. Instead, she is challenging the idea that debates even have a valid purpose.

This, by the way, isnt written out of any concern that Donald Trump will prevail over Joe Biden in the debates; Mr. Biden has done just fine in a long string of such contests, Drew contends.

It is just that presidential debates are meaningless, according to Drew, who believes that winning a debate, however assessed, should be irrelevant, as are the debates themselves.

The debates have never made sense as a test for presidential leadership, she adds.

In fact, one could argue that they reward precisely the opposite of what we want in a president. When we were serious about the presidency, we wanted intelligence, thoughtfulness, knowledge, empathy and, to be sure, likability. It should also go without saying, dignity.

Yet the debates play an outsized role in campaigns and weigh more heavily on the verdict than their true value deserves, Drew declares.

Whatever you do, dont debate Trump, says former Bill Clinton press aide to Joe Biden

Using the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) as yet another excuse not to hold any more presidential debates, Drew takes things a step further by calling for their abolishment  and why not, seeing as how Democrats already want to abolish everything else from Americas history?

Since Trump used the 2016 presidential debates as simply another tool in his arsenal to win the election, and now represents the most disastrous president in our history, in Drews view, presidential debates as a whole are no longer relevant or necessary.

Times columnist Thomas Friedman agrees with Drew, having written last month that Biden should not have to debate Trump because Trump will just use the situation to his own advantage. The only way a debate between Biden and Trump has even the potential to be legitimate is if a real-time fact-checker is present to filter out Trumps false claims, Friedman contends.

Hilariously, former Bill Clinton press aide Joe Lockhart recently advised Biden at CNN.com with the words: Whatever you do, dont debate Trump.

What many still fail to recognize is the fact that Joe Biden is seen by the far-left not as a viable candidate, but rather as a convenient puppet who will do whatever he is told. He does not actually have to function as a coherent, logical human being, in other words, hence why the far-left is doing everything it can to keep Biden from the debate stage.

You can always count on the New York Times to put whats best for the left ahead of whats best for America, wrote one Breitbart News commenter. Heaven forbid that voters might ever get the truth.

Journalist Drew was not concerned that Biden would lose the debate but was concerned that DEMENTED Joe would expose his being mentally unfit for the office of president, wrote another.

More breaking news about the 2020 presidential election and the leftist push to keep Biden from ever having to face Trump directly is available at Trump.news.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com
India cannot afford to be complacent about a possible Pakistan resort to military options across the LoC, warns Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency.

IMAGE: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Issuing a new 'political map' of Pakistan on the eve of observing 'Exploitation Day' in Kashmir (yuam-e-istehsaal) is a deliberately provocative attempt by Pakistan to raise temperatures on the diplomatic front at a moment of perceived Indian discomfiture after China's agression on the Line of Actual Control.

The map makes four changes -- taking Pakistan's eastern border further eastward to encompass the whole of 'disputed Jammu and Kashmir', extending the Line of Control now to Chinese territory even if keeping the border there open-ended, including Sir Creek upto its eastern land boundary and reiterating its claim over Siachen.

Defying any logic, Junagadh is raked up.

Prime Minister Imran Khan described this as 'the first step to intensify Pakistan's struggle' to realise its 70-year-old dream of making Kashmir a part of Pakistan ('Kashmir banega Pakistan').

He did not attend the all party and press briefing organised by the Pakistan foreign office, where it was left to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Quereshi to reiterate familiar Pakistani positions on giving a message to the international community that Pakistan was fighting to focus attention on continuing human rights violations in 'occupied' J&K after August 5 last year, while it still stood by the UN resolutions on Kashmir.

Significantly, the meeting was attended by Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid, Director General, Inter Services Intelligence, leaving no one in any doubt that the move had the army leadership's blessings.

It is likely, taking a leaf out of the Nepal book, the Pakistani establishment will soon take the 'political map' to a joint session of the national assembly and senate, passing a resolution there, in riposte to India's October 2019 move on PoK and Gilgit Baltistan .

Participating in a media programme on August 4 night, President Arif Alvi said this was 'a symbolic statement of our position and determination to take the issue towards a final solution'.

Alvi alleged that Indian actions reflected 'a rewriting of history', taking the country on 'a path of hatred' between communities.

He deplored the Indian government's 'Nazi and Israeli type' tactics to change the demography of Kashmir by implementing changed policies on domicile and holding of property there.

He did not rule out debate in Pakistani legislatures to 'reserve' electoral constituencies for parts of Kashmir 'illegally held by India'.

On another Pakistan television channel, Moeed Yusuf, strategic assistant to Prime Minister Khan and a former US Institute of Peace researcher, asserted that this did not alter Pakistan's position at the United Nations, but signified Pakistan's 'just political aspirations'.

When questioned, he confirmed that the move had China's implicit support.

Moeed accompanied Imran and army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on their tour of forward areas of the LoC during Eid ul Azha and to Muzaffarabad, Pakistan occupied Kashmir, where they met the PoK president, PM and members of the PoK legislative assembly.

Though Foreign Minister Quereshi was visibly irritated by the lukewarm response from the Organisation of Islamic Conference and Saudi Arabia on the Kashmir issue, the Pakistani media continues to be in overdrive, claiming great success in achieving life size poster displays at Times Square, New York, on alleged human rights violations in Kashmir.

Much has been made of renaming the Muree Muzaffarabad road from 'Kashmir Highway' to 'Srinagar Highway'.

Though sections of civil society in Pakistan and some Opposition leaders supported the establishment, holding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was 'himself proving to be India's biggest enemy', others like ex-Senator Farhatullah Babar of the People's Party of Pakistan criticised the government, questioning whether it had 'strengthened our principled stance' on Kashmir, especially as 'the people of Kashmir figured nowhere' in their calculus.

He reckoned it was a grave mistake for Pakistan to have made the announcement from Islamabad. Instead, it should 'have been made by Kashmiris themselves, from their own territory, not by Pakistani officials'.

In an interesting coincidence, General Bajwa addressed a gathering of senior retired army officers the same day, August 4, while visiting the IV Corps in Lahore.

Among others, two former army chiefs, General Jehangir Karamat and General Raheel Sharif, two former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Generals Tariq Majeed and Rashad Mehmood, and a former Vice Chief, Lieutenant General Ahsan Salim Hayat attended.

The Inter Services Public Relations not only covered this interaction in a press release, but also issued a video showing General Bajwa, dressed in civies, addressing the others.

Apparently, discussions there covered 'wide ranging issues including professional matters, security situation in the region, measures to optimise dividends of peace and stability, and also the challenges and opportunities'.

While such meetings have been routine in the past, its timing and manner of disclosure seemed intended to convey very deliberately that this was a serious forum, being taken on board on important national security issues.

General Bajwa also wanted to convey, possibly to his own peer group of serving generals, some of whom were still remain sullen about his extension, that he was following a broadly consensual approach to decision making.

Against this backdrop of adventurous diplomatic over-reach by Pakistan, even though its economy remains mired in a downhill slide over chronic problems of rescheduling heavy debts, stagnant investments and depleting remittances from overseas Pakistanis, India cannot afford to be complacent about a possible Pakistan resort to military options across the LoC, if only tactical.

Careful vigil in this regard must continue.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
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Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 12:48 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c495bc 1 Business Facebook,TikTok,Amazon,VAT,value-added-tax,tax-office,digital-tax,Netflix,Spotify,Google Free

The tax office announced on Friday a list of 10 foreign digital companies that will be required to collect a 10 percent value added tax (VAT) from Indonesian consumers starting September after recently imposing such rules on six firms, including Amazon and streaming platform Netflix.

The new companies subject to the tax are United States technology company Apples arm Apple Distribution International as well as Amazons subsidiaries Amazon.com Services, Alexa Internet, Audible Inc and Audible Ltd.

Read also: After Spotify and Netflix, Indonesia eyes VAT collection from other tech firms

Social media company Facebook Ireland, Facebook Technologies International and its payment firm Facebook Payment International will also be collecting the tax together with Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia.

The Finance Ministrys Taxation Directorate General (DJP) also included Chinese short video-sharing platform TikTok on its latest list, bringing the total number of foreign tech companies subject to tax to 16.

We will continue to identify and actively communicate with other foreign digital companies operating in Indonesia to educate and assess them, said tax office spokesperson Hestu Yoga Saksama in a statement. Hopefully, we will add more companies to the tax subject list soon.

He called on other tech companies that made annual sales of Rp 600 million (US$41,116) to take the initiative and report themselves to the tax office

VAT collection is part of the governments effort to create a level playing field for all businesses operating in Indonesia, be it local or foreign companies, conventional or digital companies, Hestu added.

Read also: US says will investigate nations with digital services tax

Under Indonesia's new rules, nonresident foreign companies that sell digital products and services in Indonesia valued at least Rp 600 million a year or generate yearly traffic from at least 12,000 users will be required to pay the 10 percent VAT.

The government, however, cannot collect corporate income tax from the internet giants as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has yet to reach a consensus on how to tax tech firms.

The government has been struggling to collect additional revenue to fund its widening budget deficit of 6.34 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) as the COVID-19 pandemic hits business activity.

Starting in August, tech firms Amazon Web Services, Netflix, music streaming service Spotify and Alphabets Google for its Google Asia Pacific, Google Ireland, and Google LLC units were required to collect VAT from sales to Indonesian consumers.
MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon television program, Copyright MMXX, all rights reserved. MoneyTV does not provide an analysis of companies' financial positions and is not soliciting to purchase or sell securities of the companies, nor are we offering a recommendation of featured companies or their stocks. Information discussed herein has been provided by the companies and should be verified independently with the companies and a securities analyst. MoneyTV provides companies a 3 to 4 month corporate profile with multiple appearances for a cash fee of $6,950.00 to $11,995.00, does not accept company stock as payment for services, does not hold any positions, options or warrants in featured companies. The information herein is not an endorsement by Donald Baillargeon, the producer, publisher or parent company of MoneyTV.

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.
ARCHIVED - Austria and Denmark join Switzerland in issuing alerts for travellers from Spain



Austrian nationals must present a negative Covid test when returning from Spain

More bad news for the Spanish tourism sector on Thursday as Austria and Denmark became the latest countries to impose restrictions or issue advice against travelling to Spain due to the rising numbers of Covid cases in the country. (Click here to see the Thursday Covid figures for Spain).



The governments of Austria and Denmark have issued travel alerts for Spain on Thursday, with the exception of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, warning their nationals against travel to Spain due to fears over the spread of Covid-19.



Austria; The measure will take effect from Monday 10th August, From that date onwards travellers returning to Austria from Spain must undergo a COVID-19 test no later than 72 hours before the flight and present a negative Covid test.



Denmark has issued a similar alert and has included Spain in its list of 'orange' countries - those that the Foreign Ministry advises against travelling to due to the pandemic.



The decision was made a day after Switzerland included Spain in the list of countries whose travellers will have to undergo a ten-day quarantine to enter Swiss territory, although it has excluded those who come from the Canary and Balearic Islands.



Which countries impose a quarantine on travellers from Spain?

Ecuador, Slovenia, Finland, India, Ireland, Kenya, Norway, the United Kingdom, Russia, Tunisia and Switzerland since August 8th.



Which countries impose restrictions on specific regions only?

Belgium imposes quarantine and tests for travelers from Aragon, Navarra, Lleida and Barcelona and recommends quarantining those arriving from Girona, Tarragona, the Basque Country, La Rioja, Extremadura, Soria, Guadalajara, Castellon, Valencia, Murcia, Almeria, Balearic Islands and Madrid.



The Netherlands requires quarantine for those who come from Segria (Lerida), Barcelona and its surroundings, and the municipalities of Figueres and Vilafanto.



Are there countries which dont impose quarantine but use other measures?

Up to 34 countries use various measures to control travellers from all over Spain or only from some regions, such as Germany, which allows choosing between taking a test or completing quarantine for those who come from Aragon, Catalonia and Navarra; Denmark also requires tests for those coming from these same areas.



Countries such as the Bahamas, Cyprus, Costa Rica, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Dominican Republic and Turkey also impose other measures without imposing quarantine.





There are 103 countries that have banned the entry of travellers from Spain or that have not yet re-established air or sea communications due to the pandemic.



Among these are many of the Ibero-American countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru and Venezuela.Canada, China, the United States, Japan, Morocco and Thailand, among others, also restrict the entry of travelers.



The complete list of countries that impose conditions on the arrival of travellers from Spain can be consulted on the Twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which updates an infographic with the world map painted in red, orange or yellow, depending on the level of restrictions daily.

Click here to see the latest pdf in larger format



The areas coloured in grey are countries in which there are currently no restrictions or measures; among these are Switzerland, Portugal, Mexico or Mongolia and North Korea


President Donald Trump has made close to $1.5 million in income over the past three years from an online retail store that is owned by the company he founded, according to financial disclosure records reviewed by CNBC.

While dozens of the Trump-branded products sold by the store are listed as having been made in the United States, a sizable chunk are made in foreign countries or are from an unknown origin  which would appear to run contrary to the president's "Buy American" agenda.

As of Friday, there are currently over 100 products under the "Made in America" collection on the online Trump Store, where they are marked as either "Made in America" or "Made in the USA," according to a CNBC review. Yet, at least another 180 items that CNBC reviewed are labeled as having been made in Scotland, France or Italy, are labeled as "Decorated in the USA" or have no country of origin listed at all.

That means a little more than a third of the items in the online Trump Store are described as officially made in the United States. There is also an in-person Trump Store located in New York's Trump Tower.

The Trump Organization online subsidiary is titled on the disclosure reports as T Retail LLC. USA Today first spotted the discrepancy and noted that the president made more than $107,000 off that business when it launched in 2017.

Trump's latest disclosure report shows that he took in just over $930,000 from the online retail business last year. Reports say that the president's latest financial disclosure shows he made at least $440 million overall in 2019.

Trump has come under scrutiny for his company's business dealings since he became president. More than $17 million in payments have been made to use Trump properties for campaign events by his own reelection team, the Republican National Committee and other GOP-led groups.

The president still owns the Trump Organization, but it is currently being run by the president's older sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.

A spokeswoman for the Trump Organization did not respond to repeated requests for comment, including detailed questions on where the Trump Store's products were made. Representatives for the White House also did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Ethics experts say that while it's not illegal for the president to be making money from this piece of the company he still owns, it certainly is not on par with how past presidents behaved.

"The president profiting personally off of the sale of merchandise bearing his name may not violate the law, but it does defy the norms of behavior we'd expect from our country's most prominent public servant," Brendan Fischer, a director at ethics watchdog group the Campaign Legal Center, said in an email.

Fischer also noted that while the Trump Organization has sold name-branded items in the past, the fact that the company launched this online store the year he became president suggests the business could be profiting off of his presidency.

"It does seem like yet another example of Trump blurring the lines between public service and his personal financial interest, and of Trump successfully profiting off of the presidency," he said. "The Trump Organization may have been selling Trump-branded merchandise before Trump became president, but it only set up this online retail store after Trump took office, and after the name 'Trump' became synonymous with the prestige of the White House."

The president has repeatedly pushed an "America First" and "Buy American" agenda.

Trump recently signed an executive order that called on the U.S. government to develop a list of essential medicines and buy them as well as medical supplies from U.S. companies instead of from foreign countries such as China.

In 2017, Trump signed an executive order that would crack down on the awarding of visas to foreign workers as part his of "Buy American, Hire American" initiative.

Last year, Trump signed another executive order to extend his "Buy American, Hire American" policy initiatives. At the time, White House advisor Peter Navarro said it was meant to "extend the coverage for 'Buy American,' not just to things like iron and steel and aluminum, but also to cement and other manufactured products."

This type of agenda has also turned into a political wedge issue between Trump and his opponent, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

The former vice president released his own "Buy American" proposal, which calls for a $400 billion, four-year increase in government purchasing of U.S.-based goods and services plus $300 billion in new research and development in U.S. technology concerns.
Austria To Apply Personal Income Tax Cut In September

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

07 August 2020

The Austrian Government has confirmed that a personal income tax cut approved by the Cabinet last month will be introduced in September.

On June 30, the Cabinet approved a tax plan, which featured a cut to the lowest income tax rate from 25 to 20 percent. According to the Ministry of Finance's announcement, the change will be introduced on September 1, 2020, and apply retroactively from January 1, 2020. Taxpayers will therefore receive backdated refunds of tax paid since January in September.

The lowest rate of income tax currently applies to income from EUR11,000 (USD12,970) to EUR18,000.

The cabinet also approved on June 30 the extension until the end of 2025 of the temporary 55 percent rate of tax on incomes above EUR1m. Originally, this temporary tax hike was due to expire at the end of 2020.
The Howard in Howard, streaming on Disney Plus starting Friday, is Howard Ashman. And anyone who had the wit and the cheek to write the lyric I use antlers in all of my decorating! for the muscle-bound antagonist in Beauty and the Beast plainly deserves to have his story be told in a documentary.

Ashmans lyrics  and, just as crucially, his finesse with every aspect of musical theatre  played an enormous part in the Disney animation comeback begun in the late 1980s. At the time the studios animation output had sputtered into near-irrelevance. Few within the company showed much faith in feature animation, despite its long and often glorious history there under Walt Disney.

As writer-director Don Hahns absorbing 2018 documentary shows, when then-studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg convinced Ashman to go west and join the team, the companys financial and creative fortunes changed seemingly overnight.

Ashman was coming off a debilitating Broadway flop at the time, a 1986 musical version of the Michael Ritchie film Smile, so he was ready to try something new. He got to work with collaborator and composer Alan Menken on The Little Mermaid (1989), which turned out to be a huge hit and a weather vane for the studio: This is where we should go.

An adaptation of Aladdin proved stubborn. By this time Ashman had received his HIV diagnosis, at a time in the AIDS epidemic when contracting AIDS virtually guaranteed a short and terrible finale. In the time he had left, Ashman rejoined Menken on another stalled Disney animation project, Beauty and the Beast. From its sweeping, theatrically scaled opening number Belle onward, Ashman and company made it clear: The movie, as New York Times drama critic Frank Rich later wrote, was the best Broadway musical of 1991. It just happened to be on film, and wasnt (yet) a stage phenomenon or, as Disney continued to drag its hits on stage, another dutiful example of brand extension.

Three of Ashmans songs ended up in the next Disney animated smash, Aladdin (1992). By that time Ashman was dead, in 1991, at the age of 40. Hed kept his diagnosis a secret until near the end, from most everyone. As Howard acknowledges, Ashman was terrified of losing his Disney health insurance. As far back as 1989, he participated in a tiring Little Mermaid press junket, as a good company man, with a heart catheter in his chest. He wrote the Aladdin lyrics to Prince Ali from his hospital bed, accompanied by composer Menken and his portable keyboard.

Howard does a fine, loving job tracing who he was as a gay Jewish boy growing up in Baltimore; as an aspiring playwright and theatrical impresario, schooled at Boston University, Goddard College in Vermont, the summer theatre program at Tufts University, and a graduate student at Indiana University; and as a hungry young New York City transplant, eager to make his mark.

He and his first serious boyfriend, Stuart White, decamped to New York together from Indiana, where they started their own off-off-Broadway theatre, the WPA. Howard is pure catnip for fans of both Disney animation and 70s and 80s musical theatre. Ashman struck gold with his first major success, Little Shop of Horrors. In one archival interview he describes the shows appeal as the dark side of Grease. As a teenager Ashman fell hard for the old Roger Corman movie. Everyone told him it was a terrible idea for a musical. He made millions off it.

Howard director Don Hahn worked with Ashman on Beauty and the Beast, and he interpolates a fair amount of Disney rehearsal footage and interview snippets from the earlier and illuminating Disney-sanctioned documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty. Hahn and company handle the rougher edges and volatile contradictions of Ashmans life and personality with discretion bordering occasionally on blandness. Speaking of which: Howard ends with a montage of Ashmans Disney influence, including footage of the billion-dollar-grossing live-action remakes of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. Yeah, well. Money isnt everything.

Ashman wanted success, of course, on his creative terms. In the film Ashman speaks eloquently on the topic of the I want song  a number sung early in a show (or a movie), usually by the heroine, expressing whats in her heart and her vision of happiness and fulfilment. Ashman poured that concept into his lifes work. Some musical theatre giants, notably songwriter Jerry Ross of The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, leave this world before theyve barely begun. (Ross was 29.) Ashman cemented his own legacy on the musical stage and on the Disney animated musical soundstage, just in time.

HOWARD

3.5 stars

MPAA rating: PG

Running time: 1:35
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2020 / 1933 Industries Inc. (the "Company" or "1933 Industries") (CSE:TGIF)(OTCQX:TGIFF), a vertically-integrated cannabis consumer packaged goods company, announces the grant of 9,200,000 incentive stock options to its directors, officers, consultants and/or employees pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. The options are exercisable for a period of five years at a price of $0.075 per share and will be subject to certain vesting restrictions.

The Company also announces that recently, approx. 6,600,000 options expired unexercised in accordance with the terms of its stock option plan.

About 1933 Industries Inc.

1933 Industries is a vertically-integrated, growth-orientated company, focusing on the cultivation and manufacturing of cannabis consumer branded goods in a wide range of product formats. Operating through two subsidiaries, the Company controls all aspects of the value chain with cultivation, extraction, processing, and manufacturing assets supporting its diversified portfolio of cannabis brands and licensing partners.

Our award-winning proprietary portfolio of brands include: AMA flower and AMA concentrates, as well as CBD-infused Canna Hemp, Canna Hemp X, Canna Fused, and hemp-specific products. Partners under licensing agreements include: Birdhouse Skateboards, Blonde Cannabis, Bloom, Denver Dab Co., Five Star Extracts, Grizzly Griptape, The Pantry Company, PLUGplay, and The Original Jack Herer.

The Company owns 91% of Alternative Medicine Association, LC (AMA), and 100% of Infused MFG LLC.

For further information please contact:

Alexia Helgason, VP, IR and Corporate Communications

604-674-4756 (ext. 1)

alexia@1933industries.com

Paul Rosen, CEO

604-674-4756 (ext. 1)

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.

Notice regarding Forward Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents, which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. 1933 Industries undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE: 1933 Industries Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/600740/1933-Industries-Grants-Incentive-Stock-Options
A fire crew dampens down the still-smouldering lorry which was set on fire on Heather Road in Galliagh on Wednesday night

Londonderry residents have told of their anger after a third straight night of violent mayhem.

Yobs rampaged through the Galliagh area, where two vehicles were burned to a shell, and armed and masked men failed in their attempts to hijack two other vehicles.

Police said two teenagers had been arrested.

Postal services have also been withdrawn from Galliagh - the latest area in the city where staff are refusing to deliver mail.

On Monday a postal worker was threatened in Creggan and had his van taken from him. Over the days since then, other delivery vans were taken and set on fire in Creggan, Glenown and Ballymagroarty.

On Wednesday night, two vehicles were burned out in Fergleen Park and Heather Road amid a night of violence aimed at the PSNI, who came under attack from bricks, stones and at least one petrol bomb.

Two other drivers managed to escape after armed gangs tried to hijack their vehicles in Galliagh Park and Fairview Park.

Two teenage boys, aged 14 and 15, were arrested in the city yesterday afternoon on suspicion of riotous behaviour and attempted criminal damage. The 14-year-old boy was also arrested on suspicion of possessing petrol bomb in suspicion circumstances, and throwing a petrol bomb. Both males remained in custody yesterday.

District Commander Chief Superintendent Emma Bond said: "I want to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who is tempted to become involved in anti-social or criminal behaviour to stop and consider the consequences of their actions, and desist immediately.

"I would also appeal to those in the community to use their influence to help us ensure we don't have another night of disorder and our communities don't come under attack again."

Neighbours were reluctant to be identified but spoke of their anger and fear of further mayhem.

One woman said: "It is the same here every summer in the run-up to August 15 but this week has been terrible.

"I was brokenhearted watching all the young ones out there wrecking the place, just hours after John Hume's funeral.

"John Hume's name wouldn't mean anything to one of them but they owe him so much, if they only knew.

"Their actions go against everything that man stood for and what they did here last night was an insult to his memory.

"I know it isn't just in Galliagh, it's in other parts too, but because they took a post van on Monday in Creggan, we won't get any post delivered for God knows how long, but you can't blame the postmen for not wanting to come here."

Charlie Kelly from the Communications Workers' Union said that until the safety of postal workers could be assured, no deliveries to these areas would be made.

He said: "There have been no deliveries to Creggan since Monday when one of our workers was threatened and had his van taken from him.

"Deliveries to Glenown, Ballymagroarty and now Galliagh have also be stopped until such times as the local community representatives can give us assurances there is no risk to our members or their vehicles.

"Post Office management is in total agreement with us on this as the health and safety of our members is paramount."

Mayor of Derry Brian Tierney, who is an SDLP councillor for the Galliagh area, spent several hours trying to persuade the young people to disperse.

He said at least 150 people had gathered, although not all were involved in the violence.

"It was a nightmarish few hours where pensioners and vulnerable people living on their own were terrified and are still terrified about what could lie ahead over the weekend," he said.
BRUSSELS (AP)  A Belgian court on Friday rejected Spains demand to have a former high-ranking politician from the region of Catalonia extradited back to the country to be tried for his alleged role in an independence referendum that Madrid branded as illegal.

The Brussels prosecutors office said the court had rejected enforcing the European arrest warrant for former Catalan culture minister Lluis Puig on the grounds that the Spanish authorities who issued the warrant are not competent to do so.

Puig has been living in exile in Belgium since he, former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and a number of their associates fled to Belgium in October 2017, fearing arrest over the secessionist push he led and the holding of an independence referendum that the Spanish government said was illegal.

His lawyers had argued that Spains Supreme Court does not have the jurisdiction to judge Puig and that only a Catalan court is competent to do so.

The Brussels prosecutors office said it is deciding whether to appeal the Belgian court ruling.

Puigdemont has since been elected to the European Parliament.
CHICAGO  Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced an emergency order Friday allowing local governments to fine businesses and schools that do not follow the state's mask mandate and size limits aimed at curbing cases of COVID-19.

Local leaders will be able to charge organizations that consistantly break the state's orders with with a Class A misdemeanor that comes with a fine of between $75 to $2,500. Pritzker issued a mask mandate in the state May 1, requiring most people older than 2 to wear a face covering in public, but Pritzker said more enforcement options were needed.

"This is a make or break moment for the state of Illinois to make sure that everybody is doing everything they can to mitigate, to reduce the spread," Pritzker said Friday, referencing the state's rising coronavirus case numbers.

The new fine will not be directed at individuals, but can apply to businesses, schools and nonprofits, the governor said.
The Canadian government made an exciting an announcement on Tuesday - some terminally sick patients have been granted the right to use magic mushrooms to help ease their anxiety.

Back in April, four terminally ill Canadians approached their government health official asking for a legal exemption for them to ingest the magic shrooms.

The health minister approved the exemption on Tuesday, making these four patients the first four Canadians to legally use magic mushrooms since it was criminalised back in 1974. Pretty exciting stuff.

Heaps of studies have shown that magic mushies can help a lot in easing depression and anxiety.

The patients are understandably stoked. Laurie Brooks, one of the four, told TheraPsil that the acknowledgement of the pain and anxiety that she's been suffering with means a great deal to her.

..I am feeling quite emotional today as a result. I hope this is just the beginning and that soon all Canadians will be able to access psilocybin, for therapeutic use, to help with the pain they are experiencing..

This is a pretty big step for Canada - we're excited to see how it goes for these four patients.
OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) _ TreeHouse Foods Inc. (THS) on Thursday reported a loss of $1.5 million in its second quarter.

On a per-share basis, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company said it had a loss of 3 cents. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 58 cents per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 47 cents per share.

The food maker posted revenue of $1.04 billion in the period, which did not meet Street forecasts. Five analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.07 billion.

For the current quarter ending in October, TreeHouse expects its per-share earnings to range from 55 cents to 65 cents.

The company said it expects revenue in the range of $1.04 billion to $1.08 billion for the fiscal third quarter.

TreeHouse expects full-year earnings in the range of $2.55 to $2.75 per share.

TreeHouse shares have decreased 6.5% since the beginning of the year. The stock has declined 15% 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 THS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/THS
World's largest methanol plant opened in southern Iran

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 06 August 2020 2:16 PM

Iranian President Hassan Rouhnai has opened the world's largest methanol plant located in an area on the coasts of the on the Persian Gulf as the country pushes ahead with plans to increase output of petrochemical products to offset the impacts of American sanctions on direct sale of crude.

Using a video conference call on Thursday, Rouhani gave the go-ahead for start of work at Kaveh Petrochemical Complex in Bushehr province.

The plant is to produce 7,000 metric tons of grade AA methanol each day, the largest output in the world for a single petchem facility.

The construction of the privately-owned plant has cost nearly $1 billion, said a report by the official IRNA news agency which added that annual production of the refinery would be worth around $400 million.

Iran has used foreign suppliers for a third of machinery and expertise required for building the plant, said IRNA, adding that the sprawling petchem complex, constructed over a 220-hectare piece of land in Deyr County, will need some 6 million cubic meters of natural gas each day as its feedstock.

During the same ceremony on Thursday, Rouhani also ordered the opening of another major methanol production plant in the port of Asaluyeh, Iran's main hub for natural gas refining operations.

The Kimiya Pars Middle East Petrochemical Company will create 700 permanent jobs, said reports by the local media, adding that the facility will feed on 4.5 million cubic meters of natural gas each day.

Annual production for the plant, constructed over four years with an investment of $600 million, is expected to reach 1.65 million tons, or 4,500 tons a day, generating some $300 million in new revenues for the government as the owner of the project.

Another major petchem project opened by Rouhani on Thursday was the polymer catalyst unit at Lorestan Petrochemicals, a refinery located in southwestern Iran.

The IRNA report said the unit has been launched through a $20-million investment and is set to produce 100,000 tons of polymer catalysts each year.

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The Smart Antenna Market is anticipated to reach around USD 9,705 million by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, MIMO segment dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global smart antenna market revenue during the forecast period.

Browse for full research summary: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/smart-antenna-market

The growing demand for smart antenna in wireless communication networks coupled with rising need for efficient and stable network performance has boosted the adoption of smart antenna. The rising penetration of smartphones, and increasing adoption of mobile-connected devices further support the growth of this market. The growing demand for high speed communication services, high demand for wireless broadband services, and declining costs of connected devices would accelerate the adoption of smart antenna during the forecast period. However, high costs associated with smart antenna is expected to restrict the growth of the market to a certain extent. Growing demand from emerging economies, increasing adoption of IoT and advancements in cellular networks are expected to provide numerous growth opportunities in the coming years.

North America generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global smart antenna market throughout the forecast period. The presence of established telecom and cloud infrastructure in this region, and growing trend of IoT drive the smart antenna market growth in the region. The growing demand of mobile devices, and technological advancements further support market growth in the region. The use of smart technologies in varied sectors and growing need for high speed communication services for increased efficiency in diverse industries is expected to support smart antenna market growth in this region during the forecast period.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/smart-antenna-market/request-for-sample

The key players operating in the smart antenna market include Texas Instruments Incorporated, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Broadcom Limited, Airgain, Inc., Motorola Solutions, Inc, Ruckus Wireless, Airgo Netwroks Inc., Interdigital communications Corp., Lucent technologies, and Sierra Wireless. 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 Antenna Market Size and Forecast by Type, 2018-2026 Switched Beam Smart Antenna Adaptive Array Smart Antenna

Smart Antenna Market Size and Forecast by Technology, 2018-2026 SIMO (Single Input Multiple Output) MISO (Multiple Input Single Output) MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output)

Smart Antenna Market Size and Forecast by Application, 2018-2026 Cellular Systems RADAR Systems Wi-Fi Systems Others

Smart Antenna Market Size and Forecast by Region, 2018-2026 North America US. 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



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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.

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(TNS)  With the start of the school year just weeks away, Philadelphia city officials on Thursday announced a plan to provide free internet access for 35,000 low-income families that currently lack it.Under the plan  which will cost $17 million, paid for with a mixture of philanthropic, school, and local CARES Act funding  some households will be wired for free broadband access via Comcasts Internet Essentials program, and other families will receive at no charge wireless hot spots purchased by the city from T-Mobile.Families with children enrolled in the Philadelphia School District and charter schools are eligible for internet access, as are children in Catholic or other private schools; district and charter schools have provided or will provide laptops or tablets for each student. Under the plan, families will also have access to digital navigators charged with providing technology support.Families will be guaranteed free access for two years, but city officials said they mean to continue the program given adequate financial support.Mayor Jim Kenney called the announcement a transformational moment triggered by the pandemic. He said the program will make a powerful impact on lessening the digital divide.Thursdays announcement comes amid growing public concern and pressure  including two rallies outside the Comcast Center this week  after the district recently announced plans to begin the school year online only starting Sept. 2. But the city has been working with the district, Comcast and others on the project since COVID-19 forced school online in March, officials said.As the pandemic continues, the need for connectivity for all is urgent, said Mark Wheeler, Philadelphias chief information officer; those without internet access are unable to effectively participate in not just education, but health care, employment and other endeavors.This is an immediate need, Wheeler said. An equitable recovery is not possible if we dont tackle this.The city is coordinating the digital equity effort, and will use $2 million in local CARES Act funding to pay for it, but no money from its general fund; instead, private donors including the William Penn Foundation, the Neubauer Family Foundation, the Philadelphia School Partnership, and others will fund the bulk of the project. The largest donor, chipping in $7 million, is Comcast itself, officials said; in all, $11 million has been pledged to date.Officials estimate they will spend $7.2 million over the two years on wired internet access, $5.1 million on hot spots and $1.7 million on the digital navigator program.It wasnt immediately clear how much the district and charters would be required to pay, but Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said the school system has already had offers of funds to cover its portion of the cost.The city did not seek competitive bids for the broadband service because Comcast is citywide, Wheeler said. We dont have another provider who has complete 100% coverage.In the tight time frame officials have to work with, piecing together coverage from other providers was not possible, Wheeler said; in future years, the city hopes to seek a more open, competitive process and serve low-income Philadelphians beyond those with school-age children.Hite praised what Maari Porter, Kenneys deputy chief of staff for policy and strategic initiatives, called a bold and urgent citywide initiative, and said Philadelphias role was especially key as the district prepares for fully remote instruction that will last until at least November.Schools and district staff are now identifying families who lack i nternet access to get as many online as quickly as possible, Hite said. The superintendent said the digital navigators will aid in that process, and will be equipped to help families whose children are English-language learners or require special-education services.Those types of resources are critically important, Hite said. Thats work that we were also trying to do on the fly while we were also trying to do other things  feed children, instruct them.Thirty percent of Philadelphia households with schoolchildren lack internet access, according to census data; 58% of households making under $70,000 do not have access. And there are racial disparities  50% of Black households have internet access, while 74% of white households do.The School District estimates thousands of students were unable to engage in remote learning in the spring because they lacked reliable internet access, despite the Internet Essentials program, which Comcast offered needy families free in the spring. Some district families reported difficulty accessing the program.Mobile hot spots will be more appropriate for some families, including those with unstable housing situations, city officials said, and the digital navigators will help smooth the way for those who have had trouble gaining broadband access.Months ago, Hite said he asked all city internet service providers to open up residential hot spots to students, but was told such hot spots were not engineered for broad public use. (Comcast did open up public and small business hot spots, as well as pledging to not disconnect service or charge late fees if bills are not paid on time.)Wheeler said broadband internet was a much better solution in terms of capacity and reliability.Dalila Wilson-Scott, president of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, said the digital divide was too vast a problem for any entity to conquer alone.It took everyone to come together to make this happen, Wilson-Scott said. We are appreciative of that type of collaboration.Porter, the city strategic initiative official, hailed Comcasts role in the digital equity effort.Theyve been a really strong partner with us as weve been building this initiative at a very rapid pace, she said of Comcast, which has connected about 300,00 low-income city residents to the internet through its Internet Essentials program since 2011.With Sept. 2 the first day of school for 125,000 children in the Philadelphia School District, the clock is ticking to get families enrolled; Wheeler said the city and its partners would work as quickly as possible to get as many students online as quickly as possible, but said an exact timeline was not clear.Its going to be a process, Wheeler said, and were still putting it together.The nonprofit Movement Alliance Project, which has pushed Comcast to do more to get families online, said the plan was a notable win for Phillys students, educators, and the community members who have been organizing and advocating to close the digital divide ahead of the upcoming school year but said that it did not go far enough and that some students might still lack access.
President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Rajapaksa will transform Sri Lanka's political landscape after Thursday's electoral triumph, predicts N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran Colombo watcher.

IMAGE: Gotabaya Rajapaksa, now Sri Lanka's president, left, with his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, the former president and now prime minister. Photograph: Reuters/ANI Photo

Sri Lankans still have love for their erstwhile colonial masters.

It used to be said that the elite used to pull out their woollens when it was winter in London -- now New York or Washington -- judges of the higher judiciary and also the parliamentary speaker wear wigs, as in the UK, and lawyers with experience and expertise are conferred the title of 'President's Counsel' in place of what used to be 'Queen's Counsel' until the nation became a republic in 1971 long after it attained independence on February 4, 1948.

With all these colonial symbols, they retain the 'plc' to suffix a corporate name to indicate that it is a 'private limited company'.

After this week's parliamentary polls, Sri Lanka has once again become 'Rajapaksa & Bros, plc'.

With a convincing 52 per cent vote-share, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, ex-army officer and war-time defence secretary, became president in November last.

Now, his older brother and two-term president, Mahinda R, formalised his prime ministerial position, from one of nomination post-presidential polls to that of elected PM.

Their party SLPP-led combine has won 151 seats out of a total of 225, with support from strategically-independent Tamil and Muslim parties, and also a moderate Sinhala-Buddhist monk, who was on the other side of the fence the last time round.

'Constitutional reforms' are at the top of the Rajapaksas's poll promises twice in nine months -- and they needed a two-thirds majority for the purpose.

The concurrent question is, will other Rajapaksas too join the government?

During Mahinda's presidential term, older brother Chamal Rajapaksa was the speaker of parliament.

Another brother, Basil, became the all-important minister for economic development.

Rajapaksa critics, starting with civil society NGOs and INGOs, complained that among the three brothers, other than the speaker, they controlled 70 to 80 per cent of the nation's budget.

This time, it is not unlikely that Mahinda's politician-son, Namal Rajapaksa, could be inducted into the ministry. He may have even earned it in his second term as MP as the predecessor government of then president Maithripala Sirisena and then prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe amended the constitution to deny him the opportunity to contest the presidency, by upping the minimum age requirement from 30 years of age to 35.

It is not as if the Rajapaksas alone represent family/dynastic rule in a nation where universal adult suffrage came as far back as 1931.

The country's grand old party, the United National Party, began with Senanayake Jr becoming prime minister after his father -- though after a gap.

The breakaway Sri Lanka Freedom Party, founded by S W R D Bandaranaike, was succeeded by his wife Sirimavo Bandaranaike, after his 1960 assassination at the hands of a young Buddhist monk.

Sirimavo was the world's first woman prime minister, and was succeeded years later in the same post by her once-politically estranged daughter Chandrika Bandaranaike-Kumaratunga.

After a few months in office, Chandrika contested the 1995 presidential election for the re-unified SLFP. She stayed on till 2005, when Mahinda, then prime minister, succeeded her to the post.

At the time, Chandrika's brother, the late Anura Bandaranaike, politician by inheritance than choice, was supposed to be Mahinda's prime minister, but together with his sister he blew it after openly campaigning for their own presidential nominee in elections 2005.

The rival candidate at the time was the UNP's two-term prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, a nephew of former president J R Jayewardene. He served three terms as PM, but only the last one (2015 to 2019) was for a full five-year term.

This was after he lost out on his ambition of contesting the presidency successively thrice. In 2010 and 2015 he had to make way for a common Opposition candidate and war-time army chief Sarath Fonseka in 2010 and ex-Rajapaksa aide Maithripala Sirisena, five years hence.

The former lost, the latter made it.

Today, Ranil has lost out very, very, badly. The UNP could win just one seat, that too on the National List, based on the total polled votes across the country.

Ranil did not win personally. It remains to be seen if he wants to be a loner in a House without friends, as the party's 'National List' MP.

The breakaway SJB of his one-time deputy Sajith Premadasa has proved that he is at a relative top, with a total of 54 MPs in a multi-party alliance under his leadership.

Sajith will be the Leader of the Opposition, a position that had belonged to Ranil as the party boss under the UNP constitution after Gotabaya became president last November.

It is some kind of poetic justice, as between them uncle JRJ and nephew Ranil had snatched away the political chances of Ruwan Senanayake, a nephew of the UNP founder-family.

JRJ made Ruwan a minister after his rebellion. Ranil made him minister and party deputy leader, only for him to lose one and being stripped of the other.

Sajith Premadasa is also not a standalone, first-generation, leader. He is the son of the late president Ranasinghe Premadasa who was assassinated by the LTTE, with whom he hobnobbed to have the IPKF out of Sri Lanka.

Sajith lost the presidential polls badly last year, after snatching the party ticket from Ranil. He has to keep the flock together and build upon it, in time for the nine provincial council polls that his government had inexplicably delayed, fearing sure defeat, and which the Rajapaksas will be too eager to conclude asap.

Whatever may happen to the possibilities of the UNP-SJB re-unification efforts, now especially that Ranil is down and out and for good and Sajith is up and coming and firmly in the saddle compared to the other, the Rajapaksas are sure to try and re-unite with the estranged parent in the Bandaranaikes's; SLFP.

It will then be up to them to decide, which of the party name and symbol, between the two, they would like to retain.

When it happens, they would have completed the 'capture' of the Bandaranaike family party, Sirisena as party chief having sacked Chandrika from the SLFP in this closing days as party chief and president.

Incidentally, former president Sirisena, who handed over the party chief's post to a faceless second-line leader before the presidential polls last year, has returned now as an MP for the SLPP-SLFP combine, and on the Rajapaksas' 'Lotus Bud' symbol -- that too after challenging and replacing Mahinda in in the presidential polls of 2015.

The chances are that the Rajapaksas may not make him a minister. He may not be accommodated in the ministry and his chances of becoming speaker is also remote as they would find him untrustworthy after the 2015 rebellion, which alone made him president.

The Rajapaksas owe their political lineage to their late father D A Rajapaksa, who in turn owed it in a way to his elder brother, D M Rajapaksa.

Apart from Chamal, Mahinda, Gota, Basil and Namal, there are also other Rajapaksa family members in active politics. There are also other Rajapaksas who are active in politics and public life, but do not belong to the family.

N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and political analyst, is Distinguished Fellow and Head-Chennai Initiative, Observer Research Foundation.
Representative Image

Delhi Congress leaders and workers took out a 'Nyay March' to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence in Civil Lines on Friday, demanding payment of salaries to sanitation workers, doctors, nurses, teachers of municipal corporations and employees of other government departments.

The protesters, including Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar and AICC incharge Shaktisinh Gohil, were stopped by the police at a barricade near the chief minister's residence on Flagstaff Road.

Later, a memorandum addressed to the chief minister was handed over to officials at his residence, Delhi Congress leader Parvez Alam said.

"The Congress stands with all the deprived people in the country. We will not be silent till all sanitation workers, doctors, nurses and other employees at municipal corporations and departments of the government are paid their pending salaries," the Delhi Congress president said.
A whistleblower has sued the LAPD claiming it's run by a 'SWAT mafia' promoting a 'culture of violence' that saw officers shoot an unarmed homeless man 40 times and taser another man causing him to plummet to his death off a roof.

Former SWAT Sgt. Tim Colomey, who served in the unit for 11 years, filed a civil lawsuit claiming the so-called 'SWAT mafia' of veteran officers turns a 'blind eye' and even 'glamorizes' the use of deadly force by agents.

Colomey also claims agents who try to deescalate conflicts instead of using lethal force face a backlash and are labeled 'cowards' by the group of veterans, Herald Media reports.

The 'culture of violence' has led to several shocking incidents in the unit, the suit alleges, including three that Colomey raised in a whistleblower complaint to LAPD internal affairs early last year.

In 2015, an unarmed homeless man was shot with a taser while climbing a ladder on the roof of a downtown LA building, jolting him and causing him to fall 15 feet to a parking lot below.

In another incident in 2017, a homeless man endured a hail of bullets from teams on the ground and from a helicopter overhead when he left a building unarmed following a tense standoff.

In the only incident where the suspect miraculously survived, officers offloaded 80 bullets into a shed where he was hiding out in 2017.

A whistleblower has sued the LAPD claiming it's run by a 'SWAT mafia' promoting a 'culture of violence' that saw officers shoot an unarmed homeless man 40 times and taser another man causing him to plummet to his death off a roof.. Footage of Soderberg hiding out in the property before he was shot dead

Colomey, who first joined LAPD around 1995, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on July 28.

The suit claims the members of the 'SWAT mafia' 'glamorize the use of lethal force, and who direct the promotions of officers who share the same values while maligning the reputations of officers who do not.'

It alleges officers are faced with the choice of either bowing to pressure to use deadly force or be pushed out of the unit.

'SWAT officers who have chosen not to use lethal force in suspect encounters, and who have instead sought to deescalate conflicts, have been ostracized and labeled 'cowards' by the SWAT Mafia,' the suit says.

'These officers will never succeed or promote within SWAT.

'The SWAT Mafia's control over SWAT has resulted in a deplorable binary choice for officers and supervisors within SWAT: Either adopt the SWAT Mafia's aggressive ways and kowtow to them, and thereby flourish within the unit, or reject the SWAT Mafia's culture of violence and stand up to its nepotism, and thereafter be pushed out of the unit,' the lawsuit continues.

The suit alleges Colomey's concerns were ignored by the unit and he was later forced out for refusing to comply with the violence: 'As set forth below, Plaintiff chose the latter, and was forced out of SWAT for doing so.'

The suit does not cite specific incidents but Colomey's attorney told the Los Angeles Times they include the three cases he blew the whistle on in last year's complaint.

Carlos Ocana, 56, plunged to his death from a roof in May 2015 after Officer Steve Scallon shot him with a stun gun.

SWAT had been called to reports of a man on a roof and found Ocana on top of a billboard.

An aerial image of the house where Anthony Soderberg holed up. In 2017, he was shot dead after SWAT teams on the ground and in a helicopter fired 40 bullets at him when he left the property unarmed following a tense standoff

Authorities tried to get him to come down by leaving a cigarette for him at the bottom of a ladder and offering him a lighter.

Ocana took the cigarette but went to climb back up the ladder, and Ocana tasered him.

The homeless man was thrown off the roof by the taser and fell to his death.

The cop later told the investigation into the incident he had tasered Ocana to stop him going back up the ladder.

The man's death sparked protests from nearby residents who said the SWAT team's 'big guns' had terrified Ocana and demanded cops change how they respond to people with mental illness.

The investigation into the incident concluded Scallon's actions 'substantially and unjustifiably deviated' from his training.

Ocana's tragic death came two years before the death of another homeless man, 29-year-old Anthony Soderberg, also at the hands of the SWAT team.

Officers were called to a home in Sunland in May 2017 after a woman found Soderberg in her kitchen.

Gunfire rung out from the property and Soderberg was heard shouting 'I'll put a bullet in your head,' according to an investigation.

Soderberg holed up inside the home leading to a tense standoff with officers, during which Colomey was drafted in as a negotiator.

At one point Soderberg was seen with a firearm which he fired at the helicopter overhead.

The stalemate continued for several hours, before Soderberg was driven out of the home by a stinger grenade fired into the property.

The man was shot at 40 times including 14 rounds fired from the helicopter as he walked unarmed out the property.

He was struck 17 times by bullets and died at the scene.

An investigation found that the helicopter was 75 to 85 yards away from Soderberg and three other officers shot from as much as 189 yards away, meaning it was 'not reasonable for these officers, from their distant location, to believe their intervention with lethal force was warranted.'

A total of 12 officers used deadly force in a way that 'was not objectively reasonable and was out of policy,' the investigation concluded.

Pictured LAPD SWAT officers. Former SWAT Sgt. Tim Colomey, who served in the unit for 11 years, filed a civil lawsuit claiming the so-called 'SWAT mafia' of veteran officers turns a 'blind eye' and even 'glamorizes' the use of deadly force by agents

Soderberg's family is also suing the LAPD for violating the 29-year-old's rights and failing to properly train the SWAT team.

An attorney for the family told the Los Angeles Times one senior officer Lt. Ruben Lopez had given officers a 'shoot-to-kill' order.

'The notion that they give thumbs up to these officers to use deadly force at any given time couldn't be more true,' said attorney Greg Kirakosian.

He also said the LAPD failed to disclose the complaint over the shooting raised by Colomey.

Lopez is also cited in Colomey's lawsuit for quashing his complaints about the unit.

The third incident raised by the whistleblower took place just one month later in June 2017 when officers unloaded a staggering 80 bullets into a shed where gunman Joe Rauda was holing up.

Rauda was cornered inside the shed after he fled from cops during a shootout where an officer's helmet was grazed and a police dog shot in the leg.

Rauda was finally arrested and sentenced to more than five centuries in prison over the incident.

A source told the Los Angeles Times Colomey raised the three incidents in an internal investigation that began in 2018.

They said the veteran agent argued the use of force by officers in the three cases could have been avoided.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the LAPD for comment.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 18:55:16|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in the Indonesian province of South Kalimantan have arrested four people who were allegedly trying to smuggle around 300 grams of crystal methamphetamine originating from Malaysia.

South Kalimantan Police Chief Nico Afinta said on Friday that the four suspected drug traffickers, identified as AY, S, A and R, were allegedly planning to sell the crystal meth in Banjarmasin, the capital of the province.

"The drugs came from Malaysia through a border area in North Kalimantan. They were to be sold in South Kalimantan," he was quoted by state news agency Antara as saying in Banjarmasin.

The syndicate had been investigated by the police for several months before the arrest.

Indonesia has one of the strictest anti-drug laws in the world. The death penalty is regularly applied to drug traffickers and drug dealers. Enditem
A northern Afghan province that once boasted promising business opportunities for women has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials and business leaders in Balkh, a strategic province bordering Central Asia, say the coronavirus pandemic is pushing Afghan women and their businesses to the brink.

Nearly half of Balkhs hundreds of women-owned businesses, which previously employed more than 2,000 women, are still shuttered weeks after coronavirus restrictions were lifted.

Nasir Ahmad Qasimi, CEO of Balkhs Chamber of Commerce and Industries, tells Radio Free Afghanistan that a month after restrictions were lifted in Balkh, its effects are detrimental, leaving business owners concerned for their future.

Our female business owners are not active at the moment, Qasimi said. In the past four months, 100 percent of female-owned businesses were halted due to the pandemic and half of those businesses are currently not in operation.

Most of Balkhs businesses run by women focus on making handicrafts and clothing that is then sold at local markets. An exhibition marking International Womens Day in March saw more than 240 businesses showcase their products and highlight the potential and value of Afghan women in business.

But women in Afghanistan are finding it difficult to get business going like before the pandemic. Women business leaders in Balkh say their businesses suffer from a lack of consumer demand, closed borders, and the suspension of cargo flights to Western markets, where Afghan handicrafts often reaped handsome profits.

Sima Hashimi owns two textile workshops in Balkhs capital, Mazar-e Sharif. She decided to reopen them two weeks ago once lockdown restrictions were lifted. But she says her businesses are now producing only half as much as they produced before the pandemic because of a lack of consumer demand.

Most female business owners are in a similar situation, resorting to loans from the bank in order to continue operations, Hashimi told Radio Free Afghanistan.

She says the women in Mazar-e Sharif who make handmade rugs, shoes, and bags have slowly started working again, but things are not the same. Many women have lost their businesses and gone bankrupt because of the lack of demand, Hashimi said.

Sher Ahmad Sipahizada, provincial director of the Industry and Commerce Ministry, says his office is looking into helping women market their wares by creating exhibitions while also transitioning to the production of different goods, such as dairy products.

Balkh, which borders Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, has emerged as a central hub for commerce, trade, and local craftsmanship in northern Afghanistan.

While official figures show Afghanistan to have less than 40,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and over 1,000 deaths from COVID-19, the actual tally from the pandemic is thought to be much higher. This week, the results of a survey conducted through more than 9,000 antibody tests estimated that some 31.5 percent of Afghanistans estimated 32-million population has contracted the coronavirus.

The World Bank expects economic growth in Afghanistan to decline sharply this year. It expects a vast majority of Afghans to to fall under the poverty line due to the severe impacts of the pandemic on incomes and jobs.

Nilly Kohzad wrote this story based on Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent Mujibur Rahman Habibzais reporting from Balkh, Afghanistan.
Mr. Hunter will succeed Craig Forman, McClatchy's CEO, who along with the current board and Chairman Kevin McClatchy, will leave the company upon McClatchy's emergence from its court-supervised reorganization.

Mr. Hunter is an accomplished operating executive with extensive experience successfully leading large scale media organizations. He joined the Tribune Company in 1994, rising the ranks to Chief Executive Officer of Tribune Publishing and Publisher of the Chicago Tribune, a role he held from 2008 to 2016.

During his tenure at Tribune, he led the company through bankruptcy amid a global recession and transformed the traditional publishing business into a thriving and competitive media and business services company. Mr. Hunter led the reinvention of Tribune's business model in a rapidly evolving business environment, investing in local differentiated content, new digital products and services, and brokering innovative strategic partnerships and initiatives.

"Tony is an energetic, adaptive innovator with unparalleled expertise in the publishing industry. At this critical time for journalism, we are confident that his proven track record of implementing positive change and enhancing digital capabilities will serve McClatchy well. We look forward to furthering McClatchy's legacy of informing readers and providing meaningful value to the clients and communities its publications serve," said Chatham.

"McClatchy has a well-earned reputation for independent journalism in the public interest, and I am humbled to lead this institution alongside Chatham, a longtime supporter of McClatchy and the publishing industry," said Mr. Hunter. "Craig and his team have had impressive success in transitioning to a digital business model, which we intend to accelerate. While honoring its past and continuing its commitment to essential local reporting, we will chart a new, sustainable path for McClatchy focused on customers, operational excellence, and organizational agility."

"I have known Tony for several years, and we share mutual respect for one another and this industry. McClatchy is well positioned to grow from the strong foundation we have put in place," said Mr. Forman.

Previously, Mr. Hunter served as Chairman of Nucleus Marketing Solutions, a collaborative venture between McClatchy, Gannett, Hearst, and Tribune, from 2016 to 2019, as well as Chairman of the News Media Alliance and a member of the Board of the Alliance for Audited Media. He serves on the Board of Metropolitan Family Services and is a former board member of United Way of Metro Chicago. Mr. Hunter earned a B.A. from Coe College, an M.B.A. from DePaul University, and is a non-practicing CPA.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release regarding the proposed agreement, as well as the restructuring and sale process, and any other statements about management's future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects, including our planned sale to Chatham, plans for management, digital transition or any other statements, constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: the failure to obtain regulatory approvals in a timely manner or otherwise; the effects of the Bankruptcy Court rulings in the Chapter 11 proceedings and the outcome of the proceedings in general; the length of time the Company will operate in the Chapter 11 proceedings; we may experience diminished digital subscriber growth as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic as this crisis evolves; we may do harm to our operations in attempting to achieve our expense reduction targets; our operations have been, and will likely continue to be, adversely affected by competition, including competition from internet publishing and advertising platforms; as well as the other risks listed in the Company's publicly filed documents, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2019. These forward-looking statements speak as of the time made and, except as required by law, we disclaim any intention and assume no obligation to update the forward-looking information contained in this release.

About McClatchy

McClatchy operates 30 media companies in 14 states, providing each of its communities with strong independent local journalism in the public interest and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy publishes iconic local brands including the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News & Observer, and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif. #ReadLocal

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If Alianna DeFreeze could have seen the Cleveland nonprofit Walls of Love create its 500th wall in her memory, she would have been front and center in helping to build it, her family said.

Alianna, who was 14 years old when she was abducted and killed in early 2017, loved to help other people, her father Damon DeFreeze said. He said Walls of Love, which helps people without homes or otherwise in need by collecting necessities and displaying them on pop-up walls in communities, is a perfect tribute to her memory.

This is the epitome of Alianna, her father said. We try to keep her spirit alive in everything we do.

Aliannas father and stepmother, WyTonya DeFreeze, attended a ceremony to create the 500th wall on Friday at the corner of East 105th Street and Cedar Avenue in Cleveland. The wall consists of approximately 800 baggies filled with toothbrushes, deodorant, socks, bottled water, hairbrushes and other necessities, Walls of Love founder Holly Jackson said.

Everything on the wall features the color purple, which was Aliannas favorite color.

Jackson said she chose to honor Alianna with her 500th wall because she wanted to create something positive out of the tragedy.

We should never have to have parents go through those kinds of things, Jackson said. I wanted to give her parents closure on some level, and do something positive.

Jackson, who was once homeless, founded Walls of Love in 2018. The nonprofit has helped an estimated 70,000 people since its inception, according to its website. The walls are intended to be safe spaces where anyone who needs those items can come and take them.

Walls of Love created walls in Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, Maryland, Colorado, Arkansas and Alaska. Jackson is traveling to Texas, Florida and New York later this month, and is planning one in Canada sometime this fall.

Alianna was on her way to school Jan. 26, 2017 when a man kidnapped her on Clevelands East Side. She was found dead three days later at an abandoned home in the Kinsman neighborhood. Christopher L. Whittaker, 47, has been sentenced to death for killing her.

Alianna was taken away from us very suddenly. We didnt expect that, WyTonya DeFreeze said Friday. [The wall] means the world to us, because Aliannas legacy must live on. Its going to live on through her foundation as well.

That foundation, the Alianna DeFreeze Lets Make A Change Foundation, works to provide safe transportation to children. It also pushes for the demolition of abandoned homes that may be unsafe.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Jack Brewer with insider trading in the securities of COPsync, Inc. Brewer sold over $100,000 of COPsync stock in advance of a company announcement that caused the stock price to fall.

According to the SEC's complaint, Brewer, a former registered representative, was the owner and control person of both a registered investment adviser, Brewer Capital Management (BCM), and a related consulting firm, Brewer Group Inc. Brewer consulted for COPsync, where he obtained material, nonpublic information about COPsync's plans to do a stock offering. According to the complaint, Brewer participated in the offering, and the purchase agreement contained a clause obligating him not to sell any shares of the company prior to the announcement of the offering. Despite his obligations to the company to maintain confidentiality and not to use the confidential information for his own benefit, on January 4 and 5, 2017, he allegedly sold his shares before the company announced the stock offering. This allowed him to profit by approximately $35,000 more than he would have had he waited to sell his shares after COPsync issued its press release.

The complaint also alleges that, despite Brewer's regular access to materially nonpublic information by the terms of his consulting agreements, BCM failed to modify and enforce written policies and procedures to prevent the misuse of such information, and Brewer aided and abetted this violation. Further, the complaint alleges that during a two-year period, Brewer unlawfully acted as a securities broker without being associated with a broker-dealer or being registered as a broker with the SEC.

The complaint charges Brewer with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and the broker-dealer registration provision of Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act, and with aiding and abetting BCM's violations of Section 204A of the Investment Advisers Act and Rule 204A-1 thereunder. The SEC seeks a permanent injunction, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, a civil penalty, and a penny stock bar.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Todd Brody, Bennett Ellenbogen, Lindsay S. Moilanen, George O'Kane, and Sheldon L. Pollock of the New York Regional Office, and was supervised by Lara S. Mehraban. The SEC's litigation against Brewer is being handled by Mr. Brody, Mr. Ellenbogen, Ms. Moilanen, and Preethi Krishnamurthy.
The IMF recently projected a deep (-4.9 per cent) cont-raction of the global economy in 2020, with advanced economies likely to be particularly vulnerable. The agency expects the Indian economy to contract by 4.5 per cent, a historic low. The downturn, stress in corporate loans in severely affected sectors, including travel, hospitality, aviation and retail, are set to impact banks' earnings across the board. But, beyond this short-term stress, the crisis will also serve as a 'tipping point' to drive long-term positive changes in the sector. In his 2007 eponymous bestseller, Malcolm Gladwell defined 'tipping point' as the "magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire." Over the last few years, banks had already started re-imagining their operations and business models. Covid-19 has only accelerated it.

Digitisation In Focus

If banks were able to function seamlessly during the lockdown, it's because most banks have been digitising their operations in the last few years. Digital banking - be it Netbanking or use of mobile apps - has already become the norm for over 70 per cent of customers. Whether it is monitoring account balances, fund transfers, ordering cheque books or getting statements, most of the routine transactions were already digital. Social distancing and reluctance to visit branches only added to the shift.

Digital payments have also surged. The transfer of money between people or from people to merchants contribute to the country's GDP. The volume of retail digital payments (credit/debit spends, UPI, IMPS and Netbanking) as a ratio of GDP has moved from 25 per cent in 2015 to 67 per cent in 2020. The growth rate of digital payments has averaged 31 per cent in the last five years.

United Payments Interface (UPI) was launched in 2016 and has since then been a game-changing method of payment in terms of ease, experience and security. UPI payments are contactless - whether online or offline through QR scan - and has led to around 1.34 billion transactions in June 2020, the highest ever. The next 12 months will see this number dwarfed.

Similarly, contactless transactions on cards have now crossed 17 per cent of offline transactions in the country, and is growing rapidly - from 15 per cent in January 2020 to 17 per cent in June 2020. Another trend has been the movement of commerce from offline to online in the last four months. Online spends have moved up from 38 per cent in January 2020 to 47 per cent in June 2020.

Today, you don't even have to visit a bank branch to open an account. All major banks offer 'digital' accounts, with online Know-Your-Customer (KYC) norms. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now allowed video KYCs. A customer can open an account in minutes, get a virtual debit card and start using it right away. Interestingly, this trend towards digital banking is not just increasing in the retail segment. Today, almost half of commercial loan transactions happen over digital channels.

Big Data And Analytics

Having digitised their operations, banks have access to massive amount of data on customers, ranging from income and spending patterns to preferences and channels of transactions (online, mobile apps, ATMs, credit/debit cards, etc). They are using this data smartly, to analyse and segment customers, and offer them specific products. Such analytics also help in risk assessment, compliance and fraud prevention, as well as in receiving customer feedback.

Evangelists of Big Data & Analytics talk about how performance over three key matrices - Vs in their jargon - can give you an edge. These include: Variety in types of data that you can process, velocity of how new data is added to the system and processed, and volume of data. The idea is that if an enterprise performs well on these three Vs, then it adds a fourth V - Value.

There is, however, another less talked about element - use of public data. India has over 1.25 billion people enrolled on Aadhaar. The government's Digilocker initiative has over 30 million users, who have uploaded over 3.5 million documents. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) network has 380-million returns filed and over 1.42-billion transactions carried out using UPI. Add to this the Sahamati Account Aggregators and the proposed Public Credit Registry, and you have an ecosystem rich with data. Banks can use this public data - only with permission from individuals - to tailor financial offerings, be it loans, invoice financing or personal finance solutions, thereby providing the much-needed customisation. I see this as the next big game-changer post-Covid.

AI and Blockchain

Most banks have already started using Artificial Intelligence (AI). As a retail customer, you may have experienced this in case you have encountered a Robo-adviser for investments. In the years to come, AI is going to change, not just banking fundamentally, but all financial services.

So far, the key to becoming an industry leader was to have a large asset base and massive distribution networks through bank branches that could push standardised products. AI will change this to a considerable extent. Asset size, though important, will not be sufficient. What will also be critical is the volume and scale of data flow. Revenues will come not from standardisation, but highly customised products. This is because customers will be able to shift between providers with ease, and banks will have to create a moat around their clients by providing better and more tailored benefits with a suite of customised products.

Blockchains, or distributed ledger technologies, would be critical for banks in areas ranging from reduction of fraud, disintermediation and hence faster and cheaper payments processing, clearance and settlement systems, as well as products such as trade finance.

New Talent Stream

In popular imagination, a banker is 'boring', and a software programmer is 'cool'. That is set to change with the talent profile undergoing a metamorphosis, thanks to the digital wave. Today, banks are hiring more software engineers than ever before as they look at insourcing a lot of software development, especially when it comes to areas such as products. I remember, some years ago, the head of technology at Goldman Sachs said the bank employed more engineers than Facebook. This might soon be the case with Indian banks too.

With work pivoting around digital, workplaces and workforce must also evolve. For talent management, having addressed some of the challenges that were 'here and now', the focus will be on the 'next and beyond'. New models that promise greater flexibility and choices to employees, while delivering operational resilience, cost conservatism, innovation through technology and talent flexibility for organisations, would be in demand.

Challenges Ahead

There will, of course, be challenges along the way. The first and foremost is the digital divide in India, where a large section of our population still does not have any, or even poor-quality digital connectivity. But all this is changing rapidly. Over the last few years, as data speeds increased and prices dropped, Internet usage surged. According to a 2019 survey, Internet penetration in rural areas was growing at 35 per cent annually. I believe over the next few years Indias so-called digital divide will be history.

The other challenge is how different sections of the population take to technology usage in banking. One fear was that senior citizens might be left out. This is now proving to be unfounded. For most major banks, mobile app penetration among this segment of customers is around 50 per cent and rising.

India's multiplicity of languages provides a challenge while designing user interfaces for digital banking platforms, but this is hardly an insurmountable problem. As demand for regional language interfaces grows, banks will learn to adapt and change.

The big challenge is about the existing talent pool. How will banks use this talent pool in an increasingly digital environment? I truly believe this challenge is also an opportunity. Today, a significant percentage of a bank's total number of employees is focused on operations, often in repetitive tasks that are unproductive. With proper training and automation, this talent and its time can actually be redeployed to serve customer needs, offer them advice and financial products. This is already a key focus area for learning and development teams across banks.

So, what will banks of the future look like?

I look at Amazon for inspiration. It started as an online bookstore. Today, it is a tech giant that also sells books. Similarly, I see banks morphing from enterprises that use technology for selling financial products to tech companies that also meet customers' needs for financial services and advice.
(Newser)  President Trump on Thursday ordered an unspecified ban on "transactions" with the Chinese owners of the consumer apps TikTok and WeChat. The twin executive ordersone for each apptake effect in 45 days on Sept. 20, and the BBC reports they refer to the apps as a "threat." The orders call on the Secretary of Commerce to define the banned transactions by that time. The AP reports the orders' wording is vague but leaves open the possibility that hosting the apps in the Apple and Google app stores could be covered by the ban. Trump had threatened a deadline of Sept. 15 to "close down" TikTok unless Microsoft or "somebody else" bought it from Chinese company ByteDance, which operates a separate version for the Chinese market. TikTok, Microsoft, and WeChat owner Tencent had no immediate replies to queries.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that he was expanding the US crackdown on Chinese technology to personal apps, citing alleged security threats and calling out TikTok by name. Analysts on Wednesday questioned the legal basis for a ban on apps. Trumps order Thursday night cited legal authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the National Emergencies Act. TikTok insists it does not store US user information in China and would not share it with the Chinese government. That apparently hasn't satisfied Trump. Axios has this line from his order: TikTok's "data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary informationpotentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage." (Instagram just rolled out a TikTok rival.)
They are the golden couple on Bachelor in Paradise, but it appears there may be trouble in paradise for Glenn Smith, 32, and Alisha Aitken-Radburn, 27.

During Friday's episode of the podcast So Dramatic!, several bombshells were dropped about the pair's romance following filming for the show.

It appears that after they left Fiji, Glenn and Alisha called it quits, with the podcast's host revealing they both 'hooked up' with different people.

Trouble in paradise: It appears that after Glenn Smith and Alisha Aitken-Radburnthe left Bachelor In Paradise, the pair called time on their relationship and 'hooked up' with other people

'Glenn was at a bucks party in Perth, and met up with Helena [Sauzier] at a club and they ended up kissing a couple of times that night,' she said.

The host also revealed that Alisha 'hooked up' with another Bachelor in Paradise star, Scott Fuller.

Despite the bump in the road, the couple are said to have made amends and are well and truly in love again.

'They managed to patch things up,' the host said. 'They're back together now and stronger than ever.'

Locking lips: According to the So Dramatic podcast, Glenn kissed Helena Sauzier (left) after a bucks party in Perth, while Alisha (right) 'hooked up' with Scott Fuller

In fact, Alisha's ex-Jules Bourne recently revealed the telling sign that the duo may be living together in Perth.

'I don't want to put out stalker vibes... but all the information is there. If you paid attention to Alisha's Instagram, she has moved to Perth,' he said on the same podcast, last week.

'Why such a big move? What would cause this? Glenn is from Perth.'

Together again! Despite the bump in the road, the couple are said to have made amends and are well and truly in love again

There are also rumours swirling that Glenn will propose to Alisha in the finale of the Channel Ten dating show on Sunday night.

A trailer for the show appears to reveal Alisha getting a promise ring slipped onto her index finger in the finale.

While neither Glenn or Alisha's faces are shown in the clip, the hand in the frame is wearing the same red nail polish that Alisha's been sporting in recent episodes.
A man from south London who threatened to spit at police officers after claiming he had coronavirus has been jailed for 12 months.

Jason Gritton, 45, attempted to hide from officers when they visited his home on April 30 in relation to driving offences.

He began waving a large knife at them while making threats to kill, Scotland Yard said.

Gritton also threw a number of objects, including a large box, at the officers and threatened to spit at them after claiming he had Covid-19.

He was found guilty of assaulting an emergency worker and affray on Tuesday following a trial at Croydon crown court, and sentenced on Friday.

Chief Inspector David Monk said: "This sentence shows that threats and assaults on emergency workers will not be tolerated and the maximum possible sentence will be sought through the court process."
Burma Violence in Rakhine Prevents Voter List Posting in 15 Village-tracts, IDP Camps

An IDP camp in Rakhine States Kyauktaw Township. / Min Aung Khine / The Irrawaddy

SITTWE, RakhinePreliminary voter lists still cannot be posted publicly in 15 village-tracts in northern Rakhine State due to armed conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA), according to the Rakhine State Election Sub-commission.

Preliminary lists allow voters to check their registration information and correct any errors so they are able to vote in the November election. The lists still cannot be posted in village-tracts in Buthidaung, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya and Ann townships as these areas are experiencing serious armed clashes between government troops and the AA, said U Thurein Htut, secretary of the state election sub-commission.

Voter lists could not be posted in a total of 15 village-tracts, mainly because there are not administrative bodies there. Some have abandoned their villages and the security is not good. Due to these factors, voter lists could not be displayed in those villages, he told The Irrawaddy.

Voter lists could not be displayed in five village-tracts along the Kaladan River in Kyauktaw, including Meewa Village, which has seen fierce fighting since February over a strategic hill. As a result of the same clashes, voter lists could not be displayed in Chin States Paletwa Township, which borders Kyauktaw.

Election authorities were unable to post voter lists in four village-tracts in Mrauk-U, three village-tracts in Buthidaung, two village-tracts in Minbya and one village-tract in Ann Township.

According to Rakhine civil society organizations, the fighting in Rakhine State has affected around 200,000 local people and led to the opening of over 150 camps for internally displaced people (IDPs).

Rakhine Ethnic Congress (REC) Chair U Shwe Paw Sein said local Rakhine people are not interested in the coming election due to the current political landscape and are only struggling for their survival.

People at the grassroots level believed real democracy would be practiced by holding elections since 2010. They cast votes for candidates. But since they were elected to the Parliament, they have totally ignored the role of the people, he told The Irrawaddy.

While people are in trouble, the Parliament has kept silent. Under such circumstances, people have little interest in candidates and the election, he added.

The Union Election Commission (UEC) has said that the general election will be held on Nov. 8 and preliminary voter lists would be posted publicly from July 25 to Aug. 7. However, following widespread complaints about errors in the voter lists, the commission has extended the period for one more week until Aug. 14.

Ma Thein Mayi, a woman taking shelter at Pipinyin IDP camp, said she wished to cast a vote but voter lists are not yet displayed at her camp.

Voter lists have not yet been displayed at my camp. I want to cast a vote. My village was set on fire [in the fighting]. We suffered huge losses. We dont know if [the election] will be for the better or for worse. But I want the election to take place, she told The Irrawaddy.

The Rakhine State Election Sub-commission was not able to post voter lists at IDP camps because it has no data about the IDPs, such as on which village people are from or how many people are staying at each camp.

We have posted voter lists in camps where there are exact data about how many people from which villages are staying there, said U Thurein Htut.

But in camps where there are no camp managers or administrative bodies [to register the IDPs], we cant post voter lists. We have posted voter lists in camps where we can. If a village has been destroyed and voter lists cant be displayed there, we posted the voter lists of that village at the office of the township election sub-commission, he said.

A total of 232 candidates, from 13 political parties as well as independent candidates, have registered to run in the election in Rakhine.

The Rakhine State Election Sub-commission says it plans to open around 2,600 polling stations in Rakhine, which has some 1,640,000 eligible voters.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.

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The heights of La Soufriere de Guadeloupe volcano can be hellish, sweltering at more than 48 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) and swathed in billows of acidic gas. Researchers would like to monitor gas and steam eruptions at its summit, to learn more about the volcano's explosive potential, but conventional seismometers are destroyed quickly in the hostile environment.

An instrument called an optical seismometer appears to be up to the challenge, however. In the journal Seismological Research Letters, a team of scientists describes how they developed and installed an optical seismometer just ten meters away from a spewing fumarole (a gas and steam vent) at the Caribbean volcano's summit.

The motion of the optical seismometer (and therefore of the ground) is estimated using an interference phenomenon, which occurs when an infrared laser beam is reflected by the mirrored surface of the seismometer mobile mass. This laser beam is carried between the seismometer at the summit and a remote and safe optoelectronic station through a long fiber optic cable, climbing the volcano's slope. The station calculates the ground displacement and sends the records in real-time to the French Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Guadeloupe.

The seismometer operates purely mechanically, and requires no electronics or power supply that would be vulnerable to the summit conditions, said Romain Feron, the paper's lead author from the ESEO Group and the LAUM laboratory at the Universite du Mans. The instrument is encased in Teflon to protect it from the sulfuric gases released by the fumarole.

"It is, to our knowledge, the first high-resolution optical seismometer ever installed on an active volcano or other hazardous zone," Feron and colleagues write in SRL.

The success of the seismometer, after ten years of development, suggests that it could be a good seismic solution in other challenging environments, they noted, including oil and gas production fields, nuclear power plants and high-temperature geothermal reservoirs.

Now in operation on the volcano for nine months, the instrument is collecting data that will be combined with other observations from the Guadeloupe observatory to better monitor La Soufriere. The volcano's last significant eruption of gas and steam in 1976 caused evacuations in Basse Terre, Guadeloupe's capital city. Since 2018, the volcano's dome and summit fumaroles have become increasingly active.

Seismic monitoring at volcanoes can help researchers understand the movement and pressurization of underground fluids. The new optical seismometer could provide better locations for microseismic events under the dome, and offers a more detailed glimpse of "the fumarole signature, which helps to constrain the geometry and activity of the plumbing system of the dome," Feron said.

The instrument has recorded seismic waves from a regional earthquake, an earthquake in Chile, and small seismic events within the volcano less than 2.5 kilometers (1.6 miles) below the summit, the researchers reported.

Feron and colleagues made an arduous climb to La Soufriere's 1,467-meter (4,813-foot) summit in September 2019 to install the seismometer, using gas masks to protect themselves from the toxic gases spewing from active fumaroles. In addition to the gases and high temperatures, the team needed to keep a close eye on the weather during the installation, Feron said.

"It could be beautiful at the bottom of the volcano, but hellish at the top at the same time," he recalled. "It becomes very risky to climb the steep and slippery slopes of the volcano with heavy equipment on the back, not to mention lightning."
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 23:21:18|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's central bank has announced that the disposal of risks concerning the troubled Baoshang Bank will be completed soon, and the bank will file for bankruptcy.

Equity and unsecured claims from its original shareholders will be liquidated by law, according to a report released by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) on Thursday.

The PBOC and the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission took over the Inner Mongolia-based commercial bank in May last year due to its "serious credit risks."

With capital from deposit insurance funds and the PBOC, principal and interest on personal savings deposits, and those of most institutional creditors, are guaranteed the full amount, while large corporate deposits are guaranteed an average level of 90 percent, the report said.

After the takeover, the PBOC arranged for 23.5 billion yuan (about 3.39 billion U.S. dollars) in a standing lending facility (SLF) quota for Baoshang Bank on the premise of enough high-quality collateral.

In January, Baoshang Bank's four branches outside Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were taken over by Huishang Bank, an Anhui-based commercial bank.

Meanwhile, Mengshang Bank, a new commercial bank set up to acquire Baoshang Bank's assets, liabilities, businesses, and employees within Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, began operating on April 30. Enditem
low angle view of three kids laying down looking at their cell phones

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One less thing for parents of teens to worry about during the pandemic: Not all screen time is bad. With teens spending more than 7 hours a day on screenson everything from social media and TV to YouTube and video gameseven before COVID, technology use is really through the roof these days. Now, according to a new report from the nonprofit Common Sense Media, parents should focus more on what their kids are consuming and less on how many hours they're logging.

"All screen use is not equal, especially at a time when other avenues of connection and learning are shut off," Michael Robb, an author of the report and senior director of research at Common Sense Media, told CNN.

RELATED: The Type of Screen Time Kids Are Getting Matters as Much as the Amount

All parentsand that includes parents of older childrenhave felt the effects of months-long isolation, more time stuck at home, and the new normal COVID-19 forced on us. The lives of our teens and tweens were disturbed, too, and they're old enough to understand and feel the stress of it all. Ripped out of schools, hangouts and parties canceled, and their typical routines in shambles, screens were not only a source of education through distance learning, they were a connection to friends and family. That's why Robb praised the use of digital media as a "social safety net" to interact with those they can't see in person.

More good news: remote learning does not count toward screen time. Your kid is learning during this time, after all. While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) typically recommends limiting screen time in favor of promoting physical activity and adequate sleep, Nusheen Ameenuddin, M.D., M.P.H, a chair on the AAP council of communications and media, says that schoolwork does not count toward screen time limits, which are primarily in place for recreational use, but it's still important to balance time in front of the computer with other activities.

Story continues

"You're sitting in front of a screen for several hours," Ameenuddin told CNN. "That's not good or healthy for anyone."

Despite all the refreshing news, the Common Sense Media report also found that children from lower-income households may be more vulnerable when it comes to the impact of their screen time due to a lack of support from parents. While a real link between technology and mental health issues is up for debate, more teensespecially girlsare reporting being depressed or anxious at the same time that social media use and screen time is also increasing. In fact, a 2018 Pew Research Center survey found that 95 percent of U.S. teens have a smartphone or access to one. According to the report, more research is needed to draw conclusions on the effects of digital devices on teenagers' mental health.

So, what exactly can parents do to ensure their kids are consuming quality content? Be involved, be aware of how your children are engaging with digital media, and try to help your kids find a balance of online and offline activities. Experts recommend following the "Three C's": Child, content, and context. That is, you know what's best for your child, but you can also try to help them prioritize quality content (which, by the way, Common Sense Media has loads of recommendations for).

On top of the "Three C's," a new study out of the University of Michigan found that parents engaging with their preschool-age children during screen timeas in, actually holding a conversation with your kid while watching a show togethercould actually be beneficial to early childhood development and help foster curiosity. So there's no need to feel guilty about family movie night!

At the end of the day, we are still living in a pandemic, so it's important to be easy on your kidsand yourself.
Kuala Lumpur, Aug 7 : Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is expected to announce the formation of a new political party on Thursday evening, according to sources.

The new party will be registered as Parti Bersatu Rakyat Malaysia, a similar sounding name to his former party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), which expelled him in May, The Star Malaysia newspaper reported citing the sources as saying.

The sources said a press conference by the Mahathir and MPs who were former party members will be held at a hotel in the capital Kuala Lumpur where the details will be announced.

Aides to Mahathir, however, said that any press conference on the matter was yet to be confirmed.

The sources also said that the announcement was entirely due to the decision by the High Court earlier in the day on the application by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and three others to strike out a suit by Mahathir and four other people.

The High Court had accepted Muhyiddin's application to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Mahathir and four others over the revocation of their party membership.

On July 23, Mahathir had said that if the court decision was not in his favour, he would form a new party, The Star newspaper reported.

Mahathir had founded the PPBM in 2016 with Muhyiddin after the two fell out with then Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Mahathir and Muhyiddin became PPBM's chairman and president, respectively.

PPBM later joined other opposition parties to form the Pakatan Harapan coalition and went on to win the general elections in 2018.

Mahathir became the Prime Minister for the second time with Muhyiddin serving as the Home Minister.

Mahathir resigned as the Prime Minister in February.

Muhyiddin led PPBM to leave Pakatan Harapan, causing the coalition's majority in the lower house of parliament to collapse.

Muhyiddin then joined hands with parties that were defeated in the 2018 elections.

He was sworn in as Prime Minister on March 1.
Grant goes awry

As the younger woman typed at the older woman's laptop, she talked about trouble with a website, says Kenneth, who does not use a computer.

"I really didn't know what they were talking about, he says. They seemed to be in tune, and I seemed to be out of sync with whatever it was."

The women did not respond to AARP's requests for comment.

'Pervasive fraud in SBA loan program

Across the U.S., officials have warned about fraudsters peddling phony relief benefits that purportedly have arisen due to COVID-19. The pandemic and economic fallout have unleashed nearly $3 trillion in U.S. aid.

Yet in Kenneth's case, signs point to a real program: a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program that a government watchdog in a July 28 report singled out for pervasive fraudulent activity. Potential fraud losses are nearly $300 million, the report said. Some money went to ineligible recipients; other dollars to bankroll potentially duplicate loans.

At issue is the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which loans tax dollars to small businesses to cover fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other specified bills.

Notably, applicants could get a $10,000 advance even if their loan ultimately was not approved. Assuming there was no fraud, there was no requirement to repay the $10,000.

'It's a feeding frenzy'

In a story on July 15, the Washington Post reported numerous suspicious SBA loan requests in Chicago from apartment dwellers claiming to be growing crops, repairing autos or operating a 10-seat barbershop; some applicants gave their residence as their place of business.

"It's a feeding frenzy, an official told the Post. A lot of these are going through with little or no due diligence."

The SBA watchdog, formally, is its Office of Inspector General (OIG), whose report said investigators have identified several organized fraud rings that use social media to recruit applicants who split advance money with ringleaders."

Ongoing probes

Some loan accounts were set up with stolen identities, the report said, and numerous investigations are underway.

Kenneth says he knew nothing about where the promised grant would actually come from. Coincidentally, July 11  the day he met with the women  is the day the SBA stopped giving $10,000 advances on EIDL loans.

In announcing the cut-off date, the SBA said the warning signs of fraud included:

Use of stolen identities

Applications from ineligible people, such as those who have no business

Fake businesses, or real entities that inflated business or financial information

Applications for EIDL funds to launch a new business, which the program does not allow

Identity at risk

Kenneth never saw the $10,000. He says the older woman finally told him the grant window had closed. She returned $400 of his $600 and kept the rest. But the partial repayment didn't soothe a headache: His personally identifiable information had been hijacked. I just want this nightmare to go away, he says.

He's since ended the friendship  She's a scam artist, he says  and urges people to avoid such hijinks. If someone comes to you with something that sounds too good to be true, it's not true.
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You dont get to choose your neighbors, usually.

Russian President Vladimir Putin certainly did not choose his Belarusian counterpart: When Alyaksandr Lukashenka was first elected in 1994, sweeping to power after promising law, order, and an end to corruption amid the upheaval that accompanied the Soviet collapse, Putin was the little-known head of external relations for the St. Petersburg mayors office and had himself been the subject of a corruption investigation by a city council commission.

Since Putins own first election in 2000, after he was made prime minister and then acting president by Boris Yeltsin, giving him a big advantage in the vote, he and Lukashenka have performed a sometimes not-so-delicate dance around what amounts to a single question: How much power can Russia have over Belarus?

At least theoretically, the scale starts at zero  Belarus escapes Moscows orbit and moves West, depriving Russia of what is arguably its closest or even its only ally, and goes to 10 -- Belarus, a landlocked nation with a population of about 9.5 million, is swallowed up by its far bigger neighbor to the east.

The latter extreme was implied by Putin back in 2002, in an exchange that set the tone for many more in the ensuing years, when he issued a thinly veiled warning to Lukashenka that putting meat on the bones of the Union State that Lukashenka and Yeltsin had created in the 1990s could make Belarus into little more than a province of Russia  and demote Lukashenka from president to governor.

Merger Madness

That seemed to put paid to any hopes that Lukashenka, a former state farm chief and a Soviet nostalgist, had of heading up a merged Belarus-Russia union. And he was certainly said to have had such designs for a decade or so during which some Russians yearning for stability saw him as the firm-handed head of a country that had preserved elements of a functioning command economy, even if that was possible largely by Russian subsidies, and was not plagued by separatist wars and terror attacks.

More than a decade later it was Putin who seemed to be hoping to use a more close-knit Union State as a possible path to remaining in power after 2024, when he faced a constitutional bar on seeking reelection.

But his repeated pushes for tighter integration had little apparent effect, and a flurry of seemingly fruitless talks toward the end of 2019 preceded what one analyst called Putins flamboyant change of heart  his decision to alter the Russian Constitution to give himself the option of running in 2024, and again in 2036, despite having repeatedly suggested that he would not do so and just as repeatedly emphasized that he was not the kind of guy who would cling to power too long.

And now, the emergence of strong popular support for a candidate seeking to unseat Lukashenka in an August 9 presidential election is both a challenge and, possibly, an opportunity for Moscow.

The potential opportunity lies in what may be the most likely outcome of the vote: a sixth term for Lukashenka, but one in which he is compromised from the start, with uncertainty about the future hanging over his head in unprecedented fashion.

That could leave Lukashenka more vulnerable, handing Moscow more potential influence  and, with a less confident leader formally ensconced for another five years, it could also give the Kremlin more time to adjust to the reality that emerges after the vote and formulate a strategy.

"Russia wants a win for Lukashenka but one that weakens him and a win that is also marked by protests, crackdown, and deterioration of relations with the West," Belarusian political commentator Artyom Shraibman told RFE/RL ahead of the vote.

Saw It On TV

Despite what seems to have become nearly constant tension between Moscow and Minsk in the past few years, there are substantial signs that the Kremlin is banking on Lukashenka to hold onto power, at least for now.

For one thing, theres the coverage on state-run and state-controlled Russian TV, where talk-show hosts have been downplaying the significance of the big crowds of people who have turned out for rallies held by opposition candidate Svatlyana Tsikhanouskaya and her allies  the campaigns of other would-be candidates who were barred from the ballot in Belarus.

Francis Scarr, a journalist at BBC Monitoring in Moscow, described a state TV talk-show exchange in which a political analyst argued that opposition protests were the "sincere" impulse of people wanting "honest elections." The host, Vladimir Solovyov, interrupted him, claiming that a "thin pro-Western elite" was trying to "seduce" Belarus.

In short, Scarr wrote, Lukashenka is still being backed despite the [Vagner] scandal."

Thats a reference to an occurrence that, on the face of it, might seem sufficient to ruin bilateral relations for quite some time: the arrest, outside Minsk in late July, of 33 men the Belarusian authorities allege are mercenaries with the Kremlin-linked private military company Vagner who were dispatched to destabilize the country ahead of the election.

In other words, the allegation  echoed and amplified by Lukashenka  was that the closest ally of Belarus was plotting a coup, or at least chaos, and sending armed men across the border to carry it out.

But Lukashenka stopped short of directly blaming Putin or the Russian state itself, and as days passed he softened the accusations by implying that the United States was also out to sabotage the election and that the mercenaries  who Russian officials contended had been on their way to a third country  were only following orders.

Moscows response, meanwhile, seemed less fiery than might be expected. And eventually, Belarus and Russia appeared to find a scapegoat: Ukraine.

Blaming Ukraine

A so-called investigation by the Kremlin-friendly media outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda asserted that the mercenaries were tricked by Ukrainian intelligence https://t.me/krothrock/86 in order to sow divisions between Russia and Belarus. The claim was swiftly dismissed by analysts but was widely and prominently reported on Russian state TV channels, which Scarr described as going with the story with all guns blazing.

The notion that Ukraine was behind the arrests provided an off-ramp for Lukashenka and the Kremlin days before the election and seemed to reveal Russias thinking.

A nonsense story, of course, but a pretty clear signal that the Kremlin doesn't want [Lukashenka's] current antics to cause serious RU-BEL trouble, and is willing to let him play the role of the upright defender against Moscow if it helps him win the elex, Mark Galeotti, an author and analyst on Russian affairs, wrote on Twitter.

As the issue was being avidly discussed on social media, the Kremlin said that Putin had discussed it with Lukashenka by phone and voiced certainty that the situationwill be resolved in the spirit of mutual understanding that characterizes the two countries cooperation.

If TV coverage and the developments surrounding the mercenaries seemed to show how Moscow is looking at the election in Belarus, they also appeared to underscore the limitations that Russia faces in dealing with Lukashenka and the unpredictable events in a country the Kremlin counts on as an ally.

Regardless of how Putin and his government feel about Lukashenka, the unusual election next door presents a challenge to the Russian state because, even before the first ballot was cast in early voting this week, it has underscored the potential power of the people against a long-entrenched leader like Lukashenka  or like Putin.
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Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 7, 2020 09:42 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c3d4fb 1 World kashmir,India,Pakistan,India-Pakistan,border-conflict,territorial-disputes,South-Asia Free

The Pakistan mission in Indonesia has called on the government to support the South Asian country in its stance in the conflict over Jammu and Kashmir with India.

On Aug. 5 last year, India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir that had permitted a degree of autonomy to the state. India also turned the single state into two union territories (UTs) in a development that followed decades of complicated relations following the partition of British India into India and Pakistan in 1947, when the colony won its independence from the United Kingdom.

Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized dispute and the longest dispute ever at the United Nations with almost a dozen UNSC [United Nations Security Councils] resolutions seeking a plebiscite to determine of the wishes of the Kashmiris for a final settlement, Pakistan charge d'affaires in Jakarta Sajjad Haider Khan said in a statement on Wednesday.

Khan pointed to India's decision to revoke the states special status as a violation of both international law and United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

He also stressed that articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution permitted Jammu and Kashmir its own constitution and special autonomy status.

During the 1947 partition, Muslim-majority Kashmir was expected to become part of Pakistan, but the territorys then-Hindu ruler, Hari Singh, sought to be independent.

Following an invasion of Muslim tribesmen from Pakistan, Singh hastily acceded to India in return for its help against the invaders. The decision led to war and years of tension between India and Pakistan, even after the UN-sponsored ceasefire in 1949.

Read also: A-year-of-upheaval-in-Kashmir-under-direct-rule-from-Delhi

Since India's unilateral action over the disputed territory last year, Pakistan has accused the country of human rights violations in the most militarized zone in the world, and the two nuclear powers have continued to trade barbs on various international forums.

India has imposed a communication blackout on Jammu and Kashmir, restricting information access to and from the territory. India has reportedly arrested journalists for reporting from the area.

When asked about Indian policy on the territory, Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Pradeep Kumar Rawat said that Delhi had taken a series of policies to develop the state, including those that guaranteed basic rights, strengthened grassroots democracy and boosted economic self-reliance.

He added that the Indian government had also provided 50 new educational institutions and a variety of scholarship schemes.

"Decades of cross-border terrorism and gaps in governance which resulted in resentment needs fresh air of peace and development," the ambassador said in a written statement obtained by The Jakarta Post.

Rawat went on to defend the abrogation of Article 370, calling it a vision for development, enhanced governance, and socioeconomic justice for disadvantaged sections of the population.

On Wednesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi spoke with her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmoud Qureshi by phone to exchange Idul Adha greetings. The two foreign ministers also discussed the developments in Jammu and Kashmir.

At a press briefing on Friday, Retno said that Indonesia, in its capacity as the UNSC president in August 2020, had acknowledged Pakistan's request to raise the Jammu and Kashmir issue at the council.

The minister reiterated, however, that Indonesia would maintain impartiality over the issue, because "India and Pakistan are both friends of Indonesia".

"I also convey that both sides have to work to control the COVID-19 outbreak in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as put forward dialogue and negotiation for conflict resolution [that] gives special attention and priority to the people's safety, regardless of their background," Retno said.

Indonesia has largely maintained a neutral stance on the issue, given its good ties with both nations. At the height of the tensions in 2019, Retno called on the two countries to employ dialogue and consultation to bridge their differences.

Dian Septiari contributed to this story.

Editor's note: The statement from Foreign Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi has been updated in this article.
With the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases approaching 100,000, South Carolina health officials said on Friday there may be signs the disease's activity is slowing down in the state.

The number of new cases and the percent of positive tests has dropped slightly over the last few weeks, said Dr. Brannon Traxler, a physician consultant for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Traxler, however, urged residents to stay vigilant.

"While we are not near the finish line, our trend shows that what we're doing is having an impact," she said.

The doctor said it's important for South Carolinians to continue wearing masks, social distancing, avoid group gatherings, stay home when sick and wash their hands.

Data compiled by The Post and Courier shows the seven-day rolling average number of new cases reached a 39-day low on Friday. Likewise, the seven-day rolling average of the number of COVID-19-related deaths has declined 16 percent over the past two weeks.

Statewide numbers

Number of new cases reported: 1,265

Total number of cases in S.C.: 97,554, plus 708 probable cases

Number of new deaths reported: 21

Total number of deaths in S.C.: 1,883, plus 79 probable deaths

Number of hospitalized patients: 1,415

Percent of tests that were positive: 18.3 percent

Total number of tests in S.C.: 824,500

Which areas are hardest hit?

Richland County had the state's highest number of new confirmed cases: 115, DHEC said. Greenville County was second with 112 and Charleston County was third with 93.

What's happening in the tri-county region?

In addition to Charleston County's new cases, Berkeley County had 28 and Dorchester County had 38, DHEC said.

Deaths

Of the 21 deaths confirmed on Friday, all but one were elderly patients 65 or older, DHEC said. They lived in Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Florence, Greenville, Greenwood, Horry, Jasper, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, Sumter, Union and Williamsburg counties.

One middle-age patients, who was 35 to 64, died in Dorchester County, DHEC said.

Hospitalizations

DHEC reported that 1,415 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized as of Friday. Of the state's 1,540 ventilators, 512 were in use, 231 by coronavirus patients.

What do experts say?

Traxler said seeing case numbers and positive test percentages start to drop should be a sign for the public to continue to band together to fight the pandemic.

At least 40 percent of South Carolina's population, or about 2 million people, are covered by a local mask ordinance, she said.

DHEC strongly supports the implementation of local laws requiring masks to be worn in public, she said. The agency is continuing to analyze the impact of such ordinances on case numbers and disease activity.

"Together, we can completely reverse our fortunes," Traxler said. "But we must act more aggressively, and now. We all must continue to avoid group gatherings, wash our hands and stay home when sick."

Speaking on plans to reopen schools, the doctor said there is no one statistic that can determine whether its safe for children to return to an in-person learning environment.

And regarding the recent drop in cases, Traxler emphasized that DHEC is still examining the data and that residents should not let their guard down.

In addition to taking precautions, she said it's important for people to continue to get tested.

There are 114 mobile testing event scheduled through Sept. 29 and 223 permanent COVID-19 testing sites set up across the state, DHEC said. For more information on testing or to find a location near you, visit scdhec.gov/covid19testing.
India, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Asia, has today reported its total number of coronavirus cases have jumped to more than two million.

It is only the third nation to pass the grim milestone, lagging behind the United States and Brazil, after seeing the number of infections double in just three weeks.

With the virus spreading further to smaller towns and rural areas, experts say the epidemic in India is likely to be months away from hitting its peak, putting more strain on an already overburdened healthcare system.

Authorities are continuing to battle multiple outbreaks across what is the world's second most populous country which is home to 1.3 billion people.

India, the country hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Asia, has today reported its total number of coronavirus cases have jumped to more than two million

Authorities are continuing to battle multiple outbreaks across what is the world's second most populous country which is home to 1.3 billion people. Pictured: Queues outside coronavirus testing centres at Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial hospital in Meerut

In the past 24 hours the health ministry reported 62,538 new infections, taking the country's total to 2.03 million.

A further 886 people died with total deaths climbing to 41,585.

The rate of spread also appears to be increasing and is now at 3.1 per cent.

India logged its first one million infections by July 17 and crossed the 1.5 million mark just 12 days after that.

'A country of India's size and diversity has multiple epidemics in different phases,' said Rajib Dasgupta, head of the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

India has been posting an average of around 50,000 new cases a day since mid-June but experts say its testing rate at 16,035 per million people is far too low.

The government has taken some solace from the relatively low death rate, at about two per cent, with 41,585 deaths so far - but that figure will be understated as only deaths of people who have been tested for the virus are counted.

Epidemiologists say that India is likely to be months away from hitting its peak, which will put an already overburdened healthcare system under more strain.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously vowed to provide the poorest of society with food rations amid the growing crisis.

His government imposed one of the world's strictest lockdowns in late March.

But with Asia's third-largest economy reeling from the impact - tens of millions of migrant workers lost their jobs almost overnight - the restrictions have been steadily eased.

Individual states and cities have been imposing localised lockdowns including IT hub Bangalore last month, the eastern state of Bihar and parts of Tamil Nadu in the south.

Previously the main hotspots have been the teeming megacities of New Delhi and Mumbai, home to some of the world's biggest slums.

But now smaller cities and rural areas - where 70 per cent of Indians live - have begun to see case numbers rising sharply.

Coronavirus rages in smalltown India as residents battle Covid-19 stigma

Sarthak Anand says his neighbours treated him like a 'criminal' when he got coronavirus, a common experience in India's vast hinterland where the pandemic - and stigmatisation - are now raging.

'Even though I have recovered fully, no one wants to come near me,' Anand, a government employee, said outside his home in Meerut, a northern Indian city home to 3.4 million people.

On Friday India's official caseload passed two million, and while previously metropolises like New Delhi and Mumbai were the hotspots, smaller cities and rural areas are now reporting sharp rises.

According to public health expert Preeti Kumar, the probable reason is the return home of millions of migrant workers who were left jobless by India's sudden lockdown imposed in March.

Epidemiologists say that India is likely to be months away from hitting its peak, which will put an already overburdened healthcare system under more strain. Queues for coronavirus testing in Meerut

'We are seeing the numbers rise especially in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, and with poorer healthcare systems, it is going to be a challenge,' Kumar told AFP.

The poor northern state of Uttar Pradesh, home to roughly as many people as France, Germany and Britain combined, has now seen the pandemic reach almost every district, no matter how remote.

The state has recorded 100,000 cases. Its capital Lucknow is reporting more than 600 new infections every day, compared to only 100-150 just a few days ago.

But the official number may be a big underestimate, experts say, with the real scale potentially hugely under-reported because of insufficient testing, and deaths not being properly recorded.

Uttar Pradesh has conducted an impressive-sounding 2.8 million tests, according to a senior state official.

But given its enormous population of over 200 million people, this equates to just 14,000 tests per million. In the US state of Texas, the rate is almost 10 times higher.

Uttar Pradesh has conducted an impressive-sounding 2.8 million tests, according to a senior state official. Pictured: Coronavirus testing in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh

Nationally, India has tested around 16,500 people per million, compared to 190,000 in the United States and 260,000 in Britain, according to a tally by Worldometer.

Apart from having one of the world's lowest rates of spending per capita on health care, part of the reason is that coronavirus sufferers often become pariahs.

This is particularly true in smaller conurbations and in rural areas, where some two-thirds of Indians live and where face masks and social distancing are rare sights.

'A new disease with relatively high levels of complications and mortality, with accompanying directives on physical distancing, inevitably leads to fears, apprehensions and... stigma,' said Rajib Kumar, who heads the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health at Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University.

'There's both the fear of the disease as well as of isolation and quarantine,' Kumar said.

Anand in Meerut said that after becoming infected, he submitted a list of colleagues he had come in contact with to his office so that they could get tested as well.

'But some of them were so angry,' he said.

'Even my seat in office has been changed. I want to feel normal but the social boycott hurts.'

Local media have reported incidents of returning migrant workers being barred from entering their villages by barricades set up on the outskirts with signs like 'Outsiders not allowed'.

Authorities have inadvertently done their bit with quarantine stickers outside the homes of infected people and putting 'danger ahead' signboards in containment zones.

Ajay Kumar, another recovered coronavirus patient, said neighbours have stopped their children playing with his.

'In my (neighbourhood) they are not even allowing the domestic help to work at my place. It makes me so sad and angry at the same time,' Kumar said.

'The disease did not kill me but the discrimination will.'
The Madhya Pradesh government on Friday relaxed night curfews by two hours and partially lifted weekend lockdowns in coronavirus-affected districts of the state, an official said.

Night curfews will now be observed from 10 pm to 5 am as opposed to the earlier timing of 8 pm to 5 am, the official from the state public relations department said.

Weekend lockdowns have also been partially lifted in virus-affected districts, he said.

While the lockdown on Saturdays has been lifted completely, curbs will remain in place on Sundays, the official said, adding that an order to this effect will be issued shortly.

The move has come after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed the COVID-19 situation on Thursday and noted that the conditions have improved, he said.

Chouhan had said that Madhya Pradesh has a recovery rate of 73.6 per cent and the state was now in 16th position in the country with regards to number of active cases, the official said The chief minister has further directed that district authorities will have to take the state governments approval for imposing a lockdown under extraordinary conditions henceforth, he said.

These relaxations have been announced in light of complaints that the police were asking shops to shut before the 8 pm curfew, which was affecting the states economy, the official said.
Like many Polish people of African descent, Sara Alexandre still remembers when she first realized she was seen as different. For me it was kindergarten, says Alexandre, whose father is Angolan, describing an incident when she was barred from playing dollhouse. I was five and [another girl] didnt let me in, saying that she cannot allow a little Murzyn in it. That was the first time I knew I was different.

A campaign against the word Murzyn  a Polish racial epithet used widely to describe and address Black people  is at the center of an emerging movement in Poland to reckon with racial discrimination. The movement, which unites Black activists and allies under the hashtag #DontCallMeMurzyn, shows how a renewed focus on anti-Black racism inspired by the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 and brutal policing on Black communities has gone global. The movement that grew in the wake of the killing by U.S. police of George Floyd now extends beyond countries with sizable African diasporas from slavery and colonialism to places like Poland, where 97% of citizens are white.

The hashtag was mainly thank you to George Floyd, says Nigerian-born Arinze Nwolisa, who lives in Warsaw and co-founded the anti-discrimination Porta Foundation in 2014 with his wife Lidia. Now people say, why are you protesting something that happened in America? But the reality is that we still need to stop something that Americans are facing but we in Poland are [also] facing as Black people. Because that is what we are facing. It [racism] is a sickness.

The word is not just a symbolic focal point of anti-Black racism, he says, but an unwanted term that Black Poles find insulting. I dont want to go out there and have people call me Murzyn, Nwolisa continues. This is very, very offensive, Im telling you.

The Polish dictionary states only that the word refers to someone with Black skin and, according to leading Polish linguists Jerzy Bralczyk and Jan Miodek, it doesnt hold the same negative meaning as the N-word does in English. The PWN website states the word refers to someone with darker skin but it can also be used to describe someone who works hard and is being exploited.

Story continues

Yet the lived experiences of Black Polish people reveal how the word is used in practice. One respondent to a 2016 survey of a dozen African international students in Poland described it as: Murzyn doesnt wash himself  he likes to play in the trees,  he doesnt go to school. These are the three stereotypes they have when they see a black people. [sic]

More recently the criticism intensified in a video published on YouTube of five Afro-Polish women sharing their experiences with anti-Black discrimination. The video has more than 51,000 views and has spread widely on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram under the #DontCallMeMurzyn hashtag. I hate this word and I try not to use it because to me it has such a negative, harsh overtone, says Marta Udoh, one of the women in the video. Each time I hear this word, I feel like someone was clawing at my heart.

The five Black women  Udoh, Sara Alexandre, Noemi Ndoloka Mbezi, Aleksandra Dengo, and Ogi Ugonoh  who facilitated the discussion recently launched a petition on the community campaigning site AVAAZ to include the negative impact and connotations in the meaning of the word in the Dictionary of the Polish Language published by PWN (the Polish Scientific Publishers), the most prominent publisher of dictionaries in Poland.

In June, Katarzyna Kosinska, a linguistics professor at the University of Warsaw, published a piece on the PWN website saying that the word is often mistranslated into English as negro and has taken on some of that words negative connotations whereas a closer definition would merely be factual, i.e. Black. But if someone is asking for it not to be used, she added, people should listen.

Its unclear how many Black people live in Poland, one of the worlds most ethnically homogenous countries. The 2011 census was the first to ask about nationality or ethnicity, but while it detailed Slavic ethnic minorities there was no option to choose Black  merely an alternative to tick other. Informal assessments put the number at a few thousand, which helps explain why Black people are still often considered an unusual sight there. Ndoloka Mbezi, who identifies as mixed-race or Black depending on the context, says theres little awareness that even complimentary forms of othering are both uncomfortable and unacceptable.

I remember people in the streets stopping my family, saying things to my mom like, Oooh, such a beautiful child! Look at her curly hair, her skin tone! says Ndoloka Mbezi, who now lives in England. Ugonoh, whose ancestry is Nigerian, says that people in Gdynia, a Polish city on the Baltic Sea, used to take unsolicited photos of her and her sister.

But racism in Poland can also be more violent, and laced with derision and animosity. Nwolisa says that in his nearly 20 years in Poland he has experienced everything from being called a monkey while visiting the zoo with his kids to actual physical violence. We have met with many incidents of racism and we [never once went] to the police station, explains his wife Lidia Nwolisa, who is ethnically Polish. Why?. Because instead of protecting us the police will be racist. A 2011 study of African and Asian immigrants to Poland by Marek Nowak and Micha Nowosielski found that a large portion of racist crimes committed in Poland go unreported.

Bianka Nwolisa and her family are now channeling their trauma into activism, participating in local protests in addition to conducting educational workshops through their foundation. | Rafal MilachMagnum Photos

Nwolisa says his four children, who range in age from nine to 17, have also experienced racism at school. Polish perceptions of Black people have been informed by childrens literature awash in American minstrelsy and racist caricatures, write Tracy C. Davis and Stefka Mihaylova in a chapter of the book Uncle Toms Cabins, a treatise on how Harriet Beecher Stowes well-meaning novel became interpreted as it made its way around the world.

In Poland, the novels translations, most of which deviate substantially from the original text, were aimed at children, and served as nostalgic anti-capitalist propaganda within the national curriculum during the communist era. These productions could only have helped perpetuate existing racist stereotypes like the Black characters in Henryk Sienkiewiczs novel In Desert and Wilderness, wrote activist James Omolo in 2017.

In the novel, young, Polish Stas saves Kali, a Black boy who speaks broken English, from a horde of violent Muslims.Dark continent tropes abound. Outside the world of the book, Kali has been immortalized in the Polish language in the saying, Kalis morality, which means double standard: If somebody takes Kalis cow, its a bad deed. If Kali takes somebodys cow, its a good deed.

A 1924 poem by Julian Tuwim, Murzynek Bambo, (the little Murzyn Bambo) has been heavily criticized for infantilizing and othering Black people, according to Margaret Amaka Ohia-Nowak, a researcher at the University of Wrocaw. Yet it is still taught in some schools.

The Nwolisa family are now channeling their trauma into activism, participating in local protests in addition to conducting educational workshops through their foundation. Acclaimed photographer Rafa Milach took a picture of their daughter Bianka protesting with a sign that read Stop Calling Me Murzyn, which was picked up by prominent Polish newspapers, such as Gazeta Wyborcza.

The young women who participated in the original #DontCallMeMurzyn video have gone on to upload two more discussions, hoping the campaign will pick up momentum. The recent re-election in Poland of a right-wing government opposed to gay rights and seemingly unconcerned about racism does not bode well for Black people, they say, but the fight is too important to put aside. Yes, the elections have an impact on us, Ugonoh says. And while Im scared I refuse to give up. And I refuse to stay quiet when I see injustices.

They hold out hope that Poland, which suffered almost a century of occupation and deprivation, may yet understand the need for solidarity. Poland has so much potential, Ugonoh says. Its a country that has gone through so much pain. So, if any country should be able to relate, empathize, it should be Poland. And I just really wish that we could heal together.
FILE PHOTO: Jackson Carlaw speaks at a news conference after being announced as the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives in Edinburgh, Scotland

LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of the Scottish wing of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party resigned on Thursday, saying he was not the right man to make the case against Scotland's pro-independence movement at upcoming elections.

Jackson Carlaw, 61, quit after six months running the Scottish Conservatives, during which time support for Scottish independence - staunchly opposed by the Conservatives - has grown, fuelled by public dismay over Brexit and the central British government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Nothing is more important to me than making the case for Scotland's place in the United Kingdom," Carlaw said in a statement.

"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."

Holyrood, the devolved parliament that decides some areas of policy in Scotland, is run by the pro-independence Scottish National Party of Nicola Sturgeon and will hold elections in May 2021.

(Reporting by William James; editing by Stephen Addison)
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Linkedin Mike Stone (Reuters) Washington, United States  Fri, August 7, 2020 10:10 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c40dcc 2 World US,Taiwan,military,drone,purchase,defense-equipment Free

The United States is negotiating the sale of at least four of its large sophisticated aerial drones to Taiwan for the first time, according to six US sources familiar with the negotiations, in a deal that is likely to ratchet up tensions with China.

The SeaGuardian surveillance drones have a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,100 km), far greater than the 160-mile range of Taiwan's current fleet of drones.

While the sale of the unmanned aerial vehicles has been tacitly authorized by the State Department, two of the people said, it is not known whether the US officials have approved exporting the drones with weapons attached, one of them said.

The deal has to be approved by members of Congress who may receive formal notification as soon as next month, two of the people said. Congress could choose to block a final agreement.

It would be the first drone sale after President Donald Trump's administration moved ahead with its plan to sell more drones to more countries by reinterpreting an international arms control agreement called the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

While Taiwan's military is well-trained and well-equipped with mostly US-made hardware, China has a huge numerical superiority and is adding advanced equipment of its own.

Taiwan submitted its request to buy armed drones early this year, one of the people familiar with the talks said. The United States last week sent Taiwan the pricing and availability data for the deal, a key step that denotes official approval to advance the sale. It is, however, non-binding and could be reversed.

A deal for the four drones, ground stations, spares, training and support could be worth around $600 million using previous sales as a guide. There could also be options for additional units in the future, one of the people said.

The island is bolstering its defenses in the face of what it sees as increasingly threatening moves by Beijing, such as regular Chinese air force and naval exercises near Taiwan

Relations between Beijing and Washington - already at their lowest point in decades over accusations of spying, a trade war, the coronavirus and Hong Kong - could fray more if the deal gets the final go-ahead from US officials. The Pentagon has said arms sales to Taiwan will continue, and the Trump administration has kept a steady pace of Navy warships passing through the Taiwan Strait.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory, and Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control. Beijing has denounced the Trump administration's increased support for Taiwan.

China's sophisticated air defenses could likely shoot down a handful of drones, according to Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power Project at CSIS, a Washington think tank. But she still expects "China to scream about even the smallest arms sale that the US makes to Taiwan because any sale challenges the One China principle."

"They get particularly agitated if they think it's an offensive capability," she said, adding that she expected the Trump administration to be less cautious than its predecessors.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States did not respond to a request for comment.

"As a matter of policy we do not comment on or confirm proposed defense sales or transfers until they have been formally notified to Congress," a State Department spokesman said.

Only for few US allies

The US has been eager to sell Taiwan tanks and fighter jets, but the deal to sell drones would be notable since only a few close allies - including Britain, Italy, Australia, Japan and South Korea - have been allowed to purchase the largest US-made drones.

Currently, the Taiwanese government has a fleet of 26 Albatross drones made by Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, a quasi-defense ministry research agency, that can fly 160 nautical miles (300 km), or 80 before returning to base, according to records kept by the Bard Center for the Study of the Drone.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc's SeaGuardian has an airframe that can handle carrying weapons - but only if contractually allowed by the US government.

The United States has sold France unarmed MQ-9 Reapers which are similar to SeaGuardians, and later gave permission to arm them.

Last year, the United States approved a potential sale to Taiwan of 108 General Dynamics Corp M1A2 Abrams tanks worth around $2 billion as well as anti-tank and anti-aircraft munitions. A separate sale of 66 Lockheed Martin-made fighter jets also made it through the State Department's process.

In recent weeks, China said it will sanction Lockheed Martin Co for involvement in the latest US arms sale to Taiwan.
Beavers, of course, are famous for building dams  they want to be in deep water, and if there isnt any, they create it. The trial found that the dams reduced the risk of flooding and trapped pollutants from the surrounding land, boosting water quality. The scientists also found that the beavers enhanced wetland habitats, benefiting fish, insects, birds and other animals.
The Blue Jays have placed right-hander Trent Thornton on the injured list with elbow inflammation, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports. Thornton felt kind of weird when throwing a bullpen, but hes not in line for an MRI at this point, per Nicholson-Smith.

Set to turn 27 years old next month, Thornton joined the Blue Jays in a trade with the Astros for infielder Aledmys Diaz in November 2018. Thornton wound up as one of the Blue Jays most relied-on starters in 2019, when he threw 154 1/3 innings and notched a 4.84 ERA/4.59 FIP with 8.69 K/9 and 3.56 BB/9. Prior to his IL placement this year, he made one appearance on July 27 and yielded one earned run on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks across four innings in a win over the Nationals.

Victories have been in short supply for Toronto, which is off to a 4-6 start, and its rotation has been a mixed bag in the early going. Thornton, Tanner Roark and Nate Pearson have kept runs off the board at a good clip so far. That hasnt been the case for Hyun Jin Ryu and Matt Shoemaker, but theyve shown theyre capable major league starters. Thats especially true of Ryu, who was a star with the Dodgers in recent seasons. In his best Blue Jays performance to date, he tossed five shutout innings of one-hit ball in a win over the Braves on Wednesday.
In the court of public opinion, Derek Chauvin and the three other Minneapolis police officers who detained George Floyd have already been found guilty of murder. Indeed, jury foreman Tim Walz has delivered the verdict several times over.

Former state and federal prosecutor George Parry nevertheless disputes the verdict in his American Spectator column Who killed George Floyd? Mr. Parry has also just published the column at Knowledge Is Good with an introduction that makes two additional observations.

In his column Mr. Parry argues that the physical, scientific, and electronically recorded evidence in the case overwhelmingly and conclusively proves that these defendants are not guilty of the charges and, in fact, played no material role in bringing about Floyds death. For a meticulously argued contrarian take on the death of George Floyd, read the whole thing here.

JOHN adds: See also my discussion of this subject here.
Moody's Investors Service headquarters in New York. / Yonhap



By Park Jae-hyuk



Moody's Investors Service has drawn sharp criticism here for "flip-flopping" on its outlook for Korean securities firms, according to industry officials, Friday.



They said the global credit rating agency's "indiscreet" action could have caused turmoil in the domestic financial market and unnerved investors worldwide.



After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moody's put the ratings of seven Korean brokerage houses under review for a downgrade in April. The seven firms were KB Securities, Korea Investment & Securities, Mirae Asset Daewoo, NH Investment & Securities, Samsung Securities, Shinhan Investment and IBK Securities.



Three months later, the agency restored its credit outlook for five among the seven, without downgrading their ratings. Mirae Asset Daewoo and Korea Investment & Securities were the two companies whose credit outlooks were changed to negative.



Moody's attributed the latest confirmation of the ratings to its expectation of slower risk-asset growth as a result of various prudential regulatory measures recently implemented or under discussion by the Financial Supervisory Service.



It also cited the securities firms' varying degrees of measures implemented to increase long-term funding to strengthen their liquidity and funding profiles and its expectation of profit recovery in the coming quarters driven by buoyant brokerage activities and mark-to-market valuation gains on bond portfolios following weak earnings in the first quarter.



NICE Investors Service director of financial industry analysis Lee Hyuk-joon, however, urged Moody's to be more cautious about its action, saying it should have focused more on medium- to long-term changes in the market than on each company's temporary business performance when taking rating action amid the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis.



"Credit ratings cannot go up and down as easily as stock prices do," he said in a recent column. "Under this financial crisis-like situation, hasty rating actions could cause additional gigantic risks to the Korean financial market."



He warned that frequent rating action could contract business sentiment, lowering ratings of companies further. He noted this could also make credit ratings less useful.



In contrast to Moody's, S&P Global Ratings did not place the ratings of the seven securities firms under review for a downgrade, although the agency also thought COVID-19 would have a negative impact on the industry. It just adjusted the credit outlook for Mirae Asset Daewoo to negative from stable.



Lee called for foreign and domestic credit ratings agencies to be more mature, given that they have witnessed significant changes in the business environment this year.



The Korea Times asked Moody's its opinion of Lee's column, but it did not respond.



Market analysts agreed that credit ratings agencies should be more careful when taking rating action, particularly on financial firms, because it could be regarded as a sign of risk to the entire system.



"The 2008 global financial crisis started as Fitch made a downward adjustment on its outlook for banks in July," Kiwoom Securities analyst Seo Young-soo said. "The crisis worsened as S&P and Moody's followed Fitch's adjustment in October."


By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 07, 2020 | 02:47 PM | CADIZ

Trigg County Sheriff Jason Barnes has announced that he will be retiring on September 1, while an investigation into his office continues.He spoke to WKDZ on Thursday after County Judge-Executive Hollis Alexander announced Barnes' resignation that morning. He began by apologizing, and by dispelling a rumor that he's heard."I'm sorry to my supporters, to Trigg County citizens and to my family. I'm not going to go into everything that happened, but would like to stop the rumors of anyone thinking that the Trigg County Sheriff's office had anything to do with anyone under age. That is simply not true," Barnes said.Kentucky State Police announced in June that they were investigating possible misconduct involving members of the Sheriff's Department. Alexander told WKDZ at the time that he believed the FBI was also involved in the investigation. State Police said a special prosecutor was assigned to the case in the event someone is charged.Barnes told WKDZ, "It's always been said that we as law enforcement are held to a higher standard, and that is the truth. I have decided to retire September 1, and I will be answering for my part of any wrongdoing. Again, I am truly sorry and wish Trigg County and the Trigg County Sheriff's office the best of luck going forward."Barnes was elected in 2018 when he defeated two-term incumbent Ray Burnham in the Republican primary election.

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PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia - Two-time former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced Friday he is forming a new ethnic Malay party more than two months after he was sacked from his previous party during a political struggle with his successor.

Mahathir, 95, quit as prime minister in protest in late February after fellow party member Muhyiddin Yassin withdrew their Bersatu party from the ruling coalition, triggering its collapse less than two years after a historic victory in 2018 national polls.

Muhyiddin was sworn in as new prime minister in March with a new government supported by ex-Prime Minister Najib Razaks corruption-tainted party that was ousted in 2018.

Mahathir, who was sacked from Bersatu along with his son and three other senior members, said Muhyiddin had hijacked the party and helped revive what he called a kleptocratic government.

He accused Muhyiddin of using money to buy support in Bersatu, causing it to stray from its goal of fighting graft. Mahathir said he believes many grassroots members are unhappy and still support him.

We feel that we must continue our fight and that is why we are forming a new party, Mahathir said at a news conference. He didnt reveal the name of the party but said its main agenda will be similar to Bersatus original struggle to eradicate corruption and kleptocracy.

Mahathir said the new party will be independent and not align with the opposition coalition led by Anwar Ibrahim, who was initially slated to succeed him in their previous government.

Mahathir, who ruled for 21 years until 2003, made a comeback in 2018 polls to help Anwars alliance defeat Najibs coalition that had ruled Malaysia since independence from Britain in 2018. He became prime minister before resigning in February.

Najib, his wife and several senior officials from his party have been charged with multiple counts of corruption since their defeat in the 2018 polls. Najib was sentenced late last month to serve 12 years in prison in his first trial linked to a massive financial scandal, though the sentence has been stayed while he appeals. He faces four other trials and insists the cases against him are political vengeance.

Mahathirs announcement Friday comes amid a disagreement with Anwars alliance over the choice of their prime ministerial candidate. Mahathir has rejected Anwars candidacy and supported another politician.

Analysts said Muhyiddin faces pressure from allied parties to call for early elections because his unelected government has only a two-seat majority in Parliament. It will not be an easy call for Muhyiddin because his party is dwarfed by Najibs Malay party in the coalition. Elections are not due until 2023.

In separate remarks to Indian broadcaster WION News aired Friday, Mahathir hailed Najibs conviction and sentence. He said it showed that those in power who commit crimes cannot escape scot-free.

We feel this is something that Malaysia can be proud of because we have managed to have people of high standing being tried in the court of law, Mahathir said. He was found guilty on all seven charges that were placed against him. So, that for us is very important. We now feel safe. We dont think that there can be people who can commit some crime and get away with it.
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Linkedin Francesco Guarascio and Josephine Mason (Reuters) Brussels, Belgium/London, United Kingdom  Fri, August 7, 2020 10:40 530 6657ac82168da9fa101c8a4066c430d9 2 World coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccines,safety-issues,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free

The frenetic race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine has intensified safety concerns about an inoculation, prompting governments and drugmakers to raise awareness to ensure their efforts to beat the coronavirus aren't derailed by public distrust.

There are more than 200 COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development globally, including more than 20 in human clinical trials. US President Donald Trump has vowed to have a shot ready before year's end, although they typically take 10 years or longer to develop and test for safety and effectiveness.

In the drive to find a potential COVID-19 vaccine "fast is good for politicians," said Heidi Larson, who leads the Vaccine Confidence Project (VCP), a global surveillance program on vaccine trust. "But from the public perspective, the general sentiment is: 'too fast can't be safe'", she told Reuters.

Regulators around the world have repeatedly said speed will not compromise safety, as quicker results would stem from conducting in parallel trials that are usually done in sequence.

However, these reassurances have failed to convince many, including in Western countries where skepticism about vaccinations was already growing before the pandemic.

Preliminary results of a survey conducted over the last three months in 19 countries showed that only about 70% of British and US respondents would take a COVID-19 vaccine if available, Scott Ratzan, co-leader of 'Business Partners to CONVINCE', told Reuters.

Business Partners to CONVINCE, a US/UK initiative that is partly government funded, conducted the survey jointly with VCP and the results were broadly in line with a Reuters/Ipsos poll of the US public in May.

"We just see this distrust growing against science and government," said Ratzan.

"We need to address legitimate concerns about the rapid pace of development, political over-promises and the risks of vaccination."

The VCP/Business Partners' survey, expected to be published in a few weeks, will also show that Chinese participants were the most trusting of vaccines, while Russians were the least so, Ratzan said.

Drugmakers and governments had hoped the scale of the COVID-19 crisis would allay concerns about vaccines, which they see as crucial to defeating the pandemic and enabling economies to fully recover from its impact.

Vaccine hesitancy - or the reluctance or refusal to be vaccinated - is also known as "anti-vax", a term that is sometimes associated with conspiracy theories when often it simply reflects many people's concerns about side-effects or industry ethics.

In January 2019 the World Health Organization named vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 global health threats for that year.

Tailored messages

In Europe, skepticism among the public was high before the pandemic due to a range of factors including negative coverage of pharmaceutical companies as well as false theories including suggested links between childhood immunizations and autism.

Only 70% of French people considered vaccines safe in a 2018 survey commissioned by the European Union executive. The EU average was 82%, but trust fell to 68% for the shot against seasonal flu.

The VCP project on vaccine trust, funded by the European Commission and pharmaceutical companies among others, aims to identify early signs and causes of public mistrust and tackle them with information campaigns before it is too late.

Larson said headlines referring to Warp Speed - the name of the US operation aimed at delivering a COVID-19 vaccine to the US population by next year - could increase vaccine hesitancy even more than perceptions that the disease could become less lethal.

"One of the most frequent things that comes up in people's conversations is concerns about how quick it is. If I have to pick one theme that is more recurrent than others it is this one," Larson said.

Data collected by VCP from social media show that by the end of June about 40% of Britons' posts concerning a COVID-19 vaccine, for example, were negative, with many distrusting any coronavirus vaccine and the medical establishment.

Announcements about fast progress in COVID vaccines in Russia and China in particular could also contribute to rising skepticism. "We don't have transparency and don't know how accurate or valid their data are," Ratzan said, adding that errors there could boost skepticism elsewhere.

Key for any information campaign to be successful is to tailor it to different audiences as there is no uniform profile of anti-vaxxers, said Kate Elder of Doctors Without Borders, a non-governmental organization.

"They go from the highly educated to those who don't believe in science," she said, urging politicians to be more careful in their messages on vaccines and to better explain the reasons behind potentially fast results against COVID-19.

"We are exploring the idea of a chatbot that will speak in different languages," said Ratzan, adding it could be something similar to Smokey Bear, the US Forest Service's campaign to educate about preventing wildfires.

"Different parts of the world will require different strategies. We know we need to tailor it and to be specific," he said.

Risks are high if hesitancy is not addressed quickly.

During the 2009 swine flu pandemic, growing skepticism about the vaccine led to a failure of the vaccination campaign in France, where only 8% of the population got a shot against the virus which is estimated to have killed around 280,000 people across the world.

A study published in May in the Lancet by a group of French scientists warned of similar risks now in the country where vaccine hesitancy went up from 18% in mid-March when a lockdown was imposed on the French to 26% by the end of that month.

"Distrust is likely to become an issue when the vaccine will be made available," the scientists concluded.
WBJEE Results 2020: Direct link to check results

The WBJEEB has uploaded the WBJEE results on its official website at wbjeeb.nic.in. Candidates can click here to check their .WBJEE results 2020

WBJEE Results 2020: Counselling process to begin next week

The counselling process for the WBJEE will begin next week, the dates will be announced soon on WBJEEBs official website.

WBJEE Results 2020: Be ready with admit card

Candidates are advised to keep their admit card handy. The login details are given in the admit card that will be required to login on the result page. The board will upload the direct link to check results at 2:30 pm

WBJEE Results 2020 to be uploaded on official website at 2:30 pm

The WBJEEB will upload the West Bengal JEE Results on its official website at 2:30 pm. Candidates will be able to check their results online soon after the results are uploaded.

WBJEE Results 2020: Most of top 10 rank holders are from CBSE

Most of the top 10 rank holders in the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination 2020 are from CBSE board, while 7th and 9th Rank holders are from ISC board, and 8th is from West Bengal board.

WBJEE Results 2020: Helpline for candidates

The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board (WBJEEB) has provided the following toll free helplines for candidates:

18001023781

18003450050

WBJEE Results 2020: 71% rank holders from Bengal

In the WBJEE results 2020, 71% rank holders are from West Bengal, while 31% from CBSE, and 3% are from ISC board.

WBJEE Results 2020: How many candidates appeared for the exam

The board conducted the WBJEE 2020 examination on February 2, 2020, at various centres spread across the state. A total of 73119 candidates appeared for the entrance examination.

WBJEE Result 2020 toppers

Souradeep Das from Uttar Dinajpur secured first position in WBJEE 2020 examination. Subham Ghosh from Paschim Burdwan bagged second rank. Sreemanti Dey got third rank. She is from Kolkata.

WBJEE Result 2020 declared

West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board (WBJEEB) declared the WBJEE Results 2020.

WBJEE Result 2020: Press Conference begins

The Press conference for the declaration of WBJEE Results 2020 begins.

WBJEE Result 2020 to be declared today

The West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination Board (WBJEEB) will declare the results of the WBJEE 2020 examination today on its official website at wbjeeb.nic.in.
As India crossed the record 2 million mark in its national Covid-19 tally on Friday, the United States in a fresh advisory placed the country, along with China in the highest Level-4 category strictly advising citizens to avoid travelling to the two countries.

The United States has issued a fresh travel advisory for its citizens visiting foreign countries, including India and China, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

India has been placed under Level-4 category (Do not travel)  the highest in the advisory  while China, the epicentre of COVID-19, is also designated in the same category in view of the COVID-19 restrictions.

Travellers to India may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures and other emergency conditions within India due to COVID-19, the State Department said in its advisory.

With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others, the Department is returning to our previous system of country-specific levels of travel advice (with Levels from 1-4 depending on country-specific conditions), in order to give travellers detailed and actionable information to make informed travel decisions, it stated.

Also read: Trump cracks down on Chinese apps, signs order to ban Tiktok, WeChat in 45 days

Also read: Stand on the side of freedom: Mike Pompeo slams China on prosecuting HK activists residing abroad

This will also provide US citizens with more detailed information about the current status in each country. We continue to recommend US citizens exercise caution when travelling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic, the advisory said.

Meanwhile, US citizens have been blocked to enter the European Union and the UK requires travellers from the US to quarantine upon entry to the UK, according to CNN.

Also read: President Trump signs order restricting H1B visas to top talent
By Azernews





By Akbar Mammadov

Serbian President Alexandar Vu?i? has expressed regret over Armenias use of Serbian-made weapons during the recent cross-border clash with Azerbaijan.

In a phone conversation with President Ilham Aliyev on August 7, Alexandar Vu?i? expressed his condolences over the killing of Azerbaijani servicemen in the Armenian provocation on the border.

Alexandar Vu?i? noted that a high-level Serbian delegation will be sent to Azerbaijan in the near future to investigate the situation.

Vu?i? commended the friendly relations with Azerbaijan based on strategic partnership and invited the Azerbaijani president to pay an official visit to Serbia.

Expressing gratitude for the phone call, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Armenias use of Serbian-made ammunition in shelling Azerbaijani military and civilian positions that killed servicemen and a civilian, has caused concern among the Azerbaijani public.

Aliyev also expressed satisfaction with the Serbian presidents decision to send a high-level delegation to investigate the incident.

During the conversation, the sides decided to prevent any actions that could overshadow the friendly relations between the two countries in the future.

It should be noted that earlier, on July 20, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry summoned Serbia's Charge d'Affaires Danica Veinovic over the delivery of a large amount of military ammunition and mortar from Serbia to Armenia.

The cross-border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia started on July 12 noon after Armenian troops fired artillery at Azerbaijani military post in Tovuz region.

Azerbaijani armed forces retaliated destroying a stronghold, bombshells, vehicles and servicemen on the territory of the Armenias military unit by using artillery, mortars and tanks. Azerbaijan has also downed six Armenian UAVs.

Azerbaijan lost 12 servicemen, including an army general, during cross-border clashes from July 12 till July 16. Armenian forces have also been shelling civilians in villages in Tovuz. An Azerbaijani civilian in Tovuzs Aghdam village was killed as a result of artillery shelling by the Armenian armed forces on July 14.
The Southern Alps in New Zealand are the latest icy region to be devastated by global warming.

A study finds the mountains have lost up to 62 per cent of their glaciers since the end of the Little Ice Age, around 400 years ago.

This, according to the study, equates to a maximum ice loss of 73 square km (30 square miles), an area half the size of Liechtenstein.

By contrast, Patagonia, which is home to the largest body of ice in the southern hemisphere outside of Antarctica, has seen just 11 per cent of its Little Ice Age volume vanish.

New Zealand's Southern Alps are best known for being the set of many scenes from the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies.

Scroll down for video

Pictured, the Lyell Glacier in 1866 from Meins Knob by Julius Haast. A study finds the Southern Alps have lost up to 62 per cent of their glaciers since the end of the Little Ice Age, around 400 years ago

Pictured, the Lyell Glacier as seen in 2018. New Zealand's Southern Alps are best known for being the set for the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movies

The Southern Alps is the highest mountain range in Australasia, with Mount Cook's summit standing at 12,218ft above sea level.

The study analysed volume changes in the Southern Alps for three time periods: 1600 to 1978, 1978 to 2009 and 2009 to 2019.

Data was gathered using computer simulations, physical markings and historical records.

Comparison between the decades reveals ice loss has increased two-fold since the Little Ice Age, with a rapid increase in the last 40 years.

Up to 17 per cent of the ice that was on the mountains at the time of the Little Ice Age was lost between 1978 and 2019 alone.

In 2019, only 12 per cent of ice mass remained in what was formerly the low altitude part of the Little Ice Age glacier region.

The Southern Alps (pictured) is the highest mountain range in Australasia, with Mount Cook's summit standing at 12,218ft above sea level. The study analysed volume changes in the Southern Alps for three time periods: 1600 to 1978, 1978 to 2009 and 2009 to 2019

Up to 17 per cent of the ice that was on the mountains at the time of the Little Ice Age was lost between 1978 and 2019 alone. In 2019, only 12 per cent of ice mass remained in what was formerly the low altitude part of the Little Ice Age glacier region

The Southern Alps stretch more than 300 miles on New Zealand and it is the highest mountain range in Australasia, with Mount Cook's summit standing at 12,218ft above sea level

Canada's last fully intact Arctic ice shelf COLLAPSES Canada's last remaining intact ice sheet has collapsed, shedding an enormous chunk of ice 79 square kilometres (30 square miles) in size into the Arctic Ocean. This ice island is bigger than Manhattan and half the size of Liechtenstein. The collapse, which was caused by climate change, resulted in the ice shelf losing more than 40 per cent of its mass in less than 48 hours at the end of July. The Milne Ice Shelf is at the fringe of Ellesmere Island, in the sparsely populated northern Canadian territory of Nunavut. 'Above normal air temperatures, offshore winds and open water in front of the ice shelf are all part of the recipe for ice shelf break up,' the Canadian Ice Service said on Twitter when it announced the loss. Advertisement

Lead author Dr Jonathan Carrivick, of the University of Leeds, said: 'These findings quantify a trend in New Zealand's ice loss.

'The acceleration in the rate of ice mass loss may only get worse as not only climate but also other local effects become more pronounced, such as more debris accumulating on glaciers surfaces and lakes at the bottom of glaciers swell, exacerbating melt.'

The Southern Alps were chosen by Sir Peter Jackson as the location for his Oscar winning Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies because of its spectacular glaciers.

Dr Carrivick said: 'Our results suggest the Southern Alps has probably already passed the time of 'peak water' or the tipping point of glacier melt supply.

'Looking forwards, planning must be made for mitigating the decreased run-off to glacier-fed rivers because that affects local water availability, landscape stability and aquatic ecosystems.'

Climate change has had a significant impact on ice loss around the world. Local communities depend on them as sources of fresh water, hydropower and irrigation.

What is more, mountain glacier and ice cap melt presently accounts for a quarter of global sea-level rise.

The considerable changes have implications for it - along with regional climate glacier systems and local landscape evolution.

Co-author Dr Andrew Lorrey, of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Auckland, said: 'The long-term ice volume decline, rising snowlines, and rapid disintegration of glaciers across the Southern Alps we have observed is alarming.

'Photographic evidence that has been regularly collected since the late 1970s show the situation has dramatically worsened since 2010.

'Our findings provide a conservative baseline for rates of Southern Alps ice volume change since pre-industrial times.

'They agree with palaeoclimate reconstructions, early historic evidence and instrumental records that show our ice is shrinking from a warming climate.'

Earlier this week it was reported that the largest ice shelf in Canada has collapsed.

The Milne Ice Shelf is at the fringe of Ellesmere Island, in the sparsely populated northern Canadian territory of Nunavut.

An ice island broke off into the Arctic Ocean which is 79 square kilometres (30 square miles) in size, bigger than Manhattan.

Ellesmere also lost its two St. Patrick Bay ice caps this summer.

'We saw them going, like someone with terminal cancer. It was only a matter of time,' said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado.

Serreze and other NSIDC scientists had published a 2017 study predicting the ice caps were likely to disappear within five years.

The ice caps were believed to have formed several centuries ago.

Canada's last remaining intact ice sheet has collapsed, shedding an enormous chunk of ice 79 square km (30 square miles) in size. Pictured, satellite image shows the piece which has broken away highlighted with a red outline
In a tragic mishap, former Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot Deepak Vasant Sathe, who was flying the Air India Express plane, was killed on Friday evening in the Kozhikode crash in Kerala. Over a dozen people, including Sathe pilot, were killed and many injured when the flight with 190 people on board skid off the runway of the Kozhikode airport. The injured have been taken to multiple hospitals and the dead to Kondotti hospital.

A former IAF Wing Commander, Captain Sathe was commissioned into service on June 11, 1981, and retired on June 30, 2003. He flew through the Airbus 310 for Air India before moving to Air India Express on the Boeing 737. Captain Sathe has won the sword of honour at the Air Force Academy and was accomplished fighter pilot. He was also a HAL test pilot.

Captain Sathe was from Mumbai and resided in Jalvayu Vihar in Powai.

A total of 190 people--184 passengers, including ten infants, two pilots, and four cabin crew were onboard the aircraft. The flight, IX-1344, bound for Kozhikode from Dubai skidded during landing at the Karipur Airport at around 7.45 pm, said the Kondotty Police. The authorities have issued helpline numbers-0543090572, 0543090573, 0543090575 and 0565463903.

The Indian embassy in Dubai tweeted, "Air India Express Flight No IX 1344 from Dubai to Calicut skidded off the runway. We pray for well being of passengers and crew and will keep you updated as and when we receive further updates.Our helplines 056 546 3903, 0543090572, 0543090572, 0543090575."

"Air India Express has also established helpline number in Sharjah at 00971 6 5970303. People can call them as well for updates. Full details of injured and casualties are awaited," it further tweeted.

Karipur Airport control room opens helpline number 04832719493 for more information on Air India Express plane accident.

"There were total 184 passengers, including 10 infants and six crew members, including two pilots, onboard Dubai-Kozhikode Air India flight (IX-1344) that skidded during landing at Karipur Airport today," said the Air India Express. The plane has broken into two parts.

The plane fell around 35 feet down and apparently the front half took the damage but people in the rear half have survived. The Kozhikode International Airport, also known, as Karipur Airport is a tabletop airport. The flight was flying the Centre's Vande Bharat Mission.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, "A Dubai-Kozhikode Air India Express flight fell down into the valley after landing at Runway 10 of Karipur Airport & broke down in two pieces. There were 191 people on board. Visibility was 2000 meter and heavy rain at the time of landing." The DGCA has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General SN Pradhan said, "Teams of NDRF are being rushed to Karipur Airport where the Dubai-Kozhikode flight skidded off the runway, for search and rescue."

Expressing shock over the tragic mishap, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked all government agencies to engage in rescue operations using all government facilities. The Kerala CM has directed immediate rescue measures in the plane crash. The CM has deputed AC Moideen, minister for local bodies, to coordinate the rescue operations. Moideen has already left for Karipur from Thrissur. The CM also has deputed an IG of Police to oversee the rescue operation. Fire and Rescue teams of two districts also have been engaged.

Health authorities have been instructed to provide all possible medical aid to save lives of victims. The Police warm-up led by IG and fire and rescue team from two districts has started rescue operations. It is also proposed to set up the necessary health system and all the mechanisms of the state government should be used for disaster relief.

Vijayan also said, "Have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur. Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support."

PM Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala CM on phone about Karipur plane crash. The CM informed PM Modi that a team of officials including Kozhikode and Malappuram District Collectors and IG Ashok Yadav have arrived at the airport to participate in the rescue operation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation Additional DG Media Rajeev Jain said, "Air India Express flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut overshot runway at Kozhikode at 1941 hrs tonight. No fire reported at the time of landing. There are 174 passengers, 10 Infants, 2 Pilots and 5 cabin crew onboard the aircraft. Total 191. As per the initial reports, rescue operations are on and Passengers are being taken to hospital for medical care. We will soon share the update in this regard."
Customers at the Lakeland Agri network of retail stores in Longford, Monaghan and Lough Egish are being strongly encouraged to use face coverings while in store. In recent weeks, the Irish Government has introduced regulations to enforce the wearing of face coverings in public places  this includes retail outlets such as agri stores.

Mark Delahunty, General Manager of Lakeland Agri, said compliance rates among customers wearing face coverings are very high with most adhering to the Government guidelines. Mr Delahunty is urging all customers to take the guidelines seriously.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, we have put the safety and wellbeing of our farmers, staff and customers as our number one priority, said Mr Delahunty

Across our network of Lakeland Agri stores, we have put in place every possible measure to help halt the spread of Covid-19.

These measures include call and collect service, carefully managed flows of customers entering the stores, Perspex screens at counters, clear signage inside and outside of the stores as well as hand sanitizing facilities, he said.

With the Government now moving to enforce the wearing of face coverings in public places, including retail outlets, we are encouraging all our loyal customers to adhere to these regulations and continue to curb the spread of Covid-19 across our communities.

I want to thank all our staff and customers for working so hard to keep all of us safe at this time.
Infill Drilling Further Strengthens Higher-Grade Core at the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project

Posted by Publisher Internet

Highlights

Hole CR20-56 extended the strike length of the Main Zone by 375 metres, and is expected to expand the 0.3% higher grade shell by 168 metres which remains open along strike to the west.

All four infill holes in this release continued to extend and better define the higher grade resource shells and intersected thick intersections of nickel mineralization, within the steeply dipping higher-grade core which varies in true thickness from 40 m to 160 m.

Hole CR20-44 returned 0.41% nickel over core length of 51 metres within 0.33 % nickel over core length of 118 metres which further expands width of higher grade shells on this section

Canada Nickel Company Inc. (TSX-V:CNC) (\Canada Nickel\ or the \Company\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/canada-nickel-company-inc/)) today announced additional encouraging results from infill drilling on the Main Zone at its Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide project.

?Our infill drilling program continues to deliver outstanding results.? Most importantly, the higher grade resource shell has been significantly extended westward and establishes a second higher grade resource shell area in the western end of mineralization.? The other three infill holes extended and will help to better define the higher grade resource shells which will be the initial focus of the mine plan in the Preliminary Economic Assessment currently underway and expected to be completed by year-end,? said Mark Selby, Chair and CEO of Canada Nickel. ?Drier weather will allow us to resume drilling this coming Monday. Once -infill drilling is completed, ?we will also follow up on the previously reported excellent PGM results from hole CR20-32 (three separate intersections including 2.6 g/t PGM over 7.5 metres) and several other prospective geophysical nickel targets on the several kilometres of the Crawford structure which remain untested.?

The Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project is located in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp in Ontario, Canada, and is adjacent to well-established, major infrastructure associated with over 100 years of regional mining activity.

Main Zone Infill Results

Infill drilling on the Main Zone continued to focus on more clearly defining and upgrading the Higher-Grade Core resource, which was previously defined as part of the resource estimate and dips steeply within the ultramafic unit and having a true thickness that varies from 40 m to 160 m.

All four infill holes contained in this release intersected thick intersections of nickel mineralization, and continue to extend and better define the higher grade resource shells. ?Assays from the remaining 12 in-fill holes will be released over the next several weeks. See Table 1 and Figure 1 for results.

Highlights of the drilling include:

Infill hole CR20-56 will extend the strike length of the Main Zone by 375 metres and is expected to extend the 0.3% higher grade shell by 168 metres. Mineralization remains open along strike to the west. 35% grade shell is expected to be created in western portion of mineralization as hole returned 0.42% nickel over core length of 31 metres from 186 metres, within 0.34% nickel over core length of 148 metres from 114 metres

Infill hole CR20-46 intersected thick intersections of nickel mineralization with 0.31% nickel across entire core length of 363 metres within the steeply dipping higher-grade core which varies in true thickness from 40 to 160 m

Infill hole CR20-44 returned 0.41% nickel over core length of 52 metres from 350 metres, within 0.33% nickel over core length of 118 metres from 283 metres which further expand width of higher grade shells on this section

Table 1 ? Main Zone Nickel ? Drilling Results, Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, Ontario

*These holes were drilled at a steep angle of -80 degrees almost entirely within the higher-grade core to better determine grade. Hole CR20-56 was drilled at a -50 angle along the strike of the mineralization and the core length represents 65% of the core length.? The estimated true width of this zone has been determined from previous drilling to vary from 40 to 160 m depending on location of the section.

Next Steps

All drill results to date will be incorporated into an updated resource now expected by the end of August.? Once in-fill drilling is completed, the Company will also follow up on the previously reported excellent PGM results from hole CR20-32 (three intervals including 2.6 g/t PGM over core length of 7.5 metres) and several other prospective geophysical targets on the several kilometres of the Crawford structure which remain untested on the west side of the highway.

Table 2 ? Drill Hole Orientation, Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, Ontario

Assays, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Drilling and Assay Procedures

William E. MacRae, MSc, P.Geo., a \qualified person\ as defined by NI 43-101, is responsible for the on-going drilling and sampling program, including quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC). The core is collected from the drill in sealed core trays and transported to the core logging facility. The core is marked and sampled at 1.5 metre lengths and cut with a diamond blade saw. Samples are bagged with QA/QC samples inserted in batches of 35 samples per lot. Samples are transported in secure bags directly from the Canada Nickel core shack to Actlabs Timmins, an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab. Analysis for precious metals (gold, platinum and palladium) are completed by Fire Assay while analysis for nickel, cobalt, sulphur and 17 other elements are performed using a peroxide fusion and ICP-OES analysis. Certified standards and blanks are inserted at a rate of one QA/QC sample per 32 core samples making a batch of 35 samples that are submitted for analysis.

Qualified Person and Data Verification

Stephen J. Balch P.Geo. (ON), VP Exploration of Canada Nickel and a \qualified person\ as such term is defined by National Instrument 43-101, has verified the data disclosed in this news release, and has otherwise reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release on behalf of Canada Nickel Company Inc.

About Canada Nickel Company

Canada Nickel Company Inc. is advancing the next generation of nickel-cobalt sulphide projects to deliver nickel and cobalt required to feed the high growth electric vehicle and stainless steel markets.? Canada Nickel Company has applied in multiple jurisdictions to trademark the terms NetZero NickelTM, NetZero CobaltTM, NetZero IronTM and is pursuing the development of processes to allow the production of net zero carbon nickel, cobalt, and iron products. Canada Nickel provides investors with leverage to nickel and cobalt in low political risk jurisdictions.? Canada Nickel is currently anchored by its 100% owned flagship Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project in the heart of the prolific Timmins-Cochrane mining camp.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain information that may constitute \forward-looking information\ under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward looking information includes, but is not limited to, drill results relating to the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, the potential of the Crawford Nickel-Cobalt Sulphide Project, timing of economic studies and resource estimates, strategic plans, including future exploration and development results, and corporate and technical objectives. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon a number of assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals, the future? demand for metals, the results of drilling, inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the property, environmental liabilities (known and unknown), general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, results of exploration programs, timing of the updated resource estimate, risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, and failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. All forward-looking information contained in this press release is given as of the date hereof and is based upon the opinions and estimates of management and information available to management as at the date hereof. Canada Nickel disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

For further information, please contact:

Mark Selby, Chair and CEO Phone: 647-256-1954 Email: info@canadanickel.com

In Europe: Swiss Resource Capital AG Jochen Staiger info@resource-capital.ch www.resource-capital.ch
The Department of Infrastructure has insisted applicants may request their name is printed in Irish when applying for a driving license after local applicants encountered difficulties.

Mid Ulster MLA, Emma Sheerin, said concerns had been raised by constituents whose requests for their license renewals to be issued in Irish were not honoured.

The right to have your details printed in Irish on your licence is protected within the European Charter for Regional and Minority languages, she said.

Following the commitment to an Irish Language Act within New Decade, New Approach, I would have hoped that the use of Irish on official documents would be encouraged within agencies, as opposed to prevented.

I was contacted by a family who had applied for their licence renewals to reflect their fluency in the language, and to have their names and addresses in Irish on their Photographic licences, and was concerned that their demand had not been acted upon by DVA staff.

A driving licence, like any official ID, is often a source of pride and an opportunity to express ourselves.

It is therefore key that citizens have their identity expressed as they wish on their licence, not as another would interpret it.

The Department of Infrastructure has confirmed applicants may request their name in Irish on their license.

A spokesperson said: An applicant for, or holder of, a Northern Ireland driving licence may, at any time, request that their name appears in traditional form.

Such a request does not constitute a change of name and the applicant or holder is not required to provide identity documentation bearing the name in Irish.

Where an applicant for, or holder of, a Northern Ireland driving licence requests that the address is displayed in Irish, such a request will be met provided the relevant council confirms that the street name has been legally adopted.

Currently this does not extend to other addresses. It was agreed in New Decade New Approach that the Executive Office would bring forward language legislation and appoint a Commissioner to protect and enhance use of the Irish language.

It is important that this legislation is brought forward as soon as possible, and I will seek to ensure that my department plays its role and fulfils its commitments.

Ms Sheerin welcomed the Departments response and clarification.

She said: I am delighted that the minister has written to me to confirm that this was an error, and that the department understand it is a person's right to have their name printed in Irish.

Where their council has a street sign policy in place which has legally adopted their street or road into Irish, they are entitled to have their address displayed as such.

Ms Sheerin also confirmed the constituents had now received their licenses with their names printed in Irish.
A kid attends school in the Netherlands while wearing a face mask on May 14, 2020.

Robin Utrecht/Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media/Getty Images

As US schools begin reopening, dozens of students and school employees are testing positive for COVID-19.

Hundreds of students and some teachers have been ordered to quarantine.

Recent research suggests that children may spread the coronavirus as efficiently as adults.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Video: Risk ranking of everyday activities for COVID-19

Joel Barnes wanted schools to reopen in his Mississippi city.

A retired teacher, Barnes knew that his own kids missed seeing their friends and learning in person. Their district in Corinth was taking precautions: 7th and 8th graders were to stay in a special wing of the high school, and there were virtual learning options, too.

So Barnes and his wife Lindsay decided to send their four children back.

"It's just one of those hard decisions," Barnes told Business Insider. "You're danged if you do, danged if you don't."

The kids  his youngest is in 2nd grade while his oldest is a high-school freshman  started school on July 27. By the end of the first week, the district announced that a high-school student had tested positive. Two more were diagnosed the following week. Then two more. Then a student at the middle school. And then an elementary school employee.

"I did not expect it to go up so quickly  within a week and a half of school starting," Barnes said.

At least 115 students who had close contact with the sick people in the Corinth school district have been sent home to quarantine for 14 days, according to CNN. Barnes' 14-year-old son is one of them.

"I'm so angry," Lindsay Barnes said on Thursday. "We tried to pull him yesterday and the school wouldn't let us."

Corinth Elementary School students exit their bus wearing masks to protect against coronavirus, as they arrive for their first day back to school, July 27, 2020 in Corinth, Mississippi.

Adam Robison/Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal/AP

Corinth's experience does not stand alone. As schools across the US begin to reopen, several districts have already seen outbreaks of COVID-19.

In Georgia's Cherokee school district, three students have tested positive and a kindergarten class was sent home after a teacher displayed symptoms. A handful of employees at Louisiana's Jefferson Parish school district tested positive two days into their school year, and at least six students in Southern Indiana tested positive after their first weeks back, too. Four school districts in Central Indiana, meanwhile, have identified at least seven cases since schools began reopening last week.

Story continues

Together, these small outbreaks highlight the risks of reopening schools while the US continues to report high daily case numbers. (The country's seven-day average still exceeds 50,000 new cases per day.) More than 80% of Americans live in a county where a school of 500 students or more would see at least one infection of COVID-19 within the first week of reopening, according to a recent New York Times analysis.

Evidence suggests children can spread coronavirus like adults

Although kids are less likely to get severe coronavirus cases, mounting evidence suggests they can spread the virus. Most children have the same amount of virus in their upper respiratory tracts as adults do, according to a research letter published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, and children under 5 may have between 10 and 100 times more virus than adults (though this doesn't necessarily mean they spread the virus more efficiently).

A study published last week found that US school closures from March to May reduced the weekly rate of new cases in the US by 62%.

According to a July survey, 60% of US parents  and 76% of parents of color  support schools' plans to delay reopening.

Although Barnes was initially part of the other 40%, the recent spike in cases has rattled his family.

His son reported that some of his high-school peers  and even his teachers  were wearing masks either improperly or not at all. Barnes said that lax approach to mask-wearing is reflected across Corinth.

As of Thursday, his three younger children  all elementary-school-aged girls  were still going in. He doesn't blame the school district for the outbreak; he blames a lack of political leadership from officials in his state and the federal government.

"With the way these cases have been handled at this point, I truly wish we'd kept our children home," Barnes said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A satellite image shows the deployment of amphibious armoured vehicles in the PLA's Eastern Theatre Command - Kanwa Defence Review

China has deployed more amphibious weapons in coastal cities across the 110-mile wide strait that separates China from Taiwan, according to reports of recent satellite images.

The images published in Canadian military magazine Kanwa Asian Defence show that more Type 05 vehicles had been deployed to Chinas Eastern Theatre Command, according to the South China Morning Post.

The Type 05 is a family of amphibious tracked armoured fighting vehicles developed for the navy marine corps of the People's Liberation Army.

It comes amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China.

Chinas communist rulers seek to annex the island of 23 million, which functions like any other nation with its own democratic government and military but lacks widespread recognition as an independent state because of opposition from Beijing.

Beijing has warned it may resort to force if Taipei, which rejects Chinese sovereignty claims, resists its attempts to unify.

The PLA ground forces want to play an active role in the Taiwan issue because so far their weapon systems are powerful enough to attack Taiwan without the help of missile force, said Andrei Chang, editor of Kanwa Asian Defence.

A Taiwanese F-16 flies on the flank of a PLAAF H-6 bomber - AP

In late July, Joseph Wu, the Taiwanese foreign minister, warned that China was stepping up military preparedness to take over Taiwan following a recent spike of Chinese drills near the island.

Looking on the long-term trend, China appears to be gradually stepping up its military preparedness, especially in air or on the waters near Taiwan, Mr Wu told reporters. The threat is on the rise.

This week it was confirmed that Taiwans military has sent a marine company to reinforce a garrison on a small outpost on the Pratas Islands in the South China Sea, after reports that the PLA was planning a simulated attack on the islets.

In a recent Reuters investigation, the news agency said that China was launching new amphibious assault ships and beefing up its marines to project power far from home, but also to strengthen its ability to invade Taiwan.

Chinas shipyards have launched the PLA Navys first two Type 075 amphibious assault ships, capable of carrying up to 900 troops and heavy equipment, which will form the spearhead of an expeditionary force to play a role similar to that of the U.S. Marine Corps, it reported.

And like the Marines, the new force will be self-contained - able to deploy solo with all its supporting weapons to fight in distant conflicts or demonstrate Chinese military power.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With a commitment to advance the interest of the Nigerian-American community, the Nigerian-Americans United Political Action Committee (NAUPAC) is being launched. NAUPAC is a political enlightenment organization that is established to mobilize all naturalized Nigerian-Americans and the younger generations of Nigerians born in the United States of America for a collective and uniform political outlook in the forthcoming presidential election. In a statement credited to Christian N. Ihenacho, the Executive Director of NAUPAC, he described NAUPAC as "a movement on a mission to reach out to the Nigerian-American Community in the United States of America and to encourage them to register and vote for Joe Biden in the upcoming November 2020 Presidential Election."

Nigerian-Americans constitute a small number of all immigrant groups in the United States but have been identified as the most educated immigrant community with an average of a Bachelor's degree or higher. Nigerians in the United States also earn an income well above the national average and contribute a significant amount of their earnings in taxes into the United States treasury. Despite these accomplishments, the outcome from previous elections has shown that the Nigerian-American Community is lacking in collective political thinking and action, which consequently makes them vulnerable to internal political divisions, vote splits, and of little political relevance.

In light of this new reality and the critical nature of the 2020 Presidential Election, the founders of NAUPAC have resolved to change the dynamics and pattern of voting within the Nigerian-American Community by campaigning for massive registration and voting by members the Community for Joe Biden, in whom their collective interest and safety are best guaranteed. The movement is committed to the ideals of the United States of America that all man is created equal with alienable rights, free from systemic and institutional racism, discrimination, and inequality. With a collective action towards the election of a new President of the United States and a congress that holds the aforementioned societal values in high regard, the Nigerian-American community can make a significant contribution to the actualization of America that will protect Civil Liberties, the Voting Rights Act, and promote Racial Equality.

We, therefore, call on all Nigerian-American, the greater African-American community, and all other groups with whom we share a common dream and aspiration to be a part of our efforts by registering with us at www.nigerianamericansunited.org. You can also mail us at: [email protected] with your comments or inquiries.

Signed:

Christian N. Ihenacho

Executive Director

(619) 928-9275

SOURCE Nigerian-Americans United Political Action Committee

Related Links

http://www.nigerianamericansunited.org


Kozhikode : /New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) In one of the worst air disasters witnessed in Kerala, an Air India Express flight, returning from Dubai under the Vande Bharat mission, skidded off the runaway at the "table top" Kozhikode airport leaving at least 14, of the 190 people on board, dead including the pilot, Capt D.V. Sathe. The plane plunged 35 feet into the valley below, as it landed on its second attempt amid heavy rain on Friday.

The mishap occurred at 7.41 p.m.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Air India Express AXB1344, a B737 aircraft, with 190 people onboard, landed on Runway 10 amid visibility of 2,000 metres in heavy rain, but overshot and nosedived into the valley and broke into two pieces.

As per the Ministry of Civil Aviation, rescue operations are continuing and passengers are being taken to hospitals for medical care.

Authorities in Kerala, however, said that there were 184 people - 128 men, 46 women and 10 children - on board, as five people who had a ticket did not board the aircraft.

An eyewitness said that he rushed to the spot on hearing the sound of the crash.

"I live around 20 metres away from the compound wall of the airport and hearing the loud sound a few of us came rushing. We saw the cockpit of the aircraft jutting out of the compound wall," the local resident said.

"We were a few people and we started to bang the airport gate, but the CISF personnel failed to open. We saw a fire engine and an ambulance arriving after which the CISF personnel asked for help and we rushed inside. We rescued the children first and assisted several others also," he added.

State Health Minister K.K. Shailaja said that the condition of a mother and child was reported to be serious.

Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan, who hails from the state, said the Karipur airport as it is known is a table top airport, and that was one reason why the plane plunged into the valley causing its middle part to break open.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan about it. Table top airports have a disadvantage during rainy seasons. Generally, during heavy rains, aircraft are not allowed to land at table top airports. All these things will come out in the DGCA probe," said Muraleedharan.

Local legislator T.V. Ibrahim who was at a local hospital near the airport asked TV channels to beam the images of a young boy he was carrying in his arms as his parents were missing, so as to help the boy's relatives in locating him at the Kondotty Relief Hospital.

According to information from the spot, the passengers sitting in the front rows of the plane have been seriously injured.

The condition of 13 passengers who were brought to another private hospital is reported to be serious.

Vijayan has directed Local Self Government Minister A.C. Moideen and Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel to rush to the spot to oversee relief operations.

Latest updates on Kerala Air India Plane Crash

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Amid increased tensions between the US and China, global stocks ended four days of gains on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the banning of U.S. transactions with two popular Chinese apps, Tencents WeChat and ByteDances Tiktok.



Tencent Holdings Ltd owns the popular WeChat app, while ByteDance is the owner of TikTok.



The executive order by Trump will be effective in 45 days and comes after the Trump administration said this week it was stepping up efforts to purge "untrusted" Chinese apps from U.S. digital space.



Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britains FTSE 100 fell 0.22 per cent. Germanys DAX and Frances CAC 40 fell 0.33 per cent and 0.64 per cent, respectively.



In Asia, Japans Nikkei ended down 0.39 per cent. Hong Kongs Hang Seng fell 1.6 per cent. New York futures were lower. The Canadian dollar was trading at 74.84 US cents.



Shares of other U.S.-listed Chinese companies backed by Tencent, including JD.com, Huya Inc and Nio Inc fell between 0.5% and 3.8% on Friday.



China's foreign ministry has responded to Trump's action, saying it would defend the interests of Chinese businesses and warned that the United States would have to "bear the consequences" of its action.



Tencent has invested in several Chinese, American and European companies, including Tesla Inc and "Call of Duty" creator Activision Blizzard Inc.













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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By Yeomin Yoon

As a person raised in a family that revered the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, I believe that both sages of China would agree with Hong Kong students that people-based politics is the only legitimate way to govern China, including Hong Kong.

More than 2 millennia ago, Confucius insisted that a leaders first loyalty is to his subjects  they are water to the leaders ship. Confucius said that the water could let the ship float only if it sailed in accordance with the will of the water. If the ship sailed against the will of the water, it would sink.

Two thousand years before John Locke laid the foundation for modern democracy, Mencius, whose development of orthodox Confucianism earned him the title of Second Sage, advocated minben zhengchi (literally translated as "people-based politics" or democracy in modern terms). He preached that if the ruler did not govern righteously, the people had the right to rise up and overthrow the ruler in the name of heaven.

I vividly recall what a university student told me at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on in June 1989: Following the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, we are peacefully calling for minben zhengchi. The problem is that although the students in Beijing in 1989 and todays Hong Kong students may hail from the Confucian/Mencian camp or Chinas other long and deep tradition of humanistic ideas and values, the rulers in Beijing do not. Even though the Chinese government has established more than 500 Confucius Institutes throughout the world, Chinas rulers seem to pitch the world view of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, rather than that of Confucius or Mencius.

Emperor Qin buried alive hundreds of Confucian scholars who opposed his harsh imperial rule. Like the imperial Qin China, today's China tends to induce the citizens of the world to think of an inhumane regime that consistently places the cold interests of state power over and against human dignity and freedom.

Achieving a fully functioning democracy concerns not only Hong Kong but also mainland China. Its prerequisite is the agreement and support of the supermajority of the 1.4-billion-strong Chinese people. Todays Hong Kong situation provokes the following fundamental question: How strongly do the Chinese people (including Hongkongers) believe that equal human dignity and rights under the law and freedom of expression and association are humankinds universal birthright and how urgently do they demand such right?

The sad answer is that many contemporary mainland Chinese, except a tiny minority of marginalized intellectuals and other Tiananmen veterans, do not possess any sense of urgency about this universal human value. Many of today's Chinese, especially the youth, are either misinformed or indifferent to seeking the truth about the Tiananmen protests of 1989 or the recent protests of Hong Kong students. They also appear to be so co-opted, if not corrupted, by their newly acquired material comfort that they are appreciative of their rulers for bringing it to them.

Many Chinese tend to think that the risen China is proving to the world that democracy is neither the only way nor an efficient way to fuguo qiangbing (Rich Country, Strong Army). Before he died in 2017, the Nobel laureate human rights activist Liu Xiaobo lamented on the indifference of the Chinese populace that precludes the massive peoples demand for democracy, which is a prerequisite for any substantive changes to the authoritarian rule.

The national security law is a demonstration of the Chinese Communist Party's determination to crush opposition no matter what the cost to its reputation in the world. Given the current situation, what viable options are there for Hong Kong students?

One option is to flee, when they can, to a freer foreign country willing to accept political refugees from Hong Kong. If they remain in Hong Kong or any other part of China, they will have to struggle, for many years to come, in a dehumanized land where people do not even have the freedom to despair, and where very few care to question the absurdity of holding the two incompatible systems of communism and capitalism simultaneously.

Each university student in Hong Kong will have to ask himself/herself what being a human being, Chinese, and Hongkonger in the 21st century should mean before making the individual decision on what to do. Exigent existential situations demand timely and brave actions. Human existence is a constant act of balancing being, knowing and doing with no way to choose one at the exclusion of another. That is the human condition.

Yeomin Yoon is a professor in the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University.

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Thousands of motorists are facing heavy queues as they make a last-minute dash across the Queensland border before it shuts to NSW and the ACT.

Residents who have been in NSW and the ACT over the past 14 days will not be allowed to enter the Sunshine State from 1am on Saturday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who had already barred travellers from Greater Sydney and Victoria, declared the state and territory to be COVID-19 hotspots.

Ms Palaszczuk defended her decision to close borders to NSW, saying she didn't want her state to become the next Victoria.

Thousands of motorists are warned of heavy queues as they make a last-minute dash across the Queensland border on Friday

Pictured: A police officer directs traffic as motorists are approach a checkpoint at Coolangatta on Friday

Residents who have been in NSW and the ACT over the past 14 days will not be allowed to enter the Sunshine State from 1am on Saturday. Pictured: Cars wait in traffic as they attempt to enter Queensland

'It only takes one or two people coming into Queensland and we could have a situation like is unfolding in Victoria,' she said.

'I do not want that to happen here.'

Victoria is battling a deadly second wave of coronavirus infections, with 7,449 active cases across the state.

There are fears the outbreak has jumped the border to NSW, where there are now 104 active infections.

Road access to Queensland will be blocked to all vehicles once the border closes except those from border communities and freight.

Vision from the border checkpoint at Coolangatta showed hundred of cars lined in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

A motorist is stopped at the Queensland and New South Wales border on Friday

Road access in Queensland will be blocked to all vehicles once the border closes except those from border communities and freight. Pictured: Long queues on Friday

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski expects two-hour delays at vehicle checkpoints up to the 1am deadline.

'I know that's very tight for everybody,' he told ABC radio on Friday.

About 6,000 vehicles have been checked in the past day and 68 people have been turned around.

More than 3,000 travellers have flown into the state in the past 24 hours to beat the hard border lockdown.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the reintroduction of border controls is to keep Queenslanders safe from further COVID-19 infection.

Cars crawl through a roundabout as they attempt to enter Queensland on Friday

A police officer stops cars at the Queensland and New South Wales border ahead of its closure

'New South Wales has done such a brilliant job to maintain where they are, but despite that they are still seeing, every single day, cases that they can't link back to known outbreaks,' she said.

'So that's why we really, to keep Queenslanders safe, we needed to reinstitute those border controls.'

Dr Young said she understands the closures create 'a lot of inconvenience'.

'We have seen large numbers of Queenslanders coming back through the borders in the past few days, which is good,' she said.

People from non-hotspot locations will have to travel by air or via the Northern Territory border.

The decision to close the border will be reviewed at the end of August.
Geojit's report on Agri Picks

Crushing of mustard seeds by mills in the country surged 52.4% on year to 800,000 tn in July, data from the Mustard Oil Producers Association of India showed. Mustard crushing in July was, however, largely unchanged from June, an official with the association said. The country received 41% above-normal rainfall at 12.7 mm yesterday, the India Meteorological Department said. With rainfall above normal for two consecutive days, the overall rains also covered up the deficit and improved to normal levels. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index rose for the second straight month in July, with the index averaging 94.2 points, up 1.2% on month. The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries expects the global consumption of natural rubber to rise 2.6% on year in Aug-Oct on the back of stimulus measures the world over and improvement in economic activity in major consumers like the US and China. However, it did not specify the demand in terms of tonnage. The National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange will impose additional surveillance margin of 5% on guar gum contracts, till Aug 27, the bourse said in a circular today. The margin was applicable till Aug 25, before the extension. The government has clarified that full export subsidy will be given to even those mills that export sugar to refineries located in special economic zones, the food ministry said in a notification. The NCDEX Agridex, an index of agricultural commodities, was up by 16.80 points at 1091.45 today as contracts of soybean, chana, mustard seed, guar seed and castor seed gained.

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MINNEAPOLIS - Some people who feel dizzy or lightheaded when they stand up may have an increased risk of developing dementia years later, according to a new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The condition, called orthostatic hypotension, occurs when people experience a sudden drop in blood pressure when they stand up.

The study found the link with dementia only in people who have a drop in their systolic blood pressure, not in people with only a drop in their diastolic blood pressure or their blood pressure overall.

Systolic is the first, or top, number in a blood pressure reading and systolic orthostatic hypotension was defined as a drop of at least 15 mmHg after standing from a sitting position.

"People's blood pressure when they move from sitting to standing should be monitored," said study author Laure Rouch, Pharm.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, San Francisco. "It's possible that controlling these blood pressure drops could be a promising way to help preserve people's thinking and memory skills as they age."

The study involved 2,131 people who were an average age of 73 and did not have dementia when they enrolled. Their blood pressure readings were taken at the start of the study and then one, three and five years later. A total of 15% had orthostatic hypotension, 9% had systolic orthostatic hypotension and 6% had diastolic orthostatic hypotension.

Over the next 12 years, the participants were evaluated to see if anyone developed dementia. A total of 462 people, or 22%, did develop the disease.

The people with systolic orthostatic hypotension were nearly 40% more likely to develop dementia than those who did not have the condition. Fifty of the 192 with systolic orthostatic hypotension, or 26%, developed dementia, compared to 412 of the 1,939 people without it, or 21%. When researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect dementia risk, such as diabetes, smoking and alcohol use, those with systolic orthostatic hypotension were 37% more likely to develop dementia.

The researchers also found that people whose sitting-to-standing systolic blood pressure readings changed the most from visit to visit were more likely to develop dementia years later than people whose readings were more stable.

The people were divided into three groups based on how much their readings changed over time. A total of 24% of people in the group with the most fluctuation in systolic readings later developed dementia, compared to 19% of the people in the group with the least fluctuation. When researchers adjusted for other factors affecting dementia risk, those in the highest group were 35% more likely to develop dementia than those in the lowest group.

Rouch noted that the study is observational and does not show cause and effect. It only shows an association between the blood pressure readings and the development of dementia. Another limitation of the study was that the diagnosis of dementia was made without distinction between Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

###

The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging.

Learn more about brain health at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology's free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

When posting to social media channels about this research, we encourage you to use the hashtags #Neurology and #AANscience.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with over 36,000 members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
The recent NDC case in the Supreme Court concerned citizens who had previously exercised their entitlement to register and, thereby, obtained their voters ID cards issued by the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission registered these citizens, entered their names on the voters register, and issued them with voter ID cards. By doing so, the Electoral Commission undoubtedly represented to them that they could exercise their rights to vote. Such citizens can be said to have accrued rights in that regard. On what basis would the very Electoral Commission that issued those voter ID cards now seek to deny the use of the same cards as identity and proof of a right that has accrued to them? Should our Supreme Court have, by the stroke of a pen, disentitled such citizens with valid voter ID cards from using them as proof of identification in a future voter registration exercise? Well, they did!

Is it not the case that the Supreme Court itself had, previously in the Abu Ramadan case, ordered the Electoral Commission to clean up the existing register by removing from it the names of those who had registered by using the NHI card as proof of identity? If we assume that the Electoral Commission complied with the Supreme Courts orders, why would the same Supreme Court, after its orders had been complied with by the Electoral Commission, now rely on the Abu Ramadan case to say that the Register of voters is unclean?

Can you imagine that even when the Supreme Court held in the Abu Ramadan case that there were some anomalies with the existing voters register, it also held that those anomalies were not enough to invalidate the whole Register, and that the fault of a few could not be used to disenfranchise the whole voter population? Even in relation to those who were identified to have used the NHI cards to register, the Supreme Court gave them the opportunity to register again, using other means of identification. So what has changed? Why would the same Supreme Court go back on its word and now say that, as a matter of fact, the faults of those few now affect the whole register, and take away the rights of everybody on that register?

Do you know that the Supreme Court says that your birth certificates are now worthless documents in identifying who you are and, thereby your nationality? Think about it. If you dont have a passport or Ghana card, and you were asked to prove your age, what would you use? And, oh, by the way, was the birth certificate not used as identification for the purpose of issuing passports and Ghana cards to holders? How would you also prove your nationality? Have you thought that even if you held a birth certificate today which showed you were born in Ghana, and you added your parents' birth certificates to it which showed that they were also born in Ghana, you would still not have succeeded in proving your identity and nationality? Well, that is what the Supreme Court now says. Allah help us.

Alhaji Haruna Rashid Ibrahim

Director of Research

National Democratic Congress

Nima, Accra

7th August 2020
Nonprofit expert awarded for excellence in online teaching

Karabi Bezboruah has won the 2020 United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) International Excellence in Teaching/Training Award.

Bezboruah, an associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA), said the award is an honor for The University of Texas at Arlington because it is recognized globally.

"I try to humanize my online courses and be available for my students," she said. "Additionally, I use student feedback as a mechanism to improve my courses and teaching every semester."

CAPPA Dean Adrian Parr said Bezboruah is an inspirational teacher, both in-person and online.

"She uses a variety of different tools and pedagogical approaches that she incorporates in a traditional classroom setting, thereby giving her students the best of both online and classroom worlds," Parr said. "Dr. Bezboruah's main strength, though, is the manner in which she uses her own rich research outcomes as a platform to inspire her students, regardless of the teaching modality."

Bezboruah, who specializes in public and nonprofit management, said she incorporates experiential projects in her online courses that benefit communities.

"Experiential projects help students acquire critical thinking skillsets that are so needed in today's workforce," she said. "It makes the online courses more context-based and practical for students, and the experience adds value to the curriculum."

USDLA, founded in 1987, is the nation's leading distance learning organization. These prestigious USDLA International Awards are presented annually to organizations and individuals engaged in the development and delivery of distance learning programs.

The USDLA International Awards are closely followed by the distance learning community.

"As the premier organization for the entire distance learning profession, USDLA has a history of honoring leaders within the industry," said Reggie Smith III, CEO/executive director of USDLA. "We recognize leaders in the field each year and their award-winning best practices are especially important during a global pandemic when so many are learning from a distance."

The USDLA Awards were created to acknowledge major accomplishments in distance learning and to highlight those distance learning instructors, programs, and professionals who have achieved and demonstrated extraordinary results through the use of online, videoconferencing, satellite and blended learning delivery technologies. "This year's USDLA Award recipients represent the finest examples of online courses, best practices and leadership in our field," said Rhonda Blackburn, president of USDLA. "Each year we are impressed with the caliber of our winners, and they stand as examples for the world to emulate."

###

This story has been published on: 2020-08-07. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A man accused of fatally stabbing his grandmother in 2017 and later freed from a state hospital has been released from jail in Anaconda after being arrested this week for allegedly trying to strangle his grandfather.

Tyler Daniel Smith, 24, was bonded out by his mother Thursday night, but not before he was formally charged with attempted strangulation of a family or partner member. A conviction for the felony carries a maximum five-year prison term and fine up to $50,000.

The mother previously told police Smith tried to strangle his grandfather during an altercation over burned popcorn late Monday night, and referred to her son as a ticking time bomb, according to charging documents.

The grandfather gave the same account, but on Tuesday, when officers talked to them again, they changed their stories.

When (the grandfather) was asked about how the assault had occurred, he seemed upset about newspaper articles about the incident and denied that Smith had tried to strangle him, Ben Krakowka, the prosecutor in the case, said in an affidavit.

This contradicted his statements and descriptions from the evening before, it says. The mother also modified her version of events to say no attempted strangulation occurred, which was different than the explicit description she had provided the night before.

The charge was filed and Smith has been assigned a public defender in Anaconda. The Montana Standard left a voicemail at that office on Friday seeking comment.

Authorities and many residents in Anaconda were dismayed when Smith was released from the Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs in January. State officials said they couldnt lawfully comment on the situation, but said they only release people when doctors have determined they are not a danger to themselves or others.

But police say Smith, 24, assaulted his grandfather late Monday night in the same house where the grandmother was killed.

When informed of the developments, the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the state hospital and its patients, said Friday the matter was no longer in its hands and it had no obligation to act.

Montana State Hospital (MSH) does not hold jurisdiction over individuals until they are committed to us by the Courts, even if an individual is a former patient, DPHHS spokesman Jon Ebelt said in an email to The Montana Standard. An individual would have to be re-committed by the Courts. Individuals are admitted to MSH through a court order issued by a judge.

For someone to be re-admitted to MSH, there would have to be a court proceeding requiring a mental health evaluation or court-ordered treatment, he said.

Meanwhile, some residents in a Missoula neighborhood say Smith and his mother at times have been staying in neighborhood there.

"As the board president representing the residents of the Country Crest Home Owners Association, I am concerned regarding the current PFMA (partner-family member assault) allegations regarding Mr. Smith in Anaconda and the previous deliberate homicide charges," Philip Keating said in an email to the Standard.

According to the new charging documents, Smith called police late Monday night to say he had an altercation with his grandfather and officers met him on a street corner to talk more.

Smith said he was cooking popcorn at a house in the 400 block of Oak Street, burned it, and his grandfather started to raise his voice about how long he cooked it. Smith said he then had a panic attack and an altercation started.

The mother told police Smith had gotten upset, thrown popcorn all over the living room, threw a plastic bottle and knocked over a lamp. When the grandfather went to call police, she said Smith grabbed him by the neck trying to choke him.

The grandfather said when the altercation spilled to the floor, Smith ripped his shirt. The grandfather said he was concerned the attack would continue so he hit his grandson.

The mother said Smith eventually walked out of the house, slamming salt and pepper shakers on the sidewalk. She told police her son was a ticking time bomb.

Authorities and many residents already were concerned about previous events.

Vicki Smith, 64, was stabbed to death at her residence in Anaconda on May 22, 2017. Tyler Smith, who was 21 at the time, was arrested soon after the stabbing and charged with deliberate homicide.

But defense attorneys for Smith sought a mental health evaluation of their client which was completed in November 2017. Its findings were confidential but pursuant to a judges order, Krakowka had to drop the criminal complaint and pursue commitment through the Montana DPHHS.

Smith returned to Anaconda in January and was living in a house two blocks from an elementary school and a middle school. State officials said by law, they couldnt even confirm Smith was at the hospital in Warm Springs, but did spell out some release protocols.

Once MSH medical staff determine it is safe for a civilly committed patient to be released  meaning they are no longer a danger to themselves or others through extensive mental health treatment, then they are released, the agency said in an email to the Standard in January.

Krakowka was among several officials in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County who were dismayed when the state released Smith in January.

Apparently, they have made the decision to release him, Krakowka said then. I strongly disagree with their assessment of his dangerousness and their decision to allow him back in the community."

An email seeking further comment on possible court proceedings was sent to Krakowka late Friday afternoon.

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Were Sushant Singh Rajputs bank accounts mishandled? ED finds out from Rhea

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Mumbai, Aug 07: Rhea Chakraborty appeared before the Enforcement Directorate after the agency rejected her request to postpone the questioning.

Rhea Chakraborty arrives at ED office for questioning in Sushant Singh Rajput death case|Oneindia

The ED had filed a money laundering probe in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput based on the First Information Report filed by the Bihar police. The ED will probe allegations of alleged mishandling of Rajput's money and his bank accounts.

The agency would also see isn anyone used Rajput's income for money laundering and creating illegal assets, officials said.

Rhea, her aide, Sushants friend all set to be questioned by ED

The ED will also question Rajput's friend Siddharth Pithani on Saturday. Rhea too has been asked to appear before the ED with relevant documents on Friday by 11 am.

She had requested the ED to put off the questioning in view of the Supreme Court hearing the matter, but the ED has not heeded to that request and says if she does not show up it would amount to violation of summons.

Meanwhile, the Bihar government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court accusing Rhea Chakraborty and her family of coming in contact with Sushant Singh Rajput with an intention of grabbing his money.

The affidavit said that Rhea and her family came in contact with Sushant with the sole intention of grabbing his money and later painting a false a picture of his mental illness.

The affidavit was filed by senior superintendent of police. He said that Rhea took Sushant to her house and started giving him overdose of medicines.

Sushant Rajput death case: Rhea Chakraborty appears before ED after request is rejected

The affidavit also said that despite total non-cooperation by the Mumbai Police, it has found several leads in the investigation. The Bihar Police also said that since the probe points are scattered at many places in India, it suggested a CBI probe into the mysterious death of Sushant Singh Rajput.

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Story first published: Friday, August 7, 2020, 15:26 [IST]
CHICAGO, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new market research report "Location Analytics Market by Component (Solutions and Services), Location Type (Indoor Location and Outdoor Location), Application (Remote Monitoring, Risk Management), Vertical (Retail, Government and Defense), and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Location Analytics Market size is expected to grow from USD 13.8 billion in 2020 to USD 26.7 billion by 2025, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.1% during the forecast period. Major factors fueling the market growth are the growing need of predictive analytics for businesses and the increasing use of location-based applications.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Location Analytics Market"

297 - Tables

56 - Figures

313 - Pages

Request for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=177193456

The geocoding and reverse geocoding segment to hold a larger market size during the forecast period

The Location Analytics Market is segmented into geocoding and reverse geocoding, data integration and ETL, reporting and visualization, thematic mapping and spatial analysis, and others (DBMS and sociodemographic data) by solutions. The geocoding and reverse geocoding segment is expected to have a larger market size during the forecast period, owing to the need to perform risk assessments using exact location information for making accurate analysis during natural calamities, such as earthquakes and floods. However, the data integration and ETL segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period. ETL helps in extracting geographic data from any source system, transforming it into a format based on users' needs and loading it in target systems.

By application, sales and marketing optimization segment to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period

The Location Analytics Market by application has been segmented into risk management, emergency response management, customer experience management, remote monitoring, supply chain planning and optimization, sales and marketing optimization, location selection and optimization, and others (predictive asset management and inventory management). The need to boost sales by performing various marketing campaigns and advertisements based on locations is leading to the adoption of sales and marketing optimization application.

Speak to Research Expert: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=177193456

North America to hold the largest market size during the forecast period

In North America, the US and Canada are the two major contributors to the overall Location Analytics Market growth. In the US, the government and defense, and telecommunication and IT verticals are expected to majorly contribute to the market growth. The growth in North America is attributed to the rising technological advancements, increasing industry standards for location-based technologies, and growing financial support from the governments.

Major vendors in the global Location Analytics Market are Google (US), Esri (US), Precisely (US), SAP (Germany), IBM (US), SAS Institute (US), Oracle (US), Microsoft (US), Cisco Systems (US), TomTom (Netherlands), Hexagon (Sweden), Zebra Technologies (US), GaliGeo (France), Purple (UK), Here technologies (US), Geomoby (Western Australia), Alteryx (US), CleverMaps (Czech Republic), IndoorAtlas (Finland), Lepton Software (India), Quuppa (Finland), CARTO (US), Tibco software (US), SparkGeo (Canada), PlaceIQ (US), Ascent Cloud (US), FourSquare (US), MapLarge (Georgia), Hardcastle GIS (US), GapMaps (Australia), Mapidea (Portugal), MOCA (Spain), Geoblink (Spain), Orbica (New Zealand), Quadrant (Singapore), Locale.ai (India), Placense (Israel), and Spatial.ai (US).

Browse Adjacent Markets: Analytics Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Location-Based Services (LBS) and Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) Market by Component (Platform, Services and Hardware), Location Type (Indoor and Outdoor), Application, Vertical, Region - Global Forecast to 2025

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/location-based-service-market-96994431.html

Cloud Infrastructure Services Market by Service Type (Storage as a Service, Compute as a Service, Disaster Recovery and Backup as a Service), Deployment Model, Organization Size, Vertical, and Region - Global Forecast to 2024

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/cloud-infrastructure-services-market-116511247.html

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A New York judge knocked down President Trump's bid to delay a defamation lawsuit from a woman who accused him of rape, ruling in a decision released Thursday that the presidency doesn't shield him from the case.

New York Supreme Court Justice Verna L. Saunders determined that the lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll could move forward and would not need to wait for a separate appeals court decision regarding a similar suit filed by Summer Zervos.

Zervos, a former 'Apprentice' contestant, has also alleged the that Trump sexually assaulted her in 2007.

On Thursday, a New York judge ruled that the defamation lawsuit brought against President Trump (left) by E.Jean Carroll (right) could proceed without delays

Trump's team argued Carroll's lawsuit should be delayed until an appeallate court made a decision regarding a similar lawsuit brought against him by Summer Zevos (pictured)

She initially filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump in January 2017 over comments he made in 2016 about her assault allegations. Trump's legal team has tried to delay Zervos' lawsuit.

In court documents viewed by DailyMail.com, Trump argued for the delay because he believed the Constitution barred presidents from being brought into lawsuits at the state level.

'Defendant, in sum and substance, argues that this action will not lie if it is barred by the Supremacy Clause of the United Sates Constitution prohibiting state court subject matter jurisdiction over a sitting United States President,' the court document reads.

'Defendant asserts that this very issue is pending before the Court of Appeals in the Zervos actions and that when granting leave to appeal, the First Department also granted a stay of those proceedings.

'Defendant thus claims a stay of the instant proceeding is warranted as the outcome of the Zervos action will determine whether this court has jurisdiction over defendant while in office.'

Pictured: the first of four pages in a New York state court document on Thursday

But Justice Saunders hit back at Trump's claim and wrote, 'No, it does not.'

Saunders added that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, that rejected Trump's claims he was immune to congressional and law enforcement investigations while president, now proved his current argument flimsy.

Carrolls lawyers have argued the justices essentially settled the question when they ruled last month on Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.s ability to subpoena Trump's tax records for a state grand jury investigation.

'We cannot conclude that absolute immunity is necessary or appropriate,' the Supreme Court said.

Previous U.S. Supreme Court decisions have said incumbent presidents cant be sued anywhere over official actions - so as to prevent the prospect of suits from influencing their decision-making - but they are subject to federal civil suits regarding private behavior.

The ruling left leeway for Trumps lawyers to challenge Vances subpoena on other grounds, and they are doing so. Trump, a Republican, has called the Democratic DA's inquiry into his financial dealings 'a pure witch hunt.'

President Trump (pictured) denied all sexual assault allegations brought forth by E. Jean Carroll and Summer Zervos

Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz contended that the Supreme Court's ruling 'was limited to the criminal context, and its reasoning does not extend to civil actions.'

Thursday's court ruling will be followed by a telephonic compliance conference on September 20 at 11am. Trump has the right to appeal the ruling.

The decision allows Carroll - who's seeking Trump's DNA as potential evidence - to keep pursuing her suit. She says he defamed her in denying her claim that he raped her in the 1990s.

'We are now eager to move forward with discovery so that we can prove that Donald Trump defamed E. Jean Carroll when he lied about her in connection with her brave decision to tell the truth about the fact that Donald Trump had sexually assaulted her,' said her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan.

Email and phone messages were sent to Trump's lawyers about the ruling.

Carroll, 78, celebrated the ruling on on Twitter by writing 'We move forward!'

'Judge Verna L. Saunders has DENIED Trump's assertion of absolute immunity!' wrote Carroll.

'My attorneys Roberta Kaplan, Joshua Matz and Matthew Craig are chomping at the bit to begin DISCOVERY!'

Carroll celebrated Thursday's ruling on Twitter and said her lawyers were 'chomping at the bit to be discovery'

Carroll, who was a longtime Elle magazine advice columnist until December, went public last year with an allegation that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in 1996.

She wrote in her memoir, which had an excerpt featured in New York Magazine, that it happened after they ran into each other at the store and Trump recognized her from her column.

After asking her to help him pick out a gift for a woman, Carroll said he took her to the lingerie department and asked her to try on an item he chose.

Then, Carroll said Trump raped her in the dressing room after a 'colossal struggle.'

Trump said Carroll was 'totally lying' to sell a memoir and that hed never met her, though a 1987 photo showed them and their then-spouses at a social event. He said it just captured a moment when he was standing in a line.

Pictured: the black coat-style dress Carroll reportedly wore during the alleged sexual assault

Last year, Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in Manhattan during 1996

While a 1987 photo shows them and their then-spouses at a social event, Trump dismissed it as a moment when he was 'standing with my coat on in a line.'

'She is trying to sell a new book - that should indicate her motivation,' he said in one of various statements on the matter, adding that the book 'should be sold in the fiction section.'

Carroll is trying to get a DNA sample from Trump to see whether it matches as-yet-unidentified male genetic material found on a dress that she says she was wearing during the alleged attack and didn't don again until a photo shoot last year.

'The dress has been tested. We have the results. My attorney @kaplanrobbie has served notice to @realDonaldTrump's attorney to submit a sample of Trump's DNA,' Carroll tweeted in January.

A lab report taken on the black wool coat-styled dress found DNA on the sleeves mixed with at least four people, including one man.

Carroll's suit seeks damages and a retraction of Trumps statements, saying they hurt her career and reputation.

Trump rape accuser E. Jean Carroll is fired by ELLE after 26 years 'because' of her ongoing legal battle with the president over 1990s 'attack' in Bergdorf Goodman dressing room

By Jennifer Smith

Trump rape accuser E. Jean Carroll has been fired by ELLE after having her name 'dragged through mud' by the president seven months after she accused him of raping her.

Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1980s in June last year. She sued him ever since, the pair have been entangled in a legal back and forth.

On Tuesday, Carroll tweeted that she had been fired by ELLE, the magazine she wrote an advice column for for 26 years.

'Because Trump ridiculed my reputation, laughed at my looks, & dragged me through the mud, after 26 years, ELLE fired me. I don't blame Elle.

'It was the great honor of my life writing "Ask E. Jean." I blame @realdonaltrump,' she said.

E. Jean Carroll publicly accused Trump of rape last June then sued him in November after he called her a liar

ELLE has not commented to her claims and did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's inquiries on Wednesday.

The revelation that she had been fired was included in court documents filed by her lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, on Tuesday.

Carroll's allegation against Trump went public last June in an excerpt of her book that was published by New York Magazine.

She said it happened in 1996. She had run into Trump in the luxury department store and he recognized her from her advice column.

On December 11, Carroll received this email from ELLE's Executive Managing Editor informing her that her contract would be terminated after 26 years

After asking her to help him pick out a gift for a woman, he took her to the lingerie department and asked her to try on an item he'd selected, she claimed.

Then, she alleged that he raped her in the dressing room after a 'colossal struggle'.

Trump denies it vehemently and said he does not even remember meeting her.

After his denial, Carroll sued him for defamation.

To fight the lawsuit, Trump is trying to delay it. His attorneys say that her case should not proceed until that of Summer Zervos - an apprentice contestant who also claims he assaulted her - is resolved.

That case is also on hold pending a decision by the New York Court of Appeals on whether or not a sitting president can be sued.

Kaplan said in her filings on Tuesday that Trump is trying to stall both cases.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, she said: 'Our client filed this lawsuit to prove that Donald Trump lied about sexually assaulting her and to restore her credibility and reputation.

'From the very beginning, Trump has tried every tactic lawyers can think of to halt this case in its tracks and keep the truth from coming out.

'His latest effort  a motion to stay our clients case until the New York Court of Appeals decides the Summer Zervos case likely after November 2020  is yet another obvious delay tactic that is not grounded in the law and, like his previous attempts to stall this case, will be rejected by the court.'

Carroll tweeted this on Tuesday after her attorneys included the email in court on Tuesday

In her book, Carroll describes the 'attack' in more detail.

'He opens the overcoat, unzips his pants, and, forcing his fingers around my private area, thrusts his penis halfway  or completely, Im not certain  inside me.

'It turns into a colossal struggle.

'I am wearing a pair of sturdy black patent-leather four-inch Barneys high heels, which puts my height around six-one, and I try to stomp his foot. I try to push him off with my one free hand  for some reason, I keep holding my purse with the other  and I finally get a knee up high enough to push him out and off and I turn, open the door, and run out of the dressing room.

'The whole episode lasts no more than three minutes. I do not believe he ejaculates. I dont remember if any person or attendant is now in the lingerie department.

'I dont remember if I run for the elevator or if I take the slow ride down on the escalator. As soon as I land on the main floor, I run through the store and out the door  I dont recall which door  and find myself outside on Fifth Avenue.

'The Donna Karan coatdress still hangs on the back of my closet door, unworn and unlaundered since that evening,' she wrote'.

Kaplan has asked Trump's lawyers for a DNA sample so she can see if it matches a trace of DNA found on the dress.

She has asked lawyers to provide the sample by March 2.
Union minister Narendra Singh



Tomar on Friday flagged off the country's first 'Kisan Rail' train from Deolali in Nashik to Danapur in Bihar, through video-conferencing.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union minister for agriculture and farmers welfare said Kisan Rail will help in transporting agricultural produce, especially perishable commodities, at cheaper rates and aid farmers in getting the right price for their crops.

Tomar, who also holds Rural Development and Panchayati Raj portfolios, said the had operated 4,610 trains on 96 routes, ensuring supply of food items across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who presided over the event, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had planned various measures to free farmers from years of bondage and these will make farmers of the country "atmanirbhar" (self-reliant) and prosperous.

Minister of state for railways Suresh Angadi, Leader of Opposition in assembly Devendra Fadanvis, Minister Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Chhagan Bhujbal were among the dignitaries who attended the virtual ceremony.

'Kisan Rail' is a weekly service that will depart from Deolali every Friday at 11 am and reach Danapur the next day at 6.45 pm.

On the return journey, the train will depart from Danapur every Sunday at 12 pm and reach Deolali at 7.45 pm the next day.

The train will cover a distance of 1,519 kms in 31.45 hours on a single trip and will halt at Nashik Road, Manmad, Jalgaon, Bhusaval, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Itarsi, Jabalpur, Satna, Katni, Manikpur, Prayagraj Chheoki, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay junction and Buxar stations.

"The Kisan Rail will provide a good market to the farmers for their produce. Aggressive marketing is being done by the Central Railway in coordination with local farmers, businessmen and the APMC to ensure farmers get maximum benefit," the Central Railway stated.

(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.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the New Education Policy focuses on the concept of how to think instead of the earlier emphasis on what to think.

Till date, we have been focusing on what to think in our education policy. In the New Education Policy, the focus is on how to think. There is an avalanche of information in this digital era, and thus, we have tried to filter out whats not needed, he said while delivering the inaugural address at the Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy.

Talking about the highlights of the NEP, the PM said that it gives multiple entry-exit options to students so that they can change courses mid-way through their studies or if they have to leave studies and take up jobs. He said that this option would also be advantageous as sometimes students realise that the course theyve done is not suited for the jobs they are seeking.

We are moving to an era where an individual will not be stuck to a single profession all his life. Thus, they will continuously need to re-skill and up-skill themselves. We have kept this in mind while formulating the NEP, PM Modi said.

Also Read |Fully committed: PM Modi assures complete implementation of NEP 2020

He said that the NEP will play a major role in reducing the gap between research and education in India.

Speaking about the role of teachers, the PM said that there is an emphasis on dignity of teaching in the NEP and there is stress on teacher training so that they continue to update their skills. He also said that the NEP is not just a circular and urged the teachers to show strong determination to implement it.

The New Education Policy was passed by the Union cabinet last month, bringing major reforms in higher education, including a target of 50 per cent Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) by 2035 and provision for multiple entry and exits.
When in doubt, throw it out  thats the key advice for dealing with food that may have spoiled due to prolonged power outages, according to federal regulators.

With Tropical Storm Isaias leaving hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents without power more than 48 hours after the storm walloped the East Coast, now is a good time to throw out food thats gone bad.

That comes as several Connecticut residents said they stocked up on extra food for the COVID-19 pandemic, and now have to throw it out due to the extended power outage.

An unopened refrigerator will only keep food cold for about four hours after the power has gone out, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service.

After that, start by tossing out any perishable foods such as meat, poultry, fish, soft cheeses, milk, eggs, leftovers, and deli items, the agency said.

Items kept in the freezer will naturally stay colder longer. A fully stocked freezer should keep food safe to eat for 48 hours, or 24 hours for a freezer thats half-full, the agency said.

If power is restored within 48 hours, food that still has ice crystals, or still below 40 degrees can be safely refrozen, the agency said.

In general, food thats still under 40 degrees will be safe to eat, according to the USDA.

Residents who suspect they will be out of power for a long period should purchase block ice or dry ice to keep your refrigerator and freezer as cold as possible, the agency said.
Rest assured, Pat Mastroianni misses being in comic cons as much as fans miss going to them.

So to help fill the void during the pandemic, the Degrassi High star has teamed with Niagara Falls Comic Con for a free movie night on Queen Street in Niagara Falls Aug. 26.

Following a screening of Schools Out, the beloved (and somewhat controversial) 1992 made-for-TV movie that ended Degrassi Highs two-year run, hell host a Q&A with fans.

Mastroianni played popular slacker Joey Jeremiah on both Degrassi High and Degrassi Junior High, appearing in 67 total episodes. He then reprised the character for 87 episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Niagara Falls Comic Con co-owners Chris Dabrowski and James Ponce were fans of the series and brought Mastroianni to town for the 2015 show. It was his first ever Comic Con and he was hooked.

I owe (Chris) and James a huge debt, he says. Theyve been such huge fans and supporters and always invite me out for fun events. This is just another one of their great ideas.

Fans are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs for the screening which starts at 8 p.m. on the promenade between St. Lawrence and Crysler avenues.

The format is similar to what Mastroianni has been doing for years in theatres. Its normally a nostalgic night of mingling with fans, but COVID-19 has forced some changes. Its now outdoors with physical distancing, and while there wont be any handshaking and up-close photos, it will still be a night full of Degrassi memories.

Ive been riding this wave of nostalgia for the past few years because of all of these conventions and because were all at the age now where life is just so weird that we want to escape, he says.

Just to look back at a simpler time. I think thats why comic cons are so popular right now. Its another way to celebrate nostalgia and have a distraction for a few hours.

Despite his callous attitude at times, Joey Jeremiah was one of the shows most popular characters. After multiple seasons of arrogance and multiple bad decisions, his come-uppance in Schools Out rattled fans. In fact, much of the Degrassi cast saw their characters take a dark turn in what was essentially the franchises final episode for nine years.

We were at our peak in terms of viewership and popularity (and) the series had to end unfortunately at that time, says Mastroianni. Many of us were heading off to university and wed done our time on the show. We felt, lets go out with a bang.

The writers created an amazing story plot and even we, after reading the script, were kind of like, Wow! This really is dark.

RELATED STORIES Niagara Region A Degrassi and Drake reunion for Niagara's Melissa McIntyre

The franchise continued with The Next Generation from 2001 to 2014, which starred Drake and Niagaras Melissa McIntyre, and Degrassi: The Next Class from 2016 to 2017.

The franchises longevity has created fan bases for different eras. Mastroianni says fans of the early seasons love them for their simplicity and made-in-Canada teen angst.

We are the last of an analog generation, he says. We cant go back to a time without the internet and social media. We really did have an innocence that cannot be duplicated again.

I sort of miss that simple world that we lived in.
A soldier stands at the devastated site of the explosion in the port of Beirut (Thibault Camus/AP)

A British citizen living in Beirut said his family feared he was dead following Tuesdays explosion.

Andy Kemp, 58, spoke of the emotional moment his son discovered he was still alive after the blast turned his office upside down.

He had been working less than half a mile from the explosion site when the blast saw glass shards fired into his head and neck.

He thought he had been blinded by the debris, before realising it was the blood from a head wound running into his eyes.

After the first explosion, Mr Kemp grabbed his phone and had enough time to type the words uh-oh in a group chat with his family before the second blast flung him across the room.

He said: My office was turned inside out, and was on top of me. That was fairly scary. It went an eerie quiet after that, I just sat there, under a pile of stuff, the windows had been blown off, and everything had collapsed.

Mr Kemps eldest son, Jack, 19, was at their apartment nearby when the explosion happened.

Jack heard the first explosion, went onto his balcony, saw the second explosion and ran inside, Mr Kemp said.

As he was running inside, the two glass doors into the balcony followed him.

He had an injury to his leg and assumed I was dead, freaked out and sprinted to the office. I met him coming the opposite way in the corridor, which was fairly emotional.

Expand Close French and Lebanese firemen search in the rubble of a building (Hassan Ammar/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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His wife Jane, 51, daughter Phoebe, 12 and youngest son Max, 18, were unharmed after visiting the beach.

At least 100 people died and thousands more were injured in the explosion  and while there are no reports of British fatalities, details of UK citizens caught up in the devastation are still being established.

The father-of-three realised he was bleeding heavily and tried the hospital nearest his office, which had been badly hit.

He described the scene on the streets as hell on earth, with rubble everywhere, and people compacted into their cars on the streets.

He said: They stuck me in the back of an ambulance with a dead guy and a bunch of people who werent doing very well.

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There was so much blood on my phone, I couldnt use it. I could see my wife was trying to call me, but when I tried to swipe to answer, my phone was slicked with blood.

He said he was one of the lucky ones as shards of debris narrowly missed piercing vital veins in his neck.

Speaking during a visit to Warrington, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was appalled and shocked by the scenes in Lebanon.

He said: Our sympathy is very much with the people of Lebanon, of Beirut, and all the victims, their families, all those whove lost their homes  hundreds of thousands of people who have seen their homes damaged, one of the worst explosions weve seen in modern times.

The UK has sent HMS Enterprise to help survey the port to see what we can do to help with the repair of damage.

He said the Government would be sending a medical team and support package of 5 million to aid recovery efforts.
A sting on a suspect migrant smuggling operation brought the M25 to a halt this afternoon as police stopped a lorry and arrested its driver.

Police brought traffic to a standstill near Brentwood after witnesses saw people leaving the back of a lorry at around 12.45pm.

Highways England cameras show multiple police cars surrounding a lorry, police say a 45-year-old lorry driver from Romania has been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.

It comes a day after a record 235 migrants crossed the channel and arrived in the UK - the highest ever daily total.

The news prompted a 'furious' Priti Patel to back plans for the Senior Service to patrol the English Channel.

The Home Secretary made a pledge last October that crossings would be virtually eliminated by now yet nearly 3,950 migrants made the crossing in small boats in the first 219 days of 2020  compared with 1,850 last year.

Essex Police cars surrounded a lorry on the side of the M25 this afternoon after people were seen leaving a trailer earlier this afternoon

Traffic was held on the M25 this afternoon as police surrounded a lorry suspected to have been carrying migrants

This afternoon, traffic was queuing for miles from around 1pm, with delays still remaining between Junction 27, the Theydon Interchange for the M11 and Junction 28 in Brentwood.

An Essex Police spokeswoman said: 'We were called shortly before 12.45pm this afternoon, Friday 7 August, with reports that people were seen to be leaving from a lorry trailer on the M25 between junctions 28 and 27.

'Officers quickly responded and have arrested a 45-year-old man from Romania on suspicion of immigration offences.'

The stoppage meant both carriageways of the motorway were closed on a day when many Brits were heading off to staycations, or to the beach.

Some passengers decided to take advantage of the closure by hopping out of their cars, with a couple of men pictured playing rugby on an empty carriageway.

Essex Police say the investigation is in its early stages and it is not clear at this time which country the lorry came from or at which entry point it entered the UK.

Last year, 39 Vietnamese nationals were found dead in the back of a lorry in a industrial estate in Grays, Essesx.

The victims include 10 teenagers and 31 people who were from the Ha Tinh region.

It comes as Rishi Sunak today promised swift action to turn back the 'tide' of migrant boats heading for the UK from France as he refused to rule out using the Royal Navy.

The Chancellor said people were right to be 'frustrated' the day after 235 migrants in 17 vessels made the perilous crossing  the highest daily total since the crisis began.

The figure, which surpasses the previous record of 202 set last Thursday, prompted officials to draw up plans where for the first time the Navy could turn back boats.

The number who have reached Britain so far this year is now already double the total who arrived in the whole of 2019.

Delays on the M25 were cleared by 5pm.

Desperate motorists were seen getting out of their cars after the M25 was shut in Essex, following what appears to be a police incident

Motorists took to Twitter to warn others not to go on the M25 today after Essex Police closed both carriageways near Brentwood

Young children are among another 100 migrants to arrive in the UK today as ministers threaten to send in the Royal Navy to turn back the 'tide' of boats crossing the Channel

By David Wilcock and David Barrett for the Daily Mail and James Gant for MailOnline

Young children were among another 100 migrants to have landed in Dover today as ministers threatened to send in the Royal Navy to help turn back the 'tide' of boats.

The fleet of dinghies included a girl aged around eight, another about 10, as well as at least five large groups of adults in the Kent town.

The children were picked up by the Border Force vessel Hunter and taken into a white tent at the marina at 12.15pm.

Some of the adults - who appeared mainly to be men - carried their possessions in plastic bags before they were processed.

Rishi Sunak today promised swift action to turn back the 'tide' of migrant boats heading for the UK from France as he refused to rule out using the Royal Navy.

A tiny baby was spotted yesterday morning arriving in Dover with its family after crossing the Channel in a dinghy - carried in what appears to be a gym bag

On Thursday up to 235 migrants crossed the channel  the highest daily total since the crisis began, surpassing the previous record of 202 set on Thursday last week

The Chancellor said people were right to be 'frustrated' the day after 235 migrants in 17 vessels made the perilous crossing  the highest daily total since the crisis began.

The figure, which surpasses the previous record of 202 set last Thursday, prompted officials to draw up plans where for the first time the Navy could turn back boats.

The number who have reached Britain so far this year is now already double the total who arrived in the whole of 2019.

Among today's illegal arrivals there was a group of 12 men in their 20s, who were on a small vessel intercepted by Border Force officers.

They were given face masks and were seen being bundled into a bus at around 10.30am.

Two dinghies carrying a total of around 20 migrants were also picked up off the coast shortly before 12pm.

Meanwhile Border Force workers had to rush to save a group of 17 migrants whose boat broke down in front of the White Cliffs of Dover.

A further nine men were seen leaving Hunter at 12.50pm wearing life jackets as authorities wore white masks to escort them to a coach.

And seven more male refugees were brought into the harbour on the vessel Speedwell at 1.30pm.

The number who have reached Britain so far this year is now already double the total who arrived in the whole of 2019

A Border Force officers escort a group of men thought to be migrants to a waiting bus after they were brought into Dover this morning

Two dinghies carrying a total of around 20 migrants were also picked up off the coast shortly before 12pm

A Coastguard spokesman said: 'HM Coastguard is today coordinating search and rescue responses to a number of incidents off Kent, working with Border Force and other partners.

'We are committed to safeguarding life around the seas and coastal areas of this country.

'HM Coastguard is only concerned with preservation of life, rescuing those in trouble and bringing them safely back to shore, where they will be handed over to the relevant partner emergency services or authorities.'

Speaking on a visit to Scotland earlier today, Mr Sunak said: 'I think people are absolutely right to be frustrated at the scenes they're seeing.

'I'm frustrated, everyone is, which is why we've been working much more closely with the French government in recent time to improve our co-operation and intelligence-sharing to police crossings.

'The immigration minister will be visiting France again, I believe next week, to discuss how we can step up that co-operation and take further action, further measures and stronger measures as required to stop and reduce the tide of boats coming.'

Among today's illegal arrivals there was a group of 12 men in their 20s, who were on a small vessel that was intercepted by Border Force officers

The fleet of dinghies included a a girl aged around eight, another around 10 as well as at least five large groups of adults in the Kent town

The children were picked up by the Border Force vessel Hunter and taken into a white tent at the marina at 12.15pm

A group of around 16 migrants including 10 kids and an eight-month pregnant woman landed on Dungeness beach, Kent, today

Immigration still too high  poll More than half of Britons think immigration is still too high despite years of Tory promises to bring it down, a study said yesterday. It warned Boris Johnson that if his points-based immigration system allows a wave of mass immigration, then voters will turn against him. The study from the Migration Watch UK think-tank said most recent polling found that 54 per cent think immigration has been too high over the past decade. Only 5 per cent think it has been too low. And more than six in ten said they believe the Government has been mishandling immigration policies. The analysis found that fears over the effects of large-scale immigration became a major concern after Tony Blair opened the doors to millions from both inside and outside the European Union. Worries declined after David Cameron came to power in 2010 promising to cut immigration back to 1990s levels and subsided further after the 2016 Brexit referendum. The report said: 'Most continue to have strong views about a perceived lack of effective immigration control.' Advertisement

Asked about reports the Navy will be used, he said: 'I wouldn't want to speculate on exactly what measures will be put in place.

'It's important that we work closely with our French allies on this situation.

'Obviously France is a safe country for migrants to be. We all want to see these crossings reduced and, pending the outcomes of those conversations, we can decide on the best next steps to take.'

A 'furious' Priti Patel last night backed plans for the Senior Service to patrol the English Channel.

Nearly 3,950 migrants made the crossing in small boats in the first 219 days of 2020  compared with 1,850 last year.

The crisis is a personal blow for the Home Secretary, who made a pledge last October that crossings would be virtually eliminated by now.

A Home Office source said: 'The final straw was this record number, which led the Home Secretary to demand this new initiative. The real solution must come from the French  we want the French to take them back.'

Last night sources said Navy vessels could now begin turning migrant boats back to France in a major escalation of tactics.

Mrs Patel has told MPs she has obtained legal advice that such a move would be legal under international maritime law.

But the tactic would be highly controversial and risk alienating the French government, which has told Britain it believes it to be illegal.

Other emergency measures being considered by the Home Office include using Navy vessels to block the path of migrant boats.

It is understood smaller military craft would be used, rather than larger vessels such as frigates or destroyers. The Royal Marines could play a key role, sources said.

British forces could also use nets to entangle propellers or floating 'booms' to block the way for migrants dinghies.

Both methods were tested in secret trials in May and June involving Navy ships and Border Force boats.

A Government source said: 'These are all options that are being considered. The Home Secretary is furious about this daily total, which we think is as high as 250.'

It is now understood the figure is 235, according to the BBC.

The source added: 'She has instructed her officials to speak to the Ministry of Defence about how we can proceed. She has also requested a discussion with the French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin.'

Civil servants from both departments have conducted initial talks and the Home Secretary may follow these up with a formal request for assistance from the Ministry of Defence.

Yesterday's arrivals included at least ten young children and a heavily-pregnant woman, who were aboard a boat which landed on Dungeness beach in Kent.

One of the children, a boy aged around four, looked exhausted as he lay back on the pebble beach with his arms spread out. The heavily-pregnant woman was wearing a black dress and face mask as she held the hand of a child.

She looked weary and had her head in her hand at one point, after being picked up by a lifeboat.

Amateur photographer Susan Pilcher, who saw the group on the beach, said: 'I could hear the Border Force workers asking the woman how many months pregnant she was, and she replied 'eight'.

Mrs Pilcher added: 'When you think she's doing such a risky crossing over the Channel when she's heavily pregnant, that says how much they've been through.'

A British patrol boat also towed a kayak into the Port of Dover yesterday.

The Home Secretary has said she wants 'stronger enforcement' on the other side of the Channel and has been trying to persuade the French government to allow migrant boats to be turned back.

She said last year that a previous deal with the French would make crossings an 'infrequent phenomenon' by this spring.

It came as an inquiry was launched into the crisis by the Commons all-party home affairs committee.

MPs will begin their investigation when Parliament returns at the start of September.

A committee spokesman said: 'The inquiry will look at the role of criminal gangs in facilitating the growth of this form of illegal immigration and the response of UK and French authorities to combat illegal migration and support legal routes to asylum.'
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Shocking video footage from Montauk beaches on Friday showed large crowds packed onto the sand despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic as residents continue to flee New York City.

The Long Island getaway destination has been heaving with visitors and tourists from around the state in the past few weeks as New Yorkers look to vacation closer to home to avoid a fourteen-day quarantine.

A two-week mandatory isolation period is still in place for travelers arriving to New York state from 34 other states and Puerto Rico where the virus is less contained - although 'checkpoints' in New York City remained unmanned Thursday despite a stern warning from Mayor Bill de Blasio.

It comes as wealthy New Yorkers remain out in their Hamptons and Montauk getaways, buying up mansions and avoiding having to return to the Big Apple over continued health fears.

They have been joined more recently by masses of city residents looking for a weekend getaway and crowding up beaches, despite advice from health authorities to continue social distancing, as the pandemic enters its seventh tumultuous month.

Montauk Beach was packed with visitors on Friday as New Yorkers flee to the state's beaches instead of interstate vacations

New Yorkers are remaining instate to vacation because of the 14-day quarantine imposed on travelers from 34 other states, as well as the US territory of Puerto Rico

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Video footage from Montauk Beach showed a sea of umbrellas along the sand ahead of the weekend, with large groups clustered together and ignoring social distancing protocols.

Clusters of people were also in the water while private parts of the beach were less crowded.

None of the people seen in the video were wearing masks as they walked among the different groups of people.

It is not unusual for Manhattan to clear out for the month of August, when temperatures between the skyscrapers soar and send many fleeing to Long Island's beaches or further afield.

But this summer, with the ongoing lack of appeal in the city, the likelihood that people will come back in the fall is shrinking.

Many of New York's wealthy residents fled months ago - taking their disposable income and their tax dollars with them - and there are fears they may never come back.

By May, around 420,000 of New York City's wealthiest residents left and set up home in the Hamptons, where they look set to remain for the forseeable future.

They've ignored Gov. Andrew Cuomo's pleas to return to the Big Apple to help offset the projected $30billion deficit over the next two years.

As well as the struggling New York City economy and stricter lockdown restrictions, the wealthy have also been attracted to remain in their summer rentals for longer as coronavirus cases remain low compared to NYC, which was once the global epicenter of the outbreak.

According to Indy East End, East Hampton had recorded 235 total cases as of Thursday while Southampton had 1,116, minimal numbers compared to the hundreds of thousands reported in NYC.

Yet Suffolk County, where Montauk and The Hamptons are located has the second highest number of cases in the state, following only NYC.

It had 43,681 cases as of Friday.

In the Hamptons, the rich have caused a surge in the local real estate market by buying additional mansions as well, as they continue to maintain their Botox appointments and hire security guards to closely monitor private beach entrance from gatecrashers.

The recent rush of visitors to the Long Island beaches, however, has come as New York residents fear having to undergo a 14-day quarantine if they travel outside of the state.

De Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo are enforcing checkpoints to stop tourists from 34 COVID hotspot states from entering the city without quarantining for two weeks.

The hotspot states are: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin; plus the US territory of Puerto Rico.

From Thursday, the checkpoints opened to register visitors and residents returning from the nearly three dozen states - an initiative that drew swift criticism from privacy advocates.

The checkpoints, targeting busy entry points like Penn Station, are more of an awareness campaign than a blockade, intended to preserve the city's progress in reducing its COVID-19 infection rate and forestall a second wave as the coronavirus ravages other states.

Authorities said this week a fifth of all new coronavirus cases in New York City have been from travelers entering the city from other states.

No masks were seen on Montauk Beach Friday as large crowds flocked to the sand, disregarding social distancing

Swarms of wealthy residents fled New York when the city went into lockdown in March and became the coronavirus epicenter of the world but they have remained there despite the Big Apple's outbreak improving. Pictured, the village of Sag Harbor in June

The random checks are similar to an effort already in place at airports and includes offers of free food delivery and in some cases even hotel stays for people who must quarantine.

'If we're going to hold at this level of health and safety in this city and get better, we have to deal with the fact that the quarantine must be applied consistently to anyone who's traveled,' Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

Despite the specter of fines, the checkpoints are more educational than punitive, and officials acknowledged the effort relies on voluntary compliance.

'We're not going to be in everyone's apartment monitoring them,' de Blasio added. 'Even if we're not going to be able to reach every single person with a checkpoint, I think it's going to help really get the message across.'

Teams began stopping travelers arriving in the city by train Thursday, requiring they complete a state Department of Health traveler form and warning they could face fines as high as $10,000 for failing to quarantine.

The checkpoints don't involve the police, but the city's Sheriff's Office, which enforces civil law, said it would pull over motorists at random on city bridges.

There were no Department of Health staff at the checkpoint on Thursday morning. Port Authority staff were baffled that no one had shown up as travelers breezed through the checkpoint instead of registering their details

People at Penn Station walk past COVID-19 tracing volunteers Thursday. No one was forced to fill out a form registering their details that would ensure they completed a 14-day quarantine if they came from one of the listed states

There was no one at the Port Authority checkpoint to make sure people were filling out the forms. Some people voluntarily took them but others did not despite Mayor Bill de Blasio's stark warning that travelers need to quarantine

Travelers, center, get information leaflets from employees with the Mayor's Office of Public Engagement as they arrive at Amtrak's Penn Station on Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio is asking travelers from 34 states and Puerto Rico, where COVID-19 infection rates are high, to quarantine for 14 days after arriving in the city

Yet on Thursday morning, pictures of the checkpoints in main thoroughfare Port Authority showed them unmanned and travelers breezing into the city without being registered.

Baffled passengers approached a desk themselves to collect a form but then left the station without completing it or handing it back to anyone.

At Penn Station, Department of Health volunteers handed out the forms like flyers then let people walk out of the station without taking down their details.

The travelers were asked if they'd come from out of state but no tickets were checked to ensure people were being honest and there was no one collecting completed forms before letting people leave the station.

There was also no one at the Holland Tunnel, which connects New Jersey and New York, either.

On Wednesday night, sheriffs were seen stopping cars on the Goethals Bridge, which connects New Jersey and Staten Island, at random.

Pictures taken by DailyMail.com show officers stationed at the Goethals Bridge toll plaza on Wednesday night but it's unclear what they asked the motorists they pulled over. It is part of new checkpoints warning travelers who may need to quarantine

There was no one checking cars at the Holland Tunnel, which connects New York City and New Jersey, on Thursday morning

The police scanned plates at random then questioned the drivers before letting them go. It is unclear what questions they asked or if they took anyone's details - deputies at the scene refused to answer questions or allow motorists to be interviewed about it.

On Friday, Gov. Cuomo confirmed there were were 714 new cases of coronavirus in New York state, bringing the total number to 419,642. There were new cases reported in 44 counties.

The state also reported five new deaths bring the total death toll to 25,190.

Cuomo warned against complacency, however, as the infection rate continues to grow.

'Our performance is extraordinary in this sea of spread around us. Our numbers are great because we're doing what we need to do - the quarantine procedures are all in place and we're enforcing compliance,' he said.

'But we cannot become complacent, especially as infection rates continue to surge. We must protect the progress we've made in New York, and it's going to take the work of all of us to keep wearing our masks, socially distancing and staying New York Tough.'

New York City reported 223,473 cases as of Thursday with 18,938 confirmed deaths and 4,625 probably deaths.

NYC's super rich who decamped to the Hamptons are paying $1,500 for Botox, hiring club bouncers to patrol beach entrances and snapping up even MORE mansions

The affluent New York City residents who fled to the Hamptons during the COVID-19 pandemic are spending their days getting $1,500 Botox, hiring security to guard beaches and buying even more mansions.

As the pandemic continued into a seventh tumultuous month this August, the rattled economy and health fears have done little to sway the wealthy New Yorkers who have camped out in the Hamptons.

By May, around 420,000 of New York City's wealthiest residents left and their absence was cemented with the arrival of anti-racism protests in June.

They've ignored Gov. Andrew Cuomo's pleas - and Mayor Bill de Blasio's chiding - to return to the Big Apple to help offset the projected $30billion deficit over the next two years.

Instead, Vanity Fair reports that they've been spending money on cosmetic surgeries at the luxurious Topping House spa.

A demand for cosmetic surgeries, like Botox and fillers, has hit the Hamptons after wealthy New York City residents fled earlier this year, according to a local dermatologist. Pictured: Topping House spa in Bridgehampton

Dr. Dennis Gross, a notable New York City dermatologist with an office on Fifth Avenue, told the publication he set up a satellite location in Bridgehampton.

With 30 percent of his clientele already in the Hamptons, Gross told patients in an email that he was limiting services to 'Botox and fillers' when he arrived.

The demand from wealthy patients, according to Gross, was so large that it took only five weeks to clear his waiting schedule.

Meanwhile, some residents have gone as far as to hire security to safeguard certain beach entrances from others.

A private road association in the Dunes in Amagansett, a small district near the ocean, reportedly considered hiring professional security guards to stand at the end of the street and prevent others from reaching the beach using their road.

It's not unusual for street associations to hire teenagers in the summer to make sure private paths are only used by residents, but Vanity Fair reports that the reason this time was to protect residents health.

In the end, the street associated settled on hiring bouncers from a local bar.

In an email chain, residents reportedly said they were actually helping unemployed residents during the pandemic.

In the Hamptons, the rich also have caused a surge in the local real estate market by buying additional mansions.

Several Hamptonites have reportedly been 'compounding,' which mean families buy two or three eight-figure homes on the same street for their family children or family members.

'With so many adult kids leaving the city and moving into their parents' homes, people feel they need more room,' a Hampton real estate agent told Vanity Fair.

'They can see this could be a long-term gig, having the kids live here with them. I have one client with a $10 million main house buying another one with a whopping price tag next door for the kids. I have another client who's trading upfrom a $5 million home to a $10 million one.'

The second-quarter report from Corcoran showed closed sales surged 21 percent on South Fork.

A number of deals totaling to more than $15million caused a 292 percent increase in sales volume in the Village of East Hampton.

'There's no inventory. We've never had a market like this before,' the agent said.

'In every price range: $750,000 to $10 million deals are ending in a bidding war and tears.'
Khan suggests adding old-fashioned chores into their schedule, even for younger kids. One of the biggest learnings in life is for our kids to take ownership of not just of their learning, but also of their entire life. Some extra chores  loading the dishwasher, doing their laundry, cleaning their room at a minimum  those types of things not only dont detract from their learning, but will add to it because it will make the child more disciplined, they will feel prouder of their responsibilities, and the habit of forming habits will be stronger. Also, Price-Dennis says, make sure you schedule time for your kids to connect with friends via Zoom or other videoconference services, as their social well-being is important to their overall well-being.
HAMMOND  Two people have been arrested in Illinois following a robbery at Peoples Bank in Hammond, police said.

At 3:30 p.m. Thursday officers responded to a robbery at 130 Rimback St., said Hammond Lt. Steve Kellogg. When the officers arrived, they learned that two suspects fled the scene with an unknown amount of cash in a black vehicle.

Police said a firearm was implied during the robbery but not displayed and no one was injured. Hammond police worked with FBI agents, using Hammond's Blue Net license reader system to identify the suspect vehicle.

In less than 3 hours after the robbery at Peoples Bank, authorities took two suspects into custody in Illinois. Kellogg said the vehicle and the cash stolen from the bank was also recovered by police.

Kellogg thanked the FBI and Matteson police for assisting Hammond officers.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2020 > Understanding The Myth of Socialist Commodity Production: A Response To (...)

by Murzban Jal

Sankar Rays review of Paresh Chattopadhyays book Socialism and Commodity production. Essays in Marx Revival (a book dedicated to the great Marxologist Maximilien Rubel) is not only a timely intervention in understanding Marxs critique of political economy, but also serves as a reminder as to how post-Marx Marxism lost its moorings because it was more bothered with the secondary texts on Marxs critique of capitalism than with the original ones penned by Marx. It was Lenin in What is to be Done? who reminded us that the task of the revolutionaries was to produce a theory, a scientific theory to be precise which is most modern and most democratic, from which a communist political programme can be organized. [1] His very famous statement from this 1902 text, without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement [2], points to the direction that theoretical praxis is of great importance in the left movement. Likewise Lenin (after the First Imperialist World War breaks out and when he is betrayed by his own comrades in the Second International to support the war efforts of their respective imperialist governments) takes to the seriously reading of Hegel which leads him to the statement:

It is impossible completely to understand Marxs Capital, and especially the first chapter, without having thoroughly studied and understood the whole of Hegels Logic. Consequently half a century later none of the Marxists understood Marx!! [3]

A philosophically inspired theoretical basis was thus a pre-requisite for communist politics. Yet there was a brazen revisionism, if not a counterrevolution in ideas, where Marxs original humanistic alternative to capitalism was made to stand on its head. State capitalism replaced what Marx calls the union of free humanity (Verein freier Menschen) [4], or community of free individuals as rendered by the classical Moore-Aveling translation of Capital, Vol. I. [5], translated also as the association of free men [6].

The problem is that arguments for establishing the reign of free humanity was replaced with mundane capitalist bargaining. Consider the following which has led writers to say that the communists are the most honest, decent people in Indian politics. They are also the most irrelevant [7]:

The party programme, updated in 2000, explicitly states that the CPI(M) does not only want and accept a multiparty democracy at present, but it also has a programmatic understanding of a multiparty political system following the Peoples Democratic Revolution. It is why the party viewed the talk of a multiparty system by the Maoist leadership in Nepal in 2005 as an important advance. [8]

The above quote is from Prakas Karat. Note that it purely mundane capitalist politics of capturing political power with the even more mundane idea of Peoples Democratic Revolution. That Karats idea is complete surrender to capitalist hegemony has to be mentioned where even the earlier left-wing strategies of the Randive line are not only totally forgotten, but buried forever. Plato in his Republic talked of chained people who relish the world of shadows, while real light and real life is just round the corner. Our contemporary comrades are like Platos imprisoned people refusing to see light, refusing to see truth. The truth is that if one has to save humanity and the planet, capitalism has to be transcended. But for our political comrades arguing for Peoples Democratic Revolution, capitalism does not have to be transcended. Instead it has to be organized in a better way. The entire Soviet economics, which was followed by Maoist China, was about organizing capitalism, not transcending it. Chattopadhyays book and Rays article is about this fallacy of our so-called Marxists who to recall Lenin have not understood Marx!!

Chattopadhyas book, as his earlier works point out, is that there is a great fallacy in being tied down to non-originals and duplicates. He argues that we must look into the originals to understand that Marxs critique of capitalism, exposed as an exploitative system which degrades humanity and destroys humanity, offers a real alternative. He talks of the minute nuances in Capital, the different translations, and why Marx preferred the French translation. The fact that the translations of Capital are a living reality must be pointed out. One must point out to Hassan Mortazavis new Persian translation of Marxs Capital Vol. I (2008) and how the earlier 1974 translation was marred by Stalinist dictates and glaring mistakes. Consider Frieda Afary the Iranian American Marxist who says the following:

The first translation of Capital which was published in 1974 (and about which more details will be provided below) was marred by the Stalinist views of its translator, Iraj Eskandari, the chairman of the USSR affiliated Tudeh Party...... It is very significant that, in his translation, Hassan Mortazavi chose to include the additions to the French edition which Marx thought had a scientific value independent of the [German] original. Those additions can give readers a deeper understanding of Marxs dialectical process of thinking. [9]

It is this deeper dialectical process of thinking which not only envisions, but puts into practice a different society, where the violence of capitalist economy is forever put to an end. Chattopadhyay points out that the Soviet Union could not put an end to capitalism, but merely replace one form of class society with another form, which was state capitalism governed by the dictator (Stalin)). He clearly differentiates the so-called socialist regimes of the 20th century and the alternative offered by Marx. What socialism does is that it necessarily transcends the commodity principle and the entire process of capitalist accounting. For Ray:

The most original chapter of the book is in my opinion On Socialist Accounting. In the now-defunct Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and the German Democratic Republic, economists ostensibly developed one or the other form of socialist accounting which, eventually, was not socialist as commodity production remained intact and moreover the centrally planned economies were a brazen deviation from Marxs unconditional demolition of state (whatever form it were) in contrast to those totalitarian states. Marx-delineated socialist society in Capital was completely different. [10]

What is important to understand is that for Marx, there can be no commodity production in socialism. Yet for certain reasons the votaries of Soviet economics have never bothered to even raise this issue. For them (which includes even the Trotskyites) the Soviet Union was socialist (even degenerated form as Trotsky thought it to be). If then these state capitalist models of Stalin and Mao are the models of socialism, then the Left would very strangely be arguing only for a different model of capitalism. For the Stalinists and Maoists, it is the Yankee model which they find distasteful. So they create their own almost Platonic version of state capitalism and pose it as socialist. What then becomes disastrous is that the advocates of Soviet economics, which includes the entire spectrum of the Indian political left led by the CPI (M), is that the capitalists who are bad (crony capitalists). Capitalism is in itself never seriously critiqued!

Let us begin with the main myththat of socialist commodity production, the myth that tore the Soviet Union into infinite pieces. It must be noted that the Soviet dream collapsed in 1928 with Stalins consolidation of complete power and not in 1991. 1991 was only the culmination that began with Stalinism. Thus with the myth of socialist commodity production is tied the terror of Stalinism. In my In the Name of Marx I talked of this myth of socialist commodity production and said that this myth has been a burden on our heads [11]. What is necessary to understand is that for Marx, socialism (even in its alleged 1st stage), as he says in the Critique of the Gotha Programme, is not built on commodity production. Note what Marx said in 1875:

Within the co-operative society based on common ownership of the means of production, the producers do not exchange their products; just as little does the labour employed on the products appear here as the value of these products, as a material quality possessed by them, since now, in contrast to capitalist society, individual labour no longer exists in an indirect fashion but directly as a component part of total labour. The phrase proceeds of labour, objectionable also today on account of its ambiguity, thus loses all meaning. What we have to deal with here is a communist society, not as it has developed on its own foundations, but, on the contrary, just as it emerges from capitalist society; which is thus in every respect, economically, morally, and intellectually, still stamped with the birthmarks of the old society from whose womb it emerges. Accordingly, the individual producer receives back from societyafter the deductions have been madeexactly what he gives to it. What he has given to it is his individual quantum of labour. For example, the social working day consists of the sum of the individual hours of work; the individual labour time of the individual producer is the part of the social working day contributed by him, his share in it. He receives a certificate from society that he has furnished such-and-such an amount of labour (after deducting his labour for the common funds); and with this certificate, he draws from the social stock of means of consumption as much as the same amount of labor cost. The same amount of labour which he has given to society in one form, he receives back in another. [12]

The same is said by Engels in his Anti-Duhring. Note Engels:

From the moment when society enters into possession of the means of production and uses them in direct association for production, the labour of each individual, however varied its specifically useful character may be, becomes at the start and directly social labour. The quantity of social labour contained in a product need not then be established in a roundabout way (my emphasis, M.J.); daily experience shows in a direct way how much of it is required on the average. Society can simply calculate how many hours of labour are contained in a steam-engine, a bushel of wheat of the last harvest, or a hundred square yards of cloth of a certain quality. It could therefore never occur to it still to express the quantities of labour put into the products, quantities which it will then know directly and in their absolute amounts, in a third product, in a measure which, besides, is only relative, fluctuating, inadequate, though formerly unavoidable for lack of a better one, rather than express them in their natural, adequate and absolute measure, time. Just as little as it would occur to chemical science still to express atomic weight in a roundabout way, relatively, by means of the hydrogen atom, if it were able to express them absolutely, in their adequate measure, namely in actual weights, in billionths or quadrillionths of a gramme. Hence, on the assumptions we made above, society will not assign values to products. It will not express the simple fact that the hundred square yards of cloth have required for their production, say, a thousand hours of labour in the oblique and meaningless way, stating that they have the value of a thousand hours of labour. It is true that even then it will still be necessary for society to know how much labour each article of consumption requires for its production. It will have to arrange its plan of production in accordance with its means of production, which include, in particular, its labour-powers. The useful effects of the various articles of consumption, compared with one another and with the quantities of labour required for their production, will in the end determine the plan. People will be able to manage everything very simply, without the intervention of much-vaunted value. [13]

Note one does not need this much vaunted value in socialism. There is one more very important paragraph of Engels that one needs to note and understand:

The concept of value is the most general and therefore the most comprehensive expression of the economic conditions of commodity production. Consequently, this concept contains the germ, not only of money, but also of all the more developed forms of the production and exchange of commodities. The fact that value is the expression of the social labour contained in the privately produced products itself creates the possibility of a difference arising between this social labour and the private labour contained in these same products. If therefore a private producer continues to produce in the old way, while the social mode of production develops this difference will become palpably evident to him. The same result follows when the aggregate of private producers of a particular class of goods produces a quantity of them which exceeds the requirements of society. The fact that the value of a commodity is expressed only in terms of another commodity, and can only be realized in exchange for it, admits of the possibility that the exchange may never take place altogether, or at least may not realize the correct value. Finally, when the specific commodity labour-power appears on the market, its value is determined, like that of any other commodity, by the labour-time socially necessary for its production. The value form of products therefore already contains in embryo the whole capitalist form of production, the antagonism between capitalists and wage-workers, the industrial reserve army, crises. To seek to abolish the capitalist form of production by establishing true value is therefore tantamount to attempting to abolish Catholicism by establishing the true Pope, or to set up a society in which at last the producers control their product, by consistently carrying into life an economic category which is the most comprehensive expression of the enslavement of the producers by their own product. [14]

Note the last eight words of Engels sentence: enslavement of the producers by their own product. This idea of the fetish character of commodity production, where commodities (realised as the value-form, exchange value, money and capital) control people, was totally alien to Stalin and Mao. For how could messiahs be controlled by anyone and anything? Note that for Marx, the commodity besides being a necromantic artist and metaphysician [15] is also a born leveller and cynic (Geborner Leveller und Zyniker) [16]. In contrast to Marx and Engels, look at what Mao said. According to Mao (and note his extremely unscientific observations):

There are those who fear commodities. Without exception they fear capitalism, not realising that with the elimination of capitalists it is allowable to expand commodity production vastly. We are still backward in commodity production, behind Brazil and India. Commodity production is not an isolated thing. Look at the context: capitalism or socialism. In a capitalist context it is capitalist commodity production. In a socialist context it is socialist commodity production. [17]

And since the Indian Left stubbornly reads only this form of revisionism and since the Indian Left is predicated on the revisionism of socialist commodity production and refuses to look into the deeper structures that Marx and Engels had critiqued, their politics can only be reformist (reforming capitalism by transforming capitalist commodity to so-called socialist commodity production).

This act of completely transcending commodity production, one must note, remains the crux of the problem for Marxists to solve. When one talks of Marxist socialism, one essentially means non-commodity socialism. Ignoring this very important part of Marxism (critique of commodity production and the value-form) and then merely talking of collective and public ownership of means of production merely replaces the Marxist language of the critique of political economy with legalist concepts. The Indian Left not only duplicates the false language of Stalin and Mao. They actually go back to Proudhon and Duhring, forgetting that Marx in The Poverty of Philosophy and Engels in Anti-Duhring had critiqued both Proudhon and Duhring. What was critiqued by Marx and Engels was taken as the essential repertoire by the Stalinists and Maoists. Note Marx here who says how for Proudhon and the John Gray school of utopian socialism:

Goods are to be produced as commodities but not exchanged as commodities. Gray entrusts the realisation of this pious wish to a national bank. On the one hand, society in the shape of the bank makes the individuals independent of the conditions of private exchange, and, on the other hand, it causes them to continue to produce on the basis of private exchange. Although Gray merely wants to reform the money evolved by commodity exchange, he is compelled by the intrinsic logic of the subject-matter to repudiate one condition of bourgeois production after another. Thus he turns capital into national capital, and land into national property and if his bank is examined carefully it will be seen that it not only receives commodities with one hand and issues certificates for labour supplied with the other, but that it directs production itself. [18]

What then is this revisionism based on? It is based on the idea of the degradation of money and the exaltation of commodities which is expressed as the essence of socialism [19] Note also the utopian socialists who have the pious wish for the national bank to oversee how commodity production takes place. If Gray had this fantasy of the national-utopian bank, Stalin and Mao transformed this utopian bank into the even more utopian state which would work as the socialist bank. This I call the essence of utopian revisionism which went from Proudhon and Gray to Stalin and Mao. The Indian Left took over these utopian fantasies. Science, or to be precise Marxist science, would be far away from their utopian minds.

Let us note another structure of this revisionist fantasy. Note what Stalin says in his Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR:

Our commodity production is not of the ordinary type, but a special kind of commodity production. Commodity production without capitalists.... [20]

Note two things: (1) Stalins idea of commodity production without the capitalists which has now become the signature of the Indian Parliamentary Left: capitalism without the capitalists, and (2) how Stalins revisionism (where he decides to abolish Marxs essential ideas) becomes firstly totally absurd and then absolutely authoritarian:

More, I think that we must also discard certain other concepts taken from Marxs Capitalwhere Marx was concerned with an analysis of capitalismand artificially applied to our socialist relations. I am referring to such concepts, among others, as necessary and surplus labour, necessary and surplus product, necessary and surplus time. Marx analysed capitalism in order to elucidate the source of exploitation of the working classsurplus valueand to arm the working class, which was bereft of means of production, with an intellectual weapon for the overthrow of capitalism. It is natural that Marx used concepts (categories) which fully corresponded to capitalist relations. But it is strange, to say the least, to use these concepts now, when the working class is not only not bereft of power and means of production, but, on the contrary, is in possession of the power and controls the means of production. Talk of labour power being a commodity, and of hiring of workers sounds rather absurd now, under our system: as though the working class, which possesses means of production, hires itself and sells its labour power to itself. It is just as strange to speak now of necessary and surplus labour: as though, under our conditions, the labour contributed by the workers to society for the extension of production, the promotion of education and public health, the organisation of defence, etc., is not just as necessary to the working class, now in power, as the labour expended to supply the personal needs of the worker and his family.......I think that our economists should put an end to this in-congruity between the old concepts and the new state of affairs in our socialist country, by replacing the old concepts with new ones that correspond to the new situation. We could tolerate this incongruity for a certain period, but the time has come to put an end to it. [21]

If it becomes clear that Stalin and Mao did indeed tamper and manipulate Marxs essential ideas by replacing Marxs old concepts with Stalins new ones which correspond to a new state of affairs, then it becomes clear that the Marxism that we have inherited is a tampered and manipulated form of Marxism. Chattopadhyay and Sankar Ray remind us of this fact. But then our political comrades are too busy to read Marx, forget understanding him. It is in this sense that Lenins phrase rings out once again: none of the Marxists understood Marx!! [22]
Commercial Food Dehydrators Market Research Report by Product (Commercial Horizontal Airflow Food Dehydrator and Commercial Vertical Airflow Food Dehydrator) - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, Aug. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Commercial Food Dehydrators Market Research Report by Product - Global Forecast to 2025 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913904/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Commercial Food Dehydrators Market is expected to grow from USD 951.98 Million in 2019 to USD 1,501.29 Million by the end of 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.88%.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Commercial Food Dehydrators to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Product, the Commercial Food Dehydrators Market studied across Commercial Horizontal Airflow Food Dehydrator and Commercial Vertical Airflow Food Dehydrator.



Based on Geography, the Commercial Food Dehydrators 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 Commercial Food Dehydrators Market including Avantco Equipment, BioChef, Buffalo, Excalibur Dehydrator, Hamilton Beach Brands, LEM Products, Omcan, Omega, STX International, TribestLife, TSM Products, Waring, and Weston Brands.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Commercial Food Dehydrators 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 Commercial Food Dehydrators Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Commercial Food Dehydrators Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Commercial Food Dehydrators Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Commercial Food Dehydrators Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Commercial Food Dehydrators Market?

6. What are the modes and strategic moves considered suitable for entering the Global Commercial Food Dehydrators Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05913904/?utm_source=GNW



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ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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China will implement measures to further boost domestic demand and deepen reform and opening-up this year, in an effort to deal with the rising uncertainties and disruptions from the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the country's top economic regulator.

In the second half of 2020, the country will take key measures, such as relaxing curbs on new energy vehicle purchases, to spur domestic consumption, Ning Jizhe, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in an interview with China Central Television.

Other measures include boosting consumption in the smart retail, online education and home appliance sectors, encouraging areas that have restrictions on car purchases to increase the number of car registrations as appropriate and offering subsidies for the purchase of new energy vehicles.

Ning said the country will push ahead with major investment in new infrastructure, new-type urbanization and key projects for national development such as transport and water infrastructure, and focus on weak links in fields such as public health, emergency medical supplies and energy.

"Private investment, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of overall investment in China, is becoming a key force to stabilize investment," he added.

"In the second half of this year, China will further improve the environment for private investment and adopt more supportive policies to encourage private sector engagement in public health, logistics, emergency stockpiles and other weak links. More efforts are also needed to facilitate bank lending for the private sector," Ning said.

China's GDP grew by 3.2 percent year-on-year in the second quarter, rebounding from the first quarter's contraction, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

"China has the foundation as well as conditions to recover the economy," Ning said during an interview with People's Daily. "The trend of the Chinese economy toward stable long-term growth with sound momentum remains unchanged."

Experts said China's economy is on track to steady recovery, and it will surely be the first major economy to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

They said China will fully implement a package of policies announced during this year's annual national legislative session in May, and the country will see steady and accelerated economic growth in the second half of this year.

A report released by the China Macroeconomy Forum research team forecast China's GDP growth could rebound to 7 percent in the second half of 2020, with full-year growth of 3 percent.

Shi Jinchuan, a professor of economics at Zhejiang University, said China needs a big push to support private companies, especially those hit badly by the globally spreading coronavirus outbreak.

"The government needs to introduce long-term supportive policies and especially encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to embrace transformation and upgrading, such as using internet sharing systems, e-commerce platforms and the industrial internet," Shi said at a recent CMF seminar.

To further support the economic recovery and cushion the coronavirus impact, more efforts are also needed to deepen reform and opening-up, foster a more business-friendly environment and attract more foreign capital to invest and develop business in China, said Ning from the NDRC.

Cui Fan, a professor of international trade at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, said, "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."

He added that China will remain committed to further reform and opening-up, by taking steps such as continuously shortening the negative list for foreign investment access.

Huge market potential

"The Chinese market is extremely important for organizations all over the world," said Clarke Murphy, CEO of global executive search and assessment firm Russell Reynolds Associates.

"We were already committed to new investment plans a year ago about developing our teams of people just focused on domestic Chinese companies. And we will continue to execute that."

Murphy said he sees huge potential for the Chinese market. "The success controlling the virus quickly will only strengthen the (business) operations currently and in the future. Other countries still have supply chain issuesChina is solving them a little sooner internally. So that gives an advantage to Chinese companies right now because they're farther ahead in fixing their supply chains."

According to Murphy, the speed and scale with which China can try new technologies and new processes and learn from that scale to adapt how its companies run remains the most resilient part of the economy.

"I think this interest in learning new ways to do things has really invigorated Chinese executives and Chinese companies, as well as non-Chinese companies investing in China. Sustainable operations, digital change, embracing new ways of doing things and new markets gives us great confidence about the success of our business in China over the next several years."
DUBLIN, Aug. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Data Center Construction Market in Africa - Industry Outlook and Forecast 2020-2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In-depth Analysis and Data-driven Insights on the Impact of COVID-19 Included



1. What is the Africa data center construction market size and growth rate during the forecast period?

2. What are the factors impacting the growth of the Africa data center construction market share?

3. How is the growth of the cooling system segment influencing the growth of the Africa data center construction market?

4. Who are the leading vendors in the Africa data center construction market, and what are their market shares?

5. What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Africa data center construction market shares?



The Africa data center construction market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of close to 12% during the period 2019-2025



The Africa data center construction market is witnessing significant growth, especially in South Africa, Morocco, Kenya, and Nigeria. The growing internet population has been a strong factor for growth. Government agencies across countries are looking to improve their digital economy. They are involved in a variety of smart city projects that fuel the growth of data centers and edge facilities throughout the region. African countries such as South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco have started taking initiatives for smart cities and plan to improve network coverage.



Smart cities are urban development projects that integrate information technology and the Internet of things (IoT) using analytics and sensors to manage cities better. Data centers will be the major beneficiaries of smart cities and will require lots of connectivity, data storage, and computing power for analytics. Due to an increase in the use of connected devices by businesses and consumers, the concept of edge computing is gaining traction in the Africa data center construction market. This has led to the rising demand for high-bandwidth internet in many rural areas, thereby driving the need for the facilities.



The spread of COVID-19 has affected major countries that have data center operations in Africa. Few facilities are affected due to the slowdown in construction works owing to lockdowns and supply chain-related challenges. In Africa, the projects that are expected to open between Q1 2020 and Q4 2020 will be partially affected through supply chain-related challenges compared with construction halts.



Africa Data Center Construction Market Segmentation



The Africa data center construction market research report includes a detailed segmentation by electrical infrastructure, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, tier standards, and geography.



The UPS and generator markets will continue to grow due to the increasing construction of large and mega data center facilities and inaccurate power grid connectivity. The power market is expected to witness significant growth due to the non-reliability of power grids in Africa. The increased need for data center solutions in the country is expected to fuel the demand for transfer switches and switchgear during the forecast period.



UPS systems are experiencing a high adoption across the African continent as several countries are incorporated diverse energy sources to run the power infrastructure. The facilities are developed to support at rack density of up to 15 kW, with their average PUE being around 1.5. Service operators in Africa deploying modular data centers are likely to procure lithium-ion UPS systems with power capacities of less than 100 kVA.



Also, the adoption of single-rack prefabricated data center solutions will include single-phase lithium-ion systems with a power capacity of less than 10 kVA. The generators market is expected to grow because of the continuous construction of large and mega facilities in Africa. Data centers built in populated areas are concerned with carbon emission, which is likely to increase the adoption of efficient generator systems.



Africa is currently moving to the adoption of free-cooling chillers or evaporative coolers. The market for cooling systems in the country is likely to depend on the construction of mega and hyperscale facilities, primarily of 10 MW capacity. While several smaller facilities in Africa use DX-based CRAC units, medium and large data centers are installing CRAH units. Also, the implementation of air-cooled CRAC systems with cooling units that use refrigerants or glycol-based cooling is expected to grow during the forecast period. The facilities mostly adopt air cooling systems and energy-efficient chiller units.



The development of hyperscale data centers is likely to adopt 2N CRAC or CRAH units, whereas other facilities are expected to go for N+N systems. The facilities are built with flexible designs, in which additional or high-power capacity units can be incorporated within days or weeks, depending on the customer's requirement. Chillers are used to facilitate water-based cooling, whereas the adoption of a water-based cooling technique is experiencing strong growth, contributing to a sizable share of the Africa data center construction market.



Most colocation facilities in Africa have installed physical security solutions ranging from perimeter to rack-guarded through CCTV cameras and biometric systems. Companies have also adopted DCIM/BMS solutions that enable remote monitoring of entire data center operations. Most colocation facilities in Egypt are developed with support and funding by enterprise and government agencies.



The market also lacks a skilled workforce for data center construction and operations, where the definite investments in greenfield projects are low. Hence, most service providers are developing modular facilities. In terms of security, facilities are equipped with physical security, biometric protection, CCTV surveillance, and fire detection alarms. The increasing OPEX will boost the implementation of DCIM solutions, and the rapid growth in colocation data centers will increase the investment in physical security systems in the Africa data center construction market.



In Morocco, data centers are certified as Tier III facilities in terms of design. The facilities in Egypt are mostly Tier III standard certified in terms of design and are developed to support at rack density of up to 15 kW, with their average PUE being around 1.5. In Nigeria, most facilities are certified Tier III facilities by the Uptime Institute in terms of data center design and construction. In terms of redundancy, most Nigerian data centers have both power and cooling infrastructure equipped with minimum N+1 redundant components.



Insights by Geography



South Africa is witnessing major data center development; cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg are the preferred places for development. The market is witnessing high adoption of cloud-based solutions among enterprises. The country is rapidly emerging as a center for public and private cloud hosting, which is expected to fuel the facility development.



Manufacturing, financial services, and healthcare sectors are among the major contributors to data center investment as they are rapidly adopting cloud computing. The market will witness steady growth over the next few years, with internet penetration and adoption of technologies such as big data, IoT, and artificial intelligence fueling the Africa data center construction market growth.



Insights by Vendors



Multiple electrical infrastructure providers operate in the Africa data center construction market. The growing data center construction market is prompting providers to improve the efficiency of solutions that are currently being offered. Many countries in the region suffer from frequent power fluctuations and power outages. This will enable operators to adopt efficient power backup solutions, with UPS systems that offer over 95% efficiency.



The market for VRLA UPS systems will continue to dominate the market; however, the share of VRLA UPS systems will start declining by the end of the forecast period as lithium-ion UPS systems become more affordable, thereby improving their adoption among end-users.



Key Topics Covered



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Introduction

7.1 Impact of COVID-19 on Data Center Industry

7.1.1 Construction Perspective

7.1.2 Infrastructure Production & Procurement

7.1.3 Data Center Operations

7.2 Impact of COVID-19 on Africa Data Center Construction Market

7.3 Internet & Data Growth

7.4 Data Center Site Selection Criteria



8 Market Opportunities & Trends

8.1 Availability of Renewable Energy Fuels Procurement Growth

8.2 Smart City Initiatives Fuel Data Center/Edge Deployments

8.3 Government Support to Boost Digital Economy



9 Market Growth Enablers

9.1 Cloud Adoption Fueling Data Center Investments

9.2 Big Data & IoT Spending Fuel Data Center Growth

9.3 Migration From On-Premise Infrastructure To Colocation & Managed Services

9.4 Increased Investments in Fiber Connectivity

9.5 Data Traffic to Boost Data Center Development



10 Market Growth Restraints

10.1 Location Constraints For Data Center Construction

10.2 Lack of Skilled Workforce

10.3 Budget Constraints & Meager Investment Support



11 Market Landscape

11.1 Market Overview

11.2 Market Size & Forecast

11.3 Five Forces Analysis



12 Africa Data Center Construction Market by Infrastructure

12.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine

12.2 Overview

12.3 Electrical Infrastructure

12.4 Mechanical Infrastructure

12.5 General Construction



13 Africa Data Center Construction Market by Electrical Infrastructure

13.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 UPS Systems

13.3 Generators

13.4 Transfer Switches & Switchgear

13.5 Power Distribution Units

13.6 Other Electrical Infrastructure



14 Africa Data Center Construction Market by Mechanical Infrastructure

14.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Cooling Systems

14.3 Racks

14.4 Other Mechanical Infrastructure



15 Africa Data Center Construction Market by Cooling Systems

15.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 CRAC & CRAH Units

15.3 Chiller Units

15.4 Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers

15.5 Other Cooling Units



16 Africa Data Center Construction Market by Cooling Techniques

16.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine

16.2 Air-Based Cooling Techniques

16.3 Liquid-Based Cooling Techniques



17 Africa Data Center Construction Market by General Construction

17.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine

17.2 Building Development

17.3 Installation & Commissioning Services

17.4 Building Design

17.5 Physical Security

17.6 DCIM/BMS



18 Africa Data Center Construction Market by Tier Standards

18.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine

18.2 Overview of Tier Standards

18.3 TIER I & II

18.4 TIER III

18.5 TIER IV



19 Africa Data Center Construction Market by Geography

19.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine (i)

19.2 Snapshot & Growth Engine (ii)

19.3 Snapshot & Growth Engine (iii)

19.4 South Africa

19.4.1 Snapshot & Growth Engine

19.4.2 Overview

19.4.3 Investment: Size & Forecast

19.4.4 Area: Size & Forecast

19.4.5 Power Capacity: Size & Forecast

19.4.6 by Infrastructure

19.5 Morocco

19.6 Egypt

19.7 Kenya

19.8 Nigeria

19.9 Other African Countries



20 Competitive Landscape

20.1 Electrical Infrastructure

20.2 Mechanical Infrastructure

20.3 General Construction



21 Prominent Data Center Support Infrastructure Providers

21.1 ABB

21.1.1 Business Overview

21.1.2 Product Offerings

21.1.3 Key News

21.2 Caterpillar

21.3 Cummins

21.4 Eaton

21.5 Shenzhen Envicool Technology

21.6 Legrand

21.7 MTU Onsite Energy (Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG)

21.8 Schneider Electric

21.9 STULZ

21.10 Shenzhen Envicool Technology

21.11 Rittal

21.12 Vertiv



22 Prominent Construction Contractors

22.1 ATKINS

22.1.1 Business Overview

22.1.2 Service Offerings

22.2 Aveng Grinaker

22.3 CONCOR

22.4 Edarat Group

22.5 ETIX Everywhere (Vantage Data Center)

22.6 Future-Tech

22.7 HUAWEI

22.8 ISG



23 Prominent Data Center Investors

23.1 Africa Data Centres (Liquid Telecom)

23.1.1 Business Overview

23.1.2 Service Offerings

23.2 Amazon Web Services (AWS)

23.3 ICOLO.IO

23.4 Internet Technologies Angola (ITA)

23.5 INWI

23.6 MDXi (MainOne)

23.7 N+ One

23.8 Orange

23.9 Raxio Data Center

23.10 Raya Data Center

23.11 Teraco Data Environments



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qqvqj6

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Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 16:02:12|Editor: huaxia

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People tour the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States, July 31, 2020. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

- Republican and Democratic lawmakers, facing immense pressure to reach a deal to salvage the economy from COVID-19, have blamed each other for failing to make progress.

- According to a new report from Gallup and the Knight Foundation's Trust, Media and Democracy series, Americans see increasing political bias in news coverage and say that media "bears blame for political division in this country."



WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Just three months before perhaps the most crucial election in the post-WWII era, U.S. media and people are in a frenzy of discussions over who might lead the world's biggest economy, at a time when a multitude of U.S. businesses have been ravaged by the COVID-19 shutdown and the whole world is fighting the pandemic.

DIFFERING OPINIONS ON HANDLING OF CRISES

The recent never-before-seen crises in the United States have worsened already intense political and ideological differences in the U.S. society.

Only 34 percent of Americans approve of U.S. President Donald Trump's handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll on 730 U.S. adults on July 29-30.

The survey, whose results were released on July 31, also found that the U.S. public broadly disapproves of the president's handling of other recent crises such as the nationwide protests following the death of African American George Floyd.

A girl poses with a slogan during protests against racial injustice to mark Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, near the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, June 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

According to the poll's result, "just over a third of Americans (36 percent) approve of President Trump's handling of the response to the protests across the country."

"Specifically, a majority of Americans (52 precent) believe the deployment of federal law enforcement to cities with protests has made the situation worse," it added.

Some U.S. media such as The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN have criticized the U.S. government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and protests over racial injustice, while other media, such as the Fox network, have approved Washington's pandemic containment efforts and vaccine research and development.

Some media also pointed out that the U.S. government's response to the pandemic has caused cases to mount and the economy's service sector is in shambles as a result. The U.S. economy contracted at an annual rate of 32.9 percent in the second quarter of the year, the steepest decline since the government began keeping records in 1947, the Commerce Department reported last week.

The White House and congressional Democrats aim to strike a deal on the next COVID-19 relief bill by the end of this week, while the two sides remain far apart on some important issues, according to Bloomberg.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers, facing immense pressure to reach a deal to salvage the economy from COVID-19, have blamed each other for failing to make progress.

The Capitol is seen in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT MEDIA OPINIONS

In a study published earlier this week, polling company Gallup found that at a time of record political polarization and pessimism about opinions, strong majorities of Americans increasingly think an independent media is key to a functioning democracy.

According to a new report from Gallup and the Knight Foundation's Trust, Media and Democracy series, Americans see increasing political bias in news coverage and say that media "bears blame for political division in this country."

A large majority of Americans currently see "a great deal" -- 49 percent, or "a fair amount" -- 37 percent, of political bias in news coverage, more than that of 2017.

Pedestrians walk past a social distancing notice on Times Square in New York, the United States, July 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Although 56 percent of U.S. adults see at least a fair amount of bias in their go-to news source, they are much more concerned about bias in the news other people are getting than about their own news being biased, which is 69 percent and 29 percent respectively.

At the same time, political party identification continues to be the principal factor driving Americans' views of and trust in the media, the Gallup study found.

At the same time, however, more than eight in 10 Americans say that, in general, the news media is "critical" to democracy.

However, not all reports have been distinctly on one side or the other, and some are coming out with detailed reports on the science of the virus and other facts.

In any event, the coverage of the pandemic is likely to impact the presidential elections in one way or another, experts said. 
A newly- initiated police dog in the United Kingdom has set the standards high for other police dogs in the Dyfed-Powys Police K-9 unit. During his first day of duty, Max, a German Shepherd, found a woman with her one-year-old child, who was reportedly has been missing for two days, as stated by the police department.

Max was leading the way of Police Constable Peter Lloyd, his human handler when he discovered the mother and child in an isolated area of Powys, which is Wale's protected area. The woman was then spotted by Lloyd on the edge of a ravine, asking for help, as stated by the Dyfed-Powys Police in a press release.

According to Inspector Jonathan Rees-Jones, the woman has not been contacted or seen in the past two days and her phone was broken, which increased the concern for her safety.

As reported by CBS, Rees-Jones said the car of the woman was discovered on a mountain road that provided information to the officers where to search for her. However, there was still a large area to search for her since the woman has been missing for two days already.

The search for the missing woman has been assisted by a search expert, the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team, and a National Police Air Service (NPAS) helicopter, according to the press release. After about an hour and a half of searching, the mother and the child were found, and that was all because of Max.

Read also: Thousands Evacuated After Fire Engulfs Southern France Forest

As stated by Rees-Jones, both the mother and the baby were safe, but cold and have been suspected to be in the area for a long period of time. According to the report, the mother and baby were then checked by a Mountain Rescue doctor and the ambulance service after arrangements were made.

Inspector Rees-Jones special mentioned the efforts of PC Pete Lloyd and Max, who were on their first day of duty after they have completed their training together and have covered a significant distance during the search for the missing woman together with her child, for locating them safe.

The inspector uttered that despite Max has just recently joined the team and received his license as a police dog, he immediately covered an open area search on the very first day of his operational shift, The Guardian reported.

As stated by the police, PC Pete Lloyd became a member of the Dyfed-Powys Police dog section in February. According to the release, Max, a general-purpose dog, will generally be used for locating and tracking people, tracking detaining suspects, and tracing discarded properties.

Lloyd uttered during the release that he was really pleased to have safely located the missing mother and the baby together with Max during their first operational deployment as a dog team.

The officer added that Max has remained focused all throughout the search and he proved that he was irreplaceable on the way he reacted to the cry for help of the woman that allowed them to locate the woman and the baby.



Related article: Man Who Used an AK-47 in Police Shoot Out Was "Not Handling the Pandemic Well", Says Attorney

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Twitter is really important for understanding our present political and cultural moment, and it's really bad for American democracy.

Three-and-a-half years into a political era launched and sustained in large part by the social media platform, these two (related) views are indisputable. But pinpointing precisely what is so politically and culturally pernicious about Twitter can be challenge, in part because its awfulness has multiple dimensions.

There is, to begin with, its impulsive, hyperbolic, and viral character, often rewarding people with a nearly instantaneous, enormous global audience for making sweeping or extreme pronouncements on events  "that big explosion in Beirut was definitely a nuclear weapon!"  in a spirit of uninformed, visceral reaction. That makes Twitter one of the greatest mechanisms ever devised for spreading conspiracies and misinformation. It also makes it one of the greatest mechanisms ever devised for spreading disinformation  intentionally misleading and false claims spread by bad actors to sow mayhem and confusion for a variety of malicious aims.

Then there is Twitter's facility for encouraging tribalism or what is often called the "siloing" of information. People can and do curate their feeds to ensure they hear and interact only with ideas and arguments that reinforce what they already believe, and dismiss anything that might prompt them to question it. Though for many the term "dismiss" is too passive. That's because they also seek out the most extreme versions of ideas and ideologies they detest in order to reinforce the prejudices that prevail within their own meticulously curated digital world. They band together with allies and then go in search of monsters to destroy.

But what if the causality runs just as much in the other direction  not from tribalism to ideological conflict, but the reverse? What if certain people, at least, are motivated at bottom by a craving for conflict, and they form or join together with groups of the like-minded as a byproduct of that agonistic instinct? In that case, Twitter would have to be understood as an engine of antagonism, augmenting and amplifying a deeply ingrained human predilection for discord and dispute, quite apart from the substance of what anyone is fighting about at any given time.

Story continues

The obvious example is the figure of Donald Trump, whose every combative, insulting tweet becomes an occasion for his critics on the left, center-left, and center-right to point and shout and hurl invective  and for his abundant defenders on the right to scream in response, "Aw, look at the poor libtards driven mad by the Bad Orange Man and their Trump Derangement Syndrome!"

Or consider the brushfire of controversy that's been roiling Twitter over the past several weeks about whether 2+2 can equal 5. The question of the epistemological, metaphysical, and ontological status of mathematical statements has been an important question in philosophy for millennia. Yet those who sparked the ongoing conflagration were not raising serious issues for discussion and debate. They were asserting, for the sake of advancing an agenda of the far left, that mathematics is a cultural construct and thus that the expression "2+2=4" is arbitrary and could easily have been "2+2=5" if only our culture had asserted it to be the case.

Now, this is a singularly ridiculous position. The interesting and worthwhile philosophical debates about mathematics I mentioned above have emerged from reflection on the fact that mathematical statements are in fact true in all times and places. How is this universality possible? What does it imply about the character and foundations of mathematical knowledge? Do we know that 2+2=4 because of a generalization from the repeated and unvarying experience of bringing one group of two things together with another group of two things to make one group of four? Or do we know it because of intuition or some other "a priori" insight apart from experience? And what do the possible answers to these questions tell us about the character of numbers and the relations among them?

But the claim that 2+2 adding up to 4 is so arbitrary that it could just as easily have added up to 5 if our culture had asserted it to be true is pure idiocy. To call it sophistry is an insult to sophists. It's also to claim  against a vast literature of anti-totalitarianism  that if a person is tortured mercilessly enough to affirm the manifest contradiction that 2+2=5, then 2+2 has really and truly become 5, as opposed to that person's mind and will having been broken by the exercise of absolute power.

All of which is to say that the proper response to someone asserting the possible truth of 2+2=5 is to ignore them. Yet that isn't what has happened on Twitter. Instead, people have Taken Sides  with a few lining up in favor of the initial provocation, but many, many more arraying against it, writing long tweet threads in part to dispel the idiocy, but even more so to insist that denial of mathematical truths is a Very Big Problem that will soon be Coming to Public Schools Everywhere if we don't Stand Our Ground and Fight Against It. In at least one case, the tweeting has inspired a 8,400-word essay making these and related points about the danger of 2+2=4 denialism.

For me, the most interesting thing about this entire episode is the question of why anyone thought the initial assertion about the possible truth of 2+2=5 was worth any response (and subsequent publicity for the claim) at all. And the only compelling answer I can think of is that the assertion provided an object and occasion for anger and justified denunciation. "Someone is wrong on the Internet!" has become something of a meme on Twitter to describe this mindset and instinct, and it's apt, as long as we recognize this as something that lots of people apparently consider one of the platform's primary selling points  that it provides an endless forum for conflict, battle, denunciation, and strife.

It would be one thing if there were any evidence that Twitter was functioning as John Stuart Mill's ideal of a marketplace of ideas in which false claims and arguments were systematically exposed, refuted, and dispelled and true ones verified, promoted, and spread. But that's not at all how Twitter works. It just prizes conflict, with both sides usually having ample ammunition and support to fuel its side of the battle until the field of combat moves on to the next skirmish.

In this respect, Twitter differs in important respects from Facebook. Neither social media platform encourages anything resembling the liberal ideal of a healthy and vibrant public square of free-flowing, illuminating deliberation and debate among free and equal citizens. Instead the two platforms enact an anti-liberal division of labor, with Facebook encouraging self-reinforcing feedback loops among the like-minded and Twitter facilitating rancorous discord and verbal violence.

As I recently argued, I'm much less sanguine than I was even six months ago about our capacity to keep our online toxins cordoned off in the digital world. Instead of allowing for a kind of cathartic release and purging of civic animus, under the pressure of real-world social isolation, epidemiological and economic anxiety, and constant political provocation (from the president on down), our online battles appear to be intensifying mutual political hostility and hatred.

Whether this persists and builds or wanes and recedes after the 2020 election remains to be seen. But regardless, so long as so many of us remain active on Twitter, we will be presented with endless temptations and opportunities to fight. And in so doing, we'll be developing intellectual and moral habits more common and suitable to the battlefield than the voting booth. That's not something likely to end well.

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"Dark forces", "terrorists" and "bad apples" were just some of the words Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has used to describe his critics after last week's thwarted anti-government protests.

The authorities banned the protests against alleged state corruption and the country's slumping economy, which were called to coincide with the two-year anniversary of Mnangagwa's election on July 31, 2018.

Some 20 people were then arrested in the capital Harare, charged with inciting public violence and freed on bail.

Rights groups say close to 100 Zimbabwean activists and opposition figures have been abducted and brutalised by suspected state agents since Mnangagwa succeeded the despotic Robert Mugabe with the help of the military in 2017.

The government has dismissed allegations of rights abuses as "false".

"There is no crisis or implosion in Zimbabwe. Neither has there been any abductions or 'war' on citizens," said government spokesman Nick Mangwana.

Following the president's promise to "flush out" destabilisers, three activists spoke to AFP about their determination to keep going despite growing fear for their lives.

'My arrest triggered defiance'

Social activist Nyasha Musandu, 32, was arrested after joining a small group of friends for a peaceful anti-government protest last Friday.

Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga during the July 31 protest -- she was laster arrested for her involvement. By ZINYANGE AUNTONY (AFP/File)

"There is a sense that we have regressed back to the days of Mugabe. The facade of there being any chance of hope, any chance of renewed freedom has been completely stripped away."

"My arrest triggered a sense of defiance... Our voices do matter, if they didn't then no one would try to stop them."

"(Mnangagwa's) words were just callous and unfortunate... confirmation that the state is at war with its citizens."

"When we label our own citizens enemies of the state and terrorists we begin to move into a very dangerous territory. There is a fear in me that our government has finally lost all its grip on reality and is going to start consuming its own people for the survival of a few."

"My biggest fear is the death of hope."

'Can someone hear us?'

Human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, 53, was kidnapped by state agents in 2008, when Mugabe was in power. After three weeks of captivity, she was convicted of plotting against the regime and spent 68 days in a maximum security prison.

Human rights activist Jestina Mukoko says that when she hears of abductions, she has flashbacks to her own kidnapping. By JEKESAI NJIKIZANA (AFP/File)

"When I hear about people being abducted and tortured I get flashbacks about what happened to me. It makes it very difficult to heal completely."

"It is quite a difficult balancing act, being a human rights defender. You are never sure whether you can go to work and if you will get back home. At times when there is a lot of tension I hardly wear dresses... it is easier to climb into a truck in trousers if you are arrested."

"I have been given so many labels: puppet of the West... enemy of the state... and there is this narrative that you are also a supporter of the opposition, therefore the ruling party is justified in doing whatever they want with you."

"I insist on doors being locked and at times I feel as if I am sitting in some kind of a prison."

"Socially as well, I find that my space has shrunk. It is very difficult for me to trust anyone and my circle of friends is very limited. I cannot get used to simply meeting someone and warming up to them. What comes to mind is: has this person been sent to trail me? Even at the supermarket, if I meet you twice or three times going up and down the aisle I leave the shop. It gives me goosebumps."

The government wants "me to keep quiet about what is happening. That is not going to happen in my lifetime."

"Human rights violations are still continuing."

"In George Floyd's words, Zimbabweans are saying: we cannot breathe. Can someone hear us? We have got these big boots on our necks and we want to breathe, live in dignity and have our rights respected."

'Flabbergasted'

Union leader Peter Mutasa, 42, was arrested in January last year for calling a stay-at-home protest over rising fuel prices. Although the charges were dropped, Mutasa and his family have since suffered intimidation tactics.

He was among 14 activists sought by police for an interview last week.

Protesters hold a sign reading "#Zimbweanlivesmatter" during a protest in South Africa's Pretoria. By Phill Magakoe (AFP)

"We are not afraid of the police because we know we have no case to answer. We are worried about the assassins who are ordered to harm or kill. Those that stalk you, come in the dead of night and are clearly looking to harm us. If they get you, they will kill or brutalise you."

"This country is unsafe for trade unionists and other activists."

"We fully understand what 'flushing out' means. It means killing those who dissent. We fully comprehend what being labelled 'bad apples', 'terrorists' or 'detractors' by those in power... leads to."

"We have state failure and we expected a president faced with such issues to address these challenges. So we were clearly flabbergasted to receive these chilling warnings instead of words of hope."

"By targeting individuals and organisations without addressing the real problems, the government is simply wasting time and further tarnishing its already soiled reputation."

"Killing a trade unionist does not resolve workers' genuine grievances (and) killing us will not stop workers from demanding fair wages."
To the editor:

It seems strange to me that our major media, both print and video, advertise that these demonstrators we see on TV are peaceful. Trying to burn down buildings and the occasional looting are deemed to be non-violent is going against common sense.

If you are the taxpayer who built these buildings or are the owner of the shop which is looted, these are not non-violent! How rioting in the streets night after night is going to change the laws over night is beyond me. It is Congress, the state legislators, city representatives who created the laws. The police get the defamation from trying to enforce these laws.

Take, for instance, the War on Drugs. Addiction is a medical problem. Our powers to be mandated that this addiction be a criminal offense. Who gets the blame for incarcerating a huge number of our citizens? The police and justice system. Who is really responsible, our Congress!

Now we have our demonstrators thinking that if they burn down enough buildings, our congress is going to change their thinking overnight. No, I think the people behind these demonstrators wish to bring down the whole U S of A so they can impose their intolerant socialistic view on our Republic. Ask those in Russia, China, or Venezuela how much liberty they have to express themselves.

JAMES WHITESIDE

Midland
A Sri Lankan Buddhist monk ties a blessed thread on the wrist of Sri Lankan prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Tangalle on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. The country's powerful Rajapaksa brothers secured a landslide victory in the parliamentary election, giving them nearly a two-thirds majority of seats required to make constitutional changes, according to results released Friday. Rajapaksa is likely to be sworn in the same position by his younger brother, president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after the vote that could strengthen dynastic. (AP)

Colombo: Sri Lankas powerful Rajapaksa brothers secured a landslide victory in the parliamentary election, giving them the two-thirds majority of seats required to make constitutional changes, according to results released Friday.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to be sworn in the same position by his younger brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, after the vote that could strengthen dynastic rule in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Sri Lanka Peoples Front has secured a resounding victory according to official results released so far, Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in a Twitter message as results were being released. It is by belief that that the expectation to have a Parliament that will enable the implementation of my vision for prosperity policy will be reality tomorrow, he said.

The Rajapaksas Sri Lanka Peoples Front won 145 seats in the 225-member Parliament while its main opponent obtained only 54 seats, the election commissions results showed. A party representing ethnic minority Tamils won 10 seats, and 16 others were split among 12 small parties.

The brothers need 150 seats, or control of two-thirds of seats in Parliament, to be able to change the constitution. At least four small parties collaborate with Rajapaksas party, so they appear to have mustered that support.

However, analysts say any attempt by Gotabaya Rajapaksa to push for changes that will strengthen presidential power at the expense of those of the prime minister may trigger sibling rivalry.

Sri Lanka had been ruled by powerful executive presidents since 1978. But a 2015 constitutional amendment strengthened Parliament and the prime minister and put independent commissions in charge of judiciary appointments, police, public services and the conduct of elections.

Gotabaya was elected president last November after projecting himself as the only leader who could secure the country after the Islamic State-inspired bombings of churches and hotels on Easter Sunday that killed 269 people. Since being elected, he has said he had to function under many restrictions because of the constitutional changes.

However, Mahinda Rajapaksa is unlikely to cede any of his powers that might shrink his influence as he works on promoting his son Namal as his heir. Namal and three other members of the Rajapaksa family contested the election and are likely to control key functions in the new administration.

The landslide victory also raises fears of weakening government institutions such as independent commissions for elections, police and public service.

More than 70% of the countrys more than 16 million eligible voters cast ballots in Wednesdays election, held under strict health guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The vote was postponed twice by the pandemic. Sri Lanka has largely contained the spread of the virus with 2,839 confirmed cases, including 11 deaths.

The United States congratulated Sri Lanka for holding the election in a peaceful and orderly manner despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the new parliament convenes, we hope the government will renew its commitments to building an inclusive economic recovery, upholding human rights and the rule of law, and protecting the countrys sovereignty. We look forward to partnering with the government and new parliament, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo said in a statement.
A federal appeals panel has upheld the dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a woman who died when the car she was riding in drove off a Forest Service road and into an abandoned mine shaft in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Colorado.

Sarah Ball, 18, was a passenger in the vehicle that drove off the unpaved road in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Boulder County shortly before 3 a.m. June 12, 2016. The vehicle ran over an earthen mound before plunging into the mine shaft about 20 feet off the road.

Ball and another passenger, 19-year-old Peter Kim, were killed. The driver, Isaac Lutz, 32, was later sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to reckless endangerment and reckless driving.

Balls parents, Logan and Elizabeth Ball, filed a wrongful death suit, saying the U.S. government was negligent in not posting a warning sign or erecting a barrier at a fork in the road where the accident occurred. Tree branches partially blocked the left fork, the original road route; the right path led to the mine shaft, their lawsuit contended.

A U.S. District Court dismissed their lawsuit, finding the government was immune from liability under a provision of the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows lawsuits alleging wrongful injury or death because of negligence. The Balls appealed.

A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld the dismissal Friday, finding in part that to rule against the Forest Service would be to second-guess Forest Service policy when it comes to warning the public about the risks of using so-called Level 2 roads, suitable for high-clearance vehicles and other backcountry activity.

That policy includes publishing a motorists guide to Forest Service roads stressing the risks of using them, the panel ruled. It also includes efforts to mitigate the risks of abandoned mines, damaged roads and other hazards if funding permits, and that is not the case with the Forest Service, the panel said.

It noted that there are more than 1,300 remnants of abandoned mines in the Arapaho and Roosevelt forests, including shafts, entrances and tailings, as well as thousands of miles of roads.

If the government is liable for not posting the warning or putting up the barrier suggested by plaintiffs at the site of the tragic accident in the case, it could protect itself from future liability only by regularly examining all 1,329 mine features and all 1,987 miles of Level 2 roads in the forest for possible hazards and then, at the very least, posting warning signs to alert motorists, the appeals panel wrote.

And posting the number of warning signs that would evidently be required could not help but detract from the scenic beauty of the forest, making it a far less attractive place to get away from it all,  it said.

Plaintiffs attorney Randall Weiner said Tuesday he and his clients are considering whether to take their case before the full 10th Circuit.

We believe the government should be held accountable to same extent as a private person on lands they control, especially when a warning of a specific hazard would cost a few dollars and could save lives, Weiner said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits USA Colorado Mining
1. The most resonant political issue in this society is education, in terms of numbers affected and intensity of reaction. Its now become part of COVID. Ontario says itll reopen schools next month almost exactly as they were at the shutdown  especially for the youngest, kindergarten to Grade 3, who are least able to act with restraint and irresistibly throw their arms around each other in joy or combat. The question isnt if theyll have to reclose schools but when.

The key is space and distance. The plan makes no reduction in number per class, at those young levels, or teachers per student. Hence my pessimism. If that doesnt impress you, consider Israels botched reopening.

Parents are torn, I can attest after a highly sophisticated survey of passersby from my porch. Many are, and here only cliche suffices, at their wits end. But they want healthy kids not bringing a virus home with them.

This engenders fury, politically directed. The U.S. had a national day of resistance to reopenings on Monday. Cities like Chicago cancelled live classes. The sole big city still set on an in-person relaunch is New York. We shall see.

2. The only possible rationale for this, ugh, plan is a hope that enough parents will reluctantly keep their kids home, thus halving class sizes, while saving money and, incidentally, lives. If this were the U.S., Id say the goal is also to privatize public schools, but thats less plausible here, where Conservatives have focused on privatizing and profiting from long-term-care homes.

3. The spacing in DOFOs head. Doug Fords defaults are still set to neocon, as when he spoke with a farmer (hes a great guy) who told him migrant workers wont take tests, leading to a Doug eruption. It was classic boss bias. Hes not entirely stuck, though. The gravy train still runs in his head but hes willing to spend  for janitors, nurses, buildings. Just not teachers.

Is this the old rightwing anti-intellectual, anti-teacher and, above all, anti-union bias? Doug rarely references unions; Jason Kenney in Alberta wont even take their calls. But Doug has also proclaimed that in-class teaching is the best by miles. Thats a shift. In an earlier incarnation, he was uniquely keen about online courses. One of the few perks of COVID has been a nearly universal recognition that online teaching sucks, as Jake Tapper said on CNN.

Unions will be central in resisting the relaunch. Theyre not legally allowed to strike, but refusal to work in unsafe conditions is available as a legal justification and, in an unhappy coincidence, reflects reality.

4. How does anti-racism factor in? Same thing. Reopening schools raises all the issues of equality. The well-off can afford to keep kids home, hire tutors, set up pods with other parents or send kids to private schools where the ratios are just fine. Itd move us toward a U.S.-style public system for the poor only. Kenya is at least dealing with this. Theyve closed all their schools for the coming year, in order not to exacerbate the class (!) gap.

***

Perry Masons enchanting return. Those of us addicted to the ancient black-and-white Perry Mason courtroom series share a sorry secret: they stank. Characters were dull; plots, uninspired. Of the hundreds I watched, exactly one had a delightful, unexpected, satisfying twist. Mason didnt just get acquitals, the real killers always confessed stupidly in court. I think the shows appeal in eternal late-night reruns was it helped people fall asleep. Someone told me: I always drop off right after the judge says, Well now take a recess. 

This summers reboot rectifies that. It explains why Perry wants more than acquittals. Della and Paul become complex and attractive. It uses historical context like The First World War and Christian revivalism in 1930s L.A. It takes the time for details (as the original Perry, Raymond Burr, always yearned to do).

The Conservatives on the House Committee that interrogated Justin Trudeau seemed stuck in the old show: Answer the question... Yes or no How many?... Whats the number? Its not appealing and theyre not D.A. Hamilton Burger. They should have a look at the new version, now in session.
Norway is moving its ELINT (electronic intelligence) ship Marjata from the port of Kirkenes, which is eight kilometers from the Russian border, to Harstad. The new home port for Marjata is 334 kilometers to west and beyond the range of the many Russian EW (Electronic Warfare) systems. Kirkenes had become a problem because it is on the Barents Sea, which is an area north of the Norwegian and Russian coasts where Russian warships and military aircraft frequently train. Marjata goes to sea to monitor these activities. Russia was regularly testing its new EW systems near Kirkenes, which made life difficult for the technical personnel and some of the ELINT gear on the Marjata. Moving the home port of Marjata from Kirkenes to Harstad (on the North Sea) solved that problem. Norway would not explain exactly why and they often do that when questions are asked about how their ELINT works. The Russians still have an opportunity to use their EW systems on Marjata but only when the ship is in the Barents Sea seeking out Russian ships and aircraft equipped with EW systems.

The 126 meter (400 foot) long Marjata entered service in 2016 and was the fourth Norwegian ELINT ship with that name. The previous Marjata, which entered service in 1992, remained in service but renamed the Eger and the two ELINT ships often operate together. Eger had a unique wedge-shaped hull which gave it more stability and space for a helicopter pad. The current Marjata does not have the helicopter pad but does have more internal space. Both ships carry about 60 personnel, most of them technicians to operate the ELINT equipment.

The Russian EW problems became acute after 2016. In late 2018 Finland and Norway went public with accusations that Russia deliberately jammed GPS signals in northern Finland and Norway from a location near the Russian military bases in the Kola Peninsula on the Barents Sea. The jamming took place between October 25th and November 7th 2018 as NATO held its largest training exercise since the Cold War ended in 1991. Russia denied any responsibility even though they are known to possess long-range jammers, for GPS and other signals. Norway said they had tracked the jammer to a specific location but, when Russia refused to admit any involvement, Norway refused to explain how they tracked the signal because that would provide Russia with information on Norwegian EW equipment that might be useful to them.

What was curious about this incident was that it had no impact on the NATO military exercises and even commercial airliners operating in the area had backup (INS) systems in case GPS signals were not working properly. The potential victims were civilians with smaller aircraft or on the ground who depend on commercial navigation gear using GPS. Then again, that may have been the point because Russian firms have long been producing a wide variety of GPS jammers that are generally ineffective against military GPS users but would be useful for criminals, terrorists or anyone involved in irregular warfare (as Russia has been in Ukraine since 2014). As for the damage to diplomatic relations with Norway and Finland, these two nations need no reminders of what a bad neighbor Russia is and historically has been.

NATO nations have long been aware of the Russian EW activities, especially the growing number of Russian jamming systems. Some of these were demonstrated in Syria and Ukraine, where Russia considers complaints about disruption as free advertising for this equipment. Russian GPS jammers have some military use but also have appeal for non-military customers. For example, in 2016 Russia began marketing a new, portable GPS jamming system called Pole 21. This system was special because individual Pole 21 units can be mounted on existing cell phone towers (or alone on portable towers). Each Pole 21 unit can put out 20 watts and jam signals from GPS (as well as the similar GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou systems) out to 80 kilometers. Pole 21 is also designed to act as a backup transmitter of commands for nearby Pole 21 units. In this way, the Russians say a wide area can quickly be protected from GPS guided missiles and bombs as well as shutting down vehicle GPS systems. The Russians admit that Pole 21 would also cripple all commercial GPS devices in the jammed areas. The biggest problem with Pole 21 is that Russia has been developing and selling many different GPS jamming systems since the mid- 1990s and they have proved to be ineffective in combat. Yet Russian firms keep producing these types of jammers because there is a market for them. ELINT operations, like those of the two Norwegian ELINT ships (and those of other NATO nations as well as ELINT aircraft), are intense off the north Russian coast because thats where Russia tests most of this EW gear and does so more often than off the Pacific Coast or in the Black or Baltic Seas. These two Norwegian EW ships are particularly annoying for the Russians because the Norwegians have a knack for showing up when there is EW action the Russians would prefer to keep from outsiders.

Developments in GPS and other signal jamming is a big deal. By 2010 the U.S. Department of Defense was spending a lot of money on developing a jam-resistant replacement, or backup (depending on who you talk to), for GPS. The best candidate was an improved INS (Internal Navigation System). INS has existed for nearly a century but have gotten smaller, cheaper, and more reliable as electronic components did the same since the 1960s. Basically, INS uses three gyroscopes and three accelerometers to constantly measure changes in direction and changes in velocity. With that, the INS will always know where it is in relation to its initial starting point (which can be obtained initially via unjammed GPS or older means). Miniature INS devices have long served as a backup for GPS guided weapons. But while GPS guidance can land a bomb or missile within 10 meters (32 feet) of a target, INS can only achieve 30-meter accuracy. GPS also has the advantage of not needing to have its exact position entered after the INS is turned on. On the upside, that means INS cannot be jammed or spoofed. These micro- gyroscopes and accelerometers have become standard in many smartphones to not only detect orientation, but also movement. The use of this tech by smartphone makers resulted in even cheaper and more reliable designs that proved very useful for military INS backups for GPS.

After 2010 American researchers created new concepts and technology that could greatly improve current INS accuracy and cost. By 2013 prototypes proved they could be nearly as accurate as GPS and almost as small. Cost was still a factor, with the new INS still costing more than 10 times what GPS does. But this is all a big improvement over what has been available before. The new INS can now be used to monitor GPS and alert the operator that their GPS has either developed a problem or is being jammed. The new INS is also useful for some fast missiles that often lose their GPS signal as they maneuver. Another urgent chore for INS is to alert users that their GPS is being spoofed (sent a false signal that is luring the user away). Thus, even with the ability of anti-jamming tech to keep up with jammer technology, there is still a demand for a new INS. That has led to smaller, cheaper and more accurate INS systems. Aside from airlines and commercial shipping, there is not much of a mass market for these new INS systems because for most consumers GPS is reliable enough to keep the INS gear out of the consumer market. But the demand from the airlines, shipping companies and the military is huge. However, the tech remains popular for smartphones and other consumer items, but not as INS. That is changing as some smartphone (and smartwatch) manufacturers seek to use INS to automatically fill in if the user temporarily losses the GPS signal.

Many Department of Defense navigation and electronics experts believe current anti-jamming efforts are sufficient to keep military GPS use viable, but the new INS technology has attracted a lot of attention because in the military a backup is something that is always appreciated because when equipment fails in combat its literally a matter of life or death. Meanwhile, the U.S. is building and testing more compact GPS anti-jamming systems for smaller (as small as 200 kg/440 pounds) UAVs. This is part of a program to equip all American UAVs, even the smallest ones, with more secure GPS. While all UAVs can be flown by the operator, the GPS makes it a lot easier for the operator to keep track of exactly where his UAV is at all times and sometimes the UAV is programmed to simply patrol between a series of GPS coordinates. If the GPS jams or fails the operator can usually use the video feed to find landmarks on the ground and bring the UAV back to where it can be seen and landed.

While American troops have not yet encountered much (if any) battlefield GPS jamming, the threat exists. Currently, American troops can experience this sort of thing in Ukraine (where NATO nations have military advisors and observers) and Syria. This jamming tech is also showing up in Iraq and Afghanistan. Before that, the most tangible evidence of this came from North Korea, which has long made, sold, and itself used GPS jammers. In 2012 North Korea attacked South Korea with a massive GPS jamming campaign. The jamming began in late April and continued for over two weeks. It took less than a day to confirm that the signal was coming from North Korea and was mainly aimed at the South Korean capital (Seoul). The jamming had little impact inside the city itself (the ground-based jamming signal was blocked by buildings and hills) and was only noted by several hundred aircraft landing or taking off from local airports and over a hundred ships operating off the coast. In all these cases the ships and aircraft had backup navigation systems, which were switched on when GPS became unreliable. This is how navigation systems, especially those that rely on an external (satellite) signal are designed.

There are several approaches to defeating GPS jamming, and knowing which one each American GPS guided weapon uses makes it easy to develop a way to jam the "jam-proof" GPS. The U.S. Air Force is understandably reluctant to discuss what they are doing. Given the cost of jam proofing all existing GPS weapons, it's more likely that jam-proof GPS weapons will only be used against targets where the GPS accuracy is vital. Against most targets the accuracy provided by the inertial guidance system will do. Also note that you can bomb GPS jammers with a bomb equipped with a guidance system that homes in on a GPS jamming signal. For that reason, it's thought that any use of GPS jammers will involve dozens of jammers in each area so protected. The GPS jamming has no effect on the even more accurate laser-guided bombs, and some countries buy smart bombs with both laser and GPS/INS systems. Most countries are working on anti-jamming tech in anticipation of encountering more jamming if war comes.

The Norwegian ELINT ships have been prime sources of details on how the Russian jammers and other EW equipment works when turned on. The Marjata and Eger are considered major NATO ELINT assets, which is one reason Eger (the third Marjata) was kept in service when the current Marjata showed up in 2016. Eger is 28 years old but worth the time and expense to keep her going.
Active Rigs Fall to Zero in Two Oil Hotspots

In the latest sign of the times, and what very well may be an indicator of things to come, two major oil hotspots this week saw their active rig counts reduced to zero: Venezuela and Wyoming.

And the market wants to know whos next.

Venezuela saw its rig count dip to just one drilling rig in June. But Chevron pulled up stakes in Venezuela over sanctions-related issues, leaving its oilfield services contractor, Nabors Industries, no choice but to exit as well. This is a historic moment for a country sitting on the worlds largest oil reserves, and it cant all be blamed on the pandemic and U.S. sanctions.

Venezuela has done nearly everything in its power to repel foreign oil and gas companies. Chevron was the last of the brave--or perhaps naive--companies to do business there, and Chevron had to write down all of its $2.6 billion in assets there as a result.

Nabors, which also has a presence in Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, and Colombia, expects to see further declines in drilling activities. This is noteworthy because of the 74 rigs Nabors has in operation around the globe, 43 are in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, however, the difference is that Aramco seems to be rotating the rigs that are out of service to keep the rigs active (and Nabors expects to lose several more there over Q3). This is expensive for Aramco, while lucrative for Nabors.

Wyoming idled its very
The group, which has a powerful place in Lebanons government, is widely believed to use the port facility for its smuggling operations and is under scrutiny more generally because it operates a parallel state outside official structures, which is seen as contributing to the weakness of institutions in running and regulating the country.
(Photo : Screenshot From pxhere official website )

The West Nile Virus was confirmed in Fresno, California this year in early June. A study from the University of California, Berkley suggests that as climate change worsens, warm weather in Southern California will increase the risk of contracting mosquito-borne diseases.

Recently published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the paper analyzed West Nile (WN) transmission in Los Angeles, where it first arrived in the metropolitan area in 2003. This particular virus has been one of the deadliest mosquito-borne illnesses across the entire country.

The Berkley team reviewed data of about 1.8 million mosquitos that were tested for WN between 2006 and 2016. Using machine learning, they identified how climate conditions and landscape affected infection rates in several neighborhoods.

Between 70 and 73 degrees Fahrenheit, the researchers saw a 'sharp transition' in finding infected mosquitos from L.A. neighborhoods. Nicholas Skaff, a former postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, said, 'Above this range, conditions become consistently favorable for transmission, and below this range, conditions are consistently unfavorable.'





Warm Temperatures in the L.A . Coast

Professor Justin Remais said that they expect the L.A. coastal region, including San Diego and Santa Barbara, to become more vulnerable to mosquito populations carrying various diseases. Significant warming in this region due to climate change will 'push coastal climates more consistently into the favorable zone' for mosquitos to thrive.

Skaff said that as coastal L.A. temperatures stay warm during the summer and early fall, it is best to take extra precautions to avoid mosquito bites. 'Inland parts of L.A. are almost always sufficiently hot during the summer, so other factors end up determining whether intense transmission occurs there,' he said.

Aside from warm temperatures, transmission still occurs even if the climate is unfavorable, said Skaff. Birds can also get infected with West Nile. Skaff explained that if most of the birds in L.A. have been infected within the last two years, herd immunity may be high from the large outbreak.

Read Also: Mosquitos Carrying Dengue, Zika, Yellow Fever Would Be More Prevalent by 2030, Study Warns





Mosquito Populations Worldwide

Moreover, global warming has also allowed mosquito populations to travel further north into states where they previously could not survive due to cold weather. States such as Michigan, New Hampshire, and Connecticut have been capturing mosquitoes and ticks infected with West Nile and Jamestown Canyon Virus.

Another study from Imperial College London and Tel Aviv University predicted that mosquitoes will be prevalent in southern Europe by 2030 - carrying diseases like dengue, yellow fever, and Zika virus. Based on the current rates of greenhouse gas emissions will allow mosquitos to reproduce 4.4% times more every ten years by 2050.

'Predicting the transmission of infectious diseases carried by animal hosts and vectors represents a complex puzzle,' added Remais, 'and machine learning can pick up patterns in vast epidemiological and ecological datasets that help us understand why certain people and neighborhoods are at the highest risk, as well as what the future holds.'

Read Also: Dengue and Other Mosquito Diseases Are Slowly Making Their Way North




MBABANE  I have received 168 WhatsApp messages and 210 calls. This is what Senator-elect Jimmy Hlophe has received since he won the Senate elections on Wednesday. Hlophe said he was inundated with calls and congratulatory messages such that he could not answer all of them.



Responding



I have been responding to them since yesterday (Wednesday) and I cant cope. I am still responding to them even now, the senator-elect said. He said he had to do justice to everyone and humble himself before the throne of the Lord by responding to every call and message he received from people congratulating him on his new political journey. Hlophe said he could not even identify who some of the well-wishers were as he was unfamiliar with their number, but all the same, he had to respond.



While conversing with this reporter, a call that came through. The newly-elected senator highlighted that the media was a professional institution and he respected that. He said he would later return the call.



Jimmy replaces deceased Senator Mike Temple. A name tag has not been placed yet in front of the chair that was occupied by Temple. The seat is between Senator Busie Dlamini and Alberto Samuelss seats. Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini also congratulated the senator-elect. She conveyed her appreciation to the House of Assembly for doing a stellar job in selecting the appropriate candidate for Senate.I am thankful that they gave us a good candidate, a seasoned man who has served the country as a Member of Parliament and in various leadership positions, Dlamini said.



Confident



She pointed out that Hlophe was once managing director for Caltex and they were confident that he was coming in with experience and value to enhance the smooth running of Senate.

The Senate president highlighted that a sitting would be held as soon as necessary arrangements had been made. Dlamini said in the meantime, there were committees sitting in Parliament and soon an Order Paper would be issued when the swearing-in would be held. Dlamini reiterated her admiration to all those who ensured the smooth running of the elections process.
Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-07 18:52:32|Editor: huaxia

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ISTANBUL, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 people were wounded when a fire erupted at a residential building in the largest Turkish city of Istanbul, a local media outlet reported Friday.

The fire broke out at around midnight on the first floor of a six-storey building in the Atasehir district on the Asian side of the city, the Haberturk broadcaster said on its website.

The smoke quickly filled the flats on the upper floors of the building, Haberturk added.

The ambulances rushed 12 residents, who were badly affected by the smoke, to nearby hospitals.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Enditem
MEXICO CITY - The U.S. State Department dropped its global Level 4 health warning urging people not to travel abroad Thursday, but promptly re-imposed that same advisory level on Mexico.

Since March 19, the department had advised U.S. citizens to avoid all travel abroad because of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, the department announced it was returning to country-specific advisories.

It issued a Level 4 do not travel warning for all of Mexico, citing COVID-19. Mexico pushed passed 50,000 deaths Thursday and has reported 462,690 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections, far less than the United States.

Mexico had long enjoyed a Level 2 advisory urging travellers to exercise caution, though some particularly violent states had do not travel advisories because of crime, gang shootouts and the risk of kidnapping.

In its advisory Thursday, the State Department said, Travellers to Mexico may experience border closures, airport closures, travel prohibitions, stay at home orders, business closures, and other emergency conditions within Mexico due to COVID-19.

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As Spring Branch ISD prepares to institute remote learning for all of its approximately 35,000 students for the first two weeks of school, the district is working to make sure students have both the technological equipment and access they need.

Additionally, about half of all students will continue with remote learning for the next nine weeks, SBISD officials to make sure families have access to an electronic device and the internet.

As part of the districts 2017 bond program, all secondary students have been receiving a device  usually a Chromebook  for the past two school years. So that aspect of the plan has been a part of SBISDs normal start of school operations.

Start of school postponed: Spring Branch ISD pushes back the start of school

However, providing devices to all Pre-K  5th grade students is a new procedure.

I feel confident that we have enough devices, between the 2017 bond program, different grant programs the districts been able to take advantage of, as well as super generous PTA contributions, I feel confident that I can put a device in the hands of any student that needs one, said Spring Branch ISD Chief Informational Officer Christina Masick.

The district does allow students to opt out of the districts program and bring their own devices, and Masick said many families do participate in what she calls the BYOD program.

In addition to the need for equipment, Spring Branch ISD is also ensuring that students have access to the internet.

For the past three years, as part of the registration and enrollment process, SBISD has included a survey, and results have shown that most families have a home device, although it is usually a shared device.

The survey has also found a significant portion of students only internet access is through a data plan on a cell phone. So Masick sees providing internet access as a bigger obstacle than providing devices.

Plus, she expects the need to increase due to the pandemic.

To help ensure that all students have the internet access they need for effective remote learning, Spring Branch ISD has purchased devices, such as iPads, that have a data card that allows internet connectivity as part of the device, deployed Wi-Fi enabled buses throughout the community and expanded its Wi-Fi coverage that had historically remains within buildings to cover entire properties so that students can access the internet from the parking lots of school buildings.

Buying into technology: With schools starting online only, Houston districts work to convince skeptical families to log on

Masick acknowledged that the increased data and hotspots do create extra expenses, which she says are covered by sources such as bond money and grants, and said that the districts long-term strategy is to provide its own LTE network as a mechanism to drive down recurring data costs.

Theres the saying, it takes a village. It literally takes a village, said Masick. It takes everything from staff members who do the ordering and asset tagging and handing out the devices, configuring those devices, but the other piece is it takes a lot of professional development, hours and people, to help teachers work together to figure out how to best translate a lesson that might traditionally be provided in a traditional classroom setting.

elliott.lapin@hearst.com
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Since the Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting on July 10th , whereby Prime Minister Jacobs attended with her colleague Prime Ministers of Aruba and Curacao, and their Ministers Plenipotentiary regarding the liquidity support for 3rd tranche, Prime Minister Jacobs has been in constant contact with her colleague Prime Ministers of Aruba and Curacao about a plan of approach and also lobbying for a joint proposal to the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this has not always prospered as they would have desired as each country has their own challenges.





The Council of Ministers established a work group of legal experts to review the draft kingdom law and the enclosed documents. The group of the legal experts consisted of five persons and had a clearly defined goal to do a legal review with a focus on the counterproposal to present to the Netherlands. The Council of Ministers are awaiting the final report which will include other options for St. Maarten.





The letter, in keeping with the related motion of Parliament, was sent to the State Secretary, Mr. Knops on Monday, August 3, 2020 after being approved by the Council of Ministers. The letter once again outlined the importance and willingness of St. Maartens Government to sit around the table and come up with an alternative proposal together that would be beneficial for both St. Maarten and our Kingdom partner. In this letter, the different aspects that St. Maarten would like to have adjusted were highlighted, she also outlined St. Maartens stance on what structure the agreements that are being made should take on.





Since the last Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting and prior to sending the letter, during the past 2 weeks, Prime Minister had spoken to State Secretary Knops . In these discussions, Mr. Knops had indicated that he would be on vacation soon however, discussions on a technical level would continue.





Earlier today, Prime Minister held a closed-door meeting at Parliament to share information with Parliament and dialogue the letter and its content with the Members of Parliament. The information was well-received by the Members, with some critical opinions that are important and necessary to be taken into account moving forward. Sint Maarten is now awaiting a response to its letter from the Netherlands and State Secretary Knops in particular. Prime Minister Jacobs remains optimistic about the expected feedback from the Nethelands, so that we can proceed in the interest of the greater good of St. Maarten and its people.




New Delhi, Aug 7 : As the mystery behind the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput turns murkier with each passing day, senior advocate Vikas Singh, who is representing the kin of the late actor, has hinted that the last few pages from his personal diary could be "crucial" and "could have hinted at who could have been behind his death".

Speaking exclusively to IANS, former Additional Solicitor General (ASG) and senior advocate Vikas Singh said: "Well, according to me that diary is very important because if he was writing everyday about what was in his mind then if he has committed suicide, then something must have been there as to why he has taken this step or if it was a murder, there would have been something regarding who in his life was the threat." "I hope the investigation agency is able to retrieve the last few pages as it might unravel a lot of things," Singh said.

With the Central Bureau of Investigation taking over the probe on Thursday, the senior advocate stated that the issue of jurisdiction would be solved as it was now a central probe agency and it can probe any case from across India.

"Jurisdiction is just used as an excuse by the Mumbai Police to not give assistance to the Patna Police to probe the case as the law is well settled and there is provision in law to provide such an assistance," said Singh.

"There was no jurisdictional issue and there will be no jurisdictional issue. According to me, Patna had the jurisdiction as the place where consequences of the crime was felt. There is jurisdiction under section 179 of the CrPC with Patna because his father was living in Patna and also for the reason that 406 IPC case is made out against Rhea and the legal heir of the property in question is Sushant's father, Patna clearly had jurisdiction," the lawyer added.

When asked if there was a conspiracy to kill Sushant and if the Mumbai Police is tempering down the enormity of the crime, the lawyer said, "It is not possible for us to say clearly because none of the family members were living with him but what is coming out in the public domain is quite shocking and that is what we are really worried about." "We had no direct information about murder so that is why we couldn't allege it in our FIR but we have definitely alleged abetment to suicide because even if we assume it was suicide as said by Mumbai Police then this is definitely abetment to suicide," he said,

"Even if the factual aspect of suicide is put up by Mumbai Police and it comes out to be a murder, the players would remain the same as the whole staff staying at Sushant's home was placed by Rhea only and they are definitely involved if it was murder.

"I think the truth will come out when CBI would begin probing the case," he added.

The former ASG further added that the electronic evidence would play a crucial role in the probe as now the reliance would be on the photographs taken from the scene of crime and during the post mortem and apart from this the Call Details Records (CDRs) would also be helpful in forming the chain of evidence in the absence of the physical evidence. "All of this would be crucial and necessary in reaching to the correct conclusion," Singh said.

"The problem with this investigation is that what has been lost in the initial days would impact the probe but I am sure that a professional agency like CBI would still be able to uncover the truth," he said.

Some Call Detail Records which have come out in public domain show that not even a single call was exchanged between Sushant Singh Rajput and his live-in girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty between June 8 and June 14.

Commenting on these CDRs, the lawyer said, "Well, this exactly is our FIR, where we have said Rhea blocked Sushant on (June) 8th when she left his home along with all his medical reports, laptop and some valuables and this CDR exactly proves our stand in the FIR that this blocking was the reason for Sushant to take the extreme step." The said CDRs have also revealed that the two actors exchanged around 20 calls between January 20 and 25 of 2020, when the late actor was reportedly at his sister's residence in Haryana.

When asked as to who is Shruti Modi and what is her involvement in the case, the senior advocate told IANS that though he isn't sure but the said woman was among one of the staff members placed at the late actor's house by Rhea Chakraborty.

"I think Shruti was one of the staff members placed at Sushant's home by Rhea Chakraborty," he said.

The CBI in its FIR has named Rhea, her father Indrajit Chakraborty, mother Sandhya Chakraborty, brother Showik Chkaraborty, Sushant's house manager Samuel Miranda, Shruti Modi and unknown others. They have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including abetment to suicide, criminal conspiracy, wrongful restraint/confinement, theft, criminal breach of trust, cheating and other offences.

Earlier in the day, the CBI after taking over investigation in the case, handed over the probe to the ACU-VI (Special Investigation Team), which was formed by CBI's Special Director Rakesh Asthana. The decision was taken after hours of brainstorming among the top CBI officials, including Director R.K. Shukla.

Sushant was found dead in his flat in Mumbai's Bandra on June 14.

Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The Bombay high court (HC) has refused to pass any order or express an opinion in the two public interest litigations (PILs) seeking transfer of a case registered in Patna to Mumbai regarding actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death by suicide in his Bandra apartment on June 14.

HC will hear both the PILs on August 21.

Rajputs father KK Singh had filed the first information report (FIR)

In Patna and the HC bench was informed that a similar petition has been filed in the Supreme Court (SC) that would be heard on August 18.

The court was also informed that the prayer for transferring the probe of Rajputs death to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the Mumbai Police had been granted following the Bihar governments recommendation and the central agency had also filed an FIR on Thursday.

A two-member HC division bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice AS Gadkari, while hearing the PILs filed by advocate Priyanka Tibrewal and a Nagpur-resident, Sameet Thakkar, was informed that both the petitions had similar prayers with regards to the investigation of Rajputs death.

The court was informed that since the SC was seized of the matter, the PILs seeking transfer of investigation to CBI was not maintainable.

Maharashtra advocate-general (A-G) Ashutosh Kumbhakoni submitted that the SC on July 30 had dismissed a petition seeking the transfer of the investigation from Mumbai Police to CBI.

He also cited an SC order, issued on Wednesday (August 5), where the Maharashtra government was asked to submit a report on the investigations progress in the Rajput case by August 18.

In light of these submissions and since the matter was sub-judice, A-G Kumbhakoni requested the bench not to pass any order.

Additional solicitor general (ASG) Anil Singh, who represented the Central government, informed the bench that the Maharashtra government had gone overboard in trying to stall the Bihar Polices probe into the Rajput case.

He pointed out that during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19)-induced lockdown restrictions, enforced for over 60 days since end-March, Bihar Police personnel had come to Mumbai to investigate other cases, but they were not quarantined.

However, when Vinay Tiwari, a Bihar-cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, came to Mumbai for the probe into the Rajput case on Sunday (August 2), he was immediately put under the 14-day quarantine by the state authorities, Singh said.

To unearth the truth, Mumbai Police should not create any problem, as the Rajput case has already been transferred to CBI, he added.
Absa Bank Ghana Limited has been awarded Partner Champion by Enactus Ghana for its role in supporting youth empowerment and development. The bank received the award at the maiden virtual edition of the Enactus National Competition.



According to the organisers, the award is in recognition of Absa Banks commitment to community and youth development as well as its significant support to Enactus Ghanas youth entrepreneurial and social-innovation programmes.



We are thankful to our corporate partner, Absa Bank Ghana, for believing in the ideology of Enactus. Your generous financial support and partnership has been vital to our mission, and the employee volunteer efforts has enabled us to engage with more people in need throughout our communities, Enactus said in a citation statement.



Speaking at the Enactus 2020 National competition event, Nana Essilfuah Boison, the Marketing and Corporate Relations Director of Absa Bank Ghana indicated that the bank is thrilled to witness inspiring stories of young Ghanaians becoming more enterprising and innovative in delivering game-changing solutions to critical societal challenges.



As key partners in economic development and job creation, we understand our critical role in helping shape the future of young people. We have done this over the years through several partnerships and initiatives, said Nana Essilfuah Boison.



Our motivation for doing this is directly linked to our commitment to be a Force for Good in society. As a brave and passionate brand, we remain committed to helping create jobs for young people to improve the socioeconomic fortunes of our country, she added.



Enactus is a student organisation that brings together college students, academic professionals and industry leaders to focus on a shared mission of creating a more sustainable world through entrepreneurship. Team members contribute their time and talent to projects that improve the lives of people around their communities.



Once a year, the various teams across the country come together to showcase how their entrepreneurial efforts and innovative ideas are transforming lives and creating a better future for people in their communities and beyond.



This years Enactus National Competition had 10 teams presenting over 16 projects with nearly 22,000 virtual attendees.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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